"But you never go out anymore!" Merida complained to her best friend, throwing her head back against the flowered sofa in frustration as she rubbed the heals of her hands on her eyes.
"I'm sorry Mer, but this assignment cant be put off! Mr. North needs it at the end of the week, and I've barely even started on it!" Rapunzel tried to explain to the redhead.
"You never have any time for your friends anymore! I miss you!" Merida whined.
Rapunzel shook her head.
"Theres nothing I can do about this! Besides, the sooner I get it done, the sooner I can hang out with you!"
Merida didn't seem quite convinced.
Rapunzel wasn't sure whether it was Merida's scowl, her raised eyebrow or her arms crossed over her chest that gave it away.
"I'll tell you what, as soon as I do finish this project, and we get to hang out, you get to choose what we do and where we go. Deal?" Rapunzel asked, offering forth her hand, which Merida gladly accepted.
"Deal!" She said happily, a smile replacing her previously sour expression.
"Good! Now let me get my work done!"
"You got it! I'll get out of your hair!" Merida winked at her friend.
It was now Rapunzel's turn to scowl.
"Ha ha! Very funny! Not amused Mer!"
"You know you love me!"
"I do, so get out while your legs still function!" the blonde ordered, pointing to her front door.
"Ok, ok! No need to get all snippy with me!" Merida defended, putting her hands up in front of herself in a defensive manner.
As soon as Merida had left, Rapunzel settled herself comfortably on the couch, pulling back the creamy colored curtains to reveal the beautiful outdoors.
She sighed at knowing that she couldn't join the outdoors, no matter how much she wanted to.
"Of course I would be shut up in the house on a day like today!" She muttered to herself, bemoaning the irony of the whole situation.
She loved the outdoors, especially when it was so sunny and welcoming like today was, the birds singing as the breeze played with the tulips and irises in her garden. The entire world seemed to be alive and just begging her to come and join in on the simplicity of the day's beauty. Oh how she wished she could step outside for just a mere moment!
She would often find herself humming as she worked in her garden, the sun sweetly kissing her skin rather than burning it like Merida's always did. The redhead had mentioned her distaste for sunburn on more than one occasion.
Rapunzel sighed. Perhaps she simply needed to find a source of inspiration.
She continued to gaze longingly out her window, when she noticed something very odd.
An elderly gentleman was standing in front of the old Gothel house.
Ms. Gothel had been nice enough, but Rapunzel remembered how she tried to get her company to stay with her for as long as she could, claiming that she was an old lady who received very few visitors and even less attention.
Rapunzel shivered at the though.
She turned her attention back to the man, who she noticed was dressed rather oddly. For an old man anyway.
He wasn't wearing a cardigan and sweat pants, or even one of those sweater vest things that her grandfather had always loved wearing.
Instead, he wore a sharp, grey suit, the jacket carefully laying across his forearm. His snow white hair was very pretty in her eyes, and reminded her of winter, when the snow covered everything in sight, and you could sit drinking hot cocoa as you looked out over the frozen landscape.
He was a big man too, Rapunzel wondering how his extremely broad shoulders didn't rip the red dress shirt he was wearing.
As she continued to look, the man turned and began walking away from the house.
Rapunzel gasped when she saw who it was, leaping off her sofa, bounding through her front door and down her front steps.
"Mr. North!" she called as she ran towards her teacher, feet softly padding across the paved street.
The man turned to see who had called his name, and a bright smile lit up his face upon seeing the blonde girl.
"Why Rapunzel!" he exclaimed in his Russian accent.
"To what do I owe de pleasure of your company?" he asked.
Rapunzel smiled back at him as she took a moment to catch her breath.
"I – I live across the street!" she explained, pointing to her little light yellow house.
"Oh! I didn't know you live here! What lovely little place!"
"Yeah! I even painted it myself!"
"Well, dat changes everything!" he said happily, his grin reaching his blue eyes.
"What do you mean?"
she asked, confused for a moment.
She inhaled sharply before letting out a little squeal of happiness "Are you thinking of moving into the neighborhood?! Is that why you were looking at the old Gothel place? You wanna buy it!"
"Well actually,"
"Oh this is so exciting! You're going to love it here! Well, all except for Mrs. Stepther. She's a grump,"
"Rapunzel," Mr. North tried to interject, but the girl was far too excited to stop talking.
"And I can introduce you to the realtor! Mrs. Dunbroch is my best friend's mom!"
"Rapunzel,"
"Oh I promise you will love it here Mr. North!" Rapunzel exclaimed, clasping her hands in front of her.
Mr. North sighed.
"Rapunzel," he said, taking advantage of the blonde's moment of silence.
"Yes?"
"I'm not moving here,"
"Oh," she said softly, her face falling and her hands soon following.
"I already have wonderful house. I am actually looking for house for someone else,"
"You are? Who?" Rapunzel was thoroughly confused now.
"My son,"
"You have a son?" she asked, her eyebrows rising in surprise.
"Yes. He's actually about your age. You're twenty-two correct?"
"Yes sir! I will actually be twenty-three in November. The twenty-fourth to be exact,"
"Really? My son's is September twenty-first!"
"Cool! So, why are you looking for a house for him any way? Is he looking for one?"
"Actually, no. But he's been living in the same apartment for as long as a Russian winter, and I want him to have an actual house. He loves a good project, and that house on the corner seems like the perfect thing for him. Besides, he just graduated, and I wanted to give him a good gift,"
"Well I think that is super sweet of you! I bet he'll love it!"
"I hope so. Say, would you mind keeping eye on house? At least until I get offer in?"
"I don't mind at all! Especially for my favorite teacher!" Rapunzel said, smiling warmly.
"Thank you!" Mr. North exclaimed, shaking the girl's tiny hand in his own ginormous pair.
Rapunzel still smiled, even though she was practically being shaken to death from the man's vice-like grip.
"Of course!" seemed to be the only words she was able to say at the moment that would be understood during all of her vibrating.
"I will be by Wednesday to check up on de place. And if you could keep eye out for my boy, that would be wonderful," Mr. North said as he let go of his student's hand, and stuffed his own into the pockets of his trousers.
"Sure! What's he look like?" Rapunzel asked.
"Oh trust me! You know him when you see him!" the man laughed.
Rapunzel giggled as well, being swept up in her teacher's jolly attitude.
"Goodness gracious child! Where are your shoes?" Mr. North suddenly exclaimed in astonishment, noticing that the girl's feet were absent of any footwear.
"Huh?" Rapunzel replied, looking down at her bare feet. "Oh! I love being barefoot! If I could, I would go to classes without shoes!"
Mr. North chuckled again. "Oh my son is de exact same way! Even in winter! I'm surprised de boy did not die of hypothermia by de time he was five!"
She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "That sounds dangerous!"
"Oh, it not so bad. He's seen few Russian winters, and he has always had great tolerance for cold, so I never really had to worry about him too much. He's always had some amount of recklessness in his blood! But I love him, and wouldn't want to change thing about him!"
"That's so sweet! I can't wait to meet him now!"
"I'm so glad to hear that! I just know you two will hit off immediately! It was good to see you!" he said, shaking her hand again, although much softer this time.
"It was good to see you too Mr. North!" Rapunzel replied.
