Cell Phobia

A/N: This isn't for Rippling Pool, but some guy is calling me and freaking me out (I suspect Jessica, Sam, or Austin) and I got this great idea!

It finally got to the point when her phone rang she started not answering. It said 'Restricted' on the phone, and she put it down and walked into another room. If she answered it, she knew what would be there: 

Silence. Snickering. Garbled words. Phone beeps. 

She could out-smart him(or her), she could show him(or her) that she was not afraid. But she was. Long ago, the hysterical laughs that she got when the phone rang wore out, and now she trembled for a good five minutes after ignoring her call. 

Despite this, the phone was on her desk next to her as she typed up her book report. She jumped and skipped a few keys when it vibrated, the blue screen on it's outside lighting up. Sweat ran down her back immediately, and with wide eyes she picked it up, nearly dropping it as it vibrated. Restricted caller.

She really DID drop it this time, throwing it down, running out of the room barely able to keep from crying. She ran and hid in her bathroom, hearing her cellphone start ringing again behind the closed door. It vibrated, clattering on the floor, then went still. 

She didn't break it, but in return she herself might break, because every few minutes, when she had started to relax, it went off again, scaring the hell out of her. She ended up sitting in front of the door, pushing her arms against it reflexively while trying to ignore the caller.

When her mother got home that evening, she found her daughter still pushed against the door, her cellphone in her lap. Not breathing, not moving, just with a scared expression on her face. 

"H-honey? Clarissa?" Her mom poked her, and her unfortunate daughter fell apart, as though cut to ribbons. 

Her cellphone rang once, then went still. 

Shadows on the Floor

A/N: Umm... Don't ask. XD If you prefer, don't think that Skulduggery is thinking this. Imagine a stalker, standing in the doorway.

She hovered here and there, flitting from one to the next. A brush was in her hand, and she spread the color over the canvas, a small smile on her face. Her eyes, usually filled with crackling intelligence that attracted him and made him wary, now smoldered. The brown was intense, but not sharp. Not shiny, more... glow-y. It created it's own light instead of reflecting it.

Her hair was up, in a careless pony tail that had paints smeared in it from where she tugged the ends to tighten the space where her hair started to fall. He had always been hypnotized by her hair, even if she did absolutely nothing with it, even on the fateful occasions when it was smeared with blood. Brown and gold and the silver of the reflected light- Like sheets of glistening jewelry drawn up into a glorious waterfall with moss caught in the rocks at the top: She was painting some sort of forest today. Haunting, beautiful. The moss could not escape, but neither did it belong there, because paint was not naturally meant to collide with hair.

In his mind, he compared her painting to her. He could imagine getting lost in that forest, shouting at it to let him out because a forest is an impassive thing that cannot respond. But Echo, she could definitely respond, she could show him the path because Echo didn't trap him- she attracted him like a moth to a special light. But instead of zapping him away, she embraced him onto the cool surface of the glass.

Her feet moved while she painted, casting shadows since, in some odd experiment, the only light illuminating her work the hall light behind him. Her back was to him, and slightly to the side, and she moved like a dancer, from one part of the canvas to the other. Swirling a little excessively, she faced him, but she didn't seem to acknowledge he was there. That was fine. She knew he wouldn't disturb her because if he had wanted to talk before it was not important now. Not when she slid like a dancer to paint some leaves, painstaking detail that could only come from her and her smoldering eyes because while most painters focused on one aspect, she made sure that her entire creation was equally balanced, every bit the best she could make it.

The way she moved casted shadows on the wooden floor, darker brown upon brown upon brown- A color he would always associate with her. Brown and cream were defining colors in her home, brown walls and cream borders, like she could blend in with the walls if it matched her closely enough. But she could never blend in- no matter how hard she tried, she was like a spark, and if she rested among dry kindling she would start a fire. When she tried to be normal she stood out, somehow, like a Jaguar going among Lions, and if she tried standing out she just looked foolish.

That was the wonderful thing about her- if she didn't try, if she just was, she was impossible to miss. If she tried standing out or disappearing she could do so, but the moment she let down her guard and returned to normal, the oddness that came from her standing out brought her back down to the level of his radar, and if she stopped trying to disappear she rose almost reflexively to meet his challenges: The legacy of that was a chase across Europe that lasted the better part of 1000 years. 

But now she was his, his own little fire that he could do as he wished with, even though if he tossed water on it she would die and if he fed her too many sticks she would explode and he would also die. 

...That didn't mean he couldn't make her angry sometimes. A little anger was healthy, as long as it wasn't too much. 

Hey, you, with the plot line!

A/N:...I have taken interest in my original plot line again, instead of these angsty little PWPs(1). 

It's soon to be on an open blog, because if I posted all my plot lines and chapters here, I would feel bad for flooding everything. I'll continue to post angsty/fluffy one-shots here, but be aware that the actual story is being written again!

I plan to use http://ripplingpool.blogspot.com as the domain. I'll edit this if it's not available (Who would want that?!). 

And now for reading that, you get to read a drabble. XD

Echo sighed, rolling over in bed. Moments later, she heard someone behind her grumble in his sleep and squirm closer. Seconds after that, bony arms wrapped around her waist.

She suppressed a giggle. His possessiveness was cute, in an odd way, just like his anger at her always made her, eventually, laugh, and his odd silences told her that he was listening. 

She wondered what about her made him love her... 

(1)PWP stands for Plot? What Plot?

Christmas Contest

(Yeahhh, it is my second one, but whatever, deal.)

"Holy shit what is that?" Riley asked, gaping at the Christmas tree in the middle of the room with open wonder.

"A Christmas tree you idiot. God." Carolina laughed, leaning on Jeremiah's shoulder. "Come on, tell me what you think!"

"It's amazing." Jeremiah looked up at the incredibly tall tree bathing in it's glory. There were thousands of rainbow lights along with plain ones, sparkle spray, way too fancy ornaments, and silver garlands of sparkly stuffs. "How tall is it?" He asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"Sixty six feet on the dot." Riley said dryly. "Her favorite number, dolt."

"Thanks. Why so tall?" Jeremiah asked.

"Now aren't you full of questions today?" Carolina asked, laughing. "I needed more room for decorations. Now lets show it to everyone else!"

A voice came from the doorway. "See it already dear. It's... ah, hard to miss?"

Shiny walked into the room, brushing her long hair. "You really, got creative."

"Thanks." Carolina bowed her head, leaning it on Jeremiah's shoulder.

"Awesome!" A cheerful voice screamed. "I totally blanked on the presents!" Marigold tore into the room and leaped in Riley's arms, to his major surprise. "Hey darlin'."

Riley coughed, gently supporting her weight against his chest.

"Oooh! Awkward!" Sadie said, laughing as she too came in.

