After seeing what Lex had been through, Valkyrie was exhausted.

Well, maybe not exhausted exactly, but tired. Drained even. She didn't know why she felt this way, but it was if she had gone through all of the events herself, and they truly were awful.

She was filled with pity. Valkyrie could only imagine what Lex must of been feeling like, and it made her feel unbelievably sorry for her. It was strange, Valkyrie was so used to wallowing in self pity, that she found it difficult to adjust to having pity for someone else.

Seeing what Lex had lost had also given her the overwhelming urge to go home. In her heaft she wanted to see her family and spend time with them, but her brain knew that it wasn't so simple.

After the battle with Darquesse, Valkyrie had left. She said to her parents that she needed time to adjust and they were okay with it, as long as she called them regularly. She said that she would call weekly, but guilt at what she done made her call once every six months, if that. In those calls she told her patents that she was safe and happy and totally not lonely, and they'd accepted the lie easily enough. They were worried about her, but they had seen her save the world and knew that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. However, as they'd explained, worrying was a parents job.

So Valkyrie spent five years in self inflicted exile, with no one but Xena and the occasionall appearance of Danny to keep her company. She was left to her own thoughts, which led to loneliness, which led to self hate, which led to the crushing weight of sealing with what she'd done. She was miserable and guilt ridden and hating herself but Valkyrie accepted that she deserved it. Every second of pain was her punishment and she welcomed it with open arms.

Gant and Jeremiah had torn her from her exile, and in a way Valkyrie hated them for it. She didnt exactly blame them for trying to kill her. She wasn't really ready to return to her old life, but she knew that she needed to.

Skulduggery was quiet at first, checking if she was okay and able to handle herself. When he learned that she was better than he anticipated, he filled her in on what had happened when she was away. He said that all was quiet except for the rounding up of Ravel's sorcerers. Only the dregs remained; everyone in a high position had been arrested or killed in the struggle. Valkyrie listened and asked the right questions. Soon enough, she felt much better. The presence of Skulduggery had made her feel like a good guy again and although it made her feel guilty, she soon slipped back into her old self. So did Skulduggery.

Facing her parents was the worst thing. It wasn't their fault, they were overjoyed to see her on the doorstep, clutching a battered suitcase in one hand and a dog on a lead on the other. They took an instant liking to Xena, and Xena seemed to like them. No, it wasn't her parents, it was her.

She felt like a stranger in her own home. Nothing had changed, at least nothing big. There were new curtains in the living room and new toys scattered around the room. The house smelt familiar and comforting, but she felt like an invader. Like she was an alien creature not meant to be there. The hole in Valkyries heart gave a painful twang when she noticed how there were more pictures of her on the fireplace then there were before. She swallowed. Sat down. The couch was soft and comfortable, but her body was tense and she felt like she couldn't relax.

Her mum put the kettle on, made tea, and they all sat down. They talked for a while, Valkyrie explaining and her parents saying how much they understood, how it was all okay, how they missed her.

It made her go cold.

Alice.

That thought kepot on floating to the surface of her mind when she spoke to them. Alice, her sister, who was six. Alice her sister, who probably wouldn't recognise her. Alice, her sister, who Valkyrie had killed. She couldn't avoid it any longer.

"Where's Alice" she had asked.

Valkyries parents shifted nervously. "At school." said Valkyrie's Mum.

"Oh." Valkyrie had replied, feeling hollow. What month was it? October. Alice would be a month or so in school. Valkyrie went to ask if Alice liked school, but then faltered when she realised that she didn't deserve to know.

"Steph..." began Valkyrie's Mum, looking at her Dad anxiously.

"You've been gone a long time." said Valkyrie's Dad, hesitating slightly. "And Alice was only little when you left..."

"Just a baby really." said Valkyrie's Mum.

"And babies are very forgetful. Like goldfish." said Valkyrie's Dad Now, your sister hasn't turned into goldfish, or at least not since we saw he last. She may have had an unfortunate incident at school-"

"The point is," interrupted Valkyrie's Mum before Valkyries Dad went too far, "She may not, well," she paused, tentative, "She may not recognise you."

"Oh." said Valkyrie, feeling her heart sink a little. Selfish really. That's what you get, said the voice in the back of her mind. Maybe she'll only remember one thing about you.

"We're not trying to upset you, Steph. We just want you prepared for the worst." said Valkyrie's Mum.

Valkyrie had nodded, swallowing down her fear. Her parents had hugged her.

Valkyrie had sent the rest of that day waiting for Alice to come home. Her parents were going to pick her up and they had offered to take Valkyrie but she had refused. Maybe it would be best if Alice saw her in the house first, maybe it woukd help her recognise her. Her parents considered this and accepted that it may be the best idea. Valkyrie had lied to her parents, again. The real reason why she didnt want to go to pick up Alice was because she didnt think that Alice crying when she saw the face of her killer would look good on a playground. So Valkyrie was alone in the house and left to fret. The selfish part of her was excited to see her sister. Another part was nervous because she wanted Alice to recognise her. Her stomach writhed nervously and Valkyrie waited. Xena was curled on the floor in the corner, but she stood and padded over when she sensed Valkyrie's distress. Valkyrie rubbed between Xena's ears and tried to ignore the feelings eating away at her.

