Set just before Mortal Coil. My own rendition of what my imagination would have liked to have happened when Valkyrie tells Skulduggery she has found out her true name. Whatever happens during and past Mortal Coil is irrelevant to this story. Please enjoy :)

Valkyrie paced her bedroom, her fingers entwined in themselves. Her mind was racing after her recent discovery. She had always felt this power in her, bubbling just beneath the surface. But never before had she even thought that Darquesse might be her. She stopped, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She had to start thinking clearly about how to approach telling Skulduggery. He was her best friend and partner, there was no way that she could keep a secret like this from him. Especially if it meant she would eventually end up killing her own parents. She shook her head and looked out the window. It was still pretty dark outside. She walked over to her bedside table and looked at her phone's lock screen. 5:14 am. She wondered if it would be too late to call him. He never slept, right? She picked up her phone hesitantly, chewing her bottom lip with uncertainty. She didn't know how he was going to react; would he be angry? Upset? Would he say anything at all? What could you say to something like that? Valkyrie didn't know what she would say herself, how could she expect someone else to know what to say?

She fell backward onto her bed and let out a small whimper. It was pathetic, but she didn't know what to do. She wanted to call him and just tell him. Maybe hang up afterward. She knew she wouldn't do that though, not to Skulduggery. He would appear outside her room instantly anyway. There'd be no escaping the confrontation. Her bottom lip trembled slightly, she felt like crying. She didn't though, not with this. She didn't want to think herself as weak. She sat up in her bed, her face set in a scowl as she dialed into her phone. After the first ring, a bemused and tired Fletcher appeared in her room. He was about to blurt out some annoyed and snarky comment when he saw her scowling on her bed, so he closed his mouth and frowned, moving to sit next to her.

"Val..?" He poked gently. She let out a sigh and looked at him.

"Fletcher." She replied simply. She leaned to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Not questioning it, he raised his hand to her head to stroke her hair soothingly. He didn't know what was troubling her, and she'd never called him at this time before. Whatever it is it must be keeping her from sleeping. After a few minutes of silence, Fletcher let out a snicker. Valkyrie lifted her head and looked at him. "What are you laughing at?" She whispered.

Fletcher flashed her a cheeky grin, "I'm in your room. At night. I'm on your bed." He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she shook her head, allowing herself a small smile. "Yeah, I guess you are. This isn't a booty call though, sorry to disappoint." However, despite her words, she leaned in and kissed him, wiping his grin off his lips. He responded almost immediately, a hand snaking around to the lower of her back. They kissed for a good few minutes in silence, and Valkyrie felt herself become less tense. She didn't mean to use Fletcher like this, but there was no way she could have thought clearly about telling Skulduggery with her mind going nuts about it. She let out a small sigh and pulled back, much to Fletcher's chagrin. His eyes studied her as she looked back down at her phone with a troubled gaze.

"Are you alright, Val?" He asked quietly, his arm around her shoulder. Valkyrie shrugged gently, almost dislodging his arm, but he stayed. She didn't say anything and just stared at her phone. Her gaze lifted and looked at the doll, the one that whispered to her the reason she was fretting right now. It sat there, doing nothing. No more whispers were coming from it anymore. For that, at least, she was grateful. It creeped her out to no ends. Perhaps she would put it out of sight.

"Fletcher," she finally said quietly, "You can go home now." Fletcher looked at her, slightly offended. But when she looked at him with her tired eyes, he thought to himself that she suddenly looked a lot older than what she was. Instead of protesting, he planted a small kiss on her forehead and let go, vanishing from her room.

Laying back into bed, she curled up, hugging her phone close to her chest. She closed her eyes shut and tried to get to sleep.

Valkyrie woke up two hours later to a light tapping on her window. She opened her eyes slowly and glared in its general direction. Outside was Skulduggery sitting on her windowsill. He was tapping a gloved, bony finger on her window repeatedly. He knew she was awake, but he kept tapping. Grumbling something about deboning a skeleton, Valkyrie threw off her covers and dragged her feet over to the window. Skulduggery clambered in after she opened it for him and stood there, looking at her. She was still in her black outfit tailored by Ghastly, and the bags under her eyes were very prominent.

