A/N: I don't own Skulduggery, Ghastly, Tanith, Erskine, Tipstaff, Lord Vile or Valkyrie. Valkyrie is still 24, still her POV. A Man Chases A Girl (Until She Catches Him) is a song sung by Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds from the 1954 film 'There's No Business Like Show Business".

I couldn't have been out too long, because when I did come to Ghastly had just finished making tea and I was on the couch. He came over and pressed a mug in my hands, looking solemn. I tried to speak and couldn't. Tanith had come quietly into the room, looked in the box, and went pale. She covered her mouth so she wouldn't scream, and I didn't blame her.

I had recognized the parts of Skulduggery, but they were truly dead now. Inert, scattered about in the box. He had been pulled apart. The teeth wrenched out, the jaws separated. Each bone of the hands free of the others. I knew there was no sense in trying to put the pieces back together. A separated Skulduggery was a dead Skulduggery, and we all knew it.

But he was my partner, my lover, the man, the skeleton I had been planning to marry. I sat up squaring my shoulders and looked at Ghastly. "As lead detective on this case I'm asking you to assemble the detectives in the meeting room, Ghastly, you and Tanith as well."

He smiled faintly to see my fighting spirit coming back, and left to assemble the detectives. Tanith wandered over looking wan, and I stood to meet her, my tea finished, a case before my that needed completion. "How can you be getting up?" She asked, her voice breaking as she started to cry at last, and I held her tightly.

"Sis, we've got a cave spirit to defeat and a Detective to avenge. We can mourn Skulduggery later, and we will, but right now we've got to go get the bad guys who did this, all right?"

We walked to the meeting room slowly, and I was honestly surprised to see the pall that had fallen over the Sanctuary. We unfortunately lost detectives all the time, and Skulduggery should have been no different, but it was. As many people as he frightened or annoyed there were that many more that truly liked him even if they had waited too late to show it.

The detectives were assembled. Some still crying, others with red eyes. The same men Skulduggery had delighted in bullying and terrorizing by turns adored him as a leader. I knew I was a poor substitute at best, but I also knew we needed to bring Skulduggery home and his killers to justice. "Detectives. Thank you all for assembling on such short notice. Ghastly, Tanith, thank you for coming as well. We've lost one of our own today, the lead, co-lead, detective on our primary case. I know full well he wouldn't want us to launch an investigation right now, but frankly I don't care what he wants. He's one of our own. Go. Go find him and bring him home. That's all detectives, and again, thank you."

They dispersed, several of them, tough battle-hardened men stopping to give me a pat, a shoulder squeeze, or a massive hug. They were both being protective and needing it, and I wished I could go with them into the field but I was needed there. I wasn't a little girl anymore. I couldn't step back and hope the adults could handle things, as much as I wanted to. I was the adult, and it was up to me to bring him home and continue to lead our case.

Ghastly dug out his mobile as he left the room, holding up a finger for me to stay put. When he returned there was a certain light in his eyes I'd never seen before, and I realized he'd looked like this on the battlefield. "Luckily for us Tipstaff didn't chuck his mobile. He has a fair idea who would have ordered this and he's going for them now. He mentioned a warehouse, I think it is where we will find Skulduggery. I'm going with Tanith and you're not coming with us, Valkyrie. You need to stay here, go back over the current case. Whatever will happen, will happen tomorrow. Erskine will help you. Godspeed."

With that he and Tanith were gone and I made my way to Erskine's office. He looked up dully from some paperwork, then smiled at me. "I honestly thought you were Tipstaff for a moment, I'll miss him."

"We all will. Ghastly has thoughtfully volunteered you for the day as my help on the case, lucky you. We have detectives searching for Skulduggery, though truth be told I think Tanith and Ghastly will find him first."

"He volunteered the Grand Mage of the Irish Sanctuary? Without my prior written consent? With no paperwork or meetings? The man never did have time for office politics, but really. That's what I get for taking one of the Dead Men as an Elder. I'm hoping after all this is over, Valkyrie, you will do me the honour of taking the other chair."

"And wear those stupid robes? Not on your life, Erskine."

"I'll decree Ghastly redesign them, or better yet, we'll get rid of them, I am the Grand Mage after all, with you as an Elder we could get justice working for rather than against certain people. As a matter of fact, you can say 'yes' right now. Eldership would grant you the right to do as you please with this case, not that you won't anyhow."

"Then we loose our lead detective. I've never seen the Elder yet who got to work a case and it is too late to jump anyone else in."

