Requiem: Chapter Six...

Thank you to Kaz for the lovely review, it's so nice to have my first one and for it to be from someone who loved my other Skulduggery Pleasant fics so many years ago!

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"Stefnee!" Alice squealed and leapt at her older sister, giggling as she landed in Valkyrie's arms and was swung towards the ceiling.

"Hey pipsqueak," Val giggled. "Did you miss me?"

"Nope," Alice answered, flashing a gap in her teeth as she grinned. "Who's that?"

"This is my friend Tanith. She lives in my new apartment with me."

"You have pretty hair," Alice said.

"Thanks. So do you," Tanith answered.

"Steph? Is that you?" Melissa's voice floated through the hall from upstairs. "I'm just getting ready, I'll be down in a minute."

"No worries." Valkyrie carried her wriggling sister into the living room to find her father sitting there in most of a suit. "Uh dad, aren't you forgetting something?"

"Hi Steph. No, I made a list." He proudly showed her a piece of paper with the the items of his outfit written on it. "And I've ticked off my list."

"Are you sure you have everything?" Tanith snickered behind her. Desmond frowned and looked down at himself, and then realisation dawned on him and he frowned.

"Oh, my pants. I could've sworn I put them on." He got up from the chair and pottered off up the stairs in search of trousers.

"Wow. Your dad seems...interesting."

"He's the most forgetful man on this planet. If he hadn't married my mum I don't know what he'd be doing." She dumped Alice on the sofa, grinning when the little girl giggled and bounced on the cushions.

"Can I have a glass of milk?"

"Sure kiddo, wait here."

"Would you like to see me dance?" Alice asked Tanith as Valkyrie went back to the kitchen. She knew Alice would dance whether she got an answer or not. She grinned as she pulled a beaker from the cupboard and opened up the frige. Her face fell when she saw the empty milk carton, so she reached for the apple juice instead.

"Here pipsqueak. There's no milk." She passed the small girl the breaker, watching warily for any liquid sloshing over the edges.

"Damn lazy cows," Alice said brightly. Valkyrie snorted.

"Am I missing something?" Tanith asked.

"It's something my parents say. Alice stop dancing and drink your juice. There'll be plenty of time for dancing at my house."

"Your sister sure is cute."

"I'm adorable," she replied, flashing the gap in her teeth again. "Mum tells me all the time."

"Sorry about that," Melissa answered as she walked into the room. She looked nice in a knee length blue dress and her hair all done up. Desmond was right behind her and wearing pants. "Hi sweetheart." She folded her eldest daughter into a flower-scented hug for a moment. "Alice is all set. Are we alright to go?"

"Sure, go enjoy your evening. I'll bring Alice home in the morning."

"Thank you."

"Make sure you bring my favourite daughter home safe," Desmond said.

"You're not supposed to have favourites, dad."

"But you were my favourite child for eighteen years," he answered.

"I was your only child for eighteen years."

"It still counts. Anyway, let's go Mel. I can't remember if the reservation was for six or seven o'clock." Melissa groaned as she followed her husband out to their car. Valkyrie waved them off and shut the door behind them.

"Alright, pipsqueak. Go grab your overnight bag and we'll head out." Alice finished her juice and ran upstairs, returning with a brightly coloured wheelie case a few minutes later.

"I'm ready!" she trilled. Tanith chuckled, watching as the little girl bounced out of the door and up to Valkyrie's car. When she was settled in her booster seat they set off to the apartment. Alice hummed quietly the whole way there. When they arrived Tanith went in ahead of them to deactivate the sigils on the door. "That looks like the sofa from the big house," Alice said as she caught sight of the living room.

"It is the sofa from the big house. I brought it with me."

"But how did you carry it?" She squinted at the furniture and Valkyrie chuckled. Tanith's phone buzzed, interrupting them.

"Hello? Oh, hey Skulduggery. Uh huh. Yeah we're at the apartment." She glanced at Valkyrie quickly and frowned. "You're meant to be keeping your distance. Alright, alright. Jeez. Yeah we'll see you soon. Wear the facade when you come in." She sighed. "You'll see when you get here." She ended the call with a perplexed look on her face. "He's coming here now. He says he has something he wants you to read, whatever that means."

