FicWad

AN: Filler chapter! some backround and then the story will ccontinue. thanks to all who commented so far. Perhaps some plot hole and reality lapses can be bridged in the reviews, please read Bridget's review and mine for further info!

Title: "Lock Me In Your Heart" - Mandy Moore (old school)

Pete and Corbin met a few years ago, right when Fall Out Boy was discussing signing with Fueled by Ramen. She was sixteen at the time and he was twenty-three. Corbin had just moved to the city following the death of her mother, who died as a result of her battle with lung cancer and liver failure due to her drinking. Corbin was put into the foster care system and found herself in a home in Chicago. One of the girls in the house was really into the local punk scene and noticed Corbin was mainly into pop music and had never seen a concert aside from boy bands, so she decided to show her 'real music'. Corbin ended up going to a local music hall to hear a bunch of bands play, which included Fall Out Boy. She loved the experience. Watching a band play live was sort of liberating to her. The show started with some bad bands with tiny followings and the bands progressively got better as the hall became more crowded. The last band was about to play and there was barely room to move. When the band came out, all the kids went nuts.

"We're Fall Out Boy, bitches!" she heard the bassist yell, "And this is 'Calm Before the Storm.'" The band began to play and the place went insane. People were moshing and screaming the words along with the singer. Corbin couldn't believe the people moshing and running around and she was instantly hooked. The girl that Corbin came with left her to be with her friends, so ultimately she was lost and alone. The show ended and Corbin just sat on a step wondering how the hell she was getting back home. The hall slowly cleared out as the bands packed up their vans. Corbin stood up, walked out the nearest door and found herself among the bands that had played that night. There were tons of people milling around talking, smoking and some having full on tailgate parties.

Pete sat on the edge of the van, talking to a couple of his friends, getting read to go party. A girl then walked out of the side door and froze. She looked young and completely lost. Pete left the conversation he was having and approached her because he sensed she needed help.

"Hey," he said as he walked up to the girl. She looked startled at first, and then smiled at him wearily. "Do you need help or something? You're not really supposed to be out here," he said as nicely as possible. She nodded.

"Yeah, I've never been here before and I actually have to idea where I am. The girl who brought me here ditched me. Fucking bitch," Corbin muttered under her breath. Pete smiled, he liked that attitude.

"Do you want me to help you get your directions back?" he asked her. He felt bad for her, being in an unfamiliar place, especially a city like Chicago, can get confusing very easily.

"It actually wouldn't help. I have no clue the name of the street I live on or the general direction I even need to go in. We took a cab here, that's all I know," Corbin said, getting embarrassed at how stupid she must have sounded to this guy. Pete shrugged, not sure how to help her.

"Well, I guess I can take you back to my house to use the phone or something. I'm Pete, by the way," he said motioning her to follow him. "I'll see you guys later!" Pete yelled to the van. Everyone nodded or waved as Corbin wearily followed behind him.

"I'm Corbin. Are you sure this is okay? I don't want to bother you," she said felling unsure that she trusted this guy. He nodded.

"It's fine, you can just call wherever you need to go and then I'll help you get there," he said. She nodded. They walked along the street in silence for many blocks, occasionally Pete would look at her making to sure she was still following behind him, until they got to what looked like the edge of the city. There was a parking lot there that Pete walked into and got in an SUV. Corbin stood a foot away, wondering where he was taking her. He opened his car door and looked at her.

"You coming?" she nodded, still not sure what was going on. She got in the passenger seat. "I don't actually live in the city, just outside of it," he explained, seeing the odd fear on her face. "I promise I'm not doing anything shady." She nodded and laughed a little. She should learn to trust people a little more sometimes, but it was hard for her to trust anyone at this point in her life.

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you and why don't you know where you live?" he asked, not liking how uncomfortable she seemed. She sighed.

"I'm sixteen and I just moved here. My mom died and now I'm in the system waiting for someone to want me enough, I guess," she said, hating admitting that she was an orphan.

"Sixteen? Really? I thought maybe eighteen or nineteen, and I'm sorry about your mom," Pete replied. Corbin just nodded.

"It was for the best, I suppose." Pete nodded, not wanting to press such a touchy issue. They arrived at Pete's house; his parents were asleep as were his siblings so he told her to quietly follow him up to his room. She wished she lived in this house instead of the crumbling place that was the foster house. She glanced at the clock in his room and saw it was one am and knew she would be in so much trouble if she called at this hour.

