ECLARE FAN FOREVER BABY!

Thanks for the reviews! I love ALL of you in one way or another (in the non-creepy way of course)! I wasn't going to publish this chapter till next week, but the lovely simplecrafter and KitKat0219 asked me to update this weekend, so here it is! Okay, here's the thing I've had up my sleeve for some time. I know it's long, but I don't think you guys will be disappointed. Read, review, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi. If I did, Morty would still be alive . . . I miss that hearse! He was so young . . . okay he was vintage; not exactly young, but that made him more awesome!


Chapter Forty-Five

I Drove All Night

"I'm just going to say this: that was officially the best concert ever!" Eli declared as he and Clare walked into her home an hour and forty-five minutes later.

"Even better than the Dead Hand concert you went to see with Adam and Sav?" Clare asked as she closed the door behind them.

"Although that concert was epic and the night in general was entertaining, this night was so much better for many reasons. One, I saw some of the best bands ever. Two, I got to see you unleash your wild side," he remarked with a grin.

Clare playfully rolled her eyes, but she knew this statement was true. She did get a little carried away while listening to the heavy music and maybe she got a bit crazy when she saw a few amazing bands in the flesh.

"Three, we were four feet away from Craig Mabbitt," he continued. "Lastly, and most importantly, I got to go to this concert with you."

"Those sound like fair reasons," she smiled as she walked closer to him.

"I admit that I was surprised you rocked-out so much."

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises," Clare shrugged. "Did you have fun?"

"Oh yeah!" Eli exclaimed. "Did you?"

"Absolutely."

"I'm glad," he smiled before he kissed her.

He looked at the clock on the wall once the kiss was over and sighed regrettably. "It's one-thirty; I should go."

"Wait," Clare protested as she grabbed his hand. "Do you have to go? My parents aren't here so you don't really have a reason to leave."

"I don't think they'd be very thrilled about me staying after midnight."

"Who says they have to know?" she questioned with a grin. "Can you please stay just a bit longer?"

"Well . . . it would be rude to turn down an invitation," he said slyly.

Clare smiled before she pulled her phone out of her pocket and went to a list of audio she recorded every once in a while. She scrolled down to the first closely romantic song she could find and started playing it. "The Mortician's Daughter" by Black Veil Brides began to play as she set the phone down on a table by the door. The sound quality wasn't the best, but it would do.

Eli read her mind as he hugged her waist and she wrapped her arms around his torso. They began swaying to the tempo of the music.

"When was the last time we slow-danced?" Clare asked after a minute of nothing but smiling and moving.

"Last year at the spring formal," Eli answered.

"Oh yeah," she recalled. "The one I dragged you to."

"I was going to go eventually; I just needed a bit of convincing," he defended himself.

"After listening to half your CD collection and an hour make-out session," she reminisced.

"But in the end, everyone won. We got to go to the dance together, we got to kiss for the longest time, and now we listen to some of the same music. If I'm not mistaken, this was one of the first songs I played," he said, dipping his head in the direction the song was coming from. "And I remember you saying how much you loved it."

"Okay, good point," she confessed. "And, speaking of music, you said a few weeks ago that we should find a song."

"I knew there was something I wanted to talk to you about," he remembered.

"So what do you think it should be?" Clare asked.

"Well . . . I've listened to a few of my CDs and I've only heard one that really suits us."

"And what song is that?" she wondered with curiosity.

"This one," he answered.

Clare grinned.

"I was thinking the same thing."

"Honestly?" he asked in amazement.

"I think it fits us like a glove . . . and the lyrics 'No dust will ever grow on this frame. One million years and I will say your name' describe our feelings for each other perfectly."

"I couldn't agree more. So . . . I guess 'The Mortician's Daughter' is officially our song," he proclaimed.

Clare smiled in agreement before she unraveled her arms from his body and locked her hands behind his neck.

"I can't believe it's been a year and two months," she said to him.

"And are you still happy?"

"I don't remember being happier."

Eli smiled at her as he held her closer.

