Requiem: Chapter Eighteen...

Valduggery has begun! Hope you're all enjoying the story so far, here's the next chapter :)

oO0Oo

"This is strange," Skulduggery muttered.

"What is?"

"Feeling tired." He was sat on her sofa, one arm laid along it's back, the other gently stroking Valkyrie's hair. She was laid on her back with her head in his lap, lazily flicking through channels on the TV.

"Tired as in exercise tired or tired as in sleepy tired?" She settled on a cooking show that she wasn't interested in and set the remote aside.

"I'm not sure which one it is. I think possibly both. It's been so long since I was capable of getting tired that I've almost forgotten how to recognise it."

"Why don't you try meditating?"

"I hurt too much." She sat up and turned to face him, careful not to jostle him as she moved.

"Did you feel better in the hospital bed?"

"Physically, yes. Mentally, no."

"Why don't you go lie down? You know which one is my room right?"

"If I manage to rest I don't know how long it would be before I woke up."

"Stay here for the night then. It's not like your place has a bed anyway."

"You don't mind?"

"No. Tanith decided to stay at Ghastly's tonight anyway. She said something about needing privacy and that's when I stopped listening." Skulduggery chuckled.

"What will you do?" She checked the time on her phone and got to her feet.

"Well I was going to come with you. It's almost midnight and it's rare that I get a chance to get a full night's sleep."

"Do you mind if I wear the facade? It's not much but it offers some protection if I somehow roll out of bed."

"Sure. Come on, Doug." She winked at him and he chuckled again and let her help him to his feet. She tapped his collar bones and the facade appeared, and she stretched up onto her toes to kiss him. She could tell he wanted to pull her tighter to him, to kiss her harder, but he pulled back. She pouted and he laughed softly.

"I can't, Valkyrie. I want to kiss you until your heart pounds but unfortunately I hurt too much. Even my skull is cracked." His voice was a low purr, and she could see he was resisting the urge.

"Fine," she sighed, but she smiled and kissed him again gently and then led him to her room. He followed steadily but he was still slower than usual. When they reached her bedroom he loosened his tie and draped his jacket over the hook on the back of her door. He didn't have night wear so he settled for unfastening his top two buttons and sleeping in his shirt and trousers. He turned away automatically while Valkyrie changed into her pyjamas and she smiled at his manners. He turned back when he heard the mattress shift as she crawled into the bed, and then he joined her.

"This is better than being in the hospital," he said quietly. He sounded drowsy, which was strange for him.

"Are you alright?"

"Hmm? Oh. I'm fine, it's just hard work walking around on legs held together by duct tape." He smiled groggily.

"Goof," she answered. "You should rest. If you need anything in the night just wake me up." She pressed a tender kiss to his lips as his eyes closed. He sighed, and to her it looked like he collapsed into a deep sleep as he welcomed a meditative state. His chest rose and fell slowly and his expression smoothed out. It took her much longer to get to sleep, and when she did she dreamed of bullet wounds and blood.

oO0Oo

She woke with a start, her chest heaving as she came back to reality. It was still dark. She sat up and pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes, waiting for the trembling to stop.

"Valkyrie?" Skulduggery's voice in the dark was comforting. He sat up and touched her back tentatively. "Are you okay?"

"I didn't mean to disturb you," she whispered, wiping away tears she hadn't realised she'd shed.

"You didn't disturb me. Did you dream about Magnus again?" She nodded. He scooted closer and draped an arm over her shoulders, holding her close. "It will get easier," he murmured. She liked that he addressed things head on. There was no tiptoeing around it. She'd shot and killed someone. She was adjusting to that fact and he was supportive in a way that others didn't know how to be. He understood that she knew she could have done things differently. He didn't tell her that there was no way to stop it like everyone else did.

"Does it really get easier?"

"Yes. I went through something similar when I became a soldier in the war. But back then it was war and where there was one death at my hands there were many to follow." He tucked a finger under her chin, turning her head gently to look at him. "It will never go away, but it will become something that you adapt to and learn to live with, and you'll be stronger for it."

