Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Twilight or Divergent. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and Veronica Roth. I do own the original characters created for this story line. Please support the official release!
Writer's Notes: Happy Holidays everyone! Enjoy!!! One more chapter to go!
Bella played the recording she took of Jeanine ordering Abnegation's demise for Johanna and for Kang. The two leaders of Amity and Candor frowned as they watched the recording. When it ended, Kang looked at Johanna.
"She has to be stopped." Kang said. "This is a threat to the entire system. This is genocide."
"I told you we have been fighting a war." Johanna said calmly. "We don't have many options left. She has to be taken into custody along with any followers."
"How many is that?" Kang asked.
Bella shook her head and looked at Eric. "We can't know for sure."
Eric sighed. "My guy inside Erudite said that Jeanine is a loose canon. Most people are afraid to defy her because they don't want to end up with a bullet in their head. If we make a move, then I believe that not many will follow because there will be a new fear."
"What's that?"
"Us." Bella said. "Dauntless has the army. We patrol the city. We're the only ones allowed in and out of factions without notice. Next to the factionless, we are pretty invisible."
Kang thought about this. "Killing Jeanine seems like it's… barbaric."
"It does." Bella agreed. "I admit, I have had to kill. Max was one of them. I have had to kill during the sparring games. Max left little choice for anything. We have the choices now and the power to right the course that Jeanine and Max set us on. Everett is flourishing without the factions. There is structure but there isn't anarchy. People are thriving and that is what we need here in Seattle. Our father leads Everett and lives still Kang."
"Charlie is alive?" Kang seemed surprised. Johanna had not mentioned this when she talked about funneling the Divergents to Everett.
"He is Jack." Johanna said, her voice soft.
Bella pulled a cylinder from her hip. "I propose we use this."
"What is it?" Kang asked.
"It's a device that our father sent," Eric said. "It has a serum in it that releases like a gas that will reset or wipe the memories of anyone that comes in contact with it. We can reset Jeanine and anyone that poses a danger."
Kang frowned. "But won't she become the same person she is now?"
"Not if we don't put her in power." Bella said. "She's just a person then. And we would keep an eye on her and anyone else that gets reset. It's the alternative to just killing her."
Johanna liked that way better. Being a leader of Amity, she didn't like the war or bloodshed, but she wasn't always Amity. She knew that it was sometimes necessary to fight and sometimes take a life, but she rather do this a peaceful way. "This is the best way without too much bloodshed." She said with a nod. "I vote to reset Jeanine."
Kang was silent as he thought hard about this. Morals were a big deal for him. And on top of that, he was angry with how Jeanine treated the people. How she would blindly murder hundreds of people just because. She didn't deserve a reset. It was unjust to let her live, but he knew that Johanna was also right. The bloodshed had to end. He nodded slowly. "Okay. I vote to reset Jeanine."
Bella looked at Eric and he nodded. "Alright. We're resetting Jeanine."
[Erudite]
Bella was nervous about this going right. Eric was there with her along with Jasper and a few dozen Dauntless that Eric knew would do as they were asked. Eric got word to Everett to let them know the plan and Charles was prepped and ready for reentry to Seattle and Lukas was right there with him along with Chris and Will. But that didn't make things any less nervewrecking for Bella. She was pregnant and anything could go wrong. They stopped outside Erudite proper where Jeanine would be located.
"Eric, if something happens-"
"Nothing is going to happen." Eric looked at his sister. "This will go smoothly." He reassured, before they took positions and they stormed Erudite.
Everything was happening so fast and Bella went on autopilot as she cuffed the people that refused to comply. She couldn't believe that this was happening right now. That they were able to divert a nightmare from happening. Genocide and so many people dead at the hands of Jeanine.
Jeanine's face was in shock when she saw Bella and Eric, their Dauntless tactical gear on as she surrounded her in her office with other Dauntless.
Eric's voice boomed as he spoke. "Jeanine Matthews, you are under arrest for treason and attempted genocide." It was clear who had more authority.
"This is preposterous! I did no such thing! Max was-"
"Wasn't Divergent." Eric said and walked towards her.
Caleb who had been stunned by the sudden onslaught of people being arrested left and right, had remained still until this moment. He snagged a gun and screamed, tears in his eyes as he shot Eric and landed it in his chest.
"ERIC!" Bella yelled and her own weapon came up and she fired, hitting Caleb in the chest and he went down. It was like everything was moving in slow motion. Eric fell back on the ground and others were scrambling around. Jasper kicked the gun away from Caleb and felt for a pulse as blood spilled out and layered the floor. The kid was gone. He moved to Jeanine, who's eyes were wide with shock, her body shaking as she witnessed death right in front of her. Jasper cuffed her hands behind her back and looked at Bella with worried eyes as she went to the ground beside her brother. Four was yelling orders at people, and it felt like chaos was all around them.
Eric sucked in a breath, coughing a little as the pain radiated through him. "Bella, you have to-"
"Don't do this." Bella said, her lip quivering as she ripped at Eric's gear to see where the blood was coming from that was pooling on the floor.
"Listen to me." Eric said with more ferocity in his tone, Bella's eyes widened but she nodded, shaking a little. "It's my shoulder. The vest bounced the bullet up. Take the vest off, apply pressure." He said wheezing a little.
Bella nodded as she followed all of Eric's directions and found where the bullet hit his shoulder and not in the chest. She felt relief that it wasn't a fatal shot, but the bleeding still needed to be controlled. "Jasper, call medical transport. Buggy! Get over here now!" She yelled and Buggy slid to the ground. Bella recovered from the shock of her brother getting shot. "Put your hand here." She instructed and Buggy put his hands on the wound and pressed and Eric groaned. Bella leaned up and went through her side pockets and found some med packs and she snapped them, started packing Eric's shoulder.
