We are still in the car, driving back to Dauntless after a long, hectic day in Abnegation as I stare out the window. I've always loved this time of the year, fall … autumn … harvest … whatever you want to call it. I have always loved watching emerald leaves turn spectacular shades of gold, crimson, and rust then swirl and dance on the crisp breeze until they make their way to the ground. Mom would always give me and Caleb hot apple cider after school under the guise that it was to warm us after walking home in the cooler temperatures but I know now that it was just her way of giving us an extra special treat because she loves us so much.
"We should take the kids to the Harvest Festival," I say out of the blue, remembering the celebration they hold in Amity each year on the weekend before Halloween. It was magical. "I think Tyler would have a great time." I turn in my seat to look at my little man. He's sound asleep between his sister's car seats, his cheeks flushed with fever. "I hope he gets to feeling better soon. I hope they all get to feeling better soon."
"I do, too," Tobias says. "And we'll definitely make plans to go to Amity for the festival. I remember how much you loved it last year. I'm sure Tyler will love it, too." I gaze out the window as clouds roll in to cover the magnificent sunset.
"It looks like it could rain," I sigh.
"As long as it doesn't storm," he says. He's right about that. "I thought of something earlier when we were talking to your parents. Do you know what today is?" When I recall the date, I can't believe I forgot.
"Today is my due date," I say. "I can't believe she's five weeks old already. It seems just like yesterday I was yelling at you in the hospital elevator telling you that we would never have s-e-x again. I felt like I was dying." He shakes his head and chuckles under his breath at my spelling. Can't be too careful. "I guess I didn't keep my word."
"I never thought you would," he says as he brings our joined hands to his mouth and kisses them before returning them to my knee where they've been resting the entire trip. "On a more serious note, we have to have an important conversation."
"About what?" I ask, his tone scaring me.
"About what would happen to those three in the backseat if something were to happen to us," he says. I squeeze his hand. I don't like thinking about something bad happening to him. "Finding out why Black sent Olivia after us made me think. We've never talked about guardians."
"I really don't want to talk about this," I mutter. Why tempt fate?
"Neither do I but it's the responsible thing to do," he says. "I'd like to think that nothing will ever happen to either of us and that we will live happily ever after like all the prince and princesses in Tyler's storybooks but this is real life. People die, and we happen to live in the faction with the highest mortality rate amongst young people. There have always been suicides, tragic accidents, and stupidity in the mix at Dauntless but since we took over as leaders think of the number of people who have been murdered. We both need to know that Tyler, Tessa, and Teagan will be together, loved, and well taken care of if the unthinkable happens." I know he's right but my stubborn nature doesn't want me thinking about making my kids orphans. It makes my heart hurt.
"I know this is a conversation we need to have sooner rather than later but…"
"All we need to do is think about who would give them the best home if we weren't around," he says. "For example, Marcus is nowhere on the list of possibilities." I finally look at him. A small smile forms on his lips.
"I know you're trying to lighten the mood but this really isn't a laughing matter." His face goes somber and he sighs.
"You're absolutely right," he says. "That was in poor taste."
"I understand what you're saying though," I say. "My parents would be an excellent choice … except … I wouldn't want them raised Abnegation. Whoever it is needs to be Dauntless."
"See, one decision made. That wasn't that hard, was it?" he says. "I happen to agree with you 100% by the way. There's nothing wrong with our upbringing, well yours, but I want our kids to experience everything life has to offer and Abnegation can be stifling. I think Tyler would suffocate there."
"An obvious choice would be Zander and Stella, except they already have their hands full with their twins alone. They would love them like they were their own I'm sure but would they get the attention they deserve with so many other children in the home?"
"What about Zeke and Shauna?"
"No offense to your best friend, I love him, I do, but I think that you need to be more mature than a child to raise one," I say. "I guess that would leave Uriah out also. Besides my kids will eat more than cake three meals a day. What about Will and Christina?"
"No offense to your best friend but I don't think she has it in her to not play favorites," he says. "She would love her biological children more and whoever we choose can't do that. They have to be loved like they are their own children."
"I have an idea but I don't know if it's a good one or not," I say.
"Who?" he asks.
