A/N I do not own the characters, story lines, quotes or anything of the Divergent books. I just borrowed them for entertainment.
Chapter 3 Telling the Others
"My son!" Tris says with a proud smile.
"But where is his father?" Christina asks not sure she wants the answer because it might hurt Tobias.
"Holding him." Tobias answers. "We made love only one time and apparently Torin was the result of our one night together. He is 2 years and 3 months old. His name is Torin Eaton and he is the son of Tobias and Beatrice Eaton." He explains before Tris explains everything else to the group.
Caleb is the first to rush over and hug his long lost sister. "I love you Tris! I missed you every day you were gone. Can I hold my nephew?"
She looks over to Tobias and when he nods she nods. "Torin I want you to meet your Uncle Caleb."
"Hi Uncle Caleb. I am Torin. Do you like to read?" Caleb was shocked at how sophisticated the little boy sounded.
"He has been taking classes with some other kids it's a test program that I helped to set up. It has been a great success in a lot of ways. I will need to find a place to live and wait Amar I think I figured out my job here!" She says and they all laugh. "We have been talking about starting the program up here and why wait if I am moving back here. Oh and yes your Uncle Caleb loves to read."
"Why would you need to find a place to live?" Evelyn asks suddenly.
"Well I can't stay at the bureau if I want to work here in the city and be closer to my loved ones."
"Right but didn't Tobias ask you to move in here? I would think he would want his son and his future wife here."
"He hasn't asked yet and he won't." Christina says and Tris tenses.
"Why won't he ask her?" Amar asks starting to hate Christina.
Christina looks from Tris to Tobias and instead of answering she moves to Tris. "You are a liar and not worthy of Tobias' love. You coward let him think you were dead for three whole years!" She is yelling and shaking her finger at Tris.
"Uncle Caleb could you please move closer to them?" Torin says. Once Caleb does Torin places his small hand on Christina's shoulder. "You love my daddy too but you know in your heart he never loved you that way. When did you realize you loved him?"
Christina looks shocked at the little boy. "Excuse me what does a 2 year old know of love?"
"A lot. It is one of our core lessons along with language and the basic history lessons. Plus Torin has been given lessons on the loved ones I had to deceive to keep them safe. Torin is the best of both his parents and even better than either of us ever will be." Tris says. "So when did you fall in love with Four?"
"I am not in love with Four or Tobias. I am just his friend."
"Just like you were just friends with Will and Uriah?" Tris says softly. "You loved Will and cared deeply for Uriah because you two created a love out of need. You both needed to forget the pain and move forward but all you got was more pain. Then Tobias understood that so you fell for him but he wasn't in need of the same kind of comfort you and Uriah had needed before. He had a piece of me that no one else would ever get and I had taken the same from him. As you can see Torin is living proof of that gift we gave that night." Tris speaks slowly as if she is approaching a wounded animal and needed to calm it first.
"You are all nuts if you think I am in love with Four or Tobias or whatever the hell his name is today."
"I thought I was losing my mind but now I get it they are right." Tobias says as he wraps his arm around Tris waist then moves toward Christina who moves back avoiding him. "Yeah right you don't have feelings for me."
"Tobias I am not going to defend myself anymore with everyone else in the room making snap judgments. I never have done anything to hurt you like she has and I haven't done anything to try and move in on you since her 'death' so I don't get why everyone things I love you."
"You may not have made a move but that doesn't mean you are not feeling the feelings." Amar says. "Tobias is a very lovable young man and no one would blame you but attacking Tris that way is uncalled for. Tris did what she thought was best for everyone."
Tris moves out of Tobias' arm and speaks softly. "Maybe I was wrong to come back here. I should have just gone on letting you all think I was dead but I remembered what it felt like when I learned Evelyn was still alive and I couldn't let you guys find out any other way especially since Tobias has a son that I wanted him to know. How could that have been explained had I stayed away?" She moves toward the door. "Please take good care of our son Tobias. I will get it legally changed on the birth certificate to have the right last name for the mother."
Before she could make it out the door George stepped in the way and so did Zeke. "No way no how are you leaving this room right now. We just got you back! I am not losing another friend or family member again just because someone in this room is hurting that they weren't in on the plans that kept her alive!" Zeke snaps and glares at Christina. "Christina, Tris had to get well before she could come back."
"So she couldn't let us know that she was alive? Makes a ton of sense to me! I also find it odd that she waits until he is almost three to tell us she had a kid! How do we know its Tobias kid and that she didn't have an affair with someone soon after we left?"
