AN: As promised, the epilogue. Thank you all, I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
Five Years Later
Water, it touches the horizon and also laps at the sandy shore like a lovers kiss. Small waves form every so often, but mostly it's just the quiet ripples of water washing up and down the expansive shore.
The sand is soft here, that was one thing Tris noticed immediately about this pristine stretch of land they finally all decided to settle on. They learned the state they now call home is known as Florida, and the beautiful body of water their homes overlook is the Gulf of Mexico. It's quiet here for the most part, when they first arrived it was almost desolate, however they found the center of town to be inhabited and quite lively. People from all walks of life gathered in this city and made it their home. It was a mix of many generations and cultures, and every one of their little makeshift family loved it.
She lies back on the blanket and adjusts her bikini to give her a little more coverage. She still can't believe she let Christina talk her into wearing a two piece. Even though she is six months pregnant and her baby bump is tiny, her breasts were a different story and she didn't like feeling so exposed. She adjusts her top again and looks down at the tattoo of Eric's name over her heart. She traces the letters with her fingertip and feels the burn of tears in her eyes before rapidly blinking them away. She knows she's much more emotional than normal due to pregnancy hormones, but no matter how much time passes she can't deny missing Eric.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Four asks as he plops down on the blanket next to Tris. She smiles at him and shakes her head slightly. "Aw, come on, don't hold it in. We've talked about that before - whatever you want to talk about I'm here."
She's never seen Four more relaxed than he has been lately, and he looks right at home sitting shirtless on their blanket in just his board shorts. There was a time when he refused to ever remove his shirt, because even with his massive back tattoo the crisscrossed scars of his childhood were still visible across his back. It took a lot of coaxing, and even more trust for him to ever remove that shirt outside of the privacy of his own bedroom. Now, with his golden tan and slightly sun lightened hair he looks every bit the calm and peaceful young man that Tris always knew he was inside.
"It's so beautiful here. Can you believe we ever lived in city with walls before?" She asks as she gazes off towards the water.
"We were definitely never meant to be kept in a cage." He laments.
"Riley Paige! You know you are not to get that close to the water without an adult!" Tris admonishes. The little daredevil looks up at her mother with a grin, her long almost jet black hair blowing in the slight breeze as she runs towards them.
She tackles Four with a hug, and he makes a show of falling down on the blanket while she sits on him and plants kisses all over his face.
"I sowwy." She says with her best pout. "Can you take me swimming?" She grins at Four.
"How about we take you?" Ryder asks as he scoops her up off of Four's chest on his way towards the water.
"Unca RyRy!" She shouts. "Auntie Tori! Oh hi Jessie!" Riley leans down and kisses her two year old cousin on her cheek while Jessie giggles at her.
"Do you two mind if we take her off your hands?" Ryder asks and Four shakes his head.
"I don't as long as mama bear is ok with it." Four replies with a grin.
"Riley, you listen to your aunt and uncle. Make sure you hold one of their hands at all times ok?" Tris says.
"Yes mama. I love you." Riley gives her mother a sweet kiss.
"I love you too baby girl, so much." Tris replies as she hugs her daughter. Riley squirms out of her arms and tackles Four one more time, giving him a hug and kiss.
"I love you." Riley says as she grins up at Four.
"You will never love me as much as I love you my little monster." He replies as he blows raspberries on her neck and listens to her squeals of delight. She blows her own raspberry on Four's cheek before taking her aunt and uncle's hands.
Ryder has Jessie on his shoulders, and Four and Tris watch as they swing Riley back and forth between them on their way to the water, listening to the girls' giggles and shrieks the whole way.
"She looks so much like her father." Tris says quietly.
"Poor kid." Four quips and Tris laughs and playfully smacks his chest. "What? Those are some strong genes, hell she looks like she could be their kid." He nods towards Ryder and Tori and laughs.
"Whatever." Tris says with a smile. "Maybe this one will look like me." She says while she runs her hands over her small baby bump.
