Chapter 2: Tobias

I wake up to the sound of voices, Tris talking to Peter which is strange, but they're being kind to each other making it even more odd.

Sitting up from the mattress I stretch my shoulders and neck, "Good morning," I mumble running a hand over my head.

"Morning, I was just explaining to Peter what happened when you guys went into the city." With the mind reset he forgot a few things, like that he tried to kill Tris or that he stabbed someone else in the eye and as far as I can tell she hasn't told him and won't. Looking at me she closed her eyes just a fraction, "What happened to him?"

"He wanted his mind reset to forget all the terrible things he did," She nods and takes my hand in hers. "Did you eat yet?"

"There's a tray of muffins over there someone brought in while you were sleeping." She and Peter talk for a bit more before he excuses himself and I take his vacated chair. "So, time to talk."

There was no time to think about what I wanted to say to her and I'm afraid that it'll all come pouring out and I'll get angry. Instead, I nod and pick at the muffin in my hand.

"Did Caleb tell you my message?" I nod again. "I really didn't want to leave you, but we weren't counting on the emergency lockdown so we had to run and then the guards caught up with us and I realized that Caleb was just going through with it because of his own guilt and I realized that if it was me at least I could die protecting people, protecting you."

"I understand why you did it, your parents died the same way and it was a way for you to feel close to them again. But I can't get over the fact that you were dead Tris and there was nothing I could do and I just lost it." Suddenly she was grabbing my shirt and kissing my mouth trying to reassure me but I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks and the tears in my eyes. "I thought I lost you for real and I didn't know what to do."

"Tobias," The word fits in her mouth so well and I suddenly don't understand why I ever got rid of the name. "I'm so sorry. If David hadn't been there everything would have been fine, I wouldn't have died and I wouldn't have left you."

I'm sitting on the bed with her now our foreheads pressed together, all I can think of is that she's here and I haven't lost her. "Remember when your parents died and Caleb was being a pansycake and I said that I would be your family?" She nods. "What I never told you is that you're my family too. My parents are crazy and abusive and I hadn't felt at home anywhere until you came along. You are my family Beatrice and I am yours, we need to stick together."

We sit in silence but not long after Matthew arrives and starts checking machines and taking blood from her arm, he tries to have conversations with us but I'm still thinking about how empty I was only yesterday.

"Looks like everything is alright for now, I want to keep you here at least another day just to make sure. You gonna be here all day Four?"

I shake my head. "I need to take a shower and check on everyone and my mother is coming here today I need to make sure she knows what's going on." I notice the look on Tris' face and realize that I never told her what happened. "Right, so there was a truce in the city Johanna and Evelyn decided on terms and Marcus wasn't really involved except for not being able to become a leader and deciding that's all he wanted and getting angry. But now the city is open and there are no factions."

"Do you think you'll want to go back?"

Lifting a shoulder I try to think of myself back in the city. "I'm not sure, but as long as I'm with you I'll be happy."

Planting a kiss on her lips I jog out of the room and towards the dorm so I can shower. When I walk in everyone is awake and mulling around but turn towards me looking for answers.

"She's awake, Matthew says she's fine. Go see her if you want." Christina ran out the door slapping my chest as she passed, I walk over to Caleb and see that he's reading the glass with their mothers journal. "Can we talk?" He follows me into the hallway and down a bit so the others can't sit at the door and listen. "I don't think I'll ever completely understand you, and I don't think I'll ever really forgive you for what you did but you need to know that I love Tris more than anything in the world and I am willing to try for her. She is the only person in the world that I trust and can be myself with and if being with her means that I have to see you then I will do it."

"I can't take any of it back, but I'm going to try and fix this."

"You better," My arms are crossed over my chest and I realize how long it's been since I've done anything Dauntless, they feel heavy and loose. "Because if you ever hurt her again Caleb, I will kill you."

It's easy to stun Caleb with words, he tries to think of the most logical responses and can't wrap his head around the fact that his sister and I are not always logical people.

The shower invigorates me as well as loosens my muscles, there's too much tension in my shoulders and too much going through my mind. Would I want to move back into the city? If I did it would only be with Tris. Would she want to move back to the city? Where would we stay? What would we do?

The water ran cold before I could exit the shower and get dressed running to the lobby to meet Amar and get Evelyn.

"I heard what happened, you must be over the moon!"

