Thank you SO much to Bamberlee for editing this final chapter!

Just a note: I meant to wrap everything up in this chapter, however once I did, it's clear that nothing was actually wrapped up. So there will possibly be an epilogue after this one. I'm just not totally sure. We'll see how this goes.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing! I'm so happy everyone enjoyed this story and I can not believe we made it this far.

Thanks for following along! 💙

You can also read Eric meeting Everly in Amity if you need something to pass your Quarantine time with. Stay safe everyone!

"I said I was sorry."

Rylan apologizes, but it comes across as anything but. He's sitting across from Adam and me, looking tired and wild, but also pretty indifferent.

"I hit the wrong security alert. I meant to say, all factions are now shutting down travel. I didn't mean shutting down completely." He kicks his feet up onto my father's coffee table, and boldly ignores his glare. "I doubt anyone noticed."

"Every faction noticed!" My father roars, looking like his head might explode. "You shut down every single faction. Jack has called thirty-seven times. Thirty-eight, because he's calling right now. Cara has been texting me for an hour. Harrison is about to drive over here, even though you told everyone they couldn't, because he can't get ahold of anyone…"

"I'll call him," my mother offers, looking just as tired as Rylan. "I'll tell him it's not happening and he's fine."

"Too late. I'm sure he's almost here," my father groans, and it's not that my grandpa would be showing up, but that Rylan's mistake is cutting into his free time with my mother. "He's convinced something is going on."

"Something is going on. Maybe everyone should stay home." Rylan scowls, and he looks over to Adam and me. "Are you two laughing?"

"Um, kind of." Adam answers for us, and he glances over at me, doing my best not to laugh.

Things in Dauntless were not going so well.

A half hour ago, Adam and I had been talking about getting married. Maybe even tonight, just the two of us, without anyone else there. That came crashing down when it was announced the faction was in lock down, and when no one answered either of our calls, we went straight to the source.

My father answered the door in his boxers and a t-shirt, and the look on his face told me the shut down was a surprise to him as well.

Over the next hour, I learned a lot. He told me he never went to Candor, but Jason did. Turns out, Jason and Four had worked hard to compile everything they had on Blythe. Rylan had countless files on her and all sorts of evidence revealing she had long been trying to take my mother down, and I was her newest target. This evidence was organized to the best of their ability and then brought to Jack. Four was determined to help right this, and he told my father both he and Jason watched the precise moment Jack realized he'd handed Blythe the exact people she was looking for.

People convicted of crimes who were willing to make it appear they would do anything to change, only to realize Blythe would allow them to carry on with their terrible selves. She wasn't rehabilitating them to send back to the factions, she was slowly building a team around herself who would willingly carry out her orders.

Jeremy had been one of the first.

Peter was hopefully one of the last.

There was a loose connection there, but no time to solve the mystery. Because during this discovery, Jack also realized my father's security alerts about Blythe weren't just him extoling revenge on her for being a shitty parent.

They were because she was dangerous.

Manipulative.

Smart enough to have vanished while everyone slowly figured out who she was.

They called Rylan to have him reduce the travel between factions to deliveries only in hopes of finding her, and instead, he took it a step further.

"Maybe we should reset everything." Adam suggests, struggling not to laugh. "Has anyone tried turning Rylan off then on again?"

"That would be Christina's job," my father mutters, visibly growing more and more stressed as the seconds passed.

"She's busy right now," Rylan cheerfully answers, and he lounges against the couch. "Everyone should relax. Wrong security alert, no biggie. In the morning, we announce things are fine. We tell everyone the real security alert is-"

"Who the hell is running things around here?"

Our descent into chaos dips a level lower as my father's front door flies open. He must have forgotten to lock it after he let us in, because there's a sudden parade arriving, one after the other, all dressed in black.

There is my grandfather, dressed in such dark colors he looks like he lives here, and my grandmother, holding Ginger and beaming as they spy my mother leaning against my father. My mother hadn't bothered to get dressed past her leggings and my father's shirt, and she still looks like she'd rather be in bed than out here. Her eyes widen in surprise, and she sits up straight when Karl and Jason, both dressed not in their uniforms, but in black, also show up.

There are a few more.

Ethan and Evan, heading straight for my father, and Quinten, having shown up at the same time with Rylan's dinner. The noise is immediate, roaring higher and higher as everyone tries to figure out what is going on.

"Everly!"

"Mom? Dad?"

"ERIC! PICK ME UP!"

"No, PICK ME UP!"

"Rylan, your waffles are here. Three orders. Syrup's in the bag."

"Wait, whose…"

"Did no one invite me to this? I heard Ethan and Evan yelling, and when I looked out the door, everyone was heading this way." Four arrives looking confused. He eyes Adam and me, my mother hugging her father, my grandmother staring at him with an odd look on her face, and my father rolls his eyes and gestures for him to come in.

"You're not missing much. Rylan decided to shut down the entire world today and this made everyone choose to come to my apartment."

"Rylan, we already talked about this," Four sighs, but he glances back over at Adam and me. "When we were in Amity. You talked about what you would do if you had total control over the factions, and you said you'd make everyone stay home so you could have a day off."

"You know, I think you might have been hallucinating. I said I'd stay home," Rylan counters, emphasizing the I. Their talking grows louder, Four reminding him he'd said he'd had enough and wanted a week off, until Rylan nearly leaps off the couch.

"Wait, everyone shut up. Forget about the lockdown. Jason, did you steal a baby?" Rylan speaks the loudest. Everyone stops talking when he tilts his head and sits up straighter. "Wait, no, fuck! Is that…your child?"

"He is! I wanted to bring him by once I knew everyone would be here!" Jason grins, unbothered by both the chaos and the factions shutting down. He doesn't seem to even notice my parents aren't dressed, that my mother is definitely not as alright as she claimed, my grandfather is suspiciously inspecting my mother like she's about to fall off the couch, my grandmother is right beside him, looking at Elijah while Ginger yells BABY, or that Ethan and Evan are demanding for my father to give them his phone. "I wanted to bring him to a meeting, but this is better. His name is Elijah."

"You didn't tell any of us you were having a baby?" My father looks mildly insulted, but then he shrugs. "Damn. You're good. Everly and I tried not to tell anyone when we had Eva and it got out pretty quick."

