The Final Chapter – Part 1

I've spent all day on this and taken some inspiration from a conversation with a Miss Rosalie Storm. She's an awesome writer, go check her out. I thought I'd mention her considering she inspired me so it's only fair. Something about heads on the sun… Ah well, it'll come to me later.

-With Skulduggery, Tanith, Fletcher and Ghastly in the real world-

"Fletcher was telling the truth." Skulduggery said, strolling back into the living room with Tanith tailing him.

Fletcher looked up. "You spoke to her too?"

"Not only that." He grinned. "I saw her."

Fletcher jumped up. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

"She's in her story." Skulduggery glared at Fletcher. "You were the last to enter the study, Mr. Renn."

"I didn't write any of it! Not anything significant!"

"What did you write?" He growled, walking over to Fletcher.

"I-I…"

"TELL ME!" Bellowed Skulduggery. Fletcher quaked in fear.

"I wrote that fact that…" He hesitated. "I wrote me and Valkyrie are going out. I wrote you were queer, Tanith had anger problems and Ghastly was a puss-"

"Shut up, kid!"

Fletcher stopped instantly. Skulduggery breathed heavily, his hands curling into balls of hatred, fuelled by anger. The sparkle in the deep pockets of his eyes suddenly departed. Fletcher knew this was bad. Fletcher knew he was going to die, and he'd accepted it in their line of work. Skulduggery's velvet voice was suddenly bitter and cruel.

"Why…"

Fletcher was too scared to answer.

"Why?"

He repeated.

Fletcher remained silent.

"WHY?" He suddenly bellowed. He raised his arm to attack Fletcher but two sets of arms wrapped around him. One around his arm, forcing it down and one around his waist, yanking him back ferociously. "Leave him, Skul!" Tanith gasped, gripping his arm.

"He's not worth it!" Ghastly added, trying to hold him back. Skulduggery broke free and stormed off to the study. He walked over to the typewriter and investigated it. The final paragraph went like this:

"Valkyrie wrote a note to Skulduggery and left it in the cupboard."-

Tanith went up and checked.

"Acta est fabula." Tanith and Skulduggery both said out-loud.

"She was telling the truth. She's stuck in her story!"

"It's Latin." Skulduggery laughed. "I'm a genius!"

The others glared at him, confused. "I use to use it a lot before. It means "And so the story ends"."

"We've got to finish her story." Fletcher gaped, intrigued.

"Good idiot." Skulduggery chuckled. "You're learning."

Fletcher scowled at him and crossed his arms. "Just get on with it." He walked out of the room with Ghastly.

"Suddenly, Valkyrie appeared in front of Tanith and Skulduggery who were in the kitchen. "No I wouldn't." They started at her. "…What?"

"V-V-Val?"

"Yeah it's a long story but I don't have long. I'm basically in my story. I need you guys to save me as the Fletcher here is keeping me from getting to the typewriter long enough to save myself properly."."

"And the rest is history…" Skulduggery said, slowly grinning. "What a smart idiot she is."

It was odd for Skulduggery to truly admire anyone, never mind someone like Valkyrie. Tanith was astonished at how much praise he had for her. Maybe her dying showed him how much she truly means to him. Something he could not discover on his own. Something hidden away deep inside. Something inside of his stone cold heart must have melted.

"Fletcher laughed at her." He began to type. "He laughed at her for trying. Trying to send messages to the real Skulduggery. "He won't notice. He doesn't want you back. He doesn't love you like I do."

"Well, maybe that's true but"."

Suddenly, Skulduggery wasn't in control. It was like he was writing what was happening where she was. What was being said.

"Fletcher punched her in the face. She was tied to a chair, beaten and weak. Blood slowly dripped down from her nose. Her head drooped onto her shoulder, as if she was knocked out. Fletcher stood back and took a picture. "One for the Sanctuary." He smirked. "I know Skulduggery will help me. He might not in this world, but the real Skulduggery would never leave me to die."

"How do you know?"

"Because."

"Because of what, Val? Because he's your 'Friend'? He's a skeleton! He's probably a crazy figment of your imagination!"

