"Duchess?" Eric said worriedly. "What's the matter?"

He hurried to Tris' side as she threw herself into his arms and sobbed. Eric maneuvered himself onto the floor cross-legged with Tris on his right knee. With his other arm he reached out for Ava, helping her stand and supporting her as she walked to him.

"You're such a big girl," Eric cheered his daughter. "Tris? Why are you crying, Baby?"

"She's... getting... so… big…" Tris sobbed. "Everything… is just… changing… so fast!"

"Mama!" the baby exclaimed happily, banging on Tris' back with her little hands.

"Mama's silly," Eric said in a playful voice to the baby.

"Mama!" Ava repeated. "Boo!"

Tris turned to face the little one, who seemed to be mistaking her crying on Eric's shoulder for a game of peek-a-boo.

"Boo," Tris said, playing along.

But Ava caught one glimpse of her mommy's sad, tear-stained face and the game was cut short. Her bottom lip stuck out as her chin began to quiver and her own eyes filled with tears.

"Mama!" the baby wailed.

Tris slid from her perch on Eric's knee down into his lap as she took the growing baby into her arms.

"It's okay, Sunshine," Tris soothed. "You're such a big girl, aren't you? I can't believe you walked like a big girl. You're not really a baby anymore."

"Bebe!" Ava squealed, distracted by one of her newest words. She wiggled her way out of Tris' arms and crawled over to her favorite toy, a soft, stuffed baby doll. "Bebe!" she said again.

"There's your baby," Eric said with a smile for his daughter. "She really loves that baby."

Ava tried to crawl back to her parents with the baby doll, but crawling proved difficult with her hands full. Tris slipped off Eric's lap and went to Ava, helping her to her feet.

"Take the baby to Daddy," Tris prompted, letting go of Ava.

The little one took a few steps toward Eric, who held his arms out to encourage her. When she got to him, he pulled her into a big hug and blew raspberries on her cheeks and neck, making her giggle.

He looked up at Tris and saw that she was using her phone to capture the moment on video. Tears still trickled down her cheeks, but she was smiling.

After playing with Ava and getting her ready for bed, Tris and Eric curled up in the upholstered rocker with their baby-turned-toddler. Tris read a story while Eric gave Ava her bottle. When the little one was asleep they stayed in the chair for a while, quietly thinking about the little girl dreaming in her daddy's arms.

Tris was the first to break the spell. She kissed Eric on the cheek and wiggled off his lap. He silently followed her lead, rising from the chair and tucking Ava into her crib.

When Tris left the nursery, she went back downstairs and started gathering her things.

"You're not staying?" Eric asked.

Tris shook her head. "Mom is working on the move. I need to get home before she ships the whole house to DC."

Suddenly Tris' somber mood made sense. If Natalie is packing up the only home Tris has known, and Ava is abandoning her infancy by walking, of course Tris is upset. So much is changing, Eric thought to himself.

He crossed the room in three long strides and scooped Tris into his arms. "I love you," Eric said as he held her tightly, "and that is never going to change."

Tris nodded against Eric's chest and held on tightly to him. He kept his arms around her, letting her draw much-needed strength and security from his embrace, until she let go first.

"I need to get home," she said eventually.

.

Before they knew it, Thanksgiving arrived, and Caleb came home for a few days. Ava was thrilled to see her "Bub-bub" on Thanksgiving day, and as soon as Eric got her out of her coat, she walked right to him.

"Look at you!" Caleb exclaimed. "Where did my baby niece go?"

"Bebe!" Ava exclaimed, suddenly wiggling to get away. "BeeeeBeeee!" she yelled when Caleb didn't put her down right away.

Eric fished the stuffed baby doll out of the diaper bag. "Here's your baby," he said, handing the toy to his daughter.

"Bebe," Ava repeated, content to be held after reclaiming the beloved doll.

"She takes that doll everywhere," Tris said as she walked into the foyer.

"Mama!" Ava cheered.

Tris had been spending less time with Eric as her parents prepared for their move to Washington. Instead, he had hockey practice, and Tris and Natalie were busy sorting through things, selling or donating what they no longer wanted, and marking furniture and things with sticky notes labeled "stay" and "go."

They had decided that Natalie and Andrew would leave the kitchen table in Chicago as their new apartment had a breakfast bar, but they would take the dining room set for dinners and events that they would be expected to host. They also planned to take almost everything from the master bedroom, but would move the bed and dresser from the guest room into the master, and leave the guest room set up for Ava. Tris and Caleb's rooms would stay the same, of course, as would the family room, but the living room and home office/den furniture would mostly be moved.

