Disclaimer: I'm sleep-deprived and exhausted and overwhelmed with school, which I don't think Veronica Roth is right now. And Veronica Roth actually owns Divergent, not me.

A/N: I really meant to put this up sooner, you guys, I promise. February and the first few days of March have just been hectic for me. Especially because I just started my first longer original story, in the form of a novella. It's been such a blast to write! But that, along with school, has left me completely drained. I'm here now, though, so let's get right into it!

I stare into the frothing water just inches below the rock I'm sitting on, watching it fiercely tumble down its path. Try as I might, I can't erase the smile on my face.

It isn't long before I catch the sound of steps coming down the path. Quickly, I swivel to face their owner. A few seconds later, Tobias comes into view from behind the rock. I can tell that he notices my uncontrollable smile almost immediately, judging by the way he chuckles as he settles himself beside me, his lips twitching into a small smile of his own. "Someone's over the moon, huh?"

I roll my eyes at his lighthearted teasing, but don't bother to deny it. I have been abnormally happy since the banquet, and, at least in front of the people I care about, I'm not afraid to admit it.

But then, Tobias leans forward, a mischievous glint in his eyes, and innocently asks, "Do you want to know how your friends took the news?"

Oh, god, maybe I should be afraid.

"How much did you two exaggerate the story?"

My brother smirks. "Well, maybe just a little bit…"

I can't help myself. I groan, loudly, the moment incredibly reminiscent of a few hours ago, when Juniper revealed her bet with Chloe and Kian. The sound seems to break a dam in my brother, because he starts laughing. Rowan and I shouldn't have left Juniper and Tobias to tell the story.

His laughter dies quickly, though, with his apparent eagerness to tell the story. "I'm kidding. We just told them the truth. Lavender squealed. Like, actually, squealed." He shakes his head, but the gesture is more amused than annoyed. "I thought initiation had sapped most of the Amity out of her, but evidently not. Chloe and Kian were happy for you, I'm sure, but I think their mind was more occupied with the loss of their cake. And Julia and Ethan didn't seem surprised."

"But they're all fine with it?" I don't know where the question comes from - likely from some deep, insecure part of me that still really doesn't know how to handle healthy relationships, even after three weeks in Dauntless.

Tobias smiles, like he can sense my inner turmoil. Honestly, after all these years, I wouldn't be surprised if he could. "Of course they're fine with it, Cam. Actually, I think they're all relieved. It was getting a bit painful to watch you both skirt around each other as you figured it out for yourselves. Especially you."

I groan again. Tobias is clearly not going to let up on the teasing. "Well, not everyone has taken How to Recognize Subtle Romantic Gestures 101."

"Hey, neither have I, but Rowan is horrible at being subtle, no offense to him. I think you're just even more oblivious than I was."

I glare at him. "I don't think you can talk. Your little sister had her first kiss before you, that's just embarrassing."

My brother brings a hand up to his heart with an exaggerated wince. "Ouch, Cam, hitting right where it hurts. I see how it is."

"Finally. I thought you'd never see the light."

"If this is what you call light, you really need to get some new light bulbs."

I smack him lightly on the arm. "Did you just call me dim?!"

He smirks at me. "Possibly."

"You're the worst."

"Thank you."

I stifle the urge to groan again. As annoying and infuriating as he can be, Tobias is my brother, and I'd rather deal with his relentless teasing than lose him. Initiation was a firm reminder of how fragile safety is, how quickly everything I love could be taken away.

I lean into my brother's side, and his arm comes up to settle around my shoulders. Although the word truce is unspoken, it's heavy in the air between us.

We sit in silence, my eyes once again following the water's path down the Chasm. I can feel a cool, light spray of water hitting my lower leg. Despite the ferociousness of the water beneath us, it's peaceful.

I don't know how long we sit like that before Tobias turns his head towards me. "So, have you decided what job you're going to pick?"

I shift slightly, mimicking the action. "I think so. Rowan told me about all the jobs while we were walking."

Tobias hums, letting me know he's heard me. It's also a silent signal, asking me to keep going.

"I think I'll take your advice and go for faction ambassador. But that's only if I don't have to be ambassador to Abnegation."

