A/N: Another longish author's note brought to you by:

1) IceFire15! Thank you for being my 150th reviewer! Like free WiFi, my dear, you are simply the best :)

2) Echo in the Whispering Wind! A HUGE shout out to you. Thank you so much for reviewing as you go along! :) I was delighted to come and find all of your reviews. It was an awesome way to start my week. May your days be filled with skittles and chocolate. (Unless your allergic lol).

3) And everybody else! I passed my 10,000 views milestone for this story on the last chapter. Thank you guys so much for all your support :)

Now back to the story:
The next few chapters have some important time skips but I won't be labelling them because they're well described within each chapter and I think the story flows better without me posting a stamp above each time skip. So please read attentively, and please do enjoy this chapter :)

26. The Fence

ALEX

Today's the day; my first day as an independent member of Dauntless. It doesn't feel any different than any other day, except for the fact that for the first few seconds of it, I don't actually remember where I am.

The ceiling is a strange colour, and instead of the wooden fan that usually circles above my head, there's a round light fixture. The walls are painted grey and there are no windows, but there are three shunts broken through the wall for light and air; one in the kitchen, one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom. I have no living room, but the kitchen and bathroom are of a decent size. The apartment is built for one person. It's small. I like it.

Still, it feels strange waking up to an empty apartment. I keep expecting my twin sister to pop out of the locker, or to step out of the bathroom. But she doesn't, and she won't. I don't think I'll ever get used to that. Anna's always been like an extra limb, a third eye, that voice in your head that just won't go away.

The silence is bittersweet, but I will myself to adapt to the newness of it all. This is home now, after all. I may be the only initiate who asked to live alone. My father found that funny for some reason.

Just as I expected, Annabelle moved in with Erin, Kati and Jessica, and she took up on Tori's job offer at the tattoo parlour. Tori has been wanting my sister to take it over ever since she saw the designs Anna made for us. She's excited to start working, as she is about most things, but this is different. Anna loves art, and she's great at it.

I'm uncharacteristically enthusiastic about work too. There is absolutely nothing exciting about being a fence guard. There aren't too many advancement opportunities, but it gives me a chance to see Abigail every day. Besides, given my rank at initiation and my parents' social status, I can change it whenever I want to.

With me and Anna out of the picture, that leaves two 'top five' jobs open. I bet whoever ranked sixth and seventh are counting their lucky stars.

Everyone thinks I'm crazy, but it was really a no-brainer. I knew that I would choose to be a fence guard. I knew it even before initiation ever began, even though I told my parents at the banquet that I wasn't sure what job I wanted yet. I know they'd support whatever decision I make, but my mother has a knack for detecting sketchiness. I'd rather they not ask me why I want this job. I'm not sure they'd approve of my relationship with Abby. It's kind of illegal, but since she's still a dependent she won't get in any trouble if we get caught. My father would kill me dead, but he'd bail me out.

After Abby chooses, if she goes back to Amity, it will be completely illegal and then no one would be able to help us. We'd be at the mercy of the council, and without the possibility of my father's intervention. I have to make sure it never comes to that.

Accepting the challenge and ready to do whatever it takes to be with her, I jump out of bed like a man with a purpose. I take a quick shower and eagerly get dressed for my first day of work. I have no idea how I'll find Abby and she has no idea that I'm coming. And I can't really just walk around Amity in broad daylight looking for her. I'll figure that part out later since that worked out so well for me last time.

I hop on the train with the other new guards. A tall, blond woman named Britni begins to give a speech about how important our job is and how the patrols work. I ignore her. Instead I look around to see who I'm working with. But there's only one face I recognize. Timothy. He looks as if he's attempting to pierce holes through my face with his stare. Probably wondering what the hell I'm doing here.

"What are you looking at?" I bark. He quickly turns his head and fixes his eyes elsewhere for the rest of the ride. I'm glad he made it through initiation. I had my doubts.

Almost an hour later when the train slows, we jump off and make our way further outside the city. My aunt Shauna usually works out here, but she's on maternity leave. That has actually turned out to be quite convenient, since she'd report any suspicious activity to my parents. I have to remember to thank my little cousin for that when he gets here.

Britni gives us a tour, stopping at each guard sector to explain the dos and don'ts. I'll never understand the purpose of guarding the fence. What exactly are we guarding it from? It's not like there's anything out there. At best, it was a job created in order to give the Dauntless something else to do, keep them out of trouble.

I see a chain-link fence with barbed wire strung along the top. It continues farther than I can see, making its way around the entire city. Past the fence are clusters of trees, a variety of plants and an orchard much bigger than the one inside. I see men and women dressed in red and orange, laughing as they plant seeds and pull weeds from the soil. They make farming look a lot more fun than I imagine it truly is.

Walking around on the other side of the fence are Dauntless guards carrying guns. At least I have that to look forward to. I shield my eyes from the morning sun as I look beyond the fence and it dawns on me that this is mostly an outdoor job. This is gonna suck entirely once it starts to snow.

