A huge thank you to Jaqueline for reading through this and editing it for me! You are awesome :)

As always- thank you so much for reading, reviewing, and subscribing to the story. Makes my whole life. To those of you have who have reviewed with such kind words, I appreciate you more than you could imagine!

I'm working on Eric's POV. I have no idea when I'll get around to editing/positing it. I may try to finish this story first then post his version. I want to make sure it's him, if that make sense. But it's floating around on my laptop, and I think it could be really cool to read his point of view.

And finally, Enjoy! :D

He kisses me goodbye Monday, and he seemingly hesitates in the doorway, his fingers still in my hair.

"I'll see you for lunch." He mutters. I'm off with Max today, and it's brought Eric back to his normal, reserved self. His posture is straight and rigid, giving way to a cold and closed off persona. His eyes are only on me. He stands with his shoulders tensed towards me, as though the physical separation could be warded off if he stands close enough.

"You better not be late." I tell him, reaching up on my toes to brush my lips against his once more.

He smirks at me, for Eric is never late. He eventually lets go of me and his fingers slowly slip through the ends of my hair, his movements slower and softer than one would expect for a man who claimed he can't be gentle. Every cell in my body aches to follow after him; but I stand my ground. Max will be here shortly, and the agenda he emailed me looks overly ambitious for today.

I watch Eric walk away; his shoulders are now squared off and his head is held high. I watch him until he reaches the elevators, and he turns, his grey eyes finding mine set on him.

He smiles. It's slight and to the untrained eye, one might think he's merely smirking at the peons that work away in the offices. But I know better. I'm surprised to find myself missing him before he even steps through the elevator doors. I have the urge to run after him, to climb atop of his lap and kiss him senseless until he's willing to open up further. It's become some sort of dangerous addiction, an unquenchable thirst to know every little thing about him.

I swallow hard, and steel my shoulders to prepare myself for the day. I'm already counting down the hours, knowing that it's nothing more than a little over thirteen of them before I can crawl back into bed with him, and pry another confession out of him.

The doors shut and Eric vanishes before my eyes.

Unraveling Eric is hard, but letting myself unravel with him is just as hard.

"Are you and Eric coming to the New Year's Party?"

Jeremy stands before me, and his eyes seem to watch me nervously. He almost always looks nervous now, and I can't quite figure out why. Tris had no clue either. We'd met for dinner on Tuesday, and she'd spent the entire meal trying to figure out what was going on. I didn't have any better answers than she did, but I promised her I'd keep an eye on him.

Now I stare up at Jeremy, my fingers hovering over my keyboard. I'm supposed to be responding to an email about a meeting that Jack would like to have with only the Dauntless leaders, but Jeremy is a welcome distraction.

"We are going."

Eric hadn't really mentioned the party since our meeting, but I had decided that we would attend. It would be nice to be around everyone in a lighter atmosphere, and from what I've heard, the fireworks were supposed to be quite the show.

"Do you want to sit with Tris and I? During the fireworks?" Jeremy runs a hand through his hair, and looks at me with a pleading expression on his face. "She seemed unsure if she was going, and I thought maybe she'd want to go if we could hang out with you and Eric."

I try to keep my face neutral. I'm not sure how fun Tris would find hanging out with Eric. While she was supportive of our relationship, and often surprisingly insightful about it, she had never really hung out with the both of us together. Especially not on some sort of double date. I'm not even sure I've heard Tris talk about the New Year's Party.

"I'll talk to her. That could be really fun." I stop, thinking hard for a second. " Doesn't all of Dauntless go? I somehow doubt that Eric and I will be the only people there that Tris would want to hang out with.

Jeremy's face turns to something of annoyance. "Yeah, normally. I'm just hoping we don't run into Four." He rolls his eyes, and I can't help the sour feeling in my stomach. Even though Four is up to something, and strangely absent from almost every area of Dauntless, he's hardly someone that you'd need to avoid.

"Want to just plan on meeting sometime before the fireworks?" I ask him, returning my gaze to the screen in front of me. The cursor blinks impatiently, demanding I write something in response.