Amar could always tell how I was feeling even if I didn't know it myself, I smile and he thumps me on the shoulder. The ride to the city is silent as I keep thinking about everything that I could do with my life now that the factions are gone. Apparently he can tell that's what I'm thinking of too.

"So, I'm going back into Chicago. I was put in charge of the police force with George but we need to train a force before we do anything, we were hoping that you would be willing to help us with that." He looks at me waiting for an answer, knowing exactly what I'm going to say.

"I'll have to talk it over with Tris, I'm not leaving her again."

Yep he knew exactly what I would say. "Perfect, because we want her too. Dauntless headquarters has everything we need so that's where it will be but you can live anywhere in the city now."

I nod but don't answer, I can see Evelyn standing at the gate waiting for us and I don't want her opinion on any of it. She doesn't know what happened to Tris, she doesn't know what happened to Uriah, and she doesn't know what I'm about to do.

When we get back to the compound I show her the dorm and how to get to the bathrooms and cafeteria but then I go back to Tris so we can talk about Amar's offer. But when I open the door Caleb is there talking in a low voice.

"Hey," I move towards her and kiss her temple. "Caleb was just telling me that they're going to let factionless start moving into the city, that's good right?"

"Yeah, now it'll be like a city from before the war." Caleb gets up and walks over to a machine in the corner pretending to study it so we can talk privately. "We can go back too if you want. Amar asked us to help train a police force for the city."

Her short hair sticks up in places from lying back on the bed. "He wants both of us?"

"Well he knows how great I am at teaching others how to fight and shoot, and since I trained you and you ended up saving the city I'm pretty sure everyone is going to want you."

"Where you go, I go Tobias."

I can't contain my excitement any longer and kiss her hard on the mouth. "Good, because I want you to live with me."

Caleb shuffled back over rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "So that's kind of what I wanted to tell you about. I'm moving back into the city too with some of the scientists here, we're going to be heading the medical research but no serums that could do any harm."

"Where are you living?"

"An apartment close to where Erudite headquarters were, that's where the lab equipment is anyway." Tris catches my eye and her thoughts are clear, we will live across the city from him.

We spend the rest of the day talking and trying to figure out how the city will change now that there are no factions. Amar and George stop by and we gladly tell them that we will train the new police force.

We fall asleep holding each other on the bed, not letting go even for a second.

I am more in love with her than I've ever been.

When I wake up the room is dark and Tris is breathing softly, visiting hours aren't over yet but Matthew must have let us sleep anyway. But he didn't notice that someone had come into the room.

"Evelyn." Trying not to wake Tris up and get off the bed and walk over to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I would come and see how Tris was doing, figured you would be here and we could talk."

Nodding towards the door I check to see that she's still asleep before walking into the hallway. "What did you want to talk about?"

Mimicking my stance against the opposite wall I try not to be annoyed at her. "I want to thank you first, for what you did for the city. You have made so many hard choices Tobias and I am so proud of you." Affection from a parent is difficult to understand, for me there was never any affection and what I remember of it from when I was young I swallowed deep inside of me because it seemed masochistic to hold onto it. "You have done so much for the city and before I left Johanna wanted me to extend an offer to you to work with her in the government."

"I already agreed to help Amar and George train the new police force, it's what I'm good at." She stares at me and finally one side of her mouth slides upward in a smile. "Tris and I are going to do it together."

"I wish you both the best of luck."

She hugs me before walking back down the dim hallway and when I go back into the room Tris is awake.

"I need to move, my legs are numb from being in bed for two days." I nod and watch as she throws the blankets off of her small form, one of the strongest people I have ever known and still she looks so frail. "A little help here?"

Putting my hands under her arms I help her off the bed and hold up most of her weight, she wouldn't have lost much muscle from just two days but her body is still weak. Trying to move forward I can see that her muscles are tight and movement is difficult but I try to help her the best I can. After a few steps I decide she needs to lie back down and instead of covering her legs I start to rub them.

"Now all that's left to do is decide where we're going to live and when we're going back."

"Well obviously we're not leaving while you're in here, and you're not going to be training anyone until you're able to move without hurting." I've never cared about someone so much, before I wouldn't have cared if someone hurt and instead would have just told them to work through it but I can't do that to her.

She nods knowing that she can't be reckless like she once was and instead closes her eyes letting me massage her legs.

"We can go when I'm better then."

We stay together in silence until Matthew comes in and checks everything, it's weird knowing that before when we fought so much it was pointless and that we could have a relationship like this.

It's nice, normal even.