#dauntless oc

The convoy had taken too long to get here.

Camille would think I wouldn't be there!

I shoved past a few Dauntless gathered at the bottom of the stairs, knowing I had to look crazy as I did my best to move quickly. My body ached after the last few days, the fight with the factionless catching up with me. I hadn't waited for anyone else, I'd jumped out of the trucks before they had even stopped rolling.

I had to get to Camille.

I knew I got some crazy glances, but I didn't give a shit. I took the next set of stairs, the next bridge above the Pit --- five more minutes as I was opening the door of my apartment, nervously glancing at the clock above the wall as I stepped inside.

The lights were still on, and --- it smelled like home. I could smell the baby powder, I could see the carrier on the table, the stupid blue bag with everything the kid needed shoved in it. The coffee pot was still percolating, a white cup set in front of it.

"Camille?" I called, shutting the door loudly behind me as I stepped forward. Was she still here? Was I too late? Where was she? Where was the baby ---?

"Eric?" Camille sounded startled, and I turned, seeing her step out of the baby's room, blinking. Her hair was in a half bun on the back of her head, the rest of it collapsing forward to frame that beautiful face I'd been missing. She looked tired, black rings beneath dark eyes, a baby bottle held in her hand.

"Camille." I went to her immediately, clasping her face between my hands as I kissed her. I felt her surprise as my lips met her own, as I kissed her like I would never see her again. I felt her hand curve around the back of my neck after a moment, and finally she relaxed, returning my kiss.

"Hello to you too," she said breathlessly as she finally pulled back, blinking again. "When did you get ---?"

"Back? Just now." My eyes flicked into the nursery, seeing Kai was still in his cradle. He was making gurgling sounds, just loud enough for me to hear. "I tried to hurry, I wanted to take him to daycare ---."

"He doesn't go until tomorrow, Eric," Camille almost looked amused, her arms weaving their way around my neck. "You're a day early, you know that, right?"

"I am?" Was I?

"Yes." Her eyes scanned my face, taking in the dirt smeared across my cheek, the cut. Her brows furrowed, and she finally took a step back, looking me over. "What happened? I thought the op was going to be easy."

"Nothing is ever easy when factionless are involved," I grunted, running a hand through my short hair. I needed a shower, I knew I smelled like dust and oil.  "They attacked trying to steal some supplies, but it was handled."

"You look rough."

"So do you."

She frowned at me, her hands going down to her hips. "You try handling a one month old all by yourself. He screams constantly, he just own't stop. I feel like I haven't slept in days." She groaned, looking down at the bottle in her hand. "You're not leaving again, are you?"

"I don't plan on it." I stepped away from her, just to the door of the nursery. I didn't want to track anymore dirt through the apartment, especially in the baby's room. I gazed at him, seeing his eyes were open as he looked around, and he was flexing his fingers, blowing those ridiculous spit bubbles again. "He seems fine right now."

"He should sleep any minute, I just fed him." Camille crossed her arms. "He usually naps until noon."

So he's on a routine now?

"Are you okay?" I asked after a moment, turning to look at the mother of my child. "Have you been okay ---?"

"Eric, I'm fine, just tired." She frowned at me. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, I just... missed you, I guess." I muttered, crossing my arms as I leaned back against the doorway. I was just worried about her, all the shit with Max was starting to make me paranoid. I was going to tell her about it, I didn't want her to be off guard in case something happened.

She softened a little at my words, reaching up to brush a thumb across my cheek. "You know I'm always right here, Eric. I mean, you kind of made sure I couldn't go anywhere when you made me pregnant."

"That was an accident." I turned my face, kissing her palm.

"Yeah, sure it was. You just wanted to make sure I didn't go anywhere." She teased me, and I couldn't help but smile, my tense shoulders finally relaxing.

Yeah, sure.

"I need a shower," I said after a moment. "Give me fifteen minutes?"