"Nonsense, new Sanctuary rule from here on in: Elders all do as they please, and I'm applying that advice to the Grand Mage, first off. I know you haven't eaten and I'm getting you out of here for something right now." He came around my desk and looked at me, grabbing my shoulders. "Don't you dare blame yourself for any of this, Valkyrie. You didn't plan on him being abducted, you certainly would never plan for what happened after. Skulduggery took you out as much to flaunt his blatant disregard for Ghastly's rules as anything else."

I smiled and shook my head, but Erskine held onto my shoulders. "Say you'll become an Elder. We need you to keep this Sanctuary together. The fallout is going to be rough on this one."

"All right, I will. But only because I intend to cause all the chaos Skulduggery would have as an Elder."

Erskine grinned and led me out of his office, out of the Sanctuary, and out into the beautiful day beyond.

It was good to get food into me, and I realized with a start it had to be noon at least as we sat down, Erskine assuring me that a good part of being an Grand Mage was that he'd personally see to it that Elders got to do this as often as possible, or send runners out to get us food. He'd picked a place for sorcerors, so I knew we could speak freely.

"You'll never see the Elders inside of the Sanctuary again." I told him, amused. Erskine nodded in happy delight.

"We're Dead Men, we don't do well in offices. I already know as well as you do a whole lot of officials are going to disappear on this one thanks to our former Administrator. Who we are all lucky was a rather decent and loving man, so far as professional killers go."

I laughed and we ate, both avoiding talking about Skulduggery, though by the third time Erskine looked out the window, I knew I had to say something. "It's all right, Grand Mage. I keep expecting to see him too, I did see him in the meeting room, I've thought I heard his voice and felt his hand on my shoulder. It's all right to miss him, you know. We just have to hold it together until after the case is over."

Erskine smiled softly. "You know, I keep expecting to see him walk in here. He planned for this, you know. The first day you two were arguing and he came to the Sanctuary alone, he asked me if I was serious in wanting you to be an Elder, and of course I was. Well, in emergencies an Elder need only be elected by three votes, providing the Grand Mage made up that rule on the spot and other Elder wanted her, so we voted and you were elected."

"So I've been an Elder without knowing it?" I asked, amused.

"Yes, Skulduggery said in anything ever happened to him he wanted two Elders and a Grand Mage that would do right by him. He wanted you to help lead the Sanctuary through the days ahead, he knew what was coming, somehow he just knew."

"I think he knew this morning, Erskine. Looking back, I know now that he knew, he sacrificed himself and I don't understand why, but I know as crazy as it sounds being dead is exactly what he wanted. Of course. Of course, it all makes sense now."

"Of course what, Valkyrie?"

"The dead bodies are being used, the lifeforce is used, but the spirits, the dead? Those go free. They're going to need a leader, they're going to need someone to get them and others together. This cave spirit is as powerful as a god, but it can't fight a war on two fronts, no one can. With the living and the dead both attacking we have a much better chance of winning. He planned this all along, God Bless him, he knew he had to die for the plan to work."

We rose and headed back to the Sanctuary, each lost in our own thoughts. Ghastly and Tanith had returned, and Ghastly nodded as we approached. Erskine nodded back then veered off to his office. Ghastly gently took my by the shoulders. "We found him, he is dead, but we all knew that. I need you to give me a few hours to get him some fresh clothes, his were ruined, And Doctor Morgagni is in my office now, preparing Skulduggery so you can see him. Not together, but he says it will be respectful."

"Did he get a report back yet on what was found in the killer?"

"No, but the preliminary tests show it might be organic, a type of crystal, but why does that matter now?"

"I'm thinking the cave spirit needs to implant them near the brain stem to control it's subjects, dead or alive. That's why they drop when the brain is destroyed. As bad as we all feel right now, he planned for this, Ghastly."

"I'd appreciate it if you called me dad right now, to tell you the truth."

I hugged him, grinning. "OK, dad. He planned for this, even for his death. Who do you think is going to lead the dead to rise up for revenge?"

Ghastly smiled down at me. "He always did love getting revenge and from the look Erskine gave me I know he has two Elders now to see to it he gets it. Congratulations on your landslide nomination, by they way." He smiled faintly, then continued. "But he is still gone, even if you've given us hope the lunatic may have a plan to come back as well. Take Tanith if you need her, as well as Erskine for the case. The detectives are back, but they've been reassigned. Unfortunately someone killed three officials, my, my."

I laughed. "The detectives know to do as bad a job as possible on this one, right?"