"We've been through a lot together, haven't we? Good and bad."

"Yeah," Clare nodded. "But, despite all the hard stuff, we still love each other."

"And everything we've been through has only made us stronger and brought us closer together," he mentioned.

Clare smiled at him before she put her lips closer to his. She was about to meet his mouth when she whispered, "Happy anniversary."

Eli felt her tongue against his mouth as it begged for entrance. He opened his and let her go around. After a few minutes of erotic kissing, Clare leaned out of the embrace.

"Um . . . I'll be right back," she told him. "Make yourself at home."

She picked up her now silent phone before she went upstairs as Eli sat down on the couch; before she did so, however, she quietly locked the front door. She left Eli to sit there alone in the complete silence for a few minutes. He sat in the living room and just looked around it while he waited patiently for Clare to come back downstairs.

"Eli, can you come up here for a second please?" she suddenly called.

"Everything okay?" he asked as he walked towards the stairs.

"Yeah, I just need you to come up here."

Unsure of what could be going on, he went up onto the next floor of the house.

"Where are you?" he said, raising his voice a little.

"First door on the right," she replied.

He looked in that direction and saw that door already open. It was dimly lit by a small lamp on the side table by a bed. He slowly made his way inside. He could tell it was Clare's room almost immediately when he saw a picture of them from her sixteenth birthday last year. He looked around the room but couldn't see Clare anywhere.

Then, out of nowhere, he heard a door close behind him. He quickly turned around and saw Clare leaning against the now closed door that separated them from the rest of the house. He gaped at her when he saw that she was wearing a red robe and, judging by the clothes resting over her desk chair, she didn't have any clothing on underneath it.

She took a few steps towards him. She grabbed his hand before leading him towards her bed. When they were standing by the end of it, Clare turned to Eli and put her hands on the collar of his jacket. She then smashed her lips to his and kissed him like she never kissed before. She traced the inside of his mouth with her tongue as he returned the kiss.

This was the time and Clare could feel it.

She moved her hands to the cuffs of his jacket and began to pull it off him. It soon fell to the ground and was forgotten by the two teenagers, who continued to focus on nothing but each other. Clare then removed her mouth from his, cupped the back of his neck with one of her hands, and held the front of his belt with the other.

She soon attacked his neck with her mouth. Eli had never seen this side of her before and, if he had to be truthful, he was just as enthused about it as he was surprised.

"Clare, what's going on here?" he exhaled as she moved her lips to his jaw.

"You're the one for me, Eli," she breathed. "I want this to happen."

"And –," he tried to say, but Clare's lips traveled onto his again before he could get out all the words. He felt her undo his belt and eventually slide it off the waistline of his jeans. Once the belt was disregarded, Clare cradled this neck in her hands before pulling away.

She looked at him and, to her surprise, he seemed eager yet flustered.

"And w-what is happening here exactly?" he was finally able to ask as he tried to recover from the heat of the moment.

Clare interlaced Eli's hands with her own before looking directly into his green eyes. He couldn't feel her purity ring against his skin although he saw her wearing it a few minutes before.

"I want you to make love to me," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. "In this room . . . on this night . . . right now."

Eli couldn't believe his ears; for so long he wanted to hear her say those words, but he never wanted to pressure her into doing anything. Tonight, however, she was giving him permission to take her virginity.

"Clare . . ." he said, trying not to grin. "Are you serious?"

"We've been together a whole year. I think it's time we take our relationship to the next level."

"But what about your promise to wait until marriage?" he reminded her.

"I'm in love with you . . . I don't want to wait," she said before kissing him again. He kissed her back willfully before he released her hands and placed his on her hips. While he held her, Clare grabbed the bottom of his shirt and slowly began sliding it up his body.

"You're sure about this?" he made sure as he leaned out of the kiss so she could remove the shirt completely from his torso.

"Definitely," she replied after throwing the shirt to the side and before wrapping one of her arms around his waist while she smoothed her other hand up and down the center of his chest. She marveled at his bare torso. She felt her cheeks turn a light shade of red as she gazed at him. She didn't know how much time had passed as she stood there, but a voice called out of her thoughts.