"I just talked to Meghan! She said she was fine and going to take a nap!" My mother looks a little more insulted, but it fades the minute Jason heads over and holds Elijah out for her to take. "Oh, Jason. He's precious."

The room quiets down to a lesser decibel when Jason sits by my dad. My father congratulates him, not only on his baby, but for his brilliant plan of secrecy. Above all, my father loved his privacy and keeping people out of his business, and for once, someone out did him. My grandmother and grandfather sit by Adam and me, and Ginger immediately heads for Adam's lap.

He picks her up, and she leans back against his chest, content to yell BABY from this vantage point.

"We came as soon as we heard everyone was in lockdown," my grandfather explains, also congratulating Jason. "The kid is cute. I'll give you that."

"That's pretty much the opposite of what you do in a lockdown," Rylan answers, but he looks like he's trying not to laugh. He balances his waffles on his knee, and my father silently dares him to get syrup on his couch. "Anyway, false alarm. We just don't want anyone out there until we find Blythe. So, semi lockdown."

"Rylan, do you and Christina want a baby?" Karl sits by Rylan, and Rylan is rewarded with Ethan immediately making a beeline toward him. "Are you ever going to have one?"

"I don't think Christina wants to birth any children. She was just yelling at me the other day for bringing cookies home. Said she'd already been to the gym once that day," Rylan waves dismissively. "Maybe she'll go for a pet wolf."

"There are no wolves out here," my grandfather rolls his eyes, and looks at Jason. "Is he going to pick Dauntless when he's old enough? I see he's dressed in black."

"Of course he is!" Jason looks enthused, and next to me, Adam hits my arm with his.

"I vaguely remember this happening when you were born. Your dad swore you'd never leave."

"You do not remember that. You were like, two weeks old." I elbow him back, and we both listen to Rylan tell Karl he doesn't think the world is ready for him to have a baby.

"Oh," Karl looks oddly bummed out, though he was still winning the award for family with the most children. "Alright. I mean, I guess. You did just shut everything down. Maybe you shouldn't have kids just yet."

"But I'm not opposed to stealing a child. If I decide I want one," Rylan answers casually, and he winks at me. "Or I could just continue as head Godfather over everyone else's children."

"You can't steal a child, Rylan." My grandfather shakes his head, but then he stops. "I guess you could if you found a factionless one."

"Thank you, HARRISON, for understanding my vision." Rylan falls silent, but only for a second. My mother gestures for him to come see Elijah, and she beams when he does. He walks over, slowly, first making sure his waffles don't fall off the couch, then taking Elijah and smiling at him. "Allow me to introduce myself, tiny child. I, Rylan, am the greatest leader who has ever been in power. Eric is second. He enjoys long walks in the dark, sarcasm, pretending things are way worse than they are, and not telling anyone he's married unless they're trying to steal his wife. Your father is third. Four, is understandably, fourth. Karl is before Four but after Jason. Three point five. Over there is Harrison, Supreme Leader of Amity, where you will never step foot."

"Hey, he can go to Amity. We've had some fun there. Remember that time a chicken bit you?" Jason laughs at Rylan, but he stops laughing when Rylan holds Elijah high over his head with his arms outstretched. "RYLAN! Put him down!"

"Never. This would be better by the chasm, but this will have to do."

"Rylan," my grandfather threatens him, but Rylan ignores him. He turns to face us all, holding Jason's brand-new baby over his head, and he grins.

Widely.

"Welcome, Elijah…to Jurassic Park!"

"So is Rylan banned from ever holding Elijah again or what?"

Adam and I sit with my parents, and my mother laughs so hard she chokes on her drink. My father eyes her warily, probably afraid she'll die and leave him to stalk the hallways alone, so he pulls her against him when she stops and makes sure she's alright.

"Probably. I'm sure Rylan meant…well." He keeps a straight face, but he looks over us into his kitchen. "Eden, come sit down. I don't even know what you're doing."

"I'm looking for something for Ginger. She said she's thirsty. Do you have any rice milk?" My grandmother answers cheerfully, despite the increasingly late hour, and my father tilts his head.

"Rice…milk?"

"Would it be by the apples?" she keeps talking, ignoring his dark expression and insult at thinking he would drink such a thing.

"We don't have anything of the sort here. We have actual milk," he responds, and my mother shakes her head. "I can call Quinten. He might have it."

"Doubtful," my grandpa takes the seat across from us and by my mother. He waits for my grandma to join him, and he looks at Adam and me. "Where do you two live? You're really sticking around this dump?"

"We have an apartment down the hallway," Adam answers, and I watch my grandfather struggle not to scowl at this information. Even though he asked. "Do you want to come see it? It's nice."

"Is there a window? A patio? Any way to get fresh air?"

"Um," Adam looks down at me, and I shake my head. "Not really. But we can go outside."

"Sure, sure you can." My grandpa waves this answer away, and shrugs. "Everly, are you alright? You look like you're going to throw up."

"I'm fine, I'm just really tired. I was sleeping when Rylan decided to shut down the faction, and there was no way I could sleep with everyone here." She answers quietly, and I try to figure out if I think she's pregnant or not. My father's shirt is too large for her, and it's so long she could wear it as a dress if she tried. "But I'm glad I got up. I would have been mad if I missed Jason's baby."

"Who would have thought?" My father leans back, pulling her even closer. He glances down at her head, not satisfied with her being a single centimeter away from him. "Harrison how long are you staying?"

"Not long. Ginger should be going to bed soon, but we were babysitting and thought we'd bring her with us. We should get her home soon before everyone wonders where she went."

"You should. I'm pretty sure Holly will freak when she realizes you aren't home and neither is her baby." My mom laughs, then yawns. "Can you come back later this week? When things settle down?"

"Of course we can," my grandma smiles, and she returns with a glass of regular milk for Ginger. Ginger stares at it suspiciously, then looks up at Adam and shakes her head no. "Okay, well then you'll have to wait until we're home."

"No."

"Do you want me to call Quinten?" My father watches Ginger, and his head tilts as he examines her. From everything I'd ever heard, he'd softened a lot toward his now family in Amity. While he used to find them loud and way too numerous for someone who'd lived his life as an only child, they'd grown on him. He willingly went whenever my mother asked, and he had multiple nieces and nephews who idolized him. "I could make her some coffee."

