All rights to Veronica Roth…..I own nothing.
I am sitting in the kitchen, eating some stew Shawna had made. Seems Zeke had finally broken the news to her, now that we were living so close to each other. I get up and put my bowl in the sink when I hear a groan from the other room.
"What? Tobias?!"
I take off running.
When I make it to the bedroom I see that she's sitting up, straight up, staring at her hands. Matthew had come a few days ago and helped me hook up an IV to her arm, since she wasn't awake long enough to eat. I take a step forward and her head flips up to me. She stares, a little too long, but I say nothing. I don't want to scare her, and Matthew had warned me how hard this might turn out.
" Tobias?!" She whimpers. I watch as tears fall from her eyes and down the front of her shirt.
I leap onto the end of the bed and sit next to her.
"I'm here! I'm right here!" I tell her, taking her hand.
She smiles at me and leans towards me and kisses my lips fully. I feel my body explode when she reaches up and touches my neck. Suddenly she winces and I look, she's pulled her IV.
" What is this?" She asks and I see her expression change.
" It's an IV. Do you remember Matthew?" I ask her. I watch as her face lights up a little and she nods with recognition.
"Matthew came by and helped me put it in. See you were sick, and we were making you better, but you couldn't eat. So we had to put it in so you could get something in your system."
" Can we take it out?" She asks quietly, touching it.
" Yeah! Of course!" I say.
She watches as I carefully peel the tape off and pull the IV out. Setting it to the side, I hold the area tightly while I reach for a bandage from the drawer next to her.
" Where are we?" She asks looking around, " I haven't been here before, have I? I feel confused." She lightly touches her fingertips to her forehead like she's trying to clear her mind.
I put the bandage on her open wound, "No." I tell her, " This is new for us. I used to live somewhere else. But this belongs to us now. Both of us." I say, looking into her eyes. It's amazing how her eyes make my knees feel so weak.
She stares off into space for a while, not saying much. " I feel really gross, can I get cleaned up?" She finally says.
" Do you want to take a shower? I can help you take one!" I tell her.
She nods and grabs onto my arm. Slowly we rise from the bed. She's too weak and she falls into my arms.
" I don't know if this is going to work." She says, putting all of her weight into me.
" It's okay!" I tell her, lifting her and leading her into the bathroom, " Look there's a bathtub!"
I leave it dark in there but light a few of the candles that Christina had left for me. I let the water get reasonably hot. She acts like it's nothing, but I still won't look at her as I undress her and lower her into the water. I even catch her glancing at me as I take my clothes off and climb in with her. We don't say anything for a few minutes; we just sort of look at each other and enjoy the water. Reaching across, we lightly let our fingertips touch.
"Do you remember anything?" I ask her, my curiosity is killing me. I won't be able to help her heal unless we deal with this.
" Some. I remember you. I remember telling you I love you. I remember the realization that the death serum wasn't working on me. Not much after that. Until…" she gets a little quiet, running her hand through her hair, " I was having this dream. We were living in this amazing home and I think I was pregnant. I assume since you kept rubbing my belly. We were happy."
I look down into the water at my hand now holding hers.
" What happened to me?" she asks. She sounds like a child. I remember once listening to her talk like this. I gather myself.
" I'm not really sure how to begin this. You've been asleep. For a long time." I watch her eyes get a little wider, " For two years." She grips my hand so tight it actually hurts me. I reach out and touch her face. " Whoa, whoa! I know. It's tough, but there is so much more that you have to know!"
I start from the beginning. I tell her all about Abe and David, the tank and the testing. I tell her about the drugs and how sick she had been for the last week as I was helping her get better.
" How did you get me out? How did you do all of this?" she asks.
" With Zeke and Christina." I tell her, and immediately she smiles and clutches my hand again
" Do I get to see them?" She asks so full of joy and glee her face stretches into a huge smile.
" Of course! They actually live here too! Right in this building." I tell her and she lets out a squeal of delight. She laughs a little, but then I watch as her smile levels out.
