An hour after his meeting with Max, Eric was escorted into Joanna's office and sat down into the chair beside Olivia. Great, he thought, now she was going to rub her revenge in his face.
Joanna turned to him. "Hello, Eric. I can't say I'm happy to see you, under the circumstances, but here we are. I believe you know why you're here." She said.
Eric gestured to the girl beside him, "Because she couldn't keep her mouth shut."
Olivia gaped at him. "It was your own fault, you asshole! If you hadn't bothered me yesterday then none of this would be happening."
"Oh and how's that?" He asked disbelieving.
"When I got home my mother was suspicious as to why a Dauntless leader wanted to talk to me and when I told her who you were, Connor over heard and he came to Joanna asking if she would help him see you, because he knew I wouldn't. Joanna, suspecting that you are his father, assumed that you were the one who raped me. I couldn't deny it when she asked me." Olivia answered.
Eric was angry, but hearing the kid wanted to see him lessened his anger. What was he going to do? He couldn't deny it happened now. They already had enough evidence to screw him so he might as well confess. What else could they do to him anyway? HHHe was already doomed to be factionless.
"Fine, I admit it. I attacked her that night on the train because my friends wanted me to, I regret it but it happened, and I'm even sorrier for getting a kid involved in all this." He said, resigned to his fate. Beside him Olivia looked surprised and Joanna pursed her lips in thought.
"Alright, give us a sample of your DNA so we can confirm Connor's parentage and we can move onto the sentencing." Joanna said and gestured for someone to come over and swab the inside of Eric's cheek.
Late that afternoon, Olivia sat in the audience of the large, paneled room with the rest of the adults of the Amity community. Eric was standing against the wall behind Joanna as she addressed the people gathered around her.
"Many of you may remember the day that Olivia Spence came home after being attacked on the train eight years ago, an event that left her with a son, and no idea as to whom the father is. We couldn't bring him to justice back then but today he has surfaced and confessed to the crime."
She gestured to the man behind her. "Eric's DNA has come back as a positive match with Connor's. His position as leader with the Dauntless has been revoked and his membership terminated, but because he assaulted a member of our community, we have the privilege to punish him."
Murmurs as people discussed this surprising news was hushed by Joanna, "Let me make a suggestion before we come to a conclusion." When they quieted down she continued, "As you know the best thing for a child is to have both parents raise them and Connor has never known his father, but he shows great interest in getting the chance to. I propose that we allow Eric to stay here in Amity, as a guest, so he could help Olivia raise their son."
Quiet protests began as people did not like the idea, but Joanna held her hands up to silence them again. "Let me finish, please. I do not suggest that we let him off Scott free and roam around the community. If we all agree to what I recommend then I guarantee he will be with someone at all times and he will work to earn his place here among us. There are many jobs that many of us wish we did not have to do, like shoveling out the animal's stalls or carrying large items around the compound. Eric is strong; we could use him for our own purposes."
"But he's a rapist. What if he does it again?" A man by the name of Ben stood up in the middle of the room.
"I believe Eric is remorseful of his actions and would not commit them again, but I do urge everyone to remain diligent and not let their daughters be alone around him. As I said, he will be escorted everywhere he goes, to work, to the bathroom, any of the Amity buildings and at home." Joanna reassured the angry crowd.
"Where will he live?" Ben asked again, still standing.
"Olivia has agreed to allow him to stay with her and her family as long as he follows the rules. We are a faction about peace, kindness and forgiveness. If his accuser can forgive him, then the rest of us should try too."
Olivia clenched her jaw as the people around her turn to look at her in astonishment. She did not want to be viewed as a victim and forgiving Eric would show that she wasn't. Of course she didn't like it, but it would be good for Connor to have his father around, before he ran away to find him, whether it be in Dauntless or with the Factionless.
The crowd began their quiet discussions and it took a full two hours for everyone to agree on a decision, but in the end they chose to grant Eric permission to stay in Amity. Then the plates of peace bread began to be passed around as people took a piece and chewed to calm their frayed emotions.
Olivia passed the plate to her neighbour without taking a piece and rose with the others to join Eric and Joanna. She was to escort him home with her. When she reached them, Joanna hugged her.
"I'm sorry for what has happened to you and the journey that now lies ahead of you, but you are brave and kind for doing this and I thank you." Joanna whispered into her ear during their embrace.
When they broke apart, they gave each other a small smile, and a nod as farewell, and Eric followed her home.
Eric was surprised at the outcome of his trial and he contemplated what life would be like with the Amity as he walked behind Olivia towards his new home.
He would be thrown into the role of a father with no preparation and the job of a farmer. He had no idea how to do either, and it frightened him, though he didn't show it.
The house she brought him too was a quaint cottage type dwelling, made entirely of unpainted wood and no decoration on the outside, save the potted flower beds along the windowsills.
The inside was similar to the outside, unpainted wood walls and flooring, the windows had simple white curtains and a large fireplace stood against a far wall in the living room, giving off heat in the cooling evening air. All the furniture was a polished wood that gleamed in the firelight, except for the couch. It was a plush, floral print that would only fit two people on it at a time as it faced the fireplace.
The dining table was directly behind the couch with little space in between. It had four chairs around the rectangle table, and the kitchen was just behind that, allowing a good view of the whole room while you cooked.
To someone as big as Eric, it felt small and cramped, but he supposed to them it was cozy. The firelight gave the room a golden glow that bounced shadows off of everything, including the two people who stood in the hallway, staring at them.
"What's this, Olivia?" The woman asked her, gesturing toward him. She must have stayed home with the boy during the meeting, Eric thought.
