A/N: Requested by AFourAddict.
This is Tobias's POV on Tris's kidnapping - read it after chapter 45 of You and me against the world and before chapter 46.
Enjoy! Leave comment either here or the main story. I would love to hear your opinions.
Tobias's POV
I'm sitting at the table chatting with my friends about Zeke's and Shauna's baby. Everyone seems to have an opinion and all of them give the soon to be parents advice no one asked for. Looking at them and how happy they are, despite their youth, I can't keep wondering how it would be like if Tris would be pregnant. I do have to admit I am a little scared, but I love her more than anything in this world and I want a life with her. Of course, she is right. A baby would be too soon right now, but if we would indeed expect one I would love my baby just as much as I love its mother.
I must have smiled or something because Shauna elbows me and gives me a knowing look. Tris told me that Shauna was present when her doctor explained to her the possibility of an accidental pregnancy, but I never really discussed it with anyone other than Tris. Not even Zeke knows and he's my best friend.
"Wondering?" she asks in a whisper as to not draw attention.
"A little bit" I answer.
"Would you want it?" she asks looking straight into my eyes.
"If we could wait I would, but if it already happened then I'm good. I love Tris and I want to build a life and a family with her. To be honest, it wouldn't be that bad if it would be sooner rather than later."
"But you both still hope you have more preparation time, right?" she asks knowing me well enough to know that's exactly what I'm thinking. I only nod and she smiles. I guess it's true what they say about pregnant women. They do glow. I want to tell her that, when someone runs into the cafeteria shouting my name. I turn around and see Christina running toward our table, an expression of pure horror on her face. I jump up and take a few steps toward her.
"Christina, what is wrong?" I ask and she draws in air, panting after the run. I look over her head to see if Tris is behind her, but when I can't see her I start panicking. "Where's Tris?" I ask her firmly.
"She's gone" Christina says abruptly.
"What do you mean she's gone? You were supposed to go shopping. What happened?" I bark and I can see that I'm scaring her but I need to know where Tris is.
"We were in the store and we had a little argument. Tris ran out and I tried to keep up with her. We got separated for a moment, there was a larger group of people coming from the opposite direction and Tris went ahead and turned a corner. When I finally got there her shopping bags where on the floor and there was no sign of her" Christina tells me and I feel like my world is falling apart. I want to cry. I want to yell. I want to punch someone. But more importantly I want Tris back in my arms. I gather my wits and turn to look at Zeke.
"Control room, now" I order and he obeys. "Tori, could you come with us please" I ask her and she gets up from the adjacent table. The three of us walk to the control room to check the cameras in the area we can see Tris storm out of the store and we see where she got separated from Christina. We also see how she turns a corner, but then nothing. I know for certain that there are cameras in that hallway. I've seen them with my own eyes. I send a team to check the cameras and I return to my office. I ask Zeke to check all the cameras to see if there is any sign of where she might have gone or who might have taken her. My mind races with the speed of light making out scenarios one more horrifying than the other. I don't even know how I got to my office, when Tori pulls me out of my own thoughts.
"You need to focus, Four. We will find her" she says firmly, but with compassion.
"Tori, I need your help. I can't do this on my own" I say breaking down a little. I sit on the couch and rest my head in my hands.
"I will help you, don't worry" she says.
"I meant I need to know if you accept our offer and become our third leader" I say looking at her.
"Yes. I thought long about it and I'm confident I can do good things around here. With your help of course" she says a little smile on her face.
"Thank you. While I'm looking for Tris I will leave you in charge of the faction" I say leaving her no room to argue.
"Of course. Don't worry. You go and find Tris" she says. I nod and she leaves my office. I think about calling Andrew and tell him what is going on, although I don't even know what is going on. I decide to call Tris's phone. Maybe she got a text and just ran away, leaving the shopping bags discarded on the Pit floor. It isn't like her to just do that, but I don't want to think of the alternative. I dial her number and it automatically goes to voice mail. I leave a message telling her to call me back as soon as she gets this. I decide to go home. Maybe she went there. Unlikely, but still a possibility. I run as fast as I can and take two stairs at a time. I open the door and run through the apartment and then upstairs to look for her. She is nowhere to be found. I walk back downstairs and look for a possible note, but there is none. I leave the apartment and go back to the Pire to check her office. She isn't there either. No, something must have happened to her. No matter how pissed she is she would have said something. I sit in her chair and try to think of what to do next. I close my eyes and I can smell her. I open them fully expecting to see her but she isn't here. I shouldn't be surprised. It's her office. Of course everything smells of her. I close my eyes again and lean back into her chair. Tris, where are you? And then it hits me. Maybe if I concentrate long enough I might contact her. I did it before, granted by accident, but still. I concentrate on her and call her name. Tris, Tris, Tris. There's no response. Maybe it doesn't work or maybe she is unconscious. I need to find her. Not knowing where she is and more importantly if she's alright is killing me. I pull out my phone and start dialing Natalie's number. Maybe she can try and contact her daughter. Their bond might be stronger. It's worth a try. Before I can push the dial button my phone lights up and starts ringing. I look at the caller ID hoping it's Tris, but instead I see Zeke's name. I let out a disappointed breath and answer my phone.
