I'll Cover You

Author's Note: I don't own Degrassi nor any other literary or pop culture references; however, I am the proud owner of a ticket to NKOTBSB on July 17 in Tulsa, OK. So yeah… don't judge me. On the other hand, thank you so so so much for your wonderful reviews! Seriously, the days I post new chapters, I walk around with the silliest smile on my face as I read your reviews throughout the day. Oh, and I almost forgot! Don't forget that you can now follow me on twitter at takethecurve!

Chapter 12

Crossing

"It was Fitz."

The words were still hanging in the air as Eli tried to calm the rage that threatened to burst forth from his core. Clare looked up from her hands for a brief moment, her eyes lingering on his clenched jaw before she bowed her head once more before continuing.

"He was standing out there in the rain, soaked to the bone," she began, recounting the tale.

"We have papers due, you know that!"Clare giggled before reaching for the lock and swinging open the door.

Before her stood the last person she expected to see, and a gasp escaped her throat. Immediately she began panicking inside.

"Clare? What's going on? Who's at the door?"

She couldn't let Eli know who was at the door or he would storm over and get into an altercation. So she lied.

"It's… It's just my mom. She needs me to help her with something. I… I have to go," Clare could barely stammer through the answer before ending the call. She silently thanked God that Fitz had remained silent for her to finish the call. If Eli had heard his voice…

"That was Eli, wasn't it?" Fitz spoke.

"Yes, it was," Clare answered.

"Thanks for not telling him I was here."

"Why are you here?" Clare inquired.

"I… can I come in? It's kinda wet out, in case you hadn't noticed," he asked, nodding to the clouds.

"Oh… sorry, of course," she replied, standing to the side, allowing him entrance. "Let me get you a towel."

"No need," he interjected.

"Umm… ok…" Clare began to get nervous, wondering what the visit was all about.

"Well, for starters, I came to apologize. I didn't realize until later that you really thought I was gonna stab emo-boy," he explained.

"His name is Eli," Clare corrected him, instantly annoyed.

"Right, so I'm sorry that I scared you, and I'm sorry that I made you go to Vegas night with me. None of this shit would have gone down if I had just let it go," he admitted.

"You mean if both of you had just let it go," Clare corrected.

"Nice to see you don't think I was the only one who screwed up," he smirked.

"Eli knows how I feel about what happened."

"Right so… uh… the other thing was that I need your help with something."

"What exactly are you referring to?" Clare asked, dreading the answer.

"You were the only witness," he explained. "And I need you to vouch for me that I wasn't going to stab emo…"

Clare glared at him.

"I mean, that I wasn't going to stab Eli."

"Why would I do that? I didn't know that you weren't going to stab him! Do you not recall the look of pure terror on my face?" Clare demanded, disgusted that he would make such a request. "You deserved whatever punishment the juvenile court delved out to you."

"This isn't about juvie!" he exclaimed, unable to hold in his frustration. "It's so I can go back to school!"

"So go to another school," Clare pointed. "Why do you have to go back to Degrassi?"

"Are you kidding? My parents can't afford tuition to send me to another school out of district! If I can't go to Degrassi, I have to drop out!"

"Call me crazy, but I thought you never took much of an interest in school, other than to find new people to bully," she replied, ice dripping from every word.

Clare met his eyes to find a steely glare. For the first time since she allowed him in the front door, she started to feel scared.

"You know, of all people, I thought you would help me, Clare. You're all about school and your Jesus group and helping people. I guess I'm just not the right kind of people, am I?" Fitz demanded before turning back towards the door.

"Thanks for nothing," he said coldly, reaching for the knob.

Clare knew she only had a split-second to decide. Could she live with herself knowing she alone could have changed the situation? Could she deny someone a future because of a stupid feud?

"Wait," she called.

Fitz turned back to face her.

"I'll do it."

Clare looked up to find Eli frozen. If it weren't for the faint rise and fall of his chest, Eli could have sworn he stopped breathing.

"I have to do it, Eli," she pointed.

"I know," he replied, still barely moving.

"Are you going to break up with me?" Clare asked, the tears finally spilling over and falling down her cheeks.

Her words hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Why would I break up with you?" he asked, shaking out of his near trance.

"Because I betrayed you. He's been nothing but hateful towards you, and I'm helping him," she explained, as if it wasn't obvious.

"I can't ask you to go against what you think is right," he admitted. "I know you can't stand idly by."

Silence fell between them.

"When will he be back?" Eli asked.

"If I go 'testify' before Simpson and the school board at their meeting Wednesday night, they'll vote whether or not he can come back on Monday," she explained.

"So he gets to come back as if nothing ever happened."

"Hardly, he'll be on probation indefinitely. He won't even be allowed outside a classroom by himself. They're giving him the chaperone treatment they gave to Adam, just for completely different reasons, obviously," Clare explained.

Letting out a deep breath, Eli stood up from the bed. Clare stood up to face him, taking his hands in her own.

"I don't want this to change anything between us," she said, her voice sounding desperate.

"I need you to promise me something," Eli began. "I need you to promise me you won't keep something like this from me again. I can't drive myself crazy wondering if you're okay. What if he hadn't been here to apologize? What if you let him in this house and he hurt you?"

"I swear, I won't. There are no secrets between us," she promised.

Instantly, Eli thought about what he had done in the wee hours that very morning. He knew Clare would be disappointed that he put those things back, but surely it wasn't that big of a deal that he needed to fess up to it now.

Reaching up, Eli wiped the fading tears from Clare's cheeks as he leaned in to kiss her gently. She met his lips with an unfamiliar fervor. Despite the fact that under ordinary circumstances he would have taken this as an invitation to round a couple of bases, Clare's tale remained heavy on Eli's mind. Before Clare could get too into it, Eli broke the heated kiss.

"Why don't we hit up a matinee?" he suggested.

Clare looked at him with a slightly confused expression.

"Uh… ok, what did you want to see?" she asked, slightly breathless.

"We can decide when we get there," he answered, stepping into his shoes.

Clare followed suit, checking to make sure her hair was decent and stepping into her own shoes. As they pulled away from the curb in front of Clare's house, Eli knew what he must do. Just because Fitz was back at Degrassi didn't mean he might only be coming for Eli. Clare would have to be in his line of sight at all times. Her encounter with Fitz was just too close. He could have hurt her or worse, taken advantage of her, and no one would have been there to stop it. No, Eli would not be fooled. Fitz was a bad guy, no doubt about it.

Eli didn't care for himself in that moment; all he knew was that he would do whatever it takes to keep Fitz from Clare… whatever it takes.