This coming week will be just insane for me and chapters are probably going to be very short. I will do my absolute best not to skip another chapter but they will likely be on the short side.

Readers of dragonsprit's stories note that updates will be touch and go this week because he's swamped like me.

The character polls are all done, thank you to everyone that voted. There will be two sets of coupling polls to vote on, I will leave each set up for two weeks. For the next two weeks you can vote on who you want Clare, Adam, Bianca and Fitz to be with. Please please read the notes for the voting it is important. Each of the polls allows for a write in option you can suggest anyone you like including crossover characters. Please note who is on each poll, you don't need to suggest Bianca be with Clare because you can vote for Clare/Bianca on Bianca's poll.

Also just below the polls is a list of all the characters (so far) that will be included, more may be added dependent on the coupling polls. Below the list of characters is a slideshow of some of the characters as their creature for the story. Not everyone gets a picture because I really don't know what to do for some of them such as vampires and damphyr. I'm open to suggestions but bear in mind that I don't have Photoshop or illustrator and I haven't a clue how to make animations or gifs.

Ch. 8 His Fingers, they Give a Touch

(CLARE)

"So that was secret admirer guardian angel guy," Adam comments when we reach his house and I nod. "Should we have just left him there?"

"They planned to rape us and I've learned at this point that he can handle himself," I tell Adam although now that the fear of being raped has dissipated I am worried about Fitz.

"Does he randomly show up to be the hero a lot?" Adam inquires.

"That's kind of how we met. Remember those boys at the ravine that got beat up? I was walking home after the practice and they appeared. I fought back but then I fell and was knocked out and he saved me," I tell Adam pacing nervously and thinking I should go back and make sure that Fitz is okay. And then I feel him, close, watching me. I look outside and he's barely visible in the shadows. Adam follows my gaze but he doesn't see Fitz until he moves a little and moonlight hits his hoodie. "I'll be right back," I tell Adam.

"I'm coming with you, to thank him for what he did, besides I think it's about time to meet this mystery man of yours," Adam says. I know that Adam won't try to take off Fitz's hood and he won't ask questions. We both leave the basement and walk near Fitz but keep a small distance so he remains in shadow and we stay in the light. "Just wanted to say thanks for what you did back there, Clare and I could have been really hurt. I guess you've been looking out for her and she's important to me so thanks. I'd introduce myself but I have a feeling you already know who I am," Adam comments.

"Yeah I do, seen you and your brother around school. I know you're a good friend to Clare and that Drew is good for Bianca. And you're welcome they won't bother you again," Fitz replies.

"Well I'll give you guys some time," Adam says turning and going back in the basement.

With Adam gone I step into the shadows, taking Fitz's gloved hand as I walk past him and pulling him even farther into the shadows. When I'm sure we're fully invisible to everyone else I turn to Fitz and embrace him, holding him tight and close and not wanting to let go. Fitz's arms come around me and I smile.

"You could have been hurt," I scold him.

"Physical pain I can take, actually I hardly feel physical pain any longer. It would have more painful for me if you and Adam had been hurt or worse. I'm fine and they won't bother you again just some punk kids with a pack mentality."

"I still don't want you to be hurt," I tell him and he holds me a little tighter.

"How much does Adam know?" Fitz asks after a silent few seconds.

"Are you angry? I didn't tell him anything I shouldn't. Please don't tell me I can't see you anymore because Adam knows," I beg.

"I'm not mad and I wasn't going to say that, I don't want to be away from you either. It's just that he didn't ask questions or even seem that surprised," Fitz says.

"He figured out that my secret admirer who leaves beautiful paper flowers on my locker, and my guardian angel that led Owen to me in the storage room are one and the same. I didn't tell him your name or anything, only that you'd saved me before and you protected me. I didn't tell him anything that would lead to your identity. I did say we couldn't be together because we're from two different worlds and Adam asked me what I want."

"What do you want?" Fitz questions tipping my chin up.

"I know I'm happy with you, I know I feel safe with you. I know I get to spend lots of time with Eli but I might spend a few minutes a day with you. If I'm really lucky and no one else is around then you'll stay with me until I fall asleep," I reply and I feel Fitz sigh, his whole body tightens and his grip loosens on me a little. "Look I know your world is secret and I would never intentionally betray that, I know you don't want to be seen in my world but I know how I feel when I'm around you. And I know the little bit of time I do get with you isn't enough," I tell him.

"Can you get away for a while tomorrow night?" Fitz asks.

