Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent or any of the characters within.

Chapter 47

Tris' POV

"I know, and I'm so, so sorry, but-"

I'm cut off again by a frantic Tori. It wasn't smart of me to fall asleep without informing Tori or Caleb of my whereabouts first.

"Beatrice Edith Prior, sorry doesn't cut it! You disappear in the middle of the night to God knows where, and you have the gall not to tell us?!"

"Tori, I know I should have told you, but it slipped my mind at the time. Honestly! And I was so tired that I just crashed, and I didn't even think about telling you and Caleb until I woke up!"

"Until you woke up?! You woke up because of my phone call!" Tori exclaims.

I sigh. "Tori, I swear I meant to tell you, I really did, but I just...I was preoccupied, all right?"

"Preoccupied with what, exactly? What was so damn important that you left your brother and I in the dark to worry our lives away while you-"

"I can't tell you that, Tori," I say, and my voice suddenly becomes a lot more tired. "I know that after tonight that's not the answer you want to hear, but it's the only one I can give you."

The other end is silent for a few moments. "Are you alone?"

"No," I reply, and, to hopefully calm her down even further, I add, "I'm with Four."

"You said you and Four had broken up," Tori points out, not one to let something like that slide.

"And we did," I say. "Well, sort of. We're on a break, but it's not a bad one or anything. He was sort of a jerk for a while, so we talked things out and now we're on good terms again, but we're still on a break, and...urgh, I don't know, it's complicated! But I'm not alone, and I promise that I'm all right. I'll be home later tomorrow, okay?"

"Tris, I swear-"

"Tori," I interrupt. "I'm okay. I'm safe. There's nothing to worry about. I'll be home tomorrow night. Okay?"

It's silent for a long while, and I hold my breath as I wait for a reply. "Okay," she finally relents. "But if you're not home by tomorrow night, call or no call, I will come looking for you, you got that?"

I sigh in relief. "Got it."

"And don't you ever do something like this again, you hear?" she says sternly.

"Yes, Tori," I say, mostly just to make her happy.

"Good. Now go back to bed. I'll let the school know you and Four won't be coming in today."

"Thank you so much, Tori. I appreciate it. I really do," I quickly say.

"You can thank me later. You're still in trouble, Bea. Don't think you've wriggled your way out of this one that easily," Tori says, irritation still laced in her tone.

"Goodnight, Tori," I say, really wanting the conversation to end.

"Goodnight, Tris."

And then it finally does.

I throw my head back and let out a breath, running my fingers through my hair still tangled from sleep. I silently creep back into the living room where my makeshift bed lies and crawl onto it, covering myself with the blankets once again. I reach over to my phone and turn my ringer off; I don't need to be rudely woken by another obnoxious phone call.

"From what I heard, you're in deep," Tobias mumbles.

Thinking better of it, I turn my phone off completely. Neither Tobias nor I need to woken like that again.

"I'll be fine. She's just worried, that's all. It will have mostly blown over by tomorrow," I reply.

Tobias begins to stroke my hair the same way he did the first time I fell asleep.

"I'm sorry she woke you up," I apologize, feeling guilty even though it's not entirely my fault.

"It's okay," he says.

We fall back into a long silence. My eyes close and I relax under his touch. I yawn, curling up under the blankets.

"Goodnight, Tobias," I whisper.

"Goodnight, Tris."

I wake up to seemingly nothing. Light is streaming through the windows and birds are chirping happily on the electrical wires, but it's early. Too early for me to be up.

I close my eyes again to try and get some more shut eye, but I quickly figure out it's to no avail.

I roll off the air mattress and stand, quickly checking on the sleeping body beside me before walking into the kitchen. I'm more than surprised to see Oliver up and moving about—I thought I would be the only one. He stands at the counter in front of the coffee machine, watching as it fills his cup with the steaming brown liquid.

"Hey," I say quietly, assuming it would be best to alert him of my presence. His head turns to look at me, and he smiles tiredly.

"What are you doing up?" he asks.

I shrug. "Woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. What about you?"

He nods once and turns back to the coffee machine, takes his now full cup, slides an empty one under the dispenser, and starts a new brew all in one fluid motion.

"Me too," he answers. "Cream? Sugar?"

"Sugar, please," I reply. He quickly adds some sugar to what I assume is my cup of coffee and stirs it before handing it to me. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he says, leaning against the counter.

I wrap my hands around the cup, letting the heat seep into my fingertips. Once I've taken a few drinks, I hop up onto the countertop and continue drinking from there.

