Chapter 34: Fire and Ice

'Tris, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?'

Time ceases to exist.

It freezes the gentle tremors of the ground, the never-ending whispers of the wind and the damp kisses of the softly drizzling rain.

It freezes me. My hands are trembling, my body shaking. A bubble of worry and excitement intertwined and linked into one beating heart.

I'm completely speechless. Unable to mutter a single coherent phrase.

And then, in one slow movement, Tobias' hand grazes my arm. Gentle and steady.

So, I dare to lift my head.

The emotion in his eyes snatches my heart and blows it away with the wind.

It's the kind of emotion that transforms his face into an epitome of joy, the kind of emotion that puts stars in his eyes and a dazzle on his lips.

The box in my hand is black and dark blue. The curves: so smooth, it must be velvet. The material so fine it must be expensive. Embedded inside is a dazzling centre cut diamond framed by elegant curves of platinum and ten single cut diamond accents engraved into the rings band.

Quickly, I realise that he's still waiting for my answer.

'Yes!' I cry, a bundle of emotions caught in my throat. He slides the ring onto my finger as a single tear drops from my eyes and slides down my cheek.

Tobias is quick to embrace me: he wraps his hands around my damp waist as mine entangle in his wet hair.

He kisses me. Deeply. Desperately. Like he's never kissed me before and he is never going to kiss me again.

We stand there together, wrapped in each other's arms, clinging to each other as the rain drizzles down on us.

'Come on,' he whispers after a couple of minutes. 'Let's get out of the rain.'

We are quick to side step the pools of puddles as we run back to our hotel room, hand in hand and laughing.

Tobias wastes no time in pulling me into his arms and pinning me up against the door once we enter our room. I gasp, unable to catch my breath, as his hands move over my rain-stained bare shoulders; the odd tingling feeling of his warm fingers and my cold body making me shiver.

I urgently undo his damp, rain-kissed white shirt, my hands trembling with the buttons as he wraps his fingers in my hair. What feels like an eternity later, his shirt comes undone and I rip it off of him, throwing it across the room.

'Tobias,' I gasp, shivering as he kisses my neck and then my parted lips. 'I'm so cold.'

The rain outside has made my body a shard of ice.

When he breaks from the kiss, I'm breathing so fast I have to hold onto him for support. 'Turn around,' he whispers.

I do.

With a feather touch, he traces my spine with his hand as he unzips my winter-beige, lace overlay ballroom gown.

The dress falls to the floor, making a pool of crystals at my feet.

I gasp. I'm standing in front of him in four inch nude platform pump heels and my lace slip.

And soon, all that's gone too.

He lifts me into his arms, one hand under my legs and another around my back and carries me to the bathroom.

I'm suddenly overwhelmed as a dozen memories wash over me: our first kiss, my first party as an official Dauntless member, my first date outside the compound with Tobias, going outside the fence, our first time.

And recalling those memories makes me smile as he places me on my feet in the quaint bathroom. I watch as he turns the hot bath faucet on, the rush of water filling the tub.

I can already feel the steam of the water warm me up as Tobias walks towards me. His eyes look wicked.

'Are you feeling warmer?' Tobias asks searching my face.

I nod. 'Now are you going to kiss me?' I reply.

I see the mischief from before relight in his eyes.

He takes the very last step towards me.

His hand touches my jaw. Tilts it upwards. Whispers: 'thank you,' before crashing his lips to mine so passionately, so forcefully, I'm suddenly spinning and I'm dizzy and gasping for air and much needed oxygen.

But I am very, very much alive.

I undo the rest of his suit pants.

He lifts me up and places me into the bathroom tub, the hot water and bubble bath foam lusciously enveloping us.

Time drips into seconds as I gently run my fingers across his cheek, gazing into his eyes.

And as our lips touch, slowly and deeply at first and then igniting into a flame, I kiss away the devils of the world.

I kiss away the guilt. The shock. The anger.

And in the moment he takes my face with his hands and looks at me with such fathomable love, I wish I could capture the moment so I could revisit it again and again.

Because this is absolutely everything.

The next day, dawn barely touches the sky before a loud sound, rattling against the window, wakes me from my deep slumber.

It's still thundering down.

