I wake alone in Tobias' bed. I look around the apartment and see he's asleep on the couch. At least he isn't on the floor again, I remind myself when the guilt surfaces. He must have carried me to bed last night because the last thing I remember was snuggling close to him on the couch to watch a movie.
I look at the clock that sits on his nightstand and see the alarm is set to go off in half an hour. I turn it off, retrieve my backpack from in front of his dresser, and go into the bathroom. I figure I don't need another shower this morning until I look at my hair. It's one big tangled mess from falling asleep while it was still wet so it makes another shower necessary. I take a few more minutes than I normally do to let yesterday's residual tension wash down the drain. I dress in a simple black tank top that shows all my tattoos, black skinny jeans, and finish the ensemble with my black combat boots. My wardrobe is seriously lacking since I've gained so much muscle. It's probably time for another shopping trip. I groan. That's something that hasn't changed, I still don't like shopping. I put on some simple makeup and style my hair in a French braid. After I finish in the bathroom, I go into the living room to wake Tobias but he's already up waiting patiently for his turn.
"Good morning!" I say, happy to see him.
"Good morning," he replies, placing a kiss on my cheek as he passes me on the way into the bathroom. When he finishes his morning routine, we walk hand-in-hand to the cafeteria for breakfast. Christina and Will are already at our otherwise empty table.
"Morning, Christina, Will," I cheerfully say as I sit down with my plateful of spinach, mushroom, ham, and egg casserole; bacon; and wheat toast.
"Good morning," they say in unison. Will looks around us and asks, "Has there been any updates on the leaders?"
"Not really, Will," I say. "Four and I have another meeting later this morning. I'm sure we'll get some answers then."
"Has the news started spreading around the compound?" Christina asks.
"Not that I've heard," Tobias says.
"I can't believe Dauntless was working with Jeanine. She was always ruthless but I had no idea she went full psycho," Will says, a confused yet severe look on his face.
"At least they didn't get away with it," Christina says. We all nod in agreement. Soon the rest of our friends join us, and we let the subject fall away. After finishing our breakfast, Tobias and I excuse ourselves and walk to Max's old office. We stop at the door and both take deep breaths.
"Ready?" I ask him.
"Yeah," he replies then knocks on the door. We hear my dad tell us to come in. I open the door, and we walk into the room but stop in our tracks. Marcus is once again standing there next to my dad. I place my hand on Tobias' back and slide it up to his Dauntless tattoo letting him know he's brave. He stands up straighter and moves further into the room. I let my hand fall away and follow him.
"Four, Tris. Good morning," my dad says, eyeing my tattoos. "Have you made your decision?"
"Before we make our final decision we need to know what Abnegation's exceptions for Dauntless are," Tobias says, addressing my dad only.
"The only requirement we have is a Dauntless leader must attend monthly council meetings. Each faction will have a representative on the council. The factions must work together to make sure something like this never happens again." Tobias looks at me, and I nod my head.
"Tris and I have thought long and hard about this, and we'll be honored to become the new leaders of Dauntless. Tris will be Dauntless' representative on the council," Tobias says. I know there's no way he'll chance seeing his father on a monthly basis but I welcome the chance to see mine.
"We'll make the formal announcement tonight," I say, "but first we have some questions. When and where will the executions take place, and will they be public?"
"There will be a public execution in three days at the Hub," my dad answers. "Both your attendance will be appreciated, although it's not mandatory."
"Will it be possible for me to get a meeting with Max, Mr. Prior? I have some questions only he can answer."
"Absolutely not," Marcus spits, speaking for the first time since we entered the room.
"Marcus," my dad says using his warning voice, "I see nothing wrong with allowing Four access to Max for one hour."
"Tobias, if you can give me one good reason as to why you need to speak to that criminal, I'll arrange an hour with him." Tobias was carefully trying to avoid his father but now he has to look at him. I take a deep breath and step closer to him in a show of support. I once again touch his Dauntless tattoo, and he looks directly into my eyes. I see equal amounts fear and determination.
I mouth, "You can do this." He breaks our eye contact and looks back at his father.
"I have some ideas on how to improve Dauntless but in order to implement them, I need to speak to Max. He's the only one who can help me." He stares at his father. When he speaks, his voice is like steel.
"I don't think that is a good enough reason," Marcus says.
"I intend to be a great leader, and I believe a great leader reveals his strengths but also admits his weaknesses. My weakness is how I allow you to make me feel." He takes a step forward. "From this day forward you have no power over me."
"I never did anything to you to make you hate me this much," he says.
"Nothing that wasn't for my own good, right Dad." He says Dad with such venom in his voice, and Marcus' face wavers for a split second. I wish my dad could see who Marcus really is but he quickly puts his public mask back on.
"I'll make arrangements for you to see Max," he says begrudgingly. "The time and place will be messengered to you. I'll be outside, Andrew." My dad watches Marcus storm out unable to stay calm, and he frowns a little. I feel Tobias relax.
