A one shot of what happened directly after the fall. It's a little different than what actually happened at the end of the episode, but oh well. So sue me. Enjoy! This takes place in an UA (Universe Alternate). It's different than what happened at the end of 8.23, so just chill.

~Disclaimer: I don't own it. Boo.~


"Sam come on we need to get out of here!" I grab Sam under his arms, and try to haul him out the front door of the old church. My phone starts ringing as we reach the Impala, and I whip it out of my pocket as I gently set Sam down on the ground.

I look at the number, and notice that it matches Cas'. "Cas?" I yell into it.

"Dean, where are you?" His voice sounds shaky, something I'm not used to hearing.

I rattle off an approximate location, going back to Sammy to see if he is still conscious. "Hurry up and get your feathery ass here."

"My ass isn't the 'feathery' part." His voice is right behind me, but it doesn't make me jump for once. I grab Sam's shoulder and try to get him to look at me. "Dean, what happened to him?"

Cas sounds tired and shaky, but all I can focus on is Sam. I can't lose him, not after everything he has been going through. For once, he was the one trying to protect me, and I can't lose him because of it.

"Dean…" Sam's voice draws me out of my thoughts.

"Hey Sammy," I tell him, trying to get him to stop moving. "Don't get up Sammy, just relax."

"Dean, look" He points towards the sky and I wrench my gaze away to see what he is trying to show me.

I can't believe my eyes. Hundreds of fireballs, falling through the sky, falling towards the Earth. Something I never thought I would see in my lifetime. It takes me a minute before I realize Sam is talking to me again.

"Dean, what's happening?" Sam says weakly.

"The Angels…" I try to keep looking up through the rain, unable to tear my gaze away from what is happening. "They're…"

"Falling," Cas finishes me sentence, sinking to his knees on the ground on my other side. "They are all falling… All of heaven…" He sounds so defeated…

"We need to get out of here…" I whisper to no one in particular. "We need to leave, now." I finally manage to look away from the site, and see that Sam has passed out. Grabbing under his arms again, I get him off the ground and angle him away from the car enough to get the passenger door open. I maneuver him into the Impala, getting shutting the door behind me.

"Crowley…" I mumble to myself as I look back at the church. I walk to the trunk of the car and open it, checking out the Demon's Trap on the inside hood to make sure it's still intact. When I'm positive it will do its job, I start heading back for the opening of the church.

"Dean…" I forgot Cas was still here, and his weak voice makes my heart wrench. I walk over to where he is still kneeling on the ground, watching all his brethren falling. I stand in front of him so he has to look away long enough to get his attention.

"We need to leave Cas, please. I need to get you both out of here, and somehow manage to get Crowley in the car." I sound angry. After everything Cas has put me through lately, I hate that I sound angry with him, but it's the only way I know how to get him to snap out of it. "Now you can either go sit in the car with Sam, or you can help me drag the sonofabitch out here and stuff him in the trunk."

My heart breaks as I see Cas try to process what is going on around him. Before he can even answer, I walk next to him and pull him up, wrapping one of his arms around my shoulder to support his weight better.

"I'm going to put you in the car buddy. Please, don't watch the sky anymore." I open the door to the back seat of the Impala and gently get him to sit down on the back seat. "Just. Stay. Here."

"Where would I go Dean…" He face, pained and broken, turns to look up at me. "Heaven is… They are all gone… My friends, my brothers and sisters, are all here on earth now. I have NO ONE!" He shouts the last words, but his voice breaks, betraying how he really feels. "And besides, my Grace is gone. Metatron has it, and I used the last of my powers to even make it here to you. So I ask you again, where would I go Dean?"

I stare down at Cas' broken form, trying to figure out what is the most important thing to do right now. Crowley, Cas, and Sam, all broken and needing me. "I'll be back," I tell Cas, grabbing and squeezing his shoulder to show that I care. "And then we'll leave and find somewhere to lie low for a little while, ok?"

Cas doesn't say anything and I turn to walk back into the church.

"What's been going on?" Crowley asks once he hears my boots hitting on the hard wood.

"Change of plans, we're heading out." I walk over to him and unlock the chains from the floor. Grabbing the chain that's connected to the manacle around his neck, I grab his arm and pull him to his feet. "We need to leave. Now. So don't give me any shit, because you still can't smoke out. Now, are you going to play nice, or do I need to shove you into the trunk again?"

