A/N: Set immediately after the My Twilight chapter in Death Bringer.

It had taken Nye no more than half an hour to fix both her wounds and those of Fletcher. Valkyrie still didn't like having to submit to Nye's not-so-tender mercies, but at least Ghastly had made sure there was someone in the room with Nye and its patients at all times now.

She got dressed, wincing at the discomfort. It would take another hour for the pain to disappear completely, Nye had said. It hadn't sounded particularly sorry about that.

Fletcher had left already, as soon as Nye pronounced him well enough to teleport.

Valkyrie sighed. She would miss him.

x

She still couldn't quite believe they'd killed Caelan. That she had killed Caelan. Fine, so he'd become clingy and irritating and she'd meant to dump him anyway, but she hadn't actually meant to dump him so literally, in the cool salty sea.

All his own fault, of course. It had been self-defence, pure and simple.

So why was she still feeling so… so terrible about it? She had killed before. She'd even killed vampires, or future vampires, before.

And she'd felt horrible about it then, too, she reminded herself. She wasn't a killer. She didn't want to be one, anyway.

x

Valkyrie stared at her phone, willing it to ring. If Skulduggery knew what had happened… Surely he'd come over, tell her something silly and arrogant and completely ridiculous and cheer her up. Wouldn't he?

Perhaps she should… No. She'd thought about it before, and she just couldn't drop by his house. What could she possibly say? 'I'm sorry that China got your family killed and caused your death. Oh – want to go out and have fun tonight? Shoot some bad guys, watch a film together, have some ice cream?'

She shook her head. She had no idea what to do.

x

The knock on her window came at night, so quiet and hesitant that it took her a few moments to wake up properly and realise it wasn't a dream.

She opened the window and Skulduggery climbed inside. He sat awkwardly on the window sill, his head tilted at her.

There was so much she wanted to – needed to – ask him. About China. About where he'd been these last few days. Whether he was OK or not – well, likely not, but even so. Whether he was plotting to slit China's throat some night. Whether he'd want her help if he did.

x

'I heard what happened,' he said.

'Ah.'

She wanted to bury her face in the front of his shirt and cry – not for Caelan, but for herself, and for what she was turning into, and for him. But she was Valkyrie Cain, and she never cried. Certainly not in front of her partner and best friend.

His shirt was wrinkled, she noticed. So was his suit, usually so immaculate. In fact, she could have sworn he was still wearing the same clothes he'd worn when they'd met China and that woman, Scorn, and when Skulduggery's world had come crashing down.

x

'Do you want to talk about it?'

Valkyrie gave a slight shrug. 'Caelan had it coming.'

'He did.' Skulduggery studied her face. She hoped the pillow hadn't left lines on her cheek. 'But he was your boyfriend.'

'Not boyfriend. Just someone I got carried away with.'

He nodded. 'That can happen to the best of us. I mean myself, of course.'

She couldn't help but smile at that. 'I can't imagine you could ever get carried away with someone so unsuitable and wrong. Someone who people have warned you about.'

Skulduggery tilted his head. 'Can't you?' He sounded… Resigned. Sad.

x

'Oh.' She remembered the way he'd looked at the Requiem Ball, twirling China around, pulling her against his skeletal chest. China.

'Yes.'

'Do you…' She hesitated. 'Do you want to talk about it? I mean… China was your friend. My friend, too.'

'I warned you not to trust her.'

'You did. You should have—'

'Taken my own advice?' He jumped down from the window sill, into her room, his silhouette dark against the moonlight. 'I should have. I was a fool.'

'So was I. With Caelan.'

'Do you want to talk about it?'

'About Caelan? Or China?'

'The vampire.'

x

'I don't like that I had to kill him.' Her words came in a rush. 'There's been so much death. It was self-defence, but I wish… I wish there had been another way.'

'I wish I could have killed him for you.'

'I'm glad you didn't.' She looked at him. 'I know you wanted to. I appreciate that you let me deal with him in my own way.'

He nodded. 'There are lessons in life we all need to learn on our own, and it seems yours are harder than most others. I should still have been there with you.'

x

'I missed you.' She sat on her bed, her shoulders slumped. 'If Fletcher hadn't come…'

Skulduggery sank down on the bed next to her. 'I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad the boy was there to help.'

'Would you miss me if Caelan had killed me?' She knew how ridiculous she sounded. Of course he would. Wouldn't he?

He put his arm around her, pulled her into a hug. 'I don't know about missed,' he whispered into her hair, his voice muffled. 'But I suppose so. I've got used to having you around.'

She punched him, and grinned.