Hey, I'm back! And I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! This is my last update before 2017 comes around! Sadly, I think 2017 will be the last year for LTLTI….I know, I know. I'm sad that it's ending too. But it wouldn't be any fun if it never ended, now would it?

So let's have some fun with this chapter and get right to it!:D

Disclaimer: Veronica Roth did not publish her book(s) chapter by chapter, and I am. So what does that tell you? Oh, I know! It tells you that I do not own Divergent or any of its characters!

Chapter 38

Tris' POV

"Which way do you want to go?" Tobias asks as we step out of the door.

I shrug. I honestly don't care. As long as we get away from here, I don't care which way we go.

He sighs and pulls my hand to the right, dragging me along. I guess we're going this way.

We walk in silence for a bit, letting the cold October air hit us. I welcome the temperature; it was too hot and clammy in the house.

Eventually, Tobias speaks. "You don't mind me staying at your place tonight, do you?"

I immediately shake my head "No. I want you there. I want you to stay with me."

"I was just asking about the same house part. I'm not sure if Tori would allow me to sleep wit-"

"She won't care. She knows nothing will happen. Besides, she let us stay in a hotel room together without her there. Please."

I look up at him and he stares down at me. He leans down and kisses my forehead. My heart flutters as he says, "Okay."

We both turn to look straight as we walk once again.

"So….what are we doing tomorrow? Are we planning on going to school?"

"I cannot believe you just asked that."

"What? It's a genuine question!"

He rolls his eyes and a small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "You, young lady, are not going to school tomorrow. I'll be staying with you, and I'm sure Tori will be too. Besides, it's Friday. It's not like we're going to miss much."

I step farther away from his side and am able to turn myself slightly so I can get a better look at him.

"You did not just call me 'young lady'."

A smile finally breaks through and appears on his face. "I think I just did. Why? Do you have a problem with that?"

"You don't call me young lady. That sounds like what my mom or dad would say. Not you."

He chuckles. "Fine. I won't call you young lady. But what should I call you?"

"Tris would be fine, thank you very much."

He suddenly pulls on my hand, making me collide into him. He leans his head down and says softly, "Tris is what everyone calls you. You call me Tobias while everyone else calls me Four. I think it's only fair I get to call you something else."

I smile slightly at him and bite my lip. "I guess that's fair...so what are you thinking?"

He smirks and whispers, "I don't know...I think 'babe' is starting to grow on me."

I feel myself blush lightly and try to hide the warmth I feel coursing through my veins.

"I suppose I could work with that," I whisper back.

He smiles and kisses my temple. He pulls his head back to its normal position, and we continue to walk.

A light wind starts to build up and I can feel my cheeks getting naturally rosy from the cold. I suddenly wish I had been wearing a heavier coat.

"Are you okay still? Do we need to turn back yet?" Tobias asks.

I nod. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you cold?"

Yes. "No, I'm fine. Really."

He stops walking and I'm forced to follow. I want to keep walking; it's colder just standing here. He drops my hand and shrugs off his coat. My eyes widen as I figure out what he's doing.

"No! Don't give that to me! You'll be cold!"

He finishes taking it off despite my protests. "Do you really think I care about me right now?" he rhetorically asks, lifting it up and placing it around my shoulders. I revel in the warmth of his body heat but feel a bit guilty.

"Are you sure you don't need this for yourself?"

He nods and wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. "I'm sure. Besides, I've got you to keep me warm."

I blush and wrap my arm around his waist to remove the space between us.

"Better?" he asks.

I nod. "Yes. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

I wait a few minutes before speaking again. "Hey Tobias?"

He hums in response.

"Thank you for not making me talk about our...fight...today. After what happened...I just don't think I could handle it. There's bound to be more tears and raised voices. I don't…I can't..." I trail off.

He stops us again and turns to face me. He grabs me and gently pulls me into his frame, wrapping his arms firmly around my back. I follow a moment later and allow myself to sink into his embrace.

"Hey," he whispers. "I wouldn't force you to do anything you don't want to do. We'll talk about what happened when you're ready."

I nod from my place in his chest. Within a minute, we've unlocked our arms from around each other and continued walking again. I reach for his hand and lace our fingers together again.

We walk in peace for about 5 minutes. We arrive on another street. I recognize it.

"Hey, does someone we know live here?"

"Christina does."

My mouth forms an o-shape. After a few moments, I come to a stop and face him. "We should go somewhere else. If Christina sees us it'll raise lots and lots of questions that I'm not ready to answ-"

"TRIS! FOUR!"

I freeze and continue to stare up at Tobias. "You've got to be kidding me," I whisper. He struggles to hold back laughter.

"I'd brace myself if I were you."

I quickly spin around just in time for Christina to nearly tackle me. I let out a sharp gasp of pain as she squeezes around my back, pushing my injured stomach against her. She doesn't seem to notice and hugs me tighter. Sharp tears fill my eyes against my will and I look to Tobias, hoping he'll understand. He doesn't look at me though. His mouth has already opened without me asking him to.

"Christina, be careful!" he shouts.

She lets go of me and I try to hide my wince as I step back.

"Why?! What happened?! Are you okay?!"

Way to be subtle, Tobias.

"Nothing happened. I'm fine!"

She gives me a look and I roll my eyes, turning to face Tobias.

"Good work, Sherlock," I mumble. He looks genuinely sorry, and it's then that I know it was just his instincts that took over there. He didn't mean to let that slip.

"I don't believe you, and I will push you for answers later, but I believe more important matters are to be discussed."

I turn back around to look Christina in the eye. "Like…?"

"Like...are you two back together? Did you work things out?"

