Chapter Seven: Overcoming Opposition
Walking the halls to the cafeteria, I'd left Eric in massive need of both food and a pain killer. Having already given him drugs, I was on a mission for food. Walking into the room, it seemed that half the chatter had died down and there were several eyes turning to me. Not caring what they were talking about, it became very clear when someone yelled and then chairs were moving, people getting out of the way to clear the path for the angry voice coming toward me.
Sighing, I turned, coming face to face with an angry Kent. His breath reeked of alcohol and his face was a nice shade of purple. "Yes?" I asked. He attempted to hit me, but I ducked, spinning so I was at his back. "Use your words, Kent." I smirked at him calmly.
"There she is!" I heard his mother yell. She had three soldiers in tow.
"I don't have time for this." I complained, already annoyed to the point where one or both of them was going to end up bleeding. "You can't touch me." I told the soldiers.
"You'll have to come with us." One stated as he gripped my arm.
God damn factionless.
"Based on what?" I frowned, pulling free of his grip.
"She's the one who has manipulated my son." Eric's mother was telling them.
"Bullshit!" I yelled and lunged at her. The soldier caught me midair, pulling me away from her.
"Careful, Adele." Her husband panted. "Who knows what she's capable of?"
"This is ridiculous." I frowned at the soldiers. "They are the ones who have abused their son. If I'm guilty of anything it is helping to save him. Lay one hand on me and Evelyn will hear about it. Do you even know you I am?" I frowned. They all looked at each other with a hint of nervousness. "Does the name Penelope Farrier mean anything to you?" They all exchanged a look.
"What are you waiting for?" Adele shot at them.
"These people are the parents of Eric, the former Dauntless leader. Does that name ring a bell?" I interjected.
They looked at me before them. "Ma'am, will you and your husband please come with us?"
"What?" Kent practically yelled, spittle hitting the soldier's face.
"Sir." Another said motioning him out of the room.
As much as I hated to admit it, I had to hand it to Evelyn; she was pulling strings for me without me even knowing it. She had offered a controlled meeting and this was hardly the time and place for that. Though she must have anticipated some sort of confrontation would take place and had spread the word. Even if they didn't know me by face they clearly knew my name. I couldn't help but grin as they escorted them away. The room was silent for a moment before the murmuring started again. Looking around the room, many glances moved my way. I wanted to yell at them, but I knew that that wasn't the road to take. Turning back to where the food was being served, I asked for two portions, and then made my way back to the room.
"What happened?" Eric frowned, sitting on the end of the bed.
"What makes you think something happened?" I asked him, handing him the food and kissed the top of his head as I ran my hand across his hair.
He frowned up at me, "Because you took too long."
"Don't be paranoid." I told him grabbing a piece of toast.
"Pen." He said with a hard tone.
Sighing, I bent my leg, sitting on the bed next to him. "Your parents barged into the cafeteria and attempted to have factionless soldiers arrest me for manipulating their son." The food crashed to the floor as he shot up, immediately pacing the room. "You need some protein." I told him. He didn't say anything. "Baby, come here." He kept pacing. Sighing, I stood and held out the piece of toast. "Eric." He stopped pacing, turning to look at me. "Take the toast." I commanded. He took it, but just held it. "Eric, nothing happened. They were escorted from the cafeteria."
He nodded, tearing small pieces off the toast and eating it. Bending down, I started to pick up the toppled tray, scrapping up what I could of the oatmeal before tossing it into the garbage. Grabbing a towel, I cleaned up the rest of it, before facing him again. He was still standing there, slowly eating the toast.
"I'll get some more." I told him and left the room again.
Going back down to the cafeteria, I told the people manning it that I'd dropped the precious portions and asked for another. They didn't ask any questions as they gave me another portion. Making it halfway down the hall, there was the sound of running and Claude and Terra appeared on either side of me.
"I'm fine. Eric is fine. Nothing is wrong. You don't have to worry." I told them hoping I'd hit every question they were going to ask.
"They tried to confront you in the cafeteria?" Claude frowned.
Missed one.
"The key word being 'tried'. It's been handled. There is nothing for you to worry about."
"What's our next step?" She asked.
"Where's Henry?" I countered.
"He's probably already at your room door." Terra replied.
Nodding, I took a deep breathe, "Okay. There are things to discuss."
Terra had been right. As soon as we neared the room I could hear Henry carrying on inside of it. He was pissed. Good. I wanted him pissed. A volatile Henry would be needed for whatever came next. To top it off, Tori appeared around the corner and we all filed into the room.
"Am I the last to know everything?!" Henry yelled at me.
"Don't yell at her." Eric shot at him, standing and towering over him. Eric could take Henry, I knew that. I kind of wanted to see him take Henry on. It would be one hell of a fight. "Just calm down."
Smiling, I handed the food to Eric, putting my hand on his shoulder. "Eat, please."
He nodded and devoured the food. Waiting for him to finish, he stood and took a couple bites of the second bowl of oatmeal before he handed it to me. Shaking my head at him, he raised a brow. Sighing, I took it, turning to the others as I slowly ate it.
"We're leaving." I stated. "No hidden agendas, no secrets, no lies, just flat out – we are leaving."
"When?" Claude asked.
"I don't know." I replied. "Four and Tris are the ringleaders on this one. But when Four says it's time to go then it's time to go. I want you all to bring your stuff here. Then we'll be localized and ready. We stick together from here on out. That is unless any of you have decided to stay here."
