Chapter 21-Reunited

Tris pov

"Tobias?"

His name hangs in the air between us but the soldier in front of me says nothing.

It can't be him, I tell myself. You know that it can't be him because he's... But I know those eyes, he thinks that his eyes make him look like Marcus. And yes, they're the same color but, his are so much kinder and full of love and they're the eyes that I wish I could wake up to every morning and be the last thing I see at night. I thought that I'd never see him again but, is this him? I know it's impossible and crazy and just a little bit mad but, aren't those usually the best things?

I stare at him expectantly but still he says nothing.

It's not him, I think as I let my head fall in disappointment.

How could I be so stupid? Why am I holding on so tight to the hope that he might be okay? He's not. He's... I should have jumped off the chasm when I had the chance because I wouldn't have to deal with going crazy. How else do you explain me seeing Tobias when I know it's not him? He's dead!

These thoughts start to seep in and my eyes start to well up. Those last two words echo in my mind and the silence in the room makes it even more deafening. My breathing starts to come more rapidly and tears start to drip down my cheeks. Everything comes to a crashing stop, though, when the other person in the room decides to speak up.

"Tris," he says softly. My head snaps up to look at him, he's taken off his glasses and he looks like he could burst into tears at any moment. "It's me."

When I was fourteen, our parents were at work and Caleb and I got in a fight. We were washing the dishes from breakfast and we started talking about how cruel it was for Erudite to publish lies about Marcus beating his son. Looking back now, I see that it was true, not that it makes it right to publish that for the world to see. But I was ranting slightly and then Caleb started to scold me and tell me about how I shouldn't be so hard on the Erudite. Of course, I accused him of being a horrible traitor and faction before blood so faction before everything. At that moment, he was filling one of our fathers coffee mugs with cold water to rinse it out. Instead, he poured it over my head before I had a chance to say anything more.

That's exactly what it was like when he told me that. I feel a sudden chill run through me and my breathing picks up until I'm hyperventilating. My entire body starts to shiver and my teeth are chattering. He's dead! How is he here?!

He, Tobias, slowly gets up and sits beside me on the bed. Taking both my hands in his, I can feel him staring at me but I can't bring myself to look at him.

"Tris?" I can hear his voice crack. "Please look at me," he begs.

Still trembling, I lift my head and look at him. "But, you were dead," I choke out through the tears.

Tobias scoots even closer and lets go of my hands, "No, I'm okay. We're okay," he says, sounding desperate for me to understand.

"But your jacket," I start to say, rubbing up and down my arms where his jacket used to be. When I ran from dauntless just hours ago, I wasn't wearing his jacket. "They gave me your jacket. They got it off of your body," more tears fall just at the memory.

Tobias takes a deep breath and clamps his eyes shut. "In the accident where I allegedly died, there were a lot of people that did die. It was all a plan so that I could sneak into Erudite and shut them down from the inside. After the bomb went off, I found someone who could pass as me and switched our jackets. Then I got a new look so I wouldn't be recognized and came here. It was all staged, none of it was real."

I was speechless. What do you say to that?! I shut down, I cut myself, I almost killed myself over something that was all a lie? How could he do this?!

"Please say something."

"How could you do this?" I quietly ask.

"Tris, I had to. I'm alright now, everything's okay; none of it was real," he says.

"It felt real, Tobias. That letter you wrote me, it broke my heart. And having to read it after your name was read off that list. You don't even know how hard it was," I blink fiercely to try and alleviate the tears. My eyes fall to my forearm, "Do you want to know how I got these scars?(A/N: Batman reference) I felt so lost and... The pain and depression, the stares and these scars. They're real," I say.

"Tris, I-" Tobias starts to say but I cut him off.

"Why couldn't you have told me? Do you know what it was like to lose not just my parents but to lose someone that I love so much?"

I'm about to go on but am interrupted by Tobias' lips crashing into mine. It seems like so long since I've felt like this, feeling like my bones are melting and feeling warm inside. Tobias pulls away first but he stays close enough that I can feel his breath on my face.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't want to hurt you, Tris but, I had to make it seem real, I'm so sorry," he says before pausing slightly. "Did you mean it?" He asks hopefully.

"Mean what?" I ask, how close he is along with that kiss has made me a little light headed.

I can see Tobias' cheeks flair slightly before he looks around the room nervously. He's eyes land back on me, "Do you really love me?"

I look up to him and I can feel my cheeks heat up. I give him a slight nod and his grin nearly splits his face in half.

And when he kisses me right then, even though we're in the middle of a war, in the midst of the enemy, I have my Travelin' Soldier back again and it feels like everything with be alright.

That is, until we hear footsteps headed this way.

A/N: Hey everybody. I'm so sorry that it took me so long to write this. I've had so much homework and life is crazy. I just notice that I have 89 reviews. Oh m goodness, you guys are amazing. What would be more amazing tho, is if only eleven of all of you guys that read this would review. If you guys get me to 100 reviews that aren't just 'update soon' by Tuesday, I will get u a new chapter before the week is up. You guys are amazing and I appreciate you all.

-cmatty (please check out my Wattpad)

-Chloe