A/N: Thank you so much for reading this story. Wow 15,000 views. You guys are just amazing! I have a few pictures for this chapter but I couldn't upload the links properly. You can find them in my profile.
35
"Tris" Tobias shouts through the apartment.
"I'm coming" I shout back.
"We're going to be late" he yells again.
"Stop yelling" I say climbing down the stairs.
"Wow. You look beautiful" he says and I blush.
I decided to wear one of my new outfits I bought on Monday when I was shopping with Shauna. I'm wearing a simple black wool knitted dress and knee high black leather boots. Nothing special really. The only real change is my hair. I finally managed to cut it yesterday. It's a little over my ears and it's called a bob. Christina took me to the Dauntless beauty parlor where she insisted to get us a mani-pedi to have enough time to gossip around. Since I got sick and we found out about Shauna's pregnancy our weekly work out schedule got messed up. Not to mention my potential pregnancy. The sole thought makes me shudder. Tobias and I had sex a few times since Monday, but we always used condoms. Better safe than sorry. Assuming I'm not already knocked up. But I have to admit the rubber thing is just strange. It's just not the same. It's almost clinical. Don't get me wrong, we both enjoy ourselves, it's just not like it used to be. I honestly can't wait for my appointment with Addison to finally learn if I am pregnant or not. Either way we can get rid of those freaking balloons.
"Thank you, you're sweet" I say kissing his cheek when I reach him. "Did you get the cake?"
"It's in the box on the kitchen island. Do you have everything?" he asks never taking his eyes off of me.
"Yes, I think so. Got my phone, got my keys, my handsome boyfriend" I count down on my fingers and he laughs. "How about you?"
"Let me see. Got my phone, my keys, my gorgeous girlfriend" he says copying me. He kisses my forehead and goes to the kitchen to get the cake. "And now I've got the cake" he says when he joins me at the entrance door. We walk out and I lock the door behind us. We walk hand in hand to the garage to get the car and drive to Abnegation. Since he's driving I'm holding the box with the delicious treat in my lap.
"Can't wait to see my brother again. I haven't seen him since I went to visit him during my initiation" I say.
"I can't wait to meet him" Tobias says and I smile warmly at him.
"Nervous?" I ask and he glances my way.
"About?" he asks.
"You know."
"If you are referring to Marcus then no."
"Really?" I ask incredulous.
"Really. I'm not saying I'm completely okay with being back in Abnegation, but I'm stronger than I was. He holds no power over me. He's not even in my fear landscape anymore" he says and surprises me.
"What? You went through your fear landscape? When?" I ask.
"On Tuesday. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm as much freaked out about the pregnancy as you are. But I mean what I said. If there is a child on its way I will do everything in my power to give my kid the best there is. Including a good father."
"I'm sure you will be a great father, Tobias" I say lacing our fingers together.
"I will certainly do my best. I don't know if I could do it without you" he says glancing at me before returning his gaze to the road ahead of us.
"You won't have to find out. I love you more than anything in the world. Only death could keep me away from you" I say and he stops abruptly making me almost drop the cake.
"Don't ever say that again" he demands. I look at him confused and maybe a little scared. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay, but I don't understand…"
"Don't talk about death, especially yours" he says.
"I won't live forever" I say and he stares at me. It's a good thing we are near Abnegation. There's almost no traffic around here.
"Marcus's absence from my fear landscape is not the only change" he says and makes me curious. "There's still my fear of heights and confinement, but instead of having to kill an innocent I lose you one way or another. And my forth fear is, as I said, no longer Marcus, but me being a bad father, like he was."
"Honey, believe me, you are nothing like him. I wish I could make you see that. Although, I think I can" I say with a small smile.
"How?" he asks incredulous.
"One day we will be parents, whether it's soon or later is another matter. But you will see every day of our lives that you are nothing like him. And if you don't believe that watch this" I say and grab his hand in mine. I close my eyes and concentrate on my memory of him and me in our bedroom with our baby boy between us. I let him watch the memory of my dream or vision to show him how our life will be like. When I let go of his hand I open my eyes and look into his startled ones.
"How did you do that?" he asks amazed.
