A/N: Happy Friday! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!
Chapter 25: Once More With The Plan
The table was set in comedic fashion, with Abe attempting to educate Dean in the ways of a formal table; something Dean had never experienced let alone dreamed he'd find himself at. At last Abe finished with glasses, while Dean shook back and nodded.
"Well, I feel so much more accomplished now," Dean said with a joke on his lips and a laughed in his eyes.
"I'm sure you do but you don't seem like the type to remember it," Abe countered teasingly as Henry began to bring dishes in to the dining room, and setting them down, he left again shooting a look of authority at Abe.
"Tell me that it's the way to ensnare a woman and I'll study it with diligence," Dean commented in a whispered aside to Abraham.
"In my experience, they love the old romantic ways. With your looks and my charm, son, you could go very far," Abe whispered and winked.
"I get the feeling that you Abraham, have broken many a heart."
"Been married twice," Abe confessed. "But yes, there have been women folk in my history that have fallen for all this."
"Noted," Dean said with a laugh.
"Abraham, will you collect the rest of our guests? Dinner is ready," Henry spoke to break up the rolling laughter he encounter upon entering again.
Minutes later everyone was seated and Henry began to explain the dishes.
"When did you have the time?" Mary asked.
"Nothing here is complicated, and most was cooked together at the same temperature, so throw all in the oven and done," Henry answered.
"Sure beats take out," Dean said gratefully.
"Thank you Dean."
"I should stick around and learn a thing or two," Mary said and smile. "I'm a terrible cook and most of the time I'll cover it up with take out."
"You tried though," Dean said. "Made a mean sandwich when I was little and pie."
"The pie I bought," She confessed. "Never baked one in my life."
"No wonder you like the store bought ones so much," Sam said.
"Pie is pie, Sammy. It's all good," Dean countered to the laughter of those around them.
"So are we ready?" Lucas asked as the silence of mastication and awkwardness took over.
"As ready as can be expected within the circumstance," Henry said.
"I'd like a little more reassurance than that. Who has a plan?" Lucas asked.
"I do. We stick to the Chelsea station. Sam and I will move in first, clear what we can with our mom while you three hang back. Abe, we'll give you a weapon. It wont kill it but it will slow them down. Henry and Lucas, as the medical professionals you'll help any victims we may find. Unfortunately, djinn protect their food source rather fiercely so that will put you in the line of danger. So it has to be secondary to our finding the djinn," Dean explained.
"How will you know a djinn from a victim?" Abe asked.
"Victims will usually be connected to IVs or hung to drain their blood faster. Now a days, with modern storage, they can tap a human for days and store the blood in refrigerators, but still they prefer right from the source so they keep their victims alive as long as they can," Dean answered.
"Djinn's eyes will generally glow blue before they attack and the brightness of their tattooed skin, it's not actually tattoos, will become more vibrant before they touch you to poison you," Mary added to her son's explanation. "A djinn's venom is extremely fast acting and can be administered through clothing, though it is much more potent skin to skin."
"So don't get touched and wear many layers. Got it," Lucas said.
"Thick ones," Sam added.
"Is there anything that will protect our skin against the venom? Latex. Wax. Silicon?" Henry asked.
"Couldn't answer that. We've never studied it," Dean said with his mouth full.
"The Men of Letters may have, but we were not entirely prepared for the djinn when we left the bunker," Sam added.
"You'd prepared to meet an immortal," Henry accused. "Who knew this would turn into a hunt."
"Sure did, Henry, and even then, we weren't prepared for you or Adam," Dean responded. "And we researched the lot for serval days before we set out."
"I'm flattered," Henry responded sarcastically.
"And what about the colt? Can it kill a djinn?" Abe asked.
"Yup," Dean answered. "But we're not going to bring it."
"Why not?" Mary asked.
"Because we are not going to chance it with Henry around. What if it's the thing that kills him for good this time because he decided to dive in front of a bullet?" Dean asked. "At least like this we know he will bounce right back."
"Speaking of which, we need a spare set of cloths for Henry, just in case," Abe offered.
"We'll stash them in the Impala," Dean said and nodded.
"So we have a plan. What are we waiting for?" Lucas asked.
"Finish you food and then we'll go," Henry said as it had gotten late enough for darkness to have fallen outside. "It would be rude not to."
"Oh right," Lucas said and fell silent once more.
"The plan, it will evolve as we go wont it?" Abe asked in a whisper to Dean as his right.
"It always does, but you're a military man so I know you'll be cool with it," he answered.
"What are you saying?" Henry asked having overheard everything. "You're going to send in Abe, even though you know I will just bounce back."
"I need a trained marksman to give us cover. I need a medical man to save lives. I need you to trust my judgement and my experience with these monsters, and even though we were overly prepared to tackle a djinn case when we came, we know these monsters all too well," Dean said and for the first time it seemed like he was the leading authority in the room. "Trust me, I will do everything in my power to keep you and Abe and Lucas safe, but you need to let me work the way I know how to."
"Fine, but if any bullets start flying, I will jump in front of Abraham," Henry said.
"I wasn't going to question your resolve," Dean said. "I just need you to not question mine from here on out."
"Agreed."