The man waved goodbye to his student as he walked back down the sidewalk away from Rapunzel. She waved to her teacher, smiling as sunnily as the day was being.
"I wonder what he meant by 'You'll know him when you see him'?" she thought as she looked both ways and then ran across the street back to her house.
She entered through her front door slightly out of breath, and collapsed on her flower printed couch.
She grabbed her notebook and continued her assignment, but that soon backfired when her brain couldn't seem to think of anything aside from the mysterious son of Mr. North.
She put down her notebook and picked up her tablet, opening her "notes" app.
What did she know so far about the unknown Mr. North Jr?
Well, first of all he was her age, turning twenty-three soon.
Second, his birthday was September twenty-first.
Third, he loved having bare feet.
Rapunzel wiggled her toes as she wrote that one, smiling warmly at the thought of someone else who enjoyed freedom from socks and shoes and didn't claim it as being "weird" or "crazy".
Fourth, he had built up a tolerance for cold, and it seemed that he might actually enjoy the cold somewhat.
Fifth, he had lived in Russia when he was younger.
Sixth, he had recently graduated from somewhere for something.
Seventh, he liked to work on projects.
Eighth, he had lived in an apartment for quite a long time.
And ninth, Mr. North seemed to love his son, very, very much. So much so, that he was willing to buy him a house as a graduation present.
She looked over her list, tapping her chin with her stylus.
"I wonder what he looks like?" she said to herself, her mind beginning to weave an idea of the guy's physical appearance.
"He would probably have blue eyes, just like his father's, and he'd be tall like him too. But not as tall, maybe like six feet," she reasoned, as she began to type out the details.
She was able to make several speculations about the guy, including the fact that he most likely had a paler complexion due to living in a cold environment like Russia for a while, however she ran into a roadblock when it came to hair color.
"This should be an easy one! But I don't know what Mr. North's natural hair color is!" she complained, throwing her head back against the back of her sofa in disappointment. "For all I know, his hair could be white!"
She glanced out her window, noticing that it had gotten dark while she had been working on her project and her detective skills.
She sighed as she packed up her things, laying them on the coffee table and trudged up the stairs to her bedroom, its light violet walls always warm and inviting to her. She so loved that color!
She changed into a light blue tank top, and her favorite pair of purple, ducky pajama pants and turned her fan onto the number two setting.
After brushing her teeth and re-braiding her long, blonde hair, she tucked herself under the pink and purple butterfly bedspread of her bed, letting out a contented sigh at feeling the softness of the mattress under her body. She reached over to turn out her bedside lamp, and settled back under the covers, the low rumbling of her fan lulling her into a peaceful sleep.
Rapunzel woke up the next morning to the sun peaking through her light green curtains. They didn't really match her color scheme, but Merida had insisted that she get them because they reminded her of Rapunzel's eyes, so she consented. She stretched her arms above her head, and let the yawn that was trying to get out, escape.
She pushed back her covers and turned off her fan, her gaze suddenly focused on her curtain covered window. She felt drawn to it, and rose from her bed in order to approach it. She pushed back the silky green barrier between her and the outside world, her eyes landing on the old Gothel place. It had been run down ever since the old maid had died, and Rapunzel wondered if anyone would be able to fix it up and make it look nice again. The white siding was so filthy that it had taken on an almost permanent grey hue to it. The shutters were falling off or broken, and the front door had to be bungie chorded shut because of all the noise it had caused during windy days and nights. It was well known as a place that was supposedly haunted by the old lady. However, few people actually believed that, and Rapunzel was not one who did. She actually thought it was rather sad that people avoided the house. So finding out that someone might actually move in and take care of it, possibly making it look better than it ever did, made the blonde smile.
She opened the window, the warm morning air hitting her skin and causing goose bumps to prickle across her arms as she leaned on her elbows on the window sill.
She breathed in the scent of spring, relishing the beauty of the morning and the sweet singing of the birds, when a vehicle pulled onto her street, scaring away all the songbirds with its loud sounds.
She scowled at the bright blue Jeep as it screeched to a stop in the driveway of the building that had just held the girl's attention.
She gazed curiously at what she assumed to be a young man as he exited the driver's side of the Jeep.
He had shaggy brown hair and wore a white t-shirt and brown cargo pants as he walked towards the house, the sound of the Jeep locking wafting through the air.
"Alright, I'm here. Now what is it you want me to tell you about this place?" he said, his voice echoing across the relatively quiet and empty street. Rapunzel noticed that he had a cell phone held to his ear.
"Yeah it looks like it's in rough condition man. Dude, I think it would take at least four months to fix it up!"
There was a pause, Rapunzel assuming that whoever was on the other line was currently talking.
"I don't know where he gets these ideas! I mean, this is like practically a haunted house! No, it is not 'cool'!" the man exclaimed, putting a hand on his hip as the frustration sounded in his voice.
"Alright, I'll go around back,"
And he ended up doing that, his voice being drowned out by the building.
He appeared around the other side of the house about five minutes later.
"…Plumbing seems to still be good, and it's a sound foundation. There's clearly a basement. Its definitely a fixer upper. All in all though, it seems like a pretty decent house man! And a great price too! Are you crazy! I wouldn't pass this deal up!"
The man responded with a few "yeah's" and an "alright fine!" Before saying goodbye, hanging up his phone, and unlocking the Jeep.
He got in the blue vehicle and backed out of the driveway, driving away from the old house.
"That must have been him," she thought out loud. "He's not at all what I expected! He seems nice though,"
Rapunzel prepared herself for her day, getting dressed and having an apple before grabbing her house keys and heading out the door for her morning jog. She played her playlist on her iPhone labeled "Run", and began her stretches. She waved to her neighbors as she passed them, offering smiles to them as she ran by at a rather steady pace.
She had already done her first lap around her neighborhood, when she spotted the same bright blue Jeep that had been across the street earlier. Apparently, young Mr. North wanted to meet those in the area he would possibly live in.
She slowed her pace in order to try and get a new better view of the driver who was having what looked like a rather animated conversation with Mr. Gobber, when a sudden flash of red passed her.
"So, whatcha lookin aht?" Merida asked, jogging backwards in order to see her best friend's reaction first hand and up close.
"Wha-! Merida!" the blonde cried out, nearly tripping over her own feet.
Merida doubled over with laughter, while Rapunzel tried to calm her rapidly beating heart.
"Don't. Do. That! You almost gave me a heart attack!" yelled the blonde.
Merida stood to her feet again and shrugged her shoulders, a smile still plastered to her freckle kissed face. She then suddenly ran off, leaving behind a shocked Rapunzel.
"You did that just for fun didn't you!" she called after the Scott, who simply sent her a nonchalant hand wave over her shoulder.
"That girl!" Rapunzel muttered, shaking her head as she readjusted her earbuds and resumed her jog, the blue Jeep having vacated the area somewhere during the whole situation with Merida.
She made her second lap around the neighborhood and headed home, ready for a nice, cold shower!
She practically stumbled up her front steps and through her front door, her breath heavy and her heart beating faster than it normally did after a morning jog due to the stunt of her best friend.