Within minutes, the area was cleared and the people being arrested were on transports heading for Candor.
"Buggy, go out and direct medical to where we are." Bella ordered, and Buggy followed her order. It was quiet in the office with just Bella and Eric. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Eric said, laying still and trying not to imagine the room spinning.
Bella nodded and then got to her feet and then grabbed the trash can and threw up again.
Eric frowned. "Are you sick?"
"I'm pregnant." Bella said the words out loud. "I lied." She said before Eric could say anything.
Eric couldn't believe that she would endanger herself like this, but then again he could believe it. "You lied to me." He coughed again. The vest stopped the bullet from hitting his chest, but it redirected it to his shoulder, didn't mean that his lungs didn't get bruised from the impact.
"I told you. A baby is a distraction." Bella said and sniffed, wiping her face with tissues from Jeanine's face.
"You could have been hurt today." Eric said and shook his head. "It's my job to protect you."
"Eric, it's my job to be Dauntless. Jeanine is in custody now."
"You shot Caleb." Eric redirected, knowing that it was pointless now to be angry at her for lying. He could have died today. She could have died today.
Bella was silent as she looked over at her adoptive brother's lifeless body. "I did." She said and then back to kneel next to Eric. She unfastened her vest and pulled it off and then grabbed his hand and pushed it to her belly so he could feel the small bulge that had formed. The proof of life. "I'm okay."
Eric teared up a little, his hand caressing the bump. "I'm going to be an uncle." He whispered.
Bella nodded, smiling. "You are."
Jasper returned, Will and Chris with him as well as Lukas. "Medical is here." He said and there were other Dauntless coming in with a stretcher to get Eric taken care of.
Bella stood and Lukas went to her immediately, his arms wrapping around her and his mouth covered hers instantly. She kissed him back, her heart leaping in her chest, seeing that he was okay and that he was here with her.
Jasper smiled and watched them load Eric up. "Alright. Four said that while Eric is recovering, you're in charge Bells."
Bella pulled away from Lukas to hug Chris and Will and then Jasper. She sniffed, wiping her face. "Okay. Jazz, you and Will get Caleb's body prepped for incineration. We're going to gas Jeanine and her followers later tomorrow. Let's get things cleaned up here. Put patrols in Erudite. We're calling a meeting. Where's my dad?"
"He's talking to Johanna and Kang." Jasper relayed. "We did it. We made it Bells."
Bella smiled. "We did." She nodded. "Let's finish it up now."
Bella was tired to say the least. Eric was fine, his shoulder would heal. Charlie was staying the week in Seattle to help get things settled. Jeanine was gassed and so were the eleven people that decided to follow her. She was being reprogrammed to fit into society and the hope was that she would be peaceful. The new order of things would take time to implement, but everything was headed in the right direction. For now. She took her belt off that held all her gear and set it on the dresser in her room. She heard the door open and close and she looked over her shoulder and saw Lukas. He went to her, his arms going around her from behind. His mouth kissed her neck and then his hands roamed over her hips to her stomach and he paused.
"I'm pregnant." Bella murmured into the silence.
Lukas turned her to look at him, confusion on his face. "You…."
"I couldn't pause to think about it. Too much… was happening and we needed to take Jeanine down." Bella explained. "I'm safe, our baby is safe. I promise you Lukas, that I'm going to take it easy now. I'm not going to be running around like superwoman or something."
Lukas framed her face with his hands, his lips touching hers again. It was a slow kiss, their tongues melting together like this was the first time for them. Their hands undressed one another, no other words spoken between them. They didn't need to talk right now. Lukas was just happy she was safe and alive. He had worried that he would come back to her being dead or hurt. But she was pregnant, he was going to be a father and that made him incredibly happy. He wanted to only move forward and not get stuck in the past. He could have gotten angry with her for making him go away to Everett while she sat here in danger. He could have said a hundred things that would make her feel worse than she probably did, but that didn't matter. She mattered. He laid her on the bed, his mouth brushing down her chest to her belly and he kissed his child, the small bulge that was the tell-tale of a life inside, before he moved lower, his tongue lapping against her wet cunt, her hardened clit stimulated, making her purr on the bed. His mouth plundered and caressed, gathering moans and soft sighs as he gently nudged her to an orgasm. She moaned, shivering in the sheets as she came and he drank her in. She watched him lean up and stroke his cock, before he positioned himself at her entrance and he pushed inside her slow, watched the strokes of his cock inside her as she tightened around him, cumming again. Their hands laced together and he pushed them over her head and he thrust inside her, careful of his weight on top of her, until they were lost in bliss of pleasure and ecstasy. When he came, he came deep inside her, shuddering and moaning as he did.
He rolled in the bed, pulling her against him and she snuggled close. They were quiet for a while, just enjoying being close to one another.
"Marry me." Lukas finally spoke, shattering the silence.
Bella leaned up to look at him, unsure if she heard him right." What?"
"Marry me. That's an obvious first step. I love you Bella, more than anything in this world. I don't want to be without you ever. I want you to be my wife. Bella Storm." He murmured, lifting a hand to caress her cheek. "Do me the honor."
Bella bit her lip, a smile forming on her face. "Bella Storm sounds pretty badass." She said and Lukas grinned. "Yes, I'll marry you." She said and kissed him, happiness swelling inside her. She didn't think she could get any happier. There was so much unknown out there in the world. But one thing was certain, Lukas loved her and she loved him. Despite all the trials they had to get through to get to the place they were now… she was happy and that was something she didn't think was possible. She always said that she was Dauntless, a betrayal to her youth growing up as Abnegation. But she was Divergent and always will be Divergent.
