Ok guys, so don't hate me for this one. I don't know why I couldn't write this character as Tobias. It just kept throwing me off from the way that I envisioned him and had me writing things I didn't want to write because they felt more like Tobias. But I wanted to write Lincoln, and I love him, so I hope you do, too :)

Lincoln sighed and looked around the room from the doorway. Tables of vendors of organizations lined the room in neat rows, and he watched the men and women, some with assistance, walk leisurely through them. He never turned down a chance to be with his brothers, but he wasn't sure what his purpose was here today. The email had read 'Family Support Event', and Lincoln didn't have one.

It had come from his therapist. A confident, no nonsense woman that Lincoln had spent plenty of time with over the past 4 years. She'd reach out to Lincoln often, asking him to speak at events or lead support groups. Even he had to admit that he'd come a long way in the past four years, but he'd done it all himself. He hadn't had a family, a loved one to rely on – aside from his brothers and sisters in the Corps – and he was worried he had no advice to offer to those that did.

"Excuse me," a voice said from behind him, and Lincoln spun, realizing he was taking up most of the doorway.

His eyes moved downward, landing on a man, probably just a couple years younger than him, in a motorized wheelchair. "Sorry, man," Lincoln said, putting his hand out. "Didn't realize I was taking up the entire doorway. Lincoln."

The man shook his hand. "Will," he said in response as he broke into a smile. "I know how it is – you gotta take the room in before you can enter."

Lincoln huffed. "That's for sure." It was a common trait that he'd shared with many veterans, especially those with severe injuries. Take in the room before you walk in, get a feel for the people, get an idea of the atmosphere. He'd used to be more vigilant that he was now, thanks to his work in therapy. But still, an easy setting could throw him off – like the one at this family event today.

"Did someone have to drag you here, too?" Will asked, glancing around Lincoln for some sign of a family.

"Oh…no. Well, it's usually my therapist's idea, but I come willingly. I'm leading a couple support groups." He doesn't want to admit to Will that although he's usually more agreeable, he did argue with her on this one. He didn't want to let down his groups if he couldn't offer family advice. He had no experience. But she'd insisted that he was in such a good place, mentally, that it would be enough.

"There aren't many events like this for family, for kids and stuff," Will said as he rolled out of the doorway upon hearing people behind him. Lincoln followed. "This is really important to my wife, and I get it. They need help too."

Lincoln took a deep breath. This was exactly why he didn't want to come. The spouses, the kids... he knew they were struggling with whatever their loved one was struggling with. And he didn't feel he was the person that could give them what they needed. What if he fucked up and said something completely off? What if he gave them shit advice? He couldn't quite deal with that.

"What groups are you leading?" Will asked. "Would you mind if I came?"

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Lincoln shook his head. "No, of course not. I'm not leading any until day 3." He pointed at the list of events until he found his name and time slots. "The next couple of days, I'll be sitting in on other groups though, filling in wherever they need help."

Will nodded as he eyed the schedule, but then his attention was drawn as he heard a laugh, and a little girl ran to him, launching herself onto his lap. Will shifted the paper to his left hand so he could catch her with his right. "Hey, sweetheart," he said as she squirmed in his lap. "This is my friend, Lincoln."

"Hi!" the small girl squeaked. "I'm Anna, and I'm 4!"

Lincoln smiled. He'd never spent a ton of time around kids until his adult life. When his friends had started their families, he'd loved playing the fun uncle. "You seem way too smart to be 4," he told her. He noticed the way she was unfazed by her dad's wheelchair, by the two missing limbs on his lower half.

"Strap her in!" a smiling woman called as she approached. "I can barely keep up with her around her and she's wearing me out!"

Will laughed at the woman before raising an eyebrow to Lincoln. "She thinks the wheelchair is an extra stroller sometimes," he said jokingly, and his wife slapped his shoulder when she got close enough.

"Christina," she said, sticking her hand towards him.

He shook it, returning the introduction. "Lincoln."

Will caught her up on their conversation and his idea to go to Lincoln's groups, which she nodded at supportively. "Are you staying here?" she asked, referencing the hotel where the event was held.