"Clare?" he breathed, enjoying the sensation of her warm hand journeying over him.

She stopped gazing at him and looked at his eyes; she felt her cheeks turn a deeper shade of crimson.

"Sorry," she said. "You're just . . ."

She trailed off before kissing his neck once again. It wasn't long until she desired more than the two of them merely standing in her room kissing and hold each other. She wanted them to make love as soon as possible. She hoped that Eli would get that message as she gently bit into his neck.

He gasped pleasantly as she kissed the part of his neck that she sunk her teeth into for a second ago. He was getting aroused now, but he didn't want to do this if Clare wasn't ready. If this wasn't what Clare wanted, then it wasn't what he wanted. He told her on numerous occasions that sex didn't matter to him and he meant it.

"You know I don't mind waiting," he reassured her, his hands still on her covered hips.

"You've waited long enough," she told him before kissing his mouth again.

"But if you don't want to –," he attempted to say.

"Eli," she said, ending the kiss, but keeping her lips in close proximity to his, "if you don't want to have sex with me –."

"No, I do," he said immediately, not wanting miss the opportunity if she was absolutely positive about it.

"Then why are you stalling?"

"I just want you to know that you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

Clare smiled at his consideration and took a step closer to him before enclosing his body in her arms.

"I want to . . . I've been wanting to for some time now," she admitted. "I've been on the pill since September and . . . now just seems like the perfect night."

Eli smiled at Clare. Had she really been waiting for this moment for five months? Was she really that prepared?

As though she read his mind, Clare put her lips close to his ear.

"We love each other and I want us to do this . . . and I know you do too," she whispered. Her voice made him want to melt as she spoke the undeniable truth.

Now that he was reassured that she was completely certain about them going to sleep together, he felt excitement and adrenaline surge through his system. He was going to be the first person to ever do certain things to Clare and he felt honored that she was allowing him to do it. Keeping this in mind, he took her face in his hands and crushed his lips to hers, his heart beating faster and faster as the kissed deepened.

Elation and a few nerves going through her, Clare hooked her fingers around his belt-loops. She pulled him onto the bed and she lied down on it with him on top of her. Eli's lips soon abandoned her own and went to her neck.

Clare moaned in surprise and shuddered as someone kissed her neck for the first time. If she was this dazzled by a simple kiss on that part of her body, how was she going to feel once everything got more intense? The thrills and nerves went into overdrive when she felt Eli's hand slide from her face, to her neck, and she inhaled sharply as he put a hand on her covered breast for the first time.

"Do you like this?" he asked as he continued to kiss her neck.

"Yes," she breathed honestly. "But . . ."

Hearing that word, Eli lifted his head to look at her and moved his hand back to her face. He looked her eyes and saw a bit of worry. He continuously smoothed his thumbs over each of her cheeks in comfort.

"If you want us to do this some other time –," he began to reassure once again.

"No, I'm fine," she protested. "I'm just . . ."

She trailed off, too embarrassed to continue. She took a breath and looked at Eli's eyes and prepared to tell him what was on her mind. As she planned it out in her head, however, the more juvenile she thought it she sounded.

"Never mind," she said.

Clare then put her lips back to Eli's, but before the kiss got too heavy, he pulled away. He was sure there was something distressing plaguing Clare's thoughts and he wanted to relieve that from her before they began anything. He continued to cradle her face in his hands as he looked her directly in the eye.

"Babe, what's wrong?" he asked her tenderly.

"Nothing," she said, but he knew she was lying.

"Clare," he said softly, his eyes looking straight into hers. He was a bit worried to see the mild anguish in her eyes. "I don't want you to have something bothering you during our first time. I want this to be special, so if you want to talk to me to get some things off your mind, you can."

She took a breath before sucking on her bottom lip in thought. After a minute of trying to relax and reconstruct her thoughts, she looked at him again.

"I'm going to sound immature," she warned him.

Eli shook his head at her before planting a kiss on her forehead.

