As the weeks progressed, Caleb got better and better. Tris' parents visited him daily, and Tris and Tobias visited at least once a week. Eventually, the doctors and local prosecutor called a meeting with the Priors and Eatons. Caleb's fate was in Tris' hands, and they wanted her to have all the information as she made her decision.

Tris hated being the one to determine Caleb's fate. Though no one tried to sway her, she knew what everyone's opinions were. Tobias, Amar, and the other household staff wanted her to press charges. The doctors and her parents wanted her to drop the charges and send him home. She'd tried talking about it with Caleb, but he'd refused to tell her what to do.

"Bea," Caleb had argued. "I don't remember hurting you. But if that's what I did…"

"You did," Tobias interjected firmly.

"Right," Caleb said nervously. "Since that's what I did, I deserve to be punished."

The conversation hadn't been much help to Tris.

On the day of the meeting, Amar drove the Eatons and Jorik brought the Priors to the hospital. Having seen the longing looks Jorik frequently made in Rebekah's direction, Tris invited her assistant to join them. When Rebekah's face lit up at the prospect of an afternoon with the groundskeeper/driver, Tris bit back a smirk.

Watching Rebekah and Jorik dance around each other's feelings was a highlight of Tris' life. Between that and her twice weekly time with the kids at the family center, she was finding things to be grateful for. She was also doing more driving. Sometimes Jorik had her drive on their way to or from the center, and a couple times she'd driven herself into the village to hang out with George and Tori at the tattoo shop. As her decision about her brother weighed heavily on her shoulders, Tris was glad for the strength and independence she felt as she was able to drive herself where she wanted to go.

At the hospital, the Priors, Eatons, and Amar gathered with Caleb's doctors and local law enforcement. The doctors went over Caleb's case in great detail. They explained Jeanine's serum and what it had done to the young man's brain both during his aunt's attempt to chemically brainwash him and while he was going through the withdrawals. They walked everyone through the weaning process and the progress that Caleb had made under their care. After two months off the control serum, they said, Caleb was no longer affected by the chemicals or the symptoms of his withdrawal. It was their opinion that he was not a threat to anyone and should be released from treatment.

Amar took the floor next. He presented not his own opinions, but the information that the agents investigating Jeanine had shared with the family. He had copies of Jeanine's notes on the control serum and her process of influencing Caleb away from his family. He also gave them a brief look at the drug testing that he had been part of at Erudite, and the charges that Jeanine was facing for those crimes.

"I understand that Caleb Prior wasn't in his right mind when he attacked Tris," Amar conceded as he concluded, "but he was in his right mind when he trusted Jeanine Prior-Matthews. He was in his right mind when he took - without question or reservation - the so-called supplements that she gave him. He didn't choose to kill his sister, but he's not innocent. He'd known Jeanine his whole life. He knew she was heartless, unfeeling, and probably unethical. Tris knew. Andrew and Natalie knew. Yet Caleb chose to go with her and do what she wanted. He chose harmful, hurtful things that spun out of his control. He can't just walk away like he did nothing wrong.

"We… We came within a millimeter - within a nanosecond - of losing Tris forever. I… I can't tell you what that was like - to walk into the bedroom and… and see her there, unconscious and covered in blood. I thought she was dead. My heart was… shattered. I don't understand "attempted murder." Caleb didn't just think about killing his sister. He did it. He attacked her and killed her - she just didn't die."

By the end of his impassioned words, Amar was in tears. So was Tris, who leaned into Tobias' side where he kept a protective arm around her. Natalie, Andrew, and Tobias all had tears rolling down their faces. The doctors and law enforcement agents looked stricken, and one of the doctors swallowed hard.

Tris stood from her seat and threw her arms around Amar's middle, sobbing into his stocky chest. The older man wrapped his arms around her back and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "Bijë," (Daughter) he said comfortingly.

After a long moment, Amar helped Tris back into her seat beside Tobias, who planted a soft kiss on her forehead and took her hand.

"I can't say it any better than Amar did," Tobias said in a voice thick with emotion. "A man broke into my house, intended to kill my wife, and nearly succeeded. I know all the details, but I can't forget that. I'll never forget that night. It will haunt me for the rest of my life."

For a few minutes, everyone sat in silence, absorbing the heavy emotions and trying to regain their composure.

The legal representative was the next to speak up. "I understand that in America you have the same "not guilty by reason of insanity" statutes that we have here," he said. Tris and her parents nodded. "While you are free to charge Mr. Prior with his crimes, the evidence and testimony of these doctors would most likely get the charges dropped anyway. Mr. Prior was clearly not sane at the time of the attack. The agents in America tell me he is unlikely to face any charges there, either. We can arrest him, hold him in jail, and try him, but he'll just walk away in the end, and we all know it. If you feel that going through that process is an adequate punishment, we can do it, but it will be a lot of trouble for all of you, and I can almost guarantee that it will not end in conviction."

The room grew quiet again.

"Mom?" Tris asked, breaking the silence.

