Announcements, Diced Tomatoes, & Chocolate Syrup

The chicken wars were starting with Clare and Eli against Drew and Ali. The two couples got into position while Fiona and Adam watched from the side. Adam made sure that both couples were ready to begin the fight and then yelled enthusiastically, "Go!" Then Eli and Drew marched forward while Clare and Ali put their hands out in front of them.

Clare grabbed Ali's hands and started pushing her backwards with all her strength. Ali started fighting back and Clare took note of how strong Ali was, even for someone so tiny. Drew kicked Eli in the shin and Eli started losing his balance. Luckily, he caught himself and then kicked Drew low blow. Drew immediately fell and Ali fell into the water in the process.

Fitz, Bianca, Adam, and Fiona started laughing at the used to be invincible chicken war warriors pouting and saying it wasn't fair. Clare and Eli were laughing and high fiving each other. When Clare saw how sad Drew was, she climbed off of Eli's shoulders and wadded to where Drew was sulking. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Sorry about the defeat Drew. Were you and Ali really the invincible couple at chicken wars?"

Drew nodded and then smiled at Clare. "Guess we weren't good enough for team Eclare!" Clare blushed at the nickname while Eli just smirked. Adam and Fiona congratulated Eli and Clare for their win while Bianca and Fitz excused themselves to get some beers from the kitchen and asked if anyone else wanted another beer. Barring Clare, everyone said yes.

When Fitz and Bianca left, Fiona looked at Clare with a very confused look, "You don't drink Edwards?" Clare turned slightly pink and shook her head. "I've never had a drink in my life. I was always taught that it was wrong." Clare looked at her wrinkled hands wanting to hide from the disapproving green eyes. She was embarrassed about never having drunk before and decided that it was probably time that she try a beer.

When the couple returned, they handed out beers to everyone, but Clare of course. Ali suggested that they move to the Jacuzzi since it was getting a tad bit cold. They all agreed and quickly got out of the pool and jumped into the small, circular Jacuzzi. Clare ended up sitting between Eli and Adam. Next to Eli was Fitz then Bianca and Ali and Drew were across from Clare, and Fiona sat next to Adam.

They popped the tops off their beers and started drinking them. Clare felt out of place with all the beers around her, but didn't say anything. Eli seemed to have noticed her discomfort and asked her, "You want to try it?" He raised any eyebrow and nudged her with the beer. She thought about it for a second before taking the bottle and taking a big sip. The others had their beers in one hand as they watched Clare chug a bottle of beer.

Eli grabbed the bottle from her grasp before she drained the entire bottle. Clare looked around and felt a bit dizzy and burped. The others started laughing and then decided to tell Clare a bit about themselves. She felt a bit lightheaded, but managed to listen to what each said.

They went around in a circle saying something about them. Fitz and Bianca said that they used to be in a mental asylum and escaped and landed in the hands of the Division. Clare made a mental note to ask them later about that. Then came Ali, she said that she had been separated from her family when she was just a girl and had been a kidnapped by a scientist that ended up experimenting on her. She had escaped and met Drew who had already joined the Division.

Drew had been the track star at school until an accident landed him in the emergency room. Clare noticed Adam's jaw tighten as Drew said this. Drew went into a coma and was pulled off life support. Then somehow he woke up in the medical room at the Division. He met Eli and K.C. who had rescued him from death. He became part of the Group 14 and started his training. Then he ran into Ali one day as he was driving around Canada. Fiona went next and said she had been adopted by this young couple that had gone missing and was left to wander on the streets.

Adam found her after a year of being in the Division. Clare realized the most of the recruits of the Division were off the streets, left behind, or didn't have any families. She was so glad she was able to become a part of this family! Adam said that Eli and Fitz had found him almost dead in a cow pasture after being beaten by three drug dealers that Adam had tried to steal some cocaine from. Eli refused to say anything about himself and Clare wondered why. Everyone else just nodded when Eli said he didn't want to share.

Clare asked Adam, "If you're Drew's brother then how come you weren't recruited along with him?"

Adam sighed before replying. "When Drew had been taken off of live support, my whole world crashed. I started taking drugs since it seemed like my brother was dead. Then after three years of doing drugs, I had no more money. My parents refused to let me stay with them so I lived out on the streets just wandering about day and night. I got into a fight with the drug dealers and ended up in the Division thanks to Eli and Fitz."

Clare awed by of the story about how Adam was found and gave him a side hug. She noticed that Adam was crying a bit and when Fiona kissed his cheek and he turned red. She would have to ask Adam about his status with Fiona since last time he'd said that they were just friends.

