Tucked into the curve of Eric's side, he held her upright as they walked back to Dauntless headquarters. Initially she tried to convince him they were alone enough that they didn't have to play 'friendly', but he merely pointed at one of the many security cameras and told her that there was always someone watching in Dauntless and she gave in. Her legs were still a bit shaky and she preferred his furnace like quality over the chilly night air anyway.

"So, do all your dates end up sick at the end or just the fake ones?" She asked, feeling irritable from the roiling in her stomach.

"This is my first date to ever make it past the bar before ending up at my place." He replied, straight faced.

Of course. Olivia lightly chuckled to herself. "You know, if you wanted to get back at me for earlier, you didn't need to scare the shit out of me."

Eric looked down at her from the side. "Is that what you think tonight was about?"

"Uh, yeah." She replied.

Eric sighed. "Look, I had no idea you were afraid of heights when I suggested it."

"Yeah, right!" Olivia scoffed. "You have access to everyone's records. You're telling me you didn't watch my fear sims just so you could have more leverage over me?"

"No, I didn't." He replied, growing angry with her insinuations. "You think I'm blackmailing you, but I'm trying to keep you safe from yourself. Your plan would have gotten your unconscious body dumped in the factionless sector and your 'boyfriend' thrown into the chasm."

Olivia stopped abruptly and pulled out of his embrace. "If you're so certain that they're that dangerous, than why haven't you done something to stop them?!" She shouted, angry that no one seemed to be doing anything about the psycho's he called friends.

Eric took a step closer. "Because there is nothing I can do. They haven't committed any crimes that I can arrest them for, but I can prevent a crime and you should be grateful that I'm doing that." He snarled at her angrily but his face quickly changed to concern. "Olivia?"

Her anger burned so hot that the contents of her stomach made a sudden appearance and she dashed to puke in a bush by the wall. Olivia could feel Eric's body heat directly behind her, waiting for her to finish, as she embarrassingly hurled chunks of beef and potato along with some sort of milky liquid. Her throat burned when she was done and wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand.

Standing back up and feeling particularly bothersome, she gave Eric a grin and said, "Want a kiss now?"

His look of indifference didn't change but he did reach out for her. "Let's get you home." He said as he scooped her up.

She wanted to protest but her stomach was still churning and instead, closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder as she distracted herself by counting each step he took.

Olivia woke up at the sound of her alarm clock. She smacked it off and flipped her covers off to find herself still clothed and last night's events replayed in her mind. She must've fallen asleep because she had no memory of Eric bringing her home or putting her to bed. At least he had the decency not to crawl in with her.

Making her way to the bathroom, she pushed the door open and an awful smell hit her. She quickly covered her nose and flipped the switch on. There, in her tub, was a pile of black clothing that appeared to be covered in puke.

"Oh no." She whispered when she realized they didn't belong to her.

Turning around, the sun was coming up and it cast a golden glow on the contents of her living room, including a nearly naked Eric who was asleep on her couch.

He was on his back with one arm behind his head like a pillow as the other hand splayed over his curly blond chest hair and his right leg hung off the edge. Thankfully he kept his dark gray boxer-briefs on to hide the only thing that would be more appealing to look at than his impressive abs because she could barely tear her gaze away from the defined muscles as it was.

Why did he have to be so beautiful? The peaceful look on his face almost made her believe that this God-like creature might actually be a nice guy and her frosty feelings towards him melted a little at the sight of him, but the memory of their argument brought her back to reality and she nudged him with her foot.

"What?" He mumbled, still half-asleep.

"Why are you sleeping on my couch?"

He popped one eye open and looked up at her. "Because you vomited all over me last night and I didn't feel like stinking my place up with it. Besides, I have a rep to maintain."

She rolled her eyes and said, "Well, you can leave now; I have to get ready for work."

He slowly got up and her eyes travelled over the expanse of his broad shoulders and down to his narrow hips without realizing it.

"I already called your supervisor and told him you were sick today." He said as he opened her door still in his underwear. "You're welcome." He added just before he left her there dumb struck.

A second later she went after him. "What about your clothes?" She asked just as two women walk by, eyeing the two of them up with all-knowing smirks.

Great, now everyone was going to think they slept together.

Eric saw them too and shrugged after they went into their apartment. "Looks like they did their part. Throw them out for all I care."

