A bright, white light blinded Castiel as he was thrown from his place before the throne of God and found himself hurtling towards the earth. He cried out in pain and hit the ground with a thud. The shockwave caused the trees in the surrounding area to be blown over from the force of the impact and the distant sounds of car alarms going off could be heard from inside the forest. He lay there sprawled out on his back, trying to remember what had happened. He gently twitched his fingers and began assessing the damage. Fingers, he thought, running though his mental checklist. Toes, arms, legs, and wings- he froze. Castiel sat up, attempting to flex the wings that jutted out if his back, and nothing. He spun around in panic, looking down at his naked back and at the deep scars that now were in the place of his wings. His heart sped up and he fell to his knees, listening for the familiar sound of angel chatter to wash over him.
Silence.
"This can't be happening!" He cried, fisting his fingers in his hair and then pounding the grass. "I did what you asked! I helped the Winchester's close the Gates of Hell! Why now am I being punished?" He reached behind him and ran his fingers down the new scarred tissue. "What did I do wrong?" He whispered brokenly.
"Castiel, you misunderstand our intentions." A gentle voice said from behind him. He spun around and saw Joshua standing behind him, surrounded by a white glow.
"Joshua, why has God done this to me? Did I not deserve to keep my grace after what I've done?" Castiel pleaded for answer, looking into Joshua's kind eyes.
"Cas, God knows the true desires of your heart. This is a gift. Not a punishment," Joshua took a step towards Castiel and placed a hand reassuringly on his shoulder, "You are a human now." Cas' eyes widened in shock and shoved Joshua's hand off of him.
"This is not a gift! Why in the world would I want to be human?" He yelled, standing up and backing away from the older angel.
Joshua grinned and snapped his fingers, Castiel's signature suit and trench coat appeared on him and Cas was thankful for the familiarity of it. "Perhaps this is God's will, for you to grow old with that hunter now that he is out of a job." Cas felt heat rise up in his cheeks. An unfamiliar sensation often associated with embarrassment. It was a sign of humanity. Just like love.
"God wants me to be with…Dean?" He shook his head in disbelief. "And how does our Father know Dean even wants to be with me?" Why would he? Castiel thought. At least the angels couldn't hear what he was thinking anymore.
"He knows what is best for you Castiel." Joshua reminded him.
"I should be back in Heaven, helping everyone get things settled." The Gates of Hell had just been closed after all.
"You've done enough Castiel. You deserve some happiness. Remember that." A flash of light blinded Castiel and he found himself alone once again in the forest. His head pounded as he tried to grasp what had just happened. He was human, and God wanted him to remain with the Winchesters. He wouldn't deny that he had thought about being with Dean before, but he never imagined that his Father would go to this extent. He had been an angel for thousands of years, and didn't know the slightest thing about living as a human except from what he saw from the Winchesters. Even their lives were considered abnormal by the majority of the population. Well, he thought, if God's plan for me involves Dean, then I should probably find him. He closed his eyes and focused on Bobby singer's house.
Nothing.
Castiel groaned and remembered he couldn't just zap himself anywhere he wanted. Being a human was terribly inconvenient. He stretched out his still throbbing back painfully and began his trek out of the woods, heading towards the sun. Panic began to rise up in his chest. The Winchesters could be anywhere, and Castiel had no phone, no car, nothing. How was he ever going to find them?
He stumbled over rocks and a stray branch as he continued towards-what he thought was- the way out of the forest. The sun began setting and the trees blocked out what little light was left. After another hour, Castiel was stranded in the dark, somehow deeper inside the forest than he was before. He sat down on a nearby rock and put his head in his hands. He was definitely lost. His throat ached, his feet ached, his back ached, and Castiel was just tired. Being human is definitely inconvenient, he thought again. He rubbed his fingers over his eyes and froze as he heard the sound of footsteps approach him. His heart leapt into his throat when he saw the dark silhouette pull what resembled a shot gun from his jacket and aim it straight at him.
"Whose there?" A familiar voice shouted roughly. Castiel couldn't contain his joy as he saw Sam Winchester emerge from the shadows. He laughed at the look of complete shock on the large man's face when he laid eyes upon Castiel.