A/N: Well, here you go! This chapter explains what's going on with Clare. Well, most of it ;)
For the record, I have NO idea what the border patrol/visitation regulations are. I winged it with a little help from deeisbest on Twitter. Thanks for being Canadian! I also want to thank themusiksnob, devinfabulous, and, as always, my bestie floorplanhobo. You guys always read and review and talk to me about this fic! Working on next chapter right away. Please review!
Disclaimer: I own seasons 1-5 of Criminal Minds on DVD, but not Degrassi. I only have season 2 of that ;)
Eli
Eli sped down the highway, thankful he remembered to grab his passport out of Morty before taking off in Peter's Corolla. If Clare was upset, Eli could think of only one place she might run to (besides to him, of course). He sighed as he slowed the car to a stop in line for the toll booth into New York and thought back to that perfect fall weekend he spent with Clare.
"Eli, this is amazing. How did you hear about it?" Clare giggled with delight as she took in the room Eli booked for them at the Bed and Breakfast. It was a beautiful fall weekend, and Eli decided to sweep her off her feet (in a rather literal manner) and take her away. She had been hesitant to just up and leave for a whole weekend, but he persuaded her with puppy dog eyes and a petulant pout.
"Cece and my grandma found it a month or so ago." Eli sat their luggage on the bed with a checkered quilt on it. "They go on random day trips, just exploring. Mom fell in love with the used bookshop downstairs and Grams liked the furniture store down the street."
"Wow, they ended up on the other side of Buffalo?" Clare asked as she went to check out the bathroom.
"Ha. Sometimes, the two of them take weekend journeys to New England just for tea. They love finding small, charming towns. I know that's surprising, knowing my mother." Eli shook his head as he took in the quaint room: light blue wallpaper adorned the walls and large oak chests served as dressers. Everything, down to the art on the walls, appeared to be an antique, but the collection was incredibly eclectic. It was funky, different, and dare he say it…cute. It was just like Clare; as soon as Cece showed Eli the brochure he knew he and Clare must head to the B&B for a getaway, just the two of them.
"Remind me to thank your mom for finding this place," Clare sing-songed, dancing back into the room. She threw her arms around Eli and they tumbled on the bed.
"If this is the reaction I get, remind ME to thank her," Eli chuckled, bringing Clare's face towards his for a sweet kiss. She pulled away and he ran his fingers through her hair, smirking. "How much do you want to check out the bookstore downstairs?"
Clare laughed. "You know me too well!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room.
"Did I mention they have first editions?" Eli raised an eyebrow as his girlfriend dragged him downstairs.
"God, I LOVE you!"
"Sir, I need to see your license and passport." Eli snapped out of his memory and handed the border cop his credentials.
"Are you entering the U.S. for business or pleasure?" asked the guard as he looked over Eli's information.
Eli laughed. Neither. Can I be here for duty?
"Pleasure," he stated. The cop nodded and handed Eli his stuff back. "Enjoy your time in the States, Sir."
Eli thanked him and crossed into New York, eager to get to the other side of Buffalo and to the Books & Breakfast inn he and Clare fell in love with all those months ago.
"Why does shit always have to change when it's finally, FINALLY good?" Eli mused. He shook his head, turned up the crap CD his band mate called music and increased the Corolla's speed.
Clare
Clare sat on her rented bed and stared straight ahead. She had completely flipped; she ran, she cried, she slept (but only after swallowing half a bottle of Nyquil). If you'd asked her three months ago, Clare would claim that she would never do this. She'd never run from her problems; she'd face them head on with God and Eli by her side.
But God let too many bad things happen for her to have much faith in Him anymore. Sure, she had a bit of a crisis of religion when her parents got divorced, but this was different.
God allowed her sister, her sweet, CARING sister to get sick. She devoted her life to helping His children in Africa, because GOD told her to do so. GOD made this happen to Darcy, as if she hadn't been through enough in her life…
Clare threw her head on her pillow, not wanting to think about Darcy anymore. All she had thought of for three months was Darcy this, Darcy that…and now the guilt of LEAVING Darcy crawled on Clare's skin like a disease.
Oh, and as for leaning on Eli…Clare had completely fucked THAT up.