"Zeke, have you found something?" I ask hoping he did.
"I did. There's a caption of a man carrying a woman that looks a lot like Tris. You need to come and look at it." I hang up and rush out of Tris's office and get to the control room in record time. I pass several Dauntless and might have pushed a few to the ground. I could hear them say something about being rude or something but I really don't care. I need to find the woman I love. I reach the control room and walk into Zeke's office ignoring the others. He shows me what he found and I see a man dressed in black carrying a woman with a hoodie over her head, but I would recognize Tris out of a million people.
"That's her" I say.
"I thought so too. This is the southern exit, near the tracks. Unfortunately, this is the last camera we have in the area. I took the liberty of contacting Dwayne. He sent a team to search the area for clues."
"Thank you, Zeke. I haven't even thought of calling him" I say realizing my stupidity.
"Don't worry, brother. If it would have been Shauna I would have been out of my mind too. We'll find her. Don't worry" he tries comforting me.
"Until she's back home safe and sound I won't stop worrying. Thanks for your help and support" I say and shake his hand.
"Don't worry, man. You would do the same. I'll keep looking over the footage. Now that we have seen the guy walking out, maybe we can find him walking in and even see his face" Zeke suggests.
"If you need help just ask the others. Tell them I ordered them" I say.
"Don't worry. They don't need you to order them they already offered when I told them Tris is missing. In fact, half of them are doing this right now and the other half watches the live feed" Zeke tells me. I walk out of his office and look around the stations.
"I want to thank you for your help" I say and they all turn around to look at me.
"Don't worry, Four. We all like Tris and I can't imagine what you are going through right now" my old colleague Mike says and I nod.
"Yeah, don't worry, man. If he's on camera we will find him and then we will help you beat the shit out of that son of a bitch" Tristan assures me and the others agree.
"Thank you, guys. I won't keep you any longer. Zeke, if there's something new call me" I say and he nods. I leave the control room and walk back to the Pit retracing Tris's footsteps. Dwayne already is on site and gathers evidence. He is a real investigator and I'm glad he is also a loyal friend.
"Four" he says acknowledging my presence.
"Anything?" I ask.
"There are no signs of struggle" he says and my eyes widen. "I talked to Zeke and he told me he found a caption of a man carrying Tris out of the compound on his back. My guess, she was drugged otherwise I can't imagine her just going willingly" he says and I have to agree. She would never go down without a fight. She would run through a wall, regardless if it would hurt her or not before just giving up. No, Dwayne is right. She must have been drugged.
"Please, wrap this up here and send out patrols to check the perimeter, especially the tracks" I say.
"I already did that. I also ordered the patrols to widen their search to see if we can find any clues. But, Four, if that guy took the train he could be anywhere by now" Dwayne says voicing my worst fear. If she's anywhere in the city it could take us days to find her. Who knows what might happen until we do? I shake my head trying to keep my mind clear of these images. She needs to be alright. I need to find her. No matter the cost.
"Thank you. Keep me posted" I say and walk away. I try to get through the gathered crowd who ask what is going on and if it's true that Tris is missing. I decide to tell them. We need every pair of eyes we can get to find her. I step on the same rock I stood months before when I first got elected leader and address the crowd. "About an hour ago Tris was kidnapped." I wait for the information to sink in before I continue. "So far we only know that a man did it. He left the compound with Tris unconscious on his back heading toward the tracks. If any of you has any kind of information regarding Tris, meaning if someone saw the attack or might have heard something please contact either me, Dwayne Smith our head of security or Tori Wu, from the tattoo parlor" I say and wait for someone to speak up but no one knows anything. I get down and head to my office. I need to call Andrew. He needs to know what is going on. I enter my office and close the door. I sit down in my chair and lean back. This is harder than I thought. I pull out my phone and dial Andrew's number. I wait for him to answer holding my breath the whole time.
"Hello son" he greets and I let the breath out.
"Hello Andrew. Something happened" I say getting straight to the point.
"What happened?" he asks concerned. I decide to tell him directly what is going on. We might need the help of other factions as well to find Tris.
"An hour ago Tris was kidnapped. We have no idea where she is or who kidnapped her. We only know that she was drugged and a man dressed as a Dauntless member carried her out of the compound toward the tracks" I inform him, trying to keep my voice steady and myself from falling apart.