Tris tried to lose herself in the planning and not give much thought to the fact that she would soon be living alone in a half-empty house. She knew that she would spend a lot of time at Eric's, and that he would probably invite her to move in with him if she even hinted at it. But she also knew that her parents were relying on her to take care of the house - get the mail, water the plants, mow the lawn, shovel snow, etc.

With all the upheaval, the whole family had been looking forward to Thanksgiving weekend. Tris and her parents were excited to have everyone under one roof, Caleb was glad to come home, though mostly to see Susan, if the truth were told. Eric was looking forward to a few days off from school and hockey so he could spend time with Tris.

As usual, Ava stole the show on Thanksgiving. She had the whole Prior family wrapped around her pudgy little finger. She happily toddled from adoring family member to adoring family member, babbling nonsense and occasionally mentioning "mama," "dada," her "bebe," and the other family members. She gave out hugs and kisses, and generally charmed her favorite people.

Tris and Natalie prepared a delicious feast, and Eric sat through dinner with an arm around his girlfriend, liberally complimenting the women on their cooking. Caleb and Andrew were generous with their praise as well, and Ava said "Mmm," as she squished more food into her hair and bib than in her mouth.

After the meal, Tris gave Ava a much-needed bath while Caleb and Eric did the dishes. When the baby was clean, Tris put her down for her nap, and the adults gathered in the family room for pie and coffee.

"When are you guys leaving for DC?" Caleb asked from his spot on the loveseat.

"We're going out there again at the beginning of December," Natalie replied. "There's so much to do to prepare for the move and your dad's new job."

"And when do you move?" Caleb asked.

"Right after Christmas," Andrew replied proudly. "We're sworn in on January third, so Mom and I will need to leave here on the twenty-sixth so we can get settled in before I get to work."

Eric was sitting in the big recliner, with Tris perched on the chair's arm. He saw her shoulders slump when her parents talked about the move, so he placed his dessert plate on a side table and pulled Tris onto his lap. She rested her head on Eric's chest with a sigh.

"I love you, Duchess," Eric said quietly in Tris' ear.

"I love you too, Warrior," Tris replied.

"Ava and I will be with you through the changes; you won't be alone."

Tris nodded against Eric. "I know," she said, dropping the subject as always.

Eric knew that the changes and her parent's move were weighing heavily on her, but he had yet to get her to open up about her feelings. He caught glimpses of it now and then, and he always gave her a little extra affection or encouragement when he did, but so far she had been completely closed off to the idea of really talking about it. As he hugged Tris tightly and rested his chin on the top of her head, Eric's made eye contact with Natalie. Tris' mom gave him a sad, knowing smile. It made him wonder if his girlfriend had been any more open with her parents than she had been with him.

Tris stayed tucked tight to Eric's chest as Andrew and Caleb spoke excitedly about the newly-elected senator's plans, and the events that had been scheduled for him and Natalie to attend. Eric listened, but his attention was really on Tris. At one point he felt dampness seeping through his shirt and realized that Tris was crying. He began rubbing her back gently.

They sat like that for some time before Natalie turned to Eric with a gentle smile. "She's sleeping," Natalie said of her daughter.

Eric sighed. "Has she said anything to you about the move?" he asked quietly. "She seems so down lately, but she won't come out and talk about it, at least not with me."

Natalie shook her head. "She gets quiet sometimes," she said, "but she doesn't really say anything."

"I think it's bothering her," Eric added.

"I'm sure it is," Natalie said. "When Caleb went off to school, he chose to leave. He also knew that home would be here waiting for him when he came back. Tris chose not to leave, but home is leaving her. I thought that since she was staying in the house, and since you and Ava are here, it wouldn't bother her so much. Apparently I was wrong."

"It's hard to be so young and see your childhood home boxed up and moved on," Eric said knowingly.

"Your situation was not the same," Natalie said sympathetically, "but it's nice to know that you can empathize with the parts that are similar."

"Oh, I know it's not the same," Eric said. "I had no warning and my parents were completely gone from my life in an instant. That's not something I would wish on anyone. You will be a phone call or text away, and we'll see you fairly often, I'm sure. But it's always hard to see your childhood home packed up and gone."

Natalie made a sound of agreement as she took a sip of her coffee. "My father had a heart attack and died young," she said. "He was only fifty-five. It was especially heartbreaking because my mother had early onset dementia. She was able to stay in their home when he was living, but without him, she was lost. Caleb was a baby then, and I had just found out I was pregnant with Beatrice. We were young, barely making ends meet, and we lived in a one-bedroom apartment. Andrew and I had to plan my dad's funeral, take over mom's finances and care, settle dad's estate…" She sighed, lost in the memories. "It was a lot. I remember how that felt. I thought it would be easier for Tris since we can do all the sorting together. That's the part that overwhelmed me the most - having to sort through my parents' lives and all those childhood memories all by myself. I remember being glad that I was pregnant, because it meant that Caleb would never have to be alone like I was. Like you were."

