Chapter Ten – Tobias

Tris and I sit in our small sitting area, cuddling; kissing every few minutes.

We have little furniture in this room – a light brown three person couch, a matching love-seat, and a wooden rocking chair all placed in a circle around a fireplace – but it feels sweet and cozy for us.

I slide my hand under Tris' sweater – which I actually think might belong to me – and place it at the small of her back, kissing her firmly.

I will lose all control in three, two, one…

The door swings open, hitting something and makes me jump; which makes Tris roll off the couch and fall on the ground on her back. I push myself off the couch as well, to crouch beside her.

"Tris, Four! I'm here!" calls Christina from the kitchen.

She walks into the living room, sees us both on the ground and covers her eyes yelling, "OH! OH I'M SO SORRY, EW!" then runs in the direction of the kitchen; stopping short by hitting the wall in front of her.

Tris starts into a fit of laughter and I join in.

"And that," I call back. "Is why you don't run with your eyes closed."

"Well Four, I wouldn't have to if you guys weren't doing it on the freaking ground!"

She cries, picking herself up.

Tris makes an interesting gurgle sound in her throat, and she gets up, pulling me with her.

"We weren't doing anything Chris. We were on the couch until you came barging in without so much as a knock and made Tobias jump, which is why I ended up on the ground." Tris says sounding a bit irritated now.

"Christina, what are you even doing here?" I say.

Tris' eyes find mine, and she has a sort of pleading look mixed with guilt. She smiles, and it matches the look in her eyes.

"Uh, I may have, sort of, forgotten to tell you. Some people are coming over tonight – our friends – so we can announce the pregnancy." She speaks slowly. "It was Christina's idea."

I raise my eyebrows, and just shake my head.

"Go ahead." I say, and sit back on the couch, as Tris plops down into my lap.

In my peripheral vision I can see Christina exit back into the kitchen, and a moment later calls out, "I'm going to be in here getting some snacks together for the guests – who, by the way will be arriving in about a half hour – and you two can just relax, and continue doing what you were doing. Just pretend I'm not even here."

I give Tris a look, and she shrugs in return.

Then I lean close to her, and catch my mouth with hers, as her weight leans into me. Her hands tangle in my hair and my shirt, as I slowly lay her down beside me. I feel her tongue trail along the edge of my lower lip, and I move my hand up from its place at her knee, over her thigh and hip to meet her waist; but I feel something different.

I part my lips, my eyes sweeping over her face and down to where my hand lays. I tug her shirt the slightest bit upwards, and I see her stomach sticking a few inches out from the waistband of her shorts. I bring my other hand to her stomach, pressing them both to her skin, and look back to her eyes.

"Your bump." I whisper. "It's so small, so precious. So beautiful."

She bites both lips forming them into a straight line, and bends them into a smile.

"I love you. So, so much, Tobias. You're going to be the most amazing father that any child could ever have."

I push myself so I am sitting, Tris' legs draped across my lap. I bend my head down so my face hovers over her stomach, and I whisper against her skin,

"Hi little one. I don't even know you yet, and I'm already in love with you. You're going to have the best mommy one day, and I love her very much." And I press my lips to the roundness of Tris' midsection, as I feel her hands rest on my head.

/

We sit in our living room on the furniture arranged in a circle. Tris is sat beside me on the two-person love-seat couch. Zeke sits close to us on the three person couch, with Matthew and Cara beside him. Sitting in the wooden rocking chair across from me, is Amar, and beside it are the two kitchen table chairs brought over here, filled with Christina and Peter – though I'm not sure why he's here.

Christina stands and clears her throat, bringing the room to a hush.

"Welcome everyone!" She begins. "As I told you all earlier, you have been invited here because you are close to Tris and Four."

When she uses the word 'close' Tris and I both glance at Peter. I really am quite curious as to why Christina thought Peter fits into that category, because I've talked to him all of two times since we came back from outside the fence, and I'm sure Tris has talked to him even less than that.

"This small gathering is due to a very important announcement; two, actually."

When Christina finishes speaking, she turns to us and raises her eyebrows.

I lean my mouth to Tris' ear and say "I think we have to stand and speak now."

She nods then rises, pulling me up with her.

"Yes." She smiles an unnatural smile at the group. "We have big news!"

Different expressions cross the faces among us. Some have raised eyebrows and smiles, some with blank stares, some wide eyes.

"Last night," I begin. "I took Tris out to dinner, and asked her to marry me. She said yes."

Tris' fingers sweep against mine then intertwine with them.

Cara stands and leans forward, giving Tris and I a hug, then returns to her place.

All our friends look happy for us; except for Matthew. I look at him, to find his eyes narrowed into small slits, glaring at me.

"Our other announcement," Tris says, and I look back to her, watching as she words her sentence in her mind.

"Is that in 6 months, there will be a new addition to our lives." She touches her one hand to her stomach, as the people around us begin to realize what she means.

"You're pregnant?!" Cara exclaims clasping her hands over her mouth.

Zeke looks at me and pulls his eyebrows together, and I nod in return to answer his unsaid question.

A few of our friends stand and talk to Tris in a small circle, as others stay seated and listen to what she says.

I sit back down on the couch behind me, and see that Matthew continues to stare at me.

"Can I help you?" I ask irritated.

He rolls his eyes, stands, and walks into the kitchen. I follow him there.

"Seriously, what's your problem? You were invited here because you're a friend, and you're acting like we're enemies."

"No, actually, I'm just acting like you are the enemy. Because you are." He retorts, leaving me without words for a moment.

So he takes the silence as a 'go ahead' to continue speaking.

"You are absolutely no good for Tris. She doesn't deserve someone who is going to get mad at her when a little thing goes wrong. She deserves someone who will treat her well, and love her no matter what. And someone who won't get her knocked up before she even has a chance to live her life independently, without needing to always be caring for another life.

"She deserves someone like me, who is ten times better than you will ever be. I have the sort of technology that can take away a baby's chance from being born. I'll use it on Tris, and she'll be much happier without it, and you." He finishes, and has a wicked look on his face.

"Get out." Her voice comes from behind me.

Tris walks up to Matthew and swings her fist right into his nose, making blood spurt out from it. He stumbles backward and holds his face. She throws another punch at his throat, then his side, making him fall to the ground.

Tris kicks him in the ribs three times before I have the chance to pull her away from him. I don't want her responsible for ending another life; even if it is Matthew's.

She struggles against my grip, but isn't strong enough to escape me pulling her back.

"Get out of here right now! Go!" She yells at him, as the others stand at the doorway watching.

"Get out and never come back." She finishes, and turns around, stomping toward the bathroom and slams the door.

I grab Matthew by the collar of his shirt, and drag him out to the hallway, dropping him there.

I close the door, and turn to face those who stand before me. I take a deep breath to calm myself, and say as gently as possible, "Very sorry for the disturbance. Let us continue with our night." And offer a small smile.