A/N: [Edited and Revised for grammatical errors]: I have been tossing around an idea of a sibling for Tris for a while now. This will be AU and for sure a slow burn. Eric is going to be a bit OOC. Let me know what you think if you could. I appreciate feedback and if this is something I should continue.

Disclaimer: I own Elle and my plot.

Chapter 1

"Elle!" My Mother's voice called for me frantically as I heard scuffles coming up the stairs. She burst into my room before I could answer her or even get up.

"Mom?" I popped up, my forehead furrowed.

"Elle, get dressed in this. Hurry baby girl. They will be here soon. I have to get you out of here." My mother started shoving grey pants, grey boots and a long sleeved gray sweater to me. Not the normal grey clothes a girl for Abnegation would wear openly. I only wore that when she was training me to join my sister.

"Mom, what is going on?" I ask worriedly but am already pulling on the clothes.

I hear my father as he stomps up the stairs. My normally unflappable Father, whose eyes are wide and filled with pain. "Natalie I have to start trying to wake others and get them out."

My parent's share a look of pain and are almost saying goodbyes before they embrace. I feel the hairs stand up on my arms at that and then he comes and engulfs me in his arms. "I love you Electa. Always remember that. Listen to your Mother and go get to safety."

I clutch to him. "I love you Dad. Please what is going on?"

My Dad's eyes turn dark and his face goes hard. "Erudite has armed the factionless as an army. They are coming to wipe us out and take any divergents. Baby girl, you need to get to safety. Hopefully Dauntless comes soon. Tris will find you once things have settled. We are going to try and get you to Amity. I love you all." With that he kisses us and walks away quickly.

I hurriedly finish getting ready but we can already tell it might be too late. The sound of gunfire approaching has already begun. I should be terrified and ready to run but that sound has enraged me.

I look into my mother's eyes and I can see the same. "Baby girl." She whispers and I shake my head.

"You can't ask me to just leave everyone and not try Mom." My chin raises and my back is straight. There is a reason I was being trained by my Mom, Sister, her fiance and their friends to fight, shoot and throw knives. I may be divergent in aptitude but I have always been Dauntless.

With a sigh and a nod my Mom takes my hand and then we set out. The children are the goal and we manage to get some of the ones nearer us away and to a little known cellar in the meadow. It used to be part of a house that had been torn down and the meadow grew over it. There is only a small brick wall surrounding it to mark its location.

I hear more gunfire and look to the oldest, not even twelve. "Keep everyone in and quiet. I will come back with more soon." I command her and then move to go join my Mom again. She had already moved off to try and gather more people or children.

I hear feet pounding as I hug the buildings. I am clutching one of our larger kitchen knives as a weapon and cursing that we had left all of my throwing knives with Zeke and Four.

I hear the sounds of a scuffle and look around the corner in time to see my Mom wrestling with a factionless. His look is so blank as they wrestle. Without thinking I take the knife and throw. I am aiming straight for his head.

It embeds with a sickening thunk and my Mom's eyes snap to mine. "Elle." She grabs the gun from his hands and runs to me. "We have to go" Her eyes are red rimmed and I know in that moment that I have already lost my father.

I nod and walk over to the now dead man. Intending to pull the knife from his head. I am unable to do so and I end up just looking down at him. My face must look a fright with how blank it is. I can't force myself to feel anything right now. Most Erudite have this ability but I have always had it too. I can put myself into a place where I show nothing and to feel nothing.

"Baby girl we need to go no…" A shot rings through the early morning and cuts her off. My eyes snap to my mother and I see red blooming from her chest.

"Mom!" I cry and drop with her. She gives me a sad smile and drops the gun.

"Run baby." She says before her eyes close and I feel rage unlike I have ever known blind me even with my tears. It breaks through that wall I am always able to put up. All I see is rage.

I grab the gun and spin firing as I do so. Moving between buildings I fire at anyone I see raising a gun to one of my faction. Until I finally come to the Eaton house and I see Jeanine Matthews with two Erudite men and two factionless standing outside. They have Marcus on his knees and I can't hear what they are saying but it must not be good because he is pleading and begging.

I don't care about saving the monster that is supposed to be a great leader of our faction. If anything I want to take him out just as badly. I care about taking out every last one of those that have killed my family. I also know I can't take the chance to do what I so want to do, crave to do. I have to get back to the others I have sent to the cellar.

I am rooted there for the moment. My finger poised on the trigger debating on pulling it and putting one in her damn head. It is too far and I need to go. It would expose my position and I have others to think about. I move quickly and avoid the area where my mother fell. I will go back but not now. I might break if I do.

"Electa!" I hear the cry of Susan Black as she pulls me into her arms and tries to pull me down the stairs.

