Tobias came home in the early afternoon and learned that no one could find Tris. She'd been at breakfast with her parents, then had gone looking for Rebekah. She obviously hadn't found her, because the assistant hadn't seen her at all that day. Neither had Roza.

She wasn't in the master suite, the den, or on the balcony or terrace. Amar realized that her purse was gone, which led them to track down Jorik. They found him mowing behind the garage and cottages, and he informed them that she had pulled the Audi out earlier to practice driving.

Tobias sprinted to the garage, and his heart sank when he saw that the Audi was gone. Amar pulled up the gate security footage from that morning and they stood in the driveway and watched video of her driving off the estate property about three hours earlier. She had never left the property on her own before. While she was getting the hang of the manual transmission, she knew nothing of Albanian road signs, and very little about where things were.

"Where would she go?" Tobias asked in horrified shock.

Natalie called her daughter, but got no answer.

Amar called George. "She's not at the shop," he reported. "George and Tori haven't seen her or the car in the village."

"She told Jorik that she was going to practice driving," Rebekah said. "Who saw her before that?"

"We did," Andrew said. "At breakfast. We talked about Caleb. Do you think she went to see him?"

Amar dialed Caleb's doctor. "She's there," Amar said, still holding the phone to his ear. "She hasn't talked to him yet, but she's been sitting outside his room watching him for about an hour."

"Let's go," Tobias said, rushing back toward the Mercedes he'd just returned home in.

"Call George," Amar said to Rebekah as he hurried to follow Tobias. "Tell him we found her and everything's alright."

.

Tris sat on a hard chair in the hospital corridor and watched her brother through a small window. Caleb was reading a book about water purification systems. It looked dull, but he was locked in a hospital psych ward in a country where the television wasn't in English, so he didn't have many entertainment options.

She observed his clear, intelligent green eyes as they skimmed across the pages. His sandy brown hair was getting long and shaggy. Tris wondered if their mother would be allowed to cut Caleb's hair in the hospital.

He'd been eating lunch when she first arrived, and she had watched him eat his salad and roll. He looked normal, but she couldn't quit seeing flashbacks of him as he was the night he'd attacked her.

"Tris?" she heard a low voice from down the corridor.

Her head snapped up, and she saw Tobias and Amar approaching.

"Are you alright?" Tobias asked gently.

"He wants to see me," Tris croaked.

"I know," he replied.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. "I thought he hated me. I thought he never wanted to see me again, but he's been asking for me."

"I… I don't want him to hurt you again," Tobias confessed. "You've been so happy lately, and he was so unstable."

"Is he unstable now?" she asked. "I've been watching him for a while, and he seems normal. He ate lunch, and he's reading a boring book. He doesn't have the wild look he had when he tried to kill me. Is he okay?"

"The drug is out of his system," Amar said quietly. "He doesn't remember hurting you, or even how he got to Albania. Caleb is undergoing therapy. He can leave the hospital soon, but no one knows where he'll go after that. If you press charges, he'll go to prison for trying to kill you. If you don't, he can't be forced to get help. He can choose to get additional treatment in the United States, or he can just go free."

"What about Erudite and the investigation?" Tris asked.

"It's complicated," Amar said. "Technically, he knew things. He did things. But he doesn't remember any of it. After his first year of college, his memory is spotty. The last year is pretty much completely gone."

"What about his degree?" Tris asked. "He was going straight for a masters, so he never graduated. He should have graduated when I did, but he took the last semester off to work full-time on the research study. If he doesn't remember anything, does his education even count? Will he be able to finish, or does he have to start over?"

"We don't know," Tobias said. "We don't know if he'll be brought up on charges with Jeanine - that's a separate investigation in another country. We don't know about his education. We don't know about long-term damage from the serum. All we know is that he's getting better."

"Have you talked to him?" she asked.

Tobias shook his head. "He doesn't know me," he said. "I came with your dad in the beginning when Caleb was still raving. He knew me then and hated me. I haven't seen him since, but Amar talks to his doctor every day, and your parents come see him, of course. According to your dad, he doesn't know me at all beyond my reputation as a European businessman."

