Trigger warning: Home invasion
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After Thanksgiving, Eric and the Priors went back to their routines. Caleb flew back to Baltimore that Sunday, and he, Tris, and Eric all went back to school on Monday. Natalie and Andrew kept working on preparations for the holidays and for their move.
Tris felt better after opening up to Eric about her feelings. She decided to look at her parents' early December trip to Washington DC as a practice run. She could experience a taste of what her life would be like when she lived alone, and figure out what she needed to feel comfortable and confident.
The Priors left on a Thursday. Eric had school on Friday, and Tris was planning to spend the morning Christmas shopping while Ava was at daycare.
Tris went home after Ava was in bed. She parked her car in the garage and shut the garage door, then walked through the house assuring herself that it was locked up tight before she set the alarm and went to her bedroom.
She had a paper due on Monday, so Tris sat down with her laptop and worked on it. Once she was satisfied with her progress and at a good stopping point, she grabbed her phone and a book and crawled into bed.
She was not at all surprised to see multiple text messages from Eric and her parents.
Natalie: Arrived safely in DC. How are things at home?
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Eric: Are you sure I can't talk you into staying over tonight?
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Tris replied to her mom, letting her know that everything was fine at home, then she replied to Eric.
T: I'm fine, Warrior. Just doing homework.
E: What are you wearing, my little co-ed?
T: Pajamas (eyeroll emoji)
E: (sad face emoji)
T: Oh stop. You have grading to do.
E: I'd rather play with you.
T: Do I need to shut off my phone?
E: No! I'll behave! What are you working on?
Tris told him about her paper, then about the book she was reading for school. He told her about the freshmen quizzes he was grading, and some of the stupid things students wrote on their quizzes. They flirted for a while then said goodnight.
.
Ding, ding. Beep, beep, beep. Ding, ding.
A strange, annoying noise from her phone woke Tris. As she unlocked the screen, she caught a glimpse of the clock. It was just after one o'clock in the morning, and the strange noise was from HomSys, the home alarm company the Priors used.
HomSys: Possible intruder alert. Broken window on rear patio door. Emergency services notified. Click override, away from home, or confirm.
Tris listened intently. She heard voices and shoes crunching on broken glass, and pushed the confirm button with a shaking hand.
HomSys: EMS notified. Get to a secure location. Dispatch will be calling.
Tris sucked in a deep breath. Her heart raced and adrenaline surged through her body as she looked around her room. Under the bed? she thought. No, I can't fight back from there. The closet? Hearing the intruders' voices, Tris slid out of bed and into her closet, pushing the bifold doors closed. She squatted in the back corner of her closet, ready to spring out and fight for her life if discovered.
Her phone lit up in her hand. The caller ID said it was HomSys Dispatch, so she answered.
"Hello?" Tris whispered.
"Miss Prior, this is Jenna from HomSys Security. Are you safe?"
"I'm in my bedroom closet," Tris whispered into her phone.
"Okay," the dispatcher said. "Only respond to me if it's safe for you to do so. Do you hear the intruders in the house?"
"Yes," Tris whispered. "They're getting closer. I hear them coming up the stairs."
"Police are two minutes away," Jenna said quickly and quietly. "I'll quietly stay on the line with you."
Tris was thankful to have someone on the phone as she listened to the intruders. "You're sure no one is home?" one asked. The young male voice was somewhat familiar, but Tris couldn't place it.
"Shut up," growled another familiar male voice. "They're in DC. I saw it on the news. Something about a meeting for the new Congressmen or whatever."
Peter? Tris thought, placing the second voice.
"But what about Tris?" asked the other intruder. "And her brother?"
And Drew! Tris realized. Peter and Drew!
"Her brother is in college out east somewhere," Peter snarled, "and Tris is at her boyfriend's place."
"Or screwing one of her college professors," Drew laughed.
The two young men opened the door to Caleb's room, which was first at the top on the stairs.
"The brother," Peter said. "Nothing in there."
They slammed Caleb's door and opened Tris'. She held her breath, and her skin crawled as the two walked into her bedroom. She felt violated by their very presence.