Jeremy nods his head. "Sure."

I smile at him, and realize this is the first decision I have ever made for both Eric and I, and I have no idea how he will react.

While I make my way to the apartment, I try to think of really fun ways to break the news to Eric that I've agreed for us to hang out with Jeremy and Tris. I can't figure out if he'll flat out refuse, or he'll agree then spend the whole night clenching his jaw and scowling.

The answer is neither.

He's too distracted because our kitchen table has been delivered, and he's impatiently waiting for me to notice that there's a bouquet of soft pink flowers in the middle of it. They smell sweet and floral, and I stop to stare at them and he slides his arms around me.

"Were they all out of black flowers?" I tease him, mumbling the words against his lips. He simply smirks and moves to set me atop of the new table.

"Stop talking." He tells me, his voice low. It's the last thing I hear him say before he kisses me again, this time long enough that I can't breathe but I don't care.

I crack my head open on a Thursday.

It's starts to snow heavily, and despite my heavy boots and keen sense of observation, I manage to step on a stair that is covered in dark ice. I was making my way towards the highest levels of Dauntless, trying to keep up with Max and Jeremy. They were further ahead, neither paying much attention to the fact that I was far behind them. It was partially my fault; growing up in Amity had meant that we spent a lot of our winters inside. My position had allowed me to stay near Johanna, and away from the actual weather. Amity offered little experience with icy stairs and frigid caverns.

But Dauntless is another story.

The hallways are frozen; literal icicles hanging in some of the colder parts of the compound. This particular staircase Max had chosen to take was covered in a layer of what looked like dirty icy water. It spiraled up high, so high that it seemed to disappear into the highest part of the caverns. Max had given Jeremy and me keycards that opened almost any door in Dauntless, with the exception of the apartments. He'd started us on a tour of important yet unknown places. Places that stored ammunition, housed those who were being held in a sort of jail, and storage spaces that would double as a safe house if the need ever arise. I'm assuming it never did, after all- Dauntless was the first line of defense.

I'd followed after them the best I could, but they were much faster and more skilled at walking on the slick stairs. This part of Dauntless was nearly abandoned; we hadn't seen so much as a soul for the past ten minutes, and we continued upwards. I was trying to focus, but my thoughts were anywhere but on where we were going.

I was thinking of Eric, warm and heavy beneath our sheets.

Him opening up to me was a huge step, but by no means did he answer all my questions. I'd awoken half on top of him, as if my body were physically holding him in place so he wouldn't wake up and slip out before I could talk to him. I didn't plan on barraging him with any more questions so soon, but maybe my subconscious was trying to tell me something.

It was nearly impossible to tear myself away from him. His skin had been deliciously hot from being pressed up against mine, and his head was tilted to the side, his throat open and exposed. In his sleep Eric is ultimately the most vulnerable, often unconsciously baring himself to me. I find the way he sleeps delightful. How easy it would be to stay there, curling back on top of him until the world drifted away.

But that wasn't the case.

I'd reluctantly slid off him, staring at his parted lips and his long eyelashes. I resisted the urge to touch his jaw bone, and instead I'd grumpily taken a shower and met Max and Jeremy all while wishing I'd asked for today off. Eric didn't sleep in easily, the man was almost always primed for action, but he'd sleepily whispered that he taken the day off because he thought I was off. Despair had flooded through me at his words; I wanted nothing more than to lie there with him until the morning slipped away.

I scowled at the staircase. It's large and metal, seemingly unsafe and impractical considering the two larger men who were trudging up it ahead of me. They both easily stepped off onto the floor Max had chosen and I made the mistake of glancing downwards. My boot missed the final step completely, and I twisted myself around to catch my balance. It didn't work, I lost my balance entirely, and my head hit the edge of the stair with a disturbing crack. I can feel a sudden drip of wetness in my hair. I was unsure if it was merely icy water, but when I reached my hand up to touch the quickly rising bump, it came away bloody. I manage to gracelessly sit upright, pressing my palm to my head. The room tilts for a second, and I squeeze my eyes shut.

The next thing I know, Jeremy is yelling my name and Max is simply muttering the word "Fuck."

