Chapter Five

The sparse lighting in the darkened room flickered uncontrollably. The walls constantly reverberated with the agonising groans of the human vessel trapped inside the room. Sweat drenched his skin and dampened his clothing, making them stick to him. His hair plastered against his skull wetly.

A tired groan rolled from his mouth as the demon beside him finally released him. A dull thud sounded as his wasted and broken body slumped in the metal chair that he was shackled to. Laughter bounced off the walls as the demon left, slamming the metal door behind him. Jimmy's head lolled onto his chest, feeling too heavy to lift or move.

A sob escaped him as his thoughts went to his family, the life he once had and finally to Dean. Part of him was sure he would have been rescued by now. After arriving here he quickly learnt he was being possessed as the demon instantly left him and locked him up in this room. When he compared the two experiences he knew that being a vessel to Castiel was a much better option.

From the experiences of being trapped here, Jimmy was sure that the demon was angry at not being able to gain anything useful from him but he couldn't understand what it wanted. He didn't know anything. There really wasn't anything useful to retrieve. And from his lack of cooperation he knew the demons were punishing him and enjoying it, able to take their anger and frustrations out on him.

When his heart eventually calmed slightly, Jimmy took slow deeps breaths before taking his time to glance around the room, though there was nothing to see but emptiness. He was surrounded by windowless, thick stone walls which were dark and covered in an amount of extensive moss. The air smelt stale and the ground constantly shifted beneath his feet.

When the metal door opened again, it creaked sturdily. Jimmy groaned and rested his heavy head back onto his chest. His main tormentor had returned. The demon's vessel's large frame barely managed to fit through the door as he stepped in, his feet crunching forcefully against the ground.

A large, feral smile broke out onto his face as his eyes rested upon Jimmy's still form. He turned deliberately slow as he took his time in closing the door. He knew his prisoner would still be awake, he was only allowing him a short rest, to catch his breath a little. He had to keep the pressure on. The angel vessel had to break sometime.

'Please,' a desperate voice begged.

The demon chuckled, evidently amused by the human's feeble attempts. 'Oh come on, surely you can do better than that,' he taunted mercilessly.

He moved swiftly and grabbed Jimmy's chin roughly, forcing him to look up. The demon's eyes turned black as they bore into Jimmy's now dull blue ones.

'Not looking so good, are we?' the demon asked through his laughter.

'Please,' Jimmy begged again.

'You know...' the demon started as he pulled a brass knife from the black belt around his waist. 'I have to admit, I expected you to crack ages ago. You are one little stubborn thing, aren't you?'

'I don't know anything,' Jimmy coughed out.

'But I suppose it doesn't matter,' he continued, ignoring Jimmy's statement, standing tall once again. 'I'm sure the angel's make sure they get the best and strongest possible humans to use as vessels.' The demon paused momentarily. 'I did think that he would have assured your safety first though... before leaving...'

It went silent as the demon stopped talking. He twirled the brass knife in his hands, thinking about his next actions. As he looked down at Jimmy his head tilted to the side, his face steeped in curiosity. Slowly, he leaned forwards, his nose inches from Jimmy's. He lifted the knife and placed the blade against the man's sweaty cheek, this time round though Jimmy remained still and quiet.

His blue eyes were set upon the demon, determined not to look away, to stay strong this time. Slowly, the tip of the knife poked at his skin. A vague smile appeared on the demon's face as he glided the knife down Jimmy's cheek, piercing the skin. Jimmy winced but he made no sound.

A shiver passed through him as he felt a trickle of blood ran down his face and dripped onto his already bloodstained clothes. The demon didn't stop there. With a slow ease he moved the knife further, pressing the tip into Jimmy's neck before pushing against it gently. He moved it down painfully slowly, spilling more of the vessels blood.

The demon's eyes gleamed as he watched the blood ooze thickly from Jimmy's pale neck. When he had his fill of that he moved down the vessels body further. He grabbed Jimmy's hand and stretched his arm out towards him, exposing the forearm. He gripped the knife's handle tighter as he brought it down into Jimmy's forearm, slicing along its length, the white shirt ripping loudly.