"What time is it?" I ask Oliver, not seeing any clocks.

"Five-thirty," he says.

I sigh. Too early.

We drink the rest of our coffee in silence, neither of us even attempting to initiate conversation. I doubt either of us are really in the talking mood. However, once I'm on my second cup of coffee, a question bubbles up and out of my mouth before I can stop it.

"What are we going to do about Four?" I ask, ducking my head so Oliver doesn't see my blush. I'm not exactly sure why I'm embarrassed, but I have a feeling that it may have to do with the fact that I've kissed both of the boys currently in this house, never intending for them to meet one another, and now that they have, it's awkward.

Well, awkward for me, at least.

"He's still sleeping, isn't he?" says Oliver. I quietly confirm this, still staring intently into my swirling coffee. "Then we'll let him sleep. He'll be fine. When he wakes up we'll redo his bandages and check the lashes, but until then he needs to sleep."

I nod, turning my head so I can see the still-sleeping form on the couch, his back slightly rising and falling with each breath. I silently jump back down onto the floor, setting my empty cup in the sink and standing next to Oliver. I lean my head against his arm, and it takes a bit, but eventually his muscles relax and he sighs, setting his cup next to mine.

"You're a lot like her," he blurts into the silence. "I think that's maybe why you caught my attention straight away. Because I could see her in you."

"Really?" I ask.

"Yes. And I feel guilty for it because I should see you for you, and I do most of the time. But then there's the times when I still see her and try to make you into her, and it just...doesn't work," he admits quietly.

I shake my head slowly, letting out a small chuckle. "So I caught your attention because I was like her. Fine. But you should know that you only caught mine because you looked like him," I say, pointing toward the living room. "And I wanted you to be him so badly, but, like you said, it just...didn't work."

Oliver smiles, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "What a pair we are," he remarks.

"What a pair we are," I repeat with a laugh. Then my smile fades. "What's her name?" I ask.

His smile fades too, and he moves his hands to tuck them into his pockets. "Sam. Samantha Grace."

"That's a pretty name," I murmur.

"It is," he agrees, looking down.

"Have you ever tried contacting her?" I ask.

"I found her new phone number a week after she left, but she didn't answer any of my calls. I don't think she cares much for me anymore," he says sadly.

"That was three years ago, Olly," I say, frowning. "Three years."

He stays quiet, pulling his hands out and fiddling with his thumbs. I sigh and place a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Call her," I say. "I'm sure she wants to talk to you again. Nobody just up and leaves like that without regretting it later. She probably thinks you hate her now since you were cut off so abruptly all those years ago."

Oliver raises an eyebrow. "And you think this...why?"

I scoff. "I'm a girl, Oliver. Trust me, I know how we work. Call her."

He grits his teeth and looks down. "Maybe," is all he says.

I sigh and pat his shoulder. "I'll leave you to think. I'm going to check on Four."

He nods and watches as I cross the room and go back to the bed set up next to the couch. I tuck my knees beneath me and lean on one hand as the other goes to stroke Tobias's unruly hair.

I sit like this for I don't know how long, watching as the sun gently rises further and further into the sky. Then, finally, Tobias lets out a small groan, and his muscles tense all at once.

"Shh, shh," I whisper comfortingly, cupping his cheek. "It's just me."

His eyes flicker open tiredly, and his muscles relax once more. "Tris," he says.

I smile, slowly standing up, joints and bones cracking as I do so. "I'll go get Oliver so we can check your bandages," I say.

"Tris," he says again, making me stop in my tracks.

"Tobias?" I question, grabbing a hold of his hand.

He grimaces, looking away from my intense gaze. "I...you should go."

I'm stunned into silence. I should go? What does he mean, go? As far as I know, I didn't do anything! I didn't do anything but help him and support him and bring him-

Oh.

The irritation leaves as quick as it came, leaving guilt in its place. "Are you mad at me for bringing you here?" I ask quietly.

Tobias immediately frowns, snapping his eyes back to look at mine. "No. No, of course I'm not mad at you, Tris. I trust you, I mean that."

This time I frown, sitting down slowly and gripping his hand like a lifeline. "Then, why-"

He shakes his head at me, cutting me off. "Tris…" He sighs. "I don't...I already feel terrible, and…"

"Tobias?" I whisper, trying to decipher the look on his face. Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to have to be something that he forces out on his own.

"I just…" He purses his lips, looking away. He stares blankly at the wall. "I don't want you to see."