"Avery."
"Avery?" I study his face, which is diligently watching the road. I can't tell what he thinks of my idea.
"I know she's young but she's the same age I was when we took in Tyler and agreed to adopt Tessa not to mention when I became pregnant. She loves our kids and Tyler for one loves her, too. She's mature, level-headed, and has a good head on her shoulders." I look over my shoulder at my kids. "I don't plan on leaving those three … ever but I would feel good knowing she was taking care of them."
"She is everything you said," he says. "She seems years older than she actually is. She thinks things through before she acts, which is hard for most Dauntless. She's responsible. She loves Tyler, Tessa, and Teagan and they love her, too, especially Tyler. But I'm not sure she would be my first choice."
"Who would be your first choice?" I ask.
"James and Ciara, I think," he says. "They've been married a couple years now so they are a solid, committed couple. They're having a baby of their own so they obviously want children. I've seen them interact with our kids. They're good with them."
"I can see your point. They would be a good choice but I still think Avery would step up," I say. "We don't have to rush into this decision though. We have time. We're not going anywhere, either of us."
"No, we're not," he says. I see the compound up on the left when he says, "I'll park at the Pire, we'll get the kids inside, I'll unload the car, then take it to the garage."
"No, go ahead and park," I say. "There's no need for you to make multiple trips. I'll carry Tyler and you can get the girls. We can unload the car some other time. I don't want you out by yourself."
"Okay," he says after mulling it over for a moment. We drive past the well-lit public portion of the compound and around the side of the building to the entrance of the underground garage, which seems unusually dark tonight. Tobias pulls into our regular parking space and turns off the engine. "I think I need to send maintenance down here to change out some lightbulbs." I look out and see what he's seeing, random lights in every direction are dark, making it hard to see. "Maybe there was a power surge or something." He sends a quick text as I step out of the car. I immediately know the lightbulbs didn't just burn out when I hear and feel the glass beneath my running shoes. They were broken. We're not alone. My heart starts pounding painfully in my chest, and I'm about to get back in the car when I see a flash of red hair and then I sigh.
"Oh, it's just you," I say. I'm not in the mood to deal with her tonight.
"What do you want, Olivia?" Tobias asks as he steps out of the car. I unthinkingly take a step back and stand near the backseat where the kids are asleep. When I glance in Tobias' direction, he's protecting his side of the car just like I am.
"Aren't you glad to see me, Tobias?" she drawls, trying to sound sexy I imagine but it just sounds pathetic to my ears. "I'm happy to see you. I've missed you so much. I bet you've missed me, too."
"Seriously," I mutter under my breath as I roll my eyes.
"When will you get it through you thick skull that we don't have a relationship?" he says. "I don't even like you."
"I know you don't like me," she says. Finally! "You love me." Dear, God! "Let's ditch the little bitch and go somewhere private and fuck. God, the thought of your big, hard cock pounding in and out of my tight little pussy again makes me so wet. Mmm." She licks her lips. "You know you want to." Her words are so absurd that instead of making me angry, I start laughing ... uncontrollably. I guess I really am tired because nothing about this is funny. Her face twists with rage when she looks my way.
"You. Are. Hilarious," I say, tears rolling down my face, my chest heaving with exertion. I try to catch my breath but it's no use.
"Stop … laughing … at … me," she roars but I can't. I'm too exhausted emotionally and physically, and once the giggles set in, I have a hard time getting rid of them.
"And what are you going to do about it if I don't?" I ask goading her, still chuckling.
"Tris," Tobias says with a shake of his head. It's a warning. Laughing at the unstable girl in front of us is probably not the greatest idea I've ever had. "She's insane."
"I am not," she spits. She takes a step toward him, and I see a flash of silver in her hand. I study it while she rages at him but she's still partially shrouded in darkness, and it's hard to make out. "How dare you say that? That's not the way to treat the woman you love. Just because your wife is here doesn't mean you have to pretend. I'm here now. We can leave and you never have to see her or the brats again."
"She has a knife, Tobias," I say when I finally make out the shape in her hand, all trace of humor gone. She holds it up and looks at it with her head cocked to one side like she didn't realize it was there.