The door had opened. Valkyrie had frozen. Xena had gone and curled up in the corner again. Her parents were back. Valkyrie exhaled.

"Now Alice," said Valkyrie's Dad, "There's someone very special here to see you."

"Who, daddy?" said Alice, sounding happy. Her voice had the slight hesitation before each word which indicated how young she was.

"Go see." said Valkyrie's Mum.

Valkyrie's fist clenched. There was the sound of footsteps, soft footsteps. The door opened, Vallyire tensed but did not look at it. Not yet. A small figure came into the room, slightly nervous by the way she walked. She stopped in front of Valkyrie. Valkyrie looked up and forced a smile.

Alice stood in front of her. She was tall for her age and her hair had grown but it was still slightly wispy. Her school uniform looked adorable. Her shoes were cute. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked curiously at Valkyrie. God, she was beautiful.

Now or never.

"Hi, sweetie." said Valkyrie, her voice shaking.

There was a pause. A moment where everything was still and quiet. Valkyrie's parents slipped into the room. Valkyrie's heart pounded and she fought to keep the strained smile on her face.

"Its Stephanie." she said, trying to stop her voice from shaking.

After an eternity, Alice rushed forward and threw her arms around Valkyrie's neck. Valkyrie felt the bottom drop from her stomach.

"Stephanie!" cried Alice.

Her worries melted away. Her hands came up and wrapped around her sister as the fell backwards on the couch. She squeezed not wanting to let go. The strained smile on her face turn genuine and her heart felt like it was going to burst. Everything was okay. Her misery evaoportated, and the only thing that mattered was her sister, small but not as small as she used to be, laughing and she hugged Valkyrie. Everything was perfect and nothing else mattered, not the guilt or the loneliness or the pain. Nothing. Valkyrie felt the tears on her cheeks and realised she was sobbing. But she beamed as well. Through her tears, she smiled and let the happiness wash over her. While she still could.

Alice loosened her hold slightly. She touched Valkyrie's cheek and felt the liquid there.

"Why sad?" asked Alice, her brows furrowing in a frown.

Valkyrie hugged her again and then wiped her tears away. "I just missed you much."

"But you back?" mumbled Alice.

"Yes." said Valkyrie.

"And you'll stay?" she asked.

Valkyrie hesitated. She looked up into the gorgeous face of her baby sister, noticed how wide she smiled and how hopeful she looked. Valkyrie would do anything to keep that look on her face.

"Yes." Valkyrie had said.

And that was that, it terms of reintroductions. Xena had become fiercely protective of Alice and Alice loved Xena. Alice had nicknamed the dog "Zee Zee". Going home was simpler than Valkyrie would of thought, and that in its own way made her feel more guilty. But she had to live with it. She couldn't allow herself any more time for self pity. It was time to get back into the swing of things.

That led her here. Sitting in Cassandra Pharos's house with a warm cup of tea in her hand. Lex was beside her. Soon the others walked in, all clutching hot drinks except of course Skulduggery. Everyone sat down. There was brief pause.

"You are not responsible for anything that happened." said Cassandra, breaking the tense silence. Lex didn't reply. Her head stayed down, and she shook it slightly. She let out a shaky breath. Nobody knew what to say, not even Ragnor who must of had some idea what Lex must of been feeling. The silence continued for a while, only the soft fluttering of Cassandra's curtains breaking it.

Tanith cleared her throat, surprising everyone. Valkyrie's eyes shot up and saw Tanith place her mug on a counter and walk over to Lex, who didn't seem to notice. Tanith hesitated and then knelt down before Lex. She looked mildly surprised at herself. Valkyrie and Tanith's eyes met for a second and Valkyrie raised her eyebrows. Tanith gave a minuscule shrug and turned back to Lex.

"Um," she began as if searching for the right words, "look, I'm not very good at stuff like this so bear with me, and I guess I might not fully understand because our situations were quite different, I mean I know how you must feel- no wait that's not a good thing to start with...um, well-"

Lex looked up and cut off Tanith's babbling. Something that could of been a smile twitched on her lips. Valkyrie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Tanith, but she couldn't stop a faint smile from happening.

"Right, yeah, okay." muttered Tanith "Sorry." There was a pause. "What I'm trying to say is that, its going to be okay. It will. You might not believe me right now, but you'll be fine. I know how you must feel. I had a remnant inside me for years and it did terrible things which I can't even remember. At first I couldn't cope. I would walk by a crowd and people would look at me with nothing short of disgust in their eyes. I didn't know what I did, and in a way imagining the sort of things that happened was worse than actually knowing. But still...I hated myself. Even though I knew that it wasn't me that did those things...I just couldn't deal with it. So in a way our situations are the same. But you will learn how to cope, just like I did. You'll find people to support you, care for you, and help you..."

Was Valkyrie mistaken, or did Tanith's eyes momentarily flicker to Ghastly?

