Chapter Four
Tris POV
I wake up from the weirdest dream feeling safe and secure. For once I don't feel cold in the flimsy hospital gown and move to pull the blanket around my ears while snuggling deeper into my pillow. With a content sigh on my lips I fall back asleep.
I don't know how much later it is when I am awoken by the feeling of movement along my side. I open my eyes and stare at the bleak ceiling before I turn my head and see that I am resting against a large arm. My breath hitches in my throat until I realise it is Eric.
Why am I in bed with Eric? He was... in the corner of my room with his hands in the air. I know I was staring at him after what happened just seconds before. He was really out of it and there I had thought he was conscious but just enjoying the closeness as much as I had.
Medical personnel with syringes!
I sit upright in bed and Eric doesn't move, his eyes stay closed and his breathing even.
I look around the room and see that we are not in my room but somewhere else.
Obviously, there is the bed we are both lying on, but there are some weird machines against the far side of the room. A large screen is mounted to the wall and there is an actual table with chairs instead of the breakfast bar we had before.
I see one more door that should lead into the bathroom but the wall looks completely different.
I can feel my bladder and slowly move to the side of the bed. My movements are still a bit sluggish and my legs feel rather wobbly when I carefully make my way to the bathroom door. I see the light switch just inside and quietly close the door behind me.
The toilet is off to the side and when I reach it I turn to sit down but freeze in my movement when I see the weird looking wall is actually glass and anybody will get a free view into here.
There is a half-wall separating the toilet from the rest of the bathroom and it gives just enough protection that you can take care of business in peace. The same can not be said for the shower and bathtub, they are both in full view of the glass wall and I can feel my hands shake.
I look down onto my hands and see a band aid attached to my palm.
I don't remember hurting myself and curiosity wins out - I take it off and gasp. There on my hand with tiny precise letters is a note.
Stay strong! Soon you'll be free!
I don't think twice when I stumble out of the bathroom and back to the bed. I throw myself half on top of Eric and shake him with all my might.
He doesn't move and I am not sure what to do.
I know his chest is moving and he is breathing but how do I wake him up?
I rub my hand over his cheek and call his name repeatedly.
Finally his head turns slightly and follows my palm until he is cradled within.
"Eric," I try once more and this time his eyes open.
"Tris," he asks softly and then his eyes widen.
Just like me he sits up and looks around frantically before turning back to me.
"What happened?"
"I have no idea but this is not my room. Yours?"
"Uh, maybe?" He looks around once more and I can see his eyes widen. "It used to be my room but they tore down all the walls. Tobias used to have a bedroom right there," he points to our left "and my bedroom used to be there." He points to our right. "They only left the bathroom where it was."
"Uh, with glass walls," I ask tentatively, and he turns his face to look at me and then back to the bathroom.
"No?!"
"Is that your final answer," I chuckle.
"The fuck?" He tries to stand up and his legs are less wobbly than mine when he makes his way over to the dark wall and door.
He hits the light switch and steps inside. I follow and see him turn around in a wide circle and whistle.
"They did a job on this, that's for sure," he bemoans, and I nod in understanding. "At least they gave us a bit of privacy..." he walks over to the hidden toilet and I suddenly remember I forgot to flush.
I hurry after him and push past him, hitting the button before he can see anything.
"Sorry," I turn around and look at him sheepishly. "I got side-tracked by something I actually needed to show you ..." I bite my lips to figure out how to tell him. His hand comes up and pulls my lips free and it gives me an idea.
I lift my own hand and scratch my forehead slowly with my palm facing out.
His eyes widen and I use the opportunity to move one finger over my mouth to show him to not say a word.
I grab the band aid from where I dropped it on the small wall and gently push it over my palm.
Eric nods and drags me over to the sink, starting the water and grabbing the soap. He lathers his hands and proceed to do the same with mine and then he rubs and scrubs around my palm and it feels so nice, I let out a loud moan.
"Tris," he cautions but I can't help it, the feeling of his fingers digging into my skin feels nice. Another moan escapes my lips while he is staring right at me and he narrows his eyes before he bends his head down and catches my lip with his.
The next moan is completely different and echoed by Eric.
The kiss ends way too soon but my palm is clean and no traces of the message are left on my skin. Mission accomplished, I presume.
Eric dries our hands and pulls me out of the room and over to the table.
He sits me down on one end and then moves to the other side.
I raise my eyebrow in silent question and he chuckles.
"Just a precaution, you are quite tempting and I don't need Jeanine's interference for this to go too far," he almost whispers.
"Why are we here," I ask my first question. I have thousands more, but this is the most prominent one.
"The two of us together or in this room," Eric clarifies.
"Both!"
"I would presume this is the next step in Jeanine's plan. The first part was failure after failure, so she decided to separate us and house us together. This way we don't need to travel and if one couple snaps out of it the other won't be disturbed like we did before," he wagers, and I have to agree. It sounds logical.
"And the set up," I ask.
"You mean the open-air vibe for everything including the bathroom? Temptation! No place to hide? Constant exposure? Take your pick. You are still in this gown that doesn't cover much and it seems my clothes have been replaced."
"Your clothes," I ask dumbly, and he stands up. I can see he is only wearing thin scrub pants.
"I trade you a gown for a pair of pants," I offer, and he nods. "Did you see any?"
"No, my dresser disappeared with all the other stuff. My bookshelf is still here," he points to the other side of the large room and I see a wall full of books.
I walk over to have a look and see that mine have been added and I tell Eric so.
Eric is still sitting down on his chair and not moving.
"Are you okay," I check.
"Uhm, I just noticed that those are not normal scrubs," he mumbles.
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that these pants seem to have an opening where none should be, and this is by no accident."
I don't like the way he tries to talk around the proverbial bush and walk right over to him.
"Stand up," I demand.
"No!"
"Eric, please stand up. I saw you naked, it can't be any worse."
