Rekindling

Chapter 14: Tris - Traditions

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! They're my Christmas presents, just so you know. :-) Thank you also to my wonderful beta reader, BarbaraK2U!

Chapter 14: Tris – Traditions

This will be the first Christmas Eve that Tris has spent away from her family, and the first one that Tobias has spent with anyone since Marcus. So, they're understandably both a bit nervous when she arrives, shaking the cold air off along with her coat.

"Hi," she greets him, standing on tiptoe to give him a kiss. "You look nice." She's always liked plaid flannel shirts on him.

"So do you." Amusement seeps into his tone as he gestures to her pink sweater with the knitted Christmas tree that covers the entire front of it. The cats are likely to go nuts over the little bells and bows that decorate the tree.

"My mom gave me this," she mutters, reddening a touch. "So, I'll need to wear it tomorrow, and I figured if I stay over...."

The words draw a smile from him. "You're always welcome to keep clothes here, you know. I can clear as much space as you want."

She smirks a little, remembering their conversation in Zeke and Shauna's bathroom. "You mean you'll give me another drawer?" He grins as his hands find her hips, pulling her close. "And maybe some hanging room?"

"Consider it done." He leans down to kiss her again, lingering longer this time, but they break apart before going too far down that road. There are other things they want to do first. "So, um, I did a lot of reading and thinking, and I picked some new 'traditions' we could try. If you're game?"

"Of course." She rests her hands on his chest for a moment longer. "And maybe we could incorporate some of what I've always done with my family on Christmas Eve?"

His expression grows serious. "Tris, we can still go over there if you want."

"No." She gives him another quick kiss. "Tonight is for us." It's what they worked out, after she realized how much he was dreading spending the holiday with her father. They'll only go to her parents' house for Christmas afternoon, and the rest of the time will be just for the two of them. "Caleb and Cara wanted to do their own thing tonight anyway, so it's better for everyone this way."

Tobias nods, still not entirely convinced, but she links her hand with his, squeezing firmly, as she adds, "What's first?"

The question restores his smile, and he leads her to the eating bar that serves as his only dining area. Magazines are spread across it, with scissors and glue sticks and a large piece of cardboard. It reminds Tris of school projects from years ago.

"I thought we could make a collage." He looks somewhat shy. "We would each find images that remind us of people we love, and share a story about why that is. And then glue them onto the board. Every year would be a different set of stories."

At first, Tris isn't sure about the idea, her eyebrows scrunched as she flips through the magazines. They cover a variety of topics – everything from the outdoors to celebrities – and it seems strange to use them instead of real photos. But the more she looks, the more she begins to see the potential in this idea. It inspires a different set of memories than photo albums do.

She smiles when she sees an elderly woman in the middle of a sky-dive, her arms and legs stretched wide and gray hair escaping from her helmet. "My grandmother Anna has always been brave," she comments. "I remember one time we were camping, years ago, and this huge dog wandered over from another campsite." She looks up, meeting Tobias' blue eyes. "I was just a little kid, and I ran away screaming, and of course that made the dog chase me." Her shoulders lift. "It probably thought I was playing a game or something, but I was terrified. And then Nana came charging to the rescue, screaming at the top of her lungs and flapping her arms like she was an ostrich or something." She laughs. "I have never seen an animal run away that fast. It did this whole terrified yelping thing and everything as it took off."