Another chapter, yay! I really hope I managed to capture Desmond's personality in this chapter. Please tell me what you think of this chapter, but also of the story so far. It helps me in my writing!

This story will have at least two more chapters, maybe three. I have a few more ideas I would like to write down but I don't want the chapters to be too long either, so I guess we just have to wait and see how long this story will become :)

"Seriously?!" Alice shouted, wrapping her arms around Valkyrie's neck before hugging her tightly. "It's not enough that I get to be an aunt, now I get to go to your wedding too! You just made me the happiest little sister in the world!"

Valkyrie laughed and gave her sister a kiss on the head. "Good to hear that you approve the marriage, Alice. In other words, I don't have to worry about you standing up and shouting "I object!" right before I say yes to Skulduggery."

"I think that job would fall to me, in that case." Desmond turned to Skulduggery again and this time he had a profoundly serious expression on his face. "So, not only have you gotten my daughter pregnant, now you want to marry her too?"

"I assure you Desmond that my intentions towards your daughter are pure and I have not asked her to marry me just because I made her pregnant. If it were up to me, we would have gotten married first before even thinking about starting a family, but given the situation we are in now, I felt it was the right thing to do."

"So noble of you, Skulduggery. I must admit you surprise me, but in an effective way. Considering what I've heard from you from Valkyrie and your other friends who have occasionally visited, I thought you were a brute. I must admit that after this I might have to change that opinion and start looking at you in a different light. Considering that in the near future you will be my son-in-law, I think we need to start hanging out more in our shared free time so that we can start getting to know each other better."

"Daddy, please…" Valkyrie began, but to her great surprise, Skulduggery held up his gloved hand in front of her. "Skulduggery, what…?"

"Let your father speak, Valkyrie."

Desmond looked as surprised as Valkyrie, but he quickly recovered and continued. "It is my right as a father to know what kind of man my daughter is with, especially when she has decided to marry him and potentially spend the rest of her life with him. If I think you seem like a perfectly fine guy, even though you're just bones and I honestly think Valkyrie could have found another person with a little more meat on their bones - pardon the pun - then you have nothing to worry about and I will of course give you my blessing.

If, however, I believe that you are not good enough for my daughter, I will give you a few months to prove to me why you should be allowed to marry my daughter, and if I am not convinced after that, I will unfortunately have to object."

Valkyrie just wanted to sink through the earth. She put her hand over her face and moaned loudly. "Mom, can you please try to talk some sense into Dad?"

"Desmond dear, don't you think you're exaggerating a little now?"

To everyone's surprise, it was Skulduggery who answered. "Absolutely not, Melissa. Desmond is right. Even though I've known Valkyrie since she was 12, you know almost nothing about me or who I am as a person. Desmond has every right in the world to hang out with me to be able to get a chance to know me. After all, you will see me a lot in the future after the baby is born as I know Valkyrie will want you to be an active part of your grandchild's life.

Unlike me, Valkyrie has a good relationship with you and always has. Unfortunately, I haven't had that luxury as my father was a very evil sorcerer who turned out to be a god who had his memories erased and was tricked into thinking he was just a normal sorcerer – an unusually strong one, should be added. He loved to hurt me, my siblings, and my mother. He even went as far as to even murder my mother in front of me and my siblings, I'm not going to tell you how, and after that we decided to track him down. We wanted to avenge our mother's death and we succeeded in the end, that's all you need to know. I don't like to talk about it all."

It became dead quiet in the living room after Skulduggery's story. Everyone but Valkyrie stared at him with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Valkyrie took Skulduggery's hand in her own and squeezed it. She then leaned towards him and gave his cheekbone a soft kiss. "They understand, Skulduggery."

The first to find herself was Alice. She had tears in her eyes and sobbed before walking up to Skulduggery and giving him a hug. "I'm so sorry, Skulduggery. Now I'm starting to understand why you're a little stiff sometimes. You've had a tough life. I will never complain about small, insignificant dilemmas again."

