Prompt #57 Martyr
300 words
Set after 4.20 "Rapture"
Summary: Having to chose between your life and your family's isn't a hard decision to make. Jimmy tries to understand.
He walked and walked the wet streets, and soon he was too, water-slicked and oil-splashed. They went silently for an hour, a little more. The rain came down in spurts. Jimmy festered beneath, angry and sad and fearful, guilty and hopeful and a little happy, but not much.
Castiel let him stay there, didn't put him to sleep or silence his feelings. He was angry as well, and relieved, though he refused to feel guilty. But he took pity on his chosen vessel, for he'd served fully and well, and suffered for it. He could feel the questions stirring in Jimmy's conscious, and though he didn't plan on answering all of them, he let the one closest to the surface slip out.
How did you get her?
Castiel remembered the time it had taken to communicate with Jimmy, having conversations through the radio static and convincing him to put his arm in a boiling pot. He was a devout man but even with a true believer it had taken weeks for Castiel to pour himself into Jimmy's body.
With Claire it took seconds.
Jimmy demanded, what tricks did you use, what lies did you tell her, how could he do that to an innocent little girl.
Castiel stopped walking. From the outside it appeared he stared at the horizon, but Jimmy could feel his glare inwards, to him, to his soul.
"I asked her if she was willing to give her life to end her father's pain," Castiel said to the empty street.
Jimmy fell silent, his qualms and questions seeping down back into him like sand settling on a barren seabed.
Castiel gave him a moment, then eased Jimmy into a deep sleep. Content with the silence, he turned his vision outwards once again, and he walked. The rain sprinkled down.