Thank you SO SO SO much to Bamberlee for editing this chapter! You're the best!

Thanks for reading and reviewing & have a great weekend!

Also: this week's cliffhanger is brought to you by Bamberlee. Bonus points if you guess the correct answer lol.

"Eva."

"Eva."

"EVA."

I open my eyes to Adam's face right over mine, wrought with concern. He scrunches his nose up when I blink at him, and I shove my hair away to make sure it's really him.

It is.

Sitting right next to me, with his leg pressed against mine.

"Adam?"

His name comes out sounding really attractive. Scratchy and low and disbelieving, even as last night slowly works its way into my brain. There's an image of him above me, hips moving against mine as he slowly thrust into me, and my soul leaving my body as I came, he came, and then collapsed on top of me and promptly fell asleep.

"Is everything okay?" I try to sit up, but I'm pinned in place by his gaze. He's staring at me intently, and I suddenly wonder if my grandmother had drugged me. Or maybe it had been Holly and Paisley. Maybe there was something in the hairbrush or the nightgown that is currently nowhere near me.

"Yeah, you were just…you kept mumbling something in your sleep. It sounded like you were saying Jason. Actually, I'm pretty sure you were saying Jason."

Adam looks right at me, and my eyes fly wide open as everything that happened yesterday comes back to me.

Including the part about Jason.

"Oh, shit, no! I… before I fell asleep, I was thinking that Jason…Jason was the one…" I stop, realizing I'm about to sound incredibly insane if I admit I thought Jason had given him any sort of sex advice. The idea is mortifying and saying it out loud doesn't make it any better.

"You thought Jason was…the one?" Adam scoots closer, unwilling to let this go. My cheeks feel like they're on fire, and I pull the sheets up higher, totally aware of the fact that not long ago, Adam saw everything.

"Um, the one who talked to you…about us…and last night." I hesitate, while also wishing the bed would swallow me whole. "You know…that we….I thought maybe he told you…"

Through my jumble of nonsense, he somehow figures it out.

Adam bursts out laughing. It's sort of a relief, but I swat him away from me when he shakes his head. "You thought I talked to Jason about having sex with you? That's what you think I do in my free time?"

"No," I would scowl at him, but he's leaning toward me, and his bare chest is appealing. "I just…I don't know. Who else would you talk to? Which one of your friends is having sex?"

"All of them," Adam answers casually, and my eyes widen. "Really, Eva? You think Aja and Rachel are just admiring each other's hair? Or Pink and Gunner? Or…" He pauses, and I glare at him because I know what he's about to say. "Your uncle and Kat?"

"I hate you," I answer defiantly, pulling the sheets up higher, and Adam grins even wider. "Don't you dare tell me my uncle is having…"

"I'm pretty sure he's been sleeping with her for a while," Adam shrugs, and he's too close for me to throw anything at him. He pauses, his fingers moving to touch the very ends of my hair before he tilts his head. "I didn't talk to any of my friends because I didn't think it was their business. I mean, I heard a lot, but…actually, Jason and I did talk a few times. Just…not what you're thinking."

Oh well that's good.

Out of everyone in the faction, he chose one of the men closest to my father.

Though Jason was the least likely to spill any of this to him.

"That's, uh, great." I stare at him, unable to keep the horrified look off my face. "Real…casual."

"Eva," Adam laughs, but he stops to let go of my hair and get closer. "I thought when it happened, I wanted to figure it out with just you. Not…with Aja or Gunner in my head…" Adam leans in and his lips touch mine. "Or Zander…"

I groan, even though I like this incredibly good mood he's in.

"You're ruining this," I groan, but I kiss him back, pushing the blankets away. The sheets are a lost hope around us. They're tangled in every direction, and he knocks the pillows back so he can pull me against him.

"Sorry," he kisses the words along my jaw, then behind my ear. "Anyway, I didn't want to wake you up, but I was starting to think you were hoping I was someone else."

"Oh yeah, that's who I've been in love with this whole time. My father's friend who believes we'll one day be taken over and enslaved by an alien race."

Adam freezes.

His mouth is near my temple, and he rests his head against mine. I have the sudden urge to throw up everywhere, because there wasn't a chance in hell he missed what I said. I immediately back pedal, figuring he could chalk it up to me being disoriented from last night or whatever Amity voodoo magic my grandma had slipped in my drink.

After all, we might have slept together, but that didn't mean he loved me.

"I'm…Adam, I'm sorry. I understand if you don't…I just…you came back and no one's done anything like that for me, and I just…last night….it was you… and…I….I feel…"

Oh No.

I clamp my mouth shut, and I shake my head and pray Adam will look somewhere else.

I sound like my father when he asked me if Adam loved me or if I loved Adam and I can't even think straight. My words are a rush as I try to figure out how to smooth this over before I ruin it. All I know is Adam returned to Amity when no one else did, and he willingly spent the night. One thing led to another, and it had all felt right. Being alone with him, being together with him in a way I'd never really thought about before, and falling asleep with him against me, just as worn out as I was.

And maybe I did love him.

Maybe that was why I never gave up on him, even if it felt like us being together was fulfilling some fairy tale prophecy.

I just didn't know how he'd take hearing that right now.

"You don't have to be sorry," Adam pulls back, and the distance is once again noticeable. "I'm pretty sure I've been in love with you for a while. I think seeing Jeremy nearly kill you made me realize I couldn't imagine my life without you."