"Of course, he was one of our own. For the first time in a long time the balance is swinging towards good in this Sanctuary. Not that there aren't still troublemakers, but three recent deaths will give them food for though. Now daddy has work to do, so scat."

I laughed again. "What a way to talk to an Elder. Oh, Erskine made it official, the new rule is Elders do whatever we please. You can feel free to redesign the robes or we won't wear them."

"I elect we not wear them."

"I agree, Elder Bespoke, motion passed."

"How come you can say the title so nicely now that you're an Elder?"

"I hate authority figures, but I never said I hated being one."

Tanith worked with Erskine and me for the next several hours, going over the plans the three Dead Men had worked out on the Sanctuary's role in the attack. Erskine to his credit, had been told of Lord Vile and had only shrugged in response. I assured him I'd still lead the attack on the cave spirit, that as the only Necromancer there I'd be the main line of both defense and offense.

Erskine grinned. "Normally I wouldn't spoil a surprise, but we've got some people coming in to help us, Necromancers included. I think the English Sanctuary is coming, and America was only too happy to be going to war, even if it is only against one measly cave spirit. Even the Canadian and Mexican Sanctuaries are sending agents."

Tanith blinked. "They've never shown up any other time the world was in danger, why now?"

"Skulduggery had friends in high places, he just was never aware of it, besides each of those Sanctuaries is indebted to him. So is France, and they may send someone, so may Germany, we already know Austria is helping, and of course, by special request of your Grand Mage there are several agents here from Australia as well."

A frazzled detective ran in, looking at us wildly. "Grand Mage! The dead from the hospital morgue are gone, all of them!"

"How many would that be, detective?" Erskine asked.

The man paled before answering. It is also a learning hospital, sir, so over two hundred."

This day just kept getting better and better.

Ghastly came for me and led me into his office, shutting the door and leaving me to my privacy. Skulduggery's bones were resting on a long table I'd never seen before, covered, and I knew they'd been arranged perfectly. His new clothing was folded neatly with a hat on top. His revolver sat to one side. Candles had been lit to the four corners of the table, and I realized the room was ready for a wake. Not that he'd get one until the case was over, but the thought was touching. I'd done all I could for the case, so as tradition stated I took the wooden chair beside the table and settled in for my vigil.

Surprisingly I wasn't crying, even though I was sad. I knew if he could come back to me he would, and if he couldn't I prayed his wife and child would greet him with open arms. The thought gave me a pang, but I wanted that for him. I felt as if something had slipped off or away from me at that moment and realized whatever hold the cave spirit had had on me was broken.

Why? Because I was willing let Skulduggery go to ensure his happiness? I realized then the feeling was alien to the cave spirit. The idea of self-sacrifice was repellant to it and it couldn't and didn't know love. I thought I head a slight rattle from the table and looked over. It could have been a million things, the Sanctuary shifting, tremors from the Earth, a bone falling out of position. But it happened again, and I saw the sheet shift ever so slightly then fall silent. I was loosing my mind, I had to be. Skulduggery Pleasant was dead. He couldn't come back to me, not this easily.

Now the sound came again, an annoyed rattling sound and I drew back the sheet. The bones rattled again, I saw them rattle. It couldn't be, it wasn't possible. But as I picked up a tooth and applied it to his upper jaw it locked in with a snicking sound.

I tried the other teeth, and each locked into place, then his jaw. His bones has been laid out in order, and it only took the slightest touch for his neck vertebrae to snap into place, then his collar bones, shoulder bones, ribcage and spine, his arms and hands. A skeletal hand grasped mine, and Skulduggery turned his head towards me. "You keep your hands to yourself, young lady. I'll get the rest or your father will have his bone accents for your wedding dress." I drew him into a hug, then pulled away, blushing, realizing for the first time that he had no clothes on.

"Oh dear Lord, you're naked. Sorry, Skulduggery!" I apologized.

He laughed slightly and gestured for me to turn around while he snapped his pelvic bones into place, giving a slight yelp from time to time. "You're much gentler when you do this. Well, that bit is finished, if you'd be so good as to slide my upper leg bones into the sockets I'll keep the sheet in place." I turned to find Skulduggery laying back down, the expression on his skeletal features angelic, and pushed his femurs upwards gently until I felt them go into place, looking at Skulduggery who was smiling placidly. "It actually feels nice when you do it, do the rest, please?"

I nodded and set to work, not even turning when the door opened. Ghastly appeared by my side, looking at Skulduggery then back at me as I set about figuring out the structure of his feet. Skulduggery fussed and giggled, drawing back a half completed foot. "Good afternoon, Elder Bespoke, lovely day for sitting with the dead, isn't it?" He said, sitting up to get the rest of his foot. Ghastly looked at him a minute longer, then grabbed Skulduggery in a hug so tight I thought he'd undo all my hard work. Skulduggery was hugging him just as tightly, the two men crying tears of joy over their reunion.

