#divergentf

[n1ghtlux]

PROMPT 18:

“You don’t have to be gentle with me. I don’t break easily.”

Pairing: Divergent - Peter Hayes x Reader

In which you’re a Dauntless born, ready to kick some ass.

This day was very different for both the dauntless born and the transfers.

Today you would get to take a good look at the initiatives for the first time and not only that; you were allowed to fight. You wondered if they had gotten enough time to learn the required skills since they grew up so different from you and the others.

Uriah threw an apple at you, breaking you from your train of thought. You were barely able to catch it with your left hand and threw a playful glare his way. He held his hands up in mock surrender while Lynn rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. It was no rare occurrence that the dark skinned and fairly tall boy and you spent every second of the day annoying each other. You two definitely had a strong bond, having grown up together; so did you and most the other Dauntless born. You looked out for each other despite the rankings. It was one big family that you wouldn’t trade for anything.

Eric appeared in the cafeteria, looking quite annoyed already so you nudged the others and made your way over to him but not before Uriah yelled an exaggerated “ouch!” at your action.

“Oh come on now, you’re acting like a damn transfer.” Uriah gasped, at your snarky remark.

“I consider that transfer-racism, I want you to know that.”

A wholehearted laugh escaped your lips while you were walking towards Eric, which got the attention of your fellow Dauntless leader, who’s eyes seemed a bit more piercing now.

Marlene who had been walking right behind you and Uriah, whispered in your ear: “You just signed your death warrant.”

Uriah slung his arm over your shoulder, his voice breaking as he tried to talk in an higher octave, “Don’t worry darlin’ I’ll protect you.” You shoved him away from you in response.

-✭✭✭-

This training session would affect your ranking so you took it seriously, even if Uriah reassured you that you were “just” fighting against untrained kids.

As the transfers piled into the training room, you studied them closely – one by one. Most of them seemed quite anxious in the way they carried themselves, their shoulders hanging low and trying not to make eye contact with anyone.

Just a few had confidence in their step and only one held eye contact with you. You took the opportunity to study his features, his dark brown, slightly curly hair and broad shoulders. From what you could tell from the distance you stood at, he had dark eyes and was definitely a head taller than you. You couldn’t deny that he looked pretty handsome, if it wasn’t for that smug smile on his face he wore as his eyes roamed over your body.

A scoff left your lips, not willing to let him win the staring contest, your eyes fierce and staring right back at him. You subconsciously crossed your arms over your chest, trying to keep your face stern, yet void of any other emotion which could be perceived as weakness.

“I think we have our first fighters, what do you say Four.”

Eric’s voice got you to look away from the transfer. It wasn’t a question towards Four, so he only nodded towards you.

“Y/N and Peter, will you give us the honor.”

Eric now stood beside you, his hand on your shoulder, “don’t embarrass me.”

His voice was quiet and his breath fanning your ear sent a shiver down your spine.

“You both know the rules, what’re you waiting for?”

You looked back at Uriah who held his thumbs up at you with a smirk plastered on his face. Yet when you looked back at who you learned to be Peter, he was already lunging towards you, his arms wide open trying to wrap them around your waist and tear you to the ground.

You weren’t fast enough and your back and head connected with the ground hard, knocking the air out of your lungs. You winced getting angry at his cowardice behavior and angry at yourself for starting to feel lightheaded.

“Don’t worry doll, I’ll be easy on you.”, he almost spat in your face saying this, both of your breathing falling into rhythm and chests touching with every heave.

Now you really wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. He wanted to have a dirty fight, he could have one.

Peter was about to put his hands around your throat but you reacted fast, wrapping your leg around both of his and turning you both over with the momentum. Now he was the one laying underneath you, his hands being pinned above his head by one of yours and your body pressing down onto his. It took you more force than imagined, he was big and strong but you had the technique.

“You don’t have to be gentle with me. I don’t break easily.”

Now it was your turn to feel cocky. With your free right hand, you threw a punch into his jugular causing him to turn his head to the side and cough hard. Another blow to his stomach with your elbow.

He was struggling beneath you yet went in for a headbutt since it was the only part of his body he could still move. You retailed for a second, you could feel the warm liquid drip down your nose. Peter’s head fell back to the ground, it probably hurt him just as much as it did you but the adrenaline in the two of you prevented you from feeling it… at least for a while. You could faintly hear some gasps, probably from the transfers who weren’t used to a sight like this yet. It was then you decided to end the fight with one last jab to his head, knocking him out successfully.

You fell down next to him, turning your head to look at the now peacefully sleeping boy who looked much more likable like this. A curl of his hair had fallen onto his face and you almost wanted to reach over and bring it back into its once perfect position. You refrained yourself from doing so.

Uriah stood above you and grinned down at you before you pulled yourself up by his outreached hand and took the tissue he gave you thankfully with a nod.

“You could’ve knocked him out way sooner, why didn’t you? You almost looked like you were enjoying toying with the poor guy.”

You chuckled at that, not quite sure why you did go easy on him, your fights usually were brutal, even Eric knew that. Maybe that’s why he had picked you, expecting to teach the cocky guy a lesson.

“What if I did?" you shrugged nonchalantly and walked back toward Lynn and Marlene who were shaking their heads.

“god Y/N, you’re cruel!”

Prompts

[english isn't my first language]

[salixc]

Creating this one almost killed me, but here you have the Ice Queen herself, Jeanine Matthews! (My novelisation of her, anyway)

[bookwarm85-blog]

~Ugly~

TITLE: Ugly

CHAPTER NUMBER/ONE SHOT: One-shot

AUTHOR: bookwarm85

WHICH JAI/CHARACTER: Eric X Female Reader

GENRE: Angst

FIC SUMMARY: Eric loses control...

RATING: MA

WORDS: 1,670

NOTES/WARNINGS: This a request that I received by a lovely Anon, here you go I hope you enjoy it.

 TRIGGER WARNINGS! This fic contains mentions of assault, accidental abuse, angst, heartbreak it’s a mixed bag of emotions. I just wanted to give people a warning before reading this story so that nobody is taken by surprise. If you’re not comfortable with this please don’t read it.

 As usual a HUGE thank you to @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995 for betaing this for me.

 If you are not and would like to be tagged in this or any of my future stories then let me know and I’ll add you to the tag list.

 @thihaf @audasia25 @anditcametopass @iammarylastar @frecklefaceb @societalfailure @badassbaker@insertamazingwords @ashtotes@oddsnendsfanfics @pathybo @shortstoryimagines @tigpooh67 @dahmousya @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995 @coralelizabeth @beltz2016 @kenzieam @lauraaan182 @jojuarez26

  He hadn’t meant to do it, he hadn’t meant to hurt you. How could he even think about hurting you? You were the one who believed in him when everyone else around him wrote him off as being a heartless leader, the people in the faction had claimed he didn’t have a heart, that part was true, the heart that once resided in his chest now belonged to you.

 Just the thought of hurting you was enough to turn his stomach and steal the very breath from his lungs. Even now as he sat at the bar in The Pit with a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass, he panted for breath, only to pour himself another shot to numb the pain, he quickly downed it hoping it would erase the memory of what happened.

