It was a Saturday evening. Daisy had invited Lincoln to a Valentine's Day dinner party at her house with Fitz, Simmons, Mack, and Elena. She found it premature to have a one-on-one date yet, especially on Valentine's Day, so she invited her two favorite couples.

It had been a week since Daisy met Lincoln. Fitz came back from his business trip and immediately rolled his eyes when he saw the medical boot on Daisy's leg. Turns out, she had a hairline fracture on her ankle. Fitz wasn't surprised that the girl had managed to injure herself in the few days he was gone. She was more clumsy than anyone he'd ever known.

Jemma was very excited for the dinner party. She often worried about Daisy's social well-being, as she had no real friends other than her and Fitz. She partied a lot and went to work, but she had no substantial relationships, let alone romance. Jemma was happy for her now. So happy that she decided to make her mother's famous bangers and mash recipe. Daisy made fun of her for her "British-ness," but she was excited to try the dish. Plus, Jemma was generally a good cook, so Daisy trusted her skills.

Daisy put on her nicest jeans and a red sweater (with thumb holes cut out, of course). She combed her hair and put on a little makeup. She didn't want to overdo it, but she didn't want to underdo it, either. She had to impress Lincoln without scaring him away.

Mack and Elena arrived at seven with a few bottles of wine. Elena went to help Jemma set up for dinner and Fitz took Mack to the garage to show him his newest mechanical project and discuss the engineering convention. Daisy sat alone in the living room, watching a mindless home and garden show on the TV, anxious for the last guest to arrive.

Daisy's heart fluttered when the doorbell rang. She took a deep breath and stood from the couch, making her way to the door in uneven boot-clad steps. Her hand was a little shaky as she opened the door.

Lincoln's face lit up when he saw Daisy. "Daisy! Happy Valentine's Day!" He smiled and held up the pink box in his hands. "I come bearing heart-shaped cookies."

Daisy smiled back. "Oh my God, thank you," she said, lowering her voice for comedic effect. She eagerly grabbed the box out of his hands and nodded behind her to tell him to come inside. "Come on in."

Lincoln followed her inside and looked around the home. He was amazed at how spotless it was. It was slightly awkward for him to be at Jemma's home, considering she was kind of his boss one day a week. But every time he looked at Daisy, he knew he could get over it.

Lincoln looked down at her foot. "How's the fracture?"

Daisy scoffed and waved her hand, dismissing him. "Oh, it's nothing. You were a great doctor."

Daisy shut the front door behind her and walked into the kitchen to set the cookies on the kitchen counter. "Hello, Dr. Campbell!" Jemma chimed when she saw him walk in. She was finishing plating the last of the sausages. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

Lincoln grinned and nodded at her. "You too, Dr. Simmons, but please call me Lincoln."

Jemma smiled as she slid a sausage on the serving platter. "Then call me Jemma."

Daisy gestured to Elena. "Lincoln, this is Elena, a friend of ours." The woman smiled and approached Lincoln, shaking his hand.

Lincoln smiled. "Hello, nice to meet you. Are you also Daisy's roommate?"

Elena chuckled. "Diós Mio, no!" She patted his shoulder in amusement. "I moved in with my boyfriend this fall. We got a nice two-bedroom by the lighthouse. I'm originally from Colombia, but most of my life I lived in Queens."

Lincoln nodded at that just as Mack and Fitz entered the room.

"Lincoln, this is Mack, my boyfriend," Elena said, grabbing Mack's massive arm and pulling him in close.

"Nice to meet you," he greeted with a handshake.

"Dr. Campbell, nice to see you," Fitz said with a nod.

"Mr. Fitz!" Lincoln chimed, smiling as he shook his hand. "So nice to finally meet you. I hear all about you from Dr. Sim— Jemma."

Fitz nodded. "She's very excited to have you join her. How's residency?"

Lincoln shrugged. "As good as it can be. It's hard work at the hospital these days with all the flu and winter sicknesses and car crashes. But my best days are the ones at the Immediate Care."

Jemma smiled. "Well, we'd be glad to have you full-time when you graduate."

Lincoln nodded, grinning. "It'll be a few years, but I look forward to it."

Jemma beamed and motioned to the platters of food in front of her. "Well then, care to eat?"

Everyone eagerly plated their food, the delicious smells wafting through the house. Once everyone was seated, each person next to their partner, Mack asked to say grace. Everyone looked around awkwardly for a moment. He and Elena were the only spiritual people in the room, and it had been at least a few years since the rest of them had prayed.

Nonetheless, Jemma replied, "Of course."

Mack smiled and nodded, taking the hands of the people next to him—Elena and Jemma. Everyone else followed suit, holding hands around the table. "Dear God, we thank you for this delicious food. Thank you for gifting us with a friend who is such a great cook." Mack winked at Jemma, and she beamed at him. "And thank you for letting us gather here today, together, to celebrate our love." He looked up at his friends and squeezed Elena's hand. "Amen." Everyone else echoed the 'amen,' then let go of each other's hands.

"Thank you, Mack," Jemma said happily. "That was lovely."

"Thank you for having us," Mack replied, taking a bite of sausage. "This is delicious."

"I agree," Daisy said, her mouth half-full of mashed potatoes. She swallowed it. "You've always been a good cook, but this is top notch." She waved her fork around. "Very British indeed."

Lincoln laughed, making Daisy's cheeks flush a little. "She's right," he said. "I always wanted to try this but I've never had the chance."

"Well, it certainly isn't as good as Haggis," Fitz said, rolling his eyes in mock annoyance. He leaned back in his seat, pointing to his plate with his fork. "Until you've eaten animal organs encased in a sheep's stomach, you have not lived."