I went out into the hallway, shutting the door behind me, leaving them in private. It opened several minutes later and a dressed and rather cocky Skulduggery Pleasant strolled out, looking me squarely in the eye, his hat tilted on his skull at a rather rakish angle. "Well, well. I must say you Elders get prettier and younger every year. Well, some of you at any rate." He shot a glance towards Ghastly who just snorted in reply. "Now if you'll both come with me I want to see the Grand Mage's reaction."

We both fell in behind Skulduggery, and didn't have long to wait, Erskine was returning to his office, and he stopped, dropping the papers he'd been carrying. "My God, I'm loosing my mind." He breathed. But he still came forward, wrapping Skulduggery in a tight hug, nearly lifting him off the ground. Erskine then grabbed me as well. "Thank you, Valkyrie. I know you had something to do with this, so thank you."

Skulduggery nodded. "I knew she'd find me, rescue my bones, and that it would give me a way to come back. Oh, I'm well aware Ghastly and Tanith found me, but I was also there in the room when you sent the detectives out, Valkyrie. I tried touching you too at one point, did you feel it?"

"Yes, but wasn't there an easier way, Skulduggery? Couldn't Tanis and Leap have done something?"

"They are doing something, they are leading the forces of the dead along with several others you needn't worry about. But I needed to be there, to call in favours so we could convince the recently dead they had to fight back over the abuse of their corpses."

"You're an amazing man, Skulduggery Pleasant. Do you realize half the world will be here tomorrow if they aren't already because of you? Then you get the dead to listen as well? I think Erskine is right, we do need you as an Elder."

"Agreed." Ghastly and Erskine said in unison. Skulduggery shook his head in refusal.

"Oh no, you'll never get me to wear robes and obey rules, though it should be most amusing to see you do so, Elder Cain."

"There are no robes." Ghastly said.

"No rules either." I supplied happily.

"No boring meetings in those stupid thrones, no coming into the office if we don't desire." Erskine put in. "We're free to meddle in field work as much as we want to, to come and go as we please. "

Skulduggery blinked. "Who made up those rules?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"Our wise and illustrious Grand Mage." I said, grinning broadly.

"We'd still be Detectives?" Skulduggery asked doubtfully.

"Of course." Erskine assured him. "Three of the people who would have protested your nomination are dead now, so are your kidnappers, all thanks to Tipstaff. Never though I'd say something like that without laughing."

"All right then, I accept. Poor Tipstaff would be frantic, the old one at any rate, but some chaos is what this Sanctuary needs, to be honest." He turned to me and Ghastly. "Well, it is drawing on to dinnertime I believe, and if my one of my fellow Elders would be good enough to collect Tanith, I think we should all go out to dinner. You're invited as well, Grand Mage."

Erskine grinned in delight. We all had fully charged mobiles after all and he honestly had the papers he'd had for busywork, so we all left the Sanctuary, getting into Ghastly's van. Skulduggery stopped me before we got in, drawing me into a searing kiss before pulling back and grinning at me cockily. We got in and I knew there was something in that grin that should worry me. He'd done something just in the short time he'd been back I should have caught and missed. I knew it would come to me so I didn't worry about it too much.

Still all through dinner it niggled in the back of my mind, something he had told me once, but what? I knew it had to be something and from Skulduggery's amused glances from behind his disguise I knew he saw me working at it. I swore he winked at me from behind his sunglasses, but I only smiled in return. Skulduggery seemed almost hyper or high on sugar and when we returned to the Sanctuary I wondered how on Earth I'd get him to meditate. We were strolling back to out room arm in arm when it hit me.

I stiffened and heard a suppressed snort of laughter from Skulduggery. I turned to him, fixing his hollow sockets with my stare. He'd shed the disguise and the glee on his face was all too clear to see. "Skulduggery? Do you remember the night you saved my life?"

"Of course I do, my dearest combat accessory, I was rather dashing, wasn't I?"

"Yes, yes you were. But that isn't the point here. Do you remember what you told me that night?"

"That there were all sorts of places you could hide that people wouldn't even look. Yes, I'm sure it was something like that."

I took a menacing step forward. "What ELSE did you tell me, Skulduggery? Think really hard."

"Oh, you mean about when I died?" He asked innocently. A little too innocently.

