A/N: I don't own Tanith or Valkyrie, Ghastly, or Skulduggery. Before you ask, no, Ghastly's mom wasn't named as of book seven. Val is about 28 here. Tanith is of course back and Remnant free. Because I have mad Jean Luc Picard skills and said 'Make it so'.

Valkyrie stood in Tanith and Ghastly's apartment, admiring the newborn. "Hey, little cutie." She cooed, tickling the newborn softly under the chin. She looked up at Tanith, whose motherly pride shone in her eyes. "What's her name?"

"We picked out Breá for Ghastly's mother."

"That's wonderful, sis. What's it like, being a mum?" She asked wistfully.

Tanith smiled. "It's the most wonderful thing in the world. I thought I'd hate being tied down, or resent giving up my time, but from the first moment I saw her, she became my everything. She had to be, since Ghastly fainted in the delivery room."

The women laughed. Valkyrie had never wanted kids, not ever, and Skulduggery seemed more than happy to go with it, though to be honest, they never talked about it, ever. She didn't see the point as there was no magic to give them a child. Skulduggery never mentioned adoption, though she noticed that if they were walking in a park or other place where children gathered, he'd sigh. She stayed a while longer, fussing over mother and child, then left for home. Skulduggery and Ghastly were away on a case together, but she could use the time to think.

Several weeks later, the men were back and Skulduggery was off on some piece of work Ghastly had insisted he needed to do alone. Valkyrie's mobile rang. Ghastly.

"Valkyrie? Could you come to the Sanctuary alone? I've already given Skulduggery busywork so he won't know. I need to ask you something."

"Of course. I'll get a taxi." Twenty minutes later she walked into Ghastly's office and stopped. To one side there was a black wicker bassinet. Black tule hung down over it, and Valkyrie thought she heard a faint cooing sound.

She walked towards the bassinet, intrigued. Inside was a baby, but entirely swaddled in a black blanket. Valkyrie frowned, parting the tule to uncover the baby, but Ghastly's voice stopped her.

"Do you love Skulduggery?"

"What? Of course."

She reached again for the baby, and again Ghastly stopped her. "That particular baby is fine like that. Did you know sorcerers can live for thousands of years?"

"Yes."

"Did you also know if two of them fall in love and marry at such an advanced age that the baby can come out...different?"

"Yes, I did. Don't tell me they abandoned him, or should I say her?"

"No, the parents tragically died in a car crash. They requested the baby be sent here, but we aren't an orphanage. He'll be sent to one soon if we can't find a home. I haven't even dared to ask anyone. I wouldn't ask you either, but I know Skulduggery wants children with you."

"What?"

"He's mentioned it several times. He simply feels not being a real man he shouldn't even ask you. That you'd never want children from him, not as a skeleton at any rate."

Valkyrie felt her temper flare. "Of all the thickheaded things! He never mentioned a word. It's true I don't want children, I'm too self-centered."

"I thought that's what you'd say. You can go." Valkyrie would have gone, but at that moment the baby cooed and a little skeletal hand reached out to her. She blinked, parting the tule, reaching down automatically, and picking the skeletal baby up.

The baby turned it's skull into her, cooing and clinging for dear life with one bony fist, and Valkyrie felt her heart melt. "He's beautiful." She breathed. She reached down and gently stroked the tiny skull with a mother's touch. The baby giggled and squirmed in her grip, then settled closer, seeming to fall asleep. She stood enraptured, cooing softly.

She realized Ghastly was looking at her, and blushed. But she couldn't put the baby back, couldn't leave him alone and cold to face what would be a horror of being shunted from place to place because of his looks, which she found lovely. The idea that somebody might neglect and not love him brought tears to her eyes, and she realized her was her son now, as much as if he had been born to her. Ghastly had come over, collapsed the bassinet down for carrying and set it on his desk.

"I thought you might want him. He's yours, for the taking, there are no papers to sign, since he's not considered a real baby."

Valkyrie's head came up sharply. "Who said that about my son?"

Ghastly held up his hands helplessly. "Unfortunately that's how the foster system views him. Truth be told, they were planning on burying his with his parents."

"What?" Valkyrie hissed, securing the baby back in the basinet.

"Foolish, but true. I wasn't considered a real baby either, so I know what he must feel like. Not that I remember being a baby, but I distinctly remember my childhood. I wasn't going to tell you that unless you wanted him, but I can see you two are fast friends."

Valkyrie nodded, fighting back the tears of fierce pride that threatened to spill from her eyes. "He's as fine a son as I could hope for." Was all she could manage.

Ghastly called a taxi and soon they were home. Skulduggery's car was there. He greeted her at the door, eyeing the basinet.

"We're running a daycare now, are we?"

"Not exactly. He's ours. Ghastly didn't think you'd mind."

Skulduggery looked at her. "What happened to the woman who didn't want children?"

"He used his baby magic on me." She replied, smiling. "Have a look."

Skulduggery took the bassinet and went into the living room with it, setting it on the floor with exaggerated care, folding his long legs up to sit in front of it. The baby cooed, but he paused with his skeletal hands on the tule. "Valkyrie, I'm not even looking if you're not sure."

"I'm sure, one look was all it took. He's a sneaky baby, I think he takes after you."

Skulduggery gave an amused snort and parted the tule. He undid the blanket and gave a small gasp of surprise. Valkyrie had come to sit down beside him, and smiled. "Well, are you going to pick your son up or not?"

Skulduggery turned to her, looking like every holiday he'd missed in over four hundred years had come at once, and kissed her. He then lifted out the small bundle, and the baby cooed sleepily. He held the baby for the longest time, switched to a purring Gaelic Valkyrie couldn't follow. The new parents fussed over the child, long into the night.

For the longest time after, two women, one blond, one with brown hair could be seem pushing strollers serenely though this park or the other in Dublin. Something about them, the fierce looks they gave strangers who got to close kept people away. Little Breá and Dathùil couldn't have had better or more protective mothers.

Note: Breá and Dathùil are Gaelic for Beautiful and Handsome respectively. I figured Ghastly And Skulduggery would want Gaelic names for their children to remind them of their own childhoods.