Tobias limped into the lobby and was greeted by the blank, confused faces of people he'd seen every day for years. He sighed, then made his way to the closest one: a woman he'd met before named Wendy. He spent a moment with her, at least making sure she knew her name, until he caught Neil doing the same thing with some of the others.

"Hey, Neil. Listen—"

"What's going on? Why is everyone acting like they don't know who they are?"

"Because we reset their memories," Tobias mumbled. "It was our only option."

"And I wasn't reset because…" He stopped, gripping his arm as he realized why he was unaffected. "Oh."

"You know most of these people, right?" Neil nodded. "Then do what you can to help them at least remember their names. Basic stuff like reading and general knowledge of their job will remain, though it may not be accessible for a while. I've got to find someone, get some help—"

"Four!" He turned to see Amar jog up. "George is secured in a holding cell. Your status report?"

Tobias gave him a quick rundown on what had transpired with Tris and Briggs, that Matthew was dead, and that by now, Caleb probably was, too. He left Neil with instructions that if Ruby or Jones were to pass through, they were to help him start working on the memories of the people affected by the serum release.

He and Amar made their way as quickly as they could back to Tris, only to discover she was missing. Tobias cursed under his breath while they confirmed that Matthew and Caleb were both gone. "Go," Amar told him. "I can't just leave them here like this. I'll be right behind you as soon as I can. Just… don't do anything rash, Four."

Tris walked with purpose, determined to set everything right and to avenge every unjust death. She was tired, so tired, but she knew she couldn't give up now. David needed to answer to her. He needed to be held responsible for every lie he had told that had led to this moment.

She threw the door open to his office without a second thought; he was seated behind his desk, eyes on a tablet. She wasn't sure if she wanted to find him staring at the wall, his memory wiped clean, or acting as though it were just another day at the office. "Ahh, Beatrice," he said, his voice unaffected by the day's drama, "Did you really expect me to not have a full complement of vaccines here in my office?" He eyed the gun in her hand. "Please, sit down."

Tris was cautious as she took a few steps into the room. She observed David for a moment, watching his routine movements as he went about his business as usual. A part of her wondered how he knew about their plan, but deep down she knew there wasn't a single thing that went on at the Bureau that escaped David's notice. She continued to stand, resting her free hand on the top of the chair directly in front of her, and waited patiently for him to finish and give her his undivided attention.

"You know," he started, turning the tablet off and setting it aside, "I think I underestimated you. Though you went behind my back, your resolve and your determination, the purity in your heart that led you to believe you were taking the correct course of action, is leaps and bounds ahead of where I assumed it would be. I would be willing to overlook your indiscretion, because you and I, we could do marvelous things together. You are the shining example of what it means to be pure, and I could give the world what it needs if—"

"There is no you and I, David!" He looked taken aback at her interruption. "There never was, and there never will be. There is no such thing as a pure, perfect person, nor is there a need for one. I know everything you have done and the way you deceived us. I know about the lies and the manipulated data you sent to your superiors. The world is healing without you, David."

"The world needs me!" He slammed his fist on the table, a few papers scattering. He stood slowly, pointing an accusing finger at Tris, his calm demeanor replaced with anger. "I am the reason you are here," he seethed through his teeth. "I am the reason you are even alive, do you understand that?" Tris raised an eyebrow, convinced that David wasn't just on a power trip, but that he was delusional, too. "Without me, you are nothing! You and I will get through this, one way or another." David made a move around his desk, and Tris took no chances.

She kicked the chair she was standing behind into David with all her might, lunging when he was caught off guard. Tris summoned all her strength and knocked into him with her shoulder, screaming as pain shot through it. David looked up at her from the ground, surprised again by her confounding behavior. Before he could move, she raised a shaky hand, pointing the gun at him.

"Now, now, Beatrice." His calm demeanor was back as he held his hands up in surrender. "This isn't like you."

She knelt down and pressed the gun to his forehead, her hands steady. "No, David. This is exactly like me." She pressed the gun harder into him, gritting her teeth.

"They've corrupted you," David whispered, his eyes darting back and forth. "It's the only explanation. You're pure, you can't possibly commit…" His eyes flicked to hers, as if she weren't pressing the barrel of a gun to his head, her finger on the trigger. "Brainwashed. He brainwashed you! This is what happens when you congregate with vermin! They turn you into… into this!"

"They aren't vermin, they're people! People you would know nothing about because you decided they weren't worthy. But every person is worthy, David. And that's something you'll never get the chance to figure out." She cocked the gun, and pressed it even harder against his skull.