 Earlier that day…

 He anxiously tapped his fingers on the steel table in front of him, he hated these boring meetings, the one’s where nothing of importance was happening, Max was droning on about Amity and Eric was thinking about the naked woman he left in his bed, the side of his mouth quirked up as he remembered the night before where you had begged him for release, the soft cries of his name as he marked every inch of your body with his mouth.

 “Eric?” he heard Max say.

 Eric arched his pierced brow at the fellow leader.

 “We were talking about the next shipment of food from Amity and you’re sitting there looking like a love-struck pup” he sneered.

Eric clenched his jaw before opening his mouth to reply “I am not apologizing because I’ve got a naked woman waiting on me in my bed, some of us aren’t too old to get it up Max” he jeered back.

 Eric wouldn’t admit it to anyone but he was embarrassed that he had been caught off guard, so as hard it would be, he pushed the salacious images to the back of his mind and forced himself to focus on leader duties, yes he may be madly in love but he was also a leader of a faction and there were people counting on him.

 Once the meeting had ended Eric quickly dodged Max who no doubt wanted to talk to him about his behavior, he didn’t need lectures from old men, not today not when the love of his life waited for him to claim her once again, he can feel the beginnings of an erection just thinking about you writhing beneath him in pleasure.

 He had been so focused on the thought that he almost missed the sounds of distress that came from his now open apartment door, Eric stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the splintering of wood near the door handle, his training kicked in, he slowly pushed the door open.

 Broken glass laid across the floor, books were strewn across the floor, and his blood boiled at the sight, his heart slammed against his chest as a whimper of pain came from the bedroom, his feet seemed to move on their own accord as he made his way, only to see you being pinned down by another man.

 That other man was Edward, he had given Y/N trouble since day one, if it had been up to Eric he wouldn’t have made it past initiation but he was good and Max overrode Eric’s decision claiming that he would be good for security detail. Edward was nearly Eric’s size and easily overpowered Y/N, but it was the sight before him that made Eric see red.

 Edward had slashed your shirt and bra open and was running the blade of the knife down your naked chest, even Eric was shocked by the animalistic growl that erupted from his lungs, he grabbed Edward by the scruff of the neck and pulled him off of you, his teeth bared.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Eric growled before slamming Edward against the nearest wall.

“She deserves it, she’s been begging for it all along,” Edward said smirking,

 This infuriated Eric further as he pinned his forearm against Edward’s windpipe, Edward began to gasp as his fingers clawed at Eric’s arm. Y/N stood up wobbling as her knees threatened to give way, you saw Edward’s lips growing blue, you pulled on Eric's bicep.

 “Eric stop you’ll kill him” you warned him frantically.

 His response was to shove you harshly away and you landed on the bed, it shocked you for a moment, Eric released his hold on Edward’s throat only to start punching him using his dazed state to his advantage, you lost track at how long Eric had been hitting him, but Edward’s face grew bloodier and bloodier with each hit, Eric yelled curses at him, his teeth bared like a feral animal.

   You knew if you didn’t stop you would see him kill Edward, in your last attempt to stop Eric you rushed towards Edward pushing him out of the way just as Eric drew back for one final blow.

 It all happened in slow motion his fist connected with the left side of your face hitting your eye, you yelped loudly at the popping sensation you felt, the force of the punch knocked you to the ground, Eric was seething with anger as he looked down at Edwards limp body, he spat on him before turning towards you the fury still evident in his eyes the fire quickly diminished he realized what he’d done.

 You held your face as you sat up and leaned back against the bed, you bit your lip to keep from crying, you were shaking the adrenaline finally leaving your body, strangled whimpers came from your mouth as you tried to assure Eric, but Max, Four, and Tris barged into your room, Eric paled as his mouth worked up and down trying to form words, he stumbled back as Tris shoved him out of the way as she rushed to your side.

 “Are you okay?” she asked as she winced at your rapidly swelling eye, you nod weakly, she helped you stand and wrapped her arm around your shoulders.

“I’m taking her to the infirmary” she announced loudly before pinning Eric with an accusatory glare.

 Once you had left the apartment, Max grilled Eric about what had happened, Four only stood there in righteous silence with a small smile on his face, Eric can hear what he’s thinking, Four was thinking he was right and that Eric truly is the monster everyone says he is and for the first time Eric believed every word.

 End of flashback…

 Eric had downed his sixth shot of whiskey when he was informed of your condition, you had an orbital fracture, he had broken your eye socket, he slammed his phone down and poured another shot, it was around his tenth shot of whiskey when he noticed you standing there with your arms crossed looking at him.

 He slowly turned towards you and before he could open his mouth to speak you drew back your fist and punched him in the jaw, smiling triumphantly when Eric cursed.

 “When you’re done self-destructing and feeling sorry for yourself, I’ll be in our apartment” you informed him before turning on your heel and leaving him there with an aching jaw.

 When Eric finally showed up you were on the couch wrapped up in a fuzzy black blanket knees tucked to your chest.

 “Y/N-” Eric started before he stopped as he saw the extent of the damage he had done, he slowly approached you as if he were afraid you would run away

 You looked at the broken expression on his face and something broke inside you, you started to weep, Eric looked torn.

 “Where were you?” you asked him.

“I-you know where I was,” he said soothingly.

“No I mean, when I was in the infirmary, getting poked and prodded” you questioned him. “I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t think you wanted me near you” he replied brokenly. “Why wouldn’t I want the man I love near me?” you inquired “Because” he shrugged.

“Because why?” you implored

Eric took a deep breath.

 “Because I’m supposed to protect you from the monsters, not become one of them” his voice cracked as he purposefully avoided your gaze.

 Finally it all made sense to you, he was blaming himself for accidentally hitting you.

 “Eric, look at me” you cupped his face, wincing when you notice the light bruise on his cheek from where you hit him, he finally met your gaze.

“You are not a monster,” you told him your voice shaking.

 This broke Eric his bottom lip quivered as you drew him into your arms, his shoulders shaking as he openly cried.

 “You are not unlovable, you are not heartless and you are not evil” you whispered as you stroked his hair.

 “I love you Y/N,” he said after his crying stopped. “I love you too” you smiled as he nuzzled your neck.

  You both fell asleep lying in each other’s arms.

[beautifulramblingbrains]

Bound By Blood - The Final Chapter

Pairing: Eric/OC *Sarah* Fandom: Divergent Rating: M - Graphic content warning. Red flags.

She’s bound by the love for her family. And he won’t rest till he finds the face to his ghosts.

