A/N: I don't own Skulduggery, Tanith, Ghastly, Wreath, China, Caelan, Darquesse or Valkyrie. Detectives Tanas, Leap, and sweet waitress Reba are mine though. "Sex Bomb' and 'Tennessee Waltz' are songs by Tom Jones. 'Is There Life Out There' is a song by Reba McEntire.

Skulduggery had suggested seeing the Chevy might draw the waitress out more, so we stopped at Gordon's mansion for Christine. I promised of course not to drive like a total loon, as I knew he still wasn't in much of a mood to be messed with. We had the top up, so when I turned on the mixed CD Tom Jones' sexy growls that started 'Sex Bomb' rumbled through the car, making Skulduggery squirm. I grinned, watching him break after several lines of the suggestive lyrics and reach for the knob to turn off the player. I batted his hand away.

"Don't touch my stereo, Skulduggery."

He shot me a miserable look. I knew the lyrics were bothering him, so at last I had mercy and switched the CD to the next song. 'Tennessee Waltz' came on and he visibly relaxed. "Well at least that sounds Irish." He commented.

"It should Skulduggery, it's The Chieftains."

"That's a group, is it?"

"I swear- Yes, it is a group, and they're Irish to boot."

"Ah, so there's hope for you yet. Any thoughts on the case?"

"Yes, I'm thinking I failed Tanas and Leap. I just sat back and let you take the lead like always. I should have handled them, Skulduggery, or at least some of the contacts. They were good men, both of them, always friendly."

"I wasn't aware you knew them, to be honest."

"I knew them to talk to them. You don't ever bother with the coffee room, but I'd see them both there. Tanas was so proud of Leap! He'd have done anything for him, and I'm talking about as a mentor and partner. They were, well, they were planning to marry, and now that's not going to happen, and it's all my fault because I dropped the ball."

"No it is not your fault. You didn't just 'sit back' you grabbed our ex-detective's files without even being asked. Frankly, I've always shielded you as much as possible from some of my informants, and still do. I handle the calls and organization because I am the senior partner. Tanas and Leap were my responsibility, not yours, and don't you ever forget that." He fell silent for a while, then continued. "Every detective knows the danger he or she signs up for in our line of work. We all know we might not come home every day we go to work. But we do it because the world would be a far more dangerous place if we didn't. As I reminded you before, evil prevails when good men do nothing."

"Yeah, I saw that in the 'Street Fighter' movie. Or something like it."

"You've never heard of Edmund Burke, have you?"

"Who?"

"Please tell me you're joking. He's one of the great figures of Irish history."

"Uh-"

"God! Well at least you're not driving like you're pixelated today, I'll grant you that."

"I have never been pixie led."

"Oh, that you know, but just about anything useful on Ireland you don't? I wonder if it is too late to put in for another partner." Skulduggery said grumpily.

I looked over at him. "Maybe you should, I just realized you're sitting up front."

"So I can grab the wheel if I have to."

"Lovely, that. Well, almost there. Should I chat her up while you sneak about?"

"That would be most helpful. I noticed some of the other toys in your glove compartment when Ghastly opened it. Mind if we use them?"

"Be my guest. That bug is supposed to have a range of s few miles, ten or twelve, I think. We are going on a stakeout?" I asked eagerly.

"No, but we can find some young detective at the Sanctuary and give them and their mentor something fun to do. Assuming of course these people are harmless. Of course these people won't talk up front unless those customers are in on something- How many of these do you have?" He asked, pulling out five small microphones.

"That's about it. They should all link up to one device, also on that mobile, or they can be separate channels."

"Good, I'll get one into the booth and register, plus one in the mens' toilet, even maybe sneak into the kitchen by pretending to be lost."

"You're having fun with this, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes I am." I smiled at him as we pulled in. The waitress was looking out the window and she smiled and waved at me. I put on a cheery smile and waved back. Inside Skulduggery walked past me, and I chatted up the waitress as I sat.

"Hi, Reba." I said, looking at her name tag. She blushed, then poured my coffee.

"My name's really Rosie, but they all call me Reba here on account of I look kind of like her and love her music so much. You heard any?"

"Yes, and you do look like her exactly in the 'Is There Life Out There' video."

