"Remind me again why we are here Barney?" Christmas asked, as he put another handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"We need a new sniper, and Bonaparte informed me that one of the best can be found here." Barney told him, as he, Christmas, and the rest of the team followed the crowd, making their way to the enormous tent that had been erected just outside the Romanian capital of Bucharest.

"What the hell is a sniper doing at a circus? And why did the rest of us have to come, normally you go on your own when you pick up a newbie." Gunnar huffed, as he pushed his way through the crowd, the group making their way to their seats.

"Bonaparte says this whole damn thing is a CIA cover for a few agents, our sniper just happens to be one of them; and you're here so we can make a good impression. Well, not you Gunnar, you could never make a good impression, but the rest of you; Bonaparte said this one is a little special." Barney told them, smiling as he heard a disgruntled grumble from Gunnar as they sat down, waiting for the performance to begin.

"So, what are we looking for?" Toll asked, as he took a seat between Barney and Caesar.

"Bonaparte said we would know when we saw her." Barney told him, as the main ring was suddenly filled by tumbling and flipping acrobats.

The performance had gone on like any other, clowns, acrobats, jugglers, yet there was no obvious sign of the woman Bonaparte had sent Barney to look for.

Suddenly the big top went black apart from a single bright spotlight that illuminated the centre of the main ring falling on the ring master.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, it is my pleasure to present to you the 'Flying Zapharelli's'." The man announced, as the spotlight flew to the trapeze artists at the top of the huge tent.

Barney didn't even look up at the newly introduced entertainers, his eyes were fixed on the other performers, scanning for a face that Bonaparte told him that he would know.

"Er....... Barney, Christmas!" Toll said, shaking Barney's shoulder.

"You might want to see this."

Barney and Christmas followed the direction of Toll's pointed finger, up towards the acrobat's meters above the sawdust strewn floor.

"HOLY SHIT! IT'S (Y/N)" Christmas shouted out.

The rest of the team looked on as a young woman flew through the air, expertly catching the bar of the trapeze at every swing.

"Are ya sure it's (Y/n)?" Caesar asked, as he stared up to the top of the canopy.

"Yeah it's her, I'd recognise Tool's handiwork anywhere." Barney told him, as his eyes looked over the two tattooed arm sleeves. If Barney had known it was (Y/n) he had come to find, he would have been more prepared, now he had to think on his feet and work out the best way to get her to come back.

                                                      >>------------------------------------<<

As the show finished, the team made their way out of the big top looking for the younger woman.

"What is so special about this Senorita anyway?" Galgo asked Toll, as they searched through the performer's tents.

"Well, she's Christmas' little sister to start with, she's already one of us; and she has her own set of particular abilities that we could use. You see (Y/n) is a computer genius, she can hack into basically anything, she can speak eight languages, and she's one of the best snipers I've ever met." Toll said quietly, as they continued to search the area.

"Why did she leave?" Galgo asked, as he stuck his head in yet another tent.

Toll coughed uncomfortably, as he looked over at Barney. "Er....... let's just say that she and someone else had a falling out, and he pushed her away. Oh, and one last thing you should know." Toll said, looking at Galgo with a smirk.

"I'll warn you that our (Y/n) can be a bit of a flirt." Toll chuckled, as he shook his head, remembering how (Y/n) used to be.

Barney pushed his head through the door flaps of one of the last tents, his eyes falling on the back of a bald headed man in an expensive looking suit. Before Barney could say anything, he felt the muzzle of a gun at the back of his head.

"My, my, my, if it isn't Barney Ross." The man said, as he turned around to reveal Barney's least favourite CIA agent.

"CHURCH!" Barney exclaimed, as the bald headed man grinned widely at him.

"What are you doing here Bamm – Bamm?" Church asked, looking more than slightly amused at the current situation.

"We are here to find (Y/n), we need her back." Barney huffed, irritated at the smiling Church.

"(Y/n)? Oh, you mean that beautiful woman that currently has a gun pointed at the back of your head? That (Y/n)?" Church asked, smiling at the person behind Barney.

Barney turned his head slightly, his eyes falling on the younger Christmas, the woman he hadn't seen in what felt like a lifetime.

"(Y/n) honey, why don't you go and say hello to the little rascals outside? Bamm – Bamm and I have something to discuss." Church told her, motioning for her to leave the tent.

                                                             >>---------------------------------<<

The team spun around as they heard a loud squeal, and Christmas found himself pinned to the ground.

"Hi big brother, I missed you." A grinning (Y/n) said, as she sat on his chest.

