The Unseen Wounds

by MimiLuvs16

A/U and Non-Canon, short story. This is the third installment (after "The Meek Shall Inherit" and "The Burning Knot") for the "Eric and Nasira" pentalogy. This story actually takes place three weeks after the occurrences from "Revelry". In this story, Nasira feels that she is in a "good place" with Eric. So, what happens when some revelations are made and they can cause problems?

1. Chapter 1

*stumbles into FFnet while wearing a velveteen housecoat, a satin bonnet and a pair slippers*

*rubs at eyes*

*waves*

Author's Note: Alright folks! Hey, it's me, MimiLuvs16. I originally didn't have any plans on posting this up now. I was planning on posting this up, in its entirety, this weekend. But thanks to some fans of my stories (and after reading several lovely messages), I've decided to post up a sample of the next installment in the "Eric & Nasira" pentalogy. This would be consider a 'first chapter' in this short story (there will be only two chapters... Hopefully, the last chapter will be posted on Sunday night).

WARNINGS: This is an A/U, non-canon story. No hunts for divergents. No mentions of Jeanine. No Abnegation massacre. Characters that are from the Divergent Series are completely OOC, in this story.

Rating: Rated M for 'Mature' and it is NSFW (unless you have one cool-ass, boss). Adult Language. Adult Content. Mild Violence. Explicit Sexual language. Explicit Sexual Content. No readers under the age of 16, please.

Disclaimer: *grumbles* I don't own any of the content that is in The Divergent Series. Everything, with the exception of the O/C's, belong to Veronica Roth.

I love reading reviews, so please don't be shy. Please enjoy this first chapter.

I love you, guys! Thank you for reading my story.

Please, enjoy!

*scratches head and goes back to bed*

---

Some Time Later

"…It's pretty dead around here. It's probably due to the parents being afraid…"

Nasira nodded her head in agreement. "It's the…"

"…mumps," both women announced.

The Dauntless woman's eyes scanned the plaza's inhabitants as they all stood around the memorial. She recognized all of the occupants. They were members of the same seminar that she was a part of. Right now, they were on a fifteen-minute break. So, majority of the classmates were smoking cigarettes or speaking on their cell phones.

"So how's the seminar going?" asked Sophie.

"It's boring-as-hell," grumbled the Dauntless mother.

"So it's an 'all-day thing' for you?" the caretaker inquired.

"Pretty much," answered Nasira. "We have lunch at twelve. They are supplying the lunch. It's also the time that I am permitted to call you again." Her feet began to pace. "How's my baby doing?"

Sophie giggled. "He is doing alright. Right now, I am pushing him in a baby-swing." A second later, the sounds of Lucien's shrieks of happiness was penetrated into the phone. "Do you hear him?" Sophie happily chirped into the earpiece.

"Yeah, I hear my baby boy!" Nasira informed her, smiling.

"I think that I am going to take him home, in the next thirty minutes though," the nanny declared. "It is way too quiet around here."

"That sounds like a good idea. As soon as he enters the apartment, please wash his hands. The last thing I need is for him to catch it," she told the young woman.

"Mmm-hmm, I got it, Miss G.!"

"Okay…" Nasira noticed her fellow classmates were heading back into The Training Facility. Her lips formed a snarl just as disappointment burned at her soul. 'It's time… Ugh!' She quickly glanced at the face of her wrist watch and read the time. She huffed in annoyance. "Soph," she groaned. "I have to go back to class. I am going to call you back during my lunch break, okay?"

Sophie chuckled. "Okay. Have fun in class!" she cheerfully announced. "Be nice to your classmates!"

The mother groaned, which made the nanny release a heartfelt chuckle. "I'll call you during my lunch break. Say 'bye-bye' to Luke for me."

The caretaker announced, "Luke… Luke…"

Nasira listened to her son's soft babbling.

"… Mama— Mama!" the child shrieked.

Sophie giggled. "Yeah, big boy, it's your mama! Your mama says 'Bye-Bye'. Can you say 'Bye-Bye' to your mama?" A second later, there were a set of feminine giggles.

"What happened?" asked Nasira.

"He's waving at me," she told the mother. Both women laughed.

Nasira began to stroll in the direction of the building's entrance. "Okay, I need to get off of this phone. I'll call you later, Soph."

"Okay. Speak to you later, Miss G."

The young mother disconnected the call before she stepped foot into The Training Facility. The air-conditioned air struck her as she walked pass the threshold. It was appreciated by her heated skin, which felt like it was slowly baking in the late May weather. It was the only thing that this building could provide for her. 'That… And a Dauntless Double-Trouble cheeseburger.' Her stomach rumbled in agreement. 'Whoa girl, you're not getting a cheeseburger today! You are going to have to settle with a salad and hummus with vegetables,' her conscience chastised her. 'My ass—

"Hey, watch it!"

Nasira was ripped from her thoughts and was greeted by the sight of a mob of jogging teenagers as they sprinted into her direction. 'Oh shit!' her brain hissed in astonishment. Her reflexes took over and she quickly stepped out of their path. She eyed the sprinting forms as they passed by her. 'Initiates,' she concluded. Her dark brown orbs searched out for their trainers. She hoped that she would've came across one particular frame. 'Damnit,' she cursed, when her eyes didn't spot Eric amongst the runners. With her lips pursed, she turned away from the scene and traveled to the venue where the seminar was taken place.

With a clear and alert mind, she made her way back to the room in which the symposium was taken place. Her attention was immediately drawn to the back of the classroom. She eyed the arching row of desks. Each desk was occupied by a student. "Damnit," she murmured. Her sight scanned the row of desks that was directly in front of the last row.

"Alright everyone, we're about to start in a minute, so please find a seat. If you haven't found a seat, then please find one," the symposium's orchestrator announced to the classroom's occupants.

Nasira's eyes landed on an empty seat that was in the fourth row from the back row. It just so happened to be one of the rows that was closest to the front of the classroom. 'Gah-great,' she silently groaned before she had taken a seat in that row.

She further settled into her cushioned chair. Her fingers dug through the front zippered pouch of her knapsack to procure her tape recorder. She placed the device on her desk and activated the recording feature. The seminar's organizer was true to his word. Less than thirty seconds later, the learning room's lights were dimmed and the projector's screen was resurrected. The lecture resumed. However, it didn't take her long to slip into her sub-consciousness. As she sat in the symposium, Nasira's body grew warm with nostalgia.

The young woman began to think about her son's father and his current behavior. She hasn't spoken or had seen the enigmatic Dauntless leader in three weeks. Not since the day after the birthday celebration at Dauntless village. It was on the day of Lucien's birthday. On the night before, she managed to fall asleep in her dad's old office with him. The next day, he participated in breakfast with her family and then he chauffeured Nasira and their son back home. After he dropped them off, he returned to the apartment three hours later. He had shown up to her doorstep with a small-sized birthday cake and several gifts for the toddler. For that visit, she was kept in a state of amazement. Eric had shown up to her apartment in a state of content and willingness. He appeared to be comfortable with the action of behaving silly as he interacted with their son on that day, like a father of a toddler would typically behave. He openly played with Lucien. He didn't hold any restrictions and inhibitions as he sat on the floor and kept their child happy. Then there was his willingness to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening with the mother and child. After Lucien had fallen asleep, the two parents conversed in the living room. The conversations were less sterile, but polite, between them. The topics ranged from reminiscing about the party to talking about the day's events to Lucien to Eric's impending work schedule. Before he made his departure, the Dauntless leader promised her about returning to her home on the following evening.

It was a promise that he hasn't fulfill within the past three weeks.

'Maybe he has been busy with the initiates,' she concluded. 'Yeah, that's it.'

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen…"

Nasira stared at the darkened figure that stood in front of the classroom.

"…It is time for your lunch break…"

There were declarations of joy and sighs of relief. The lecture hall's ceiling lights gradually powered up and lit up the room with a soft glow.

"…Ever since you have been great today by asking us questions and being fully engaged with us, I am going to allow you to have an extra thirty minutes for lunch," the lecturer announced. There was another wave of celebratory response inside of the hall. "If you don't know, we have provided lunch for you guys today. There's a set-up outside of the classroom, in the hallway. It isn't mandatory, but if you want something, then help yourself." There was a smattering of 'thank you' from the pool of students. Seconds later, the room began to fill up with the sounds of students preparing to go to lunch.

Nasira watched the rows of students climb out of their seats before she slipped out of her own. She snatched up her tape recorder from off of the desk and her knapsack from off of the floor, before she made her exit out of the room. As soon as she stepped outside into the late Spring weather, she pulled out her cell phone from her jeans' back pocket. She powered up the device. She immediately welcomed by the alert system that notified her about unread text messages. 'Mmm, must be Sophie,' she concluded. She glanced at her phone's screen and she was notified about several 'missed calls'. Her brow grimaced. 'No one calls me except for strangers. Who…?' Her fingers expertly pulled up the call log application. Her eyes widened in alarm. 'Oh God!' her brain whimpered.

Her fingertips quickly dialed up a number. She placed the phone's earpiece to her right ear and listened to the waves of rings that floated from the piece. Her eyes frantically scanned the plaza. She glanced at various people and envied their states of contentment. Right now, her fear was making her heart race and her body to tremble. Her brain ran several horrifying possibilities.

"Miss G.!"

The greeting unexpectedly shot out of the phone's earpiece and into Nasira's eardrum. "Sophie! What's wrong?" she asked her son's caretaker. She recognized the sense of panic that was etched inside of her tone.

"Miss G.! Hold on—

"Fee-Fee!" Lucien called out, in the background of their current location.

The mother heard the fear in her son's voice and she could sense that he was crying. Her heartbeats began a thundering pace.

"I'm right here, Lukie! I'm right here," the caretaker announced to the boy.

"She's right there, sweetheart." The statement of consolation had come from an unfamiliar voice. Possibly, it had come from a clinic nurse or from his treating physician. Even though she didn't sense any malice, it still didn't make Nasira feel any better.

"Fee-Fee," mewled Lucien.

"I'm—

"Sophie, tell me… What-the-fuck is going on right now?!" she unleashed into the phone's mouthpiece. The fear was allowing her sense of anger to permeate into her consciousness. Her hearing was flooded with the abrasive sounds of shuffling. It lasted for a minute. A minute that was too long, according to Nasira's standards. Horrible, fear-inducing thoughts filled the young mother's head. She wanted to know if her son was going to be alright.

"I'm sorry, Miss G.! I needed to leave the examination room, in order to—

"SOPHIE, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON?!" she shouted into her phone. Her direct shout caused several passersby to halt in their tracks and to stare at her. Nasira didn't notice the curious or alarmed gazes. The caretaker didn't respond to the mother's frantic inquiry right away. "SOPHIE, WHERE IS MY SON?!"

A few seconds later, there was a sound. It sounded like a soft cry.

"Sophie!" Nasira spoken into the phone's mouthpiece.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…" the young woman kept whimpering. She was frightened. Her meek apologies soon fell apart and splintered off into fragile whimpers.

It served as a chilled and soothing balm for the raging fiery inferno that was Nasira's anger. The worried mother was instantly reminded of the young woman's familial history. Mainly, she remembered the testimony about the abusive parents. She immediately began to feel remorse for scaring the nanny. "Sophie, I'm… Sophie, I'm sorry," she announced with a gentler voice. Her hearing was filled with the sounds of the woman's crying and fear-tinged whimpers. A second later, she blurted into the phone, "Sophie where are you?" There was the sound of a hitching in the caretaker's breathing. "Sophie…" Nasira began to pace. "…tell me where you are right now," she instructed.

There were a few whimpers. Then the nanny answered, "I'm… I'm… I'm in a bathroom".

