AN: Thanks to all of you who expressed a desire of this story not ending, or there being a sequel, etc. I'm so honoured that you all enjoyed this story so much, and I'm glad I was able to share it with you. At this point, I will be finishing up on this story shortly, after I post the bonus chapters. For the moment I won't be writing any more in this alternate universe, or in this series. I need a little break - I'm all tired out for now haha. Sorry it's taken me so long to post, I've had lots on with the Easter Break.
Epilogue
Tris left the tattoo parlour, fresh ink etched into her skin. She was looking forward to showing it to Four, or rather, letting him find it next time they were shirtless. She planned for that to be in the very near future.
Instead of heading straight for her room she decided to head by the infirmary to check on Uriah.
"Hey Mar, how's he doing?" Tris asked as she entered the white walled infirmary area of the compound.
"He's doing well enough to make himself a nuisance," Marlene said, trying to sound annoyed, but only coming off as ridiculously happy.
"Let me guess, every second thing his says contains innuendo?" Tris asked with a grin.
Marlene nodded vigorously.
"I keep telling him that the minute he's full recovered I will do every single thing he's ever dreamed of having me do, but that only makes him more frustrated," Marlene said dryly. "He's only two weeks into a minimum six week recovery. Part of me wishes I wasn't in here every day, giving him medical care. On so many counts it would be so much easier to just be his girlfriend and sit with him after work and hold his hand and kiss his forehead. But part of me is glad I know every detail of his condition and exactly how to care for him."
"I'm sure he's glad you're the one looking after him," Tris said warmly. "I'm just going to drop in and sit with him for a bit before dinner, okay?"
Tris headed into Uriah's now familiar room and took a seat next to his bed.
"Been giving your girlfriend a hard time today?" Tris asked, sitting down.
"I've been a treat," Uriah said fiendishly, smiling from his spot in his hospital bed. There were still a lot of tubes in him, but he'd been conscious for over ten days, and could talk, and was starting to resume a normal diet. Each day he gained more energy, and he became more and more restless, at least mentally. Physical he was still stuck in his bed, with no much chance of leaving it for at least another week.
"Uriah, you should give her a break, it's not easy being in her position," Tris chastised. "If you're good, I'll see if Dr Mike will let everyone visit after dinner."
"And will you smuggle me some cake too?" Uriah asked hopefully.
"Maybe next week," Tris answered with a laugh. "How about I tell you about my day today now?"
So she told him about her day, what she was up to on her current assignment, and even her trip to the tattoo parlour.
"I'll see you later," Tris promised. "Bye!"
Tris headed straight to the dining hall, enjoying walking through its doors and knowing that she'd be enjoying a light hearted meal with her friends.
It had taken her a little while to adjust being back at Dauntless. Suddenly food wasn't prepared by world class chefs, people didn't wait on her hand and foot, and her clothes weren't made by the most famous designers. Being back in her own clothes was a relief for the most part.
But the negatives were easily outweighed by the positives, and made the transition back to her 'normal' life enjoyable. She saw her friends every day, Marlene and Christina dropped by her room most evenings, she ate each meal with the people who were most important to her, and she saw Four every day. She got to kiss him every day, touch him, tell him she loved him, and wake up with him.
Late on Saturday evening after her return, once the ball was over, she and Four had headed back to his room, where they had talked for a long time. She told him about the most significant parts of her mission, and about Evelyn. She told him what Evelyn had said she wished she could have told her son. Four had looked very shaken, and then had cupped her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly.
They had ended up making love for the first time. It had been sweet, and awkward, and special, and something Tris would always remember.
Flashback
Tris was sitting on Four's bed, wrapped up in his arms, both still dressed in their evening wear from the Snowflake Ball. Tris's hair was out of its bun, tumbling over her shoulders in loose waves.
"You must be exhausted," Four commented softly.
"I got quite a good nap in on the plane," Tris said easily. "I don't want to sleep now, not when I'm finally back with you. And, there's something I need to tell you."
"You've told me plenty about the mission, I don't need anymore details tonight," Four countered. "I had other ideas for how we could spend our time."
Four moved in to kiss her, but she pulled away.
"No, I have to tell you something Evelyn said to me, right before she died," Tris blurted.
Four steeled himself, an expressionless look forming on his face. "Okay."
"We were arguing, when I tried to arrest her, and I brought up that I knew she'd abandoned her family, including a son, and that I thought it was awful," Tris said slowly. "She told me, she told me that she had someone check up on you. She thought you were happy, she wished she could have told you she was sorry, and that she was proud of you."
Four looked white, several emotions crossing his face; hurt, anger, abandonment, betrayal, loss.
"She was just saying that, to ease her conscious, before she abandoned me again, by killing herself," Four said bitterly, his face crumpling. "She could have seen me again, but once more she chose the weak, easy way out."
