I don't own Divergent, unfortunately.

Hey, people. Sorry I haven't updated in so long; Exeter is super busy. I've barely had time to sleep! I always have bags under my eyes by the weekend. I wish I could update more often, but it's unlikely. Sorry!

I started an update for ADD, but it's not done yet. Bye and thanks for staying true!

He crutches over to Sierra's, and I walk slowly alongside him. After we make it past the door, James locks it, yawning, and heads upstairs with Sierra. Tobias and I go downstairs and Tobias flops onto a couch. I open up his suitcase and pull out a pair of boxers and a pair of pajama pants. I help him out of his shirt and swim shorts and into his pajamas. He sighs and presses his face into my neck. "I love you," he mumbles, "but I'm really starting to hate having to ask you to help with everything."

I chuckle and kiss his head. "Okay, baby."

The next day, I wake up at six. The game starts at one, but I have to be there at eight and I need to shower.

I press a kiss to Tobias' head, waking him up. "Morning, baby," I whisper.

"Morning," he mumbles.

"I'm going to go shower and get ready for the game. Do you want to come to the game? You could take AJ and Andreas and James could take Matias and Noah," I suggest, stroking his cheek.

"Mhm," he agrees, still half-asleep.

"Do you want to get up now and shower with me?" I ask.

He sits up. "What's this about showering with you?"

I laugh softly and kiss his forehead. "I said you could shower with me if you get up." I put a hand on his chest. "A real, clean, shower-shower. Not a sex shower."

Tobias shrugs and sits up. I help him off the bed. Outside the room are two towels, presumably left there by Sierra. I scoop them up and lean over in the bathroom to turn the shower on. Then I strip my clothes off and Tobias'. In the shower, I help him, though he could do it on his own. He repays me by washing my hair and massaging the conditioner in. I sigh as he rubs my head. I then rinse it out while he scrubs at his pits. We finish showering and I step out, drying off and then handing Tobias a towel. He dries off, too, and I brush my hair while he shaves. Then, wrapped in towels, we return to the basement room and change. I wear my game uniform shirt and basketball shorts; he wears cargo shorts and his jersey.

"Bit pretentious, isn't that?" I ask, pointing to his shirt.

"It makes me feel better."

I don't argue after that, just walk upstairs. Sierra and James are in the kitchen, making out. Dominic sits in his high chair, whimpering. I chuckle and give him a piece of eggs from the tray. He gargles.

They seem to realize I'm here then, because they break apart, flushed.

"Ah, the troubles of parenthood," I tease, smiling and giving Dominic another piece of egg.

James wipes his face and grabs his laptop. "I have a little bit of work to do," he informs Sierra. "I'm going to use the shed. Wake Noah up at nine and tell him to come work out."

She nods and turns her attention to Dominic. I lean against the counter, smiling. She looks up, still slightly red. "Sorry."

I shake my head. "No, it's all good." I grin. "Tobias and I have done that enough times when we aren't around AJ."

"Please, don't tell me about all the times you've messed around with my cousin," Sierra groans.

"What's this about messing around with me?" Tobias asks, limping towards us.

"Crutches." I point to where they're leaned against the wall.

"Yes, ma'am." He grabs them and hobbles over to me, kissing me softly. "So, Sierra," he says, taking a bite out of a bagel sitting on the counter. I pluck it out of his hand and replace it with an apple, "Tris and I'd love it if Andreas and Mat and James and Noah'd come to the game with us today. They can sit in the dugout with the players and I." He grins at me. "I would normally get them seats in the stands with me, 'cause I won't be playing 'cause of my leg, but Tris insists I sit in the dugout so she can supervise me."

I pinch his leg through his basketball shorts. "And what would you be doing if I didn't supervise you? Drinking beer, which would screw with the antibiotics, eating hot dogs, which is against the doctor's orders, and standing without your crutches?"

He grins. "Probably."

I chuckle and kiss his cheek. "Dugout it is."

He turns to Sierra again, now munching on the apple. "Two things: do you have any yogurt and granola, and can they come?"

"I'll talk to them," she promises. Then she takes yogurt out of the fridge and granola out of a cupboard next to it. "Help yourselves. There's OJ, milk, and coconut milk in the fridge, and I assume you can see the water dispenser on the fridge." She gives Dominic another bite.

"Are you going to call him Dom when he gets older?" I ask. Tobias hands me a bowl, and I spoon some yogurt and granola in.

