"Should I not have told you?" Reaper asked softly.

Night had fallen in Heaven. Every star was visible in the dusky sky, bested only by the full disk of the moon overhead. Reaper had brought Metatron to her sanctuary, a small cave that was formed underneath a waterfall. The flowing water crashed at the cave's mouth, but they were deep inside, curled together beside a small fire.

Here they could be alone, away from the prying eyes of the other angels, abstracts and humans.

Metatron had been upset at her news; Reaper had brought him inside to calm his nerves. He rested his head in her lap as she stroked his hair. Metatron's eyes slipped closed at her soft touch.

"No, I asked and you told. Thank you for doing that for me." He replied.

"Death isn't meant to be told. It is secret of nature, I should not have told you." She said.

"It's alright, I'll be fine. I was just surprised, that's all. Thank you for helping me."

"What will you tell her?" Reaper asked as Metatron moved to sit up. He stretched his wings.

"Who? The girl or her mother?"

"Both."

"I haven't a clue. But...I do have some time, don't I? Nearly 14 years, that's ages away."

"Mortal time slips by quickly."

"Yes it does. But it's slow for them." Metatron stared at the crackling campfire for a moment, his golden eyes matching the flames. He thought about life, it was very much like the fire: burning so bright in one moment and then snuffed out in the next.

A thought occurred to him and he turned to Reaper. "Have you ever wondered what it's like?" he asked her.

"To be a mortal?"

"Yes."

"Don't be foolish, Metatron." Reaper said, her black feathers fluffing a bit. She was occasionally asked this question- if not by him, then by others- and didn't like it.

"No, I'm being serious. Have you?" he asked.

"Sometimes I do wonder. I wonder what it is like to die, what it could be like to know that it ends." Reaper said, somewhat wistfully. "To know there is no tomorrow...but it is not ours to wonder about. Mortality is for them."

Reaper neglected to mention that the idea of death terrified her more than she could say. The thought of a final end was even more frightening to an immortal than to the beings that died naturally.

Metatron stood up. "You're right of course. And I don't know what I could possibly say to them, there are no words for-"

"Death?"

"I haven't told anyone they're to die. The very purpose of Jesus was to die for the rest of them, but Bethany won't understand that. And Eve will be devastated if I told her alone."

Reaper put her hand on his shoulder. "Then tell them nothing. It causes pain and fear when the mortals know their time is near. Let them live, be happy, alive. Tell them nothing. I will take her swiftly, but never tell the mortals."

"Not say anything? How can I keep quiet knowing what I know?" he asked her.

"You can, because it is not your purpose. You will say nothing, Metatron." Reaper said firmly, her grip on his shoulder tightening slightly.

He removed her hand, "I must go."

There was no point in telling her where he was headed, she already knew. Her sad crimson eyes followed him as he strode out, away from her.

Metatron reappeared in Bethany's new home. He had to say that he liked this house better than her last. It was bigger, for one thing.

"Bethany?" he called. There was no answer, but he heard Eve giggle in the den. He followed the sound and found her sitting on the floor, watching a video.

"Evie," he said her nickname. The toddler looked at him and smiled broadly. She tried to get up, but she was too slow. Metatron came forward and picked her up. "How's my favorite girl? What are you watching here?" he asked her as he carried her to the couch and sat down beside her.

The DVD cover was on the coffee table. "Raiders of the Lost Ark? Not exactly Disney, but it won't do you any harm." He said, stroking Eve's short black hair. "Where's your momma?" he asked.

Eve was still too young to talk, but she was able to understand his meaning, and she pointed to the front door.

Metatron left Eve on the couch and went to the window. Bethany was outside talking with the UPS deliveryman. Even from this distance he could tell she was flirting.

After a few minutes more, and an exchange of numbers, Bethany came back inside. "Having fun?" Metatron asked when she came into the den.

Bethany gasped at his unexpected presence, but smiled. "You've really got to start giving people a warning before you just pop into a room."

"Why? Don't want the deliveryman, Mark Batinrol, to think you're involved?" he teased as Eve sat quietly.

"That and I could do without the shock factor, though I guess I should be used to it by now." She said as she sat down on the other side of Eve.

"At least I have the decency not to do the fiery entrance," he teased. "So you like the mail man? How cute."

"Yeah, we've talked a couple times before. He seems nice. Is he?"

"What?"

"Nice, I mean. He's not one of those losers that will get in your pants and then end up stealing your TV is he?" Bethany asked. "You're an angel, tell me."

"Oh, he's a nice guy. Went to college, has a good job, pays his taxes." Metatron said absently.

"That's it?"

"Aside from the fine print, that's it."

"Last time there was any fine print, I died, if you remember." Bethany said.

"What's your point? You were brought back to life, weren't you?"

"Just barely. So what's his fine print?"

"He has a few unpaid parking tickets and he drinks from the milk carton."

"Not bad, now if I can only find a babysitter..." Bethany said, looking at him with her eyebrows raised.

"Babysitter? What, why me?" Metatron asked.

"Oh, come on, you two don't spend enough time together anyway-"

"Rubbish, she instantly recognized me when I came in today."

"Oh, come on, please? She loves you and she really is very well behaved."

"I know, I know...alright, I'll do it."

"Great, I'm gonna let Mark know we're on for this Saturday night." Bethany said happily as she got up from the couch in search of the mobile phone.

Metatron looked down at Eve. "Well this should be interesting."