AN: Okay, I know I have been gone a long, long time. I won't bore you with excuses, except to say that my life has been a bit of a mess. I can't tell you all how much the continued encouragement and reviews have meant to me. I am flattered and awed that so many people have stuck with me for so long not posting. Thank you all, very very much! And without further rambling, here is the next chapter!

Chapter Seven: The Promise of More

The training room was almost silent when Eric arrived the next morning. He went straight there, with every intention of spending the entire day with the Transfers. It would be entertaining to watch Four squirm as he goaded his sister. The little fluff didn't stand a chance.

"First fights today, eh?" Eric greeted unnecessarily as he strode into the room. Four didn't really buy the polite act, but he had little interest in the reason behind it at the moment. He was already making pairs for the sparring matches later in the day.

"I'll pair them up," Eric continued, "You just worry about getting the kiddies ready to beat each other up." He paused significantly, before grinning somewhat maliciously. "If you think you can handle that much."

"I am the Transfers' trainer," Four replied, scowling as menacingly as his opponent was smirking. "It's my job to pair them."

"Remember who's got the power here, Four, and do as you're told."

With an even darker look, Four was left with no choice but to leave the leader to it; he had no power to keep him from doing exactly as he wanted, and they both knew it. Eric knew what buttons to push to irritate the other man into action, and the resulting reactions weren't always well thought out. It was better to step away.

Eric stood at the board, seeming to be deep in contemplation over the whole matter. He already knew exactly who he was pairing together, but there was no need to let his training partner know that. When Four stalked back over to the board after setting out the equipment, he was horrified at the pairs of names. One, in particular. Five pairs down from the top, the one listed was almost painful to see.

Peter vs. Lilla

"Those won't work," he said immediately, scoffing at Eric in a way only he could get away with. Mostly because he was the only one who could even stand a chance of beating the shit out of the larger man.

"And why not?" Eric wanted to know, smirking knowingly.

"The first fights should be evenly matched, Eric. These don't even come close." If anything, Eric's grin widened.

"I think they'll do nicely," he replied. He was enjoying this immensely, watching his rival writhe under his thumb. The situation was the best possible mix of entertainment and revenge Eric could ask for. The little fluff would get the set down she deserved, and her irritating older brother would have to stand by and watch it happen. He wouldn't be able to step in without revealing their connection, and Peter – deemed useful despite Eric's distaste for him – would beat Lilla soundly as her brother looked on, helpless to protect her. "Have you become such a mother hen now, Tobias, or is it just a certain piece of Abnegation fluff that has you worried?" His dark eyes glinted viciously and he smiled a smile that spoke of nothing good. "Lilliana perhaps?"

He enjoyed the look of absolute panic that filled the wide blue eyes of his rival for a split second, then tauntingly demanded, "Is there a problem, Four?"

"No," Four replied after a long, tense moment. He was left with no options; none that didn't end in trouble anyway. "No problem." He had to force the words out between gritted teeth. "If you want to send half the year's Initiates to the infirmary in the first week, that's your business."

"If they can't keep up, then maybe a thorough beating will be the best teacher," Eric said flippantly, brushing the concerns of his partner aside with utter indifference. Why should he care if the Initiates got themselves banged up? If they lost, then they clearly should have practiced more.

Four refrained from answering, knowing that it would get him nowhere. He wasn't sure how he was going to sit back while his little sister fought the nastiest piece of work in her year, but he knew he would have to find a way. He couldn't jump in and screw everything up now, not after she was finally on her way to being healed up.

"Christina wake up!" Lilla heard Tris call their sleeping friend as she darted out the doorway. She'd slept late in Zeke's room, and had to all but run back to the dormitories to change for training before breakfast. Her back was feeling much better than it had in as long as she could remember, but there was still a dull throb across the damaged flesh. Still, she had better range of movement and concentration than she had in any of the previous training, so she wasn't as afraid of the day's scheduled fights as she'd expected to be.

