So I'm back for another instalment. I didn't have much in the way of a plan for this one before I wrote it and I think it shows. Eric is a bit out of character but one of them needs to make progress and I just don't see Maggie as being ready yet. On another note, I had a dream last night that Jai Courtney was standing in front of me shirtless. I may have licked his muscles. What would you guys have done in the same situation?

Chapter 10

It took about an hour and a half of trudging along rough ground and going around the marsh to make it to the heavily forested area. Maggie's leg was in bad shape to begin with but by the time they got far enough into the tree-line to stay hidden, she was finding it difficult to stand upright. A sharp pain shot up from her leg to the side of her body with every step she took. Not wanting to hold the group back, Maggie did her best to hide her suffering and she felt that she had succeeded.

They got deeper into the trees and felt comfortable that they would be hidden enough to get some rest.

"This looks like a good enough spot. At least the nights aren't too cold just yet. We should get away with not needing a fire." Eric told them.

The three of them sat in a circle and Eric distributed some of the granola bars he had picked up along with sharing around a canteen of water. They sat in silence, eating sparingly.

When Maggie felt she had eaten enough to keep her strength up, she used her acquired knife and cut at the fabric of her black jeans that was ripped around the site of her gunshot graze. In the limited light, she could see the skin around the wound was a deep shade of purple. The bruise extended further than the hole in her trousers was showing. The graze itself was a meaty mess. The bullet had indeed grazed the outside of her leg, however, it was a deep graze and there was a flap of skin detached from one side. Logically, Maggie knew that she would need medical attention and soon if she wanted to avoid a serious blood infection.

"How does it look?" Four inquired, moving over to get a better look. The corners of his mouth turned down at the sight of it.

"It's alright, nothing a beer couldn't fix." Maggie started. "We don't have much here to clean or dress it with. We'll just have to get our asses home as soon as we can."

Four smiled. "I could go for a beer myself. Anything really, except for a Uri special." Maggie giggled.

"After the last time, I don't think I could stomach any more of those for a while."

Four nodded. "Alright, as soon as we get home and get your leg patched up, we'll go for a beer."

"I am in." Maggie agreed. "You two get some rest. I'll take first watch." Eric stood up, shaking his head.

"No. I spent most of the day out. I'm not tired yet. I'll wake you in a few hours to either take over or keep moving." If Maggie were to think too closely, she would think Eric seemed a bit touchy all of a sudden. She was feeling a little too tired to care, though so she set up a small space to sleep, before curling up and closing her eyes.

. . . . .

The blood was pooling all throughout the living room that Maggie just couldn't seem to escape. She looked at the unseeing eyes of her family before her. They continued to bleed as she sat there helplessly. This time there was another figure, kneeling on the floor with a knife to their throat. As Maggie looked closer, she could see it was her. The mirror image of herself looking up with pure terror in her eyes. Maggie looked up at the wielder of the knife. As she dragged her eyes from the blade, up the tattooed, muscular arms to see the cold emotionless face of Eric and she gasped in recognition as he sliced with the blade across her throat.

Maggie sat up gasping. She struggled to catch her breath as the nightmare lingered in her thoughts. As she ran a hand through her mussed locks, she was aware of eyes on her. Eric was turned, facing her direction and watching her intently as she tried to regain her composure. Without a word, he chucked a canteen at Maggie which she gratefully accepted, taking several large glugs before remembering they needed to use it sparingly.

Once her heartrate was under control again, Maggie stood up from the forest floor and moved to sit next to Eric. He had found a spot on a large rock, free from moss so he could keep dry. He moved to the side, making room for her to sit next to him.

They sat in silence for a while. How long, Maggie wasn't sure. She appreciated that for a second time in less than twenty-four hours, Eric didn't press her for answers concerning her panicked behaviour. They simply looked around them, keeping watch as the time dragged on.

"You should get some rest." Maggie suggested to the man beside her. "I won't be able to sleep anymore tonight." Eric nodded, stood up and went to the spot on the ground that Maggie had previously occupied. He lay on his back, looking up at the canopy above him.

"Do you get them often? The nightmares?"

She took a deep breath. Why would he want to know other than to use the knowledge against her later?

"It's fine. You don't have to tell me." He sighed, placing an arm over his eyes, the other hand resting on his stomach. They remained like this for a log while, neither speaking or moving. Maggie could tell by the way Eric was breathing that he was still awake. She looked up, trying to see the stars through the trees but it was impossible. Not knowing why she felt compelled to give him this information, just knowing that she wanted to in that moment, she took a breath and began to speak.

