Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight or Divergent. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and Veronica Roth.

Writer's note: Thank you munzke for your review! There will be a lot of surprising things happen in the story. This is just the start. *grins* As always, I appreciate all of you! Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!

Bella lay in the infirmary. The bullet didn't go deep because it had ricocheted instead of being a direct hit, so she was fine. They got the bullet out and then sewed her up, good as new. The doctor there in Dauntless didn't think a transfusion was necessary, but she should rest.

Tris had gone back to the sleeping quarters to shower since she saw Bella was okay.

Bella was there briefly by herself before Eric walked in and shut the door. She looked over at him. "What?"

"How are you feeling?" Eric's tone was normal, concerned.

"I already said I was fine. This was too much fuss."

"An injury like that could have been fatal."

"Does it matter?"

"It does matter." Eric said with a nod.

Bella sighed. "I'm just one recruit. Accidents happen."

"I told you before. You're my recruit. I take my job seriously. I am a hard ass, yes, but I'm also in charge of your wellbeing. Just because we're Dauntless, doesn't mean we don't have empathy."

Bella stared at Eric. Eric was always so intense, no matter what he was doing. "Empathy doesn't suit you Eric." She said and she saw she struck a chord with him.

Eric nodded. "That's what you think?" He walked closer to the bed and looked down at her. "I can show you no empathy Bella. It's not something you're going to like." He said and then he turned and left.

Later that night, Bella pulled herself out of bed in the infirmary and went back to the training room. She stretched a little, but she didn't stretch where her stiches could pop. She warmed up on the bag, punching primarily. She threw a kick and winced, so she took a breather.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" Jasper asked as he walked to the training area to find Bella there.

Bella looked up at Jasper. "Just wanting to make sure I can move. I'm good."

"You were just shot today."

"It was superficial. Nothing crazy."

"I was there. That was crazy. I had your blood on my hands, Bella. It was pouring through my shirt and Will's. Your sister was a wreck." Jasper said, his voice serious.

Bella swallowed. She knew that Tris was the most worried about her. She took a bullet, but she was glad that it was her and not Tris that got hit. She was glad it was her that got hit than anyone there. She could handle pain. She would be on top here in Dauntless. She wouldn't let being shot get in her way.

Jasper went to her then, reaching out and cupping her chin with his hand. "Bella." It made Bella look up at him. "People care about you. We're all rooting for you to make it to first in the end. You don't have to pretend that pain doesn't exist. It's okay to feel pain and it's okay to show when it hurts. That doesn't make you weak."

"I know." Bella said and then sighed, closing her eyes. "I have a lot to fight for Jasper. I do things my way because it's how I do things." She took a step back. "I'll try to remember people care. I'll go to bed now."

Jasper smiled a little. "Okay. Let's go." He said and then he walked with her out of the training area and back to the sleeping quarters.

Eric hadn't made his presence known but he was there. He saw Bella before Jasper walked in. Watching her train even after being shot. She was peculiar as a person, and it was interesting to see someone from Abnegation work so hard at being Dauntless. What she said earlier to him spurred him. He didn't want to admit, but it burned his ego, his pride. Seeing her just now, the way Jasper reacted to her. Spoke to her and touched her. It spurred him too. An anger he wasn't used to, but he didn't want to adventure down what those feelings possibly meant. For now, he would train the recruits. Do his job. In the end, what did it matter?

The next day, Bella got up early for her normal routine. She was incredibly sore. Her side was bruised from being shot, but she kept going. Jasper and the others were worried about her, but she managed to do light training before Eric made it to the pit that morning with Four. Now she was standing there, arms crossed as she waited for whatever it was, they were supposed to do today.

"We're going to spar today. Each of you are going to have the opportunity to spar so, don't think you've been forgotten." Eric said and looked at his palm pilot. "Bella and Lukas. On the mats."

Four frowned. "She was shot yesterday."

"So?" Eric said, arching a brow. "Does it look like I fucking care?" He said, his steel eyes staring into Four's dark ones. "Nothing? Okay. Bella and Lukas. On the mats."