Uriah was waiting for his friend outside the dorm; he'd followed her from his brother's apartment as soon as she woke, panicked at the time, and fled. He hadn't even had time to ask her how she was feeling yet.

"Way to run out on us, Mouse," he chided gently with a grin.

"Sorry," she breathed, slowing down a bit now that they were on their way to breakfast. She was incredibly hungry this morning – probably a byproduct of the medicinal creams and the resulting rapid removal of infection she'd experienced the night before – and it had made her rush to be sure she would have enough time to eat before training. As she explained as much to her grinning friend, his grin stretched all the wider.

"Well, good to know you're feeling better," he told her, reaching out to squeeze her forearm carefully. She was moving better, he could see, and her eyes were not as dull and unfocused as they had been. Her arm wasn't overly warm under his hand either. A vast improvement, all told. "Are you ready for the first fights?" he asked then, sobering a bit. He was worried about Lilla in this part of the training. For all her fearlessness, she was small and not as strong physically as most of the competition. He just hoped her stubbornness and bravery would keep her in the running.

"I think so, as much as I can be," Lilla whispered, suddenly stopping and meeting Uriah's eyes; a rare occurrence. "Thank you, Uriah…" she said, her voice lowering further. "I…" she had to clear her throat, "I'm sorry I fought you last night, when you were just trying to help."

Uriah debated what he was about to do, but only for a second, before reaching over and pulling the girl into a gentle, incredibly careful hug. At first, Lilla's whole body froze, instantly and completely, in shock and nervousness. She didn't know what to do! The only person who'd ever hugged her, that she could remember, was Tobias, and now here were unfamiliar arms wrapped around her so, so gently. Had she ever felt that sort of protection? That safe? Her brother, like Uriah, was always careful when hugging her when they were children, just as she was careful not to hurt him. But they'd been in no position to truly protect one another, trapped in their shared hell for most of their lives. She thought that this might have been what it would have felt like if Tobias and she had had a normal childhood, hugging her brother for sheer affection, rather than to comfort a pair of broken children. It was… beautiful.

Ever so slowly, Uriah felt the tension leave her rigid form as she relaxed little by little into his arms. Though she relaxed, she didn't move at first. It took a long, still moment before her thin arms rose to return the hug, but he couldn't help the massive smile that stretched across his lips when they finally did. The thought crossed his mind briefly that Lilla should have been born his sister, rather than Four's. Although, after his talk with Zeke, he could see the trainer's point of view a little better, he still couldn't help but despise what he'd done. He couldn't help but think there had to be a better option than leaving Lilla alone for two years, and he couldn't help but be angry. Furious, really.

"C'mon Mouse," he said into her hair, reluctant to release the small girl. "Let's get you something to eat." Lilla just nodded.

"Alright kiddies!" Eric roared from the opposite end of the pit as the transfer Initiates huddled near the door. They all knew what day it was, and none of them felt truly ready. "Your names are paired on the board. Be ready to face your opponent as soon as it's your turn. First pair, in the ring. NOW!"

They wasted no time in starting the fights. No one wanted to face off just yet, but with no other choice it seemed best to just get it over with. One after another, pairs fought each other – starting with Tris and Molly – and one after another, Initiates were sent into the hospital ward. Everyone was painfully aware of Eric's order to fight until one opponent couldn't anymore.

When Lilla's turn came up, about halfway through, she felt her stomach twist into almost painful knots. Peter… she was fighting Peter. She didn't think it could possibly be much worse. Edward was more skilled than her opponent, but he was also far less cruel. She felt sick, and she could see on the faces of her friends that remained in the room that they did too. All eyes were on her, but two pairs stood out.