Tobias steps up and grabs Christina's hands in his own. "You need only look at Torin to know I am his father and secondly he is just 2 years and 3 months old so she didn't wait until he was almost 3. The third thing is that she knew it would be hard to explain to us what had happen when she herself was still confused. When are you going to accept that Tris though it doesn't always appear that way makes the right choice more often than the rest of us? She may make me mad at times with how she does things but I know in my heart that she is almost always right when it comes to making good decisions. She knew my mom wanted to dominate the city and she knew that Marcus was telling the truth that Janine was trying to cover up information. She knew to trust you as a friend from the start and now you make it so she can't even trust you when she needs you the most. So unless you are in love with me you will put your hurt aside and you will welcome her back with open arms."
"You can all be fools if you want but I am not staying here and listening any more to her b.s." Christina said as she moved toward the door and left.
Tris broke down crying and Evelyn moves toward her to hold her tight. "She will get over it and will be happy for you once she gets over her feelings for Tobias. As for the rest of you I would appreciated if you didn't shun her or push her to realize that Tris is her friend. Christina had just come to me to ask if I thought she should ask Tobias out the other day and now what happens she finds out the man she loves can never be hers. She has lost three men in such a quick amount of time. Before you ask no I advised her against asking Tobias out as I knew he wasn't yet ready for another relationship then a few days later I learned Tris was in fact alive. I think in my gut I knew she couldn't be dead."
Tris looks ready to collapse and just as she does Amar moves in. He is able to catch her and moved her to the couch. "She has been having episodes according to Matthew who has been working with her the last week. He had checked with her doctors about what the repercussions of such a night as tonight would be. She needs her medication but I think she left it back at the bureau thinking I would be taking her back tonight as she was afraid Tobias was going to hate her for this."
Tobias kneels beside her as the others talk amongst themselves. "I think we will get going so you can have time alone with her." Zeke said as he moved to get Shauna. Caleb moved to leave after setting Torin down but Tobias caught his hand.
"Caleb and Amar can you both please stay? I am sorry George but Amar is the closest thing to a real father I ever knew and Caleb is her brother. Zeke I love you man and you too Shauna but I think less people might be easier to deal with when she comes to." They all took their leave George after kissing Amar heads out with Zeke and Shauna. "He really loves you."
"I know man and I really love him too." Amar replies just as Tris comes to.
"Yeah and I bet he gets another great night of love making tonight when he gets home thanks to me." Tris teases and Amar goes red.
"I told you that in confidence. But yes he does find something very hot in your return after three years." Amar says with a laugh as Caleb covers Torin's ears.
"Torin knows the basics about what it means to love someone and share that love in a physical way. So what ever happened to Susan?" Tris asks suddenly.
Caleb starts to blush. "She and I are dating. I have been thinking about proposing but haven't yet gotten over losing my family enough to be able to give her a husband she could be proud of."
"Well you have a family again and I suggest you don't wait another day to propose so get lost Caleb we will talk again tomorrow. I expect to see a ring on her finger."
Caleb laughs as he hugs his sister then leaves as she has told him to and she knew he was healed enough to propose. "Amar is there a chance you could get Tris stuff from the bureau tonight? I want her to move in right away and I don't want to spend a minute apart but she does look wore out so we should stay here." Tobias says next. Amar agrees then hugs Tobias, Evelyn and finally Tris.
"I love you girl and will see you in a few hours." Amar whispers into her ear.
Once he is gone Evelyn starts to go out of the room to make dinner. "No Evelyn please stay here for a bit." Tris whispers but Evelyn hears her.
"Of course my dear I will stay. I just thought you would want time alone with Tobias. I promise I am trying to find a place and will move out as soon as I can."
"Evelyn I don't want you to move out necessarily actually that is why I asked you to stay. Torin why don't you see if you can get something to drink from the kitchen? I will call you when we are done talking grown up business ok?"
Torin followed his father's directions to the kitchen. "I actually also had to perform community service was the other reason I didn't contact any of you sooner. It is a long story but tonight isn't the time for that. What I wanted to talk to the two of you about is a possible change in your living arrangement and before you say anything Evelyn I don't mean you moving out but rather both of you moving out. I don't want to throw you another secret but Tobias, Johanna already knew I was alive. She learned about a week after you scattered 'my ashes' and she was very scared at first that she was seeing things but I was given a new and improved truth serum. I was able to tell her the whole story and she made a promise to keep my secret until I was healed enough to return to tell you myself. She also said she would let me know if there was a reason I shouldn't come back and had been hinting the last couple weeks that she thought you might be seeing Christina. Anyway she has been working with my therapist to make plans for where I would live."
"Your childhood home?" Tobias asks suddenly understanding a conversation Johanna and he had the day before.
