Stiles' POV:

Once we are out of the other pack's hearing range, I grab my phone and call Peter to try to give him a warning in case Alexandrio's pack has... questions... for them. I would have called Derek or Scott since they are the Alphas, but I would like to continue avoiding being yelled at and guilt tripped for a while longer. Glancing back at the Avengers, I tell them to stay quiet until we reach the quinjet, before hearing Peter answer the call.

"How is our favorite friendly neighborhood psychopath doing today? Plot any murders? Blow up any hospitals? Steal any candy from children?"

"At this point Stiles the only plan for murder is for your agonizing slow death that gets more elaborate each time I speak to you. Now what did you do that made you too scared to call your boyfriend, but desperate enough to call me."

"First off, rude. Secondly, I'm not afraid to call my boyfriend, I just don't want to have my throat ripped out when I return home. And third, I might have had to save some friends of mine from causing an international incident by claiming them as being under the McCall-Hale Pack's protection, and I figured at least someone else should know?"

"Who, exactly have you decided to bring into our pack Stiles and which pack did you talk your way out of being in trouble with this time?"

Arriving back to the quinjet, I walk up the ramp and sit down before wincing and responding.

"I might have had to save the Avengers from Alpha Alexandrio's pack down in Arkansas. But don't worry he didn't threaten to murder me, and his pack thought that the whole situation was hilarious!"

"I'll arrange for a thank you basket to be delivered there tomorrow to ensure there are no hard feelings between us. And, since you are one of the few annoyances in this godforsaken town that make life interesting, I won't even ask about the Avengers. Yet."

"Thanks Creeper, I promise to make it up to you eventually but for now I have to go!"

Hanging up, I look around at the others and go to explain, but before I can the Captain interjects.

"How did you manage to get yourself involved with the Hale Pack?"

"Well Steve I'm happy to answer that, once you tell me how you know about this stuff."

It seems that the master strategist wasn't expecting that, since he seems caught off guard. It actually takes him a minute before he decides to answer.

"Growing up there was a dame, Eliana, who lived next door, always had people coming in and out. Didn't matter if they were old, young, male, female, everyone was welcome. She was a healer, didn't charge nearly as much as the doc would, but because of that her methods were a bit odd. I was one of her most common patients, so she would always ask Buck or my ma after my health whenever she saw them. One winter I was home alone when my lungs started acting up real bad. I was trying real hard to fix it, but I ended up passing out from the lack of air. I eventually woke up to Bucky freaking out and Eliana holding my hand with these strange black lines snaking up her arms." Realizing what was happening, I cut in.

"She was drawing out your pain, so she was a 'wolf?"

"Yes, apparently she was the daughter of the local Alpha and had basically adopted Bucky, myself, and our families as honorary members of her pack. Even through the walls of our apartments, she could hear me struggling to breath. Bucky had freaked out 'cause when he got home the door had been broken down.

From then on we stuck close together, went to what Eliana called 'pack night' every now and then, and made sure that nothing bad happened to each other. We were all given a standing invitation to receive the bite, though only one of Bucky's sisters had accepted by the time I went into the ice. Now, how did you get involved in all of this?"

Moving out of the quinjet and into the tower, we decide to take a brief break in order to get cleaned up and out of our 'battle gear' before continuing. Everyone went their separate ways, going to shower, change, get bandaged up, whatever they had to do. Since I had the least to do, I prepared to make everyone something to eat as they listened to my story. After a mission they are always hungry and if I don't make sure that they eat now they will never eat later on.

Preparing a tray full of sandwiches of varying types, I move into the main sitting area. Setting the tray on the table I get our plates and drinks before sitting down to wait for the others to arrive, munching on a BLT. Slowly, one by one, the team trickles in to settle down on one of the chairs or couches in the room. Cap is the first, with Pietro ironically being the last. Once everyone had returned and gotten something to eat, I leaned further into the chair that I was sitting in and looked around the room, beginning my story.

"Well it all started when my best friend Scott and I decided to go look for a body in the woods..."

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"And so that's how I know about all of this."

Taking a deep breath after telling my story, I look up, not having originally realized that I had looked down, to see all of their reactions. Miraculously, I hadn't been interrupted any during the depressing tale. Nat and Clint knew most of it already, so they only looked stoic if a bit pissed off. The others had looks of intrigue, disgust, horror, and curiosity. I don't blame any of them, after all most of the story is a bit difficult to understand. Breathing in deep through my nose and out through my mouth once more, I straighten my shoulders.

"So, any questions?"

(AN: 1023 words)

QotC: What's one strange fact that you know?

AotC: In emergency situations coconut water can be used for blood transfusions (but not permanently) and egg membranes work great as bandages.