Inner And Outer Demons

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Tris's POV

My feet stomp loudly up the staircase as I took the flights of stairs rather than the elevator up to the squad room. My heavy steps echo all around me just as my deep ragged breaths echo in my head and inside of my chest. But soon I'm flying into the squad room, heading for my desk. Tobias sits at his desk that adjoins to mine, and his eyebrows raise as he spots me in such a rush.

Reclining back in his seat, his arms cross over his chest. And in the t-shirt he wears today, it looks as though the fabric is about to split. On most days, my eyes would stare a little too long on his defined muscles. But today my eyes don't even register them for more than a second.

"What's gotten into you?" Tobias questions, as I turn my computer on. Not sitting in my seat, rather leaning far over the chair to log in.

"My case is headed down the toilet, that's what." I tell him, not looking up as I type in my passcode.

"Does it have something to do with that press conference that took place a few minutes ago downstairs?" Tobias asks me, and I look up at him through my lashes. And my look is enough to give him his answer, for he nods his head in understanding.

"I'm still working on that shooting from last week, the one you have left me alone on." Tobias speaks up, flipping a pen around in his hand and I straighten. "Somehow one of the bullet casings--"

"Tobias?" I cut him off, saying his name softly as others work at their desks. The pen falls from his fingers as he looks up at me. "I would love to hear about your case and it's problems, I really would. But right now isn't a good time."

Tobias's lips curl upward into a soft smirk, and if I wasn't swirling with stress right now I'd walk over and kiss that smirk. "Point taken. You go, fix your case."

"Thanks," I tell him, and his smile calms my clambering heart for a mere moment. "I'll see you sometime later."

Tobias nods, and shooting me one last glace of his smirk, he looks back down at his own computer.

Taking a deep breath, I head for the doors. Walking through, I decide to take the elevator down to visit Amy in holding. Pressing the down button, I wait. But luckily, not for very long. Stepping onto the empty elevator I wait for the doors to close again. And soon they do, but not before a woman steps in first.

"Beatrice Prior? That's you isn't it?" I look over at the woman who looks to me with an expectant look on her face.

"Yes, I'm sorry, do I know you?"

The woman doesn't look familiar, in fact I can say with certainty that I've never seen this woman before in my life. Yet somehow, she knows who I am. Her hair lays in dark curls over her shoulders, and her even darker eyes bore holes into me as she seems to almost study me. Her face is strong in features, her jaw line sharp and strong and her nose is slightly hooked. Much like Tobias's.

"I believe you know my son."

And than it hits me, as I stare at this woman closer, pieces of familiarity come to the surface. Faint features I recognize from Tobias's appearance make me realize that this woman is Tobias's mother.

"You're Tobias's mother, aren't you?" I ask, feeling an uneasy flip in my stomach as I continue to look at her.

"I thought he went by Four now," She remarks with a slight tone in her voice. "Sure made that clear to me."

"But yes, I'm his mother. Evelyn Eaton." She introduces herself, but doesn't extend a hand for me to shake. Not that I was standing in line to shake her hand.