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. Some of the dialogue used in this chapter is from "Love, Daisies and Troubadours" and "Run Away, Little Boy".

Feedback: Please!!

Author's Note: So well all know what happens in "Love, Daisies and Troubadours" and "Run Away, Little Boy". I needed to use those scenes for a starting point. But I also shortened them a little. And yes, I did use part of a previous fic I wrote. I don't intend on adding to that fic, so it pretty much fits in this chapter.

Chapter One - Journey to the Past

Last day of school, sophomore year

Tristan looked down at his watch. One minute until the bell rang, and Chilton let out for the summer. One minute until Tristan knew if his year of pining after Rory was a success or failure.

The moment he saw her, Tristan knew that Rory was different. She was like a breath of fresh air, and something inside of him changed. For the first time, he felt genuine feelings for a girl. Before Rory came into his life... Tristan never knew how powerful his feelings for a girl could be. Before Rory, girls were expendable to Tristan. He'd flirt with them, seduce them, then brush them off once he got bored. Even Summer. His feelings for her were all superficial, mostly for Rory's benefit. He wanted to show her that he was capable of being in a "long-term" relationship. But it failed. Tristan's feelings for Rory only grew. And after the kiss they shared on the piano bench that fateful night... Tristan could see himself falling in love with someone, for the first time in his life.

Tristan's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the bell. He looked up, and like clockwork, students began exiting their classrooms. Excited chatter filled the air, as Tristan leaned back against the wall, waiting for Rory to come out. At last he spotted her small frame walk out in front of him.

"So I'm a little tired of this game," Tristan said. Rory stopped for a second, then started walking away. Tristan followed.

"What game?" she asked, as she kept on walking. Tristan walked in front of Rory, cutting off her path.

"The concert's tonight," Tristan stated. He was starting to get irritated. This was the first time he asked Rory out. And it was the first time a girl turned him down. He knew he was about to resort to third grade tactics, but at this point, what did he have to lose? Tristan grabbed Rory's books from her grasp.

"What are you doing?" she asked, in an exasperated tone.

"You'll get them back when you agree to go with me," he replied. God, he even sounded like a third grader. But honestly, Tristan didn't know what to do. Rory Gilmore was an absolute puzzle to him.

"You're pathetic Tristan. Keep the books. I'm leaving," Rory said, before changing directions and walking away. Tristan went to catch up with her, when he stopped short. Dean was standing a mere ten feet away from them.

"Dean!" Rory called out. Tristan watched in disappointment as she caught up with him. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but a small smile crept up his face as he saw Dean glare at him. Then it all fell apart for Tristan.

"He's not my boyfriend. I hate him," Rory stated. Tristan's mouth opened, then closed. He wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Tristan never knew that Rory felt that strongly about him, that she hated him so much. Tristan looked on in disgust as Dean practically devoured Rory with his mouth. He softly placed Rory's books down on the cold cement, and walked back inside Chilton.

Tristan walked down a long hallway, frustration building up inside his body, until he couldn't stand it anymore. He pounded his fist hard into the nearest locker. His body was so numb from what just happened, that he didn't even feel any pain.

"Hey man, you okay?" a voice from behind Tristan called out. Tristan turned around to find Terrence Bowman and Joseph Duncan standing there. They were two troublemakers that Tristan had known since grade school. They'd even been good friends when they were younger, before Tristan had discovered the world of girls.

"Yeah," Tristan said, shaking his fist. The pain was starting to come back to him. Except the pain was coming from his heart, instead of his hand. Duncan cleared his throat.

"Look, I know we haven't chilled in awhile, but we were just headed to Bowman's house to get loaded... Then maybe we'll do a little clubbing. You wanna come with?" Duncan asked. Tristan thought for a moment. On one hand, he could go home and sit alone in the dark, reminiscing about the pain Rory was causing him. On the other hand, he could get drunk and meet some new girls. Girls that would be willing to help him forget about Rory. Tristan nodded.

"My car or yours?" he asked, before walking down the hall with the two other guys.

He wasn't really in the mood to party, but Tristan just wanted to forget. He wanted to forget badly.

* * *

End of November, junior year

The summer months blew by, and soon Tristan found himself back at Chilton. He'd been spending more and more time with Duncan and Bowman, getting into trouble by pulling stupid pranks, but Tristan didn't care. Nothing mattered to him more than forgetting.

No matter how hard Tristan tried, he never forgot his one moment of weakness. The moment all his hopes were dashed when Rory claimed to hate him. Other girls had come and gone, but Tristan never got over the fact that she hated him. When junior year started, he found himself distancing himself away from Rory. No more of their daily sparing matches, no more calling her Mary. He tried to think that she was just a girl he passed by in the halls. But deep down, Tristan knew she was still much more. She was unforgettable, and in a way, he hated her for that.

He knew that he needed to get over Rory, but the closure never came. Not until Professor Anderson forgot to include him in a group during his latest suspension. Tristan had scanned the list for any possible groups, and when he saw the name Rory Gilmore, Tristan jumped at the chance to be in that group. It was time to end his feelings for Rory once and for all.

But then the incident with Bowman's dad's safe... It was stupid. Plain and simple. Tristan knew that it was stupid to try and break into it, but he didn't say anything. And then it was too late. But in a way, Tristan knew that he'd get his closure with Rory.

But as he stood there, facing Rory in her Juliet costume... Tristan found it harder and harder to say goodbye.

"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. "Come on," he said, in a grave voice. Tristan swallowed hard, as it finally began to sink in. It was time to say goodbye to Rory. He took a deep breath, as he thought of how he would say goodbye to her.

"I gotta go," 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.

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.

"So I might kiss you goodbye... But uh, 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. Like the first day he saw her, she was absolutely beautiful. Tristan finally understood that no matter how hard he tried, he'd never be able to forget her.

-----------------------

Yeah, so that chapter kinda sucked. So why did I write it? Two reasons. First, I needed to explore Tristan's feelings a bit more. Second, I needed this chapter to build up the reason Rory's at Tristan's house. You'll see in the following chapters...