Hello!

Okay, so soon meant like a month but seriously, you do not know how much coursework was piled on me like a few days after I posted the prologue. That free time I talked about? Didn't happen. My bedroom has been my home for like three weeks and I apologise immensely for making you wait but here it is, finally!

I'd like to thank all my friends in a certain group for planting the idea in my head about writing a Tyler/Mallory fic. I'd like to thank Favnia on Tumblr for her amazing manips of Tyler and Mallory.

Right just to make things clear this will be my first third person story, mainly because I don't want to just give you one perspective of the story I want to be able to give you both sides, Mallory and Tyler's thoughts at the same time so I figured third person was my best bet. I didn't really want to set it in any specific time period other than the fact that it isn't 2001. For those of you going 'please, don't kill him off.' Believe me, I wouldn't do that. If you want a specific year for this chapter then I'd probably say 2012.

Tyler is 25 in this chapter. Mallory (I'm making her older than what she is in the film) would therefore be 23. Caroline is 14. I don't know how old everyone else is supposed to be or is going to be. If I'm honest I might just slip in a few extra characters for fillers from twilight, probably some of the guys, cause I feel like the way I'm going to write this will need more characters than what just these two films give me so a mini twilight crossover might be made ;) Hope you don't mind.

Well, this is probably my longest A/N but I hope everything you need to know is there. If not just message me, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: Eyes Laid On a Smokey Screen

Despite it being June in New York City, and that the weather had been enticing and sultry the day before, the rain now pelted the now dark concrete of New York's sidewalks. The cars in the streets were slick with the heavy summer rain as it slid down the smooth painted metal, onto the windscreen only to be thrown from the glass as the thin strips of rubber and plastic swept across the glass hurriedly, trying to keep its driver's vision clear. Yellow cabs were being hailed down twice as many times this morning. Pedestrians deciding that a five block walk was long in the drenching rain.

A middle aged man gave up his cab for a young woman just as a young couple ran for shelter in a nearby department store. People who wouldn't have been seen running in public were suddenly sprinting through the rain for cover or an empty passing cab. Cab drivers were waiting as patiently as they could for the day to be over, for their shift to be done so they could go home and admire the frantic behaviour of the habitants of New York from the confines of their homes.

One woman had decided to go out for her morning jog, sprinting through Central Park her light raincoat pulled tight around her body and face to keep her from getting too wet. The park was empty except for a few. She enjoyed the peace, slowing her pace as she reached the exit to where she'd then have to jog down the streets to her home. She turned a corner, passing cab after cab in the road. She almost ran into a young man who was standing on the side of the road, shivering, holding his coat over his head.

Tyler knew that putting his coat on would probably keep him warmer. But not drier, he thought. And dry was what he wanted to be. His messy dark golden brown hair was already damp from the rain, having had to make a break for it two blocks down to try to get to this spot on time. He moved his arm carefully to check the cheap watch on his wrist, mentally sighing in relief as he realised he had been five minutes early. His little sister had made it safely to school and he wasn't going to be late for his pick-up.

He saw the sleek black stretch of the car before the driver had probably seen him. Amongst the cabs it wasn't hard to not notice, Tyler noted as the water covered black car made its way down the block amongst a sea of bright yellow cabs. Tyler stepped out a little more, hoping to be noticed but gave up when the cars all came to a standstill. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Tyler stepped into the road and dodged between the cabs towards that black car which held that piece of dread which was flickering in his mind.

He didn't bother knocking on the door, he just opened it and threw himself in as quick as possible to get out of the rain. Charles appraised his son with a disapproving shake of his head, before quickly looking back down to the papers that were in his lap, looking over Tyler's recent police charges. With a shake of his jacket and his hair, Tyler turned to face his father, giving him a weak smile as his father glanced up then down again.

"I managed to get the charges dropped again." Charles told Tyler, his disappointment not hidden in his dull tone.

"How much do I owe you?" Tyler asked, fed up with being in his father's presence already. His relationship with his father was something he wished would be better, but knew that it couldn't be.

"Forget the money, just stay out of trouble. That's all I'll ask." He didn't look up to meet Tyler's blue eyes which were so much like his own.

Tyler sighed and ran an irritated hand down his face. This is what it had resorted to. His own father couldn't even look at him. His disdain towards his father came from his blatant lack of interest in Caroline's life. She was eleven years old and yet his father didn't make any effort in his youngest child's life. That and he always felt that since Michael had died that he had been blamed for that somehow.

