The Expendables One Shots

Pup and the Little Girl

The team was safely aboard the plane. They had all been just as equally shocked as the other when they found out they had to rescue a six year old along with her mother. Their employer had said nothing about an innocent, little, wide-eyed girl with blond pigtails in her hair.

"All right, I think we have some clothes you can borrow. Luna?" Barney looked over at the blond as Pup handed him a blanket.

The woman they had rescued held the little girl's hand, eyes wide as she tried to stutter that the Expendables need not do anymore.

Pup stopped her. "Nonsense," the redhead said in a scolding tone. She inclined her head towards the clothing Luna was offering and the mother took them carefully. Luna smile and took the blanket from Barney so the mother could go back and change.

Everyone else respectfully looked away from them. No one sharpened or cleaned a weapon of any sorts, none of them wanting to expose the little girl to them.

"Galgo. Galgo!" Pup snapped her fingers as she called the Spainard in hopes to get his attention.

"Yes?"

"Be quiet," the redhead ordered. Pup normally didn't mind the Spainard's incessant chatting, in fact, she sometimes even found it welcomed. Therefore, Pup telling Galgo politely to 'shut the hell up' meant either he was really annoying or she had a headache.

"Uh, yes. Yes, of course," Galgo muttered and Pup glared over at him. The Spainard made a zipping motion across his lips and Pup gave her thanks.

Halfway through the flight, the little girl walked towards where Gunner and Pup sat. Pup was leaning her back against Gunner's side as she gazed at her newly completed carving. It was a rabbit.

The girl's mother hissed out loudly, "Sarah! Sarah get back here!"

At the unexpected words, Pup looked up and saw the pigtailed little girl. A small grin dashed across the redheaded's features as she looked at the little girl. The girl's little features lit up into a bright pink color and she looked at her ruined shoes.

"Thank you. Thank you for saving me and carrying me to this plane," the little girl, Sarah, said in an adorably small voice.

"It was m'pleasure," Pup said with a small bow of her head. The girl's features turned to an even brighter pink and she grinned a smile that missed a tooth.

"You're very pretty." Out of the corner of her eye, Pup saw the mother turning scarlet.

"Thank ya. I think you should be a princess. Yer not already one, are ya?"

Sarah grinned and said, "No," with a goofy voice.

"Yer not?" Pup exclaimed, feigning surprise.

"No! I'm a knight!"

"Oh, surely not! Yer such a pretty knight, I'm sure all the other knights are jealous that ya could defeat a dragon with yer good looks, aren't they?"

Sarah looked at her feet, wiggling her toes. "I dunno."

"Oh, I'm sure they are."

"What are you doin' there?"

"What this?" Pup lifted up carving of a rabbit. "Aw, 's just a silly o'le cottontail... er, rabbit carving."

"Can I see it, please?"

"Yeah. Ya can keep it if'n ya like it." As Pup handed the small wooden rabbit over she saw Gunner watching her with a keen interest. He had an eyebrow cocked as he watched the whole ordeal.

Pup then noticed everyone else watching. Even Barney had set the plane on autopilot to gaze at what was happening.

Out of all of them, no one had expected the little girl to go to Pup. If she had went to anyone, they thought it would have been Luna. Luna was very approachable looking and wasn't leaning comfortably against a man who had scared people away with his looks since he was ten. That, and Pup, besides for her dark blood red hair, wasn't that noticeable with her slightly less than five foot frame next to Gunner.

"You're- you're giving me this? But- but it's so pretty!" Sarah exclaimed, holding the small rabbit carving to her chest like it was a precious teddy bear.

"Yeah, kinda like you kiddo. Besides, I'm fairly certain that it'll give ya strength in times of need. Will ya test it out to make sure? Though, yer probably already as tough as a tiger, aren't ya?"

"N- no."

"Well then, clearly ya need it."

"What's so brave about a bunny?" Gunner scoffed and just about everyone on the plane glared at him.

"Lots of things. Didn't yer ma ever tell ya about the rabbit and its quick wits?"

"She told me about the turtle and the hare."

Pup shook her head. "Ya don't need bravery to be strong... er, brave. Did I say that right?"

Sarah smiled, though shying away a little as Gunner spoke, and mumbled, "Thank you," before ducking her head and retreating back to her mother.

Pup watched with a slightly amused expression as Sarah's mother checked her over. The redhead sigh and whispered to Gunner, "Her mother has us stereotyped."

"You think?"

"That rabbit's probably gonna get thrown out once Sarah's looked away from it." Gunner patted Pup's head, causing her to frown and look up at him.