A Look Back At Chapter 4

Andrew Prior's Point of View

Beatrice weeps against me.

I don't know if these tears are coming from sadness, happiness, pain, or relief - but they allow my daughter to remain in my arms - and for that I'm grateful. From over her head, I see Tobias Eaton looking at Beatrice with confusion and helplessness. By the look on his face, I'm assuming he's never seen Beatrice in such a way. Truthfully, I don't know if I've ever seen her this way.

His eyes flip back toward the street where another group of Dauntless walks past toward the Hub.

"Tris," he says softly, as though not to startle her.

Beatrice jumps slightly and turns her face so that she's sees him but keeps her head on my chest.

"I'm sorry," he says, looking at me and then Natalie. "The longer we stay here, the more dangerous it gets for everyone."

He's right, I know he's right, but his statement infuriates me. I have just gotten my daughter back, and now he means to take her away again.

Beatrice's arms constrict around me tightly, but then she lets go and slips from my embrace completely. She walks backward until she is at Tobias's side. Their hands immediately join.

Natalie comes forward to loop her arm through mine ...

Chapter Five

Tobias's Point of View

I guess I should be more respectful or whatever, seeing as I'm dating his daughter, but I don't like Andrew Prior. In fact, I really want to hit him.

I know he's a decent guy - he loves his family, and works his ass off for the people of Abnegation. He was the most level headed of all of my father's council members.

But none of that stops me from hating him. Andrew and Marcus are not only colleagues, they're friends. Friends. And that means that Andrew is either too dumb to realize what Marcus is/what he's done, or he's too cowardly to do anything about it. Ignorance and cowardice - two things I cannot stand.

He knows who I am. I see the look of recognition in his wide eyes.

Yeah, you may know the kid I used to be, but you sure as hell don't know the man I am now.

Tris squeezes my hand, and I squeeze back. She's stopped crying - thank God. I've never seen her completely out of control like that.

I knew she shouldn't have come today. She just doesn't listen - EVER.

"We need to go."

Tris doesn't even blink before she nods. Good girl.

"Tobias, wait just a mom-" Andrew begins, but I cut him off.

"My name is Four." I purposefully keep my voice low and quiet, but Andrew's eyes widen like I've screamed at him. "You don't know me and I really wish I didn't know you. If you have the slightest shred of intelligence, then you know that right now - you're putting your daughter in danger. We're going to the Hub for the ceremony and you are going to stay the hell away from us. Let's go, Tris."

Tris looks up at me, startled and obviously confused, but she doesn't pull her hand away. I start walking out of the alley with Tris tucked into my side.

"What gives you the right to speak to me that way?" Andrew steps forward, reaching for Tris. "And my daughter will go nowhere if she doesn't want to."

"Dad, you need to step back. Four's right - we all need to go our separate ways."

"No, Beatrice you do not have to obey him. I am your father."

He reaches for Beatrice again, and I pull her behind me.

"Back the hell off, Prior." I growl and Tris's mom comes to put her hands on Andrew's shoulders - pulling him back. "You really have a death wish, don't you? If you want someone to put a bullet in your skull so badly, you don't have to wait for an Erudite to break up this little reunion - I'd be happy to put one there for you ... But I won't let you get Tris killed along with you."

"You hate me." Andrew replies like it's something he's just realized. "You loathe me, and I don't have the slightest inclination as to what I did to make you so angry."

"I think you're a pathetic parasite, if you really want to know. Tell me something Andrew, how many council meetings did Marcus hold in our home when I was a boy? You should know, seeing as you were one of the few who attended every single one. Are you honestly going to act like you didn't know what was going on in that house? You never questioned why my mother and I were always covered in bruises? Never thought about the fact that my mother died the day after she defied him in the public market?" Andrew's eyes dart to the ground and Tris gasps behind me. "How about the time you patted me on the back and I screamed and fell to the ground. Are you going to tell me you didn't notice the way my shirt was suddenly covered in blood? I'll tell you, Prior - that was after Marcus gave me a hundred lashes with his belt for dropping a plate of food when I passed out from a head injury. You're right - I do hate you. I hate you because you knew what was happening to me and you did nothing. And I hate you because you turned your back on Tris - treated your child like a stranger. A real man would never do that."

Tris's hand starts to shake in mine as she glares at her father.

"Mom, did you know?" Tris asks, and Natalie's blinks away tears. "Did you know what Marcus was doing to him?"

Natalie nods.

"I didn't know for a fact, but I had my suspicions. I suppose I'm equally guilty because I never voiced my concerns, never asked any questions - to be truthful, I didn't want to know. I didn't want to believe Marcus was capable of such a thing."