"She can't have coffee," my mother laughs, and she swats his arm. "You know that. Do you want Holly to be up all night?"

"Yes. If I have to be up, so does everyone else."

"No, you don't. You like Holly. She sent cookies for your birthday." She reasons with him, and his expression tells me he's pretending she didn't. "Oh, and that oil that cured your cold. Remember? You refused and then you finally let me put it on you and you felt way better."

"You know what? You can sleep in the guest room tonight." My father's answer makes everyone snicker, especially my mom.

"Have fun by yourself." She smiles sweetly, looking up at him.

"Oh, I will." He retorts pettily, but he's smiling. "But I should probably let all the factions know they aren't in lockdown. I doubt Rylan will do it. He went to Jason's which means Meghan is in for an earful."

"I'll go with you," my mom stands up, but her stare lingers on Adam and me. "Are you guys staying or are you going home?"

"We'll go home. We just came by to see what was going on," I answer quickly and Adam nods.

"Who knew it was Rylan, wanting some time off?"

"Oh, he'll get some time off. I think Blythe pushed him over the edge." My father watches as my grandpa and grandma stand up, and they move to hug us goodbye. "I'll tell Christina to keep him busy for a few days."

"Do you want to come by?" I ask my grandpa hopefully, but part of me hopes he says no. It was hard to explain why we hadn't returned to Amity, or why we hadn't made plans to move there. "You could see the apartment."

"I lived in these apartments," he winks. "I'll come by next week. You two go home and enjoy yourselves. We should get Ginger home before Holly panics. When I come back, you can show me where you two live and we'll talk then."

He hugs me first, crushing me against him and squeezing tightly. He hugs Adam next, just as tight and just as fierce. I can see my father watching him with a horrified expression, and he meets my stare. I'm sure he's flashing back to making me promise to pick Dauntless, our conversation in the kitchen while I made toast, but he knows my grandfather is persuasive.

After all, he'd once chosen Dauntless, then walked away to be with my grandmother.

"I'll see you both in a week. Everly, let me know how your doctor's appointment goes. I'd like to be around this time." He announces this brightly, and everyone turns to look at my mother. "I was barely here when Eva was little."

My mother opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. She sits on the couch with her feet curled beneath her, her long hair everywhere, and my father's shirt sliding off her shoulder, and she looks at all of us.

Her face is pale, but happy, and her expression is of pure and total guilt.

"Um, okay."

She swallows, and her eyes find mine, wide and worried and afraid, even though I only sort of know what he's talking about.

"I'll call you and uh let you know."

She makes no move to stand up, and when she looks at my father, I have the answer to my question.

She's most definitely pregnant, and it most definitely was not planned.

"Is this new baby to replace me?"

This time, my father sits on my bed.

He's busied himself with fixing something on my phone while I put clothes away but he slowly raises his stare from the black screen to look at me.

"Is that a serious question?" His tone is dark, and if I were a random soldier here, I'd slink away, knowing he was short on patience. "Is that what you really think, Eva?"

"Actually yes. I don't live with you. I'm not there anymore. You know this baby and I will be almost nineteen years apart, right?" I pick up Adam's shirt, neatly folded and perfectly smoothed out, and I stare at him through the mirror. "It won't even know me."

"It's not…this isn't what you think it is," my father mutters, and he gives up trying to update whatever he was updating. "No one will ever replace you. We weren't planning on having another child. Your mother always said she was lost in a sea of kids and I never had any brothers or sisters."

"You had Rylan," I point out, feeling oddly sulky. "Isn't he like a brother?"

"Yes. Which, again, is why we only had you." He tries something on the phone again, and this time, it lights up. "She's due in less than two months. She hasn't felt good this entire time, and she's tried to keep working, and then you and Adam went missing and she didn't handle that well. It hasn't been an enjoyable experience."

There's a flash of guilt from both of us, and I turn to face him.

"Is the baby a boy or a girl?"

I don't know why this is important.

Just that it is.

Because in the span of a few hours, the loosely constructed outline for my life came crashing down.

After we'd left my parent's house, Adam and I had walked home, but we'd gone the long way. We walked all the way to the furthest point of Dauntless, down dizzying stairs that spiraled and moved when you stepped on them. We walked over rocky bridges, crumbling alcoves, past walls made of slick marble and through areas with ceilings so high you couldn't see them. We walked beneath security cameras, some working, some not. We passed Zander, sitting up high on a suspension bridge with Kat, engrossed in a conversation meant for only them. We walked by the shops, brightly lit up to attract customers and offering all sorts of unique items. We walked to the docking bay, the front of the Dauntless compound, and we stopped at the chasm.

Once we were there, Adam took hold of my hands, looking right at me, and blurted out that he didn't want to leave.

I sort of knew this was coming, and I fully expected him to tell me at some point, I just didn't know why it would throw me off.

Maybe because I was assuming we'd leave, and start a new life with just us. Amity had been the first place where it was just him and me. Amity was good. It was bright and kind and fun. I had enough family to fill the entire faction, all willing to take us in and all wanting us to pick them. We could live at my grandparent's. My uncle's. We could have our own home. We could reside in communal living, joining a thriving group of farming people who didn't need privacy.

We could live anywhere we wanted, and do whatever we wanted, but in that moment, it was incredibly clear this was our home.

In front of jagged, sharp rocks, Adam could barely look at me. He was rarely afraid; he might have panicked at his grandfather trying to kill him, and stumbled over his words while trying to tell me how he felt, but he looked downright fearful when he told me he wanted to stay here, after promising he'd go with me wherever I wanted.

I understood.

It was his father.

They had made huge strides in their relationship in a small amount of time. Four had said goodnight to us, offered to come have lunch if we were up for it, and jokingly said maybe Adam could fill in for Rylan. Or Jason. Then told him he should think about it, for real. There was a lot of promise with this, and not just because Jason made it clear he was taking some time off and Rylan obviously needed a break from overseeing anything.

Four wanted Adam to stay, to try and fix their fractured relationship, and Adam wanted the same.

I saw the hope blossom on both their faces. Working together wouldn't be something most fathers and sons would hope for. There was a chance that Four would learn too much about him or try to get too close, and Adam didn't like anyone in his business. But they weren't particularly close, and this would be a chance for some normalcy between them.