A/N: Welcome to the last Chapter of the Bound series!  Big thanks to my Beta @murmelinchen for all her effort and hard work. Thank you to everyone who continued to review, fan art, thoughts, asks, inspiration, and the list is endless. Words don't describe my appreciation! It's extremely sad to see the end of Eric and Sarah, and there probably won't be a day where they don't cross my mind. 8 months writing the story and I have enjoyed every extraordinary minute.Thank you. xxx

Tags: @dauntlessmetalmom @equalstrashflavoredtrash @badassbaker @red-diary  @pathybo @insertamazingwords @feminamortem @halefiresurvivor @suchlonelymuchsoul @elaacreditava @lauraaan182 @synnocence @jcause @glittergiirlgg @frecklefaceb @mimigemrose @sparklemichele @beltz2016 @ariwolff14 @queensoybean @impalalala6799 @tomarisela @original46 @tigpooh67 @alida90 @beastcoastbitchez @seriskye @summerealexander   @divergentfic

Twisting her hands till they felt raw, Sarah paces the length of the dining table of her former home. The insides of her cheeks hurt from gnawing them, the soles of her feet from being on them all day long. She hadn't been able to sit down for longer than a few minutes since they had arrived. She was beside herself and hadn't accomplished much, other than constantly checking the front and back windows for any sign that Eric would come to her.

Mary is the first to approach her, she gets up from the table where Mark and Meredith sit. The two youngest boys, Thomas and Jack, were in bed asleep long ago. "Everything is going to be fine."

"It's been hours. What if something went terribly wrong? What if this whole plan wasn't as plain sailing as Eric was saying…" She probes for an answer from people that couldn't know. Her eyes land on Mark as she moves quickly away from Mary's comforting hand on her shoulder. "Have you heard anything?"

"I received my last order hours ago and that was to not use my radio or any other form of communication." He frowns in a way that Sarah feels sorry for him. His men were out fighting and aiding their faction while he was simply babysitting them. She'd sent him to Maurice with a handwritten letter to alert him. It didn't take long for Maurice to agree against Erudite, and he'd sent out a request that everyone was to stay in their homes until notified.

Mark's voice snaps her from her thoughts. "But I can assure you-"

"Oh stop beating around the bush. If any family knows trouble or danger, you're looking at it," Meredith snaps. "We don't sugar-coat anything here."

"Sarah is clearly worried," Mark tries, his voice calm but irritated.

"Go use your sympathetic soldier training on someone else." Meredith flaps her hand rudely, her black eyes still prominent from when Mary had slammed the door on her and Sarah thought she looked nothing more than a fabled character from a tale. A witch, that was what she looked like and Sarah never felt more detached from her own mother than in this very moment.

"We don't have sympathetic soldier training…" Mark scowls at her. "It's common decency. An act of humanized and general concern for the people I care for."

"Yes, we've all seen the way you look at Mary-"

"Mother, enough!" Sarah shouts louder than she had expected. "You're not helping anyone."

"Thought maybe it would get the information you were looking for after a bit of goading…" All three frown at her and she shrugs nonchalantly. "What? Can't blame someone for trying."

"If Mark knew anything he would tell us. Right, Mark?" Mary smiles at him, but he's too busy death-glaring Meredith.

"Of. Course." His reply is clipped and he turns back to Mary, shaking his head over her mother's strange behavior.

Mary turns back to Sarah. "Why don't you take a bath? Try to get some sleep? We will all make sure that as soon as we hear anything that we'll come and get you straight away."

"I can't," Sarah refuses and shakes her head vigorously. "I can almost imagine what is happening. This is Jeanine. I can feel it. She's heard the news of Eric's plans and is retaliating."

"She can never escape Dauntless," Mark reassures. "Eric will make sure of it."

"Pacing up and down isn't helping you. You have a baby in the morning to tend to." Mary begins guiding her to the stairs. "Mark is keeping watch. There is nothing to worry about."

Sarah takes a step before she suddenly digs her heels in. "Four is dead!" she exclaims and stares at Mary with her eyes wide open. "He was involved in this whole mess. What if… What if someone is after Clair, too?"

Mary's mouth drops open. "Clair?"

"I don't want another death on my hands." She almost sobs and hugs her arms across her chest.

"Sarah, you haven't killed these people." Mary tries to soothe her by rubbing her hands gently up and down Sarah's arms. "This is Jeanine's doing. They all knew of the risks involved. Everyone has a part to play."

Sarah pushes past Mary to Mark at the table. "I need your radio!"

"Oh hell no!"

Meredith mutters, "If you know what's good for you, you'll do as she says. My girl isn't a quitter."

Sarah ignores her mother. "Send a message to Clair. Tell her to hide herself and her family, just in case."

"That'll compromise everything. Direct orders!" Mark speaks with exasperation while shaking his head.

"Do it now! Don't do it as a Dauntless soldier, do it as what you said earlier, in your humanity."

There's a long silence as they stare at each other, and eventually, Mark exhales loudly. "I'll be shot for this," he mumbles under his breath, fumbling for the radio.

"No, you won't." Sarah tries to smile weakly. "I can make Eric understand." 'Eventually' rings in her mind but she doesn't say it.

Mark clicks on his radio to the soft white noise, and Sarah holds her breath.

Looking up to the skyscraping building lit up like a beacon in the night, Eric's vaguely aware of a soldier and a man dressed in Erudite clothing as they run up to his side.

"The premises is surrounded. There's no word of the patrolman," the soldier pants out of breath.

"And you?" Eric looks the Erudite man up and down.

"The last I saw was Erudite civvies ushering everybody inside. Jeanine's ordered a lockdown. I barely got away. That's the last I know."

"Okay." The distraction from the fire at Dauntless and the loss of Four caused a cross-wire in their communications, the lockdown Jeanine had ordered going undetected till it had already happened. "Get yourself out of that uniform and join the other Dauntless." He looks sharply back at the soldier. "Twenty-three hundred hours, we're going in."

"Yes, sir."

Jeanine opens the drawer of her desk, checks the gun and clicks off the safety. She lets her fingers linger on the grooves of the handle longer than necessary. Yes, she had considerable knowledge of weapons, but using one on somebody, this could be a first.

She lets the drawer slide back slowly and entwines her hands, nodding to her awaiting colleague; her most loyal servant, a young woman that was only in her early twenties, if that at all. She purses her lips and exhales slowly. "We are surrounded. Make note of the occurrences so the younger generation can understand the impending failure of the factions and who is responsible, and then go back to your family. It is your last chance."

The woman keeps her posture, but she can't hide her fear. "No, Ma'am. I… I will stay with you."

Jeanine raises an eyebrow but she doesn't seem to care either way. "So be it. Lock the doors."

The young woman gestures to the soldiers guarding the hallway to her office, then closes the two large doors, simultaneously locking them and takes a seat quietly to one side of the room.

Jeanine knows there is no point in running. All she had left were useless words that could stall if anything. She believed everything she had done to dethrone Eric and try to make the other factions see that Erudite was the superior faction was the right thing. And she would use her last breath to justify her every action.

It was a shame though, that she might not see the unraveling of society, how Abnegation would ruin the council like they had done through their own fake innocent manipulation - human nature was never innocent. They all could hate and loathe the same way and find satisfaction in what was good and bad. A faction based on suppressing these natural desires shouldn't be allowed to have an opinion, not while every person was white-washed. They couldn't please everybody, not a chance! That is not how it works.

