Brothers!

Many thanks go to RF-Fast for his editing and suggestions that enhanced the story. Any bad grammar left is wholly on me and my artistic style.

LEGALESE: Don't read this if you are underage, if it is illegal in your area, if it is offensive to you, or if you cannot distinguish fiction from reality. This is a work of fiction. All characters active are of the age of consent.

A word of warning, I write good stories, I hope, with some decent sex in them. If you're looking for a stroker look somewhere else.

Copyright (c) 2019 by Acup

The disclaimers have been moved to the end of the story for my A D D readers.

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I was just sitting there admiring the view. It had been quite a long time since I had been up here.

Things had changed, and yet not changed. The cars were bigger and faster, but quieter. There were more people, but they ignored each other.

I sighed, they bustled about like they hadn't a care in the world. But then many of them didn't know their fate tonight.

I was just enjoying the weather, the kind that makes my business pick up. A dark and dreary night with a heavy snow fall and a decent blowing wind. Quite the nice change from my usual toasty environment. Going to be lots of 'accidents' tonight.

I was just sitting in the bus shelter biding my time. I had about half an hour to kill and I thought I'd just enjoy it. Watching them scurry about totally clueless.

"Hey Azi! What you doing up here?"

I looked up to see a slightly concerned underling of mine. "Just up cleaning up someone else's mess."

Gorgie grinned, "What did Gina do this time?"

I just smiled and shook my head.

"You would think a few hundred years in her own personal hell would teach her a lesson." She continued, then looked down the block, "well gotta go before the boss gets mad at me."

I just chuckled, sisters! And it was only three hundred years, and that was almost seven hundred years ago.

I sat there a bit more, everyone around me totally oblivious to me, but then that was as it should be. They wouldn't be able to see me until it was their time.

I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Azi, or more correctly, Azrael. Also known as the Angel of Death, the Grim reaper, the... well you get the picture.

I was waiting for a young woman to cross the street and get hit by a bus. I snapped my fingers and my tablet appeared. No, not some stone tablet. We do have modern conveniences even for this job.

I scrolled down.

Margret Doonan, age thirty four, mother of daughter Abby, wife of husband Nicholas. He was in the hospital across the street in serious condition. The victim of a mugging gone wrong. I cross checked his status and he wasn't scheduled for a pick up for many years.

Abby's future was a gray area. She had a possible pickup scheduled in twelve years, with a definite pick up in seventy one. Not bad! If she behaved herself she'd live to be a ripe old woman of eighty three.

I was still studying the file when I heard the loveliest of voices.

I looked up to see this little girl helping her mother along on the slippery side walk. Her voice sounding much older than her size and years would suggest.

I took a closer look, and the pictures in the file did not do these two justice. Even from a distance they were both stunning women. Abby would be a real heart breaker with no trouble at all.

I put the tablet away, they were almost to the street, a few moments more...

Abby looked up and directly into my eyes.

SHE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO SEE ME!

She hesitated for a moment, still holding her mother's hand. That was all it took to make Margret hesitate for a moment, then jerk back letting the bus just miss her.

When the traffic cleared they came across, Abby not taking her eyes off me.

Now before you go getting all creepy on me, I was not dressed in the old fashioned outfit. You know, the big cloak and scythe. Just a nice dark suit and shirt. Actually pretty classy if I do say so myself.

But she still wasn't supposed to see me!

Well I guess I could let people see me now.

Abby guided her mother across the street, and only when they got close did Margret look up and see me.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I'm just a little scatter brained lately."

Abby looked up at me, a bit of defiance in her look, "My daddy's in the hospital. He's been sleeping the last few days."

Ah yes, the coma. He's supposed to be waking up in two more days.

"Well hopefully they'll make him all better soon."

There was a bit of awkward silence before I could think of something to say. I'm not used to interacting with live humans. "Well I was just on my way to grab a bite, would you ladies care to join me."

I know it was a bit formal, but it's been almost forty years since I was up here.

"Well I don't know..." Margret started.

"Can we Mommy? I'm hungry."

Margret hesitated, looked at me, then back to her daughter. You could almost touch the love she had for her daughter. It made even me hesitate a moment.

"Oh I guess."

Abby just grinned the grin of a loving child, the love from her mother being returned a million fold.

So I put my arm out and Abby held my hand as we walked the two blocks to a little diner. Just a small place like every other one within a few blocks of any hospital in the world. Catering to the late night people around the hospitals. The care givers and the family of victims.

We chatted a bit about little of consequence. Margret and I sipping coffee, Abby thoroughly enjoying her chocolate malt. Interjecting all the things she wanted to do when she got big. Even at her young age she wanted to be a doctor. To help all the people that got hurt like her Daddy. To make things all better for them.

Margret beaming down at her determined daughter. She would do all she could to encourage and help her.

I couldn't help myself. I slid my tablet out beside me hidden by the table and put Margret's pick up on indefinite hold and deleted Abby's possible from the system.

I shook my head, this would set a bad precedent, but I put the release order in for Gina. I couldn't really punish her for doing the same thing I just did.

In short order Abby had finished her chocolate malt and they were headed back to the bus stop, the storm having abated to just a nice gentle snow fall.

I was just about to flick back to my office when I heard a chuckle from behind me. I didn't even have to turn to know who it was.

"She's one of the good ones isn't she?" he asked as I watched Margret and Abby get on the bus.

I gritted my teeth. "Yes, Michael" I replied to my goody two shoes brother just before snapping out to my office.

BROTHERS!

And now for my disclaimers which were inspired by JimBob44, thanks for the inspiration.

Yes, I never met a comma or ellipse I didn't like.

Yes, it jumps around too much.

Yes, it's in the wrong category.

Yes, it's too long.

Yes, it's too short.

Yes, this is stupid shit.

If you want a perfect story go find one written by Mr. Data.

And, yes, I suck.

Go have yourself a warm and fuzzy day.

BTW, you only get to comment on spelling and grammar if you are volunteering to be an editor. Those comments and rants will be deleted, you've been warned.

AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!