There is a faint glow in the room that makes me able to see the outline of everything, despite it not being daytime. Tobias' muscular arm is draped around me as we lie, side by side. My feet are tangled with his, our bodies firmly pressed together, to keep warm. I can't describe how safe I feel in Tobias' arms.

Noticing that one of Tobias' arms has a watch on it, I strain my head to see the little numbers and notice it's only five a.m. I must have been a sleep for only two and a half hours. Odd.

I press my eyes close as I try to surrender to the darkness, once again.

I fail.

For some reason, I'm wide awake.

To pass time, I lift my hand close to my face and admire the way the faint light reflects the diamonds of my ring and makes them sparkle across the room. My ring is simple and delicate yet so breathtakingly beautiful.

I almost jump when I feel Tobias stir and nuzzle his face deeper into my neck, tickling me slightly. 'What are you doing awake?' he whispers, his voice deep and sleepy. God, it sounds so sexy.

'The rain woke me up, I think it was hailstones,' I whisper, turning in his arms so I'm facing him. 'Go back to sleep,' I say, tucking his hair behind his ear as I gaze at his sleepy face.

'Do you like the ring?' He mumbles while he tightens his arms around me. His eyes are still closed.

'It's beautiful.'

He smiles and for a second I'm caught breathless at how handsome and carefree he looks when he sleeps. I lean forward a little and place a gentle kiss between his eyebrows.

Just as I pull back, he whispers under his breath: 'Mrs Eaton.'

The words make my heart skip a beat as a wide smile stretches across my face and when I turn to look at him again his eyes are open.

His hand caresses my jaw as we lie only inches apart. 'I love you so much, Tris,' he whispers, kissing my nose. 'I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together.'

There's no way to describe the love pouring out of Tobias' eyes.

I lean in the extra inch and kiss him passionately, lovingly. For a few seconds it's sweet and gentle as he caresses my cheek but then it turns rough and desire-laced.

He breaks away from the kiss and I see the mischief and desire that was present last night relight in his eyes.

I can't help but grin.

He slides my hair to one side and in an instant his lips attack my neck, sucking at a sensitive spot that makes me giggle his name.

He shifts and he's suddenly hovering over me: his lips making their way down my bare chest, undoing my last pieces of sanity. He teasingly runs his fingers up the inside of my thighs and around my hips and I'm suddenly aching everywhere, wanting to be as close to him as I was last night.

Any rational thoughts of mine fly out of the window as soon as he lowers his hot mouth to mine, his hands gently caressing my body.

I press on his chest firmly and he flips us over so I'm straddling him. His hands fly up to cover my swaying breasts as our tongues battle for dominance and my own hands grip his hair.

'Tris,' he moans, breathing heavily. He sits up and I kiss his neck, making my way down his built chest.

'I love you,' he whispers, cupping my cheeks and bringing my face to meet his. He kisses my lips.

I'm about to respond when something freezes me.

A knock on the door.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

And then: an angry voice shouting from outside our door.

'Open up!'

The voice is deep and loud and accompanied by the person's knuckles slamming against the wooden door, making a loud hollow noise.

My eyes wide and my heart thumping, Tobias and I freeze in each other's arms. Who the hell would be here at five in the morning?

Fumbling out of bed, I slide on my beige slip that was discarded in the middle of the room last night.

Tobias throws his boxers and suit pants on before shouting to the person outside: 'Just a minute!' Meeting my eyes, he whispers: 'Where's my shirt?'

I quickly scan the room, remembering I threw his shirt across the room yesterday and see it is draping on the armchair near me. I chuck it to him and he pulls it on quickly.

Realising I don't have time to button up my dress, Tobias gestures for me to be quiet and to hide behind the slightly open bathroom door.

Once I'm behind the door, he walks across the floor of the room and opens the barrier that's blocking us from the impatient person outside.

The next few moments consist of rapid mumbled comments exchanged between Tobias and a mystery man whose silhouette is hidden by Tobias' muscular build.

I hear the door close but two pairs of feet -Tobias included- shuffle inside.

'It's alright, Tris, you can come out.' A very familiar voice chuckles and I cringe.

Out of all people….

I step from around the bathroom door, the tiles sending cold shivers up my spine, and my eyes come in contact with the familiar voice.

Eddie.

I immediately flush red when Eddie sees my attire: I'm standing practically naked in front of him.

