Here it is! The epilogue! Hope you enjoy it!

Someone asked in a past review if Marcus was dead, and yes he is. I believe Tobias mentions it in chapter 4, that he finally felt he could come back after Marcus died.

EPILOGUE

TOBIAS

I sit on the stage in my dress uniform, scanning the crowd for the sparkling gray eyes that I know will be there, somewhere, searching for me in return. I've memorized the way she looks in her long, black gown, with the high neck and sleeveless arms. I hadn't seen it on her until we were dressing for the evening and my jaw immediately dropped. I'll never get tired of admiring Tris and the way she looks.

I'm slightly nervous in front of this large crowd without Tris next to me, but I know that she'll be joining me up here soon to pin my new rank on my uniform, which is the reason I'm placed up on this stage already. The Police Officer's Ball has been a long-standing tradition in Chicago, and Tris has attended every one of them with either her father, Amar or Reynolds since her mother passed away. This is also the one time a year that they honor the promotions and I am up here because I have been promoted to Sergeant.

Despite my promotion, I'm still serving under Reynolds, who is now a Lieutenant, in Intelligence. I have no plans on leaving the unit or moving my way up through the ranks of the department. Being a part of Intelligence, along with my life with Tris, has finally provided me with the family that I never had. It's strange, counting on people for fatherly advice or looking to them as an example when things get difficult, and I never thought I would have someone nodding at me in approval during the positive moments. But now, I do.

When my eyes finally find Tris, she's talking to an older gentleman, a Chicago police officer I don't recognize, probably retired, but high-ranking based on the number of chevrons on his dress uniform. I immediately know she's talking about me, as her arm gestures up towards the stage and an all-too-proud smile spreads across her face. When she finally turns her head towards me, her eyes catch mine. I can almost see her stomach cave as her breath hitches at the sight of me. But what makes my breath hitch is what I see on her left hand as it moves around and the light catches a glint off of the rings on her third finger, the ring finger. A wedding band followed by the engagement ring I gave her when I asked her to marry me.

When Reynolds had finally called us that day, the only thing he would tell us was that it was "over". He had shown up at Tris's apartment and she had collapsed into him while Amar moved towards me.

"I can't really tell you what we did," he'd admitted, and I could only nod in response. If I had known, I wouldn't have been able to keep it from Tris, even if I didn't know whether or not she could handle the burden of knowing the full truth.

I had listened while Reynolds talked softly to Tris, softer than I'd ever heard him speak to her. "It's over, Tris. I promise, it is all over, and we're done."

She had sobbed, and for the first time I heard a confession out of her that I would grow to hear more often in the future. "I just miss my dad."

To this day, I still don't know what Amar and Reynolds did after Reynolds left Tris's apartment after the break in. I'm not sure I can handle knowing the truth myself, knowing the risks they probably took and the danger they were in. All that Tris and I know is that a few days later, charges were brought against Jeanine Matthews, the former mayor, and the former Chief of Police for conspiracy, murder, and a slew of other crimes that they had committed. On top of that, several 2-Lords and a few officers who had aided Jeanine were arrested for their connections and participation in the murder of Andrew Prior, among other crimes. Every single person had been found guilty.

The only downside of the entire situation was that Tris' past drug use became common knowledge in the community because of the publicity that surrounded the case. With the support of the Chicago Police Department, who took her word about what had happened, she was able to push it into the past, and eventually people stopped discussing it, though they still continue to discuss Jeanine Matthews.

During all the turmoil, I had gone to Dauntless with the key I now carry for it, which Tris had slipped on my key ring casually one day. I'd removed the décor from one area of the back wall and hung a small frame with a photo of Andrew Prior in it. Words were not necessary, I deemed, and Amar and Reynolds had come to hang pictures of a couple of other Chicago police officers they had lost over the years, too. When Tris saw it, she had smiled with tears in her eyes, and although the reason for the wall is heartbreaking, she adores the fact that this is where people come to honor those officers that have died, that their photos and memories will live eternally on this wall. Since then, it has only grown as people have pinned pictures of other officers that they long to remember.

We were never able to stay at her apartment again, so after extending my lease for a couple of months, we found an apartment in a mutual location that suited us both well. It was close enough for Tris to walk to and from Dauntless, and I could easily make my way to and from the precinct. Relying on the help of our friends, Tris and I were able to get her belongings out of her apartment quickly and almost painlessly, locking it up with the sour memories she'd had there.

It had only taken me another eight months to ask her to marry me, and even then I was bursting at the seams. To me, it seemed silly to continue to have a girlfriend when I knew she was the only woman, the only person, who could continue to push me and better me every day without tiring. We both continue to screw up at times, but we have become better at communicating and even better at making up, which helps in all departments.

Before I asked her, I had spoken to both Amar and Reynolds knowing that I couldn't speak with her father and it didn't seem appropriate to speak to Caleb. With a churning in my stomach, I had asked both of them for their blessing to marry Tris, hoping that they would be happy enough to condone us taking the next step. Amar had smiled and slapped me on the back as he pulled me into a hug. "There's no one else that I'd ever say yes to," he'd said with a smile.

