Fair warning, the letter 'T' on my keyboard has broke, so there may be a few mistakes in there. I checked what I could, but again, I was half-asleep writing this and it may not be perfect xD

Enjoy :)

Four waits until Candor's army surrounds the rebels. When they do, he lowers his gun and turns to Tris. She watches him with wide eyes, not knowing how to react. If these soldiers were bad people, she would throw herself into his arms. But they're not bad people. He saved her from the false enemy.

"Let me see your hands!" one of Four's lackeys yells. The soldier on the ground is at his mercy. He raises his shaky hands, looking down.

Tris watches Eric sit up slowly, recovering from the punch Four sent at his face. He is in the middle of all this. A couple of rebels had to be pressed against a pillar because they refused to back down. Their faces compress between the pillar and Dauntless' palms, inevitably being squeezed away from freedom.

She chews on her lip when Four comes up to her, getting out his pocket knife. His eyebrows are furrowed. He keeps his eyes on her wrists, busy with the job at hand. She knows that he is still affected by their previous arguments. He was rejected. She chose Eric over him. The most adult thing to do would be to get over it. And she doesn't know if he has. She cannot tell.

He cuts the plastic off of her wrists, letting it fall to the floor. Before he can pull his hands away and turn back around, Tris grabs his sleeve, "Hey… thank you," she whispers, waiting for him to respond. He does it with a smile.

She needs him to know that he is doing the right thing. He is protecting her. In his world, there is good and bad. There is black and white. But in her world, those things are blurred together. Eric is not black. He is grey. And Four would never understand that.

Nevertheless, she needs to try and communicate with him using his language. He is doing the right thing. He is.

There is an ostentatious cough behind him. His smile fades away when he realizes who it's from. Tris looks over Four's shoulder to see Eric tensing his jaw. He doesn't look at her. His eyes are on Four's back.

"It's lucky you got that gun, Four," he feigns a laugh, tilting his chin upwards. Tobias sighs. Irritation is vivid in his eyes, "We both know you were never much without one."

Tris stretches out her arm, idly stroking the part of the gun sticking out of Four's pocket. To her dismay, his fingers follow hers. They brush before twisting together. He gives her a little squeeze and then takes out his gun, tossing it to the nearest Dauntless. He turns to face Eric, whose face visibly slackened. They share a long stare. It lasts forever. In that moment Tris starts sweating slightly, conscious of how her shirt is riding up at the back. She fixes it quickly.

Her breath hitches when Four steps closer to his worst enemy. Eric clenches his fists, still not daring to look at Tris. Soon enough, it feels like two lions are circling each other, preparing to fight for their territory. It's ridiculous. Who would even win?

Eric makes the first move. All of his rage balls up into his fists and then he swings, just missing his target. All that rage disabled his secret targeting system. At least, that's what Tris thinks would happen if he was a robot.

Unfortunately for Eric, Four does not hold back. He grunts as he slams him against the pillar and twists his arm backwards. There is a crunch. And Tris takes a step forward when an agonizing groan fills the room.

"Four, stop," she says quietly. Not loud enough for anybody to hear. Her heart has hammered away in her chest for weeks. Non-stop. Hammering 24/7. She has become immune to feeling it against her ribcage. But if she wasn't, she imagines it would be bruising her bones right now, "Four."

She watches him push Eric back into the hall where the death of the man and the near-death of the girl took place. The atmosphere in there is the same as it was five minutes ago. Except, this time the orange on the sky is brighter. Which gives the room a less eerie appearance.

She opens her mouth to say something, but it closes. She could try to defend Eric. And plead for his release. They wouldn't listen to her. Not unless there is enough evidence of his innocence. And obviously there isn't.

Her legs carry her over to his side, but she gets nudged out of the way by a guard. She stands in front of Four, afraid of what he would do. His eyes are calm when they land on hers. But it only lasts for a second. They flicker back to Eric. And then he glares. Another guard hands him back his gun.

"You think she's safe now?" Eric utters, snarling as a member of Candor ties his wrists behind his back. He falls to his knees in the process, nursing his twisted arm behind him. The corner of his mouth turns downwards.

Tris furrows her eyebrows, wanting him to explain what it actually is that Jeanine wants. But also hoping he would bite his tongue, because she wants to be the first to hear. Alone with him. As selfish as it sounds.

"Jeanine is never gonna stop searching for you," Eric speaks directly to her for what feels like the first time today. She freezes in her spot, goose bumps covering his skin. Why would he say that? What does he mean?

