A/N: Not much to say except, yay another chapter! Thanks to the wonderful BK2U for making the much needed edits to this chapter. Merry Christmas everyone. Stay safe x

Chapter 24

(Tobias)

After showering and shaving the next morning, I still found myself worrying about Tris. I dressed in jeans and a basic black t-shirt, and grabbed my boots before sitting on the end of my bed and lacing them up. I knew that I shouldn't do what I was about to do; I had told Zeke I would give her space, and I had told Tris I would give her space, again. But the gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach was winning out. I dragged my hand down over my face and rubbed my eyes. I felt exhausted, despite having slept. Mentally and physically drained. I contemplated falling back onto my bed and just sleeping it off for a while, but the small thumping on my door lifted me slightly out of my exhaustion and pushed me to respond to it.

"Hi," Tris said as soon as I flung the door open. Her small frame looked even smaller in the dim light of the hallway.

It took a few seconds to get over the shock of seeing her before I could say anything. "Hey, are you okay?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes darting everywhere but to mine. "Can I come in?"

I didn't hesitate, pushing the door open wider and standing to the side. As she walked in past me, I got a whiff of her scent, and my heartbeat picked up.

Tris hovered by the couch while I stayed on the far side of the room closest to the door. We both remained silent for a long time, Tris's eyes constantly darting around my small apartment until they landed on the small frame sitting on the bedside table. I watched her slow movements as she reached to pull the frame into her hand. The photo was a still of some camera footage I had pulled up during her initiation, showing Tris and me standing by the chasm the night she had first gone zip-lining, the night we had won capture the flag. She was looking at me, her eyes bright, full of wonder and excitement, and I remembered how much I had wanted to kiss her at the time.

"If I remember correctly, you were slightly intoxicated that night," she said quietly. I chuckled slightly from my stance across the room.

"It took every ounce of willpower I had to not kiss you that night."

Her eyes were still on the picture, but I saw a small smirk cross her lips. She replaced the frame back to its home beside my bed and finally looked at me.

"I understand."

My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to make sense of her statement. She shook her head and closed her eyes. "I mean, I get what you were trying to say to me earlier. It just took me a bit to really process it, I guess."

I'm relieved, to say the least. When she showed up here tonight, I wasn't sure what she was going to say.

"I just had a session with my therapist, and he...well...he suggested that maybe we could, I don't know...I know you don't really like sharing things with other people, but he suggested that we should." It was obvious she was struggling to say what she wanted.

"Whatever you need, Tris."

Her eyes snapped back to mine. "You'd do that? Couples therapy?" If couple's therapy was what she needed, what she thought we needed, I wasn't going to deny her that.

"Do you think it will help?"

I could see her hesitation, but she nodded, slowly.

"Then I'll do it."

Tris looked at me with disbelief. "Don't look so surprised, Tris. I'd do anything for you. I love you," I stated, but it felt odd given the distance that currently separated us.

Tris closed her eyes again, but a small smile grew on her face. She took a long moment before opening her eyes again.

"I should go," she said quietly, glancing at the door. I was standing directly in her path, and I purposely didn't move so she would have to come closer to me.

Tris walked slowly towards me, towards the door, her eyes glued to the door handle the entire time. Her hand brushed mine as she passed, and it stopped her dead in her tracks. I took the opportunity, however brief and wrong it was, and clasped my hand around hers, making her look back towards me. Her eyes locked on mine, and before I really even thought about it, I dragged her into me and crashed my lips against hers. Tris didn't pull away as I expected, instead she pushed her palms flat against my chest to steady herself as I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her tighter to me. Her lips worked in perfect sync with mine, her body fitting so perfectly against me. She pulled away first, a small sigh escaping her mouth. Her eyes were still closed, and I rested my lips on her forehead while we stood there in silence. Minutes passed, and I found myself dying to know what she was thinking. Tris eventually lifted her hands from my chest, and I reluctantly released my grip on her and removed my arms completely. She didn't say anything as she turned around and walked out the door.