"I… I can't be impartial," Natalie said in a defeated voice. "If the victim was anyone else, I'd say that they walked away safe, that Caleb didn't know what he was doing, and that he's not going to hurt anyone else. On the other hand, if the attacker was anyone else, I'd be the angel of vengeance. I'd want their head on a platter. There's just no way to win in this situation, and, I'm sorry Andrew, but I want Jeanine to die a slow and painful death for what she did to my babies. And all of us. And that other family that lost their daughter."

"No need to apologize to me," Andrew said, his voice full of anger and disappointment the likes of which Tris hadn't heard since Caleb lit the garage on fire when they were kids. "Jeanine is no family to me anymore. We shared parents and grew up together, but she forfeited that relationship when she messed with my wife and kids."

The room fell silent again.

"Does anything else have anything to add?" Tris asked.

Heads shook around the table; they'd all said what they came to contribute.

"Can we have Caleb brought in here?" she asked the head doctor, who nodded and left the room.

The assembled group sat in silence while they waited for the doctor to return with Caleb. Andrew comforted Natalie while glancing periodically at Tris. He worried about his little girl and the decision she had to make. He also worried about his son, and what he would have to face.

Tobias also worried about Tris. He could see by the dark circles under her eyes and the tired slump to her shoulders that she hadn't been sleeping well. This decision was a heavy burden for her, and though he'd tried to help her manage it, the choice was ultimately hers.

When the doctor returned with Caleb, the atmosphere was tense and quiet. He nervously took a seat where the doctor indicated, and looked around the table. After a quick round of introductions for the younger man, Tris spoke.

"Caleb," she said, "we're meeting here today because I have to decide your fate. The doctors have told us all about your drugging and brainwashing. Amar told us about Jeanine's investigation and what it revealed about your involvement. The prosecutor told us about what happens if I press charges against you. Mom, Dad, Tobias, and Amar expressed their feelings. Now it's my turn.

"Caleb, you're my brother. We've never been close, but we got along okay. We've always been two very different people. Where I was social, you were introverted. You saw knowledge as the ultimate goal, while I saw it as a means to an end and would rather be out doing than learning. We shared a lot of memories of holidays, family, and the grandparents that we've lost. But somewhere along the way, you lost yourself. You walked away from your family to make yourself feel smart, powerful, and superior. We didn't know you were being drugged away from us, but you burned bridges in the last five years that I don't know if you can rebuild. You were rude, selfish, and - yes, I can admit it now - verbally abusive. You made everything about yourself, and you hurt everyone. You made a conscious choice long before you were drugged. You chose Aunt Jeanine even though you knew she was cold and manipulative. You let her medicate you without questioning her. You let her twist your thinking and malign your family. For that alone I should cut you out of my life and pursue punishment for your sins.

"But I'm a realistic person, too. I know that what these doctors told us today would probably lead to your case getting thrown out. Sure, you'd spend some time in prison before and during your trial, but in the end they'd just free you and send you home. To me, that seems like a waste of resources and time.

"I'm going to offer you a proposal - a plea bargain between two people - a deal just between us. I will drop the charges against you and send you back home with Mom and Dad. Whatever happens to you in regard to the American investigation into Jeanine and Erudite Labs is your own problem, but for breaking into my home and trying to kill me, I'll drop the charges. In exchange, you turn over your passport to Dad. You are not to leave the country without his permission and my knowledge. You will continue going to therapy and work things out with Erudite University to finish your degree. You are not to go back to living in Erudite - transfer to a school in Chicago if you can't finish online. You are not to have any contact with Jeanine. Ever. She is no longer our aunt or a member of this family. She's not your mentor or boss. She's a horrible person who drugged you and tried to control your mind while killing innocent participants in a drug trial.

"My last stipulation is that you are to do community service - at least a hundred hours of volunteer work at the food bank by the end of this year. Mom and Dad had to take extended family leaves from their jobs because of you. I want you to work at the food bank to help Mom make up for the time she missed. Learn some compassion while you make yourself useful."

Tris fell silent. A tear trickled down her cheek as she watched her brother process her offer.

"Is… Is that… That's it?" Caleb stammered. "I… I mean, I had no intention of seeing Jeanine ever again. She… She screwed me up so bad. She nearly made me kill you, and I ended up in a foreign country in a mental hospital. She's less than nothing to me. I loathe her and the way she used me. I will gladly help Mom at the food bank, give Dad my passport, and work on finishing my degree.

"I… I was blinded, Beatrice, blinded by the things Jeanine said to me. When I first got to Erudite, my freshman year, she was always taking an interest in me and telling me how smart I was. She told me how she felt like no one appreciated her intellect when she was a child. I felt the same way. People preferred you because you were all adorable, bubbly, and talkative. I felt overlooked and misunderstood. Jeanine offered me the attention I was craving. She talked to me like I was smart, and I… I fell for it. She weirdly wanted me for her own, like I could be the protegee and family she never had. I couldn't see it at the time, but it was creepy how she tried to steal me from my family and make me hers.

"I don't just agree to go to therapy, Bea, I need it. Aunt Jeanine messed me up. I did things I can't even wrap my mind around, and I have to live with that. I'll go home with Mom and Dad. I'll go to therapy. I'll finish school, but it might take a while because I want to change majors. I don't want to go near pharmaceuticals again. I'll do the volunteer work. But… but what about… what about us?"