"Remember when I woke up and frantically looked around the house for our son?" He nods. "It was after I saw this. It felt so real that waking up and not having him there seemed unreal. Tell me, did it feel real to you?" I ask him.
"Yes. I could feel his warmth and I could smell his scent. He smelled of milk and cookie dough" he says choked up. "But he isn't real" Tobias says a little sad.
"I know. At least not yet. But you felt and heard what we all said in that dream. Can you imagine our lives that way? Can you imagine loving your child the way you did in my dream?" Tobias thinks for a moment before he answers.
"Yes." He leans back into his seat staring out the windshield. We remain quiet for a while before he speaks again. "I understand why you wanted to go back. I wish we had him already" he says and I smile at him. Maybe getting pregnant is the next thing we should do. If I'm not already. "I could feel that I love him and I felt so happy having you both in my arms" he says and a single tear runs down his handsome face. I lean over and wipe it away with my thumb before cupping his face in my hand. He leans into my touch and we stare at each other.
"Let us take one step at the time. I'm confident we will be the best parents we can be. Besides there's no real manual on how to raise your children" I say and he chuckles.
"You are right. We just need to do our best to give our children everything they need and want" he says.
"And love them like there's no tomorrow" I add.
"I don't know them yet but I already love them" he says. He kisses me softly before pulling back. "We need to get going. Your parents probably wait for us already" he says and starts the car again. We drive the rest of the way in complete silence.
We arrive in front of my parents house and park the car. I want to get out but Tobias jumps out of the car and runs to my side opening the door. He takes the cake off of me and stretches out his hand to help me out.
"What was that all about?" I ask amused.
"What? I'm a gentleman" he says grinning.
"Yes, you are" I say and kiss him gently on the lips. He closes the door and locks the car and we walk hand in hand the small stone path up to my old houses front door. We knock twice before my dad opens the door smiling.
"Beatrice, Four, welcome" he says using Tobias's nickname. No need for others to hear that Tobias Eaton has returned to Abnegation. "Please, come in" he says and we enter the house.
"Hello dad" I say kissing his cheek.
"Hello Andrew. Thank you for having us" Tobias politely says.
"No need to thank me. You are family. You can drop by whenever you want, son" he says and Tobias smiles brightly. I've noticed he always does that when my dad calls him son. I'm so happy about that.
"Where's mom?" I ask looking around the living room. "Is she in the kitchen?"
"No, she's upstairs changing. She'll be right down. Here, let me help you with your coats" my dad says and we hand him our coats, which he stores in the closet. "Can I offer you something to drink?" my dad asks.
"Some tea would be nice" Tobias says.
"I'll make it" I say.
"Beatrice, you are a guest now" my dad says trying to stop me.
"Didn't you say, not five minutes ago, that we are family and can drop by whenever we want? The family part implying we aren't guests and can in fact make our own tea?" I ask. They both look at me curiously.
"Sometimes I forget to whom I talk to" my dad says with a chuckle. "Go ahead, you know where everything is" he says. I walk into the kitchen and get the tea pot out of one of the lower cabinets and fill it with water. I turn on the stove and set the pot on it letting it heat up the water. I then go and retrieve several metal boxes with different sorts of tea and inhale their mesmerizing scent.
"You always used to do that when you where little" my mom says startling me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" she says apologetically.
"It's okay. I didn't expect you, that's all. Hi mom" I say and walk over to hug her.
"Hello, my sweet girl. Wow, I like your hair. It's so Dauntless" she says smiling at me.
"You think? I wanted something different" I tell her.
"I love it. So, what are we going to drink?" she asks.
"How about some strawberry tea? I hadn't had that in a while" I say.
"Sounds great" she says. "Would you mind helping me with what is left to do before your brother and his girlfriend arrive?"
"Not at all. By the way, is it okay if I come here next week after lunch to learn those recipes we talked about?" I ask.
"Of course. Just tell me when it's best for you and we can do this. But please tell me a few hours ahead so that I can shop for all the ingredients" she says.
"I can do that. I can bring everything we need, you don't have to buy anything" I say.
"Please, it's fine, Beatrice. Could you bring me the cake recipe when you come next time?"