"No. We're going." Henry frowned. "I hate it here."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because this isn't how things should be. I don't hate the factions. At least I knew where I belonged."
"I'm with you." Tori nodded.
Claude and Terra looked a little skeptical. "Guys?" I asked.
Terra looked up at Claude before gripping her hand and nodded at me. "We're with you."
"Claude?" I said, knowing there was something she wanted to say.
She nodded, "We're with you." Even though she said it, I had a feeling she had the same sort of reservations that I had last night.
"I know we don't know what's out there. We have no way of knowing what to expect. But we'll be together and we'll figure it out."
"And if we get separated?" She frowned. "You're right, we have no idea what to expect. What if we go out there and they are just as evil if not more so then Jeanine and Evelyn? What if they pull us apart and we are in a worse situation than we are here? At least here we know what to expect. We have an idea of what it'll be like under Evelyn's rein."
"Speaking of which, I have a meeting with her." Tori stated.
"That doesn't answer any of the 'what ifs' I've just voiced." Claude shot at her.
"I know." She nodded. "But I can't answer those for you any more than the rest of us here. We have to take a leap of faith and hope it works out."
"Since when are you religious?" Henry frowned at her.
"I don't have to be religious in order to put a little faith in life being better out there than it is in here. People are killing each other. It's going to be a bloodbath. Genocide. Is that what you want?"
"No. But how is us leaving going to change what is happening inside the city?" Claude countered.
Tori sighed and shook her head, "I don't know, kid. All I know is that we owe it to ourselves to find out."
Claude sighed as well, nodding as the room fell quiet. Having only eaten part of the oatmeal, I handed it back to Eric who quickly finished it off. Stepping up to him, I put my arm around him, leaning against his chest as his arm moved around me as well.
"What's the meeting for?" I asked her.
"Talking about my place in all of this." She replied, her finger making a circle in the air.
"What do you think she's going to say?" I asked next.
She sighed again, "I don't know. But it'll probably end up with some threat or something." Nodding, I pressed myself closer to Eric. "I better go." She said. "Everyone gather your things and we'll meet up here later. Stagger your movements so they don't think something is up."
"Sounds good." Henry said and left.
Claude nodded and she and Terra left as well, leaving just Tori and us. She looked at Eric and smiled, "How you holding up?"
I felt him take a deep breath, his hold on me tightening, "I'm okay. Good even."
"Really?" She asked with furrowed brows. "Because it's okay if you're not."
"Tori, I'm fine." He replied sternly. The old Dauntless leader in him coming out.
"Okay." She nodded. Then she looked at me, "Keep taking good care of him."
"Of course." I smiled. "Always."
As soon as she left, Eric's other arm moved around me and he pulled me tighter against his chest. Wrapping my arms around him, for a moment I simply shut my eyes and listened to his heart beating and the sound of him breathing.
Letting me go, he turned to the bed, falling onto his stomach on top of it. Doing the same, I met his eyes, smiling as I ran my hand across his hair. Shifting closer to him, he put his arm around me, gently playing with my hair. Gently gripping his face, I leaned in and kissed him slowly. This might be the most alone time we got after everyone else arrived. I kind of hated the idea but it made the most sense. Especially to save time if we needed to get out sooner rather than later.
Groaning as knocking sounded at the door; I got up and went to the door, opening it to see Four. "What's going on?" I asked as I opened it wider.
"I just need to be somewhere else for a while." He replied and went to the bed, falling onto his back where I had just been.
"Having as good a day as I am?" Eric asked him with a smirk.
"There goes our alone time." I muttered and sandwiched myself between the two of them. "Haven't you and Tris discovered a way to be together without your mother knowing yet?" I asked him.
"No." He replied. "We've been sending messages back and forth but nothing physical. Not since last night and I only got away with that because I was drunk."
"Not as drunk as me." Eric stated flatly.
"Yeah, your puke looked good on our Pen here." Four smirked.
"Our Pen?" I frowned. "I don't think I agreed to let you two share me."
Eric smiled and pulled me against his chest as he rolled onto his side, "Nope, you're all mine."
Four scoffed, "I'm fine with that. I can only handle one Divergent girl at a time."
"Hey, you be sweet." I frowned and smacked him. "I'm the only Divergent girl you get to deal with until we spring this place so I suggest you be nice to me."
He sighed and met my eyes, "I know."
Sighing, I moved closer to him, putting my hand on his shoulder. "Everything is going to be fine. We'll figure it out. Until then, you should stay in here with us."
"No." He said shaking his head. "She's given me a room. I'm still pretending to be her loyal son."
"She wants me too, Tobias." I stated. "It isn't much of a stretch for either of us to want to keep each other close."
"True." He said with furrowed eyes.
"Though all my people are arriving throughout the day to stay here too. So we're ready whenever you are."
"Pen, she'll find that suspicious." He said concernedly.
"Not if we don't continuously roam together. We're not going to give her any reason to monitor any of our movements. But I want to be ready. I want them to be ready."
He sighed again, "Okay, Opie."
"Thank you." I smiled and kissed his cheek.
Then Eric's arm was around me again, "Hey, those lips only belong in one place."
Laughing, I kissed him deeply, letting my lips linger against his. "Yes, baby."
"And this is why I so badly want to say 'no'." Four complained.
"Too bad." I murmured, kissing Eric again.
My words were proven when Henry arrived. It was only a few hours after that when Claude and Terra arrived. Tori was last and looked exhausted. Everyone made their beds and by the time the sun set, I was lying awake, staring at the ceiling, still sandwiched between my boyfriend and my brother.
