They woke up around five in the afternoon, the sound of thunder grumbling above. Chicago wined, balling up on the floor. He did not enjoy the sound of thunder. Victoria crawled out of bed, pulling out her dog's anxiety meds. She stuffed two into a pill treat and gave them to him. He snapped at her fingers, quickly sucking it down. Eric got up from the bed and jumped down the ladder in one leap. He landed on both feet and walked into the bathroom. Victoria smiled at how unnecessary he was. Victoria jumped down behind him, her hands sliding down the side rails of the black metal ladder.

An hour later they came out, heading to the kitchen for dinner. They had taken another shower, fooling around in between. Eric walked to the full-size fridge opening the door. There was so much food for them to enjoy. Including, two large steaks that sat on the metal rack. Eric pulled them out, throwing them in a cast iron skillet, after figuring out how to turn on the gas stove. The cabin was a modern outward-bound vibe. Everything in the factions was electric, but somehow Jeanine managed to build a cabin with natural gas. A traditional cabin with modern architecture.

They spent the rest of the evening sitting on the front porch eating dinner and puffing on a joint. Eric had a connection, that Victoria knew nothing about. One time she asked him where he got it and he told her not to ask him that question ever again. How he got it was from a younger guy in their faction, who knew someone who knew someone. It was very hush hush. People always found a way to get high or drunk, no matter how hard the governing party tried restricting it. He took a couple puffs before passing it to her. She carefully took it in her fingers studying it. The end smoked, the cherry burning red-hot. She had only ever smoked twice and every time it knocked her on her ass. She took two puffs before she was choking out smoke. She handed it back to him, doubling over trying to catch her breath. Eric smiled finishing most of it, giving her two more puffs before it got too short.

They readjusted leaning against one another, listening to the relaxing sound of the rain. She was so high... After a while he noticed she had fallen asleep, leaning her head against his arm. He even felt himself begin to drift to sleep. Neither of them smoked often enough to have a tolerance. He stood up and carried her back inside the cabin. He carried her up to bed and headed back down to lock up. He stood outside and stared out into the landscape noticing a tiny fire, far, far away. He hit the lock button on his car key, just to be sure. He walked inside and turned all three locks on the door. He had kept the wooden covers on the windows, just to be safe. He didn't like being so exposed.

Thunder grumbled overhead and Eric could hear that it was raining harder now. He climbed up to bed and peeled his damp clothes off. He hung them over the railing at their feet. He fell back into bed and passed out almost immediately. That joint had hit him like a truck.

The next morning, he woke up first. He checked his watch and saw that it was almost noon. They needed to be back tonight. It was still raining and he decided it was best if they left now. He worried the roads would be washed away. He wanted Victoria to sleep as long as she could, so he quietly got out of bed and began packing up. When he took their belongings out to the car he saw that the tires had sunk into the muddy earth. Not much but enough to be concerning.

Once he had the car packed, he headed back inside to wake up Victoria and carry Chicago out. Instead, when he walked into the living room, he saw her coming down the ladder. She looked at him concerned and still sleepy.

"I thought you had left. You scared me."

"I'm sorry, doll. We need to go. The rain isn't stopping. If it keeps going it will wash out the roads." As they were talking Eric saw Chicago leap from the loft. His face dropped and he shoved past his wife. He reached his arms and missed the dog by only centimeters. Chicago rolled on his side a couple times and got up, shaking it off like nothing had happened. He happily walked back over the Victoria, sitting at her feet.

"You, are a freak." She rolled her eyes at the dog, commanding him to jump into her arms. She caught him as he jumped into the air, kicked her sneakers on and ran through the rain to the car. Eric picked himself up off the floor and checked to make sure everything was packed up and clean. He closed up and got into the car, turning it on.

Chicago shook dry in the back and now it smelled like a wet dog. He cracked the front windows. The car had efficient rain guards over the top of the windows, keeping any rain from getting in the stinking car. Eric, on the other hand, was soaking wet and cold.

He gently pushed on the gas and the car didn't move. He pushed down a little harder and the car lunged forward, falling back down. They had sunk into a muddy impression of the car's fat tires. He pushed down even harder and the vehicle reared up, pulling them from the muddy hole. Chicago rolled around in the back hatch as they took off with a rocky start. The rain was falling much harder now and it was getting hard to see.

