Prologue
"Hello, Brother" the young goth girl was nearly bouncing with joy as the tall, gaunt figure sat beside her.
"Sister" he intoned, as he settled robes around him, before folding his hands into his lap. Children screamed, laughed and cried as they played with the swings and slides, the pleasant afternoon's sun encouraging their games. Death watched silently, the company of her brother more than enough right now.
"Are you here for business, or pleasure?" he finally asked, turning to watch her pale profile. The Ankh tattoo on her cheek almost glowed with power and he had his answer before she could voice it.
"Business, I'm afraid. But not the normal kind" she sighed softly, before tilting her head to look at him. "Can you feel the universe holding her breath?"
Closing his eyes, Morpheus reached out with his otherworldly senses, feeling a thrill of electricity flicker along his arms. He could feel the small rent in reality that she was hinting at, but as he listened the sounds of the world ceased.
Opening his eyes, the children had paused mid-play, balls mysteriously stopped.
"It's a auspicious day when two of the Endless gather on the planes of the Earth" drifted the deep voice of a dark skinned man who stepped into view.
"Amenadiel." Morpheus stood, to show respect to the Angel, his own robes fluttering almost as black as the wings on their new companion. "What brings you to this moment, Angel?"
"I received a message." Death arose, moving to the other side of the large man, watching his face.
As they stood in the silence of the arrested world, she reached out to touch his arm very lightly "I'm so very sorry, Amenadiel."
As her fingers brushed his arm, the world seemed to return to life, punctuated by a particularly shrill scream from a child that fell off the swing.
Amenadiel looked down at the slim fingers on his arm, a puzzled frown darkening his face, then his gaze was drawn to the slumped form of his own body on the floor. "Come on, Amenadiel. I will keep you safe." Death started to draw the spirit of the Angel away, but Morpheus held out his hand.
"Wait, sister."
She paused, turning to look back at him "I cannot hold him long, as you well know."
"Actually, you can. Our brother said that there is a moment today, where the world hangs on a thread. He could not see the outcome." He paused, eyes flickering between the body and the spirit of the Angel once known as Amenadiel. "I believe that in this instance, it is more suitable for him to abide in my domain, until the situation makes sense."
Death paused, a faint glimmer of mischief in her eyes. "You know that an Angel is a strange soul?"
"Even Angels dream, sister. Even you dream." he smiled softly, for once breaking his aloof mask.
"Touché, brother..." She smiled at him, just as Amenadiel started to realise what was happening.
"Lucy will want to find out who did this. He'll come!" The Angel started to pull away.
"He will die, if he does." Death's voice was soft, final and chilling all at once.
She turned to her brother. "Angel and Human together may get to the bottom of this. If He'll come."
"I'll make him come" said Morpheus, "dreams are powerful portents to his kind."