"Sure. Which reminds me, we brought some for dessert."
"How wonderful" she says beaming.
I help mom finish our lunch when I hear a knock on the front door. I tell mom that she should go greet Caleb and his girlfriend while I finish here. She wants to protest at first, but I leave her no room for arguing. She thanks me and kisses me on the cheek before leaving the kitchen to greet the new arrivals. I hear voices coming from the living room, my dad asking my mom where I am and my mom telling everyone that I'm finishing lunch. My brother is surprised to learn that I'm here also. Dad introduces Tobias as Four and I hear a female voice say "I know you". That caught my attention. I quickly finish in the kitchen and join the rest in the living room.
"Oh, Beatrice, come here sweetheart and meet Cara, Caleb's girlfriend" my mom says.
"Hello Beatrice, I'm Cara Hamilton" she says friendly.
"It's just Tris" I say.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Caleb kept calling you Beatrice and that's why I called you that. Nice to meet you, by the way" she politely says. She looks very familiar to me, but I can't place her.
"It's okay. It's Tris since I joined Dauntless in the summer" I explain. "Nice to meet you too." I look toward my brother who looks like he has seen a ghost. "Hello, Caleb" I say and pull him out of his thoughts.
"Beatrice, I mean Tris, you look so different" he says surprised.
"Well, you know. I had so many changes going on in my life that I thought what's one more?" I ask and smile at them. "Caleb, this is Four, my boyfriend" I say.
"Nice to meet you, Caleb" Tobias says stretching out his hand.
"Your boyfriend?" my brother asks incredulous.
"Yeah. What's so hard to grasp?" I ask a little annoyed.
"It's okay, Tris" Tobias says.
"I'm sorry. It is my fault. With all the things going on I never got the chance to tell you this, Caleb" my dad says apologetically.
"You didn't think it was worthwhile mentioning, dad?" he asks annoyed. "My baby-sister is too young to…" he starts.
"Too young for what?" I interrupt.
"Beatrice, it isn't polite to interrupt someone else's conversation" Caleb scolds me the way he did when we were younger.
"Oh shut up. First of all, you are not polite. Both I and my boyfriend are in this room and can hear your argument" I start and he opens his mouth to say something. "Second, what I do with my life is none of your god damn business" I say louder and both my parents say loud enough for me to hear, but not too loud to yell "Language". "Third, you have a girlfriend and you are only one year older than I am."
"Dauntless really changed you" he says with a sigh.
"Shut up. I was always like this. You were either too stupid or too blind to see that" I say crossing my arms in front of my chest.
"I don't believe he is stupid. He's Erudite after all" Cara says.
"That's not a guarantee he isn't" I spit.
"Tris, calm down. It's not that big a deal" Tobias tries to calm me.
"He's a jerk" I say.
"I'm just looking out for you" Caleb says all defensive.
"Really? Since we last saw each other you never once called me" I say. "If you were so concerned why didn't you just call to check on me?" I ask.
"I wasn't allowed to" he defends.
"Really? I bet if I asked Sam she would say it would have been okay to call your sister. At least once" I yell at him. "So much for brotherly love."
"Sam?" he asks confused.
"Yeah, Samantha Daniels, you dumb-ass" I say.
"Language" both my parents say.
"You know one of our leaders?" Cara asks.
"Of course I do. I see her every week at the city council meetings" I say.
"Are you an ambassador?" Cara asks.
"No, she's a leader" Tobias says proudly.
"What?" both Cara and Caleb say at the same time.
"I guess you forgot something else to tell me" Caleb says accusing toward my father. My dad just looks sheepish.
"I'm sorry. We only spoke twice since you left in the summer and I didn't know how to say it. Besides I thought you knew. It's not really a secret what she did for the city" my dad says and I look toward my brother and his girlfriend. They both seem to connect the dots.
"Hang on. You are Tris. The Dauntless Tris who stopped the attack on Abnegation" Cara says amazed.
"You did that?" Caleb asks incredulous.
"Yeah, she did" my dad says proudly.
"I didn't know. I didn't even know that you used another name" Caleb says in a low voice.
