Hi! I read the divergent trilogy a while back and started writing this story while I was still crying over the tragic death. Thanks to my beta! Enjoy my way of coping with the ending of Allegiant! Big shout out to Whale saver zip for showing me "Marching On" by OneRepublic is the perfect Fourtris song. Hope this helps the pain, zip! *Hugs*
Disclaimer: I admit stealing a bit from the books and I do not own Divergent. If I did the ending wouldn't have killed me! If I owned Divergent I wouldn't be here making a Divergent fanfic. I would make a book!
*CHAPTER 50~ TRIS*
"How did you inoculate yourself against the death serum?" he asks me. He's sitting in his wheelchair, but you don't need to be able to walk to fire a gun.
I blink at him, still dazed.
"I didn't," I say.
"Don't be stupid," David says. "You can't survive the death serum without an inoculation, and I'm the only person in the compound who possesses the substance."
I just stare at him, not sure what to say. I didn't inoculate myself. The fact I'm still standing upright is impossible. There's nothing more to add.
"I suppose it no longer matters," he says. "We're here now."
"What are you doing here?" I mumble. My lips feel awkwardly large, hard to talk around. I still feel that oily heaviness on my skin, like death is clinging to me even though I have defeated it.
I strain my ears in hope of hearing footsteps. I am disappointed that I hear nothing but my own steadily rising heartbeat. I use my peripheral vision to search for anything that I can use to help me survive. I need to survive for my family- for me.
David's voice draws my attention back to him. He gives a bitter evil laugh and says, "I knew something was going on. You've been running with the genetically damaged people all week, Tris. Did you think I wouldn't notice?" He shakes his head; almost disappointedly. "And then your friend Cara was found trying to manipulate the lights, but she very wisely knocked herself out before she could admit to anything. So I came here, just in case. I'm sad to say I'm not surprised to see you."
I snorted heavily and rolled my eyes. I needed to think about my acting skills one of these days… "You came here alone? Not very smart, are you?"
His bright eyes squint a bit from amusement. "Well, you see, I have death serum resistance and a weapon, and you have no way to fight me." He doesn't seem to notice the shard of glass that has somehow blown to my feet. "There's no way you can steal four virus devices while I hold you at gunpoint," he says. "I'm afraid you've come all this way for no reason and it will be at the expense of your life. The death serum may not have killed you, but I am going to. I'm sure you understand – officially we don't allow capital punishment, but I can't have you surviving this."
Ahh, he thinks I want to steal the weapons to reset the experiments, not deploy one of them; of course.
I try to mold my expression into pain, but I can only manage fear. I bite my lip slightly and open my mouth to speak.
"I know what you did." Kill my parents! "I know you designed the attack stimulation. You are responsible for my parents' deaths- for my mother's death!"
"I am not responsible for her death!" David exclaims, too loud and too sudden. "I told her what was coming just before the attack began, so she had just enough time to escort her loved ones to a safe house. If she would've stayed put, she would have lived. But she was a foolish woman who didn't understand making sacrifices for the greater good, and it killed her!
I frown at him. There's something about his reaction—about the glassiness of his eyes—something that he mumbled when Nita shot him with the fear serum—something about her.
"Did you love her?" I say. "All those years she was sending you correspondence . . . the reason you never wanted her to stay there . . . the reason you told her you couldn't read her updates anymore, after she married my father . . ."
David sits still, like a statue, like a man of stone. This is my chance…
In one swift movement, I grab the shard of glass and aim it for the gun. David, not realizing, let the gun be knocked from his hand. The glass hit him hard and his hand started to bleed. He tried to grab the gun, but I jumped to get it, only milliseconds before he did.
Without even processing it, I pull the trigger, aiming the gun to his forehead. The bullet smashes his nose as I fire another shot, this one to his heart. I make it. I see the blood leak through his shirt. I collapse to the ground, smashing my hand with the heavy gun and tears begin to cascade down my face.
I hear heavy breathing and footsteps.
"Tris! Are you alright?" Caleb asks, jogging over to me, worried.
I manage a strangled "yes" in between my vulnerable tears.
He gestures to someone and the figure jogs over. It's Cara.