"He has a picture of us when we were little," Tris practically whispered. "He uses it as his bookmark."

"How do you feel seeing him here?" Amar asked gently.

"Worried," Tris replied. "Hopeful. Sad. I don't know."

"Do you want to talk to him?"

Tris nibbled on her bottom lip. "I don't know," she confessed. "I haven't seen him interact with anyone yet. He seems calm now, but…"

"Would you like me to go in?" Tobias asked.

Tris looked down at the floor and gave a little nod. Tobias stood and planted a kiss to the top of her head.

"I love you," he said, then reached for the doorknob and let himself into Caleb's room.

.

Caleb looked up when Tobias walked in. "Hello," he said.

"Hello," Tobias replied.

"You're Tobias Eaton, right?"

"I am," he confirmed.

"And you're married to Beatrice?"

Tobias nodded as he sat in the chair near Caleb's bed.

"I… I want to thank you," Caleb said. "I understand that I'm here - alive and getting help - because of you. You could have killed me - you probably should have killed me. I attacked Beatrice. I tried to kill my own sister. How do I even come back from that?"

"I don't know," Tobias said. He wanted to be angry, but this broken man wasn't the verbally-abusive jerk he'd met in Chicago. This Caleb was different. This was the Caleb that Tris and her parents remembered.

"Can you tell me something?" Tris' brother asked. "Is… Is my sister okay? She hasn't been here. I… I ask for her. I want to apologize, but… mostly I want to see that she's okay. I'm afraid I really hurt her, or killed her, and they're hiding it from me. Is Beatrice alright?"

"You wouldn't be here right now if you'd killed her," Tobias stated in a deadly calm voice that left Caleb with no doubts. "She was taken to the hospital by helicopter. She needed stitches on eight cuts, including a stab wound and a slice that missed her jugular by millimeters. She had a blood transfusion and spent two nights in the hospital. That was a month ago now, and all that remains are some scars and nightmares."

Caleb exhaled hard in a mixture of sorrow and relief. "Can… I mean, will she… Do you think she'll come see me sometime?"

"She's here today for the first time," Tobias replied. "She's not comfortable, but she's been watching you. This morning she scared all of us by not telling anyone where she was going. She just got in her car and drove here. We looked everywhere for her, and when we found out she was on the road…" Tobias shook his head and ran his fingers through his dark hair.

"That's Beatrice," Caleb said almost fondly.

"Yeah, but her car is a manual transmission she's just learning to drive, and she's never been out on the road in Albania before," Tobias said wryly.

The door opened a crack, and both men looked up.

"Bea," Caleb breathed. "You're really okay?"

Tris nodded as she came a little farther into the room. Tobias reached for his wife, and she quickly perched herself on his lap.

"How are you feeling, Caleb?" Tris asked shyly.

"Better," he said. "I'm still confused, and my memory is a mess, but I feel better. How are you?"

"Good," she said awkwardly. "Tobias and I have been married for a month and a half now. I'm settling in, learning the language, and working with kids a couple days a week. Mom and Dad have been staying with us."

"Yeah," Caleb replied, "Mom showed me pictures from your wedding. It looked… fancy."

"Yeah," Tris chuckled. "It was definitely fancy. Part American, part Albanian, part millionaire crazy."

"Well, the pictures are nice," Caleb said diplomatically.

"Yeah," Tris agreed.

The trio lapsed into awkward silence. Tris leaned tiredly into Tobias, who held her close.

"I'm really sorry," Caleb said. "I feel stupid saying that, but I owe you an apology. I owe you a few apologies. There's a lot I don't remember, but I'm sorry that I hurt you. I thought Jeanine was right about things. She's so smart, and she has the skills to do amazing things. I got sucked in, and she was apparently a lot crazier than anyone knew.

"She treated me like I was special, you know? She said I was smart, and that I could do great things. I wanted out of Chicago. I wanted to make a name for myself. She seemed to offer that.

