DISCLAIMER: I own neither the Divergent world nor the characters, they belong to Veronica Roth.

Chapter 67

Tris

After the interrogations are finished and Cara is allowed to sit down at one of the benches in the first row, Niles steps aside and Jack comes into view again. He waits until the Candor around him have fallen quiet again and then begins to speak.

"People of Chicago, you have witnessed with your own eyes in those last two hours what was going on in the midst of our society. We're lucky we were able to gather today to listen to those confessions instead of going through the reality of it.

Changes will have to be discussed to avoid a conspiracy like this to ever take place again. All factions will have to talk to each other and contribute what's necessary to lead our city into a better and more stable future. It is the only place we call home, it is our responsibility to take care of it the best way that we can.

I invite all the faction leaders to a meeting tomorrow. Bring along a few members of your factions, let's listen to them, too. Everyone is requested to share ideas.

As a result of today's interrogations, we have a list full of names of people who supported the illegal activities of Jeanine, Max and Eric. It will be our next task to find and arrest them. I'm sure they have gone into hiding as soon as they heard of the imprisonment of their leaders. It'll be a task in which we all will have to work together, and then they'll have to face the consequences for their actions.

The sentences for the accused conspirators we've questioned today will be announced tomorrow.

Last but not least, we will have to talk about the young heroes who solved this situation with courage, intelligence and tactics. But, most of all, it was an act of teamwork that resulted in the peacekeeping of our city. Without their trust and reliance in each other, we wouldn't be standing here today.

As the leader of Candor, I believe in honesty, and in people telling the truth to each other. With this in mind, we will let two of this group, who called themselves the Allegiant, have their say."

My heart beats heavily as Jack steps aside and a video of me starts playing. It was made during my interrogation under truth serum. I should be irritated by all the faces that turn towards me, by the voices that start mumbling around me, but the only thing I can focus on is the words I'm saying in this video. I remember everything I said in Candor, and everything Tobias said. A lot of it was never meant to leave that room. Christina puts an arm around my shoulders and whispers soothingly into my ear that I shouldn't worry, that the truth will let everybody know what we were willing to risk for the people in our city.

But inside my head, there are only a few words whirling around, spinning faster and faster.

Divergent. Tobias Eaton. Marcus. Abuse. Evelyn. Factionless.

I only start to relax when I realize the video has been cleverly edited by Candor. They cut out the critical parts that could put us in danger or reveal something too private about us, and instead just follow the Allegiant's actions we described for them. They picked scenes from both me and Tobias and put them together chronologically. Because the video alternates between Tobias' and my interview, it doesn't come to anyone's attention that something is missing.

"They cut out a few things," I whisper to Christina, and I see her realization about what I was specifically scared about when she sees my worried expression and also her deep surprise at the revelation that Candor would cut out anything at all.

We keep watching, rooted to the spot, until the video is over and Jack says goodbye and leaves probably everyone in Chicago with a lot of things to think about.

I can no longer ignore the looks and whispers directed at us. They turn into cheering and whistling that infects the whole crowd. Somewhere someone begins yelling, "Allegiant! Allegiant!", and the chorus gets louder as more and more voices join until the entire pit is shouting in a steady rhythm. We're being pushed forwards to the front by the hands of friends and strangers alike, Dauntless hands. My heart is speeding up again and I feel goosebumps run over my back as I set one foot in front of the other on the stairs to the stage.

While I lead Christina, Uriah and Marlene, Tobias walks up in front of Zeke and Caleb from the other side of the stage. He gives me a small smile, and I return it, not sure how to deal with all this attention. I've never had this many eyes directed at me.

We line up at the edge of the stage, one beside the other, while the crowd keeps cheering. Christina takes my hand again, and I see her reaching for Uriah's with her other hand. We all join hands, demonstrating our union, and I finally burst out laughing so hard I feel tears spring to my eyes. All the exertion of the last weeks and days, all the fears and tension, dissolve at this moment I get to share with my friends and, most of all, my love. As we all rise our joined hands to celebrate our victory, I squeeze Tobias hand that so perfectly fits into mine.

We're free.

We can become who we want to be now.

We can become who we are.

XXX

I take off my shoes as soon as we are inside my apartment, back in privacy and finally, after a long afternoon, away from the crazy hustle and bustle that's going on in the pit. Today's information and events are a lot to process, and right now I all I want is to lock it all away in a corner of my mind and spend the night drinking wine with Tobias - just the two of us. I don't want to worry about what tomorrow brings. And for once, ignoring the outside world won't accidentally get anyone killed.