"I used to get them every night. Since I was seven and saw..." she closed her eyes, but thought better of it when the image of Eric, knife in hand, floated across her vision. "After about a year, I had all but give up on ever being able to sleep well again. It did get better after a while. I just get them every few months now..." she began to whisper the last part "or when something triggers the memories."

Eric seemed to understand what she meant by her last statement. "So when we were trying to get out of that room?"

"There were some strong similarities, yeah." Eric moved his arm from his eyes. He looked at her intently.

"You know, you're going to have to find a way to get past it. You chose to be dauntless. Every time you go out on patrols, there is the chance of seeing something to trigger those memories."

Maggie closed her eyes, knowing rolling them wouldn't be appreciated. What was she expecting from Eric? Sympathy? The notion was ridiculous and she knew it.

"Yes. I'm working on it." She agreed, instead. "It didn't take me that long to pull myself together if you remember."

"Lucky for us, there weren't any other enemies in the room at the time." She knew he was right but her pride was wounded nevertheless. She decided not to respond and silently kept watch. It was half an hour later when Eric sighed audibly, dragging himself up from the ground. He moved over to sit back down next to Maggie on the rock.

"Should we wake Four? Get moving?" Maggie inquired, refusing to look at Eric as she spoke.

"Let him have a while longer. It's still too dark to move easily." Maggie couldn't help the discomfort she was feeling sitting next to Eric. She thought over their previous interactions and was reminded that he was in fact, an asshole. She didn't want to have to speak to him anymore so she got up and wandered away from their camp to relieve herself. When she returned, Eric watched her move around as she looked for somewhere away from him to sit down.

"You're going to have to learn not to take everything so personally too. I'm just trying to help you be a better soldier."

She laughed at that. "That might be true, sir, but your methods need a lot of work! I meant it when I said nobody wants to go into battle with you. You have no tact and every time you open your mouth, you're creating more enemies."

"I've gotten by just fine being the way I am."

"You could do so much better than just 'getting by' if you tried a little harder to not be such an asshole." As soon as the words left her mouth, Maggie knew she'd made a mistake. Eric stood up and marched over to her, towering above her. She decided to take a chance and throw his previous words back at him. "You should stop taking things so personally too. I'm just trying to help you be a better leader."

"And what would you know about being a leader? The last man you saw lead this faction died before you could learn anything from him."

"Fuck you!" Maggie's voice had a deathly calm ring to it as she bore holes into him with her eyes. Then she stood up, standing toe to toe with Eric, not wanting to back down again. "You know what, how about we concentrate on getting home so we can go back to staying the hell away from each other. The sooner I never have to look at you again, the better."

Eric didn't respond as Maggie gently shook Four awake and gathered their few belongings. Once Four was up, she led the way, hobbling back toward the city.

. . . . .

Maggie had barely spoken all day. The only things the came out of her mouth were directed toward Four and Eric resented the fact that he was feeling guilty about it. Really, he knew he had once again crossed the line bringing Thorin's fate into their argument. He had wanted to hurt her and when he succeeded, he felt like the worst kind of asshole. She had been right in everything she had said and he knew it. Looking at her now, whispering quietly to Four, smiling at him and making all kinds of plans with him and their little circle was eating away at Eric.

For some reason, her opinions found their way into his very being and tore away at him from the inside. If only he could be someone entirely different around her, he might just be able to tell her how much he had looked up to her father. How he had grieved for the longest time when he had learned of the man's demise. How every night when he was a child, he wouldn't be able to go to sleep until he made a silent wish that the young girl who had witnessed the deaths of her entire family would find peace. That somehow, she would be alright. He could never give voice to those truths, however. It went against everything he had worked to become. It was killing Eric to learn that he could have gone down a different path and possibly had better things to show for it.

But he was too proud. And now, he had to watch as this enigmatic young woman grew strong bonds with Four of all people while not giving Eric a second thought. Once again, they were making plans, this time it wasn't just one beer they were craving but all the booze in the pub back at the compound. They were craving the cooking that Roland had provided, then giving the fallen man a moment of silence to remember him.

I wonder if anyone will grieve me when I'm gone. He knew the answer to that question. He had severed ties with his own family and never looked back. It wasn't that they were bad people and they had always treated Eric well and supported his plans. They were just so different to him. He had exactly one friend in dauntless. If he could call Max a friend. He was his boss and the only person Eric took the time to speak to civilly. Eric came to the realization that if things turned bad again while they were out here, if they didn't make it back, dauntless would miss Maggie. They would be lost without Four as well. Everyone liked wonder boy for whatever the fuck reason. He had the distinct feeling that everyone would let out a collective sigh of relief if Eric were to fall. He could feel his chest tighten at the epiphany. He really was a piece of shit.

. . . . .