The only tricky part was our relationship. After asking if I'd marry him, he was now asking that I stay here.

I hadn't outright asked him to move anywhere, but I had been so confident that Dauntless was no longer my home, that his words felt like a punch to the stomach. I stared up at him, his gaze pleading and apologetic and all too familiar, and I couldn't answer him.

This decision was something I never thought I'd face. I didn't want to live in Amity without him, but I didn't want to live here, feeling like an afterthought.

It didn't take long for me to realize I was being selfish. Adam had every right to want to make things better with his family. I wanted him to. Not long ago, I had vowed to fix things however I could, because I wanted him to be happy. Which meant if he wanted to stay, then I should stay, and I wouldn't be thinking how this made me feel nauseous.

The rest of our night was tense.

I told him we should go home, and he nodded. He held my hand while we walked, and each of us were lost in our own thoughts. Neither of us spoke, not until we got home, and he said my name, right as Henry appeared. He was returning from the shops, his arms full of bags and groceries, and I scowled until he stomped past us, cheerfully saying to call him if we needed anything.

We went to bed not long after, and this morning, Adam woke up and announced he was going to breakfast with Gunner and Aja and he'd be back later.

My father had shown up seconds after he left, demanding to install some update on my phone, and I let him.

I was too busy wallowing in my own weird feelings. I didn't like them, because I felt like I was being replaced in every aspect. Adam would reconnect with his family, and since his father had never really been thrilled about me, there was the odd chance Adam would start to feel the same way. My parents were having a baby, an act that felt surreal and almost nightmarish, because I'd be losing them.

My father wouldn't have any time for me, if he'd been up all night with a baby.

I was right back to square one.

"We didn't find out. They couldn't tell when we went." My father's answer is slow and jarring. "Whatever the baby is, it'll never replace you. You were…you were the first person I've ever loved besides your mother."

I shrug.

He knows I'm dismissing him, and given his current mood, it's likely he's going to tell me to knock it off.

Instead, he puts the phone aside and stands up.

"Eva…"

"Adam wants to stay here. And I don't know why, but it's making me feel like everyone is moving on and I'm not. I should be happy to stay here. Or not stay here. I don't know."

I drop Adam's shirt, and my father is in front of me before I can pick it up. He hugs me, the kind of hug where I can neither breathe nor see, but it doesn't matter because my eyes are burning and I don't want him to have another child. I don't want him to be taken away from me, because he's my father, and everything is falling apart.

"No one, not even another child, will ever replace you. I never even thought I'd have you. If you knew who I was before you, you wouldn't think any of this was possible."

He says the words into my hair, one hand pressing on my back, and I nod. His shirt is warm, the dark fabric familiar as ever, and I rest my head there while he talks.

"I promise we'll never ask you to babysit. And we'll still see you all the time. You live down the hallway. You'll always be my favorite because the new baby probably will keep me up all night and you let me sleep and…"

I don't hear the rest.

I shut my eyes, forcing myself to calm down, and I realize I can't leave.

I couldn't leave him, the still angriest yet not really angriest leader in Dauntless, or my mother. I couldn't go live somewhere else because I was suddenly having a rough time, and Amity was an escape from that. I couldn't leave any of them. Not my godfather, my other godfather, not my parents, not Zander, not Adam.

Not even my younger brother or sister who was about to be born before I'd even picked a job here.

"Will you tell me when you find out? Are you going to name the baby something that starts with an E?" I lift my head away from my father, and for the first time all night, things feel a little better. My world doesn't seem so bleak, and the amplified agony of not being an only child lessens. "What if you have another girl and-"

"I'm pretty sure it's a boy," my father looks down, smiling and shrugging, and his expression is concerned. "We didn't tell you because…I didn't know up until a month ago. I thought your mother didn't feel good because she was tired. There was a minute when I thought she was pregnant, but she told me to mind my own business and leave her alone. I should have known then. Harrison figured it out before me. She went to see her mom and Eden guessed. The two of them kept quiet until she decided I should know. She thought I'd be upset."

He huffs at this memory and shakes his head.

"She didn't want you to think exactly what you're thinking. She's been agonizing over this for a long time."

I wipe at my eyes with the back of my hand, and I feel stupid for being upset. "I'm sorry. I'm really not upset. It's just…Adam doesn't want to leave Dauntless and I thought maybe we would. I thought it would be cool to live somewhere else and maybe…maybe that's what we needed. Everything is different all over again."

Luckily for me, my father understands.

"Amity is very tempting, I know." He pauses, but he doesn't let go of me. "It's nice, I get it. Quiet. Lots of space. If living there made you happy, then…I'd fully support you. But I want you here. Your mother wants you here. I know Four and Tris want Adam to stay, though they'd probably be happy to take a break and go visit you two."

"He told me he couldn't leave. He said his dad offered him a job and he's thinking about taking it." I try to remember his exact words, but I'd been standing there, not sure what I was hearing. "He once told me he was hoping I'd ask him to go to another faction with me. I thought after everything we went through, Amity would be it. Then, he changes his mind, and tells me he understands if I don't want to."

"Here's the thing, and please tell me you two are fine before I go find him and make him make things be fine. You're thinking about the best part of Amity and why you two liked it there. It doesn't matter where you live, it's that you're together. So before you think things are shitty because he's changed his mind about where you should live, just…know this was probably hard for him. He's stuck between fixing a situation he's dealt with his entire life, and what he thinks you want. I would bet he's just as stressed as you are."

"I don't even know what I want," I confess, and he doesn't look surprised.

"You don't have to figure it out now. Stay here, Eva. You and Adam are young. You have plenty of time to live wherever you want. I know you've been struggling over where to work, but…don't tell her I told you. Your mother is going to offer you her job. Once she has the baby, she won't be going back. I don't need her dragging Eric Jr. from faction to faction for a lunch meeting."

"Are you really naming the baby after yourself?" I crack a grin, because he looks smug. "It's a boy, isn't it? Omg, is it going to be like Ethan and Evan?"

"No. He'll sleep through the night because I'm too old to not get eight hours of sleep." My father finally lets go of me, and he smiles. "He can be friends with Elijah. And Karl's second wave of children. And whatever child Rylan steals."

