AN: We have come to the end of our journey, and thank you to all for taking this ride with me. I have finished writing all of my "open" stories, and I don't know if I have any plans to publish anything new, just will post the remaining chapters for anything I have in progress. The fandom has been great to me, but it seems to have died down, and maybe that's my sign to take my leave.
Thanks, as always, for the love. Enjoy!
The sliding cabinet door that usually covered the mirror was open, and Tris was staring at her own reflection. Every once in a while, her eyes would close, giving in to the sensation of a brush being pulled through her hair. Her mother's thin fingers sometimes follow the brush, pulling any tangles free.
Her hair has been restored back to her natural dark honey blonde, and it's grown a little longer and unkempt from her attempts to restore some of the length she sacrificed when she needed to change her appearance to be snuck into Erudite so many months ago.
Eric's prediction that he would be recovered in six months was a good one, through his dedication to his health and recovery he was able to return to most of his normal activities within the first four months, and full activity by month six. He's trimmer now, a result of a healthier diet and the lack of being able to work out the way he had before, but he's still muscular and fit.
There were other things that he and Tris had hoped for, but never thought could actually happen, for instance him returning to some sort of honorable job. The leadership of the city of Chicago had been completely torn apart once the legal documentation naming the Prior family as the true heirs to the government were proven factual, however Andrew Prior, and his only other living heir Tris had made the council as fair as possible, however Andrew wanted his daughter back in the city permanently. Eric knew that even with his pardon he could never return to any type of leadership role, but he was very surprised when Jack Kang had offered him a high level job in law enforcement to entice him to return to the city of Chicago. What had actually made the decision much easier for Eric was learning that Andrew Prior himself had called Jack to offer his blessing and recommendation of his former son in law for that role.
Upon their return to the city, the couple sought to rebuild some of the bridges they had burnt in their pursuit of saving Eric's life. Eric returned to work, in limited duty, and surprisingly as a classroom trainer for the younger recruits in what was formerly Candor, but what had remained the law enforcement and judicial branch of the government. Jack and Andrew both knew that Eric's dedication to upholding law and order in the restored city would be invaluable, as would the lessons he had learned when he had become involved in a mad woman's attempt at insurrection.
"Your hair has some damage, would you mind if I trimmed the ends?" Natalie Prior asks her daughter, breaking her from her thoughts.
"Please do. I've been neglecting it. Getting it back to my natural color was pretty brutal on it." Tris agrees.
Her mother was always a fair woman, gentle in her Abnegation ways, but still holding on to some of her Dauntless upbringing although she kept it hidden well. She, like everyone else, was appalled at what Max and Jeanine had carried out against her own faction. She struggled greatly knowing her only son had played a willing part in the destruction of his home faction, and she also grieved when she learned that her only daughter was married to a man whose hands were stained as well.
Natalie did understand Dauntless, and even though Eric was an Erudite born and knew better, she also knew leading in Dauntless left him little choice than to follow the orders he was given. The first time she actually met Eric was after he had successfully received her son's heart, which was necessary to save his life. Natalie struggled with that as well, her son's decisions led him down a path she never expected him to travel, and his choice to ultimately seal his own unknown fate and donate his heart to the man his sister loved was an act of selflessness that broke Natalie's own heart. Buried under the misguided life and choices Caleb made was still a man who knew right from wrong. She knows that Caleb ultimately would have been executed for his crimes, however she was proud for the moment of selflessness he left them with.
Eric, who was also misguided, had one stark difference – he didn't want to do the things he was instructed to do.
Natalie gave him a chance, knowing how much her daughter loved him. It wasn't hard to see why her daughter had fallen for him. He was reflective, intelligent, and he had taken full responsibility for his actions when it came to the war. He openly admitted to Andrew and Natalie that he had known about the plans Jeanine had to use Dauntless to invade Abnegation, and he knew his wife had most of her family still living in the faction.
He said nothing.
When asked directly about that, he answered honestly. He knew he had orders to follow, but he also planned on making sure Tris' parents made it out of Abnegation unharmed. He did this, without them realizing he was the person behind their escape. Eric made sure they were located, and he distracted any soldiers from blocking or capturing the Priors when they made their way to safety. He didn't know any other of his wife's family members living there, and he openly admitted he had nightmares that still plagued him knowing that she lost numerous aunts, uncles and cousins during the attack.
The Priors and Eric had many difficult conversations over the course of his recovery, and Eric kept nothing hidden from them. His full transparency was a necessary part of healing their relationship.
Tris watches snips of her hair fall to the floor, when her mother is satisfied she pulls the brush through her locks again.
"How do you want to wear it?" She asks her daughter.
"Down. Eric likes it down." Tris replies, looking at her mother through her reflection in the mirror.
"Christina is bringing the barrettes, correct?" Natalie asks.
Tris smiles at her mother. "Yes, she's covered the borrowed and blue with those."
Natalie excuses herself for a moment, and within minutes she's brought a simple strand of small pearls.
