Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent.

"So then you hope Eric signs a pardon for you?" Father Vincent, the priest from Abnegation, stands next to Caleb in his cell. The Erudite's slumped on a bench, his glasses askew and his prison uniform covered in dust and dirt.

Caleb heaves a sigh. His face is nearly drained of color. "What else can I do but hope?" he asks, despondently. "If we're being logical, hope's the only thing I've got. But at this point, I'm prepared to die."

The priest moves to console him. "Think of death as an absolute," he advises, "that way, either life or death will be sweeter. Think of it this way, if you lose your life, you'd be losing something that no one gets to keep. It's nothing more than a breath, and it only exists under God's command. In life, you always contradict yourself. In Dauntless, you aim to live a life of honor, yet to make it through initiation, you're made to participate in the most despicable savagery. In Erudite, you seek comfort and prosperity through knowledge, yet through many sleepless nights of studying, you deprive yourself of comfort or pleasure. In Candor, you try to live as honestly as possible, but who in Candor really tells the truth, considering it has to be dragged out of them with truth serum? In Amity, you're told to live in peace with your brothers and sisters, but is it not violent for the government to drug the entire population? Finally, in Abnegation, you're told to live as selflessly as possible, but you're made to forget yourself in the process, so how can you sustain yourself long enough to help others? As you can see, life in the factions brings nothing but misery. Yet it's death we fear, and that makes the odds all even."

Caleb considers what the priest said. He adjusts his glasses as he thinks. "Thank you, Father," he says at last, after a long pause. "I'm trying so hard to live, that it's actually killing me. The Erudite would say that's illogical. So let me die, I'm not afraid anymore."

From far away, he hears the buzzer ring. Someone is at the door that leads into the prison. Caleb thinks it might be one of the Dauntless leaders, here to announce the time of his execution. So he thanks the Abnegation man, then he gets down on his knees. At this moment, all he wants to do is pray.

Tris

I have no idea what to say.

How do I tell my brother his safety won't be guaranteed? That I don't have any plans in mind, just this vague idea that I'll somehow rescue him from the law? Oh yeah, and I'll be risking my position as Dauntless leader in the process, not to mention my life. This task seems impossible.

But then I remember everything that Eric said. If I don't act, Caleb will be tortured. Either that, or I'll be forced to commit the greatest betrayal I can imagine.

So I tell Harrison, the Dauntless man running the prison, that I need to see my brother. That my business is just a word or two with him. It won't take me long, I just need to outline my plan to him.

Not that I even have a plan.

When Caleb recognizes my face, I see relief in his tear-filled eyes. I don't have the heart to reveal to him right away that I don't have a plan. "Tris," he says, "what's up?"

So much hope in that voice of his. How can I let him down?

"Listen, Caleb," I say quietly, "I have good news for you. It might sound bad at first, but it'll end well, I promise you. So let's start from the beginning. You know Eric, the Dauntless leader who got you sentenced?"

"Yeah," my brother says. "What about him?"

"Well," I say carefully, "as it turns out, he might be willing to show mercy. But on a set of terms. The kind that only a coward would accept."

I'm being vague on purpose. At least it'll give me time to think. Caleb isn't catching on.

"What do you mean by that?" he asks me, his eyes wide with worry.

"Well, Caleb," I say, "if you consent to it, you'd be doing something so incredibly selfish, it'd dishonor our entire family. Our entire faction, actually. I mean, ex-faction."

"So what's your point?" asks Caleb, his face pale and his hands shaking.

I suck in a deep breath. I don't know if I'm prepared to reveal this to him. But I need to get it over with. "Oh Caleb," I say slowly. "I'll tell you at some point. But first, Caleb, first I have to tell you about Eric. You know him? The youngest Dauntless leader, whom Max put in charge of the faction. Well, he goes around acting like he's so righteous and just, when in reality, if he were given truth serum, we'd all get to see just how much of a criminal he is."

I practically spit the words. Caleb looks at me in bewilderment.

"Eric, the second in command to Max?" He looks even more shocked than I feel.

