A/N: This is a short story that I already have written out and completed. I had contemplated making it longer but I think I am going to end things for Peter on the note I did. I might go back and pick up his journey and the rest of the gangs in a sequel but I just felt I needed to give Peter some love. I love Miles Teller and I think he did a stellar job as Peter. Just like with Jai though, his performance hinted at hidden depths to the character and I wanted to explore them. So this is me exploring what made Peter the way he was...really all of the Candors. This is about his struggle with who he is and wants to be. There is no Petris here but there is a close bond formed.

I hope everyone likes the story and if you want more of him and the gang let me know and I will see about continuing it on for him. Ya'll have a great night!

Chapter 1

He stood on the bridge of The Chasm, bottle in his hand and his face full of pain and anger. He was drunk and teetering. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the sober part, he knew this was a bad fucking idea. What else in his life wasn't a bad idea though?

He had known from early on he belonged in Dauntless. Because of the belief of his former faction he had to be honest about it. It had made his life a living hell until he got big enough and strong enough to start turning that around. Except by then he had also had so much anger for how even his own family, especially his own family, had treated him that he took it farther than just defending himself.

He had lost his way a bit but when he got here finally he thought he could find it again. Reputations proceed you though, even here. He hadn't helped that, he was still a huge dick. Couldn't help it, it was a defense mechanism.

Sighing he took the bottle and tilted it up and started to fall backwards from the motion.

"Ok. I think that's enough for you. Unless you just want to fall in, then by all means." The voice of the young woman next to him muttered sarcastically as she put a hand out to steady him and tried to take the bottle from him.

Peter scoffed and blinked blearily at her. "What do you care Stiff? You out of everyone should be pushing me in right now. Maybe it's what I deserve."

Tris sighs and surprised Peter by tipping the bottle back herself and then facing him. "You're a dick Peter. I won't argue with that. I also don't think you attacked Edward. I saw your face when you walked up, just before you slammed that mask back in place that you wear all the time. You were just as sickened by it and scared too."

Peter shook his head a little as if to clear it. "Ok, I must be off the deep end drunk. Because there is no way you just said what I think you said. You believe me?"

Tris frowns and shrugs. "I didn't know you had been saying you didn't do it. I have been rather occupied lately just trying to make sure I make it. But yes, I believe you didn't attack Edward. I also think you might know who did though Peter."

Peter sighs and hangs his head. "All my fault." He mutters and runs a hand over his eyes. "Should have told them to stay. I just didn't want to be alone here."

Tris bites her lip and sighed, handing him the bottle back. "If you remember this in the morning…." she starts to usher him to the dorms and away from the bridge as she speaks "...then you have a decision to make Peter. Protect them and hurt yourself and our faction by allowing people like them to stay. Or do what you know is right. Even if you don't though Peter you will still be alone. You can be standing in the Pit full of people you say are friends but it won't make it any more true than right now. Believe me until you let yourself open up you can't begin to know what true friendship is."

"Look at you being all introspective and shit." Peter mumbles as he takes drinks and stumbles along the path she is half pushing half carrying him down to the dorms.

Tris laughs and shakes her head. "Yeah must be all the beer and whiskey."

Peter looks down at the former abnegation and sighs. "''M sorry 'bout the fight Stiff. You did good. He wouldn't let me stop."

Peter scowls at that. He knew why Eric wouldn't let him or any of them stop but it didn't make him feel any better about it.

Tris shrugged and sighed. "I survived and that was the whole point. Eric is just as much a dick as you but he had a point. We need to know we can survive it and not give up. Hard lessons to learn but no one said this was going to be easy."

"Should be a leader Stiff. Just full of all kinds a wisdom tonight." Peter was spinning and barely made it to his bunk when she pushed him onto it, took the bottle from him and threw the blanket over him.

"I don't know about the wisdom thing Hayes but I am seriously considering the Leader part." Tris mumbled and then took a swig of the bottle. "Get some sleep Peter. I have an instructor to hunt down and set straight."

Peter barely heard those last words before he let the spinning spin him right into the blackness.

"Arrhhh." Was all Peter could get out as he rolled over the next morning, clutching his head in his hands.

He heard feminine chuckling beside him. Causing him to crack an eye open to see the Stiff sitting on the bunk beside him with a bottle of water and a packet of something.

"Wasn't a dream?" Peter mumbled and tried to sit up.

Tris bit her lip and shook her head. The rest of the dorm was still asleep so she was trying to be quiet. She had just gotten in from Four's and had for some reason stopped to pick up a water and aspirin from the clinic for Peter. She was going to try and convince him to tell someone what he knew about the attack.

Peter reached to take the water and the pills she handed him. He quirked an eyebrow as he sat up finally. "Decide better and that it might be good to do me in Stiff?" He drawled out in a raspy broken voice.

Tris snorted and shook her head. "No, but I am glad you remember the conversation. Do you remember what I said about your options Peter?"

Peter had tossed the pills back and was drinking the water as the conversation, hazy as it was, came back to him. After he had swallowed he sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Not great options any way I look at it Stiff. Who is to say they will even believe me Tris. You might be the only that believes I didn't do it."

Tris nod and sighs. "Then I can go with you. If I am with you Peter then they will have to know you are serious."

Peter scowls at her. Trying to figure out her angle and why she would do this for him. "Why are you doing this Stiff? What's in it for you?"

Tris feels her anger snap but she breathes and reigns it in. "Think about it Peter. Look beyond all that asshole behavior and tendencies and think about it. Do I seem like the type to want those type of people in my faction? It won't make us better and sure as hell won't make me better. They are your friends now Peter but when it comes down to it, do you think they would hesitate to do the same to you or anyone if they thought it would help them?"

Tris shrugged then continued. "No, my reasons aren't completely selfless but then again I am not selfless. Not all the time. I don't want to have to keep looking over my shoulder just because I might be good at something and someone wants to take the coward's way to the top. You may be an ass Peter but you aren't a coward. You want to prove yourself here. You can't do that with this hanging over your head."

Peter knew she was right. He hated that he had allowed it to get this far but he never really thought they would do something like this. Well, not true. He had always known they could they just hadn't. With a sigh he nodded.

"You know Stiff. You sound an awful like an Erudite sometimes." He mumbled and drank some water.

Tris smiled and laughed a little. "Well thank you. I am sure my best friend would be thrilled to know her influence hasn't worn off in such a short time."

Peter quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head. "Your best friend is Erudite? How did that even happen?"

Tris shrugged and stood. "Circumstances threw us together. Anyways, I am going to go grab some breakfast. If you are serious about this then I will wait in the dining hall. We can go to the leader's offices afterwards. I was told they are almost always in them by this time anyways."

With a nod she turned to leave and Peter took a moment to reflect before he slowly got up to get a shower, dressed and then went to find her. They had been his best friends growing up. They had tried to shield him when the worst had been done to him but he hadn't seen until recently that they were just as bad to others as others had been to him.

All his life all he wanted was to get to Dauntless to become a protector. He hadn't realized that in trying to get here he had let himself become one of the ones that people needed to be protected from. He could change that. He could change himself. He just needed to make the choice and effort.

He walked into the dining hall to see Tris sitting with some of her dauntless born friends. He grabbed some food and was going to go sit somewhere else when she looked up and motioned for him to join her with a quirked and challenging eyebrow.

He could change but he needed to make the effort. Starting now and here.