Hello everybody!

First of all, thank you so much for the reviews! It is truly appreciated. I also want to thank FictionWriter91 for yet again accompany me in my crazy stories. Your help means a lot.

I have to issue a warning here for mention of drug, abuse, and another couple of things. Now, please keep in mind that while I am NOT Alice, her storyline is based on some very real things that happened to me a couple of years ago (especially the letter, which is very real and hopefully will one day reach the cast). Please be kind in your comments in regards to this OC background. Of course, suggestions and constructive comments are always welcome.

Enjoy your reading,

Pavs.

Chapter Two: Ticking Bomb

[Tool's]

Doc rushed to prevent the young woman from falling on the hard concrete floor while the others looked at them without knowing how to react.

''What the hell did she mean by 'you're real'?'' Hale asked as Barney looked at the woman's purse.

''No bloody clue,'' Lee replied while he noticed what Barney was looking at.

There was a sense of unease as they didn't want to breach the woman's privacy, but couldn't afford to not know what the hell was going on. Barney had a really weird feeling about this. Doc finally decided to go ahead and open the purse in case she had some sort of medication that could explain the fainting and found a small leather journal with her name on it.

Alice J. James

''Well at least now we got a name,'' Lee stated as Doc finished rummaging through the purse to check out her vitals.

''We'll probably get more once she wakes up…'' Lee added as he saw Barney taking the journal and open it.

''What the hell?'' Toll asked while reading over the man's shoulder.

Barney Ross: Green Beret, sharpshooter, leader. Likes donuts and anything with skulls on it.

Lee Christmas: SAS, knife expert, second in command. Barney's wife when not begging for *sighs* Lacy to yet again not half-cheat on him.

''She's got you there,'' Toll said to Lee, earning himself a very dark look as even Barney smiled a little.

Gunnar Jensen: Swedish military member, sniper and sharpshooter, chemically unbalanced but now clean. Would bang like a screen door in a hurricane.

''Of course she would,'' Gunnar said with a satisfied smirk before he realized. 'Wait, how does she know that?''

Hale Caesar: Navy Seal, weapon expert. Obsessed with food he does not share because packing is the key and fuck you, that's why.

Hale laughed a little at this one.

Toll Road: Marine, demolition and hand to hand combat expert. Do not mention the ear.

''Don't even,'' warned Barney as Toll was indeed about to comment on the ear.

Doc (Marcus Snipes): Green Beret, medic, hand to hand combat and knife expert. Will make your tags jingle for Christmas time.

Doc, who'd start reading too, sent a mocking look to Lee, who mouthed a silent ''fuck you'' back at him.

Tool (Abraham Philippe): Green Beret, liaison, armorer, knife expert and (awesome) tattoo artist. Try not to cry in front of him.

That made them all frown. Was something bad supposed to happen to Tool?

John Booker: Ranger, kills everyone.

Trench Mauser: Green Beret, ally. Annoys the shit out of Barney but with love.

Barney would have laughed at the last two descriptions he read if the situation wasn't extremely concerning. He finished the list of both active and inactive Expendables then turned the pages and saw details about six of their missions from about ten years earlier, the last one being when they'd killed Stonebanks.

He put down the book on Tool's drawing table for the others to see as they read about movies, actors' names and, apparently, a pandemic. Then they turned to the last page and saw notes on an interview for a fourth movie and the cast.

Then they saw Barney's name written on top of the last used page with what they guessed to be dried tears.

''Well, that isn't disturbing at all,'' commented Toll as they all shared a worried look.

''Is she still out?'' Lee asked, a bit short of breath.

''Wake her up!'' Barney ordered, and Doc reached into his emergency kit for his special cocktail.

''Well, there you go sweetheart,'' Doc said, and she suddenly woke up and got into a sitting position to get a better look at him.

