"We can talk but first I want to make sure we're not going to make our kids orphans by parking here. Are we safe?" I look out my window at the ancient, decrepit structure with worried eyes wondering if my next breath will be my last.

"Perfectly safe," he says. "I wouldn't knowingly put you in any danger." He stretches his arm out, resting his elbow on the top of the bucket seat and repeatedly runs a strand of my hair through his fingers. I don't know if it's his words, his actions, or a combination of the two but something relaxes me, and I melt into my seat, my eyes on him.

"I owe you an apology," I softly say just as he opens his mouth to speak. "I shouldn't have kicked you out earlier. I know I did it for the right reason but it wasn't fair to you. I'm just so frustrated with this entire situation. It's making me crazy." Or crazier than usual.

"Thank you for that," he says, a tender look on his handsome face but then his expression turns sour, "but I think it's me who owes you the apology." He blows a breath out with a frustrated huff and stares out the windshield. "We're quite the pair. You want to run and I want to hide."

"You're right," I say with a sigh. He just described us perfectly in one short sentence. "What do we do about that? I know how it makes you feel when I walk away from an argument or a situation I can't control but I keep doing it. It may not be right, it may make things worse, it may not be what you want but, baby, it's my way of coping with stressful situations that I don't know how to handle, and I don't think I can change it. It helps me to put a little space between us so I can get my head screwed back on straight."

"The same goes for me," he says. "When I can't handle something, I shutdown emotionally to protect myself then I isolate myself so I'm not constantly reminded of whatever it is I don't … won't … or can't face. You told me I need to change or I could lose you, lose us … but … I'm not sure I can." His final words are barely above a whisper.

"I was wrong to say that. You should never have to change who you are to please me, and I shouldn't have to change to please you either."

"Are we at an impasse? Are we going to keep having this fight until we actually do destroy us? Is there a compromise?"

"I suggest we stop trying to change each other and accept everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly," I softly say. "If I need to put some space between us so I don't say something that irrevocably changes what we have, you need to let me go and trust that I'm not abandoning you." His fingers still in my hair. He has such deep-seated abandonment issues that this will be hard for him to agree to but we can't keep going this way or we're going to do ourselves what others have tried – break us up.

"Okay," he finally says after minutes of tense silence, "but only if you promise to say that you need space … and that you'll be back."

"Do you honestly think I would ever leave you, Tobias?" Something flashes in his eyes as he quickly turns his head to look out the windshield again, and pain shoots straight through my heart like a sniper's round. I reach up and softly cradle his chin, turning his head until our eyes meet.

"I know your past gives you reasons to doubt, baby, but I will never abandon you," I say, my voice strong and steady but thick with heavy emotion. "We may argue, we may piss each other off royally, there might be days we feel like everything is hopeless and we can't do it anymore, but there will never ever come a day that we won't love each other so desperately that we wouldn't go to the ends of the earth for one another. Please hear this, my love, I. Will. Never. Leave. You. I will always come home … to you. There's no place I'd rather be." He leans in and takes my mouth with a fiery passion I've missed this week. Our lips war, our tongues tangle violently, our teeth gnash against each other. When he releases me, my heart races like a jackrabbit, and my chest heaves like a bellows.

"Wow," I mumble. I raise trembling fingers to my swollen lips and gently touch them as I gaze into my lover's eyes. If we're not careful our clothes will be off and he'll be inside me. As nice as that sounds, we still have things to work out before we give into this now burning passion. "I've missed you this week."

"I'm sorry I haven't been home more," he says, his chest still rapidly rising and falling. Whether it's from breathlessness or desire, I don't know.

"I will respect your wishes and tell you I need some space before walking away in an argument but I need something from you in return." He steadies his gaze on me and starts playing with my hair again. It's like a talisman for him. "You can mask your emotions and hide how you're feeling from the kids, our extended family, our friends, our faction, our city but please, please stop hiding from me. When I'm expecting Tobias and get Four's cold, unfeeling stare instead not only does it piss me off, it hurts … deeply." He closes his eyes and takes a sharp breath. "If you're happy, I want to see it. I also want to see your grief, sorrow, anger, confusion, hatred, pain, arousal. I want it all. Baby, I don't want Four. I want you." We stare at each other for a moment, the silence building to an uncomfortable level. I finally decide to continue. "Do I have the right to ask that of you?"