To see what?

The answer comes to me almost immediately after the question my subconscious mind formed. Not knowing what to say, my mouth opens and closes stupidly for several minutes before I'm able find words.

"Tobias…" I trail off, trying to gather my thoughts before I speak. "I've seen your scars. I've seen ones that will become scars. I've already seen it," I stop speaking, staring at Tobias for answers.

Unluckily for me, he doesn't seem prone to give me any answers to my unspoken questions. I squeeze his hand, rubbing my thumb in soothing motions across his knuckles. We sit like this for a few moments, then he turns and meets my eyes again, blue clashing with gray.

"Just tell me why," I whisper.

"Because I want to protect you," he says almost right away, only hesitating for a second.

"Protect me?" I repeat stupidly, my thumb freezing in place.

He sighs, closing his eyes for a few beats before opening them again. "You've seen enough injuries for a lifetime. You've felt enough guilt. And I can see it in your face that you feel guilty for this entire situation, even though it's not your fault."

I open my mouth to protest, but he squeezes my hand again, silently telling me to keep quiet. I close my mouth and nod, signaling for him to go on.

"Maybe it's stupid, considering that you've already seen the worst of it, but I want to protect you. To me that means keeping your eyes away from anymore injuries, especially mine. Just...please, Tris. Just this once, would you please, please do this? For me?"

I chew on my lip, flicking my eyes between our joined hands, his bandage-covered back, and his pleading deep blue eyes. Eventually, I crack.

"Okay," I sigh. "But I'm still getting Oliver."

His shoulders sag in relief, and he suddenly looks a lot more relaxed than before. "Thank you."

I smile at him, squeezing his hand once before letting go and standing up. "I should probably call Tori anyways. I know I already talked to her, but it was mostly her yelling and me listening. But there's a chance that she could have calmed down by now, right? I mean, it has been several hours since…" Seeing Tobias's contradictory look, I stop that train of thought. "...actually, I think I'll call Caleb instead."

He sniggers slightly as I walk away, climbing up the stairs that I heard Oliver go up earlier. "Hey, Oliver?" I call out. "I need to call my brother, and Four doesn't want me to be the one who rebandages him, so I was wondering if maybe-"

He seems to appear out of nowhere, popping out of a doorway I've almost passed. I jump, not expecting his sudden presence. He laughs at the sight, rolling his eyes and going into another room, which I presume to be the bathroom.

"You go call Caleb. I've got Four," Oliver assures me from his place in front of the sink.

I thank him quickly before slipping into an empty room. I yawn, preparing myself for the second berating of the day. And it's only seven o'clock in the morning.

As I cautiously pull my phone from the waistband of my shorts, treating it as if it were a bomb, it starts to ring, making me flinch and drop it. I curse as it hits with a loud thud, bouncing off of the hardwood floor. I lean down to quickly pluck it up and frown when I see that it's Caleb who is calling me. I hesitate for only a moment before I answer, holding it up to my ear and wincing.

"Hello?" I say, pretending not to have looked at the Caller ID.

"Beatrice, I know you know it was me, but we will discuss this later. Right now, I need you to come home," Caleb says hurriedly.

"What?" I ask, confused. "What do you mean, come home? I already talked to Tori and told her that I wasn't coming home until-"

"Yes, well, there was a slight change of plans," he interrupts, sounding a bit nervous.

"Caleb, will you just tell me what's going on?" I'm openly annoyed with the secrecy he's speaking to me with. I hate it when he treats me as if I'm still the small girl he left behind two years ago. "I'm much more likely to come home if I know why I'm coming."

There is a pause, then, "Lexie is here. She says she needs to speak with us about something."

My heart stops beating for a moment, and it falls, neverending, into the pit of my stomach.

Minutes pass in silence, and Caleb doesn't say anything more. He'll let me be the first to speak again. I lick my lips, which were suddenly very dry, and quietly ask, "Did she say anything about what it was she wanted to talk about?"

"No," Caleb replies. "She won't tell us anything without you here."

I take a deep breath to fight off the constricting of my chest, hoping that the extra air will help me remember to breathe. "Okay," I whisper and clear my throat. "Okay. But I need to talk to Oliver first."

"Wait, you're with Oliver?" Caleb asks incredulously. "But Tori said that you were with Four, which I still don't approve of by the way, but I can't exactly do anything abo-"

"Four is here too, Caleb," I interrupt, shuffling nervously. "I'll explain what I can later, but it'll be about twenty minutes until I get home. Can Lexie stay that long?"

