"And they lived happily ever after," I say as I close one of my daughter's favorite storybooks.

"'Gain, Mama!" Tessa cheers, clapping her little hands together. "'Gain!"

"Yeah!" Teags enthusiastically agrees, nodding her head. She's sitting beside me on the couch, bouncing excitedly in her seat.

"I've already read it twice, girls," I say. "Besides it's past your bedtime."

"I not tiwed," Tessa says.

"I want my Dadda," Teags whines.

"He come home?" Tessa asks. I know how they both feel. I've missed Tobias terribly tonight also.

"I'm afraid he still has a lot of work left to do, girls," I say as I shelf the book. "He told me he probably wouldn't even be home before I go to bed."

"Call him?" Tessa asks.

"Peas?" Teags asks.

"I'll tell you what, let's go upstairs and find Tyler then I'll call Daddy. If he has time to talk, we'll all say goodnight," I say, "but if he's busy you'll have to wait until morning to talk to him. Okay?"

"Otay," Tessa says. Teags bounds off the couch and runs towards the stairs.

"Walk!" One day these two are going to be the death of me with their fearless nature. I guess it's a good thing we live in Dauntless. When we reach the top of the stairs, the girls run into Tyler's room, and I shake my head.

"Get out!" Tyler screams before I can get to his door. The girls immediately start to argue with him, calling their father completely forgotten. I clear my throat, and they all look up at me.

"Tessa and Teags want to call Daddy," I say. "Do you want to be in on the call, Tyler?"

"Yes, Mommy," he says.

"Apologize to your sisters for yelling at them."

"But, Mommy…"

"Now, Tyler," I firmly say.

"I sorry I yelled at you, Tess. I sorry I yelled at you, Teags," he pouts. "But you comed in my room without knocking." No wonder he yelled.

"Girls, you know you're supposed to knock before you come into Tyler's room," I say.

"Sowwy, Ty-Ty," Tessa says.

"Call Dadda," Teags says.

"Aren't you going to apologize to your brother for barging in?" I ask.

"No."

"Teagan Grace."

"Sowwy, Ty-Ty," she mutters. "Now you call Dadda, Mama?"

"All right everyone sit on Tyler's bed." I pull out my phone as they line up and plop down on his little bed. Within a couple rings, Tobias picks up.

"Hey, love." He sounds weary.

"Hi, baby," I say. "Are you terribly busy?"

"Unfortunately, I am."

"The kids and I want to say goodnight," I say. "Do you have time?"

"I always have time for my favorite people in the world," he says. "Just a minute, Tris." He covers the mouthpiece on his phone and says something to someone but I can't make it out. "I'm back. Put me on speaker, please."

"Okay." I press the speaker icon and hold the phone out in front of me. "Say hi to Daddy." The kids all start talking at once telling their daddy about their evening.

"One at a time! One at a time!" he says with a chuckle. "Pebbles, why don't you tell me what you guys had for supper?" Her eyes light up the minute her father calls her by his special nickname.

"Mommy made chicken and 'tables," she says.

"Chicken and vegetables? That sounds good. I had a dry old hamburger in the cafeteria. I wish I could have had supper with the four of you. Teags, what did you do after supper?" She starts telling Tobias an in-depth story but I really have no idea what she's saying. It's a good thing I'm here to translate.

"A little help, love!" he chuckles.

"We went up to the rooftop deck and played with the chalk," I say, my eyes on Teags and she nods happily. At least I'm telling the same story. At the beginning of spring we had some concrete pavers installed that the kids use to doodle on with neon and pastel colored chalks. They love it. "Teags drew a picture of the five of us."

"An' the bebes," she says matter-of-factly.

"And apparently the babies, too, although I didn't see them in her drawing," I say.

"They in you tum-tum," she says.

"I got that," Tobias laughs.

"When we all got tired we came in, and I read Tessa and Teags their favorite book twice while Tyler played in his room."

"That sounds like a very nice evening, Teags," he says. "Buddy, did you have a nice time with Mommy this afternoon?"

"Yeah! I wish her could stay home all the time," he says. "She fun but we had to take a nap."