He says the words easily, almost casually, like once he'd realized these were his own thoughts and feelings, that was it.

Easy.

Love was a very logical next step.

"Oh thank God," I sink against him, again without thinking, because I was deathly afraid he'd have laughed me out of this room. It wasn't that I couldn't love him or shouldn't; it was that it might not be real, just like he'd worried about. Or that what I felt for him had grown, and what he felt for me had fizzled when he realized I came along with a slew of age-old drama I couldn't even explain and a hoard of weird aunts who had prepped me for this evening. "I thought maybe you were thinking this was all a mistake and then I didn't know what I would do. I swear, I've felt like I was about to die a million times in the past twenty four hours."

"Last night was hardly a mistake," Adam answers, and his hands find my waist. He moves me closer without any protest from me, and after a fleeting moment of awkwardness, he settles me right on his lap. "In fact, I was thinking that we should do it again. Make sure you're still alive and not actually a ghost. You could have died. It was freezing outside and you were pretty much wearing nothing."

I can't help but smile at him, because he seems to just get it. He's the first person in my life to understand me like no one else did

"So you're saying if I did die, that I'd come back to haunt you?" My fingers are on his shoulders now, digging into the warm skin there. The fire has almost burned out completely, and the only light comes from there. Behind Adam is nothing but the howl of the storm, the faint crackle as the fire pleads for more firewood, and the dim light from the moon spilling in above the curtains.

I don't think it can get any better than this.

"Yeah, you without a jacket. Wandering the lower floors of Dauntless. I can see it now."

"Out of anyone in Dauntless, I guess I'd haunt you," I mull this over, craning my head up to look at him, and he bends down so his forehead touches mine.

The relief is overwhelming.

I had thought a lot of things about Adam Eaton, but I certainly hadn't thought he'd ever be in love with me.

Ever.

But he is, and that's all that matters.

"Good, because I'd expect nothing less."

His words are drowned out by my laughter, then my groan as he knocks us backward, into the pale sheets and paler pillows.

"I don't know…Eva, are you sure…you're good?"

I'd also never thought Adam would be one to be at a complete loss for words. He'd always been reserved; he liked to keep to himself, he didn't say anything unnecessary, and he kept his emotions pretty closed off.

Until we started initiation.

Once we were on our own, away from parents who were convinced we'd die without them –though they may be right on that count, things changed. Adam told me all kinds of things, warm little secrets and funny stories, usually whispered at night before we went to bed. He told me how he felt about me, fearing it wasn't real but a product of our mothers' lifelong determination to have us wind up together, and he told me he liked me for me, and that wouldn't change.

But it had.

It was clear that what was between us wasn't a juvenile crush or some fleeting romance that would crash and burn once things settled down.

I couldn't even begin to explain the way my chest ached as he gazed up at me, happily settled beneath me, while he was inside me. The position hadn't been my idea, and to my surprise, I found Adam was far more adventurous than I was. Or maybe it was because my friends hadn't told me anything. I felt a speck of unfair irritation at them, both for not telling me they were doing more than just kissing goodnight, but also because I felt like I should know more. I wanted Adam to feel as good as I did, though I was pretty sure it was working.

He'd been groaning my name for a few minutes now. One of his hands was on my hip, and the other was digging into my thigh.

"Eva, this isn't…going to last…"

I smile down at him, watching his eyes shut and his head fall back, and I suddenly understand the appeal of it all. It wasn't just the physical connection between us but the fact that I wouldn't dream of having sex with anyone else. Things with Adam felt like they were supposed to happen, and if anything, exploring this together was way more fun.

"I like it," I answer cheerfully, catching an eyeful of him gritting his teeth together and his head falling onto the pillows behind him. "It feels good."

I sink down further, and I'm rewarded with his fingers trailing up the inside of my thigh.

Adam was a quick learner, and even better, he was determined to make sure I enjoyed this. He opens his eyes to say my name, but they stay on me.

I should feel fairly exposed.

After all, I had no clue where my underwear or nightgown were, the only thing on me was Adam's hand. I didn't know if I was who he ever imagined having sex with, or what he thought. He'd said I was pretty before, but he might have been thinking something else once I took my clothes off. I wasn't the tallest one in our class, nor did I really look any different than when training began.

Not to mention the fact that while he was fairly tan, I really could pass for a ghost.

"Adam?" I glance back down, and he's still looking at me. His eyes find mine, and his fingers tighten on my hip. "Are you okay?"

"You're really hot, Eva."

He says the words as he stares, then shakes his head. "I'm sorry, no you're really, really pretty. I've never seen anyone so pretty…I…just it's hard to think with you like that."

The triumph is immediate.

It's a rush of blood everywhere, but especially to my ego which had been having a major panic attack a few seconds ago.

"I think you're pretty hot, too." I answer, sounding like I'm joking but I'm not. He was hot. I'd never seen anyone naked before, but I was going to go out on a limb and guess they didn't look like Adam. I'd also decided I didn't need to see anyone else naked. "I think, I like this, too. You feel really good and—"

He cuts me off by sitting up and kissing me. It's unlike the kiss from last night in every way, but mostly because it feels just as hopeful as I feel. He kisses me frantically, pulling me closer and grunting my name against my lips. I give in willingly as he pulls me toward him, then manages to knock me down so I'm beneath him.

