A/N: Thank you all for your amazing reviews, you're great!

It's pretty late now, well, at least for me it is. I'm too tired to reread this, so I'm sorry for any mistakes.

I don't own anything, not even the OC, I was given her by Libertied Insanity. I hope I got her right.

I think I should go to sleep before I start to write just random things.

Enjoy :)

Chapter two

Skulduggery had offered her to stay the night and keep watch while she slept. Valkyrie had gladly accepted. Although she was quite sure that neither Tanith, the Reflection nor Sanguine would try something for the second time this night, she couldn't be one hundred percent sure. She hadn't been too thrilled by the prospect of spending the night alone at the place she had been nearly murdered. Besides, there was still the broken window in the living room, an invitation to all kind of criminals. Okay, maybe she was a little paranoid, but still. She wouldn't feel save staying here alone.

Well, alone with the image of her dead uncle.

Speaking of him... A smile spread across her face when her thoughts shifted to Gordon.

Of course they hadn't been able to actually do something to him, physically, and Gordon had known that very well when he'd grinned at them provocative. Skulduggery then had tilted his head in a way that showed he was up to something. He had approached the bookshelf and entered the hidden room. Valkyrie didn't know what he was up to, but Gordon obviously did because he started to pout when Skulduggery reached out for the cradle holding the Echo-Stone.

"You can't do that, that's not fair!" Skulduggery didn't seem impressed. "Please?" Gordon had tried a puppy face. It had been adorable. Skulduggery had shoved the cradle just a few inches away from where it had been before, revealing the symbols China had carved into the desk, allowing Gordon to stay although no living person was in the room.

He glared at Skulduggery. "I hate you." Shifting his glare to Valkyrie, he had added: "I hate both of you." Then Skulduggery had stepped out of the hidden room and they could see Gordon vanishing.

"That was somehow mean, don't you think so?"

Skulduggery had shrugged. "That was the only thing I could think of. You have a better idea?"

"No", she'd admitted.

Valkyrie began to feel sorry for her uncle the next morning and she told Skulduggery that she was going to release him. He nodded and started to say something, but he was cut short by his phone ringing. While he answered the phone, she headed for the study to free Echo-Gordon.

As soon as the cradle was back in place, he materialized in front of her, arms folded before his chest.

He didn't even let her enough time to apologize.

"I hope you had fun, because that was absolutely no fun to me! Okay, yes, maybe it was wrong spying on you guys and I'm sorry for that, but I was just curious, you know. Curiosity isn't a crime. But what your dear friend there did, that was close to murder! I stop existing when there is no one around! I don't even know how long I'd been gone!" He said all that in a remarkably short time without taking a breath once. Well, since he is a ghost, breathing is nothing more than a habit to him anyway.

Valkyrie scrutinized the floor embarrassed. He was right.

"Just a few hours", she assured him hastily, finally looking up.

"Well, that's something", he said grumpily.

"I'm really sorry. I bet Skulduggery is, too." Gordon just glared at something behind her. She was quite sure it was a certain skeleton.

"I'm sorry, Gordon", came that velvety voice from behind her.

Gordon sighed. He couldn't be mad at them for a long time, especially not his niece.

"Well, I suppose you have to do some investigating or something? I'm going to work on my next novel, if you don't mind."

"Actually, there'll be a meeting we have to attend."

Valkyrie turned around and tilted her head at him quizzically. "There is?" Then here eyes widened. "The mysterious phone call!"

Skulduggery looked at her in confusion.

"Ghastly called me and said we should come to the Sanctuary quickly. There's nothing mysterious about it."

"There is. For instance, I didn't know who was calling. That alone makes it mysterious."

"That's terrible logic. That would make a whole lot of phone calls mysterious, just because there are a lot of people you don't know."

"I hate you", was all she responded.

"I love me, too. Would you now be so kind and accompany me to this exciting meeting?" He held a hand out to her. She rolled her eyes, then took it.

"Thank you."

At the Sanctuary, they were already expected by the administrator. Tipstaff, always following the protocol, escorted them to the waiting room and told them to stay while he informed the Elders. None of the detectives noticed his shocked expression when Tipstaff saw that the room was empty.