Covering myself with my hands, I walk towards the table where Tobias' blazer is and slide it on and then sit on the armchair opposite Eddie and Tobias.

'What are you doing here at this hour?' I ask.

He frowns. 'What am I doing here? I'm not the one who decided to leave a party and drive an hour out of town to some hotel without telling anyone.'

'How did you know we were here then?' I ask, my eyebrows furrowing together.

'I tracked the credit card you used.' He replies, nodding towards Tobias.

There's a silent pause for a minute and I know Eddie is thinking carefully about how to continue the conversation. He can't know what's happened right?

'I need to enlighten you with some news,' he exaggerates. Oh God, maybe he does.

'At 5 am in the morning? Really this couldn't have waited?' Tobias asks angrily, suddenly turning into Four.

Eddie glares at Tobias. 'No. This couldn't have waited. Some crazy shit happened yesterday evening. A man died and then you guys just up and leave in the middle of it all and drive an hour away to the edge of a city you don't even know?'

'Tris felt sick.' Tobias answers, his arms folded, no emotion on his face.

'So why didn't you go back to the hotel?' He's frustrated now.

'We got lost and then we just decided to get a room here.'

Eddie growls. 'If that's the truths or not I do not care. There's more important issues on our hands. There were witnesses, mostly workers of the hotel, who saw you both frantically sneak out last night. The police have a case Four,' he pauses, his eyes skimming to me. 'And, Tris.'

He continues.'The police seem to think you murdered the man. And as of this instant you are under arrest.' My heart is beating so fast I think it might burst out of my chest. 'There were no cameras on the roof.' Eddie exhales and then raises his eyes and stares at me, 'but there was a camera in the fire escape.'

'But there couldn't have been!' I gasp, 'I was attacked Eddie! The cameras must have seen me being attacked!'

Eddie frowns as if he's shocked to find about this. 'No. Tris, there is no evidence that you were attacked. Either the camera wasn't in the right angle or it was deleted.'

He looks towards Tobias. 'Four,' he pauses. 'Did you kill this man? Do you even know who he was?'

Tobias lets out a large sigh before he says: 'He was my father.'

I hear Eddie gasp and his next words tumble out in a rush. 'You murdered your own father?'

Tobias snorts like he hears the question all the time. 'I didn't murder my own father. He escaped from Chicago and came out here to murder Tris because he despises me! I fought him, out of self-defence and he tripped over the roof and fell to his death. Could I have helped him? Probably. Did I murder him? No. That was his own fault. He was drunk.'

There's silence for a minute and when Eddie next speaks it's below a whisper. 'And then what happened?'

So we tell him.

How we escaped, how we got here, how Tobias proposed.

'Wow.' Eddie replies, his eyes wide in shock, of our engagement or our escape I'm not sure. 'Congratulations.'

'Thank you.' I smile.

Eddie nods his head then turns to Tobias quickly. 'Unfortunately, we still have a situation to solve,' he pauses. 'When someone fractures with our law, there is always a risk of being thrown in prison, despite you and your friends being our guests. I'm here right now because I was able to intercept a message. A message stating that you two were to be arrested.'

Eddie's silent for a moment as I take in his words, his elbows thrown over his knees, eyebrows burred together and then: 'they're coming. The police. They filed the report an hour ago and are already looking for you. We need to get you out of here. Back to Chicago.'

'What!' I gasp, my voice trembling. 'No! I don't want to go.'

'You don't have a choice Tris. Manslaughter is seen as a life sentence here.' His voice is hard and final. There's no escaping.

'What about our friends?' Tobias says.

Suddenly, I'm projected against a bright wall of guilt seemingly unable to escape from my own shadow of emotions. How could I have forgotten them?

'You're the ones who they are after. You need to evacuate the city immediately, your friends will leave in a couple of hours. I have already talked to them. They have had a trail with the police already and since they all had alibis they were let free. You on the other hand are prime suspects.'

'Eddie, aren't you a part of the government? Surely you could speak to the police.' Tobias pleads.

'Four, I'm already too heavily involved. I'm breaking the law myself by helping you. Unfortunately for us, the government and the Mayor of Security are not run similarly. One does not have more power than the other but that does not mean they work together.'

Profanities rush through my thoughts as I sit in stupefaction at the strangeness of how everything works. Outside, however, painful silence washes over us.