"Why?" Tobias asks, "What does she want with her?" Tris watches as he comes up to him, dangerously close. She is thankful that he asked the question. She never could. There is a lump in her throat, "Tell me."

"All I know is that she is exactly what Jeanine needs," Eric answers, straining his neck to look up at Four's face, "She's the perfect subject."

She meets Four's glance. He is asking her something. He is asking if she knows anything. Which obviously, she doesn't. She is just as perplexed as he. If not more.

She doesn't care. Right now she doesn't care about Jeanine. She wants to know why Tobias tightened his grip on his gun. And why his finger is playing with the trigger.

He makes it click. And a small smile plays on Eric's lips.

"Was that supposed to scare me?"

Four swallows hard, "You're responsible for the death of hundreds of people… You know the punishment for that."

She knows where this is going. Killing him would make him a very happy person. Mainly because she would no longer have him as her first choice. But she will. He will always be her first choice. Even if he's dead. She would never turn to look at Tobias again. Anger starts rising from deep within her.

"Four," she comes closer, placing her hand on his chest. He doesn't even break his eyes away from Eric.

"Listen," Eric sighs, "I've found a way to live with the blood on my hands. But can you?"

She knows Four too well. He would never answer that. He would either change the conversation or terminate the speaker. And it does not look good for Eric.

She gives him a second to think, never tearing her eyes away. There isn't much to gamble. He raises his gun. And she loses it.

"That's enough!" she shoves his chest, feeling the air come out of him like a popped balloon. He narrows his eyes, panting with what seems like disbelief. If disbelief could even make a person tired and out of breath.

"Let him be, Tris," Eric murmurs from behind. She ignores his remark, trying to grab the gun off Tobias.

"Think about what you're doing," she whispers, rage sizzling in her voice. Four stares at her, unsure whether she is joking or not. He knows how she feels about Eric. Why would he be surprised if she tried to save his life? This is what she doesn't get. And it makes her even angrier.

From the corner of her eye, she sees a herd of white figures rising from the ground. They looks like ghosts for a second. They look un-real. But then she turns her head and sees that they are real. They are Candors, waking up from the drug, walking up to the hall, whispering gossip to each other, eyeing Tris and Four and then Eric. It is all coming together in their heads. But they would never understand even half of what is true.

"He is a murderer-"

"And you're not?" Tris spits back, blocking his view of Eric, "Killing him would not have made you any better. And it definitely wouldn't have won me over-"

"This is not about winning you over," Four starts, "This is about justice! The man's a serial killer and you are defending him!"

By now, the hall is filled with fifty Candors. And some Dauntless. Mostly Candors. She sees Christina's face in the crowd. And Tori's. And Jack Kang. He walks closer to the scene, staring at Tobias.

"I had no idea Jeanine was capable of something like this," the leader of Candor says, stepping closer to him. He glances at Eric and the rest of the rebels who are being maintained at the other side of the hall. His eyes land on Tris, who has never looked more pleading in her life.

"I demand a trial," her voice is shaky. Tobias shakes his head, turning to Jack Kang.

"There would be no need for that," he says, "Manslaughter has one punishment and that is death. He wouldn't be free of charges."

"Four," she comes up to him, her eyes welling up with tears, "Four, please-"

"I'm confused. Do you know this man?" Kang nods towards Eric, who is looking way too comfortable on the tiled floor. He tries to stand up but he is restrained tightly, and every time he tries, he ends up in the same position. On his knees.

"I do," she answers, blinking away all the moisture, "There has to be a trial. He can't be executed like this. None of them can be-"

"Tris, listen to what you are saying," Four starts, taking her shoulders in his hands.

"I am listening!" she waves her arms around in frustration, shaking off his hands in the process, "I want a trial. I want the court to decide whether they should be killed or locked away. Not him," she shakes her head at Four. He has tucked his gun away awkwardly. And now his hands swing around meaninglessly, looking for something to grab.

"The Candor courts are the best deciders. I accept," Jack Kang looks at Tris and hen back to Four. Then he lowers his eyes, sighing, "But it would be a waste of time. You were right. Manslaughter… multiple manslaughter only has one punishment in this city-"

"Hear his story!" Tris shouts desperately, nodding towards Eric, "Please, you might change your mind."

The whispers in the hall have fades away. Tobias didn't answer back. He is speechless. Even Eric's breathing is unheard of. But Kang breaks the silence with a loud sigh. And then he nods to one of his guards.

"Take them all to the cells," he says, "The trial will be held in six hours."

Review and tell me what you thought :)