"You look awful," he said. Valkyrie's already grumpy expression turned grumpier as she grabbed her phone. Tucking it into her pocket she looked back at Skulduggery, her eyes catching sight of the doll in the process. She was suddenly nervous again. "How did you sleep?" Skulduggery asked after a moment of nothing being said between them. Valkyrie shrugged, not replying. He nodded and gestured towards the window. "You had a visitor last night, didn't you?"

"No."

"Yes, you did. I can tell."

"How?"

Skulduggery pointed to her bed. "Because the person who was sitting right there called me ten minutes ago to tell me you were upset." Valkyrie looked away and cursed under her breath. Damn that Fletcher.

"So what?" She retorted, "I'm old enough to decide who comes to my room." Skulduggery walked over to her bed, smoothed out the duvet and sat down at the end of it. Almost automatically, Valkyrie followed and sat next to her pillow facing him. "Are you going to lecture me about boys?"

Skulduggery shook his head, "No. Every word I say is an enlightenment, not a lecture. I am very wise. You should take into account what I tell you." He straightened his tie and looked up at her. "So, are you going to tell me what is troubling you?" Valkyrie stared at him, her heart beginning to race again. She should just blurt it out, get it out there and over with. Skulduggery, I am Darquesse. Simple. That's all she had to say. Her mouth felt dry as she looked at the doll behind her. She reached up and placed it on her lap as if willing it to tell him for her. Skulduggery sat there silently and waited for her to talk, his head tilted to the side as soon as she touched the doll.

"I had a nightmare last night," She finally said in a quiet voice. She took the arm of the doll in her hand as a distraction. It felt cold and smooth against her skin. "And when I woke up, I heard whispers from this... thing. It told me what I had dreamt of - or rather, what I was remembering in my sleep." Her hand tightened around the arm. "I know my true name, Skulduggery."

"The book, you saw your name in there?" He asked slowly. She nodded, "Right before it was destroyed. I didn't remember it until now." She took a deep breath and looked up at him. She tried to hide the fear in her eyes, but she couldn't help it. She was scared. And a part of her knew that the fear was derived from the fact that someone who knew her well enough to take her out with the least amount of effort was sitting on her bed right in front of her. If she proved to be the looming threat of mass destruction that everyone had been prophesizing, she wouldn't know what to expect of him. Her forehead furrowed as she tried to push those thoughts to the side. He wouldn't kill her. Though, in some way, she did want him to.

"I'm Darquesse," she blurted, her own body going stock still. She stared down at the doll with wide eyes in panic, waiting for him to react. But he didn't react. He said nothing. He did nothing. A silence stretched between the two, a silence that she could neither depict as tense or threatening. A shiver ran down her spine, her palms against the doll becoming sweaty.

Skulduggery moved his hand towards her suddenly and she flinched. He stopped, looking at her, holding his head in a way that suggests he was offended. Slowly, his hand resumed its course and rested on the doll she was holding. Gently, he took it from her and placed it on the bed between them. "You are Darquesse." Valkyrie nodded. Hearing him say it in his smooth voice calmed her. It didn't sound as bad when he said it. He stood, brushing off his jacket and nodded to himself. "Well then. We'd best get your name sealed."

Valkyrie frowned, looking up at him in confusion. He looked down at her, "The Bentley is outside." He exited her room through the window and then he was gone. She stared at the open window for a moment, her mind going blank. That was it? She jumped off her bed, pushing aside her confusion and let irritation take its place. That was it? Shaking her head, she let herself drop from her window, pushing the air beneath her to make her landing gentle. She walked over to the Bentley and got in, not saying a word. Skulduggery glanced once at her before starting the car and driving off.

Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. It was a struggle to try and get the characters to react the way I thought would be appropriate. Please leave a review! I would love to see your feedback.