Chapter 29: Making Introductions

Eric POV

Punch. Step. Punch. Kick. Repeat. I step off the mat for a moment and quirk an eyebrow at my wiry opponent, who bounces on the balls of his feet like an over eager initiate.

"Better?" Uriah asks.

"Still predictable." I reply with a smirk.

"You probably have fifty pounds of muscle over me, plus you're a head taller than me. Come on man, give me a little credit." He grins.

"Fine. You're about as hard to hit as a fucking housefly. Happy?" I smirk.

"Yeah man, from you that's the utmost in compliments!" He smiles and does one of his idiotic dances. I just laugh and shake my head at him. "You ready for choosing day?" He asks.

"As ready as we can be I guess. I really don't like having two leaders tied up in training initiates though. I really need you and Four to have back ups in place, because you know that Tris and I will be on leave after the twins are born. Plus with Four having a kid on the way too, it's going to be difficult."

"So you're really not gonna replace Rayne?" He asks.

"I haven't said I'm against the sixth leader, but in all honesty we only brought a sixth leader on to start with because we had four leaders who were married to each other. Now it's just Tris and me, so it's not as big of an issue." I explain.

"Yeah, but you're the head leader now. Big shoes to fill if you're not around, you know?"

"That just means I need to make sure any one of you is ready to take my place at a moments notice." I reply. "Now, stop distracting me, who are your backups for training?"

"We've got it under control boss man. Shauna is already going to be training the transfers with Four, and Chris with me. We've got Dillon and Jasper shadowing, and Jess on standby." Uri explains as we hit the treadmills for a cool down jog.

"Dillon? I hate that little prick. Who's idea is it to let him train initiates?" I growl.

"Your wife's." Uri replies. "She didn't tell you?"

"No. We are talking about the same kid who Tris almost castrated during his initiation, right?"

"Mhmm." Uri hums. "Apparently he and Tris buried the hatchet a little while back, and he's actually not as much of a dickhead as he was back in training. Kid grew up, and he's been great working patrol with Shauna."

"Am I that out of touch with my faction?" I ask.

"Naw man, that's why you have us. You have enough to do every day without having to deal with the kids who need some extra coddling to get off their mom's boob." He laughs.

"You are seriously warped." I shake my head at him and laugh.

"You love me, big guy!" He makes kissy noises at me and I laugh harder. "Tell me again why you're not letting me go to the choosing ceremony." He says with a mock pout.

"You know why, I was selected to be the fucking host of the ceremony or whatever. Johanna acts like it's some big honor. Believe me when I say I'd rather do anything other than give motivational speeches to a bunch of dependents. Besides, I want you and Four at that net scaring the piss out of them after they jump." I reply.

"One day, you're gonna let me go and I'm gonna be the bad ass that scares the piss out of them on the roof." He replies.

"I'm sure that can be arranged, but for me to do that I'm going to need you to prove that you can't joke or smile for at least an hour."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. Whatever. One day I will." He replies.

"Alright I gotta go get ready to go to the ceremony. You did good this morning. Keep it up." I nod at him and the kid has an ear to ear smile. As much as I like to give him shit, Uriah is a damn hard worker. I just like to make him work for his compliments.

I walk into the apartment and I'm greeted by the smell of bacon.

"Oh good, you're just in time for me to finish the eggs." Tris says glancing at me from the kitchen.

"Babe, do you ever just rest? You are five weeks from giving birth and you are still full speed ahead. Let me finish." I reply as I walk into the kitchen.

"No way! Get your stinky and sweaty butt into the shower." She replies, swatting me with a towel.

"You love my stinky and sweaty butt. Admit it, it turns you on." I reply as I grab her from behind and nuzzle her neck.

"You are so gross!" She squeals. "Go shower!"

I plant a kiss on her neck and swat her butt before heading to take a quick shower. I throw on boxers and a tshirt and head to join my wife for breakfast. She's sitting on our couch with her feet propped up, so I fix each of us a plate and bring them over to her, then get two glasses of orange juice before I sit next to her.

