"Aftershocks"

Chapter 1

Tris POV

It's been a year.

It's been a whole year since I first joined Dauntless. And…whoo. It's been quite a ride. A ride that I wouldn't trade for the entire world. I'm too content to actually get up right now, my eyes still closed, breathing in Tobias' scent. Because he lives with me.

He actually lives with me. For…we're going on eight months now? Since I became a full-fledged member of Dauntless, really. Tobias and I have made it through everything. I love him so much, and I couldn't be happier with where we're at right now. It's all just so perfect.

And Christina. She's getting married. I'm her maid of honor, and the wedding is happening two weeks after the new batch of Dauntless get initiated. Speaking of new Dauntless, I think it's time for Tobias and I to get up. I reached over to his side of the bed and felt emptiness.

It made me shoot bolt upright. Tobias was always here in the morning. I looked around our large bedroom and saw no trace of my boyfriend. Not two seconds later, the alarm clock started blaring. I groaned and turned to smack the alarm clock into stopping. But I was halted by the white cardboard note sitting next to it. My Dauntless nickname, Six, was written on the front.

I reached for it gingerly, and turned the alarm clock off. I opened it and read the contents:

Sorry I couldn't be here to watch you wake up today. I had some important things to tend to before the new initiates get here. I didn't want you to be bothered by them just yet. But I do think that Christina is hanging around somewhere…try her apartment perhaps? I'll see you at the net.

Love,

IV

I laughed a little at how neurotic Tobias was. He was always worrying about me. I got up and showered, then went back out to the bedroom and started rummaging through my walk-in closet. There was a single wall of the four that were Tobias' clothes.

Christina has really had too much of an influence on me.

I decided on all black. A black tank top, black leggings, and a pair of black heels to give me just a smidgen more height. I wanted to look as intimidating as humanly possible. I then went to my vanity and began to apply my makeup. Over the course of the last year, doing my makeup has been a calming exercise. I can focus on just that, on applying blush and eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara. And it's a self-confidence boost on top of it!

Today I applied light blush, dark lipstick, and my eyes were smoky with black liner on top and underneath, and then black mascara. I looked positively gorgeous and intimidating. I smiled, grabbed my things—so my knife and gun, oh and my keys, I can't forget those—and left for the day.

In Tobias' note, he told me to go over to Christina's apartment. When I got there, there was another note taped to the door. This time in Christina's handwriting.

Trissssssyyyyyyy…

Yeah, sorry, Four said you'd probably come over here, but Will got called in to the hospital early today, so I went to kill some time with him there! Meet us there and we can play with the gauze again! I promise not to turn you into a mummy this time…maybe…

Love,

The blushing bride to be, Christina

P.S. And you're not allowed to kill me for 'Trissy' because this is in a note and NOT verbalized!

I sighed, Christina would pull something like this. Maybe I could stop for a muffin and some coffee first…

After I got my muffin and coffee, I headed over to the hospital. I still had a few hours until the newbies got here, so I figured I might as well kill the time with Christina if I couldn't see Tobias until it was time for the net.

When I got there, Nina, the receptionist, smiled. "Hey Six, I have something for you."

I tried to resist rolling my eyes and I stuck my hand out. Nina placed a small note in her hand, and I let out a sigh.

Tris,

We had to run! But Uriah and Marlene are hanging out in the training rooms doing some knife throwing before the noobs get here!

-Will.

Will was never one for words, but I began to walk towards the training room. With any luck I'd catch Tobias setting up for the initiates. But of course, there wasn't anyone in the training room. But, with a knife flung through the middle, there was a note on one of the knife throwing boards. I half considered just walking away and forgetting it all, but in the end, my curiosity won out—if not so that I could murder Tobias later for all this.

I wasn't naïve, I knew it was him.

The note had my name written in Tobias' messy scrawl. I yanked the knife out of the wall and ripped the small envelope it was in open

VI,

The next train. Get off where we began.

All my love,

IV

I didn't want to go. I wasn't going to go and reward him for this.

Damn it.

I started to run for the surface level, knowing the next train would be there in mere minutes. I hit the platform as the train showed up, and I jumped as soon as I found an open car. I let myself collapse onto the train, and low and behold there was another note, attached to the wall of the train. I shoved the old note into my pants with the rest of the notes I had received, and pulled the new on off the train car.

VI,

Are you mad yet? I can practically see the steam coming out of your ears. But if you got this, I'll see you in approximately five point five minutes. Your stop is coming up, get ready.

All my love,

IV

I sighed and looked out of the train, the Abnegation faction was coming into view. It was hard to miss all the grey. I lifted myself up, and shoved the last note into my pocket. As soon as I saw a patch of grass, I launched myself out of the train car and rolled into the grass laughing and screaming. Jumping out of trains never got old. In the distance, I could hear the applause from Choosing Day. Abnegation would be completely deserted until it was over, which meant that Marcus wouldn't be home. I picked myself up and started sprinting through the streets, letting the grey buildings turn into blurs and streaks.

