Wait For Me

One.

"So what did you do this time?" Rory took a long sip of her drink as she quirked an eyebrow at the girl standing next to her.

"I don't believe I did anything wrong." Paris insisted quickly, eyeing all the people around the loft apartment she shared with Mike, her eyes filled with suspicion. "But my therapist tells me that sometimes even if you feel you didn't do anything, if it will settle an argument then just admit defeat and let it be."

Rory tried to conceal her smile. "Oh I see. So not only did you apologize for whatever fight you two were having but you also let Mike guilt trip you into throwing a house party as well. Which is so uncharacteristically you, I might add…" Rory sent her a look that told her she didn't believe her at all. "Just out of the kindness of your heart and for the sake of your relationship because you didn't actual do anything wrong."

Rory had always thought that when Mike had finally popped the question that it would officially make him completely whipped. Even more so than he was in their years of dating. But it seemed to have definitely been the other way around. Between Paris's engaged status, and the couples counseling she insisted they go to, she had turned into a more subdued version of herself and Mike used that to his full advantage at every possible opportunity.

Paris glared. "It's a possibility that he thought I did something." she offered. "And anyways, we moved in over a month ago and still haven't had a housewarming party."

Rory laughed. "Paris, you hate housewarming parties." It was true. In fact, the girl hated any kind of party so the fact that Mike had guilt tripped her into throwing this shindig proved that Paris must have done something really bad this time. Rory had to give it to Mike though. He sure knew how to work Paris like no one else to not only make her apologize when she was at fault but get something out of it as well.

Paris glowered into her glass. "Well either way, it's happening and there's no stopping it now. There's already over fifty people here. I told him he could invite all his friends but come on, I've never even seen that guy before!" Paris, uncaring of how rude it was, boldly pointed to a guy in a white shirt and baggy pants that was currently raiding the buffet table Paris had set up. He stopped midway from stuffing a mini sandwiching his mouth and stared at Paris like a kid who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Oh god, he looks like one of those guys that only washes his hands when he's showering too. There goes the food."

Rory laughed into her drink even as her heart picked up its pace. She'd never seen the guy before either but the way he dressed and the tattoos that littered his forearms were unmistakable. They were just like Tristan's. Glancing around, her eyes narrowed as she started to notice several other guys sporting the same apparel. She knew Mike still kept in contact with that part of his life but didn't know he considered them the type of people to invite to a housewarming party. Especially after all of these years. What had it been now, five years since she'd last seen anyone from the Kings? It'd been so long yet being surrounded by them were bringing back memories so vivid it was as if it had only been a week ago she was riding on the back of Tristan's bike heading to the pier.

Rory wrapped her arms around herself as she pushed the memories away. That was a whole other life for her. Things weren't the same anymore. She wasn't some gullible eighteen year old who was in love with a man who couldn't let go of a grudge and thought he was above the law. She was a college graduate who at twenty five had landed her first real job as a journalist for the New Haven Times. She had an quaint apartment on the east side, a circle friends who's idea of a good time wasn't drag racing or clubbing but dinner parties and Broadway shows and had accomplished every goal she had set for herself.

She didn't even know who that girl was who hopped on the back of a bike without a second thought anymore.

"I didn't know Mike really kept in contact with, you know…" An odd feeling made its way into the pit of her stomach and she hugged herself tighter as she scanned the room.

"He doesn't. Well not like you think." Paris answered her though her own voice was now different and Rory turned to her to see her eyes narrowed as she herself scanned the room. "Oh he thinks he's so smooth."

In all the years Rory had known Paris, in all the times she had seen her mad, seen her infuriated, never had she heard her voice sound as lethal as it did right now.

Rory's heart thumped wildly in her chest as her anxiety grew. "Paris, what are you talking about?"

Paris turned to Rory with wide eyes, and Rory took a step back in surprise. Paris never looked nervous. Even in the most pressing situations the girl held a strong poker face. Yet now she looked pale and even more anxious than Rory did herself.

"He told me this was a housewarming party." Paris insisted and Rory set her glass down on the mantel of the nearby fireplace as her palms started to sweat. The feeling in the pit of her stomach only increased.

"It's not?" Rory asked slowly. Not too sure what had the usually cool and collected girl freaking out.

"Rory I need to tell you something. I know you told us a long time ago that you didn't want to know anything about Tristan…"

Rory's breath caught in her throat but before she could say anything a familiar voice floated across the flat. A voice she hadn't heard in over five years yet the accent being unmistakable.

"Love!"