"Tris?" Her heart dropped at the sound of Tobias's voice, but she refused to let him distract her. "Tris, please."

"Tobias, just… don't."

"You can't do this," he pleaded. "I know you think it's right to kill David, that it will make you feel better by getting revenge for Caleb and Matthew and everyone else. And I won't argue that he doesn't deserve it, and that you might even feel good about it at first. But I know you. You'll think about it every day. How you looked into his eyes and decided that he should die. How you watched the life leave his body. It will eat at you, Tris, and you don't deserve to have your life ruined further by him."

Marcus hadn't left the back of his mind since their confrontation. Though Tobias didn't pull the trigger himself, he was directly responsible for him ending up dead in the middle of nowhere. There was no doubt that Marcus deserved what he got, but it was something that would stick with Tobias for the rest of his life. He should have kept his temper under control and let Marcus be dealt with through the proper channels. While it wasn't quite guilt he was feeling, it was close enough, and he knew it would kill Tris to feel the same way for the rest of her life.

"As if she has any other choice now," David spat. "You poisoned her with your defective mind. She would never be in this position if it weren't for you."

"She's always had a choice," Tobias murmured.

Tris stood slowly, keeping the gun aimed at David as she tried to weigh the options that warred inside of her. After everything she had been through, her instincts were screaming that she needed to kill or be killed. If she let David live, who was going to stop him from continuing his lies? What if nobody believed them? David had all the advantages since he was in a position of power. Whatever happened, Tris knew for sure she could never forgive herself if she stood by and allowed things to continue on without change. The world needed to be rid of David's influence.

"I knew you couldn't shoot me. I knew the purity inside of you wouldn't allow you to do it. Your purity makes you so much more advanced than these—" Tris let out a growl and pulled the trigger. She watched David writhe in pain, ignoring his cries as he tried to hold his knee together. Tobias looked at her in surprise, an odd mixture of confusion and pride crawling through him.

"I got tired of everyone thinking I wouldn't do it," she mumbled. "I'm not perfect, and I'm not pure. I can kill just as easily as anyone else."

Tobias slowly made his way to her and tried to ease her away from David, turning their heads towards the door when someone cleared their throat. Tobias raised his gun and put himself between Tris and an older man he didn't recognize. "Now, there's no need for that," the man said, holding his hands up. David let out another cry, and the man raised his eyebrows in that direction, unable to see him behind his desk. "This is David's office — I'm assuming that's him making all that noise back there?"

Tris placed a soft hand on Tobias's arm as she moved to stand next to him. They shared a glance before Tobias spoke up. "That depends. Who are you?"

The man extended a hand and took a few small steps forward, revealing Amar waiting behind him. Amar nodded to Tobias, who lowered his gun. "Forgive me. My name is Alexander Ross, and I am the commanding officer of the NAA. We were contacted by Matthew Cole, but your colleague here has informed me that he is deceased." He glanced down, finally able to see David's contorted face. "So, who's in charge now that David is 'indisposed'?"

"There are other council members," Tobias said, "But their whereabouts and mental state are unknown at this time."

"I see. Things are a little… messy here, aren't they?" Commander Ross took another look around David's office. "The question still stands, though."

"Amar," Tris answered.

"We all are, Commander," Amar countered.

"Well, I guess we'd all better get to work then; there's a lot to be done here. And please, do call me Alexander."

They accompanied Alexander into a nearby conference room where he relayed orders for the other council members to be located, for David to be picked up and transported to their nearest secure facility after he was stabilized, and to retrieve George from his cell for transport, too. They were seated on one side of a table, while Alexander and a handful of other people they had never seen before sat across from them, one setting up a camera. Tris shivered and looked up at the ceiling when thunder rumbled in the distance. A young woman handed Tris a damp towel with a kind smile; she used it to wipe some of Caleb's blood off her hands.

"I hope you don't mind. This makes things easier to verify at a later date," Alexander said, motioning to the camera. They were uneasy, though they understood. He motioned for Tris to start, and she knew that in order for things to make sense to someone who had no knowledge of anything that had happened, she had to start at the very beginning. She felt like she talked for hours, getting choked up a few times when she recalled what she could from her time inside Erudite. Tobias rubbed her back and squeezed her hand a few times while Alexander scribbled things down and slid papers to various people to begin pulling information on every name Tris mentioned. After she finished, Tobias and Amar gave their accounts, too, the three seeming to verify each other's stories even during the time when they had been apart.