"Looks like we found Tris' room," Drew laughed. "You think she has anything worth taking in here?"
"No TV," Peter said, "I don't see her phone, and she doesn't wear jewelry. There's a laptop on the desk over there; grab that." Tris could hear Peter's voice moving around her bedroom as he looked for valuables.
Tris was surprised to hear a zipper. "What are you doing?" She heard Drew ask the very thing she was wondering.
"I'm going to take a piss on the stiff's bed," Peter laughed.
"Dude!" Drew snapped. "That's evidence! I'm not wearing these stupid gloves so you can spray DNA all over her pillow!"
"Shut up," Peter growled. "It's not blood or semen. Piss is just water. Go check on the next room. The good stuff should be in the parents' room."
Drew left, and Tris felt tears pouring down her face as she listened to the sickening sound of Peter urinating on her bed.
"The next one is a baby's room," Drew called from the guest room.
"Found it!" he called, and Tris heard Peter hurry out of her defiled bedroom.
"Can you call someone for me?" Tris whispered to the dispatcher. She gave Jenna Eric's name and phone number.
"The police are on site," the security employee said. "They're entering the house through the broken back door. Please stay hidden until the intruders are arrested. The police know where you are."
Heavy boots sounded on the stairs, and panicked exclamations came from the master bedroom.
"I know the intruders," Tris told the dispatcher. "I recognized their voices. Their names are Peter Hayes and Drew Millan. I went to high school with them."
"Make sure you tell the officers," Jenna said. "I made note of it, too, but they'll have to interview you when they come get you. By the way, we got ahold of Mr. Coulter, and he's on his way."
"Thank you," Tris said, "and thank you for staying on the line with me. It really helped me not feel so alone."
"You're very welcome," Jenna said. "Your parents were also notified of the break in, and the police will be calling them as well."
"Miss Prior?" a deep male voice called gently from the doorway of Tris' room. "Miss Prior, I'm Officer Brian Knight from the police department. The intruders have been apprehended, and it's safe for you to come out now."
The dispatcher heard him, and said goodbye to Tris. She hung up the phone as she pushed open her closet door.
"Miss Prior?" Officer Knight said, offering Tris a hand as she climbed out of the closet. "I'm Officer Brian Knight."
"I'm Tris," she replied shakily.
"Do you need to sit down?" the officer asked, pointing at Tris' bed.
"No!" she exclaimed in a panic.
Tris pulled out her desk chair and weakly dropped into it. She began talking to the police officer, telling him about Peter urinating on her bed. Officer Knight suggested they move down to the living room for her interview.
"Are they down there?" Tris asked nervously.
"No," the officer assured her. "They were taken to the police station by now."
Tris nodded, and dug in her drawers for a warm hoodie and some socks. The house was cooling rapidly with the glass shattered on the patio door and the December cold rushing into the house.
Officer Knight gently led Tris downstairs. He was nearly as big as Eric, and that made Tris feel safe.
She suggested that it would be warmer in the dining room, and the officer agreed. Other officers were milling around downstairs, taking photos and collecting evidence. A female officer who introduced herself as Elizabeth asked Tris if she would like her to make coffee or something. Tris agreed, and the two women and Officer Knight moved to the kitchen.
Tris told the officers everything she could about the break-in. They were impressed with her strength and clear-headedness, but noticed the way her shaking hands clutched her coffee cup as if holding on for dear life.
She was answering a follow-up question from Officer Knight when there was a commotion in the foyer. "Tris?!" a panicked but familiar voice shouted into the house.
"Eric!" Tris yelled as she leapt from her chair and ran to the foyer and straight into Eric's arms. As he clutched her desperately to his chest, Tris finally broke down and began to sob.
Eric pressed her close, peppering kisses on the top of her head as he rocked them gently back and forth. His phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket without letting go of Tris.
"Andrew," he said into the phone. "I just got here."
"Is Beatrice okay? Is that her crying?" Andrew asked, panicked at the sound of his daughter's sobs.