Rory and Paris both turned to see Finn approaching them, a huge grin stretched across his face but his eyes filled with just as much surprise as Rory herself felt. "What a lovely surprise." he said, taking the last few steps towards her and without another word, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

It was amazing, was all Rory could think. All the years that had passed and he still looked exactly the same from the twinkling brown eyes that were always sparking with mischief and the intoxicating grin to the trench coat and combat boots.

Rory opened her mouth to speak but shut it again as she watched Paris walk away from them without another word, scanning the room for her fiancee.

Finns eyes stayed on Paris's back until she was out of sight and then turned back to Rory as realization dawned on his face. "Unless you don't know, doll."

Rory was happy she had already set her glass down, because with the way her hand was shaking she surely would have dropped it by now. "Finn." she finally greeted, but was unable to give him a friendly smile back. "Don't know what?"

Finn shook his head, his now wary eyes filling with a bit of amusement. "Well this should be interesting. Apologies in advance, love."

Before Rory could ask him what he meant the door to the flat opened and whistles and greetings echoed through the loft. She couldn't see who was there from where she was but her heart and her gut told her what she already suspected was true.

Paris reappeared dragging Mike by the collar of his shirt and after removing her hand, hit him on the back of the head.

"I'm sorry Rory, I didn't think you were honestly coming. Paris said you had to work. And if we decided if we had it anywhere else it would have gotten out of control. And with the whole parole thing… " Mike's eyes were honest as he stared at her and Rory fought to breath.

"Rory, Tristan got out this morning. This isn't a housewarming party like this asshole told me it was. I should have figured it out but he guilt tripped me into it to start with and I didn't…" she trailed off when she noticed Rory's pale face. "It's a homecoming party. For Tristan."

And as if the fates had slowed down time so that they could watch the next moment in slow motion and laugh evilly to themselves, the loft quieted and the dozens of people that littered the big open room slowly parted until Rory could see just who it was that had just walked through the door.

And as one last person moved out of the way her heart completely stopped as her eyes met with a crystal blue pair that she hadn't seen since that horrible day five years ago.

Rory stepped off the elevator and made her way down the short hall to the door of the apartment her and Tristan shared.

Stopping outside it, she paused before sliding the key into the lock and just smiled. If you told her two years ago she'd be living in New Haven with her boyfriend while she attended Yale she wouldn't have believed you. But yet here she was, freshman year out of the way and a month into her sophomore year and things honestly couldn't be better.

Well, there's always the fact that she could have a considerably smaller workload for the weekend, she thought, glancing down at her oversized bag.

Sliding the key into the lock she pushed open the door and a smile covered her face when she saw the boy who currently consumed her thoughts standing next to the island that sat in the center of their kitchen.

Then her heart stopped when she took in the black hoodie he wore and the gun sitting on the counter in front of him.

New Haven had been the start of a new life for Tristan. Over the past year he had amazed her by opening more shops with Finn and for the most part staying out of any and all illegal activities. He hadn't changed completely but he had met her in the middle, and that was more than she could have ever asked for. And a big part of that was that he had bought a safe that he kept in their apartment. A safe that would hold his guns. As a promise to her that he was going to change to where he wouldn't need to carry one with him at all times.

A safe that hadn't been opened once in the year that they had lived together.

Until now, apparently, Rory thought as she stared at the gun and clip that sat on the counter. Without a word to her, Tristan picked it up, sliding the clip in and slid it into the back of his jeans.

A movement that sent her heart racing in fear.

"Tristan what's going on?" She slowly lowered her bag to the floor and cautiously took a step forward.

A knock on the door behind her, two solid raps and then one more had her jumping and eyes narrowing at it before turning back to Tristan. She knew that knock.

Finn.

"What's Finn doing here?"

Tristan continued to stay silent. His eyes finally meeting hers and she seen a look in them she thought she would never see again.

"I have to go. I'll be back later."

He walked up to her as if to kiss her but she stepped out of his way. "No. You promised me."

She had overheard him talking to Finn a couple mornings ago when he thought she had been asleep. Heard how finally after a year the guy that had killed Marsters, the guy that had shot and almost killed Tristan twice now, was coming back to Hartford.

Tristan had acted as if it was nothing and her dread eased with that. She had thought he wasn't going to bother with him. That Tee and whoever else who still was in Hartford would deal with it how they chose. That it wouldn't involve Tristan anymore.

But apparently she was wrong.

"And I've kept my promise to you, Rory." His voice was low, even, sending chills racing down her back. "This is different."