"Sure."

~~~~~~~~

My fingers dug into Camille's waist as I pulled her to me, my lips fighting for dominance over hers. She kissed me back hungrily, arching her smaller body into mine as I pressed her into the wall, teeth tugging at her lower lip.

I was just out of the shower, my skin was still damp, my hair clinging to my face. I only had a white towel around my waist, and already it was becoming a nuisance.

I wanted Camille, I wanted her body underneath mine. I wanted her crying out in pleasure as we fucked, her nails dragging down my back like old times.

I wanted it now.

I turned abruptly, taking her with me. Her eyes flashed open in surprise second before we were tumbling back onto the bed, my lips on her skin once more. I sucked on her throat, feeling her fingers wind their way into my hair as I made sure to leave little red marks against her skin. My hand trailed down to her thigh, curling my fingers around it as I lifted it to my hip, allowing me to slip between them.

I was impatient, I'd admit that.

It had been too long, and I wanted her.

If she told me to stop, I would. I would fling myself out the window and put an end to my misery, I couldn't stand this any longer!

I ground my hips into hers, feeling her nails rake against my scalp as I nipped at her throat. I let my hands roam to the button of her jeans, popping it open in seconds. I leaned up reluctantly, my eyes flicking to her as I tugged at the hem of them. She merely lifted her hips, allowing me to wiggle them down her thighs, the material clinging to her skin.

I tossed the bottom half of her clothing out of my way, urging her to sit up so I could take care of the top half. She hesitated a moment before lifting her arms, letting me pull her t shirt off. I figured she was probably a little self-conscious, considering she'd had a baby not too long ago. Her stomach wasn't quite as flat, her breasts had definitely gone up a cup size, but none of that mattered.

She could look like a balloon and I would still love her.

I kissed her forcefully, my tongue parting her lips and immediately demanding of hers. I ran my hands down her chest, cupping her sensitive breasts and making her moan. I gently squeezed them, feeling how fully they filled my hands now, wondering how she would react when I had them beneath my tongue.

She seemed just as eager for this as I was, her nails skimming my shoulders, fingers tugging roughly at my hair. I didn't want to hurt her, I didn't want to be too rough with her, even now I was trying not to push too much. I didn't want another kid right now, I didn't want for either of us to go through another nine months of that, so I had a condom at the ready this time.

We weren't going to fuck up like that again.

I pushed on her shoulders, forcing her back against the bedsheets as I crawled over her once more. I felt the towel fall from my hips, my cock finally free of the itchy material. I pecked at Camille's lips before I drew lower down her body, feathering her collarbone with wet kisses, moving down to the swell of her breasts.

"Eric, wait ---."

I paused instantly, my lips hovering above her skin as I looked up.

Camille looked embarrassed, and after a moment she sat up, forcing me to do so as well.

Did she not want too? It's like my heart sank into my stomach.

"Are you not up for it yet?" I asked hesitantly, lifting my hands from her body. I mean, she did just have a baby, but that was over a month ago, and I thought after so long she could start having sex again.

"I --- well, I want too," she says hastily, her hand rising to brush at my hair. "I just... I don't ---."

"It's fine," I said after a moment, lying through my teeth. My cock was already literally throbbing, ready to go, and she was telling me to stop.

Great.

"I'm sorry," She muttered after a moment, her cheeks flaring red as she looked away. "I just... I can't."

"It's alright, Camille." I reached forward, curling my fingers beneath her chin and causing her to look up. "You just had a baby, your body has to adjust. I get it."

Uh oh.

I watched as tears suddenly welled in her eyes, a miserable look overcoming her face as she curled her knees to her chest, turning away from me completely. I look at her, startled, completely unsure what I was supposed to be doing --- did I say something?

"Camille, what's ---?"

"You're never going to want me again!" She suddenly wept, her hands rising to wipe at her eyes. "I know it's been forever, and I'm so, so sorry, I just, I just ---."

She just cried.

Uh.

Well.

Hmm.

This definitely wasn't a Camille thing, she never cried.

I leaned back on my knees, at a loss for what to do. Here we were, both completely naked, in our bed, and she was curled up in the fetal position crying because she wanted to have sex but didn't want too?

Well, the mood was ruined anyway, so she didn't have to worry about it.

"Camille, baby, it's fine," I cooed, reaching hesitantly for her. She didn't shy away from me as I curled my arm around her shoulder, dragging her into the curve of my arms so I was holding her. "It's fine. We don't have to have sex right now."

"But you want too."

"I always want to fuck, that's nothing new." I brushed my fingers through her tangled black hair. "I can wait."

Or throw myself out a window.

"I'm sorry," She whispered again, snuggling back into me. "I just... I hurt."

"You hurt?" What did she mean? Was something wrong? Was she supposed to still be hurting? Should she go to the infirmary ---?

"My stupid breasts weigh as much as watermelons," she sniffled, shivering slightly in the cool air. "And they hurt, they're sore, and Kai sucks as hard you do on them."

I almost snorted at that, but bit my lip, pressing my face into her hair.

Oh.

"Well, you don't have to breastfeed forever. You're already doing the bottle thing, right?"

"Yeah." She sniffed, and I reached forward, dragging at the blankets until she was covered, letting the cool air brush at my back. "He doesn't like it though."

"Well, who would like giving up a nice pair of breasts for a bottle?" I said after a moment, nuzzling her. "I would be fussy about it too."

She just sighed.

So, I guessed sex was still off the table for me. I'd been so hopeful that when I got back, everything could return to normal. Sure, we'd had a screaming loaf in the other room, but we could still fuck, still get our frustrations out for the day.

Guess not.

Mel briefly crossed my mind, but I'd already shut that door forever. I'd told her no, shoved her off into the floor, and she'd stormed off in a tizzy. I just couldn't stomach the thought of being with anyone other than Camille, of betraying her like that. She meant too much to me, and just the thought of it made my stomach twist with guilt for something I hadn't even done.

"Your breasts look great, though," I said after a moment, trying to ignore the fact I was still hard. That would go away after a few more minutes, or I'd have to go take a shower and deal with it myself. Either way, something had to happen.

"Thanks." Camille didn't sound impressed with the compliment. "I hate this. I hate that everything is so fucked up right now."

"It's not fucked up, this is what everyone goes through."

"Well, everyone else can shove it up their ass, I don't like it." She muttered, pressing her cold nose into my neck. "I want to fuck again, and I want my breasts to stop hurting, and I want a decent nights sleep where I don't have to get up fifteen times because I'm afraid he might roll the wrong way and ---."

"Everything is going to be fine," I pressed my lips against her temple, holding her closer. "Stop panicking, he'll be grown up and we can kick him out before you know it."

"Eric!"

She was hissing at me again.

"See? You're already getting that condescending tone, everything is going back to normal." I teased, earning a pinch to my bicep and a reluctant smile.

Sure, the moment wasn't sexy anymore, and this whole after-birth baby thing really sucked, and I was so horny I was sorely tempted to really toss myself out that window and end it --- I'd fought factionless to get back here, though, and I didn't want to waste all that effort.

I'd just... deal with it.

The best I could.

Until... well, maybe I'd come home and she'd just jump my bones, that would be great. I always enjoyed surprise sex from her, especially when I didn't expect it.

Maybe waiting would make it so much better?