"He's living with us now, mom. Everyone agreed that his punishment should be to stay here and raise Connor and work in the fields." Olivia replied, unhappily.
"Really?! I get to have a dad now?!" The boy bounced underneath the hands that rested on his shoulders, unaware of his mother's displeasure.
"Yes… Connor, this is Eric, you're father. Eric, this is Connor." She introduced them.
The boy ran over and hugged him around the hips, his head rested against his stomach. Eric slowly hugged the boy back, unsure if he should, but neither woman stopped him.
When Connor let him go, Olivia suggested he get the extra blanket and pillow out of the closet for him. As soon as he was gone, she rounded on Eric.
"Listen up. This is how it's going to work. You sleep on the couch, we eat breakfast in the morning and we take you to work. We bring you home, we eat dinner and you go to bed. There will be no socializing outside of this house. As for Connor, he wants to get to know you so I encourage you to act like a father towards him, but don't you dare think you are worthy to be his dad." She said to him sternly.
Eric was going to retort how he didn't want to be there anymore than she wanted him but at that moment Connor came back in and put the blanket and pillow on the top of the couch. Olivia gave him a look and left him standing there to join her mother in the kitchen. As they began to make dinner, Eric sat down on the couch and Connor followed him. The boy looked up at him with excitement.
"What's it like in Dauntless?" He asked.
Eric had no experience with kids, as he was the youngest son of three in his family and he transferred to Dauntless before his older brothers could give him nieces or nephews. He knew from the glare that was sent his way that Dauntless was a topic left undiscussed in his new home, and not wanting to make his day any worse, he decided to change the subject.
"How about I get to know you instead?" He was surprised by the large grin this brought upon the kid's face.
"Okay! My favorite colour is red, I love apples, but I hate green beans, and I like to read. Climbing trees if my favorite hobby, and my best friends are Ned, and Michael."
Eric listened quietly and only half interested in the rest of Connor's list of likes and dislikes until dinner was ready. Connor rushed over to the table and pulled out a chair for Eric to sit in next to him, as his grandmother sat across from Eric and Olivia beside her.
The food was passed around silently and Eric piled as much onto his plate as possible. It took him a moment to realize that all the dishes were empty by the time he was done and everyone stared at him in wonderment.
"We're not used to having such a large man eat with us, we'll have to remember to make more next time." Linda said.
Eric felt guilty, which was new for him. If he was back in Dauntless, he would tell them to suck it up, but he wasn't and Amity manners were a mystery to him. Yelling or being rude to these people would not help his cause, so he kept his mouth shut and ate his dinner.
Olivia watched Eric out of the corner of her eye as they ate. His broad frame took up most of the space on his side of the table and she was glad he sat next to Connor. She didn't think she could bear to be that close to him right then.
The resemblance between them was startling to see it so close up. Other than the tattoos, which she only now noticed the new segmented bars running down his neck, she knew that when Connor grew up, he would almost be an identical twin to his father. Anger burned inside her at the thought that her son could grow up to be like Eric, but she held it in at the sight of how happy Connor was.
When everyone was finished eating, Linda collected the dishes so Olivia could read Connor a book before he went to bed, as was their nightly ritual. She sat down in the rocking chair next to the fireplace and waited for Connor to choose his book and climb into her lap.
Eric sat back down on the couch and stared into the fire, deep in thought. She didn't know if he usually was this quiet or not, and then realized she didn't actually know anything about him personally. Was he a mean person on a daily basis? Was he really nice and just chose to do a bad thing because he was drunk? No, she refused to think he had a nice bone in his body. A good man wouldn't do what he did to her for any reason.
Connor shoving the book into her hands brought her out of her thoughts and she allowed him to sit on her lap and relax against her. She rested her chin on his soft blond hair as she read the book to him in soft hushed tones until he fell asleep. Then she cradled him in her arms and eased her way out of the chair and took him to bed.
Eric watched the mother and son cuddle up with the book and wished he was back in Dauntless. Was this what he was supposed to do from now on? Sit around and play happy day after day? He already missed the freedom to go to the gym and punch a bag around until he worked out his anger, but here they didn't have gyms, he wasn't even allowed outside on his own. The thought of bottling up his anger tormented him.
He must have been too busy with his thoughts because he didn't notice Olivia getting up to put Connor to bed or Linda leaving too, until Olivia came back and stood before him with her hands on her hips.
He looked up at her and said, "What?"
Olivia rolled her eyes. "I bet you didn't hear a single thing I said. We're heading to bed, you might want to too. Breakfast is ready at 6 am, Connor leaves for school and we go to work at 7 am. If you want to shower before breakfast, the bathroom is the first door on the right and there are towels hanging up. And don't even think about coming into my room at night, I've got a lock." She said and walked off.
Eric watched her go with a glare. "Like I would want to sleep with you again." He mumbled to himself. He grabbed the pillow from the top of the couch roughly, and fluffed it before resting it against the arm rest. He laid back and pulled the blanket over him. Half of his legs hung over the other arm rest, so he turned onto his side and curled up.
Eric growled. This had to be a nightmare. There was no way he would be able to sleep on that couch, so he stood up and took everything with him on the floor. At least the plain brown rug beneath him gave him some relief from the hard floor.
He spent a good amount of time that night missing his nice, large, comfortable bed and pondering what was going on in Dauntless now that he was gone.
Hey, I had a hard time writing this chapter because I wanted to keep Eric somewhat the mean guy he is in the movie but most of the time he was coming out nicer than I wanted. I hope what I finally got is good and that you guys like it!