(Tris)

I closed Tobias's door behind me and glanced down each side of the hallway. I knew I needed to find Edward and apologize for what I had done earlier today, but after my encounter with Tobias I needed to level out my emotions before I went anywhere near Edward. I started to head towards the training room; maybe a workout would help clear my head. On my way there, I passed a few corridors I hadn't been down in a while, one of them leading towards Christina's department. On our return, she had gone to work in the re-housing department, helping existing members and current members find adequate housing within the Dauntless compound. I had yet to visit her during the day while she was working. Realizing that only now made me feel like a crappy friend, so I headed towards the department's main entrance. I looked around at the dreary offices, seeing if I could locate which one was Christina's.

I moved further down the hallway, having no idea where I was going, until I heard a high-pitched scream coming from the office down the far end of the hall. I recognized Christina's voice, and ran off towards her scream in a hurry, ready to take on any attacker that might be attempting to mess with my best friend. I busted through the door to find Christina standing on top of her desk with a ruler in one hand, a can of bug spray in the other.

"Chris?"

"Oh my God, Tris, there's… there's… oh my God, it's so disgusting, get it, get it!" she screamed, pointing to the ground next to me beside her office door. It took me a moment to register what she was talking about. On the floor just beside the door sat a small moth no bigger than my thumbnail.

"Really?" I sighed while picking it up gently and strolling over to the nearby window, ushering it outside, and closing the window tightly. I tried to ignore the fact that Christina was still perched on top of her desk, and took a seat in front of her. "So I came to ask if you wanted to go work out for a bit?"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I can't remember the last time we worked out together, like, just you and me," she said as she slowly got down off the desk. I was amazed she didn't trip in the ridiculously high heels she was wearing. "In fact, I can't remember the last time you visited me at work."

I sighed. "That's because I haven't."

Christina just pursed her lips and nodded.

"I haven't been a really good friend lately, have I?"

"You know sugar-coating isn't my thing, Tris."

"Just give it to me straight, then, I can take it," I countered.

Christina settled herself in her chair across from me and threw me a dubious look. "Christina."

"Okay, but no throwing things, I like my window the way it is… closed. Look, I know you've been through a lot, I of all people know that, and with Four being back, and all the crap that's coming with that, you've sort of been, I don't know, too busy to hang lately, just you and me. I feel like you've got all this stuff going on, and it's important and I know that, but so is my stuff, you know."

I let my head hang. "I've been a crappy friend," I summarized.

"No, Tris, you're just busy: work, training, Four. I get it, it's important. I don't know, maybe this is what happens when you get older, friendships just aren't as strong anymore when you've got a significant other." She shrugged. "But I don't want us to be like that."

"Me either," I replied sincerely.

Christina's words suddenly registered in my head. "Wait, significant other? Does this mean you and Uriah are, like, a real couple now? Not just 'hot sex'?"

"I think so, yeah. I mean I'm not sure, sometimes he's all I can think about, then I remember Will and I feel guilty."

"Do you love him?"

"Yeah, I think I do, but I feel guilty for it."

"Chris, you're always going to love Will, he was your first love. I think that holds some kind of space in your heart forever, but that space is small, and there's room for other people in there, you just have to open up to it."

"When did you become an expert in all things love related? You've had one boyfriend your entire life." I rolled my eyes at her. "So, how's that all going?"

"Ah, can we talk about it later? I really need to beat the crap out of something."

Christina snorted, laughing. "So very Dauntless of you, Tris."

Christina and I headed to the locker rooms and changed. The training room was empty, so we had free rein over the room. We started with some cardio and moved on to the bags before facing off in the ring. We weren't trying to hurt each other, so we wore gloves. After a few rounds, the training room doors swung open and Uriah and Tobias walked in.

"Maybe we should call it a day, there's no way I'm going to be able to concentrate if he's in here with his shirt off," Christina said, pointing towards Uriah.

I laughed. "I'm just going to finish up with a run, I'll catch up with you later?"

"Yeah, thanks for the workout." Christina punched me in the shoulder as she exited the ring.

