AN: Thanks for all the support for this story, I appreciate all of your reviews, favorites and follows.
The silence in the room is almost deafening and Four is having a hard time maintaining eye contact with the intimidating Candor leader. Jack Kang is known to be absolutely by the books, and he rarely finds any grey area when it comes to maintaining the law in the city of Chicago. He leans forward in his chair and rests his forearms on his desk as he trails his almost black eyes on Four.
"Four, I want to ensure I understand exactly what it is you are asking for here. I've already had many of the faction leaders express their disgust and anger about Eric Coulter's involvement in this war. He was part of a raid on my headquarters that killed many members of my faction. We already have more than enough votes for his execution, including your own, and yet you sit before me asking for a trial. What has changed?" Jack asks.
Four takes a breath in knowing it's impossible to lie to a Candor, and even more so in the case of Jack Kang. He meets his dark eyes and decides to go with as much honesty as he can spare.
"I am not sure how much he knew about the cause he ended up tangled in. I'm afraid that everyone wants someone to blame, and Eric happens to be the only one of Jeanine's team we could catch due to his injuries. I feel if we execute him for no other reason other than to make an example we may not be serving justice. He could have answers, or insight as to what Jeanine's plans are, and I feel like we all have questions that only he can answer." Four explains.
"I see. You do realize if we find him guilty execution will still be my recommended punishment, correct?" Jack asks.
"Yes, I do. I'm not sure of his innocence or guilt Jack, because we have seen him kill people for what appears to be no reason at all. If we look at the black and white of his actions then execution is our only choice, however I need to know why he did the things he did. I'd like to see if there is a grey area when it comes to him." Four replies.
"Is this because of Tris Coulter?" He asks bluntly.
"Not entirely, no. Tris is a leader but she knows she cannot vote because of their marriage. I feel like we at least owe it to her to put him under the truth serum. She needs to know why he did the things he did and hopefully she can find some peace with the court's decision." Four answers honestly. He is so torn on why he's even showing any mercy at all towards Eric, but he knows he cannot put a bullet in the man's head knowing what it will do to Tris. They all need answers.
"I appreciate your honesty and I find myself agreeing with your logic. We don't have much insight as to what Jeanine or Max had planned and our only source of information is sitting right under my lock and key. I will make the executive order to put Eric on trial. I will make the announcement and give everyone two hours from the time of the announcement to gather. It will be an open forum so I will be allowing any member of leadership to ask him questions while he is under the truth serum." Jack replies.
"Even Tris?" Four asks.
"Yes, even Tris, however I need you to warn her that she will need to keep her questions on topic." He replies.
"I will do that, thank you Jack." Four says as he extends his hand to shake with the older man. Jack firmly grips and shakes his hand.
"This will not be a popular decision, so prepare for backlash once this announcement goes out. Especially from Tori Wu, she is adamant that Eric is executed on the spot and she's currently leading the charge to have that happen." Jack says.
"Yes, this I know. Jack, out of curiosity have you spoken with any of the Abnegation leadership?" Four inquires.
"Are you asking specifically about your father? Or perhaps Tris' father?" Jack asks.
"More so Andrew Prior, however I'd be curious to know what Marcus' thoughts are too. I may hate the bastard, but he still is the head of the government." Four shrugs.
"Andrew also did not know that his daughter was married to our only suspect in custody. As you could probably imagine, that did not go over well." Jack answers vaguely.
"They tried to destroy their entire faction. It's basically inhabitable at this point, so while all of the factions have been impacted by this I'd venture to say Abnegation has one of the strongest voices when it comes to how we handle things." Four presses.
"I know what you're doing." Jack says with a slight scowl, however he continues. "Marcus is calling for the execution. Andrew had not made a decision even prior to knowing of his daughter's involvement with Eric. Andrew is a fair man, and he believes in faction before blood, so I know whatever vote he casts will be well thought out."
"He doesn't want his vote to be based on emotion." Four replies and Jack nods his head.
"No, he doesn't. He also knows Jeanine personally from their time in Erudite together. He said she is one of the most manipulative and heartless people he's ever known." Jack adds. "I should make the announcement."
"Yes, my apologies for monopolizing your time." Four says as he stands to leave.