Tanith was looking over Skulduggery shoulder, confused. Why was he writing this? Was he seeing the other realm or wherever they were?

"I know he will save me, Fletcher! He's real."

"How do you know for sure, Stephanie?" She tried ever so hard not to answer, knowing Skulduggery was writing what was happening thanks to her clues. "How do you know for sure, Stephanie Edgley?" He repeated. Damn it. She had to answer.

"Because I love him."

There was a long pause."

Skulduggery jumped back, away from the typewriter, panting. Somehow, the typewriter was typing its self.

"Skulduggery, I know you can see this. Help me. You need to take control of the situation or Fletcher is going to kill me! That's why I'm dead in real life. He swapped us. I was alive in real, and at this very moment in my story he was going to murder me. This is what he meant by "Skulduggery is going to kill you."! Not that you're going to physically kill me but that you're not going to be able to get me out of here! Please, I'll explain it all later. I've figured it all out, you see!-"Valkyrie was punched in the face by Fletcher.

"Stop talking to yourself, Cain."

"I'm not." She growled. "I'm talking to my partner in crime."

"How so?"

"Heh." She smiled. "We're the only one who's figured it out, aren't we, Skulduggery?"

Skulduggery turned to Tanith, ready to explain. "I think I understand it, now."

"Please, explain."

"Valkyrie was writing a story. Her imagination was so strong; it created a whole different world around it. Not many people have the power to do that but it has been known for people to pass through the barrier of imagination and reality."

"Slow down!"

"…She's in her imagination. Ok?"

"Ok."

"She can contact us through the story. The story is like the anchor. Remember a few years back when I was stuck in that other dimension thing?"

This is totally out of character… Tanith thought.

"Yes. I remember. When you were stuck with the Faceless Ones?"

"Yep. It's kind of like my skull. An anchor between the worlds. Except, we can't travel there as it's like her 'personal dimension'. So, we can just contact her.

"Valkyrie began to lose hope of Skulduggery getting the clues he left for him. All he needed to do was take control of her story but even that seemed too difficult for the detective. But, then again, maybe he wasn't there. Maybe he didn't want her. Maybe it wasn't the right time to let him know her biggest secret." The typewriter wrote.

Skulduggery glanced over at it. The story now read:

"Skulduggery, I know you can see this. Help me. You need to take control of the situation or Fletcher is going to kill me! That's why I'm dead in real life. He swapped us. I was alive in real, and at this very moment in my story he was going to murder me. Otherwise, I would be alive in real life! Please, I'll explain it all later. I've figured it all out, you see!-"Valkyrie was punched in the face by Fletcher.

"Stop talking to yourself, Cain."

"I'm not." She growled. "I'm talking to my partner in crime."

"How so?"

"Heh." She smiled. "We're the only one who's figured it out, aren't we, Skulduggery?"

Fletcher smiled. "Skulduggery is surely too thick to understand anything about the dimensional balance."

"Here, sure. Here he isn't Skulduggery. Here, he's queer for God's sake. But, back in the real world, he's brilliant. He's my best friend. He's too smart for you."

"No he isn't." Smirked Fletcher. "Controlling a story is a very difficult thing to do. Especially with someone from the Mortal Dimension in it. It's a gruelling battle of wits-"

"Wits? Bah! He can do that!"

"-Focus and determination. He has to battle with himself to mentally break through a barrier of great power. Do you really want to put him through that, Miss Cain? Do you really?"

Valkyrie began to lose hope of Skulduggery getting the clues she left for him. All he needed to do was take control of her story but even that seemed too difficult for the detective. But, then again, maybe he wasn't there. Maybe he didn't want her. Maybe it wasn't the right time to let him know her biggest secret.

"No, Val..." Skulduggery sighed. Tanith left the room, knowing something bad was probably going to happen. "This was exactly the right time."

He sat at the typewriter, flexing his fingers. "Let's do this." He paused. "Wait, how…?"

