Disclaimer: I don't own "Expendables" or any of the characters from the movie. That all goes to Stallone. :) The only people I own in this story is Marissa and a few others. Now...enjoy. :D

It's been almost two months since the Expendables team got done with their job in Asia. All the guys were sitting around a fire waiting for the sun to go down, well, all but one of the guys. Billy Timmons, the newest addition to the group, who they had in habit to call "The kid", was out and about, enjoying the winter breeze coming in from the north. Winter was the one season he felt he could think. - After a while of walking, Billy decides to go into a nearby coffee shop but is stopped in his tracks when he saw someone who seemed to be lost. He could tell she was new around, anybody that's been in the city knows it corner to corner within two days, at least. He chuckled softly to himself and approached her.

"You look lost."

"Hm?" She looked up at him as she rubbed her arm. "Oh. Um, yeah, I suppose I am."

To him, she sounded more nervous than anything else. He frowned just slightly.

"Let me show you around...?" He offers.

It took her a few minutes to think about it. She had some experience with men offering to help her out, but they all ended up wrong in the head. But, even though she couldn't explain it. There was something different about Billy. Was it possibly the look of trust in his eyes? Or was it something completely different? None the less, she trusted him, but only slightly. She nodded slowly and blew on her hands to warm them a bit. Again, Billy frowned seeing she was cold. Not minding the cold air, he slipped his jacket off and wrapped around her shoulders.

"How about we save the tour for later and find someplace warm? You look freezing." He tells her leading her towards the coffee shop.

"I...was on my way to the coffee shop, but I got lost. Doesn't help that it's cold and slightly snowing."

"Well, you were headed the right direction. It's just around the corner."

"It is? Well, I don't feel entirely hopeless now." She giggled.

He couldn't help but chuckle quietly, "Do you have a name?"

"Me?" She asks pointing at herself.

"I don't see anybody else I could be talking to. Do you?"

"No. Um. Marissa. I'm Marissa."

"..Marissa," When he said her name, his voice trailed off. All he could do was smile.

"What about you? Do you have a name?" She smiled crossing her arms.

"Oh! Billy. Names' Billy."

"Billy; that's short for William, I'm guessing?"

"Uh," He begun to chuckle, opening the doors to the coffee shop for her. "No, just Billy."

"Oh," Marissa nodded once stepping in. "Thanks."

There wasn't much to say. The two were total strangers to each other. For the time being anyway. There was something Marissa found trustworthy in Billy, but, she couldn't quite make out what it was. And there was something Billy found interesting about Marissa, like her life story wasn't all the more greater than his. He didn't really have to ask her to see that there were struggles and moments that she's trying to forget. Course, that's one thing about the city that makes it stand out. People come to the city to get a new start. A clean slate. And hope their past doesn't come and kick them in the behind. Billy could relate to that being an ex sniper, he was looking for a new start as well. - Billy found a nice spot to sit near the window. They sat in silence among the others in the shop until...

"So," Billy suddenly announced. "Um, can I get you something to drink?"

"Um, no. I'm good. Thanks, though...?" She says sounding a bit unsure, and looking almost uneasy about the situation.

"Sure. So, where are you coming from?" Billy asks trying to keep awkward silence from creeping in.

"Um, a small town in Texas."

"Texas. I heard it's hot down there...?"

"Normally. During the summers. But, you get used to it, I suppose," She shrugged lightly, then remembered she had Billy's jacket around her shoulders still. "Oh! Uh, here's your jacket." She says shrugging it off and handing it back to him.

"Ah, thanks."

Silence slowly crept in on the two again after a while. But, as again, there wasn't much the two could talk about. They were still strangers to each other. But, at least they had a bit of a conversation going. Marissa leaned back into her seat trying to think of what it was that made her trust Billy so easily after dealing with other men with rotten minds. She thought and thought until she finally noticed something on his jacket. It was a pin. From the army. It looked like some form of a sniper. But, she had no idea what it meant.

"You're in the army?" She asks hesitantly.

Billy looked at his pin and covered it quickly before nodding, "Was. Served three years then retired."

"Got a bit rough for you?"

"Something like that." He nodded looking out the window with a sigh.

"I'm sorry. ...I don't know why I asked that. My curiosity is something I'll have to control." She shook her head slowly looking down a bit.

"No. It's okay. It was just a question. It was going to come out sooner or later. " He says, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

Marissa didn't believe him, so she sat in silence, mentally hitting herself in the head.

"Marissa, look at me," He says reaching over to take her hand in his, looking into Marissa's eyes as she looked up. "It's okay, I promise. It was just a question." He tells her managing to grin. His tone sounding more firm but meaningful that before.

Marissa nodded, then knew exactly why she could trust him. He wasn't like other men. He wouldn't get drunk and abuse her. He wouldn't get himself into trouble and blame it on her. The list continued to grow in her mind. He wasn't who she thought he was. He was most certainly different. They both seemed to have waited for the right person. One that could understand one another. One that would change a life for the greater good. And that's what Marissa and Billy wanted. Someone that they could talk to, whether it be a man or woman, that would help them through things. And someone that would change their life for the greater good.

They had been waiting for the right one to come along. And they both found it.

Thanks for reading! I greatly appreciate it! :D