Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > Go Ahead and Burn it Down.
Along the Way
“I have a surprise for you!” Pete nudged Chris awake one morning.
“Huh?” Chris asked rolling over, opening her eyes. Pete laughed. Her hair was a mess. He reached out and brushed it out of her face while she asked, “What?”
“It’s a surprise. Get up and get ready,” he said, flinging the covers off of them and bounding out of bed. He was out of sight before he shouted, “Trust me, you don’t want to miss this!”
Chris couldn’t help laughing. She couldn’t remember Pete acting this goofy since her high school graduation when he and Matty surprised her with a backyard concert. She pushed herself out of bed and got dressed. She appeared in the kitchen later and Pete greeted her with a travel mug full of coffee.
“Time to go!” He said handing it to her and grabbing her free hand and pulling her toward the elevator.
When the doors slid shut, Chris finished her sip of coffee before she tugged on Pete’s hand. “You didn’t even say good morning to me.”
He leaned down and kissed her before saying, “Good morning.”
She smiled up at him. “Morning.” She took another sip and leaned into him as he wrapped an arm around her. “So where are we going?”
“Impatient,” he said, kissing her head. “It’ll be worth the wait. I promise.”
“Ok…” Luckily, Alex called Chris three minutes into the subsequent car ride so Chris couldn’t ask anymore questions. She answered the phone on speakerphone. “Hey Alex. You’re on speakerphone with me and Pete. What’s up?”
“I have a question for you,” Alex said.
Chris caught a glimpse of Pete’s face. Again he was wearing a wide grin. She stuck her tongue out at him and to Alex she said, “Shoot.”
“So the boys are going on tour again in the spring.”
“Right,” Chris said again, sipping on her coffee, waiting for Alex to get to his point.
“Unfortunately, it looks like I’m not going to be able to go.” He paused again.
“That sucks Alex, but I still haven’t heard a question.”
“Right,” Alex replied. “Well, I’ve been impressed with how you handle the guys, and the record company has taken a shine to you because you so graciously stepped back after the VMA debacle, and obviously the guys love you. So, we were all wondering if you’d take over the tour manager position.”
“What?” Chris asked, disbelievingly.
“You’d be great at it. My firm would hire you and they’d send you on a different tour with me in a week or so so I could teach you, but then next spring you’d get to go on the road with your favorite people!” He stopped talking, waiting for Chris to respond. When she didn’t, he continued, “What do you say?”
Chris turned to Pete. He was still grinning and giving her a thumbs up. She sat, mouth gaping for a so long that Pete had to say, “Shouldn’t you answer the man’s question?”
“Ummmm. Yes. Yes. Definitely,” Chris said in a rush.
“Excellent,” Alex said. “Why don’t you come down to my building around three. We’ll get you paperwork and everything sorted out then go see the record company. Ok?”
“Ya. I’ll be there.”
“Great. See you then!”
“Bye!” The phone clicked off. “No way!”
Pete chuckled. “Yes way.”
“Is this my surprise?”
“Well, yes and no. We weren’t sure when Alex was going to be able to pull it together. There’s another surprise today.” Chris gave a squeal and bounced in her seat. When he pulled up to a red light Chris leaned over and kissed his cheek. He smiled and said, “You should probably call Patrick. He’s with Joe and Andy.”
She dialed. Patrick answered. “Hi hi hi hi hi hi!”
“Hello, Chris. How are you today?”
“I am going to be employed later today.”
“Oh really? By who?” Chris could hear the knowing tone in his voice.
“By YOU!” Chris practically shouted. Then in a normal voice said, “Well, technically by the record company and the management company, but I’m working on your tour.” Chris had to pull the phone away from her ear because Joe was screaming in the background.
“That’s great,” Patrick said after Joe calmed down. “We’re really excited, as you can tell.”
“Me too.”
“Well, have fun on your adventure with Pete today. We’ll see you at dinner, ok?”
“Dinner?”
“Ya,” Patrick said. “We thought we should celebrate at 24.”
“Sounds good,” Chris said, her smile widening. “See you then.”
“Bye, Chris!” The boys on the other end shouted.
“Are you excited?” Pete asked as she hung up the phone.
“Like crazy excited.”
He grabbed her hand, “Good. Me too. We’ve been looking for a way to get you a job. You were so happy last tour.”