" I have one more question." She tells me, looking into me deeper than she ever has, " Why did it take you so long to come and get me?"
" This is the hard part." I tell her taking a heavy breath, " I went to Evelyn, I got the war settled. I had found peace. When we got back I found the entire place in ruins. You had been shot twice. By David no less! They led me into a room, and you were lying on a metal bed covered in a sheet. They told me you didn't survive. I've lived the last two years believing you were dead. I had you cremated."
I look up and there are tears streaming down her face, " Oh my god!" Her expression changes quickly, " It's not here is it?" If it is get rid of it now!"
" The urn is here. " I say glancing back towards the door, " But it's empty. I didn't really know what to do with it."
" Why is it empty? Did you take me back to Dauntless or something?" She asks, her lips smirking a little.
" No actually!" I crack a smile, " I rode the zip line and dumped it over the city!"
Her eyes get wide and she stifles a laugh, " No you didn't! Did you really? Why would you do that?"
There was a time when I would have kept things like this to myself. I remember when I first realized how I felt about her that I was unsure of letting her know. She was my other half now, my reason to be. Without hesitation I tell her." Because I love you! I have loved you since the first moment I saw you, and I will continue to love you until the day I die. Who knows, maybe longer!"
She leans forward taking my chin in her hands and kisses me. It's gentle at first, then hard, but so beautiful. She sits up and turns herself around, laying her back against my chest. I immediately wrap my arms around her, keeping her close. Her body feels so right with mine. Absent mindedly, she runs her fingertips up and down my hands. Even in this warm water, she gives me goose bumps.
I lean my head down, resting it on hers. I take a deep breath and breathe her into me.
" What is it?" She asks me, turning her face to the side to see me better. She stuns me.
" I thought I would never see you again." I tell her in earnest. "I was really bad off for a long time. I wasn't sleeping. I hardly ate. Some nights I would pray to die just so I could be with you, wherever you were. It was very dark. Darker than I've ever been."
She swiftly turns around and sits on my lap, facing me, " I'm right here Tobias!" she says, placing her hand to my heart, " I'm right here!"
I can't help myself. Reaching up I grab the back of her neck and draw her into me, closing my mouth around hers. I feel like my heart is going to explode as she traces her hands town my chest to my sides. Slowly I feel her lift up, and then down, pressing her pelvis into me. Before I can stop myself, I let out a small moan. She pulls her head back from me and stares into my eyes. There's yearning there. Her mouth parts and I hear her exhale. There's a heat in me I cannot control. Reaching up, I grab her shoulders behind her back and she lays back into them revealing her neck to me. My body wants me to be fast, consuming, but I fight it off. I push myself to go slow, to show her what this means to me. I kiss the spot right below her ear, making my way slowly down her neck to her collarbone. One of her hands grasps my neck and the other runs through my hair, tugging it just a little.
I moan again. I feel like I'm out of my body, watching it all happen from above. It's a heavenly experience and I am on the verge of crying out in emotion. There's a moment where I come back to myself and realize what's happening. I try to get a grip on myself. There was a time when this was too much for her. I refuse to push her into something she isn't ready for. That she may even be scared of. I pull her back a little. I watch her eye widen and look at me in bewilderment.
"What is it?" she asks, " What's wrong?"
" Nothing." I say, shaking my head, " I just don't want to push you, scare you."
She kisses me quickly. " I'm not scared anymore." She breathes, " I'm ready."
I feel my heart pounding out of my chest.
"I'm ready!" She whispers, grabbing both sides of my head, kissing me deeply, "Tobias! Let me be yours!"
There comes a moment in everyone's lives when our world ends. When life as we know it stops and we have to rethink our entire being. It comes at the most interesting at times and it shatters us. It brings us to our knees and rattles our existence. When every cell in your body explodes into every direction at once and it's a miracle we managed to keep ourselves together. This is that moment. It was the single most profound moment of my life. We made love. We became one.
