Death and the Lady

Six years later

Lily and Haji were walking hand in hand on the beach on the Canary Islands. Kenny was running out ahead of them, laughing loudly as he skipped through the waves. A little girl with blonde pigtails and a colourful sundress ran after him.

The twins were skipping stones on the water and Claire and Nate were walking a little behind them, arm in arm. Coming behind them was Ryo and his new girlfriend named Meredith, a Cleric from Scotland.

Lily cupped a hand around her mouth. “Careful Sara!” she called and Haji squeezed her hand.

“You worry too much, love,” he said softly and Lily ran a hand over her face.

“I have no idea how my mom managed with me.”

Haji laughed. “Isn’t that the wish of every parent? That their child has a child that is exactly like they were?”

Lily laughed. “Well, she’s four,” she admitted, “and a little too adventurous for it.”

“Why not add one more to the litter?” Nate called from behind them and Lily stuck out her tongue at him.

“Well, we finally get to take that holiday we’ve been putting off,” Haji admitted and Lily nodded.

“And I can have a break from wedding planning. Claire is driving me mad. I swear that ours wasn’t half as much effort as this one.”

“Claire is French. They always want everything with flare and style. They’re saying that it’ll be the wedding of the century.”

Lily laughed. “Then ours was the wedding of the millennia! The first wedding between a Master Cleric and Master Reaper. How is Nate adjusting to his role as second in command, by the way?”

Haji put his arm around her shoulders. “Well, he keeps me light. I have a tendency to get too intense, apparently.”

“I like intense.”

Haji laughed and kissed her on the cheek. Lily suddenly glanced down at her watch and lifted her hands to her mouth.

“Kenny! Sara! We’ve got to start getting back! Helandel will start worrying if we’re late for lunch!”

“I still think it was pretty nice of Life to grant Helandel a new retirement in Reality,” Ryo said as they caught up with them.

Lily grinned. “Let’s just say that I gave her a deal she couldn’t refuse.”

“What did you-”

“-do to her?” the twins asked as they jogged closer.

Lily put a finger over her lips and winked. “My secret.”

Just then Sara came barrelling towards them and leapt into Haji’s arms. Lily kissed her on the cheek and she leaned over so that her mother could take her. The little girl’s big, steel grey eyes were flecked with blue, an after effect of Lily’s short time as Death.

“Is grandpa Death gonna be there?” she squeaked and Lily smiled.

“I’m pretty sure he’ll drop by on his way somewhere else. He usually does.”

Surprisingly enough Death adored Sara, and Sara adored him. Lily wasn’t too sure what Sara would remember in her days to come, but knowing that you could call on Death when you were in trouble made a child pretty cheeky.

“Have you heard anything about Stephen?” Ryo asked and everyone fell silent.

Haji looked at Lily with a frown, but she just wiggled her nose against Sara’s and smiled when the girl giggled.

“He and my mom are getting back together.”

“What?” the twins exclaimed.

“Apparently he woke up from a year long coma and can’t remember anything from after he left, or about the Reapers or anything.”

“You believe him?” Claire asked and Lily shrugged.

“Helandel and I can’t really trust him, but my mom is happy. Death said that he really doesn’t remember anything. He said that he tied up all the loose ends I left.”

“That man was mental! Frothing at the brain!” Nate exclaimed.

Lily laughed as they turned towards the beach house where Helandel and Kenny’s parents were waiting. Finally, after all these years, she’d gotten the family she never knew she needed and always wanted.

In the distance, on a cliff edge, a figure dressed in a grey robe turned to Death as he stood, scythe in hand.

Why did you set these events into play? Death asked and the figure seemed to grin.

To see what happened, the figure said and looked back at the small group walking on the beach, I must say, it turned out far more interesting than expected.

This may not end as well as you hope, Death said and the figure nodded.

That may be true, bit isn’t twisting mortals’ destiny my duty?