"You asked for it," he sighs and stands up.
I did not notice it earlier, but I am paying attention now and of course I do see the large slit in the front. One wrong move and he will air his penis.
"Well, at least you have the resemblance of something covering your ass. Mine is feeling the draft since my Choosing Day," I quip, and I am surprised at how freely I can talk about everything. Maybe Christina and her Candor did bring me out of my shell.
"What did you choose," Eric asks me out of the blue.
"Dauntless. You?"
"The same and so did Tobias," Eric adds.
"Christina as well. Does that mean there is someone within Dauntless not reporting all the initiates getting lost before they even enter the faction?"
"I don't know how Dauntless works. I used to be Erudite and it makes me sick to have grown up in the faction that facilitates these atrocities," Eric answers more of my questions.
"I was Abnegation and Chris Candor. Does that mean Dauntless are exempt from the experiments?"
"I have no idea. All I know is that I was selected because of my divergence. Maybe I was just the easiest one to take. Tobias and I were in the same Choosing Ceremony and back then Jeanine couldn't even test for percentage. She might have lucked out with us or she had another system of finding the right people. Who knows?"
Eric eyes me speculatively.
"What do you think about Marcus Eaton," he finally asks and it makes me flinch because the conversation my parents had that last evening is still fresh on my mind.
"I never had much interaction with him but my father is on the council. Erudite keeps posting newspaper articles accusing Abnegation of hoarding goods and Marcus gets personally attacked. There are claims he abused his son, causing him to defect. My parents seem to think Erudite is trying to gain power to run the whole city," I try to explain.
"What do you remember about his son," Eric follows up.
"Not much. I don't remember ever seeing him and then he chose Dauntless ..."
Something finally clicks and I stare at Eric. "Are you telling me Tobias is Marcus's son? Why would he not notice that he has gone missing and is neither with the Dauntless nor Factionless," I almost shout.
"That's one of the big questions we have and the reason why we think is goes beyond Jeanine and Erudite. There are others here and most are young, meaning there should be families out there wondering what happened," Eric states.
"Faction before blood," I reason. "Abnegation takes it personal when someone leaves the faction and no matter how selfish it may be to take offense it is what they do. The way my father talked, nobody goes to visit whoever defects and it is as if they died that day. I will not be missed but Chris is sure that her parents will be asking questions. Visiting Day is not much different than any other day in Abnegation except for the families of transfers coming into our sector."
Eric and I take a moment to think everything through.
"So you think Marcus is at least turning a blind eye on things," I eventually ask.
"He was not the nicest father or husband and Jeanine might know about this," Eric explains.
"The abuse did happen," I conclude.
"His back was covered in scars until they did something about it. Now it looks like it never happened."
"Why?"
"No idea! Leverage or simply testing out a scar removal cream or device - who knows what's going on in her mind?"
"What do you think happened to your family," I dare ask.
"My parents are devoted to Jeanine and too busy with their jobs to even notice me growing up. One word from her counts more than any evidence would ever bring so I wrote them off from the second I decided I would not stay in Erudite."
"I am sorry," I whisper.
"Don't be. We all have to make choices based on what's best for us. We can't live life in misery just to please others."
It is nice to hear my own thoughts coming from someone else.
"So, what are we going to do now," I ask another question that has been burning me from the inside, waiting to come out.
"Stay active, don't go insane and try to avoid Jeanine manipulating us into doing what she wants."
"Eric," I hesitate but then decide to just push ahead, "whatever happens between us - I will never hold it against you," I swear, and he nods.
"Thank you!"
With that said I get up and grab a book from the shelf while Eric works out.
When I find myself staring at Eric more than at the pages of my book, I put it down and walk closer.
He looks at me but doesn't say a word before he continues with his routine.
Lunch is served and we both sit down to eat but we don't talk much. There is a lot to process and I personally do better thinking things through on my own.
The afternoon follows a similar fashion with Eric working out and me trying to read but giving up to observe him.
Our first awkward moment comes when Eric decides he is done for the day.
"I am heading for a shower," he says while already walking to the bathroom.
When the lights turn on and I see him inside, thanks to that glass wall, I gasp before grabbing my book and sitting down with my back against the bathroom door so I wouldn't accidentally peek in.
I am uncertain this was a wise choice. Eric seems to be enjoying his hot shower after a workout because I hear his moans and groans of pleasure clearly through the closed door.
I am trying very hard to focus on my book and I am successful enough for I fall backwards when Eric opens the bathroom door.
"Tris?"
"Sorry," I say sheepishly and try to get up. "I thought this would be the safest place to avoid that glass wall." I nod to my left and Eric nods.
"We should have talked about that," he admits. "You have seen it all already, Tris. Don't hide on my account."
"You were not given a choice," I whisper.
"So if I were to make the choice to walk around the room buck naked?"
"Then Jeanine would be more than pleased," I tease.
"What about you?"
"I am not sure. I grew up Abnegation and all my education came from Christina after meeting you and Tobias," I admit.
"I grew up Erudite, feel free to ask whatever you want to know. I may not have been Candor but we state facts," he boasts and I feel like testing his theory and tease him at the same time.
"Sooo," I start, and he smirks at me. "Why did it take me talking to Christina about manscaping and clearly being overheard before your bush was trimmed?"
"…"
"Oh my god!" I rush around him and smack his back repeatedly until he grabs my hand and walks to the bathroom counter for a glass of water. His eyes are moist, his cheeks red and his whole body seems to be suffering from weird spasms.
It reminds me of a horse I once saw out at Amity. It was standing still while some flies were buzzing around and annoying it. The whole skin seemed to be alive - like muscles contracting with a small dose of electricity administered.
"Are you sure you grew up in Abnegation," he finally asks.
"Afraid so!"
"Tris, that question," he starts but then thinks about it for so second. "Fine, I never saw the need to do anything about it. A haircut was all we were given in the last two years."