"Thank you, honey." She put a work-hardened hand on my shoulder. "That's one of my favorite songs she's done. Love her show, too. Well look at me, carrying on. The usual, right?"

I nodded. "Be up soon hon." She left, nodding at Skulduggery as she passed him.

He sat, and looked at me. "What was THAT about?"

"We bonded over music. Her real name is Rosie, but she's a huge Reba McEntire fan, so everyone calls her Reba. One of her favorite songs is 'Is There Life Out There' and I think she likes you just fine."

"Ah, I see. You can tell she likes me because she nodded?"

"Yes, and I'll give her a chance to prove it later."

"Oh, goody."

Reba came over with my burger. "Here you are hon. Did you see the new floral print wallpaper in the women's room? Well, it is just the prettiest little bit of fluff you ever did see. Plus they got foamy soap now. Getting right fancy for a diner." She walked away, and I knew very well she wanted me to go see the wallpaper. I strongly suspected there was no wallpaper. I got up and went to the women's toilet, sure enough she came in several seconds later.

"Oh, I didn't want to say anything in front of your boyfriend, hon, but I admire you for being with him." I nodded. "My brother was burned up real bad, and now he sits back in Texas in his trailer all day, refusing to come out. You keep him happy, you hear?"

"I'll try."

"Bless you." She hugged me and was gone.

We were both quiet on the way back to Gordon's mansion. I could feel Skulduggery was restless and wondered if he wanted me to stay there for the night instead. He must have read my mind, because he looked at me as we pulled in. "Well, if nothing else we have something for a young detective to do that will be fairly boring and fairly safe. We'll just tell Ghastly something seems off, because it still does. But once we're home maybe it will come to me."

I smiled at him and we both went over to the Bentley, Skulduggery look at me over the roof. "You thought I was going to leave you here, didn't you? No, we both have self control, more or less. Plus we do have a case to get to, so consider yourself in training."

"That only applies to men, Skulduggery."

"No, women too, I'm sure."

My mobile rang as I got in. It was Tanith. "Valkyrie?" She sounded hesitant.

"Yes?"

"I hate to drag you both back in, so I'll just ask you. What should we do with the things Tanas and Leap left? They were cleaning out their desks already and just going to throw it all away."

"Don't they have families who will want something?"

"No, neither one."

"I'll take it then, however many boxes there are. Somebody should do right by them."

"OK, thanks. I'll take the boxes to my apartment tonight. Ghastly's too upset to even look at them."

"How will you get them there on your bike?"

"Straps, remember? Take care sis, and thanks. I just couldn't stand seeing their things thrown away like that."

"I know, they were good men, and will be missed. Thanks for saving their things."

We rang off and Skulduggery glanced over as he drove. "That's very nice of you."

"It's the least I can do for them, Skulduggery. There's plenty of room in Gordon's mansion for whatever they left. Id like to think if there is an afterlife they appreciate the gesture."

"There is an afterlife or we wouldn't have Remnants, I think, or ghosts. But I'm sure they will appreciate the gesture. Think of this like having two uncles to watch over you from the other side. How did you know they were getting married if I may ask?"

"Leap told me."

"Ah. Then they trusted and liked you. Here we are, then." We got out and went in, I headed for the couch and plopped down. I hadn't really done all that much that day, but I was worn out. I could hear Skulduggery humming to himself in the kitchen, and soon the aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifted into the living room. It was tempting, but I couldn't move.

"Skulduggery?" I called to him.

"Yes?"

"Are you bringing the coffee in?"

"No, come in here."

"I'm too tired to move." I whined.

"This from a woman who wanted to train today?"

"Please?"

"No, you can just walk yourself in here. Consider it training." I groaned and heaved myself up. Skulduggery smiled at me placidly as I sat wearily in the kitchen. "You didn't do a thing today to be so tired over." He teased.

"I know. I guess the case is just getting to me. That, or I'm pregnant."

"Har har. So, what did Reba have to say?"

"She thanked me for being with you. She thinks you're a burn victim like her brother."

"Dear Lord. Explains why she rarely looked at me. Still, I do want to look into that place."

"I agree. You're right. It might just be civilians having fun doing stuff they shouldn't, but there is something not right about that place."