"And it was a very good nap," I say.

"How about you, love? How are you feeling?" he asks.

"Well, either the bland supper was exactly what I needed or the anti-nausea medication finally kicked in. It stayed with me, and I feel great," I say.

"Come home, Dadda?" Tessa asks. "Miss you."

"I miss you, too, Pebbles," he says. "I miss each and every one of you but I still have some work to do so I can't come home yet. As a matter of fact, I better get back to work. The sooner I finish the sooner I can get home."

"I love you, Daddy," Tyler says.

"Love you, Dadda," Tessa says as Teags blows kisses at the phone.

"Teags is kissing at the phone," Tyler laughs.

"Lub 'ou!"

"I love you, too, Tyler, Tessa, and Teags. Be good for Mommy and have a good night."

"We will, Daddy," Tyler says. "I promise."

"Do you have any idea when you'll get home?" I ask after I turn the speakerphone off.

"Not really," he says. "I promise it will be as soon as humanly possible."

"I love you, baby. I'll try to wait up for you."

"I love, too," he says. "And you don't have to do that. You need the rest. Kiss the kids for me. I love you all. I'll be home soon."

"We love you, too," I say. "Bye."

"Bye, love," he says then we hang up.

"Tyler, buddy, please put your PJs on," I say. "You can quietly play or read until I come back in to say goodnight."

"Okay, Mommy," he says. "'Night, Tess. "Night, Teags."

"'Night, Ty-Ty," they say at the same time.

"Come on girls," I say. I take each of their hands and lead them into my bathroom. After they both use the potty, I let them pick out their own pajamas as a reward. They've both been doing such an amazing job. If Teags keeps up the good work, I'll have to take her shopping for big girl panties soon. Moisture wets my eyes at the thought but I shake off the melancholy. "Purple princess jammies coming right up for you, Miss Tessa, and orange, pink, and white stripes for you, Miss Teagan." I dig through their dresser until I find what I'm looking for. "Here you go, Tessa. Do you need help?"

"I do it," she says with a sleepy smile.

"Okay," I say. "Come here, Teags. Mommy will help you."

"I big giwl," she pouts. "I's do it." Who knew independence could feel like a sword to the heart.

"Okay," I say as I hand her the PJs. "Let me know if I can help you."

"'Kay," she says. I sit down in the rocking chair, watching as they put their pajamas on. It takes them each a few tries but they both manage to get dressed without my help, which makes me sad. They truly are big girls.

"Come here," I say as I hold my arms out to them both. Once they climb up onto my lap, they snuggle into my embrace, looking up at me. "How about tomorrow morning after Daddy goes to work we go to the furniture store and get you big girl beds for your new room? We can also look at bedding and accessories, too. Does that sound like fun?"

"Yeah!" they both say but their enthusiasm is tempered by fatigue. I'm sure they'll be bouncing off the walls with excitement tomorrow. I rock them for a little bit as I listen to what they want their room to be like. They mention everything from fairies and princesses to butterflies and frogs to dragons and castles around wide yawns. It actually gives me an idea of what to do with their room, and I make a mental note to call Gunner.

"Are you two ready for bed?" I ask but get no answer. "Guys?" I look down and see that both my girls are sound asleep on my lap. Shit! That's not good. "How am I supposed to get you in bed?" I carefully stand up, making sure I have a firm grip on both of them and head into my bedroom. As gently as possible, I lay them down on the bed. Thankfully, they don't wake up. Then I pick Tessa back up and put her to bed.

"Mommy?" I hear Tyler say as he comes into the room.

"You have to be quiet, buddy," I say. "Your sisters are asleep."

"I was wondering where you was," he whispers. "I sleepy."

"I have to put Teags in bed then I'll be in to tuck you in, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy," he says then he mopes out the door toward his room. I quickly pick up Teags and put her in her crib, kiss her forehead, then make my way into Tyler's room. He's curled up in ball in the middle of the bed, his eyes barely open.

"Did you tire yourself out tonight playing?"

"Mm-hm," he murmurs.

"Goodnight, buddy," I say as I run my fingers through his hair and his eyes flutter shut. "I love you to the moon and back."

