A/N: I don't own Valkyrie, Skulduggery, or Ghastly. Do own Madame Lovegate though. Val is still 24, gosh darn it. It is only the next day. Story in Val's POV.

I awoke the next morning to the heavenly smell of coffee and the sound of Sinatra pouring out of my stereo. Why on Earth had I picked a couch to sleep on in a mansion with at least five bedrooms? Oh, right, Skulduggery. I was so used to sleeping on a couch at his place the habit must have been ingrained. He was seated across from me in the chair, legs crossed, hat off and on the coffee table. He was reading one of Uncle Gordon's books, but I felt his gaze flick over to me.

"Ah, there you are. Good morning. Coffee is right in front of you. Sorry about the liberties with your stereo, but there was a Sinatra CD so I decided to play that instead of the noise you have the radio set to. You really should look into getting more music like that, perhaps Gordon will help you."

"It'smyCD." I mumbled into my coffee cup.

"Hmm?"

"I said it's my CD. "

"How's that again?"

"OK you win. I like Sinatra. A little. Sometimes. In small doses." I said, flushing bright red.

"And yet that is one of six of his albums I found." Skulduggery replied, sounding rather smug and I had to resist the urge to hit him. "There's no shame in someone your age having good taste in music, Valkyrie. Apparently I've been a good influence after all. Once you've had several cups of coffee, and you will need them, we are wanted at the Sanctuary. You get to explain just how you managed the rescue, and of course, exactly where your dashingly handsome armor came from. I only wish Lord Vile had thought of that before you. That plain armor of his. What was he thinking?" He teased playfully.

I smiled, he was clearly pleased with himself. Skulduggery always had a massive ego in the past, and I wondered if the sight of the armour only boosted his sense of self worth. From the smug expression on his skeletal face I could only assume it had. "Do you think Ghastly will make me new clothes?" I asked. "I can certainly afford to pay him now."

Skulduggery snorted. "I think Ghastly would like to put you in a convent. Be that as it may, you are my partner, not his. And although you do look good in black, you are hardly the sainted type. Finished with the coffee? Good, come on then, I brought the Bentley over this morning so we can ride to your doom in style." I laughed and followed him to the car, glad things were back to normal. After all, Elder Bespoke would speak for me, wouldn't he?

Instead of meeting all the Elders I was called into the office of Madame Lovegate. Yes, that is her Taken Name. I guess it makes sense as she specializes in matters of the heart. Of course love magic was one of the most useless forms of magic in my opinion, but I'd heard she was good in a fight as well, so I respected her. She'd made tea and insisted I sit with her. Usually girly things like her tea set and the assorted sweetened offerings make me cringe, but I did like them, once in a great while. She poured, a sweetly proper hostess, then waited until I had tasted my tea to speak.

"There you are, my dear. So, the armour of your family line was handed down was it? I'm not surprised. That particular great grandmother of yours always did like to flaut tradition and break the rules. You must understand that you did break the law, you were forbidden to go after them. What would have happened if something went wrong, child? Opening doors between worlds is a dangerous thing."

Her voice was kind, but I frowned at the child remark. True, she was over a thousand years old, but I was hardly a child. And I hated being called that. But she was talking to me with civility, not thundering at me from an Elder's throne. Besides, I knew exactly the right answer. "Well, Madame Lovegate, you also know how the armour works. Certainly the current form speaks for itself. I had to rescue them. Him. I couldn't do otherwise. Don't you always say people should follow their heart?" I smiled, trying to make a good impression, and trying very hard not to laugh.

"Yes, yes, I do. But you usually find it funny, don't you? I suppose you should be punished for breaking the law, but I find the object of your love punishment enough." She shook her head sadly and I resisted the urge to hit her. Maybe Skulduggery was right, maybe I was too violent as he'd often said. But I didn't like people talking about him and her next words didn't help things, either. "Once you learn more about him, that he is truly incapable of love, then you'll find that armour a burden, not a gift. You are dismissed."

I wanted to protest, to say I knew enough about Skulduggery as it was, that he most certainly did love me, but I'd learned recently when not to speak. So I just gave her a faint smile and left her office. Ghastly was waiting outside and he smiled when he saw me. "Well you are alive, that's more that I'd hoped for. You're also not charged with anything, so there is that. It does help that Erskine is the Grand Mage and found the whole thing extremely funny. Skulduggery spoke to me about your new clothes and I'll make them, but it is still-"

"Weird?" I asked.

"Extremely. But Tanith chose me, so who knows how you women think? Or if you think since you could both do better. But don't tell her I said that. Skulduggery's with the Bentley waiting for you. I trust he'll be relieved to see you in one piece."

