Tobias refuses to explain the situation further until we are safely behind closed doors. Tobias, Will, and I make the long trek from the Pit up to the Pire to Tobias' office. We patiently wait for Tori to finish the tattoo she's working on before we start the emergency meeting. I should say Tobias and Will are patiently waiting. I'm trying to get Tobias to tell me about the threat but he won't budge. Then I ask him to tell me about my dad and his conversation but he tells me it goes hand-in-hand with the threat information and I just need to wait.
I sit across from his desk pouting, realizing I'm not a very patient person anymore. How in the world did that happen? I was extremely patient growing up in Abnegation. I had to be. I guess it's just one more way Dauntless has changed me but this isn't a very good change. I'm going to have to work on patience. I sit staring at the clock thinking about different scenarios, wondering which one will be closest to Tobias' story.
Finally, Tori walks in and the meeting starts. Surprisingly, the first thing Tobias does is tell Tori about his childhood. I learn she is the one who administered his aptitude test, so I'm only partially surprised when he says she already knows his name is Tobias and he came from Abnegation. Maybe telling his story to our friends is the first step to him being open and honest with everyone. Then he gets into the phone call he received from my dad this morning.
"Tris' dad, Andrew, called me this morning telling me my father has been voted off the council, which didn't surprise me," he says. I can see telling his story twice in one day has taken its toll on him so I decide to tell the others what I know of this part of the story.
"I'm sure you remember Four and I went to talk to my dad yesterday after our meeting and give him the sketches of Hana's assailants, Cameron's picture, Jason and Jared's photos, and what information we have on the situation." Tori and Will nod at me. "Unfortunately, Marcus followed my mom into the meeting having heard Four was in the building. You see, Marcus likes showing everyone he can what a wonderful parent he is all the while throwing little jabs Four's way. He also knows how to push my buttons and loves doing it, and he did just that yesterday. My parents went to get two other council members to let them know about Cameron and left us alone with Marcus, and I let him get to me. I don't want to repeat what it was he said because it was ..."
"Vile," says Tobias, interrupting me. I look at him and nod. I can't disagree with that assessment.
"What none of us knew was my parents, Matthew, and Jonah came back in the room at that exact moment and heard what Marcus said to Four. At first I thought everyone was upset with me because I was fighting with Marcus but they weren't. When my mom slapped him across the face, I didn't know what was going on until everyone acknowledged they heard what he said. I have to be honest, in that moment I was relieved and quite elated. I didn't even care that a room full of people had just heard what he said about me. Other people, important Abnegation people, had finally seen who Marcus Eaton really was. They escorted him out of the building after telling him he was going to be removed from the council. He isn't very happy with me. He blames me for what's happening to him right now instead of looking inward and realizing this is entirely his fault." I've told as much of the story I know so I turn the floor back over to Tobias.
"After Tris and I left, her dad called an emergency council meeting. You see, her mom remembered where she had seen Cameron. She saw him at a closed council meeting. First, they talked about Cameron infiltrating their meeting, and they are keeping an eye out for him. They went over their notes and can't imagine he learned anything valuable sitting in on that particular meeting but if he sat in on one, it's possible he's sat in on others.
"Then they turned their attention to Marcus and his behavior. Against my wishes, it was decided they would take a vote to make him factionless as well as remove him from the council. The vote to remove him from the council was unanimous. The vote to make him factionless went his way, barely, and he maintains his membership in Abnegation. At the same time, Andrew was nominated for Marcus' position, and the vote was held. It was unanimous also. Andrew, Matthew, and Jonah went to Marcus' house to deliver the news, and that's when he threatened Tris."
"What exactly did Marcus say?" I ask.
"Andrew didn't elaborate on the exact threat or even if there was a specific one made but Marcus blames you for losing his position on the council, which he viewed as the most important thing in his life, and almost becoming factionless. He not only told us that but he reiterated it to Matthew, Jonah, and your dad," he says meeting my gaze. "Andrew was very angry when I spoke to him this morning, and you know how unusual that is for our old faction. It's just my opinion, but I think he's scared for you, Tris."