"Um, yes, but not exac-"

"Yes, we are," Tobias interrupts. I realize that I was about to make this become a lot more suspicious had I finished that sentence. I mentally thank him.

She raises her eyebrow. "You're telling the truth?"

I nod. "Yes, we're back together."

A grin spreads across her face and she claps with glee. "Thank goodness! The gang and I were starting to make up plans to get you two back together! Now I can tell them that there's no need!"

"Wait- you guys were making plans to get Tris and I back together?" Tobias asks.

"Yes we were, but you can't get mad at us because we knew how much you guys meant to each other and it killed us to see you apart!"

I sigh and take Tobias's hand from behind me to keep him from arguing any further. "Thanks for being such a good friend, Christina."

"That's what best friends are for!" she exclaims. She grins as she looks back and forth between Tobias and I."I'm so happy you guys worked things out! I was getting worried that you weren't going to and then never get back together again!"

"I don't think we would've been able to keep it up for much longer if I wasn't at-"

"I don't think we would be able to stay apart for too long," Tobias interrupts, saving me again. But it's too late; Christina already is looking suspicious.

"If you weren't what?" she asks, eyes narrowed.

I shake my head. "It's nothing."

She shakes her head. "Tell me what happened." When I don't answer, she looks to Tobias. "Four, you tell me what happened."

"Sorry, but no can do. She would kill me if I did."

"So there is something?" she inquires.

I roll my eyes. "Nice one, Four," I say, not bothering to hide it from Christina. She already knows by now something is going on.

"You guys did talk things out, right?"

At the same time I say, "Yes," Tobias says "No."

I bite my lip and know Tobias is cringing from behind me.

"You haven't talked things out yet?! That's crucial you guys! You can't just keep going on pretending everything's okay when you don't even have what you fought about worked out yet!"

Tears fill my eyes and I look to the ground to hide them.

"It's complicated, Christina," Tobias says.

"That is not an excuse! Do you know how classic that line is?! Any excuse in a relationship with the word 'complicated' is never an excuse!"

I cover my mouth with my hand to hold back my cries. She's right; just because I was beat up a little bit doesn't give me an excuse to skip over talking our problems out.

"Chris, all you need to know is now's not the best time for us to be talking things out."

"But you're back together?"

"Yes."

"Then this is a perfect time! You have to talk it out or things will never get better between the two of you!"

"And we will, just not right now."

"The sooner you do it, the sooner you can start to move past it! There is no excuse for not doing so!"

"Christina, stop."

"No, I will not stop! You need to listen to m-"

"Christina, stop!" he shouts.

Once they've quieted down I realize that someone is crying, and that someone is me. My shoulders shake with silent sobs as tears flow down my face.

"She's right, Four," I whisper. "There's not an excuse for putting it off."

"Yes, there is," he says and spins me around to face him. I stare at his shirt. "You can't deal with this right now, and that's okay. We will talk about the fight when you're ready. We already had this conversation more than once."

I shake my head. "But-"

"No buts. This is an excuse."

"Please tell me what's going on here," Christina says quietly from behind us.

I turn to look at her. She looks genuinely concerned. "Tris, what happened?"

I sigh and start to wipe my tears away. I look behind me to Tobias. I ask him through my eyes what he thinks of what I'm about to do. He nods, and his eyes shine with affirmation. I take a deep breath.

"Chris, do you think we could come over for a bit?"

I ended up showing her the video on my phone instead of retelling the story. It made things much easier. I can't believe I'm actually sharing this with Christina, but I somehow feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulders - as if I needed to share this part of my life with someone else.

When the video ends, her eyes are shining with unshed tears. She carefully wraps me into her arms and squeezes. I hug her back, thankful that I have someone like her I can trust.

"I am so sorry, Tris. I had no idea that this happened. If I had known, I wouldn't have pushed you so ha-"

"It's okay, Chris. Really."

She releases me and turns to Tobias who stands in the corner of the room. She gets off the bed, goes over to him, and hugs him too. You can tell he's surprised, and he awkwardly pats her back in return.

"Thank you for being my best friend's knight in shining armor."

"Um, you're welcome?" he asks more than he states.

She releases him and I can tell he is relieved. I forget that he's not much of an affection type of person. I find myself wearing a small smile as I realize that I'm the only one he shows excess physical affection to.

"So what's going to happen here? You did press charges, right?" Christina asks no one in particular.

"I pressed charges, yes. They have enough evidence to send him to jail, hopefully without going to court. But there are other charges that he might have to go to court for," I answer.

Christina sits next to me and takes my hand. "What are the other charges?"

I bite my lip and clear my throat. I feel like I should tell her, but at the same time I'm scared to.

"Tris," Tobias says from across the room. His eyes meet mine and I see encouragement in his eyes. He must want me to have someone else who knows - to have someone else who I can talk to about it.

"He...he…." My mouth goes dry and I struggle to get words out. Tobias crosses the room and sits on the other side of me, taking the hand that Christina doesn't have.

As I look to Christina, I suddenly feel vulnerable. What if she doesn't want to be around me after this? What if she realizes how weak I am? What if she sees me for who I really am? What if she sees the same thing I see when I look into the mirror: a weak, ugly, 12 year old? What if I tell her and she decides she no longer wants to be my friend? What if she wants nothing to do with me?

I close my eyes and try to get my breathing under control.

"Tris?" Christina asks.

Hearing her voice makes my breathing come in even sharper.

"Tris, are you okay?" Christina asks again.

I shake my head. I hear movement and open my eyes. The hand that Tobias was holding moves to his chest where I feel it rise and fall. His heart beats steadily under my fingertips.

"Breathe with me, Tris," he says. He doesn't say anything else. I close my eyes again and focus on making my chest rise and fall with his. I feel a small hand rest on my back. After a minute or two, my breathing is back under control.

