Your eyes are not deceiving you, you are totally reading (or about to read) the sequel to my story Letters from Home. I think the majority of those readers know how important that story was to me and honestly, I couldn't let it go. Literally, hence the name. Okay, so kidding aside, this story has been in production for a while. I decided that only one shots would not be enough and then had an amazing idea come to me. I also am now a social work student myself (well, starting those classes in the fall) and this story and the idea behind it has literally become my life. I could not imagine my life without my involvement in the troops/veterans world and I hope this story is a reminder and maybe even a teaching aspect to what those who serve go through.

That said, this story takes place THREE YEARS after the epilogue which means it's 2015 in the story. Ally is finished with school and is working at her local VA and that's all I'm pretty much going to say. You'll learn more about the actual storyline in a couple chapters, but this first one is sort of a catch up and a 'hey, remember me!' thought. Most of your favorite characters from the first story will make reappearances, as well as a few new ones. I hope you guys enjoy this, because I know I'm having a blast.

Let me know what you think. Enjoy!


"I would normally show a new intern around this unit of the hospital, but I don't think that would be necessary in your case." Sam smiled at Austin, who was holding a plethora of paperwork from the local Veteran Affairs hospital, paperwork on his upcoming internship that the program manager had worked so hard to get him into. He was a nervous wreck going into it, but the internship was the last step for him as a social work major to get his degree and work directly with veterans who suffered just like he did.

"No, it wouldn't be," he said frankly, giving him a weak smile back. "Funny how things come full circle, huh?"

"I'm glad to see you've made a career choice like this. The staff already loves Ally, so I know they are going to love you, too."

"I think Kensi might disagree with that statement," he joked, staring at the redhead who was down the hall, laughing at something one of the patients was saying. She brought sparkle wherever she went, something he never forgot. It was hard for him to describe what light she brought to struggling veterans. She never shied away from anyone and always made everyone feel worth it. "I'm excited to be here. I told you earlier, but I appreciate you sticking your neck out for me to get this. I'm sure there were students with better grades and accomplishments than me."

"As I told the internship overseer, there were. I also told him as qualified as the others were, no one understands a veteran like a veteran. It should and always will go to a veteran first."

He nodded his head swiftly at that comment, understanding early on in his own treatment how much better he felt talking to someone who had been there. Recovering and moving on in his own life was hard enough, and some days he wasn't okay. It was part of the condition, a part of surviving war and something he learned to deal with better as it came to him. It was that feeling and the assurance that he could do the same for others like him which made him finally declare the major.

"Austin?"

"Sorry," he murmured, getting caught up in his thoughts. "I appreciate it, like I said. I'll see you on Monday, I guess? Three days a week. It'll be a blast."

Sam gave him another smile, one full of reassurance to the apprehensive blond in front of him. "You're going to do great."

Austin left the PTSD unit and went down the stairs, checking his phone to make sure he was still running on schedule. He had to drop off the paperwork before meeting Ally for a late lunch at Bridget's, for they had a lot to go over as his last semester of college started, among other "adult" things he didn't want to discuss. It still seemed so weird to have to discuss things like paying bills, working out dates to have dinner with friends, or even simple things like, "did you make that dentist appointment?" Somewhere along the last couple years, he became a married man with more on his plate than he liked to admit. He'd be lying if Ally didn't take care of the majority of it, but sometimes he longed for the easy dates of being a teenager.

He did love just about every minute of it. Ally was everything he could ever want or need in a partner, and she was his rock for when things got rough. His wife served as a constant reminder that he was human, was allowed to make mistakes, and that she was there for him no matter what he did. It was a promise in their vows, one he lived to make sure he could always prove true to her as well.

It wasn't like things were easy for them all the time either. Ally worked full time at the VA these days, using her degree in social work along with her musical degree so that she could mentor veterans under a program she and several others got funded. Things moved slowly in the VA, he was proud of her for demanding the attention that she wanted and even prouder when her small group got a budget passed for that sort of therapy. Ally said time and time again how many veterans loved visiting her neck of the woods for some music time, an escape from the constant prodding of the doctors and a chance to just relax. When she wasn't there, she was helping Trish and Joye set up for the renovated and improved veteran's shelter.

The original shelter which his wife met Joye in ended up being shut down. The building manager did not keep the building up to code and there were too many faults for anyone to try and work through. Annoyed to be missing more than just a place for vets to lay their heads during hard times, Joye opted to find a new building and open it herself, taking a more direct role on what she wanted to achieve. Trish stepped in at that point, having a business degree and an understanding from a financial standpoint that he was told that Joye would prefer help on. Together, it was becoming a wonderful place and he couldn't wait to see it open.

Everyone in his life seemed busy in some shape or form. Tyler too had gone back to school (begrudgingly) and was swamped with work, while Cassidy was managing Bridget's a few days a week so that Bridget herself could take some time off. She was looking into finding a more permanent place in that sort of role, though Ally had her suspicions that Bridget wanted to retire in the near future.