Lincoln nodded. "I live in the suburbs, but the commute for 5 days didn't sound appealing, so I've got a room."

Her eyes lit up. "Where in the suburbs? My friend is coming too, she lives in the suburbs!"

"You're not from Chicago, huh?" he asked. The suburbs was a term for a relatively big area, and he knew that Will and Christina probably didn't realize that. "There's a good chance we don't live near each other."

Surprisingly, she rattled off an Indiana town that was, in fact, just 30 minutes from where Lincoln lived. Surprisingly, he admitted there were close and Christina was in the middle of inviting him to dinner with them that night when he heard his name from across the room. His face broke into a smile at the sight of his buddies and he quickly turned back to Will and Christina.

"Actually, a group of my buddies and I reserved a big room down the block at a restaurant. We've got plenty of room." He unlocked his phone and slid it into Will's hands. "I'll text you the info. You're all welcome," he said gesturing to Anna and Christina.

He quickly said his goodbyes and moved towards his friends quickly. It had been a long time, too long. When they reached each other, the three guys took turns wrapping each other in hugs, giving hard back slaps. They said how they've missed each other, how it had been too long, and Lincoln felt that familiar tug in his chest as he looked at the three faced around him. After all, these were the guys that saved his life.

Tris flopped down on the old, worn vinyl train seat. They were still that disgusting color brown that they'd been since she was a kid, and she couldn't help but wonder how many people had sat in that seat over the years. She'd barely caught it on time, her life in constant chaos. She'd been just about to close the arts and crafts shop she owned when a last minute customer popped in to sign up for a class. She'd practically had to push the woman out the door and then hustle to the train station, but it was all worth it to see Will, Christina, and Anna.

It had been almost a year since they'd seen each other together, and the last visit was just a rushed dinner when she was on the East Coast for a convention. But knowing that they'd be here for a full week, she couldn't help but pass the store over to her assistant, Susan, and book two nights in a hotel to spend time with them. She'd head back home for a few days and then head back to the city of the weekend. Aside from seeing them, it was also a well-deserved break from non-stop pace her store had taken.

The train ride seemed to drag on and Tris seemed more tired the longer they rode. But when they finally pulled into the underground station, she seemed to get her second wind and excitedly hopped up, throwing her overnight bag over her shoulder and quickly making her way out of the station.

Christina had already texted her and let her know that they would still be busy for the next hour, but Tris didn't mind taking her time to check in and get in her room, organizing her things for the next couple days. Although she knew Will and Christina were going to have their days filled, she had hoped she could be there as support for them as well, maybe even giving them a break from Anna so they could do something together.

Just before 6 pm, she headed down towards the lobby to meet her friends. Christina had told her that they'd been invited to hang out with a guy Will had met and his friends. Even though they had planned to have dinner and catch up, Tris didn't mind. She knew how important it was to Christina that Will be surrounded by supporting and inspiring people, and this conference was an opportunity to help him and their family process and recover.

Sometimes, losing his legs didn't seem to phase Will. Initially, he had laughed and joked. But slowly, as the permanence set in and Will realized all of the barriers in front of him, he began to struggle. And, as he struggled, so had their marriage. And their family.

Christina had quit her job without hesitation to move to Bethesda. She sat at the hospital day in and day out, and Will had been grateful. He had been as loving as he could be. But eventually, Christina had needed to get out onto her own again and do something for herself. She'd started an online job, and although it allowed to her to be physically present, Will detested the way it took her attention from him. She knew it wasn't personal, she knew Will was struggling to deal with his injury, and he took it out on the person who loved him the most.

But Christina was strong, and she'd pushed Will to either do something about his feelings, or she'd leave. It was an ultimatum that was bold and may have pushed other men in the wrong direction. But Will had known his wife was serious, and the next day he found a therapist. And still, he went regularly.

Events like this, filled with other Marines or veterans, were good for Will. And honestly, Tris had witnessed how good they were Christina as well, even if she didn't participate directly. So she had no qualms with spending these few days exactly how they wanted to, even if it meant she wouldn't get a private dinner catching up with her friends.

It was hard to miss the large group of people in the lobby of the hotel. They were the typical loud Marines, but also wore visible scars of war, from Will in his wheelchair to other men missing limbs, wearing deep red scars, or using devices to help them function.

