When things had somewhat settled down at the little safehouse in South America, Diamond checked her phone for the first time in quite a while. She found, with a clear sense of surprise and confusion, that a familiar number had been blowing up her cell for two days straight.

She excused herself and retreated to one of the two small bedrooms of the beach cabin.

Settling onto the edge of the bed, she selected the correct contact and waited for the dial tone to ring in her ear. It took only three bleeps, until the line was abruptly picked up on the other end.

"Hey, love?" Diamond both said and asked.

"Well well, look who's alive!" Dexter Vex teasingly replied.

"Yep, still alive. I just saw all your missed calls. What's up?"

She detected a worry in his voice, but he covered it up well, with a vaguely scolding tone. "You were sent a gift by a mafia boss, which turned out to be a stolen blood diamond," he reminded her, "which then inspired you to call in Skulduggery and Valkyrie. So, I simply wanted to check in, see how things are going, but you didn't answer my calls, which is quite unlike you. And the longer you didn't answer, the more I tried, the more I got worried, and... well, you get the gist."

Diamond nodded slowly with remaining surprise. "Right, okay, sure... It's going alright. The blood diamond set us on a hunt for a whole group of girls. We're hoping to get our hands on some key witnesses too; strike the iron while it's hot."

Dexter seemed only somewhat calmed by her response. "Sounds like you're being led around by the nose."

"We are," she soberly agreed, "but we'll take the risk for the reward."

"Skulduggery is pulling some four-corner move?"

"Essentially."

"Alright then..." Some mischief entered his voice, "and how are you getting along with the Dynamic Duo?"

She bemusedly sniffed. "Pretty well, I'd say. It's always nice to work with professionals. I do admit, though...? I'm still unsure of whether I should give Valkyrie a hug, or keep minimal distance..."

Dexter chuckled. "I reccomend a healthy combination of both."

"Good to know, thanks. Anyway, you don't need to worry," Diamond returned to the topic. "We've got things covered over here."

"I could join you, if you'd like," Dexter suggested.

Diamond paused with a mixture of surprise, flattery and confusion. It wasn't as though she minded the idea, considering that Dexter was an excellent addition to most any crew. Yet, his growing levels of concern were making her weary of his true intentions. She couldn't help but feel that this had something to do with her new team mates, and the thought of inviting Dexter to watch her and Skulduggery like a hawk made Diamond feel more than a bit uneasy.

"Oh, come on," she objected, "aren't you still in Japan? That's way too far!"

"All I do is travel, Dye." He unimpressively reminded her. "It's but a stone's throw."

She tried to cover up her growing discomfort, by irritably sighing at him. "Look, Dex... I appreciate it, I do. But the days where I need you to hold my hand during the big missions are long gone. There already isn't enough space for everyone to begin with. I've got this. Really."

Even though there was a disagreeable murmur on the other line, Dexter gave in quickly. "Fine, I won't doubt you. Just let me know if things go south, okay?"

"I will," she promised. Then she teasingly smiled, "now, will you stop fussing over me please? Because that is quite unlike you."

"No it's not!" Dexter offendedly protested, "I care."

"Exactly. You care, you visit, you enquire... But you don't fuss. So, please stop it, because it's making me very uncomfortable."

Dexter chuckled. "Yeah yeah... Love you too, Lizzie."

She playfully rolled her eyes, "love you, Dex. See you!"

"See you."

They hung up. Diamond bemusedly shook her head to herself and pocketed the phone, then she stood and steered towards the door, in order to rejoin the others.

She opened the door, abruptly stopped walking, and surprisedly blinked at the person right in front of her.

Skulduggery was standing outside the door, leaning against the opposite wall, hands casually stuffed into his pockets. He seemed to be waiting for her.

Diamond raised a brow at him. "Have you been standing here this entire time?"

Skulduggery considered it. "Yes," he then decided to say.

"So, you've been listening in on my conversation?"

