A/N: No idea what Randall actually does but in my story, he's a lawyer! It's AU folks! Review :) ?

DARE ME, NOT

Chapter Nine:

"The First Date Effect"

oOo

Clare hadn't been to her father's firm since she was twelve, mostly because she hated lawyers and all the lawyer-y stuff they did. Her father was one of the top Attorney's in the building and his office was all the way up on the seventh floor. Clare couldn't help but think bitterly to herself that all those 'late working nights' hadn't been about lawyer-y stuff at all. She knew she'd probably get five minutes with her father - if that - because he was a busy lawyer but she was going to follow him all the way into court to be heard if she had to. Her mother had tried calling her twelve times since she left the screaming match earlier at her house, but she turned her phone off and waited until the elevator brought her up to the seventh floor. Cheesy music played in the background and it made her want to reach out and tear the speaker box from the wall. She was extremely nervous, she hadn't seen her father for months. She was hoping for the best but expecting the worst. The elevator doors pinged open and Clare stepped out into a busy office. She began on the path to her father's office before anyone could stop her.

Clare marched into her father's office and saw her dad, Randall, sitting behind his desk with his phone to his ear. "Hi dad, remember me? Your biological daughter?" Clare slammed the door behind her and raised her eyebrow. Randall made a quick excuse on the phone and hung up, standing abruptly. They both stood, staring at each other across the space, sharing an awkward atmosphere.

"Clare" Randall smiled. "It's so nice to see you, but I have court in an hour, I have to prepare-".

"I'll be quick" Clare took a seat opposite her father's desk and he eventually sat down, looking slightly puzzled at best. "As you may or may not know, Mom got engaged to Glen" she paused "Martin".

Randall leaned back into his chair, "I did not know that. Wow. Really, Glen Martin? Wow, I remember him and Jake. He must be your age now".

"Physically, he's a year older, but mentally, he's a five year old" Clare muttered under her breath. "Look, not the point. Anyway, Mom wants them to move in immediately, and I don't. I don't want to be around any of them, I'm suffocating there. So I was thinking you could-".

"Oh Clare" Randall leaned forwards, rubbing his eyebrows tiredly. "Clare, I'm really sorry but you can't move in with me. I'm living with a woman called Irene, she's my girlfriend and she has the kids every four days. There'd be no room, I'm really sorry Clare-bear".

Clare sucked in a breath. Things really were changed. It's not like she had expected her dad to ask her to move in with him, but she didn't think he'd flat out tell her that, without even giving her the opportunity to finish her sentence. "Okay" she said slowly, "I'm going to ignore everything you just said and finish my sentence. I need one parent's permission to move out and live somewhere else, without mom, without parental supervision and I need your permission".

"I'm sorry, what?" Randall gaped. "Are you being serious-".

"I'm being deadly serious" Clare interrupted him this time. "I've already got a potential roommate, and she's a friend, I go to school with her. Soon, she'll be eighteen and she won't need her father's permission to move out, but I need yours. I've saved up, I've got money, I can pay the month's first rent and during that time, I'm going to find a job to help support me" Randall was staying quiet this time and Clare continued "Look, I know you think that just because I'm sixteen, I'm not old enough, but trust me when I say, I'm ready to move out. I'm ready to have my own independence. If your divorce with mom has taught me anything, it's that you can survive, even without the people you thought you couldn't".

"I hoped our divorce would also teach you that you deserve true happiness" Randall said quietly. "Even if it's not with the people you think you should be happy with".

"Well, I'm not happy! And I should be!" Clare cried, "You and mom destroyed my life, changed everything I've ever known and made me feel like I was the one who broke you apart! Do you even know how alone I've been feeling these past few months? But, I was just a messed up little kid back then and now I'm not. Now I know what I want. I know what I need. I need breathing space, from you, from Mom and from her sick little twisted happy ever after. And I've got friends that light my way, even when the darkness is consuming me" she stood up and leaned in, "Come on, dad. You know me. You know I can do this. I know you know! I've always been responsible, I've always been school conscious and this will help my academics. This will help me" she pulled back and tears slipped from her eyes. "I lost myself, something I blame you and Mom for and I can't help it. I blame you, I'm sorry. But now I can find myself again. Don't you trust me?".