Come morning, we situated everything as best we could, leaving too many people squashed into too small a space. But it was still for the best. Standing at the windows, looking out over the city, I listened as everyone kept themselves reoccupied themselves. Some leaving for a time. None of us leaving together, other than the couples. Hearing the door and then steps coming toward me, Four appeared at my side, a heavy sigh escaping him. I knew that meant something. He was building up to tell me something I was probably not going to like. I didn't think I could handle any more of anything.
"Just tell me." I told him with furrowed brows. He nodded, his jaw clenching. "Tobias." I said looking at him.
"I should've told you before now." He started, making me frown at him. "It's probably already over."
"What is?" I asked him, feeling a wave of panic.
"Hazel." He said sadly.
I hadn't seen or talked to my sister once since I was rescued from Erudite. I knew she had been taken and put in a cell with all the other traitors. I hadn't worried about her much after that. She was alive and for the moment had been safe. I hadn't heard about what they were going to do with them. They were going to be put on trial but after that I didn't know anything. I guess I was about to find out. But she was a traitor and deserved whatever was going to happen to her. At the same time she was my sister. The last one I had left. What didn't I know?
"She was put on trial today along with Caleb and the other traitors." He went on.
"Okay?" I said shaking my head.
"They made their decision."
Frowning at him, I crossed my arms, "Stop stalling, Tobias. What's going to happen to her?"
He sighed heavily again before he answered, "She's going to be executed."
Tears filled my eyes, my nostrils stinging as I tried to hold them back. I nodded at him, "Okay."
"Pen, I'm so sorry." He told me, bringing his hand up to my arm.
I shrugged away from him, turning toward the door, "I need a minute."
"Pen?" Eric said as I rushed by him.
Not saying a word, I left the room, running down the halls and out of the headquarters. Finding the same alley I'd taken refuge in when Eric was going to be put on trial, I slouched against the wall, tears falling down my cheeks. I didn't want to cry for her. I didn't want this to hurt so much. I didn't want to care.
"Baby." Eric said as he ran up to me, panting.
"I'm fine." I told him quickly. "I just need a minute."
"Alone?" He asked with furrowed brows.
Looking up at him, he looked worried and yet I felt that if I said 'yes' it would turn into a fight. I didn't want to fight with him. And when I replied it was with complete honesty, "I can be alone with you here." He still just looked at me. "Being with you is being with me. You're my better half." Tears started to flow again and I felt myself start to breakdown. "And I need you, Eric." I told him as tears started to stream hot against my cheeks. "I need to know that out of all the crap that life has thrown at us, you and I will get out of this alive. Because I'm about to be down another sister and if anything happens to anyone else I don't think I'll survive it."
He sat down in front of me, a leg on either side, as he took my hands in his. "We're going to live through this. We'll be okay. And Hazel will be okay too. We'll figure it out. She's not dead yet."
Taking a deep steadying breath, the tears had nearly stopped, "I didn't think I cared if she lived or died. She was going to let me die so why would I want her to live?"
"Because you're a good person." He told me with a small smile. "You're an amazing person and you see the good in people."
"I do?" I frowned.
"You saw the good in me." He told me matter-of-factly. "You saw the good in me and you forced me to see it too. And I've never been more grateful to a person. We'll get through this, Pen. Even if something else happens, you and I are going to get through this."
Sighing, I nodded at him, "Okay."
"I love you, baby." He said sweetly. "I love you so damn much it hurts sometimes. Even when you're pissing me off, I love you. Don't rush off on me like that. Because no matter what's going on, I'm here. You have me, Pen."
He hadn't said those words in quite a while. Smiling, I gently pulled on his shirt, making him smile and lean toward me, kissing me deeply. "I love you more than anything." I told him. "You have me too."
"I know." He smirked.
Sighing again, I took a deep breath, "What now?"
"We figure it out." He replied. "But that'll be tomorrow's problem. We don't know anything yet and you need to get some rest."
I scoffed and laughed lightly, "Rest? My sister is going to be executed. Which probably means that Caleb is going to be executed as well." He nodded. "We're going to eventually leave the city. Your parents are monsters. Mine are oblivious to the fate of their eldest child. Four and Tris can't even be seen together. Claude and Terra are fighting. So much is going on that I don't think I could sleep even if I wanted to."
"I'll help you." He smiled, kissing me again.
Unable to suppress a smile, I shook my head at him, "I love you, Eric."
"And I love you." He pulled me into his arms, cradling me as I wrapped my arms around him. "You never have to go through anything alone." Feeling tears again, I gripped him tighter, burying my face in his shoulder.
"What am I supposed to do?" I cried into him. "What am I supposed to do?"
Feeling him bury his face in my neck, I sobbed into him, not knowing what to do next. I felt like I needed to fight for my sister. Yet at the same time I was so angry at her for abandoning our parents. I was so angry at her for joining Jeanine and allowing me to die. She was going to let me die. She might have been sad about it but she was still going to let it happen. If I let her die what would that make me? What would I tell my parents? How would I live with myself if I let her die?
"How do I stop this?" I asked him as I started to calm down.
"We'll figure it out." He told me, his arms tightening around me. "I promise you, Pen. We'll figure it out."
"I love you." I whispered to him. "I love you. I love you. I love you." I took a deep shuddering breath before whispering once more, "I love you." In this moment I couldn't say it enough. I was scared. Far more than I thought I would be. "Eric." I cried, the tears coming fast again.