"Moon back," he mutters, not opening his eyes.

"Sleep well, my sweet boy." I snugly tuck him in and kiss his forehead before turning on his nightlight then I return to my bedroom.

I want to wait up for Tobias but I'm finding myself exhausted once again. I should give Isobel or Stella a call and ask how long this extreme fatigue lasts, through the first trimester or the entire pregnancy. The thought of being this tired for the next seven months is downright depressing. I go downstairs and settle in on the couch with the intention of reading the last few chapters in the book I'm currently reading but it doesn't take long for me to fall asleep.

"Wake up, love," I hear Tobias say. I drag my heavy eyelids open and find him sitting on the coffee table gazing at me.

"Hi."

"Hey, beautiful," he says.

"What time is it?" I mumble as I sit up, making room for him.

"A little after 10 o'clock," he says as he gets up off the coffee table and sits down beside me. I snuggle into his side as he drapes his arm over my shoulders. "How long have you been asleep?"

"I'm not entirely sure," I say. "About an hour I think."

"I should get you to bed," he says. "You're probably exhausted."

"I'd rather spend some time with you."

"Are you sure?" he asks. "You look so tired."

"I'm sure."

"All right," he says. "Tell me about your evening."

"I think we pretty much covered everything on the phone earlier," I say, running over the events of the afternoon and evening in my mind. "There is something I want to talk to you about though. Shortly after I got home this afternoon, Bridget told me that the kids are worried about me. She overheard them talking about the twins and my morning sickness. Apparently, it makes them sad seeing me sick."

"Of course, it does, love," he says. "No one in this household likes to see you sick."

"I hate that you all worry about me."

"I will always worry," he says. "You know that."

"I know. I've accepted that it's one of the many ways you show your love," I say. "But our kids shouldn't be concerned about anything ever. They've already had to deal with so much in their young lives, especially Tyler. They should always be healthy, happy, and safe. Worrying about their mommy doesn't belong in that equation."

"Tris, they love you so much," he says. "You are their mother so, of course, it's going to upset them seeing you sick. The girls were really scared when they came and got me this morning."

"I know. I could see it in their eyes. I don't think I'll ever get used to the idea of our kids worrying about me or about us though." I nuzzle closer to him and take a deep breath, inhaling his masculine scent. Damn, he smells good. "Tell me about your evening. What took you so long? What did the team from Erudite find? Did Zander get any test results back yet? Did you read over Shaffer and Eugenia's statements? Were there any inconsistencies?"

"Take a breath, love," he says with a chuckle.

"I guess I got excited."

"Well, Simon, Tony, and their men photographed and diagrammed the entire area for our records. Zander and his helper took samples of each blood stain that was found. It will be a couple days at least for him to get the full results to me. I did tell him to notify me the moment he gets a match, if he gets a match. I'm anxious to know if this has anything to do with Hector's father."

"Me, too."

"As for the crime scene investigators from Erudite, they found evidence of a recent cleanup in the maintenance hallway," he says. "I watched them working from a safe distance, mainly because I didn't trust them but the longer I watched the more fascinated I became. When they cut the lights in the hallway and applied the alternative light source, the areas of dried blood, even though they were invisible to the naked eye, reacted with the chemical, and you could see more handprints along the walls and clear signs of a cleanup on every surface. Zander took samples there also but the stains might be too compromised from the cleaning supplies that were used."

"So it will be a few days before we really know anything," I say.

"I estimate midweek at the earliest," he says. "Zander is supposed to be off this weekend but he's going to work a few hours tomorrow to help us out. I don't have an exact count but I know he took well over 100 samples from both the chasm and the tunnel. It's going to take time to get the results and make sense of them."

"So, what took you so long to come home?" I ask. "I thought the kids were going to rebel and refuse to go to bed until they saw you."

"The process was a long and tedious one," he says. "I could have had Will, Shauna, or James keep tabs on things but I felt like it was my responsibility. Besides, like I said, it was interesting seeing the evidence basically come to life right before my eyes. It gives me a new respect for the scientists at Erudite. Some of the things they come up with are mind boggling."