Randall let out a deep sigh and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I'm sorry you're hurting, Clare. I should have been there for you".

"You can make up for everything" Clare sighed, "All you have to do is give me permission to move out and don't try to lawyer talk me out of this. I know Mom doesn't have full custody of me, I'm the one who chose to stay with her because I felt like I owed her something. But now I don't owe anybody anything. Please dad, I need your help".

"On one condition" Randall started and Clare jumped up, gasping. "On one condition" he repeated. "I get to check out the apartment first. And meet your roommate. And you both sign a roommate agreement with your landlord or lady about noise control, damage control, house insurance, and occupancy".

"Fine!" Clare grinned, practically bouncing on the spot. She couldn't wait to tell the others. They would flip, considering Adam was so sure Randall would reject the idea completely.

"And if you're really serious about this Clare, Melanie on the first floor needs an assistant, I'll put in a good word for you and you can start next week. And you'll tell your mother, Clare? It's important that she knows as soon as possible" Randall added.

"Thank you, dad" Clare smiled sincerely. "But I will find my own job, my way. Although… my soon to be roommate could fill it, she's really organised, and way better at handling lawyer-y type people than I am".

"Lawyer-y type people?" Randall frowned.

"You know" Clare shrugged, "Uptight, annoying, horrible, soulless-".

"I got you" Randall nodded back, "I'll email you the details and you can pass them onto your roommate then. Tell your mother I said Hi".

"I will not" Clare replied, smiling. "But really dad. Thanks" as Clare turned to go, she double backed, "Hey, just out of curiosity, you don't have a new number do you?".

"Yeah, new phone" Randall replied, already glancing over some papers on his desk. "I'll send it with the email".

"No need" Clare said before she left his office. "You do your own thing and I'll do mine. We both know that if I need to call somebody, it won't be you, or Mom".

Randall glanced up at Clare, momentarily taken back by her words.

"Take care, dad" Clare smiled as she left his office. Randall sat back in his chair and sighed. He wondered briefly, before returning back to his work, when his Clare-bear had changed, because she was not the girl he had last seen.

oOo

"I got it!" Clare declared to Adam and Fiona as she ran into the Dot. Eli was sitting next to them, taking his break. He opened his arms, and Clare fell into his body, seeking out his lips. Adam interrupted them before they could get into it and the kiss left Clare momentarily dazed. Adam snapped his fingers to bring Clare back to the present as Fiona laughed and Eli leaned in to nip at Clare's neck. After Adam snapped at her again, Clare quickly refocused her attention on him and Fiona. "My dad said I could move with you! He wants us to sign a roommate agreement with our landlady though, it's lawyer-y stuff don't worry, it's basically just a precaution against us throwing wild parties and having crazy sex with strangers" she blushed, "Anyway, I think I also got you a job" she said to Fiona.

"A job?" Fiona gaped. "How?".

"One of my father's paralegals, Melanie, needs an assistant. I've met her, she's a little… Well, she's nice but when things get stressful, her tolerance level goes down. You can work it around school. You in?".

"Hell yes I'm in!" Fiona cried. "Just tell me when and where".

"Can I just say" Eli whispered into Clare's ear, "When you're running around, taking charge, it's very sexy".

Clare raised her eyebrow and turned to look at him, "Really? How sexy?".

"Let's just say, tonight, is going to be something from one of your vampire fiction stories" Eli breathed heavily in Clare's ear.

"I wouldn't expect anything less" Clare kissed behind his ear and felt his hand grip her back in reaction.

"I'm just going to pause the porn for a sec" Adam's irritated voice interrupted them. "Clare, are you sure you want to do this? Leave your mom and live with Fiona, alone?".

