Run With Me

Patrick Stump was having a bad day. First, he and Pete were mauled by screeching fans in the middle of the street. And just as he was escaping, he knocked over an unknown stranger. Not to mention that the stranger was rather good looking. Thinking about that encounter made him blush.

This did not escape the eyes of his best friend, Pete Wentz. Patrick's thoughts were unusually private, but Pete was not always a respecting person. "Patrick, what are you thinking about?" Pete asked.

Ugh. This was not something Patrick really felt like talking about. He was an honest person so he gave a hint to his thoughts. "Do you know who that girl was?" Pete and Patrick were pretty tuned to each other and Pete had an idea of who his friend was talking about.

"You mean that chick you ran into?" asked Pete. He grinned as Patrick blushed. "Um, I think she might be the daughter of someone. Or something like that." They were back at the hotel room. "When are we going home?" Pete asked Patrick.

Patrick checked his cell phone. "We're leaving for the airport in seven hours." He knew the schedule pretty well.

The door to their room opened and Pete's girlfriend walked in. "Hey guys," she greeted warmly. She and Pete shared a kiss as she sat down on the bed. Patrick glanced at what was in her hand. A magazine as usual.

Wait a second...

"It's that girl!" he exclaimed. It was indeed the unknown-stranger from the street. "Ashlee, who is that?" he asked her.

She looked at the cover curiously. "Her? She's Talia Depp." She looked at the blank faces of the boys. "You know... Johnny Depp's daughter?" she said blankly. Comprehension dawned on their faces.

Pete glanced at his friends face. He could pretty much read Patrick's face. "Pat, stop worrying! She didn't seem pissed off or anything! You'll be fine!" Patrick ignored Pete.

"What's going on?" asked Ashlee. Pete told her and it only heightened Patrick's embarrassment when Ashlee's jaw dropped. "What? Nothing bad is gonna happen!" exclaimed Pete. "Why is everyone freaking out?"

Ashlee regained herself and shot a reassuring smile to Patrick. "It's not bad, it's just - how did you manage to run into her?" She and Pete started laughing. The door to the hotel opened again and this time three men entered. Their names were Joe Trohman, Andy Hurley, and Gabe Saporta.

Gabe popped open a bottle of wine. "WHAT'S GOIN' ON, GUYS?" He greeted heartily. Knowing that they were wondering why Ashlee and Pete were laughing so hard, Patrick left the room to take a walk. He went down the hall to the elevator and pushed the 'down' button. He heard the doors open and walked in...

And of courseshe happened to be in the exact spot where his body was about to be.

This meeting was, luckily, not as painful as the last one. She managed to swerve out of the way just in time. "I'm really sorry, again. I can't believe I keep doing this. Sorry." Patrick rushed to get the words out of his mouth. What could she possibly think of him? As the dumb guy who never watched where he was going?

"Relax, it's okay," she laughed quietly. "We haven't been properly introduced. Hi," she stuck out a hand. "I'm Talia."

Patrick smiled weakly. "I'm Patrick," he said quietly. He shook her hand. They stopped and dropped their hands awkwardly. Then Patrick noticed two other people with her. One was older than Talia, the other looked slightly younger. Talia noticed his gaze and introduced everyone. "This is my mom, Vanessa." She indicated to the woman on her left. Patrick shook her hand. "And this is my younger sister, Charlotte." They shook hands.

"Are you staying here too? Maybe we could go somewhere later?" Talia asked. She wasn't embarrassed in the slightest.

"Um, well, if you aren't doing anything now..." Patrick trailed. He, on the other hand, was significantly embarrassed. He was a gentleman. How rude would he be to decline her in front of her mom and sister?

She frowned slightly. "Aren't you going somewhere though?" What else would he be using the elevator for?

Patrick shrugged. "Not really. I was just escaping my friends, actually." Charlotte and Vanessa stepped out of the elevator and left the two alone.

"So," Talia asked. "What do you want to do?"