CONTINUED – UNABLE TO LOAD WITH THE FIRST PART OF VANISHING FOG

The matter of Ayden's accident is settled once and for all, though Jade has an unexpected reaction. She gets a little tough love from her friends, and Eric surprises himself. Eric's POV is added, and his timeline of events runs parallel to Jade's at the end.

Warnings: language, verbal abuse, sexual situation, angst, mentions of suicide

Enjoy!

-Emmy

A little while later, Eric knocks on the door in the dilapidated building. "Right on time," She purrs, moving back to let him in. Eric doesn't greet her in return, crossing over the threshold while removing his jacket. As he surveys his surroundings disinterestedly, he realizes he doesn't even know her name...but doesn't care enough to ask her.

As if reading his mind, she smirks. "It's Angie, by the way," She says as she shuts the door. He shrugs, still saying nothing.

He sinks down on the couch, propping his arms up on either side. She saunters over, stopping right in front of him. Eric regards her impassively, feeling strangely put off for a reason that escapes him. He has absolutely no interest in her whatsoever, except the welcome relief of the distraction she promised. Eric looks past her shoulder as she lowers herself into his lap, skimming her fingers over his arm.

She brings her mouth to his, her tongue running slightly over his lower lip. Eric jerks his face to the side, not wanting that intimacy with her. She doesn't comment, construing it as kissing simply being not his thing and deciding to get to the main event.

There's nothing unattractive about Amber…Ashley? Whatever her name is. Physically, she's what every guy in Dauntless would want to fuck, but something is still off. Instead of being turned on, he finds himself almost repulsed. All of a sudden, Jade's face flashes before him. Eric throws his head back, closing his eyes as an irritated growl escapes him.

Why can't he get her out of his head?

He exhales loudly, trying with all his mental strength to push her away. Jade is fucking up everything, and she's not even here. Pull your shit together, he internally commands.

Eric snaps his eyes open, gritting his teeth angrily. Anna… Amy? Looks up at him after a moment, noticing his scowl but choosing to ignore it. She traces kisses along his jaw, starting to go lower. Eric keep his hands to the sides, as she brushes her dark hair behind her shoulder. She begins to nibble on his neck and shoulder as her hands trail down his abdomen, then lower.

She slowly makes her way down, sliding to her knees. Eric just glances at her as she looks up with a naughty smirk, reaching for his belt. He turns his gaze back to the wall as she unbuckles his pants, his frustration mounting.

When her lips wrap around his shaft, he has to fight the urge to buck her off. What the fuck is your problem, he silently chides. As she bobs up and down, taking him all the way into the back of her mouth, his determination sets in. He grabs the back of her head, his grip on her hair only just not painful. He sets a fast rhythm, with her keeping up the best she can without choking. But as she looks up at him with her mouth full of his cock, it happens again...Jade's face flashes before him. Eric clenches his teeth, desperately trying to force it away.

No...he will not let that bitch poison his mind any longer...

Eric bolts upright, startling her to the point she falls backwards. Eric stands, leaning down and yanking her up by her underarms. Fear flashes in her eyes, but replaced with lust as he lifts her effortlessly, making her legs wrap around him. She goes to kiss him again, once more rejected when Eric turns his face to the side. She settles for nibbling on his neck tattoo as she holds on.

Eric stalks to her bed, determined to see this through. He has to do this, if only to prove to himself that he hasn't let Jade make him weak. This doesn't mean anything...this is just free pussy, nothing more nothing less. He forces himself to focus.

He throws her down with a glower. He rips his shirt off, as she hurriedly peels off her top and bra. With a coy smile, she bites her lip and starts to crawl toward him. Eric immediately seizes both of her wrists, jerking her toward him, then spinning her around. He grabs a fistful of her hair as he shoves her forward, yanking her skirt up.

