Chapter 32

TOBIAS

I'm surprised when the guards come to retrieve me from my cell only about an hour after Chad and Evelyn were taken away. I imagine it must have been an unusually short trial. Maybe Evelyn did as she said she would, telling the whole truth, confirming her guilt as well as Chad's. That most likely would have been enough for any jury to find them both guilty. Or maybe she didn't; maybe she lied through her teeth to save herself and it didn't take them too long to realize what she was.

I don't ask the guards about Evelyn's outcome, or Chad's. I suppose I'll find out soon enough.

When I enter the hall, I'm met with the most unexpected sight. Jack Kang stands front and centre, Derek, Harrison and Johanna Reyes all sit with the jury, and Tris, Kate and Christina are standing in the front row, staring at me. Zeke is the only one who stands alone. He's in a corner with his arms folded as if he's just been reprimanded. If that isn't strange enough, there are two thick trails of blood stretching from the podium to one of the exits. I instantly deduce who the blood belongs to, since Chad and Evelyn are nowhere in sight. Considering how much of it is on the floor, and that they seem to have been dragged out of the hall, it's safe to assume they're both dead.

"What the hell happened here?" I ask out loud, but both guards stay quiet; they only take me to my place at the centre of the hall, remove my handcuffs, and then walk away. I rub at my wrists for a second or two.

The crowd is so quiet I become self-conscious of my own breaths. I'm met with the eerie feeling that a lot more transpired in the past hour than I could ever imagine. I know Harrison was trying to get Kang to do the trial, though I don't know how he got Derek to go along with it. But what Kate and Johanna Reyes are doing here is beyond me. And the fact that Evelyn and Chad seem to have already been executed is both strange and terrifying. Unless the rules have changed in Dauntless, the executions aren't to take place until tomorrow. Maybe they were placed under truth serum and revealed things deserving of an immediate execution.

Jack approaches me with his hands tucked inside the pockets of his black and white coat. Seeing him up close I recognize he's aged a bit. It has been some years since I've seen him last. He says to me, "Given the nature of your case, Candor has been given authority to oversee your trial, and as is customary in Candor, all interrogations of this nature take place under truth serum. Do you consent?" His voice is a lot deeper than I remember.

"Yes, I do," I say without hesitation. Both Harry and I agreed that truth serum may be my best chance at any sort of vindication.

Jack bids me to extend my arm, and when I do, he injects a thin blue fluid into my veins. I feel it as it courses upward toward my heart, and then to the rest of my body. It makes me feel restrained and tight in some ways, and so free in others.

"My only advice to you would be to not resist. You will not be able to lie while under the influence of the serum, and any attempt you make will cause you excruciating pain. Do you understand?"

"I do," I answer before I even think to say it. I remember Max screaming out in pain before he spilled out all the dirty secrets that earned him an execution.

"Good," Kang says, and he takes a few steps away from me. "State your name."

"Tobias Eaton," I answer him. "But I go by 'Four' amongst the Dauntless."

"And the names of your parents?"

"Evelyn and Marcus Eaton. Though, Evelyn goes by Johnson now." The answers come easily, but I know this might change as the questions do. There are things I'm hoping he won't ask, things that could seal my fate.

"What is your wife's full name?"

"Tris Eaton," I say with a small smile. Even the sound of her name makes me at ease.

"Mr. Eaton, can you tell me your account of the events that transpired leading up to the fatal train crash five years ago?" Jack stares at me with evident curiosity.

I swallow, then when I take too long to answer I feel a burning in my throat. "I went with a small team of Dauntless to scout out an area we had noticed had a suspicious amount of factionless traffic. When we got there, I found Evelyn, my mother, and she convinced me to stay and talk while the others went ahead."

"So before this encounter with your mother, when was the last time you had seen her?"

"When I was a boy. Truth is, I hardly recognized her when I saw her. I thought she was dead."

"I see," Kang says. "And were you aware she had orchestrated the murder of your Dauntless team?"

"No," I shake my head in disgust. "I only found out recently what she had done."

Kang nods. "I was made to understand Evelyn injected you with the Amity's memory serum against your will. Is this so?"

"Yes," I answer. "I remember trying to fight them off, but it was too many of them, and after she gave me the serum I didn't remember anything at all."

"So everything you did over the past five years for Evelyn and her army, you did without any memory of your past life?"

"That's correct," I growl. "She brainwashed me and then used me." I silently hope that's good enough, but Kang takes it a little further.

"How did she use you exactly?"

