Rory spent all that night packing and all the next day avoiding Tristan. She dodged him at school, making sure that she didn't stay at her locker long, knowing that he would find her eventually and that she would have to explain. Rory was a master at avoiding the inevitable.

She didn't know what to do about Tristan. Did she ask him to have a long-distance relationship with her? Knowing that it never worked out, she was hesitant to go down that road, to hold on to something that would eventually fall apart. She knew that she couldn't just end the relationship; Tristan wouldn't accept that, he wouldn't let it go. And so that only left one option; avoid him until she could come up with a plan that would result in no one getting hurt, in everything staying the same. Rory sighed as she realized that that would never happen.

It was at the end of the day on her way towards the parking lot that Logan caught up with her.

"Hey!" He called to her rapidly retreating form. She turned and stopped, waiting for him to catch up. Taking one look at her, he immediately knew what was wrong. Rory always had the same look when her dad announced that they were moving and she was wearing it now. His shoulders slumped slightly. "Where?"

Rory almost smiled at Logan's ability to read her. "Canada."

"Canada? You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

She shook her head. "Nope, I wish I was."

"Can he do this? Can you move so late senior year? Won't that mess you up for graduation?"

She shrugged. "Apparently he made a deal with the principal of the school that I'm going to be attending and they arranged everything so that it all works out."

Logan nodded. "If there's one thing that our parents have in common it's that they have the ability to always get their way." He waited a beat before adding, "Have you told Tristan yet?"

"No."

Again he nodded, knowing that it would be best if he didn't push the subject. He put a casual arm around her shoulders and squeezed gently. "This sucks, what about all of our plans? We were going to actually graduate together; I never thought that that would happen."

"I know." Her voice was quiet, her posture was resigned. "But in the fall we'll be at college, right? It'll be the two of us and nobody will stop that."

"Huntzberger and Hayden against the world." He grinned for a second before a serious look took over. "But should Dugrey be added in there as well?" He asked his voice quiet.

Rory looked away. "I don't know."

Logan didn't say anything knowing that words weren't necessary, that words wouldn't work this time. He just pulled Rory closer as they walked in silence.

Rory didn't know what she was doing or what she was going to say. Having finally decided to talk to Tristan, she had jumped in her car and drove to his house and was sitting in her car trying to convince herself to leave its confines. She knew that he would be mad because of her avoidance of him but she didn't let that faze her. Her mind was still muddled and she was still confused; still stuck on that one questions racing through her mind. Should she continue things with Tristan or break them off?

Stepping out of the car, she nervously fixed her clothes and hair, making sure that she looked perfect. Sighing, she walked down the long driveway until she came to the elaborate door and knocked. A minute later Tristan opened it.

"Hey," he said, leaning against the door frame. "This is a surprise."

He was annoyed and Rory knew it but she chose to ignore it. "Hey!" She leaned forward to give him a kiss and tried not to look hurt when he pulled back after barely a second. "Are you going to let me in?"

Moving out of the way, he gestured for her to go inside. Wordlessly she followed him down the hall and up the stairs until they reached his room. He closed the door behind them and turned to face her.

"Why were you avoiding me today?" His voice was quiet and serious.

Rory shrugged and looked away. She knew that this moment really was the deciding point in their relationship. She could make up a lie and walk away, never seeing him again or tell the truth and hope that he would be willing to do the long distance thing. This moment was the moment that Rory had been dreading forever. Having done the lying part too many times to count and having walked away unscarred every time, that option was looking better.

But that option didn't give her what she really wanted. That option didn't give her Tristan.

"Rory." His voice was almost pleading and it broke her heart. "What happened? Did I do something?"

Rory could feel the words coming, after so many years they had started to come automatically. "You didn't do something, I did."

Tristan looked at her confused. "I don't understand. Why were you avoiding me?"

Feeling tired and drained, she continued the speech that she had memorized long ago. "I made a mistake." She took a deep breath, not meeting his eyes before she continued. "I went out the other night and had too much to drink. I met this guy and one thing led to another."

Tristan took a step back and Rory could physically as well as emotionally feel him pull back from her. "What?" He whispered.

"I-I…" She suddenly didn't want to continue, didn't want to go down the road that she had traveled so many times before. Sitting down on Tristan's bed, she looked at him, trying not to let the tears fall. "I'm moving." He didn't say anything. "I moving to Canada, my dad got transferred."

"And so you cheated on me?" His voice was low and dangerous.

"I wanted you to hate me, you need to hate me." Tears were falling down her face now.

"I could never hate you Rory, despite what you just told me." He paused, thinking over her words. "Why do you want me to hate you?"

"If I just told you that I was moving you would insist on a long-distance relationship and I couldn't handle it if it ended. It's so much easier just to end it now."

"So you didn't cheat on me?"

Mutely she shook her head.

"You lied so that I'd break up with you?"

Again she shook her head.

"You're an idiot Rory." She looked up insulted, ready to fight. "God don't you think that I have some say in this? That I'm part of this relationship and therefore get to decided when and where it ends?"

"You'll find someone new after I leave; its better this way."

He laughed bitterly. "Do you really think so low of me?"

"That's how life works, nobody's perfect, everyone makes mistakes. I don't want to get my heart broken because you made a mistake."

"Oh yeah so it's better that I get my heart broken because you're too goddamn scared to be with me?" He asked sarcastically and Rory shrunk back. "You mean a lot to me Rory." His voice was quiet. "I wouldn't hurt you, it doesn't matter if you're in another country or not."

"How do I know that, Tristan?" She wiped the tears from her face.

"Faith, Rory. You have to trust and have faith in me."

She looked at him for a moment, thinking over her options. "I do trust you," she said, smiling as he stepped closer to her.

"Okay," he murmured, running a hand down her cheek. "Just don't do this again, okay? Come and talk to me instead of making assumptions."