She glances at me. "Why when he's older?"

"I feel like it's a big name. He's such a little guy that I think he needs a little time to grow into it." I smile at Dominic. "It's a good name for him, though. He just needs to grow into it."

Sierra nods slowly. "Yeah, I guess."

Tobias wraps an arm around my waist for a second and kisses my cheek. "I love you," he whispers.

I kiss his cheek back. "I love you, too."

He puts his cereal bowl on the counter and hobbles around to pull a chair up. Then he sits and begins to eat it. I eat mine, too, leaning against the counter and watching Sierra and Dominic. I was like that with AJ, except I didn't have a James until I met Tobias.

I finish my bowl of cereal and load my dish into the dishwasher. Then I grip Tobias' chin. "If Andreas and James decide not to come, stay here with AJ. I don't want you driving." I kiss his cheek. "I'm going to go get AJ's car seat." I walk out to the rental car and untangle the seat. I bring it back to Sierra's house and put it on the porch outside the door. Then I go back in and kiss Tobias softly. "I have to get going soon, but I'm going to go see if AJ's up." I smile at Sierra. "See you later."

Tobias grabs my waist and pulls me to him for a kiss that leaves me breathless. He smirks. "Bye. Love you."

"You, too," I reply, then walk to Andreas and Robyn's. Matias, Alyssa, and Robyn are up. "Morning," I say.

Robyn smiles at me, though more cautiously than yesterday. "Morning. Are you leaving for the game soon?"

"Practice." I yawn. "Gotta go stretch some big, smelly guys."

"You're dating a big, smelly guy," she points out.

I chuckle. "Yes, but I like that big, smelly guy. And he now wears deodorant every day."

Robyn smiles. "Now?"

I huff. "It was a battle. Anyway, is AJ still asleep?"

"No," AJ says. "Hi, Mommy."

"Hey, bud." I open my arms and he hugs me. "How did you sleep?"

"Good, Mom." He chews on his lip. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, bud, but I'll be back soon. And Dad might bring you to the game." I kiss his head. "I love you. Take a nap today, okay?"

"Mom," he whines.

"Bud, it's seven and you're up. You need to sleep a little more." I kiss his head. "Or you can go back to sleep now, if you want."

He huffs, but goes back into a room, turns a sound machine on, and shuts the door. I yawn and smile at Robyn. "I've gotta go. See you later."

I yawn as I follow Zeke onto the field. Uriah has an arm slung around my shoulders. "So I hear Four came with, huh?"

I huff. "Yes, he did. Without asking."

"Ooh," Zeke says. "Bending the rules there. My rebellious little Four."

I roll my eyes. "Shut it, you two." I push Uriah off of me. "Get working, freaks."

They grin and begin to jog. I walk around, stretching a few players, offering tips to others. The time flies by, and the game starts in under half an hour. As the players put their uniforms on, I check my phone. There's a single text from Tobias, saying he's coming with the guys. I send him a quick reply, saying I'll meet him in the dugout.

Then, a few players come out, requesting I stretch them, so I start, sighing. Some of them, like Eric, are really quite annoying. Uriah comes over, smiling impishly. I shove him lightly, grinning, and stretch him briefly. Then, Max motions for all the players to come in so he can tell who's playing. I follow Uri into the dugout, missing the outfielders. "- Jeter, shortstop, Cano, second base, Texiera, first, Headley, third. Montenegro, you're pitching, and Montenegro, you're catching. Gear up, men. Go warm up, Montenegro. Little Montenegro, get gear on and catch for him."

The players obey. The ones that aren't playing sit on the bench. Someone taps me and I turn to see AJ and Tobias with Andreas, James, Matias, and Noah, who's bug-eyed.

"Four," Eric calls, laughing, "why are you even here? You can't play with your little wimpy leg."

Max glances at Eric, annoyed. "You go get yourself cleated and you can sit out and call him wimpy. But for now, you can go get some water for me."

"There're batboys for that," Eric complains.

"I know. Now, go get me my water," Max orders.

Eric huffs and walks out of the dugout. Tobias leads the guys over to a corner of the dugout and sits them down, AJ included. I kiss AJ's head and Tobias' cheek. Then I walk up and lean against the railing next to Max, who watches his team warm up. He put Ellsbury, Ichiro, and Gardner in the outfield, and tells me he's having Beltran bat for Zeke.