"So we're good right? It's just us… from here on out?" Adam asks while he takes my hands in his, and he pushes back into me. For just a moment, I don't answer him. I relish in the feeling of him over me, on me, in me, but mostly his fingers through mine. He'd never hesitated to hold my hand, and it feels like it means more than just holding onto me.

"You and me." I tighten my fingers through his, and outside, the storm finally hits, crashing in the not so distant distance.

"Well you look different. What happened? Did you get stuck in the blizzard? How did you even get back here?"

I glance up from my eggs and bacon to the grin of Forrest, cheerfully pouring himself the entire pot of coffee and shaking snow out of his hair. I had heard him saunter in with his son a few minutes ago, slamming the door to announce his arrival, but I'd been too busy listening to my grandpa and Adam talk over breakfast.

I wasn't sure that they were who Adam wanted to eat breakfast with after last night, but surprisingly, it wasn't as awkward as one would have thought.

For starters, my grandpa clearly knew Adam had shown up. In fact, he announced it when Adam and I sat down. He told us his men saw Adam walk into the Amity faction, and they trailed him to make sure he made it safely. Once they knew he'd arrived at his final destination, me, they let him be.

It was obvious he'd spent the night, and so far, my grandfather was handling this with way more chill than my father would have.

"You look different," I mutter back in a very mature retort, and Forrest smirks.

"Adam, how are you man? Uh, sort of surprised to see you here. Thought your completely intolerable and unreasonable father took you home?"

Adam looks up as he and Woody take seats at the table, but my grandpa interrupts Forrest with a stern shake of his head.

"Forrest knock it off. Remember where you are. We have rules and you know them," he pauses to shake his head in mock disappointment. "One insult per person. Four is either intolerable or unreasonable, but he can't be both. Mostly because they're the same thing."

"Sorry, Dad," Forrest answers, and his good mood isn't at all affected, even as Adam snickers into his coffee. "So what, did you walk here? How long did that take? You're really that dedicated to coming to see Eva? Because uh, aren't people in Dauntless supposed to be like, agile? Eva once tripped walking up the front porch stairs. I'm not really sure someone as agile as you should be with someone so…skilled."

"Thanks Forrest," I remark darkly, chewing my bacon and trying to pretend that moment didn't happen.

It had happened. Even better, Adam already knew. Because he had been there. Walking behind me, when we were fourteen and coming to visit my grandma for her birthday. He'd caught my arm to keep me from breaking my face, then let go like his hand was on fire.

"I took the train," Adam shrugs the question off, and he sets his coffee down. He kicks me beneath the table, clearly remembering the most romantic moment of our lives on that fateful day. "I left Dauntless before the storm hit. I guess I got lucky."

"Oh, you got lucky," Woody beams. His plate is full of eggs and bacon, and toast, and more toast, and some hash browns. "That train could have crashed. I heard they don't run well in the storms."

"He definitely got lucky," Forrest looks right at me, and I regret not brushing my hair better this morning. "This storm's a big one. Coulda got hurt. So uh, when's your dad showing up? I was expecting to see him here when I walked in."

"Hopefully never." Adam rolls his eyes, but he looks relieved. "I don't think the trains are running now, and I suppose he could take a truck. But he's got other problems to worry about. He has work to do there."

He looks at me, and I smile in reassurance.

The chances of his father showing up were low.

My parents were a different story. My mother had already called this morning. I heard her talking to my grandmother as she stood in the hallway, and once she had confirmation that Adam was here, there was an excited yelp. She must have asked to talk to me, because my grandma told her I was sleeping, and I'd call her when I woke up.

I hadn't been sleeping.

I was lying beneath Adam, who was sleeping, and toying with his fingers.

A second later, there was a quiet knock, then my grandma cracked the door just enough to slip in some fresh towels. She mentioned she was making breakfast and to come to the kitchen in a half hour if we were hungry.

I woke Adam up not too much later. I took a quick shower, he took another one, and we walked to the kitchen with damp hair and borrowed clothes.

I wasn't expecting Forrest to show up, nor Woody.

Yet here they are. Braving a snowstorm to get some breakfast. They are both oddly loud and excitable, and it's a stark comparison to my night alone with Adam.

"So, are you guys up for some sledding today? We were thinking of going. There's a really big hill down by the lake! They said it'll snow until lunch, maybe dinner. But it's really fun in the storm. Sort of like, danger sledding." Forrest mixes something into his coffee, and looks at Adam and me. "I promise you'll have a good time. Your life will flash before your eyes."

"Oh yeah! I'm in. I'm not working today. No one's gonna come by in this storm," Woody looks way too enthused, and I shake my head.

"Um, no thanks. That sounds like a great way to die," I sound a little grumpy, and I am. While I'd normally like the idea of something dangerous and fun, the warm bubble of being alone with Adam has been burst, and I frantically try to think of a way to get it back. "Maybe we should try to get back. Maybe we should call them and let them know we're okay."

Next to me, Adam looks at me like I'm insane. Not only was a snowstorm raging outside, Dauntless was far away from here. The trains most definitely were not running, and we'd be stuck calling someone and asking them to bring a truck out here.

I had to be desperate if I was considering sleeping in the dorms more private than this.

"Eva, I think we should just stay here," Adam scoots closer, and his fingers touch mine. He seems to have caught on that I want nothing to do with sledding or Forrest asking a million questions or doing anything other than going back to bed. "I thought maybe we'd watch a movie or something. You already almost died once, so you should probably stay inside."

