Disclaimer: I do not own the Divergent books, movie franchise or any of the characters from it. I do, however, own the plot and characters you don't recognize.
"Petr-"
"I did it to protect you!" Spinner blurts out.
There's no sense in deluding Jeanine. Lying to her is like lying to a supercomputer, and her fraying nerves didn't help much either.
Jeanine scrutinizes her closely, a small narrow of her metallic eyes. She leans in a fraction, tilting her head to one side. "Did what to protect me, Petra?"
Her heart thuds against her rib cage, concentrating hard to hold Jeanine's icy gaze. "I… I know, ma'am. About my parents' death, the X serum, Giovanna Young and… Xavier Simms."
"Hm." Jeanine rests back in her chair, undoing the single button of her royal-blue blazer. She laces her fingers together and then places her folded hands by her hip. "So, tell me, Petra, how exactly were you able to find all these things out?" Her eyes narrow sharply. "Who is helping you?"
"I… can't tell you that..." Spinner's eyes fall away, her brow creasing with weariness. "Look, if you're gonna make me factionless again, just do it already."
"And what would make you say that?"
Her eyes snap back to Jeanine's impassive expression. "Because I won't name names," she moistens her lips quickly. "But it's not out of malice, ma'am. It's just… people's lives are at stake here, people I love dearly." She ducks her head again, blinking away the tears stinging her eyes before looking at Jeanine once more. Her facial expression is the same. "You were important to my mother once and vice-versa. No matter how much you guys pretended you weren't."
A speckle of emotion flickers in Jeanine's metallic gaze, but she remains poised as ever while continuing to stare back at her.
"And now that she's gone, that means you have to be important to me too." Spinner watches in amazement as another surge of emotion sweeps across her unreadable mask. "My loyalty remains with you. I mean, I've been running around trying to find Xavier and his men for months now. Just so you wouldn't get hurt." She purses her lips, looking down as she's fiddling with the pen cap. "I'm sorry that I'm keeping secrets from you. I wish I wasn't but…it's for your own good, ma'am," she adds quickly.
"Is that all, Petra?"
Spinner's eyes jump back to Jeanine who'd re-buttoned her blazer and is now standing. The rejection that comes takes her completely by surprise. She must have showed it on her face because Jeanine's lips part to take in a small, but sharp, breath.
Clearing her throat, Jeanine tilts her chin primly. "You will remain here in Dauntless." She says and Spinner's face lights up with joy. She could have sworn she saw the corners of the Jeanine's mouth twitching. "Eric has informed me that you've been experiencing side effects from the X serum. I will have a new batch sent over immediately, understood?"
Unable to contain her excitement, Spinner jumps out of her seat and wraps Jeanine up into a warm hug. The older woman's body stiffens upon contact, much like Eric does from time to time. Like he seems to forget that someone out there actually loves him for everything that he is. "Thank you, ma'am, for giving me a second chance at life." She murmurs, the sincerity clear in her voice.
Then the unthinkable happens.
Jeanine's arms slowly inch up and Spinner holds her breath as her hands hover just above her shoulder blades. The touch to them is short and light.
But it's better than nothing.
Spinner evoked emotion from a woman who only knows mathematical equations and logical thinking. Feelings are not predictable and certainly can't be explained in a book.
"Uh, yes." Jeanine steps out of her embrace and smooths the wrinkles away from her blazer. She gives her a nod that looks completely awkward by her standards.
And that's saying a lot.
There's a knock on the door before it opens, and Max pokes his head through. "Everything alright in here?"
"Yes. Max, could I speak with you privately?" Jeanine asks and the word sounds severely loaded to her.
Max nods. "Of course." He opens the door wider to allow Jeanine to step through. Then she pauses in the doorway and turns back to gaze at Spinner over the frame of her glasses. "Oh, and Petra?"
"Y-yes, ma'am?"
"Congratulations to you and Eric." Jeanine says with her mechanical smile.
Sher offers her a real smile for the very first time. One that has Jeanine gazing at her like she's no longer seeing her. But... her mother. "Thank you, ma'am. Eric and I are pretty stoked."
Jeanine blinks then forces her face into an emotionless mask. "Good," she replies curtly before turning to Max. "Shall we?"
Spinner watches them leave before slumping into the nearest chair, feeling so emotionally relieved.
Spinner occupies a table by herself, while Lauren and Four are both working doubles. Taking a bite of her sandwich, she hums softly and turns another page in her novel.
"Is this seat taken?"
She glances up to see Eric smirking across from her with his tray balanced in one hand. Remaining silent, she lifts her novel higher to cover her face and over the top of it she watches a scowling Eric sit down heavily into the chair. Snorting quietly, she flips the page.
"I didn't do it."