"Nonsense, I appreciate the intrusion. You are wise beyond your years Four, and I know this leadership position was practically forced upon you due to the dire circumstances within your faction. Trust your instinct, it will take you far. I'll see you in two hours." Jack replies as he shakes the younger man's hand.
Four leaves the office and heads back to the prison knowing that he should at least break the news to Eric and Tris before looking for Tori. Emotions are running high with his fellow leader, especially since Eric happened to fall in line with the same group who'd killed her brother George. Eric certainly didn't pull the trigger, he still an Erudite dependent when George was killed, but his alliance with Jeanine placed him directly in Tori's crosshairs.
He walks past the guard desk and shares a nod with the duty clerk before being escorted to the cells. He can hear the quiet conversation between Eric and Tris, and even though he knows he shouldn't eavesdrop he can't seem to help himself.
"I wish you had of told me." Eric says quietly.
"I was always told that being divergent was dangerous and I shouldn't tell anyone. My parents didn't even know. The day I took the aptitude test I had to pretend to be sick." Tris explains.
"I had no idea what a divergent really was. She'd tell us these stories about how they were a being that couldn't be contained or controlled. They had no loyalty and their sole purpose was to destroy the faction system. She would tell us how they'd go on rampages because their fears of being stuck inside the walls would manifest into urges to kill their way to the outside. So, I had the fear mongering aspect of the unknown enemy outside the wall, plus the added fear of these volatile beings inside the wall with us. She made us believe that divergents were these things that were hell-bent on destroying the rest of us." Eric explains. "It sounds so fucking ridiculous. I don't know how I could fall for it."
"You didn't know anything different than what you were told. You've probably been exposed to more divergents than just me and you've never known." Tris says.
"I should have asked questions Tris. I should have forced her to explain her entire plan." He argues.
"By doing what Eric, questioning the authority of the highest leader of the faction known for their scholar and brilliance? Or, questioning your own superior?" Tris asks. "You know that there are punishments in place for accusing a leader of a crime, do you think that your questioning of these plans would have gone unnoticed?"
"I should have just left." He sighs.
"You would have left me?" She asks.
"God no, I'd have taken you with me." He replies. "Damn, that sounds pretty shitty doesn't it? I'd just have expected you to leave your home for the unknown without an explanation."
"Eric, you can't change the past. All you can do is let them hear the truth from you." Tris explains.
"What if that's not enough Tris? What if they hear everything I've done and they still vote for execution? I don't care about myself it's you I care about. I can't stand the thought of what this is doing to you. I never thought it'd get this far. I didn't know what she was capable of. Tris, I'm so sorry baby." He says as his voice begins to break. Tris sees something she'd never imagined seeing from Eric when tears begin to slowly trail down his cheeks and on to the pillow they're sharing.
"Please don't cry." Tris is trying to be strong for him but his tears break her. "I love you Eric and I believe you. I believe in you too. You made a mistake."
"I love you too Tris. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you any of this, I thought what I was doing was protecting you and everyone else. I had no idea she had me attacking people like you." Eric says.
"I know. You don't have to convince me because I know you. This isn't who you are." She replies quietly.
Four can hear the sounds of the two crying and he feels he should leave and let them have their moment, but he wants to at least let them know about Jack's decision to put Eric on trial. Once the two are finally quiet Four makes his presence known. He walks closer to the cell and clears his throat. Eric and Tris both turn their heads to look at him.
"I talked to Jack." Four says to the couple. "He's made an executive order to put Eric on trial."
Tris walks over to the bars and stands in front of Four. "Thank you." She says quietly. Eric watches the two interact from his seat on the uncomfortable cot.
Four nods in response and he and Tris hold each other's gaze for longer than Eric is comfortable with. His jealousy is something he's never had much control over, even though he is a master of burying almost all of his other outward emotions. He stands up and walks over to his wife and puts an arm around her.
"You should go eat." Eric says to Tris and she shakes her head.
"I'm not leaving you." She argues.
"I'll stay here with him." Four offers. "Go eat, shower, do whatever you need to do. I can stay."
