DISCLAIMER: No matter how hard I try to believe I own Gilmore Girls I don't. ::sigh:: Please don't sue me.
SUMMARY: Rory sent a postcard with a secret on it just to get it off her chest. But what happens when someone else shares a similar secret. -AU and possibly OOC..and..Trory!

A/N: So I finally got around to an update. Sorry for the long wait but this is the last chapter. I might do an epilogue but I'm not sure. But well here is the last chapter. I hope you all enjoy. And once again I was blown away with all the reviews! Thank you all very much.

-l Post Secret l-

Chapter 3: A Proper Goodbye


Rory walked into the coffee shop out of breath. She was already twenty minutes late, thanks to the car in front of her that decided to get into a fender bender. Stupid drivers. She hated being late, it made her flustered. She glanced around the café looking for any signs of Tristan. After about a minute of searching Rory found him sitting on a little couch reading the business section of the newspaper and she hurried over to him.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. First I couldn't find my keys, I know that's a lame excuse, but I really couldn't. I am thinking about investing in one of those things that you put on your key and you click the clicker and it beeps so you can find your keys. But I will probably lose the clicker so I guess that wouldn't really work. But anyway, then there was this accident right in front of me. I hate Connecticut drivers. I think they just hand out licenses to anybody these days. And then my cell died which is yet another lame excuse but it really did. Whatever could go wrong did go wrong today. I'm just glad it didn't rain ore anything because then…"

Tristan cut her off. "It's okay. I didn't mind waiting. Plus it gave me a chance to catch up with today's business world." He said pointing to the paper he had set down on the table during Rory's blabbering. "So do you want a coffee?"

"I don't want, I need a hundred." Said in a desperate voice.

Tristan chuckled. "It's been one of those days?"

"That and I just love coffee."

"I would have never guessed. I'll be right back."

"I can go get my own." Rory started to head toward the counter until she felt two strong hands on her shoulders.

"I did the inviting I do the buying." He turned her around to the direction of the chairs. "Why don't you sit down and take a breather."

She took his advice and sat in the chair next to where he was previously sitting and picked up the newspaper. She started aimlessly flipping through it just to give her something to occupy herself with while Tristan was getting her coffee.

"Here you go, one hot cup of Joe." He handed the cup to Rory and she reached frantically for it.

"Thank you, thank you. You are a god."

"I know." He paused. "So what have you been up too?"

"Well you know I am attending Yale and my major is journalism with a minor in political science. My roommate is Paris, I'm not sure if I told you that or not, that's always an adventure. Umm, there really isn't a whole lot going on right now. For Senior year I was talked into running for vice president. Paris can be quite the pursuer. I was also valedictorian. But Yale so far has been fine. It's hard, but nothing that I didn't expect. How about you? I want to know all about military school. I see you kept up with the fashion," she said pointing to his closely cut hair. "And I want to know about Harvard. Do you like it there?"

"Well I guess I will start off where we left off. After I left Chilton the night of the play I went straight to the airport and boarded a plane headed toward North Carolina. I haven't really talked to my dad since, I hated him for sending me away. Once I got settled in it wasn't all that bad. Actually it was refreshing."

"Refreshing? Military School? Ha." Rory said in disbelief.

"Well it was. No one knew who I was. I wasn't expected to keep up my rich kid act. I was just like everyone else. But that's not to say I didn't try to defy authority first but I soon learned my place. I also learned that even though you may be born into money you aren't born into rank. You have to earn it. So I guess it did me good after all."

"Wow. That was one thing I never expected to come out of your mouth. How very grown up of you." She joked.

Tristan copied her tone. "Yah I'm a big boy now. But all jokes aside I got good grades and applied to all the Ivy League schools except Columbia."

"Why not Columbia?"

"Because that's were my father went. I knew my not going there would upset him and pissing him off was one of my top priorities. Plus I thought I was going t o see your pretty face at Harvard." He added more playfully. "So how did you end up at Yale. Last I remember you were deadest on Harvard."