Skulduggery hugged Alice back. "There is no danger, Alice. If the terrible things I've been through hadn't happened, I probably wouldn't be standing here today. You may think I'm morbid for saying this, but if Serpine hadn't killed my wife and daughter, I probably never would have met Gordon or Valkyrie and then I wouldn't have gotten to meet you either. Even though I miss them even though it's been so long, the miss is not as big now as it was then and I'm happy with Valkyrie. Happier than I have been in an exceptionally long time."

Skulduggery turned to Valkyrie as he said the last. Even though he had no face that could show emotion, Valkyrie could still tell from Skulduggery that he was telling the truth. She gave him a kiss on his teeth, causing Alice to exclaim "Ugh! Get a room!," which in turn made everyone in the room laugh and at once the mood was much lighter.

"I am happy for you two, and I want you both to know that you have my blessing. If Valkyrie is happy with you Skulduggery, which I know she is, I don't have anything to worry about. I may not know you as well as I know Militsa, but I look forward to the opportunity of being able to, Skulduggery."

Melissa stood up from the couch and walked over to Skulduggery. He reached out his hand to shake hers, but instead Melissa put her arms around Skulduggery. "Welcome to the family, Skulduggery."

Skulduggery looked at Valkyrie's family members and tilted his head. "Thank you, Melissa, Desmond, Alice. I will admit that this means a lot to me. I want your daughter to be happy and I will do everything to keep it that way."

"I know you will, Skulduggery. I certainly don't know you as well as Stephanie's other friends, but I've seen and heard enough to know that at least that's true. Should you need someone to talk to, you should know that you can always turn to one of us. We are here for you the same way we are there for Stephanie."

Valkyrie felt tears of happiness rise in her eyes and she smiled a warm smile. She looked at her family members and her heart swelled with pride in her chest. She knew that if Skulduggery had been able to show any emotions, he too would have had a tough time holding back a smile. She could hear in his tone that he was relieved that her family had accepted both the pregnancy and the marriage and that they were willing to give him a chance, knowing that her family meant a lot to Valkyrie.

Three months passed with such speed that Valkyrie was surprised when she woke up one day with a belly that had begun to grow and, that by now, was so large that it was no longer possible to hide the fact that she was pregnant. During these three months, the nausea and dizziness had disappeared (thank god!) but instead she had been fighting a fatigue she had not experienced before. She had also had a few pelvic girdle pains that were so painful she thought she was going to split in half. She had been told by Synecdoche that they could be extremely painful and that if/when they came, she should try to rest as much as she possibly could until they had passed.

"You can also chew on a leaf if they're especially bothersome, Valkyrie. It won't take the pain away completely, but it can make it bearable at least. If they get so bad that you can't breathe and can't move, call me and I'll come over and give you something stronger that will put you to sleep through the pain."

Valkyrie had only had to call Synecdoche once so far for the pelvic girdle pains and that time she had cried on the phone because of the pain. She had begged and begged Synecdoche to take the pain away, because it was so bad that she could do nothing but lie in bed and scream. Skulduggery had held her the whole time, even after Synecdoche had put her to sleep. He had told her when she woke up that "how could I abandon my future wife when she is in so much pain? China is understanding of your situation Valkyrie and has told me that you don't need to come into work for the rest of your pregnancy if needed."

She had now been six months pregnant and was in week 29. It was now the end of March and her and Skulduggery's baby was due in mid-June. The baby had started to move a lot and Valkyrie had started to have trouble sleeping at night as her baby woke her up every now and then. It wasn't uncommon for her to fall asleep while lying on the couch watching TV, reading a book, or reading some documents Skulduggery had brought home regarding a case they were in the middle of. She had even fallen asleep in the middle of conversations that she had had with Skulduggery or other people she had talked to.

