"Wow...she's so beautiful." Bethany half-sobbed.

The birth had gone smoothly, no complications at all. The newest last scion-Eve Sloane was born in just over four hours and was now being cradled by her mother.

Bethany held her daughter close, alternately crying and laughing over the tiny pink creature in her arms. The doctors and nurses had agreed to let her have one hour alone with the baby before taking Eve down to the nursery.

It was borrowed time, but cherished.

"This has always been my favorite part," said a voice from the other side of the room. Bethany looked to find the Metatron sitting in the visitor's chair over by the door.

"What?"

"This. This moment of awe. It's just peaceful and quiet. In every culture, since the dawn of humanity, this moment has existed. It's older than I am. She had it first." He explained as he got up and came closer to the hospital bed.

"With the first Adam?"

"Yes. Now you get to have it with Eve."

Bethany smiled at the angel and then looked down at her baby. "Would you like to hold her?" she asked.

The Metatron's eyes lit up, "Yeah, sure." He said, taking the baby. "You know, I've never held a baby before."

"Really? Never?"

"Never. I mean I've been around plenty of them, but I've never just held one." He mused as he stared down at the child.

"Well you are the dad." Bethany said tiredly.

"That will have to remain between you, me and the walls, I'm afraid. She has your eyes. Here." He said, giving the baby back to Bethany.

"Thank you. Isn't she wonderful?"

Before he could answer, one of Bethany's nurses came into the room. "Excuse me, Ms. Sloane, is everything all right?"

Bethany looked at Metatron, who quickly said, "The nurse can't see or hear me, tell her everything is peachy and send her on her way."

She turned to the nurse. "Um, yeah, yes, everything is fine."

"I could've sworn I heard you talking a minute ago."

Bethany shrugged, "I was just talking to little Eve here." She explained, motioning to her daughter.

"Oh, all right then. Um, I'm sorry, but Dr. Reyes says I have to take Eve down to the nursery now for observation." The nurse said.

"Oh, ok." Bethany said, giving Eve to the nurse.

Once the nurse was out the door she turned back to Metatron. "What was that all about?"

"I could've just appeared human to her but visiting hours were over 45 minutes ago. I don't fancy the idea of being ushered out of a hospital by a bunch of chattering nurses." He explained as he sat down again.

"I see your point. Will you watch Eve while I sleep?" she asked, her eyes already feeling heavy.

"Are you all right? How do you feel?"

"Like a human being just came out of me, how do you think? I want to sleep forever." She was grumpy, sweaty and exhausted.

Metatron smiled. "Understandable. Go ahead and get some rest, I'll check in on Eve."

Bethany didn't reply, she was already falling asleep. Metatron pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and left the room.

With a snap of his fingers, he was taken three floors down to the nursery. The room was lined with newborns in warmed cradles. He appeared in the center of the room-still invisible and inaudible to the surrounding humans.

Eve stared up at him and looked him in the eye. Could she actually see him or was she simply looking through him and staring at the ceiling?

"Pretty girl, you'll be a big help to us someday." He told her.

Eve just blinked.

Metatron watched her for a few more minutes before he got the odd sensation that he was the one being watched. He didn't like that feeling, he also didn't like the presence of evil he sensed so nearby.

He turned, and in one swift movement, the Metatron had changed completely. His suit and hoodie had seemingly melted away into a white robe embroidered with gold, a sharp golden spear in his right hand, a golden shield in his left.

The change did not only affect his clothes, but his entire demeanor as well.

Where his eyes had once been the dark hazel gaze of a human man, they were now fully colored-no white, no iris, no pupil; his eyes were as gold as the sun, meant to pierce through the heart of darkness. His wings had appeared as well, expanding as far as they would stretch, forming a feathery wall around Eve's cradle.

"No evil harm shall befall the last scion." He said, his voice deep and echoing throughout the room. "No innocent will be hurt under the eyes of the Metatron."

He saw the disturbance on the other side of the room. A Carkara demon- small demons that fed on children's flesh. Metatron knew it wouldn't take him but two shakes to kill the little monster, but rage and confusion flooded through him that Lucifer would send a demon after Eve.

Eve was off limits for the devil to do her any harm-physical, mental or otherwise- until she was of age. The girl wasn't even two hours old and Lucifer was already sending monsters after her.

It may be the first omen of another war between Heaven and Hell.

That was a possibility, but he wouldn't let Eve be the first casualty. He was a powerful warrior, he had proved it in the first war-he would prove it again now.

He was ready to carve up the demon like a Christmas turkey, when it suddenly vanished. Then he heard the laughter. The voice was feminine, but echoed in the same way that his had.

Ah. It had only been an illusion. Another one of her silly pranks.

Metatron rolled his eyes and let himself slip back into his human form. In less than a second, the wings, robe, spear and shield were gone. His eyes and voice returned to normal.

He turned back to Eve's cradle and saw the Angel of Death standing on the other side.

She was wearing her own 'game face', just as he had been a moment ago. Where his eyes were golden, hers were a deep blood red, her long dark hair held back by an ornate silver headdress. As Metatron had told Bethany earlier, her wings were black.

Unlike Metatron's and most other angels, however, her wings were sharper, more angled like a falcon's than broad like an eagle's. The feathers looked as if they were razor-edged; sharp enough to draw blood.

"You think sending in an illusion of a flesh-eating demon into a room full of newborns is funny? I should send that spear of mine straight through your heart." He said irritably.

"Seraphim must never cause harm." She said calmly. "The Voice shall not fight the Collector."

"What are you doing down here anyway? I know you aren't here for her, you know the deal we have with the morning star."

"Not here for her. There is another, upstairs. I am early."

"Why?"

"I want to see her. We all do." She said, looking down into the cradle and touched Eve's hand. "How is the mother?"

"Bethany is fine." Metatron informed her, somewhat proudly. "She's sleeping, exhausted from the labor. She did wonderful and Eve is perfectly healthy."

"Metatron?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember the last Holy Child?"

"How could I forget?"

"And you remember what you learned about the mortals?"

Metatron frowned, unsure of where she was going with this. "What?"

"We are not to become attached. Mortals die, we do not. When they die it causes us much grief. You know this."

Metatron didn't like the warning tone in her voice at all. He took a step closer to the cradle and gripped the rim. She couldn't mean...

"What are you saying Reaper?"

"Do not grow attached to the mortal. Her time will come soon."

Before Metatron could demand any answers, Reaper had disappeared.