"Okay!"
"Okay?"
"Yes, it makes sense, and I did not know what it was until Christina explained it to me. I also know the difference between a grower and shower as well as average penis sizes and differences that... make a difference?" I shrug to show my lack of personal knowledge.
"What..." Eric swallows hard "what was the verdict and what else did she tell you?"
"It sounded like you both were average and as for the rest: a lot."
"Can you give an example?" He is grinning and I am unsure if he is really interested in knowing or just happy to embarrass me.
"She demonstrated a blowjob on a banana after we started talking about the phrase 'eating someone' and oral sex. She explained the ins and outs of masturbations as well. Maybe you should ask her for some pointers because it worked well for me, but you seemed to have some issues," I wager a guess and he blusters.
"What makes you think I have trouble masturbating? I have been doing that since I was fourteen," he exclaims, and I can feel the heat from my blush.
"I saw you doing it and let's just say that you were not excited at all," I counter.
"We are just talking about it and I am more than excited," he almost shouts at me and points down to his crotch.
Of course my eyes follow his hands and I see that the enhancement to his clothing was done with intent. His erection is poking out the flap and standing up, giving me a salute, as Christina called it.
"Oh, wow," I exclaim, and Eric's face softens a bit at then unexpected compliment. "Can I touch?"
"Uh, Tris, I think this would be counterproductive," Eric cautions.
"I just want to know how it is supposed to feel like. The real deal and not a chemically forced one," I say, and he nods slowly.
"I doubt it would feel different but go ahead," he offers.
"Thank you!" I smile at him and he smiles back until my hand makes contact, then it changes to a grimace. I pull my hand back quickly. "Did I do it wrong?"
"No," he groans. "It felt nice. All the things that Jeanine has been doing has me really sensitive down there. It feels like the dam will burst within seconds when you touch me."
"And that would be bad," I ask.
"I don't want to scare you, Tris."
"You will never scare me, Eric. The unknown of what Jeanine will do next and what I will find next time she drugs us scares me," I admit.
"Tris," Eric sighs and hugs me to him.
I can feel him poke me but we both don't pay his erection any attention. This is so much more than that and I can feel it recede the longer we embrace.
"There are a few things we could do to counter her," Eric whispers into my ear and I nod my head. "Tobias spent a few hours before our last forced visit to your room masturbating in hopes he wouldn't get it up. I could do that," he offers.
"I don't think it worked. I was drugged when you guys were brought in but I do remember that he was able to do the deed," I relay.
"He wanked off for hours," Eric exclaims dismayed. "Shit!"
"Whatever drug they are giving you makes your penis grow. The rest depends on how long you stay under her influence. How does she do it anyway?"
"Microchip implant to our brains and a mind control program she developed using us as test subjects. It's the first time it doesn't perform to her standards and we think someone is sabotaging her," Eric whispers.
"The person who wrote on my hand," I presume, and he nods.
"What are we going to do? I know I said I wouldn't hold your actions against you but is there anything else we could do?"
"We could try to appease her and buy ourselves some time," Eric wagers.
"And how do you propose we do that?"
"By giving her a show with things we are okay doing. If you want to learn more about sex, I will teach you and we can make out without going too far."
I think about his suggestion and he seems to be on the right path.
"Okay," I breathe and then I turn my head so my lips find his.
He doesn't hesitate and returns the kiss and then some.
"Wow," I say when we finally come up for air.
"Yeah," he chuckles and rubs his hand over his head.
"Can I touch you?"
He looks down as his renewed erection poking through the folds.
He nods and my hand goes out. I am not looking at his face this time, I am fully focused on where my hand is heading and when I make contact I waste not time before I really feel the skin. It is so smooth and soft, simply amazing.
My fingers trail along the length and I rub over the liquid pooling on top of the head.
Eric's breath picks up and becomes harsher and more pronounced. I am getting curious if I can make him moan again and close my whole hand around him. My grip is tight, but I am trying to not squeeze him and the way he exhales lets me know he likes it.
Following Christina's explanations, I move my hand up and down the shaft and lean closer when I see the colour change and it is getting redder by the second. I am about to let go because I don't want to rub him raw, something Chris warned me about, when Eric pushes my hand away and turns towards the sink. I rush around him and my eyes go wide when I see white liquid shoot out into the wash basin.
"Wow," I breathe in amazement and he chuckles. "Are you okay," I ask and gently touch his arm.
"Yes," Eric grunts and gives me another smirk. "Think Jeanine will take that as a sign we are getting along but she won't be happy about the waste." He nods his head towards the sink and it takes me a moment to fully understand him.
...
Jeanine POV
I stare in horror at the screens showing me that instead of mating with Tris Eric dropped his sperm down the drain.
"What just happened," I ask out loud. "Activate their drips," I demand but Claude speaks up.
"Wouldn't it be better to give them a day to see if they do it naturally. They seem to be taken by each other and we already saw their willingness to move towards procreation on their own and out of our influence?"
He looks pointedly at the screen where we observed Tobias and Christina after I turned their drips on. They did the deed and then shouted at each other when the chemicals waned. Now Tobias is working out while Christina is hiding in the enclosed toilet area after throwing most of the books around the room in a tantrum. Maybe Claude is right and leaving Eric and Tris to figure things out is the better option. I am afraid that choice has passed for the other couple and I will need to make a decision on their drip soon. Maybe I will just set it to go on every six hours ...
I am deep in thought for a while but when I look back at the screen, I see Eric's face attached to Tris' and his hands all over her. They left the bathroom and are on their bed so I will let them be for now. If they haven't done the deed by tomorrow, I will turn up the heat.
With my mind made up I quickly give my instructions and head back to Erudite. There is never enough time in the day to do everything that needs to be done and I am falling behind on official business.
...
