Disclaimer: Spending all my money on Muse this weekend. If you sue me, you might as well sue them.

He had to get rid of it. He had to give it back, and if he couldn't give it back to her, then he would have to do the next best thing. He rushed back into his house and ran up to his room, not even saying hi to Cece. It was on his desk, next to his computer, where it had always been since they cleaned his room. Clare's father's watch.

Eli went back out to his hearse and drove to the apartment complex that he had come to know so well. He parked in his usual spot and climbed out, gripping the piece of jewelry tightly. It was the last piece of her that remained, he taking out the earring weeks ago. Eli walked up to the door and rang the doorbell.

"Eli. To what do I owe this visit?" Mr. Edwards greeted.

"Hi, Mr. Edwards," Eli replied with a small smile, "Clare gave this to me and I think it's time that I returned it," and he held out the watch. The man reached out and took it lightly, examining it.

"She gave you my watch?" Eli nodded.

"When we first started dating. Now that we aren't, I think she should have it back." Mr. Edwards looked up, meeting Eli's gaze and nodded in understanding.

"I'll make sure she gets it. Thank you." Eli smiled lightly and turned from the door, walking even further into the complex.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Three days. Three whole days. 72 hours since that night and Holly J's phone hasn't rung, hasn't lit up with a text from him. She knew it. She had told herself that it couldn't happen, that if it turned physical it would only push him away but did she listen? No, because Holly J Sinclair gives great advice, but seldom ever follows it.

She changed from her work uniform to a pair of yoga pants and a tank top, her plan for the rest of the day to watch Legally Blonde and eat cookies. She didn't want to even try to be social right now. Those pictures on FaceRange really just made her want to crawl into a hole and die. Everyone saw them. There was no denying the chemistry between them anymore. They could only go in two directions, and it seemed like Eli had chosen the path that Holly J was afraid of. This rejection was going to be on a public scale, and it's all because of that damn party. She sighed and left her room, walking down the stairs and into the kitchen where her mom sat. There was a light knock at the front door and Holly J glanced at it momentarily and shrugged, grabbing the cookies from the pantry. Her mother stood up and answered it.

"Hi, Mrs. Sinclair, I'm Eli, a friend of Holly J's. Is she here?" his voice drifted into the kitchen. Holly J was halfway through her first cookie already, the rest of it hanging idly out of her mouth. He was here, introducing himself to her mother. Her mother that didn't even know he existed.

"Holly J, there's an…Eli at the door?" her mother questioned. Holly J threw the cookies back in the pantry and swallowed what she had in her mouth as he stepped through the door and into the living room, his hands in his back pockets, a small smirk on his face at the sight of her. Her mother stood behind him, giving Holly J a look of, "And who is this?"

"Hey, Eli. Why don't we go up to my room and talk…" Holly J said with a nervous smile, taking his hand and leading him up the stairs.

"Door open, young lady," her mom called after them and Eli chuckled, Holly J's cheeks turning slightly pink. She led him into her room, closing the door halfway behind him and dropping his hand. She suddenly felt very self-conscious about her choice of clothing, he looking as handsome as always in his dark grey skinny jeans, a black dress shirt, and a black vest. Last time he had seen her, she was at her best, and now…?

"Hi," was all he said as he looked her up and down. She was haggard, but in a good way. Her hair wasn't perfect, the pigtails hanging loosely from hours at work, and her makeup wasn't all done up. She was herself with no shields up, and she was beautiful.

"Hi," she responded in kind, sitting on the edge of her bed. Eli took a few steps towards her, going for the bed also, but he decided to sit in the chair at her desk instead. He had never been in her room before, the light blue walls playing off the purple of her comforter nicely. Her various awards and certificates were scattered around, pictures of Anya and Fiona mixed in. She had a picture of her and Declan in a frame by her bed, the program from his funeral right next to it, a small, but appropriate tribute. He noted how there weren't any of Sav in sight.

"How are you?" he asked. She knew he was just making small talk, setting up for an explanation as to why they hadn't talked in three days.

