Drop Dead Gorgeous

Confessions

"You're what?!" Skulduggery exclaimed.

"I'm.... I'm from the future," she repeated. Through tearful eyes, she could see his shocked and surprised face.

"You, you can't be. That's, that's impossible," he stuttered, backing away.

"It's not if a time traveller shunted her back in time," Grave said, his arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

"You're a time traveller?"

"Yes, and a Necromancer, and an Adept, and an Agonist."

"What's an Agonist?" Valkyrie asked, turning her attention away from Skulduggery.

"I can inflict pain with my mind," Grave answered.

"So you're like that chick from Twilight, Jane or whatever her name was?" Valkyrie asked. Grave nodded.

"Hold up," Skulduggery said and Valkyrie turned back to him.

"You're... You're the guy who broke in. The man who took father and I," he said, his eyes widening in fear.

"Yes I am Skulduggery," Grave answered. Valkyrie saw the frightening look in her friend's eyes, and wished that she could protect him as he pushed back against the door. Then he turned back to Valkyrie.

"What? You're from the future? How, how can that be?"

"I sort of, came from the 21st Century, and I'm your partner there."

Skulduggery stiffened.
"What do you mean, partner?" He asked.

"I'm your detective partner. We drive around in a Bentley, solving crimes and hitting people. It's really fun," she replied. Why was she doing this? The real Valkyrie Cain would never have given up. But she had no choice.

"Detective?" He asked.

"Yes."

"You're missing a very important point here Valkyrie," Grave interrupted, examining his fingers. Oh no...

"No," she whispered.

"You have to tell him everything."

Valkyrie fought back tears, and faced Skulduggery again.

"What important point?" He asked.

"That you're a skeleton in the future," Valkyrie whispered.

"Whoa, what?!"

"Your wife and child are going to be murdered in front of your eyes, you get killed by Nefarian Serpine, and you resurrect yourself, putting your bones back together."

"So I'm a skeleton in the future?"

"Uh, yes."

"This is a joke right?" He asked, flattening himself against the door.

"No, it's not," she answered.

The 21st Century:

Skulduggery felt something. Felt that something was terribly wrong. It was a dark, empty feeling, like something had been taken from him, and he wasn't getting it back. Valkyrie? That was what he felt. Valkyrie. His beautiful partner. What was wrong with her? Something bad was happening, and he didn't like that empty gut feeling, even though he had no gut. He still found it annoying.

The 1600's:

Valkyrie turned to glare at Grave.

"Why?" She whispered. He smirked. The look on Skulduggery Pleasant's face was priceless, and the pain in Valkyrie Cain's voice was so... Delicious.

"I'm so sorry Skulduggery," Valkyrie cried, trying to hold back her sobs. Skulduggery looked like he was going to throw up.

"How... How could you keep this from me?" He asked.

"I didn't want to hurt you. Now that I've told you this, there is a paradox, and you'll never get married and have a child, they'll never get murdered, you'll never be killed, and there will be no Skulduggery Pleasant. The Great Skeleton Detective will never have existed, and I will never get my partner back," Valkyrie sobbed.

"Well done Valkyrie, I'm impressed," Grave said. Valkyrie looked at him, her face full of anger and hatred.

"Now let me go home you son of a bitch so I can grieve."

"Hmm, not quite at this moment."

"What?!"

"I'm not sending you home right now, maybe in the next week. You can suffer the fact that your precious Skulduggery knows the truth, that he knows you're a little liar, he knows that you are a traitor, that you have killed him. Then I'll send you home."

With that, Grave disappeared into the shadows that swirled around him.
Valkyrie just stared, stared at empty space. She looked around, but Skulduggery was gone.

Valkyrie wandered through the school hallways. What had she done? She had just created a paradox, and now, she would never get Skulduggery back. She broke down, sobbing into her hands, tears spilling onto the floor, crying until she could cry no more. She looked up to see Asaria standing there, looking down at her. To Valkyrie's surprise, Asaria looked angry.

"How could you?" She exclaimed.

"What?" Valkyrie asked, sniffling.

"Skulduggery won't talk to anyone, not even Ghastly. What have you done? What did you say to him?"

Valkyrie stood up warily.
"That's none of your business Sari."

"None of my business? It's my business to see that my friends are okay. And right now, Skulduggery is not okay."

"And what about me? I'm your friend too Sari. Shouldn't you be finding out why I was balling my eyes out not twenty seconds ago?"

"Only my friends get to call me Sari."

"I am your friend."

"Not any more."

Asaria stormed off, and Valkyrie broke down again, sobbing without any tears.