A/N: This is my first fic not based on a book haha.

Also, I am sooooo sorry to all my Hunger Games readers. Three words: AP/Honors homework. more explanation later, promise.

But anyway, and Eclare fic:) I love Eli. So much. hahah. This really is just the final episode, same plot, same dialogue, so obviously I own nothing. I just wanted to put it in Clare's emotions. Maybe I'll do it from Eli's pov too. sometime.

Anywayys, yeah. One shot, but R&R pleeeeease.

I walk through the door behind Alli, knowing I may very well be starting the worst night of my 15 year old life. But hopefully, it will finally resolve the ridiculous feud between Eli and Fitz, the boy I seem to be falling in love with, and the sadistic boy who torments him. I know one thing about tonight: it will change everything, either for better or worse. And I have to see it through.

Jenna's disappeared somewhere, and Alli's just spotted Drew, so I'm left alone in the crowded, garishly decorated gym. Vegas night. Maybe it's appropriate that I'm gambling so much on this one night.

I don't see Fitz anywhere, so I make my way through the hallway to his locker. I know the site from the various tormenting that happens here every day. From the end of the darkened hall, I see him, and steel my nerves, forcing a smile onto my face. "Is that corsage for me?" I ask, breaking the awkward silence.

He looks up, not smiling. "Yeah... my mom made me get it."

I take it from his hands carefully. "I like it," I say, "But I'm not going to have sex with you." The words bring images of Eli's betrayed face outside my house, and I struggle to keep my smile plastered on.

Fitz has a bewildered, amused smile now. "Woah, where did that come from?"

"I know what you told Eli." I say, feeling defensive but keeping my smile firmly in place.

Now Fitz smiles for real, and I can almost believe he isn't a monster. "Clare, in theory, all guys want to hook up with a cute girl like you. But I wouldn't try anything, unless you wanted it."

Now it's my turn to be confused. "In theory, not a chance," I laugh. "I guess Eli overreacted."

"I guess so," he says. I don't miss the cold hatred that crosses his face at the mention of Eli's name, but I ignore it.

"Is there anyway you two can just move on, forget this stupid feud?" I ask, barely daring to hope.

"Hey, I was willing to accept his apology, but then your little boyfriend got me arrested."

"Could an apology still work?"

"Yeah, but I doubt I'm gonna get one."

The hope I'd been trying to keep down bloomed to life, and the smile I'd been forcing finally became real. As we walked to they gym side by side, not touching, my thoughts were flying. It would be over. Eli and I could finally be together.

"Hey, I'm gonna go tell him," I say, not waiting for his response as I flit across the gym, searching for the brilliant goth boy who so often occupied my thoughts. I see him at a dice table, his face curved into a sly smirk as he rolls. I walk up to him, and before I get a word out, he speaks, an edge in his voice and his smile faltering slightly.

"Having fun on your date?"

"You can't be mad at me because I refused to slip ipecac into Fitz's drink," I say defensively.

"Can I be mad you're with him?" he counters, and I hear the smallest edge of hurt laced with the bluntness.

"He threatened to hurt you! What was I supposed to do?" I say, desperation lacing my own voice.

"Let me handle it," he says, hardness creeping into his.

"Oh, because that was working so well," I say sarcastically. "Fitz isn't the monster you think he is. He's willing to bury the hatchet. He just wants one thing."

He looks at me now, disbelief clouding his features. "You're going to sleep with him?"

I roll my eyes. "No! You're going to apologize."

"For what?"

"Anything he wants, Eli please!" I search his face, looking for a sign of acquiescence.

He finally sighs, and the hard mask he's been maintaining melts away. "Okay. But I won't mean it," he says, softening his tone.

"You just have to sell it." I squeeze his arm, trying to convey all the gratitude... and maybe love... into that one gesture. "I'm gonna go get him."

I wander through the crowd, briefly wondering where Alli is, since I haven't seen her since the night started, but my mind is occupied by other things. I see Mark Fitzerald across the room, and I can honestly say I've never been so happy to see him since I've known who he is, nor have I ever thought I would be even remotely happy to see him. But I am.

I touch his sleeve to get his attention. "Eli's willing to apologize," I say, and wait for his reaction.

"Alright, let's get this over with then." He follows me back to the dice table, but then I see Eli standing near the punch. And my heart sinks further than it has all night. He wouldn't...

I push down the turmoil inside me, and brighten my voice. "We're all here, ready for the apology."