"You can still back out, Clare" Fiona added.

"For once in my life, everything's falling into place" Clare replied, "I've got an amazing boyfriend, great friends and a father who actually believed in me instead of ignoring me. Everything's almost perfect today. I want my own independence, I will have no regrets about doing this, I promise. So go call your Godmother and tell her to get things moving, as soon as possible".

"Okay!" Fiona jumped out of her seat and ran off to make the call.

"I should get back to work" Eli said regrettably. "Everything's still on for tonight?".

"I'll tell my mom I'm staying at Fiona's again" Clare replied, beaming, "And then you can finally show me those baby pictures!".

"Not a chance in hell" Eli replied playfully as he got up and Clare snagged his seat.

Clare glanced over to Adam and noticed he had gone quiet. "Adam?" Clare frowned. "Do you not want me to move in with Fiona?".

"It's not that" Adam shook his head, "It's just that… I'm getting a bad feeling about this".

"What about?" Clare asked quietly.

"I don't know" Adam looked up, stressed. "I don't know if I'm just worried that you and Eli are moving too fast or that you're moving too fast with this whole moving out thing but last night, out of the blue, I just got… a feeling. A bad one, Clare. Something bad is going to happen, soon".

"Adam" Clare tried to laugh it off, but she herself could see the worry in her best friend's eyes. "Adam, everything's going to be fine".

Adam forced a smile and nodded back. He tried to pretend like everything was fine but he had an inkling, in the pit of his stomach, that very soon, nothing would be fine ever again.

oOo

"Clare!" Fiona laughed as the younger girl pulled her behind a bush outside of the Dot. "Clare, what is going on? Adam's going to be back from the bathroom at any moment! Clare?".

"Keep your voice down" Clare whispered, ducking down and dragging Fiona with her. "Someone might hear us!". Twenty seconds ago, Clare had watched Adam leave for the bathroom and making sure that Eli was preoccupied, she had dragged Fiona from her seat, outside of the Dot and behind a nearby bush where they couldn't be seen. "Fiona, I need to ask you something… personal and I need you to be honest with me".

"Okay" Fiona pushed her hair out of her way. "Ask me".

"If a guy tells you he's happy to wait a month before having sex with you… Why?" Clare whispered, biting her lip insecurely. "Does that mean he's not really interested in you? Or does that mean he's having sex with someone else?".

"Clare" Fiona began slowly. "I don't know Eli that well, but… when he looks at you… Trust me, that's the look of someone who would take a bullet for you. He's not having sex with anyone else. And if he said he's happy to wait a month, or however long then it's probably to make you feel more comfortable. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about".

"Okay" Clare smiled slowly, taking a deep breath. "Okay. Sorry, my mind tends to wander into dark irrational places sometimes" she paused, "Just another quick question. Uh, how painful is sex for a virgin? Should I take some painkillers beforehand? And why exactly do people use lube? And how long is it supposed to-".

"Clare!" Fiona laughed, cutting her off. "I'm probably not the best one to give you advice on sex, mostly because when it comes to my relationships, I'm the guy in them. I'm the one who initiates it, I'm the one who takes control" she noticed Clare's disappointed face and added, "But I guess I could tell you about my first time. It was last year, and it was painful, my hymen broke, it was messy - you don't wanna know, and I think I even cried. But then…" she trailed off and smirked widely, "Then it got really good" she laughed at Clare's blush. "Look at the end of the day, if you love the person you want to have sex with, that's all that matters - that's all you need for peace of mind. Oh that and safe sex. Always wrap before you tap".

"That was not helpful at all" Clare grimaced as she stood up and Fiona did also. "But thank you".

"Well, I try. And we are going to be roommates soon" Fiona shrugged, beaming. Then she frowned, "Clare Edwards, are you thinking about having sex with Eli Goldsworthy tonight?".