"You had Andrew," Eric replied gently. "And now I have Tris, and the rest of your family."

Natalie smiled. "And she'll have you and Ava when we're in DC. That's a huge relief to Andrew and I. When Andrew decided to run for Senate, leaving Tris behind was our biggest concern. We have friends who would help her, sure, but now that she has you, it just feels more secure."

"Thank you," Eric said, running his hand down Tris' long, blonde hair. "It will be my honor to look out for Tris. I know we're young, especially Tris, but I love her. I'd like to take care of her for the rest of our lives."

Natalie smiled broadly and blinked back tears. "You're a good man, Eric." With that Natalie stood up and patted Eric on the shoulder, then began gathering the dessert plates.

Eric turned his attention to the football game on television. Andrew dozed on the couch, and Caleb watched from the loveseat. Tris was out cold in Eric's arms.

When Ava began chattering in the baby monitor, Eric asked Caleb to get her so Tris could continue sleeping. It was a good idea, but as soon as Caleb brought the happy baby into the family room, quiet time was over, and Tris and Andrew woke up.

Ava toddled from person to person, carrying her baby doll and jabbering nonsense.

Natalie came back, and Ava chanted, "Nama, Nama," while toddling to Natalie and holding up her baby.

.

Eric was surprised when Tris asked to come home with him that night. He figured that she would want to stay with her family since Caleb was home, but he was never going to object if she wanted to spend time with him and sleep in his arms.

They put Ava to bed, and Eric tried to lead Tris back downstairs, but she wanted to go to his bedroom instead - another thing he would never object to.

Eric and Tris climbed onto his big king-sized bed, and Tris scooted close, curling up against Eric's side. He responded by wrapping his arms around her and stroking her back.

"Is everything okay, Duchess?" Eric asked, hoping Tris would finally open up and admit how she'd been feeling.

"I'm fine," she said dismissively.

"I don't think you are," he replied gently. "I think you're strong, but you're upset and trying to hide it. I think you should talk to me, let it out."

Tris sighed. "I'm being ridiculous," she said, still trying to brush him off.

"You feel how you feel," Eric insisted, "and that's completely valid. And I care how you feel. Talk to me, Baby."

Tris chuckled. "Every time someone says the word baby, I brace myself for Ava's squeal and scramble to remember where I last saw her baby doll."

"She really is attached to that thing," Eric said affectionately. "I have to tell you that it warms my heart to see her little toddler maternal instinct. She learned that from you, Tris. You were there from day one showing her that she was loved fully and unconditionally - showing her what a mother's love looks and feels like."

"I learned from the best," Tris said softly.

With that statement, the proverbial dam burst, and Eric felt Tris' tears wetting his shirt as she began to tremble. He rolled onto his side so he could face Tris and envelope her in a fiercely protective hug.

"It's okay, Duchess," Eric soothed. "Cry it out. I know all this change is hard. I've been through it too."

"I'm… so… sorry!" Tris sobbed into Eric's chest. "I'm being a baby about this. Dad's election is a good thing. I have so much to be thankful for! I have you and Ava, and everyone is healthy and happy. I know I shouldn't feel this way, but they're just… They're all leaving me!"

"Why wouldn't you be allowed to be upset?" Eric asked. "Change is hard. Even if it's not a total disaster. Even though there are things to be thankful for. And it's okay to be upset about change."

"It's just…" Tris stammered. "Well… I just feel… like… like it's wrong to be upset when it could be so much worse. I keep thinking about you losing your parents. You were truly alone, and you had to deal with everything alone while facing the fact that you would never see them again. I just… I don't have the right to be so worked up about a simple move. They're not even selling the house! They'll be home a lot. I'm not really losing them."

"Duchess, you have every right to be sad," Eric replied. "No matter what the circumstances, it's hard to see your childhood home packed up. You don't have to hit a certain threshold to be allowed to be upset. I'm not offended that you're sad. I'm not comparing our situations. I just want you to be honest with me about your feelings so I can support you."

Tris nodded against Eric's chest. They sat quietly, just holding one another.

"The house is going to be weirdly quiet without them," Tris finally confessed.

"I know," Eric agreed quietly. He wanted to fix the situation - to present Tris with a list of things she could do to make it easier, including just moving in with him and Ava. But Eric knew that what Tris really needed wasn't solutions; she needed a chance to vent her feelings without criticism. So he bit his tongue and let her talk.

Eric and Tris talked about their families and shared childhood memories late into the night. Tris fell asleep in Eric's protective embrace and slept well knowing she wasn't alone.