Skulduggery had continued to work as usual, but around week 20 Valkyrie had decided that it was probably best for her to stay home and start preparing for the baby's arrival. She sometimes helped Skulduggery when he was stuck on a case by reading documents, diaries, or books related to the case he was working on at the time. She had also listened and offered advice when Skulduggery was unsure of how to proceed, but most of the time he had managed to figure out the solution himself.

Valkyrie suspected that the reason Skulduggery let her in on his investigations at all was so she wouldn't feel left out and like he got to do all the fun while she was at home resting. Which she appreciated extremely much.

When she could bear it or was bored, she passed the time by going for long walks or talking a lot with her mother and sister about the pregnancy where she got a lot of good advice from her mother about what she could do to relieve some of the discomfort she felt. She had also spent a lot of time with Tanith and discussed their situation. They had even taken Melissa and Alice on several shopping trips where they had acquired changing tables, baby strollers, cribs, diaper bags and children's clothes.

Valkyrie was this very day sitting in her house on her sofa in the company of Tanith discussing their situation. Outside the window, a spring rain pattered against the windows and the sky was dark grey from all the rain clouds. It had been raining all day and that didn't exactly help with Valkyrie's constant fatigue. She found herself almost falling asleep in the middle of a sentence, be it her own or Tanith's. The only thing that prevented her from falling asleep was her child's eternal kicking in her stomach.

"I'm so fed up with this fatigue! I'm glad the pelvic girdle pains seem to have taken vacation because I haven't had any for at least a month now. I also don't feel as heavy as many people say they start to get around this time. Although it will come, I suppose. After all, I have three months left before the baby arrives," said Valkyrie, looking at Tanith who was sitting in the armchair next to her.

"God how I adore you! I don't have so many problems with fatigue, but on the other hand I am so heavy in my body all the time and I have started to have a lot of pain in my back... I have seriously thought about getting a support collar for my back which is especially for pregnant women to relieve the muscles, so you avoid being bedridden." Tanith sighed and grimaced as a wave of pain shot through her.

"It sounds divine. Can you order two, so I can have one in case I have the same problem as you later?"

"Of course, sister," replied Tanith, smiling. "Have you thought of a name for the baby yet?"

Valkyrie shook her head. "No, I have no idea. I don't want to know the gender of the child, which makes this with the name difficult. There are many nice names, but I haven't settled on anything yet. You and Ghastly then?"

"If it's a boy, we'll name him Anton in honour of Anton Shudder. If it's a girl, I want to name her Andrea."

"So regardless, your child will start with the letter A."

"It just happened. Does Skulduggery have any name suggestions?"

Valkyrie shook her head. "If he has any, he hasn't told me anything."

"When do you think the baby will arrive? I know that we have been given time for the birth only a few days apart but what if we were to give birth on the same day? How cool would that be!"

"Quite," Valkyrie admitted, unable to do anything but smile. "Although I think you will probably give birth before me because you got pregnant before me."

"You know it's common to go over time with the first child, right?" Tanith asked, blinking. "Just because I got pregnant first doesn't mean I'll give birth first."

Valkyrie laughed. "I know, but you can dream, right? After all, you are older than me and have a little more experience than I do. Besides, you are my older sister and should therefore be the first to have children."

"What kind of logic is that? There are many little sisters who give birth before their big sisters."

"As I said: you can dream, right?"

Tanith threw a pillow at Valkyrie who laughed again. "That wasn't nice, Tanith!"

"You started." Tanith sighed and stood up. "I must stretch a bit. I'm getting stiff and when I get stiff it only hurts more. Can you take a short walk around the house?"

Valkyrie sat up and nodded. "Sounds heavenly. We must not forget the umbrellas. It's pouring outside. I don't want to get wet and cold now when I've just warmed up."

Now it was Tanith's turn to laugh but the laughter soon died as a new wave of pain cut through her back. "Oh… Let's get out before I regret it and crash on your couch, Valkyrie."