Candor was likely to excel with her downfall - Jack Kang was a sly man who would worm his way into any safe crevice to avoid the limelight. They spoke the truth apparently, that this was more important than intelligence. What they had though, was loud-mouths filled with open-ended lies they could twist to satisfy anyone's questioning. They latched onto power and fed the belly of it, afraid to make any move to protect themselves. They would stand back and prefer to watch everything crumble in plain cowardice.

Eric would ultimately become untouchable within Dauntless. The only challenge they had to their imperfect society was introduced by her, and eventually the talk would die, they would think he was some sort of savior, and nobody would question him.

They would all know eventually that Jeanine Matthews was unmistaken, her visions precise. One faction to guide them all.

Her thoughts drift to Max, the only person who had had incredible foresight, who had initially suggested the combining of their factions. Knowledge and sheer force could've improved both of them. Timeless records proved this preferred theory in history. All she wanted was to abide to their ancestry.

But he had to ruin it.

Eric had to overcome his inner Erudite to truly embrace his idiotic Dauntless. Not that this was all his doing. There was somebody else to blame. Somebody who rose beyond her own faction, showed him a small slice of compassion.

Oh, how she had misjudged Sarah Bennett.

What she had underestimated as a minor inconvenience, perhaps a safeguard, was now doubling back on her. She should have gotten rid of her and their welp when she had the chance.

Though, she had that chance now... One final blow.

The lights suddenly go out, her computer dying, and the young girl in the room whimpers pathetically. Jeanine takes a moment to look around and remember her office, then she grabs her phone, dialing the one number she had on it. "Wayne."

He's breathing heavily, but at least he is still alive. "I haven't been able to answer. I've been a little… caught up."

She rolls her eyes in the darkness. "Give me an update on the situation, Wayne. Any word?"

"Well, I know you're fucked," he starts laughing. "Who'd have thought…"

Jeanine is impassive to his mocking, waiting until he had finished. "I don't have much time. I wouldn't be surprised if Eric was standing outside my door right now."

"All radio communications are off. I've been listening in. But I have news, a transmission to Clair."

"Is Clair safe?" she asks impatiently, drumming her fingers on her desk.

"Dunno now," he says nonchalantly. "But I guess it was our little friend… concerned as ever. Others first and all that jazz."

"Are you aware of Sarah's location?"

"Not Dauntless, thank fuck. Place is buzzing. Surrounding area, too." He pants again for a few seconds down the phone. "It came from Abnegation, I got that much from Clair then the radios died. I think they killed it from Dauntless."

"They have intercepted Erudite, too. Luckily we had other means," she mumbles to herself. "Listen-"

"No, you listen! All those promises mean nothing to me now. You can't help me. If Eric wasn't so persistent on killing you, I would've liked the idea myself. Four was a real fucking thrill. Been meaning to up the bastard for years... But nah… I'm not getting myself into any bother." He chuckles. "I'll visit your grave, though."

"This will be your only opportunity to get back at Eric for what he did to you."

"You fucking stupid bitch, of course I know that." He sniffs, then she can hear him hock and spit. "You've rode my ass long enough. Just remember this…I'm doing this for me now, not for you. And I'm gonna live, and I'm gonna laugh."

Jeanine doesn't rise to his insane blabbering, instead, she uses it to her own distraction. "Once I'm gone, he will be coming for you."

"Let him! I'm outside his little wifey's home now. By the time he gets here it will be too late. As a last request, let him know, will ya? Send him my best regards." This makes Jeanine smile. Oh, how predictable and delightfully hateful Wayne is.

Jeanine jerks to the sound of shots fired outside her door. She looks at the bright phone screen. The least she could do was make Eric unaware of her communications, to how far she'd gone to deceive him. "Good luck." She puts the phone beneath her heel, stomps on it and then discards it in the drawer.

A cracking sound echoes throughout the room when the lock on the door is being kicked open. The young girl wails at the noise while Jeanine remains seated behind her desk calmly.

Torchlights burst into her office, a heavily shadowed outline of Dauntless soldiers swarming into the room with Eric fronting them, pointing his gun at her.

"You have failed, Eric." When he makes no move to speak, squinting his eyes at her, she grasps her gun, hiding the weapon behind her back as she stands. "I had high hopes for someone like you," she says condescendingly.

He frowns, studying her cautiously. "I'm glad to disappoint you."

"I hope you remember this moment for many years to come," she announces. Her eyes have adjusted to the darkness around her so that she sees his head tilt backward, his eyes widening. "Run, Sarah. Run." She smirks, having caught a glimpse of Eric's inner Erudite. On that thought, she puts the gun to her own head, and then she pulls the trigger.

Sarah descends the steps. Not having been able to sleep and hearing her family talk quietly downstairs, she had made up her mind to join them. If she was tired tomorrow, there were plenty of hands to help.

Mary turns to her first, Mark copying but he looks away when he notices that her hair is down and her feet are bare.

Sarah scoffs at his obvious discomfort. "I'm wearing a nightdress, Mark. It's okay."

But he still keeps himself turned away while Meredith barely spares a glance at her. She has put out a selection of foods, helping herself. Mary moves up and Sarah squeezes in next to her.

"I can't sleep. There is no point." She sighs, laying her hands into her lap and looks down at them, fiddling with the fabric of her nightdress.

"At least you tried." Mary caresses her arm. "And before you ask, we haven't heard anything yet."

Sarah just nods, glancing at the table. "I checked on the boys. They are fine."

"Mother was just telling us that Thomas is doing better at school," Mary offers and tries at a light-hearted conversation.

"I have a mouth, Mary," Meredith snaps and stops buttering her bread to stick up her sore nose. "Yes, Thomas is doing better at school. He's been having some after school classes, it turns out he is a very bright boy that just needs a challenge."

"Must be all the vegetables he's been eating." Sarah smiles to herself. "I told him they were good for him." But she knows she's overcompensating when everyone's smiles drop.

Mark clears his throat. "Nah, he just needed-"

A tap on the glass of the window of the living area has the entire table stiffen. Mark stands up, signaling with his hand to remain seated and with the other, he picks up his gun that was propped next to him. "Stay here. Do not," he glances at Mary specifically, "move."

Meredith doesn't seem to be fazed and continues eating. "It's probably just one of the blasted light-attracted bugs. You know, the beetle looking things."

"I'll check." Mark makes his way towards the windows. Shimmying up against the one nearest, he peeks out first to check the street and below the frame. It's dark, but there is nothing he can see, nothing out of the ordinary. He goes to the other window a little more confidently, scanning vigilantly before he turns his head over his shoulder to shrug at them. "Nothing."

Next, he stomps over to the front door, unlocks it and swings it open, gun at the ready. It's quiet apart from a few crickets. He smiles back to the girls, holding out his hands sympathetically. "Must be one of those-"

Sarah's eyes widen as a figure comes up behind Mark. She catches the light reflecting off a long slim blade briefly, before there's a terrible sound of material ripping as Wayne brings it down, stabbing Mark in the back. Mark grunts and his eyes widen, a hand grabbing at his shoulder, trying to reach his back before he buckles forwards to his knees and then slumps limply onto his front.