After a refreshing shower, Rapunzel wrapped her long hair up in a towel, and plopped down on her couch, picking up her tablet and stylus and continuing her work on the piece she was currently working on. It really felt nice to be on Spring break and not have to worry about a million assignments being due, but only a select few.
Before she realized it, time had slipped away from her, and Rapunzel rushed around to get ready for work, changing into a pair of tan capris and a light green t-shirt. She removed the towel from her hair and put it up in a messy bun, slipping her feet into a pair of black flats at the same time. She grabbed her keys and purse and hopped into her green Volkswagen Beetle, revving the engine before pulling out of her driveway and heading to town.
She skidded into the parking lot behind the building reserved for employees, and ran through the back door. She was greeted by the sweet smile of her cousin Honey Lemon, who handed her her apron.
"Glad you could make it!" she whispered, smiling at the girl most people claimed was her twin.
Rapunzel threw her apron over her head and tied the strings behind her back, her nimble fingers doing it perfectly after two years of practice.
"Me too!" she admitted, matching her cousin's grin with her own.
The girls parted ways between the kitchen and the restaurant areas, Rapunzel heading out to clean up tables while Honey went to prepare more orders for customers.
The coffee shop "Aroma's" was not the most glamorous of jobs, but it was a paycheck every week and a popular place, so tips were pretty decent.
Rapunzel hummed as she cleared dishes, half filled cappuccinos, and bits of uneaten food from the tables. She had just finished her third one, when a couple vacated their table and she headed over to take care of it. She shook her head at seeing how much food was wasted, the croissant the girl had been eating only having a tiny bite out of it.
"Picky eaters," she mumbled. "it would've been better if they hadn't even ordered! Send that prissy girl to a third world country. She how much food she turns her nose up to when she's starving to death!"
Rapunzel was a very kind person, but after going on her senior trip in high school to Nicaragua and seeing the level of poverty there first hand, she gained a new perspective on life. Whenever she was asked to babysit, every kid ate everything on their plate or they wouldn't eat. At first, they really disliked her for this, but eventually, it became such a big part of their life that they refused to throw any food away at their own homes!
Her attention was taken away from her cleaning when a man walked in, and Rapunzel lead him to a table, taking his order.
She took the order to the owner of "Aroma's" who was behind the counter.
She was a short asian girl, with equally short black hair, bright purple streaks throughout her bangs. She was the fastest person in the entire place despite her stature, and her name tag read "GoGo" in bright gold letters. She was nice enough, always willing to hire new people, and getting rid of those that couldn't do their jobs well. She never jumped to conclusions, making sure to always hear both sides of a story, and even if she could be tough on her employees, they were never treated poorly.
Rapunzel heard that GoGo's reasons for being the way she was, was because she had been falsely accused of laundering money from her previous job, which had also been a coffee shop. The owner didn't even hear GoGo out, and fired her there on the spot, claiming that she had never been good enough for the job anyway. After that, GoGo vowed that she would never falsely accuse or mistreat her employees like she had been, and so "Aroma's" was born.
The other coffee shop had gone out of business five months ago, and the papers said that the owner had to move in with her sister and brother-in-law.
GoGo did well for herself, had her own house and business, and had one of the smartest guys in the whole country for a boyfriend. To say that people were jealous of her was an understatement.
The blonde returned to cleaning tables after delivering the man's order, and resumed humming her made-up tune.
The bell above the door dinged again moments later, signaling another customer, Rapunzel looked up and grinned at the man who walked through the door, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his tan pants.
"GoGo here?" he asked, adjusting his black baseball hat on his head. Rapunzel never saw him without it.
"Yeah. She's in the back," the blonde replied. "Anything I can get you while you wait?"
"Nah. She'll be here in," he looked down at his wrist watch and held up four fingers. "Four, three, two," and just after he uttered the two, the aforementioned manager came walking out, acting like she owned the entire world when she saw her boyfriend.
GoGo was tough around anyone else, but around Tadashi Hamada, she simply melted.
She grabbed her backpack, and pointed to all the kitchen staff who came out to see the couple head out.
"Behave," she said, pointing to all of her employees before turning and heading for the door.
The bell chimed again, and as soon as the door had closed, all of the employees rushed to the side window of the building, pressing their faces against the smooth, cool glass.
Cheers and whoops erupted from all of them when they witnessed their hard core, "I will make you eat your words,", never slacking, no nonsense boss willingly hold hands with her boyfriend. It was known among the entire group that they all shipped the two together. No one could deny that they brought out the best in each other, and were a perfect match.
"Alright, back to work!" Honey ordered, several of the employees letting out groans.
Rapunzel gazed out the window at the couple walking down the sidewalk, when she noticed something interesting, tilting her head to the side as if that were to help her comprehend what was running through her mind at the moment.
Tadashi's t-shirt reminded her of something, but what?
She went back to work pondering the question all evening, until finally it hit her.
That blue, that specific shade of blue of Tadashi's shirt, was the exact same shade as the Jeep that had been at the old Gothel place earlier that day. Or at the very least, exceptionally close to it. This caused her thought pattern to take a rather different course, thinking about the guy she had seen earlier. He had seemed normal, with some great insight regarding the run down building.
"But if that's really him, I wonder why Mr. North said that I would know him when I saw him? Is he supposed to be someone that I know?" she wondered, not noticing her cousin approaching her.
"Punz, you need to stop daydreaming and take care of customers,"
"I'm not daydreaming Honey!" Rapunzel protested, crossing her arms over her apron covered chest.
"You've been cleaning the same table for fifteen minutes,"
"I have?"
"Yeah. I know that GoGo likes you to be thorough when you clean, but I think this is a bit much,"
"Sorry! I just… I'll tell you later,"
Honey Lemon looked skeptically at her cousin.
"Promise! After closing hours!"
Honey Lemon held Rapunzel to her promise, locking up after getting the okay from GoGo.
"So cuz, what's got you so distracted?" Honey asked, wrapping her arm around her shorter cousin's shoulders as they walked to Rapunzel's Beetle.
"You walk here today?" Rapunzel asked.
Honey nodded.
"Hop in then. I'll drive you home,"
Rapunzel unlocked her car, and both girls got into their respective seats. She then continued to relay the story of how she was possibly getting a new neighbor, and that he was the son of Mr. North.
"Mr. North has a son? I never knew that!" Honey exclaimed, excitement bubbling out in every word. "That is so cool! I bet he'll be really nice! No one could be related to that man and not be!"
"True. He even told me how his son likes to go barefoot too! Just like me!"
"Ah! That is awesome!" Squealed Honey, going into what her cousin called, "The Fangirl Mode".
Honey noticed her cousin's expression change however to something that looked like a combination of worry and fear.
"What's wrong? Aren't you excited Punz?"
"Yeah. I'm just a little worried,"
"Bout what?"
Rapunzel let a sigh escape past her lips as she turned into Honey Lemon's neighborhood. "Well, I think I may have seen Mr. North's son today. But I'm not sure that it was him!" she interjected quickly once she saw Honey about to go into "Fangirl Mode" again. "He came to look at the house, and he seemed nice enough, he just didn't seem like Mr. North's son. I didn't feel like I knew him when I saw him like Mr. North said I would,"
Rapunzel pulled into her cousin's apartment building parking lot and changed to the parking gear.
