"Miss Prior, it looks like everything is just fine," the doctor assured Tris, who looked over at Eric's sheepish expression and rolled her eyes at him. "I think you just overdid a bit this morning. You should ease into things more."
"I've done nothing but stay home, nap, and play with the baby since I got out of the hospital," Tris protested.
"Still," the doctor said, looking at Tris with displeasure. "You shouldn't have played games. Running around is still too much for you. If you'd hit your head again, that could have been catastrophic. You need a few more weeks."
Tris huffed and refused to make eye contact with Eric again.
"What about going back to school?" Eric asked.
Tris and the doctor talked about her schedule and class load for a few minutes. He assured her that although the first days would probably wear her out, she was good to attend classes. He was also pleased to hear that her online class professors were making accommodations to limit her screen time.
"I want you to go home and take a little nap before dinner," the doctor instructed. "Doctor's orders. After dinner do something relaxing, and go to bed early. You'll feel better soon."
"Thank you," Eric said, shaking the doctor's hand as he stood.
"Thanks," Tris mumbled.
Eric walked them out to his truck. When he put a hand on Tris' shoulder, she pulled away from him abruptly, making him sigh. They drove to the Prior's home in silence.
Natalie and Ava met Eric and Tris at the door. Natalie made a beeline for her daughter, scrutinizing her as soon as she laid eyes on her.
"Mama!" Ava chortled, wiggling and waving her arms and legs when she saw Tris.
"Come see Daddy, Princess," Eric said as he reached for the baby. "Grandma needs to talk to Mommy."
"Da-da!" Ava cheered.
Tris smiled at the baby and rubbed her back. Eric could see that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. He knew she was tired and frustrated with her recovery and everyone hovering. He decided to take Ava home for the evening to let Tris rest.
.
A couple hours later, Eric was cleaning up his dinner dishes when he got a text from Tris.
T: Why did you leave?
E: I wanted you to relax, and Ava can be noisy. Besides, I thought you were sick of everyone hovering, so I decided to get out of the way.
T: She doesn't bother me. Her noise is part of my normal.
E: I know. But a concussion isn't part of your normal, so I didn't want to push it.
T: I'm tired of being treated like I'm fragile.
E: I know, Duchess, but right now you kind of are. Your brain needs to rest.
.
On Monday Tris went to her first day of class at the university, and Ava went to her first half day in daycare while Eric spent the morning at school. He had a few days until the students came, and the Dauntless staff was nearly ready.
After her class ended early, Tris drove to Factions, and let herself into the Dauntless offices. The office was really one big room with a lounge area in the front, and a work area in the back with six cubicles for the trainers and an actual office for Max. Much of the space was filled with sporting equipment, and it tended to be messy and chaotic.
"Hey Tris!" Tori greeted her when she arrived.
"Hey Tori," Tris answered. "Is Eric still here?"
Tori laughed. "Are you here to pick up Ava with him? He's been a basket case all day, checking his phone and worrying about her."
"Sorry," Tris said sheepishly. She had done pretty much the same thing when she was in class, and had barely stopped herself from calling Melanie and checking on Ava between classes. "It's her first day in daycare."
"Oh, I know," Tori said. "Eric has mentioned it a few dozen times. He's in Max's office; I'll get him for you."
She picked up the phone on a nearby table and hit a button. "Hey Max, there's someone here looking for Eric. Something about teachers who flirt with underage students?" she was quiet for a second, and Tris tried not to giggle.
Max's office door flew open and Eric stormed out, followed by Max. When they saw Tris, their faces registered relief, then Eric's showed pure joy.
"Hey Jailbait," he said as he greeted Tris with a kiss.
"I told you never to call me that again," Tris said, swatting at Eric.
Tori laughed. "Is that what the two of you are into? You get in bed together and he calls you 'jailbait' while you call him 'coach'?"
"No," Tris said emphatically.
"You should hear what her brother did," Eric laughed. "Last Christmas when we were getting to be friends and I was not her teacher, Caleb got ahold of Tris' phone and set my ringtone to 'Hot for Teacher'. It took like three months for her to even hear it because I got hired here and didn't call her until we were dealing with the custody stuff for Ava."
Tris rolled her eyes. "My mom nearly fell out of her chair laughing," she said. Max and Tori laughed, too.
