I walk down the dark corridor, my heart pounding in my ears. I can hardly tell the difference between the rushing of blood in my head and the sound of the chasm, but that doesn't matter. Tomorrow, everyone will call me Six.

I wipe my palms on the front of my dress. They're stone dry, but it helps to control my nerves. I let Christina line my eyes with her pencil again tonight, and she insisted that I wear my hair down. I didn't tell her where I was going, but I think she might have it figured out. The Candor in her knew I was lying when I said I just felt like looking nice. That's probably why she insisted on telling me about her night with Will.

My hand quivers as I knock on the door.

Tobias pokes his head out from inside his room, his hair glistening with shower water. A bare shoulder shows around the door, and my heart flutters.

"Tris," he says, sounding surprised. "You look… I mean, come in."

He opens the door wider and ushers me inside.

"Why are you dressed like that?" he says, closing the door behind me.

"I just… felt like looking nice for a change."

"You always look nice." Heat rushes to my face as he sits down on the bed, casually tossing his long arms out behind him as he leans back. The muscles in his abdomen seem to have been carved out of stone as they work to keep him sitting halfway up. My heart flutters again.

"Really, why are you here, Tris?" he says.

"I…" My throat seems too tight, too dry to produce sound. I've been staring at him too long.

"You can tell me anything."

"I… don't want to be called 'Tris' anymore," I choke out.

Confused, he sits up and looks at me, his head tilted slightly. "Okay, then Beatrice. I'll let everyone know." His eyes sparkle, and I know he's imagining Eric and the other initiates calling me by my full name.

"That's not what I mean…" I say. "Everyone calls you 'Four'…"

"So you what them to call you 'Seven'? I mean, seven is an impressive number of fears, but it's a strange nickname, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it is. I want them to call me 'Six.'"

Tobias tilts his head again, then a grin slowly spreads across his face. "I think I might be able to help you with that." He stands and strides toward me, covering the gap in two long-legged steps. His palms press to my jawbone, his long fingers in my hair, and the heels of his hands under my chin. He lifts my face toward his, and presses his lips to mine. Gently, at first, then more insistent, the pressure driving my lips apart. One of his hands moves from my face, over my arm and down my side, leaving fire in its wake. It comes to rest on my hip, and Tobias pulls me into him.

He pulls his face back a few centimeters, despite my protests, and says, "Are you sure this is what you want? I don't want you to do this just because you think it's what I want."

"I'm sure," I whisper. In reality, I've never wanted anything more. My heart leaps into my throat as he kisses me again, and like a drunk dancing couple, he leads me toward the bed.

I break away from him and climb up onto the huge four-poster. I feel tiny on this bed among the pillows and slept-in sheets. The warm, musky scent of Tobias caresses my nose, and my head spins.

Tobias stands at the edge of the bed, watching me with a small smile. My face reddens again, and I force my shaking hands to push the dress off my shoulders. It falls to the bed around me in a black flowing circle.

Be brave, Tris. Tobias's voice reminds me. I stand on the bed, letting the dress fall from my hips, and gather on the bed at my feet. A huge part of me, the Abnegation part, I realize, wants me to crouch back down on the bed and gather the dress back up around my body. But as of tonight, I am officially Dauntless. I will act like it.

I stride toward Tobias, taking his face in my hands as he so often takes mine, and kiss him. The sensation of being taller than him is so strange, but it doesn't last long. He presses into me, climbing up on the bed, and soon I am on my back. He looks down at me, our faces only inches apart, and runs his long fingers gently over my bare stomach. I can't suppress a shudder as his fingers trace each of my ribs and follow the line of my bra band.

His hand presses its way behind my back, and closes around the clasp of my bra.

"Do you want me to?" he asks.

I don't know. I don't know. I want it so much, but I'm afraid.

"I…"

"It's okay," he says. "There's no rush."

He removes his hand and kisses me again, gently. He slowly presses his body into mine. I feel his heart beating against my chest, the weight of him slowly descending onto me. I expect to feel a flash of fear, but it doesn't come. I feel almost like I'm slipping into a warm bath. My muscles relax as he lays on top of me, and I find my body pressing back into his.

We breathe in unison as we kiss more deeply than we've ever done. My hands roam his muscular back, finding the places where they fit perfectly. I notice that whenever I move my hands just a bit too quickly, a gentle shudder goes through him. The mighty Four, shuddering. The thought brings a small laugh to my throat, and it bubbles out into our kiss. I feel him grin, and feel his fingers press into my sides.

After a few more minutes, I pull back the tiniest fraction. "I think I'm ready," I say, looking into his deep eyes. They're the color of midnight in this light, and as deep as the sea.

