Skulduggery – Crow

Anton – Bear

Ghastly – Panda

Dexter – Wolf

Saracen – Weasel

Erskine – Snake

Note – much of this chapter is copied as I love the original and there is literally nothing I would change between the original and what I actually need for my fanfic. So I'm just stealing it for our joined pleasure of rereading it. Sorry, but not really ;)

Chapter 18

The next day, after Valkyrie had let her reflection off to school, she got herself ready and went down to get breakfast, shooting off a "good morning!" text to her girlfriend as she stumbled sleepily along. Only Crow, who was taking a call outside, and Snake who had gone somewhere else for the night, was missing from the table. She got herself some cereal.

"How's the day going to go then?" She asked them, already in her 'serious mode'. She wanted her reward from Nadia!

Wolf answered her. "We'll be splitting up first. We don't trust him not to sneak into the country so, in pairs, we'll be going off to different places. Saracen and Anton will be going up to Northern Ireland, Ghastly and Erskine will go south, me and Skulduggery will go around an old haunt of his and you'll be at China's waiting for Tanith. They used to be close, China and Vengeous, but I doubt he'll get to her this morning. Tonight, eh, maybe."

Valkyrie nodded. "That sounds like a plan."

They all finished getting ready and Crow and Wolf dropped Valkyrie at China's right after they got a call from Bear and Weasel that a vampire called Dusk had been attacking Valkyrie's reflection and given it a syringe. They'd be taking the syringe to Kenspeckle later.

Valkyrie went up to China alone, texting Nadia with a smile as she learnt she'd convinced Mrs Keena to take her to get her hair and nails done after school. They'd been arguing about letting Nadia go to the reunion with Valkyrie for a little while but once Nadia had made Mrs Keena see she could spend quality time getting ready with her daughter and then go on a date with her husband, it had been a done deal.

Just as she got to the third floor, China was crossing to her apartment from the library. "Valkyrie," China said. "How nice to see you again, and so soon."

Valkyrie smiled. "I like your necklace."

"Hm, so do I. It cost two very fine men their lives. At times, I wear it to honour their sacrifices. Other times, I wear it because it goes with this skirt. Would you like to come in?"

"Sure," Valkyrie said and followed China inside. She closed the door after herself and looked admiringly around the apartment. The view alone was incredible but she was certainly attracted to China's sense of style.

"Any new developments?" China asked, picking up a stack of letters and rifling through them.

"Not especially, but Dusk, the vampire, attacked my reflection earlier." China looked at her to continue but she shook her head. "I don't know anything yet. Hopefully we'll know by tonight."

"Of course," she said indulgently. She sat at one of the beautiful armchairs and Valkyrie sat on the sofa opposite her, recognising the teasing spark in China's eye. "So, Detective Cain, how is Miss Robin?"

Valkyrie smiled. "Fine, as always."

"Have you seen her recently?" She asked.

"No, but I will tonight. Some awful family reunion some awful aunt came up with. I doubt Gordon didn't mention Beryl?"

"Oh, I've heard of her," she laughed. "She sounds awful."

"I know! Who does she think she is, making me see family of all people," she said, shaking her head. "At least I'll have Nadia."

"You seem to love her," China said softly.

Valkyrie stopped looking out the window and saw the woman with a soft look, albeit smirking a little, and raised her eyebrow back. "You always get happy when you speak about her. I've seen people fall in love quickly, even in childhood, but I can honestly say I never would have expected this pairing."

Valkyrie rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"No problem. Make sure you don't let her slip through your fingers, my dear. There aren't many young women willing to have such little time with someone they love at this age. We always have so many expectations at your age, so many dreams and things to do. Waiting on someone so they can do great things without them doesn't tend to be on young women's list of things to do."

Valkyrie nodded. "I won't let that happen. I really, really like Nadia. I – I could see a future with her, although I'm not pushing anything. It's only been a few months and we're really young! And if I have to protect her…"

"I understand." There was a knock on the door then and then the sounds of a scuffle and someone being hit to the floor. "Go to the bedroom," China said quickly. "Do not argue, go to the bedroom and be quiet."

Valkyrie did that, but left it open just a crack as she did. Staying quiet, she watched as Baron Vengeous broke the door down and came into the apartment. China was standing next to her desk. So much for Dexter's theory.

