merry Christmas everyone!

The next morning, I rise early leaving Bee in the tent alone. It's not a particularly cold morning, but not warm either. The rest of the camp is asleep as I make my way into the trees. We had parked just outside of the outskirts of Indianapolis, but far enough away to not be seen. The trees provide a great camouflage. I walk down a man made path slowly with my hands in my pockets. I feel so helpless, so useless. I've only felt it once in my life before. Even after Max had ask me to be a leader at Dauntless and I turned it down, I didn't feel useless just looking and security footage. I felt more bored than anything. The only time I felt useless is when I watched my father beat my mother to a pulp, always missing the face but left nothing else of her body untouched. I would sit there biting my lip so hard to hold back my cries that I'd bite right through it. My father would see what I've done and get so angry. why do you think I miss your face Tobias? There' a reason you idiot. I'd then get matching bruises with my mother. After I left abnegation, I never felt it again until now. I can't help but notice that there was a reason I never became high in authority. I saw what it drove my father to do, how it changed him. And he was power hungry till the day he died. I'm afraid of that. I'm also afraid that if something terrible happens, God forbid to Bee, that I'll stand there and watch just like I did with my mother. I stop to catch my breather when I feel something small it my head.

I swing my head around, looking in every direction before I hear a small, "Hey".

Looking up, with red hair swirling around her face, (I realize at this moment I have never seen it down, just either in a pony tail or an Abnegation styled bun) Officer Williams is perched in a tree. She gives me a small smile before jumping straight down. Another woman who isn't afraid of heights...

"What are you doing here?" I ask as she tucks a few strands behind her ears.

"Oh, I used to live in Amity, before the war. The trees feel like home, I guess."

I furrow my eyebrows. "An Amity tree hugger who became a police officer? Not common at all."

She smiles at me, green eyes bright with humor. "It is a bit strange, but I was 'Divergent'. Got Dauntless and Amity on my test results."

"Polar opposite factions. How strange." She laughs a bright laugh before asking me why I was here. I suppress my smile and reply, "I needed a little time to think before we headed out."

"Ah. I see. Well, don't let me intrude on your mind time." She turns, but I call after her.

"Officer Williams! I don't mind. Really."

She smiles at me again. "Well alright. But call me Samantha, okay? We're technically off duty right now." I nod and say her name again and she easily falls in stride with me.

We talk about everything and nothing at all. Her hair whips behind us like a tail. She's easy to talk with, a quality I realize is nothing like when I used to talk to Tris. Those conversations were through gritted teeth and sorrow and love and during a war. Samantha is different. Natural. It's nice.

"So, has there never been a Mrs. Eaton?" She's asks after we mention her late husband.

I pause. "There was almost one. She died in the war. Sacrificed herself for Chicago." She nods, not pushing for more info, but I give it to her anyway. "Her name was Beatrice Prior."

She turns her head and looks at me. "The Beatrice?" I nod and she inhales deeply. "She was a hero. I'm so sorry for your loss."

"It was a long time ago." *Though it still hurts from time to time* "Now I have Bee to worry about."

She hides her smirk. "Oh yes, I heard that your daughter made a surprise appereance."

I groan and she laughs. I smile at the sound and continue with my rant. "She promised she wouldn't have come, but I should've known. She's stubborn."

"But she must be strong headed too, like you. She'll be fine." She meets my eyes and it takes a few moments for me to pull away and recommend that we head back. She nods and puts her hair up, and I let myself indulge in the fact that I saw her with her red locks down.

When Samantha and I return, the troops are eating breakfast around their campfires accordingly. Christina and Zeke make kissing faces at me when Samantha's not looking. I might have shown them the beauty of my middle finger. I look for my daughter before taking a seat with the officers. Bee is once again eating alone with Scott, and I refrain from calling her over to me when I hear her laugh. It's her best kind of laugh, not a polite giggle or a I-haven't-slept-in-48-hrs-dad-you're-hilarious terrifying laugh. It's the "I think that's the funniest thing I've ever heard" laugh. Perhaps I'm being too protective. But then again Bee has no control of her actions and completely ignores all my requests. That thought makes my cheeks burn so I call her over anyway.

Her eyes whip my way when she hears me, then she slowly gets up and leaves Scott, placing a tender touch to his arm. "Hey Dad." Bee eyes Samantha as she leaves my side. "Who's the red head?"

Oh, two can play at that game. "Who's the boy?" She senses the disapproval dripping from my words.

"Oh, come on dad. We're just friends."

I cross my arms and smirk. "It doesn't look that way considering the look on his face right now."

She turns to see Scott's gaze on us. I think she smiles and gives him a wave because he's waving back. "He needs a friend. Not many of the others have talked to him. Or me. So why not join forces?" She shrugs at me.

"I just don't trust him. He came from the city. He could be a spy."

Bee's expression hardens. "Have you even talked to him? About what happened to his family? How he escaped? The horror in his eyes is no way fake. I promise."

I nod after a moment and give her shoulder a squeeze. She takes it as her que. "So who's the red headed angel?" She says then wiggles her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

I burst out laughing. Loudly. And receive a few strange looks from others. "Officer Williams. We happened to bump into each other on our solo walk and decided to come back together."

"No deep-woods make out session?"

I push her shoulder with my mouth in a small O. "When did you become so crude?"

She winks and reaches up to give my cheek a kiss, then walks back to Scott. I sigh and head to my tent for a little bit of rest before tonight.

After our dinner, the soldiers lined up, (I noticed Bee was standing at attention like any other soldier and I couldn't help but feel pride) and we debriefed them about the Officer mission about to take place.

