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"Hello Dears" Natalie smiles as Caleb and Marlene walk into her home.

"We have a surprise," Marlene tells her after giving her a hug. She loved visiting Natalie, and they could share all the things that Abnegation frowned upon.

"Marlene and I are getting married," Caleb says proudly reaching for Marlene's hand and lacing their fingers together.

"Oh, this is so wonderful" Natalie gushes hugging both again.

"Mom, I told Marlene everything" Caleb confesses after they pull away and Natalie goes to pour them tea.

Natalie takes a deep breath, nods, and sits down.

"Good, because things are getting more serious. Marlene, I've suspected the reason you left Dauntless was because you're like us" Natalie comments.

Caleb reaches for Marlene's hand and squeezes it.

"You too? " Marlene replies in a shaky voice and then looks between Natalie and Caleb.

"Yes, me too. It's okay sweetheart. It's nothing bad, our brains just work differently, we don't conform to one way of thinking"

"And that's why it's dangerous for us?" Marlene asks, feeling some relief at finally being able to ask questions.

"Yes, you are supposed to fit into one faction, and now Erudite is using the stem cells from people like us to make serums to make enhanced soldiers in an effort to have complete control of the city"

"That's horrible…. why?" Marlene asks, trying to wrap her head around this new information.

"I think because certain people value power and influence above anything else" Caleb speaks up and Natalie nods in agreement. She'd seen what power did to Evelyn, it was the same thing that had a hold on Jeanine.

"Things have been quiet for a few months, and I suspect that the Erudite will start moving on the factions soon. Has Andrew done anything suspicious lately?"

"No, He wanted to arrange a marriage to Susan Black for me. He seems to be okay that I'm getting married after Marcus was okay, he thinks it will look good for when he and Marcus propose me for a seat on the council" Caleb confirms.

"Good, as long as Marcus is going along, Andrew won't go against him. Have you found a way to speak with your sister?"

"No, but we have an idea. Marlene had a great idea on the way over here of asking for the job of Faction Liaison for the distribution center"

"If I can take on the responsibility of going to each faction to coordinate donations, I'll have an excuse to go to Dauntless each month" Marlene confirms.

"Very smart" Natalie praises and sees how well her son and soon to be daughter in law bounced off each other. "The Factionless were planning to start their own rebellion but now I think Evelyn is going to make a deal with Erudite. That means Marcus and Andrew are going to get double-crossed." Natalie explains.

"Abnegation are going to be sitting ducks" Marlene reasons as Caleb's eyes go wide.

"That's right, I don't know when it will happen, but I need you two to be able to defend yourselves and try to keep as many people as possible safe" Natalie adds. "Caleb, have you been keeping up with your training?"

Caleb nods in response.

When Natalie was helping Tris train for Dauntless, Caleb started joining in when he would visit. It wasn't major, just simple pushups and sit-ups before bed. Natalie taught him how to throw some punches. At first, he thought about stopping after Choosing Day, but he promised himself, if Andrew ever raised a hand to him again, he would be strong enough to put him down. He'd seen a difference in his body, gaining some muscles, and feeling stronger.

"Marlene, you get in some training too. When the attack comes, they won't spare you because you're a woman"

Marlene nods in understanding. She wanted to keep up her physical training anyway.

"How are you at shooting?" Natalie asks.

"Okay, Not the best but I can hit the target easily" Marlene explains.

"Okay, we're going to practice just like I did with Tris. I want you two to be able to shoot a gun if you need to."

Natalie gets up and moves the bed, making it scrape against the floor. She moves an old vent grate and pulls out a few weapons and a small box of ammunition.

"Take this in case you need to use it" She hands the gun to Marlene who nods and adds it to her bag, hiding it under the supplies she had to give out "Have a backpack prepared with supplies in case you need to run and hide"

Caleb makes a mental note to do as his mother instructs. "Where did you get all these weapons Mom?"

"The Factionless have been planning to move for a while, we want a better position in the city, not just taking handouts from Abnegation. There are people who think the only way to bring change is by using force and that means stockpiling weapons stolen from Dauntless"

"Will Tris and Tobias be okay?" Caleb was nervous now, it felt like there was so much happening, how was he going to keep his mother and Marlene safe? Where could they go?

"Yes, they will. Tris and Tobias have Tris' father, my sister, and her sons helping them. Max is working on a plan to bring down Jeanine. Keep an eye out to see if Andrew and Marcus say or do anything, I'll have Max work on getting you a radio to connect you with Tris if something happens. If an attack comes to Abnegation run and get to Dauntless" Natalie instructs again.

