Lieu had quickly adapted to being a part of the team in the days that followed, as the Expendables ran intel and prepared for their journey to South Africa. Working in Ross' establishment was both relieving and time-consuming, and Lieu found that it helped her dole out stress and forget the fact that her life, at the moment, was utterly in ruins – she had no idea where she'd go from here.

But, she'd admit, she loved working the bar and, the Expendables were funny, trying to win back their good graces and befriending them. More and more Lieu felt like a guest than a prisoner, for which she was grateful. As the guys milled about, they cracked jokes and told interesting tales of their own experiences, and more often than not, they were at the bar doing so. She, overall, enjoyed their company.

Gunner Jensen had become an enigma for her, however, which both came as a comfort and a dread. Lieu considered herself to be pretty well versed in men, but this guy was on a different level. He seemed to want to be near her, but when she tried to speak with him, he got, well, shy would be generous. He didn't seem to mind just staring at her, which brought both levels of confidence and self-doubt.

He made her feel all sorts of lost and found at once, and it was driving her slightly mad. That big blonde frame appealed to her, though. At 6' 5", he towered over her by almost a foot. A woman could get lost in those baby blues and she was happy to be that woman, but also terrified. Especially after Sly – she was halfway towards swearing off men, but Gunner made her think twice. Actually, all the guys had made her reconsider her stance on men – between their humor and respect; it was hard to hold anything against their gender as a whole.

Magnolia Steele, on the other hand, had become sullen over the last several days. As they weren't yet allowed to venture out without escort, Lieu's CO had hardly left the room they'd been assigned. And, if she did, it was to either go shooting with Caesar, or with the guys to the garage – another hot spot for them. While Barney had encouraged her to use the training area, she had only availed herself of it that first night. Since then, Steele had preferred her workout in the form of drinking until all hours, and sleeping it off through the next day.

After three days of the same thing over and over, Pinkie'd had enough. Abandoning her bar in the early morning, she tromped upstairs to their assigned room and shoved open the door. She kicked the bed where Steele was sleeping. Magnolia rolled over, giving her a glare. "You ever knock?"

"You get room rights when you start pulling your weight. Quit being pathetic," Pinksley didn't pull any punches, and glared at her friend. She crossed her arms and jutted an authoritative hip, curly hair springing out from beneath her bandanna in all directions. She eyed her friend's hung over and exceptionally absurd form on the bed, looking ridiculous as hell.

"Yeah, well, unlike you, I don't have a real job," Steele pulled the sheet overhead, rolled over, and flopped her massively uncontrollable curls out of her face with a flippant hand. She lay there for a moment before Lieu grabbed her shoulder and jerked her onto her back, bringing a leg up on the bed and leaning down into her friend's face.

Lieu yanked down the covers. "As soon as they figure out the connections, we will be in action. You need to be ready." She ripped the sheet off the bed, exposing Steele's two-day old rumpled outfit. "And that's not ready. That's pathetic and in sore need of a shower and a workout."

Stalking across the room to their gear, she stooped and sorted through Magnolia's bag, pulling from it sweat pants and a long-sleeved athletic shirt. Standing, she dropped her bag and pitched the clothing at her friend across the room.

Magnolia huffed as she caught the clothes. "Fine. If it will get everyone out of my frickin' hair, I'll go workout," Steele sighed. She rolled out of the bed and dressed. She tossed her hair up in a high messy knot, finished it off with a bandanna, and splashed the drunken swelling from her face with some cold water. Watching her, Lieu finally left when she was satisfied with Magnolia's appearance.

Following Pinkie down the stairs, she walked across the bar into the adjoining gym that the Expendables used for their own workouts and training. Pinksley moved in behind the bar to polish the remainder of glasses for the morning open, gesturing to Magnolia with a sharp stare.

Steele stuck out her tongue at her friend then walked into the training area. She stopped short when she noticed Shady Powell doing work on the body bag. She watched briefly as the women threw a complicated series of punches like a pro, muscles in her shoulders rippling to life with each jab. Impressive for someone not versed in kickboxing. It stopped Magnolia's retreat, pulling her further into the gym.

