Chapter 25

                                    

                                          
  This chapter is dedicated to @paechandler for being "completely and utterly addicted" to this story! You guys are all awesome for your patience and support ❤️
                          
   Eric immediately felt Rae's tension as he entered their apartment that evening. She was busy in the kitchen, the smell of smoke filling the space between them.
"Holy fuck, Rae." Eric said, hurrying over to open a window. 
"I know." She groaned, placing the burnt bread from the broiler on top of the stove and then sank to the kitchen floor in defeat. "I forgot about the bread. Twice." She rubbed her temples in frustration. He walked to where she sat on the kitchen floor and sat next to her. 
"We can go to the Pit and grab some dinner, little one. This is no big deal." He assured her with raised brows, rubbing a hand across the back of her shoulders reassuringly. 
"I know," Rae looked at her feet. "I'm just having a really off day I guess." 
"Shit happens." Eric shrugged his broad shoulders. "Tell me how your day got so messed up?" 
 As he interlocked his fingers with hers, she closed her eyes for a moment. Sighing, she opened them to look up at him. 
"I could actually go for a drink or two. You?"
"I'm in." He smiled.
  ***
  Two hours and three drinks- on Rae's behalf- later, Eric and Rae still sat at a table in the Pit. Eric had ordered dinner and a beer while Rae insisted that she wasn't hungry. He'd kept quiet and ate his dinner while he watched his wife down her drinks, but now that he'd finished, he asked,
"So are you going to tell me what's gotten you so worked up?" 
  Rae sighed, finishing her drink and ordering a fourth. Eric didn't object, yet his eyebrows raised in concern. 
"Max came to my office today. He told me about a few things that I feel like you've known about for some time now. Guess it's just a lot to take in."
  Eric sat back in his chair, annoyed. Mostly with Max, but also in part with Rae. She should be grateful that she had been trusted by Max with such sensitive information, not so upset that she needed to drink to cope. He knew exactly what "things" she was talking about. 
  Max at least should have let him know that he was going to bring his wife in on this plan. 
"Okay." He said simply, after narrowing his eyes at her a moment. "So you worked hard and earned your boss's trust on an important matter. I don't see the issue, Rae."
  Rae stared at him a moment, a mild look of disbelief on her face. She took another long drink before answering.
"I'm not ungrateful. I suppose I'm just confused. It doesn't feel right-"
"What doesn't feel right?" Eric interjected."
"Are we sure Divergents are all that b-"
  Eric didn't let her finish, but instead grasped her arm firmly and pressed a finger to her lips as he glanced around him. 
"Do not talk about that here." He said seriously, those famously cold eyes stern. "Back home, now."
  Rae pulled herself free of his hold with a glare. "I'm not done with my drink yet." She said obstinately. 
"I think you've had enough, don't you?" His voice was low, and dangerous. Rae wasn't going to give in completely. She quickly gulped the last of her drink then slammed it down so hard on the bar that she earned a glare from the bartender too. 
"Happy?" She spat before hopping down from the barstool and stalking angrily out of the Pit towards their apartment without waiting for him. Eric sighed hard before rising and following Rae out of the Pit. 
  Once they were home, he could tell she had no intention of calming down. She had busied herself first in the bathroom, getting ready for bed and slamming things around as she went. Then she'd moved on to tidy up the kitchen and Eric watched wearily as she slammed things around there too. She nearly cracked a stack of plates on half when Eric finally came up behind her, grabbing them out of her hands and placing them up beyond her reach for safety. He grabbed her hands and led her to the dining table. Once seated, he proceeded tentatively. 
"I'm sorry for making you leave the bar. But that's all I'm sorry for."
"What about not telling me about how you and the other leaders are working with Jeanine on a secret plan to murder innocent people? Are you sorry for that too?" 
"No." He said firmly. Leaning forward and looking her in the eye. "And I'll tell you why. Because I had an order to retain confidentiality on the matter and I DID MY JOB. Because you know nothing about Divergents and they are indeed a threat to the faction system and a peaceful existence as we know it. And most of all, somehow, I knew that this is exactly how you'd take it. You grew up in Amity, and as much as I hate it, you always want everyone to be innocent. But not everyone IS innocent Rae! Divergents are born hardwired to rebel. Does that sound like someone you'd be able to trust? Someone that can't be like us, no matter what?"
"Sounds like someone who is being punished for something they have no control over." Rae answered quietly. 
"DAMN IT!" He roared, slamming his fist down on the table. "Why must you argue about everything? This especially. This is beyond you and I, or even Max at this point. Just DO AS YOU'RE TOLD, Rae, for once. Please. I understand that as an Amity-born, it's probably hard for you to comprehend a person who has no morals. But until you DO understand, you HAVE to follow the orders you're given. If you don't, there will be consequences that I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you from."