"I'm still glad Abnegation knows about Marcus, but I'm sorry I brought this down on us. That wasn't my intention. He just knows how to push my buttons," I say.
"I don't want to take any chances. I know what kind of man he is, and I know what he's capable of," Tobias says, all business. He meets my eyes for a moment, and I see fear in them. He's really scared his father will follow through on the unknown threat and hurt me. "I want extra patrols, and we are going to double the number on each patrol. This isn't just about Tris either. I should have done this after Daniel Parks' assault. We need to catch Cameron and whoever else is doing this and get some answers. I don't want another Dauntless member hurt on my watch. Will, coordinate with Shauna please." Will immediately pulls a list of names up on his phone and starts making some calls.
"Within the hour Mike, Nick, and Amber will be joined by Josh, Brandi, and Matt inside and I'm having Shauna send Smith, Megan, Jimmy, Lee, Wanda, and Reggie to patrol the grounds," Will says. "They're all familiar with Marcus Eaton and know what he looks like, Four. I told them to be vigilant and to also keep an eye out for Cameron or anyone else who doesn't seem to fit in. Shauna and I will make a new schedule for the patrol officers. Do you still want one stationed at Jason's door?"
"No, I want two there at all times until we can move him to a cell," Tobias says. Will makes that note and this time sends a few texts out.
"It's taken care of," he says.
"Andrew told us yesterday we can assign the ambassadors permanent factions so Tori, you and I need to get on that as soon as possible then gather them for a meeting and give them their new assignments. Actually, Abnegation has been wanting this change for a while now but the old leaders wouldn't hear of it," Tobias says. He picks up a folder on his desk and thumbs through it a bit then adds, "Andrew gave me some incident reports I really haven't had a chance to go through but we'll have to take them into account when making our decisions. Abnegation already has a problem with Peter. If I find anything at all in this file that can be used to get him out of Dauntless, I'm going to make him factionless." I know that Tobias doesn't like Peter but this is news to me. "Will you check on the patrols, Will? Tori do you need to go back to the tattoo parlor?" She nods at him. "We'll make the assignments tomorrow morning then. Will you contact all the ambassadors between customers and tell them we'll have a meeting tomorrow night at 5:30 p.m. in the conference room? Tris, I need to talk to you." I guess that's Tobias' way of ending the meeting, and Tori and Will get up and leave us alone.
"What do you need, Tobias," I say.
"What did Peter say to you at lunch?" he asks.
"He told me my friends shouldn't announce to the entire cafeteria we were having sex this morning," I say, a blush coloring my cheeks.
"I really wish I could put him in his place," he says with a scowl. "Did he say anything else?"
"Not really. I tried to get him to tell me why he's always watching me, but he told me he never watches me and to get over myself. I hope I didn't give away too much," I say to him. Tobias sighs and leans back in his chair looking haggard. I go to him, and he pulls me down onto his lap. I wrap my arms tightly around him, worry coursing through me. "What's wrong, Tobias?"
"I'm stressed right now with everything that's going on," he says. I look in his eyes for a moment. He looks weary.
"I'm sorry," I say, caressing his face. "Because of me you had to tell your story twice today. You must be upset with me."
"No, not at all," he says, shaking his head, a slight frown on his lips. He takes my face between his hands and puts his mouth on mine and kisses me softly. "I didn't tell Will, Christina, and Tori my story because of you. I did it for me. It wasn't easy but it felt good to open up to others. I'm just worried about you and about Dauntless. I'm wondering what we should do about the baby. I just have a lot on my mind, and I feel ... scattered. I don't like feeling this way."