Jimmy's control left him almost instantly as a high pitched scream echoed the room a couple times over. The demon looked back into Jimmy's face, his smile widening as his pleasure increased. A shaky sob left Jimmy's quivering lips and his eyes blurred over with tears as he looked down at the gaping wound. Blood spilled out from both sides from the deep cut, causing Jimmy's breaths to catch in his throat.

'Oh come on, my little vessel,' the demon taunted, an unmistakable sneer clear on his face. 'This round of fun is not nearly as cruel as my last couple rounds, don't you agree?'

The tears that had threatened to spill, dribbled down his cheeks rapidly. He hissed through his teeth as some of them ran into the wound on his cheek. The demon's eyes gleamed dangerously as his manic grin filled Jimmy with nothing but fear. He whimpered as the knife moved down towards his thigh...

The car was currently silent except for the low rumbling of the Impala's engine. The tension between the brothers was slowly increasing. Dean sighed as he gripped the wheel tighter, turning his knuckles white. He kept his eyes focused on the road, trying to ignore the fact that Sam was sitting beside him.

It almost felt like old times; them driving around, heading towards something evil to rid the world of, and save anyone in harm's way. But now things were different, too many things had changed, his brother had changed. He was no longer the same person. Dean sighed again. He wanted nothing more than for things to go back to the way it used to be. He also wished that Castiel would hurry up and return. Surely the business concerning Sam couldn't be taking this long to work through. It made him question how much it had damaged him or how much trouble it would cause for him.

Dean wanted to get his mind focused onto Jimmy again. 'So, how much further?'

'Um...' Sam hummed, flipping the map in his hands. 'Not far, about ten minutes, I think.'

'Good,' Dean said tightly.

'So, do we have a plan going in there or...?' Sam asked curiously.

Dean shrugged half-heartedly. 'Well, I'm sure you know what's going on in there better than I would. What should we be expecting to find?'

This time Sam shrugged but Dean didn't notice. 'Well, I'm not really sure but the demon that took off with Jimmy, he's name's Viktor, well, that's what they all call him. I don't know if any other demons will be there.'

'You're kidding me, right?' Dean asked incredulously, finally turning his head to look at his brother.

'Well I don't know what they've got planned, like I told you,' Sam said, attempting to appear innocent. 'I'm just telling you what Ruby told me.'

'Of course you are,' Dean said loudly, irritated at Sam.

Sam sighed and licked his lower lip slowly. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'I still find it absolutely amazing that you trust her, even over me, Bobby, Castiel and all the other good people that have been around to help us. I never thought the day would come where I wouldn't trust you.'

'Oh, come off it Dean, you haven't trusted me for a while... since you came back from hell, I would say actually,' Sam retorted.

'Well, you're not giving me much reason to,' said Dean quietly, not wanting this to get too far out of hand. They had a job to get done.

'I'm helping you now-'

'Yeah, only because I was torturing your bitch,' said Dean bitingly

'I trust Ruby...' Dean rolled his eyes at his brother's statement. 'She's done nothing but help me-'

'No, she's done nothing but corrupt you and lie to you!'

'Look, I know demons lie, Dean...'

'No shit, captain obvious,' Dean muttered under his breath.

'Sometimes, but she wouldn't lie to me, not after everything we've been through,' Sam finished, ignoring Dean's comment.

'She's lied to you before, Sam!' Dean shouted. 'And after everything you been through with her, you think she's wouldn't lie you to about anything else? God, you're naive, aren't you?'

'Dean...'

'No, Sam, no,' Dean interrupted. 'What about everything we've been through together...' Dean sighed, hating himself for bringing up one of 'those' moments. 'Look, I'm just saying that I hate you trusting her, that's all.'

'Things have changed,' Sam voiced after a moment.

'Tell me about it,' Dean muttered.

The conversation between them ended there, leaving a taste of bitterness in the air...

A wet squelching sound filled Jimmy's ears as the knife was removed from his thigh. His head rolled backwards, his partially open eyes half focused upon the dark grey ceiling above him. The pain radiating from his leg was numbing gradually but he could still feel the trickles of blood roll down his leg and pool around his feet. More tears rolled down his cheeks as his breathing turned shallow.

Viktor straightened to his full height once more. He fisted his hand into Jimmy's thick dark hair and forced his head forwards. Jimmy's droopy gaze focused on him.

'Are you now ready to tell me everything I want to know?' he asked languidly.

