Chapter 30 - Eric's POV

Visiting day dawns and I have a bit of a hangover. I had ran the courses hard and went to the bar and just drank still trying to get my mind right. I still hadn't decided what I was going to do until I see Raven sitting at a table reading her tablet and eating breakfast. I grab a coffee and pull out my own tablet. Against my own better fucking judgement, because I had already hurt her enough, I sit down next to her.

"What are you reading?" I ask conversationally. I see her turn her head and glance at me and I sigh. It isn't even 6 am and she is already in her absence place.

"The Hobbit." She takes a bite of some fruit and turns back to her book.

"Good book." I nod.

"I like it."

"Do you ever come out of the detachment?" I want to shake her out of it and make her yell at me or threaten to kick my ass something, anything!

"Yes, when I am around those I am close with."

"Do they know about your aunt?" I lash out at her.

"Yes, I don't keep secrets from them if I can at all help it."

"They are ok with her and who she is?" Goddamn I can't even handle myself right now. This was such a bad fucking idea. Why am taking it out on her when I am angry at my damn self for making her like this.

"They are ok with who I am. Enjoy your morning sir." She stares at her food and stands grabbing her tray and walking out. She tosses her tray without even looking back and I am left to close my eyes and sigh.

I stand up and make my way to my apartment. I need to make things right somehow. At the very least I need to apologize to her. I decide that I will join Max and the others for the visiting day. I will watch Jeanine with Raven and I will decide from there.

I change and make my way to the Pit area. There is a small balcony that I stand at and I watch the people that gather and wait for the visitors to arrive.

My breath is taken from me when I see Raven step into the pit area. She is wearing a dark purple dress that is goes to her knees in the front and longer in the back. She wears a very feminine looking leather jacket that only hits below the breast line and her hair is a mix on half up and down with curls over to one side. She looks beautiful and still very Dauntless.

I see her standing next to her friend Scott and I make my way down to the area near her. Max and the others will be joining soon.

I see Jeanine before Raven does and I tense and wonder if I can do this.

"Raven?" I hear her call out for her niece. Raven turns to see her and I stay back to watch as Jeanine's face transforms from the emotionless mask to beaming with love and she even almost runs to pull Raven into a tight embrace and closes her eyes.

"Oh my beautiful girl." She sighs and strokes her back.

I see Raven's eyes close and I can see her detachment shatter. "I have missed you Aunty Genie."

I watch as Jeanine leans back to look at her beaming at her. Then she has her turn and smiles as she traces her ear and sees the gauges there. I don't catch what is said but I see Jeanine reach up to wipe away a tear and Raven closes her eyes. Jeanine kisses her forehead gently.

My head tilts as I see Jeanine place her arms around Raven's waist and Raven does the same to her and they press their foreheads together. Raven hair meets Blonde and it looks as if this is some ritual that has been done for years.

"Hello Eric." Max says as he comes to stand beside me and he looks over to where Jeanine and Raven are standing.

"Hello Max." I nod to him as my eyes are glued to Raven just happy she isn't so lifeless no matter who brought it about.

I watch as they link arms and walk towards the rocks that have been hewn to serve as tables and chairs here in the pit. I start to move forward and Max put his hand to stop me.

"Give them a moment together Eric. When Leo and Andrea are here we can all go together." He watches me as I frown looking after them. "Still don't trust her?"

I shake my head. "It's not that."

Max smirks at me and he sighs "I am having Four and Tris to make sure the training rooms are all arranged and set up. I plan on asking Jeanine for help possibly with the obstacle courses. If we can make it easier on set up things would be much smoother." He pulls out his tablet.

I nod and smile. The obstacle courses are amazing but a bitch to set up and break down. "I went through all the first obstacle course versions and it would definitely be a good thing to check into."

He matches my smile. "Same thing here. I didn't even try to set up the second set of three."

Andrea and Leo had soon joined us and I was impatient to be near Raven when she was full of life again. When we walked towards them I saw Raven laughing and standing with her jacket off. Jeanine was tracing the tattoo patterns on her shoulder and had her lifting her dress to show the leg of it.

I hear drift to me. "Very beautiful. I only wish I could see the Phoenix. The wrist cuff is very beautiful. Please tell Tris and Tori that I love the translation to such a beautiful canvas." She is only partially right. The canvas will always outstrip any of the adornments.