"How's Four healing up?" he grunts.

I consider. "The stitches haven't ripped out, which is excellent, but it's causing him a lot of pain to walk on it. He might be out for the rest of the season, Max, unless we make it into the playoffs." I make a face. "That means beating the Mariners and the Tigers for the second wild card, though."

Max shrugs and blows a bright pink bubble. "Team needs to step up and do a better job. We need to beat the Mariners in this series, too."

I nod and we continue to look out. The Mariners take the field and the team jogs in, except for Cano, who goes to bat. Jeter pulls a helmet on, as does Uriah after he finishes taking the gear off. Jeter grabs his bat and warms his swing up.

I hear the telltale crack of the ball hitting the bat and see a flawless hit to center, which the Mariners' center fielder runs to get but misses. Cano makes it to second. Some people in the stands cheer, but there are mostly mutterings. Angry ones.

"Do you need me, Max, or can I go sit with Four and AJ?" I ask.

"Go." He watches Jeter bat.

I sit down next to Tobias and pull AJ onto my lap. Tobias takes my hand and watches the game, a slightly bitter smile on his face.

Zeke sits next to Tobias (in between Tobias and Andreas) and talks to him quietly. Soon he has Tobias chuckling about something or other. I point at first base and say to AJ, "Do you know who's on that base?"

"Mark Teixeira is on first," he says matter-of-factly.

I chuckle and kiss his head. "Sometimes I forget that Papa taught you so much."

He turns to me eagerly. "Tristan says he's going to Collegiate. Where am I going?"

"Your dad and I are still working that out, bud. We sent three applications out, and they want to interview you when we get back." I kiss his head. "We did send an application to Collegiate, though. We also sent one to Ramaz, which is a Jewish school, and a school called Buckley."

He nods his approval and then turns his head to look at Tobias, and then back at me. "The Jewish one…would you want me to go there?"

I look at him. "Honestly, I like Ramaz and Collegiate best. I'm going to call Papa and Uncle Caleb and talk to them after you've interviewed with the schools."

AJ nods and looks back at the game. Then he turns to Zeke. "Zekey, there's two outs and two strikes on the batter," he announces. "You should get ready."

Zeke ruffles AJ's hair. "Thanks, little man." He stands and grabs his glove and cap. "See ya, Four."

Tobias leans over to Andreas and whispers in ear. Andreas grins and whispers in James' ear. Then they all laugh.

I lift AJ off my lap and set him in Tobias'. Then I lean and whisper in Tobias' ear, "I hope whatever you're laughing about is worth my wrath later." I give him a friendly smile.

His face whitens and he makes a face. I pat his head gently and go lean against the railing, this time next to Will. "Hey, Tris," he says.

"What's up, Will?"

"Well, I believe that cloud is above us." He points upward and then grins.

"Shut up, you erudite." I hit him lightly.

"Erudite is an adjective," he informs me.

I only smirk.

Noah keeps glancing at Jeter and then looking down. It's the top of the seventh, and it's tied three-three. I think Jeter's noticed Noah looking at him a few times.

I sit next to Tobias. "Ask Noah why he's staring at Jeter."

Tobias looks up at his nephew (cousin once removed, whatever) just in time to see him glance at Jeter again. Tobias leans towards him. "What up, Noah? You got a question for Derek?"

Noah nods slowly. "I…" He reddens. "I wanted to ask him about running exercises." He reddens further. "And to sign my cap."

Tobias stands and crutches over to Jeter. He says something that makes him smile and then nod. Tobias returns to his seat on the bench clapping Noah on the back and lifting AJ back into his lap. I take his hand and kiss my son's head. "What'd you say?" I murmur.

"Pretty much exactly what Noah said. Jeter agreed to practice with him for a bit today." Tobias kisses my head.

"Good." I stand and go lean next to Zeke. "How's your shoulder feeling?" I ask.

He shrugs. "It's fine."

"You're pitching pretty well," I comment.

"Yeah, but we all know Max'd rather have Four out there to combat Hernández." Zeke scowls. "I'm just not as good as he is."

"Maybe he's doing better right now, but you have to potential to do better, Zeke. I've seen your pitching. With a few adjustments, you'll be throwing just as good as he is." I grab Zeke's arm. "Zeke, you're a major league pitcher. Just because Four practices a little more doesn't mean he's any better than you."

Zeke sighs. "I'm done in the game, anyway. Max is putting Mariano in."

