The past 48 hours have been some of the most perfect in my entire life. Tobias and I have no set schedule. We eat when we're hungry, sleep when we're tired, clean up when it's necessary, and make love when the mood hits, which quite honestly is most of the time. Tobias took me on a tour of the spectacular lighthouse, and we looked over each of the beautiful rooms. We counted 24 different places that we get to "christen," and we've gotten a good start, though our favorite spot is the beautiful big bed in the old lantern room at the very top of the lighthouse. That's where we spend most of our time. As a matter of fact, I'm lying naked with Tobias right now. We are both trying to catch our breath after making love twice already this morning.
"You're tummy's getting bigger," he softly says when he can finally speak. He's lying with his head just below my breasts, caressing my expanding abdomen. "Hi, Peanut. It's Daddy. I hope you are happy in there. Your mommy and I can't wait to meet you. We love you so much."
"I love you, Tobias," I say, emotion thick in my voice. He lifts his head and looks into my teary eyes. He moves to hold me in his arms. "You're going to be such a wonderful father."
"Thank you," he says. "That is probably the kindest thing you've ever said to me."
"It's the truth," I say, pressing my lips to his. He moves away from me before the passion reignites.
"Are you ready for a honeymoon surprise?" he asks when I start to protest, which makes me instantly forgive him for pulling away from our kiss prematurely. I smile brightly at him.
"I never knew that I liked surprises until I met you," I say. "I know I sometimes complain but I don't actually mean it. So what's my surprise?"
"There is a street fair and concert in Amity," he says. "They call it Strawberry Festival. It happens once a year and it happens to be today. There is also strawberry picking."
"A concert?" I ask, excitement visible on my face. Everything he said sounds amazing but I've never seen live music before. "I've never been to a concert before."
"Neither have I," he says, kissing my cheek softly. "When I was planning our honeymoon, an Amity member reminded me that the festival was today. I thought it would be a perfect activity for us, something to get us out of bed and interacting with the real world. I thought we could have some strawberries for dessert tonight." We drag ourselves out of bed. While I'm showering, he fixes us breakfast. I put my hair in a simple French braid and put on some makeup for the first time in days. I go to the small closet and see what clothes he brought for me. I look at everything twice and don't recognize most of it. I pick out a very nice black with small white polka dot sleeveless sundress with a fitted button down bodice and full skirt that hits me at the knees. I decide to pair it with the black ballet flats instead of the 3 inch heels that are sitting next to them.
"Tobias," I say when I come out of the bathroom. He turns and looks my way. His eyes glide over me, and he smiles brightly. "Where did the clothes come from?"
"Do you like them?" he asks. "I thought you would like some new clothes for the honeymoon. I actually did all the shopping myself." He sounds very impressed with himself.
"All by yourself? Wow! I love them," I say, pulling his mouth to mine for a thank you kiss. "Pancakes!" He has a platter of pancakes and bacon and two glasses of milk on the table. As we sit down to eat breakfast, I ask, "Hey, have you heard from Zander or Stella? I feel really bad that we haven't checked on Tyler. I'm going to be a terrible mother."
"You are not," he admonishes with a frown on his face. "We've been ... preoccupied." He gives me a shameless smile, and I blush from head to toe and shake my head at him. "Stella called while you were in the shower actually. Tyler's doing remarkably well but he misses us. I talked to him for a little bit. He asked for you and was disappointed you couldn't come to the phone but he seemed to understand. I told him you would call him before his bedtime." Disappointment and something else move through me. I wish I could have talked to him.
"I'm sorry I missed him," I sadly say. "Help me remember to call them around 7:30 p.m. tonight so I can tell him goodnight."
"You look beautiful, by the way," he says. "I love you."
"Thank you," I say with a smile. "I love you, too." We finish breakfast, and I clean up while he showers just like we do at home. The routine activity makes me feel more like myself. Just as I finish putting everything into the dishwasher, he comes out of the bathroom dressed in faded black jeans that hug his body making my mind go to X-rated activities, a skin tight dark gray t-shirt, and a black and gray striped button down shirt that he is wearing open. He looks fantastic but then again he always looks great. My mouth goes dry, and desire stirs just below my navel as he walks toward me.
"Wow," I say running my hands up and down his chest. "You look ... gorgeous." He picks me up, catching me off guard, and I laugh heartily. He puts his lips on mine cutting off the laughter and kisses me passionately. I tangle my fingers in his curls after I wrap my arms around his neck. After we come up for air, I breathlessly say, "Keep kissing me that way and we won't be going anywhere today except for upstairs to bed."
