Disclaimer: I own nothing you may or may not recognize. Characters are from RFR; I don't own them.

Rating: PG13, just in case

Pairing: Travis/Lily eventually

A/N: I think I'll just shut-up and let you guys read. And the crowd goes wild!!

Because I Know You

Chapter Twelve: Reticent Retreat

Travis had offered to walk Lily home but she declined, which surprised him. She had said she needed the time alone to appreciate her hometown of Roscoe. She said it was her own form of meditation. He compromised by walking her to the end of the cluster of warehouses. He hugged her tightly as she buried her face in the crook of his neck while his fingers smoothed her hair. It was a good thing that she pulled away first because he did not have the strength or desire to do it himself. Her lips met his, soft but confident, unaware of the significance of the moment. She walked away turning back to him once in a while to wave. When he was sure she was out of earshot he whispered, "It was wonderful knowing you, Lily Randall."

He certainly understood the need for meditation at the moment. His thoughts were scattered as he walked back to the station, the gravel sounding out his solitary footfalls. He should have told her he was leaving, he just couldn't. She would find out soon enough. For the past two hours he had questioned his decision to leave. Still, he came to the conclusion that he would be better off in London focusing on something rather than going crazy in Roscoe counting the hours till her next return.

He straightened up the studio, taking his time, memorizing everything, just as Lily had. No one knew he was leaving. Principal Waller had been silenced by his belief that this involved hush-hush diplomatic matters; an idea that Travis had not discouraged. His parents certainly were not PTA material; as far as he knew they did not mingle with anyone associated with his school. He had not told Lily or his other two closest friends. There would be no one to see him off. Sadly enough, he was used to that.

He had painstakingly laid out instructions for every piece of equipment used during an RFR broadcast and also for the recording equipment if there ever was a need for prerecorded intros or shows. As a tribute to Robbie's worst-case scenario personality he had even laminated them. He left copies of the CD's that had been part of his collection so that the two remaining DJ's would not suddenly be missing a chunk of their musical repertoire. He'd even used Robbie's infamous label maker to identify all the equipment. As a joke, he labeled everything: table…chair…exit.

As he was about to leave he realized he'd forgotten something at his house. He figured he would have time to bring it by tomorrow before he left, he was attending a half-day of school before jetting across the globe. One might wonder why but it was the last time he would be with his friends. He would take the forgotten item to the studio after lunch when everyone would still be in class.

He spent the morning goofing off with Ray and Robbie and most of the time in his classes he was sending silent messages to Lily via text messaging. For the first time in his life he wanted to cut class just to go to her but that would make leaving that much harder. At lunch he sat with the guys and they called Lily. Robbie was planning a grand show and they were all excitedly chatting about songs and skits as they looked around inconspicuously for eavesdroppers. Now was as good a time as any to voice his one true act of deception.

"Uh, guys? I won't be able to make today's show. I'll be visiting London relatives." Not a full-blown lie but the intent was the same.

Robbie frowned only slightly, "It's O.K., man, I think I've finally gotten the hang of that electronic beast."

Travis smirked, "Treat her nicely or she'll turn on you."

Ray handed the phone to Travis. "She wants to talk to you." Ray smirked as he mimicked Travis. "Treat her nicely or she'll turn on you."

He took the phone and lowered his voice for a false sense of privacy. "Hey Lil."

"So you're bailing on us?" She laughed, "I'm sure you'll be bored witless with family visiting. I know I always am. It should be about as fun as memorizing the checklists my parents keep shoving under my nose."

"Well, it will definitely be a long night." And a long flight, he thought.

"You'll still be there to see me off tomorrow right?" At his prolonged silence she spoke softly, "Travis?"

"I…I don't know for sure, Lily. My parents are pretty strict about prioritizing family. They'll probably have us whisked away to some weekend retreat." Well, he thought that was an outright lie.

His shoulders slumped as he heard her stifle a sniffle. Her voice was so tiny. "I'll see you again though?"

"Yes." Someday, he thought with conviction. Someday when they were sure of their paths.

Ray and Robbie looked at him strangely when he had clasped their shoulders firmly after lunch and simply said, "See you later." After he was sure they were headed to class, he went to Waller's office to pick up a copy of his transcript then headed to his locker to empty it out. Not much there, so it wouldn't take long and he could head to the studio to drop off his "goodbye" for the guys. It was remarkable that such a large part of his life was held in such a tiny rectangular space. He was unnerved slightly by the echo his footsteps produced in the locker-lined hallway as if the school itself was trying to reveal his covert egress.

A very familiar voice stopped him cold in the hall. "Travis!"

Audrey. He turned slowly to face her. "Audrey, what are you doing out of class?"