"Yes, the same one," I confirm. "Can you believe it, Caleb, that he'll let you go, but only if I break my vow to God, betray my boyfriend, and give my virginity to him?"

Caleb's eyes widen even further. "Oh God," he chokes out. "That can't be."

"Yes, it's true," I tell him. "And I won't do it, I swear on this. Oh Caleb, if he just asked me for my life, I'd throw it down to save you like I took that knife in my ear for Al."

Caleb smiles. "Thanks, Tris," he says. "I knew you'd become selfless eventually."

And now to drop the bomb. "But what he really wants," I continue, "I can never give."

Shock washes over Caleb's face. "Wait. What? You said you had good news for me. Let me guess, the good part's when I'll go to heaven?" He shakes his head in disappointment. "Surely it can't be that bad, to go to bed with a Dauntless leader for one night."

My face pales. "What?" I get out.

Caleb sees my discomfort. Yet he doesn't take it as a sign to stop talking. He plows on, desperation in his voice. "Eric's from Erudite, isn't he? So he must know a thing or two about how Dauntless males behave. Surely he knows that it's not sinful, but natural, to want to go to bed with a pretty girl."

"What?" I repeat. My face heats up.

"Oh, Tris…" Caleb suddenly grabs my wrist. "I'm scared to die."

"I'll make sure you don't, Caleb," I babble, pulling my wrist free. "But I also won't let you bring dishonor upon our family!"

"But just think, Tris! Think about what it'd be like, to die." Caleb's tears spill over, and his face scrunches up. "Back home in Erudite, I'd be buried forever. I'd never feel warm again. And here, in Dauntless, I'd just get tossed into the chasm. I wouldn't even get a funeral. And I haven't even gotten started on where I'd go after death. Amity says there's a heaven, but Dauntless says there's a hell. As for Erudite, they say there's nothing. Nothing at all! Oh, Tris, it's too horrible to even think about. Even being factionless would be paradise compared to death."

"I know!" I practically shout. "But you haven't even heard what I was going to…"

Caleb interrupts. "Please, Tris, just let me live. What sin is there in sleeping with Eric for one night? It'd do so much good, and be such a selfless act, God wouldn't disapprove, instead He'd be proud of you."

Silence fills the cell. For a moment, I can do nothing but stare. Then I speak.

"You stupid idiot," I say slowly. "You spineless coward. You're an unkind, dishonest, selfish piece of trash! Were you ever the selfless Abnegation boy we thought you were, or was that just an act? All the world's a stage to you, isn't it, Caleb? But to thine own self, you can't be true." I shake my head, feeling so bitter toward my brother that I can barely even look at him. "I was going to tell you I'd still find some way to save you, but I've changed my mind. I won't anymore."

I stomp out of his cell without looking back. The guard moves to shut the door, and I ignore Caleb's fading protests as I walk away.

"No, wait," Caleb calls. "Tris, please…"

I walk out of earshot. I can't believe my own brother sold me out like that.

I'm in for a surprise as I round the corner. I crash right into a gray-clothed man, and I have to stop and blink for a few moments as I take him in. This man is from Abnegation, and he wears the clothing of a priest. I know instantly why he's here, to minister to the troubled people in the prison.

"Oh!" I gasp. "Sorry about that. Didn't see where I was going…"

"It's alright," the man says. His voice is deep and sounds oddly familiar, but he has a strange accent. His skin's much darker than mine and his graying hair's cropped short. He smiles at me. "I was looking for you anyway. Not to scare you or anything, but I happened to overhear what passed between you and your brother…"

My mouth drops open. "What? How?"

Then I remember. I smile at the Abnegation man. "Oh yeah, cameras everywhere. Well, it's not like I thought our conversation would stay private. So what'd you hear us say?"

The priest sighs. "You're a good woman, and a brave one, too. Worthy of becoming a Dauntless leader. But I have to wonder at this Eric. Such a young man, with so much power, yet he's stooping to such cowardly behavior! How do you plan on dealing with him, in the way that a Dauntless would?"

"To tell you the truth," I say, "I have no clue. If only Max were here! He's got the most power of any of us. If he'd return quick, I'd tell him everything."

