Chapter 36

The cafeteria is loud and bustling a usual. I keep staring at Tobias but he isn't revealing anything. Imara looks confident as ever. She won every fight in the bracket yesterday, except for her fight with Liam. There was no way to avoid it, even though we tried when we were making the bracket, but hopefully their bond is strong enough not to let this get to them. He's always been better at the hand to hand.

Tobias takes his spot up with the leaders.

"Listen up, here's whats going to happen. I am going to call out names in order of rank. If I do not call your name you must leave the compound immediately. You will meet up where we hop the train to be escorted to the faction less by a leader.

Liam

Imara

Keena

Dexton

Blaire

Kennard

Veera

Axel

Juniper

Ario

Amos

Otto

Anders

Everett

Everley

I'm sorry guys but, Najia, Vallon, Ardel, Fallon, and Edison, you have to leave."

It's so quiet you can hear a pin drop, which is abnormal for Dauntless. Everyone is staring at Tobias and I.

Eventually I hear Najia call out,

"Nepotism! It's Nepotism! How come the instructor's kids are the top two?"

Max jerks his head at two of the guards in the cafeteria and she is dragged away. He jumps up and starts to walk out.

"You four in my office" He says as he passes us.

"What the hell is your problem?" Max is shouting at Najia.

"I just want to know why the instructors kids are the top two. Its obvious favoritism. Especially since Vallon and I don't get along with Imara and Liam. They are trying to get rid of us!"

"Actually if you paid attention to anything you would know that I did the ranking!"

"You still favor them over everyone else! You have always favored the leader's children over the rest!"

"Then how come Vallon didn't make the cut? Or have you forgotten that he is the son of two leaders?"

"Adopted son!"

"Same difference. The reason you two didn't make the cut is solely because of your performance. Honestly I'm ashamed. You've had your whole lives to train up to this and you blew it. On the first round nonetheless!"

"There shouldn't be this stupid rule! Why do we even have this rule that only 10 make it in? None of the other factions have this stupid rule!"

"Then why did you even choose Dauntless?!"

"It's obvious I've made the wrong choice," and with that Najia turned on her heel and stalked out.

After we leave max's office Tobias goes to the control room and I head up to the apartment to do some paperwork. The initiates have the day off for visiting day so it will be pretty slow until around noon when the transfer's families show up.

After about an hour of paperwork I begin to snooze but I'm interrupted by Tobias storming in and waking me up.

"Look at this!" He says through gritted teeth.

"What is it?"

"Its the list of the kids who have to choose next year. Part of my job is to find out who has to choose and monitor them, get to know them, so that way when they choose Dauntless it isn't as hard to judge their personality and loyalty."

"Okay so? Why do I have to look at it?"

"Just do it."

"Okay….." I scan the paper until my eyes fall on one single name.

Prudence Prior, girl from Erudite.

"Have you been watching her?"

"Yes, like a hawk, she's Caleb's daughter. He has already started trying to talk her into choosing Dauntless to get close to us, to infiltrate us. Beatrice, this is bad, very very bad."

"So what are we going to do about it?"

"We're going to watch and wait. That's all we can do."

When it's time for visiting day we head back to the main part of the compound to meet the transfer's families. I scan to room. Mom and Dad said they were coming to see Imara today. My eyes fall on a snotty looking couple and their son. Dexton. Great. His father strolls over to Tobias.

"So this is Dauntless, I know now why all of you are so…strange."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Meaning I know why all the children that come out of here are a bunch of hoodlums."

"Well if I'm not mistaken, you're wife used to be one of these 'hoodlums'. Either that or she's a very good actress." Tobias jerks his head in her direction and her face it lit up as she seemingly reunites with people she used to know. Tobias seems to know her. Her husband storms off and joins her as I look up at Tobias.

"What was that all about?"

"The year after I was an initiate she transferred to Erudite."

"How can you tell? Hasn't she changed?"

"Yes, a lot, but I know her by that tattoo peaking out from the top of her collar. It's a dauntless symbol. Not our official seal, but a symbol. It means she will be forever Dauntless, but something changed and I still haven't figured out why. At first I thought she was a spy for Dauntless and she might have been, but since then she's met someone and started a family so I doubt she's that loyal anymore."

"Don't worry about it babe. C'mon, lets go find my parents." We work our way through the crowd and see Imara standing with them. She's genuinely happy as she calls Liam over, introducing him as her catch up and chat for a while before they have to leave.

Tobias and I stroll out and head back to our apartment. As soon as we get through the door he pulls me close.

