Disclaimer: Don't own Degrassi. 'Nuff said.

Author's Note: So it's been a very long time since I last updated. My apologies. As I've mentioned before, I've just been really busy with school this year, and on the rare occasions that I did find free time, I ran into Writer's Block.

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Sand Castles
Not Alone

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When Clare woke up the next morning, it took her a moment to figure out where she was. Gone were the pink walls and feminine décor she was so used to; she instead found herself shrouded in darkness, surrounded by various band posters, stacks of CDs and other miscellaneous items that seemed to hold little purpose. Clothes were strewn across the floor, and the smell of Axe lingered in the air. Then it clicked.

She was at Eli's.

In an instant, memories came flooding back, from her tantrum at dinner to her mother finding out about her pregnancy and all but disowning her, leaving her with nowhere to go except Eli's. She sat up and looked around, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. On the nightstand beside her, the clock read 7:47. Glancing down, it was then that she realized that she was alone. Had Eli slept on the floor? She distinctly remembered feeling someone's arms around her. Had that been Eli, or just her imagination? Clare closed her eyes, rubbing her temples as she tried to remember what had happened after she'd shown up, unannounced, on the Goldsworthys' doorstep. She remembered Cece answering the door and letting her in, and then losing all composure and turning into a sobbing wreck as she explained her plight. After that, everything was hazy. She imagined she must've cried herself into exhaustion, because she couldn't for the life of her recall how she ended up in Eli's bed.

With a sigh, Clare kicked the sheets off her legs and got up. Eli's room wasn't nearly as messy as she remembered. It was somewhat untidy, as to be expected from a teenage boy, but at least she could make out the floor. She was still wearing her clothes from the night before, and debated whether or not to throw on one of Eli's shirts before deciding against it. It would be too weird, and the last thing she wanted to do was to stir up unwanted memories or give him false hope – assuming he even felt the same way about her still.

How selfish, she mused bitterly, shaking her head. Of course he wouldn't be waiting around for her to go running back into his arms, so why had she expected it?

Walking over to the bedroom door, Clare opened it and poked her head out, peering down the hall. She could hear the shower running, and wondered briefly who else was up so early on a Saturday before spotting her suitcase sitting by the door and dragging it back into the room.

Getting ready had become increasingly stressful over the past couple of weeks. It felt like she was gaining more and more weight by the hour, and after struggling to zip up her jeans with very little success, she eventually gave up and changed into one of her dresses instead. After throwing on a hoodie and combing her fingers through her hair to make herself look somewhat decent, she made her way downstairs.

Cece was in the kitchen, hovering over the stove and humming a tune to herself that Clare only vaguely recognized. She stood in the doorway awkwardly, not sure if she should make herself known or not, until the older woman finally turned around.

"Oh, Clare! You're up!" She said, abandoning the stove momentarily to join her. "How are you feeling? Did you sleep well? Oh, you don't have to stand – here, have a seat."

"Thank you." Clare smiled weakly, seating herself at the kitchen table while Cece resumed cooking.

"Are you hungry? I'm making scrambled eggs." Cece announced.

"Not really." Clare murmured, placing a hand on her stomach.

"Well, that's too bad." Cece said simply, scooping the eggs onto a plate and setting it in front of her. "You're eating for two now, you know."

Clare stared down at the eggs in disgust, trying hard not to gag at the smell. Cece sighed and took the plate away, and after a few minutes, replaced it with two slices of toast smothered in strawberry jam.

"You should be able to stomach that, at least." She said, before pulling up a chair beside her.

"Thank you." Clare replied, picking up a slice and nibbling on it.

After a few minutes of silence, Cece spoke up once more.

"So, I talked to Bullfrog last night, and we decided that it would be best if you stayed here with us for the duration of your pregnancy." She told her. Clare nodded, but remained silent. Cece gave her a sympathetic look. "Have you… decided what you're going to do with the baby once it's born?"

Clare shook her head, keeping her eyes downcast. "I haven't really… thought that far ahead."

Cece nodded in understanding, before reaching out and placing her hand over Clare's.

"Well, just know… you do have options." She said quietly.

Clare's gaze shot up, her body tensing.

"I'm not going to get an abortion." She told Cece firmly.

"That's not the only way out of this, Baby Girl." Cece assured her. "There's always adoption. I was a young mother once, Clare. I know how hard it is to raise a child. We were twenty and thought we could do anything, but the truth is… it's not going to be easy. If I hadn't had Bullfrog, I doubt I could've done it on my own." She smiled weakly. "I can only imagine how difficult this is for you… so if you don't think you can do this, you don't have to. In the end, it's your choice."

She gave Clare's hand a reassuring squeeze before standing up and making her way back over to the stove. As Clare let her words sink in, Eli walked into the kitchen, drying his hair with a towel. He stopped when he saw her.

"Hey…" He greeted uncertainly.

Clare peered up.

"Hi." She murmured.

Sparing a quick glance at his mother, who was pretending not to be eavesdropping on them, he took a seat next to her.

"Clare, I'm so sorry I wasn't here last night. If I had known –"

"Eli, it's not your fault." Clare assured him. "It's not like I… called ahead."

"What happened?" Eli asked.

Clare grimaced.

"Well, you know me and dinner events." She said, trying to joke but failing miserably. She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "I… kind of freaked out on Jake… and yelled at my mom… and then told her what was going on."

"So she knows you're pregnant." Eli said. Clare nodded. "Does she know that Jake's the father?"

"No." Clare murmured, shaking her head. "I stupidly thought that he'd own up to it himself, but that didn't happen."

"I'm sorry." Eli said honestly.

"Me too." Clare mumbled.

"Well… you're not completely alone." Eli said after a moment, giving her a small smile. "I'm here for you."

Clare smiled back at him. "I know."

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Okay, so this was a short chapter, but now that my Writer's Block is over (for now at least) I'll try to get another chapter out very soon. That one will be longer, and will include Clare/Cece bonding time and BABY PICTURES! YAY!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Please REVIEW and let me know what you think!