"Do you have a corkscrew in your kitchen? Otherwise I'd have to go over to fetch mine," Tobias says, questioningly raising the bottle of white wine we brought home for our own private celebration.

"Yes, I think there is one. Look in the cupboard next to the sink, on the upper shelf."

I hang my jacket on the hook and walk into the living area where I let myself fall onto the couch. How nice is this!

"Uhm, Tris, did you buy two breads this morning?" Tobias asks from the kitchen.

He must have found the one I bought on Wednesday then. I smile. It was a matter of time.

"Nooo, just one," I say innocently.

"But there are two."

"I know."

"But..." There's a pause. "Tris, when did you buy the other one?"

"Wednesday."

"I see."

I look over at Tobias, smirking. I know he understands what happened. He pretends to be all cool as he removes the cork from the bottle and then walks over to me with the wine in one hand and two glasses in the other. He sets the glasses down on the table and pours some wine inside, then places the bottle beside them. But he doesn't take a seat. No, he stays upright, in his best instructor pose with arms akimbo and his Four-face. But the twitching of the corners of his mouth betray his amusement.

"Tris, Tris, Tris. What am I going to do with you about this?"

"About what?" I bat my eyelashes.

"You knew there was nothing wrong with this bread when Caleb sent you to buy a new one."

"I only knew he would never waste one if it was still okay."

"Ha! You knew there'd be a proof! I must say, I had this little thought crossing my mind that you knew what he was up to when you came back all cheerful from the cafeteria and asked 'Hey guys, did you have a nice conversation?' . But I dismissed it - too quickly, as I just found out."

"I'm Dauntless now, so don't underestimate me," I grin.

"I don't. I never did, even when you were an initiate. But this, Tris," he shakes his head and raises his eyebrows at me. "Leaving me alone with your brother when you magically knew he wanted to have a sex talk with me - you know you won't get away without punishment and compensation."

And with that he lunges forward and starts tickling my sides. I try to wriggle out from under him, but I don't stand a chance with how well he's pinned me down. So I succumb, laughing and squealing, until I can't take any more and beg for him to stop.

"Alright, that's enough for now," he says and his hands leave my waist. I gasp for air.

"I guess I deserved that," I chuckle.

"How did you know what he wanted to talk to me about?" Tobias asks, just as breathless as I am.

"I told him I had clothes and a toothbrush over at your place because I'd slept there before. Then he noticed how the clothes - your clothes - I offered him to sleep in where all unused, so I told him that was because you didn't need them much while you're here, and left. It was obvious he was looking for a way to give you a lecture about that when he said the bread wasn't good enough anymore."

"I didn't know you'd become this daring after getting over your fear."

Tobias looks at me, amused. I keep my eyes on his.

"Me neither," I reply.

"I still expect you to offer me some kind of compensation. I suffered, you know?"

"From what you told me, you had your fun and Caleb ended up being the one who suffered."

"Hey, that was just because I tried to make the most out of the situation."

"Fine, you'll get your compensation."

I wink at him. I want to leave no doubt about what kind of compensation I have in mind. The drink we had in the pit has already had an relaxing effect on me. And I see that he gets it, although of course he doesn't know what exactly it is that I'm thinking of.

"Then I'll forget about the issue," Tobias smirks and kisses me.

"First, the wine," I whisper against his lips.

"Yeah, the wine," he repeats and sits up enough to reach our glasses.

We clink them and drink to our success: To peace, to the lives we saved, to the enemies we've caught, to the enemies we're going to catch, to the changes we'll hopefully be able to make to our faction and our whole city. And we drink to us: To our relationship. To all the steps we've taken and all the problems we've overcome. To our love.

"You know we could make it public now, don't you? There's nobody who can kick us out anymore," Tobias says.

"I've had that thought today, too, right when we were standing up on the stage."

"And what do you think about it? Do you want that?"

I don't have to think about it anymore. It would make our relationship finally official and whole, in a way.

"Yes, when the time is right, yes. I want to officially be your girlfriend."

"That's quite convenient, cause I want to officially be your boyfriend."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow."

XXX

Tobias and I are making out on my bed, two empty glasses standing on my beside table beside us. My hands crumple the sheets as Tobias kisses my breasts and flicks his tongue around my nipples over and over. They have become so overly sensitive from his attention that if he lightly blows some air over them it's enough to make me shiver. I arch towards him, towards his lips that could offer me the intense sensation I am craving for, but Tobias just continues with his slow torture. Tonight he's taking his time with me.

