Declan's POV

Like every other morning, harsh beeping awoke Declan that morning. The beeping thundered at his pounding head from the night before. Groggily, he brought his hand out from within the covers and tried to stop the beeping with his eyes closed. Opening one eye he groaned as the bright light burned his eyes when he looked around. 'This isn't my room. . .' His other eye snapped open in confusion. Somehow the room looked familiar with it's black and grey colouring but he just couldn't place it. Almost hesitantly, he slowly lifted the covers up to check. 'Nope, not naked. So where the fuck am I?' As if the door was telepathic it opened to reveal his brother Hugo with the widest shit-eating grin he has ever seen. Slumping down on the bed in relief, he exhaled a sigh.

"For a moment there I thought I got into bed with another psycho." Declan rubbed his face.

"It wouldn't be the last time." Narrowing his eyes, Declan stared at Hugo who was still grinning like a fool.

"Why are you grinning?" He was not in the mood for this shit, he was tired and his head was throbbing.

For a second Hugo looked offended. "Do you not remember why we were celebrating last night? Do you know what today is?"

Declan racked his head for a reasonable answer. "Work day?" He asked stupidly. Hugo shook his head and grinned, his eyes twinkling in the morning light.

"Declan, today's the Choosing Ceremony."

Declan's eyes widened in hopeful joy, tears were brimming at the corners of his eyes. "It's time?"

"It's time." A lone tear ran down Hugo's face, his eyes mirroring his own. "It's nearly breakfast though so get ready."

Declan nodded and looked away. Hugo was nearly out of the door when Declan spoke again. "What if – what if they don't come?"

Hugo's head snapped back around quicker than he expected. An emotion that he couldn't quite pin down flashed through Hugo's eyes as he glanced down then back up to Declan. "They'll come."

"But –"

"I know you haven't seen them for six years but I can tell you they will come. Alec yearns for adventure, something worth fighting for, I've seen it in his eyes. And Issy, well." Hugo shrugs his shoulders and smiles. "Issy was born wild and curious. Going to any other faction would be a cage, a cage is no place for someone like that."

"Yeah, little bugger wasn't she?"

"I'm pretty sure she still is. Now breakfast. C'mon, I'm hungry." Declan laughs and flips him off. 'They will come.'

The dinning hall was full to the brim with members. Some hunched over their coffee, begging to go back to bed and others, like the some of the dependants, were excited to see the new batch arriving soon.

"Can you see them?" Declan stood on his tip toes, looking through the sea of black for their friends.

"Ah! There they are!" Hugo points over to the back of the room where it was quieter. Uriah was stood, waving his arms about like a manic, trying to get their attention. 'Mad as a hatter.' The brothers grinned, someone else came to mind at that thought. When they got to the table Declan slid in next to Eric with Hugo on his other side. On the other side was Four, Tris, Blake, Uriah and Christina sat on Will's lap. On the other side of Eric sat Zeke and Josh.

"Ready for the new batch?" Uriah grinned as he shoved more food into his mouth.

"Hell yeah!" Hugo yelled. "Two more trouble makers will be joining the ranks soon enough and you'll have some new prank buddies." He winked in Zeke and Uriah's direction.

"Shit! I never thought about that." Declan groaned as he reached over to get some coffee.

"Can't be that bad." Zeke shrugged and resumed eating. Simultaneously Hugo and Declan raised an eyebrow and scoffed.

"You don't know them like we do." Hugo laughed. "Once, I think it was a month before my Choosing Ceremony, and Issy and Alec were just messing about. Somehow that got to Jeanine and she summoned them to her office and then proceeded to lecture them. Afterwards she sent them to do some kind experimentation with a few chemicals in the labs. And I shit you not, they nearly blew up a part of Erudite." Zeke, Uriah and Josh started laughing while the rest of the table shook their heads in amusement. "Once again they were summoned and in their defence Issy actually said 'Well, it's your fault then.'" Eric snorted into his coffee and Blake looked up.

"She did not."

"She did. Issy then went on to say that if Jeanine never told them to experiment, it would have never of happened and Jeanine couldn't argue because Issy was right." The table burst into snickers again.

"Oh my God, do you remember the bucket?" Declan laughed and Hugo choked on his drink.

"The bucket?" Tris asked, confused.

"Because Hugo and I were too young to look after Issy and Alec and were in school and mum and dad were working, they hired a nursery teacher to look after them. They had this weird theory that if they were put on their own when they misbehave then they'll learn not to do it again. And so they got this huge blue bucket, light enough to carry easily but big enough to sit one of them in at a time. It was the time-out bucket. The thing with Issy and Alec at that stage was when Alec got into trouble it was always Issy's fault and vice versa and Issy spilt juice everywhere but Alec got blamed and was put in the bucket for half an hour away from Issy. The little shit, he wasn't having any of that!" Declan laughed. "Making sure What's-her-face was occupied, he grabbed the handles of the bucket and shifted his body forward repeatedly until him and the bucket moved out of the room, down the hallway and nearly out the door. What's-her-face went crazy searching around for him until she looked out of the window and found Alec, shuffling away to freedom. The teacher was fuming and called dad, telling him what Alec had done. All he replied was 'Well, he never left the bucket.'"