"Are you really going to let him steal a baby?" I raise my eyebrow at my dad, knowing there was a chance Rylan would try this now that he had my grandfather's permission. "Dad?"

"No, he's not stealing anyone's baby. He's busy watching some show Jason gave him. Something about life in an office. He said he can relate." He waits for me to think this over, but he glances at his own phone, currently ringing from the bed. "That's probably him. I told him to call me once the shutdown order was reversed."

"I love you," I tell him, feeling a thousand times better. "Do you promise me you won't forget about me? Especially if the new baby is better than I was?"

"Eva," my dad shakes his head, and his smile is all knowing. "Trust me. No baby will ever be better than you. I promise."

I smile back, and suddenly, things aren't so bad.

Adam and I could stay here.

We could still get married, maybe even in secret, and we'd both have jobs.

They'd come with a lot of changes, including a little brother who I never asked for, but all of this feels way better than how I'd been feeling.

Despite my winning new attitude, the next few days are rough.

Adam avoids me like I've got the plague.

I don't even get the chance to tell him I'm fine staying here, because realistically, moving factions or disappearing probably wasn't the best idea. We'd gotten a preview of how well our parents handled us going missing, and they were even less likely to tolerate us announcing we weren't staying here. I didn't even know how you changed factions after picking one, or if you could, but I'd decided there was no point. The two of us could go to Amity any time we wanted. I could always call my grandpa and ask to come visit, and he'd probably start building me somewhere to live, close to him and my grandma, just in case we changed our minds.

I'd come to terms with this decision easily, feeling far better after talking to my father.

The thought of having a job was great, and knowing it was an important job was even better.

The only crappy part was Adam skating around even looking at me. He was gone, off with who I could only assume were his friends, and he came home once he figured I'd be asleep. I tried staying up late, hoping to catch him coming in the door so we could talk, but it never worked. I sat on the couch waiting for him, and I woke up in bed.

By Friday, I've had enough.

I send him a message to meet me on the roof, and I hint it's important.

It takes him a whole hour to respond, and his single word reply of ok makes my heart sink.

I kill time by trying to get my mother to tell me she's pregnant.

I'm sure she's already talked to my father since he left my apartment, but when I stop by to see her, it takes her forever to even notice I've walked in. I find her in the kitchen, struggling to put the glasses away on the shelf my father liked them. I stare at her in hopes of seeing something that hints she's pregnant, but her dress is too poufy for me to tell. She's barefoot, and she rises up on her toes to try and shove the glass further back.

The loud clink isn't reassuring at all.

"Is dad here? Why doesn't he just help you?"

She startles, clearly not having heard me come in, and her eyes are wide when she turns around.

"Eva! I didn't know you were here!" She pauses, regaining her grip on the wine glass that she most certainly wasn't drinking wine out of, and tries not to look guilty. "He's at work. He said he'd be home for lunch, but I was trying to finish this before he got back. What are you doing here?"

She looks me up and down, suspiciously, and I look her up and down.

"Where's Adam?"

"He's…with his friends. He's sort of…avoiding me, I guess."

I eye her warily, wondering if Christian was designing her outfits to hide her pregnancy. Meghan had looked pregnant when I saw her, but my mother doesn't. The skirt of her dress hits her shins, and the sleeves are too long. She looks the same as she always does, except pale and really tired, like she might fall asleep standing up.

"Oh yeah. Tris said he's afraid he's ruined everything with you," my mother gives up pretending she's any taller than she is, and she sets the last glass on the counter. "He told her he wants to stay here and work with Four. After making it seem like he wanted you two to move somewhere else."

"He told me the same thing," I answer, and I shrug. "I'm honestly fine with it…. I think."

"Your grandfather was so sure you were moving to live in Amity." She looks at me and crosses her arms over her chest. Her dress is pretty, sort of off her shoulders and scrunched across the top, and I realize she's picked it out strategically. "He told me he'd look out for you and Adam if you did. That way I wouldn't worry while you were gone from here."

While usually strong and never afraid of much, this time, her voice wavers.

"Were you guys really going to leave?"

"I wanted to, at one point. I just liked the idea of living somewhere with Adam. Away from everyone else." My answer sounds juvenile to me, but it was how I felt, and I fully accepted this. "It's because I knew he loved me in Amity and I was afraid it wouldn't be the same in Dauntless. Things feel different here."

My mother contemplates this. She chews on her lip for a moment, like she's suddenly remembering something, but she finally nods.

"I know that feeling completely. But trust me. You'll be fine wherever you live. Adam is still in love with you! Right?" She uncrosses her arms and she's in front of me the same way my father was. "Right? Or no? Did something happen?"

"I haven't really seen him. I just…he told me he wanted to stay here, and I told him we should go home. Since then, he's been gone. So maybe I'm the one who ruined it." I shake my head, refusing to let myself sink into the fear of what could happen. "Four has never really liked me so it probably won't be long before he-"

"Oh no," my mother cuts me off, and her expression is one of sheer determination. "Don't even start. Four has been through hell and back over this Adam thing, and he knows that if he fucks with the only thing Adam enjoys in life –you—then Adam will never forgive him. He'd rather risk his son moving away and occasionally calling to say hello than dare try and convince him to stay and date someone else. Adam made it perfectly clear to Four that they can talk about whatever, but you're off limits."

"Really?" I scoff, not at all believing her. "Adam has been gone since…I don't know, this morning? He's barely talked to me all week. He's…"

"He's going to marry you in a few days." My mother blurts out, and her eyes widen. She throws her hands up to cover her mouth and she swears, frantically shrieking as though the kitchen is on fire. "Shit, shit, SHIT! I wasn't supposed to say anything! Oh shit, Eva! You didn't hear that! I'm sorry! I keep saying stuff that I shouldn't! I told your father his haircut looked bad and I didn't even mean it! Just…forget what I said!"

I stare at her, horrified and panicky, and she stares back pleadingly.

"Just…you didn't hear me, okay!"

"I heard it! What do you mean he's going to marry me in a few days? Wouldn't this be something I need to know?" I shriek right back at her, and we're both lucky my father isn't here, because he hated shrieking. "Why are you keeping all these secrets from me! You didn't even tell me you were pregnant! And dad's hair looked fine. What are you talking about?"

To her credit, she immediately looks remorseful.

