Tris woke to a gentle rapping on her door. She groaned as she slipped out of bed, cracking it open to see Four standing there, dressed to work out. "Oh, right," she said. "Just… give me a second." She changed into something that seemed comfortable and made her way to the bathroom to pull her hair back and brush her teeth.

The compound was still fairly quiet. As they made their way to Dauntless they passed a few people, each nodding their greetings politely. She had been through the halls and to Dauntless before, but this time felt different. She was actively trying to belong.

Four was patient as he went through some of the easier motions for her. They worked hard, sweating and grunting until her body began to ache, and even then she didn't want to stop. She didn't want to disappoint Four or hinder his routine any more than she already had. Halfway through, she remembered his first lesson about keeping tension in her core. She threw a punch, the burn from following his instruction resonating throughout her.

"You shouldn't overdo it," Four said, breathing heavily beside her. "You'll regret pushing yourself so hard tomorrow morning."

"We'll see," she said, a smirk on her face. Four just shook his head.

She remembered to grab a change of clothes this time, which gave Four an opportunity to get in the shower before her. Without looking, he felt her presence pass by behind him. For the second time, he was acutely aware that they were mere feet from each other in the most compromising of positions. He smiled.

"Here, take these," he said when she came out fully dressed. "Vitamin and a couple aspirin, just in case."

"Thank you." She took a sip of water when she went into her room, smiling as she reflected on how thoughtful he was.

"You'll want to grab a little more protein than usual, and probably a banana," he said just before they reached the front of the breakfast line. "Should help you recover a little better."

"That's not gonna be a problem," she replied, grabbing a plate. "I'm starving."

Things felt a little more comfortable between them as they ate; she didn't feel like such an outsider anymore. Nobody looked at her like she was something to be treated with kid gloves, and she liked that. She felt like she might actually be fitting in.

"Oh, Four!" They both turned to see Zoe waving as she walked towards them. "David is working with Amar to pull together a team to go out on an emergency call, and he wanted to know if you were okay with covering some shifts here. He wants to take along a few extra guys so you are able stay with Beatrice."

He stopped himself from correcting her. "Like?"

"Fence post mostly, I think. Amar should have all the details. And Matthew's going with him, so that should give you some more time to adjust." She was looking at Tris with a wide smile on her face.

"Oh. Umm, yeah." Tris wasn't really sure why she was being addressed like she had any choice in the matter.

"Let me go talk with Amar then. I'll get back with you."

"Sure thing! Have a great day." Tris smiled again, but it was more in the hope that Zoe would go be chipper somewhere else.

"Will you be okay for a few?" She nodded. "I'll meet you back at the common room." Tris watched him walk away and sighed; she was enjoying his company more than she thought she should, and she was always aware of how different he was compared to everyone else. The others didn't seem to care about their ignorance of the city and the way she grew up, but Four made sure to respect every last aspect of it.

She wandered for a few minutes before finding herself in front of the screen bank. Her curiosity got the better of her as she sat down and began messing with the screen in front of her.

"Whatcha looking for?" She turned to see Neil smiling behind her.

"Oh. I was just umm… watching."

"It's okay," he said. "You can check up on them."

"Thanks," she mumbled. "I just wanted to see if my brother was okay."

"Erudite, right?" She nodded.

Neil spent a few minutes pressing keys and switching cameras before he found Caleb. Tris thanked him again as he left her alone. She put on a pair of headphones and listened in.

Caleb had his face buried in a book. She had to admit he looked nice in blue, nicer than she thought he would. He was also wearing glasses, which made her raise an eyebrow ― he had perfect vision. She zoomed her screen out to see that everyone was wearing them, and thought it must be some weird Erudite thing. There wasn't much to hear, just the occasional rustle of paper and the quiet murmurs of hushed conversations. She zoomed back in and sat with her chin in her hand, watching.

"So, what's this about David going out?" Four asked when he entered the security room. Amar looked over his shoulder.

"Something's going down in Indianapolis, apparently. They want him to check it out. I'll be with him, so don't worry. Nothing will happen."

"I'm not," Four said, irritated at the insinuation. "Just wondering why I'm being left here."

Amar swiveled in his chair, an eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face. "Really? You don't know?" Four's heart rate increased. "You practically begged David to pull the girl out and now she's your responsibility. You really think she's going to be okay being left alone for a week?"

"A week?" Four didn't realize it was that long of a mission. He had figured it would be a couple of days, like usual.

"I told you. Something's going down." Amar shrugged and turned his attention back to the computer in front of him.

"Fine. Who are you taking?"

"Briggs, Myers, Swift, Green―"

"Green? He just got shot! He's still recovering."

"Yeah, and his driving leg still works. Are you questioning my decision?" Amar's voice was louder, firmer. It was what Four referred to as his 'instructor voice'.