"Of course, you do," he says. "And I promise to try with all my might to do as you ask. If I don't quite always manage it, have patience with me and don't get angry. Just pull me aside and remind me of this moment, of my promise. You know I don't ever want to hurt you, Tris. By the way, you were right to send me away earlier. The situation was spiraling out of control, and we both would have made matters a lot worse. Don't beat yourself up over it."

"I'm glad we worked that out but there's still the matter of dispelling the rumors."

"I'm just not sure we can," he softly says.

"Do you think it would hurt to try?" I ask.

"I don't know," he sighs. "I honestly thought everything would have died down by now."

"Someone is fanning the flames, keeping the gossip alive. If it's Shauna and Lynn's mother, I want to know why. If it's not her, I want to find out who it is. They're messing with my life, our life. They've driven a wedge between us, however unintentionally … or maybe it was intentionally, and I don't take too kindly to that." A face flashes behind my eyes and I frown.

"What is it?" he asks.

"Nothing really," I say feeling incredibly silly for even thinking it but his censorious look changes my mind. "The bitch toyed with us. She would love to come between us, Tobias." His brows raise in surprise at my fleeting thought. "Don't say it. I know it sounds a little crazy but … what if?"

"You may be onto something," he says. "I'm not saying it has anything to do with her but this does almost feel like a calculated attack on me. Hhm. I never thought of it that way. I might have an enemy in Dauntless."

"We might have an enemy," I say. "What do we do about it?"

"I wish I knew," he says. His fingers graze my ear as he plays with my hair sending a jolt of desire to my core and a small gasp escapes my lips. "I've missed you this week. I wish I would have handled things differently. I hurt you. I hurt the kids. All I wanted was to escape how I was feeling.

"Why did you stay away for so long," I quietly ask, hearing the longing in my voice. "I could have helped. We could have escaped together." I know my cheeks must be the color of cherries. "I know sex doesn't solve anything but…"

"But it would have been nice to spend some nice quality time together." I nod my head. "I guess in punishing myself over this entire mess, I was punishing you, too. I should have been home with you instead of hiding in my office. Can I confess something?" I nod and motion for him to continue. "My office is the only place I've felt … hell, I don't even know how it made me feel … safe, not hated, like me."

"You're still beating yourself up over the bruise, aren't you?"

"I thought I accepted what I did. I think I'm wrong."

"I've done everything I know to make you believe that you didn't hurt me, that you would never hurt me. I don't know what else to do." I reach out to caress his cheek and my stomach grumbles loudly.

"I'll figure it out, I promise but right now you're hungry," he states. The moment he says that I realize just how ravenous I am. I look at the clock and am surprised by the time. Dare starts in an hour. "Let's grab a bite at the Pier, and we can eat as we take the car home. We should have enough time to get to the train with the others." We put our seatbelts back on, and he maneuvers us out of the ancient concrete death trap and back onto the road.

"Or we could get supper at the Pier, blow off our friends, and have sex on the Ferris wheel a couple times," I say as I run my fingers through his hair. It's been five very long, frustrating, miserable days since we last made love and I want it. No, I need it. I need him.

"Any other night I'd take you up on your offer. It's been a while since we used your wedding gift." He leers at me lustfully and gives me a sexy wink. Good! He wants me, too! "Don't think I don't want to pull this car over, push you into the backseat, and have my way with you all night long, Mrs. Eaton, because I absolutely do but it's been so long since a game of dare. I don't want you to miss it and to tell you the truth neither do I."

"I'm glad you're excited about the game," I say. He glances at me, his expression skeptical like he doesn't quite believe what I'm saying. I remove my hand from his hair and boldly put it on his burgeoning erection. "I'm glad to see you're excited for me too but we have all the time in the world for that later. I'm not going anywhere. Then we can take our time with each other." I playfully squeeze him through his jeans and he moans then I take my hand away.

Within minutes we're picking out slices of hot, gooey five cheese thin-crust pizza and bottles of ice-cold cola at one of the booths in the farmer's market at the Pier then heading back to our car. We eat in comfortable silence all the way back to Dauntless. I'm still hungry after my second slice so he graciously offers to share his final piece with me.

