Around 3:30 Tris Prior saved her documents and signed the last papers needed before locking up her office. Her eyes landed on Will, who already had his things, and was standing by the entrance with Al. They were talking amiably about something, voices soft and postures casual. Tris twirls her keys around her finger and walks up to them, not catching the look Al gives her. She smiles and speaks, "Will, you all ready to go?"

"Yah, just catching up with Al,"

"Did your day go better than this morning?" She asked Al,

"Had a hiccup in the system, and your episode with Peter was foolish," He stated, she raised an eyebrow, "You shouldn't have done it, you could have killed him," His dark brown eyes locking with her grey hurricanes. Had they not been in the presence of her good friend Will, she would have given him a demonstration of the effect of her brash actions. But, of course, he worked for her, and shoving him in front of a car because he disliked her methods wasn't good for her business. So instead she behaved and spoke in an even tone, "I wasn't going to kill him, I was very careful, Al," She pursed her lips and held back a glare, "It's dubbed a wake up call for a reason, he needed one, and I didn't have any air horns around," Al didn't suffice a glare, instead he scoffed and said, "You can't just do that Tris, it messes with them more,"

"He came to me with a problem, and at the moment it seemed so great he was willing to give up. I showed him what giving up felt like and looked like," She said softly, concealed anger still in her, as he had no right to judge what she did or how she took care of someone. Yes, she would even agree that sometimes she went a little overboard, but given the right circumstances she acted in a way she thought appropriate. Her eyes locked with his and they battled, the air sparking and festering with heat, he lost. "If you're unhappy with my methods, Al, maybe we should trade, and you can see how stressful my day is compared to yours. People would look at you for guidance out of the darkness that they once welcomed, and if you don't know what to do, then what's the point in the word 'help'?" Al seethed and shook his head, walking for the door and slamming his shoulder against hers, she didn't stumble. Instead she smiled and waited to hear the door click shut.

Will stared at her, shocked yet again today of her actions, "You know he could leave us right?"

"And he can if he wants to," Tris affirmed in a friendly tone, as if they were talking about the weather. She gestured for him to exit the building before she locked up, he stood there waiting, "I know he won't though," She said quietly, twirling her keys and walking over to him. He was still taller than her even more so because she wasn't wearing heels, Will sighed, "I don't understand though, you got along together when he first joined us,"

"That was months ago, a lot can happen,"

"Like what?"

"His attraction, for me," Tris said simply, and then Will went silent, understanding what she meant. Tris didn't let herself get involved with anyone, it just wasn't, her. She and Will had gone to highschool together, there they met Christina and a wide array of friends that they couldn't always keep in touch with. Occasionally, Tris and Will would get an in office call from an unknown number and it would be from Uriah, or from a girl they knew as Lynn. But throughout all that time at school, even with her friends involved, Tris hardly spared anyone a second glance, she always had her nose in a book, and if she didn't, she was working out or playing sports. She was the type of person to busy herself to avoid situations, or people. Christina used to call Tris a 'busy body' as an excuse to why she was naturally thin.

His thoughts were broken when she patted his shoulder, her blue grey eyes searching his face for an explanation as to why he frolicked away with his mind. He gave her a smirk instead and said, "I'll see you in a few hours Tris,"

"Drive safely Will," She acknowledged and unlocked her car, sliding smoothly into the driver's side and placing down her things in the passenger seat. With pursed lips she started the vehicle up and shifted into reverse, pulling out before shifting back into drive. She had forgotten it was rush hour. So she was stuck in her car thirty minutes longer than she'd like.

When she did get back to her home, she was relieved to have her dog Emily jump on her, and to find the room still crisp and clean. The only thing that was different, was the smell, her fingernails still scratched Emily's face but Tris's concentration was elsewhere, what was that smell? When she locked the door and left Emily to play, she stalked through her house, strange, like she was the intruder trying not to be caught doing something she wasn't supposed to when she owned the place. The air smelt, thick, it was hard for her to get a good breath in because aside from that there was the smell of cigarettes and mint. Tris wrinkled her nose, walking through the kitchen and down the hall as the smell grew stronger.

Then the familiar sound of skin hitting something, something similar to another person, but not quite, leather. The smell invaded her as she pushed open the training room door, her eyes caught Eric, dancing around a lone punching bag that Tris had gotten for Tobias. She watched how he bounced on the balls of his feet, never staying still, he did several evasive maneuvers, but not so deep that were he in a real fight, he would dodge. She noticed the sweat soaking through a white tank top, the cloth almost see through between his shoulders and down his spine to his lower back. What made her smile, was the sweatpants he wore. Another great reason for Tris's date with Christina.