'I have... nothing to say... I don't know anything,' Jimmy repeated.

The demon shook his head and tutted disapprovingly. 'Now, now, that's not the way to get out of this alive.'

After hearing the demon's words, Jimmy exhaled shakily. He knew that he wasn't bluffing.

'Maybe when I'm finished with you I should seek out your family and say hello... again...'

'Please,' Jimmy sobbed. 'Leave them be.'

An evil laugh echoed. The demon shook Jimmy's head roughly. He sneered at him mockingly, his white teeth bared menacingly. 'Then maybe you ought to talk.'

'But I don't know anything!'

'You keep saying that but I know you must be hiding something... and I also know that it's just a matter of time until I find out what.'

Jimmy sighed, shaking his head the best he could. It didn't matter how many times he said it. The demon wasn't going to believe him. Viktor laughed again and shrugged emotionlessly.

'Well then, I suppose it's time to start on the other side. Tell me... how much blood do you think you can afford to lose?'

Viktor's eyes glistened bright in the dull light, seemingly overjoyed at the idea of continuing. He stepped closer to Jimmy, lifting the knife towards his unmarked cheek, ready and willing to start on the other side of his body.

Suddenly, both Jimmy and Viktor jumped when the metal door burst open with a loud bang. Within seconds, Dean and Sam ran through amidst the smoke, guns in hand. 'Get away from him you black-eyed freak!' Dean yelled, his voice easily bouncing off the walls.

Slowly, Viktor turned to face them, a wide smile appearing on his face. 'I more than expected you to charge in here half-cocked, a plan already formed, but perhaps there was more for you to learn than realised.'

Dean and Sam exchanged confused looks but they were quickly answered when there was a loud rustling behind them. They turned and saw that they had been joined by two other people. Their eyes instantly turned to black. Dean groaned inwardly. He should have known that there would be more than one demon here. He briefly glanced beside him at Sam, silently cursing him. Surely, he knew how many there would be, or at least Ruby should have known.

'I don't think we've all been introduced,' Dean said turning to look at Viktor again.

The main demon chuckled, finally releasing his grip on Jimmy's hair and moving to stand behind him. 'I am Viktor and this vessels eventual executioner,' he said, starting the introductions.

Dean's eyes flittered over Jimmy. His chest tightened. Jimmy was slumped forwards in the metal chair, the silver shackles holding him steadily in place. He seemed unconscious. Hatred filled his eyes when he looked at Viktor again.

'And my two friends are Thomas and Marcus,' Viktor continued. 'The three of us have been tracking this vessel for a while and finally our time has arrived.'

'I don't think so,' Dean grounded out, anger clear in his tone.

'Do you really think you can win?' Viktor asked, indicating to the room with outstretched hands. 'It is three against two. Are you hoping for some sort of miracle?' Viktor chuckled again. 'You think the demon wonder boy here will be able to give you an advantage? You may be waiting a while. We have the advantage against you and nothing will be left of you when we're finished.'

'Keep talking,' said Dean, feeling his anger building higher.

'The faith you have in your brother's goodness or the angel's agendas is greatly misplaced.' Viktor paused, dragging his hand down Jimmy's neck, feeling the sweat and blood mix around his fingers. 'Do you really think they dragged you out of hell for some higher purpose? You really are a fool...'

'Shut up,' Sam hissed.

But Viktor continued, obviously enjoying himself. 'I've heard about you from other demons, hell, we all have heard of you, both of you... but I did expect you to be smarter than this. But onto the more important things, should I end this now or...?' he asked indicating to Jimmy, stroking the man's cheek and gradually moving to his hair, rubbing through it almost sensuously.

'I'm gonna kill you,' Dean whispered harshly, feeling as though his voice might break.

'Oh, yes, I expected that as well,' said Viktor lightly. 'Wouldn't you like to kill Sam too though? He violated your poor little angel, deflowered him before you got the chance...'

Dean's jaw clenched as more anger swept through him.

'Let's get it started!' Viktor yelled before anything more could be said.

Dean and Sam spun back to the other demons and fired off a couple shots each, neither of them having any effect. Dean yelped as Marcus knocked him off his feet in one vicious swipe.