Mary screams and dashes to him, pressing a hand on his back where the blade had been while Sarah just stares in shock at Wayne standing in the doorway.

"Little pigs, little pigs, let me in!" Wayne grins like a lunatic and kneeling down, he tsks in fake sympathy. "It's so nice to see you again, Mary. You've really blossomed."

He reaches out to touch her but she slaps his hand away, tears streaming down her face. "Don't you touch me!"

"Oh, oh, ohhhhh." Wayne gasps. "He your boyfriend now? Oops." He bounces on his knees in his own excitement, shrugging with his hands and waving the bloodied knife. "I would've been nicer if I'd of known. Don't hate on the misinformed."

Sarah stands, the legs of the bench scraping against the floor, her face set in a snarl. "Leave her alone!"

"There she is!" he exclaims and stands up to his full height. "Didn't think it would take you long."

"What do you want?"

"Sarah, don't speak to him," Meredith snaps in a hiss.

"Well, I thought that would be obvious by now. Sooo, if you'd like to get your little booties on, Sarah, we're going for a walk." There's a manic glint in Wayne's eye, twitching in agitation and that was reason enough for Sarah not to endanger the others. By what he'd done to Mark, it was obvious he didn't care or feel any remorse for his actions.

She takes a step from the table but Meredith rushes up to grab her hand, yanking her back. "No, you will not come near my children!"

Wayne taps the knife on his head in annoyance. "I'm the one with the knife, you know. How about I take a dip into Mary for your loud mouth?"

Sarah shrugs off her mother's hold, walking up next to Wayne towards her boots, slipping her feet in while still glaring at him. Coming to stand in front of him, she catches him looking down at her breasts. When he licks his lips, Sarah fights the urge to gag. "What you are doing is wrong, Wayne. If you stop now, Eric will more than likely-"

"Take out my other motherfucking eye, Princess." His eye snaps up to hers, glaring furiously at her. "That's what he'll do. Then he'll kill me. So, fuck no!" He grabs her hand, yanking her into his chest and she yelps in surprise. "We're just going round back. Nobody move or I swear to god…" He looks at Mary and Meredith individually. "Good." When he grabs Sarah's hair and she screams, her mother and sister shout and sob, but they are too frightened to move.

Wayne yanks on her hair so hard her scalp burns and maneuvers her out of the house. All she can do is try to gain some leverage by gripping his arm. She stumbles along with him in her loose boots till they get to the back of their house. He pushes her up against the wall and her hands just catch herself before her face could connect with it. Her blood runs cold when Wayne presses incredibly close from behind. Her legs shake as she feels his breath against her ear and he whispers. "Don't scream. Scream and I kill the lot after I'm done with you."

Sarah's lips tremble as she tries to speak, "You-you don't have to do this. You don't have to-"

"Shut up." He grunts as he pulls up her nightdress, ripping at her underwear and she feels his hands unbuckling his pants.

"Don't do this!" she pleads desperately.

"It doesn't fucking matter anymore," he grunts as his knees push her legs apart.

Clamping her eyes closed, Sarah thinks of Jack, and then her mind wanders to Eric. He would never stop fighting - even if a gun was held to his head, he would never show fear.

"Now hold still."

Her lips stiffen, the once frightened hold immobilizing her, changes. She grits her teeth together as she feels the adrenaline rising, and shouts, "Never!"

Sarah throws her head back as hard as she could, connecting with Wayne's face. As he backs away, giving her the smallest amount of room, she brings her knee up, kicking him straight in the crotch. His pants drop to his feet, he trips as he stumbles backwards and topples over.

Sarah takes the opportunity to bolt. She can feel her dress dragging behind her as she dashes away. Pumping her legs harder to gain distance from him, she looks over her shoulder to see him standing, yanking his pants up and beginning to run after her.

"Bitch!" is all she hears through the blood pulsing in her ears. There's no real destination, just to make it to the trees they would play in as children. She thinks of Lizzie in this extraordinary moment, making her push that little harder.

Wayne grunts with every powerful stride he takes. She can hear him gaining - all the years at Dauntless no doubt helping. But she has one advantage on her side, and that is his limp. It slows him down enough that she gets to the tree line, crashing her way through the branches. Every step she takes echoes loudly from the debris littered around the trees.

Her breathing is more prominent, her chest squeezing with every inhale as she ducks and dives through the darkness. When it becomes quiet, she slows and hides behind a tree. Holding her breath for the longest time, she listens to the noises around her.

"You know what Eric taught me?!" Wayne's voice booms through the dense wood, making her jump. "That nobody can run forever…" Sarah shifts more around the tree when she hears a twig snap, gripping tightly onto the bark till it hurt. "Not when they're scared. The chest becomes tight, you use up more energy, praying you don't get caught or that there will be someone to help..."

Sarah feels a sting on her shins and her thighs ache while she tries to stand completely motionless. Squeezing her eyes shut, she concentrates on regaining her breath.

"I will find you!" She hears him snarl impossibly close to where she's hiding.

Eric opens the door of the cab even before the truck has stopped. He jumps down, followed by soldiers that hop from out of the back. He storms towards Sarah's old home, some neighbors in their night clothes hovering and comforting each other on the gravel walkway leading up to it, dropping to a whisper as he approaches.

His heart suddenly stops when he sees Mary on her knees next to Mark laying face down by the door. Her eyes meet his, trails of tears dripping from her face. "We need a medic…" Her voice breaks as she holds a bloody hand up to him.

His eyes search the rest of the room wildly, before he makes a break for the stairs, taking two at a time and barrelling into Sarah's previous bedroom - only to find Meredith cradling Jack and hugging Thomas close to her side.

"Sarah?" His voice sounds foreign even to his own ears, filled with dread, almost choking out her name.

"Go!" Her mother wails. "Go, now! Out the back!" She stands to get to him, a balled fist as she talks, and he darts backwards, almost tripping down the stairs.

"With me!" he orders those closest, barely taking notice of the Dauntless tending to Mark who he almost collides with.

With his gun drawn, he rounds the house, wheezing a 'fuck' at the material left on the floor, and he takes a moment to assess the situation, letting his known unique trait guide him. Sarah got away. She wouldn't endanger her family. She would head over the grass field, towards the trees. It was the only place she could've fled and not of been witnessed.

Holstering his gun, he sprints in that direction, throwing his hands into his stride, inhaling and exhaling in perfect sync. He pulls his knees higher, gaining more ground and knowing he'd left most of his team behind.

Hitting the treeline, he pushes back branches, taking the most obvious path. Jumping over a tree trunk, he eventually comes to a stop, breathing heavily. Listening. Evaluating. Calculating. How long had it been? How long could she run for? How far? Was she injured?

"Sarah!"

It's Wayne's voice echoing in the distance. Signaling to his team running up behind, he motions left and right, taking the middle himself. He pulls out his gun, jogging forward, careful of the noise he was making and his senses on high alert.

Eric's head whips up when he hears Sarah's bloodcurdling scream.