"Anything else you would like to know or do you want to continue treat me like a little girl. Cause newsflash I'm not. This is me, Tris and this is Four, my boyfriend. And we are Dauntless leaders. Any more questions?" I ask pissed. Caleb shakes his head no.
"Beatrice, honey, could you help me in the kitchen a little bit" my mom asks and I look at her. I nod and follow her. I can hear my dad ask Cara if she wants tea and both she and Caleb say yes. He comes shortly after mom and me into the kitchen to get the pot with hot water as well as cups and the strawberry tea I put out. He quickly leaves the kitchen since he knows mom wants to talk to me in private.
"What was that?" she asks when dad is out of the kitchen and door is closed.
"He started it" I say like a little child. She crosses her arms in front of her chest and I look down to my feet. "I'm sorry, mom."
"You don't need to apologize to me. You need to apologize to Cara, since she is our guest. To your brother, because he was only concerned. And to Tobias, because he is more than capable of defending himself" my mom scolds.
"I know, mom. It's just bugging me that he offended Tobias without even knowing him" I say.
"Did he really?" she asks. "He merely was surprised that his younger sister, whom he always protected, suddenly appears on the arm of a man. Tobias may be many things, but he is not a boy. He is mature beyond his years and that's due to his father, unfortunately. Caleb doesn't know him the way we do. Don't blame your brother for looking out for you. Imagine that one day your daughter comes home with a guy who's clearly older than she is and she introduces him to you and Tobias as her boyfriend." I smile at what she says. "What's so amusing?" she asks confused by my reaction.
"You said mine and Tobias's daughter" I say smiling like a goofball.
"Well, one day you two might have a girl" she says.
"It's not the girl part. It's the fact that you approve of us, mom" I say a little choked up.
"Honey, we love you and we came to love Tobias. He is such a sweet, kind, good young man. I'm happy that you two are together. And yes I hope he will be my son-in-law. But even if he wouldn't become that, I still love him like a son" my mom says.
"I'm one hundred percent sure that we will get married. I love him like no one before. I know that we are young, but we just belong to each other. So much has happened and I wish I could tell you all. But know this, mom. I can talk to Tobias" I say in a lower voice.
"That's good" my mom says smiling.
"No, you misunderstood me. I meant we can talk the way you and I can without using words" I say and she finally understands. Her eyes widen in shock.
"How?" she asks.
"I'm not really sure. The only thing I can come up with is that we have a very strong connection. And to be honest, mom, I think it's stronger than ours. I managed to create a connection to him without trying. I had a nightmare and I called him. I couldn't escape the nightmare and he woke me up talking to me in my dream" I say the last part in a whisper.
"That's amazing." Mom remains quiet for a while thinking of what I said. "Maybe he's like you" she suggests and I shake my head no.
"He never did it before, so it has to be me and our connection. This has to mean something" I say.
"I think you are right. I'm happy that you and Tobias talk about these things. I mean really talk" she says and we both laugh. A knock on the door makes us stop and we turn our heads toward the door where Tobias currently stands. "Come in, honey" my mom beckons. "I'm so glad you could come today" she says hugging him and he hugs her back.
"Thank you for having us" he says smiling.
"Always. You are like a son to me and Andrew. You can come whenever you want. Even without Beatrice" she says jokingly.
"Hey" I act offended and Tobias kisses my temple.
"Nah, I'm not going anywhere without my sunshine" he says.
"Aw, that's so sweet. You two are just two cute" my mom says.
"That's what I said, remember?" he asks looking at me and I recall the argument with our friends about who the cutest couple in our group is and I chuckle.
"Yes, we are" I say and kiss his cheek. "Honey, I told mom about our chatter. You know the special one" I say and he nods.
"Good. What's your opinion on that, Natalie?" he asks.
"Well, I'm not sure. Everything we know about you know what we gained in time and through many experiences. But Beatrice made a convincing case. You two seem so in sync sometimes that you almost seem like two parts of a whole. Just like it's supposed to be."
"I think so too" Tobias says smiling.
"Maybe we should return to the others, before the poor girl thinks I made you scrub the floor as punishment" my mom says and we laugh.