"I don't know why I'm so hungry," I say as I rip off the end of the now cool slice then hand it back to him. "I had three slices of pizza and cake at lunch with Tessa." I groan. "I'm gonna have to run five miles tomorrow to keep this from going straight to my hips."

"Love, I can think of a much better way to work off those calories tonight, and I'm not talking about jumping on and off trains," he says with a husky laugh.

"You're so bad," I say, playfully slapping his knee, "but you have a deal." We laugh and it feels so good.

"I love you. I'm sorry I've been a jackass this week. You deserve better."

"There's no one better than you, Tobias Eaton," I say. "Please don't sell yourself short. Things have been tough this week, and we've both been trying to handle it the best way we know how. But now that we've set some … ground rules so to speak for each other we can move forward. And I love you, too." I reach out and rest my hand on his thigh. "So, I take it you're looking forward to tonight."

"Which part?" He waggles his brows suggestively making me giggle. This is my man; this is my Tobias.

"Well, I was actually talking about dare," I say, chuckling softly. "Is it really that different than the Dauntless part of Candor or Dauntless?"

"Not really," he says as we pull into the garage. "The rules are quite simple actually. The person holding the flask explains the rules and starts the game. They choose their target and give them a dare, which they cannot refuse. The flask is passed and so forth. It's basically an excuse for friends to get together, have some fun, and get drunk. If a person doesn't want to witness some crazy shit, they don't play dare."

"I don't want to get drunk," I say, my voice slightly tremulous. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't either."

"You don't have to drink at all if you don't want to, love; although, I'm sure our friends may try to push you into it since they've never seen you do it before. And I won't get drunk. I promise.

"Thanks," I say as we head out of the garage and to the Pire hand in hand. "Have you thought of any dares? I'm having trouble coming up with any."

"That's the hardest part for a newbie. At least it was for me. Go-to ones are scaling structures, scavenger hunts, daredevil crap. Once in a while someone comes up with something extremely creative."

"I get the scaling and daredevil crap but what do you mean by scavenger hunt?"

"Hhm. Go into Erudite headquarters and get a microscope."

"Stealing?" I squeak. "We could get into real trouble for something like that."

"Most everyone overlooks our hijinks but that was the best example I could come up with. Usually the dare involves an abandoned place and not a building full of people from another faction."

"Okay. I think I get it," I say. "Oh! I have an idea, and I know who I want to give it to. He'll do anything."

"Must be Zeke!" he laughs.

"You know it but if someone else choses him I know Uriah hates to be outshined by his big bro. He doesn't want to be thought of as a pansycake even though he's the only one who uses that term."

"Hey, guys," Christina says as she and Will come out of his office. "I'm glad you're coming tonight. I'm so excited. I think I have a kickass dare for someone. At least I hope it's kickass."

"I'm sure it's the best dare ever," Will says as he pulls her close and dips her low for a passionate kiss. Tobias and I embarrassingly laugh at the very unusual public display of affection in front of us. He clears his throat and Will finally pulls Christina upright but doesn't stop kissing her. I pull Tobias out the door and am disappointed by the dry heat that smacks me in the face. I could use something to cool me off after witnessing that heated display.

"Suddenly I would very much like to strip you bare and be inside into you all night long," Tobias says against my ear causing me to go weak in the knees. He grabs ahold of me to steady my trembling legs. I moan as he sucks my lobe between his hot lips then gasp as he bites down. He lovingly runs his tongue over the sting and moisture floods my core.

"Baby, you need to stop or take me home," I murmur. "It's not nice to tease."

"Ew!" Zeke mutters with obvious fake indignation, basically extinguishing the flame of desire. "First Will and Christina are dry humping in the hallway and now this. My poor eyes."

"My eyes, my ass," Tobias mutters, a mischievous smile playing around his lips. "I'm beginning to think you like watching." Zeke huffs a chortle.

"Maybe you two just want to make another sex tape," he says.

"Zeke!" Tobias and I cry out at the same time.

"That's what you get for trying to outsmart the master," he laughs.

