A/N: Filler time is over, for now, and we move into Episode 20's The Rapture! This has to be my favorite episode cause I'm a fan of Jimmy and Misha's overlal performance in the episode. So uh, not much else to add. Please review!

Chapter 7: Angelic Vessel

A few days had passed since the Harmont incident. Tori had been sleeping fairly soundly, until she heard banging on the door.

With a groan, she pushed the blankets of her bed aside and got up. Tori unlocked and opened the door, only to see Dean looking impatient. "Dean?" Tori groaned in a drowsy tone. "Time's it?"

"It's three in the morning. Get packed up, we've gotta go meet Cas. Something's up."

She nodded. "Give us a few minutes. Ash is still sleeping."

Dean gave a wave of his hand and he turned, walking towards the Impala. Tori shut the door and looked at her sleeping friend as she made her way to the small bathroom. She picked up Ash's hairbrush from the sink and chucked it at her.

Ashley twitched a little, then bolting up with a grumpy expression. She looked in Tori's direction and rubbed her eyes. "What? The room better be on fire if you're waking me up."

"It's not," Tori explained, "But Dean just came to say we're leaving. Something with Castiel."

She hadn't even finished saying his name when Ashley sprung out of bed. Immediately, Ashley grabbed her boots and hurried to pull them on. She was the type of hunter who slept dressed so to be prepared for anything. Tori, on the other hand, went the old route of pajamas.


"Get dressed and let's go slowpoke," Ashley told her. Tori just shook her head and shut the bathroom door.

She yawned as they walked through the corridors of the empty warehouse. Dean was at the front of the group, then Tori, herself, and Sam. They each had flashlights in hand and were searching for Castiel.

"What'd he say Dean? What's so important?" Sam asked.

Dean looked back, she noticed. "If I knew, would we be here?"

Gotta agree there. From what Dean said, which was very little; Castiel seemed almost nervous about something when they spoke in Dean's dream. But he was an angel. What did he have to fear?

Ashley shook her head as they began up a set of metal steps, their footsteps making quiet sounds as they went.

There was the sound of something crackling as she neared the top. Somewhere a few feet ahead, Ashley saw a big spark. It made her jump in shock at first, and she let out a big breath.

"Looks like a bomb went off…" Sam muttered. And he was right.

The entire place was trashed. Metal, equipment, loose wires, and busted parts of walkway were all over. More sparks crackled off to the left of them.

"There was a fight here," Dean said.

"It looks like it. But who?" Tori asked.

Sam chimed in, "And why?"

Ashley tried picking her brain. Demons, angels, or something else? No way could humans do this…

Everyone stopped, shining their flashlights to look around. There was still no sign of Castiel among the mess.

"Check it out," Dean told them, shining his light on a wall. "Look familiar?"

When Ashley looked, there was a big symbol of some sort…and it looked as if it were written in paint or blood.

"Yeah. It does," Sam responded.

"Not to me," Ashley said curiously.

"Anna used something like that to wish the angels back to the cornfield," Dean explained.

"So…Cas was fighting angels?" Tori asked in a timid tone.

Ashley frowned, not wanting to look at the obscure symbol anymore. She looked around and spotted a shoe. Connected to the shoe was…Castiel. Her eyes went wide. "Cas!"

"Cas?" Dean's voice called as he assumingly followed her past the rubble to Castiel's unmoving form.

She knelt down, shaking him. "Cas? Hey…"

He grumbled in a surprised tone and shook as he bolted up. "W-What's going on?" His voice sounded almost…different.

"Just take it easy," Dean told him as he helped him up.

Castiel put a hand on his chest, looking down at himself. "No…" He took a big breath as he stood, turning to face the four. "Castiel. I'm not Castiel. It's me."

"Who's me?" Sam questioned.

"Jimmy. My name's Jimmy."

"Where the hell's Castiel?" Dean sternly asked.

Looking at Dean, then Ashley; Jimmy shook his head. "He's gone."

