Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent.

Year 2136

Jeanine loves the feel of the cool mist beyond the open window, just after the end of a thunderstorm. It's peaceful beyond all measure. The dampness in the air, is as refreshing as a spray of water on a hot day. Everything's still and quiet, and it's more noticeable, in the wake of an endless barrage of thunder. Like the outside world was born anew.

Is that how it feels, to retire after years in a cutthroat business? Some days, Jeanine feels like she made a mistake choosing to climb the corporate ladder. She's always tired. Occasionally, she yawns over her paperwork. Too many hours in an office will have her longing to go outside, maybe even to dance in the rain. The only time she gets to unwind, is when she's with her little boy.

Then her biweekly paycheck comes, and her stresses are momentarily forgotten. The cycle continues. Indulge in selfish pleasures, then return to work, and slog through another week. Rinse and repeat.

If only Jeanine could reach her peak sooner…

Gritting her teeth against a yawn, she sits up and stares at her computer screen. Candidates for Erudite leadership are just starting to run, though none of them stand out. Jeanine's more than qualified. She longs to be able to hold the ultimate position of power, to never have to answer to a boss again. She has a whole host of supporters, but can she pass the screening by the all-Abnegation council?

Contrary to popular belief, the Erudite do not select their leadership based on IQ score alone. That would be highly impractical. A good leader should be more than just intelligent. She should be organized, and diplomatic, and charismatic, and popular. And the Stiff council must approve of her, whatever her opinions about their faction.

That is the most frustrating thing about the election process. The Stiffs have become the gatekeepers of Chicago's government. How are differing opinions supposed to be brought up by the candidates, when the Stiffs could choose to simply shut them out? Is the process truly democratic, or is it authoritarian?

I could lie, Jeanine thinks, trying to encourage herself. I could pretend to be on the Stiffs' side. And then, once I get a foothold in their circle, I can start taking the necessary steps to open up the government.

But there's the problem of the Abnegation recruiting the Candor, to help them weed out the dishonest candidates. Jeanine can't piece together a plan to bypass them. She begins to wonder if it's futile. Until -

Bang. Like the sound of a classroom door slamming, out of anger. Probably by a moody young child. Is a student having a not-so-good day?

Jeanine gets up from her chair. She takes a peek outside, and gasps when she sees her little boy. Eric strides down the hall, fast, an infuriated expression on his face.

"Sweetie," calls Jeanine, "what happened?"

Instantly, Eric looks away, pretending everything's fine. "Nothing," he says, in a low voice.

"It's okay if you're upset," ventures Jeanine. "You don't have to be ashamed." She walks over and wraps him in a hug. "Now come on in. We don't want the other kids to see you like this." With a hand, she directs him inside her office, and closes the door.

"So your mother's been abusing you? That's the issue?" Jeanine looks at Eric for clarification.

"Not really," sighs Eric. "I mean, she's not hitting me. But she's always trying to control what I do. She won't let me go over to my friend's house, and she always has to check my homework before I turn it in, and she's always going into my room to look through my stuff. Also, if someone gives me money, she takes it and keeps it herself."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," says Jeanine, sympathetically. "It must be hard, living with a parent like that."

"Yeah," Eric agrees. "I just don't know what to do. Should I lie to her when I want to hang out with my friends? What if she keeps me from leaving the house?"

"Well, I've got another idea," Jeanine suggests. "What if I… took away her power? Would you prefer it if she didn't have any control over you?"

"Uh…" Eric sits still for a moment. "Yeah, maybe."

"That's gonna become an enthusiastic yes," Jeanine encourages. "Just you wait. I'll do something that'll bring your mom down a few pegs."

It's a wicked plan. A callous plan, and one that involves a lie. The devil on Jeanine's shoulder is screaming at her, not to do it. But the voice of reason in her mind says, Why not? You technically won't be lying. The child did say he was being harmed by his mother. Is it so bad, to exaggerate the facts a little?

