Title: Hospital Room Movies

Summary: Post Dead and Gone Part 2. Eli and Clare have a little bonding time at the hospital with Adam and some movies. A friendship piece with subtle hints of romance.

Also slight spoilers for Tangled if you've never seen it, nothing big.

Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi.

Toronto General Hospital was not a place Clare, Eli, or Adam had planed on being during their first week of summer vacation. Adam hadn't planed on getting shot, Clare hadn't planed on her mother getting engaged, and Eli hadn't planed on visiting the hospital for a long time after 'The Incident' (when he had crashed Morty in his fit of insanity). It wasn't planed but it happened, and it was nothing any of them could have controlled.

Adam had to stay in the hospital for about two weeks and everyday Eli and Clare would go and visit him. Eli would bring comics, Clare would bring movies, and Adam would wait for them to come. Each of them enjoyed having their Merry Band of Misfits back together without any tension or jealousy or all around angst hanging over head. It was nice being together, it was nice to just be teenagers and laugh and goof around and smile.

It was the middle of Adam's first week in the hospital and the three teens had taken to watching Disney movies, it was something they could at least all agree on as they had grown up with many of them and they were enjoyable to watch for the most part. They had already gone through the classic princess movies Snow White, Cinderella, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Sleeping Beauty as well as other classics- at least to them- Mulan, Lion King, Tarzan, Hercules, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Today though they had decided to watch some the newer movies, Finding Nemo, Cars, Princess and the Frog, and Tangled.

Clare and Eli spent almost their entire day at the hospital watching movies. It wasn't out of guilt or pity, but out of genuine want to be with their friend until he was better. Watching these children's movies Eli, Adam, and Clare had a blast. They didn't need to hide the fact that they actually enjoyed the movies and would take to discussing them after they finished and before starting the next one.

"Okay I get where you're coming from saying that Mother Gothel loved Rapunzel, but come on, she only loved her for her hair. That is creepy and if you noticed she sang to the hair when she was telling Rapunzel why she shouldn't leave the tower. She only wanted to keep the hair safe. Honestly if she could have killed the girl and kept the hair she probably wouldn't have thought twice about it." Eli said as they discussed whether or not Mother Gothel had loved Rapunzel.

"She loved the hair, fine. But she loved Rapunzel too for the most part at least. If she really didn't like the girl she would have had her chained up to the floor at the beginning of the movie." Clare reasoned.

"Clare, she just kept the girl happy because it is easier to keep a happy prisoner rather than an angry and trapped prisoner. By telling Rapunzel that it was for her own good, that others wanted to exploit her gift, and keeping her complacent and happy in the tower Mother Gothel had a prisoner who didn't even realize she was a prisoner." Adam clarified obviously on the 'Didn't Love Rapunzel' side.

"But how could she not love her even if it was just a little bit?" Clare questioned.

"Maybe she loved her a little but Mother Gothel was constantly rude to her. She told Rapunzel not only that she was fat, way to promote self-esteem issues Disney, she would flat out insult her and then say she was kidding. No real mother does that." Eli complained.

"True that brother." Adam chimed in.

"Alright fine you guys win Mother Gothel was a horrible mother that didn't love her kidnapped child." Clare said throwing her hands in the air and giving up.

It was getting late and Eli and Clare had been at Toronto General since eleven much like they had everyday. They wouldn't go home once in between when they arrived and left. They would eat breakfast at home, pack a lunch to bring, and buy dinner from the cafeteria not leaving until visiting hours were over every night. It was almost around the time when the nurse would come in and usher the two non-patients out of the hospital. The sun had already set and they sky was dark.

"Eli, Clare time to pack it up for today." The nurse said poking her head in the door.

"Hey Cathy!" Said teens called back. They had been at the hospital enough to know all of Adam's nurses and doctors.

"We'll be out in a minute Cathy." Clare said as the woman smiled and left the room leaving the three to their goodbyes.

"Another day gone huh?" Eli stated. "Well you know we'll be back tomorrow, Adam our schedules are all clear till you get out of this white box."

"Yeah soon hopefully. Then maybe we can actually do something this summer instead of sitting in a hospital room, you know maybe we could just sit around at the Dot nice change of scenery and all." Adam suggested as he glanced around the room at the white walls filled with cards and pictures and other random things Clare and Eli had hung on them.

"Or we could sit on a beach, some fresh air." Clare added closing her eyes and picturing the waves.

"That works too." Adam said.

"Alright man, we'll see you tomorrow then." Eli said as he bumped fists with the boy in the bed.