Boots stopped when the woman entered. "Decided to see what this place looks like in the light of day, did you?" Her smirk was as strong as the sarcastic lilt in her tone, accompanied by a judgmental look to the former Marine.

She made a face, "He-he-he. You're just too funny, aren't you?" Stainless sneered at the woman, crossed to the kick-boxing equipment, and stooped for gloves. Strapping them on, she watched Shady wipe her brow and grin at her cheekily. Magnolia tightened the stays on the gloves with her teeth, a twang of sweaty stench overcoming her senses.

"I try."

"You fail," Magnolia was in no mood for cheeriness, and stood to beat her gloves together to test the stays and tightness.

"Wow," Shady cocked a brow at the biting tone, "hung over. Again?"

"What do you care?" She spat back at her, bitterly.

"C'mon, Mags," the other woman gritted her teeth as Powell said her name, "what crawled up your butt?" She squirted water in her mouth and stretched her neck. Sweat poured off of her in sheets along her skin.

Steele gritted out through clenched jaw while cracking her neck and stretching out her legs, jostling her arms to loosen the drunken, tight nerves. "Well, let's see. I'm frustrated, for one. Two? I've got nothing to do. I'm unable to leave this building. And, I'm being treated like a criminal. Satisfied? Or should I continue?"

Shady wrapped her arms around the bag now, leaning forward. "I didn't know you were a prisoner, Steele. I see no bars on your windows or chains on your hands and feet." Her humor was evident in her taunt. The gaze she swept over Magnolia was both speculative and judgmental. "Seems to me the only one who's making you a prisoner is yourself."

Magnolia challenged, "You know, really, I have had my fill of you, Shady Powell." Stainless motioned towards the mat, "Why don't you put your money where that smart mouth is?" Shady stepped around the bag, hands on her hips as the mercenary continued. "I have yet to see what it is you do with this team."

"You mean besides fly, cook and, oh yeah," she continued to grin, "Guard former jarheads?"

"Keep on, Powell." She chuckled lightly, "Keep on and see what happens."

Shady got serious, "I won't be baited into a fight, Steele."

She snorted. "Figures. You swabbies can't get those precious white uniforms dirty. Ruins the appeal," Magnolia could fight fire with fire, and she was itching to get this woman off her back and out of her system. Her knuckles seemed to burn, even within gloves, as she smirked at the former NCIS agent.

"I'm warning you, Steele, be careful what you ask for," Shady's tone was now menacing.

The entire time Stainless had been jawing with Boots, she had been slapping the gloves together; preparing to fight. "Clearly you underestimate me, Powell." She issued her final challenge, "C'mon, swabbie - step on the mat. Let's see if you fight as good as you talk." She snorted, "I don't bite too badly."

Shady was already prepared. She kicked off her tennis shoes and stepped into the center of the makeshift ring. Steele grinned from ear to ear, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Powell opened her arms wide, lifted her chin and simply said, "Bring it."

And, Steele did just that. She stepped out of her shoes and met the woman on the mat.

Lieu had walked into the training area during the exchange of barbs. She knew the instant the former Navy pilot had decided to take Magnolia up on her challenge by the change in tone and body language. Pinksley quickly ran to the office where Barney, Lee and Gunner were currently shooting the breeze. She relayed the situation while gasping for breath, heart hammering hard.

When the three men and Pinkie entered the room, it was to the sounds of flesh striking flesh. It was turning into an amazing, epic fight; the two women were so evenly matched. For each jab Steele was able to land, Shady repaid her in kind. And, vice versa. Magnolia had a split lip. Shady, a cut over her eye that would bruise easily. Both women's shirts were soaked through with sweat. And, they still weren't ready to give quarter. Not even close.

Magnolia dived at the woman, grabbed her in a hold, only to have Shady slam a fist into her back by her kidney to gain release. The Marine said nothing about the dirty blow. She'd get even later.

With a silent exchange, the Expendables leader and his number two changed positions. Barney had moved to what would essentially be Steele's corner. Christmas had done the same, moving towards Powell's end of the mat. Both men knew that whichever one landed the knockout, the other was not going down quietly. There would be, most likely, a catfight after the dogfight.