"My head says no but my heart…" Clare trailed off. "I honestly don't know. When I'm not with him, he's all I think about and when we're together, I feel… complete - corny I know. And when we kiss… I just never want to stop" she glanced down to the promise ring on her finger, "But I made a promise to God, to wait until marriage. I don't wanna be the girl who gets a boyfriend and loses all of her morals".

"Morals are overrated" Fiona said loosely. "But more than anything, when it's right, you'll just know, Clare".

"What are you two doing behind a bush?" Adam's confused voice interrupted them.

"Picking up dirt" Clare answered quickly and then suddenly frowned. Fiona shot her a look of absurdness as Adam folded his arms.

"Why are you picking up dirt?" Adam asked slowly.

"Because…" Clare began, wincing awkwardly, "Because… of a reason that Fiona will now tell you. Fiona?" she titled her head towards the Senior.

"I lost my earring!" Fiona cried suddenly, "In the dirt and Clare was… helping me look for it".

Adam gave them a deadpan expression and then turned to walk back into the Dot.

"What the hell was that?" Fiona gasped as she stepped out from behind the bush. "Why make us dirt lovers for crying out loud?".

"Me? What about you? You're not even wearing earrings today!" Clare snapped back. She tried to leave the bush but was pulled back when she noticed her scarf mangled in the twigs.

"You could have just told Adam" Fiona reasoned as she helped Clare disentangle her trapped scarf.

"No way, Adam would have freaked" Clare whispered, eyes wide. "He hates talking about sex with me, he goes all awkward and starts making baby seagull noises".

"Baby seagull noises?" Fiona frowned. "Wait, is that why Adam sounded like a bird when he said you and Eli were having sex in my bathroom last night?".

"We didn't have sex" Clare insisted as she had to remove her head from her bush-eaten scarf. It was her favourite one; a red one that her father had bought her for Christmas. "We just made out, a lot".

"And he gave you a hickey" Fiona smirked at the sight of the love bite on Clare's bare neck. "Is that why you were wearing a scarf? Good god Edwards, what's the craziest thing you've ever done? Ridden a carnival ride without holding onto the handlebars?".

Clare gasped, "I am plenty wild thank you very much!" she yanked her scarf from the bush and almost stumbled over when it came free, twigs and all. "I'll have you know I visited a strip club just recently".

"Sure you did" Fiona said mockingly, heading back towards the Dot with Clare following after her, "Did you also get on the stage and dance as well?".

"Don't be absurd" Clare deadpanned.

oOo

"My phone is officially off" Clare declared as Eli slipped his arm around her waist and brought her into him. It was just after 10PM and Eli had finished his shift at the Dot. "I text my mother that I was staying at Fiona's and that I needed time to cool off" she added as they walked down the street towards Morty. Clare wasn't sure what their 'first date' might include but she even didn't care. It could be just sitting in Eli's room, watching a mundane film or it could just be sitting in Eli's room listening to his ear throbbing rock. It didn't matter. As long as they were together. As long as Clare could finally reach out and hold him. Watching him work all day and not really being able to touch him was driving her mad. "So, what's on the agenda for tonight? No crazy strip clubs?" she smiled at his warm laugh.

"Not tonight" Eli shook his head "Tonight, let's just have fun" as they stopped at Morty, Eli turned around and brought Clare into him, smirking at how he could catch her off guard. "You really do have pretty eyes" he whispered against her lips, teasing her skin by slipping his hand under her top and feeling the base of her spine. He stole the breath from her mouth and smothered her lips with his. He wondered if Clare would ever realise what kissing her meant to him. She meant everything. He turned her around and pressed her back into the passenger door of Morty. She whimpered into the kiss, and panted his name into his mouth. It was so absurd how someone could become your everything. It was almost imposturous. Clare was somehow ready to give Eli what she had been terrified of giving away ever since her horrible and ridiculous break up with KC. She was still terrified, in a way, but she was ready to be terrified with Eli. Somehow she knew he would be the most important thing in her entire life and that should have sent her running the other way, but it only made her press against his entire being more.