"Max takes Four out, too," I remind him.

"Not on the perfect game day," he mumbles.

I hit him in the shoulder. "That was one day, Zeke, and he was angry as fuck with me. That's why he pitched so well. He was angry."

Zeke shakes his head, pulls his cap low over his eyes, and stalks off the railing towards the showers, grabbing his gear. I sigh and watch Beltran hit.

After the game, Jeter keeps true to his word with Noah and takes him out on the field for a little bit while the other players shower and leave, except for Zeke, Uri, and Will, who are apparently having dinner with Tobias' family…and us. I guess, by extension, they're my family, too, because Tobias adopted AJ, and AJ is my son.

God, that makes my head hurt. I shake my head and walk over to Tobias, who stands with AJ, watching Noah and Jeter. Noah's grin must be stretching his face, it's so wide. AJ watches with enthusiasm as they catch, gripping Tobias' hand tightly.

Tobias smiles at AJ. "Careful, little man. You're going to pull me down."

AJ lets go quickly. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Tobias looks out at them again. "You guys ready to leave?" He looks to me. "Can you take AJ and I back with you?"

"Yeah." I turn and walk to change. Tobias makes a strange sound, but I just keep walking. I shower and change quickly into my jean shorts and a tee shirt.

As soon as I step out of the bathroom, Tobias pulls me to him, holding me to his chest. "What's wrong, my love?" he asks.

"Nothing, Tobias," I say, taking his hand. I boost AJ up to my hip. "Where's his carseat?"

"James' car." Tobias puts an arm around my waist for a second before I open James' car and fetch the seat. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I buckle AJ into the carseat and put the front seat all the way back for Tobias. I help him in and then get in myself and start the car.

"Tris, a-"

"I'm fine, Tobias." The icy tone in my voice tells him to leave it be.

"Okay, okay." Tobias looks out the window.

"Mommy, am I going to have a brother like Noah?" AJ asks.

"What do you mean, bud?" I ask.

"I mean 'will I have a brother like Noah?'," AJ sassily replies.

"Well, probably not, bud," I reply. "Noah is older than you. You might be a brother like Noah, though."

AJ chews on his lip as he considers this. "Could we adopt me a big brother?"

I chuckle. "Ask your dad."

Tobias looks over. "Ask me what?"

"Can you adopt me a big brother?"

Tobias chokes a bit. "Maybe. Maybe we'll make you a little brother instead," he says.

AJ ponders this silently. "Maybe I'd like that."

Tobias turns and smiles at him. "We'll see, bud. Your mom and I are going to get married before we have any more kids."

AJ grabs his giraffe off the seat next to him. "Okay." Then he closes his eyes and promptly falls asleep.

I pull into the parking lot. Tobias unbuckle AJ, who hops out of the car and runs up to Robyn and starts babbling. I grab his giraffe and slam it into Tobias' chest. He reaches up to clutch it, staring at me. "Tr-"

"Just leave me be." I squeeze his hand lightly. "I need a little time to myself, okay?"

Tobias hugs me. "No, not okay. I'm going to be here, Tris, whether you like it or not."

I sigh and rest my head on his shoulder. I straighten and put a smile on my face. "It can wait until tomorrow, 'kay? Or tonight. But now we have to, I dunno, interact or something."

Tobias laughs and holds my hands. "Yes, I guess that's true, isn't it?" He walks over to AJ and picks him up mid-sentence, boosting him up onto his shoulders.

"Dad!" AJ squeals. He grabs Tobias' head.

"I think you should go into the pool," Tobias teases.

AJ can't seem to get the smile off his face. "But Dad -"

I stand on my tiptoes and pluck AJ's hat off and Tobias' phone and wallet out of his pockets. "Now you're both good to go in."

Tobias grins and kisses my head. "You wanna come?"

I shake my head and lean closer. "Try it and you'll learn the meaning of 'celibate' the hard way."

Tobias chokes slightly and backs away. I grin. Robyn comes to stand next to me. "How long have…him and AJ been like that?"

I don't tear my eyes away from my boys as Tobias tries to get AJ into the water. "Since they met, really. AJ just took a liking to him…immediately."

I hear the smile in her voice as she says, "Has he asked you to marry him yet?"

"This week?" I ask, chuckling to cover my discomfort. "Tobias asked me to marry him in July."

"And you said…no?" Robyn asks. "Why?"