~~~~~~~~

"Don't forget his blanket!"

"I got it."

"And here's his extra bottles --- make sure to remind them to feed him with this, he's allergic to the other milk!"

"Uh, okay."

"And here --- he can't sleep without this dumb bear," Camille shoved the teddy bear into my arms, and I frowned, glancing down at it.

What the fuck did he need all this stuff for?

I looked down at the baby where he sat in his carrier, big blue eyes taking everything in as he looked around. He still couldn't do much, just wave his hands occasionally, but that was about it. Camille had mentioned he's starting to lift his head a bit, so I guessed that was a good sign?

Hell if I knew anything about babies.

"Camille, you're freaking out. He's just going to daycare so you can get some rest."

"I know," She bit her lower lip, staring at our son. "But what if they're mean to him?"

"That's why I'm taking him, remember?" I squeezed her shoulder with my hand. "He'll be fine."

"But will he?" She glanced up at me nervously. "What if he starts crying, and he needs me, and ---?"

"Camille, baby, he's one month old. Right now all he needs is a diaper change."

She glared at me, her hands going to her hips. "Eric, this is serious."

I rolled my eyes, setting the dumb bear in the baby carrier where Kai could hold it between his tiny fingers; he had a pacifier in, so he wasn't screaming like usual. Once we got out of here and Camille took a nap, she'd be fine; right now, she was on the warpath.

"He's only going for a few hours, he'll be fine. I'll check up on him during lunch, and I'll pick him up after work --- and no, I won't be late tonight. Max has a replacement for the armory anyway, they don't need me in there, I'm just supervising for today.  You just... go relax or something." I took both of her shoulders beneath my hands, making sure not to show cowardice and break eye contact. "See Tori, take a nap, a long bath --- whatever you want to do today."

She chewed her lower lip. "A long bath would be nice, I guess."

"Exactly. So you let me take care of little man, and you relax. And no going to the daycare to check on him either," I warned her. "You'll be breaking the rules."

"What rules?" She scoffed, pulling away from me and looking down at our curly-haired kid.

"The ones I just made about you not going to check on him. It's bad enough I have to look like a bitch with his fluffy bag," I teased, gesturing at the baby bag with all the toys and bottles peeking out of it. "I don't need you going behind me acting like I wasn't good enough to drop off a baby."

She rolled her eyes at me. "You're being an asshole."

"It's what I'm good at. Now, let's not worry about this." I brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm taking him to daycare, you're going to nap and do whatever else you wanna do. The choosing ceremony is soon, so you're going to have a new batch of initiates to scream and take your frustration out at. I know you're excited about it."

"A little," She muttered, crossing her arms. "It'll be nice to get back out there, though. I didn't get much time with the last batch, and look how shitty Four and the others trained them; those morons can't even take apart a gun."

"You're the best trainer we have," I assured, kissing her temple as I slung the baby bag over my shoulder. "Without you, we all crumble."