Thomas wrapped his hand around Sam's gun and pulled it from his grasp effortlessly, before carelessly throwing it the other side of the room. Thomas then leered at Sam, gesturing for him to attack. Sam swallowed hard, briefly glancing over at Dean, who was lying on his side, his back against the wall, his eyes open and directed towards Jimmy, who was still slumped in his chair. He quickly questioned himself on whether he really wanted to get involved.

Making a quick decision, Sam moved swiftly, pushing Thomas away from him before stretching his hand out attempting to rid the world of the evil standing in front of him. As Thomas felt the pressure within slowly build he managed to gather enough strength to move at Sam, running into him, breaking his concentration, both of them falling into a heap on the dirty ground.

Marcus continued kicking hard into Dean's stomach, as he spent the time gasping and trying to reach for the gun that he had flown from his hands. Marcus laughed and moved towards the gun and kicked it away from both of them forcefully before continuing his assault. Dean attempted to move and stop the flow of attacks but everything failed.

Another round of Viktor's laughter filled their ears as they both tried to get the upper hand with the demons attacking them. Dean's anger was still present but at the moment it was doing nothing but hindering him. The surge of Marcus' attacks continued to flow smoothly, nothing breaking his concentration. Dean's eyes slowly rolled up in the back of his head as the end loomed.

Sam and Thomas' fight continued as they rolled around, both of them fighting for dominance. Soon, Sam gained the upper hand and he scrambled to his knees, pulling Thomas up by his head, the demon seeming tired and defeated. He gripped the demon's head tighter and whipped it to the side, a loud crack resonating. He instantly released Thomas, the body hitting the floor with a loud thud. Within seconds a scream rang out as thick, black smoke billowed from the mouth.

Suddenly, everything stopped as the lights began to flicker uncontrollably before they suddenly burst, sparks flying in every direction. The wind picked up, blowing against the strong structure violently. Viktor and Marcus looked around, slight traces of fear clearly present in their borrowed bodies' eyes as they searched for the sudden and unusual intrusion.

It quickly turned silent and without another sound, a tall and ample figure appeared in the doorway. All eyes turned towards the entrance and stared, wondering who this new person was and what they wanted. The silence quickly became too much for Viktor.

'Who the hell are you?' he asked irritably.

'Castiel,' the female voice replied. The figure stepped forwards and once in the light and visible, showed everyone in the room the angel's new vessel. The woman's thick, wavy brown hair hung loosely around her waist, amplifying her curves; her bright green eyes searched the room, instantly fearing for both Dean and Jimmy.

'You will step away from him now,' Castiel spoke deeply, the female's voice sounding unnatural.

Viktor smiled, placing his face beside Jimmy's before slowly taking in an obscene sniff of the vessel. 'You want him back in one piece... then I suggest you come get him...'

The brass knife once again made its presence known and instantly, Marcus began to lay into Dean. Castiel felt his anger boil over. He breathed deeply and sent a wave of wind towards Viktor, causing the demon to become unsteady on his feet but the knife remained in his hand but at least it had moved him away from Jimmy.

Castiel then rushed to Dean's aid and grabbed Marcus' shoulder, turning him around. Instantly he placed a hand to the demon's forehead and sent him back to hell. The body fell to the ground, the human was clearly dead. Castiel turned his eyes back to Viktor.

He had recovered and was moving back towards Jimmy. He wasn't about to let anything more happen to him. Viktor then turned on him instead when he realised the angel was about to win. The knife came towards him but Castiel grabbed Viktor's wrist, pushing against the arm. Both of them grunting heavily, straining in their efforts.

Suddenly, a white light began to fill the room and the earth began to shake. Castiel kept his grip on Viktor tightly, knowing full well what was coming.

'Dean, shield your eyes!' Castiel shrieked as loud as he could. 'Shield your eyes!'

The blinding white light passed through the room and it ended as quickly as it had begun. Everything turned quiet. The dull darkness had returned and the earth had stilled. Castiel released his grip on the charred body in his hands and watched it fall to the ground with a sickening crunch.

Castiel breathed heavily as he checked on Dean. He was conscious. His eyes then roamed the room wondering where Sam was but he was sure he could guess. He was gone. He then looked over at Jimmy but the story was different. He was still slumped in his chair, unconscious. For a brief moment, he pondered about who to attend to but he quickly realised that Jimmy had to come first.