She nodded. "Okay."

Tristan looked down at her, an idea popping into his mind. "Move in with me."

"What?"

"Move in with me, we can get an apartment together." His voice was desperate. He knew that she wouldn't accept but she felt like she had to try anyway.

Rory laughed softly, sliding her hands around his waist. "We can't Tristan, I know it and you know it."

He sighed. "Yeah I know."

"But it was sweet of you to offer it anyway."

Leaning up to kiss him, it suddenly didn't matter that they would be separated soon, that everything was about to change. All that mattered was the feeling that went through Rory as he kissed her back and pushed her back on the bed. Everything else could wait.

The days until Chris and Rory moved passed in a blur of boxes and packing. Her last day of school was spent ignoring the victorious smirks of all the girls interested in Tristan and packing up her locker.

"I can't believe you're leaving," Abby whined for the thousandth time that day.

"I know," Rory whined back, throwing another notebook into the box sitting at her feet. Abby and Alex had been following her around for the majority of the day and although at first she had thought that it was sweet, it was fast becoming annoying.

"Hey," Tristan said, appearing at Rory's elbow. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," she replied, closing her locker for the last time. Even though it was stupid, she would miss spending five minutes every morning attempting to open her locker.

"I'll miss you." Abby grinned at Rory and gave her a hug. "Be sure to keep in touch."

She hugged her back saying, "Of course I'll keep in touch." This was a lie; Rory never kept in touch.

Alex leaned over, kissing Rory on the cheek. "Try to get kicked out of your new school so that you can come back here," he said smirking.

She laughed, happy that someone was breaking the sappy mood that had taken over in the last couple of minutes. "I'll try," she promised.

Tristan picked up the box sitting at Rory's feet, grunting a little at the weight. They walked down the hall with Rory grinning and waving at people who said good-bye to her. As they walked out the front doors, she paused for a moment.

"You know what?" She asked, looking up at the looming building in front of her.

"What?"

"I think that I'm actually going to miss this place."

Tristan didn't say anything in response; instead he slipped his free arm around her waist, comforting her with more than just words.

Rory arrived home to see the familiar sight of boxes lining the room and halls. Lugging the box full of her locker items behind her, she walked into the kitchen. The house was empty, her dad still packing up his office at work and so Rory got back to putting their dishes into boxes. She spent the rest of her afternoon reflecting on memories that coincided with the objects she was packing.

It was late the eve before she moved that Rory tiptoed past her dad's room and down the stairs. She didn't worry after the car waking her father up, knowing that as soon as she passed his room she would be safe. Backing out of the driveway, she turned and headed towards a house that she had become very familiar with the last couple months.

She parked on the street, not wanting to wake the occupants of the house. Slipping around the side of the house until she came directly under a familiar window, she picked up a pebble that she had found on the road. Tossing it lightly against the second story window, she waited for a response.

The window slip open and Tristan's head slid out, his face looking confused until his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could make out Rory standing below.

He smirked, leaning against the window frame. "Isn't it supposed to be the guy that comes throwing stones at someone's window in the middle of the night?"

Rory smirked back. "It is but my man isn't man enough to do so."

He laughed in response. "You know how manly I can be," he said suggestively.

"Maybe you should invite me up so you can show me."

Rory laughed as he quickly disappeared from the window. She walked around until she came to the front of the house, waiting in the shadows until she saw Tristan opening the door. Stepping into the hall and giving him a light kiss, she followed him up the stairs and into his room, not saying a word in fear of his parents hearing her.

When at last they reached his room and closed the door behind him, she stepped closer to him, giving him a deeper kiss than the one that he received at the door.

"What are you doing here?" He murmured against her lips.

"What, are you complaining?" she teased. He kissed her in response. When at last they had broke apart, she pulled back a little, looking him in the eye and shrugging slightly. "I don't want the big airport scene tomorrow so I thought that we could have our own private good-bye session tonight."

"So this is the last time I'll see you in God knows how long?"

"Yup."

He smirked. "Better make it worth while then," he said, backing her up towards the bed.

Rory left in the early hours of the morning. She tried not to cry on the drive home but was unsuccessful. She didn't know when she would see Tristan again or what would be in store in the future for them and she hated that; she hated not knowing. Sighing, she pulled into her driveway and turned off the ignition, just sitting there in silence for a moment. Her life was changing again and this time she wasn't sure if she could keep up with it all.

Rory and Chris arrived alone at the airport, both having said all their good-byes earlier as to avoid the awkward scene that was inevitable at the airport. They went through the now familiar process of checking baggage and going through security. This was routine for them and even though Rory hated going through it now, it was almost a relief that everything was going back to normal before she had moved to Hartford.

Rory stared down at the clouds below her as the plane took her to her new home. She knew that she and Tristan weren't over and that while in some ways things would change, others would stay the same. No matter how far apart they were, they would find a way to be together, even if it was only for a little while, an interlude in an otherwise harsh reality. She sighed, leaning back into her seat and watched the world pass her by.

When they arrived at their condo it was raining rather heavily. The condo itself was of average size, bigger than some places that they had lived in but smaller than others. None of their stuff was there yet and it would take a couple days for it to arrive. As Rory stood in her empty bedroom watching the dreary outside world, she wondered what this city would have in hold for her. So immersed was she in her thoughts that she didn't notice when her dad walked into the room until he slung an affectionate arm around her shoulders.

They stood there for a moment in silence, listening to the rain hitting the roof and thinking about all that they had left behind. Finally Chris spoke.

"This time we're staying here. This is it," he said as he always did. It had somehow become a twisted Hayden tradition of some sorts. His voice held a hint of desperation in it which Rory ignored.

"Yup, this is it," she replied as she always did, forever the dutiful daughter.