"Again, being an asshole." She scowled as I slipped my arm beneath the carrier handle, lifting Kai up. He blew a bubble at me, spit rolling down his pale chin.

Intimidating.

He would show all the other newborns who's boss.

~~~~~~~

I frowned as I stepped into the small daycare center in the Pit, immediately assaulted with the scent of disgusting children and their screams. My scowl merely increased when I saw how frantic the woman inside was, trying to gather all the little Dauntless born together so she could do a roll call.

This didn't look promising.

I could run a daycare better then this bullshit.

The front room of the center was a mess, the walls a depressing, dirty yellow with some old posters clinging to them. There were toys already spread about the room, some round bean bags tossed in the corners. Cubbies were full of the kids junk, and I could see a row of knocked over books on top of it.

Huh.

I glanced at Kai, seeing him wave at me with those little curled fingers. I couldn't exactly say the kid was excited, I knew I certainly wasn't. Maybe sending him to daycare this early was premature, and we should wait.

"Oh, hello --- Eric." Someone choked as they said my name, and I turned, my expression still sour as I faced the man near me. I couldn't remember his name, but I'd seen him around; I was fairly sure he was in my initiate class, anyway.

Was he part of this ridiculous daycare?

"I'm here to drop my kid off," I muttered, twitching as a child began to scream in the background. I glanced at Kai, but he didn't seem bothered, just kept blowing little bubbles. That was apparently his favorite thing to do these days.

"Oh. Okay." The man hesitated, dressed in the casual black clothes so many wore on their day off. He was standing by a counter, covered in a chaotic mess of papers.

Was any of this organized?

"Well, what's his name? We'd heard Camille finally had the baby, so a late congratulations is in order," the man said briskly, gathering some papers together and trying to get some order. "Our normal teacher is out today, and Gabrielle is..." he looked at her in dismay, "new."

She looked ready to cry as the screaming children ran circles around her, throwing multi-colored blocks in the air, attacking each other like wild animals.

"Kai." I said after a moment, stiff; I was starting to think this was a bad idea. "Kaiden."

"Right. He's about a month, right?" The man was scribbling on a piece of paper --- did they not even have computers in here? I had a fucking fragile baby, and I was going to leave him in this chaos? He might be Dauntless, but right now he couldn't punch anyone in the face, I was going to still have to do it for him.

This wasn't going to work.

I was taking him home.

About the time I started to tell the man to go fuck off, I heard a shriek, causing both of us to turn and stare. The woman, Gabrielle, was bent over, two children roughly pulling on the long brown braids she'd had running down her shoulders.

That's enough.

This was ridiculous!

"Watch him," I snapped, suddenly sitting my son up on the counter, the man immediately grabbing the carrier with a pale face.

I turned in irritation, striding forward to where the two black haired boys were tugging the poor girl around, much to the giggles of the other children.

I was about to teach all of them a thing about respect; I wasn't their parents, so I didn't give two shits about these little fucks. The only kid I cared about was mine, and if this was the disorderly environment he was going to be exposed too, I would have this place burnt to the ground and the rebuilt under much better supervision.

I grabbed the two punks by the back of their t shirts, easily lifting them both off the ground with yelps. They both gasped as they dangled a few feet above the floor, their little arms flailing in their black sleeves, and the room grew ominously quiet as the other kids stared with wide eyes.

"That," I said, "is not way to treat your teacher."

I was tempted to shake them for effect, but I did have some restraint. The girl immediately backed away, tears in her eyes as she reached for her hair. She was just a kid, maybe graduated just last year from the initiation. She probably had no idea what to do, and she wasn't exactly garnering the respect of this hellions.

Kai wasn't going to stay here in this chaos.

"Do you know what happens to soldiers in Dauntless who disobey their superiors?" I asked, turning both the dangling children so they were looking up at me; they didn't weigh much, they were probably only six or seven, and I wondered if their parents knew what bastards they were. They should be in school soon enough, begin their regular teachings, and they couldn't go in acting like animals; we were Dauntless, we had a reputation to uphold, and this wasn't going to cut it.

Both boys eyes were wide, and they were twins from the looks of it. Their faces were turning red, so I knew the collar of their shirts were becoming uncomfortable for them.

I hated children.

I turned, tossing both children down onto the gray bean bags I saw in the corner. They sailed a few feet before crashing into the soft material, their eyes becoming the sizes of saucers.

"Those who cannot follow orders in Dauntless, do not stay in Dauntless. You keep up this behavior, you'll be turned factionless." I snapped, crossing my arms across my chest. "Is that what all of you want? To leave your families, be forced out in disgrace where you live on the street and starve?" I bark, hoping to hold all of their attention.

Ahh, blessed silence.

I glanced around, but none of the children were offering me any lip, so that was a plus. The mood I was in, I'd probably shove them all into the chasm and tell their parents just to have another one, and do better this time.

"All of you, line up," I snapped, my voice thundering through the rather small, disorderly room. "Up against the wall, tallest to shortest."