Jensen and Pinksley remained center, watching the expert combatants. It was dead quiet, save the grunts and slapping of bare feet on the mat. Sweat marred the floor around them; both with wet hair plastered around their faces.

Shady knew Magnolia was a kickboxer. She'd read it in her file and, for the most part, had been able to stay away from those long legs. But, truth be told, Powell's arm was getting weaker and weaker and she knew it. This fight was going to end soon. But, if Shady had her way, she would be the victor. Relying upon the training provided by men she most admired, coupled with her NCIS skills, she figured Steele would slip up and Powell would have a weakness to exploit. Boots soon realized she was dead wrong.

Steele was fighting like a woman possessed. She was throwing every move she could think of at Powell and it seemed she had an answer for everything. It only inflamed Magnolia more. It felt as if this woman had been her downfall. She saw a flash of Merc's tenacity; Sparks' fiery intelligence in her eyes. It fueled her rage, driving her forward, strengthening every calculated move. Lesedi came flooding back in waves into her mind, as well as all the mistakes she'd made over the years.

Powell challenged her in every way possible. And Magnolia felt she had failed each and every challenge. But, this was going to be different. She wasn't going to lose this – wasn't going to lose the last shred of honor she possessed as a woman, a fighter, and a survivor. She had noticed, however, that there had been a subtle change in the tenor of the battle. Stainless couldn't put her finger on it, but she sensed a vulnerability that hadn't been present when the two started fighting. At least, she hoped she was reading the situation correctly. If not, Steele was going down hard.

And she wasn't going to.

Until this very moment, Shady had no idea they had an audience. Her eyes shifted as she caught sight of Barney's dark shirt. It was enough of a distraction that Steele noticed it. This gave her the opening she'd been looking for. With one powerful kick, she swung her right leg around and hit Powell square in the chest.

Between the force of the kick and her bare feet sticking on the mat, Shady stumbled. She didn't go completely down. Instead, she caught herself on one knee and tried to balance, but with the weaker right arm. Magnolia didn't hesitate. Whether she was too caught up in the moment or the fact that she had an opportunity to vanquish her tormentor, it didn't matter. All she registered was her opponent's defenseless posture. She didn't pause. She delivered the right hook to Shady's cheek with a grunt.

Stunned from the blow, Powell went the rest of the way down on the mat.

Barney and Lee moved like lightening. Ross grabbed Magnolia around the waist, hauling her squirming body back against his hard chest. She hadn't been aware of his presence behind her, and she jerked in surprise, fighting him like a possessed demon, feeling the burning in her chest and eyes.

"Put me down," Steele ordered the Expendables' leader rudely.

"Not until you cool off," he countered with equal gruff.

"This isn't over," she continued to struggle. "I'm not finished." Her sweaty hands slipped off Ross' iron band of a grip. No matter how hard she kicked, she couldn't get loose. It felt like Barney continued to squeeze until Magnolia was gasping for a breath. She had no choice but to calm down, staring through her saturated curls at her fallen opponent. She was positive he could feel her heart in her ribcage, because she was sure it was planning a heated leap out of her body.

"It is over and you are finished," Barney emphasized each word. He tossed her towards the edge of the mat, her matching his strength with a graceful and practiced return. She mopped her hair from her face and gathered quick breaths.

"Now, go with Lieu, and clean up." Instead of leaving, she tried to move towards Shady. Ross grabbed her arm. Propelling her towards a waiting Pinkie, Barney's full commanding voice ordered, "I said, hit the showers, Flowers." She looked over her shoulder, raised her chin at his nickname, and he added, in a low, menacing tone, "Now."

"I'm getting really sick and tired of your power trip, Ross," she hissed, lowering into a defensive position and narrowing her eyes at him. When he crossed his arms and gave the nastiest look she'd ever seen, she swallowed her statement and diverted her eyes, alighting on her feet. Casting a look to her downed opponent, she didn't notice Lieu come up beside her.

Pinkie grabbed her friend roughly by the arm, and she protested by shaking her off. Not to be deterred, Lieu shoved her out of the room before the woman could say or do anything she might regret. This, she knew with Magnolia, happened more often than not.