"Well that was originally the plan but as senior year started dwindling away I made a pros and cons list and Yale had the most pros. I don't think I could live that far away from my mom."

"You must have a great relationship with her."

"I do. She's my best friend."

"So you marry Beaver yet?"

"Huh?" She was confused.

"Beaver, bag boy, that boyfriend of yours. When I left you two seemed to be headed toward wedding bells."

"Dean? Oh no, no, no. We broke up a while ago. He is actually getting married to the girlfriend he had after me."

"So did he cheat on you or something?"

"Well no, I guess you could say I was the one doing the cheating."

"Really?" He gave his infamous archaic smirk. "What happened to the sweet innocent Rory I once knew?"

"She is still here and wipe that grin off your face. Dean and I just didn't work out and when Jess came to town I don't know I kinda cheated on Dean with him. But we ended up getting together after Dean broke it off with me, rather publicly I might add."

"You can't kinda cheat. You either cheat or you don't cheat."

"Whatever and yes you can."

"So are you still together with your partner in crime?"

"Ummm." She looked down not really wanting to talk about it, "no he just left one day without saying goodbye and flew out to California."

"What a jerk."

"I mean I guess it all worked out for the best. He and I were going down separate paths. So what about you? Is there a lucky lady?" She added wanting to change to subject.

"Nope. There was but we broke it off just before college. She was headed to UCLA to become the next Julia Roberts and I was headed to Harvard to be the next great American businessman. But you'll be surprised to know we dated for two years."

"Surprised? I'm completely blown away. She must have been some girl to have the infamous playboy go steady."

"Yah, I guess she was."

"You have really grown up Tristan. I know I said it before but you really have." Rory said seriously.

"Why thank you Mary. Your opinion means a lot to me. Really. So how is that crazy town of yours?"

"Oh my, it's just as crazy as ever. But I love it." She started to laugh. "You should have been there yesterday at the Founder's Day festival. The town mayor, Taylor. Hey that rhymed."

"You are just a rhyming machine."

"And you are clean."

"Okay stop."

"Would you like a pop?" Rory had a big smile on her face.

"No, but I would like an orange." There was silence. "I see I have stumped you with that last one."

"Shh. I will find a word that rhymes with it even if it is a slant rhyme."

Tristan pointed at her and said rather loudly, "Oh you stopped the rhyming madness."

"You suck You said orange because it doesn't have any words that rhyme." She pouted.

"My evil plan has been revealed."

"Great now I forgot what I as talking about. Oh yah Taylor the mayor." Rory smiled and Tristan gave her a pleading look. "So anyway Taylor tells Kirk to put up a banner for the festival and to hang it from these two light poles. Well Kirk went and rented a cherry picker insisting that he knew how to work it."

"Let me guess he had no clue how to use it."

"Hush let me tell my story. So as I was saying…He had no clue how to use it. So he's all jerky hanging the banner and once he put the last side up he started wobbling more and the cherry picker kept shaking and he loses his balance and falls over grabbing onto the banner tearing it off. Luckily the banner slowed his falling down a little bit. He ended up breaking his leg. But you should have seen Taylor's face. He ran to the crumbled banner, picked it up and cradled it then started yelling at Kirk, who is in pain mind you, and he's almost to the point of tears. I just about died of laughter. It was quite a scene." Tristan watched Rory's facial expressions. She was really into telling her story and it made him smile at how cute it was.

"I bet. This Kirk fellow sounds like a real character."

"That he is. He is always doing something crazy and entertaining."

"It must be nice living in a small town."

"It is. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else."

"Okay, so I have to ask you something that I have been rather curious about."

"Ask away.".

"That secret you posted. Why did you write it?"

She blushed. "Um, well it was just something that had been bothering me. I just kept wondering how you were and what happened to you." Rory tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She always did that when she was nervous. "You left rather abruptly. I know we didn't have the perfect friendship, if you can even call it that, but I missed you when you left. I mean there was no one teasing me at my locker everyday, I had no one bothering me, well besides Paris. But there was a good thing that came out of your leaving. I was no longer called Mary."