"We're being out numbered by girls." Shadow grumbled, glaring pointedly at Marigold, who had just kissed Riley's cheek, turning his pale skin a strange, abnormal, shade of pink.

Holy just sat on the couch, laughing his head off. Silva Judgement walked into the room, Silva trailing after her with Atonica.

"I see someone got a bit... busy." Silva said, grinning at Marigold. Marigold smiled back, her eyes dancing with Christmas cheer.

Atonica swept through the room until she stood with Carolina and Jeremiah.

"It's lovely Carolina. But... were is all the mistletoe?"

"I will tell you when everyone gets here." Carolina grinned at one her best friends, who smiled shyly back.

In the next hour, piles of people arrived. Ami and her son Jondalar, and his best friends, Ryan and Alec all came together. Dressed in their classic gray, they stood out against all the Christmas decorations.

"Wow, now this is new." Ami said, looking up. "Whats that on the top?"

"A really pissed off Angel." Ryan said, squinting. "Now that is new."

Alec and Jondalar simply smiled at eachother.

A rumble in the Earth warned them that Jesse, the third creator, was on his way. He came in too, and he and Jeremiah hugged eachother. For one moment, Carolina couldn't tell the difference between the two. Both had the same striking blue eyes with silver lined irises. She grinned when Jesse gently kissed her cheek.

"Good to see someone taking care of Jeremiah. When are you going to invite me to the wedding?" He teased. Carolina hit him gently.

"You silly goon." She said, giving him a cheeky glare. He laughed before pushing Jeremiah to her.

"Keep her occupied, she has way~ too much energy!" Jesse chuckled before wandering over to Atonica and Silva.

"I do not." Carolina whispered to Jeremiah, "or do I?"

Jeremiah shook his head. "You're just perfect, don't worry about it."

They stood together as Howl Portal opened and Jamie and Jaeza came through. Both were soaked, and covered in snow.

"So sorry, we're a bit late." Jamie said, waving. Carolina gave him a big hug, and then hugged Jaeza. Jaeza waved to Jeremiah, and then she and Jamie joined the crowd.

"Is everyone here yet?" Marigold called. She had effectively tackled Riley, and had him pinned on the couch. He had grungingly given up, and had his arms wrapped around her. The crazy girl was only wearing a thin camisole (low cut) and a mini skirt (as in mini). She was easily tucked under his chin, and he rolled his eyes at Jeremiah and Holy, who both seemed to find it really funny.

"Time to dance!" Carolina cheered, throwing up her chamagne glass, it flashed, and she caught it again.

"Hell yeah!" Everyone cheered as the most famous band walked onto the stage. Man Eating Teeth, the guinea pig band, but this time, they were in their human morphs.

"Lets get this party started, no?" Asked the female lead bard (Singer) Veronica.

Everyone screamed in answer.

"Shall we start slow this night?" Veronica took her microphone, and took the male lead singer, Charlie's, hand. The two began to sing "On Fire". (Note: This band can sing any song better than the original singer peoples.)

Carolina took Jeremiah's hand and they spun onto the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and immediatly, everyone joined them.

Ami swung by them with a young man they had never seen before. Carolina died to ask her who it was, but she was still gazing into Jeremiah's startling eyes.

Nearbye, somehow, by some crazy-ass twist of fate, Marigold had coxed Riley onto the dance floor too. He looked totally out of place, a mentally twisted boy made out of pure evil, dancing with a beautiful young girl who killed people as a flawless assasin for a living. What a crazy pair.

They danced under the stars, and Carolina realized it was all perfect. Finally, maybe she and all her friends, could live in peace. Or so she hoped....

China Figurines

Outside the window, snow fell in a steady sheet that blanketed the street and prevented much travel. Inside the window, an aggravated skull glared at it, as if the heat of his gaze could melt it all away, making the road accessible. He did not own chains for his car, Echo did not own a CAR, period, and it was far too far for either of them to walk. Buses were shut down, subways did not reach far enough anyways... 

And it was Christmas Eve. He wished that he had stayed the night as usual, but her present was at his house, which meant he had to leave anyway...

Sighing, he turned away from the window, and the weather channel on his tiny T.V. caught his attention.

"...And the snow will continue for several days, meaning a very white Christmas..."

Oh, how he hated the world... Skulduggery glared outside again, seriously considering burning all the snow away while he drove. 

bloomingoutofseasonbloomingoutofseasonbloomingoutofseason

Echo was outside, wrapped up in several layers of clothing and making a snow-man like a child. Only she was not a child and Valkyrie, laughing at the sight from across the street as she walked, proved it: Valkyrie was about a head shorter then her at 15. 

"What're you doing?" Valkyrie asked, grinning like a skeleton. 

"Making a snowman. What does it look like?" Echo asked, searching for a good stick for the second arm. 

"It looks like you're looking for spare change."

"Oh, implying I'm a hobo now are we?" the Captain Cleaver grinned anyway. 

"Where's Skulduggery? He would have beaten me for that comment if he was here..." Valkyrie giggled at the thought. 

"I have NO idea. I guess it's something to do with the snow and such." Echo sighed. "And I had the PERFECT present, too..."

"He'll find a way. Trust me, he'll find a WAY." Valkyrie knew how, too...

bloomingoutofseasonbloomingoutofseasonbloomingoutofseason

Skulduggery, finding no other options, asked China for help. 

Now he was sitting on a couch in her library, waiting for the woman to return with a book or something- Skulduggery had no clue what she would have, but it had better be good...

Three stories up, China smiled and waited. 

bloomingoutofseasonbloomingoutofseasonbloomingoutofseason

Eventually Valkyrie walked back to her home three blocks away, leaving Echo with a snow-man she named "Richard the Proud." He was adorned by a Santa hat she found in her closet, sunglasses, a scarf, and some random seashells that were in the hat. 

She stared at him for a few moments, then decided she'd knock him over when he began to melt and went inside. Sighing, she peeled off her jacket and flopped down on her couch, waiting for herself to warm up. 

bloomingoutofseasonbloomingoutofseasonbloomingoutofseason

Two hours later, it was getting dark outside. And Skulduggery decided that he had waited FAR TOO FREAKING LONG. 

Before he could stand up China walked down the hall, smiling pleasantly. "It's ready: Your car has chains on it."

"...It took two hours to just do that?!" He almost shouted at her, but managed to keep his voice calm. 

"No, it was done an hour and a half ago." 

The look he gave her pretty much screamed 'IHATEYOUSOMUCHYOUSTUPIDLITTLETROLLOP" but he did not reply verbally, opting instead to walk to his apartment.

Presents in hand, he ran back out a few minutes later to take the two hour bumpy right to Haggard. 

bloomingoutofseasonbloomingoutofseasonbloomingoutofseason

Echo found some Christmas decorations and proceeded to randomly deck her halls with flashing lights, holly, and paper chains. In every doorway she hung springs of mistletoe, determined to keep her mind off the waning hour. 

