Song Remains the Same

Chapter 30: The Righteous Man

"The children of Cain are gathered to plunder, burn, and slay.
God was with man in Eden, but where is God today?"
- Charles Hamilton Musgrove

Heaven

Dean watched as Alex disappeared. Then the house they'd been standing in was suddenly gone too. Replacing it was a verdant garden—a conservatory of some kind. Overhead a tall glass dome filtered in sunlight that softly lit exotic plants, trees, and flowers crowding a small stone pathway. The air was warm and humid, smelling of earth and ozone. With pruning shears in hand, Joshua stood at the bottom of stone steps in front of the brothers. The Winchesters glanced at each other cautiously.

"This... is Heaven's garden?" Sam sounded a little underwhelmed as he descended the stairs slowly. Dean followed warily.

Joshua offhandedly clipped a gardenia bush he stood next to. "You see what you want to here," the angel explained mildly, focused on his work. "For some it's God's throne room; for others it's Eden. You two, I believe it's the Cleveland botanical gardens. You came here on a field trip."

Sam's expression lifted. "Yeah... I remember," he said, tone becoming reminiscent.

Dean however was of a one-track mind. "Uh-huh, good times," he mumbled while looking at Joshua mistrustfully. "Where'd you send our sister?"

"Back to her body, of course," Joshua said in his soft, rasping voice. He fixed Dean with a knowing gaze, pausing his task for a moment to smile faintly. "Don't worry Dean. She's alive and well."

"And probably freaked the fuck out," Dean muttered. Alex had never died before unlike himself and Sam—she would be sitting all alone in the motel room with his and Sam's bodies at this moment. Jesus Christ. It was bad enough with everything else that had happened to her that day but Zach taking her voice—that was over the line, and Dean was really worried about her. He could just picture her not knowing where he and Sam were at all or if they'd ever be back. God, what if she has no memory of Heaven? What if—

"I wouldn't worry," Joshua said, interrupting Dean's concerned thoughts. He returned to pruning steadily. "She's not alone."

Dean frowned, his thoughts halting. He didn't understand, but Sam looked like he thought he knew. "Cas?"

Joshua smiled as he trimmed a couple dead leaves away from the gardenia. "He is her guardian angel."

Dean made a face. Suddenly all these flowers and trees and sounds of birds were making him angry. "Yeah he's real great at keeping her safe, isn't he?"

"You sound unhappy about something."

Joshua's glib commentary was just about enough for Dean's temper. He chuckled dryly. "Pal, unhappy is putting it lightly. And y'know, while we're talking about things that piss me off... you got any idea why the hell Alex doesn't have a Heaven?"

Joshua's eyebrows rose just slightly and he looked faintly sympathetic. "Yes. I know exactly why. But unfortunately... it's not information I'm privy to share."

Dean's blood pressure hit the roof, his protective hackles raised. "You friggin' kidding me? You better tell me right now or I am gonna take your little garden scissors and stick them right up—"

"Dean." Sam gave his brother a look that asked 'are you nuts?' Unwillingly, Dean clamped his mouth shut. Sam was right. Probably shouldn't piss off the angel who could send them back to earth.

Joshua calmly turned, giving the boys his full attention as he set his pruning shears down. He clasped his hands in front of him thoughtfully. "Have faith, Dean. God makes all things work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purposes."