He gently removed the shackles from around his wrists and placed a hand gently onto his chest, over where the heart lay. Within seconds, Jimmy awoke. He gasped and would have fallen from his chair if Castiel hadn't been there to keep him in place.

Eventually, Jimmy's head slowly cleared and things were starting to come back to him. He slowly lifted his head and glanced into the green eyes he was faced with.

'Cas-tiel?' he stuttered uncertainly.

There was a slight head nod. 'Hello, Jimmy.'

'Wh-'

'Do not try and speak,' Castiel said quietly. 'I am sorry for not getting back sooner.' Castiel paused, licking his bottom lip slowly, feeling his guilt beginning to surface rapidly. 'I would understand if you do not want me to take you again but...'

Castiel trailed off, knowing that there was nothing he could say to make up for the trouble his leaving caused.

'I ... would like ... to speak ... with ... Dean ... before you return,' Jimmy gasped out, pain etched in his features.

'As you wish,' Castiel replied promptly. 'But first I will get both of you out of here.'


In a cheap and dark motel room, Castiel stood at the window, looking through the white lace to see out onto the dark street before him, wondering if all of this could have been prevented. He managed to get both Jimmy and Dean here without much incident. He had immediately considered contacting Bobby but he wanted this to be sorted first. One thing at a time sounded like a good idea at this moment.

Castiel's head turned ever so slightly when a faint groan sounded from the far side of the room but he knew he was still the only person awake. A tiny sigh escaped him as he turned back to the window.

His feelings of guilt were still there, creating nothing but a hard and an unmovable lump in this throat. It always reminded him of the time he first learnt to feel. It had been confusing and strange but surprisingly it had almost been the easiest thing so far to accept, though he couldn't deny there were some feelings that were a mixture of many and variably complicated.

Castiel glanced down at his temporary vessel. It was odd being in a female although not uncomfortable but he still missed Jimmy. Somehow Jimmy had become someone important to him, something more than just an object for him to use while on Earth.

Another groan resonated again but this time it sounded different. Castiel lifted his hand slowly and using two fingers he pushed the curtains closed. He then turned the light on a low setting before turning his back to the window. It was Dean that was coming around.

He groaned again as he propped himself up onto one elbow and rubbed his face and hair with his free hand. He squinted as he searched the room, seeing Jimmy lying on the bed beside his and an unfamiliar female standing at the window. Dean shot up into a sitting position.

'Who are you?' he asked harshly.

'It's me, Dean,' Castiel replied softly.

Dean frowned heavily as it tried to place the almost familiar voice. 'Castiel?' he asked.

Castiel nodded. Dean slowly got up from his bed and took a few steps closer to the female vessel. 'Castiel?' he asked again, making sure he got it correct.

'Yes, Dean,' Castiel said, nodding his head again.

Dean's eyebrows shot up briefly as he cocked his head. 'Wow, Cas, you sure know how to pick 'em,' he commented, a slight smile appearing on his face.

'Dean,' said Castiel, his serious face remaining intact. 'This is definitely not an appropriate time.'

'Alright, alright,' Dean muttered as he walked back to his bed to sit down. He leaned forwards and held his head in his hands, silently trying to bribe his headache to leave. 'So, um, what's happening?'

'Jimmy wants to speak with you,' Castiel replied. 'I told him I would give him that opportunity. I believe he wants to ... clear the air with you.'

Dean nodded slowly, unmoving from his position. Castiel watched him with vague interest. He couldn't deny that those feelings were still there too although this wasn't the time to talk about that. 'Are you alright, Dean?'

'You mean besides the headache, the searing stomach pains and blurry vision, yeah I'm great,' his replied sarcastically. 'Did you heal me at all?' he added curiously.

Castiel seemed to hesitate. 'Perhaps...'

Dean's small chuckle turned into a sigh but he said nothing more on the subject. He eventually looked up again at the angel. 'So... are you staying for the conversation or...?'

'No, but I will stay until Jimmy wakes up.'

'Did you heal him too?' Dean asked, unable to let it go. Castiel's silence remained, giving Dean all the answer he needed.

Dean nodded sleepily. Both of them let silence fall upon them as they waited for Jimmy to come around. Several unrequited looks passed between them, neither of them noticing too much of the other. Dean knew it was Castiel but somehow it wasn't the same without Jimmy as the vessel. It didn't seem as real.

