Hey guys! I'm back! I worked really hard to try and get this chapter out sooner rather than later! So I won't keep you waiting any longer...HERE. IS. CHAPTER. TWENTY. EIG-

~This Author's Note has been interrupted by Disclaimer.

Disclaimer: "Your intros suck Aubrey. But not the Divergent Trilogy. Bet you wished you owned it didn't ya? Well TOO BAD. Cause that's never gonna happ-"

~This Disclaimer has been interrupted by Chapter 28. Enjoy!~

Chapter 28

Four's POV

The first thing I register is something like a feather tickling my neck. My arms are wrapped around this same object, but I don't know what it is.

The next thing I register is the bed. This definitely does not feel like my bed. Where am I anyways?

Then I remember. We're in Ohio. The gang is in Ohio as well and we're all staying at a hotel. We're near Tris' hometown.

Tris.

I slowly open my eyes. It's still pitch black, so it can't be morning yet. I wait for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, then pull back a bit from what I now have discovered is Tris' sleeping body. I can see her blonde hair in the darkness along with the outlines of her face. I take one arm off from around her and brush the hair back from her face. I run my fingertips gently and lightly down the side of her cheek. Her skin is like a baby's; smooth and silky.

I mentally take a picture of her as her original self; as Beatrice. It's not very often I get to see her like this; with her walls down. She very rarely will show even a tiniest sliver of vulnerability. She believes it makes her weak. I've asked her about it before. Why did she never ask for help or admit that she needed it? She bluntly told me that she felt weak asking and that she could handle herself. Needless to say, the conversation didn't continue after that. I'm smart enough not to push her.

I stare at her for a while longer. I memorize the absolute peace she is in when sleeping and not having a nightmare. It will be something I'd like to look back on each day or night when I see her hurting. I wish she could always have peace like this; it would make things so much easier for her.

If only I could take away some of her pain; I would gladly trade my wellbeing for her pain if it meant she wouldn't hurt. But sadly, that's not how life works.

I eventually close my eyes again to try and fall back asleep. After a couple of minutes, I hear Tris start to murmur and shift around. I open my eyes again to see her tossing and turning. She's having another nightmare.

"Stop...please…no...Eric…"

Just hearing Eric's name makes my blood boil in anger. But that's not what I should be focusing on right now. My main priority should be getting Tris out of this nightmare. I take a deep breath and exhale, releasing most of my anger.

I pull her body closer to mine so her head is next to my shoulder. I lean down and whisper into her ear.

"It's okay Tris. It's not real."

I start to run my fingers gently through her hair. She moves and whimpers a bit. Hearing her whimper like this makes my heart break just a little bit. I can't stand to think about the things that have made her like this.

"You're here with me. You're okay. I promise."

She goes still and I breathe a quiet sigh of relief. I gently place my lips against her forehead and see her body relax. I stare at her for a little while longer before cradling her small body against mine and closing my eyes, falling asleep once again.

Tris' POV

(Sorry, but there's only so much I can do from Tobias' POV at this moment)

I wake up entwined in Tobias' arms. My head is resting against his shoulder and my shoulders are hunched towards his chest. The top half of me is basically curved loosely into his figure. I feel myself blush a little bit. I've never been this intimately...close to someone before. I admit, it does feel nice, though. I blush a little bit more, even though I know that there's no reason to.

I lean back just a little bit from his embrace and look up into his face. He looks like his true age when he's sleeping. He looks and acts much older, most likely because of his being forced to grow up quickly; and probably because of his abuse as well.

I snuggle back into his chest and close my eyes again. A couple of minutes later, I feel him stirring.

"Morning Tobias," I softly say.

It takes him a moment to respond.

"Morning. How'd you sleep?"

"Other than that first nightmare...good. You?"

"Good."

We stay silent again, just enjoying each other's presence.

"I could get used to this."

"Used to what?" I ask, not bothering to mask my confusion.

"Waking up next to you."

I feel myself blush for the third time this morning as I hear myself reply without stopping to think.

