A/N: Hey, sorry for the delay. Went to see Avengers: Infinity War. Hype is real, guys! Go see it! Also, prepare to be emotionally destroyed. Had to recover a little. Dunno if this is a spoiler, but a villain we haven't seen since The First Avenger makes an appearance. I knew something like this happened to him. If you wanna know more or discuss this, PM me.

That being said, thanks to all the new followers, all the great comments and especially thank you for your continued support. Means the world to me.

Special thanks to It'sHardIKnow for beta reading this. You rock!

Happy reading y'all!

Chapter 17

Tobias

Tonight is Christmas Eve and I am so excited. I didn't think I would be, but then Tris convinced me to decorate our home, getting into the Christmas spirit. Once I saw everything set up, I knew I had made the right decision in listening to her. And to think that next year we will have our little girl with us! She'll even be old enough to enjoy Christmas a little. I can't believe that in ten weeks our daughter will be born. I know it sounds like a lot of time, but it really isn't. I don't even know how we got to week 30, but we did.

Peanut is a lot more active than she used to be, and it's taken a toll on Tris. I try to calm down the baby, reading or singing to it, or just talking to my little girl, telling her how loved she is, and how her mommy and I can't wait to get to meet her.

When I look back at the crazy year I've had, I am thankful for one thing: Tris. She brought hope into my life, something I didn't even know existed anymore. She was so fierce from the day I met her; I loved how she fought with all her might to get out of this arranged marriage; how she did everything she could to convince her father that this was a bad idea. I was so jealous of her for having so much courage to fight it, but I admired her determination nevertheless.

The only positive thing my father ever did for me, albeit unwillingly for me, but more so for his own career, was to pick Tris as my wife. I was honest with her the first time we made love, and I told her how I wished I could have met her under different circumstances, court her, love her, make her my wife. And while I would trade all the bad times for good ones, they also shaped us and our relationship. Without wanting to, Marcus made it so much easier for us to fall in love, and grow strong together. She was my ally from day one, and I was by her side every moment she had to endure Marcus.

But Tris isn't my wife because my father chose her for me, but because I choose her to be. I want her to be my wife, and that's why I bought her a ring. It is something between a wedding band and an engagement ring, a platinum band with one single black diamond embedded in it. It is simple, yet binds together our past and future. I have a similar one, but mine is platinum, with a single string of black in the middle of it. These rings will be our wedding bands, because I want to ask her to be my wife the way I always imagined I would have asked her if only given the chance.

I wanted to ask her down by the Chasm, where I took her when she came to visit me on Visiting Day, but it's too cold, and too dangerous for her to go down there. I tried to find the perfect spot here in Dauntless to ask my question, but I couldn't find it, until I realized, the perfect spot is wherever she is.

Nevertheless, I asked Zeke and Uriah to help me with something. The Dauntless Christmas party isn'tuntil eight p.m. so that gives me plenty of time to prepare everything. The girls have already agreed to keep Tris preoccupied a little, saying that they would help her get ready for the party. They know I have a surprise for my wife, but don't know what it is. I'm glad they don't. This is just for her and I.

Zeke carries the round bistro table we borrowed from one of the restaurants here in Dauntless. It wasn't hard, since the owner is Harrison's brother. He was one of the first people to welcome me when I became an official member, and when leadership made the announcement that I would be their newest leader. He also loves Tris, and always asks how my wife and daughter are. He was so glad to help me with this surprise, that he even offered to send up a five-star-meal for me and Tris, but I declined politely. I wanted to cook for her, and while she does most of the cooking, I enjoy doing it for her.

Everything is set, and just as I finish putting on my suit jacket, I hear the door unlock. I go to the door, and swing it open, finding a surprised Tris standing there. She looks up confused, and then smiles as soon as her grey eyes land on my figure.

"I didn't expect you home so early," she says, and steps inside. She is already dressed in the crimson floor-length dress she will wear tonight, and has a furry coat over her bare shoulders to keep her warm.

"There's nowhere I'd rather be," I assure her with a smile of my own. I take her coat, and hang it in the closet, before helping her get out of her shoes. Ever since she came here, she has started wearing heels - although only for special occasions. She usually prefers comfortable over elegant, and I can't blame her. I look her up and down, and I am suddenly very hungry, but not for food. I pull her in my arms and crash my lips onto hers. We kiss for a moment, and I feel her melting against me, like she so often does, but then she pushes me away.

"Are you crazy? You're gonna ruin my make-up, and then Mar will make me sit for another hour to fix it. No fucking thank you. I've been tortured enough today," she grumbles with a playful scowl. I laugh at her protest, and go to kiss her again, but this time it's sweet and gentle.

I lead her toward our romantic dinner table, and she gasps. She looks up at me confused, but I only usher her forward to sit down. She takes a seat, and I pour her some grape juice in a wine glass since she isn't allowed any alcohol. I swiftly bring the two plates I've prepared for us, and set them down. She looks at her plate in awe, and thanks me for cooking. I tell her it's no problem at all, since I really love doing these things for her.

