A Jagged, Gorgeous Winter
Chapter One
]Las Vegas, Nevada:
Ryan Ross and Brendon Urie sat at a table in the corner of their favorite little cafe where they could just talk and be normal people. Spencer Smith soon joined them, carrying their drinks. Jon Walker sat beside Spencer and handed each musician their food.
"So what did Pete want?" Ryan asked Jon, the only musician at the table not actually from Vegas.
"He said there was a trip he wanted us to take. He was very vague. Didn't say where, just that it was important for us." he said.
"Pete has always been a bit... odd." Spencer said, his mouth full of chocolate muffin.
"Spencer, swallow." Ryan instructed the youngest boy.
"Don't say it, Brendon." Ryan snapped at the darker haired boy.
"Oh, come on... it was too easy." Brendon groaned. Ryan hit Brendon on the arm before sipping his coffee.
"Sooo... when are we going on this trip?" Spencer asked Jon, after chewing and swallowing the muffin that'd been stuffed in his mouth.
“As soon as the tickets get here.” Jon said. Ryan and Brendon exchanged a glance.
“Why do I have a really bad feeling about this?” Brendon asked the group. It was quiet for a few moments before Ryan spoke up.
“Bren, it's Pete who planned this. Of course you have a bad feeling about it.”
“Well then, shows how much you guys love me.” Pete said from behind Jon and Spencer, making everyone seated at their table jump.
“Oh, Pete.” Ryan shook his head at the rockstar.
“So your tickets are here and your plane leaves in 6 hours. I suggest you pack. Warmly.”
“Warmly? Where are you sending us that we need to dress warmly? It's November.” Spencer asked.
“You'll see.” Pete said, laying 4 tickets and an envelope in the middle of the table.
“And when you get to the airport, there will be a car waiting for you. Get in it and it'll take you to the destination. There should be a note in here,” he pointed to the envelope before continuing. “You can read it now but it won't make sense until you make it to the destination.”
“I'm slightly frightened.” Brendon said as Pete walked away.
“Yeah. Me too.” Spencer admitted, watching Pete's short figure get smaller as he walked out the door and down the street towards Patrick Stump's waiting car.
Ryan shrugged and reached for the tickets, wanting to know where they were going. He took a ticket and studied it.
“New York?” he stated it like a question, even though he knew that's where they were going.
“Is he crazy? It's like, wicked cold in New York right now.” Brendon asked, grabbing the ticket from the guitarist's hands.
“Something tells me that Pete isn't the mastermind behind this.” Jon said.
“Why?” Ryan asked, ignoring Spencer and Brendon's complaining.
“Because if it were Pete, he'd send us to like Canada. The person, or people, have to be from New York.” Jon explained. Ryan groaned but got up.
“What're you doing?” Jon asked.
“Going to buy warm clothes.”
“What?”
“Jon, I've lived in Las Vegas my entire life. I don't own very many warm clothes. You may but we,” he gestured to the other two guys from Vegas, “don't.”
And with that, Ryan left. Brendon and Spencer realized what he said was true and followed. Jon sighed and got up from his own chair as well, to go repack his bags.
***On Your Way Out, Shut Off The Lights***
From A Cabin In The Middle of Snow-Covered Hills:
The four boys got out of the car and winced. The car had tinted windows so they couldn't see the brightness of the sunlight glinting off the newly fallen snow. They were in New York, in November and it'd already snowed. But the two girls behind this plan already knew that it would snow. It'd snowed in September one year.
“What the hell?” Brendon cursed, putting his sunglasses on. The other three soon followed. Because it's not very wise to stare at snow that has not treaded across for a long time on a sunny day.
“Oh, wow. Pete is evil.” Spencer said, looking at the cabin and then the snow surrounding it.
“Fuck, it's freezing.” Brendon cussed before hurrying inside. Ryan shook his head and grabbed the bags as Spencer followed Brendon inside.
“Definitely not Pete.” Jon said, helping with the bags. Ryan nodded and they waved to the driver before entering the small wooden cabin. Ryan set the bags beside the couch and pulled out the note. He read it out loud.
Dear Panic!,
As you now know, you are in a small cabin in upstate New York. We're sorry. It's not something we would normally put someone through but we're an evil pair. New York, a not-so-wonderful place in winter, as you have found out. We have made a deal with Pete Wentz and you have to stay here til the snow thaws. Which may be January or it may be April. Winter is unpredictable the farther north you go. Just be thankful that you're in Oxford. If we were REALLY evil, we'd put you in a cabin in Rochester or Buffalo. But we're not, because even we, the pair that has spent their entire lives in this small snowy town, would not brave the mountains. And it'd be unfair to ask you to do that. So Oxford, NY it is.
You will be receiving a list of things you must do and a box of things for you to survive. You may want to do what we say, or we will shut off the heat and electricity. See, we told you we're evil.
Love,
KA & KH
Ryan looked up and was even more confused than before. And by the looks on the other three's faces, he guessed they were too.
