Note: Since "Maybe More" was a working title, I have now settled on "Triskelion" as the overall title of the series.
Valkyrie watched Alison worriedly, as her teddy bear lifted a tiny teacup to its sewed mouth. "Ooh, tasty." Alice said, trying her best to imitate the voice of a guy, as she gave her teddy a voice. In the meantime, a stuffed bunny wiggled its ears excitedly, and a blonde barbie doll combed its own hair with a tiny, pink brush.
Alice giggled as she played with her toys. However, the cuteness was mostly diminished by the eeriness of them moving independently.
They heard the door open downstairs.
"We're home!" Melissa's voice called from below.
Valkyrie smiled at Alice and rushed out the room and down the stairs.
"Hi, guys." She said, as she arrived in the living room, where her parents were taking off their jackets and shoes.
"Hi, Steph." Melissa replied. "How are our girls doing?"
"Pretty good." Valkyrie replied and wandered to the couch to sink down on it.
"You don't look so good." Desmond noted and headed into the kitchen.
She had hoped to go about this more carefully, yet she realized there was no use in stalling this conversation. "We were having a tea party."
"That sounds fun." Melissa beamed.
"It was but…"
"But what?"
Valkyrie looked at her doubtfully. "Mom… do you know that Alison is using magic?"
She blinked and joined her on the couch ahead of her. "Magic? No."
Valkyrie shook her head in disbelief. "Yes, making her bears talk at the tea party. I would consider that magic. What are you calling that?"
Melissa frowned. "Imagination. She is just playing."
"And her friends? Do they consider that imagination too?"
She fell quiet.
"What friends?" Desmond asked, as he joined them, sitting down on the couch beside his wife.
"Alison's friends." Valkyrie clarified. "Don't they notice something is different about her?"
Melissa sighed and looked sad now. "They do. Which is why we have been trying to prevent too much contact."
Valkyrie lifted a brow. "So, you'd rather lock her away like some freak, than help her understand what she is doing?"
Melissa did not look happy about Valkyrie's conclusion, but kept a gentle tone. She leaned forward, closer to her. "Steph, look. We know Alison is not a regular child. Neither were you. But she is too young to make such important decisions, too young to understand what is happening. So, we don't think it's wise for her to... find out too early."
"You mean, like me." Valkyrie followed.
Her parents sighed and looked at each other.
"Yes." Desmond said and made her heart sink. "Like you."
She nodded slowly.
"Steph..." Her mom tried, uneasy hurt in her eyes. "We love you. We will always love you. And we understand that this is your life now. We are grateful that you and Skulduggery are looking out for each other. But what he did was not ok."
Valkyrie said nothing.
"Pulling a twelve-year-old into a world full of war is immoral, no matter how close you two are." Desmond added.
"He didn't pull me into anything." She replied, keeping her voice calm. "I attached myself."
"Because you were a child!" Melissa interrupted harshly. "Because you were too young to understand what you're getting yourself into. And his responsibility as an adult would have been to return you to your parents!"
She crossed her arms and leant against the backrest. "So, you want me to keep Skulduggery away from Alice."
"Yes." Melissa said without hesitation.
"Gotcha." Valkyrie said.
She sighed again and rubbed her face, receiving some backrubs from Desmond at the same time. When Melissa lifted her head again, she looked calmer and a bit pleading.
"Please don't get this wrong, Steph." Desmond said. "We are always happy to see you, and we know that involves seeing Skulduggery. But as your partner. Separate from the rest of our lives."
"Sure, if that's all." Valkyrie shrugged nonchalantly. "But what about Alison's magic? If she doesn't learn to control it, it will become an unpredictable threat, no matter how friendly she is."
"Then, we will find her a tutor. One that doesn't shoot people." Desmond replied coolly.
"It's not that simple, Dad. I never used magic on my own before meeting Skulduggery. It was something I had to learn. Alice just… does it. And magic like this..."
"Valkyrie." Melissa suddenly said sternly.
She looked at her surprisedly.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but this is not up for discussion. We are her parents, and we decide what happens. We are not losing another daughter."
"You haven't lost me." She disagreed. "I'm still here, aren't I?"
They hesitated, then Desmond nodded quickly. "Yes, of course."
Valkyrie tried to hide her disappointment, as the subtext sunk in.
"You're an adult now." Melissa interjected. "You can make your own decisions, and we won't judge you for them. But those decisions apply to you, and you only."
"Fine." Valkyrie gave in with discontent. "Fine, have it your way. But if you think you can keep her in the dark about this, you can't. And it's dangerous for you to try."