"Me too."

His arms gently tighten around me and I close my eyes again. I start to feel sleepy and debate whether or not I should let myself fall asleep. I finally come to the conclusion that it's not a smart idea since I'm sure it's time to get up anyways.

"What time is it?" I mumble into his shirt.

He shifts a bit. "8:30. What time are we meeting up with everyone?"

As if in answer, my phone vibrates on the table beside me.

"Let me check."

Slowly and regretfully, I roll out of Tobias' warm embrace and reach for the phone. I look at my texts and see one from Christina.

Don't worry about having to get ready yet. Sleep as long as you want girl. You need it. Love ya.

I smile a bit at the text.

What time are we meeting up Chris?

I said don't worry for a reason. We're meeting up for a late lunch at 2:00. I took care of it (and you).

"Oh thank God." It slips my mouth before I can think about it.

"I take it that's a good sign…?" Tobias' voice questions.

I quickly text back.

Thanks.

It only takes her a second to respond.

No problem:)

I turn my ringer completely off to avoid any further noise and crawl back into bed.

"We're not meeting up until 2:00."

"Why so late?"

"Well I'm 99% sure Christina had something to do with it."

"Why do you say that?"

He's smiling and I roll my eyes. I grab my phone from the table and unlock it. I go to the messages and hand it to him.

He reads through them quickly and hands it back to me.

"See? I'm not the only one who tells you you need sleep."

I smile and roll my eyes again. "Whatever."

I toss my phone back onto the table and roll back into his arms a moment later. He chuckles a bit and reflexively tightens his hold on me. It makes me smile and I stare up at him.

"Where are we meeting?"

"Don't know, don't care right now."

He chuckles. "I guess we won't figure that out until later then, will we?"

"Nope," I reply.

He kisses my forehead. A minute later he releases me and gets out of bed. I frown at him.

"What are you doing?"

"As much as I'd love to stay here with you for most of the day, we're only here until Tuesday."

I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed. "And what do you have in mind?"

"I think you should take me to some of the places you need to visit again in Haviland."

I raise my eyebrows. "You're serious?"

"Couldn't be more serious." He smiles at me.

"I don't know…." I'm a bit hesitant of this. I don't want to run into anybody I know or knew.

He comes over and crouches in front of me. He takes my hands and stares into my eyes. I feel myself blush as I stare down at him.

"You'll be fine, ok? I'll be right there with you."

I take a deep breath and find myself nodding before thinking about it.

He smiles. "Good. You can take me wherever you want. I won't complain."

I can't help but smile back at him. It's contagious.

"Well then….I guess I know where I'm going first…."

"You get dressed, I'll go get some breakfast. Do you want anything?"

I shake my head. "No."

He gives me a look.

"I'll eat lunch, ok?"

He stares at me for a little bit more, then sighs. "Okay. Fine. I'll be back up in about 10 minutes."

He puts on some socks and shoes and slips out the door.

30 minutes later, we are both dressed and ready to go.

I don't know whether Tobias is making me take him places for my sake or his; if I had to bet, I'm guessing he's doing it for me. Regardless, I think it's time for me to revisit several places including the park, my childhood home, and some small businesses I used to visit with Caleb all the time such as the bakery and candy shop. It's time for me to try and move on.

I'm leaving my hair blonde for today. I know that each couple of the gang is out doing their own thing, so there shouldn't be any way they can see it. I threw my dye in my mini-purse so I'd have it for later when we meet up.

I texted Tori and told her we'd be using a car. She said it was fine and everyone else was just walking around, exploring.

"You ready?" Tobias asks.

I nod. "As ready as I'll ever be."

When we finally make it to the outskirts of Haviland, I make the drive I know by heart. When I park, it's in front of a house; my old house.

"Mind telling me where we're at?"

I take a deep breath, staring at what used to be my old home.

"My house."

It's silent for a minute and I see him nod in my peripheral vision. I finally take the keys out of the ignition and look at Tobias.

