Skulduggery Pleasant - one shots and imagines

Not ever again

Valkyrie Cain. A beautiful, smart sarcastic detective Skulduggery had once loved so much. Valkyrie Cain. She was dead. For almost 10 years now. And only recently, Skulduggery had moved on from her death. But still, Skulduggery can't get closure. They never found her body. But he had eventually given up the search for Valkyrie Cain.

Valkyrie Cain sat in her armchair in her small apartment in Chicago. She didn't like it there, but she thought it would be better than going back home. Everyone thought she was dead. She felt dead, too. She had depression after what happened. What she let happen. She could have killed herself after she found out her true name. She was and idiot to think there was another way out of it. She could have prevented it all by ending her life, but she didn't. Valkyrie lived on, trying and trying again to change the future. And she didn't succeed.

She huffed. Might as well have killed myself from the start if I had known the rest of my life would be miserable and lonely. Everybody hated me. My friends hated me. The person I loved hated me. But they all think I'm dead, I think they deserve to know the truth. I couldn't go back, could I?

But she knew she had to go back. She knew she couldn't spend the rest of her sad life alone and rotting in a shitty apartment. Valkyrie heard the news that Abyssinia was back and ready to attack. She couldn't just sit there and let the world get destroyed.

She groaned. "This is going to be hard."

She stood up and got out her laptop, booking the next plane to Dublin.

The plane finally landed and Valkyrie got out of the plane in a rush. She called a taxi and stood at the front of the airport for around ten minutes until she saw the taxi round the corner. She sighed and got in.

After almost an hour, she finally reached her destination. She thanked and paid the driver as she got out. she took a deep breath as she entered Roarhaven. She walked the long busy streets, ignoring the shocked expressions of sorcerers as they identified Valkyrie and the occasional scowls until she reached the sanctuary. She flashed her ID card before entering the sanctuary. Valkyrie kept her head down and let her long raven hair fall into her face, occasionally lifting her head to make sure she wasn't about to run into anything. She neared the meeting room and paused at the door. Took another deep breath and pushed her hair out of her face but letting her face fall to the ground once more. Valkyrie slowly pushed open the heavy doors.

"Guess who's back from the dead," She mumbles without humour once she entered the room, her face never leaving the floor.

When she didn't get an answer though, she lifted her head and her eyes met with people she once called her friends. Her breath hitched in her throat. Everyone was there. Everyone. The Dead Men, China, Tanith, Fletcher and the monster hunters. They all had shocked expressions. "I..." she begun, suddenly not able to produce full sentences.

"I didn't- think, everyone, would be here." Valkyrie states slowly.

The room continues to stay silent. Her eyes scanned the room, her eyes locking with everyone else's. Their mouths remaining shut, probably waiting for an explanation. Valkyrie sighed as she begun.

"Look, I'm tremendously sorry for everything I have done, and I know no one can forgive me after everything that happened. I let everyone think I was dead and I know that was selfish of me because I just couldn't bring myself to face anyone. I thought I was doing something everyone wanted." She paused to look at the room again.

"I'm sorry, it was stupid coming here. Everyone hates me." Valkyrie turns to leave but then Ghastly engulfed her in the warmest bear hug.

She gasped but wrapped her arms around him. "No one can hate you." He whispered into her ear.

And then Valkyrie broke down. Sobs racked her body as she soaked Ghastly's shirt.

It felt like hours they had stood there in each other's arms, but had only been minutes before they broke apart.

"I'm sorry." Valkyrie softly chuckled as her eyes found the big wet patch on Ghastly's shirt. "You don't have to be sorry." Ghastly replied softly.

And then everyone came over to greet and hug Valkyrie. Lastly, it was Skulduggery.

"I missed you so bloody much Valkyrie." He says.

"I missed you too... and I can't even begin to explain just how sorry I am. I thought you hated me. I thought everyone hated me. I hated me."

"well, then you clearly don't know me enough to know I could never be mad at Valkyrie Cain." Skulduggery states coldly as he walks out the room.

Valkyrie stands there, shocked at his reaction. How could I be so stupid? What did I expect? I let them think I was dead for 10 years. 10 years! She underestimated all the damage she had done.

Her eyes watered as her throat closed up. No, I was not going to cry again. I can't let them see how weak and pathetic I really am. "Valkyrie..." Tanith says softly.

Valkyrie rubs her eyes before the tears can fall from her eyes. She runs out of the room to try and find Skulduggery.

She dashes through the long halls in the sanctuary, getting more worried every time she passes through an empty corridor. She needs to find Skulduggery.

She grows impatient and just as she is about to start screaming out his name in frustration and desperation, Valkyrie spots Skulduggery passing a corridor. About bloody time. She sped through the corridor and turned to face Skulduggery, but his back was facing her. Valkyrie grabs a bony arm and spun him around to face her.

She opened her mouth to say something but Skulduggery began talking.

"Why," His voice filled with pain.

She was silent for a moment.

"I needed to be alone and I couldn't face anyone. As more time passed, the harder it was to convince myself to come back. I hated myself so much for what I let happen. It was all my fault and I thought it would be better if I just left. And now I realised how stupid and weak I am."

Suddenly Skulduggery wrapped his arms around Valkyrie and pulled her into his skinny chest. To anyone it would be tremendously uncomfortable but to Valkyrie it was comforting. It gave her closure. "I'm so sorry." Her voice broke.

"Shhh, it's quiet alright, dear." He cooed.

"No, it's not. I can never forgive myself for leaving you, or what I did that horrible day."

"Hey," Skulduggery grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away to look into her eyes.

"What happened was not your fault. And you tried everything you could to stop that future from happening. We all have to do things we don't want to do during war, but I'm always here for you. And I love you too much for you to leave again."

Valkyrie nodded. "I love you too."

"Please don't ever leave again though. At least not without me." he chuckled softly as he embraced her once again.

"I won't." She says with total certainty. And this time it's true. She won't leave. Not ever again.