A/N: A big thank you to my beta, It'sHardIKnow, who told me that she really enjoyed this chapter. I so hope you guys will too.

A guest wrote that I blew their mind with this story. Total blush and giggling fit.

To insertnamehere123: Thank you for your review and your suggestions. I will keep them in mind.

Enjoy!

Chapter 21

Tobias

I am waiting for Tris to come out of the bathroom. She had asked me a couple of days ago to go visit her brother in Erudite. She didn't want to tell me more, but I guess she misses him. After she came to live with Marcus and I, she told me that Caleb was the only one who seemed to be on her side, and even had a fight with their dad. It wasn't as loud or aggressive as the ones she had with her father, but it was still something.

Rose is happily playing with imaginary butterflies, or something, while I look over my schedule for tomorrow. Initiation started two weeks ago, and tomorrow we'll have Capture the Flag. I wanted to invite Tris to come with us, but she hasn't been feeling well lately. We also don't want to leave Rose alone with a babysitter just yet.

"I'm ready," I hear my wife as she steps out of the bathroom. I look her up and down, and grin. I hadalways found her beautiful, but motherhood becomes her. She is curvier than she was when I first met her, and there is a glow to her that she hasn't lost since giving birth.

"You look beautiful," I tell her honestly, closing the gap between us. I pull her in my arms, and she immediately melts against me. I lock lips with her, and we soon forget what we wanted to do before we touched each other. The bubbly sound coming from my daughter makes us detach ourselves from the other and look toward the stroller. Rose is watching us with a bright smile, babbling happily. Tris and I crouch down to be at eyelevel with her, and beam.

"Quick. Get the camera," she exclaims and I turn to her, confused. When I don't move, she shoves me lightly, catching me off guard, and I fall on my ass.

"Hey!" I protest, and Rose starts laughing loudly.

"Aw, she likes how clumsy her daddy is," Tris squeals.

"You pushed me," I argue, but stand up. I pull out my phone, and hand it over to my wife.

"Shut up. This is an important moment for Rose. Oh, Tobias, go get the baby book too. I need to record this milestone," she orders me.

"You're kinda bossy," I point out, with a chuckle but still obey, getting the baby book from the nursery. I listen to Tris speaking to Rose, as our baby babbles loudly and excitedly when the click of the camera goes off.

I get both the book, and a pen for Tris to write in. Ever since Rose was born, we have recorded every milestone she's reached. It is fascinating for us to do this. We never had anything like this growing up in Abnegation, and I doubt we would have had if we had Rose there. It is still surreal to me sometimes to think of me as someone's dad, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world – ever. Every day, I work hard to be both a good dad to my baby and a good husband to Tris, and, despite our fights, we love each other, always working through our issues. She is the love of my life, and I am eternally grateful that she is my wife.

I exit the nursery, and hand Tris the book and pen so that I canget the baby bag ready. Rose continues to speak to her imaginary friends, or maybe actually to us, I don't know, I just know I can't help but laugh at how enthusiastic she sounds.

Once we are ready, we leave the apartment and head towards the exit. Tris and I had discussed taking one of the Dauntless cars, but then, since it's such a nice day, we decided against it. It will be fun for Rose to spend time outside the grim compound, enjoying the summer sun. Today isn't as hot as it usually is, so that won't be a problem.

I am pushing the stroller with one hand, while holding Tris's with the other. We are walking mostly in silence, occasionally stopping to either clean off the drool from Rose's face or give her the bottle with her water.

"I am not just missing Caleb," Tris mumbles all of a sudden. I stop us altogether, glancing over to her with curiosity and confusion. She sighs, closing her eyes, and leans her head against my chest, causing me to wrap my hands around her as a reflex.

"Did something happen?" I ask, confused but worried.

"No. Yes. I don't know," she whispers vaguely, shaking her head. She snakes her arms around me, pulling me closer to her. I try to figure out what is that's wrong with her but can't come up with a serious explanation after moments of raking through my recent memories.

"Tris?" I prod. She kisses my chest through my shirt, and then looks up. Her eyes betray her worry, but I am not sure what it is that worries her.

"The last assignment Max gave me," she begins saying, and I nod. She turns her gaze briefly to our daughter who dropped her pacifier out of her mouth. Tris picks it off of our baby's chest and puts it back in her mouth. Rose smiles at her mother, and sucks happily at the rubber. Tris's attention is now back on me, and she pulls me a little forward, signaling for us to continue walking.