"Eva, I am so sorry. I didn't tell anyone. Not even your father. He only found out because Rylan noticed I went to see Arlene without him, and she had forgotten she was supposed to re-ban him from hacking into her files. Then, I was really sick and I didn't feel good and your dad kept getting closer and closer and then one day he smelled weird, like gasoline or something and I almost threw up. I finally told him when I was almost seven months pregnant. And I said the thing about his hair because he ate the last donut and I wanted it. And Quinten wasn't going to make any more." My mother finishes with a huge exaggerated sigh. "When I was pregnant with you, I didn't have any of this. I just was really tired. This pregnancy is making me insane."

"Where are you pregnant?" I glance at her dress, wondering if I'm missing something. "You don't look pregnant. And you were insulted about Meghan being pregnant and not telling anyone."

"I know. I was just thinking we could have been pregnant together! Last time, Tris and I were pregnant at the same time. This time, it was just me, and the only other person who knew was…Arlene." She makes a face but reaches down to press her hands on the dress. A second later, with the fabric pushed flat, she's visibly pregnant. She doesn't look anything like Meghan did, but maybe she's not as far along. "It took your dad a long time to notice. I just kept his shirts on and- "

"Gross." I answer, horrified and completely not wanting to hear this. I hold my hand up for her to stop, so she doesn't make me throw up. "Don't say anything else. You're pregnant and you two are still gross and I guess I'll have to be the one to warn my little brother that you're both weird."

"We aren't weird," she answers defensively, and she lets go of her dress. "Your father thinks he's a boy, too."

"Is he?"

"I don't know! I wanted to find out. Last time, I didn't find out and I thought you were a boy. This time, I wanted to find out, and they couldn't tell me." She looks mildly annoyed, but then her expression changes to excitement. "Forget about all that. The baby will show up when he's ready to show up. We have other things to worry about. Like, for starters, you have to pick out a dress. Adam is going to ask you to go to dinner in a few days. I can help you do your hair. He planned something really small, and everyone has been sworn to secrecy."

"He doesn't want me help with any of this?" I debate calling him, but my mother shakes her head when she sees me reach for my phone. "No?

"You can't. Not only is he really excited about doing this for you, and, let's be real, he's trying to make you stay with him. He's convinced you want to leave but you won't if you're married. Your father suggested he just not even tell you. Just have you sign some papers and claim it's for work." She smiles, looking mildly impressed. "I told him no. It worked for him but his own daughter should know she's getting married."

"What if I don't want to?" I watch her smile drop as her expression turns to pure horror. She waits for me to say something else, and I shrug. "What if I don't want to get married this week?"

"Eva! You don't want to marry him?"

I let her think this over, slow panic crossing her face, and I wait until she looks all too nervous.

"No, I do. But that's payback for not telling me you're pregnant!"

"That's not funny!" She reaches over to slap my arm, but she's not mad. "You really made me freak out for a second."

"Welcome to my world," I roll my eyes. "Okay, so I guess…if I'm getting married and I'm not supposed to know, I should go pick something out? Will I know for sure when he asks me?"

"Yes! But Christian already sent like, four hundred things for you to pick from. You can try them on here, and then, um, I'll bring it over on the day he asks. He'll never know. I'll have your dad invite him to go get a haircut or something."

"Okay," I answer, still not entirely convinced. "Why is he planning this? I thought…we were saying it should just be him and I…"

"Because he loves you and he doesn't want anyone but you. So, he planned a really small celebration. We weren't even allowed to invite anyone. Just immediate family. You guys can get married, and if you want a big party later, we'll have one." She smiles brightly, and the look of exhaustion lessens. "Plus, if you have it in Amity, there's a big chance you won't return. Your grandfather is really persuasive. He told your father he bought you a pony."

I nod, and something dawns on me.

These past twenty-four hours had proven to be a whirlwind. My sanity was held together by a gossamer strand, which was threatening to rip apart with each new reveal. I realize the only thing to do is to take a page out of my mother's book and just go along with it.

It had worked for her, and it just might work for me.

"Okay," I give in, and I watch my mother's face light up. "Let me see the dresses."

Four hours later, Adam cancels.

His text message is apologetic, but thinly worded, and he ends it by saying he'll talk to me soon.

It's pretty ironic, considering we live together.

He can't avoid me forever, and normally, I'd be reasonably upset that he didn't want to meet up. Maybe he was trying to hold his secret plan together, or maybe he really was busy trying to figure out a way not to tell Rylan, but I pretend it's fine. I tell him okay, and I leave it at that.

I head upstairs, taking the steps two at a time, until I reach the roof.

After trying on all the dresses Christian sent, I left with my head spinning. None of them felt like me, and none of them were what I would want to get married in. Some were dramatic, large and oversized with enough details that I could barely see myself, and some were so tight I couldn't walk. Some were understated, pretty and still flashy, but not as vibrant, and some made me look like I was about to be locked away in a tower somewhere.

I was mildly defeated. I ate lunch with Rachel and Pink, both of them clearly knowing what was going on. They smiled, wider and wider, doing their best not to look at each other, and I wanted to yell that I knew what was up. In fact, I might even need their help getting ready. But I wanted to keep the secret, because the more I thought about it, the more I was surprised Adam had even thought of it.

It was pretty forward.

Sort of romantic, if you really thought about who he was. It was bold, considering he'd had to ask my father, tell his parents, and figure out how to keep everyone quiet. It showed that he truly was happy with me, and he was taking the stress out of planning a wedding we both knew would inevitably blow up in our faces.

If we planned something months out, maybe even years out, it wouldn't just be us.

It would be the entire faction, gathering together to watch their prophecy come true.

So I'd decided to stay quiet, and when he finally did ask me, I'd make him sweat for a minute by debating his offer for dinner.

Eventually, I'd say yes. But I'd make him work for it.

I'd gone home to an empty apartment, and I called him. His phone went to voicemail, and I took a chance by leaving a message and telling him I was going upstairs anyway. I told him I missed him, that I was hoping he'd be home early tonight, and to call me if I should wait up.

He didn't answer.

I try him one more time, plunking down on the edge of the rooftop, and dangling my feet over the edge.