Tris scanned the group for her friends, and Christina's eyes lit up when they found each other. They rushed together, meeting in a tight hug, and she then took a turn with Will and Anna, happy to see the couple in a better place than they'd been three years ago.

"I hope you don't mind we changed dinner plans," Will said apologetically. "But we got an invite to hang with these guys and we couldn't say no."

Nodding understandably, Tris surveyed the group again and Will continued. "We just met most of them, but I'll make sure to introduce you."

"No problem," she said as she scooped up Anna, nuzzling her neck while the child giggled. "It's just great to see you guys."

She felt the presence of someone beside her before she heard him. "You good to go, Will?" he asked casually, and Will nodded.

"Lincoln, this is our friend Tris." His arm waved in her direction, so she turned to face Will's new friend.

"Nice to meet you," he said as he stuck his hand out cordially.

"Lincoln actually only lives a couple of town's over from you," Christina interjected.

Tris juggled the small child so she could accept his handshake. "Thanks for letting me tag along."

She noticed Lincoln swallowing deeply, and then he smiled. "Yeah, not a problem. We're just gonna walk a few blocks over, there's a pizza place with a back room we reserved. We've got a few hours here and then we can grab a drink, come back here, do whatever."

Christina smiled. "Sounds great," she said as she scooped Anna from Tris and planted her on Will's lap. "Stay with Daddy on the sidewalk," she instructed. "It's a busy street."

Their group stretched out on the sidewalk as they made their way to the restaurant, and with space from Lincoln, Tris took the time to drink him in. He was lean, his arms and shoulders and even his back displayed thick cuts of muscle under his t-shirt. His shorts hung on his hips in a tantalizing way, hugging them in just the right way. And Tris's eyes floated lower until they landed on the prosthetic leg that began at the right knee.

She wasn't bothered by it – not by anyone's imperfections or differences. Christina had told her that Lincoln seemed almost like the leader of the group, like the one the rest of the guys looked up to. Some of them seemed to be in better physical condition than Lincoln, some worse. But none of that mattered as much as the mental part, the emotional side of their injuries. And Lincoln gave the vibe that he was the strongest when it came to that.

"Close your mouth, Tris," Will muttered when they came to a stop at a corner, and she couldn't help but laugh. Ironically, Will was usually the one urging her to date, to get out there, to meet someone. Christina, on the other hand, was always interested in Tris's career, her business investments, her new endeavors. Tris thought that Christina was mostly living vicariously through her, her own career taking a back seat after Will's injuries. In fact, she was hoping to expand her business and wanted to offer a job to Christina, but wanted to run it by both of them at the same time.

She giggled and pretended to wipe drool from her mouth as Christina smacked her husband's shoulder to quiet him. "Don't embarrass her," she said in a whisper.

Tris laughed again, but didn't stop her eyes from wandering to Lincoln for the next few blocks until they reached the restaurant.

Dinner was easy and relaxed, the atmosphere just right for a large group. It reminded Tris of when she'd hang out with Christina and Will's friends in North Carolina. Marines are loud and boisterous, obnoxious and crude… but tonight they were tame, as if someone had sanded down their hard edges. Most had spouses, some had children, and a select few were there with siblings or parents. Tris, Christina, and Will had sat with a couple guys Will had met throughout the day, friends of Lincoln's. They'd served with him, but aside from that, no deep, dark stories were shared. Tris could tell that Will enjoyed that light hearted atmosphere, and he probably missed some of his buddies while he sat there reminiscing on his own good times. Deployment, while it appeared to end tragically for all of them, still held a lot of positive times for these guys.

And Tris understood it. She understood how you could go through something so painful and awful but still maintain that glimmer of fondness for an experience, and how surrounding yourself with people who understood made it easier to hold onto that fondness.

Will was still close friends with many of the guys he served with, the men he recovered with at Bethesda. But the military separates people, and most had moved back home and stayed enlisted and PCS orders were given. Technology helped, she knew, but events like this gave him, gave everyone, a chance to strengthen their bonds and keep up their friendships.

