200 reviews. This is just phenomenal.

200.

ForeverInYourArms , Madame Degrassi19820, clareandeliforever, CDsOnTheWall, The Cliffhanger Girl, ImaginationOfJessica, all the anons, and to everyone who had read/reviewed/story-alerted this story- you have all been so incredible with your never-ending support for the past twelve weeks! This is just mind-blowing, and Iwish I could respond to all of you individually because all of you are so special to me- every single reader. Always a special thanks to KitKat0219, my first reviewer and awesome fangirl-buddy who is is currently MIA. She's just hilarious. And thank you to my mysterious 200th review, who I may or may not know. I have a feeling that I know you anon, you sneaky person you.

There's also a misconception out there with you guys in regards to my graduating- haha, I'm not graduating. Let me just clear up, I'm fourteen. I'm nowhere near graduating.

So I will say this for the last time in the story- a bittersweet ending this is indeed, which is silly because I know I'll probably be continuing to write-:

Enjoy!

"Oh my God. Can you guys like, not suck face for two minutes?" Drew groaned, flinging popcorn at the intertwined couple.

"You're getting the smell of sex all over my couch!" Adam whined, throwing candy bits at them as well.

"Eli!" Clare reprimanded, roughly shoving at his chest. There were pieces of sour red candy stuck in her hair, popcorn stuck in Eli's. Her face was bright red; his flustered, but the smirk conveyed a completely different message.

"Hey, you insisted we come over for a movie day," he shrugged, lifting his palms up in defence.

"Yeah, to actually watch movies," Drew grumbled, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the large bowl and stuffing it in his mouth. "You always seem to be working these days, I haven't seen your face for a while now, man."

Clare and Eli shared a knowing look- rather, they had originally intended to. The second their eyes met, any will to tear their gaze away melted in an instance. Loving, tender, fondness glowed around the couple, green melding with blue flawlessly as if there was never any other way. Clare tentatively reached out to hold his chin, a small, shy smile on her face.

"Yeah, I don't think I'll be working there again," Eli said, the corner of his lip tugging upwards in a crooked grin.

"Why not?"

"I'm kind of over it," Eli shrugged, still staring affectionately at Clare. "I got tired of the night shifts and all."

-x—

"I can't do this anymore," he said resolutely, looking determinedly at the haggard-looking man with his infamous whip enclosed around his fingers. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a small movement. A twitch, almost, followed by the tightening of his grip. The anger coursing through the man's veins was nearly palpable, and for a short while, he contemplated fleeing the scene. One flick of his wrist. That was all it would take for him to send another sharp flash of pain across his body, and coming into the situation quite cognizant of this, Eli began to wonder why he was doing this. He was so afraid, terrified of the significance of this. Frightened not only by the potentially awful physical consequences, but also what it would mean.

"But when you're afraid, think of me and know that I can be strong for you when you're weak," Clare had said, touching her forehead with his before he turned on his heel and left. Bullfrog would drive her home, and she would be safe. A part of him was incredibly reassured by her safety, for it meant one less thing to worry about. He was comforted in knowing that Clare was far, far away from the dangerous mess he was too much involved in.

And she was right- she would be strong enough for both of them, and that gave him the courage to speak up.

"I don't give a fuck of what you can or can't do kid," the man snorted, roughly tossing the shovel at him. Eli staggered backwards as the metal tool pushed him off balance, letting out a gruff as his lower abdomen groaned in pain. "I want your ass, out there, pronto."

Eli whipped the shovel across the dirt ground, keeping his feet planted. Scraping together what bravery Clare had fueled with him, he empowered himself with images of her, her smile, her eyes, and her blush. With that in mind, he felt that he could do everything, almost. Almost everything.

"Do I need to remind you what you did?" he growled lowly, advancing quickly and gathering the collar of Eli's shirt in his fist. The way he held onto him started to cut off his circulation, provoking a hoarse gasp of air in Eli's part. "Do I? Huh? Do you need me to remind you?"