He hesitated. "No," he confessed, "in fact, I lied. I was waiting in the living room for you to finish your conversation in private, then I walked over here and pretended that I've been here all along. Simply because I thought it would look much cooler."

Diamond laughed. "That's fair, I guess? It did look pretty cool. And a bit spooky maybe..." She paused. "Wait, but if you didn't listen in on my conversation, how did you know that I had finished it? How did you get into position on time? Did you run?"

He chuckled at the idea. "Ah, no, I just heard you say goodbye, in that adorable way of yours."

She faltered, "oh? And which way is that?"

"Well, your voice always does that little twirl, right at the end..." He knowingly explained, and then went on to excellently imitate her tone of voice; "see you-ooh?"

Unsure of whether to be humored or embarrassed or insulted at this, Diamond found herself laughing again.

Then she suddenly paused at another thought. "Hold up," she amusedly teased, "did you just admit all of that to me, because of the comment I made at the beach?"

"Am I suddenly even funnier to you, because I took your comment to heart, about me trying too hard to be funny?" Skulduggery suggested, "so I decided to stop policing the words coming out between my jawbones before they hit your eardrums, and to just honestly tell you whatever comes to my brilliant mind... Because that apparently seems to be amusing enough? Is that what you were referring to?"

She laughed again. "Something along those lines, yes?"

"I thought I'd give it a shot, seeing that you have impeccable taste in comedians." He inquisitively tilted his skull at her, "is it working for you?"

"It's definitely working," Diamond amusedly approved.

"Excellent," Skulduggery contentedly nodded. "And now that I've expertly navigated a potentially embarrassing encounter, and lightened up the mood with my quick wit... There was something less amusing I wanted to talk to you about."

She mirrored him by leaning against the doorframe beside her. "And what's that?"

He looked just a little bit uncomfortable now. "Well, I talked to Valkyrie, which, of course I did, that's the person I usually talk to about, well, about most things... She had some clever things to say as usual. Except... it could just be that I tend to use her as a bounce board to sort out the controlled chaos in my mind, and all the clever things she says are really just the ripples of the clever things I say...?"

"I think we're getting off track now." Diamond noted.

"Oh, yes, back to my point. I just felt that I should probably apologize, for yelling at your partner."

She slowly nodded at the clarification, "right...?"

"As if that public display of drama wasn't bad enough... I realized soon after, that you probably had good reasons not to tell him about the details of our assignments."

Diamond uncomfortably shrugged. "I mean, yeah, the yelling was a bit unnecessary... And maybe you could have left out the part, where you and his best mate are talking about him behind his back...?"

Skulduggery visibly cringed at that particular detail, "I can see how that might have come across..."

"But you don't have to apologize for telling him about your assignment. If that's anyone's fault, it's mine, for not explaining it to him sooner. He should probably know that he's under the strict supervision of two different Sanctuaries."

Skulduggery looked curious now. "So, why haven't you told him? Surely, Nuce already knows that he's on a watch list, or two...? Were you worried that he'd react negatively, knowing that I'm still working his case?"

Diamond sharply sighed. "All of this is going to blow up in Nuce's face, one day or another," she reminded him. "All it takes is one sensitive with bad intentions, reading Nuce's name inside his mind, or inside mine. They tell another person, and that person tells someone else... And just like that, his entire world goes up in flames!"

He agreeably nodded along, "I'm sure that Nuce is very well aware of that, already...?"

She gave him an admitting and somewhat tortured smile. "Of course, but... It's easier for him to accept that it's just Nobody and I, looking out for him as a friend, not as a sanctuary assignment. At this stage, there's no need for him to feel any more paranoid than he already does. I just wanted him to live in blissful ignorance for a little while longer... Is that terrible of me?"

Skulduggery seemed endeared by this explanation. "No, that's not terrible. In the spirit of being honest... I've made many mistakes in my time, but one of the biggest ones was not shielding Valkyrie enough from this stuff. Especially, when she was younger."

"Must be a rough reminder," Diamond said, "watching all these young girls, working jobs that they shouldn't."