"I know, baby. I know." He said softly starting to rock me. "I'll fix it."
"Everyone is dying."
"No, baby. Not everyone. We're gonna be okay."
"Please…" I cried not really knowing why.
His hand found the back of my head, "Baby." I could hear his anxiousness in his voice.
Pulling away from him, I leaned against the wall again, wiping the tears from my cheeks. Taking a deep breath, I looked at my hands before meeting his eyes. "I'm sorry." I said shaking my head.
"Baby." He said softly, moving closer to me.
"I know you don't like crying." I stated, taking another deep breath. The tears had stopped and now I just felt drained.
"Pen, I don't care about you crying. Not anymore." He told me sweetly.
"I don't like to cry." I stated with furrowed brows.
"Yeah, but you're a girl. You're allowed." He smirked at me.
Meeting his eyes, I smiled, laughing lightly. "Yeah." Then it faded, "Just a stupid girl with stupid feelings."
"Pen, come on. She's your sister. You'd have to be pretty heartless to just let her die without a second thought."
"I know." I nodded. "I just feel like everything is so hard. Why can't something be easy?"
He pulled me to him, draping my legs over the top of his on either side of him. He pulled me as close to him as he could, "You want to know something that's easy?" He asked, getting a nod from me. "I'm gonna get all sentimental on you." He warned with a smile. Laughing, I ran my hand down his face before pulling it to me, resting my forehead against his. "Loving you." He said softly. "You made that easy."
"You made it easy too." I replied. "Despite all the back and forth at the beginning."
"I've never doubted my feelings for you, Pen. Not once. Not even then."
Thinking a moment, I leaned away from him, gently rubbing his chest. "You know what? I haven't either."
"Not once?"
Laughing again, I kissed him deeply, "Not once."
"I love you." He said kissing me again.
"Eric." I said taking his head in my hands, pressing my forehead against his again. "Eric."
"I love you." He told me again. "I love you more than anything. We will get through this."
Kissing him slow and deep, I ran my hand along his hair, sliding my other around his neck. His lips moved to my neck, trailing kisses down between my breasts as I leaned back. His strong arms wrapped around my shoulders as his lips trailed lower. Then his tongue was against me, trailing up my skin as he pulled me back against him. Meeting his lips with mine, I gently bit his bottom lip before sucking it.
"Feel better?" He asked softly.
Smiling, I gently brushed my lips against his, "I always feel better when I'm with you; especially in your arms with those perfect lips against mine."
"Me too, baby."
Then his mouth was invading mine, his arm moving around my neck, cementing my face to his. Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I pressed myself against him, already feeling breathless. Pausing, I once again breathed in his every exhale, a calm coming over me.
"I don't know what I'd do without you." I told him.
He smiled, kissing me softly, "You'll never have to find out." Pressing my lips against his, I put my hand against his face, deepening it. "Promise me the same." He whispered.
Meeting his eyes, I ran my thumb across his bottom lip, "I promise you, baby. I promise you that you'll never be without me."
Content with simply sitting with each other, it felt like hours had passed when we finally got up and made our way back to headquarters. Walking the halls, I held tightly to Eric's hand, never wanting to let it go. He opened the door, keeping me partially behind him as we reentered our family's presence. Looking around the room, everyone was watching us.
Claude was the first to move, stepping toward us. "I'm so sorry."
"Thank you." I smiled as I wrapped my arms around her neck.
"I'm gonna get her out of it." Four told me, pulling me into his arms next. "Okay?"
Feeling tears again, I pushed them aside, taking a deep breath as I hugged him tightly, "Okay."
He rested his face against mine, "I love you, Opie."
"I love you too, Tobias." I told him.
Letting him go, I turned to Henry. He gently took my face in his hands, "You okay?"
"Not really. But I will be." I smiled at him.
He pulled me tight against his chest, his lips pressing against my shoulder. "Love you, Pen."
"Love you."
"Pen." Tori said gently.
"I know." I smiled. "Love you too."
"Lots of love in this room." Terra smirked. "Kinda makes me sick."
We all laughed and Claude yanked her into her arms. "What happened to the sweet girl that chose Dauntless?"
"She learned to be Dauntless." Terra replied before she pinned herself against Claude, kissing her passionately.
Eric gripped my hand and pulled me against him. Wrapping one arm around him, the other against his side, I smiled up at him, mouthing 'I love you'. He just smiled and kissed me sweetly.
Occupying ourselves for the remainder of the day, it was an interesting process to get ready for bed. I didn't realize how set we were in our ways until everyone was trying to do their own thing at the same time. I let everyone do their stuff first, sitting between Eric's legs on the bed, watching as the chaos unfolded. He pressed his lips against my ear, whispering sweet things, making a never ending smile cross my face.
When everyone was done and settled, I was once again in the middle of Eric and Four. Not that I minded. It was actually kind of nice. It was like I had a heated body pillow on both sides of me. Safe to say I was perfectly content. Though for as content as I was, I still couldn't manage to fall asleep. Henry was a snorer, Claude was muttering, and Tori sounded like a dog that was running in its sleep. I spent the good portion of an hour wondering what the hell she was dreaming about.
Eric's soft noises soon became prominent, making me turn my head and look at him. "Fiancé…" I said softly aloud, testing the word for the first time.
"Baby?" Eric said groggily from next to me. "Can't sleep?" He asked as he wrapped his arm around my waist.