Struggling to rip away from his vice-tight grip, Eli desperately clawed at the man's hands, but all to no avail. He was like a stone, having no reaction to the red marks Eli was making with his nails.

"You're weaker than before," he laughed raucously, mockingly. "My little girl was always stronger than you."

His grip tightened, and Eli choked. The blackness was dangerously near, and one wrong move meant the abyss. He had fought so hard to stay away. He had fought so hard to keep from falling. He was not giving up now.

"I-didn't- k-kill," he croaked, trying to produce sound. But his throat closed around the next few words, causing his eyes to roll to the back of this head.

"A word of advice to the nitwit who convinced you to stand up to me," the man said in sardonic amusement. He chuckled darkly to himself. "Don't bother. Who are you even talking to these days, kid? That person must be real messed to deal with someone as warped as you. You're pretty fucked up, man, I don't understand how anyone could be as stupid as-"

It was his turn to have his words cut off, because before neither of them knew, Julia's screw-up of a father was on the ground, letting out a howl of pain and clutching his bloody nose. Quicker than it took him to recover, Eli stretched out his fingers, hearing the crackling sound coming from his knuckles.

"I did not kill Julia," he said through his teeth, placing his foot on the man's stomach. He stomped on it hard, eliciting a sharp cry from him. "And don't you dare talk about Clare that way. Don't you dare call her stupid of messed, because I will personally make sure to give you hell for whatever time you have left here."

All of a sudden, Eli's leg came flying up and he was lying on the ground. His back made contact with a dull thud, and the man was suddenly up on his feet.

"Fuck you," he spat, punching Eli in the face. "Fuck you!"

He punched him, not once, but four times before his vision began to slip away from him. In a futile attempt to block the punches, he raised his arms to cover his face, but that only worsened the block. His arms were twisted in a way that was definitely not meant to be twisted, sending more pain through his body.

It was at that moment that Eli found that he could no longer fight. The blackness crept up to him once again, this time harder and more powerful than it ever had before. It invaded his sense like none other, enveloping him like darkness and sucking him in like a deathly vacuum. This was it. It was all over.

"He's over there!" a voice from the far, far distance cried. "Hurry, hurry, please!"

Impeccable timing it had been, as there was what he estimated to be an inch of life left in him before he was rescued. The weight of the man was lifted off of him, replaced by the presence of a softer being.

"Eli, please wake up!" she cried into his ear. Her voice was trembling, and her touch was like golden light. Weightless as a feather, soft as cotton, and wondrous as a beautiful dream. "Please, open your eyes!"

He slowly lifted his heavy lids, already feeling a black eye forming. It was dark, but he could make out two large, pleading blue eyes hovering before him, and that was enough.

"I did it," he smiled weakly, squinting at her. "I told him."

"Oh, Eli, thank you!" she smiled back at him, both relieved and tear-stained. She gently lifted his head and placed it on her lap, brushing the hair off of his face. "I'm so proud of you, Eli, I love you so much! You scared me back there."

"I love you," he said hoarsely, letting his eyes close again. He shifted slightly so that his face was pressed gently against her stomach, feeling the warmth emit from her body. "Where is... is he?"

"He's in the police car right now, Eli. You don't have to worry about it anymore, it's all over."

"Thank…thank you," he murmured, smuggling up against her.

"I love you," Clare smiled softly. "It's alright now, you can go to sleep. You're safe."

"And to think that all of this started with a journal," he mused sleepily.

She laughed, and it sounded as carefree as wind chimes swaying in the summer breeze.

"You make a lot of sense when you're tired, you know?" she smiled, caressing his bruised cheek.

"But it's true. If we never swapped journals…"

"Okay, okay, Eli. Just go to sleep now, you're tired."

"…Yes master."