He bitterly snorted. "The comparison comes easily, doesn't it? I sometimes spot this look in Ninja's eye... and there's something eerily familiar in it..."

"You didn't profit off Valkyrie though," she pointed out, "there's a huge difference between being a child's mentor or a child-slaver."

"Didn't I...?" Skulduggery challenged, "profit off Valkyrie? Leaving money and power aside, I certainly profited... emotionally?"

She gifted him a scolding smile. "You could say that about any relationship. It's a give an take, and as far as I can tell, there's plenty of that going around between you two."

Diamond expected him to argue, but instead Skulduggery nodded to her with a question of his own. "Those cuts and bruises that randomly pop up on your indestructible face and neck... And you've mentioned that you're training with Nuce's true name...? Would you mind telling me, what that's all about?"

She shook her head at the insinuations, and grew more glum at the topic. "Those aren't from the true name training sessions. We don't use magic during those currently, it's more like a guided meditation... The random wounds are from when Nuce wakes up from his nightmares."

"Ah," Skulduggery understood, "I see."

"He keeps having these dreams, about other people using his true name on him," Diamond sadly elaborated, "and because it seems real in the dream, his brain sort of... short-circuits? And he gets trapped inside the dream, following order after order after order..." She faintly pulled up her shoulders. "The only way to snap him out of it, during most of those nights, is to violently shake him awake."

"And after waking up, Nuce sees a person standing over him," Skulduggery somberly concluded, "and naturally defends himself against the person, who turns out to be you."

Diamond confirmed it with a nod, and then bitterly sniffed. "It's not like I have the option to wait for the nightmare to end on its own. The last time I missed it, he went for twelve hours straight! What do you think...? Could he dream himself to death?"

Skulduggery uneasily sighed. "I'm afraid, when it comes to true names, anything could be possible."

She pointed at him, "exactly. So, I don't really have a choice but to wake him up, don't I? At the same time, my magic is almost useless when it comes to Nuce. I can barely keep up with him sometimes! His reaction time, it's..." She rapidly snapped her fingers. "He's just so quick! He's an impeccable driver, did you know that?"

"I did not know that."

"Maybe, it's all those video games he plays... Anyway, one night he broke down and told me, he wants us to start practicing for the worst case scenario. So, Nuce and Nobody and I, we've been trying to come up with some strategies. And it has been helping with the dreams, to an extent..."

"Diamond," Skulduggery meaningfully said, "the last thing I want to do is question your integrity, or Nobody's, but... There's barely any usable knowledge about true names. One thing that we know for certain, is that repeatedly using it on a mage does damage to their magic. I meant what I said. Let me help you with this. You need more eyes and eyesockets on this project, it's too big for three people. I'd dare to say, it's too big for a hundred people, but then Valkyrie and I aren't exactly known for taking on the easiest cases."

She agreeably nodded. "Nuce thinks the same, you know? So, I don't think you need to be worried about him being mad at you."

Skulduggery's skull softly nudged backwards with mild surprise. "He does?"

"Yeah..." Diamond sighed, "I mean, the only recent example he has to draw from, is Myron Stray... And you know better than anyone, how that ended..."

He curiously tilted his skull at her. "Did you know Myron?"

She weighed her head side-to-side with partial agreement. "He hired me, once or twice, after his name had become public. I can't say that I knew him though. I mean, in the end, the man was held together by sheer paranoia alone... I felt like there wasn't much left of him."

"I'm assuming, his story is what inspired you to take on Nuce as a partner?"

"At the very least, Stray's homicide was a cautionary tale to me. We both agree with you; the more people are huddled around Nuce, the better off he'll be. If you're going to be involved, just, you know..."

She helplessly shrugged. "Go easy on him? This whole mess is already designed to get exponentially harder with time, and Nuce is very well aware of that. He doesn't need anybody rubbing it in his face and, no offense...? But especially, not you."

Skulduggery had agreeably nodded along to everything, but he bemusedly snorted at the last part. "No offense taken."