"Oh Fitz," Jemma exclaimed, her nose wrinkled in disgust. She gently hit him with her napkin. "You're disgusting."

As everyone laughed, Lincoln and Daisy made eye contact and smiled. The man kept his eyes on her, reaching his hand under the table to hold hers.

"Are you mocking Scottish culture?" Fitz joked. He pressed his lips together, pretending to be offended. "You Englishmen think you're so posh, but you know we're better."

The pair went on bantering, and eventually the conversations drifted into more typical adult ones, about work, mortgages, gas prices, weather, and politics. By the end of the hour, everyone was stuffed, satisfied from such a delicious meal. They barely had room for Lincoln's heart-shaped cookies.

While the other two couples were talking about something, Daisy looked to Lincoln. "You're new in town, right?"

The man nodded. "Came here for residency after med school in Boston. I grew up in DC and went to college in Pittsburgh, so it's nice living in such a small town after being in big cities for so long."

"So do you know your way around River's End yet?" Daisy asked, smirking a little.

Lincoln shook his head. "I suppose not."

Daisy scooted her chair back. "I know a perfect spot."

Daisy drove Lincoln toward the beach, parking in a small lot near Mack and Elena's house, and, conveniently, the lighthouse. She got out of the car, leading Lincoln to the base of the lighthouse. It was dark outside, it being winter and all, and Daisy's teeth chattered as she hugged her coat close to her body. She had grown up in southern California, so the cold bothered her a lot more than it bothered Lincoln.

"You cold?" Lincoln chuckled, pulling Daisy to his chest to hug her close. He ran his hands up and down her arms, trying to warm her up. "Haven't you lived here three years already?"

"And a half…" she muttered between teeth-chatters. The man laughed again and Daisy gently pulled away from him. "Come on, let's go up."

Lincoln began to search for a door, but the only door on the lighthouse was locked tight. "How?"

Daisy smirked at him and grabbed his wrist, dragging him to the other side of the lighthouse. A thin, old, rusty ladder that did not reach the ground stood on the side of the bricks, leading up to the top.

"No way…" Lincoln started.

"Come on," Daisy said. "Give me a boost."

"Daisy, that looks incredibly sketchy. And your ankle…"

The girl smirked. "Isn't that what makes it fun?"

Lincoln opened his mouth to say something but stopped and shook his head. He scoffed, placing his hands on her waist. "Just be careful."

Daisy grinned. "I will."

With that, he hoisted her off her feet with ease, just enough for her to grab the ladder. She started climbing, putting less weight on her bad leg, then stopped to turn and look down at Lincoln.

"Come on! What are you waiting for?" she shouted.

Lincoln shook his head once more. He couldn't believe he was letting this happen. He was tall enough to grab the bottom of the ladder so he pulled himself up, beginning to climb. The metal was freezing cold and rough and rusty. He didn't look behind him, knowing the height would scare him. He also tried not to think about how they'd get down from there.

When Daisy got to the top, she climbed over the brick safety wall and into the crow's nest on top, next to the light. She leaned over the side, watching Lincoln climb up.

He paused at the very top of the ladder. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked.

Daisy shook her head, then smiled. "Absolutely not."

Lincoln grumbled and pulled himself into the crow's nest. When he looked out upon the horizon, all he saw was blackness for miles and miles. The sky was dark, the sea was dark, and the only light sources were the small yellow dots of windows onshore, and the big lighthouse beam right behind them. It was eerily quiet in the small town. The only sound Lincoln could hear was the lapping of the sea hitting the sand, the chunks of ice rubbing against each other, the faint voices in the restaurant down below.

"I come up here because it's peaceful," Daisy said, sitting down on the wall and dangling her feet over the edge. "Especially in the winter. No one thinks to come here."

Lincoln climbed over to join her in sitting on the edge. "I agree. It's nice." He scooted a little closer to Daisy, and she followed suit. She was a little tired, so she laid her head on his shoulder. He reached down to hold her hand, and rubbed small circles on the back of it. It all felt so natural and so comfortable, as if they'd known each other forever.

After a while, Daisy sighed. "I have never lived a Valentine's Day where I wasn't single," she confessed. "My only boyfriends were from high school, so my relationships never lasted very long."

"Why don't we change that?" Lincoln whispered. Daisy felt Lincoln's hands trail up her neck to her face. He gently cupped her cheek and met her eyes. He smiled a little, taking in her beauty. "You look like an angel."

He pulled her in for a kiss. It lasted a long time, but neither of them minded. It felt good for both of them to finally have found love again, and it all just felt so…right.

Finally, the pair pulled away from each other. They sat there on the ledge a little while longer, their arms around each other, looking out at the horizon.

After a while, the pair decided to get down and head home. They were able to get inside the lighthouse, as the door up top wasn't locked. They walked down the spiral staircase inside, then unlocked the bottom door for themselves and headed back outside. They held hands as they walked to the car.

Once they got home, Jemma rushed to the door. "Where have you been?" she asked, a little concerned.

"Somewhere," Daisy replied, smiling up at Lincoln. She'd warned him not to tell Jemma where they'd been, because she knew the woman would be angry if she heard Daisy was overexerting her injured ankle.

Jemma chuckled a little. "Alright, alright." She left the door open and left the pair alone.

Lincoln looked at Daisy, placing his hands on her cheeks. "I think I'm going to head home. Call me, okay?"

Daisy nodded happily and planted a small peck on his cheek. "I promise I will."

Lincoln kissed her forehead. "Happy Valentine's Day," he whispered, before heading off into the night.