"That's right, you've never seen me with one of these," she says, waving the weapon around while she points it at me. The thought that she is manic crossed my mind once before, and she seems to be proving it again tonight. She's all over the map emotionally. "Molly taught me how to throw knives and shoot a gun. She's a much better teacher than you, Tris." How she can make my name sound like a filthy expletive every time she says it is beyond me. "I'm quite good at it. Here, let me demonstrate"
When she takes the stance Tobias taught Molly and me last year, he says as calmly as he can, "No, you don't need to show us. We believe you." I suddenly wish he had gotten the gun out from under his seat before he got out of the car. Maybe he did. "You never told us why you're here."
"I don't think I'm quite ready to tell you just yet," she says, looking back his way, returning to her flirty ways. I realize my heart is once again painfully pounding in my chest.
"Well, if you aren't going to tell us what you're doing here, Tris and I are getting in this car and leaving," he says. "I have more important things to do than stand here and talk to you." I take another step forward but this catches her attention and she turns her body toward mine, wielding the knife in front of her.
"Stay there!" she spits. I stop my advance but see Tobias slide another foot or two toward her.
"We talked to your uncle today," Tobias says to her, eliciting her attention. "He told us everything." She's much calmer when he's the one addressing her so it's probably a good idea that I not interrupt him.
"I know," she says, sounding sad. "They took him to Candor for questioning tomorrow but I doubt he makes it through the night. We have friends there, you know. He knows too much and no one can stand in the way of our plan. Not even family." My eyes meet Tobias' for a split second, and I see genuine fear in them for the first time since we realized we had company in the garage.
"What's your plan?" he asks. "Can you tell us that?"
"Tris' total annihilation, of course," she sing songs. "I was more than happy to help my new friends when you threw me away and made me factionless. I still can't believe that you had sex with me and just threw me away like that. I deserve better than that, Tobias, but I forgive you. When two people are in love that's what they do, forgive and forget."
"For ... the ... last ... time, we never had sex. We never will have sex. I don't love you. I don't even like you," he says, trying to rein in his anger while taking another small step in her direction. We need to get her into custody as soon as possible but he's right, she's bat shit crazy, and that means she's dangerous and unpredictable. "I thought all of this was an act orchestrated by your uncle but you need help."
"The only thing I need is you," she says. "If you tell Tris the truth right now, I promise I will tell you everything." I'm not sure I can stand hear and listen to him profess his love for her and that I mean nothing to him like he did a few months ago when Maria kidnapped my mother. It would be a smart move so we can learn the whole truth but how much emotional damage do I have to suffer at these crazy women's hands?
"Tris knows the truth," he says after a long pause. I keep my face stoic and my eyes on her since I really don't know what version of the "truth" is coming. "She's my best friend. She's my wife. She's the mother of my children. I could lie to you and tell you what you want to hear to get the truth out of you but she's the one I want. She's the one I love. It will always be her. I'll never want another. I'm sorry, Olivia." The smile splayed across her face slowly disappears with each word until her look can only be described as shattered.
"You don't…" she mutters but she doesn't finish her statement. Is it possible that she's actually hearing him for the very first time since Ethan Black sent her after us? She turns and very deliberately stares at me, her expression no longer defeated but determined. No, she's not giving up. My eyes flicker to the knife, and I see her hand tighten around the hilt. "This is your fault. He's supposed to love me. I'm supposed to be the one he wants." Her voice is calm but her body is tense. "He'll just have to learn to love me … once you're gone." As she lunges my way, Tobias takes the gun he hid in his waistband and draws.
"Stop!" he yells. "Don't make me use this on you. You are sick. You need help but if you don't put that knife down and slowly back away from my wife, I'll be forced to shoot you. Is that what you want? Do you want to force my hand?"
"If you'd just give me a chance, you would see," she pleads. "In no time at all you would forget about her. I can love you right, the way a man like you deserves to be loved. Don't throw away what we could have because of her." She holds the hand that doesn't have the knife in it out to him. "Come with me, and I'll let her and the brats walk away right now. Nothing will happen. I promise." I know he has to be contemplating her offer just so I can get the kids to safety. Hell, I'm considering it, and I'd rather walk naked across the stage at the Choosing Ceremony than have my husband alone with that crazy bitch for one minute. "If you don't come with me, I'll use this to carve a big smile on her face. It's up to you."