"You know in some places, this would be considered blackmail," Eli says, avoiding my gaze.

"Eli, stop procrastinating," I rebuke.

"Yeah Eli, do what the lady says," Fitz butts in, enjoying his position of power.

"I'm really sorry for everything Fitz," Eli says, and glances at me.

I'm relieved, forgetting about the ipecac he probably slipped into the drink, just so relieved that he's finally out of danger when Fitz says, "You said the words, but I didn't feel them. Doesn't count."

I'm beginning to wonder how many times my heart can sink in four hours. But my voice is steady and still bright when I say, "Fitz, he apologized, that's all you asked. Now shake hands."

"Or a toast!" Eli says, picking up two cups beside him on the table.

They touch glasses, and just before they drink, I yell, "Wait! Trade cups. It's an... Ancient Roman tradition." I try to catch Eli's eye, hating him for this twist. But as they drink, nothing happens. Eli looks fine. But then I look at Fitz, and he's turning green. Two seconds more and he throws up in the trash can, and runs away, as Eli bursts out laughing.

I whirl on Eli. "What was that?" I ask furiously. This could have ended tonight, and his stupid pride just made everything worse.

"Hey, you're the one who made us switch," he smiles, enjoying his moment.

"Don't you dare put this on me!" I yell. My emotions are raging inside me, and the words are out of my mouth before I have time to stop them, but I don't regret it. "Whatever Fitz does to you, you deserve it!" Before I can register the hurt and anger on his face, I run away, away from him, and after Fitz.

I know exactly where he'll be. And as I near his locker, I know I'm right.

"Hey, are you okay?" I ask tentatively.

"Yep," is his curt answer as he stares into his locker.

"I'm really sorry about Eli," I say. "He's always trying to come off as this bad ass—the worst part is, I fell for him," I ramble. I little laugh escapes me. "I guess that makes me a—"

"Regular ass?" Fitz interjects, not the slightest hint of humor in his voice.

"Well, I was gonna say naïve," I correct.

Then, he turns to look at me, while slowly pulling something out of his locker. His hand is clenched around a wicked knife. His face is completely expressionless, except for a glint in his eyes that seems to match the glint of the knife as he holds my gaze, which makes it all the worse. My heart thuds to a stoop as I understand his intent.

"Well," I laugh, "I should get back in there." I fight to control my voice, once again forcing a smile to hide the fear on my face as I back away. He says nothing, but his cold eyes follow me until I turn the corner, and then I'm running.

When I reach the gym, I scan for the bright red jacket, but see nothing. "Adam!" I yell when I almost collide with him. "Where's Eli?"

Apparently the fear in my voice isn't as obvious as it feels, because he responds with "Why? So you can lecture him some more?"

"Fitz has a knife," I say, putting all the urgency in my body into my voice.

Understanding and fear floods his eyes as he reaches the same conclusion I did moment earlier. "Do you think he's gonna use it?"

"I don't know, I don't know. Just tell me where Eli is," I choke out, fear beginning to paralyze me as my brain runs over all the scenarios possibly about to unfold.

"Looking for you." My head is spinning, this can't be happening.

"Go tell Simpson," I tell him before running out of the crowded gym, fear and adrenaline pumping through my veins.

I pound through the halls, praying I find him before Fitz does. Where could he possible be going? I run through all our meeting places, and one stands prominent in my mind. He'll be at my locker, I'm sure. He has to. Just as I round the corner leading to it, I see his unmistakable black hair and red jacket leaning against a locker. Relief, along with about a million other emotions, flood through me. I run to him, clutching the brilliant scarlet material. I look into his eyes, and upon seeing the confusion and wariness, mixed with maybe something else, I find myself choking back tears. Brilliant, witty, enigmatic Eli, about to be taken away from me forever. I choke the words out. "Come with me, Fitz has a knife."

He doesn't move, just tries to stop the fear already transforming his countenance. I can't believe this. Danger is on its way in the form of a sadistic bully bent on his blood, and he isn't moving. "This is where we run! Let's go!" I yell, shaking him.

The next words out of his mouth send my heart plummeting further than any time before, because I know he's lying. "I'm not gonna let that jerk scare me." he says, though the fear is plain as day on his face.

"Eli, he has a knife!" I try to pull him away from the locker again, but it's too late, because at that moment, Fitz's voice rings out to us.