We lie in bed that night and hold on to each other. She curls herself into my shoulder, resting her hand on my chest.
"Please never go away again." I say. It's childish, I know it is. But I can't stop myself from saying it.
"Never again!" She promises, holding me tighter.
When I wake up the next morning, she's still there.
" Hey!" She says, looking up to me. Her voice is gentle and her voice is full of sleep.
" Hey!" I say, my eyes squinted in the sunlight. I reach up, rubbing the bridge of my nose and try to focus. When I do, she's smiling at me. I am the luckiest man alive.
" So I guess I'm really hungry…" She says, biting her lip at me.
I hop up grabbing some pants. " Well alright then!" I say, " Eggs it is!" I turn from her and pull up a pair of black sweatpants. I see her staring at me, and I raise an eyebrow.
" I forgot how beautiful you were." She tells me, " How beautiful your ink is."
I turn and give her one more kiss, and head into the kitchen. There is this handy little box next to the door that lets me communicate with other apartments within the building. I pick up the receiver and press the buttons 3520 and wait.
" Hello?" I hear Christina answer
" Hey! It's me!" I say, " You busy? Want some breakfast?"
"Sure! I'll be right over!"
I hang up and head back into our room. I stand by the door and watch her for a minute. She's sitting up in bed touching her fingers to her hands. My best guess is she is testing reality. She plays with her hair a little. Unsure of what to do with it she lets out a huff noise.
" What's the matter?" I ask her, making my presence known. I cross the room and sit near her. She smiles as I push her hair out of her eyes. She pulls the blanket up around her body a little closer.
" Cold?" I ask, smiling.
" Yeah." She nods, " You got out of bed and took all the warmth with you I suppose. Got anything for me to wear?"
I turn myself where I sit and pounce myself off the bed. I start pulling open drawers until I find what I'm looking for. I find a t-shirt, socks and a pair of sweatpants and toss them towards her. I come across another drawer for her and toss back a bra and underwear. I hear her giggle when she catches them.
I lead her out to the kitchen and help her to a seat. She still isn't at full health and will need my help for a while. Thankfully Matthew should be stopping by today or tomorrow and will give us a definite answer on that.
A few short moments later I hear a small knock on the door.
" Who's that?" Tris says, sitting at the table.
I give her a wink and head to the door, and fling it open.
" Hey! What's going..."
Before Christina can finish her sentence, she looks past me and sees Tris sitting there. For a second they look like spooked animals. Then Christina takes off running towards her, arms open, screaming with joy. By the time she reaches her they are both sobbing.
There's a moment where it all goes silent and they pull away and look at each other. I watch as unspoken words are passed back and forth. It comes to me that Tris doesn't have her full memory back just yet, and maybe she doesn't remember patching up things with her. Suddenly the silence breaks.
" I'm so sorry!" Tris says, holding Christina's hands in front of her, " I'm so sorry about..."
" Don't!" Christina cuts her off. She takes her hands from Tris and places them on her face. Christina stares at her for a second and then her slightly flat mouth cracks, and falls low. She chokes out a sob and lowers her face. When she brings it up again it is bright red and tears are streaming down her cheeks. " Please," She can hardly speak, " Don't ever apologize again. I just…I missed you so much!"
They embrace again
I quietly shut the door.
Writers note: a nice fat juicy chapter for ya :D
I'm taking second to address a user who has left me a review but doesn't allow me to respond. To BROSKIDOSKI…first of all..I am a woman, not a bro… and i'd appreciate it if you stopped referring to me as such. second of all…i appreciate everyone's comments and reviews and even criticism. I am NOT trying to find an explanation for Tobias " ending her sim"….he saved her for true and Buttercup TRUE LOVE. Her life was stolen away and She was being tested on and he wanted to rescue her. i'm sorry if you feel other wise but it's as simple as that. If you want to contribute, make yourself reachable via private message so i don't have to take up room on my story for things like this. thank you.