Authors note: Hello! I said I was done, but I'm a liar so I'm back. I won't be continuing any of my old stories because I lost inspiration to keep writing them and I might have also thrown out the outlines for them. However, if you'd like to know how they would have ended if I had of continued them you can always private message me and I'll be happy to tell you. But anyways! It's my new years resolution to finish a fanfic and I really hope I do, But enough chit chat, and onto my new story. R&R

Disclaimer: Degrassi is still pretty shit, so I would never want to take any credit for the show.

Summary: They agreed to be friends… With benefits. No feelings, just sex. However, everything changes in more way than one.

You And I And A Plus Sign

Chapter One

There it was again; that annoying beeping that woke Clare up every morning for work and sometimes on the weekends when she would forget to shut off her alarm. She groaned and with her eyes still shut she reached for the off button and stretched. After two minutes or so, she sat up rubbing the sleep from her blue eyes and yawned. She loved the mornings, but hated the getting up and out of bed part.

Once she was out of bed, she headed to the bathroom and proceeded with her necessary morning routine: going to the washroom, taking a shower, drying her hair, curling her hair, brushing her teeth, putting on her makeup and getting dressed. She slipped on a conservative black dress and paired it with a black jacket. Then she was out the door and off to work.

It was Thursday and she could already imagine the amount of letters, paperwork and books she had to go through before she could go home later that night. She wasn't complaining though. Clare Edwards was a workaholic and loved every second she sat editing a new story to be published.

Clare gripped the door and pulled it open to walk into her favourite little-yet-popular coffee shop that just so happened to be owned by her best friend.

"Hey, Edwards."

"Good morning, B." Clare smiled brightly as she hung up her coat on the back of one of the bar chairs before sitting in it.

"Someone is happier than usual." The tall girl said "what's up?" Bianca slid a cup of coffee, towards her. It was hot, just the way she liked it.

"Thanks." Clare said, holding onto the cup. Clare only shrugged at her words though. "Can't a girl smile without reason?"

Bianca threw a cloth over her shoulder and placed a hand on her hip, "You only smile that big when you've finished editing a book or got laid the night before." She said matter-of-factly. "So… Which one is it?"

Clare blushed and looked down at her steaming cup, "Eli came over last night."

"Ah ha! I knew it." Bianca smirked.

"Nothing happened, Bianca." Clare told her then took a sip.

"I don't believe that."

"It's the truth." Clare set the cup down and bit her tongue for a second before speaking. "… We watched a movie, he made popcorn… It was nice. I wasn't feeling great last night so we didn't do anything… for a change." Clare smiled again, recalling the memory.

The dark haired girl let out a breath through her nose and pushed her lips to side, like she was thinking. It was clear to Clare that Bianca already knew what she was going to say. The girl doesn't have a filter most of the time.

"You are so head over heels for him." She finally said.

"No." Clare argued.

"Clare. I know you and I see the way you look at him when we're all hanging out." She paused. "You've looked at him like that since high school."

"You're crazy, Desousa." Clare said and took another sip from the cup.

"And you're in denial."

Clare rolled her eyes playfully at her friend and got up, "I've gotta go."

"Call me later."

"I will."

Bianca blew her a kiss, Clare picked up her coffee and went off to a long day at work.

Later that day….

A knock on Clare's door caught her attention and she cursed quietly. Clare glanced over at her clock and it was the time they had planned for him to come really did fly. Earlier when they had made plans she felt fine and she couldn't wipe the smile off of her face but now all she wanted to do was sleep but she didn't want to disappoint him.

With her fuzzy warm blanket wrapped around her, Clare went and answered the door. "Hey." She said with a slight smile.

Eli smirked at her and Clare just about melted. Maybe Bianca was right. Maybe she had fallen head over heels for this boy. Maybe she had been on the ground since the day they met back when they were teenagers attending Degrassi. But she had to remind herself that it was just sex and feeling weren't allowed. But he stood there, dressed in black from head to toe and her heart fluttered and her smile widened and she wanted to kiss him, cuddle him and sleep next to him without sleeping with him.

"I brought your favourite." He said holding up two bags of sushi.

Then the smell hit her and it made her sick to her stomach and she shook her head at him. "Get rid of it." She told him, moving away from him.

Eli came in and shut the door behind him placing the bags on the kitchen island. "What?" He asked confused.

"The smell…" She said, "It's making me sick."

"Are you still not feeling well?" He asked, kicking off his shoes.

Clare shook her head and went back to the spot on the couch when she had been sitting before he showed up. "It was nice of you... But I don't think I can stomach that right now."

The dark haired boy nodded and picked up the bags then placed them in the fridge before going over and sitting next to Clare.

She leaned against his shoulder and sighed, "I'm sorry." She whispered as Eli moved an arm around her and held her lovingly. "I know you came over so we could have sex… But I'm tired and now the sushi smell made me nauseous…" She stopped the second Eli started chuckling. "Why are you laughing?" She asked him almost bitterly.

"I care about your health more than I care about having sex with you." He told her and kissed her forehead. That made Clare smile so she hid her face in his chest.

"How about we finish that movie?" He asked after a second or two.

Clare lifted her head from his chest and nodded, "I'd like that, Elijah."

He glared a bit as he moved from the couch to put the movie on from where they left off the night before, "I regret telling you my full name."

"Elijah's a hot name." Clare spit out before covering her mouth in embarrassment then she giggled at Eli's expression.

Eli re-joined her on the couch and Clare snuggled into his lap as they continued watching the movie.

That night Clare tossed and turned until the morning hours. She couldn't get comfortable; she couldn't let her mind rest for a second. She still felt sick and no matter how much she insisted Eli go home so he wouldn't get sick, he would not leave.

