Promises

4. Is It Strange That I'm Fangirling Over A Child?

Valkyrie forced a fake smile onto her face as she walked down the main corridor in the Irish Sanctuary, carrying Sophie in a bundle of pink blankets. Skulduggery walked on one side of her and Gabrielle on the other. Valkyrie laughed at appropriate times when Gabby spoke to her, but the feeling of emptiness was almost making her feel sick. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her legs felt like lead. She fought the urge to turn around and run back the way they had come, out the doors and just run until she found someplace safe...

Skulduggery wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. She flinched slightly, but if he noticed he didn't say anything. She took a deep breath as they reached Erskine Ravel's office. Skulduggery pushed open the door and they were met by Ghastly and Erskine, both sitting around a desk. But no Tanith. Valkyrie frowned slightly. She'd barely seen the blonde swordswoman lately...

"What brings you guys here?" Erskine asked, his voice sounding disturbingly hoarse. Valkyrie could smell a strange odour radiating off him, it smelled like booze. Had he been drinking?

"We have some important news," Skulduggery replied, snapping Valkyrie out of her thoughts. She smiled up at him and handed Sophie over to Gabrielle, being careful not to wake her up. Ghastly stared at Valkyrie suspiciously and the dark-haired girl sighed.

"I'm pregnant again," she announced.

The room went silent, four vibes catapulting off the walls at once. Shock, surprise, happiness, excitement then back to shocked.

Valkyrie saw Ravel shuffle in his seat in the corner of her eye, but she ignored it.

"Congratulations," Ghastly said, a smile on his face.

"Thank you," Valkyrie replied, forcing back the lump that was forming in her throat. She wouldn't cry...

Ravel cleared his throat and stood up.
"Congratulations you two," he said, before walking out the door and closing it gently behind him. Valkyrie exchanged a glance with Ghastly, and Ghastly just shrugged.

He thought it was time to change the subject. "So, have you heard from Tyrell?" He asked. Gabrielle sighed.

"No," she replied, rocking Sophie back and forth as she spoke. "He just left..."

Valkyrie couldn't stop the guilt from charging through her body. She remembered the way she had watched Tyrell as he had left, and not even tried to stop him. She had expected him to come back after a few days, but he never did, and the guilt was starting to eat her alive...

"I'm sorry," Ghastly said sympathetically. "Maybe he'll come back one day. You never know."

"Yeah..." Gabrielle mumbled, handing Sophie back to Valkyrie. "We should get going..."

Without giving anyone a chance to reply, she left the room, not bothering to close the door. Ghastly stood up with a sigh.

"Where's Tanith?" Valkyrie asked, chewing on her bottom lip.

The scarred tailor just shrugged. "She said she was coming back soon. I'm not entirely sure where she's gone."

"It's okay, don't worry about it. I guess we'll see you guys later then?"

"For sure," he smiled.

Valkyrie smiled and nodded before walking out the open door. Skulduggery followed her and shut it behind him. Valkyrie sighed. "Where did Gabby go?"

"I have no idea... She probably went back to the car," he answered.

Valkyrie nodded and they walked together back down the corridor.

***

"There you are," Valkyrie breathed when she saw Gabrielle waiting patiently by the Bentley.

"Here I am," Gabrielle replied, slipping into the backseat. Skulduggery fastened Sophie safely into her car seat before he shut the door and hopped in the driver's side, starting the Bentley's engine.

"So..." Gabrielle spoke up. "Do you have any ideas of names yet?"

Valkyrie chewed on her bottom lip.
"I do have a few," she admitted. Skulduggery smiled.

"Let's hear them, Angel."

"Okay... So I was thinking for a boy, Jasper Tobias."

Gabrielle grinned so wide that Valkyrie thought that her face might split in half.

"Oh my god I love that so much," she breathed. Skulduggery nodded in agreement.

"It's perfect," he replied, unable to hide the happiness in his voice.

"And a girl?" Gabrielle asked, fidgeting in her seat, clearly eager to hear the name. Valkyrie's smile grew, though she didn't know why...

"Isabella Tanith."

Gabrielle made a noise halfway between a squeak and a giggle. She clapped her hands together and laughed.

"Is it strange that I'm fangirling over a child which hasn't even been born yet?"

Valkyrie smirked.
"Probably."

Gabrielle giggled, and looked at Skulduggery. He was staring intently at Valkyrie, studying her face.

"Do you have any idea, how perfect that is?" He whispered, his voice barely audible to Gabrielle. She strained to hear him. Valkyrie looked up at him and swallowed.

"You like it?"

"I love it."

***

Valkyrie sighed and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked... Good. That was a massive surprise... She stared at her stomach.

"Whichever one you are," she started. "Jasper or Isabella, I just want you to know that I love you no matter what, and I will never let anybody take you away from me."

"Well, well... That is a promise you won't be able to keep, Valkyrie."

Valkyrie whirled at the sound of Sanguine's Texas drawl to find him sitting in the bathtub.

"What do you want?" She hissed. He laughed and stood up, not getting out of the tub.

"Ah, the love of a parent... It's killin' you ain't it Valkyrie? The guilt... I can see it in your dark eyes. You want to tell him."

Valkyrie felt the tears starting to well in her eyes, but she choked them back. "Piss off," she snarled.

Sanguine stepped out of the bath and approached her. She took a step back and it made him chuckle. "I'm not going to hurt you..."

"I'm not sure I believe you."

"Why would I, Valkyrie? Why would I when you are carrying something so... magnificent?"

"W-what do you mean?"

Sanguine glanced up at her, at least she thought he did, it was hard to tell with his sunglasses.

"Damn, I've said too much," he muttered, before the ground cracked and he disappeared, leaving Valkyrie stunned.

She shook herself back to reality and stared at the spot where he had once been. What had he meant... magnificent? Things were starting to get very strange now... But then again, they always were strange from the beginning...

She shook it off even though the feeling of dread still lingered in the pit of her stomach. She tied up her long dark hair and splashed her face with cold water before unlocking the bathroom door and heading back downstairs to join Skulduggery and Gabrielle.