A/N: Oh well, would you look at that, another one-shot~ lol. No, but um, ParaKiss will be updated next Monday, just F.Y.I c:
Um, I hope you guys enjoy and please REVIEW and tell me what you thought! It would mean a lot to me! :3
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Degrassi.
Her footsteps are slow, careful, as she walks up the steps covered in ice. Her hand is over her belly, and her large coat is clinging on to her like a second layer of skin. Her cheeks are red from the cold and she sneezes when a breeze passes, and she wipes her nose.
"Someone must be talking about me," she sighs out, continuing up the steps, her hand gripping her belly tighter and tighter.
Once at the top, she's panting, and she stares far into the horizon as she nears a bench and sits down, her large belly making it uncomfortable to sit. Her hand is petting the bump, and she sinks into the bench, rubbing her hands together for warmth. She's looking around nervously, scared almost, trying to find a head of black hair amongst the people at the park.
She sees women passing by with their children giving her a foul look, so she looks down at her belly and rubs it, ignoring the people around them that had no right to judge.
She was alone that night, after all. She never thought something so horrid could happen to her. Was it that God liked to make her suffer by making her carry such a burden? She bit her lip at this thought, and closed her eyes, riding her mind off the horrifying memories that flood her dreams constantly.
"I'm sorry!" Someone called out, as they neared the top of the steps, panting. "Sorry I'm late," he panted out, nearing her, and she shook her head, giving him space to sit down.
He sits, rubbing his gloved hands together, and then peeks at the girl next to him as she rubs her large bump. He smiles warmly, and pats her bump, making her gasp.
"Eli?" She asks, shivering at the soft contact.
He hums, and so she keeps quiet, bashing in the loving affection he's giving her at the moment.
Things could be okay like this, she thinks, giggling, and then his hand moves away, and he has a stern face and –
Oh no. What now?
"I'm sorry," he tells her, and she sighs, scratching the back of her neck. "I am sorry," he repeats.
"Don't be," she reassures, making him shake his head. "It's not your fault."
He's biting his lower lips, and he's looking down at his knees and his form is shaking. She knows all too well that he's holding back the tears he wouldn't shed. Gradually, her hand moves up to cup his cheek, and his hand clutches hers.
"It isn't anyone's fault," she says, and he grabs her hand together and tighter. "It's okay to cry…"
"No," he retorts. "No, I have to –"
"What?" She interrupts. "Be strong? Look at you, Eli, you're a mess. You're worse than me," she jokes, and he laughs at this, and things seem back to how they used to be six months ago.
"This is nice," he suddenly says, his cheek burying itself in her palm. "It really is."
So they stay silent, watching the birds fly off and the children run and the mothers glower at the duo. And they laugh at something that happens to one of the mothers when she is looking at them. And then he grunts when a kid hits him with his head on the knee. And she sighs. And he sighs. And now they are sighing.
Sigh.
Sighsighsigh.
Sigh.
"I know," she grunts out.
Sigh.
"Must be tough, being a parent and all," she utters. "Imagine having a kid."
He stares at her with a grin and she chuckles, making him chuckle as well.
"I love how you can be so calm about… well, this," he says, emphasizing the bump of her belly with his hand.
"I have to," she says, staring off to the distance, ignoring completely his caresses on her belly. "If I don't then well… things wouldn't be as they are between us," she confesses, chewing on her inner cheek. "This is hell."
"Oh, Plath," he gets a hold of her, and pushes her to his chest.
"It's hell," she cries out, inhaling his cologne. "It's… It's…"
"It's fucking hell," he says sternly, holding her tightly. "It's okay to cry, Edwards. It's okay."
So she sobs, wetting the cloth of his jacket, but he doesn't mind as long as he knows that he's comforting her and not the cause of her crying. The source of all of this was because of a bastard, as Eli calls him, which ran away and hasn't been caught.
A rapist, thinks Eli bitterly, holding the crying girl tighter.
"This isn't right. This isn't right," she cried out, pushing her body away from him and wiping her tears with her gloved hands "Sorry, Eli. I shouldn't have."
"You should have and you can," he told her.
"I'm just so alone right now," she whimpered, closing her eyes, burying her face in her hands. "So alone."
"Hey," he began, his voice light. "I'm here, right?"
She nodded.
"So it's okay. I'll always protect you and this child until it's time, Clare," he said soothingly, holding her again, his hand patting her bump.
Her hand wrapped itself around his on her belly, and they began to pet the bump, humming softly in content. They felt like an incomplete and screwed up family at the time, and it was perfectly fine that way.