Prior Rings

Chapter 44: Tobias - Unexpected

A/N: Thank you, as always, to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and to everyone who has favorited or followed this story! Your support really means a lot to me. Thank you also to the guest who caught a typo in "Determinant" recently. I work very hard at having my writing be "clean," so I hate it when I miss a typo; I always appreciate having those pointed out so I can correct them. :-) Finally, thank you to my wonderful beta reader, Rosalie, for turning this chapter around within hours of when I sent it to her!

Chapter 44: Tobias – Unexpected

It's more than a little strange to see Peter when he walks into a support session one day in November. I know that he shares the same type of background I do – that he was abused by his birth father for the first half of his childhood. And given what he did to Tris eight years ago, it's obvious that he has violent tendencies himself. So, this group is certainly the right place for him if he wants to do something about that.

I just never thought that he would.

Martin takes him aside for the first hour, explaining the rules of the program and making sure that he's willing to agree to them before letting him join the general session. By that time, almost everyone has finished sharing, but Peter watches the last few people talk about themselves and the challenges they're currently facing.

He stays silent through it, which is common enough for first visits, and I find myself watching him, trying to figure out if he's here for any reason beyond the obvious. It could be my personal bias, but I can't help suspecting that someone ordered him to attend – probably Anna, since he works for her now.

He approaches me at the end of the session, presumably since I'm the only person here he knows. Not surprisingly, our conversation is stiff and strained, but I do my best to answer his questions about the program and what makes it work. He's thoughtful in response – more so than I expected – and I gradually find myself giving him the benefit of the doubt and deciding that he's here for legitimate reasons.

That's when he asks me to be his sponsor.

"That seems like a bad idea," I tell him honestly. "I'm not exactly objective toward you."

"Yeah, I know," he admits, kicking awkwardly at the floor. "But that's kind of the point…." He gives a small shrug. "You won't take any crap from me, and I…sort of need that."

I sigh, looking at him levelly as I debate whether I can handle sponsoring someone who tried to kill my wife. Yes, it was a long time ago, and yes, he did save her life later, but it's still the first thing that runs through my mind whenever I see him.

"Exactly why are you interested in this program, Peter? What happened?"

He shakes his head a little. "Nothing."

It's an obvious lie, and I give him my best withering look in response. But I don't say anything, instead letting the long silence force him to give a real answer. It's a technique I learned from Kevin, and it's far more effective than badgering someone with questions.

"Well…nothing extreme. I got into an argument with a girl I was dating. Apparently, I was yelling too much." He rolls his eyes. "Next thing I knew, someone was pulling me off her."

His expression is defensive. "It's not like I beat her up or anything. But everyone in the UCA is hypersensitive to abuse." He stops short of blaming my broadcast for that, but he's clearly implying it. "You can't even have a normal fight there, and I'm sick of not being able to date because of it."

I raise a skeptical eyebrow. My voice is cold when I ask, "How many times did you hit her, Peter?"

For a solid ten seconds, he glares at me, but I return it with my hardest instructor look, and eventually he flushes. "See, that's why I need someone who won't take any crap," he mutters.