AN: Hey guys, it's been a while. No real excuse for not updating sooner just the regular, I had to hide my kitten in my closet for an hour this morning because my dodgy little Greek landlords were hear to fix the man-hole in our bathroom and according to the lease I signed I'm not allowed to have pets But it backfired because she got out of the closet and they saw her stretching her paw out under my door so I had to lie and tell them it's my brother's cat and he's in Paraguay or somewhere similarly random for the next week...I don't think they believed me. Anyhoo:

photobooth romance: yes the rapist used a condom, thanks for pointing that one out in case other people weren't sure

cinonma039: no, Tristan only knows what Liz told him, that Justin attacked her…so did he, or didn't he? What does House say? "Everybody lies…"

I'm glad people liked Justin, when I was first plotting out his story I always sort of had him in the background as this spoilt rich kid who was a real asshole, but then as I developed the character of Liz I wanted to show her as torn not just bween two people but two lives. And also, I knew by then that she wouldn't be attracted to someone with a pretty face and no substance. I also wanted to make it that Justin was the guy that she was really in love with. She ran to Tristan but she really wanted the other one.

Oh and I know it seems like Liz was a real bitch for doing that to Tristan but I'm trying to add in a bit more to explain it.

Okay, so, longest AN ever, well...I'm sorry this is a short chapter but I'll have the nex one up tonight as well hopefully.

Disclaimer: You know, I know it, the whole freakin' world knows it...for those of you who don't know it, I don't own GG

Friday morning dawned clear but fresh in Echuca. Trista had bee lying awake for a few minutes. He liked waking up early, having those precious couple of hours in bed before he had to be anywhere, see anybody, do anything. He laid on his side, his eyes finding Rory's lumpy form in the next bead. She was curled in the foetal position, the blankets drawn up almost over her head. He smiled lazily. The day before had been…disappointing. It was only as he rang the doorbell at Justin's house that doubt had entered his mind about Justin, perhaps he'd never really believed it himself, that he could have killed her…Liz. He sighed, syaing the name under his breath. Liz…Liz…Elizabeth Belmont. His first love, the sweetest right? How could first love end like this?

He'd met her in grade school, she was so tiny, fragile looking, quiet. She was best friends with Summer Roberts, Tristan's next-door neighbour. They had mixed in the same group but he'd always had a silent crush on her. But she was always a little further out of his reach. Until sophomore year, Chilton had thrown a ball for the end of the year. He'd been arrogant, cocky…had cornered her at her locker, leaned against it.

"Hey Lizzie"

She'd rolled her eyes and ignored him, so he reached out a tugged one of her plaits. Batting his hand away she'd smiled softly.

"Hey Tristan"

He let her hair go, leaned back against the locker.

"So…are you going to the Summer Ball?" She'd laughed.

"We have to go the Summer Ball Tris,"

He inwardly cursed…stupid question! He laughed and smirked at her. "Of course. So…are you going with anyone?"

She smiled again and stooped to pick up her satchel.

"What are you trying to say Tristan?" She asked quietly, leaning into him, her warm breath washing across his flushed cheeks.

His breath caught, having her so close.

"I want you to go with me" He managed to get out, his voice still the confident voice of the King of Chilton.

She laughed at him, she actually laughed at him. It was only when she s the look on his face, the look of hurt and confusion that she sobered.

"Did you ever wonder if I wanted to go with you?" She asked.

He just looked at her, what the hell was she talking about.

"Tristan look, I like you, you're a nice guy. But you're not my type of guy. I'm not one of your girls who's just going to roll when you demand it. I'm not Summer…" Her voice was clear, calm, practiced.

That had hurt, that dig about Summer. Summer had been his first girlfriend, when he didn't really understand what having a girlfriend meant. It had broken up when Tristan had done what Summer had seen as unforgivable…and Liz obviously.

"So you won't go with me?"

"No Tristan…I won't" She said quickly, walking off to meet Summer down the hall. He'd watched as their heads bent together and Liz told Summer something. Summer had turned to stared at him, her eyes cold and ushered Liz out of the school.