Anna was sitting and playing with a table of young kids, and Tris thought how nice it would be for her to have friends that had understood her situation as she got older. Friends who knew what it was like to have a parent who had been through the same things as well. She might not understand now, but she would eventually, and Tris hoped that this group of people would keep in contact with Will like they obviously did each other.

After dinner, people started to split off into different groups with different evening plans. Some planned to head to a bar, other's wanted to turn in. With Anna in tow, Christina suggested heading back to the hotel but stopping on the way for some beer or wine. Agreeing, Tris offered to let them take the child back while she make the beer run. A few other families with children thought Christina's idea was good, and soon she was typing a list on her phone of all the drinks requested.

"You're not going alone," Lincoln's rough voice said from beside her as they filed out of the restaurant.

"I think I can get it all," she said casually, although inside she was wondering how heavy four bottles of wine and two cases of beer would be.

"It's night time in Chicago," he said flatly. "You're not going alone."

"Are you coming with?" she asked bluntly, and he nodded while simultaneously motioning to his buddies that he'd go with Tris.

"Plus, we're the only ones without kids," he pointed out.

Tris glanced around and then nodded. He was right, after all. The rest of the couples were all toting around babies to toddlers to young kids, and she knew there was no point in any of them coming with. She pulled up the closest store with alcohol available, and they started the walk together.

Lincoln was friendly, but there was somewhat of a slight barrier that he held up, and Tris couldn't quite put her finger on it. He laughed at her jokes and then would quickly compose himself, as if he remembered there was something stopping him. He'd step closer to her when they passed other people on the sidewalk, but then instantly moved away again.

"So you speak at these events?" she asked, trying to tread lightly.

"I run some of the groups. Facilitate and lead mostly, but it's about them, not me," he shrugged. "My therapist suggested it a long time ago, and she thinks I'm good at it."

Tris sighed. "Therapist's always have those interesting ideas, don't they?"

Her statement caught his attention, and she noticed the way his eyes moved quickly towards her, and then back to looking in front of him. "Yeah," he laughed at the thought of Shauna. "But she was wrong in the end. It ended up being good for me."

"I'm sure that was part of her idea all along, but also…I think it's probably good for the men and women in the group. I mean, even just tonight, you inviting Will out, befriending him. It's really good for him, I can tell."

Lincoln nodded. "I'm happy to hear that." As they came upon the store, he pulled it open for Tris, letting her step in first. He followed her back to the alcohol, his eyes drinking in her frame, noticing the confidence in her walk. She was small, slender, and still, it felt like she was a large presence. It would have taken a moron not to notice the perfect curve of her hips, swell of her butt.

But Lincoln shook those thoughts from his head and started plucking bottles off the shelf as she listed the requests. She pulled out the two cases of beer they needed, and together they headed for the register.

"I got it," Lincoln said, stilling her hands as she lifted her small purse from her wrist. "The guys will pay me back."

She pulled the wine she and Christina had requested from the bundle. "I'll at least get ours," she offered.

Lincoln started to say something, then shut his mouth and turned back to the register. He waited silently for the cashier to finish ringing it up, handed over his card, and moved to the side so Tris could have her turn.

What he wanted to do was offer to pay for her wine. He wanted to tell her it was on him, no big deal. The urge to reach out and still her hands had been so natural he couldn't stop himself, but he knew the second he did it that the warmth of her skin under his was enough to do him in. He'd only felt it for a second, but he knew he enjoyed the soft skin of her hands way too much.

Grabbing their items, they headed out back onto the sidewalk to walk the last block to the hotel. Lincoln tried to keep it casual, and he couldn't tell how Tris was reading his behavior. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable, and he didn't want anyone to notice his discomfort, but he couldn't quite put a finger on how to calm his nerves right now.

They found the group in the lobby, sitting in a set of couches, the kids coloring at a coffee table. They placed their beverages on an end table, one of the women already opening a corkscrew to pop open a bottle of wine. Lincoln tossed beers to some of his buddies, and when he went to take a seat, he noticed there was only one left. Right next to Tris.