"Why would I turn your cousin down, or why are we still together, or why did he adopt AJ, even though we're not getting married yet?" I reply, letting out a little bitter laugh that sounds more like a cough.

"All three."

"Because…because I can't marry him yet. We're still together because…well, it's kind of like we're agreeing to get engaged…later. His adopting AJ was his own decision." I shrug. "I don't understand his reasoning."

"Do you know anything about my past?" Robyn asks.

I nod, eyes still on Tobias and AJ. "Tobias mentioned your dad was…like Marcus."

"No, not really." Robyn touches my arm. "What has Tobias told you about Marcus, Tris?"

I look down. "Nothing. I've seen his medical reports and x-rays, and I guessed. He…he also has scars from the belt."

Robyn sighs. "Marcus nearly killed Tobias…more than once when he stayed with us, and I'm sure more than that during the school year." Her hand clenches on my arm. "I think the only reason he got such good grades during school is because he did the work, was smart, and his teachers knew what was going on."

I watch Tobias. "Some of his injuries never healed properly," I whisper. "I didn't have the heart to tell him." I chew on my lip. "And his late onset of EVAS - a hearing problem - probably has to do with head trauma sustained during puberty."

Robyn coughs, and I turn to see her crying silently. I wrap my arms around her. "I…I should have said something," she whispers.

"Robyn, Tobias doesn't begrudge you for it," I say. "And this is Marcus' fault, not yours." Is it, though? They could have prevented it, stopped it. But that doesn't matter - it's over. "Is there…did Marcus do anything else?"

"I don't know," she murmurs. "You'll have to ask him." She coughs again. "I should go clean up and start dinner." She gives me a look, and then glances at AJ and Tobias. "Hey, AJ," she calls. "Do you want to come play Minecraft with Mat?"

AJ clambers off Tobias. "Yeah!" He glances down at his sopping clothes. "Mom, can I have a towel?"

"I'll get one," Robyn promises him. She gives me a meaningful look. "Your mom and dad have to talk for a little while."

I look at Tobias, who stands out of earshot, sopping wet and grinning. "I'm going to get him a towel," I decide. I walk into Sierra's house and get a towel from downstairs. I hand it to Tobias.

"What were you two talking about?" he asks, stripping his shirt off and handing it to me.

I take it. "We'll talk once you're dry."

He scrubs at his hair. ""Seriously, Tris. I saw Robyn crying."

"We'll talk once you're dry," I repeat, "and we can go inside."

Tobias sighs and scrubs at his shorts until he's not dripping anymore. "Okay, let's go inside then."

I walk to the basement, giving Sierra a friendly smile. She nods and lets us walk through. Tobias limps down the steps after me while I carry his crutches. I guide his arm around me and walk him to the room down there.

"Strip," I order, rummaging around in the bags. I hear a rustle and a plop. "Put the shorts and the boxers in the bathroom," I add.

I turn around to find a proudly naked Tobias grinning sheepishly at me, his erection obvious. I arch an eyebrow. "How did I even turn you on?" I ask, shaking my head as I help him into dry boxers and basketball shorts.

He shrugs. "It's pretty easy."

"I can see that," I mutter, sitting on the couch and pushing him into a seat on the end. I pull his leg into my lap and unwrap it. I clean the stitched areas with peroxide and apply bacitracin before putting a new bandage on. I kiss his knee softly and throw out the old bandage.

Tobias pulls me into his lap so we're facing each other. "We're alone, and I've been tended to," he reminds me. "Talk."

I lean forward and hug him. "Robyn asked what you'd told me about Marcus," I say quietly. "And I said nothing."

Tobias stiffens. "What did she say?"

"She said Marcus nearly killed you more than once while you were with them." I chew on my lip. "She says we should talk about this, Tobias."

"And we should," he whispers. He hunches forward and puts his head to my shoulder. "Tris, I - I don't want to scare you," he adds.

"Tobias, I just want to understand," I reply, rubbing his back.

"And…no pity?" he asks, sounding so young and unsure that my heart turns in my chest with pain.

"No pity, Tobias. You don't need to be pitied." I press my lips to the back of his neck.

He sighs and relaxes further into me, his hands now gripping my hips through my shorts. For a second, I panic, remembering the feeling of Peter grabbing me by the hips and throwing me onto the bed. Then I smell Tobias' scent and calm down somewhat, though I gently pull his hands from my hips and wrap them around me.

