Chapter 3

I woke up looking at an unfamiliar ceiling, in an unfamiliar bed, and hearing beeping noises. I realized the beeps were in time with my heartbeat, so I must be in some kind of hospital. I turned my head and saw an older man in a white lab coat with his back to me. He turned towards me, and I saw he was scruffy with grey at his temples. He looked up from his clipboard and saw me looking at him. His warm brown eyes were kind as he looked at me.

"Ah, you're awake. I managed to stitch your wounds closed. You are very lucky you know. You lost a lot of blood. " He studied me for a minute. "How did you get wounds like that and why didn't you say you were wounded earlier? They were pretty deep."

"In my line of work, wounds like that are common. I had some... things come up and I hadn't had a chance to stitch them yet. Then Crowley brought me here without any warning and, well, you saw the acrobatics I had to do. Besides, I didn't really have the time to tell anyone. I was more concerned about what was going on."

He looked confused. "What line of work do you do?"

"No offense Doc, but I would rather tell my story only once if that's ok. It's a long story and I know everyone wants information." I started to sit up. It hurt like hell but I just pushed the pain away like normal. I felt dizzy for a few moments but then the world steadied.  I swung my legs off the table and stood. I was a little shaky but after some concentration that went away too. Nothing like having a hard-ass image to maintain.

He frowned at me. "You really shouldn't be moving around. You need more rest."

"Sorry, Doc. What I really need is to find out where my life is right now so that I can figure out what to do and where to go. Too many uncertain things are going on. Where can I go to talk to everyone at once?"

He sighed. "Come with me then. F.R.I.D.A.Y please let everyone know to meet in the living room."

"Yes, Dr. Banner." I heard a robotic female voice. I looked around but didn't ask any questions as I had more important answers to find out. Provided all went well I could always ask later if there was a later.

I walked with him up some stairs down a long hallway until we came to a large open room filled with comfy chairs and plush couches and windows everywhere. I stared wide-eyed. I hadn't seen such a nice room in... well... ever. 

"You people LIVE here?"

He looked at me with a smile. "Yes. A bit much isn't it. But Tony has too much money for his own good. But you will meet everyone shortly. Sit." He pointed to a blue couch.

  I sank into the soft cushions and bit back a groan. It felt good to sit on something soft and not the seat in the Impala for a change.  The next closest thing was a bed in a cheap hotel somewhere. Honestly not much better than the Impala.

I tucked my legs under me since my boots were off and sat cross-legged as people started to file in. I watched them with curiosity. There was the cute prudish blonde guy. The guy with the goatee. Two women had walked in, a knock-out redhead and another knock-out with reddish-brown hair. A guy with short brown hair and a leather bracer on his arm. A big guy with longish blonde hair. He had a smile that just made you smile back, and he looked like he was enjoying himself. A dark-haired man with a metal arm and a brooding stay-away from me look. I looked at him with interest. I had never seen a metal arm like that. It moved just like a normal arm. He had some brooding good looks too. Not as good as that one guy, but still quite good looking in a sexy bad-boy way.

And then HE came in.  Tall, dark, and yummy. He looked around the room and spotted me. With a small smile, he came and sat next to me on the two-seat couch. I saw a few raised eyebrows when he sat down. I could feel his body heat and his scent, like oranges and sandalwood. I willed my heartbeat to stay even as I looked at him and he gave me a wink.

As everyone settled in around me the Doc spoke. "Hey everyone. Thanks for coming. I thought we should get to know our new teammate now that she is awake. But she asked to tell her story to everyone at once." He looked over at me then at the goatee man. "This is everyone right?"

Goatee man nodded. "Yep, everyone not out on a mission."

The doc nodded and looked back at me. "Now, take it easy young lady. You will need to rebuild your strength after losing that much blood. I almost lost you a couple times. Now when did you last eat? You were unconscious for a while, and you will need to eat regularly to help replace the blood you lost."

I felt the surprise cross my face at his question. I've never had strangers care before. I had to think back since I couldn't remember off-hand when I eaten last.  I counted back. I had been on the hunt for four days and then that disastrous night with Dean. Coming here, passing out... "Six days or so. Maybe seven. Probably not more than that but who knows."

They all looked at me shocked that I said it so matter-of-factly. It wasn't new. I had often gone much longer than that. Once I was pushing almost three weeks. I missed meals more than I wanted to mention. The guy next to me looked a little surprised and concerned. I had this weird feeling that concern wasn't usual for him. I looked at everyone, puzzled. 

"What? Why are you all staring? It happens. Not a big deal. I'm used to it."

"Well, you are eating now. And no arguments."

"You're the Doc."

I sat back and rested my head on the back of the couch and closed my eyes. I was more tired than I was let on. I really just wanted to curl up and sleep. It had been a long week and I wasn't sure how much more I could take of my life turning upside down. It was all a little more than I had bargained for, but I knew I would handle it in the end. I always did. I sighed and opened my eyes and sat up as the doctor brought me a plate with ham sandwiches. 

"I know I called everyone here already, but I didn't know she hadn't eaten in that length of time. Can you all be patient and let her eat before we start?"

There were murmurs of assent from everyone. I started eating, looking down at my plate. I could feel them all watching me, curious about me and the stares made me uncomfortable. I never liked being the center of attention, but I knew I would need all the strength I had to tell this tale. None of it was pretty and I didn't want to relive it more than once.  Once I was done, I set the plate down on the table next to me. I don't think I had ever eaten so much at once before. The doctor handed me a small shot glass with a dark liquid and a tall glass of water. 

"Take the small glass first. It's medicine to help prevent infections and to help give you a strength boost. It's nasty though so here is water to wash it down."

I took the glasses and downed the shot. It was every bit as nasty as he said, and I swallowed with a small grimace and quickly drank the water to wash the taste away. I could feel the man next to me watch my throat as I swallowed. I fought a shiver as heat crept through my body.

"Good. Now if you are up to it, we would like to hear your story," the man with the goatee said gently.

I took a deep breath and began.