A/N: Here it is, the sequel to 'Fire Fox'. It starts up right where Fox ended..enjoy!

Eric's eyes opened wide in shock. "Pregnant?"

Dazed he turned back to the door and pushed if fully shut then turned back to Fox. He scrubbed his hands over his face and looked back up at her. "Are you sure?"

Fox held out the item in her hand, a plastic pregnancy test. "Pretty sure." She whispered.

"Are you sure it's mine?"

Eric's words hit Fox like a slap, she physically recoiled from them. Eric himself looked aghast, eyes widening as he realized what he had just said.

Fox pushed past him, shaking. She needed to get out of here. She pulled the door open and Eric's hand gripped her arm.

"Fox-"

Fox whirled and pushed Eric backwards with all her strength. He staggered back, letting go of her arm, his eyes huge and mouth working to form words.

Pointing her finger, Fox growled savagely. "Don't follow me. Fuck you, Eric Coulter."

Slamming the door shut behind her, Fox broke into a run. Logic would dictate that she'd head into the deserted corridors to the right of the bottom of the stairs, so Fox veered left, into the Pit; into the party. She skirted the edge, avoiding the crush of people and wove her way through the crowd on the other side. Tears poured freely down her face but no one was in any shape to notice.

"Fox?"

Fox kept going, but a hand banded around her arm. She whirled to see Bud, the tattoo artist, holding her arm, his eyes wide with concern. "Are you okay? Here, come here."

Bud pulled Fox to an empty table and pushed a glass of water towards her. "What's wrong?"

Fox shook her head, unable to describe it.

Bud looked around for a moment, before leaning close to Fox and saying. "You wanna get out of here?"

Fox nodded in relief.

Bud led her out of the Pit and into the tattoo shop he worked at. It was closed, but he sat down at his station and began setting up his gun. There was newer technology out there that involved electrified pads that implanted the ink into the skin, but Bud and Tori were old school and still used guns.

Fox collapsed in the armchair near his station. Tremors ran through her body.

"What do you want?" Bud asked.

Fox frowned in confusion and Bud held up his left arm, pointed briefly to tattoo of a cracked skull. "I got this one day when I just needed to do something...when shit got too heavy and I needed a different kind of pain."

Fox exhaled, Bud was offering her a distraction. He didn't know what was bugging her, only that something was, and was offering a temporary respite. Fox glanced around, "can we go in the back? I don't want anyone to see."

Understanding flooded Bud's eyes and he nodded. Dropping his gun on a rolling table he stood and pushed it through the doorway at the back of the shop. Fox followed and he shut the door behind them. No one running out of the Pit would see or hear anything going on in the tattoo shop.

Fox felt a small pang at hiding like this, which would no doubt cause Eric extra worry when he couldn't find her. IF he's even looking for you. He's just like everyone else, blaming you and turning their backs when you need them. It's fucking Amity all over again. The pang disappeared.

Bud interrupted her spiralling thoughts. "What do you want?"

A dim part of Fox's mind cautioned her to be careful and not pick something, like a broken heart or 'Fuck Eric Coulter', which she'd probably regret later.

Deciding to focus on the positives of the day, Fox answered. "Leadership bars, here. On my ribs."

Bud nodded and said. "It'll hurt, the ribs are sensitive."

"Good." Fox replied. Pulling off her shirt, exposing her favourite black bra, she lay down on her left side; closing her eyes as Bud started to work.

Bud was right, the ribs were sensitive, but Fox embraced the pain. Anything to keep from feeling what was boiling in her heart right now. Are you sure it's mine? What the fuck kind of question was that? Of course it was Eric's, she had been 100% faithful to him. According to stories Fox had heard, Eric was the one who used to whore his way through the female population of Dauntless, never the same woman twice. You're so fucking stupid, you really thought he'd change? Marry me, Fox...bullshit.

Bud hit a particularly sensitive spot and Fox gritted her teeth. "Almost done." He reported.

Fox glanced up at the clock, she'd been gone for over four hours, it was nearing dark. Fox wasn't ready to go back to the apartment, his apartment, and decided to try the dorms. Housing assignments wouldn't be given out until the morning, surely the dorms had been left as is in case someone needed to crash.

"Alright, you're done. You want some healing cream?"

Fox debated a moment before nodding. Bud spread some on both sides of her ribcage and Fox chewed her bottom lip. The next few hours of discomfort would be worth a healed tattoo by morning. Fox stood and moved to a nearby mirror. The Leadership bars on her sides moved with her body contours, looked natural and beautiful. Fox couldn't help remembering the identical ink on Eric's throat, where she'd dragged her tongue and nipped with her teeth on more than one occasion. Pushing that bullshit away she turned back to Bud.

"They look amazing. I'll transfer points to you in the morning."

Bud shook his head. "Don't worry about it, gift for a friend who needed it."

Fox blushed at his generosity. Stepping towards him she pecked his cheek in thanks. "Thanks, Bud. I better get going." Fox was halfway to the door when Bud spoke again.

"Whatever he said to you, I'm sure he's sorry. Give him a chance."

Fox realized that Bud knew exactly who Fox had been running from tonight. His next words only confirmed it. "We don't hang out as much anymore, too busy...but he's changed since you've come here, Fox. He's not the same guy anymore. Just...don't throw it all away, not yet."

Fox swallowed hard then nodded. Silently, she left. Her feet took her automatically to the dorms. Hitting the bottom of the stairs Fox looked up and froze. Sitting on his bunk, unlacing his boots and staring back at her was Peter.

"What are you doing here, Banjo?" He growled.

Fox moved to her old bunk on the opposite end. She didn't feel like fighting with Peter right now.

Peter sighed and grumbled. "Turn off the light if you're staying, Jesus."