The children didn't immediately move, but when I glowered, they scrambled.

Heh.

I wished my soldiers did this, it would be much more entertaining.

I waited, watching as the kids muttered and shoved at each other, trying to find the right place in line. I made my way back to the counter where the man and the crying girl stood, the man still clutching Kai's carrier.

"You have to remind them they're soldiers to be, you can't let them run around like that," I said casually as I leaned against the counter, seeing the paperwork I needed to fill out. "Is it always like this?"

"N-not when Margaret is here." The man stuttered, flushing a deep red. "She handles them much better then us. We're still in training."

He is?

Well, whatever. From the looks of him, he should already know his place.

"I'm not going to leave my son somewhere that I'm not sure of his safety," I said, my hand going to the carrier. "If you can't control this pack of rats, you shouldn't be here. You either instill fear or respect from them, there is no in between."

"They're little devils," the girl finally muttered, a dark scowl on her face as she brushed her hair over her shoulders. "They should all be shot."

"Gabrielle!" The man hissed, immediately sending me an apologetic look; ah, she must not know who I was. She had no idea that I was in leadership, that I was the right hand to Max --- of course I would be bringing this to his attention as well.

"Are there just two of you taking care of all these children?"

"Other volunteers come in later throughout the day. The children are always rambunctious in the mornings." The man explained.

I glanced over, narrowing my eyes as I saw the two boys shoving at each other, trying to knock the other out of line.

"Knock it off!" I snarled, and immediately they both went still, shoulders tensing. I glanced at Kai, reaching forward to shuffle his blanket a little higher on him, feeling his little hand wrap around my finger when I got close enough. Camille must yell a lot around him, because he certainly wasn't phased.

"Can you handle them and my kid too?" I asked, completely serious as I looked between the two of them. "If I come back and even one hair is out of place ---."

"Your son will be perfectly safe with us, I assure you, Eric," the man burst hastily, waving his hands in a placating manner. "Everything is fine here! We're just --- understaffed."

Ahuh.

"I'll be back at lunch to check on him." I said, gently tugging my finger out of his grip. His brows furrowed, but he didn't immediately begin screaming. "I assume this place will be in much better working order by then."

Or else.

I didn't say it, but it was out there, and the man was muttering apologies and affirmations at me as I finished filling out the paperwork for Kai.

It felt... weird.

Really, my day wasn't any different --- I left early, came back late, the same time every day. Now instead of just Camille greeting me with a nasty look or a sweet kiss, there's also screaming.

So, not too different.

The baby didn't stir much, just moved his mouth occasionally, made some baby sounds. At that moment, my kid was just a screaming, pooping bundle. He's only a week old, so I guessed it would be a while before he had any personality, did anything other then lay there.

I sighed as I straightened, seeing a few strands of dark hair against his forehead, curling upwards against the hat. His hair looked black like Camille's, but I was kind of hoping he kept my blue eyes; someone had said baby's eyes change colors after they get so old, but I hoped his didn't.

Kai.

I'm a little surprised Camille so readily accepted the name, maybe she was just glad I picked something. We'd been fighting over that the last few months longer then we had anything else. I was just glad all that stress was over.

I stepped away from the crib, silently leaving the room and leaving the door only cracked. I hesitantly popped my head into the bedroom, seeing Camille was safely tucked beneath the covers, sleeping soundly. I felt bad about leaving her with the baby all day, but one of us had to be out there working.

New initiates would be coming in soon, maybe another month, and by then Kai should be old enough to go to the daycare in the Pit. I'd take him there myself every day if I had to, if it made Camille feel better about leaving him. I guessed it was a mother thing, being so attached to the thing she carried for nine months.

I shut the door, grimacing. I'd let her sleep, I'd hear the baby if he started wailing.

So far, there'd been a few congratulations for the baby, a snarky message from Melanie, and Max had clapped me awkwardly on the back before moving on. Tori had been over to see it, Camille said, and Zeke.

It's weird.

I felt like everything had shifted, that now that I had a kid, I... well, I was stupid as fuck. I shouldn't be worried about the fact having a kid would fuck up my reputation, but I was. Melanie was right, anyway, turning down leading the op was seriously going to fuck me over, and I knew she kept hoping I'd change my mind any minute now and take it, leave Camille and the baby to their own devices.

It was tempting.

I sat down on the couch, leaning forward to unlace my boots. I needed to get back out there, remind everyone that I wasn't going to take their shit, that having that kid in my life wasn't going to make me soft. It seemed stupid, even to me, but that's still how I felt. I knew Camille still wasn't feeling well, she was ill and pretty bitchy right now, but she was trapped in the apartment all day with the kid.

She needed some time off.

Hell, maybe I could send her to lead the op --- that would give her something to do and... no, I didn't want to be left alone with the baby. I'd only held it a few times, mostly when Camille begged me too because she was exhausted. It's been a week and I doubted she'd gotten eight hours of sleep yet.