"Have a good night Adam, I'll bring more entertainment, no princesses this time I promise." Clare said as she flashed a bright smile and hugged Adam in farewell.

The two teens left the room after gathering there bags, comics, shoes, and movies respectively. Half the time they kicked off their shoes or laid around on the floor in the hospital room to the point where they actually left blankets and a few pillows in the closet. The room was as much theirs as it was Adam's. Hell they were there more than Adam's own family. But maybe the fact that they were always there was why the Torres' didn't come to see Adam as much because they knew someone was always with him.

Eli and Clare walked quietly through the hallways of Toronto General. They were waiting to leave the patients ward before striking up a conversation. They waved as they passed the nurses desk exchanging small polite smiles and slight head nods in greeting. Finally after a bit of walking they reached the elevators. Clare pressed the down button and they waited. When the doors open they both stepped in, pressed the ground floor and began their decent to the parking lot.

"So I was think of bringing Toy Story tomorrow. We could have a marathon of all three movies." Clare said as she adjusted the bag on her shoulder.

"Sounds fun." Eli mused. "Do you have every Disney movie ever made sitting around your house or what?"

"We do have a lot of them." Clare said thinking of the large shelves full of movies in her house. "Darcy and I loved watching Disney movies, I guess we still do or at least I still enjoy them. I even like the new animated ones at least." A light blush coated her cheeks at the admission.

"Yeah Disney has never really had a bad animated movie." Eli stated.

"I have a question." Clare stated.

"Shoot."

"Can I borrow your Batman comics?" She rushed out looking down at the tiled floor and biting her lower lip a bad habit she picked up when nervous.

"Oh so Adam and I have got you hook on the Dark Knight have we?" Eli taunted lightly.

"It's good, it is just really, really good. I didn't know comics were that good, I wish I had known before because I probably would have read them all by now if I had know." Clare admitted as the elevator let out a 'ding' and open its door.

"I always knew you had some nerd in you Edwards. Nice to see it come through." He said smirking at her as they left the little cage.

"So you'll bring some tomorrow?" She questioned.

"Yeah, just promise you won't ruin them. I know your all neat and clean but they're important to me, and I want to keep them nice."

"Don't worry, Eli, I'm not going to run them over." She reassured him placing a hand on his shoulder before walking in front of him with a coy smile. "At least not on purpose."

"You Clare Edwards are a vicious little girl." Eli said with a slight shake of his head.

"Oh crap, I almost forgot, do you think you can pick me up tomorrow? My mother and Glen,"She said his name with a certain venom. "are going to look for a wedding location. They invited me to go but besides the fact that this whole situation makes my stomach clench I prefer being here."

"I can do that. CeCe and Bullfrog are actually letting me borrow the car again. I'll pick you up around ten forty-five. Sound good?" He asked.

"Yes, my mom's leaving at ten. You can over a little earlier if you want for a cup of coffee." Clare offered to give them a little more time to hang out and reconnect.

"I think I'm going to take you up on the offer. Can't say no to free coffee." Eli said. He liked the idea of being able to hang out with Clare alone even if only for a few minutes.

Eli still wasn't completely over Clare but the heart of the matter was he would rather be her friend than nothing at all. This was good for them, reconnecting their friendship. They didn't have the same expectations as they would in a relationship. They could just talk and hang out without any pressure. It was a good start for them a good start at going to a good place and if they ever wanted to take that step again, and maybe they would be more prepared this time.

"So I'll see you tomorrow then." Clare said as they came to the hospital's exit. Her mother's car was waiting for her just a little ways outside.

"Yeah tomorrow." Eli said as the lingered just inside.

"Good night Eli." She said with a tiny wave as she pushed through the doors.

"Sweet dreams, Clare." He called after her as he followed her lead and walked out to the parking lot.

Both teens had a small smile on their face as they entered each of their awaiting cars. This was a start, a good start to rebuilding something that had once been so strong and maybe one day would be again. Clare and Eli both had a small flame of hope now burning. They would make sure it worked this time.

Author's Note: My first Degrassi fan fiction, I hope you guys enjoyed it. I feel that if Eli and Clare were to ever get back together rebuilding their friendship would be a big first step. I liked the little scene between them at the end, it gave me a little bit of hope that they could at least recapture their strong friendship if nothing else. I really love Eli, Adam, Clare scenes they are just so perfect. P.S. I really think they would analyze movie scenes being the English/writing nerd they are. Thanks for reading!

Lyss