***Nights Filled With Longer Hours***
Ryan Ross and Brendon Urie sat at a table in the corner of their favorite little cafe where they could just talk and be normal people. Spencer Smith soon joined them, carrying their drinks. Jon Walker sat beside Spencer and handed each musician their food.
"So what did Pete want?" Ryan asked Jon, the only musician at the table not actually from Vegas.
"He said there was a trip he wanted us to take. He was very vague. Didn't say where, just that it was important for us." he said.
"Pete has always been a bit... odd." Spencer said, his mouth full of chocolate muffin.
"Spencer, swallow." Ryan instructed the youngest boy.
"Don't say it, Brendon." Ryan snapped at the darker haired boy.
"Oh, come on... it was too easy." Brendon groaned. Ryan hit Brendon on the arm before sipping his coffee.
"Sooo... when are we going on this trip?" Spencer asked Jon, after chewing and swallowing the muffin that'd been stuffed in his mouth.
“As soon as the tickets get here.” Jon said. Ryan and Brendon exchanged a glance.
“Why do I have a really bad feeling about this?” Brendon asked the group. It was quiet for a few moments before Ryan spoke up.
“Bren, it's Pete who planned this. Of course you have a bad feeling about it.”
“Well then, shows how much you guys love me.” Pete said from behind Jon and Spencer, making everyone seated at their table jump.
“Oh, Pete.” Ryan shook his head at the rockstar.
“So your tickets are here and your plane leaves in 6 hours. I suggest you pack. Warmly.”
“Warmly? Where are you sending us that we need to dress warmly? It's November.” Spencer asked.
“You'll see.” Pete said, laying 4 tickets and an envelope in the middle of the table.
“And when you get to the airport, there will be a car waiting for you. Get in it and it'll take you to the destination. There should be a note in here,” he pointed to the envelope before continuing. “You can read it now but it won't make sense until you make it to the destination.”
“I'm slightly frightened.” Brendon said as Pete walked away.
“Yeah. Me too.” Spencer admitted, watching Pete's short figure get smaller as he walked out the door and down the street towards Patrick Stump's waiting car.
Ryan shrugged and reached for the tickets, wanting to know where they were going. He took a ticket and studied it.
“New York?” he stated it like a question, even though he knew that's where they were going.
“Is he crazy? It's like, wicked cold in New York right now.” Brendon asked, grabbing the ticket from the guitarist's hands.
“Something tells me that Pete isn't the mastermind behind this.” Jon said.
“Why?” Ryan asked, ignoring Spencer and Brendon's complaining.
“Because if it were Pete, he'd send us to like Canada. The person, or people, have to be from New York.” Jon explained. Ryan groaned but got up.
“What're you doing?” Jon asked.
“Going to buy warm clothes.”
“What?”
“Jon, I've lived in Las Vegas my entire life. I don't own very many warm clothes. You may but we,” he gestured to the other two guys from Vegas, “don't.”
And with that, Ryan left. Brendon and Spencer realized what he said was true and followed. Jon sighed and got up from his own chair as well, to go repack his bags.
***On Your Way Out, Shut Off The Lights***
From A Cabin In The Middle of Snow-Covered Hills:
The four boys got out of the car and winced. The car had tinted windows so they couldn't see the brightness of the sunlight glinting off the newly fallen snow. They were in New York, in November and it'd already snowed. But the two girls behind this plan already knew that it would snow. It'd snowed in September one year.
“What the hell?” Brendon cursed, putting his sunglasses on. The other three soon followed. Because it's not very wise to stare at snow that has not treaded across for a long time on a sunny day.
“Oh, wow. Pete is evil.” Spencer said, looking at the cabin and then the snow surrounding it.
“Fuck, it's freezing.” Brendon cussed before hurrying inside. Ryan shook his head and grabbed the bags as Spencer followed Brendon inside.
“Definitely not Pete.” Jon said, helping with the bags. Ryan nodded and they waved to the driver before entering the small wooden cabin. Ryan set the bags beside the couch and pulled out the note. He read it out loud.
Dear Panic!,
As you now know, you are in a small cabin in upstate New York. We're sorry. It's not something we would normally put someone through but we're an evil pair. New York, a not-so-wonderful place in winter, as you have found out. We have made a deal with Pete Wentz and you have to stay here til the snow thaws. Which may be January or it may be April. Winter is unpredictable the farther north you go. Just be thankful that you're in Oxford. If we were REALLY evil, we'd put you in a cabin in Rochester or Buffalo. But we're not, because even we, the pair that has spent their entire lives in this small snowy town, would not brave the mountains. And it'd be unfair to ask you to do that. So Oxford, NY it is.
You will be receiving a list of things you must do and a box of things for you to survive. You may want to do what we say, or we will shut off the heat and electricity. See, we told you we're evil.
Love,
KA & KH
Ryan looked up and was even more confused than before. And by the looks on the other three's faces, he guessed they were too.
***Nights Filled With Longer Hours***