Chapter 20: Epilogue, Eric

Nine months later

"Happy choosing day."

Exactly one year ago I met Beatrice the shy Abnegation girl breaking out of her shell, and now I'm waking up with Tris the Dauntless leader. "Happy choosing day." I reply as we both get up to get dressed. "Are you excited to go watch the choosing?"

We decided that Tris and I would go with the few from our faction to the choosing ceremony while Four waited on the roof for the ones who come back with us.

"I'm starving, let's go get some breakfast." Tris jumps out of bed and pulls on her black pants which now fit exactly like when she was shot, a black tee shirt, and her boots. She's been cutting her hair again so it's still short and sticks up at different angles.

I follow suit and pull clothes on before we run to the dining hall where everyone is talking excitedly.

"HAPPY CHOOSING DAY!" Uriah yells while standing on the bench. He has cake on his face and I wonder if he's had an actual breakfast or is just getting sugared up.

Breakfast goes by in a blur and before I know it Tris and I are running to catch the train with all the sixteen year old Dauntless. Everyone on the train is jumping and calling out with excitement until we get to the city and they all start jumping off at the platform and running towards the building. Tris and I follow but stay towards the back until we get inside and we sit front and center.

The choosing goes on like it always does and when it's over the two of us and the Dauntless born lead everyone out running through the streets towards the train platform. When I look out at the group waiting for the train I notice that we have almost an even number from Candor and Erudite but only one from Amity and none from Abnegation.

Tris isn't paying attention to who's transferred over and instead she's trying to make sure she gets the train. She's all healed up now but sometimes she says that the scar hurts after doing something really vigorous, the first time we had sex she laid in bed and clutched her stomach for ten minutes.

The train comes around the corner and we start running along the platform. A few of the Dauntless born jump on the train and stand in the door to help the others on, I jump on and reach out from Tris. She's stubborn and keeps running through ignoring my outstretched arm and just smiles.

"I can do it." She calls and while most of the others aren't on the train yet I know the platform is running out. When she jumps I still wrap my arm around her waist and pull her towards me.

"I know you can do it." I whisper to her kissing her cheek and watching as the others jump on.

We don't lose anyone to the first test and I see a lot of the transfers staring at me holding onto Tris probably wondering how two leaders can be together.

When we get to the rooftop Tris jumps off first and I follow as well as a few Dauntless born from the second car. I know the transfers are starting to figure out what they need to do and I watch and one by one they start to jump off and while Four is waiting on the ledge Tris and I head down to the net and wait to see who jumps first with our friends.

"Bet it'll be an Erudite." Christina says.

Will shakes his head. "No, it'll be an Amity."

"Definitely Dauntless born." Uriah quips.

Zeke laughs. "You always say that."

They start jumping and it ends up being a Candor which disappoints everyone who made a bet.

That night at dinner the three of us stand on a table up front and welcome the new initiates to the faction and the members start whooping and pounding on the table. "We recognize normal acts of bravery."

We talked about what to say during the speech and a few things were thrown around but mostly we wanted to go back to what the manifesto says and it seemed like the best thing to do with the recent circumstances.

The speech didn't last too long which the Dauntless seem to enjoy.

"So we got twelve transfers and ten Dauntless born." Four says before eating a piece of cake. "So the question is, are we keeping all twenty two or just top ten like before?"

"I don't see why we can't keep all twenty two." Tris says. "If we just take the top ten, that means twelve are going to factionless which might not be the best thing right now."

"I agree, we can still rank to base jobs on but we keep all of the initiates." I'm sitting with my back against the wall looking out at the room. The Dauntless born initiates all sit together at a few tables while the transfers struggle to find seats even though there are open tables.

A few staring at the table openly catch my eye and quickly turn away. There are a few girls staring at Four and guys staring at Christina and one or two even staring at Tris, she's not conventionally pretty and she doesn't do anything to make herself prettier but to me that's part of the charm. I love her because she's herself and doesn't try to make anyone think anything differently.

I started doing some research about a month ago on how Dauntless get married and I heard a few different things but one thing I know is that they don't do big ceremonies.

That night when we get back to the apartment, which Tris eventually moved into fully, we finally get to spend some time alone.

"So, I was thinking." We curl into bed and I pull her close to me. "Would you want to get married?"

She turns around in bed to face me and I can see her smiling in the moon light. "Are you proposing?"

I know that in Abnegation there aren't proper proposals and that the parents really set it up mostly but since we're in Dauntless and neither of us have parents we really just have to decide for ourselves.

"Do you want me to?" She nods and I feel an arm curl around my waist. "Then I am." I kiss her harder than I've ever done before and she starts kissing me back. "Tris, will you marry me?"

"Yes."

The next morning before breakfast the two of us run down to the tattoo parlor and get designs on our ring fingers.

"What is that?" Will points to Tris' finger when we all sit down and as soon as he's finished speaking his eyes go wide. "Oh."

"We have an announcement." Everyone looks up from their plates and I smile. "Tris and I are engaged."

Christina and Shauna scream as they jump up and grab Tris into a giant hug and the guys all clap me on the shoulder or shake my hand before also hugging her. Our little table is bustling with noise which grabs others attention even before Uriah stands on the bench and yells out the news.

Some of the faction members that we know come over and congratulate us, the guys talk about drinking in the Pit later, the girls are bustling around Tris asking how I proposed and whatnot and while some don't think it's a super romantic way of asking her to marry me we both agree that it was the best way for us.

The transfers have no idea what is going on and are still getting used to all of the commotion that come with the Dauntless.

"So have you guys talked about when you're actually going to get married?"

Four asks but everyone else waits for the answer. "No we haven't, not yet anyway."

I'm sure that Tris won't want anything big and I'm not sure how the Dauntless actually do weddings so I'll have to find someone I can ask, but for now I'm just content knowing that we are together.

"I love you." Tris whispers in my ear.

A smile engulfs my face and I can't help but kiss her. "I love you too."

I could wait forever to marry her knowing that and would gladly do it. There is nothing in the world that could make me happier than she does and her love burns so brightly I don't think it will ever go out.

A/N: Ta da! Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing, I was thinking about doing a short story after this depicting the wedding so if anyone is interested in that please let me know!