Chapter 110

Three days on, Tanith was suffering from nightmares that were stopping her from sleeping, leaving her experiencing more sickness, irritability and she'd fainted four times.

Ghastly had called the maternity hospital on her behalf – on her instruction when she was throwing her guts up – and they'd told her to go back on some medicine from when she'd been three months. Ghastly had had to explain Valkyrie had been in a car accident and was in a coma to give the midwives an idea of what had caused the onset of symptoms, and just hearing him make up a fake story of Valkyrie in a car accident had made her cry through throwing up. A few days off of seven months pregnant wasn't enjoyable, having her sister in the hospital wasn't enjoyable, and together she wasn't sure she could do this.

Anton had woken up briefly and was healing but Valkyrie hadn't changed at all. They'd found out from Anton that he'd found her with part of the staircase on top of her, and Kenspeckle used that to confirm it must have fallen on her head. He couldn't say what the outcome would be. She'd gone from the luckiest person to one of the unluckiest – survived a bomb just to be taken out by stairs.

They'd decided that a few hours ago. Now Tanith was left with decisions, hard decisions and conversations, that needed to be had. And she had to stand in Valkyrie's place as much as she could.

"We need to talk," she said, walking straight into Dexter's bedroom. He and Saracen looked at her from their places lying on the large bed and sat up so she could sit on the end more comfortably.

"I find nothing good comes from conversations that start like this," Saracen said with a serious face, and it made her crack a small smile.

"We need to decide what we're doing," she said quietly, looking at her knees. The belly was in the way of her lap. "No one's told Nadia what's going on."

Dexter rubbed the back of his neck and crossed his legs. "Is that a good idea? She doesn't seem to be in a great place mentally already."

"I think if I go and talk to her, I could help. I think I'm going to convince her to move in here for a while. I'll tell her it's so she can visit Valkyrie more," Tanith explained. "Honestly, I just think it'll help Valkyrie to be near Nadia. They say you can hear things when you're in a coma."

"That is true," Saracen nodded. "Valkyrie's always pulled it out the box for Nadia. Even when she was a little thirteen year old she could make things happen to make Nadia happy."

"She doesn't want to move in right now," Dexter argued. "Valkyrie already mentioned it to her, and they are only kids. I'm not sure putting this type of pressure on Nadia is a good idea."

"Valkyrie wasn't in a coma then, and if she doesn't want to move in because she wants to travel herself, I'll say what I just told you. I think she'll do it to help Valkyrie, even if it is a bit underhanded," Tanith told them. "I want to be honest, but I want Valkyrie more. And I think I can get through to Nadia better if I see her in person. Plus, I can walk up into her room and ask."

Saracen shook his head. "It'll work better if your honest with her parents too. She doesn't want to betray her parents."

Tanith considered this and then nodded. Nadia was a good girl, more obedient than Valkyrie, although Valkyrie had been brought up with less restrictions. She'd kept six men giving her gifts a secret from her mother without ever being told to, she hardly had the supervision Nadia had. "You might be right."

"He usually is," Dexter said, staring thoughtfully into the soft blanket covering his duvet. "We need to check on Fletcher too. He didn't take the news well."

"His mother died in a similar way," Saracen revealed quietly. "I think it's brought back memories."

"We need to talk to him more," Tanith told him. "He's not so bad really. I think he could do with a few role models."

Dexter smirked. "You mean like me and Saracen?"

She smirked back. "Whatever goes."

They shared a silent moment of relief from the difficult conversation before Tanith decided to bring back her other concern. "I think we should try again on getting Solomon."

"They'll have moved by now," Dexter said immediately. "If we talk to Skulduggery, he'll either lie or send us to an abandoned safehouse."

"I think we should try. I don't know what happened, none of us do until Valkyrie can tell us, but that's not Solomon's fault. I feel like we're mad at Skulduggery so we're letting Solomon be punished because we agreed to hold out on Skulduggery."

"And I don't want to do shit until we know the truth. Period," Dexter said in a voice filled with warning.

Tanith narrowed her eyes. "They could be torturing him to death. He doesn't deserve that."

"Valkyrie doesn't deserve to be in a life-threatening coma."

