Chapter 8: The Book of Castiel - part 2
The Rapture of Jimmy Novak
“It was a good life. He had a job, a loving wife and child, a place in the community wherein he lived. He had faith. He believed in a just, loving God for whom no greater reward could befall a man than be called to serve. It still came as a shock when all that he prayed for became reality.
Then, the reality caused doubt and confusion amongst those beloved by him. He was torn, literally, between heaven and earth. The day Jimmy Novak chose God over his wife and daughter was one of both joy and sorrow.
Amelia had tried so hard to comprehend what was happening to him, but her faith was bound by earth. Claire, his beautiful daughter, perhaps understood, but she needed her father and mother. In the end, Claire and Amelia were all that remained of his family.
Castiel, Angel of the Lord, who sought him as his vessel, promised they would be safe and that was the last conscious thought Jimmy Novak had. Until many months, and horrendous trials later, he was released from Castiel’s grace.
By this time he had reason to believe that the just and loving God of his faith was a figment of Biblical imagination. He wanted nothing more than return to his family and hope they could forgive him, that they would still want him.
God and The Devil had other plans. In those final moments of his mortal life, in an abandoned warehouse, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the stomach his poor possessed wife had given him. With only one option to protect his family and save his daughter from a similar fate, Jimmy looked into the cold eyes of the angel within his daughter and begged the angel to take him instead.
Castiel spoke to him a last time. “I want to make sure you understand. You won’t die or age. If this last year was painful for you, picture a hundred, a thousand more like it.”
Jimmy nodded, “It doesn’t matter. You take me. Just take me.”
“As you wish,” Castiel replied and the warehouse filled with white light.
Engulfed by the rapture, Jimmy became one with Castiel. In the future, Castiel would wonder whether or not Jimmy’s sacrifice and love for his family, wasn’t a greater influence than the many truths about humans Dean would show him.”
***
“She’s a bit more poetic than Chuck. I’ll give her that.” Dean said when Sam had finished reading. “That poor bastard, so he’s been with Cas this whole time?”
It was another in a growing list of unanswered questions. Sam just shrugged his mind on other possibilities.
“You know what this means, Dean.” Sam said an edge of excitement to his voice. Dean looked at him and shrugged, the kettle started to whistle and he poured the hot water over their Cup-a-soups, bringing the mugs to the table, sat opposite Sam.
“You’re going to tell me regardless,” Dean said swirling his soup around a spoon.
“It means we’ve, maybe, got an untapped source of information that can help us kill Leviathan.” Sam said absently picking up the mug of hot soup and taking a gulp before Dean could warn him, or not.
“Shit! That’s hot. You could’ve said something.” Sam all but jumped out of his chair.
“Tried, couldn’t, your tongue got burnt. It happens.” Dean grinned. Looking at Sam panting like a Labrador.
“You know what, Dean. Sometimes, you really are a jerk.” Sam said sitting straighter in the chair and beginning to order the scattered journals.
“Fine, whatever, guess I’ll take the ones on the floor.” Dean was still grinning. How could he not? Cas had given him his brother back.
He looked at Cas, awake now but still lying in bed, his eyes unseeing and his body motionless. As steps towards forgiveness went, returning his brother to sanity was just, huge, incredibly self-sacrificing and when Cas snapped out of crazy days, Dean would thank him. Then rip into him about being so friggin’ stupid.
Sam might be looking for Leviathan leads in Wen’s journals, but Dean thought he’d look again to see if there was something that could help Cas.
part 3