Caleb sighs and I can hear him asking in a muffled voice exactly that. I hear a response, but I don't know what it is until Caleb returns the phone to his ear, saying, "She said to take as long as you need."

I nod, forgetting that he can't see me. "All right. I'll be there soon."

Caleb hangs up first, obviously annoyed and/or irritated with me. I can't say I blame him; if I witnessed his girlfriend treat him the way Tobias did me that day, I would openly express my disapproval as well. The problem is I can't explain to him anything that would justify Tobias's actions. In Caleb's eyes he was a complete jerk who did not deserve to be with his little sister, and, don't get me wrong, he was a jerk, he played the part well, but he had to be one. He was trying to protect me and himself from the exact situation that we're in now, and I can't tell Caleb any of that without revealing what he can't know.

I sigh and put my phone back into its spot, my hands shaking slightly from nerves and anticipation. I ball my fists and walk downstairs, stopping right outside the wall of the living room.

"Guys?" I say, being careful not to look in the room at Tobias. I may not want to do what he asked of me, but I will. "I...I have to go home for a little bit."

"Go home?" Oliver questions, his voice floating into the stairway. "Why?"

"You can come in, Tris," Tobias says, knowing that the reason I was staying out of the room was for his sake. I enter, walking around to the couch. Both Oliver and Tobias are looking attentively at me, Oliver with curiosity and Tobias with concern.

"I'll be back," I promise, but I'm not completely sure whether I'm trying to assure them or myself.

"I thought you weren't going back for a while," Tobias says, frowning.

I say the first thing that comes to my mind, Caleb's voice echoing through my head. "I...um...there was a slight change of plans."

"Like…?" he prods, his eyes flickering over my face, probably looking for something that will convey my current situation to him.

She won't tell us anything without you here.

"Can I tell you later?" I ask, an undertone of pleading in my voice—a plea for him to understand. His face softens, and while his eyes become even more concerned they stop searching, and I know I'm off the hook for now.

"Go," he says. "Go home."

I had almost forgotten that Oliver was in the room until he clears his throat, standing up from his spot on the ground. I flex my fingers, curl them back into fists, then flex them again. I do this repeatedly and find that it somewhat calms me.

"When do you think you'll be back?" Oliver asks.

"I...don't know," I say, squeezing my fingers together.

He doesn't push, only nods and goes to the kitchen, mentioning something about getting the keys for me. I don't bother to mention that they're not technically my keys. Meanwhile, Tobias purses his lips and raises his eyebrows at me.

Are you okay?

The silent question hangs in the air, the unsureness of it making me clench my teeth and rock back on my heels, thinking about what exactly it is that Lexie needs to talk to me about. There are so many possibilities that it makes my head spin, and I end up having to force myself to stop before I overthink this and pass out.

I hear a jingling noise and look up just in time to catch the set of keys that are tossed to me. I smile gratefully at Oliver and kiss Tobias's forehead, ignoring his piercing gaze, before I slip on my shoes and run out the door, jumping into the truck and quickly starting it.

The entire way home I think about what it is that was so important that Lexie was willing to stay however long it took for me to get home and that was so confidential that even Tori or Caleb couldn't hear it before I did. I know that Eric has to be involved in some way, but I refuse to think further than that, knowing my mind will only create the biggest and the baddest of monsters if I do.

It seems like forever before I find a parking space a block away; I can't risk driving on my street and having Marcus see me climb out of Tobias's truck with no Tobias. That would give everything that Tobias and I had worked so hard to hide away, and making a stupid little mistake like that, even this early in the morning, could potentially be very dangerous. Especially with the sheriff here.

I walk quickly, rubbing my arms in an attempt to keep warm. I make a mental note to dress in warmer clothes before I go back to Oliver's, to maybe bring a hat and gloves. The wind brought an extra chill to the already cold day, making me shiver and clench my teeth to keep them from chattering.

My heart hammers wildly in my chest as I see the squad car. The only thing that keeps me walking toward my destination is that fact that Marcus is home now and I don't want him looking at me, even if he isn't, any longer than I have to let him. I can only control so much, and the timeframe between where I am now and the final steps to the inside of my house is one of them. I have a feeling that after today there won't be much I can control anymore, so I will hold on to whatever I can get.