But why wasn't he here? She knew for a fact that China kept chains in her garage- She had made sure of that! 

Maybe he didn't ask China? Maybe he was just making Echo wait to be a bastard? Maybe he was going to wait until tomorrow, so the snow might melt a bit?

Sighing, she barely noticed headlights pulling up outside her home, but she did notice five minutes later when Skulduggery cracked an upstairs window, sneaked up behind her, and lazily looked over her shoulder at a paper chain she was stapling to the wall. 

"Where did you find that?" He asked, making her jump: The stapler dropped two feet before his hand snaked out and grabbed it. 

She whirled around, and his other arm leaned kept him on balance by leaning against the wall. The Captain Cleaver was quite surprised: She had gone from putting bright colored paper on her wall to being trapped between Skulduggery, his arms, and said wall. 

"In a closet."

"Really?"

"It's amazing what you can find when you search." Echo felt her face flush, he was so close...

Skulduggery noticed it at once, internally grinning at her expression. She was cute, especially when surprised... He shook it off mentally, backing up a step from Echo and offering her the stapler. 

Grinning, she took it from him, placing it on a table. "You're such a freak."

...That was news to him. "How so?"

"Look at you! You're a walking skeleton who breaks into people's homes!" Her grin stretched and she laughed. "You shouldn't even need to ask!" And she was gone, walking into another room, all worries removed by his sudden appearance. 

He followed her without commenting, having no good come-back for that one. It didn't help that he agreed with her. 

...And that was a pretty cool tree. She had found tinsel and ornaments as well as paper chains, and the star was off to the side on a table. The christmas lights reflected off it, bright green and red and blue and yellow and- Hey, was that a pink one?

Echo herself was looking over her shoulder at him, bemused by his apparent fascination with the tree. "Don't go all Jack Skellington on me, now." 

"Huh?" Skulduggery gazed at her curiously.

"Nothing." She grinned. 

A/N: ...I think I lost. Badly. (God, this sucks...)

Christmas Contest

The violin music still rang in her ears. Every little thing seemed to remind her of that night, only yesterday. It had seemed to perfect, had seemed impossible for anything to go wrong. But go wrong it had.
She had been at a Christmas party with her boyfriend of two months. They had been waltzing effortlessly together, even though she hadn’t known how before that night, dancing the night away. Laughter surrounded them, and the feeling of Christmas was pervasive throughout the room. During a slow number, he had whispered for her to look up. Doing so, she saw that he had maneuvered them so they were under the mistletoe. She smiled at him, and he kissed her softly on the lips. The moment was perfect, and she would remember it forever. She had though nothing could spoil her mood, but she had been wrong.
Suddenly, she heard a gasp behind her, and, turning around, saw a pretty young girl about her age. Her face was a mask of surprise, and hurt. Her boyfriend sucked in his breath, surprised, and dropped her hands. The strange girl turned, and fled into the crowd. He followed her without an explanation, leaving his girlfriend alone on the dance floor, still standing motionless under the mistletoe.
He had never showed back up that night. She tried to call him, but had gotten no answer. Who was that girl? She stayed up late, waiting for him to call, but not really expecting him to. He had never done anything like this before.
He called the next morning, and apologized for his behavior the night before. He said that she was an old girlfriend, one who he was still friends with. He had hated seeing her hurt, she was like a sister to him, and had gone after her to make sure she was okay. He said that he knew that that was a really terrible explanation, and here she agreed with him. But he sounded so sorry, and had insisted nothing had happened between him and the strange girl. When she asked why he hadn’t picked up his phone, he said that he had forgotten to charge it. He said that he had only stayed with the girl a few minutes, then had gone back to find her, but could not, because she had left.
She accepted his explanation, but was still left with a nagging doubt. She had stayed at the party a good half hour after he had vanished, so she didn’t quite believe that he had only stayed with the girl for a few minutes, he wasn’t that bad at looking. Also, before last night, his phone had always been charged. That didn’t really sound like him. However, she didn’t think she was going to get an explanation, and she did trust him. So she decided to let it go for now.
He showed up at her door two hours later, and, giving her a hug, apologized again. Then, he pulled a bouquet of roses out from behind his back, along with a small box.
“Merry Christmas” he told her, handing her the roses. She smiled at him, delighted, all of her earlier doubts forgotten. Leading her to the couch, he handed her the small box. It looked like a jewelry box, covered in a light blue material. He urged her to open it. Lifting the lid, she saw a beautiful golden locket in the shape of a heart. She gasped, amazed. Slipping her fingernail under the edge, she opened it, and saw a picture of the two of the, holding hands and smiling, against a beautiful sunset.
“It’s beautiful,” she said in amazement. Looking at him, she saw he was nodding in agreement, but he was not looking at the locket. She blushed, and he leaned toward her, and kissed her softly.
“Yes, it is.”

A/N: Yes, I have no names. These are the same characters from Love Story, this is some point while they were dating. Anyone have good name ideas? (Yes, I know… the idea was for it to be happy. That seemed boring. But it ends happy….)

CHRISTMAS CONTEST!!

Okay, today was CHRISTMASSS!! 

So, I dare anyone who wants to, to write a one-shot or a drabble or even a two-shot about Christmas.

It must include:

Presents

Laughing

and

(optional) Mistletoe. 

NOW GET TO IT MY CRAZY LITTLE MUNCHKINS!

POAST LIEK TOAST AND GO!

Note: If it gets too long, you can make it into a seperate post and link it in the comments. ^_^

Love Story Song-fic

Love Story

We were both young, when I first saw you.
I close my eyes and the flashback starts-
I'm standing there, on a balcony in summer air.

She was standing there, staring out over the ocean, thinking. She was fifteen years old, and school has just gotten out. The year had been traumatic for her, her first boyfriend, her first broken heart, her first kiss. But she was ready for a new start. That was what the ocean represented to her, a fresh start, and the future.

I see the lights; see the party, the ball gowns.
I see you make your way through the crowd-
You say hello, little did I know...

She was just standing there, thinking, when a strange guy came up behind her. In a deep, melodic voice, he asked her what she was staring at.

“The future” she responded. She looked up at him to see what he thought of that, and immediately lost her train of thought. He had deep brown eyes, and hair that was just long enough to hang in his eyes. He was looking a little confused, but that just made him more attractive. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles-
And my daddy said "stay away from Juliet"-
And I was crying on the staircase-
begging you please don't go...
And I said...