Honey put a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder, giving her a comforting look. "Maybe you're just over thinking this Punz. Go home, take a bath, or watch a movie. You said Mr. North was coming to check on the house tomorrow anyway, so don't worry about this stuff until tomorrow," she said, unbuckling her seatbelt.
Honey hugged Rapunzel like they were sisters rather than cousins, and she gladly returned the embrace.
"Call me if you need someone to talk to, or even just about what happens. Love you Punz!"
"Love you too Honey. Sleep well!"
"Oh I'm sure I will! I am bushed!"
The girls shared another quick hug before waving. Rapunzel watched to make sure her cousin made it safely into her apartment, and then headed back to her own place.
She parked her car and said, "Goodnight Pascal," giving "him" a pat on the hood before heading up the front steps. She paused on the top step and gazed over at the old Gothel house.
"Sure hope you know what you're doing Mr. North. She whispered into the night, before opening her door and entering her home.
She followed Honey Lemon's advice and changed into her ducky pajama pants and a white tank top, settling down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and her tv remote. She surfed the channels until she came across a fairytale marathon on her favorite channel, The Wealth. She grabbed a pink and blue blanket and spread it over her lower half as she relaxed and enjoyed the end of Ella Enchanted. The little banner on the screen informed her that Princess Bride was next, which was coincidentally, one of her favorites.
She could feel her eyelids begin to droop after an hour, and decided she better head to bed while she still could. She turned off the tv, stretched, and then made her treck up to her bedroom. After brushing her teeth, she settled under her covers and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Rapunzel's alarm had to get her up since she had to go to her art class that she had been taking on Wednesday mornings for fun.
She got ready for her morning jog with stretches, when a bright red four door truck pulled into the driveway of the Gothel house. Rapunzel smiled upon seeing the license plate; MLK N CKIES.
As she got closer to the giant vehicle, she could make out the "You have not lived until you see Russian Winter," bumper sticker.
"Mr. North!" she called as the older man exited his truck.
He turned and smiled upon seeing the blonde girl.
"Rapunzel! Glad you are here! I have news!"
"And what would that be?" she asked.
"I bought the house! This one! My son said he loved it. If I remember right, he said, 'Dad, it's perfect'. Is this not wonderful!"
"Oh it is! When is he planning on having the repairs done?"
"Repairs done? Oh no my dear! He will do all the work himself! As I said, he loves good project! And he will most likely drag his poor friend Hiccup into the repair of dis place,"
"Hiccup? That's an unusual name!"
"It is not real name. His name is Hugo, but I give him nickname Hiccup because he always had them when he was wee lad," the older man chuckled, causing a giggle to erupt from Rapunzel.
"Yes! In fact, he was here just yesterday to see de house. Did you see him?"
"Um, brown shaggy hair, tan pants, blue Jeep?" she asked, trying to remember as much as she could about the guy she had seen.
"Dat's him! All except blue Jeep. Dat's Jack's. Hiccup's truck must be in the shop again,"
"Jack?" Rapunzel asked, confusion on her face at not having heard the name in conversation before.
"Jack. My son,"
Rapunzel blinked, still thoroughly confused.
"I am sorry my dear! Did I never mention his name?"
"No you didn't," she said, the words barely coming out in a whisper.
"Well I am sorry! I should have told you dat sooner! I guess better late than not at all!"
"What do you mean?" she asked, still trying to process everything that she had learned.
"He moves in tomorrow," Mr. North explained.
"Tomorrow? But that's so soon!"
"Yes I know! I'm here for de home inspection to see what needs to be done before my boy calls dis place home,"
"Who are you meeting with?" Rapunzel asked.
"Mrs. Dunbroch, and the inspector a Mr. Bennet,"
"Oh good! I know both of them! Mrs. Dunbroch's daughter is my best friend!"
"So you mentioned before! They actually accepted my first offer on the house because of you! Apparently you talk about me a lot!"
"You are the best journalism teacher I've ever had!" Rapunzel said, blushing slightly at the compliment paid her.
Their conversation was interrupted by a blue Jeep pulling up beside Mr. North's truck. It looked tiny next to the gigantic red vehicle.
"Hiccup! Where is my son?" Mr. North asked.
"Relax Uncle Claude. He's on call right now. Said to go ahead without him, but to let him know what happens,"
"Oh. Did he send you?"
"Yep," Hiccup replied, popping the "p".
"Well, Rapunzel, dis is my son's best friend Hugo," Mr. North introduced.
"And Hugo, dis is Rapunzel. My son's future neighbor, and one of my best students,"
Hiccup extended his hand towards the blonde who gladly accepted it.
"Please just call me Hiccup. Everyone else in the universe does!"
"Nice to meet you Hiccup,"
"Likewise," he said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans.
An SUV soon joined the group of vehicles at the old house,
And Rapunzel saw this as her moment to leave.
She had just completed her second lap around the neighborhood when she saw Mr. North shaking hands with Mr. Bennet.
Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Dunbroch waved to Rapunzel as they left in their separate vehicles, the blonde returning their waves with one of her own.
"So?" she asked.
"My son has a house! We facetimed with him, and he said it was perfect place for him!"
"Wonderful! I'm so excited for you!"
The three talked for a few minutes before Rapunzel declared that she had to go and get ready for her art class.
Handshakes, hugs, and waves goodbye were exchanged before they parted ways.
Rapunzel had a hard time focusing on the lesson for the day. She felt drawn to shades of blue and purple watercolors, desiring to paint winter landscapes above anything else. She wasn't sure just where this sudden desire had come from, but all she could do was try and quench it.
Her teacher and several students commented on her pieces, claiming that they were some of the best that she had ever done before. She thanked them graciously as she packed up her supplies and set her papers aside so they could dry.
As soon as she got home, she plopped down on the sofa, grabbed her blanket and tablet and began recording the things she had learned about Mr. North's son that day.
Tenth, his name was Jack.
"Jack," she whispered, as if testing the feel of it on her tongue. She sighed. "Jack is such a nice name,"
Eleventh, the blue Jeep was Jack's.
Twelfth, his best friend was a boy named Hiccup.
Thirteenth, whatever his job was, it required him to be on call.
Fourteenth, he loved the house, and claimed that it was perfect for him.
Fifteenth, he obviously leant his Jeep to Hiccup a bit, making him a helpful person.
Sixteenth, he was planning on doing all the repairs to the house by himself, and most likely would recruit Hiccup to help as well.
Seventeenth, Jack moved in tomorrow.
She paused to stare at the last one.
He was moving in tomorrow. What would he be like? What would he look like? Would he enjoy the neighborhood, or hate it? Would he hate her?
She shook her head and berated herself for thinking anything negative.
"Relax Rapunzel! He could be really nice! You can not let yourself jump to conclusions so early! He's just moving in tomorrow. Welcome him to the neighborhood. Maybe bake him something tomorrow," She smiled at that idea, rushing to the kitchen to look through her recipes.
She was able to find her mom's sugar cookie recipe, and decided to do those. I mean, come one! Who doesn't like sugar cookies? Aside from prissy girls?
She hummed as she baked, before deciding to turn on the radio. It was always tuned to her favorite station, which was currently on the end of All American Rejects' "Dirty Little Secret". She sang along with the final chorus, using her wooden spoon as a microphone.