"Not a chance." Four smirks as he puts a hand on Tris' belly as she sticks out her lip in a pout.
The two sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Four speaks again. "I can't believe I'm going to be a father." He says while looking out at where Riley is playing.
"Well you'd better believe it, there's no going back now." Tris smiles. "Besides, you are great with Riley, you are pretty much already a father in that aspect. You're amazing Tobias, to Riley and to me too. You're nothing like Marcus. You've been nothing but kind, gentle and loving to Riley, and you're great with Jessie too."
"She's such a great kid. I hope this one is just like her." He replies softly.
"Me too." Tris says softly as she absentmindedly rubs her baby bump.
"Do you ever think about just how surreal it is that we are here right now?" Four asks.
Tris pauses for a moment, unsure of how to answer. She's avoided talking about everything that happened in Chicago for a long time. The tragedies she had to endure from the war have permanently scarred her and she struggles to this day with the losses of her loved ones.
"We survived and many of the people we loved didn't. I feel guilty about that sometimes Tobias." She says quietly.
"Me too." He says with a nod. "I try so hard not to dwell on it but the guilt creeps in all the time. I love the life we have here, don't get me wrong, but when I think about how much different it could be it really gets to me."
"I have those same thoughts. I really thought I could change what I saw during my aptitude test." Tris replies.
"But you did change it. Every part of it was different. The outcome was completely different. You can't possibly blame yourself for anything that happened Tris. I get the survivor's guilt, because it plagues me too, but feeling guilty for what happened that day isn't right. If it weren't for you, things would be completely different. You did everything you possibly could." Four replies.
"But if I hadn't of took off that night to meet with Eric's mom…" Tris says as the tears she's fighting begin to fall.
"Hey, come here." Four says as he wraps his arms around her. "Don't cry. I shouldn't have even brought it up. I know you don't like to talk about it. I hate that we've had to deal with so much loss, but look at us now. I'm happy Tris. I'm about to become a father, we're a big dysfunctional family now, everything is good." He says with a chuckle and Tris bursts into laughter beside him.
"You are such an asshole." She says as she playfully pushes him away from her. He laughs at her and plants a kiss on the top of her head before flopping back on the blanket.
"There you two are. I should have known I'd find you out here. How can you be pregnant and sit in this heat all day long?" Christina asks as she looks down at them with a smile.
"I love the sunshine." Tris replies with a smile. "Why don't you sit?" She pats the blanket next to her and Christina smiles.
"Hey, let me help you." Four says as he jumps up and helps ease the very pregnant Christina down on the blanket. Once she's sitting comfortably he gives her a loving kiss before sitting behind her, putting his legs on either side of her so she can lean against his chest.
"You are the best husband ever." She sighs.
"I've got a pretty amazing wife." He says as he nuzzles her neck.
"You two are gross." Tris admonishes playfully.
"Like you and your husband aren't all over each other every chance you get. That baby didn't put itself in your belly." Christina laughs. "I may need to go into the water soon; it's so hot out here. I feel like a beached whale."
"Chris, you are nine months pregnant and you look beautiful. Cut that out." Tris scolds.
"Yeah, what she said." Four agrees and Christina turns to give him a kiss. "Ready for a swim my lady?"
"Yes, let's go." She reaches her arms out and he helps her to her feet. Tris smiles as she watches her two best friends walk hand-in-hand to the water.
Tris closes her eyes and enjoys the warmth of the sun on her skin. She can feel a shadow blocking the sun and she slowly opens her eyes.
"Hello beautiful."
"I thought you weren't due back until next week!" Tris exclaims as he drops down on the blanket next to her.
"We finished early and I caught the first flight out of the city. I hate being back there, and I didn't want to be away from you all that long." He leans in and kisses her. He feels her fingers running through his short hair and he leans into her touch. "I love you baby." He whispers before kissing her rounded belly. "And I love you little one. How's Riley been?"
"She's missed you. She's out there with everyone swimming." Tris nods towards the water and he looks out with a smile. "Hey, are you ok?"