Arlene is quiet while she stitches my head up.

She hums along to herself, and I wince every time the needle slides through the skin. Despite her numbing injection, I can still feel every pull and tug of my scalp, and I try to think of anything else but what she's doing.

"You okay, Everly?" Jeremy is sitting beside me on the bed, and he looks worried. He and Max had argued over who was going to go tell Eric, and Max had lost out when Jeremy threatened to quit the leadership program all together before he would go and tell Eric I'd cracked my head open.

"Yeah, I'm good." I close one eye as Arlene knots the thread, and I grimace. "I feel great."

He nods at me for a moment before he cocks his head to the aside. He then cringes and slides down off the table in a hurry.

I hear Eric before I see him.

His snarl is ever familiar, and there is a loud stomp of his boots on the floor. He all but shoves Jeremy out of the way, only stopping when he realizes I'm watching him.

"What happened?" He's staring at Jeremy with a look that is a cross between murder and more murder.

Jeremy swallows and takes a step back, holding up his hands in surrender. "I uh, I didn't see."

Eric glares, and takes a step towards him. He looks menacing, almost feral as his fists clench together and his chin tilts upwards. "Why is her head being stitched up?"

"It's not his fault, Eric. It's mine. I wasn't paying attention." I reach out for him, trying to pull him back towards me. "The stairs were really slippery, and I missed a step and fell backwards."

Eric's gaze snaps to mine, and he stares at me with a sort of reluctant relief in his eyes. He doesn't jerk his hand away from mine; instead he threads his fingers through my own, and takes a step closer towards me. His free hand brushes my cheekbone, and Arlene clears her throat.

"Coulter, I need to finish up and you're in my way."

He steps to the side, his eyes not leaving mine. I know what he's thinking. It's written across his face loud and clear- told you so. I glare up at him, trying to hold still while Arlene finishes her work. Jeremy has quietly slipped out of the room, and I'm grateful for his disappearance.

"I'm alright. We'll just have matching stitches." I try to smile at Eric, but Arlene tugs on the stitches a tiny bit and I wince. He doesn't answer me, he simply grimaces and lets Arlene finish her work. It's only a few minutes more before she steps away to grab my discharge papers.

"I know what you're going to say." I tell him, staring up at him. His eyes look down to mine, and he doesn't look the least bit amused.

"Oh, and whatever what would that be?" He asks, sneering at me. Eric flicks his gaze to the side at the loud screech that echoes through the room. It happens again, and this time, a small blur of black rushes past us.

"Henry! Get back here!"

It takes me a second to realize the small blur is a young boy, his brown hair sticking up in several directions and his face sticky with something that looks like cake. A woman rushes after him, a smaller baby in her arms and frazzled look on her face. "Henry!" She yells again, her face showing her annoyance. She disappears past us, heading into another room uselessly, as Henry reappears and heads our way.

Henry comes to a halt in front of Eric, and he stops dead in his tracks, his wide brown eyes frozen on Eric's large form. His mouth falls open as he takes in Eric's dark shirt and the block of tattoos on his neck.

"You're Eric!" Henry yells out, enthused that he's obviously just recognized one of Dauntless' main leaders. "I saw your picture in my book at school! We learned about faction leaders last week." He tells Eric, his voice ringing with evident pride. Henry turns his stare to me, and his eyes widen even further when they land our hands.

"Who are you?" He asks me. I smile down at him, and wave my fingers. He reminds me of one of the young children from Amity. Too much energy and not enough hours in the day to burn it off. I glance down at his dark long sleeved shirt, and his dark pants. Even the children here mimic the adults in their uniform of choice.

"I'm Everly." I tell him. Eric is watching the interaction curiously, and his eyes are still narrowed at the boy.

"Are you his girlfriend?" He jerks his thumb at Eric, and cocks his hip to the side. "Because my mommy said that Eric's girlfriend is way too nice and way too pretty to be involved with him." He says the final words in a dramatic whisper that he's clearly mimicked from his mother. I try to stifle the giggle in my throat and beside me, Eric raises his eyebrows and he lets out an annoyed exhale.