"Okay, now tell me where this bathroom is located? In what building?" the mother instructed the woman.

"I'm… I am in the clinic," she answered, her voice was still soft.

"But, which clinic? Tell me the name of the faction, Soph."

"I'm in Dauntless," answered Sophie. Her voice became firmer and more confident.

Nasira was aware that her raised voice and her unleashed anger caused the teen to unfairly reflect back on her times living with her parents. The woman was aware that she needed to bring Sophie back to the present time. She knew that the nanny was confused about the questioning of her location, but as long as Sophie was engaging in conversation, she didn't care about the logistics.

"That's right, Soph, you are in Dauntless. You're not in Candor anymore. Your parents are not there and they cannot hurt you anymore," Nasira informed her. She huffed and ran her left set of fingers through her thick mane, out of frustration. She scanned the plaza's memorial monument. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Soph" she apologized, after a moment of non-dialogue between the two of them. "When I checked my phone and saw the clinic's… And when you kept not answering me… Then-then, when I heard Luke crying in the back… I lost it… And I took it out on you…" She looked to the ground. "…I'm sorry about that."

"It's…" whimpered Sophie, "…it's okay".

Nasira began to walk around the monument, in an effort to make this nervous energy disappear. "Do you want me to call you back in a few minutes? So, you can get your bearings and we—

"No!" Sophie blurted out. "No, Miss G.!" She stuttered a few times before uttering, "I'm fine, now. I can talk".

A small fissure of relief burrow itself into her spirit, once she heard Sophie's answer. She didn't want to disconnect the call and allow her employee to collect herself. She wanted to know why her baby was residing in the faction's clinic. As she entered a shadowed portion, which was the rear of the statue, she asked "Soph, what's wrong with Luke?"

Sophie sighed. "He fell. I had taken him home, like I said that I was going to do. After I had taken him out of his stroller, he began to run. He tripped and fell to the floor, in the living room. When he fell, he had fallen face-first. He bumped his head and busted his lip open. I knew that it was a big problem because his lips were bleeding badly and a lump started to form almost immediately. So, I called a cab and came here. On my way here, I called your phone and I texted you. I also called Dauntless Leader Coulter, too. He already received his stitches—

Alarmed, she shrieked "Stitches?!"

"Yes, he has them in his top and bottom lip," the nanny reported. "He has more in his top lip though. Right now, he is being prepped to be X-Rayed because the doctor is concerned about the bump on his head…"

'Oh God,' she whimpered. Nasira's eyes closed and her face pulled a grimace. 'My baby is about to get an X-Ray and I'm not there!'

"…They want to make sure that that bump is just a bump, Miss G."

"How is he?" she asked with her eyes still closed. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He is in high spirits, mostly. A clown was just in the kids' ward at the clinic and he was given a balloon animal. So, he's busy with that. He appears to be fine just as long I am not out of his sight. But, I don't know how he is going to feel, when they start up with this cat-scan though. I can't be in the room, when that happens."

"How many stitches does he have?" Nasira asked as she stopped walking.

"He has four in his top lip and two in his bottom lip. His top lip is also swollen and it looks like it is going to leave a bruise, soon. The bump on his forehead is nasty-looking, too."

The Dauntless mother's face slightly grimace in response. 'His father… Is going to kill my ass, once he finds out.' She lingered in the shadowed area. 'That is, if he bothers to answer his damn phone messages and read his text—Wait.'

"Soph?"

"Yes, Miss G.?"

"Did Eric ever get in contact with you?" the mother inquired.

"No ma'am, he hasn't called me or texted me. And I called him right after I had called you. Um, one of the nurses tried to speak with you, once we got here. I told her to call him. I thought that maybe he would respond to her calls. But, she told me that she couldn't speak to him because he wasn't on Luke's 'U.I.C.O.E.' contact list…"

The grimace deepened on her face just as she was alerted about a long-forgotten chore.

A day after Lucien was born, his 'Universal, In Case of Emergency' contact list, or U.I.C.O.E. List, was established, along with his birth certificate and his social security identification number. On his list, there were the names and contact information of eight people: herself as his primary contact, her mother was the second-primary contact, Sophie and five of her brothers. Eric's name and contact information wasn't on Lucien's list. Also, ever since he wasn't recognized as the toddler's father, he wasn't granted any rights to know about Lucien's health.

"…The nurse also called your mother as well," reported Sophie.

"Soph, is it possible for me to talk to Luke? I want to hear my baby's voice," she informed his caretaker.

"Sure… Mmm-hmm, Miss G.!" chirped the young woman. "Just… Hang on for a second. I have to leave this bathroom."

"Okay," Nasira softly stated. A second later, she was greeted by the sounds of muffled shuffling. Then she heard the faint sounds of Luke's persistent babbling. For the mother, she believed that he was 'chatting' with the clinic's staff member.

There was a soft click, which was followed by a clear "Mama!" His voice was slurred due to the swelling in his lip. "Mama!"

Nasira smiled. A tidal wave of relief washed over the mother as she listened to her toddler-son speak into the phone.

"Yes, Lukie-Bear! It's your mama! She wants to talk to you," Sophie's cheerful voice announced.

"Mama!" There was giggling.

Nasira chuckled. "Yes, my big boy?" she stated into the phone's mouthpiece.

Lucien continued to talk to her. She assumed that he was telling her about his visit to the clinic. She encouraged the boy to continue to speak by adding her verbal input in their conversation. With every passing second, her fear was backed into the dark corner that was in her soul. She concluded that Sophie was correct: her baby boy was fine and in high spirits.

"Okay baby boy, can I have the phone back?" she heard Sophie say, in the background. After another second, there was "Miss G., the nurses are about to take Luke to their X-Ray room, for his CAT scan. Cell phones have to be turned off and kept away," she explained.

"Okay." Nasira desperately wanted to be there for her son. She knew that she needed to remain at the seminar. "Soph, please call me as soon as you're done," she asked.

"I will, Miss G.!" the girl promised.

"And stay by him!" the mother instructed.

"I will!"

"Okay, don't forget about me," Nasira said into the phone.

"I won't. He is going to be fine, Miss G.!"

"Okay. I'll…" She shakily sighed and she glanced at the statue. "I'll see you later."

"I'll see you later, Miss G."

After the call was disconnected, Nasira felt a coldness creep upon her. It left her with a light head and a slight numbness in her limbs. Her eyes twitched in their sockets as they surveyed the plaza and its occupants. She carelessly surveyed the towering structures and the passersby, who were living their own lives.

"Excuse me? Miss?"

The concern-filled call came from behind her. With nervous energy tattooed to each of her small steps, she turned to the unknown caller. She found a woman standing there. Nasira quickly assessed the woman. ''Transfer,' the mother quickly concluded. The bystander wore Dauntless black, but she wore her clothes like she was from Candor or from Erudite. Majority of the faction members wore clothes that could be described as 'casual yet appropriate for fast-paced activities': cargo pants or jeans with tank tops or shirts. This woman wore a simple pants suit with a black blazer. She stood with a proper posture, which gave off the impression that she was from Erudite. Her eyes and her demeanor gave off compassion and concern, like an Amity person.

"Are you alright, Miss?" the woman queried. "I heard you shout out."

Nasira slowly nodded her head. "I'm… Okay, ma'am." She deeply sighed, attempting to shake the cobwebs out of her. "I just received some news that scared me, ma'am. Sorry for alarming you."

The woman gently shook her head. "It's no problem…" Her hands were poised in front of her. "…I was just a little concern. That's all."

"Thank you for…" Nasira smiled. "…Showing your concern."

The bystander smiled again. "You're welcome, dear."

"Have a good day, ma'am," the young woman said with a wave.

The woman waved before strolling away. Nasira watched the woman enter The Training Facility. Despite being reassured by his nanny and was given the information about his injuries, there was a twinge of fear circulating in her soul. Its sharp nails scratched at her spirit, leaving her body to feel the discomfort. Her heart raced and pounded against her chest. A cold sweat danced along the surface of her chocolate-brown skin. 'He's gonna be alright,' her conscience commented. 'That kid has Eric's huge noggin, so the fall shouldn't have done too much damage.' Nasira unleashed a non-emotional chuckle, a sign of her uneasy state. She took note of the phone that was being cradled in her hand. 'Call him,' her conscience urged. She glanced at The Mind's façade. Her lips pursed. 'I'll do one better.'

---

~*oMLo*~

Before Nasira could enter his office's waiting room, she knew about the situation that she was about to face. After speaking with the welcoming receptionist that was stationed close to the elevator bank and trekking down the hallways, she came upon Anissa's signature scent. The strong fragrance managed to rub and ingratiate itself into the air. 'He's in there with that bitch. Doing God knows what while his son is in the damn clinic,' she surmised as she walked in the hallway. By the time she reached the glass entryway, she was pissed.

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?" the receptionist greeted Nasira.

The tech's eyes quickly surveyed the receptionist and the waiting area, all the while the jasmine was taunting her. Her anger-filled eyes landed the secretary again. It was a different woman than his usual assistant. This woman was meek and bland, when compared to his usual assistant. Nasira could tell that this woman wasn't a Dauntless-born. She didn't possess the fire of confidence in her eyes that a lot of the women had.

"Umm… Yes," hummed Nasira. "I am here to make a software update for Dauntless Leader Coulter's desktop," she lied.

The clerical replacement performed a tight-lipped smile and a cocky "Hmmm". Her naturally-narrowed eyes did a quick perusal of the woman that stood in front of her. She brought her delicate hands in front of her face, where she casually entwined her fingers. "You're… A tech, is that correct?" the woman questioned.

Nasira nodded her head. "Yes, I am…" She lifted up her employee badge to show the woman. She watched the dark sapphire orbs scan the laminated photo. "I work in the Systems Analyst Department."

Her left index finger pointed to Nasira. "Dauntless Leader Coulter didn't say anything about having a tech come to the office and neither did Anissa—

"Miss Donovan," stated Nasira with a twinge of chilliness in her voice.

A mask of confusion crossed the woman's face as she stared at Nasira. "Who?"

A smirk appeared on the technician's face. "The woman, whose desk that you are occupying, is Dauntless Leader Coulter's personal assistant. Both she and our leader are the only two people that would know about my presence." She dropped her badge. "If you don't believe me, then you can call either one of them. I have the time." Nasira shut her mouth and issued a challenging stare.

The woman eyed the phone that was on the desk. It was obvious from the look on her face that she was weighing her options.

Nasira decided to push the cocky and annoying woman. "Listen, I…" She glimpsed at the face of her wrist watch before she stared at the woman again. "…have six other people to visit, including two other leaders. I cannot wait until Dauntless Leader Coulter to return to his office. So…" Her lips pursed and she gave the secretary an expecting glower.

"Oh…" The woman swiveled in her chair to look at the double doors that was behind her. "…kay," she sighed. She turned forward to gaze at Nasira. "Do you…?" Her blue eyes focused on the tall woman that stood in front of her. "…know the key-code to his office door?"

'Yes.' Nasira shook her head. "No, ma'am," she lied.

"Okay." The woman pushed herself away from the desk and withdrew from the rolling chair. She proceeded to unlock Eric's office. She stepped off to the side and allowed the technician to pass. "Please, don't close the door because it will automatically lock on you, if you do" the woman informed Nasira, as she passed through the threshold.

"Alright-y," Nasira hummed as she eyed the faction leader's ominous-looking desk. 'Okay, you asshole, you're not here.' She glanced over her right shoulder, at the small-statured woman. "Thank you." Seconds later, the sounds of the pain-in the-ass, woman's retreating footsteps filled up the office. Once she was confident in knowing that the woman had taken her seat, she moved further into the office. 'Okay, Nassy, you're inside of his office. So, now what?'