"Apologize to them immediately Ezekiel Raymond Pedrad," Shauna sternly says.

"It's all right, Shauna," Tobias says. "I should have known better than to antagonize him."

"I don't want this night to go like that one game of Candor or Dauntless where he was dissecting your sex life."

"How could he do that?" I innocently ask. "It's not like he's going to dare us to have sex in front of everyone." I realize my mistake immediately and turn tomato red. Of course, he'd give us a dare like that. He's fearless that way.

"I tell you this right now, Zeke," Tobias says in his most scary Four voice, all hint of humor gone, "if you value our friendship and your life, I'd get that dare out of your mind."

"You're right that would be inappropriate," he says, subdued but then his expression becomes roguish. "Besides I've already seen you do that. No need to see it again."

"Zeke!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Will asks as he and Christina catch up to us.

"Nothing!" I say. My best friend eyes me suspiciously then grins.

"I think I know," she says.

"Are they talking about the fear landscape room?" Will asks. I stop in my tracks and whirl on Christina."

"You told him?" I ask, mortified. "If I'm not mistaken I asked you to keep that to yourself."

"Ah, Tris, I'm sorry," she whines. "I tell him everything. Just like I'm sure you tell Four everything or Shauna tells Zeke everything."

"Actually, I like to maintain some mystery," Shauna says, "so I don't tell him shit." We all laugh and I secretly thank God for making Shauna for Zeke. They balance each other perfectly.

We reach the train platform a few minutes later, everyone chattering away about their busy days. I'm happy to just be quiet and listen. It's been a while since we enjoyed each other's company. Avery, Callen, Afton, and Declan are already there sitting on the pebbled ground, dangerously close to a passing train.

"Hey guys," Avery says. "Bad news, Mom and Dad aren't coming tonight. They're going dancing or something with Nathan and Abigail." Ever since reconnecting during the list debacle, Zander and Nathan have revived their friendship that fizzled out because of Dru. They go out to dinner a lot then either dancing or to a movie. I'm glad they found each other again. When you see them together it's like watching a couple teenagers. "Personally, I think they're too old for dare but apparently I wasn't supposed to tell them that."

"You actually told your parents they were old?" Zeke asks. "Damn girl! You got balls." I shake my head, an embarrassed smile turning up my lips as everyone else laughs.

"I wasn't trying to be mean," she mutters.

"She just wants to have a good time without Mommy and Daddy hanging around all the time," Afton says. I feel like that's my fault. I know it's hard for her hanging out with her parents and boyfriend's dad and stepmom socially. I would be very uncomfortable if my mom and dad were friends with one of my best friends. Avery and I have talked about it since we've become so close but she doesn't resent my friendship with Zander and Stella. She welcomes it.

"Kirsten, Trevor, Ella, and Stefan aren't coming," Shauna says. "Grayson's been sick this week and apparently gave it to Ella and Kirsten."

"James and Ciara aren't coming either," Tobias says. "It's their anniversary."

"And let's not forget, she can't jump on and off trains," I say still excited for them. A strange look passes Tobias' face and I figure I'm letting my baby mania show.

"Who are we still waiting for?" I ask.

"Uri, Marlene, Lynn, Bailey, Brody, Ana, Kevin, and Murphy," Zeke says.

"I think Brody and Ana are bringing some transfers who aren't fitting in so well," Christina says.

"That's a good idea," I say.

"I suggested it to them," Tobias says. "Playing dare helped me fit in."

"Still think you should have gotten your ass tattooed," Zeke says with a laugh. "You can tell us why you got the flames on one of the most painful spots on your body. You didn't want everyone thinking you were a pansycake, did you?"

"Who's being a pansycake?" Uriah asks as he walks up to us hand-in-hand with Marlene followed closely by Lynn and Bailey. Leave it to him to walk up at the precise moment.

"No one," Tobias says.

"I was just trying to get Four to explain why he didn't get his ass tattooed the first time we played dare."

"I'm not answering that question," he says.

"Why not?" Uriah asks. Tobias furrows his brows and silence shrouds us for a few minutes.

"Because I have no answer," he says. "Getting a tat on my ass has never once crossed my mind in all these years until this minute."

