Running while her childhood home is pillaged and torn apart does more to Tris than she could have ever imagine. News of the attack travelled fast—TV feed's being taken over for all announcements of it—and she'd picked up some more escaping Abnegation on the way. There is more danger lurking, and Tris can feel it, but without fail, she gets her wards to safety in Amity. It took some convincing, getting the representatives to let them in, but they're safe.

It's become clear to Tris that they're lucky they have been ahead of Jeanine. But the brilliantly evil woman won't speed up her plans and risk a mistake. From the look on Elise's face, this is cause for concern.

Tris could sense the resentment between her father and the Erudite woman before they even arrived to safety. It's not a loudly ringing bell in her ears—too loud to ignore—but she can see the signs of it. On the way here, he avoided falling in step with her the whole way.

Now that Tris can get a moment to think, it feels extremely juvenile but she's disappointed all the same.

Her stomach lurches. The last few days have been unpredictable enough as it is. And she feels buoyant, floating from situation to situation without a clear picture of what's going on. She didn't get all the answers from Eric that she'd needed. And part of her is very upset with him. But she's glad to be alive. She's glad her parents are alive and that his sister and mother are too.

She's being torn apart by her curiosity and her ferocious need to make sure these four people are kept alive.

She can see that her father is going to pose some challenges, "Dad…"

"You know more than you're saying," Andrew accuses Elise, the five of them alone in an unused home Amity is so kind to allow them after feeding them. "You're keeping secrets. There's no news of Dauntless attacking Erudite, just Abnegation. So what do you know?"

They avoided the bread.

Elise doesn't offer an explanation. Tris recognizes the stubbornness and smiles to herself. She looks down, dragging the toe of her boot casually.

"Andrew…" Natalie tsks, rubbing his back. There's a tick of concern across her face—Tris can see that she's uncertain of the action—but she moves through it. "We're alive and safe, that's what matters."

"This is just the beginning."

"You're right Dad," Tris finally cuts in. "This is just the beginning. We don't have time for arguing."

"In the event that Jeanine's attacks aren't done, we should warn the Amity." Elise says.

"They're pacifistic. They won't fight back," Andrew says, looking to his daughter and then Elise. "They may give us up in the name of peace."

"Well then we need to stop Jeanine." Natalie says.

"We can't leave yet." Tris says quickly.

Eric stands in the home the Erudite faithful strong armed from an Abnegation family. He's sick to his stomach, hiding it well. Abnegation is a ghost town, the screaming of the faction is quieted. He can only imagine them cowering in fear, or worse, dead already.

He's convinced himself that this is means to an end, that at one point very soon, he'll end it with a bullet to Jeanine's head. But he can't help but wonder...He wonders when this became the objective, when violence became means to getting one's way.

Eric remembers growing up with one thought of Dauntless, freedom. And he knows they've strayed from why they had originally formed. They're not to be lap dogs that carry out maniacal plans. But to protect people. He'd signed up for Dauntless on his own, to be true to the person he wants to be, for any other reason than because Jeanine told him to.

"Where is she?" Jeanine asks, "Where's Tris?" Her voice is raised—one of the few times Eric has ever heard it—and her eyes widened. She looks frantic.

"She's not here." Four says, his head held high as he's released from the hold of a traitor. Their guns are trained on him, keeping him in step with where they want him.

Jeanine regards him coolly. "Gone?" She asks, brow quirked as she drops her head forward slowly. She turns to Eric looking for the the truth—Her fingers folded together as she steps towards him. "Is this true?"

Eric swallows thickly, all eyes on him the moment she regards him with her perpetually quirked eyebrow.

The former Erudite sees the resolve form on Four's face and he knows, if push comes to shove—they're both going to fight their way out. "I haven't seen her in days, I don't know where she is," Eric lies easily, looking Jeanine in the eyes. Neither of them are Candors—but she can still tell he's lying.

She sighs, pulling the base of her blue blazer down firmly. "So you've failed at not only one, but two things asked of you. To watch her, and to bring her to me."

"You son of a bitch!" Four bellows angrily. He told Tris. He knew it.