"That, or we're both paranoid. Valkyrie-"

"Yes?"

"Would you seriously mind if we didn't train today?"

"Of course not. Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes-"

"That means no, coming from you. What's wrong?"

"I suppose the case has me spooked. Ghastly told me something, and it, well, it upset me."

"I know, Tanith told me, too. I honestly don't feel like training either, after hearing that."

"Thank goodness. I thought you might think I was getting soft, not my usual ruthless self."

"You're plenty ruthless when you need to be. Besides, at this point I'm either ready or I'm not, and I think we both need the rest. Not that there isn't fun, fun, fun research we could do once we get a case file."

"We won't have one until tomorrow at least, and your picks seem to be arriving by ox cart. We can do whatever you like though."

"You're bored already."

"Yes."

"What did you do with yourself for the last four hundred years?"

"Spent too much time alone with my thoughts, worked constantly, not meditating for days. Pretty much didn't have a life outside of work, so I'd do several cases at once. But then you came along and I had someone to annoy, which is always fun."

"You had partners before."

"Yes, but they didn't like me much. Plus they were all boys, so they weren't as pretty to look at."

"Lord."

That evening after a brief lie down (OK, it was several hours) I was trying to relax sedately on the couch while Skulduggery paced. I'd never seen him this agitated before, but I didn't say a word. Finally he turned and looked at me sharply. "Well?" He asked.

"Well what, Skulduggery?" As soon as I said it I realized what he meant. He expected me to go and kiss him because I'd done so the night before. I tried not to think of how spoiled he was becoming and got up and went over to him. He still looked agitated, but when I touched his cheek, he calmed noticeably. I kissed him chastely, and pulled away. He looked at me in disbelief.

"That's it?"

"What do you mean 'that's it'? I kissed you, didn't I?" I growled.

That is NOT how you are supposed to kiss me." He grumbled.

"Picky now, are we?"

"This, is how you are supposed to kiss me." He said, stepping forward to wrap his arms around me and press his teeth down firmly on my lips. He deepened the kiss, setting my soul on fire, and he knew it too. Skulduggery growled deeply as I reached up to stroke his skull, and I could somehow feel the sound vibrate in his chest.

When he at last let me go he looked rather serene. "Mmm, now that you've shown me the proper amount of affection, I'll get you some dinner."

"I'm not picky, something out of the box is fine."

"No, I'll get you some actual dinner. What do you want? I'll order take away."

"Chinese is good." Skulduggery nodded, stepping away with his mobile. He came back to stare at me, the smouldering look from the night before starting to come into his eye sockets. He was growling, and he looked tense. "Now Skulduggery, you said we were in training." I said, backing up a few paces.

"I don't want to be in training. I want you."

"What happened to waiting until it was special?" I squeaked, as he pinned me to a wall with his body.

Oh this is going to be REAL special." He growled. Then he started to laugh hysterically, letting me free. "The look on your face, Valkyrie! That was priceless!"

I punched him in the arm, hard. "Thank wasn't funny, Skulduggery!"

"Ow! Yes it was. That's what you get for that dreadful song you played in the car." He was still laughing twenty minutes later when the take away arrived. But as soon as he held his arms out to me I went to him and was happily enfolded in his embrace. He kissed the top of my head, still chuckling softly. "Sorry, Valkyrie. I shouldn't tease you so much, but that was a rather mean song to play. Did you do it on purpose?"

"Honestly? No, I just about died when it came on, but your reaction was pretty funny. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Pretty soon we'll be married and jokes like that won't work anymore, though we'll have a lot more fun things to do." He purred.

"Tease."

"Indeed. Now come to dinner and I'll tell you about the time I saved a burning orphanage, filled with sweet little moppets that turned out to be vampires. Who had pet zombies. That had pet werewolves. I was quite dashing though."

"That story just gets more unbelievable every time you tell it."

"Now, now, my dearest combat accessory, have I ever lied to you?" That, I didn't answer.

Later that night I lay in the dark thinking, Skulduggery beside me. I though he had started to meditate when his velvety voice came to me. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"If I ask you something, do you promise not to get angry?"

"OF course. What s it?"