"Susan, keep everyone back. I have to guard the door. Keep everyone quiet." I shake my head and push her back to join the other. There is more gunfire, but it sounds like returned gunfire now. Dauntless. "Keep them back Susan!" I hiss and I am off running.

I know I need to stay. I should stay and protect them but my body is already almost on autopilot. My sister and Dauntless family might be out there though and I have already lost so much.

I am moving along using the same pattern of movement to make my way around buildings. Every bit of training that Four and Zeke have been drilling in me on how to move during combat and fire is running through my mind and muscle memory. The first gun I had is out of ammo. I had already blown through it as I encountered a few more factionless and Erudite with the same blank look and guns in their hands. I pick up another MP5 from a dead factionless. I round another corner and head to the last place I saw Jeanine Matthews. This time I won't hesitate.

"What the fuck!" I hear a deep growl being directed at me.

I had rounded a corner with my weapon raised to be met by two Dauntless men with their own raised at me but four in total. The other two are covering the rear of the first two. I scowl at them but don't lower the weapon. One has tattoos of a leader and I focus on him.

"You aren't stopping me. I will tell you that right now. I won't hesitate this time and I will put the bullet in her fucking head." I growl, my nostrils flaring and every bit of rage I have coming forth. I move forward to keep going.

"Stiff, you aren't going anywhere. You will lower that weapon and tell me what the fuck you think you are doing." His eyebrow quirks and his steel grey eyes glare me down trying to make me cower. Sucks for him I have never been able to do that. I don't back down very well.

"What am I doing? I am going to kill the bitch that just caused me to become a fucking orphan. I am fighting to keep the 30 kids I just smuggled away from this shit safe. And pray they don't join me in losing their fucking parents. What are you doing besides wasting my fucking time?" I growl and motion him to move aside.

I see his eyes flash with anger but then soften and almost flash with admiration. "She's already gone Stiff. We got her. I am sorry about your family. But we need to clear the area. Will, you and Edward canvas the area. Logan with me and we will take the little lioness here to see about her cubs."

My back stiffens at his tone at first. But I can tell him not calling me stiff was about as big of a compliment as I was going to get from someone like him. Something my sister said about a certain leader niggles the back of my mind but I am already moving. I never drop my guard or weapon.

I notice movement heading to the meadow and my heart rate and adrenaline picks up as I break out into a run. Two factionless men and one woman are approaching with guns drawn and I am already firing. A series of control bursts as I fire and run just as Four and Zeke taught me to do.

I drop the woman and have to drop myself as they whip around to take aim. I take a knee as the two Dauntless drop near me. The leader scowling at me but then shakes his head with a look of amusement. "Keep down Lioness, we got this shit." He growls out and then pops up letting off a burst of fire. There is no return fire.

He motions for me to follow and I am in the middle as the other takes the rear. We make it to the cellar and he goes first. I can hear the cries of the children as they see first him and then I come down. They calm at my reappearance.

Susan once again rushes forward to embrace me. I always wondered why she stayed here. She was almost as bad as me about not fitting in. "Elle! I was so worried. The ones you just sent back said you refused to come with them. Mother is furious I let you go. She wants to know where your …."

"Electa Prior." I hear the haughty voice of Mrs. Black as she whips into view. "You put down that weapon this instance. I am sure your Mother and.."

I feel rage explode from me again and wonder why I am not smoldering by now. "Shut it Mrs. Black. My Mother and Father are dead. If you so much as say another word you will see just how much of a sucky stiff I truly fucking am. You wouldn't be here right now if I hadn't taken this weapon and put a bullet in that mans head who had a gun pointed to yours. Don't bring up my parent's again. They are fucking heroes."

I hear gasps from all around me and sobs at the news that my parents are gone. Susan puts her hand on my arm and her eyes are filled with tears. "Elle." She whispers.

"Don't Susan. I won't cry. Not right now. She wouldn't want that. We need to get all of you out of here and to safety. It is what they died trying to do and I will carry out that wish." I choke back my own sorrow now that I have said the words. My chin raises and I swallow then whip around to face the Dauntless men to wait for orders.

The one called Logan looks to the leader. "Eric, we have an all clear. We can start moving everyone out of here and the medics are setting up shop here in the meadow.

Mrs. Black and some of the few other elder members seem to snap out of it and offer to help in the tents and start gathering supplies. True Abnegation actions.

Eric, the leader, never once broke his eyes from mine. He looked to be debating something or searching for something in my eyes. Maybe he was worried I was going to finally break down. He frowned before he sighed. "Radio Control and have them send Prior from her unit to meet us at the tents."

My heart skips at the mention of my sister. Even if only by her last name.

"Tris." I whisper it like a talisman of hope. Her name is like a balm on my wounded heart. I still have family left. I tell myself to focus on that.