The announcer came on, introducing the next song as "Cool Kids" by Echosmith and Rapunzel couldn't help but turn the sound up.
She danced around the kitchen as she sang along, happily mixing her dough and making a mess of her kitchen in the process.
She finished her dough and put a thing of cookies in the oven, cleaning up the kitchen while they baked.
She had just finished her final batch to the tune of Owl City's "Good Time", when a yawn escaped her lips. She carefully put most of them in tupperware, knowing as soon as Merida found out the blonde had cookies, she would have an invasion of epic proportions on her hands.
She arranged a dozen of the freshest ones on a plate and wrapped it up with cling wrap, securing it with a twisty tie.
She stood back and admired her masterpiece, satisfied with it.
Rapunzel barely made it through brushing her teeth before collapsing on her bed, lazily pulling her bedspread over her body.
She fell asleep with the name of her new neighbor on her lips.
Rapunzel practically bounced out of bed the next morning, excited about the day that lay before her.
She ran to her bedroom window, her eyes widening and her smile stretching at the sight of a few cardboard boxes sitting in the driveway and the now very familiar blue Jeep. She went to her closet, trying to decide what outfit spoke first impressions to her.
She chose a pair of brown flats, dark skinny jeans and a purple graphic tee. She looked at herself in the full length bedroom mirror before heading to her bathroom where she brushed her teeth and applied a very light amount of makeup.
She prepared her speech as she walked across the street, plate of cookies in hand. As she got closer, she noticed several bumper stickers adorning the back of the Jeep, one of which was the same one as Mr. North had on his truck. Another one was some snowboard company, and one had the words "Hockey players shall inherit the ice", while a third said "EMT's save lives too . Not just doctors". The one that really caught her eye though, was a large, dark blue, circular one on the top left hand corner of the back window that said, "Emergency Medical Technician". She stopped to look at the bumper stickers memorizing the information to write down later.
She knocked, nervously awaiting her first meeting with her new neighbor.
She adjusted her long blonde hair, clearing her throat as sh heard footsteps approaching the door.
She was about to introduce herself, when the words died on her lips.
"Oh. Hi Hiccup! Is Jack here? I wanted to welcome him to the neighborhood,"
Hiccup chuckled and shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Not who you were expecting huh? Don't worry! I get that all the time! And to answer your question, no Jack's not here. He went out earlier. But he didn't tell me where he was going,"
"Why not?"
Hiccup shrugged his shoulders.
"That's just Jack for ya,"
"He never tells you where he's going?"
"No, more like he doesn't give details about where he's going. He likes to keep answers short ya know. Concise. Comes with the job,"
She wanted to ask him more questions but thought better of it after seeing all the boxes in the hallway behind Hiccup.
"Well, could you give him these for me? I made them last night as a way to say 'welcome to the neighborhood!', but I trust you to deliver my message for me,"
"Wow! Barely know me, and yet you're trusting me with such crucial information? Aren't you afraid I might mess it up?" he teased.
"No. I trust you completely. And while you're at it, I have one more mission for you to complete," she said, motioning for Hiccup to come closer.
She looked both ways before whispering, "Make sure you leave six of them for Jack,"
Hiccup smiled. "Mission accepted. I cannot however, guarantee just how well it will be carried out!"
Rapunzel tried to keep a straight face, but failed, laughing at what had just transpired between herself and her new neighbor's best friend.
"Let me know what you think of them,"
"Ok, will do!"
Rapunzel smiled before turning and heading back towards her house. She had barely made it to the end of the driveway, when she heard a door open behind her.
"Hey Rapunzel!" Hiccup called, cookie crumbs on his green plaid shirt.
"Yeah?" she asked, turning to look at the brunette.
"They're amazing!" he called.
She smiled and thanked him, heading back towards her house to get ready for her morning jog.
She felt a little disappointed that she hadn't been able to meet Jack that morning as she entered her house and picked up her tablet.
Eighteenth, Jack was a snowboarder or had something to do with snowboards.
Nineteenth, he was a hockey player, or enjoyed hockey.
Twentieth, he really supported EMT's.
Twenty first, he was obviously proud of being Russian.
Twenty second, he didn't like to give details about the places that he went.
Twenty third, he liked to keep answers short because whatever job he had, had caused him to be that way.
Since she couldn't seem to remember anything else, she proceeded to her room to change into a pair of yellow and white running shorts and a baby blue tank top.
She continued to berate her horrible timing earlier when she rounded a corner and looked both ways before crossing the street.
She never saw the car.
Or rather, it never saw her.
It sped towards her, the woman not even paying attention to the girl she was about to run over.
Two objects in motion, continue to stay in motion, and the SUV continued forward, hitting Rapunzel right in her ribs and sending her flying several yards through the air.
The woman dropped her cell phone that she had been talking on out of shock and ran out of the car, screaming out for help.
Fortunately, a young man had seen the accident while he had been out for a jog and ran towards the scene as fast as he could.
He skidded to a stop and knelt beside the blonde, checking her vital signs first.
"Breathing. Pulse is rapid. Steady heartbeat," he muttered, pressing his fingers into the proper places.
"What do you think you're doing?" the woman screamed at him, tears streaming down her face.
"Trying to save this girl's life!" he replied.
"Well are you a doctor?" she asked, her hands on her hips.
"No. I'm a certified EMT. Care to see my card?" he asked sarcastically.
"Well shouldn't a doctor be looking at her?"
"I don't see you trying to help!" he yelled back at her, his blue eyes alight with fury.
"Well, she shouldn't have run across the road like that! I didn't even see her!" the woman claimed, starting to tear up again.
"You shouldn't have been on your phone!" he screamed back.
"Uh! I can't believe what your accusing me of!" she said, giving him an insulted look at the young man.
"Were you on your phone?"
She didn't reply with anything aside from silence.
"Then there's your answer!" he said exasperatedly, checking over all the girl's injuries again.
"And how is me not answering, an answer?"
"Your silence convicted you. Now if you don't mind, I would rather try and help this girl than sit here and continue bickering with you!" he yelled back, standing and running away from the car.
"What are you doing?" the woman screamed, chasing after him, her high heels clicking against the asphalt.
"Going to get my supplies from my place. Don't move her!"
The woman was about to ask him why, when she realized just how far away he was.
"Hey! Check ou- what's wrong?"
"Girl got hit by a car. I saw it all, and already called an ambulance," he explained to his roommate while he gathered his things as fast as he could.
"What! How?"
"Lady was on the phone. Where is my disinfectant?" he asked before spotting the translucent red bottle.
"Another one? Goodness gracious! You'd think that people would actually use their brains!"
"I hear ya. Gotta go," he claimed suddenly, rushing out the door and back down the street.
He knelt by the girl again, preparing the disinfectant for her scraped knees and palms.
"You didn't move her did you?" he asked the woman, never taking his attention away from his patient.
"No. But why did you tell me that? She certainly can't be comfortable in that position!"
"Because, she has at least two broken ribs, and a shattered wrist. Any movement without the ambulance here could cause further damage, as well as possibly dislodge the current broken bones," he explained as he finished wiping the blood from the blondes temple and began to disinfect the jagged cut.