I hold in the answer for as long as I can, knowing exactly what it would mean if I were to say it out loud. There's no turning back after a confession, no matter why I did it. Only when my body begins to tremble with unbearable pain do I explain, "I trained her army, and I helped plan the attack against Dauntless, but only after she told me the faction was corrupt and was working with the Erudite to control the city."

The crowd begins to whisper, and I'm afraid to try and make out the words. But I suppose whispers are better than jeers.

"You're an intelligent man, Mr. Eaton. Did you never suspect that you were out of place? That certain things did not add up?"

"I always felt out of place," I admit. "But it's hard to make sense of everything when you remember nothing."

"You had absolutely no memories at all?" He questions.

I shake my head. "I was having dreams of Tris, but I didn't know they were memories at the time. I thought she was a figment of my imagination."

"That is… until she stumbled upon you when she went on her own Dauntless mission," Kang adds.

"That's correct," I say, sounding a bit confused. It seems Kang has already heard this story, and in detail. I suppose Harry had to be transparent in order to get him to intervene without an official Dauntless invitation.

He nods. "And what happened after you saw her?"

"That's when I started to question everything," I tell him, remembering exactly how I felt the moment I saw Tris. My palms begin to sweat just the same, and my heart accelerates in my chest. "Evelyn told me it was a trick of the Erudite and Tris was working for them. She did everything to try and convince me Tris was my enemy, but… I could feel how much I loved her." My body suddenly feels warm, almost as if I'm being held, and I feel Tris' comfort around me as if she is standing right here beside me.

I suppose the serum not only brings truthful words to the surface, but emotions as well.

"Is that why you helped her escape even when knowing she would return to Dauntless and rescue the others?"

"Yes," I say strongly. "Evelyn would have killed her otherwise, and I couldn't let that happen."

"Hmmm," Kang says, and he smiles a little. "And then what happened?"

"She came back," I answer softly. "She knew what it would mean for her, but she came back for me." I look over at my wife, and my heart swells even more in my chest. I can see when she bites her lip all the way from where I'm standing. She always does that when her lips tremble a little too hard.

"Were you willing to go with her?"

"Not at first," I shake my head. "I was confused, I didn't know who I could trust. But ultimately, I had to acknowledge that I had been lied to, and I went in search of the truth. I escaped from the bunker where Tris hid me and I found my way to Dauntless and then to Abnegation," my voice breaks, "and then I saw my son."

I pause when the memory of meeting Andy for the first time hits me. I remember the way he looked at me, the way his eyes looked so much like mine, the way he reached out and touched me as if he'd always been waiting for me.

"What happened when you saw your son?" Kang bids me to continue.

"That's when everything changed," I tell him. "I couldn't hide from the truth anymore. I'd never met him before, but I looked into his eyes and I knew he was mine," I choke out.

"That must have been an incredibly difficult moment, realizing your life had been stolen from you," Kang says, staring at me.

"It was," I almost snarl. "I wanted to find Evelyn and rip her heart out the way she had done to me," I confess.

"So why didn't you?"

"Tris," I begin to say. "We fought about it. She told me it wasn't in anybody's best interest for me to go on a killing spree if I wanted to get my family back, and she was right. We decided the best course of action would be to stop Evelyn before she could attack Dauntless."

"Hmm," he says. "And at what point did you begin to recollect your memories?"

"I got them all at once just before I was captured," I answer, "When I was shot protecting Tris, everything came back to me in a flash."

"Am I to understand, Mr. Eaton, that despite regaining your memories and your knowledge of Dauntless law, you still embarked on a mission to stop Evelyn and save the Dauntless? Even while knowing you'd still be put on trial for treason?" Jack raises his eyebrows at me.

"Yes," I say with a nod.

"Why?" Jack asks, looking evidently confused. After all, those are the actions of a mad-man. The only way I could have ensured getting out of this alive would have been to run and never look back.

"I had to save them," is my answer. "This is my faction and I couldn't abandon them. Dauntless is my home. It's my son's home, and he deserves a chance at a normal life."

Kang's eyes square in on mine just a little. "Allow me to say, Mr. Eaton, that I find your actions and that of your wife to be quite admirable. You both made every effort to save each other and this faction, despite the consequences to yourselves. In my opinion, both you and your wife have earned the title of Dauntless."

I'm not prepared for the loud cheering that escapes the crowd. Every hand is being thrown in the air, and every mouth is yelling in approval. Both my fists clench at my side, and as afraid as I am to be hopeful, with the serum in my veins, I can't help but allow myself to feel it. It's no longer just about me and Derek or me and Tris, it's about this entire faction and what they all want for me.