Ashley's jaw fell open and Dean glanced back, purely confused. Where's Cas?...


Sitting around the motel's small table, they watched in awe as Jimmy devoured a hamburger. "You mind slowing down? You're giving me angina," Dean said with a grimace. Jimmy looked content to the older Winchester, but the way he was eating… It was making Dean a bit nauseas.

"I'm hungry," Jimmy stated before taking a sip from the near empty soda.

Tori cleared her throat. "When was the last time you ate?"

He swallowed what was in his mouth and said, "I dunno. Months?" Jimmy made a happy sound as he polished off his second burger.

"What the hell happened back there?" Sam watched him, looking to be a little disgusted, too. "It looked like an angel battle royale."

"All I remember was a flash of light and uh, I don't know. I was just like, me again," Jimmy shrugged, biting into another burger.

Dean looked at Jimmy curiously. "So Cas just ditched out of your meat suit?"

Chewing what was in his mouth, Jimmy said, "I really don't know."

"Do you remember anything at all about being possessed?" Sam asked.

"Bits and pieces. I mean, an angel inside you is kinda like being chained to a comet."

Ashley crossed her arms in the corner of Dean's eye. "Sounds horrible," she quietly remarked.

Jimmy raised his eyebrows at her. "Understatement."

Dean cleared his throat. "Cas said he wanted to tell us something. Do you remember that at least?"

"Sorry," he told them, shaking his head.

"Well what do you know?" Ashley huffed from her spot behind Sam and Tori. To say she was frustrated would also be an understatement, Dean figured. He looked at her curiously, studying the anger on her face for a moment. Maybe Tori was right…

A thoughtful look came onto Jimmy's features when Dean directed his attention back to him. "My name is Jimmy Novak. I'm from Pontiac, Illinois. …And I have a family." He spoke a little about his family, telling about his wife and daughter with certain giddiness to his voice.

Nodding, Dean looked to Sam and nodded away from the table. They had to figure out what to do next and Dean figured they shouldn't exactly include Jimmy in the decision. It was obvious he missed home, but after all he'd been through…

The two got up and grabbed their coats, Dean leading the way outside.


Jimmy finished eating and Tori was looking at him curiously. What if I use my power… Maybe I could find something out… She glanced at Ashley with an unsure look. "Ash, maybe I could…"

"No," Ashley interjected. "Not gonna happen."

"What?" Jimmy asked, standing up in a cautious manner.

Tori took a breath and explained, ignoring how pissed her friend was. "Jimmy, I can do this…thing. It's not painful for you at all, and all I need is your hand."

"Why?"

"Because then I can look into your mind. Thoughts, memories, all that. Maybe I can see if there's something you can't remember that's there."

He looked at her with suspicion, his gaze drifting over to Ashley as if questioning her silently. Tori gave Ashley a concerned look. C'mon. Let him! Tell him it's okay. This could help them. She could find out what Castiel needed to tell Dean this way.

"Sorry Tori. My answer's no."

She frowned, glaring at Ashley. "Whatever," Tori grumbled as the brothers came back into the motel room. She brushed past them and made her way to her car.


"What the hell do you mean I can't go home?"

Dean has his hands in his pockets as he stood behind Sam with Ashley as they broke the news to Jimmy. He huffed. "There's a good chance you have a bulls eye on you back."

The look on Jimmy's face turned to shock. "What? From who?"

The three were silent as Jimmy looked to each of them for an answer. Finally, Dean said, "Demons."

"Come on, that's crazy! What do they want with me?" His brow furrowed angrily.

Ashley pushed a strand of her dark hair behind an ear. "Information, maybe?" she suggested.

Raising his voice, Jimmy shouted, "I don't know anything!"

His tone earned a grumble from Dean, who was beginning to get irritated. "I know."

"I'm done, okay; with demons, angels, all of it. I just wanna go home." The desperation in his voice was obvious, no matter how much he raised it.

"We understand," Ashley told him. Dean glanced over at her and she just looked like she wanted to help in the worst way.