Clare knew Eli was the only man for her. Even when she was a nerdy little girl, donned in knee-high socks and Mary Janes, she believed in the cliché concept of "soul mates." One day, she'd find her proverbial "Prince Charming" and he'd literally be the half of her heart that was missing. He'd be the missing piece she needed to be complete and function as a whole, the cog that made her run as an apt machine.
Maybe her "Prince Charming" turned out to be more of a "Gothic Bad Boy," but that beautiful soul shrouded in black certainly completed her. They were equals, partners, lovers, and friends. Or…they were, before she stupidly pushed him away.
Clare's tears fell from her eyes onto the paisley pillowcase she slept on when Eli brought her here.
"The best weekend ever," Clare whispered aloud as her memories drifted to their last night in the room.
"Edwards, I read as much as the next guy, probably MORE, but really…do you NEED twenty new books?" Eli's arms were heavy with HER shopping bags and he couldn't help but laugh at the tiny fists flying towards him.
"No, but I need twenty OLD books, ELIJAH!" Clare continued to playfully punch her boyfriend, backing him into the bed. They tumbled onto it, Eli's arms tightly secured around Clare's waist and arms to keep her from "harming" him further. Her giggles subsided. "Thanks for bringing me here, Eli."
"No problem, Blue Eyes." He craned the back of her neck with one hand, keeping the other on the small of her back. She gave into his pull and placed her lips on his softly, permitting his tongue entrance soon following.
They kissed slowly for several minutes, neither making any move to go further. They had been having sex for a few months, but due to Eli's midterms and Clare's senior responsibilities they had had few oppurtunities to really be alone together and take their time.
Clare, surprisingly, made the first move for advancement. She sat up and shrugged off her purple sweater, straddling Eli all the while. He sat up and pressed his thumbs on her hips, moving them in small circles. She let out a breathy little sigh and tugged on his band major jacket. He shrugged it off and threw it to the side to keep Clare's sweater company. They weren't moving quickly; slowly, they took their time. Time for tender strokes and ministrations on each other's bodies. Piece by piece, their clothing fell (was dropped) to the floor. Clare blushed; blood always rushed to her face the moment she realized her naked body was on full display for Eli. He smiled softly at her (smiled, not smirked), and gently laid her on the checkered bedspread. The pale blue walls of their rented room made her eyes glisten more brightly in the little bit of moonlight. He felt as though he were drowning without a lifesaver, clumsy as he tried to swim back to the surface where she patiently waited for him to love her.
"Eli…kiss me."
He swallowed and obeyed. She placed him at her entrance, and without breaking the kiss, he pushed in slowly. With gentle thrusts, Eli ran his tongue along Clare's bottom lip, gasping when she nipped it softly. He pulled away and locked his eyes on hers; she shivered from both the intensity of his gaze and the slight tremors of pleasure already pulsing through her entire body.
She raised her hips to his in a gentle, soft harmony. Their eyes never strayed from one another, and they finished in the quietest, yet most intense harmony.
Eli pulled her naked body flush against his. "Are you okay?"
He still asked her this question every time they made love. Even though that's what they did, make love, he was terrified of losing control and hurting her.
"I'm great," Clare whispered, turning in his arms to face him. She pecked his lips. "I love it here."
"Where? The inn?" He ran his nimble fingers through her slightly sweaty curls.
"Yes. And here." She patted his arms and smirked.
"Well, you can come here anytime you want." Eli chuckled and kissed her forehead. Sleep soon took them into its embrace for the last night of their adventure.
They hadn't been back since. Clare and Eli tried to sneak awayto the small town again, but their schedules just never lined up right for a trip out of Toronto.
Clare feared her behavior would keep her from ever entering Eli's arms again, so she went to her next favorite place, the inn in which she currently sobbed.
Eli
Martha, the bookstore owner/innkeeper, remembered seeing Eli with Clare.
"She seemed really upset," Martha noted as she handed Eli the spare key. He had quickly explained the call he received from Clare's sister, and Martha reluctantly agreed to bend the rules for him. She was a kind, elderly woman who talked extensively about literature with the couple during their visit.
As many books as he bought Clare at her store, Martha had BETTER given Eli the spare key.
He ran to the room she had chosen (the same one they shared) and opened the door.
The sight broke his heart: Clare, in black sweats and a green tank top, curled into the fetal position. She cried her eyes out in the dark room. Her sobs racked through her body, making her tremble. The intrusion in the room startled her into looking up.