On the other side of the mat, Lee had his hands full as well. He'd done the first thing he could think of. With Shady flat of her back, he straddled her, pinning her wrists beside her head. As her eyes cleared and she realized who held her, she bucked immediately, "Get off me!"

"Stay down, Shady," Christmas ordered.

"Like hell, I will. This isn't over," Boots echoed the same sentiments as her opponent, watching upside-down as Magnolia retreated defiantly out of the gym; Ross behind her and at a distance, standing with Gunner.

"Yeah, actually," the Brit gripped her tighter, "it is." He gritted through his teeth as she pursued freedom harder, "I'm calling this one."

"Christmas," she growled only to have him lean in by her ear and whisper, "Keep fighting me, Shady Powell, and you're going to regret it. Give in gracefully."

Her retort was crude and most unladylike and it was all the catalyst Lee needed. In one motion, he grabbed her up, put her over his shoulder, and locked her legs against his chest. He swatted her ass three times, sharply enough that it echoed in the room. Shady's roar of indignation was comical to the two men watching. However, they were smart enough not to laugh out loud.

"You need a shower, darlin'," Lee recommended in a tone that was neither a recommendation nor an endearment. "And I think I'll help you." Shady's curses were only drowned out when Lee kicked the bedroom door closed.

Gunner couldn't resist. He looked at Barney, "Told you this was going to get messy." Ross could only shake his head.

When she came out of the shower, Pinkie was sitting on the bed. She took one look at her friend and said, "Magnolia Steele, you're a jackass."

Steele was flabbergasted. "What's that all about?"

Lieu sighed, "I thought you were smarter than that, Magnolia. You need to take a good, hard look at what's going on around you." She crossed her arms after finishing a side braid, letting a leg drape over the side of the bed to swing back and forth.

Steele pulled on a clean V-neck t-shirt and jeans and wrapped her wet hair in a towel. Sitting down opposite her friend, she asked, "Fine, Lieu. What am I missing?" She waved her hands towards her, as if beckoning the woman to come. "Fill me in, since you seem to have so much insight these past few weeks."

She put up a hand, and began counting off fingers. "First, we're in Shady's room. She gave it up so we'd have a place close by." She cocked a brow.

"She was ordered to," Magnolia interrupted, "So they can keep an eye on us." She matched her wit, sat back roughly, and crossed a leg over her knee. "Not exactly chivalrous."

Pinksley continued as if Steele hadn't spoken, "Second, have you never noticed that scar on Powell's arm?" Magnolia leaned back farther, trying to visualize the mark as the redhead continued, "She's got more in common with you than you even realize." She gestured to her friend's concealed arm, and Magnolia rubbed it, half conscious of the idea.

"So what? That's supposed to make me like her?" The Vixens leader spat out. "She's done nothing but…"

Pinkie interrupted, "But do her job." She stood up in a huff. "You need to go over everything that's happened since New Orleans. You're a smart woman, Magnolia. It'll come to you."

She beat the bed with a confirming hand, and pushed off. And, with that, Lieutenant Pinksley left the room.

Lee put Shady on her feet in the gym bedroom; the same one she had used when she first joined the team. It was properly tidy and well organized, just like Shady was, despite its smaller size. As soon as she touched solid ground, she shoved at him, pushing him backwards. It was futile, however, because he didn't move. Instead, she stepped away from him, lest he try to subdue her again.

"What the hell?" Shady growled at him, "You want to tell me what the hell just happened in there?" She spat at him, throwing a hand towards the gym door to gesture.

"You were about to make a fool of yourself," he countered quickly.

She was furiously trying to unlace her gloves and spat out, "No, you did that for me." Then, when she was defeated by the gloves, she kicked her shoes across the room to the corner, where they bounced off the wall and hit the floor quietly. She whirled around to face him.

He dropped down on the side of the bed, smiling at her indignation. "You were beaten. Be a graceful loser for once in your life, Shady Powell." She crossed her arms and cocked a hip at him, indignantly pissed, with the gloves still on.

