Okay, to clear things up(and because I like knowing my characters ages and crap), Eli is 34, Clare is 33, Sophia is 15, and Ryan is 8. Even though he's only mentioned once, Fiona and Adam have a son around Ryan's age named Liam(I might write a backstory about him later). And just because I feel like you guys should know, even though it's not mentioned, I decided that Clare and Eli actually got married when Sophia was nine years old. So yeah! Enjoy!
Father-Daughter Bond
"…And twelve times twelve is a hundred and forty-four," Ryan finished reciting, his eyes closed in concentration.
"Very good," Clare praised him, then looked at her husband. "Thank goodness he has my brains."
Eli ruffled his son's auburn hair. "But Sophie has mine."
"You mean she's incredibly smart but diabolical?"
"Ha, ha," Eli laughed dryly.
Suddenly, the family jumped when they heard a loud slamming sound, then rushed footsteps hurrying towards the dining room.
"Speak of the devil," Ryan muttered as Sophia stormed past them.
"Honey?" Clare called to her daughter, but she didn't respond or turn around as she trudged up the stairs. Another slamming sound signaled that Sophia was now in her room.
Clare sighed, slowly getting up from her seat at the dining table. "I'll go check on her."
"No," Eli said suddenly, "I'll go talk to her."
Clare's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but she sat back down, turning to Ryan again.
Eli knocked on Sophia's door, listening closely for any noises from inside. "Soph?" he called to her after a moment of silence.
When she didn't respond again, a worried Eli opened the door to find Sophia huddled on her bed. Her dark brown curls were wild and unruly, hiding her face in shadow.
Eli sat awkwardly next to her. "Sophie, tell me what's wrong."
Eli strained to hear Sophia's muffled voice through her tears. "I was in health class today," Sophia began, sitting up now and wiping the tears away from her eyes and smearing her makeup, "and we were talking about not having sex, and pregnancy, and such."
Oh geez, Eli thought to himself.
"And…somebody said…that I was one of those 'unwanted babies,' and that you and Mom were stupid and…"
Eli cocked an eyebrow. "And what?"
Sophia shook her head, refusing to say it.
"Sophia Julia Goldsworthy, tell me now," Eli demanded.
"They said…that Mom was a whore, and that I'd end up just like her!" Sophia exclaimed, hiding her face in her hands.
Anger coursed through Eli, and his hands balled up into fists. He couldn't stop those teenagers from calling Clare what they did - even though it made him furious - but making his daughter, who normally didn't get bother by anything, cry, his baby girl…
"Do you want me to talk to the school or your teacher?" Eli asked gently.
"No!" Sophia snapped, dropping her hands from her face. Her green eyes were steely as she glared blankly at the mirror on her wall.
Eli grimaced; she had shown her sensitive side to him, but then instantly retreated back into her hard shell. Eli sighed. "I only want to help."
"Well, I don't need it," Sophia retorted.
Eli bit back a smirk. "Your mother might be right. Maybe you are just like me."
The teenage girl glanced up at her father, raising her eyebrows questioningly.
"Not too long ago, I was your age -" Sophia snorted, and Eli looked at her pointedly before continuing, "- and I get what you're going through."
"You had teenage parents?"
"No," Eli replied, his tone warning her to hold back the sarcastic remarks. "But I was, as your Uncle Adam puts it, dark and brooding and thought of myself as a badass."
"I can see you thinking that," Sophia scoffed, her father's smirk playing on her lips.
"Hey, you ask your mother how many times she had to get me out of trouble," Eli answered.
"Can we save the sentimental memories for another day and focus on what you were trying to tell me?" Sophia asked dryly.
Eli refrained from chuckling. "My point is, we all go through tough times and phases." Eli indicated his daughter's black clothes and posters of punk bands all around her room. Eli hesitated before asking, "Did Clare ever tell you why your middle name is Julia?"
Sophia simply shook her head.
Eli drew in a breath before saying, "When I was fourteen, I met a girl named Julia. We had a lot in common, and eventually we…we fell in love.
"I honestly thought she was the one. I followed her around like a puppy dog, my head lost in the clouds.
"But one day we got into a fight. I got mad at her, so mad…it scared her. She fled on her bike…and got it by a car.
"I didn't think I'd be able to survive without her. She was my best friend, the one person who understood me…and she was just gone.
"My parents had me transfer to Degrassi to start fresh. And then I met your mother."
"You used to go to Degrassi?" Sophia questioned.
"Well, of course. Don't think you're the only one; me, your mother, Adam, and Fiona all went to Degrassi," Eli remarked. "Anyway, your mother was my opposite, but yet I found myself attracted to her. She - not to sound cheesy - was the light. She brought me out of that dark hole, that depression I'd been in."
Sophia nodded slowly. "So…what, again, was the point of this trip down memory lane?"
Eli laughed wryly. "Yup. You really are my child."
They both looked up sharply when they heard a quiet knock on the door. "How's it going in here?" Clare asked softly, opening the door and leaning against the doorframe.
Eli shared a look with his daughter, then looked back at Clare.
"Fine. Everything's fine."
"Elijah, don't lie to me," Clare warned him.
"I just had a rough time with my classmates today, Mom. I'm fine," Sophia quickly reassured her mother, saving Eli from having to give the full story.
"Are you sure?" Clare asked worriedly.
"Yes. I promise you, I will be okay."
Clare thought about what she had said for a moment before saying, "Well, I have some tea boiling on the stove for you whenever you want to come down, or I can bring it up to you." Sophia nodded to acknowledge her mother before Clare turned her head to look at Eli. "Oh, Adam and Fiona called. They'll be coming over for dinner, and they'll be bringing Liam too."
Sophia groaned. "Great. It's not fair. Why can't any of your friends have children my age?"
"I think you already know the answer to that," Eli pointed out, and Clare's face flushed.
"You can invite a friend over if you want," Clare told her daughter quickly, then flashing her a small smile.
Sophia beamed, and Eli laughed at how ridiculously wide the grin was. "Thanks!" Sophia chirped.
Clare stopped herself from rolling her eyes and turned to go back downstairs.
When she was out of earshot, Sophia whispered to her father, "Promise you won't tell her what I told you? I don't want her to worry."
Eli blinked at her in shock before nodding. "I won't tell her."
Sophia watched him for a moment before throwing her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. "I love you, Dad," she murmured.
Eli patted her back gently. "I love you too, Soph."
And for the first time in awhile, Eli felt that unfamiliar rush of fatherly pride run through his body, his bond with his daughter reconnected.
Clare would never understand the relationship between a father and his daughter. Though the mother was usually able to relate to her daughter more and share more advice from experience, it was different for Eli and Sophia. Clare wouldn't understand the harshness with which people judged you, and she couldn't provide that sense of protection Eli had for his daughter. Clare, oddly enough, was nothing like her daughter.
So in many ways, the expression 'like father like daughter' can be applied to the relationship between Eli and Sophia.
Author's Note: Yeah, the story kind of just turned into me rambling because I didn't really know what to write. I had the plot or the idea of the story in mind, but it was hard for me to write it out. x3 Review, please! :)