I'm concentrating so hard on Olivia and the knife she's waving around that I don't see Drew until it's too late. He comes up behind Tobias and roughly grabs him around his head and injects a reddish-orange colored serum into his neck. They struggle for the gun until I watch the spark go out of Tobias' eyes, and when Drew releases him, he crumples to the dirty garage floor. I hear metal sliding across the floor but I have no idea where our only means of protection landed.
"No!" I cry out as Olivia barks, "What the hell are you doing, you asshole?" All the fight she was showing mere seconds ago has vanished. "You weren't supposed to hurt him. You were supposed to inject Tris. She's the one we all want dead. You're not following the plan." She's livid but I'm not. I feel absolutely nothing at the moment, kind of like I'm having an out of body experience. I can't believe what I just witnessed. They gave him the Frankenstein Serum, I just know it.
"That's just what we told you, Liv," a familiar voice says. The numbness is replaced by a hatred unlike anything I've ever felt before in my life. She better hope I don't get my hands on her because if I do, she's dead. I look toward the sound of her harsh, nasally voice but the shadows are concealing her. "We don't want her dead. In fact we want her very much alive and suffering unimaginable, unending pain."
"I want her to hurt, too, but why did you have to kill him?" Olivia whines. "I love him. He was supposed to be mine. You promised."
"I never promised not to hurt Four. I only promised you that Tris would pay for what she did to you." Why the hell do these evil bitches think I'm the devil incarnate? Can't they take responsibility for any of their own actions?
"This isn't what I signed up for," she pouts, crossing her arms across her chest like an obstinate two year old. I'm surprised she didn't just stab herself. "You told me that you wouldn't hurt him. He's mine."
"Shut. The. Hell. Up," comes from the darkness.
"Why don't you show yourself, Molly?" I'm surprised I'm able to keep the strangling fear I'm now feeling out of my voice. Maybe it's because it isn't fear for myself or even Tobias, it's for the three sleeping angels in the backseat of the car who have no idea what's going on right now. Please, God, don't let that conversation we had earlier be a dark omen of what's to come. "Or are you hiding in the shadows and letting your minions do all the dirty work because you're afraid."
"Afraid!" she scoffs before sauntering out from the shadows in between the cars directly across from us, a smug smile on a face only a mother could love. "Here I am, Stiff. Have you missed me?" I stare at her, hatred in my eyes. "I guess not." I scan my surroundings to get an idea of what I'm up against. There's a camera about 25 feet away that records 24/7 but I imagine Lauren is monitoring it and shut down the surveillance feed the moment she saw us enter the underground garage just like she did the night Frankie died and Tori went missing. Drew is slowly making his way to the rear of the car, obviously to come up behind me. Molly slowly makes her way to stand at the head of the car just on the other side of Olivia who looks shell shocked. She wasn't expecting anything like this to happen and that could be the one thing that helps get me out of this. My eyes glance at the ground and there by the tire, is the gun Tobias was holding minutes ago. If I could distract them long enough to pick it up, I could easily take them out then get Tobias to the infirmary.
"Are you going to let Molly get away with taking Tobias from you, Olivia?" Everyone stops and looks at me when my voice cracks. I clear my throat before I continue. "I know you love him just as much as I do. Killing him doesn't just take him away from me, it takes him away from you. It doesn't just hurt me, it hurts you. You were willing to go along with Molly's plan because you blame me for getting you kicked out of Dauntless but what are you going to do now that she is the one who eliminated that dream forever?"
"She's right," Olivia exclaims, turning to face Molly. I never thought I would see the day that we were on the same side of an issue. "Drew was supposed to inject Tris tonight, and I was supposed to comfort Tobias. That was the plan. Why did you fuck it all up, Molly?"
"Liv, we all want Tris destroyed for our own reasons. How did you think we were going to do that?" she asks exasperatedly. I angle my body so I can see everyone and slide a little closer to where the gun is laying without being noticed. "First, we kill her beloved Four and then her brats." I gasp when she mentions my kids. "She'll never be the same."