"Hello China," he said. He was wearing dark, militaristic clothes with gleaming black boots. He had a cutlass in his belt. "It's good to see you again."

"Baron Vengeous. I dearly wish I could say the same. Why are you here?"

"You mean you don't know? I'm here for you China. Within a few hours I will have Lord Vile's armour and the final missing ingredient will be within my grasp. It is time to take off this mask you wear, to take your place."

"My place is right here."

"We both know that's not true," he said scornfully. "You could no more turn your back on the Faceless Ones than I could. I've seen your devotion."

"My devotion, as you call it, has waned."

Valkyrie could see the anger seeping into Vengeous' face as the argument went on. Just as he threatened to kill China, she laid a hand on her stomach and all the furniture in the room suddenly flew at Vengeous and it, and Vengeous, slammed into the wall. With a swipe of her hand the furniture created a space around the man.

"You do not threaten me in my own home," China said to him calmly and the furniture hurled back at him.

Vengeous was quick though and Valkyrie watched in shock as the table burst into splinters and he dived under the rest which instead hit the wall behind him. He sent his hand into her chest and China hit the wall, falling to one knee. Valkyrie was about to open the door and put a stop to it when China looked up at Vengeous and narrowed her eyes at him.

"As my words draw closed, the circle binds, secures you to your fate."

Vengeous tried to reach for her but hit the invisible barrier China had set up around him. Valkyrie realised she, too, had almost underestimated China. Sometimes it was hard to remember the beautiful woman was once a fierce and deadly warrior. No, not once was. Is.

As they were fighting, Valkyrie texted all the Dead Men and Tanith in their group chat – they all avoided it if they could help it, there was too many of them to use a group chat except to relay the most important information – and looked up when the two men came in through the doorway Vengeous had smashed his way through.

One was dark haired, pale and oddly beautiful, the other was blonde and wearing a brown suit, faded white shirt and sunglasses. He grinned, and the carpet split and frayed, and he sank downwards into the floor and disappeared. China dived for the phone but the other man, the vampire, grabbed her.

Valkyrie stared as a hand shot out through the ground and moments later the two fell out the wall next to China.

"I expected more from you China. When you left us, I thought you would be back. No one could do the things you've done and then walk away. I didn't think that was possible."

"I found other interests," she said, looking up at him despite the pain of having her arms straight behind her. "You can too. Stamp collecting, maybe." The vampire twisted her arms and she gasped. The man in sunglasses laughed and Valkyrie got herself ready to burst in. The others were on their way, but no one was there yet. Tanith hadn't seen her phone, so she was the likeliest of getting there first, probably driving at illegal speeds and not slowing for a text.

"I can still be merciful, even if my gods are not. The girl, China. Valkyrie Cain. Tell me where she is, and I'll let you live."

It didn't take long for China to point to the bedroom but Vengeous took that as a joke. Valkyrie looked at her phone and saw Tanith had seen the message. She threw the bedroom door open and sent a burst of purple energy at Vengeous just as Dexter had taught her.

It missed but her other hand sent a stream to the sunglasses man and it certainly shook him, though not as much as she had tried to hit him with. The vampire growled but didn't let go of China and Valkyrie ran from the room with the sound of Vengeous telling the sunglasses man, Sanguine, to catch her.

She threw herself off the bannister and landed hard but started running again with the help of magic, going to the back of the building and out the fire door. She was on a quiet road but there was still the chance of anyone coming passed – she ran instead, jumping out the way as a hand shot through the pavement, into a side alley no one would look at, the type girls like her were told not to go into. She stood in the middle, waiting, and a moment later Sanguine rose from the ground in front of her.

He seemed casual, looking at her with those sunglasses on. After a short moment, he tried to rush her, and she barely kept out of reach, falling back to her arse and pushing away. She man was smirking but kept walking forwards to her. He dived suddenly, and she rolled over, hearing the air rush from his lungs and punched him in the face, snapping his sunglasses in two. They fell away, leaving her to gape and stand up as he groaned because he had no eyes at all.

He sunk into the ground while still on his back and Valkyrie looked around and attempted to run into the front street of the apartment complex, but the man rose up again and picked her up by the arm and threw her back into the alley where she landed on her back.