"Anyway, in therapy we've been talking about a lot of things. It's humbling, and kind of humiliating. I wanted to be so smart, but I got duped. I was an idiot. I'm working through some of that and trying to figure out who I am and what I should do with my life. There are a lot of variables right now, so it's not easy, but I'm working on it."

"I'm glad," Tris replied. "I'm not ready to become your fan club president, but I'm glad you're trying, and healing, and working on yourself."

"Thank you," he said.

Tris stood to her feet and Tobias did the same.

"I hope you come back sometime," Caleb said, holding out a hand toward Tobias. "I would like to get to know my brother-in-law."

"We'll see how things go," Tobias said, shaking Caleb's hand.

Caleb looked expectantly at his sister, but Tris stepped back, away from her brother. She wasn't ready for hugs or anything like that - not from the man who tried to kill her.

"Bye Caleb," she said instead, taking Tobias' hand and walking toward the door.

Amar let them out, and they walked down to the elevator in silence.

In the lobby, Tris handed Tobias her keys. "I don't want to drive," she said wearily as they walked out to the parking lot.

"I really should make you drive home," Tobias replied testily. "You had everyone worried - taking off without telling anyone. How did you do out on the road by yourself?"

"I followed my GPS," Tris answered. "The directions part was easy. I only stalled once, at an intersection. I'm getting better at the stick. But a lot of the road signs were unfamiliar, and there was one angry driver who honked at me. I was doing fifty-five, but some people are so aggressive."

"Fifty-five?" Amar asked, trying to hide his amusement.

"Yeah," Tris confirmed. "There were no speed limit signs out in the country, so I assumed the speed limit was fifty-five."

"Fifty-five kilometers per hour?" Tobias questioned as Amar tried desperately not to laugh. "That's only like thirty-five miles per hour. The speed limit out there is eighty."

Tris stopped dead in her tracks. She blushed beet red, and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm such an idiot," she mumbled.

Tobias put his arm around her shoulders to urge her forward.

"I handled the directions, the stick shift, and the foreign road signs, but I forgot about the metric conversion," she groaned.

"Driving in a new country is complicated," Amar comforted her. "It would be best if you didn't take any more solo trips until you have more experience."

Tris nodded. "Sorry," she grumbled.

Tobias opened the passenger door of the Audi, and Tris climbed inside. He closed her door and walked around the car.

"Be nice," Amar warned him. "We'd all like to give her a good scolding for running off like that, but she's a grown woman who is legally the owner of that car and allowed to drive. She's also been through a lot with her brother today, so be gentle."

"How do other people go through life without someone like you there to advise them?" Tobias suddenly asked. "How many times have you helped Tris and I understand each other and keep the peace? I would be a horrible husband without you, Amar. I… I don't think I could do this on my own. I would be… I'd be terrible."

"Other people have parents," Amar replied sadly. "Their parents set an example that they grow up watching. Newlyweds fight; there are a lot of adjustments. When they need help, they go back to their parents for advice."

"Hmm," Tobias mused, then grinned. "Thanks, Babi (Dad). I'm going to take my girl for a drive now."

"Be home by curfew," Amar joked, though he was blinking back tears.

When Tobias got behind the wheel of the Audi, Tris didn't look up. "I know what you're going to say," she warned, "I shouldn't have run off. It was dumb. I'm not ready to drive out on the road yet. I don't understand the language well enough. I…"

"Stop," Tobias said gently. "You're a grown woman, a licensed driver, and the legal owner of this car. I wish you'd told someone where you were going so we didn't worry, but that's it. I'm not going to scold you."

The words were Tris' undoing and she began to cry.

Tobias pushed his seat all the way back and reached for his wife. With little encouragement Tris crossed the console and sat on his lap. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed.

Tris didn't say anything, and Tobias didn't ask. He knew. She cried for Caleb - for the brother she'd lost and possibly regained, and for the future that was so uncertain. She cried because Tobias had given her the world, but she wasn't able to go past the end of her own driveway without help.

