A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and to my wonderful beta reader, Rosalie! I'm sorry this chapter took a little longer to post than I wanted - my computer died, and I'm having to work from a temporary one until we can figure out something more permanent. It's frustrating.

Chapter 26: Tobias – Her Family

Tris and I have been back together for a month by the time I'm finally able to join her for lunch with Anna and Caleb. I wasn't intentionally avoiding them before this – but my schedule never seemed to mesh with theirs, particularly since Anna is only in Chicago half the time and in Philadelphia the other half.

Tris knits her fingers with mine, letting the long sleeves of her coat fall over both of our hands as she leads me down Halsted street. It's a route that she's clearly walked recently, judging by the familiar way her eyes move over the sights, but it's strange for me. I haven't traveled this road since I was a child, racing along it after missing the bus to or from school.

It's somewhat surreal to walk it now, as an adult and with Tris by my side, and I find myself stealing glances at her face frequently just to make sure this is real.

When we reach the area where we would turn west if we were heading to Abnegation, we instead go east, moving into a section of the city I've never explored. Eventually, Tris stops in front of a large red brick building that has windows covering most of its front. An obviously new sign hangs over the door.

Office of Anna Prior

Representative of Chicago

to the UCA

According to Tris, this is Anna's home as well as her office. Apparently, she didn't want to live in a faction, since that would cause some people to feel like she was biased, so she renovated a building that no one else was using. It was a wise choice, I think.

As we enter the main lobby, Tris pauses to wipe any dirt off her shoes and to remove her coat, and I follow her movements automatically, feeling the old Abnegation habits emerging. But as I'm hanging my coat on the rack, my attention is drawn to an enormous room on our left. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before, and I find myself moving toward it curiously. Tris smiles as she walks with me.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" she asks. And that's certainly the word. Sculptures of all sizes fill the space, some on pedestals while others rest on the floor. The walls, in the meantime, are adorned with paintings of different styles.

The Abnegation in me still isn't used to decorations, let alone beautiful ones, but this is different. There's something deeply appealing about this array of artwork.

"This building was originally an art gallery," Tris says, "and Anna decided to restore that concept when she renovated it." She gestures at the walls. "She's been acquiring items from Amity and from the UCA."

A grin forms on my face as I spot the painting that Tris made at our class in Amity. That was a thoroughly enjoyable date, though I certainly wouldn't call either of our efforts "fine art." Hers is essentially a very colorful, splotchy version of me as a flower. She created it as a joke, but I have to admit it looks pretty good framed on the wall….

Tris stops in front of an enormous sculpture of a waterfall. "This, and some of the other statues, were apparently here from before NUSA." She runs her fingers lightly down the "water," pausing to gaze at two figures that are standing near where it crashes into a lake. It's a remarkable piece.

"This is where my grandfather proposed."

My eyebrows lift in surprise, and I find myself staring hard at Tris for a second before redirecting my gaze to the statue. Does this mean that Anna finally told her about her wedding ring? That I retrieved it for her?

But if so, Tris doesn't mention that. She gazes fondly at the two forms carved by the lake, standing close to each other with their outstretched hands barely touching. There's something very Abnegation about them.

After a few more seconds, Tris chuckles, low in her throat. "Though I gather his favorite statue was over here…." She leads me to a different part of the room, and I can see a touch of red on her cheeks as she points to another sculpture. It's easy to understand her embarrassment.

The two forms in this piece are doing a lot more than barely touching. It's not completely explicit, but it's certainly not something I expected to see here, and I find myself staring, too shocked to look away. A blush rises up my own face, more than matching Tris' I suspect.

"Um…" I finally say, managing to tear my gaze away. "I think I prefer the first one."

Tris laughs, taking my arm as she escorts me further into the room. "I do, too," she says firmly.

The rest of the artwork is less…provocative, but much of it is thoroughly beautiful, and we spend an enjoyable half-hour looking over it before Caleb arrives.

He stomps his feet and shakes himself off a bit, as if he's trying to clear snow from his body, and I move to one of the many windows to check the weather while he removes his coat and makes his way over to us. Sure enough, a light snow is beginning to fall. It will be a slippery walk home.