"I'm glad you don't pretend that there was nothing I could do to stop it."

"I know you're smart enough to have figured that out for yourself. You don't need me to lie to you." She leaned against him, careful not to hurt him.

"Thanks. I keep worrying that I'm not as good as I thought I was. Part of me was panicking and I just held the gun and squeezed, but part of me was glad for a minute that I did it. He hurt you and he'd killed others and I...I wanted to get him back for that."

"Sometimes life isn't as black and white as we'd like. There's good and bad in all of us. The scales can tip one way or the other and sometimes they can go back and forth many times over the course of a person's life. Just because you do something that tips the scales the wrong way doesn't mean they can't be balanced again. Give yourself time, Valkyrie. It will be alright."

"That's...surprisingly insightful."

"I have my moments." He laid back against the pillows again, pressing a hand against his chest and grimacing as the movement jarred his aching bones beneath the facade. "Come here," he said when he was settled. Valkyrie fit herself into the crook of his arm, resting one hand lightly on his chest.

"Are you sure this won't hurt you?"

"I'm in less pain than I was. The rest helps a lot." He smiled. "And I'm much better here than the Infirmary because nobody is prodding my bones and then laughing when I flinch."

"Doctor Raze doesn't like you very much."

"I've annoyed her with regular visits for years. I don't think it helps that I ignore her every time she tells me not to be reckless."

"How many times has she told you that?"

"Hundreds."

"Oh. Yeah, I can see why that might irritate her." Valkyrie turned onto her front and propped herself up on her elbows to look at him. "This is the first night we've spent together since the incredibly short stake out."

"It is. And technically the stake out was a successful investigation. We stopped him hurting that woman and stealing the necklace."

"I'm not disputing its success. I'm pointing out that this is the first night we've spent together while dating."

"I know it is. You like to state the obvious a lot."

"I do."

"Is there a reason you're doing it now?"

"I dunno. Is this not a significant moment for us?"

"What's significant about it? You've cuddled me in bed before."

"But that was an accident."

"Was it? Or was your subconscious already aware that you were deeply in love with me?"

"You always ruin the moment," she answered, wrinkling her nose. "I'm going to sleep." She moved to turn away from him and he snagged her waist, pulling her in until her back was against his chest.

"I'm sorry," he said into her ear. "I didn't mean to spoil it. Do you think it's possible to salvage it?" His lips tickled her skin, and when she shivered he let out a satisfied hum. "Can I take that as a yes?"

"Skulduggery?" She gasped as he nipped gently at her neck. The sensation sent a shock of electricity through her.

"Yes, Valkyrie?"

"Doctor Raze said you should rest." The words were stilted as he shifted to lay soft kisses against her throat and the line of her jaw.

"You know I never usually listen to her," he murmured, but he sighed and settled back against the pillows. Val turned over to find him laid on his side with a small smile on his face. As soon as she turned to face him he tugged her closer again.

"I didn't expect this from you." She fought to keep her voice even as his hand traced slow circles on the skin of her lower back.

"You didn't expect what?"

"I didn't know you'd be so...smooth." He arched an eyebrow at her, his smile growing wider.

"And what exactly does that mean?"

"You know." She blushed, unable to hide it from him even in the dark. His answering chuckle made her heart throb. "I didn't expect it to be so easy for you."

"You didn't expect what to be easy for me?"

"This. Intimacy. Even without the facade you're so...confident."

"I've barely touched you."

"That's my point." His eyes flickered to the erratic pulse thrumming under the skin of her throat and his smile turned coy.

"Ah. I understand now." He leaned in towards her, bringing their lips closer. "If you think I'm confident now then you're in for a surprise when I'm healed." And then he kissed her in such a way that her thoughts ground to a halt. She felt that if her thoughts were people they'd be staring in stunned silence. It was more intense than the kiss at the stake out, more eager than the others they'd shared. It was raw and urgent and it made her knees weak and her hands tremble. Never in her life had she been kissed like that before. Her body responded even as her mind switched itself off. She was clutching the front of his shirt and then suddenly his weight was over her instead of beside her and one of his hands gripped her thigh and still he wasn't close enough. He bent to kiss her throat and then he gasped and went still. A rough chuckle escaped him a second later.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her heaving chest making the words a whisper.