It's my slightly uneven breath that breaks the silence: 'so what now?'

'There's only so much time until the Police will find you. They can easily track so,' he reaches behind him for a black rucksack I never knew he had and throws it towards me. 'Go change quickly, we need to get on the road.'

I'm quick to catch the bag and run to the bathroom. Rummaging through the bag, I can only thank Christina who, I know, assembled this.

I brush my teeth using the toothbrush in the bag and then strip my slip for more comfortable underwear. I slide on my black skinny jeans, dark denim shirt, a dark purple scarf and my black combat boots then I put my hair into a ponytail and walk out.

Quietly walking out of the bathroom, I catch the last words of Tobias and Eddie's hush conversation:

'The jewelers near the market was good then?' Eddie asks.

'Yes.' Tobias mumbles.

As I shift my weight, the board underneath my feet squeaks and the sound makes Tobias' head swing up. His eyes meet mine.

Do I dare say he blushes?

Tobias holds my gaze for a second longer and it's in that moment that I want to rip his clothes off and take him back to bed.

Eddie coughs. Twice. And I'm bought out of my spell.

A blush of dark crimson aligns my cheeks.

'Are you ready?' Eddie asks, 'We need to get on the road.'

'Yeah.' I answer. Tobias takes mere seconds to change his tux for a pair of trousers and a white shirt.

'I've got your dress,' Tobias says, walking out of the bathroom towards me and holding his tux and my dress over his arm.

'Thank you,' I reply before I pick up my purse and black rucksack and shuffle out of the room, locking the door behind me.

Hurriedly, we saunter through the hallway, twisting around the bends and over the wooden bridge outside towards the main reception. The same receptionist is there, her eyes droopy from lack of sleep. I hand over the key and she isn't even able to murmur a quick thank you before we race out of the building.

The night sky is cimmerian and vengeful. Steaming shrouds of darkened clouds cough and splatter great bulk of water as the wind whips into a frenzy and swirls down to nip my bare skin.

Shivering, I run to the stunning, black Porsche Macan SUV that is parked right outside the entrance and swing open the back seat door. Eddie hauls himself in the driver's seat as Tobias rushes to chuck my dress and his tux in the boot before climbing in next to me himself.

A sheet of aureate light is thrown over the road, illuminating the faintest cracks, as the engine comes to life, the riotous sound intensifying as Eddie slams down hard on the gas.

And with my whole body collapsing in exhaustion and sinking into the plush beige leather seats and without looking back, we take the journey that we will lead to our final hours outside the fence.

Vigorous shaking wakes me.

'Tris!' Tobias shouts, alarmed.

'What's the matter?' I exclaim, up and awake now, noticing the strain in his usually calm voice.

An incandescent glow pours through the window and fills the car with life.

Outside, straight arrows of skyscrapers dawn over us, their lights, speared up in the sky, commanding attention. An army of overconfident black, white and silver cars are sprawled around us on the highway.

'The police,' Eddie growls through the rear view mirror. 'They're behind us.'

'What?' I gasp, swinging my head around to see that Edward is not dreaming.

Behind us- and racing at unimaginable speeds- are three black and white Police cars. The sound of their sirens encircling around the bends before exploding in my ear makes my heart rate increase.

I gulp as Eddie revs the engine, pressing down even firmer on the gas pedal.

It doesn't help.

They are catching up with us. Quickly.

Tyres screeching in agony, Eddie accelerates, swerving and overtaking a vehicle in front and whipping around a corner, nearly tipping the car over in the process. Panic arises within me once I notice the inevitable problem ahead of us: traffic.

Seeing our dilemma, Eddie veers off to a side-street, momentarily breaking off the chase until the police cars turn a corner, their flashing lights constantly reminding us all of our doom.

The seat belt bites into my skin, jerking me back as the car heavily brakes and flies across the pavement back onto the main road.

Horror seeks into my bones and I begin to shake, as I see the other drivers' lights, vividly shining and rapidly moving towards us.

In an instant, Eddie skids across the road to the other side. The sound of cars honking threatens to rip apart my ears as we lurch forward, faster and faster. The Police are a good hundred metres away now.

But they can still surround us.

We're moving. Faster and faster. More easily. We're creating more and more distance between the Police, but they are still managing to keep up.

Sweat breaks onto my face as the towers around me seem to move in, cutting off my circulation and blood flow.

