AN: Okay some serious business...First, thank you to the wonderful people who offered to be a beta for this story and took their time to do a test run with me. This story will now continue with a beta and I believe it will be better for that. So thank you!

Second, I received some very genuine, awesome reviews for last chapter and as usual I am very touched. Your support means everything to me.

Now on with it!...

Chapter 25

I wake up the next morning to a soft hand stroking my hair back from my face. I lie there for a moment, reveling in the comfort, and remember all the times Tobias has run his hands through my hair just like that.

That's all it takes to shatter the fragile sleepy state I was in and for my eyes to shoot open. It's not Tobias that I see, but instead, my mom. She sit on the edge of my bed and smiles down at me softly.

"Hi, honey."

"Mom?" I question groggily; my mind may be awake, but my body is still heavy with sleep. I turn my head to glance at the clock on my bedside table. It reads 9:00, which means I only managed a mere three hours of sleep last night.

My mind quickly sifts through everything that has occurred since I arrived: finding out about Peter, my conversation with Tobias, and my research into child custody cases.

My mom is eyeing the computer screen, still active, and the page that stares back at us. I was searching for ways to prevent Peter from having anything to do with Amelia when exhaustion overtook me.

"Would you like to meet with your father's friend today? He really is the best and wants to help."

I nod wearily. I don't really want to let anyone else in on the situation, but if my research taught me anything, it's that this situation can get ugly really fast. Having someone on my side who knows what they're doing can only help.

"Okay, I'm going to go make us some breakfast. Why don't you shower and meet us downstairs?" Mom suggests with a smile and a gentle squeeze of my hand. I nod, swinging my legs off the bed as she leaves the room.

Once the door is shut behind her, I let out a long sigh, rubbing my temples to try and stave off the headache that's already building. It's going to be a very long day. I hear my phone buzz on the nightstand and reach over to pick it up. I have several new text messages and one call.

The call is from Christina. Crap. I forgot to let her know that we got here okay, which I had promised I would do. I tell myself I'll call her back later, opting instead to shoot her a text that lets her know I arrived safely. I'm not ready to talk to anyone else about what's happening yet, and if she hears my voice she'll undoubtedly know something is up. I start to open my new text messages.

The first is from Uriah: You okay? Haven't heard from you since the disaster that was the morning after.

I shudder at Uriah's blatant reference to the horrible morning at Tobias's house, which all of our friends unfortunately witnessed.

I'm good. Visiting family in Chicago for Thanksgiving. We'll talk more when I get back. I hope my reply will satisfy his curiosity and that he'll forget all about it by the time I get back.

There is a similar text from Marlene that I reply to in the same fashion. Lastly, there is one from Zeke. I hesitate, not sure that I want to know what Tobias's best friend has to say to me since I'm pretty sure that Tobias told him everything.

Deciding to just get it over with, I click to open his text: He's an idiot, but he's an idiot that loves you, Tris. Please give him a chance. For him and for yourself.

I stare stupidly at the text. Zeke is always surprising me with his sincerity and his depth. Most of the time he comes across as a goofy twelve-year-old, but when he chooses to act his age he proves to be a caring, smart friend.

His words touch something in me, and I know that even though Tobias and I took a step backwards in our relationship, we can start moving forward again. It will take patience and trust, but we can do it — we do love each other, despite what happened.

My reply is simple, but feels like a strong promise as I type the words: I will.

Dropping my phone onto the bed beside me, I get up and head to the bathroom for a steaming hot shower, hoping to loosen the tension in my muscles. I feel more awake and ready to attack my problems head-on by the time the water runs cold.

As soon as I reenter my bedroom, my phone buzzes. I grab it and see that Christina texted me back, as did Tobias.

I open his first. I'll be flying in at 3:00. I got a room at a hotel near your parents. Will you meet me there at 4:30 for dinner?

It stings a little that he got a hotel room; before everything happened he had been planning on staying at my parents' house with me and Amelia. I try to shrug off that feeling as I type my reply.

Yes, I'll meet you. Which hotel?

His answer is nearly instantaneous. I find the hotel on Google Maps, noting that it's only 5 miles from my parents' house.

Christina's reply was simple: Good to know you're alive; you owe me a phone call.