Tris looks at Four warily and then turns her attention to Eric. He's got his mask on, she's seen it time and time again but she knows that below his stoic expression he's burying something. She reaches for his face and makes him turn to look at her. He smiles slightly but the storm brewing in his grey eyes worries her.
"It's fine if he stays." Eric says quietly. Tris searches his face for his true emotion but he's successfully blocking everything. He leans down and brushes his lips to hers. "I'm telling the truth." He whispers against her lips before kissing her.
Four unlocks the cell and steps aside so Tris can exit. Once he has the door closed and locked again she reaches through the bars and grasps on to Eric's hands.
"I'll be back soon. I love you." She says.
"I love you too." Eric replies. He holds her hands as long as he can as she reluctantly slips away. He and Four watch as she walks down the hall and finally out of the heavy doors. Eric sighs before turning back towards his cot and sitting down. He rests his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.
Four grabs a folding metal chair and sets it up outside of the cell. He sits down and looks at Eric, whose usual glare has been replaced with a much softer look. He's still not sure what to think about the other man, but there are questions he knows he can't ask during his trial. He takes a chance when he begins speaking.
"How'd you two happen?" Four asks. Eric looks up with a curious expression.
"What?" He asks.
"You and Tris, how'd the two of you get together?" Four clarifies.
Eric shifts on his cot and looks directly at Four. "I know about the two of you." He says.
"I'm sure you do. Tris isn't one to keep secrets." Four says with an edge of anger in his voice.
"Except her divergence." Eric replies coldly. He sighs and shakes his head. "This isn't getting us anywhere."
"No, it's not." Four agrees.
"Did you know she is divergent?" Eric asks.
"It became obvious during her fear sims." He answers carefully.
"You protected her from me." Eric sighs.
"I did." Four replies. He watches as Eric drops his head back down to his hands.
The two sit in uncomfortable silence, neither man in a hurry to be the first to speak. Four is trying to see what it is that Tris loves about the rough man in front of him even though he's ready to get up and walk away at this point. He finally decides to try a different approach.
"Tris and I got together when she was thirteen and I was fifteen. We were together four years."
Eric finally looks up; his curiosity peaked at the other man's openness. He gestures with his hand for Four to continue.
"Life in Abnegation is different as you're well aware. She and I grew up together and at one point her brother was my closest friend." He replies.
"The same brother that is working for Jeanine?" Eric asks.
"Yeah, Caleb. You never really know someone, do you?" Four asks sarcastically. "Anyway, Tris and I were young and both being smothered by the restrictions and expectations of our faction. We gravitated towards each other. The older we got, the more evident it became that we weren't exactly well suited for each other. She was a piece of home that I held on to for dear life, and I was living a life in Dauntless that she was longing to have. Tris was there for me for some of the lowest parts of my life, I mean you've seen my fear landscape."
Eric nods. He has watched Four's fear landscape repeatedly since becoming a leader for many reasons. One was because he was insanely jealous that the Stiff from Abnegation only had four fears and he wanted to know what they were and how exactly he could get through them so quickly. The other was because Jeanine was convinced that Four was divergent and she wanted Eric to prove it to her. As much as he disliked Four, he never once considered that he was divergent. He wasn't the evil being that Jeanine described, he was just a dark and moody bastard who had a penchant for getting under Eric's skin.
"I didn't know who she was to you when I began to pursue her." Eric says.
"Considering I never even knew you were pursuing her, I can believe that. Knowing you, had you known about the past between Tris and me you would have taken every opportunity to flaunt your relationship in my face." Four replies and Eric actually chuckles.
"Well, I did find out about the two of you early on and I didn't flaunt it. Give me some credit." Eric replies.
"So, now you know our history, tell me how the two of you ended up married. How did this happen?" Four asks. Eric doesn't see any malice with the other man; surprisingly he only sees genuine curiosity.
"I caught her in the training room after hours the first week she was here. I liked her determination so I started training with her." Eric replies.
"You helped a Stiff the first week? You didn't threaten to throw her into the chasm?" Four asks with a smirk.
Eric smiles before answering. "She wasn't what I expected. She was driven and hell she was too defiant to ever be considered a Stiff."
"So when you hung one of her best friends from the chasm you two were together?" Four asks.