He opened his door and went in without another glance at her but the light that peeked through the gap at the bottom of his door had a shadow and told her that he was still there. Was he watching her through the peep hole or was he waiting for something? Like for her to call him back and demand he take his clothes?

Olivia didn't know what to say. Of course, she didn't want to deal with his gross clothes but it was her puke and he had been kind enough to call into work for her…

His shadow moved away from the door and she sighed. Going back to her bathroom prepped with a scarf over her nose and a pair of rubber gloves she used for washing her paint brushes with, she stared down at the clothes in contemplation. Did he really expect her to just throw them away? The guy always seemed to wear the same stuff that she would be surprised if he had a closet full of clothes, and a whole new outfit could be expensive. But she supposed a leader probably earned more points than the average Dauntless did.

Unable to waste perfectly good clothing, she gingerly picked up each article and threw them into her washing machine. She was rinsing her tub out of any remaining vomit when there was a knock at the door and she stood up, wondering who it was.

"Zayne." She was surprised to see him when she opened the door, expecting that maybe Eric just forgot something.

"Hey... I heard you were sick." He replied, giving her appearance a confused look.

Remembering what she was wearing, she pulled the scarf down and said, "I was last night; now I'm just cleaning up the puke. How did you hear I was sick so fast? My shift hasn't even started yet."

"I'm friends with Randy, your supervisor." He reminded her. "He thinks you might be playing hooky with Eric since you're dating him now and he's the one who called in for you." Zayne's eyes darted behind her like he was trying to spot Eric in the background.

"Well, I'm not." She replied, annoyed that everyone was poking their noses into her business and making assumptions. "Eric took me down the zip line last night and I got sick."

"You went down the zip line?" His eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise. "I tried for years to get you on it."

"Yeah, well, he won't be doing it again any time soon because I ended up puking all over him. In fact, I was just washing his clothes."

"So he spent the night?" His dark eyebrows creased in a frown.

"Possibly." She vaguely replied.

"Geez," He ran a hand through his black hair, "I heard he would sleep with anything but…"

"Excuse me?" She said, crossing her arms. "Why are you here, Zayne?"

"I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Why? You haven't spoken to me in four years and now that I'm seeing Eric, you've popped up twice. You're acting like you're jealous."

"Of course I am. You deserve better than him and I want you back, Olivia."

"Are you out of your mind, Zayne?" She exclaimed. "I loved you and you left me heartbroken after I told you about…" She paused, unable to talk about it, "and now you think I'll just take you back?"

"I loved you too, I just wasn't ready for that but I am now. Please, Olivia, give me another chance." Zayne pleaded.

"No." She shook her head. "I deserve better than you, not him and it might be a good idea to leave before he finds out you're here."

Too late, as she heard Eric's lock turn and he stepped out. He didn't seem to be angry or surprised to see Zayne outside her door and she couldn't help but wonder if he was listening the whole time.

"I see you didn't take my warning to heart." He said as he stood next to Zayne's 5'10" frame and met his deep brown eyes with a cool stare.

Zayne always had a thing about challenging others when it came to who was in charge and Eric was the epitome of the Alpha male but he also knew when to stop, except this time it was over her.

Olivia hoped he was using the head between his shoulders and kept his mouth shut because Eric could seriously make his life hell if he really wanted to, but that was wishful thinking.

"You can't stop me from talking to an ex-girlfriend." Zayne retorted, seemingly unafraid that Eric would touch him.

She mentally smacked her head because Eric gave him one of his trademark smirks where he was pretending to find something funny.

"Oh, yeah?" He chuckled. "Well, it's a good thing I only came for my boots, then."

He leaned past Zayne and reached inside to grab the boots that sat by the door. When he straightened out, he kissed her quickly.

"Mmm, tastes like puke. Good thing I'll fuck anything, right?" He said to Zayne before he left for work with boots in hand and his unspoken threat lingering in the air.

Zayne was in big trouble and the look on his face said he knew it too.

"You should probably go before you make it worse." She suggested and closed her door in his face.

Having the day off and nothing better to do, Olivia decided to take her latest painting to the Distribution center so it could go to a loving home. She wrapped it up in a clean sheet and tucked it under her arm to make the long walk from Dauntless to the city center.

It was the perfect day for it. It was sunny but not hot as a cool breeze blew the scent of something sweet past her and she closed her eyes to relish it. Days like this one used to remind her of when she would work with her mother in the orchard on the weekends and the smell of apples and other fruit surrounded her all summer long, but this time she thought of apple pie and how Eric felt pressed up against her as his lips crushed hers in a heated kiss.