"No." I replied.
"Come here." He said gently pulling on me.
Rolling onto my side, I put my hand against his cheek, smiling as he fought sleep. He pulled me against his chest, his forehead finding mine. All the while he never opened his eyes. "I love you." I whispered to him.
"Love you." He whispered back and then started making noises again.
Shutting my eyes, I finally fell asleep feeling warm and safe in his arms. Not even caring that there was another man in our bed.
When I woke I was alone. Not caring, I rolled over, only then I was frowning. The room itself was too quiet. Sitting up, I realized that the room was empty. Getting up, I circled the room twice before I noticed a note on the desk with an apple holding it down.
We'll be back.
Stay.
Eat the apple.
-Eric
Smiling, I picked up the apple, eating it as I undressed and went to the bathroom. Showering, I made myself ready for the day. As soon as I was done, I took out my sketchbook and attempted to keep myself occupied. I'd slept longer than I had thought I would, took as long a time getting ready as I could, and now I was sketching a horrible rendition of the Amity orchard. I found Amity calming and yet now looking at it just made me angry.
Sighing, I put it away, moving to the door despite Eric's order to stay. Opening it, I nearly ran into his chest. "I was just…checking the hall." I told him as he pushed me back into the room.
"I told you to stay." He stated with a raised brow.
"And why did you leave such an order?" I asked with crossed arms.
"Because every time you leave you end up getting into some sort of trouble." He replied.
Scoffing, I averted my eyes, "Like you the other night?"
"Alright, let me have it. I know you were pissed and haven't gotten a chance to yell at me about it yet. You've been too gracious. Especially for you." He replied crossing his arms as well.
Sighing, I met his eyes. "I'm not going to yell at you. You already know what I'd say about it so let's just leave it at that. The thing that pissed me off the most about it is that I wasn't there."
"It probably wouldn't have happened if you had been there." He replied as his hands found my arms.
"They found me easily enough in the cafeteria. All the more reason that we get out of here."
He eyed me suspiciously, "So you're no longer second guessing leaving?"
"No." I replied with certainty.
"Good." He said cupping my face and kissed me.
"Where is everyone?" I asked.
"They're coming." He replied with a nod. "I asked for a few minutes."
"To tell me what?" I frowned up at him.
He yanked me against his chest, dipping me as his lips found my neck, his teeth grazing the flesh. Laughter erupted from me as I gripped him, my arm moving around his neck as his lips found mine, kissing me passionately.
The majority of the day passed without excitement. Evelyn called a meeting to tell everyone what jobs they would have in this new society of hers. I refused to go. No matter what anyone said, I refused to let her give me a job. Though I didn't think she'd care. I'm sure by not being there she'd assume that I was leaning toward taking her up on her offer. And like hell if I'd ever work for her.
The more I thought about it the more I realized that the thought of staying here really was as crazy as everyone made it out to be. Staying here was out of the question. We'd leave her and this place behind and find out what lay outside the walls. I just hoped it was as good as we all hoped it would be. Since I couldn't tell Claude she was wrong. It could be worse out there. Maybe we could just turn around and come back here. If they would take us. Leaving here might be harder than we thought. Maybe coming back wasn't an option.
"You're cheating." Claude scolded Henry as the pair were playing cards. A gamble of sorts.
"I am not." He replied though I could see the card sticking out from underneath his knee.
Smiling, I tried to focus on the paper in front of me, but I couldn't seem to focus. Eric and Four had wandered off again and I was starting to loathe when either of them were out of my sight. Part of me wanted to go find Tris, but I'd given Four my word that I'd stay clear of her. I had to choose who I was most loyal to and even though I'd grown to care for her, I was still more loyal to Tobias. Even if the breakup was just a rouse to keep Evelyn at bay. Even I had to keep up appearances.
Terra and I were in the middle of a sparring match when the door finally opened. Stopping I looked up to see my boys walk through the door. "It's about damn time." I told them, only then I realized the expression on their faces. "What is it?" I asked. Eric raised a brow and pulled out a bottle of liquor from his back pocket. "Seriously?" I frowned at him, grabbing it from him. Turning on my heel, I went to the bathroom and smashed the bottle in the sick.
"Pen!" He yelled and slammed the door.
"What has gotten into you?" I frowned, gripping the edges of the sink.
He gripped my right arm and jerked me around, "Me? What about you? It took a lot to find that."
"You aren't your father, Eric." I told him, his grip on my arm tightening.
"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do." He said and shoved me back, my hand slipping into the sink.
I could feel shards of glass dig into my left palm. For a moment I froze, instinctively afraid of him. Attempting to calm down, I brought my hand in front of me, momentarily staring at the blood and shards before I started to pull the glass out. It hurt like hell, but I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of showing it.
"I'm not going to keep doing this, Eric." I told him calmly and seriously. "I cannot handle you flipping your switch right now. Too much is going on. We have enough problems without you lashing out because of your parents. And I will not be abused because your past is haunting you. Especially when I've been nothing but supportive and have attempted to be exactly what you need." All the while I hadn't looked up at him. Doing so, there were tears in his eyes. As well as shock. Sighing, all my anger melted away. I wiped the blood from my non-injured hand and gripped his tightly. "Eric, listen to me. I know that things have been weird for you. So much has changed for you that the others haven't had to deal with. You don't have to be strong and you know that." He nodded. "And you sure as hell don't need alcohol." I added with furrowed brows.
"I know." He nodded and paced away from me.