"Valkyrie loves Solomon. She wouldn't want him dead, and you know it." Dexter clenched his jaw, making the muscles stick out as he ground his teeth together. "I really doubt Solomon had a choice in this. He walked away from his home and risked his life just to warn us the Necromancer's were after Valkyrie, I don't think he'd wish that away. Regardless of Skulduggery."

She let Dexter mull it over, and Saracen stayed silent too except to put a hand on Dexter's knee. Long moments passed before he nodded. "So we talk to Skulduggery."

Tanith nodded once. "I think so. I think Fletcher want's in on this, and with the Sanctuary down he has time. You're in charge, technically, without Val and Skulduggery, so you'll have to call Meritorious."

"He might not like this," Saracen warned.

"Then we do it anyway," Tanith told him. He watched her for a moment and then nodded. "Ghastly won't like this. He doesn't want to talk to Skulduggery at all."

Dexter and Saracen looked at each other, something passing between them and they nodded. "Skulduggery has a bad history," Saracen told her. "He's done bad things before, worse than this, and he's never said a word about it. We never told Skulduggery we knew because we knew he was remorseful, and he's our brother, but this has brought back a lot of feelings."

"Ghastly doesn't think he did it though," Tanith said, frowning hard. "He keeps saying he wants Skulduggery to rot, but that he didn't do it. I don't get it."

"It's the history," Dexter said quietly. "Knowing the truth might not be enough for Ghastly. He was hurt more than most of us."

Tanith considered asking, but decided that was a question for Ghastly, and something she was unlikely of getting a straightforward answer to. That was okay. Ghastly was three-hundred years older than her, he had a lot of time to have a lot of bad things happen to him. She knew very well that family could betray their own and still learn to forgive and love.

She sighed. "We'll just have to see," she said quietly, hopping from the bed. "I don't suppose you could give me a ride to Nadia's, Saracen? Since Dexter has a phone call to make."

"You make it seem like you prefer Dexter," he said in a mock-offended voice.

"I do," she said deadpan, and gave Dexter a sultry wink he returned.

.*****.

Saracen stopped a few houses down from Nadia's and they both looked down the street at their target. She wasn't entirely sure how this conversation was going to go, or if it would happen at all, but she had to do right by her sister, even if her feet were swollen and hurting and she was meant to be on permanent bedrest. She knew Valkyrie would do the same for her.

"I'll wait here for you," Saracen said. "Keep your phone on in case I feel anything."

"Thanks," Tanith replied, still watching the house.

"I can sense her parents are home, and their butler. I doubt they won't let you in, but I can't feel much else."

"We'll see how it goes then, I guess," Tanith sighed. She stared out at the house, putting a hand on her belly worriedly.

Saracen put a hand on her shoulder, massaging it. "Don't get upset. We're doing all we can given the circumstances, and everyone will know that when this is figured out."

"This would be easier if you could just sense who set that bomb off," Tanith told him quietly, and then regretted it when his hand fell. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"No, it's true," Saracen said, his tone honest and kind. "All magic's have their drawbacks. Mine is that I know a lot, but never enough. It's an edge, enough to keep me alive, but in times like this when I'm not in a life or death situation, it's not much use. It's already happened, it's over. What's my magic meant to tell me to keep me alive from something I've already survived? It barely aids me outside of life and death situations."

Tanith nodded slowly, understanding his words. "Do you think Skulduggery did it? Personally?"

Saracen sighed thoughtfully and rested his arms on the wheel. "Personally? I don't know. If he saw Valkyrie then no, I don't think he could have. If he didn't, then there's a possibility he convinced himself none of his family was there to hurt. Then he could have done it. But I don't know what he saw. I don't even know if I'll sense him lying or telling the truth. No matter what, he brought that bomb in and armed it, I know that, I woke up at Kenspeckle's knowing that and we have the footage, so he's still in the wrong. He still caused this. It just feels worse if he set it off as well."

Tanith nodded and took a deep breath. "One thing at a time, right?"

"Exactly," he said, and gave her the small, genuine smile that made her like him all those years ago. "Bring Nadia back with you."

"Do my best," she smiled back, and left her friend in the car.