"That wouldn't be such a bad thing, would it?" he asks.
"No, it wouldn't," I say moving my mouth back to his but he shakes his head no, and I automatically pout. He sighs and kisses me again but breaks away too soon making me sigh.
"We better get going," he says, sitting me on my feet. He takes my hand and leads me down the flights of stairs and out the lighthouse. It's about a mile and a half walk to the center of Amity but we are used to walking all over the huge Dauntless compound so the distance is nothing. I am glad I wore the flats though. My feet would have been screaming at me by the time we got there. We walk hand-in-hand through a green field full of wildflowers then through a huge orchard of fruitless apple trees while talking about nothing important. We laugh together often. When we come out of the orchard, I see the buildings that make up Amity. In a way it kind of reminds me of Abnegation. All the buildings look exactly the same: Unpainted, weathered, rough-looking dark wood, except for the greenhouses, which are newer looking wide, short glass buildings that seem to be the polar opposite of the wooden structures. We walk down an alley and into the center of the faction, which for all intents and purposes is a city of its own. There are several vendors siting in make-shift booths lining both sides of the street. There are hundreds of people milling around wearing blue and white, black and white, red and yellow, and even a few who are wearing just black. I look down at my dress and hope no one mistakes me for a Candor. Then I laugh out loud at myself. I'm sure my very Dauntless husband would dispel that thought quickly, not to mention the visible tattoos that I have. I see Tobias looking at me strangely.
"It's nothing," I say. "I was just being ... well, kind of stupid." He leans over and puts his lips to my ears making me shiver.
"You are never stupid," he says bringing a smile to my face. He kisses me softly but quickly then asks me what I want to do first.
"Let's start at one end of the street and visit each and every vendor," I excitedly say. He agrees and we keep walking in the direction we are heading trying to take everything in. We see booths selling every kind of handmade item you can imagine. There is jewelry, blankets, home decorating items, soaps, lotions, perfumes, clothes in different faction colors, candles, furniture, and so much more. Other booths are selling different food items from jarred applesauce to bags full of freshly popped popcorn and multiple flavors of fudge to freshly baked homemade pies in every flavor imaginable. There are even some vendors demonstrating their craft. Tobias and I stand for at least 15 minutes watching a young Amity girl who doesn't look as old as me with bright green eyes, flowing red hair, and countless freckles on her face and exposed limbs dip and shape candles. Tobias buys several dozen votives from her, he's that impressed.
I see a knit sweater in a black, dark gray, and light gray variegated pattern that I know will look awesome on Tobias so I ask him to go back a couple booths and get us some apple butter to put on our morning toast, and I buy the sweater as a Christmas gift. I hide it in the bottom of a bag holding two black maternity sundresses he bought me. I tried to talk him out of them but he insisted so I relented and let him spoil me. We are getting near the end of the street when something catches my eye, and I hurry over to it.
"Tobias, look at this," I say. We stand in front of the muted watercolor painting and stare in awe. "Should we?"
"Yes, we most definitely should," he says. We step around the corner and see a familiar face.
"Gunner!" I should have recognized his work but I've never seen any of his paintings before. "Hi. It's good to see you again."
"Well, well. Tris and Four. I didn't think I would be seeing you again so soon," he says with a friendly smile. I feel very at ease with him. He has such a laid back personality. "What can I do for you two?"
"We are interested in the lighthouse painting around the corner," Tobias says. We all go back and stand in front of the masterpiece. It's our honeymoon bed and breakfast depicted at sunset in its prime. The dark blue shimmering waters of Lake Michigan encompass the exquisite lighthouse, and the darkened skyline of the city is backlit by the brilliant pinks and oranges and the dark blues and grays of a beautiful sunset. The colors are subtle and muted like the rest of the painting but it's so beautiful. Looking closely in the background, I can even see The Navy Pier and our Ferris wheel. "How much is it?"
"Well for the two of you, how about 15 points," he says. "I was going to sell it for 25." We don't have to think twice.
"We'll take it," Tobias says. "Can it be delivered to Dauntless the week after next? We're on our honeymoon, and I would hate to damage it."
"I can arrange that," he say. "You know, I could actually deliver it and your wedding photos at the same time. Kill two birds with one stone as they say." I've never heard that before.
"That would be great," Tobias says. "We would appreciate it." Tobias takes the painting down from where it's being displayed, hands it Gunner, and we pay for it.
"I love it, Gunner," I say. "We are staying at the lighthouse."
"A reminder of your honeymoon," he says. "I'm glad I decided to pain it. I've never done one before, and I'll never do one exactly like it again. I like to keep my pieces one of a kind."