They had talked for the rest of the night, and he had kissed her softly on the lips when they parted. However, she couldn’t make herself believe that anything would happen between them. Life just didn’t work that way for her. She could hardly believe her ears, when, the next night, the phone rang, and it was him. She was on cloud nine. He snuck her out of the house, and took her out to dinner that night, and the next. This was the happiest she had ever been. Until she was caught sneaking back in, and her dad told her she could never see him again. Oh, how she cried. She couldn’t believe her dad could take him away, he was her whole life. Running to him, she begged him not to leave.

Romeo take me somewhere, we can be alone.
I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run.
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess,
It's a love story, baby, just say yes.

She begged him to take her away, to run away with her, to somewhere where no one would ever stop them from being together. He couldn’t bear to see her so unhappy, it was killing him. So he agreed to keep seeing her, even though he was risking her dad’s wrath.

So I sneak out to the garden to see you.
We keep quiet, because we're dead if they knew-
So close your eyes... escape this town for a little while.
Oh, Oh.

That very night, she heard a soft sound on her window, and, opening it, saw him in all his glory waiting for her. He beckoned, and she climbed out her window. Meeting her in the garden, he greeted her with a kiss. Then, holding her tight, he spun her round and round, without a care in the world. He softly whispered, “I love you.”

Romeo save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel.
This love is difficult, but it's real.
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess.
It's a love story, baby, just say yes.
Oh, Oh.

But her dad caught him leaving their property one night, and he kicked him out for good. Her dad made him promise that he would never see his daughter again. However, before he left, he slipped a letter under her window, saying that he would see her soon, and that he loved her, and would love her forever. She believed him, and watched for him eagerly.

I got tired of waiting.
Wondering if you were ever coming around.
My faith in you was fading-
When I met you on the outskirts of town.
And I said...

After a week, however, she wondered if he hadn’t just run away while he could. She cried, wondering if this was the end.

Romeo save me, I've been feeling so alone.
I keep waiting, for you but you never come.
Is this in my head, I don't know what to think-
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said...

Then, one day, she ran into him while walking home. And she asked him where he had been. She said that she’d been so sad, so alone, waiting for him. She asked him if he’d really meant it when he said that he loved her forever. He took her hand, with tears in his eyes, and told her that he’d never meant to let her doubt him. He said that he loved her, that she was his whole world. With that, he knelt to the ground in front of her, and pulled out a ring.

Marry me Juliet, you'll never have to be alone.
I love you, and that's all I really know.
I talked to your dad -- go pick out a white dress
It's a love story, baby just say... yes.

He asked her to marry him, kneeling on the ground before her. He said that he had asked her dad, and he had agreed. She said yes, and they got married a few months later. They lived happily ever after, and it truly was a love story. She never got over just how lucky she was to have him, her own personal angel.

Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh.

A/N: No, this is not about anything, or anyone, in particular. You can make it about who ever you want. This is fiction, and not based off anything, I was bored. Also, this is my first post here, so please don’t say it’s horrible.

Truth or Dare

Garland

Skullduggery looked at Echo through the corner of his eye.

"Ummm... sooo..."

"Mmhmmm?" Echo was impossible to draw out of her books.

"Truth or dare?"

"What? Truth?" Echo looked at the living skeleton with amazement. "You want to play truth or dare?"

"Well yeah. Why else would I ask?" Skullduggery would have blinked at her blankly.

"So, truth then." Echo grinned. "Lets play."

"If... uhhhh... well, y'know."

"What? I can't hear you~" Echo taunted, grinning. Skull sighed. Damn women. He really didn't want to say it.

"If we could do the thing, then would you?"

Echo looked at him like he was crazy.

"What crack are you smoking??" Echo looked flatly amazed.

"Hehehehe... would you?"

Without a moments hesitation-- "Damn straight I would. Now, truth or dare?"

"Hum... dare?"

"It is so time for revenge."

Skulduggery flinched. Scared time has been teh nows.

"I dare you to kiss China Sorrows." Echo looked totally over proud of herself.

"I hate you."

"I know you do. I know you do."

Skull grumbled, trying to find a good excuse.

"I can't kiss her. One, I have no lips, two, I love another."

"Then you'd better get started." Echo grinned again, her smile never leaving her face.

"I'll get you someday." Skulduggery sighed as he left the room, preparing to give a unsuspecting China a rather bony kiss.

___AUTHOR SWITCH___

Volital

Echo grinned, following him out of his apartment and down the hall. She REALLY wanted to see this. Really. 

As luck would have it, he lived on the same street as China's library, so it was a simple matter for her to stalkfollow her favorite skeleton straight to the librarian's house. 

Skulduggery knocked twice, betraying no hint of anticipation or nervousness, while Echo watched discreetly. READ: Echo was leaning against the wall five feet away. 

When China answered the door, Skulduggery leaned forward before she could talk and brushed the teeth-ish part of his skull against her cheek. 

"Hello- What?" China looked at him, confused, and spotted Echo several feet away. 

Skulduggery shushed her. "Don't speak," he whispered with a low voice. Echo stifled a giggle as they both left China standing there in the hallway, very dazed and more then a little wondering.

Skulduggery looked over his shoulder as he walked. "Truth or Dare?" He challenged, a grin in his voice.

Echo puzzled. Dare could prove disastrous, since they were very near several people who's respects she held in high regard. Truth, however, could do almost no wrong... She had gotten over being shy with him almost six months ago. 

"Truth." Smugness hung around her like a cloud.

___Author Switch___

Garland

"No lies."

"Fine."

"How long have you loved me?"

Echo stopped dead. "Say what?!"

Skulduggery felt a creeping feeling of pride. He might have actually bested Echo!

"Ohhh... well, about two thousand, one hundred~" She paused, and then began counting on her fingers. "~and... about forty three years."

Skulduggery walked into a wall. Echo grinned for the hundredth time that half hour.

I must have caused her such unspeakable amounts of agony! He angsted. This is terrible! Skulduggery fought to get back his emotions.

Echo looked back at Skulduggery.

"Alright, your turn bones." She laughed, her eyes sparkling. Skull almost couldn't look away from their glimmer.

"Truth." He said, not wanting to have to kiss anyone random or something again. Not fun.

___Author Switch___

Volital

Echo winced. She had been thinking of a Dare. She paused in the middle of the sidewalk, striking a thinking pose. 

After a second of dramatic thinking, she grinned. "Skulduggery~" She practically sang. 

The Skeleton had an odd urge to run. He loved Echo, he really did, but that did not mean that he had to stick around for her abuse. 

"What would you do if, right now, I told you I stole your jacket and right now you're wearing a fake one?"

Skulduggery just stared at her for a few seconds. "Wha...?" He looked down at his jacket, then at Echo, then back at his jacket. 

Echo tried not to laugh. "Well?" 

"...Is it really...?" He pointed at his jacket. 

Okay, okay, okay, that was PRICELESS. "No! Are you crazy?! I'm not nearly as good a seamstress as Ghastly!" 

