FicWad

Emma stared at her TV in her small, cramped apartment. She grimaced as she saw Fall Out Boy flashed across the screen. She smiled back at their smiling faces, and wished it hadn't been so long since she had seen them. Honestly, she hadn't talked to Pete since that day he left her. It had been 3 years since then, 3 very long years. It was the end of 2004, in fact it was Emma's 24th birthday. She was spending it alone, because thanks to Pete, all those years ago, she had lost touch with everything that mattered in her life. She had spent almost an entire month in her house, only leaving it to venture out into the backyard to paint. She stopped talking to all her friends and only answered the phone immediately if one person called. She let herself be friends with one person, one person alone. She knew it was only because he kept her in the realm of Pete Wentz, but she didn't care. He was probably the best friend she ever had, and unfortunately, he wasn't there to spend her birthday with her. She heard her phone ringing and the sound of Grand Theft Autumn slowly floated to her ears. She jumped up and answered the phone. "Hello?" she breathed. She smiled as she heard him singing on the other end of the line. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Emmaline, happy birthday to you..." he sung. She grimaced. "Patrick, did you have to use my full name?" she pouted. He laughed and said, "Yes, because Emma wasn't enough and the only nicknames you have are off limits, so, yeah. Emmaline it was." She smiled then frowned as she realized that he had inadvertently brought up Pete. "Emma, are you there?" he asked, noting the silence. She shook her head, to clear her mind and said, "Yeah, I'm here sorry. Where are you?" Her intercom buzzed and he laughed. "Would you believe you if I said I'm standing outside your apartment complex?" She shrieked and buzzed him in, waiting at the door for him to come in.

Yes, in those 3 short years, Patrick Stump had become Emma's best friend. They had randomly met on the day they went on tour. Shortly afterwards, she had received a large, stuffed manilla folder in the mall. It was simply addressed to Emma W. She had smiled at that because Pete had always joked that her initials would remain the same if they ever got married. She opened it to find various letters, one actually from Pete, but the others from Patrick. She was amazed at the fact that some guy she had only met once had written her 8 letters. He had said that for some strange reason, he had to know her, he had to know the girl that was fueling the fire for Fall Out Boy. He had left her a number to call and she had called it immediately asking him what he meant. He simply said, "You're everything Pete writes about...if it wasn't for you, there would be no Fall Out Boy." So Emma went out and bought the CD and listened. She cried her heart out at all the terrible things Pete had written. She knew then, that he truly did hate her. The first time she saw Patrick again, she made him swear that he would never talk about Pete, unless she brought him up first. He had stuck to his vow. In those 3 years, Emma had only opened up to him once about Pete and she talked all night about everything that had ever happened between them. He had become the best friend Emma ever had. She had occasionally wondered if he had feelings for her, but she had called him out on it once and he had profusely stated that she was furthest from his dream girl. At first she was shocked that he had said that, then she felt relieved and she knew that she had a friend for life.
Emma never moved on after Pete. She never dated anyone again. She never felt safe after what David did to her. She only felt safe with two men, Pete and Patrick. She never let another guy close to her. She still felt hollow inside and she knew that only one person could make her feel whole again, and he didn't care about her anymore.

Emma was startled back to reality when her door flew open. She jumped into Patrick's arms and gave him a huge hug. "Oh my goodness, I missed you!" she shrieked, kissing him on the cheek. He set her down and handed her a small bag and said, "Happy birthday, my dear..." She awed and murmured thanks before opening the bag. She pulled a CD out and stared at it. "What's this?" she asked, turning the case over in her hands and reading it. "It's our next CD, it's not done yet, this is a really rough demo like version, but I wanted you to hear the songs. The songs are all done, ready to go, but the CD isn't done just yet..." Patrick said, hoping she wouldn't cry or flip out. He had broken the promise, he had brought Pete up. She stared at the CD and set it down. "Thanks, love...I'll listen to it soon," she promised, dashing her hand quickly across her face to wipe the tears slowly forming. Patrick frowned, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad.." he said, "You just really need to hear this CD, I promise. You need to hear his words that he can't say to you..." Emma shook her head and said, "Patrick, please..." He cut her off. "Emma, come to his house with me, the guys are going to be there, the whole gang, you should come & meet everyone. They're dying to meet you, just ignore him. Please, it's your birthday and New Year's Eve, don't sit here tonight and ignore reality..."

She glanced up at him with a grin on her face. "Ok, the infamous Emmie Wilkinson will make an appearance, not because she wants to, but only because she wants motherfucking Pete Wentz to realize what he let go..."

Patrick gulped as she walked to her room to change and he began to panic. He hadn't intended on hurting Pete either, Pete was his best friend and not really stable at the moment. He hoped that seeing Emma didn't upset Pete, but Patrick was tired of dancing the tango to keep both of them happy. He sighed and prepared himself for the long night ahead.