Something that popped into my head. I hope you like it!
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When Tobias opens his closed eyes, it's to the sound of terrified wailing piercing the night sky. Groaning softly, he looks down at the sleeping figure next to him, exhausted and lost in oblivion. Half-smiling, he forces himself out of the bed and his body, still heavy with sleep, slightly stumbles over to where the crib is. Tear-filled eyes look up at him in the dark, and he rubs his hand against the infant's small stomach in an attempt to soothe him.
Instead, the baby cries louder, his screams more insistent. Tobias's hand pauses in its rhythmic motions and he hesitates. The Dauntless part of him wants to let the child cry until all his tears are spent, to learn at the earliest age what it means to survive alone. But the Abnegation part, the part that warms the corners of his heart, aches to see a little one in so much pain and desperately wants to pick the baby up and hold him close. As Tobias gently leans into the crib, Abnegation wins, and he tenderly picks him up, supporting his head and cradling it against his chest.
The crying begins to weaken as Tobias carries his son around the small apartment rocking him slowly and humming a lullaby he distantly remembers from his own past. As the crying fades to nothingness, Tobias knows that the child should be put back to his own bed, to quietly sleep through the rest of the night. But as he looks down at his son's face, the moonlight highlighting his soft features, Tobias sits in the rocking chair instead, letting his child nestle comfortably against his bare chest.
He rocks slowly, tentatively until he hears his son's breathing get softer, deeper, more even. He thinks about the rocking chair as he does so. It's painted black and red like the matching crib. Tris brought them home one day ten months ago with no announcement. It was her way of letting him know the news, the news that was so unexpected but so very welcome.
Tobias stops rocking as his son smacks his lips in his sleep. Looking down at the infant, he repositions him but makes no move to get up. He finds the small body against him comforting and warm. He hums a few bars of the lullaby just in case the baby has been disturbed in some way. But the child makes no move to burst into tears again or wail for his parent. He seems content and peaceful, the kind of peace that only comes to babies among the Dauntless.
Lulled by his own rhythmic and soothing motions, Tobias feels himself dozing off. He allows himself to do so knowing that his son his safe in his father's arm, that his mother is just a few feet away if they need her.
In the blink of an eye, it is morning. He's woken by a pressure released from his arms. Through his half-closed lashes, he sees Tris taking his burden from him and holding their son close to her chest. The child wakes suddenly, as if aware that he is now in his mother's arms. He begins to cry insistently. Tris sighs and rearranges her blouse so that her son can have his breakfast. He devours his meal hungrily, smacking his lips.
"I know you're awake," she says softly to Tobias.
He opens his eyes all the way and looks at her, drinking in the sight of his family. "How did you know?" he asks, getting up from his position in the rocking chair.
"Your breathing," responds Tris matter-of-factly.
"Hmm," says Tobias, rubbing his sore back as he joins her on the bed. "He sure was hungry."
"Yeah. I love having him this close," she replies. "But I willingly admit that a large part of me is looking forward to the day when he can eat solid food."
"And the other part?" he questions, raising an eyebrow.
"That part wants me to him this small forever," she claims softly, leaning down to kiss her son on his forehead.
Tobias smiles and lets his son grip his index finger. The baby has a strong grip, a firm one, and it is then that Tobias knows his son will be among the best of the Dauntless fighters. "What faction do you think he'll pick?" he asks suddenly, aware that his son, although Dauntless-born, could choose another faction.
"Does it matter?" asks Tris, her voice tired, her mannerisms weary. She bounces the baby slightly as he finishes his meal. "We will love him no matter what faction he chooses." The last sentence is said confidently and there is no room for argument in her voice. And Tobias remembers her own heartbreak at her father's reaction to her choice.
He inclines his head. "I will love him no matter what."
Tris smiles at this information and looks down at the baby at her breast who is beginning to fall back a sleep. She gets up from the edge of bed and places him in his crib. It is a moment before she feels Tobias behind her. His presence is strong and comforting as he watches her watch the baby.
He looks out the window at the sun. "We won't have much time if we avoid it any longer."
Tris sighs knowingly; today is a special day. "I know. I don't want to leave him."
"I understand," replies Tobias. "But they will take good care of him in the nursery."
Tris sighs and begins to pull her things together to get ready for the day. In the distance, Tobias hears the train coming down the tracks, the clattering of the cars becoming louder and louder.
Before Tobias knows it, he and Tris have dropped off their son in the Dauntless day care, depositing him in the arms of Ari, a older Dauntless woman who is gentle with him despite the ferocity of her appearance. Reluctantly, both Tobias and Tris leave as their son smiles at the raspberry noises Ari is making.
They follow they winding halls of Dauntless with determination, unaware of the others who crowd the hallway. Before they step into the big room, Tobias takes her hand. "You ready?" he asks her.
Tris looks up at him and pecks his check before squeezing his hand in assurance. "Always."
They enter the room and hear screaming as the first jumper falls into the oversized net. Tobias lets go of Tris's hand to help the Erudite boy out of the bed.
"Name?" he asks gruffly. "
"S-stephen," the boy stutters.
"First jumper—Stephen," Tobias calls out loudly enough so that Christina and Will, who are standing on the other side of the net, can hear him clearly."
When the group of Dauntless initiates, all of whom have jumped into the net, crowd around Tobias, he signals to Tris.
"My name is Four, and this is Six," he gestures to his partner. "We are the transfer instructors. Dauntless born," he inclines his head to his right, "you are with Will and Christina. For the first round you will be trained separately."
He looks at the young eyes that are wide in wonder and fear, and he counts the initiates. Twelve Dauntless-born, six Erudite, five Candor, two Amity, and one Abnegation. He raises an eyebrow and looks at Tris who inclines her head in agreement. This group makes for an interesting year.
The day passes by in a blur, and before he realizes it, Tobias is in his apartment with Tris and their son. They ready themselves for bed, and the baby is quiet, exhausted by a day in Ari's arms. After Tris shuts off the lamp, she snuggles close to her husband, putting her head on his shoulder. Tobias smiles right before he closes his eyes. This is the way things are supposed to be.
When Tobias opens his eyes, he is no longer in Dauntless and no longer with Tris. He is riding the train to nowhere, unhappily seeking to find what he has lost, to replace the irreplaceable. But he knows he will never find it. Tris is dead and also gone are the hopes and dreams of what he wanted to share with her.
Instead, he rides the train, hoping to find some small semblance of peace with what has passed. He looks out the open car door to the cityscape that greets him. He gave the city everything he had, and it took everything from him. He would give even more for one small moment like the one he had just imagined.
There should be no morning, no sadness. The Abnegation part of Tobias tells him that there is nothing more selfish than grief and a desire for things that cannot be. The Dauntless part urges him to take out his anger on someone, anyone, anything. But Tobias is no longer Abnegation, and he is no longer Dauntless. He is Divergent.
So he thinks of Tris and their unborn son and the things he wanted to share with the woman he loved. When he closes his eyes, she's there again, and he can hear her laughing, smiling, telling him to catch her.
Please don't hate me!