[SPN] feel the freedom like no tomorrow (7/7)
← five: something of that fire burns still ←
Epilogue: A million ways to say hello.
As consciousness drifts back to him for what seems to be the millionth time today Jimmy vaguely wonders if this is going to be a frequently occurring thing-it certainly feels like it, anyway. It’s actually kind of annoying how often he drifts in and out like this even though he is stuck with Castiel again; it really shouldn’t give him a reason to keep on blacking out on the angel.
Even if his head currently feels like shit for some reason.
Jimmy groans as the pain slowly pervades his senses, throbbing insistently at the back of his head. In the distance he hears some shuffling and hushed whispers, but they’re too soft for Jimmy to make out-and the headache really isn’t doing him any favours either. He’s about to move a hand up to press against his forehead before somebody else does it for him, a gentle sweep across his head before two fingers press lightly against his temple, and suddenly the pain is gone.
“Jimmy,” he hears his own voice speak, and the man opens his eyes to see his own face staring back at him. Jimmy only barely registers the hand that Castiel pulls away from his head or the fact that his head is lying on the angel’s lap as Jimmy can do nothing else but stare in shock at, well, himself.
He speaks the first thing that comes to his mind. “Am I in Heaven?”
There’s a brief gleam of amusement in Castiel’s eyes before the angel shakes his head and answers the question. “You are in Bobby Singer’s spare bedroom. You were, however, close to dying after the Leviathan left us.” Castiel’s smile grows pained and mirthless at this point, and there’s a flash of something in his eyes that passes too quickly for Jimmy to register. “You gave me all of the Grace that your soul held, and it was what held you in this world when Gabriel resurrected you.”
Jimmy nods quietly to the explanation, blinking once before he asks. “‘Was’?” If it’s gone, then what’s happened to him? Is he a ghost now, or something? The man closes his eyes at that thought and shudders. A ghost. Those had never ended well, as far as his memory can recall. He’d rather be Castiel’s vessel instead.
Castiel falls silent then, contemplating, and Jimmy feels a sense of dread pooling in his gut. “Cas?” he ventures out nervously, somehow now afraid of what he might hear.
“You were fading,” the angel blurts out, sudden and abrupt and somehow sounding so very lost. “Your soul couldn’t handle the lack of Grace and you were going to vanish into nothing, Jimmy. Gabriel and I were trying to prevent otherwise. Nothing we try would work-I couldn’t go into your body at all-and we gave up hope Jimmy, we were going to let you vanish just like that.”
“Well,” Jimmy starts slowly, trying to calm the angel down. “Obviously you guys must have done something, or else I wouldn’t be here.”
Castiel shakes his head in return. “We didn’t do anything.”
Jimmy has to pause then. “…what?”
“You were nearly gone,” the angel starts again, frowning this time. “You were just going to go-and then you came back.”
“I…” the man stops again, and this time he makes it a point to push himself up from Castiel’s lap and blink at the angel. “I-what?”
“You returned,” Castiel repeats himself again, plain and simple, but Jimmy can see the confusion showing in the angel’s eyes. “Somebody returned you, whole and complete. You’re as good as new.” He pauses for a moment before adding on. “Neither Gabriel nor I can figure out who did it.”
“Maybe it was God,” Jimmy jokes back mildly in return, about to laugh at his bad joke before he freezes up abruptly as the echo of a loud voice booms in his mind.
This is not the end.
Castiel puts on a contemplative look at Jimmy’s comment, and the look on his face seems to suggest that he did seem to be taking it rather seriously. “Perhaps this is my father’s reward for your services.”
“Uh,” the man starts, not quite certain on what to say. “I guess?”
You are a good man, Jimmy Novak.
The angel looks up at him now and stares in that ever serious way of his, although Jimmy really can’t find it within himself to be disturbed by them in the way Dean is. Maybe it’s the fact that Castiel’s been in him, or something. The seriousness just doesn’t feel as bad when you experience it from the inside. Or maybe it’s because he’s seeing his own face. It’s always hard to be serious about your own face.
“You are free from your services now, Jimmy,” Castiel starts as he pushes himself off the bed, tilting his head just so in a way that only the angel could accomplish. “Everybody’s waiting for you downstairs. Gabriel can bring you to where your family is when you’re ready for it.”
Jimmy nods and gets off the bed as well, dusting off his pants and straightening his clothes before looking back at the angel. “Thanks, Cas.”
Castiel smiles warmly, and shakes his head. “It is I who should be thanking you, Jimmy.” The angel looks at him with nothing but fondness in his eyes as a small smile plays with the corner of his lips. “Of all the vessels that might have housed me, I am glad that it is you.”
The man lets out a small chuckle of his own in return, grinning back as he replies. “And the same to you, Cas. I’m glad you’re my angel.”
Footsteps come into hearing distance then, and both angel and human turn their heads around just in time to see Dean’s slightly annoyed face poking through the doorway, the hunter giving both of them an exasperated look.
“If you two are done,” he starts, grimacing slightly at the sight of two identical humans in the room. “Get a move on and come down. Gabriel’s going to eat all the pie at this rate.”
“I can always make another one!” comes the archangel’s shout from downstairs.
Dean rolls his eyes then, but there’s no venom in his expression and he jerks his head out of the room. “So, are you guys coming down or what?”
Castiel lets out a sigh. “Of course, Dean.”
The hunter grins. “Well, come on down, then.”
He turns around and starts to move off quickly, Castiel following soon behind. Jimmy rolls his eyes outside of the duo’s vision of sight, shaking his head as the two leave together.
“Both of them really need to get it on one of these days,” he mutters to himself before he, too, steps out of the room and makes his way to the living room downstairs, where celebrations are in order before he can finally return back to his family in a world that’s safe and sound.