Clare
"What…what are you doing here?" Clare sniffled.
Eli rushed to the bed and took the broken girl into his arms. "Darcy called me." He stroked her back as she clung to him.
"I…I didn't tell her where I'd be," she hiccupped.
"Nobody knew." He smiled. "I just…had a feeling you'd be here."
Clare cried harder and tightened her grip around his waist. "Are you…" she sobbed. "Are you here to break up with me?"
Eli
Break UP with her?
Why in the name of anything that could possibly be Holy did Clare think he was going to BREAK UP with her?
"No, Clare!" Eli pulled away from her, but kept one hand on her thigh. He couldn't bear to break their physical contact when she seemed so broken.
"Then what? You're here to take me home and do it there?" Clare's tears couldn't seem to cease. She reached for a tissue and blew her nose. "Just do it."
"Clare…" Eli took her red face in his hands and forced her gaze his way. "I'm not going to break up with you. I want you to tell me what's WRONG." He brushed her bangs out of her eyes and kissed her swollen cheeks.
"Oh Eli!" Clare threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder. "I am so, SO sorry…"
"It's okay…calm down." Eli rubbed her back. "Look, Clare, you know I'm here. I'll always be here…as long as you need me, right?" He tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes. "But you have to actually use your words to tell me what's wrong, okay?"
Clare sniffled and nodded. "Well, I guess it all started toward the end of Spring break…"
Eli nodded; he figured as much. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. "Does this have anything to do with Darcy being home?"
Clare paled and choked back a sob. "Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me she was back?" He asked as he rubbed her back.
"She didn't want anyone to know," Clare choked out between sniffles. "I've been…taking care of her."
"Okay. Why? Did she break her leg or something?" Eli didn't quite get it.
"No, Eli." She took in a deep breath. "Darcy got some medical training through a program affiliated with Free the Children…she was basically an RN without the official, North American certification."
"Okay, go on…" Eli smiled at his girlfriend, encouraging her to get through her story.
"Well, she loved working with children. But one day, there was an accident…long story short, she saved a little boy's life." Clare reached for another tissue. "Well, that's great, but that little boy was infected with HIV."
Eli sucked in a breath.
"She had to give him CPR…he had fallen into a river and nearly drowned. No one knew he was infected, but he has also just recovered-rather miraculously, by the way-from Tuberculosis." Clare wiped her tears. "He coughed up blood into her mouth."
"Oh, God…" Eli tried to pull Clare in for a hug, but she kept him at arm's length.
"Yeah, that's what WE all said," Clare said bitterly. "But not until she came home. Because you see, this whole accident happened EIGHTEEN MONTHS AGO. My sister said she felt that God wanted her to stay in Africa and take care of the HIV infected kids."
"But…how did she get decent medical care there?" Eli was perplexed.
"She DIDN'T. My sister, PERFECT Darcy, stayed in Africa and FAILED TO TELL ANY OF US ABOUT THIS until she had full-blown AIDS." Clare's face distorted into one of anger. "Mom, as you know, had already started drinking a bit. She never really dealt with the divorce."
"Yeah…" Eli nodded. Clare slept at his apartment MANY nights when her mom was out with "friends" at bars.
"Well, this set her over the edge. She goes to work so she can pay for Darcy's at-home care and medication, but that's it. Darcy is too weak to move most of the time. I've been the one taking care of her. And she made me swear never to tell ANYONE. Dad's in Vancouver, he's been to visit her ONCE." Clare sniffled, again. "If she would have just come home when she got sick, she would have had YEARS. All the doctors say so."
"Clare…" Eli put his arms around her, and this time, she didn't push him away. "I'm so sorry."
"No, Eli, I'M sorry…I just…I knew you'd figure out something was up, and Darcy didn't want anyone to know, and I have come to you for an escape lately and that's not fair, and-"
Eli shut her up with a kiss. She responded to it tentatively. "It's okay." Eli pulled away to look her in the eye. "I think I, of all people, can understand pushing someone away for seemingly stupid reasons." He smirked. "But I'm here now, okay?"
"Really?" Clare leaned in to him.
"Yeah." He kissed her head. "I'm not going anywhere."
A/N: Hope you liked it. Tomorrow is Sunday, so expect an update! Also, you can follow me on twitter (if you're up for random tweets) literarylolita