"(Y/n), will ya get off, ya embarrassing me in front of the guys." Christmas grumbled, as (Y/n) was suddenly pulled off him and into the air by a pair of strong arms and swung around.

"GUNNAR!" (Y/n) shouted, engulfing the large Swede in a bone crushing embrace, and peppering his face with kisses.

"Hey! What about some love for your hot chocolate over here?" Caesar called out, hugging the young woman as she jumped into his arms.

Caesar laughed as he carried her over to Toll.

"How's my little thinker?" (Y/n) asked, as Toll gave her a tight squeeze.

"Better for seeing you princess, now I have someone with brains to talk to." Toll told her, chuckling as he looked at the rest of the crew.

(Y/n) looked over at Galgo. "And who might this handsome devil be?" She asked, as he took her hand and kissed it.

"Senorita Christmas, I am Galgo. It is a pleasure to meet such a beautiful and intelligent woman." Galgo declared, staring up at her through his eyelashes.

"Oh, I like him. Can I keep him Lee? Pretty please." (Y/n) asked her frustrated brother, who was still brushing himself off.

"NO! And what would you do with him anyway?" Christmas grumbled, looking over at his smirking sister.

"Oh please Lee, I could think of a few things." She said, giving a slightly blushing Galgo a wink.

Christmas groaned loudly. "Geez (Y/n), will ya not."

"Have you forgotten about me?" A smooth familiar voice asked from behind her.

"HOLY SHIT! DOC!" (Y/n) exclaimed, looking at the man in disbelief.

"Hi Honey, how's my favourite girl?" Doc hummed, as she hugged him.

"I'm better now I've seen you guys. It's been too long." (Y/n) sighed as she headed back over to her brother.

"Come on boys, we are gonna celebrate." She said, as she dragged Christmas and Gunnar by the hands behind her.

"And around here we don't celebrate without the finest Russian Vodka."

                                                                  >>-----------------------------<<

Barney and Church walked into (Y/n)'s tent to find her and the guys happily throwing back shots of Vodka as they caught her up on what had been happening in her absence, as she eagerly hugged into Toll and Caesar's sides.

Barney wasn't one for showing his emotions, in fact, anyone that didn't know him would probably say he didn't have any, but when it came to (Y/n) he found it difficult to supress how he felt.

She was so much younger than him, and she was Lee's sister, but everything she was and did drew him to her like a flame. When she first joined the team, Barney had kept her at arm's length; but after something had gone wrong on a particular mission, the two had ended up together, trapped in some god forsaken place with only one another for company and warmth. After a few shots of some old liquor they had found, Barney had let it slip how he felt.

He had expected her to reject him, say he was too old, that he was her brother's best friend; but instead he found her lips on his as she straddled his lap, leading to what would be a night that neither of them would forget.

Even after the two had been rescued, the relationship flourished, though the pair kept it quiet, especially from Lee. The two would spend every night together, and even on missions Barney would get as close as possible to her without eliciting curious glances from the rest of the team.

Barney would watch on as Tool worked on (Y/n)'s sleeves, all the other tattoos complimenting the Expendables one that she wore proudly on her right bicep, the looks between the two lovers almost instantly recognisable to the ever observant Tool; the only other one that would know their secret.

Things had started to change though, when Barney had overheard a flippant conversation between the rest of the team about (Y/n).

"Are you insane? (Y/n) wouldn't be interested in any of you guys. She wants a man that can understand her feelings and is sensitive to her wants and needs." Toll told the others, as they sat in the hangar playing cards.

"Bullshit! She needs a man with brains. A woman as intelligent as (Y/n) needs a man of a similar intellect, and as I have a background in chemical engineering, I would be better than any of you." Gunnar retorted.

"You're both nuts. (Y/n) likes this hunk of dark chocolate right here." Caesar told the pair.

"Hey Christmas! Which one of us does (Y/n) like?" Caesar yelled out.

"None of you, you're all a bunch of losers. She can do so much better than any of you." Christmas huffed, as he joined the others.

"And if any of ya think about touchin her, I'll kill ya." He told them, producing one of his knives and spinning it around in his hand, as the rest of the guys laughed at the overprotective brother.

"One things for sure though; Barney definitely isn't her type." Toll said.

Barney leant against the plane, the guys were right, she was too young, too beautiful, and far too good for him. He had been making a fool of himself, acting like a love struck teenager. He was flattered by her attention, it made him feel good; hell, he never felt so alive as he did when he was in her arms. But if Christmas found out about what they had done it could all end badly, and he couldn't have anything disrupting the team. He convinced himself there and then that letting (Y/n) go would be best for her.