After a full morning of mock patrolling with Britni I become utterly impatient. I have no interest in protecting the city from nothing and I'd prefer if this day carried on a little faster. Abby is most likely at school, and when she gets back she has no reason to come by the fence. Which means that I'll probably have to hang around here until sundown and then throw pebbles at her window again.

We come to a stop next to a large gate in the fence. It's more than twice my height and ridiculously wide. A few of the guards pull the gate open to admit a truck. It looks old, like it shouldn't even be running still.

When it stops just inside the gate, a man with a huge belly jumps out of the driver's side. He wears a friendly smile, one that reminds me of Anna's. The back of the truck is open and I look to see a few Amity sitting among a stack of crates when I see an all too familiar head of curly, red hair. What is she doing here?

Turn around. Turn around. Turn around.

I mentally yell, hoping that if I think loud enough she'll look my direction. And then she does.

"Alex?" she says.

Abby quickly stands in the back of the truck and then hops down. She's wearing a red t-shirt and a pair of black jeans and her hair is let down. She looks almost Dauntless. It's more than a little tantalizing.

She hesitates a little, but then moves toward me and folds her arms around me. Without delay I hug her back. I've waited long enough already. I inhale deeply into her hair. It smells like ripe apples and conditioner. I should let go, but I don't. In Amity people hug each other in greeting all the time, so hopefully the other Dauntless guards don't think too much of it. I do recall Britni's first don't being, Do not fraternize with the Amity.

"What are you doing here, Alex?" She asks me, looking worried, happy and confused all at the same time.

"It's ok," I say with a reassuring smile as I finally let my arms fall to my side. "I took a job by the fence. I'm allowed to be out here every day, all day if I want to."

"Why would you do that?" And her grin is wide, reaching all the way to her ear.

"Because I'd miss you too much otherwise." I gently trace a finger along the side of her jaw.

"You're amazing," she says, almost like a whisper. She blushes then bites her bottom lip. I always want to kiss her when she does that.

"We can't talk much out here," I say, looking around, suddenly remembering that we're not alone. "Meet me by the tree at sundown ok?" And she nods, smiling. It's funny. There are probably over a million trees on the Amity compound, yet she knows exactly which one I'm talk about.

"Ok," she says, smiling still.

I look over her shoulder and see that the Dauntless guards have finished examining the truck. The driver hops back into the front seat and closes the door behind him. My heart feels heavy all of a sudden.

"Abby!" I hear someone in the truck yell, and then she walks backward for a bit before she turns around and takes off.

The truck begins to move again and I watch it drive down the dirt road, not wanting to lose sight of her for even a second. She waves to me and I give a small wave back. I wish I could be in the back of that old truck with her, laughing and throwing apples at her. Days like these, I really hate the system that governs us. Is factional segregation really the only way to keep the peace?

I hear footsteps behind me and then a squeaky voice says, "Pretty." Timothy.

I give him another threatening glare. He needs to learn where to put and not put his eyes. She's mine.

Our first late evening date in the orchards by our tree proved to be sensational. It was the first time I got to really look at it. It's a strange tree, a cross breed. Its fruit is unique, taking bits and pieces of its predecessors to form something new and beautiful. It reminds me of Abby and me. It's fitting.

We talked and laughed until the last train left. After a week of that I found myself switching my day shifts for night ones with Timothy. Of course he jumped at the opportunity to get those shifts off his hands. I didn't like having Abby outside in the cold, but then she started to bring her blanket, spending the entire night with me in my sector. I'm pleasantly surprised that her sister is ok with all this.

Today is a better day than yesterday, but being with Abby seems to have that effect on me. I sit with my back against the tree, Abigail comfortably relaxed in my lap, staring at the afternoon sun. We shouldn't be out here this early, but I promised my mother that I'd be home for dinner tonight, which means I'll have to leave earlier today than usual.

"You're so lucky," Abby says, pouting her lips a little. "I wish I could get to see more of the city."

"You've never left Amity?" I ask in confusion, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Not in a while," she says. "I'm home schooled. I wasn't able to go back to school after my mom died, and when I got a little bit older Sarah said I could continue at home if I wanted to. I don't think she wanted me to go back either," she chuckles.

"Oh," I say. I can't imagine what it would be like to never leave the Dauntless compound. But I guess spending your life outdoors is not the same as being trapped underground. "Come with me," I suggest before I can stop myself. "We'll get on the train and take a spin around the city. We don't have to get off if you don't want to."

Abby's eyes open wide. The colour in them makes the sunlight look pale. "Really?" she asks a little bit too excited. I nod.

She's up and on her feet in less than two seconds, pulling me up with her, or at least trying to. But then she starts to run in the wrong direction and I can't help but laugh.

"Where are you going, Abby?" I shout after her, still standing by the tree.

"This way." She gestures to me with a wave of her arm and I follow suit.

"I can see that," I yell as I run. "But don't they load the train at the end of the tracks?"

