Disclaimer : We do not own Gilmore girls, nor do we intend to, but we do own any original characters. Also the titles for the next two chapters were taken from the Motor Ace song 'Carry On'

Rating: PG-13 though it might go as high as R. There may be some minor swearing in chapters.

Pairing: Trory of course!

Author's Note: This chapter was originally one whole chapter but it got a bit too long so I decided to separate it into two parts. Anyway I hope this part would give you a little inkling as to what happened between Tristan and Rory.

Broken Road

Chapter Three: [part one] We just stare while the wheels fall off…

[F l a s h b a c k]

Tristan gazed at the diamond-encrusted object that lay before him. At the end of the night it would hold either one of two meanings; eternal happiness or deep regret.

This ring held his future.

He closed the box with a resolute click then walked across the room to Rory's bedroom window, intent on passing the time until she came back from wherever she was.

With an arm cast casually on the ledge he rested his gaze upon the starry sky as the cool, night wind breezed right past him. After many minutes of thoughtful studying, he came to the realisation that the stars looked just like idle fireflies.

He smiled at his inane observation but it disappeared as he saw the unmistakable alignment of the stars. He really didn't have a particular interest on astrology but Rory managed to give him a good teaching about it on one of their frequent midnight rendezvous. He knew enough to know that when the stars were lined up they were lining up at the moment, it meant bad things were sure to come.

" Its beautiful isn't it? " came the strangely distant voice of Rory, standing in the doorway of her room.

"Yea…It looks just like- "

"- fireflies," she completed for him.

Tristan tore his eyes away from the sky and shook his previous thoughts out of his mind. He smiled at their natural connection as reached out for her hands saying,

" I have something to ask you"

"I have something to tell you," Rory responded, releasing her hands from his grasp.

"Okay. What I'm about to ask can wait…'

Silence bestowed upon them as Tristan eagerly awaited for her to speak.

"I got offered a job in L.A. I'm going to accept it. "

Somehow, it just didn't seem to sink in to Tristan's brain and all he could manage to let out was a disbelieving:

" What?! "

Rory moved a step closer to try and explain but Tristan just backed away.

"I can't believe you didn't even tell me about this! Let alone the fact you even got a job offer. Does being your boyfriend for 3 years mean nothing to you?"

Rory did her best to stay calm but her emotions betrayed her as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Of course it does! Tristan, the reason why I never told you was because I wasn't going to accept it –"

"- then why change your mind ? " he frantically interrupted, "I just don't understand. Everything is just so right for us right now. "

With a shaky breath, Rory convinced herself to steadily reply, " I'm about to finish college in 3 months. If I accept this job, I'm on my way to becoming what I've worked so hard for. Without it, I'd have nothing…"

"…you have me"

" no, that's just it Tristan. I can't rely on you my whole life. I need to venture out, try new things."

"So where does that leave us? "

By now, the tears were flowing freely down her face as Tristan watched on, wanting so much to engulf her in a hug and to tell her it'd be OK but he was physically paralysed to do such a thing.

"You know long distant relationships never work,' came Rory's soft reply.

"So it's over?"

Slowly but painfully she motioned her head up and down signalling her agreement.

"I'm so sorry Tristan…" She reached out for his hand but he immediately pulled away heading out the door and out of her life.

When the sound of the main door being shut was heard she uneasily backed up against the wall and ever so slowly, slid down to sit on the ground.

She didn't care that she was sobbing uncontrollably or that her body could not stay still. All she could think about was what she had just done.

It was time to let it all out -- and time to tell her.

Shakily, she got up and walked over to her phone and dialled the number.

"Hello? Mrs Dugrey ? "

" Rory "

"I did it. I broke it off with Tristan."

"Oh I'm so sorry," came the fake sympathetic reply.

"I bet you are." And with that, Rory hanged up.

***

Charlotte Dugrey smiled for the first time in days as she got off her mobile phone.

"She did it. "

She reached out to her side to where the mini-bar was located and poured herself a glass of wine. She raised it up to the only other passenger in the limo,

"Cheers"

"Here's to new beginnings, " came the sly voice of Vivienne as she too raised her glass and sipped the intoxicating liquid.

"OK where to now?" the chauffer asked from the driver's end.

"Why, back to New York," Charlotte airily replied, "Our business is done here in Star's Hallow"

***

Still parked in her driveway, Tristan fought the urge to get out of his car and beg her to stay. He knew that was really desperate but he would do anything when it came to Rory. What stopped him was the fact he believed that was what she truly wanted.

Instead, he gazed back up into the sky and realised he was right; something bad did happen.