"I think she's unharmed," Eric assured Andrew, "just scared. I've literally been here for two minutes; we're still in the foyer. As soon as I got her in my arms she started to cry. We haven't talked at all."
"Okay," Andrew said. "I'll let you go. But call us as soon as possible. I doubt Natalie or I will get any sleep until we've spoken to her."
"I understand," Eric replied. "I'll have her call as soon as she calms down and the police are done talking to her."
"Thank you, Eric" Andrew said warmly.
Eric hung up his phone and comforted Tris. Officer Elizabeth watched the exchange from the kitchen doorway. When Tris quieted, she introduced herself. "You must be Mr. Coulter," the woman said. "I'm Officer Elizabeth Brooks from the police department."
"Call me Eric," he said, extending his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Eric," she said. "My partner and I were interviewing Tris in the kitchen when you arrived. We have coffee, too."
Eric took the hint and guided Tris back to the kitchen. "Brian?" Eric asked as he walked in and recognized the other officer.
"Eric!" the other man said in greeting. He stood, and the two men exchanged a handshake while thumping each other on the back.
"It's good to see you," Eric said sincerely. "I see you followed through and became a police officer."
"I did," Brian confirmed as he sat back down. "Are you still in school?"
"In a way," Eric said with a dry laugh. "I'm teaching. Back in the Dauntless program at Factions. Coaching the hockey team, too."
"Now that takes me back! I thought you'd end up in the NHL or something," Brian said.
"Brian is a Dauntless alum, too," Eric explained to Tris. "He was a year ahead of me. We played hockey together."
"Eric was an amazing power forward," Brian said. "He was an absolute bulldog. Never wanted to leave the ice. Always went hard after the puck. We all had to work harder just to keep up with him."
"I played in college, too," Eric said. "But I was getting burned out juggling sports, school, and life. My parents died a couple years ago, and I walked away from sports and graduated early. It's a long story, but my life is exactly where it should be now, and I'm happy."
"We should get together some time," Brian suggested, "without anyone needing the police. For now I need to finish my interview with Miss Prior. Tris, do you want Eric to stay while we finish this?"
"Yes. Please," Tris said, clinging to Eric's hand.
The police officer started to speak again, but Tris interrupted with a gasp.
"Where's Ava?" she asked, her eyes wide.
Eric chuckled as he gave Tris a squeeze. "I called Tori," he explained. "She rushed over to my place so I could be here. We'll go home to her when we're done."
"Who's Ava?" Brian asked curiously.
"Our daughter," Tris answered automatically.
Eric's heart did a little flip, and he couldn't help smiling at her response, our daughter.
"Oh, wow," Brian said, "how old is she?"
"Eleven months," Tris answered.
Brian's eyebrows shot up, and he flipped back through his notes.
Eric chuckled. "Yes," he said to his old friend, "you're remembering correctly. Tris is only eighteen. Ava is actually my daughter. Tris and I have been friends since before Ava was born, and we've been dating for six months now. She's the only mother Ava has known, and we're raising her together."
"Oh good, I don't have to arrest you," Brian teased, and he and Eric laughed.
Tris scowled, and Eric caught it. "He's just teasing," he assured her.
Tris finished the interview with the officers. With every new detail he heard, Eric's frown deepened. He went from sitting at the table holding hands to pushing their chairs closer together, then to putting his arm around Tris. When she talked about Peter urinating on her bed, Eric could resist no longer and lifted Tris onto his lap.
Tris leaned heavily into Eric's chest. She sighed as she felt truly safe for the first time since her phone woke her up. Brian asked his last questions, and Tris answered.
"I'd ask if you have somewhere to go or someone to stay with you tonight, but I already have that answer," Brian said with a smile.
Tris blushed and burrowed into Eric's arms. Eric gave her a squeeze and kissed the top of her head.
Eric asked Brian and the other officers a few questions about securing the house for the night while Tris went upstairs to pack a bag and call her parents.
"Beatrice! Sweet Pea, are you okay?" Andrew asked as he answered his phone.
"I'm okay, Daddy," Tris tried to assure him, though he could hear stress, exhaustion, and a hint of fear in her voice.