"Look at me, Tris," Tobias whispers. I do. "Christina is your best friend. Do you know what that means?"

I stay quiet. Christina speaks up, catching on. "It means that whatever you're about to tell me I won't judge you for. I'll still be your best friend."

Tobias smiles gratefully at her then turns back to me. "I know, and I didn't leave you, did I?" I slowly shake my head. "She won't either."

I take a deep breath and focus my eyes on Christina. "You promise not to judge me?"

She sticks out her pinky finger. "I pinky promise."

I let out a tiny laugh at the serious look on her face. I haven't made a pinky promise since I was 11. I wrap my pinky around hers anyways.

I exhale. "He...he used to beat me up at school after we broke up."

Her eyes widen. "Like, literally beat you up?"

I nod. With a moment of courage I brush my hair back from my neck and point to a place on my neck.

"This is from him." I'm pointing to a short and scraggly scar. "He shoved me into a tree and my neck caught a piece of bark. He proceeded to punch me out."

She frowns at it and squeezes my hand. "Why would he do that?"

"I think he wanted to scare me off from going to the police."

"Wait- going to the police for what?"

I take another deep breath. "For assault and...and…" I let out a breath and focus on the heartbeat I still feel. "...and...rape."

She gasps and almost falls off the bed. "You're serious?" Her eyes are wide and shocked. I look down and nod. "Oh my gosh! I had no idea! You're so brave!"

She sounds like she's about to cry. My ears prove to be right; she starts crying a moment later and throws her arms around my neck. I take my hand off Tobias's chest and wrap my arms around Christina.

"I'm okay now though, Chris. I met you guys."

She pulls back and smiles. She sniffles and wipes her tears away. "I feel like I understand you now. Why you were quiet and shy, why you didn't talk, everything."

Tobias slightly nudges me. I'm guessing he wants me to keep going and tell her about my parents. But I don't want to lie; if I say that my family died in a car wreck, I'd be lying because Caleb is alive. Afterwards, it would just be easier if this wasn't mentioned. But of course Christina isn't letting me off that easy.

"Who gave you that necklace?" she asks, eying the gold chain around my neck. "It's really pretty."

I bite my lip. "My mother gave it to me a couple years back." There. That's not a lot yet.

"Is Tori your mother?"

I shake my head and take the heart between my fingers. I slide my thumb over the catch on the side and the front pops open. This is only the third time I've opened it. The first time I did it was the day after the wreck, and the second time was after I got home from the hospital after trying to overdose.

I blow off the dust and point to my mother's smiling face. "This was my mother." I point to my father next. "This was my father." I point to Caleb. "And this is my brother." I say 'is' when pointing to Caleb that way I'm not lying. She doesn't seem to notice.

"Was?" Christina asks quietly.

I barely nod, but she sees it and frowns as she looks back at the family picture I have in the locket.

"Car wreck. Drunk driver. On my 15th birthday. We were going to my place of choice." Tears fill my eyes but I force them to stay in.

Caleb is still alive, remember?

I sigh. "They didn't make it."

"I'm so sorry," she whispers. I see pity in her eyes and I rush to get it out.

"It's okay. I've made peace with it. Some days are harder than others, but knowing that I have a great group of people by my side helps a lot."

The pity fades away and I almost sigh in relief. It reminds me why I turn to Tobias for these types of things. I hate pity.

"Now it makes perfect sense why you joined Dauntless; you're braver and stronger than most people in the world."

I blush and smile at her. I chuckle. "I actually joined Dauntless because of two reasons. One reason was my mother. The last words she said to me were 'Be brave', and I took it quite literally." Christina giggles. "The second reason is because I thought all of the other factions looked dull and unexciting."

She giggles again and hugs me again. "This is why you're my best friend."

I sigh in relief. "So you still want to be my friend?"

"Of course I do!" she exclaims and pulls back. "I'm never going to not want to! Especially now!"

I smile. "Thank you Chris. You're my best friend too."

"Christina! It's time for dinner!" her mother calls from downstairs.

She winces. "If I don't go down soon I'll get my ass whooped. You guys are welcome to stay for dinner though!"

"Thanks Chris, but I think we better start heading back home before it gets dark and Tori gets worried," I say.

"That's understandable. But if you change your mind, we'll be here."

"Thanks Christina," Tobias says sincerely.

She smiles and stands. "Well, I'll show you to the door then."

We walk downstairs and I see her family gathered around in the kitchen. Her mother rushes over.

"Christina, I didn't know you had friends over! Hello Four! And you must be Tris! We've heard a lot about you!"

She sticks out her hand and I shake it.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Kravitz," I politely say.

"Oh, please call me Michelle!"

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Michelle."

"So she's polite and beautiful! I like her already!" she says to Christina. I blush and smile at her. "Well, would you two like to stay for dinner? We have plenty of food to go around!"

"Mom, they're actually going. I asked them earlier. They need to get going home before it gets dark," Christina says for us.

"Mom, can we eat now?!"

A little girl comes running into the room and wraps her arms around Michelle's legs. A man comes running in after her who I can only assume is her father.

"Rebecca! Your mother is speaking to our guests! It's rude to interrupt them!" The man looks at Tobias and I. "Nice to see you again, Four. And Tris, it's nice to meet you. I'm Christina's father, but you can call me John."

I shake his hand. "It's nice to meet you, John."

He smiles and looks back down at the girl who can't be any older than 8. "I think you owe your sister's friends an apology."

"I'm sorry," she says quietly.

"It's quite alright," Tobias says and I say, "You have nothing to be sorry for." I crouch and look at Rebecca. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Tris, your sister's best friend."

