Christina and Will's wedding was an intimate and beautiful affair. Tris, Christina and Marlene had spent weeks planning the small event, but they spared no details to make sure that Will and Christina got the wedding they had both dreamed of, now that the strict restrictions had been lifted. Christina had asked Tris to escort her down the aisle, since the faction before blood laws remained in place Chris felt that Tris was her only family.

Both women were emotional on their walk down the aisle, Tris had never seen her best friend look as beautiful as she did today in her blush colored wedding dress. As they made their way down the aisle, with a string quartet playing, Christina and Will couldn't keep their eyes off of each other.

Eric couldn't keep his eyes off of Tris.

Christina and Will had asked Eric to be the leader who officiated their ceremony, and he had graciously accepted. Christina knew that Tris and Eric missed each other terribly, so she did everything she could to bring the two together in ways that wouldn't raise suspicions. Her wedding was the perfect excuse to get them together outside of work, and they were both appreciative of her thoughtfulness.

Since his meeting with Max several months ago, he had kept up appearances that he and Tris were completely done, and that he had no interest in her at all. The first few days were dicey, because he found out that Max had been called away before he could speak with Tris, so it once again appeared that he had ghosted her since the text message he sent her was taken out of context. Thankfully, this time they were actually able to video chat and he explained everything that had happened. When Max was back in the office, he did have the same official conversation with Tris, and she was furious. However, knowing that Max, along with over half the current leadership team, would be retiring soon, and she knew the younger generation of leaders had plans to make some big changes. Once this happened, maybe this antiquated fraternization policy would be overturned.

What she and Eric had was worth waiting for.

After the ceremony, there was the customary party in The Pit, and practically the entire faction would come out to celebrate. Even if the faction didn't know the new married couple, it was a reason to drink, that's all this faction cared about most weekends.

It also would draw the entire leadership staff out to celebrate the marriage of two of their members, so Tris and Eric had to be on high alert.

Eric is nursing a bottle of beer in a dark corner when he sees her. She's changed out of the dark purple formal dress she wore as a member of the wedding party, but she's kept the color theme from what he can see. She's wearing a short, deep purple, tight tank dress that accentuates the body she works tirelessly to maintain, along with the curves he loves about her.

She looks incredible.

He and Tris have been together for over a year, and outside of the one kiss that Max interrupted, their entire relationship has been hidden from the outside world. Max forced them to part, but after he and Tris finally talked he was able to clear the air and let her know that Max's rules for fraternization was forcing him to take a step back. She understood, and for that he was incredibly lucky.

They went back to their electronic communications, but now with video chats becoming a regular part of their relationship. Even though they couldn't be out in the open with anything, they remained committed and they each knew exactly what they were to each other, and they had been patiently waiting for the leaders to start retiring so Eric could get support to change the damn rule.

They were very careful with their interactions, everything had to appear to be nothing more than a completely platonic, coworker relationship, and that's what everyone in the faction believed. Outside of Max, Christina and Will, no one has ever suspected Eric and Tris of anything other than being coworkers. Tris and Eric had managed a few stolen kisses, and had been able to spend time together as a couple with Christina and Will under the guise of wedding planning, but they yearned to spend some private time together.

Harrison, who prior to falling ill with the virus, had pretty much checked out of his leadership duties in favor of retirement, returned to work with the renewed vigor of a much younger man. His brush with death had awoken something in him, and he wanted nothing more than to return to his former glory. Max was thrilled to see the older man lead with a passion he had long forgotten, and the rest of leadership seemed poised to take a page out of Harrison's new book to do the same. Gone was the invisible age divide between the older leaders: Max, Harrison, Roni and Delilah and the younger Weston and Eric. The apprenticeship team of Tris, Uriah, Peter and Four's path to full leadership seemed to be temporarily blocked, and it had begun to wear on the young couple.

Max remained curious that neither Tris nor Eric seemed to have moved on from each other, but he has seen nothing unusual in their work behavior. If nothing else, they've both seemed even more committed to their work. While making his expected appearance at the wedding reception, he observes the two while enjoying a glass of wine with his wife. He notices that Tris seems to be deep in conversation with Zeke Pedrad, while Eric is having a drink with Molly Martinez, so maybe things between his leaders are completely on the up and up. It pleases him to see that the two are adhering to the policy. Soon he and his wife make their exit before things got too rowdy tonight.