"I'm touched really I am." She slapped him playfully

"Stop it, Well what possessed you to write one huh?"

"When I was perusing the website one day I saw your secret. And I thought of you instantly and I then I thought you had to be the person who wrote it. I didn't think there was another Romeo who jilted his Juliet to go to military school I mean it would have to be a one in a million chance. So I just thought I would see if it was you. So I wrote one hoping you went to the site a lot and that you would see it. I guess you could say I missed you too. Plus I felt bad leaving you with no Romeo."

"Oh I had a Romeo and it wasn't Brad."

"Who was it?"

"Paris! When you left she came out all decked in your costume with altoids in her hand." Tristan had an interested look on his face. "Don't give me that look. I don't kiss and tell."

"Sorry I'm trying really hard not to laugh right now. I can tell this is still traumatizing to you." He joked.

"It is. My mom to this day still brings it up."

"I wish I could have been there to see that." Tristan started to laugh.

"Well if you were there you would be the one I was kissing, not Paris." There was a short pause as they looked at each other.

Tristan broke the silence with a little quip. "You sure aren't a Mary anymore. Cheating on boyfriends, kissing other girls, what am I going to do with you?"

"What?! I'm so still a Mary. Wait did I just call myself a Mary, the world is ending. What was up with that nickname anyway, why did you call me that? I mean I know it means goody-goody."

"I was a jerk back then. But I think the main reason was because I liked you."

"You did not," Rory said in disbelief.

"Oh yes I did. I was borderline obsessed. Everyone knew."

"I had no clue." She looked at him and then recollected a moment from the past. "Oh my gosh. I was the girl you said you liked when you didn't want to go out with Paris again."

"Ding Ding we have a winner."

"I can't believe I was so oblivious."

"I can. You were so tied up with your boyfriend."

"I guess you're right."

"But it's all good. Somehow I recovered from the unrequited love of Rory Gilmore."

There was an awkward silence.

"So when are you going back to Boston?"

"Tonight actually."

"Oh." She sounded disappointed. "I was hoping we could hang out tomorrow. So I guess that would be a no. When are you coming back?"

"Not until the next break."

"We will have to hang out then."

"It's a date."

Rory smiled and then glanced at her watch. "Holy cow. I can't believe it s already 4:45. We have been here for hours."

"Wow, yah." he replied looking down at his own watch. "I should get going. My flight leaves at 7:30 and you have to be there two hours early." They both stood up. "Well I guess this is goodbye."

"No. It's just see you later. It's not like you are going to military school again."

They walked out of the café and stopped in front of the door.

"See you later Rory."

She smiled. "See ya later alligator."

He turned around and started walking down the street. Rory watched as he strolled down the sidewalk. She let out a little sigh. Then something hit her. There was no way she was going to let him walk away again. She was going to do something about it, so Rory started running toward him. "Tristan! Wait!" He turned around just in time to have Rory collide into him engulfing him into a hug.

"Oooph." was Tristan's only reply as he hugged her back.

She looked up into his eyes. "My boyfriend isn't watching."

"What?" But before he had time to comprehend what she was saying she grabbed his face and kissed him.

When they pulled away Tristan had a huge smirk on his face. "What was that for?"

"I didn't want to let you go without properly saying goodbye." She said with a slight blush.

"Well that was one hell of a goodbye. I might not want to leave now."

"Call me when you get to Boston." She gave him a quick kiss and then walked to her car with a huge smile on her face. She glanced back at Tristan, who had the exact same smile on his face. This was not the last time she would see Tristan DuGrey.

A/N: Well that's it. I just want to say sorry for the typos. I re-read it like ten times but I think I kinda rushed it a bit because I wanted to get it out. I don't think this chapter has as much humour as the other ones but I thought maybe it would be better if it was a little more serious. But I'm thinking about doing an epilogue.