"Are you going to be okay?"

I take a moment, then slowly nod.

"It's time for me to get some closure."

He nods and smiles. I take the house key out of my bag. I've been holding these in my possession ever since we left. Tori had spoken with me about selling the house after we were packed up for Chicago, but I refused. I said I wouldn't let someone buy it until I visited it again. And I guess that this is that visit I talked about.

I hear Tobias get out of the car and get out before he can open my door for me. It's not I don't like it, it's just that I think it's unnecessary.

He meets me at the sidewalk leading up to it. He holds out his right hand and I smile gratefully at it and intertwine our fingers.

We walk up to the front door and before I can think about it for too long, I unlock the door. I put my hand on the handle to open it, but I pause. As soon as I open this door, the memories will come flooding into my brain. It will be the last time I open it. It will be my last glance of my past inside this house. I take a deep breath and twist the knob.

The door opens and I inhale sharply. I close my eyes for just a moment before opening them back up and taking a step inside.

The only thing I do is stare for a couple minutes. It's like I can see Mom, Dad, Caleb, and I in different parts of the house from different memories.

I let go of Tobias' hand and slowly walk over to the kitchen first. I look to my right and see 10 year old Caleb and 8 year old me racing down the stairs for Saturday breakfast. I see Mom laughing and Dad chuckling as he tells us to slow down before we hurt ourselves. I see Dad reading the newspaper and Mom drinking a cup of coffee while Caleb and I do the dishes, mostly splashing the water and soap on each other. I see Mom and I making cookies while Dad and Caleb keep sneaking bites of the dough. I hear the laughter and close my eyes, but as soon as I do, it's gone.

I open them back up and walk over to the living room. I stare at the corner where the Christmas tree used to be. Caleb and I are ripping open present after present, his consisting of many new books and video games while mine consist of new piano books/music and clothing.

I finally pull myself away and start heading to the bottom of the stairs. I see 12 year old me unwrapping my piano. It's probably one of my favorite memories.

I smile for a second. I turn around and see Tobias patiently waiting for me by the front door. I signal for him to come over and we both head up the stairs together, my fingers running along the wall as we go.

The first door we come to is one I'm not sure I want to open yet, so I walk by it. Maybe I'll open it later. Maybe.

The next door is the first one to open upstairs. I step inside and look around.

"This was my room," I say to Tobias, feeling like he should know for some reason.

The memory I 'see' is Caleb angrily pacing the room, swearing he would kill Eric for what he did to me. I see his face full of anger and then finally concern as I tell him not to go after Eric.

I see another memory, but it's not a good one. I see Eric throwing me around like I'm a doll. I see myself on the bed and him crawlinh on top of me. I turn away and wince as I 'hear' my scream.

"I'm done in here," I say and walk out, waiting for Tobias to follow me before shutting the door.

I look down and continue to walk down the hallway, but I stop when I feel his hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

I turn back around and smile a little bit.

"Yeah….I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

He raises his eyebrows and looks at me skeptically.

"It wasn't all good memories in here," I explain.

He finally nods and lets me go to the next room; Caleb's room. I take a deep breath and open it.

"Cal?"

11 year old me stands right next to...well, 17 year old me, and waits. I turn my head to the right and smile, knowing the memory all too well.

"Why are you still awake, Beatrice?"

Suddenly, the room is filled up with furniture again and I see Caleb. I stare at his face, trying to memorize it again.

"I-I was asleep. I woke up."

I was so innocent. So young. So naïve.

"Did you have another nightmare?"

He sighs as the 11 year old nods.

"Come here."

I step to the side as 11 year old me starts to walk, as if she was a real person at the moment. I slide against the wall and sit down, wanting to watch it.

"Tris?"

I snap my head to the right, and meet Tobias' worried eyes. I almost forgot he was here. I look over to the bed with people only I can see, then look back at Tobias and smile. I pat the space next to me, indicating for him to sit. He does without any questions. I scoot over onto his lap and lean back into his chest. He wraps his arms around me and I relax.