"I doubt that, but even if you think you will, you can say it. You know you don't have to be worried about telling me anything."

Clare took one final breath before looking straight into his eyes and telling him what was going on in her head.

"I really, really want us to do this, but I'm just as nervous as I am excited," she began. "I mean . . . I've never seen a naked guy before so I'm just a bit nervous about that. And . . . no guy has ever seen me naked, so I'm worried about what you'll think. Plus I don't want you to be disappointed, but I have little to no idea what I should do. I want us to have sex, but I want you to enjoy it and I don't think that could happen since I'm so inexperienced."

Eli sat there and listened to every word she said. By the time she was done, she was surprised to see him smirking. She began to feel more humiliated as he looked at her. She felt her face began to flush deep red. Not wanting Eli to see her so embarrassed on this night, she put her hands over her face and tried to turn on her side, but she couldn't completely with her boyfriend right on top of her.

Eli gently grabbed her wrists, pulled them away from her face, and pinned each of them to the mattress so she wouldn't make another attempt to cover herself again. Her face was red and she kept her eyes were closed tight since she felt so awkward about what she just told him. He leaned his lips onto hers in comfort.

"It's okay," he consoled her as he lifted his lips.

Her face returned to its normal shade before she decided to open her eyes to look at Eli again.

"I shouldn't have told you that," she said in a hoarse whisper.

"It's me; it's just Eli. You know you can tell me anything."

"I sounded childish."

"No, you didn't," he reassured her.

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Because you care about me so much," he answered before giving her a light kiss on the cheek. "Listen, it doesn't matter to me if you're inexperienced or not. This night is special enough as it is. We celebrated our anniversary, we danced together, we chose our song, and now we're doing this. I'm happy right here just being with you. There's no way this night could go bad for me."

"Not even if I totally suck at it?" she asked timidly.

"You won't."

"How do you know?"

"I just have a feeling."

"But if I do?"

He smiled at her before he released the hands that he still held against the mattress and gently slid some hair behind her ears.

"It's going to take more than a bad first time for me to stop being in love with you."

She smiled at him warmly and he saw her eyes calm down a little, but he wanted to address the other issues first.

"And I know you're nervous. A lot of people are on their first time."

"Were you?"

"Definitely," he nodded. "So if there's anything you want me to do to make you relax, just tell me."

"I will," she said.

"Is there anything I can do to ease your nerves?"

He watched Clare as she roamed her brain to try and figure out how she could ask one question.

"I . . . I heard the first time is kind of painful. Is that true?"

She saw a flash of regret in Eli's eyes for a second. He comfortingly cupped the side of her neck as his thumb brushed against her jaw.

"For some it hurts and for others it's just uncomfortable at first, but I promise that it gets better," he informed her.

As she bit her lip nervously, Eli looked at her, comfort and a bit of remorse in his eyes. He didn't want to cause any kind of pain or discomfort to his girlfriend, but he knew he was going to if this night was going to happen.

Seeing his eyes, Clare put one of her hands on his chest. He took in the feeling of her soft hand on him and he felt himself wanting her more and more.

"I trust you, Eli," she told him. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked her once again. She nodded.

"Please just . . . try to be gentle, okay?"

"I will," he promised.

"And can we . . . take this slow? Take it one step at a time?" she asked hopefully.

"We can," he accepted. "Where do you want to start?"

"Here would be good," she said before placing her mouth to his.

He deepened the kiss and she allowed his tongue to enter. They remained in this position for a few minutes and they only separated for a second to get some air in their lungs before continuing their heavy kisses. Clare eventually pulled her lips away and looked at him. She smiled at Eli, who gave her his own affectionate grin in return.

"Let me know when you want to go further," he told her gently. "And if you ever want to stop, tell me."

"Okay," she sighed as he ran a hand through her hair. "What happens after this?"

"I was thinking something around these lines . . ."

He gently kissed her cheek then traveled down to her neck. Clare shivered pleasingly as he cared for her skin with his lips. She put her hand on the back of his head and held his hair as a way to encourage him to kiss her somewhere else on this part of her person. He got the message and ventured all the way up to her ear.