Heat crept up her cheeks at the memory and she had to mentally shake herself. It didn't matter how good it was because it felt good to be with Zayne too and look how that turned out. Eric was dangerous, in more ways than one, and that worried her. The way he seemed to care about her was out of character for him and she wondered what it was that he really wanted all the way to the Hub.

"Olivia?" Someone called out. She looked around for the source and saw an older man in a red outfit waving at her.

"Dad?" She squinted at him and then grinned. "Dad!"

In a hurry to reach him, she dodged her way through the sea of grey, blue, black and white, and red and yellow, all making their way to work or school, and flung her free arm around him. His strong arms circled her in a bear hug and picked her up as he swung her around.

He then patted down the auburn strands of hair that escaped her braid when he let her go and peered down at her lovingly. "My dear Olivia. I haven't seen your beautiful face in so long."

She gazed up into the green eyes they shared and smiled. "I know. I'm sorry I've been too busy to visit."

"Ah, your mother told me about the new boyfriend situation." He said as he gently tugged her over to a nearby bench. He sat down and patted the seat next to him. "You know how your mother worries about you."

She did.

"But I'm glad I ran into you. She never lets the phone go when you call, so I never got a chance to tell you that I understand what Dauntless is like and I approve of you using Eric as a bodyguard. He is a smart man and he's right to believe this is the best solution to your problem."

"Really?" She said as she joined him on the bench. She was not expecting him to say that.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you should let your guard down. Even he can't be around all the time and men who hurt women find all sorts of ways to hurt their victims, even if it's not physical." Her father warned.

"How come don't you seem concerned that Eric might hurt me? Mom got her panties in a knot when I told her about him."

He smiled. "If he took it upon himself to offer you his protection then I believe he will do right by you, but sometimes matters of the heart can be difficult."

"Matters of the heart? What are you talking about, Dad?"

"I did the same thing for your mother when we met a long time ago, you know."

"You did?" She said, entirely intrigued by this new bit of information on her parents' past.

"She was being bullied by a Dauntless girl at lunch and I stepped in to stop it. I sat with her for the rest of the year to make sure no one bothered her again. Do you want to know why I did that?" He asked and Olivia nodded. "Because I had the biggest crush on her and being from different Factions, it was my only opportunity to be with her until I transferred from Dauntless to Amity."

"That's so sweet, dad," She cooed, "but I hope you're not implying that Eric has feelings for me… are you?"

"I have no notion what his intentions are, but I did it for love and I would not be surprised if he did the same for you." He replied.

Oh, you have no idea what he did for me, Dad. She thought dryly.

"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind." She smiled sweetly at him.

"Is that another painting you have there?" He asked, pointing to the wrapped parcel next to her. "May I?"

"Sure." She handed it to him and watched as he unwrapped the sheet.

His face lit up when he saw the view of Amity from the top of the fence at sunrise and said, "Is this what you see from the fence?"

"Every morning." She replied with a nod.

"It's beautiful." He sighed. "Perhaps it will bring happiness to a former Amity or inspire a dependant to join us."

"Or maybe it will make more Dauntless want to work the fence." She joked, causing her father chuckle.

"I better get going, dear. Your mother has been badgering me to dig a new plot for more of her precious roses and I promised to do it when I got home." He said as he got up and kissed the top of her head.

"Okay. Say hi to mom for me and I promise to come for a visit soon."

He nodded his auburn head and they hugged one last time before she watched his broad back, slightly bent with age, walk away. With a grateful sigh, she rewrapped her painting, finished her errand and headed back home with a bounce in her step.

Work the next day was largely boring and she was on her way home when Lace came running up behind her.

"Did you hear what happened to Zayne?"

Olivia narrowed her eyes, suspicious that Eric had taken his anger out on him, and shook her head.

"A gun he was testing out blew up in his face. He's in the infirmary."

Olivia froze.

Well, she wasn't expecting that. What the fuck was Eric trying to prove? She thought he'd throw him in the ring and fight it out or something, not try and have him killed. And for what? For her? They were only pretending to like each other for fuck sakes.

"Olivia? Are you okay?" Lace gently touched her arm.

"Uh, yeah." She cleared her throat. "Is he okay?"

"Sounds like he's alive but I'm not sure how bad he is." She said. "You don't think…"

"I don't know." Olivia numbly replied, knowing who she was talking about. "But I need to find him."