"Yes, Skulduggery, about when you died. What happened after?"

"Oh, we both know that, Valkyrie. They burned my body as a warning, it worked too."

"Yes, but what happened with your body, Skulduggery?"

"My bones were put in a sack and dumped in a river if I recall correctly."

"Do you remember how you got out, Skulduggery?"

His grin became wicked. "Of course I do, my dearest combat accessory, I put myself back together."

"That's right, Skulduggery, you put yourself back together. But you were never really dead this time either, were you? You just wanted out of that body so you could get to the other side easier."

"Tír na mBeo, but yes. I did need out of the body to get there and back again. But that isn't why you are so angry, is it? And my, you are beautiful when you're angry."

I felt a smile creep onto my face and laughed. "All right, Skulduggery, just tell me this, then. If you pulled yourself together last time, how come you didn't do it this time?"

"Oh, that. There's a good explanation for that."

"Which is?" I asked curious.

"I wanted to feel your hands on my body before our wedding night."

"WHAT?"

Skulduggery laughed. "You completely forgot what I told you, Valkyrie, so I figured I'd let you experience the ecstacy of touching me. Was it as good for you as it was for me, hmm?"

"Skulduggery, Pleasant, I'm going to kill you!" I roared, summoning a fireball to my hand. He flicked his own hand out dousing the fireball instantly, then leaned forward with a grin.

"No, you are not, Valkyrie. What you are going to do is give me a repeat performance. Right here seems as good a place as any." He stepped forward, a wicked grin on his face, and I yelped, jumping backwards. Skulduggery was chuckling wickedly, and as he advanced I gave another yelp and took off running, laughing, Skulduggery at my heels, laughing like a maniac. I got to our room and charged in, intending to slam the door, but Skulduggery took off from behind me, flying, and grabbed me, going forward until we landed on the bed, with me pinned helplessly underneath him.

Without even looking he gestured behind him and the door slammed shut, locking itself. "Now, where was I?" He asked with a dangerous growl in his voice. He leant forward and I thought he was going to kiss me, but he fell to the side in helpless laughter. "You fell for that twice now, Valkyrie. Just how gullible are you?" He chortled. I looked over at him and gave him a wicked grin.

"Who says I'm the gullible one, Detective Pleasant? A man chases a girl until she catches him."

"What?" He asked, trying to rise, but I pinned him underneath me. "I've got you right where I want you, Detective Pleasant."

"Valkyrie, now this is hardly proper, now Valkyrie, you want to think this through-" It was my turn to fall over, laughing helplessly.

"The look on your face was priceless, Skulduggery! Let's never get married, you are WAY too easy to wind up." Skulduggery shot me a glare and got up to make me coffee.

"I missed you, you know." He said over his shoulder.

"I missed you too, Skulduggery."

"As much as I missed you?"

"More. Sorry to tease you like that. I'm just relieved to have you back, you know?"

He nodded happily and came back to sit down beside me, helping me rise into a sitting position.

"You know, my dear, I have as of yet to thank you properly for saving my life in the alley, then for putting me back together." He paused and grinned at his words, "I was teasing, you know. I honestly needed you to pull me back together this time, so thank you."

"Skulduggery, that's really sweet of you."

"Mmm, and I still have several weeks at least of teasing you, of course I can think of more fun things to do with you, like our evening ritual for instance." He dug out his mobile (how on Earth Ghastly recovered it and his ring as well I didn't know) and brought up some music. The first strains of 'A Girl Chases a Girl (Until She Catches Him)' poured from the speaker and I laughed.

"What rather handsome and dashing mentor taught you to like good music? That's right, me." He grinned and pulled me into his arms before continuing. "Mmm, I am going to teach you to waltz at the very least, Detective Cain."

"That's Elder to you, Mister." I giggled as he nipped at my neck.

"That's Elder to you, Sister." He shot back, his hands starting to roam restlessly. His mobile rang and Skulduggery groaned but answered it. He listened, grunting then hung up. "That was Ghastly, just now. He was on his way back to his shop when he saw zombies meandering on the roadside. Well, we'd better go, sorry about the coffee."

Skulduggery escorted me to the window, tearing away the hastily erected plastic tarp, and we were off into the night sky once more.

What? You thought I'd just leave him dead? He was already dead and just fine outside his body in the first novel, remember? This chapter was supposed to be a lot darker and sadder but wasn't for two reasons. One, I promised a reader I'd never kill off Skulduggery in the story (at least not forever) and two, Boz Scaggs wandered into my head and started playing 'Lido Shuffle'. Hope you liked it!