For a few minutes Tris waited, watching how he held himself, how far he would go to push his own limits before giving up. She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest while her eyes followed Eric fluidly, though his motions were edgy and harsh. He needed work, if he really wanted to fight, but if he was content with jumping around with his fists too low to block his jaw, that was okay with her. Soft padding broke her observing, her head turned and Beth was standing in front of her. Tris smiled when the young girl raised an eyebrow, like a child, Tris held up a finger to her lips and pointed to Beth's older brother.

Now they both stood there, in the doorway, watching the same man with different points of view. Tris adjusted and slipped out of her converse shoes, as shoes were not allowed on a training mat, and stalked toward Eric. One of the things Tris loved about this room was the lack of mirrors, it didn't make sense to her, having a reflection of the room in a room of solitude. Tobias didn't like them either, which was why, whenever he stayed over, they would spend most of their time together in here.

Tris paused when he shifted his shoulders and lower back, she took two steps back as he pivoted and gave a powerful side kick to the bag. It swung, but not impressively so. He let out a growl of frustration and stilled the thing, it's black leather taunting him. His hands clenched up again and he was about to bring his fists up when hands wrapped around his waist. The palms of her hands snaked around him, and she was surprised at how slim he really was, but then he tensed under her fingers, and she spoke, her voice a soft purr against his sweat covered shoulder, "Good," His head cocked to the side a bit, to look at her, "Keep tension here," She tapped her fingers in succession for good measure and moved her hands up to his elbows, instinctively he flinched away from her touch. He didn't revel in contact with other humans, unless he was in control of the situation.

She paused, watching his reactions, and then creating her own in tune to his to make him comfortable. Gently, slowly, eyes locked on his face she pressed her fingers to his elbows, slowly sliding them into the palms of her hands, as a request she pushed up lightly, enough pressure for him to notice. He didn't move, she tried again, and this time his arms lifted up, bent, poised. Tris's eyes fell down to his core, pleased to see he kept tension, but just from that he was breathing heavily through his nose. The bridge of her foot tapped his inner ankle, as to gesture outward. Again he didn't move, but after she tried again he spread his legs more, in a soft tone she instructed, "Bend your knees slightly," He did as he was told, bouncing a bit to get the feel for it. Tris's hands moved up his forearm, guiding it in and up, so his fist was an inch or so away from his chin and jaw. Her chest almost touching his back, she took in his posture, if it was possible Eric tensed even more. She took a few steps away from him and then circled him, he was still relying on the balls of his feet. She pursed her lips, his voice sounded, echoing off the concrete walls, hitting her ears rough and snapped, "Are you done?"

"Excuse me?" She asked, her eyebrow raising, she was helping him and he was agitated with her. The thought hit her that maybe he didn't want the help, that would seem like him and match his behavior around her, as he is aware of what she does for a living, and why he isn't in a hospital because he needs a lot of work on fighting. He is there because his sister, a girl who is 9 years younger than him, pulled him out of a hell and into a different one. He despised not being in control. His jaw clenched and unclenched as she looked at him, keeping her face clean of emotion. "I was exercising," He growls venomously,

"Well, if you call prancing around like a pony, exercising, be my guest," Tris replies,

"What did you call me?"

"I don't like to repeat myself," She said, and she was already prepared for him before he lashed out. She stepped to the side as he took a step forward to punch her, or at the very least grab her. Gracefully and not too hard Tris pressed on his back and shoulder as she collided her knee with his stomach. He let out a grunt and swung his arm, shoving her away, he struggled to stand straight and tried a right hook, Tris in turn slammed her palm into his chest, shoving him backwards. He fumed with rage, Tris mimicked him, looking bored, "Are you done?" He yelled and ran for her. Good, she knew what she had to do, anger was the quickest way to resolution. Especially with physical contact, but she wasn't toying with him, even though that's what it looked like. She was teaching him, in a very discrete way, how to control himself in any situation. It was first called discipline.

He stepped and feigned a right, then swung for a left straight, anything, anything to hurt her. It only infuriated him more when she blocked the move or redirected it, her face taught, her body like liquid and for a moment he was thrown off by her experience. "What are you doing Eric?" She asked, standing a few feet away from him. Then she shifted, bringing her arms to her sides and bending her knees after spreading her legs a little more than shoulder width. She tapped a foot, "Get off the balls of your feet, I'm faster than you, so stop trying to catch me. You're smart Eric, use all of you," And then he understood.