Wayne had gripped her dress, yanking her backwards. She hadn't heard him, his voice had been echoing for the longest time and it was impossible to pinpoint. Sarah had tried to make it to the next tree, only to be caught. Her scream is high-pitched, an utter screech in surprise. He uses his leverage on her dress to swing her, sending her on numb legs stumbling to the ground and she lands on something sharp.

Wayne is suddenly on top of her, his hands latching around her neck and he squeezes. Sarah's hands seem like somebody else's as they flail, at one point clawing at his face in desperation. She gags when she can't breathe, her boots scratching at the dirt.

Then she begins to float. Slowly her eyes drift past Wayne to a shadow behind him. The person becomes brighter, red hair, familiar.

Wayne's effort and whatever he is saying is now nothing but silence as she watches Lizzie walk up to her side in slow motion and then she kneels down. Lizzie leans towards her ear and Sarah could swear she felt the warmth of her breath. "He's here."

She gasps loudly when Wayne's hands suddenly leave her throat and she rolls into a fetal position. Moving hurts and it has her cry out from a sharp pain in her lower back. Something is happening around her and she can barely breathe or concentrate. Everything is cold. Yet warm hands pull her onto her back, Eric's eyes searching her face. They almost looked pearlized in the moonlight filtering through the trees and it causes her to smile in her delirium.

Her senses slam back painfully and she whimpers while pulling herself up by his shoulders, reaching to latch her arms around his neck. "Eric," she whispers hoarsely, his fingers pushing through her hair, his thumb caressing the side of her face as he held her up.

"I thought…" he begins and stops himself. The corners of his mouth turn downwards and the soft expression changes to something lethal right before her eyes. He pushes up and Sarah braces herself on her elbows, watching him stomp towards Wayne who's just rolling onto all fours.

Eric kicks him in the side and Wayne yells out, holding up a hand in mercy. "I had to…" he pants. "I had to…" He spits blood. "I had to for the factions… For Jeanine." Slowly he rises, still pushing himself up from the ground.

"I had to know…" he snarls, and Sarah sees him grab at something on the floor barely in time. He propels upwards - it's a cheap shot, and Eric just manages to get an arm between them as he slams into him. She sees Wayne's hand come down in the fall with something in his palm, hitting Eric on the side of his head.

They fall apart and Eric convulses on the ground, holding his head, crying out in a tone she's never heard from him before. It was agony, pure agony.

Whimpering out in pain, she begins crawling towards him while Wayne is taking a breather and holds his ribs as he takes out the knife from his belt.

"Eric…" Sarah's voice is still hoarse and broken as she tries desperately to get to him.

In horror she watches Wayne climbing on top of him, pointing the knife down upon him which Eric only manages to grab loosely in his haze. Sarah begins moving faster. "Wayne, no!" A sense of despair rushes through her when the knife slowly lowers towards Eric. She pulls her knees up, something near her back and side stinging, and stumbles to her feet as if she was drunk.

Her world sways, but she pushes up once more, making the distance between them, the two still battling and Wayne uses his entire weight, bearing down into his arm with the knife aimed towards Eric.

Passing a tree branch, she picks it up; it's heavy and long enough to get a decent swing. She swings for Eric's life and Wayne doesn't see it coming.

The branch connects with Wayne's head and there is a sick cracking sound as his neck whips to the side. He slumps down onto Eric who gets rid of him with a decent shove. Eric sits up by his elbows without a word, and she looks between him and Wayne.

Wayne's groaning on the floor, almost crying she would say. His neck is distorted, a lump growing from where she had hit him.

In a daze she lifts the branch above her head, bringing it down upon him again. Eric doesn't move, watching her silently. She yells with the third hit, every muscle in her body aching and contesting against the force and movement she was using. She does it again and again until she loses count, feeling the softness forming after each blow. She doesn't really notice the blood flicking up and tarring her skin and white dress.

Eric suddenly grabs her from behind, wrestling the branch from her hands. "He's dead!" Eric shouts. "He's dead, Sarah!" He turns her around to face him, shaking her. "He's dead," Eric speaks more softly, searching her face for recognition. "He's dead. Jeanine's dead. You're safe. We're safe." Her legs buckle and he catches her waist, both dropping to the floor.

Blood drips down his forehead from somewhere in his hairline and she gently strokes down a trail of it. "You're bleeding."

But he doesn't seem to care, his eyes being locked on her body, more specifically the palm of his hand which he tries to hide from her sight. He flickers between her and his hand, then pulls her closer. "Everything's going to be okay." He smiles weakly. "I remember, Sarah. I remember everything."

"You...do?" Her head lolls back and she begins to shiver uncontrollably.

"Yes. I remember Amity. I remember the snow…" He scans around the area then looks back to her. "You hit me with a snowball. Do you remember?"

"Mmm, yes." She shuts her eyes and smiles. "You remember our first kiss, then…"

"It wasn't good. You were right." There's an edge to his voice she can't understand, a break in it, almost airy. They were safe? They were fine? ...Then why did he sound so worried?

"Do you remember when I told you I needed you?" he asks. "Keep your eyes open, Sarah!" he orders frantically.

"Yes..."

"I need you now. And I need you to stay awake." His body jerks and suddenly there is more voices and lights, lots of lights that burn her eyelids. "I can't lose you again."

Eric stares at the dead plant on the cabinet next to the window in his office. The days have all seemed to roll into one. He'd kept himself busy for the most part. During the day he spent most of his time mending the damages caused, overseeing a new Leader in Erudite, and preparing for a new batch of initiates in just over a month's time. The nights, he spent exploring all of his old yet new memories, losing himself within them.

After hearing of Sarah's mistake of ordering Mark to radio through to Clair, it didn't take long to come to the conclusion that Clair was behind compromising Sarah's and Jack's position, leading Wayne right to them. Clair was stripped of her authority and detained. He hadn't seen her since and hadn't decided for a suitable punishment - but Clair needed to be used as a scapegoat, an example to others.

As the evening draws in, dimming the room right before his eyes, he decides he's had enough of his forlorn musings and gathers his belongings, leaving hastily. Ignoring Glen who pops his head out of his office as he passes, he waits for the elevator, getting off at his floor and winding through the memorable pattern that led to his home.

The code to his apartment is still Sarah's name, and he opens the door to Jack squealing in delight with Mary. He stands taking in their moment for his own gratification till Mary looks at him, her smile faltering. "Were we being too loud?"

"No."

There's an awkward pause until Mary clears her throat. "Dinner is in the oven."

Eric knew, he could smell it. "Thanks." It was still weird getting used to Mary being here every day. And every time he would come home, she would leave like clock-work, visiting that lucky son of a bitch Mark who was saved from permanent damage due to the material of his jacket.

"I'm going to see Mark if you don't mind. If you don't need me here?" Mary takes the small distance between them and Eric takes Jack from her arms. Jack grunts in their exchange and stares at Eric with an open mouth once held against his chest. Then as per usual, his head slowly leans towards his jacket, mouthing and nuzzling against it with ravenous noises.