"Oh, good." He turned back around, walking into his apartment building with Echo two steps behind him. 

"Normally I would ask that you answer the question, but... That was priceless. So you get off free."

Skulduggery laughed. "Okay then, Truth or Dare?"

Echo grinned. "Dare."

Skulduggery opened the door to his home again, where they sat back down on the couch. 

"I dare you.... to..." He looked around the room, putting his mind to the task. 

Echo waited patiently. 

Skulduggery's skull snapped back to face her. "I dare you to confess your undying love for Springheeled Jack."

"Wha-"

"At the top of your lungs."

"Skul-"

"Through the window." 

"HOLD ON." Echo was an odd shade of pinkish red, and obviously displeased. 

"Yeeees~?" Skulduggery asked, tilting his skull to the side and obviously very pleased with himself. 

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because I try not to lie about those sorts of things. I do not love Springheeled Jack, and I don't think I ever will."

"Fine, then. Confess your undying love for someone you do love out the window at the top of your lungs."

Echo couldn't help but grin as she walked to the window. Oh, he expected one thing but he would get another...

She opened it, stuck her head out, flashed a wide grin at the world and shouted.

"I LOVE BILLY-RAY SANGUINE AND ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL! WOOOOOOO!" 

She shut it promptly, turning back to Skulduggery. 

He looked like he had been slapped, tossed into a dumpster, slapped again, and mugged in the last five seconds. 

"Well?~" She asked, grinning. 

"...That... was unexpected." He looked at her seriously. "Do you really love Sanguine?"

"Billy is a popular imaginary name, and Sanguine is a color of red. I used my imagination," Echo grinned as she sat back down. "Soo~ Truth or Dare?" 

Spark

A/N: Follow up to Cold. Because I can't leave angst like that alone. (It can still be regarded as a one-shot, though)

...I find it disturbing that it's easier to write both angst and lulz from Skuluggery's Point of View. 

...Mentions of adult conduct in here. You were warned Austin. 

Sometimes Echo cursed her ability to see something right before her eyes and disregard it as impossible, because usually what she thought she saw was the truth. 

And after a week she had to admit that Skulduggery was really, really down. He didn't talk to her as much, she hadn't been able to make him laugh all week, and started to space out a lot. 

Echo didn't like it. She liked her bone-man happy and well, because there was really nothing much else she could do for him. She liked him laughing. Laughing or angry, because if he was angry it usually meant he cared. 

She did not like this weird neutral-zone. Not at all. 

It was typical if they sat around the house, then more often then not they ended up sitting together. When with other people, they managed to reign it in a bit, but when they were alone often other people could blush: Neither of them really minded being so close, because a) Skulduggery... Yeah..... and b) They were over 2000 years old. You really stop caring about that sort of thing by then. 

Skulduggery was laying on the couch when Echo came over and found it within her rights to make him into her pillow. She ended up laying on his legs and resting her book on his rib-cage, making Skulduggery glance down before resuming his study of the ceiling. A hand came up to toy with her hair, but other then that they didn't talk. 

Skulduggery, for once, wished she would go away and leave him with his thoughts, but that would be cruel. And she was warm. 

Why would she use him as a pillow, he wondered, when he wasn't at all soft? He looked down at her again, reading some recent story by Eoin Colfer with an expression of concentration on her face. Yes, she was lying on his legs, which were made of bone and not much else. In fact, they were made of nothing else. Her head lay a few inches below his own, almost ON the book. 

He didn't have skin, he didn't have muscles, he didn't even have organs to cushion her with. He wondered again WHY she would lay there, and several answers depressed him greatly. 

#1: She was unaware of the discomfort. Unlikely.

#3: She was trying to make him feel better. More likely, but unlikely.

#8: She was right and he was like a portable bag of hot water. That was probably it.

Was he just a heater to her, then? Skulduggery sighed, laying his skull back on the armrest. 

Echo looked up, alarmed by his sigh. "What is it?" She asked, genuinely concerned. 

He shook his skull, not looking at her. "Nothing." 

Echo frowned, closing her book with a finger and crawling up to face her skeleton. He turned his skull to the side, unable to look at her without feeling the crawling of guilt. 

Unexpectedly, Echo wrapped her arms around his 'neck,' burying her face in his collar. "Don't be like this," she whispered. "Don't be distant." 

Alarm shot up his spine as he realized that he must have been acting odd the last week, and for good reason... Echo noticed. Was she crying? He looked down and saw that no, she was not crying, but she obviously wanted to know...

Know what? That he was a coward and couldn't face her about a pretty sensitive subject? That he was guilty that she couldn't have his children? Oh yeah, THAT will go over well. 

Echo's arms tightened slightly, and he realized that she was waiting. He sighed again, wrapping his bone arms around her back, wondering where to start. 

"I... Can't give you half the things I want to." There, woman. Leave me alone now. Pick up your book. 

Echo looked up at him again, and he saw that she had no intention of leaving him alone until she got what she wanted. It would have been much better if he didn't KNOW what she wanted, but he did. 

"...You'd make a good mother, Echo, and I..."

She got it. He could feel that by how her heart, pumping steadily against his ribs, sped up, and how she twitched slightly. 

"I can't..." He looked away in shame. 'Come on, don't make me say it...'

Echo reached up, tilting his head back towards her. He let her. To his surprise he didn't see shock on her face, or even the sadness of being left out there was before. She... was smiling. After a second he could feel the vibrations starting in her chest, before she giggled. "That's IT?" She asked, laughing. 

...She had not been shocked, but poor Skul was. He waited patiently for her to calm down. 

"For a minute, I thought you'd lost your marbles! Let me get this straight." Echo tried to stop smiling, but found she couldn't. "You were all depressed because you couldn't bone me?"

He jumped, sitting up suddenly and looking down at Echo like she was insane. "WHAT?!" Is that all she thought he thought about?

Echo returned to laughing. "Well, that's what it all comes down to, isn't it?" 

Skulduggery stared at her. 

She calmed down after a moment, but still smiling brilliantly, she explained herself. "Skul, I got over my weird longings for children soon after Penelope learned to walk." 

The Detective cocked his head to the side. "...Wha...?" He was still getting over the fact that she mentioned sex as if it was a passing triviality... 

"When she came in and jumped on your bed at three in the morning demanding to play, where do you think she went next after you turned her away?" Echo asked. 

Skulduggery chuckled, still a bit off-balance. 

"Exactly! Kids are nice, I admit, but I like sleeping better." She leaned forward so she was leaning against him, and he realized how she was sitting could not be comfortable: Her legs were straight behind her, over-lapping his, and her torso was nearly vertical. Ouch. 

