It had taken four months for Cas to call Dean. Four months since the angel's had fallen. Four months since all of heaven had spilled out on earth in a practically irreversible mess. And after all this time, Castiel, former angel of the lord, warrior of God, had finally had enough strength to call Dean.

It had been about three in the morning. Cas had waited a good amount of rings, knowing that on the other end Dean was groggily blinking away sleep and picking up the phone, just in case it was an emergency.

Finally, after a while, Dean picked up the phone, moaning out a reply.

"Hello?" he asked, followed by a groan. Cas didn't say anything for a couple seconds, fear gripping him. What if Dean was angry with him still? What if Dean wanted nothing to do with him? After all, Dean hadn't done anything to hold him back when Cas had told Dean he was going back to heaven.

"Hello Dean," he said after a couple seconds, saying it before he could take it back. The other end was silent for a second, then Dean sprung awake.

"Cas?" Dean asked, Cas could hear him moving on the other end. "Where are you? Are you okay? What happened?" Dean's voice was filled to the brim with worry and another emotion Cas couldn't identify.

"I'm- I'm somewhere in Nevada... I think," he said, ignoring the other questions.

"Well why can't you zap yourself back here?" Dean asked, emotion blank over the phone.

"I... I can't," he said, ignoring the one thing Dean truly needed to know.

"Cas?" Dean asked on the other end, taking a deep breath and a swallow, "why not?"

"Dean I'm-" Cas laughed on the other end, but Dean could tell it was pained, his voice straining not to allow his voice to crack. "Mortal... I'm mortal."

Dean was silent for a while, Castiel wasn't sure if he was angry or sad, or just shocked. He received his answer a moment later.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Cas asked from the other end. His forehead creased, still not understanding Dean's reaction. Dean laughed on the other end. Not the painful, disheartening laugh that Cas was used to. But a truly happy, grateful laugh.

"I don't understand how this is funny Dean," Castiel said, a slight anger overcoming him, along with confusion.

"No, that's not why I'm laughing. Cas..." he was sure that Dean was grinning now, "you're alive. You're okay." Cas felt his heart lurch forward, felt his fear being uplifted.

"Now Cas. Where are you really? Are there any streets around you? Anything? Me and Sam are going to come and get you, ASAP. Got that? Stay right where you are... wherever you are anyway..."

Cas relayed his address as best as he could, and was awarded with the phone receiver hanging up and Cas again being alone.

A long car ride later, filled with Sam asking as many questions as his brain could think up and Dean watching the hours tick by and the roads move along, they'd arrived at their destination.

Stepping out of the impala, both Dean and Sam were surprised by the sight that met them. The trench-coat was sitting to the side of him, he was wearing a dark black shirt and jeans, and a look of anxiety rested on his eyes.

"Cas?" after a couple seconds of silence, Sam finally said the first words. After a second, Sam rushed over and hugged him, Castiel caught by surprise but then returning the hug. After a brief moment, Cas looked at Sam and nodded, smiling. Dean, teary-eyed at the reunion of one of his closest friends, hugged him tightly, Cas' head resting on Dean's shoulder, a small sniffle escaping Dean.

"You're finally coming home, Cas," Dean said mid-hug, grinning like an idiot. They hugged like this for a while, and without so much as another word spoken, they all got back into the Impala, all of them silent for only a couple minutes before they spoke without end, all the way back to the bat-cave. Their home.