The thing cried all the time!

I leaned up, running a hand along my stubbled jaw. I hadn't had time to shave in days, everything seemed so out of sorts lately. I hadn't felt the need to jump ship and run off yet, so I guessed that was a good sign.

Still, the thought of raising that kid --- I didn't want it to turn out like me. What if it turned out to be a big wimp though, defected to another faction?

Worse, what if it ended up becoming factionless? No kid of mine was gonna end up like one of those pathetic wastes of space! Hell, I didn't even want their to be factionless by the time he was old enough to choose!

Of course, he'd pick Dauntless, I'd make sure he grew up to be tough and a badass like me and his mother. We'd teach him all the tricks, show him the ropes --- he'd end up in leadership like us. He'd be the top of his class, I wouldn't accept any less!

No son of mine was going to end up a disgrace.

I'd chosen a strong name for him, now he better live up to it.

As if on cue, I heard him start to cry, at the top of his lungs just like every night.

Great.

I grimaced as I pushed to my feet, leaving my boots by the coffee table and hastily heading for the nursery. I nudged the door open, shutting it behind me so his cries wouldn't carry to Camille.

"Hey, kid," I muttered, stepping to his crib. "You hungry or somethin'?"

The baby's eyes opened for a few seconds at my voice before closing again, his face scrunching up as he let out another toothless scream. I sighed as I reached down, gingerly lifting the bundle into my arms, supporting his head like Camille showed me.

Where the fuck did she keep his milk, anyway? In the kitchen? I hoped it was already in the bottles and I could just shove it in the microwave or something.

It took me about five minutes longer then necessary to figure it out, especially with him wailing in my arms like he was dying. I ground my teeth together as I finally finagled the bottle into my hand, dripping the milk a few times on my arm to check the temperature like I'd seen Camille do.

Barely warm, that's how it's supposed to be right? I eyeballed the bottle a moment, hoped it was right, and popped the rubber thing between the kid's gums.

Almost immediately he began sucking on it, and I sighed in relief, my ears still ringing. Jeez, the kid had a set of lungs on him!

I gingerly sat back down, feeling awkward as I held the bottle up, his little arms too weak to do it yet. Feeding a baby definitely wasn't giving me any intimidation points, although at least it finally made him shut up.

I leaned my head back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling. The kid was so small in my arms, smelling like powder and detergent, warm. I could hear him eating, and I was relieved he didn't wake Camille up --- she needed her rest.

Fuck, I needed some rest and I wasn't even taking care of him!

I rolled my neck, hearing my joints crack before looking down at my son. Seemed strange thinking that.

His eyes opened for a moment again, still that same bright blue as mine before drifting back shut. It would be a bit before he could keep them open, before he could be out of the serious straight jacket his mother kept him in. She also kept weird little socks on his hands so he wouldn't scratch himself, and I didn't see how he didn't get too warm.

I frowned, pressing the tips of my fingers against his small forehead, but he felt fine. Not too hot, just the right temperature.

Oh, and he's done.

I tugged the bottle out of his lips, seeing him smack them a little bit; he'd about drunk the whole thing, hungry kid. I shuffled, leaning him up a little, hoping I didn't need to do the whole burping thing; I was afraid I'd tap him on the back too hard, I'd break one of his little bones --- I was terrified of injuring my own kid.

I liked Camille doing all that.

When he didn't immediately begin wailing, or throw up all over me, I took it as a good sign. He'd already ruined one of my t shirts, causing Camille to just laugh at me, as if she wasn't even phased.

Probably wasn't.

"Alright, kiddo, let's get you back to bed so I can get some sleep," I muttered, his eyes scrunching as my thumb ran along his soft cheek. My hands felt gawky, too big and cumbersome when I was touching him. I knew my skin was rough, scars decorated my hands, but I hoped it didn't bother him. "Why don't you sleep for the rest of the night, give mama a break, huh?"

I shuffled, reluctantly getting to my feet again, still muttering to him as I headed for the nursery.

"You gotta grow up, be a badass like we are," I said, tugging some of his blankets around in the crib, making sure they were sort of bunched on either side of him so he couldn't roll around and smother himself. Camille had given me a full ranting rundown all of the bad things that could happen to our kid if I didn't do everything right. "Get big and tough and kick the shit out of your peers. Show them that being my kid is a major advantage."

I gently laid him back into the crib, leaning on the railing for a few minutes. I wanted to make sure he was breathing okay, that I didn't still need to burp him or something.

"I don't know if you're gonna have any brothers or sisters, so you have a lot to live up too." I mumbled, propping my chin on my hand. "You're carrying on a pretty prestigious name, you know that?

"Mama is always gonna be here for you when I can't, but I'm gonna teach you everything I can when I am around. You're gonna be the best fighter, the best soldier Dauntless has ever seen. And when I'm leading this faction, you'll never have to worry about anything."

I gazed down at him, seeing he was already asleep, blowing little spit bubbles. I refused to acknowledge I found it sort of cute, and I hastily turned away. If he was conked out, it meant I could get a shower and crawl into bed before one a.m. tonight.

Nice.

