Stubborn...

He was ready. This time she would understand that he was serious and she would do what she was told. He squared his shoulders and walked into the room.

"No."

"Come on! You know it's time." He really didn't like that he sounded so whiny. That was not at all what he had been going for.

"I'm busy. You really need to come back later."

"This is the third day this week I've been here."

"And I'm still busy. Why don't you just wait until I tell you that I'm free? Or try and get something scheduled for later. I'm sure that will work out."

He looked at her and cocked his head, "Really? You're going to try and schedule me in?"

"Why not?"

"Why not? You know why not. That's not how this works."

"Well, it seems like it does work that way, now doesn't it? I'm busy. You will have to come back later. I don't have time to go with you right now."

He sighed. "You're going to have to come with me. I can't keep coming back here to see if you can fit me in. I'm busy too you know."

"I know that. And I don't want to keep you any longer than I already have. So you really should be off now."

"Nice try. You know I can just make you go with me."

"Actually, I don't think you can." She watched his face for a sign that she was right. And there it was. A little flicker in the left eye. "I think I have to agree to go with you. I think I have to do it voluntarily."

He shook his head. "You know that's not right."

"No, I know that's not right for other people. But I think that because of this," she gestured between them, "it is right for me. I don't think you get to decide. And to top it off, I don't think you want me to go with you anyway."

He shook his head, "Nope, you're wrong. I want you to come with me."

She smiled, "I don't think so. I think that you would miss me if I left."

He sighed and sat down in the big comfortable chair in the corner. She had him there. He would miss her. She knew. He knew it. It had been a good run. Even though he had spent a few years without her, give or take a few hundred, the past 65 with her had been the best. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to go back to wandering the earth doing his job if he didn't have her to visit with.

"But your time, your second time, is up. What if I told you that by staying here you were preventing another from coming into existence?"

"I'd say that was a fairly lame attempt at guilting me into doing what you feel I should. If that were true then the earth's population would stay constant. It hasn't. My being here has nothing to do with if another can or will join us. Just add one more to the mix. There are billions of us now."

"What if I told you I'd been on probation since my last mess up and if I don't take you I'll get fired?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "What would that even mean for you?"

"I'm not entirely sure. Nobody ever comes back to talk about it."

"Could you ask?"

He stared at her, "Do you think they would tell me? Or do you think they might have an idea that I was going to be insubordinate instead of just ignorant this time?"

"But I don't want to go. It's too soon."

"It's 65 years later than it was going to be."

"But I didn't know that then. It's not like I did something on purpose. I just, there's just, I mean..." she trailed off and he saw her lower lip start to quiver.

"Oh don't do that! You know I hate it when you do that!"

"I'm sorry. I just didn't think you'd actually make me go. You know? We've done such good work together I just thought it would last forever. There is just so much more we could do." She searched his face and saw nothing but sadness, "It really is over isn't it?"

He sat up a little and patted his lap. She was a little old for it now, but it still seemed like the best idea. She walked over to him and sat down, curving her body against his. The quiver turned in to a sob. She buried her head against his chest and cried.

For the second time in his long after life a large fat tear formed and fell from his eyes. It landed on her head, on her deathmark. The sickle glowed bright enough that he could see it through her hair. Then it faded away. She turned her face towards his and looked into his starry eyes, "I know. It's time. Of everything here I'm going to miss you most of all. Not everyone gets to be friends with Death."

He put his hand on the side of her face and lowered his forehead to hers, "Best friends."

She started to count the stars and made it five before she was gone.