“Me too,” she paused, and her smile faltered a bit. “I guess I’m going to have to forego my position in Austin.”
“You sure?” Pete asked. “You haven’t signed the contract yet, and none of us would be upset if you took your real job.”
“No. It’s fine. That job isn’t exactly what I’m looking for anyway. I took it because my anxiety made it necessary for me to have a job before graduation, even if it wasn’t what I wanted,” Chris explained. “This is much better.”
“I’m glad.” He turned into a suburban neighborhood. “We’re almost here. I hope this surprise is as good as the last.”
“How will I ever handle all of the excitement?” Chris said as he slowed to a stop outside one of the cookie cutter houses on the block. “Where are we?”
“You’ll see.” He got out of the car. When she joined him, Pete took her hand again and led her up the walk.
He rang the bell. A few seconds later, a middle aged woman with well-coifed blond hair, meticulous make-up, and pressed clothes answered the door. “You must be Peter.”
“Nice to meet you, finally, Ms. Murphy.” Pete reached out to shake her hand. “This is my girlfriend, Chris.”
“Hello, Chris,” Ms. Murphy said, offering her hand to Chris now. “Well lets go see them then.” She ushered them into the house. As soon as the door shut, she gave a whistle.
“See who?” Chris asked.
Pete didn’t answer. The woman’s whistle had caused noise from further inside the house. There was a strange click-clacking noise, then the cutest thing happened. From around the corner, a group of six adorable puppies came careening down the hall. They scrambled to a stop right in front of Ms. Murphy. In a sing song voice, she said, “Here they are, my babies.”
“Awwww,” Chris cooed, “they’re so precious.”
“Aren’t they?” She leaned down and picked one up. “This one is yours.”
She handed it to Chris. Chris took the puppy looking at Pete, confused. He was grinning again.
“Now all we need to do is fill out the paperwork,” Ms. Murphy said. “Follow me.”
Chris and Pete followed Ms. Murphy down the hall and into an office. She sat down behind the desk and as she shuffled papers around, she lectured the other two on the proper care and training of their new charge.
An hour later they walked out, Chris carrying the puppy they had dubbed Hemingway.
A/N: I wrote this in my finals procrastination mania. I hope y'all enjoy it!
“I have a surprise for you!” Pete nudged Chris awake one morning.
“Huh?” Chris asked rolling over, opening her eyes. Pete laughed. Her hair was a mess. He reached out and brushed it out of her face while she asked, “What?”
“It’s a surprise. Get up and get ready,” he said, flinging the covers off of them and bounding out of bed. He was out of sight before he shouted, “Trust me, you don’t want to miss this!”
Chris couldn’t help laughing. She couldn’t remember Pete acting this goofy since her high school graduation when he and Matty surprised her with a backyard concert. She pushed herself out of bed and got dressed. She appeared in the kitchen later and Pete greeted her with a travel mug full of coffee.
“Time to go!” He said handing it to her and grabbing her free hand and pulling her toward the elevator.
When the doors slid shut, Chris finished her sip of coffee before she tugged on Pete’s hand. “You didn’t even say good morning to me.”
He leaned down and kissed her before saying, “Good morning.”
She smiled up at him. “Morning.” She took another sip and leaned into him as he wrapped an arm around her. “So where are we going?”
“Impatient,” he said, kissing her head. “It’ll be worth the wait. I promise.”
“Ok…” Luckily, Alex called Chris three minutes into the subsequent car ride so Chris couldn’t ask anymore questions. She answered the phone on speakerphone. “Hey Alex. You’re on speakerphone with me and Pete. What’s up?”
“I have a question for you,” Alex said.
Chris caught a glimpse of Pete’s face. Again he was wearing a wide grin. She stuck her tongue out at him and to Alex she said, “Shoot.”
“So the boys are going on tour again in the spring.”
“Right,” Chris said again, sipping on her coffee, waiting for Alex to get to his point.
“Unfortunately, it looks like I’m not going to be able to go.” He paused again.
“That sucks Alex, but I still haven’t heard a question.”
“Right,” Alex replied. “Well, I’ve been impressed with how you handle the guys, and the record company has taken a shine to you because you so graciously stepped back after the VMA debacle, and obviously the guys love you. So, we were all wondering if you’d take over the tour manager position.”
“What?” Chris asked, disbelievingly.