"I wish we could have stayed longer." She rubbed her eyes, combing her hair back with her fingers. She took his hand off the gear shift and gave it a soft squeeze. Eric looked over at her, squeezing her hand back. She was so perfect, and he wondered how he got so lucky. He looked back at the rainy road, going over a couple bumps and throwing both hands onto the wheels.

"I'm sorry, doll." The car approached a partially drowned road and continued past it. The car was designed to drive through everything, including water levels as tall as the car. It bobbed along the muddy and flooding road, not skipping a beat. The wipers violently threw the heavy falling rain from view of its driver. The halogen lights shone through the rain, but only to show more rain.

"Maybe she'll excuse us, because of the rain."

"You know that's not likely." He looked over at her and she looked back at him a little worried. She looked down at the floorboard, thinking about what he had just said. He noticed her knee started to bounce. He knew he had scared her and he hadn't meant to… Jeanine was waiting for them but she would hassle them if they were late. He placed a hand on her bouncing knee and she paused, looking at him. "Don't worry, V. It'll be okay."

Victoria flashed back to the time Jeanine had kidnapped her from the apartment she shared with her brother, Tobias. Jeanine had kept her for three days. Tobias and Eric both lost their minds. Eric threatened to take himself out if Jeanine hurt her. Victoria couldn't remember the amount of time she spent locked up. The boys told her it had been five days. I had felt like two weeks. She didn't sleep for a month after that. Jeanine was suspicious her brother was a divergent, but she could never prove it on paper. She closed her eyes, trying to push the thoughts away.

"I'm sorry-"

"Eric! Please, don't apologize…"

She turned her body towards the window looking out at the wet landscape. She balled up in her seat, turning her body away from him. He knew he had said the wrong thing. He knew about her trauma growing up and he knew about her trauma from Jeanine. That was in the beginning of their relationship. The more he was around her, the less Jeanine messed with her. Her brother was a Divergent, but she wouldn't talk about it ever.

They were quiet for most of the drive back. The only sound breaking the droning sound of the falling rain was spontaneous cracks of thunder. When the car hit city roads again it was close to five in the evening. It took them twice the time to get back. The cloudy sky was getting dimmer, and the rain was not letting up. Once the car hit the paved road it picked up speed and power.

Eric parked in front of their build at 5:30 exactly. As he parked he stared at the car in front of them. Jeanine's. She was here… They quietly got out, heading upstairs with guns ready. They made it to their floor, seeing that the apartment door was shut. Eric stepped forward carefully trying the door handle first and finding it was unlocked. He pushed the door wide open and they waited for anything to happen before stepping inside. Nothing happened, but Chicago whined sensing someone inside. Victoria wanted to let Chicago off leash but she knew that would not go over well for her or the dog.

Eric made Victoria stand behind him as he took the first couple of steps inside. He walked inside and saw a huge pile of boxes in the living room. The bedroom door swung open and Jeanine came out. Chicago yelped once and Victoria silenced her k9.

"How was the honeymoon?" Jeanine asked, walking into the living room. She picked up a framed photo of and Eric. They were still in uniform, sitting together on top of a skyscraper. The sun setting behind them, hitting the landscape, just right. They sat together, smiling, with the cityscape behind them. They were an appealing couple, complementing each other drastically. She was the beauty to his beast. She set the photo down on the coffee table, walking towards Eric's large armchair. Victoria closed the door.

"Hello, Jeanine." Eric stood there, tense, watching her take a seat in his armchair. She knew how to push his buttons and what was sensitive to him. Victoria stood rigid, looking at Jeanine with an expressionless face. She still hadn't recovered from a year and a half ago…

"Did you enjoy yourselves?"

"Yes, ma'am. It was nice. Thank you."

"I hope that means you're ready to put the work in." Victoria submissively looked at Jeanine. Eric stood frozen, watching the two women. He would kill Jeanine in an instant if she did anything to his new wife.

"Yes ma'am. We're ready." Eric calmly spoke for them both. Victoria looked to the floor as Jeanine walked up to her. For her, it was like having an aggressive dog in the room. You didn't dare look it in the eye. Eric held himself back. Jeanine knew Victoria was afraid of her. She had every right to be.

"Look at me, girl." Victoria obeyed her, snapping her eyes up to Jeanine. She stood there, still as a statue, doing her best not to shake. Eric stood there, ready to attack Jeanine at any second. If that cruel woman ever touched Victoria again, he promised it would be the last time. She reached a hand towards her face and Eric snapped.