"No, I don't think you do understand," Jimmy began as Dean turned his attention back to him. "I've been shot and stabbed and healed and my body's been dragged all over the Earth. By some miracle I'm out, and I am done." He made his way past them to the door, but Sam stopped him by blocking the door.

He held up a hand in front of Jimmy. "Look, all we're saying is until we figure this out the safest place is with us."

Jimmy glared a hole thought Sam while asking, "How long?"

Sam paused, shaking his head. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Watching Jimmy give a scoff and try to make another pass for the door, Dean rubbed at his face. It had been a long and stressful day. Jimmy wasn't making the situation any better on him. Any of them probably.

"Where're you gonna go, Jimmy?" Ashley asked as she took a step towards him.

"To see my wife and daughter."

He pushed Jimmy back lightly and said, "No you're not. You'll just put them in danger."

Jimmy made a face at Sam's comment, and then looked back over at Ashley and Dean. "So what, I'm a prisoner?"

"Harsh way to put it," Sam said through a shrug.

This angered Jimmy and he stormed past the three of them into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Dean exchanged looks with his brother, and then Ashley. "Can you two watch him while I attempt some sleep?"

Ashley gave a nod. "Go be Sleeping Beauty."

At her comment, Sam let out a laugh. Dean glared in his direction before going over to one of the beds and lying down.


It was her second attempt to call Tori…and there was no answer. Again. She huffed, snapping her cell phone shut and went back into the motel room. Thankfully, Sam went and got a second room so they wouldn't disturb Dean.

Ashley entered and saw Jimmy was in bed asleep. She joined Sam at the small table. "Hey."

"Any luck?" he asked, keeping his voice down.

Frowning, she shook her head. "Tried twice and there was no answer either time."

He crossed his arms in front of him, and leaned forward in his seat with a thoughtful look. "Maybe she's driving."

Ashley scoffed and gave a shrug. "Either way, she could take a second to pick up her damn phone. My mind's running away with itself right now thinking she's in trouble." Her voice raised, anger starting to shine through her façade.

There was a small mumble and she looked in Jimmy's direction, only to see him shift onto his side under the blanket.

"Sorry," she mumbled softly in his direction. Turning her attention back to Sam, she watched him get up. "Where're you going?" Ashley hissed as he walked over to the door.

Sam just said, "Going to get a drink and grab my book." He glanced at Jimmy's sleeping form. "Keep an eye open," he whispered before he left.

She let out a sigh and watched Castiel's vessel with a bored expression. Although she was physically in the room, mentally she was elsewhere. There was worry for Tori and Castiel clouding her mind. Unable to focus, the hunter shut her eyes and breathed slowly. The pull of sleep was beginning to take her away until she heard something. A light thud as if someone just bumped their foot.

Opening her eyes, Ashley saw a startled Jimmy standing frozen to the spot between the room's twin beds. His jaw fell open and he looked similar to a deer caught in headlights. "Uh…"

"Something wrong?"

His shoulders drooped and she took notice he had the tan trench coat in hand, just like when he tried to leave before. Jimmy shook his head to signal a 'no'.

Ashley straightened up, concern pushing its way onto her face. "You can't leave."

"Please," he begged, taking a step towards her. "It's been almost a year since I've seen them, Ash."

"Don't—"

Jimmy interrupted her. "You told Castiel he could call you that. Thought it went both ways." There was a ping of nostagalia in her mind as she nodded. "He liked you and thought you were a good, helpful person," jimmy went on to say, looking hopeful. "Now I'm asking you for help."

She let her eyes wander up and exhaled a heaving breath. "He really said that?" He nodded quickly. Ashley slumped back into the chair and said, "Salt your doors and windows if you feel unsafe."

A huge smile slid across Jimmy's lips and he was practically beaming. "Thank you."

Her eyes went shut, determined to look asleep when she felt Jimmy's hand lightly squeeze her shoulder. She heard the door click open and shut a few moments later. They're gonna kill me when they notice he's gone…