A/N: Hi Everyone! I appreciate all of you who have read and reviewed Bluebell. It means a lot to me! I just want to let you all know that this story as well as all my others will be put on HIATUS for a couple of weeks as I am in the middle of my midterm season and have exams flying at me from every direction. Hopefully I will be back around Halloween. Until then, here is the much awaited chapter to tide you all over. PLEASE R&R, as I would love know to what you think!
xoxo
M
Eric Coulter was inducted as a leader by the end of the year. It had taken several months, but he managed to firmly lock his feelings about Bluebell away—casting her from his mind and focusing all his attentions on his leadership training.
On the day of his Leadership Induction Ceremony, Eric expected to feel joy. But really, he only felt hollow. The happiness was there, of course, because he had finally achieved his dream. However, the whole situation felt empty, the happiness he felt was not as poignant as he thought it would be. Eric didn't know why, he didn't even want to contemplate why—he just threw himself more into the whole thing and hoped by the end of it everything would be fine and normal again.
He was sitting in on the Control Room post Leadership Ceremony—watching the video feed over the whole city as part of his morning routine when he saw it.
In the Amity sector, somewhere he hadn't bothered to look in a long time, was a familiar figure.
Bluebell. Bluebell and another man. Bluebell and another man who was on one knee and holding up a ring to her.
Shock coursed through Eric and he watched with rapt attention as the man spoke—there was no sound on the video feed so Eric couldn't make out what the presumptuous little hippie was saying but he got the gist of it.
He hadn't seen Bluebell, nor heard from her, in over a year. True she had attempted to send messages. But they were all ignored and eventually they stopped coming. Those messages usually came every Sunday, and Eric always deleted them after staring at them for five minutes. It became such a routine that on the day it stopped happening, Eric nearly threw a fit before he controlled himself and was glacially cruel to everyone else in Dauntless for the whole day after.
He knew that Bluebell would eventually move on with her life. But Eric didn't expect this. No, wait, he did expect this, he just never expected to bear witness to it.
The video lapsed, and the feed resumed but this time it was directed at another area of Amity—and thus, Eric's view on the proposal was stopped. Standing up abruptly, a weird apprehension and dread filled Eric.
Would Bluebell say yes?
Why wouldn't she? It wasn't like there was anyone to stop this from happening, no one to hold her back.
Thoughts began to fill Eric's mind, each new one filling him more and more with apprehension (so much so that Eric was starting to feel sick) as he imagined Bluebell walking down the aisle toward a man that was not him, Bluebell kissing a man that was not him, Bluebell starting a family that was not with him, and having children that didn't look anything like the combination of them because he had left her.
He left Bluebell after she admitted her love for him. She had probably expected for him to eventually come back and apologize—if he even felt remotely the same. But he hadn't, because even though he did feel the same, ardently the same (and Eric could admit that to himself now) he was too much of a coward to do anything to jeopardize his status and title. That realization burned Eric, the fact that he did nothing and let the woman he loved get away, made him a coward. Him, Eric Coulter, a coward. The idea was almost laughable but unfortunately true.
Gritting his teeth, Eric mustered up all his courage before storming through Dauntless and running toward the train tracks. He was going to get to Amity and get his Bluebell back even if it killed him (or he had to kill someone).
The train ride felt like it was taking longer than usual and Eric was filled with anxiety. What if he was too late? What if Bluebell had accepted the proposal? What if she was in love with that man and hated him now?
The questions gathered in Eric's mind and he stubbornly pushed them away. Willing that Bluebell had not truly given up on him.
Once at his destination, Eric vaulted off the train and sprinted toward Amity at a breakneck pace.
By the time he arrived at the place where he last saw the two, there was no one there. Eric looked around and when he spotted no one even within hearing distance, a crushing hopelessness filled the Dauntless leader, believing that he was now too late. But instead of heading back to Dauntless, Eric made his way to Bluebell's home.
Knocking on the door hesitantly, Eric shifted his weight as he waited somewhat nervously in front of the door.
"Go away, Gio—I need some time to my-Oh," Bluebell stopped mid-sentence as she realized the person at the door was not, in fact, Gio but Eric.
Leaning against the door and crossing her arms, Bluebell raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing here Coulter?"
Eric cringed at the harsh tone but straightened himself and persevered to start the speech he had in his head.
"I was in the Control Room, and I saw the feed in Amity. Whoever that man was—don't marry him. He won't give you the life you want or love you as much as I can. We'll figure it out—maybe I can split my time or you can apply for a leadership position at Amity and come to Dauntless on visitations—I don't know. But we'll make it work and you can't marry anyone else because I…I love you and I know you still love me even though I didn't answer any of your letters no matter how much I wanted to and…"
The rest of the speech was cut off as Bluebell slapped a hand over Eric's mouth.
"Feeling rather verbose today, are we Coulter?" Bluebell remarked but frowned at the man before her before sighing and removing her hand from his mouth.
"Eric, what are you doing here? Really? Because you're right, Gio can't provide me with the life that I want but neither can you. You were right before, inter-faction relationships are forbidden and unless you're willing to give up your life in Dauntless and come here—well, nothing will happen. Besides, who says I still love you?"
Eric winced, "I deserved that. But don't lie to me and say you don't still love me Blue. I can read you like a book and you know that I love you—you have to,"
"How would I?" Bluebell cried in exasperation.
"Let's bypass the fact that you never told me. You dropped me the moment things got too complicated, you never answered my messages. You never even came back to apologize or see me. How the hell would I know Eric?"
Not one for more words than he already spewed out, Eric did the only thing he could think of. He pulled Bluebell in and kissed her. Stunned at first, Bluebell tried to push Eric away but the spark that was lit in her consumed Bluebell until all she could think about was Eric Coulter and the love that filled her just by being in his presence.
When they finally broke a part, Bluebell slapped Eric.
"I hate you for this. Goddammit I should hate your guts and want you dead. What the hell are you doing to me Coulter? How the fuck are we going to make this work?" Bluebell made to slap Eric again but he grabs her hand and held her to his chest instead.
Looking into her eyes, there were no words he could say that would assuage her worries, so instead he kisses her again. Another moment of resistance and Bluebell gives in. Locked in an embrace, time fell a part from the couple.
Pulling away to breathe, Eric began kissing Bluebell's cheeks and forehead before finally pulling his face inches away from her and looking into her eyes, "Do you trust me?"
"Fuck no," Bluebell scoffs, making Eric roll his eyes.
"Fine, do you believe in me?" the Dauntless leader inquires, eyes gazing imploringly into Bluebell's.
There's a moment of tense silence. And then a small nod.
"Okay, okay—so what we're going to do, it's unprecedented, at least I think so. But it might just work…"
"Eric," Bluebell stops him mid-sentence though, nervously—causing the Dauntless leader to look back into her eyes.
"Everything's going to be okay, I love you,"
The declaration fills Eric with warmth and he pulls his Amity girl in for another kiss before whispering against her lips, "I love you too,"