"So tell me what changed since this morning." I frowned, sitting on the seat of the toilet. Putting pressure at the base of my hand, I attempted to stop the bleeding and lessen the pain.
"Your hand." He said softly.
"Is fine." I stated with annoyance. "Now tell me what happened."
"They're everywhere." He said sitting on the floor, his back against the door. I just looked at him. "They were in the cafeteria and confronted me again. Four got me out of there before I could do anything other than yell at them. Just one more scene caused by my loving parents." He paused, his eyes on my hand that was now dripping blood onto the floor. "Tris was kidnapped by the Allegiant." He went on. "They're meeting tonight at midnight and want her Dauntless friends to go along."
There was a long drawn out pause before I spoke, "Anything else?"
"No." He replied.
Sighing, I finally stood and rinsed my hand before wrapping a small towel around it. Turning back to him, I couldn't hide the grimace on my face. "That's it?" I asked.
"Jesus, just say what you're thinking, Pen." He shot at me.
"You have a temper. We both do. And you've never gotten drunk until the other night and now you see your parents and suddenly want to follow in their footsteps?"
"I'm not following in their footsteps." He shot at me with a dangerous look.
"You've shoved me. Hit me. Said some pretty horrible shit to me. And just when we've gotten past all that, when we were happy. We are happy. So why are you shoving me again and turning to alcohol?" I asked him. "Because if anything about this new life we have that has me worried, it is now you in this moment. You are worrying me."
"I know." He stated without looking at me.
There was another long pause. Bouncing my butt against the sink, I stared at the floor, "Did they touch you?"
"No." He replied blandly.
"Good." I stated.
"What now?" He asked.
Meeting his eyes, I furrowed my brows, "What do you mean?"
"I'm not stupid to think you'll put up with me for long after this."
Letting out an exasperated laugh, I shook my head at him, "Eric, this isn't enough for me to end things with you. Now if you start hitting me, then it would all be over. I will not let you beat me. However, I feel like exceptions can be made given the circumstances. But you can't keep doing this." Anger filling my voice. "You can't keep slipping back to the Eric of old that I had no problem in hating. I hated you for years. Now I love you. I love you more than anything but you can't keep doing this. You can't turn to alcohol because of your parents. You can't shove or hit me because of your parents. Because than you will become them. I won't marry and have kids with a man who I can't trust completely. I wouldn't put my children in that situation. Even if they haven't even been conceived yet."
He held my eyes for a long moment before a smile started to move across his lips, "Kids?"
Unable to suppress a smile, I nodded, "Yeah. Kids. If we make it out of this alive."
He scoffed, "Or if I don't screw it up before then."
"Hey, I'm more then capable of screwing this up too." I stated, my anger gone again. Sighing, I knelt in front of him. His hand immediately found my face, sadness in his eyes. "Promise me that we're not going to be these people." I told him with furrowed brows, my hand finding his face as well. "Please don't force me to leave you."
He took my bloodied hand, taking the towel from around it. The bleeding had already stopped for the most part. He gently ran his thumb along the cuts. "I promise, Pen." He told me before meeting my eyes. "Baby, I promise you that I will never hit or shove you again. I won't become either of my parents."
"Please, Eric." I told him pleadingly. "Please don't say it unless you mean it."
He took my head in his hands, keeping my eyes, "I mean it, Penelope Farrier."
"Good." I told him as tears filled my eyes. I wasn't sure if it was because he shoved me or at the realization that I would leave him if he abused me again. Only I wasn't sure I actually could. "Because I can't lose you, Eric."
"You won't." He told me with certainty.
"I can't help you unless you let me in. You don't have to do anything alone." I told him.
"I know, baby. I know." He said running his fingers through my hair.
Moving my hand to his neck, I stared into his eyes, "I know you've been alone for a long time. I get that. I understand as best I can. But I am here for you. I'm your person. You never have to be alone again. Not ever."
Then he was kissing me, wrapping me in his arms. He buried his face in my neck, "I'm so sorry, baby."
"I know." I replied as I wrapped my arm around him.
He was always sorry and I always forgave him. I wasn't any better. I'd like to think his mother used to be a nice normal girl. The thought made me suddenly terrified. What if history was repeating itself? I knew that I wouldn't become a monster like his mother. But what if no matter what I did he became his father? Even if I wasn't like his mother I still knew that I would love him. And that's wrong. I shouldn't love a man who abused me and possibly the children that I didn't even have yet. But I knew that I would. I loved him and would keep loving him. I'd keep finding reasons to protect him and to forgive him. I would never be able to bring myself to leave him. Never. No matter how many times I threatened it. I would never leave him.
"Pen, I mean it." He said pulling me away from him, taking my head in his hands again. "Please believe me."
"I believe you, Eric." I told him, though my brows were still furrowed.
He smiled sadly, "No, you don't."
"I do, Eric." I replied gripping his shirt. "I do. It's just…"
He nodded, "I know. How can you believe me when I've done such a poor job of showing it?"
"You shoved me against the wall before punching it right next to my head. You hit me while in Dauntless and again in Abnegation. You shoved me now today. All that was months apart and yet that's still a small span of time to pass. To a lot of people that would be deemed frequent and I would be told to get out of my abusive relationship." I replied honestly.
"I know." He sighed. "You've always forgiven me."
"I have." I stated. "And I forgive you now."
"So why would I stop something I know I can get away with?"
I smiled at him, "You're a smart man."
He let out a soft laugh. "I'm following what you're saying."
