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Pairing: Eric/Tris (Beatrice Prior)

Rating: MA

The Divergent Trilogy belongs to Veronica Roth.

He had been by her side when Tobias broke her heart, and he continued to do so. Never letting her out of his sight, without her knowledge, Eric was content to watch her work in the day and hold her when she cried in the night. He had promised her to be by her side, and he had yet to break his promise to her, and in turn she had relied on him as her emotional support.

It made him ecstatic to know he was her hold on life, that he was the reason she was alive.

Eric had only despised one part of the relationship he built for them, and it was the tears. The overwhelming sobs that engulfed her entire being made him hate, but that hate was never directed at her. No, it was for Tobias, he had made his beautiful Tris give away fake smiles in place of her cheerful grins. He made her bright blue eyes dull in self-hatred.

Many a night he had woken to find his blonde beauty trash in his arms, crying that she wasn't good enough for anyone. She had screamed in her sleep for him not to leave her, that she would do anything. It was her newest fear, Tris had a new fear added now. She had five fears when Tobias broke her, now she had six. It was common knowledge to him that she was afraid of him leaving, but when he did her fear came true. Thus her lowered number of fears, but he couldn't help but to smile when he learned of her newest fear.

For he never planned to leave, her. At all.

So he never did, and on this particular night he had stayed by her through the worst of it. This particular nightmare had proven his spot beside her for enternity, all he had left was to make her see his side of things.

Tris had woken him again, with her trashing and crying, but for a whole new reason.

"NO! No, let 'im go!", she cried into his chest as he held her to him. Eric rubbed her back as she cried out in agony, he knew better than to wake her in one. Last time he did, she really tried to hurt him. Because she thought he was in her dream, and though she would never tell him what was in her dreams he knew it wasn't sunshine and daisies.

"Not Eric, let 'im go!", not him? Why not him? What the hell was happening to his angel?

"Consequences be damned! Tris, wake up babe!", he called out to her, but only found her blue eyes haunted with pain and agony as she opened them. He felt pain when she hit him as she desperately tried to get away from him, but he held her tight.

"Calm down Tris, please for me. For Eric," he begged as she pounded her fists onto his still sore ribs. The more he spoke, the less she reacted and eventually she was just laying there crying. At what she did to Eric and for what happened in her dream. "Better?", he asked her as she sobbed into his bare chest.

"I-I'm so so-sorry!", he hushed her and pulled her close, so that his chin rested on her head. "I don't blame you for hurting me at all Tris, and I know you didn't mean it."

"B-but-"

"No buts Tris. Now, will you tell me what made you go beserk?", Eric asked her, stroking her back comfortingly with his free hand as the other was smoothing out her hair. She shook her head no and he sigh inaudibly. One of these days he swore he would find out what was plaging her.

The time on the clock read 12:43 a.m. Not even daybreak, he was content to hold her through the night though. Not once did he notice her sleeping, Eric was too lost in his thoughts to notice the time rapidly pass him by. He never felt himself fall asleep, all his thought were about her.

So naturally he didn't know she woke up before him, and he also didn't know that she loved to trace his tattoos before he woke. Besides the piercing, his tattoos were the best part about him. Though Tris absolutely adored his eyes, they were the perfect gateways to his soul. For some reason only she could see what truly resided there, and everytime she looked at them she saw longing.

She saw that most out of pain, frustration, and love.

It warmed her heart that only she got to see this side of the Dauntless leader no one else saw. He had taken care of her at night but in the day he acted like she was invisible. Not even there, but he told her that whatever facade he put up in public it didn't apply to her.

Tris was getting better and better by the day, she began to hang out with her friends. Take time and absolute control of her work area. And she even went to the Skyline with the Dauntless born and initiates, aand Tris loved the freedom it came with. Being able to touch the horizon, and spread her arms like a bird. Flying completely free.

Though Tobias had always been scared when she went to the Skyline with Christina and Uriah. His fear of heights had controlled his passion to keep Tris protected. Sometimes Eric would join her, usually waiting until after shes gone to begin his decent.

Tris only saw the warm side of him, and she knew it was reserved for her only.

When she thought about it, in the weeks following her break-up with Tobias she had seen a side of the instructor none had seen before. Even though he acted the same on the outside Tris could see the pain in his eyes whenever Eric sat by her at lunch. Her kind heart could barely stand to see him in such pain, but he reaped what he sowed.

That's the consequences he got, but she wondered something.

What happened to that initiate?

~.~.~.

Awaking to the smell of coffee was the best thing in Eric's morning, and seeing his favorite girl wearing nothing but his t-shirts was the absolute best. Her long blonde hair had been pulled into a messy bun. and she was making some chocolate chip pancakes. Her cheeks were smudged with the pancake mix but they held a rosy hue to it. Two steaming mugs of coffee sat on the table, but he didn't pay attention to that.