"Screw you, Christmas," she hissed, her right arm now beginning to quiver. He noticed it immediately, though she'd tried to conceal it.

Lee could see her growing distress. He stood up and approached her, but she put up her hands to keep him at bay. He pushed her hands away, beginning to unlace the gloves. Still angry with the defeat at Steele's hand and her weakening limb, she lashed out, jerking her arm away, "I can do it myself."

He grabbed her forcefully around the waist, dragging her hard against him, "You're acting like a two year old. Keep on," he spoke menacingly in her ear, "and I will treat you like one." He pulled the gloves off easily, and dropped them behind him.

Shady glared at him, red heat exploding furiously on her nose. "You wouldn't dare." And, she pushed against his hard chest again, trying to step out of his box.

Lee pulled her off her feet, swung around, and dragged her towards the bed; Shady refusing to make it easier for him. She wriggled and pushed and thrashed against him, but was ultimately no match for his superior strength. He dropped her on the bed with a flop.

He stared at her, his face sympathetically tough. "You're in pain. I can see how badly your arm is quivering. Worse than I ever saw it in Lethem," he grabbed her hand, "I'll go get the towels and ice packs while you shower. Think you may even need the sling," he was talking, completely ignoring her protests, and moved away from the bed.

Fed up with his high-handed treatment both here and in front of Barney, Shady did the only thing she could think of – she sat up and slapped the back of his head. Nothing hard – just enough to get his attention. Lee stopped mid-sentence and turned a hard, hazel glare on Shady, "Have you lost your mind?" He challenged her.

It loosened his grip just enough that she could get off the bed. Powell scrambled to the other side, flinging her hair out of her face. "You aren't listening. I'm not wearing the sling. And, I don't need the ice packs." The next sentence was enunciated very precisely, "I don't want your help."

Lee Christmas stood fully to his almost six foot height. Shady took an involuntary step backwards and swallowed. She had gone too far and she could read it in every nuance of his body language. She thought about turning and running for the door, but knew she couldn't beat him. Besides, where would she go? She glanced over her shoulder at the bathroom. If she could get inside, Powell could lock the door.

As if reading her mind, Lee spoke in that militaristic tone that made her stomach flip. "Run from me and there will be hell to pay when I catch you. And, make no mistake, I will catch you." He advanced towards her and, once again, Shady took a step backwards, "Lock that bathroom door against me, and it will get kicked in. And, then, you will have absolutely nowhere to run." She swallowed. Lee took another step and, once more time, Shady stepped backwards. "Now, I'll hear your apology, or you'll get what you've got coming to you."

Powell glared at him. She wasn't a coward, but she wasn't going to be treated like an invalid. She had worked too hard to ensure that the guys saw her as an equal; that her weakened arm was never a handicap. Lee would want her to wear that damn sling for the rest of the evening. She knew him well enough to know that. She needed distance between them and there was only one choice for that result.

Christmas watched her closely. He could see the wheels turning in that little head of hers. And, he knew the moment she had decided to defy him. Lee let her have just enough rope to hang herself. As soon as she turned towards the bathroom door, he had an arm around her waist, hauling her back to the bed. Shady kicked, calling him several uncomplimentary names. Lee pulled her across his knee, a firm hand in the middle of her back.

The last comment Powell heard, in Christmas' distinctive British lilt, was, "You had your chance." His hand came down hard on her backside.

There was another small room just off the workout area that the guys all called the war room. It had a round table, a white board and computer access. This was where they sometimes took their briefings. Tonight would be no different.

Caesar had emailed Shady the last piece of data that they needed. After her battle with Steele and a second one with Lee, Boots had found the information waiting in her inbox. It had made the details of the assignment crystalize. She's quickly found Barney, filling him in. They would meet with the rest of the team, including Steele and Pinksley. If everyone was still on board, they'd most likely be leaving in the next couple of days.

Shady was standing at the table, sorting pictures and papers, when a bottle thumped down next to her. She was still furious with Christmas so if this was to be a peace offering from him, he'd have to do a whole lot better. Instead, the drink was from one Magnolia Steele. Powell cocked a brow, straightened up a little taller, and put a hand on her hip.