"Tris," she says. "Can you get up?"
I feebly nod and take her hand with my uninjured one. I notice Caleb slips away, and I hope he is finishing what I started. I struggle up and Cara leads me to the hospital, where I am put on a stretcher. Somebody injects me with a syringe and I fall into a deep slumber.
*CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE~ TOBIAS*
The ride back to the compound is slow and dark. I watch the moon disappear and reappear behind the clouds as we bump over the ground. When we reach the outer limits of the city, it begins to snow again, large, light flakes that swirl in front of the headlights. I wonder if Tris is watching it sweep across the pavement and gather in piles by the airplanes. I wonder if she is living in a better world than the one I left, among people who no longer remember what it is to have pure genes.
Christina leans forward to whisper into my ear. "So you did it? It worked?"
I nod. In the rearview mirror I see her touch her face with both hands, grinning into her palms. I know how she feels: safe. We are all safe.
"Did you inoculate your family?" I say.
"Yep. We found them with the Allegiant, in the Hancock building," she says. "But the time for the reset has passed—it looks like Tris and Caleb stopped it."
Hana and Zeke murmur to each other on the way, marveling at the strange, dark world we move through. Amar gives the basic explanation as we go, looking back at them instead of the road far too often for my comfort. I try to ignore my surges of panic as he almost veers into streetlights or road barriers, and focus instead on the snow.
I have always hated the emptiness that winter brings, the blank landscape and the stark difference between sky and ground, the way it transforms trees into skeletons and the city into a wasteland. Maybe this winter I can be persuaded otherwise.
We drive past the fences and stop by the front doors, which are no longer manned by guards. We get out, and Zeke seizes his mother's hand to steady her as she shuffles through the snow. As we walk into the compound, I know for a fact that Caleb succeeded, because there's no one in sight. That can only mean they have been reset, their memories forever altered.
"Where is everyone?" Amar says.
We walk through the abandoned security checkpoint without stopping. On the other side, I see Cara. The side of her face is badly bruised, and there's a bandage on her head, but that's not what concerns me. What concerns me is the worried look on her face.
"What is it?" I say loudly.
Cara shakes her head.
"Where's Tris?" I ask.
"She's in the hospital…"
"What happened?" Christina questions hoarsely.
"Tris went to the Weapons Lab instead of Caleb. She survived with only a broken hand, but she's in shock from what she went through," Cara admits sadly.
"What did she do?" I question in a strained voice.
"Tris survived the serum, but David found her. Somehow she acquired a gun, and… she killed him."
"I need to see her," I say in a desperate voice.
"Tris was injected with anesthesia, so she will be knocked-out for a while," Cara warns.
"So? Get us to her," Christina says bossily as I whisper, "I don't care. I need to see Tris."
Cara shakes her head softly, but beckons Christina and me to follow her. She leads us through a series of doors until she opens one up to reveal Tris. Tris looks like an angel in her sleep; the faintest smile on her pink lips. I can't help but brush a few strands of hair from her face and stroke her cheek. I am relieved to find that she is warm, indicating she is still alive.
Christina and Cara quietly leave the room so we can have some privacy. It seems like hours I just stand there, caressing my brave Tris.
"Please wake up," I whisper. Her eyelids flutter open and I think I'm hallucinating, but then she looks into my eyes and holds onto my hand, over the blanket, which is covering her.
"I love you, Tobias," she whispers hoarsely.
"I love you too, Tris. You are so brave…" I kiss her forehead softly.
She gives me a small smile, but I can see the pain in her eyes.
"What's wrong, Tris? You can tell me," I urge her softly.
She shakes her head softly. "Not yet, Tobias. I can't."
It breaks my heart to see her so vulnerable. She is one of the strongest women I know. "It's alright. You don't have to do anything," I say, trying to be soothing.
"Thank you," she says meekly.
"I love you," I state simply. "I'll be back in a moment, I promise. I just need to tell one of the nurses you woke up."
She gives me a soft nod and I left the room.
*TRIS POV*
I want to tell Tobias everything, but I feel it would be right to tell Caleb first. He was the reason I went into the room with the death serum. But Tobias said he was my family now, a small voice tells me.