"Last I heard all the leaders were investigating the security footage from the weaponry room."

Without another word, Olivia spun on her heal and went to the security room in a daze. Behind her, she vaguely heard Lace say she would go with her, but she didn't care. She just needed to know if it was her fault Zayne was hurt. Slowly her walking pace increased until she was running and Lace had to jog to keep up.

The hallway leading up to the room was buzzing with people. Max could be heard barking out orders inside the room but the crowd packed in front of the doorway made it hard to see anything inside and Olivia stood on tiptoes to see over their heads. When she spotted Eric's gelled, blond one, she called out his name. He turned and saw her but when he made a move to go to her, there was no space.

"MOVE!" He shouted at the crowd and they quickly moved aside so he could exit. He took her elbow and escorted her around the corner so they could talk in private.

She didn't even have to ask the question that was forth most on her mind because he immediately said, "I swear I had nothing to do with this."

"Is that the truth? Because I could've sworn you planned to punish him for challenging you yesterday." She said.

"Of course I planned to punish him, but I was thinking more of a suspension not blowing up a fucking gun in his fucking face! He's a good weapons maker and we need more like him." He hissed at her.

His reaction seemed sincere and she calmed a little. "Was it an accident, then?"

"No." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "There's footage of someone sneaking in last night but we can't see his or her face. They purposely tampered with his specific equipment so we know he was the targeted victim, we just don't know why. Do you know if he had any enemies?"

"You." She replied.

He glared at her. "Other than me."

"The only other person who I can think of would be me, but I wouldn't do that to him! And if I were inclined to, I would have done it years ago." She said. "They're not going to think it was me, are they?"

"No." He was quick to reassure her. "I'll tell them you were with me last night."

"But that's a lie!" She protested.

"Will you stop arguing with me when I'm trying to protect you? If you didn't do it, then there's no reason why you should care that it's a lie." He said, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"If I didn't do it, which I didn't, then I shouldn't have to lie in the first place." She glared back at him and brushed his hands off, but he caught her hand in his quickly.

"How long have you had paint stained on your hand for?"

"Since the morning of our date. You didn't notice?" She was confused as to way he suddenly cared.

He smirked. "You might not have to lie after all. The person in the video wasn't wearing gloves until they got to Zayne's table and put them on. There's no sign of paint on them. Your Amity hobby just saved me a lot of trouble trying to explain why my girlfriend wasn't the one who screwed with her ex-boyfriend."

She yanked her hand back. "I'm glad I could make your life easier. What about Zayne? Will he be okay?"

"You're not worried about him because you might still have feelings for him, are you?"

"No, but just because he hurt me doesn't mean I want to hurt him, Eric." She snapped.

Eric's face went grim. "He'll live but he'll have scarring on his face and his hands are in bad shape. The doctors are looking into some treatments to recover the use of his fingers."

Olivia held back the surge of tears that wanted to spill. If the doctor's couldn't fix his hands then it would be expected of him to leave Dauntless by either joining the Factionless or death. No one stuck around when they were no longer physically able to protect and she felt terrible.

"Hey, this isn't your fault." He said, cupping her cheek so she'd look at him.

He was always touching her, she realized, and it got on her nerves. She stepped away from him and said, "Even if it wasn't me who tampered with his weapon, there's a good chance it happened because of me. What if Ralph did it to get revenge?"

"I thought of that but he and John were getting drunk at the bar at the time of the incident. I saw the footage myself; it had nothing to do with you, I promise." He said.

Relief flooded her body and quickly replaced her guilt with curiosity. Who else would want to hurt Zayne? Maybe he broke another girl's heart by trying to run back to her? If that was the case, then he deserved it.

"Go home, Olivia. There isn't anything more you can do for him." He said and she nodded in agreement.

Lace was waiting for her by the security room and together they went back to her place.

So, when I came to physically describe Olivia's dad I realized that I never mentioned what he or Linda looked like in TDNHAW, except for the fact that Linda is short. That's my bad and hopefully you can get to know them better in this story!

Also, I am still writing my original story and I've decided to post it on fictionpress to help me keep at it and if you want to check it out, go to: www. fictionpress s/3291812/1/The-Star-Sapphire. Obviously no spaces but it wouldn't let me post it otherwise, or look up monarose. Any feedback would be helpful!

And a big thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing! Reviews really help me to keep going, which is why I posted the original online.