Chapter 33

TOBIAS

"I spy with my little eye…." Andy squints his eyes together and he stares off into the bushes. He bounces up and down in my lap as we head down the dirt road to Amity. It's not the safest thing in the world, having him sit with me, and Tris almost didn't agree to it, but I promised to drive slowly, making sure he can never really bounce too high. He promised to keep still and not touch anything.

After about two miles of green forest and pure suspense, Tris laughs and asks, "What do you spy, Andy?"

"This one's for Daddy!" Andy rebuts loudly, shouting over the wind blowing in our faces.

"Remember Daddy needs to keep his eyes on the road," Tris insists.

"Okay, well…" Andy pouts, making me chuckle in my seat. "I spy something brown and rocky."

"The road?" I ask him with a laugh. It can't possibly be anything else. There's just road, forest and sky out here.

"Yes!" Andy squeals.

"Oh, wow. Good job, Tobias," Tris teases me. I glance at her for a second; she looks angelic. Her skin glows and her wide smile and golden hair are illuminated under the afternoon sun. The stresses of the past month have been completely erased from her face and I'm glad for it. Since my trial a few days ago, Dauntless has been a mess but we've been happier than ever. That's why when Johanna extended us an invitation for our tenth wedding anniversary, we didn't hesitate to accept an opportunity to get away from it all.

Derek is under investigation by Candor; he will stand trial in a private session with Jack Kang to see if he is fit to lead Dauntless. In the meantime Harry is in charge, and alone at that. He gave Tris a month personal leave, but he also suspended Zeke for another two weeks for misconduct at the trial. I think he might have felt pressured into it, just so Jack wouldn't think Dauntless was a complete shit show.

Ultimately, Zeke didn't take it too hard, and he and Shauna even volunteered to watch Andy so Tris and I could have some time alone. But there's no way I'd leave my baby boy behind. We've been inseparable since the trial; I want him close to me always.

I spent the last few days going through his photo albums with him; he seemed adamant to share them with me. At first it was hard, seeing all the moments of his life that I missed and hearing it explained in detail. But then I became hopeful every time he told me he'd take me somewhere he'd been, or he'd introduce me to his friends in the pictures. It's how I met Christina's and Uri's girls again. And it didn't take long for me to feel like I hadn't missed a beat. Now I love hearing his stories and feeling connected to them and to him. I love how much he wants me in his life and I love how much a part of it I feel I already am.

Finally, on the road ahead, I can see the entrance to Amity. Fruit trees line either side of the road now, as far as the eye can see, and the air smells like produce and earth. We turn off the road to make our way out of the orchards and into the residential area. I remember taking this path so many times as a Dauntless leader, and I smile at the memory. I'm glad it's the first thing to come to mind instead of the last thing that happened to me here.

Andy stares in awe at the large fields as we pass them, and he smiles and waves at all the people we pass along the way. They're climbing trees and harvesting fruit in wooden baskets, planting seeds and playing in the dirt, and carrying large buckets of water that from time to time they throw on each other. The Amity are always either busy at work or playing around; but sometimes it's hard to tell which.

"Look, Daddy!" Andy points ahead of us as the small wooden houses begin to come into view. "We're here!" he yells as if he's been here before and knows exactly where we're going.

"Yes, we are," Tris sighs with a smile. She exhales and leans back into her seat. I can feel it too, the immense relief of escaping everything that's haunted us for so long.

Everyone stops to look at us as we drive past them. I can't imagine why. It's not the strangest thing seeing a Dauntless truck pass through here. We drive straight toward Johanna's place, and before we can park the truck, her front door swings open, and she steps out to greet us.

Tris is out of the truck in a second and she runs to meet her new friend.

"Welcome," Johanna says heartfully, and she quickly embraces Tris. I send a smile her way as I step out of the truck with Andy in my arms, and she sends a knowing smile back.

"This must be Andy," she walks up to me and says. Still wearing that Amity smile, she examines his face.

"Hello," Andy says politely, with his left arm around my neck. "Thank you for helping to save my daddy."

"You are more than welcome, young man," Johanna replies with a nod. "You are the spitting image of your father," she shakes her head. "Incredible." Looking back at me and Tris she says, "I am honoured that you accepted my invitation."

