Skulduggery Pleasant Fan-fiction- Love Amongst The Cain (Sequel to The Cradle Of Magic)

The Darkened Rain

Scotland was decisively cold. Valkyrie Cain could never quite judge whether it was more frigorific than her homeland but it was definitely a degree more dismal. Nothing happened in Scotland except the monotonous sun taxations and the lack of bag-pipe free pubs (because apparently the North enjoyed fitting to stereotype) and life had become quite... Standard. However she liked this; rather oddly.
Life had been too much. To put it lightly. She was there when called but her life was now a new one, she would not have that tethered by her past. Not now.
She drew her dark hair across her neck and ran a band up her hand, twisting it over the bunch of hair and swinging it loosely over her shoulder as she worked. She was writing an article and several useless copies were strewn loosely over the fore of the table, her body too tired and concentrated on what her mind was set on to stand and pile them into the bin but feet away. It was four in the morning; she had a valid point.
A cold mug of tea sat at the corner of her desk, a thin layer of creamed residue dissembling the liquid edge. There was a light knock on the door and her head raised to a young man with matted hair, once styled, a t-shirt thrown over his upper half and a pair of boxers to cover his lower. He tilted his head as she bit her lip and resumed her practice, sighing as he set a fresh cup of steaming tea next to her in a convenient space.
"It's quarter-past, baby." He screwed his eyes and yawned widely, passing a hand over his mouth before resuming "You should come to bed."
She shook her head and ran a hand over the back of her neck, feeling a sharp chill run up her spine as the wind blew fiercely against the window pane.
"I have to finish this or else I'll lose the flow." Her hand sketched along the page as she wrote, wavering in places due to the exhaustion.
He sighed and furrowed his brow, pacing to the armchair that faced the fire bed and sitting with an audible sigh.
The sound of intense rain and the etch of her Parker pen was all that could be heard.
"Do you miss it though?" He asked, his head moving across the armchair to reach a more comfortable position. She lifted her head a fraction at the question, the tone catching her ear.
"I... Yes. Yes I do sometimes. But I-I'm happy here, Fletch. I'm happy with you. We're safe and that's all that matters to me."
He gave himself a private nod of reached clarification, wrapping his arms around the cushion that sat on his lap as he placed his chin upon the edge.
There was suddenly the drill of a telephone and Xena's bark echoed down the empty hall. Fletcher stood slowly from his seat and met the mahogany eyes of his fiancee, placing his hand on the arm of the chair and biting his lip with a matched, deepened brow.
"I'd like to ask the cliche but whoever it is it won't be good..." Valkyrie mumbled, her voice barely audible as if the caller could hear her.
He gave a nod to her and approached the door, pulling it aside and strolling into the cold hall with Xena at his sock-lined feet. She whined and lay herself beneath the table as he breathed and picked up the receiver, his wife-to-be appearing in the door eave.
"Hello?" His voice sounded deeper to how he had anticipated.
A suave and debonair voice hummed into his ear, thick and Irish.
"Hello Fletcher. I uh, I apologise for the timing of this. I suppose she's not asleep is she?" His eyes flicked to the girl that approached him, mouthing something and wrapping her bathrobe tightly around her waist.
"She's here." He said, his head now cast down towards the table. "Is something wrong?"
"No, no." He said, his voice ever so slightly mocking to the young man. "I just need to talk. Hand her over if you will, sorry to wake you."
Fletcher bit his lip quite harshly and let the phone fall from his ear, pacing a little and holding the phone out to the young woman.
"It's Skulduggery. He just wants to talk."
Her eyes flicked from his to the black phone in his palm and she took it after a few seconds of substantial pondering.
"Hey... Skul."
There was a long pause before he replied.
"Valkyrie." He coughed a little, his velvety voice breaking ever so timidly. "I uh. It's been some time. How are things?"
She furrowed her brow at the conversation starter and moved towards the stairs, resting gingerly on the second step and running her free hand through her hair.
"Things have been alright I suppose. I've been working on the articles like you told me to and... Well... Things are pretty mundane actually. But I like it."
Fletcher caught her gaze and clicked to Xena to whom lifted her head and stood, tail wagging faintly. He took the left of the staircase, brushing his hand across her hair as he made his way to bed; the german shepard following in his lead.
She swallowed and listened as he replied, his voice now softened and relaxed.
"I take it you got the flowers and things I sent, yes? Congratulations by the way... I'm proud of you."
She felt a warm smile fill her inside and catch at the edge of her lips, sitting back and noting the roses vased adjacent to her.
"They're beautiful. Thank you."
There was a substantial pause where neither had nothing to say or any intention of saying anything. Then, it was broken.
"Skul?"
"Hm?" His reply was, a hum through the receiver.
"Why call now? Why not earlier today, earlier this week? Last week, last month? Why? What drew you to call me now?" Her tone was puzzled as her eyes caught the clock ahead as it ticked over to 4:32 am.
"Well... I would like to say it was out of sentimentality but as that isn't enough to subside you..." He paused. "We have a case. Well... I-I mean. I thought if you wanted to tag along... Well not tag, you're not twelve anymore... What I meant was..."
"Yes." He stated, a twitch of a smile lighting her features. "Yes. I'll come."
There was a smile in his voice as the rain slashed at the windows outside and the wind pounced upon the building like lonesome prey.
"Good to have you back, Valkyrie Cain."