Disclaimer: If it was mine, Eli would have kissed Clare from day one.

Took me a while. I got distracted. UGH. Also, this one isn't that great. This story's almost done, I think. Woo!

OHMYGOD. WHY IS ELI SO MEEEEEAN? "I'm sorry I lead you on." UGH. HOW COULD YOU, ELI? You frickin' KNOW that you love her. You know she loves you too! Just be together already, ohmygod. ;_; The wait for these episodes is killing me...

STAY WITH ME

My eyes open and I realize where I am. I'm laying in the backyard of Eli's old house, nestled up against his side. His arms are wrapped tight and protectively around my waist and my head is resting on his chest. The steady rise and fall of each breath he takes lifts my head up and down and I feel completely comfortable - like I belong. I close my eyes again but quickly flutter open. It must be so late!

I try to sit up, but his grip tightens subconciously and pulls me, if possible, closer. I gasp when I am pulled so close I'm half on top of him. I fidget and squirm, trying to do this as quietly as possible. I reach into my pocket for my phone. My parents are going to kill me! It's 12:05 in the morning. There's no possible way that we could have slept for, like, six hours!

"Eli," I say, frantic, and begin shaking his shoulders. "Eli!"

A smirk crosses his features and I blink, surprised. He was... faking? I can't help myself. I smack his shoulder hard and try to pull away again. His grip tightens again and he pulls roughly. His hands hook at the back of my thighs and lift me up so that I straddle his hips. My face turns a bright crimson and I look away. "Eli, we -" I bit my lip, embarrassed, and say, "We - we have to go." The smirk doesn't falter, though, and his hands lock in mine, holding me in place. Something about the look in his eyes makes me nervous. I'm scared. I don't know what he's capable of.

"Clare," he murmurs and I give him a questioning look. "Stay with me tonight." He doesn't wait for a response before he sits up and presses his lips against mine, stealing my words, taking my breath away. I've waited for this for so long and yet... I pull back in shock, eyes wide. He still looks smug as ever. He knows, was all I could think. He knows how much I enjoyed that. "Stay," he whispered, lips grazing mine again.

I couldn't help but nod and let him capture my lips again.

He walks me back to Morty and opens the back hatch. Somehow I think he's planned this because there are two pillows and one large blanket sprawled out. I don't think he fell asleep when I did. And that just makes me feel so exposed. He was well aware of the time, was well aware of the fact that I have a strict curfew and my parents are probably sending out a search party by now, blaming each other for this, causing another fight that could lead me to go home to one nasty divorce and custody issues. I played the scene in my head. My parents fighting over me. My mom crying, please don't leave me Clare I need you. And my dad screaming right back at her you're not suitable to take care of our daughter.

A hand in mine pulled me from my broken world. Eli squeezed my hand and gave me a little tug. I nodded and climbed into the back of Morty. I'd never been back here before, probably because it might have creeped me out a little bit. How many dead bodies were carried away in this thing? I almost laughed, wondering what Eli would say if he heard me call Morty a "thing". But for a hearse, this was really... roomy. Albeit still creepy.

The door hatch closed and we were alone in the dark. I bit my lip, averting my eyes - despite the darkness I could still see the glow of the green eyes staring intently at me. I shivered. I made sure our bodies were as far from each other as possible. I turned the purity ring around my finger, reminding myself that pure hearts wait. That phrase should be the one thing saving me from myself, saving me from Eli.

I felt rather than saw him move closer to me. His arm draped across my shoulder. His breath fanning in my ear sent shivers down my spine. "Eli," I said, breath ragged. The closer he gets to me the harder it is to breathe. I don't know why he does this to me.

His fingers played with the ends of my curls, tugging here and there. "Hm?" he whispered, and I could tell he was even closer. His mouth was right at my ear. Involuntarily another shiver ran through me.

"I can't -" I almost groaned when his lips came in contact with my ear. "We can't do this, I -"

Reaching down, his fingers locked with mine, his other hand following to gently touch my purity ring, much like I had before. He pulled my hand up and kissed the ring softly. "I know," he said, slowly pressing me onto my back. I gasped his name. "But this isn't completely against your religion, is it?" I could see the smirk on his face. "Not if I do all the work."

Before I could say anything his cool fingers were sliding up my shirt, teasing the skin, making my stomach constrict against the feeling. His other hand tugged at the button of my jeans, popping it open and pulling the zipper down expertly. I momentarily forgot who I was when he touched me. Couldn't remember that I was in a hearse with possibly the most dark-minded boy I'd ever met, hands held above my head while a smooth hand did its work, lips marking my neck.

I've never felt such bliss in my whole life.

Butcher, butcher, butcher... That's all I'm good for. XD