"That's why I need you to keep your word." I told him.
"I will." He stated with certainty. "I'll keep my promise."
I nodded, praying to god that he would, "Okay."
"I love you." He said.
Grinning now, I leaned in and kissed him, "Now that I have no trouble believing." He laughed lightly and kissed me again. "I love you too, Eric. So much. I can't live without you."
"I won't be the reason you have to." He replied.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I straddled his lap. Burying my face in his neck, I let a few tears fall before I pushed them away. Everything was fine. Even if it wasn't, it would be.
"Whether you deserve it or not, I do forgive you, Eric." I told him.
"You've always been good at that part." He replied. "That damn Amity."
Smiling, I nodded, "Love is blind."
Then there was knocking on the door. "Opie?" It was Four. "Claude is going to burst in there is you don't come out soon. She's got this weird notion in her head that Eric is hurting you."
Sighing, I felt exhausted as I looked at my hand. "She's going to kill you."
He nodded, running his hand down my hair. "I know."
"Come on." I said taking his hand in my good one, getting to our feet. Opening the door, Four looked at my concerned, seeing my hand almost instantly.
"What did he do?" Claude asked, already shaking with anger.
Holding up my hand, I sighed, "I broke the bottle and cut my hand."
"After I shoved her." Eric stated.
"Eric." I frowned up at him.
He shrugged, "Why hide the truth?" In the next second he was on the ground, Claude was on top of him, beating the shit out of him.
"Claude!" I yelled gripping her arm. "Henry!" I called. He just looked at me a moment before stepping forward and pulled Claude off of Eric with one arm. "Jesus, Claude!" I yelled as I knelt at Eric's side. He was rolling from side to side, his hands covering his face. "Let me see." I told him with my hands on his forearms.
"It's what he deserves!" Claude yelled as she fought against Henry.
"I know." I told her with a frown. "That doesn't mean you actually have to do it."
Looking back as Eric, I pulled his hands from his face to see blood running freely from his nose. The skin was purple at the corner of his eye, the white of it red with broken capillaries. Sighing, I helped him to his feet. Taking him back to the bathroom, I left the door open as I wet a towel and cleaned the blood from his face.
"I deserved that." He told me.
"Yes, you did." I smiled. "I will admit that I hate seeing you hurt and yet kind of enjoyed watching you get your ass beat."
"Thanks." He grinned at me, grimacing as his lip split by the action. "Jesus she hits hard."
Laughing, I nodded, "Yes she does." As soon as I was done, I put the tips of my fingers against his jaw, tilting his head back so I could gently kiss his split lip. "I love you, baby."
"I love you." He said kissed me deeply.
"Can we just be happy now?"
"Yes." He nodded and kissed me again.
Doing a better job in cleaning my hand, we once again attempted to join the others. We had barely gone five steps before Eric found himself once again on the ground. Only this time it was Four that stood over him.
"Tobias!" I yelled. "Eric." I said with worry. He was clearly dazed. Slowly sitting him up, he leaned against me. "You okay?" He looked up at Four with a glare.
Four looked at him as he rubbed his knuckles. "I've grown to think of you as more of a brother than I ever thought possible. However, if you ever lay a hand on her in anger again I will kill you." He stated, squatting down so he could meet his eyes better. "Eric, I promise you that I will. I will kill you if you hurt her." Smiling at Four, I ran my hand down the back of Eric's head.
Eric held out his hand, gripping Four's forearm as he held his hand out in return. "Thank you." He told him, getting a surprise from pretty much all of us. "I don't want to become the people I hate. If that day ever comes, just do it."
Four kept his eyes for a long moment before he hoisted him onto his feet, "Alright then."
The wait to leave was excruciating. Having a bunch of people stuck in a room that were currently at odds was nothing fun. Especially when their antagonism was toward the man I loved for my own protection. Sitting on the bed together, he was pressed against my side, his hand on my knee as he watched me doodle. His face was bruised and there was a nasty redness creeping down his neck. His arms were bruised as well, all thanks to my Claude. Even now she was glaring at him, her eyes hardly leaving him as Terra read one of Eric's books. Four was writing at the desk, and Henry was working out in the corner.
Leaning forward, Eric put his arm around me, pressing his face into the back of my shoulder. "You doing okay?" I asked him.
"Who cares?" Claude answered for him.
"Enough." I told her with furrowed brows. "Please, Claude. I am asking you to back off."
"And you're blind because of your feelings for him."
"So what if I am?" I frowned. "Are you telling me that if something goes down between you and Terra that you're just going to end it?"
"If she was beating me, yes." She retorted. "And I'd hope she'd dump my sorry ass if I ever started to beat her."
"He's not beating me!" I yelled as I stood. My book and pencil fell to the floor loudly. "Jesus, Claude! Let it go!"
Eric stood up behind me, bending down and picking up my sketches, keeping hold of them. "Pen."
"No!" I yelled. "Bad shit has happened and yeah he was in the wrong, but it's not who he is."
"No?" Claude said with disdain.
"Don't." I told her menacingly. "Don't you dare."
She looked at me, ignoring my warning. "It seems to me that he is well on his way to becoming his parents. Some people just can't change. It's in their blood."