Nasira tried to ignore the fragrances of sex, musk and jasmine that were swimming through the office. Every time her brain acknowledged the devious entity, her stomach rumbled and her heart raced. It antagonized her and caused her sense of jealousy to brew. She made her way over to his desk and she gingerly touched at the monitor, as well as, the computer's tower. She damned sure didn't want to touch his chair and the desktop. It was possible that those two spots were the settings for Eric and Anissa's sexual escapades. She knew that they were his favorite locations during that one event. 'Lord, don't you even think about it,' her conscience warned.

She knew that the secretary was eavesdropping. Her fingertips tapped at the hard plastic buttons that were mounted on the keyboard. As her fingers worked, her eyes scanned the office and its contents. She stared at the meager contents that were on his desktop. The sconces on the walls. Her eyes flickered to the surface of his keyboard. She gazed at her fingernails and was given a flash of red, in her peripheral vision. It was by her feet, on the floor.

'Waste basket,' her brain notified her. She turned her full gaze on the black bin that was on the floor. The tip of her left boot gently kicked the plastic bin. The sounds of rattling against the bottom reached her hearing range. She assessed that it was a hard-surfaced item. She stopped typing and she bent at her waist, over the garbage can. Her left hand reached out and grabbed the edge of the can, slightly tipping the bin towards her. She peered at the few items that were inside. There was a family of waddled-up tissues, a metallic chewing gum wrapper, a wrinkled sheet of paper and a condom wrapper that was stuffed with its now-soiled, former occupant. Her face grimaced. 'Eeeewwww,' her brain groaned.

The fact that Eric used condoms when he was with Anissa caused a warmness to settle in her chest. It meant that she was his only partner that he had gone condom-free.

Her fingers gave the edge of the can a subtle shake. A song that consisted of a hard rattling, reached her ears. The location of the noise was in a corner of the bin, which was covered by the tissues. She further investigated. She tipped the bin away from her. 'I'm not going to touch that shit. No way in hell.' Her orbs watched a small, red—colored glass vial roll into her view. 'See? Now I knew that I was bugging out.' She gingerly placed the bottom of the plastic bin to the floor before she reached into the can to grab the vial. Using her index finger and thumb, she plucked up the small container. She glanced at the vial as she stood upright. 'Mmm… What is this?' She strolled away from his desk and traveled over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. She observed the item. 'Okay… what was…' Her right thumb and index finger twisted the black cap off. Her fingers pulled it off and was greeted by the sight of a glass dropper. The type of dropper that was used for eye drops.

'Oh,' her brain whimpered in shock.

"Ah…" she lightly gasped.

---

~*oMLo*~

"Okay… Okay… Maybe that is not…" Nasira huffed. She pressed the rim of the warmed, plastic container that belonged to her pocket soup to her lips. She sipped a mouthful of the lukewarm tomato soup into her cavity. The spice-filled, creamy confection would usually calm her nerves. Her eyes scanned her bobbing right knee and came to the conclusion that the soup wasn't working.

'He can't be…' she silently sighed. A litany of assumptions ran through her mind. Her eyes scanned the dimly-lit and empty office space that made up her department. '…It would explain his bizarre behavior as of lately. He has M.I.A. since Luke's—

"Luke," her voice croaked. Her fingers sought after her cell phone, which was in her knapsack. On the screen, there was an alert that she had a text message. Her fingers deftly opened the messaging app. It was a message from Sophie.

"X-Rays are done. Awaiting results. About 2 text your mom now."

Nasira unleashed a sigh of relief as she read the words. 'Please don't be anything serious.' Her eyes drifted down to the phone's screen. The time of 'One twenty-one' greeted her. She realized that she needed to go back to the seminar.

~*oMLo*~

Nasira's eyes were focused on the presenter that stood in front of them, but her attention was truly elsewhere. She was thinking about her son and his drug-using father. Currently, her son was being treated for his injuries in the Dauntless infirmary. Then there was the topic of his father. She recently learned that the man was addicted to Wept, the very drug that she recently learned about.

'…Can't believe this shit,' she said to herself. 'Eric is a got-damned weeper. How-in the-hell did I miss this?'

"—kay, ladies and gentlemen, let me…"

Nasira was pulled from out of her stream of consciousness and focused on the presenter. The plump-sized, tall man stood in front of the large projection screen. He peered out to the sea of Dauntless computer technicians.

"…tell you about the benefits of the Optimum Plus!"

'Oh. Nothing important,' she concluded. Her vision landed on the tape recorder that was on her desk. She peeped the red light on the side of the device. 'Still record—

Her mental conversation was cut off due to a distraction that came in the form of her vibrating cell phone. A nasally-pitched tune poured out of the phone and filtered through the air. The rectangle-shaped screen lit up with an olive green light. "The Bigger Luke" appeared on the screen in black, block letters.

"Someone's phone…"

"Whose phone…"

"Someone's phone is ringing…"

The murmurs continued to sprinkle into the classroom's atmosphere. The seminar's lecturer continued with his lesson plan, without showing a hint of being distracted.

Nasira picked her phone up from the desktop and held it in her hands. The phone's vibrations gently stung at her palms. 'Out of all of the fucking times he could've pick to call me…' She kept the phone nestled in her hands. The phone eventually stopped vibrating. 'He's gonna be pissed about—

The soles of her hands began to violently tingle once again. She lifted the top layer of flesh from off of the phone and she eyed the phone's screen. 'Eric,' her brain sighed, out of irritation. She placed her hand back on the device and she stared at the projection screen. She wanted to badly answer the call. She bit into her bottom lip and lightly stomped her right foot, out in frustration.

The call abruptly ended and granted Nasira's palms some relief. Her hand lifted and she scanned the phone's screen. 'Two Messages. Two Missed Calls' were on the screen. 'He's probably pissed.' Four seconds later, her palms were welcomed with two consecutive buzzes. She peeked at her phone again. 'Three Messages. Two Missed Calls' was the new alert. She quickly scanned the room for any prying eyes, in particular, for Rafe. She scanned the hardly-lit room until she spotted the lanky man by the only exit. Once she was secured with the notion that he couldn't spot her, she focused on her phone. Her fingertips glided across the smooth glass surface and pressed buttons in order to open up the messaging application.

"where the fuck r u?"

It was Eric's first text message. Even though she was staring at digitized letters, she felt his hostility.

"going 2 hospital."

It was his following text message.

Her fingers activated the keyboard for the phone. Her nimble fingertips managed to type up a succinct message. "I cannot speak rite night now. In a meeting. I will get in trouble with my boss. Luke is at the clinic. He is being treated for a bump on the head and a cut on his lips. He tripped. He's fine. He is w/ Sophie." Nasira sent the text message to Eric's phone.

A few seconds later, she was alerted about a new text message. It was another message from the faction leader. "where r u?"

She activated the phone's keyboard. Seconds later, there was another text message. "In a seminar. Training Facility. Will be here until 4PM." She sent out the response.

Fifteen seconds later, there was a response. "leave."

Her eyes bulged slightly. She softly chuckled at his audacious nature. 'You have a lot of fucking nerve, Eric.' Her fingertips proceeded to type. "I can't. My boss will have my ass, if I do leave here. So unless you are willing to come all the way here and get me, then I am stuck here. Text me when—

Pressure captured her left shoulder and it formed a firm grip. The action alarmed Nasira. She managed to lose her grip on her phone.

"Grant…" It was Rafe, her supervisor.

'Oh, ssshhhhh-it!'

"…go outside and handle your business," he ordered in an unusual soft tone. He released her shoulder and soon walked away. Her eyes focused on his lanky frame as he retreated.

---

~*oMLo*~

He allowed his line to ring four times before he picked up. "Where are you, now?" he greeted her with. His tone was terse.

"I'm still in The Training Facility," she informed him.

"Why I am not on Luke's 'U.I.C.O.E.' list?!" he practically growled into her earpiece.

'Shit-shit-shit-shit…'

"They won't fucking tell me anything because I am not on it! They won't even tell me where he is at right now!"

"Eric, he is getting a CAT scan right now—

"A CAT—

"He bumped his head, so he received an X-Ray. He's probably in the radiology department right now with Sophie," she informed the irate faction leader.

"My son doesn't even have my fucking last name!" he growled into the phone. She sensed that he was barely keeping his usual stoic, public persona intact.

"Eric, he's in radio—

"We're going," he huffed. "We're going to the Bureau of Records. We're going. We're going…"

Nasira found his act of repetition to be odd. He was rambling. She nodded her head. "Okay, we'll go later on this week—

"No, we're going today—

'Are you serious?' her conscience groaned. "Eric, we can't go to Erud—

"We're going! We're going! We're going! We're going! We're going! We're going! WE'RE GOING!"

Eric's unexpected outburst caused Nasira to flinch, out of fright and shock. She pulled her phone away from her ear and she stared at the device with disbelief marking her face. 'What-the-fuck?!' She rapidly concluded that he was still high off of the dosage of Wept. She reluctantly placed her phone back to her ear. "Eric… Eric, you need to calm down and—

"DON'T YOU FUCKING TELL ME TO CALM-THE-FUCK DOWN!" he grunted. His rage was oozing out of the phone.

She was instantly reminded of the time when she was in the public parking garage, after her trip to the Club Inferno. She recalled the occurrence of a frazzled and angry Eric. Then she imagined a scenario of the same angry, frazzled Dauntless as he briskly walked in a clinic's hallway.

"THEY WON'T LET ME…" There was a coarse-sounding huff from him. "They won't let me… See him!"

His angry yet passionate tone yanked her out of her reflections.

"They won't tell me anything! They…" He stammered. "They… I don't know how sick he is—I need you! I need you to come here, right now! I need you to take me to him! Come here! Come here right now! Come…"

'He tweaking,' her logic reminded her. Her conscience warned her with, 'Be patient with him'.

"…NOW!" he roared into his phone.

His scream caused her adrenaline to spike and her heart to race. She closed her eyes and listened to her rushing breath. His behavior was frightening her. She was sure that he was scaring any of the clinic's staff that was near him.

"Eric," she softly said, after a moment. She licked her bottom lip. She performed a series of slow breathing, in hope of calming down. "I cannot leave work now. I—

"Leave! Take me to my son!" A series of shaky breaths spilled from his end of the line. "He's hurt," he said softly, in a sorrow-filled whimper.

The vulnerability in his tone caused everything to feel as if it had stopped. The time appeared to have pause. Her racing heart felt like it stopped beating. Her lungs felt like it had turned to stone while occupying her chest. A lump managed to lodge itself inside of her throat. A heavy buzzing wedged itself in her ear canals while there were waves of slight light-headedness. "Eric… Baby, I can't leave from work. I have important—

"GRRRRRR-RRRRAAAANNNNTTTTT!"

The following word died on Nasira's lips as she heard Rafe call her name. She looked away from the thirty five-foot tall sculpture and she stared at the front of the Training Facility. She immediately spotted her supervisor. He stood a few feet away from the doors. She also spotted the familiar black, leather knapsack in his left hand.

'My…Bag. Why does he have it?'

She returned her attention to her cell phone and to the caller. "Eric, I need to call you back," she simply stated.

"WHAT?!" Eric shouted into the phone. "I-

Nasira disconnected the call. She gruffly shoved her phone in her jeans' pocket before she strolled over to Rafe. 'I know that I shouldn't have done that, but Eric will just deal with it.' As soon as she was in close proximity, she greeted her boss with a "Yes, Sir?"