"It gets a little easier every time." He says quietly. He lies back on the blanket and Tris immediately puts her head on his chest and settles in the crook of his arm.
"This should be the last execution, right? No more after this one. It's been five years Eric, how many more war criminals do you need to be there for?" She asks while tracing the tattoo of her name on his chest.
"I don't know baby." He replies quietly. "They're just trying to get everyone who was responsible for the war itself and the death serum too."
Tris closes her eyes and listens to the sound of his heart beating. Every time she thinks about how she almost lost him it brings her back to that day.
She still remembers Four dragging her away from the lab and out of the building completely. She was screaming for Eric, fighting against Fours tight grip on her as she tried desperately to get back to her love.
Four got them out of the building just seconds before the serums deployed, and in that very moment Tris felt like her life was over. She lost the love of her life, there was nothing she could do to rescue him from the locked room that Jeanine held him captive in.
The devastation from the both the simulation and the release of the airborne death serum was great, and they lost many of their good friends. Veronica, Lynn and Casey all died in the fight in Abnegation. Zeke, Uriah, Marlene, Shauna and Will were killed inside of Dauntless, some during their efforts to stop the simulation and others when the death serum was released simultaneously inside of the Dauntless compound. Tris lost her brother and her parents when the death serum was released inside of the Erudite compound. When Tris realized she had lost almost everyone she loved that day she went into shock. It was Tori and Ryder who made the decision to get her away from the city immediately. They gathered Tris, Four and Christina, packed what little belongings they could salvage into the Amity truck they had taken during the fight and they began to drive. They took turns driving, even though Christina and Tris weren't formally trained to operate a vehicle they helped when they could and they kept going until they found the first populated city along their journey. The city was called Nashville, in the state of Tennessee and the people there were kind and sympathetic to their plight. Their group spent their first several nights in Nashville completely dependent on the kindness of strangers while they attempted to contact anyone in Chicago who could update them on the condition of the city and any survivors.
On their third day in Nashville they got their first glimmer of hope when they finally got in contact with someone who knew both George and Amar. Both were hospitalized due to injuries suffered during the war, and both had required multiple surgeries for their wounds. George's condition was stable, however Amar's injuries were more severe and he'd also been exposed briefly to the death serum as well. Ryder and Tori decided to go back to Chicago, leaving Four, Christina and Tris in Nashville at their request, with promises to stay in contact and meet again as soon as possible. Tris wanted to go back to the city and be there for Amar and George, but she finally relented after a long talk with Tori convinced her that she needed to stay behind and take care of herself and her unborn child. Both Ryder and Tori knew that Tris was reeling from the loss of her family and Eric, and if something happened to Amar too she'd not handle it well. Tris had fallen into a deep depression, and it took everything Four and Christina had to get her to eat. They had to constantly remind her of the life that was growing inside of her, the last piece of Eric she had left.
Once back in Chicago, Ryder and Tori had a firsthand view of the depth of destruction from the war. There were many casualties, and so many of those bodies were unidentified. Most of the survivors had fled the city, with few remaining in the overcrowded hospitals desperately trying to save the lives of the wounded. Tori and Ryder had Amar and George moved into the same room and they stayed by their sides.
On their second night there they were approached by a young doctor they'd not seen before. He came in and checked both patients, and explained he was pleased with the progress they were making. He said he had another severely injured Dauntless that he'd like some help in identifying, and asked if either Tori or Ryder would mind coming with him. Ryder had followed the young doctor to the window of an isolated room and what he saw shook him to his core. Lying in that bed, depending on a ventilator to breathe was his nephew.
When the airborne serums had been stopped, and the Erudite headquarters deemed safe to enter a group ventured inside to retrieve bodies. The city needed proof that Jeanine Matthews was indeed dead, and when the rescuers reached the small lab she had barricaded herself in they found her body just as they expected. However, they were aghast to discover another person in the lab, and this person was somehow alive.
