" there's no plumbing or electrical up there" That black 'pipe' is either plumbing or HVAC duct and unless it can be relocated between the floor joist, you won't be able to go higher. Soffits aren't normally load bearing but they do make a nice place to hide mechanicals [wire,plumbing,etc]
It isn't a good idea to have a GFI on a refrigerator - if it kicks and you don't notice it right away, food might spoil. A fridge should always be on it's own seperate circuit. Generally you don't need multiple GFI's on the same circuit. If wired correctly, the 1st GFI will protect the remainder of that circuit down the line.
I'd suggest posting in the electrical section for any wiring issues - they have real electricians that hang out there
