He didn't die. And they met in the control room.

Sure, Tris and Four still stopped Jeanine, but this time it's because Jeanine got a little too distracted.

"Andrew?" Was that hope in her voice? Or was it fear?

Her voice was suddenly husky–desperate in more ways than one–and her eyes shone over.

"Jeanine." But he wasn't as emotional.

It was like he was hiding something as he gulped down. His eyes were unreadable; a storm of emotions clashing together in full force. Still, his face was void of emotion and his lips straight.

But if she wasn't mistaken, was that longing?

And maybe it was him, or maybe it was her, but the next thing they knew, they weren't in the Dauntless headquarters control room anymore. They were back in their separate worlds, and when the snow fell that night, they knew exactly how near they were, and that they were just as far apart.

Andrew knew he couldn't deny it anymore. He still loved her, he still loved Jeanine Matthews; no matter what she did, he still found his way back to loving her.

And as much as it filled her with distaste, she still loved him too.

It felt exactly like their first Christmas; their first kiss, their first date.

Under the glistening snow.

It was a wretched thing, the snow. But at some point it didn't matter anymore of what the snow had always meant to them, and now they watched the snow flutter softly to the ground as they let their feet wander and lead them somewhere, anywhere, just away from everyone else.

They didn't even care where they were going.

And what a coincidence that their feet led them to the middle of a deserted park: to a well-lit, conserved playground. The same one where they first met.

"Andrew."

"Jeanine."

Puffs of white breath came out harder, eyes were wider, and a tear escaped and traced down her cheek, and he wished he could, but he knew he just couldn't. He had lost all his rights to her on that day when he left her without saying goodbye.

Her arms wrapped around her body. For warmth, she told herself. But what was she even thinking? That they could go back to the way they used to be? After all she's done, not to mention that he has a wife–a wife that is not her–, a daughter– Beatrice Prior, the lovely Divergent–, and a son–Caleb Prior, luckily a decent Erudite–, she didn't actually think that it was possible that they could ever be the same, did she?

She preferred to look down at the snow, because it hurt to look him in the eye. She didn't want him to see her like this. She didn't want anyone to see her like this.

Now more than ever, she couldn't be weak, or vulnerable, and she had hoped she had moved on from this but-

His arms were just around her, and it felt too good, and she just couldn't keep the tears at bay any longer.

"You've been strong for far too long, haven't you?"

And the beauty of those words was, in fact, the truth.

"Andrew." She sobbed. "Andrew."

"What is it?" His voice was soft, vulnerable, sweet.

It felt too good, too sad, too nostalgic that he still felt the same after all these years. It was like he was the same Erudite boy she knew, the same one that had always seen through her and held her together, the exact same one that had never let anything hurt her. And she just loved him. She just did, even until now, and it hurt too much to remember. But it'll hurt too much to forget it again.

"I still love you, Andrew." She didn't even care if she sounded like a weak thirteen-year-old girl. She didn't even care about the overwhelming wave of emotions that were crashing over her sense of logic. She just wanted him by her side, holding her and keeping her broken pieces together.

"I." Natalie. A kiss on Jeanine's head. "Still." Natalie. A kiss on Jeanine's forehead. "Love." Natalie. A kiss on Jeanine's cheek.

Her eyes were a watery gray; captivating, beautiful, and after so long, they were finally bright once again.

"You." Their lips came like a clash of everything. A storm waiting at the bank to be unleashed. A tornado wreaking havoc in the mess and order of humanity. A nuclear explosion that blasts everything to bits. A star-lit night, solemn and silent and white with snow. Tears streamed their cheeks, neither knowing who was crying and who wasn't. They didn't care. At that moment, they just needed each other. Natalie had always known his affection for Jeanine, and she knew that he would always love Jeanine. She'd be happy for him.

And Jeanine didn't even care if his dead wife would be cursing in Heaven before, during, and most definitely after seeing them like this. If anything, she thought she actually liked it.

"Too." When the kiss was broken, their foreheads pushed against each other, then after so long, Jeanine's eyes were not only bright, but they were smiling.

Just like the smile that she tried (and failed miserably) to stop from forming on her beautiful plush lips.

"I'm not going anywhere." Andrew professed. "You don't have to be alone anymore."

"Maybe for tonight. Just for tonight." He could see the hope in her eyes, brighter than any star, and it brought a smile to his face. It was the hope for change, hope that there could still possibly be happiness at the end of the road, but no one would ever let them be.

"Just for tonight. Just one more, one last time-"

"-Before half the Dauntless eventually kill me, with your daughter and her boyfriend as their leaders." She was still teasing, but he knew the truth behind those words. He couldn't help but let it sadden him a bit, but he hoped it wasn't enough that she might see.

Whether or not it was visible, though, he felt her caress his cheek anyway, and she brought her lips to his once again, because they were going to be happy like this for as long as forever would be for them, at least for tonight.

End