"Um, Pete? I really appreciate you letting me use your phone and stuff, but I can't call at this hour, I'll be skinned alive," she said watching him hastily push clothes and other things out of the way so she could walk inside. Pete looked at her and then looked at the clock nodding.

"Yea...do you just want to stay here? I have two beds, obviously. Just a suggestion," he said, seeing her make a face. "I don't really know what else you would do anyway." Corbin nodded, realizing she really didn't have much of a choice. Pete walked away toward the bathroom and Corbin laid down on one of the beds and quickly fell asleep. She hadn't realized how tired she actually was.

"Corbin," Pete began walking, "I can give you a t-shirt and..." he walked into his room and saw her fast asleep on one of the beds. He smiled a little, she was cute. Young, but cute, and he wished silently that she was at least two years older so he wouldn't feel so creepy about thinking she was attractive. He just pulled the covers over her and took off his pants and climbed into bed, unsure of what exactly he was feeling.

Corbin woke up a few hours later, the clock said six am. She looked to her right and saw Pete fast asleep. He was fucking cute as hell. She wondered how old he was, definitely older then her, maybe twenty-one? She wasn't sure, but she felt cold and yearned to be in his arms. He had a few tattoos on his arms, one specifically was Jack from a 'Nightmare Before Christmas' and she thought that was weird, but they kind of looked good on him. She wanted to actually lie in his arms and study them. Boldly, she walked up to the bed, which was a single person bed, and poked him. He rubbed his eyes and opened them to smile at her.

"Can I lay with you? It's a little cold," she said, using an excuse to get closer to him. He nodded and scooted over as much as he could which still didn't leave to much room. She laid down facing him and laid her head near his chest. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, felt his heart skip and got scared. She's sixteen! He tried to tell himself over and over but couldn't deny the way he was feeling. Corbin to, was fighting the powerful urge to kiss him but something proved to be more powerful then themselves. Corbin leaned her head back and given their closeness, just pushed her lips against his. Pete wasn't sure if he should pretend like he wasn't interested, but every second that passed with his lips on hers, his defenses got weaker. It started out as just a kiss on the lips, but it erupted into a full on make out session. Pete rolled onto his back, pulling Corbin on top of him. She could feel him getting hard through her jeans and started to grind on him. She was a virgin, but was horny enough and so into Pete that she would have done anything at this point. She tugged at the bottom of his shirt, wanting him to take it off, she wanted to see his tattoos but Pete miraculously resisted the urge to get completely naked with her and was able to find enough strength to tell her to stop. He slid out from underneath her and stood up, pulling on pants as he walked to the bathroom. Corbin couldn't believe what just happened. She didn't even know this guy! It was at least seven am by this point and Corbin decided to take it upon herself to call the house. She got the address with simple directions. Pete came back into his room and looked at Corbin. He didn't know what he was feeling anymore. She knew exactly what she was feeling, but knew Pete thought she was too young for him, which she was legally speaking.

"Can you take me home now, please?" she asked him, trying to leave her tone light, but it ended up sounded rather annoyed. He nodded and she followed him out of the house where she saw his parents, and she tried to avoid their eyes. The pair of them was silent the whole way to Corbin's home. He pulled up outside and smiled at her.

"I'm really glad we met," he offered, trying to not bring up the make out. She smiled back, but felt like she might have sneered. She was a little annoyed that he was acting like they didn't kiss.

"I know you're older then me Pete, but I hope someday you'll me a chance. I think we could be something special," she said, opening the door and hoping out. "Email me sometime I guess," she added handing him a slip of paper. He nodded as she shut the door.

It wasn't until over two years later that Pete ever got around to emailing Corbin. He told her he wanted to give it a shot, knowing now that she was old enough and invited her to see Fall Out Boy at the Warped Tour when they were in town.

Pete spotted her from a mile away, he never forgot that face. It felt like they had never left each other, that morning still feeling so new. She started with a walk up to him, but it turned into a run and she almost collapsed in his arms. They hadn't spoken in two years but it didn't change the feelings they had and it all felt okay. Corbin told Pete she was in ruins. Just like her mother, alcohol was ruining her life and she was homeless and jobless because she couldn't stop. Pete put her up in a rehab, costing him thousands of his own cash and saw her through until she was able to come home, she lived in his room until she was about to go get into college. Pete's parents weren't terribly supportive of Pete's decision to date such a young, messed up girl, but they knew there son well enough to know he was able to handle the situation. She finished high school while in rehab, then got finical aid and went to school to pursue her passion. They thought she had won...