"No, the pleasure is ours, Johanna," Tris says with a hand over her heart. "Thank you so much for offering. God knows we need the time away."

"I can imagine," she laughs lightly. "And well, it's only fitting you should celebrate your ten year anniversary at the place you got married… and not at Dauntless, if I may say so myself." Surprisingly, she rolls her eyes a little and I chuckle. I truly believe Johanna would have no problem with us defecting to Amity if we ever wanted to. "My people will give you privacy," she assures us, "and you're welcome to join in on whatever activities we will be having. You're welcome to tour the entire grounds."

Grinning, Tris takes my free hand and wraps an arm around my waist. I can't describe how much I love standing like this, with my wife in one hand, and my son in the other.

"You must be tired from your trip," Johanna smiles, glancing at our intertwined fingers. "Let's get you settled in. Matthew!" she turns toward her house and yells.

Almost immediately, a young man comes running outside. "Yes, Johanna."

"Can you help our guests get accommodated, please?"

"Of course," he says a little bit too cheerfully. "Let me help with your bags. We'll have to walk there since the road doesn't go that way. But don't worry, it's not too far, and your truck will be safe here."

"If you have any questions at all feel free to ask me or Matthew," Johanna chimes in. "Unfortunately, there's no visitor's guide to Amity since we rarely harbour guests, but life around here is rather simple and I don't think you'll have much trouble getting around."

"Thank you," Tris smiles.

Reluctantly, I surrender Andy to Tris, needing to grab the remaining bags from the truck. I didn't bring much- I didn't have much to bring, but Tris made sure she and Andy had everything they'd need for the length of time we're here, which could be anywhere from a week to a month depending on how we take to it.

Andy waves at Johanna as we begin to walk. He stares at the children running past us, at the birds flying above us, and at the trees swaying around us. Amity life is the literal opposite of Dauntless life, and my son seems to be fascinated by it. I have a feeling this won't be our first and last trip here as a family.

We find our house is perfectly situated at the edge of the residential area. We can see everything from here. The orchards are to our left and if you look hard enough you can see the fence. There's forest behind us, and we can see and hear the Amity lifestyle when we look through our front door. There's no barns nearby so the air is fresh and cool.

Matthew gently sets the bags on the front porch and then takes a set of keys out of his pocket and passes it to me. "We have meals as a group here in Amity, in the cafeteria. There's no cooking equipment in the houses since they are a fire hazard. You're welcome to join us at every meal, but if you happen to miss one, just call over and we will have it put away or sent over for you. Breakfast is at seven, lunch is at twelve and dinnertime is at seven."

"When's snack time?" Andy asks seriously, and I stifle a laugh. To be honest, I was wondering the same thing. I could starve on that schedule.

With a wide smile, Matthew answers, "Well, there isn't actually a designated snack time, but there are goodies at every meal and you can bring whatever you can carry back to the house if you'd like."

"Thank you, Matthew," Tris says sweetly, and he nods and quickly scurries of the porch. When he's out of earshot she says, "We are bringing everything back to the house after dinner. I am not waking up in the middle of the night to feed you two."

I laugh. I'll probably be bringing goodies to the house after every meal, not just dinner. "Are you at least waking up for breakfast at seven, Mrs. Eaton?" I ask her as I open the front door.

"I most certainly am not," Tris says with a beautiful laugh. "But your son might be up for it. So you can both go and bring my breakfast for me."

I groan, but then I smile at my wife. Tris and I have always been a team, but I never expected I'd so quickly find my place as Andy's parent, especially when he's only ever been used to having one. I guess having a partner like Tris who never gave up on me, and a son like Andy who always knew I'd come home someday, that place was only ever mine, waiting for me to take it.

Just as we're about to walk inside, a woman comes running toward us. She is short and has long brown hair. "I'm so sorry to disturb," she says remorsefully and a little out of breath. "My name is Candy."

"It's no problem," I assure her. "How can we help?"

"The kids normally have a play circle at four o' clock every evening. I'm just about to take them over to the fields. They usually stay out until about six. Your son is more than welcome to join."

Andy stares at the woman curiously. At first I think he'll refuse to go, considering how glued he's been to me lately. But surprisingly, he jumps up and says, "Can I go, Mommy?"

"Of course, you can, Baby," Tris smiles. "That's why we're here."

