The Winchester siblings watched Jimmy ravish a hamburger. He gave satisfied moans as he stuffed fries into his mouth after his last bite. "You mind slowing down? You're gonna give me angina," Dean said, already rubbing at his chest.
"Hungry," Jimmy managed to reply between bites. "Been months since I ate." The brothers looked at him in shock as Arielle simply looked out the window, deep in thought.
"What the hell happened back there?" Sam finally asked when Jimmy took a break from eating. "It looked like an angel battle royale."
Jimmy shrugged, giving a sigh before popping the last fries into his mouth and practically swallowing without chewing. "All I remember is a flash of light and I, uh… I woke up and I was just, you know, like me again," he lamely explained, looking into the paper bag with disappointment.
"So, what? Cas just ditched out of your meat suit?" Dean asked with a furrowed brow.
"I really don't know."
"You don't remember anything about being possessed?" Sam asked now. "Anything at all."
Jimmy crumpled the bag before turning his eyes to him. "Bits and pieces. I mean, angel inside of you, it's like being chained to a comet."
Arielle finally turned to face him. "Doesn't sound like much fun," she said, pushing the untouched drink towards him. Jimmy gave her a thankful look and took a huge gulp. She watched as he closed his eyes, savoring the sweetness of the drink.
"Understatement," he responded kindly afterwards as Sam fidgeted in his seat.
"Cas said he wanted to tell us something," he continued, eyes piercing the brunette. "Please tell me you remember that."
Jimmy shook his head, taking a slower drink of pop. "Sorry," he added and Arielle gave his hand a pat.
Dean sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Okay, what do you know?"
"My name is Jimmy Novak. I'm from Pontiac, Illinois." His blue eyes went to his hands on the drink. "I have a family." The brothers quickly lost interest, realizing this was going nowhere. Arielle noticed the look they shared.
"We're going for some more grub," Dean said after the short silence. Sam stood along with him, and both men gazed at Arielle and she immediately understood she was on bodyguard duty. "You want anything?"
"Just a chocolate milkshake," she said, then gave Jimmy a smile. "Make that two. I'm have a hunch he misses sweets as well."
The guys took off, and the blonde knew the moment the door shut, they'd be discussing their options concerning the man formerly known as Castiel. The duo left behind sat in silence and moments later, the sound of the Impala's engine was heard through the thin walls. She observed Jimmy slouched over, completely lost in his thoughts now. After a half hour, she decided to break him out of his thoughts.
"Tell me about your family," Arielle said, not wanting him to get too deep into his mind that it might cause desperate actions. If she kept him calm, she knew she'd be able to keep him controlled. A bonus would be if he believed he could trust her, ensuring he'd give her a heads up if escaping came to mind.
Jimmy blinked and sat up, straightening out his tie absentmindedly. "I have a wife, Amelia. And I have my daughter, Claire. My god, I simply walked out," he said, his voice suddenly breaking. "I left them in the middle of the night and just… I didn't think twice." He hung his head in shame. Arielle hesitated, at the mention of a spouse, before grabbing his hand and squeezing lightly.
"You did what you thought was best. And even if you can't recall all that's happened, I'm sure you've done good. I mean, an angel chose you, of all the men on Earth. That's gotta mean something, right?"
Jimmy used his free hand to rub his red eyes with the palm. "I… honestly, don't know. I mean, Castiel killed people. Or, demons. But it killed the vessel too. I thought he was supposed to protect them, to save them, but…" he shook his head, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly.
The blonde heard movement outside and let go of the man's hand as the door opened quietly. "I just want to go home," Jimmy added quietly.
"You can't go home," Sam said to him as Dean came up behind him. Sam went to a bed with a bag as Dean closed the door and sat at the table with Jimmy and Arielle. The brunette looked to Sam, eyes narrowed and mouth in a firm line.
"The hell are you talking about, I can't go home?" Arielle looked at Dean for an explanation, receiving only the shake of a head in return.
"There's a good chance you have a bull's-eye on your back," Dean said in a low voice, handing Arielle both shakes. The blonde waited, watching Jimmy's reaction.
She noted the slight tremble in his hands, though whether from fear or anger was hard to tell. "What? From who?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"Demons," Dean answered without pause. Jimmy shook his head fervently.
"Come on, that's crazy. What do they want with me?" he reasoned, his hands curling into fists unconsciously.
Arielle grabbed his hands, smoothing out the fists and placing the milkshake between them. She could feel heat emanating from him. "You were an angel's vessel, Jim," she reminded him, her green eyes searching out his blue ones. "They'd want information."
"I don't know anything, though," he insisted, almost crushing the paper cup in his hands before forcing himself to relax. Arielle sighed softly and nodded.
"I believe you, but they won't," she said, trying to keep eye contact with him. "And from what I've been told, they go through… thorough lengths to make sure you're telling the truth. She knew Dean and Sam couldn't even bear looking at him now, a man they thought they knew now someone completely different. The job to keep him calm fell onto her.
Jimmy pushed away the milkshake, shoving the chair back and pacing the length of the room. "Look, I'm done, okay?" he said, arms out. "With demons, angels, all of it. I just want to go home."
"We understand," Dean said, attempting to sympathize.
"I don't think that you do understand," Jimmy whirled to the eldest Winchester, eyes blazing. "I've been shot and stabbed and healed, and my body has been dragged all over the Earth. By some miracle, I'm out, and I am done. I've given enough, okay?"
"Look," Sam interrupted, completely ignoring his tirade. Arielle shut her eyes, something inside her shifting. "All we're saying is that until we figure this out, the safest place is with us."
Jimmy scoffed, crossing his arms and facing Sam full on. "How long?" he demanded.
Sam gave him a sharp look. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
Arielle knew exactly what that means, and apparently so did Jimmy. The blonde stood, going to the window next to the door. She watched the dark sky, ears still set on the conversation. From the corner of her eye, she caught Jimmy shaking his head as he made to leave. "Where are you going?" Dean asked.
"To see my wife and daughter, okay?" Jimmy replied as Sam stood slowly and blocked his path.
"No, you're not," Sam countered flatly. "You're just going to put those people in danger."
"So, what, now I'm a prisoner?" Jimmy asked in disbelief.
Sam shrugged. "Harsh way to put it." Arielle shook her own head now as Jimmy sat on the bed closest to the door, defeated. Dean exhaled sharply and pulled the bag to him, opening it and starting in on his food. Sam followed his example, taking a seat on the other bed again.
Arielle simply stood with her back to them still. They couldn't imagine just how well she understood Jimmy right now. She missed her home, walking through the door to her mother sleeping on the couch with the TV on mute.
She missed the comfort of the apple tree's shade on warm days, a psychology book in one hand and a freshly made glass of lemonade on the other. She missed the smell of the grass, the songs of the birds, the sight of the clear blue sky full of pudgy clouds. She missed her last gift, the rumble of her Firebird beneath her as she drove down roads, the shape of the dust clouds it kicked up, the purr of the engine. Her crowded, plain dorm, the bookshelf she built herself, even the shitty and uncomfortable bed.
And in all those images, her mother. Tired or smiling, angry or laughing. She was everything to Arielle. She was her motivation and inspiration. She was the reason why she turned down Stanford and Yale, choosing the University of Minnesota, two hours away from home. She was her role model and her best friend and her partner in crime.
Her mother's eyes haunted her and she made a choice she hoped she wouldn't regret.