"Is that so?" Eric snaps. I watch as he jerks his hand away from mine, and crosses his arms, his posture incredibly defensive.

"Eric." I hiss at him. That last thing I need is for him to get into some sort of fight with this child.

Henry turns his stare back to me. "I'm six." He tells me. "When I grow up and I'm nine, I'm gonna take Eric's job around here." He looks at me for a long minute before he speaks again. "When I'm a leader, you can be my girlfriend."

Eric somehow manages to keep quiet. I smile at Henry and shake my head.

"Thank you for the offer. But I'm actually Eric's wife." I tell him.

Henry shakes his head, looking rather unimpressed. "But he's mean!" He frowns, and glances back at Eric and shrugs. "That's what my mom said."

"Oh I'm mean, am I?" Eric barks, unable to stay quiet any longer. I move to hop off the table in attempt to break up the upcoming fight between my husband this small child, but I'm saved by Henry's mother, finally realizing where Henry is. She comes to a dead halt next to the table, her eyes swinging nervously between her child and Eric.

"Henry." She nearly hisses at him, mortification plainly written all over her face. "Apologize right now." She looks visibly ill now, and her eyes keep glancing at Eric with some sort of terror, as though any second now she'll find out just how mean he really is.

Henry shrugs and looks at his feet before peeking up at Eric. "Sorry." He announces, not sounding very sorry at all.

Eric merely glares at the small child, his face frozen in some sort of grimace. Before anyone can say anything else, Henry's mother ushers him out, and she mutters a very quiet apology without looking at Eric. They are barely out the door before Arlene bursts out laughing, hard enough that she almost drops her papers.

The calendar reads December 25th, and the only excitement in the air is that it's finally stopped snowing.

"Are you going to tell me about your last relationship?" I take a bite of the carrot I'm eating, and Eric simply raises his eyebrow all while continuing to cut apart a turkey. I've been sitting on counter next to him, and watching him work methodically to carve away the meat. He finally pauses, and points the knife at me in a faux threat.

"Points for bravery, Amity."

I roll my eyes. "Just tell me." I swing my feet back and forth, and Eric cocks his head to the side. He looks intimidating from this angle, but I'm not afraid of him. Not when I've spent the past few nights listening to him groan my name into my neck.

"It's unimportant." He tells me, his gaze falling back to the meat in front of him. He continues until he's done, and I can tell he's trying hard to keep his stare down at the plate. The piercing above his eyebrow is pulled taut, and he's frowning.

"I told you about Landon." I point out. His eyes swing up to mine for the barest of seconds.

"And a thrilling tale it was." He wipes the knife off with a paper towel, then carefully sets it aside. "Do you want green beans?"

I stare back at him, trying not to scowl. Since the night when he told me was happy with me, he's managed to avoid any of my subtle questioning. Even in the early morning hours where he'd awoken to my hands tugging on the waistband of his boxers, he'd simply kiss me until I couldn't ask him anything else.

"Yes." I finally tell him, watching the muscles in his arms move as he readies a plate for me.

"Eat up." He turns to me, handing me a full plate He then frowns, catching my disapproving glance. "You'll gain absolutely nothing by knowing anything about my past relationships. They are utterly irrelevant to what goes on between you and I."

He takes his own plate and continues towards the kitchen table. "Are you eating on the counter?" He calls out over his shoulder, and I slide off the counter following him. I take the seat next to him, and watch him carefully.

"Is she still here?" I peer at him out of the corner of my eye, trying to pretend I'm fascinated by the meal in front of me. I can see his jaw stop.

"Everly." He says my name as a warning, and there is a slight bit of menace behind it. "Stop it." He takes a bit of his turkey, and chews it with a vengeance.

"Am I going to run into her? Won't I look awfully stupid if I sit by her at lunch and don't even know who she is?"

Eric doesn't look at me. "I can guarantee you won't sit next to her at lunch."

"But what if I do?" I prod him. I push the turkey around my plate before I finally take a bite. It appears to be much easier to get answer out of him if we're in bed.