Once all of leadership has taken their early exit, Tris and Eric make eye contact across the crowded room, and a slight gesture of her head makes Eric cross the room to follow her. He keeps his distance, but watches her carefully make her way down the chasm, where she seems to disappear behind one of the waterfalls.

He slowly makes his way to where he watched her disappear but all he can see and hear is the roaring water. A hand reaches out for him.

"Duck." She says, just loud enough to be heard over the water.

He takes her hand, ducking as she suggested until they are behind the water in a small, almost cave like room.

"No cameras." She says.

"How'd you find this?" He asks.

"Tobias told me about it. There's no cameras that would have seen us come back here. He promised me it was completely safe, and that it would remain that way as long as Zeke stays in control room security." Tris says.

"I've missed you." Eric says. Tris closes the space between them and crashes her lips to his.

They're lost in the sensation, their previous interactions have been so brief, but right now all of the pressure from their forced separation is turning into lust. Eric picks Tris up by the back of her thighs and presses her into the cold, damp wall of the cave. Tris responds to him, wrapping her legs around his hips and pressing her warmth against his growing excitement.

"Tris… we have to stop…" he breathes in between kisses.

"I don't want to." She breathes out.

"Our first time can't be inside of a cave behind the chasm." He whispers, pressing his forehead against hers.

"I know. I got carried away." Tris giggles. "You just look so handsome in your dress uniform…"

"This dress should be illegal." He interjects.

"Christina helped me pick it out, I wanted to look sexy for you."

"You absolutely succeeded, I once again owe her." He growls. The two start kissing again, and they begin losing control. "Baby, we can't, not here."

Eric carefully sets her back on her feet, "There's something I've been wanting to tell you, but I've been waiting until we could be together." Eric says.

Tris' expression changes, and the smile fades away.

"No, it's nothing bad. God, I am so fucking awkward." Eric chuckles.

"Well, what is it?" Tris presses.

Eric leans in again and kisses her softly. "I think I am falling in love with you." He can feel her smile against his lips.

"You think or you know?" Tris says as she leans back in his arms to look up at him.

"Oh, I know." He grins at her. "I am.." he kisses her forehead, "ridiculously," he kisses her nose, "madly," he kisses her cheek, "completely," he kisses her other cheek, "in love with you."

"Good." Tris smiles at him, before pulling his lips to hers.

"Why is it good?" He asks.

"Because I'm also in love with you." Tris replies.

Eric captures her lips in another searing kiss, pressing his body against hers once more.

"I'm so in love with you." He breathes against her lips. "Can you feel what you do to me?"

"I want you, Eric. I want you so much." She captures his lips and he picks her up again. He's pressing heated kisses on her neck when she speaks again.

"I know where we can go." Tris breathes against him. "Chris and Will are heading out of the compound for their honeymoon tonight. They have a guest room…"

"Text me the apartment number. You head there now." Eric all but commands.

He watches her leave after she confirmed he received her text. It feels like every minute that ticks by is an hour, but after she's been gone for ten minutes he decides he can no longer wait. He makes his way down to their lower level apartment, keys in the code, and finds Tris inside the door waiting for him.

He carries her down the hall to the guest room, and there aren't many words spoken as they undress each other. Apart from their sounds of passion, and a few whispered words of love, the only other noises are coming from the raucous party that continues down stairs.

They've both been with another person before, but nothing compares to the anticipation of their joining tonight. Her creamy skin, dotted with the freckles he adores, pressing against his, their hands never leaving each other, the heat from their bodies moving in unison, over and over until both are spent and satiated.

When their pulse has stopped racing and their breathing settled, he presses an open mouthed kiss to her salty skin. She sighs against him and pulls his arms a little tighter around her naked form, relishing in his warmth and the way they fit together perfectly.

"I've never felt like this before." Tris says quietly. "I don't know how I'm going to be able to work with you and hide how I feel anymore."

"We will figure it out together, whatever it takes." Eric presses another kiss to her shoulder.

She lazily traces her fingers through the tattooed mazes on his arm, and when he hears her breathing deepen he finally allows himself to relax.

He loves her, possibly more than he has ever loved anything in his life, and after tonight he knew he couldn't go back to the way things were before.

He had to talk to Max.