A/N: I don't own Valkyrie, Skulduggery or the Dead Men. Thanks go out to mysteryHuntress for the follow and review! And also to a Guest for reviewing.

Skulduggery cast a glance at Valkyrie when they had settled into a booth and she'd placed an order. "Well, you're not crying, or throwing things at me, so I take it you're going with me?" He asked.

Valkyrie nodded. "I will. And it will be good to see the others. But are you sure about this?"

"Of course, I'm sure. Until the end, remember?" He asked then paused to stare out the window at the Bentley before turning to look at her again. "Unless, of course, you being quiet the whole way here meant you'd rather not go with me?" He asked and there was something in his voice, Skulduggery had thought she was sulking.

"No, I want to go. Maybe we'll be lucky and a case will happen and we won't have to stand around for hours talking to people we don't like."

"That's the spirit."

"What?" Valkyrie asked. "Are you telling me they are normally fun?"

"Yes, and you had fun last time, didn't you? It will be just like that, only if another man asks to dance with you I'll shoot him." He said cheerfully.

Valkyrie smiled at Skulduggery. He'd changed a lot lately and as her food arrived she thought about the changes. He'd got the façade removed after it had malfunctioned one too many times and now he was looking forward to dancing with her. He was more and more like the man who'd saved her life years ago, and not the Skulduggery he'd been lately. "So," she said around her burger. "None of the Dead Men get to ask me to dance either?"

"None." He agreed cheerfully. "This is a night for us. We don't spend much time together anymore outside of cases, it will be nice to be with you on a night when we aren't saving the world."

"That's true. Why is that, anyhow? We used to spend all sorts of time together." She said, and he shrugged.

"I don't know, to be honest. I guess it just happened. After you started dating and making friends, we just didn't have the time together like we used to."

"Are you saying you missed me?" Valkyrie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't be thick, of course I missed you. But I wasn't going to get in the way of you having a normal life either." He stared at her. "Remind again, what's it like, to eat?"

"It's nice. I wish you could join me."

"No, I'm just happy to watch you eat. It's just that sometimes I can't remember what it was like. But hair? Hair I remember. I liked having hair." Valkyrie smiled in response to that. Skulduggery was being charming. Which meant he was up to something, but for once she didn't mind.

They would be together at least, and they might even enjoy themselves, though she still thought he was joking about the dancing part. Maybe he just wanted her there for moral support, they certainly weren't going as a couple. Valkyrie thought briefly of how nice it would have been to go as a couple with someone who loved her, but shelved the thought. If Skulduggery needed her there that badly she'd go.

Well! Is Skulduggery joking or does he really want to dance with Valkyrie?