I reach my hand out to her and she carefully takes it. "I'm Rebecca."

"It's nice to meet you, Rebecca. You're really pretty."

She smiles. "You're nice. I like you."

I laugh. "You're very nice too."

She grins and runs back into the kitchen. John runs after her as I stand up. Michelle rolls her eyes. "I'm sorry about that. She can be a bit rambunctious at times."

"Oh no, it's fine," I reassure her.

"Well, I suppose that you better get going if you aren't staying for dinner then. The sun is already setting," she says and points out the window to the sunset.

"I'll walk you guys to the door," Christina speaks up.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Tris! Feel free to come whenever! You're always welcome!" Michelle smiles.

"Thank you, it was nice meeting you too. I'll keep your offer in mind."

She looks to Tobias. "It was nice seeing you again too, Four. Before you go though, are you two dating?" Michelle asks and points to Four and I.

"Mom!" Christina exclaims. "That's none of your business!"

"It's fine, Chris. And yes we are, Mrs. Kravitz," Tobias chuckles.

"I told you to call me Michelle," she scolds him.

He smiles sheepishly. "Sorry...Michelle."

She smiles, satisfied. "Alright, I'll let you go now. Bye guys!"

"Bye!" Tobias and I say as we follow Christina to the front door. When we're out of ears reach, she sighs.

"I'm sorry about them. My parents were in Candor, so they tend to be a bit personal with questions."

I smile. "Don't be sorry. It's nice to see people who are down to earth. Plus, they're really nice."

"I'm glad you like them. Sometimes I don't," she giggles and rolls her eyes. "Sometimes I wish they were gone."

I giggle. Her face freezes a moment later and she stares at me, horrified. I frown. "What?"

"Your family...I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Of course I want mine around."

I shake my head and smile reassuringly. "Chris, it's okay. I don't want you to have to hold back around me. When I had mine, I felt the same way you do."

She smiles back and sighs in relief. "Thank goodness I didn't upset you."

Suddenly, I hear the sound of distant thunder.

"I didn't think we were supposed to get any rain," Tobias says accusingly. Towards who? I'm not sure.

"You better hurry before the storm hits!" Christina says.

"Okay, we will! Bye Christina!" I hug her quickly. "Thanks for everything," I say as I release her.

Christina gives Tobias another hug, and this time it isn't so awkward. It's a quick squeeze.

"See ya later, Four."

"See ya, Christina."

We step outside the door and start to walk home. I turn and wave as we walk. She waves back, smiles, and shuts the door. I turn back to face the front.

"I actually did it," I say a few moments later, shocked

"You did. I'm so proud of you." He smiles at me and squeezes my hand.

"I did it," I repeat again.

It's quiet for a while. I feel something wet drop onto my nose and wipe it off. Then another one hits, and another, and another.

"I think it's starting to rain," I say.

Tobias looks up at the sky. I follow suit and see dark clouds above us. A large crack of thunder sounds and I jump, not expecting it. He chuckles.

"You're too easy to scare," he states.

"I am not! It just caught me off-guard, that's all!" I defend.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, babe."

My heart flutters and my stomach does flips. "Yes. I can definitely work with that name," I mumble.

The sprinkling turns into a heavier rain. I squint to see through the water. I look to my side and Tobias's eyes meet mine.

"We should probably hurry up," he says.

"Run!" I yell and start to sprint. I tug on his hand. I feel my hair and clothes sticking to me as the rain gets heavier. As we run, I smile and laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" Tobias asks.

"I've always loved the rain! It was my favorite sound and thing to play in when I was a little girl!" I shout over my shoulder.

"Really?" he asks.

I see my house in the distance. "Yeah!" I answer. Even though I love the rain, I do have to admit that without the proper gear, being wet is not very much fun.

"I've done almost everything you can do that includes the rain: mud pies, trying to catch it in your mouth, stomping in puddles, sliding down muddy hills, all of that!"

We're just about to the house when Tobias stops me. I turn around. "What?"

"Have you ever been kissed in the rain?"

Slowly, a smile breaks out on my face. "No, actually."

"I was hoping you'd say that." His lips land on mine a moment later. I stand on my tip toes and close my eyes. The extra slickness of our lips causes them to move more in harmony. I smile into the kiss. His hands find their way around my back as mine loosely loop around his neck.

Our lips move in sync for several minutes before he pulls back. He rests his forehead on mine.

"That was better than I ever imagined it being," I whisper.

He smiles. "We should probably go inside now."

I give him a short kiss. "You're right."

We slowly start to untangle our fingers and walk the rest of the way to the house. As soon as we walk through the door, Tori comes rushing to us.

"My goodness! You two are soaked! Go get dried off! I'll start making dinner!"

She goes back to the kitchen before we can protest.

"We need to go back out in the rain to get your clothes, don't we?" I giggle. He chuckles.

"It looks that way, yes."

I giggle again and open the door, rushing out. "Race you!" I call out before he can even get a foot out the door.

I hear footsteps come up from behind me and arms lift me up and spin me around at the halfway point.

"How are you so fast?!" I exclaim.

"Are you sure you're not just slow?"

I glare half-heartedly at him. He chuckles and kisses my nose.

"Maybe it's because I have longer legs than you...or is it because you suck at running?"

I roll my eyes. "Alright, alright, I get it."

He laughs and takes my hand. He leads me up the stairs to his front door and opens it up. When we walk in, I'm surprised by the look of it. It looks more monochromatic than anything. Everything is gray: gray furniture, gray walls, gray carpet, gray counters, gray everything. It's a nice looking home, but it's almost too nice. It looks like an interior decorator came in here and arranged everything very precisely, and it hasn't been touched since. It doesn't look like a home should look.

