Tris sighs as she stirs the skillet in front of her. Things had been quiet in the week after Uriah had shipped out. She and Shauna were trying to keep Christina busy but felt they were becoming annoying. It was killing her not to call Chris but she promised she was going to give her some space today.

Tris looks at the clock, she was expecting Tobias back from the airport with Therese and Edward any minute. She wants dinner to be ready when they got back so she opted to stay behind. Tobias had been trying to show how excited he was that his siblings were coming but he too had been down since Uriah left. Even the news that the judge had thrown out Evelyn's lawsuit hadn't done much to make him smile the past week.

She hoped Edward and Therese would help keep their minds off missing Uriah too much. Tris hears the front door open and a commotion which she figured was her fiancee and his siblings.

"Hey, Welcome to Charleston!. How was the trip?" Tris beams as she emerges from the kitchen and sees Tobias and Edward hauling suitcases in.

"Tris" Therese exclaims excitedly almost knocking Tris over with her embrace.

"For it being our first flight it wasn't terrible," Edward grumbles as he drags in another suitcase.

"Ya'll dinner is almost done, How about you get everything out the car, and then we can show you the house, T. Ed, get those upstairs and then wash up please" Tris instructs.

"Easier said than done" Tobias huffs as he pulls another suitcase in through the door. "Therese packs like you, Tris".

"I might have packed way too much, but I'm staying for a year, I needed options. I have a few boxes coming in the mail too" Therese says with a shrug causing Tris to laugh. Tris gives Edward and Therese a quick tour of the house and they both pick out a bedroom while Tobias gets the rest of the luggage in from the car.

Dinner is lively as Edward and Therese explain their shock at the humidity and Tris tells them about the busy summer they have planned for them and the trip they are taking to Chicago in a few weeks to meet their other siblings and where they are with wedding planning. Therese and Ed have tons of questions but they are genuinely excited to spend the Summer with Tris and Tobias.


Even though it's summer and the campus is relatively quiet, Dauntless still hosts its annual community event for Juneteenth known as the Freedom Festival which serves as a great opportunity for everyone to get to know Therese and Edward since the entire family was in attendance that Saturday afternoon.

Max has a few interviews with a TV news crew and the paper that shows up to cover the event. Tobias and Tris give Ed and Therese a tour of the campus with them chuckling as Hana fusses over the two young people like a mother hen.

Rose had just arrived in Charleston that week as well and she and Therese hit it off immediately chatting the afternoon away about their first-year plans at Dauntless, what classes they were planning on taking what they would need for the dorm room. Christina and Tris are glad that the two young ladies will have each other when the Fall semester starts. Rose and Therese beg Tris to see if she can pull some strings so that she and Therese can be roommates. She folds underpressure promising to look into it on Monday causing Max to laugh at their enthusiasm.

As soon as Rose and Stephanie heard that Uriah was leaving, they decided Rose would head to Charleston a few months earlier rather than the beginning of August before the semester to be with Christina. Stephanie was planning on coming for a few weeks in July as well to spend time with her girls and attend the parent portion of Rose's new student orientation. Christina had protested but it had only been a week since Uriah had left and she now was eternally grateful that her sister was there. The house had been unbearably quiet without Uriah.

The festival was loud and vibrant with local vendors selling Black art, handmade jewelry, and other goods were set up in the center of campus with booths. There was a performance stage with local talent and a Gullah storyteller and Black-owned food trucks were lined up in the parking lot.

Shauna and Tris have Zeke and Tobias set up their portable chairs on a section of the lawn so the group could listen to the performers and sit down when they feel like it since they would be there most of the afternoon.

"So what is this festival in honor of again?" Edward asks. He and Therese had been enjoying the food and vendors and asking lots of questions. He and Therese weren't familiar with many U.S. holidays and customs and had very limited knowledge of U.S. history.

"It's known as the Freedom Day Festival in honor of Juneteenth" Tris replies.

"Juneteenth is a holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the United States. The official decree called the Emancipation Proclamation was set to go into effect on January 1, 1863, after President Abraham Lincoln signed it in September 1862. The Confederacy surrendered in April of 1865 but enslaved people in Galveston, Texas didn't find out until June 19th of 1865." Tobias explains.

Edward's eyebrows furrow as he puts the information together in his mind. "Wait, you mean these people had to wait months after the proclamation was signed to be freed, and then it was still another two and a half years before everyone was free?" the frustration evident in his voice.

"Unfortunately yes. We have another tradition in the African American community here in the South called Watch Night Service. Enslaved people went to church on December 31st, 1862, and prayed and watched for midnight on January 1st, 1863 when they would be free" Hana adds. "Many churches here still do Watch Night Services on New Year's Eve instead of going to parties" she adds looking at her sons causing Shauna and Tris to laugh knowing that Hana still went Watch Night every year.

"Ma, we spent most of our childhood at Watch Night with you, don't think we deserve a little fun on New Years'?" Zeke chides causing his mother to chuckle.