It was warm out, for Ireland, but even in late July there was a nippy breeze and not much sun through the white sky. Summer had been early that year, although warmer weather was predicted for two weeks from then, meaning it was probably just going to rain. The outside of Nadia's house was the same as it had been the last time she'd been, not even any new security cameras. Tanith knocked on the door.

It took a few moments before the butler opened it. He looked down on her blankly.

"I'm here to see Nadia," Tanith told him. "Something serious has happened."

He nodded once and stepped back to let her in. "Can I take your coat?" He asked.

She pulled her light jackets off and gave it to him, thanking him quietly as she looked around. "Could you tell me where Nadia is so I can talk to her privately?"

"I'm afraid I am not at liberty to do that, Miss Low," the butler said. Tanith tried to think of what his name was. "I shall inform the family you have arrived. Please take a seat in the parlour and make yourself comfortable."

Tanith sighed internally but took her seat gratefully. Two months and a few days until her September birth. Two months and a few days before she could breathe properly again. She was sat there waiting for a minute before a Mr Vinay and Mrs Kenna came downstairs without their daughter and sat across from her, smiling tightly.

"It's good to see you again," Mrs Keena started, folding her hands on her lap. "And congratulations on your pregnancy. We didn't get a chance to talk at the Requiem Ball."

"Thank you," Tanith replied plainly. "I was actually hoping to talk to Nadia."

"We'd like to hear what you have to say first," Mr Vinay said. He said it calmly but there was a command in his voice that expected her to do what he said.

She looked at him with hard eyes. "I'm here on behalf of Valkyrie."

Mrs Keena's eyes widened and tensed a little. "Is this about the explosion at the Sanctuary? We haven't heard anything about it yet."

"There are many deaths but Valkyrie felt something was wrong before the explosion and put the Sanctuary on high alert which saved most of the mages there. But she was caught in the explosion," Tanith told them solemnly.

"I'll get Nadia," Mr Vinay said, a hard look in his eye, but as he turned away Tanith saw his lip turn up.

Tanith bit her cheek and waited for him to return with Nadia. Mrs Keena avoided her eyes and seemed awkward. She was different from when Tanith had last met her also. Less confident in herself. Valkyrie had been perceptive enough to see the two parents were not in sync as they used to be, but seeing it confirmed Nadia's parents were suffering with marital problems. They'd been married about seventy years but she didn't know much about them. She did know it would be hard to get Nadia to stay with them so she could spend as much time as possible with Valkyrie so long as her parents were around to argue against it.

Nadia ran down the stairs looking flustered and panicky, staring at Tanith with wide eyes from the doorway before sitting down opposite her. Tanith gave her a smile to try and be comforting but the stress didn't leave Nadia's eyes. Mr Vinay strolled in after with a self-satisfied look.

Tanith would have glared at him, but decided it wasn't worth it. Instead, she focused on Nadia like Valkyrie would want. "Don't worry," she said with a calm voice. "She's alive. Just hurt."

"I've been waiting for you to call," Nadia whispered, her eyes filling with tears immediately.

Tanith's heart went out to the girl. "Come here," she said, and Nadia obeyed, almost falling onto the other sofa and crying into Tanith's shoulder. It was a little uncomfortable with the bump but it was worth it. "It's been so stressful and hectic the last few days we've only just started to think of what to do today. We haven't even spoken to Skulduggery."

"They say he set the bomb off," Mr Vinay chimed.

Tanith glared at him, knowing fully well he was trying to escalate the situation to cut ties between Nadia and Tanith's family. "We don't have proof yet." She rubbed Nadia's back and started from the beginning. "Valkyrie, Dexter and Erskine were following an investigation to find Skulduggery and Solomon, who had been kidnapped and were being held prisoner. A few days ago, the Dead Men and the Sanctuary did a raid on Mr Bliss' house where Dexter, Saracen, Anton and Erskine were injured. Valkyrie jumped into a Death signal to get China out, I don't know all the details, but the mission ended with killing Bliss, the Dead Men critically injured except for Valkyrie although we still don't know how because China doesn't want to give up any of her secrets, and Skulduggery and Solomon were taken away by the mercenaries when they escaped."