Jeanine makes up her mind to go through with the plan, and after she bids goodbye to Eric, she starts to go about gathering the materials.

Setting up a tripwire on the stairs, was only the first step. The riskiest part of the plan was getting Eric to arrive on time. Not too early, not too late. Not at the same time as the kids rushing to first hour, but not when they'd be stomping up the stairs from lunch, either.

In the end, it was quite simple. Jeanine asked Eric to please do her this favor - deliver a folder filled with papers, of no importance, to her office at noon sharp. Now he's walking right into her trap, like an unsuspecting fly into a carnivorous plant.

Thump! The sound of Eric's face hitting the floor is startling, but it satisfies Jeanine. The poor baby will only be hurt a little while. Later on, he'll be thanking Jeanine.

She rushes into the corridor and extends a hand to Eric. "Oh!" she cries, feigning shock as best as she can. "Oh, honey. Let me help you." She pulls him up by one arm, then brushes the dirt from his uniform. "Are you okay?"

Eric appears shaken. Blood dribbles from his mouth. When he opens it slightly, Jeanine sees that a tooth was knocked out. "No," he mumbles.

"That's perfectly all right. I know it hurts. Come with me, and I'll get you some first aid," offers Jeanine. Eric dutifully walks after her, like a puppy trailing its owner.

The voice recorder is in place. It's on and running, without Eric's knowledge, of course. Everything is going according to plan.

"So tell me about how you're doing. How are things at home?" Jeanine asks, making sure to put an extra touch of tenderness in her voice.

Eric swallows hard. "My mom… she's worse than ever. I looked up some of the things she was doing, and…" His sentence ends abruptly, like he's afraid to say whatever's on his mind.

"And it's abuse?" Jeanine says, her voice loud and clear, so the recorder can pick it up.

"Y - Yeah," Eric stammers. Too quiet, and not firm enough. Jeanine makes a mental note to adjust the volume levels in her audio editor.

"But," Eric goes on, "at least she's still not hitting me."

Damn it! Jeanine will have to delete this portion of their conversation. Then she'll have to purge the deleted files from the Erudite network. A less experienced technician could not do it, but Jeanine can.

"Good. I'm glad," Jeanine tells him gently. "But I need to know. What is she doing to you, besides the usual?"

And here, Eric divulges to Jeanine, everything she wants to hear. Short but impactful tales of controlling behavior, of overprotective parenting, of a mother whose son is permanently shackled to her. Once Eric's done telling the last story, Jeanine strains to keep the victorious grin from her face.

She assures her precious boy that, in a few days, his mother will no longer be a problem for him. She doesn't tell him about her ulterior motives, to gain favor with the Abnegation. But that's fine. He is too young to know.

Jeanine puts a wad of gauze in Eric's mouth, to help with the injury. Then she sends him on his way. She has more important matters to attend to.

The story was printed on the front page of the Erudite Sun-Times. "Favored Candidate for Erudite Leadership Accused of Violent Assault of Son." Featuring testimony from Professor Jeanine Matthews, leading scientist, researcher, and educator. Someone who is especially close with candidate Margaret Kwan's son. And the picture accompanying the headline? A shot of little Eric, looking pale and anxious, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

What a huge scandal Jeanine caused! Everyone, everywhere, is buzzing about Ms. Kwan, and her alleged violence toward her son. Surely, the woman's career will implode. But Jeanine feels little to no remorse. The voice of reason in her head took care of that.

You did more good than bad, Ms. Matthews, it's telling her. You barely even told a lie. Now Eric will be free of his controlling family, and you'll be in Abnegation's good graces. It's a win-win situation.

Over the next few weeks, Jeanine begins campaigning for the position of Erudite representative. She makes sure to emphasize her years of service, and of course mention the time she saved Eric from his mother. And, predictably, the Stiffs completely lap it up. One by one, the council members fall under her spell.