I nodded and left the Sanctuary, blinking as I stepped into the bright sunshine. Skulduggery was leaning against the Bentley, waiting for me, hat cocked back on his head. The bright sun made his skeletal face seem to glow, a sight which make my heart flutter. I realized with a start he wasn't wearing his façade. "Skulduggery!" I hissed when I was close enough. He pulled down his collar to show me where the tattoos for the façade had been removed, the bone healed by a Sanctuary doctor. He looked down at me, arms folded, and I could feel him blink, waiting for my response.

"I'm glad, relieved really. I know you getting the façade was half my idea anyhow, but the idea of you wearing anything from China-" I didn't hug him, even though I wanted to badly, he had this unspoken rule about too much physical affection and I knew I had to wait for him to make the first move.

"My thoughts precisely. You aren't angry with me? Disappointed I'll never look like a real man again?" His head tilted, but there was a coolness to his voice I didn't like. I wanted to kiss him in reply, but the sudden cold look on his features stopped me.

But I could still talk, Lord knows I learned how from him. "Skulduggery, I love you as a man. Of course you're a real man. God knows you're more human that a lot of the drudges working in there." I jerked my thumb back over my shoulder.

He nodded. "Good, but not that it matters. We are going to my house to go over a new case. Well, get in then."

I was a bit surprised and more than a little hurt by his words. But I got in the car to see him adjusting his old disguise. He felt my gaze.

"Glove compartment. For a detective you should have looked in there."

"You told me never to look in the glove compartment." I growled back.

"You were twelve at the time. My gun was in there and I figured you'd shoot yourself. You know, that's the only thing I've ever told you not to do that you listened to." I could hear the fond nostalgia in his voice and could feel him putting a slight distance between us. Did he regret kissing me now?

"Just shut up and drive." I growled.

The ride to his house was far too quiet. To save my dignity and his I had decided not to talk about the kiss. Maybe he had made a mistake, maybe he had felt nothing. I didn't know and didn't want to know. Inside he handed me my copy of the case file, and gestured to my desk. He went to his, absorbed in his own file. I shook my head and tried to make sense of the case. Five Elemental sorcerors like us had all been found brutally murdered, hacked to bits, but there was no blood on any crime scene. Strangest of all, the parts were frozen as if they'd been exposed to liquid nitrogen when first found.

I looked at the crime scene photos and repressed a cringe. I could feel Skulduggery looking at me. "Penny for your thoughts." He said, head titled, and I hoped he meant the case.

"It just seems strange. Without seeing a body up close I can't tell if the victims were frozen then cut, or- No wait, I can. Those, well, those aren't ice shavings. But the shavings. They were frozen then cut. Is there even magic like that?" I asked, mystified.

He nodded. "If you would ever take your Elemental training seriously you'd be able to manipulate all kinds of elements. Either this killer can freeze the liquid in a human body, or is using a scientific solution. There could be other ways to kill someone like this. But why cut the bodies after?"

"Maybe the killer doesn't think the freezing will last? The parts look dead, they would have to be dead, but maybe he is paranoid."

"Dead." He said softly as if the word hurt. "No, no. Pay attention to the methodology. Each is found displayed, like a work of art. Each body has a piece missing. I think we are looking at a magical serial killer here." I looked down at the photos again, he was right, they were displayed in a sort of pattern, almost like magical sigils.

I tried to redeem myself in his eyes. "We know the order of the killings and the parts taken, so that means research, right?" I asked, trying to sound happy. He nodded.

"We'll need an early start in the morning to get at the old case files at the Sanctuary. Or rather, you will. I'll be enjoying time at Ghastly's watching him make your new clothes. You'll be doing the research with Tanith." He held up a hand to stem off my protest. "This will be good fieldwork for you, Valkyrie, and a chance to sharpen your detection skills. You know the type of killer, the methodology, that there is magic involved. Start with ritualistic killers and expand from there." The coldness and distance was back in his voice and I was trying really hard not to cry in front of him.

I nodded unhappily wondering just how much more of the case I'd have to spend away from him. But Skulduggery had always been like this, leaving my side unexpectedly to teach me some sort of lesson. He must have read my mind, because he spoke coolly. "I won't always be here for you, Valkyrie, You know that. I'm over four hundred years old, not to mention the fact that I'm your partner and mentor. But I won't always be here. One day I'll be dead for good and you need to be strong enough to survive on your own or everything I've taught you was for nothing."

He waved a dismissive hand and I left the office, finding the old couch I was used to. I waited for him until sleep claimed me, but he either meditated in his office or simply chose to ignore me. Had waiting for him to make the first move been a mistake? Or maybe, just maybe, the armour was cursed and he never would love me. I drifted into a troubled sleep, dreams of attending his funeral hounding me through the nighttime hours.