Authors Note: No matter how many time I wish upon a star: Eric will never ever belong to me *sob*

Divergent belongs to Veronica Roth

Eric and Four are eighteen when the story starts and it starts out Four/Tris before changing to Eric/Tris. The War never happened simply because I'm changing the storyline. It will follow for a while then go AU. Eric looks like he does in the movie.

Yelling

~ Dauntless to the Core ~

Chapter 1: Watching Her

He had watched her jump from the train and the building with the Condor girl and had been impressed. A Stiff. There hadn't been one since Four. It took guts to leave Abnegation and join Dauntless that he knew would be harder than any of the other fractions. They were selfless people over in Abnegation. Getting on the ledge leading to the hole into Dauntless he started the speech that he did every year not at all surprised that no one wanted to jump first. Normally he would have to select one. Once he even through someone in. He hadn't had a good day but that was beside the point.

"Me" Turning his head he watched the Stiff walk forward and jumped down. He was more than a little interested in her now. She was plain, which was normal for Abnegation but he was sure with some time in Dauntless she would shine and grow into herself. Watching her jump, and not scream earned another check in his book with first impressions.

He saw her again that night sitting at the same table as Four. Their rivalry was nothing new but he wanted to see just what type of a girl she was. Tris. Tris was different that the others and he was well aware by that night that Four told the Transfers at his table that Eric had been an Erudite before he was a Dauntless leader.

He hated having to push her but he liked seeing the spark in her eye and knew that she had to be pushed. Being pushed broke you yes, but you were strong afterwards. He knew she would be the same. Just like he had.

Watching Tris and Four together got under his skin. He wasn't sure why, but it did. Maybe it was because he felt he was holding her back, keeping her from being the Dauntless he knew she could be. He normally would push these feelings away but she brought out the ugly side of him more than he cared to admit. He wanted to break her so he could put her back together. So he did. He strove to break her but Four was always there protecting her. It was irritating really that he wasn't able to, even after she became a member of Dauntless and waited on choosing her job. He wanted her to be close to him and away from Four. Away from the comments and snide comments he knew Four made about him. He itched to shove the perfect Four into the chasm but refrained from doing so. Not only was he the favorite of the leaders he was also Tris's boyfriend and he knew she would only hate him more of he killed him. That didn't stop him from wanting everyone to see Four fail at something. Something that he would never get over.

He had someone already with the potential to be a leader, which was Peter but that meant nothing. He knew as a former Abnegation the position would never go to her head like it would for Peter in a few years and he itched to get her into it. She was ranked first so she really should have to spot. Even if it was just because of the second stage of training. The first stage almost broke her, but he was willing to train her to be better. To be a Dauntless Leader. Why she mattered to him he didn't know, he just knew he wanted her working beside him.

Running his fingers through his hair he walked back to his apartment from the pit, his coffee in one hand to help him wake up further after his early morning meeting with Max.

"Watch it" He growled before glancing at who dared to walk into him only to see Tris staring at him.

"Sorry, I'm not a morning person" Tris muttered running a hand through her hair which was still loose at the moment.

"Neither am I" Eric admitted sipping his coffee slowly. A laugh escaping Tris made him look at her again.

"What?" He snapped harshly.

"Nothing. You just don't seem like the type of person to like people in general." Tris said tilting her head to the side and letting herself look him over fully. He was dressed in his normal attire of black pants, combat boots and his black t-shirt and vest, but his hair was a mess and he looked like he could fall asleep again. She had to admit it was a different look, one that she didn't mind seeing him in.

"Seriously?" He said calmly causing her eyes to snap back to his.

"Yeah. Either that or you never get enough sleep." Tris stated making him chuckle.

"I'm a Leader, I never get enough sleep." Eric responded rubbing his face with his free hand before taking another mouthful of coffee.

"So that's why you're as approachable as a bed of nails?" Tris teased giving Eric a smile before he laughed. Not one of his cold laughs she was used to but a real one.

"I'll have to remember that one the next time someone comments on my personality." Eric said as he calmed his lips turning into a smirk that held no malice.

"I'll let you get back to what you were doing. I'm heading to the pit before going on a run. I'll see you around" Tris said rambling before stepping to the side and carried on down the hall to the pit, leaving a smirking Eric in the hallway before he too headed to his room.

Tris smiled as she walked not having expected the laugh that left Eric's lips when she made an offhand comment about his personality. It was true about him from what she saw. Making her way to the Pit she waved at those she knew before entering the dining hall and grabbed something to eat and drink before heading out on her run for the morning. Arriving back at the compound she walked to the dorm and grabbed her change clothes and took a shower, her mind turning over the encounter with Eric again. She felt sorry for him, he had to deal with so much and he was still seen as the bad guy. Deciding she was going to try to get Eric more human, at least around her and not so much on an asshole was something that she was worried over a little but the idea had merit. Dressing herself again she head out of the dorm and wandered the halls before impulse made her turn and walk to Eric's office.

"Tris?" Four asked stepping out of the control room his brow furrowed.

"Hi" Tris said softly accepting his hug shyly. She wasn't used to the contact. Giving Four or Tobias a shy smile which he returned made her relax. Four made her feel special but regardless of dating she was unsure if she really wanted to be with Four because she liked him for him or because he had been unattainable at least when she had been an initiate.