As if plunging through a small hole we accelerate through until the road goes from a four lane highway to a two lane and then: the horizon grows pale, the first birds start to sing and the contours of the uneven terrain begin to emerge in the warmth of the morning red sunlight.

Open land. Everywhere. Green and so beautiful it could be made for a picture.

That's when I hear the guns. Loud and cracking. Echoing across the vast open space.

Shit.

'They are shooting at us! What kind of crazy police do you have?' Tobias shouts, enraged.

'They're shooting our tyres.' Eddie shouts back, looking through his rear view mirror. 'Shit, I'm going to lose my job.' He mumbles under his breath before screaming, 'Four, there are guns in the back. Brown bag. Get them out.'

Tobias rapidly takes off his seat belt and presses a button to access the boot. In mere seconds, he has reached a brown bag that has a couple of small guns.

Tobias looks at me and smirks. 'Your pick.'

The 9mm Desert Eagle pistol feels cool and familiar in my hand and as I pick it up.

I stroll down the window as I inhale a deep breath. I raise my loaded pistol, aim it down to the rim of the tyre of the police car, exhale, and pull the trigger. I hear the sudden crack of the bullet, like the sharp snapping of a stick, shooting out of the pistol. It hits the rim of the tyre and shatters its insides. The car turns to the left and right, swaying like a frail swing, trying to dodge the bullets in spite of it. I continue to rapidly fire.

Tobias' precision means he only needs to fire twice until both the front tyres of the first car pop and it fly out of control, tumbling and swerving off the road and onto the green field.

It plummets into a nearby tree. Oh, what a shame.

One down. Two to go.

Adrenaline races through my bones as I reload, shift, and aim again.

Inhale. Exhale. Shoot. Inhale. Exhale. Shoot.

As soon as I press the trigger down and I feel the immediate recoil, Eddie lurches off the road, tyres squealing against asphalt, and the sudden movement has me flying.

Shit, I think. I've missed.

The smell of burning rubber meanders through the car, choking me.

A glass shatters from behind. Like a person being knifed, its contents spill everywhere, the sharp glass bursting past me and cutting my cheek before landing on the ground. Wind moves in to conquer the boot of the car.

We're still moving. I make sure of it.

We're drifting down the field now, off the road. The long grass somewhat unraveling into a maze.

The car continues to jerk forward and we're quick to fire at the last two cars.

I'm on my last bullet when I pull away and reach for the brown bag.

It's empty of bullets and guns.

The blood seeps from my face and my heart skips a beat, maybe two. Anxiety takes over and starts pumping my blood even faster, forcing blood to rush back to my skin, to my brain. I mobilize.

'Are there anymore bullets?' I ask,eyes wide.

Tobias fires when he speaks, his eyes focused on the car. 'Are there no more in the bag?'

'No.' I shout and look up to Eddie. 'Eddie?'

'Fuck. That's all I have.'

'I have one bullet left and it's not enough to take out both the cars!' I yell.

I grip my hair as try to decipher my next step. I look around the area we are in. It's filled with grass and the occasional tree. Up ahead the trees begin to get more dense as if it's going to unravel a forest, the area begins to become dark and a slight trace of water runs through the entire area.

And then it hits me like a bolt of lightning. I remember this place. This is near where we first set up camp and Tobias and I went in that river. There's a back dirt road that no one hardly uses. I frantically explain this to Eddie, who nods at me as if confirming that is exactly where we are.

I just found our ticket to freedom.

I don't plan on going to prison today. I have my whole life ahead of me.

The car lurches forward. Hurdling over sharp branches, twigs and plants. It's picking up more speed now. 90, 100, 110 kilometres an hour.

Tobias and I exchange a glance, knowing exactly what to do, before we both take a deep breath and stick our arms out of the window.

Simultaneously, the triggers fly upwards, the bullets roar forward, soaring through the air before landing exactly at our targets: mine being the left tyre, his being the right tyre.

One car left.

Eddie is sneaking closer and closer towards the hidden dirt road. He's still gathering speed though. At any moment now, if he doesn't turn we will crash straight into the thick branches of trees.

