FicWad

Chapter Nine- In Between the Rights and the Wrongs



"Do you think we should wake her up?" Greta asked, pointing to the sleeping figure perched uncomfortably on one of the only pieces of furniture in Pete's living room.

"Hell no. I've never grown balls to wake her up, I saw Andy do it once though," Joe replied, turning around to go into the kitchen.

Greta leaned against the wall and watched Belle sleep. Patrick had spent the majority of the plane ride informing her of his history. He confided in her; told her of his parents divorce, Belle's adoption, Belles current situation. He hadn't meant to, but once he started everything just came out of his mouth.

"Hey," Patrick came up next to her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Hey," She reached her hands up around his neck and placed her arms around his shoulders, letting her head rest on his chest. He reached his arms around her back and pulled her closer to him. She was rubbing his neck comfortably, and he let his head rest on her shoulder.

"Mornin'," Belles voice interrupted.

He pulled his head back quickly and stepped away from Greta.

Belle thrust her hand in the direction of the female who had all of the sudden became very friendly with her brother.

"I'm Anabelle," she said coldly, as Greta grabbed her hand and shook it slowly. "Greta,"

"I know who you are. I've listened to your album," Belle said simply, as she folded her arms in front of her and walked past Patrick, eyeing him.

It's kind of strange to wake up watching your brother (who is no casanova) getting groped up by a blonde with smooth fingers and terrible taste in clothing. Belle was trying to be civil as the infamous words of Fergie bounced through her mind- "No no drama. We don't want no drama,"

She turning into the kitchen and was immediately greeted by two familiar faces.

"Hey, it's sleeping beauty," Pete announced.

"How long has that been going on?" She asked, pointing to the living room she had recently left.

Why did I even care? Patrick was bound to move on, right? I mean, Anna had been perfect for him until she cheated. But who's to say this one won't? I mean, she's in a band with three other dudes. That's three chances, Belle thought to herself.

"Ask Patrick," Joe said, moving out of her way as she dug through the bags of groceries on the counter. She pulled herself on the counter and opened the box of Lucky Charms, grabbing a handful and popping them individually in her mouth.

"So why didn't you call?" Belle asked, as Patrick and Greta made their way into the room. Belle noticed that Greta was standing behind Patrick, clinging to his arm as if he were her lifeline. Belle narrowed her eyes at the couple before turning her attention back to her breakfast.

"Um, it's my house," Pete said with a laugh. "You want milk with that box of cereal?" He asked, handing her the carton of soy milk they had obviously bought for her.

"Nah," She replied, and turned herself to face Patrick who had taken a seat at the nook next to Greta. "So, are you guys an 'item' now?" She asked, popping another dehydrated marshmallow into her mouth.

"Yea, I guess," Patrick replied, fidgeting with his hands nervously.

"You don't sound so sure about it, Ricky," Belle said, chewing thoughtfully. He eyed her and she decided to keep her mouth shut for the time being. She looked up at the clock and smiled.

"Well, I hate to end the reunion party, but I have to get ready. I have an interview to go to," She announced, walking past Patrick and up stairs to Pete's room.

She knew she'd have to answer to Patrick later, and then she would tell him exactly what she thought about his musically inclined arm candy.



That night Belle got in at almost one in the morning, finding Pete and Joe downstairs entranced by video games. She walked past them and straight up to Pete's room to change.

Where is Patrick and Greta? She asked herself, and stopped outside of Pete's room to get any indication to the whereabouts of the openly loving couple.

She walked slowly past Petes room and listened at every door. Her ear was leaned against the last door in the hallway, and she heard the deep breathing. Her eyed glared at the door as she stepped back from it. Oh, this is not happening. Not while I'm around, She thought angrily. She had no idea what she was doing, but she knew she would ultimately prove her point.

She banged loudly on the door, causing a thump and rather loud shifting. She waited another minute before she pounded again, becoming increasingly angry as she waited.

"What do you want?" She heard him ask breathlessly.

"I want you to open the damn door!" She screamed back. What did he think she wanted?