"He did almost kill me. Usually whenever he was really mad," Tobias says, eyes screwed tightly shut and face pressed into the crook of my neck. "He'd beat me with a belt, his fists, my bat, whatever he could find. He took a knife to me while I was here once." Tobias shudders. "He'd throw me into walls, kick me, hit me, whatever he felt like. Once he threw me into the wall so hard I went partway into the plaster."

I hold Tobias increasingly tighter with every word. "Tobias…"

"And the closet," Tobias continues. "The closet was by far the worst. After he was done beating me, he would lock me in the closet, sometimes for days. When I was here, the second Marcus left the room, they'd rush in and get me out and tend to me. I begged them not to do anything. Their parents didn't know; Marcus always told them I was asleep or didn't feel well or had work."

By now, tears are streaming down my face. Tobias' mouth is open and his warm breath hits my neck. I hug him tightly. "I love you, Tobias." I kiss his head, breaths shuddering. "My life has changed so much for the better with you in it, and I can't imagine not having you."

Tobias leans his head up gently and kisses me, the kiss starting out slow but building in intensity.

Soon, he's placed me on the bed and locked the door, and he's kissing me again, and I'm kissing him back, and our hands are roaming.

After we finish, and Tobias blankets me with his warm, strong body, we lay, me stroking his hair. I kiss his head, and he looks up at me. "Marry me?"

I kiss his head again. "Not now, Tobias." I kiss him. "Thank you for asking, though."

Tobias kisses me back. "One day, you'll say yes."

"One day," I agree. Then I stand and get dressed. "Do you want me to tell them you're asleep, or do you want to come up?"

Tobias chews on his lip. "Asleep."

I kiss his head. "Just in case, you might want some clothes." I help him into his boxers and basketball shorts from before.

He pulls me down for a kiss. "I love you, Tris."

"I love you, too, Tobias." I hug him once more and sit on the edge of the bed for a second, pulling my hair up. "You know, I was thinking you and AJ should do something - just the two of you - in Seattle tomorrow." I kiss his head. "Take him to some of your favorite childhood places," I suggest.

Tobias nods and yawns. "I will."

I run my hand through his hair and go upstairs. I close the door and immediately Sierra takes my arm, her eyes flashing. "Where's Tobias?" she asks.

"Sleeping...?" I reply, furrowing my brow at her tone.

"Robyn called and said you two would be talking," Sierra says. "I want to see how he is."

I hesitate. "He's sleeping."

"Tris, that stuff would kill him to talk about. How can he be asleep?" Sierra looks as though she wants to stomp, or maybe just knock me over to get to him.

"Sierra, please, let him sleep. You're right, he's upset, but we talked, and he wants to sleep for a bit." I grab her arm. "He needs the rest. He hasn't been sleeping very well. Please, Sierra, leave him be."

She gazes into my eyes for a few seconds, and then walks away and picks Dominic up. "Okay."

I sigh and walk out of Sierra's house to Robyn's. Robyn is outside, playing with Noah, Matias, and AJ. Claire and Alyssa play on the swing set with Ben.

I watch AJ run, giggling, away from Noah. He stumbles and somersaults down the hill, popping up again at the bottom and scrambling back to the top. Andreas watches from the grill, a faint smile on his face.

I slip my shoes off and leave them on the little patio-like thing they have outside their sliding back door. "Hey, Andreas," I say.

"Hey, Tris. How's Tobias?" Andreas flips a burger, not turning around.

"Asleep." I walk past him slightly. "What are they playing?"

"Tag." Andreas gives me a tight smile.

"I think I'll go see if I can join," I say, walking away from him. What happened while Tobias and I were, um, dancing? Whatever it was, it screwed with them.

I walk over and lay a hand on Robyn's shoulder. She doesn't turn around, but instead asks, "How's Tobias?"

"I'd like to talk to you," I say.

She nods and fixes Noah with a look. "No hurting the boys."

Noah nods, an innocent look on his face. "Why would I ever?"

"I'm serious, Noah." She leads me to the porch swing. "What happened?"

"What's going on with you and, well, all the adults?"

She frowns. "Marcus is coming to town. Says he wants to see Tobias."

"What?" I shake my head. "You can't possibly be letting him do that."

"I can't stop him, either! It's his free will to come here," she replies.