Reynolds had smiled from across his desk, looking at me with a smug and knowing look. "That means you're stuck with us, you know," he had said, gesturing to him and Amar. "You aren't going anywhere now." I knew he was joking and I couldn't help but smile in return.

"That's not really anything to complain about it," I had responded. I loved my job, and I was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it.

I had asked her casually one day, as we were walking through Maggie Daley Park after a brief run. I had thought of many ways of asking her, such as sneaking a ring into Johanna's popcorn or taking her to a fancy restaurant to proclaim my love. But none of those things seemed perfect enough for Tris, who hated unnecessary romantic gestures and over the top dates. I knew that all she needed was to simply hear how deep my feelings were for her with the promise that I'd always be there.

As we walked through the park, I pulled her towards me with an arm around her shoulders. "Sometimes when I think back on who I was, what my life was before I left Chicago, it's almost unbelievable how blessed I am now."

She had blushed at the comment and given me a shy smile, as she still does no matter how long we've been together. "You're the best thing to ever happen to me, too. You know that right?"

Typical Tris . . . to dodge a compliment by doling one out herself. "That's my line," I had said softly from above her. By then I'd paused at a bench and so I pulled her down with me, nestling her in my lap as she turned her head towards me.

"I think it's a good thing we have the same feelings towards each other," she had said.

I remember swallowing thickly, trying to push the nervousness out of my body so I could do this without screwing up.

"I hope we do," my voice had said shakily. "Because if that's true, you'll say yes to marrying me." I then clumsily pulled the ring box out of my pocket, where it had been zipped safely during our run.

Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open, but I urged the box into her hands and when she opened it, I could see her hands were shaking too. A breathy "oh, my gosh" had escaped her mouth while I sat, waiting nervously for her answer, for it seemed like an eternity.

"Tris?"

Her eyes moved up to mine.

"This is the part where you say yes or no."

"Yes! Yes, you stupid, fucking moron! What else would I say?" She had said it excitedly, with a smile I'll never forget, as she slipped her arms around me and kissed me in a way I'll also never forget.

We were only engaged for ten months, and although it had been in the papers and was somewhat a public affair that we were engaged, Tris had insisted that she wanted something private and intimate, nothing fancy or over the top, which was fine with me. There were very few people I truly cared to share our moment with anyways.

So ten months after our day in the park, at a park in the suburbs, we made promises to each other that I didn't think I'd ever be able to make to anyone. With Tris, there's no doubt in my mind that I will honor her forever, cherish her forever, love her forever. And in all honesty, I don't doubt Tris' feelings and the sincerity in her promises either. This feeling of contentedness is new and heart-warming for me and I don't know how I ever lived without it now that I have it.

I feel a hand on my shoulder as I'm brought back to the present day. It belongs to the Chief of Police, who's been standing next to me for who knows how long while I've been living in my memories. "You're a lucky man," he says looking from me to Tris, and I nod with a smile.

"I know that, sir. Trust me."

He chuckles. "I can tell that by the way you've been watching her across the room."

It makes me blush a little, but not really. I don't have to be embarrassed because I was admiring my wife, who deserves to be admired every day.

As the ceremony begins, everyone takes their places. Tris sits at our table next to my empty chair with Reynolds and Amar on the other side of her. Zeke, Shauna, George and Tori are across from her, and I can see Zeke proudly smiling up at me from his seat. He and Shauna are currently engaged, planning a larger wedding than Tris and I had to include more family and friends.

At the table behind them are Christina and Will, whose relationship has grown more serious over the years and is happily condoned by Uriah, who has remained one of Tris' closest friends along with Christina. Attending with Uriah is his mother, Hana, who would never miss a chance to show her pride in her "three boys" as she so often refers to all of us. With them are two younger officers Uriah and Will are currently training to take over their positions because Reynolds is always pulling them up to work Intelligence cases with us.

The speeches barely register in my head, because I'm nervous and also too focused on the beautiful woman that sits across the room and somehow is here for me. Not just today, but every day. Tris is completely dedicated to me and supports me, even though I have a career she originally wanted to escape from.

When they begin awarding the promotions, I listen to the names of my well-deserving fellow officers and applaud each one. And when it's my turn for my name to be called, I see Tris make her way up the side of the stage, lightly lifting her long, black gown to prevent her from tripping. As she comes before me and smiles, the lights from the high ceiling bounce off of everything; her earrings, the jewels on her dress, and even her ring are shining brightly. But as I look at her and she reaches her hands out to pin my new rank onto my uniform, I'm reminded that nothing could ever be as beautiful as her, whether she's dressed in a fancy ball gown or just her pajamas at home, and I am beyond blessed that I get to look at her every day for the rest of my life.

I lean in and kiss her lightly as they announce me as "Sergeant Tobias Eaton," even though no one else has leaned in to kiss their wives or show any other displays of affection. But I don't really care about breaking the rules for her, because in my lifetime there will never be enough opportunities to kiss Tris Prior.

I just want to give a big thank you to everyone who took the time to read, comment, etc. I have enjoyed hearing from all of you & I hope I'll continue to hear from you as I continue to share.