But he's wrong. Jeanine finds everything out. And the only thing Eric has failed at is keeping Tris all to himself for the longest amount of time possible. But Tris had wanted to lead. And he couldn't do anything about that. It just so happened that Jeanine can make every situation one that benefits her.

She tsks, "It's unfortunate, now you must be punished." Eric's eyes turn deadly, he knows it's not a direct threat on him, but to his mother. The Erudite representative turns to Max, and smiles. "My nephew was given one task, to help me keep things in order. And he's done a wonderful job leading up to this year. As you can imagine, I'm very disappointed in him."

"Nephew?" Max is in disbelief, mouth slightly open in shock. "She's your aunt…" Eric is just as confused.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Eric asks angrily. "You're no family of mine," he says, his words coming out like venom.

"On the contrary," Jeanine smiles, "Your mother Elise is my sister. Younger, of course."

"You're lying," Eric rejects the truth, unable to believe it. "I would have read it in my file."

"The file I planned for you to read?" She asks with a smirk.

He feels like he will vomit.

Four is thrown for a loop by this whole interaction. Putting two and two together it makes sense; just how focused the older woman has always been on the young leader. But never in a way that seems overly perverse, but always skeptical—like she's waiting for the right time to rip something from him. And clearly she has no qualms about it.

"You've killed your own family?" Eric asks, words sounding breathless.

"And I'd do it again. We all must make sacrifices for the greater good." The older blonde looks very dissatisfied with him, sidestepping him as he lunges for her. With a wave of her hand, she calls for them to be killed. "I have no use for Eric or Four. Get rid of them." She collects her tablet, her important folder of files, and a flashdrive. She looks back with a sick smile, "I'll tell your mother you said hello."

Eric growls as she exits the house, her assistant behind her. With no uncertainty, Eric knows he'll see Jeanine again.

Max looks at him with a hard brow, as if it took all of three seconds to decide he's going to follow the order. "You heard her." The 6 other dauntless in the room look to both Four the soon to be former leader. Eric doesn't even have time to blink back his emotions before he's being backed up towards the wall.

Four kicks the man in front of him, sending him reeling. And hell breaks loose. He dodges a fist to the face, parrying the punch before hitting the meatiest part of palm to the man's nose.

"I don't have all day." Eric says, ruefully, beckoning them to attack him.

Eric sidesteps Max, stomping on the gun ready to be picked up and used against him, kicking it away. Max rolls from reach on the floor, as Eric is forced to acknowledge the other Dauntless also ready to kill him. Eric kicks the nearest traitor, sending her back towards a bookshelf. But she comes back with fury filled punches.

Max slinks out of the house, Eric detests the cowardice. And Four misses his throw of his last blade.

Four fights with calm, calculated punches and kicks, easily overpowering the traitors coming after him. He takes care of them easily, leaving both in a dead heap. He looks up at the sick sound of bone crunching, finding Eric slamming one of their attackers heads on the outside of a shelf.

The two men regard each other with rage behind both their eyes. Four comes towards him and shoves him back. "You set Tris up!"

Eric can see how that makes sense to him, but it's not the truth. There's so much to wrap his head around. He doesn't have time for this. "I didn't. This goes deeper than you understand."

"Just admit it," Four argues, "You never could handle being second best."

Eric laughs, "You think I wanted to get back at you for being number one? Really? You're going to argue that right now?"

"Didn't you?" Four asks skeptically, "You couldn't wait to do Erudite's bidding. You're sick."

"Fuck you," Eric spits. "You don't know anything about what Tris is to me."

"You. set. her. up," Four continues, "I don't care about what she is to you now. She's in danger because of you. I told her this would happen!"

He sees that he's not going to get through to Four. There's no convincing him that this is the opposite of what Eric wants.

"Whatever Four." Eric begins to walk away when Four grabs his shoulder. He pushes him off whilst grabbing the knife Four lodged into the wall, pointing it at him. "I don't have time to stand here and compare ego's, okay? If you haven't noticed, Jeanine still has shit she wants to do. And she's going to tear this city apart looking for Tris."