After that Barney had changed, his attitude towards (Y/n) becoming decidedly frosty as he pushed her away both physically and metaphorically; he never spent another night with her, barely even acknowledging her existence.

After months she had confronted him, tears rolling down her cheeks begging to know what had changed, what she had done. Barney had only told her that he didn't care that he had never cared, and even though it broke him, he believed that it was for the best.

Then one day she was gone, without a word she had vanished, leaving behind just one thing for Barney to find; not even Christmas knew where she had gone, but the blame for her sudden departure was placed squarely on the shoulders of Barney. Nothing after (Y/n) had gone was the same, she had been the glue that held the team together, that held Barney together.

Now she was here in front of him, and even after the three years that had passed, she was as beautiful as ever; and the fact that she was currently snuggled between two other men was driving Barney insane.

Church coughed, getting the attention of everyone in the tent.

"(Y/n). Bamm – Bamm and I have spoken, and I've decided to lend you to the little rascals for a while. I've got a job coming up, and these guys will need you."

Standing up (Y/n) shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere where he is." She said, pointing at Barney.

"He's the reason I had to leave in the first place, what makes you think I'm going back to be stuck with him again?"

(Y/n) pushed her way passed the two men, hastily followed out of the tent by the rest of the guys.

Church looked over at the scene that was unfolding outside the tent, as Christmas held his sister in his arms, the others attempting to both soothe and persuade her to come back.

"Well Bamm – Bamm, you really did a good job. That is one of the strongest and toughest women I have ever met, yet just the thought of being near you has broken her. You know if I had a beautiful, intelligent woman that loved me like she loves you, the last thing I would have done is push her away. You really are dumb you know that don't you." Church said, as he patted Barney on the shoulder.

                                                     >>---------------------------------<<

Barney had been outside (Y/n)'s tent for what seemed like hours, waiting for Christmas. The rest of the team had only just left, glaring at Barney as they passed.

"How is she?" Barney asked, as Christmas made his way out.

"What do you care?" Christmas hissed, as he pushed his way past his friend.

"This is all your fault in the first place."

Once the light had gone out in the tent, Barney waited, trying to work out the best way to deal with the situation. He knew that going inside to an unhappy (Y/n) could end badly, but he had no choice, he had to fix this.

"(Y/n) Dahlin!" Barney said into the darkness.

"GO AWAY!"

"We need to talk." Barney said, trying to keep his voice low and calm.

The light suddenly went on, and Barney found himself by the side of (Y/n)'s bed, his eyes lighting up as he saw her draped only in a sheet.

"We have nothing to discuss Ross. GET OUT!"

Barney decided to take his life in his hands and sat at the foot of her bed. "Look Dahlin, I'm sorry for everything I said and did, I was wrong, I thought pushing you away was the best thing for you, you deserve better than an old man like me." Barney told her.

"You mean you made the decision of what was best for me, without asking me first! Look Ross, contrary to what you think, you don't know everything; I loved you, god help me I still do, but I can't just forgive you for what you did and said to me. If you want me to come back, you have a lot to make up for." (Y/n) told him, as he hesitantly placed his hand on her cheek.

"We need you back Dahlin, I need you back." Barney told her, as he slowly pushed her back onto the mattress.

"Well Barney Ross, don't think that its gonna be that easy, if you haven't noticed, I'm doing quite well without you." (Y/n) told him, as she slowly pulled him over her.

"But this might be a good start." She told him, pulling Barney into a kiss.

                                                      >>--------------------------------------<<

Barney woke up alone in the bed, his hand searching for the woman that had lain with him the night before.

He sat bolt upright, as he heard the sound of (Y/n)'s voice from outside the tent; quickly dressing, he made his way outside to find her packing the last of her gear, as Galgo stood next to her, flirting and making her laugh.

Ignoring the rest of the guys, Barney made his way over, pulling (Y/n) away from Galgo and kissing her on the lips as he held her to him.

"What the fuck!" Christmas exclaimed, as he looked at the pair.

"What? Ain't a guy allowed to kiss his wife these days?" Barney said, as he placed the wedding ring that she had left for him to find the day she had left, back on her finger.

"WIFE!" The team shouted in unison, as they looked at Barney and (Y/n).

"Yeah." Said Barney, as he started to lead (Y/n) away.

"Oh, you two seriously have some explaining to do." Christmas said, as he caught up with the pair.

"All in good time Christmas. First Mrs Ross and I have some catching up to do." Barney told him, as the two walked off leaving the rest in shock.

As he watched the two, Christmas knew that he wasn't going to make his brother in laws life easy, but as long as (Y/n) was back, he might learn to like it.