They laughed as Declan and Hugo told stories of their childhood, mainly ones of the twins getting into trouble. Soon it was time to start their day as the Initiates wouldn't be arriving until sometime before dinner. Four was called off to do some technical work on the fence and wouldn't be back until dinner so Blake offered to be at the bottom of the net. Declan and Eric waved off and walked up to Max's office.

"Are you going to be on the roof again this year?" Eric side-glanced at Declan as they walked through the dark halls almost sombrely.

"Nah, I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face."

"Do I have to remind you that – "
"That I can't help them train or give them hints and tips on the stages. I know, I know." Eric smirked at the annoyance laced within his friend's words. "I want them to make it so bad but I also know that they need to make it on their own. Even if I did offer help – which I wouldn't" Declan added quickly when Eric turned to Declan. "Issy would turn it down within a second and Alec would scoff and say nice joke." Declan looked at Eric while they walked. Spine straight, shoulders back, hands fisted, eyes narrowed and an air of confidence around him. He would look like the harsh, cold Dauntless leader everyone makes him out to be if not for the small smile that's playing on his lips and the twinkle of amusement in his eyes that he only reserves for close friends. "You know, I think you'll get on well with them when they make it." 'When, not if.' "Alec is an idiot, like Uriah, but he knows when to rein it in. We always thought he was a bit bi-polar; acting like an idiot one moment then being serious the next. He likes to create small yet very smart devices that will help people, Issy too but Alec enjoys it more. Issy loves to prove people wrong, if someone says she can't do something she will go out of her way to do it. She's hot headed and couldn't give a flying fuck what people think about her. They're both loyal to a fault, once they earn someone's trust and respect they will not break it. Together: they're a solid team, going head first into problems back to back but when they're on opposing teams, fuck are the vicious. They also don't lose. Alec will sometimes lose much to his annoyance but Issy hasn't lost ever, maybe once when she was little but not again. So on Capture The Flag try to get them both on your team?"

Eric laughs. "I'll try."

When they came to Max's door Declan knocked twice and opened the door when a muffled "Come in." sounded. The room looked a lot smaller due to the stacks of files stacked around the room. Two chairs were placed in front of the desk that took up most of the office, one of which was already occupied by his daughter, Lilah. Lilah brushed a strand of black hair back into her messy ponytail as she stood up, saying that she was just leaving and hurried out of the door without a backward glance. Turning back to Max Declan could see the shred of sadness that lingered. Would Lilah be leaving today or would she be staying?

"Good morning gentlemen. I trust you're ready for today?" Max sighed and rubbed his face as both Eric and Declan sat in front of him. Declan grinned widely in response.

"Regarding today Max, two more of my siblings should be transferring."

"Two?"

"Twins sir, Issy and Alec. They'll be easily noticeable due to their eyes and hair."

"Is that referring to the horrible experimentations your Uncle Jeremy?"

Declan instantly scowled. "Yes." He tried to hide his sudden flash of anger and hatred by clenching his jaw.

"I've reminded him that he can't help them train." Eric interjected, changing the subject ever so slightly. Declan could remember the shock Eric's face held when Dec had told him what that bastard had done – well, most of it as he didn't know the full story himself, just bits and pieces here and there. He was thankful for the change, Declan gave Eric a side-wards glance and a small twitch of his lips to show his thanks. Eric replied with a subtle nod.

"Ah, yes. Due to some – " Max paused, as if to look for the right word. "– unsavoury comments –"

"My moneys on Karlton." Declan sneered and Eric snorted quietly.

"– it has been decided that both you and Hugo are only allowed to see any sibling that transfer – if they transfer – at meal times and in the view of a Leader that's not Eric." At this both Eric and Declan snarled. Declan was furious, he couldn't see his siblings unless supervised? Fuck that shit! And Max belittling Eric? Declan could trust Eric to pull him back if he was getting too involved. Eric was a good leader and despite them being best friends – almost brothers – Eric would kick his arse if Declan did. What the hell was going on? Max raised a hand to stop any incoming comments that might come from either of them.

"It's not that I don't trust either of you but some people were unsure about Hugo's final ranking with him being your sibling." Declan snarled again and looked away. "Son, please try to understand that my hands are tied. I promised your parents that if any of their children came my way I would look out for them and I'm trying in the most unbiased way." He said softly.