-x—

Clare and Eli just smiled at each other, reliving the last bit of bitter sweetness in their minds. While the man's motives were still questionable, it had been clinically proven that his sanity was as well- he was messed, and he may never make any sense. The couple decided to put all the craziness behind them without sparing a single glance back.

It was all about moving on.

"Well you had a job, at least," Drew grumbled to himself. "I've been trying to get one for ages, and let me tell you: it ain't easy shit. I've been to at least ten interviews and there was this only guy-"

"Look he's doing it again!" Adam shrieks, whipping the entire candy package at Eli's head. "Dude, stop trying to eat your girlfriend!"

Clare wrinkled her nose, squishing his face with her hand. Endeavouring to push her boyfriend away, she pushed harder and harder, trying to put some respectable space between them. His amused chuckle sounded muffled against her palm, and she couldn't help but giggle along with him.

Eli mumbled something unintelligible, lips squashed against Clare's hand.

"What did he say?" Drew asked, knitting his brows together.

"He said that he hears a car pulling up in the driveway," Clare translated, screwing her lips to the side.

Adam stood up, padding over the windows in the living room. Peering outside, he nodded. "Yup, Fiona and Imogen are here."

"I still can't wrap my head around it," Drew shook his head, setting the popcorn bowl down at his feet. "Fiona and Imogen? Who would have ever known?"

"You two have certainly missed out on a lot," Clare said.

"I kind of thought Imo had a thing for you, "Adam noted, jerking his head towards Eli, who merely shrugged.

"Please don't remind me," he murmured, shaking his head. "Having to confront her about it was the most awkward thing ever."

-x—

Her door colour had changed, Eli had noticed- he distinctively remembered it'd be coated in a brilliant scarlet colour the time he dropped her off after the concert. It was a royal blue now, and it clashed with the sunny yellow marigolds decorating the front lawn. It was an eccentric look all around, and he was convinced that Imogen wasn't just the oddball of the family.

"Elijah Goldsworthy!" she greeted with a perky smile, swinging open the door before he even had the chance to knock. Her glasses sat anew on her nose. The pigtails sprouting out of her head were sloppily tied. Her overall dishevelled appeared had Eli contemplate whether to come to come back another day, but he was aware now that it was too late to turn back.

"Um, hey Imo," he half-heartedly lifted up his hand to wave. The other remained jammed in his pocket, jangling around his car keys. "Sorry for coming here so unexpectedly, I-"

"Oh no, don't apologize Elijah Goldsworthy!" she cut him off enthusiastically, shoving the door wider. "Come in!"

The smell of something funky invaded his sense, and he immediately cringed and receded. Her home reeked of onions and coconut and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"We could also talk out here," he said, shifting from one foot to the other.

Her shoulders bobbed up and down excitedly. "That's very fine with me! Just let me find my coat!"

Ah yes, the infamous red coat. Sequined and shiny and furry in all its glory. In a way, she looked like a little child getting ready to play out in the snow, and Eli's guilt just soared at what was to come. Was he heartless enough to blare his screamo music while driving past a hospital zone? Maybe. Callous enough to eat the last spring roll when he's eating Chinese takeout with his family? Definitely. But watch and be responsible for tearing down someone's heart in an unprompted confrontation? That was a tricky one.

"So how may I assist you today Elijah?" she said dreamily, swaying back and forth to some mute music.

He swallowed hard. Just come right out and say it. "Imogen…I know that you may have some…feelings for me and-"

"That is correct, Elijah," she interrupted again, peering curiously at him. Something flashed across her eyes and once. A sudden glow overtook her, and she began to bounce up and down animatedly, boots crunching against the white snow repeatedly. "Now I know why you're here!"

Eli blinked confusedly. "You do?"

"Yes!" she cheered, pumping her fist in the air. "You're here to tell me that you return the feelings! Oh, I can't tell you how long I waited for this day!"

Oh shit, no, no that's not what he meant.