"WHAT?" Andrew shouts. "How could this happen, Tobias?"
"She went shopping with her friend. They got separated and when Christina, her friend, turned the corner she noticed the shopping bags on the floor and no trace of Tris. Ever since I've found out I've been looking for her, but I'm afraid there's nothing I could do here anymore. I need help from the council" I say. Andrew keeps quiet for a moment, digesting what I just told him for sure.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you" he says, remorse clear in his voice. My father would have never admitted fault and certainly never apologized to me.
"Don't worry, Andrew. It is my fault. I should have gone with her. I shouldn't have left her alone. She's gone because of me."
"Stop it, Tobias. It's not your fault. You can't be around Beatrice 24/7. You are not to blame. The one who did this is. Let me call the council and I will alert everyone. Keep your faith, son" he says and hangs up. I breathe in and close my eyes trying to keep it together, but I can't help the tears that are streaming down my cheeks. Tris, where are you?
I cry for a while, before I decide to do something about this. I wipe my tears with my sleeve and get up. I walk out of my office and head to the tracks. I jump on and let the cold air hit my skin waking me up. The ride is fairly short. The place I need to go isn't so far from the compound. I already see my "stop" and get ready to jump off. I take a few steps back and start running. I jump off and land on the ground hard but avoid falling over. I've been here only once before, when I was introduced to the notion of what it really meant to live factionless. I walk around the old building and walk down a steep path until I reach a metal gate. I push it open and the sound it makes is enough to give even the bravest of Dauntless the creeps. I fully expect armed guards to surround me and they don't disappoint.
"Hands up" one of them shouts. I look at him but don't move a muscle. "I sat hands up" he shouts at me angry.
"Tobias Eaton" I say my name.
"You say that again" he orders.
"Tobias Eaton" I repeat. They now what it means.
"You know him?" he asks me.
"I am him" I reply. They lower their guns, but keep them firmly in their hands. They escort me inside and I deliberately avoid looking toward anything or anyone. We walk for about five minutes until we stop in front of a small group of people. They step aside allowing Evelyn to see the intruder in her fortress.
"Tobias" she says.
"Mother" I reply and she makes a hand gesture for me to follow her. We walk a short distance to what can be called her house and we enter. I close the door behind me and she offers me a seat at her table.
"I'm glad you came to visit me" she says smiling. If she has anything to do with Tris's kidnapping I'm done with her. She will no longer be my mother but my enemy. I opened my home to her and allowed her to be part not only of my life, but Tris's as well.
"This is not a social visit" I say coldly. "I need to ask you something and I need you to tell me the truth" I say and she looks at me with a curious expression on her face.
"What is it?" she asks.
"Did you order one of your lackeys to kidnap Tris?" I ask bluntly.
"What? No. Wait. She got kidnapped?" Evelyn asks, getting up from her seat. She paces around for a moment before she stops in front of me. "I swear, Tobias, it wasn't me. If anyone here did it I wasn't informed."
"It's hard for me to believe that, since you are their leader, mother" I say with venom in my voice.
"Don't take that tone with me, young man" she scolds.
"Did you or did you not have anything to do with Tris's disappearance?" I ask getting up as well and towering over her. She shrinks back and even takes a step back, her face betraying her true feelings right now. She is scared of me.
"I didn't do it, I swear. I still think you could do better" she says and I glare at her "but Tris proved to be not as bad as I first thought. We have the same ideals, even though we seek their realization through different methods. I even like her now" she says sitting down.
"Is that true?" I ask confused.
"Yes. I know you don't trust me and it's okay. You will, in time. Tris is no threat to me and I can see that you would rip me, your own mother, to pieces to find her. I was young and I know how it feels like to be infatuated" she says.
"Stop minimizing my feelings. I'm not infatuated. I'm in love with her. Real love. And I doubt you ever felt it."
"That's not fair" she says.
"Really? Give me one example" I dare her.
"You, I love you" she says.
"First, I personally think you could have done a better job at being a mother. Second, I meant a love between two people who aren't related. Did you ever love that way?" I ask her suddenly curious of her answer. She keeps quiet for a moment, before she turns her head away from me.
"When I married Marcus I was very much in love. I had no idea the kind of monster he really was until it was too late. Our first couple of years were relatively alright and then I got pregnant with you. I was so happy and I thought nothing could cloud it. I couldn't have been more wrong. After you were born Marcus changed or maybe he started to reveal his true malicious nature. He started beating me, humiliating me, calling me names, he called me useless and a bad mother. That I wasn't capable of handling my own child. You were a baby and you kept crying a lot. It wasn't your fault of course. You were sick or Marcus upset you and you started crying. He kept beating me for the most insane reasons. When I couldn't take it anymore I left. Tobias, I swear, leaving you was the hardest decision I ever had to make and I still have nightmares because of it."