Of course, the detectives didn't wait. As soon as Tipstaff left the room, Skulduggery counted to ten, then they followed him quietly so he wouldn't notice.

When they reached the door, they could here Ghastly, clearly annoyed. "Why didn't you bring them here right away? You knew we have an appointment."

"But the protocol-" Tipstaff began.

"How many times do we have to tell you that -" he stopped and smiled at the two detectives, who had just entered.

"Luckily our friends don't give much to the protocol, either", Erskine pointed out, grinning. "You can go, Tipstaff. Did you pick up that British sorceress from the airport this morning?"

"Yes, Elder Ravel." Tipstaff suddenly looked like he felt very uncomfortable.

"Then go and get her, I want to introduce her to our friends here."
"Um, I – I kind of lost her", he admitted, his head down in embarrassment.

"She arrived an hour ago and you already managed to lose her?"

"Well, I took her to the waiting room and told her to wait a moment. Then I went to escort the detectives inside and when we arrived the waiting room, she was gone."

"Ghastly leaned back, highly amused. "I already like that girl. Go find her, Tipstaff."

As soon as the Administrator had left, Skulduggery asked: "Who's that girl? Why do you want to introduce her to us?"

"When we got to the Sanctuary yesterday evening we thought about places we could send the Cleavers to, where they could start looking for Tanith, Sanguine and the Reflection." Erskine explained. "Since we didn't know where to start, we called the British Sanctuary, because we thought they may have some information about Tanith that would be useful for our case. They hadn't, but when we mentioned what she had done and that we wanted to arrest her, they promised they would send someone to help us. I guess they felt it was their duty to help, since Tanith was one of their operators some time ago."

"And she's already here?" Valkyrie frowned. "I thought Elders tend to avoid quick decisions. Not speaking of you, of course", she added at the hurt look on Ghastlys face.

Ghastly shrugged. "Maybe they changed their minds about that, I don't know. Fact is, she's already here somewhere."

"So, what's she like?", Valkyrie asked curious.

"I don't know. She took the name Insanity, that's all I can tell you."

Valkyrie grinned at her partner. "I like her name, sounds like someone that's fun to be with, don't you agree?"

At this moment, the door swung open and a girl around Val's age entered. She had lightly tanned skin and beautiful long hair down to her waist, in a dark brown shade with golden glints in it.

"I'm sorry for being late", she addressed the Elders. Behind her, Tipstaff burst into the room. "But I was already bored from the ride here from the airport and than this guy here" she nodded towards Tipstaff, who was still out of breath " told me to stay in that boring room, waiting. So I took my chances when he left and looked around a little."

"That's against the protocol. You should have -"

"You know what?" The girl called Insanity asked, her green eyes meeting his'. "I think I don't like you."

Valkyrie grinned and Ghastly couldn't stop himself from laughing. Erskine somehow managed to hold back his laughter and he told Tipstaff to leave them alone now.

When he was gone, Valkyrie gave Insanity a quick once over.

The girl wore a black coat and beneath a really amazing, dark purple, corset-like top, tight-fitting trousers and buckled black boots. Valkyrie could also make out some knives stuck in her belt and a sword.

But the most remarkable thing about her was the bow she carried along with a load of arrows on her back. Those weapons and her tousled hair made her look a little dangerous, Valkyrie had to admit.

"You have to be lenient with him, he's just sticking to his protocol a little too much."

"I noticed. So back to business... What exactly are we going to do about Tanith now?"

Skulduggery gave her a summed up version of their plan.

"Alright. Just another question, where am I going to stay?"

Ghastly and Erskine looked at each other, both eyes wide. Neither of them had thought this far.

"Um..."

"You can stay with me at my uncle's, if you want", Valkyrie suggested.

"That'd be great, I just grab my things", Insanity responded and left.

"She's strange", Skulduggery remarked.

"I like her."

"I didn't say I don't like her", Skulduggery assured his partner.

Before she and Skulduggery left, Valkyrie turned to Ghastly. "Can you sew me a top like hers? It's pretty cool."

I hope you liked it and I didn't write something totally random. I suppose when I read this tomorrow I'll be wondering where that came from :D

But anyway, please review :)