I put my head in my hands. "The last time I saw Marcus - well, the last time when I wasn't trashing his office and taking papers - he beat Tobias severely."

Robyn buries her face in her hands. "Look, I tried to talk him out of it, tried to tell him he'd be busy. I didn't have any say in the matter. I may be an adult, but to Marcus Eaton, I'm nothing. No one is anything except him."

I sigh. "When? I'm going to need to talk to Tobias."

"Tonight." She stands. "And Zeke, Uriah, and Will are coming tonight, too, for dinner. They always do."

"I'm going to go talk to Tobias. I'll be back soon." I stand and grimace as I walk towards Sierra's house.

"Mommy!" AJ yells.

"What's up, bud?" I ask.

"Will you play?"

"I have to go talk to your dad for a minutes, but when I get back, I will." I kiss his head. "Love you, bud."

He nods and runs off, tagging Noah with a triumphant grin on his face. I sigh and jog to Sierra's house. When I get there, I give James a grim nod and jog down the stairs, where Tobias is hopefully asleep. I open the door quietly and he is, in fact, asleep. I sit on the edge of the bed and stroke his hair. "Tobias," I say softly, continuing to stroke his hair.

"What's up?" he asks, groggily sitting up. He looks at me and frowns. "Tris, what's wrong?"

I take his face in my hands. "Marcus is coming."

His face whitens. "What? Tris, are you kidding? 'Cause that's really mean."

I press my lips to his forehead. "I'm sorry, Tobias. Robyn tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen."

Tobias grabs me and pulls me closer to him. "He's…coming here?" Tobias chews on his lip. "But…AJ…and you…he'll hurt you."

I kiss his head. "We won't let him, baby."

Tobias looks up at me through hooded lashes. "Stay with me at all times. Promise?"

"I promise. Now, let's get you in some real clothes and up those stairs." I help him off the bed and pull his shorts off. I grab him a pair of cargo shorts and a Minecraft tee shirt, helping him into them easily.

Tobias sighs as I help him up the stairs, crutches in hand. "Sometimes, I can't believe how much you turn me on," he growls, nipping at my ear.

"Tobias," I say sharply.

He sighs and presses his warm, soft lips to my cheek. "Sorry."

I turn my head and plant a similar kiss on the place where his shoulder meets his neck. "It's fine, but not in front of Aje."

Tobias grins sheepishly. "Sometimes, I just can't contain my boyish impulses to be silly."

"More like to be horny," I mutter.

Tobias now chuckles. "Who, me?"

"Shut it, horn dog," I order, grinning and kissing his cheek.

As it gets closer and closer to when Marcus will get here, even though we're playing a game outside with the kids, Tobias gets more and more anxious, calling me over to where he sits increasingly more often.

This time, I perch on his knee for a second. "Tobes, he's not here yet. Chill out and watch your son, okay?"

Tobias takes a deep, heaving breath. "Okay."

I kiss his head. "Good. We're playing freeze tag, by the way, and AJ's coming up behind me to tag me, so I'd better go."

I hop off his lap and skip away from AJ, teasing him, almost letting him catch me. He lunges and I hop forward. "Missed me," I tease, grinning and unfreezing Noah, who runs to unfreeze other people while I tease AJ.

I hear the sound of Tobias crutching behind me and he grabs my hand. I don't even need to hear him say it; I can see from the expression on his face.

"AJ, bud, can you come here?" I say. "I think we're going to be done with tag for a little bit, okay?"

"Mom," he complains.

"AJ," Tobias says, "come here, now."

AJ huffs but submits to Tobias and takes my outstretched hand. Tobias crutches back up to the patio and AJ and I follow him. I set AJ on Tobias' lap and put his leg up. I pull up a chair to sit next to him.

"Tobias," a male voice says. It makes my blood run a little cold.

"Marcus." Tobias glances at his father and then back down at AJ, who tells him of something he did today.

"Won't you even get up and see your father? Selfish, as always, I see," Marcus comments.

"I can't get up. Other than the fact that I have a child on my lap, I can't walk," Tobias counters. "Hey, AJ, sit on your mom's lap, okay?"

I pull the small, tow-headed boy onto my lap. "Marcus, you can leave now."

But that just turns his attention to me. "Ah, yes. Tris Prior. I heard you were dating my son."

"Scram, Marcus. No one wants you here," I repeat.

"And who's the little boy? Your son? Not Tobias', I assume." Marcus examines AJ, and I have the impulse to cover AJ.