"There are some truths I would have loved to have gathered from Evelyn," Kang says, "but since she was prematurely executed, I'll have to settle for the knowledge you've acquired during your time with her."

This catches me by surprise. Evelyn was executed before Kang arrived?

I clench my fists, realizing Derek most likely took justice into his own hands. And if that's the case, I'd have been as good as dead had Kang not arrived in time. It also means that maybe Evelyn did reveal the truth to them. But I'm not inclined to be grateful any more than I am to mourn her death.

"What was Evelyn's objective in attacking Dauntless?" Kang asks me. "And what was her motive?"

"She was seeking power," I answer. "Evelyn felt some factions held too much of it, and the factionless held none at all. Her objective was to overthrow Dauntless so they could have a place in the system."

"Hmm," Kang looks at me. "Do you believe another attack of this nature is possible? Are the factionless still a threat?"

"I believe so," I answer. "Evelyn was a tyrant, but her cause was based on undeniable injustice that exists against the factionless. She's already planted the seed of rebellion in their heads."

"Did you at any point believe in this cause?"

"I still do in some ways," I woefully regret being forced to admit. It's not that I'm ashamed I've developed a sort of understanding for the people I've been living with for the past five years. It's that I'd rather it not have any weight in whether I live or die.

"In what ways?" Jack raises an eyebrow at me.

Knowing I've opened the door for suspicion, I explain, "My time living with them has made me realize that maybe we are too unkind to the factionless. Human beings shouldn't have to live like that just because they don't fit anywhere. I don't agree with how Evelyn was going about it, but I think the city can do better when it comes to how its citizens are treated. All of its citizens."

I think of their living situations, factionless-born children without food or education. I think about Kate's mother, Harrison's sister, who died without medical attention. "It's always been the norm," I continue to say. "So before I had to live with the factionless, I never stopped to question why they're forced to live the way they are. But now, even with all my memories intact, I can't, with a good conscience, justify it."

"Evelyn was Abnegation at one point. Is that correct?" Jack turns around for a second.

"Yes."

"So you were born into Abnegation and chose Dauntless."

"Yes," I say again.

"Taking into consideration your Divergence, one could easily assume your words come from the Abnegation living inside you. Which brings me to question, what faction are you most loyal to, Mr. Eaton?"

"All of them. I am loyal to this city and its people," I quickly answer. I suddenly remember the tattoo on my back and why I had gotten it in the first place. "For there to be real peace in this city, we all have to work together in considering each other. There has to be a place for all of us, or there will always be another Jeanine, or another Chad or Evelyn."

"The factionless were expelled because they have no place," Jack explains.

"The same was once said of Divergents," I rebut, and the hall becomes eerily still. "People like me had no place in this system. And yet now, here we are, functioning. While in the infirmary I was cared for by an Erudite doctor and an Abnegation nurse. There is always room when you're willing to make it."

"I see," Kang says pensively. "And do you think people who see it fit to attack an entire faction, your faction, deserve a seat at the table?"

"We gave Erudite a second chance, didn't we?" I respond. "Because not everyone was guilty of Jeanine's crimes just as not everyone is guilty of Evelyn's."

The trial starts to feel like a discussion more than anything else, and that's when Derek steps forward and with great annoyance says, "Are we almost done here?"

Kang says nothing to him. Instead he asks me, "Mr. Eaton, do you believe you've been treated fairly since your capture?"

"No. I don't think Derek is objective," I gladly say. "His judgement is clouded by his own personal opinions of me." And the fact that he wishes to steal the love of my life.

Derek retreats into his seat and just stares at me.

"And why do you say this?" Jack asks me.

"I tried to warn him about Evelyn's attack, multiple times. He refused to listen. I wanted to tell him about Chad, but knowing he'd disregard it, I had to find another way to make sure he'd get caught."

"Well, surely your reappearance came under very suspicious circumstances," Kang carefully says. "Could you really blame the Dauntless leader for his speculation?"

"No," I answer softly.

"Either way, we will be looking into it," Kang says so only I can hear, and he presses a hand into my shoulder.

He walks away from me and turning toward the jury, Kang loudly states, "I have no more questions for this man. On my account, I find him innocent of all crimes."

"You can't find him innocent of crimes he admits committing!" Derek yells above the screaming crowd, looking right at me with a bit of venom in his eyes.