There's a commotion outside the front door, and they pause. Four looks at him, the voices outside the door getting closer, "There's another way out of here." He finally says.

He doesn't want to die. Not here. They grab what they can, guns and ammunition. Eric follows him to the back door of the house, both looking out the window to find that the whole house is it yet to be completely surrounded.

They make a break for it, Four skidding to a stop to grab a knife abandoned in the day attack on Abnegation. He hears a voice and throws the knife with pinpoint accuracy, watching it get lodged into a young man's neck. Eric releases his hold on a blade, and it zips through the air, into the shoulder of an attacker.

They keep running until they get to the trains, both jumping on, hearing the hollow sound of bullets getting stuck in their car. When they're out of sight, Eric finally allows himself to breathe. He grabs the front of his vest and rests his head back.

There's a sudden, sharp pain in his leg, and he looks down, seeing the blood coming from his thigh. "That's not good," he mutters.

"What happened?" Four asks, looking at him finally, "Are you hit?"

"Yeah," Eric groans, looking at it. "Just a flesh wound." He rips the bottom of his shirt, tying it over the gash to stop the bleeding.

Four let's him be for a while and Eric exhales hard, hoping Tris and her group are well. He thinks of Faye, hoping she's alright too.

"Why did you do it?" Four finally asks. He's not as angry as he was before. But it's still there, bubbling under the surface and if Eric says the wrong thing, Four may throw him out of the car. A

"I didn't have a choice," Eric says, and it's a weak argument.

"Bullshit," Four says. "There's always a choice." It's not wrong, Eric knows that but he hears Four sigh and the recognition passes through the man's voice. "You really didn't know?"

"She's the one who ordered my Dad be killed," Eric says, still not looking at him. "Who would assume they were in-laws?" He laughs bitterly. Nothing makes sense anymore. He doesn't want to believe that she's had him under his thumb this whole time, it's hard to fathom he didn't understand. But maybe he's not as smart as he's always imagined.

"Why? And what does that have to do with Tris?"

"He knew too much. More than I do," Eric puts his head in his hands, exhaling deeply as the world comes crashing around him. He feels like he'll fall through the floor under the weight of what's happening. Jeanine Matthews, his aunt? He can't deal with this.

"Coulter!" Four yells, "What does that have to do with Tris?"

"You know that Tris is Divergent," Eric exhales, blinking back the emotion he won't let show anymore. There's no room for it. "I know you've always known."

"And you told Jeanine, didn't you?" Four accuses, unable to keep the tone from pointing all blame at him.

"No, Max did. All problems with the fear landscape get sent straight to Max." Eric hasn't been the most helpful with the divergent hunt since he found out he is one. And Jeanine knew that. It's the reason she bided her time, waiting for the right moment to threaten him. "Jeanine wants to be able to control the divergent mind. She wants to be the first to do it. She's obsessed with it."

"And the attack on Abnegation?"

"A test run," Eric replies evenly. "I don't have to tell you of the long standing rivalry between the two factions." He feels like there's more to the story just based on how much Jeanine hates the Abnegation. The articles published with her approval are more cruel than the ones he remembers from his teen years and younger. "She's always thought that Abnegation has the biggest number of Divergents."

"Wipe them out and the problem is solved," Four concludes.

"Not entirely, but that's part of it." Eric sighs, bringing his knees up. "She wants control. Completely wiping them out is plan B."

"So what next?"

"If I know her, she'll run her tests on the Divergents she's gathered… the Dauntless who were immune to the last serum and anyone she's had an eye on since their aptitude tests."

"You weren't injected," Four says suddenly, looking at his rival. "Why not?"

Eric rolls his eyes. "It wouldn't haven't worked and she knew that. It was mostly initiates used today."

"Do you have a plan?" Four asks irritably. He's been watching Dauntless leaders for a long time, since his mentor was killed. And he knows there's more to the story.

"Faye got some of the others out." That's all he's willing to divulge at the moment.