Slowly lowering her sci-fi novel, Spinner meets his gaze and sharpens her senses. She doesn't see or hear any deceit in his words, just an embarrassed sincerity that warms her heart. "Do you understand why I was so angry with you?"
A derisive scoff blows past his lips and he grabs his drumstick then takes a large, aggressive bite.
Spinner wrinkles her nose in distaste. "Were you raised in a goddamn barn?"
Eric flips her off.
"Answer my question, you moron."
Taking a swing of his drink, he props his elbow on the table then glances at her sideways. "Ask nicely." Eric says mockingly and Spinner rolls her eyes while closing her novel.
She places it down in the empty space on her tray, then takes a deep breath before giving him her sweetest smile. "Eric, can you answer my question, please?"
"Oh, come on, sweetheart. You can do better than that." Eric smirks and her eye twitches in annoyance.
"Forget it." Spinner throws her hands up then begins gathering her stuff. "I'm staying at Sweets's for the weekend."
He snorts. "No, you're not. Sit down."
Standing, she reaches for her tray, but then suddenly she's being dragged down into his lap.
A couple of people shoot wary glances in their direction, and Eric responds with a hard glare that has all of them quickly averting their gazes. "Please, let me go-"
"Shut up and listen." Eric growls in her ear.
Spinner closes her mouth then waits, staring tiredly up at the platform above the dining hall.
"I get it, Red, okay? You're scared to lose me and… I fucking feel the same, alright? That's why I wanted to do this shit in the first place… So I can keep my promise."
Spinner slowly turns to him with shiny eyes. "Really?"
"I'm not repeating myself."
She grins, throwing her arms around his neck then squeezing him affectionately. "I love you so fucking much, Eric. I can't wait to be your wife."
Even though he's frowning, he leans into her embrace. Not enough for it to be noticeable to the outside world, but just enough for her.
She smiles into the side of his face, her lips brushing along his stubble. "You're perfect, solider, especially for me."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Eric actually smiles, white teeth and all.
And Spinner and the entire dining hall stare at him, visibly gobsmacked.
"That's so fucking weird!"
"You know, third ranker, you're pretty brave to be tying the knot with Eric." Shauna says to her as she, Lauren, Four, and Zeke dally by the chasm, sharing a bottle of red wine. "You could do a lot better to be blatantly honest."
Spinner takes a sip from the bottle before holding up to Zeke standing her behind. She gives Shauna a shrug. "I love him and I want to be with him for the rest of my life. Simple as that."
"If you say so."
"Trust me, dollface, I know so," Spinner tosses her a smirk then drums her index fingers on the railing.
"There's no use arguing with her." Lauren snorts, accepting the bottle from Four before taking a hearty swing. "Once her mind's made up, there's no way of changing it."
Spinner grins widely, grabbing the wine from her and then taking a deep pull. "So, Zeke, how's Stacy?" She doesn't miss the brief flash of jealousy in Shauna's golden-brown eyes.
She moves to push herself to her feet, but Spinner wraps an arm around her shoulders and holds her in place. She gives her a comforting squeeze before releasing her and Shauna lets out a tiny sigh.
"We're great." Zeke grins down at her crookedly as he leans over and rests his forearms on the railing. "In fact, we have a double date Saturday night with Four and Emily."
Four's cheeks flame in embarrassment as he frowns at him.
"Emily Freeman? The one with the wonky left eye?" Spinner makes a face and takes another deep swing of red wine before handing it back to Shauna.
"She has a lazy eye, Spinner. She can't help it." Lauren slurs, letting out a drunken laugh.
"Zeke, you're a bastard, you know that?" Spinner shoots him a look. "You set Broody up with a fucking cyclops."
Lauren and Shauna burst into laughter, and even Four's quietly chuckling to himself despite their friendship being on the rocks.
"She's a nice girl." Zeke huffs.
"You know way too many of those."
"Why didn't you pick Maddie?" Lauren asks him as she's fixing her lip ring. "She's had a crush on Four since forever."
"And she has no deformities and doesn't have a personality of dry wall." Spinner adds. "Plus, her boobs are huge."
Four, Shauna, and Zeke gawk at her, while Lauren snickers and takes another pull from the bottle.
"I don't discriminate."
"You're bisexual?" Shauna asks.
"I'm not much of a label person, but I guess you can say that." Spinner shrugs, staring down into the roaring water crashing over the jagged rocks. "I just don't believe in gender when it comes to caring about someone." She swings her legs back and forth, smiling a little. "My last relationship was with a girl. Another blond." She snorts and Four glances at her as recognition reflects in his eyes.
He remembers Venus.
"Wow," Zeke says in awe. "That's deep."
"Yeah, it happens once in a while." Spinner tilts him a drunken grin, leaning heavily against Lauren for support. "Don't worry, Shauna," she whirls around to face her, sending her a cheeky expression, "I won't try to feel you up when you're not looking."