"Flattery will get you everywhere Aunt Genie." Raven smirks and Jeanine smiles.

"Jeanine, good to see you." Max says warmly and I walk closer to be near Raven. Andrea and Leo keep closer to Jeanine.

I smile as I take a closer look at her and I tilt my head. "You look beautiful Raven." I say quietly and she smiles but looks to her feet to hide the hurt I know she now feels.

"Thank you, Sir" I nod and Jeanine lifts her head by her chin to look at her worriedly. Raven smiles and shakes her head. Jeanine seems to get whatever message she is trying to send and turns back to the others smiling.

"Max, Andrea, Leo, Eric; thank you for allowing me to visit my Little Bird. I have truly been so very missing her." She turns back to Raven and beams. It is hard to mistake the truth of her love in her eyes. "I was hoping I could sweet talk her into letting me see the rest of her tattoo. She seems to suddenly have grown a bit bashful. A far cry from the little girl Marie and I had to chase around the Erudite grounds to wrestle clothes back on."

Raven groans and blushes. "Aunt Genie, you're not winning those points in your favor you know. Talking about my bare six year old bottom running through the rain is not the flattery I think you were aiming for."

Jeanine laughs a real laugh. "No but I do have the prerogative to embarrass you if I would like. I never got to show any of those pictures to would be suitors."

Raven blushes even more and I tilt my head not liking that thought one bit, at least about others being the suitors. "Thank gods." She mutters and the others all laugh.

"Raven here is doing very well Jeanine. She really has found family." Andrea smiles at the two ladies and Jeanine can't keep her eyes from soaking in everything about her. I can't blame her that is why I am here at all.

"I never doubted that. She always scared me with how fearsome and Dauntless she was but I wouldn't trade her or that for the world. What was it she said she wanted to do when she got older? Ah yes, she wanted to be Max but still keep Max being Max. She just wanted to be the best Max she could be. She adored you apparently Max."

Max shrugged and I really think he might be blushing a bit. Hard to tell with his chocolate skin though." I have a way with the ladies. It didn't hurt she said I was beautiful as she climbed into my lap the first time I ever met her at the age of 6. Any other kid in Erudite would run screaming from me. Raven just smirked at me and climbed right into my damn lap. If I remember you found that extremely amusing Jeanine."

Jeanine laughs, nodding. "Well she had been looking forward to you coming. When I told her you wouldn't have your gun to play with she just rolled her eyes and said that of course you wouldn't have the gun but no self-respecting Dauntless would go totally unarmed. I have to say it was quite shocking to know she was correct and that she knew where you kept them." I smile a little at the thought of her saying just that.

Raven giggled looking at Max with obvious affection. "Yes you let me play with your knives and let me wear your leather jacket."

Max shrugged beaming at Raven and I could see he really does see her as a daughter. "I wasn't above a bit of bribery. Plus I didn't know exactly how to respond to your comment that you called me beautiful because I was. But because you had also heard some men say that when they tell women that it lets them into their pants. And you needed to get to my knives which might logically be there too. I think I blushed apple red."

I see her turn red herself and I move without thinking to be closer to her. Needing to feel the warmth of her presence and loving stories of her as a little girl.

"We are allowing tours into the training room areas this year. Raven was instrumental in helping to bring new training in the form of some very challenging and forward thinking obstacle courses. If you would like we could show you." Max invited Jeanine with a smile, knowing this must mean something to her.

Jeanine turns to beam at her again nodding. "I would love to. If that is ok with you Raven? I am here to spend it how you would like."

"Then maybe you would like to get a tattoo. She seems to love that activity." I say this with a smile meaning to convey that I am trying to Jeanine. But I can't take my eyes off of Raven.

Jeanine turns to me and tilts her head and looks to me watching Raven. Her eyes most likely missing nothing and I don't care honestly. She nods once, so I return the nod. Hopefully that can be a start. "I would if it was one of her own drawings. Thank you for the gift of that before you left Raven. I wake up to the mural every day and…it gives me hope." She cups Raven cheek and smiles then turns to us. "She painted our city as if from a very great height with dawn just breaking through the horizon. It was so lifelike I almost feel like I am looking out of a window."