She seemed scared, to say the least, so Doc tried his best to not make her more nervous. They could all see that, somehow, she wasn't a threat. She was about five foot two with dark blonde hair and honey-coloured eyes. While she did look fit, she was naturally curvy and, apparently, on the verge of a panic attack.

''I…I…'' she stuttered before Barney once again appeared in front of her.

''Will you explain this?'' the man asked as he showed her the journal, and Alice tensed up. ''Can we begin with why the fuck shouldn't we be real, or would you rather explain how you know so many things about us?''

''Calm down, Barney. She's terrified,'' Tool's voice sounded in the doorway before he went to take the man's place in front of her. Then he extended a hand to help her get up while looking at her with a sincere smile and added, ''With absolutely no reason to be.''

[Alice]

I felt my heart skip a beat as I looked at him. Then he offered me his hand, and I felt tears rolling down my cheeks.

''You're here,'' I couldn't help but whisper softly as I took his hand and got up to face him.

''I am,'' Tool replied with a bit of confusion on his face, and I shook my head to clear my thoughts. ''And you look quite touched by it.''

''Shit, I'm sorry; I know this whole thing looks weird but…'' I began before I frowned. ''How did you know I wasn't a threat?''

He chuckled at that, and I couldn't help but smile.

''Well, sweetheart, no offense, but you don't look quite threatening,'' Tool said, and I smiled a little before his expression became more serious. ''Barney, Drummer called. She will need our protection. It's a portal case. She is not from here.''

''I thought I heard an accent,'' commented Gunnar, and I snorted.

''He means I am not from your universe,'' I corrected shyly at Gunnar's raised eyebrow. ''Which explains the info you apparently consulted while I was out.''

''Huh…'' Gunnar said as he scratched the back of his head, and I giggled. He really was as clueless as he'd been with Maggie on Villain's mission.

"What the fuck is that suppose to mean?" Lee asked, clearly confused.

"A portal case? Man you out of your mind?" Hale asked as Toll was looking at them like they'd gone insane.

Barney froze, and I frowned. Then I realized that of all the movies I'd consulted, The One had not been there. Of course, I wouldn't have noticed. I didn't watch it a lot (even though I did love it).

And if it hadn't been there like they hadn't been there...and, well, it would have technically fit the timeline as Barney wouldn't have known Christmas yet...but who the fuck would have played Evan Funsch? I looked at my journal with a frown. It caught Tool's attention, and the man pointed at it.

''May I?'' Tool asked, and I nodded my consent.

It took about ten seconds before the man started to laugh.

''Barns, she got you all right. All of us in fact. Sweetheart, I'd frame that list if I could,'' Tool said clearly amused, and I laughed softly. ''But whatever do you mean by you shouldn't cry when you see me?''

He looked concerned, and I felt my blood rush to my cheeks before the emotions kicked in and I had to fight my tears yet again.

''Nothing bad that I know of happened, or should happen to you, it's just…'' I started, and I could see the general relief in the room, then the curiosity, ''...I don't know how to tell you this.''

''Start by the beginning,'' Barney offered, and I turned to him to see that he was actually concerned.

''You saved me,'' I half-whispered suddenly, and I saw Barney surprised expression. ''Fuck, I know it sounds crazy, but you did. All of you.''

''Why the tears then?'' asked Lee, a bit shocked as well. I turned to Tool.

''It all started with you, and to explain it, I have to bring back painful memories, for both you and me,'' I explained, and Tool seemed to hesitate for a moment before he invited me to sit on one of the chairs. I took my journal on the way there. Toll went to close the doors and windows as they all took place around me, waiting for the man to join us.

I couldn't even begin to describe how surreal it felt, to have them all waiting to hear something I never thought I could tell them. I looked at my journal and began to play with it as I was searching for the right words. Then it hit me.

''I wrote you a letter,'' I said to myself aloud as I got the inside of the journal out of the leather cover. ''Again, I know it sounds weird, but I had initially planned to send it to the actor who created…well…you? I mean not created, but…''

''It's ok, we get it,'' Barney said, and I could see his patience running out a bit.