"Hey gorgeous." I say before kissing her cheek.

"You smell so much better now." She grins before kissing me softly.

"I heard that you and Dillon are getting along now. Kind of surprised me." I say before digging in to my plate.

"He was getting some really good reports from Shauna and Peter too. I decided to keep an eye on him and it seems like he's really become a good soldier. Maybe he just needed to grow up, I mean look at Peter." She replies.

I shake my head thinking about Peter. The guy has come a long way, from one of the people I was most likely to toss into the chasm to becoming a respected squad leader for one of our best patrol teams.

"I guess anything is possible." I shrug.

We finish our breakfast and I collect our plates, cleaning the kitchen and starting the dishwasher before getting dressed. I hear Tris talking to someone in our living room, so I head out as soon as I'm finished getting ready.

"Hey Mar." I say. "What brings you by so early?"

"I figured I'd do a house call since I knew you had to leave for the choosing ceremony." She replies with a smile. I see her checking Tris' blood pressure. "She's still good."

"Thank you, I really appreciate you doing this." I reply to Marlene.

I walk over to where Tris is still sitting and I give her a kiss. "I love you baby." I say before planting two more kisses on her belly. "And I love you both too."

"I love you too." She replies with a smile. "Go scare them for me."

"You know I will." I reply with a wicked smile. "Bye baby. Bye Mar."

"Have fun Eric." She laughs.

As I'm walking towards the train someone grabs my arm. I turn and find Rayne standing in front of me.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She asks.

"No." I reply quickly before walking off.

Rayne's been back in the compound for a little over a month now, in which she's tried desperately to not only repair her marriage, but also the friendships she ruined with her actions. I love my wife dearly, and Four is my best friend, but their Abnegation upbringing allowed them to forgive her entire too quickly in my opinion. She's officially become off topic for Tris and I, mostly because we cannot seem to see eye to eye when it comes to her. I've explained to both Four and Tris that what they decide to do in their own individual relationships with the woman were their business, but I was under no obligation to forgive her or to like her very much. Zeke and Uri, being the laid back and fun loving knuckleheads that they are forgave her pretty quickly as well, but Chris, Will, Marlene, Shauna and I have all been pretty wary of her presence since her return.

The number of Dauntless milling around waiting around for the train is a nice site, most of them giving me nods but keeping their distance. No matter how much my wife and soon to be children have softened my heart, for the rest of the faction I'm still the asshole leader, and I kind of like it.

The train ride is the usual Dauntless affair, loud and raucous, and disembarking is even more theatrical than usual with the captive audience of dependents who all watch as they are waiting to go inside of the Hub. If nothing else, we sure as hell know to make an entrance. I make my way through the crowd, garnering many stares and whispers as everyone moves out of my way. I chuckle internally at the terrified glances I get from the sea of grey clad dependents. If they only knew that I was now married to a woman who once looked at me in her shapeless grey dress the same way they are now.

"You definitely make a striking entrance." Johanna says after I've entered the Hub, gathering me into a hug.

"The Stiffs are quite hysterical." I reply causing her to shake her head.

"Does your wife know you call her former faction mates that horrible word?" She scolds.

"I call her that horrible word every once in awhile." I grin.

"You are as incorrigible as ever Eric Coulter." She replies as we walk to the stage to inspect the bowls and knives.

"How is Tris? I miss seeing her." She asks.

"She's good, really good. Only five weeks left to go. Blood pressure has been almost perfect, no complications, she's still working Johanna. It's taken everything I have not to go caveman on her and make her stay home."

Johanna laughs. "You choose your battles wisely Eric."

The dependents and their families are finally let inside and seated in their respective factions. I take my place in front of the bowls, standing tall with my hands clasped behind my back. I scan the crowd and see many sets of nervous eyes, some even terrified, but some meet my eyes with a fierceness that I recognize seeing in my wife's eyes many years ago.

I step forward to begin my speech. As much as Tris tried to get me to prepare something to read, I found that it's more effective for me to speak from my heart.