"Fatherhood strangely suits you." Mary smiles at him. "It was hard to imagine before. But seeing it now, it's… I think what I'm trying to say is most men are afraid of being responsible. You never denied Jack, not even before you even knew he was yours. I respect you for that."

Eric didn't really care what she thought either way. But as it was a compliment, he inhales before feeling obliged to speak. "I never thought I'd get the opportunity to be a parent." He suddenly realizes his words were sharp and quick and he perhaps came off as scripted or practiced. "Nothing I've ever done compares to it. And I've never felt such a wanted and profuse duty towards anyone like I do for Jack or…" He stops himself, his thoughts leaking into his words uncontrollably.

But luckily Mary finishes for him. "...Sarah." She touches Jack's foot before turning to leave. "Mark's probably waiting for me. I'll be back the same time tomorrow."

Eric and Jack watch her leave, and while Jack's head is turned, he admires the fine baby hairs crowned around the back of his head. He could still use more on top than the wispy strands now, but that was all in good time.

As the child swivels back to Eric, his eyes widen at his obsession with his jacket and he huffs. "No," Eric tells him, and his sparse eyebrows bow at his tone. He does it anyway.

Kicking off his boots while still cradling his son, he heads towards the bedroom. He opens the door slowly, the room dull apart from a lamp lit by the bed.

Sarah smiles up at him, a book in her hand which she closes when he reaches her side. "Hey," she greets lightly, watching him with those eyes that had enchanted his very soul. She looked better for the most part but still pale. Well, paler than she usually did.

"You should be resting, not reading," he says with a scowl on his face, towering over her while he looks down at her.

"I couldn't resist. It's the complete history of the Abnegation council. Popular topics, help and advice, and ways in which to better yourself as a council member." She strokes the spine of the book as her eyes drop. "I... couldn't sleep."

"Did the nurse come?"

"I'm healing fine. A few more days and I can-" Half-way through she reaches out to him as he perches on the edge of the bed, tracing the mark in his hairline, then reaching over to Jack who grasps her fingers, drawing them to his mouth. "-start getting back to normal."

"You can't over-exert yourself. You may feel fine but-"

"I know. The nurse ran through everything. The aftercare is just as important as the treatment." Sarah says drearily.

"Why don't you become a nurse instead of that shitty position in the council you've been offered? You could wear the uniform for out of hours... a benefit for the both of us." Eric smirks to himself at the thought. Her hand grabs at his and he entwines their fingers.

"But I thought you liked my dresses that are however many inches above the knee?" she teases, trying to hide her smile.

He shrugs and looks at her with a mischievous grin. "I'm not fussy."

"Oh yes, you are!" She laughs softly.

"If it's you wearing it, I'm not fussy," he says before he sighs and looks down at their hands.

It was guilt that riddled him. He should've taken more care, ordered more guards to protect his family and then maybe this wouldn't have happened. He glances up at her bruised neck, most of it already yellowing but there are still dark brown patches where Wayne's hands had been. Wayne had almost strangled her and they were lucky he didn't decide to break her neck. He could've done so easily.

The wound on her side, more towards her back, was from a root or branch she had landed on in their struggle. But it wasn't just that - the blood loss and trauma, her neck swelling and her body not coping so well through the stress - Eric had thought he was going to lose her by the time they got back to Dauntless. And it took a couple of days to get her strength back, then she was put on bed-rest at their apartment - something she wasn't happy about. Sarah hated being idle but Eric couldn't be more relieved.

"Eric," Sarah's voice snaps him from his thoughts. "I'm okay." He'd betrayed himself and must be so readable. He hates that.

Eric puffs his chest out, unable to look at her. "I just want to say I'm sorry." The words come out with a sense of anger behind them, but that wasn't how he felt. It was everything burning him up inside. His memories. His cruelty. His ego. "I'm not just talking about what happened with Wayne, I'm talking about everything. Looking back now, I can see I was wrong. An apology doesn't make that right. In fact, it means fuck all if anything."

He lets go of her hand and rubs at his face, Jack flaps his arms at the suddenly accessible cuff of his jacket and Eric quickly lowers it out of his reach, both frowning at each other. But Eric's frown was more to himself, to find the right words. "In fact, it doesn't even make me a man. As much as it pains me to say it, I know I'm not due any forgiveness and I am definitely not looking for sympathy..."

"I won't deny that some of the things you did were wrong..." Sarah admits hesitantly.

"Should I even be allowed a second chance? Because everyone fucking knows I sho-"

"Shut up!" Sarah snaps, breathing heavily. "Don't you dare, not now."

He turns to see her eyes shimmering, the paleness of her face and he shakes his head. "I won't forgive myself."

"You don't have to." She frowns at him, letting the first tear fall. "Because I already have. Does that account for nothing?"

"It makes you stupid," he murmurs.

She huffs, wiping her tears away. "You can be a real jerk when you want to be."

Her honesty has him grin to himself. "Thank you for your Candor." It drops just as quickly. He hadn't meant to express himself in such a way, especially while she was so weak. But she couldn't walk away if she wanted to and he wanted her to listen - to actually listen to everything he had to say because it would be the last time he would say it.

"You should just let me love you." She takes his hand again, squeezing with what little strength she had. "Honest, raw, ridiculous love. You should just let that happen. There is nobody stopping it. It takes the strong to love. The ones who don't - the prime examples having lost their lives, those who choose to turn away from it rather than embrace it… always lose. You despised me because I loved you. And I still do, Eric."

"I despised myself for loving you. You are everything that I am not."

"And are we to blame ourselves for that?"

"No!" His frustration peaks and he shouts the word, causing Jack to jump. Eric watches his lip quiver and every ounce of fight drains from his body. "Daddy's not angry…" he soothes him, kissing his hand that flails to grab at anything within range. "Daddy just loves Mommy… very much." He feels his heart beating erratically on his admittance, the complete naked truth laid out for the first time ever in his life. And he dares not to look at her.

Sarah's eyebrows bow and she reaches out to caress along his finger knuckles of his free hand. His own responds to their familiarity, dancing with hers like to a certain song only they knew. And in this moment, their sentiment was enough.

"I'm trying." He sighs and bites his lip as his hand tugs on hers, the urge to take her into his arms and hold her close to him almost overwhelming.

"I know." She smiles, her face brightening up to that radiating compassion that was so uniquely her.

Eric leans towards her and their lips meet, warm, soft, and passionately slow. He whispers the words, "I love you."

1 year later…

Sarah hesitates at the plaque on the door engraved with E. Coulter. With a sigh, she brushes out her gray and black chequered skirt with her free hand. Then she fluffs her hair which flowed neatly down her back with the top half braided into the length of it. In her other hand, she held a beautifully green, potted plant she'd been meaning to replace for a while.

She knocks once then enters to Eric sitting behind his desk. In fact, he looked extremely busy and she half wonders if now was the right time.

"You're back from Abnegation?" he asks, barely looking up as he flips the lid off a pen to write something on a paper before he stacks it on top of a pile.