Clare turned over again, facing the sleeping boy beside her in her bed and she smiled at the sight despite the awful churning in her stomach. He looked so peaceful, so beautiful as he slept. His slight snoring didn't bother her. She was glad he stayed, he brought her comfort.

She moved towards him a bit and placed a very soft kiss upon his lips. He started to move some and she knew that she must have woken him up. It wasn't her intent but her alarm was going to go off soon and she was sure he didn't want to be woken up by that. So she kissed him again.
"Eli." She whispered.

He groaned, she shook his shoulder. Eli turned over on his other side, she ran her hand down his bare back and giggled quietly.

"Eli." She said again.

"Clare." Eli whined almost.

Clare turned over and sat up quickly which she discovered about five seconds later was a horrible idea because it only made her feel worse. She pressed off the alarm clock and stood up.

"It's five o'clock in the morning, are you kidding me?" Eli asked, sleep still in his voice.

"Sorry." She mumbled, glancing at him.

She watched him sit up and she watched him try to hide a smile and she watched his expression change to concern as her face dropped and he must have picked up on it. Clare left the room quickly, running to the washroom, not bothering to shut the door after her. She kneeled down in front of the toilet and started vomiting. She felt herself break a sweat as she emptied her stomach.

Eli came in the bathroom and if it wasn't for the fact that she was feeling horrible she would be embarrassed that he was witnessing her throw up. He sat down on the edge of the bathtub and held her hair up and out of her face, whispering things that Clare didn't care enough at that moment to comprehend.

Tears were rolling down her face by the time she was finished. She hated throwing up, she hated the way it reminded her of the months she spent in the hospital when she was a teenager. She just hated the hospital.

"Come on." Eli said concern laced through his voice.

"I... I have to get ready for work." She told him, reaching up to flush the toilet.

"No way."

"What?"

"You're sick; you have to stay home, Clare." He told her, passing her a cloth.

Clare sighed taking it from him and got up from the ground slowly. Clare went to the sink and wet the cloth as Eli sat. She wiped her mouth and threw the cloth in the hamper before pulling out her tooth brush and starting to brush her teeth.

"Clare." Eli said after about a minute or so.

"What?" Clare said after spitting in the sink then putting the brush back.

"Stay home. Get better."

"…Fine." She mumbled.

The girl started to tear up then and walked out of the bathroom. By the time she made it back to bedroom she was sobbing. She sat on the edge of the bed and cried in her hands. The bed moved and she knew he was sitting next to her, he wrapped his arms around her and she held on to him like it was life or death.

The dark-hair boy kissed her forehead lovingly before saying, "Do you want me to stay with you?"

She nodded against his chest, "Please."

"I'm not going anywhere."

The words only made her sob harder and she didn't know why. She didn't know why she was crying to begin with. All she knew was that she was emotional all of a sudden.

Eli rubbed her arm up and down lightly, "Now what's wrong?"

"I don't know." She cried. "I-I don't know… I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" He said quietly.

"I'm crying like an idiot."

Eli pulled away and Clare glanced at him but quickly looked away again. He placed his hand under her chin, making her look at him. "No." He said simply. "You're not an idiot… And never say sorry for letting out how you feel."

Clare took a breath and nodded before moving away and wiping her tears away. "I just want it to stop." She told him.

"Want what to stop?"

"Feeling sick." She said throwing her arm up in the air. "I'm always tired and can keep barely anything down… I'm scared." She said.

"Clare…"

"What if… what if the cancer's back?" She choked.

Eli looked away shaking his head. "Don't say that."

Even though he was turned away mostly, she could basically see the sadness on his face. She wasn't an idiot; she knows he likes to hide how he feels just as much as she does. He was there almost every second that she was sick back when they were teenagers; he never left her side unless the doctors made him. He saw her in her darkest moments. Losing her hair, going through surgeries, the chemo, everything.

She didn't want to say it but there's always been a risk that it might come back. She didn't want to say it, or think it or ever go through it again but she couldn't just ignore it. That's what happened the first time; she ignored her body trying to tell her something was wrong. She ignored it until she ended up in the hospital. She's learned since then but that doesn't mean she's any less scared of what might be going on with her.

"Don't fucking say that." Eli said again when Clare went quiet for a minute or so.

"The doctors said there's a risk it can come back, Eli." Clare played with her fingers.

"I wish there wasn't." He said sadly.

Then Clare started to tear up again, "I don't want to go through that again, Eli." Her bottom lip quivered and Eli pulled her to him again.

"Come on, Don't cry." He cooed. "You're just throwing what-if's into the air. Make an appointment with your doctor, that's the only way you'll be able to find out."

Clare let out a deep breath and sighed "Okay." She whispered. "I'm probably worrying about nothing."

"You tend to do that." He chuckled getting up from the bed. "Try sleeping? I'll go get breakfast from Bianca." He said. "And I'll call in for you."

Clare nodded getting back under the covers. "Thank you." Clare smiled slightly. "Will you tell her I'm sorry that I didn't get around to calling her last night?"

"Anything else?" Eli asked, changing into fresh clothing. He has his own drawer.

"I ran out of pickles. Can you get some?" She asked.

Eli came over, leaned down and pecked her lips. "I'm on it." He kissed her again and went to leave the room. Before leaving, he gripped the door knob and turned to look at her "Hey, Clare… You've probably just got a bad case of the flu… Or you're pregnant."

Clare rolled her eyes, "You're hilarious, Goldsworthy."

"I know." He smirked and left the room.

Clare heard the door shut and her mind began to wander. However she quickly dismissed the thoughts. The doctors said she would never be able to conceive.

So? Should I continue?

Let me know with a review maybe?