Eric nods and comes towards me. "She will meet us at the tents. You can hand over the weapon when we get there." He pauses and moves beside me. His large hand going to the small of my back and propelling me forward. I feel warmth and comfort from it and wonder at that action coming from a hardened soldier.

I am clutching the weapon as if it is holding me up. We make it to the tents and he pushes me down in a chair. Shock finally setting in for me. I feel the gun being taken from my hands and then feel warm hands engulfing mine.

I look to see him crouched in front of me. Holding my eyes with his own. "You did good Elle. Your sister will be here soon but we are going to need to get your statements about what happened. Are you going to be ok? Do you need me to stay?"

I swallow and shake my head. I won't cry or break down. I won't be weak. "No Sir. Thank you for your help. I am sorry about my dis.."

Eric chuckles and shakes his head as he interrupts me. "Don't worry about it. Although it would have been funny to see how you handled the dragon lady in that cellar." My lips twitch at that. He squeezes my hands but before he can speak again I hear my name called. He rises swiftly and his face shutters of all emotions but he stands near me. I feel oddly comforted by his presence to be honest.

My sister and Four, her fiance, rush towards me. Four and Eric are glaring at each other but soon they both are forgotten when Tris pulls me into her arms. I still choke back on my tears. "They are gone Tris. She told me to run but I wouldn't. I couldn't not fight. I heard the first gunshots and I felt rage and she knew I wouldn't leave. She wanted to get me to Amity. If I had gone she would be al…"

Tris shushes me and shakes her head with a sad smile and her eyes shining with held back tears too. "No Elle. Neither of them would have left either. I already know that she felt the same thing when she heard those shots too. Don't….just…" She stops and smooths my hair that had come loose from my ponytail. "We all knew you are just as much Dauntless and a fighter as if you were born into it. We both were. I would have done the same and I know they are proud of you right now. Four heard some initial reports of how many you saved Elle. Forty five kids and fifteen adults all saved by one person. You Elle. You found and defended them. Dad and Mom would be proud."

I take a deep breath and look Tris in the eyes. "I almost didn't stop myself from killing her and him for that matter. They had that sick bastard on his knees and I still wanted to take the shot. I barely pulled myself away so I wouldn't give my position away or the kids. I don't know what happened." My voice wasn't broken up now that I had moved onto the most important part. I wanted to know she was dead for all she had done here.

Tris' lips thinned and she nodded. "Four and I were part of the team that took her down. He was shot before we could get to him though."

"Is she dead?" I growl out and I can tell by her posture the answer to that. "She better not get away with it Tris."

We don't speak anymore about that because I am soon being questioned. I have to start providing my statements and I even have to walk the investigators through my actions. Showing them my kills, some of them I don't even really remember. Tris and Four stick by me for the entire time along with Logan. He seems to be more of a shadow though and not really involved. He did seem very impressed with my skills and shared conversation with Four about my training and what he saw of me when Eric and he had joined me. When we got to the kill with my knife I didn't feel the same numbness from before. I felt regret and pain.

I paused looking at the knife. Evaluating what I had done. How I could have changed things? Four senses this and comes up behind me. "Talk to me Elle. Tell me what you are seeing."

My jaw clenches. "Mom was wrestling with him. She had gotten a few good hits on him so he didn't get a shot off. We needed a weapon anyways because my knife wasn't going to cut it and we didn't have my throwing knives. She didn't want me to have to engage in hand to hand again and I didn't care for the throats I slit." I look at my blood stained clothes for a moment and then my hands, frowning deeply at the blood on all of it.

Logan speaks out in a coaxing manner. "Don't focus on that Elle. Keep going. What happened next."

He and Four are beside me now. "He had her on strength and I moved before I thought. I threw the knife and it landed. She grabbed the gun and came to me but I felt naked without the knife so I went to grab it. I didn't though, I just stood looking at it and him. I don't know why because I didn't feel anything. Mom called my name and said we needed to go and then she was shot. She dropped the gun and fell. She said to run but I didn't. All the walls I had to keep cool broke and I picked up the gun and went killing anything that had a gun raised to one of my faction. I am playing it in my mind and wondering if I hadn't stopped. Even for those few seconds…."

Four's lips thinned and he nodded. "You are more concerned though that you lost your control. I know you Elle and that is what is scaring you right now because you think that is why she is gone."

I nod simply as Tris side hugs me. "You know that isn't true. You know how I feel about those walls you put up. Four understands them and I know the make you hell of capable. But look at what you did when they were down too." She motions to the alley and I see the five men I killed in that rage right after Mom died.

"Maybe Tris. I didn't like the way it felt though when I acted during that rage." I said quietly.

Logan put a hand under my chin and lifted my head. "I get it. We all get it Elle. When this day is over I am going to sit you down and tell you a story. I think it will help. Right now though you need to know your actions saved lives. Let me ask you a question. At any point did you truly enjoy killing anyone? Even in the rage?"