"I will be," he answered. His own voice was equally strained, though now it was pain that took away the smoothness. "As fun as that was, I'm afraid I'm still too sore to go further." He lowered himself gingerly onto his side, his other hand over the aching spot on his ribs. Valkyrie squashed her disappointment and moved closer, settling herself more comfortably against him.

"Night," she said quietly.

"Goodnight." His arm tightened around her a little and she drifted back into an easier sleep, free of nightmares.

oO0Oo

She awoke alone in her bed. When she turned to see if Skulduggery was still sleeping, his side of the bed was empty. She could smell food, and her stomach growled, so she got up and followed the smell to the kitchen where she found him making eggs. He turned as she entered and she saw the familiar skull and gleaming teeth. Her feet moved before she could think about it, and then she was beside him and he was turning to her and she stretched up onto her toes to give him a kiss that he returned without hesitation, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. She liked that feeling. She wanted to hold onto it.

"You're in a good mood," he said softly, his voice rolling through her like silk against her skin. He kept her close for a moment, his arms around her waist.

"And you're burning my breakfast." He glanced at the pan on the cooker and let her go. She hoisted herself up onto the counter to sit by him while he worked, watching as he cooked with expert hands despite not needing to eat. "I can't believe you can cook."

"Scrambled eggs aren't exactly difficult." The toaster popped and he took out the heated bread and buttered it, turning off the heat under the eggs as he did so. A moment later he held a plate out to her. It smelled divine.

"Yeah but you don't need to eat, which leads to the conclusion that you also don't need to cook."

"I like cooking." She took a bite and sighed gratefully. The eggs were perfect and fluffy. "And lord knows you need a decent breakfast. What on earth are these?" He held up a box with a coloured picture on the front.

"Pop Tarts. They're American," she shrugged.

"Since when was it normal to market this as breakfast? These things have icing on them. That's a dessert."

"Hey, I didn't make them. I just like the taste." She swallowed another mouthful. "Although I'd be happy for you to stay more often if this is what breakfast is gonna be like when you're here. This is amazing." He bowed low and she giggled. When her breakfast was finished he took her plate and put it in the sink before moving to stand in front of where she sat on the counter top. She linked her fingers behind his head and he rested his hands on her hips.

"I'm glad you prefer my cooking over Pop Tarts," he said brightly.

"Do I ever," she grinned. "Even my mum can't make eggs like that." She cocked her head, her eyes falling on the black tape wrapped around the bones exposed at his collar. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better. Almost normal."

"Do you think Raze will take the tape off?"

"I don't know. I hope so. It certainly worked its magic last night." She thought about last night. She thought about how he'd held her, how he'd kissed her until she was dizzy. She felt her cheeks heat and a low chuckle escaped him as he guessed the direction in which her thoughts had turned. His teeth grazed her neck and she shivered again as his hands shifted on her thighs to lock her legs around his hips. He tapped the symbols on his collarbones and the facade flowed up over his skull so that he could kiss her as hard as he wanted without hurting her. A soft sigh escaped her as he trapped her lower lip.

"Oh my God. Will you guys stop making out in front of me?" Tanith gasped. Valkyrie froze and Skulduggery groaned and rested his forehead against Val's shoulder.

"Can you stop walking in at the worst moments?" he shot back.

"I live here," the blonde answered, folding her arms across her chest.

"When I caught you and Ghastly on the sofa you used the excuse that you live here then too. You can't have it both ways," Valkyrie answered.

"That was different," Tanith answered hesitantly.

"How?" Valkyrie waited as her friend floundered.

"Fine," she muttered, and then she walked away and left them to it.