"I'm proud of you, Beatrice, for taking on this endeavor. I believe we were right to take Max's recommendation. You're a brand new person," he says to me. He looks at Tobias and adds, "May I speak with you alone?"
"Dad, that isn't necessary," I nervously say. "Anything you want to say to him, you can say in front of me."
"Tris, it's okay. He can talk to me." I reach out and take Tobias' hand in mine and squeeze it before letting it fall away then I reluctantly go into the hall and sit down. Almost 15 minutes later they come out into the hallway. Tobias is pale. I hug my dad, give my regards to my mom, and tell him goodbye. When he leaves, Tobias and I return to the office.
"What did my dad want?" I hesitantly ask.
"He's very protective of you. Did you know that?" he says looking down at me with grave eyes. "I think he would gladly kill me if I ever hurt you, which is exactly what he said. I don't think he likes that we're together, Tris. I know he doesn't like me."
I blush slightly and say, "It isn't his decision who I date, Tobias, and we don't have to worry about you hurting me. You'll never hurt me or I will kill you." He takes me in his arms with a chuckle, and I rest my head against his chest. I feel his heart rate accelerate, and I can't help but smile. I still don't understand why but I affect him the same way he affects me.
"I'm proud of you, Tobias," I say against his chest, "for standing up to Marcus." I pull back slightly and tilt my head back to look at him. I see a new strength in his eyes, feel it in his posture. I stand on my tiptoes and lightly place my lips to his. He leans down and wraps his arms around my waist and picks me up. I wrap my arms around his neck and one kiss melds into another. A knock at the door interrupts us, and we break away breathless. He sits me on my feet and goes to the door. His best friend is standing there.
"What's going on?" Zeke demands, pushing his way into the office. "People are talking about arrests and executions. Others have been gossiping about you two being in and out of Max's office with government people. What. Is. Going. On?" I don't recognize this Zeke. He's very angry.
"Calm down, Zeke, and sit," Tobias says to his friend, motioning to the chair in front of the desk. "We've got some news for you." Tobias repeats the story my dad told us yesterday. Zeke's quiet and doesn't interrupt, letting the story sink in.
"So you and Tris are our new leaders? Are there going to be any more, and who's taking your place in the control room?" he asks.
"We haven't discussed adding more leaders but that's a distinct possibility," Tobias says. "About the control room, I was going to ask you to take over my position. All control room workers would report to you, and you would report directly to me. We all need to work together to make sure nothing like this ever happens again."
"How do we do that?" Zeke asks.
"We'll have to pay close attention to what's going on around us and report anything out of the ordinary. We also need to emphasize teamwork. Dauntless has been emphasizing selfishness for far too long," Tobias says.
"I agree," Zeke says. "It was so different here when I was growing up. I look forward to seeing what you two will do. When are you telling everyone?"
"Tonight at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. We'll make an announcement over the loud speaker in a few minutes for everyone to meet for an important meeting. Wish us luck," Tobias says.
"Neither of you need luck. You're naturals," he says. He gets up from the chair and goes to the door. With his hand on the knob he turns back to us. "Congratulations by the way. You both deserve it. I'll see you guys later. Sorry I came busting in. I was concerned."
After Zeke leaves, Tobias makes the announcement over the loud speaker, then we grab lunch and take it back to his apartment to avoid the unasked questions raging in so many eyes. While we're eating, Purple-Hair and Snake-Tattoo drop a message off from Marcus telling Tobias he can talk with Max at the Hub at 3 p.m. today.
"What do you want to talk to Max about?" I ask.
"The first thing I need is for him to explain why he always wanted me to join leadership. I refuse to believe he thinks I would have went along with Erudite's plan. I really don't understand, and I need him to explain his motivation to me," he says. "The second thing I need to talk to him about is exactly what I told Marcus, I have some ideas for Dauntless but I don't know how to implement them. Since Max was the leader for so many years I'm hoping he can give me some advice. I know I probably shouldn't trust him, but I'm hoping monetary gain really was his only motivation for betraying our faction and that he'll be truthful with me." I take our lunch plates and throw them away then join him on the couch again. I sit next to him, and he automatically puts his arm around me and pulls me close to him.
"I know I already told you this but I'm going to say it again, I'm proud of you, Tobias," I say. "You stood up to Marcus, and I can tell it made a difference. I see a deeper strength when I look at you."
"The strength didn't come from standing up to him. It came from you. You not only gave me the strength to talk to him, but the strength to be in the same room with him and not fall apart. You don't know how much you mean to me." He looks deeply into my eyes, cups my face with one of his hands, and caresses my cheek with his thumb. I lean into his touch and smile at him. "I love you, Tris. When you jumped into that net, you jumped straight into my heart. You've changed my life. You've changed me." My heart swells more and more with each word he says. He loves me. I can't hold the tears back. I lean forward and gently place my lips against his. I put all the love I have for this man into this kiss. It isn't laced with passion or longing but love and respect. I finally pull away and look up at him through tear-filled lashes.
"I love you too, Tobias." He pulls me into his arms, and we lean back against the couch, our lips on each other's.