"He must have some new information on the case."

"Whatever it is, the pair of you seem less bothered about keeping apart than I am. Why is that?"

"It's difficult to explain in front of little ears," Valkyrie answered, glancing at her little sister as she spread her toys out on the living room floor.

"Try." She could tell Tanith wasn't going to drop it.

"Fine," she muttered, feeling her shoulders sag. "We think what...happens...might not exactly be voluntary on Skulduggery's part. I thought about it and everything about him screamed that he was doing something he didn't want to."

"How?"

"Well he's shaking for one. Like he's hurt."

"Who's hurt?" Alice piped up.

"Nobody pipsqueak. You play with your toys for a while and then we'll eat okay?" The little girl nodded and went back to her dolls. "Whatever is happening, it doesn't seem to be either of us causing it. There's a shape, maybe a person, in the background that seems to be in control."

"Is that what he's been looking into?"

"Yeah. He was checking to see if there was any information on somebody that could do that, and to see if there was a link between that and the case here in Haggard."

"Ah, I see. Still doesn't explain why you two are so eager to be around one another."

"Staying apart hasn't made a difference to what happens. We think it became too late to avoid the moment we met in the alley. He thinks that somebody might be looking for retribution against the two of us because we bumped into Argent."

"Oh," she breathed. "Okay, that makes sense."

"Yeah. So basically all staying away from him is doing is inconveniencing him when he's trying to investigate the two cases alongside one another."

"But if you two stay away from each other then surely you'd never come to a point where the...incident...can happen, right?"

"And if I'm right and somebody else is in control, whoever it is already has it in for us both and nothing would stop them from marching him over here against his will."

"How do you know that isn't what's happening now?" Valkyrie swallowed uncomfortably.

"I don't." The thought hadn't dawned on her that he could be manipulated at any point. Would she even know if he was? She could feel the panic rising and she fought to calm down. She was on a road in the vision, not in her apartment. She was alone. And they seemed much closer then than they currently were. She hadn't been allowed the time to get to know him well enough for a friendship to form. She took a breath and squashed the fear down deep. It wasn't happening yet. She had nothing to be scared of yet.

"Well if anything happens bundle Alice into a bedroom to play and I'll take it from there," Tanith answered with confidence. It made Valkyrie feel a little better.

"I can do that." Tanith nodded and sat herself on the sofa closest to the door. Valkyrie crouched beside her sister to play with her until he arrived, making sure she was close enough to grab her if things went wrong. A short while later there was a soft knock on the door and a familiar face with green eyes and sandy hair appeared. Valkyrie was surprised to see Skulduggery had kept the one she'd mentioned in the study.

"Hey Skul," Tanith waved.

"Tanith," he greeted her.

"Stephanie has her sister for the night." She stressed the given name and Skulduggery took the hint.

"Hello again, Stephanie." He entered the room and crouched down in front of Alice. She looked up at him and smiled widely.

"Hallo. I like your hat mister," she said.

"Thank you. I like your dolls. What's your name?" His smile was charming and his tone gentle as he spoke to the smaller girl.

"I'm Alice. Would you like to play dolls with me?" He chuckled and sat down beside her. Tanith watched with raised eyebrows. Valkyrie felt a smile tugging at her mouth. Skulduggery reached into his jacket and pulled out a manila folder, passing it to her before picking up one of the dolls.

"In there is information on potential leads. I have a good idea which one it is but I wanted your thoughts," he said before turning his attention back to her sister. "What's this one called?"

"Strawberry. She likes to make cakes," Alice explained. Valkyrie watched them play for a moment before deciding that it was definitely safe to be around him. She opened the folder and found three pieces of paper. Two of them had mug shots attached. The other had a grainy CCTV image. She read the first sheet, which contained a profile for a man named Azzedine Smoke. He had short hair and a braided goatee. His eyes were steel grey and his face was lightly lined, giving him the appearance of somebody approaching middle age. His profile was mostly empty, but there were a few lines on his ability. He could corrupt others through touch and was last seen somewhere in California. There was no mention on how long it would last or if he had to be in constant contact to maintain control, but it was a start.