In the next second I was flying at her. I didn't know I was going to until it was already done. Hitting her across her cheek, I dug my knee into her stomach before she had time to figure out what was going on. Then she countered and for a second I saw specks as I slammed into the wall. Ducking, her fist collided with the wall. Launching myself at her center, I took her to the floor. Punching her face and sides as many times as I could before she was able to block me, head butting me. Faltering, she punched me off of her. Getting to my feet I ducked under her arm, slamming my fist into her abdomen before punching her across her jaw. She stumbled backward against the desk. Rushing toward her, she bent over, her shoulder finding my stomach and she launched me over it, my back slamming down onto the desk. It caved under my weight and I found myself lying under its remains.
"That's enough!" Eric yelled, gripping Claude's shoulder and tossing her across the room. "Pen." He said swiftly bending down.
"You're going to throw away everything for him!" Claude yelled as she got to her feet.
I was shaking from the pain and exertion, gripping Eric's hand tightly as he helped me to my feet. "Since when did you turn from him?" I asked her. "Since when did I lose your support?"
"When you let him start beating you!" She screamed at me.
"He's not beating me." I stated exasperatingly. "You of all people should understand. Your parents no longer want to see you because you're gay. His are abusive drunks. I'd say you still have a better deal. So what if he slips up every once in a while. At the end of the day he's still the last person I think of and the most important person in my life."
"Then why do you need us?" She said making her way to the door.
"Claude." I said moving to stop her. "Just wait." I slammed my hand against the door, looking at her expression. "What's this really about?"
"What are you talking about?" She shot at me. "Does there have to be more than trying to save my best friend from an abusive relationship?"
"You know he's not like that though." I told her sadly. "It's this place. It's his parents. You know that this isn't him. So why are you so ready to hold this against him?"
She sighed and kept my eyes for a long moment, "I'm just as scared as you are about all this."
"Using him as an excuse to stay behind isn't the way to do it. If you want to stay behind then stay behind."
"We're a team, Pen." She frowned.
"Then why are you trying to break us up?"
"Me and you or you and him?" She smirked.
Sighing, I took a step away from the door, putting my hand against my throbbing shoulder. "I'm not going to stop you, Claude. Go if you want to go. But you are my best friend and I need you. I don't want to face what's out there without you. But I won't hold it against you if you want to stay."
"We're not staying!" Terra yelled. "So stop trying to stay, Claude! And stop taking out your insecurities on the one person who has always been there for you!"
The room fell quiet and everyone was glancing at each other.
"I'm gonna step out." Eric said grabbing his jacket.
"Eric, I'm sorry." Claude told him.
He nodded, "I'm not taking it personally. I just need a few."
"Do you want me to go with you?" I asked him.
"No, baby." He said pressing a kiss against my forehead.
"Eric." I said gripping his hand.
"I'll be okay." He smiled. "I won't drink anything and I won't start any fights. I promise."
"Please be careful." I told him with furrowed brows.
His hand found my face and he kissed me sweetly, "I will. I love you."
"I love you." I replied and watched him leave.
"Pen, I'm sorry." Claude told me sadly.
Frowning at her, I went to the bathroom and slammed the door. Sitting on the lid of the toilet, the door was already being cracked open, Four letting himself in. He knelt in front of me, starting to assess the damage.
I frowned and shrugged out of his touch. "I'll be fine."
"You know she didn't mean any of it." He stated, grabbing the towel I'd already used, wiping the blood from the few fresh cuts.
My response was quick and angry, "Then she should have kept her mouth shut."
He nodded, seeing me wince and roll my shoulder. Moving between the sink and the toilet, he gently massaging it, helping me relax a little. Sighing, I put my head in my hands, feeling so emotionally drained I just want to disappear. He stopped, wrapping his arms around me. Leaning into him, I gripped his forearm, pressing my forehead against his temple.
"He's gonna be okay." He told me softly.
"I know." I told him softly. "I'm just so…tired, Tobias."
"I know, Opie."
"Pen?" Claude said from outside the door.
Four raised a brow at me, "Talk."
He let me go, placing a kiss against my forehead before he stood and left. Claude waited only a few seconds before she stepped inside. She looked at me with a hurt expression. "Are you okay?"
"Nothing I haven't dealt with before." I replied as I ran my fingers through my hair.
"I'm sorry. I really am. I'm just not sure about all of this. And now with some meeting tonight about leaving…it makes it real."
"I know." I nodded. "Believe me, I was you not too long ago."
"What changed your mind?"
"Eric." I told her quickly. "He is amazing. He has his shortcomings but he is still amazing. And you didn't see his face after he shoved me. He didn't mean to do it. He was angry and hurting because his parents confronted him yet again. He's in pain, Claude. And it's a pain that no one can really understand or relate to. None of us really know what he's been through. And to be thrown right back into that…I can't say I wouldn't be reacting the same way."
"I know." She nodded. "And I don't blame him."
"You're just acting out." I stated with a raised brow.
"I'm sorry." She told me again. I nodded. "Do you still love me?" She added and smirked.
Looking up at her, I laughed lightly, "Of course I do, Claude. I'll always love you. But we'll never see eye to eye on everything either."
"I know." She nodded again.
Standing, I hugged her tightly. Going out into the other room, Terra looked pissed. She dragged Claude out into the hall, her yelling filtering through the door. I helped Henry and Four clean up the mess. Henry was keeping his mouth shut for now. We all knew that the results would be similar or worse than what had already gone down. We couldn't start fighting amongst ourselves. Not with the uncertainty of what we were going to do next.
HOPE YOU ALL HAVE BEEN ENJOYING THE STORY THUS FAR! PLENTY OF FUNNESS AHEAD! MUCH LOVE TOO ALL OF YOU!