"You won't." He snaps and I try hard to keep my stare on my plate. I should stop, I know. Eric is quickly losing the little patience he possesses. He doesn't want to talk, but I can't help but try.

"Is she…"

"Enough." He snarls, and his eyes look so dark that they remind of the time he had James by the throat. I've obviously hit a nerve with him, and judging by his reaction, it's the wrong one to press on. He stands up, shoving his plate aside.

I look up in surprise. He looks furious, and I haven't seen him look this angry in a long time now. He stalks over to me, and stops before my chair. I rise up, my heart racing. Is this it, the moment where things go horribly bad and Four's warning to be careful around Eric comes true? I can't fathom that to be true at all. In all of our time together, the Eric I've come to know is hardly the terrible man that he was rumored to be.

I stare at him, my eyes wide but never leaving him. I don't believe he would ever hurt me, but in the moment, I can't be so sure he won't say something that will hurt more than if he did.

He reaches for me, his arms snaking around my waist until I'm pressed against his chest. He keeps me tight against him, and his fingers reach the nape of my neck. I look up at him, and I prepare for the worst he's got to offer.

He hisses his words, but they aren't what I expect.

"They meant nothing to me. Nothing at all. You want their names? All the details? You want to hear what I did with each of them? How it compares to what I do with you?"

I bite my lip, and shake my head. That's not what I want, not even the slightest bit. "I just want you to tell me…"

He cuts me off, and his eyes are less furious now. "You want me to tell you that I love you. Believe me, I know." His words take me by surprise. I hadn't exactly been subtle about the fact that I felt something for him. I'd struggled with it myself. In fact I'd almost ignored the inkling that it could be more than just simple affection I felt for him. He stills against me, his grip in my hair still tight.

"I ended things with both of them. I grew bored, uninterested in them past the point of my bedroom. Is this what you want to hear? I never kissed them goodnight and I never held them against me while I slept." My heart is racing now, beating wildly in my chest. He leans forward, his face close to mine.

"I never said their names while I had my way with them. I never bothered to remember where they came from, or what they were wearing the first time I met them." Eric is trying to slow his breathing now, but he's agitated- worked up at my insistent questioning. "I never thought about marrying either of them."

"How long did you think about marrying me for?" I want to tilt my head upwards and kiss him. I want to feel his lips on mine but I also very badly want him to tell me more. I want every delicious detail of what he's been thinking; even though it's the last thing he wants to offer up.

Eric closes his eyes for a moment, and his free hand finds my cheek.

"Long enough." His words are soft, more dangerous that way. Somewhere in my chest my heart seems to frantically beat against his chest. He closes the space between us, his mouth finding mine. "No more questions for a month, Amity."

I break the kiss, shaking my head. "Two weeks." I tell him. He smiles, dark and pleased, his eyes glancing down at me.

"Three weeks.

"Two and a half weeks." I counter.

He raises an eyebrow. "Two months."

"That's not how negotiating works, Eric." I slide my hands up until they reach his jaw, and I pull him back to me.

"I wasn't aware you were in any position to negotiate with me." He tells me. He presses his lips against mine, softly at first, before he bites on the lower one for a minute. He breaks away abruptly.

"Fine. Two weeks. But you'll have to work for the answers." He looks smug now; he bows his head back against mine.

I nod, a smile breaking onto my face. "Anything I want to ask you?"

He stares for a second, his eyes narrowing the tiniest bit. "We'll see about that."

I smile up at him, already thinking of what I'm going to ask him. Eric doesn't know it, but I've won this round, and it's starting to become easier and easier.

"He said you can ask him anything?" Christina and Tris are walking me down the long hallway towards the control room. Eric has spent the morning showing me how to request a surveillance report, and more importantly, how to make sure the footage is complete.

"Sometimes sections go missing. Some for security reasons, and sometimes for more personal reasons." He'd leered at me, and I knew exactly what he was referring to. I wasn't quite brave enough to ask if Four had erased the footage of Eric and I.

I shrug at the girls. "I'm sure he won't answer everything." We make our way down a set of stairs, and I carefully make sure I don't slip again. We are about halfway there when I spy Four; he's walking quickly, his head down and his shoulders slumped. I can tell he's trying to go unnoticed.