Bella took her spot on the mats. Lukas was number one on the board and was there for a reason. He was her goal. She wanted to take him out. She watched how he sparred and he was a lefty. He dominated with his left, but his knees were weak. Likely years of abuse growing up in Dauntless. She was calm, her dark eyes not giving anything away about her demeanor as she watched the six foot two Lukas take the mat. His eyes were dark hazel, his hair buzzed close to his head though you could tell he had been blonde. He took a stance, staring at Bella. She could see the murderous intent in them, but it didn't rattle her. She was steady, calm, her focus sharp as she anticipated his first move.

Lukas lunged, lightning fast towards Bella, keeping low as he went to take her feet under her, but she danced, away, throwing a few shots in at his head, knuckles connecting with the flesh on the side of his head, but it didn't scathe him. He launched his knee into her good side, though she pivoted and it was just a scrape. His arms tried to grapple and she held firm in her takedown defense, shifting her hips outward to avoid taking it to the mat. She could grapple. She had grappled before. Her father teaching her many times how to maneuver if she ever landed on her back. He swung a kick, trying to be unpredictable at this point, but Bella had predicted it. She caught the kick with a low block then he swung for her face and she ducked, swirling around him so fluidly. This time she threw a kick, a faked side kick turned into a roundhouse kick to the head and it rocked Lukas hard, sending him flying to his back, where she did not waste time and mounted him, the grapple fight starting. She was like a monkey, going in for a side mount and he twisted under her, throwing his elbow into her stitched side where she was shot. It reopened the stitches and blood soaked her shirt now, but the adrenaline flowing through her veins in that moment prevented her from hesitating to bring her knee into his ribcage. He backcrawled on the mat, bucking at his hips to toss her, though she changed her mount and she twisted around, catching his arm in a triangle choke. She was on her back, using her legs as her weapon to hold him while she repeatedly slammed her fist into his face. She felt the slickness of blood where she busted his nose and the blood sprayed over him and her and the mats. He bridged up, flipping over to struggle to a standing position and when he got in one, he broke the choke and he picked her up and slammed her to the mats hard. He growled in fury as she swept his leg, kipping up to a standing position, just to come back down on him hard with an axe kick to his shoulder. He grabbed at her feet to take her to the mats again and she danced out of reach. He got standing again, both breathing hard, blood matted his face now, his right eye swelling up to where he could barely see. She dripped blood on the mats with her own opened side wound and her knuckles, as they bled from the impact to a hard face. He went at her again and she swung, his dodge forced her to correct herself and he brought a knee into her hurt side then an elbow strike to the face made the taste of blood come to her lips. They detangled, and Lukas tried to swing at her again, but she moved low, spinning with a semi-tornado kick, her foot connecting with the side of his head and it sent him down to the mats in a kneeling position. Lukas was completely dazed now. A stage between consciousness and unconsciousness. She did not hold back as she spun, her roundhouse kick to his head snapping him into blackness.

Lukas was out, sprawled on the mats, Bella emerging the victor. Her breathing was heavy, her heart racing in her chest to explode from the physical exhaustion. Grappling was hard. It was the fastest way to lose energy and she had spent a lot on Lukas. She had something to prove and that was that she was the best. She spit blood on the mat, her dark eyes leaving Lukas's unconscious frame to stare at Eric. Eric's blue eyes were unreadable, though he stared back at her, his arms crossed and the small smirk on his face told her that he was impressed with her agility and natural defiance.

Bella's eyes went back to Lukas and how unconscious he was, his chest shuddered a little and she went to the mat at his side in an instant, rolling him to his side before Lukas vomited on the mat, choking a little. Bella beat his back with her palm. "Easy." She said.

Lukas sucked in a sharp breath before something happened and he seized.

"Hold his legs!" Bella said, looking at Peter, who was closer. He moved mechanically to the mat and held Lukas's legs. Eric stood there watching, curious about Bella and her first aid knowledge. Four moved forward too, holding his body while Bella pulled her shirt off, even though soaked with blood and sweat, she shoved it between Lukas's teeth and held his head firmly.

Lukas stopped seizing after what felt like a few long moments and they rolled him to his back and he had stopped breathing.