Putting his hand up in the air and turning around in a circle, Kang says, "Fine. He's atoned for them. But don't listen to me. Listen to your people, Derek. They have spoken."

Then and only then do I make out the words the crowd is yelling.

"Free Four!"

"Free Four!"

"Free Four!"

I stand perfectly still as the chanting continues, and all I see is Tris smiling up at me with tears in her eyes. Could it be that after all that, they still think I deserve to be here?

Harrison approaches Derek and whispers something in his ear, and so does Johanna. There's a back and forth for a bit as the crowd continues to chant, and I hate to think this is still far from over.

Knowing the law, I already know what the problem is. There is no middle ground in Dauntless law as it pertains to leaders; one is either guilty and must pay for his crimes or is innocent and set free. The only punishment for treason is death, and as Derek rightly said, I can't be declared innocent of crimes I've admitted to.

Looking worried, Johanna loudly says to Derek, "Allow me to meddle in Dauntless affairs the way you've meddled in Amity's. In my opinion, I don't believe Four Eaton can be held accountable for things he did after he was robbed of his memories and fed lies. Exile him if you please. We will happily receive him and his family in Amity."

"You have no authorization to do that," Derek answers her.

"Who is going to stop me? You?" Johanna crosses her arms.

"He just admitted to sympathizing with the factionless," Derek shakes his head.

Johanna only smiles and says, "He has a heart, Derek. You should think about getting one yourself. This man is innocent," she points at me. "And I will not stand here and have you execute him."

"I don't think they will either," Harrison says, looking around at the cheering crowd of Dauntless.

Seeing the commotion, Tris doesn't hesitate to rush to my side. She's on the podium in a flash, with her arms around me and her lips on my face. At first it feels surreal, and somewhere in the background I hear her voice say, "We're going to be okay, Tobias. We're going to be okay." I close my eyes and rest my head on her shoulder as my arms slowly snake around her waist. I breathe in her scent, and I melt in her warmth.

I only open my eyes when I hear the crowd quiet down again. When I do, I see Derek holding a hand in the air. There is absolute silence, but everyone is on their feet, attentive, and Derek stares at me and Tris for what feels like the longest minute of my life. I hold her as tightly as she does me, and we both stare back at him.

"At the consensus of the jury, and the people of Dauntless," he says quietly, "Four Eaton, your trial is over, and you've been absolved of guilt."

My heart stops in that very second, and there's a combination of cheering, Tris crying, and my hands trembling, though I barely seem to process each one. When I finally come to my senses, I'm kneeling on the floor for some reason, with Tris' arms wrapped tight around me and her sobbing in my ear.


TRIS

"Tobias," I say over and over again, but all he does is stare at me with tears in his eyes. Eventually, I decide to let him come around on his own timing, all things considered, and I just hold him for a bit. I tremble along with him, allowing the fear of losing him forever to dissipate from my body.

Zeke comes over and presses a hard hand into his shoulder. Harry does the same, and the next thing I know Christina is there too.

"We did it," I hear Tobias say after a while, and with tears flooding my cheeks I laugh and say, "Yes, we did!" And I kiss his cheek, his lips, his forehead; I press a kiss wherever my lips see it fit to land.

Tobias finally stands to his feet, and suddenly becoming aware of his surroundings, he picks me up and spins me around in the centre of the room, and then he kisses me like he's never kissed me before. I feel the desperation on his lips, the hunger and the gratitude. We're surrounded by our friends and screaming Dauntless, but for a second it's like they all disappear, and it's just me and my love locked in a kiss in the middle of the hall.

"Mmhmm," Johanna clears her throat, and only then do I pull away from Tobias' embrace.

"Thank you so much, Johanna," I throw my arms around her and cry into her ear. I don't know how we would have done this without them.

"Thank Kate," she says to me. "She is the one who came for my help."

She needn't say more. Before I can think to, my arms are around Kate, holding her tight between them. The hug is as grateful as it is awkward. "Thank you," I whisper in her ear, and the tears come harder.

"No need to thank me, Tris," Kate says softly. "It was a privilege. You're one hell of a woman."

I sniffle when I pull away and I can't help but smile when I see the kindness on her face. "You are too," I nod, knowing as much as I'd want to, there can't be much else said between us.

I let go and turn around, and I see Tobias, Zeke and Harrison embraced in the strangest hug. I chuckle a little and decide to let them have their moment, and then my eyes wander around the room.

"Where is he going?" Chris asks under her breath, and only then do I see Derek walking out of the hall looking entirely defeated.

