A/N: I don't have a beta reader, so if there are things wrong, sorry! I don't own Degrassi (clearly!).

Clare's Pov

Eli opened the double doors of the suite slowly pulling her into the room and into the security of knowing it would be just them for as long as she wished, per his instructions of course. The only thing that had never changed was that he wanted to protect her, even from himself at times and that gave her serenity to know it would always be this way. What she didn't quite know was he had planned this from the start, and when her eyes lit upon the room it became abundantly clear. The scent tickled her nose before she even seen the multitude of white and red roses that filled the sitting room along with twinkling candles that cast a dim, yet lovely air around.

Twinkly lights. Always the twinkly lights.

It won't always be twinkly lights, Clare.

She had remembered that conversation every day since it came up back in junior year, when they finally had matured enough to decide to give it another shot. It hadn't been completely drama free but no relationship ever had been in her mind but it took work on either side, and it had. He'd remembered.

"Twinkly lights.". He whispered into her hair as his body pressed against hers tenderly, arms wrapping around her midsection with the utmost care. She shivered from the contact but chose to snuggle back against him with a laugh.

"Same as it was then, as it is now. However, I wouldn't have to say the ball is in your court because I know where it is now. I do have to ask what you said to Fiona and Imogen, because I'm curious of the looks they gave me as you walked back to the table.".

The only sound that echoed the room for several minutes after he spoke was the sigh that escaped her lips. Turning in his arms her eyes sought hers quickly before the smile formed up at him.

"I told them pretty much the same thing that I told you a few nights ago. My forgiveness to them isn't as much as yours would be for you are their friends and I never was. Which, is true and that's all well and good in my world. We didn't hang out unless you were there and even then our conversations revolved around something you were doing. So, for me to tell them it's okay... well it is. You are the one they need to convince, for you were their friend from pretty much day one. I do wish, however, that you do tell them the whole story because it's something that needs to be discussed. We all do things we aren't proud of.". Clare countered quietly with a smile up at him, remembering some of the shenanigans that he chose to associate himself with and their consequences at the time. When he nodded she smiled again one hand reaching up to touch his face.

"If I said that I would like your opinion of what I should do, what would you say?". He mused quietly kissing her palm gently.

"As I've said before, That sometimes it's worse to walk around with anger because it just eats you up. I, um, learned that when I went to speak to the therapist you had. Since she wasn't aware of the secret I carried, then it's not something that should be counted. I'm still not sure what we would have done had..". She shrugged and turned away slightly glancing out at the stars begin watching them begin to shine down over the inky black night. "I'll leave it up to you if you want to include that part in the tale to her. Naturally, I trust your judgment, always have.".

Clare felt him step away from her proximity for several minutes as her eyes drifted out at the night sky not bothering to look at the reflection in the glass to see what he was doing. She could hear things from time to time as he moved about the room. She wondered if she had in some way disappointed him with her revelations from the past few days.

She glanced over her shoulder quickly accessing the situation and found that he was engaged in making something at the bar. Shaking her head she pushed the sliding glass doors open and made her way onto the patio that looked out over the city proper. There were chairs and steps that led up to a small, but elaborate hot tub hidden among some palms that gave privacy to anyone using it.

Instead, she moved to the edge of the patio to look down at the traffic that moved by the hotel towards other places in the city. She could only imagine that some of the people were coming from the ball, and now going either home or to another establishment to finish out their evening.

"You should have told me that you were coming out here Edwards.". Eli called out as he stepped onto the patio, two glasses in his hands.

"I feared you were upset with my words, you stepped away as soon as I said something...". She trailed off as he shook his head quickly. Stepping closer towards her with a sigh, handing the glass into her waiting fingers.

"No, you were right about it all you know? As for the child we lost, I think it's best we don't tell her about that not because I wish to give her more to fret over, but it's our business. Maybe one day we can trade that sad memory for a new one. Let's not speak about the rest of that for the evening.". He mused with a smirk upon his lips as he began to sip the liquid in the glass, green eyes glinting over the rim at her. The blush began to creep up her cheeks quickly as she laughed at his antics.

"Thank you, and Indeed.". She whispered taking a sip of the liquid and laughed as she tasted it. "You play with fire Goldsworthy,". She teased, tipping back the glass again draining the champagne into her waiting mouth.

…...

Eli's Pov

"I play no games with you Edwards, perhaps you believe I am.. However, this isn't a game. To say it's a game would confer that I would be willing to lose in the long run and I wouldn't want to, lose that is.". He admitted with a slight smirk across his lips. They both knew what he was not saying, that he would never want to take the chance to lose what was being re-built. In fact, if he could give her one thing to make it better would be what she lost but if he voiced that she may run away, so best not vocalize that for some time.

"No, I know you too well to believe that you truly play a game, but perhaps it's more teasing that you are doing. You aren't an open book, never have been, even to me. Most of the boys were easy to at least understand but you, no, you made it virtually impossible to even begin to follow.". She recalled with her own smirk up at him.

Eli's lips twitched in response to her words, thinking that sometimes it's best not to be an open book when it came to the opposite sex. Especially, to him, when it came to matters of intimacy. There were times back when he was a teenager that women were the ultimate mystery, but he's since realized that women weren't as complex is they thought they were. When he turned around to grab the bottle of champagne to refill the glass there was a soft echo of laughter followed by the gentle whisper of water splashing.

"Clare, What are...". The words died on his lips seeing the crumpled mass of fabric laying on one of the deck chairs followed by the delicate heels turned over. He frantically glanced around the area almost dropping the glass in his hands till the tinkle of soft laughter drew his gaze towards the grouping of palm trees.