"You should totally change it back to that now that you're together," Tori said.
"Too soon," Tris groaned. "I mean, it's been what, five minutes now since someone gave me shit? And a couple weeks or so since I was assaulted over it or saw it on a paparazzi site. I can finally go out in public without hiding; I'm not ready to start that again."
Eric put an arm around Tris. She couldn't see his expression, but Tori and Max could, and they could see that her words bothered him.
"You should go spring Ava from baby jail," Max said. "Grab some lunch or something, have a quiet afternoon. Enjoy your family time while you can." He patted Eric on the shoulder and turned to go back into his office.
"Sorry we gave you a hard time," Tori said. "You know we love you, and we're on your side, right? We all know you didn't do anything wrong, and we're glad you're together."
"I know," Tris said brightly, but Eric just nodded in quiet acknowledgment.
They left Tris' car at the school and rode together to pick up Ava from daycare. Eric was quiet on the ride over. He parked the truck on the street in front of Melanie's home.
"Okay, Warrior, what's bothering you?" Tris asked, reaching for Eric's hand before he could leave the vehicle.
"I'm fine," he said. "I just want to get Ava and make sure things went well for her this morning."
"Bullshit," Tris said stubbornly. "You were fine earlier, laughing and talking about Caleb's stupid prank, then you got all dark and moody. I want to know what's going on."
Eric sighed. "Fine. Tori's comments bothered me, okay? Our relationship has been hard on you, and I don't like being reminded of that. You faced accusations, invasive interrogation, assault, and some serious violations of your privacy because of me. You keep getting hurt, and I feel so selfish because I'm responsible for it. You would be better off without me, but I… I just can't give you up!"
Eric slammed the heel of his hand into the steering wheel, startling Tris.
"You listen to me," she snapped at Eric. "You have done nothing but love me and take care of me. Peter's attack was about Peter. He was a drunk idiot who couldn't accept that he was beat out by anyone, much less a small girl who originated from Abnegation. He said some shit, I said some shit, and his drunk ass lost it. That's. Not. Your. Fault.
"The stupid paparazzi thing was about the campaign. If my dad wasn't running for Senate, no one would have cared that a twenty-one-year-old went out to dinner with an eighteen-year-old he used to teach when he was a student teacher. Those trolls go looking for crap that they can blow up into a big deal. They create scandals so they can get clicks on their stupid website.
"And the so-called interrogation? That was to protect us both. It was awkward and inconvenient, but I wasn't hurt by it. I got to tell our truth and how we had done the right thing. Your coworkers have complete faith in you because they can trust that truth. I would do that again ten times over to protect your reputation, and your job, and everything.
"You have not hurt me. We've argued, and we've had our growing pains, but you have never hurt me. Being with you makes me happy. And if you ever try to break up with me because you stupidly think I'd be better off without you, I'll… I'll kick your ass!"
Eric's mouth turned up in an amused smirk. He grabbed Tris' face in his large hands and leaned toward her. Their lips met with a fiery intensity. Hands grasped and wandered frantically as they kissed one another. All the stress and pressure, all the fear and hope, all the love they had for one another was poured into that kiss.
They hadn't been physically intimate in some time. Not since their fight and Tris' injury, and they missed one another desperately. Before either of them realized what they were doing, Eric had dragged Tris across the console and she was straddling his lap.
"We can't… We can't do this," he groaned. "We're in a residential neighborhood in the middle of the day."
Tris laughed as she pulled back. Her cheeks were flushed beautifully pink and she was breathing heavily. She carefully extracted herself from Eric's lap and moved back into her own seat.
"Naptime," she said. Her single word was a promise, and it didn't help Eric cool down.
"Talk about something else," he begged her. "I can't go into a daycare like this."
Tris laughed again. "Um, I heard the Cubs lost last night," she said tentatively.
"Baseball," Eric chuckled. "That's not a cliche…"
"Fine," Tris retorted, pulling out the proverbial big guns. "Did you see Jeanine or Principal Roth at school today?"
Eric groaned. "Yup," he said, "that did it. I'm officially calmed down. Unfortunately thinking of them got me so turned off that I have to cancel our naptime plans, too."
Tris laughed. "A challenge," she teased. "I'll bet I can get you going again."