Tris POV
I wake up the next day with a big smile on my face. Eric thought it was only fair to reciprocate and return the pleasure I gave him. I told him he didn't have to but he explained it was part of the plan to trick Jeanine and to help my education. He made some valid points and the orgasm was better than what I was able to achieve myself.
I can feel Eric behind me and slowly inch towards my side so I can go to the bathroom without waking him.
There is a loud groan in protest and the hand that rested on my hip and was about to slide off comes back to grab me. Eric pulls me in close and nuzzles his head against the crown of my head. His arm secures me to him, his leg pins mine down and I feel his erection poke my bare ass.
"Hmm, Tris," Eric mumbles and his hand grabs a breast and squeezes.
I gasp out loud and feel my nipples pebble. Eric's palm rubs over it and it feels really nice. I wriggle a bit to get comfortable and the change opens up new avenues for Eric to explore. His erection is firmly wedged in between my cheeks and while his hand slowly trails down my front his hot breath blows over my ear.
"Maybe it is time for the first performance," he whispers and then sucks on my earlobe to cover him talking to me for any camera that is trained on us. I shiver and moan at the sensation and he does it again.
I slowly nod my head and feel Eric's hand proceed downwards while he rubs himself against me from behind.
The movement causes the sheets to slide down and I know we are fully exposed.
Eric's thumb starts rubbing on my clit and he raises my leg up and repositions himself.
I moan when I feel his double assault on my nerves. His thumb does wonders for my clit but the length of him is rubbing all over my lower lips and I can feel the way I coat him with liquid and how it makes him slide along even more.
He gently pushes the tip in while his hand leaves my clit to pull the sheet back up. His hand returns immediately from a different angle, pushing my leg up beneath the cover and he pulls out. "Keep it up," he mumbles and pushes his hand over my vagina. He continues to move against me, the tip of his penis stimulating my clit over and over until I am a panting and whining mess.
"Fuck yes," Eric hisses and hearing him swear makes my eyes widen but also my excitement spiral out of control.
"So close, Tris," Eric moans into my ear and sucks my earlobe again before pushing against me harder and harder. I feel his fingers move suddenly, digging into my flesh while he pushes himself against them and then there is a loud grunt and I feel some liquid hit my skin.
Eric carefully moves his hand and smears the liquid against my upper thighs. He nuzzles my neck and trails slow kisses from my shoulder up to my cheek and when I turn my head his lips find mine.
We kiss and kiss and I completely forget about what happened down below until the liquid feels icky.
I lift the sheets and look down, Eric follows my gaze and smirks.
"Maybe a shower is in order while I look for fresh sheets?"
I nod and stand up slowly, using my hand to stop any liquid from running down my legs.
The way to the bathroom is awkward but I know Eric is busy stripping the bed.
While the shower heats I sit on the toilet and try to clean as much as I can. I flush the tissues and drop my shirt before stepping into the shower.
I close my eyes in delight of the heat and don't even flinch when I feel Eric step into the shower behind me.
"I think we can talk without being overheard," he whispers into my ear and I squeeze his hand to show I understand.
Slowly I turn around, my eyes meeting his and I am floored by how soft and gentle he looks at me.
"I know I went a bit off script but I think the performance was good. We might get away with this for a bit but we need to find ways to change things up or they will get suspicious about the same position and the sheets up all the time."
"Would it be so bad to have sex in the same position over and over?"
"We are young and it is known that other positions are preferred to the one we displayed this morning."
"How do you know all these things," I whisper when I pull his head down to me.
"I research and listen."
"You sound like you are good at that..."
"Shut up and make this believable for couple shower time after sex," he reprimands, and I pinch his nipple in retaliation for his harsh words.
"Ow," he rubs his nipple and glares at me.
"I don't have experience with anything done as a couple after they have sex," I almost shout.
"Do you think I have? Use your imagination," he states, and I look at him blankly.
Fine, I can do that!
I grab the shampoo and rub it into his hair. He crouches down and while I work on his head I can feel his lips tease my nipple.
"Behave," I caution, and he sucks hard. "Oh," I exclaim and feel heat pool in my stomach.
I rinse his hair and grab the soap. I walk behind Eric and he stands up. I can reach his shoulders and massage them with my soapy hands, he moans in delight and I keep going.
It takes us a while and I am surprised we don't run out of hot water but who cares?
When we are done there is no shyness between us anymore. I dry Eric while he dries me and we put on fresh clothes that appear in a drawer that opens when we are done, confirming our theory that we are constantly monitored.
The old sheets disappeared and fresh ones are on the bed. Good, I was hoping for that but not sure. Breakfast is waiting and I am suddenly ravenous.
"We should start on your training," Eric tells me when we stack our dirty dishes.
"Why?"
"Because it is good for your mental health to stay fit, but I also want you prepared and ready to defend yourself if needed. Dauntless is the warrior faction after all..."
"You think we can go back?" I know I sound disbelieving, but I don't want to get my hopes up. Even living Factionless will be better than captivity.
...
And so begins a new routine for us. We kiss and cuddle, we touch each other inappropriately and Eric teaches me everything he knows.
I hate to admit it, but Eric was right to worry about our fake sex position. After a repeat performance on day two the sheets disappeared with the dirty linen and the new set came without anything to hide us.
We sneaked in another couple's shower that evening and planned new ways to fake the sex.
We did it with Eric on top and my raised legs and gown covering us so it wasn't obvious that Eric basically humped my ass cheeks and the sheet.
Then we faked it in the shower which was the easiest.
On day five we came up the ingenious idea of using one of the chairs and while it looked great for anyone watching, Eric's penis stayed safely tucked between our tummies and beneath my gown.
We had something else planned for day six and as soon as Eric touched me in the morning I started a fight and then another one. Well, that backfired on us because all the food that was sent in was what Eric called aphrodisiac and when I still turned my back on sex but not on him to appease Jeanine that big screen came to life the first time ever. My poor eyes, but I was still not able to look away. Eric and I ended up on the bed watching hours of what Eric explained to be porn. It was past dinner time when I finally relented and kissed Eric square on the lips. He was more than willing to convince Jeanine we did not need more TV time.