The two women put on rain gear and unfolded their respective umbrellas before stepping out into the rain. Their walking pace wasn't too fast, but they didn't really care. They thought it was nice to get out of the house, if only for a little while. They knew they had to make the most of every minute of the day that they could do normal things because soon they would have to ask their respective partners for a lot of help as the last phase of the pregnancy approached.

"So, how is your and Ghastly's relationship? Still roses and sunshine?" Valkyrie asked.

"He is divine! He is so understanding of my situation and listens to me. If I say I need to be alone for a while, he leaves me alone. If I want company, he keeps me company. If I need anything, he brings it to me. He has even offered to quit working so he can take care of me full time, but I just can't do that to him. After all, we live in the same house where he works, so I've told him that if I need him, he's only a few rooms away and I know he'll drop everything and come to me if I really need him."

"Ghastly is truly a wonderful person. Do you realize how lucky you are to have him in your life, Tanith?"

"I don't know where I would be if I didn't have him by my side, Valkyrie." Tanith sighed and closed her eyes for a few seconds. "If I hadn't had Ghastly by my side during this pregnancy, I don't know how I would have coped. He is my rock. He always knows what to say to make me feel good when I'm having a rough day and he always knows what I need, sometimes even before I realize it myself."

"You're a really lucky woman, Tanith."

Tanith opened her eyes and looked at Valkyrie. She frowned when she saw Valkyrie's expression. "Something tells me that things aren't equally as good between you and Skulduggery as it has been."

"No, it is not. Don't get me wrong, it's not like we're breaking up, but he's so… 'suffocating', for lack of a better word. I know he only wants what's best for me and our baby, that he only wants me to feel good and for me to be comfortable during this intense period. It feels like he's afraid I'll break down as soon as I do the slightest thing that's strenuous. It doesn't matter what it is. He hardly lets me go to the bathroom alone anymore for fear of me falling and hurting myself and/or our baby!

Unfortunately, this has left me feeling overwhelmed by all the attention he gives me. As soon as he comes home, he doesn't leave my side for a second. He accompanies me wherever I go, and he constantly asks questions about how I'm doing, if I need anything, if I'm in pain, if he should buy me something...

I've always loved hearing him talk, but these past few days I've grown tired of it, of him in general. It has happened several times that I was about to call him several times during the day and asked him to stay away as I did not want to see him even though I had already been alone for several hours already. I should miss him and throw myself into his arms the moment he walks in the door, but as soon as I hear the Bentley in the driveway, I just want him to turn around and go back to Roarhaven or his house on Cemetary Road.

I know he only wants the best for us and make sure that nothing is going to happen to either me or our child, but every time I try to bring this up, he brushes it off. He starts talking about something else or even goes into another room. I think he is afraid of doing something wrong, that I will think he is not a good partner. Unfortunately, this just makes it exactly how I see him right now. The only thing I wish is that he could let me do things just like I did before. If I need help, I ask for it. I may be pregnant and starting to get very round, but I can still do a lot by myself and so want to continue as long as possible."

"I think it sounds like he is nervous about fatherhood. He hasn't been a father in hundreds of years and maybe he's afraid he won't make it?"

"The problem is he doesn't want to talk about it!" Valkyrie said angrily, sighing in annoyance. She ran her hand over her face in a frustrated gesture. "We had a big argument about this last night. I asked him to sit down and listen to me, but as usual he started talking around me and refused to listen to what I had to say. I got angry and started raising my voice. I may have called him both this and that, I am so ashamed in retrospect. It all ended with Skulduggery storming out of the house and getting into the Bentley, driving off.

I don't know where he went because I haven't heard from him since last night. I'm getting a little worried, Tanith. He doesn't usually just disappear like this without first telling me where he's going. What if something has happened? It has almost been a full day!" Tears of fear ran down Valkyrie's cheeks and she brushed them away in irritation.

"Have you tried calling him anything since he left?" Tanith asked, stroking Valkyrie's back in an attempt to comfort her.