When Tris sets him on the ground, Andy grins and asks Candy, "Am I going to get to climb trees?"

"Not at all," Tris is the one to quickly answer. "You will be keeping both feet on the ground at all times, young man."

"Okay," he pouts for just a second, but then he runs off the porch to meet Candy, who happily takes his hand and assures us, "Don't worry. He'll be safe," and then leads him off.

"Are you sure he'll be okay?" I ask levelly as I take the bags inside and set them on the floor. I know Amity is pretty safe, but we don't actually know these people.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Tris asks, folding her arms and glaring playfully at me.

I chuckle. "Okay," I concede. "Maybe I just always want him in eyesight."

"I imagine so. But you know what I want?"

"What?"

Rudely, Tris grins, "I want my husband to do things to me." She snakes her arms around my waist, and I hold her against my chest.

"Oh, really?" I chuckle. "What kind of things?"

"Everything," she whispers, and then she presses a playful kiss to my lips.

We haven't really had much time alone since the trial. It's almost always the three of us, and although I love having my son near me, I'll admit I miss being inside my wife. We've managed to steal a few heated moments, but not nearly enough, and they're not ever long enough.

"I could hold you like this forever," I say to Tris as we slowly sway from side to side. "Right here in this peaceful little Amity house."

"Word on the street is we're not coming back," she says as she rests her head on my chest.

"To Dauntless?" I ask her, raising an eyebrow. "They really think we'd go through all that just to run away and be factionless? Or Amity?"

Tris laughs. "Hey, Amity isn't so bad." She lifts her head and looks around the small wooden house. The living room is nice and cozy, with a rocking chair and a wooden couch lined with handmade cushions. The kitchen is modest, carrying only a small refrigerator, a table, and a countertop with eating utensils. It's simple, but there's something rather refreshing about it. "It's looking really beautiful actually."

"It is."

It's not far fetched- the idea of Tris and me choosing to live freely out here. After all, I have no idea what I'll do when I get back to Dauntless. I suppose I'll have to find a job, and Harry will no doubt offer me a leadership position since there is already one available, and at the end of this week there might be two.

No one really knows how it's all going to play out. I guess it all depends on what Derek reveals at that trial. Tris doesn't think he deserves to be reinstated, and a part of me agrees. But I also know, considering what he said to her after my trial, maybe he is starting to come to terms with his feelings for Tris and his animosity for me. That might count for something, or it could mean nothing at all. That's entirely up to him.

Either way, even if Derek isn't reinstated, I can't say I'd want the position back. As good as I was at it, I was struggling to juggle it all, and Tris paid the price for it more than once. Right now, with this second chance I've been given, I just want to be a husband to my wife and a father to my son. I feel like I've lost so much time already, and I don't want to waste a second more.

"Let's see what the bedroom looks like," I suggest with a rude smile, implying the obvious.

Giggling, Tris takes my hand and leads me through the short corridor. She looks to the right and I look to the left. I let go of her hand and open the first door on my side; it's a bedroom. Like everything else in the house, it's simple yet comfortable.

"There's two bedrooms," Tris says as she opens the door on her side.

There's another door down the corridor on the left that I can only assume is the bathroom.

"You think he'll sleep by himself?" I ask as I peep a while longer into the bedroom. Andy mightn't be too keen on that idea just yet.

Tris shrugs. "Maybe. But if not, there's always four to six in the evenings," she says with a serious face.

I can't help but laugh. "Is that what it's come to Tris? Scheduled playtime? Even for the adults?" I grin as I playfully lead her into the room, rubbing my hands up her stomach and leaving a soft, wet kiss on her lips.

She smiles as she pulls me closer. "Yeah. According to Christina, that's the only way it happens when you have one kid."

"Hmm.. Why only one?" I unbutton her shirt slowly, starting from the top, and I push it off her shoulders. Her black bra cradles her breasts ever so tantalizingly.

"Because when you have another one, they entertain each other," she smirks, her fingers fighting with my belt buckle. Impatient, and wanting to feel her skin on mine, I relieve myself of my shirt and I help Tris get me out of my pants, then I help her get out of hers.

"Aaaahh," I say with a wide smile, picking her up off her feet and holding her in my arms. As I carry her to the bed I say, "I see. And you don't think she's telling you this cause she's missing a flower girl?"

