Broken, But Brave

Chapter 2: Beginning to Break

"Anna, you know I can't stay here. I need to get out." 

"Yeah, I know. It's a good thing. I wouldn't expect you to stay Tobias." 

"Yes, but what do you think that means for you?" 

Somehow, Annabelle had never given much thought to what her life would be like without Tobias. He'd always been there. Protecting her, caring for her. But without him around for Marcus to incur his wrath on, would he really turn to her for beatings? The thought suddenly paralyzed the girl with fear, and both Eric and Tobias sensed it. Tobias reached out a hand to grab Annabelle's leg, hoping to bring additional comfort along with Eric's presence. 

"Hey. It's okay. We aren't going to let anything happen to you. We have a plan." 

At the mention of "we", Annabelle turned to look at Eric whose eyes remained trained on Tobias, but his expression was unreadable. No matter how close the two of them had gotten over the last two years, he still had a great talent for covering up his emotions. Anna looked frantically between the two men, waiting for further explanation. 

"What do you guys mean? What plan?" 

Eric and Tobias continued their staring contest, clearly having a silent conversation between the two of them. Apparently, Tobias won, as Eric let out a heavy sigh and turned to look Annabelle in the eyes. 

"Tobias and I have been talking about it a lot and it's obvious that he needs to leave Abnegation. It's the only way to separate him from Marcus. Otherwise, he's eventually going to die here. But it is also important, most important, that you are safe. And that someone can still be here to protect you."

"Okay. So..." 

"So, we've decided that I will transfer to Abnegation. To be with you. To protect you. We aren't going to leave you alone here." 

Annabelle looked between her brother and her boyfriend, trying to determine if this was real. If Eric was really going to sacrifice his own potential future, all for her.

"You're willing to do that for me? Really?" 

"Look babe, I'll be honest. It's not my favorite thought, becoming a stiff." 

Annabelle chuckled at the way Eric struggled to say the word but was appreciative of the effort he was putting forth.

"But like I said, we've talked about it a lot and at the end of the day, you're more important than any of it. I'm not going to leave you. I promise." 

Overwhelmed with emotion, Annabelle threw her arms around Eric and fervently placed kisses all over his face to which the latter struggled to break free from. Luckily, he didn't have to struggle long as Annabelle then turned her attention to her brother who she all but tackled to the ground in a hug. After a couple more hours of talking and watching Eric and Tobias wrestle like idiots for a while, the trio finally decided to clear out for the night and return to their respective homes. Tobias turned in first leaving Annabelle and Eric to have a moment alone before he returned to Erudite. 

"You're really sure about transferring Abnegation?" 

"Belle, come on. We talked about this. I told you I will, and I will." 

"I know, but Eric... I don't want you to spend the rest of your life unhappy because of me." 

Eric offered Annabelle a soft smile and gently grasped her hand in his. 

"As long as I'm with you, I'll be perfectly happy, Belle. Okay?" 

"Okay. I love you." 

"I love you too."