"I'm sorry I had to bail on you earlier," I say. "I've been thinking about talking to either Stella or Isobel about how long the fatigue will last. If it keeps going the way it has been, I might have to adjust my schedule to allow for afternoon naps."

"That can be arranged," he says.

"Do you ever want to be in two places at once, Tobias?" I ask as I absentmindedly run the hem of his shirt through my fingers.

"All the time, especially on nights like tonight," he says. "When I'm at work, I want nothing more than to be with you and the kids. I'd like to say that I've never wanted to be anywhere else when I'm with you and the kids…"

"But that would be a lie," I say with a giggle.

"Yeah, it would, especially when they're being monsters."

"I know. I feel the same way," I say.

"Why did you ask, love?" he softly asks, realizing I have something on my mind.

"I think the fact that we're going to be the parents of five pretty soon is hitting me like a ton of bricks. Even though I really like Bridget and trust her wholeheartedly with the kids, I already hate leaving Tyler, Tessa, and Teags with her to go to work. And the thought of leaving two more kids nearly makes me physically ill," I say. "I love my job, don't get me wrong, and I can't imagine never doing it again but on the other hand, I miss so much when I leave them with someone else to look after day in and day out. I guess I'm confused."

"You know I'll support you no matter what you decide to do," he says. "If you want to stay home full time and raise our kids, do it. If you want things to stay exactly the way they are right now, I'm all for that, too. And if you want to work even less hours, we'll make it work for the faction and for us."

"Why am I so confused?" I mutter. "I thought I had my mind made up. I know that it's hard to leave the kids but I don't think I would be completely happy without my work. Why is this so frustrating?"

"You know, I've been floating an idea around for a while," he says, "but I didn't know how you would take it."

"What's that?" I ask.

"You could step down from leadership allowing us to choose a new leader who could take a more active role in the compound, and your new official title would be office manager. You know how clerical tasks take up a good 50% of our time. If we had one person doing all the office work, it would free up time for the rest of us to make sure the faction is running smoothly and hopefully we could avoid situations in the future like we're finding ourselves in right now with intruders sneaking into the faction again. If it was too much for you working part time, we could hire you an assistant.

"You rarely leave the Pire now as it is, and the majority of your job duties is filing incident reports. It wouldn't be a huge change but it would give us another member of leadership to help us out. What do you think?"

"My rational side thinks it sounds like a well thought out idea that has a lot of potential," I quietly say as my bottom lip quivers, "but the pregnancy hormones are making me hate it."

"Hey, don't cry, love," he says as he tightens his embrace and kisses the top of my head. I can tell by his tone that he doesn't know how to handle me right now and the thought makes me sob even harder. Ugh! Damn hormones!

"I am so sorry, Tobias," I say once I gain my composure. We're now lying down on the couch, my head resting on his chest as he runs his fingers through my hair.

"May I ask you something?" he cautiously asks.

"Of course," I say. "You can ask me anything. I'm pretty sure the crying jag is over." I think I hear him mutter thank God but I can't be sure because his voice was so low.

"What set off that reaction?" I start to answer but he cuts me off. "I know your emotions are all over the place right now. I get it but I think there has to be a deeper reason than just the pregnancy." Hhm. Is he right about that? Did my reaction have a deeper meaning?

"I don't know what to say," I murmur.

"The truth is always a good place to start no matter what," he says.

"It's just that … part of me feels like you don't want me to be a leader anymore," I say.

"Oh, Tris, that is definitely not true. I want you by my side running this faction. We're a team, a very good team."

"I know that," I say. "Up here." I point to my head. "I really do. It's just the hormones making me feel this way." He cups my cheeks and gazes deeply into my eyes.

"As far as I'm concerned, you'll always be a leader of this faction whether you work 4 hours a week or 40," he says. "And you'll always be my second no matter what. You're the only one I want in that position." A sly grin turns up his lips. "As a matter of fact, you're the only one I want in a variety of positions."

"Tobias Eaton! We're supposed to be having a serious conversation here," I playfully scold.

"Maybe we should talk about sex instead."

"You're terrible," I giggle. He kisses my neck with a chuckle of his own.