"So, the twins are off having fun, and Imara is with Liam, we've got the whole place to ourselves. What do you want to do?"

I gaze into his eyes for a moment and then it hits me.

"Puke, I want to puke." I take off running to the bathroom and barely make it. Tobias is waiting outside the door for me.

"Tris, honey, maybe you should take a pregnancy test…"

"Nope, no need, there's no way I'm pregnant. I've been getting shots this time remember? We don't need anymore kids Tobias!"

"All I'm saying is that maybe you are, and there's no reason why you don't need to at least find out for sure. Have you missed any periods?"

"No! Can we please stop talking about this now?"

"No we can't, if you are then you need to slow down! Remember how much trouble you had with the twins?! Not to mention you're thirteen years older now!"

"So now it's my fault that I had complications with the twins? If you remember correctly then you'd know I was under a lot of added stress. Remember your stalker!"

"Thats not the point just…Beatrice, listen to me, I'm not saying it was your fault, I just don't want either of us to have to go through that again and I think it would be better for us to find out early this time and take the right precautions. That's all. Maybe I want another child have you ever thought of that?! Maybe this is a blessing in disguise but we will never know because you won't even take a fucking pregnancy test! You jet want to go along like everything is fine when you know damn good and well that it's not fine! You are either SICK or PREGNANT! Get that through your fucking head!" By now he is almost shouting.

"Since when do you care about precautions?! Your lack of precaution is the reason we're having this fucking conversation! By the way my name is not Beatrice!" I storm back into the bathroom and slam the door muttering under my breath.

'The fucking nerve of him! Why would he even think about having another child when we've already gone through so much with the three we have now. I guess another one would be fun, but I just don't think we can handle all of that right now. Why does he have to be like this? I know, I'll just stay in here until he calms his ass down. He can come to me.

I cross my arms, determined. After an hour I finally give up and come out. I find him sitting on the bed sipping straight out of a bottle. I jerk it out of his hands and start to take a swig but his glare makes me stop.

"Can I at least have a smoke, your highness?"

He takes our cigarettes out of his pocket and hands them to me.

"Lighter?"

He points to the bed beside him and I pick it up, lighting one and taking a long draw. We stare at each other for a long time before I finally break the silence.

"FIne, you win, I'll go to the infirmary tomorrow after training and get a test done. Happy?"

"I knew you'd see things my way, come on, it's time to go get the twins."

As we walk past the chasm I can feel Tobias begin to calm down from our fight as he takes my hand. All the sudden he yanks me back into a little nook in the wall, pressing his finger to my lips.

"Shh." I listen intently and hear what I think is Imara, I can't tell exactly what she's saying. Apparently Tobias can hear her because he jumps out and takes off running towards the sound of her voice. I run after him but I'm two late, he's yanking a half naked Liam off of our half naked daughter. He starts to hit him but stops himself.

"Go! I'll deal with you tomorrow. I'd hate to kill my best grind's son out of pure anger. Get out of my sight before I change my mind."

I turn to Imara.

"Come with me."

I grab her by the arm and practically drag her back to the apartment. Tobias is stalking behind me and slams the door immediately.

"What the hell were you doing young lady?!"

"Dad! I'm not a young lady anymore! I'm old enough to choose a faction so I'm old enough to screw around if I want to!"

"No you're not! Honestly I don't know where you'd even get that idea! You are still a dependent until you are working full time! Thats how it is here! You can't even get on the train without escort until you turn 18 so where on earth would you get the idea that it's okay to shack up with someone! A fellow initiate at that! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is! What if one of you doesn't make it through initiation? Then what?"

"We will figure that out IF it happens! And if I'm not mistaken you were fucking mom when she was an initiate and you were her teacher for fucks sake! So why don't you worry about your initiates and stop worrying about abusing me and treating me like shit? Or are you fucking one of them too? Everyone knows you like taking advantage of little abnegation girls!"

All I can see is red. Tobias storms out and I do something I never thought I'd do before. I slap Imara so hard across the face I instantly bust her lip open.

"Don't you ever talk to your father that way! Abuse? You want to try and say he's abusive just because he yells at you and boohoo he hurts your feelings, you need your ass kicked is what you need young lady, now go to your room." I point down the hall way in the direction of her room and she runs off. Now I have to go check on my husband.

I walk in the bedroom and he's sitting on the bed just like earlier, he finishes off his bottle and goes over to the little fridge we keep in our room, and pulls out another bottle.

"Tobias."

"Don't…"

"Talk to me."