Eric was brought to the hospital immediately where he continued to defy all odds. The medical staff soon found that he was resistant to serums, which saved his life when locked inside a room with the airborne serum, but it was also causing issues with his recovery as his body was actively rejecting the healing serums. They had to keep him in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator to breathe since his lungs were extensively damaged from exposure to the death serum.
Eric had to be kept in isolation to recover; his lungs were in such a delicate condition that even the slightest bit of exposure to anything airborne could kill him. During the first few days of Eric's recovery, his situation was touch and go, and because of this Tori and Ryder made the difficult decision to not tell Tris he was alive. They couldn't give her false hope, and they certainly couldn't have her mourn twice. George was the first to recover enough to be discharged from the hospital only a few short days after Tori and Ryder's arrival, followed closely behind by Amar.
Eric's recovery took longer, however on the tenth day of Tori and Ryder's visit he was able to be taken off the ventilator. On the eleventh day they brought him out of his medically induced coma and on day thirteen he was moved from isolation and into a normal room and allowed his first visitors. When he woke up and didn't see Tris he panicked, fearing the worst and it took George almost an hour to talk his son down and convince him that Tris and the baby were both fine.
Since they no longer had working cell phones, they were dependent on calling the front desk of the hotel that Four, Tris and Christina had gotten rooms to stay in exchange for them working there. It took several tries to reach anyone, but finally they got Four on the phone and he was the first one they were able to share their news about Eric.
To this day, no one quite knows how Four managed to talk someone into driving Tris, Christina and himself from Nashville to Chicago, and without breathing a word about what he learned about Eric. The group drove straight through, and simply dropped Tris off at the hospital into Tori's care. Four and Christina rode back to Nashville to fulfill their promises to work for the hotel owner, as much as they would have liked to stay in Chicago with their friends they knew securing their place to live was much more important.
Tori quietly walked Tris up to Eric's room and she gestured for Tris to go inside, knowing the younger girl believed she was going to visit Amar. The minute she walked into the room she rushed to Eric's bed and threw herself on him and the two broke into tears as they held on to each other.
One of the first things Eric did when he had Tris back was have the hospital staff track down the ring they'd found in the pocket of his jacket when he was brought in. He couldn't give her a proposal on bended knee, but he asked her to marry him when they were lying side by side on his hospital bed.
Ryder, Tori, George and Amar left to go back to Nashville, knowing it was important to secure jobs and a place to live now that they had their family back together. Each of them mourned their numerous losses in the war, but it was that tragedy that brought them together as a strong and cohesive family unit.
Tris never left her fiancé's side, and no one dared to try and make her. Eric was finally discharged from the hospital a week after Tris' arrival and Four came to pick the young couple up and take them to their new home.
Even though times were tight in Nashville, the group made ends meet and found a way to work together. Eric, Four and George all found work in construction while Ryder, Tori and Tris worked at the local tattoo parlor. Christina and Amar continued working at the hotel and slowly everyone began to heal from the war. Four and Christina gravitated closer to each other, both mourning the loss of their significant others in the war. Soon they found themselves feeling more than a friendship and a ripple of hope began when the two of them began a relationship.
Tris and Eric were as strong as ever. The young couple who defied all odds by not only living through a war that was waged for them, but also by having a stable relationship in their teens, finally fulfilled their promises of a future together when they were quietly married in the courthouse in Nashville. There are many young couples who have crumbled under the type of pressure that had been placed on their shoulders, but Tris and Eric had the type of love that isn't often found outside of books and movies.
Although Nashville had been good to them, the eight survivors longed to spread their wings. Work was hard to come by, and when the colder months approached the construction work tapered off as well. They finally took their meager possessions and packed them into the two vehicles they'd managed to buy and drove off into the direction of where they were told the water was. None of them had ever seen the ocean, or the gulf and they all decided that it was something they couldn't wait to experience.
