Thank you so much for your reviews :DD I hope you enjoy this and I apologize for any OOCness and stuff.

Valkyrie had never really realised before just how rare it was for her to have a good, long conversation with Tanith. It felt like she hadn't spoken to her in weeks. They were having dinner at Tanith's house and Valkyrie had finally managed to relax for the first time in ages. She had also finally gotten the opportunity to badger Tanith about Ghastly.

'Why don't you just say something?' Valkyrie persuaded her.

'Because,' said Tanith vaguely. 'There's loads of time. I'm in no rush.'

'You're scared.'

'I am not scared!'

'The great Tanith Low is scared.'

'Shut up,' mumbled Tanith through a mouthful of spaghetti. 'How do you even know, anyway? I don't remember ever telling you I liked him.'

'It's obvious,' said Valkyrie, rolling her eyes. 'Even Fletcher's noticed. It's the reason he's given up trying to flirt with you.'

Tanith saw an opportunity to change the subject and seized it. 'Oh, he's noticed, has he? Has he also noticed that you are besotted with him?'

Valkyrie went amusingly scarlet. 'I'm not besotted with anyone!'

'The great Valkyrie Cain is besotted with Fletcher Renn.'

'Oh, I see what you did there. Very funny. Not.'

'It's true, though. It's obvious. Even Ghastly's noticed.'

'I don't like where this conversation is going,' said Valkyrie to herself.

'Why don't you just say something?' asked Tanith innocently.

Valkyrie pointed her fork at her. 'Because there's loads of time. I'm in no rush.'

Tanith laughed.

'Seriously, though,' said Valkyrie. 'I don't like him.'

'Nonsense,' said Tanith. 'You fancy the arse off him. It was so cute the other day when he was helping you with your maths homework. I think he likes you too, you know. He wouldn't have bothered doing that if he didn't.'

'Nah, I doubt it,' said Valkyrie. 'He's three years older than me. Not that I care,' she added quickly.

Tanith grinned. 'Nothing wrong with older guys. Besides, there's a lot more than three years between me and Ghastly.'

'That's different,' said Valkyrie, winding spaghetti around her fork. 'You're both old anyway.'

'Oi,' said Tanith. 'I suppose you're right, though. Still, I think it'd be nice for you to be with someone a bit more mature, you know?'

'Fletcher is the opposite of mature,' said Valkyrie. 'And anyway, he thinks I'm too young to appreciate his charms.'

Tanith winked at her. 'And are you?'

'Shut up! He's an annoying prat!'

'Yeah, but he's a good-looking annoying prat.'

'Why don't you just marry him?'

'Ew, no.'

'See?' said Valkyrie. 'Now do you see what I mean?'

Tanith rolled her eyes. 'Val, there is nothing wrong with you fancying Fletcher. No-one is going to persecute you for it. It's perfectly natural. The sooner you admit to it, the better.'

'Why?' said Valkyrie. 'Because acceptance is the first step to recovery?'

'No, because acceptance is the first step to you two getting married and having adorable blonde babies.'

Valkyrie stabbed a meatball with her fork. 'I hate you.'

Tanith smiled.

'So you're saying that if me and - him got together, no-one would shun me or slag me for having no taste?'

'Of course not,' said Tanith. 'The great thing about you, Val, is that you don't care what other people think about you. That's how you got all those people's respect in the first place. It's like if Beyoncé started going around in Clarabelle's cow wellies. Everyone else would start wearing cow wellies just to be like Beyoncé. Do you get me?'

'Er,' said Valkyrie. 'Are you saying that if I went out with Fletcher, everyone else would start dating annoying blond guys who can teleport?'

'Well, not exactly,' said Tanith. 'What I'm saying is that no-one would judge you for it, because you're Valkyrie Cain and you do what you like.'

'Okay,' said Valkyrie. 'I still don't fancy him, though.'

Tanith grinned.

'What?' said Valkyrie defensively. 'I don't!'

'Sure, whatever,' said Tanith knowingly. 'He's not that bad, you know. I mean, he was a prat when we first met him, but he's actually quite nice when you get to know him, isn't he?'

'No.'

'Okay,' said Tanith. 'Whatever you say.'

Valkyrie sighed. 'Stop smirking like that.'

'Valkyrie and Fletcher, sitting in a tree - '

'Stop it!'

Tanith laughed. 'Okay, okay,' she said, getting up to put the dishes in the sink. 'I'll stop. But I'm still right,' she called over her shoulder. 'And you know it.'

Valkyrie didn't say so, but she had a horrible feeling that she did know it.