"Sound good to me. I have plenty you can pick from. I don't want either of you out in the storm," my grandpa shakes his head. "It's too dangerous. Forrest, you don't need to be out there, either. With your luck, you'll break your neck."

"I'll be careful," Forrest sounds oddly sulky, and he crosses his arms. "Really, I can't go?"

"No, don't be an idiot." My grandfather is oddly affectionate even with the insult, and his eyes tell me he is mildly concerned over the idea. "You'll sled right into the lake and I'm not fishing you out. Anyway, I need your help. I have something scheduled you might like."

"Cool. I'm in," Forrest readily agrees, immediately forgetting he was a grown adult who didn't need permission to go outside. "What is it?"

"Caught some asshole and we want to question him. I think you're intimidating enough to make him squirm."

The eggs I'm eating stick in my throat, and I have to drink some orange juice to swallow them down. "You found someone? Who?"

"Someone working with Peter."

Adam and I both turn to look at my grandpa, and he smiles widely.

"I told your father I'd find him first and I will. This is a start. Dumbass was trampling through my garden not too long after Adam got there. I told that son of a bitch not only did he ruin my day, but he ruined my chrysanthemums."

"Do those even grow in winter? Because I thought they were a spring flower?" Woody's question is thoughtful, but he loses interest when my grandma brings him another plate of food.

"Regardless, he was looking for me. Not Eva." My grandpa ignores Woody's question and turns to shake his head, unimpressed as ever. "I know you thought we left you alone. I had to go start the bonfire since everyone expected me to. But you weren't alone. Far from it."

"Oh, so there were more people here? Just hanging out?" I drink some more orange juice, slowly dying at the thought that we weren't as alone as I'd imagined. "I was pretty sure it was just me."

"No! You really think I'd leave my granddaughter for him to find? Please. I had more men working this area than Dauntless has in total. Actually, some were from Dauntless. I called in a few favors." He reclines back in his chair and catches my grandma's wrist when she drops off his coffee. "Eden, sit. Enjoy your breakfast before it gets cold."

"I just wanted to make sure everyone had everything," her smile is warm, delighted that we were all here. Their house was far from empty, but I knew she loved when she had company, especially when that company was us. "Eva, your mom called. She and your dad were going to come by, but the storm has everyone stuck where they are. She said they'd still try, but don't be disappointed if they can't make it here. Your dad wants you home now that this guy has been found."

"Oh," I feel myself deflate, because my time here is coming to a screeching halt. Minutes ago, I had wanted to return to Dauntless, but I didn't really. I wanted to stay here for at least a few more days, and now that I knew my grandpa had a man, there would be no stress. "Um, how did you catch him? You just found him looking at the flowers?"

"No, the moron stepped in a bear trap. I enjoyed listening to him howl for a few minutes, then I hauled him away."

Next to him, my grandmother sinks into the open seat, and she looks mildly stressed.

"Harrison, they're still in the gardens…" She holds her teacup in both hands and glances out the kitchen window. "I thought you said you'd move them to the areas that really needed them."

"Eden, do you want to get eaten by a bear in the middle of the night? Do you want Eva to get eaten by a bear? Because we had one come right in the back door last year." My grandpa looks at her like she's insane, and their struggle is sort of funny. My grandmother was very hesitant to harm anyone or anything, unless it was her family.

Even a bear.

"He was hungry," she reasons, and across from them, Forrest laughs.

"You two are insane. A bear just wandered in here and ate the pie you made. Mom, you can't have a bear in the house no matter how hungry it is. Just let Dad have his bear traps."

"He was a really sweet bear. He left after he ate some fruit," my grandmother shrugs, and next to me, Adam is very quiet. "And some pie."

I would kill to know what he's thinking.

I could only assume it was that everyone here was nuts. Dauntless didn't have wild bears. For a faction built on being brave and fearless, we certainly didn't have wild animals wandering in at night.

Not unless you counted Rylan, stumbling in from a night at Clyde's.

"You really…there was really a bear…in here?" Adam asks, his voice laced with reasonable disbelief. "Just… in here. And you…were good with that?"

"Well, no." My grandma shakes her head, and she sighs. "I know you're thinking this does sound a bit odd, but we're awfully close to the woods and he must have needed to eat. I agreed to let Harrison put some traps out, but only the kind that wouldn't hurt the bear. Just…something to scare it off."

"Scare traps," Woody announces, and he stabs his eggs with gusto. "I helped."

"I put the real ones in the garden when I heard Peter was on the loose. I'm not stupid. I knew he'd come looking for me. I walked the fucker out of Dauntless." My grandpa takes a drink of his coffee, pausing to smile. "Anyway, I figured if he was going to come for me, then he'd get what was coming to him. I told your father I'd find him first, and I still will."

"That is….crazy…"

Adam is the only one speaking, torn between being impressed and horrified and it's unclear which part he's talking about.

My grandma, having a bear wander into her house and her only concern being that it was hungry. My grandpa, setting up bear traps around Amity, determined to find Peter before anyone. Or the fact that no one thought any of this was out of the ordinary.

"Adam? You good?" I nudge him with my knee, smiling and shrugging when his eyes meet mine.

"Fine," he stares for a second, then returns to his breakfast, listening to my grandma ask if my grandpa had thought of tagging the bear so they'd know if it was the same one.