''First of all, you have to understand that when I learned about you, I was in a very dark place. I had parents who took turns telling me they only had a child because the other wanted it. I was five the first time my father told me he didn't love me and that he'd rather have had a son or nothing at all,'' I began and I saw sincere concern, comprehension, and/or anger on every single one of their faces.

But no judgment at all. I felt like crying from relief. These guys truly were my safe place.

''I grew up being wrong or never enough. I was raised to be a good and obedient wife. I was paid by my father to keep my mouth shut. He did have the means after all,'' I continued, and I saw Barney's disgusted look before his eyes softened as he realized that I was observing his reaction. ''I was stripped of my ways to express my feelings, because it was forbidden for the sake of image. I then turned to what I could. I had been using since I was about fourteen years old and had issues with alcohol since I was twelve.''

''Had?'' Gunnar asked with an indescribable look in his eyes, and I offered him a shy smile.

''I've been clean for nine and a half years and sober for two,'' I explained, and I could see him smile sincerely at me.

''That's fucking amazing,'' Toll said, and I turned to him, touched by his words. ''You should be proud of yourself.''

''Thank you,'' I replied with a shaking voice as I looked around and saw them all silently agree with Toll. ''It means a lot, really.''

The man nodded, and I took a deep breath.

''I made a lot of bad choices. I destroyed myself by hating my own mind, and I was vulnerable for it. And it wasn't a good thing,'' I said as I unconsciously made myself a bit smaller.

''Alice?'' Tool asked softly, and I looked at him to see him truly concerned. I pressed on.

''Anyway, one day I woke up about two hours from home in the back of my ex-dealer's truck and was in and out of consciousness as he tried to get me out of it. He took care of me for three days. I had bruises and weird pains and absolutely no will to know what the fuck even happened,'' I said, and I could hear Lee take in a deep breath. ''He was my ex-dealer because he refused to give or sell anything to me after seeing how bad I was getting. I should have listened, really.''

In an effort to distract myself from my anxiety, I looked around and saw Barney looking at me with an unreadable expression. This combined with Lee's raised eyebrow and the others' worried looks made my mental walls break down, and I felt tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Listen, if it's too much, we can..." Doc began, and I offered him a sad smile.

''I'll give you the letter. It's hidden in my journal, but there is something I need to say out loud first,'' I interrupted him gently with a shaking voice, and the man nodded. ''When I got back home, my mother cried because she thought I was dead. And believe me, I wanted to be. I waited until she was out for the night and went to the living room to leave her a suicide note.''

I saw the shock on their faces as Tool looked at me with apprehension.

''The television was on. My mother had forgotten to turn it off. I almost did until I recognized Barney, or rather in my world, the actor who plays you,'' I said as I turned to the man briefly before looking at Tool again. ''It was the scene when Barney comes to you for advice about Sandra, right before he left to rescue her in Vilena.''

I could now see the pain in Tool's eyes, and I felt my hands shaking as my breath became shallower.

''Do you have any idea how bad I want to hug you every time I watch that scene?'' I asked through my tears, and Tool looked at me with a mix of surprise, sadness, and comprehension in his eyes. ''When you said that saving that woman would have saved what remained of your soul, I looked at you and wondered if anyone would think that way about me if I killed myself. So that night…instead of taking my own life…I kept watching that movie. Tool, you may not have saved her, but you saved me. Thank you.''

''Sweetheart,'' Tool said with a shaking voice as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. I couldn't bear seeing him like that, so I got up.

''I'm sorry,'' I cried, and I felt like I would have a panic attack at any second now. ''I am not used to that.''

''Do you have any idea how fucking welcome you are?'' Tool finally said as he got up to take me in his arms. ''It's ok.''

I cried even harder, and he kept one of his arms around me as he pushed me toward the elevator whilst telling Barney that he got it from there.

[Team]

They looked at each other without saying anything as the elevator went up, taking Tool and Alice with it.

