Just to be clear, I am going through some really hard times right now. If I wasn't, I wouldn't do anything to Christina cuz she is my favorite character in this whole trilogy. But... well, yeah. I added the romance in for a reason. This story occurs after Allegiant.

"Mind if I go out today?" Christina asked curiously as she rubbed her eyes and tilted her head at Zeke and Tobias, who were both waking up as well. "I need to keep up my exercising."

"Fine," her boyfriend muttered.

"Just don't go too far," Zeke added.

"I won't," she promised.

However, "too far" didn't really seem to mean what it meant for her and soon, she ran too far into the flat land, with no idea where to go.

"Are you kidding me?" she roared angrily, skidding to a stop and clenching her fists to her sides. "If this day was a book or some stupid thing like that, we'd be cutting to the stupid parts way too fast!"

"Got that right, my dear," a raspy voice suddenly called from behind her, making her jump. She spun around in shock, snarling.

"Why so angry, Christina?" Marcus Eaton chuckled, his eyes wild. He must've been out in the open for a while because his hair was disheveled and his clothes were greatly torn. However, he was carrying a gun in each hand, which made the woman in front of him act extremely cautious when she saw him.

"Don't try anything," she snapped, taking a step back. "Besides, didn't Tobias make you into a good person or something like that anyway?"

"I don't need to be a good person to survive in... the fringe," he replied evenly, twirling a gun in his right hand. "All I know to be is someone with survival instincts." He raised both guns, leveling them at Christina, one aimed high and the other low. "And all I need now is to take from my son anyone who has corrupted him."

"You're insane." Christina rolled her eyes. "You won't do it. You won't hurt Tobias!"

"Oh, really?" His fingers hovered on the triggers and she took a fleeing stance, ready to run, even if it continued to lead her into nowhere.

"Yes, really."

She started to turn, about to run, but Marcus fired both guns as soon as she moved. Christina screamed as one bullet hit her chest and the other slammed into her knee. Unimaginable pain shot through her as she collapsed, sobbing as blood streamed out of the aching wounds.

"I shouldn't have gone out this far," she whispered as Marcus advanced and stood over her, both guns pressed against her neck. Christina closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Tobias..."

Then the guns lifted off of her and one of them fired as it was tossed away, hitting her in the shoulder and causing another wave of sobbing. For a moment, she opened her eyes slightly and caught a glimpse of Tobias wrestling his father to the ground, right before the agony overwhelmed her. More blood splashed over her body, soaking her dark hair in red.

"Help... please..."

"Christina!" All of a sudden, she felt warm hands cradling her body and quietly heard Tobias's voice through her haze of pain. At least she thought it was him; Christina was still crying and screaming, so she could barely hear anything.

The hands twisted her body around as Tobias stood up and held his girlfriend close to him as he began to sprint in the direction he had come from, back toward the Bureau. Christina's throat began to hurt as they went, so she stopped screaming.

"I told you not to go out too far," Tobias breathed as he speeded up his pace. Eventually, when he got near, he slowed down again to keep himself going. "God... I can't believe that was my father..."

"The fringe... has done... him in..." Christina gasped out, coughing up a few drops of blood. "Ow... Tobias... how exactly do you think I'd survive this?" Her breathing had begun to grow shallow already and she'd started to grow lightheaded as well; the blood spilling from her bullet wounds felt merely like water.

"You can." Her boyfriend gritted his teeth as they reached the doors of the Bureau, which opened to admit him. "Don't give up."

Their friends converged on them like wolves as soon as they entered; Zeke, George, Amar, Nita, and Caleb were all there.

"What happened?" Zeke growled, his hands finding Christina's chest; she squeaked as he pressed down on it.

"My father found her out there," Tobias explained quickly. "Living in the fringe changed him. But enough about that; we need doctors!"

"Get help now!" Amar smashed his hand against a button on the wall and alarms rang out all around the compound. To Christina, all the voices around her sounded like they were underwater as people started to swarm the area.

