AN: Thank you all for the reviews. The final chapter was large, so this is part one of this stories end. I hope you enjoy and see you Wednesday.

Note: There are time jumps in this chapter.

Tris was dancing that night, she was surrounded by her friends and feeling a bit of freedom after some very stressful weeks. She was laughing at Zeke's attempt to do the worm on the dance floor, and joining in Uriah's pointing and giggling at Will and Christina's drunken make-out session on the dance floor.

For a moment, she felt free.

It wasn't until Marlene made her way through the crowd, with a worried face, that she knew something was wrong. Marlene says nothing, instead grabbing her hand and leading her away from the chaos of people and music, until they were out in the hallway away from the noise and cameras.

"You never told him, did you?" Marlene asks her quietly and with that simple question her stomach completely drops.

"What?" Tris asks.

"Eric. You never told him about the miscarriage?" Marlene asks.

"Where is he? What happened?"

She listens as her friend apologizes profusely, and she can feel the tears burning at her eyes. Marlene was the only person in the entire city that Tris told about the miscarriage she suffered a mere day after the terrible fight on the train between Eric and Four.

Tris hadn't even known she was pregnant.

When she'd experienced cramping along with extremely heavy bleeding, she'd gone to the infirmary, and it was there she'd learned she was having a miscarriage. They'd estimated she was no more than five or six weeks pregnant, even though she was on the prevention serum, and it was possible that the serum wasn't completely effective on her because of her Divergence.

Marlene is who she called. She knows she should have called Eric, but they were still dealing with the aftermath of his violent outburst with Four. Tris didn't think he could deal with it, and to be honest she was reeling herself at what was happening. Marlene is who stayed with her the rest of the day in the infirmary, and then accompanied her to the main hospital in Erudite so she could have the procedure to end the failed pregnancy.

Tris had been a mess ever since. She couldn't sleep, she had issues eating, and she kept having nightmares where Eric told her she'd killed their baby. She didn't know she was pregnant to begin with, so it was impossible for her to have caused the miscarriage, but she still blamed herself for everything. She'd gone and gotten a birth control implant to go along with the serum, and she decided she wasn't ever going to talk to Eric about having kids again.

Marlene had begged her to tell Eric, and Tris had lied to her friend when she told him she finally had. She thought that would be the end of it, there would never be a reason for anyone to broach such a sensitive subject, especially with how closed off Eric was as a rule, but the announcement tonight of Marlene and Uriah's pregnancy opened a small door.

"I didn't know you hadn't told him, and when I was talking I slipped up and mentioned the risks of the first trimester, and I mentioned miscarriage. I felt awful for speaking about it so haphazardly, and I apologized to him for being insensitive. Eric's reaction told me he had no idea. Tris, I'm sorry."

"I lied to you. There's no way you knew." She replies quietly, "I have to find him."

"I'm so, so sorry."

"Marlene, you did nothing wrong. This is on me." Tris replies as she checks the tracking on her phone, seeing Eric's phone pinging on the roof, "You're a wonderful friend, and you did nothing wrong. This is all on me, I shouldn't have lied to you, and I definitely shouldn't of hidden it from Eric. I'm going to go talk to him, and I'll call you tomorrow."

She hugs her friend tightly before making her way up to her fiancé for the one conversation she never wanted to have with him. She finds him up on the roof, once again just looking out at the clear night sky.

"Eric." She says quietly.

"When did it happen?" He asks without turning towards her.

"The day after the fight on the train."

She watches as his shoulders drop at her response, and there are several seconds of silence before he speaks again.

"Did I cause it?" He asks.

"What? How-"

"Was it because of how I treated you on the train?" He asks pointedly.

"No. It was neither of our faults." She replies in a hushed tone.

"You went through it alone?" He asks.

"I called Marlene. She's the only person who knows, outside of the people who treated me." Tris admits.

He finally turns to look at her, and the anger she expected to find on his face isn't there, instead he looks concerned, "You didn't feel you could tell me you were pregnant?"

"I didn't know I was pregnant until I lost it. I started bleeding heavily, worse than any period I've ever had, and when I went to the infirmary they told me I was having a miscarriage. They sent me to Erudite, and they did a procedure that ended the pregnancy since it wasn't viable. I came home, and then...I couldn't tell you... I didn't know how. You were going through so much, and we were trying to heal from what that fight, I just couldn't. So I dealt with it, I got a birth control implant since the serum wasn't completely reliable for me, and I tried to forget it."