"Elijah Goldsworthy, I love you too!" she squealed, grabbing his face and pushing it towards hers. Before he could react, their lips were smashed together with such unexpected pressure, all he could do was stand there like an idiot while she tried to force a reaction out of his lips. She was surprisingly strong for someone so tiny, and it took him a considerable amount of effort to pry her face off of his.

"Imogen!" he exclaimed, appalled. He could have sworn he tasted some tongue in there.

"Why did you break off the kiss?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Imogen, no. That's not what I came for," he shook his head, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"You…don't have feelings for me?" she said in a small voice, as if it was the most shocking news in the world.

"Someone else does though," he said hastily, hurrying to do whatever it takes to wipe away the heartbreaking expression on her face.

"Who?"

"Fi-"He stopped, mentally smacking his forehead. Oh, wasn't he a wonderful chamber of secrets. In a moment of panic, he drew a complete blank in regards to boundaries of what he could and couldn't say all under the duress that is a sad face.

"Fi…? Fiona?" she raised her eyebrow, looking intrigued by the idea.

He said nothing, and just rolled all his weight to his other foot.

"I knew it all along!" she bubbled, the excitement rushing back to her in a heartbeat. "She likes girls, doesn't she? Oh, I knew it wasn't just a friendship between us!"

Well then. "Wait a minute. Oh, my God, you have a crush on her," he enlarged his eyes.

"Oh my dear, I must go speak with her," she murmured to herself, ignoring Eli completely. "Bye-bye to you, Elijah!"

And she turned on her heel and back inside her house, leaving Eli totally stunned.

-x—

"Funny," Clare said broodingly, putting a finger on her chin. She eyed Eli carefully. "I don't remember Imogen kissing you when you told me the story…"

Adam and Drew hooted and howled in amusement, avidly watching Eli as his eyes widened in realization and scrambled for an explanation.

"I love you, Clare," he said sweetly, gazing nervously at her. He attempted a cute smile.

"Oh, put a sock in it, Goldsworthy," she rolled her eyes, wriggling out of his warm embrace. She got up and hurried to open the door, grinning invitingly at the two girls standing hand-in-hand at the threshold. Both of who were equally happy about their current position. "Hi Fiona. Hello Imogen!"

"Clare Edwards, pleased to see you again!" Imogen said excitedly, throwing a quick one arm hug around her.

"Hi, Clare-bear," Fiona smiled, before diverting her attention towards the rest of the occupants. "Hello, Torres brothers. Goldsworthy."

"So when are we going on a double-date?" Eli smirked, eyeing their hands.

"Hilarious, Elijah," Imogen narrowed her eyes into tiny, playful slits. She leaned closer to Fiona, resting her head on her shoulder. "I don't share."

"Well, I guess we're gonna need more food with all these people." Drew chirped, hoping to his feet.

"How are you two not on Welfare with eating habits like his?" Eli rolled his eyes, jabbing his thumb towards a whistling Drew.

"Our family is a living miracle," Adam shrugged.

"So what movies are we watching?" Imogen asked, patting her head, jamming herself between Fiona and Adam. Eli, who was sitting next to him, noticed that there was no more room for Clare. But as he attempted to get up to offer her a seat, she just shook her head, settling for the spot on the floor between his legs. He found he had to open up his legs a little for her to sit comfortably, and with a mash of his brows he realized what kind of position this put him in. His –ahem- area felt oddly exposed and breezy, as if there was a draft somewhere in there. It's been quite some time since he's been this intimate, and he was convinced his legs must have had cobwebs attached to them.

There was suddenly a sharp banging sounds echoing across the room, causing everyone in it to jump.

"Stupid remote," Adam muttered, peering at it like some sort of mysterious device. "Drew!" he hollered. "Where are the spare batteries?"

"What pear what?" he screamed back.

"I swear to God everyone in this household is deaf," Adam grumbled, stomping over to the kitchen. "I'll be right back. Talk amongst yourselves."

