"What's that", a curious Christina snatched the picture of my baby out of Tobias´ unmoving grip.

It was almost comical to watch her jaw drop done, while her eyes widened, before she turned to face me. But I didn't have it in me to laugh.

"You are pregnant.", she whispered, sounding more like a statement than a question.

Knowing the moment of truth has come and being not able to do anything against it, I just nodded, too afraid to speak it out loud.

They were all staring at me, faces frozen in different stages of shock, Tris´ being the most prominent one. I assume she instantly knew what this meant.

Where was Belle when I needed her… She would have been perfect to calm everyone down and prevent this awkward silence. Because no one even dared to speak, everyone to lost in their own thoughts, until…

"I´M GOING TO BE AN AUNTIE!", Christina screamed, while tackling me to the ground, once again squeezing the living daylights out of me. "That's why you´ve been avoiding us, you sneaky bitch. And I thought you were having a secret affair, with an outrageous man.", she winked at me, her face just inches away from mine.

"What do you mean?", I inquired dumbfounded from underneath her, but she just laughed and whispered so lowly that only I could hear her. "You know it's quite informative to hang around the control room. Your little alone time in the hallway with a certain leader didn't go unseen. Seemed quite cozy."

I gaped at her, too stunned to reply instantly and hadn't had the chance to, before she was lifted of me. "Geez woman, don't attack pregnant ladies. I'm sure you don't want to kill your so-called nephew.", came from Zeke who had freed me. He pulled me into a hug, muttering congratulations at me. In return he got a thankful smile.

Now it was a puzzled Will´s turn to speak. "How could that happen? Those shots are more than 99.9 percent reliable and they are mandatory for every female member that is fertile and not married or has requested a leader´s permission to get off to be able to receive." Leave it to Will to quote the rulebook.

"Well I hope for her own sake that she isn't married. Everyone knows I am the expert for bridal dresses." Christina declared, before glaring at me. "You´re not married, right?"

"No I´m not." I chuckled "I was one of the lucky ones to get the flu shot instead of the real thing. They mixed up labels in one of the labs. So here I am… ten weeks pregnant. Yay..." I tried to sound enthusiastic, but failed miserably.

"I didn't know you were doing anyone.", came surprisingly from Lynn. Her interest in my less than thrilling sex life stunned me so I replied lamely "It´s because I´m not."

"What's that supposed to mean? You´re either shagging someone or you aren't there is no in between." Uri´s forehead was furrowed, as if he was trying to solve a complicated equation.

I didn't really want to answer that one, afraid of being judged , but I owed it to them to be honest. I grimaced. "It was kind of a one-time thing. I was drunk and it just happened…" I trailed off, not wanting to go into details

"Then who is the father?"

I turned towards my brother, who had stayed silent the whole time. He was asking the one question I didn't want to answer. I looked at him pleadingly, begging him not to.

But he was stubborn as always.

"Who is the father?"

"Toby, please. Can we not do this now?", my pleas faltered, when I saw the look he threw me. Despite his calm demeanor I knew him.

He was livid.

"I want to know who has knocked up my sister. And it would be great to know why I´m just learning about this now." His no-nonsense behavior scared the shit outta me. And more than everything, I felt guilty.

"I wanted to tell you, I really did. But I had no idea how. Toby you´re my only family and I don´t wanna lose you." I started crying and that´s the moment he knew, he just knew that he wouldn't like my answer at all.

"Family would have told me by now. So spit it out." He gritted through clenched teeth.

Uriah, bless his soul for trying, thought it would be a great idea to diffuse the tension by cracking a joke. But I didn't find that one funny at all.

"Come on, tell us. He can`t be that bad. I mean he can, but we´ll manage. As long as it´s not Eric." he added jokingly, but when I stayed silent, he repeated hesitantly "It´s not Eric, is it?"

I just closed my eyes and hanging my head, admitting defeat.

When everyone froze, I begged my brother wordlessly to understand, to hear me out.

"When did this happen?

Before or after I told you to stay away from him?

How long has this been going on?

How long have you been fucking him?"

Every single sentence being followed by an foreboding silence.

That it front of me wasn't my loving brother. This man standing there instead of him reminded me too much of my own father.

"Toby, please. It´s not what you think. It was only one time and I was drunk and confused and I didn't even know what was happening until I woke up in the morning. You have to believe me, I would never, ever, sleep around with him behind your back. Toby, please!"

I stuttered and was now full on sobbing, but my tears, that never ceased to bring out the protector in him, did not change a thing.

"But apparently you did." Tobias brushed me off coldly, before starting to pace and franticly shaking his head. Everyone was silently watching, waiting for him to erupt.

"Tobias, calm down. ", Tris went to grab his arm, but the ripped it away.