"Well, yeah I guess we were at least starting something at that point." Eric chuckles. "Although she didn't speak to me for two days after that stunt."
"I can imagine that the knives went over just as well." Four jabs.
"Yeah, although instead of the silent treatment she cornered me on the roof and gave me a piece of her mind." Eric replies.
"I never had the first clue the two of you were together." Four shakes his head.
"That's how it had to be. If anyone found out I was involved with her it'd have cost me my leadership and potentially even made me factionless. She'd definitely be factionless, and I cared about her entirely too much to let something happen to her just because I couldn't follow the rules." Eric replies.
"So, you two were together all throughout training?" Four asks and Eric nods. "When did you get married?"
"Jack called me a little over two months ago for some help interrogating a prisoner he had here, it was a former Dauntless who had become factionless had been caught trying to break into Candor HQ. Jack was fond of Tris from the moment he met her, and he'd asked that once she was finished with her Ambassador training that she be assigned to Candor. I brought her with me that day as a training exercise and while I was interrogating the prisoner she shadowed Jack. After I had finished, I met the two of them in his office for lunch and we were just talking. Jack being unfiltered as usual asked the two of us what our relationship was and it kind of went from there. I asked her if she'd marry me right then and she agreed, and Jack performed the ceremony right in his office."
Four shakes his head. "I never imagined you were the type to settle down."
"I'm not that much different than you." Eric says and Four scoffs.
"Not that much different? How can you even say that? You killed people Eric, just because you were told they were divergent. You can't tell me that we're the same because I know the difference between right and wrong." He says.
"Its easy for you to say that right now because you weren't in my shoes. You know that we are soldiers and we are trained to follow our orders without question. I had orders from Max and I followed them." Eric replies.
"You killed people Eric, innocent people." Four argues.
"I killed people who I was led to believe were out to hurt our city. I followed the orders of my superiors and I did what I was trained to do. Look, ask me whatever you want when I'm under the serum Four. I'm not lying to you now, but I want you to believe me when I answer your questions." Eric says evenly.
Four looks at Eric for several seconds before finally asking one of the harder questions. "Did you know that Jeanine wanted her?"
Eric looks at Four and then back down at the floor. He doesn't say anything and Four presses. "It's going to come out during your trial later and there will be nothing you can do about it at that point. Tris will be there for your trial, and she will be permitted to ask you questions although I've been told to warn her to keep it professional. It's an open forum trial; you're going to be questioned from any faction leader."
The heavy prison doors open and the moment is broken when Tris walks in. Her hair is wet from her shower and she's dressed casually in ripped black jeans and a grey tank top. Eric is immediately standing at the bars looking for his wife. Tris looks back and forth between the two men and she furrows her eyebrows.
"Is everything ok here?" She asks.
"Yeah, we were just talking. I'm going to give you two some privacy. I need to go find Tori anyway." Four says as he unlocks the cell door and lets Tris in. He closes it behind her and before he can walk away he sees Eric's hand extended through the bars.
"Thank you." Eric says. Four takes his hand and shakes it.
"Good luck." Four says before walking out of the prison.
They allow Eric to shower and provide a change of clothes before his trial. Once he's back in his cell and standing in just his boxers Tris takes her time cleaning each of his open wounds, examining them carefully to ensure none need stitches or appear to be infected. Eric watches Tris as she works and he realizes that this may be the last time they're together like this.
"Hey, they don't even hurt. I'm fine." He says as he tries to get her to look at him. When she refuses to meet his eyes he realizes she's crying. "Baby…" He whispers as he pulls her into his arms.
"Coulter, time's up." The guard calls from outside his cell. "Get dressed, they're ready for you."
Once Eric is dressed he and Tris are given only minutes to say their goodbyes before being separated.
"I love you. No matter what comes out please remember that." Eric says before kissing Tris deeply.
"I love you too. You will come back to me." She replies. They are kissing again when the guard bangs on the bars of his cell.
"Time to go." The guard announces as he unlocks the door. Eric grabs Tris' hands and holds them until he's physically separated from her. Another guard escorts Tris away from the prison and once the heavy door has shut behind her she steels all of her emotions and makes her way to the courtroom.