I wasn't sure if Adam had forgotten, but he'd once said we should have moved here, and now he was getting to experience Amity firsthand, thanks to my grandfather.

Bears and all.

"So, what he's saying is, we could have stepped in the bear traps? I could have lost a foot coming to find you?"

Adam lies next to me, his feet propped up flat and my fingers through his. The room is warm again; my grandpa had relit the fire once the storm worsened, and Forrest's plans to sled right back to his house were put on hold. They left, along with Woody, to go see this mystery guest, and no one invited Adam and me.

Which was fine.

I decided I didn't actually want to meet him or find out where they were holding him.

"That's exactly what he's saying," I match my fingers up to his, smaller and tinier and no way as lethal, and I examine them intently.

A few hours ago, I'd awakened to Adam sound asleep. He was still on top of me, holding on as tightly as he always had. Maybe tighter. He took up most of the bed, and was heavier than I remembered, but all I cared about was that he was here. Despite the fact that everyone knew why he'd come back and could probably guess what had happened next, he'd shown up when it would have been very easy for him to stay in Dauntless and welcome me back when I returned.

"No one else is worried about this? How many bear traps do you think he has? Are those the only traps?"

Adam's questions are endless.

For someone who came from a family where everything was very normal –a careful normal, so careful it was a boring normal, this had to be unfolding like some strange movie. Amity in itself was sort of a mystery; it still held the reputation of being a place where people didn't do much except gulp down peace serum and stare at clouds, but my grandpa had changed that. Harrison being here had made things different. Everyone in Amity was just as happy as before, just a little safer, and less likely to be eaten by a bear.

Still, it must feel weird to lie in a house that sat close to the woods, buried beneath snow, and have no real concerns. In Dauntless, even if we were trapped inside by a snowstorm, the faction would roar into life. There was plenty to be done to keep it moving, but Amity had basically shut down.

"You wanted to move here," I laugh, and he moves his fingers to slide between mine. "I don't know. Enough? How many bear traps is too many?"

Adam looks at me, and his smile is as lazy as this afternoon.

Holly and Paisley had both called to say they couldn't make lunch. I wasn't at all offended, seeing as how the storm was currently spitting snow in every direction it could, and the windows were currently half covered. Even if they didn't live far, trekking over just to eat lunch was more work than necessary.

"I'm sure we'll find out."

I push myself closer to him, pulling the blanket up higher and I focus on trying to watch the movie. He'd picked out some murder mystery. It was entertaining; dry and kind of witty, but ultimately, my eyes close before I can stop them or figure out who had really killed the head of the family.

My mind drifts off, only thinking about how Amity is cold, but safe.

Adam is warmer and safer.

Seeing as how my grandpa had someone he thought was close to Peter, neither of our parents could make it here –and I'm sure my father was cursing the very skies above us as the weather thwarted his plans, and my grandma had given both of us some tea at lunch that I probably shouldn't have consumed, I decide there's absolutely nothing to do, except fall asleep on Adam.

So I do.

I wake up to a bang.

I sit upright, finding myself woefully alone, in the large room and freezing. The fire has died out completely and the blanket is pushed off me. I kick it back further, trying to clear my head and wake up, when I hear it again.

This time, the bang is right outside the doors leading to the garden and it shakes the house.

My heart lodges itself into my throat, because of course, this must be it. For the first time since coming here, I am truly alone; Adam is nowhere to be found, and neither is anyone else. The prisoner must have escaped, because really, where was he being held? I didn't know of any holding cells in Amity; the closest thing they had were the stables for the horses and a dark closet full of hay feed.

"Hello?"

I call out to no one, hoping someone will reveal themselves and announce they've been making the noise all along. Moving furniture. Rearranging the complicated looking bookshelves crammed with books, journals, and goodness knew what else. Making dinner and something exploded.

"Adam?"

I stop at the large doors leading outside, and my fingers touch the lock. There's a wince of coldness to it, half frozen thanks to the snowstorm, and it's harder to open this time.

"Grandpa?"

I pull the doors open, groaning as the snow hits me in the face. Someone has cleared a path to this door, and my insides clench up when I imagine it was the person wanting to kill me. I mentally tell myself to shut up. Paranoia seemed to be my new personality, and I wasn't really enjoying it.

"Eva! Over here! Get some boots on! You can't do this barefoot!"

The yell comes from right beside the garden, and the blur of people zooming past me to crash right into the side of the house. They hit it hard enough to create the bang I heard earlier, and Woody laughs hysterically as he and Adam both fall off the sled and into the pile of snow.

"They've been at it for an hour. Adam said you were sleeping and he didn't want to wake you up," Forrest is right next to me, and I jump when I realize he's come from nowhere.

"You scared me!" I wrap my arms around myself, wishing I'd grabbed a blanket from the bed. "I thought grandpa said you couldn't sled to your death."

"He changed his mind. We went and saw that jerk and then Dad told us we could, as long as we stayed nearby. We don't have a fancy infirmary like you, so he said the closer we stay to mom, the better."

"You really think Grandma is going to fix your broken neck?" I watch Adam and Woody stand up, carefully in the high snow, and they yank the sled back up. Adam's cheeks are red from both the cold, and the adrenaline pounding activity of sledding, and he waves when he sees me.

"You want to try it?" He gestures for me to come over, and I shake my head no, even though he looks oddly happy. "Eva, go put some pants on! And a jacket!"