In the next seconds that occupy, every single neurone in my body is on the edge, ready to react. All I can feel is my rapid heart, beating painfully and so, so fast in my chest. I'm frightened it will explode. But then I feel the adrenaline, as it coats my bones and transforms my blood and plunges me into braveness. My eyes swipe close, surrounding myself in deep darkness as I prepare for that crash that symbols my death, the sound that symbols this city's victory. They've won. They've won. They've won.

I inhale and wait. I wait.

And then… nothing.

Stillness. Silence.

I'm tossed against the sharp glass window.

Eddie does a hand break turn around a bend and gravity decides to play with me, flinging me against the window, like a weak pawn in a game of chess. I hear Eddie let out a string of expletives as the car gropes the dirt road for traction, skidding sideways.

Dirt and dust fly across the uneven terrain, aiming for the car as it enters through the smashed window, making me cough.

Gone is the sound of shouting. The echo of the gun. The illuminated police car lights and the ear-splitting sound.

Now there's a longer silence. The only noise audible is the hum of the engine.

I look around, startled.

I notice, in the far distance, growing smaller and smaller as we accelerate from it, is the outline of a police car: its bonnet smashed against a cluster of solid trees and the steam of an overheated engine boils out and meets the fresh air.

I turn my head to face what is ahead.

And I never look back.

Silent minutes swarm the car as Eddie brings the vehicle to a halt, switching off the engine, in the middle of the covered woodlands.

'What do we do now?' I ask.

Edward takes a deep breath before looking up at me through the rear view mirror and replying: 'We wait.'

We wait for a hundred and twenty two minutes.

After that, I turn my head to look at Tobias and notice he is as bored as I am. If only Eddie wasn't in the car, I think. I'm sure we could pass the time much, much quicker.

'What are you thinking about, Tris?' Tobias asks, amusement in his eyes as if he knows exactly what I'm thinking about. My cheeks inflame, betraying me.

'Are you guys hungry?' Eddie questions. I cringe as Tobias grins at me and mouths 'Hungry for you.'

'Yeah,' I reply too quickly, too fast, my breath caught.

'There's breakfast in the bags I gave you. Sorry I only remembered now.'

I shuffle around the boot for the bags with a sigh, I pull them out and hand one to Tobias. Inside are some heavily squashed croissants, an apple, a blueberry muffin and a bottle of water.

Eddie and Tobias chat as I begin to scoff down my breakfast, peeling away the wrapper of the muffin, only now realising how hungry I am.

Which of course doesn't go unnoticed.

'Hungry, Tris?' It's Tobias who asks me, this time.

'Well after last night...' I answer quickly, shoving down more of the muffin, savouring the delicious taste, and keeping my eyes down.

Eddie's loud howl of laughter makes me want to slap myself. I forgot he was here.

I look up, flushed. 'You know, from all the walking and you know nearly being killed.' I stress, trying to cover up my embarrassing mistake.

'Ha! Sure. It's not because you guys "broke up" then got engaged and probably had some intense make-out s-'

'No!' I interrupt, furiously blushing. 'It wasn't like that,' I add after a heartbeat, trying to remain calm.

'Sure. Okay, Tris. I believe you.' He's grinning at me, the slightly raised corner of his mouth betraying his attempt to hide the sarcastic remark.

The look I give him as I raise my head could murder an entire species.

An extra twenty nine minutes materialise onto the clock before I hear the gravel and shrubbery underneath us rattle from another car pulling up next to us.

Oh, thank goodness.

Swinging the door open, I run out of the car so fast, a wave of dizziness overpowers me and suddenly all I want to do is lie down.

Instead, a loud, high-pitched shriek pierces my ears.

'Tris Prior!'

'Christina!' I exclaim.

'Tris!' She shouts. 'I have been worried sick!' She blocks off my circulation flow by squeezing me into a tight hug. 'Where have you been?!'

'Oh. I felt sick so we went back to the hotel but then we got lost and it was late, so we just ended up in a random hotel.'

She raises one of her sharply shaped eyebrows at me as if she doesn't believe me. Maybe she doesn't. 'You should have told us.'

I mumble an apology, breathless as she squeezes me even tighter. Suddenly, I'm struck at how caring my friend is, how caring they all are. This warm, heartfelt bubbly feeling building up in my chest, threatens to explode.

Christina pulls back slowly, almost apprehensively and whispers: 'Who was the man who died?'

And in that moment, I know there's no going back; I'm too involved.

So I decide to tell her everything.