Easier than you know, Eric thought to himself.
.
Ava settled into daycare easily. Eric dropped her off every morning, and Tris picked her up at lunchtime. The girls often had lunch with Natalie before returning to Eric's house for the afternoon. Ava napped, and Tris worked on her homework. The school year started at Factions, and Eric settled in to his new routine as well.
After Tris' concussion, the couple hadn't really talked about their fight, or about Tris working. Both of them knew that they needed to settle things, but they were primarily focused on the adjustments of the new school year and Tris' slow but steady recovery. When they were hanging out together, Eric often took Tris' car to run quick errands, and she usually found her car full of gas when he returned. Sometimes there was cash, or a gift card with a little love note slipped into her purse or backpack. As long as he kept the gifts small, Tris allowed Eric to do that for her. She vowed that she would never ask him for money like an employee, but she accepted his gifts.
One day, Natalie was out of town with Andrew, so Tris and Ava went back to Eric's townhouse after their morning at school and daycare. The campaign was in its final stretch, and Tris' parents were gone more than they were home. When Tris let them into the house, her attention was caught by something new in the kitchen. It was a bold orange-red fox cookie jar that looked similar to the cartoon fox on the shower curtain in Ava's bathroom.
Tris grinned at the whimsical addition to Eric's home and lifted the fox's head to peek inside. The first thing she saw was a note from Eric. "Duchess," it read. "Sorry, no cookies. I plan to keep cash in here. Any time you want to take Ava out, need to run some errands, get low on funds, or need gas in your car, feel free to take what you need from the cookie jar. Anything you need or want, you never have to ask. I'll keep it stocked. Thank you for everything you do for me and Ava. We love you. -Eric"
Tris lifted the note and gasped when she saw several hundred dollars in twenty dollar bills. She felt a flash of anger, then calmed. Eric hadn't paid her. She didn't have to take a penny from him. He had simply left her the resources to do things like buy them groceries or take Ava to the pool without having to choke back her pride and ask him for money.
.
When Eric got home that night he was nervous. He and Tris both knew they needed to talk about money and Tris working, but they had been avoiding the conversation. He was terrified that they would fight again, and every time he thought about it, he remembered the sound of gunfire, seeing Tris hit the floor, and the immense weight of his regret as their fight hung over his head while he tried to find out if she was alive. He hoped that the cute little fox cookie jar would start the conversation, and that they could find a compromise that didn't involve Tris wearing herself thin juggling school, Ava, a job, and him.
The house was quiet when Eric arrived. The table wasn't set, it didn't smell like dinner, and the girls were nowhere in sight. It was quiet, too. Eric slipped off his shoes and stepped into the kitchen. His note was sitting on the countertop beside the fox cookie jar. Okay, he thought, she saw the note. There was nothing new written on the paper, and no note left anywhere for him. There was no sound of footsteps from upstairs, either. Her car is here, and so is the stroller. Where could they be?
Eric's heart rate increased. He ran upstairs, but the bedrooms were all quiet and still. He ran back down the stairs and saw Tris' purse and backpack sitting next to the couch. His chest squeezed painfully as he looked for signs of a forced entry or struggle, but everything in his house was normal except for the complete and total absence of Tris and Ava.
Eric yanked open the door to the unfinished basement and ran down the stairs. The space was as empty as always, just the rolled-up carpet he and Caleb had removed from the home gym and a few boxes of his parents' things that he had brought from storage. He raced back up the stairs, and there was Tris, standing in the kitchen with Ava on her hip like nothing had happened.
"Hey!" she greeted him.
"Dada!" Ava squealed.
"What were you doing in the basement?" Tris asked.
Eric stood and stared at the girls. "I…" he stammered. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
"In the basement?" Tris laughed.
"Dada!" Ava yelled impatiently.
Tris handed Ava to Eric and kissed him on the cheek.
"Where were you?" he asked, capturing her with his free arm and crushing her against his chest.
"Warrior, what's wrong?" Tris asked.
"You were gone," Eric said. "I looked all over the house for you. Your stuff is here, but you weren't. I thought you left."
"We were on the patio," Tris explained, still confused by Eric's panic. "I was starting the grill for supper. Is that okay? I thought we'd have burgers. I picked them up this afternoon, and got some potato salad and chips, too. Why are you so worked up about this?"