"Of course you would do something illogical wouldn't you?". He muttered as his gaze flickered back down to the dress letting the idea of that finally sink into his head.

Fuck, Just Fuck.

Images of soft skin began to fill his already overheated mind as he moved slowly toward the sound of the water. His eyes widened as he leaned in slightly to just peer into the canopy stealthily, almost creepily hoping she wouldn't catch him watching. As his eyes cleared he knew she wasn't going to catch him, but he wasn't sure he didn't want her to know he was watching.

The steam rose from the surface of the water in the whirlpool creating a heady atmosphere that Clare sat amid, clearly without a stitch of clothing. Her eyes were closed serenely amid the humid atmosphere, the only sound that came from her was soft sighs that would escape her parted lips every so often. His only response was to step back for a moment before he did something alarming.

Fuck.

He moved back towards the chair that held her dress and picked it up tenderly to hold. The fabric brushed against his fingertips like a whisper into a dark, quiet room causing him to shudder with need. Groaning as the dress dropped back onto the chair as he began to quickly shed his own clothing intent on joining her in this game, that she was so intent on playing.

…...

He stood in the archway of the small area that held the whirlpool watching her again, waiting for her to realize that he found her. However, after a few minutes he decided to move forward closer to her. Leaning against the wooden frame close to her ear he breathed.

"You do like running from me, don't you?". He whispered as she almost jumped from the water, eyes opening in alarm.

"Holy...". She sputtered, splashing some of the water around as her curls bounced wetly the water distorting her view for just a moment while he slipped beside her. His arms wrapped around her midsection pulling their bodies close to each other.

"Edwards, naked in a hot tub? Do mine eyes deceive me? No, wait I seem to recall a night in my pool after you graduated.". He remembered that night quite well when it ended with a ring on the nightstand. Her blush was the only answer that she was going to give him, but he knew it well enough to say she remembered.

"Very funny Eli, How could I not take advantage of this". She swept outstretched hands over the water gently, giggling softly but not realizing that her movements brought the tips of her breasts up into his eyesight. He knew she had that critical self-body image that she'd always had, which bothered him as long as he knew her. Sure, she'd never been the waif, but what she had he always loved. His gaze flickered over the coral tips slowly watching them begin to tighten as his own blood began to heat up from the mental images playing in his mind.

She's still so beautiful, Fuck.

There were times in the years since he thought fondly of her beguiling modest ways, unlike other girls that he knew. Understanding how she was brought up was one of the ways he was able to slowly change her self-image. Still, He wouldn't change a thing about her.

"So you're using me for this luxury?". He asked cockily trying very hard to look hurt as he moved closer to her, feeling the push of the bubbles against his body.

"Would that be so terrible, if I said yes?". She teased quickly before his arms wrapped around her waist lifting her slightly onto his lap. The familiar press of flesh to flesh brought back imagines of nights long gone, the smirk returned to his lips as a little 'o' formed against her lips at the friction. The soft, unfocused glaze of her eyes told the hold story to him even without her vocalizing anything.

"It would be terrible, but we both know what the answer is. I'm glad you came up tonight, and we don't have to do anything but sit here and relax. You know, that, I would never have you do..". He was silenced by one of her fingers pressing against his lips, a quick smile lifting her lips. He kissed the digit lightly, his tongue flicking it teasingly as she began to laugh softly.

"You've never pressured me, even when it pained you Eli, so no need to vocalize anything like that. There were times I wondered... wondered if you would get tired of waiting. Yet, you stayed and I never once had to wonder if you would cheat. You weren't Romeo, nor was I Juliet but it was enough, wasn't it?". She asked quietly resting her back against his chest gently, pulling his arms around her in a quiet manner bringing a genuine smile to his lips for once.

Eli laughed softly at her words, knowing that they came from an innocent place, and while there were always women that would flirt with him now it wasn't always that way. Sure, after high school the women had no clue of his past and would try, but he never seen any of them but for colleagues or friends. No, they weren't those star crossed lovers but something else, more if you would. Perhaps if he could peg down the couple they would be most like he found them akin to Jane Austen novels, those which Clare always adored but he found full of prose. Either way, he reasoned, once he found Clare there wasn't another woman who could hold a candle to how she made him feel. Even Julia, whom he had loved but now knew that what they shared was just a childhood love, perhaps in time they would have faded to being friends whom shared the love, but would have found others in time.

"No, Romeo and Juliet were tragic.. We had tragedy, but learned from those mistakes. As for your wonderment, I don't have enough words to explain just how much that wouldn't have ever happened. Sexual frustration aside, which did occur because you reveled in the times of being so terribly teasing. Nude Photos, not withstanding, there were times that I did things to shake the mental images of you but even then it was worth the risk.". He slid his hands along her stomach gently, pressing her against him more fully to kiss the soft velvety skin of her neck, nuzzling it lightly as she began to softly squeal.

When she didn't respond to his words he began to slide his fingers lightly down against her stomach, tickling the area knowing it was one of the most sensitive. It produced the desired effect as she began to squirm atop him eliciting soft, panting gasps from her as his desire became noticeable to not only her, but him as well. His hands ached to cup her breasts but he wanted her to know that this moment wasn't the only thing he wanted from her.

"Eli, Clare... Where are you?". A voice called out from beyond the little sanctuary that they were in. Eli swore under his breath and glanced towards Clare with a sigh, apologizing with his eyes. She grinning and rose from the water winking at him.

"I'll get it... You, ah, calm down there bucko.". She laughed grabbing one of the robes that sat next to the whirlpool and slipped it on before disappearing beneath the foliage thereby ending the moment he had wanted so bad.

…...