Hey, kids! Did ya miss me? We've got another chapter for you! Enjoy, please! This chapter's ROTC is... LOVE-FALLING! Their review was so nice and funny, it brought a huge smile to my face. So there ya go!

xxx

Anastasia's POV

Time for the final fight. Alex gave me some painkillers, so I should be okay for now. I actually feel great... BECAUSE ALEX HUGGED ME! I'm ecstatic, so I'm pretty confident I can win this thing on pure happiness.

I walk up and see the person I'm fighting. I grit my teeth. Big build must've gotten better overnight. He's stretching and sees me. His mouth settles into a snarl. I'm not scared. I'm furious. I beat him up. How did he get better? I beat him hard, almost as hard as I've beaten anyone up. I beat Jason up the hardest, and big build the second. So how could he be okay?

"Step up, fighters!" Alex says. I do so and glare at big build.

Alex eyes me for a second and nods. "Okay, you know the rules. Fight until someone concedes or until they can't go on." He says. I nod and so does big build.

"Alright, ready? Start!" Alex says and blows his ref whistle.

I don't hesitate. I charge right at him and punch him in the stomach over and over. He tries to trip me with a kick, but I jump it and pounce. I begin punching and clawing and biting and doing anything for me to win. He screams, but I just keep doing what I'm doing. Filtering my anger into my punches. My screams into my teeth. Doing anything for this feeling of vulnerability to leave.

Soon he's crying, but I don't stop. I jump to my feet and just as I'm about to knock him out, I feel my body lifted from the ground.

"You're done. It's alright. You won. You're okay." Alex says, throwing me over his shoulder. I kick and scream and scratch, but he doesn't let me go.

He carries me back to his apartment, where his bed is all made up for me. "Let me go," I say.

"Nope. You need to relax."

"Let me go!" I scream and elbow him hard in the back.

"No chance of it." He says, not budging at my elbow hitting the small of his back, a very sensitive spot.

Alex sets me down in his bed and sits on the edge of it.

"I hate you." I spit.

"I know," He replies.

"You should've let me knock him out, you jerk!" I say.

He turns to me. "Anastasia, you would have killed him."

"So what! I told you what they did. I wouldn't be surprised if Jason's dead." I see a muscle in Alex's cheek flex angrily.

"Point taken. But you'd be sad if he was dead."

"No I wouldn't! I hate all three of them. I want them to die for what they did." I say and turn away from him.

I hear a sigh and there's silence for a few seconds. I look over my shoulder and see his head is hung low.

"You okay?" I ask.

"My babysitter. I was eight. My parents were out on a date, and I went to go to sleep and... she came in and started touching me, and I was so confused and scared so I just went along with it." He says.

I turn toward him. "Oh, Alex... I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" I ask.

"Most days, but she sends cards for my birthday and Christmas, so every time I get one of those I just feel ashamed." Alex replies.

I sit in silence for a minute. "Have you ever talked to her since it happened?" I ask.

"She stayed my babysitter. I never told my parents. They have no idea about anything that happened." He says.

"Did she act any different?" I ask.

He shakes his head and sighs. "I know what you've been through. And I know this feeling. It just stays with you forever. Nothing you can do to stop the memory. It just lives on and on and you can't do anything to terminate it. But you have to remind yourself that it's over now." Alex says.

"Did you ever think of suicide?" I ask quietly.

"Yeah, I thought of it plenty. But I just had to remember that there were people in my life that I did love, aside from that person I hated so much. And lately I just forget about it because there are so many people I do love." He answers.

"Like who?" I can't stop myself from asking.

He glances down for a second and I notice his hand slowly gliding atop the comforter toward mine.

"I love-" He's interrupted by a knocking at the door.

"Alexander. It's Four. I need to speak with you right away." I hear a loud voice command.

Oh, crap, Dad! You interrupted him! But if Dad sees me with Alex, especially in his bed... he'd kill me!

I point to the bathroom and Alex nods. I run to it and leap inside, shutting the door softly just as Alex is opening his front door.

"Thank you, Alexander." I hear my father.

"No problem, sir." Alex says politely.

"I came to speak with you about my daughter." Oh no. "I heard some screaming last night that sounded vaguely like her. And I noticed that Nathan, Derreck and Jason are in the infirmary. Do you know what's going on?"

Please don't say it, Alex, please don't say it.

"Ah, yes. Well, you see, sir, Nathan tripped on the floor in the initiate's quarters, Derreck had an upset stomach and then got beaten by your daughter today, and Jason tripped and fell on the bridge over the chasm." Alex says. I let my breath out, relieved.

"The screaming?"

"Oh, Derreck. He has a girlish scream." Alex lies.

"Quite unordinary for someone with such a big build!" Father says and I hear chuckles.

Derreck... big build... Derreck must be big build and Nathan is the scrawny one.

"But Anastasia also had bruises today." Dad says.

"Oh, she fell off her bunk bed in the quarters." Alex says. He's good at lying.

"Oh. Well, thank you for clearing that for me. Forgive me, I must go. Business." Father says.

A few seconds later, the front door slams.

I come out and see Alex. "Thanks so much." I say and hug him. He hugs back.

"No problem." He says.

"So what were you saying before we were interrupted?" I ask.

"Oh, nothing. I was just going to say I love this new crop of initiates."

Dang it! "Oh! I love them too. Well, most of them." I say.

Sometimes I hate my father.

xxx

There's the chapter! Next chapter I'll have more on Parkat (Parker and Kat), 10 (Tris has 6 fears, Tobias has 4, 4+6=10) and Tristina will get to talking. Hope you liked it!