Back to Dauntless with Uriah
I don't own any of the Divergent characters. Veronica Roth does.
I do claim the new characters and the plot. This is rated M for strong language and sexual content.
Thanks for the reviews! Y'all gave me some ideas so keep 'em coming.
Luna's POV
Malachi and I said goodbye in the privacy of his place since we wouldn't have a chance again with everyone else around. We head to breakfast side by side. I want to hold his hand or have him wrap an arm around me but we can't without looking like faction traitors. People here in Amity probably wouldn't think anything of it but if word ever got back to Dauntless. I would bet I'd find myself in the chasm and I think Malachi know's it too. I let out a heavy sigh.
"I know Queen Bee. Me too." He's just as frustrated and torn as I am about our situation. He presses into me to let me know he's still there for me. I lean into him. It's the most affection we can show in front of others.
We get breakfast and find an empty table. Just as we sit down, Uriah stumbles over and plops down across from us. He lets his head hit the table. He grumbles but I can't understand him.
"Uri, I don't speak hungover grumble. You'll have to say whatever that was again."
"Shhh! Not so loud. My head is killing me. What was in that punch?" Malachi and I both laugh.
"Eat some bread and I'll get you a cup of tea. It'll help Blueberry." Malachi squeezes my shoulder as he gets up to get the tea for Uriah.
"Thanks Malachi." Uriah says to him. I pass him some bread.
"I see you were successful last night in having some fun." I wiggle my eyebrows at me.
"Did he just call me Blueberry?"
"Well when you have so many blueberries you tend to look like one giant one." I gesture to his neck. He smirks.
"So that's what blueberry means?" I nod. "See you found a patch too." Uriah winks at me. I blush.
Malachi comes back with tea for all of us. "Thanks." Uriah and I say in unison. Malachi sits back down next to me and rests his hand on my thigh. Uri wiggles his eyebrows at us and we chuckle.
"Johanna said she'd join us in a minute." Malachi tell us. We nod. A couple minutes later she joins us.
"Morning Mama." She beams at me and I hear Uri choke on his bread. He's looking at me wide eyed. What's his deal? Oooh. "Sorry, I mean Johanna."
"Not to worry Hun. I doubt Blueberry there will say anything about your slip." She winks at me and we all chuckle at Uri's new nickname.
"I didn't realize you were her mom." Uriah looks at me with a hurt look like I'm keeping all kinds of secrets from him. Oh if he only knew! "And no Lu I won't say anything. You know you can trust me, right?" I think he's referring to more than my 'mama' slip up...relief washes over me. I wasn't entirely sure until now if I could trust him. He does have a loud mouth. I look him over. Yes he can be loud and loose lipped at times but he won't say anything that'll put me at risk. I smile and nod. He lets out a breath I hadn't noticed he was holding under my scrutiny. We smile at each other with a new understanding of one another.
"In short I adopted Lulu when she was younger. She'll always be my daughter, even in Dauntless. I'm so proud of her." She wraps an arm around me and I turn to hug her back. Again a tear escapes my eye. Fuck why am I so emotional lately? I wipe it away quickly.
"Awe!" Uriah let's slip. I flash my eyes at him and he smiles then goes back to eating his bread. Malachi squeezes my leg and rubs circles on my thigh with his fingertips.
After a while we get up to leave. Johanna and Uriah walk in front of us. As if Malachi had read my mind earlier he nudges me and I look up at him, "I think it's the pills making you emotional. Don't fret Queen Bee. You're not going soft." He whispers and I nod. Of course! I hadn't even thought about it. Of course those pills are wreaking havoc on me. Fucking hormones! I snort at my slow up take of the obvious and Malachi laughs.
Time lapse ahead
Uriah and I find ourselves in the Pit. "Let me know if you ever need an escort to Amity again, Lu." Uriah winks at me.
"Will do. Feel better." I pat his shoulder. He pulls me in for a hug. I catch Eric looking at us and he doesn't look happy. Did something happen?
"I already feel better thanks to you." He kisses my cheek. Where did that come from? I shake my head. What is happening?
"Bye Blueberry." I head to my office and he heads off into the crowd. I've got to write up my report for Max.
Why is it such a pain in the ass to write these reports? Can't I just brief Max on what occurred? I put my head in my hands and rub my eyes with the heels of my palms. I let out a groan of frustration.
"Something wrong?" I lookup and Eric is leaning against my doorway. How long has he been there in my doorway?