"You shouldn't have had to go through that alone. You've not been sleeping, you barely eat, and this has gone on for weeks, is this why?" He asks.

She nods.

"You can tell me anything," He says as he approaches her, "I know I've been volatile, and I know that's why you keep things from me, but never again, Tris. I promise you, you can tell me anything, and I won't ever react the way I did on that train. We are in this together."

She grabs him and he wraps his arms around her, pulling her trembling body against his. He had known things were different between them, and the entire time he thought it was the fight and the way he'd acted that pushed her away. They'd been through so much, and he thought she had finally had enough of his whiplash emotions. He'd been trying so hard, and he'd been giving her the space he thought she needed.

He never knew she was going through this too.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you."

He shakes his head, "I've been awful to you at times. You went through this alone because you didn't feel I could handle it. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, and we're going to feel this together. We're going to heal, and we're going to work through everything together."

She nods against him, "Eric, I'm so sorry."

"And I'm sorry that I've ever made you feel like you couldn't talk to me. I hope you believe me when I tell you I'm working on it." He adds.

"I know you are." She replies quietly, "I am going to be better about trusting our relationship and knowing that I can come to you when I need help. You were wonderful at my father's trial, and at being there for me after his execution. I didn't know I was pregnant, but when the miscarriage started I knew something was wrong. I should have called you."

"I don't want your selflessness to ever cause you physical or mental anguish. We are in this together. I love you, so fucking much Tris. I know that I don't say it enough, but I'm all in here."

"I love you too, Eric."

"Are we okay?"

"We're okay." She says quietly.

He presses his lips to her forehead, "Good." He whispers.

It took several months for them to truly heal and move forward. They had continued their therapy, and their relationship had blossomed into what she always hoped it could be - a partnership built on mutual respect, trust and most of all love. Gone were the incidents of their past where they would lash out at each other, it was replaced by calm conversations, and they no longer hid behind their strong physical bond. Tris and Eric talked through everything, and their improved communication skills strengthened their relationship.

Tris watched as Eric slowly got his confidence back, he was no longer slinking around the hallways, or avoiding public places. He made an effort to get to know her friends, to truly let his walls down and just feel.

He was still Eric though.

He still said the wrong things sometimes, and he was broody and dark other times. He could be short tempered, but never with her, although she knew she pushed his buttons at times. They'd been together for a year and a half, and in that time they saw both the best and worst of each other. But they never questioned their place in each other's lives again.

They knew no matter what happened, they were always there for each other. It didn't matter how bad of a day they'd had, or if they were on opposing sides of a leadership matter, when they got home the only thing that mattered was them. Eric was once a man who never thought he could put anyone else in front of himself, a man who was dedicated to his work and leading his faction, but had no time for loving anyone.

Not anymore.

He had a hard time wrapping his head around his feelings for Tris when he first realized that he was falling for her. He was hesitant in telling her how he felt early in their relationship, and the only way he could express himself was through their physical interactions. One day it all changed. He thought he would lose her after that fight on the train, when he'd lost control of his anger and emotions and had frightened her to the point she flinched from his touch. He believed that would be the end, that she would see him for who he really was and she'd leave.

He was right about one thing, she did finally see him for who he was, and she knew that he was a broken man who was lashing out because he didn't know how to love. He also didn't know how to allow someone to love him the way he deserved.

Tris was patient with him, she showed him something that no one outside of his own brothers had ever shown him. She loved him so purely, and unconditionally and for the longest time he couldn't understand how that was possible. Until he realized he felt the same exact way about her.

They were finally getting exactly where they wanted to be, and it made them both excited for their future.

The emergency meeting that was called on a early morning was unexpected, and highly unusual for it to be held in Abnegation, but within a few hours all of the city's leaders were gathered in The Hub. Eric noticed that Edward and Cheyenne were also present, and they expected with Myra just delivering a healthy baby girl she was likely back in the renovated tunnels with their daughter.

He feels Tris's hand on his leg, and he threads their fingers together. Her touch has always been able to soothe him, even if he cannot remember every time they've done this. He brings her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss on the back of it and she smiles at him.

He catches his brother Christopher's eyes as he rushes into the room and takes his seat next to Johanna Reyes along with the rest of the representatives from Amity. Their unspoken bond is strong, because with simple looks they are asking each other the same question.

What are we doing here?