"And eventually you'll be able to recover. So don't despair, alright?" she finished. Lex smiled gratefully but still looked a little shaken. Tanith stood.

"Wow." said Skulduggery.

"Shut up. You just ruined it!" said Tanith.

"Nice speech." said Valkyire, a grin beginning to form on her face.

"You shut up as well, Val."

"Why?" Valkyrie said with a grin, "It was good. Cute."

"Oh my God." muttered Tanith.

"It was very impressive." said Ghastly.

Tanith rounded on him, "Really? Betrayal."

Valkyrie could tell she was joking from the amusement in her eyes. "Why are you getting so defensive?" she continued.

Tanith's eyes narrowed, "I am not getting defensi-"

"Why are you embarrassed?" said Skulduggery.

"I'm not-"

"There's no need to be embarrassed, Tanith, we understand. Remember, we're here for you." teased Ghastly.

"Oh my God, I'm going to kill you all." Tanith stated, exasperated.

"Aww, c'mon Tanith," whined you know you lov-"

BOOM.

The explosion sent the sofa flying, with all the people still on it. Valkyrie was too stunned to react and when she hit the floor, the sofa flipped and landed on her leg. Her amoured clothes stopped her leg from snapping, but the impact was enough to make her cry out. Her ears were ringing, but she could her people shouting. She groaned and tried to pull herself out, but Lex and Ragnor were on top of the sofa and her leg was trapped. Ragnor was clutching a presumably broken arm and moaning. Lex was sprawled between the sofa and the wall, her knees on the sofa and her head on the wall. Her stomach made a bridge between the two. Lex had a glazed look in her eyes and swayed slightly as she sat up. Her eyes widened as she raised a hand to her head. When she examined her fingertips there was blood there. Lex stood shakily. Valkyrie found herself thinking that it was a miracle Lex's neck had not snapped on impact. If it was enough force to draw blood, then it was enough to kill her. Valkyrie wasn't as concerned by this as she thought she should be. Valkyrie was in pain and her thoughts were clouded, but she knew that she needed to get out.

Slowly, she began to try and wriggle out from beneath the sofa. The movement sent jagged spikes of pain up her leg. It's not broken, she reminded herself. Valkyrie dug her nails into the floor and heaved, but she moved less than a centimetre. Distantly, she saw Skulduggery and Ghastly help Cassandra to her feet. Cassandra had never seemed older to Valkyrie. Skulduggery said something to her and Cassandra began to limp away through a door. Skulduggery and Ghastly then went outside. Through the hole in the wall. Since when had there been a hole in the wall?

Then, Tanith was in front of her, kneeling down. She had a split lip. "Val? Are you okay?" her voice was faint to Valkyrie's ringing ears but clear enough to understand.

"Mmm." Valkyrie groaned. "My leg's trapped."

"Broken?" asked Tanith, positioning her arms under the sofa, readying to lift it.

"No. I don't think so."

"I'm going to lift the sofa, okay?"

"Yes please."

Tanith pulled and then frowneds. The sofa hadn't moved. Tanith seemed to notice Ragnor for the first time. He was weeping and moaning, clutching his arm.

"Excuse me Ragnor, would you stand up please?" asked Tanith politely, with a hint of urgency in her voice.

Ragnor moaned.

"Please?"

"My arm's broken!" cried Ragnor suddenly.

"I know I can see the bone poking through." said Tanith impatiently. With no reply from Ragnor except another moan, Tanith shouted"Are your legs broken?" Tanith reached up and shoved him"Move!"

Ragnor fell and wailed. He rolled on the floor. Tanith heaved the sofa off Valkyrie, and Valkyrie crawled out from under it. Her leg was painful but useable. Tanith pulled her up.

"You can get back on the sofa now, Ragnor. " said Valkyrie. Ragnor raised his hands to his temples and instantly passed out. Valkyrie looked at Tanith in surprise. She shrugged. "It's a thing he can do, now come on!"

Tanith grabbed Valkyrie's hand and pulled her through the doorway to the umbrella stand where their weapons were. Valkyrie was limping slightly but tried her best not to gall over. Tanith strapped on her sword. Valkyrie stuck her stick in place. They ran back to the living room to find Lex as stumbling towards the hole in the wall, holding her head.

Tanith led Valkyrie over to her. "Lex, just give yourself a minute, you're injured!" said Valkyrie, incredulously.

"I can help!" she insisted almost defensively.

"You'll just hurt yourself more." said Tanith. "Wait until you can see straight."

"Fine." Lex muttered.

Valkyrie and Tanith went to the hole in the wall and looked out. Rubble blocked most of the viewThe sound of gunfire littered the air. Valkyrie felt a sense of déjà vu. Tanith was smiling.

"What?" asked Valkyrie, confused.

"It's just..." Tanith hesitated , "The one time I make an emotional speech, this happens!."

Valkyrie and Tanith grinned at each other. Tanith drew her sword. "Well, let's go see who wants to kill us this time."

It's a short chapter but I hope you like it. I'm off my exams so that may mean more frequent updates :) Thanks for reading!