"Good morning everyone. My name is Eric Coulter, I'm the head leader at Dauntless, the warrior faction. Yesterday, you took a test that is designed to give you insight regarding which faction you belong to. While I'm in no way trying to discredit the aptitude test, I also want to remind you all to follow your own heart as well. Our ancestors created the faction system as a way to group us by our individual strengths. Abnegation is known for their selflessness, and their charitable work with the factionless. Amity is known for their peaceful coexistence, and for providing the food for each of our factions. Candor is known for their pursuit of justice and honesty. Erudite is known for their brilliance and work in development and research and Dauntless is known for their bravery, we are the soldiers who protect our city. When you make your choice today, think about who you are as a person, and who you want to be."

My phone has been buzzing in my pocket, so I decide to cut the speech a bit short. I pull my phone out and see several missed calls, and the newest text I received from Four is displayed on my lock screen.

F: Tris is in labor. Get to Erudite. You're becoming a father today!

"Excuse me for one moment." I announce, quickly walking off the stage towards where the only other two head faction leaders are standing. I'm thankful to see Jack Kang standing with Johanna. Her face is showing confusion.

"Eric?" She starts. I turn towards Jack.

"Here, please finish this." I hand him the papers in my hand. "I have to go, Tris is in labor."

"Of course. Good luck Eric." Jack replies, shaking my hand. Johanna beams.

"I'll come visit soon. Give her my love." Johanna says, kissing my cheek before I run from the room. I quickly make my way to the train platform, and I nervously pace as I wait for it. I call Four.

"Hey, she's fine." He answers. "Where are you?"

"Waiting for the train." I reply. "Who else is there?"

"Chris, Max, Dana, Natalie and Caleb. Her dad is stuck in a meeting, but will be here as soon as he can. Cara is sick." He rambles.

"What happened with Tris? Is she ok?" I ask.

"Eric, she's great. She and I were in her office discussing initiation. She'd been having what she thought were just Braxton-Hicks contractions during our meeting but then her water broke. I got her here immediately, she's fine man. They're examining her now, and don't worry I'm in the hallway and not ogling your wife's goodies." He replies.

"Dick." I reply.

"That would be the part of your body that got her into this predicament." He snickers.

"I swear I'm talking to Uriah right now. Trains almost here asshole, I'll be there soon." I reply.

"Ok man."

"Four. Take care of them." I say in a serious tone.

"You know I will. See you soon." He says before disconnecting. Within minutes I am running alongside the train and hopping on, waiting impatiently to get to Erudite. I send a text to Will to get him to the Hub to escort the initiates and another to Uriah telling him he needs to be on the roof to scare the shit out of them. I think I just made his day. Will texts me back to let me know that Rayne is stepping in with the initiates in Four's place so he can stay at the hospital with us. I'm too scattered to even argue with them, besides I need to trust the other leaders to make sound decisions.

Once I've finally made it to the hospital, I'm quickly escorted to my wife's room, where she is smiling and surrounded by family.

"Hey beautiful." I say as I go to her side and lean over to kiss her.

"Hey love. Our babies are coming." She says with a huge smile. I exchange hugs with the rest of our family before taking my place next to the bed. "What did Dr. Morgan say?" I ask.

"Tucker still hasn't turned around, so I have to have another c-section. There's just not enough room in there for them to get him turned around." She replies. "I've already got my epidural, so I'm in no pain at all during the contractions."

"You are so much calmer than me baby." I reply and she squeezes my hand.

"I'm ready to meet our children." She smiles.

"Me too." I reply before giving her another kiss.

Dr. Morgan enters the room and tells us it's time to take Tris back. I step away so everyone can give Tris their love.

"Ok Eric, we need to get you ready to go in with her. You'll be going with James, he's going to get you everything you need." The doctor instructs.

"Got it. Let me talk to my wife and I'll be right there." I reply to the two men. I walk over to Tris, give her a kiss and let her know I'd see her in the operating room. I follow James to another room, where he gives me scrubs to change in to and instructs me on how to prepare myself to be in the room with her. Within minutes, he's escorting me to the operating room, and Tris is already on a table with a large curtain covering her lower half.