When Tris ran out of tears, Tobias helped her back into her own seat, and drove them home.

.

After Tris' little disappearing act, Jorik was afraid that he would be blamed. So when Amar messaged saying he wanted to speak to him that evening, he was terrified that he was about to lose his job.

Jorik liked working for the Eatons. Amar and Rraman were good supervisors, he had a nice little apartment above the garages, and he liked the work. It had also been hinted at rather broadly that they wanted him to take over as head of groundskeeping when Rraman retired.

His father had warned him against taking the job. Mr. Tobias Eaton's father had a bad reputation. Everyone knew he was involved in crooked business dealings, and he was known to be cruel to his staff. But Tobias was not like his father at all. He was quiet, thoughtful, and a kind and generous employer. The Estate grounds were beautiful, and the workers were given whatever tools and help they needed to keep it that way.

Jorik cleaned up after a simple dinner in his apartment. His thoughts raced as he put his leftovers and cleaned dishes away. He thought of Rebekah, and the fun they'd had together during the Priors' tour of Europe.

He walked from his garage apartment to the big house, and let himself in the back door by the kitchen, laundry, and staff workroom. Rebekah was there, doing some ironing.

"Mirembrema. pse po ndihmon në lavanderi?"
(Good evening. Why are you helping with the laundry?) he asked his friend.

Rebekah smiled and turned her eyes back to her work. "Besa është e sëmurë. Unë ofrova të ndihmoja." (Besa is sick. I offered to help.)

"Kam një takim me Amar," (I have a meeting with Amar) Jorik said nervously.

Rebekah nodded.

"A është në rregull zonja Eaton?" (Is Mrs. Eaton okay?) he ventured to ask.

"Nuk jam i sigurt," (I'm not sure) Rebekah said sadly, shaking her head.

Jorik felt his heart fall into his stomach. He had been out mowing all afternoon and hadn't looked at the Audi before he came to the house. He worried that she'd been in an accident or something and was hurt.

Rebekah shut off the iron. Gathered up her things, and shyly wished him a good evening before leaving. He watched her go, the sweet, small smile warming his frightened heart.

Just a few minutes passed before Amar came in. Jorik stood when the older man entered the workroom.

"Ulu, ulu," (Sit, sit) Amar said with a wave. "A ke ngrene darke?" (Have you eaten dinner?)

"Po," (yes) Jorik replied. "A është në rregull zonja Eaton?" (Is Mrs. Eaton okay?)

"Po," (yes) Amar said wearily.

"Më vjen shumë keq që ajo mori makinën. Nuk e dija që ajo do të largohej."
(I am really sorry that she took the car. I didn't know that she was going to leave.) Jorik said quickly and fearfully.

Amar looked up at the younger man and smiled warmly. "Ju nuk jeni për të fajësuar. Ju nuk jeni gjyshi i saj,"
(You are not to blame. You're not her babysitter,) he said.

Jorik sighed and Amar smiled again. "Më vjen keq që ju frikësova. Unë thjesht dua të flas për mësimet e saj të drejtimit."
(I'm sorry I frightened you. I just want to talk about her driving lessons.)

Amar and Jorik talked about Tris' ongoing driving lessons. Amar's reasoning for calling the meeting was because he wanted the driver to start instructing the new Mrs. Eaton on Albanian road signs, speed limits, and other rules and procedures of the road. Up to that point they'd been so focused on familiarizing her with the nuances of driving a manual transmission that no one had considered the differences once she got out on the road. Since she'd taken it upon herself that morning to go out, Amar realized that she needed the instruction sooner than later.

At the end of the meeting, Jorik was still shaken. He'd thought for sure that he was about to be fired, and the only thing he'd been able to focus on was that losing his job would take him away from Rebekah. He wanted to find her after his meeting, but she wasn't in the kitchen or the work area. She probably went up to her apartment for the night. He had her cell phone number, but couldn't think of a legitimate reason to call, so he just went home to his apartment.