Clare's head was spinning when she stumbled towards the kitchen. It was way past her bedtime, but she needed some cold water before going to bed. On the way, she thought about how dramatically life had changed in only four months. She had gotten used to the idea of getting up early in the morning and going to bed late; it was all just a routine now. She had gotten extremely close to Ali, Adam, and Fiona in these last 4 months. Fiona was incredible at calming people down while Ali was extremely talented at getting people hyper.

Adam and Fiona had officially announced their relationship a few nights ago when all the team was eating dinner together around the pool. Fitz and Clare had had their tiny talks about his life before coming into the Division. It was an extremely interesting story because he had been a rich snotty kid, but when his parents died, his uncle had him put into an insane asylum for hearing voices, saying he was schizophrenic. It wasn't true at all.

When Adam had told everyone about Fiona and him, he had a smile on his face that was so big that it wouldn't wear off for the entire night. The group had decided against eating in the cafeteria and decided that Clare and Eli would cook dinner. Eli was the chef in the house, but would need an assistant. Clare recalled the memory of being called Eli's lovely assistant, the pool party, and the food fight she had seen right after the pool party.

Just at sunrise, before the group headed off to training, Adam had gathered the group around the pool area to say that he and Fiona had important news for everyone, but they'd have wait till it was night. The group already had a feeling about what they were going to tell them, but didn't want to spoil their fun. Eli smirked when Adam said he had news and had volunteered to cook dinner for the big announcement.

Eli looked at Ali, but all she did was point at her nails. "Fiona just did a manicure on me and I do not need, or want, to mess my nails up, since you'll be cooking Lasagna!" Eli nodded his head and turned to Drew who had his arm around Ali's shoulder. Before Eli could ask him, Drew tiredly said, "Sorry bro gotta try my new gadgets tonight before dinner."

Before Eli could ask Fitz, Fitz said he couldn't since he had to try out his new gadget with Bianca. Clare hadn't really paid attention to what Eli had been asking the group, so she was looking at her toes squirming around below her. Everyone in the kitchen looked at who hadn't spoken up about being busy; Clare was the only one who hadn't said anything. All eyes were on Clare, who still was looking at the floor. Then Clare looked up when she didn't hear anymore talking. When she looked up, she saw all the eyes on her and jumped back.

Eli smirked and then pointed at Clare saying, "You my dear are going to be my lovely assistant for tonight's dinner at 19:00." He then walked out of the kitchen with Clare calling after him. "Eli! Eli! I'm not….. the best… cook!" She shouted running after him, but he was out of the house, not without turning around and winking. A hand tapped Clare's shoulder lightly and said, "Sorry Clare, but Eli's the cook in the house. You don't really need to help, just sit on the counter and watch him do all the work; easy enough!"

Clare laughed while turning around and smiling at Ali. "I guess I'm Eli's lovely assistant." The girls started laughing at Clare's comment and headed out the door. Clare headed to the gym while Ali went in the other direction to go to the gadget lab. Clare hadn't been called to the gadget lab to try to gadgets nor had Wesley figure out which gadget would fit best for her. Clare had been here for about 4 months and wanted to figure out what was behind those big white heavy doors.

She waved good-bye to Ali and then walked towards where her training was. Zane and Riley were amazing trainers! Clare had learned how to throw punches and Riley made sure he steered clear out of her way while she practiced punching. They had moved onto kicking your opponent and trying to find their weak spot. Riley's weak spot when fighting Clare was that he never wanted to physically hurt her, so he pretty much always went easy on her.

After a long strenuous workout with the trainers, Clare headed to the weights. She ran thirty minutes on the treadmill while listening to music. The gym was packed with other spies, mostly talking about their new gadgets they'd received early that day. Clare hated not being able to engage in conversations about new gadgets.

When Clare had gotten back to the house, there was no one else there. She jumped in the shower and washed her hair. After she had washed her hair, she stood there, letting the warm water run over her sweaty body. She was still breathing hard from the treadmill and then racing against Zane in a friendly competition. Zane won and hadn't even broken into a sweat when Clare had.

After she had gotten dressed in a pair of Ali's denim shorts and a one-shoulder light blue shirt; she went back to the room. Clare towel dried her hair and then sprayed some Berry perfume from Bath and Body Works. Satisfied with the way she looked and smelled, she walked to the kitchen. She heard some pots and pans clanking against each other and then being set on the counter.

Clare hopped on the small island in the middle of the kitchen and waited for Eli to stop getting pans out from the cabinets below the counter. "Oh Eli! I'm ready to start cooking!" An impatient Clare said to Eli's attention. "Patience is a virtue Clare." Eli said before getting off of his knees and closing the cabinets.

He walked by Clare and opened the fridge. Eli looked up and down the fridge's shelves before getting out ground beef, onions, and tomatoes. Then shut the fridge door and took out a cutting board and a knife, then handed them to Clare. Clare took them glumly and glared at Eli. "Don't think you'd be getting out of helping me cook tonight Clare." She got off the counter and then grabbed the tomatoes to chop them up.