And with that, Fiona and Imogen began to chatter lightly. Clare immediately swerved around, smiling at Eli with her eyes.

"Oh, look at them Eli," she whispered fondly, inconspicuously gazing at the couple. She smiled contentedly as Imogen playfully swatted Fiona's shoulder, obviously saying something quite humorous as she threw her head back and laughed. "Aren't they adorable?"

"Just call me matchmaker," he murmured smugly, pulling up his legs and wrapping his arms around his knees. "What?" he asked, returning Clare's unhappy stare.

"It was so warm between there," she frowned, referring to his legs clamping against her body.

He chuckled, opening his arms. "Then why don't you bring it in?"

"Because I know it won't be two seconds before you start devouring me with kisses," she raised her eyebrow challengingly, folding her arms over her chest.

He craned his neck up so that he was facing the ceiling, a lopsided smirk playing on his lips. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said innocently.

Where the hell are the batteries?" Adam screamed from the kitchen.

"Eyes here, mister," Clare chided, tapping on his knee.

"What? What? I can't hear you," he said loudly, rocking his head from side to side. He closed his eyes, pretending to be blind.

"Eli," she said reprovingly.

"I can't heeear you," he sang in an obnoxiously off-key voice.

"Oh my freaking God, Drew, I swear if you don't drop that pudding cup-"

"I don't-oof!" Eli grunted.

Without warning, Clare hoped onto his lap, covering his entire face with her tiny hands. Eli struggled to pry them loose out of instinct, but all to no avail- she kept them firmly planted on his face, over his eyes and covering his nose and mouth. His arms flailed out to the side, feigning distress, but Clare just giggled at his thrashing about.

"You said you can't see!" she laughed over her grunting. "This shouldn't make a difference."

"Clare, you're being ridiculous," he said in a stern, disapproving voice. This just made her laugh harder.

"You got pudding in my batteries!"

"You got battery in my pudding!"

"Now I can't see a thing," Eli groaned sadly, fumbling blindly around to feel for where Clare was. "Is this Clare?"

She giggled.

"Is this your face? Oh, don't wanna poke your pretty blue eyes out, do we?" He continued to venture with his hands. "This feels like hair- a lot of hair. Ooh, it's so soft…what kind of product do you use on this? You have to let me try it."

"Look at the lovebirds now," he heard Fiona say from a distant. He grinned, feeling more daring now."

"Is this your neck?" Clare wiggled around violently, but still managing to keep his face covered. "Are you ticklish here Cl- wait, no, you're ticklish everywhere."

"That's not true!" she exclaimed defensively. "Not on my hands, I'm not!"

"Shoulders, yes, very good. Arms, stomach…what are these? Oh my God, are these boobs? They're boobs, right?" He said excitedly. Even from where he hands were, he could feel Clare's heart beat rapidly in her chest.

Something sharp whapped across his face.

"…Okay fine, no boobs."

"Guys," Adam came striding in, irritation stamped on his face. In his hands were a couple of batteries, dripping with viscous brown pudding.

"Is that poo?" Imogen widened her eyes.

Adam stared at her.

"Yes, I pooed on the batteries, and now we can't watch TV!" Drew came following, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation. "I'm sorry, okay? I just-"He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, eyes flickering over to the couch. It took him a brief second to process Eli and Clare's rather intimate position before twisting his face into a tight grimace. "Ewww! No sex on my couch! Oh my God guys, I eat there!"

"This will be a very pleasant year, don't you think?" Imogen mused whimsically to Fiona.

"I'm going to order a pizza tonight, is that okay?"

"Uh-huh, that's fine mom," Clare bobbed her head up and down like a bobble head, hands folded neatly on her blanketed lap.

"Pepperoni?" Helen asked.

"That's funny, mom. You know I don't like pepperoni."

"Vegetarian again, I suppose."

"Uh-huh."

"Alright then, I guess I'll go call now."

"Okay, see you later mom."

