Tobias was watchful as they made their way through the Bureau, an exhausted Tris leaning on him for support. His arm was securely anchored around her shoulder while his eyes flicked back and forth, daring anyone to comment on their close proximity. Most people ignored them; after all, it wasn't as if dating were completely prohibited or that they didn't see occasional affection here and there. But there were a few watchful eyes, ones that knew that whatever was happening between them wasn't going to be tolerated for long. Those were the people he threatened with death with a single glare.

A loud, familiar laugh rang through the screen bank as they passed it, and Tobias's head snapped towards the sound. Briggs was laughing as he stared at them, black-eyed and nose bandaged, arrogant still despite having just been beaten by Tobias the previous night. Tobias shot him a dark look; if the asshole so much as opened his mouth, he'd be more than happy to add a few more bruises to his face. Briggs rolled his eyes and looked away, leaving Tobias to take in the scene before him. Amar was standing in front of the screens, tablet in hand. Jones and a few others were talking amongst themselves, watching the screens, and taking notes. He knew something must be happening in the city if it required their expertise. Amar looked up, and gave a subtle shake of his head. Tobias nodded in return and guided Tris towards the common room.

A part of him wanted to go back and join them, find out what was going on in the city and get back to the way things used to be: the mindless patrolling, watching the screens, doing security detail. But he knew he had reached a point in his life where that normalcy was long gone; everything was changing, and it was no longer just him. It wasn't just an innocent kiss he had shared with Tris; she was afraid of losing him, and if he was honest, he was afraid of losing her, too. It was terrifying how quickly she became his priority. He stood aside as she sat down on the couch, running events through his head, unsure where to start.

He paced back and forth, opening and closing his mouth a few times until his eyes landed on her. Her legs were pulled up, her arms wrapped around them. She looked small; too small for who she was, who he knew she could be. She was apprehensive, but he didn't blame her. None of it was easy. He wasn't sure if it ever would be.

"What now?" Her cheeks were flushed as she spoke, and it made his heart skip a beat. He knew it was a straightforward question, but he hoped for a moment that she was talking about the two of them. "What happens when they get the results?"

"I really don't know." He took a deep breath and sat. "I guess they take the data and store it. Maybe compare it to other Divergents. See if it gives them any insight into why you can do things differently, or why you're healed and others aren't." She pursed her lips and nodded.

Tobias could understand the point of drawing blood, mapping genes, and even the brain scans; those all seemed like they would be useful to their research. But the simulations or how the different serums affected Divergents or whatever else they decided to do always seemed gratuitous. Like the Bureau was doing whatever they could think of just to make themselves feel important or to justify their way of life. Justify stealing people from their homes just to prove how right they were.

He shook his head, and felt a gentle hand on his arm. His body reacted on its own, pulling itself closer like it knew her touch, desired it even, though he had never wanted that from anyone else. He steadied himself and looked over at her; he was at a complete loss for words. There was nothing that could explain how he felt when she looked at him — like nothing in the world mattered more than he did.

"You can tell me anything, you know." Her voice was barely above a whisper. She knew they needed to talk about what else might happen or what might be expected of her, but she wanted to forget it, even if it was only for a few moments. He pulled his arm away, quickly taking her hand when she misread his intentions. She held it tightly, squeezing once as he settled their hands between them, rubbing his thumb in small circles. Her skin was impossibly soft.

"I know." He gave her a small smile. "It's hard sometimes. People haven't always been… accepting of what I've had to say." Her eyebrows knit together, and he let out a sigh. He stared at nothing in particular, trying to figure out where to start; he felt like there was so much to say, and not enough time to say it.

"Your mom," she said, interrupting his thoughts. "Is she really dead?"

"Yeah," he whispered. "She is."

"Did Marcus…"

He nodded when she didn't finish her question. "It was her real funeral, and my fake one."

In order to quell suspicion, and to discourage others from being curious about Tobias's whereabouts after his mother's death, the Bureau had opted to find a body similar to his and had placed it in a nearby building. Where Evelyn had been living was on the outer edges of the city, far out even for the factionless, so it had taken some time to find her body and even longer to find Tobias's.

Tris's eyes were wide as he talked, and she found herself doubting every death she had ever heard about. Even though she'd had no knowledge of its existence until recently, her entire life had been dictated by the Bureau. She felt sick.

"Why did you leave Abnegation?" she asked after a moment.

Tobias found himself relieved that she was asking questions; he didn't have to worry about what to say next. He didn't even mind that the focus was on him; it was easier than he thought it would be to share these parts of himself. "Marcus. The abuse. She promised me it would be better to be factionless than to live like that. She was partially right."