While he soothed her with his magical lips, Clare felt her bundle of nerves begin to unwind. She loved how tender he was being with her and how loving he was being about this situation. He was being patient and he was respecting her decision for them to go slow tonight just so she could be happy.

This sent one message to Clare and one message only: Eli was in love with her, and she was in love with him. That was all that mattered to her now.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear before he continued to tend to it.

The chills returned to Clare as she felt his hot breath tickle the skin of her ear. He told her those three words hundreds of times, but now they meant so much more to her. Now that they were here, she understood now more than ever that what they had wasn't just a high school romance. If this was, she knew she wouldn't be ready to give herself to the boy kissing her ear right now.

"I love you too," she breathed, feeling her heart rate increase.

Eli smiled at these words before nibbling on her ear. He waited for her to protest, but she never did. Instead, she inhaled happily. He was so pleased that this was about to happen and they both wanted it. He was willing to go slow because he was content kissing her like he was and he didn't want this to go sour in anyway.

"Can you kiss my neck again?" she asked airily some time later.

Grinning at her request, Eli leaned away to look at her. He gave her a peck on the lips before fulfilling her wish to tend to her neck.

"Like this?" he asked.

"Love this," she replied breathlessly.

Her heart wasn't slowing down the slightest . . . and she didn't mind. Her skin crawled with pleasure as something clicked in her brain.

"Eli . . . take this robe off me," she entreated of him, a bit a surprised she said it so bluntly.

Eli abandoned her neck again and looked at her.

"You're sure?" he asked cautiously.

Clare nodded. She closed her eyes after that and waited for the red material to be removed from her by the clutches of her boyfriend. She felt Eli's hands go to the fabric that kept the dressing gown closed. She took a few breaths and prepared for her to be seen by him as he undid the knot in the front.

The air soon became introduced to her body. Eli took his time removing the article of clothing from her body completely so he could stop if she wished and so she didn't feel uncomfortable. She felt him slowly open the gown and she lied there, hoping he wouldn't have anything bad to say about her body.

As her thoughts and nerves raced, Eli removed the rest of the clothing from her and let it go to the floor.

Eli didn't say a word, but she felt his eyes scanning her body. After he didn't speak for a while, Clare became nervous. Suddenly, she felt his hands on her hips and his lips on her sternum.

She inhaled sharply and joyfully. Eli soon moved his lips from her chest all the way down to her stomach. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable or make her feel pressure by going to her breasts or going below the waist just yet, so he didn't go any lower than the skin above her navel.

"Eli?" she asked, waiting for him to speak as her eyes remained shut.

She soon felt her bare chest against his own and her breathing began to speed up faster than before. His lips soon became reacquainted with hers again. They cherished the kiss for seconds until Eli pulled away.

"Clare," he whispered to her.

She opened her eyes and saw his staring right into hers.

"You're gorgeous," he told her.

Her face went redder than ever. She smiled at him affectionately and caressed his cheek with her thumb.

"No one has ever said that to me."

"Shame on them. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"I don't mind," she said. "I'm glad you're telling me now."

She then wrapped her arms around his chest, holding him against her. She smothered his lips. They moaned blissfully against the kisses they were having now. She felt his hands glide up and down her sides. She shivered as his mouth cared for hers and his hands traveled on her skin.

While the magic of the kisses and touches happened, Clare finally felt her nerves vanish. The time, the moment she had been waiting for since they confessed their love for each other, had finally come.

"Eli," she whispered while she separated her mouth from his. "I'm ready. Take me."

And take her he did . . .

()()

Time passed and it consisted of pure passion, ecstasy, and bliss. They didn't keep track of how many rounds they went or how long each lasted. What mattered to them right now was the fact that they were in love and they displayed it to each other in a physically passionate fashion.

They were now lying on their sides under the covers, holding each other in their arms as they kissed lovingly. Clare tried to get over the rush she just had with the love of her life, but part of her wanted to hold on to it. She couldn't believe she had just lost her virginity to this amazing guy who was holding her body by his.