The exhilaration was wonderful, and I was amazed at how many good memories came flooding back. At this point, the signs of the Genocide were gone. The only scars that remained were in the decimation of their numbers. I faltered when I passed by my old home, but I couldn't linger.

I just couldn't. I needed to push on and not let the feelings come flooding back. There wasn't anything that I could do about their deaths now. Tobias was my family now. I ran behind my house, and went the familiar path to the field behind Tobias' childhood home. The place where we had spent six years getting to know each other, grow up, and fall in love with each other. The grass had grown so tall since I had been here last.

I walked through the grass slowly, searching for Tobias, for anything signaling that he was here. When I got to our usual spot, I saw another note sitting on the ground. I smiled and leaned down, opening it slowly. There were two words written on it.

Turn around.

I turned and was met face to face with Tobias, who was staring at me thoughtfully.

I was about to say something. And he finally spoke.

"You're here." He took another step towards her. "And you're in all black. The initiates will be here soon, you took longer than I thought. You look beautiful."

"Um…" I said, confused, smiling. "Tobias that's true and I totally care—"

"I'm trying to tell you I love you." He said simply. I grinned and laughed a little.

"What?"

"The world is abhor with death and disease, we dance on the edge of destruction. The globe's getting warmer by deadly degrees—"

"And this is one fucked up seduction." I said matter-of-factly, laughing. What in the hell was he trying to get at?

"This is planet is pretty much broken beyond all repair. But one thing is working if you're standing there."

He paused, and bit his lip then said softly, "Perfect for you. I could be perfect for you. I might be clueless, and mean, and a bit over-protective, it's true. But I might be perfect…" Tobias sighed, and seemed frustrated, looking away from me. "I'll make myself perfect—perfect for you."

I reached for Tobias' hand and grasped it comfortingly. What was he getting at? He was perfect by just being him. He looked at me and began to speak again before I could get any words out.

"You square all the corners, I straighten the curves."

"You've got some nerve Tobias, and I'm just all nerves." I offered, laughing lightly. He was scaring me.

"But even if everything else turns to dirt…" He said, turning full-frontal to me, taking my other hand, and pressing his forehead to mine, closing his eyes. "We'll be the one thing in this world that won't hurt."

We stood there for I don't know how long just…breathing each other in. He was perfect. Just this…it was perfect. I smiled and he touched his lips to mine softly. It set my body alive like electricity. Finally he spoke again, his voice shaking.

"I can't fix what's fucked up. But there's one thing I know I can do…" Tobias finally opened his eyes and looked at me, so much love and honesty in his eyes. "I can be perfect for you."

"I can be perfect for you." I responded, not trusting my voice to go any louder than a whisper.

Tobias smiled and took a small step back from me. He looked at me, he looked at me like I was the most precious thing in the world. Wait…was today our anniversary? Was that I thing, crap I forgot.

But then Tobias was down on one knee, smiling up at me, and my heart stopped dead in my chest.

"You look like a star."

I let a small surprised laugh out. "Oh I do?"

"And you are. Hey…Let's see this thing through." He pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket, and I shoved it away.

"Am I crazy?" I said shortly. "I might end up crazy."

Even though things were better, I still dealt with a lot of post-traumatic stress from initiation and the Genocide. There were really bad days. How could Tobias want to be with that forever? My mind started whirring to worst-case scenario situations.

He spoke softly, taking my hands in his. "I'll be here for you."

"You say that right here." I said, breathing quickly, "But then give it a year, or ten years, or a life, and I could end up your wife sitting staring at walls, throwing shit down the stairs, freaking out at the store, bleeding out in the bath—"

"Perfect for you." Tobias said, cutting me off, and taking my face in his hands gently. "I will be perfect for you. So you could go crazy, or I could go crazy, it's true. Sometimes life isn't sane. But crazy I know I can do. Cause crazy is perfect. And fucked up is perfect. So I will be perfect—"

I whispered, "Perfect."

He smiled and kissed me softly. "Perfect for you."

It was quiet, and I kissed Tobias softly. When we pulled away from each other, he pressed his forehead to mine, and we just breathed each other in.

Finally he spoke. "Will you marry me, Tris?"

I bit my lip nervously, but I knew what I wanted in my heart. What was right.

"Yes. Yes Tobias. I'll marry you."

He laughed and kissed me passionately. I couldn't help the grin coming to my face. It was moments like these that made life good. That made it livable and possible for me to believe that I could be better. That maybe I wouldn't be crazy. Tobias pulled away and slipped my ring onto my left hand.

I thought that I would be scared, or panicked when I actually saw it there, on my hand. But looking at it, it fit. It felt right, and it looked beautiful. I felt beautiful—but that was just Tobias' effect on me.

I smiled at him, and my heart raced when I looked into his eyes my heart raced. I placed my left hand, now adorned with my beautiful ring, over his heart. It was beating fast, and my smile spread.

In this moment, everything was perfect, and we were perfect.

*All credit goes to Next to Normal (Hey#3/Perfect for You & Perfect for You), and Veronica Roth! Review! I need your guys' feedback please! I love you guys!

All my love, Always Rosaline*