After a full day trekking through forest, wasteland and ruins, the outskirts of the city were within their reach. There had been no sighting of the factionless since they left their compound and Maggie suspected that with all the weapons they were armed with, they would at least be able to put up a decent fight against them. Her leg was getting worst the longer they were out there. She had to stop to relieve herself lot long ago and she had noticed the tell-tale signs of an infection making its way to her bloodstream. She wasn't sure how much time she had left before things got desperate. Another night out and away from medical attention could prove fatal for the young woman. She hadn't said anything to her companions about it. There was nothing they would be able to do to help her anyway and the added worry would only cause mistakes to be made. So she had continued limping along, sometimes with the help of Four. She would insist she could go alone whenever he looked tired. She flat-out refused any help from Eric – the thought of him touching her sent a chill up her spine.

As they approached the true outskirts of Chicago were the abandoned buildings stood, half crumbled, they knew it to be another three hour walk to Candor, given their current pace. Dusk was upon them and soon, their visibility would be low. Maggie knew that all patrol units would be heading back to the dauntless compound by now so there was no chance of coming across them until morning.

"Let's find shelter in one of these buildings. Get some sleep and make our way to Candor in the morning." Eric suggested, making his way to a half crumbled down skyscraper. Four began to wordlessly follow when Maggie piped up.

"No. We're so close to Candor. We should keep going. We'll be back at Dauntless in no time." The two men looked at each other before Four turned around to reason with Maggie.

"It's getting dark, we have no idea where the factionless could be hiding. They'll see us and attack before we get the chance to defend ourselves."

Maggie looked at him desperately. "Is there any chance the cameras reach out this far?" Four gave a chuckle but his heart wasn't in it.

"Not out here, no. The buildings were deemed too run down and unsafe for anyone to take shelter in."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Did anyone give the factionless that memo? I'm sure they don't give a shit what is deemed safe if it provides them a hiding spot from us!"

"As soon as we're back, I'll arrange for more widespread surveillance." Eric piped up from his spot near the building's entrance. "Right after we send a party out to the compound out there. Search it thoroughly for any signs of where the rest of them can be." This seemed to pacify Maggie for the time being but she was concerned about her chances of making it back to the compound in the morning. Her leg was only getting worse.

She tentatively followed Eric and Four as they made their way through the entryway. Four left to do a sweep of the building, making sure the three of them would be safe enough there for the night. Maggie felt less than comfortable at being alone with Eric so soon after their spat the night before. He sat down, handing her the last canteen with any water in it. Begrudgingly, she took a sip before handing it back to him.

Eric watched her for a few minutes as she actively avoided looking at him. After he observed her counting the ceiling tiles for a second time, he decided to extend an olive branch.

"You know, I've never been great with people. Not even when I was a kid." Maggie stiffened as his voice broke through the silence. "I really don't handle it well when my weaknesses get called out."

She didn't respond, just simply sat there, stiffly and clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

"I think, maybe, you might have had a few good points last night." When Maggie still didn't say anything, Eric reached over, lifting her chin with his finger so she would at least look at him. "What I'm trying to say, Maggie, is that I'm sorry. I know what I said about your Father was out of line and it just proved how right you have been with everything you've said."

"That's very...big...of you." Maggie conceded.

"I was wondering." He began, now that he finally had her attention. "What advice you had. About leadership. And people."

"Leadership and people, huh?" Maggie drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Maybe a good start would be to listen when you're given helpful suggestions instead of doing everything in your power to cut the person down."

Eric stared at the floor, the shame he had been feeling all day growing stronger again. He knew if Maggie were to take him seriously, he would have to give her something.

"You know, my whole life, I wanted to be just like your Dad. As soon as I could read, I was learning what I could about everything he'd done. All the people he saved. Everything books could tell me. The day I found out he'd been killed was the day I lost hope. I grieved more for your father than I probably would have done for my own." His confession was spoken so softly that Maggie had to strain to hear.

"That's an awful way to feel about your own family." Although there was no malice or spite in her words.

"Every time you tell me I'm falling short of how Thorin ran things and about the kind of man he was, I don't think you know how much it affects me. It never occurred to me before meeting you that he would be any different to how I am."

"You don't need to be cruel to be brave. You don't need to be ruthless to be a good leader. Sure, sometimes the situation calls for it but I'll bet that in all the books you read, there was no mention to how my father used to devote hours of his time to help the abnegation with their charity work. Or how he would take my mother back to Amity every month and partake in all their peace rituals to try and see things from their perspective. He was a great leader because he cared so much about every person he was protecting. Not just the dauntless but everybody. That's why he was so loved. That's why he had such respect amongst the city."

"I don't think I can be that man, Maggie." He confessed. Feeling more vulnerable than he ever had before.