''I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that,'' Doc stated, and Toll nodded.

''Yeah, tell me about it,'' Toll commented before he turned to Barney. ''Maybe there's more in that letter…Barney?''

The man looked as if he'd been lost in his thoughts and they saw him shake his head as if to clear his mind. He reached for the journal and pulled out the letter hidden in the cover of the book.

''Alright, let's get this over with,'' Lee commented before Barney began to read out loud.

''To the Expendables,

To whoever I have the chance to get this letter to, I want you to know that I've written this letter with no other intention than to thank you for saving me from myself,'' Barney read before he skipped the part that Alice had already explained.

Then he saw another list and frowned, continuing to read.

''Barney Ross has shown me that it's the trials that life throws at us that makes us who we are and that constant effort to give our best is what will make the difference.

Gunnar Jensen forced me to face all the demons that were eating away at me from the inside and a little bit of what I had become from turning against myself. I saw the choices I had when Barney reached out to him, and he's the one who convinced me to call my old friends instead of destroying myself alone.

Lee Christmas made me understand that forgiveness can be granted and that there is no need to hold a grudge, that being present can make all the difference. And he did something more. Even thought I would like to say that life has been easier after getting clean, I unfortunately was a victim of domestic abuse for years… right up until I realized that he would kick the man's arse, and then I was convinced to become a survivor instead.

Hale Caesar always found a way to make me smile again, no matter how shitty the situation was.

Toll Road showed me that I have the right to say that I am not okay and that being special is not a bad thing at all.

Yin Yang showed me that gestures show attachment as much as words.

Trench Mauser taught me that help can come from those you least expect it from and that it is just as good to take.

I am writing this just before I am going to see the third movie, which I am sure will be absolutely amazing. I have no doubts that the new characters will have something special of their own, since you always add purpose to your characters.

What I mean to say is…You saved me from myself, helped me heal. Whether you or the characters you played in those movies, you were the ones I loved enough to stand for when I couldn't stand for my own self. Then you made me realize that I should and I did. And no matter how good or bad things were, I could always come back to you. You gave me a safe place for my mind...an inspiration, hope. A family and a home. I could never thank you enough. And I know that this may seem way too emotional or weird but that's just me…and I am so proud of you.

You have a friend in me, always.

With love,

Alice. ''

There was a long silence following her letter in which they all looked at it absolutely speechless. Then Gunnar turned to Barney with an almost vulnerable look on his face.

''So, I really helped her?'' he asked, and Barney nodded slowly.

''It seems so,'' he replied as they all seemed to come back to life. ''Would you and Christmas go and get her things from wherever she was staying at? I feel like she will stay with us for a while.''

Both the men nodded as he stood there, still trying to process the feelings that were turning his mind into complete chaos.

...

It had taken an hour.

A whole fucking hour that left Barney alone with his thoughts. He could still remember the day that Stonebanks had became obssessed with the portal. He could still feel the pain at seeing him going dark.

Pain. There had been surprisingly a lot of that in Alice's eyes. He still couldn't describe just how much her words had affected him. He had been concerned at first, then angry that she'd been treated that way.

Then there was the way she'd thanked them in that letter. He knew that she truly meant every single word. It was actually what was affecting him the most. The genuine care, the vulnerability...he both felt unworthy and incredibly touched at the same time.

She was something special, it didn't take him long to figure that out once she'd started to talk to them. She'd known that they would want to know where she was coming from. She'd had the guts to open up to them...

He heard the elevator and got back in touch with reality, only to notice the concerned looks on his friends' faces.

"You okay, Barns?" asked Tool, a bit worried.

"I got lost in my thoughts," Barney replied as Toll nodded.

"Yeah, I mean it's quite something, isn't it?" Toll asked, and they all silently agreed. "I mean, the way she thanked us...it's not the first time in our line of work, but this was...raw, authentic."

"Tell me about it," Hale added. "Fuck, she almost made me cry."