He thought for a moment. "Maybe if I connect with the typewriter its self, I can mentally send her a message…"

He placed his fingers on the keys, hoping something would happen. His fingers slowly started to type, gradually gaining speed.

He wrote:

Valkyrie glared up at Fletcher, spitting blood. Fletcher slapped her again, knocking out a tooth.

Skulduggery's brain began to ache, slowly getting worse and worse. He knew he had to continue. He had to make some kind of mental bond, even if it was weak. Too weak to get her out of there. After, he would know how to get her out.

The writing continued:

"I feel him against the barrier, trying to pass through. Heh. He doesn't know how." Fletcher chuckled, circling Valkyrie.

"Skulduggery, all you need to do is make a connection to one of us!" She exclaimed hopefully, her head raising. "The better the relationship with the person, the better chance of getting a connection. You won't get a connection with Fletcher! He won't let you into his head! All you have to do is-" Fletcher grabbed her by the throat, cutting off her air passages. "You let him through, Stephanie and I swear I'll snap your neck like a twig." Valkyrie glared at him, her face portraying all the anger she had ever felt. "All you need to do is believe." She strained. "Believe in this world. And most of all, Believe in… in…" She started to pass out, using the last of her air to tell him. "Yourself." She slumped, her head falling lifelessly over Fletcher's hand.

Skulduggery thought, still straining to keep the slight connection. "I can do this…" He forced all the power in his body to his brain, leaving some with his hands. He concentrated on Valkyrie's face, zoning in. He concentrated on all the times they had spent together, the good and bad. His brain ached and ached. It started to become unbearable, even for a man who had been tortured many times.

He started to jerk and spasm, trying to get rid of some of the pain but it just intensified. It seemed like he was going through all the pain for nothing. He was getting no-where. Why? What hadn't he done? He believed in himself, his ego made sure of that. He knew the world existed. What hadn't they told him?

It hit him like a ton of bricks.

Maybe I don't believe… in Valkyrie. He thought. Oh come on, Skul. Of course you do! She's your best friend! He smiled, closing his eyes and picturing her face. Soon it faded, with the words "Acta est fabula" appeared before his eyes, seeming to make the pain burn through his skull like the core of the sun, where he seemed to be able to be on the surface? How is this possible? Was he dreaming?

Two girls' heads were talking to each other. Had to be his imagination now, right?

"You have to believe." Valkyrie's words echoed in his head. It couldn't be a dream. He began to convince himself, telling himself it was real. To prove it, he walked over to the heads.

"Bit sunny, here, isn't it?" He heard one say. "Never rains."

"Could use a bit of rain." The second laughed. "Might make it a bit steamy, though."

They stopped talking and stared in awe as they saw a skeleton in a suit walk over to them. He tipped his hat. "Ladies."

"How…?" The first one started. The head has short brown hair and round glasses.

"No idea." He smiled.

"So, you want to pass to the Imagination world?"

"How'd you know?"

"Because this is your imagination."

"…"

"Just think of us with bodies, please. Being heads is… disturbing."

"Uh… Sure thing." He started to close his eyes, imagining a valley with green rolling hills and a gleaming river. He imagined two women, both in dark green cloaks and their hands in the other arm's sleeve.

And sure enough, as soon as he opened his eyes he was in a valley with two women in dark green cloaks.

"Thanks." One said. "I like having a body. Anyhow-"

They were interrupted by a blue box crashing into the planet. It flipped multiple times and then landed normally. It had the words "Police Box" across the top and it was a navy blue. The windows were lit up and there seemed to be someone home.

A man with a fez barely hanging onto his head popped out. He had a messed up jacket , torn and pulled and a red bowtie just hanging off of his neck. "Sorry folk-"He grinned at Skulduggery, walking out, closing the door and then extending a hand. "How are you, Skulduggery?"

"I'm fine." He nodded, shaking his hand. This was definitely his imagination now. He believed.

"Good, good."

Although he knew this was a part of his imagination, he knew he was going to enjoy it. This part, at least.

Valkyries voice seemed to slowly echo through his head saying the words:

This is only the beginning.

The beginning of the end.