She heard more shuffling and she was met with a very angry (and sweaty) Patrick Stump. He glared down at her before stepping out into the hallway and dragging her with him.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed, pulling her arm out of his grip. He stopped and looked down at her.

"What in the fuck," He growled in a low tone Belle had never heard him use before.

"Did I interrupt something?" She asked with the fury in her eyes matching his.

"The snide remarks aren't fucking cute, Belle!" He screamed, and she flinched at his tone.

"You don't have to yell-" He interrupted her.

"You've been trying to piss me off all day, and now it's a fucking problem?" His voice had reached it's peak, which aroused Pete and Joe, who were now standing at the top of the stairs.

"I've been trying to get you to peal your eyes off of that slut in there-" He interrupted her again.

"You don't even fucking know her!"

"I don't have to!" She screamed, pushing him with both hands to push past him and down the stairs as quickly as her feet would let her.

He put one hand in his hair and let it run over his face to clutch his mouth. If he didn't he might have said something he regretted. He looked over at Pete and Joe, and Joe walked simply past him and stopped to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. She has to warm up to Greta sometime," He said, patting his back as he walked into the room he was staying in.

Patrick just shook his head and looked at Pete, who was for the most part speechless.

"Can you make sure she's okay?" He asked Pete.

"Um, shouldn't you do that?" Pete asked, looking down the stairs apprehensively.

"Trust me, you don't want me to talk to her right now," Patrick said, unclenching his fist.

Pete just nodded his head and watched as Patrick walked back into the room.

He walked downstairs to see Belle shuffling through the refrigerator.

"Hey," He said, coming up next to her.

"Can we go get ice cream?" She asked over her shoulder, and he just nodded his head "yes", before following her to the front door and to his car. She plopped down in the passenger side seat, latched her seat belt, and shifted down in the seat to rest her feet on the dashboard.

"He can't blame me for being a little weary," She said after ten minutes of silence. Pete just nodded his head and listened as she kept talking. "I mean, they're moving awfully fast. I know that scene in there isn't the first time. Who just has sex with someone after...well, I don't know how long it's been, but it can't be that damn long!" She exclaimed, huffing as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I know you're worried, Belle, but Patrick knows what he's doing," He said as he parallel parked in front of a convenient store. He unlatched his seatbelt and got out of the car, following her closely into the store.

"And even if he doesn't, he'll figure it out. Sometimes you just have to have faith," He told her, opening the little freezer and grabbing a pop sickle. She grabbed a ice cream sandwich and they paid before making their way back to the car.

Once safely inside Pete turned back onto the road.

"Peter Pan?" She asked, in a voice almost so low he didn't hear it.

"Yea?"

"I don't want to go back yet," She said as he prepared to turn around.

"Alright. Where to?" He asked, stopping at a red light.

"Let's drive until we find something breathtaking," She said, sitting up straight now and staring at the road in front of her. Pete took a left, taking his chances at finding something away from the city. She grabbed his CD case and flipped through until she found Van Morrison, and she put it in and let the "Into The Mystic" fill her ears with warmth.

"So how was the interview?" He asked, taking a right at a stop sign. The street lights seemed to be less dense so he figured he was going in the right direction.

"It was...fulfilling, actually. I mean, just sitting there one on one with someone who wants to know everything about your career, your passion. It's really amazing," She replied, grabbing the edge of her t-shirt to pick at the threads.

"Ah, yes, the good ol' days. I remember when hosts wanted to know more about the music than my hair color or the jeans I'm wearing,"

"Does it ever get redundant?" She asked, looking over at him to take in his profile.

"The interviews do. But then we just get on stage, and it all goes away. We just get to feed off of the energy, and it makes all of the gossip disappear," He was smiling now, and Belle felt a smile overcome her features as well.

She pulled her eyes away from him and took a look at their surroundings. They were driving up a vary narrow and curvy road, and Belle saw a house on to the right of them that just seemed eerily out of place.