Rafe extended his left hand in front of him, as her backpack dangled off of his fingers. "Go and be with your son," the supervisor announced.

'What?!' Her fine features contorted to an expression of disbelief. "What…? I-I-I-I-I-I can't. It's—

"It's fine," Rafe confirmed. "Go on…" His head performed a nod. "…and take care of your son."

Nasira gently shook her head. "What about the symposium? I thought that it was mandatory for us to attend."

"It is important, which is why I am holding onto your recorder. You will get it back tomorrow," he reported.

Her relief made her stomach tremble with gratitude. "Thank-Thank you, Rafe," she breathed. She grabbed her book bag.

"You're welcome," he stated with another head nod. "Now, go. The last thing that I need is for him…"

'Him?! Who's Him?' The crease in her brow deepened. "Who are you referring to, Sir?"

"Eric," he simply answered. "He has been calling me an—In fact…" Rafe's left hand reached for his back pocket of his pants. A second later, he produced a vibrating cell phone in his hand. He held the phone in front of him with the glass screen facing her. "…he is calling me…" He drew the phone closer to her face, so she could read the screen. "…right now."

Her dark brown eyes glimpsed at the phone's screen. Her mind read the name off of the caller ID and she fell into a pool of shock. It was more like she tripped, stumbled and then fell into a pool of shock, head-first.

Rafe didn't regard her current reaction. He proceeded to answer the phone call. "What, Eric?" he groaned into the phone. He listened for a few seconds. "Yes, Eric, I did tell her to go…She is on—Watch…"

Nasira flinched just as her ears picked up the intimidating supervisor's growl.

"…who you are talking to like that, you little shit! I don't give a shit who you are to those piss-fucks that you order around! I am your fucking brother, you asshole…"

Even though she already knew, due in large part to his phone's caller ID device, it still felt surprising to hear Rafe's reference to his familial bond with the Dauntless leader.

"…Now, I've told you that she is out of class and she is on her way." Rafe stopped speaking and began to listen. His hazel eyes made a soul-gazing glare at his nephew's mother. In his normal twang, he said "Like I said…" He looked away. "…before…" He stepped away. "…She is at work and this is mandatory. You…" He turned towards her. He covered the phone's mouthpiece with his free hand. "Go on," he instructed with a soft tone.

His gentle demand caused her feet to move. She numbly followed his command. It wasn't until she was sitting in the driver's seat of her jeep, when the shock had worn off.

---

~*oMLo*~

We're going down to the Bureau of Records tomorrow!" declared Eric, for the eighteenth time within the last two hours.

Nasira rolled her eyes and curled her top lip to form a snarl. Ever since they managed to meet up, close to two hours ago, he occasionally made the demand. When he wasn't demanding for the trips to the federal building in Erudite, he was behaving like a verbally abusive asshole. Putrid insults and sarcastic barbs fell from between his lips and landed on her like it was spittle. For Nasira, it did feel like he was physically spitting on her.

"Don't you dare," he groaned at her. His deep set blue eyes glared at her. "Don't you dare give me an attitude problem, when you're the one that's in the wrong."

Her anger soared to a higher level. Her face created a deeper snarl and her teeth to clench. A husky growl burned her throat. She turned away from the stack of raw fish fillets and she walked over to the sink.

"Don't you turn your back on me," he growled.

Nasira chose to ignore his warning. She proceeded with her dinner plans. Her hands produced pans, spices and other ingredients from the different cupboards.

"Mama," she heard their son say. His voice was slightly slurred. It was due to the swelling that covered his lips. An image of her son's bruised face flashed in her mind. It caused her face to flush with shame.

"Your son is calling for you," she heard Eric say.

She heard the taunting in his voice. She huffed as she coated the skillet's base with virgin olive oil. 'Fucking, dope fiend is getting on my last nerve!' She placed the bottle on the counter and then she glanced at their son from over her left shoulder. In her peripheral view, she saw Lucien as he sat on his father's lap, while the leader sat at the counter. She smiled at her son. "Hi, my big boy!" she cheerfully stated.

Lucien chuckles became shrieks of pain within a split second. She immediately spun around and observed the scene. Her heart began to pound and her eyes widened in shock as she eyed their son. The little boy's cherubic face was spoiled with a deep redness and his face held a grimace. Tears started to spill from his eyes. His chubby hands covered his mouth.

"Got-damn it, Nasira!" shouted Eric. He hopped off of his seat and he placed the now-crying toddler onto the countertop. He stared at the boy's face. "Come on, Luke. Show me. Show me your mouth, son" he said gently to their son. His sapphire eyes focused on her. "You fucking idiot! You know that he has stitches in his lips! You know that he can't fucking smile too much without…" He didn't finish his statement. He glanced at their son. "Alright, just…"

Nasira felt rooted in her spot, in the kitchen. His words caused her body to run cold and numb. The faction leader never spoken to her in such a manner.

"…He didn't tear out any stitches, which is good. Nasira, get me one of those ice packs that you have in the freezer… Nasira…Nasira… Nasira!"

His third call snapped her out of her self-imposed trance. The mother eyed her son's father, who was glowering at her.

"Nasira. Give. Me. An. Icepack. Now," growled Eric.

Her feet trekked over to the refrigerator and she opened the freezer's door to produce a plastic ice pack from out of the iced cavern. She made her way over to the father and son. She held the icepack out in front of her. "Here—

Eric snatched the item from out of her hand. He gave her a parting glance and his lips frowned in disgust. He subtly shook his head. The harsh expression quickly faded as soon as his eyes landed on their son. His eyes focused on their son's whimpering face. "Come on, let me see it" he murmured as his right hand gently pulled at Lucien's left hand. His azure eyes focused on Nasira again. "Go," he crudely demanded.

Wordlessly, she walked away and entered the kitchen. She traveled to the stove's location. She proceeded to cook. As she prepared dinner, she had to listen to Eric's soft insults and acidic barbs. She felt his anger, his arrogance and smarminess. It caused her anger to simmer. Then it began to come to boil. 'No. Don't, Nassy… Don't give into his bullshit.' She briefly closed her eyes and slowly exhaled, an attempt to soothe her beast. She opened her eyes and said, "Eric?" She pulled away from the stove and she turned to the island counter. She noticed that he was back in his seat, the stool that was standing on the other side of the counter. Lucien returned to his spot on his father's lap. The ice pack was pressed to the toddler's bruised lips. The faction leader's eyes passed off a steely gaze, which was directed towards her. "Luke has been stuck inside all day, whether if it was in here or at the clinic—

"And whose fault is that one, mmm?" he groaned.

'OH. MY. GOD!' She screamed inside of her head. She briefly closed her eyes. She roughly exhaled through her nose. "Eric, can you please just…? Can you please just take Luke out, for a walk? Just take him out, please," she asked of him. 'Before I say something that I will regret later.' She needed for the Dauntless leader to give her some space. Plus, she knew that Lucien loved to go out for walks. She believed that she had to make it up to the toddler, after he experienced this his bad day.

She witnessed Eric peer down at the crown on their son's head. "Luke?"

The now-whimpering boy tilted his head backwards and stared at his father. "Dada?" he mewled as his fingers reached towards Eric's chin.

"Do you want to go outside?" the father asked the toddler. The man received a stream of babbling as a response. His lips found their way to his son's forehead, where they planted a soft kiss, near the knot of bruised flesh.

The toddler used his left index finger to point to his left temple. "Boo-boo?" he told his father.

Eric nodded his head as he stared at their son's eyes. "Yeah," he answered in an apologetic tone.

Nasira couldn't watch anymore. She was sure that she would've broken out in tears and her anger would've diminished into sympathy. She was angry at him and she wanted to stay that way. At least, stay angry at him for a little while.

Eric eventually did take her suggestion of spending time with Lucien, outside of the apartment. He packed their son's diaper bag without saying another word to Nasira. He also left without uttering a word or a farewell. As soon as she heard the front door click shut, she unleashed a rage-filled, booming growl into the air. Then she proceeded to angrily mutter under her breath, about Eric and his behavior.

With her lips and tongue still lowly cursing and besmirching Eric's whole existence, Nasira did managed to cook dinner for all three of them. Her energized fingers managed to find occupation in the task of arranging the island countertop with plates and eating utensils. Her eyes did brief glimpses at the door. With each look, she silently wished for both Eric's to return. Once she finished fixing the table, she stared idly into the living room. She didn't know what to do. She contemplated if she should eat dinner by herself or wait for Eric and Lucien to return.

"You got it?"

Her head did a quick turn to the left, in the direction of the door. The statement was drenched in familiarity and it came from the other side of the front door. Her feet led the rest of her body to the front door. Her hearing picked up the sounds of their son's cheerful babbling. Her left hand quickly grabbed the door's lever and then proceeded to open it. She was greeted by the sight of the tall and intimidating leader. She noticed the smirk on his lips and tiny bit of jovial energy in his eyes. 'What is—

"Mama! Mama!"

Her eyes panned down Eric's large frame and she spotted the large bouquet of colorful roses that possessed a pair of toddler legs.

Her anger quickly died a silent death as she eyed the beautiful flowers. Her anger was switched with a sense of pleasant surprise. "Aaa…Ohhh!" she squealed with delight. She slipped into a squatting pose, in front of Lucien. "Are these for me?" she asked with happiness soaked in her tone.

"Mama!" Lucien announced again as he held onto the bouquet, which covered him. "Flah…Were," he recited.

Nasira giggled. Her hands made a grab for the bouquet. Lucien released his hold on the flowers and then clapped his hands. She took a quick whiff of the sweet-smelling roses before she eyed their son. "Thank you, baby!" she chuckled. She listened to his husky giggles. "Can I get a hug, my big boy?" A second later, her arms were wrapped around the toddler. Her lips kissed his right temple before she buried her face into his neck. She deeply inhaled the scents of chocolate and pine from off of his clothes. Her arms gave him a tight squeeze. She continued to hold onto him, relishing the moment.

Lucien felt that she was holding onto him for far too long. His hands began to push at her shoulders. Sounds of discomfort escaped from his tiny body. "Mama… Nah-ooooh!" he declared as he began to push harder.

Nasira's face frowned up. She allowed the boy to have his private space again. She glanced at Lucien. "You had enough with the hugs, huh?" She witnessed her son nod his head for a few times. She erupted into a series of giggles.

---

~*oMLo*~

With the soundtrack of Lucien's giggling and the sounds of splashing bath water, as well as, the occasional muttering from the Dauntless leader, Nasira cleaned up the living room and the kitchen. Dinner ended over thirty minutes ago. Afterwards, both parents fell into their familiar routines. For Eric, he carried their son to his bedroom so he could prepare the toddler his bath. For Nasira, she cleaned the messes that managed to accumulate in the apartment, over the course of the day. For tonight, her list of chores was short: a few toys that littered the living room's floor and the mess that was in the kitchen. It was during the task of sweeping, when she was reminded of the nefarious item that was stored in her jean's hip pocket. She had taken the used vial of Wept before she left his office. She took it because she planned on having a discussion with Eric about his drug usage. Or, a conversation in which he could declare his "innocence".

As she swept the wooden floorboards in the kitchen, she was reminded of the severity of Eric's situation. Thanks to the moments that occurred after she arrived to the clinic, she stopped thinking about the faction leader and the topic of his drug use. She didn't have any doubts, when it came to her judgement. She knew that Eric wouldn't allow anybody use his office, when he wasn't present. So, the Wept vial couldn't be anybody else's. She also knew that the Dauntless leader wouldn't use drugs in his office, if he was expecting guests. So, he wouldn't carelessly dump it in his office's garbage can. He would cover his tracks. He would've taken his glass vial and kept it in his possession until he could properly discard it. The last thing he would want to happen was for a janitor to find it, as they cleaned his office.