"You always get emotional," teased Lee while entering the shop with Gunnar before he continued in a more serious tone. "But yeah, I agree with you."

"I mean..." Gunnar said hesitantly "It's nice to know that I helped her. I don't hear that...ever. "

Barney looked at Gunnar and felt his heart drop. The man had been through a lot with his addiction and had to work his arse off to find his motivation to stay on the right path. He was glad that Alice had noticed it. He knew that Gunnar appreciated their support, but to hear it from someone outside their group did some good too.

"So, you're going to talk or what?" Lee asked after a moment of silence, and Barney sighed.

"Actually, I am," Tool said, and Barney looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "And I am sorry to say that nobody here is going to like that."

"Go ahead then," Hale said, concerned.

"Y'all know what happened with Stonebanks and how he turned on us, and, well, it doesn't take a genius to guess that nothing was ever good enough for him. What you don't know is that the very reason he turned dark was because of our last mission before we were send to finish him," Tool explained as they all listened carefully.

"We were sent to some people called The Organization to get rid of a team of weapon traffickers that had gotten a hold of the portal, a machine able to send you through universes," Tool continued, and Gunnar's face lit up.

"The theory of the multiverse! I studied that!" Jensen exclaimed, really excited, before Tool send him a pointed look, and he calmed himself down.

"It also meant that you could get to another version of yourself and if you, well...killed yourself, you'd get stronger. And you can guess why that is problematic. They made a movie about it. Anyway, the mission went well, and we thought that everything was destroyed," Tool said, and Barney felt shivers down his spine.

"We did. They must have had a copy somewhere..." Barney said, and Tool sighed.

"We didn't. Stonebanks got the blueprints," Tool said.

"Good thing we killed that fucker then!" Lee exclaimed as Gunnar looked at both Tool and Barney with a somber expression.

"We killed one of them. Isn't that right, Tool?" Gunnar said, and Barney closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath.

"Oh HELL NAW!" Hale exclaimed as Doc swore under his breath.

"I'm afraid so," Tool replied. "That's why we must protect Alice."

"Meaning?" Lee asked, a bit anxious now.

"Meaning Drummer has already informed the kids, Trench, Bonaparte, and Booker," Tool said before he turned to Barney. "Alice's violent ex is Conrad Stonebanks's alter ego. He was pushing her off her balcony when Stonebanks appeared in her world. She fell into the portal and woke up here."

"Does she know?" asked Toll, and Tool shook his head no.

"She only kept movies from our original team, Vilain's excluded, or so she told me as I helped her settle in. I don't think she thought about looking out for them. There is nothing about it in her journal either," Tool replied. "So no, she doesn't know yet."

"We'll have to tell her," Lee said, and Tool nodded.

There was a moment of silence before Barney got up and threw his chair at the wall.

"FUCK! FUCKING! CONRAD! STONEBANKS!" he kept screaming as he hit the wall.

They didn't hear the back door open to reveal a frightened Alice, who rushed to Barney and took him in her arms as soon as she understood what was happening.

The man was having a break down.

"Don't..." Doc started to warn as the girl put her arms around Ross.

Everybody froze, including Barney himself. But Alice didn't let go. Barney felt the tears in his eyes as he realized that she was still holding onto him, no matter how scary he must have appeared to her. She was, in fact, hugging him tighter by the second. He put his arms around her as the tears began rolling down his cheeks and fell into her hair.

"I know, it's ok," she said with a soft voice, and he held her tighter as he cried a little harder. "We'll get through whatever this is. I believe in you."

She could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks too. Barney felt a huge weight lifting off his shoulder as they both held onto each other, because somehow, against all odds, he trusted her to be there. And she trusted him.

She trusted them.

He was the reason why she was in danger and that made the guilt of not being able to handle Stonebanks coming back tenfold. He looked at his team over her shoulder and saw them looking at him and Alice with concern.

They had to tell her.