"Don't touch her, Jeanine!" The cold woman shot a glare at Eric who stood close by. Victoria looked at him blankly before looking back down at the floor. She didn't want to give Jeanine a reason to torture her again. It made her entirely shut down.

"Shut up, Eric. I was only trying to tell her, I had all of her things brought to her." Eric stood there very tense. Her two body guards stepped from behind the pile of boxes. She turned back to Victoria. "I had my men go to your brother's place, knock down the door and come in to raid your belongings." Victoria said nothing. "When I finished, I came back here." She sat down with a small smile on her face. "You two just happened to make it home early. Two birds one stone, I suppose."

"The rain was washing away the roads."

"Smart choice, coming back. If you hadn't been on time, I wouldn't have been happy. I need you both, tomorrow."

"How long have you been waiting for us?" Eric asked, tense. He was not a fan of people sneaking into his house. Now he would need to spend an hour going through everything for hidden bugs. He couldn't wait to get her out.

"Long enough. I am here to remind you both that you are my best officers. So, don't do anything stupid! You have until tomorrow night to tell anyone you care about, your news. After that I make it public." Jeanine stood up, walking towards the door. Jeanine walked to the front door, opened it and stepped out. Her men following behind her. They shut the door and Eric immediately locked it behind them. Eric slowly walked to the window and watched from the side as they all filed into the car and drove away.

Once they were gone, he looked over at his wife. She was sitting, hunched over the answering machine. Victoria knew her brother had to be worried like crazy about her. He had taken care of her since she was tiny. She knew Jeanine had raided the apartment they shared, dramatically carrying her things away. The machine was blinking, indicating that it was full. Her finger hovered over the button for a moment as Eric walked up behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, gently rubbing them. She pressed play and the machine let out a long tone beep.

"Eric, it's Four… Are you there?" He paused. "If you're there, please pick up. Please..." He paused again. "Call me back when you get this."

'Beeeeeeeeep!'

"Eric, Four again. I'm worried about Victoria. I haven't seen her in 24-hours. Please call me."

'Beeeeeeeeep!'

"Eric. Pick up the phone! Victoria, if you're there please pick up… " That one stung a little and it made her want to crumple. She skipped through the next few, each one getting more intense. Finally, the last message played.

'Beeeeeeeeep!'

"Eric, answer the damn phone! I need to know she is okay… Jeanine had her men raid our apartment. I'm worried about her. Please call me back as soon as you get this… I just need to know my little sister is safe.

'Beeeeeeeeep!'

The tape ended and Victoria stared at the machine, silent. She picked the phone up and quickly dialed their home number. It rang once before her brother answered.

"Victoria?" He frantically answered. She tried not to cry. It made her feel rotten… Her body violently shook as she kept the phone pressed to her ear. Eric had his arms wrapped around her as she sat in the chair, trembling.

"Tobias!" She gasped, stuttering back tears. "I'm alright! I'm alright. I'm so sorry. I wasn't allowed to tell anyone. Listen, I have some things to tell you."

"What is it?" She thought about whether or not she was really going to tell him. She felt it was something that needed to be done in-person. Though, if she didn't tell him now, he might find out through the grapevine. That would make things worse. Instead, she chose to tell him only part of the truth. She would rather tell him in person.

"I'm living with Eric now."

"What? Why? Vic, you know he's dangero-"

"No, he is not! He loves me, Tobias. You just don't know him!"

"You're right, Vic. I don't know him. It's feeling like I don't know you, either." Tobias hung up the phone and Victoria's line went dead. She slowly pulled it away, looking at Eric, with tears in her eyes. He quickly pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her. She did her absolute best to push back her tears. She took in two deep breaths and held them. She pushed her emotions away, picking her head up off of his chest.

"He hates me." Her voice was barely above a mouse squeak. She seemed defeated. Whatever her brother had said to her on the phone, it messed with her head.

"He doesn't hate you… He hates me."

"I can't handle this!"

"V. Victoria, look at me. Look at me!" He shook her out of the trance she was in. She blinked a couple times, looking at him with a blank expression. She was in an emotional fog.