"And Lauren escaped," Four offers, a gesture of good faith. But the Dauntless numbers are high, and hundreds will be under Jeanine's command in the coming weeks. Their handful of escapees will pale in comparison. And they don't have time to train reinforcements. "Where are we even going?"

"Amity. They're taking in survivors."

"Tris is there…" Four concludes, and Eric nods. "Does she know about you?"

"Know what?" Eric asks with an irritated sigh.

"That you're Divergent like us…."

It's been two days since they've arrived. And it's been incredibly quiet, Jeanine's brainless army hasn't come back with another round of terror.

It's time some decisions are made. "I just wanted you to know that you staying will be put up for a vote," Johanna says to Tris, the two women gathered in her home.

Amity is a democratic faction, that much Tris already knows. She expects nothing less. "I'll leave if you want me to, but please, let them stay." She hasn't been a leader in her own right to request favors but it doesn't hurt to ask. She has no power here.

"Why should you have to leave without them?" Johanna knows the answer already, but wants to hear Tris say it. Accusations are powerful.

Tris bites her lip, knowing she's always been taught to keep her divergence a secret. Her aptitude test only makes her a target. And it isn't hard to deduce that this is the reason for this war. "I'm Divergent." Jeanine hasn't ever attempted to hide her contempt for the other.

"It makes no difference to me," Johanna begins, folding her hands together, as if she's trying to explain as gently as she can. "But Amity remains neutral in conflict."

Tris didn't get a positive for Amity in her test. She doesn't understand staying out of the conflict when it affects the entire city. But they are being harbored, she can't start a disagreement here.

"Just… Tell them I'll leave if I have to."

"Where will you go?"

"Someone has to stop Jeanine or people will keep dying." Tris says, resolute. "Just please, let Elise, Sarah, and my parents stay."

"I will bring it up," Johanna promises.

There's a conservative knock on Johanna's door and they both look at on another before the Amity mouthpiece gets up from her seat to answer the door.

"There's more of them." The woman at the door says simply, sounding almost as if she's bored. It would make Tris laugh if she weren't suddenly wide eyed—her heart hammering in her chest.

She shoots up from her seat, "Where?"

"Near the Tree."

Tris runs from the house, towards where she and the others had arrived. The centerpiece of the community is hard to miss. The pavilion is the first thing you see when you enter the compound.

"Eric!" His name is rips from her mouth in a hurry as she makes her way over. She calls him again as she spins in circles searching the mixed faces she sees. "Eric!"

She hears him the very second her name leaves his lips. And there he is, a path cleared as he and Four move people out of the way. She's keeps herself from crying, but her throat is so tight she can barely breathe.

He stops for a moment, the two of them just staring at each other. He feels someone shove him forward, looking back his sees his only friend Faye, smiling at him. "Go on will you, Jesus." She turns to their group of survivors, Johanna waiting nearby to talk. She and Four will handle much of the conversation.

Tris notices Eric's limp but doesn't have much time to dwell on it before they're barreling towards one another, arms reaching for each other. He wraps her in his arms, holding her close. He cradles her face in hands, before repeatedly kissing her. She kisses him back with as much emotion as she can, hoping he can feel all her relief and love. She hugs him close, gripping his shoulders. There are people watching but she doesn't care. She kisses him until she can't breathe.

He pulls away first, looking at her like she's the center of his universe. She latches onto him, wanting to hide in his embrace forever. But she knows she can't. This moment will end and they'll have to fight.

"I was worried you wouldn't show."

"I'll never leave you," he says, and he means it. It feels like the wrong time to make declarations but, dammit, he's gonna do it anyway. "I love you," He says, and her grin is worth more than anything.

"I love you too." She rushes out as she throws herself at him, forgetting his leg, immediately pulling back with her regret etched all over her face. It makes him laugh, "It's just a scratch."

"Well, in that case, rub some dirt in it and let's go." Tris jokes, earning herself one of his laughs. She pulls him along, "Some people are waiting to see you."

AN: Have I ever said how much I love you, dear readers? Cause I love you. Thank you for all the love you guys have given this series.

THEY SAID THE L WORD!