The second sheet held a picture of a woman with red lips and blonde hair in a pixie cut. Her name was Raven Wilde and she was seventy three years old, though like all mages she still appeared young. She was listed as currently serving time in Coldheart Prison which left her an unlikely suspect unless she'd escaped, but Valkyrie was glad to see he'd included every possibility. Her corruptive ability came from a song. If a person heard her singing they were under her spell for several hours.

The last sheet held the least information. The CCTV image showed a distorted picture of a retreating figure with broad shoulders and dark clothing. He was looking over his shoulder and even in the image she could see the glint of his eyes, though she couldn't tell what colour they were because the picture was black and white. There was no information other than a name and a very brief description of his ability. In fact all it said was the word 'corruption' and that was it. Her stomach lurched as she looked at the creepy image. The name on the page was Requiem Jones.

"I'm pretty sure it's the third guy, but it could be the first one as well," she said.

"One of the Sanctuary Detectives is on their way to have a chat with Azzedine as we speak. We found him in Dublin," he said softly, not taking his eyes off Alice as she showed him all the different shoes her dolls had. She piled them into his hands one by one as she went through them.

"How likely is it to be him?"

"Not very. I've run into him before. We'll talk about it in detail later."

"It's not appropriate for little ears," Tanith said from the sofa, mimicking Valkyrie's earlier phrasing with a dark expression.

"Alright. Well Alice needs to eat and she needs a bath, and then she usually watches a movie before bed when she stays with me," Valkyrie said. "Can you keep your head screwed on until then?" She shot him a sideways glance and he caught her meaning, tilting his head in a gesture that was become familiar.

"My head can stay screwed on for several days," he responded, arching an eyebrow. Valkyrie was relieved; the last thing they needed was the facade to fail and Alice to come face to face with a living skeleton.

"My mum says if my dad's head wasn't screwed on he'd lose it," the little girl said brightly, drawing an amused chuckle from the detective.

"I'd better get your tea started. What do you want to eat, pipsqueak?" Valkyrie asked.

"Turkey dinosaurs," she said immediately.

"Alright, but you'd better eat your vegetables."

"If I do can I watch the film with the elephant in the circus? The one where he can fly? I brought it with me."

"Sure you can, but only if you eat your peas." Valkyrie ducked into the kitchen to throw some food in the oven. She could hear Alice telling Skulduggery how the elephant used its ears to fly in the film, and his velvety voice responding as he asked questions. He sounded genuinely curious. "You're making babysitting super easy for me," she remarked as she re-entered the living room and tucked herself onto one of the sofas.

"It's the least I can do, considering the circumstances." He looked down at the growing pile of toys in his hands with a bemused expression.

"Which is your favourite doll, mister?" Alice asked sweetly.

"This one, I think." He picked up a red-haired fairy in a purple dress.

"She's called Daisy." Alice looked up at him. "She has green eyes like you. What's your name?"

"Skulduggery."

"That's a weird name," she giggled. "I like Doug better." The skeleton detective blinked and Valkyrie snorted.

"...Doug?"

"Yup."

"I think Doug is a great name too," Tanith cut in, grinning at him. He looked between the three girls for a moment before sagging.

"Alright, Doug it is," he grumbled.

"Want to see me dance?" She got up and started twirling before he could answer. He used her distraction to shoot a withering glare at Tanith, which made Valkyrie laugh again. He glanced at her, but continued playing patiently with Alice until her food was ready. Valkyrie watched the interaction curiously. The way he acted was so natural, and she found herself wondering if he had children of his own. She got to her feet and sorted Alice's dinner, still pondering the idea. She made the decision to ask him later.

"Pipsqueak, come get your food."

"Can I eat with Doug?" she asked. Valkyrie grinned.

"Sure, you can eat with Doug." Skulduggery sighed and got to his feet as Alice grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the dining table.