It was still on her mind as she moved to the kitchen's sink and washed the contents that were stored inside. '…I still cannot fucking believe this…' she said to herself as she eyed the sudsy contents in her sink. '…He is an addict… Eric, of all people! How?! I wonder…How long as he been doing this? It's possible that he has been doing this stuff for years!' Her hands rinsed the soap off of the last dish and stored the item into the dish rack. '…I gotta read up about this stuff…' She stepped away from the sink and walked over to the island counter. She glanced at the stack of plastic food storage bins. She grabbed the pile and traveled over to the refrigerator. '…Okay, so how am I going to do this? I can't be confrontational with him. All that going to make him do—

"Alright…" Eric's voice bellowed.

"Mama-Mama-Mama-Mama-Mama-Mama…" sang Lucien.

"…the boy is clean," announced Eric.

Nasira quickly stood in her upright position and she eyed the pair from over her right shoulder. Eric entered the living room with a naked Lucien being carried in his arms. The toddler held a colorful towel in his left fist and he twirled the item in the air. Both father and son were in jovial moods. She watched the faction leader approach the counter.

"The Kid, here…" Eric glimpsed at Lucien and then he returned his blue-eyed stare to Nasira. "…doesn't want to put on any clothes."

A smile touched Nasira's lips. She stepped away from the fridge and closed the door with her right hip. She strolled up to the counter. "You don't wanna put your clothes on, my big boy, huh?" she told her son.

"Nah-ooooohhhhhh!" the toddler enthusiastically shouted. Both the mother and son laughed.

"Ya gotta put your clothes on, baby" she reasoned.

"Nah-oooooohhhhh!" chuckled Lucien.

Nasira nodded her head. "Yyyyyyyyeeeeeaaaaahhhh!" she sang.

"Nah-ooooohhhh!" he giggled.

"Just go put your diaper on, chunky butt!" she giggled.

Lucien chuckled.

Eric gazed at their son. "Alright Luke, say 'good night' to your mother," he instructed the toddler.

The boy glanced at his father and then at his mother. Lucien waved his right hand towards his mother.

"Noooo…" giggled Nasira. She watched the baby chuckle. "…Say 'night-night' to me, Lukie" she instructed. "Say 'night-night' to me like you did with your Gee-Gee, last night."

Lucien tucked his left hand underneath his pointed chin. The corners of his lips curved to form a limited smile. "Nigh-nigh," he cheerfully stated. "Nigh-nigh! Nigh-nigh!"

A strong and delightful flutter erupted in the mother's stomach as she listened to her son say 'good night' to her. With a smile, she responded with a "Night-night, baby".

"Alright big boy," announced Eric before giving the boy a kiss on his cheek. "Let's put you to bed."

"Nigh-Nigh!" Lucien said once more.

"Night-night, Lukie!" she said to him.

Nasira proceeded to watch the father and son leave the living room before entering the hallway. Once she was alone, she decided to return to cleaning. Before she began, she entered her living room to power up her stereo system. The living room and the kitchen's walls were bathed with low-volume music. The young mother even sang along with the music the livened up the environment. It wasn't until she felt a sturdy presence behind her as she stood in front of the counter island, when she realized that she had an audience. She was in the process of visually adoring the bouquet of pink, yellow and lavender roses, when a pair of hands grabbed onto her. Her eyes peered at her stomach and noticed his hand lightly holding the small pouch of fat that was on her belly. She glanced over her right shoulder, at the obscured shape that was standing behind her.

"Thank you for the flowers," she told him.

His hands drew her smaller frame closer to him. His face dipped slightly lower and closer to her face. After a breath, he queried "Do you like them?"

Eric's inquiry surprised Nasira. The Dauntless leader didn't appear to be the type of person that needed approval for this action. The fact that he wanted to know about her opinion, which meant that he valued it. He valued her approval. It caused a quiver to erupt and her cheeks to blush.

"No… I love them," she corrected him. A few seconds later, she felt his warm and soft lips on her right temple. Her smile deepened just as her body grew warmer.

A wave of silence had passed between them before he breathed, "I'm… Sorry". There was an audible swallow and then a soft exhalation. "I'm sorry about snapping at you today. I shouldn't have said those things to you. I shouldn't—You deserve to be treated better. I'm…I'm sorry for everything."

The buzzing entered her cheeks. She was pleased with his act of apologizing.

"I'm… I feel tired—No…Just not feel—I'm…" There was a rough-sounding exhale. He was making an attempt at describing his feelings. It was difficult for him. The task, alone, was ripping and shredding away the layers of the Erudite-cultivated, polished manners that were forced onto him during the first sixteen years of his life. His fine lips produced stammering words while his sharp breathing tried to cut away his awkwardness.

Nasira was sure of this.

"…I'm just dealing with the initiation and the initiates," he confessed.

"Are you feeling stressed?" she asked him, feeling concerned.

"Nn—

He had fallen quiet, abruptly.

'Weakness. He considers it to be a weakness. He ain't gonna say anything.' She eyed his tattooed forearms. Her fingertips began to caress the inked-up flesh that was on his right arm. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

There was a deep sigh. "Nothing important."

Nasira snorted and smirked, "If it wasn't important, then you wouldn't be feeling snappy about it, darling."

There was a sharp inhale from him. "Hmmph," he grunted. "You gotta point there," he confessed.

She removed his hand from her stomach, so she could turn around in his arms. Her fingers sought after his jeans' belt loops. She drew her body closer to his just as her fingers hook around the loops. She was subjected to his arms' strength, when they embraced her. His body's secreted heat gave her a sense of security. She glanced at his eyes. "You might as well tell me what happened," she told him.

His beautiful lips pursed and his azure orbs slowly filled with resignation. He exhaled. "It's the initiates…" His eyes focused on the refrigerator. "…This year, we received forty-seven initiates. Out of those forty-seven, only thirty-two of them made it to the roof for the jump. Then—

"Pardon the interruption, Eric," she told him. "But how is that a problem for you?"

"Because it is a reflection of how effective I am as a leader, that's why."

Her throat unleashed a groan. "That's stupid. At that point of the initiation, they are not in your control."

"True, but I still have a responsibility over them," he informed her.

"It still sucks though." Her forehead was given a kiss. The buzzing in her cheeks returned.

"But it is a part of my job," he affirmed with his lips a few centimeters away from her forehead.

She rested her head on his chest. She stared at the sink. "So, what else happened?" Her ear was flooded with a rumbling that occurred in his chest as he inhaled.

"Remember the little shit-head that I told you about? The one, from a month ago?" he told her.

'Oh yeah,' she secretly stated. She nodded her head. "Mmm-hmm," she moaned. "He is still giving you a hard time?"

"A hard time is one way of putting it. I prefer to say that he is tempting me to toss his ass into the chasm," groaned the faction leader.

Nasira clucked her teeth. "What is he doing now?"

There was another sharp inhalation. His hands proceeded to caress her back. "He's… Undermining my authority and he's encouraging the other initiates to do the same."

'Oh damn,' she quietly cursed. Her skin tingled and then chilled, courtesy of the mild case of dread. Nasira knew that an effective leader was considered to be a respected leader in Dauntless. For the Dauntless leaders, the act of respectfulness consisted of one trait: obedience. Obedience from the trainers. Obedience from every staff member that worked in all of the buildings, from the higher-ups to the janitorial staff. Obedience from every one of the faction's citizens. A sign of being an effective faction leader was the act of obedience from every one of his underlings, especially from the initiates.

"Now I am starting to get lip from them. And it's—

"Pissing you-the fuck-off," she said to him, filling in the rest of his statement.

A masculine groan served as a sign of affirmation. His arms tightened their hold on her. "You have no idea," he grimly stated.

Nasira pressed her face into his hard chest in an affectionate manner. She nuzzled and inhaled the scents from off of his thin cotton shirt. As she smelled the faint acidic scent of his sweat and the refined fragrance of his cologne, she tried to come up with possible solutions for him. His current state was making her feel uneasy. He was stressed. He didn't have to tell her. She felt it as she held onto him. He was rigid like a statue.

'Maybe this is why he—Work them…'

In her mind, she heard their heavy panting and strained breathing. She heard the repetitive and almost-melodic sounds of hard rubber soles slapping against concrete. There were tendrils of sounds that came from forgotten babies and neglected pets. The sounds of paranoia-inspired whispers which penetrated the dismal atmosphere of the factionless land. There were the putrid scents of decomposing garbage and of human fecal waste. They were hit with solemn reminders of the world's 'glory days' that came in the form of cold, sea-smelling air that used to come from an ocean that was no longer there. There was the over-abundant odor of sweat and musk being secreted from slicked skins as they ran. They ran for their spots in the rankings. They ran to receive a spot in Dauntless, to become a citizen. The initiates ran for their lives.

'…Show them how. Factionless…'

Frightened eyes' lines of sight bounced off of various structures. The crumbling buildings, the lasting reminders of the Great War. They were bathed in sheets of flickering orange lights, which were provided from cans of burning trash. Their sights tried to decipher the true shapes to the obscured figures that were hiding in the alleyways and underneath the veils of shadow.

'Show them that Dauntless is not a playground.'

The scent of human perspiration danced along with the odors of blood and diluted-ammonia. The sounds of bared skin being violently and brutally slapped against a sparring mat. The sickening sounds of fists slamming against flesh-covered muscles and tendons, bounced off of the training room's cinder block-lined up walls. Bystanders' eyes were widened, exposing the owners' souls and displaying their astonishment, as well as, their fear.

The ideas came to her in a sharp growl. Almost feral-like. The mental, imagined scenarios were vivid and bright.

She removed her face from his chest and she peered up at his chin. Then her eyes focused on his deep-set, blue eyes. "Work them," she told the leader. She watched the state of confusion pollute his orbs and the rest of his face. She clarified her comment. "Your initiates. Wake them up in the middle of the night. Don't say anything to them, except to give them orders. Make sure you and the rest of the trainers are a united front. Make sure none of them give you any back-talk during this time or question you about your actions. They need to also display their obedience and loyalty towards you, in front of the class. As for the initiates, take them out for a run. Take them—

"I've done that already with them," Eric pointed out, making his frustrations evident.

"I know. I know," she said to him in a soothing manner. Her hands began to create calm-inducing caresses across the broad back. "I meant, run them through the factionless areas. Show them scariest parts that you know about. I would suggest for you to take them to the Northeast sector, but that's over-doing it. But anyway…" She sighed. "Show them the factionless parts. Make them understand why they are there. Take them back to the training rooms. Have the disruptive asshole fight a trainer. I mean, a real fight. Show those kids just how inept they are and just how inept that idiot is, too. Afterwards, explain to them about Dauntless' purpose. Make them understand just how important it is for them to get that through their thick skulls."

Her heart rate was pacing at a furious level by the time she was done. She felt a level of aggressive that astound her. She felt like she had to defend Dauntless. Not the city, but Dauntless.

She peered into Eric's eyes and searched for validation. She detected the steeliness in the orbs. Her eyes detected movement in his jaw. "So what do you think of my suggestions?" she asked, sounding eager.

There wasn't an immediate reaction from the faction leader. He kept his focus on the beauty that was wrapped up in his arms, but his eyes held a hazy glare. Then, after a multi-second period of silence, he replied. "Mmm," he groaned as his lips pursed.

"Is that a good 'Mmm' or a bad one?" she inquired.

His face drew closer to hers. "It's just a 'Mmm'. Nothing more or…" He didn't finish his statement. His lips found another interest, courtesy of her lips.