That is how come I find myself beneath a hot man that keeps lavishing me with kisses and caresses while we are barely clothed.
My hands are in his hair and one of my legs hooked over his hip. I can feel Eric looking for friction but our position is very dangerous for that endeavour.
Eric pushes his body slightly up and his head moves down to my chest, he nuzzles me through the fabric before pushing his lips over one breast and sucks the erect nipple right through the thin cotton.
"Oh god," I moan, and my hand moves to his shoulder, pulling him closer to me.
He switches to the other one and I feel like I am about to explode. The people on the screen are moaning and groaning in sync with us and I look over when there is a high-pitched whine.
Wow, I did not know you could take two men at the same time. Are they both ...? Oh god, the other one is... "In the ass!" I exclaim loudly and Eric looks up, startled.
"What?!"
I jerk my head in the direction of the movie and Eric turns his own head.
"Anal sex," Eric says against my chest and I blanch.
"People do that?!"
Eric moves his lips up and over my throat and sucks his way to my ear. "Some people love it and say it is amazing. What do you think gay men do to pleasure each other," he asks me in a rather husky voice.
I never thought about that. It is taboo to talk about anything relationship related in Abnegation and same sex couples are forbidden. At least I don't know of any in Abnegation.
"Is it safe," I squeak out when the man rams his dick up the poor woman's ass while the other man stays in front.
"You can't get pregnant from it," Eric whispers and sucks on my earlobe.
"We are not doing that," I wheeze out when all breath leaves me in shock.
"Oh no, there are way too many other things we could do instead," Eric grins and grinds his hips once more.
"Careful," I caution, and he looks at me in surprise.
"With this?" He grinds his hips harder into me, rubbing his erection along my lips and pushing down gently. He slides in between but not in.
"Yes," I state.
"Okay,' he promises and then smiles at me broadly. He grabs my thigh and pulls the other leg up around him while moving down my body ever so slightly. His hand leaves my leg for a second and when he returns it feels different.
Eric attaches his lips to mine and moves again and I realise what he did.
His body pushes my pelvis up higher and he is rubbing along my lips downwards. Instead of my clit he is rubbing against my backdoor and I am freezing in place.
Eric feels the change but doesn't stop yet. "Tell me if it's too much," he mumbles against my mouth.
What?
I can feel his tip drag through my lips and gently push against my opening before moving down and between my cheeks, gently pushing against my anus and then he moves back. Over and over he does this back and forth and although it feels weird it does not feel unpleasant.
To show him I am okay I push my tongue into his mouth and my whole body into his.
"Shit," he hisses when he gets stuck beneath me when I lower my body more than it was. My legs fell down and he is trapped right in between.
Yeah, I paid attention to the movies and I wanted to try it when I saw it.
"Move," I encourage him, and he does so tentatively.
"I like it but what about you?"
"Have some fun, Eric," I encourage, and he doesn't ask twice.
He moves up and down, rubbing himself against the apex of my thighs and my flesh is fully enclosing him.
"So tight," he moans and then groans out the loudest I ever heard. I feel him twitch in between my legs and the wetness coating me lets me know he just came.
He is still twitching and moving in between my thighs but I opened them expecting him to move off so he is once more pushing into me. We both still and he looks at me with so much tenderness.
"I promise you, when we get out, I will make love to you!"
"I would like that," I whisper into his ear and gently push him backwards to I can go and clean up.
"Shower," I ask when I am standing and hold out my hand for him.
"Of course!" He takes my hand and guides me into the bathroom.
He strips me and I strip him and together we step into the shower.
We don't talk when we wash each other, when we kiss and caress and when we get dried and dressed. We do know what we want for our future and it is up to our ally to make it happen for us.
"I love you," I whisper into his ear when I am about to fall asleep.
"I love you too," he replies and gives me a sweet kiss in the lips before closing his eyes and pulling me closer.
…
In the middle of the night our door bangs open and I don't think twice when I follow Eric's example, sit up and raise my hands.
"Beatrice!"
That one word is enough to bring me out of bed and to the door. I don't make it all the way before I am engulfed by arms and smell the familiar scent of laundry soap.
"Oh my god, Beatrice! I am so sorry it took me so long to find you," Mother cries and pulls me in so tight it hurts. I don't complain, I hold her just as tight.
When Mother finally releases me I look around stunned. There, in the room with me are a ton of Dauntless soldiers and my brother, clad in Erudite blue, talking to Eric who looks surprisingly relaxed.
"How," I ask when I get my bearings.
"It's a long story and I think you all should hear it together. Come on," Mother nods her way to the door but I am reluctant to leave Eric behind.
"Eric," I finally call his name and he looks at me and smiles. It is one of those real smiles I came to cherish and it the brightest I have ever seen.
He comes closer and my brother follows in his footsteps, looking at me a bit sheepish.
"Are you coming," I ask, suddenly anxious and he grabs my hand and pulls me into him. I snuggle into his arms and Caleb snorts while Mother sighs.
"How about we leave," she suggests once more and this time I follow her with Eric by my side out the door.
In the corridors we pass black clad figure after black clad figure and I am unsure what to think. Dauntless must have done the right thing but why did they not do so before?
...
We are led outside and the night air feels cold on my barely clothed body. I shiver and without a word Mother hands us clothes from a truck.
Neither of us hesitates to put them on and we are not shy doing so in front of others. Captivity changed us and some things are just not worth getting bothered by.
"Let's get you somewhere warm. Tobias and Christina will be meeting us there," Mother says while holding the door to the truck open.
We all climb in and the driver sets off to a destination unknown.
I snuggle into Eric and close my eyes. For some reason I feel exhausted and the excitement I expected to feel when freed is not there yet. It feels surreal and I think it might take some time before I am really going to believe it.
