Roses are red,

Austin is blue,

I have a new fic,

To explain why to you.

Howdy guys! I am back, believe it or not. This is the third installment to When the Good Girl is Stuck With The Bad Boy, and The Adventure of A Lifetime. However, like it's predecessors, it CAN be read as an independent fic. A few things might not make very much sense in the beginning, but it will all clear itself up later on.

I warn you all now, this is COMPLETELY different than the stories that prompted this one, but I hope you will all like it just the same. It will seem confusing even to those who HAVE read the other stories, but that's sort of the point until we get farther into the story.

Also, I dedicate this Austin and Ally story (Which will be my LAST fanfiction for this fandom) to the readers who have been with me from the beginning, as well as my friend Sienna, whom you all have to thank for bugging me to write this story. For anyone who's wondering, the story is based off of the song Don't Let Me Go, by Harry Styles.

Enjoy ;)

Austin's P.O.V.

He awoke to the clatter of glass on wood.

His head ached, pulsing pain throughout his body. He felt like he had been ran over by a truck multiple times. A quick sniff confirmed the last fact. A shower was definitely a necesity.

His musles, stiff with sleep, groaned in protest as he wiped something that was encrusted from his face. He ripped his eyes open, the dull light of the dank interior greeting him. The couch he had crudely used as a bed the night before, sank under his weight. Perhaps staying in the cheapest motel last night hadn't been the wisest idea.

He glanced at the broken beer bottle on the floor, knowing he should clean it up. But he couldn't be bothered.

The door to the motel room was flung open.

He buried his face into his hands, partially to block out the intense light of the hall, partially because he didn't want to face who stormed into his room.

"Austin Monica Moon where the hell have you been?"

Austin looked up, meeting the young woman's eyes. They were still a vivid green, but her dark hair had been cut short in layers, framing her pretty face. She was wearing a smart suit, her business bag slung across her shoulder.

Austin sometimes forgot that she was twenty six now.

"Thalia I-"

But Thalia was having none of it. Her lips were pinched, and her jaw clenched. A familiar expression that she had attained over the years. "I shouldn't be getting calls from Thomas at seven in the morning, asking for a ride to school, because you couldn't have been bothered to go home the night before."

Austin rubbed his temples. "Is it the first day of school for him already?" He moaned more so than said. Thalia looked unamused.

"It's his first day of grade twelve, Austin," She responded sharply, crossing her arms. "I called Kainoah and Keenan, and they took him so I could track you down."

His knees threatened to buckle beneath him when he stood, but he stood all the same. He carefully avoided the glass, but ended up knocking over several other alcohol bottles as a result. He didn't bother to pick them up. Thalia finally sighed, her tough exterior crumbling slightly to show her sympathy.

"You can't drink away every memory of her, Austin."

"I can do what I want!" His scream ripped from his throat before he was aware of it, tears filling his eyes as they threatened to fall. To fall for her. The ring on his left hand suddenly felt heavy, and he found himself asking, not for the first time, why he still wore it.

Thalia flinched at his scream. It was a sharp jerk, and it was enough for Austin's anger to drain out as he collapsed back onto the couch. He rubbed his eyes again, willing - needing - to apologize.

"I'm sorry Thals," He used his nickname for her, his voice nothing but a whisper in the gloom. "It's just so hard sometimes. I thought as time passed, I'd move on. But I can't," He sobbed. "What did I do wrong?"

Two petite hands removed his from his face, as Thalia kneeled in front of the only man that had treated her like a daughter. She sought out his dark eyes with her own, silently sharing in his pain.

"You did nothing wrong," She said, her voice wobbling slightly. "None of us did. Things like that happen in life, but still live on. Even-" Her voice cracked as tears of an old memory filled her blue eyes. "Even if you don't want to."

Austin closed his eyes heavily, pulling Thalia into a hug. Her arms wrapped around the back of his neck,just asthey usedto when she was little. His thoughts flashed back to that horrible day back at the orphanage. He sometimes had trouble remembering it had happened sixteen years prior. Occasionally he'd still wake up in the middle of the night, screaming for Thalia not to jump.

She pulled away first, wiping the tear stains from her face, before putting on a brave smile. Austin knew that after Ally had left, Thalia had been the one to keep them all together. Who made sure that all their down payments were paid on time, and that Thomas stayed in school, and Austin wrote new music. Even if most of his music was depressing.

"I should get going," She smiled sadly, getting onto her feet. "I was actually on my way to the police station when Thomas rung me."

If it was even possible, Austin's spirits sunk lower than they already were. His shoulders drooped, and his head hung low as he thought about what Thalia's words meant.

"Is it Peter again?" His empty words echoed in the dark apartment. He watched Thalia bite her lip, before nodding and tucking a piece of her black hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," She admitted hesitantly. Austin knew that she hated telling him when things like these happened, and he had the sneaking suspiscion that she didn't relay to him half of the incidences. "Got picked up last night for vandalizing Barnes and Nobles. Burned a whole shelf of books."

Austin sighed as he rubbed his eyes wearily again. "Make sure you send the charges over to me. I don't want you having to cover them, seeing as how you won't accept money from me, and I know you're saving for your own apartment."

"Course Austin," She smiled as she stood up, avoiding the glass as she walked towards the door. "I'm heading off to the office afterwards, if you need me. Aunt Trish said to make sure you make it to your one o'clock meeting today, otherwise it won't be pretty. And don't forget about tonight."

Austin looked up, blinking. "What was tonight?"

Thalia rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Elise's new showcase. Starts at seven. You promised her that you'd make it to this one."

"Right, of course," Austin recalled, standing up and following Thalia to the motel door. "I'll be there."

"Good," Thalia sighed, hugging Austin tightly once more. "I'll see you later," She gave him one last smile, before turning to head back down the hallway. Austin leaned on the door frame for a second watching her, before deciding to call out.

"Hey Thals?" A light overhead flickered, as she paused to look back at him. He scratched his head once before continuing. "Do you know why Peter only burned one shelf?"

A sad smile spread across Thalia's face as she looked at Austin. For a moment, she was ten again.

"It was a young adult shelf," She relayed. "The ones shelving Percy Jackson."