"Officer Daniels is staying behind to look after the rest of you. Follow his orders. We will be back before dawn." Zeke tells them and then we're loading the car. The soldiers stand still and I see Bee's body restless to move and meet me. Instead I meet her gaze and allow our usual silent conversation pass through us so she doesn't have to me and be perceived as a frail young girl but rather a strong soldier. *I love you. Be safe.*

We drive through the woods for about ten minutes. I had no idea how deep the forest was. Caleb debriefs us on his plan.

"So each one of you will receive head gear to communicate with as well as a pair of the night vision goggles. The include a video camera to record. Each of you will be assigned a floor. You must hit every section of the floor you're assigned. I've already managed to cut their security cameras for the night, so you should be relatively safe if all goes accordingly. Once you return, the goggles will send the film to me, I'll create a three demential hologram that will be a map of the bulding, show what's inside, and will be able to show us where the most accumulated population is in the building as well as the storage room for weapons. Any questions?"

It's pretty quiet until Christina pipes up next to me and says, "Well shit, Caleb. Never could suppress you Erudite ways could you?"

I elbow her in the ribs because her Candor is showing while Zeke chuckles quietly.

"Moot point, Christina." Caleb replies, unamused. I know he know only associates himself and Erudite with the death of his sister (and the selfish unforgiving part of me thinks *as he should*) and he doesn't like delving into that part of his mind. I give him a small smile in encouragement.

Once we hit the end of the trees, we leave Caleb in the car with the technology and place our headsets on. Caleb runs some tests through the equipment and everything's secure when we reach the building. "Good luck guys," I hear Caleb murmur in our ears.

"Where do you want us, chief?" Zeke turns my way with a focused look on his face. Good. Zeke has always been good at knowing when or when not to act goofy. Uriah, on the other hand, had a little bit more struggle in that trait...

"Zeke and I will split the top four floors. Christina, Samantha: you can choose which floors. Those should be the easiest to cover so when your finished, make your way to a top floor, but let us know ahead of time. And objections?"

Christina bumps my fist. "Sounds good, Four."

Samantha looks at me questioningly, but I give her a look that says, another time.

We all split up then, and Zeke and I start our climb to the top by shooting a wire to the top and being zipped up. Maybe getting the top floors wasn't such a good idea.

"You're doing great, Tobias. Just keep pushing. And don't forget to breathe."

"I'm not having a baby, Zeke!" I snap through clenched teeth.

"By the way you're panting, I couldn't tell!"

*Will you two knock it off? Samantha and I are already in.*Christina whispers in my ear piece.

We finally get to the top and enter through an emergency exit door. I motion for Zeke to take the two middle ones and I'll take the top two and hopefully avoid the window. I see him nod then hear, *be careful, brother.*

I start with the top floor and let my eyes scan everything I can. It's dark and empty from what I can tell, but I'm not sure. In the far corner of the room is a large set with a camera, the place where The Determinant videoed his messages. A few feet away is an incredibly large circular table with an empty center. A projector hovers from the top which must shoot down a 3D map of Chicago. As I look around the room, I can see the Erudite influences. It looks like Jeanine's office. I hear a creak and immediately lift my gun. I check my surroundings and come back with nothing.

*I'm done. Zeke I'm coming up to you.* Christina announces.

*Careful, C* he replies.

I continue to scan the room as if painting with my eyes. I'll definitely see this room again when I come to find The Determinant.

*caleb, you have enough footage of the top floor?*

*you're clear to move on, Four*

I move to the next floor and swipe over it. But this floor has a completely different view. I see rows and rows of cells. And there are people in it. No children, I notice, but all adults. Most are sleeping, but a few eye me curiously. They must be divergents.

"Please. Help us." One whispers. I quickly tell him to be quiet.

*team we have a hostage situation. Holding Divergents.* I tell the others.

*we can't take them, not yet. I'm coming up.* Samantha replies and I continue scanning the room with a gloomy pit in my stomach. We can't help these people right now. They could all be dead by the time we get back. I see a flash of red hair and then Samantha's at my side. She looks around with sadness written on her face. I want to reach out and grab her hand but I don't.

She approaches the man who's awake. "Listen carefully. We are troops from Chicago, the city The Determinant is trying to take control of through the people of Indianapolis. Let the rest of the people know that we will come back for you, we will not leave you behind. But we can not take you yet." I'm shocked when I see her slip her hand in his cage to grasp his hand. "You can trust us. I promise." She reaches into her bag and pulls out twenty or so packages of crackers.

"Where on earth did you get that?"

She smiles. "I had the bottom floor. They surprisingly still had a working vending machine. When I heard you say hostages, I assumed they might want something." She lays package after package in cages. Then she returns to the man.

"I'll tell them. I believe you."

Samantha takes his hand once more. "Thank you. I'lol see you soon." She then asks the others if they're clear and ready.

Zeke and Christina take the stairs and Samantha and I come out the way I came in. This time, I try to control my breathing by not saying a word until we hit the ground. The four officers sprint to the truck and as soon as we shut the door, Caleb is zooming off towards camp. I finally look at Samantha. "That was... Incredible. The way you spoke to them..."

Did I imagine her blush? "It was nothing. But we have to get them out."

I nod in agreement and the Caleb speaks.

"Great job guys. We have the advantage now. All we need to do is prepare the rest."

I nod once more, with one thing on my mind.

The Determinant

Will

Fall.

my FAV part was the baby reference. PLEASE REVIEW! I didn't get a single one and I get worried. Merry Christmas Again!