Although the Garden was as green as he remembered it being, it was still somehow different for him.

The air was still warm, trickling water and gentle shaking tree's still filled the entire area. The paths were well kept and cleared of any debris that might fall upon it.

Zachariah had returned to Heaven sometime earlier that day, come to the Garden for some time, and had retreated after an uncounted length of time looking like he had just accomplished something grand. He had seen him from afar talking to Raphael about something, the Healer following his gaze and softly instructing him to go and make sure that everything was alright.

Joshua was rarely seen among their other siblings, taking to keeping within his Garden instead, and they did not have the heart to ban him from the one place he loved so dearly. But when it was not optional he would show up, the Archangels left had a particular soft spot for him; Raphael especially. More the not they came to him, to check up and give him comfort of having company.

But, as he turned corner upon corner in the vast Garden and had yet to see the reclusive Gardener, Michael couldn't keep the ebb of worry from creeping into his grace.

"Joshua?"

There was a faint rustling before him and his pace quickened in step. He rounded another corner and breathed out silently in relief at seeing the back of their brother, mending a patch of flowers that had started wilting, which was odd in his opinion but he left it unsaid.

"Joshua."

The Gardener did not turn to face him, sending a greeting softly over his shoulder, Michael narrowed his eyes. While he was a bit of a reclusive loner, Joshua had always been one to greet company head on. He may not be a warrior but he was as fearless as one.

"You saw Sam and Dean Winchester," He did not like the way the shoulders of his younger brother stiffened at his mentioning their names, questions creeping into his mind, "Even when you knew that Zachariah was on orders from myself."

"I had a message to pass brother, that is all, they are at your bidding now."

"Joshua?"

The Archangel stepped forward, taking the younger angel by the arm and turning him; his breath caught in his throat.

"Someone has struck you."

It was blunt, he knew, as he tenderly touched at the large red bruise forming on the others face. Joshua turned away, ready to simply turn back to his plants. Michael held him firm, standing in his way, tilting his head back and to the side to get a better view. There was going to be a large bruise that would form there, someone had hit him with purpose.

Zachariah.

"Did Zachariah strike you?"

"I will remain the Garden, stepping foot outside would be breaking orders, I apologize."

"Joshua!"

The eyes of the Gardener flashed before him, pushing away from him in an unusual act of aggression.

"Why would you send Zachariah of all our brothers to get their word! He is not to be trusted brother and you know this too well yourself and yet you always call for him! He is dark, no good, dirty, and he thinks that just because he works under you he is better then all others!"

"Did he strike you!"

"He can't fire me from my position, not with out Saint Raphael's permission first, but he is entitled to punish as he see fit. I left my post-"

"That is no reason for him to lay a hand upon you, I will speak to him, this is far passed acceptable."

The younger angel shook his head slowly, chest falling as his bravado left him, leaving him looking more exhausted then Michael had ever seen him. He leaned in closer to his younger brother. Joshua had always been favored, not only by them but by Father as well. He was soft spoken and compassionate, putting others before him even when he was in dire need. Raphael had taught him near everything he knew of the Gardens before relinquishing his position to serve as Head Healer.

Joshua was young yet, merely in his early twenties if he were to place an age to him, his vessel much older then he was in reality. It was something that they had teased him for many eons before.

But as soft spoken and calm as he was, when angered, he was a force to reckon with.

"Let yourself take a day, let us find a warm patch of grass and laze there for the day, we can even get Raphael to take a day from his Hospital, I am sure he would love to spend more time with you and it has been eons since he has really been inside the Garden."

Their foreheads touching, there was no way for eye contact to be broken, not that he hadn't tried. Joshua was not used to be given time out of any day to be spent with. Most simply ignored him, out of sight out of mind.

"I should re-"

"I did not want to make it an order, but if I must to get you to rest then I will little brother."

He shut his mouth quickly, looking up into his brothers sky blue eyes for a long moment before nodding softly. Michael smiled at him brushing a few fingers over the back of his neck. He took the younger by the hand, walking with him to a patch where the sun shone the brightest, right next to the edge of a sparkling lake of crystal like water.

'Raphael, brother?'

'Yes Michael?'

'Do you think you could spare a day?'

There was silence over their connection as Archangels, he could almost see him drop a jar of tonic in surprise at such a question, putting it down on a shelf hastily.

'Are you alright?'

'I am fine brother, do not worry yourself, but I fear another might need your company more then I?'

Another bout of silence, 'Joshua? Is he alright?'

'I do not know brother, I do not know..'

'I will be there.'

Their connection snapped as Raphael moved, not that he minded, Michael found a spot where the grass was warmest, softest, and took a seat leaning back into the trunk of a large tree. He looked up expectantly at the Gardener whilst patting the spot next to him. He was hesitant but moved forward, sitting softly at his older brothers side.

"Are they any other injuries I should know about little brother?"

He shook his head slowly, picking at the soft grass in front of his crossed legs.

"I'll be the judge of that, who has dared lay a hand upon you?"

They both looked up at the voice of their other brother. Raphael wearing his lower robes only, barefoot as he crossed the soft grasses from an entrance Michael did not know about, there was much about the Garden that he did not know about. Raphael did not get protective over most of his younger siblings, Joshua being the exception, he had raised Joshua, the Gardener being his first charge, it had only been when the War broke out the first time he had left his position in the Garden to their younger brother.

"Saint Raphael!"

The Healer exchanged a look with his elder brother at such a formal greeting, it was unlike their brother to be so formal with them. It had taken him eons before as he was head of the Garden to get him to call him only by his name, it had taken many a game and many a tickle to finally get him to resign to his request for greetings that weren't so formal; it felt weird to be addressed as such by a younger sibling.