"Tobias," Caleb says as he reaches us. To my surprise, he extends his hand Dauntless-style. "It's good to see you again."

I'm not sure whether I'm more startled by the handshake – a gesture that neither of us grew up using – or the words. But I shake his hand anyway, feeling oddly reminded of the one time I exchanged that greeting with his mother.

Caleb smiles at me and then at Tris before embracing her tightly. I try to keep my hands from clenching into fists at the sight. It's one thing to know that they became close again during the last year, but it's another thing to actually see it. Part of me still thinks of Caleb as the traitor who almost killed Tris, and it's more than a little difficult to forgive him for that.

I wonder if he feels the same way about me.

We spend a few more minutes looking through the gallery before we walk together up the stairs to the third floor. Caleb knocks on a heavy wooden door, and it doesn't take long for Anna to answer.

"Come in," she says cheerfully, stepping aside and gesturing us in before she pulls each of her grandchildren into a hug. I freeze when she does the same with me.

"I'm so glad you and Tris worked things out," she murmurs before releasing me.

There's such warmth and honesty in her words that I can't help smiling in response. It's certainly nice to feel welcomed.

The sentiment grows even stronger over the course of our lunch. Anna and I have never spent much time together, but I can see now why she and Tris are so close. They're a lot alike, other than the obvious age difference.

In addition, Anna seems to know how to draw everyone out, asking questions that pull us firmly into the conversation. It's intriguing to see, particularly after growing up in Abnegation. There, everyone tried to hold back in order to let others talk, but the end result was that very little of substance was ever said.

Overall, though, what I enjoy most about the meal is watching the obvious love between Anna and her grandchildren. It was so devastating for Tris to lose her parents, and to have Caleb betray her on top of that. I remember how lost she looked after we escaped from Erudite – when I promised to be her family. And then I broke that promise by leaving her. It's one of my deepest regrets.

Today, as we sit together, talking and laughing and just enjoying each other's company, I feel as if a crucial part of her life has been restored. And it's indescribable to be part of it.

There's a slight lull in the conversation after Anna finishes telling us about a constituent who visited her yesterday. Apparently, he mixed up her last name with her title and thought she was the prior representative of the city. It took her a good ten minutes to convince him there wasn't a new representative he should be talking to.

Still smiling a little from the memory, she turns her attention to me.

"What about you, Tobias?" she asks. "What type of work are you doing these days?" There's such interest in her expression that I know I can't give a quick answer. The thought makes me oddly nervous. I'm not used to such rapt attention.

"I work with new factions," I start, not sure how much she already knows. "I'm on the committee that reviews them and decides if they should be approved or not. And sometimes, if I really like one, I help with their manifesto." The corner of my mouth lifts as I think of the Self-Sufficiency faction from a couple of months ago. It was a bit ironic to help them, given their goal, but I enjoyed it anyway.

"I also work with the city council to ensure that resources are allocated for each new faction, and I help with renovations and setting up any technology they need."

Caleb looks up with interest. "If you ever need help with that, just let me know." He sounds enthusiastic, and I know he means well, so I just nod in response. There's no point in telling him that I'm not ready to spend that much time with him yet.

After a moment, he adds, "Is that the same committee that oversees existing factions?"

"No," I answer with a small shake of my head, "though we meet with them once a month to make sure we're interpreting the manifestos the same way." Glancing between him and Anna, I explain, "They monitor all of the approved factions to make sure they're following the new regulations and are sticking to their manifestos, and we evaluate the new applications. But we're only supposed to approve factions that are different from the existing ones, so we have to make sure we really understand the existing ones."

Tris smiles, looking at me curiously. "What's the most interesting application you've ever reviewed?"

I have to think about that for a bit, since we've seen some pretty strange proposals.

"I'd have to go with the Lake Restoration faction. They wanted to rebuild enough of Lake Michigan to make it look the way it used to from everywhere in the city. But they didn't have a good source of water to use for it, so they planned to make it only ten feet wide and place enormous paintings on the other side of it to mimic the view."

The corner of my mouth tugs up as I remember how dumbfounded they were when Tammy asked how it would look from the top of a skyscraper. They never thought past the ground-level view.

"Did they get approved?" Caleb asks a bit uncertainly, and I chuckle as I shake my head.