"She raided our home, Eric! She made a spectacle! She's suspicious as hell of him already. He doesn't need her to have some twisted reason to torture him. Or me!" She broke down sobbing, crumpling into his chest. She was too deep in her head. This was the second time he had ever seen her cry.

As she fell to her knees, thunder rumbled above their heads. It was still pouring, outside. Chicago whined, belly crawling to Victoria's feet. She was trembling, and hyperventilating in between tears. She seemed more emotional tonight than she ever had. He assumed it had something to do with the fact that it was her week of the month. Either way, it did startle him how upset she seemed. He gently rocked her back and forth. Chicago gave Victoria a small whine, letting her know he was there too.

Eventually she began to calm down, but she was still trembling. They had sat on the tile floor for an hour, watching the rain fall from the dining room window. She looked up at him with her puffy-red eyes. She only cried when something really awful had happened. He knew the whole 'secret-wedding' had upset her. It was a strange experience and not at all how they had imagined it to be.

"Are you going to be alright?" He whispered, resting his head on top of hers. She nodded, snuggling into his chest. "Why don't you go take a shower then? I'll make something for us to eat." She quietly got up and shuffled into the bedroom without a word of protest. Eric watched her go into their room, shut the door and waited until he heard the shower turn on. He turned to the dog.

"Outside?"

Chicago's big ears perked up, looking at Eric intensely. Eric put on his coat and opened the door as the dog shot outside. He flew down the steps, while Eric slowly followed behind. Finally, he made it down to the ground floor, watching the dog pee on three different things before trotting back. Eric spun around and they headed back up the stairs. When they got to the front door, Chicago shook all the water out of his fur before going inside. It was a trick Victoria had taught him when he was young.

Eric hung his coat up by the door, peeled his boots off and went into the kitchen. He turned on the oven and pulled a frozen lasagna from the freezer drawer throwing it into the oven. The bedroom door opened just then as Victoria peeked her head out and saw him standing by the oven. She came out wearing one of his black tee shirts. It looked like a nightgown on her skinny body. Wet strands of her dark brown hair fell in front of her face, while she combed it all back with her fingers. She plopped herself down on the couch when there was a pound on the door. Victoria jumped up, frozen. Eric and the dog cautiously made their way to the door. He looked through the peephole and saw it was Four.

Eric groaned, unlocking the door. As he turned the handle, Four kicked the door open. Immediately, both men went for each other's throats. Four drove Eric back into a wall, having caught him off guard. Chicago jumped up, angrily barking at the two men.

"Stop it! Please!" Victoria pushed herself between both men. They repelled from her like magnets. Eric wouldn't risk hurting her, ever. Four stayed close to his sister, he was mad at her too.

"Why did you have agents raid our home, Victoria? They broke in the fucking door! They took all of your things and with no explanation? Now I find out you two moved in together? I'm just supposed to accept that?"

"We're married too." Eric remarked, wiping blood from under his nose. Tobias turned back at his sister, enraged. She let out a soft growl, glaring back at her husband. Tobias really wanted to throttle her too, but he knew Eric would tear him apart. She was like a Queen, guarded in a shiny modern castle.

"You're married, Victoria? How long has that been? We're you even planning to tell me?"

"Shut up, Tobias! You don't tell me shit!"

"For your own stupid safety, Victoria!"

"Hey, don't speak to my wife that way!"

"Or you'll do what? Go wipe the blood of your face."

"Shut up, Tobias!" Victoria raged and everyone went quiet. Tobias really hated Victoria being married to Eric. In his mind he thought this would make it much harder to get the two of them out of the factions. Tobias had been thinking up an escape plan for a couple months now. He had heard a rumor about a potential war or something. He knew Divergents would be at risk. He wanted them gone by then.

"Why didn't you tell me as soon as you could? I'm your brother. The only true family you have left."

"I was nervous! You both hate each other, Tobias. I wasn't allowed to tell you about the wedding anyway. It was with Jeanine and her council… I didn't have a say in it. I want to be with Eric." Tobias yanked his sister into his arm, hugging her tight. He was relieved that she was safe, alive and seemingly happy… Even if it didn't make him happy. He had been torturing himself with the thought that she was dead.