"Your work is ... breathtaking," I say. "You have a great talent and your pieces help make our apartment a home."
"That is the best compliment I've ever received," he says with a traditional Amity hug.
"Thank you again, Gunner," Tobias says, receiving a hug of his own. Tobias finds two kids who volunteer to carry our many bags to the lighthouse, and he promises them each a couple points' worth of candy when they return. We sit down on a vacant bench waiting for their return watching the action around us. When they return in record time, they tell us the caretaker took the bags and delivered them to our room. Tobias goes with them to pick out what candy they want, we thank them, and they run off.
"That was amazing," I quietly say. "I'm not sure Dauntless kids would have been so kind."
"Oh, they might have offered us a hand then they probably would have taken off with the bags never to be seen again," he says. He's probably right.
In a field just beyond the final buildings are several long wooden tables and benches where a wonderful smelling barbeque lunch is being served before the concert begins. We find a place to sit at one of the crowded tables then he goes to get us each a plate. I'm pouring us glasses of water out of the communal pitchers when I hear a familiar voice.
"Beatrice?" I look toward the sound of my full name, and I see Robert Black standing not six feet away from me.
"Robert," I say. It's all I can say. I haven't seen him since his interrogation, and to tell the truth, I never really thought I would see him again.
"I thought that was you," he says, his voice a little sad, a little distant. "I'm sorry..."
"You don't have to apologize to me for anything," I say interrupting him. "You didn't do anything wrong." The family sitting next to me finish eating then gets up and walks away. "Would you like to join us? Four is getting us something to eat."
"Your boyfriend, right?" he asks sitting down opposite me.
"He's actually my husband now," I say with a smile. Shock settles in on his face.
"Wow! Congratulations," he says. "I saw him momentarily at Candor, before I was put under truth serum, didn't I? He was sitting with you, right?"
"Yes," I say.
"He looked very familiar to me," he says.
"Robert Black," Tobias says, putting a plate full of barbeque chicken, early sweet corn, potato salad, and a slice of strawberry pie in front of me then he sets one down for himself and sits down beside me. "I've been calling you. Why haven't you returned any of my messages? I want to talk to you about our brother."
"Tobias Eaton," he says, slightly shocked and very confused. "Wait! You're Four?"
"Yes," Tobias says, once again sounding like Four. I touch his Amity tattoo, and he smiles at me. "I was given the nickname Four shortly after I joined Dauntless." Good, he sounds like my husband again.
"I didn't know," Robert says. "I'm sorry I haven't called you back. I've been unavailable to take phone calls. I'm on probation of sorts for hiding out from the men who first came to talk to me. This is actually the first day I've been allowed out of my house. You want to talk about Jeffrey?"
"Very much so," he says. "I knew about my other siblings but not him. How did you find out he's your brother?" Robert looks like this is a difficult subject to talk about but he holds his head high and answers Tobias' questions.
"Jeffrey and I have been friends for as long as I can remember," he quietly says. "Almost two years ago, he got really sick. Everyone thought he was going to die. The doctors didn't know what was wrong with him. After numerous tests, he was finally diagnosed with leukemia, and his only hope for survival was a bone marrow transplant. His parents sat him down after hearing that news and said that the entire family would get tested but they knew that there was no chance there would be a match because they weren't his biological parents. That's when he found out he was adopted as a baby as was his younger brother and sister. But a miracle happened, Laurel was a perfect match. It turns out they have the same biological parents." I gasp. I look at Tobias, and I see the blood drain from his face, leaving him deathly pale. I think we just found his sister. "She donated her bone marrow, and he luckily went into remission. Once he got to feeling better, he started searching for their birth parents. When he was sick, I volunteered to be tested to see if I was a match just in case his family wasn't. The analyst made a mistake and told us we have the same biological father. That's how we learned that we are brothers and not just best friends."
"How did he come up with Evelyn's identity?" Tobias asks, barely above a whisper.
"He talked to several people," Robert says. "Did you know Abnegation people like to gossip? I didn't until this happened. It's one of the reasons I chose to leave. I had trouble being selfless all the time but at least I'm honest about it. Anyway, Jeffrey talked to numerous people and literally asked the right questions until he had my father with Evelyn Eaton and Natalie Prior on multiple occasions. Until Dad's interrogation confirmed Evelyn is his mother, we had no way of knowing short of asking your mom, Beatrice, and how does one do something like that. There is something I don't understand. I was told that Dad said he has five children. I know about Susan, Jeffrey, Laurel and, of course, me but who is his fifth child and who is his or her mother?" I look at Tobias, and he has a blank look on his face. He finally meets my eyes, and we communicate silently. Do we let him in on the secret? I don't see any harm in it so I nod slightly at him. I don't think it's right to keep Robert in the dark anymore.
