Chapter Four: The Garden Talk

Two weeks had passed since that night in the forest.

Since the girl.

Since Maya.

Jack couldn’t stop thinking about her. He told himself it wasn’t weird. He was curious, that was all. She was just… interesting. Unique. Brave. Different from anyone he’d ever met—and he’d literally met everyone.

Still, he’d spent the last fourteen days distracted, thoughts slipping like water through his fingers every time he tried to focus on anything else. Even the usual beauty of heaven felt muted compared to her memory. So today, he needed someone to talk to.

He needed Cas.

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“Hey,” Jack said quietly, appearing beside the angel as he walked the halls of Heaven.

Castiel turned, his expression softening. “Jack.”

“Do you have a moment?”

“For you? Always.”

They didn’t talk at first. Jack led the way, moving silently through heaven’s winding light corridors, until they reached his personal garden—a space he’d cultivated with quiet hands and a reverent heart. Trees with silver bark rustled gently. Flowers bloomed in every imaginable hue. The sky above shifted colors like a slow aurora.

Castiel took it all in with a slow exhale. “Still as peaceful as ever.”

Jack didn’t answer right away. He knelt beside a pond, touched the surface, and watched the ripples move outward.

“You look,” Castiel began slowly, folding his arms, “like the happiest and most desperate man I’ve ever seen.”

Jack blinked. Then laughed. “That obvious, huh?”

Cas arched a brow.

Jack plopped down onto the soft moss. “It’s a girl.”

That earned a pause. A long one.

“A girl,” Castiel repeated.

“Yeah.”

Jack lay back, hands folded behind his head, eyes watching a drifting cloud that looked suspiciously like a cat riding a motorcycle. “Her name’s Maya. I met her on Earth. She was in trouble. Werewolves. I helped.”

Castiel stayed quiet, but his eyes narrowed slightly.

“I’ve been…” Jack hesitated, “learning more about her since then. Not in a creepy way!” he added quickly. “Just… gathering information. Looking out for her. She doesn’t know, of course. I mean, why would she? She doesn’t even know my name.”

“You didn’t tell her?”

“She didn’t want to know,” Jack muttered, frowning slightly. “She thanked me, said she could take care of herself, and left. And then—get this—she actually did go back and finish the job. Killed the whole pack. Alone.”

Castiel raised a brow. “Impressive.”

“She is!” Jack sat up, eyes bright. “She’s just… she’s strong, but not in that ‘look at me, I’m a hero’ kind of way. It’s quiet. Real. And yeah, maybe she’s a little rough around the edges, but I like that. She’s honest. And snarky. And her voice does this thing where it wobbles when she’s nervous but still pretends she’s got everything under control. It’s kinda adorable.”

The angel tilted his head, listening patiently.

“I found out she works at a retirement home,” Jack continued. “Receptionist-slash-waitress. She calls bingo numbers and breaks up fights over pudding cups.”

Castiel gave a short, dry chuckle. “A noble calling.”

Jack smiled. “She also has two cats—Nodi, who’s terrified of everything but cuddles like a koala, and Gucci, who technically belongs to her sister but clearly chose Maya as his favorite.”

Castiel shifted slightly. “Jack…”

“I know,” Jack said, already anticipating the tone. “You’ve probably read the same file. There’s… stuff. Not great stuff. Her family’s been through a lot. Poverty. Debt. She basically raised her parents. And yeah, there were some parties where she… used things. Nothing serious. Not addicted. But still—drugs.”

Cas’s mouth twitched. “Heaven’s not exactly thrilled.”

“I figured,” Jack sighed. “But she’s not evil. She’s not bad. She was surviving. She’s human.”

The angel looked at him carefully. “You’re defending her.”

“I’m being honest,” Jack replied. “People make mistakes. But she’s good. She’s… kind. Even if she pretends not to be.”

A pause.

“You’ve never taken this kind of interest in a human before,” Castiel said quietly.

Jack blinked. “What?”

“Not like this.”

Jack looked down. His fingers absentmindedly traced patterns into the moss. “…I just think she’s special.”

Castiel watched him, eyes narrowing slightly.

“I mean, her hair alone looks like sunlight was poured over brown sugar,” Jack continued, smiling faintly. “Light brown, but when it catches the light, it’s almost golden. Her eyes… they’re this shimmering gray-blue color. Like winter mornings. Or starlight on water. And she has this upturned nose that twitches when she’s annoyed. It’s the cutest thing.”

He was rambling now. He didn’t care.

“Her lips are weirdly perfect. Thin, but still kind of full? Like they weren’t sure which way to go, so they just went with both. Her cheeks are round and they flush at everything. Compliments. Eye contact. Cold wind. It’s ridiculously endearing. And her body—” he paused, flushed, then powered through. “Okay, so, she’s not skinny. She’s got curves, like, actual curves. Thighs that could crush a grown man’s ego. A belly that softens when she laughs. But she moves like someone who’s stronger than she wants you to know. I’m telling you, Dean would’ve said she’s hot as hell and then tripped over himself trying not to admit he meant it.”

Castiel raised both eyebrows. “Sounds like you’ve been… observing.”

Jack gave a sheepish grin. “She made an impression.”

The angel watched him carefully, lips twitching with the ghost of a smile. Jack looked like someone halfway through writing poetry and not even realizing it.

“You’re falling for her,” Castiel said in his head.

But out loud, he only said: “Well… I hope she appreciates the flashlight guy who saved her life.”

Jack smiled faintly, eyes on the sky.

“She probably hopes she never sees me again.”

Castiel tilted his head. “Then why do you?”

Jack was quiet for a long moment. Then, softly: “Because I think there’s more to her than she lets the world see. And… I want to see it.”

Castiel didn’t say anything.

He just sat beside the boy-God who didn’t know he was in love.

And didn’t tell him a thing.