"What is there to talk about?Imara has made it very clear how she feels about me."

"Babe, you know she didn't mean any of it. She's a teenager, she will get over it."

"Do you think I took advantage of you, Tris?"

"No! I would never think that!"

"Well she thinks it!" He jumps up and throws his bottle against the wall, making me jump.

"Calm down," I pull him back to the bed and sit him down, gingerly stroking his hair. "We just need to take this one step at a time, have a chat with Christina and Uriah, and make it clear to the kids that this is not okay. I mean we were kissing and stuff yeah, but we never even though about sex until like six months after I was in. Remember that night honey?"

I smile as I look into his eyes. He manages a small, weary smile.

"How could I forget it? We'd lived together, slept in the same bed, seen each other naked, even taken showers together for heavens sake, but we never actually…You had been telling me for weeks that you were ready, but I still wasn't convinced you were."

"You were waiting for me to make the first move…"

*Flashback*

*Tobias POV*

I hurry straight home, tonight Tris has something special planned. She left the control room so fast a couple hours ago I almost got whiplash trying to tell her goodbye.

"Tris! Babe where are you?"

She steps out from the kitchen.

"Here…"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, why don't we have a shower?"

"Right now?"

"Yes, right now." She takes my hand and leads me into the bathroom, taking my shirt off as she runs her hand over my chest. Both of us get in the shower and it goes like usual. Talking about our day, and anything else important that comes up. I take a long look at Tris. She's got something on her mind, I can feel it.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, how bout we start getting out now? Dinner should be ready to take out of the oven soon."

*Tris POV*

We eat in silence, Tobias keeps staring at me.

"Want to tell me what's on your mind now?"

"Tobias, I'm ready.

"Ready for what?"

"You remember that night it was just the two of us in this exact room and you told me that someday if I still want you we can…?"

"Yes…"

"Well, someday is now. At least to me it is. I think I'm ready babe."

"You sure?"

"Yes, that is, if you're ready."

"I am baby. I am."

I get up from my chair and grab him by the hand, leading him to our bedroom. He runs his hands up my bare arms, making me shiver. We lay across the bed, kissing, touching, loving each other, eventually all of our clothes are thrown around the floor.

*End Flashback*

"I was so afraid of hurting you."

"It was wonderful Tobias and don't you ever think otherwise. It was one of the greatest nights of my life. You never hurt me."

He finally makes eye contact with me.

"What are we going to do with her, Tris?"

"We will just watch her more closely, and come down on her more. We never really disciplined her. We've grounded her, yeah, but we've never really came down on her."

"I just didn't want to be like my father, but what happened out there. I lost control. I should have never done that."

"Well, what's done is done. And don't apologize to her, that will only make her think she can do it again. And you are nothing like your father. He beat you, for no reason whatsoever. You raised your voice at her, for a damn good reason. Now how about we escort her back to the dorm, pick up the twins, have a nice dinner with them, and call it a night?"

"Sounds pretty good to me."

After we drop Imara off we head over to the pit where the kids we playing.

"Aiden, Nadia! Come on! Dinner!"

The come running over to us, covered head to toe in paint from the paintball guns.

I laugh at them.

"Did you two have fun?"

"Yes! So much fun!"

"Well lets get you home and showered up. Mom is actually cooking tonight!" Tobias laughs.

"Did someone die?" Aiden peers up at him.

"No son, nobody died, now c'mon."

Both kids get showered, I have to help Nadia wash all the paint out of her hair. It's all the way down to her ass. I have no idea why she wants it that long, she keeps it braided all the time but oh well. We all sit around the table, I just decided on hot dogs, it wasn't much, but we needed alone time as a family tonight. I take a long hard look at Aiden and Nadia, they've grown up so much. Aiden is the spitting image of his father except his almost to his shoulders and very unruly. Nadia looks just like me, except her too long hair.

Finally Nadia speaks up for the first time.

"So when are we allowed to get tattoos?"

"Well, we've been thinking about it for a while, and your guys' birthday is coming up. How about we do it then?"

"Seriously?" They both say in unison.

"Yeah. Think you can wait a couple more weeks?"

"Heck yeah!"

"Okay, well, go to bed now."

Both of them immediately get up and run off to their rooms, I think they don't want to test their luck. As Tobias and I are clearing off the table we don't talk much. He goes to bed and soon after I follow.

Sorry for the weird ending guys, this one was pretty long because I couldn't find a good stopping point. So eventually I just kinda forced a stopping point in there. I'll update as soon as I can.