"I don't see what all the fuss is about," Sanguine said in a heavy Texan accent. "You're just a little girl."

Valkyrie clicked her fingers, but he was suddenly there, smacking her hand away from him and extinguishing the flames. He grabbed her from behind and she could feel something cold and sharp on her throat.

"Don't try that again," he said oh-so casually. He held a straight razor with a wooden handle, and as her vision cleared she saw the initials 'B-R. S.' engraved on it. She raised her eyes – up ahead, parked opposite her and definitely not there moments ago, was a black motorcycle. Tanith's motorcycle.

"You're all alone now, girly," he said as if they were doing something normal. "That means none of your little friends are coming to help."

Somebody coughed behind them.

Sanguine turned to look, the razor moving away from her throat.

He was punched in the face and went rolling away.

"Big sister!" Valkyrie grinned, getting up and hugging her. She didn't have long before she'd be taller.

"Little sister!" Tanith grinned back, picking her up and spinning her around. "I got you presents."

"Yay!" Tanith set her down and they looked back at Sanguine who'd stood up and was shaking his head at them.

"And who might you be?" He asked, snapping into 'look, a woman' mode that men had. She'd seen that look many times. Never by a criminal that had been attempting murder literally seconds ago, then got punched and now was quite obviously going to fight his attacker all while apparently planning to flirt. That one was new.

"The end of you. Are you coming along quietly Mr No-eyes, or do I have to hurt you?" She said as she got her sword out.

His face fell. "Oh, come on! Look at the size of yours and look at the size of mine!"

Tanith let her coat fall and Valkyrie picked it up for her.

"Ooh, getting interesting now," Sanguine grinned predatorily.

Valkyrie smirked and watched as Tanith began trying to slice the hitman and he tried, and failed, to flirt with the beautiful woman. He disappeared when he was rejected for maybe the fourth time and after a few moments, Tanith turned to speak to her and Sanguine jumped out the wall at her.

Tanith, being made of stone or stronger, simply lifted the sword and cut the man's arm. His razor fell from his hand and bounced off Valkyrie's foot. She picked it up, not listening to his threats, and tucked it into one of her pockets.

Baron Vengeous chose that moment to come into the street. Unfortunately for him, China came through a side door and Crow and Wolf screeched to a halt, stopping a different car from picking up Vengeous.

"Saracen's almost here," Wolf said quickly, running to the other car and dealing with the vampire. Tanith used the opportunity to slice Sanguine and follow up with a hit to the head that had him spinning and falling to his knees, making Vengeous quickly grow more furious. He looked at Valkyrie and she looked at him. "Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you?" He growled, moving forwards.

Everyone stood between then, except Wolf who was tussling with the vampire and swearing loudly between violently throwing punches and kicks. Valkyrie shrugged anyway. "Because you need me." He grunted, and she saw the others tense. "Because I'm the ingredient," she said quickly. "My Ancient blood is the power you need to bring it alive. Right?"

He didn't say anything, but she did see some of the blockage move and begin to fight with Vengeous. She would have loved to help but now she was certain she was correct, she knew she needed to stay away.

She turned and started running.

Not a moment later, Tanith grabbed her arm and they ran just as Weasel and Bear got out of another car that had just pulled up. Everyone scattered, Wolf waiting only to shackle the vampire's left hand to a pole so he couldn't leave as Anton pulled his top off in one motion.

Valkyrie looked back only once to see the gist burst free and Skulduggery jump and shot into the air away.

Vengeous was too slow and was ripped apart in moments, blood flying all over the alley and splashing into the street beyond.

Tanith grabbed her hand and she held it tightly, encouraging her to keep running. It wasn't a fun thing to see but she was more than glad the Grotesquery wouldn't be resurrected.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

GirlCalledTrevor - nope, this one is two days later hahaha! I will attempt to find funny to put in the story, that is my goal, if I am not doing well enough it's because I get tired when I'm writing! I am glad you like Nadia, I don't plan on being rid of her for a long time! She is my favourite at the moment. Thank you for telling me, I will attempt to make the jumps a little less annoying by putting in **'s and stuff to make it easier. I'm impressed the story is taking that long to read, I feel as if it's short but I write it in blocks so I suppose it's bigger than I think! Don't worry, I'm writing the chapters in the forties so more will definitely be coming! :D xx