A/N: I don't own Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Ghastly, Anton, Erskine, Dexter or Saracen.
"Well then, I need you to come home with me for the afternoon. More practical that way, and you can help me decide something." Skulduggery had said. And so he'd drove me home, insisting I could safely sip my coco inside the Bentley. This is it. I thought as he turned on the radio and Christmas carols came on. The is the year he cracks up on Christmas.
But when we got to his house Skulduggery tilted his head at me when we got to the living room. Well, one of them. "Now then, this is why we needed to come home because I need you to figure out where your tree will go before you pick it."
"But- A tree, here? That would mean I was staying." I said, confused.
"That it does." He agreed. "That's your Christmas gift this year, Valkyrie Cain. I don't like the idea of you alone in that mansion and you already have a room here, so yes, you'd be living here. As long as you like. Say a century or so."
"I can move in?" I asked excitedly and he nodded, clearly amused. "Really?" I asked. Another nod from him. "Thank you, Skulduggery!" I said, grabbing him in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I said, hugging tighter. I heard his pleased chuckle, then her ruffled my hair fondly.
And Skulduggery did his best to make the day nice for me, and we picked out a spot for the tree together. I looked at him as we got ready to go see the other Dead Men. I knew how hard it had to be on him, without my own family, I knew. But I also knew he was doing his best to be a good friend and that maybe he wanted a Christmas with me. "Flocked or unflocked? Real or artifical?" I asked teasingly and he paused as he wrapped his scarf securely.
"Artifical?" He asked, peering at me in shock. "Oh, mais non, young lady. We men are taking you real tree shopping. And for ornaments. Tasteful ones, of course." He said, his mood brightening. "And maybe a few decorations in lieu of them buying you presents. And dinner at one of the booths, I think." He said, the idea growing on him considerably.
And he was right. We met our friends at Ghastly's shop. Not all of them could make it, but Ghastly was there as well as Erskine. Both men hugged me tightly and murmured "Merry Christmas, Val." or something like it to me. Then Anton came forward as well, capturing me in a tighter hug.
"I would have offered you free room and board, but Skulduggery got to you first." He said when he at last released me. "He's a lucky man, Val." Anton said fondly, and I blinked, not sure what he meant but smiled in reply.
Ghastly soon has us loaded into the van, Erskine sitting with him and they were obviously plotting something. Anton sat behind Skulduggery and me, and soon enough we were back at the same Christmas fair. But now their were different sellers in many of the booths and Christmas lights sparkled everywhere. "Wow." I said, getting out and drinking in the city lit up for the holidays.
"Wow indeed." Skulduggery agreed. "To the tree lot first, I think." He said and we strolled over. There were already people there, but what caught my attention were two familiar men waiting for us.
"Hello, Val, good to see you." Dexter said grabbing me in a hug, then stepping away so Saracen could hug me as well.
"I'd have offered to take you to see the world, or Dex would have, but Skulduggery got you first." Saracen whispered. "Lucky man."
"Uh, yeah." I said, utterly confused. But we were soon catching up as we went through the trees so I could find the perfect one. I found her, and of course she had to be the most expensive tree there. So I pretended to pass her over, but Skulduggery laid a hand on my shoulder.
"I saw your face when you found her, Val. Get her and don't you dare reach for your wallet." He said, his velvety voice warm and comforting. So he got the tree, and I was utterly touched.
Dexter and Saracen were in charge of dinner for all of us, and got dripping roast beef sandwiches at a booth and fries and black coffee or tea for everyone. We found a picnic bench big enough for all of us in a tent with machines blowing warm air to keep us toasty. Skulduggery produced the cones of nuts as their gifts and Saracen brightened considerably. "Dessert!" He said happily and everyone at our table laughed.
So we lingered, catching up more. "It was nice of you two to invite us for Christmas dinner, Val." Ghastly said. "And to have us each bring something. Less cooking for you two." I nodded. Skulduggery hadn't said a word.
"The list of what we should each bring was thoughtful." Saracen put in teasingly. "Afraid you'd end up with all pies or sweet potatoes with marshmallows?" He teased.
"I don't see what you men are complaining about." Skulduggery said. "You won't have wild men as houseguests." He grumbled good naturedly and I hugged him tightly in response. "Don't hug me yet, it means sharing your shower." He said, laughing.
"I don't mind." I said, and I didn't.
Anton and Skulduggery were in charge of helping me select the ornaments and Anton was actually smiling when I told him about the year my mother and I made ornaments together. "Do boys do that?" I asked and he nodded as we strolled along.
"Indeed we do. I remember finding pine cones and other things. No money for gilding back then, but the nuts I'd managed to save from my hungry brothers in the fall and kept safe from the mice were very welcome at the table that year." He said fondly.
Anton loved the homemade ornaments and natural ones and Skulduggery decided they were tasteful enough so the seller carefully wrapped each one in tissue paper before she bagged them for us. I had to blink rapidly, remembering how my mom showed so much care when she'd put ornaments away.
Skulduggery liked elegant ornaments, or more specifically anything that reminded him of himself. We were passing a booth of ornaments that looks like they were meant for either Halloween or the Day of the Dead and he stopped, utterly smitten with all the skulls. There was even a toy one who opened and closed his jaws when you pulled on a string. The craftswoman smiled. "I make them myself, I can even add a personality for no extra charge, perhaps a hat like yours, to make him look like you, Sir?" She offered.
"Wonderful. And you have no idea how much he'll look like me." Skulduggery assured her.
Ghastly was in charge of helping me select the angel for the tree. Once we'd found what we all agreed was the most beautiful angel he looked at me from behind his own disguise of a warm hat and woolen scarf. "I hope you realize this will be a tradition, Val." He said, his blue eyes dancing. "You get houseguests every year from now on." He said and I hugged him tightly in response.
He laughed softly, then led the way back to the van. "I'll drive to my place so Skulduggery can get the Bentley, but you're welcome to ride with us." He offered.
"I think you might need to drive back tomorrow." I said. And we all looked at Skulduggery, already deep in meditation from our long day.
Now that was sweet and fluffier than a basket of kittens. Ah, the fluffiness. And yes, all of the Dead Men had hoped to scoop up Val for their own, but Skulduggery got there first.