"Move!" Bella yelled and she straddled Lukas, her side gushing blood when she did and she started chest compressions. Eric moved then, going to the mats.

"Get back." Eric barked at the crowding recruits.

Sweat dripped down Bella's face, as she looked at Eric. "Go get whoever in infirmary. He has no pulse. I can't stop compressions until it's back. He needs something Eric."

Eric nodded and looked around, spying Edward, another Dauntless born. He was the fastest, so he would get there faster. "Edward, infirmary, get Carlisle, tell him training pit now."

Edward didn't hesitate. He sprinted out of the pit to find Carlisle in infirmary.

Four looked at Bella. "Compressions is going to wear you out Bella. Let me take over."

"I can't Four." Bella's dark eyes staring back at him. She had done this to Lukas, it was her responsibility to make sure he was okay after. Though she was sure Lukas wouldn't have afforded her the same. She hadn't come into contact with Lukas really prior to their spar today, so she had no reason to kill the guy. "Check pulse." She said, looking at Peter.

Peter's hand moved to Lukas's wrist as he checked. "It's there. He's not breathing."

Bella nodded and then leaned down and tilted Lukas's chin up as she breathed life into him, giving him two rescue breaths, before compressing again. She counted in her head, her focus still so sharp despite bleeding out profusely right now. She leaned down again, breathing into Lukas again and he coughed. She moved and Four helped get him sitting. "Lukas, deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Look at me."

Lukas couldn't focus, his vision was doubled but he heard Bella's voice. When her hands forced his gaze to her, his pupils danced.

Bella searched Lukas's eyes frowning. "Eric, give me your penlight."

Eric frowned, but he took it from his pocket and handed it to her. He watched her medically assess Lukas and he remained quiet, curiosity still intriguing him.

Bella flashed the light in his eye, searching for something and she shook her head. "He's severely concussed. We have blood in the ears." She said when she saw the trickle. "Hey, Lukas. Stay with me. Can you tell me your name and birthday."

Lukas took some more breaths. "What?"

"Can you hear me?"

Lukas's dark hazel eyes finally noticed Bella and the muffled sound of her voice. There was a ring in his ear and he blinked a few times trying to focus. "Yeah." He answered.

"What's today?" Bella asked.

"I don't know." Lukas murmured. Sweat was pouring off him and he felt like he was on fire. "It's hot."

Bella moved, rolling him slightly from Four and Lukas threw up again. Four ran his hand in circles over his back to help. By that time Carlisle made it to the pit, others with him. She looked up when the doctor arrived and she moved to give Carlisle room, they had brought a stretcher to load Lukas up on to take him to infirmary, and when they did. The room was silent.

Eric looked around at the shocked faces of the recruits. Even Tris had been shocked and he wouldn't admit it, but so was he.

Bella spit blood on the mat again. She had her hands perched on her hips now as she steadied her breathing. She had blood smeared all over her, her blood and Lukas's and her busted lip was still oozing blood.

Eric nodded. "Mop the blood up. Peter and Christina." He said and then turned, looking at Bella. "Get to the clinic room now. I'll be there in a minute."

Bella just nodded, before she walked off the mats, going to the side room off the pit that was the clinic.

The others moved then, going to help clean up the massive blood bath on the mats.

Eric looked at the palm pilot and did something and Bella's name moved from 15th to 10th. He looked at Four. "She's going to end this thing in first." He said, where only Four could hear.

Four agreed, though Bella was the odd one. She was very knowledgeable for someone from Abnegation and it started to make him wonder. "I'll carry on. You know first aid more than me." He said and took the palm pilot from Eric. Eric left and went to the clinic to Bella.

Bella was standing there, in her thoughts, when Eric entered the room. She had cleaned up her face, getting her lip under control for the bleeding, but her side hurt. She had thrown tape on there for now, but she really needed to shower. There was a shower there in the clinic room, but she didn't have time to figure out everything. She glanced up at Eric when he entered.

Eric shut the door behind him, locking it. He crossed his arms. "Take your clothes off."

Bella raised a brow. "Now's not the time for your weird sexual fantasies."