Magnolia gave a shy smile, gesturing to the beer with the neck of the bottle at hand. "I can take the first drink if you want me to. Just to prove it's not spiked," Steele actually smiled as she seated herself on the table. Glancing around at the mass of papers, she quickly dismissed them with a lift of her chin to the NCIS agent.

Shady snorted, "Am I that obvious?"

Mags shook her head, "No. I'd just be thinking the same thing if you brought a bottle to me." She shrugged, tossed a handful of hair over her shoulder, and slumped her shoulders forward.

With a word of thanks, Boots picked up the beer with her good arm, taking a long drink. Setting it down, she asked, "How's the lip?"

Holding her own cold bottle against the split, Steele answered, "Sore and swollen. Your eye?"

"It'll be black tomorrow but that's nothing new."

Magnolia motioned towards Shady with her drink, "I didn't think I hurt you bad enough to warrant that."

Shady's right arm was wrapped, similar to the way the team had doctored it on her first mission – with ice packs and towels. After the sparring session, it had been more painful than Powell could remember in some time. Lee had insisted that she wear the sling, immobilizing the arm for a couple of hours – the source of yet another battle between the couple. This was what Steele referred to. Boots responded thoughtfully, "I have an old injury that flares up when I've worked my arm too much." She cut a sideways glance at Magnolia, "You might have aggravated it, just a little."

Finally pulling out a chair, Steele dropped down, saying, "That old injury happen when you lost your team?"

"Who have you been talking to," Powell teased.

"I have my sources," Steele gave right back. A few moments passed between them, and Powell studied the woman beside her with a determined look. For the first time, Powell looked closely at Steele. When she did, Powell saw the inner exposure of her left arm, and froze. She felt her skin prickle with awareness, and she gestured to the other woman's arm.

"Looks like that might have hurt."

Magnolia looked down to the soft-pink, smoothed scar. The corner of her mouth twitched and she blew out a breath, running a fingertip over it. "Just a bit," she retorted quietly.

The wound extended the entire length of her arm and ended at her wrist. It was about an inch thick, and from her own experiences, Powell assumed it was a knife of some kind. Not sure if she would continue, she waited for Steele to elaborate. When it appeared nothing else was forthcoming, Powell finally asked, "How'd you get yours?"

Something passed through the other woman's eyes that made her grimace and tense her jaw. Shady could see the slight internal battle but whatever might have been said was stopped in its tracks as Magnolia set the bottle on the bar with a light smack. "It was a long time ago," she said solidly, dismissing the subject all together.

Shady nodded, looking off slightly before taking a drink of her own beer. After a moment's pause, she looked back to Mags. "So, you said something about sources?" She changed the subject back to their previous conversation, and Magnolia looked at her bottle, nodding and smiling wryly at it. She then cut Shady a side-glance and smirk.

"Yeah, my sources." She sighed and puffed out a breath, "My sources may have informed me that I was," she paused, searching for the right word, "a jackass. And, those same sources told me I was probably mistaken about you."

"Oh?" Powell seemed all types of surprised, and didn't hide it.

She lifted the corner of her lips and nodded slowly to confirm her statement. "Yeah, that maybe, instead of you being a real jerk, you were just following orders?"

Shady nodded and smiled, lifting her beer in a congratulatory salute. "There she is. There's that intelligent, resourceful mercenary leader I read about. Glad I knocked it out of you." Her lilt was teasing and light, and Magnolia grinned at her.

"You guys played me pretty good. I never thought…"

Before she could beat herself up, Powell jumped in, "You weren't supposed to, Magnolia. We needed you to trust us quickly. And, it's not your style. Hell," she paused, taking another drink, "it's not any of our styles. But, we just don't have time to build the kind of rapport that comes from training and working together. We have to have it the minute we go to South Africa."

"And that's going to be?" Steele quizzed. Neither of them noticed the door open, but heard it slam. They jerked their attention to it and Magnolia paused mid-drink. Shady set her bottle down with a clack and finished sorting her print-outs.

"Very soon," Barney Ross answered from the door. "Very, very soon."