Their lips separated and they looked at each other. He grinned at her and she grinned back as she stared into his green eyes. They took a couple of breaths while Eli curled his arm around her waist while she put her hand on his abs.

"Are you sure this was your first time?" he asked, his breathing returning to normal.

"Positive," she nodded with a bashful smile. "I know it probably would've been better if I was more experienced, but –."

"Clare," he told her before smoothing some astray hairs out of her eyes. "It was perfect."

"Are you just saying that?" she asked nervously.

Eli shook his head before kissing her lips for the thousandth time that night.

"Thank you," he exhaled once the kiss ended.

"For what?" she questioned curiously.

"Letting me be your first."

Clare gave him a loving smile before she removed her hand from his stomach so she could hug his waist.

"I wouldn't want anyone else to be my first," she admitted while they continued to rest their heads on her pillows.

"And Clare," Eli said. "You may not have been my first, but I want you to be my last."

Clare's heart began to beat inside her rapidly and she grinned at him.

"I'll be your last if you'll be my first, last, and only," Clare compromised.

"Miss Edwards, I may just have to take you up on that offer," he whispered in her ear.

She grinned before kissing him again.

"I'm in love with you," she told him.

"I'm in love with you too," he replied, caressing her waist.

She scooted closer to him so there was no space existed between them. She slowly connected her lips with his neck for a second before moving them back up to his mouth. No matter how many times they kissed, it never got old or felt different.

They soon concluded the kiss, but they held on to each other tightly, cherishing the moment. Eli loved the feeling of Clare's body against him and knowing that she was comfortable with it made it all the more amazing.

"This has definitely been one of the best nights I've ever had," he told her.

"Me too," she replied, loosening herself from his grasp so she could look at him.

Eli then turned over to look at the clock on the bedside table and saw that it was three in the morning. He didn't want to leave Clare, especially during this moment, but it was late. He knew his parents wouldn't mind him being out so late since they were aware that he was at the concert with Clare. What he was concerned about was if Clare was comfortable with him staying with her the entire night. He didn't want to leave her, but he also didn't want to impose or make her feel uncomfortable with the idea of them sleeping in the same bed.

Clare, as though she was reading his mind, moved closer to him. She wrapped her arm around his chest, rested her chin on his shoulder, and put her cheek against his.

"Baby, I don't want you to leave," she said in a soft, yet almost pleading voice. "Will you spend the night with me?"

Eli turned his head to look at her. He saw her reassuring eyes and he automatically felt all hesitation to stay disappear. Smiling, he chastely kissed her.

"I'd love to."

Beaming at him, Clare pulled herself away from him so he could turn back over to face her completely. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. She snuggled her head against his chest as she rested her arm around his waist.

"You're so warm," he sighed as he felt the skin of her back under his hand.

"You are too."

While she lied in her bed in Eli's arms, she felt safe, secure, and happy. This was all she needed and she never wanted to let it go. She just wanted to stay there with Eli for the rest of her life and she would've been completely satisfied.

"Does this feel as right to you as it does to me?" she then asked.

"Definitely," he nodded.

"I wish you could stay here with me forever."

Eli then held her tighter. He wasn't sure if she meant him staying here with her bed or being with her in general. Either way, he was going to remain with her until she wanted him to leave.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised her, acknowledging both sides.

At those words, Clare grinned before giving him a passionate kiss on the lips.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Clare. I love you."

"I love you too, Elijah," she reciprocated before they both fell into a peaceful sleep in each other's arms.


"No one can move me

The way that you do

Nothing erases this feeling

Between me and you"

~"I Drove All Night" by Celine Dion


I don't own the Black Veil Brides, but you should look up their song "The Mortician's Daughter" for two reasons. One, I'll mention it a few more times in this story since it's their song in this fic. Two, it is one of the most beautiful songs ever. I know I probably should have warned you guys that there was some light smut, but that would've given the rest of the chapter away so . . . REVIEWS!