The Gullah storyteller starts to sing Kumbaya with the traditional Gullah clapping cadence in the call and response pattern. The sounds of the song fill the lawn and everyone joins in "Kumbaya, My Lord, Kumbaya, Oh Lord Kumbaya"

"I haven't sung that since I was a kid" Rose exclaims. "I had no idea it was a Gullah song!"

"Yeah I didn't either" Christina smiles, I used to watch this show when I was a kid, it was off the air by the time you came around Rose, it was called Gullah Gullah Island and I had forgotten some of the things until I moved here. "

"Oh yeah, I remember that show" Shauna chimes in, and the group jumps into discussing childhood television shows.

As the festival wraps up, Max and Hana come over to Tobias while everyone else packs up their chair

"Therese and Edward seem lovely" Hana comments. "I know things have been hard

"When are you going to Chicago?" Max asks.

"The entire week of 4th of July. Susan has been speaking to them via phone but Robert is flying in as well so it should be interesting but we will be back for the wedding" Tobias sighs. Hana and Max were planning on a small ceremony in the middle of July. Hana had wanted to postpone it until next year when Uriah returned but Uriah made her promise not to.

"Are you planning to see your father?" Hana asks as she places her hand on her son's shoulder.

"Yeah, he has his surgery next week" Tobias was still conflicted about how he felt about his father but Marcus had been consistent since his birthday and called every Sunday to chat.

"It's okay to still feel confused, Tobias" Hana reassures him which causes Tobias to smile and nod his head at how well his mother knows him.

"Looks like someone is going to have a tough time going back to London at the end of the summer," Max observes nodding his head in the direction of the parking lot.

Edward and Rose were talking. Edward was awkwardly shuffling his feet saying something and Rose was smiling at him. Hana and Tobias laugh as he hugs his mother, it was going to be an interesting summer.


Edward is in love with Chicago as soon as they touch down at O' Hare. He and Therese are both excited when they see the view of Lake Michigan from Tobias's condo. The first two days are filled with site seeing. Tris and Tobias make sure to take them to all the Instagram worth places like the Bean in Millenium Park and Buckingham Fountain.

Tris and Tobias decide to have dinner at the condo for the first introduction with Susan and Robert to make things less awkward and provide them with the privacy to speak freely instead of in a restaurant.

"Wow," Robert says as he enters the foyer. "Susan told me your finance was loaded but I had no idea"

"Robert" Susans eeks out as she slaps him on the arm.

"Hey, Robert, Good to see you" Tris smiles as she greets him with a hug.

"Yeah, Congratulations by the way" he smiles flashing his dimples just like Thomas and Edward.

"She's a good one, I really am happy for the both of you," he says extending his hand to Tobias.

"Yeah, I'm not planning on letting her get away" Tobias replies letting out a sigh of relief. He hadn't told Tris but he had been nervous about meeting her ex. Things hadn't been borderline disastrous with Nita and Peter. Robert being so laid back was a breath of fresh air.

Susan in her usual helpful nature helps Tris finish up dinner while Therese, Edward, Robert chat in the living room.

Over dinner, the conversation is light as Therese talks about how much she loves Charleston. Robert talks about his life in California and his plans to propose to his girlfriend. Edward and Therese both seem to relax as the dinner goes on. No one brings up Thomas or Evelyn until they are almost finished with the meal. Tris already knew that Robert didn't care to speak to Thomas. Susan always felt bad so she reached out to him on his birthday and holidays and would see him for lunch when he came to Chicago on business but Tris knew she was hurt by her father even though she didn't openly talk about it.

"Have either of you talked to Dad since March?" Susan asks hesitantly.

Edward scoffs " I was barely speaking to him then" Therese shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

"He called me last week, asked how all of you were doing" she states with half-hearted enthusiasm.

"That's been his MO for years, don't let it fool you," Robert says with bitterness in his tone.

"I'm not ready to speak to him, and I'm not sure when I will be" Therese adds.

"That's understandable" Susan agrees. She was always the one to try and give anyone the benefit of the doubt and be the peacekeeper. Much to Ed and Robert's relief, Therese changes the subject wanting Susan to talk more about the Abnegation Group home and the work that she did there.


The next day is Saturday and Tris goes to spend the day with her parents while Susan and Robert take Therese and Ed to Navy Pier and dinner. Tobias stands at the elevator of his father's building debating on pushing the button. He had begged Tris to come with him but she had adamantly refused stating he and Marcus needed time alone together if they were going to work on their relationship. He sighs as he gives in a pushes the button, stepping in when it opens. He knows she's right. He hates that this is so difficult. He hates that it took his father being diagnosed with cancer to actually step up and want to be involved in his life. Another part of him is scared that his father will not beat this and he will die before Tobias has an opportunity to work out his feelings. It was all so messy.

The at-home nurse, Emily, greets him with a smile as he enters the condo. Marcus had downsized to a smaller luxury condo when Tobias moved to London. The place was typical Marcus, similar to the luxury five-bedroom Tobias had grown up in even though it was often empty. Spacious but and lavish even though it only had two bedrooms. There was expensive art on the walls and all the latest technology but it always lacked the one thing Tobias found at the Pedrad home. Love. He only ever truly felt at home with Hana, Uriah, and Zeke, you could feel it as soon as you stepped through the door.

