Tobias POV

"Oh. My. God. Mom!", my 14-year-old daughter Ashlynn practically yelled as she ran into the apartment. "Oh my god mom, guess what!?".

"What, honey?" Tris said, looking up from the documents she was organizing. Ashlynn flopped down on the couch next to her. I was currently seated on Tris's other side. Ashlynn had just returned from school after being walked home by her friend, Hannah, who lived down the hall and was the fifteen-year-old daughter of Uriah and Marlene Pedrad.

"So, you know that boy I've been talking about, Alex? Well, we were just in class, and we got assigned together on a project, and now I get to go over to his apartment to work with him! He is SO cute!", she sighed smiled.

"That's awesome, sweetie!", she said.

But I, on the other hand, had other ideas. I stared at my wife (my beautiful, wonderful wife) like she was crazy.

"What?! You are not letting our little girl go anywhere with a kid like him! We don't know anything about him. We don't know where he lives, who his parents are... Does he have a tattoo, piercings, anything? You are way too young for this, Ashlynn. You're 14, for goodness sake! Can't you ask to be put with someone else? Maddy Pedrad? Nicole, Sarah, Grace? At least we know their parents!" By this time I was pacing the living room, gesturing with my hands. Tris sighed and chuckled.

"Calm down, honey. He's just a boy. They're just working on a school project together. And Ashlynn is allowed to have a crush, it's perfectly normal for her age."

"Yeah, come on, dad. I'm not dating him or anything. And FYI, he doesn't have any tattoos or piercings. We might be in Dauntless, but that doesn't mean we get tattoos when we're fourteen! Alex is nice, and smart, and cool. And we do know his parents, remember? Lauren and Harrison's son?" Ashlynn added.

Now she was started to get frustrated, too, because she was now standing up and staring defiantly up at me. Obviously, though, I haven't lost my 'Scary Four' face, more recently my 'Scary Daddy' face, and it didn't help that she had gotten her mothers gene of being short. Her 5'4" height was no match for my tall and muscular stature. I stared at her, and she stared back.

Unfortunately for me, I was distracted when I heard laughter coming from the couch. We both looked at Tris, who had been watching her brave little girl standing up to her father. I looked back at Ashlynn at the same time as she did, and suddenly we were all laughing uncontrollably. When we had all calmed down, I grabbed Ashlynn's arm and looked her straight in the eye.

"All right, fine. You can work with this Alex. But just be careful. You know what we talked about, and I know you know how to defend yourself. I'm not saying that he's a bad person, I'm just saying I want you to be safe, okay? And no kissing" I add, and she slaps my arm playfully; but for perhaps the first time, I see a seriousness that lets me know that she will be fine and is perfectly capable of defending herself. I pull her in for a hug.

"I love you" I whisper into her ear.

"I love you too, dad" she replies. We pull apart to see Tris smiling with tears in her eyes.

"All right, if we're all done here, someone needs to do their homework." Tris says, and Ashlynn groans, but we all smile. As she grabs her backpack off of the floor and heads upstairs to her room, I sit on the couch and Tris leans on my shoulder. "I think someone's all grown up here" Tris murmurs.

"I just can't believe she's fourteen already. Our little baby's going on a date. Our little miracle…" Tris chuckles again and I look over at her beautiful, ageless face, even after fifteen years of our marriage. "What?"

"I was talking about you, silly." She pokes me in the stomach for effect, and I laugh. "Being all protective. Almost as protective as you were of me. You know she can take care of herself just like I can. I'm glad I didn't have to tell you that. And by the way" she adds, "she told me that she liked Alex last year. I knew something would happen eventually."

I pull back and stare at her, surprised.

"You knew?"

"Yup." Tris smiles and shrugs. "It's a girl thing, to talk about boys when they're not around." I pretend to be offended.

"You talk about me when I'm not around?"

"Of course. That's what we do. I'm sure you've talked to Zeke before about me."

"Well, Zeke is different", I try, but she rolls her eyes. I lean down and kiss her lightly, but then Tris groans and pulls back.

"I have to go pick Kayla up from elementary school."

I sigh, but stand up, helping Tris up too. I nod at the forgotten papers on the side table next to her.

"You want me to finish that?"

Tris looks at me gratefully and nods.

"Could you?"

"Of course. Anything for you." I kiss her forehead and she grabs her bag before heading out to pick up our second little miracle. I smile and sit down on the couch to finish organizing Dauntless work portfolios. Not the most exciting job in the world most of the time, but being a leader of Dauntless does have its perks. And with my soulmate by my side everyday to brighten my day, life has never been better.