Returning home was the last thing Gabriel expected, really. 

But it was nice in the Garden. Letting his grace rest in the warmth of Heaven for the first time since he'd fled. There were no fighting brothers, no sniping, no .. no nothing. Joshua kept him safely hidden while he rested in the warmth of Heaven. Letting himself drift in peace and contentment for the first time since humans had been created.

Sam and Dean were still out there, but they were safe. Alive. That's all that mattered to the dreaming archangel.

At least until the spell roiled over Heaven. Tearing the grace out of his brothers and sisters, burning their wings away as they fell to earth and Gabriel could hear every startled cry, every scream, every sound of alarm. The magic surged and swirled around him until it finally shoved and dislodged the archangel, casting him back to earth with all the speed of a planetoid.

--

"Oh my god.." Dean's choked voice as he barely threw himself and Sam clear of the fireball racing towards the Impala.

A terrible crash as Gabriel barely missed the hood of the car, landing in a giant crater in the asphalt. Groaning, Gabriel slowly clawed his way out of the crater. Mortal. Lacking his grace and his wings.

<i>Fuck</i>.

"Dean. Sammy... Sam you look like shit."