I'd changed into one of the dresses Christian had made that I liked. It was the only one I took from my mom's apartment. I'd normally skip one like this, because it was a little too frilly for my liking. Everything was ruched and gathered and the skirt was too full and long, but it was pretty. It felt like something someone cooler than me would wear, and the dark color was perfect for sitting under the moonlight.

By myself.

I stare up at it, large and looming and slowly traveling across the night sky, and I sigh.

I miss Adam.

These hours of separation were painful. As much as I pretended otherwise, I couldn't imagine my life without him. I could even get behind the idea of this wedding, small and quiet, and solidifying who we are, because once it was done, my life with him could really start.

Maybe this was what we both needed.

"Eva, get down. You're going to fall."

The voice echoes on the rooftop, right over to me.

I don't even need to turn around to know who it is.

"I am not. I'm fine. I've never fallen," I remind him, but I smile when I hear him walk closer. "Except that one time when I fell onto you."

Adam comes to a halt at the edge, and he bends down to wrap his arms around me. He rests his head on my shoulder, and he smells good. He's clean and warm, like he just took a shower, and he nudges my head with his when I lean back.

"I thought you couldn't make it."

"I didn't think I would. I was in a meeting," he speaks softly, and his words are carried away by a lazy lone gust of wind. "That sounds so stupid to say. My dad used to say it all the time, whenever he was late. Everything was about a meeting."

I snort, because I'd always heard the same thing growing up. If my father was not home for dinner or running behind, it was because of a meeting.

"I was going to tell you when I got home that I accepted the job with him. He said I don't have to jump into anything crazy. I can learn all sorts of areas, and he's put together a pretty well-rounded training. He said once I'm done, I can really help them. They think Jason might not be as invested now that he has a baby. Or maybe he'll be more invested. Who knows?" Adam mumbles the words into my hair, and his arms tighten. "I just didn't know how to tell you. I wanted to leave with you. I wanted us to go somewhere else and this isn't any of that and…"

"We don't have to go anywhere, Adam." I turn slightly, and he moves closer. "Someday, maybe in a few years, if we get tired of living here, we can go. I liked the idea of living in Amity because it would be living with you, but I realized it doesn't matter where we are, just as long as we're together."

"So you aren't mad? You seemed…surprised."

"I like Amity, but I like anywhere when I'm with you," I glance up at him, managing to keep my balance and not fall, and his face relaxes completely. "I um, I saw my mom today and…"

"I know you know what I was planning," he cuts me off, and a second later, he pulls me backward. My stomach drops at the falling sensation, but my feet hit the roof a second later. "I figured someone wouldn't be able to keep quiet. But I'm gonna fix that."

"What are you talking about?" I stare at him in total confusion, and I realize he's dressed all in black. His meeting must have been more formal than I'd imagined, because his shirt is nice. It's dark and unbuttoned at the top, and his pants are dark, too.

"Okay, so I know we talked about it being just me and you, but I had to involve one more person," Adam grins, and he gestures at the doorway. I wait, patiently, and Adam clears his throat. "Rylan."

"Not Jason?" I ask, not entirely shocked when Rylan appears. He's also dressed in black, but his hair is brushed and neatly pulled up.

"Really, Eva? Not Jason? That's how you greet the man who's going to marry you and Adam?" Rylan's shirt is as nice as Adam's and he even has a tie on. "And to think I once yelled at your mother for wanting to take you from faction to faction." He huffs, but he smiles when he stops by Adam. "You two look nice."

"Thank you, but…" I look up at Adam, grinning widely, and I wait for the others to show up. I half expect my father to come up the stairs, my mother right beside him, followed by Karl and Charlotte and all of their children. "You want to get married right now? Just us?"

"Yeah, I told my mom I was going to do it before this weekend. They're all waiting for this party and I thought they'd keep it small. But all of a sudden, they needed to invite people. Cara, Jack, someone named Max. Some lady who just fell off the face of the Earth named Tori. I decided I wanted to do this tonight, you and me, and of course my mom accidentally told Christina."

"Christina told me," Rylan rocks back on his heels, and he looks at both of us. "No one told Eric, for safety reasons. He doesn't like gatherings on the roof. Nor would he handle this well. Anyway, I came up with a plan that once I marry you two, you'll head to Amity and enjoy a lovely stay there. I will single handedly shut down the factions again, giving you time to relax and have fun. I will also code my files so no one can un-shut them down. I have one more thing to take care of, and when I return, you can come back. Have a second wedding here. It'll be a huge party. We can even invite Henry, once he's done mourning the loss of Eva as his future wife."

Rylan flashes us a pleased smile and it's clear he's thought this through.

"You can…marry us? Are you sure?" I realize Adam is reaching for my hand, and his fingers touch mine. He pulls me toward him. "How?"

"Of course I can marry you two. Do you think my powers know any boundaries? I took an online course. It only cost me seven points and I had to register in Candor as an ordained…something. Jack is clearly racking up the price point for such an honor, but it was worth it. I registered back when your father first met your mother. Jason and I knew he'd marry her, and I was hoping I could be the one to do it. This is better, though. Way better."

"What do you say?" Adam looks at me, and he shrugs off the insanity of having Rylan marry us, then shut down the faction again, so we could leave for a few days. "You and me?"

I look back at him, his face handsome as ever, patiently waiting for me to say yes.

"Eva?"

I make him wait, until the look in his eyes tells me he's not quite so confident in his plan, and then I smile.

"Yes."

Turns out, Rylan is a pretty decent officiate.

Once we told him he couldn't stand on the roof ledge, which made him tower over us, he reverted to the most professional version of himself. He climbed down, fixed his hair, and pulled out his phone. To my surprise, he had guidelines he actually wanted to follow, and he waited patiently until Adam reached for my hand. We stood facing him, until he told us to face each other, and really, it couldn't have been more perfect.

We'd met up here for years, just Adam and me.

If I had to guess, I'd say Rylan knew this, or someone in the control room had watched. I would even go so far as saying there was probably a bet on whether or not we had kissed, or if we'd wind up together or drastically apart.

Up here, in the night sky, high above the city while the faction somewhat quieted down, we were together.

Just like all those times, when neither of us understood why we needed to see each other, just that we did.

"Okay, so you have to answer yes or no. If you answer no, the wedding is off and Eva must marry Henry as a consolation prize. He's waiting in the stairwell, just in case," Rylan snickers at the very thought, then clears his throat. "Yes, we're good?"