I float up the stairs to the porch, my hands and legs shaking partly from the cold and partly from anticipation. There was also the fact that I had to explain where I went last night, why I was with Four, why I was no longer upset with him, and why Oliver was with us without accidentally revealing anything noteworthy.

I don't bother knocking, instead letting myself in and swinging the door shut behind me. The small conversation in the living room stops as they all eye me, and two of the three people slowly stand up. Lexie, still seated, nods in greeting and gestures for me to take a seat in the chair across from her. I gulp but do as she says. It's not like I could say no at this point, anyways.

"Not to be rude," I say, my voice not sounding at all as anxious as I felt, "but why are you here?"

Lexie leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. I can't help but flick my eyes down to where her gun is, and my heart beats a little faster. It's not that I think I'll see it out of the holster, but there's something about it that makes me uneasy, that digs me out of my thoughts and keeps me grounded to reality no matter how full my mind is.

"I'm here about Mr. Powell."

I nod, blinking twice before saying, "I assumed. But what about him?"

By the looks Caleb and Tori are giving me, I could safely assume that they're surprised with the way I'm handling myself. Lexie acts as if she didn't expect anything less, and that makes me feel inexplicably empowered. My ability to keep a clear head in anxiety-ridden situations has improved a lot in the past few months or so, and while I've known that, I've never felt that certain change more than I do right now.

"He pleads guilty to the attack of recent. I think he was aware that the visual evidence was enough to convict him no matter the plea, and someone like him knows the difference between being logical and illogical," Lexie says bluntly, and despite the sighs of relief I can hear from Tori and Caleb, I can tell there's something she's holding back.

"What are you not telling me?" I ask cautiously, carefully.

Lexie takes a deep breath. "He pleads innocent to the accusation of first-degree rape. And, unfortunately, we don't have the same amount of evidence to prove his plea wrong."

My heart drops into my stomach, and I take a deep breath, forcing myself to keep calm. I look to the gun again and exhale, folding my hands together and leaning forward to match Lexie's stance.

"You'll be provided with a lawyer. Luckily they'll have more than enough to go off of, especially if you're willing to give them more than what we already have. But Mr. Powell doesn't look like he'll be going down without a fight, either."

"So what does this mean?" I ask, quieter than I intended. I suppose one can only keep composed for a certain matter of time before the façade begins to crumble.

"It means that we have a court date," Lexie says, "and that you have a good chance at winning this case."

I figured I had better leave my AN at the bottom this time around, considering that it's been so long since I've last updated. If you're looking for an exact number, it's been 40 days, and I'm so sorry for that. It's the holiday season, and that means testing, finals, busy schedules, more finals, and little to no free time. But I do have some things I'd like to share with y'all!

First and foremost, I have recently been asked to be a staff member of a community by emmabethwritingfanfics! The community is the Divergent characters meeting modern high school, and it is pretty new! We're both working to try and gather up as many stories as we can to put in the bank, but there's only so much that the two of us can do! It would be so helpful for us if you could go check it out and let us know what you think would be a good fit for the category!

Now! The second topic is more of a personal preference type of thing, but I have recently (very recently, in fact) created a Tumblr for both my enjoyment and for you guys! My name is the same as it is on here (aubreylovesthegames), so if you'd like to check it out you sure can! While there are no posts about my current stories right now, other than in my bio, I do plan on trying to keep you guys updated and in the loop. I'm going to try and post maybe once a week, or more often if the time calls for it, about the current progress on the next chapter for LTLTI or on the date of my undoing of the hiatus on my other story, Stood Up. Also, I plan on posting images and/or miscellaneous posts of anything that I base a certain thing in my stories on, such as outfits, scenes, or even conversations. So, if you are interested in being a part of that, go ahead and be my guest!

The last thing is to thank you guys for all of your support. Can you believe how big LTLTI has gotten? I mean, look at the numbers! I remember when it was just a little baby! (*sniffles* They grow up so fast…) The traffic graphs have been truly mind boggling to look it, and I only have you all to thank for that! I know that I don't update as often as I'd like to, and I'm sure you guys think that as well, but you've all stayed so loyal and patient and I can't thank you enough! Your kindness and enthusiasm and positivity always brings a smile to face, even on the roughest of days! So thank you again, because I don't think any other words can explain how thankful I am for you!:)

Also, since I probably won't be seeing you before then, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! What are you guys getting for a Christmas? I know for sure that I'm getting Sam Smith tickets and at least 21 more books to go with the bajillion others I have, seven of which I've already received (and, personally, I'm more excited for the latter)!:D