As much as I loved our unfiltered desire last night, there is something to how he's showering my whole body with attention. He circles my right nipple again with his tongue, now and then licking right over it, and runs his fingertips down over my stomach and navel to my panties. It's the last bit of clothing he hasn't stolen from me yet. He skims over the thin fabric, right between my legs, but his touch stays soft and gentle. As I raise my hips to get a bit more friction, his hand moves away from me.

"You're torturing me," I whimper, my eyes searching for his.

"I mean to," he breathes and kisses my mouth with the same tenderness he dedicated to my breasts. "But only with the best intentions. Relax."

His fingers start their way down again between my breasts, following the same path they've wandered before. But his lips stay on mine, and our tongues sensually roll around each other's. When he reaches between my legs again, I try not to push against his fingers and just enjoy the soft caress he blesses me with. He's building up my tension so slowly that I'm sure I'm going to burst exceptionally fast once he decides to apply some pressure to where I need it.

My breath hitches as soon as he pushes my panties aside and finally touches my skin. I moan into his mouth and can't stop myself from smoothly moving my hips in sync with his exploring fingers as I succumb to his fondling. I have no idea how long we keep doing this, as it makes me float above everything else.

Only when Tobias moves his kisses from my mouth over my jaw to my neck, I weakly remember that I had my own plans for tonight.

"Tobias, I want to give you some attention, too," I whisper against his ear.

"Mmh, sure," he breathes against my raven tattoos he's kissing. "I won't stop you."

With delicate pressure, I push him onto his back and hover above him. I start teasing him the same way he teased me, too, by running lazy circles around his nipples with my tongue. His hands lightly stroke up and down my back, without applying any pressure. I relish in the deep breaths he takes while I kiss down over his stomach to his navel. From the suppressed sounds he makes, I think he's fighting to keep himself under control just like I had to.

When I start directing my kisses further down below his navel and plant an open-mouthed kiss on the tip of his erection above his briefs, he hisses my name in a way that spurs me on to hook my fingers into the waistband and get rid of this last piece of fabric he's wearing.

I don't ask him if he wants me to go on, I just know that he does. His hands have moved from my back to the sheets, giving me full control of the situation. I kneel between his legs, lay my hands on his hips and run my tongue up his length.

I feel the tension in his muscles as I hold his shaft with one hand and close my lips around him. Although I don't have any experience doing this, his reaction is thrilling. I've never held that much power over him, never. He's fully giving himself to me. I know how much trust is needed to do that, and it warms my heart and core alike as I sweep my tongue over his tip.

In the corner of my eyes, I notice how he grips the sheets harder. Taking that as a good sign, I start swirling my tongue around him, and he begins to groan as I feel him twitch in my hand.

I take my mouth away from him, just a little bit, so he can still feel my breath on his wet skin as I ask, "Like this?"

"Yeah." His voice trembles.

I take him between my lips again and explore him further with my tongue while he makes the most arousing sounds. I pay careful attention to every reaction he shows to find out what he enjoys most, wanting to learn how to give him pleasure like this. There doesn't seem to be much he doesn't like about it, though: There are the things that he likes, and those that make him quiver and clasp the blanket even more.

It's right after I find out how using my mouth on him and stroking my hand up and down his length makes him gasp for air that he puts his hands on my shoulders and pulls me up.

"Tris, I can't hold on any longer. This feels amazing."

Pride spreads inside me. I may not be perfect - yet -, but I can already drive him this high with what I'm doing.

"Come, sit down on me," Tobias asks me throatily and directs me with his hands on my waist until I'm right above him. I reach down for his hardness and lead him into me. It's a relief to ultimately have him this close after an eternity of foreplay.

I have to adjust myself in his lap until I can slide up and down on him, with him lying underneath me. It feels foreign to be this visible to him while we're having sex, but his fingers soon find their way to my clit, and it is just how I thought it would be: There's not much time needed for my lust to overflow as he now rubs me with the intensity I need.

I take a moment to calm back down, but I see how anxious Tobias is for his own release. I resume our earlier rhythm and steady myself with my hands on his chest as I move above him, and after holding back for my sake until a minute or so ago, he reaches his climax fast. It feels no less intense than mine, and I moan with him as he holds my waist tightly and stills inside me.

I bow down to kiss him, craving to reunite my lips with his.

"Just so fucking amazing," Tobias whispers and kisses my head as I cuddle into his side a few minutes later, spent, and it's the last thing I remember before falling asleep.