He laughed at her remark, and with a few deft maneuvers shifted so that he faced forward on the couch instead of reclining and Echo sat sideways on his lap. "And here I thought you always hated Penelope."

Echo looked up at him, surprised. Not at the sudden shift, no, it was actually quite comfortable. She was surprised that he thought she disliked his child. "How so?"

"Eh, no reason." He put his arms around her shoulder, trying to distract her. 

"...How so, Skulduggery?" Echo actually liked that, resting her head upon his shoulder. But she could not be distracted. 

"...I thought you didn't like her because she was Alison's child."

"And I liked her because she was your child, Skul. Stop assuming I angst over everything like you do!" She grinned and he rested his head on hers. 

"I'll try."

"Good man." 

Cold

Snow fell from the sky, making Echo shiver and pull her coat tighter around herself. Looking up, her cheeks pink from the falling ice, she smiled and stepped back before her balance left her. Evidence up that happening several times sparkled on her lawn. Ireland was a good place for snow. 

Grinning like a loon, she spread her arms out, trying to catch some in her gloves before realizing it was cold and wrapping the jacket around herself yet again. Lowering her gaze to the house, she realized that a light was on inside. 

Oops. She ran for the door, hoping to get there before he came downstairs and noticed her absence.

When Skulduggery walked down the stairs he was glad to hear the sounds of Echo moving around in the kitchen: He could not eat, but it showed that she was, in fact, there. As it was, he poked his grinning skull around the corner and was about to ask something but froze. 

Echo. Her cheeks blushing, hair slightly damp, jacket covered in snow down the back, and shivering. 

So much for his question. Gently he retracted his cranium and padded up the steps. His jacket was thrown haphazardly over the chair in the bedroom. 

Echo shivered slightly but grinned. He hated when she was cold, but he didn't have to know- 

She stood straight after looking in one of the bottom cupboards for her cereal, turning suddenly. The Captain Cleaver found herself nose to nose with a certain skeleton. 

She stepped back involuntarily and found herself against a counter. "Umm... I can explain?" She asked, not quite sure why she was being so defensive.

Skulduggery tilted his head to the side. "Is there something that needs explaining?" He asked, sounding confused. In one of his hands he held his jacket, and Echo's eyes widened. 

"Are you going somewhere?" She asked, deflecting the pointless question.

"No, but... As long as you are going somewhere, I would prefer you do it without sneezing all over everything." He gestured towards her inferior winter gear, the fact that it was still wet from her making snow-angels at an ungodly hour of the morning, and looked expectant. 

Echo giggled. That was the closest she had ever heard him getting to admitting he didn't want her to get sick. "It's my stuff, I can sneeze on it if I want." She heaved herself onto the counter, setting the cereal box on her knees and leaning over it like it was a shield. She didn't want to admit that there was pressure building in her nose, and that her head felt funny...

"Oh, really? Fine then, get a cold." He turned and took a step. 

Echo sneezed and he froze as if he had been stung. 

There was silence for a moment, and Echo hid behind her shield of Frosted Flakes while he turned around and took the two steps back towards her. Her eyes gazed at his eye-sockets like a frightened deer but he couldn't see anything else. 

There was a little more silence before Skulduggery sighed and removed the box from his view, placing the back of his hand on Echo's aching head. He couldn't feel textures unless it was moving, but he could feel the cold... and heat. There was quite a bit of it. Odd, since she was just outside in the snow from the looks of it. He gazed at her steadily. 

"I thought you said I could get a cold..." Echo complained after a second of him just looking at her like she was an idiot. 

"That was a rhetorical statement," the skeleton stated as he lifted her off the counter like a child. 

Echo still had the box of cereal in one hand and she gazed at it in mourning. Skulduggery probably wouldn't stand for her eating anything cold... 

But twenty minutes later, bundled up in Skulduggery's jacket, reclining in bed and listening to the Nightmare before Christmas sound-track, she had to admit being sick had it's benefits. Especially the fact that below she was being cooked breakfast by a Skeleton while up here she could twiddle her thumbs and sleep. 

When Skulduggery came back up with her breakfast Echo was fast asleep yet again, curled on her side and hugging a pillow. 

...God, this woman could be INSANE. 

Struggling to hold back a huffish sigh, he walked back down the stairs and put the plate of pancakes and bacon under a large bowl so they could stay warm. 

A moment later he was back upstairs, sitting in the chair in her room and wondering what exactly to do next.

Let's see, she's asleep, she's warm, there's no way in hell he's going to read her a story and she couldn't exactly eat while unconscious... 

His gaze wandered the room, landing on one of her walls. Huh, he had never really noticed this, even though he slept here now. It was usually dark.

The painting was on the wall the door was in, so he couldn't see it unless he was fully inside. Her bed was also placed so he couldn't see it, even sitting up, unless he turned around. No wonder. 

The background was dark, with bright sparks here and there he presumed were stars. It was directly on the wall, which he discovered after going and touching it. 

It was a row of people, back to back, heads tilted forward. They were lined vertically, and she probably had to get a ladder to do the top couple:

The very top one was of himself. Both of him-selves. On the right was his usual skeleton form, looking down at him while in one hand he held a flame. On the left was his old human form, who held a candle. Hmm. So he DID have black hair- it was hard to remember since he didn't see it all that often. Mirrors weren't common yet back then. 

The next down was Echo and Alison, both smiling. Echo looked uncertain while Alison grinned happily, her blond hair over one shoulder while Echo and herself leaned against each-other. Echo's own hair was free. 

He got the significance: Alison was on the left, closer to "Apollo," his human self. This had been painted when Echo still didn't know for sure what was going on between then, hence her uncertainty. 

But the next one down... Valkyrie and Penelope were back to back. Now that he thought about it, they looked almost the same, right down to the dark hair and eyes. 

But Penelope was the daughter of Alison and Apollo, while he obviously couldn't give Echo a child. 

So why was Valkyrie there, then? To signify that Echo thought of her like a daughter? No, couldn't be... 

...And if this was painted before Valkyrie met Echo, why was Valkyrie in the picture? Was it possible he had never noticed it before because it hadn't BEEN there before? 

Then why was Echo uncertain? He thought about it, and was sure there was no way Echo could have created something like this in the odd time between their reunion and Nameless's demise, but since then they had been pretty sure...

Unsure about Valkyrie, perhaps?

...Or was Valkyrie filling up empty space?

Oh, Echo! He glanced at her sleeping form, then back at Val. It was true! Had to be! While the rest of them had realistic expressions Valkyrie was smiling... almost cheesily. 

His heart dropped to his stomach, and a sudden chill took over him, even though he had no heart and no skin to be goose-bumped. He knew he could never give Echo children... But it was another thing entirely for her to pretty much acknowledge that. 