"Just running an errand for my art teacher." She held up the annoying brick-sized hall pass. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

If anyone would have found out it was Audrey; their parents had met during the brief courtship he and Audrey had shared. It was possible that she could have found out. He could hear the panic in his voice; he didn't want anyone to talk him out of it. "Audrey! I know I should have said something earlier but I didn't want anyone to make a big deal out of it. You won't tell them will you?"

"What are you talking about, Travis?" Her expression had changed from mild curiosity to deep concern. He saw the realization hit her when she spied his bag laden with the contents of his locker. "Travis? What did you do?"

She had only thought he was leaving for the day. He mentally slapped himself for his mistake but he couldn't hold back the lie anymore. He'd already hurt her badly once. "I'm leaving for London…today."

She was shocked into silence for a moment; her mouth frozen into a perfect glossy little "O". She stepped forward as if to protect the secret. "Is this because of Lily?"

He certainly wasn't expecting that question and it left him floundering, he wasn't comfortable talking about Lily, especially to Audrey. "NO!" Her look told him she wasn't fooled. Softer he added. "Yes and no. I am more than likely to be moved out of Roscoe by my parents anyway, I'm just beating them to it. Besides, if I stay busy in London with my uncle then I will not miss her."

She smiled and shook her head as if she was speaking to a child. "Well, you'd be wrong there. It won't matter where you are, Travis. But I understand." She hugged him and he returned the embrace, she really was a wonderful person. "You realize she's going to be angry with you, have you ever seen her angry?"

Yes he had, she was beautiful when she was amp-less.

"You won't tell them will you? I've already got my good-byes prepared and it may be the coward's way out but I don't want a big scene, you know?" It sounded even worse out loud than it did in his head when he was trying to justify his actions.

"Travis, that's not the easy way out…but you already know that don't you?" She looked him over and softly she said, "Don't worry, I won't tell them. You can trust me." She may not have intended to remind him of his betrayal but she had.

"Thanks, Audrey. For everything." He turned to leave but her next question stopped him once again.

"So who's going to run RFR now, Smog?"

He turned to see her smiling slyly. "You are Smog right? I don't think you have the humor of Pronto nor the hormones for Shady Lane. It's a close call for Question Mark but you seem more passive and subtle…like Smog."

"How long have you known?"

"Oh, since we were dating, really. Not one after-school date and a lot of "I just can't." excuses. I wasn't really sure of it until recently though. Don't worry, that secret is safe with me too." She winked at him.

Stunned he asked, "And when you called into the show as Devastated?"

She smiled sadly, "I wanted to give you the chance. It worked out O.K., wouldn't you say?"

"Yes…yes it did. You're amazing." He took her hand; his respect for her had skyrocketed. "You know, I don't know how the guys' reception would be at first but RFR could use another strong female presence after this weekend."

Audrey pursed her lips, "I'll think about it. Goodbye Travis."

He really hated that word. "Goodbye."

He entered the studio for the last time. This place felt more like home than any other had before. What had started out as gray and rusted now held color and life. The brightly colored posters and miscellaneous drawings providing a spontaneous mosaic of memories that could not be duplicated. He smiled as he spied all his labels. Robbie's headphones were labeled "Poohead." Ray would like that. He probably wouldn't like that Lily's ball was now labeled as the Edit Button and placed it in front of Robbie's chair. Ray's voice filled his head, A simple punch in the arm would do, Swami! Travis grinned, As you wish, Pronto.

He had to empty his bag to get to the items he needed. It wasn't much. He had mixed and edited the segments of RFR shows that showcased the guys' best qualities. Now every DJ had their own little demo. The best of Ray. The best of Robbie. Sometime in the future, it might come in handy. He knew Robbie would end up in broadcasting or journalism. Ray he wasn't too sure about, but he felt that Ray was some sports station's idea of a dream anchor. He even had the white teeth to boot. Inside the booth his fingers gently glided over the controls. He just had that feeling that this humble abandoned warehouse was the cultivating point for talent. He was sure of it.

He took out a notebook and penned a farewell. He had done everything now. Leaving was all that was left. He was struck with the sudden desire for a token memento. He carefully pulled down one of their flyers advertising Radio Free Roscoe, rolled it up with care and placed all his items back in his bag. He saw one last thing and couldn't resist. It was Lily's straw cowboy hat that she had sported during the RFR warehouse party. He couldn't believe she hadn't taken it, he liked to think she'd left it just for him.

He took one last look and stepped out of the studio, locking the door behind him.

A/N: You guys know what I like!!

Special note: This chapter is dedicated to Eyes of a Child who gave me my very first review which was very helpful as well. Sadly her site is on a hopefully VERY temporary hiatus. I know it will be hard after what you're dealing with but I hope your confidence in the human spirit is restored soon!