Eric watched the little Abnegation bit stare at the pairings board for a solid minute before he turned back to the end of the fight before hers. He felt… strangely conflicted. On one hand, he was looking forward to seeing her infuriating calm ruffled, to seeing her put in her place. On the other though, he was beginning to regret his hasty, anger-driven decision to pair the smallest girl in the year with the angriest boy. As he watched Lilla and Peter take their places in the ring, he had a sudden, unexpected pang of worry for the girl. It wasn't a feeling he was familiar with, by any means. Why would he care? If she couldn't keep up, then she deserved the beating she was about to get. And everyone knew it would be a slaughter. She was good with knives, and not bad with guns, but in hand to hand combat? She didn't stand a chance. Her body was just too weak and untrained.

"Fight!" he barked, starting the match. Any hint of regret was buried when he saw the ill-disguised terror on Four's face. That look at least, Eric decided, was truly sweet. And if some Abnegation nobody was hurt to put it there, then what should he care?

Except, he couldn't quite seem to convince himself of it, which only made him angrier.

Lilla and Peter began circling each other, one slow step at a time. Peter swung, but she dodged under his hand. Dodging, at least, was something she could do, and had done for a long time. Four watched his little sister face off against the Candor Transfer, unable to completely conceal his fear. As the first fist flew, he felt himself flinch in terrified anticipation of the sound of flesh connecting brutally with flesh, but breathed a relieved sigh when the blow was dodged. Eric too found himself glad when her small body ducked the punch deftly, seemingly on instinct. He was reminded again how she'd recoiled just a bit when he'd raised his hand to slap her. What did such out of character behavior mean, in a girl who seemed to be fazed by almost nothing? It made no sense.

The renewed questions were set aside, however, as the fight continued. Peter kept striking, and Lilla kept dodging successfully, which was a bit surprising. No hit had been landed yet by either. The smaller Initiate hadn't even tried.

"C'mon Stiff," Four heard Peter taunt as they circled near him, "hit me if you can!"

Lilla glared, but still didn't strike. She'd never hit anyone before, although she'd often been tempted to strike back against her father. And, oh… did Peter ever remind her of Marcus. The stark cruelty, the sneer at her helplessness… She knew she would lose this fight, had known it well before they'd stepped into the ring. Some of her friends had been taken to the infirmary already. If she were smart, she thought, she would let him pound her into the mat now and get it over with. But it seemed her pride just wouldn't let her do it. This continued for nearly five minutes, before Eric got fed up.

"Take her down, you moron, or I'll give her the win for sheer stubbornness!" he snapped. Lilla let her eyes glance his way for the barest second. He stood to the side, beside her brother, with his arms crossed and glaring at the fighting pair darkly. Both fighters realized he was entirely serious, and Lilla wondered if she couldn't just win by outlasting Peter's fury. Beside the irritated leader, she couldn't help but notice, her brother stood with his eyes fixed on her, looking decidedly ill. It surprised her a bit, that he'd show that much emotion, especially for her.

Eric's threat made Peter step up his attempts. It seemed he was done with toying with her, and he attacked with a viciousness that shocked everyone. The little Stiff wouldn't win against him; he couldn't let that happen.

Lilla felt the difference immediately. It became steadily harder to dodge his blows. His fists and feet flew faster, harder, as they tried to make contact with her skin. Soon, she had to try to block the flying limbs, as well as dodge them. And she was failing. Bruises formed, lurid on her unnaturally pale skin, as he started landing glancing blows. They'd been fighting for some time now, much longer than the others, and she was beginning to tire. She had to start fighting back, she knew, but she didn't know if she was capable of it. Every time she thought about striking anyone, even someone as vile as Peter, she thought of the promise she'd made herself and her brother years ago. They'd sworn to each other as children with whatever naivety they had left at the time that they'd never be like him.

"Hit him, damn it Lily!" she heard, and her heart stopped for a second. Lily. He'd called her Lily. But why? She just didn't know why he'd do that. He'd done nothing but avoid and antagonize her from the time she'd come to Dauntless. Not once had he acted as her brother. Not once had he even looked at her with anything but irritation, and even disgust. Were his former feelings of brotherly affection surfacing now that she was in danger of bodily harm right in front of him? Had their time under their father's iron fist hard-wired him to show concern in a situation like this, even if he didn't really feel it? Or – far less likely, in Lilla's mind – did he actually care?