"Hey love. You ok?" I ask as I sit in the chair next to her head. She looks panicked.

"I'm scared baby. I wasn't awake last time, and this time what if something happens. Do you think Tucker is ok?" She asks nervously with a tear slipping out of her eye.

"Tris, everything is fine. They are good, and your son doesn't like conforming any more than either of us do. Did you really expect him to do exactly what he was supposed to do? He is our child." I reply with a smile, causing her to grin.

"He must get that from you." She deadpans.

"You realize you are probably the most stubborn person I have ever met." I reply with an eyeroll.

"I feel the same way about you." She grins up at me. "Eric, I love you so much."

"I love you more." I reply, leaning over to kiss her sweet lips one more time.

"Ok Tris and Eric, are you ready to meet your children?" Dr. Morgan asks.

"Yes, lets do this Nathan!" Tris yells, getting a chuckle from everyone in the room.

"You heard the lady, let's get this started." He replies. He lets Tris know she'll feel pressure as the surgery progresses, and goes over what to expect.

I grab Tris' hand and lace our fingers together. She smiles at me when I kiss her hand. I whisper encouragement in her ear as the surgery begins.

"Meet your son, here's Tucker." Nathan calls out as he lifts Tucker up so we can see him. He's quickly handed to a nurse who takes him over for an exam, and we hear his little cries.

"We're just going to get him cleaned up Mama, then we'll bring him to you." The nurse calls out.

"Oh my God, he's here." Tris says through tears. I lean my forehead to hers and we both try to compose ourselves. Within minutes Nathan calls out to us again.

"Meet little Miss Harper." He says, holding her up so we can see her before she's whisked away. We soon hear a her crying as they examine her.

"We just need to get you stiched up Tris, it'll take us about half an hour or so, so just relax and don't go anywhere ok?" Nathan snickers.

The nurse brings Tucker over and moves Tris' gown so she can get skin to skin contact with our son.

"One perfectly healthy baby boy, here's your son. He's five pounds nine ounces." The nurse says as she lays Tucker down on Tris' bare chest.

"And one perfectly healthy baby girl, she's five pounds one ounce." The other nurse announces, laying Harper on the other side of Tris's chest.

"They're perfect." Tris says while crying.

"They really are." I reply, both of us overcome with emotion. I gently place my hand across my children's backs and caress each one. "Baby, we made them. They are so beautiful." I kiss each of their little heads before kissing Tris.

"I can't believe they're here." Tris replies.

"Mom and Dad, we need to get them to the nursery. I don't think we're going to need any NICU time, but we need to have them thoroughly checked out, it's just a precaution since you're not quite thirty six weeks. Go ahead and say bye for now, and as soon as we have the green light we'll bring them to your room." The nurse, who I recognize as James announces before he and the other nurse gently pick the babies up and whisk them away.

"Eric, we're almost done here, so I'm going to have Keisha escort you out so you can change and be with your family. Tris will be brought back to her room for recovery shortly if you'd like to gather everyone to wait there." Nathan says.

"I love you baby. You did so good today. I'm so happy." I tell Tris as I kiss her.

"I'm so proud of us. I love you too Eric, so much. I'll see you soon. Go tell everyone about our beautiful babies." She replies. I kiss her hands and her lips one more time before following Keisha out of the room.

I get changed and head out to the waiting room, where I find Natalie, Andrew, Caleb, Max, Dana, Four, Chris, Zeke and Marlene. Everyone looks at me expectantly as soon as I walk through the door.

"Tucker Michael Coulter is here, weighing in at five pounds and nine ounces, followed minutes later by Harper Grace Coulter at five pounds one ounce. Mom and babies are doing well, we have healthy babies." I announce with tears in my eyes as I get hugs from everyone.

Mostly everyone wants to go by the nursery so they can peek through the window at the twins, so I do a quick check at the nurses station and ask that they call me as soon as Tris is brought back to her room. As we walk to the nursery, Four falls into step beside me.