"I think so," I nod.

"Meet me at the school, near the back of the football field at eight," Fitz replies.

"Okay, what for?"

"Just meet me there, I should go I'll see you tomorrow," Fitz says letting go of me. I release him and walk back to the basement.

"So he seems nice," Adam comments when I come in.

"He is, he asked me to meet him at the school tomorrow night. I'll tell your mom I'm meeting Alli and Jenna or something."

"Just be home by curfew," Adam says although he's been sketching something since I came in and hasn't looked at me except when I came in.

"What are you doing?" I inquire peaking over his shoulder. I've seen Adam sketch before, he's quite good actually. But he doesn't usually do it like this; he seems to be concentrating really hard.

"Your life right now would make an excellent comic book," Adam replies and I see him making a rough sketch of Fitz saving us from those boys.

"Adam!"

"Well it would, you like two boys but one has a major dark side and the other is mysterious and swoops in to save you like Batman."

"Just don't use our names," I tell him.

"I don't even know mystery guy's name," Adam reminds me.

"I better get to read this when it's done."

"Of course, you're starring in it," Adam grins.

I smile and lean back on the sofa changing the channel on the TV. Adam works on his comic book panels for two hours straight, he draws it like a comic book putting in captions and talking bubbles for the characters. When he's done with a panel he hands it to me to look out. They aren't quite in order, one is of Fitz saving us and the next is me with Eli, the next is Fitz going to my house to get my things. He can put them in order later, assuming he actually makes it into a comic book. He uses Diana, my middle name, instead of my first name or my character in the comic I guess. He uses Elliot instead of Eli and since he doesn't know Fitz's name, and I suppose didn't think Mystery Guy was appropriate, uses the name Dark Hood for Fitz. He's still working on it when Drew and Bianca get home.

"You look way too busy for a Friday night little bro," Drew comments.

"Making a comic?" Bianca states taking a panel to look at it, "These are pretty cool. Wait did you meet Clare's mystery guy?"

"Yeah sort of, he saved us from three North Park boys that followed us from the game a…"

"What?" Drew questions interrupting his brother. "What do you mean they followed you are you guys okay?"

"We're fine, they followed us from the game, they were angry DeGrassi won. They started to fight with Adam then found out about him and had other plans but Dark Hood, as Adam calls him in the comic, swooped in and saved us," I explain.

"Remind me to thank him if I ever meet him," Drew says.

"Yeah when do we get to meet him?" Bianca asks.

"Probably never," I reply.

"Should we be worried? I mean that we can't meet this guy?"

"I met him, he's nice he cares about Clare and he's saved her more than once. He's the one that keeps leaving the paper flowers on her locker. Ooh that would make a good panel," Adam says putting the one he was working on down to start drawing another.

"Well at least he's not scary like Eli," Drew comments.

"Eli's only scary when his dark side comes out he can be very sweet and we have a lot in common but that dark side does scare me," I sigh.

"Have you heard from him since Thursday?" Bianca asks.

"Only his text that night," I reply.

The four of us stay up for a while watching TV and Adam works on his comic. The boys go upstairs a little after two and then Bianca and I go to bed. I sleep through the night without any super odd dreams. Audra and Omar wake up long before us and they leave at one to go meet with the lawyer and my father. The four of us take the car and meet Owen at my house to get my stuff. I pack suitcases with clothes, a few boxes and tote bags with books and personal things I don't want to leave behind. I leave a lot, I'm sure I'm forgetting something but it's not like I can't come back. We take all my stuff back to Adam's and Audra and Omar are back now.

"Your father signed the guardianship papers, he can visit you here but he has to give us notice and he can't bring that child he married. They'll be approved and filed on Monday," Audra tells us but mostly me when she comes down to the basement.

"Thanks, I don't want to see him for a while," I reply.

"You don't have to Sweetie. Dinner will be ready in an hour is everyone staying?"

"Yes," Owen and Bianca say at the same time.

"Uh I told Alli and Jenna I'd meet them for a movie later," I speak up before Audra goes back upstairs.

"No problem Clare just be back by curfew," Audra replies.

Adam continues working on his comic, which Owen is now reading, and we watch TV until dinner. Fitz told me to meet him at eight so after dinner I walk to the school; I wait near the back of the football field for Fitz wondering what he has planned. As I had no idea what his plans were I came in jeans and a blue sweater, I have a jacket in case it gets cold.