This distraction proved to be her undoing, and Tobias realized it instantly. When he called out, urging her to fight, Lilla's eyes flew his way, wide and surprised. Peter took his chance, landing a hard blow across her cheek. Stunned, Lilla stumbled back under the crushing blow, and it was followed by several more. She was forced to raise her arms to block her face, mind flashing to several other occasions when she'd been in that position. She could vaguely hear Tobias urging her to get up in the background, but she couldn't make her body obey. The punches and kicks continued to rain down on her, painting her skin in blood and bruises as she tried unsuccessfully to block and dodge. Desperately, she started striking back, hoping to keep herself from being completely obliterated.

"That's enough!" someone roared furiously over the din of the fight and the worried Initiates' chatter, but Lilla wasn't sure who it was. At this point, she was barely conscious. In fact, she couldn't even really see through the swelling around her eyes. Idly, she realized there was something familiar about the voice calling the halt, but she wasn't sure she even cared who it was. Then, there were hands on her, and she tried to make her battered body wake up, to swat them away. She was being lifted into a pair of strong arms, arms that she most definitely didn't recognize. They were far too big to be her brother's. He had a lean strength. One of the other Initiates, then? No… they wouldn't dare without permission. It couldn't be Zeke, although he seemed like the most likely option, given their closeness. He was Dauntless-born though, so he couldn't be in the Transfer class.

So, just who was cradling her so carefully in his arms? Her mind wandered in between memories and reality as she was carried from the room, and long before they reached the infirmary, she'd fallen completely unconscious in Eric's arms.

Four stood, stunned into silence, as Eric swung himself nimbly up onto the blood-stained mat. He'd been the one to call for it to stop, unable to watch any longer as his sister was all but crushed into the floor, but it was his fellow instructor who made it to Lily's side first, scooping her up into his arms, regardless of the blood all over her. No one knew quite what to say as he carried her out of the room with a glare that could freeze flame. At the door, he did pause long enough to order Four continue with the fights, but then he was gone.

"You're a damn idiot," the leader griped to the limp girl in his arms as he walked slowly through the compound. There was no point in rushing, as it would only jostle her injuries more. "You should never have come here," he continued, irritated with both Lilla and – perhaps, even more – himself, "You might be unnaturally fearless, Fluff, but you'll never win a fight. You'll get yourself killed before this is over. It's only going to get worse from here."

As he walked, he stared down at her bruised, swollen, bloody face. The other Initiate had done a thorough job of it, that was for sure, but Eric couldn't help but admire the way she'd handled him. Even if she hadn't landed a single effective blow, she'd managed to hold out longer than any Transfer he'd ever seen. She had dodged until she couldn't anymore, and then she'd taken the blows much better than he'd expected. Who would've thought some little Abnegation bit could take a beating like that?

He wondered absently, what if Four hadn't distracted the chit? But that question was quickly replaced by another in his Erudite-trained mind. What had he called her? Lily, was it? No one else had ever called her that, to his knowledge. The irritating man had slipped, Eric realized, under the pressure of watching his sister fight and fail to save herself from a painful beating. He'd finally acted like a brother. Would that be his chance to further torment his rival?

But, oddly enough… the irascible leader didn't think he had it in him to do this again. She'd held up well under Peter's onslaught, but Eric hadn't enjoyed it as he'd expected to. In fact, even the horror and despair on Four's face at being unable to protect his little sister had had a sour note. And she hadn't screamed, he realized suddenly. Not once had she made a sound as Peter rained blow after punishing blow down on her thin body.

Just how the hell had she managed it?