"Aw, isn't that cute."

Both our heads whip around toward the jarring sound of his voice. Eli pushes away from the locker, facing him, and subtly casts his arm in from of me, pushing me behind him. I cling to him, terrified. "You should go," I say softly, hoping Fitz hears, but knowing in my heart it makes no difference.

"And let pretty boy make time with my date?" he laughs maliciously. He moves towards us, and Eli pushes us backwards at the same pace until he stops, and I know the wall is only a few feet behind us. We're cornered. My heart thuds painfully, fear literally choking me now. This isn't happening. This can't be happening. These things don't happen to me. Or the people I might possibly be in love with. This is all wrong.

"Fitz, don't do this," I say, my voice shaking, but louder than before.

"Shut up bitch!" he yells. A whimpering sound escapes me. He is advancing again, but we don't move. The knife is shining evilly in his clenched fist.

"Get away from me," Eli says quietly, his voice calm, but I know it's only for me. He pushes me gently across the hall, and my fingers numbly let go of his jacket. Tears form in my eyes, but I don't struggle. Rather, I seem to have lost all control of myself, because I'm stumbling and falling against the lockers, crying out. My eyes flit between that red jacket, the wavy black hair, the deep green eyes carefully lined in black, and for the first time since I've met him, wide with terror.

"What emo boy? No snappy comebacks?" Fitz taunts, completely in control, knowing he has the power to end a life in the palm of his hand, literally.

Eli backs up slowly, his hands up in surrender. "Fitz, I'm sorry. For everything. You win." There's no smile in his eyes, no trick up his sleeve, no sarcasm in his voice. And by this, I know exactly how scared he is. And that scares me more than anything else. Intrepid, invincible Eli, scared for his life. This isn't right.

"Yeah I've heard that before," Fitz says, obviously thinking of his previous arrest at Eli's hands. The first in a long line of exchanges between them that inevitably led to this moment. This awful, terrible, dreadful moment.

Eli's up against the lockers now, trapped. "I mean it this time." I see tears in his eyes, feel tears in my own, but don't blink them away. I keep my eyes wide, locked on his green ones, locked on the knife. The knife that could end everything, destroy my whole world, in an instant.

They're directly in front of me now. I can't see the knife anymore, but I know it's still firmly in that cold, hard fist. "Please," Eli says softly.

But Fitz remains cold, unreachable in his sadistic, cruelly twisted mind. He holds the knife up, tightening his grip on it, and my heart stops. This is it. This is where the world falls apart.

"Someone had to shut you up," Fitz says. And then the hand holding the knife is thrusting forward, and Eli is bending over it, eyes wide. I hear a scream, and realize it's coming from me. Eli is sinking to the ground, and I'm running to him. Then I see the knife, not lodged in Eli's body, but jammed into the locker, just the left of his head. Still, my eyes frantically search for blood, not comprehending the turn of events. My hand is on his knee, the other on his shoulder, and when I finally wrap my head around the fact that he is here, whole, alive, I allow myself to look into his eyes.

Fitz laughs, "Don't worry, you can bleach out urine stains." And I realize this has all been a game to him. He never intended to hurt Eli, only scare him. The tactic Eli himself had wanted to use. I want to hate him, hate them both, but I can't. Hate takes too much energy, and I have none to spare. Instead, I just gaze into the bottomless green eyes in front of me, relief finally filling me, and sigh.

I hear a siren, behind us, and the police are here for Fitz. Just too late. I think he leaves without struggling, but I don't pay them any attention. I just gaze into his eyes, the expression mirroring my own. Already this feels like a dream. A nightmare to be forgotten. But I know it never will.

I don't know how long we sit there, staring at each other. But eventually he stands, pulling me up. I want to hold him, to know for sure he won't leave me. His arms wrap around me, and the tears I've been holding back soak into his shirt. We stand like this indefinitely, but again, at some point I break away, and we begin to walk out.

We're silent until actually outside, where people are milling about and Simpson is telling everyone to leave. Then he speaks. "When I was nine there was this kid Mike. His hobby was beating me up. And no matter how fast I ran he was always faster."

I know this is some explanation for the actions that led up to this point, but all I can think to say is, "You're not nine anymore."

He turns to look at me. "Well neither are the bullies so what am I supposed to do?"

I don't have the strength for his fire. I'm exhausted. "I don't have you're answer," I say. "But if it's this, I can't be with you."

Silence.