"Uh… thanks for the heads up." Shauna replies with an awkward smile.
Emitting a static sound, Lauren forms a walkie-talkie with her hand. "Looks like the conversion was unsuccessful, Spinner."
Spinner makes the same white noise, lifting her own fake walkie-talkie to her lips. "Should I abort mission, Captain Sweets?"
"For now, soldier. We'll get her next time." The girls promptly dissolve into a fit of drunken giggles and Shauna rolls her eyes.
"Oh, shut up."
And the group's laughter echoes all throughout the chasm.
It's a little after one a.m. when Spinner tumbles into the apartment.
Lying on the floor, she snorts out a drunken giggle and cracks her eyes open to find Eric standing over her. His arms are folded over his chest with his pierced eyebrow rose, looking very unimpressed. She gives him a loving, inebriated grin. "Hi, Tanky bear…"
"You're drunk."
"I love you?"
He rolls his eyes with a scoff, uncrossing his arms then bending over. "Come on." He scoops her up as if she's light as a feather and cradles her against his body, turning her towards the door. "Lock it." He commands gruffly.
She sluggishly lifts her arm, her fingers fumbling with the lock for a short moment before it turns. "Where we goiiinnng?" Spinner asks as he begins walking towards the bedroom.
"To bed."
"But I'm not tired." She pouts while Eric nudges open the newly fixed door with his foot. He carries her over to the bed before unceremoniously dropping her onto it.
"I never asked if you were. Now stop taking and hold still."
"You're so mean…"
Eric gives her a hard look as he's pulling off her sneakers and tossing them down on the floor. "What did I just say?"
Spinner rubs her eyes. "I don't remember…" She mumbles and scrubs her hands down her face, letting out an exaggerated noise. Her hands are roughly pulled apart and Eric tugs her shirt up over her head. She flops back down on the pillows and quickly covers her chest with a frown. "No… don't look at me…"
He pauses, a strange emotion glinting in his steely eyes. "Why?"
"Because…" she whispers as she slowly pulls her arms away. She traces the jagged scar that zigzagged from her shoulder down to her ribs and stopped just underneath her right breast.
It happened while she was factionless. One night a nomad had drifted into their territory and tried to force himself on Venus. Spinner had fought off the large man the best she could until he pulled out a knife. It was the last move he made before she beat him repeatedly over the head with a rock until he stopped twitching.
"It's ugly… I'm-"
"Spinner, you're… beautiful…" Eric murmurs as he pulls her hands away and leans down to trail soft kisses along the length of her scar. He nips across her stomach until he reaches the one on her side. She arches into him, her lips parting to take a sharp, intake of air when he plants a kiss to it as well. "You're fucking perfect…" He says against her skin before drawing up to meet her watery eyes.
"I am?" Spinner sniffles, wiping her face.
"Yes."
She perks up and grins. "You're pretty too… I like your eyes the best."
Eric starts working on unbuttoning her pants, tossing her a smirk. "Do you?"
"Yep!" Spinner nods, raising her hips slightly as he's peeling them down. "They remind me of metal."
"Interesting." He chuckles slightly as he pulls sits her up for a moment. He shoves her into one of his t-shirts before letting her fall back against the pillows.
She stares up at him with something close to worship in her eyes, a blush dancing in her cheeks. "I love you..."
His head dips and he kisses the side of her face, earning a giggle from her as she tries to roll away. "Where do you think you're going?" He growls playfully, catching her around her waist and bringing her back against his bare chest.
Spinner tosses her leg over his hip, sliding her arms around his neck and snuggling into him. "My Tank…"
Eric doesn't answer and simply teases his fingers through her wavy mane of hair.
The soothing sensation sends her into a daze and her eyelids begin to droop. "Malcolm wanted me to leave you..." She mumbles abruptly and Eric's body stiffens. "He said you… you didn't deserve this 'cause… you killed your dad. But he's wrong, Tank. You deserve everything and so much more." Spinner kisses his racing pulse point, feeling his rough swallow beneath her lips.
"I… love you..." Eric holds her tightly, pressing his fist against the back of her head and crushing her closer.
He's probably waited so long to hear those words from someone other than his mother. And I'm happy that Spinner's the one to say it to him. If these two deserve anything in this cruel, twisted world, it's happiness. They need a balance.
Eric brushes a hard kiss to her temple. "Try to leave me and I will kill you."
Spinner snorts and nuzzles his cheek affectionately. "You're so romantic, love."
Eric grunts and lifts arm from her waist to grab the blanket. He throws it over their bodies and draws it up over their heads.
"I love you too..." She smiles sleepily, her eyes finally fluttering shut. "I'll never leave you, Eric. You're my forever…"
"Good. Now go to sleep."
And she does, feeling like her life is making sense for the very first time.
Bad guys need human moments too. :'-)
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Love, Peace and Tranquility.
