Reposted for minor edits: 10/18/2020

Di came to my desk early Monday morning with a little smile, "You feeling better?"

I cringed, "Yes, sorry, it won't happen again."

She waved it off, "You can take a night off, you know? It's okay." She handed me a tablet, "But I'm sending you with Four to follow up. There's a meeting and a couple of reports that need to be wrote up, I can't get away today. I have to go to Erudite," she rolled her eyes because she wasn't a real fan of Erudite, "Should be a simple trip for you, though."

She filled me in on the problem on Saturday night. Apparently some Candors got into it because of a stupid difference of opinion and it all went to hell when others started taking sides. Most of it had been sorted out after the dauntless got there but there was to be an informal hearing today to settle loose ends. Dauntless needed to have a presence there and to fill in our side of the story.

Four and I jumped the train to go into Candor, and as soon as we were out of eye line of Dauntless he let his guard down and turned back into my Tobias temporarily. He was leaning up against a wall and I was leaning up against him my back to his front. His hands were on my hips steadying me as the train rocked.

"So I may just kill Eric. Put him out of our misery and get it over with." He said nonchalantly.

I look over my shoulder in surprise, "What did he do now?"

"He saw me in the hallway as I was leaving and said, 'Tell my girlfriend I said Hi for me!' "

I roll my eyes, "He's such a dick"

He nodded, "Yeah, I think he thinks it's funny that the girl I let get away everyone wants now. Like I gave away the trophy."

"Little does he know you're the only one who really wants me," I laugh derisively, "Everyone else is just faking it for various reasons.

He pulled to the side to look at me better, "You're kidding right? Trust me if you gave Uriah half a chance he'd be on you in a minute. I've seen how he and the other guys in the pit look at you when you walk by. You have this crazy mixture of sweetheart and kickass that makes guys wonder what they'll get if they try something."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. I decided to change the focus away from myself and pulled out the tablet I was given to look over the information that was on there. Tobias was looking over my shoulder at what I was reading. At one point he moved my hair back so he could see better and his fingers skimmed my neck. I felt a shiver go up my back, "Stop that, I'm trying to concentrate." I say slapping his thigh.

I felt him bend down to my ear where the red hoop was and kiss it, "Sorry. I wasn't actually trying to do anything." I feel his chuckle.

"Oh no," I'm reading through the notes and look back at Tobias with alarm, "Marcus is supposed to be there."

He got serious, "yeah, I know. I can't avoid him forever." squeezing my hand he said, "But you'll be there with me."

I squeezed back, "yeah, I will."

He put his hand back on my hip and tapped it, "Candor is coming up. We need to get ready." I nodded, and watched as Tobias turned back into Four. I put my tablet back in my bag to get ready for the jump. And when we jumped off the train at Candor we did it separately because we knew from that point on there would be surveillance. Four's stony face made people move aside quickly and he led the way in to the building. We were directed to a conference room at the front of the building and found our seats.

When Marcus and the leaders of Candor walked in it got quiet and I could feel the tension roll off Four. The tables were set up where you couldn't see underneath so I reached over to squeeze his thigh and I saw him visibly relax and sit up straighter.

Marcus started the meeting and asked us all to identify ourselves. The leaders of Candor went first and then several of the witnesses spoke up. Then it was our turn, and I wasn't sure how he would answer or how I should answer. He stood up so I followed his lead and when he stated, "My name is Four and I'm from Dauntless."

I waited for him to be acknowledged and saw Marcus's jaw tightened in a similar way to what Tobias does, "Four, as in the number Four?"

Four nodded gave him a blank stare, "Yes, sir."

"Do you have a last name, Four?" Marcus asked.

Four gave him a death glare, "Not one that I use, Sir."

Marcus looked like he would explode for just a second. Then he turned to me, "And you are?"

Taking my cue from Four I stated, "My name is Tris, from Dauntless."

Marcus glared at me as well, "And do you have a last name?"

I straightened my shoulders, "Not one that I choose to use, Sir."

Four's answer was to protect himself but my answer was to protect my family. I didn't want them to be hurt in any situation that might come out from any work that I did. If I were caught as divergent then it would all fall back on them. Best to keep information to a minimum.

"If you won't clearly identify yourselves how do we know we can trust that you'll report your information accurately," Marcus asked with a stern voice.

I see Four's jaw tighten and I jump in before he says anything further, "Sir, in Dauntless last names are not as important as bravery. We respect Candor's use of honesty but we also ask that you respect our traditions in being known how we, the individuals, want to be known. We are just here to report our side of the facts and to finish up these reports with your side of the facts."

The Candor Ambassador stood up and said, "Marcus, I have worked with Tris quite a bit and I can say that I trust her. She does respect our views of being candid and has done so towards me on several things where it may have been considered more polite not to. I will respect her and Four's right not to give last names if they can tell us if Dauntless leaders know their real names."

Marcus looked at Four, "Can you honestly say that Dauntless leaders know your real name?"

Four nodded, "Yes, they know my real name. And they, specifically, sent me here Saturday night and today."

Marcus gave one distinct nod covering his irritation then looked at me, "Tris, can you say the same?"