"Mmmm…" she heavily moaned as he continued to kiss Eric. Her fingertips snagged up the back of his tank top and held tightly. Pleasure nipped at her body while a need for him flooded her soul. 'It's been a lonely and hard-up month,' her brain uttered. 'Also, the damned vibrator broke anyway.' Hands made an invisible trail down the curvy slope of her back and ended up on her round, denim-covered globes. His fingers squeezed at the mounds of flesh. She moaned against his plush lips as a reaction. "Make…" She whimpered. "Make love to me," she asked of him. Her eyes performed a shy gaze at him.

Eric's brow was creased. His eyes still held an expression of seriousness, which made a niggling amount of doubt to form in her. His lips parted for a second before he spoke. "Are you sure?"

Nasira heard the eagerness and the mild surprise in his voice. It caused her level of excitement to raise, as well as, her heart rate. She had taken a deep breath. "I am," she softly spoke.

His lips reunited with hers in a set of rushed kisses. The palm of his right hand met with the back of her head and forced her mouth to delve deeper. A whispery moan floated from their joined mouths as they continued to kiss. Each other's hands found their ways to each other's clothes. Fingertips expertly pulled at fastenings and unsnapping various buttons. When the last layer of cloth was removed, Nasira found herself being carried in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms were loosely wrapped around his neck. With his hands gripping her thighs, he carried her from out of the kitchen to the living room. He placed her onto the chaise lounge section of her leather sectional.

"He—

Before she could make her inquiry, she found herself on her stomach. The hot and callused hands removed themselves from her thighs and trailed up to her hips. He grasped tightly and then forced her into the "all fours" pose. She quickly turned her head and glanced over her left shoulder at him. She viewed the nude Dauntless leader as he slipped into position behind her. She felt his hand leave her right hip and then felt his glans push pass her inflamed lips, a mere second later. A subtle arch formed in her back and a jolt tapped at her body. "Aaah," she lightly moaned. A louder and deeper moan fell from her, when his prick surged further into her warmth. Out of reflex, her cunt's walls grasped and released his sheathed member.

"Aaaa…Uh-mmm," she heard Eric grunt just as his hands gripped her hips tightly. There was a low and steady humming, coming from his body. His hand returned to its rightful place that was her right hip.

"Eric," she moaned. Nasira's cunt greedily grabbed at his intruding prick, goading the Dauntless leader to move. "Eric, come on."

With another grunt pouring from his throat, his hips pulled away from her plump ass, only to surge forward one second later. His hips made a few more hard snaps, making his cock unleashed a steady stream of pleasure inside of her. For his strong and deep strokes, his member impaled her warmth, bringing his glans to the hilt of her pocket. "Is that what you want?" he groaned as his groin rubbed against her nectar-slicked sex.

A strong, breathy and shrilled gasp was her response. A soft grimace crossed her face while her eyes shut and her jaw hung open. The right set of her fingers clutched at the leather from her couch's cushion. "Eric… Er—

"Nnnnnngggrrr," he groaned before subjecting his prick to another hard stroke.

A hard shudder escaped her heated body, as well as, a soft moan. A set of thick fingers found their way to the back of her head and they crawled to the sensitive location that was her throat. They cupped her neck and squeezed. He was letting her know that he wasn't going to be gentle. Tonight wasn't the night for a tender reunion, where eyes would meet and hands were going to be held. This was going to be a seedy rutting. In response, her right hand grasped his right wrist and held on. This was her way of letting him know that she desired his desires. His hand forced her into a kneeling position. The skin on her back brushed up against his hair-covered chest. His hands left her hips and snatched her biceps. He pulled at them, forcing her arms to slip behind her, where he bound them together with his thick left arm. With her arms and hands positioned behind her, her torso was posed in an odd angle. There was a deep curve in her back, her bust was poised and her head was draped backwards. A knee firmly pried her knees further apart, making her balance in this position feel more comfortable. It also made his hardness sink deeper into her gash.

"Aah-ugh," she sweetly gasped, as she shivered.

It was in this position, where Eric unleashed unrelenting passion on her. His unoccupied palm and fingers kept finding temporary homes in her hair, her throat, her tits or her clit. His arm kept her restrained as his cock pounded away with steady, hard thrusts. Her jaw chattered and her body shook with every impact of their bodies' union. The living room's atmosphere was filled with the abrasive sounds of their slapping bodies and their sounds of pleasure. With every arousal-igniting stroke, her mouth uttered a controlled moan. Even under pleasurable conditions, she was mindful about not waking their son from his slumber, in the nursery.

"You're holding back on me," Eric groaned, his voice was coarse and thick with arousal.

"Oh," she softly gasped. "I can't," she moaned. "I can't… Baby, I can't."

"Come on, baby…" he lightly chuckled. "…Come on and scream for me," he urged.

"No…No…" she whimpered. "I can't… The-The baby," she explained.

She heard a firm growl escaped from him. She felt his hand release her hip and then grasp onto her right breast in a crushing hold. Pain seeped into her consciousness. Her lips parted. "Aaaa-ow!" she yelped. She attempted to glance at her son's father, from over her right shoulder. She tried tossing the man a look of half-assed scorn.

"That's the kind of noise that I wanted," he groaned, teasing her. His hips and cock's movements were steady and consistent throughout his playful banter. He drew her body closer to his chest. His face slipped itself into the curve of her neck, where his lips and teeth tantalized her skin. His tongue licked a trail to her right earlobe. "Give me what I want," he whispered into her ear. "I know you…" Fingers caressed her stomach as they descended down her torso. "…I know what you like…" The tips of his fingers stroked at her plump lips.

"aaaa-Ugh!" she moaned as her body jerked.

"…I know what…" There was a hiss and then a grunt. "Come on and make some noise for me." His fingertips buffed her hardened knot at a furious pace. "Do I have to throw you in your favorite position? Mmm?" he teased.

'Oh Gah-awd, yes! Yes-yes-yes-yes… Yes!'

"You wanna go into your favorite position? Hmm?" he teased her. "You would—

"Yes!" she moaned. "Yes-yes-yes-yes…Yee-yeaah!"

Suddenly, there was a face-plant into the spacious cushion that she was just hovering. There was roaming pressure erupting in her lower belly, just as her palms pressed against the smooth leather that her face was resting on. The world suddenly spun and her sight landed on the vaulted ceiling. Then it was filled with Eric's handsome face. His eyes held mischief along with that luster and alertness that came with his lust. His fine lips held a tiny bit of a smile.

"You ready to start screaming?" Eric teased as his hands roughly gripped onto her thighs. He leaned back and draped them over his broad shoulders. He sheathed himself in one smooth stroke.

A shrilled gasp fell from her lips as she was filled with pressurized pleasure. Her hands sought refuge in her mussed-up, thick coils. Her legs tensed up as her body burned with the pleasure that he was giving her. The backs of her thighs soon felt his body's weight as he leaned forward. He drew his lips onto hers just as his prick sank deeper into her womb. Her throat unleashed moans, which were reactions from both of his ministrations.

"You ready for me?" he whispered against her lips.

"Y-Yeah," she moaned. Her hands held onto each of his wrists. "Yeah."

Eric's groin performed several slow drags against her swollen sex before he withdrew his prick and then sheathed himself again, in the form of a hard stroke. Once she moaned, he murmured "That's it, baby. That's it" to her lips. His hips performed another thrust, which was followed by a slow grind. Nails found their way into his wrists' skin. His clenched jaw emitted a drawn-out hiss. In retaliation, his hardness found its way back into her warmth.

"Oh, Eric!" she moaned. Nasira heard his throat groan with approval. The faction leader's hips and cock fell into a steady rhythm. His prick repetitively struck every part of her, leaving her with a shuddering body and a litany of loud pants and moans. The joints in her knees were strained from his weight, but she didn't utter a sign of discomfort. Eric felt too good. His heavy prick felt so good inside of her. "Eric…" she whimpered. "Eric… Eric… Eric…"

"Yeah, baby" his grunted. "Yeah, baby. That's it."

The pressure in her lower belly began to tighten. Her cunt began to spasm against his thickness. A fog started to seep into her mind as well as clog up her ears. "Aaaaaa..." The volume in her moans increased, which spurned his desire. "ERR-ERR—

"MAMA!"

'Lou… Lou…' The sexual fog that clouded up her mind began to dispel. '…Lou…Lou… It's Lucien. Lucien...' Her purpose as a mother was beginning to etch itself into her psyche. 'Lucien… Fuck!' Her son was awake and she became aware that she was the cause of it. 'Fucking Eric.'

A second later, there was another "MAMA!" and it came from the short hallway.

Eric came to a standstill. His sweat-slicked forehead rested against hers. "FFFFF…Uck!" she heard her partner groaned in disappointment.

"MAMA!" the toddler called out.

'I gotta… Go. Fuc—'

Eric huffed with impatience. He released an animal-like growl. "Fuc—

"I gotta go see what he wants…" she said in a breathy sigh. Her right hand tapped at his left shoulder. "…Get up." She heard a groan escape him. "Come on Eric, get up."

With a heaving breath, the Dauntless leader ejected his member from out of her warmth and he pulled away. She practically leapt from off of the chaise lounge and onto her feet. The muscles in her legs, as well as, the one that was in between her thighs trembled from exertion.

"MAMA-MAMA-MAMA-MAMA-MAMA-MAMA…" Lucien began chanting in a sing-song inflection.

'Now, I'm starting to think that he woke up on purpose,' she silently concluded as she strolled over to the pile of discarded clothes that were on the kitchen's floor.

"Now, I'm starting to think that he woke up on purpose," Eric muttered before handing out a wry chuckle.

Nasira glanced at the naked, faction leader and then she giggled. She made it over to the pile and plucked up the first viable item that her fingers came across. Her nostrils were struck by the fragrance of cut wood and metal. She eyed the item. She held Eric's tank top in her hand. 'Mmm, just my luck. But it'll do.' She slipped the A-line shirt on and covered her body. She glimpsed at Eric again. "I'll be back," she announced.

Eric's blue eyes landed on her. "I hope so. We ain't finish yet. Not by a long shot," he reported to her with a hint of a smile on his face.

---

~*oMLo*~

After calming Lucien down and then lulling him back to sleep, she returned to the living room twenty-eight minutes later. She expected to spot a shirtless-but-dressed Eric once she entered the room. Instead she found her son's father still sitting in his same spot on her couch. The back of his head was resting on the back of the couch while his brawny and toned right arm was stretched along the top. As she approached the side of the lounge chair, she saw his nudity was on full-display.

"So, how's he doing?" she heard him ask as his head lifted off of the couch. Two cerulean pearls landed on her.

"He's okay. I think he was awakened… By us—

"Nope. By you," he pointed out.

"Nah-ooooo," Nasira drawled as her cheeks blushed. "He was awakened by the both of us." She giggled. 'Come on, Eric, let me have this one thing, damn it!' She took steps into the direction of the kitchen. "I'm going to get some water. Would you like some?"

"Sure."

Nasira had gone to the refrigerator and fetched a chilled bottle of water. As she stood in front of the appliance, she cracked open the bottle and took a drink. Once she had her fill, she strolled back into the living room. She eyed the naked leader as she sauntered over to him. His eyes were drawn on her and there was a small smile on his slightly-full lips. She slipped into the space that was in between his bent knees and she stood there. She passed off the opened and half-filled bottle of water.

Eric removed his right arm from its resting place and he leaned forward. "You look good with my shirt on," he informed her as he accepting the bottle. He drew the top of the plastic bottle to his lips.

"Mmm, thank you. I'm sure you must tell that…" As she spoke, her eyes took a glance at his exposed prick, which was laying on his right thigh, still erect even after half-hour of inactivity. A tidbit of information that she couldn't ignore. 'Got-damn, Eric.' She gazed into his eyes. "…to all of your lady-friends."

