A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews and views! Enjoy more of Eric and Fox.

The next day is hell. I thought things were bad when Eric showed us our cots and communal bathroom, but life really gets special the next morning. Two Erudite transfers are late to training and Eric's laser beam focus hit them.

"Five laps!" He barks.

The initiates stand there, either defiant or confused, I couldn't tell which and a nasty smile turns his lips.

"Ten! Better get moving!"

The low growl that rumbles from his chest finally spurs these slow-learners into action and, after watching them shrewdly for a minute, he yells "faster!" and turns back to the rest of us.

"Alright, warm up! Five laps, get going!"

After two I'm nearly dying and I'm not the only one. I'm grabbing my side and panting, only my fear of being singled out and given more laps keeping me from collapsing to the ground. There's a stitch in my side and I taste copper in my mouth and I'm just about to say 'fuck it' and stop when a shadow falls over me.

"Giving up already?" Lurch sneers as he jogs easily beside me. Fucker, he hasn't even broken a sweat.

I grit my teeth and dig deeper, some unknown part of me is loath to give in and let this arrogant bastard win. Part of me wants to show him I can do this, I can run his stupid laps. I don't answer and push myself harder, pretending I don't hear his soft chuckle behind me. Bastard.

After laps he barely gives us time to grab a drink before we start to practise fight moves, punching and kicking at heavy bags. At first I feel like a complete fool, I can't duplicate the moves Eric is demonstrating, but I force myself to break down his movements in my mind and they start to make sense. After a while I even start to enjoy it, even though I still can't make the bag swing like most of the others; I eye the bag and run through Eric's instructions in my head.

I swing my leg to kick and suddenly large hands grip my waist, my kick goes off centre and I squeak.

"Move your right leg further ahead," Eric murmurs in my ear, his breath warm on my neck. His knee bumps the back of mine, pushing it further ahead and his hands pull at my waist, turning me slightly away from the bag. His right hand moves down from my hip and stops high up on the curve of my outer thigh. I try to ignore the heat his hand generates. "Now kick out and follow through."

I do and the bag swings a little. I turn to smile my thanks but the Neanderthal has already stepped away, ignoring me as he moves to the next initiate. I feel stupid as he corrects her stance the same way, bumping her knee and turning her waist the same way and the small hint of inclusion, of friendliness I thought he was extending me withers away.

I'm starving when we break for lunch and find a seat next to Raye to tiredly eat my sandwich. Tris and Christina sit across from us and offer smiles.

"How's training going?" Tris asks kindly.

"Eric's a sadistic bastard." I grumble and Raye snorts into her water.

"He's tough yes, but come to us if he's unfair." Tris instructs and I nod, relieved someone is looking out for us.

"I'm not even supposed to be here," I confess, emboldened by their concern.

The leaders trade a glance then Christina says, "what do you mean, initiate?"

I explain what happened in a low voice, skipping the part where Eric called my ass 'sweet' and the leader's foreheads furrow.

"And you told Eric it was a mistake, that you meant Erudite?" Tris clarifies.

I nod emphatically, "yes, I got Erudite as my result; I've always loved learning and reading."

Christina leans over, murmurs into Tris' ear. After a moment she sits back up and says, "we'll talk to Eric, see what can be done."

A wave of relief washes over me and I feel the stirrings of hope, maybe I can still get out of here. Raye elbows me.

"We should get going or we'll be late."

Not ready to run more laps I leap to my feet, but Tris and Christina smile at us.

"You have the two of us next, weapons training; you still have a few minutes."

I smile in thanks and walk, rather than run from the mess hall.

The afternoon is much more relaxed. Christina and Tris, although professional and firm manage not to be assholes at the same time and I find myself really listening to their instructions, wanting to shoot well and please them. My arms are killing me, and my eyes are scratchy and sore from focussing on the targets, but I enjoyed the afternoon's lesson way more than the morning; I'm almost skipping to the mess hall. Tris and Christina promised to talk to Eric about my situation at supper, and I hope that by tomorrow morning I'm on my way to the right faction. I'll miss Raye and Tris and Christina for that matter, but I'd much rather be in Erudite and away from Lurch and his scowls.

Maddox the second jumper and another Dauntless born named Pax sit with us at supper and I can't help but notice how handsome Pax is, with thick brown hair and killer green eyes, but I shouldn't pay too much attention, not if I'm leaving tomorrow. I see Tris and Christina come in and my stomach drops at their expressions. They move to sit at our table but before they can say a word to me Eric comes into the mess hall and beelines towards us. He fixes his glare at me and crooks his finger. You come here, now, his eyes burn.

Oh fuck.

Christina turns and speaks to him and they get involved in a heated but rapid muttered exchange before Christina huffs and steps back, shooting me an apologetic look as she sits down beside Tris. Eric watches her sit then turns his glare back to me, his pierced brow raising in question. You're still fucking sitting there? Get up and get over here initiate, NOW.