Amar was a great guy ― laid back, joked around, could hold his liquor better than most people ― but when he was serious, he was serious, and you learned the hard way that he was your boss first and your friend second. Four shook his head. "No. Create a schedule and I'll pick up the slack." Amar didn't say anything as he turned and left.

Four tried to not let Amar's mood swing get to him. It was familiar territory, something that didn't make sense to him until a little over a year ago. They were getting drunk after a run to the Fringe when Amar chose to let it slip that he had a crush on him. Four didn't know how to handle the situation ― he'd never had a girlfriend, and had barely had his first kiss thanks to some girl named Nita who pinned him in the corner of the bar and shoved her tongue down his throat ― so he turned and left without a word.

He felt like an asshole afterwards. It couldn't have been easy to admit, especially when that type of love was frowned upon by the Bureau: if it didn't have a chance of creating life with pure genes, it wasn't allowed. Not to mention, they were best friends. He had put their entire friendship in jeopardy to reveal how he felt.

It took him the better part of a day, but he finally found Amar in Dauntless, drunk off his ass, weapons strewn around him. It took some coaxing, but Four was able to get Amar up and into a cold shower, shoving him into bed afterwards, soaking wet, to sleep it off.

Four apologized the next morning, but Amar ignored him for days, only speaking to him when it was required for work. It wasn't until Four practically broke his apartment door down that Amar talked to him. They exchanged a few harsh words ― some that Four will always regret saying ― and even pushed each other a few times. It was when Amar broke down into tears that Four knew what he had to do: he had to be a friend.

They sat side by side on the floor while he listened to Amar talk. When everything was said and done, they ended up exchanging apologies and an awkward hug, laughing about what had happened. "You know," Four had said, "If you stopped hanging out with me so much, maybe you could find someone."

"And miss out on you fumbling around every time a girl tries to talk to you? Not a chance." Four kicked him in the leg.

As he wound his way back to Tris, he wondered if it was that old jealousy coming back. Four knew about Amar and George ― he was the only one that did — and he guarded his friend's secret closely. But he knew from listening to some of the guys talk, and maybe even a little from experience, that it was sometimes hard to let go of those feelings.

Tris wasn't in the dorm room when he arrived. He waited around for a few minutes, getting anxious when she didn't show up. Four let out a loud breath as he walked back out in search of her.

He had missed her sitting at the screen bank when he first passed it. He kept his distance, letting her have whatever time she needed to make peace with whoever she was watching. It was only when Neil caught his eye that Four stepped in; he had that look that said he was worried. Four sat down next to her, but it still took her a minute to realize he was there.

"Oh, hey," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "I was just checking up on Caleb."

"It's okay." He knew it was an important part of adjusting to life on the outside. He also knew how easily it could consume a person. "So, there's been a slight change of plans. Matthew is going to be gone for a week, as well as a large chunk of our security team. I'll have to pick up some shifts, but that also means no more tests until he gets back."

"You have to go back to work." He wasn't sure what to make of her statement, or the slight hint of sadness in her voice.

"Yeah. My schedule will be a little weird, I'm sure. But that doesn't mean we can't figure something out. We'll stick to some sort of routine."

The week went more smoothly than he could have imagined. Amar must have swung the other way from his little moment because he only had two nights in the security room and two days out on the fence. That left him three days to do whatever he felt like. He couldn't remember the last time he had that kind of freedom.

They worked out in the mornings and had breakfast together no matter what. He would only take a short nap in the late morning after he worked the night shift, and then they would spend their afternoons hanging out in Amity or Dauntless, two polar opposite factions that had them laughing at times. Tris liked the bond that was forming between them ― she wasn't even this close with her own brother, and the few friends she'd had were more like acquaintances.

She found herself missing his company on the sixth day when he had to pull a day shift out on the fence. With Neil's help, she gathered up two sandwiches and a couple apples and was directed out to his post to spend lunch with him. It was nice to be outside, the compound out of sight.

"Have you ever thought of just walking out there and seeing what happens?" She was staring out the window towards the vast open field that seemed to lead nowhere.

"I used to. Then I got to actually go out there."

She turned to face him. "And?"

"You don't want to go out there, Tris." He didn't elaborate, and she didn't press any further.

Things were easier with Tris than they had ever been with anyone else, even Amar. He was guarded, but he could feel that wall slowly coming down. He was trying to figure out how to tell her the truth about himself ― who he was and how he ended up at the Bureau ― and he knew he'd have to do it sooner rather than later. Time was only going to make things worse. He was in the process of opening and closing his mouth, trying to find the words when there was a loud beep from the intercom.

"Go for Four," he said as he pressed the intercom.

"It's Jones. Just got word from Amar. They're coming back early. Who's on shift after you?"

"Durst. What happened?"

"He didn't elaborate. Just tell Durst to be prepared for their arrival. It doesn't sound good, Four."

"Copy." He didn't like the worry in Jones's voice. He could feel it creeping up inside of him, held at bay only by the fact that Amar was okay.

