A/N: Okay so I should probably say that I don't own any of these characters. It was pretty unanimous that I continue this story, so by popular demand, here's the next chapter. This takes place at the very end of "Sacrifice", the Season 8 Finale (so it will have spoilers from that episode) and will continue on from there. Thanks so much for all of the reviews! And I'm sorry I sort of killed you all with angst in the Epilogue of the first chapter. This chapter isn't exactly happy either, but at least everyone is alive.
Light. That was all Gabriel could see, a blinding white light. His entire body felt like it was on fire, burning him from the inside out. He wanted to scream, but he didn't know if he could. It felt like he was being torn in every direction all at once. ...And then it stopped. Suddenly the light and the fiery pain was gone.
The first thing that hit him was the smell. Wherever he was, it reeked of fish and pine needles. As his eyes fluttered open, he found that the world around him was dark. Was he dead? No... No he'd been dead, it hadn't looked like this. And the pain of dying was different than the pain he'd just felt. The pain of dying felt like his body was exploding, but then he relaxed into the darkness that beckoned him. It was hot white like his grace for a second, and then calm and black. This was different. This felt like he was being dragged through fire, forced back into existence and plopped down by a river. And judging by the sound of rushing water, that's exactly what happened.
Gabriel groaned. His voice felt hoarse, like he hadn't spoken in years. And then he realized, maybe he hadn't. He wasn't sure how long he'd been dead, all he knew now was that he was alive. The memories of his death came flooding back to him. He remembered the searing pain of the blade piercing his vessel, remembered his grace exploding out of him. His fingers ghosted over the spot on his chest where the wound would have been. Sure enough, there was a scar, just like the last time he'd been brought back.
Gabriel was jolted out of his daze by a crash in the water. "Woah!" he shouted, voice still hoarse.
What the hell was that? Gabriel pushed himself to his feet, wobbling and swaying as he tried to keep his balance. He stopped in his tracks when he saw it...
Lights shooting through the sky, but not just lights. Angels. Thousands of angels falling from heaven, their bodies burning white hot and landing on the earth below. His stomach churned when he realized he must have been gone longer than he was hoping...
Gabriel stumbled through the forest, gripping onto beaches and trees to keep himself upright. He had to find Sam, Dean and Cas. He snapped his fingers, expecting a cell phone to appear in his hand, but nothing happened. Another snap, still nothing. His eyes widened in fear and he looked to the sky again. He wasn't an angel anymore... Just like the rest of his family, he was...human.
Gabriel wobbled around, his gaze fixed on the ground. He needed another quarter, and then he could call Sam and find out where he was...or if he was alright.
Gabriel shook the thought out of his head and kept searching, desperate for another twenty-five cents. He almost leapt for joy when he saw a gleam of silver on the sidewalk. He snatched up the quarter and ran back to the pay phone.
Sam winced as he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He barely registered that it was his phone, just knew that it was something annoying and buzzing in his jacket pocket.
Dean looked down at the pocket, wrenching the phone out. He earned a questioning look from Sam, or as questioning as the younger Winchester could handle as he winced in pain. "It might be Cas," he explained.
"Cas?" Dean asked hopefully.
"Uhh...not exactly, Dean-o," the voice on the other line said.
Dean's mouth fell open at the sound of the voice. He never thought he'd hear it again. Dean looked at Sam, his eyes wide. "...Gabriel?" he asked, stuttering over his words.
At the mention of the name, Sam sat bolt upright. The sudden movement made him groan loudly in pain. His mind was reeling. Could that really be Gabriel?
"Yeah, it's me. I know, I'm supposed to be dead. Apparently I have a hard time grasping that concept. ...Where's Sam and why are the angels falling?" Gabriel asked, glancing at the sky again as he spoke. He felt his guy wrench at the sight of his brothers and sister plummeting to earth, but he swallowed the feeling and kept his composure.
"Sam is uh..." Dean glanced at Sam, who was clutching his stomach and gasping to bring air into his lungs. "Look Gabriel now isn't really a good time. I have to go, call back tomorrow or if you find Cas."
Gabriel cursed loudly when he heard the line click out. He slammed the phone against the receiver.
"Dean-" Sam gasped, clutching the rough material of his brother's jacket. "Call him back." His eyes were desperate, pleading with Dean to give him the phone.
Dean shook his head, slipping Sam's phone into his pocket. "Oh no, Sammy. We gotta get you safe first. We'll deal with Gabriel tomorrow, first lets get in the car and head back home..." Dean a voice was calming, trying to reassure his brother than everything would be fine.
Sam grabbed Dean's arm in a weak attempt of defiance. "Dean. Call him back, please."
"We don't even know if it's really him, Sam." Dean knew that this was the last thing Sam would want to hear, but it was the truth. This could easily be a trick.
Sam flinched at the comment, but nodded his head. He tried to push himself to his feet and, with the help of his brother, got into the Impala.
Gabriel slumped against the pay phone and brought his knees to his chest. If he was going to call back tomorrow, he may as well stay here for the night. He wanted more than anything to snap himself to Sam's side. He knew something was wrong with him by the sound of Dean's voice, and his stomach was twisting into nervous knots. Gabriel shut his eyes, squeezing them together and attempting to slow his pounding heart. He would call back tomorrow...once he found more quarters.