This is just the beginning.
He can believe it now.
FIN.
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Epilogue: A million ways to say hello.
As consciousness drifts back to him for what seems to be the millionth time today Jimmy vaguely wonders if this is going to be a frequently occurring thing-it certainly feels like it, anyway. It’s actually kind of annoying how often he drifts in and out like this even though he is stuck with Castiel again; it really shouldn’t give him a reason to keep on blacking out on the angel.
Even if his head currently feels like shit for some reason.
Jimmy groans as the pain slowly pervades his senses, throbbing insistently at the back of his head. In the distance he hears some shuffling and hushed whispers, but they’re too soft for Jimmy to make out-and the headache really isn’t doing him any favours either. He’s about to move a hand up to press against his forehead before somebody else does it for him, a gentle sweep across his head before two fingers press lightly against his temple, and suddenly the pain is gone.
“Jimmy,” he hears his own voice speak, and the man opens his eyes to see his own face staring back at him. Jimmy only barely registers the hand that Castiel pulls away from his head or the fact that his head is lying on the angel’s lap as Jimmy can do nothing else but stare in shock at, well, himself.
He speaks the first thing that comes to his mind. “Am I in Heaven?”
There’s a brief gleam of amusement in Castiel’s eyes before the angel shakes his head and answers the question. “You are in Bobby Singer’s spare bedroom. You were, however, close to dying after the Leviathan left us.” Castiel’s smile grows pained and mirthless at this point, and there’s a flash of something in his eyes that passes too quickly for Jimmy to register. “You gave me all of the Grace that your soul held, and it was what held you in this world when Gabriel resurrected you.”
Jimmy nods quietly to the explanation, blinking once before he asks. “‘Was’?” If it’s gone, then what’s happened to him? Is he a ghost now, or something? The man closes his eyes at that thought and shudders. A ghost. Those had never ended well, as far as his memory can recall. He’d rather be Castiel’s vessel instead.
Castiel falls silent then, contemplating, and Jimmy feels a sense of dread pooling in his gut. “Cas?” he ventures out nervously, somehow now afraid of what he might hear.
“You were fading,” the angel blurts out, sudden and abrupt and somehow sounding so very lost. “Your soul couldn’t handle the lack of Grace and you were going to vanish into nothing, Jimmy. Gabriel and I were trying to prevent otherwise. Nothing we try would work-I couldn’t go into your body at all-and we gave up hope Jimmy, we were going to let you vanish just like that.”
“Well,” Jimmy starts slowly, trying to calm the angel down. “Obviously you guys must have done something, or else I wouldn’t be here.”
Castiel shakes his head in return. “We didn’t do anything.”
Jimmy has to pause then. “…what?”
“You were nearly gone,” the angel starts again, frowning this time. “You were just going to go-and then you came back.”
“I…” the man stops again, and this time he makes it a point to push himself up from Castiel’s lap and blink at the angel. “I-what?”
“You returned,” Castiel repeats himself again, plain and simple, but Jimmy can see the confusion showing in the angel’s eyes. “Somebody returned you, whole and complete. You’re as good as new.” He pauses for a moment before adding on. “Neither Gabriel nor I can figure out who did it.”
“Maybe it was God,” Jimmy jokes back mildly in return, about to laugh at his bad joke before he freezes up abruptly as the echo of a loud voice booms in his mind.
This is not the end.
Castiel puts on a contemplative look at Jimmy’s comment, and the look on his face seems to suggest that he did seem to be taking it rather seriously. “Perhaps this is my father’s reward for your services.”
“Uh,” the man starts, not quite certain on what to say. “I guess?”
You are a good man, Jimmy Novak.
The angel looks up at him now and stares in that ever serious way of his, although Jimmy really can’t find it within himself to be disturbed by them in the way Dean is. Maybe it’s the fact that Castiel’s been in him, or something. The seriousness just doesn’t feel as bad when you experience it from the inside. Or maybe it’s because he’s seeing his own face. It’s always hard to be serious about your own face.
“You are free from your services now, Jimmy,” Castiel starts as he pushes himself off the bed, tilting his head just so in a way that only the angel could accomplish. “Everybody’s waiting for you downstairs. Gabriel can bring you to where your family is when you’re ready for it.”
Jimmy nods and gets off the bed as well, dusting off his pants and straightening his clothes before looking back at the angel. “Thanks, Cas.”
Castiel smiles warmly, and shakes his head. “It is I who should be thanking you, Jimmy.” The angel looks at him with nothing but fondness in his eyes as a small smile plays with the corner of his lips. “Of all the vessels that might have housed me, I am glad that it is you.”
The man lets out a small chuckle of his own in return, grinning back as he replies. “And the same to you, Cas. I’m glad you’re my angel.”
Footsteps come into hearing distance then, and both angel and human turn their heads around just in time to see Dean’s slightly annoyed face poking through the doorway, the hunter giving both of them an exasperated look.
“If you two are done,” he starts, grimacing slightly at the sight of two identical humans in the room. “Get a move on and come down. Gabriel’s going to eat all the pie at this rate.”
“I can always make another one!” comes the archangel’s shout from downstairs.
Dean rolls his eyes then, but there’s no venom in his expression and he jerks his head out of the room. “So, are you guys coming down or what?”
Castiel lets out a sigh. “Of course, Dean.”
The hunter grins. “Well, come on down, then.”
He turns around and starts to move off quickly, Castiel following soon behind. Jimmy rolls his eyes outside of the duo’s vision of sight, shaking his head as the two leave together.
“Both of them really need to get it on one of these days,” he mutters to himself before he, too, steps out of the room and makes his way to the living room downstairs, where celebrations are in order before he can finally return back to his family in a world that’s safe and sound.
This is just the beginning.
He can believe it now.
FIN.
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