Nadia nodded to show she was listening and had stopped her crying enough to concentrate. Tanith moved and held the girl's hand.

"The night after, Valkyrie and the some of the Dead Men were in the Sanctuary going over the case and Valkyrie felt something was wrong. Seeing as the Dead Men were still in bad shape and Saracen was still unconscious in the hospital, Valkyrie sent them to the saferoom and pulled a high alert for the Sanctuary just in case. I don't know all the details after that because no one was with Valkyrie that's still alive, but we believe she saw some dead Cleavers on a security camera, sent people to investigate and went herself to the front to look for intruders. We think she saw Skulduggery outside the Sanctuary and she tried to press the panic button, but someone messed with the internal signals which made them almost completely useless, and then Skulduggery set the bomb off. Of course, we can't be sure on a lot of that, but it's what most people are going with right now."

Nadia clenched on Tanith's hand and gave her a strong look. "What happened after it went off?"

"Well, in order, Anton was in the saferoom with most of the Sanctuary and was the only one strong enough out of the Dead Men there to move after the blast, and he ran through the building to find Valkyrie and pulled her from the rubble to outside. Both of them were badly burnt. Right now, we think that Valkyrie got hit badly in the head by the stairs falling on her, and she has some burns that are healing. She's still in hospital Nadia. She's in a coma."

Nadia nodded and started to cry again. Tanith wrapped her arms around the girl and held her tight. "Don't cry, it'll be alright. Valkyrie's with Kenspeckle, if anyone can make her come back, it's him. But we were thinking that it might help her if you see her and talk to her. They say people in coma's can still hear what's happening. She might respond to you, or at least be happy to know you've visited."

Nadia nodded quickly and tried sniffing to stop her crying but was so bunged up it didn't work. There was a box of tissues near Tanith so she grabbed them and handed the box to Nadia. After blowing her nose, she responded. "I want to see her."

"I know," Tanith assured, making her choice on how to handle the next part. "I wanted to ask if you'd stay with us at the house too. I know it's a lot, but I just – look, I honestly just think that Valkyrie will respond to you. She always does. I want to take you to see her as much as possible, and if you're at our house, I thought it would go smoother since we'll be going over every day anyway."

Nadia nodded immediately. "I want to help."

"Wait a moment," Mr Vinay interjected, a frown now marring his otherwise handsome features. "We don't even know if Detective Pleasant intentionally blew up the Sanctuary, I don't think I want my daughter in your home right now."

"With all due respect," Tanith said sarcastically, "you never do. Nobody knows anything about the circumstances. There's footage showing there was another person with Skulduggery, and rumour of another. We can't say Skulduggery did anything except arm that bomb, and for that, he will be punished. But blowing up the girl that's as good as his daughter, a child he's known since she was literally days old, after actually seeing her? I find it hard to believe. He loves Valkyrie."

Mrs Keena nodded very slightly. "It does seem unlikely," she said quietly, getting an exasperated look from her husband. She narrowed her eyes and said in a louder voice, "I would never think you hurt Nadia even if someone else believed you did. Even if you did what we know Mr Pleasant did. It's not what good parents do."

Nadia stood. "I'm going to pack a bag. I need to help Valkyrie, Dad, it's not as if Skulduggery is at the house. I'll be fine."

"Thank you," Tanith said quietly, a little surprised at how easy that had been. Nadia hurried out the room.

"Thank you for coming in person," Mrs Keena said, avoiding looking at her husband. He stood up angrily a moment later and left the room also. "I'm sorry about my husband. He's very protective of Nadia. We both are. We don't want her getting hurt. You understand that, don't you?"

"I do," Tanith said, and then narrowed her eyes at the woman. "But you should know that Valkyrie would never hurt Nadia. Not intentionally. It's not fair to Valkyrie how you've treated her."

Mrs Keena took a sharp breath and narrowed her eyes back. "I will raise my daughter how I want, Miss Low."

"And I can disagree when your husband has smacked my sister," she snapped back. "He smacked a sixteen-year-old child. He pulled her from your house after she saved your lives. I shouldn't allow her here near a violent man, but I respect my sister enough to make her own decisions."