His fingers softly brushed her hair away from the wound when a gust of wind came and sent it everywhere.
The sound of a siren whirring in the distance brought both the EMT and the woman's attentions to the end of the street, where an ambulance appeared moments later.
The wailing continued as the vehicle stopped and several paramedics hopped out.
"Slight concussion, broken ribs, a shattered wrist, and several minor incisions which I already took care of. Multiple contusions," he explained to the ambulance personnel, who nodded in reply. They carefully splinted her side and left wrist, before placing her on a medical cot and put her in the ambulance.
"I'm coming with," the young man ordered, to which the head paramedic simply nodded. It was a well-known law among EMT's that any patient they attended to out of uniform they simply had to see them to the hospital.
"What am I supposed to do?" the woman asked, obviously offended that no one had paid any attention to her.
"Get a lawyer," he replied, closing the ambulance doors in her face.
He took a seat on the right side of the girl, firmly holding the hand that didn't have a fractured wrist in his two larger ones.
"You're gonna be fine," he whispered to her, rubbing his thumb gently over her knuckles.
She stirred slightly, but there wasn't room for her to do so with the iv they had put in and the oxygen mask over her face.
He stayed by her side as they rolled her into the ER, making sure she made it to her destination safely before the nurses forced him to stay behind in the waiting room.
"But I'm an EMT! She needs me!" he cried, peering over the heads of the nurses to see the blonde go through a set of double doors.
"Sir, the doctors will take care of her. Please relax and sit down,"
"Relax? Relax! I'd like to see you witness an accident and then try to calm down! Let me tell you sister, it's not done!" he screamed, effortlessly pushing past the two nurses and heading for the double doors.
"Jack!"
He stopped upon hearing his name and whirled around to see his best friend and his father approaching him.
He met them halfway with long, angry strides.
"They won't let me in there! Can you believe it! I saved her LIFE! But I'm forced to stay out here like I'm some family friend or something!"
"Jackson Owen North! Don't you dare be speaking like that!" his father reprimanded in his booming voice. It seemed as if all the hospital was watching the scene.
"I – I – I,"
Claude could see the tears welling up in his son's bright blue eyes.
"Oh son!" he whispered, grabbing his son by the shoulders and pulling him in for a hug.
Jack wrapped his arms around his father's huge arms, burying his face in his father's massive chest.
"It was horrible. I saw the Explorer coming, and she just flew so far!"
"Shhhh. It's alright son," Mr. North said, petting his son's head softly.
"I've seen mangled bodies. Wrecks where no one survived. I've even had people die in my arms Dad! But nothing has ever shaken me up like this! I've never actually witnessed a crash before. And she had no protection either! No car, no one to warn her!" he cried, shaking from his sobs as well as from fear.
Claude pulled away from his son for a moment in order to lead them to a row of chairs up against the wall.
"Sit," he said to his son, motioning to one of the hard plastic seats.
Jack shook his head.
"I'd rather stand,"
"And end up pacing the whole time? Nu uh! Uncle Claude has the right idea," Hiccup said.
"I don't wanna sit. And I don't pace," Jack muttered, crossing his arms like a child.
"Now you are just being stubborn! Sit before I make it an order!" Claude said to his son, mirroring his son's position by crossing his arms as well.
Jack sighed. He knew he had lost this battle, so there was no more use in fighting.
He sat down, his back bent forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the three men sat and waited for any news on the girl who's name Jack had found out was Rapunzel.
"Like the princess?" he had asked.
Mr. North nodded.
"Her parents wanted her to have a special name, and one that reminded her that she would always be precious to them. Like their own little princess," Claude explained to his son.
"And they couldn't have picked something ordinary?"
"You mean like Cinderella? Or Snow White?" Hiccup piped up.
"Touché," Jack conceded, pointing at his best friend.
Now he was simply trying to pass the time until he could see her.
Her parents had been called, choosing to postpone the rest of their vacation for another time. They were currently on a flight back to Minneapolis.
Hiccup finally admitted that he was bored and hungry and claimed he was going to go find a vending machine. He knew food at hospitals had never really been raved about. There were some advantages of his friend being an EMT. He wasn't about to take any chances right now.
Jack sat with his father who had fallen asleep, his large hand folded on top of his lap.
"He missed his afternoon nap today," Jack thought as he smiled at his father, or rather, the man he had grown up knowing as his father.
A nurse came out of the double doors, which wasn't unusual since they had been doing that all afternoon. However, this one was followed by a doctor, which had Jack rising to his feet faster than you could say "Davey Crockett".
"Well, Jack, she did well. We had to do surgery to fix the shattered wrist, and she has to take it easy for several weeks in order for her ribs to mend properly, but other than that, we didn't really have to do much else. You did well," Doctor Mund said, clapping the young man on the shoulder.
"How is she Aster? May I see her?" Jack asked frantically, trying to keep his voice down so as not to wake up his father.
"She's doing well. That's one tough little Sheila in there Jack. Just be careful not to wake her, and blah, blah, blah. What am I telling you all this for? You know the procedures. Go see her already! Room 121,"
"Thanks Aster!" Jack said, shaking the man's hand before heading through the halls towards the patients rooms.
He found 121 and paused for a minute, a memory flashing before his mind at the sight of the number.
He shook his head to clear his mind and cautiously opened the door.
She was laying motionless aside from her chest rising and falling rhythmically. The heart monitor welcomed him with its signature beeping, a sign the being before him was still living. And the reason she was here right now and not in a morgue was because he had been there for her.
He approached her bed quietly, and pulled up a chair on the right side, sitting down as silently as he could. He lifted her hand from off of the mattress and placed it in his own, smiling kindly at her.
"So, Rapunzel. I heard that that's your name. It's very pretty. And I can positively say that you are the first Rapunzel that I have ever had the privilege of meeting," he admitted.
"My dad told me that you're my new neighbor. Or rather, I'm your new neighbor! Not exactly the way I wanted us to meet," he chuckled.
"I'm really glad you're ok. I was extremely worried about you,"
He sighed, trying to calm himself down a little bit more.
"So, I guess since I'm your new neighbor, I should introduce myself,"
He was greeted by the beeping of the monitor again and the sound of her heavy breathing.
"I'm Jack. Jack North,"
Hiccup checked up on both members of the North family currently in the hospital periodically, switching between Jack and Claude.
He had just come to check up on Jack, who had been telling a still sleeping Rapunzel nearly everything about him, when he noticed something different. Jack had fallen asleep, his head laying on the mattress of the hospital bed. His hand was still clutching tightly to Rapunzel's as if it were his life line.
Hiccup smiled at the scene, pleased that his friend could get some sleep after the morning that he had had!
Claude had woken up just as Hiccup returned to their seats.
"Where is Jack?" he asked, stretching his arms out in front of him.
"With Rapunzel. She's doing much better,"
"What room are dey in?" he asked the boy as he stood.
"121,"
"Oh. Is Jack, alright?"
Hiccup nodded. "He seems to be. He hasn't left her side ever since he went in there. I had to force him to take a sandwich!"
"May I go see them?"
"Sure. Just be quiet. They're both asleep,"
Claude nodded, heading towards the room he had been told they were in.