"I'll be right back. I've gotta make a quick stop." I tell Christina and Tris, and I break away before they can protest. I slip down the same hallway Four chooses, trying to speed up until I'm close to him. I'm a few feet behind him when he comes to an abrupt stop, and I don't stop in time.

"Ow."

He stumbles for a second and turns to me in surprise. "Everly. What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" I ask him, forgoing any greeting. It seems that Four and I never have time for formalities. "Why haven't I seen you in the past few weeks?" I put my hands on my hips and stare up at him. He looks the same more or less. His brown hair is slightly longer, curling around his ears and his collar. He hasn't shaved today, but he looks well rested and less cautious than the last time I saw him.

He stares at me cautiously for a moment before he sighs. "How well does Eric tolerate your approach to asking things?"

I smile sweetly. "Really well. He loves it when I ask him questions."

Four raises his eyebrow in disbelief. "I'm sure." He mutters. He looks behind me, before stepping closer and bending his head down. "Actually, I do need to talk to you. I have a question about something in Amity." He looms over me, and I nod.

"What's your question?"

Four shifts uncomfortably. "Do you know anything about the water reservoir?"

I shake my head. I know he's seen the footage of the man trying to pry the grate open. I'd thought about it off and on. The water reservoir was nothing more than a small manmade lake of sorts; sometimes the water was filtered down into the fields as irrigation for the crops.

"I saw that guy trying to move the grate. I don't know what he's doing though. It doesn't lead anywhere that I know of." I tell him.

He thinks for a minute. "Have you ever been in it?"

I shake my head and wrinkle my nose. "No, the water is usually untreated. I know that Erudite worked with Amity a lot to try to find ways to purify it, but it was mostly used in the fields. We were always advised to stay away from it."

Four chew his lip. "Is it guarded?"

"No, I mean once everyone is done for the day the fields are usually abandoned. No one would notice if someone was out there."

Four frowns. "Did you recognize the man on the security tape?"

I shrug. "No, but Amity is pretty large. Are you thinking it wasn't someone from Amity?"

"I don't know." He mutters. "I was more concerned with where the pipe went."

I think for a long second, trying to remember the layout of Amity. It's been a long time since I've made my way through their fields, let alone near one of the more neglected areas. "I want to say it draws water from another source, and the pipe must bring the water to Amity. Sometimes the lake had more water, sometimes less. It always seemed to refill itself."

"You ever see it empty?" Four asks.

"No, but I never really paid attention." He nods at me, but he looks distracted.

"Thanks Everly. You've been a lot of help." Four turns to leave, but I stop him.

"Wait! Are you coming to the fireworks?" I don't know where the question comes from, but for some reason I hope he shows up.

Four simply shrugs and shoves his hands in his pockets. "Maybe."

New Year's Eve is blistering cold.

I try to stay close to Eric and he doesn't seem to mind in the slightest. His arm is warm around my waist, and my side is firmly pressed up against him. I'd dressed as warmly as I could; Christina had leant me a pair of fur boots, I'd worn several long sleeved shirts, Eric's old hoodie, a soft leather jacket over it, and the warmest pants I'd owned. Eric had watched me dress, and his expression seemed curiously entertained.

The party was held outside, on the very roof the initiates leapt off of. It was lit up for the night, and in typical Dauntless fashion, it was lit up with large contained fires. Several metal lanterns had been strung above a makeshift bar, and there were large areas for guests to sit. People were milling around everywhere, and the space seemed downright packed.

It was easy to recognize the different factions. Those from Erudite were dressed warmly but still in blue, those from Candor were slightly more ambitious with their party outfits, but still practical enough to stay warm. Dauntless was split- either bundled up in all black, or taking their chance against hypothermia in rather skimpy, revealing outfits. There was no one from abnegation that I could see.

As we make our way towards the large bar, I spy a few people from Amity. They are bundled up in bright colors, and their cheeks are red with excitement. They seem to mix well with the others. Most from Amity are easy to get along with, and always easy to talk to.