I removed my gloves, left the ring, and headed straight for a treadmill. I tried hard not to pay any attention to what Tobias and Uriah were doing; I was here for myself after all. But my eyes strayed slightly as they did a few warm up laps around the fast track. I sped up the treadmill and really tried to focus on my steps and my breathing. It was working for a bit until I noticed Uriah and Tobias walking towards me. They passed by right in front of me and stopped. Tobias leaned over the front of the treadmill and picked up my empty water bottle and replaced it with a fresh one. I concentrated on my running, but gave him a smile and a nod to let him I know I appreciated the thought. They headed over to the free weights and I refocused back on the screen of the treadmill. I wasn't planning on a massive run, but I didn't want Tobias to think I was leaving because of him. I decided another 10 minutes, then I would take off, shower, and track down Edward to apologize. My eyes drifted over every now and then to Tobias. I was surprised to see him wearing a black fitted tank, pieces of his tattoo visible. As long as I had known Tobias, he had not been one to expose his body. I guess his time away had changed him, too.

I watched him as his muscles flexed under the pressure of the weights he was lifting, and my mind began to conjure up images of what was hidden beneath his shirt. My eyes wandered lower and lower, and suddenly I was having trouble breathing. I stumbled on the treadmill, grabbing the side just before I nearly fell off. I hit the emergency stop button, halting the treadmill immediately, and glanced at Uriah and Tobias. Luckily, it appeared neither had noticed my stumble. I cursed to myself and picked up my water, then headed to the locker room.

Once I was inside, I banged my head against the wall closest to me.

"Get it together!" I groaned to myself. This was the sort of behavior that Tobias and Zeke were worried about. But I couldn't help the way my body reacted to Tobias. Every time he touched me, I could feel it in my soul, whether it was a gentle touch on my hand or a full-blown, earth-shattering kiss.

I tried to not think about how much I wanted Tobias in that moment, and showered and dressed as quickly as possible. I still had to find Edward and apologize. I wasn't sure where to start, so I figured I would use my leadership status to try and track him down. I headed straight for the control room to see if I could locate him using the video feeds.

I pressed my thumb to the plate and the door opened. I knew Tobias was in the training room, so there was no chance of me running into him here; instead, I found Zeke. He was slouched down in his chair, his hands gliding over the keyboard in front of him.

"Knock, knock," I said. Zeke swiveled in his chair to face me.

"Tris!" he said, visibly shocked. "Ah, Four's not here."

"No, I know."

"How did things go with Dr. Mike?"

"Good, actually. Better than I had expected." He smiled his cheesy grin at me. "I came to see if I could borrow your camera snooping skills."

"Ah, you've come to the right man."

"Knew I had." I nodded as Zeke pulled another chair next to him.

"Take a seat," he said. "Okay, Princess, who are we looking for?"

"Edward," I said without hesitation.

Zeke swiveled back towards me. "Tris," he said, worry evident in his voice.

I held up my hands in defense. "I just want to apologize, I promise."

Zeke still furrowed his brow at me, and I sighed in return. "I've already spoken to Four," I added. He raised an eyebrow at me this time.

"How did that go? Better than last time, I hope?"

"There wasn't any yelling."

"Hmmm."

"So, Edward?"

"Right, let me just..." He trailed off, moving his hands deftly over the keyboard; the monitors in front of us continued to flick around the Dauntless compound. It didn't take long for Zeke to locate Edward. He was sitting alone in the club at the bar downstairs.

"There's Blondie," Zeke said, pointing at the screen.

"Thanks, Zeke." I smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Tris?"

"I'm just going to apologize, that's all."

"Okay, just know I'll be watching."

I rolled my eyes as I left the control room and headed straight down the elevator and towards the club.

I found Edward still sitting at the bar alone, a few empty glasses in front of him. I walked up to him cautiously. I wasn't sure how I was going to approach this.

"You took your time," Edward said quietly, downing the last of his drink.

I slid up and took a seat on the empty bar stool next to him.

"You weren't that easy to track down."

"Been here for a while," he replied, and motioned to the bartender for two more drinks. He slid one over to me.

"Shouldn't I be buying you drinks?" Edward shrugged. It was silent for a while; I started my drink while Edward finished his. He ordered another round, but I pushed both glasses back towards him.

"Pansycake," he snorted.

"Look, about earlier..."

"Forget it, Tris."

