Nathan Eaton

Chapter 1 - The First Anniversary

Tobias

It's been another busy day at work, but I can't complain. Life has been good this past year, and Chicago has really settled into our new normal.

People are still living in factions, but the rules are not as stringent as they once were. You don't have to leave home at 16 anymore, and you're free to change your choice if you want. People can move freely between the factions, including our new one, Maverick. That faction includes a lot of divergents because their mantra is based on independence. They don't fit any specific faction, preferring to believe that they fit into them all.

This is where Tris and I have ended up, without even really meaning to. It's not as big of a deal as it once would have been, people don't really identify themselves according to their faction anymore. It's really just more for housing and convenience. We're located in the hub so it's easy to catch a train to anywhere in the city. Mavericks hold jobs all over, some preferring to work the farms in Amity, others wanting to become scientists in Erudite, they hold jobs all over the city. Being in the hub allowed us to travel anywhere in the city with ease.

Tris' only complaint is that now there are trains that stop to pick people up. She actually prefers to wait for the freight trains, like most of the current and former Dauntless, so she can still hop on and off. We might be living with the Mavericks, but I still see so much Dauntless in my wife. She is raw energy, with enough intelligence and selflessness to put that energy to good use.

When I open our apartment door after my walk home, I'm surprised to see Tris isn't there. I walk to the fridge to get a drink and I see a note hanging there

        IV,
               New recruits coming in today,
               I'll be home a little later than
               normal.
                                                         -VI

I smile to myself when I read her note, remembering her wedding band. She hadn't discovered the inscription on it, because she never removed her ring. In fact, I thought she was going to punch me in the jaw when I told her to remove it a month after we had gotten married. When she did finally take it off, I was rewarded with a big smile instead of a broken jaw, and she and I have used those names for our notes ever since.

As much as I'd like to see Tris, I'm glad she isn't home yet. It's our 1 year anniversary and I'd like to do something nice for her. She always has a meal waiting for me when I come home, I like the idea of being able to cook for her.

The chicken and vegetables are just about to come out of the oven and I'm mashing the potatoes when she walks in the door. I walk over to her smiling and give her a quick kiss, "Happy Anniversary, Beatrice."

She pulls me in for a longer kiss and laughs, "I don't know if one year is long enough to count as a 'special occasion'."

"Hmm... I guess it really hasn't been long enough for me to get tired of you yet," I say and wink at her.

"You didn't have to make dinner, I was going to cook when I got home." She looks different, like something's on her mind.

"You deserve to rest every once and a while, you know. Is everything ok? You look like something's bothering you."

"I'm fine, lets eat," she answers, but she doesn't quite meet my eyes.

"Can you believe it's been a year since we got married?" I ask.

"Mm-hmm..." Something's definitely up with her, she's barely touching her food.

"Tris, tell me what's on your mind." I thought today would be more of a celebration, but she's barely talking to me. When she finally looks me in the eye, I can see she's scared to tell me what she's thinking about.

"Tris please, you're making me nervous."

She takes a deep breath, "Tobias, I want kids."

Crap.

I have to say something. It's not that I don't want kids, I'm just scared. Last time I went through my fear landscape, I still turned into Marcus. No matter how much I want kids, I won't do that if it means I'll become him.

I can't tell her this though, so I give her a half-truth. "I want kids too." It's not a lie, I do want kids, I just don't believe I'll be a good dad. How can I be with my only role model being Marcus?

Her answering smile is so huge it melts my heart. "I love you Tobias, thank you for a wonderful first year." I can't quite seem to speak so I pull her towards me and kiss her.

"Technically I'm still on the pill, but we can go practice if you want."

"Oh, I want," I say grinning.

I pick her up and carry her into the bedroom, where we spend a good chunk of time celebrating our anniversary. I'm secretly happy I don't have to worry since she's still on the pill, though I'm sure she'll stop taking it soon. I just pray it's a few months until she actually gets pregnant.

Oh well, at least the "trying to get pregnant" part will be fun.