Summary: "But that's the thing. We didn't try." If Austin & Ally's conversation about their relationship had taken a different turn. One-shot.

A/N: Just your average rewrite of a scene on the show that didn't necessarily go the way I wanted it to.

Disclaimer: I don't own Austin & Ally. I think we know - or will know - what would've happened if I did. I also don't own "Try" by Zach Berkman (title).


She feels slightly embarrassed about the fiasco that just happened at a little girl's birthday party, even if it wasn't really her fault. But she still reacted in some way, and she knows he saw. And a part of her wishes she's wrong in thinking he knows why, too. But she isn't.

He chuckles lightly as they fold the table cloth. "You could've just told me you were upset," he says. "I wouldn't have gone on that date if I knew it would bother you."

She sighs, figuring they'd have to have this conversation sooner or later. "I thought I'd be okay with it," she replies. "But seeing you with someone else really made me jealous. It's stupid." She shakes her head, looking down as she starts to walk away, but what he says next makes her stop in her tracks.

"No, it's not. I get it. I'd be jealous, too."

She turns around. She didn't expect him to still feel the same way, even if the date with Chelsea had turned out to not be much of a date, after all. "Really?"

"Yeah," he says, and his tone implies that this should've been obvious. He pauses. "But what are we supposed to do? Remember last time we tried to date? Didn't work out."

She opens her mouth to respond in agreement, then stops herself. One of the words he said stood out to her. 'Tried'. How they 'tried' to date. But thinking back on their brief attempt at a relationship, it hits her then how loosely that word describes it, if at all. They gave up too early, barely putting in an effort to actually make it work. They didn't try dating. Not really.

"Ally?" Austin says, catching her attention again.

She looks up, then sighs. "But that's the thing, Austin. We didn't try."

He scrunches up his eyebrows in confusion. "I'm not following."

"We went on one date. One! And then called it quits when it became too awkward for us to even write a decent song together. I know we broke up for the sake of our friendship and partnership - and I get that - but we still didn't try. We just...gave up." She pauses. "Maybe if we'd given it more time - maybe if we'd tried - we could've gotten somewhere."

He slowly nods in understanding. "I guess you're right. We quit while we were ahead, all because it got hard and we were afraid to lose each other in the process."

"Exactly," she agrees. "Understandable, and yet..."

"We could never lose each other," he finishes for her.

She smiles in response.

Suddenly he smiles, but like he just got a brilliant idea. "Hey, remember at the auction? When you bet $3001 on a date with me?"

She chuckles nervously at the memory, but nods. "Yeah, why?"

He smirks. "Because I wanna put that to the test. I have a feeling a date with you is worth way more than that."

She gapes for a second before breaking into a grin. "Austin Monica Moon, are you asking me out on a second first official date?" she asks, mimicking herself from so long ago.

He quickly catches on to what she's doing and follows along. "Why, yes, I am. Ally I-still-don't-know-your-middle-name Dawson."

She laughs, nodding. "I accept. And I'm still not telling you my middle name," she adds.

"Aw, man," he mutters, laughing. "Guess I'll be seeing you at 7:30, then?"

"Guess you will."

And despite how much she loved the mimicking of the first time he asked her out, she's glad when their second first date doesn't mimic their first date in any way.


So yeah, that's really it. Thanks for reading! :)