"Why don't you take the afternoon off and do something for yourself. Go for a run or to the training room. That always makes me feel better when I'm stressed. I'll be shut up in my office all afternoon going through a month's worth of incident reports then filing them so I'll be fine," I say. "Go. Take care of yourself this afternoon. Everyone needs some alone time once in a while. Don't feel guilty for needing to get away. Last night was extremely rough on both of us. Go!" He places his lips on mine again and kisses me thoughtfully but thoroughly. When my heart starts racing, I make myself pull away from him.
"I love you, Six," he whispers in my ear. Finally he releases me, and I get off his lap. "I'm going up to the apartment and change into some workout clothes then I'm going to the training room. I'll take my phone with me. Text or call if you need something or if Will or Tori needs me."
We go out into the hallway, and he kisses me again. He goes through the nondescript door that leads to our apartment, and I lock myself in my glass office. I'm so absorbed in the files spread out in front of me I don't see him head toward the training room.
I work the rest of the afternoon pouring over every single word in the incident reports, analyzing whether they are important or not. The only report that warrants a follow-up is from Samaire Towne who witnessed her boyfriend, Daniel Parks' assault just days after Tobias and I were named Dauntless leaders. Her report states that the day before Christmas she thought she saw one of the men who attacked Daniel hanging around by the tracks when she walked Daniel to catch the train to the fence for work. The only odd thing was the man wasn't wearing Dauntless black. The patrol person who took the report dismissed Samaire since she told him the man was wearing Erudite blue but passed on the information anyway. It's a good thing he did. Hopefully, she can give us some new information. I make a note to tell Tobias about this finding and follow up with Samaire within the next couple days. I enter all the information from each incident report in my computer then take the hard copies to Tobias' office to file them. When I come out of his office, I see him heading through the door to our apartment.
"What are the totes for?" I ask him, looking at the two black plastic storage bins he's carrying. He spins around at the sound of my voice, relief crossing his face and smiles at me.
"Where were you?" he asks.
"In your office filing the incident reports," I say. "Do you need help with those?"
"No. They aren't heavy," he says, looking down at the storage bins in his hand. "They're to store the Christmas tree decorations. We have to get the tree down to the curb by midnight New Year's Day or the city won't haul it away. I thought we'd get a head start and take the tree down tonight unless you had another idea."
"I need about an hour with Christina after supper. She wants to do something with my hair for the masquerade ball. After that, I'm all yours," I say, taking one of the bins from him anyway and following him up the stairs to our apartment. "Did you have a nice afternoon?"
"I needed the time in the training room," he says, an edge to his voice. I furrow my eyebrows and look up at him. He seems a bit ... off. "How about we get up early tomorrow and swim a couple laps in the pool? I miss our morning workouts."
"That sounds like a good idea. I miss them too. Hopefully, I can drag myself out of bed that early," I say with a chuckle. He laughs with me.
"You really didn't have to help with that," he says taking the tote out of my hand and placing it by the tree. "Ready for supper?"
"Yes, but I have one thing to tell you first. When I was going through the incident reports, Samaire Towne reported she thinks she saw one of the men who attacked Daniel Parks hanging around by the train tracks last Thursday but he was dressed in blue instead of black," I say. "I can tell the patrol member who took the report didn't believe her. We'll have to talk to her soon."
"I'll send her a message to meet us tomorrow afternoon. Tori and I have to get the ambassador assignments made. The quicker we can eliminate any of Peter's business dealings with Erudite the better."
We're a little early going to supper and are the first ones at our table in the cafeteria. We each fill a plate full of food and grab another slice of cake. We smile at each other when we notice we are still both famished. We are halfway through our meal when the others start to join us. All conversation is on Marcus being removed from the council. It doesn't surprise me this is the big news of the day. I look at Tobias when the subject of his father comes up, but he looks as if it isn't bothering him, although I know him well enough to know better. I wish there was a way to change the subject. During a particularly heated exchange about Marcus and the council between Uriah and Dante, Tobias tells me he's going home. I ask if he's okay, and he assures me he is. He kisses me, a little longer than he normally does while we're in the public's eye then leaves the cafeteria. He really has me worried.