"I'm sure you're all wondering what you're doing here, and my apologies for the short notice, but I am pleased to see you all here." Josiah says from the podium, and a hush falls over the room, "I feel like we have all had enough time to consider the proposal that was introduced to end the faction before blood laws, and frankly I believe we're all suffering from a bit of analysis paralysis. I wanted us all in a room, together as one city, to decide how we want the future to look for our children. Our grandchildren. We have families being torn apart by invisible borders, we have children who are ostracized because they were born on the wrong side of those borders, and we have their parents who were removed from their factions, and for what? Because they couldn't fire a gun accurately within their first three weeks there?" Josiah looks pointedly at the Dauntless, "Or, they may have told a white lie once or twice in their life?" He looks over at Candor, "Or, they don't have a perfect IQ?" They see Cara's eyes flit to the table, "Or, they're deemed too worldly, or not quite selfless enough?" He looks at his own colleagues. "The only faction who has practiced open kindness is Amity, and even they have to be drugged sometimes in order to do it. I'm frankly tired of it, and I believe a lot of you are too, and I think it's time we voted, as one city. All in favor of abolishing the faction before blood laws, say Aye."

A chorus of Aye's echo around the room.

"Those opposed?" Josiah calls out.

There are none.

"Motion passed, no more faction before blood." Josiah bangs the gavel on his podium and there are actual cheers.

"Quiet, quiet please, one more motion, our factionless sisters and brothers, we now recognize you as your own faction, and you may travel across those lines as you see fit. What shall you call yourselves?" Josiah asks, and all eyes move to Edward and Cheyenne.

Cheyenne stands, and her toothless grin threatens to split her face, "We are the Allegiant."

With another bang of the gavel, the sixth faction is formally recognized.

There are basic rules discussed, and the excitement in the room threatens to spill over. With faction before blood abolished, families will be reunited, and the Allegiant will be able to participate in choosing ceremonies, and be a part of the city government.

"What I'd like to ultimately see is a city without factions, but that will take more time. For now, we leave this room as equals, no more head leader, and no more discrimination. All factions have already been participating in rebuilding the chosen headquarters of the Allegiant, the underground tunnels, and we will continue to renovate those tunnels until they have all of the same comforts as the other factions. Dismissed."

With one more bang of the gavel, the city is closer to uniting.

Eric glances over at Tris and he sees a single tear trailing down her cheek, which he wipes away with his finger, "Hey, what is it?"

"If my father was alive, if he hadn't made the decisions he made, he could have been here for this. We could have gone there for Sunday dinners, or one day had our kids there for sleepovers…." She trails off.

"We will still have those things, but with your mom since she's the best of all of our parents," He sees her smile, "We'll have Christopher, who loves you without having any spent time with you outside of these meetings."

"How can you say he loves me then?" She closes her eyes.

"Because he sees how happy I am-"

"And I know for a fact that you're the reason this asshole is still alive. Hi Tris, I'm Christopher." He holds out his arms for a hug and Tris stands, and is engulfed by Eric's larger older brother.

"Its good to officially meet you." She smiles at him when they break apart, "I've heard so much about you, and only seeing you occasionally in passing at a meeting just isn't enough."

"I agree, and now that those stupid borders are down I have a wife and kids that I can't wait for you to meet. We're all real thankful what you did for Eric, you're a special woman, and we welcome you to our family Tris." Christopher says and he hugs her again.

"Christopher, stop hugging my fiancée you damn hippie." Eric says and Christopher pulls him up from where he was sitting and throws his arms around him.

Tris feels like her smile may split her face, because she's witnessing pure happiness from Eric right now.

They finally leave the meeting and walk and talk for a long time, eventually finding themselves looking up at the shiny headquarters of Erudite. Christopher looks over at his brother and raises an eyebrow, and Eric nods once. He squeezes Tris's hand as they walk into the stuffy building.

They're a strange sight, the two Dauntless leaders with their black uniforms and and the Amity representative in his red plaid shirt and baggy khaki cargo pants. Christopher confidently walks up to the reception desk and looks down at the young man who's working.

"Um, can I help you?" He asks.

"We need to see Jeffrey Coulter." Christopher announces confidently.

"Is he expecting you?" The young man asks, peering over his glasses at them.

"Nope." Christopher grins at him.

"Okay, well what's the nature of your visit?"