The low rumble they heard earlier was growing louder, making Tris wonder just how much time had passed. She hated being cooped up, and she hated having to recall everything she had been through. She wanted time to grieve and to think without anybody asking her to make things worse by reliving every nightmare she'd endured.

Alexander apologized for monopolizing their time, and for not noticing that both Tobias and Tris had injuries that needed attention. They both waved him off and agreed to head directly to the infirmary. Tris's wound had begun healing already and only required a small amount of glue and a bandage, while Tobias's was a little more serious: the bullet had sliced through his flesh, requiring seven stitches.

They checked her shoulder, too, rotating it and verifying she hadn't injured it when she charged at David. When she was given the all clear, Tris slipped away. She wandered through the Bureau, checking on Neil and Ruby and everyone else busily helping members of the NAA to restore memories. She had completely forgotten about the chance that a plane could have been deployed; she was relieved to learn that although David had initiated the memory wipe protocol, Ruby and the Dauntless that went with her were able to prevent them from reaching the planes, and the city was still intact. She briefly wondered if Alexander and the NAA were going to step in and stop what Jeanine had started, too. On emotional overload, Tris rushed through the hallways until she was outside, away from the incessant buzz of activity that was happening all around her. She needed space and time to think or forget, or do anything at all besides deal with what was happening in front of her.

She ran as hard and as far as she could, letting out a sob when her legs gave out and she dropped to her knees. With nobody around and no walls surrounding her, she felt like she could finally breathe. She let everything out: all the tears, all the rage she had bottled up inside. She couldn't help but feel like coming to the Bureau had been the biggest mistake of her life. Thunder rolled again, this time letting a few drops spring free from the clouds. She didn't move when it began to fall more heavily; it felt like she somehow deserved to be alone in the pouring rain.

The temperature dropped, allowing her to breathe even easier; she hadn't realized how stifling it was indoors. She ran her hands through the wet grass, studying how the blades felt against her fingertips and how the water made them slick. She was so consumed with distracting herself —watching how the water pooled or dripped from one blade to another— that it took her some time to realize Tobias was standing at a distance, watching. He walked towards her, his limp slightly lessened.

"Your leg," she said as he dropped in front of her, a slight wince on his face.

He shook his head and waved his hand. "Just a flesh wound."

Tobias studied her face, watching the way she tried to mask her pain from him. His movements were slow as he reached his hands out, waiting for permission to touch her. She lifted her arm slightly and he latched on, afraid if he waited any longer she'd pull it back from him. It started with his fingertips on her hands, rubbing, massaging, trying to erase every last drop of evidence that this day had ever existed.

He ground his fingers into every crevice before he moved up her arm, using the storm to wash her clean and make her new. It felt good to help her like this. It felt Abnegation. Tobias took his time with each hand, each arm, not noticing her tears that had begun to fall. Every touch from him was filled with care and love, and she felt it all the way down to her soul.

When her arms and hands were clean, he placed a finger under her chin, lifting her face to his. She closed her eyes as his thumbs roved over her cheeks and her chin, wiping everything away and revealing the perfection underneath. Tobias let his thumb graze the corner of her lips before running his hands down her neck, leaving her unsure if she wanted more when he pulled away.

Though the rain was falling steadily, a low rumble nearby, there was nothing but silence between them. Tobias wanted to fill it with how much she meant to him, and that he would always choose her over everyone and everything. But there was hesitation evident in her movements and the way her breathing had changed. Even in the slight tremble in her body. He began to feel like he might deserve her distance, like it was a punishment for his greatest sin.

She stood without a word and walked away from him, away from the building, away from everything. It was too hard to see the look in his eyes, to know how much he cared. She was broken, damaged; he deserved better.

Tobias felt a pain in his chest as she left him there, alone. He didn't know how to deal with his emotions or hers, he just knew he wanted to be close to her. He needed to feel her warmth and the way she fit against him. He followed her until they were underneath the big tree. It felt awkward to be at the place he first realized he loved her when things weren't right between them. But it also felt like hope, like fate had brought them back to the beginning. There was no denying things were different now, but Tobias couldn't think of a better place to start anew.

He sat next to her and pulled her to him without a word. His body felt like fire where they touched, and every inch of him was screaming that with her was where he belonged. She curled into him, the tears coming harder. Her mind and body and heart were all pulling her in different directions, trying to tell her that this was both right and wrong and everything in between, until she gave up and let his warmth in.