~~~~~~

"I can't believe he slept all night," Camille mumbled as she stood in front of the coffee pot, still half asleep. "That's a first."

Ahuh.

"He didn't." I muttered, leaning down to lace my boots, my fingers fumbling with the black laces. "I got him."

"You did?" Camille sent me a surprised look over her shoulder, her eyes not looking quite as tired this morning.

"Yeah. You needed some rest," I stood, stretching my arms over my head. "He only cried twice, don't worry. I fed him and figured out the diaper thing."

After four tries.

Not that I was going to tell her that.

"You didn't have to do that, you're going to be exhausted," she sighed, slowly pouring a cup of coffee before offering it to me. "I'm home all day, I can take care of him."

"I don't mind," I pressed a kiss to her temple as I took the cup. "You're exhausted. Maybe putting him in daycare a little early wouldn't be a bad idea, give you a break some days."

"No," Camille shook her head instantly, looking disgruntled. "I don't want to out him in until we have too."

"Are you still worried someone will be mean to him?" I sipped my coffee, barely noticing the harsh burn. I gazed at her, seeing the troubled look on her face.

"Yes and no." She eventually said, turning away from me to pour her own coffee into a glass cup. "I just... I dunno, I'm not ready to let someone else take care of him yet. I mean, what if they don't feed him or forget him somewhere? What if ---?"

"Camille, he's barely a week old. Don't panic yet," I hooked my finger beneath her chin, tilting her head up. "You have plenty of time to spend with him."

"Only sixteen years," she corrected me, soft lips almost pouting. "What if he chooses another faction and leaves us? What if ---?"

"Too many what ifs this morning," I shook my head at her, pressing a quick kiss against her lips before stepping away, noticing the time. "Don't worry about any of that. He'll be the toughest soldier Dauntless has ever seen, he'll be running this faction by the time he's ten."

"That's some high expectations," she looked amused.

"He's my son, he has a lot to live up too," I shrugged my shoulders. "Now I gotta go. You gonna be good?"

"More or less, I've survived worse then a screaming baby."

I chuckled, seeing her hands on her hips as I strode for the door. "I'll see you tonight."

"Alright."

~~~~~~

"Is she fucking up already?" I asked in annoyance, standing across the table from Max; he'd summoned me up here a few minutes ago, apparently something important was going down.

"Erudite is less then pleased with her progress," Max responded in displeasure, pressing his hands against the table, a map of a city drawn into its top. "Her control over the movement of the factionless and the soldiers is less then acceptable."

"So she has no idea what she's doing." I ran my hands down my face, irritated. Couldn't Melanie do one goddamn thing right? I had enough on my plate to deal with her bullshit too! "She's fucking everything up."

"Essentially. She's managed to move most of the factionless out of the warehouses we need with few casualties, but production has seemed to stop at that point. She cleared these two buildings," he motioned at the map on the table before him, showing me the areas. "But the third is still crawling with them. If they're not gone by the end of the week, we'll be behind schedule."

"Why not just blow the place sky high?"

"It would draw too much attention."

Of course it would.

I rubbed at my scruffy jaw, in serious need of a shave. Maybe tonight I'd have time, if the baby didn't start screaming and Camille start crying because her nerves were frayed. I didn't mind getting up every now and then to soothe him, but I couldn't every night and work too.

"She needs to send in some units to clear it, have them armored and with enough weapons and ammo it's not a problem," I said after a moment. "Go through all the exits but one, leave the factionless with only one escape route so they funnel out into this abandoned part of the city with the rest of them." I drew my finger along the map. "Shouldn't take more then a few hours. Even she's capable of that."

"I wouldn't hold my breath," Max grumbled, and I glanced up at him; he wasn't one to bad mouth one of his soldiers, even lightly; she must seriously be getting under his skin with her fuck ups.

"Just send the order and she'll follow."

"I don't want to send another order, I want to send someone more capable." He shook his head, and I tensed at his words.

I ---.

"Eric, you need to lead this operation before it crumbles through our fingers," he finally said out right, dark eyes on mine. "I'm sending you to replace Melanie, there is no other choice."

Eh!

"I can't ---." I started instantly, curling my fingers into fists. "Camille ---."

"Camille is safe within the compound, her and your child. I need you to stop focusing on them, and focus on your duty to Dauntless." I straightened at the insulting words; did he really think I wasn't taking this seriously? "You need to lead this op to completion, or I'm going to find someone who can follow my orders to a T."

I narrowed my eyes at the hardly veiled threat. He wanted to replace me, did he? He thought he could find some other fucker to do the dirty work and not feel bad about it?

He'd fail, and we both knew it. I was going to call his bluff, I wanted too, especially to remind him how much he needed me.

However...

This might be a good opportunity for me.

"I'll lead the operation," I said thoughtfully, Max starting to smirk. "But not outright. I'll go for a few weeks, I'll train Melanie to get her head out of her ass, and I'll come back. If I think she's going to be shit at it, I'll say so, and we'll make something work. I'm not going to leave for three months at a time, I've got too much shit to handle now."

As I spoke, Max's face steadily soured, until he looked ready to shoot me outright. He ground his teeth as he looked at me, but I merely crossed my arms.

I wasn't changing my mind.

"Three weeks is what I'm giving you." I said flatly. "That's it."

In three weeks, Kai would be a month old, old enough for daycare. I wanted to take him on his first day, and I'd walk back to the compound if I had too. I wanted to make Camille feel better about being separated from him, and me taking him is the only thing I knew to do to set precedence.

You fuck with my baby, I'll kill you.

Pretty easy to remember.

"Fine. Only, however, the factionless are gone by the end of the week." Max said after a moment, deciding not to argue with me.

I smirked. "Done."