"Well, it's like you said," His voice is quiet, unsure. "I can't go anywhere anyways."

There's something different about him. Even though Sam didn't finish the trial, Crowley isn't what he used to be. I nod my head and we both head back outside into the mud and rain. I take him to the other side of the car, opposite from Cas and open the back door. Crowley manages to get himself into the car without too much difficulty. The chains rattle against the floor of the car, a soft metallic sound that contrasts with the sound of the rain pattering on the roof of the car.

Looking to the sky one last time, I see that most of the angels have stopped falling and now there are only a few fireballs left. Opening the driver side door, I climb in behind the wheel and start the car. I try to think of what Sam and I passed on our way up here, and finally think of where the little town we passed is.

"Dean…" Sam starts to stir, and tries to turn to look at me.

"Hey Sammy, don't worry about it," I say to him. "I'm going to get you out of here and everything will be ok."

He looks at me with pained eyes before passing back out again. I look in the mirror behind me and see that Cas has fallen asleep, a sight that is so foreign to me I file it away to think about later. "Guess it's just you and me Crowley."

"Don't count on it Cowboy," Crowley mutters before laying his head against the windowpane. "Just because I don't sleep, doesn't mean that I won't." And with that, I watch as he closes his eyes and seems to settle in for a long ride.

"This is just great. A car full of people, all with something seriously wrong with them, and I'm the sane one." Sighing, I throw Baby into reverse and turn around. Driving down the long driveway that leads back to the main road becomes so much of a challenge I am not left with much room to think of anything else. Surprisingly, hitting the numerous potholes I miss does not wake anyone up and I am left with a mostly silent car.

I finally make my way back to the main road without doing too much damage, and inch my way out onto the slick road. The headlights glare off of the water on the blacktop as I make my way in what I think is the direction of the nearest town. The endless forests seem to follow me and grow darker as I drive, almost like there is something chasing me. I start to wonder what is going on with Sam. And Cas. I still cannot wrap my head around the idea that Cas is sleeping. I think about the angels, and how they were falling all around, but Cas couldn't have fallen. He came to us when I called, so he still had some juice…

He said something about Metatron though, and how his Grace was gone. How could it be gone if he managed to Angel-poof over to the church? Resigning to puzzle it all out later, I try to think about what is going on with Sam and what I could possibly do. Of course, I don't know how bad of shape he is really in. Sighing, I turn the music up so it blocks out my thoughts, but isn't loud enough to wake anyone up, and continue driving until I reach a small town.

It doesn't take me long to find a motel in the town, and I park the Impala in a random spot away from the check-in building. And away from all the lights. No need for people to start wondering why there are three passed out, grown ass men in my car. Heading inside, I notice that there is a vending machine, and I decide to get a couple bottles of water on my way back outside to have on hand.

"What can I do for you?" The lady behind the counter asks with a smile. Her brown hair reflects as much of the dingy light as it can, framing a rounded face with perfect brown eyes.

Once that would have completely turned me on.

"Uh, just a room. Double if you can." I mutter as I pull out my wallet, looking down at the counter.

"Alright, let me just get you a key." She turns around to look at a rack of keys before pulling one off of a hook and turning back to face me. She sits the keys down and starts typing away at the computer in front of her. "Can you just sign in for me? There's a clock on the wall behind me if you need to know what time it is as well."

I grab a pen and start to sign the name that matches the credit card in front of me, looking up to check the time as I finish the last name. I am only slightly startled to see it is three in the morning.

"Any idea as to how many days you will want the room?" She asks with a smile again. Her voice, soft and cheerful, makes me again thankful that not everyone has to grow up in this life.

"Uh, let's just make it a few days… Three?" I rattle off a random number, unsure of how long I may end up staying here. "Also, are there any town maps I might be able to take?"

"Sure, they are right next to the vending on your way out. There are a couple of brochures if you want to look at anything else." She swipes the card and waits a minute for the machine to authorize the purchase. I run my hand through my hair, trying not to look utterly beaten and impatient. I try not to let it show, but she must have guessed anyways. She quickly hands my card and receipt to me, only saying a few parting words before waving me off.

I grab a town map on my way out, and walk out to the car with the water bottles in my hands. Setting them on the hood of the car, I open the door and grab the bottles again, placing them inside before getting in the car and driving over to the door that has our room number on it. Once there I turn off the car and sit.