"Evelyn, you need to understand once and for all. Tris isn't an infatuation or something temporary. I love her with all my heart and I will marry her" I say and she looks at me shocked.
"You proposed?" she asks.
"Not yet, but I will. I want to wait for the right moment. I already asked Andrew for her hand in marriage and he accepted" I say smiling.
"Are you sure you want to do this? You are still so young. And she's even younger" Evelyn says.
"Yes. I'm absolutely sure I won't love anyone other than Tris. I want to marry her and I want to have a real family with her" I say avoiding telling her that the family part might come sooner than we think. "So, for the last time, if you want anything to do with me you accept this or stop looking for me. Alright?"
"I only want what's best for you, but I won't say anything more on that matter" she finally accepts.
"If you are not behind Tris's kidnapping, could you help me find her?" I ask hopeful.
"How can I help?" she asks.
"The person who took her went to the tracks. By now they could be anywhere. Your people know the city better than anyone and I need help. I already alerted the city council but I don't know how much they can do" I say a little more desperate than I wanted to show her.
"I doubt the council will get involved in this. This has nothing to do with the city" Evelyn says.
"They will get involved. Tris is part of that council and everyone loves her. Will you help me?" I ask a little angry.
"I can't make promises. I will ask my people if they want to help. I can't force them. Come with me" she says and gets up. We walk back outside her house and she orders one of her men to gather the factionless. She tells them what happened and asks if anyone wants to join the search party. A few protest asking what a Dauntless leader ever did for them. I want to say something but Evelyn speaks up. "The girl was Abnegation before she chose Dauntless. While I'm not a fan of the faction system she isn't to blame for it. I saw her many times volunteer and she gave many of you food and clothes. I'm not asking you to do it for me or even her. Do it if you want, but don't constantly complain. And one more thing. She is my future daughter in law and I want her unharmed" she says surprising all of us, me especially. If this is real than I'm happy, but if she pretends than she's a real good actress. A big number of factionless both men and women come closer and volunteer to help. Evelyn divides them into groups and asks them to search areas the other factions normally wouldn't look at twice let alone search. The teams stream out and I have to admit, my mother is a true leader. Maybe she's the real reason why I'm a leader and not Marcus. I hope so.
"Thank you, Evelyn. I really appreciate it" I say shaking her hand.
"When are you going to call me mom again?" she asks a smile on her face.
"When I'm ready" I say abruptly. I feel a little guilty about it, especially since she's helping me.
"Alright. I love you, Tobias and I really want only what's best for you" she says and gives me a hug. I hug her back although not with the same force she does and definitely not the way I want to hug my mother. It's still too soon for me, but if Evelyn's behavior is genuine I'm glad I listened to Tris. I leave the factionless sector and walk back to the tracks. I wait for the train to arrive when my phone is buzzing. I pick up and hear Andrew's voice.
"Son, where are you?" he asks. I can't tell him where I am so I respond vaguely.
"I'm out looking for Tris" I say, which isn't exactly a lie.
"I talked to the council. Every faction is informed of what happened and all the leaders assured me they will help us find my daughter. Jack organized a search party in the Candor sector, so did Samantha in Erudite and Johanna in Amity. Jonah is leading the search party in Abnegation. A few volunteers from each faction are currently looking in all the other places in the city where she might be held hostage."
"Thank you, Andrew. Where are you right now?"
"I'm on my way back home. I'm going to change into warmer clothes and join the search party."
"I will too. I'm heading back to Dauntless now and put a team together to help me search the more remote areas" I say and I hear the train approaching. "I need to go, Andrew." I hang up and run along with the train before I jump and get on. This time I close the door, trying to avoid getting sick. Until Tris is back I'm not going to rest.
The ride back to the compound is excruciatingly longer than I wished. I look outside the window and I see the scenery pass. Night is falling and I can only hope that wherever Tris is right now she is inside and she is safe. I glide down the wall and start crying. For the first time today I really let myself cry. I feel lost. I knew I loved Tris like no one ever before and that I would love her forever, but only now I realize that I would literally fall apart without her. She is my reason to live, she is my sunshine that comes out of thick storm clouds, she is the air that I breathe and my bright future in this otherwise hopeless, colorless world. I need to find her. I need to tell her how much I love her. I need to make her mine forever.
A/N: What do you think of Evelyn's confession?
Is she telling the truth? Does she really accept Tris? Or is this some sick game she's playing?
Will Tobias get closer to his mother now?
Read and review, either here or the main story You and me against the world.