Stumbling, I rise to my feet and clasp my hands together to hide their shaking as I follow him out of the mess hall. He storms down a deserted corridor and I jog to keep up, wondering if he's planning on throwing me into the Chasm. He stops and whirls back towards me so abruptly that I crash full tilt boogie into him. I'd have fallen right onto my ass if he didn't reach out instantly and grab my arm; instead of just keeping me from falling however, he pulls me to the side and I crash painfully into the stone wall. His hands hit the stone on either side of my head and he leans down, caging me with his body. He doesn't say anything for a long moment and I reluctantly raise my head to meet his eyes.

Immediately I drop my gaze, wishing I hadn't looked, he's furious.

"What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Trying. To. Do?" His voice is low and deadly and a shiver runs down my spine.

I decide the best answer right now is none at all and I concentrate on staring at my toes. His fist hits the stone again and I flinch but keep my silence. Finally he exhales hard and grips my chin, lifting my head; his fingers are hard and they hurt, but the deadly rage I sensed before is dissipating. Reluctantly I raise my eyes to his.

His steel grey eyes are narrowed and although he's not raging anymore, he's still pissed; his jaw is clenched tightly as he growls, "well?"

I swallow painfully. "I told you. I picked the wrong faction, I meant to choose Erudite, but my hand moved and my blood fell on Dauntless instead. My aptitude is for Erudite."

"So?"

I frown in confusion, what the fuck does he mean, so? "Well, you should let me go to the right faction-"

Eric throws back his head and laughs. Sudden anger courses through me and I push sharply against my chest. Eric stumbles back a half-step but instantly lunges forward again, his hands gripping my upper arms hard enough to bruise, my skull thumping painfully against the wall again.

"Careful, initiate." He growls, his face inches from mine.

I'm smart enough to know when to back down, and right now is a bright, shining example. I swallow and nod. This seems to appease him somewhat and he releases my arms, moving back one step. I dart sideways to put more distance between us but he moves with me and I freeze again.

"I have made my decision. Whether you meant to or not, your blood dripped onto Dauntless coals. Running to Trissy and Chrissy isn't going to change that. Do not try to go behind my back again."

I nod humbly and turn to leave but he growls again, "I'm not done yet."

Shit, I turn back to him and wait.

He smiles sadistically. "Report to the training room in a half-hour."

"Why?" I blurt.

His smile grows even more evil, if that was even possible. "Your punishment."

He turns and storms away, leaving me to stand there, wondering what the hell he's going to make me do.

I'm not shaking anymore, but my upper arms still tingle by the time I get back to the mess hall and sit back down beside Raye. Tris speaks up before anyone else.

"I'm sorry Fox, we tried to talk to Eric but he's not the most reasonable person."

I lift my head and smile; they tried and they didn't have to. "It's okay. I have to try my best, I don't want to be factionless... I won't be factionless."

Christina and Tris share a grin and Christina says with a hint of pride, "That's a Dauntless attitude."

I shrug, really what choice do I have now? Lurch the Unreasonable is playing the Almighty Ruler card, he won't even entertain the possibility of my going to Erudite. Dauntless is better than factionless...I think. So now, failure isn't an option, it's got nothing to do with a 'Dauntless attitude', it's changing my goals and expectations to have a tolerable future.

I wait a few minutes, picking at my food. I've lost my appetite, my mind is reeling, my thoughts flying in all directions. What the hell kind of punishment is the Neanderthal going to gift me with? He's probably endlessly creative when it comes to tormenting initiates. I stand and Raye looks at me in surprise.

"Where are you going? You haven't eaten anything."

I glance at the clock. "Training room, my punishment for going behind Eric's back."

A dark look passes over the female leader's faces and Christina opens her mouth but I wave my hand.

"No biggie, don't bother. He seems the petty type, if I complain about this he'll just make the rest of my training that much worse."

The leaders trade a glance but don't dispute me. I give a brave smile that doesn't make me feel any braver and leave. I want to stop by the dorm and change my shirt.

I make it to the training room with three minutes to spare, but I'm not surprised to see Eric is already there, leaning against a pillar. He glances up when I enter and his eyes immediately flick to the clock. Not today, dickhead. I'm not late today.

He pushes away from the pillar and stalks towards me and I force myself to stand my ground. If he's surprised at my refusing to back down he doesn't show it, brushing past me without a word. I stand there dumbly for a moment before it dawns on me that I'm supposed to follow him. I jog to catch up then manage to stay within a few feet, far enough away to avoid crashing into the colossal prick if he decides to stop suddenly again. He turns down a few corridors before stopping in front of a pair of doors. Wordlessly he unlocks them and walks through. I follow and my nose instantly wrinkles at the smell. He sees my expression and smirks.

"Gun oil princess. This is part of the armoury. Your punishment tonight is to clean these rifles." He gestures to an untidy pile of guns and I eye him until he rolls his eyes and snaps, "what?"