"No. I'd like to get this report finished and go home, shower, and crawl into my soft bed." Exhaustion washing over me. Damn I knew I was tired but didn't realize I was exhausted.
"A shower does sound nice." Eric grins at me.
"Is that report ready Lu?" Max asks from over Eric's shoulder. Eric turns to face Max.
"Welcome back!" So he welcomes Max but glares at me? What the hell? 'A shower sounds nice' my ass. A shower alone and my comfy bed, also alone, sounds like bliss. My emotions are too much for me so forget about adding someone else's to the mix right now.
"Almost done Max. I handled everything so you needn't worry. It'll all be in my report." I gesture to my screen.
"Glad to hear it Lu. Once you're done send it over and then you can take the rest of the day." I do a mental fist pump. "Eric I need to speak with you in my office." Max walks off. I'm immediately begin working away on my report hoping to finish. I glance over and Eric is already gone. Bye to you too.
Done! I send my report and head to my apartment. I take a nice long hot shower. Throw on some PJs and crawl into bed. I fall asleep instantly.
Eric's POV
Luna should've been back last night but I guess things ran late. I swear she'll find any excuse to stay the night. Doesn't she realize how bad that looks? At least she'll be back today. At least her time with Malachi would've been shortened since he was in the city. Relief floods me. That guy was a pompous ass. Acts like he knows me, like we have stuff in common. Humph. We are nothing alike and I wish we didn't have Luna in common. I've never wanted someone like I want her. I have to admit he was right about me wanting her to be mine and mine alone. And what did he mean by lovers? Is she with other guys? Her and Tori were pretty cozy. Is she bi? Is that what Malachi meant I'd have twice as much competition when it came to Luna? Fuck. How did this woman get under my skin? Why do I want her so much? Because you cant have her...at least not all to yourself. My mind quips at me. Ugh! Stop being a girl Eric.
Oh there she is, thank goodness she's back. Ugh, are those hickeys?! And Uriah has quite a few too! Shit! Did she give him those? Did that fucker leave marks on her?! I can't help but to growl quietly. I don't know which is worse Malachi or Uriah. At least her time with Malachi is limited and they have to hide their interactions...but what if she ended up with Uriah? They'd be able to be together all the time here in Dauntless; even flaunt it. My stomach churns. Is that fucker hugging her?! Damnit! Oops, Luna saw me looking. Shit! Look away. I look down at my feet. All I wanted this morning was to welcome her back but right now I don't think that'd be a good idea. I'm too worked up. I glance back in her direction. Wait where'd she go? Probably her office, that's the most logical place. She'll have to write up a report for Max summarizing her trip.
I head to my office. Oh who am I kidding? I'm headed to Luna's office which is conveniently across from mine. Makes it easy to pretend I'm heading to mine versus her's, thank you Max! Her door is open so she must be in.
I lean against her door jam and watch her. She looks tired. I wonder if there really was trouble in Amity? Max had said he was worried about their request for another visit, especially so soon. I bet her mother's need to see her daughter had more to do with that request than Max realizes. I roll my eyes. She must really must be tired or something is bothering her because she still hasn't noticed me. I'm pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of her groaning. What is up with her?
"Something wrong?" I ask. Her head snaps up. She appears startled by me. Isn't she happy to see me? You're acting needy Eric. Knock it off.
"No. I'd like to get this report finished and go home, shower, and crawl into my soft bed." Luna replies.
"A shower does sound nice." Especially if it's anything like the last one we shared.
"Is that report ready Lu?" Max asks from behind me. Shit. I didn't even hear him come up behind me. I really am slipping.
"Welcome back!" Wow that was way too enthusiastic. Way to be over the top. What is wrong with me?!
"Almost done Max. I handled everything so you needn't worry. It'll all be in my report." Luna tells Max.
"Glad to hear it Lu. Once you're done send it over and then you can take the rest of the day. Eric I need to speak with you in my office." Max walks off. Fuck, what now? So much for that shower. I glance back over to Luna. She's already back at it. Damn. I head to Max's office.
"How'd the conference go?" I ask Max as I enter his office.
"It didn't go well, Eric. Not at all. The topic of divergence came up and then all chaos broke out. Worse yet we're going to have another meeting in a week. I think Luna should attend the next meeting. Depending how she handles it could determine if she's done with her training or not." Max explains. Oh no. If Luna goes she'll have to be around Marcus. Is that what Max means? Luna could be done with her training if she can handle something as difficult as an interaction with that son-of-a-bitch?