"Your boyfriend, or according to Zander, fiancé, wants you to ride with him. Go try it," Forrest nudges me, and I look up at him.

His smile is cheesy; he's grinning at me with a knowing look on his face. There's snow stuck in his hair, and his heavy jacket has a fur collar.

I idly wonder if it's made of bear fur.

"Grandma only gave me dresses to wear. I don't even think she knows what pants are." I cross my arms over my chest and I struggle to fight off a shiver.

I watch as Adam and Woody drag the sled up the hill near the woods. After a second of rearranging themselves, they take off, and they crash right into the house again, spilling into the snow and knocking into each other.

"Fuck, my head." Adam groans, but he's laughing, and he takes Woody's outstretched hand to stand up. "Okay, maybe don't try it Eva. You don't need any more head injuries."

I laugh, because he's not wrong.

"You guys have fun. I'm going back inside where it's warm," I call out, and Forrest nudges me.

"Is it because you're afraid?"

"Of sledding into the house? No, it's because I don't want to wind up cracking my head open this close to dinner." I glance up at him out of the corner of my eye and wait until he looks at me. "You like Adam, don't you?"

"Of course I like him," Forrest leans back against the house and he moves to take off his jacket. "Eva, here. Take my jacket before you freeze."

"No, I'm good. I'm going in," I politely decline his offer, and I move closer to the door. "You don't have to tell me you like him just because you like everyone. I mean, do you like, really like him? You keep coming over and you took him sledding."

"I did," Forrest agrees, and he watches Adam and Woody lug the sled back toward the woods. The snow falls down around them mockingly, not as heavy as before, but definitely not stopping any time soon. "I will admit I was a little worried. I mean, Four's kid, around my niece, showing up in his Dauntless uniform to save the day. It's a little…unimaginative, you know."

"Seriously?" I narrow my eyes, and Forrest smacks me.

"I gotta look out for you. Everly is hoping you marry the guy, and everyone seems to follow along with whatever she thinks. I wanted to make sure he wasn't some dork. Or someone who would get you killed. Even I can admit it's impressive he saved your life. Kinda…romantic if you're into that."

"Yeah, I'm pretty into staying alive," I stare up at my uncle, and he rolls his eyes.

"Funny."

"Oh, so you like him like him?" I watch as Forrest laughs, then yells for Adam to move further to the side so they don't wind up in the main part of the garden. "Is that what you're telling me?"

"I…" Forrest pauses, watching intently as Adam and Woody both stop, and I notice they're talking to someone. Woody points at Forrest, then Adam does, too. "I think he knows what he wants, and that's you. I commend anyone for telling Four off and I commend anyone willing to risk being killed by your father for trying to date you."

"Who is that?" I step closer to Forrest, and once again, paranoia raises its ugly head. "Forrest?"

Forrest is silent as the man follows Adam and Woody, and he waits until they've sat back down on the sled. He watches them intently, his face blurred by the swirling snow, and my heart clenches when he moves to follow them down the hill.

"Forrest?"

He glances back at me to grin and roll his eyes.

"It's Leif. Calm down. You're as jumpy as Everly every time she comes back here."

I can't exactly argue with that, because I am jumpy.

But it calms down when Adam and Woody climb off the sled, finally done with attempting to take the house down. Adam heads straight for me, and his fingers are ice cold.

"You're freezing!" I gasp when his hands find my waist and he walks me back a step. He laughs as he presses his lips to mine, icy and wet, and he lifts me up to walk us back a step into the room. "Did you have fun?"

"Actually, all things considered, yes. Your cousin is pretty fun, though I have a feeling he hangs out with his dad all the time, reinforcing the fact that no one should spend that much time around their parents." He kisses me again, then lets go to my disappointment. "I can't stay long. I told your grandpa I'd help him before dinner."

He barely finishes speaking before someone yells his name, and it's seconded by Forrest's booming voice, calling him back outside.

"I should go." His forehead touches mine, and one of his hands twists the hair falling against it. "I'll be back soon, though."

There is a moment of fleeting, raw jealousy as everyone in Amity seems to want Adam to pay attention to them. It's not a jealousy I'm familiar with, and it's gone in a second and replaced by the warm realization that Adam looks happy. Really and truly happy, as someone yells his name again, then laughs as Woody yells that Adam is going back up the hill with him.

"Have fun," I smile, hating the way he lets go. It seems that now that I've truly experienced what it means to be with someone, in every aspect, I'm having a tough time letting anyone else encroach on my time with him.

Which is dumb.

Adam would return, we'd eat dinner, and fall back into bed.

I could share him for a few minutes, especially considering I had zero plans of venturing out into the darkening storm.

Dinner in Amity is exactly what one would expect.

I sit squished next to Adam, grateful he was back and even happier that he seemed to have a fun time. He and Forrest and Woody had gone with my grandpa to do something that they swore they couldn't talk about, though Woody looked like he was having a hard time not shouting out where they'd gone. The rest of the table was full of everyone who'd managed to make it over here, in honor of Adam and myself.

Forrest and Willow are here, engaged in an intense discussion over who fed the cows last. Willow hugged me tightly, whispered that she had something for me after dinner, and then resumed her debate with Forrest. Woody and his wife were next, seated right next to us now, and looking absolutely thrilled about this.