Lilla woke slowly, her body responding to stimuli in increments. First she was aware of light on her face, then the general sounds around her, though her brain couldn't quite keep up enough to place them all. Shuffling and breathing she could recognize, but there was a softer sound that just struck her as odd. Then, light began to filter into her swollen eyes. It hurt, but it was much more bearable than she would have expected, given that the last thing she remembered was the sight of fists flying into her face, followed by darkness. Who had she been fighting? And who had stopped it? At least she remembered why.

The odd sound stopped suddenly, and she finally figured out what it was. Humming. Someone near her was humming.

"I think she's coming 'round," a voice she knew said, replacing the humming. Uriah. Uriah was here beside her, and she realized then that he was holding her left hand tenderly, as if afraid to break her. The Dauntless-born boy had heard about her fight almost as soon as he'd finished with his own training for the day, and he'd been sitting at her side since then.

"Yeah, I think you're right," another agreed. The second person, she found, had an equally gentle grip on her right hand, and his thumb rubbed soothing circles against the back of her palm. Two people then, she thought. One on either side. The first was her first ever friend, but the second… it couldn't be.

"Tobi- er, Four?" she rasped, forcing bruised lids up to peer slowly around her. "Uriah?" Lilla's voice was weak, both boys noted, but it wasn't as pained as it would have been if she hadn't slept through most of the nurse's ministrations. She was already on her way to healing from her bout with Peter.

"Present and accounted, Mouse. Zeke was here too, but he left to grab us all some dinner. Said you wouldn't be pleased if us idiots starved looking after you. You sure do need a lot of looking after." She chuckled. It was a deep, raspy sound, but there was genuine amusement, and Uriah was glad for it. She hadn't fully opened her eyes yet, choosing to wait until the light sensitivity faded some.

"Lily…" Lilla flinched again at the unexpected use of her nickname from her brother. Beyond saying his new name, which she hated using, she hadn't yet acknowledged his presence. And she wasn't sure if she wanted to.

Four felt his heart twist when his little sister didn't respond. He dreaded the chance that he'd screwed up so bad that their relationship was irreparable more than anything else in that long, silent moment. Was she gone from him for good? He'd realized his mistake as soon as the tiny young woman, who'd spent her entire life until two years ago at his side, climbed into the ring opposite Peter. No, sooner than that even. He realized it as soon as he'd seen her name on the board paired with the Candor transfer's. He didn't know how Eric had discovered their connection, but he thought it might have been the knock in the head he'd needed. Not that he wanted this to be the way he received it, of course.

"Lily, please."

Uriah contemplated the man across from him, and then the woman between them. He knew they loved each other, knew even that Four had only behaved the way he had to protect his baby sister. But he still didn't know if he could wrap his head around the other's actions. Lilla was sweet. Her quiet strength drew him – and to be honest, his brother as well – to her as much as her sad eyes made them want to heal her, soul and body. Which left one question: Would Four help or hurt in that endeavor?

"Hear him out, Mouse," he whispered, making his decision quickly and hoping desperately that it was the right one. Hesitantly, Lilla's gaze turned away from her friend after a long moment of indecision, to land on her brother. Tobias looked as beaten down as she felt, she thought, even if it only showed in his eyes.

He met her redirected gaze, but had to fight not to lower his own in shame. Had he done this to her? She was hesitant to even look at him, almost afraid. There was none of the trust in her cool eyes that had once been there no matter their situation. There was no tenderness in her tired face, just pain and betrayal. And he knew he deserved it.

"Lily…" he whispered again, still fighting not to lower his eyes.

"No," she spat sudden anger replacing her tired apathy, "You lost the right to call me that the day you left me for the wolves!"

He cringed. It was an accurate description of what he'd done, he thought, when he left her in Abnegation.

"Please, Lily, I had to leave. You know that; you encouraged it!" he whispered desperately, unable to force anything more than a low, strained voice from his constricted throat. The fact that she'd encouraged his leaving their former Faction didn't mean it was the right thing to do, but he'd hoped she could forgive him for it in time. Lilla scoffed at her brother and looked away.