She couldn't be close enough to him. Eli groaned at the feel of her body and his hands slipped down to wrap around the back of her thighs and hoist them up around his waist. He steadied her back against Morty as his erection pushed unforgivingly into Clare's centre and she angled her hips; trying to rub their groins together. Clare knew she should have cared about what was happening - and not because it was happening, but because it was happening in the middle of the dark street, up against Morty. But she couldn't find the will to care. He was here, and she was here and everything just felt right. Hot mouths on each other, hands splaying across each other's body, feeling each other's crooks and hidden curves, panting each other's name as the light of the moon shone from above them. If it wasn't for the whole alfresco thing, Clare might have considered letting it carry on, but she couldn't let herself be caught having sex in public. It just wasn't Clare Edwards. She pulled away from Eli's hot kisses and groaned at the loss of his tongue.

"Sorry" Eli let Clare slide her legs down his legs to the ground again. "Whenever I start to kiss you, I can't seem to think straight" he gazed into her lustful eyes.

"No it's not that" Clare cleared her throat, feeling the warmth in Eli's arms. "It's just…" she swallowed, suddenly feeling very insecure. "I do not need to be caught for public indecency tonight" she laughed slightly as Eli reluctantly pulled away from her. The minute he was away, she craved his touch and wanted him back on her again. He put further distance between them by leaving her at the passenger door and walking over to the driver's door. "Where are we going?" Clare asked, hoping he would take her to his house.

"It's a surprise" Eli said. He got in the driver's seat as Clare hopped in the passenger seat. He started Morty's engine and Clare smiled to herself as they began driving. She played around with his radio, knowing he was already smiling at her trying to find a channel that they both would like. It was impossible but weren't they complete opposites. They both loved writing and creating other worldly fiction and on some deeper level, Eli knew they were one in the same. Clare frowned as Eli turned into a back alley and continued down, taking another dark corner that Clare was not familiar with.

"Where are we?" Clare frowned. She had never been around this part of the city before but Eli gave nothing away and continued to smile. She looked out of her window and her eyebrows creased further when she saw the sign for a Drive-In Movie. Her grin lifted and she turned to meet Eli's smirking beam and sparkling eyes. Eli turned another corner and Clare was braced with the sight of a large projection screen yards away. In between the space between them and the projection screen was already parked cars. Clare almost couldn't believe he had brought her here. She'd read about Drive-In Movies before but never thought she'd actually get to experience one. To the side of the projection screen was a shack of some sorts, that sold food and juice. Eli parked so they were in the middle of the projection screen view and got out, quickly walking over to Clare's side to open her door for her.

"So?" Eli smirked, his tongue poking out. "What do you think?"

Clare pretended to think as she got out of Morty. "That depends really" she shrugged casually but inside she was grinning. "What movie's playing?".

"Your favourite" Eli wrapped an arm around her neck and closed her door behind her. They began walking towards the food shack. "Fight Club" the minute he said those words, Clare made a laughing squeal as she pulled him closer. Eli knew that while Clare liked the book by Chuck Palahniuk way better than the movie, she'd still watch it with him any day.

"This is way better than our Taco Bell-slash-Morty-date" Clare began, "Or our detention date, or even the strip club date".

Eli laughed, "If I had known you were counting those as dates, I would have made a move on you sooner".

"Then why didn't you?" Clare joked back but there was a seriousness to her question. "Adam said I was not subtle at all with you and you… definitely made me feel special" she paused, "Why did the cool popular Elijah Goldsworthy wait so long?".

"I guess I just didn't want to risk making you feel awkward and losing your friendship if you didn't feel the same way" Eli shrugged back, trying to fight the guilty feeling resting on his shoulders. Not one day passed that he didn't think about that fucking dare or the repercussions that carried with it. "It's your spark for life that attracted me to you but it's your kindness and pureness that made me fall in love with you". He suddenly froze, shocked by how he had just blurted that out. Clare had frozen too, and they had both just stopped walking. Eli glanced down at Clare's unreadable expression and opened his mouth to try and salvage what he thought he had wrecked.