"Okay." Tobias reaches behind me, but I stop him.

"I want to." He moves back a bit to give me room, and I reach behind my back and deftly unhook the bra clasp. I slip the satin straps over my arms, still keeping my chest covered, and look up at him.

His eyes lock onto mine, never moving away, as I slowly remove the fabric from my body. I toss it away behind him, and he kisses me again.

"You are so beautiful," he whispers in my ear.

My cheeks warm, but my mind is wiped clean as he kisses my neck firmly. A sigh escapes my lips that I didn't even feel forming. I reach for his hand, and guide it up my body. I want him to be the only other person in the world to know me this way.

I guide his hand over my rib cage and up to the soft mound of flesh that has been hidden from him until now. I shudder and feel goose bumps form over my entire body as I release his hand and he gently explores my chest with his fingertips.

His other hand rests on my hip, just above the waistline of my panties. He gently rubs one finger over the bone there, and I can't stop the shaking this causes.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asks, suddenly sounding nervous.

"No," I say, breathless. "I don't want to wait any longer."

Tobias guides his thumb under the silk fabric, and tugs it down to my feet in one swift motion. I feel like I'm frozen and melting at the same time.

"Tell me if you want me to stop," he says, and kisses me again.

I can't think of any reason why I would stop him. My breath catches in my throat as he touches me. I've never felt a sensation like it, but his warm fingers seem to find the perfect spot, a place I didn't even realize existed. A quiet moan escapes my lips. I feel Tobias grin against my neck, and he kisses my throat. His fingers work deftly, gently, eliciting more and more urgent sounds from my mouth. Sounds I never knew I could make.

I don't want this to stop. Ever. Like a waves crashing on a shore, shudders move through my entire body. "Tobias," I moan quietly into his ear. The sound of his name seems to work like jet fuel for him, because his fingers suddenly move into overdrive and I can't stop what I know is one final tidal wave. A tsunami hits me, making my back arch and my voice do things I never knew were possible. Just as the first tsunami subsides, another takes me.

Tobias slows the motion of his hand, gently moving it back up my body, and kisses me deeply. "Tris," he says. "You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

My body shakes from head to toe. My head spins. I can't think of anything except how perfect I feel in this moment. But then the nerves return, creeping back into my mind. I know about the next part. I know it hurts. Christina said it would.

"We don't have to go any farther," Tobias says.

"I… I want to," I say.

"Tell me if I need to stop, okay?"

I nod. Tobias stands at the edge of the bed, and quickly unbuttons his fly. His jeans fall to the ground around his ankles. He wears nothing underneath. My cheeks burn as I look at him, so I look into his eyes. He stares back at me, not at my body, but at my eyes. I wriggle closer to him, still lying on my back, until one leg is on either side of him. He leans down over me, and kisses me softly.

"Stop me if I hurt you," he says, a serious tone in his voice.

He kisses me again, and my hands entwine in his hair. As we kiss, he gently presses his way inside me. It doesn't hurt, as I had expected, but it's a strange sensation. Strange, and yet so right.

I sigh, and then my breaths come in short gasps. "It's okay," I breathe. "I'm okay."

Tobias kisses me again, and slowly draws back out, then presses in again. The sensation makes my head spin. I can't think, as he slowly increases his tempo. He caresses my face with one hand, touching my body with the other. He runs his fingers over each breast in turn, making my body shake, and I begin to feel another wave of pleasure pulling at me. It isn't as insistent as the previous waves, but it is strong. It comes from deep within me.

"Tobias," I say, louder than I meant to. He freezes.

"No," I gasp. "Don't… stop…"

He resumes his motion, and the wave hits me, pushing me firmly over some invisible cliff. I can't contain a gasp, which catches in my throat. My mouth opens wide, partially in shock of the ecstasy I feel, and a high-pitched moan escapes my lips.

Tobias moans as well, a deep masculine sound, which pushes me farther over that cliff. His tempo increases until, with a few hard thrusts, we both climax. He falls against me, still pressing into me gently, and I can't contain the giggles that bubble up from my stomach.

Tobias rolls to his left to lie beside me, gasping for breath, and grinning. I feel suddenly cold, and reach to wrap myself in one of the blankets, when I realize I'm sweating all over my body. I laugh and grin at Tobias.

"So, Six..." he says. "Congratulations on overcoming a fear."

I laugh again and kiss him. I feel a strange mixture of exhaustion and invigoration. Part of me wants to fall asleep next to him and stay there forever, while another part of me wants to jump off a building. The second part wins.

"Get dressed," I say smiling. "I have an idea."

We race down the corridors, my mussed hair flying out behind me, to the train tracks.