I sit in silence for a few minutes, surrounded by the sound of three people breathing while they sleep. I decide that I'm going to put Crowley in the trunk for sheer lack of ability to watch three people at one time. Sam will definitely get a bed, and most likely Cas, which leaves me wondering if there is going to be at least a comfortable chair in the room. Sighing, I pull the keys out of the ignition and get out of the car.

I yank Crowley's door open, catching him before he falls.

"The bloody hell was that for?" He yells at me. Saying nothing, I grab him by the cuffs around his wrists and yank him out of the car. Dragging him behind me, I walk to the back of the car and unlock the trunk, ignoring the endless stream of obscenities that pour from his mouth.

"Look Crowley, just get in the trunk." My voice sounds deadly calm, even to me, and Crowley stops talking to really look at me. "Just get in, please."

"Fine, but don't you dare think I'm going to stay there for however long it takes for Moose and Angel Boy to get better. I'll find a way out, just wait and see." His voice is low and calm as well, a hint of danger lacing through his words. Looking again at the trunk, I watch his shoulders fall as his eyes scan the space. "At least old cars have big asses." He climbs in, and I shut the trunk lid on him once I see his is in an acceptable position.

"Sam next…" I mutter to myself. Walking around the car, I decide it would be a good idea to unlock the motel room first, so I don't have to try and do it while dragging Sam next to me. I poke my head inside just to make sure the room is empty and that there are two beds, before walking back to the car and opening the front passenger side door.

Somehow managing to open the door and not drop Sam, I pull his arm up and around my shoulder, trying to support his weight and get him the rest of the way out of the car at the same time. It is times like this I wish he was still shorter than me. Grunting, I heave one last time and get him sort of on his feet.

"Dean…" Sam mumbles, trying to raise his head.

"I got you Sammy. We're just going to walk into this room and then you can get some sleep." I tell him, talking more for my own benefit than his.

"Dean… It hurts… Fire…" His words slur together, his face a mix of pain and exhaustion. I tell myself to just keep walking and I finally get him close enough to the bed that I can lay him on it. Gently setting him down, I pick his legs up and place them on the bed. His hand finds my wrist as I start to walk away, fingers ghosting on my skin.

"Dean please…" He begs.

"I'm trying Sammy. Please try and get some sleep for a little while. I need to go get Cas out of the car so just try and sleep." His eyes find mine for a few seconds, and it looks like he nods before letting go and closing his eyes. "I'm right here Sammy so just hold on. I'll figure this out."

I watch his chest slowly start to fall into a rhythm as he falls asleep, and his face finally relaxes. Sighing, I run my hand over my head, trying to ignore the sinking feeling that's building in my stomach. It's too much for one person, but all I can do is keep going.

Setting my shoulders straight again, I walk out of the room and go back to the Impala. Cas is awake now and looks up at me as I open his door. His eyes still give a sense of being lost and my heart aches for what has happened to him.

"Come on, let's go inside. There's another bed for you to get some sleep on." I grab his arm and help him get out of the car.

"Dean, I don't sleep." His gruff voice is barely loud enough to hear.

"Yeah, well now you do apparently." He looks at me, confusion written across his face. "You slept the whole drive over here. So now you're going to go in there and get some more sleep."

Instead of arguing, Cas nods and lets me lead him into the motel room. He sighs as he looks into the room, but doesn't say anything. I get him to slip off the trench coat and the suit coat before he sits on the edge of the bed.

"I'm going to hang these up and you are going to drink this," I say, handing him one of the bottles of water. "Don't argue, just do it."

I walk over to the tiny closet that these motels always have, and take out a couple hangers. I place each coat on one, and then toss my own jacket up onto the top shelf. I step into the bathroom and turn on the tap, letting the water run down the drain. Placing my hands onto the side of the cheap sink, I watch the water run and sigh, trying to let my thoughts stop racing for even a few moments. It isn't long though before I'm slashing water on my face and wiping it off with one of the towels.

I turn the tap off and walk out of the bathroom to see Cas still sitting on the edge of the bed. I notice that the water is half gone, so I say nothing as I walk out of the motel back to the car. I decide that I'm just going to go out and get my gun, so I don't have to kick Crowley out of the trunk to get anything else.

"DEAN!"