"Forgive me," an older Abnegation man tells Jeanine at an event, "but I never saw an Erudite professor who was so caring. What motivated you to look after that boy?"

"Oh," Jeanine sniffs, a honey-sweet smile on her face. "I just saw him alone at his desk one day, and I thought, how could it be? The son of an important leader in our faction, and he has no friends? So I began speaking with him, and I realized that, underneath his spiffy appearance, he's just a lonely little boy who needs love."

The other Abnegation in the room listen to every word. They look impressed.

The glare that Maggie directs at Jeanine, is more than hateful. Her piercing eyes seem to stab deep into the other woman's soul. "Her accusation is false," Maggie spits.

Jeanine ignores her. "I know what I saw, and everything I put in that article was the truth," she tells the council members.

"Very well," the Abnegation woman at the head of the table says, sounding bored. "We will uncover the truth, once the candidate, Ms. Matthews, completes the interview with truth serum." She gestures to the Candor woman next to her. The lady is armed with a syringe.

Jeanine allows the Candor to wipe her neck with antiseptic, and press the needle into her skin. Seconds later, she finds herself unable to do anything but listen.

The Abnegation woman begins speaking. "Let us start. What is your name?"

Jeanine doesn't even have time to consider her answer. "Jeanine Matthews," she blurts out. The Abnegation nods, then pushes on.

"What is your current faction?"

"Erudite," Jeanine says, automatically.

The Abnegation smiles. "Good. Now, I want you to answer with a yes or a no. Do you share a close relationship with Mr. Eric Kwan?"

"Yes," Jeanine tells her.

"Good. Now, I need you to tell me more about your relationship. Is it true that you met him after school, when he was alone at his desk?"

"Yes."

"And after speaking with him, you realized that he… 'needed love'. You did not befriend him, out of an intention to boost your campaign. All of this is true?" The Abnegation woman stares at Jeanine.

"Yes," replies Jeanine.

The Stiff woman just won't quit. She rattles this off. "And despite the suspicions of your friends and coworkers, you never tried to groom Eric into performing sexual acts. You never touched him in a sexual manner. You never once had sexual intercourse with him. All of this is true?"

"Yes." Jeanine's relieved the Stiff didn't dig too deep. But she isn't done.

"Another thing. Your colleague, Rebbeca, accused you of cultural insensitivity. She said you referred to Eric in an infantilizing manner, using a term I will not repeat. Is this correct?"

Jeanine responds with ease. "What Rebbeca said about me is true, but I learned not to do it again," she says smoothly.

The Abnegation looks considerably calmer. "Good. Now, I will ask you about the article that caused a scandal in Erudite, and involved you and Eric. Is it true that when you first saw Eric that day, he was bleeding from an injury to the mouth?"

"Yes," replies Jeanine.

"And did you have probable cause to believe that Eric was being abused by his mother, based on everything he told you?"

"Yes." Next to Jeanine, Maggie's eyes grow as wide as saucers.

The Abnegation continues. "Is the recording you took of his story genuine? As in, you did not coerce him into repeating any lines, or force him to read from a script?"

"That's correct," Jeanine confirms. Maggie's scowl is so intense, her eyelids are twitching.

Yet, the Abnegation remains calm. "One final question. Did you, or did you not, take this recording out of a desire to help Eric?"

"I did," says Jeanine. She smiles, knowing it's the truth. Maggie's face pales.

"Thank you for your honesty," says the Abnegation woman - Alice Brewster, Jeanine remembers. "That concludes the interview. Ms. Matthews, we're pleased to tell you that you've passed the screening. You're officially approved to become the next representative of Erudite. Congratulations."

Muted applause. To Jeanine, it may as well have been wild cheers at a Dauntless ceremony. That's how triumphant she feels. She won. She's her own boss, at last.

And in the next few weeks, she reminds herself, she'll have work to do. She'll be quietly infiltrating the Stiff camp, looking for ways to bring them down.

