Happy, Happy Wednesday!

Hope you are all having a great day! Life is good, people, remember that!

I'd like to apologize for offering you guys what can be considered a very confusing chapter. There is a lot of a characters memories here and I tried my best to not confuse you all. So, yeah, there's that...

Always, welcome to new readers, thanks for taking the time to read, favorite and alert this story.

My guest reviewers, you know you guys rock!

And last, but in no means least, super mega thanks to cjgwilliams for her beta'ing this crazed chapter. You are awesome, Chica.

And so on we go ...

Chapter 25.

Tris looked down at Four, a soft smile crossing her face at the contented look he wore in sleep. Her hand reached out to him and she gently rubbed at the dried peanut butter clinging to his chest, attempting to wipe it away without waking him.

Her eyes lifted to her silk stockings hanging from the headboard of the ornate bed, the next best thing she could find when she realized Four completely lacked in the silk necktie department, and she remembered his willingness and enthusiasm to be bound and dominated by her.

Her gaze dropped to his right wrist, which was still held within the confines of her impromptu restraints. She was surprised he had slept with his arm restricted, she knew only too well the feeling of being left tied to some part of the furnishings. She certainly didn't envy the pain he would feel when he was finally free.

I wonder if I will ever get to that point with him, she thought. Never before had she wanted her lover to have that much control over her, and the very fact she was thinking about submitting to Four, giving him her complete trust, both terrified and excited her.

She leaned across him, her fingers moving nimbly over the sheer material that was pulled tight, only to realize she had no chance in unfastening the knot which had twisted into an impossible bond because of Four's frantic movements during the night.

Tris closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, before opening them and concentrating on the air surrounding the knot, pushing the molecules to gently move the silk.

"Why don't you just cut it off?" she heard Four's sleepy voice ask.

"Do you have any idea how expensive pure silk stockings are?" she asked, flicking her gaze down to him to see a soft smile on his lips.

"I'm sure you can afford more," he returned softly, lifting his head slightly to flick his tongue out and swipe it across her bare nipple.

Tris shivered at his touch, a grin spreading across her lips.

"Yeah," she breathed out, and Four wondered if that was in acknowledgement that she could afford more stockings or in encouragement to him. He took it as the latter and moved his free hand behind her back to draw her closer, his tongue dancing across her skin to encase her other nipple in his warm mouth.

"Four," Tris whimpered as his hand moved from her back down to cup her ass, and her fingers wound into his hair. In that moment, both forgot about his bound hand, and they couldn't care less, engrossed in their mouths and bodies touching, as Four tipped his head back so she could capture his lips with hers.

Their kiss was gentle, unrushed, and Tris's hands slid from his hair to his face, holding his head in place so she could give his mouth the attention it deserved as her fingertips brushed delicately behind his ears. She couldn't stop her smile as Four trembled slightly under her, knowing a simple caress from her had such an effect on him was like the ultimate aphrodisiac.

She pulled back quickly, moving off Four completely, not paying attention to his protests as she scrambled around the room.

Four watched her open and close drawers as she clearly searched for something.

"What are looking for, Blondie?"

"Scissors," she returned quickly, moving into her closet.

"What's the rush?" he grinned.

Her head popped around the door. "Because if I don't feel your hands on me soon, it will not be pretty." And she disappeared again, swearing to herself as Four chuckled low in his throat, his other hand reaching for the silk wrapped around his wrist in an attempt to loosen the knot.

When she returned to the main room, Four twisted his head to look at her, his eyes widening at the knife she held in her hand.

"Whoa, babe," he rushed out. "That's a little drastic, don't you think?"

Tris shrugged, her eyes sparkling. "Don't you trust me?" she asked, almost innocently.

Four gazed at her, his body heating up at the sight of her completely naked and holding a switchblade in her hand. He wasn't sure what turned him on more: the potential danger of the blade or the fact that she was naked while holding the blade.

"Of course," he replied, amazed at how husky his voice sounded, even to him, and he watched as Tris shuddered at the sound.