"Tobias, I'm sorry for flipping out" I say looking bashfully into his beautiful dark-blue eyes. Damn, I could get lost in them.
"It's okay, sweetheart. It's sweet that you jumped to your brother's throat to defend me" he says.
"Not to ruin the moment, but she jumped before for less" Caleb says coming in.
"Not true" I say.
"Yes true" he says back.
"Not."
"Yes."
"Not."
"Yes."
"Stop it both or I will send you to your rooms with no lunch" my mom scolds.
"Sorry, mom" we both say at the same time.
"I'm sorry, Caleb. I didn't mean to get so angry. It just pissed me off that you would attack my boyfriend without even knowing him" I say.
"I'm sorry too. But you have to understand you are my little sister and I want what's best for you" he says apologetically.
"First, he" I point at Tobias "is what's best for me. There's no doubt there. And second you have to apologize to him" I say.
"He already did and I invited him over to our place to get to know each other better" Tobias says smiling.
"Did he freak out about the living together part?" I ask with a grin.
"A little bit" Tobias says.
"Good."
"Listen, let's forget what happened and start all over again" Caleb suggests.
"Fine by me" Tobias says.
"For me too" I say.
"Aw my babies" my mom says and hugs all three of us, squeezing me between Caleb and Tobias. We all walk out of the kitchen and into the living room where dad tells an embarrassing story about Caleb. Caleb turns beet root red and almost has a panic attack when mom scolds dad to stop teasing their son. Cara laughs lightly and I walk over to her and apologize.
"It's okay, Tris. He's a bit of a bonehead when it comes to the people he loves. He talks very fond of all of you."
"Cara, can I ask you something?" I ask sitting next to her on the couch.
"Sure. Go ahead."
"When my dad introduced you to Four you said you know him. Where from, if I might ask?"
"You might. I met him on visitation day in the summer. I went to visit my brother. He transferred to Dauntless too" she says. "Maybe you know him" she says and I so hope it's not some jerk.
"What's his name?"
"William. William Hamilton" she says smiling.
"Who?" I ask confused.
"Will, honey. She means Will" Tobias says and I look at him.
"Shut up! Really? I knew you looked familiar. Hey, you were kind of a bitch to my mom that day" I say and turn to my parents and say "yeah, yeah, I know. Language."
"I'm sorry for that, by the way, Mrs. Prior. I was an idiot. I foolishly believed the lies Jeanine Matthews spread around the faction and the city. I had no idea how Abnegation really were like before I met Caleb" she says looking at my brother all in love.
"It's alright, Cara" my mom says.
"But if you are ever disrespectful again I'll clean the city with your ass" I threaten.
"Tris" Tobias says.
"Beatrice" my parents and brother say at the same time.
"No. I'm not listening to you guys. We clear Cara?" I ask and she nods.
"That was really rude" Caleb says making a sour face.
"You can take her place if you want" I say deadly serious and Caleb backs off.
"Mom" he whines like a little boy who just got kicked in the shin.
"I'm sure she didn't mean it like that, right honey?" she asks me.
"I went through Dauntless initiation. If I survived getting beat up every other day, than you can survive this" I say toward my brother keeping a straight face.
"Oh, dear God. You were beat up every day?" Cara asks horrified, probably thinking of her own brother.
"She's fooling you, Cara" Tobias says smiling. "Sometimes she got beat up every day" he says and everyone looks mortified.
"Every day?" Caleb asks in disbelief.
"Sometimes even twice a day" I add.
"Beatrice, how many times do I have to tell you not to scare your brother?" my dad asks.
"She was lying?" Cara asks half incredulous, half relieved.
"Not entirely. Initiation is brutal. Only the strongest make it. This is why she ranked first" Tobias proudly says.
"Wow, I didn't know that" Caleb says.
"Well there are a bunch of things you don't know, Erudite" I say and we start laughing.
We all take a seat at the dining table and enjoy our tea before mom gets up again to start bringing in the food. Caleb and I help just as we did when we still lived at home. Unlike any other time we talked, we laughed, we had fun together and I felt bad when we had to leave.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I decided to color the relationship between the siblings. I have some good examples from my own relationship with my brother. So, I know of these things :)