She began to chop them up while Eli put the ground beef in a pot and started to heat them up over the stove. They worked in silence with their backs towards each other. "Chop chop" went the knife as it cut the tomatoes in small pieces and hit the cutting board. After about 10 minutes of chopping tomatoes, Clare felt a hand touch her right side of her waist and snaked its way in front of her.

She stopped moving the knife and watched as the hand grabbed a small piece of tomato and whipped back behind her. Clare turned her head to the side and saw Eli's smirk. Eli popped the tomato in his mouth and chewed it. "Delicious as always!" Eli told Clare excitedly. She laughed and turned around to start chopping again.

Before she wielded the knife again, Eli put his hand over hers. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered lightly, "I think we have enough tomatoes diced." His voice was low and it made the hairs on Clare's arms stand up. She put down the knife and hopped back up on the counter. Eli smirked at her while glaring, but Clare just stuck out her tongue.

Clare watched as Eli put another pot on the stove and dropped the diced tomatoes and onions in and stirred them. The smell of cooked onions got to her nose and she closed her eyes as she smelled them. K.C. would always cook meals like this for her when she was stressed out or when he had extra time away from work. Other than that, they would just eat macaroni and cheese for dinner. She was definitely going to enjoy tonight's meal.

Eli watched as Clare had closed her eyes and inhaled the smell of the cooking onions, tomatoes, and ground beef. When he had told her that the tomatoes were cut up enough, Clare's breath hiked up. He had learned to cook from his father when he was 13. Eli had been more than happy to know that he knew how to cook when he had joined the Division. The other team mates had also been happy to know that there was one good cook on the team.

Soon the lasagna was in the oven and baking; it would be ready in one hour. Clare and Eli had started to play twenty questions while cleaning up the kitchen and washing the dishes. "So how long have you been in the Division?" Clare asked Eli while putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Eli thought for a minute before responding. "It'll be five years this year."

Clare bit her lip so she would not ask about his past or Julia, but decided to ask about his parents. "So what are your parents like?" Clare began to wipe the kitchen counter top with a small, wet towel. Eli laughed while responding. "My mom is a hippie who loves her son like crazy and my dad works in a car shop." He paused before asking Clare, "What are your parents like Agent C?"

"Cruel, uncaring, unbearable, and horrible." Clare immediately responded, not even having to think about the answer. "Why do you say that?" Eli curiously asked. Clare sighed and closed her eyes while recalling memories of her parents. "My parents were always telling me that I couldn't make mistakes in life, pushing me to do my best in everything. From the first grade I would have to make straight A's to get their approval." Clare felt the tears coming to her eyes.

Eli seemed to have noticed and told her she could stop telling him about her parents, but she told him that she wanted him to know. He nodded and she continued. "Anyways, I did gymnastics since I was 5 and stopped then I was 15. If I didn't get the routine the first time, then I would have to practice it until my mom told me I could stop. She was one of my coaches while a man named Coach Dalton was my main coach."

Clare took a breath before continuing her story. "My parents divorced when I was 15 and they hated it when I started dating K.C. and they didn't even come to my wedding or ever visit me. The last time I spoke to them was when I told them I was engaged to K.C. and the last time I saw them was at the funeral." Eli took a few minutes to process all that Clare poured out to him about her parents. Her life had been different then his. His parents were eccentric, but supported him in everything he did.

Clare went outside and set up plates on the table that faced the pool and got silverware out and arranged them on the table. It was almost time for the group to start dinner and for Adam and Fiona's big announcement. The others had returned while Eli and Clare were washing dishes and getting ready.

When everyone was seated around the table, Eli brought out the lasagna accompanied with salad and Parmesan cheese. The guys immediately dug into the lasagna and passed plates of lasagna to the girls. The girls passed their plates to the guys and they put slabs of lasagna on the plates and started eating. The girls began talking about their day while eating slowly, unlike the guys.

Then Fiona and Adam stood up from their seats and the table fell silent. Everyone at the table knew what the big announcement was, but didn't want to spoil the "surprise". Adam cleared his throat and then boldly said, "Hey guys, I have an announcement for all of you guys." He gulped and then turned to Fiona. She nodded at him encouragingly and he went on. "So anyways, Fiona and I are officially dating!"

Adam grabbed Fiona's hand and then everyone around the table got up. Ali, Clare, Holly J, and Bianca congratulated Fiona while the guys did the same for Adam. Clare grabbed Fiona's hands and they squealed like school girls. Clare was so happy for Fiona since Adam was such a great guy for her! Fiona and Adam were smiling and blushing while holding each other's hands.