"No, I shouldn't. I don't want to hurt you."

"Go on then." He said softy, and I felt a skeletal hand come to rest on my arm.

"When we were escaping from the Faceless Ones, why did you just give up? You wouldn't even move until China came through and yelled for you."

"I told you I'd never had two hallucinations at once. I didn't think either of you were real."

"Oh. Sorry, I asked, Skulduggery, I didn't want to, but-"

"But you had to know. All those months of being hunted, of seeing people, good people, die around me and not being able to do a thing to stop it did something to me. I had to learn to hide from danger, like everyone else, and that killed me. At points I thought my old life was just a dream, that you were NEVER real. But I'd still hear your voice, see you in a crowd. I'd run to you, and it would never be you. Then, when the people were gone, I'd have hallucinations of you daily. Of you coming to be with me so I wasn't alone. Of the day we'd be together again. So when you did come to rescue me, I thought it was one more cruel joke my mind was playing on me. I ran with you, held you as we flew because I missed you that much. I needed to hold you, to be with you just one more time, even if it wasn't real. I wanted to believe in you in the worst way, to think it was really you I was holding and that my best friend and partner loved me enough to rescue me, but I deserved to be there."

He fell silent, and I knew I had hurt him deeply without meaning to, so I told him the truth, at long last. "Do you know what it was like for me, Skulduggery? Seeing you drug away from me? I wanted to go after you then and there, but everyone said there was no way. They told me to go home to my family because there was nothing anyone could do, let alone someone my age. They expected me not to grieve, to just forget about you, as if you weren't the most important man in my life."

"So I did research, and I trained with Wreath, even when we clearly disliked one another from the start. I hated Necromancy every step of the way, but I felt I needed it to save you. When at last I learned your real skull could act as an anchor so I could get you back home, I did what I had to to track it down. You were angry at Ghastly for letting me talk to Caelan, but I did a lot worse than that looking for your real skull. By the time we were going to open the portal I'd drug information out of more that a few people with my fists."

"But every single night of those eleven months I couldn't sleep, and when I did I had nightmares about you being taken away from me. Every day I stepped forward, but it hurt so much, Skulduggery. I knew I was walking towards you, but it didn't matter. I was also walking away from the day I lost you."

"When I found you at last I thought I was too late. I was going to either stay there with you and die because I didn't want to live anymore, not without you. Or maybe bring you through the gate. It- None of it mattered anymore, not without you beside me." He pulled me towards him then, laying my head upon his chest. One hand buried itself it my hair, and his arm wrapped around me. I felt a tremor pass through his body, then another. I realized that in his own way, he was grieving, crying.

"How come you never told me?" He asked softly.

"I could never find the words, there was never the right time. When you first got back I thought it would be cruel, then later, I just thought it was better not to talk about it. I know when you were shouting at Ghastly you meant him, but I took your words to heart, like you were yelling at me, indirectly. You'd never yelled at me before, and it hurt."

"Bless! And you never complained to me, not even once?"

"Well, I'm complaining now." I joked.

"Mmm. Well you always did complain too much."

"Skulduggery!" I gave him the merest tap on the arm.

"Ow! Elder abuse, I'm filing charges."

"You go ahead if you want to see Ghastly laugh."

"Hmmph. I bet you wouldn't hit Lord Vile like that."

"Skulduggery, if he refuses to give you back, I'm dismantling him piece be piece."

"And we all thought that with Darquesse dead and gone you'd become a peacemaker. Not the kind in your gun belt either. You make me look forward to being married. Though it will take a while for Ghastly to even get started on your wedding dress."

"It's OK, Skulduggery. Just being besides you is enough for now. I keep expecting to wake up and not find you here."

He gave an amused snort. "Says the woman who teases me every day, especially with that dreadful song. Think I'll play that on our wedding night."

"Skulduggery." I heard the blush in my voice.

"Blushing are we? You should blush. But I'll have my revenge, don't you worry." We lay together silently after that, and my dreams were peaceful that night, because he got his revenge in them, and I didn't mind a bit.

Note: If you haven't seen the 'Sex Bomb' video you need to. Just imagine Skulduggery dancing like that, and you'll be laughing all day long. Comedy, just one more service I offer.