"How you feeling?" He asks.

"I'm a dad. I feel fucking amazing." I reply.

"You guys are going to be awesome parents. You and Tris have this intense bond, that's going to mean a lot to your kids growing up." He laments.

"I know I'm going to do my best to not be the way my parents are, that's for sure. You're going to be great Tobias, you know that right?"

"I'm going to do my best, just like you man." He replies.

We get to the window and the nurses have pushed the little cribs close to the front so everyone can see the twins. Now that they've been cleaned up and swaddles in their blankets, I can see that they both share features from both Tris and me.

"They're beautiful." Natalie says, I watch as Andrew puts his arms around his wife's shoulder in a rare show of affection.

"They are perfect." Max adds, a hint of awe in his voice. James pokes his head out the window.

"Dad, would you like to come in and hold your baby?" He asks. My eyes widen and I freeze for a moment.

"I can do that? Right now?" I ask and he nods. He has me wash my hands throughly and slip a gown over my clothes before ushering me to a chair.

"Here's Tucker." He says quietly as he gently places my son in my arms. "Harper needs a little oxygen." He sees the immediate panic in my eyes. "It's perfectly normal with preemies, she's fine and you have nothing to worry about. Once her levels are better we'll bring both of them in to your wife's room, ok?"

"She's really ok right, you're not trying to soften the blow or anything are you?" I ask the older man.

"She's perfect, really. They're both strong and neither of them will even require any time in the NICU which is great considering they're early. Don't worry Mr. Coulter." James replies.

"It's Eric, and thank you." I reply.

"Ok Eric, I'll give you two a few minutes." He smiles as he walks away.

I look down at my son and I realize I'm fucked trying to reign these emotions in.

"Hey little man, I'm your dad. I'm new at this, so let's make a deal that we cut each other a lot of slack until we figure this out, ok? I didn't really have much of a dad growing up, but that's ok because it showed me the type of dad I didn't want to be. Your grandpa Max and grandpa Andrew have taught me a lot, and I'm going to make them proud. Tucker you and your sister are the best things to ever happen to your mom and me." Suddenly he opens his eyes and they're the same blue grey as my wife's. "My little man, you look like your mommy. You're going to meet her soon. She saved me Tuck, I know you don't understand what that means, but it's ok because it's our secret. I just want you to know how amazing she is and how lucky you are to have her as your mommy."

Tucker just keeps looking at me, his blue grey eyes never leaving mine. I start to rock him gently and soon his eyelids become too heavy and he loses the battle against sleep.

"Eric, we need to take Tucker for his next exam." James says and I nod. I kiss Tucker's forehead and hand him back to James. "We should have them in for you both really soon. I just got word that your wife is being taken to her room now too, most of your family has already headed that way." He adds.

"Thanks James." I reply as I take the gown off and head out of the room. I find Four in the hallway waiting for me.

"So, how was it?" He asks.

"I never thought anything would top the night I married Tris, but damn if this isn't the best day of my life. I could only hold Tucker because Harper needed oxygen, which they said is totally normal. Man, he has Tris' eyes. He just watched me, it was like he knew me." I shake my head in awe.

"Of course he knows you, he heard your voice. They know who their dad is." He replies as we walk back to Tris' room.

"You've been reading those baby books, huh?" I ask.

"Ofcourse. I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Figured it's best to be prepared, as my very Erudite minded friend reminded me." He smirks at me and I laugh.

"It helps, so instead of being a shit a simple thank you will suffice." I reply and he chuckles.

"Yeah whatever."

We walk into the room and find Tris surrounded by our friends and family. I try to hang back and let everyone have some time with her. She catches my eye and grins at me before turning her attention back to her mom and Dana.

"Hey son. How are the babies?" Max asks.

"Good, I got to hold Tucker, and as soon as Harper's oxygen levels are up they're going to bring them both in here. They said it wasn't anything to worry about, perfectly normal for a preemie." I explain.