"His name is AJ, and, yes, he is my son," Tobias says through gritted teeth.

"I hope you've not taught him your selfishness, Tobias." Marcus gazes at AJ speculatively. "Boy, come here."

AJ looks up at me. I glance at Tobias, who nods. I put AJ on the ground, and he clings to my knee. "Mommy," he complains. "Mommy, that man hurt Daddy."

Marcus' fack flickers with surprise. "Little boy, come here."

AJ shakes his head. "Go away, mister."

"He doesn't wanna talk with you, Uncle Marcus," Noah says gravely. "C'mon, AJ. Come play with me."

AJ shakes his head and grips onto my leg tighter. "No."

"What, you don't want to play tag? I'll let you be on my team," Noah offers, crouching and pulling AJ's arms from around my leg. "It'll be fun, AJ."

AJ sighs and glances at Tobias, who forces himself to grin at him. He runs off with Noah.

I scoot my chair closer to Tobias. "Marcus, please leave."

Marcus pulls a chair up next to Tobias. "The Divergents have been pressing in on me more."

"Good for them." Tobias clenches his jaw and watches AJ.

"Did you know your little girlfriend is a part of them?"

"Yes, Marcus, I was aware of that. Either way, it's not your job to tell me." Tobias reaches over and takes my hand.

"You should not be dating someone that is deliberately trying to hurt your father," Marcus says.

"Shut up, Marcus. 'Fathers' don't abuse their kids." Tobias still doesn't look at Marcus.

"It was for your own good, Tobias. I helped you. I made you into the man you are today," Marcus argues.

"That is a complete lie, you fucker," Tobias spits. "I made myself into who I am. I worked my butt off to get where I am today. Get away from me and my family."

"Ah, yes, your precious girlfriend and son. You'd better watch them at night." Marcus stands and looks at Tobias one last time. "Do something about the Divergents or else."

"Get the hell out of my life, Marcus." Tobias shakes his head.

Marcus' fist flies towards Tobias and I hear the impact of it on Tobias' jaw. "Don't talk back to me, boy."

"I'm twenty-five, Marcus. I'm not a child any more."

"You'll always be less than me," Marcus replies and then walks away.

I immediately stand and perch on the edge of Tobias' seat, pulling his jaw towards me to look at the already bruising skin. "How much does it hurt?" I ask quietly.

"Can I have some ice?" he asks thickly, holding tears back.

I kiss his head. "Of course, baby. I'll be right back." I slip into the house and immediately Marcus grabs me. "Tobias!" I yell, before he clamps a hand down over my mouth.

He has me from behind, my legs pinned with one of his, my arms pinned to my sides, and my mouth covered. I struggle greatly, but he doesn't let go. I snap my teeth down on his finger and he releases my mouth for just long enough for me to scream, "Help! Help me! Andreas! Tobias! James!" before the hand is back on my mouth, though I taste blood now.

Andreas bursts through the door then, seeing me struggling to get out of Marcus' arms. "Put her down, Marcus. Now. And get out of my house. Leave. Go on."

Marcus, seeing Robyn and Noah coming in, releases me. I scramble to get away from him and stumble right into Robyn's arms. "Shh," she whispers, "it's okay."

My breaths shudder, and then AJ comes in. I lunge to grab him, but Marcus is faster and plucks my son up. My breath catches again and I begin to cry. "Put him down, Marcus. He's my son. Put him down. He's not yours. Don't touch him."

Marcus holds AJ, who's now also crying, by the scruff of the neck. "Mommy!" he wails.

Tobias crutches in, sees the situation, drops his crutches, and dives at Marcus. He cradles the impact of AJ's head with his hand, and AJ runs over to me. Tobias pins Marcus to the ground, even with his leg, and begins to rain punches down on Marcus' face. It takes both James and Andreas to haul Tobias off. When he's up, he brushes his hands off and looks down at the bloodied man at his feet. "Never touch my family again," he orders, a deathly look on his face, "or else I'll kill you."

Tobias picks his crutches up and then pulls AJ from my arms, holding him tightly to his chest. "You okay, bud?" he whispers.

AJ only buries his face in Tobias' shirt. Robyn still has her arms around me, and she rubs my back slightly as Andreas and James haul Marcus up and out of the house.

"It's okay, AJ." Tobias kisses AJ's head and sits, pulling me into his arms, too. "We're here, bud."