"This way," Fitz's voice from behind me makes me turn and I smile when I see him, even if he's shrouded in his hood. He has backpack with him as well and holds out his hand to me.

I smile and take his hand; we begin walking through the woods and down to the ravine, then to a large storm drain. This takes us into the tunnels under the city, we're close to the subway I can hear the trains. I don't know how Fitz finds his way down here I would get terribly lost. We walk for a while, more than twenty minutes, but after a while I hear music, wonderful music and it echoes down here it seems to be all around us.

"Up the ladder, I'll follow you," Fitz tells me.

"Where are we?" I ask as I begin climbing the ladder.

"Massey Hall, we're underneath it now but up there we're inside. A very old part that they don't use anymore, they'll never know we're here but we're just under the stage and we can hear the whole concert," he informs me as I get to the top of the ladder.

We're in a room, an old dressing room maybe or prop room perhaps, light filters through from the stage above making streams of light like moonbeams. The music surrounds us; it's intimate and romantic, warm and almost dreamlike.

"It's gorgeous in here, absolutely beautiful I feel as though I'm in the music it surrounds us," I smile almost sitting but Fitz catches my arm.

"Wait, I came prepared. You said you didn't get enough time with me and you get dates with Eli so I thought you would like a date with me," Fitz says taking a blanket from the backpack and spreading it out.

"I love it this is wonderful, better than anything I could have imagined," I grin sitting down.

"I brought dessert, Mary made blueberry truffle tarts and hot chocolate," Fitz tells me taking a container and a thermos with two cups.

"You've thought of everything," I smile and lean down to kiss his cheek but then stop. "Take down your hood please, and your gloves take them off please," I request.

"Clare you know…" he begins but I cut him off.

"I know you're burned, I know you have scars I've seen them."

"And been scared by them," Fitz reminds me.

"Only because when I don't see them it's easy to forget all the pain you've been through. There's only a little bit of light down here I won't be able to see much anyway but if this is a date then you can't hide under your hood. Or your gloves, if I hold your hand I want to feel the skin on your hand not your glove," I plead with him. He sighs a little and takes down his hood before removing his gloves. "Thank you," I grin and softly kiss his cheek.

I see him grin in the dim light and he hands me a tart before pouring me a mug of hot chocolate. We eat and listen to the concert, when I finish eating I put my head on his shoulder and take his hand. My hand is underneath his, my thumb begins instinctually caressing his scars.

"Does it feel weird?" Fitz asks.

"It feels like you, it's part of your story, of who are you. It feels a little rougher than normal skin but it feels very smooth and I like the feel of it. You're always hiding it, even from me I've never felt your hand before."

I feel Fitz smile and he kisses the top of my head. The concert lasts over two hours and we just sit there and listen. It's like our own private concert because it's just the two of us down here.

"I should get you home," he says when the music ends.

"This was amazing thank you," I grin as we stand. I put my hands on his shoulders and stand on my tiptoes and softly place my lips on his.

"I should be thanking you," Fitz replies.

"What for?"

"I can't remember a night when I've been so happy," Fitz tells me and I grin bighting my lip.

We clean up and Fitz climbs down the ladder first and we walk through the tunnels most of the way back to Adam's house. Fitz put his hood up again but he left his gloves off and has been holding my hand the whole way through the tunnels and even on the streets. It's quite dark, especially the way we go through the back alleys but I feel perfectly safe with Fitz. We come to the Torres yard from the back through an alley and another backyard so that we're in the shadows under the big trees in the backyard.

"Tonight was amazing do I get another date?" I ask.

"We probably shouldn't, you know we can't be together. Secret dates and hiding wouldn't be fair to you and I know that you like another boy."

"I like Eli but he frightens me. He and I have only been on a few dates, he's not my boyfriend. Tonight was the best and happiest I've had in a long time if our next secret date is half as good I will be happy."

"Then we'll do it again," Fitz tells me.

"Good, take your hood down please."

"Why?"

"So I can kiss you goodnight," I tell him and he takes his hood down. Fitz leans down and our lips join, I grip his hoodie and part my lips slightly deepening the kiss.

"Goodnight Fitz."

"Goodnight Clare," he whispers and I walk from the shadows to the basement.

It's not quite curfew yet, Adam and Drew are still out so I let Audra know I'm home and turn on the TV. When I hear a knock on the door I expect it to be Fitz but it's Eli instead.

"Eli what are you doing here?"

Well this is the last update for this story until August. The next update will pick up from here and include some Owen pov as he begins to piece things together.