"I have the something old covered, my dear. These were your great-grandmothers on your father's side. She came from Abnegation, and she gave them to Andrew to present to me on our wedding day. I wish you could have known her. The only good thing I can say that came from this war was that we no longer have to treat our families as strangers once we choose a faction. I believe she would have wanted you to have these, Beatrice, especially since you were named after her." Natalie says quietly as she clasps the strand around Tris' neck, the necklace perfectly laying around her neck.
"They are beautiful." Tris says in a choked voice. "I had no idea I was named for my great-grandmother, or that she came from Abnegation as well."
"She did. Her son, your grandfather, he defected to Erudite, where he met his wife who was born in Erudite. Your father was born there, and as you know he defected to Abnegation." She says as she carefully curls Tris' hair.
"How did you end up choosing Abnegation?" Tris asks.
Natalie smiles, "I chose your father. I knew him from school, and we had been very close friends for years. I watched him choose Abnegation, then I chose him."
"Had you two been involved while in school?" Tris asks.
Natalie meets her daughter's eyes in the mirror and shakes her head.
"You left your entire life behind for him?" Tris asks in awe.
"I did. I left everything I had ever known to venture into the unknown him. I was in love with him then, and I didn't even know if he returned my feelings." Natalie says. "It's a chance I took for love."
"It worked out." Tris replies with a smile of her own.
"As has yours." Natalie replies. A knock at the door interrupts their conversation, and when Natalie returns to the room, she has Christina following behind her.
"You are glowing." Christina says, as she embraces her friend.
"It's your job to make me noticeable." Tris replies.
Christina and Tris' path back to each other was slightly more difficult, with Christina's stubborn nature making her fight any chance of reconciliation every step of the way. Tris remained in Portland even after being pardoned by her father, mostly because her main concern was Eric's recovery. Even though she was a co-leader of the city of Chicago by her birthright, she was allowed to remain in Portland and decide if she ever wanted to return to Chicago full time. Christina was part of the council that Andrew appointed after taking his position, and as a result she and Tris were thrust into a working relationship even though their friendship was broken beyond repair.
When Tris agreed to marry Eric again, she had asked for two things, one was her father to walk her down the aisle and the second was for her best friend to be her maid of honor. Eric wanted her to have everything she wanted since she had sacrificed so much for them to be together, so he was patient. It only took a little over two years to make both of those of things happen.
Tris' parents and Eric's relationship had grown by leaps and bounds, mostly supported by them being there for Tris and Eric throughout his recovery. Eric's willingness to bare his soul to them, and to take full responsibility for his wrongdoings repaired those cracks. Christina wasn't willing to compromise, and it took a major effort on Tris' part to get her former best friend to even have a conversation with her outside of their forced work interactions.
Alcohol caused the two women to actually talk, when Tris was stuck in Chicago overnight due to a storm, a very intoxicated Christina banged on her guest apartment door after two in the morning. She unleashed all of her anger on the unsuspecting other woman, and Tris let her vent. She invited her in, made her coffee, and helped her to sober up all while taking the verbal abuse the drunk woman hurled at her. When Christina's word vomit turned into actual vomit, Tris took care of her friend, and helped her into her bed when she finally passed out.
When Christina woke late the next morning, she was surprised to find herself next to Tris. They finally talked, first over a breakfast that Tris cooked, but then over the next two meals of that day. It was obvious that both women missed the other, but they had a lot to sift through before healing could begin.
That conversation figuratively knocked down all of the walls that had been built between the two women, and further conversations between Christina, Tris and Eric brought everything down. Christina's anger at Tris for her support of Eric began to dwindle once she was able to understand all the couple was up against.
On the surface, it appeared that Tris chose a willing murderer over her own family and friends. Once Christina was able to dismiss her own preconceived notions and actually listen, she learned that Eric was an unwilling pawn in a much bigger game.
It's been a difficult year, but it's led them all where they are today, her mother and her best friend helping Tris get ready for her second wedding to Eric. Since her first time marrying him was spontaneous, and completely non-traditional, the three woman decided this time it should follow all of the traditions they hold dear to them.
"How did the first even marriage happen? I mean, we know it was in Jack's office, and it was in secret, but how did any of this even come to be? Like how did you and Eric happen?" Christina asks as she swipes her makeup brushes expertly over Tris' fair skin.
"He caught me in the training room in the off hours on my first week here, and he just started training with me. You saw me when I first transferred," Tris says with a smile, "I had been working with Four in secret prior to choosing day, but I was still grossly underprepared for actual fighting. A makeshift bag hidden in Abnegation, with my then-boyfriend trying to be gentle is a lot different than an actual person who swings back."
Natalie shakes her head and chuckles, "That is very true."
"Eric was what I needed. He didn't treat me like I came from Abnegation, or like I needed a protector. He respected my work ethic, and he just respected me in a way that's hard for me to explain. It wasn't all roses, he pissed me off more than I can even explain when he made you hang over the chasm." She meets Christina's eyes.
"I hated him for that. I get it now, but when it was happening I actually wished death on him." Christina sighs.
"That's another unfortunate Dauntless tradition. I saw it so many times as a child." Natalie shakes her head.
"It was awful, but effective." Christina shivers from the memory. "So he was different with you, Tris?"