"I don't know how to clean guns."

He scoffs and I'm suddenly tempted to kick him in the shins, probably wouldn't even faze the big gorilla though. "I know. What would a Candor smart ass know about anything practical anyway? All your faction knows how to do is pry into everyone else's business. I'll show you once, then you're doing it yourself. You wanted Erudite, you must be smart enough to figure it out after that."

I raise my eyebrows at his bitter speech. Issues much, Goliath?

He points irritably to a chair and, as I sit down he hands me a rifle and a cloth. I watch carefully while he demonstrates what to do. He may have been pissy about showing me what to do, but he's capable of patient instruction. He finishes his rifle and sets it into a rack. Wiping his hands clean of gun oil he picks up the tablet he brought with him and sits back down in his own chair. Kicking back he rests his feet on the table and begins tapping at the screen. Lecture over.

I clean in silence for awhile, and find the task surprisingly satisfying. The gun oil even starts to smell nice after awhile. I don't mind the silence either, it's not entirely uncomfortable, with Lurch banging away at his poor tablet. About half way through my punishment he surprises me.

"So what does a smart ass do in her spare time then?"

I blink in surprise. Being asked about my hobbies was near the bottom of the list of questions I expected from Eric tonight, ranked only slightly above 'do you want to go out with me?'

"I read." I answer coolly.

"Picture books or real novels?"

It's my turn to smirk, whether he's serious or not talking about books in any way is welcome to me.

"Novels."

"Any favourites?"

I consider a smart ass answer, but stop myself. Pissing off Gigantor isn't going to further my cause here in Dauntless, and I'd really like to talk literature with someone, even if it's Eric the dick.

"Don't laugh...but I love Stephen King. He was a genius."

Eric surprises me again by pursing his lips thoughtfully. "He was pretty good...any in particular?"

I'm not entirely sure I'm not goose-stepping merrily into a trap, but I answer anyway, something about Eric actually knowing about books sparks my interest. "Pet Semetary, Misery, Cell, I can't pick just one."

Eric smirks and floors me again. "I'm partial to the Dark Tower series myself."

My jaw must be hanging because he huffs in exasperation. "I do know how to read, Red."

"Mads," I mumble softly.

"What?"

"My name is Madeline, everyone calls me Mads. When I fell in the net the guy who caught me heard me wrong and called me Fox."

Eric chuckles, "that sounds like Four; stiff's a little slow... Fox huh? That'll work with that fucking hair of yours."

I blush angrily and growl. "I said my name is Mads."

He laughs out loud and I realize my faux pas. 'Mads' and I said it mad, fuck my life sometimes.

"You ever read 'The Long Walk'?" He's stopped laughing and is back at poking at his tablet.

"The Bachman book? No, I could never find a copy; not all his books survived the war."

"Well, Fox," he throws extra emphasis on the word, telling me that Fox is going to be my name here at Dauntless whether I want it or not, "you finish this in the next hour and I'll lend you my copy."

I narrow my eyes suspiciously at him, biting my lip to keep from whooping. Pre-war books are a precious commodity, they aren't just lent out willy nilly.

"You actually have a copy, and you'd be willing to let me read it?"

"You're not the only one in Dauntless who can read Princess and yeah, but you've only got 59 minutes left."

It hits me like a slap and I blurt out before my mind can tell me to shut up, "you were Erudite, weren't you?"

His finger pauses on the screen and I freeze, did I just burn what little common ground I've managed to find with my trainer? After a long moment he just growls, "get back to work, Red."

I drop my head.

I set the last rifle in the rack and look up at clock. I've finished with seven minutes to spare. I'm wiping my hands clean when Eric finally notices and sets his tablet aside. He stands and stretches his hands to the ceiling. His shirt pulls up and I can't help but notice the enticing slice of skin that appears above his belt. He catches me looking and I go beet-red, turning away in mortification. His chuckle only furthers my humiliation and I clear my throat, taking a deep breath before turning back around. I squeak in surprise, again, for so massive a man, he sure moves quietly. He now stands only two feet away from me. If my nose wasn't so full of the smell of gun oil I'd have caught that unique masculine spice scent of his, part leather, part musk, part mystery.

I take a step back and he follows, advancing another step towards me. The look in his eye is no longer benign and teasing. My heart begins to hammer in my chest. He silently closes the distance between us, moving so close I could reach up and cup his cheek...you know, if I wanted to, which I don't. His eyes are a darker grey than I remember and he seems taller somehow. He drops his head slowly until his breath is warm on my cheek.

"Like what you see...Fox?" My name is a caress on his tongue.

I swallow hard and take a deliberate step back. Fuck he smells good...shut up Mads! "I'm just surprised I didn't see scales is all."

He snickers and straightens up. Grabbing his tablet he moves to the door and I hesitate before following. We're halfway back to the dorms before he speaks again.

"I'll get you the book tomorrow."