Teen Lovers Talk About Life on the Lam

Jan. 23, 2008 — -- The two love-struck teenagers who ran off together say they bolted because the parents of the 13-year-old girl had insisted she was too young to date.

Once 15-year-old Gage Petherbridge and his girlfriend Hannah McConnell hit the Michigan highway in the Petherbridge family minivan, they headed for Louisiana because Hannah said she'd never seen the ocean.

The "Romeo and Juliet" saga — a moniker Gage likes — began Jan. 12, when they defied their parents about seeing each other, took almost $700 Gage got for Christmas and left town with Mandy, the Petherbridge cocker spaniel.

After a nine-day nationwide search, the teens and their parents were reunited Tuesday in Baton Rouge, La., where they spoke exclusively with ABC's Andrea Canning about how they evaded the authorities and spent their days on the run.

But first, they wanted to apologize to their parents.

"I'm sorry and I love them and I missed them," said Hannah.

Hannah's mom, Julie McConnell, says she couldn't believe the relief when she saw the two of them walk out of the Louisiana jail where they were temporarily held. "I told Hannah I loved her. … You don't have a clue what you put us through, but thank God you're OK."

"I felt like it was the only option. … We were together and that's all we really wanted," said Gage.

Hannah and Gage describe their nine days on the run as a taste of freedom. Gage says they "drove around, found random Wal-Marts and stuff. Hit a couple malls."

How did they choose the route? "She said she wanted to see the ocean," said Gage.

While they may have escaped their parents, they couldn't outrun the national media coverage. An ambulance driver recognized them on a beach in Cameron Parish, La., and called police.

Gage says he knew they would eventually be caught, but didn't expect to end up in prison. "It's probably the last place I thought I would be. I never want to go back."

Hannah says their spontaneous trip was about defying her parents, who had tried to keep them apart, claiming she was too young to date.