The Way Back

Outtake 2

TOBIAS POV

It is safe to say that even with all of the memories that Tris and I made here—and even though those memories make me nostalgic—I do not miss this place.

TJ is excited to be in Chicago though, despite the long plane ride, and as we drive through the streets on our way to our old Dauntless apartment, I hear him expressing it in the backseat. I smile when I see him pointing in the rearview mirror at buildings I have known my whole life. If only he knew that those buildings were not always upright...

"Mama!" he crows with delight. "Look! It's so big!"

"Yeah," Tris laughs next to me, half asleep. I'm not doing too well myself. It is not easy to wake up early in the morning and get two young kids packed and on a plane. "That's called the Hancock building. I have zip lined off of it a few times."

"What's that?"

"It's like flying," she describes.

Suddenly Natalie lets out a wail in the backseat that has us all cringing. She hasn't been in the greatest mood today. In fact, I'd say that her temper is currently explosive.

"TJ, did her pacifier fall out?" Tris sighs.

"Yeah."

"Can you put it back in, please?"

He agrees to do as she says. "Heew, Natty," he coos while I'm assuming he puts the pacifier back in his sister's mouth. Her crying slows to disgruntled humming, and it relieves the pounding headache I have acquired.

"Okay, we're here," I announce as I pull up into the Dauntless compound's garage. There are many more cars parked along the walls, a contribution of the Incendiaries. Since we left, they have built an airport here, renovated buildings, and fixed crumbling roads, which have all made life here much easier.

"Yay!" my son shrieks as he scrambles out of the car. Tris is already out and grabs him before he can go far.

"You have to stay by us this whole trip. This is a big place with lots of people," she explains.

"Okay," he giggles before running uncoordinatedly over to me.

I bend down and steady him with my hands on his shoulders. "Hey, I know you're excited, but I need you to take your suitcase, okay?" I say.

He nods enthusiastically and jumps up and down as I take his bag out of the trunk. Maybe we were wrong to give him sugar...

"Do we have everything?" Tris asks as she walks over to the back of the car.

"I think so." Noticing that she has Natalie's carrier on her arm, I offer, "Let me take her. You can just take the diaper bag."

Sagging in relief, she then steps on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek with gratitude. I grin like an idiot because even a gesture like that can still be enough to awaken my younger, lovesick self, especially in a place like this.

With TJ corralled in between us, we each wheel our suitcases up a ramp that leads us directly from the dark garage to the open Pit floor.

Our son is shocked because of everything: the atmosphere, the enormity, the amount of people milling around. Even Natalie is taking as much in as she can from the carrier, her wide eyes looking straight past me when I look down to check on her.

On the other hand, Tris and I throw an unsurprised glance at one another. A glance filled with nostalgia and like we both know a joke that the others around us don't. We are back in our old home, where just a few years ago we were young and naive and facing relationship issues. We were both unhappy over something and still recovering from war.