Tobias makes his way to the couch and the nurse comes back helping Marcus walk slowly to take a seat on the couch.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Tobias asks standing up when he sees his father. His usually warm dark umber skin was ashen and dull. He had lost a considerable amount of weight since Tobias had last seen him at Christmas and his eyes were glassy. He looked like hell.

"It's good for him to get up and move. He can sit up with you for an hour or so" Emily remarks. She helps Marcus get comfortable and places a blanket on his legs before she excuses herself to let the father and son talk.

"I'm glad you came to see me, son," Marcus says and Tobias nods in response, not sure what they should talk about. "Where is that finance of yours? She is a spitfire." He holds his stomach as he chuckles and Tobias notices how he winces.

"Spending the day with her parents. She wanted us to have some time alone" Marcus nods his head.

"What do the doctors say?" he decides to ask.

"That we will see how things go, but if it comes back, I won't have much time left"

"Oh," Tobias says quietly looking at the floor.

"Son, I want to settle a few things in the event that happens" He motions to a large manilla envelope on the coffee table.

"You don't have to talk about this" Tobias says feeling a tightness in his chest that his fear might actually come true.

"Yes I do, I've laid out my final wishes, had my lawyers draw up my will, and place things in order. Just in case. I thought I had all this time in the world and being faced with the reality that I don't has hit me hard"

Tobias can see the regret in his eyes as he picks up the envelope and places it next to him on the couch. For the next few hours, he tells his father about the wedding in Jamaica which makes his father smile that he wants to honor his Jamaican roots. Marcus tells him about the town his grandparents were from in Jamaica and some of the things that he remembers about them. Apparently, Marcus and Tobias do have some cousins that are still there. By the end of the visit, Tobias feels a little bit more at peace and promises to come back the next day.


That night Tobias tosses and turns unable to get comfortable as his mind races after the afternoon with his father. After dinner, he and Tris went over the documents Marcus had prepared. He left everything to Tobias. Tobias was overrun with all the emotions that he had been feeling. Tris had been great about giving him space this evening to let him think but there was something eating at him.

He looked at the clock it was 1 am.

"Baby, do you want to talk?" Tris says groggily from her side of the bed, rolling over to look at Tobias.

"I'm sorry, I can't sleep. I'll go downstairs and watch some TV so I don't keep you up" he sighs.

"I know you have a lot on your mind" she replies as she sits up in the bed reaching for his hand in the dark of the room.

Tobias blows out a breath of air as he pulls her close to him, unsure of if he should confess what has been on his mind since dinner. In the end he decides to be brave and put it out there.

"All this with Marcus has my mind spinning about how he doesn't know if he has time to fix everything and then I think about Uri and the conversation we had about him asking Chris to marry him before he left".

"Okayyyyyy" Tris replies not sure where he was going with all this.

"What I'm trying to say is that we keep acting like we have all this time when we really don't know and I don't want to miss anything in life with you. I want us to talk about starting our family. I know the wedding is only six months away but why wait. Life is short. I don't want to miss anything that's out there for us. I just don't want us to keep pushing things back because we have time, but I don't want to rush us either. Ugh I'm probably not making any sense"

Tris sits up and moves so she is sitting facing him. Even in the dark, she can see the boyish look on his face that makes him adorable. They had talked about kids minimally since they had been engaged but Tris was sort of shocked that he was actually pushing for it.

"Wow, okay, Ummm, I am scheduled to get my next birth control shot at the end of next month but I can cancel the appointment. I don't know how I feel about being pregnant in my wedding dress but chances are it will take a few months to wear off since I've been on it for 3 years now. Are you sure you want us to start trying now or September really?"

"I'm sure baby, but I also want you to feel beautiful on our wedding day and have it be everything you imagined it would be. I might be getting a little ahead of myself but you get where I'm going with this. And I know there are all kinds of things going right now with us coming into this money and running the estate and still working but yeah I'm sure we can make anything work as long as we do it together."

Tris moves to straddle him. This man, her man was so special. This was part of their forever. It wasn't if she wanted this to happen but just a matter of when it did. He was right though, they could make anything work as long as they did it together. Even though she didn't want to be pregnant in her wedding dress she had a feeling that things were going to work out just as they should. Something Ms. Hana said when they first started dating ran across her mind. "You two met when you were supposed to meet" She knows that they will get pregnant when they are supposed to.

"Well we might as well start practicing," she says playfully as he grabs her hips and pulls her down for a kiss that quickly turns into them not going to sleep for another hour.


A/N: Let me know what you think of this chapter! This story is winding down so let me know what you want to see happen in the last few chapters!

Juneteenth and Watch Night Celebrations are traditions in African American culture. My church still holds watch night services each year.

Kumbaya - is Gullah for come by here, if you ever sang the song in elementary school or Sunday school, Now you know where it comes from!

Gullah Gullah Island was a real show that ran on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. from 1994-1998