He glared at her before hissing

"Calm down?! I´m going to show you calm.

I´m going to kill him."

With that he was out the door, followed by our shouts for him to come back.

I hurried after him, only faintly aware of the others running behind me. I knew where he was going.

Working countless hours in the control room, my brother was only all too familiar with the habits of most of our members. So he was aware, that Eric would most likely be in the pit, drinking a beer after hours with a few of his carefully selected friends.

The pit, were most of our leaders and half of the faction was at this time of the night, was exactly where Tobias was headed. The thought of the audience they´d have and the whispers that would surely arise, made my steps falter, almost sending me tumbling down the uneven floor. But I caught myself at the last moment, my pace never ceasing, only increasing.

I could hear the commotion, before I even stepped out of the tunnel leading to the pit. Shoving through bystanders, I hurriedly made my way to the front, only to see the bowstrung figure of my brother attacking Eric. He slapped the bottle out of the young leaders hand, before throwing a punch at his jaw, making him fall to the floor. Eric, never missing a beat, jumped back up right away, taking up a defensive stance.

"Tobias stop!" I screamed at him.

"What the hell, man?" Wayne, one of Eric´s best friends shouted. "Four, what are you doing?"

"How dare you lay hand on my sister?" Tobias shouted at Eric, ready to strike again.

Gasps were heard from all around me.

"Lay hand on her? I just gave her what she asked for, as long and as hard as she asked for. I didn't force her to anything. Let's rather say she was more than compliant." He smirked, taunting my brother further with words that hurt me in the most humiliating way.

By now I could feel the stares of hundreds of people weighing me down. So I lowered my hand in shame.

Tobias roared in rage and flung himself at him. They exchanged blow after blow, Tobias striking as deadly as a cobra, whereas Eric´s more powerful punches did their own damage.

It was truly frightening to see combat skills at such a level, it almost seemed as if nature was at war with itself. Being too close in skill, none of them was able to keep the upper hand, always switching between attack and defense, never faltering in steps or missing a beat.

This went on and on, excruciating slowly and still too fast to fully grasp, until…

"What is the meaning of this?" a loud voice boomed through the pit, Max standing on one of the top floors. He came running down the stairs, shouting.

"Someone tear these two apart before they kill each other!" Faction members parted for him like the red sea, as the came barreling towards the spectacle.

Doing as told, Wayne and Peter were able to restrain Eric, while Uriah, Zeke and Will did the same with my brother.

Only now one could see the real damaged they had inflicted on each other. Both of them looked like hell. Tobias hat bruises everywhere and his nose was gushing blood, while Eric's jaw was purple and he had a large cut over his eyebrow.

Max took one look at my tear stricken face, before sighing deeply and turned to the members. "Show´s over. Go back to whatever the hell you were doing before. And stop starring"

While everyone scattered to obey Max, I made my way over to the beaten up man, too concerned to stay away any longer. Shoving people out of my way, he saw me coming and looked down to his feet. But when I went to grad his arm, he ripped it away from me, as if I would burn him.

"Don't touch me."

Hastily I drew my hand back.

"Tobias, please. You´re my brother, my only family. Don't abandon me." I cried, trying to capture his hands once again. But he shoved me away from him, making me stumble over my feet.

He glared at me, his eyes as cold as the stone surrounding us.

"Family wouldn't have slept with the man that tries to make my life a living hell.

Family wouldn't have lied to me for three months. No sister of mine would behave like that. Father was right, you're nothing but a whore."

His words hitting me like a ton of bricks, I stumbled backwards, almost falling down, but I was pulled into a hard chest, arms engulfing me. Those words my brother spoke, for everyone to hear, hurt more than every lash my father could ever give to me.

Gasping for air, I wasn't longer able to control the sobs that were forcing their way into my throat. My knees gave away from under me, but I was scooped up into someone's arms. I knew who that someone was, before he even spoke.

"I suggest you´ll leave right this instant, if you don't want me to kill you in the most painful way possible. Since you are apparently ´no brother of hers´ there is nothing that will hold me back. So get the fuck out of my sight."

Eric growled at Four, effectively making the others pull him out of the pit, while Tris whispered to him furiously, hands on his chest.

I buried my head in Eric's neck, not wanting to look at anyone, still to shaken up and hurt to do anything other than whimper.

Eric rubbed my back and whispered soothing things into my ear, while he carried me away into the compound, only deep blue lights guiding our way, getting their energy out of the sun.

The smooth swaying of his footsteps lulled me into the darkness, I succumbed to it, embracing the promise of safety and peace, that Eric´s embrace was offering me, with open arms, while one sentence of his followed me into the land of dreams.

"We are your family now", he whispered, while the pressure of his lips lingered on the place, where a new life was growing.