"It's not for that. Get in the shower and wash off." Eric said, his voice passive. He moved to door that was in the clinic and grabbed sweats and a t shirt and plopped them on the table. "I have to see where all you're hurt. You are covered in blood. Get in the shower." He said again.

Bella just looked at him, not hesitating now, as she took her bra off, her breasts free. She slid out of her tight pants and panties, before she was naked in front of Eric now. But Eric wasn't looking at her, he closed his eyes. She sighed and moved to the shower, turning it on. It didn't matter if it was hot or cold to her. She stood there and let the water rinse the blood from her body. She peeled the tape back on her side and let the water run over it. She had busted her stitches pretty good, so the bleeding wasn't stopping yet. She didn't spend long in the shower, just enough to rinse off, before she grabbed the towel and pulled it around her. She stepped out and Eric was still there, waiting patiently for her.

She walked back towards him, stopping right in front of him, looking up at him. "Now what?"

"Sit." Eric said and Bella complied, sitting on the table for him. He gathered supplies, doctoring her hands up first, wrapping her knuckles, before he peeled her towel away, dabbing at the open wound with the towel. He grabbed the needle, the thread and he stitched her. Her body didn't flinch, she was still as he closed the wound before he sealed it with glue and then bandaged it. "Get dressed."

Bella stood, getting the pants and pulling them on. She rolled them a couple times at the waist, and then she pulled on the shirt, her nipples poking through. "Are you going to look at me?"

Eric's eyes moved back to hers and he studied her. "Empathy doesn't suit me. Did you want me to empathize with you being hurt?"

"I didn't mean that." Bella murmured.

"So, what did you mean? Was it you trying to be a smart ass to spur your instructor, thinking it would what, break me?"

"No."

"Then what?"

Bella sighed. "I don't know."

Eric nodded. "It pissed me off." He said and then threw the bloody towel over into a hamper by the shower. "You, piss me off."

"I'm not going to apologize." Bella said. Apologies was a sign of weakness.

"I didn't ask you too. Let's get one thing straight Bella. I am the leader here. I make decisions based off how well I think someone is going to do. Today, that spar, was meant to knock you on your ass. You surprised me. You train hard, you go hard, all the time. I thought your injury would hold you back. When you didn't break and you took the challenge, where you not only nearly killed the number one recruit on that board, but you nearly killed my little brother."

Bella frowned. "What I though-"

"My dad, his dad. Are the same."

"Is that why you came to Dauntless."

"Yes." Eric said simply. "But I don't let that affect me. Lukas knows what he is. He knows what he can do. He grew up Dauntless, so he was going to be the best. You just ruined that for him and that's good. That's good because that means that he wasn't the best. I can separate things Bella. I can get inside your head." He said, pointing at his own head.

Bella swallowed, she didn't doubt it. "What next?"

"Next, you're going to go through a lot the next two weeks. I will push you. I will break you. It is my goal now to see how far you can actually go before you break like Lukas did today." Eric said. "You told me empathy didn't suit me. I told you, you weren't going to like it. What do you think now?"

Bella thought that Eric was right. She said words at him to protect herself and how she was beginning to feel about him after having sex. But that was nothing compared to how she felt now. Her chest was tight. She didn't want Eric to hate her, she realized now. "I think that I was wrong."

Eric nodded, he saw the flicker of emotion in her eye just now. He knew that look too well. Her words to him weren't to hurt him, but to protect herself and he could see it now because she let a wall down, even if she didn't intend to. "You will go far in Dauntless Bella. You will be number one and best in leadership here in Dauntless, if you get out of your own way."

Bella nodded, understanding.

"And another thing." Eric said and then he stepped forward, a hand going to her hip, before he drew her in, his mouth covering hers causing Bella to part her lips in shock. He kissed her, sweeping his tongue over hers before he pulled back from the kiss.

Bella's eyes fluttered open to stare into his steel ones. "Why?"

"Because I can." Eric said and then he stepped back. "Go get dressed in student quarters. You're done for the day." He said and then he left the room, leaving Bella there confused, which is what he wanted.