"I don't mind babysitting, but you owe me for the Doug thing," he muttered as he walked past her, quiet enough that Alice couldn't hear.

"Let's name my dinosaurs!" She took his attention away again, pulling him to one of the chairs. Valkyrie hopped up to sit on the counter as Tanith appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" She pushed her blonde hair back over her shoulder as she spoke.

"I need to bath Alice, we'll have no choice but to sit through the movie and then once she's in bed we could order pizza and discuss what we know," Val suggested.

"Pizza sounds good, but no pineapple on it okay? I don't care what anybody says, that is something that does not belong with cheese and tomato." She wrinkled her nose. They continued chatting amicably while Alice ate, and then Valkyrie ran her a bath.

"Can I bring my dolls?"

"No, you'll ruin their hair," Valkyrie said as Alice hopped into the tub. "Doug will look after them for you, and you can play with your special bath toys."

"I like him. He has a nice face," she said.

"You think so?"

"I like his eyes. They're like Daisy's. Green is my favourite." She lapsed into silence, playing with her toys as Valkyrie shampooed her hair and scrubbed her clean. She giggled as Valkyrie wrapped her in a fluffy towel and scooped her out of the bath, swinging her round.

"You smell nice now. You stunk before," she teased.

"I didn't stink! I had a bath yesterday," Alice protested. She tugged on her pink pyjamas and let her sister dry her hair before bounding out of the bathroom. Valkyrie followed the lavender-scented whirlwind into the living room where she was dragging the DVD out of her bag. Tanith chuckled and slipped it into the player for her. Skulduggery was sat on the sofa now, having carefully extricated himself from the pile of toys he'd been left with. Tanith dropped onto the other and stretched out her long legs, so Val took the empty seat beside him. Alice dragged a blanket out of her little case.

"How much do you have in there? You're only staying for tonight," Val muttered.

"My toys and my clothes and my blanket and the elephant film," she answered innocently before climbing onto the sofa between them. Valkyrie watched with raised eyebrows as she dumped herself on Skulduggery's lap and stuck her thumb in her mouth, pulling the blanket up to her chin. The detective blinked in surprise as she grabbed his gloved fingers with the hand that wasn't stuck in her mouth and clutched it like a teddy, snuggling into him.

"Looks like somebody made a friend," Tanith remarked. He smiled softly and settled back against the cushions as Alice let out a contented sigh.

"It seems I have." He sat patiently through the movie while the small child drifted off in his lap, glancing down when her grip on his hand finally slackened. Her cheeks were rosy and her long lashes rested on them as she slept, fluttering gently with the movement of her eyes as they chased her dreams. Without a word, he stood so carefully, lifting her with him. She stirred, but didn't wake.

"Her room is the furthest down the hall," Valkyrie said. "Want me to take her?"

"I think I can manage a sleeping six year old," he said as he disappeared. He came back a minute later without her and retook his seat as Valkyrie switched the movie off. Tanith sat up and stretched, immediately alert as Skulduggery pulled out the folder again and handed it to her. She skimmed the pages silently before frowning.

"These are your suspects?"

"They are for now. There may be other Neoterics with the ability, these are just the ones we know of," he explained.

"Well it can't be Raven because she's in prison. And I doubt Smoke would be in league with Vampires to take over somewhere as small as Haggard. He hates them and he has bigger ambitions," she said, tucking blonde curls behind her ears. "Which leaves this Requiem guy. Who we don't even have a clear image of. It's got to be him. We're never lucky enough to go into anything with all the information."

"How tall is Smoke?" Valkyrie asked her.

"About five and a half feet, why?"

"Then it definitely can't be him, unless he's recently had a growth spurt. The figure in the vision was taller than you, Skulduggery."

"So we agree that Requiem is our best lead?" The detective looked between the two of them as they nodded. "That gives us a starting point. The next question is why he's in league with the Vampires, and what he could gain from taking control of Haggard."

"It could just be a power trip," Tanith shrugged. "Maybe he wants a little pocket of the world to rule on his own."

"Why use the Vampires for that? They have their own turf without needing to take Haggard," Valkyrie put in.