His posture straightened and it suddenly became easier for him to remain coiled, then swiftly, much to his amazement and to her pride he got in close to her, going in for an upper cut. He knew nothing of fighting, save for the simple punches and kicks, so he couldn't disarm her or knee her stomach so expertly as she. Surprisingly his fist grazed her stomach before she shoved him away, she was letting him get close, he knew this much. But why? It seemed everything was a test to her, she was always analysing him or someone else. He wasn't a book for her to read, and if he appeared so he would change her mind.

He got in close again, or tried to, she danced around him, and resumed a fighting position, she was not in the proper attire to be fighting, which seemed to limit how hard she could hit and what moves she could preform. His steel grey eyes scanned her body viciously, looking for any weaknesses, and he could only come up with one. She was small. He was not, and while she was fast, speed did nothing if she was off the ground. Eric smiled and then jumped at her, making her back up, he stepped in, swinging his left hook for her jaw. Tris blocked, but the power behind the hit made her stumble, and that was what Eric wanted.

In an instant his arms wrapped around her waist and his shoulder slammed into her stomach. She was in the air for a moment, then he flipped her over to her back and slammed her down on the mat, air rushed from her lungs and she gasped, "Eric," To tell him he's won, it was her goal to teach him, and he had, but this was hardly a real fight, therefore there should be no real injuries. But her gasp was discarded by his mind as he stalked over to her, fists clenched, he intended to perform the killing blow, knock her out and make her eat her words. She tapped the mat three times, a silent gesture that meant stop. But he did not.

When Eric was close enough, Tris pushed up with her hands and swept her feet against his, knocking him down to his back, she was on his waist in a second, ignoring the burn in her lungs she swung her fist forward. And she watched him close his eyes. She halted her hit, knuckles less than half an inch from his face she stopped, and Tris waited for him to open his eyes before she spoke, "When someone taps out, it means the match is over,"

Eric stared her cold dead in the eyes. She saw nothing but anger, but it wasn't enough for him to act. He was very good at using the emotion as a frame for the real picture. Tris got off him quickly, holding out her hand to help him up. He merely slapped it away, making the corner of Tris's lips twitch, another thing she learned. Eric had trouble with acceptance, Tris pursed her lips thin together and walked over to Bethany, who stood in the doorway with her jaw dropped. "Beth," The girl looked up, green eyes shimmering with awe. Tris smiled slightly, "Today, two of my friends will join us at the store,"

"Why?" Eric huffed, Tris turned and faced him stepping to the side so she could address them both. "If you both are to live with me, that is a rather large change. I'd like to buy clothes for Beth, and you Eric,"

"With what money?" He scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"My, own," She says slowly, eyes narrowing. She didn't want this to be a competition, she wanted to help him, have him like her, if not, then just get along with her without a volcano erupting. Eric frowned and she continued, "Think of it as a gift before you get a job of your own,"

"What?" He demanded, Bethany just looked shocked, she'd never thought of getting a job before. They had only been living together for a day and already Tris had everything thought out and expected from them. "Don't worry, you have two weeks with me," Tris offered, picking up her shoes, then she added, "But by then, I'm sure you'll wish you had a job," A grin followed her words, as if she intended it as a joke. She did not, legally, if a drug abuser has a minor under his or her custody. Tris has full right over both of them as their home, whereas most addicts don't have a home, they were always grateful for her help. Her job required her patients, that had no residence, to stay with Tris for a minimum of two weeks. That was seemingly enough time for the user to try and turn their life around. Which to Tris was infuriating because the stages of withdrawal hit then.

She was soon in the kitchen, washing her hands and grabbing some fruit salad out of the fridge, as Peter really had taken up on her offer. For good measure she also pulled two ice packs out of the freezer. She heard footsteps running up the stairs and assumed it was Eric going to change his clothes. Tris grabbed a water bottle and a bowl and prepared her snack. She was sitting at the island with a very lovey dog at her side when Beth walked in, wearing flip flops and black jeans. When she turned to face Tris it was apparent that Bethany didn't have many clothes, she was wearing a dark green shirt that had white and black splashes of paint on it, and her black hoodie covered her bandaged arm. Tris spoke up, "Hows your arm?"

