Talking to the Moon (Jack/Rapunzel One-shot)

A lone, young man sat on a roof, his legs dangling down as he looked up at the bright, silver orb in the sky. One of his hands tenderly held a shepherd's cook, as if it were his life line; the other across his body as if he was holding himself in a lonely embrace. The silvery-white light of the moon reflected in his soft, sapphire eyes, his pale skin and snowy hair stood out in comparison to the deep blue of his jacket. He looked battered and bruised, his eyes full of so much sadness and pain. The Guardian of Fun seemed to have lost his spark, and now he was a hollow, and empty soul. Looking up to the night sky, he opened his mouth to speak, but his voice failed him and he closed it again. His eyes shut tightly as he willed himself to speak through the pain and sorrow he held on this night.

"Moon? Are you listening? If…if you are…can I talk to you? I…" The young man paused as he choked back a sob. "I need someone to…to be there and listen to me. Just…just this once. I know that you've never really…been there for me, but I want you to be. Just for tonight. Just this one night, if you could listen to me now…I promise I'll do a-anything if you just listen." His voice cracked and he stammered, but if he did truly have the Moon's attention, he needed to say what he needed to say.

"There…there was a girl. A long time ago, right after I had died. No one else saw me but her. I had traveled so long, so long! She was only seven years old, and she saw me. She had believed when no one else had, and she was the one who gave me hope through all those years. We only talked at night, when her mother was asleep, and she told me all the stories that she knew, and I returned the favor. I'd always do my best to put a smile on her face, because it was the most beautiful thing that I had ever laid eyes on. We always had to be careful, but she was sweeter than fresh-fallen snow to me. I…I never wanted to forget how much she loved my visits, and how she grew older, waiting for her birthday to pass. I…I made a promise to one day take her to fulfill her dream, and she made me promise it every night again, and again."

"As she grew older, I couldn't visit as much anymore. Her mother had become more careful at night, and so had her daughter. I remember she would always have the windows open on her birthday, and I would always try to make her happy, even though she wasn't and could never be truly happy. Then, I began to notice her pain. The bruises up and down her arms, the hurt and sorrow that she gained by getting older. Her mother was becoming harsher, and crueler to this young angel, and I…" The young man sucked in a breath, "I could do nothing to help her." He remembered how he would visit her, and she would always brush the marks off as if nothing was wrong. But he knew, even if he wasn't there, he knew that she was hiding them. Recollecting that if he had torn his brown cape or white shirt, she would attempt to fix it, even though her fingers were red and her hands were sore from chores.

"The bruises became more frequent the more I visited. I tried to help, to ease her pain, but no matter what I tried, I couldn't help her at all. As she grew older, the more rebellious and high-spirited she became. Her mother did not appreciate her daughter's new attitude, and if she did not do what her mother asked her to do, more beatings would be seen through. I remember her beautiful voice, as she shakily sung her mother's lullaby, as if it pained her to sing it. That night, I noticed her mother had given her a black eye, and I remember hoping, praying to you that it would get better. It did, but not soon enough. She had been through so much, and she was now too scared to go through with her dream, even after all those promises we made. No matter what I tried, nothing seemed to deter her new fear of her mother. She didn't deserve this, and no mother, no one should be called a title that they do not deserve. She did not deserve the title "mother"."

"For years, I delayed my destiny of becoming a Guardian, just to be with her. As a Guardian, I would have new responsibilities, and I couldn't be with her, if at all. I couldn't bear…I couldn't bear a fate like that. I wasn't about to leave her alone with that…that monster. The monster that had kept the angel caged and kept her from spreading her beautiful wings. The monster that would chip away at the angel's pure soul until nothing was left, and I could do nothing but sit idly by. But, that little angel, the girl I had begun to fall in love with, still believed in me. No matter how her life became, she would always be kind and cherish the moments we spent together. Her kisses were sweet, her smile sweeter. I had never seen anything, or felt anything, more beautiful than what she had given me. She had given me her love, but I did not know how to return it for years and years to come. By the time I had…It was too late."

"Jack…I'm scared."

"I…I know. Believe me. I am too. But I want to help you. We can run away and forget this place, for the rest of our lives. I could protect you, and we could be safe. Together." Jack's soft voice met the young girl's ears, but she was too frightened or worried to be comforted.

"But…but I can't leave Mother. She'll die without me. Without my magic Jack. I can't…just leave her now. She raised me." The blonde's sleepy voice whispered. She grimaced in his arms as his fingertips brushed against a tender bruise on her side.