"What about you Mom?" Caleb asks nervously. "Are you going to Dauntless too?"

"No Sweetheart. I need to stay here as long as possible. I'm the only link to get information about what Erudite and the Factionless are planning. As long as they trust me, I need to get all the information we can to help Max fight this war"

She and Max had talked about this at length. He'd been ready with a place for her closer to Dauntless to hide but in the end, he'd agreed with her that she needed to stay for the time being.

"Will you be safe?" Caleb says softly. Marlene rubs her hand across his back and Natalie reaches over to grab his hand.

"Yes, I have my eyes open and I'm still Dauntless deep down. Don't you worry"

Caleb looks at the time and knows he and Marlene need to get going. Natalie hugs them both tightly. She was happy for her son and glad he had someone to have his back in Abnegation. When she lets them go, she rummages in the kitchen area for a few minutes.

"I had intended this to be something for you after initiation was over, but I guess this will have to serve as a wedding present." Natalie passes a small cloth that Marlene unfolded to reveal several different herbs that Marlene could use for cooking when no guests were expected for dinner.

"Thank you, this is so sweet" Marlene gushes.

Before they say goodbye Marlene gives Natalie one last hug. Caleb smiles when they walk out the door and holds out his hand for her. Things were about to get bad; he could feel it but having Marlene by his side made it a little less terrifying.


The Divergent: A Growing Threat

"What the hell is this?" Tobias asks, looking at the newspaper Max set in front of him at his kitchen table.

"Erudite making a statement," Max says.

"But she needs them why would she do this?"

"I assume to turn other people against them. Who's more likely to hand over divergent for her? People who think they have a place in society or people who are afraid?"

Tobias nods in understanding.

Zeke and Max look over the final board of their task force.

"You sure you two don't want to go out and have some fun?" Max asks.

"Once we finish this we will, I'm sure Uriah is drunk already" Zeke chuckles.

"I've listed who I think would be good for this team based on the skills I have observed and who we know can trust"

Tobias puts up a chart he had made on the whiteboard.

"Uriah- He's the best-damned shooter I've seen in Dauntless. He can come in handy if we need a sniper"

"Agreed" Max nods.

"Christina- Candor born but she can read a person and determine if they are lying very well. I think we can use that to our advantage, and she will be handy if we need to interrogate someone"

Max nods again impressed with Tobias and his observations.

"Will, Erudite born, my gut is telling me he's loyal and not mixed up with Myra and Edward. I never observed them talking to each other or interacting. I also think he would be a good medic, Hana's going to need additional hands. We need someone who knows the inside of Erudite. He's also with Christina, she would know if he was lying about his intentions"

"That's smart, and he might be able to make a connection inside Erudite if we need it" Zeke adds.

"Tris, I know you don't want her involved but she's stubborn and she won't take no for an answer. She's much smarter than she lets on and I think we can use her to look at any patterns and assist Zeke with Faction Relations"

Max sighs, he knew Tobias was right, he didn't want his daughter anywhere near this, but he'd have more trouble keeping her away.

"I would like to add Amar as well. I trust him, but…." Tobias stops and Zeke looks between them confused.

"George Wu… He was one of the people you gave up to Erudite…wasn't he?" Zeke asks.

Max nods and Zeke curses. Tori deserved to know, and so did Amar, but how could he tell her this? She was finally moving on and happy again.

"Let's talk to Amar and start with the youngsters because the two of you are involved as well. You two get out of here and have some fun tonight after the banquet. We will meet with all these folks prior to the meeting about job assignments" Max instructs understanding why Tobias hesitated.

Before they leave Max sits down next to Zeke.

"I know you and Tori have gotten really close the past few weeks and you're in a tough spot. I'm not asking you not to tell her, but I'm asking you to give it some time"

Zeke nods and then hangs his head.

Max knew he had to find a way to make amends for the people on that list he gave to Jeanine and Tori and Amar needed to be the first two.


Max looks at the rankings again and he can't control the smile on his face. His daughter was ranked first. He felt like he was going to explode with pride. There were a few things that carried weight in Dauntless and being the first-ranked initiate was one of them. Max himself had been ranked first and it was what set him on his path in leadership.

"You know you are going to have to start telling people at some point she's your daughter," Hana's voice says interrupting his thoughts.