"I saw what happened with Eric this morning. Are you ok?" Four asked reaching out to rub Tris's arm his eyes gentle.

"Yeah. I managed to keep him from getting to mad at me." Tris said giving him a small smile her hand resting on his cheek. With how often they kissed she was still unsure of what she wanted from him, it was rather pathetic. But there was reasons for it, ones that she was grateful never showed in her fear landscape. She would have left rather than face that again even if it was only in her mind. Seeing Four relax she kissed his cheek.

"Do you know where Eric is? I wanted to ask him about the different jobs I could go into if he wasn't busy." Tris said noticing the tightening of his jaw.

"Why not work with me?" He asked softly.

"I still might. I just want to know what's out there for me to choose from." Tris said looking at the ground. She didn't want to fight but she would. She wasn't sure if she would like sitting in the control room the entire time she was a Dauntless. She loved the thrills, and doing things. Something that Four might not understand.

"Don't you have something to be doing Four?" Eric drawled standing a couple feet away from them his eyes filled with hatred. Tris felt Four stiffen under her fingers before she hugged him tight.

"Go, I'll be fine" Tris said softly giving him a smile. Seeing Four relax and turn to her again she gave him another smile. Seeing his lips turn up slightly made her happy before she was surprised by the sudden kiss he took from her lips. Much like her first with him he didn't let her know. He had taken her by surprise once more. Kissing back after a moment she watched him leave before looking at Eric and blushing her cheeks going red. Something she was sure Four saw on camera.

"I don't think I've seen anyone go that red before" Eric commented raising an eyebrow his hair how it usually was, and looking more alert than he had that morning.

"Well it's not every day that someone happens to watch me kiss my boyfriend. I'm not a very…"

"Public person? Affectionate? exabitionest? Wait the last one only refers to sex" Eric said frowning as he thought making Tris laugh.

"I still have a little Abnegation in me I guess. It's just not done there and I can't seem to get comfortable. Well you seen my fears" Tris said making Eric nod.

"Either way I was heading to my apartment when I heard you mention my name" Eric said leaning against the wall his arms folded across his chest, calmly waiting.

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you if you had the time about the different jobs you could do here in Dauntless, I want to consider my options the best I can before I choose."

"Finally someone who actually says what they want from me" Eric said as he pushed himself off the wall.

"My office is this way" He said tilting his head down the hallway he came from, letting Tris move from her side of the hall to beside him and then into step with him as he walked, he even took care to not walk as fast as he normally would.

Once they reached his office he unlocked it before letting Tris pass in before him and got comfortable on his desk facing her. Tris sat in the chair by him, her eyes darting to him then her lap before Eric sighed.

"You were ranked first meaning you get first choice. Top two normally get selected or have the choice for being a Leader. I took over for one of the ones who are no longer with us, but there is talk that one of the women Leaders we do have wants to step down. Since you and Peter are the top initiates you can chose if you want the position or it goes to him." Eric said calmly before placing his hands on his desk.

"Whoever takes that position will have to train with me for the next year or so before they become an actual leader. You will simply start out as shadowing then move up to actually doing thing and eventually I will simply be there watching you and correcting if you need it." Eric said before pinching his nose.

"The other options are either the control room, tattooing or piercing, training initiates which is only once a year so you will have to actually have another job for that or guarding the fence and the fractionless." Eric said trailing off as he finished covering the different jobs. Tris bit her lower lip before looking at Eric looking to see if there was more. When he said nothing she sighed.

"I'm going to be honest being a Leader sounds the most interesting and I would get to help or watch the Initiates. I thought there was something of an Ambassador to the fractions or do Leaders do that?" Eric looked impressed with her question causing Tris to blush.

"That depends on who you train with or take over for. I deal with Erudite, Max with Amity, and I don't bother with the rest. We really don't deal with Abnegation since most of us are transfers from the fraction we deal with but we all rally against Abnegation. Not in a bad way, they just tend to piss us off, even Max." Eric said rubbing his face with his hand.

"I take it your against Abnegation refusing to allow Dauntless to police and deal with the fractionless?" Tris said making Eric scowl.

"Very much so. Abnegation is the one that forced us out with a vote with Amity and half of Candor. Something that rarely happens. After Dauntless stopped it got personal." Eric said before leaning back and pressing a button on his phone and looked at Tris.

"So your boyfriend doesn't have any ammunition against me, and I better not find out you told him" Eric growled causing Tris to nod, a moment later Eric nodded in satisfaction.

"I had a little sister, she was six years younger than me. When I was twelve and going home from school with her, in the erudite section district of the city we were attacked by several fractionless and they killed her. I was in the hospital for four months because of it. And then I planned on joining Dauntless." Eric glanced at the door lost in thought before a touch to his knee from Tris brought him back.

"I'm sorry you lost her." She said softly getting a nod from Eric who didn't want to talk.

"How long will it last for, what you did for the cameras?" Tris asked clarifying what she meant when he saw his frown.

"A couple minutes more unless I extend it. Why?"

"Because I want to tell you something only my family knows. Something that I think helped drive me to Dauntless like you"