The drive is short and when we enter a building I notice we are in a big warehouse holding more trucks like the one we just came in. A quick elevator ride and a few dark corridors later Mother leads us into a well lit conference room and I shout with happiness when I see Christina. She rushes me and I am once more engulfed by arms hugging me tightly, but I also see Tobias and Eric hugging each other. It is more manly but still meaningful.
When we are finally able to release each other, Mother gets us to sit down and when I end up sandwiched between Eric and Chris she just smiles at me and takes a seat opposite me.
"We are just waiting for a few more people," Mother starts but then the door opening makes her explanation unnecessary.
"Father," I gasp when he walks in followed by Amity's Johanna, Candor's Jack and a man I never saw before in Dauntless black.
"Beatrice!" Father comes over and just like Mother he hugs me to him fiercely, abandoning all Abnegation teachings doing so. He looks me over and then takes a visual stock of the people surrounding me.
"Tobias," he greets, nodding his head before turning to the other two. "Eric, Christina," he greets. "I am Andrew Prior, Beatrice's father and new leader of the council," he introduces himself and we all gasp. "I am glad to find you all alive and in so much better condition than the others we found."
While talking Father rounded the table and sits down beside Mother.
"It took us a while to figure out something was amiss," he starts and the others all nod. "You see, it was not until Visiting Day that we were made aware of nobody knowing where you were. Erudite forbade Abnegation visitors and Marcus claimed none of us should go and visit if some of us were excluded. Your mother," he looks at her, "decided to disobey and sneaked out. She went to Dauntless to visit you," he looks at me with watery eyes, "but when she couldn't find you she enquired with the other transfer initiates and one boy said he thinks you are the one who died falling off the train." I gasp at that. "Your mother knew that we should have been notified, faction before blood or not, and went off to enquire with Dauntless leadership."
The Dauntless man snorts loudly at that and Mother turns her head to glare at him.
"Andrew, don't lie to them. Just admit that your Abnegation wife walked up to me and, without prior warning, punched me in the face, breaking my nose, while shouting some choice words I haven't heard around the faction in a while. It was a blessing in disguise when some guards dragged her to my office and when my wife stopped laughing she convinced me to follow and find out what Natalie was so pissed off about that she came to see me on Visiting Day."
"I didn't come to see you," Mother corrects him and he just smirks.
"You should have but I get why you didn't," he teases and Mother blushes. "Well, my wife dragged me into my office where Natalie was letting off some more steam after the guard simply locked her in and left." Mother smiles serenely. "You owe me the cost of a new computer, by the way. Well, she finally calmed down enough to ask me why I never notified her of her daughter's death, and I had to tell her I had no idea what she was talking about. Yes, we had a dependent die trying to make initiation, but it was one of our own. There was another incident with an initiate being stabbed but that was right after Visiting Day. I was told you chose Dauntless but there was no entry of you making it to the compound, I knew that much. I would have introduced myself and made sure you knew you could always come and talk to me." He looks at me imploringly.
"Who are you," I finally ask and Father groans.
"That is your fault," the man turns on Father and Mother. "You and your damned faction," he accuses further before turning back to me. "I am your uncle Max," he announces, and I know I must be gaping at him in disbelief.
I mean, come on. I am as white as can be, I was able to blend into the walls at school, for God's sake, and his skin tone is the exact opposite, a nice chocolate colour.
"Uh, really," I finally ask. "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't see the family resemblance," I mumble but he only laughs.
"You are not the first one and I think it really helped us in your case. Natalie is my younger half-sister. Same mother, different father and that's how we got to look so different. I was raised in Amity when my father claimed me when our mother wanted to transfer out. Well, the rest doesn't matter but as I said: Jeanine didn't know and when I found out that you were missing I personally checked the surveillance tapes and found that someone cut the feed for a minute. It just happened to be the time that we lost track of you and to anyone this would have been suspicious. So we checked the list of people choosing Dauntless and who made it. That's how we stumbled across the three of you. Natalie and Andrew investigated with the Factionless and learned some nasty rumours and heard abhorrent stories. I approached Jack with what I found and I am sorry it took us so long to get to you. We did not know who to trust within Erudite and finally made contact with Caleb who was lucky enough to have made the right acquaintance. Turns out someone new to the team was trying to out Jeanine but didn't know who to trust either. He helped us immensely and it all led to you being here." Max pauses and then looks at us. "Tobias?"
Tobias sits upright and looks at him with trepidation.
"I am very sorry to inform you that your father knew what happened to you and did nothing. He will be punished to the full extent of the law," Jack speaks up. "Eric?"
Eric stiffens beside me and I grab his hand. "Your parents seem to have had a hand in helping Jeanine learn about your possible divergence. They are facing trial also."
Eric nods his head to show he understands.
"Christina?"
"Yes?"
"Your parents miss you and would like to see you as soon as you feel up to it. They have been worried sick," Jack explains, and Chris breaks out in tears which turn into loud sobs.
They were kind enough to give us all some time to digest what was told before Johanna, of all people, continued.
"We, the leaders, have agreed to offer all of you a free ride to the faction of your choice. Forget about what happened during and after your Choosing Ceremony, you get to have a fresh start wherever you want because we are sure no matter how well you look, you are not the four people who made the choice to join Dauntless."
I am speechless and a bit dumbfounded.
"So, we can choose again and then what," I finally ask and the others all nod.
"You have a bit of time to think about it. We want you all to get checked out by doctors and see some psychologists. We will give you anything you need to help you feel normal and safe again. When you are ready you can join any faction you like, no risk of being made Factionless unless that's what you want. You will need to learn basics that are taught during initiation but that's it."
I know I am staring at Johanna but when I look left and right the others don't look less surprised.
"Uh, where exactly will we be staying," Eric asks, and my hand gets squeezed again.
