A/N: so heres the next chapter. i realized after rereading Death Bringer, that i got the name of the baby wrong. its Alice not Allison. whoops. I've changed it and now the name is right:) so please anjoy!

Disclaimer: i don not in anyway own the characters pr the Book Skulduggery. i own any of my own characters and the plot.

I watched as the Bentley pulled away and drove down the road out of sight. It was almost 3:00 am and I was falling asleep were I was standing. So unless I wanted my parents to find me out in the yard, asleep, I'd better get to bed.

I turned around and started towards my window when I noticed that my front door was opened. My instincts snapped into place and I slowly moved to the door. When I was closer I noticed the door handle was broken off. I was wide awake now. I slowly opened the door and walked in. I went to the living room and found it clear. Then I went to the kitchen. Same.

I then heard a sound from upstairs.

I bolted up the stairs as quiet as I could. I stood at the top and listened. I heard a faint creak, like someone trying to be quiet and failing miserably. Then Alice started to cry. I ran straight to her room while telling my mum who was beginning to get up that I got her. I burst in the room to see a dark figure standing over her crib and Alice balling her eyes out. Before he even had time to turn around i landed my fist on his face.

He stumbled backwards and I hit him again while he tried to balance himself. And again. I kept hitting him until he got a chance to grab my wrist and throw my across the room. My back hit Alice's dresser and i kept in a yelp of pain. I look up just in time to see the man reach for my baby sister. I got up and splayed my hand and with air pushed him back into the wall.

He went flying backwards and hit the wall. He stopped moving.

"Stephanie?" My mum yelled.

I swore quietly when a hand came around my mouth from behind and pressed a cloth to it. I thrashed as hard as I could but it did little. he had my arm in an unfamiliar hold. I was becoming weaker and weaker by the second. My legs felt weak, my arms jelly. Just before I passed out and hit the ground, I saw the other man get up and grab Alice and jump out the window.

I awoke to the sounds of monitors and traffic. I opened my eyes to white sterile walls. My headache was worse than before and everything was a blur. I sat up, painfully, to see my mum and dad asleep on a small bland couch in the corner. I was confused on what was happening when I saw the tear tracks on my mums cheeks and everything came to me with a force. Me seeing the door broken, hearing a noise upstairs, fighting that guy and then.

"Alice," I whispered. And then the tears came. I was my fault. If I had fought harder, if I had been home sooner, if I hadn't gone out at all, she would still be hear, and my parents wouldn't be devastated. I looked at the small clock on the night stand beside the bed. 10:27. I've been out for over seven hours.

Skulduggery must be wondering where I was.

I looked to see if I could find my phone in my pockets then realizing I was wearing a hospital gown. Where were my clothes? I looked around the from and found them lying on a chair beside my parents. I fell back onto my bed. I had stopped crying and was silently mourning. Who were those men that were in my house? I never got a look at their faces, and they didn't use any magic so I don't know if they were sorcerers. And if they were, what would the want Alice? I was so confused that I didn't even notice that someone had come into the room.

"Hello there Stephanie." Came a woman's voice.

I turned around to see a female doctor. She was wear the typical white lab coat and had a stethoscope round her neck. She has strawberry blonde hair that was tied into a bun, a small nose with big lips and brown eyes. Her eyebrows were brown signifying that she had died her hair, and she wore big, square glasses. Her name tag read Dr. Ruth Tiffany Blake. How many Dr. Blake are there in the world? I'm sure there are more than enough.

"Hello,"

"How are you feeling?" She asked with that big and fake smile. Well, thats a stupid question. I was attacked, knocked unconscious and two mystery guys stole my baby sister. I was just peachy.

"Alright, all things considered."

"Ah yes, you're sister. How unfortunate." She didn't sound very upset. She sounded utterly bored.

"Stephanie?"

I looked over at my father who was now sitting up straight and my mother who was still waking up. When she was fully awake she say me and jumped off the couch and gathered me into a bone crushing hug.

"Oh Stephanie," She sobbed into my shoulder. I squeezed her tight and let a few more tears leak out. My dad came over and had such a devastated look on his face it broke my heart and made me feel worse.

"I'm so so sorry. Its my fault they took her. If i had gotten there sooner,"

"No, Stephanie, this is in no way your fault. If its anyones fault its mine for being a cheapskate and not getting the alarm system your mother wanted." My dad said and looked down in shame.

"No, Des, its not your fault or anyones fault. We can't blame ourselves. We have to stay strong and hope that the police find the culprit." My mum told him.

"Culprits," I piped in.

"Hmm?"

"There were two of them."

"Oh well then, you'd better go tell the officer sitting out side that there were two." Dr. Blake quipped sounding like she want to leave badly.

"Oh yes, he's still here? Well then. He wanted to speak with you Stephanie, if you're up for it." My mother looked at me expectantly.

"Sure,"

"Okay then," the doctor said. "If you guy would follow me this way to fill out some papers he can come in here and talk to dear Stephanie here." She rushed out the door with my reluctance parents following. Just after they left Skulduggery entered the room.

"Quite a delightful person she is," He said to know one in particular. I just nodded my head in agreement.

He walked over to my bed and looked down on me. "How are you feeling?"

"A little woozy, sore back and a bad headache, but other than that I'm fine." I thought about my back and how I had hit the dresser. I'm sure theres going to be a nasty bruise there. Skulduggery stuck a gloved hand into his pocket and pulled out a leaf. I took it and chewed on it and could already feel my body healing.

"Before you ask, I didn't get a look at there faces."

"Any distinctive features, markings?"

I thought back when the guys hand was around my mouth and remember seeing a tattoo on his wrist.

"There was a tattoo on one of the guys wrist, a snake...eating the head of a rabbit."

"Hmm," We sat in silence for a little bit before I spoke again.

"It's my fault, the she was taken,"

"How so?" He replied.

"If I was home sooner or fought harder then she would be here still."

"Thats very true. If you HAD fought harder or you HAD been here sooner she would still be here. But the point is now that you didn't and its done and over with. No you have to focus on whats in the present and trying to find your little sister."

He was right. I shouldn't be sitting here blaming my self while there are people out there with my baby sister.

"You're right, I should be focused on the point at hand." He nodded to me and started to walk to the door.

"Um, Skulduggery?"

"Yes?" He replied.

"Where are you going?"

"Why my dear Valkyrie, to the Bentley of course. What? You thought i would hang around here and keep you company in this read fully white room with that annoying woman? You should know better by now." And he left the room. I cursed his name as I fell back onto the pillow and slowly drifted asleep.

Review please!:D