"Why is your house so….plain?" I find myself asking before I can stop myself.

He clenches his jaw. "Marcus was Abnegation, and he didn't fail to let everyone know that. He hired someone to come in and decorate. If my mother or I moved anything or left something out of place, we'd have to face him."

I frown as he starts to drag me upstairs. Everything is the same as it is downstairs.

"Where is your room?"

"It's at the end of the hall here," he says.

We reach a door and he opens it. I let out a sharp gasp of surprise.

"What?" he asks, confused.

"It's not….gray." I look at the black walls around me with the dark gray carpet. His bedding is black with dark red stripes.

He chuckles as he walks over to his closet. "No, it's not."

"But...how?" I ask curiously, walking around the room.

"After I joined Dauntless, I knew he was going to be pissed off. I figured I may as well get another thing out of the way so it was just one beating, not two."

I shake my head at his line of thinking. "How bad was it?"

"I passed out."

That's the end of the conversation; I can tell by the way his muscles tense through his shirt.

I go over to a black shelf where a small blue statue stands. It's the only thing that doesn't match the color scheme in his room.

"What's this?" I ask, running my finger along the smooth glass.

"My mother smuggled it to me when I was young. Told me to hide it. The day I chose Dauntless, I put it out for Marcus to see to show that he couldn't control me anymore. Maybe it was stupid, but if nothing else, it reminds me of her."

"A small act of defiance," I say quietly.

I shift my eyes to him. He's still in the closet, but he's nodding. I have a feeling he only just started looking for clothes. I turn back to the shelves.

"Do you miss her?" I ask.

"I don't remember her very well, but she was my mother. From what I do remember, I know I was much closer to her than I was to Marcus. Even before the beatings started."

I nod, understanding him. To anyone else, that wouldn't be an answer to their question. If you know him like I do, then you know he meant he doesn't have much to miss about her, but human nature causes him to anyways which answers the question perfectly.

I scan the shelves and find a picture frame with a little boy who looks to be about 4 years old and a beautiful middle-aged woman.

"Is this her?" I quietly ask.

Arms wrap around my waist, but for once I don't jump. He must have gotten what he needed.

"Yes. That's her."

We stare in silence at the picture. The little boy, Tobias, is on his mother's back eating an ice cream cone and in the middle of laughing. His mother is looking at the little boy behind her and smiling. The picture seems to have captured a priceless moment.

"That's the last picture I have of her," he says, a little bit choked up. "It's actually the only picture I have of anyone that's worth remembering. But it's also the last time I ever remember her being truly happy."

"What happened?" I whisper.

"A number of things. But to save you the time, the just of the story is Marcus started beating her on the regular which made her much weaker than a human should be. From there, cancer got a hold of her."

I exhale. "I'm sorry."

He shakes his head and places his chin on top of my hair. "Don't be. It was a long time ago."

"It still doesn't make it any easier," I state.

He sighs. "I know."

From there we stay silent. We don't speak until he takes his arms off from around me and steps back.

"Let's head back. C'mon."

I stare at the picture for a few moments longer then turn around. He has his hand out for me to take, so I do. We slowly make our way downstairs. I suddenly realize how lucky I was to have a family who loved me and cared about me for so long. I was lucky to have had 15 years with them. Some people, like Tobias, only had a few.

He grabs an umbrella from by the door. He opens the door first, then the umbrella. He holds it above our heads as we step out into the rain. We don't get wet this time. We walk slower, slightly swinging our hands between us. I smile and look up at Tobias. He's already looking at me with a smile on his face as well.

We reach my front door and stop. He closes the umbrella and we both rush inside before we can get too wet again.

"Where'd you guys go?" Tori yells from the kitchen.

"We had to go to Four's house to get dry clothes for him!" I yell.

"Tris! Don't be yelling! You heard the doctors!"

"They were medics Tori, not doctors!" I yell again.

"Don't make me use your full name, Beatrice!"

I roll my eyes but stop because I know she's serious. Tobias chuckles from behind me.

"You find this funny, huh?" I say to him.

"Of course I do."

I roll my eyes again and take my shoes off. He follows suit.

I take his hand this time. "C'mon, let's go get changed."

I walk up the stairs and into my room without hesitation. I can't let myself dwell on what happened here just a couple hours back or I'm going to freak out again.

I see that everything has been cleaned up. Tori. I'll have to thank her later.

"You can change in the restroom," I say to Tobias. He walks into the bathroom without a word.

I walk to my own closet and grab sweats and a t-shirt. I grab a black hoodie and slip it on without looking at it. I realize it's Tobias's as soon as it's on; his scent floods in through my nose.

"Is it safe to come out yet?" he asks through the door.

"Yeah!" I call out.

He walks out and eyes his hoodie. "Is that mine?"

I bite my lip. "No…"

He gives me a pointed look.

"Maybe…" I change.

He rolls his eyes. "I was wondering where that went."

"You can have it back if you wa-" I start to say, but he shakes his head and cuts me off.

"No, you keep it."

I smile. "Thanks."

He chuckles. "So I guess it's true then."

"What's true?" I ask confused.

"That once you get a girlfriend your sweatshirts and hoodies start to slowly dwindle in numbers."

I giggle. "Sorry."

He walks up to me and sets one hand on my waist, the other brushing a piece of hair back. He kisses my forehead.

"I love seeing you like this," he mumbles.

"Like what?" I whisper.

"Happy, carefree, distracted. Like you aren't carrying the entire world on your shoulders."

I sigh. "Me too, but I know it won't last long."

"Why?" he asks, resting his forehead against mine.

