XO (FOB FanFic ft. Brendon Urie)

[Chapter 7] Come Back

It was around noon when I asked Claire if it would be okay if I went home to grab some of my clothes and my things. She was hesitant at first to agree, afraid that if we were separated, no matter for how long or how far away we were, something bad would happen.

I told her if she really wanted to she could come, but I think it would be best if I did it alone. I didn't want Elisa knowing about Claire. Not yet at least. And I also really didn't want to deal with Elisa about bringing a girl home with me. She should be at work right now, but on the off-chance she was there, I didn't want to risk bringing Claire along.

After letting me use her desktop computer to get directions to my house from her apartment, she handed me the keys to her car and told me it was parked outside. I nodded my head and told her I would be back as soon as I could.

As I walked down, out of the apartment building, it didn't take me long to find her car. It was the only one with a message painted on the windshield.

Better come back quick. -XO

I'm not going to lie. I was kind of intimidated by the message and was going to go back to the apartment and check that Claire was alright. But I decided to not go back and just got in the car, putting the key in the ignition and turning on the windshield wipers, wiping away the message with the help of some wiper fluid. It hadn't gone completely away but it was mostly gone and good enough for me to drive. I pulled out of the parking spot and began following the directions I had printed out.

*****

I pulled into my driveway and turned the car off. I got out and shut the door, walking up the three steps before opening the screen door to get to the main door. When I grasped for the doorknob though, I remembered I didn't have my keys. And when I turned the knob, I realized it was locked. I was locked out of my own house. Great. Just great.

I stepped away from the door and turned around, going down the steps and walking around back, where I tried opening the sliding patio doors. No luck with those either. I heaved a sigh. God, my house was locked up tighter than Fort Knox. I looked to the left and noticed that curtains were flowing out from one of the windows in my house. I walked over and saw that the window the curtains were flowing out from was opened.

I sighed. I was going to have to break into my house. And for what? A few shirts, a couple pairs of pants, and a fresh pair of underwear?

I looked around to see if there was anything to help me get in. It was a first floor window but even then, the backyard dipped down and exposed part of the basement. Secondly, I wasn't very tall. And lastly, I wasn't strong, not strong enough to pull myself up. I pulled over a lawn chair and stood on that, pulling myself into the house and falling into the room. It was the laundry room.

I stood up and patted the dirt off of my pants, walking out of the room and into a familiar hallway, with pictures of me and Elisa and me and the guys hanging up on the walls. The pictures of me and the guys reminded me of my business here and I walked into the house and up the stairs to Elisa's and my bedroom. I opened the door to find the room neat and tidy. The bed was made and there wasn't a single article of clothing on the floor.

I walked over to the closet and pushed the doors to the sides. Inside the closet was Elisa's and my clothes. Her clothes dominating close to three-fourths of the closet. I pulled a suitcase out and began packing a few of my shirts and pants.

Just as I was about to zip up the now full suitcase, I heard the sounds of the front door opening. I immediately froze. The door closed shut and footsteps walked into the house. I quickly shoved the suitcase underneath the bed and ran into the closet to hide, sliding the doors shut.

I held my breath as I listened carefully to the footsteps echoing through the house. They luckily didn't seem to be coming upstairs, and more importantly, towards the bedroom. They seemed to be staying on the first floor of the house.

I closed my eyes and bit my lip, waiting as patiently as I could for the person to leave. After a few minutes of hearing nothing, I thought I would be safe to get out. So, I pushed the doors open, only to see Elisa standing by the doorway with a gun pointed at me. My eyes widened in horror as she sighed in relief and lowered the gun.

"Patrick, you had me thinking you were an intruder!" She exclaimed, setting the gun down on the bed and approaching me, pulling me into a tight hug. I kissed her on the head before hugging her back.

"I guess you can say I'm an intruder. I came in through the laundry room window," I told her with a laugh.

She pulled out of the hug and caressed my cheek, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, wrapping my hand around hers before bringing it to my lips to kiss it.

"Where are the guys? Do you know?" She questioned. I shook my head no. "I was so scared when I heard what happened. And when you called me, I...I swear I've never been more relieved in my life. I thought I lost you."

"Elisa, I'm not-"

"You don't know how happy I am to see you've come back, to see you've come home," She cut me off, beaming with joy. I hated that I was going to have to tell her I wasn't here to stay. "You know, I wasn't even going to come home for lunch today, but now that I did, I'm glad I made the right decision."

I swallowed hard before hanging my head and saying, "Elisa, I...I only came here to get a few things."

She gave me a confused look, "What?"

"I...I'm not here to stay."

My wife took a step back from me. "What do you mean you're not here to stay?" Before I could answer she went on to say, "Is the person keeping you hostage watching you right now? Oh my god, are they here?"

"No. I just...I wasn't kidnapped. Pete, Andy, and Joe were." She gave me a confused look. "I have to find them."

"Then...I'm so confused," She shook her head.

"Look, I've only got thirty days to find them, Elisa. But I can't stay here. I don't want to put you in danger too."

"Then where are you going?"

I bit my lip before lying, "I'm staying with a friend."

"A friend?"

"Yes. They live a little ways out of Chicago. The car in the driveway is theirs. They let me borrow it to come here. But I have to go back."

A sad expression crossed my wife's face. "You have to go back?" I nodded my head dismally. She sighed, "Oh."

"I'll be back as soon as I find them, okay?" I promised her. She nodded her head but crossed her arms over her chest. I leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too."

I gave her a half smile before walking over to the bed and pulling out the suitcase from under it. I set it down on the sheets and zipped it up. I picked it up and glanced back at Elisa who hadn't moved. She was just standing there with her head hung low and her arms crossed. I walked back over to her and kissed her once more. "I'll see you soon."

She didn't say anything, she didn't even look at me.

I trudged out of the room and out through the front door. I threw the suitcase into the backseat and got in the front. I looked at the windshield. The remnants of XO's note were still there. Better come back quick it had read. How long had I been gone? I glanced down at the radio and noticed that it was 1:12p.m. I had been here for more than an hour? I thought to myself as I put the key in the ignition and started for Claire's.