"Tyler," Tobias says.
"I'm sorry?" Robert says, confusion once again filling his features.
"Four's little brother, Tyler, is your brother also, Robert," I say. "Remember, you met him at the park. I held my breath that day when you looked at him. I thought for sure you would see your father in his eyes."
"How is that possible?" he asks, stunned. "Your mother is dead."
"No, she's not," Tobias says. "As a matter of fact, she's in the hospital about ready to give birth again." Robert stares open-mouthed at him. "Tris and I are adopting the baby."
"Is my father the father?" he asks quietly.
"Yeah," Tobias says. "He is." We all sit quietly letting this new information sink in. I can't believe that we know who his little sister is. I remember Laurel Walsh. She has light hair and light eyes that match Mr. Black's with Evelyn's curls and olive complexion. She is quite the little beauty, and if I remember she has Tyler's disposition. I could see her spending a quiet life in Abnegation.
"Are you alright, Four?" I ask after there has been no conversation for some time.
"I don't know," he says. "I honestly didn't think I would ever know who she was, especially after thinking she was dead all that time." Robert starts to question what Tobias means when I shake my head at him. "Thanks for the information, Robert."
"You're welcome," he says. "I'm sorry but I have a previous engagement. I hope I was able to answer all your questions. It was nice seeing you again."
"You were very helpful," Tobias says. "If I have any more questions, I will get ahold of you. Thanks again."
"Congratulations on your marriage," he says getting up from the table. "You two look very good together and very happy."
"Thanks, we are very happy," I say at the same time Tobias says, "Thank you," then Robert walks away.
"Do you want to go back to the lighthouse?" I ask, certain he will be in a grumpy mood the rest of the day.
"No," he says with a warm smile on his face. "We still have the concert, love, unless you're wanting to get out of here." The look in his eyes tightens my tummy but mention of the concert excites me, too.
"Let's go to the concert," I say. Then I whisper in his ear, "We'll have all night when we get back to the lighthouse." He kisses me lightly on the mouth.
"That's why I love you," he says. "We let our lunch get cold."
"That's okay," I say taking a bite of the potato salad. "Everything is still really good."
"I can't believe I know where my sister is, Tris," he says. "There doesn't feel like there's a piece of me missing."
"I'm glad you know where all your brothers and sisters are now, Tobias," I say. We finish our lunch then head to the bandstand. Several people are finding places to sit and we do the same. We locate a rather large tree that has no one around it. I sit back against it, and he lies down on the ground with his head in my lap like so many other couples are doing. I play with his hair while we chat more about his sister. He remembers Laurel also. He definitely seems more at ease knowing that she's okay. I think that's all he's wanted since finding out she was in fact alive and given up for adoption. I wonder how the two babies that were given up ended up in the same household without the adoptive parents knowing.
We're talking about the wonderful vendors we encountered today when several Amity members carrying different instruments climb up the steps of the weathered bandstand, and the concert begins. For two solid hours we listen to all different kinds of music, some with vocals and some without. I'm mesmerized by the talent not 20 feet away from me. I'm also slightly jealous. Their happiness while they perform is obvious. I can't think of anything outside the bedroom that makes me as happy as they seem right now. Well that's not entirely true. Tobias makes me that happy all the time. Target practice makes me feel strong and centered but I've never thought it made me feel happy but it does. My friends make me happy as does my job. Tyler makes me almost as happy as his brother does. I change my mind. I'm not jealous.
When the concert ends, we go to the large field of strawberries to pick tonight's dessert. We watch two Erudite woman and imitate what they're doing since neither one of us have ever done anything like this before. When we're done, we have a few pounds of plump sweet juicy fresh strawberries to eat over the next few days.
"Are you ready to get back?" he asks. "We want to make sure we make it back before dark. I have a pretty good sense of direction but I'm not familiar enough with Amity. I wouldn't want to get us lost."
"I'm ready," I say, taking his hand. "Thank you so much for a wonderful day. It's been another perfect one. I'm keeping count by the way." He leans over and kisses me passionately but breaks away too soon for me. I notice we have a bit of an audience, and I blush brightly. We walk back through town the way we came, and when we reach the orchard, I feel eyes on me but when I look around, I don't see anything but I can't shake the uneasy feeling. I hear a snap of a twig and look to my right and lock eyes with the last person I wanted to see ... Peter.