"Because it's life, Tobias. Priorities get in the way. Problems cause ruckus. A small amount of chaos makes an insurmountable hill."

"Who says it has to be insurmountable? It doesn't have to be."

"But it is," I reply.

"No, it's not. We can help you. People said a long time ago that Mount Everest was insurmountable, didn't they? But once they got the right gear and had the right group of people, they did it. They just had to have some extra air to breathe, some harnesses that tied them back to the most steady parts of the mountain, and people who helped them climb to the top. And from there, they just had to climb back down to the other side where another opportunity was waiting for them."

I smile at him. "How very poetic of you."

He smiles back. "I try."

I pull back and kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

"Dinner!" Tori yells.

I groan. "I'm not hungry," I yell and turn my head so I'm not shouting directly into Tobias's face.

"Beatrice Prior, you are going to eat! You're getting dangerously close to making me use your full name!"

I roll my eyes. "I guess I'm eating."

His lips peck mine. "If she hadn't made you, I would have."

"Yeah, yeah," I say.

We both start walking downstairs. Tori is setting the table, rushing back and forth between the kitchen and dining room.

Tobias lets go of my hand and rushes downstairs to take a big pot from her hands.

"Thank you, Four," Tori says, relieved.

"It's no problem. Where do you want this?"

I end up pitching in to help too, and soon enough we're done eating. We help clean up dinner too. I'm currently doing the dishes while Tori takes her shower and goes to bed.

"You need any help?" I hear Tobias ask from behind me.

I shake my head. "No, I've got it."

As I'm scrubbing particularly at a bigger spaghetti stain, fingers poke at my sides, almost making me drop the plate.

"Four!" I laugh.

He continues to tickle me and I quickly turn around, flinging soap on him.

"Oh, it's on," he says and grabs a handful of soap from behind me. He flings it at me and it sticks in my hair.

"It's war!" I yell and grab soap, running to the opposite side of the room.

He chases after me and I squeal, continuing to run. Once he gets close enough, I shove some soap into his hair as well.

He frowns and pets at his hair. "You asked for it."

Without warning, he picks me up and flings me over his back. I pound on it.

"Hey! Let me down! This is so not fair!"

He walks to the sink and dips my hair back into the soap and water.

"Hey!" I yell.

He brings me back up and I quickly scramble to my feet. I cup my hands and throw some sink water on him. He does the same.

We continue like this for a while. Eventually, the water gets cold and we stop.

"This is your fault," I say, looking at the mess in the kitchen.

"No way. You started it."

"No I didn't!" I exclaim.

"Yes you did."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yes-huh."

I roll my eyes as I look at him. For a second, his eyes turn green, his hair turns lighter, he shrinks a couple inches, and I see the smiling face of Caleb staring back at me. I smile.

Tomorrow.

"What are you smiling about?"

I snap out of it and shake my head. "It just reminds me of when Caleb and I used to do this, that's all."

"You're smiling," he points out, slightly shocked.

"Yes…so?"

"So...you're talking about your family and smiling at the same time."

I nod. "Yeah?"

"You're moving on," he says questioningly.

"Well…sort of." That's as far as I can go without giving anything away or lying.

"Good."

I turn back to the dishes. "You can go take a shower if you want. I'll finish cleaning up here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, absolutely. It's the least I can do."

He kisses my cheek. "Okay."

He goes upstairs and I quickly pull my phone out of my pocket. I text Caleb's number.

When do you arrive?

I go back to doing dishes while I wait for a reply. I finish putting the last one away when my phone buzzes. I quickly open the text.

Around 2:00pm your time.

I smile hugely and put my phone back in my pocket. I run upstairs and to Tori's room. I peek my head through the door.

"Tori?"

"Yes, Bea?"

I open the door a little farther and look at her. "He comes at 2 o'clock tomorrow."

Her eyes widen. "That soon?"

I nod and laugh. "That soon."

She exhales. "I better get up early to make up a room for him."

I smile. "I'll help."

"No, you stay in bed. You'll be exhausted enough as it is."

I nod, agreeing. "Okay. I love you."

"I love you too. Now go get some sleep."

I shut the door again and go to my room. Tobias is sprawled out on my bed.

"Make yourself at home, why don't you?" I ask sarcastically.

He goofily smiles and holds up a picture frame. It holds a picture of me and my mother when we took a trip to New York. I'm about 9 years old and I hold her hand, standing in front of the Statue of Liberty, smiling at the camera.

"Hey! Give that back!"

He shakes his head. "You got to snoop around my room, so now I get to snoop around yours."

"So that's how we're going to play, huh?"

He ignores me and says, "You look just like her."

I carefully tread over to him and sit myself beside him on the bed.

"You make a cute little girl," he says.

I blush. "Well, you were a cute little boy."

He kisses my temple. "I love you."

I smile and rest my head on his shoulder. We both look at the picture. I raise my hand and stroke my mother's face over the glass. I sigh.

"Are you missing her right now?"

"I miss her all the time. But sometimes I'm glad that this happened."

"Why?" he asks, bewildered.

"Well, if it hadn't, I would be someone completely different and who knows if I would have met you or the gang? You're the best thing ever to have happened to me. I can't imagine not being with you."

"I guess that's one good way of looking at it."

I smile and stare at my mother's face for a while longer. I yawn and pick my head up.

"I'll take a shower tomorrow," I say, standing up to shut the light off.

"Tired?"

I nod. I take the picture from his hands and put it back where it belongs. I shut the lights off next and crawl under the covers.

His arm wraps around me and brings me to the top of his chest. I listen to his heartbeat and close my eyes.

"Thank you, Tobias," I say after several minutes.

He strokes my hair. "You don't need to thank me. Go to sleep. I've got you."