Casey and Clara were working on a project of their own. Since the young couple had been left a sum of money from his wife's side of the family, and Clara had smartly invested it further, his brother decided to use it toward helping others as well. He was in the process of starting up an orphanage for veterans children. He knew the struggles of being without a parent. He also understood the sacrifices made by children of those in the military. It was a time consuming but admirable endeavor and the two had spent many nights on the beach discussing the idea, Casey working on renovating an old property to what he had envisioned, while raising his son Cameron, and new baby, Chloe, making Austin a two-time Uncle.

Beyond that, Dez was the only one at odds with what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He still found himself (in his words) unable to return to any sort of school, so he was working part time at a store to help make the bills. His best friend struggled with his injury to this day, his brain still slower than that of an average person. Austin never saw it hinder him too much, but the TBI had the ability to lower the redhead's confidence at any given moment. He came off mouthy if you didn't know him, but there was much a veteran could hide to the public eye.

As if on cue, Austin's phone began to ring. He picked it up without checking the ID, recognizing the song as the one he picked for his wife. "Ally," he breathed into the phone. "Getting ready to leave now. What's up?"

"I was just checking in," she hummed back. "Would you mind if Cass and Tyler joined us for the lunch? She is going to be on break, and Tyler just finished up his schedule for the semester. I can tell them no—"

"No, of course not. I'll be there in about ten minutes. Tell whoever is on I'll take the usual."

She chuckled, "I'm assuming you mean the lunch usual. Bridget's or not, no one is going to take on pancakes this late in the afternoon."

"I tried," he teased. "But yes, I meant the lunch usual. I'll see you soon. I love you."

She chirped a similar response and Austin hung up the phone, crossing the parking lot toward his truck, passing a man in a Vietnam hat as he walked. He gave the man a nod of his head and the elder veteran smiled his way, a mutual respect given between those who served. He did not recognize the man, but that didn't mean anything. The Miami VA was a huge facility, with many areas that he was still unfamiliar with. These days, he was only in the main hospital area anyway, having been a while since he last visited the outer residences for people like his Uncle Matt.

He cursed silently at the thought. He was supposed to call his mom and see if his Uncle needed a ride to a doctor's appointment next week. His mother, the saint that she was, had taken Matt in sometime after his wedding. His father (he couldn't somehow escape the word, even if he wasn't the blood person he originally thought) basically took off following the divorce, signing his Uncle over to the state's graces. His mother advocated being his guardian and it was probably the biggest improvement for everyone's morale. His Uncle, under her care had regained more speech abilities, with some movement improvements as well. He'd never be able to live on his own again, but any sort of independence could mean the world to someone in his position.

Austin texted his mother as he hopped into the truck, smiling at the picture of him and his battle buddies back in Afghanistan nearly five years ago. It seemed like even longer, but he put the picture there to serve as a reminder of what he had and what he lost, the most striking in that of Rocky's smiling face. He let him live on in as many ways as possible, from the truck he currently drove, to how he drove himself to be the better man he knew he could be.

Never Letting Go

Ally glanced toward the busy parking lot of Bridget's diner, the spot in which she truly seemed to never live without. A huge part of her teen years, and a bigger part of her early twenties, she knew this place would always be her second home. Austin was on his way over and she couldn't help but keep checking for his arrival. It was the worried wife in her, she supposed. Still, she sat next to Cassidy, who seemed extra fidgety that day and made small talk with Tyler, the only one seemingly willing to chat about nothing.

"I mean, most of the classes are still filler courses until I declare a major, but I'm going so I'm not going to worry about it. I'll figure something out eventually."

Ally gave him a warm smile, reaching over the table to squeeze his hand. "You will. One day you will wake up and the thought will be in your head and it'll never leave it."

"She should write self help books," the dark haired male murmured to his girlfriend, nudging Cassidy who was silently biting down on her lip. He gave her a questioning stare, which she seemed to ignore and chuckled absently at the joke.

"Yeah. That's Ally."

"You okay?" the brunette asked her, unable to hide her worry anymore. "You're acting strange."

"It's the restaurant," she said dismissively, giving her a harder stare for such an honest question. Ally backed off, knowing how her best friend could get when she didn't want to be pushed. She made a mental note to talk to her alone later, knowing something was up. She hadn't been Cassidy's best friend for that many years without knowing when the loudmouthed one was lying and trying to hide it.

Luckily, at that moment her husband walked into the diner, finding the small group almost immediately and took a seat next to Tyler who elbowed him in the ribs. "Look guys. It's the new VA intern."

"Ha," Austin teased back, rolling his eyes. "I at least have a job."