"Mmm," he grunted as he continued to drink. He removed the bottle from his lips. He settled the bottle onto the hardwood floor. After glancing at her face, he responded with "You're my only lady-friend."

"Mmm-hmm," she skeptically hummed as she crossed her arms under her breasts. She made a step backwards, an effort to pull away from the leader. But she had the back of her knees grabbed by his hands, which caused her to halt.

Eric's eyes focused on her eyes just as his hands slowly crept up the backs of her thighs. His fingers doled out brief caresses, causing her goose-pimples to form along the skin's surface. Her arousal re-awakened. A long and slow inhale came from her parted lips just as her eyes fluttered and then closed. His hands' journeys came to an end, once they reached her ass. His hands had taken hearty, handfuls of her supple flesh. His fingers proceeded to knead the mounds of skin and muscles. A soft and whining moan escaped from her.

"So…"

Nasira's eyes opened and she peeped the handsome face that was presented below her.

"…he's asleep?" Eric queried with a voice that was husky and thick.

A sultry smile slowly appeared on her lips. "Yup," she answered, before tucking her plump bottom lip into her mouth. Both rows of teeth bit down of the flesh before her tongue soothed away the sting.

He dipped forward and nibbled at her shirt-covered stomach. A hiss fell from her. His mouth and his massaging fingers were stoking the fire that was her arousal. She unfolded her arms and allowed her hands to rest on his broad shoulders. She gave his shoulders a firm squeeze before her fingers slipped into the tuft of hair that was on top of his head. Her fingertips teased and tantalized his arousal by lightly scratching at his scalp. A groan vibrated against her belly, in reaction. She felt his hands slip away from her ample bottom and grab the bottom of the tank top. She removed her fingers from his unkempt hair, so she could raise her arms. He stripped the fabric from her stomach while she removed the item from her breasts. Before she could peel it from her face, her tits were already subjected to his inquisitive mouth. She reached down immediately after tossing the top to the floor. "Ah-oh," she lightly moaned as she grasped the back of his head. Her lips lined his forehead with soft kisses as he suckled on her flesh.

Somehow, without her awareness, Nasira climbed onto Eric's lap. Her thick and firm thighs straddled his own powerfully-built thighs. Her bare and hairless cunt rested onto his pelt-covered crotch, which she seductively rubbed herself against. Her inner left thigh felt his hot and turgid skin rub along the surface, matching her groin's movement.

Eric's lips pulled away from her buxom chest and he groaned out in pleasure. Another groan fell from his lips before he uttered, "Baby, just fuckin' ride me already". The back of his head rested on the couch's back while his hands gripped her rounded hips. The mask of euphoria fell upon his face: a deep grimace, his eyes were shut tightly and his lips slightly parted. His throat and leadership tattoos were exposed to her viewing.

Her face leaned forward to his throat and her mouth latched onto the first left column of his marking. His moan flooded her hearing. Her right hand slipped in between their bodies and she sought after his hardness. Once her fingertips touched his flesh, another moan escaped him. As her lips, teeth and tongue worked over his throat, her hand slowly pumped his prick.

"Argh… Come on, baby…" His hands released her hips to give each of her cheeks a hard swat. The strikes were hard enough to cause a pair of echoes to erupt into the room. "…Come on and fuck me," he growled.

His hands' slaps caused her to flinch and to lowly yelp. The stinging sensation that was left behind added to her arousal. He was becoming impatient, which tickled her. She unleashed a coquettish titter. The tip of her tongue drew a line of saliva from his throat to his chin and then to his lips, where her lips snatched his own pair up to form an aggressive kiss. A feral growl-like groan was emitted from his throat. Meanwhile her right hand grabbed the base of his cock and held on, as her pussy swallowed him whole, with one stroke.

"Aaaah…

"AH…

"…ugh!"

"…ARGH!"

Both parents simultaneously unleashed their sounds of carnal pleasure, as they joined together.

Nasira slipped the tops of her feet onto the tops of his thighs before she leaned back. Each of her hands grabbed each of his kneecaps, so she could maintain her balance. She felt his hands tighten their hold on her hips. Her eyes peered at her lover's face. He still was the proud and happy owner of that mask. Now, however, his parted lips allowed bits of grunts to slip out of him. 'Ha-ha…Good,' she quietly gloated. She spread her knees a little bit before she rolled her hips in a slow and repetitive, circular motion. The underside of her clit dragged along the surface of his shaft. She also felt his turgid skin ignite little fires of arousal inside of her. Her face pointed to the ceiling and her eyes closed. "Oooh fuck," she harshly whispered as she struck with pleasure during one turn around.

"Nnn-ah-ggggrrrrr," he groaned.

She released his knees and leaned forward. Her hands gripped the back of the couch. Her face dipped forward and her lips sought his. She raised her ass off of his lap, only to slam down on him, a few seconds later. The movement caused a delicious friction between his cock and her pussy. Both of them groaned. She ground her sex against him again and then she slammed down on him.

"That's it, baby. That's it," he moaned against her lips.

With her beloved's permission and words of encouragement, she had given into her desires. Soon, the living room's walls and windows were decorated with a song of their mating. The sounds of their moans and groans danced along to the same rhythm that was made by the leather cushions as their bodies rocked together. The song was given an edge due to the sounds of his hands occasionally slapping at her plump cheeks and by the sounds of their mouths as they suckled or licked on each other's sweat-slicked skins.

She rode him with a furious pace. Her pussy's walls held a steady and tight grip on his member. In this position, Nasira knew that she was in control now. She was the one that was going to set the pace between them. She was also aware that Eric knew this and he was allowing it to happen. 'He trusts me,' she said to herself, at one point in their fuck-session. 'Oh God, he trusts me,' she quietly moaned. A thick, build-up of pressure permeated through her sex, causing her to released frantic pulses. "Aaah-oh…" she lightly moaned. Her lower body's movements increased in pace and intensity. "…Eric…" she sensually whispered against his cheek. The first ripple of pleasure began to rise to the surface. Her fingers released and contracted around the leather cushion. "…Eric… Eric…" The first climatic wave struck. "Er…" Her brain had gone blank while the muscles in her stomach and legs seized up. Her cunt's walls collapsed around his prick. Her hands released the couch's cushion and her hands clutched the back of his neck. Her lips smashed up against his forehead. "…Eric…" she spoken into his skin as her body continued to be a blissful victim of the onslaught of orgasmic waves.

Abruptly, she found herself on her back and with Eric hovering above her. Her wrists were snatched up into one of his hands and they were pinned onto the couch. His other hand grabbed the back of her left knee and pressed it to the back of the couch, spreading her legs further apart. His hips were still wedged in between her legs and his member was still imbedded inside of her. They performed a desperate and uncoordinated dance while making his prick form staccato strokes. She felt his lips graze her right ear in a clumsy caress.

"I…ah… I love you, baby," he hurriedly declared in a hushed tone.

Eric's declaration of love wasn't a new feat, but it still left with the same reaction just like the first one. Her heart raced but there was pressure.

"I love you too, baby" she moaned. "Oh, I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you," she moaned into his shoulder.

With a full-body shudder and an abrasive moan falling from him, Eric erupted. She felt his prick fill up her cunt with his warm seed. His hand's strength around her wrists had gone slack, as well as, the grip that was on her knee. Her hands gently grabbed onto his waist just as she was gifted with all of his body's weight. Her trembling and over-stretched legs wrapped around his torso and crossed at her ankles. Warm and soft lips touched her jawline to shape a sweet kiss. She took a deep breath and made her body relaxed against the leather. "Ah-ooooh," she sighed, illustrating her satisfaction.

Nasira's dark brown eyes landed their sight on the ceiling. Her ears acknowledged the fact that she left the stereo on, by listening to the music that poured from the speakers. She acknowledged the non-activity that came from the person that she was using as a blanket at the moment. He was still and didn't mutter a word yet. If it wasn't for the rapid rises of his back, she would've believed that he was dead. She tore her sight away from the ceiling and she stared at his left shoulder. "Eric?" she softly stated.

"Mmm?" she heard Eric groaned. His monotone response sounded slurred, as if he was on the cusp of being alert and unconscious.

Her right set of fingers casually slid into his hair and gave him a scratch. He unleashed a hearty moan. "I guess this constitutes as 'make-up sex', huh?"

---

~*oMLo*~

"So… Why didn't you tell me that my boss is your brother?" queried Nasira as she eyed Eric from her viewpoint that was the sofa.

The faction leader tore his attention away from his hands as they fastened his jeans' closure. His bright blue eyes glanced over at her. "It wasn't important" was his answer.

A mask of disbelief took over her beautiful face. 'It wasn't important?! Tsk… Like hell, it wasn't important!' Nasira slapped her exposed right thigh while she kissed her teeth. "Oh, really?" she said to him, with a sense of skepticism.

The Dauntless leader reinforced his point by saying, "It wasn't".

"Bullshit," she responded. She watched Eric sit down on the edge of the couch's cushion. He reached down in between his knees and he grabbed his left leather boot. She was a spectator in watching Eric complete the task of slipping on his footwear. As his fingers proceeded to tie his laces, a notion flashed across her mind's eye. It was an idea that made her heart thump against her breastplate. "Have you…?" Her hesitation made her pause. She received another blue-infused glare from her son's father. 'Ask him,' her conscience ordered her. She took in a deep breath and then said, "Have you…Did you use your brother to keep tabs on me?" She noticed the coldness seep into his orbs. Then he abruptly ended the eye contact and he focused on his shoes. 'I'll take that as a 'yes'.' More silence followed. During this time, she gazed at the bottom of her blue, terry cloth bath robe and the sliver of glistening skin that was a part of her right thigh. In her mind, there was a boisterous party of thoughts, assumptions and ideas about Eric's possible usage for Rafe, throughout this whole time. "Did…" Her dark brown eyes focused on the being that was sitting next to her. "…you come to Dauntless because you knew that Rafe was here?" she asked Eric with a soft-toned voice.

The Dauntless leader glimpsed at her and then at his shoe.

"I take that as a 'yes' from you," she informed him.

His retort was a grunt.

"You're not telling me anything, so I can only assume things about you and I'm sure that you don't want me to do that," she said to him while eyeing his hair. Her left palm cradled the left side of her face. "Mmm?" A smug smile broke out over her lips.

Eric glared at the young mother for a few seconds. His lips held a tight, thin line as his jaw kept clenching and detaching. Then he returned to the task of putting his boots on. Both parties remained silent during the task. Once he was finished, he leaned back into his seat and became comfortable. The back of his head rested on the top of the couch's back support. His eyes gazed at the ceiling for a silent minute before they closed. "Okay…" There was a huff. "What do you want to know?"

'Wha—Wait! He doesn't mean… No. He can't be serious with me. He's lying. He doesn't... No-fucking-way!' Her eyes came to a widened stance while her lips slightly parted. 'He's actually going to…' Her voluptuous mouth formed into a toothy smile. "Are you telling me that I can ask you about anything and you will tell me? Or, is this a joke?"

Eric's head turned his head and his eyes popped open to stare at her. "What do you think?" he told her with an edge to his tone. "I don't make offers when I don't want to give anything, Nass. So…" He returned his focus on the ceiling. "…what do you want to know?"

'Alright Nassy, you might as well take advantage of this moment. Who knows when he will become this open and honest again.' She deeply inhaled and then exhaled. "Oh…Kay. If you're willing to answer my questions, then answer my other ones. Did you use your brother to keep tabs on me? And, did you come to Dauntless because your brother was here?"