He didn't want to think about it anymore for the feeling of great hurt weighed down on him. Without a moments thought, he backed out of her driveway and drove off. Completely forgetting about a certain something he left behind…

***

Placing the phone back in its cradle, she somehow found the strength to walk back over to her bed. She had no intention of sleeping that night but the vision of the soft layers of blankets and pillows seemed more attractive compared to sitting on the cold, dirty floor.

With a hand to her head, she attempted to sit down on it but immediately springed upright at the feeling of a small, hard object. She turned around to see what it was and found a black box. Curiously, she fingered the casing then opened it a moment later.

What she found made the tears that had previously disappeared, resurface.

It was a ring.

It was an engagement ring.

***

[ P r e s e n t D a y ]

Rory stood, glued to the spot, unable to comprehend what just happened.

He slammed the door.

Her confused mind tried to convince her she should be mad but her conscience got the better of her and told her she deserved it.

She knew she did.

When her thoughts stopped to bring her back to reality she realised she was here for her job and nothing else. She mustered up all her courage to give the bell one last ring. Instead of seeing the expected, angry face of Tristan, all she saw was the demure presence of his fiancee in his place.

"Hi Rory. It's nice to see you again,' Vivienne said, extending her carefully manicured hand. Rory accepted it and with slight hesitation replied,

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've met"

The corners of Vivienne's mouth slightly upturned giving a smirking effect.

"Really?" Before Rory could voice her confusion the other lady added, "I'm sorry to inform you but Tristan is unable to talk because we're going through a family crises at the moment He needs his rest so I guess now is not an appropriate time to arrange some private high-school reunion with him."

"But I'm not here to see Tristan. I'm here to do my job."

"You're the journalist? "

"Yeah I am.

"Well then…" Vivienne trailed off before continuing, "I'll be right back." She turned her back on Rory leaving the door slightly ajar. With that open space she could hear the muffled sounds of people talking. When she was sure that she heard footsteps heading towards her, she quickly stepped back to her original spot.

"Well…now is still not a good time but would it be alright if you can come back tomorrow at around…let's see…" Vivienne momentarily paused before saying, " I have a board meeting in the morning, then I'm going to be visiting my dad in the hospital at around six so would three-thirty be alright with you? "

Eager to leave, Rory readily agreed. "I'd be there. "

"Great. Until tomorrow…" and with that, she closed the door just as Rory let out a pent-up breath.

"Until tomorrow," she quietly repeated.

***

On the other side of the door, a very agitated Vivienne came bursting through the living room where an understandably shocked Tristan sat, staring at nowhere in particular.

"You better get your act by tomorrow because I'm certainly not making any more excuses for you."

Tristan stood abruptly to pace around the room. "I can't take this. They have to re-assign her," he said heading towards the phone to ring the editor but was halted in his actions by Viv.

"I thought by now you'd actually be over this but your display out there has showed me otherwise. Its been four fucking years Tristan. She's certainly over it, I mean, why else would she have the nerve to show her face to you "

Vivienne's words struck him hard. She was right. He convinced himself that if she managed to get him out of her system then he should be over her. What made it more easier was the fact was that he knew he was over her. But still --there was just this feeling that never goes away…

As he snapped out of his daze, he managed to say something before she exited the room.

"Thank you"

Vivienne gave him a rare, genuine smile then retreated back to her room to prepare herself for her own personal battles she was sure to experience the following day…

***

"Owwww!"

Rory grabbed her left foot and hopped around the room like an Energizer Bunny, hoping for the pain on her toe -caused by the unpredictable fall of a hair drier- to go away.

She was already thirty minutes late for her job and was about to make it another thirty if she didn't leave soon. When the pain finally went away, she quickly dressed herself and put on her shoes then headed straight out the door, not even bothering to give herself a second glance.

She had no time for an elevator so she made a dash for the stairs. Apparently she wasn't the only one in a hurry as the sight of a dark-haired man came zooming right past her and was already making a descent of the stairs. The man look familiar, the man looked like –

" Jess? "

He heard someone mention his name midway through going down another step. He inadvertently turned around to see who it was but lost his balance then fell four steps away to the nearest platform with a thud.

Rory just stood at the top of the stairs in disbelief. 'Did I just do that ?'

The low moan that escaped Jess mouth finally made her grasp the reality of the situation; he was hurt.

"Jess I am so sorry !" she cried as she reached his lying figure; face distorted in pain as he clutched onto his right ankle as if holding for dear life.

"Rory ?" he managed to let out.

"No time to talk," she hurriedly replied as she helped him slowly get up. She then reached out for his arm to place over her shoulder for support. Noticing the pained expression on his face as he limped the few steps they were making she determinedly announced,

"You're going to the hospital"

At this moment, she would've called her interviewees and told them she would be running a bit late, if it wasn't for the fact that she didn't have a clue what their number was.

They were just going to have to wait.

***