Pairing: Tristan & Rory.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own any of them. The characters belong to Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Hofflund/Polone in association with Warner Bros. Television. The dialogue in this chapter is from Run Away, Little Boy.

Feedback: Please!!

Note: The story and the chapters are all named after songs, but this is not a songfic.

Chapter 1 - Goodbye to You

"Tristan." His voice was abrupt. Tristan broke his gaze from Rory for a second, and turned around. His father was waiting at the end of the hall. It was the moment that Tristan had been dreading, ever since his father gave him five minutes to explain to Rory, Paris, Madeline and Louise why he couldn't be a part of their group anymore. "It's time to go. Now," he said, in a grave voice. Tristan swallowed hard, as it finally began to sink in. It was time to say goodbye to Rory.

God she's beautiful, Tristan thought, as he turned his attention back to Rory. She really did look like a princess in her Juliet costume. Tristan was already beginning to regret his actions from the previous night, as he realized that he wouldn't even get to kiss Rory anymore - albeit they would be in character. He took a deep breath, as he thought of how he would say goodbye to her.

"So I guess this is it," Tristan finally said. A lump rose to his throat, as he searched for the perfect words. Tristan gazed intently at Rory, memorizing every feature of her face. Her beautiful blue eyes, which now stared back at him with a look of a mixture of hope, regret, and even sadness. Her cute little nose. Her lips. He wanted to kiss her so badly. He had never felt more alive than when he kissed Rory at Madeline's party.

The moment their lips had met, he knew his feelings for her were genuine. Tristan had always thought that the reason she got to him so much was because she was nothing but a mere challenge. He previously chalked up the feelings that he felt whenever he was in her presence to nothing but annoyance because he couldn't get her. But when they kissed, he knew he was wrong. He saw himself falling even more and more for Rory. When he kissed other girls, he imagined he was kissing Rory. Tristan just couldn't get her off his mind, no matter how hard he tried.

Tristan's eyes were still focused on her lips, but he slowly broke his gaze away. He stared off to the side, where he saw Dean intensely gazing at them. Their eyes met, as Tristan's feelings of hatred for him began to rise.

"I'd want to kiss you goodbye... But your boyfriend is watching," Tristan said in a resigned voice. There. He made the decision not to kiss Rory, because as much as he hated it, Dean made her happy. And all Tristan ever wanted was for Rory to be happy. He sighed, as he decided that now was the time to say his final goodbye.

"Take care of yourself... Mary," he said quietly, before turning around, and walking away. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to get over Rory, despite the fact that she was never really his to love. He was already regretting the fact that he didn't kiss her, but Tristan knew that it was time to start over.

Tristan's father stood at the doorway, waiting for him, waiting to lead Tristan to his new life. Before walking out the door, Tristan turned around, and caught one last glimpse of Rory. She was staring back at him, and their eyes locked. Like the first day he saw her, she was absolutely beautiful.

"Goodbye Rory," he whispered.

* * *

"Take care of yourself... Mary," Tristan said. Rory felt a sad smile form on her face. She never thought she'd see the day when she'd smile when Tristan called her Mary.

She watched as he turned around, and walked towards his father. The smile was still on her lips, but inside, Rory felt empty. She could hardly believe that Tristan was leaving, even as she stared at his retreating back. The initial shock of Tristan's departure was starting to wear off, as Rory began to realize the extent of what his leaving meant. The smile began to turn to a frown.

I'd want to kiss you goodbye. Tristan's words still rang in Rory's ears. She never really realized that she wanted him to kiss her. Even if it was in their scene, she still wanted to feel his lips on hers. She knew that she told him that their kiss meant nothing, but deep down, Rory knew that it meant something. She just wasn't quite sure what.

But your boyfriend's watching. Rory's eyes dropped from Tristan's back to her shoes. Dean. He was still watching her. All through her conversation with Tristan, she could feel his eyes on her, wondering what was going on between the two of them. She'd explain everything to him later, and things would be okay. But something inside of Rory still felt hallow.

"Come on, lets go." Paris' voice broke through Rory's mind, as Paris walked up in a Romeo costume. She grabbed Rory's arm and began to drag her inside the drama studio.

But as Rory felt herself being dragged, she looked up, towards the end of the hall. Tristan was standing alone, halfway out the door. He stopped in mid stride, and their eyes locked. The feelings she's never felt before began to surface again, as she took one last gaze at Tristan.

Goodbye Tristan, she thought, as she allowed herself to be dragged by Paris, who was mumbling something about Altoids.