I followed Four's example again and nodded, "Yes, sir, the Dauntless leaders know my real name and although I was not here Saturday night Diana was and she sent me today with her notes. She had to be in another Faction today and could not make it. I am here to finalize the report, so I'm to act more as an impartial witness to these proceedings. I have orders that once the report is finished I am to send copies to the Counsel and to Candor to make sure we have not missed any pertinent information."

The Candor leaders nodded and smiled then one said, "Thank you for your Candor, Tris."

Then Marcus gritted his teeth and stated, "Alright, then. I guess we may proceed."

As each person gave their statements I recorded the information in my tablet and watched Four out of the corner of my eye. I could see that he was growing weary of the ongoing lengthy stories that all sounded very much the same. When he started bouncing his knee I pretended I was brushing something off my lower shirt sleeve and "accidentally" tapped his arm in the process. He readjusted his sitting position and settled down.

When it was time for Four to give his testimony I wanted to give him another touch of the hand or something but he didn't give me the chance. He stood up and went to the front of the room, in front of the Father that beat him, and braced himself like he did in the initiation training. He wasn't the Tobias in his fear landscape but the Four who was tough and not someone to mess with. When Four's speech matched up with everyone else's I could see that Marcus wanted to ask questions but Four did not give him time. He nodded to the Candor Leaders and walked away.

Then it was my turn to stand before the members and read off what Diana had wrote up. Since I was not there on Saturday there would not be any questions asked of me. I again took my cue from Four and stood in a braced manor. I was scared to death of getting this wrong, because it was my first big responsibility at my new job and if I did well here I would have more responsibilities. Reading off my tablet I made sure my voice was clear so there wouldn't be any miscommunications. At the end I nodded towards Marcus and Candor and went to sit back down.

When all the Candor leaders had come to a decision about what was to be done we were free to leave. It had been a long day and I was now hungry, aggravated, and tired. Which really was a good combination since Tobias was still Four and I had to pretend I was pissed at him. When we were leaving I saw a camera on a building outside, "Does Dauntless watch this area too." I whispered to him through stiff lips.

He ground his teeth, "we have access but generally let the different factions do their own surveillance unless we get information that we need to help."

But knowing Max and Eric they would check things, "Okay, play along."

He gave me a look but I didn't say anything until we got close to a camera. I grabbed his arm and turned him angrily, "If you can't be in those kinds of meetings without being fidgety or disrespectful then you don't need to be there."

He glared at me, "You don't have the rank to order me around."

"This isn't about rank, this is about my job. There is a way to do things that works and then there is your way that didn't. You came off as rude and standoffish and that's by Candor standards. You don't get to change another factions rules. If I hadn't covered your ass in there they would not have even listened to our reports and then it would have been just one side's word against another. That wouldn't have solved anything. Get your head out of your ass the next time," I stated as I stalked off to where we could jump on the next train home.

He took about three steps towards me and grabbed my arm, "Listen, little girl, I've been doing this job for awhile before you came along. I know what I'm doing."

"Let go of my arm before I break your fingers," I say in a deadly tone.

"Not until I know you've heard me," Oh man he was going to actually make me do this. This was a move he showed me so I knew how to do it but I was actually going to have to hurt him.

"You jerk," I said and kicked him in the knee, twisted my arm around breaking the hold and punched him in the face with my other hand. "Don't put your hands on me without my permission." He was still standing but leaning over rubbing the knee with one hand and his jaw with the other. "I am tired of people thinking they can drag me around everywhere."

I heard the train coming and yelled back as I ran to get on it, "Hope you make it."

I saw him turn around and come running after me and we both managed to get on the train. I turned to him in a panic and dropped the act, "I'm so sorry."

He held a hand up with an angry look and rubbed his jaw with the other one, "Give me a minute. That punch hurt like a bitch. Who taught you how to hit like that?"

I tried not to smile but couldn't help it, "This really hot instructor that I kind of have a crush on."

He pulled me into his arms with a sigh, "He might have a little bit of a crush on you too. That's why he lets you beat on him."

"You're amazing. Despite what I said you handled that pretty well. Marcus was trying to goad you into giving up who you were. And I don't understand why he would do that. It would only hurt him more," I said with a hug.

He shook his head and I noticed the bruise welling up on his jaw, wow I really did punch him hard, "Marcus is all about power over people. If he made me out myself there in front of him then it showed he had power over me. I wasn't going to let that happen. By not using his name it breaks ties with him. I'm facing my fears, a little at a time."

I smiled, "Just let me know when I can start calling you Three."

He leaned in and kissed me gently then rested back against the wall of the train while we waited in silence for Dauntless buildings to start coming into sight. Before separating to opposite ends of the car I looked at him, "Wait, they're never going to believe we were in a train car together and you didn't retaliate. You need to hit me."

"Tris," he said in warning.

"Just trust me here, and hit me," I said.

"Okay, but I'm doing this under protest," and he hauled off and punched me across the jaw. Damn, I forgot how much that hurt. We would have matching bruises, now.

When I finally looked up at him his Four mask was back on and I knew we were getting close to Dauntless. He jumped onto the building first and I followed him. After landing I grabbed my jaw like I was really hurt, well I was hurting, and we were met by Max at the entrance standing with his arms crossed. "You two, come with me. NOW."