"Good choice." He pauses for a second, seemingly trying to recall something, before continuing. "And I don't think you'll have to be. From what I remember, ambassadors are allowed to pick two factions that they will serve as ambassadors for, as long as neither of them have too many ambassadors already."

"Wait." I push myself up until I'm supporting my own weight. Tobias' hand falls off of my shoulders. "How do you know that? Were you going to become an ambassador?"

My brother chuckles. "No. But Max offered the position to me when I turned down leadership. Ambassador training is a lot like leadership training, so it's not uncommon for ambassadors to go into leadership later on, which is probably what Max wanted me to do. Offering that to me was a big mistake, though. I'd probably punch the ambassadors of any of the other factions. I'm not exactly the greatest at negotiating."

The mental image of Tobias punching another faction's ambassador pulls the corners of my lips upwards. "Good thing you turned Max down, then."

"Yep. You have any ideas for what two factions you want to be an ambassador to?"

I think about that. Abnegation's definitely out, for obvious reasons, which leaves Amity, Candor, and Erudite. Neither the Amity or Candor are particularly appealing, with the first being the complete opposite of Dauntless, not to mention constantly drugged up on peace serum, and the other being brutally honest. But the Erudite, with their hatred of Abnegation and hunt of Divergents, are an even worse choice. The longer I spend in the Erudite compound, the harder I'll have to work to hide my faction of origin. Because if anyone there finds out, I'll face more questions about Marcus, and more discrimination. And, even worse, there will be more of a chance of Jeanine figuring out that I'm Divergent.

What would happen to me if she does find out? Would I end up as another "suicide", another body in the Chasm? What about my friends, Tobias, Rowan? Would she investigate them too, try to see if any of them were harboring my secret?

Every ounce of self-preservation I have points to the fact that I should stay far, far away from Erudite. Pick Amity and Candor as my two factions and leave it at that.

But picking Erudite, having access to their compound, would also give me access to potentially valuable information. It could give us answers about why the Erudite are going after the Abnegation, why Jeanine is visiting the Dauntless leaders so frequently, what the mysterious vials she shows the leaders contain, and the Erudite's plans for the future. If I play everything right, I could potentially gather even more information than Tobias' mirroring program will.

Is the information worth the risk, though? A part of my brain protests. But then, I think about Kian and Chloe, the way they spouted facts about snakes to tease Juniper. I think about Julia, may or may not be Divergent, the way she defended my right to privacy. I think about Tobias, the brother who's always tried to take on every bit of pain he could for me, and my mind is made up.

Now, between Amity and Candor. The Candor are more similar to the Dauntless, my chosen faction, because telling the truth isn't always easy. It requires at least some bravery. Meanwhile, the Amity are practically the opposite of Dauntless. But they're also the most similar to Abnegation, the faction I grew up in. I could probably get into the heads of the Amity better than I could the Candor. And that's the trick to negotiations, isn't it? Thinking like the other side, so you can make them happy?

Tobias' words bring me out of my racing thoughts. "I don't think you've ever been this quiet before, Cam. It's honestly kind of scary."

I shove my brother's shoulder slightly. "Shut up."

"Finally, you're back from dreamland. Made a decision yet?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I'm going to be an ambassador to Amity."

I gauge his reaction. He smiles, not seeming upset with the decision. That's good. He'll undoubtedly dislike the next one. "Good luck with that. I'd probably punch them before any progress could be made. What's your other choice?"

"It's, um-" I take a deep breath. I have to do this. "Erudite."

"What?" The smile slips off his face. "Eru- are you insa-"

"Probably." I cut off his question. "And yeah, I know, it's dangerous. And I'll probably hate it. But think about it, we could figure out why the Erudite are targeting Abnegation, and what their plans are."

"But they could learn more about you too, Cam!" On the surface, Tobias sounds angry. But, after sixteen years, I can hear past that, into the undertones that color his voice. He's afraid. For me. And hearing that makes my stomach turn with guilt. My fault. "What happens if they figure out that you're- you're- No! A bit of information isn't worth your life."

"It's not just a bit of information, Tobias, and you know that." A feeling of tiredness washes over me as I watch Tobias keep trying to deny it. Keep trying to keep me safe, even though he can't.

