Unloved (Eric x OC Divergent)

Part XXVI: The Assignment

-Eric-

However much I would like to stay home with Florence, our jobs demand us to get out of the house eventually. I walk her over to the infirmary to start her day shift and kiss her goodbye at the door to leave for my office. My whole day is packed with meetings with the other leaders, Max tipped us off about some problems at the fence, so I guess that's a problem we'll be handling today.

I walk in to my office to sort out some paperwork before the first meeting, trying to start my day off lightly. After a few minutes, Max knocks on my door before just barging in, something I'm used to by now. "Congratulations man." He shakes my hand enthusiastically, apparently word has already spread within Dauntless, evidently to a large scale, if Max is in the loop about it. 
"Thanks." He pats my shoulder, looking almost proud. "You've got yourself a good one there, it's good to see you guys found eachother." His smile is honest. "When is the big day going to be?" 
I tell him we haven't started planning anything yet as we're not in a rush, he nods understanding. "Smart, taking your time is a good move, less stress." I agree with him. He quickly carries on with what his actual reason for coming in was. 

"I wanted to catch you before we went into the meeting, I have a question to ask you."
"Sure, what's up?" 

"There's been some trouble at the fence, supervising has gone to shit. There's been reports of fights among guards, drinking incidents, indecent behavior around the Amity, and that's just the highlights. I need someone to go there and get those idiots back in line. It won't be long, two weeks tops."

"And this someone, would be me I presume?" I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I'll hear him out on this.

"Yeah man, I know the timing is a bit off, with you just getting engaged and all, but I seriously can't think of anyone better for the job." His demeanor is apologetic, he quickly continues his sentence before I can get a word in. "But I think I found a solution for that, the field medics need training badly, they've been fucking shit up left and right." I already know where this is heading and I don't like it at all. "I think Florence would be the best bet they have to get their skill level back up, I would like to ask her to come along for the duration of the assignment."

Going to Amity alone was a tall order in itself, but asking Florence to go with me, that's what really fucks with my head. Thoughts of her ex pop up in my mind immediately, the same murderous intent follows up quickly, but I push it back to answer Max.
"I'll go, but I'll have to talk to Florence about training the medics, can I get back to you on that?"
He nods calmly, then checks the clock to realize we're due for our first meeting. We walk towards the conference room to join the other leaders, the rest of the day flies by in a rush. I find I'm distracted regularly, thinking about how she will react to Max's request. When the final meeting is over, I rush home. 

When I walk in, I find her perched on the couch reading a book, she smiles up to me when she hears me come in. "Hi love!" Her voice is always the best thing to hear after having to listen to leaders all day, it's light and loving, exactly what I need right now. I sit next to her and lift her up to place her on my lap, a simple gesture that always makes her smile. Her legs straddle me, her hands grab the front of my shirt as she presses a kiss on my lips. My train of thought is quickly lost as I kiss her back, my hands find their way to her hips and I pull her closer to me. Her hands snake under my shirt feverishly, feeling her touch on my skin only removes me further from what it is I have to talk to her about. I am about to try to pull back when her lips leave mine and trail towards my neck kissing and leaving playful bites. Fuck, I don't want her to stop.
When I feel her hips move against mine a small groan escapes me, I want to carry on so bad, but I feel like I have to talk to her first. So I pull back, letting out a frustrated sigh, her eyes meet mine inquisitively, probably wondering why I'm pulling back.

"I don't want to stop, but I really need to talk to you about something first." She kisses my lips playfully. "Ok, talk to me then." Another kiss finds my lips, almost distracting me again. "Not fair babe." I squeeze her hips to back up my statement, but it only eggs her on more. "What? I'm not doing anything." She bats her eyes innocently before kissing me another time, passionately, rendering me powerless, my hands automatically pull her close again. When she releases my lips I'm dangerously close to give up trying to resist her, it makes her smile. 
"Now what is it you want to talk about?" The look in her eyes is still playful, but I take my chance while I still can and immediately start to talk. "It's serious babe." 
Her gaze changes, she looks worried now, her hands find their way to mine, holding them tightly in hers. "What is it?"

"There's been trouble with the guards at the fence, they need someone to go on assignment for two weeks to rehabilitate the lot of them. Max asked me if I wanted to go." She nods, seemingly understanding why Max would ask me for an assignment like this. "So you'd be at Amity for two weeks?" Her question is underlined by a fearful tone, she can put two and two together, she knows I'll be dangerously close to her ex. "Yeah, but that's not all. Max told me the field medics are severely underskilled and in need of training, he wants to ask you to join me on this assignment to take care of that."
She bites her lip in response, her eyes dart away from mine. "Are you okay babe?" I kiss her hand, which is still clasped in mine tightly. "Yeah, it's just a lot to process. I never thought I'd have to go back to Amity...". Her eyes meet mine again, a look of uncertainty spread across her face. 
"You don't have to, it's not mandatory. Max just thinks he's doing us a favor by not splitting us up for two weeks. I'd understand if you didn't want to go." She's silent for a few moments after that, deep in thought, holding my hands against her.

"What do you think about all of this?" Uncertainty is still evident in her whole demeanor. 
"I'm not sure babe, on one side I definitely don't want to be away from you for two weeks, that doesn't seem like a good option...". She shakes her head, letting me know she feels the same way. "...on the other side, I know how hard going back there is going to be for you, especially with that dick still wandering around over there." I can't suppress a semi-murderous tone when I mention her ex. "But we will be by the fence though right? So there's not necessarily a lot of interaction with the Amity people?" Her mind is already a few steps ahead again, thinking of ways to be able to come with me. "No I guess not, the fence is a fair bit off of their housing facilities." Her determination grows stronger by the second as I see her think of more ways to talk herself into this. 

"So basically we can drive up there, hang around near the fence for two weeks and then go back? No Amity involved?" Her eyes shine, hopeful, as she waits for my response. "You can only go with me if you promise to not leave my side for the duration of our stay there, you're not trailing off anywhere without me." She nods, agreeing with my terms, which I might have stated harshly, but she doesn't seem to mind. "I can't have you wandering around over there babe, I wouldn't be able to focus on the assignment." A feeling of worry creeps up in me, knowing I won't be able to keep her in my sight at all times while we're over there. She notices, her hands find their way around me and she pulls herself closer to me. Her eyes lock on mine, the determination still visible in them. "I promise you will know where I am at all times, I won't go wandering around. It will be fine, we'll just focus on our assignments and spend the rest of the time we have together until we can go home." She smiles reassuringly up at me, some of the worry dissolves quickly, but I can feel the rest of it won't go away until this assignment is over. 
I put my forehead against hers, letting out a deep sigh. "I guess we'll go then. I'll go tell Max about our decision, he wanted to know as soon as possible."
I kiss her lips shortly before lifting her off of my lap and leaving to knock on Max's door to give him the news.

After telling Max we'll go, things are put into motion quickly, the trouble at the fence apparently needs resolve post haste. We get orders to pack what we need, a ride is scheduled to take us to Amity at noon. I return home to tell Florence and we pack our bags swiftly, before jumping into bed for what I know will be the last good night sleep I will have for two weeks. She's probably thinking the same, as I feel her hug me closely before resting her head on my chest, to fall asleep letting out a deep sigh. "I love you." Her voice is sleepy and soft, she's very cute like this. I softly kiss her hair. "I love you too." I breathe in the sweet smell of her hair before I feel myself drifting off to sleep, holding her safely in my arms.