I long for Tobias to hold me tight and never let go. I feel safe in his embrace; like nothing can hurt me. It feels wrong to be this needy- unnatural even.
Soon he returns, but not alone. A nurse with a warm smile accompanies him, holding a small cup filled with a pink liquid and a plastic glass containing a clear substance.
"Drink this, dear," she directs, holding out the plastic glass for me. Noticing my suspicious look, she assures, "it's just water. You are a little dehydrated."
I oblige, and take the cup from her hand. Tobias takes a seat at the foot of the bed as I gulp down the water, feeling parched. "Thank you," I tell her, handing the glass back.
"No problem, dear. I'll put this on your side table," she says, holding out the pink cup. "It's pain syrup. You have a few visitors; would you like me to let them in?" she asks.
Tobias, seeing the confused look on my face, says, "it's Caleb and Christina."
"Okay," I say softly. "Let them in."
The nurse nods slightly and ushers Caleb and Christina in, leaving to give us some privacy.
"Hey, you okay?" Caleb asks softly.
"I guess…"
"You guys want to be alone for a bit?" Christina offers.
I shake my head vigorously and grab Tobias' hand.
"Shh… it's okay. I won't leave you," he soothes. "I'm right here." 'Where he belongs,' I add in my head. He rubs small circles on the back of my hand and moves closer.
Christina stands there, not knowing what to do.
I take a deep breath. "When I was with… him… he told me some things…"
Caleb stands on my other side and places his hand gently on my shoulder. "It's alright, Beatrice. You don't need to say anything."
I shake my head. "No. I need to." I close my eyes for a few seconds to collect myself. "Mom could've lived! She was warned of the serum, and could've stayed alive!"
"That's not all, is it?" asks Caleb gently.
"No, no it's not. She understood what it meant to make a sacrifice for love, and David… he thought he loved her. The truth is I don't know if he was capable of love or just had twisted views of love. And I- I killed him! I didn't even give him a chance at a new life!" I cry.
"Beatrice, listen to me. He was going to kill you! What you did was right. Otherwise… you wouldn't have made it out alive." Caleb starts out with a raised voice, but ends in a whisper.
"I'm not so sure about that… there were other ways-"
"Beatrice Prior. Do not ever think that. You were in danger. How could you have expected to be able to think clearly?! It's insane you made it out alive!" Tobias scolds harshly. I start to cry, intimidated by Tobias. He notices, and softens his expression. "Tris, if you didn't kill him, he would've killed you." Tobias kisses my cheek gently and softly squeezes my hand. "I can't live without you, Tris. You are my life."
*EPILOGUE- THREE YEARS LATER*
*TOBIAS POV*
I feel a shiver run down my spine as I look at Tris, the most important person in my life. I am about to ask her to make the biggest decision she will ever make.
"Ready to leave?" I ask with a grin.
"Yep!" she replies with a dazzling smile. I take her hand and we walk together to a restaurant in New Chicago. The City has now been separated into two parts: Old Chicago- where the people who clung to factions are, and New Chicago- a city where people took refuge after the second Purity War, to live independently from the faction system. The place Tris and I started our new life.
I open the door of the restaurant for her and she smiles gratefully. "Thanks," she says. I smile back and we head inside where we meet a waitress, who shows us to our table.
"Hmm… what do you want to get- the choices are overwhelming," she marvels.
"Well, the ravioli section looks appetizing," I reply.
'I'll take the… mushroom or eggplant?" she asks.
"Do you want to have the same thing or two different?" I question.
"Different! That way if I don't like mine I can share some of yours or vice versa!" she says.
"Well it's settled then. I'll have eggplant and you'll have mushroom," I tell her..
I gesture for the waiter to come over. "Hi, my name is Peter, how may I be of assistance?"
Tris gasps as she sees the face of Peter Hayes for the first time in months. "Tris, he gave himself the serum," I whisper, hoping he won't hear.
She relaxes and I turn to Peter. "Hello, my girlfriend here would like the mushroom ravioli, and I the eggplant," I tell him pleasantly.
"Sure thing! Anything to drink?" questions Peter, with cheerfulness I didn't think he was capable of.