Tris swallowed thickly, afraid to hear the answer to her next question. "How long did it go on?"

Tobias almost didn't hear her: she had shrunk into herself, barely looking up at him through her eyelashes. He almost laughed at his instinct to comfort her, even though he was the one reliving his worst nightmares. "The first time I remember Marcus hitting my mother, I was five, maybe six. He was yelling at her in the kitchen and I walked in there, determined to stop it. He rounded on me, and I'm sure he would have hit me then if she hadn't thrown herself between the two of us."

Tris frowned as she lifted her head. He had lived seven houses down from her, such a small distance compared to the world, and she had known nothing about it. She hated that this had been going on and nobody had been brave enough to step up and say something. Then again, it was Abnegation; the notion that someone there might actually do something besides mind their own business made her want to roll her eyes.

"When did he start hitting you?"

Tobias noticed that she wasn't nearly as shy as she had been a minute ago. "Around eight. I dropped a dish. He called me wasteful. Said there was no way I could be his child, as clumsy as I was. He beat me right there in the kitchen, my face pressed down into the broken porcelain."

Tris closed her eyes, shaking her head. She hated Marcus, but she was beginning to hate herself more for ever looking up to him, for thinking that he had been an amazing husband and father and leader, for respecting him for breaking factional law and hosting their funerals in the Abnegation cemetery. She opened her eyes; the look on Tobias's face made her heart flutter. She thought there was at least one good thing that came out of all of this: Tobias had learned that there was someone who cared about him.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Tobias hung his head; her heart thumped when she realized how it came out, and quickly amended, "I didn't… I don't mean to blame you. I was just ask—"

"I know, Tris." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I did, actually, in third grade. My teacher noticed I was pulling away and was exceedingly quiet, even for an Abnegation kid. She came up behind me, put her hand on my back, and I winced. She and another teacher took me out of class after lunch and inspected my back, saw the gashes. It was one of the first times he used his belt, and I hadn't learned how to hide it. When they asked, I told them everything, and that he had been hurting my mother, too. I was so relieved that I could finally help her, that I could do something to stop him: something more effective than my feeble attempts at intervening and then cowering in fear when I couldn't. I had imagined Dauntless soldiers coming and arresting him, my mother and me finally being free. But nothing happened until a week later, when the paper came out with the headline, 'Marcus Eaton: Abusive Husband and Father'."

Tris felt her stomach drop. She remembered the accusatory articles that were still being published by the Erudite. The articles that she now knew were telling the truth.

"I couldn't go to school for almost two weeks after he saw it, and my mother couldn't do anything, either. She could barely stand. Marcus told everyone we had caught a nasty bug and were being quarantined so we didn't infect anyone else. Being the leader of Abnegation clearly came with its perks, because not a single person questioned him. On my first day back to school, my teacher looked down at me and smiled, like she knew why I had really been gone. I never trusted anyone from Erudite after that."

Tris hadn't realized how tightly she was squeezing his hand until he tried to wiggle his fingers; she lowered her legs and pulled him towards her. There was an ache, a sadness growing inside of her for all the things he had experienced. But it lessened as she pressed her body against him, feeling how her heart leapt at the chance to beat in sync with his. His arms wrapped around her, holding her against him.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

He pulled away, searching her expression intently. He shook his head slowly, leaning forward to rest it against hers. She closed her eyes. "It's not your fault, Tris."

"I know. But our faction…" She looked up, her eyes meeting his. "We failed you."

"Doesn't matter. All that matters now is this."

She pulled away, looking at the four white walls surrounding them: this was all that mattered now. She didn't like the fact that her home had fallen to the wayside, that she would never see anyone inside of it again unless it was through a camera feed. And she didn't like that the Bureau could dictate what happened next with her or Tobias, or anything else for that matter.

"Why didn't they help?" she asked, and Tobias scrunched his eyebrows. "With Marcus. The Bureau had to have known he was hurting you and your mother, or at least they knew once you got here. Why didn't they make sure he was found out?"

A sad smile crossed his face. "It's their policy not to intervene in anything unless the situation becomes dire."

She stared at him, open-mouthed, then shook her head, muttering that this place was becoming more insane by the minute. "Dire? What does that even mean?" she asked, her voice rising. "An important political leader committed abuse and… and murder, and that isn't dire enough for them? What? Are they just going to wait until the city turns into the Fringe before they step in?"

