ONESHOT! WHAT WILL CLARE THINK OF ELI'S 18TH BIRTHDAY PRESENT TO HER? PLEASE REVIEW AND CHECK OUT MY OTHER STORY "A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN A YEAR"

Tattoo

It was my 18th birthday. Eli took me by the hand and told me he had a special gift to give me. I told him a million times he didn't have to give me anything, but he didn't listen.

"Trust me Clare, I don't think you'll regret getting this gift," he had said. I just rolled my eyes and followed him to Morty. I'm glad he'd never felt the need to get rid of Morty once he graduated from Degrassi and went to college. I had even delevoped a relationship with the trustworthy hearse. He was always there, no matter what. For all the dates, fights, and make-out sessions, Morty was there for it all. If Eli got rid of him, I swear I would take him for myself.

But I'm getting off track.

Eli had blindfolded me and helped me get into Morty. I was getting so scared. What could he possibly want to give me? I finally felt Morty stop and Eli grabbed my hand.

"Clare, you love me right," he asked.

"More than life itself, Eli," I said, the blindfold still covering my eyes.

"Then it's time for your gift."

He reached over and untied the blindfold. I looked around to see where we were. All I saw was a tattoo parlor. Oh no, I thought.

"Eli, what are we doing here," I asked.

"Getting your gift," he said, smirking. That smirk made me melt from the first time I saw it.

"Which is," I asked, even though I had a very strong feeling of what it was.

"Matching tattoos, my love," he said. He got out of the car before I could start to protest. I ran out and grabbed his arm.

"Eli, are you crazy? A tattoo? My mom will kill me!"

"Clare, you're 18 now! Your mother doesn't own you anymore."

"But it'll hurt," I said, trying to find a way out of this.

"Clare, I'll be there the entire time. Just hold my hand if you need me."

I had nothing else to say, so Eli grabbed my hand and led me into the building. We stepped inside and the first thing I noticed were the colors. Dark purple walls, bright red carpet, and black furniture. I could see why Eli picked the place. Then I noticed a wall of different tattoo designs. I was gonna walk over to look at them, when I heard screaming from the back.

"I'm getting out of here," I said, turning towards the door.

"Oh no you're not," Eli said, pulling back in. "I told you Clare, I'll be here the whole time."

Suddenly, a man emerged from the back room. I assumed he was the tattoo artist. He was an old man with white hair and a white mustache to match. He wore light jeans, big black combat boots, a band t-shirt and a black leather vest.

"Hey Uncle Charlie," Eli called.

"Eli! What can I do for you," he asked.

"He's your uncle," I asked Eli.

"Well, not really, but him and my dad have known each other for so long, he's like family to me." I just nodded.

"Anyway, Charlie, this is my girlfriend Clare. Otherwise known as the birthday girl," he said, smirking.

"Happy Birthday, Clare," Charlie said.

"Thanks."

"We need you to do something for us Charlie," Eli said while pulling out a piece of paper from his back pocket. He walked over and shared it with Charlie. They were whispering and nodding heads. I wondered what was going on.

"Ok," Charlie started, "Where do you want it?"

"Want what," I asked stupidly.

"The tattoo," he said obviously.

"Oh, I, uh..." I pointed to my lower back. If I was gonna get a tattoo, I at least didn't want it to be easy for my mom to see. Charlie asked Eli the same question and he pointed to his shoulder.

"Ok, birthday girl goes first," Charlie said. My eyes widened and Eli led me to the table. I lay down on my stomach and Charlie lifted up the back of my shirt to see where he was going to tattoo me. Once he found it, he placed something cold on my back. I squirmed.

"Don't worry," he said, "This will make it hurt less." My eyes widened again, but Eli squeezed my hand tight.

"You'll be fine," he said. I just waited for the pain to come. I felt the needle come into contact with my skin. I yelped a little but soon the pain became nothing more than a pinch. Eli still held my hand tightly, but I really didn't need it.

After a while Charlie was finally done. Eli helped me up and I looked into a full length mirror. The tattoo was an E and C connected together. On the C was a flower blooming out of it, and on the E was skull and cross bones. There were little details that really made the whole thing pop. I loved it.

"Like it," Eli asked, hugging me from behind.

"It's amazing," I said.

"Good. Took me hours to sketch it just right."

"So that's what that paper was," I asked. He nodded and smiled. "Eli, I love you,"I said.

"I love you, too, Blue Eyes," he said. He pressed a short kiss to my lips. Then Charlie sat him down and started on Eli's shoulder. He tried not to squirm like I did, but I held his hand tight anyway. When he was done Eli looked proud of his design.

We thanked Charlie for everything and left.

"Happy Birthday, Clare," Eli said, pushing me up against Morty. He leaned in with a passionate kiss and I swore I felt my lower back start to tingle with joy. That tattoo connected us as one the moment the ink touched our skin. He pulled away and I breathed for air.

"Happy Birthday to me indeed," I said. We smiled and drove away.

~...~

Eli and I had gotten married a few months after my 18th birthday. It was a small wedding, but it was what I had always wanted. My father had walked me down the aisle and I wore a beautiful white gown. I had smiled as I walked toward Eli, looking handsome in his suit, as I prepared to spend the rest of my life with him. We said our "I dos" and ran down the aisle as our friends and family clapped and cheered for us. We had a wonderful reception in the park, where everyone congratulated us. Even my own mother told us how happy she was, and she sounded very sincere.

5 Years Later

~...~

It's my 23rd birthday today. I told Eli and the kids, Ethan, 4, and Allene, 3, that I didn't need anything special. I offered to just go out to a nice restaurant for dinner, but they didn't like the idea. I'm getting ready to go downstairs to see what's in store, when I notice my lower back. I spot the permanent mark that was given to me as a gift, 5 years ago on my 18th birthday.

It still looked the same as the day I got it. I remember how Eli held my hand when it hurt, and when I held his when he got his tattoo. I always had a feeling that that tattoo had bonded us together. To this day I still don't doubt that feeling.

I finished getting ready and made my way down the stairs. When I got down, the table was set and the kids and Eli were standing in front of it.

"Surprise!" they shouted.

"What's all this," I asked.

"The kids wanted to make you dinner," Eli said. "Don't worry, I did all the cooking," he whispered to me. I smiled and gave him a kiss. The kids ran up to me and gave me a huge hug.

"Happy Birthday Mommy," they shouted.

I sat at the table and watched as the kids brought in plates of burgers, mac n' cheese, and corn.

"And guess what we have for dessert," Ethan said.

"What?"

"ICE POPS!" the kids screamed. I laughed and finished eating. Eli brought out my favorite cake: double chocolate fudge with whipped cream and strawberries.

"Make a wish," he said.

"I don't need to," I said. I let the kids blow out my candles and watched as they ate there ice pops.

"Happy Birthday, Clare," Eli said, pulling me into a kiss. I felt the tattoo tingle again, as it always did when I was with Eli.

"Happy Birthday to me indeed."

THE END! HOPE YOU ALL LIKED IT! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW AND CHECK OUT MY OTHER STORY "A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN A YEAR" :D BTW I SET MY PROFILE PICTURE AS THE TATTOO THAT CLARE AND ELI GOT SO JUST GO TO MY PROFILE TO SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!