Redemption (Eric and Tris)

Moving forward: Part 2

A/N-So this was supposed to be a one shot but I was asked to continue. So this will not have a super thick, suspenseful story-line. Just a story of love and healing. Kinda fluffy....

Being in leadership was not something that Tris had really ever considered. Once she had finished her initiation the war had started so she never gave much thought to her future beyond staying alive. Now that everything had settled down she had a chance to look forward and decide what she wanted. She had spoken last night before really giving it much thought. She had agreed to be in leadership just to be near Eric. She found herself drawn to him since the trial. He had always been intriguing to her. But now that she understood some of what had happened he had an impossible draw to him that made her need to be near him. She was realizing that there was so much more to this man than she ever realized. The whole time that she was with Four she had never given Eric any credit. She thought of him as shallow and cruel but now she saw that there was so much more. How he had protected her mother without even knowing it was her mother. Thinking she was just some random Abnegation women that needed protection from Jeanine. But the more Tris thought about it, the more good she realized that she could do being in leadership. She knew that she could bring about the change that she wanted to see in Dauntless. She could help Veronica and Eric bring the factions together, she could help bring Eric back to his former self, the problem was she was not sure how. He was pretty broken. But she was sure with time and support she could bring him back.

Tris got out of bed and got ready to head back to the hospital. They were releasing her mother today!! She still couldn't believe that she was alive. Her father had spent the night at the hospital, not wanting to leave her mom's side, not that Tris could blame him. It was hard for her to leave, but all she could think of was to go to Eric and thank him. Which brought her thoughts back to their kiss. It was something Tris never thought would happen. She never thought of herself being with someone like Eric, but they fit together so perfectly last night. He made her feel things that Four never had. Tris shook her head to clear her thoughts. She wanted to head to Eric's to try to convince him to go to the hospital for her mother's release. She knew that her father wanted to thank Eric personally and Tris wanted to make sure that her mother knew what Eric had done for her. She walked quickly down the hallway to the elevator. Thankfully they lived in the same building only they were separated by about 8 floors. Tris stepped off the elevator and headed towards Eric's door. Knocking swiftly she got a feeling of déjà-vu. This is just what she had done the night before. Within a minute Eric opened the door, wearing nothing but his black cargo work pants. Tris inhaled quickly and glanced sharply back to Eric's face. A ghost of a smile was on Eric's face. "Do you always answer the door half naked?"

"Only when I know it is you." He answered, his voice gravelly from lack of use overnight. Tris felt a stirring in the pit of her stomach. Eric moved aside, silently inviting Tris in. Tris moved inside his apartment. As soon as she heard the door close she turned around to face him.

"I came to ask you a question."
"Sure"

"Will you come with me today? They are releasing my mom, and I would like you to be there." Tris held up her hand as Eric started to shake his head. She walked quickly towards him and placed her hand on his chest. 'Eric, please. If it wasn't for you, she wouldn't be alive today. You have no idea how much that means to me and my family. My father wants to thank you and I know once we tell my mom everything that has happened, she will want to talk to you also. Please, come with me." Eric placed his hand on top of Tris's and squeezed before gently pulling it down.

"Tris I can't." Eric walked passed her to sit on the couch, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. "Your father might want to thank me now for keeping your mother alive, but after the joy of that wears off, he will remember that I was the one that led the attack on abnegation. That I was the one that brought you to Jeanine, chased you down and made you an outlaw, tried to kill you multiple times. Killing god knows how many others in the process. He will remember all of that after the glow of having your mother back wears off. He will see me for the monster that I am. And trust me, he will not be wanting to thank that, and he will be sorry that he ever shook my hand." Eric put his face back in his hands and rubbed his face multiple times before running his hands through his hair and staring at the floor. Tris went and sat next to him.

"Eric, my father knows everything that you have done, yes it is true. He was at your trial, just like me. He knows that it was not really you. You are not the one that is to be held responsible for those actions. Jeanine is."

"I should have been strong enough to break through the serum. I should have been able to get through it. No other serum has ever worked on me before. I have been able to get out of them all. This one should have been no different. I should have been strong enough to get through it. But I failed." Eric's voiced hitched at the end of his sentence. Tris put her arm around his shoulders. She felt him stiffen slightly. She tried not take offence, knowing that he was not used to having support. He was used to going through life alone.

"You didn't fail. You had no way to get through that serum. They created it specifically for divergents. So we couldn't get out of them. Trust me Eric. The fact that you are putting yourself through this shows how much you have not failed. The fact that you are feeling this much guilt shows how great of a man and a leader you are. You care for your people."

"Please Tris, I can't go. I am not ready to face your parents. I can't face their judgment, not yet." Tris lifted Eric's face with both her hands. She saw the sadness but also the panic that was in his eyes.

"Alright. But promise me that before they go back to abnegation that you will have a meal with us and you will let them thank you. Because that is all they want. Please, Eric, promise." Tris held his gaze for a long moment.

"I promise. Just give me some time." Tris smiled.

"Thank you. I am going to go bring my mom back. Do you want to do something tonight? I am sure that my parents are going to want some space..." Tris rolled her eyes. Eric smiled like she hoped.

"Sure. You're welcome to come here."
"Perfect. I will see you later tonight then." Tris leaned in and still holding his face gave Eric a lingering kiss. She could feel all his emotions that he kept bottled up leaking through his kiss. She wondered what would happen when he finally let go. Drawing back she gazed into his blue gray eyes. Boy will that be exciting.