"But…she beat you too. She made you her servant, her slave for how many years? She's held you captive for nearly eighteen years now mien Sonne." He stated, brushing her hair away from her face. His sun, his moon, his everything. That's what she had been to him, and that is what she would continue to be.

"Jack…where would we go? Even if we ran away together, what would we do? I can't fly like you can, I need food, water, shelter. I am still human, Jack. I want to be with you, but it can never be. Please, let my dreams remain dreams. At least they can be with me forever. Besides, if they stay dreams, it means I can still spend moments like these with you, making new dreams with you." She leaned against him, her eyes closing, not minding the cold aura coming from the young spirit.

"I know, but at least you and I could be together. Maybe…maybe we could find something. A kingdom maybe, and we could live there."

"Until when, Jack? Until I grow old, and have you remain the same? Have the same life we do now? You leaving me alone every day as you accept the responsibilities you have as a winter spirit?" This statement kept Jack quiet for a long time, and the girl's breathing became even as she drifted into sleep, something she hadn't gotten in what seemed like forever. At least without tears.

"I don't know. But, as long as we're together, I'll try to keep you safe, my sweet, beautiful angel. You will always be my sun, moon, and my stars, for as long as we're together." He paused to stroke and caress her sleeping face, "…and perhaps beyond that. Until the end of time."

Silent tears streamed down the young Guardian's face as he looked down and remembered their last night together. He had stayed until the morning, and that was the last night he saw her. For reasons he never understood. He returned to her home multiple times, but all he had found was broken glass, blood, and the shadows of pain that remained on the walls. He remembered screaming in frustration, sobbing for the one he loved and the empty promises he never fulfilled. Even though he had promised the same thing every night for years, he still was not able to give what she wanted most to her. The only thing he could do was remember her smile, one of his sweetest and fondest memories of her. He did not want to remember the angry purple marks on her skin, or the pain in her eyes after all the times he had left her so they would not be discovered. He became a Guardian in honor of her, to protect the children, as he could never protect her.

"Manny, I don't know if you're still listening or not, but I just…I just wanted you to know…" Jack's head snapped up to gaze at the moon once more. "She was my dream. My new dream. My promise to keep, and now she is gone. I have nothing without her. I only ask that you take away my pain. Take away my memory again, like you had with my sister. I only wish that I remember her beautiful smile, her pure heart, and her innocent soul. She never deserved a harsh fate. I could live a thousand years in her honor, and still never deserve her. She deserved her happy ending, and I could never give that to her. Please Manny, give this message to her if you can. Tell her…tell her that I love her, and that I always will. Tell her that I miss my sun, the brightest thing in my life, which has been snuffed out by the cruelty of time. Tell her that she will always be my new dream, and I refuse to let it stay a dream, that we will be together again. Please Manny…I beg of you." He cried, his body shaking with endless sobs.

For he would never forget that beautiful German girl, with her golden hair so long, enough to climb a tower. He would never forget how much her emerald eyes sparkled with life and health and happiness. Or her smile, which could light up the darkest, and coldest of nights. Her warm embrace when she would wait by the window and welcome him back into her arms; ignoring her bruises and the pain it gave her to hug him. He would never forget her laugh, or the fact that she refused to wear shoes so she could be "more like him". He would never forget her beautiful voice when she sang the song of her cruel keeper, or the magic she was born with. She was destined for greatness, destined for a better life than what she had. The only mortal who had ever had magic, and he, Jack Frost, had somehow managed to find her and fall in love with her.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel;

Atop the golden stair

Open Heaven's gates

And I shall meet you there."

AN:

Hey guys! So this is basically based off of the song, "Talking to the Moon" by Bruno Mars. As much as I love the song, it took me forever to figure out how to write it! Ugh, so frustrating! So, I ended up going with my gut feeling, and I ended up loving the results! I hope you do too! To clear up any confusion, I didn't mention all that much about Rapunzel's powers, or Eugene. I'll leave that up to you guys, for the interpretations. Also, I did make Gothel more abusive than she was in the film. Not only was she verbally abusive here, but physically as well. Come on guys, it's Disney. Jack's usually happy, but for me, this is the darkness he hides from the Guardians. I learned from Robin Williams (bless his heart), that anyone can hide a world of darkness behind a false light, and that's basically what Jack's doing. Like Elsa, he locked up his feelings from everyone else, and that's where this came in. Just so you know. :)

I don't own Jack Frost or Dreamworks, nor do I own Rapunzel or Disney. Blah blah blah, copyright stuff.

Just critique it, constructive criticism is helpful! Just no shipping wars please! They make me really mad! (Basically, don't be a bunch of trolls)

Okay bye!