"Hurry up," he commanded, and Tris was all too eager to comply as she moved closer to him and slipped the blade under the material against his inner wrist.

The coolness of the steel almost burned against Four's overheated skin as Tris guided it into the knot carefully, and he inhaled sharply at the sensation.

Tris tugged the knife outward quickly, the silk of the stocking slicing easily against her sharp blade.

She carelessly dropped the knife to the floor as Four grasped her wrists, tugging her toward him roughly, dragging her up against his chest and to his waiting lips.

After completely devouring her mouth, he pulled away from slightly so he could flip her onto the bed, securing her neatly under him.

His hand lifted to brush her hair away from her face, his finger grazing her skin with reverence.

"Tris," he said, his voice low and seductive and shaking a little with an emotion he could hardly contain.

"Four," she replied, just as softly, beaming up at him.

His eyes moved rapidly over her, taking in her every feature. "Can I ask you do to something for me?"

Tris froze a little, afraid of what he might ask. "What?" she asked, her voice barely about a whisper.

"Can you call me Tobias? You know, when it's just us," he asked.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I think it would be nice to hear my name after all this time. To hear my name on your lips."

"I can do that, Tobias," she grinned.

He smiled before bringing his lips to meet hers again in a searing kiss.

…

Tris wandered through the house a couple of hours later while Four caught up with Jason over the phone about what he had missed from work the previous day. She knew he wouldn't normally be so desperate for this information, but it was the situation that promoted his need to be updated.

As she passed a room she hadn't entered for a while, she paused, and then opened the wide, solid oak doors slowly to reveal a sunny room, one wall lined with windows, and several instruments strategically placed within its walls. She wondered if anything had changed within the area and the urge to enter overpowered her, almost as if her younger self was drawing her in.

She loved the music room. It was one of her three favorite places in the huge house; her bedroom and the library being the other two.

This room reminded her of her mother. Natalie Prior spent hours at the grand piano teaching her only daughter to play, and as much as Tris moaned and groaned about the hours she spent indoors, she loved that her mother had taken the time to teach her something herself. Natalie believed in music and the therapy it could provide a person, and she instilled this in her daughter. She was a patient teacher, ignoring and rerouting her daughter's complaints throughout their weekly sessions in the music room. Her skill and patience showed in the fact that Tris still knew her way around the piano, even though she hadn't had a lesson in years or had even played recently.

She crossed the room and lifted the wooden lip of the piano slowly, not wanting to disturb the peace of the room. She knew there weren't many people who actually came in here, and those who did mainly wanted peace and quiet, or a place to hide. The music room had gone silent in the years after Natalie Prior's death, and in this moment, Tris found that somewhat offensive to her mother's memory.

Tris's great, great grandmother was the one to insist on a music room when the house had first been built in the late 1800's, but over the years, the room became neglected. When Natalie married Andrew, Theodore asked his first daughter-in-law what she would like for a wedding present. Her answer was simple: to restore the music room. Natalie spent hours working on the restoration herself, choosing the décor, the furnishings, and adding the instruments because she strongly believed music could play a positive role in everyone's life.

The fingers of one of Tris's hands danced over the ivory keys she once knew so intimately, a melodic sound seeming to fill the room even though she wasn't even trying. She took a deep breath and let her fingers fly without thought, appreciating the solitude in the music room and the swell of chords that brightened it. Before she knew what she was doing, Tris slid onto the piano bench, her other hand coming into play and the tinkling of a distant tune became the full body of a classical piece she instinctively remembered.

She was lost in the music for the first time in years, so much so that she didn't feel the presence behind until she finished the classical concerto her mother taught, then instilled in her so many years before, with a dramatic flourish.

"Still got it, I see," a warm voice called, and Tris turned quickly on the bench, her mouth falling open in surprise.

"Matthew!" She called before she launched herself at her childhood friend, his arms coming around her to hold her close to his tall, lanky body.

"Hey, Tris. How have you been?"

Tris moved out of his arms, smiling at him before her grin fell, and she lifted her hand to slap him hard against his chest.

"Where the fuck have you been, Matthew?"