"How could you?" Tris cries. Natalie drops her head in shame and Andrew flinches at the shrill tone of his daughters voice. "For as long as I can remember, both of you have always gone out of your way to help people. Was that all just for appearances? How could you leave a defenseless child to be abused when you had the authority and ability to stop it?"

"Beatrice," Andrew says, his voice low and quiet. "You should know, perhaps better than anyone, that life in our faction system isn't nearly as simple as we pretend it is. I didn't step in because of reasons beyond my control ... Marcus is our leader. To question him or his reputation would have torn Abnegation apart. It was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever had to make, but I made it with good intentions. I had to support the strength of the faction."

"At the cost of my mother's life?" I ask. "At the cost of my life?"

Andrew lets out a shaking breath and nods.

"I'm more sorry than you will ever know, Tobias."

Tris's face scrunches into an expression of disgust, and I can't hold back a laugh.

"Sure you are, Andrew ... What's done is done and you'll can rot in hell with Marcus for all I care." Andrew flinches and Natalie has tears running down her face. "I'm gonna tell both of you this once - start using your heads. This little stunt could get all of us killed easily - especially Tris with the way Jeanine has taken an interest in her. And while I really don't care what happens to either of you, I care about your daughter. I'll do everything in my power to protect her and that includes keeping you away from her if need be. With that being said, Tris - let's go."

Tris nods and turns with me.

"Beatrice, please wait!" Andrew begs, "I know we can find some way to still be a family. I am more sorry than you will ever know for everything, but I can't bear to lose you again."

"You're not losing me," Tris says over her shoulder, her voice cold. "You can't lose something you don't know - and obviously you don't know me and I don't know you. Both of you are cowardly, spineless people and I am ashamed to be your daughter. Four is right about everything so you can go your way and I'll go mine. We're done."

This time Tris pulls me forward and we walk out of the alleyway, refusing to acknowledge the cries of her parents fading behind us.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tris asks as we near the entry way of The Hub.

"Tell you what?"

"That my parents knew about Marcus - that you hated them."

Tough question.

"I didn't tell you because I love you." I say and Tris looks at me like I've officially lost my mind. "I love you and I know that you love them and worry about them all the time. I never had that with either of my parents, so regardless of how I feel about yours - I'd deal with it for you. I'm sorry I ruined your reunion, but I just snapped when he called me by my name."

Tris wraps her arm around my waist and leans against my side with a shaky sigh.

"I meant every word I said to them." She tells me, "I can't believe they knew and didn't say or do anything - it makes me sick."

"I don't want you to hate your parents just because of me." I say and I really mean it. I don't want to ruin their relationship because I know how much it means to her.

"Don't even go there, Tobias. I'm not saying I hate them anyway - I'm saying I'm done with them ... Since the day I chose Dauntless, I've changed. I don't need them anymore and I don't care what they think. Not to mention that I'm really starting to think that I never really knew them at all - or Caleb. I've gone on my own path and made a life for myself, found a home-"

"At Dauntless?"

"I guess Dauntless is home for now at least," Tris scrunches up her brow and looks up at me. "My real home is with you - whether we're in Dauntless or beyond the fence, the place doesn't matter. All that matter's is that we're together. Right?"

"Hell yes."

I lift her around the waist so we're the same height and mash my lips against hers. God this girl is my entire life - she's made my past a distant memory, my present the greatest fucking time in my life, and my future clear just because I know she'll be in it. For the first time, I have someone who I trust with absolutely every part of me. I have a best friend who I can rely on through everything, and lover who steals the breath from my chest. We live in such a fucked up place and time, but we have each other and that means we can deal with anything and everything that will come our way.

"Fucking SICK!" Christina screeches from the door of The HUB. "Can you stop eating each other's faces for one minute? The ceremony has already started! COME ON!"

A part of me really wants to throw Christina in front of a train, but Tris laughs and detaches herself from my body. She slips her hand back into mine and leads us into The Hub.

Hello lovely readers!

I know this chapter is very short compared to the others, but something is better than nothing, right? I know many of you were worried this story was abandoned, but I'm just going to be truthful - I HATED the Divergent/Insurgent movies and they really sucked away all of my inspiration for this story. Just to be clear - this story is going to continue (I don't know where I'm going with it, but I never do anyway). Please be patient, updates will come even if they take an eternity.

For those of you who follow my other stories, you probably know I am working on writing my first book. This has taken up an even 1000000% of my free time so my Fanfiction stories have been pushed to the backburner. I'm trying to fix this b/c I love writing fanfic more than I can put into words. I'm doing A LOT of editing and revising as well as working on new material.

***PLEASE go check out my newest story "I Heard Your Heart Beating"! It's a Captain America story that I promise you will love if you give it a chance! Chapter 2 is on it's way so keep a look out! ***

Until Next Time!

xoxo,

Vivienne