"Fine, can you drop me off here?" Tyler requested, looking out onto the rain ridden streets, the puddles beginning to overflow on the sidewalk. He didn't need this today. He didn't want this today. He just wanted to get to work and try and forget about everything that was haunting him.

Charles sighed, annoyed, his lips curling up in disgust as he spoke, "Is this about that stripper?"

Tyler felt his whole body tense at just the mention of her. His back straightened and his fists clenched. He felt a roll of something just curl up and then unravel rapidly throughout his body as his chest tightened. Smokey green eyes lined heavily with black eyeliner flashed in his mind and his head tilted down as if bringing himself together physically would hold in the pain and the tearing which ran through him.

"Leave it." Tyler growled, but his throat cut him off at the end as he choked back the intense, shattering momentum which caused his entire body to ache.

"Tyler . . ." He could hear the warning in his father's voice but he chose to ignore it. He didn't even know her. He just knew her as the half-naked girl he'd stumbled upon in his son's apartment. He had been too quick to judge when she had mumbled that she worked in a strip club as Charles interrogated her presence in the apartment.

"I said . . . Leave it." Tyler growled again and this time his voice held firm. His fists had now become visible to his father and Charles stiffened in his seat, wondering if Tyler's anger issues were about to be tested.

"Fine." Charles settled, his voice still firm but softer at his son's noticeable upset.

The car came to a halt and Tyler rushed to get the door open, ignoring his father's plea to just stay for a little longer. Tyler threw his jacket over his head and sprinted to the sidewalk, briskly continuing down the sidewalk to the library.

Passer-by's bumped into each other and pleasantly apologised as they all made their way to work. Umbrella's cluttered the air and from above all that could be seen were circular shapes of different colours, bobbing and moving past each other as the rain continued to pour down in New York City. Hems of trousers sported a darker and damper trim as the rain seeped up the bottoms of people's work attire, women's legs getting chilled through their tights as the wind gusted down the street suddenly, causing umbrella's to tilt forward and backwards to protect their owners.

Tyler struggled through the crowd, holding his jacked as close to his head as possible in order not to get drenched from the never ending rain that had presented itself. Tyler tried to shake off the sick, paralysing feeling that still shuddered through him at the mention of her.

"I never thought someone would actually care about me. I've been shunted to one side for so long and now . . . you showed me that love does exist." Green eyes under black eyelashes, pink lips shifted to one side in a nervous smile as she messed with her yet again.

Tyler pushed her from his mind yet again, trying to ignore how much it still hurt to think about her. It had been two years and six months since he'd last seen her and everyday had felt like a never ending struggle to try to forget about her.

As if that was even possible, he scoffed as he pulled his jacket up higher over his head.

His day at work seemed to go by at a slow, dripping pace. The tick of the clock in the library just caused a constant ache in Tyler's mind as he counted how long was left until he could go home. Books were stacked and books were scanned. Aidan even turned up to see his friend at work, only to have to watch him wander around, rearranging shelves with a constant look of distress etched into his young face.

Aidan had found him that day. He'd never seen anyone so broken, so helpless. He had always tried to make a joke out of everything but he couldn't find it in him to even try. He had never been good at comforting anyone and so when Tyler had gripped onto him Aidan froze in shock, patting him on the back as Tyler just sat there, staring blankly ahead as if waiting for something to appear to him.

Tyler sighed bleakly as he noted the time, heading into the staff room to grab his belongings and sign out for the day. He just wanted to sleep. He just wanted to put his head down on a pillow, feel his body mould to his mattress as the ache behind his eyes was suddenly eased with the prospect of a peaceful slumber. But no slumber of Tyler's was ever peaceful. It was just filled with painful memories of her. Her voice. Her eyes. Her lips. Her smile. Her hair. That soft giggle that had escaped her lips as he'd tickled her on the couch that one evening after cooking dinner for her. All the things that he wanted to forget plagued him whenever his eyes closed.

The walk back home was a lot drier. The rain had let up and Tyler made his way down the streets, block after block, not really paying attention to who he had passed or anything concerning his surroundings. He just wanted to try and sleep and forget, hoping that when he woke up next his heart would feel a little lighter. That day had yet to come.

