Only Annie | Eric Coulter

12 - Fallin' All In You*

Shawn Mendes

* * *

"Since you came along, I'm thinking

Baby, you are bringing out

A different kind of me."

* * *

| | A N N I E

"Shut her up. Please."

The way he looks at Sierra like she resembles poop irritates the hell out of me. Clenching my jaw, I grab Eric by his collar and stare deep into his eyes, placing all my anger in my glare.

"You should be putting her to sleep, not me. I've been trying for thirty freaking minutes." I almost snarl, digging my fingers into his shirt. His eyes don't betray any emotion he feels, still blank and void as always. "She's your daughter."

Slowly, he pries my hands away from his shirt, rolling his shoulders and smoothing his hair back. I can feel my eyes twitch at his movements. Seriously, he doesn't have to be a cool, smug guy all the time. He's with me and we're alone, he doesn't need to pretend.

"I have something to tell you." He starts and my already narrowed eyes narrow even more. Something tells me that this isn't going to be good, "It's about Sierra."

He moves to sit on the couch, grabbing me by my waist and pulling me with him, Sierra still screaming bloody murder in my arms. Like an expert, he takes Sierra away from me and the second the baby feels his presence, she quiets down.

My glare returns and I look at Eric, annoyed. If he'd done that thirty minutes ago, both of us wouldn't be pissed off right now.

Eric rolls his eyes and leans to press a kiss on my forehead. The act simmers down my anger, and I let out a defeated sigh. Eric has the tendency to make things better by doing small but affectionate things as he doesn't do them quite often.

His hands creep into mine and I grasp it like we're going to face something bad. I get more anxious of what he has to say, causing me to squeeze his hands back.

"What is it?" I ask, feeling worry seep into my skin, "Is there something wrong?"

He shakes his head as a response, and my shoulders droop in relief. A few seconds of silence pass as he readies himself to say his next words. With alert eyes, I watch as he sucks the inside of his cheeks. Damn it, the suspense was killing me. "Spit it out, Eric!"

"Sierra isn't mine."

Dumbstruck, I let go of his hands and stand, raising my eyebrows. "What? How? Why? "

It's his turn to raise his eyebrows. "You want her to be mine?"

"Yes!" I answer immediately, and he makes a confused look that makes me feel guilty, "No!"

Awkward silence fills the room. I bite my lip sheepishly and clear my throat, "Explain, please?"

"I didn't fucking sleep with Lyanne--I told you it's been years since I last saw her. When we went to Jordan for the DNA test, I knew something was wrong." He paused to rub his temples with his free hand, "I went to Jordan yesterday and he admitted he faked the results. He's Sierra's real father."

"Why would they do that? Why would they lie?" I question, my eyes travelling to an already sleeping Sierra. My mind replays the day when Sophia approached me, and my hands clench. "What do they get out of this?"

"Lyanne knew she was getting kicked out for doing shit to some higher-up." His answer was soft and laced with such gentleness it almost melted my dislike towards Sierra's mother, "Jordan wasn't good enough for her, said she wanted someone higher to take care of her child. No chance in hell was she taking Sierra with her to Factionless. She lied, Annie."

"I knew she was a bitch." I utter distastefully after a long silence ensues. Laughter erupts from within Eric, free and unrestrained, and I join in, too.

"You didn't doubt her." He counters, and I swear his eyes gleam as he stares at me, "You didn't believe me when I told you she wasn't mine."

That sends me back to being guilty. Frowning, I avert my eyes to the ground. "I know and I'm sorry. I don't have any excuses for it."

"I won't ever cheat on you, Annie. You know that, right?" 

My answer is quick. I move towards the couch once again, and I press myself against Eric and embrace him, placing a kiss on his cheek, "Yes, I know that."

"Good." He answers gruffly, wrapping his free arm around me and pulling me closer. "I'm only with you, Annie. Only you."

...  

| | T R I S

"Uriah told me you'd been spying on Eric once again." 

Four comes up from behind me, looking like he's a brooding old man. I bite my lower lip, guilt creeping in on my features. 

Damn it. Uriah was definitely a very horrible secret-keeper.

"Stop it, Tris." He continues his scolding, moving back and arranging some papers on his desk, "If he finds out, you're going to get in trouble. And don't bring Zeke's brother into all of this, you hear me?"

"I didn't bring him into anything," I argue, pushing myself off the tattered couch in the middle of the room and towards Four's desk, "He came by and saw me."

"You know he has a crush on Annie." He deadpans and stares at me pointedly. I raise my hands in surrender, sighing. Obviously, I'm never going to win a fight against this all-knowing man, "Stop tagging him along. And while you're at it, stop stalking Eric and Annie."

"I'm not stalking anyone!" I answer indignantly, "It just happens that we are on the same freaking area. Dauntless is a small place, you know that. You can't help but encounter the same people most of the time."

"Really?" Four's tone is playful now. He steps out from his spot behind the desk and walks towards me. Reaching a hand out, he places it on my hip and backs me against the desk, "You're always looking for trouble, are you aware?"

"I'm not looking for it," I smile cheekily as he places his other hand on my waist, "It finds me."

Just as he leans in to kiss me, the door opens, and we both look sideways to see Eric walking in with a stack of paper on his hands. 

Four and I both freeze. Eric stares at us with a grimace and closes the door behind him. He walks over to his own desk, places the papers there, and goes towards the door once again.

"No fucking inside the office, Eaton. I want my place clean." He says in a sarcastic tone and leaves while whistling a tune. 

I look back at Four. He's silent like I am.

"I told you I don't stalk anyone." I say a timid voice. "Trouble finds me." 

He bites his lip in response, keeping a laugh inside him, and kisses my cheek before he pulls away. "Let's hope he doesn't reports us then, yeah?"