"I looked over the binder. Someone in the treasury made a mistake." I remember. Max came into the conference room two days ago with the same binder he gave Tris two weeks ago. I didn't think much of it, but now I am curious. "The person in charge didn't steal anything," she continues, and I nod. I remember how Mr. Miller was completely flabbergasted by that mistake but was so grateful that leadership believed him when he said it was an honest miscalculation on his part. There was no other problem involving his work, and he seemed like an honest guy who, really, just made a mistake. Leadership forgave him, yet still asked to find a solution to avoid a situation like this one in the future. But what does this have to do with anything? "I searched backwards to find where the anomaly in the Dauntless finances first appeared and found that whoever is in charge made a tiny mistake when adding up two larger amounts of credits."

"Tris, I know. I was at the meeting. But what does this have to do with Caleb?" I question.

"I'll get to that. You see, Mr. Miller has practically the same job as my dad," she points out. I still don't understand, so I let her explain. "You had always told me that you thought that my dad wasn't so much on board with this marriage as I thought but I always dismissed you because I was angry and hurt... Now, that I am calmer, I can see what you meant. Dad seemed completely absent the day before he sprung onto me the fact that I had to get married. He also seemed conflicted when he yelled at me after we got married, telling me that I had no place in his house. I also remember the day of your Choosing, when he became livid as soon as Marcus casually announced that we are trying for a baby. Mom was always a little reluctant to accept all this, but she must have sided with Dad for a good reason. I mean, I know my mom. If this was just some stupid idea of my dad's, she wouldn't have played along."

"Do you suspect Marcus had something to do with this? He did threaten you when you still refused to marry me. Maybe he had some dirt on your dad," I offer.

"And I think you were right all along. You told me so since the beginning, but my hurt and anger blinded me. It should have been clear, Tobias. Marcus is capable of worse things than blackmail; we are both very much aware of that. It didn't really hit me until I had Mr. Miller's file in front of me. Technically, a small error can lead to a huge problem. What if that's what happened to Dad? Knowing Marcus, he probably made it look even worse than it was, and if dad isn't familiar with what the procedure in these cases is, which I doubt – since only Candor seems to know these thing – then he might as well have just thought that he would become factionless or something," she explains.

We remain quiet after that, both of us thinking of what she said. It would make sense. This is exactly Marcus's game. He would always take advantage of someone weaker. I guess, this is why he was so shocked to see Tris, who seems weak on the outside and like an easy target, fight back – showing her true strength. I don't think anyone ever challenged Marcus as much as she did. Compared to her, Evelyn is a coward. Actually, compared to Tris, I am a coward.

I don't have time to think much about it, because we're already rounding the corner to Erudite. Tris tells me to wait with Rose in the shade, while she goes inside, and asks for her brother. I want to protest, and go with her, but she makes a good argument, saying Caleb doesn't know about our daughter. I nod and, reluctantly, let her go.

I watch as my wife enters the shiny Erudite building, and I sigh inwardly. This will be a long and painful meeting. I decide to focus on happy things, and the happiest right now is my baby. It always brings a smile to my face when I watch Rose. She is sometimes asleep, but I can never seem to take my eyes off of her. I play with her little feet, cooing at her, and when she starts fussing, I pick her out of the stroller to hold her to my chest, and tell her a fairy tale. I wonder what the Dauntless would say if they saw me all lovey-dovey with my baby. I chuckle to myself. It's like I'm Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; one body, two different people.

"Beatrice, I really think we could have talked inside," I hear Caleb speak with exasperation. I swivel around, and as our eyes lock, he becomes angry. He launches himself at me, but Tris jumps in between us, blocking his advance. I am not afraid of him. I am more than capable of putting him in his place but, as long as I am holding my daughter, I won't do anything that would get her injured.

"Caleb, enough!"Tris shouts, and Rose starts screaming. She knows her mom doesn't shout, and now she's scared. "Ugh!" Tris lets out in frustration. She goes to take the baby from my arms, and I stand a little more rigid, as Caleb and I become engaged in a stare off.

"Beatrice!" Caleb grits out, impatiently.

"Sit down!" she orders, and I do so. She then chuckles, and adds, "I actually meant him. But, yeah, you sit, too." She turns her gaze to her brother, and glares. "Keep your voice down," she demands.

"What is going on?" Caleb asks in a whisper, confused as to why we are even here, probably.

"We need to talk. But first off, I know you think Tobias abandoned me when he chose Dauntless. But he didn't. We had it all planned."