"When are you going to tell her?" I ask Max.
"I'm not. You are. You're her mentor and know her best. I saw her fear landscape too. I know this will be difficult. You need to prepare her." He looks me over, "that's all for now." Fuck! I head to my office. Luna has already left for the day. Oh well, maybe it's for the best. Now, to figure out how I'm going to tell her...much less prepare her for the upcoming meeting at Abnegation. There'll be a high probability of her being forced to face Marcus. Maybe for once he won't be in attendance? Fat chance. My mind quips.
Time lapse ahead
"Come on Luna! Are you even trying to beat me?!" I just about shout at her. She's normally better at sparring.
"Of course I'm trying Eric!"
"So get up and let's go again." I command.
"No. Not until you tell me why you're pushing me so hard. Are you upset about my trip to Amity? It was two days ago and you've been pushing me harder than ever. Is this how it's going to be every time I return from a trip?" She practically hisses at me. Shit. She thinks this is because I'm angry with her? Well fuck me. Now I have to tell her.
"Do you really think I'm of such weak character? This has nothing to do with Amity or those hickeys!" I hiss at her. Yes I noticed them and no I'm not happy about them. Really I'm mad at myself because I can't blame her for assuming what she has but I can't help the emotions her assumption elicits. "This has to do with your next task. You need to ready and this is the only way I know how to make you ready." At least I got that much out. Fuck this is difficult.
"What's my next task?" She innocently asks.
"There is another meeting at the end of the week...in Abnegation. You're to attend." I don't have to say anymore. She's already beginning to pale. Her breathing becomes shallow. I want to comfort her but I can't coddle her either; not if she's to do this herself. "Bring your knees to your chest and let your head fall between them. Breathe in slow and deep and exhale slowly. You can do this Luna." I try to reassure her.
She regains her composure after ten minutes or so. I'm actually impressed. This visit will involve the person she believes represents her greatest fear and she's already regaining her composure?! Wow doesn't even come close to doing her justice.
"What do I need to do?" She asks as she stands.
"You need to be able to maintain your composure. You're most likely going to be in the same room as him." I don't need to elaborate on the 'him' part. We both know I'm talking about Marcus. "The best way I know how to do that is to make you realize you're stronger than him, you're not that little girl anymore. You're a Dauntless warrior! Soon to be a Dauntless Leader! You need to realize you're a force to be reckoned with...now fight me!" I command again. I'm not sure if this is the best method. I've never been abused and most certainly never raped. I think building her confidence and making her realize she's not weak will help. I hope for both our sakes I'm right.
She doesn't hesitate. She's quick and strategic. Not sloppy like before. This is our best fight yet. We continue for 15 minutes. With s brutal blow to the bundle of nerves in my thigh just above the knee I fall. Fuck that hurt. She doesn't relent and I'm glad. In a real fight an opponent wouldn't so why should she? She hits me in the jaw and follows with a kick to my torso. I grab her leg and drag her down. I pin her and like before she swings her legs up and around to my head forcing me off of her. This time though she makes sure I'm face down with an arm pinned to my back and her elbow in my neck. I can feel her knees in my thighs. She's effectively pinned me. I hear her growl and her breathing is hard. It's awful of me but I'm kind of turned on by her right now. She's fierce and I think she's finally starting to realize it. She continues holding me down. I don't think she is seeing me here beneath her. I let her have another minute before speaking.
"I think we can call this one a win for you." I say with my face still in the matt.
"Huh?" She sounds caught off guard. "Oh sorry." I was right she wasn't viewing this as a fight with me anymore. She gets off of me and sits a little ways away from me. I roll to my back and sit up. She's looking off to the side.
"You did well. Much better than earlier." I stand up. "We're done for today." She gets up and walks out. I make a mental note to pick up more limes and tequila. Unfortunately I don't think our drinking will lead to sex this time. Honestly I think it'd be a bad idea right now. Right now she needs a friend not a lover.
Hours later I make my way to her apartment with s bag of limes and a new bottle of tequila. I knock and she opens the door. I hold up my presents and she nods. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. As I walk in she grabs my elbow, "just drinking tonight." I know it's not a question. "Just drinking." I repeat back to her.
Please review. Let me know if you like the story, how it could be better, etc.