Hey everyone. Thanks for the awesome feedback! Also, thanks for all the 'get well soon' messages. For the record, I'm feeling much better.

I love Fiona, and I'm worried about her. And what the hell is up with Adam? Jealous much? I still love him, but I don't like that they made him the jealous friend. And Fitz? Really? Yeah, I'm not buying it.

Yay for subtle Eclare action! By the way, did anyone else notice Eli's first outfit? I was like 'What the hell is he wearing?' Don't get me wrong, I liked his outfit, it just seemed ooc.

Oh my gosh, I have writer's block! It just hit me today. If you guys have any requests, I'd love to hear them. I need to overcome this terrible disease! Anyways, let me get on with the story.

Enjoy!

Clare Edwards was good at a lot of things.

She was good at being beautiful. She was good at school. She was good at making friends. She was good at being sarcastic. The list could go on.

But Clare was bad at one thing in particular.

Lying.

Especially, when she was lying to Eli. Everyday, for the past week, he would ask her if everything was alright. And everyday, she would lie, smile, and nod her head. Eli was worried. Clare wasn't the type to lie. She was usually very honest, especially with him.

The way she would glance around nervously. The way she would bite her lip when she was nervous or deep in thought. The way she would whisper to whoever she was talking to on the phone. All of these things were dead giveaways that she was lying to him about everything being okay.

"What are hiding from me?" He asked one day while they were studying at The Dot. She looked up, smiled innocently, and shook her head.

"Nothing." She replied simply, adding a small laugh at the end for good measure.

"Don't lie to me." He responded irately. Her eyes widened at his harsh whisper.

"I'm not…" She trailed off, unable to lie when she got lost in his emerald eyes. He sighed and broke his gaze away from her.

"You've been keeping a secret from me. It's cool if you don't want to share, but I figured that you'd at least have the decency not to lie to my face." He hoped to keep the bitterness out of his voice. She sighed deeply and shook her head sadly.

"It's complicated." She admitted, looking out the window.

"I'm sure I can keep up." He responded. She bit her lower lip, trying to figure out where she was going to start.

"It's nothing too serious." She started off, turning back to him. "My mom has been pretty sick recently, so I've been taking care of her. She's been nauseas and tired. She has a doctor's appointment tomorrow. She's been calling to keep my updated. We're hoping her sickness isn't too bad." She finished with a shrug. Eli nodded.

"What does your dad think about this?" Her whole posture turned rigid at the mention of her father.

"My mom hasn't told him yet. She doesn't want to worry him." She scoffed and turned away again. "He's been at work a lot. He barely comes home anymore. When we figure out what's wrong, we'll tell him." Eli nodded.

"And that's it?" He asked. She smiled weakly and nodded.

"Yeah. That's it. Sorry about lying to you. I know I wouldn't want to be in your shoes." Reaching over, he placed his hand over hers.

"Sorry about being so nosy. Why don't I take you home? That way, you can look out for your mom." She nodded and smiled.

"Thank you, Eli." They stood and walked out of the restaurant.

The next day, Eli waited for Clare all day. She had missed her first three classes. He had tried calling her, but she didn't answer. He sighed and walked into English class. He would just have to be patient.

Halfway through the class, Clare entered. Ms. Dawes was about to start scolding her, but noticed how forlorn she looked. Clare walked to the front of the class and handed Ms. Dawes a tardy slip.

She took her usual seat behind Eli. While Ms. Dawes continued to speak, Eli resisted the urge to turn around and start talking to her. Finally, the bell rang. Everyone rushed out of the classroom, eager to escape. Eli hung back and waited for Clare to finish packing her books.

He walked beside her out of the classroom, waiting for her to speak. Eli noticed she had been crying. Her eyes were blood-shot and her nose was colored pink.

"Is she sicker than you originally thought?" Eli finally asked, tired of the suspense. Clare stopped and turned to him.

"No." Her voice was thick with emotion. "She's pregnant." Clare answered bluntly. Eli's eyes widened. Pregnant? He would never have guessed that.

"Isn't this generally good news? Why do you look so upset? Surely, you aren't upset abut losing your title as being the youngest." He let out a small laugh. A hiccuped as she shook her head slowly.

"That's not it. The baby…" She trailed off, trying to calm herself down. Eli grabbed her hand and gave it a small squeeze, encouraging her.

"My mother and father haven't been intimate in five months. The baby is three months along." Eli instantly understood.

"Clare…" He murmured. She wiped away her tears with her free hand.

"I was so happy when the doctor told us. But, when my mother burst into tears, I couldn't understand why. She explained to me her reason for being upset while she was dropping me off. She cheated, Eli. And now she's pregnant with another man's baby. The worst part of it is, she doesn't even know who the father is. I mean, how many men did she sleep with? And I can't help but think badly about her whenever I see her." Eli sighed and pulled Clare into a hug. This was bad. Very bad. Surely, this would mean hard times for Clare Edwards.

"Well, look at the bright side." Clare laughed.

"Eli Goldsworthy is telling me to look at the bright side? I can't wait to hear this." She mumbled bitterly.

"Well, first off, you're going to have a baby brother or sister. That has to be some consolation, right? Second, this might, in some strange way, bring your family closer together." Clare sniffled.

"How?" She asked.

"If your dad truly loves your mom, then he'll stick by her. And if not, then, it wasn't meant to be." Clare shrugged. He was right. She could tell Eli was really trying hard to make her feel better.

"Thanks." She murmured, wrapping her arms around him. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"Anytime, sweetheart. Anytime. Now, come on. Let's get you cleaned up." He led her to the girls' washroom. After washing her face, Clare stared into the mirror. Her eyes zeroed in on the crucifix that hung around her neck.

She touched the necklace briefly, remembering that her father had given it to her. Thinking about her dad only made her feel sad. To some degree, she was angry at him for practically abandoning his family. But, she felt more saddened. His wife had cheated on him. And she was pregnant. She sighed and gripped her necklace tightly.

She could only pray that things would work out in the end.

Didn't care much for this piece. I felt it was rather bland. At least, at the end it was. But, I would love to see how Clare would get through this mess. Can you imagine how much that would suck? Anyways, trust me when I say that next chapter will be better. Review?

~S.S.