Sarah's alarm blared at 6 AM, jolting her awake. For a moment, she lay in bed, trying to remember why she felt so exhausted. Then it all came flooding back - the fallen angel currently occupying her couch.

Groaning, she dragged herself out of bed and shuffled to the living room. To her surprise, Gabriel was already awake, sitting ramrod straight on the couch, his eyes fixed on the window where the first rays of sunlight were peeking through.

"Morning," Sarah mumbled. "How did you sleep?"

Gabriel turned to her, his expression a mixture of confusion and irritation. "This... sleep is most disorienting. I feel as though I've lost hours of consciousness."

Sarah couldn't help but chuckle. "That's kind of the point. Did you at least feel rested?"

"I suppose," Gabriel admitted grudgingly. "Though I fail to see the appeal of such vulnerability."

Shaking her head, Sarah headed to the kitchen to start the coffee. As she went about her morning routine, she could feel Gabriel's eyes following her every move.

"I have to go to work soon," she said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "Will you be okay here by yourself?"

Gabriel's brow furrowed. "You're leaving me alone? But what about my wings? What if I need to use them?"

Sarah sighed. "Gabriel, we talked about this. No wings while I'm gone. It's too risky. Just... try to relax. Watch some TV, read a book. I'll be back this evening."

The fallen angel looked thoroughly unimpressed with these suggestions. "And what am I supposed to do about sustenance? I find myself experiencing this... hunger again."

"Right," Sarah said, mentally kicking herself for not thinking of that. She quickly showed Gabriel how to make a sandwich and use the microwave. "There's food in the fridge. Just don't burn the place down, okay?"

As Sarah got ready for work, she couldn't shake her worry about leaving Gabriel alone. It felt like leaving a toddler unsupervised - a very powerful, potentially destructive toddler.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Remember," she said as she headed for the door, "no wings, no angel stuff. Just act normal if anyone comes by. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Gabriel nodded sullenly, already looking bored.

Sarah's day at the hospital was a blur of patients, charts, and stolen moments trying to research anything she could about angels. By the time her shift ended, she was exhausted and no closer to understanding Gabriel's situation.

As she drove home, her mind raced with worries. What if Gabriel had caused trouble? What if he'd left? What if-

Her thoughts were interrupted as she pulled up to her apartment building and saw a crowd gathered outside, pointing up at something. Sarah's heart sank. Please, don't let it be...

But of course, it was. There, on the roof of the building, was a familiar figure with enormous black wings spread wide.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Sarah muttered, parking haphazardly and rushing towards the building.

She pushed through the crowd, ignoring their awed whispers, and raced up the stairs to the roof access. Bursting through the door, she found Gabriel standing at the edge of the roof, his wings catching the evening breeze.

"Gabriel!" she hissed. "What are you doing? Get down from there!"

He turned to her, and to her surprise, his face was alight with something close to joy. "Sarah! I felt them stirring. I had to see if I could... and look! I can manifest them now!"

Sarah glanced nervously at the growing crowd below. "That's... great, Gabriel. Really. But you need to put them away. Now. There are people watching!"

The excitement faded from Gabriel's face, replaced by his usual scowl. "Always so concerned with what these mortals think. They should be honored to witness such divine beauty."

"Divine beauty or not, we talked about this," Sarah said firmly. "Wings away. Now. Please?"

For a moment, she thought he might refuse. But then, with a huff of frustration, Gabriel closed his eyes in concentration. The wings shimmered and faded from view.

"Happy now?" he grumbled.

"Ecstatic," Sarah replied dryly. "Come on, let's get inside before someone calls the news."

As they made their way back to the apartment, dodging curious neighbors, Sarah couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and trepidation. On one hand, Gabriel regaining some control over his wings was progress. On the other... well, if this was him behaving himself, she dreaded to think what tomorrow might bring.

Once safely back in the apartment, Sarah turned to Gabriel, hands on her hips. "Alright, spill. What exactly happened today?"

Gabriel had the grace to look slightly abashed. "I... may have become frustrated with the limitations of this mortal form and dwelling. I attempted to reconnect with my celestial nature."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "By standing on the roof with your wings out?"

"It seemed appropriate at the time," Gabriel muttered.

Sarah sighed, sinking onto the couch. "Gabriel, I know this is hard for you. But we can't have a repeat of today. We need to figure out a better way to handle this situation."

As she looked at the fallen angel, seeing the mix of pride, frustration, and uncertainty in his eyes, Sarah realized that their journey was far from over. In fact, it felt like it was only just beginning.