What good will any of this do? she thought desperately.

Then she was transferred from Tobias's arms to a huge stretcher.

I can already tell I won't make it...

"Be careful with her!" George shouted as she was hastily taken away.

This hurts so bad... can't it just be over and done with?

The lights grew brighter as they reached the medical room.

I'm slipping away...

Christina's breath caught in her throat as the doctors laid her down on a hospital bed and stripped her of all clothing.

I- I'll see you soon, Tris... and... and Tori...

Her eyes closed.

A death almost just like Tori's... out there... just when we both thought we were safe...

The last of her consciousness finally faded away.

Tori...

Later...

Tobias sighed as he quietly reached out and took his girlfriend's pale brown hand in his own, rubbing it gently as tears sprang to his eyes.

"Christina..." he sighed, gazing sadly at her. She looks so peaceful... I'm just glad they were able to save her.

But what scared him was that she hadn't woken up since the incident. Christina was barely holding on, even with life support, and Tobias was afraid she'd die like Uriah.

"Wake up... please... I already lost Tris... and I can't lose you too..."

Two weeks later...

"So they really think she will awaken today?" Shauna wondered as she tentatively walked over to Zeke and Caleb, testing the brace on her legs while worriedly staring at Tobias, who was pacing back and forth. "She's not..."

"Not going to die." Tobias shook his head. "I will give my life for her if I have to. They're going to call me as soon as-"

A doctor appeared at the end of the hallway and he immediately broke off... and then he was hurrying toward the man in white, his heart pounding in his chest. It was almost painful to watch as he soon arrived at the designated room... and saw Christina sitting up in her bed, her face wet with tears.

"Christina..." He stepped forward and slowly kissed her cheek. "Oh my god..."

"How am I still alive?" she murmured to him, shivering. "I was shot... in the most painful of places... and I lost so much blood... I should have died like Tris and Tori!"

"No, no, don't get yourself worked up." Tobias glared at her. "Don't forget, you're still on life support. You just need to breathe normally..."

Christina glared back, her expression cold as ice. "Why should I exactly?"

"Because you shouldn't want to die like them!" he shot back. "Chris, I can't lose you like I lost them."

Her face twisted with pain. "Tobias..."

"You're on the edge of death as it is already. Don't give yourself up for some pointless reason!"

She hesitated to reply. "I- I..." Christina lay back on the bed, wincing.

Tobias stroked her hair affectionately. "You'll be fine." He smiled. "Just remember... I love you."

I love you too... she thought silently.

Three weeks later...

Tears of joy fell from Tobias's eyes as he watched his girlfriend slowly move forward toward him with the new brace on her right leg. After being shot in the knee, Christina's leg had basically been destroyed and surgery hadn't been enough to get it back to its regular strength, so the brace was all she had.

"Chris... I'm so glad you're back to normal!" he sighed as she collapsed against him, shaking. "Damn it, you better not scare me like that again. God... you nearly died..."

"Next time, I'm not going out that far. And I hope Marcus rots in hell."

"Next time? Try not at all. Not without me or someone else." He laughed. "And as for Marcus... well, I don't give a damn about him anymore. Not after what he's done to you."

Christina sniffed. "I... I just hope we can live peacefully so I can get used to this change." She took in a deep breath. "I'm just glad I recovered... I was out of my mind..."

"But it's fine now." That was all Tobias could say.

"You're right." None of them could see it, but the spirits of Tori and Tris were standing at the side of the medical room looking at them both. The difference between them was that Tris was the one smiling and Tori was the one crying.

"I only wish I could have had a life where I lived here and could love again," Tori sobbed as she sank to her knees and leaned into Tris. "You had time here... you and him could have stayed together..."

"Tori, let's not dwell on what could have been. It's our job to watch over them now. Be happy for Christina and Tobias. I know I am." With those words, she disappeared from view.

Tori let out one last sob.

"I- I'll try, Tris."