"I'm not marrying Henry," I laugh. "If I'm not marrying Adam, then I'd rather marry no one. And I really hope Henry isn't waiting in the wings for this to fall apart."

"Okay, he's waiting at home. But, on a serious note, do you take Adam to be your lawfully wedded husband? He'll have access to all your points, you'll never be able to divorce because paperwork takes forever here, and at some point, I will need to know if you're having a child. Before anyone else." Rylan declares, and I nod.

"I do."

Across from me, Adam smiles, both trying not to laugh at Rylan's demands, and happy with my answer.

"Adam, do you take Eva to be your lawfully wedded wife? According to Eric, she'll spend all your points on leggings she'll never wear and you'll probably have to cook dinner every night. Also, your water bill will be astronomically high, since Eric claims Eva takes forever to get ready, but you probably already know this. So, yes or no?" Rylan pauses, and he smiles brightly. "Though, we all know you'll say yes since this was your idea."

"These are the worst vows ever," Adam does his best to keep a straight face. "Can't I tell Eva I want to marry her because I love her?"

"I mean, if you wanna be gross, sure." Rylan winks, and he steps back, dangerously close to where he wanted to stand. "I'll give you a moment."

Adam looks at me, torn at Rylan's inability to keep a straight face and some distance between us, and he shakes his head.

"I do love you. A lot. More than I thought I could ever love someone. I just wanted to marry you without anyone around. And I needed someone who could make it official." He smiles, his eyes crinkling, and he scrunches his nose up. "I never pictured getting married this way, or at all, but it makes sense to me…and I hope it does to you, too. So, not to be gross, but I love you, Evangelina Coulter."

"I love you, Adam Eaton." I answer back, shaking my head when Rylan cheerfully informs us he charges by the minute. I step closer to Adam, and I remember the very first time I realized how tall he is. And how handsome. "I never imagined getting married either but this is far better than anything I could have thought of."

His smile grows wider, making his whole face light up.

"So that's a yes? You both agree to enter this legally binding, never ending, iron clad, divorce proof contract?" Rylan resumes his position as our official and he throws his hands up. "Then, by the power invested in me and Jack Kang and his weird, creepy old secretary, I now pronounce you husband and wife, royalty of the Dauntless faction. You may now kiss the bride, and then you can hug me because…"

For once, Rylan's voice wavers.

We both look at him, and his face is wrought with every emotion possible.

"Because I love you both like you're my own, which Adam could be, or at least my stepson or step grandson, and Eva, duh, because Eric is my best friend and I got to see you guys get married before anyone else in this faction." He says this in a rush, then stops, and screws his eyes shut. He struggles to keep it together, then decides he has no reason to.

It is a wedding, after all.

"Okay, now kiss, then I'll hug you." Rylan tearfully waves at us, then hops away toward the ledge. He glances down, and his stare stays there.

"Eva," Adam says my name, taking advantage of Rylan turning to wipe his eyes while he pretends he's not crying. Adam pulls me right against him, and I throw my arms around his neck as he slides his hands into my hair. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Maybe more."

He smiles, crookedly, like this is the very first time I've ever confessed this to him. I rise up on my toes, and he bends down, touching his lips to mine.

Everything is absolutely right in the world.

This might not have been how I ever imagined getting married or ever thought it would happen. It was likely our parents would be furious they weren't here for the original wedding, and our friends would probably be annoyed.

But it is just Adam and me, together, and that is all that matters.

Sure, at some point we'd have to tell our parents, and it was likely we'd have another ceremony, but this was all I needed.

"And actually, doesn't this mean you're no longer Evangelina Coulter?" Adam asks seriously, breaking away to look right at me. His fingers slide back, lingering on my face, and before I can nod, the sky explodes.

We both turn to look up at the night sky in total surprise.

They come out of nowhere; fireworks burst and bloom, streaking across the sky in bright colors. They're faintly familiar for reasons I don't know, but I can't take my eyes off them. Each one shoots up high into the sky, faster than I can see, then explodes in a glittering array of color. Some are pink, some are a darker pink. There are some white ones mixed in, and a very few blue ones. Adam and I watch them go off, one after the other, and he lets go to move his arms around me.

"Did you plan this?" I whisper, not wanting to break the spell of this moment. "Or did…hey, where's Rylan?"

We both dare to look away for a single second, but Rylan is gone, having vanished without either of us knowing. It's only us on the roof now. Adam pulls me against his side, sliding his arm around my waist and turning to face the direction of the fireworks.

"As much as I'd like to take credit for this, I have to say someone else is looking out for us."

His words drift into the not so dark night, and I lean my head against him.

We stand there as the fireworks show goes on and on. Some are bright enough to light up the whole roof, the color vibrant as it covers the rooftop in a lovely shade of blue. Some are fast, sparking quickly and burning out before I can blink. We watch until the last one is so loud and bright and dazzling that it's likely all of Dauntless will hear it. Adam and I stand there together, near the very ledge of the roof we'd once met by to pretend we didn't like each other, now as husband and wife.

The fireworks eventually stop and the sky turns dark. There are faint sparkles left, floating down lazily, waiting to burn out until the very last second.

Adam leans against me, and I can feel his heart beating. It's strong and steady, and ever familiar.

Once upon a time, I had thought Adam Eaton didn't like me.

I had thought his disdain for me was incredible, perhaps bordering on utter loathing. I had been wrong though, oh so wrong. I would never have been able to predict it would end like this, with us on a rooftop, married by Rylan, watching fireworks go off as our marriage became official.

"You ready, Eva?" Adam glances down out of the corner of his eye, and he smiles. He pulls me further against him, bending his head down to touch mine, and I realize I was stupid to think he didn't like me.

Maybe he had loved me this whole time.

From the very second we met, up until our last second together.

"I'm ready," I smile back, wide and happy and completely content.

He and I will head inside, my hand through his, my eyes on him, and we will head home. Not as two separate members of Dauntless, nor the Coulters versus the Eatons, but as Adam and Eva, who found their happily ever after, even if it was predicted by the entire faction.

I grasp onto him tightly, and I close my eyes for just a second, refusing to lose this feeling.

Pure, total, and nearly indescribable happiness.