"It's killing me not to, I'm so proud of her but at the same time, I'm terrified someone will come after her just because I'm her father. I just want to keep her safe with everything going on," Max says with a frown.

"Welcome to being a parent, Max. We want to protect them from any and everything that can harm them but the older they get we realize that we can't. Do you remember the daycare incident when Zeke was three?" Hana asks.

Max chuckles. He remembered Reggie calling him over the radio to get help because Hana was freaking out when she picked Zeke and Uriah up and Zeke had been pushed by another child and scraped his knee. Hana raised holy hell and Max had to calm her and the daycare staff down. Hana went back and forth about not wanting to send the boys back to daycare until Reggie talked some sense into her.

"It took what a week of Reggie being daddy daycare before he put his foot down and sent the boys back to daycare?" Max asks with his eyebrows raised.

Hana chuckles now at the memory. "I had to learn that I couldn't protect the boys from everything, and they needed to learn some things for themselves"

Max nods in understanding as he gets up and squeezes Hana's shoulder. Hana had been his best friend since Reggie died. He wouldn't have made it without her support and guidance.

Max stands over the crowd after giving his speech flanked by Chavis, Stacy, Harrison, and Victoria

"We welcome the new initiates of Dauntless and this year's rankings are going to determine which jobs our new members take. We believe in bravery. We believe in taking action. We believe in freedom from fear and in acquiring the skills to force the bad out of our world so that the good can prosper and thrive. If you also believe in those things, we welcome you. Take a look at the screen behind me to see the rankings. This year's class is a special one for me, please help me welcome my daughter Tris as a new member of Dauntless"

There are gasps from the group but the roar of applause, cheers, and fists banging on the table. Harrison slaps Max on the shoulder and extends his hand to him.

"You old dog, how the hell did we not know you had a daughter? And ranking first? Runs in the blood doesn't it" Harrison grins.

"Yeah, I guess it does" Max chuckles.

"So, I hope we get an explanation about how you have a daughter who's a transfer from Abnegation…" Stacy teases and narrows her eyes at Max. A lightbulb goes off in Harrison's mind and he gives Max a look.

"Maybe one day" Max grins and nods at Harrison.

Chavis and Victoria offer their congratulations but are interrupted as Max is almost knocked over as Tris barrels into him wrapping her arms around him.

"I'm so proud of you, ranking 1st, your mother was right, you may look like her, but you and I are more alike than we know," Max tells her as he squeezes tight.

"Thanks, Daddy. You ranked first too?" Tris beams and Max nods as he smiles and pulls back.

"Tris!" Uriah yells from across the room waving his hands with a big grin and motioning for her to join him and Lynn.

"Go have fun, how about you and I spend some time together tomorrow, I'll block off my entire morning" Max promises and his heart swells with joy as she beams. She gives him another big hug before running off to join her cousin.

He notices Tris pull Four into a big hug across the room. He could sense how close they were and then he saw another initiate that he knew was friends with Uriah pull her in for a kiss. His daughter was dating, and he had only known her for a few months, he missed her entire life. He wanted to get to know her better.

Hana comes up again and hands him a beer.

"I'm going to have a long day; you know how things can get on days like this with everyone drunk" Hana muses taking a sip of her drink.

"Yeah, I have a lot of work to do but they need days like this with everyone having fun. Congratulations, by the way, Uriah has a lot of potential. I know Reggie would be proud of him too"

Hana was proud of Uriah, being ranked second was great for her son, and she knew Max was right. She wished her husband were here with them too.

"You had just as much to do with that as I did" Hana reminds him. "So, thank you"


"So, you weren't going to tell anyone that your father is our faction leader?" Christina asks as she, Will, Uriah, and Lynn sit around the couches of the old training space with drinks in their hands. More people had trickled in for what Uriah called their official Welcome to Dauntless Party.

"Daddy didn't want people asking too many questions for my safety during initiation. We actually didn't get to meet until I got to Dauntless" Tris explains vaguely.

"How is that possible? That your parents are in different factions?" Christina presses and Tris sighs, annoyed with the questions.

"My mother was Dauntless-born, she transferred, she and my father were together when they were younger, they had an affair, hence why I'm here." Tris snaps, agitated at the questions.

"Why would he be concerned for your safety?" Christina inquires and Will jabs her in the side noticing how Tris' body language had changed.

"Owwww, What? I want to know," She complains and gives Will a deadly glare "Did he think you wouldn't stack up in Dauntless"

"Yeah, Initiation can get a little intense when someone wants a top spot. There used to be a limited number of spots instead of the scoring system we have now. Max changed it when he became the head of Dauntless" Uriah explains.