They found the water they were looking for, along with expansive beaches with soft white sand, palm trees and warm weather. It looked like something out of a painting, and Eric and Tris immediately fell in love with it and decided they wanted to raise their family there. When they made the decision to stay they weren't sure if the rest of their family would want the same things but to their delight everyone was just as enthralled with the natural beauty of the area as they were.
One of the first things that happened once they'd all settled into life in Florida was for Christina and Four to get married. The two decided there was no reason to wait, as they'd quickly moved from friendship to love and their bond was incredibly strong.
Eric and Tris' daughter Riley Paige Coulter was born at a healthy six pounds eight ounces and came into the world looking just like her father. Tris and Eric arranged their work schedules so that one of them was always home to care for their daughter, but the stress of separation was taking its toll on the young couple, and soon Amar and George changed their schedules to help care for their granddaughter so that Eric and Tris had more time together.
No matter how many miles separated them from Chicago, they were constantly being pulled back there. There were numerous war criminal trials where each of them would testify. Eventually, the trials started to taper off, however Eric was constantly being asked to come back. His testimony was vital in getting every single surviving member of Jeanine's regime convicted and punished appropriately for their crimes, one of the last being the execution of the highest living member of the war criminals, Max.
When Eric got hired into the government of the state of Florida he decided it was time for a change. His beautiful long black hair, which was his signature look in Dauntless was finally cut off. He started wearing a hairstyle that was cropped tightly on the sides and a bit longer on top, just enough for him to slick back. He removed his ear and facial piercings, keeping only his nipple rings, and he began the painful process of removing the tattoos on his neck. While there was a time in his life that he was proud to wear those stripes, that life was the one he left behind and he was ready to move on. The only memories of Dauntless that he cherished were the ones that began on that fateful choosing day when he first locked eyes with his wife.
Tris continued to work as a tattoo artist and Tori, Ryder and she were finally able to open their own shop. Word of mouth was their best advertising and soon they were booked for appointments months in advance. Eric was extremely proud of his beautiful wife and daughter and the three settled into family life seamlessly.
For as much of a surprise their pregnancy with Riley was, their second pregnancy was well thought out and planned. Tris had stopped her birth control for only six weeks when their second child was conceived. They knew Riley's gender almost immediately due to Jeanine's testing, so they've decided to wait to find out the gender of their unborn child.
Eric was able to get Four a job working side by side with him in the government, and the once bitter rivals who could barely be in the same room for more than a few minutes were now as close as brothers. As much as it pained Eric to watch Four drag Tris away from him that day in the lab, his actions saved her life and cemented his place in Eric's life from that day forward. His wife, daughter and unborn child are here today because of Four's actions and quick response that day so the pettiness and resentment from their past was completely forgotten.
"I missed you." Eric says in a quiet rumble as he leans over and kisses Tris. She smiles against his lips and he lays his head on her chest and runs his hand over her baby bump.
"When did you get back in?" George asks as he approaches his son and daughter in law.
"Just a few minutes ago." Eric replies as he smiles up at his dad.
"Good to have you home. Now if you'll excuse us we are going to go play with our granddaughter and niece." Amar says as he and George head towards the water.
"Daddy!" Riley screams as she runs full speed to the blanket where her parents are lying. She jumps on Eric and covers his face in kisses. "I love you so much!"
"Hey I love you too my princess. I heard you were a good girl while I was gone." Eric says as he wraps his arms around his daughter.
"I was mommy said so." Riley agrees as she nods her head.
"I'm proud of you." Eric replies before kissing her forehead.
"Daddy are you gonna be able to stay home wif us now?" Riley asks as she trains her slightly almond shaped hazel eyes on her father.
"Princess, I'm going to do everything I can to stay here with you and your mommy." He says sincerely. "I love the two of you, and this little one in mommy's tummy more than you can possibly imagine."
"More than mommy's pasketti?" She asks quizzacly.
"I don't know Riles, mommy's spaghetti is pretty good, even you have to admit that." Eric replies with a smirk.
"Daddy!" Riley admonishes.
"Especially if she makes meatballs and garlic bread with it. Mmmmmm." Eric replies playfully.
