Skulduggery Pleasant - Songfics, Dribbles and Drabbles.

Flattered and Insulted

Set after Resurrection.

Valkyrie was having an episode. Skulduggery could see it from a mile away. The girl could fake as many smiles as she wanted, but she couldn't hide from him. He wouldn't let her. So when she didn't come into work for a week, Skulduggery drove to her house.

It was fair, he reasoned. He had given her space, and she didn't come to him, or even give him a peace of mind, so he'd take matters into his own hands.

When she wasn't at the mansion, he broke in and searched the whole house, from corner to wall. Not finding any struggles anywhere, he wrote her a note, left it on the counter and set off to his next destination.

He parked the Bentley at the pier and knocked on the front door of the Edgley's house. He had to admit, them knowing made his life easier.

Desmond opened the door, and smiled hesitantly, taking in the somber expression Skulduggery's façade was wearing, and the lack of his daughter at the skeleton's side.

"Mr. Pleasant? Where is Stephanie?"

Skulduggery cocked his head, "I was kind of hoping you knew." 

Desmond tried to hide the worry that bloomed in his eyes immediately and stepped aside. "Please, come in."

Skulduggery smiled, taking off his hat, letting his hair flop over his forehead. He followed Desmond into the kitchen, where Melissa sat, feeding little Alice.

"Skulduggy!" The little girl exclaimed, a toothy grin stretching over her face, and Skulduggery grinned back.

"Play!"

"Maybe later, Alice. I come here on important business. Why don't you run on upstairs and I'll join you in a minute."

Alice nodded eagerly, and her mother helped her down. Alice ran to Skulduggery, hugged his leg quickly and then bolted up the stairs.

"So what happened to Valkyrie?" Skulduggery asked calmly.

"Stephanie," Melissa said hardly, "her name is Stephanie."

"Of course, I apologise."

"And I don't know. She left last Saturday telling us she wouldn't be home in a few days. Said you and her had a stakeout over in England."

"Well, no. We did have a stakeout, but that was in Dublin and lasted an hour." Skulduggery showed his stress finally, sighing deeply and running a hand through his hair. He slumped into a chair at the table, "I don't know where she could have gone."

Desmond sat across from him, "are you sure about that?"

Skulduggery looked up, and the man continued, "you know our daughter, better than we do ourselves, Mr. Pleasant. Surely you have an inkling on where she could be." He hesitated. "She's not... in any danger is she?"

"No, no she's just... taking a break I guess."

"How do you know?"

Skulduggery didn't want to reply. He wanted to go back to the days where he could have just answered the question with another question, or just said thanks and stood, getting his hat before leaving.

But... but he loved Valkyrie. And she knew that now. So why would she just leave like this? Only just coming back from America anyway. If she was just going to up and leave again, this time without telling him, why would she come back in the first place?

Just as he opened his mouth to answer, his phone rang.

He stood and brought the phone to his ear.