"No. Even if they had picked a better solution, we don't approve factions that are based purely on a single project. They need to also include an element of personal growth."

Caleb nods thoughtfully. "That makes sense. All of the original factions are based on that, after all, and your Kaizen faction obviously is, too." For some reason, I stiffen a bit at the mention of my faction. I'm not sure why.

"Were you the first new faction?" Anna asks.

"Yes." I don't elaborate until I see the expression on Tris' face. She seems surprised, and it occurs to me that she should know the history of the faction she's chosen. So, I look at her as I continue.

"We stayed in the bomb shelter at first, after we returned from the mission. But there were too many triggers there for Amar." With a rueful smile, I admit, "And for me, too." My claustrophobia was unmanageable in that tight space without Tris there to give me another focus. "It just didn't work."

"So, we knew we had to move back to the city, but we didn't fit well into any of the original factions." I shake my head a little, remembering our debates on the subject. "There was no way Amar could have handled Dauntless, and Cara didn't want to live there, either. I would have considered Abnegation, but no one else was interested in it. And none of us wanted Candor or Amity." I shrug.

"Cara and George liked the idea of living in Erudite. They said it would be useful to have all the medical equipment nearby for Amar." I hesitate but decide not to say that my support group is there, as well. Tris already knows that, and I'm not sure I want to get into that discussion with Caleb and Anna right now.

Instead, I look away as I add, "But Erudite wasn't an option for me." There's no need to explain why; they all know what happened there. "Besides, I wasn't willing to bring the equipment there. It was right after the war, and Jeanine had barely been ousted, and she still had supporters living there. I wasn't going to bring Suggestibility Serum and broadcasting equipment into the middle of that and risk having the wrong person get ahold of it."

Even Caleb nods in agreement, and it's his faction.

"So, we figured we'd have to live factionless, and I started renovating apartments in a building that I knew of." Again, I debate adding more information but decide against it. Tris, of course, knows that I returned to the building where I'd set up an apartment for myself months earlier – when I planned to leave Dauntless. And she certainly knows why I was attached to it, after the night we spent together there. But the others don't need to know that.

"I wasn't too far into the process before George came up with a better idea. He said that Tori was still fighting to keep the factions, and Evelyn was still insisting on abolishing them, but that they'd both want to help us. So, we could propose a new option if we wanted."

Turning to Caleb, I mention, "Tori is George's sister." His eyes widen in understanding as he realizes why we were in such a unique position to change the faction system, with relatives on both sides willing to cooperate with us.

"So, we spent some time brain-storming and realized that if the existing factions were regulated differently, and if new factions could be created, then maybe we could satisfy both Tori and Evelyn."

The sides of my mouth lift. "It kind of snowballed from there." And it did. We now have fourteen factions in Chicago, plus a system that allows people to live as well factionless as within a faction, if that's what they prefer.

Caleb and Anna sit back, staring at me appraisingly, while Tris links her fingers with mine under the table. I turn my gaze to her and am caught by what I see. There's unmistakable pride in her eyes.

After a long moment, Anna shakes her head slowly, smiling in something like awe.

"So," she says softly, "if I'm understanding correctly, in addition to overthrowing NUSA, you're also responsible for fixing Chicago's mess."

"No…" I say, somewhat startled by that conclusion. "It certainly wasn't just me. For either of those."

"Oh, I know that," Anna agrees. "But you and your faction-mates are clearly worthy of your nickname." Tris gives her a questioning look, and Anna adds, "The heroes' faction."

My eyes move over the three of them, pausing on each in turn before stopping on Tris. "I think it's fair to say that title applies to you at least as much."

Anna chuckles. "Yes, we are quite the group, aren't we?" She winks at Tris before adding, "Never let it be said that a small group of dedicated people can't change the world."

It appears to be some private reference, or perhaps a quote, but it seems to relax her grandchildren, and I'm glad of that. Tris squeezes my hand before abruptly leaning up to give me a quick kiss. I'm more than a little surprised, given her family is right here, but I don't hesitate to return the affection.

"Hey, we don't need to see that, you know," Caleb declares, though his grin shows he doesn't really object.