~~~~

"Three weeks?" Camille nearly shrieked at me, and I winced as the baby immediately began to scream in her arms.

"Oh! I'm sorry, baby, Mommy's sorry," she sighed immediately, starting to bounce and rock him slightly. She glowered at me over the top of his curly black hair. "Eric!"

"It's Max's orders!" I shrugged my shoulders, watching her grit her teeth as she tries to quiet Kai. "I don't have a choice. Melanie is fucking the op up pretty bad for Erudite and it's becoming a problem. I should never have agreed to let her go." I sighed.

"But --- Eric! You're going to leave me here all by myself with this thing!" Camille gasped, looking ready to cry herself; I could hardly hear what she was saying over the kid, I was having to read her lips. It was just a constant barrage of high pitched screams.

"You're more then capable, and it's only for a few weeks." I said gently, offering my arms. Maybe if I held him she wouldn't have a mental break down on me. She handed me the baby readily, and I cradled him in my arms, running my fingers across his snarled nose. "You're alone with him all day."

"Yeah, but you always come home at night," she sat down on the sofa, running her fingers through tangled black hair. "You give me a break."

"Not all the time. Camille, you can do this. We're soldiers, we can handle anything," I said, holding Kai up against my shoulder, letting him wail into my ear; I didn't need to be able to hear anyway. "He's sleeping better now, right?"

"No." She stressed the word, dark circles still beneath her eyes. "Eric, you can't leave me here by myself. I can't do this."

I knew it was coming.

"Baby," I sighed, shuffling Kai a little against my shoulder, relieved he was finally starting to hiccup instead of scream. I stepped to Camille, sitting down on the coffee table in front of her. "I have to do this, Max isn't giving me a choice. This is big for us and Erudite building trust, and Melanie is blowing all of it up. I love you." I reached forward, taking her hand and squeezing tightly. "I'll be back in three weeks to drop Kai off at daycare if I have to walk the distance myself."

Camille gazed at me with those dark eyes, and finally she nodded, frowning. "Max is the leader."

"Yeah, for the time being." I glanced down at the baby, grimacing as I saw the spit on my shirt. "I'll take control one day and it won't be like this."

Camille snorted, shaking her head. "You really think you'll get Dauntless one day?"

"I'll got you, didn't I?" I arched a brow at her. "I convinced you to fall in love with me and have my child, the hard part is already over."

She almost smiled at me.

"You're so fucking dumb." She finally muttered, but leaned forward to kiss me lightly; her kisses are basically the only affection I've had since she started ballooning outward, and I missed it. I missed the sex like crazy, I'd never gone so long without it before, and I missed her giggles, those coy looks she'd send over her shoulder at me.

The moment she'd gotten that baby bump, all of that stopped.

I was still going through withdrawals.

I wanted --- needed --- it now that I had it.

Being trapped with Mel for three weeks was going to be torture. I wouldn't be getting sweet kisses or halfway smiles, I'd get... Mel.

I wasn't looking forward to it.