"Planned?" comes Caleb's immediate reply.

"Here are the basics. Tobias and I decided to leave Abnegation together. He chose Dauntless, and I went to Candor until I could join him. He didn't leave me behind. It was all part of the plan," Tris speaks absently, while trying to calm Rose down. I offer to hold her, so that Tris can talk to Caleb, but she just shakes her head.

"Beatrice, who's the baby?" Caleb inquires stupidly, and Tris scowls.

"For an Erudite, you are really thick," she hits back and it's his turn to scowl, "who do you think she is, Caleb?" she continues. "She's our daughter. Your niece." Tris goes closer to Caleb and shows him Rose. I clench my fists, not liking that she gets my daughter so close to him.

"I don't understand. How did this happen?" he asks her, and then glares at me.

"Caleb, really? I think you know how. Can we please focus?" Tris huffs, irritated.

"Fine. But I demand an explanation," he growls, arrogantly.

"And that's what you'll get. But before that, Caleb, just know thatTobias and I fell in love, and Rose is the result of that love. I am happy, and I also want you to know that everything you see right now is real. Tobias and I have a real marriage, and we love our daughter," Tris states with a wide smile. Caleb nods awkwardly, while eyeing me suspiciously.

"I assume you read the reports about Marcus," I cut in, and Caleb's attention shifts to me. He glares, before nodding.

Tris and I start explaining everything that happened from the moment we got married until this very one where we sit across from each other. Caleb jumped up in outrage when we confirmed that what Erudite claimed was true. He went to inspect his sister to check if she was injured. She had to swat his hands away a few times, and passed the baby to me.

She went to sit next to her brother, and gently told him how we became friends, how we fell in love, how I almost died when my father beat me up so badly I wouldn't come back into consciousness for hours. I could tell it was hard for Tris to tell him that, not because he didn't judge me anymore, but because of the painful memory. I took the beating that day, but Tris has been carrying the emotional wound to this day, and probably will for the rest of her life. She partially blames herself for what happened, but I've assured her repeatedly that she isn't to blame. In fact, the only reason I am even alive is because of her. The doctor in Candor that saw me when I went to testify under truth serum told me that whoever cleaned my wounds did an excellent job. I could have died from an infection. I never told Tris. She didn't need to know that. She was already in a bad place to put even more pressure on her.

I decide to pick up from there. I tell Caleb how Tris went to seek help in Candor, and how she found Vanessa. I tell him how both of us testified under truth serum, and now there are records over the abuse we suffered in the faction of the selfless. It was Tris's idea to trust Vanessa, and I take this opportunity to praise her again. It was her courage and determination that saved us both in the end. Tris blushes violently at the compliment, but she deserves it. She is so amazing.

"So, the whole thing in the auditorium at the Hub was staged?" Caleb asks, flabbergasted. I nod, and Tris kisses his cheek. Caleb remains silent for a moment, probably thinking through everything we've told him so far.

Tris comes to sit next to me again, and takes Rose out of my arms. I love holding her, but my arms started to go numb. I stand up, and look through the diaper bag for Rose's bottle. It's her feeding time, and I don't want her to skip that. I hand it over to Tris, who smiles lovingly at me, and mouths a thank you.

"Tobias," Caleb starts, and I turn around to look at him. He stands up, taking a few steps closer to where I stand. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what you went through, but I'm mostly sorry that I misjudged you. It was unfair of me," he starts rambling, but I stop him.

"Stop it, Caleb. You love your sister, so obviously you weren't okay with the whole situation, just like the two of us," I gesture between me and Tris, "and I completely understand that you wanted to protect her, so seeing me choose Dauntless over Abnegation must have been a slap in the face. I understand that."

"Not to mention the way she ran out of the room," Caleb adds, a little embarrassed. I put my hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly.

"Caleb, I know that my relationship with your sister started out as something arranged by our parents, but things have changed a lot since then. I fell in love with her, and I love her more and more with each passing day. When we found out she was expecting, I had just finished initiation, and we both were taken by surprise. Nevertheless, that child was part of her, so I already loved it. I took the leadership job I was offered to give my family the best I can, and make sure they are always safe and well taken care of. I love Tris, and I love Rose, and I would do anything for them," I utter honestly, expressing my love for his sister as much as I can.

There really isn't anything I wouldn't do for them. They are my family. Neither Marcus nor Evelyn deserve to be called family – even distant family. They are just my biological parents and, quite frankly, I might have been better off without knowing either of them.