His skull drooped and he looked at Echo again... He felt cold and it was nothing to do with the snow outside (her heater was very good). With a heavy chest he sat next to her on the bed, reaching out and touching her hair. 

Echo stirred and he whispered, "It's okay, go back to sleep," even though it was not okay. She didn't have to wake up for it though. 

...Skuduggery rarely felt sorrow or remorse, and even more rarely had that weird urge to cry even though he couldn't. Echo, so sweet and kind, would make a very good mother. He was sure of it! But she could never mother children of her own unless she found someone else...

No! Skulduggery felt like slapping himself. He's known this for several centuries: If he fell in love, he couldn't have offspring. Just because he wanted Echo to have children didn't mean he had to shove her to someone else! 

That chased the chill from him, though he was still not warm. Sighing, he lay on the bed next to her, occupied by his heavy thoughts.

A/N: I feel like slapping myself now, thanks. It started out as crack and fluff and then by the end I had to make myself depressed... >.<>

Plot-Bunnies: *munch on bancakes*

(See word of the week.)

Amigo won, of course.

Amigo won the ultimate fight of awesome!!! *dance party*

OKAY. THIS CALLS FOR A CELEBRATION.

I challenge anyone who reads this to write or cite a demonstration where Amigo won completely. It can be made up. (Not that we HAVE to make one up, Amigo wins by default anyways.)

POAST LIEK TOAST AND GO! 

New fic time may be nao... D:

A/N: It's a beginning. ^_^ Features younger!Mello, younger!Matt, Young!Near, and younger!L. I own none of them. But I love them

...I do own Persephone though. Steal her and an angry mother named Echo will chase you down and eat your face. 

She had dark hair, shiny like a coin but dark like a fallen feather. Her skin was the color of barely-ripe peaches, but it seemed pale with most of the other kids here going outside every day during the summer. 

Her clothes were simple, biding to no particular fashion yet seeming rather fashionable. Her sneakers  were not the modern ones, with all the colors and the whole 'support the ankle' deal. They were basically black flats trying to pass as sneakers using laces and a tongue. She wore black slacks as well, comfortable but not much to the eye, yet somehow they were different... Such a deep color of black. Her top was a long-sleeved red turtleneck, like a blood drop. It did not add any blush to her cheeks, and somehow did not attract gazes away from her face... Such odd clothes. Read: Ghastly Bespoke made them. >.>

Matt's eyes took a few moments to find her, after surreptitiously hiding his game-boy in his desk. Mello never even looked over after his first glance. Near's gaze followed her around the room as she chose a seat, the teacher looking on, surprised at the newest student's boldness. 

"...Class, this is Persephone Haunted." 

That got a few student's attention: The name was obviously a fabrication, like all of theirs, but nobody had ever chosen a surname for themselves. 

"'Sup, class?" Persephone asked from her chair, sitting down in the typical 'I'm just a lousy teenager' style: One leg was bent so it rested against the desk just below the knee, the other hanging without any charisma. Nobody was buying it: Her eyes were too sharp for her to be here by chance, her grin too easy for her to be nervous, the way she rested too natural. 

Near immediately surmised she came from a place where she was popular, her parents were lenient (and most likely still alive), and she could get her way through sweet-talking. A prep. 

Near's Analysis: She would not last a week. 

Mello thought she was just another pretty face, someone who could not handle deep thought. She was, what? 14? The same age as him.

Mello's Conclusion: She would take a lower position. Maybe she could be useful in getting to Near. 

Matt took one look at her and frowned. She was bright. She was charismatic. She could possibly knock Mello down to third. 

Matt's Fear: Mello would not like her. 

Test score? 0/3. 

Morning Times <3

A/N: Okay, this is not a part of the two-shot but it's built off it, just because.

Echo awoke slowly, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her skin and lying next to someone who actually didn't leave in the night like usual. It had been two weeks since the rave party, and this had become something of a given for them: Skulduggery brought up moving in once, so in a couple of weeks...

She smiled, stretching subtly so he wouldn't wake up. How she wished she could get up and make him pancakes or something, but he couldn't eat them. For his birthday it was tradition for her to make a cupcake that she would enjoy because he wouldn't, but he didn't need to know that. He probably didn't even know that every year since she was 12 she celebrated his birthday, even if he didn't.

Echo sighed, looking at Skul's skull. She had to smile again, because it was just... a little cute. Somehow. Even she did not know.

Pancakes sound nice.

A/N: Drabbles are fun~

Our Time Now (part 2)

A/N: Part Two has arrived, ferried by the fastest blimps. At two in the morning. ;_;

"Come on, Echo, you can walk..." Skulduggery was muttering angrily as he half-dragged half-carried up the steps to her porch, then found her keys in her jacket pocket. There was a confusing array of them, and he wondered just how many she had: One or two looked several centuries old, so did she keep all of them, from every house she moved to? Curious. 

A fog seemed to have taken residence in his skull, something that happened every couple days. His body did not need rest but his mind was tired from all the activity and he wanted to get home. Echo murmured sleepily as he gave up on letting her walk and carried her bridal-style up the spiral stairs and into her room. After fighting with her and winning over removing her jacket and shoes, there was still the matter of getting her under the covers. 

With her still leaning on him (and now shivering), he pondered this. After a second he leaned her on the wall (where she barely stayed upright, he noticed) the detective pulled back the sheets, retrieved her, placed her on the matress, and was about to pull the sheets back over her when the infuriating woman grabbed his sleeve. 

...It was too early for this. The skeleton glared at her and considered his options. 

1) Drag his arm free and risk her waking up.

2) Let her keep the jacket.

3) Stay the night. 

That first one was out the window, because he did not have the energy to drag his arm free of her steel vise. Not that he would mind waking her up. The second one had a history of bad moments, most of them having to do with snow. 

He gazed at the offending limb, shaking it a couple times. Her arm flopped sleepily but she kept hanging on. 

Option 3 it was. 

...........

.........

.......

He was bored. Echo shivered to remind him that he had yet to pull the covers over her, preoccupied as he was by her arm. 

Sighing, he stretched as far as her arm would allow and grabbed the nearest corner, dragging it up. 

Even Paula has to grant her points for what happened next. As he leaned over her to grab the opposite corner of the blanket, she let go of his arm... And latched onto his rib-cage. (As well as all the clothes on it.)

Okay, right about now he was getting ready to yell profanities. Really, was this woman INSANE?! He looked down, and yes, she was asleep. 

...

God, what the hell is TANITH like when she's asleep? 

The fog in his mind rushed in, demanding to let him sleep. Alright, alright, I'll sleep, you crazy little... 

He drifted off beside her without a second thought... Or even much of a first. 

He couldn't breathe, couldn't hear, couldn't think. All he knew was that there was danger, he was in danger, but he wasn't the only one!