I grab Christina's attention and ask if it's okay for me to go swimming tomorrow morning with the new tattoo, and she assures me it will be fine. I continue with my super until I can't stand the sound of Marcus' name for one more moment. I ask Christina if she's ready to go to the salon and she nods. After she kisses Will goodbye, we get up from the table and start walking toward the floor of the Pit but before we make it out of the cafeteria I see Nathan, Dru, and Callen sitting at a table. I tell her I need to talk to them, and we walk up to their table. I say hello and introduce Christina to each of them.
"Nathan, Four and I wanted to invite you and your family to our place Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. for supper," I say. He looks at Dru and she nods.
"Thank you, Tris. That would be nice," he says. "Is there anything we can bring?"
"Just yourselves," I say. "We're in apartment 13. Do you know where that is?"
"I was at Max's once for a party so I think I can remember how to get there," he says. I wonder momentarily why a fence worker would be at a leader's party but shake it off before confusion settles on my face.
"I won't keep you from your meal any longer," I say with a smile. "We look forward to seeing all of you Saturday night."
I follow Christina into the salon, and she works on putting the extensions in my hair as she gets me up-to-date on what she has done for the masquerade ball. After she has told me everything she is willing to tell me about the ball, she asks about Marcus.
"Why was Marcus replaced by your dad, Tris?" she asks. I look around the salon, and there are people everywhere. I don't feel comfortable telling the story in front of eavesdropping Dauntless members.
"Will knows the entire story," I say. "Is it okay if he tells you when you get home?" I actually see a woman at the next station frown when I say this. She must have been looking forward to hearing my account of his removal.
"Oh, of course," she says. "I totally understand why you don't want to say anything here. There are too many nosy Dauntless hanging around." I meet her eyes in the mirror and can't help but smile. That was a total Candor thing to say right there, and she knows it.
"I couldn't button the first pair of pants I put on this morning," she says matter-of-factly, catching me off guard. "I had to put this pair of stretchy pants on." She motions to her legs. "I'm getting fat."
"Christina," I say with a disapproving tone. "You're not getting fat. You have a person growing inside of you."
"I know," she says with a sigh.
"Is it really bothering you that your clothes are getting too tight?" I ask, hoping I didn't offend her with my tone.
"I don't know," she says. "I think it's all the changes my body is going through right now. I haven't told you this but I get sick right before lunch everyday like clockwork. Nothing sets it off anymore. I just get incredibly nauseous, run to the bathroom, and puke. It's lovely. When I couldn't button my pants this morning, I actually cried. I have no idea why but I did. When Will tried to comfort me, I threw a bottle of perfume at him. He had to take three showers before I could stand to be in the same room with him."
"Hormones?" I ask.
"Yes," she says. "It's like I'm on a rollercoaster ride. One minute I'm up and happy, absolutely nothing bothers me. Then I come down and want to cry about everything. Then I turn a corner and feel like killing random people with my Dauntless skills. Knives, guns, my bare hands ... it doesn't matter. It's a nightmare. I wonder why Erudite hasn't come up with a cure for this. Those damn brainiacs are good for nothing." I try not to laugh out loud because I don't want her trying to kill me with her Dauntless skills but it's hard. She's acting a bit irrational at the moment. I decide to change the subject.
"How long are you making my hair?" I ask trying to get her mind off the pregnancy and her changing body.
"Quite long actually," she says. Just then she turns me around and announces it's done. That was fast. It's only been half-an-hour. I note my hair is long, straight, and hanging down beyond the middle of my back. It's longer than it was before she cut it. I ask her to French braid it so it will be easier to manage and she does. I pay her then we walk out of the Pit and up to our apartments. We say goodnight in the hallway and go to our separate spaces.