The priest must see the despair on my face, because he quickly moves to comfort me. "I know that if this Max were here, he'd take your side. Your integrity's obvious to all who can see you. But wait just a moment, and listen to me. I think I've got a plan, one that can save your brother from the law, do some good for a fellow member of Dauntless, and leave your virtue and your honor intact, all at the same time."

Curiosity gets me to take a step closer to him. "Really? What is this plan?"

"Have you ever heard of a Dauntless woman named Juanita, or Nita, as they call her? The sister of Matthew, one of Erudite's most promising young researchers?"

I think for a second. "Well… that name does sound familiar. I know that she transferred from Erudite, and her brother chose to stay behind. But I don't know what happened to her after that."

The priest elaborates. "She should've gotten married to this Eric, back when they were both still initiates. They seemed like the perfect couple. He'd rescued her from a street gang she was in, and she'd gotten him to think about more than just his career. So no one was surprised when they announced that they were engaged, and that Nita was expecting Eric's child. But then tragedy struck. Nita's brother Matthew was involved in a tragic car accident, while she was in the vehicle. He was killed on impact, while she was so injured that she lost the child growing inside her. And so, on that day, she lost the three things that were dearest to her. First her beloved older brother, then her precious baby girl, and finally, with the other two, her would-be husband, this Eric, who's somehow not considered a complete coward."

"Can this be true?" I'm shaken to my core. "Did Eric just leave her like that?"

"He did, oh, yes, he did. Walked away from her faster than he walked out of the fear landscape room after his final test. It's been years since that day, but she still remembers the look on his face when he left her. The other day I was ministering to her, and I realized she can't even talk about it without getting tears in her eyes."

"Wow," I say. "Eric's even worse than I thought. But what can she possibly get out of this?"

"Well," explains the priest, "she, curiously enough, is still very much in love with Eric. She says she still dreams of starting a family with him, though he's probably forgotten her. I advise you to go to Eric, tell him you agree to his demands, only require him to follow these rules. First, that no words are to be exchanged between the two of you during the encounter, second, that the deed be done in the same room where you were subject to the fear simulation, and third, that he consent to be injected with what he thinks is a stimulant, but is actually the simulation serum. This being granted, I'll send Nita to go in your place, and I'll take care of the serum and the logistics involved with it. If Nita acknowledges what she did after she does it, he may be compelled to take her back. And that is how you may save your brother, protect your honor, help out a fellow Dauntless, and humble that corrupt leader. What do you think?"

I'm already grinning, like I just found out I'm ranked first in my class. "It sounds perfect," I say honestly. "Thank you, Father."

Then something starts to nag at me. I let the grin disappear from my face. "Just wait a minute. I might be having second thoughts about this. Eric wanted to violate me sexually, and that's why I condemned him. Now we're planning to do the same to him? Doesn't that make us cowards?"

The priest is about to answer, then I think better of it. "Never mind. I'm short on time, and I need to find a way to rescue Caleb. Without disobeying God, or betraying Tobias. Eric left me without a choice when he said what he said. It's not a perfect situation, but I guess I'll need to go with the best option I have."

The Abnegation man smiles at me. "You're right. You're not just courageous, but intelligent as well. Now we need to hurry and finish making our plans. I'll get in contact with Nita, and you'll go to Eric and tell him you agree to his demands. It'll all come together, and everything will be okay in the end. Let's go."

"Thank you, Father… sorry, I don't know your name."

"Father Vincent," he fills me in.

"Father Vincent," I repeat, smiling back at him. "Thank you for this. You're a hero. You really are." And I depart the prison with him by my side, my spirits gradually lifting.

I feel bad that I yelled at Caleb, told him I wouldn't save him. I hope to God that I'm forgiven for that outburst, and for my sudden flare of anger. I guess I should've empathized more with him. He was terrified to die, but now he'll have a small measure of comfort. Hope is on the way.

I'm being brave, and holding on for my brother, and I can think of nothing more Dauntless than this.

AN: That's all for now. Leave a review please. I know it says in the books that Matthew and Nita don't live in the factions, but just for the sake of the story, I'm gonna change things up a little.