  Rae only lowered her eyes, biting her tongue. She didn't agree, and it wasn't because of the naive Amity heart he believed her to possess. She hated that he thought of her that way... yet, she had already gone too far. She had to play along in order to keep herself safe. As much as she hated to keep this from her husband, she felt deep down in her gut that he wasn't ready to find out the truth. 
"I will follow orders, Eric. I'm not stupid. I just didn't understand is all." She kept her eyes low, and her voice innocent. 
"Do you remember when I told you about my brother?" He asked her, catching her off guard. His voice had softened considerably now. Rae nodded, meeting his gaze curiously. "Well, he was Divergent."
  She couldn't help that her mouth fell open. She hadn't expected that. She had only guessed, the night of the Erudite dinner, after she'd asked about his family. She'd never expected him to admit it to her. 
"He chose Candor... it didn't take long for the truth to come out. Part of me wonders if he wanted to get caught. I never knew, not until he died. It always pissed me off so bad when I was younger... we were so close. It was just such a shock that he never told me. Jeanine had us all examined, to see if it was genetic."
"Is it?" Rae barely breathed out, thinking of Marcus's comments about her own mother.
"If it is, it thankfully skipped me. And my parents of course." 
 Rae was silent awhile, soaking in the information he'd given her. She was unsure of how to respond to this. After a few moments, she finally asked,
"How did your parents cope with it?" 
  Eric's eyes darkened immediately. "My mother killed herself shortly after I came to Dauntless. She couldn't handle losing us both." 
  Rae looked at him with pity in her eyes. "Eric, I'm so sorry." She reached for his hand, but he folded his fingers together. 
"Don't feel sorry for me. Faction before blood. There's a reason for that." 
  Rae felt uneasy. Being with Eric had always made her feel safe. He was her husband. However, she couldn't keep Four's warnings from the previous year out of her mind. She resented this new tension between them. This new insight to Eric's past only solidified her fear of what she was. Eric must never find out. 
***
Choosing Day came faster than Rae could have imagined.  That morning, Eric had awoken early and headed straight for the shower. By the time Rae had made her way out of bed, he had coffee made and breakfast on the table.
"Are you ready for today, love?" She asked him, trying to pack as much reassurance as she could in to her voice. 
"I'm ready." He smirked confidently. 
"They don't know what they're in for, with a leader like you." She purred, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling his lips down to hers. "I sure didn't." She added in a whisper. 
  Eric straightened slightly. "I have a few extra minutes before I have to leave." 
Rae smiled into his lips and he carried her off to their bedroom.
***
The first initiate that Rae watched fall from the roof was almost as exhilarating as the first time Rae herself had jumped. She could only imagine the pretty blonde-haired girl's heart as she'd jumped into the unknown. She watched as the girl smiled, lying back in the net, relieved. Four seemed to take particular interest as he pulled the net down, causing her to roll toward him. 
"What's your name, initiate?"
"B-b- uh-" 
"What, is it a hard one?" He asked. Rae could see the hint of a smile play on his lips. "You can choose a new one if you like, but make it good because you don't get to pick again."
"Tris. My name is Tris." The girl announced with a smile.
  Rae smiled as well. She could see a spark there, between Four and Tris, but maybe it was just her imagination. 
***
 The days passed quickly for Rae. She was immersed in her work with Max. Part of her work was to enter the simulation information of each initiate during stage Two in to the database. Stage Three was about to begin. Rae noticed that one initiate- Tris Prior- had an error in her screening. Upon further research, she learned that Tori, the  too artist and same Dauntless that had helped her through her own exam, had also administered Tris's exam. 
  Despite the warnings in Rae's computer, Rae passed Tris's tests along, marking them as 'observed'. Even thought Rae was almost 100% sure Tris was Divergent, she wouldn't tell anyone. To say something, would practically guarantee the girl's death. 
***
  Walking home from work after a very long evening, Rae stopped immediately as she heard the echoes of a scuffle up ahead as she neared the chasm. Cautiously rounding the corner, she saw Tris leaning against a wall, gasping for air. She rushed to Tris's side, then saw what was making all the commotion. Four opposed 3 others in masks, easily keeping them all in check. 
"They tried to push me over." Tris gasped out as she watched Four drop all three of his opponents. Rae helped her to her feet as Four approached.
"Are you okay?" He asked her, a hand on her cheek.
"I'm fine." Tris blushed, her eyes flickering toward Rae. 
  Rae only nodded her head at Four as he led Tris down the hallway, which she noticed was the same direction as Four's apartment. Smiling to herself, she  hurried toward her own apartment. She knew she had seen a spark between those two. 
                          
I'm so sorry about the long wait. I haven't abandoned you all! Cross my heart!!! Thankful for every one of you who take the time to vote, comment, and even send me messages! You guys truly rock 🤘🏼