Hey guys. Here's a new one.

Chapter 10

Carter didn't stay much longer after Grayson declared he was never leaving her. Grayson's family would be back soon, and Carter didn't want Haley and Erin getting any ideas. Also, Christina would not even think twice about telling Tris that she caught their kids together, alone in Grayson's bedroom. Carter knew Tris wouldn't care that she and Grayson were together, but then she'd always get that look. That look that says Be Careful or Don't Do Anything Stupid. Carter hated that look.

Grayson stood in the doorway with Carter, playing with her fingers on her right hand. "I'll see you later." He whispered. "Save me a bunk near yours." He kissed her knuckles and disappeared back into the apartment, leaving Carter to wander by herself.

She didn't want to go back to her own apartment. It would be nice to see her family after such an eventful day, but she felt the need to be on her own. Carter felt herself drifting towards the Chasm. She ducked down into the secret spot that she had found a while ago, a spot she shared with Grayson, but found that it was already occupied.

"Mom?" Carter called out, shocked that her own mother was sitting in a spot she thought only she and Grayson knew about.

Tris turned around, looking as shocked as Carter felt. She stood up suddenly, looking uncharacteristically unsure of herself. Carter's mother looked vulnerable, something Carter hadn't seen since her dad first disappeared.

"Carter," Tris said, trying to quickly regain her composure. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the other initiates? Or with Grayson?"

Tris had never tried to deflect from any situation before with Carter. Even when Tobias disappeared, Tris was always straight with Carter. It didn't matter that Carter had only been nine or ten at the time. That's when Carter noticed the streaks on her mother's cheeks. Tris had been crying, and obviously she was not interested in talking about it. That was too bad though, because Carter was determined to relieve her mother of her burden. Only Carter could make her talk about the things that threatened to tear Tris apart.

Carter decided to start off the conversation with light small talk. She couldn't just jump right into the big stuff. Her mom wouldn't want to hear it.

"I thought only I knew about this spot," Carter said softly, not answering any of her mother's questions.

Tris chuckled softly, obviously relaxing due to Carters naïve statement. "This spot has most likely occupied by a lot of people Carter," she murmured. "Your father and I also had our share of moments here, and when I was your age, I thought we were the only ones who knew about it too."

Carter had to hide her surprise that this little niche once was shared by her mom and dad. She never remembered them being apart very long, and they were always by their children. This must have been a spot for them prior to the birth of Carter and Aiden.

"Now that I think about it, that makes a lot of sense," Carter said. "A space like this would never be untouched for so many years." She paused for a second. "I'm glad it's something that both of us have enjoyed."

Tris sat back down and motioned for Carter to join her. Carter squeezed in next to her mother and rested her head on Tris' shoulder. It was slightly awkward considering Carter was a bit bigger than her mother, but the action made her feel safe; made her feel like a little girl again who just had to worry about what black shirt she was going to wear to school.

"How are you holding up Carter?" Tris asked softly.

Carter sighed. In all honesty, she didn't know. There were so many emotions running through her at once that it was hard to sort through them all. For someone with an aptitude for all five factions, Carter was terrible at compartmentalizing things, but that could possibly be the reason for it. As she looked at her mother, she wanted to say everything. What the test administrator had said, what her dad had said, what Grayson had said. It was so hard to keep it all inside.

"You can let it out Carter," her mom whispered. "It's okay. It's just me."

That's when the floodgates were opened. Carter couldn't control her tears any more than she could control the current at the bottom of the Chasm. She wrapped her arms around her mom, feeling that it was the only way to stop the shaking. She felt her mom's thin arms slip around her and hold her tight. Carter felt so relieved that all this stress was pouring out of her, even if she wasn't talking about it. Six year's worth of heart break came out in the big, fat tears streaming down her face. She knew she'd tell her mom everything.

"So much is happening, mom," Carter managed to get out. "I don't know what to do! I feel like I'm being crushed. It's all happened in two days, and it's been the longest two days of my entire life!"

Tris wiped the tears from Carter's cheeks and brushed back a few strands of her hair, and Carter stifled a laugh. She was supposed to be the one comforting her mom. This was the complete opposite of what was supposed to happen.

"It's okay Carter," Tris soothed. "No one can blame you for feeling this much pressure." Carter shot a look at her mother, wondering what she was talking about. She couldn't have known about Carter's divergence. It wasn't possible. "Your father told me." Tris confessed. "He told me everything, why he was here, the role you play. I know everything."

"He told you?" Carter was confused. On one hand, she was ecstatic that her mom knew, that she didn't have to keep it from her anymore. On the other hand, she was furious that it was her father that told her. He had no right to say a word to Tris about anything. His very presence hurt Tris in ways Carter could barely understand. Tobias was a stranger now, and what was between him and Carter should not have been pushed onto Tris.

"Yes," said Tris. "I asked why he was here and what he wanted. He said he didn't know what he wanted anymore, but he was here because of you. That you were part of some top secret plan that required a very specific person with a very specific personality. I told him he was crazy, that it was impossible for someone like that to exist, but even as I said it, I knew that wasn't true."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Tris looked at her daughter, her blue-gray eyes full of love for the sixteen year old in front of her. "I always knew you were special Carter. Your father knew it too. You were so different from all the other kids. You fit in with them, but at the same time, you didn't. You were so smart, so honest, so kind, so selfless, and so brave for someone your age. And to this day, all of those things remain true. I knew you'd be divergent, but I never expected the extent of it."

Carter pondered this for a moment and realized that she should have known Tris would be suspicious. Having two divergent parents would almost guarantee a divergent child. It still didn't change the fact that she wasn't sure how much she could trust this new Tobias. Until he had his memories back and truly knew who they all were, he was a wildcard with his own motives. He could be playing them right now. He could've been warned about this.

"Do you trust him?" Carter asked nervously.

Tris sighed before she answered. "I don't know. He's not the same man I loved six years ago. He's completely different. It's like getting to know him all over again, but something is missing this time. I'm not sure whether or not we can trust him, but I'm willing to try. For Tobias, for your father, I am willing to try."

"Until he gets his memories back, I don't know what to think," Carter confessed. "No offense, but the old Tobias, my old dad, never would have told you something I had completely entrusted him with. When I first realized I liked Grayson, he figured it out, but I didn't want him to tell you. He never did. The old Tobias never would have told you if I didn't want him to."

"You're right," Tris admitted. "I remember when you told me, he didn't look surprised at all. You were always his girl. There was some connection between you two that I never understood."

"How are you doing mom?" Carter asked.

Tris looked down for a long moment. When she looked back up, her eyes were glistening once more. "He's back Carter." She said. "My husband, the father of my three amazing killed, is back. I'm so happy I want to scream it for the whole compound to hear. But he's also not. And I'm scared to death that we'll never get the old Tobias back."

"I'm going to get his memories back mom." Carter vowed. "I promise."

I'm not one to beg, but please review guys. I need to know that someone is reading this story. You all were the reason I came back. Be my reason to stay too.