"Better, it feels good, it's not bleeding through or anything," She explained, making herself a bowl of fruit salad with one of her pancakes. Beth sauntered around the counter and sat next to Tris, "What did you do today?" The blonde asked,

"Oh, nothing much really, looked through some of the books you have, read a bit," The girl said, taking a bite, "Then I played with Emily, but her toy broke, so thats the end of the spotted bear," She giggled, "I can't imagine such a mean looking dog to be such a cuddle bug, Emily would just jump on the bed and sleep on my feet," Tris smiled, playing with her food, then she asked, "Well, do you have anything special you want to get from the mall?"

"No, not really," Beth mumbled softly, afraid she would get in trouble for asking. Tris looked at her with a soft expression, smiling again as she gently rubbed the girls back, "Beth, it's my treat, anything you want I will get you,"

"I don't want to waste your money Tris,"

"Bethany," She said a bit stern, the girl was being ridiculous, but she acted the same as Tris once did, "I want to buy things for you, please tell me what you would like to get,"

"Better clothes, and shoes," The girl mumbled, Tris laughed, a quiet sound but still genuine. "I'm getting you and Eric those things regardless," She paused and the corners of her lips curled, "You don't want your hair done a certain way?"

"I like my hair,"

"That's good! I like your hair too," Tris chirped, they shared a giggle and Tris continued, "Do you have any piercings?" Beth's soft green eyes widened, the forest blue green flicking to Tris in an instant, "You would let me do that?"

"So you want one?"

"I always have, I just didn't have the money, and I was always…" She trailed off, The blonde woman nodded her head slightly. In a house as violent as hers, piercings weren't the best idea. "Hey," Tris said softly, her eyebrows lifted slightly, "Bethany?" The girl shook her head and put on a smile, it wasn't strong, but it was real. "Wanna know something?" Tris whispered, it was a secret not everyone knew, but she would share it with Beth. "Yeah?" The teen prodded, eyes full of wonder,

"I have four tattoos, and six piercings,"

"What? No way!" Beth shouted, Tris was a therapist, it was hard for Beth to imagine her as a rebel. Tris flashed white teeth behind natural cherry red lips and nodded quickly. "Where?" Beth whispered,

"That's something for another time," Tris said, "But I promised I'd show you a picture of my older brother, didn't I?" Beth nodded enthusiastically and Tris cleared their bowls, just as Eric was coming downstairs. He caught her gaze, and for a moment they held it. She grabbed the gel ice pack and stalked silently over to him. He still stood on the last step down, but looked at her. She flashed a smile and took in his earthy smell, musk, mint, and a bit of after shave. She would have to get a better brand for him, because his face looked a bit rough. His hair looked a bit darker when it was still wet, and right now it wasn't slicked back, just messy, and she liked the look.

She gently pressed the ice to his stomach, his hand held it there and for once he wasn't scowling at her. Tris spoke up, mumbling softly to him, "You did a good job reading my weaknesses, Eric," He gave her a quizzical look, "You figured out how to use my strengths against me, for that I applaud you," He simply nodded at her, not used to praise. They looked at each other a few moments more, the storms clashing together and she noticed the darker splash of blue around his pupils. It was incredibly bewitching. "Do you want to learn to fight?" She asked, backing away from him and turning for the kitchen.

he stepped down from the wooden step, his bare feet touching the different textured hardwood. His feet brushing the floor with each step, the black shirt tight but comfortable on his skin. She pulled out a water bottle and gave it to him. He nodded his thanks, mulling over her question, "I do, know how to fight,"

"I know, the bruise on my back and stomach say so, but I mean able to defend yourself, and maybe even Beth," He looked up at her, his eyes tired of studying the black and white lightning streaked quartz counter. When he said nothing, she did, "Weather you want to learn the way I did or not, I'm going to teach Beth how to use a knife," She mumbled, her eyes locked on him. Daring him to challenge her thinking. "What?" And he did.

"I had decided this morning, before work,"

"She doesn't need a knife, let alone training," He hissed, it seemed they wouldn't agree on much, Tris bit her lip, looking down, her nails lightly tapping the counter in front of her. Then she opened her mouth, her voice hard and schooled, a glare in in her fog grey eyes, "Eric, she's 16, you haven't exactly done much for her regarding her health or best interests. I'm going to teach her, no one else, no argument. She needs to know how to protect herself because if you taught her anything- It's that you can't trust or rely on anyone," Eric scowled, his gaze hardening and his brows furrowing. He was ready to snarl, ready to yell. How dare she downgrade him like that?

But then, Beth walked in a leash in hand and a dog panting at her side. Her green eyes bright, "Ready to go?"