Eric sighed before he replied with "Yes and no, in that exact order".

A chill clung to her skin. His answer to her first question had silence most of the internal inquiries that were roaming through her mind. He was indeed using Rafe as his informant. It made sense as to why he was inside of her home, on the night of her homecoming from the ten-month sabbatical in Amity. Rafe told him about her return. 'It makes sense—Wait, how—

"How did you get inside of my apartment before?" she blurted out the inquiry.

"Simple… On the night when we fucked…"

A shiver ran down her body after she heard the crude word that he chose to describe their moments.

"…for the first time, when I had to come up here and use your bathroom, I looked at your hand. When you were typing in our key-code, I memorized your number," confessed Eric.

'Aaa-Ohhh! So, that's how he knows.' Her eyes gazed at Eric's long legs and she was overwhelmed with the urge to sit on his thick thighs. She turned her attention to his handsome face. She noticed that his eyes were still closed. "Tell me about your reason for defecting to Dauntless."

"Defecting?" His eyes popped open and he glared at her. "Did you just said that I 'defected' to Dauntless?" His tone displayed a sense of being offended, which completely shattered what was left to his wall of stoicism.

Nasira raised her arms in the air in a mock surrender. "Alright, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said 'defect' to you! I'm sorry!" she told him. Once she finished watching the blazing anger drain from his eyes, she muttered, "I'm sorry… Damn".

"I didn't defect to Dauntless," he reaffirmed. Eric stared up at the ceiling again. "I didn't defect… I just came home, that's all. I never belong in Erudite."

"How come?"

"It's the same reason you had, when it came to staying in here and wanting to go to Amity," he pointed out. "I was never…" His lips pursed. "…an Erudite, to begin with. I didn't have the desire to live the rest of my life inside of someone's lab… Testing stuff and being some scientist's lackey." He snorted, in disgust. "The rigidness and the rules… It wasn't for me. I wanted out of there. Rafe being here? It was just a coincidence."

Nasira couldn't hold back any longer. She crawled out of her poised position and she invaded the Dauntless leader's personal space. She held onto his right shoulder before she climbed onto his spacious lap. She straddled his thighs and sat on his legs. She felt his hands grip her hips, seconds later. Her fingers made swipes of caresses to his shoulders and face. There were groans of appreciation from him. "Tell me…" She glanced at his face and waited for the reaction that she knew was going to be there. "…about your family."

There was a shiver and an exhale from his nostrils. His body had gone tight underneath her hands. The emotional tension in his long form, permeated from his body and shot up into the living room's atmosphere. It caused her skin to prickle and the fine hairs on her forearms to raise. Her stomach tightened up with mild anxiety.

"What do you want to know?" Eric mumbled, after a moment of his awkward silence. He kept his eyes closed, still.

'Oh,' her brain murmured, 'shit'. The tip of her tongue licked her lips before she stated her answer. "I want to know about your family. How were your parents? Do you have any more siblings, besides Rafe?" Nasira already knew the answer to her inquiries, courtesy of the background search that Malachi performed. But she wanted to see if he would finally answer.

"Yes, I have more than one sibling. I have another brother named Francis. He lives in Erudite with my mother. He's a janitor. He's…" He sniffled. His right thumbnail scratched at his hairline. "… Slow…"

Her facial features frowned up while a coldness swept through her. 'Oh no,' she silently whimpered.

'…He's not slow to the point, where he cannot…" He inhaled and on the exhale, he stated, "He's not incapable of taking care of himself." His palms and fingers massaged her thighs. "But he needs assistance, though."

"So, what's going to happen to him, when your parents can't take care of him? Where is he going to go?" she asked him. She knew that Erudite's policies were logic-based and not based off of empathy. She was sure that the proper officials were going to allow Eric's brother to fend for himself. Or they were going to place the man into The Hole, if they felt that he couldn't be able to take care of himself.

"They are going to put him in one of their homes, more than likely," he reasoned.

"What about placing him with any of your other family—

"Besides Francis and my mother, I have no other family members in Erudite. So, once she dies, then Francis is on his own," Eric informed her. There was an edginess to his voice as he spoke. She couldn't tell if it was anger or sadness.

"What about you—

"Faction before blood, Nass."

"That's such bullshit," she hissed. Her anger rose to the surface once she heard about his willingness to leave his brother to his defenses.

"It's not. It's our way of life. I cannot take an Erudite citizen—

"He's your brother, Eric," she told him with a curl to her top lip. "He's your brother!"

Eric opened his eyes and lifted his head from off of the couch. He leveled a steely glare at the woman that sat in front of him. "He doesn't belong here. He is in Erudite. He will stay in Erudite and he will eventually grow old and die in Erud-

"Tell me about your parents." She changed the subject. She wanted to salvage whatever was left to their peaceful moment. She knew that if they continued to converse about his brother's future welfare, then they would've ended their night on bad terms. "Tell me about your mom and dad."

"It was just my mom," he confessed. "I don't know my dad. He left before I was born."

'He… Left? Could've sworn that it was more like a 'wham-bam, thank you ma'am' type of situation.' The knuckles on her left hand caressed his cheeks. She watched his eyelids flutter a few times before they closed over his blue orbs. She felt his coarse hands squeeze at her legs, in appreciation. "So, it was just your mother?"

"Yup," he groaned, "and she wasn't much of a mother, to begin with". He roughly inhaled. "She drank a lot. She didn't take care of us. She spent most of her time out of the house and when she was home, she slept. And when she was awake, all she did was yell at us and occasionally slapped us around. We took care of each other. Rafe took most of the responsibilities while Francis and I looked after each other. When Rafe left for Dauntless, then it was really just me and Francis taking care of each other."

"Did you…?" She paused.

"Did I, what?"

"Feel… Bad… About leaving Francis behind?" she reluctantly asked him.

"No," he answered.

'Bullshit,' her brain whispered. "I'm sorry to hear that," she gently expressed. She knew that the faction leader was lying to her. She sensed it. He didn't have any physical, tale-tell marks that were committed as he told his fibs, according to her. But she could sense them.

"Don't be," he mumbled. He sighed. "Any more questions?"

Nasira performed a shaking of her head. "No, I don't have any more questions." Her lips sought after his to shape a sweet kiss that was soft and quick. Her arms formed a loose hold around his neck. "Thank you for answering the ones that I've asked," she said onto his lips.

Eric kissed her once again. "You're welcome," he muttered.

"Thank you… Once again. I know that you hate talking about yourself, which is shocking ever since you love to preen like…" She began to giggle. "…a fucking peacock through The Pit!" She dissolved into a fit of giggles. He gave her a grimace and a frown as a reply. She ended up laughing harder. As the laughter segue into a soft chuckle, she planted another kiss to his lips. "I'm sorry for laughing at you," she lightly chuckled. She traced the left side of his jaw with kisses. Once her lips reached his left ear, her tongue's tip flicked at his earlobe. She simultaneously felt his hands increased their strength and she heard his whining groan. Her tongue traced the outer ridge of his ear.

"Nah…Sssssss-Rah," he groaned into her shoulder.

Nasira's spirit smiled. She loved making the faction leader lose his cool. Her hands cupped his cheeks. She gazed into his eyes. "Sorry," she softly apologized.

His cornflower blue eyes perused her face's appearance. "Don't be."

Nasira eyed his handsome face. She took note of his face's poor complexion. His skin held an unhealthy shade of pale. His skin's condition was to the point where his thin veins were visible. His eyes displayed his current state of fatigue. Underneath each eye, there was a discolored pouch of flesh. Each upper and lower eyelid held an unusual pinkish color. "Mmm," she hummed as her left set of fingertips lightly grazed his forehead.

"What?" he uttered, sounding as if he was curious yet tired.

"You need to get some sleep…" she notified him. Then, in a lukewarm, British accent, she finished the statement with "…my love". Her left palm cupped his right cheek. "Once you leave here, you need to go home and go to sleep, cause…" Her lips formed a smirk. "…you look like shit, babe," she joked. "You're tired."

"Being a leader is a 'twenty-four hour' job," he told her. "I have to be there for the initiates and for the trainers."

"The last time I check, Eric, there are four other leaders. They can help you."

"No," groaned Eric. "The initiates are my job."

"Okay, they are your responsibility. But what's going to happen to them, if your ass becomes sick? Mmm? You can't intimidate your sickness into submission," she pointed out.

He groaned with irritation.

"Yeah-yeah-yeah," she sang, sarcastically. She pressed her plump lips into his soft ones. "I know that you think that I am a fucking nagging banshee," she stated to his lips, afterwards. Her lips traveled over to each of his cheeks, where she planted kisses. "I am this way because I love you." Her lips decorated the bridge and the tip of his refined nose with soft kisses. She gave his brow another peck before she rested her forehead against his. Her dark brown orbs focused on his blues. "Promise me that you will go straight home and straight to bed after you leave here," she told him.

He sighed. Then he uttered, "I can't. I have to meet up with the trainers."

"Does this have to be a 'face-to-face' meeting or can you speak over the phone?"

His eyes narrowed while his nostrils flared. But he was exuding a benevolent energy. "No, it doesn't have to be—

"Then good…" Nasira pulled away while her hands gripped his shoulders. "…then you can make a conference call as you prepare for bed," she smartly told him.

Eric deeply inhaled and rolled his eyes with annoyance etched on his face. His ministrations reminded Nasira of their son's reactions prior to his tantrums. "Fine, I'll do it."

'Good.' A grin graced her lips before she planted a soft kiss to his mouth. He responded in kind. "So, what time do you want to meet up tomorrow?"

"For the trip to the Bureau of Records?"

"Mmm-hmm," she hummed.

"What time do you want to meet up?"

"As early as possible, to be quite honest with you. The earlier we arrive, the better. Places like that tend to get crowded real fast. I know that the Bureau open up at eight o' clock in the morning, so we should meet up at seven, then" she suggested.

"Seven o' clock?" Eric pursed his lips and then nodded his head. "Okay." There was a short amount of silence between the two adults before he spoke again. "I gotta go," he announced.

In response, her thighs tried to squeeze onto his thicker thighs together. It was a non-verbal display of disappointment.

"Come on…" announced Eric. His right hand gave her left thigh a series of rapid pats. "…up."

Nasira huffed and slid off of the Dauntless leader. She found a spot on the couch. She viewed Eric as he stood up from the couch and as he prepared to leave.

"Do you want me to meet you in Erudite tomorrow?" she asked as she watched him slip his left arm in his denim vest.

The Dauntless leader glanced at her from over his right shoulder. "Yeah," came from his lips. He turned towards her and held his right hand out in front of him.

Nasira's darkened honey-brown eyes glimpsed at the offered hand. A smile slowly rose to the surface, as well as, the deep ripple that had gone off in the pit of her stomach. A subtle touch of heat filled up her face and neck. It was the same occurrence with every occasion. It was an ordinary, gentlemanly gesture that she was given since her toddler-years. It was a subtle move that was done by her brothers, father and her other male relatives. It was considered to be nothing of great importance. However, when the hand belonged to Eric, it carried the same importance of the sun's existence. She accepted his offer and he helped her stand up to her feet. Eric allowed Nasira to lead him to the front door.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow," she said to him as she held the door open.

"Yeah," he muttered before dipping down to kiss her again.

"Okay," she breathed onto his lips.

"Take care," Eric simply stated as he pulled away from her.

Nasira witnessed his exit from her home. She stood in the doorway that led to the corridor and she stared at his retreating back. 'And we're right back to square-one,' her conscience reminded her. A soft grimace touched her face.

Before she could delve further into her case of self-reflection, the sounds of her ringing phone distracted her.