"Look over there, Pete," She said, and his eyes followed her finger. There stood a log cabin with a rather large oak tree in the front of it, which happened to be the only landscaping.

"A log cabin in the outskirts of LA? That's pretty cool I guess," He said, as they passed the house. Belle felt something in the pit of her stomach and she turned around in her seat to stare at it. The grass in the yard was long and she could tell it had been abandoned for quiet a while. She continued to stare as it slowly went out of sight. She turned back around while Pete drove on, and they finally stopped about three miles after that.

"I'm sick of driving. I hope this is breathtaking enough," He said with a laugh, and they both looked out of the windshield to see nothing but trees.

"I suppose we have to make it breathtaking," She said, and with that she pulled the leaver to pull back the convertible top. She then leaned her seat back and eyed Pete until he did the same.

She sighed deeply and looked upwards at the sky. She could stare at the sky for hours, looking at the way the stars twinkled.. . the romanticism in them. Just thinking about everyone who has wished upon them.

Pete turned his head to look at her, with her eyes glued to the stars and a gentle smile on her face. Why hadn't he ever at least talked to her about how he felt? Didn't she deserve at least that?

"The stars are beautiful tonight," She thought aloud, breaking his train of thought. He reached down and cut the engine so the only noise that surrounded them were the various chirps and howls of the nocturnal creatures.

"They are jealous of you, Tinkerbelle," Pete said in a low whisper.

"Who is?" She asked, finally pealing her eyes away from the sky to look over at him.

"The stars," He whispered, immediately regretting the way it came out.

Belle propped herself up on her arm and looked down at him. He was trying to avoid her stare by keeping his eyes on the moon. He cursed it silently for casting that glow over her face just now, causing him to turn into a temporary Cyrano de Bergerac.

Belle used her free hand to cup his face, and he finally took his eyes off the moon when he noticed her eyes about five inches from his. His mind was trying to force his throat into action, but every thought evaporated from his mind when he felt her lips gently graze his.

He was half expecting her to pull away when she realized what she was doing, but he was happily surprised when her thumb grazed over his cheek and she leaned further into him.

He brought his hand up and rested it at her hip, and the other at her neck. He had no agenda with this... no goal. He just wanted her this close to him for as long as he could.

She slid her body over the middle console and onto his lap, letting her lips trail down his neck and place soft kisses to his ear.

His mind kicked into gear again, telling him he should discuss it with her. What he felt, what he wanted her to feel. His mind went numb again when her lips reached his and her kisses became deeper; more passionate.

She straddled his lap in between her legs, all the while not breaking the connection between their lips. His hands were running up and down the length of her back while her hands were probing the small hairs at the nape of his neck. Her lips broke contact with his to explore the sensitive skin on his chin.

"Belle, we need to...ohh..." He moaned when she bit the sensitive skin at his earlobe. All logic was lost on him in that moment, and he grabbed her head and forced his lips onto hers. He let his hands explore her thighs and his mind explore the possibilities.

He heard a muffled ringing, and hoping that it was just his ears he continued. She pulled away from him with a smile, climbed off of his lap, and reached into her back pocket to grab it. She answered it and winked at him as she plopped back down into the passenger seat.

"Hey Brendon," She said breathlessly.

"Yeah...ugh, can I call you back later? Um, yea...superficially. Promise...okay...bye," She said, closing the phone and placing it back into her pocket.

Pete sat still in his seat, still recovering from the make-out session that had just taken place. She looked slowly over to him and laid back, both of them trying to get their breathing patterns down to a normal pace.

"So where does that leave us?" Pete asked, turning his head to the side to make eye contact with her.

"I have no idea," She paused, her breathing still mildly rabid. "But I could definitely get used to that,"

Pete let a smile take over his features and he propped himself up and started the car. He leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her lips before pulling out and heading home.

Belle was content and basking in the glory of what had just taken place. She had kissed Pete, and she had thoroughly enjoyed it...

Maybe enjoyed it too much.




Authors Note: This could not have been done without Laura (half of youngandreckless). Thank you for being my late night muse. I owe you big...