Valkyrie shook her head. "Skulduggery probably just needs some time to think about a few things. He also said some things that I suspect he regrets saying. If he hasn't come back tonight, I'll try to call him."

They had now returned to the house and as they stepped up the stairs Valkyrie could hear the sound of a car approaching. She felt her heart begin to beat faster and she turned around just as the car in question pulled into the driveway. It was the Bentley, and she could see the silhouette of Skulduggery in the driver's seat. Beside him in the passenger seat sat Ghastly. Valkyrie could see that the two men were talking to each other. Ghastly said something to Skulduggery before placing his hand on Skulduggery's shoulder. Skulduggery nodded in response and then both men got out of the car.

As Skulduggery closed the car door behind him, Valkyrie ran up to him and threw herself into his arms. She hugged Skulduggery tightly and buried her face in his chest as tears of relief began to flow down her cheeks. She had dropped the umbrella somewhere along the way, but she couldn't have cared less. She also didn't care about the fact that she very quickly was getting wet from the rain that was pouring down.

"You are back!"

"Obviously. Why wouldn't I come back?"

"I didn't know where you went! Do you know how worried I've been? I haven't been able to sleep all night because I've been so worried about you! You idiot, you can't leave us like that!"

"Sorry darling." Skulduggery hugged Valkyrie while running his hand over her stomach. "I needed some time to think things over. Ghastly has helped me see things in a different light."

Valkyrie looked up at Ghastly. He looked at both of them and had a small smile on his face. He had put an arm around Tanith who had come up to them at some point while Valkyrie was busy hugging Skulduggery and making sure he was fine and that nothing had happened to him. Even Ghastly caressed Tanith's growing belly. "Hello, Valkyrie."

"Hello, Ghastly…"

"You do not need to worry. I have taken loving care of Skulduggery."

"I know you have." Valkyrie smiled despite her tears.

Ghastly turned to Tanith and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Tanith honey, I think it's time we leave these two alone to sort some things out. Skulduggery has promised I can borrow the Bentley as long as I'm careful with her."

"The tiniest little scratch…" Skulduggery warned.

"And you will kill me, I know. Don't worry Skulduggery. You will get her back exactly the way she looks now." Ghastly helped Tanith into the car and before getting into the Bentley himself, he turned to Skulduggery and Valkyrie. "Don't fuck this up, Skulduggery."

Skulduggery didn't answer, just nodded. He and Valkyrie watched as Ghastly backed out of the driveway and it wasn't until the taillights disappeared that Skulduggery turned his attention back to Valkyrie. He picked her up in his arms and carried her back into the house. Once they were back in the warmth, he stripped Valkyrie of her wet clothes and hung them to dry.

"You're freezing. Let me fix you a bath."

"I-I'm f-fine," Valkyrie stammered as she shivered from the cold.

"Valkyrie don't argue with me. I'm going to prepare a bath for you whether you want it or not." Skulduggery took Valkyrie's hand in his and led her into the bathroom.

While Skulduggery prepared the bath, Valkyrie watched him while stroking her belly. Their child had settled down and slept for the moment, but she suspected it wouldn't be long before it woke up and started wreaking havoc again. It would probably start as soon as she sank under the warm water and began to relax. Their child had an ability to move the most when Valkyrie was at her most relaxed.

Once satisfied, Skulduggery turned to Valkyrie. "Take off your underwear."

"Someone is bossy today."

"Valkyrie, please. I see that you are cold and freezing and I want you to warm up before you catch a cold."

Valkyrie rolled her eyes, but did as Skulduggery had asked her. She let him lead her into the tub and as the warm water enveloped her cold body she moaned. She sank as deep as she could into the water without ending up below the water's surface and closed her eyes. She felt herself start to relax in a way she hadn't in days and just as it was getting really relaxing, she was pulled out of her relaxation bubble by Skulduggery's voice.

"Valkyrie, we need to talk."