The Expendables One Shots

Irene

Everyone was hanging out at Eve and Tool's shop. Lee and Doc were having a knife throwing competition and that's where most of the attention was centered. Off in the corner, though, Caesar (back from the dead believe it or not) and Toll were playing cards with John Smilee and losing terribly to the younger Expendable. Eve and Tool were conversing over the fine art of ink and tattoos behind the counter as Pup and Gunner relaxed on the worn couch, Pup reading a book and Gunner dividing his attention between the competition and sharpening his own knife.

No one heard the door open or saw the brunette walk in.

"Hey," the woman said, walking up to the counter.

"I'm sorry, honey, we're close..." Eve's words died off in her throat and she hit Tool in the ribs with her elbow.

Tool, focusing on taking a long swig from his beer bottle, coughed on his drink at the impact and then some more when he saw why he had been jabbed so roughly. He reached for a cloth and wiped what he could of the brew away but it had soaked into his shirt already.

"Shit," the man cursed. "Pup! You gotta visitor, darlin'! Dammit, I gotta go change." Tool left the room quickly, looking angrily down at his shirt as he did his best to hold it away from his skin.

"Who'sit?" Pup yelled, reluctantly looking up from her book. The redhead got up and went around the corner and to the doorway only to stop in her tracks.

"Well, who is it?" Gunner asked, not really wanting to get up either.

"It's, um, it's Irene," Pup replied with her confusion clearly evident.

"What?"

Suddenly, the brunette named Irene popped her face in the doorway, smiling cheerfully at the group of Expendables and waving. "Woah, you guys have grown quite a lot in numbers. Mind introducing me, Mom?"

Pup nodded and yelled for everyone to come over. Toll and Caesar gladly left their game to see what was going on, leaving a smirking John Smilee to follow behind.

"Ya already know Toll, Eve, Caesar, Lee, Barney, and Gunner. Hey, where's Trench and Yin Yang?"

Lee coughed and jerked his thumb towards the back.

"Uh... yeah, Yin and Trench are a pair. Anyway, movin' along. That's Doc, John Smilee, Marlito-"

"Mars."

"-Thorn, Luna, and Galgo. Y'all, this is m'daughter Irene."

Everyone, getting over their surprise quickly, came over and gladly became acquainted with the woman. Once everyone had greeted Irene and gotten to know her better, the brunette came over and sat next to Pup and Gunner on the couch.

"Hey, pipsqueak, you've grown since I last saw you," Gunner said, casting a brief glance at the young woman as he sharpened his blade.

"You really think?" Irene grinned, winking at her mom. Pup, having a small height problem anyway, grumbled and worked on a carving, having traded her book for the block of wood long ago.

"So, where'd ya go this time and who with? Ya didn't even say goodbye," Pup tried hard to keep the emotion out of her voice but Irene caught it anyway.

"Sorry, I went with Uncle Reese to some hell-hole in... Africa, I think. Perhaps in Botswana?"

"You think?" Gunner raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"Perhaps?" Pup frowned a little.

"Yeah, he wouldn't tell me," Irene shrugged as she said it.

"What the hell'd I tell ya 'bout that? Not knowing where the mission was was how I met this asshole," said Pup as she poked Gunner in the shoulder with her thumb.

"What?" The words obviously caught Gunner a little off guard and he looked down at Pup, his surprised look quickly turning back to his originally hard demeanor. Pup winked up at him with that sly grin of her's. "Whatever, you love me."