"Ouch, shit, Tris! That hurt. I've been out in the field, you know that," Matthew returned defensively, rubbing where her hand had struck him.

"Well, I've been going through some shit, and I needed you here," Tris huffed with an over-exaggerated pout. Matthew took that look and put it through his Tris filter and determined she hadn't been too serious with her exclamations of woe.

"Ah, I'm touched," Matthew laughed. "Truly, I am. Just don't let Caleb know."

"Matthew, I love Caleb, you know I do. He's the brother I never wanted. But you are my guy, my go-to guy, and you weren't here."

Matthew looked at Tris intently, his steel blue eyes meeting blazing emerald-gold, finally catching the turmoil there. He took her gently by her hands and moved her over to a large, Victoria love-seat styled couch that was covered in a rich, maroon velvet material before lightly pressing on her shoulders and making her sit, following her a moment later.

"What's wrong, Tris?"

Tris gave a snort of laughter. "I don't even know where to begin." Matthew raised his eyes to hers, and she sighed. "Well, there's this guy..."

A half hour later, Tris had brought Matthew up to her current situation, not leaving anything out.

Matthew shivered when she recounted the death of Rachel Stanley at her old home, as well as how the girl was found and how Tris came to arrive at old Prior House shortly after, despite others trying to make her stay away.

Matthew knew everything that happened eight years ago and, along with Caleb, he held himself somewhat to blame for not being there for her and not realizing something was terribly wrong. He used to see Tris every day, and at the time of her ordeal, he had been too occupied in his first love to register anything was wrong. And when he finally noted he hadn't seen her for a while, his girlfriend suggested Tris was away at some luxury spa or having fun with her own boyfriend. He assumed Caleb had returned to college and these suggestions had eased Matthew's mind, and he hadn't thought much more about it until that fateful day.

Matthew, along with his parents and older sister, were one-time neighbors of the Priors and the children of both families had grown up together. His parents still lived next door to the now abandoned mansion. Matthew was two years older than Tris, but that hadn't stopped them from becoming best friends at a young age, after Matthew had taunted Tris's ability to climb the huge oak in his backyard.

Of course, Tris had taken his challenge and climbed to the top of the tree, only to slip on her way down, falling to the ground and breaking her arm. Matthew had been terrified his parents would blame him for the young girl's injury, but Tris convinced both sets of parents that it was her idea to climb the tree, and Matthew had valiantly tried to stop her, not the other way around.

From that moment, they were inseparable, Tris's high intelligence making up for her lack of years.

The day when he realized Tris was not out of the country or spending ample amounts of time with her own boyfriend started like any other. However, when Tris's dog, Jacob, escaped the house after her assaulter left, he ran to Matthew's home. Matthew immediately knew something was wrong when the poor dog wouldn't stop barking at him, and he nervously followed the Jack Russell back to the Priors' house, calling out to his dad over his shoulder as he went, suddenly terrified. His father, noting the apprehension in his son's face and voice, followed closely behind.

He would never forget the smell that greeted him as he entered through the back door in the kitchen. The overwhelming stench of death almost overpowered him, but Jacob fastened onto the leg of his jeans with his teeth in an earnest grip. Matthew had had no choice but to allow the small dog to pull him further into the room and the house, even though he wanted to do nothing more than run or at least exit the home for fresh air.

He almost buckled as he entered the dining room. The room, which had once been so welcoming, had become a nightmare. Blood was everywhere, stark against the evergreen walls and the rich, dark wood of the floors.

He watched as Jacob trotted over to a figure lying lifeless on the floor, leaving Matthew motionless and shocked as the pale, barely clothed form of his best friend finally registered in his mind.

He was frozen in place, unable to tear his eyes from her naked upper body, not seeing anything except the blood and wounds covering her, as his father rushed past him and into the room. He could hear the rushing of blood in his ears and time seemed to slow down as he watched his dad desperately feel for a pulse against the blood-stained neck of his 15-year-old neighbor, his other hand waving frantically at Matthew after a moment.

