Will have this chapter completed in the next few days.

Tobias POV

I honestly never thought I'd be attending my father's funeral. After all the years of abuse I endured I wanted to leave him in my past where he belonged. I don't know if I can completely forget him now though. I'd never thought I'd say that I'm grateful I got to spend these last couple weeks with him.

I was only six or seven years old when Evelyn "died". That was my first experience of a funeral. After I left the Army I went to a few funerals of my fellow soldiers and friends. Death seems strange to me. I've never really mourned anybody close to me. Maybe there's a lesson to be learned when someone dies. There's a reason we are all here and tomorrow isn't guaranteed.

Just as I finish adjusting my black tie in the mirror, I feel two arms wrap around my waist. Tris rests her forehead against my back as my hands move to rest on top of hers over my abdomen.

"You holding up okay?" She asks me.

I sigh. "Yeah. Now I understand how you feel. Losing a parent. While Marcus didn't exactly deserve the father of the year award, in the end, I saw him become the father I always wanted. I just wish I had been able to see more of that side of him."

"I know you do and it's okay to feel that way, but at least you do have something to hold on to. Try to let the good outweigh the bad. I know it'll be difficult since most of your memories of him are bad, but just try. You have nothing to lose now. I have no doubt that Marcus died being grateful for you and those last moments you spent together. He seemed to accept me as your girlfriend too. I'm sure all he wanted was for you to be happy after he left this world."

"I think so too and I am. I am very happy. But I still have fears."

"Like what?"

"Facing my mother, becoming him."

"Tobias, listen to me." She says, firmly, turning me around to face her. "We've had this conversation before. You said you wouldn't ever give up on me and I'm telling you right now that I'm never giving up on you either, okay?"

I nod.

"As for your mother, just tell her how you feel. Missing her and needing her doesn't make you a coward. It makes you human. If it doesn't work out for whatever reason then at least you tried. Give her a chance and give yourself the chance to listen to what she has to say. Give yourself the chance to forgive, not just her but Marcus as well otherwise you'll be miserable and you know it."

I sigh. I know Tris is right. I hug her to me and whisper in her ear, "Thank you. I love you."

She pulls back slightly and cups my head in her hands. "I love you too. Come on, we should get going or we are going to be late."

I nod as I stare lovingly at her. She is wearing a long, black dress appropriate for the occasion, her hair is half up, half down with her long flowing locks hanging part way down her back. She looks beautiful, even if it's for a funeral. She gives me the strength to face anything. Today she is showing that she is being strong for me. I can never thank her enough for it.

PAGE BREAK

We are the first to arrive at the funeral home. Granted, only Evelyn, Jack and Amar will be here besides Tris and I. While Marcus' death is in the papers, I doubt any of his acquaintances will show up. I'm sure they haven't forgotten the last time Marcus' name showed up in the newspaper. And most of them got confirmation from me that everything was true and they believed me. Marcus fooled a lot of people but I don't have it in me to hate him now that he's gone, at least not today.

A couple days ago I decided to call Hana and tell her everything. I told her that she didn't have to come but that I still wanted her to know what was going on. I also told her that I hadn't told Zeke and Uriah anything but that I would once this is all over. While I know that they'd be there for me no matter what, I didn't want them to feel obligated to attend the funeral of the man that hurt me. I'm putting aside my anger today and want those who care about me to do the same.

I don't feel quite ready to go inside yet so Tris, seeing my hesitation, pulls me down to sit on the steps. She gently rubs my back as I take deep breaths. She doesn't say anything and doesn't have to. She knows that her presence alone is comforting to me. After a few moments I hear footsteps approaching. I look up and see Evelyn walking towards us. I share a look with Tris hoping she understands what I'm silently trying to tell her. She nods and I stand up, pulling her up with me. She doesn't let go of my hand and squeezes it in reassurance. I squeeze back, acknowledging the gesture.

While I have my father's eyes, most of my facial features are my mother's: hooked nose, same jawline, same ears. She looks slightly older than I remember, even after only a couple years.

"Evelyn," I say, simply.

"Hello, Tobias. It's been a while. You should visit me more often. I'm your mother after all."

I groan internally. It was much easier talking to her over the phone. At least she was nice then. What is her problem?

"I've been busy."

Her eyes move from me to Tris as she says, "I'm sure you have. And who might this be?"

"My girlfriend. I already told you that I have a girlfriend." I say, wrapping an arm tight around Tris' waist.

"Hello, Evelyn. I'm Tris."

"Hello Tris"

"We should go inside," I say. "We will finish this conversation tomorrow as planned."

Evelyn nods, curtly.

PAGE BREAK

The service isn't too long. I'm grateful for Jack and Amar's support as they stand here beside me. After the service is over I go up to my father's closed casket. I open it just briefly and just stand there for a few minutes in silence.

The burial is also short. It felt kinda weird leaving Marcus behind, that he is no longer here physically. Tris and I didn't talk to Evelyn anymore except to say that we would see her tomorrow. I didn't like the way she acted towards Tris and I'm going to tell her so tomorrow. I won't lose Tris because of her.

A/N: Woke up to find that the second half of the chapter disappeared. I could see it on my phone but not my IPad. So I rewrote it. I tried to keep what I had and added/rearranged some things. I won't be updating for roughly 10 days.