He knelt before them, looking much like he had the day he had left the Garden, hair messy, pushed lightly behind one ear, he had almost forgotten the two golden rings he wore around his ear. He grabbed the younger's chin in a form but gentle grip and twisted his head around to look at it better.

"A name Joshua, I want a name, I can't believe anyone would dare to strike you!"

The young Gardener pressed his lips together, taking a stubborn stand not to speak further on the subject, he had gotten what he had deserved for his failure of staying out of it. Every action had consequences, even for him. Raphael studied his old charge's facial features for a moment, narrowing his eyes lightly at the streak of stubbornness that reared its head.

Where had he learned such a thing!

'I can't imagine Brother'

'Hush you!'

"Let me see the rest of you, arms up!"

Joshua lifted his arms up silently, watching his every move as his older brother pressed into his ribs and chest, moving down to his sides and stomach. He smiled lightly as he tried to hide something that sounded suspiciously like a giggle behind a huff of breath when he pressed his fingers into a particular spot near his slim waist. They caught the sound though and exchanged looks over the youth's head.

"It is good to see some things never change, as far as I can tell the bruise on your face is the only blemish, and I will get a name from you, we have all day together little brother, and there is much about my skills that you have yet to learn."

He sat next to Michael, pulling the younger angel off the ground and into his lap with a small yelp from the smaller. Michael smiled as the Healer relaxed against him, arms wrapped lazily around the Gardener. They all needed this, after everything that had happened.

He watched silently as the two talked softly, catching up on eons missed, as Raphael wiped a finger across the bruise healing it with a single touch. Slowly but surely, Joshua relaxed himself, leaning back into his brother's warm chest, resting his head back on his collar bone. Raphael smiled at him from above, tightening his embrace in accordance, resting his chin on the younger's head.

"Remember when you had been a mere fledgling, creating your first plant? You had been very adamant that I and Father wait across the way whilst you worked. And only a few moments later you came running back to us crying your little angel heart out, holding your hands in the air in fear, a rash spreading down your skin red and itchy, you had created poison ivy, and you had apologized for making something to horrible?"

Joshua blushed, ducking his head down under the chuckles of his older brothers.

"And it had taken us an hour to get you to calm enough to show us your creation, and another two of soaking in an oat bath to relieve the itching, and then even after it took all of us to ensure that you didn't scratch at your rash!"

"I was a fledgling back then-"

"You'll always be a fledgling to me baby brother! Or the time you wanted to try and touch the top of the tallest tree and you fell! The scream you let out took decades from my life as I watched you fall from such a height, and how you broke your arm for such a dangerous feat."

Michael's rumbling chuckles alerted them that he was still there, "I remember that! You had been so frantic you had caused such an alarm that we all rushed here, weapons ready in full alert only to find you scolding your charge harshly as you bound his arm up, reprimanding him for doing something so reckless, you had yelled at him so hard that he had been near terrified of you for almost a week, refusing to step foot into the Garden, kicking and screaming and such as we forcefully carried him in."

Raphael laughed out right, turning to look over at his brother, both noticing the shade of amber their brother had turned at reliving certain moments in his younger life.

"Yes, I remember that, and I had been so confused as to why he was acting such a way, and instead of practicing his healing that day we sat on a patch of soft fern, sitting him in my lap so he couldn't run as soon as he was released from Lucifer's grasp, waiting until he bid us a good day and left to attend to his own duties and stop Gabriel from causing too much chaos. I remember having started low,"

Joshua squirmed as nimble hands squeezed at his lower sides, around his hip bones, pushing at the arms encircling him keeping him in place.

"And how he could never stand it when I would give his little belly a round of healthy tickles."

Fingers moved from his hips to either side of his belly, digging in swiftly and precisely where they needed to. He reeled back at the sensation, shrieking loudly, ramming back into his brothers chest behind him. Raphael smiled over his shoulder, knowing exactly each button and how hard to push it to get the reaction he wanted. He knew that Michael knew full well who had dared harm his charge, but he wanted to hear it from the mouth of the youth himself, besides, it had been near millennia since he had gotten to play with the young Gardener.

"Who Joshua? Who has dared strike you?"

He only lasted about two minutes, never having been able to stand his belly being tickled, before he gushed out the name of his attacker. Raphael smiled in victory pulling his fingers away after a moment more. Wrapping him back into a warm embrace, cuddling him against his chest softly in such a way he hadn't done in such a long time.

"Rest now little brother, you need more rest then you allow yourself to get, no matter, I will ensure that you get what you need"

Michael smiled softly brushing a wing over the youth's cheek softly, wrapping one around both his little brothers protectively, yanking Raphael further into his side.

"The same could be said for you little brother, you work much too hard much to long, rest your weary head now, I will watch you both."

Joshua was already asleep, Raphael not far behind, and Michael leaned his head back into the tree, closing his eyes as the sun shone a tad bit brighter over them, warming all three in its gentle glow.

Zachariah looked up as the bar he had taken to began to glow, shake at its core, swallowing the rest of his drink. He had not thought much of it when he had struck that Gardener, but now, now he was thinking it over quite a lot.

"No! Wait! I ca-"

He was cut off as he was pulled upwards sharply, a hand wrapped around his smaller form, this was not Michael.

This was Raphael, and he had never remembered seeing him look so angered before.

"You dare strike MY charge!"

Ok so I know that this is mainly with Raphael, but in my headcanon, Raphael was the Gardener before Joshua, the other being his pupil and charge, seeing as so many herbs and flowers and plants can be used as healing/medicinal remedies and such it kind of makes sense to me!

Enter uppity Zachariah, Hurt Joshua, and Mama bear Raphael!