"It's Caleb's room," I whisper.

I watch 11 year old me cuddle up with Caleb, almost the exact same way. I smile subconsciously. Who knew that in 6 years I'd be in the same position with someone else in this room?

"Nothing is gonna happen to them while they're gone. I promise."

I'm still smiling as I watch Caleb rock me back and forth, lulling me to sleep. I finally hear the faint cheers from the TV screen and watch as Caleb leans down to whisper in my ear.

"Happy New Years, Bea."

Then suddenly, everything is gone. The furniture, the noise, Caleb and I; everything. The whisper carries throughout my mind and I take a deep breath.

"What's going on in that mind of yours?" Tobias whispers.

"Just….memories," I whisper back, a smile on my face.

He kisses the top of my head. We sit like this for a few more minutes before I finally start to get up. Tobias stands up behind me, pulling me up with him.

"Lead the way," he says, gesturing out the door. I smile and walk out, softly shutting the door behind us.

I stop at the door to my parents' room. I don't have a lot of memories here; only a few from when I was younger. As I open the door, I wonder if I'll even see anything, doubting I will.

But I do.

It's me again, but this time I'm a lot younger; I'd say probably about 4 or 5. I'm on their bed, shaking their shoulders lightly. They both rise up a little bit.

"What's wrong Beatrice?" I hear Mom say.

It's only been two years since I've heard her voice, but it seems like it's been an entire lifeline. I feel tears sting my eyes and walk over to where the bed used to be. I look at my mother's and father's faces for what will probably be the last time.

"I had a bad dream, Mommy and Daddy. Can I sleep with you?"

"Of course you can, Beatrice," my father says.

His voice is so good to hear. I may have been a Mommy's girl, but Dad was just as important to me.

"Try to get some sleep, ok pumpkin?" Dad says, after I've gotten settled in between them.

"Ok Daddy."

"Goodnight, Beatrice. Sweet dreams," Mom says, and then, just like the memory in Caleb's room, everything is gone.

I stare for a few more minutes and feel more tears start to gather up in my eyes. I blink rapidly, managing to get them to stay inside my eyes.

I slowly walk out of the room where Tobias is waiting. I gently shut the door and feel a lump form in my throat. I swallow, getting rid of it a little.

"I think I'm done, Tobias," I say.

"Are you sure?"

I nod. "I think so."

We start to walk down the hallway again, but Tobias stops at the first door.

"What's in there?"

I look at the bathroom door.

"It's the bathroom."

He pauses for a moment. "Do you want to open it?"

I try to think of any memories in there that are worth opening up the door for. But all I can think about is my body on the ground and Tori screaming as she sees me.

"No."

He looks at me, a little bit confused, until it must dawn on him why. His face suddenly turns grim and he nods before moving down the stairs. I follow him down the stairs, slowly, letting the surroundings and memories sink into my mind.

We make it to the front door before it finally hits me that this is the last time I'll ever see this place again. This is the last time I'll ever be in my true home. This is the last time I'll ever hear their voices and see their faces. Once I walk through that door, this chapter of my life is over, and I can't go back.

I fall to my knees, unable to keep myself up, and let out a sob, covering my mouth with my right hand. The tears start to spill over and I look around until my vision is too blurry to see anything. Then I close my eyes in an attempt to slow the tears

"Tris…." Tobias says trailing off. I hear him kneel down in front of me.

I open my eyes a bit and blurrily see two ocean blue eyes. I try to stop the tears, but I only end up crying even harder.

"Oh Tris," he says and pulls me into his chest.

I close my eyes again, but feel the need to explain myself and apologize for being so weak.

"This is...the last….time, Tobias. The last...time…ever."

"Shh...shhh...it's okay, Tris. It'll be okay. You'll be okay," he whispers.

He starts to rub my back comfortingly, and after a while, the tears start to slow down and the sobbing stops. I sniffle and pull away a few minutes later.