"I've been busy. Working every day. Barely have time to get on FaceRange…" she offered, hoping to ease into why he was really here.

"Yeah, me too," he said, looking at the carpet and twisting the ring on his thumb, "So, uh, about Sav's party…"

"Yeah, we should probably talk about that." Eli swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and forced himself to meet her eyes. He was suddenly very nervous, more nervous than he had ever been around her before. He took a deep breath as she waited patiently for him to start speaking.

"Holly J… I like you. I like you a lot," he started, cursing at himself in his head. For someone who usually prided himself on his ability to choose the perfect words, right now he was stumbling over them, "These past few weeks with you have been amazing and…" Eli took a moment to gather his thoughts, to remember why he was there in the first place, "I can't believe how happy you make me. When I'm around you, all I can think about is how I don't want our time to end, how I want to be around you all the time, how I want to be with you. You're smart, and beautiful, and so nice and caring and I refuse to believe that anyone ever hated you. And I know it's crazy and I know that you're worried about your friends and what people think but…"

"Eli," Holly J softly interrupted, her eyes shining with unfallen tears, "I'm not scared of what people will think. If I was, I wouldn't have kissed you, gone to the party, anything. That party… that was my way of telling them that you… you're in my life now." Eli couldn't help but let a small smile play on his lips, relieved that she wasn't afraid of what anyone would think, "But…"

But. Three letters that shattered worlds, the only word that could make his smile slip.

"But?" Holly J took a breath, blinking back her tears from his earlier comments. She had to be strong, which was difficult with Fiona's comment bouncing around her brain.

"But… Clare."

"Clare."

It wasn't a question. It wasn't really even a statement. It was just a name, a name that had fallen from his lips so many times before. A name that Holly J knew all too well, and not for the best reasons.

"Holly J, Clare's out of my life," Eli laid out quietly. He was hunched forward in the chair, his elbows on his knees and his fingers playing with his rings. His eyes though, his eyes were locked on hers, unwavering.

"You two just broke up. I don't want to be a rebound…"

"You're not a rebound, you could never be a rebound," his voice straining a bit, trying to make Holly J understand, "How can I prove to you that I'm done with her?" and Eli stood up, moving over to sit on the bed with her. Holly J could only shrug lightly. She didn't want to make him "prove" that he was over Clare. She wasn't trying to be hurtful or anything; it was just her logic. It was too soon since they broke up. She was only trying to protect herself. Eli cupped her hands in his, running his thumbs lightly over her own, and met her gaze, "Before I came here, I stopped at Clare's dad's apartment. She had given me his watch when we first started dating, months ago. It sat on my desk at home, never moving, time standing still on its face. That's how I wanted things to be with her; I wanted every moment to last forever, not knowing that staying in the same place can be hell. I gave the watch back to him today, no hesitation, no regrets."

Holly J searched his face for a tell, for any indication that he was lying to her. She trusted him, of course, but she had to be sure. She found nothing, his eyes staying on hers, letting himself be laid open. She broke their gaze and lightly closed her eyes, a small tear running down her cheek, Eli's expression changing in an instant.

"Don't cry, please don't cry," he whispered as he leaned his head in, pressing his forehead to her own. Eli lightly kissed her cheek, disrupting the path her tears were cutting across her skin. His hand moved up and tangled itself in her hair, "Holly J, I want to be with you. Please…" he begged against her lips. Just hearing him, feeling him there, in that moment, with her was enough. She smiled and nodded and before she knew it, his lips were on hers. He was slow, tender and he tasted a little salty from her own tears. For the first time in a long time for both of them, everything felt right. This kiss wasn't to impress anyone. This kiss was for them.

A/N: Fluffy fluff fluff. Tell me what you think because I think I'm kind of crap at writing fluff. To everyone who said that the last chapter felt like a movie or an episode or something along those lines, I'll tell you why: I have a degree in Film and I've had to write many a script, so I imagined it to be an episode while writing it. Anyway, thanks again to ToastMania, Rochelle, Steff, and Kasia for their lovely support and thank you to all my readers and especially the reviewers!