I tilted my head and thought for a moment then shook my head. "No. Not even in rage. Even had it been Jeanine or Marcus I still wouldn't have enjoyed it."

Logan gave me a small smile and nodded. I could see he isn't just trying to placate me. He is speaking as one warrior to another. "That is what matters then. Remember that. For now we need to move out."

After that Logan stays closer to me and I can see Four sharing glances with him. Not worried glances but questioning glances. I think Logan is normally with Eric on most ops or being out in the field. Logan doesn't say why he was assigned protective duty but said he would have done it anyways. He either called me the nickname Eric gave me or Elle with a smile. I knew I had another friend in him.

I don't see Eric again, even though I oddly want to. But from the glares and growls Four and he were sending to each other I am not surprised. It is probably for the best anyways. I remember now that they have some kind of issue with each other. Eric is apparently cruel and for some reason Four hates and doesn't trust him. I can see that being a leader would require someone to be hard, but he didn't seem cruel to me. He could have been very cruel to me but he wasn't. He was worried and encouraging.

We find my Dad near to where Marcus Eaton was killed. It looked like he was killed trying to get a small group of our faction away. He sacrificed himself as a distraction and they were able to get away. My father died how he lived, giving of himself for others. Before they are taken away Tris and I remove the only things we will be keeping of them, their simple silver wedding bands. I already know I am going to tell her and Four use them. It is good to know something of their love survives.

"What is going to happen to me?" I ask Four quietly hours later. We are sitting in the temporary command tent that was set up near the MedTents in the meadow.

Four puts his arm around my waist and pulls me closer. "We'll figure it out. Tris is talking to the Leader's now to hopefully make arrangements. Would you want to go with us Elle? Caleb is in contact with us and he says he wants you to come to him in Erudite."

I scowl and shake my head. "There is no way I am going there. I love Caleb but I will not be going to Erudite. I would rather stay here than go there."

Four nods and gives me a small smile. "We'll see what we can do Elle. You know they changed the choosing age. You would have been choosing this year."

I sighed dejectedly and nodded. I am only barely two years younger than my siblings and should be leaving to go to my new home in a matter of months. The change had just been done a month ago. That along with a whole revamping of the testing system. I remember because my parent's had been almost relieved that we wouldn't have to worry about me being found out as divergent. It hadn't mattered. I had ended up on the list anyways. I hadn't been careful enough when taking classes I guess.

The rest of the day for me is spent waiting for arrangements to be made for our parent's and their burial. Arrangements to be made for me on where to stay until I could be placed either in an Abnegation home or with family. Arrangements for testimony in trials should it be needed. I was exhausted by the end of the day and I ended up being told to stay in my own home until things could be put into place.

Somehow there was an allowance for guards to be placed in the area but also in my house. Tris and Four were assigned that position along with Logan. I barely remember eating, showering or changing before I was passed out. I woke up to a soaked pillow so I must have cried during my sleep.

Logan stayed with us during that whole week. Eric even showed up from time to time as we waited. He even took me aside with Logan and had me talk about how I was feeling about the kills I had to make.

I listened to Logan tell the story of his own time when had lost his control after watching a factionless group of men attack a group of unarmed factionless, killing children and all for their canned goods. It helped listening to him talk.

It helped with Eric being there too even though he didn't speak much. He just seemed to be watching me, as if I was some big damn mystery to him.

Caleb came for the funeral and it had been hard to tell him that I would be going with Tris if they could arrange it. He had looked a bit crushed but understood. I would be allowed to visit him and possibly even spend nights in Erudite if I wanted. I didn't tell him that I didn't see that happening anytime in the future.

Three days after the funeral Tris told me that Leadership in Dauntless and Abnegation had signed off on Tris becoming my guardian. I would be going to live with her and Four in Dauntless and officially become an adopted dependant of that faction. I was allowed to pack a small bag of belongings but didn't have much to begin with.

I would be given some kind of funds though because of the attacks and the death of my parents so that I could buy all my new clothes and contribute to my upkeep. Four and Tris had to move to a larger apartment to make room for me and we would be next door to Zeke and Shauna. It felt like coming home but not under the circumstances I would ever have wanted.

I couldn't live in the past and regret though so I made plans. I had two years until my own choosing ceremony. I had promised myself that day in the Med Tent as Eric the leader told me that I had done well, that I would work to become even better. I would train even harder but I wouldn't forget to live and laugh. I would value my family even more because I saw first hand how fragile life can be.

That day Electa Prior died and I became Electra. It was a name my Mom and Dad had smiled at when they helped me to pick it out. The meaning was fiery sun and they had both beamed at that because they had always said I was the ray of light in the family. I took the name so that I would remember I don't have to be dark to be a good soldier and Dauntless.