"Naw," Tris laughs, shaking her head. She rests a hand on my bare chest. "Not like they bake that fast anyway."

"Trust me, Chris would wait," I say seriously. They already moved down the wedding once, waiting until things settle down in Dauntless.

Out of nowhere, a slow smile creeps up on my face at the thought of Tris and me having a baby girl. Maybe not yet, but it's definitely something I want. I imagine she'd look every bit like her mother.

"I think she's entirely content with me finally finding a date for her wedding," Tris says as I slowly rest her on the bed. I climb on top of her, and she cradles my face with her palm. "And I'm just glad it's you."

Her eyes become wet, and I kiss the first teardrop away. I gently flip us over so she's resting on top of me. She sits up until she's straddling me, and she delicately traces her fingers up my abdomen, feeling the long scar there. I wince a little at the thought that this is not how she remembers me, but then she leans down and presses a soft kiss to the lower part of my abdomen. She kisses up the length of the scar that serves to remind us of all we've been through to get here. Then she wraps her arms around me and presses her face into my chest.

"Tris," I whisper lovingly when I feel the wetness on my skin. Lifting her chin, I say, "It's over. I'm here now. And no one's coming after us."

"I know," she smiles, and then she accommodates herself in the crook of my left arm and stares at me tearfully for a while. "I only ever dreamt of this," she says, "falling asleep and waking up beside you again. You were always the first thing on my mind every morning, and my last thought at night."

I turn my body until I'm facing her, and I pull her closer into me until every part of me can feel every part of her. I stroke her cheek with the back of my hand and say, "And I pined for you even when I had no memory of anything."

I lean down to kiss her, and there's a burst of energy and emotion as our lips touch and passionately sway against each other. There's a charge whenever my tongue lashes against hers, and the kiss deepens and deepens until we're next to devouring each other. We only let go to breathe, and needing her to stay close, I press my forehead against hers until my breaths are hers and hers are mine.

I remember how my lips felt the first time they touched Tris', I remember how my fingers tingled the first time they touched the skin of her chest and how my body trembled the first time she touched the Abnegation forbidden parts of me. The first time we made love I thought there could never be anything that brought us closer to each other, but then there were things.

There was that dance we shared at Zeke and Shauna's wedding. As I held her against me and stared into her eyes, the intimacy was palpable. There was no where else I'd have rather been and I kept thinking about how indescribable it felt to hold her, how much she felt like home and peace. I felt like I was floating, and honestly I forgot there was anyone else in the room. I could have danced with Tris forever that day, so when the wedding was over, I took her home and danced some more.

Times when we're like this, naked and wrapped in each other's arms, open and vulnerable, there's a closeness I can't ever find the words to describe. Sometimes I could just be lying with her, or dancing with her, or watching her lovingly make me a sandwich at two o' clock in the morning, and I'd feel like my heart was about to explode because it couldn't contain just how much I love her.

Nothing could erase Tris from me, from my mind or my heart. My skin will always remember her touch, my lips will always remember her taste, and my soul will always remember her warmth.

"We're meant to be together, Tris. Always," I whisper against her lips. "And nothing or no one can ever take that away from us."

"I know," she whispers back.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here," I say. "I'm sorry I missed the last five anniversaries, Tris, but I promise I'll be here for at least fifty more."

She pulls away and studies my eyes a little. "Tobias… you can't promise me that." She reaches up to touch my face; her fingers caressing the curves of my jaw.

"I just did," I say to her. "I know we said 'til death do us part, but… not even then, Tris," I shake my head. I have no doubt that one hundred lifetimes from now, my soul won't be at rest until it finds hers. No amount of time can ever erase the love we share; it's branded in the air now, and will be there for all eternity. And even if one day eternity comes to an end, I know our love will still be.

"Until forever ends?" she smiles at me sweetly, her eyes still wet with tears.

I bring her lips to mine again, but this time I kiss her slowly, until too much heat builds up inside my chest and body, and I know I have no choice but to bury myself inside her now, plunging deeper and deeper until she screams out my name for all of Amity to hear. But before I do, I look into her beautiful eyes again and swear, "No, Love. Not even then."


A/N: And that's the last chapter before the Epilogue! :) I hope you guys loved reading it as much as I loved writing it. R&R