"Oh, so domestic," she teases. I love this playful side of hers, and she always brings the same side out in me. We've always been a team but, now that we've actually lived like a normal married couple with all the ups and downs, I am glad to see that what we have wasn't just a childish fling, and that we actually have deep feelings for each other. I knew I loved Beatrice long before she even confessed her feelings for me, but the looming threat of her departure once she had the chance made me keep those feelings hidden. I was so excited when I finally heard those words coming out of her mouth that I didn't care anymore how selfish I would be to ask her to stay with me, and have a real marriage. Thankfully, that awful beating I received led to something so beautiful, because it gave Tris all she needed to make a life-changing decision, and here we are.

We eat mostly in silence, with Tris occasionallyasking what I did to a dish she'd prepared differently. I made sure to not "overfeed" her as she called it sometimes and waited until her plate was empty to bring her a slice of chocolate cake. That one I didn't make. She made it, but honestly, no one makes it as good as she does. We eat our slices, joking about how Zeke and Uriah are still trying to find out Tris's secret.

I am nervous. I don't know why. We are already married, this should feel easier.

"What is it, honey?" she asks, as she reaches for my hand. I entwine my fingers with hers, and look down at her hand.

"I have something for you," I start saying and, as I glance down at her hand again, I see a bandage that I haven't seen before. "What happened?" I question, panicked, turning her wrist so that I can inspect it. She pulls her hand back, and I stare at her confused.

"This is actually a surprise," she says, looking towards the Christmas tree. She grins to herself, and then returns her gaze to me. "I got this for you. It is still fresh, and needs to heal," she explains. I think of what she is saying, and it dawns on me.

"You got a tattoo?" I ask. She nods, and stands up. She comes around to where I sit, and sits down on my lap. She holds her wrist outso that I can see better and peels the bandage off.

On the inner side of her left wrist is the infinity symbol tattooed, with a heart in the left loop, and the capital T written in cursive in the right loop. I stare down in awe, realizing what it means. Her love for me is eternal. It doesn't seem like much, but she's marked her body... for me. She didn't have to. Her body is already marked by the pregnancy. I know she loves our daughter, but having my baby is also a way to tell me how much she loves me.

"Do you like it?" she queries, and I can hear the uncertainty in her voice. I take her smaller hand in mine and bring her wrist to my lips, kissing the spot that she inked for me.

"I love it," I whisper against her skin. I realize, now is the time. I engage her in telling me how she managed to get this done without my knowledge, and she excitedly tells me how she got Tori to come to our apartment and do it here.

She starts explaining how she thought for a long time to get a tattoo, not really knowing what she wanted. She knew it had to be special, and had to include me, but she just couldn't think of anything that was good enough. While she is talking animatedly, I reach into my pocket, and take the ring I have for her into my hand.

I had originally wanted to kneel down in front of her, asking her if she wanted to be my wife, but that seemed a bit stupid. If we would have been just dating that would have made more sense. Instead, I decide to just hold her hand casually, so that she won't suspect anything, and when she looks me in the eyes, telling me how Shauna and Marlene tried to convince her to wear a mini skirt, laughing the whole time at the ridiculousness of their idea, I slip the ring on her left ring finger. The moment she feels the cool metal around her slender digit, she looks down at her hand. Seeing the ring for the first time, her mouth falls open and her eyes go wide.

"I know we are married, but I wanted to ask you something," I speak softly, and she looks at me with tears in her eyes. "Beatrice Eaton, will you stay my wife for the rest of your life?" I ask her. She smiles, and laughs at the same time. This is a good sign, I think.

"Yes!" she practically shouts in my ear, before wrapping her arms around my neck, kissing my face.

We kiss softly, but as time passes, our kisses become more passionate and lust filled. Tris straddles me, and goes to open my shirt, when I grab her hands in mine, stopping her. There is nothing I would like more than to make love to my wife right now, but we have to go to that Christmas party, and I know our friends would come looking for us. I look at Tris, and she pouts slightly. I chuckle, and kiss her nose.

"We have to leave soon." She nods reluctantly. But she doesn't move to stand up. Instead, she looks at her ring, and smiles lovingly at it.

"It's beautiful. Thank you, Tobias," she mumbles, still in awe.

"You're welcome. I saw it, and immediately knew this was the right one. Since we already got married, this ring will be both engagement ring, and wedding band," I tell her, beaming. She reciprocates, but then frowns. "What?" I ask confused. She looks at me and bites her bottom lip in thought.

"We should get you one, too," she says, more to herself than me. I then remember that I have my own ring still in my pocket and pull it out, showing it to her.

"I've got mine right here," I reassure her, and go to put it on my ring finger. She snatches it away and examines it. She then grabs my left hand and leaves tender kisses on my palm.

"Tobias Eaton, love of my life," she starts saying, and I see tears gathering in her eyes, "I love you with all my heart. I was blessed to have met you, and it was a privilege to be allowed loving you. I promised myself to make you happy every day of your life, just like you make me. Will you, please, continue being my wonderful husband, for the rest of our lives?" she asks, and I feel my own tears roll down.

"Of course, I will, baby." I kiss her deeply, and pull her close to me, minding our daughter.

We might have been forced to get married, but we choose each other every day over anyone else.

A/N: What did you think of Tobias's "proposal"?

I wanted this chapter a little fluffy, no drama, just sweet love.