As he entered his building he came across a young woman bickering with the landlord. A new neighbour no doubt. Probably complaining about the state of the apartment or the rent. They were pretty drab. He dragged his feet up the stairs and pushed open the door to the apartment, reminding himself again to get the deadbolt fixed before they got robbed. Aidan wouldn't appreciate that. Not that he'd been around much. He practically lived with his girlfriend.

He trudged through the apartment his feet guiding him towards his only haven; his bed. His shoes were kicked off haphazardly as he collapsed on his back onto the soft mattress, his head finding the plush pillow which immediately cradled his heavy head. His eyes fluttered closed and he sighed deeply, not even making a mental thought about how he'd like to feel when he awoke.

Bang!

The sound of the front door being slammed open, or even just pushed a little too firmly, awoke Tyler from his plaguing dreams. He blinked for a second or two before pushing himself up into a sitting position, hoping Aidan had a good explanation for his loud and rude entrance. He dragged himself off of the bed and started his way back through the apartment to the front door, rubbing his face and his stubble with a grunt, a yawn slipped through his lips as he made it to the living room.

"Aidan, why the fuck are you making so much noise?" Tyler groaned, rubbing his eyes again as he stepped into view of the living room only to stop dead in his tracks.

Wide eyes caught his own, that smoky green colour that had tormented him for two years. Those plush almost lined pink lips parted slightly in shock. He took her in barely managing to ascertain that this was in fact reality and not a dream. But Tyler knew that it was too good to be true. She couldn't be here, he'd almost started to believe she was a creation of his imagination. Something he'd made up.

That heavy ache came back in force but now it felt softer, intense but gently thudding around his body, through his veins as he looked at her. His eyes flickering from her face to her apparel to her lips, eyes, nose, hair. Those soft tresses which fell to her chest in gentle waves, that odd chestnut brown colour which had always caught his eye, nothing had changed. She looked older, freer and if Tyler admitted it to himself she looked happier.

She was clutching his bike which was usually hung up near the door and it dawned on Tyler that it wasn't the door which had woken him but the bike clattering to the floor. She smiled sheepishly and leaned it carefully against the wall, brushing her hands down her pencil skirt as she did. She stood up straight, adjusted her blouse and then looked back to Tyler who hadn't moved an inch.

He looks so different, she thought as she raked her eyes across him quickly, not wanting to be caught staring.

"You're really here?" Tyler gasped after what seemed like years. Blinking furiously he stepped hesitantly towards her until he was right in front of her, forcing her to crane her neck to look at him.

She reached out timidly, her manicured fingernails just scratching his grey t-shirt. She still didn't know if her presence was appreciated, not knowing bothered her but she channelled the person she had been three years ago, who wouldn't have hesitated to touch the man she loved. Her hand lay flat on his chest and she felt Tyler stiffen underneath her hand.

"I'm really here." She whispered back just as Tyler reached his hand to touch her cheek causing her skin to burn. She hadn't forgotten what it felt like to have him touch her, it had just been too long since he had. She remembered the last time she'd seen him and winced internally at the memory, remembering how helpless she'd been to help him.

Feeling her eyes brim with tears she grabbed his waist and pulled him to her, her arms wrapping around him as his hands found their solace on her cheek and back. He gripped her tightly as she reinforced her grip on him, trying to convey to him how much she had missed him. How much she wished she could have stayed with him.

"Mallory . . ." He sighed deeply into her hair, causing goose bumps to raise up on the back of her neck.

"I'm really here. . ." She whispered into his chest, her hands holding onto him as tight as they could.

Tyler still couldn't believe that this wasn't a dream as he placed his lips on her head. It felt like it had been an eternity since he'd last held her. But holding her now felt like it had only been yesterday when he'd first laid eyes on her.

So?

This is the first chapter which is set in 2012, all the chapters from now until probably one from the end will be set in 2010.

I bet you guys are wondering what separated them right? Well you'll just have to wait and see ;)

I would love it if you guys could review or even pass this on to a friend who you know would like this? I know there's plenty of Tyllory shippers out there. Don't hide! I see you! ;)

Next chapter will be up in about two weeks, hopfully. Fingers crossed :)

This chapter was quite short but that's just because of the content, there was nothing else to prolong it. I didn't want to dig into every single aspect of his day because it was really just to show how he's been struggling.

Thank you!

Nic x