I huff. "Unbelievable," I almost growl. Could he really be upset that justice was served today? Is his ego so much bigger than the truth, because at this point, the truth is undeniable, or the Dauntless would not have cheered for Tobias.

Something possesses me, and although Christina tries to stop me, I run after him and grab his elbow just as he is about to exit the hall. "What exactly is wrong with you?" I ask him rather unkindly.

"Aside from the fact that I've just been showed up in front of my entire faction?" he answers.

"That's all you're worried about?" I scowl at him. "An innocent man was set free today. No thanks to you." If it weren't for Jack, Johanna and the screaming Dauntless, Tobias' verdict would have been very different.

"I know how to do my job," he seethes at me.

"Really? Is that why Jack Kang had to come all the way from Candor and do it for you? Are you really that blind, Derek?" I take a step back, regaining common sense and realizing Derek Coleman is not worth a single second more of my time.

"No," he quickly answers as I start to retreat. "I'm not."

"But you still think he's guilty," I say matter-of-factly.

"It's complicated," he answers sincerely.

"How?!" I demand.

"You know, I remember your first day of training, Tris," he begins. "I thought you wouldn't last a week here. But you surprised me, then you intrigued me. I volunteered to take charge of your training even before I found out you and Four were a thing, because well… I found you interesting."

I stay quiet, wondering where he is going with this.

"Do you know why I pursued you, Tris?" he continues. "Because you're different. You're loyal, you're strong, you're opinionated and brave. You don't allow anyone to tell you what you can and can't do. There's a whole other layer of depth to you that most women around here don't have," he chuckles. "Crazy, stubborn, beautiful, incredibly smart. And I wondered why you never looked twice at me, then I found out Four had about a five-year head start. Honestly, it felt like a blow to the head."

"Why are you telling me this?" I ask, becoming impatient with his storytelling.

"Because up until a few minutes ago, I thought I deserved someone like you," and I see something that almost resembles honesty on his face. "Someone to challenge and inspire me. But in one heavy and sickening moment, I realized the man who does deserve you was standing in the middle of the room on trial for treason. Mostly because I wanted him there," he admits, and I almost forget to breathe. "And it finally hit me that regardless of what he's done, if he loses, so do I. I lose my integrity, I lose Dauntless, and I lose you."

"I was never yours to lose, Derek," I tell him earnestly, and I refrain from asking him what integrity he speaks of.

Strangely, he smiles. "I know. And that's the saddest part." With a sigh he says, "And I can't blame you. Four's more deserving of you than I've ever been. I'm sure everyone in this hall would agree," he extends his hands out just a little. "After all, they seemed far more willing than I was to forgive his crimes against this faction."

"So you admit if it were up to you, he'd be dead," I say. And I nod at his shamelessness.

"No," Derek answers quickly. "He spared his own life when he saved Dauntless. But he does get to stay in this faction because of you."

I raise an eyebrow. "While I am grateful for that… I owe you nothing."

"No, you don't, Tris," he says. "Nothing at all."

I begin to walk away again, but then he stops me, "Tris." When I turn back around, he says, "Don't tell Four what I said."

"What? That you practically admitted he's a better man than you?" As if it weren't obvious enough to everyone here today.

Derek shrugs. "I suppose so, yeah."

I shake my head at him. I most certainly will tell Tobias. "Can you do me a favour?" When he nods, I say, "Be better. Because you can be."

Derek is left standing there, and I turn around to get back to my husband who is waiting patiently for me in the middle of the room. I move faster the closer I get to him, until I find myself running into his arms again.

Tobias catches me, and lifts me off my feet. When he slowly brings me back down, he glances at the exit and asks, "What was that about?"

I shake my head. "I don't know. I guess I wish I could make him see somehow, but I can't."

"No one can," Tobias says softly. "That's entirely up to him."

Done with worrying about Derek, I slowly creep my arms around Tobias' neck, and I tip toe into a sweet kiss. "Let's go get our boy," I whisper against his lips.

Tobias smiles so sweet and so wide, and he just stares at me for a moment. "If I ever doubt that I'm the luckiest man alive, remind me of this moment." He brushes his hand against my cheek. "Remind me that I'm loved by the most incredible woman to ever walk the earth, and that I have the world's best friends. Remind me of the day I got to go home to my little boy against all odds," he says tearfully.

He kisses me softly, and then wraps an arm around my waist. Holding each other too tightly, we walk out of that hall, together and alive, anxious and ready to live out the rest of our days in freedom and bliss, and most of all, in love.


:)