"Would it be wrong of me to assume she killed the mood?" Skulduggery asked.

"Nope, she definitely did." He sighed and stepped back, letting her down off the counter.

"Remind me to thank her for that later."

"You're not staying?" He shook his head. "And I'm not coming with you?"

"I'm heading to the Infirmary to see Doctor Raze and then I need to speak with Detective Cole."

"Detective Cole as in the Detective Cole that hates me?"

"That would be her, yes."

"Ah. In that case I'm glad I'm not coming with you. I can only imagine she hates me even more now we're dating."

"She doesn't know yet, but I'm sure it won't help your case." He smiled and bent to kiss her again, but she reached up and tapped the symbols at his collar before he could. He cocked his head curiously, watching her with those hollow eye sockets, but said nothing as she closed the space between them and brought his mouth to her lips. When he pulled back she could feel him smiling. He excused himself and left, and Valkyrie walked into the living room to see Tanith sulking on the sofa.

"Why the long face?" Valkyrie flopped down onto the cushions beside her friend with a wide grin.

"Imagine getting admonished for walking into your own kitchen because your roommate can't keep her morning make-out sessions in the bedroom," she muttered.

"Sorry," Valkyrie answered sheepishly. "We thought you were out still. Usually you stay with Ghastly until the afternoon."

"I didn't expect Skul to stay the night if I'm honest. Sometimes I forget he's still a man." She turned her head to look at Valkyrie from the corner of her eye. "So...how was it?"

"How was what?" Valkyrie watched her, uncomprehending for a moment. A beat passed and then realisation hit. "Oh. No, it was nothing like that," she said quickly.

"It didn't look like that just now."

"We really didn't. We couldn't if we'd wanted to." She felt her cheeks go red. "He was too hurt."

"Ah, I see. Not for want of trying right?" Tanith winked and Val looked away. "Relax, it's just us here."

"I know, it's just...I dunno. Sometimes I wonder if there's something wrong with me for being attracted to him."

"Oh for sure. He's so annoying."

"That's not what I meant," she muttered.

"I know what you meant, and there's nothing wrong with you. You worry way too much." Tanith settled more comfortably against the cushions as she spoke. "Where's he rushing off to without you?"

"The Infirmary first, then he's meeting Detective Cole."

"Ah. I understand why he left you behind now."

"It's not like I became his partner just to spite her."

"I know that, but she doesn't see it the same way. She worked for years to become Prime Detective in the hope that it would catch Skul's attention, and then you swoop in and bam. That partner spot filled up in the blink of an eye. She's literally been in love with him since she joined the Sanctuary. Becoming his partner was her dream and in her eyes you snatched that away."

"I feel kinda bad now." Valkyrie bit her lip sheepishly.

"Don't," Tanith answered, waving a dismissive hand. "There's a reason he never picked her. She's a simpering idiot."

"I thought Skulduggery would be flattered by somebody hanging from his every word."

"He is if he sees them as his equal. Cole isn't smart, or cunning, or witty. The only reason she's a good detective is because of her ability to sense when she is being lied to. Skulduggery knows that and he doesn't appreciate it. He prefers people that are on his level."

"You think I'm on his level?"

"You are his level." The blonde woman grinned. "I knew it when I met you that you two were made for each other. You gravitate towards one another. Sure he has friends like Ghastly and I, and he appreciates China's intelligence, but he doesn't connect with anyone else the way he does with you."

"What about the Dead Men?"

"Skul values them all highly, especially Ghastly, but that doesn't mean he truly connects with them. He's been waiting a long time for you."

"That's really heavy. We literally just started dating."

"Oh it's not about dating. It's not even about love. You two are soulmates in every sense of the word. Whether that be as friends, lovers, enemies, whatever. You're meant to be together and your paths will continue to cross until one or both of you dies." She grinned again. "Which means you and I will continue to hang out indefinitely." Valkyrie chuckled and they lapsed into companionable chatter, but in the back of her mind she played Tanith's words over and over again. Soulmates. Was it really true?

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