"We can get the same information from the mirroring program, and it'll be ready in a few weeks." He argues.

I sigh. Usually, Tobias is the voice of reason. How the tables have turned. "You don't know that. Maybe the Erudite aren't sharing everything with the Dauntless yet."

"Doesn't your life mean anything to you?" He breaks eye contact, eyes dropping to the water again. His words are harsh, but still colored with fear. "Your friends could lose you. Rowan could lose you. I could lose you. You can't risk that."

By some miracle, I keep from flinching. That's one of the downsides to knowing my brother so well - he knows me just as well, and he knows exactly where to hit when we argue. Under normal circumstances, his words might have made me at least rethink my decision.

But these aren't normal circumstances. My friends, Rowan, Tobias, they're all the exact reason why I'm doing this. I want to protect them just as much as my brother wants to protect me.

And there is nothing, absolutely nothing, in this world that will prevent me from doing that. Tobias included.

"It does matter to me, Toby." The use of the old nickname seems to drain some of the anger out of him, leaving behind a tiredness not too different from my own. "But I could lose you, too. You, and any one of my friends who are you-know-what. If Jeanine finds out…" I pause, trying to collect my thoughts. I'm going to be an ambassador to Erudite no matter what he says, but I'd much rather do it with his support. "You said that a bit of information isn't worth my life. And you're right, information probably isn't worth my life. But you know what is?" I put my own hand under his chin, like he's done with me so many times before, and lift his head up, forcing him to lock eyes with me. "That information could be the key to saving my friends, or Rowan, or you. And you guys are worth my life. And that's why I have to do this, Tobias, so I can do my part to keep all of you safe."

For a moment, some of the fire reignites in my brother's eyes, and he looks ready to argue once again. But then, it goes out, replaced by a look that's somehow exhausted and sorrowful and understanding, all at once. "Nothing I'll say is going to stop you, is it?"

"Nope."

"Alright." He exhales harshly. "Just stay safe, Cam. Be careful. Please. I-" He struggles with his words for a second. "I can't lose you, not after I just got you back."

At this moment, he looks small, vulnerable; it's a side of him I rarely ever see, and yet, somehow, I've seen it more times in these past three weeks than I have in the years before I transferred.

I can't promise him I'll be alright - we both know that - but I can promise him that I'll try to be careful. I have no intentions to get caught, after all.

"I promise." And, with that, I drop my arm, tentatively moving back to his side. He lifts his arm again, and that's all the invitation I need to slip back into the spot I was before.

Everything's not alright. I know that much, after our short argument. But, for right now, I'm content to pretend that it is, and Tobias seems to be, too.

The quiet lasts for a much shorter duration, this time. "Tobias?" I question. He hums in response, and I take that as a prompt to keep going. "At the banquet, you said that you thought that I liked Rowan for a while, but you realized it before I did. What did you mean by that?"

"Well, we already talked about you being oblivious-" I elbow his side, and he quickly changes his tune, but not without a laugh. "Okay, okay! I meant exactly that. I don't really know how to describe it, but I just noticed that Rowan looked at you like Zeke looked at Shauna. Well, maybe a little bit less intense-" Tobias grimaces at that, and I stifle a laugh of my own. "-but you get the point. And one day, I noticed that you looked at him the same way. But your actions never matched up with that - you just never seemed like a girl with a crush, and I figured that you just hadn't realized it." He shrugs. "And, considering the way Juniper and I found you two at the banquet-" I resist the urge to elbow him again. "-you obviously figured it out at some point."

"Yeah." My mind skims over our many encounters, ending with the memory of our kisses. "I did."

Tobias turns his head so he can smile at me. And then, he clears his throat, unnecessarily. "I have something for you."

Whatever I was expecting him to say, it wasn't that. "Really?"

He nods. "You'll have to sit up on your own if you want me to pull it out, though." The tone of the words is slightly teasing, like our earlier exchange, but much more gentle.

Heeding his instructions, I push myself up yet again. "Why, though? You really didn't have to-"

"I wanted to." His right hand digs around in the pocket of his jacket, and his eyebrows furrow in concentration as he searches. "You deserve it."