I smile and let sleep overtake me.

"Now, let's have some fun, Beatrice."

I'm back to where I was earlier. He sits on top of me, the knife digging into my neck. I start to panic and claw at his hands.

"I always did like them rough," Eric says and starts to kiss me sloppily.

I hear the front door open and close. I sigh in relief. Tobias is going to save me again.

But this time, I realize it's different. Eric heard.

"Well, well, well, it looks like we have some company."

My eyes widen and I struggle to get out from underneath him. He whips out duct tape and tapes my mouth shut. He turns me on my stomach and ties my hands and feet up before I can even comprehend what's happening.

"Let's go see who decided to show up," he hisses, opening the door and dragging me out by my hair. I scream into the tape and desperately try to work it off. As he's pushing me down the stairs, I manage to get it off.

"Go, Tobias! Please!" I shout.

Eric laughs as Tobias starts to rush over to me. He lifts me up and tilts my head back, putting the knife against my neck again.

"Come any closer and she dies," he snarls.

Tobias freezes in his tracks. Tears stroll down my face.

"Please," I whisper. "Go."

He shakes his head. "I'm not leaving you."

"How romantic," Eric says sadistically. He throws me to the ground, but steps in front of me, blocking Tobias's path.

"Let her go," Tobias hisses.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Eric replies. "I may spare her her life, but only after I'm done with her. You, however, I see no reason to let live."

Tobias clenches his jaw. "Try me."

Eric laughs. "Why not?"

"No Tobias!" I shout, but he doesn't give me a second glance.

"If you fight me, you let her go."

"No!" I scream because I know Eric will jump on the bait. He's willing to hold off on me a little while longer as long as he's destroying my mental stability.

He ponders over it for a while, then speaks. "Fine."

Tobias smirks. "Then what are you waiting for?"

Eric drops the knife and it clatters to the ground. Probably to make it fair. But when has he ever fought fairly? An uneasy feeling settles in the pit of my stomach.

Fists fly, crunches are heard, blood leaks. I scream at Tobias to stop several times, but he doesn't listen.

It seems that Tobias has the upper hand in the fight. They are on the floor and Tobias is holding him down. Everything seems okay until Eric's hand moves. I realize what he's going to do a couple of seconds too late.

"Four, watch out!"

But he doesn't hear in time. The knife sinks into his chest and his body limply falls to the floor.

"NO!" I scream. "NO!"

Eric laughs and takes the knife out. "Did you really think I'd let him live?"

I sob. "WAKE UP, TOBIAS!"

Eric wipes the knife off on his shirt as if he didn't just kill a man.

"You did this, Beatrice. It's your fault he came over in the first place. If you'd kept your stupid mouth shut, he would still be alive."

I cry and cry and cry as I stare at my boyfriend's blood pooling on the floor, refusing to accept what's happened.

"No," I whisper. "No."

I wake with a start. A pair of hands are on my shoulders, shaking me.

"Tris, wake up!"

I open my eyes and feel something wet on my cheeks. I realize that I'm crying.

"Tobias!" I suddenly exclaim, still in tears.

"Yes, it's me. Are you okay?"

I immediately throw my arms around him and sob. "You-you-you….you were…." I can't finish the sentence.

"Shhhh….I'm here. I've got you."

"You….you…."

"I'm here. I'm not anything else. I'm right here. You're in my arms. I've got you."

After a while, my crying stops and I can talk. "You...you were dead. He got you. You were trying to save me. I told you to look out but….but I was too late."

I know I'm probably not making much sense, but Tobias doesn't question me any further. He pulls me back.

"He didn't get me, Tris. See? I'm right here. I'm breathing, I'm talking, my heart is still beating. Do you wanna feel it?"

I nod. He grabs my hand and puts it over his chest. And sure enough, his heart thumps against my hand at a steady pace. I'm able to calm myself down.

"I'm sorry," I say.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I knew what I was signing up for when I said I'd stay with you."

I sigh. "I wish he didn't affect me like this."

"You can't help it. It's human nature."

I nod, passively agreeing. "What time is it?"

He turns. "It's already 4:30."

"What?!" I exclaim. "Are you sure you're looking at that right?"

"I'm sure," he chuckles.

I shift so I can see the clock myself and see that it's 4:30am. Tears fill my eyes and I smile.

"It's you," I say. "You're the one who helps me get through the night."

He kisses my forehead. "Do you want to try and get some more sleep?"

I nod again and slide back under the covers. I rest my ear over his heart and wrap my arms around him.

"Can you tell me more about your childhood?" I ask.

He exhales loudly. "I'm guessing you mean happy parts."

"If you remember, yes."

He thinks about it for a while. "I've got one. Close your eyes."

I do as he says and wait. His hand strokes my hair as he speaks.

"It was when I was 6. Marcus had started hitting us by then. But it was my birthday one day, and Marcus was gone on a business trip. My mom had just gotten a pretty bad one the night before, and I could tell she was in pain, but she didn't let it show that day. She brought me to the zoo, just me and her. I was so happy. After that, she took us out for lunch and ice cream. I got to choose anything I wanted. She'd been saving up. We went to the movies after that, and then we went home."

He takes a deep breath and I can hear the smile in his voice. I smile too.

"That day was amazing for me, but it got even better when we got home. She made me a special meal and even bought me a couple gifts. That was the day she gave me the statue you were looking at earlier. She and I sat on the couch and acted completely un-Abnegation like. We played with my toys, watched TV, and played made-up games. It's the best memory I have of her. The day after that, she was diagnosed with cancer. But whenever I think of her, I think of that day. She was actually able to be a real mother that day and let me live a normal life. And I'll always be grateful for that day."