“You’d be great at it. My firm would hire you and they’d send you on a different tour with me in a week or so so I could teach you, but then next spring you’d get to go on the road with your favorite people!” He stopped talking, waiting for Chris to respond. When she didn’t, he continued, “What do you say?”
Chris turned to Pete. He was still grinning and giving her a thumbs up. She sat, mouth gaping for a so long that Pete had to say, “Shouldn’t you answer the man’s question?”
“Ummmm. Yes. Yes. Definitely,” Chris said in a rush.
“Excellent,” Alex said. “Why don’t you come down to my building around three. We’ll get you paperwork and everything sorted out then go see the record company. Ok?”
“Ya. I’ll be there.”
“Great. See you then!”
“Bye!” The phone clicked off. “No way!”
Pete chuckled. “Yes way.”
“Is this my surprise?”
“Well, yes and no. We weren’t sure when Alex was going to be able to pull it together. There’s another surprise today.” Chris gave a squeal and bounced in her seat. When he pulled up to a red light Chris leaned over and kissed his cheek. He smiled and said, “You should probably call Patrick. He’s with Joe and Andy.”
She dialed. Patrick answered. “Hi hi hi hi hi hi!”
“Hello, Chris. How are you today?”
“I am going to be employed later today.”
“Oh really? By who?” Chris could hear the knowing tone in his voice.
“By YOU!” Chris practically shouted. Then in a normal voice said, “Well, technically by the record company and the management company, but I’m working on your tour.” Chris had to pull the phone away from her ear because Joe was screaming in the background.
“That’s great,” Patrick said after Joe calmed down. “We’re really excited, as you can tell.”
“Me too.”
“Well, have fun on your adventure with Pete today. We’ll see you at dinner, ok?”
“Dinner?”
“Ya,” Patrick said. “We thought we should celebrate at 24.”
“Sounds good,” Chris said, her smile widening. “See you then.”
“Bye, Chris!” The boys on the other end shouted.
“Are you excited?” Pete asked as she hung up the phone.
“Like crazy excited.”
He grabbed her hand, “Good. Me too. We’ve been looking for a way to get you a job. You were so happy last tour.”
“Me too,” she paused, and her smile faltered a bit. “I guess I’m going to have to forego my position in Austin.”
“You sure?” Pete asked. “You haven’t signed the contract yet, and none of us would be upset if you took your real job.”
“No. It’s fine. That job isn’t exactly what I’m looking for anyway. I took it because my anxiety made it necessary for me to have a job before graduation, even if it wasn’t what I wanted,” Chris explained. “This is much better.”
“I’m glad.” He turned into a suburban neighborhood. “We’re almost here. I hope this surprise is as good as the last.”
“How will I ever handle all of the excitement?” Chris said as he slowed to a stop outside one of the cookie cutter houses on the block. “Where are we?”
“You’ll see.” He got out of the car. When she joined him, Pete took her hand again and led her up the walk.
He rang the bell. A few seconds later, a middle aged woman with well-coifed blond hair, meticulous make-up, and pressed clothes answered the door. “You must be Peter.”
“Nice to meet you, finally, Ms. Murphy.” Pete reached out to shake her hand. “This is my girlfriend, Chris.”
“Hello, Chris,” Ms. Murphy said, offering her hand to Chris now. “Well lets go see them then.” She ushered them into the house. As soon as the door shut, she gave a whistle.
“See who?” Chris asked.
Pete didn’t answer. The woman’s whistle had caused noise from further inside the house. There was a strange click-clacking noise, then the cutest thing happened. From around the corner, a group of six adorable puppies came careening down the hall. They scrambled to a stop right in front of Ms. Murphy. In a sing song voice, she said, “Here they are, my babies.”
“Awwww,” Chris cooed, “they’re so precious.”
“Aren’t they?” She leaned down and picked one up. “This one is yours.”
She handed it to Chris. Chris took the puppy looking at Pete, confused. He was grinning again.
“Now all we need to do is fill out the paperwork,” Ms. Murphy said. “Follow me.”
Chris and Pete followed Ms. Murphy down the hall and into an office. She sat down behind the desk and as she shuffled papers around, she lectured the other two on the proper care and training of their new charge.
An hour later they walked out, Chris carrying the puppy they had dubbed Hemingway.
A/N: I wrote this in my finals procrastination mania. I hope y'all enjoy it!
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