Holly and her husband had shown up, and I immediately remembered his name was Rick. Their kids were here too, Ginger and Lyle, both sitting with my grandpa and attempting to feed him mashed potatoes. Wesley and his wife showed up right as we were sitting down. They waved a quick hello, then went to the kitchen to see if they could help. They were much quieter than everyone else and lived the furthest away. Paisley and her husband had shown up last, sitting a few seats away and cheerfully passing around dinner rolls and asking if Adam was enjoying his stay.

He was.

All the stress was gone from him.

I hadn't seen him look this relaxed in a long time, and it wasn't just because my grandma made him whatever dinner he wanted. Everyone around had heard the story of what had happened and how he'd saved my life. He was most certainly the exemplary member of Dauntless, except he was here, in Eden's kitchen, sitting down to eat like everyone else.

It was different than if my father had been here. He was impressive because of who he was and how he carried himself, but Adam had proven just how much he cared about me. He'd taken down someone wanting to hurt me and the faction, and they knew that.

They also knew he was pretty kind, too.

He's spent the day with Forrest and Woody, he'd helped my grandpa, he'd helped my grandma peel all the carrots and then some, and he hadn't blinked an eye. He seemed very much at ease amongst them, and I had this weird nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe, we should have come here.

But the second the mashed potatoes wind up in my hair, I realize my original decision of picking Dauntless was right.

"Thanks Lyle," I mock glare at him through my hair, and I try to wipe the potatoes out of it. Adam laughs at Lyle's pleased grin, but he leans over to try and help me. "You're so cute."

"Thanks!" Lyle chirps, and my grandpa beams.

"Reminds me a lot of Zander, this kid."

"Yeah, well look at Zander now. Dating my best friend and suffering from a man cold," I finish wiping off my hair, and my grandpa has a funny look on his face. "Wait, do you know about Kat? Did he tell you? I thought he told you everything?"

Truthfully, I did.

Zander and my grandpa were extremely close. My mother had told me that Zander called him daily, and if he wasn't trying to impress my father as his second clone, he was trying to make sure my grandpa was proud of him.

"I did, but I didn't know he was sick." He looks over at my grandma, and they appear to be silently communicating with each other. "We'll send him something. He's probably run down."

"Poor Zander," Leif snickers, and he looks entertained. "How will he ever survive having a cold a faction away? Mom, you should probably go there right now."

"Leif," my grandma frowns, and he immediately looks apologetic. "Be nice. That's your little brother. He's going through a rough time right now."

"Sounds like it," Leif answers, looking less apologetic. "Eva, hey you and Adam live in Dauntless. Tell me if this is true or not. I heard everything is open all night long. Like, all the stores and stuff. Zander said no one sleeps. Ever."

"No, people sleep. But everything is open all night. Some of the stores close, but most are open late because the soldiers work late. They work at night, too."

"Interesting," Leif mulls this over, then looks at Adam. "Does your dad like running the faction? I keep hearing that's he's very…stressed."

For a solid thirty seconds, Adam is quiet. I wait for him to tense up at the mention of his dad, because he sort of shrugs and knocks around the carrots on his plate.

"I think…I think he does. He tries really hard. Maybe too hard. Everyone else is sort of laid back with how they oversee it, and he's always on them to keep up on it."

"But not Eva's dad," Leif stares, and his blonde hair is nearly as long as Forrest's. "He's not laid back."

"No, but not much bothers him. It's like, he knows no one can defeat him, so he just…goes with it." Adam returns to stabbing his food, and he flashes a quick grin at me. "He's oddly understanding. You wouldn't think so, but he's pretty down to Earth if you talk to him. I saw him a few days ago and he had a hundred things going on and he wasn't bothered at all."

I stare back, my hair sticky with butter and potatoes, and I realize that Adam was not only not afraid of my father, but they'd talked.

Recently.

"You saw him? When?"

I scoot closer to Adam, because I hadn't even seen my dad in a few days, not since before Rylan took us to Amity.

"Before I came here."

"He knew?" I realize everyone is looking at us like we're nuts, because in Amity, you could date or marry whoever you wanted. I'd heard my grandma had barely batted an eye when my mom married my dad after only being in Dauntless for a few months, and almost all of my grandparent's children had grown up and gotten married immediately.

Even Woody.

But Dauntless was a little different.

There were titles and honor associated with what job you held, and had I decided I wanted to marry some low-ranking soldier who know one knew existed, things would be different. My mother would accept it, but my father would have had some concerns, especially when it came to security related matters.

This was starting to sound like Adam had won the hard-earned approval of my father if my father willingly watched him come here.

"Yeah, I mean, I actually went to see Jason for a minute. Not for the reason you're thinking," Adam answers, his lips turning up as he tries not to laugh. "He was there when I stopped by. We talked, it was…fine. He's not happy you're here."

"Well, he should be," my grandfather interrupts, and I'd half forgotten he was sitting there with Lyle and Ginger on his lap. "You're both safer here than anywhere. In fact, I've decided you'll stay until I conduct my investigation and find Peter. You're both the main witnesses, anyway."

"How long will that take?" I ask, but I'm distracted when Ginger slides off my grandpa's lap to come over by us. She's still little for her age; her hair in pigtails and a big, red bow stuck to each one, and she immediately wiggles in between Adam and me. She looks up at him with wide eyes, tilting her head like she's examining him, then pokes him with one finger.