"What do you want to drink?" Eric asks. In the cold night he looks like some sort of arctic king. His jacket is heavy and dark, and his eyes seem to burn with an icy brightness behind him. The air around us is sharp and cackles with an excited electricity.

I quickly take in the list of drinks and chose the one that sounds the warmest.

"I'll have a mint hot chocolate." I inform the man behind the bar. His mohawk seems glittery even in the dark night, it's white and silver strands stay perfectly upright. He grins at me.

"You sure? It's strong." He reaches for a glass mug, and begins to pour a clear liquid in. I can smell the mint, and I nod my head.

"It sounds good." I tell. Eric snorts beside me.

"What?" I turn my head to him. "You don't like hot chocolate?"

He shakes his head he half smiles. "Enjoy your tequila and peppermint schnapps with splash of hot chocolate." He then turns back to the bartender, and resumes his serious expression. "Shot of Evan Williams. Don't mix mine up with hers."

The bartender winks at him, bobbing his mohawk along as he sets my drink aside and pours Eric a generous amount of whatever he has just ordered. It smells strong and heady, and I wrinkle my nose.

"What is that?" I ask him, taking a sip of my hot chocolate. It's warm and delicious, and I'm surprised to find that I don't mind the alcohol in it.

"Bourbon." Eric tells me, and he guides me towards the group of couches set up next to a fire. I happily slide in next to him, curling myself against his side. I sip my drink and glance around, watching everyone enjoy themselves.

For once Dauntless has an energy about it that isn't overwhelmingly aggressive. It's chaotic still, but there is a current of underlying joy rushing through it. It's not often that the factions come together, and for once I can see how they all co-exist. I watch for a minute, until Eric's fingers find my ear lobe.

I turn to look at him, and Jeremy and Tris appear out of nowhere. They both have red cheeks and appear frazzled.

"Sorry." Tris tells us, flashing a wide smile in my direction. "We lost track of time." I smile back and her, and I can tell Eric is trying very hard to hold back whatever retort he was about to say.

"It's ok. We just got here." I tell her. Jeremy sits down beside her and glances at us. He looks slightly awkward, as though he's uneasy being so close to Eric and I in a non-work environment. I take another sip of my drink, enjoying how warm it is.

"You uh, find anything else out about that e-mail Max sent out?" Jeremy asks Eric, and he rubs at the back of his neck nervously. It's obvious he's searching for something to talk about. "I'm not sure how to find out what areas use localized water sources."

Something pricks at the back of my neck, and I straighten my spine up the tiniest bit. "What e-mail?" I ask Eric. He looks at me for a second before he frowns.

"You didn't get it? I thought Max sent it out. He just wanted to know what factions use additional water sources. Like lakes and streams." Eric frowns even further. "Dauntless has a backup water system in case the main one fails. Same thing with the generators. Max didn't go over this with you?"

I shake my head. "No. Maybe he will soon. Why would Max want information about this?"

Eric smirks. "He doesn't. It was forwarded on from Jeanine."

I almost drop my drink as I slowly start to piece a theory together, and Eric's whole body stiffens. He bends closer to me, bending his head down till his lips touch my ear. "It's exactly what you're thinking, and I suggest you pretend you are none the wiser."

I nod at him, forcing my face into a smile. Eric looks at Jeremy.

"Just e-mail the faction assistants and ask them. If you don't get anything back from them you can talk to someone from Erudite's resource preservation teams. They'll tell you."

Jeremy nods in thanks, and I realize Tris is staring at me curiously. I silently try to tell her I'll fill her in later, and she seems to understand. The conversation comes to an abrupt halt as there is a loud bang, and the lanterns suddenly go out. Everyone on the rooftop quiets down, and there is an unusual stillness in the air.

I glance around and see Eric watching towards the edge of the roof.

"Who's in charge of the fireworks?" I ask him. I want very badly to see them. There was a small rumor that if the snowstorm didn't stop that the fireworks would be canceled. I didn't understand why, but Eric had explained they weather would render them useless. I'm staring at the fires, and Eric nudges me.