"Tris," he sighed, "It's not what you think. The Bureau has access to everything, and every faction has a serum that was developed to help cope with things so that they don't have to."

Her eyebrows knit together. Everyone knew about Candor's truth serum, and she'd learned at the Bureau that Dauntless has a fear serum, but she had never heard anything about Abnegation having one. Or Erudite, or Amity.

"Amity has a peace serum," Tobias started, answering her next question before she could even ask it. "Abnegation has a memory serum, and Erudite has a death serum."

"Death?" Her eyes went wide. "So, what, does Erudite just decide that someone deserves to die and they inject them with their serum? Or… or does your father decide that someone's memories should be changed? What's the purpose of that? Why have rules and laws if you can just use a serum and do whatever you want?" She threw her hands in the air.

Tobias pursed his lips, giving Tris a moment to process before he continued. "The Bureau has used the memory serum on the city before, Tris. They decided to erase everyone's memories and make them start over."

"What?"

She flew off the couch, almost knocking into a chair, and began to pace back and forth, her mind reeling from yet another bombshell she couldn't have ever imagined. She stopped and closed her eyes, imagining her parents and everyone she ever knew having their lives erased because someone like David said so. She clenched her jaw and balled her fists, wishing she was in Dauntless so she could take out some of her anger.

She didn't hear him stand, but wasn't startled to feel his fingertips on her chin. Her body reacted to his already familiar touch, and leaned forward as he tipped her chin up. Her anger subsided as he brought her back to the moment. She opened her eyes to see Tobias in front of her, his eyes gazing softly into hers.

She sighed and placed her hands on his chest, thankful for the distraction. Her fingertips left a trail of goosebumps in their wake as she trailed them up and around his neck, his own coming to rest on her waist. She wet her lips, his eyes flicking down at the movement before finding their way back, a small smile on his face. Her body was singing with the desire she felt, and the security of simply being near him. Tris stood on her toes as his arms moved around to pull her closer; their bodies aligned as if they were made for each other, and his mouth found hers. Tobias moved slowly, insistently; it came naturally to them, as though they'd kissed each other a hundred times before. She allowed herself to get lost in the moment, letting go of everything that was wrong in the world, and replacing it with everything that was right. She wanted to get lost in him forever.

He pulled away, leaving her breathless and wanting more. She leaned in again but he leaned back slightly, his hands moving to her hips, holding her in place. He knew he could spend a lifetime kissing Tris and it would never be enough, but they had to be careful. There were still rules in place. She nodded, understanding without having to be told. She gave him a soft smile before sitting back down.

"So why did they use it?" She asked the question so casually, like the past couple of minutes didn't just take place. Her ability to seamlessly shift between her aptitudes came easier than he would have thought possible. "What was so dire that it finally made them step in?"

"The city was at war with itself," he said, sitting next to her. "All the damage in the factionless sector? It wasn't always like that."

"Why?"

"That I don't know, I was just told it happened." Their conversation was interrupted by Tobias's watch beeping.

"Go for Four."

"You got a minute? I need you to come to the office." Amar's tone let Tobias know that something was wrong.

"Copy."

He stood, turning to look at Tris. "Sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Go ahead."

"You know, this is probably going to happen more frequently. They're going to want me to start getting back to work, and they'll want to find something for you to do, too."

"I know." She couldn't imagine what job they could offer her to make her happy, considering she was beginning to think that she really didn't belong at the Bureau at all. "Go," she said, sensing his hesitation. He gave her one last smile before leaving.

Tobias walked briskly past the screen bank. His colleagues were nowhere in sight, but there were a few extra people sitting around the screens, presumably to monitor whatever was happening. He walked into the security room to find Amar alone.

"Hey," he said over his shoulder. Tobias could see he was watching feed from the Fringe.

"What's going on?"

"I wanted to talk to you in private." Amar turned the screen off, turning his chair to face Tobias. "David's been on a rant lately."

"About?"

Amar gave him a pointed look. "You know exactly what about."

Tobias sighed. "What the hell is he expecting? She just went through sims. If he quits bitching long enough to look at the footage, I guarantee he'll be in a better mood."

Amar narrowed his eyes. "How'd she do?"

"Better than you and me."

Amar nodded his head slowly. Tobias knew there was more he wanted to say; Amar was simply stalling, formulating the right words and preparing to scrutinize Tobias's reaction like always. He steeled himself, determined to not give anything away.

"Things are a little weird in the city," he started. It took Tobias by surprise. "It seems as though your father has been taking secret trips to Erudite. He's been meeting with Jeanine."

Tobias's hands balled into fists instinctively. "How long has this been going on?"

