The sudden resonance of drizzling rain and soft winds echoed all around Gabriel. He snapped his head left and right and was met with towering trees and a thick canopy of leaves. Screaming birds and leaves rustling echoed all around him. The soft hum of insects filled his ears. Gabriel fell to his knees and raked his hands across the soft wet dirt. Of all the things he missed most about being in Hell, he missed Earth.
Gabriel lay in the dirt for what seemed like hours, taking in everything around him: the fresh air, the sounds of life, the quiet of nature. He never realized how much he loved the outdoors until he had spent months in a dark, dingy prison.
Gabriel eventually rose to his feet and shook the remaining water off. I don't want to be the chosen one. Gabriel thought; his demeanor hardening. His shoulders stiffened and he felt anger rising within him. I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to become a demon. And I certainly didn't ask to become my big bro's slave. In that moment, when Gabriel felt at his lowest, he realized that this must've been what Sam and Dean felt when they were told that their destinies were to be Michael and Lucifer's own personal Mercedes'.
Gabriel felt a rush of guilt flood over him like a tidal wave. He did exactly the same to the Winchesters as his brother was doing to him. "Oh Dean… Sam… I'm so sorry," Gabriel whispered, dropping his face into his hands. What are you doing, Gabriel? Crying over spilled milk? And to think you were an Archangel… Gabriel heard the voice of his brother, Michael fill his head. His conscience had always sounded like him, and now it was an even bigger reminder of what he'd lost.
"Let it go, Gabe, let it go…" He whispered. He started on his way out of the dense forest. "You do realize you're a demon, right?" A voice laughed mockingly from behind him. "Not now, Crowley. I'm really not in the mood…" Gabriel called, never breaking stride. "What I mean, is that you don't have to walk. You can go practically anywhere, just as you could as a… angel." Crowley said; his voice full of disgust at the word angel. Gabriel stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath. "Of COURSE I can just poof, anywhere. I'm just like a dark little fairy!" Gabriel muttered, reprimanding himself. He imagined Sam and Dean, sitting in a hotel room looking over countless books. He imagined himself standing there with them, and took a step forward.
When he opened his eyes again, he was met with the sight of Sam and Dean sitting awe-struck right where Gabriel had pictured them.
"Gabriel?"