They remained in silence for at least another hour before Jimmy awoke, momentarily dazed and confused about his whereabouts until Dean spoke to him. When Jimmy had settled Castiel took his leave.

'Just call me when you're finished.'

Both Jimmy and Dean nodded. Nothing was said until Castiel was gone. Jimmy sat up and leaned uncomfortably on his legs, deliberately avoiding the bandaged cut, his hands pressed together as he rested his chin upon both of them. He sighed lightly. He was feeling tired and quite hungry but he knew it would disappear when Castiel came back.

Dean sat back, watching Jimmy with interest, wondering what he had wanted to talk about.

'Dean... I'm sorry,' he said quietly, carefully choosing his words. 'I think I overreacted when you and Castiel...'

'No,' said Dean, firmly interrupting. 'You were in the right. Neither of us should have used your body like that.'

Jimmy pressed his lips together tightly as he nodded slowly. 'I still think that,' he said unhurriedly. 'However, I am no longer bothered by it. I wanted to tell you that I'm okay with it now. I want you and Castiel to feel free to show each other how you feel.'

'What about your wife... and daughter... and your beliefs?' Dean asked uncertainly.

Jimmy shrugged softly. 'Dean, many things have changed,' he said precisely. 'I've changed, so has Castiel. I believe he's come a long way from the stubborn and unemotional angel he once was.'

Dean chuckled for the briefest of moments, understand what Jimmy meant. Jimmy took a deep breath as he continued. 'Dean, look, I like to think I'm open-minded to some degree and...' He trailed off as he tried to find the words. 'I like you, a lot,' he added. 'I know it could never compare to what you and Cas have but I want you to know that I'm alright with this.'

Dean opened his mouth to speak but Jimmy cut him off. 'And I don't want any disagreement from you.'

'So, you are taking Castiel back?'

'Yes,' said Jimmy nodding.

'What about what you said before though...'

'You mean in the car?'

'Yes,' Dean clarified.

'That wasn't me, you know that,' said Jimmy quickly.

'I know, but demons don't always lie and I think there was some truth in that...'

'I think there's some truth to it as well,' agreed Jimmy. 'But... my life will never be what it was and without being able to explain it, I think I prefer it this way.'

Dean nodded and silence fell between them. Eventually Jimmy got to his feet and walked towards the door. He quickly gasped and turned as he felt a hand on his arm. Dean was standing right there, a lot closer than Jimmy would normally have been comfortable with.

Dean cupped Jimmy's face with his hands, feeling the cuts beneath his fingers and leaned in gently, placing a chaste kiss upon Jimmy's lips. Jimmy returned the tender touch before opening his mouth to allow Dean to deepen the kiss. When the small kiss ended they searched each other's eyes distractedly.

'I'll go call for Castiel,' said Jimmy quietly.

Dean nodded and walked back towards his bed. He still wondered whether it was right but Jimmy saying it was alright somehow made Dean's body grow warm with happiness. It was something that was uncommon for him to feel.

When Jimmy returned so did Castiel inside his female vessel. Suddenly, Dean felt curious.

'Cas, does that poor woman know you're possessing her?'

'Not exactly...' said Castiel uneasily. 'I'm just borrowing her for a little while. She can go back to her life when this is over.'

'Are you sure?' Jimmy asked, concern filling his blue eyes.

'Yes,' Castiel confirmed.

'Good,' Jimmy said with a small sigh.

Dean nodded in agreement and he watched as the angel and his old vessel turned to look at each other. For a split second they both seemed hesitant.

'Are you ready?' Castiel asked, searching Jimmy's face.

Jimmy instantly nodded. 'Yes, I'm ready.'

Castiel cupped Jimmy's face almost like Dean had moments ago and quickly a white light filled Jimmy's eyes, quickly engulfing his face. Dean looked away and when he looked back he saw the female vessel on the floor, looking at the two of them in fear, tears rapidly welling up in her eyes.

Castiel took a moment to adjust to Jimmy's body, healing him instantly before placing a hand on the female's head. Dean blinked and they were gone. Dean couldn't help but smile to himself. Castiel had returned. Now, he needed to find Sam again.