"And now, as for the real reason why you blew up at Nuce...?" Diamond gently prodded. "Would you like to tell me about what Grand Mage Sorrows wanted from you, to make you that angry?"

Skulduggery quietly mustered her for a moment. "A part of me would like to, yes." He then honestly replied.

"And the other parts of you?"

"The other parts... Would like to exist in blissful ignorance for a little while longer too..." He slowly admitted. "The other parts would like to enjoy the calm before the storm with you, while it lasts."

Diamond smiled in understanding. "And so, you shall."

Clearly pleased by this response, Skulduggery stood up straight and gallantly held his arm out for her. Diamond finally pushed off the doorframe and gladly hooked her elbow in with his.

"By the way, I've just received word from Nobody," he informed her, as they walked through the little hallway. "They're zeroing in on Hench. We should have the briefcase by tomorrow afternoon."

Diamond impressively nodded. "Very well. Let's hope that the Sanctuaries can match light-speed."

When they walked into the living room, the others were sitting around on the sofa, waiting to discuss the upcoming big day. It seemed that Ninja was still sleeping off her shock in the guest room. This left Valkyrie, Nuce, Betty and Fletcher to quietly mutter amongst themselves. Diamond and Skulduggery unhooked their elbows, before any of them looked up.

The first thing that Diamond noticed was; Nuce seemed to be on a mission. Under everyone's uneasily watching gazes, he stood up and decisively walked towards Skulduggery. He abruptly stopped right in front of him and held out his hand.

"Truce?" Nuce offered.

By the manner in which his skull tilted, Diamond judged Skulduggery to be either surprised or amused, or maybe both. He accepted Nuce's hand with a nod of approval, and they shook on it.

"I'm..." Skulduggery began to say, but Nuce interrupted him with a sharp headshake.

"No apologies," he declared. "If you apologize, I'll have to apologize, and then it'll get awkward."

Diamond could clearly tell now, that Skulduggery was amused. "Fair play."

As soon as their hands parted, Nuce moved on to his next mission. He turned around to Fletcher.

Fletcher looked a little shocked. He glanced back-and-forth between the other two men, in disbelief that their interaction had already concluded and there had, indeed, barely been any awkwardness.

"Would you please do me the favor of taking Betty home?" Nuce asked him.

Betty immediately tried to protest, "what, no-"

Nuce irritably cut her off with a hand signal. "I don't wanna hear it anymore, alright? I love hanging out with you, Betty, but you need to go home. If Ninja wants to stay here, that's her choice, because we're saving her friends. But you and me? We have no business being a burden. And if you think, it's unfair that I'm the one sending you home, I'd agree with you. I'll pack my stuff, and I'll come back to England with you, and we can be useless together."

Everyone surprisedly stared at Nuce, but Betty especially. Her expression of protest and stun slowly softened to a look of endearment. She got up from her chair and walked up to Nuce, in order to softly nestle her fingers against his flushing cheeks.

"No, sweetie," Betty said with a soft smile. "I'm the only one here, who has no business being involved. You belong by Diamond's side."

She winked at Diamond, who shot her a grateful smile, and walked towards Fletcher without further ado.

"Where to?" He asked her.

Betty pulled out her phone, fumbled around with it, and showed him something on the screen. "Ever been to this part of Brighton?"

Fletcher tilted his head side-to-side, then he seemed to decide that it would be easier to reach out for the screen. He tilted the image instead - it was a map, Diamond guessed - and zoomed in on a couple of areas.

Soon after, he nodded in confirmation and pointed at a specific spot on the screen. "How about that alley there, behind the sandwich shop?"

Betty beamed, "yeah, that's right around the corner from my place!"

"Cool," Fletcher said and glanced at the others, "see you later, everyone."

"Good luck!" Betty wished them.

They received a couple of waves good-bye and, a second later, they both disappeared with a quiet, plop.

"Okay, then." Nuce questioningly glanced at Diamond. "That should about do it for grand gestures?"