"Four?"

He turned around to see Tris, a worried look on her face. "It's fine," he reassured her. "Why don't you go ahead and go back in. Meet for dinner at six?" She nodded and left without another word. Four cursed the timing of everything.

Tris was on her way past the screens when the name Prior caught her attention. She slowed down and veered toward them to eavesdrop, fiddling around with the screen in front of her.

"He's caught Jeanine's eye," she heard someone say.

"Then put a screen on him at all times. If she's thinking about grooming anyone to take over for her, then we need to know about it before she does. Make sure you put a memo out to David so he's aware of the situation." There was some more chatter that didn't mean anything to her, but when she looked up at the main screen, it was focused on Caleb.

Her brow furrowed. What were they worried about? If her brother was going to be groomed for Erudite leadership, that was probably a good thing. He grew up in Abnegation ― he would be fair and just, like their father. She sat down and pulled up the main screen in front of her. The others would do the work to follow him; she just had to watch and listen.

At first she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Her brother was talking to Jeanine Matthews ― she recognized her from the portrait in her faction history class. She was an older woman with sharp features and hair so blonde it was almost white. She wore glasses around her neck, and Tris wondered if they were for show, too. Caleb followed her around like a lapdog. He had a tablet in his hand and he was constantly tapping on it. Most of what Jeanine was saying sounded like gibberish to her, but it seemed to pique Caleb's interest.

They did some work in a lab with another girl that looked to be Caleb's age. Tris eventually learned the girl's name was Cara, and couldn't help but notice the way her brother looked at her when nobody was paying attention. For a moment she wished she could tease him about it, but he was Erudite, and she… well, she was dead. Even if she wanted to try and contact him, he would think it was a cruel joke instead of what it actually was. It was when the trio split off from the group that the chatter seemed to increase around her. She pulled off her headphones to listen.

"She's taking them to her office."

"We don't have access to those cameras. There's a block that prevents us from accessing them."

"We need someone to start working their asses off on this! Why has this not been a priority?" Tris didn't know what to do, so she put the headphones back on and kept to herself.

Erudite was a strange place. Every hallway looked the same to her as she watched her brother shuffle along after Jeanine. Each lab they passed and each door they walked through was identical. Perhaps it was some sort of Erudite logic test: if you could figure out how to get around, you really were one of them. For a second she thought of her aptitudes.

She saw the people around her throw their hands up in frustration when the three of them entered Jeanine's office; they were effectively cut off. Tris sighed and stretched, only now noticing that she had been sitting there for hours. It was close to dinner. She watched the door ― with every intention of leaving to eat ― until it opened back up. Her brother and Cara both had wide smiles on their faces.

The view began switching again, following Caleb down the identical corridors, until he and Cara parted ways with a chaste kiss. She rolled her eyes then looked up to the screen bank, assuming Cara went into her room. Her brother, however, walked back the way he came until he was back inside Jeanine's office and out of sight. She rubbed her eyes and pulled off the headphones.

"Why are they watching your brother?"

She jumped, turning her head to see Four standing beside her. "How long have you been there?"

He looked at his watch. "Ten minutes."

She looked at the time, wondering how thirty minutes had passed so quickly. "Sorry," she muttered. "Let's go eat."

She wasn't in the mood to talk, but was courteous enough to tell Four what she knew ― nothing. He respected her decision to want to keep to herself after dinner, leaving her to curl up on her bed with the pictures of her family. Tris wasn't sure what she was trying to accomplish, but she spent a fair amount of time crying and apologizing to them, even though they couldn't hear her.

She fell asleep at some point, waking with a start from her dream: her brother was now the leader of Erudite, and he was calling for a citywide hunt for Beatrice Prior, the Divergent traitor. Tris was so panicked when she woke that it took her a minute to realize it was just a dream. She wasn't a wanted criminal in the city, but that feeling of dread wouldn't go away. When she couldn't fall back to sleep, she pulled a sweater on and wandered out to the screen bank.

They were focusing on other things instead of her brother, who was most likely in his dorm room fast asleep. Neil worked the day shift, so she kept to herself, not wanting to bother anyone else with questions they probably couldn't answer. She idly watched whatever came across her screen, and was finally starting to get tired when something caught her eye.

She looked up to see Amar and other Bureau Patrol members she didn't recognize coming through the entrance. They looked worn, tired. Then she noticed the blood.

It wasn't on everyone, but those that had it on them seemed to be covered. Someone was being held up by two others, and they rushed off in a direction she hadn't been before. She pulled the headphones off slowly to hear commands being called out by David, who was somewhere amidst the group.

Four came racing out of their hallway, heading straight for Amar. They embraced for a brief second, Four pulling away to inspect him. They were talking, but she couldn't make out anything over the noise. Amar shook his head, and Four ran his hands through his hair, turning away from him.

The look on his face as his eyes met hers sent a shiver up her spine.