It had taken him months to get Liz to agree to go out with him. Months where didn't so much as look at another girl. He'd stopped hanging around with his idiot friends like Duncan and Bowman, re-discovered his older friends like Matt ad Finn. Hell he'd even tried harder at school, clawed his way up to the top-ten in the class. Anything to make her see that he was serious, that he wasn't that guy anymore. He didn't drink as much, stopped smoking…and one day she'd said yes. He thought he hadn't heard her properly at first, that after so long wanting to hear "yes" he was starting to imagine it. She'd laughed at him again, but a friendly laugh this time. They'd gone to a party together, to the movies, out for dinner. He'd wanted to take her everywhere, be seen with her everywhere. But she wouldn't be his girlfriend, not she'd made that clear. It was only after Justin that she'd climbed in his bedroom window. This wasn't the Liz he'd thought he'd known. She crawled into bed with him, woken him up, told him that there was only him, that he made her feel so safe…that she loved him. And there they were, Tristan and Liz, the golden children.

He didn't recognise himself after that, he was besotted with her, wanted to marry her once they finished college. There had only been Liz…until the day Rory Gilmore-Hayden showed up at Chilton. He'd never have done anything of course, but there she was, always in the background. And when she showed up, the light surrounding Liz diminished a little. Liz had realised of course, she may never have been brilliant, but she wasn't stupid. His touches had changed, his words less frequent. Had she known that perhaps they were coming to an end? Had that been what he wanted? The night, the night that it…happened, she'd asked him about Rory, as they lay in bed.

"Do you like her?"

He'd laughed uncomfortably.

"More than you?" He asked.

She rolled onto her side and stared into hi eyes.

"Yes"

He had been shocked, she was never usually so direct with her insecurities. He reached out to touch her cheek, gently tugging on a strand of long, dirty blond hair and pulling it behind her ear. He kissed her nose.

"Of course not" He said, he knew she wasn't satisfied with that reply but he wasn't in the mood to entertain her insecurities that night.

"You do, don't you?"

He sigh heavily and she sat up in the bed, pulling the sheet with her.

"What are you doing Liz?"

"I'm going back to my room"

"Don't, stay" he asked half-heartedly,

"I've got homework to do"

He laughed at her and reached for her hand. She was scowling at him,

"Come on baby, we've go the morning off tomorrow"

"Yeah well, it's senior year Tristan, and you're gonna have to get used to not seeing as much of me" She smiled sweetly at him but it wasn't a real smile. She was already dressed when he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him roughly. She let out a small scream.

"We both know I'll never get used to that" He whispered slowly catching her lips with his.

Eventually she pushed him away and climbed up onto the window sill.

"I love you…" She looked as though she were about to say something else but as Tristan watched her she climbed through the window, pulled up her hood and walked off. It was only once she'd gone that he'd realised what had troubled him, her voice, it had been so hollow, so empty…and all because of Rory Gilmore-Hayden…

"What are you thinking about?" Her voice shattered his day-dreams and he jumped. Rory was now sitting up in herbed, her blankets pulled up to her chin and head cocked on the side watching him. He shrugged.

"Just thinking," He couldn't tell her, couldn't tell her the truth. He hadn't told the police about his disagreement with Liz, it h been so small for them. Usually I thy fought it descended to an all-out slinging match, for some reason this one hadn't, and for some reason, that had seemed more serious to Tristan. He had known, lying in bed after she left, that this wasn't over. Rory shrugged and climbed out of bed, hopping lightly towards the bathroom to shower.

"Are you looking forward to going home"

"Can't hardly wait," He mumbled.

She stuck her head out the bathroom door and poked h tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes.


She turned on he shower and removed her clothes folding hem neatly and piling them on the basin. She was feeling feather-light today, the day before, finding Justin as well as the good night's sleep she'd gotten had combined to pull the weight of recent weeks off her shoulders. Mostly though, she was going home, she'd never realised how sweet that was before.

Tristan drove the last leg of the journey. Rory reclined the passenger seat back as far as it would go and kicked her feet up onto the dashboard. Leaning back she though over the past few weeks. His fall from grace had been spectacular and she'd been there through it all. In the beginning she didn't think either of them could have said why…hell, even as the car roared down the highway and with the sun falling over her contemplative features she couldn't say what had made her stick by him. In the back of her mind, where she kept pushing it a little further out of sight was the niggling reminder that this road-tri had achieved nothing. Sure, they'd found Justin, but when they got back Tristan would still be the target of the police, of Summer…she sighed under her breath. For the moment, until they reached Hartford, she would pretend it was over.

Tristan looked over at her, she was so quiet he thought she'd fallen asleep. She was awake though, she smiled at him and he felt his heart rate speed up a little. She was right there right there in the passenger seat beside him, she'd been beside him since the outset. He couldn't help but ask himself, if things had been different, would Liz have been there like this?