Fox stomped back to the bank of light switches and snapped them off. A few fluorescent lights in the communal bathroom stayed on, as they had every night of their initiation, and provided enough light for Fox to return to her cot.

Kicking off her boots and peeling off her jacket, Fox crawled under the covers. Peter shifted restlessly in his cot.

"Not out partying?" He finally asked.

"Could ask you the same thing." Fox replied.

Peter sighed. His next words were a shock to Fox. "It's not the same...they're not here."

Fox lifted her head from her pillow. Peter's back was to her, had he just said something that wasn't smart-ass, wasn't a jab? Fox had a pretty good idea who 'they' were and stayed quiet.

"They're gone, you know." Peter said softly, Fox not missing the sadness in his tone.

"With the factionless, you mean."

"No. Gone. They had a pact...they were together. When it started looking like they weren't going to pass the second stage, they decided to kill themselves if they failed."

Fox swallowed hard. She knew exactly who Peter was talking about, Molly and Drew. They were together? They'd been together?

"I loved her, you know." Peter confessed quietly. Fox wondered how drunk he was to be opening up like this to her of all people. "But she only wanted Drew."

"Peter...I'm sorry."

"I chose Fence patrol so I could stay away from here, so I wouldn't have to go out and deal with the factionless everyday and see that they aren't here anymore...it's too hard."

Fox lay there a long time, stunned by Peter's confession.

"I'm sorry, Peter...we never got along, but I'm sorry."

"Never gave you a chance, Banjo." Peter replied quietly. He exhaled and murmured. "Good night, Fox."

"Good night, Peter." Fox replied. She lay there a long time before closing her eyes.

Dimly, Fox felt her mattress dip and fingers caressed her cheek.

"I've been looking for you for hours." Eric's voice was unsteady, threadbare.

Fox opened her eyes and looked up. Eric sat beside her, his hand gently touching her cheek. At the look in her eyes, he pulled back. Eric looked up and over at where Peter lay, snoring softly.

"Can we go back home and talk about this?" He asked quietly.

Fox studied Eric's face a moment. As a defense mechanism in Amity, she'd grown a razor-edged tongue and claws, slashing at anyone who got too close or tried to hurt her. She realized that they'd come out again, and she'd cut Eric deep tonight with them. She nodded and Eric exhaled in relief. He stood and held out his hand to help Fox but she ignored it, sat up herself and pulled on her boots. Standing, she shrugged on her jacket and left the dorms, Eric behind her. As they walked to the stairs, Fox felt Eric's fingers brush hers hesitantly and although she wanted to jerk her hand away, she didn't and felt Eric's fingers wrap around her own. He squeezed them and there was an edge of desperation in his touch, as if he never expected to do this again. Silently they climbed the stairs, stopping in front of Eric's door. He reached over and unlocked it, pushed the door open and stepped back for Fox to enter first. She did and Eric followed, turning on lights and locking the door behind him.

Fox turned, arms crossing over her chest, and waited.

Eric met her eyes briefly before dropping them. He opened his mouth and closed it, fighting to find the right words. Fox waited, expressionless.

Finally, Eric whispered. "I'm so sorry, baby. I never should have said that. I don't think that...I don't know why I said it." His eyes searched Fox's for any sort of leniency or reprieve and finding none, he dropped his head again. He seemed smaller, diminished somehow.

Fox watched him stand there, his misery and remorse obvious.

"You've heard the stories about me...and the women I've been with."

Fox had, some from Eric himself, some from others.

"One of them, Courtney, told me she was pregnant...about six months before you came to Dauntless. I decided to stay with her, she swore it was mine...I started preparing to be a father, thought I could make a go of it with her, take care of my responsibilities...when she lost the baby two months later she told me I wasn't the father, that she was sure who was but she'd picked me because I could give her a better life as a leader...hearing you say that, I flashed right back to then, to that hurt...the betrayal."

Fox had heard of this Courtney, she was shacked up with someone from Eric's initiation year, but had a famous wandering eye. She'd heard she'd lost a baby, but hadn't heard this part, her pinning it on Eric for financial security. This story would be easy enough to verify, but she sensed that Eric wasn't lying. Fox had her demons, her tortured past, and she still suffered from it, still fell back on old memories and thought patterns; tonight was a bright and shining example, why couldn't Eric be allowed his slips too? His demons and memories, it was grievously unfair of Fox to expect leniency for the past to extend only to her.

"Do you still think that? That it might not be yours?"

Eric shook his head. He lifted his gaze to Fox and her chest squeezed when she saw his cheeks were wet. "I never did...it just came out." He murmured. He dropped his head again with a shudder.

Fox exhaled and stepped towards Eric. Although his words still stung, hearing his confession, seeing the tears in his eyes had made her decision. He wouldn't have come looking for her, wouldn't sound so overwrought and be standing in front of her so humbled if he wasn't truly repentant. Slowly, she reached out, brushed her fingertips at his belt. Eric gave a strangled sigh, his breathing heavy. Fox raised her head, cupped his cheek with her other hand. Eric's eyes were closed and he leaned his head tentatively into Fox's hand. Slowly, uncertainly, he opened his eyes, searching Fox's for forgiveness. Fox breathed deeply, releasing her anger and hurt. She'd dropped a bombshell tonight, she should have expected aftershocks.

"Fox." Eric whispered, bringing up his hand to brush his knuckles against her cheek.

Fox closed the remaining distance between them, leaned her body against Eric's chest and he wrapped his arms tightly around her with a muffled sob, burying his head in her hair. Fox felt his muscles shivering and regretted the way she'd acted, the torture she'd put him through by disappearing.

"Thank you, baby." Eric breathed, his lips by her ear. "I'll never hurt you again."