Sleep is slowly taking me. "She sounds like you."

"What do you mean?"

"She was determined to make you happy, even if it meant she was in pain throughout the whole thing. She was stubborn, but extremely kind and thoughtful. Willing to get in trouble as long as she's helped someone."

He chuckles. "Only you would see that."

"Only because it's true," I mumble.

"I'd have to say the same about you," he quietly says as I fall asleep again.

I wake up a couple more times due to nightmares, but every time Tobias is there to calm me down and put me back to sleep. When I finally wake up for real, the sun is high, shining brightly through my window. It takes a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the brightness. My body throbs from where I hit the glass yesterday. My neck is really sore too. But I try not to focus on that. I instead focus on the sleeping body beneath me.

A heartbeat sounds from underneath my ear. I smile and close my eyes again, relaxed and calm.

After about 20 minutes, he starts to stir and his heart rate picks up.

"Good morning, Tobias," I whisper.

It takes him a while to respond. "Good morning, beautiful."

I feel myself blush.

"How are you doing?" he asks, stretching his muscles from under me.

I shrug. "I'm okay. It's nothing I can't deal with."

He sighs and starts to stroke my hair again. He and I have both found that that action calms me more than anything else.

"Thank you for staying with me," I whisper.

"You don't need to thank me."

I kiss his chest and take his free hand in mine. I play with his fingers and memorize the ridges, lines, and dips of his hand.

"What time is it?" I eventually ask.

He shifts. "Wow."

"What?" I ask, slightly panicked.

"It's a little past 1 o'clock."

"What?!" I exclaim, sitting up quickly.

"Why? What's wrong?" Tobias asks.

Caleb comes in exactly one hour or less. I stand up quickly and pick up my phone from the dresser. And sure enough, I have a text from him at 12:50

Just landed. Now just for baggage claim and Chicago traffic.

I laugh and turn around to look at Tobias.

"What's going on?" he asks, extremely confused.

I rush over to him and take his hand, dragging him upwards and out of bed. He stumbles and almost falls, but catches himself at last minute.

"Tris, what the hell has gotten into you?"

"C'mon! Today is a good day!" I laugh. I rush out the room with Tobias in tow. "Tori!" I yell.

I hear a groan coming from her bedroom. I hurry over to it and go inside. I pull the blinds up, letting the sunshine pierce the darkness of her room.

"Beatrice, stop!" she yells and puts a pillow over her head. I immediately walk over to her and rip it off.

"Do you know what has her panties all in a twist?" Tori asks Tobias. Tobias stares bewilderedly at me and shrugs.

"What happened to getting up early, huh?" I ask accusingly.

"Beatrice, it's probably only 9:00 or so, calm down."

"Get up early for what?" Tobias asks, but I ignore him.

"It's 1:00 Tori! Chicago traffic is the only checkpoint left to go through!"

Her eyes go wide and she sits up just as quickly as I had. She squints at the clock and then jumps out of bed. She starts to shoo us out.

"Out! Out! Let me get dressed!"

I laugh and drag Tobias back out.

"Please explain what's happening," he pleads with me.

"I'll explain everything later," I say, running downstairs.

I immediately start cleaning up around the house, looking for something to do.

"Tris!" he yells, still very confused.

My phone vibrates again and I pull it out.

We have about 10 minutes to go. You guys home?

I laugh and jump into Tobias's arms, squeezing him as tight as possible. He stumbles backwards and tips over onto the couch. It makes me giggle even more, and I kiss him. He pulls back and looks absolutely lost.

I squeeze him again and smile into his neck.

Tori comes pounding down the stairs a moment later looking flustered.

"How much time do I have?" she asks.

"About 5 minutes now," I say.

Her eyes go wide. "That's not enough time!"

I laugh and release Tobias, running over to Tori. I give her a hug too.

My phone starts to ring, and a familiar unknown number appears. I answer it quickly.

"Beatrice?"

When Tori hears his voice, she starts to cry and shrinks to the ground.

"Yes?" I ask, laughing.

"You're home, aren't you?"

"Yes!" I say again.

"We're almost there," he says.

I laugh and feel tears come into my eyes. "I can't wait."

"Me either."

He laughs. I laugh. And it's the most beautiful thing I've heard in awhile.

"The traffic is not bad at all. It looks like I'll be there in a few minutes. I've gotta go, okay? You keep holding on."

I smile. "I will."

The line ends and I immediately run to the window to watch for him.

"I'm so confused! What's going on?!" Tobias yells.

I look at Tori from her place against the wall and she nods. I run upstairs without saying a word and look for the letter that Caleb made for me. I hear a car approaching on the street, grab the letter, and run back downstairs.

I run to Tobias, who still looks quite flustered, and hand him the letter, breathlessly saying, "He's alive."

Moments after, a car door shuts and I hear voices from outside. I rush over to Tori and take her hand, dragging her upwards. I turn to the front door as it opens and I see him.

All we do is stare for a few minutes. I take in his tousled dark brown hair, celery green eyes, rounded face, and slender build. I cover my mouth as I let out a sob. He sets down his suitcase, tears running down his face, and holds out his arms.

"Come here."

I run at full speed towards him and lock my arms around his shoulders. He meets my run and spins me around a couple times, laughing. He sets me back down and I feel wet tears on my neck. I breathe in his familiar scent and cry into him as well.

"Welcome home, Cal."

And there it is! I hope you enjoy your Christmas everybody! Consider this my gift to you!:D

We hit 600 reviews! Wowee! That's a big number! Can we hit 620 reviews this time along with 380 follows and 330 favorites?! Let's do it! It can be your Christmas gift to me! Well, if you want to give me a gift, you can. ;)

Until next time!:D