"There must be something here that he wants. I've got a feeling he has a bigger motive than just infecting people. Whatever it is must be important."

"What if he wants to hurt us for more than just revenge?" Valkyrie asked, the idea just dawning on her. "What if we find out what he's looking for and that's why he makes you shoot me?"

"Then it would seem we have another problem on our hands." Skulduggery tapped his chin thoughtfully. "The only thing that strikes me is the Caves."

"The Caves?" Val echoed.

"The Caves of the Void," Tanith answered. "They used to house the Sceptre of the Ancients and they're underneath Gordon's house."

"You mean I've lived there for four years and Gordon never told me about them?"

"They're exceedingly dangerous," Skulduggery explained. "They're filled with horrific creatures that feed on magic. It's a miracle Gordon ever managed to seal the Sceptre in them and escape. It's why the mansion was built there."

"How did he get out?"

"Were you not listening? I said it was a miracle. Which means that I rescued him." Tanith snorted as Valkyrie rolled her eyes. "Of course, at the time I didn't know he had the Sceptre. I thought he was just being an idiot."

"Could the Sceptre be what Requiem wants?"

"Not likely," Skulduggery answered. "The Sceptre was destroyed by a Faceless One." His expression tightened and Tanith looked away quickly.

"What?" The detective didn't answer, and Valkyrie frowned as his hands curled into fists in his lap. "What?"

"It was...a tough time for Skulduggery," Tanith said quietly. "Probably a story better told another day." Valkyrie looked over at him and saw his jaw was clenched. She nodded slowly, distressed by the sight.

"Alright. So if he doesn't want the Sceptre and the Caves are sealed off, what else could he want?"

"No idea. We'd have to do some more digging. Maybe Gordon's study will have a useful book or something," Tanith shrugged.

"That could be a good place to start," Skulduggery said. His brows were still knitted together but his voice was even and smooth as he spoke. Valkyrie watched his fingers relax as he lifted his head. "Gordon has books that even China couldn't find."

"Alright, so tomorrow Val and I can go over to the study and you can try Argent again to see if he's willing to talk yet."

"I doubt he'll have more to say, but perhaps one of the Infected we've managed to heal will be willing to talk. I'll see what I can find," the detective agreed. Tanith's phone rang again and she answered with a smile.

"Hey Ghastly. Really?" Her eyes lit up, but then dimmed as she bit her lip, disappointment clear on her face. "I don't think I can. I'm on protection detail." She paused as Ghastly spoke on the other end of the line. "Yes but I'm supposed to be protecting her from him." She sighed. "Alright, I'll ask, but I don't think he'll like it." She held the phone away from her ear as Skulduggery cocked his head. "Ghastly has the night off for the first time in a while and he wants me to go over."

"Valkyrie can't be left alone while there are Vampires still infecting people," he answered slowly.

"He knows. He said to leave her with you."

"But I'm supposed to shoot her."

"He knows that too. He said you worry too much." She listened again. "He also says you need a night off."

"Protection detail isn't a night off."

"It makes a change from you kicking down doors and interrogating criminals. You said yourself that you don't want to hurt anyone. You'll be safe for one night, won't you Val?" She turned to her with wide eyes, hope evident in her expression.

"I guess so. Sacrament said the vision is a few weeks away yet so I don't see any problem with it." Skulduggery took in Tanith's pout and sighed.

"Alright, fine," he grumbled. "But you're taking my gun to be sure."

"Deal," Tanith grinned. "I'll see you soon, gorgeous," she said into the phone before cutting off the call and bounding to her feet. "Thank you so much. I haven't seen him properly in weeks." She held out her hand for Skulduggery's gun. He withdrew it from inside his jacket and handed it over. Tanith slipped it into the waistband of her trousers.

"You'd better take care of it," he warned.

"Yeah yeah, I know. Don't scratch your precious revolver," she teased. "I'll see you at Gordon's tomorrow, Val." She disappeared out the door with a wave of her fingers, and Valkyrie once again found herself left alone with the skeleton detective.

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