She smiles sadly and I can picture the view. It is the one you get at dawn from the Hancock Building or on the zip-line. "I wanted to give you the view I came to know and love during my forays into the world of dauntless when I was rebelling. You always said you wished you could Zip-line and that is one of the views you get."

Jeanine's smile turns wide "So my Bird has flown for real now?"

Raven laughs nodding. "Well only when I was allowed to. Once initiation is over someone might have to coax me down with food or something. Did you want to see the obstacles?"

Jeanine hesitates and bites her lip. "Could I see you do one?" She asks as if afraid to ask for too much and I have to say that is a new look on Jeanine as well.

Raven looks to Max and he nods. "Yes Aunt Genie, but I have to go change."

Jeanine smiles and winks. "Are you going to change into the sports bra and boxers, or is that only during Candor or Dauntless?"

Ok yeah my jaw dropped. And she is being so playful about it. This is nothing like the cold hearted woman I had known years ago.

"Aunt Genie!" Raven yells turning red and smiling. "If you just must see the damn tattoo, come with me to change and I will let you. And Shauna burned the boxers because that was all I wanted to wear and apparently that isn't proper even for a Dauntless woman. Damn shame too those were fucking comfortable."

I repress laughter because she sounds so dejected and her using such language around Jeanine, and her not saying anything or batting an eyelash.

Jeanine claps happily her lips turned into a mischievous smile. "That was too easy dear. You know they do make something called…" She snaps her fingers. "boy shorts…very confusing because they aren't for boys."

Ok, are my fucking ears red? Am I fucking blushing?

"Good grief. And yes I know. I was bullied into buying several pairs, all in things like lace." Raven mutters and bites her lip. "Are you really going to go in there with me?"

Jeanine quirks her eyebrow as if to say 'well of course' and Raven mutters. "Fine, come on let's get this shit over with."

We all laugh as Jeanine links her arm with Raven's. While the others go on ahead to the course room Max nods that I can go with Jeanine and Raven.

I can see something is Raven's mind because she is chewing on her lip as we walk in silence. "Aunt Genie, you said Marie got sick and you think it is of the blood. What makes everyone think that?"

Jeanine frowns. "Sepsis and other little things that add up. Like I said it is why I am working on the scanner to see if we can pinpoint it. Why do you ask?"

I see Raven get that look as if she is thinking though something as she shrugs. "I was thinking about something, well about the nano-serum after being reminded about it recently." I tilted my head frowning at what they are talking about.

"There wouldn't be a chance she could get enough to cure it unless you knew it was affecting the blood, but you could test the blood with nano-serum. If it is in the platelets then introducing the serum to small batches should show them attacking those, and it will show you which platelets are the ones affected. You could also introduce dies or trackers to the nano-serum so that you can pick up those on your scanner that is calibrated to pick up the nano-tech and it will show what areas are being worked on as they go."

I frown in thought and awe. This sounds personal and like something Jeanine is dedicating her time to now. I knew Raven was brilliant. I just didn't get how brilliant until now.

Jeanine pulls Raven to a stop and looks to be on the verge of tears but her eyes are full of pride too. "How was I ever blessed to have such an amazing girl in my life? Thank you Raven, I think those are very wonderful ideas and honestly I think those very well could work." She kisses her forehead softly. "You give me and one day this city hope Raven. Never let what came before confuse what you do from now on. This is your future to forge and no matter the shadows you live under I have no doubt your light will break free from it."

I sigh and turn away to mull over her words. I can't change my past, and I can't change who I am completely. But I can try to be better as far as doing what I set out to do. Which is to be the best leader I can and make the best soldiers I can. I can also hopefully….I am not even sure if I have a right to hope that anymore. Not after how I hurt her.

Raven nods and smiles with that beautiful blush on her cheeks. "I just wanted to help. The dorm is just this way. Or did you want to send Olson…"

Jeanine tsked her. "Work and helping Marie later tonight. She will skin me herself if we don't take this day."

Raven's grin is the fun loving one again and my lips twitch. "Want to watch me also try and run up a wall?"

"Run up a wall? Or run Four and Tris up walls?" Jeanine snickers and I think 'oh you have no idea'.

She shrugs and giggles. "That too."