When he arrived, he smiled at the sight before him. His favorite student asleep in her bed while his son had his head laid on top of the mattress, his messy hair all the more so.
He took a seat in one of the more comfortable chairs after pulling it to the other side of Rapunzel's bed.
He watched the pair as they rested for about a half hour before Rapunzel began to stir.
She slowly opened her eyes, panic settling in when she didn't recognize where she was.
"Where am I?" she asked, her voice frantic and hoarse from having not been used in a while.
Jack woke suddenly at the sound of the girl's voice, and lifted his head.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice even more panicked at seeing a stranger at her bedside.
"It's okay. You're in the hospital,"
"Hospital?! Why am I in the hospital?! Mom? Dad?" she called, interrupting the flustered young man.
"Rapunzel calm down," Mr. North interjected, rising to his feet.
"Mr. North? Where am I? What am I doing here?"
"You are in the hospital. You were in an accident, and before you interrupt me again, you need to calm down,"
Rapunzel stared at her teacher with wide, green eyes, trying to regulate her breathing and bring her heart rate as well as the monitor's fast beating down to normal.
"Jack, why don't you go outside for a moment,"
"But!"
"Jackson. Do not argue with me,"
"Yes Sir," Jack said, walking out of the room rather dejectedly.
"Mr. North what's going on?"
"Just lay back Rapunzel. I will explain everything,"
Rapunzel was hesitant, but she nodded nonetheless and listened as her teacher explained why she was in the hospital.
"So, what happened to the lady that hit me?" she asked.
"Jack told me he's not sure. He just told her to get lawyer,"
"He said that to her?" Rapunzel gasped, covering her mouth.
Mr. North nodded and laughed his boisterous laugh.
"But that's how Jack is,"
Mr. North looked out the window of his students room, Jack in a heated debate with one of the more cynical physicians at the hospital. His hands were flying wildly, a finger poking into the older man's chest in an accusatory manner.
Mr. North sighed, turning his attention back to the girl.
"He's a good boy. And he's been through a lot for being so young,"
"What do you mean?"
"Jack wouldn't want me to tell you this, but you should know. Jack is an orphan,"
"Orphan? But I thought you said,"
He nodded. "He is my son. But my adopted son. His father died in a car accident when he was two, and his mother was so distraught that she left him at the orphanage. He was sent all over the place, until he ended up running away from his foster home when he was four. I found him wondering the streets all alone. It was a miracle that no one harmed the boy. He came into my care two months later when I adopted him. When he was ten, he asked me about his family. I told him what I knew and asked if her remembered anything. He told me that he remembered lots of blood. The coldness that surrounded him. His father lying cold and lifeless in a bed. And the number 121.
We spent two years trying to find his mother after that, but we could only find his half sister who said that Jack's mother had died of a heart attack three months earlier. It was hard for him to sort out his emotions about the whole thing. She was left an orphan as well, and Jack begged for us to be able to adopt her. She's fourteen now,"
Mr. North paused for a moment to look out the window at his son again, not turning his gaze away this time, before continuing.
"After that, Jack vowed to help people. He wanted to keep other people from the same fate that had happened to him. So, he took as many health classes as possible in middle and high school, as well as starting some of his college classes in his last year of high school. He graduated from college with a bachelors in nursing when he was twenty, but then decided to go for his EMT certification. He realized how much he wanted to be the first on the scene of an accident, keeping people alive so they could make it to the doctors,"
"You must be exceptionally proud of him," Rapunzel whispered, clutching the older man's hand in her own.
"I am. So proud, words cannot express it,"
Rapunzel smiled softly at her teacher as he watched his son pace back and forth, the doctor having left a while ago.
"I have to ask though, why is his hair white? I mean, that's just really strange,"
Mr. North brought his gaze back to Rapunzel and chuckled, grinning at the girl's question.
"Yes. You are actually not first person to ask dat my dear. It baffles lot of people. He's actually a premature grey,"
"Really? What's his natural hair color then," she asked.
"He used to be a brunette. But then something happened when he was eighteen, and his hair started to get flecks of grey in it. We tried dying it, but that didn't really work too well. As he got older, it got worse, until eventually he had more white and grey hair than brown. So, instead of trying to change it, he decided to embrace it by dying the rest of his brown hair white,"
"That's actually pretty cool! I like that!" Rapunzel said, sitting up slightly in her bed.
"Jack always liked to think outside of box,"
"Is that why he said yes to you buying him a run down house?" she asked, giggling behind her hand.
Mr. North laughed.
"He likes doing things differently, trying to give some attention to things that normal people would avoid. In fact, Hiccup was outcast before Jack made him his best friend,"
"Really? But he seems like he has the world in his hands!"
"That's because Jack saw him as more than a nerd. He was the one who told him he could be anything he wanted to with brain like his. So he became an engineer. And is currently in his third year of mechanics school,"
"So, he likes to take the outcast things and make them better?"
He nodded in response.
"You have quite the son Mr. North!" Rapunzel said, smiling brightly at the older man.
"I sure do. There is never a day that I wake up without being thankful for him and Emma. They bring light and wonder back into my life,"
Just then, there was a knock at Rapunzel's door, Jack peeking his head through the crack he had opened it.
"Is it safe to come in now?" he asked.
Rapunzel felt a bit offended, until she saw her teacher's face light up at the question. It was obviously an inside joke.
"Come in Jack. I'll let you two talk. Jack," here, the man directed his attention to his son.
"Yeah Dad?" Jack responded, turning his gaze to his father as he sat in the seat the man had been occupying only a minutes ago.
"Bud' khoroshim (be good)"
"Sdelayu (will do)"
Mr. North smiled at the two as he exited the room, closing the door behind himself.
"So, where do we start?" Rapunzel asked, a little nervous with her current situation.
"How bout with this," Jack said, extending his hand to the girl.
She took it in her own, and was surprised at how cold it was.
Jack noticed her shocked expression, her green eyes wide, and chuckled.
"Don't worry. They're always like that!" he explained.
She shook his hand, feeling the calluses on his palm and finger tips.
"I'm Jack North. You're new neighbor," he introduced.
"I'm Rapunzel Carona. You're new neighbor," she replied.
"Nice to officially meet you Rapunzel. I have to say, I did not expect to meet you by accident,"
Rapunzel gave him a confused look, before her eyes widened again.
"Did you just make a pun?"
Jack nodded.
"Too soon?" he asked, worried he had just made a fool of himself in front of the girl, when she broke out into laughter.
"That was pretty good! Merida would've rolled her eyes and punched you in the shoulder by now!"
"Who's Merida?"
"My best friend. I'm surprised she hasn't been here yet,"
"Wait. Wild, red hair, Scottish accent, pretty short, tomboy?" he asked, ticking the features off on his fingers.
"That's her!"
"She was here earlier when you were still asleep. She doesn't like to listen either does she?"
Rapunzel giggled and shook her head.
"Didn't think so,"
A comfortable silence settled between the two, before Jack decided to end it.
"I was wondering, since you're gonna have to take it easy for a while, if you would allow me to check up on you periodically. And don't argue with me! I am an RN after all!"
"RN?" Rapunzel questioned, a quizzical expression on her face.