Just then the oven beeped and Eric went to pull out their dinner. He opened the oven door as the Italian scents filled the apartment. Victoria practically floated towards the food, she had been starving since they left. Eric brought Victoria's plate to her on the couch. She turned on the television and settled in. Tobias and Eric awkwardly looked at each other, Eric awkwardly offering Four a plate. Both men quietly sat down at the dining table, starting to eat. Eric looked over at Victoria who was lost in the television, stuffing lasagna in her face. She looked content. He was still shaken how upset she was earlier.

"You know, she was really shaken when you hung up on her. She cried for an hour and a half."

"I shouldn't have hung up on her so quick, but I had been waiting by the phone for almost 72-hours. I thought Jeanine had murdered her this time."

"She misses you. We are also in love. We had been planning this for about six months. Jeanine restricted us from telling anyone. Victoria is petrified by anything she says. She wanted to tell you, man! She wanted a small wedding, her closest people there, dancing late into the night. Instead we had this freaky formal ceremony where they sent us away for two nights. It caused her a lot of stress. She was walked down the aisle by Jeanine's bodyguards."

"For as tough as my sister is, she can be quite fragile sometimes."

"She's a hell of a woman. Can I ask you something, Four?"

"Hm?" Tobias took a big bite, looking at Eric across the table. Eric was quiet for a moment. He hoped he could trust Tobias in telling him this next thing. Otherwise it might cost him his life.

"Can I trust you?"

"Depends on what you say next."

"Do you want to leave the factions?" He asked, barely above a whisper. Tobias said nothing back at first. He looked around the room, unsure if he could trust Eric. He knew how close they were with Jeanine and it always made him nervous.

"Can I trust you, Eric? Seems like something a nark might ask."

"Fair enough."

"I'm hearing rumors about war."

"From where?"

"Doesn't matter. Is it true?" Eric slumped in his chair, sort of nodding and shrugging at the same time. He had to be careful what he said and what his body language said. He looked out the floor-to-ceiling window beside the dining table, and watched the busy street below. They were both quiet for a moment. Eric looked back at his food and took another bite.

"I want her to live a different life than this. I want to have a family outside of these walls." Tobias studied Eric's face for a moment. He was dead serious. Even as he spoke to Tobias, he was watching his wife in the background. He knew Eric was telling the truth when he said he loved her. He looked at Victoria, safe on the couch with the dog at her feet. He had only ever wanted his baby sister to be safe and happy.

"I've always wanted that for her."

"Then do you think you can trust me enough?"

"I suppose."

"When I call you, meet me on this rooftop."

Both men looked back at Victoria who was sound asleep. She was the thing that made them united, and they hated it. They looked back at one another, and Tobias nodded. He stood up from the table, not saying anything, and shook Eric's hand. He walked over to his sister who was asleep on the couch, giving her a kiss on the head before finally walking out. Eric looked over at his sleeping wife, admiring how peaceful she looked.

After a moment he stood up and collected all the dishes, rinsing them clean in the sink. The dishwasher was clean and it needed to be unloaded, but he was too tired. He stacked the dirty dishes in the bottom of the sink before going into the living room. He picked up the remote and turned off what she had been watching, turning off the lights and carefully scooping her into his arms and carrying her to bed. Chicago followed behind at his heels.

He placed her in the bed and she still hadn't woken up. He covered her legs up with the crisp white bed sheets. Her emotions had gotten the best of her and she was exhausted. He turned the tv on in their bedroom, turning the volume low. He quickly stripped down to his underwear and socks. He sat on the edge of the bed and stared into the floor for a moment. He suddenly felt the mattress move just slightly. He felt her soft hands touch his lower back, sliding up to his shoulders. She was warm and her gentle touch was inviting. He turned around and looked at her sleepy face, taking her hand in his.

"What time is it?"

"It's nine-thirty."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, doll."

"Don't lie to me, Eric."

"I'm thinking about tomorrow. I'm thinking about these new recruits."

"It will be fine. You always know what to do." She leaned over to kiss him, snuggling up against him. He turned off the bedside light and wrapped his arms around her. He lied in bed with his head turned to the side, staring out the giant glass window and down at the still busy street below. People were preparing for tomorrow. Taking sons and daughters to a last dinner, preparing for the choosing ceremony in the morning. Eric hated how stressful and long these events were. Realistically they would be done by two in the afternoon, but they were starting at eight in the morning. He kissed the top of his wife's head again, breathing her scent in and. He closed his eyes and focused on drifting to sleep. He counted his breaths in and out until he couldn't anymore, and fell asleep