Matthew could see his dad's mouth moving, talking, clearly saying something to him, but the words did not connect and made no sense. All he could see was his best friend's abused body, bleeding, raw and broken with what looked suspiciously like a gunshot wound to her left side. It was horrific, and he fought the bile that rose in his throat, threatening to spill, as he watched the scene unfold in slow motion in front of his eyes.

"Matthew!" His dad's abrupt, loud, voice finally registered through his wall of shock and in that moment, time sped up. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears again, pumping in time with his heart, and his head lifted so his eyes could meet those of his father's.

"Call 911. She still has a pulse."

That spurred Matthew into action, and he dug into the pocket of his jeans for his cell phone. He called for the authorities as he made a move closer to her, kneeling at his friend's side, and studying exactly what was wrong.

The array of crisscrossing slashes marring her torso was frightening, the wounds old and new at the same time. Blood spread in all directions over her pale body, and there was hardly an inch of her normally clear skin visible. Thick, red liquid was flowing from the small hole to her side, and Matthew swallowed at the sight.

There was a gossamer thin sheet barely hiding her lower body, splotches of blood stark against the whiteness of the material, aligning with the apex of her thighs, and Matthew's fingers inched closer to the sheet, ready to lift it to find the source of the blood.

His motion faltered when his dad rushed into the kitchen and returned moments later with a handful of kitchen towels, wadding them up and pressing them against the wound at her side in an effort to staunch the blood flow. Matthew tried not to be discouraged at the fact that the towels were immediately filled with blood, and he stayed by her side, hoping and praying she would make it through this horror.

Tris flinched from the pressure and slowly opened her eyes, and Matthew smiled down to her, his hand re-routing and reaching out to touch her forehead.

"Don't," his dad whispered, his hand flashing out to stop his son from touching her.

Matthew nodded, understanding what his father was saying with that one word. Don't disturb any evidence.

"Dad?" Tris croaked out before closing her eyes again, and Matthew looked over to his father, a question in his eyes. Immediately, the older man stood quickly and went in search of her parents.

Jacob lay down beside her, a soft whimper emanating from him as he rested his head against her arm, his eyes sorrowful as he watched her.

Matthew absentmindedly stroked the animal's head. "She'll be okay, boy," he reassured the small dog, though in truth, he was trying to reassure himself.

Tris's eyes opened again, and she whispered, "Caleb."

"You want me to call Caleb?" Matthew clarified, but again, her eyes were closing as she battled consciousness.

Matthew could hear the sirens by now in the distance as he lift the phone which was still in his hand and pressed the speed dial number for her brother.

Tris had been taken to the local hospital after a few EMTs were bitten by Jacob attempting to protect his master. After they battled with the animal who was so insistent on ensuring Tris's safety, Matthew picked the dog up, comforting him with words he had heard Tris use. The words didn't make much of a difference though, and he and his friend's beloved pet sat together on the front step as the other emergency personnel arrived.

While Matthew and Jacob were dealing with the EMT's and arrival of the emergency personnel, his dad found the bodies of Andrew and Natalie Prior in a room to the side of the dining room. Both bodies were decaying, proving they had been left there for a while. He recalled the last time he'd seen or spoken to any of the Prior's was more than a week ago. Had it really been that long? Why had no one commented on that? But then again, Andrew and Natalie were known to just take off on vacations. Andrew was always busy with the Prior Group and tended to just leave when his schedule eased up a little.

Matthew's father shuddered when he realized if Tris's dog had not come running and barking for Matthew, it could have been weeks before anyone realized something was wrong, and Tris would have met the same end her parents did.

He turned to look at the back of his son, who was still seated on the marble front steps, cradling the dog to him, mildly pondering how the animal had finally escaped. He couldn't come up with a solid answer.

Soon, the number of people in the house tripled as Theodore Prior, Tris's grandfather, arrived with his two other sons, Caleb, and an array of other people the officer in charge was not happy with.

Caleb moved over to his friend. "She was alive?" The question was asked in a voice that Matthew hardly recognized.