"We thought you would be most comfortable in Amity," Mother jumps in. "It is neutral ground, so to speak, and they have all the facilities and services you need because they are so far out of the city."
I look at Eric and then at Christina and Tobias. They all nod and I look ahead and do the same.
"Good," Johanna exclaims and stands up. "You can talk for a few minutes while I make some calls and I will collect you when I am ready."
She doesn't wait for an answer but heads out the door.
I have to admit, I don't feel like more talking, but a bed would be more than welcome. Eric notices how tired I am and pulls me in close, cradling my head and making soothing noises that cause my eyelids to drop.
I think I hear my mother's voice and the rumble in Eric's chest when he speaks but I am too out of it to pay attention to what they are saying.
…
The next time I open my eyes I am in an unfamiliar room but the warm body behind me makes me at ease and I close my eyes again until a knock on the door wakes me again. The bed beside me is cold but I don't have to look far to see Eric walking to the door and letting Johanna in.
"Good morning, I am glad you are both awake. If you want to get ready, I will bring you for a check up to our hospital before we will talk about more permanent accommodations. I will be waiting outside," she says and leaves before I have the chance to open my mouth.
I look at Eric and swallow hard. "We are in Amity?"
"Yes! Come on, there are clothes for you in the bathroom. Have a quick shower and put on something you actually want to wear," he says gently, eyeing the clothes Mother gave me.
The water is hot and the soap smells good but the best part is indeed the choice of clothing I am offered. It feels nice to gain some control back and I can feel the tears pool in my eyes when I brush my teeth.
What will happen now? Is Eric really committed? Will he want to stay in the same faction I choose?
I decide to leave the bathroom and ask the questions when we are ready. Why make myself anxious when I might not have to be?
As promised Johanna waits for us when we emerge, hand in hand, and guides us to the hospital with just some normal chit chat. She leaves right after introducing us and the doctors and nurses usher us quickly through the doors and into different sections of the hospital.
What follows is a check-up as thorough as can be. Blood is drawn, measurements taken and all the way through it things are explained to me before they happen. They make sure I know why they do what they do, and I really appreciate it. I am even given a choice of a solely female team, but it really doesn't matter to me anymore. When a psychologist joins, I am asked a lot of personal questions and finally they offer me the chance to terminate any possible pregnancy.
I don't really have to think about my answer but for some reason I need to talk to Eric first. They tell me I have the right to make that choice on my own and I tell them I appreciate their concern and candor but this is something I want to talk to Eric about.
They oblige quickly and Eric is brought in while they leave.
"Are you okay? What happened?" Eric hurries over and checks me for any signs of distress or hurt.
"I am fine. I got a clean bill of health, but I wanted to talk to you about something," I start, and he nods. I pat the seat beside me, and he doesn't disappoint, sits down and pulls me close.
"I was asked if I want to take some medicine terminating a possible pregnancy,' I start, and Eric immediately opens his mouth.
"Tris, whatever you want to do you do!"
"No, I don't think it goes that way. I don't want to take anything but if, for some reason, there is a baby coming out in nine months' time, I want you to know that I am not holding you accountable. I am making a choice that will influence you as well and I want to make sure you know that I don't expect you to stay in the same faction or with me if that is not what you really want..."
Eric doesn't let me finish but crashes his lips against mine and neither of us talks for a few minutes.
"I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life, Tris. Wherever your path leads you I will follow unless you tell me to stay away. I want to make a life with you, no matter if we have children at all, and that's what is important to me. Meeting you is the best thing that ever happened to me and I know in my heart I would have approached you the minute I laid eyes on you..."
It is my turn to interrupt him by crashing my lips on his but he doesn't seem to mind.
"Okay! I love you too and we will plan our future together," I state and he simply takes my hand and squeezes hard.
I am not sure what to do now but when nobody comes to check on us I am certain it is up to us to let them know we are ready. They are giving us our choices back and we must start taking charge of our lives again.
...
After this day everything just fell into place. We saw psychologists and counsellors; we all moved into single accommodation and were given some small tasks. We were free to move around the faction, but Johanna highlighted that they wanted to keep us here until all criminal proceedings were finished and the scum of the city apprehended.
Eric used this time to woo me with outings, little treats he found around the faction and simple socialising that he called dates.
It was really nice to have that opportunity to be away from everything and just learn to be us.
Tobias and Christina were able to move into a friendship and leave the hurt from their forced interactions behind. Their encounters were different because they were not given as much time to get an act together and hence ended up forced to mate over and over again. They might have been attracted to each other, but neither could forget what happened so we, at least, all became close friends.
When it came time to choose where we wanted to go it came as a surprise to all leaders but not our counsellors that we wanted to go to Dauntless. Max was delighted and told us he had three newly opened leadership positions waiting to be filled, compliments of those corrupt ones that were suckers for Jeanine and did whatever she asked of them.
Time flew when we moved to Dauntless and I didn't get to spend as much personal time with Eric as I would have liked to. Initiation was weird with just the four of us, but it had to be done, and I was told we missed half of the cool traditions but we sure will get a chance to help out during next year's batch.
I am glad Eric taught me how to fight and made me work out. Christina might have had an advantage not growing up Abnegation, but I was able to use my time in captivity better. Tobias and Eric are on the same level and as they trained together, they know each other so well their fights end basically in a tie.
I was a happy third place but when it came to the fear sims, I got another advantage I didn't know about. It turns out the way Abnegation are raised makes us almost fearless and Tobias beat a record for lowest amount of fears. He goes by the nickname 'Four' now to rub it into everyone's face. My six were matched by only the previous placeholder which happened to be Max. Eric was pissed he had eight fears, but Christina really shot the buck with her twelve fears. She was right on the average but being pitted against us she looked bad and she was not happy about it.
All in all, we officially passed initiation and Max asked us to fill some of the vacant leader positions he now had.
Tobias and Eric both happily took them and I told Max I needed some time to think about it. Christina was adamant she didn't want it so Max was hedging his time.