In response, Diamond happily smiled and bridged the short distance to him. Nuce awkwardly smirked, as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Fletcher teleported to a deserted alley in downtown Brighton, behind a sandwich shop. From there, Betty led them two blocks down the street, to a large and old but freshly renovated brick building.

She owned a modern flat on the top floor. It was a studio apartment with brick walls on one side and tall industrial windows on the other. The bedroom was tucked in behind a corner, out of sight, and the center of the living room was filled with a big sofa island.

The most notable aspect of the interior design, however, was the decoration. The pillows on the sofa, and the large carpet that was hung up on the brick wall, were monuments to the colors of the Jamaican flag. Tones of rust and yellow and green mixed against a backdrop of wood and brick.

The rugs, throws, and additional clutter had all been chosen in the warm, detailed and somewhat playful Rastafari style. Large clay pots, a colorful bongo drum, and a linen hammock completed the image.

Fletcher looked around with obvious interest, as he followed Betty inside. As she didn't seem to mind this, he took his time with it.

Meanwhile, Betty set her travel bag down on a leathern pouf. She unpacked some of the items in the bag and lined them up on a nearby window cill.

"Could I ask you something personal?" Fletcher said into the quiet.

Betty nonchalantly shrugged, "sure? I'm not shy."

He spoke on confidently but remained careful about what reaction he might receive. "You moved here from Jamaica because you were adopted, right?"

Betty still didn't look bothered, as she zipped up her bag and turned around to him. "Yah, that's how Dye and I got talking, actually. Two peas of the same pot, and all that..."

"How old were you?" Fletcher was curious to know, "when you moved here?"

"I was six."

His brows lifted in faint surprise. "You must still remember your birth parents, then."

She nodded with similarly raised brows and went to fluff the pillows on her sofa. "Yah, I do. My parents loved me alot. That's why they wanted a better future for me."

"So, they gave you to a rich British couple?" Fletcher guessed with just a hint of tease. Based on what she had mentioned about houses with walls made of marble, he felt pretty secure in this assumption.

"Rich Irish guy," Betty bemusedly corrected. "It's pretty common in the magical world, you know? Adoption, I mean."

"Oh, is it?"

She sniffed. "Yah, lots of mages adopt. There are some that grow old and stay single, but they want a kid. And there are the one's that don't want the responsibility of a kid, for centuries to come." She grinned with morbid humour. "It's like an automatic baby exchange system!"

Fletcher bemusedly snorted at that. "Are you still in touch with your adoptive family?" He then asked and casually leaned against the brick wall next to him.

She shook her head. "Not really, no. All of the parental figures in my life are either dead, or dead to me."

"Oh," Fletcher said, "I'm sorry."

She shrugged and stopped padding her pillows. "It's fine. I guess that's why I attached myself to Diamond like glue, the very day we met. She's something of a mommy in disguise, isn't she just...?" Betty chuckled to herself about one endearing memory or another.

"I lost my mum when I was younger too," Fletcher said. "That was the first day I ever teleported. Basically, I was running away from home, so... I don't talk to them anymore either."

Betty mustered him with a neutral look of empathy. She began to slowly wander over to him. "Then I'm sorry too."

Fletcher didn't know what to say in response. And when Betty was suddenly standing very close to him, he found himself entirely at a loss of a good segue.

Betty did not seem to mind the silence. For a moment, they just stood there and looked at each other. As always, when her eyes connected with his, he noticed how pretty they were.

"Hey, Fletcher?" Betty eventually said.

"Yup," Fletcher awkwardly replied, "that's me."

"I like you."

Fletcher blinked. Betty waited.

"Umm..." Fletcher hesitated, but he stood just a bit straighter than before. "I'm not really looking for anything serious at the moment...?"

Against all of his expectations, Betty brightly beamed at that response. "Perfect," she cheerfully approved. "Neither am I."

"Oh," Fletcher said, "cool."

"Yup, very cool."

"Super cool..."

A second later, they were making out.