"My parents," she whispered against his chest. "And Caleb."

"They died protecting you, protecting their faction. And Caleb…" He sighed. "Did you forgive him?" She nodded. "Then he died knowing you loved him, and that's what's important."

Tris took a moment to let herself feel the pain and hear the truth in his words. Her mother fought against a man with a violent past, a man twice her size, to ensure that she and Caleb could escape. Tris wished she had understood how deep her mother's love ran before she left her family behind to come to the Bureau. She wished she could have one last chance to tell them all how much she loved them, too.

She sobbed out the words when the pain became too much. "I don't… I don't have a family anymore."

He pulled back, forcing her to look up at him. "You have me," he offered, sighing when she gave a half-hearted shrug in response. "I never wanted the family I had, Tris. It took me a long time to realize that family doesn't always come from blood relationships. Family can also be the people you choose to let into your life."

Tris nodded, wiping her eyes. He was right, but it hurt to hear the words he was saying, what he was desperate for her to say back. Her heart was shattered in a million pieces; she thought it should be whole before she let anyone back in.

"I can't believe that Marcus…" She stopped, the pain of reliving it again too much.

Tobias's eyes dropped as he admitted quietly, "I killed him."

She studied his face, the hard lines that creased his forehead. He looked at her for a moment, then stared off at nothing as the rain began to ease up. She waited for him to offer up any kind of reason or explanation, but a million thoughts were racing through his mind, along with the ramifications of stating any of them aloud.

"Maybe it's just better this way."

She scrunched her eyebrows. "Maybe what's better?"

"That we're not…" He looked at her for only a second before lowering his eyes. "You and I."

"You and I what?" she whispered.

"That we aren't together, Tris."

Her heart beat faster at his admission. She knew she was having similar thoughts, but hearing him say it out loud, knowing he felt the same way, too, brought forth a whole new set of emotions, ones that made her realize that she wasn't the only one hurting. "Tobias, what happened?"

He took a deep breath and told Tris everything that happened after Amar brought her back to the Bureau; she had heard most of it when he and Amar gave their version of what happened to Alexander. The omission had come easily when he told the 'official' story, but it felt good to say it out loud now, to tell the truth to someone, even if it meant permanently damaging their relationship. When he finished, he was afraid to look at her; he didn't think he could handle the disgust on her face.

"Tobias, that's not…" She paused for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. "You weren't the monster."

"Wasn't I?" His eyes snapped to hers. "I beat him, with my own two hands. Given enough time, he would have… He was already unconscious, Amar just ended it a little more mercifully than I would have."

"Tobias, you weren't wrong to rid this world of Marcus Eaton. That man was evil, and he told you that he would kill anyone else that got in his way. He didn't exactly leave you with many options."

"That's not a good enough reason, Tris. There was still another option." He dropped his eyes again, his voice low. "And it's not just that I couldn't stop, I didn't want to stop. The idea of him getting away with what he had done to my mother and to yours… I couldn't live with myself if I just stood by and allowed him to come after you. But none of those things makes what I did right. I let myself become a monster."

He brought a hand up to his face, not wanting her to see the tears that were forming. It stung to say the words out loud, but she needed to hear them. While he could never imagine himself hurting her, he had also never thought he was capable of what he had done. The threat of turning into Marcus —even if it was a milder bastardization of the monster— was a very real possibility, and she deserved to know that.

"I would have killed him, too." Tris's voice was loud, defiant. "Does that make me a monster?"

"No. But Tris, it's different—"

"No, it's not. Your father—" Tris stopped when she saw him wince. "Marcus," she corrected, "Wasn't someone worth saving, Tobias. He killed your mother and mine. He kidnapped me from Erudite for God only knows what reason. He beat you and your mother for years. He left you with no options other than to live factionless or risk dying at his hand. And these are just the things we know about. Who knows if there's more? Tobias, that man was evil, and you are nothing like him."

He wanted to believe her, was desperate for her words to be true. But doubts were running rampant in his mind the same way Tris's guilt was invading hers. "Come on," he said, offering her a hand after he stood. "There's still so much to do."

A/N:

These two have been through so much, both together and apart, that they almost don't know up from down and left from right. This chapter contains one of my favorite scenes I've ever written. While the idea for Tobias to wash Tris sort of stemmed from the title, I think it was really important to show this intimate moment between the two of them when everything is falling apart and they're essentially lost in a limbo of 'what now?'. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Also, over 600 reviews?! I can't thank you guys enough. You have no idea how much it means to have this amount of support.