"Yep, I need to change my shirt and shoes really quickly. Eric, you should eat something," He grunted and didn't bother looking at her, "Beth, come with me?" The teen nodded, following the blonde 23-year-old up the stairs to her room. Tris grabbed a pair of combat boots and a dark blue long sleeved shirt. Quickly Tris changed her shirt, not caring if Beth was there because they were both girls. And to Tris, being in her underclothes was like being in a bikini, but that thought hardly comforted her in front of men, not that she was ever with many.

Tris got up and walked over to her closet, sliding it open she found a duffle bag smelling of spice, and oak wood. A smile graced her lips and she pulled it out, tossing it on the bed she sat down and unzipped it slowly. Part of her felt wrong for doing this without permission, Tobias was always a very private person. But when Tris looked up and caught the look on Beth's face, Tris found she couldn't deny the girl of simple pleasures such as getting to know what Tris's older brother looked like. With a silent sigh, Tris brushed her fingertips over the close knit dark blue almost black bag. Her nails clicking down the seam of the zipper before she reached in, pulling out a picture she remembered putting in. To her pleasant surprise everything was still in place where she left it. Idly her thumb brushed the young man's hair, and a deep ache settled in her heart. She missed him dearly, it had been over a year now since his last visit.

The shift in the bed's mattress brought Tris out of her wallowing, Bethany was on her knees and peering over Tris's shoulder to get a better look. A giggle fell from the older womans lips as she handed the photo over to the curious dyed haired girl. Meanwhile Tris laced up her boots, and tied her hair up into a bun. "Tris?"

"Hmm?"

"Why don't you hang up pictures in your house?" Beth asked, it was an innocent question, but the answer came down to Tris's childhood. Which was one of the personal matters she swore to herself and Tobias that she would never talk about. "I have too many," Tris offered with a smile, grabbing a soft mist spray bottle and sitting behind Beth. "Too many? No such thing as too many pictures,"

"Oh really? Why's that?" Tris asked, gently combing her fingers through the black and teal hair, "When I was a little girl, my mom would always take me to my grandma's house. It was a small place really, out in the middle of no where, I remember complaining about sitting in the car for almost three hours just to get there. As I got a little bit older, I started noticing why my grandmother lived so far away, she was very sick. The city wasn't good for her, so she was put into a home that her grandfather built, it was this little cottage in the woods. See she owned a lot of property out there because of her grandad, and there was an even bigger house there that people would check up on, but she always said that 'A small home doesn't mean that the person isn't wealthy, it means they know that you don't need a big house to have a lot of love,'" Beth paused, Tris's hands weaving through the dark hair, braiding it inside out down her head. The teen took a deep breath, "Of course I had no clue what that meant, I was eight at the time and frankly thought she was a little out of her mind. But she was always sweet to me, one of the things I remember best is her need to have pictures of me and Eric. But he had stopped coming to her house, he was in school, cramming to pass his tests for senior year."

"Eric studied hard in school?"

"Oh yeah, always hit the books right when he got home," Beth giggled, her eyes still looking at the picture of Tobias. "I used to think he was using school to get away from me, you know, the annoying little sister when you want to hang out with the guys?"

"Psssh," Tris scoffed, grinning and tieing off the end of the girls braid. She patted everything in place for a moment, her eyes marveling at the streaks of teal blue and black that curled and tangled in the braid. Bethany suddenly hopped up, handing the picture back to Tris and running to the bathroom to see her hair. Tris put everything away, closing the mirrored doors to her closet. Her mind thinking about Eric and his life, and what little information he willingly gave to her, where Beth would just drone on. It was sad, Beth didn't really get to finish growing up normally, someone made Eric take it from her. Because he was a smart enough man to think for himself. She stood up straight and her eyes found her body in the mirror.

She wasn't imposing, she wasn't intimidating, not until someone pissed her off, she still didn't think she was pretty. Memories of High school were never pleasant, she didn't have the best experience, but she tried. Her eyes lifted up to her face, and she found herself glaring. She needed to rest, and tomorrow would be that day of rest. With a sigh she walked downstairs, her hands grabbing her keys and phone and her hand gesturing for them to follow her. They piled into the car with Emily panting obnoxiously in the back seat, and drove to the mall, the promise of friends and relaxation at hand.

Much longer chapter, by almost, two thousand words, because FFiction was down yesterday. Anyway, tell me what you think? And tell me what you think Christina might do around Eric, what about Beth who has no clue of Christina's fashonista-like mannerisms? What is up with Tris and her past?