"I love you, too" Clare said before Eli could talk.

"Really?" Eli whispered, feeling his throat go dry. "Because you're just saying that to spare my feelings it's okay Clare-".

Clare reached up and crushed her lips to his to cut him off abruptly. She pulled back ever so slightly. "I love you" she whispered against his lips.

"I love you" Eli wrapped his arms around her and brought her in for a tight hug. "You don't know how much you've saved me from myself, you're everything I ever wanted and everything I never knew I needed. I never want to lose you Clare".

"You won't" Clare whispered into his neck, hugging him back just as tight. "I need you in my life, Eli. I can't function without you. I want this. I want us" she pulled back and kissed him slowly and softly, feeling his appreciation against her thigh. She smiled into their kiss and wondered how she could have ever been blessed with a love like this. If she ever needed any affirmation of God's existence, it was bringing Eli into her life and making him her everything. It was saving her from the pain that nobody else could possibly understand. It was bringing people into her life that normally wouldn't be there. It was allowing her to be independent. Clare had a whole new perspective on life and she knew it wouldn't have been possible without Eli. He was shaping her and he didn't even realise. Eli panted into Clare's neck, feeling himself harden even more.

"I need to calm down" Eli said through gritted teeth, "But it's so hard - pun intended - when my girlfriend is so sexy".

Clare laughed lightly against the base of his throat, her lower abdomen tightening with an ache that was almost painful. "Maybe tonight…" Clare began quietly, looking at Eli's chest because she was embarrassed enough. "…We can help you, relieve the tension".

"Clare" Eli tipped her head up slightly. "I'm not rushing you into anything. Just holding you thrills me".

Clare's gaze met his and she said, "I scare myself with how much I want you, you're intoxicating".

"We'll take it slow" Eli's stomach flipped over with joy at her words but he knew that he couldn't have sex with Clare until the month was up for the dare. It would feel too much like a betrayal to Clare's innocence and in some ways, more of a betrayal to her heart. He turned, and slung his arm over her shoulders again. "Come on, we better get some food before the movie starts".

By the time Clare and Eli had bought a bagful worth of burgers, chips and hotdogs, the movie was just about the start. Eli stuck the paid for sticker on the window, showing that he had paid for the parking space. He stopped Clare from getting back into Morty and returned from the trunk with two blankets. He laid one on the hood of Morty and easily picked Clare up onto it. Clare laughed as Eli jumped on the hood as well, using the other blanket to cover them both. They both rested their backs on the windshield, Clare snuggling into Eli as she rested the bag of food on her lap.

"This is it" Clare murmured happily as she glanced at the large projection screen rolling the beginning credits. "This is what I've always wanted".

"You're what I've always wanted" Eli pulled her closer. "Whenever I'm with you, everything bad in my life just disappears". Clare smiled against his chest, her fingers dancing lightly over his bare arm, causing goosebumps to appear. She wanted to be with him all the time, she wanted to wake up every morning and see his face. She wanted to be able to slide into his bed every night and just hold him. She wanted to snuggle up to him on the couch and interlock their fingers together whenever she wanted. She wanted him, all the time. That would never ever change.

And then suddenly it just… dawned on her - what she really wanted. This was more than just lustful hormones, more than a high school affair, more than a teenage love, more than just an infatuation. She loved Eli, with every fibre in her soul, she loved him. And she loved all of him, his darkness, his sadness, his guilt from Julia, his insecurities, his jealously, his possessiveness, his touch, she loved all of him.

She wanted him, forever. By the time the movie ended, Eli was halfway through eating his cheeseburger when Clare sat straight up and declared, "Move in with me!".

And then he began to choke.