Mmm followed by a giggle. I frowned, I don't giggle. It was a black room with a light in the middle. A giggle again, I wearily stepped towards the light. A figure copied my movements the opposite side to me. Another giggle, "Who's there?" I called out but my voice sounded weak and fragile. A laugh rang out. MY laugh. We entered into the light at the same time. "Valkyrie, Valkyrie, Valkyrie. What am I going to do with you?" Darquesse was opposite and mocking me, I glared at her sharply. "You can't do anything." I tried to growl it, but it croaked. Darquesse was the same image as me, but covered in black and black eyes to complete it. "I know how to get to you my dear." She winked at me, the whole room spun and suddenly we were in Gordon's mansion. Both of us looking down on a scene, our shared body. Because that's all it ever was, a body shared by two people. Notorious for fighting crime, and infamous for causing it. Skulduggery was cradling it, whispering words.
"Oh don't you wish they were sweet words of comfort? Of love?" Darquesse grinned. I didn't reply, "But my dear Valkyrie... They could be." I shook my head. This wasn't right. She was getting me distracted, she wanted to take over.
"Shall we look into his head? Come with me sweet Valkyrie, lets see what's in those eye sockets."

"You'll be fine. You're always fine. Come back, please? I need you." Skulduggery whispered, I moved my head and groaned. Darquesse needed to keep quiet and stop giving me such headaches.
I was in Skulduggery's arms. He was cradling me.

A giggle sounded in my head. I launched to my feet. Skulduggery shot up with me and grabbed my arms, "What's wrong?" I shook my head at him and covered my mouth with my hand. I breathed out and relaxed, leaning into Skulduggery. He wrapped his arms around me, not Darquesse- Who growled at the thought. His smell came through my nose strongly and we hugged. A fuzzy feeling was starting again, just in time for Skulduggery to let go.

"Where have you been Val?" Skulduggery asked.
"I... I went to China to get the decoding done for the symbols." I looked away from his face.
"You didn't think I'd come back." It was a statement, and a true one at that.
I nodded and went to walk away from him, but he grabbed my arm and spun me into him.
I looked into his eye sockets and felt broken. He could leave me so easily?
A tear rolled down my face and his gloved finger swiped it away "Tell me.."
I sniffed slightly and held myself higher "You could leave me so easily Skulduggery, why come back?"
He didn't answer.

Of course the skeleton came back for her. He couldn't stay away from her, and they had been counting on him running from her.
"This is making our job so much harder." Ice scowled as she spoke.
"Of course, but you wouldn't want to take him on would you?" Daughter replied.
Ice turned her head back to the window, and saw Valkyrie Cain turn from the skeleton and he grabbed her back.
Daughter wondered if Valkyrie realised she was being watched. They had been doing this for over a week now. Probably more, but Daughter doesn't pay attention.
Such a trivial thing was keeping time... After 500 years, she should have been interested in modern things. There wasn't anything that particularly interested her apart from her job and her sword. Daughter didn't really have a job description, people just came to her with their problems that she sorted.
It was getting her closer to what she wanted anyway.
Daughter looked to Ice out the corner of her eye, something had been keeping the angry soul from swiping at her- and it was a mystery what it was. Ice looked in her element, spying on people. Don't ever trust a necromancer. Ice seemed completely loyal however much she didn't like being bossed around. Daughter turned back to the scene in front of her and waited.

I stood and waited for an answer from Skulduggery. He had been still for so long I thought he had turned to stone.
I closed my eyes and tears poured down my face silently "Whatever you're doing Skulduggery, make it stop please...It's hurting." I whispered to him. Skulduggery stepped back, shocked. "Valkyrie please, I need time to explain it. All you need to know is that I'm back and I'm staying." He urged to me.

I cast my eyes to the floor and took a step away from him with a thin lipped smile. "Stay with me tonight?" I asked and he cocked his head, smiling. Skulduggery took a step closer to me and said "You realise, or at least I hope you have, that someone is watching you." I went to take a step back but he stopped me. "Obviously not, don't do anything like look out the window...I want to know why they're watching you" Skulduggery was calm with how he said it and I shifted an uneasy smile.

"why aren't we out there kicking butt Skulduggery?" I said through clenched teeth, he cocked his head at me and I knew he was smiling. "Don't you want to find out who's been spying on you?" He asked. I thought about it and stepped back from him, someone had been watching me? ALL the time?! I frowned and nodded. Skulduggery leaned in and my heart skipped a beat "We'll continue our... Talk later." I didn't argue with him on it, it wasn't at the front of my mind right now...

People spying on me was though.

"looks like we're about to find out these guests.." Skulduggery whispered. I heard the bushes groan in the wind, my breathing increased along with my heartbeat. Darquesse laughed at me I would squash them like bugs. Feel with your magic, guess who they are. Why Darquesse was suddenly helping me, I had no idea. My necromancer ring grew cold. "Skulduggery, one of them is a necromancer.." "I know" He whispered back to me "I can feel it too". I reached out with the shadows, there were two people- one necromancer and I couldn't guess the other.

A knock on the door echoed throughout the mansion.