His thumb almost instantly comes to my cheek and gently wipes off a couple of tears. I raise both of my hands and messily wipe the rest off. I look down.

"I'm sorry." I scoff and add, "God, I'm pathetic."

"You're not pathetic, Tris. You don't need to apologize for this," he says, tucking some pieces of hair that were stuck to my wet cheeks behind my ear.

"Yes I do! I'm so weak, Tobias! I can't even walk through my own home without crying!"

He leans forward and kisses my forehead.

"That doesn't make you weak, Tris. You were having a weak moment, but that doesn't automatically mean you're weak."

"But I've had way too many weak moments for me not to be weak. You should know that by now."

"Tris, you are in no way, shape, or form, weak."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not. Tris, anyone else I know would have broken down as soon as they walked through that front door the first time. They would've continued to cry all the way through the house and even afterwards as well. But you didn't break down until now. You didn't even cry when we first came through Haviland. That takes some serious strength, Tris. And so far, you're the only person I've seen have that kind of strength."

I finally look up to meet his eyes. At first I think that he surely must not be serious, but then I realize that his eyes are full of truth. I blush and look away again. His hand comes underneath my chin and moves it back towards him so I meet his eyes.

"Tris, you're the strongest person I know. And I'm extremely lucky to be able to call you my girlfriend."

His words bring a tiny smile to my face. We sit there for a little bit, just staring into each other's eyes. I don't know why he likes looking in mine; they're pretty boring, but I do love looking into his.

We stay like this until I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. I jump a little bit and blush, embarrassed I was staring for that long.

"It's rude to stare, Beatrice," I hear my father say in the back of my mind.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and see I have a text from Christina.

We're meeting up in 40 minutes in the lobby of the hotel to figure out where we want to eat. Be there.

"We're meeting at the hotel in 40 minutes," I repeat to Tobias.

"I thought we were eating somewhere?"

"Honestly, I would be fine without food…."

He gives me a look and I know that if Tori doesn't force me to eat today, Tobias will.

"We are going to the hotel to figure out where we want to go to eat."

He nods and stands up, holding his hand out for me to take. I grasp it and he pulls me up, interlocking our fingers when he's done. He tucks another piece of hair behind my ear.

"Do I look like I've been crying?"

"Hmm…."

He leans in close, narrowing his eyes like he's inspecting my face. A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.

"No, Tris."

A more serious look replaces his smile as he adds, "You look tough as nails."

He then leans even closer, closing the gap between our lips. He kisses me softly for a few moments before pulling back. I smile at him and open my eyes. He has a small smile on his face, too.

"Do you want me to drive?" he finally asks, breaking the silence.

"Could you?"

He nods and kisses me again. "Of course."

I slowly start to walk out the front door, still holding Tobias' hand. Once I'm completely outside, I take a deep breath and close the door as gently as possible as I exhale. I lock it with the key and quickly shove it back into my pocket before I have second thoughts.

I turn around and start walking back to the car.

"Hey Tobias?"

He hums in response.

"Can we stop somewhere so I can fix my hair?"

He squeezes my hand. "Sure. I'll miss your blonde hair though."

"Why?"

"Because it looks good on you."

I blush...again. When we get to the car I let go of his hand and rush to the other side before he can open the door for me. We both climb in and I put the key in my purse.

"Ready?" he asks me.

I take one last, long look at the house I grew up in, then nod.

"Ready."

Ok! So here's Chapter 28 for you guys! And let me say, thank you so much for getting me to 400 reviews guys! That's unbelievable! I said this rant when I reached 100, 200, and 300 reviews, but 400?! That's crazy! Thank you so much for your support and patience with me! Life has been so hectic and busy and stressful! It's so incredibly comforting to know I still haven't lost any support or love for this fanfic! Thanks so much guys! Can get maybe, possibly, get to 410 reviews….? I don't know! Let's see!

Thank you again guys for everything you do! You're appreciated the same whether you're a just a reader or a constant reviewer! Everyone here is extremely important to me!:)