Christopher looks back at Eric and Tris and smiles widely before turning back to the young man in blue, "Tell him his brothers are here."

One by one, they gather all five of the Coulter siblings together, and they walk aimlessly through the city. Tris tries to give them time and offers to head back to Dauntless, but not only did Eric protest, so did all four of the other Coulters.

"We're celebrating!" David says as he slings an arm around Tris.

Christopher glances back at the affectionate way that David acts around Tris and he bumps his shoulder into Eric's, "They really are close, huh?"

"Those two are inseparable when they're around each other." Eric replies.

"Does it bother you?" Travis asks from Eric's other side.

Eric shakes his head, "Nope. Tris and I are solid, and David is getting pretty serious with Emma. It was a little weird at first, but somehow those two are drawn together too."

"They tested together in Erudite several months before she transferred." Jeffrey says, shocking all of them.

"How much do you know?" Eric asks, and David and Tris catch up to them.

"Not as much as I'd like to. I've been working with Cara to identify the exact components in the truth serum used on Divergents so we can at least put the two of you under it. It's not ideal, but until we can get those records unsealed it's all we can do." Jeffrey replies.

"Jack is doing everything he can to explore legalities in regards to those records as well. At minimum, they could redact anything that's not pertinent to the studies done on the two of you. Travis adds, and then he looks directly at Eric, "I'm sorry for telling him not to trust you back then."

"Travis, it's okay-"

"No, it's not," Jeffrey says angrily and Eric looks at him, "Our parents fed us nothing but lies. You were nothing like they said you were, and the brother we all know and love is who we needed to believe. I'm sorry too."

Before long, the serious conversation ends, and the brothers continue their joking ways. When they find themselves approaching Abnegation, Tris and Eric break away from the rowdy group so she can visit her mother. As soon as Natalie heard the news, and that Eric's brothers were waiting outside, she sent Eric after them. She and Tris prepared a grand meal of roast beef, gravy, mashed potatoes since they were Eric's favorite, carrots, and homemade bread while the brothers helped split and stack all of the firewood that was in her yard in preparation for the upcoming colder weather. Somewhere along the way Harrison had joined the festivities, and Tris noticed the smile on her mothers face when he walks through the door. Over dinner, the once quiet house is full of laughter, and stories of the Coulter boy's childhood. Tris watches them interact, finding Christopher and David to be the most boisterous of the bunch, with Eric joining in the ribbing. Travis and Jeffrey were much more reserved, but even they laughed with their brothers and shared embarrassing stories. Tris smiles when Eric slings his arm around the back of her chair and trails his fingers up and down her arm, and he turns towards her and kisses her cheek before whispering his gratitude in her ear.

"I love you so much, thank you for this." He says softly.

She presses her lips to his briefly, "I should thank you, today has been wonderful."

"Natalie, Tris, this was all amazing, I can't believe how good everything was." Travis says as they're clearing up the dishes.

"I've discovered the dangerous world of seasonings, so not everything that comes from Abnegation tastes like cardboard." She smiles and he laughs at her.

"Rumor has it you were from Dauntless, and I know they have seasonings there." Jeffrey says and Natalie nods.

"She sure is from Dauntless, she and I ran with the same crowds when we were growing up." Harrison replies and Eric sees the smile Natalie flashes him.

"Oh how I miss the food there. Everything we ate there was so good." Natalie replies.

"Except for the spaghetti." Harrison makes a face and Natalie laughs.

"Oh goodness, how could I forget? Full of raw onions. I don't mind onions, but cook the damn things before you dump them into sauce." Natalie scrunches her face much like Tris does.

"It's good now." David shrugs and Eric nods.

"If you think theirs is good, I'll have to have you try mine the next time you all come back." Natalie replies and Harrison nods.

"I'd like that." He replies.

Eric and Tris share a look, both picking up on the easy friendship developing between Harrison and Natalie.

Tris is surprised at how much she doesn't mind it.

"Natalie, you will be able come to visit more often." David says and she nods.

"I can do that." She agrees, "Now, all of you strong men get to clean up after dinner while my daughter and I relax."

"Yes ma'am." Eric smiles, and the Coulter men, along with Harrison, head to the kitchen.

After all of the Coulter's had left Abnegation, leaving Harrison and Natalie alone, they'd said their goodbyes and gotten into the transport that Travis had requested from Candor. Tris and Eric decided to take the train home, and they both have a full heart from today's impromptu reunion. Eric's mood is more playful than usual, and he's been sneaking kisses from her the entire ride home.