"You gonna get a tat on your ass for me?" I playfully ask as I draw his mouth to mine for a quick kiss.

"If you wanted me to," he murmurs against my lips.

"You two are disgusting," Brody says with feign revulsion. "You know that, right?"

"You're just jealous," I say as I notice the newest arrivals. Hector, Rose, Oliver, and a lanky girl with light chocolate skin, dark blue eyes, and a short curly black bob lag behind Brody, Ana, Murphy, and Kevin.

"Is she the Amity transfer?" I whisper to Tobias and he nods. I can see why she would be struggling. I'm sure it's not easy to be raised to value peace and love more than all else and jump into the war zone that is Dauntless.

"Maude, Mauve, Maeve … something like that," he says.

"Everyone," Ana says, "I'd like to introduce everyone to Hector, Oliver, Maeve, and…"

"Rose!" Christina squeals with genuine surprise when she sees her baby sister. "I didn't know you were coming tonight."

"Surprise," she dryly says.

"You don't sound very happy to see me," she says causing Rose to sigh.

"I'm sorry," she says. "I'm tired. The fights are exhausting me. I didn't really want to come but someone wouldn't take no for an answer."

"You need to socialize more," Brody says. "I know firsthand how hard it can be. If it weren't for Ana and Four and Tris I more than likely would be factionless. It's hard to survive in Dauntless with no friends."

"See what I mean." She rolls her eyes. "He's relentless. I tried to tell him I was fine but he wouldn't shut up."

"Someone's Candor is showing," I mumble under my breath.

"Rose," Tobias says, his booming voice grabbing her attention. "I'm going to give you some valuable advice my mentor, Amar, gave me when I was an initiate. Joining a faction is about more than getting through initiation. It's about making life-long friends," he looks towards Zeke and Shauna, "and even a few enemies." I'm sure Eric's face crosses his mind. "It's about trying to find that one special person you're meant to be with." He looks at me with strong love in his eyes. "How many here met your significant other during initiation?" The majority of hands fly up. "I isolated myself when I first joined Dauntless for personal reasons. I struggled to make it through each day. I was exhausted and lonely, although I never let it show. But Amar saw through the facade. He invited me to play a game. Did it change my life? Not immediately but I became friends with Zeke that night." They affectionately bump closed fists. "I got my first tattoo. I started to embrace the Dauntless lifestyle."

"And you're telling me this why?" she asks.

"Do you like it here?" I ask.

"Does it matter if I like it or not? I'm here," she says.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Christina asks as she grabs her sister by the arm and drags her a few steps away. "I'd like an explanation and I'd like it now. You don't talk to your instructors the way you talked to Brody and you sure as hell don't talk to the leaders of the faction the way you just spoke to Four and Tris. They can make you factionless for continuous insubordination. Is that what you want?"

"Do you even care, Christina?" Whoa! I wasn't expecting her to give Christina attitude also. "I've seen you just once outside the training room or cafeteria since I joined. I'd like my sister back."

"I am a busy woman, Rose. I have a husband, a son, close friends, and of course initiates to take care off. I'm stretched pretty thin right now."

"I probably sound selfish," she pouts. "But I've missed you since you left Candor. Why do you think I'm here?"

"Rosie," Rose's nostrils flare at the nickname just like Christina's does anytime someone other than Will calls her Christy, "please tell me you didn't join Dauntless just because you missed me. That's not how Choosing Day is supposed to work."

"It's not the only reason I left Candor, believe me, but I'm not going to lie, it's a big reason," she says. "I wanted my sister back. I really miss you." Christina wraps her sister in an embrace and murmurs something in her ear. "I'm sorry, Christina."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," she says. Rose turns around and seeks out Tobias' eyes.

"I'm sorry, Four," she says. "I'll take your advice to heart and try harder to fit in. Tris, honestly, I'm not sure I like it here or not but I haven't really given it much of a chance."

"You can change that starting tonight," I say. "Embrace your inner Dauntless and have fun."

"Thanks, Tris," she says

"And remember, tonight you're not an initiate; you're just my little sister," Christina says. "And, yes, my friend." I hear someone's watch alarm sound just as the next train comes into view.

"All right everyone, get ready," Zeke calls out.