"Not sure. We've known for a few weeks, maybe a month. Any ideas?"

"How the hell should I know?"

Amar raised his hands in defense. "I'm just asking. I think David is paranoid. He's been talking about putting a detail in to try and get close to Jeanine. We've got as many cameras on her as possible and we still know nothing. Between her and your father, hell, even Therese riling the factionless up lately by telling them to go places they've never been before, something's up. Paranoid or not, you know David isn't going to ignore it."

Tobias wanted to tell Amar that he was wrong, that he didn't know what he was talking about, but he could feel the truth of Amar's words resonating deep inside of him. Just before they pulled Tris out, Marcus had begun disappearing for hours on end, with nothing to account for his whereabouts. Whatever was happening, if it involved his father, then it surely was a move to keep what power he had. Or to obtain more, somehow.

"So what's the plan?" Tobias asked.

"For now, we're still going to watch. But if he wants to plant someone in the city, you know he's going to ask her."

"Why? He could choose any one of us who've never been there. It's Erudite, pick one of the damned scientists." Tobias's voice was slowly rising. He, too, had been offered the choice of going back into the city to relay information a few years after he had arrived, but he had declined. He had known he wouldn't be able to blend in or adapt. But Tris, he was learning, was a chameleon; she could hide anywhere.

"I'm just giving you a heads-up. You know David's going to want to pull her in close, treat her like his pet." Amar was quiet for a moment, mulling things over in his head. "She's not like you and me, is she?" Tobias shook his head. "Well, you know that, and now I know that, and David's going to know that very soon. He's going to offer her something, even if it isn't this, so you might want to throw it out there and see how she reacts."

"And if she says no?"

Amar shrugged. "Everyone says yes to something."

"Have you talked to George?" Tobias asked, deflecting the topic off of Tris and trying to assuage the guilt gnawing at the back of his mind.

"Last night. Why?"

"He say anything?" Amar raised his eyebrows and Tobias sighed. "Is he still out wherever he is?"

"Omaha. And yeah, why?"

Tobias didn't have much of a chance to debate if he wanted to spill what he saw: Amar stood up, crossing his arms over his chest. Even though he was at least five inches shorter than Tobias, Amar was intimidating when he felt threatened. Tobias conceded with a subtle nod.

"He was here. Saw him talking with David. It just struck me as odd since I thought he wasn't coming back for a few weeks."

"He told me he was coming back early, but that he still had a week of travel and we wouldn't be able to talk." Amar chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"Maybe it's nothing," Tobias tried to reassure, but Amar's eyes snapped to his; they were full of hurt and betrayal. "He and David were exchanging pieces of paper. Any idea what that could be?" He decided to just go for it. If Amar was feeling hurt, he might let something slip.

"Probably just data."

"Amar, you've been here for what, almost two years now?" Amar nodded. "When have you ever seen anyone exchange data on paper?"

He watched Amar carefully, trying to judge what his reaction would be. Amar deflated slightly, his arms coming to rest on his sides. He was lost in thought for a moment, before shaking his head. "Thank you, Four." Amar gave him a tight smile and sat back down. Tobias hesitated a moment, not quite sure what to do, but decided not to push Amar any further. He felt guilty for hurting his friend, but if George was lying, it was better that Amar knew. He left and made his way back to Tris, who was curled up on the couch, tablet in hand.

"It made a noise," she said, holding it up a little. "Matthew sent my simulation footage."

Tobias nodded and sat next to her. "And?"

"And… it's kind of crazy. There were only six of them. I swear it felt like there were more. And it only took me twenty-six minutes to get through them. How is that even possible? Some of them felt like they went on for hours."

She flipped through some of the videos, watching, analyzing. A few were straightforward, while others were a little more confusing to her. She got to the last one and her eyes flicked up to Tobias; he was watching her intently.

"Want to talk about it?"

"No," she answered quickly. "What did Amar want?"

"Stop deflecting," he countered just as fast. "You should talk—"

"I have been talking."

He sighed as she stood up, setting the tablet on the table. She stretched; his eyes drank in the way her back arched, and the thin strip of skin that was exposed as her shirt lifted. He unwillingly dragged his eyes up when she put her arms down to find her eyes were locked onto him, too.

"Fine," she whispered. "Let's take a walk."

A/N:
Just a heads up. I will continue with my normal Tues/Fri posting next week, even though it will be a crazy holiday weekend for most of us!

And as always, thank you for all your kind reviews. They are nowhere near done talking, obviously, so consider this chapter your appetizer. :P