I must say that this idea has sparked when dardarbinx101 published 'Bound To You'. I was inspired by the traits she was illuminating in Eric and I just had to write this. Check out that author's stories, they are great.

This is just an idea. So I am still not sure of how I will take this. But I do know one thing: I will try to make it amazing for you guys.

Enjoy :)

Prologue

"You have no muscle," he roars in his most condescending tone.

The sweat collecting at the top of Tris' forehead is evident. She has been in the training room for hours now. Even though she was in here for the exact amount of time as everybody else- Christina, Will, all of her fellow initiates- she looks the most exhausted. Her body is shattered. Physically. Mentally. Nobody is pushing her further than what is already expected from her. Nobody but Tris herself. The huffs coming from her reckless leader are only egging her on.

"You will never win a fight like that," Eric continues to discourage her. To his disappointment she only takes this as a boost of confidence. Her shoulders become more poised. Her fists more clenched. And her legs bent at the appropriate angles. Nevertheless, the newly equipped strategies do not sway the punching bag.

"That's good to know," Tris replies, gritting her teeth as blood starts emerging from her bruised knuckles. Still, she does not stop punching. Well, trying to punch.

She can feel his eyes burning into the back of her head. He is watching. Always watching. More words were to come in abrupt shouts. They were lingering on his tongue, but he held back. If orders will not suppress her, then actions surely will.

Eric bit the inside of his cheek before bravely grasping one of her hips and pushing her until her body was parallel to his. She looks at him now, wide eyed.

Tris can see his nostrils flaring in anger.

"Hit me," he orders, letting his arms hang loose at his sides. Fear and embarrassment shows on Tris' face as she holds her arms in front of her. She is afraid that he will knock her out. Of course he will knock her out. She can see it now: her arm going in for a punch and his dodging it effortlessly. The next thing that would happen is she would wake up on a hospital bed. She has no reason to be embarrassed of herself right now, but to her dismay, her cheeks flush.

As if being the weakest one here isn't enough, in a second she will be beaten up by a Dauntless leader.

Tris takes a deep breath and holds it in her mouth before swinging her fist out and at Eric's chest. It barely startles him. There wasn't even the sound of a punch being thrown.

He becomes pissed off that his initiate is so hesitant. She is supposed to be Dauntless. She needs to be brave. Fast. Before the fear consumes her tiny body and spits her out onto the streets where the Factionless live.

He captures her wrist in his hand and twists it so that Tris ends up being pressed against his chest, her back to him. She gasps and splutters as his other arm presses against her throat. He holds it there for a moment, calmly.

"The attacker would've broken your neck by now," he murmurs near her ear, "Try again."

Eric releases her, giving her a forceful shove forward. It sends Tris straight into the punching bag. She is quick to recover. In a split second, her breathing stabilizes and her fists are back near her face.

Eric gives her a nod of approval. He eyes her fists and dodges another punch when Tris finally swings. A gasp escapes her lips when his arm wedges itself between her chin and collarbone, threatening to strangle her again. However, this time she sends her elbow flying into his gut. The impact loosens his grip and she manages to slip out. Her heartbeat starts rising now. She has never made it this far. From now on she can expect the unexpected. What will be his next move?

Eric recovers quickly and glares at her from where his feet stay glued to the floor, "Better," he spits, "But only because I went easy on you. In real life you would have been dead."

She doesn't say anything back. She simply continues to stare at him. His eyes seem to soften slightly as he straightens his back and folds his arms. After a while, he raises his eyebrows.

"Well, do something," he commands.

Immediately, Tris spins back around and starts throwing punches at the red bag. A heat crawls up her neck and onto her face when she doesn't hear disappearing footsteps behind her. He is still watching. One wrong move, and he will lash out.

From her peripheral vision, she sees Four making his way towards their little scene. He mumbles something to Eric when he is close enough, making Tris glad for another person to be near her. She can't be alone with Eric for long. Plus, he has no personal space. He always stands right behind her, watching.

They exchange a couple of phrases before both men walk away slowly. Tris turns around and breathes a sigh of relief. Her body relaxes momentarily.

But then her breath hitches.

Eric looks over his shoulder at her. His eyes are hard. His mouth is pressed into a straight line. And for the first time, she sees suspicion behind his grey orbs.

Please review and tell me what you think about this :)