"An unpaid one!" the other fired in mock anger. "I have a job. It's being Cassidy's boyfriend. You have no idea how demanding that can be. Exhausting. And very, very underpaid."

This seemed to wake the redhead from her own thoughts and she narrowed her green eyes in a way that used to even scare Ally. This time, she knew it was intended for the mouthy brunet across the tablet and she leaned over the small granite area and pushed his baseball cap over his eyes. "Asshole."

"I'm your asshole," he retorted with a cheeky grin.

The conversation lulled as one of the new waitresses brought their food to the table and the group dived in. Ally sank into the seat as the food hit her mouth, overtaken by how much she missed the simple pleasures of what a good Bridget's cheeseburger could do for the soul. Before her, she also watched her husband and one of his closest friends do just the same, stopping every so often to argue over something ridiculous or talk about things she didn't really care about.

"Are we still on for the big dinner next week?" Tyler asked after a few minutes, glancing at the two women—heaven forbid the boys have to remember anything important, of course.

"Yes, at Trish's house. The next night is the shelter's grand opening, so don't you forget that either," Cassidy said, giving him a look. The two of them shared a moment, one that Ally almost felt she was intruding in, using the time to gently kick her husband's foot under the table, teasing him with her eyes which she knew he absolutely loved. He gave her an equally charming smile back and they were only interrupted by the sound of the doors chiming and a rather large group of teenagers wandering past.

It was a much different crowd than her days there, she couldn't help but think. The box by the kitchen area was still in place, many other pictures of units none of them knew personally on the wall. Each of them a unit that the diner of Miami had supported, though no one there forgot the original group, the one that brought them all together. She excused herself from the lunch gathering, walking over there to stare at the wall, all lit up with red, white, and blue and sparkly stars and stickers. Bridget updated it more than anyone else these days, though Cassidy and Ally still made their weekly trip to the post office with whatever they were given. The war was not in the highs it was when her husband and co were deployed, but many troops were still experiencing rough deployments with the advances of ISIS and other terrible groups.

"Seems like so long ago, doesn't it?"

She had not heard Austin come up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "It seems like a different lifetime," she murmured, pointing up at the chubby-cheeked girl with her arms around Dez's neck, smiling proudly in DC early on in his recovery. She could still remember when that picture was taken, still remember every feeling of being there and understanding, in many ways, for the first time what service members went through. It was more than 'thank you for your service' comments and waving an American flag. War was hell and so many just ignored it.

"You sent me that picture," he told her, and she smiled up at him. "I kept it above my bed for many months, until Tyler accidentally split some sort of iced tea on his bunk and it ruined it. I was so mad."

She laughed, "You never told me that."

"I pants'd him that night for it. He had no idea why, but it made me feel better."

"Wow," she giggled. "Poor guy."

"He was such a pain in the ass in the beginning. Thought he was so high and mighty."

There was a silence and Ally glanced at Austin. He had that distant look in his eye, and she carefully put her hand in his and squeezed, bringing him back to the present ever so gently. "Sorry. I was just thinking about the first few weeks with him there. Rocky was so kind to put him in his place. Repeatedly. He had a way with words."

"Really?" she snorted. "I don't think that is how I remember him."

"I mean a way with words in that he could make anyone cringe at any given time."

"Sounds more like it."

"I miss him," he murmured, staring at the picture on the very top of the banner, the picture she knew they first took together early on in their deployment. Rocky was giving Austin bunny ears and Austin had no idea. Rocky was so childish and ridiculous, but it made him all the more lovable. He could be a hardass when needed but when they were on downtime, he knew how to boost the morale of his fellow soldiers. There were many units in the army, many units at that base, but she knew that what Austin's unit had was special.

"I miss him too. You know he's proud of you," she said, turning around to wrap her arms around his waist, bringing him into a tight hug. He returned it almost immediately, melting into her smaller frame in only a way that he could. They completed each other and knew every tick the other had. Ally could bring him out of the darkest moods, and he was her favorite laugh in the entire world. Marriage originally scared him, having seen the destruction it caused in his own parents' lives, but Ally knew enough to show him the best parts of it every day, and she knew it was her working that made him push to be better in every way he could.

"I just wish I could talk to him one more time. Tell him all we've done." He swallowed hard, eyebrows furrowing. "How I've recovered."

"He sees it, baby. He does. He's a part of you every step you take."

"I know," he murmured, still looking hauntingly at the picture.

"This is what he would've wanted of you. Of all of us." She eased his frame away from the bulletin board, hating how sometimes the past could easily tangle itself back into Austin's state of mind. She knew PTSD never went away, but even the faintest of reminders worried her. She knew too that Austin would alert her if anything were to be seriously wrong, but in her best of day's Ally was still a worrier at heart. It made her a great person in many ways, but also could be her Achilles heel.

"Yeah…"

Ally squeezed him harder and he finally gave her a weak smile. "You're going to make him so proud."