Clare saw Eli pat Adam on the back, along with the other guys. Sav was telling Adam that he couldn't let a girl get in the way of his work while Drew told Sav to shut up and be happy for Adam. Fitz told Drew that he was right and Sav just ended up just congratulating Adam. Then everyone pushed the happy couple towards the pool. Adam and Fiona were laughing too much to even notice what was going on.

Eli grabbed Clare's bicep and quietly said, "Whenever people start to date, we dunk them in the pool!" Clare nodded and then pushed Fiona closer to the pool along with the other girls. Fiona and Adam were in front of the others, facing one end of the pool; then, knowing exactly what was going to happen, held hands. "1… 2…3!" Then the people behind the couple pushed them into the pool. Adam and Fiona were in the pool, surfaced for air, and laughed.

Fiona put her arms around Adam's neck and pulled him close. She pecked him on the cheek and hugged him. Clare watched as Drew picked Ali up bridal style and then jumped into the pool fully clothed. Ali squealed so loudly, Clare had to cover her ears. As soon as Ali's head popped up, she started whining about her nails but Drew silenced her with a kiss.

Eli began to clap and then cried out to Drew, "Thanks for shutting her up Drew!" Drew didn't turn from kissing Ali but blindly put thumbs up in Eli's direction. Clare laughed at that and watched as Sav jumped in with Holly J on his back. Then a splashing war began between the boys and girls in the pool. Fitz and Bianca sat down at the table beside the pool and rooted for the girls or the boys. Clare just watched them play in the pool.

When they decided that it was time for the pool fun to stop, they got out and toweled off. They sat in chairs all together and dried off. Ali then turned to Eli and said, "Since everyone is coupled up Eli, we need to find you a girlfriend." Drew nodded and then the others nodded Ali glanced between Clare and Eli and then winked at Fiona, gaining a nod from her. Clare just glanced at Eli quickly and saw his jaw tighten a bit. He then calmly said, "I'll pass… for now."

Ali grinned at him and then got up and dragged Drew off with her, shouting over her shoulder that it was bedtime. The others followed her into their rooms, leaving Clare and Eli. He cleared his throat and then yawned. "I'm heading to bed. See ya in the morning Agent C." He didn't wait for her reply before walking off to his room. Clare said night and then headed to her bed.

She changed into her pajamas and got into bed. She got under the covers and laid her head on the pillow. She squirmed around, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Finally she gave up, threw the covers aside, and headed for the kitchen.

Now there she was, walking to the kitchen, going to get a drink of water. Before she walked into the kitchen, she heard laughing. Peeking through the doorway, she saw Bianca and Fitz. Fitz had a can of whip cream and was chasing Bianca around the kitchen. Bianca had a bottle of chocolate syrup and was covered in whip cream. Fitz had a trail of chocolate syrup going from his fore head to his shirt. She saw two small bowls with an ice cream carton opened but not touched, seems they had found better things to squirt whip cream and chocolate syrup at! They were smiling and threatening each other as they chased each other around.

Clare watched as they chased each other around the kitchen, laughing silently from her hidden position. Fitz caught Bianca in his arms and then twirled her around, letting her land in his arms. They both had smiles on their faces as they began dancing around the kitchen. Fitz dropped the whip cream bottle and dipped Bianca low. Their faces inched closer and then Fitz closed his eyes. Bianca then opened her eyes and got ready to squeeze chocolate syrup all over his face, and then Fitz opened his mouth before she could squirt it all over his face and got the syrup to squirt into his mouth. "Remember what I CAN DO !" Fitz laughed before kissing her.

Clare decided that she didn't need a glass of water and headed back to the room. Ali was already asleep when she walked in. She jumped onto the bed and climbed under the covers. Her head landed on the pillow and she fell fast asleep, smiling at the love she had seen that night. If only she had known that somewhere else in the house, someone didn't have a smile on their face.

A body twisted and turned on the bed as it tried to find the right position to sleep in. Dreams turned into nightmares of the past; being alone, the dark, and the freezing winter night. Stranded on railroad tracks and walking on them, distracted by another world. Turning to look back at a faint noise from his subconscious. It's too late. The light has come, that blinding, white light. It's coming closer and closer, then...

Darkness

Hey guys (:
I think I'm pretty sure that my official day for updates is going to be every Wednesday but I'm still going to keep the poll up(my profile) to see if people choose another day for the updating. I did drop some hints/clues in this chapter about one of the characters and write a comment if you think you know which character it is and what the hint is! It's a pretty hidden clue but I will de surprised if anyone figures it out. I love comments and feedback about this chapter because my friend that read it said it was the best-written out of the other the four chapters of the story so far. (: Would love to know what other people think. LOVE IT OR HATE IT?

Written by,

~MMurray978