His words were so final, even as the protests came from her lips she knew it wouldn't change a thing. But she had to try.

"You don't need to do this." she stepped forward, sliding her hands up to frame his face and pressing her lips softy to his. "You are in a different place now."

His smirk was quick and lethal and she knew he meant it to knock her down.

And it worked.

"He tried to kill me, Rory. Twice. I've kept my promise because he hasn't been around. He ran away. Now he's back and going to start more trouble? Maybe find out where I am and come down here? No. I'm stopping it now."

Rory wrapped her arms around herself as tears burned her eyes.

"If he does we'll call the cops, we'll do things the legal way." she tried but her voice was weak. Knowing the man who stood in front of her and that her offer was ridiculous to him.

He leaned down, pressing his lips firmly to hers, lingering for a moment before pulling away. "I'll be back later, baby."

Anger coursed through her as he stepped around her and headed for the door, lifting his hood up over his head.

"I won't be here." she told him defiantly. Not again, she couldn't go through all of this again. She wouldn't. "If you walk out that door right now, I wont be here when you get back."

The words were completely honest and for a second she actually thought he would realize that, that he would put the gun away and stay but his eyes just turned icy cold at the ultimatum as he looked at her one more time.

"I'll be back later." he told her, calling her bluff as his hand gripped the doorknob and walked from their apartment. She saw Finn send her a guilty look from outside the door, from clearly hearing their conversation and then they were gone.

When she heard bikes rev and race down the street she sunk to the floor.

She couldn't do this again. She wouldn't. As much as it would hurt she would stand by her words. She had given him the choice and he had left. Forty five minutes later she picked herself up from the floor, called Paris to come over and without telling her what was happening she helped her pack her things and an hour later she left the key sitting on the counter where his gun had been, and left.

Her phone never went off. Not all night and she had assumed he was either still in Hartford or had come home to the empty apartment and was too stubborn to call her yet.

Until she turned on the news that night.

He had gotten arrested. After holding her breath for what seemed like forever she was able to breath again when she heard that he hadn't killed anyone.

The news always scrambled stories but she had heard from Paris what had really happened. The guy had fled and Tristan had taken chase, not willing to let him get away again, but never got the chance to end it all himself because the speed of the bike and looking over his shoulder to watch for Tristan proved to be too much and he had wrecked, dying almost instantly. Tristan had stupidly stopped to make sure, standing over the body, gun in hand and that was enough. Too many witnesses, and it was obvious what had led to the crash.

He was charged with attempted murder.

Finn came once and only once. Showing up outside Paris's dorm to apologize for his part in it all and to tell her about Tristan's request that she come to visit him. She had slammed the door in his face and it had been the last time she had seen him. Paris had found out from Mike that Finn had gone into their apartment to retrieve some things for Tristan and had told him about Rory's things missing the day after it all happened and Tristan knew it wasn't because he had gotten caught. That she had been gone the moment he had walked out that door that he wouldn't call after her again.

She had cried at that, for days upon days. Hating him for respecting her like that instead of respecting them both enough not to have left in the first place.

Then she refused to cry anymore. She told everyone she didn't want to hear anything more about him. She didn't want to know what happened in court, if he miraculously walked or if he was sent to prison. She didn't want to know how long and she didn't want to know where.

And her friends made that happen. Paris had literally woken up early and went and bought all the newspapers from the newsstands around campus every morning if they had an article about him in them until the trial was over.

So of course she had no idea that he had gotten out yet. Over the years she had thought she had seen him places. The back of a leather jacket, a deep voice, the rev of a bike would have her head spinning wondering if he was out, if he was there. But even as her heart soared her mind would force her to not care. She forced herself not to check, not to ask around.

And had built up walls for if and when she ever heard news of him. Preparing herself for it.

Of course she never thought that hearing that news would be moments before seeing him.

Heart thudding in her chest, she let the surprise slide from her face and replaced it with a look of indifference as he slowly walked towards her.

She couldn't move. Could only stare. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a long sleeve white thermal that stretched across arms that had definitely grown over the years. And the shaggy blonde hair she remembered so well was now gone, leaving him with a military-esque buzz cut. But those were the only changes, she realized. He still looked exactly the same as the day he had walked out of her life and that was even more of a hit.

Heart in her throat, she kept her eyes challengingly to his as he stopped in front of her.

He watched her for a second before the corners of his lips turned up slowly.

"Hey, Mary."

If you think of me

If you miss me once in a while

Then I'll return to you

I'll return and fill that space in your heart