"He was, things weren't so serious or stressful when we were together. When I was with Eric, the stress I had regarding passing initiation, while hiding my Divergence melted away. He's said when he was with me, it was the same. He could separate the turmoil he was dealing with from his responsibilities in leadership from his time with me. I could do the same with him. We were each other's peace. He was different with me, we read together. He'd cook for me. He'd massage my feet when we'd been running all day."
"You fell in love with him." Natalie adds.
"I did. I've said it before, we hid parts of ourselves from each other, both thinking we were protecting the other. We never lied to each other, we just never told each other the full truth." She sighs. "I forgave him though, because I know he's not the monster he was forced to become. It was the most difficult decision I ever made."
"I know it was. On the surface, it was hard for any of us to understand how you could support him. I can speak for myself by saying I never thought I could forgive him, or even you. It took me so long to see this in any other way than through my own eyes and my own prejudices. He's not a bad person, I actually think that he's a good person who made some very bad decisions." Christina says.
"It would have only been a decision if he were given a choice. Andrew has worked hard to ensure that will never happen again." Natalie says firmly.
"You are absolutely right, he wasn't actually given a choice." Christina shakes her head. "Even today, with no actual factions in place, people judge me for being a former Dauntless. They judge me for taking lives when I was under a mind controlling serum."
"It changed all of us." Tris replies quietly.
"We shouldn't be sad, not today. You're getting married to the love of your life." Christina says with a smile.
"I am." Tris returns her smile. "I didn't expect to be doing so while being seven months pregnant though." She sighs happily while rubbing her bump.
"Well, having to buy a dress that fit you both covered the something new." Natalie places her hand over her daughter's.
"Hopefully it still fits." Tris worries.
"It will. Stop worrying." Natalie smiles.
Christina turns her around so she can see her reflection in the mirror. "Oh wow." Tris breathes.
"I think we are well past the noticeable you asked for." Christina beams.
"She's beautiful." Natalie adds.
The women help Tris into her simple slip dress, bought out of necessity once Tris realized she wouldn't be able to fit into her mother's dress with her unexpected pregnancy. With her borrowed, blue tinted hair barrettes from Christina's own wedding, her great-grandmother's pearls, and her new wedding dress, she had covered all of the bridal traditions.
When her father came to escort her from her dressing room, he whispered to her how beautiful she was and how proud he was of the woman she had become. The tears began there, and continued as she was escorted down the aisle on his arm.
Eric's own tears flowed easily when he saw his bride heading towards him. He's always thought she was the most beautiful thing he's ever had the privilege to see, but seeing her today, body rounded with their son, on the arm of her father is more than he can handle.
"Here." Four hands him a handkerchief, which he gratefully accepts.
"Thank you." He whispers before wiping his face.
To be where they are today is completely surreal. The ceremony is being held outside, in one of the many beautiful gardens in the former Amity faction. Eric is standing next to his best man, the one and only Tobias Eaton, who was once his sworn enemy. Next to them is the officiate of his wedding, Jack Kang, who would be performing their ceremony for the second time, however it was the first time he would be performing it as their dear friend. Eric owes his life to the two men standing with him, and to the woman heading towards him down the aisle.
Even though Caleb Prior had made grave mistakes in his short life, he made his peace when he gave his own heart to save his brother in law, and Eric and Tris had already made the decision to honor all three of the men who saved Eric when choosing the name for their unborn son: Caleb Jackson Tobias Coulter, who would end up being called CJ whenever he made his grand appearance.
When Andrew presented his daughter to be married to Eric, he also held out his hand for Eric to shake. It was a very important gesture, and was deeply touching to the small group who had gathered to celebrate the marriage.
Eric and Tris had opted for a more traditional ceremony, one that gave a pause for anyone to speak out against the wedding if they were inclined, and for a few tense filled seconds the couple waited. There were no interruptions, and they proceeded to read their own hand written vows. This time, they exchanged rings, and sealed their union with a chaste kiss when Jack had instructed them to do so.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce to you Mrs. Tris Coulter and Mr. Eric Coulter." Jack called out, before sending the newly married couple down the aisle. Tris and Eric saw the beaming smiles of her parents, something they never expected to see after the hell they had been put through.
Later, when the food and drinks are flowing, and Eric and Tris can finally have a moment alone, he leans closer to her and presses his lips to hers. Their kiss is slow and romantic, and his hands wander up and down her smooth legs that are propped up on his lap.
"I never thanked you." Eric says once they break apart. Tris furrows her brow and Eric continues, "That day I was caught, and Four had a gun pointed at me, I should have died. You saved me. I know we credit Jack, Four and Caleb but it was you babe. You literally jumped in front of a gun for me. You put yourself between me and harm so many times. I never deserved you or your love, but somehow I got both."
"You don't need to thank me…"
"Yeah, I do. I owe you everything, Tris. You're giving me everything I could have ever wished for. You. Our son. Our life. Thank you." Eric replies. He tucks her hair behind her ears and wipes the tears from her cheeks. "Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for loving me."
"Always." Tris replies before pressing her lips to his.