It made sense. Everyone else was coupled up, sitting with their spouse. Why wouldn't they be? And he and Tris had been the last to arrive. But he wasn't quite ready to deal with this, so he put his beer on a table and made his way to the bathroom.

He was standing at the urinal when Uriah walked in. He began to use the bathroom himself, but Lincoln knew there was a reason Uriah had followed him, and he wasn't sure he could talk just yet.

"She's a good looking girl, Linc."

"Not happenin'," he said without a glance at Uriah. Zipping up, he went to the sink.

"Why not?"

"There's no reason it should."

Uriah finished his business and moved to the sink, noticing with the way Lincoln stared hard in the mirror. "You think she's attractive?"

He was pushing, and Lincoln knew why. They'd made a pact a long time ago that they'd never lie to each other, him and his buddies. No matter what questions they asked, how hard they pushed, they'd never lie. It was when they were all struggling to crawl out from their dark places, and the perpetual answers of 'I'm good' were starting to sound so scripted Uriah couldn't take it anymore, and he'd pushed them all to make that promise.

"Of course I do. Have you fucking looked at her?"

"And Christina said you both live in the same area. So what's stopping you?"

Lincoln sighed. "I'm not ready for that."

"You're not ready for a gorgeous girl, who's more than friendly and sitting there alone on a couch right now?"

Scrubbing his face with his hands, he grumbled. "I'm not ready for that rejection again."

Sighing, Uriah knew this was the answer that Lincoln didn't want to admit, but had to. "If you don't face the possibility of rejection, you'll never get to face the possibility of happiness."

He felt it, that emptiness where his leg had been, the pain in his heart from the last time he'd opened to a woman who had very clearly made him feel less of a man. Despite coming so far in therapy in so many other ways, he just hadn't moved that far in this direction.

"You think Marlene likes that I lost my arm? I'm sure she doesn't. But has she ever fucking said that to me? No. Because there are people out there that love us no matter what the fuck happened to us, no matter what we look like, no matter how fucked up we are. And someone is gonna love you, Linc, but you gotta open the door for them to walk in, first."

Lincoln ran a hand down his face again, squeezing his eyes shut. It would be so easy, he knew, to walk out and sit with Tris and ask her about herself. He could get to know her, flirt with her, pour her some wine while she flashed that smile at him that tugged at his heart all night. It would be so easy… until it wouldn't be anymore.

"I'm just not ready," he grunted again, and turned and left the bathroom.

"Hey, I almost thought you fell in in there," Tris quipped as Lincoln plopped next to her on the couch.

"Is that a leg joke?" he said bluntly, knowing that it wasn't, but feeling thrown off by Uriah's bluntness in the bathroom.

He heard the conversations around him simmer down, his friends quietly waiting for Tris's response.

"No, but did you want it to be? Cause I bet I could come up with something if you wanted." She eyed him cautiously. It was confusing how he could be friendly but cold at the same time.

Lincoln paused for a second and then smiled. "Nah, I'll pass."

He settled in next to her, taking a swig of his beer and she leaned back against the couch. The conversation among his friends carried on, laughter filling the conversation. They discussed the next day, which sessions they would attend, where the kids were going to go. They had each picked out the activities that were the best for them, and someone brought up where they should have dinner the following night as well. Ideas were tossed around and then the conversation grew to other things they should do while in the city. Lincoln had no set schedule or plans, so he zoned out on the conversation and tapped Tris's knee to get her attention.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "for snapping at you."

She smiled at him, her eyes gentle. "I forgive you."

"What are you going to do while your friends are tied up tomorrow?" he asked, nodding his head toward Christina and Will.

She shrugged. "I was going to see if Christina needed any help. I could go with her or watch Anna. But if not, I've got a whole day with no obligations and I haven't had a day like that in forever, so I'm not going complain."

Lincoln thought back to the words Uriah had said to him in the bathroom. You gotta open the door for them to walk in, first. She was attractive in a natural way, and it wasn't just physical. The way she hadn't backed down when he'd been shitty to her, the way she looked at him with her eyes wide open when he spoke to her.

"Would you mind putting one thing on that schedule, and have breakfast with me?" he asked shyly.

Tris smiled, her gray eyes crinkling at the corners. "I'd love to, Lincoln."