"Baby!"

"I'm not a baby," Adam dryly remarks, but he's less apprehensive than he was around Ethan and Evan. "You're a baby."

"No, baby!"

Ginger babbles on, and she moves to climb over his leg to sit with him. Her red dress is warm and pretty, and she only has on one shoe.

"Baby!"

She insists, and she leans back, content against Adam.

"Fine, I'll just…eat around you." Adam reaches for his fork, and Ginger kicks off her other shoe.

"Baby!"

"Ginger, leave him alone! Sorry, it's her favorite word. She's very uh, into babies. Our next-door neighbor just had one. It's cute that she's sitting with you, because she's in this phase where she doesn't really like anyone," Holly explains, and she nudges Rick. "We should get a picture of this. Look how happy she is!"

"She does look happy. Normally, she only sits with Harrison," Rick speaks for the first time since he sat down, looking at Adam thoughtfully. "Holly, I don't even know where my phone is. Did you bring yours?"

"I don't think so," Holly shakes her head, and I know this is all my grandpa. No one in Amity had a phone except for a select few, but my grandpa had slowly spread the cell phones through his family like some secret, black market item, if only so he could keep them safe. "That's okay. Maybe next time. It sounds like they'll be here for a while."

"Months," my grandpa declares, and he winks at me.

I smile back, because with all these security threats going on and my father being convinced I'd be kidnapped in broad daylight, my grandpa had actually done it.

I didn't think Adam and I would be leaving for a while, not if my grandpa had his way.

The next few days pass quickly.

I had thought I might wind up bored in Amity. It seemed like the idea of doing nothing would be better than actually doing nothing, but that wasn't the case at all. I found myself busier than ever, but with enough privacy and alone time that I didn't mind it.

I spent the mornings with my grandma, reading a book or drinking tea, and the afternoons with my grandpa. He taught Adam and I to play a bunch of games, including one about ships and guessing your opponent's coordinates. To the surprise of no one -he was great at it and we were not. We played other ones when the family came over for dinner, braving the snow and cold to come eat with us, and spent the nights by the fire.

We played a game where we tried to figure out who was the murderer in an oversized mansion, and when my grandpa declared it to be too juvenile –he insisted real life murderers don't hang out in the study nor did they use candlesticks, he taught us to play cards. That was a little more intense and just as fun, and we all discovered that my grandmother cleaned house almost every time.

I never wondered if Adam was enjoying himself or was thinking of a way to hitchhike back to Dauntless, because I could tell he was. He got along really well with Woody, and Forrest had taken a strange and magnetic liking to him. Forrest reverted to Lyle's temperament when he insisted Adam sit by him, even knocking Leif out of the way to invite Adam down for a beer. Adam often looked at me, widening his eyes as they fought over who got to sit by him, or near him, and eventually they all lost out to Ginger.

She was one hundred percent in love with him.

The minute she saw him, she ran straight for him. Clinging onto him, making him hold onto her, and she spent most of her time staring at him. She liked to touch his face, pull on his hair, and she screamed when Holly told her Adam had to go to bed and she couldn't stay.

I kept waiting for him to bolt, to have finally had enough of this Amity family, but he didn't.

He was the recipient of pure and total acceptance into a family who thought bears deserved to have pie if they were hungry.

"Are you okay? You're awfully quiet?"

I look up at Adam, awkward from the angle of laying with my head on his chest, and I nod.

We'd gone to bed shortly after my grandpa and Forrest had gotten into a good natured but still heated debate over the best type of squirrel feeders. I'd sunk into cold sheets and immediately reached for Adam, curling myself around him. His hands went to mine, slickly pulling me toward him until I was laying with one hand on his chest and doing nothing but watching the snow fall from the dark sky.

It made the cold, dark rooms of Dauntless seem claustrophobic.

"I was just thinking that this has been really nice."

I crane my head up to look at him, and he turns to look at me. His legs are against mine, and he's warm and solid against me.

"Aside from Ginger trying to steal you away," I laugh as my fingers curl against his bare skin, and I think how lucky it is that no one has bothered us. Once we went to bed, everyone left us alone.

Which had proven to be quite an enjoyable time for me.

"Yeah, well, you've got competition. She's almost the same height as you, same dark hair, and she's also never dressed for the right temperature." Adam's fingers toy with the hair at the nape of my neck, and he shifts to close the imaginary space between us. "And she has a way with words."

I laugh, and I think of Ginger, screaming until her face turned red when Adam tried to untangle himself from her, sobbing 'baby' over and over.

"How can I even compete? Her hair looks way better than mine."

Adam's answer is lost in his laugh, low and warm as he thinks of Ginger's fancy ponytails and numerous hairbows. She'd stuck one in his hair, then shrieked when he took it out.

"Eva…"

"Yeah?" I yawn the word, watching the snow swirl around and around, and I feel myself growing very sleepy. The feeling of Adam beside me combined with the warm comforter and the heavy bedding is making me tired, or maybe it was because we'd been busy since we got up this morning. "Adam are you tired?"

"Actually, yes."

I feel him press his head to mine, kissing the top of my head and tightening his grip on me. The past few nights I'd gone to sleep after gasping his name, but tonight, it's clear we're both too tired to do anything more than this.

"Goodnight."

It's the last thing I hear, and my eyes close, playing tricks on me as I think I see someone wandering through the snowy garden, looking right into this bedroom.