"Yeah, but… I wanna see if I can jump on like you do," she says a little breathlessly as she continues to race toward the tracks.

"Really?" I ask, dumbfounded, yet incredibly delighted. If that's what she wants to do, she should save her energy for the train. Although I won't let something as trivial as tiredness stop her from doing this if she really wants to.

"Yeah. You'll have to show me how though. I've never done it before."

She stops at the tracks and hesitantly touches it with the tip of her shoe as if she's testing it. A tender smile creeps up on my face. She does the most adorable things and has no idea just how adorable they are.

"Is it hard?" she shouts over the noise as the train approaches, looking like she's regretting her decision.

"No," I answer quickly, downplaying the difficulty of jumping on a moving train. "I've been doing this since I was nine. My older sister showed me how."

"What do we do?" Abby asks with a fire in her eyes.

"We run!"

And run we do. She matches my pace and we keep stride with the train. As soon as I'm sure that she won't fall behind, I grab the handle and swing myself inside first. I stretch out my hand to her and she grabs it firmly, using me as an anchor to pull herself inside. I counter her force with a hard pull landing me on my back and she tumbles on top of me. Like reflex I grab on to her back, securing her body against mine. She's breathing heavily and at first I think she's hurt but then she starts to giggle hysterically and rolls herself onto the floor beside me. My eyes follow her and my lips curve up into a smile, awestruck as I watch her laugh breathlessly at the metal roof. Everything about that moment proves to be indescribable.

Abby exhales loudly and then rolls on her side to face me. Small beads of sweat sit on her forehead and her face is flushed with colour. I pull her body closer to mine and I become lost in the way the wind tosses strands of her hair wildly over her face. It is utterly mesmerizing. I stretch my fingers out to tuck a bit of it behind her ear, and they curl around her neck.

Without thinking I pull her lips to mine. With a hint of adrenaline in my blood and the most beautiful woman in the world lying next to me, it felt like the most natural thing to do in that moment. Her lips are warm and tender and sweet. She runs her fingers down my back and goose bumps rise on my arms. I kiss her harder and she finds the edge of my jacket, tugging at it as she returns the kiss. A loud moan escapes me although I doubt she can hear it over the sound of the screeching rails beneath our heads.

The train car wobbles, forcing our lips to break apart, but she doesn't open her eyes. Then she giggles as I begin to land randomly placed kisses all over her perfect face.

"I'm supposed to be watching the city," she says giddily as she tries to dodge my kisses.

"We're not there yet," I rebut.

I swing her on top of me and she props herself up on her elbows and leans her chin into her palms. Her elbows press hard into my chest and it hurts, but she's staring at me with those honey-gold eyes and I'd rather she stay like that until her elbows dig holes into me. They almost do.

When the train begins to slow down I know that we must be getting closer to the city. Reluctantly, I release her from the prison of my long arms. She stands up eagerly and makes her way toward the door. I never imagined that she would be so excited about jumping on a train or seeing the city. Maybe it's the Amity in her, being able to appreciate the beautiful things in life. Or maybe it's something else, a desire to roam, to be free, to be Dauntless.

She stands in the doorway with one hand on the handle, watching the city pass; the old tall buildings, the broken concrete, the swinging stoplights and the wide roads. I see the awe in her eyes at the beauty of it all, but this city is less than unappealing in comparison to her.

I don't like to think about what I saw in my fear landscape that day, but looking at her now I understand completely why she was featured there.

In Dauntless we are expected to be brave. And we are expected to exercise that bravery when we jump on and off trains, when we jump off of roofs, when we learn to dodge bullets and knives. But taking a chance on Abigail, knowing full well that the longer we're together the more I will fall deeper and deeper in love with her and at the end of it all she may not choose me, requires more bravery than I have ever had to muster in my entire life. Losing her will require more still. But I find that bravery deep within myself because I have to try. After having found her, I simply cannot just let her go without a fight. I'm not sure that I could ever let her go at all.

I place my jacket around her as evening sets in. The air slips across my skin as I hold her from behind and we stare at the passing city until the end of the line, and then we head back.

I ride with her back to Amity, making sure to make the most of every second of it. When the train slows, signalling the end of our expedition, I pull her closer to me. She smiles up at me and whispers, "Thank you for this." Instead of words I reply with a kiss. It's tender and deep in a way it seldom is when we're stealing kisses in the orchards. The thought that a wandering eye could be watching us always haunts the back of our minds, leaving us afraid to keep our eyes closed for too long.

Even when our lips disconnect we don't pull apart, and we stay on the train until it crashes against the ends of the tracks, stopping completely. It's a strange feeling. I've never been on a still train.

"I'll see you tomorrow ok?" I whisper against her lips.

"Ok," she whispers back. Unwillingly, I loosen my hold on her and my arms fall as she gently slips away. And then she hops off the train, walking off into the sunset. My eyes follow her for as long as they can, taking in every moment, hoping that it is enough to sustain me until I see her again. And I want to see her again, every day, for the rest of my life, for as long as I may live.

A/N: Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! :)