"Morning Tris," he said giving her a hug from behind.

"Good morning Eric," she returned as she flipped another pancake. The sweet smell wafted throughout the large apartment, and he was hungry. Not for the food though, tilting her head upwards towards him he gave her a kiss. Tender and filled with love, her lips opened immediately for him and he surged his tongue forward. She turned in his arms and angled her head higher up, her tongue pressed against his.

Without wasting a single second her ravished her mouth, leaving no place untouched. She played with his ear plug as he toyed with the hair falling out of her bun. He let her lips go and gave her a grin, her cheeks were flushed as her hair became wild.

"The pancakes, Tris," he whispered in her ear before walking to the table. He chuckled when he heard he curse under her breath and scramble around the kitchen, the slight smell of burnt chocolate wafted into the dining room where he sat. Soon she bustled out of the kitchen with two plates of pancakes, one piled high and the other had three on it.

"Thanks Tris," he told her as she set his plate in front of him, a bottle of sugary syrup was set in the middle of the table. The black coffee slid down his throat with ease as he began to polish his plate clean, Tris had easily wolfed down the pancakes. Her own coffee had cream and sugar in it, she could never understand how Eric and other people could drink their coffee black.

She was about to start cleaning up the plates when Eric put a hand on her shoulder, a smile on his face he shook his head no. "I got it," he told her, "Get ready, you have work today."

Tris nodded and bounded out of the dining room, a light tune was heard humming through the apartment. He mentally groaned when he saw her underwear flash under his t-shirt. Thanking God that she actually had underwear on he put of the dishes into the sink. He had the entire world in his mind, Eric had planned a nice dinner. His intent was to ask Tris out, but he needed some help.

Despite knowing what to do on many different scenarios, this was something he had no clue on how to approach.

Did he just ask her from the get go? Maybe it would be better to wait until the end, or perhaps spring it on her while they eat?

Putting a hand on his head he knew it was going to be a bitch.

"I'm leaving!", he looked up when he heard Tris call out to him, but before he could say any kind of goodbye he heard the door slam. How long had he been thinking? Eric stretched his back before getting changed, his leather jacket gone. As it is to be, he had after all, given it to Tris.

All men had known from that moment that Tris Prior was off limits, and all women knew that Eric's words or actions were law. None were dumb enough to cross his path, so from the moment Tris wore his jacket, the angel was his.

Determined to make it official he locked his door and headed for the Dauntless born trainer, maybe Tris' friend could help him. He had heard rumors that the former Candor was a hellcat when it came to her friends, but he was sure he could keep her under control if she decided to attack him. The incident that Four had with Christina was legendary, but no one knew the real reason. They say she attacked him because he called her a jeering name, and they were wrong.

She was hell on wheels, but he wasn't afraid.

"Christina! Get over here!", he yelled to her, she stopped her demonstration in the knife throwing and looked over to him a mouthed 'one minute' before telling the Dauntless born to get at it. "Yes?", she asked as they walked around the Dauntless Born, each scrutinizing their movements.

"I need your help later, it pertains to Six," he confessed, using the nickname many people in Dauntless gave Tris.

One Dauntless girl had stopped her knife throwing, surprised that something Six did would get Eric involved. Normally Six was a kickass tattoo artist, the Dauntless Born remembered when Six tattooed the Ancient Prussian Eagle on her back. The majestic looking black ink stood out on the skin that was not covered by a tank top.

"Did anyone tell you to stop!?", Eric roared at the petite girl, her head shook no before she returned to her practice.

"Dammit, teach them to follow there instructors completely with no distractions," he grumbled before sighing, this was why he liked to teach the initiates. It was better to pound in respect and obedience from the get go. "Meet me in my office when you are done, we will continue there."

As Eric walked away he chuckled as one of the initiates were scolded for stopping what they were doing to ask Christina questions. It was quickly followed by a loud 'FUCK OFF!', sometimes he really questioned her, Though he decided against doing so because it could get him a one-way ticket onto a shit list he had no intentions of being on.

~.~.~.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?", Christina asked as she flopped into a chair in front of Eric's desk. The said man only rubbed at his temples, the rough fingers touched his piercings before lowering themselves onto the desk.

"What happened happened and we can't change the past so you as well get over it," he adviced her. "All I need for you to do is get her into a good outfit, and have her meet me at the Pit. Understand?", he asked her.

"You got it, anything else you want while I'm here? Dauntless Born rankings? Anything?", he shook his head no and she got up and headed for the door.

"Just so you know, be prepared to have that piercing knocked off when you see her."

He groaned as she left the room, her laughter had resonated down the hall. It was known information that if Christina was laughing something good happened or something awful happened.

Eric didn't want to know which it was.

So if any of you read my other fic, The Bulgarian Wildflower, please know that I have a terrible Writer's block and cant get inspiration. So bear with me, its coming along slowly along with this one.

Ragehappy Mavin Fan