Matthew could only nod, his body beginning to shake as the realization of what had happened there finally seeped into his brain. He had been running on adrenaline and shock before, but it was hitting him now, and it was even more horrifying than it had been when he first entered the once peaceful house.

Theodore walked over to the lanky teen and clasped his hand around Matthew's shoulders as he noticed the young man going into shock. "You need anything in this life, you come to me, son. You hear me?"

Again, Matthew could only mutely nod his head.

Theodore turned to Caleb. "We need to get her transferred from the hospital back to the house. Let's go."

"Wait," Matthew stalled them, a hand landing on Theodore's arm. "She was shot, cut, and probably raped. She needs to be in the hospital."

"What she needs to survive is at the house," the older man returned cryptically.

Matthew swung his head from Caleb and back to Mr. Prior. He'd heard of the mysterious things that happened at the Prior Estate, but he was never invited there. When he questioned Tris once about this, all she said was she couldn't talk about it.

Matthew watched as the older man seemed to study him, appraising him, and he asked, "Do you want to come?"

Matthew nodded again, bewildered at the invitation, and promptly left with Caleb and Theodore, hopping into Theodore's Mercedes before they sped into the night.

Tris was moved back to the great mansion under the guise that the grand house was actually a private hospital. She looked beyond awful, and on the verge of death, she had been placed in what Matthew could only describe as a huge, marble sunken bath tub.

He spent the next week in the house, spending hours sitting beside Tris as she lay unmoving, encased in some hard element he did not understand and could not grasp. He moved freely through the large house, meeting men and women in all different stages of their lives, but still, no one told him what this place was or why his friend had been brought here from, in his opinion, a perfectly acceptable hospital and beyond adequate medical care.

It was while he was sitting quietly in the library a week after Tris was brought back to the mansion when the door opened, and Tris walked in, alive and well, and as far as he could see, unscathed physically from her encounter. It was that moment when he decided whatever this place was, he would be indebted to it for the rest of his days. How she had survived, he would not understand until later, but the fact she had was a miracle in and of itself.

In fact, it was Theodore Prior who gave him a chance at the life he was living today. After Matthew graduated college from MIT, it was Theodore who spoke to him about joining The Dauntless. For the past four years, Matthew traveled the country, discovering new technologies and developing them to meet the needs of The Dauntless, and he loved every minute of it. He especially loved that he got to spend so much time with his childhood best friends. While they worked hard, they balanced themselves out by playing harder.

"Hey, where did you go?" Tris smiled warmly at him, and Matthew was brought back to the moment in the music room with his friend who he nearly lost years earlier.

He shook his head, willing his thoughts and memories away as he looked at Tris, who was alive and vibrant despite all the things that happened. Matthew suspected she was alive and vibrant in spite of what had been done to her, and his friend's joie de vivre was stronger because of it, though he knew Tris had her dark days and times, just like anyone else.

"You know how I space out when you go on," he smirked to her.

"You are a cruel man, Matthew Keo," she returned, her expression mock-stern.

"And you know how I always listen to everything you say," he countered seriously and watched as she relaxed back onto the plush upholstery of the couch.

"So how has Mason taken this new development?" He asked cautiously.

"He put a guard on me. A guard, Matthew, like I'm completely useless and fragile and…" she shuddered dramatically before exclaiming, "... a girl!"

Matthew suppressed his chuckle at her melodramatic response. "That bastard!"

"My thoughts exactly."

Matthew looked over to the piano and then back to Tris.

"So, you're playing again," he stated.

A soft smile played on Tris's lips. "Not really, this was the first time," she admitted, raising her thin shoulders slightly.

"But still, it's been a long time since you even looked at a piano," Matthew stated before surmising. "I take it this new occurrence has something to do with the new guy you have hooked up with?"

Tris shrugged nonchalantly, but her smile grew at the thought of Four.

"When will I meet this wonder boy who has stolen my girl?" Matthew asked, feigning distress.

"Oh Matthew," she sighed dramatically. "A wedding attended by three teddy bears, a Transformer robot, G. I. Joe, and a frog, presided over by Caleb, does not make me yours." She bit the inside of her mouth as a smile threatened to surface.

