CHAPTER 1

He walked through a small town in North Carolina. He was looking for coffee. 'But where can I find some?'

He had just been released from Military school.

His parents put him on a plane (which was seen off by the valet) and there was a cab waiting when he arrived.

But they said nothing about a return flight.

Tristan Dugrey wandered the streets of a town named Tree Hill. Searching the shop fronts for any indication that coffee could be purchased inside.

Finally he found something.

Walking through the front door of Karen's Café, he dropped onto a stool at the counter, dumping his duffel bag on the stool beside him.

"Hi, what can I get you?" a girl asked from behind the counter. She smiled but then they both froze. Tristan's breathe caught in his throat.

She had long brown hair, brown eyes and a nice smile.

She looks just like Rory. He thought. Except her eyes. No one has those same eyes. But if her hair was a little darker, she could almost be Rory's twin.

Oh my God! He looks just like Lucas. Haley James thought to herself. Those eyes, that hair…

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Tristan asked the girl.

"I don't think so. I'm Haley." She said, pulling a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Tristan." He replied. Rory did that whenever she was nervous.

"Do you go to school around here? Coz I don't remember anyone mentioning a Tristan, but you look exactly like my best friend."

"No, I, um, I live in Connecticut. But I was at military school just outside of town and I was desperate for a cup of coffee."

"Sure. One coffee coming up. Anything else?" he quickly scanned the menu.

"What's in the 'Raven's Pie'?" he asked a little freaked out. That sounds really weird.

"Oh, it's just blackberries. It was added to the menu when Lucas joined the basketball team. They're called the Raven's." she explained.

"Huh. Ok, I'll take a piece of Raven's Pie and a coffee. Thanks."

"Sure. She went to the kitchen and returned with a fresh pot of coffee.

Tristan sat sipping the warm drink, thinking about the last two years of his life.

When he arrived at Chilton for his sophomore year, he had been king. Every girl wanted to date him, and every guy wanted to be him.

But then she showed up.

Rory Gilmore started about halfway through the first semester of sophomore year. She was behind in a lot of classes because she had come from public schooling.

On her first day, he had decided she was a Mary.

As in the Virgin Mary.

She was an innocent and naive girl, but that just made her more interesting.

From that day on, even though he continued with his usual routine, which always included a few P.D.A.'s everyday, and a new girlfriend every week, he couldn't stop thinking about the new Mary.

He was absolutely infatuated. He only ever really got to kiss her once. They were at a party, at Madaline's…

Tristan had been sitting at a piano, in a room by himself, just after a very unpleasant Public Display – Summer had just dumped him.

He was about to start playing, when Rory walked in.

He could recite every word from every conversation they ever had, this being one of the most important.

She said she was sorry about his breakup with Summer, then, when he said he didn't want to talk about her, she asked how he did on the biology test. He had accused her of loving, "seeing me get nailed like that." But she said she didn't.

After he asked her where her boyfriend was, she told him, he wasn't her boyfriend anymore. They both wondered if the other would get back together with their respective ex's, but neither of them thought it would happen. In his sad state, he actually apologized for being a jerk to her, and she accepted it. He made a crack about how great the party was, and she said she was able to catch up on some reading.

"You are very odd you know that?" he told her. She'd said thank you, and then, he leaned forward and kissed her. After a few short, amazing, moments, she pulled away – and she was crying. She ran away, and he didn't see her for the rest of the night.

Not again, until English Lit the next week, but they didn't speak again for quite awhile…

That was it, they were supposed to share a "Final kiss" in the death scene of Romeo and Juliet, but rehearsal always got interrupted, and he never made it to the final show.

That was the night he was pulled out of school, and sent to North Carolina.

He spent a year in hell.

Every morning for about three months he was woken at five thirty a.m. He got up, showered and was forced to run two miles before having breakfast, another shower, and then going to class.

After the first few months, he was able to program his body to wake up, half an hour earlier. He showered, and started his run before anyone else was out of bed.

For once in his life, he paid attention to his lessons, and passed everything. In his free time, he read books from the library. There was a list of books he had seen Rory reading, and heard her talking about. They were the ones he read.

He also spent time in the gym, and when he had the urge, he would sit, writing poetry or sketching things.

Over the year he spent there, he believed he was improving himself. He built his body and mind.

'Rory thinks I'm an idiot, and everything is handed to me, all thanks to "Daddy's money" but I'm going to change that.'

He decided he would work for things for the rest of his life, and would no longer use the name DuGrey to get ahead.

So here he was, sitting at a counter, in a café of a town he could barely remember the name of, coming face to face with a girl that looked exactly like the one he was in love with.

"Here you go." Haley said placing the plate in front of him.

"Thanks." He replied.

He drank his coffee and ate his pie, it wasn't too bad.

"Hey Luke," a woman said, placing her hand on Tristan's back.

"What?" he asked looking up.

"Karen, this is Tristan. He's from Connecticut." Haley said walking out of the kitchen.

"Oh my God." Karen said, dropping the groceries she was carrying. Her hand flew to her mouth and she started to hyperventilate.

"Woah! What's wrong with her?" Tristan asked Haley, as he jumped off his stool and caught the hysterical woman, just before she hit the ground.

"I- I don't know. Let's get her into the back room." Haley said, putting one of Karen's arms around her neck, and leading her to the couch in the back.

"I'll get some cool water." Haley said as they put her down. "Can you watch her?" she asked. Tristan looked down at the woman he had just met. They hadn't even really met though, but he felt like he had to do something.

"Sure." Haley went off to find something to make Karen more comfortable.

He sat staring at her, trying to figure what he could have done to make her react this way.

Haley brought in a bowl of cool water and a face cloth, but she wasn't alone.

A man dropped to his knee's beside Karen and turned to Tristan, while Haley placed the damp cloth on Karen's forhead.

"What the hell happened? Who-" He froze when he took a good look at him. "Oh my God. You look just like Lucas…"

"Ok, what's going on here? Who the hell is Lucas and what's wrong with you people!" Tristan yelled as he stood up.

"Lucas is my son." Karen said, opening her eyes.

"Karen are you ok?" Haley and the man asked in unison.

"I'm fine. Haley could you take Tristan outside please, I need to talk to Keith." Haley nodded, and she and Tristan went back into the main area of the café.

"Karen, how is there a kid out there that looks exactly like your son?" Keith asked, slowly helping Karen sit up.

"Because," Karen said, trying to build some courage. "He is my son."