"I still don't understand why Eric can't supervise me and my brother?" Eric's head perked up slightly, he too wanted to know that answer. Max sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It's more or less the same reason why you can't be alone with them." Max looked between the pair. "You're both very close, as close as brothers. And I know you'd never ask Eric to cheat them into Dauntless but others don't." Eric scoffed and shook his head, clearly outraged that anyone would think like that, Declan was too. "I'm trying boys. If it makes you feel better I am willing to be a bit more lenient. You all must be in the direct view of a camera at all times, failure to do so will lead to something you'll hate, am I clear?"

"Yes sir." They both echo.

"Good. Now that that's over with, Declan I want the paperwork from yesterdays meeting with Erudite done by today after that I need you to discuss a reasonable time with Tris and the patrol squads for going out to Amity soon."

"I'll find Tris first, if I remember correctly, both our schedules are clear for early next week."

Max nods his head and turns to Eric. "I trust all of the preparations for the new Initiates are ready?"

"Yes sir." Max nods again.

"Good, you are both dismissed."

Outside Max's office Declan huffed and glared at the closed door. Thinking back to the conversation Declan snorted softly. 'Boys. Only Max could call us boys and get away with it.' To the side of him Declan could see Eric clench and unclench his fists in anger, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Try not to piss off number boy while you're like this."

"Dammit Declan, don't ruin my fun." Eric grinned, loosening slightly and Declan rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. See you for lunch?" Declan backed away a bit in the other direction to Eric.

"Sure." And they split off, muttering curses at each other.

Hours later Declan was in his office, pouring over a few files from his trip to Erudite, checking and rechecking he included everything when there was a knock at the door. Hugo popped his head into the office.

"You done?" A small smile appeared on Hugo's face.

"Yeah, I'm done." He rubbed his eyes, feeling sleepy. "What time is it?"

"Almost dinner." Dec jumped up in surprise, slamming his knee into the desk. Hugo laughed at his brother's misfortune. "I checked in the control room, Eric is leading the initiates to the dinning hall now."

"Let me just put these files on Max's desk and then we'll head over." The brothers shared a grin. Walking down to Max's office, he opened the door and chucked the files onto the desk and sped out of the room. They laughed as they ran down the halls, dodging people as they went. Hugo skidded to a stop and dragged Declan with him. Both men popped their head from around the corner of the wall and there they are! Issy and Alec are stood with their backs to them. The brothers exchanged a mischievous glance and grinned. Quietly, they sneaked over to the pair when Declan made eye contact with Eric. Dec placed a finger over his lips and padded silently to Alec as Hugo did the same to Issy. On a metal count of three they threw their arms tightly around the twin's waists electing two shouts of surprise. They heaved them both into the air and spun them around a few times laughing softly. Dropping them to the ground they stumbled slightly. And they turn around with wide eyes, gold leaking into their blue hues.

"Declan! Hugo!" Issy shouts, running forward and throwing herself into Hugo's arms. Dec laughs when Alec does the same into his own. Gripping tightly, Declan never wants to let go. Hugo is the first to pull back.

"Hey kiddo! I knew you'd both come to Dauntless." Hugo glances at Declan with a quick I-told-you-so before letting her go and stepping back. "Look at you! Don't you look good in black." Declan pulls back from Alec. They did look very good in black.

"And it brings out their eyes." Dec points to their eyes which are glowing golden-blue lightly. The darkness of the hallways gives it that creepy edge to it. Declan looks to Hugo who still has his arms wrapped around Issy. "Now stop hogging my sister, I haven't seen her in six years." They grinned at each other, clearly thinking the same thing as they grabbed their siblings arms and flung them towards each other. As Declan wrapped his arms round Issy Hugo did the same to Alec. Looking over her shoulder he notices three initiates have waited awkwardly for the twins. Dec nods at Eric who smirks in return, amusement shining in his eyes. He looks over the initiates again and stops. 'No, it can't be. . .' His mouth opens in confusion as his eyes widen at one person he'd never thought he'd see again. "Cody?!" Hugo breaks away from Alec and looks around too.

"Cody?" Hugo echoes and Cody grins shyly in response. "Bloody hell Cody! I'd never expect you in Dauntless!" Hugo takes a step back looking from Cody to Issy and Alec and back again. "Did they corrupt you that much in the last two years?!"

Alec takes a step back also. "We did not corrupt him!" He cried and Issy stands back too.

"He's perfectly capable of doing that himself." Issy looks at the other transfers. "And this is Noah and Bree."

Hugo still looks shocked, mouth agape and eyes wide. "Nice to meet you, now I'm hungry. So lets go sit our asses down to eat and we can discuss what the fuck went wrong with Cody. C'mon."

So that's the first outtake and it gives you and insight of Declan's and Eric's friendship also a little intro to how Eric is with the rest of them.

Also the story of Alec and the Bucket was inspired by a post I saw on Tumblr but I can't remember who wrote it so shout out to them.