"Yes, our meeting didn't take very long. We were just introducing a new member to the council." That new member being Dalton's new intended and recent topic of conversation, she had finally had the pleasure of meeting. Sarah was happy for him, and if anything they were better friends for it. Though, Eric wouldn't hide his triumphant and extremely smug smile every time his name would come up. She wouldn't dare mention that Dalton had invited them to dinner.

Unable to hide the skip, she walks over to the cabinet where she places the plant. She strokes the leaves in thought before she turns around, holding onto the cabinet behind her as she leans back. "Can we talk?"

"If this is about Mary and her tailoring, no," he grumbles but he's grinning towards the papers and his eyes flick up to her.

She smiles, shaking her head. Mary had finally taken a leap of faith tailoring for every faction, her work setting off a ripple effect which left her with very little time but happy nonetheless. Sarah was proud of her little sister, and when she had heard the announcement of Mark romantically taking one knee to propose, she was naturally proud of stumbling, hole-digging Mark, too. They officially wed three months ago with just their closest family and friends.

Eric sits back, rolling his shoulders out and recapturing her attention. "This isn't about Mary?"

"No…" she drawls, taking a few steps towards his desk.

"Jack is fine?" He frowns suspiciously.

"Yes… well, Mother found him in one of the cupboards, pouring out cereal across the floor to make beautiful patterns. He's a very creative boy." She lowers her eyes and brushes her fingers over his pen pot, making the snap decision to get closer to him.

He hums when she lifts a leg, slipping it through the arm of his chair - an old habit that she hadn't done in a while. His hands go to her hips, watching her intently. "You're being very dramatic, Sarah. What is it?"

"I have something for you." She bites her lip, then reaches into the pocket of her skirt, pulling out a small laminated card. She holds it to her chest before showing him. "We already have the pitter patter of tiny feet. What if that… doubled?" she asks hesitantly, watching as the realization sinks in on what she was suggesting.

They had been so busy lately that she knew Eric wouldn't have a clue this time. His expression and the arched eyebrow tells her just as much. "You're pregnant?"

"Surprise…" she says unsurely.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't know. I had a suspicion, but with work-" He cups her face and kisses her half way through her sentence. "I'm also further along than I thought." He stands up and she gasps at his quick movement, placing her on his desk. "I also know what we're having…"

"Tell me." His voice is gruff though, and he places his mouth along her jaw, bringing her hair to one side to tilt her head.

"It's a…" She moans when he pushes closer to her, sucking and biting at her neck. "It's a girl."

Eric stiffens immediately, whipping his head back. "You're fucking kidding, right?"

"It's a girl. We're having a girl." The reality of it begins to sink in for Sarah, too.

"And with my luck, she will look exactly like you," he groans, his eyes sliding off to the side in thought. "I'll have to diminish the male population." He's deadly serious and Sarah can't help but laugh.

"I think she'll be just fine. A daddy and big brother to watch over her."

Eric stands up straight, cupping her face to tilt her head back. That intense possessive air she loved shrouds him, liquefying her bones. Stroking her cheeks with his thumb adoringly, he implants the words slowly. "This time… we do it right."

"We do it right," she repeats and nods.

Eric smirks, inhaling and holding his breath for a moment before he glances to her lips. Meeting her eyes again, he exhales and his expression becomes serious. "Marry me, Sarah."

She gasps, her smile faltering and she searches his face. "What... Now?"

"Now, today, yesterday… just marry me."

Her heart blossoms at the prospect of being with him until her last breath. It was miles from how she had felt when she first met him. From the moment she was commissioned under Eric, their paths were meant to be entwined forever; saviors of each other for reasons she had never known until now.

"From the moment I walked into your office I've always been bound to you, Eric."

"But this time we'll be bound by love."

[factionorblood-blog]

Tori is Twenty-Six years old. She is originally from Erudite but transferred to then to Dauntless. She is currently working at the Tattoo Center / Choosing Ceremony Tester and looks like   Maggie Q  . I am (Divergent)

Tori has small, dark, angular eyes and straight black hair streaked with gray. She has a tattoo of a white hawk with red-eyes on the back of her neck and a tattoo of a river on her arm. When she smiles, the corner of her eyes usually crinkle.

☑ Available ____ ☐ Unavailable

[fourbloodyinstruments-blog]

You changed your theme and everything!! It looks flawlessly beautiful :D Your blog always does though!

Thank you bby! It's been so long since the last time we talked! I'll message you later :) ily! 

[salixc]

i know this is a dead fandom but when you make a sim this attractive how can you not want to show her off?

[marvelmenappreciation]

bad guy. (sneak peak)

“The Faction System is a living being composed of cells, all of you,” Jeanine Matthews motions to the crowd gathered in the Great Hall. “And the only way that it can survive and thrive is for each of you to claim your rightful place. The future belongs to those who know where they belong.”

My mother squeezes my hand gently as it rests tightly clasped with her own in her lap. With a tight lipped smile, I am unable to meet her soft gaze. She knows. She knows I cannot stay and these moments are our last. The dull ache in my chest grows as I struggle to take a breath. I don’t belong in Amity, I remind myself. The aptitude test’s results were clear and my new life, the life I was destined for, was moments away.

Marcus Eaton takes center stage, “When we leave this room, you will no longer be dependents but full fledged members of our society. Faction before blood.”

My mouth runs dry as a Candor boy is called to stand in front of the white bowls. He uses the knife to draw blood from his palm and it seems as if the air is sucked out of the room while we wait for his decision. The process moves along quicker than I remember from my brother’s Choosing Ceremony just the year before. The majority stick with their faction of birth, but a few defect. An Erudite boy defects to Abnegation and the audience collectively gasps. Two Candor boys and a girl leave for Dauntless and an Abnegation boy flees for Amity.

“Sydney Kidd,” my name echoes throughout the room as I peel my eyes away from the delicate orange stitching of my skirt. The room is quiet and all eyes turned towards me. 

My mother tightens her grasp on my hand once more and presses a quick kiss to my cheek, “I love you.”

And then I’m off on shaky legs as I climb the stage to the bowls that await me and my decision. It’s not a matter of where I go, I quickly decide as I take in the five bowls in front of me. My aptitude test told me exactly where I was meant to be, it was leaving that I struggled with. I glanced back to my mother, the knife heavy in my hands. She wouldn’t be alone and my brothers were more than capable of taking care of her, but would I be okay without her? Without my them? Faction before blood. How easy the words sounded as they rattled around in my brain. The Great Hall was silent, or maybe it was the blood pumping loudly in my ears that left me unable to hear my surroundings. Marcus cleared his throat beside me, breaking through my thoughts. It was now or never. I pressed the tip of the knife into the palm of my hand, the blood pooling a little as I kept my hand flat. Goodbye Amity, I thought as I lifted my hand out over the bowls, a drop of blood sizzling as it landed on the hot coals. Hello Dauntless.

[fourbloodyinstruments-blog]

I can't picture Steven R. McQueen as Fourbias-

I JUST CAN'T, SORRY.

[fourbloodyinstruments-blog]

--> Tris Prior

[fourbloodyinstruments-blog]

Divergent - Insurgent