"You don't have to be the same as my father to be a good man. Look at Max. He is doing the best he can and has never resorted to cruelty. You just need to find a way to lead without resorting to it." Eric just stared at her, fixated by those eyes. He couldn't escape them and the harder he tried to, the more they drew him in. "I'm sorry too, Eric. I know I have high expectations and I haven't been easy on you since we met. How about we just stay out of each other's way from now on? We can figure our own shit out."

Eric didn't want that. He had seen her as she truly was when she was with her friends. He had watched her from the shadows and couldn't bear the thought of never being able to bring that light into her eyes. He knew he meant very little to her, but she had grown to mean something to him. What exactly, he wasn't sure but he needed to be around her to discover what it was.

The talk had gotten her to forgive him but he still felt the huge rift between them and he couldn't figure out a way to close the gap or why in hell he wanted to.

. . . . .

When Eric woke up to the early light of the sun rising the following morning, something didn't feel right. He sat up and his attention was quickly drawn to Maggie. It was a relatively warm morning already but there she lay, shivering violently. Her skin had been drained of colour and a layer of sweat had formed all over.

"Maggie?" he moved over to her, touching his hand to her forehead. It didn't take a genius to tell she was running a fever. Without wasting time, he shook Four awake. "Maggie's sick, we need to get her to help. Run to Candor, try to flag down any attention through the cameras on the way. We can't move her so bring someone back here. Hurry!" Four didn't waste time arguing or waiting until he was awake enough to run in a straight line, he just followed his orders. He was the faster runner of the two men and if he kept a good pace, he could get to Candor in just over an hour. If the control room workers were doing their job and alerted the authorities as soon as they spotted him, he might be met with a patrol truck sooner than that.

With that knowledge in mind, Four took paths through the streets that he knew there were cameras watching. He just hoped dauntless had recovered enough from the attacks that the cameras would be up and running.

He had lost track of how long he had been running for. He worked hard to keep up his pace but with his energy stores depleted from living on nothing but granola bars and a little water, he had to rely on sheer will to get him there. After what felt like an age, Four could hear the rumblings of a truck and took off in the direction the beautiful sound was coming from.

He ran out in front of the truck which screeched to a halt and Zeke jumped out from behind the wheel.

"Boy are you a sight for sore eyes!" Four exclaimed while the men gave each other a quick, gruff hug.

"Is it just you?" Zeke looked worried. He didn't even bother to hide it.

"No, but you need to come with me. Maggie is in pretty bad shape."

. . . . .

Maggie opened her eyes to discover she was in the bright, clinical room of the infirmary. There was a drip connected to her arm, rehydrating her she assumed. She lifted the sheet covering her leg to see that it had been stitched up and the bruise was beginning to fade.

"Well its about time you woke up! I've been waiting to hear your explanation of a few things!"

"Ro!" Maggie was elated to see her tiny friend was alright after the attacks. She jumped up, ignoring the pull of the IV and wrapped her in an embrace. "I'm so glad you're alright." She whispered, a tear escaping the corner of her eye.

"You as well. We didn't know where the hell you'd gone Maggie! And then to see Eric carry you out of that building looking lifeless after being missing for days! I have never been so afraid!"

"I know, I'm so sorry. We shouldn't have taken off after the factionless like that without backup or anything to defend ourselves with." They sat there, holding each other for a moment. "What about Four and Eric? Are they alright?"

Ro sighed. "Yes they're fine. They got back, had something to eat and left again."

"What? Why?"

"Max wanted them to take him out to where you had been held captive. See what they could find there. They should be back before dark."

"Yeah, Eric said that they would have to go out there again." Maggie remembered out loud.

"Speaking of Eric, he carried you all the way from the truck to here by himself. He wouldn't let anybody touch you until the doctor was able to calm him down. He also came in here to check on you before he left."

"That's weird." Maggie thought out loud.

"Did something happen between the two of you while you were gone?" Maggie thought back over the last couple of days.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. We had another argument actually."

Ro scoffed. "When do you two not get into an argument?"

"Then we sort of called a truce. That's it."

"Well that clarifies nothing! He was really worried about you."

Maggie lay her head on Ro's shoulder as the two girls lay back on the small infirmary cot. "Your guess is as good as mine, Ro." She was now more than ready to change the topic but was feeling too tired to keep her eyes open any longer. "Will you stay while I sleep?"

Ro wrapped her arm around Maggie. "Sure, M. I'll be right here. When you wake up, I'll tell you all about the progress I made with Max while you were away."

Maggie smiled. "Oh yeah? How about you tell me now. I'll stay awake for that story." And without need of more encouragement, Ro launched into her now exaggerated version of the one conversation she had with Max over the past few days, earning genuine smiles from her friend.