"You think I don't respect my daughter?" Mrs Keena snarled, leaning forwards in her chair. "I've worked my ass off to give her everything in life, and so has Anand. This last year has been the toughest of my life."

"Then let Nadia make her own mistakes," Tanith told her, trying to keep her cool as the baby kicked. She took a breath. "Children make mistakes, but Nadia is old enough to know the risks. If I didn't think Valkyrie understood them, none of us would let her on cases. If she hadn't proven her strength and abilities, the Sanctuary wouldn't have promoted her, and if I thought for a single moment she was lying or manipulating Nadia into thinking she couldn't get hurt being around Valkyrie, I'd have corrected them both myself. I take this as seriously as you." She felt the overemotional tears pricking at her eyes. Fucking hormones. "But I know Valkyrie is prepared for a relationship, a long term relationship in which she tries her damn hardest to look after your daughter. If that's who Nadia wants to love is that so difficult to accept?"

"They're still children," Mrs Keena said, her voice going high with her own emotion. "They're too young and I want to protect my child."

Tanith watched her as a tear fell and then Nadia was heard walking down the stairs. She put on a hard face and wiped the tear away so there was no trace of crying. She stood, Tanith following suit.

"One night," Mrs Keena instructed Nadia tightly. "You have one night."

"Mum," Nadia started.

"No!" She snapped loudly, clenching her fists. "I'm giving you one night at that house. I want you home tomorrow or I'll be there myself. Do you understand?"

Nadia looked at Tanith from over her mother's shoulder and Tanith could easily see the conflict. Respect her worrying, albeit controlling, parents or go to her possibly dying girlfriend's side? "I'm going until Valkyrie's better."

Mrs Keena would have said something back, or shouted most likely, but Nadia was quick and got the door open and was out before Tanith had even taken her jacket from the suddenly present butler.

Mrs Keena looked out the door at Nadia, who'd already run through the front garden with her suitcase and had spotted Saracen in the car, before turning back to Tanith. For a long moment they stood there like a showdown before Mrs Keena said quietly, "Maybe you'll understand when you have a child," she stormed away upstairs.

Tanith felt incredibly offended but was old enough and smart enough not to say anything back. She had helped raise Valkyrie, at least in her teen years, and she'd taught her, given up her time, her space, her money and for the most part, her career, to keep Valkyrie entertained, fed and educated. They loved each other as sisters, but she wasn't the only one to raise a sibling, and Valkyrie would repay her by helping to raise her child. The child in her stomach. The valid, human life she carried and Mrs Keena deliberately excluded. Not just some bundle of cells, a literal child.

She put her jacket on in the foyer, took a few deep breaths and counted the twenty to calm her wildly beating heart. It worked and she was able to put on a genuine smile when she sat in the car for Nadia and Saracen.

"I'm sorry about my parents," Nadia said immediately from the middle back seat. "They think they're helping."

"It's fine," Tanith assured her. "Parents are like that sometimes. Come on, let's see Valkyrie."

Wow, that's a long one! Four thousand words (before this bold crap at the bottom) for those wondering, I usually go for two thousand. I guess I should recap, for myself and anyone reading: Bomb was set off three days ago. Since Val's not doing much, we're now following Tanith who is suspiciously serious and definitely still pregnant. We have collected Nadia. Skulduggery is being held guilty. The Dead Men are conflicted. Loads of peeps are dead! So much just happened!

Lonelygirl702: That's okay, what's the use in telling people to ask questions if I never answer? Unfortunately not, but I'm sure I'll eventually have a family rally at some point, I've done so many chapters I may as well keep on like I am! I'll just go on forever, years into the future until there are a thousand chapters. I wonder what the longest, continuous story on FF is? It may be this if I need going like I am! But yes, no Darquesse, and I'm glad you think so, I like to think you're enjoying my vision for Valkyrie's life! It's good fun. As for uni more important than fanfiction... I mean, I'll take all the time I need, but more important? That might be a little too far there ;) I'm joking, thank you so much for your support, it means a lot to me. I look forward to your reactions on the next seven or eight chapters, it gets to the point I'll be putting warnings at the top and I'm a bit proud of them but also scared of them because it's kind of real. I won't spoil them, just know I'm thankful and excited! :D