"Us?" Tris parroted.

"What about you and me?" Caleb clarified. "You're cutting Jeanine out of your life - which is good - but are you doing the same thing to me?"

Tris sighed, and Tobias stiffened involuntarily.

"I don't know," she admitted. "You tried to kill me, Caleb. I woke up in the middle of the night with you sitting on me and holding a knife to my throat. You stabbed me. You threw a knife at me and missed my jugular by a fraction of an inch. It's hard for me to let that go, and it's even harder for Tobias and Amar. They're my family now, too, and this is my home. If you want to start rebuilding, you could email me every week or so. Tell me what you're up to and what you're learning. Even tell me how you feel and what you're struggling with. Don't… Don't expect much at first, but… but we can try.

"Visiting you here in the hospital has been hard for me. We don't really say much, and I always go home exhausted. Sometimes I still have nightmares. The idea of you going free gives me a lot of anxiety. All the knowledge and logic of your situation doesn't change my… my brain chemistry, my psychology. I'm a victim because of what you did to me. I have to live with that and work through it. I can't just go back to brother and sister overnight. But if you can be patient, if you can work with that, I can try."

"That's far more than I deserve," Caleb said quietly.

.

For three more days, Caleb stayed in the hospital while Andrew and Natalie prepared to take him home. They hunted down therapists near their home and booked an appointment for Caleb to meet with one as soon as they got back. Tobias ordered pilots and flight attendants, and had the airplane prepared to take Tris' family to Chicago. The household staff did the Priors' laundry and helped them pack.

On the day of their departure, Jorik took Natalie and Andrew to pick up their son at the hospital, then drove them to the Eaton estate. Tris had insisted on having her brother over for lunch before they left the country. She was trying so hard to be calm and confident and to rebuild her relationship with Caleb, but she felt anxious, too.

Roza served the family lunch on the terrace, and Tris' hands shook so badly she could hardly eat. Tobias kept a hand on his wife at all times so she would feel his loving support. He kept an eye on his brother-in-law so Caleb would feel Tobias' watchful protection. After lunch they took Caleb on a brief tour of the grounds and the lower level of the house, carefully avoiding the bedrooms.

Jorik loaded the Priors' things into the estate's SUV. Andrew and Natalie thanked each staff person for their care and service during their extended visit. Roza and Natalie exchanged a long, tearful hug. The Priors joined Jorik in the SUV, and Tris and Tobias got in the Mercedes sedan driven by Amar.

Once alone with Tobias and Amar, Tris began to sniffle, then cry, then fully sob. "I need you," she cried to Tobias as he held her close. "That was so hard!"

"Shh, shh, Zemra ime," Tobias crooned as he stroked her soft hair and held her against his chest. "You did so well. You're so strong. I won't let anything happen to you."

It didn't take long in Tobias' comforting embrace for Tris to cry herself to sleep. She slept all the way to the airport, and Tobias had to wake her up when they arrived at the private jet terminal.

Amar held open her door and guided her straight into a hug. "Bijë," he said, "hold on to that husband of yours - he'll take good care of you, and he won't let anything bad happen if he can help it."

"I know," Tris said, trying to smile. "He saves my life every once in a while."

"And you save his," Amar said firmly. "In big ways and small ways, that's what love is."

Tris smiled easily.

.

After watching the plane take off, Tobias asked Tris if she wanted to get dinner in Tirana or go straight home. Feeling revived by her little nap in the car and craving some time with her husband, Tris opted for dinner out.

Amar pulled out all the stops, as always. He put them on a ski lift up to an amazing hillside restaurant overlooking the city of Tirana. The dining room was all warm wood, like a Swiss ski chalet, and there were huge windows, observation decks with telescopes, and even a playground for kids. The food was beautiful as well as delicious, and the view was spectacular. Tris could feel the tension melting from her body as she sat with Tobias and looked over her new home while holding hands with the man she loved.

The couple took their time at dinner. They sampled appetizers, drank wine with their entrees, and even indulged in dessert. As they watched the sunset, Tris sighed. "Do you think I did the right thing?" she asked, still unsure of her decision about Caleb.

"I think you did," Tobias agreed. "I wanted him punished more than anyone, but even I can agree that charging him would be a waste of time and resources. He was going to go free. By being the one to free him, you were able to help him. He agreed to your conditions. Your parents already made an appointment for him to see a therapist in Chicago. He seemed sincere, grateful, and well. It's really the best thing we could hope for."

Tris sighed again. "I hope so. And I really do hope he emails me. I… I want my brother back. Not the self-important prick Jeanine made him, but my nerdy, awkward, genius brother. I don't want to see him tomorrow or have him visit any time soon, but… when we go back, like for Christmas, I want to see him then, and have things be… normal. I feel like you didn't know my real brother when we got married. You knew Jeanine's puppet. Real Caleb isn't warm and fuzzy, but he's not verbally abusive and abrasive, either. I want you to know him."

"I want that too," Tobias assured her gently.