(Valkyrie Cain and Dexter Vex love story)The Descendants

Day 1; 11:35 A.M

Valkyrie ran from the training room, her head stooped low as she wiped her tears from her eyes to avoid being seen. She turned into the next corridor and ran into something tall. This something caught her wrists and stopped them both from falling.

"I would have thought that as a self-respecting detective you would have the common sense to observe your surroundings." The voice like velvet said and she was brought face to face with the person she didn't want to see the least. She didn't want Skulduggery Pleasant to see her like this. She was going to look for Tanith Low. When Skulduggery saw her tear-stained face and her red eyes she felt his body become rigid.

"Valkyrie. What's wrong?" he asked her. His voice that was previously chirpy and full of humour was now sympathetic.

"Skulduggery, what have I done? Alice hates me. She wants nothing to do with me. Dexter said it himself, I ruined her life when I left. He told me how mum and dad missed me so much that they wanted Alice to be another me. But she wasn't, so she never felt like she was part of the family. Now that she's found out that I'm the reason why she's had to feel that for so long and she hates me." Valkyrie sniffed and cried harder. Skulduggery pulled her into a hug and patted her back. She cried into his jacket and he was quiet.

His arms around her weren't warm but she didn't mind. He was as comforting as her father was back when she was a little girl and he let her sleep cuddled up with him when she got scared at night. And Valkyrie realized, Skulduggery was as much of her dad as Desmond Edgley was. And that was all she needed right now. When she had calmed down she pulled back and wiped her face.

"Did you say Dexter told you all that?" Skulduggery asked her gravely.

"Yeah, but he's right. I mean, a part of me knew that. I just didn't want to believe it." Valkyrie tried to stop her voice from betraying her broken heart. The fact that Dexter Vex told her that pierced her guard like a thousand daggers.

"I think that I need to have a little...talk with our dear friend Dexter Vex." Skulduggery suddenly walked off. Only one thing was on his mind and Dexter Vex had the undivided attention of his anger.