Well, he gave me a week and that's up tomorrow. Eric had been busy following Max around the faction while I was aimlessly exploring the compound and spending time with Tori, who did my aptitude test, and Christina, who became her apprentice.
...
The door to the tattoo parlour opened and I don't have to look to know who entered. I feel Eric whenever he is close by and if he is here it means Max is too and my time is up.
"Tris?" I flinch even though I expected it. "Would you mind coming with me for a few minutes?" He sounds so polite, but I know this is an order.
"Of course," I smile at him as brightly as I can and he cringes. Yeah, didn't think he couldn't spot a fake if he encountered it.
Silently I follow him to the office, more than aware that Eric stayed behind to chat with Tori and Chris about a tattoo design.
"Take a seat," Max grunts when he throws himself into his chair.
I follow his guide more elegantly and sit down.
"Talk to me!" I stare at him and swallow hard when I see his face, he looks beyond concerned. "Did you come back from Amity too soon? Did the shrinks make a mistake by clearing you?"
"No," I shout immediately. "Sorry! No," I continue in a normal tone of voice. "It's just that it feels weird being offered a leadership position as a third placed when there was no real initiation going on in the first place," I finally huff out.
Max laughs and I feel quite offended until he starts talking.
"Tris, the positions are open because those who had them are some of the assholes responsible for your abduction and continued captivity. If they had been upstanding citizens then there would not be a need for so many new leaders. If you feel better you can leave the position open for possible candidates from next year's batch, but to be quite honest, I'd rather have you on board. You, Eric and Four all saw the worst of humanity and will never ever allow anything like this to happen again under your watch. We are the protectors of the city and I need people in place who are fully committed to making it a safe place for every single person living within. Nobody will judge you based on how you got the position but based on how you lead. You came from a faction giving their last shirt to those who need one, a faction that demands you to put everyone else before yourself. That upbringing alone will show people that you are not some power-hungry lunatic trying to force your will on everyone. What the city learned about Jeanine's behaviour and intentions scared a lot of people and they worry what lies ahead. I think your presence as a female and as a leader with soothe many. The choice is up to you, but you would do the city a big favour by accepting."
Max stops and walks out the door, squeezing my shoulder in passing and I am wondering what he is up to until I can feel and smell only Eric.
I snuggle back into his body while he bends over my chair.
"Better," he asks quietly.
I nod and turn around to meet his lips.
A throat clearing behind Eric forces us to stop and when I peek around Eric, I see Max close the door and walk back to his chair.
Eric picks me up and sits down with me in his lap.
"I do," I blurt out before Max can ask again. "I'll do it," I quickly correct myself.
"I like the first one better," Eric whispers into my ear and I shiver,
"Great! Then you will start joining Eric as my trainee immediately, but we have to get some paperwork out of the way first."
Max opens his desk drawer and pulls out a stack of papers.
"Your contract!" He hands me the first two sheets from the pile and I quickly look over it. Salary, housing and other benefits as well as code of conduct and working hours.
"Uh, Max, that's not my name," I say when I hand it back to him.
"Do you want it to be?" He really wants to embarrass me today it seems.
"That's not really up to me," I retort, and he nods.
"Eric?"
I turn my head around and see Eric grabbing something from the floor beside him. It is a small bouquet of wildflowers he used to give me in Amity for each date he took me on.
"Thank you," I say when he hands it to me but he gently slides out from beneath me and grabs something else from under my chair.
"Oh," I whisper when I see him on one knee holding up a sketch of a tattoo with our names around the ring finger.
"I want to start living my life without regrets. You not being by my side at night, not within reach when I am home and not there every second I want you to be there is painful to me. I want to make you mine, I want you glued to my side, I want you covering my back and I want you to be able to show your love for me freely. Tris, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"
"Wow!"
Max's chuckle makes me aware of Eric's anxious face and that I haven't answered him yet.
"Yes, of course!"
"Thank fuck," Max exclaims and whistles loudly.
The door crashes open and Chris and Four as well as Tori and my parents rush in.
"Eric get up or Tris will keep you down there for the rest of your life," Four teases to all the women voicing their approval of such an endeavour.
"Why are you guys here," I ask my parents specifically.
"We were invited to the wedding," Mother explains and nods her head towards Max.
"If you want to you can get married right now and all the paperwork will be correct," he teases, pushing the next paper on the pile over to me and I can see it is a marriage licence that has already been filled out including a signature from Jack and all it needs is for Eric and me to sign it to make it valid.
"Is that what you want," I ask Eric.
"I wouldn't have organised it otherwise. The choice is up to you. We can get married now or we just celebrate our engagement with your parents and our friends."
"Go ahead," I instruct Max and a minute later I am a married woman.
"Who would have thought my little girl goes from Abnegation dependent to married Dauntless leader within months," Mother teases when she comes over to gratulate us.
"The world is a wondrous place," I quip, and she smiles at me.
"Good luck! I am looking forward to seeing you when you visit Abnegation."
My parents don't linger and we are not the crowd to party yet, that takes a bit more time before we are there but the celebration is still nice
I have been to Eric's apartment before but this is different, it will be ours from now on and when I stop at the door, too nervous to walk in, he picks me up and carries me over the threshold. The door shuts behind us and he gently sets me down.
"Welcome home, love! Ready to create our future?"
...
Usually I would have posted one chapter a day but as I find myself in the middle of another lockdown and short of personal time that would guarantee I do this I decided to do it all at once. I have more finished stories that just need some tlc, a Christmas story for December, a Valentines Story that did not meet the 2020 deadline, now slotted for 2021, and there is 'Mad World', Tobias' and Miranda's companion piece to Placebo, that is just about done and ... well, you'll see, but I am excited about getting another one out that caught my attention just like 'She came back to haunt us' did and I find myself leaving other projects behind to work on it so look out for 'Awakening'