Afterwards, Christina's eyes are wide and buzzing with questions. I answer them as informatively as I can.

When I look up, Tobias is talking to Zeke, Uriah and Will, who all carry a grim expression on their faces. Christina and I join Eddie, who is chatting to Marlene and Shauna.

'I'm so glad you're safe, Tris,' Marlene sweetly says, embracing me into a hug.

'Me too.' Shauna smiles.

'Thank you,' I say, amazed at the sincerity in her eyes.

'Since we now have both cars, it will be safe for you to return back to Chicago.' Eddie says, looking at me.

'Thank you.' I reply appreciatively. 'Thank you, for everything you've done to help us.' I pull him into a friendly hug that last a few seconds during which he whispers, 'You're welcome.'

'I'm sorry about your car.' I say as I pull back.

He laughs and gazes towards his once beautiful car that is now covered in dirt and sprinkled in shattered pieces of glass. 'I'll get it repaired. My job though, I'm not so certain.'

I bolt my head upwards to look at him, concern on my face. 'They can't fire you!'

'Tris.' He sighs, 'In helping you escape,' he pauses and sighs again. 'Well, I committed a crime myself.'

I gasp and he draws his eyes to mine. 'Don't worry. I won't go to prison. Leader Nicholas Collins will sort things out. I'm sure.'

I nod, sombrely. After a few moments of silence, I whisper: 'Do you think we will ever see you again? Or… ever come outside the fence again?'

'I think.' He laughs, deeply. 'It's best if you stayed out of Chicago for a couple of months. But afterwards, I'm sure we can sort something out. You can keep the phone. Maybe travel further than this city?'

I grin at the possibilities the world has to offer.'Thank you.'

'It's my pleasure.'

'Give my wishes to Serena. Who knows maybe it will be her who will have a ring on her finger next?' I grin.

At the mention of her name, his face lights up and I wonder if this is what Tobias looks like when he speaks about me. 'I'd like to think so.' he whispers, looking down, a blush creeping up onto his cheeks.

I place my right hand on his shoulder in support. 'You and Serena will be together for a long time. I can see how much you love her.'

'Yeah.' he agrees. 'I think-' He's cut off, mid-sentence, by a rambunctious scream from Christina, Marlene and Shauna that have all the boys looking over.

'Tris!' Christina hyperventilates squealing in excitement, 'Oh my gosh! Is that,' she breathes, 'is that,' she jumps up and down like a fish flopping out of water. 'Is that-'

'AN ENGAGEMENT RING?' Marlene finishes, yelling in excitement.

Stunned, I realise they are staring at the ring on my hand on Eddie's shoulder, its diamonds shimmering in the midday sun.

I remove my hand from his shoulder quickly and gaze at my friends, a large smile on my lips. 'Yes. It is.' Their squeal of delight burns my ears.

Behind the girls and leaning against the car, I see Uriah, Zeke and Will each congratulate Tobias with a man hug. Tobias is facing me and I giggle when he pulls a funny face at me as Zeke hugs him.

Not a second later, Christina grabs my wrists and pulls me to her side and as soon as the words leave her lips I'm grimacing, but inside my heart expands at how caring she is: 'I have to be your wedding planner.' She squeals, 'Do you know how much shopping we will have to do?!'

So in between saying goodbye to the courageous Edward Brown, gossiping about the latest fashion, make-up, hair, you name it; Zeke, Shauna, Uriah, Marlene, Will, Christina, Tobias and I strap ourselves in the original, but newly repaired, 4x4 Range Rover we had at the start of the mission, and accelerate into the countryside, through the rich greenery and the sandy desert, that will soon lead to Amity Farms and one very well-known fence.

And by the time we arrive, the last broken rays of the setting sun fades on the horizon and the scene, for the very last time, shifts from grey to black.

A/N AND THAT'S THE LAST CHAPTER BEFORE THE EPILOGUE GUYS! I hope you enjoyed it and I'm SO SO sorry I'm extremely late -life got in the way- but this chapter is EDITED AND SUPER LONG.

Thanks to Fantasya8 for being an amazing friend and my editor!

I'll try to update the epilogue as soon as I can. It's likely it will be at the end of the month.

Just remember reviews motivate me and makes me update quickly!

Have a great day.

-UKDAUNTLESSGIRL.