"We haven't had sex on the train before." He says as he presses his lips to her ear.

"And we're not having sex on the train." She scoffs.

"Why not?" He continues pressing his lips to her hot skin.

"I don't know…." She trails off and he keeps kissing anywhere he can reach, "someone could see us..."

"Who cares? We had sex in the laundry room babe, public spots aren't new to us"

"Eric, you're just horny." She giggles at him when he presses his erection against her.

"You shouldn't take any more of the serum." He whispers as he trails kisses on her neck.

"What serum?" She asks when his hand travels up her shirt, cupping her breasts through her bra. She can feel his erection pressed against her from behind and his words and touches are driving her insane.

"Also take the implant out." He adds teeth, dragging them across her neck.

"Wait, what?" She says, pulling away from him and turning to face him.

"I want us to have a baby. Let's have a baby." He drops his lips to hers and kisses her hard and she can't help the moan that escapes her when he rubs her on the outside of her leggings, "Let's practice right now." He nips at her lip as he continues teasing her.

"Eric…." She breathes out before he captures her lips again.

She throws her head back when he finally puts his hands inside of her leggings and begins rubbing her through her underwear, "God, you're so fucking wet."

"Stop distracting me, did you just say that you wanted a baby?"

"Mmmhmm." He slips a finger into her underwear and in between her soaked folds, "I want us to have a baby. I'm ready. I want to practice tonight," He slips his finger slowly inside of her and she whimpers.

"You're sure about this?" She asks.

"I've never been more sure about anything in my life, outside of being with you." He bites at her shoulder through her shirt as he continues to pump his finger in and out of her, adding a second one.

"You're not just saying this because of seeing your brothers today and hearing about their lives?" She asks in a broken voice.

"I don't want to talk about my brothers when I have my fingers inside of you." He breathes out.

"Is this just because you're horny? Eric, I need to know!" She whines when he begins curling his finger slightly, hitting the part of her that only he knows.

"No, while I am incredibly horny and about to fuck you in this train car, that's not why I am thinking of having a baby with you. I want to start our family. I want to be a father. I'm ready."

She pushes her leggings down completely and begins unbuckling his pants, "I'm ready too. Now sit your ass down on the floor so I can ride you." She pushes his shoulders until he's in a sitting position.

He laughs when she drops on him, and then she captures his lips with hers, rubbing her wet folds against his length until he's rutting against her for friction, "I thought you didn't want to have sex on the train." He says with a smirk.

"I changed my mind you horndog." She purrs as she sinks onto him.

He throws his head back when he's fully sheathed in her heat, and she trails wet kisses on his neck. He grabs her ass and begins to move her slowly, meeting her hips with his as they continue to kiss passionately, "You feel so fucking good. You were made for me."

She moves with him, letting him guide her and move her like he wants. She can tell he's trying to make this last with the way he stops her and just holds her against him while they breathe the same air.

"I want to get married first." She says when they're still.

"Good." He replies before kissing her again, "I've been ready to marry you ever since I came back to Dauntless, I've just been waiting for you."

She begins to move against him, slowly, flexing her muscles on him, gripping him like a vice, "I want you in your dress uniform, just like you were the first time I saw you in our faction."

"Anything you want, baby, anything, just please move faster." He begs.

She slows down, moving only slightly and she hears him exhale heavily, and she smiles at him, "I want it when we get home tonight."

He opens his eyes and stares at her, pushing her hair back from her face, "You want to get married tonight?"

"Yes." She replies.

"You're serious?"

She nods her head, "Yeah, I'm ready for all of it."

He kisses her again and she finally starts moving. She lets him lead again, he's grabbing her ass hard while he meets her thrust for thrust, "You're going to come for me first." He says.

"I am…." She breathes.

"You can do it baby. Let go for me."

"Eric..." She whines.

"I feel you baby, I feel you tightening around me, you're so close, you feel so good. I love the way you feel, I love the way you wrap around me, oh god Tris you're so good, so good. I'm so close. I'm so close baby and I need you to come, I need to feel that…."

"Eric…." She whines and it overtakes her, a white hot explosion where she's pulsing around him and he's spilling inside of her, calling her name out.

She drops her head to his shoulder and he runs his fingers up and down her spine under her shirt.

"We're getting married tonight." He says breathlessly.

"Yes, we are." She breathes out.