"So, what do you think?" he asks. "Is it something you would be interested in?"

"The new job or some sex?"

"Both," he says.

"Can I think about it?" I ask. "The job that is."

"Of course, and there's no hurry," he says. "I haven't mentioned it to anyone else. Just think about it. It could be the answer to your dilemma."

"Okay, I'll think about it," I say. "I promise."

"And now maybe we can talk about that sex." He grazes his hand up the side of my body until he cups my chin, and he turns my mouth towards his. He kisses me tenderly for a moment then runs his tongue along the seam of my lips, causing me to open my mouth. He slips his tongue inside and glides it along mine. I fist my fingers in his hair as I groan into his open mouth and he rolls me under him as the kiss deepens. "Should we take this upstairs?"

"Mm-hm," I murmur against his lips.

"Hold tight," he roughly says. I tightly wrap my arms and legs around him, and he manages to get us up off the couch and immediately takes us to our bedroom, our lips never leaving each other's. He gently eases us down onto the bed and covers my body with his.

"Oh, God," I moan as I try to work his shirt off.

"Mama!" Tessa cries out over the baby monitor, startling us both. "Mama."

"I'll check on her," he says as she calls out a third time for me.

"I better come with you," I say as I follow him off the bed.

"Dadda!" she happily says when she sees him enter the room. "I waked up. I not tiwed no mowe."

"Sshh! Don't wake your sister, Pebbles," he says.

"You should try to go back to sleep though, little one," I say, "or you'll be tired and grouchy tomorrow."

"I miss you, Dadda," she pouts, holding her arms out to him. "So much."

"Come here," he says as he lifts her into his arms. "I'll rock you back to sleep."

"Otay!"

"Dadda?" we hear Teagan say. She's rubbing her eyes as she gets to her feet. Great. Now they're both awake. "Home?" She smiles brightly when her eyes focus on him. "I up, too."

"Come here," I say.

"No." She frowns. "Dadda."

"I'll rock you, too," Tobias says. "But Mommy has to get you out of your crib and set you on my lap. I already have my hands full."

"'Kay," she mutters.

"Come here, my sweet girl." I lift her out of her crib and give her a quick kiss on the head before sitting her on her father's lap next to Tessa.

"Why don't you take a bath and relax?" he asks. "We'll pick up where we left off after two little girls go back to sleep."

"That actually sounds like a wonderful idea," I say. I press my lips to his but have to physically pull myself away from the kiss before it deepens. "Goodnight, little one." I kiss Tessa's head then Teags'. "Goodnight, my sweet girl."

"Love you, Mama," Tessa says with a yawn. Good she's still tired.

"Lub 'ou, Mama," Teags says as she snuggles against Tobias' chest.

"Mommy loves you both," I say then leave the room and go into the bathroom.

I strip out of my clothes then draw a warm bath. I put a few drops of lavender oil in the tub and inhale the relaxing scent. After turning the water off, I step into the tub and ease myself down into the soothing water, lie back, and close my eyes. If I'm not careful, I could fall asleep. Just as the water is beginning to cool off, I get out and dry myself off. After I put on my coconut oil lotion, I go into the nursery and stop in my tracks. Tobias is sitting in the rocker with both girls in his lap and all three of them are fast asleep.

"Baby," I whisper after I gently lay my hand on his shoulder. "Wake up." It takes a minute or two of cajoling but he finally opens his eyes. He looks confused. "You fell asleep rocking the girls."

"Oh," he mumbles. I take Tessa out of his arms and carefully lay her in her crib while Tobias does the same with Teags. We kiss their heads then go into our bedroom. "Where were we?" He takes me in his arms and kisses his way down to the sensitive skin beneath my ear.

"I wouldn't mind doing this but you're half asleep and, to tell you the truth, I'm exhausted. Let's just go to bed."

"I don't think I'm going argue, love," he murmurs. I watch as he strips down to his boxer briefs then we slide between our luxurious sheets. He gently pulls me close, I rest my head on his chest, and he kisses my forehead. "Goodnight, Tris."

"Goodnight, Tobias. I love you."

"Love you, too."