Her fantasies are interrupted, when Maggie brings her fist down on the table, in defiance. "This is ridiculous," she rails. "She is lying. I did not abuse my son!"

"Ms. Matthews said, under truth serum, that she has probable cause to believe you abused him," Alice responds, almost indifferently.

"She is lying!" Maggie screeches. "Did you give her the wrong serum?"

"We did not," the Candor woman deadpans. She looks every bit as bored as Alice. Jeanine finds herself feeling amused.

Finally, Maggie can't bear it anymore. She spins around in her chair, so she's facing Eric, who throughout this entire meeting was sitting quietly next to her. "You," Maggie hisses. "It's your fault! You lied to Jeanine!" She seizes both of Eric's shoulders, and violently shakes him back and forth. "Why! Did! You! Lie?" she screams. "Why did you lie? Tell me!"

"I didn't… lie!" Eric looks genuinely confused, and panicked as well.

"Yes, you did!" Maggie screams. "You liar!"

She pulls her hand back and whacks Eric so hard, he falls over and hits the ground. He frantically gets to his feet and takes cover behind Jeanine.

"I didn't lie, I swear!" Eric's both yelling and crying now. Jeanine steps between him and Maggie, and clutches him tight against her side.

"See how she's behaving?" Jeanine points out, to the council members. "I told you she's dangerous. She should be investigated immediately."

Instantly, it's like a light clicked off on Maggie's face. Her rage dissolves, and regret replaces it. She looks stunned at what she just did - slapping her own son.

"I'm sorry," she says, her voice almost a whisper. She reaches with a trembling hand, toward her son. Eric avoids eye contact with her.

Two council members take Maggie by the arms and stand her up. They march her out the door. Jeanine's congratulated again. And there you have it. I've won.

A week has gone by. Eric's back at home with his family, though Maggie remains under investigation by the government. Her release was negotiated by various members of the Board of Education. All in all, she got off lightly, though she was forced to pay a hefty fine, and to take an intensive parenting course.

Now, she haunts the hallway outside her son's bedroom, like a restless ghost. Trying to decide if she should confront him, and apologize for her actions. She's come to the realization that Eric did not lie, that everything he said in that tape was the truth. Maggie did spend too much time hovering over her son, managing every aspect of his life for him. Didn't she?

If there's one person who could've manipulated that information and twisted it into a story of a violent assault, it's Jeanine Matthews. Jeanine is the one at fault. Not Eric.

Maggie treads onto the carpeted floor, on silent feet. Eric has his back turned to her. He's watching the sunset outside his window, not knowing what else to do.

"Eric?" Maggie hesitates. Her son doesn't turn around.

"Eric, I'm sorry," Maggie continues. "I was wrong to hit you. I just got mad. I didn't know it was Jeanine, who lied. I'm sorry -"

"I don't forgive you," Eric interrupts. He sounds furious.

"What?" Maggie's voice shakes.

"I said, I don't forgive you. Go away," Eric snaps. He stretches out on his bed and refuses to even look his mother's way.

Maggie's eyes go to the floor. For the first time in a long time, she's bowing down in surrender. Why? She is his mother. He is obligated to respect her. Her hurt and shame transform into cold anger.

"Fine," she says brusquely. The word is like an ax blade, coming down on Eric. As Maggie leaves, a wave of regret washes over Eric.

For the first time in a long time, he scorned his mother. Why? He knows it was wrong of Jeanine, to lie like that. But how could he have spoken up? No one would've believed him. And would he have been willing to sacrifice his bond with Jeanine, just to keep a mother who mistreats him?

He can't come up with any good answers. All he can do, is cry himself to sleep.

AN: So in the book, it says that Jeanine was chosen for leadership just because of her high IQ. This doesn't really make sense to me, because if everyone knew how much she hated the Abnegation, the council probably wouldn't have let her rise to power. So I came up with a scenario in which she fools the Abnegation into thinking she's on their side.