Disclaimer: I do not own 10 Things, nor do I own the song by Paramore that inspired the title. If I did own 10 Things, there would be at least one more season to wrap up the madness!

Chapter One: You Are

Patrick Verona was not a romantic guy. He didn't believe in relationships and he certainly didn't believe in love. So why was he here in the school parking lot, on a Saturday, washing the mountain of crap off his girlfriend's car? A girlfriend he would probably never see again, mind you. She was probably on her way to a convent by now. Damn her psycho father for breaking the lock on his daughter's bedroom door and then deciding to come home early and interrupt the best night of his life. He had never had to deal with this before. He wasn't the type of guy that girls brought home. But Kat Stratford was not a typical girl. He had told her he wouldn't break her heart; and he meant it. That scared him and nothing scared Patrick Verona. Well, Walter had scared Patrick a little the night before, but only because he valued his "man-parts" as Kat's dad called them. Kat had been quick to defend him, though, making him sound like the kind of guy that might someday actually deserve someone like her. Not that she was perfect by any means. He didn't put her on a pedestal, he just knew he valued her more than he valued anything in his life; even more than his bike, and that was saying something. Still, this wasn't like him, he thought, as he drove to her house and found himself knocking bravely on the front door. When Kat answered the door, he was relieved and she was momentarily shocked.

"What are you doing here? If my dad catches you here, he'll kill you!" she said when she finally found her voice.

"I thought you might need these" he intoned, holding up her key ring by one finger in front of her face.

"Thanks… I was looking for those. Too bad I have to surrender them to my dad when he gets home" she complained, taking the proffered keys.

"Yeah, I figured that would be the case. How long is your sentence?"

"Indefinite. I can't leave the house except for school and he's making me ride the bus there and back so I can't make any detours. Of course my car is probably ruined beyond repair after sitting in the sun all day today, covered in sewage."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that" Patrick smirked, stepping slightly to the side to reveal his handiwork.

"You washed my car?" Kat asked incredulously.

"Somebody had to do it. Originally you were supposed to help me, but since I thought you'd be a nun by now I went ahead and did it myself" Patrick explained nonchalantly.

"You planned to help me wash it all along? When did you manage to pilfer my keys?"

"Sometime before you threw my pants across the room."

"I did not throw them" Kat defended herself.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"I'll choose to take the high road and ignore that. I have one more question, though. How are you getting home if you drove my car here?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Keith's parked down the block. He owes me."

"I can't believe you did this. It must have taken hours" Kat said softly after staring silently at her shining car for several seconds.

"It's no big deal. I already had your keys."

"Patrick, I…" Kat hesitated, "thank you. This really means a lot to me."

"You're welcome" Patrick said, pulling her into a hug.

Kat was about the invite him inside when the sound of a passing car made them both jump and brought them back to reality.

"Well, I would stay for a proper thank you, but I really would like to keep all of my body parts intact, so I should probably get going before your dad gets back."

"I wish you could stay."

"You have no idea. I have a good idea of what you can do to make up for the fact that you weren't there to help me today" Patrick said suggestively.

"Oh, I'll make it up to you once my leash gets a little longer" Kat promised before crashing her lips onto his and pulling his body against hers once more.

"I'll be waiting" Patrick whispered breathlessly in her ear when they finally broke apart.

Patrick Verona was not a patient guy. But again, he meant what he said. Maybe the world didn't know Patrick Verona very well after all.