"Oh fuck yeah," She breathes as he snatches her underwear, dragging them down her thighs. "I fucking love it rough, baby... Do your worst..." Her eyes close as her head tilts back in anticipation. Eric rolls his eyes as he begins to stroke himself. "Shut the fuck up," He growls through clenched teeth. He pulls her head back more, freezing as Jade once again invades his thoughts.

You're the only one I want, Eric…Jade's voice whispers in his memory….

Her image rears up without warning, going back to a morning he woke before she did. He'd stood in the doorway, watching her sleep as dawn had started to break. The sunlight had caught her blonde hair, making it shimmer in its rays. The sheets were tangled around her, one of her impossibly long legs on top of the covers. Her golden skin had an even deeper glow in that light, giving her an ethereal aura. She was completely relaxed and at ease, never looking more beautiful.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he shakes his head...but can't shake her from his mind, despite what he's about to do.

Reality suddenly gives him a figurative bitch-slap, finally giving him complete clarity. Screwing whatever-her-name-is won't work. It won't distract him, relieve him, or make this feeling go away.

It's not Jade's blonde hair clenched in his fist, it's silky texture wisping around his hand…

It's not Jade's sassy voice telling him to go fuck himself, while her eyes and the connection between them tell a very different story…

It's not the landscape of Jade's body he feels, burned into his memory for the rest of his life…

It's not Jade's gasp and moan he'll hear when he slides into her….

She's not Jade…and It doesn't matter who he's inside of or has under him; it will still only be Jade's face he sees.

Completely astounded, he stands still until he forcefully releases her hair. Falling forward, she quickly pulls the sheet up higher as she turns, clutching it to her chest as Eric pulls his pants up. "What's the matter?" She asks meekly, with wide-eyes. He doesn't answer her, just quickly pulls on his shirt and stomps to the couch to retrieve his jacket. She stands in the doorframe, confused and trying to make sense of his sudden change of mind.

He offers no explanation, just leaves without another word.

Making his way through the Pit, he reaches into his jacket and pulls out his phone. Just as he's about to dial Jade's code, an internal battle suddenly begins, pulling him in both directions…

Don't do it... If you call her, you really are a whipped little pussy…

If you don't call her, you could lose her for good…

Who the fuck cares? The bitch isn't worth it…it's not like she'd call you…

She is worth it…she's the only one that is…and you already know why…

"Son of a fucking bitch!" Eric roars as he throws his phone at the rock wall. It immediately shatters by the force of the impact, it's pieces impossible to salvage. Oh, that's just fucking perfect, he seethes as he steps on to the elevator. He's destroying his own shit because he can't pull himself together….and now he's without a phone until tomorrow.

Eric stalks into his penthouse, slamming the door shut. He makes a beeline for his liquor cabinet, promptly pulling out quarter-full bottle of whiskey. Not bothering with a glass, he empties the rest of it, strangely comforted by the burn it creates going down his throat. He throws it somewhere in the living room, hearing it crash into a million pieces wherever it landed. "Fuck…." He swears under his breath, realizing that was the last bottle of whiskey he had.

He tears through the rest of his cabinets, flinging the contents every which way. Finally, he spots it in the back. With a grateful sigh, he opens the bottle of Tequila and takes a long swig. A hollow ache forms in his chest as he looks down at it. He doesn't care for Tequila, but ever since he realized it was Jade's favorite, he made sure he had some on hand.

A weight drops in his stomach as in that moment, to his utter horror, the truth hits him with physical force. Stunned, he looks up and catches sight of himself in the window. He stares at his image, disgusted with what he sees. "You fucking pussy," He snarls, hurling the bottle with all his might. It shatters to infinite pieces as it connects with his reflection.

He puts his head in his hands, rubbing his face pensively. All this time he's been saying that Jade doesn't see what's right in front of her, but he's a total fucking hypocrite. A startling revelation has finally come to light, that's been here the whole time, staring him right in the face. Though it is now blaringly obvious, he doesn't even know how it happened…

Just as Jade belongs to him...Eric is very much hers.