You deserve it. It's such a simple sentiment, tossed out without any thought or hesitation. And that's what makes me smile as I hear it. He didn't have to think about it as he said it, as though a world in which it wasn't true simply couldn't exist. He's said variations of that simple sentence more times than I can count, but that doesn't mean I've grown immune to the warm feeling the words bring me.

Finally, Tobias finds whatever he was looking for, and pulls it out of his pocket. It's a small, plain box, and I can't imagine what would be small enough to fit inside of it.

He extends the hand holding the box towards me, a silent invitation to take it, suddenly looking nervous. "I hope it isn't overkill. I just know that Abnegation doesn't allow- and I thought you might-"

He's really nervous. He never rambles like this otherwise. Honestly, it's understandable. The Abnegation don't really do gifts, so this is new territory for both of us. "Tobias." I reach out and take the box from him. "I'm sure I'll love it."

And, before he can get another word of self-doubt in, I pull off the lid.

My breath catches in my throat.

It's a necklace. On the surface, it's pretty simple. The silver-colored pendant, shaped like a sideways eight - an infinity sign, my mind immediately supplies - hangs from a chain of the same color. But what really catches my eye is the small word engraved on part of the infinity sign.

Cherished.

I pull it out of the box. For a moment, I just stare. Tears start to well up in my eyes, clamoring to be let out.

It's just a word, one, single, word, and yet it holds the power to make me come undone.

Cherished.

Slowly, I lift my head from the simple but beautiful necklace to meet the eyes of my brother, who, if possible, looks even more nervous.

"Do you like it?" A hand goes up to the back of his neck. "Because if you don't, I-"

He doesn't get the chance to finish. His words are lost as I twist around and engulf him in a hug. I'm careful to keep a tight hold on the necklace.

"I-" I try to swallow around the lump in my throat. "I love it. Thank you."

For the necklace. For being here. For protecting me. For believing in me. For everything.

I can feel Tobias relax, and his arms finally come up to return the hug. "You're welcome. I just wanted to always have a reminder." Of how much you're loved goes unsaid, but, to me, it's as clear as day in my brother's expression. I didn't think it was possible, but my throat grows even tighter.

"Can you fasten it?" I force out the question, sacrificing one of the arms I have around him to hold up the necklace. Without a word, my brother extracts himself from our previous hug, plucking it from my hand. Then, he loops it around my neck, his hand gently brushing the loose strands of my hair away. After a second, the pendant falls against my chest, the clasp presumably having been closed by him. The silver is a dramatic contrast to the black of my clothes.

Cherished.

"When- When did you get it?" I ask.

"You remember when I told you I had brother duties? Before knife-throwing day?"

"Yeah." The pieces begin coming together in my mind, but I wait for his confirmation.

"That was the day I went to pick this up."

"Wow. You were that sure I'd pass initiation?"

"I was completely certain."

It's the second time in five minutes that I'm left speechless. Because after a decade and more of being torn down, having someone so wholeheartedly believe in my strength is… unbelievable. Even if that person is the brother I've known all my life.

"I love you, Toby." There are no words that can express my gratitude towards Tobias, but those words come the closest. "And not just because you got me a pretty necklace."

Tobias laughs. It's decently loud, and clear, and lifts my heart. "I love you too, Cam. And not just because you like to try and give me heart attacks."

A/N: So, after a little argument, Cammi is taking up a career as a spy. And Tobias is being sweet. And the "brother duties" from 19 chapters ago is finally resolved. Who knew so much could happen while the two characters literally just sit on a rock?

Also, can I just say - "cherish" is my favorite word in the English language, tied with "gaze". There's something about how it sounds, and what it means, that I just absolutely love. And its Spanish equivalent is my favorite word in the Spanish language too, so far - Querida.

Come back next time for job choosing! The next few chapters will be a lot of personal interpretation, since we never actually got to see Tris' job choosing in Divergent, but hey, that'll make writing it fun! And I'm sure you'll want to see what jobs Cammi and her friends pick - as well as who jumps into the Chasm. :)

I actually promise, you guys, I'll have this story done by the end of March. I'm can't afford to fail, and so I'm not going to.

Adios, mi estrellas! Gracias por leer!