She is ever one for straightforwardness. I feel a little guilty for forgetting to call her and then being a chicken and only sending her a text this morning, but I know she'll get over it. I just don't want to share with anyone what's going on right now.

Once I finally make my way downstairs, I see that my brother has made it here safely. He's currently playing with Amelia in the living room. I smile at the sight of them sitting on the floor, the cribbage board in-between them, and an adorable scowl on Amelia's face as she stares at her cards.

She glances up for a moment, and her face lights up when she sees me. My heart soars at the look of adoration on her face, and I know I'm forgiven for dragging her here without her favorite new friend, Four.

I walk over and sit down beside her while she goes back to contemplating her cards, trying to decide which ones to throw into the crib. Finally she decides, taking two out and showing them to me before she puts them down. I smile at her slightly and nod, but then our moment is broken by my brother.

"Hey! No cheating!" He jokes, but his face is mock serious.

Then he smiles at me. "Hey, Bea. How are you?"

"Good. How are you? When did you get in?"

"I'm good, got in last night, but Susan and I spent the night at her parents' house." Susan is Caleb's fiancée. We were all happily shocked when he finally located his balls and asked her out three years ago. It didn't take them long to get engaged, and now they're planning to get married next summer.

Caleb's face turns serious, and he eyes Amelia cautiously before speaking again.

"I heard about your situation."

I glare at him, looking between him and Amelia frantically. He seems to catch my drift and doesn't push it further, for which I'm grateful.

Then Mom and Dad walk in with breakfast, breaking the awkward tension that has built up in the room.

Mom sits down on the couch and Amy leaps up next to her.

"So, Amelia, what would you like to do with Grandma today?" My mom asks her.

"I want to go to the big park in the city to play!" she exclaims gleefully.

"I don't know, Amy, it's pretty cold outside." I warn her.

She turns on the charm and gives me the biggest puppy dog eyes I've ever seen.

"We'll bundle up good, won't we?" Mom asks Amelia, always wanting to make her happy and spoiling her in the process.

"Mm-hmm, but Mommy, aren't you going to come?"

"Mommy and Papa have a meeting they have to go to today." My mom answers for me before I have the chance to respond. Amelia's face falls for a moment, but perks right back up as she starts to talk animatedly about everything she wants to do at the park today.

We eat and chat about random things; when we're done, my father stands up and motions for me to follow him into the kitchen. I take my mom's and brother's empty plates and do just that.

"We have a meeting at 2:00 with my friend, just outside of the city."

"Okay," I answer, then I remember dinner with Tobias. "Oh, Four got into town today and I'm going to meet him at his hotel for dinner. Would you be able to watch Amelia tonight; we have some things we need to discuss and it wouldn't really be appropriate for her to join us."

"Of course." My father answers shortly. I can tell he knows something is up with Four and me; my mom would pry until she got something out of me, but my father waits for me to come to him when the need arises.

The rest of the morning goes smoothly. My brother and I catch each other up on our lives and reminisce about old times. After lunch, my mom and Amy head out to go to the park. I feel a pang of sadness, wishing I could go with them. My brother also leaves to meet up with Susan for some wedding planning. They're going to have the wedding here in Chicago, and need to take advantage of this rare trip home to work on the details.

I start to get more apprehensive as the minutes tick by. I don't have much else to occupy my mind with, so I find myself worrying about the upcoming meeting with my dad's friend and about my dinner with Tobias. Will things be weird between us now, or will we pick right back up as if nothing happened? I'm not sure which would be better. I know we need to talk, but I'm dreading actually doing it.

By the time we're ready to leave, I'm so jittery and on edge that I jump at the sound of the doorbell. My dad goes to answer the door, coming back with a package addressed to me.

I take the package from him, puzzled. "That's weird, I don't know anyone that would send me something here."

"Open it." My father urges.

I do, and upon seeing the contents I promptly drop the box like it burned me

My dad looks at me curiously before bending down to pick the box up himself. Inside, there are pictures. Pictures of me. Pictures of me and Amy walking in the park. Pictures of me dropping her off at school. Pictures of Amy, Tobias and me walking in my neighborhood. So many pictures.

My dad sighs in frustration and shuts the lid of the box harshly. "We'll bring them with," he says as he grabs our coats and ushers me out the door.

All I can see in my mind is the slip of paper that was resting on top of the pictures in the box. The one that ominously warns: I know.