Tris put her phone on speaker and told her parents about the break-in while she absent-mindedly threw things in a suitcase. Andrew put his phone on speaker, too, so he and Natalie could both talk to their daughter. It was a relief for them to hear her voice, even if they hated what she had to tell them.
"So nothing was stolen," Tris concluded. "The alarm system did what it should. The only damage is broken glass on the patio door and dirty floors. Oh, and my bed."
"What happened to your bed?!" the Priors asked in unison.
"Peter thought he would be an ass, and he peed all over it," Tris explained. "I… I could hear it from the closet. Drew told him not to, but he… he just unzipped his pants and pissed all over my bed. We can wash the blankets, but the pillow was taken as evidence, and I don't want it back. I can't… I can't sleep here again knowing that my mattress… I just… I can't. "
"I'd like to get my hands on that little asshole…" Natalie snarled through the phone.
"Get in line," Eric said from the doorway. "He's lucky to be in jail right now." He walked over to Tris and looked at what she was doing. "Um, Duchess, what are you putting in your suitcase?"
Tris looked down and realized that every pair of socks and underwear she owned, every bra, and her few jewelry items were in the suitcase, but nothing else.
"Why don't you add some clean pajamas and clothes for the weekend," he suggested gently.
Tris started to remove things from the suitcase. "Just leave that," Eric said. "I'd like to talk to all three of you," he continued. "I know this isn't a very romantic way to go about this, but I'd like Tris to move in with me and Ava."
Tris stopped dead in her tracks, and the pile of t-shirts she was digging through fell unceremoniously into the suitcase.
"Don't…" Tris stammered, "Don't make rash decisions out of fear."
"I'm not," Eric said, reaching for her hand. "You know I'm not. I've told you before that I want you to live with us. You make my house feel like home. You make us feel like a family. The only reason I haven't asked for this sooner is because you're young, and I didn't want to push you."
"But my parents need me to…"
"Tris," Natalie interrupted. "Don't worry about us or the house. We're moving a lot of stuff out in a couple weeks. We'll have the mail forwarded, and hire a service to take care of the grass and snow. We all saw that the security monitoring works, and I think after tonight we'll be adding some motion-detecting lights and probably a few cameras or something as well. The house will be fine. You need to think about what you want for yourself. Do you want to live with Eric and Ava?"
"Living together…" Tris said, obviously still dazed.
Eric caught on to how overwhelmed Tris was. "Maybe this isn't the best time to talk about this," he said. "Tonight has been a lot to handle as it is. Tris, I'd like to take you home with me for the weekend. Is that okay? We can make other decisions later."
Tris nodded. As they said goodbye to Natalie and Andrew, Eric looked at the mess of belongings in Tris' suitcase. He instructed her to get her phone charger, birth control pills, and hairbrush while he added pajamas and pants to the suitcase.
Eric gathered Tris' textbooks and anything that looked like homework, and put them in her backpack with the laptop that Peter and Drew had failed to steal. "Do you need anything else?" he asked. "Anything from the bathroom or the closet?"
Tris opened her closet door and froze. "That's where I hid," she mumbled, staring at the back corner.
Eric stepped behind Tris and wrapped his arms around her. "You handled that perfectly," he soothed. "You did exactly what you were supposed to. You were so strong, Babe, and you did everything right. You're safe now."
Tris nodded. "I'm tired," she admitted.
"I know," he said. "Let's get you home to bed. Do you need anything else?"
"Just let me grab my pil… oh," she trailed off with a shudder. "No," she said sadly. I have everything I need. Let's just go."
Tris and Eric walked through the house together. She held tightly to his hand as they shut off lights, inspected the patch job on the broken patio door, locked up again, and reset the alarm system. Eric loaded Tris' suitcase and backpack into his truck, and helped her in.
She reached for Eric's hand as soon as he was in the truck, and he was more than happy to feel Tris' small hand in his large one. At the first stop sign, Eric glanced at Tris, hoping to get a glimpse of how she was feeling. She was sound asleep, and Eric smiled in relief.