"I thought you left," Eric repeated. "I… The fox… and we need to talk, and I just thought… I thought you left!"
"Eric!" Tris said, growing alarmed by his unnecessary panic. "Nothing happened. We're fine. Calm down."
Eric took a deep breath and let it out slowly and shakily. "I'm sorry," he said, kissing Tris on the forehead and smiling at Ava.
"I've got burgers to put on the grill," Tris said, squeezing Eric before she walked away.
He followed her from the living room into the kitchen and out to the patio. He watched her put hamburger patties on his gas grill. He noticed that the patio table she had helped him buy at the beginning of the summer was set for two, and that Ava's travel highchair was attached to one of the patio seats. He saw the baby's toys on a blanket in the shade. Everything looked normal and comfortable, and he finally felt his anxiety release.
"I like your new cookie jar," Tris said, calmly bringing up the topic that was the real root of Eric's anxiety. "It's cute. It looks like the fox on Ava's shower curtain."
"I, uh, I got the idea online," Eric said. "I was reading about trip jars, and how some parents use them to enable their children's, um, caretakers to do things." He was careful not to use the word babysitter, and Tris noticed it.
"It's a good idea," she said. "Then I don't need to bother you if Ava and I want to go somewhere or do something. Would you like me to keep receipts? I put the receipt from the grocery store in the jar when we got home."
"No," Eric said. "I don't need receipts. And I thought we could kind of, um, expand on the idea. Like, you can use it for more than just things to do with Ava or stuff we need around the house. You can take what you want for yourself, too."
Tris nodded. "But I don't have to?" she asked.
"I hope you will," Eric prompted, "but I won't make you. I was also thinking I could take on a few of your expenses, since you're saving me so much money on daycare. I'd like to be responsible for your car if you'll let me. I can put you on my insurance, handle your maintenance and repairs, that kind of thing. I'd like to cover your school expenses, too. I know you have your scholarship, but I can take care of books, parking permits, supplies, anything like that."
Tris frowned, and Eric's heart raced as he watched her get up from the table and walk away. She went to the grill, lifted the lid, and flipped the burger patties.
"I don't want to be a burden on you," Tris said, still frowning as she sat down at the table again.
"You are the exact opposite of a burden," Eric assured her. "You do a lot for us, you save me a ton of money on childcare, and you've been there for Ava and I since day one. I want to take care of you, too. I want us to be a family and make this work. Our situation is weird-"
"Beyond weird," Tris interrupted.
"Yeah," Eric agreed ruefully. "But trying to be more traditional or typical or whatever isn't going to work for us. I mean, do you want me to put Ava in daycare full-time and you go to school and work some part-time job in the afternoons, then we just go out on dates on the weekends when I can get a babysitter? That's just not our story. I feel like we'd all be losing out if we tried to be more typical. We're a weird little family, Duchess, but we're happy that way. You're not Ava's mother, but she's your baby and you're her mama. You don't live here, but this is your home as much as your parents' house is. You're my best friend, my co-parent, and my lover. I have everything with you, and I want everything with you. You give us your heart, your time, your love, everything that you are and have, yet money is the sticking point with us. I don't want to lose you because you're afraid to share that part of my life. Relationships aren't fifty-fifty, they're one hundred-one hundred - you have to give it your all. That's all I'm trying to do. Not because I think you need me to get by, but because I need you, and I just want to give you everything."
"I'll be right back," Tris told Eric. "I'm not going anywhere; I promise."
Tris ran into the house, and Eric tried to focus on Ava to keep himself calm. The baby was getting fussy as it was dinnertime, and he worked to keep her happy.
Tris returned a minute later, her arms full of items for their dinner and Ava's. Eric strapped the baby into her seat and put a bib on her before grabbing the strained peas and a spoon. Tris put cheese on the burger patties to melt, and laid out the condiments, buns, chips, and salad on the table while Eric fed his daughter.
When the cheese was melted, Tris brought the burgers to the table and began dishing up their plates.
"Mmm," Ava said, smacking her lips over the strained peas.
"You think that's good," Eric said, "just wait until you can taste hamburgers. They're really yummy."
"Mmm," Ava repeated.