"Don't be stupid, man," Uriah sniped, gripping his friend's hand a little tighter to keep himself from knocking some sense into Four's thick skull. It drew the attention away from Lilla, but silence reigned for some time before the quietest of the three broke it.

"I don't blame you for leaving," Lilla told her brother, barely above a whisper herself. Tears threatened to spill from her bruised eyes, and the effort of holding them back was painful in more ways than one. "I never blamed you for that."

"I have," Tobias replied, stroking his thumb over her hand again, hoping she wouldn't pull away.

"You shouldn't. You did what you had to. I knew that then and I know it now," she said, but her face held no forgiveness, no softening. "It changes nothing," she continued bitterly, spitting the words through teeth clenched against pain and memories.

"Lilla," Uriah interrupted gently, beginning to regret his decision to support Four's apology, if that was what this was. Maybe Zeke would be back with food soon, providing a distraction. "You won't get anywhere if you don't tell him why. You need to do this." Tobias watched Uriah urge his sister to be honest with him, and the terrible thought that the Dauntless-born had taken his place. He'd been there when Lily needed someone, he and his brother. They, instead of him, had begun the process of healing her from Marcus' cruelty. He didn't even know what the extent of her injuries were, just that it was bad enough to frighten Uriah and even, to some degree, Zeke. But then, Lilla was speaking, interrupting his frenzied fears with quiet, stoic admissions.

"I don't blame you for leaving," she said, though she was looking at the ceiling rather than at her brother, "I blame you for expecting me to stay."

"What!?" Tobias all but yelped in stunned disbelief. How could she think that? Where had she gotten such an absurd notion?

"What other reason for the cruel, cold disinterest in your own flesh and blood?" her temper, usually quiet, was rising again unexpectedly. "You haven't had a single kind word for me since I've come here! Are you punishing me for ruining your forgetful existence here? For making you remember your past? Our past? You have no right, you damn traitor, to ever call me Lily again. You have no right to even be here!"

"Lily please…" Now he is grasping at her hand desperately. "I was scared," he admitted, the audience of Uriah, and now Zeke, who'd just returned with dinner, going completely unnoticed. "I was terrified someone would use you, hurt you, to get to me! It's what happened today. Someone wanted to see you hurt to hurt me. He wanted you to be beaten, and me to be trapped into watching it happen, unable to protect you. I swear to you, Lily, I am proud, so proud of you. You are stronger than I could ever be, and a better person than I ever have been." He was unaware of the silent tears making tracks down his cheeks, his focus on his sister's haunted gaze, on her own tears that escaped her strangle hold. He couldn't give her a chance to interrupt now, determined to give her the proper apology and – even more important – the explanation she deserved. "I saw you come out of that net, and I panicked. I know what he must have done to you before the Choosing, and then here you were… jumping and landing on what had to be painful injuries. And I just thought… I just thought that if I ignored you until you made it through Initiation, then you'd be safe. I thought I could finally protect you, by remaining distant. I was wrong, Lily, and I am so, so sorry." He had nothing left in him to continue, though he felt as if his very soul was begging her forgiveness.

Lilla watched his face as he explained his actions, as he apologized to her. And she felt herself melt a bit. She was hurt and angry, but enough to burn the connection with the only family she'd ever had? No, she decided, not enough for that. Not anymore. Tobias' hand hadn't left hers, but now she pulled it away somewhat painfully. She watched his shoulders slump in defeat at the seeming rejection, but then she did something neither expected. Her slim, pale hand rested gently against her brother's tense shoulder. She squeezed lightly, unable to do more than that. She was exhausted.

"I'm sorry, Lily," he whispered again, "so, so sorry."

"I know," she replied.

It wasn't forgiveness, Tobias knew, not completely anyway. But there was acceptance in the gesture that was surprising and heartening. It was the promise that, with time and patience, they might be siblings once more, instead of the broken strangers they felt like now.