"Registered Nurse. I'm sure my dad told you my entire life story!"
"He told me quite a bit. You are a very interesting person Jack North,"
"Thank you. I will take that as a compliment! Now, will you, Ms. Carona, allow me the honor of being the one who nurses you back to health?" he asked with a rather dramatic flair.
"Why, I would be honored Mr. North!" she replied in an equally dramatic manner.
"Great! Now since this is my home base hospital, and I happen to know your doctor, I asked if I could be your nurse while you're here,"
Rapunzel was about to protest, when Jack asked her to simply let him finish.
"I know we don't know each other very well, but I want to make sure that you're well taken care of. And I think that you would rather have me, instead of one of the nasty old ladies or any of the weirdos!"
Rapunzel couldn't help but laugh at that. After finally settling down from her laughter, Rapunzel conceded to allowing him to be her nurse.
Her week long stay at the hospital was made far less painful than she expected it to be with Jack being there. He was constantly trying to keep her spirits up, letting her know that if she needed anything, he would take care of it. She thought it was sweet how he was determined to help her forget about the pain she was in.
He even came rushing to her side in the middle of the night when he heard that blood curdling scream come from her room.
He bursted through the door, finding her in the fetal position, weeping into her sheets.
"Rapunzel?," he asked, cautiously approaching her bed so as not to alarm her by his sudden presence.
"Jack!" she cried, instantly trying to get up from her bed, but ceased her attempts when Jack ordered her to stay there in a gentle but stern voice.
"What happened?" he asked as he slowly sat down on her bed.
Rapunzel flung herself into his arms and began crying again.
"I-I had a ni-nightmare about th-the accident, and it sc-scared me so bad! It all f-felt so real!" she hiccuped between sobs.
"It was horrible," she bawled into his chest as he held her tightly in his arms, rocking her back and forth slightly.
"Shhhh. It's ok. You're fine. I'm here," he whispered, tightening his arms even more around her shoulders.
Her silent sobs continued to get quieter and quieter, until they had ceased all together. Her grip around his torso began to slack and her breathing started to slow into a steady pace. Jack decided to let her sleep, assuming that she had fallen into slumber. His assumption was wrong.
"Jack," she said barely above a whisper.
He froze, fearing that he may have woken her.
"Don't worry. I didn't fall asleep yet," she informed him, sitting up slightly after she had slipped down into her mattress a bit.
Jack allowed himself to release the breath he had been holding a moment ago.
"How are so good at this? I barely know you, and yet here you are at," she glanced at the digital clock on the wall, the green letters shining brightly through the dark room. "2:41 in the morning, trying to calm my nerves after my nightmare! How do you do it?"
Jack sighed, his normally playful attitude melting away into something that was much more serious.
"When I was little, about a month after the accident, I started to have nightmares about the night my biological father had died. I remembered the twisted metal, smoke and flames rising into the night sky. My dad laying lifeless. His skin was as cold and pale as snow. Blood. Blood was everywhere,"
Rapunzel listened in silence as Jack told her his story. Even though she had heard all of this from Mr. North already, it seemed far more real hearing from the person who experienced it all.
"I never told anyone about my nightmares. Even after Dad adopted me. Then when I was about five, he came to check up on me, and heard me crying. I have never felt more protected, than when he held me that night,"
She felt a sudden urge to reach out for his hand, which he willingly allowed her to hold.
"After that, I always had a desire to help others, comfort them in hard times. That's what made me what to become a registered nurse and a paramedic,"
Rapunzel smiled, a small giggle escaping her lips.
"What? What's so funny?" he asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.
"Sorry! I was just thinking, that, in your own way, you're kind of like Superman," she replied, pulling her sheets closer to her chest with her free hand.
"Ooooh! Don't say that!" he groaned, trailing his hand through his hair.
"Why not?"
"I can't be equated to Superman when I'm a Batman fan!"
Rapunzel laughed at his "logic".
"Well if it's any consolation, Batman's my favorite too!"
"Really? I would never take you for a Dark Knight type Punz!" he admitted.
"And why not?"
"Cause you seem like a Wonder Woman type to me,"
"Oh no! That's Merida! She's all for tough girls who can fight with the best of them!"
They both had a good laugh, trying to shush each other through giggles when their laughter began to get a little louder than it should be at nearly three in the morning.
"Well, then I'll call you Batman instead!" Rapunzel whispered after their laughing had died down.
Jack looked at her with a genuine smile on his lips.
"I'm honored that you bestow such a prestigious title on such a person as unworthy as myself," he said in a low voice, no joking attitude present in any of his words.
"You're welcome," she replied in a whisper.
There was a pause on Jack's part, as if he was trying to decide his next words.
"I would be even more honored Rapunzel,"
He paused to squeeze her hand.
"If you would be willing to go on a date with this lowly pedestrian as soon as you are able to get out of this hospital?"
"Is that allowed? For me to accept a date with my nurse?" she asked teasingly.
"I think they will make an exception,"
"Well in that case, I would love to go on a date with you. Batman,"
Jack grinned at her response.
"I look forward to it!" he admitted.
"Now get some rest," he said, rising from the bed and pulling the covers over Rapunzel as she laid down on the mattress.
"What about you? Don't you need to get some sleep?" she asked, concerned for his well-being.
"Haven't you heard? I'm Batman. And Batman can't sleep when people need him. I'll be in the Batcave just down the hall if you need some rescuing fair lady!"
He winked at her before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
She grinned and rolled her eyes at his behavior.
She settled down into the sheets, ready for sleep.
"He may not realize it yet, but he truly is a superhero," she thought as she closed her eyes.
Twenty-fourth: he was a superhero who was unaware of it.
A superhero in scrubs.
Fun facts bout this story.
1: when Tangled was released in theaters, it came out on November 24 which is my birthday. Rapunzel celebrates her eighteenth birthday in the movie. Even though the movie spans a couple days, I have always thought Rapunzel and I share a birthday. That was where her birthdate for this story came from.
2: I didn't want the typical names like Chris or Nick for North, so I chose Claude cuz its close to Clause.
3: I wanted Jack to be adopted in order to parallel the kind of relationship that the two have in the movie.
4: If you cant tell, all the pets are the vehicles. Pascal is Rapunzel's green Volkswagen, Toothless is Hiccup's black truck that is just barely mentioned, and Jack's blue jeep is named Frost as a tribute to his real name.
5: the grumpy neighbor of Mrs. Stepther, is actually the evil step mother from Cinderella.
6: The idea of Jack being an EMT was due to the fact that he protected his sister and saved her life. I believe that he would do the same thing in a modern version by being an EMT, doctor or nurse. I just liked EMT the most of the three. He is also a RN cuz I wanted him to be more than one thing.
7: Owen is the closest real name I could think of to Overland. That's why its Jack's middle name.
8: the owner of the coffee shop that fired GoGo, was Elsa. Her sister and brother-in-law that she moved in with were Anna and Kristoff. I chose Elsa for the role cuz of her nickname, "the ice queen", and how she was cold to GoGo.
9: I chose Hugo for Hiccup's real name simply cuz he looks like a Hugo to me.
That's all! Thanks! XD
NOTE: remember that any grammar or spelling errors that occur when someone is talking is due to accents. Thanks!