"If you fucking touch my kids, I'll slowly peel the flesh from your bones and shove it down your throat until you choke on it, you psychotic bitch," I say, my voice deadly serious. I'm not messing around. You don't threaten my children and get away with it. "They are innocent in all this. If you want to hurt me, hurt me. I'm right here. I won't even lift a finger to try and stop you." I hold my hands out at my side in a gesture that says come and get me. "What are you waiting for? Haven't you killed enough people to get to me? Here's your chance, you evil bitch." Molly cocks her head to one side and her lips turn up into a bone chilling smile.
"Before I'm finished with you, you'll be begging me to kill you," she says. "Drew, get the kids." No, no no! This can't be happening. I can't let them hurt my kids … I won't let them hurt my kids. I move with lightning fast reflexes and dive for the gun. Before they realize what I'm doing, I roll and fire directly at Drew, putting a round just above his heart and another in the center of his chest, causing him to stumble backward then slide down the wall until he's sitting on the ground. The gunshots are very loud and echo off the floor, low ceiling, and vehicles I'm standing between. My ears ring painfully and I can barely hear anything except the rapid pace of my heartbeat. I wish I had time to relax but I still have two psychos to deal with. I turn, aiming the gun up but no one is there. I stumble to my feet, the gun wrapped tightly in my hand and rush around to the other side of the car.
"Tobias, baby, can you hear me?" I ask. He is sitting against the side of the car, unresponsive. I put trembling fingers against the pulse point in his neck and find a rapid heartbeat. "Damn them!" I put my mouth against his ear and say, "It's a simulation, Tobias. It can't hurt you. I'm right here, baby. Please come back to me. The kids are here, too." At the mention of the kids I jump up and open the door to find all three of them wailing. "Mommy's here. Calm down."
"What the hell?" I hear. "Show me your hands." I turn and look into an unfamiliar face, ignoring the gun pointed in my direction. I've never been more thankful to see anyone in my life. "Tris? What's going on?"
"We were ambushed," I say. "Four needs taken to the infirmary … immediately. I'll call for back up." I unhook Tessa's car seat and lift it out then unbuckle Tyler who flies into my arms as the two men Tobias apparently texted to fix the lights before we knew it was a setup swiftly pick him up and carry him in the direction of the infirmary.
"You bleeding," he says. I look down and he's right. There is blood on both of my arms but I don't feel anything.
"It's nothing buddy," I say. "You stand right here next to Tessa while I get Teagan." I try to stand him next to his sister's car seat but he won't budge. "I need you to be Mommy's big boy. Can you do that? You need to be strong right now." He looks up at me with wet eyes and a trembling bottom lip and my hatred for Molly grows. She's taken my children's security away.
"Otay," he mumbles. He climbs out of my arms and stands, trembling, with his hand in Tessa's as I climb across the seat and unfasten Peanut's car seat from its base. I put her down next to Tyler and he puts a protective hand on her head.
"You're doing a good job of keeping them calm, buddy," I say as I send a mass text about Tobias to those I think should know then message Purple-Hair and Snake-Tattoo about taking Drew to the infirmary. Immediate responses start flooding my phone so I shut it off and slide it into my pocket then look at my kids. All three are wide awake and obviously stressed.
"I want my Daddy," Tyler murmurs, tears flooding his face. How do I tell him about this? I don't want to lie but I don't know what the truth is.
"Daddy's … hurt," I say. "Zander is going to do everything he can to make sure he gets better."
"He gonna be otay?"
"I don't know, buddy," I whisper, choking up but I fight back the tears and crippling emotion. My kids need me right now. Tobias needs me right now. Dauntless needs me right now. I can't selfishly think of only myself. "I have to carry your sister's seats. Will you carry the diaper bag for me?" He solemnly nods and I drape it over his head, crossing his body, and it almost drags the ground.
"Tris?" Purple-Hair says as he comes around the car, making me jump. "What the hell happened here?"
"I really don't want to go into that right now … obviously," I say as I glance down at Tyler. "Just get that piece of scum to the infirmary."
"Get who to the infirmary?" he asks. "There's no one here but you and the kids."