"Dana got the nurse to sneak a picture with her phone, I hope you don't mind." He replies handing me the phone. It's a great pic, it's candid and shows Tucker and I looking at each other while I rocked him.

"Damn, this is great." I reply.

"I thought so too. You look like a natural." He smiles.

"I just want to be a good dad. I don't want them to grow up feeling like I did." I reply.

"You will be. You and Tris have a solid, loving and happy marriage. You may have never thought you'd be where you are today looking back at where the two of you started, but the commitment you both have to your family is evident in everything you do." He replies.

"Thanks Max."

We say our goodbyes to Zeke and Marlene, all making promises to visit tomorrow. Caleb decides to leave too, letting us know he's feeling a little under the weather and doesn't want to risk passing anything to the twins, and it leaves us with just our parents and Chris and Four. I make my way over to Tris, pulling the chair right next to her bed so I can take her hand in mine.

"I'm glad the two of you stayed, we have something important we wanted to ask you." Tris says to Chris and Four once she's gotten them close to her bed. "You two are our best friends, more like family to us, and we were wondering if you'd be Tucker and Harper's godparents.

Christina's smile threatens to split her face, and Four perfects his shocked face.

"Oh my gosh, I'd be honored. Thank you." Chris says, giving Tris a kiss on her cheek and hugging me.

"You aren't afraid that I'll screw them up?" Four jokes as Tris scowls at him. "I'm kidding woman! I'd be honored to be their godfather. Thank you for trusting me with that." He kisses her forehead and shakes my hand.

We are interrupted by a knock at the door, and James and Keisha roll the little clear bassinets with Harper and Tucker.

"Oh my word, they are just beautiful." Dana says as she fawns over her grandchildren.

"We're going to bring them back to the nursery for tonight at least so you can rest mom, but we'll leave them here with you for awhile. I do want to show Tris how to feed her babies, would you all mind giving us just a few minutes of privacy?" Keisha asks and our friends and family leave the room.

Keisha shows Tris how to set up the nursing pillow. Then she explains the different coaxing methods for latching, and goes over all the basics of breastfeeding and pumping.

"Tucker's been the most fussy, so would you like to start with him?" Keisha asks and Tris nods. She hands Tucker to her, and shows her how to get him comfortable on the pillow. Tucker takes very little coaxing before he's happily feeding. She gets Harper next, and while she takes more coaxing just because she was sleeping she also begins feeding rather quickly. Keisha goes over just a few more pointers before she quietly exits the room, giving Tris and I privacy.

"Hey, what's wrong baby?" Tris asks me.

"Nothing at all. This is just the most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed. You feeding our children. I love you all so much." I reply. I caress each baby's head while watching them. When they are finished, I take Tucker to burp him and change his diaper, while Tris burps Harper. Once I have Tucker changed, I bundle him up like Keisha showed me and hand him back to Tris so I can change and bundle Harper. I take my daughter with me as I walk around the room.

"Not bad for our first time." Tris says sleepily.

"We're a good team." I reply. "I'm going to go get everyone, will you be ok with Tucker for a minute?"

"Of course." She smiles. I walk down to the waiting room and gesture for everyone to follow. Once back in the room, everyone takes turns washing their hands and holding the babies.

Soon, everyone has bid their goodbyes to give Tris some time to rest. We feed and change both babies once more, and Tris pumps for their overnight feedings as well before Keisha and James pick both of them up for the night.

Tris is exhausted, and the pain medication they've given her is making her even more drowsy, so I move my chair close and hold her hand while she falls asleep. A nurse named Avery comes in to check on us, and she brings me in supplies so I can sleep on the oversized sofa that's in the room.

While Tris is sleeping I decide to head down to the nursery to check on the twins. They're both asleep, and the overnight nurse fills me in on their progress so far, which is all positive. I'm so nervous about leaving them, but I realize this may be the last night of sleep we will get in awhile so I decide to head back to the room and try to get some rest. After one last check on Tris, I finally get settled on the surprisingly comfortable sofa, and eventually fall asleep.