A/N: I don't own Valkyrie, China, Skulduggery or Erskine. Last chapter alert!
China was pleased with herself. Valkyrie looked radiant as she tried on the simple black dress. "The exact kind Marilyn Monroe wore in a movie once, but without the hideous bow in the back. Whatever was Marilyn thinking?" China asked as she admired Valkyrie. She helped her select jewelry and perfume next and did her makeup for her. It was wonderful having a girlfriend to do girly things with, and China had no idea until Valkyrie was giggling from the tickle of the makeup brush how much she had missed it.
She stood back and admired her work. "You look lovely. my dear. Now let's go to the limo and dinner. I've been waiting all day to show the world how beautiful you are." Valkyrie smiled up at her from her seat at the vanity table and China felt her heart soften. Not something she was used to, but she realized then that Valkyrie had always wanted to be friends, had always wanted someone to look up to.
"You know, Valkyrie, I'm rather glad you never listened to me." China said as they got settled in the limo.
"Listened to you when?" Valkyrie asked, clearly confused.
"I told you once that you shouldn't care about me, that you should leave me behind. But you didn't. You're far too good a person for that. Far better a friend than I deserve, but I take what I want." China said, shrugging her bared shoulders. She was wearing a lovely white dress of ruffled fabric that hugged her delicate curves and flared at the bottom. It was one of China's favourites but she only wore it for special occasions and tonight was indeed special.
China was doing something nice for once even if it served her own ends. She'd only had to place several discreet calls while Valkyrie had gotten ready to set her plan in motion and now she expected them to pay off. Of course if any of the people she'd called hurt Valkyrie, China would have to get ruthless and she didn't think anyone wanted to see that.
The restaurant she took Valkyrie to drew a gasp of pleasure from her friend as she knew it would. It was fashioned after the great era of the night clubs in the 1930's and every detail was lavish. "This is they type of place you should frequent my dear, it suits you." China said as they were seated.
Valkyrie looked at her. "It's a bit sumptuous, don't you think?" She asked and China laughed in delight.
"Well, of course it is, my dear, but we deserve it. Now then, I know you don't drink so I'll order us the rather upscale coffee, and I do mean upscale. It is simply heavenly. But note the champagne being served at the next table, it is all part of the art of dining, my dear."
"I'll take your word for it." Valkyrie murmured quietly. China smiled at her. Valkyrie seemed to recover her usual self-assurance and looked around with a dreamy sigh. "I always wanted Skulduggery to take me to a place like this, but he wouldn't of course. I have been to one or two places on my own, but nothing like this." She said, touching the red leather booth in utter adoration.
"Pity. But then that man was always so provincial. I gather that he wasted all his time in Paris, simply refusing to go to a salon, can you imagine?" China asked and Valkyrie looked scandalized.
"But they were the places to be seen, and he has to always be the centre of attention." She said in utter wonder.
"Exactement, my dear. The man simply couldn't abide the fact that some of the other Dead Men were far more popular then he. My goodness, we never crossed paths at the time, being bitter enemies, but the tales I could tell." China smiled at Valkyrie then flicked her gaze up to see the men heading towards them.
Valkyrie's eyes widened as she followed China's gaze. Skulduggery was coming towards them, looking like the devil himself in a finer tuxedo than either woman had ever seen him in, a silken top hat in place of his usual fedora.
His façade seemed to remind Valkyrie of one before and China watched as their eyes met. Skulduggery arrived at the table and extended a gloved hand to Valkyrie who went to him willingly. "I'm so sorry, for everything." He breathed, then he was kissing her in front of a rather astonished Erskine while China looked on with a knowing smile.
They all sat down, Skulduggery refusing to let go of Valkyrie's hand and China knew she had done well. The man had needed frightened into letting go of the past, so she had frightened him. She'd told him in her call that she and Valkyrie were leaving the country, that he'd only have one last chance to see Valkyrie here at the club and the man had jumped at it as she knew he would.
The two of them back together would most likely go a long way towards getting China in the man's good books, though she doubted she'd ever be entirely there, and she didn't blame him. She still wasn't sorry that she'd killed his family and they both knew it. But she had returned Valkyrie to him, and there was something to be said for that.
She watched as he and Valkyrie spoke to one another, giving in to the need to touch one another gently, to reassure themselves that they were together again. Valkyrie looked a tad surprised when Skulduggery begged her not to leave the country, but a gentle kick from China alerted her to the ruse quite nicely.
"But I can't marry you, not if your still living in the past, Skulduggery." Valkyrie said, and even China winced to see the wounded look that crossed his façade.
"I won't, not any more. I swear to you, Valkyrie. You're the woman I want to spend eternity with. Not my first wife. She was truth be told, a cold, unloving woman but I'd convinced myself she did love me, even after she drove all my friends away and turned my own child against me. Please, it's you I need to be with, it just hurt so much, to remember never being loved, and I was afraid you secretly felt the same way."
Then the couple was kissing again and China exchanged relieved glances with Erskine. Hopefully, given time, the pair would still marry, but even China Sorrows knew when not to manipulate things. Though she privately though that the day would come when they'd both thank her for this night, she wasn't holding her breath.
Aw, China did something nice. True, it was mostly to help herself, but she still did something nice. I think that deep down she likes Valkyrie, even if half the time she pretends not to.