"Yeah, and the fact you were seven, and I was nine at the time," Matthew added. "But you will always be the first girl I kissed."

"And, of course, the measuring stick for all the rest," Tris laughed, winking at her friend saucily.

"That goes without saying," he grinned back.

Tris moved closer to her longtime friend and snuggled against his side. "I really missed you."

"What? With all the fun you've been having, I'm sure my face wasn't even considered for a moment."

Tris picked at his jeans, tugging on a loose thread as she leaned into him. "Did Peter come home with you?" She asked timidly.

"You know he did, Tris."

Tris sighed deeply. "Was he with anyone while you were away?"

"Are you asking me if he's over you?"

Tris nodded against his chest, unwilling to comment on his correct assumption.

"I don't know what to tell ya, kid. Yes, he was with someone… or some people, but I can't answer your other question, Tris. Only Peter can."

"But what do you think? Because I don't need a repeat of last time."

Matthew's silence spoke volumes to Tris.

"Shit," she mumbled.

…

Four moved through the house looking for Tris. He'd finished with his call to Jason and felt he needed to tell her the outcome before taking the news to Mason.

The forensic results were back from the contact lens, and they were clean of any prints, which indicated to the police that Rachel Stanley had not chosen to wear these herself and needed assistance to place them.

In the mind of a detective, that, along with the placement of the body, the similarity in cuts and marks on it, and the ominous wording on the wall meant they were almost certainly dealing with the same guy who had committed the original crime eight years ago. Which in turn confirmed Tris was in danger, and that was what bothered Four the most this evening.

He wished she would just leave the country for a while, maybe take a little vacation on that private island of hers, and hopefully, take him with her. He wasn't above begging, either, especially if it meant keeping her safe and sound while the man who potentially killed her parents and scarred her for life was making a reappearance.

He noticed Caleb talking to a tall, dark haired guy who he hadn't seen previously, just by the door leading into one of the rooms where he, Tris, and his other newfound friends generally gathered. The guy was tall, probably the same high as he was, and around the same build. His skin seemed to be naturally tan, and he was clean-shaven.

"Hey, Caleb," he called.

Caleb turned at the sound of his name, then wished he hadn't. He groaned as Four came closer.

"Hey," Four repeated, ignoring the newcomer and getting straight to the point. "I need to talk to you in private."

Caleb looked at Four and then at Peter, wondering if he should introduce the two, as well as mentally starting a pool on when the fireworks would start. Caleb smiled and bit the bullet, knowing there was no way this would end well when Peter discovered who Four was.

"Four, this is Peter," he introduced. "Peter, Four is our newest recruit." He decided to leave out the fact that Four was also the new bedmate of his sister.

Peter held out his hand, a semi-warm smile ghosting on his lips, but it didn't reach his green eyes.

Four felt the hairs prick at the base of his skull as he took the offered hand and cautiously shook it. He flashed his eyes back to Caleb, hoping he would get he really needed to talk to him alone.

"I'll catch ya later, Caleb," Peter offered, and at the taller guy's nod, he turned and moved off down the hallway.

"Who's that?" Four asked, eyeing the disappearing man with suspicion.

"That's Peter Hayes. He's been an agent here for more than 10 years," Caleb replied, unable to keep the smirk from his lips at Four's innate reaction to Tris's ex-boyfriend.

With one last glare, Four turned his attention back to Caleb. "I've just heard back from Jason who heard from forensics earlier today. There are no prints on the lenses."

"Fuck!"

"Yeah, I'm thinking of just packing Tris up and taking her somewhere, not give her the opportunity to disagree or argue," Four confided.

"It'll never work. She's too suspicious. Nothing gets past her," Caleb reasoned as they moved down the corridor together.

"Yeah," Four acknowledged. "It's just a thought."

He rubbed at the static hairs at the back of his neck. "I'm gonna go find her," he said to Caleb and left before the other man had a chance to reply.

Caleb smiled and rubbed his hands together. After a moment, he turned back down the corridor in search of some unsuspecting suckers he could draw into his betting pool.

…