Alison! Alison was in danger! He ran, ran, ran, he needed to find her- 

A cruel laugh. Skulduggery turned around, or was it the world turning around him...

Echo fell out of the bed, pushed by Skulduggery turning over in his sleep. She sat up, wondering just what the hell just happened.

...Serpine! He held a woman by the throat, suspending her without any effort. Skulduggery could not make out who the woman was, only brown hair... Echo!

"Echo...." Echo stood in a snap, ready to fight the intruder... But realized it was only Skul and he was... Asleep? Huh, she didn't think that was possible. 

And he was... muttering her name? While looking like he was having a nightmare? Woah, major brain-breakage over here.

Serpine continued laughing and Echo screamed, not words, just screaming. Serpine looked at him, and grinned. It was Dusk's face. "You cannot protect her..." It hissed, and Skulduggery tried to run forward but he was held back by some invisible force, like a gale from a hurricane. 

Echo sat down on the edge of the bed, her bed she noticed, and frowned. He was calling her name, kinda muddled since he was asleep, but it was her name. He had kicked off the blankets and tossed and turned every few seconds. 

"Skul," she whispered, leaning over him. "Hey, Skul."

Echo was calling him, asking for him, but he couldn't move, couldn't breath...

"Skul! Wake up!" Echo put her hand over his shoulder to support her weight, one hand tracing his skull. He did not look like he enjoyed his dream very much. Her hand was gentle against his 'face,' marveling in a quiet voice at the smoothness of the bone. 

And- SNAP! He was up, his head jerking upwards to see her leaning just six inches from him, shadows making her nearly invisible. Echo drew back, and he sat up in a rush. 

"Wha...?" She whispered, voice hoarse. 

Skulduggery looked around for a moment, before coming to terms with the fact that he was in Echo's room in the middle of the night, and that she was just a foot away, staring at him with what he assumed was an expression of innocence and concern. Or it could be horror, if she was surprised he was in her moonlight room, her bed. 

"E...cho?" He asked tentatively, given the fact that he had just woken up out of a nightmare in which she died.... 

In return, Echo leaned closer and wrapped her arms around him. Oh, God, Echo! He could have cried. In fact, he was shaking and Echo felt it, burying her head in his shoulder, the trembles transferring onto her. 

Skulduggery was surprised by that, afraid that she would kick him out of bed. Instead, she seemed to welcome him. He looked down at her head and saw her eyes were open, focused on nothing until she felt his gaze. 

Echo looked up, meeting his bottomless pits of eye-sockets with her intelligent eyes, turned black by the minimal lighting.  He cocked his head to the side, wondering what to do next. She smiled at the gesture, before closing her eyes and snuggling back onto his shoulder. Sighing, he lay back, moving one arm to hug her half-way, still wondering exactly what to say. Echo was warm and obviously very much comfy where she was. 

Echo moved away for a second and he looked after her sharply before she moved back. She had the blankets and he realized he must have kicked them off in the night with his nightmare.

Nightmare about her, about her dying the way Alison had... She must have been so alone after that! Him, her sister, her niece, all gone in one fell swoop. Her parents had already passed, and no other relatives would have stepped up. He knew the noble's type. How could she still love him after he left her like that, and when he came back... He hadn't been anything like the Apollo she knew before that. Was it the memory of the bright young man she had been she loved? Just that? The doubts plagued him.

"Echo?" He asked quietly, wondering if she was even still awake. 

An affirming "Hmm?" met his... Oh, wait... Well, he heard it.

"Why do you still love me?" 

...Echo's eyes fluttered open, surprised by the question. How could she state it in so many words? "Uh... You're smart, you're funny... You're bad ass when you want to be..."

No, no no. He cut her off. "Do you love me because I was once Apollo?" 

...Oh. OH! Echo understood, and smiled. "...Sort of... I suppose I'll always see you and see a little boy ith long hair chasing a leaf around my room, but... He was young. When I look back at him I see a naive little thing that I want to protect, to shelter from the world the way he sheltered me, in a way. I think of Apollo and think of being safe, warm, and out of the rain. Even though that didn't happen often."

Skulduggery was not hearing what he wanted to. 

"But, this new you... It's so much more! Sure, Apollo was smart, but this Skulduggery Pleasant is... How do I say it? You're smart, of course, and funny, but you were always smart and funny. It's... Hold on." 

Echo fell silent and Skulduggery waited, confused. He could feel her hand, making little swirly patterns on the blanket beside her, and he knew without looking that she was making that face she did when she was deep in thought. 

"Okay, got it." He paid attention. "I love you and not Apollo, because I trust you." 

...What? "That's it?" Not very reassuring. 

"Lemme explain. I know I can trust you to stay out of trouble, whereas if Apollo was here I would have to check if he was safe every few minutes because I'm a Mother Hen and that's what I do. I can trust you to trust me, which you have done on numerous occasions. I can trust you with my life, no explanation needed. But, most of all, I can just... trust you. If I need you, you'll be there... If I'm happy, you'll share it. If you're sad, you'll accept me trying to help you. It's..."

She fell silent, trying to articulate her words. Skulduggery was in awe. Echo, so smart and so shy and so quiet, was holding this sort of thing inside her all these years? How many times did he break these trusts? Did she trust him not to look at her and see Alison? Did she trust him not to make a stupid mistake and have them hating each-other again?

"...I can't explain, I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Skulduggery wormed onto his side, so he faced her properly. A bony hand ran over her face seemingly of it's own accord while he thought. His heart was at once sinking and floating, torn between elation and guilt. Endless, swirling pits of Guilt.  That's a lot of Guilt for him to sink into. 

Echo merely smiled, her arms snaking around him as if simply having him there wasn't enough: She wanted to keep him, forever. For tonight, Skulduggery was hers, and hers alone. Her heart was not torn between emotions like it was being dragged apart by Amigo and Sklyar, so she felt like she was flying when he, in turn, wrapped his arms around her. 

A song popped into her head of it's own accord, dancing around and demanding to be let out. Okay then.

Skulduggery was surprised when she began humming some random tune. It seemed peppy and happy, something he would hear pumping out a teenage girl's car. 

"Do you think you love me?" She whispered, and it took a moment for him to realize it was the song. "I think I love you!" 

A smile split her face, and he wondered at how simple and happy she was. Echo... Was being Echo. His vision faded, 'closing his eyes' to hear her more clearly. The sound reverberated through his chest, a pleasant hum to off-set the stillness. He could almost pretend he was alive. He felt her eventually grow more and more quiet, until she was asleep once again, before he could finally drift back off. 

And all was calm in the world of the living... 

A/N: I would just like to state that I love Paula to death, and that this is dedicated to her. Because of unmentionable conversations. Via Gmail.

Moving on~ I love Echo and Skul. That's all there is. <3<3<3<3