This story is a sequel to my Bird in A Gilded Cage fanfiction story takes place about 5 years afterwards in the 1920s. I recommend that you read that story first to get a sense of the characters.

It was the darkest hour of the night and the neighbors were yelling outside. A shrill voice was yelling about the rent, followed by the sound of smashing glass. A deep voice interjected, using a whole thesaurus of obscene words. Then, a moment of silence was followed by a thud and the crying of a woman…

What was it like to be in such a terrible relationship so devoid of love? I had seen it all around me, in the mostly fatherless households that live in this raggedy neighborhood. Fatherless… just like him. Just like Rapunzel. But one thing I'm grateful for was that my son had me. I would never leave this family. Never.

I looked at my beautiful wife Rapunzel who was sleeping soundly with our 8 year old son, Flynn, nuzzled up in the crook of her neck. I tried not to shed a tear as I glanced around the old run-down three-room apartment.

I am useless, a disgrace for a husband. I took a deep breath, hoping to come to my senses. I closed my eyes and remembered the first day we stepped foot in this apartment. I remembered the dust that would fill my lungs every time I took a breath. I remembered when I had a job, before the Depression hit. I didn't make a lot of money then either, but there was something gratifying and 'manly' about working my way through life, providing for my wife and son. And without thought, I began to feel flustered and I had to step out of the room.

Life was hard after I lost my job at the coal mines, just sitting around and and comforting my sweetheart and my boy with false hopes. "I'm having a job interview soon," I'd tell Rapunzel. "Don't worry pal, I'll get us outta this ol' neighborhood," I'd tell my son.

The only comfort I had in my life was family — my true family that I would never abandon, unlike my parents who left me in an orphanage. Without money, it was hard, but without love it'd be damn near impossible to survive. I am grateful that we don't argue or fight. I am grateful that I would never think of hurting or leaving Rapunzel. I am grateful that we were not like the broken families around us.

The dead silence of the night was broken by the cries of my son, the painful cries of a hungry boy.

The boy loved baseball and cowboys and swashbuckling pirates. When he was younger, when he went to school, he would come home with a smile plastered on his face, telling me stories of Davy Crockett the frontiersman, or stories about Blackbeard the notorious swashbuckling scoundrel of the seven seas.

He would have dreams of being "strong and brave like his father." In the mornings he would tell me all about his dreams, despite Rapunzel's insistence for him to eat first and talk later. But he wouldn't listen, making sure we hear about his night-time wonders.

These memories warmed my heart and gave me hope that someday the world will change, that we will get our lives back.

But little Flynn no longer told me about his dreams. He rarely got sleep and no longer played baseball with his old friends, who he left after we moved. He would stay inside, wary of the gangs that lurked around dark corners at night. He no longer dreamed of swashbucklers and cowboys. He dreamed of a normal life, a life where he had food and a safe home.

With the sound of the cries, I rushed into the room, seeing Rapunzel holding Flynn, comforting him with her soothing motherly voice.

"Mommy I'm hungry," he said, clenching his stomach.

Rapunzel stroked the young boy's stomach and gave him a kiss on the head, eliciting shrieks of laughter.

"Stop! It tickles!," he protested.

"Well, at least it won't hurt anymore…" she answered, raising her eyebrows playfully.

For a while, it continued, with Rapunzel playfully teasing the boy until he seemed to forget about his pain.

Flynn seemed content and placed his head back on his mother's shoulder. And instinctively, Rapunzel began to whisper a song to drift her son back to sleep.

Flower gleam and glow… her beautiful voice mesmerized me as it echoed throughout the small cramped room.

Let your power shine… Flynn smiled again, his pains seemingly subsiding.

Make the clock reverse… Bring back what once was mine….. What once was mine…

Within seconds, silence encapsulated the room once again. Rapunzel tucked Flynn in, making sure the blanket was covering his whole body.

Seemingly content with the current situation, Rapunzel glanced at me with her characteristic smile and stood up, stretching her slender waist. We made our way outside the bedroom, making sure not to interrupt my son's sleep.

"Eugene, when did you get up?" she asked, her hand on her waist.

"Well…" I hesitated, looking out the window, guessing that it was about 3:00 in the morning. "Around 20 minutes ago" I answered.

Rapunzel walked closer to me and placed her arms around my torso, resting her head on my chest.

I held her around her slim shoulders and for a while, we swayed back and forth in the hallway, unaware of time itself. Small moments like these were magical and so romantic. If only I could freeze time, I'd have eternal bliss.

"Eugene?"

"Yes blondie?"

"What are we going to do?" a certain sense of fear entered her voice.

"Hey hey look sweety, we will survive this. People have worse off than us. Plus, if anyone sees the bright side of things it would be you."

Rapunzel smiled as we continued to sway back and forth, our movements synchronized with our breaths and heartbeats. "You always say that."

"Well, I always tell you that you're beautiful and smart and the most perfect wife anyone could have, and all those are true…"

Rapunzel's face flushed red and she tiptoed for a kiss, clashing her lips with mine, creating an inaudible symphony of romance.

As our lips parted, a faint phrase escaped from her mouth, "I love you."

"I love you too"

While our pseudo-dancing continued, I lifted her up and we spun around until our quiet laughter blended together.

As our nighttime euphoria lingered, through a small door opening, I saw Flynn sleeping soundly.

And for a while… it seemed as if the boy was dreaming of swashbucklers and cowboys once again.