Caleb surprises me, and gives me a brotherly hug. He tells me that, just because I made such an articulate speech, just because I am a Dauntless soldier, and just because he may or may not be a little intimidated by me, doesn't mean I am entirely off the hook. If I ever hurt his sister, he will come and find me, and slap me really hard, because he knows he couldn't beat me in a fight. We laugh at that, and keep the conversation light for a while.

Tris finishes feeding Rose, and after she burps her, she introduces her properly to her uncle. Caleb seems completely taken aback when Tris puts the baby in his arms. He looks down at her in awe, and when Rose starts to gurgle, he smiles at her. When she starts spitting on him, he gives her back to her mom.

"Bad baby," Tris states seriously, but the wide smile on her face betrays her amusement. Rose laughs loudly and starts babbling again.

"She reminds me of you," Caleb reminisces.

"Come on. I hardly spit on you anymore," she argues jokingly. I take Rose into my arms, again, and start rocking her gently. Her eyelids are heavy, and she looks like she'll doze off any moment now.

"She is beautiful, Beatrice," Caleb praises a few minutes later, and watches as I put the sleeping infant into the stroller. Tris smiles proudly, and goes to kiss her brother again.

"Thank you. You are welcome to visit us in Dauntless," Tris offers. Caleb looks as if we just delivered bad news, and I can't help the chuckle.

"Don't worry. You don't have to walk through the whole compound. We live in the Pire, and there's a separate entrance for the leaders," I explain. Caleb's eyes widen.

"Leader?" he asks, surprised.

"Well, yeah. Tobias is a leader," Tris repeats, as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

"You didn't say you were a leader," he speaks, looking at me with respect.

"I thought I did," I frown, thinking back to our conversation.

"You said you took the leadership job, but I assumed that meant you were an ambassador," he summarizes but more to himself.

"Well, ambassadorships are part of leadership, but no, I am a leader. I know I am young, but Dauntless has different rules when it comes to picking their leaders." Caleb only nods.

Tris tells him a little about how life is with a baby, telling him the story of how we freaked out when she had colic, and how the baby actually laughed at us, for being a pair of doofuses. He laughs at that, but keeps his voice down, minding a sleeping Rose. Eventually, Tris goes back to the more serious things.

She tells him the same thing she told me, and how we both suspect that Marcus might have blackmailed Mr. Prior, and might still be doing it. She asks him to try and find something out when his mother visits, but not tell her anything is wrong.

"Mom will be so happy to know you are okay," Caleb points out, excited.

"You can't tell her we spoke to each other," she warns, and Caleb frowns.

"Why not?" he asks her, confused.

"I don't want her to lie to dad. We need to find out if Marcus is blackmailing our parents. We can't tell them anything because they might be in danger. We need to be smart about this. Besides, until we figure out a way to get rid of Marcus Eaton once and for all, I don't want anyone in Abnegation to know Tobias and I have a child. I will tell Mom and Dad soon enough, but first we need to eliminate the threat." Caleb remains quiet, seemingly thinking of what she asks.

Sometimes I wonder where all that strategic thinking, and war planning comes from, but it's clear it is something that Tris is really good at. She would make a fine leader one day. That's when it hits me. All the assignments, all the books on faction law, on computers, on basic book keeping: Max is preparing her to be a leader. Tris was right. Something was fishy, and I just figured out what. I need to talk to Max when we get back to the compound. As much as I would like to have Tris be a co-leader, I don't want him to put too much pressure on her. She is already worried about her parents, the situation with Marcus, the baby, me. And this time next year, she'll be a Dauntless initiate. She needs to pace herself, otherwise she'll burn out.

We finally say goodbye to Caleb, and I exchange phone numbers with him. We shake hands, and he gives his sister a final hug, before we head back home. There's a lot of work to be done until we know for sure if our suspicions are right, or if we just let our imaginations go wild. But for now, I just want to think of my family, and enjoy a quiet evening with my girls.

A/N: So, now Caleb knows the truth. What did you think of his reaction upon seeing Tobias and then hearing their story?

Do you think he'll be the kind of uncle to spoil little Rose or bore her with Erudite books? *giggle*

Will they be able to find out what really happened to Andrew and if Marcus is behind all this?

When will Tris allow her parents to know that she is alright? Or that she had a baby?

Is Tris acting immaturely by not connecting with her family?

I would love to hear from you.