Tris cupped his face in her hands and looked seriously into his eyes and said, "She did abandon you, and she was weak and selfish, but I was there when she said she was sorry, and that she was proud of you. I truly believe that she was sincere when she said that."
Four nodded and Tris kissed him tenderly.
"I love you," she said softly.
"I love you too," he replied, threading his hands through her hair and kissing her deeply.
Each kiss led to a more fervent, more urgent, passionate one, tongues clashing, lips melding together, hands roaming everywhere.
Four fumbled with the delicate zip of Tris's gown, eventually manoeuvring the little thing down the length of her back, pushing the dress of her shoulders, it slipping to the floor.
Tris stood there in lacy, white undergarments, Four surveying her as though she was a cool drink and he was dying of thirst.
Tris blushed under his heated gaze, and then stepped towards him, eager to remove his dress shirt, wanting to see and touch him as well.
Each touch led to one more touch, their breathing grew heavier, their bodies were covered in a light sheen of sweat.
Eventually they were both naked, which was further than they had ever gone before.
"If we don't stop now, I don't know if I'll be able to stop," Four said, breathing heavily.
"I'm okay with that," Tris admitted softly.
"Are you sure?" Four asked seriously, his eyes meeting hers searchingly.
"I'm sure, sure that I love you, and sure that I want this," Tris said just as seriously, kissing him as additional proof. "I'm ready."
End flashback
Since then their sexual encounters had been loosing awkwardness and becoming more and more enjoyable. Tris and Four often fell asleep together, and woke up in each other's arms. They had not discussed or even considered requesting permission to move in together. They were still growing in their relationship, and keeping their own living spaces was something they both needed.
After dinner Tris and her group of friends did spend a pleasant twenty minutes with Uriah.
"As soon as you're able to sit up and use your hands we'll bring you a laptop so you can play the latest video games with us," Lynn promised. "There'll be plenty of blood, gore and fighting, but only virtual."
"Once you're up and about again I'll let you beat me in a fight," Zeke promised with a grin. "As a welcome back to normal life present."
"You won't need to let me win, I'll beat you fair and square!" Uriah scoffed. "With one hand tied behind my back!"
"Yes, we know you're all man, and very brave and strong, baby," Marlene cooed.
This exchange elicited a general chuckle from the group.
"He didn't look all man dressed in tennis whites, with a designer sweater looped around his shoulders," Tris teased with a giggle.
"I told you I'd drop you off the compound roof if you ever told anyone!" Uriah exclaimed, a little annoyed, but taking the teasing well. He was just glad to be with his friends.
"The way I figure it, you're not going to be able to do that for a while," Tris said with a grin.
The room chuckled again, and then fell to discussing football, the time was drawing near for the Super Bowl, and most of them were following the season fairly closely.
Christina, Marlene and Shauna all adopted rather bored expressions, having little interest in football.
Uriah began to tire before too long, so everyone left for the evening.
Tris and Four headed back to his room, hand-in-hand.
As soon as the door closed behind them Tris pushed Four up against the wall and began to kiss him thoroughly, starting to unbutton his shirt quickly.
Four in turn ran his hands under her shirt, stroking the sensitive flesh of her torso, before pulling her black shirt off and over her head.
Four was trailing kisses along Tris's stomach, moving up towards her chest, when he suddenly stopped, breathing heavily.
"What's this?" he asked curiously, his fingers brushing gently over the skin on the left side of her ribcage. "A new tattoo? Love never fails?"
"Love never fails," Tris echoed. "It's from The Bible, actually, from that passage about love. I really love the whole thing, but it was too big to have it all inked on. I chose the best part – love never fails. My love for you will never fail."
"I love you," Four said, returning to kissing her fervently.
The End
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love means never having to say you're sorry. Love Story
My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,
And true plain hearts do in the faces rest;
Where can we find two better hemispheres,
Without sharp north, without declining west?
Whatever dies, was not mix'd equally;
If our two loves be one, or, thou and I
Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die. John Donne – The Good-Morrow
So it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be really hard. We're gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day… The Notebook
I love you. I am who I am because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, everyday we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours. The Notebook
Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies. Aristotle
Hear my soul speak:
The very instant that I saw you, did
My heart fly to your service. Shakespeare - The Tempest
Doubt thou the stars are fire;
Doubt that the sun doth move;
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt I love. Shakespeare - Hamlet
If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more. Jane Austen - Emma
Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Jane Austen - Persuasion
AN: Thanks for reading! It's been a great journey :)
The above quotes are a few of my favourites about love, and I think they are rather suitable in reference to FourTris.
Sorry that the chapter was a little shorter than the last ones, but it is an epilogue after all :)
Bonus chapters to follow in the next week or so :) (I will mark this as complete though, for now, as it essentially is, aside from the bonus chapters.)
Happy Easter!
Please review!