"Err… water should be fine, right, Tris?" I don't want to make decisions for her. One of the many things I admire about her is that she is her own person. She nods with a pleasant smile.
"That's it?" he asks, and we nod simultaneously. With an "Enjoy your night!" he leaves.
"Well, he's changed. For the better, of course, but wow…" Tris' eyes are wide with wonder. "You were the one who gave him the memory serum, right?" She looks into my eyes; wonder blinding her own.
"Yes," I tell her hesitantly. It had always been a touchy subject: the trip to see my mother, thinking of giving her the memory serum. I feel immense guilt for not trusting my mother. She forgave me easily, knowing I meant well.
"So… how's school? Who would've thought you would want to be a teacher?" she teased. I was hoping to be a teacher after I got my degree. I want to teach something that doesn't hurt people. I've had enough time teaching like a Dauntless to last me a lifetime. Tris decided she wanted to be a grade school teacher. She is starting her first term in two weeks, and recently finished a four-month course to get her degree. "Look who's talking, Miss, I-am-going-to-be-teaching-little-kids-soon!" I tease.
"Hmm… that's quite a long name, isn't it, Mr. Smarty?" she says with a teasing smirk.
I take a breath and nervously ask, "How about Mrs. Eaton?"
She gasps in surprise. "Are you p-p-proposing to me?" she whispers.
"Yes," I say shakily.
"Yes. Yes, yes, yes; a million times yes! Of course I will marry you!" she says, tears leaking from her eyes.
I take the ring out from my pocket and slip it onto her left ring finger. "I promise to love you forever, Beatrice," I vow solemnly. I get out of my seat and go to her side as she's standing up, and we kiss- not just any kiss; the most loving kiss we had ever shared. Sadly, it is cut short because we are interrupted by a woman in a black cocktail dress, nowhere near modest enough for her age, and corkscrew curls.
"You should be ashamed of yourselves; doing that in public!" she squawks.
Her date gives us an apologetic look. "Newly engaged?" he asks.
I nod, with a raised eyebrow. I look back at Tris, who is at my side, leaning into me. I wrap an arm around her as he congratulates us and explains that his wife was very against showing love in public. "I apologise for my wife's behavior," he says.
Tris speaks up with a warm smile. "It's alright. Enjoy your night."
"Thanks, you too!" He waves and steers his wife away.
"What a night," I murmur, kissing the corner of Tris' ear.
"Mhmm…" she says. "We should sit back down…"
I sigh and we seat ourselves. I stare into her deep blue irises, mesmerized by the beauty and emotion held inside of them. Soon, though, we are interrupted by Peter, who is back with our food.
He places our orders in front of us and we thank him. "Sure thing," he replies with a nod, before heading off to another table.
We dig in right away and relish the food. After paying the check, I hold the door for my fiancée, and we leave hand in hand.
*EPILOUGE PART TWO- TWO YEARS LATER*
*TRIS POV*
I nervously place my hand over my flat stomach as the door opens to reveal my husband; Tobias. I love him so much- he is my life. And now I have something to add to us, or rather someone.
"Hey," he says, placing a brief kiss to my lips.
"Hi," I say nervously. I'm not sure how he's going to react, because we have never really talked about this.
"Something on your mind, love?" he gently asks, placing his arm around me.
I hesitate, then finally decide to say, "yes, but can we talk about it in the living room?"
"Of course," he replies, but I can see the frown tugging on his lips.
We comfortably curl up in the loveseat and enjoy the bliss of silence before Tobias breaks it. "What was it you wanted to talk about, love?" he asks gently.
I shuffle away a teeny bit from his loving warmth. "Well... what do you think of kids?"
"It would be nice to have a little one roaming around the place, I guess…" he says.
I let go of a breath I didn't realize I was holding and smile timidly. "I'm pregnant."
"What? Wow…" he mumbles, his eyes on my stomach. "That's great," he says, looking back up into my eyes. "I love you so much, and I can't wait to love our baby too," he tells me, gently placing a warm hand on my stomach. I place my hands on top of his and smile at him. Tobias kisses me with warmth that could thaw ice in a matter of seconds. I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him back. He holds me tight and I feel blissful and serene, knowing no force in the world can ruin our love.
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