"Well, then close your eyes," Tris jabs back, and just like that, the tension is gone from the room. I lean a little closer to Tris as we fall back into easy conversation.

It takes a while for the discussion to get back to uncomfortable territory. But eventually Anna says, "So, tell me about your faction. Your theme is continual self-improvement, right?"

Tris answers before I can. "Yes." Her gaze moves from her grandmother to me. "We focus on being brave and selfless and smart and honest and kind." She smiles a little, clearly remembering the first time I told her that I wanted to be all of those things. Way back in Dauntless….

She clears her throat before adding, "We also focus on recovery and forgiveness and on trying to improve the society around us." Her eyes are still on mine, and I force myself to meet them, though my mind is on the argument I had with Cara about that part of our manifesto. She insisted on including language about forgiveness, and I didn't want it there. I was utterly unable to forgive myself for what I'd done to Tris, and I didn't want to embrace a theme that said I should even try.

George was the one who changed my mind. He sat down with me and quietly explained that Amar had nightmares every night about killing Pari, and that he would never recover if he couldn't forgive himself for that. So, I allowed the focus for his sake.

The funny part is that I don't think Cara was even talking about me in the first place. I didn't realize it until we voted on letting Tris join our faction, but then it became obvious. All this time, she's been working on forgiving Tris for shooting her brother. She needed that language for herself.

Tris squeezes my hand again, and the motion brings me back to the present. I'm not sure how long we've all been silent, but judging by the way Caleb is looking down, he's as lost in his own thoughts as I was.

Anna's voice breaks him from it. "That sounds very appropriate."

"Yeah," he answers softly, his gaze meeting his sister's. I've spent enough time in support meetings to know true remorse when I see it, and it's obvious in this moment that Caleb still struggles to forgive himself as much as I do. And it's just as clear that Tris has fully forgiven him. I'm not sure if I should be glad of that or not, but I am.

"So," Tris says abruptly, refocusing the conversation, "what's Erudite like these days?"

Caleb gives her a lopsided smile as he begins his answer. It's long and somewhat dull, as I expect from him, but I'm glad for the change of subject anyway. And I'm relieved to spend the rest of the meal in more mundane conversation. I love that Tris' family engages in lively discussion, but sometimes enough is enough.

We've been here for more than two hours when we finally conclude our lunch and start getting ready to head home. Tris excuses herself to use the restroom before we face the long walk, and I stretch as I debate doing the same.

Anna, however, turns her gaze to her grandson. "Caleb, could you please give us a moment alone?"

He looks surprised but nods anyway. "Sure. I'll be down in the gallery."

Anna wastes no time before stepping close to me, her eyes on the hallway that Tris went down while she places a gentle hand on my arm. She speaks quietly, clearly not wanting to be overheard.

"In case you haven't figured it out yet, I didn't tell Tris that you retrieved my ring."

"Yes, I noticed." I keep my volume low to match hers. "Is there a particular reason?"

Her mouth cinches. "Some…events…happened that complicated things. I don't have time to explain them right now, so that will have to wait for another day. But ultimately, I felt that I couldn't tell Tris about the ring without getting into all of the related events, and those were…too much at the time."

She seems to be searching for words, and she looks away for a moment before meeting my gaze again. "And Tris needed to decide how she felt about you on her own, without any of that interfering."

A small smile forms on her face. "Besides, it was obvious that you two were going to get back together anyway, so it wasn't necessary to mention your good deed. And frankly, it seems like something that Tris should find out about from you. At the right time."

It's not hard to tell from her expression what timing she means. She wants this to be a surprise for Tris when I propose. I smile a bit as I realize that I no longer even think if. Only when.

But that thought reminds me of a different kind of promise I already made to Tris.

"I don't want to keep secrets from her," I say a bit uncomfortably. "I've done too much of that already."

Anna chuckles, a low sound from deep in her throat. She pats my arm as she murmurs, "Trust me, Tobias. This one doesn't count."

A/N: Please take a moment to review this chapter. I'm still fighting the whole temporary computer mess, so it's difficult to write and edit, and I could definitely use your encouragement. Also, if anything in this chapter is inconsistent with "Determinant" or other chapters, please let me know; it's difficult to check right now. Thanks!