As soon as the door closed with a click, Clare let out the exhale she was holding sense her mother came into the room. She flipped her blanket off of her and pulled her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Yes, I'm so glad you kept that underwear under here and- hey, are you cold?" Eli inquired warmly, wriggling out from underneath her bed. After dusting himself off, he proceeded to sit next to his girlfriend, collecting her into his arms. "God, you're freezing Clare."

"She was thisclose so catching you again, Eli," Clare shook her head. "One day she's going to find you here."

"Hey now, where is this coming from?" he wrinkled his brows. "You've never been so concerned with this before."

"I know," she murmured, leaning into his chest. Feeling the warmth of his skin transfer to her own was sheer bliss, and this was excluding the sound of his heartbeat thumping against her ear. He was a safe harbour that she had grown to love a little bit more every day. "But Eli, we both know that this isn't right. I-I don't like hiding this from my mom. It feels wrong."

"We're not doing anything wrong, Clare," Eli tried to soothe her worry with a gentle back rub. He slithered his hands under her shirt, letting the feel of his bare hands run up and down her body.

"I-ooh," she said, sounding mildly confused by the sensation. She cocked her head to the side, arching her back instinctively. Losing her train of thoughts completely, Clare's mind was suddenly focused on the electric sparks bounding off his hand and into her skin, creating a heated pool stirring in the pits of her stomach. The warmth, the intimacy- it felt so good.

"I'm not pressuring you into doing anything," Eli continued, completely unaware of the affect he was having on her. He seemed to be too concentrated on justifying their actions to himself and Clare, that he failed to notice how sloppy and big his circular rubs were getting. "I know your vows, Clare, and I know that you're not ready. I respect that about you. That's not going to change, no matter what the circumstances are, okay?"

"Mhmm," she nodded with her lips pressed together, beginning to impatiently squirm on the spot. Now that her back was warm, her stomach felt cold, and figured that there was one practically way of solving that. She abruptly twisted her torso around so that his large hand was sprayed over her belly, appreciating the way it warmed that area up in an instance.

"Uhh…Clare?"

"How is it that you're always so warm?" she asked, merging her eyebrows together.

"You're easily distracted today, aren't you?" he chuckled, a low rumbling sound coming from his chest. "I thought we were talking about something else."

"Yeah, um…sorry, go on," she blushed, swallowing deeply. Darn Eli and his attractiveness and such.

"I think that it's important we talk about this," he said, smirking slightly at her flustered face. "You understand that I'm going to wait, right?"

"I know, she sighed, palming her cheeks to cool them down. "It's just, sometimes I feel like I'm holding you back. You are a teenage boy- I don't want to deprive you or anything…"

"You're silly," he grinned crookedly, kissing her nose. "This is all I need."

"We're spending so much time together like this," she said quietly. "It makes me a tad bit nervous."

"Me too," he admitted, kissing her fingers one by one. She smiled at his cute gesture. "As long as we know the feeling's mutual. But like I said, I'm going to wait. Whether that's after you get married or years into the future, I'll wait. There's no pressure."

"Can we really think that after just eight weeks? I mean, realistically speaking-"

"Oh Clare, when have we ever been realistic?" he laughed airily. "Or normal, for that matter?"

"Point," she allowed, screwing her lips to the side.

"It's okay to feel a little overwhelmed," he reassured her. "I know you're new to all of this."

"That makes one of us, huh?" she frowned slightly.

Eli merely scooted his bum so that his back was leaning against her headboard, taking Clare with him. In one, fluid motion, he lifted her up onto his lap, both of their legs extended towards the end of the bed. He snaked his arms around her waist, clasping his hands together at her stomach.

"Everything is new with you," he whispered ardently into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

She tilted herself slightly to gaze at him, just seconds before he captured her lips in a sweet kiss. Eyes closed in pure happiness and lips savouring the taste of tender affection they continued to meld their lips together, blissfully sharing enough love to last them a lifetime.