Chapter 10
~~~Tobias~~~
"FOUR!" I heard someone call from across the dining hall. I know that bastards voice anywhere.
"What the fuck do you want, Eric?" My patience with him is thin at the moment. I have get things squared away in the control room before I start in leadership. I wasn't scheduled back in the control room until after break but I need to get my station ready for a new member to take my place. After initiation is over I was supposed to get 2 weeks break but I start as a leader on Monday. Tris still has the extra week off but picks her new job Monday. I know how much she loves her art but part of me would love for her to work in the leadership department with me. She doesn't want to be a leader but there are so many jobs in the department she could take.
"Max wants you to come get the keys for your office so you can be ready to roll Monday. He also wants you to pick from the two empty executive apartments." Eric says…nicely. What the hell is with that?
"As soon as I wrap up in the control room I'll go see Max. I'd really rather not decide on moving. Don't know how Tris feels about it. And why are you talking to me as if you like me. You haven't gone soft on me have you?" I turn to walk away.
"No, you're still a stiff…"
"And you're still a dick."
"True. As much as I'm not thrilled to have to work with your ugly face every day," I turn to face him out of sheer curiosity, "we have to get along for the sake of Dauntless. We are on the same team now."
"Dauntless isn't divided into teams, Eric. We have always been on the same team. It doesn't mean we have to like our teammates." I say. "One of these days I'm going to shoot you full of truth serum and figure out how all of this started but for now I have work to do."
"Maybe you won't have to do that, Four. Meet me in my office after you talk to Max." Eric said reluctantly. "Why? Are ya gunna let me read your Hello Kitty diary?" I smirk. "Fuck you, Stiff." Eric grins. Apparently he couldn't deny that was a good one. "Naw, you'd like that too much but I hear there is a guy that works in maintenance that…." Eric punches me in the shoulder. "Asshole!" I punch him back harder, "Quit trying to pet me, Pussy!"
Part of me wanted to punch his teeth down his throat and the other part of me had some morbid curiosity about what his Hello Kitty diary says. It probably has a list of past and future homicides along with the long list of girls left in his wake. It's isn't hard to spot them doing the walk of shame through the Pit.
On my way back from the control room I ran into Tris and Christina. Tris looked more than thrilled to be drug behind Christina after another one of Christina's pre-party shopping excursions. Does that girl ever wear anything twice? She must plan on spending every point of her new member bonus.
"Hey, babe!" Tris says. I grab her around the waist with one arm and hold her face with the other hand kissing her. "I'd ask how your day is going but I can clearly see…" I motion to Christina. "Yeah." Is all she can say. After an embrace she asks how my day is going. "I'm getting ready to meet with Max to get my office keys and then Eric wants to meet up with me to read his diary." I snicker. "What?" she asks. "Never mind." I laugh. "Yeah…" Christina says, "what's up with you two. I thought you were about to make out or something." Tris looks to me waiting for an answer. "Why are you jealous, Chris?" I say. "Uuuh, men." She laughs. "I'll explain when I get home, ok babe, I love you." I kiss Tris's forehead. "I love you, too."
Max took me to my new office and gave me the key. He also gave me a set of master keys for the Dauntless compound. I got my user ID and set up a private password to access the system. I hadn't talked it over with Tris but I told Max I wanted to stay in my apartment. Being in leadership doesn't make anyone better than another. I already have a 2 bedroom apartment with a workout area. I could live in a box as long as Tris was with me. Ok, maybe not a box! I knew she wouldn't want to be far from our friends. I don't really want to be either I guess. I never had a family until now. Zeke has been a brother to me but now it feels like I have a complete family.
Here goes nothing. I knock on Eric's door. "Hey, come in." He says. I walk in expecting to see a coffin in the corner for nap time and bra's hanging from the ceiling but it actually looks like an office. He has a laptop on his desk and paperwork scattered around. "Sit." He says motioning to a chair across from his desk. "Want a beer?" he offered. "Sure." I sit down crossing my ankle over my knee. Eric hands me a beer. I control my urge to ask if he laced it with anything but right now this cold beer is heaven. "So why sudden urge for a confession, Eric?" I ask. "Four," he says running his hand through his hair, "I didn't want you in leadership. I know you're here because Max told you what is going on. I admire your bravery, Stiff. Not many people would step up like that." He says.
"I have a family now, Eric. I know you know my past. You have access to my records. I didn't run away from Abnegation like you think I did. I ran toward something." I say. "Don't you think I don't know that, Four? A coward would have stayed in Abnegation. A coward would have run to Amity. But you took a blood oath when your blood dropped in the coals and you always took this seriously. Erudite and Abnegation have never gotten along. Do you think I wanted some stiff to beat me? No one has ever beaten me. That's why I hate you. You have what I want." Eric confesses. I don't even know what to make of this. Eric sitting across from me is telling me, his enemy, a weakness. Never expose your weakness to your enemy.
"Natural born enemies or not, Eric, I could have liked you. Even though you are a dick. I was just trying to get through initiation and start a new life. I wasn't trying to compete with you or steal a spot from you. I had no intention of trying to take leadership away from you. Had you asked I would have told you I never wanted the spot." I took another drink of my beer. "I don't know what you want me to do with what you are saying. I don't understand the point you are trying to make with all of this. Is your confession supposed to make the past two years of hating each other supposed to disappear. Do you want an invitation to our party or something?" I laugh.
"Four…" his eyes search a void trying to find what to say or how to say what he wants to tell me. "Things happen in life that change your entire way of thinking. I don't know if you know that I have been seeing Zoey regularly. Most people think that I still…well you know what they think. Four, Zoey is pregnant." I'm actually quite shocked right now. I'm not shocked that Eric got some girl pregnant. I'm shocked that someone finally tamed him. Before Tris I was made of stone. He must love her.
"Things change, Eric. Since you are in the mood for confessions, Tris is the reason I joined leadership. I will stop at nothing to protect her. If that is the way you feel about Zoey and your child then I know you understand why I am here." I'm trying not to show my hand but Eric has already laid his cards on the table. His voice is still that stern and monotone voice so at first I had a hard time believing what he was saying but it all makes sense now. "We have the same purpose now but what does that have to do with me or this conversation?"
"I've seen a change in you since she got here. I know you will stop at nothing. Neither will I. You came in first. You are obviously good at what you do. Think of it this way, during capture the flag you and I were captains. We have always been against each other. One of us has to win and the other has to lose. When it comes to the current state of things I would rather align forces than be enemies. I hate, HATE, to admit that if we align there isn't a bastard out there that stands a chance." I have to agree. Eric may be a dick but now he has something worth fighting for. The same something I am fighting for. Dauntless is my home and Tris is my life. No one and I mean no one will take that away from me and if that means aligning with Eric I'll do it.
I stand and set my now empty beer on his desk and offer him my hand. "Truce." I say. He shakes my hand and nods. "Truce." He says. Opening the door to his office I turn back and say, "But you are still a dick."
"Yeah, and your still a stiff."
~~~Author's Note~~~
This chapter was actually fun to write. I always wondered about Eric's private life. I figured he would be a womanizer and be all 50 Shades of Grey...hmmm :) However, I loved the banter between them during the first fight scene in the movie and wanted to incorporate that into this story.
Let me know what you think. I love hearing from you! Everytime I get an email with a review or a new follower I get as gitty as a school girl. And I am the farthest thing from a gitty schoolgirl. It wont be hard to figure me out. I put a little bit of myself in each of these characters. Feisty badass smart mouth mystery that even my husband of 13 years can't figure out :)
So, review, follow, or just message me what you think.