"Your daddy is a stinker isn't he Riles?" Tris asks.
"Yeah he is. Daddy you love me the mostest." Riley implores and Eric laughs.
"I do princess, I love you more than spaghetti, meatballs and garlic bread combined. I love you to the moon and back." He says and Riley places a wet kiss on him.
"I gotta go daddy, Jessie needs me to play with her." Riley says in a serious tone as she scampers back where the rest of their family is gathered working on a sandcastle.
"Playing is serious work." Tris murmurs and she feels Eric chuckle.
"Indeed it is." Eric sighs happily when Tris starts running her fingers through his short hair.
"Do you know how much I love you?" He asks playfully.
"More than my cooking I hope." Tris grins, thinking back to that day over five years ago when he almost slipped and said that important L word for the first time.
"You are a fucking great cook though." He laughs.
"You know, I seem to remember you almost slipping up the first time you asked me that." She chuckles.
"You caught that?" He asks as he adjusts so he can look at her.
"I did." She replies.
"You never said a word." He grins.
"Nope, I never did. I think we were both feeling it but afraid to scare the other off by actually saying it." She muses.
"I think you're right." He agrees before kissing her again. "I love you."
"I love you too." She replies.
Eric rests his head on her chest and his hand on her belly, feeling the baby move and kick.
"My son is very active today." He quips.
"You're so sure it's a boy." Tris snickers.
"Mmmhmm. I have paternal intuition. This right here is our son." Eric says as the two feel the baby moving in response to Eric's voice.
"Well, he sure loves his daddy. He moves like crazy anytime you talk." Tris replies.
"See, even you agree this is our son." Eric says with a grin and gets an eye roll from his wife.
"Whoever is in there needs a name." Tris says.
The two had considered naming Riley after Tris' parents when she was born, but ultimately they decided to keep the name that Eric had picked that day in Jeanine's lab. Tris decided to honor her fallen family and friends in a different way. She and Eric got matching tattoos of small angel wings on the back of each shoulder, symbolizing their guardian angels.
"If it's a boy I would like to name him after you." Tris says quietly. Eric glances up at her and meets her hazel eyes.
"Tris, no…" He argues.
"Let me explain before you turn me down, please?" She asks and he nods. "Before, you were ashamed of your name because of what your mother was, but you've made that name your own. You've always been my hero baby, but your bravery during the war made the Coulter name something to be incredibly proud of. I can't think of a better name for our son."
"Thank you." Eric replies in a choked voice. He moves so he can kiss his wife and the two gaze into each other's eyes before finally pulling apart.
"I have a confession to make." Eric says slowly and Tris' eyebrows furrow. "I kind of already know for sure…" He stops and lays his hand on her belly.
Tris tries to give him a dirty look and then she breaks out in laughter. Eric smiles at her, but his adorable confused face at her actions just makes her laugh harder.
"I already do too." Tris grins and Eric's jaw drops. "So, are we good with Christian Ericson Coulter, Junior?"
"Consider my arm twisted." He smiles. "Maybe we'll call him Christian?"
"I like that idea a lot." Tris replies with a smile.
The two lie on the blanket and watch their daughter as she runs and plays with her cousin. This one little girl was enough for leaders to wage a war over just because she was expected to be genetically perfect. Eric and Tris realized early on there may have been some truth to Jeanine's assumption that a child born of the two of them would be something special. Riley has been early for every developmental milestone. She's incredibly smart and well-spoken for an almost five year old, and her moments of quiet reflection and thought are almost identical to the habits of her father. Eric's brilliance shines through with his daughter, and Tris' selflessness, along with the fearlessness that both of Riley's parents share.
The young parents are thankful that they escaped the nightmare that was within their city's walls and as a result their daughter has had a chance to be a child and not some science experiment. They were able to get married without anyone questioning them, and they've been able to plan for another child without worry that someone will try to take him away from them. The two lost so much in Chicago, but the family they have now is priceless.