Status: Rated 'R' for langugae and sexual situations.

Anybody

douze.

It took Penelope twenty minutes to get from the Conservatory to the United Center. The Blackhawks had had an afternoon game and if she could time it right, she could catch Patrick in the locker room.

Arriving at the United Center, Penelope stood in the spot where the cab had dropped her off. She had no way of getting into the restricted area that was the locker room. Checking her phone, Penelope saw that she had thirty minutes until the curtain went up, meaning she had 40 minutes until her solo.

Penelope sighed with relief. Her phone. She had Kane’s and Jon’s numbers in programmed into her contact list, surely one of them could help her out.

Shooting each of them a text, Penelope bounced up and down, waiting for a reply. They had better have them on.

*****

“It took you long enough,” she huffed as Jon led her down a set of stairs.

“Well excuse me, Miss Cranky,” Jon said appraising her outfit. “Um, costume?”

“I’m on a schedule, Toews, don’t judge me,” Penelope said looking ahead.

“Right, uh, he should be in there,” Jon pointed to a door that Penelope assumed led to the locker room. “Good luck and break a leg tonight. Kaner and I’ll be there.”

Nodding, Penelope pushed the door open, holding her breath. There he was, with his back to her. Did he know she was coming?

No, he did not.

“Patrick?” she asked quietly.

He jerked up, hitting his head off a shelf.

“Dammit!” he groaned. “That fucking hurt!”

Penelope approached him and put a hand on his arm.

“You okay?”

Patrick ignored her question. “I was trying to set up a prank on Tazer that Bur and I planned.” He rubbed his head. “What are you doing here?”

“I-I came to talk to you,” she said rubbing his head. “Are you free?”

“I don’t think you’ll let me go unless we talk, so yeah,” he shrugged.

Penelope nodded and sighed. This wasn’t going to be easy, she knew that much.

“I want to go out with you, for real,” she blurted. Penelope’s eyes went wide. “That wasn’t what I intended to say. But I guess it’ll work.”

Patrick stayed silent, looking Penelope in the eye.

“I shouldn’t have left, I should have walked out. But I got scared. I didn’t want to risk falling anymore in love than I already was,” now she was just saying things that she had intended to keep inside. “I’m sorry. And-and I want a second chance. No, I need a second chance.”

Again, Patrick had nothing to say. Instead, he let Penelope look bewildered at him.

“Dammit, Patrick! Stop it! Say something to me,” she threw her hands up in the air.

“Just giving you a taste of your own medicine,” he smirked. “Not fun, huh?”

“I don’t have time for this!” Penelope sighed. “Is it a yes or a no?”

“Well,” Patrick pretended to consider it.

“Patrick!”

Smiling, he pulled Penelope into a feverish kiss.

“Is that answer enough for you?” he asked breathlessly.

“No, I think you need to tell me again,” Penelope smiled back. “Think you can?”

Laughing, Patrick kissed her lips again, letting a week without her be remedied.

They certainly weren’t perfect, that much was sure. But neither of them cared. Penelope didn’t need perfection, she just needed someone real. Patrick didn’t need perfection either; he just needed someone to keep him focused.

Neither of them could be with just anybody, but they had found someone special in each other. And that was just what they needed.
♠ ♠ ♠
All doneeeeee! Wish me luck, my lovelies!