"Hi, I'm home," I say coming into our apartment. I take my phone out of my pocket and check all the messages before I put it on the charger for the night.
"Hey," he says from the couch as I close our apartment door and lock it behind me. "Wow! Your hair is so long."
"She has some wild hairdo in mind for Thursday night. I didn't realize the extensions were going to be this long," I say. "I invited Nathan, Dru, and Callen to supper Saturday night. I hope that's okay? Hey, have you had a chance to look into any of their backgrounds? Nathan told me he was at a party at Max's once but isn't he just a fence worker. Why would a fence worker be at a leader's party?"
"I think he's a fence worker, but I haven't checked into their backgrounds. Maybe we should before they come over Saturday," he replies. He gets up off the couch, walks over to where I'm standing, and wraps his arms around my waist. "Let's lock the outside world away tonight and not think about anything other than what's in this room right now." He moves his hands to either side of my face and lowers his lips to mine. I place my hands on his chest as I kiss him.
"I love you," I say when he pulls back.
"I love you," he says with a smile. "Shall we get started on the tree?" We go to the slightly wilting Christmas tree, and he opens one of the storage boxes. He shows me how it stores the ornaments and lights. We gently place the many ornaments in individual slots in a grid that stacks to fill the box. When I take my Ferris wheel ornament off the tree, I stand and stare at it. A sigh escapes my lips and Tobias looks my way.
"I hate the idea of hiding this away in a box and only seeing it once a year, Tobias," I say looking up at him, a frown crossing my lips.
"I have an idea," he says taking the delicate ornament out of my hands. He looks around the apartment then moves toward the bookshelf that sits on the left side of the door and gently places it on one of the shelves. I move up next to him and put my arm around his waist, as he slides his around my shoulder.
"It's perfect," I say. Then I look up at him. "Thank you again. I love that Ferris wheel." He meets my eyes, and I recall our adventure the night of capture the flag. I imagine that's what is going through his mind right now also. We continue to stare deeply into each other's eyes until he groans.
"We better get back to the tree, Tris." We let each other go and take the remaining ornaments off the tree and tuck them into the storage boxes. Then Tobias unwraps the cranberry tinsel we strung and tosses it in the trashcan. Next he unwraps the lights from around the tree. He hands me one strand, and I wrap it around the spool in the top of the storage box while he does the same with the second strand in his box. I neatly fold the Christmas tree skirt and place it in the box that isn't full of ornaments. I carry a box upstairs to our spare room closet, and when I come back downstairs Will and Tobias are carrying the tree out the door. I carry the other box and the tree stand upstairs and put them in the closet. I'm sweeping up the dead needles when he comes back into the apartment.
"It looks bare in here without the tree," he says with a frown on his face.
"I know and I'm going to miss the lights. They were relaxing and so beautiful," I say putting the broom and dustpan away. "Shall we go to bed?"
"That sounds good," he says. He meets me at the steps after I turn off the lights, and he gently sweeps me up into his arms.
"How about that shower I promised you," he says, his mouth next to my ear. I immediately tense in his arms thinking about my new tattoo, and he feels my reluctance. "Is something wrong, Tris?"
"I'll have to show you why I can't take a shower tonight," I say to him. After carrying me up the stairs, he sits me on my feet in front of our bed then flips the light on. I look up into his cautious eyes and slowly take my shirt off over my head avoiding the bandage on my chest. "Christina says I can't take this off until morning, and I can't get it wet."
"You got the tattoo?" he says, emotion thick in his voice. I nod at him. He closes the distance between us, and his mouth roughly lands on mine. I didn't realize how important this tattoo was to him. He kisses me passionately, electricity zinging between us the entire time. I break away from him and look up into his loving eyes.
"Make love to me, Tobias," I breathlessly say and he does. Every movement is synchronized, heartbeat to heartbeat, mouth to mouth, touch to touch, flesh to flesh, soul to soul, the way it's meant to be.