"Yes but not forever just until my community service for the city is over and then I will be a free woman allowed to go and come as I please. I asked permission to offer you the opportunity to live with me both of you but only if you were comfortable with it and weren't mad at me. It would be for two years and if you don't want to do it I understand. I would ask you to keep Torin here with you so that you could spend the time getting to know him. He has been anxiously waiting the day he could meet his daddy and grandmother. I am not taking him away from you both if I can avoid it." She was rambling so Tobias leaned in and caressed her cheek before kissing her to shut her up.
"I don't know what mom feels about moving back in so close to the house that holds so many bad memories for us but I know I want to be with you wherever you are. I am tired of being so far apart."
"I love the idea but at the same time I am wondering if me moving into my own place might be wiser."
"What about we keep this place for the nights when you can't stand being around me and need to be on your own? Plus that way it would be an option once my community service was over." Tris says and the other two grin at her.
"That works wonderful and maybe I can even keep Torin from time to time which would allow you two a night alone." She wiggled her eyebrows at Tris.
"I am sure we will agree to that idea from time to time." Tris grins as Tobias blushes.
"Mom I am so embarrassed."
"What you two already have a kid it's no secret you have already done it once." Evelyn says grinning at her son. "Oh and I have one more condition Tris for me agreeing to move in with you."
"What would that be?"
"Please call me Mom. I mean you will be my daughter-in-law soon enough."
"That means a lot to me that you will let me call you Mom as I lost my own mother just a little over three years ago. Speaking of that have they buried my parents or were they scattered?"
"Natalie was um scattered into the chasm at the former Dauntless pit and over the burial plots in our former faction. Andrew was scattered in Millennium Park and in the burial plot same as your mom." Evelyn tells her with a sad expression.
"Great I will get a chance to say good bye. Oh and not that either of you care but Marcus is very ill with pneumonia. He was brought to the bureau to see if we could help him. I am sorry Tobias but he knew before you that I was alive. I am the only one who has been to see him and he asked me once if I planned to come back to you. When I told him I would he asked if I would at least ask you to come for a visit. I told him I wouldn't but there is something I realized about him and you once said that I was good at reading a situation and you weren't. Well Marcus and I have been talking during my visits and things have been coming up. He owned up to all his sins against both of you and then told me about his childhood. Please consider going with me when I visit in two days. I have to sign off the paperwork to release my records to Johanna and to get things wrapped up for Torin's records to also be transferred along with the name corrected on the certificate."
"I will make you a deal." Tobias replies. "I will go with you if you promise to leave your name as Eaton on the certificate unless you want us to completely change our name when we marry."
"I want to take Eaton if you are ok with it but you will understand more when we talk to Marcus. Mom will you go with us too? I wouldn't ask but the man deserves to put his past behind him before he dies."
"I will go as well if you tell me why you choose to go with Eaton on the certificate."
Tris smiled. "I felt like I was in a way married to Tobias even though we never got the chance and I was undergoing serious therapy. Also something in Torin's eyes when he was born made me ache even more to hold onto Tobias in any way I could so when they asked the names to be placed on the certificate I named Tobias and Beatrice Eaton then I gave Torin Eaton as our son's name. Every day I look at my son and miss his father more. Finally a week ago when I was brave enough to tell Matthew I realized I was longing to see Tobias so much that even if he pushed me away I needed to do this. So I let Amar in a few days ago and asked him to help break the news to Tobias while Matthew had agreed to talk to you Evelyn to assure you wouldn't kill me on the spot."
"I want to marry you Tris but I feel like I want to do this right and propose to you but at the same time I am beginning to wonder if I am being too old fashioned for you."
Tris laughs, "I love when you are old fashioned because it is what created our beautiful son. You waited until you were sure the moment wasn't for the wrong reason. It was a declaration of what we have and not just some hormone frenzied night."
"Should I leave the room or are you two comfortable with me knowing the details?"
"I don't care if you stay as sooner or later you will know everything about our relationship I am sure. Including how I don't sleep much when I am not near Tobias. My therapist figured that out a few days after our first session. She tried different approaches to help me sleep including sleeping medication and herbal remedies but nothing worked until Torin was born. With him in his crib at the foot of my bed I had a piece of you, Tobias. I love you and I love our son. You will be the father your dad wasn't and I know because you know that I can kick your ass if you aren't." With that they all laughed.
They went into the kitchen and made dinner then ate as a family before Amar returned with Tris and Torin's belongings. He administered a shot in Tris's neck which was her one medication. "That is the other reason I have to go back a few more times. Unless Amar can bring it to me but I didn't want to bother him."
"It would not be a bother sweetheart. Remember I said you would be my adoptive daughter." Amar said then kissed his adopted daughter's cheek before leaving.
"Have fun tonight and make sure to let me know how explosive it got." Tris teases.
"EW I don't want to know that about Amar and George!" Tobias said and they laughed.