"Look up there." He points slightly higher in the air. "And Jason and Rylan are in charge of them. Pretty good chance one of them will end up catching fire before the nights over."

I turn my gaze to where he's pointing, and my eyes widen as the first spark bursts in the air.

It's the prettiest thing I have ever seen.

They burst with a loud boom; the sound reminds me of gunfire, except rather than forcing violence, this firework forces beautifully colored sparks into the air. They bloom in different colors; long streaks of whites and golds and pinks and reds.

The next few that explode are blue and green, with several quick bursts of white in the middle.

I can't take my eyes off of them.

"You've never seen these before?" I can hear Eric beside me, and I'm not really listening. I've moved slightly away from him, towards the edge of the seat, as if I could push myself closer towards the sparkling lights.

"I haven't." I don't want to miss anything, and I watch the fireworks seem to multiply, booming loudly in the cold night. Eric leans forward and scoots himself closer to me, his thigh pressed against mine and his arm sliding around my waist.

"Your Amity is showing." He teases, his voice low and playful in my ear. I squirm against him and his distracting ways, and I elbow him.

"Quiet, Eric."

He snorts before his kisses my neck and I have to work hard to not sink against him. The fireworks keep bursting, like beautiful explosions in the sky. This one is green and purple, and Eric's teeth graze the juncture of my neck and shoulder.

"Pretty." He mutters. The next group bursts with five or six in a row, and I jerk my head to look over at him. I stare for a second, wondering how I've gone my whole life without seeing these fireworks.

"They're really pretty." I feel slightly embarrassed at my awe of them. They don't seem to be too overly impressive to Eric, but I have a hard time tearing my stare away. Eric smiles, his lips curling upwards in delight and he leans in until his nose brushes mine.

"I wasn't talking about the fireworks, Everly." He kisses me, his lips soft and full against my own. I kiss him back gently, moving my hands to reach his cheeks, then behind his ears, until the stop in his hair. He kisses me harder until my lips part open for him, and I can now barely register the loud eruptions around us. One of Eric's hands works its way into my hair, tugging me close to him, his fingers curling around the nape of my neck. I break apart from him for the barest of seconds.

I am taken back by his sudden public affection, but no one is paying any attention to us. Tris and Jeremy have moved to stand a few feet ahead of us, and she's on her toes whispering something to him. Everyone else is staring up the sky, watching the smokey colored trails until the next set of fireworks go off.

I move closer to Eric, rising enough so I can turn towards him before I find his lips again. I will never tire of this; his mouth against mine, his hands in my hair. He loosens his grip in my hair, and he breaks apart before I am done with the kiss.

"Everly." He says my name and it sounds different; it sounds warm and intoxicating, full of promise. He gazes up at me, and his eyes are dark and clear- swimming with an emotion that he's unable to express. I swallow and tighten my grip on him, pressing my forehead against his.

"Eric." I whisper. I can tell he's close, oh so close, to spilling something to me. I try to silently urge him on. All around us people are murmuring now, some loudly cheering as the fireworks burst in rapid succession. They explode at a frantic rate, and my heart follows the same wild pace.

Eric isn't really smiling anymore; in fact he looks downright hopeless. I've never seen this look on his face before, and it is one that he doesn't wear well. He closes his eyes, and nuzzles against my face until his nose touches mine. The act, though familiar, is more intimate than some of the other acts we've shared.

"I…" he starts, and then he stops for one heart breaking moment too long. In front of us, people begin to shriek with excitement as the grand finale approaches. My ears ring as the fireworks explode in succession.

"You. Only you." He whispers. "I only want you." He kisses me furiously, the admission sliding out of him almost painfully. He breaks apart suddenly, and his eyes fly open. His breathing is erratic, and I flash back to the first time he kissed me. I remember the feeling of his mouth on mine, wild and demanding, seething with unspoken jealousy. It feels like ages ago that I sat there, wishing he wouldn't stop.

He parts his lips, and looks me right in the eye. "Everly, I…"

He doesn't finish his sentence. Because someone right behind us screams and the next crack isn't that of a firework, it's one from a gunshot.