"Yeah, a butterknife to the eye might have been the least of anyone's problems" Lynn snorts.

"Oh," Christina says quietly as Tris gets up and stomps off to the other side of the room to get another drink.

"Could you be any more of a bitch, Christina?" Lynn growls as she gets up to follow behind Tris.

Christina winces at Lynn's tone and realizes that she was harsh in her comments. It was harder than she thought to turn off her instincts to hunt for the truth and interrogate people.

Uriah goes to get up and see about Tris, but Christina stops him.

"Lynn, can you give us a minute?" Christina asks as she sees Tris turn around the corner and wipe a tear from her eye.

Lynn doesn't move and Tris sighs and nods her head in the direction they were sitting in to tell Lynn it was okay.

"Look Tris, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to grill you like that, it's hard to turn off" Christina looks down at the floor and bites her top lip.

"You know other than Four, you're only the second friend I've ever had? And for you to insinuate that I didn't earn my spot when you saw me every damn day here, fighting trying to make it just like you…. That right there is exactly why my father wanted to protect me, from jealous people like you…" The venom was evident in Tris' voice and Christina looked up and saw the hurt in her eyes.

"I should have never said that Tris, I know how hard you worked. "I'm so sorry, you earned that spot, and your dad is pretty amazing for wanting the best for you," Christina tells her.

Tris in that moment realizes one of the greatest gifts she inherited from growing up in Abnegation was forgiveness. It didn't feel right for her to hold a grudge, it was selfish.

"I accept your apology," Tris tells her, and she and Christina hug.

"Did you two make up?" Will asks as Tris and Christina rejoin their group.

"Yeah, we did, I've encouraged Christina to use her interrogation skills for good in the future"

Everyone laughs as the party continues. Tris was excited to start her new life, she looked over at Uriah and smiled.


Tobias takes a swig of the flask Zeke had given him. As soon as he and Zeke finished with Max, they made their way to the old training room to celebrate with Uriah and Tris. He was so proud of Tris, ranking first. She had chattered on about how excited she was to be able to spend time with him now at the banquet and how she wanted to catch up on everything she had missed with him.

He was excited about it too, but the fact still remained he was conflicted about his feelings. Sleeping with Shauna complicated things even more. His Abnegation instincts were screaming at him that sexual pleasure was selfish.

Zeke was telling a joke that Uriah, Lynn, and Tris were laughing at. Tobias tries to hide his disappointment as Lynn leans back and puts her arm around Tris. Part of him feels like he shouldn't but he sees Shauna talking to Lauren and makes his way over to her.

"Hey," Tobias tells Shauna as Lauren adjusts her top to make her boobs appear more visible and announces she was going to talk to Zeke.

"Hey yourself," she tells him holding her hand out for the flask he had. He hands it over and rubs the back of his neck.

"Do you wanna come to my place later?" he asks in a low voice, leaning into her and then looking around.

Shauna bites her lip and smiles. If she couldn't have Zeke, she might as well have a little fun.


The morning after initiation in Abnegation, Caleb makes his way to start his first day of work as his father's full-time clerk and office assistant.

Caleb sits down to start preparing for the things to be discussed for the day. He'd done this a few times for his father before initiation, so he was familiar with what to do.

While Marcus was the main leader of Abnegation, Andrew, and Jacob served as his deputies that had access to documents and other things. There were 50 other council members and Andrew had plans for Caleb to take one of those spots after serving as his clerk just as he had done for Marcus.

"Where is Jacob, we were supposed to start this meeting at 9," Marcus asks annoyed looking at his watch.

"Caleb, please see what is keeping Jacob," Andrew tells his son without looking up from the notes he was writing.

Caleb doesn't say a word, but he gets up and walks out of the building that held the meeting hall and offices. Jacob's house was a few doors down from Marcus'. Caleb walks up to the front door and knocks. He waits a minute and then knocks again.

"Mr. Eversley…. It's Caleb Prior, I'm just checking to make sure you are okay"

Still not getting an answer, Caleb tries the door handle. Many Abnegation didn't bother locking their doors, feeling that if someone were to steal something it was much needed, and they should not be selfish.

Caleb turns the handle and walks in.

"Mr. Eversley…" He calls. He stops as soon as he peers into the kitchen. There sitting at the table was Jacob, his head slumped down and two bullet wounds in his chest.