"No. I want to apologize," I said sternly.

"There's no need. You were defending your boyfriend, I get it."

"He's not my—" Edward cut me off.

"Yes, he is, Tris. Go on, tell me you don't love him, that's he's not the only man you'll ever love, the only one that you'll even let love you."

I couldn't answer him. Instead I picked up one of the shot glasses off the bar and downed the clear liquid. It burned my throat and made me cough a little.

"Amateur," he smirked at me and turned on his stool to face me. "You know there's nothing wrong with that, right, Tris? You deserve to be happy."

I gave him a rueful smile. "And as much as I hate it, he makes you happy. He's the one for you, Tris."

"Yeah, he is."

There was another long pause, and another round of drinks. I again pushed mine towards Edward with a grimace on my face.

"We still friends?"

"You promise not to try and kill me again?" I frowned at him.

He bumped into my shoulder. "Kidding. Of course we're still friends. You still coming down for snow night tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah, I'll be there."

I leaned over the bar and pressed my thumb to the plate attached to the till, effectively settling Edward's tab. It was the least I could do after my lame attempt at apologizing to him.

I headed back upstairs looking for some solitude, but halfway up my wristband pinged with an incoming message. The ER teams had all been given wrist communication devices in case of an emergency. My team wasn't on call, but Tobias's was. There had been a large storm that had gone though Amity, and a few of the fields had been destroyed and needed clearing. At least it wasn't something dangerous.

I got back to my apartment and headed to my bedroom, flopping face first onto my bed. It had been a huge, emotionally draining day. I had almost fallen into a deep sleep when Tobias entered my mind. He and his team would be on their way to Amity by now to help with the post-storm clean up. I couldn't help but be a little worried. I rolled over to my bedside table and picked up my tablet, sending him a quick message.

Me: I'll see you when you get back. Appointment with Dr. Mike, Monday 9am. Be careful. x

I left the tablet on the bed next to me, just in case he replied, and drifted off to sleep.

(Tobias)

It was late and dark by the time we arrived at Amity, so there wasn't much point in getting started with the clean up until morning. First, I arranged for accommodations for my team with Johanna, and reminded them to behave while we were here. Then I met with Johanna and her people to gauge the size of the damage we could expect to see in the morning, and to find out about casualties. There weren't any, which was a relief.

It was almost midnight by the time I dragged myself into my assigned quarters. Being in an Amity dorm room again reminded me of the time I had spent here with Tris, right after we had fled from both Dauntless and the clutches of Jeanine Matthews. The midnight light also reminded me of when Tris had snuck into my room, and where that night would have led had I not put a stop to it.

I blushed slightly at my own thoughts. It wasn't that I hadn't thought about Tris like that before, I had, quite a lot. But lately it had been getting worse, and seeing her dressed up on her birthday in that skin-tight, short dress had made me want to tear it off her and try out a few of the things I had overheard Uriah and Zeke talk about in the past. So far, I had managed to stay as cool as possible around Tris, but my resolve was getting thinner and thinner the more kisses we shared. I desperately wanted to be that intimate with Tris again. Our first time together had been awkward, and I knew she hadn't enjoyed it as much as I had. I couldn't wait to be able to lavish attention on her, to make her feel as good as I had felt that first night we had spent together.

Thinking about Tris and me like that drew me into the shower and into my own fantasy of exactly what I planned on doing to her once the moment presented itself. Letting my imagination run wild under the hot running water of the shower helped me to find a quick release. I've always felt momentary shame after seeking sexual gratification; Abnegation frowned on any intimate activity that didn't have the direct purpose of procreation. That was definitely a step I knew Tris and I were nowhere near being ready for, but the more I thought about having a family with her, the more the idea appealed to me.

I had never been able to see myself as a father — how could I with the role model I had as a child? But everything I had ever thought I wanted for my life changed the day I pulled Tris out of that net. I had realized then that she was what had been missing in my life, that she could show me who I could really be, the potential that was within me to be a compassionate and caring parent. To watch my children grow in this new city we had helped create. The thought made me smile. One day.

I took myself back to my room and climbed into the small bed, and fell into a deep sleep full of dreams about my future with Tris.