Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE PREVIEW PICTURE! IT BELONGS TO Lavearyn97 ON DEVIANTART! I also do not own any of the characters. All I own is the storyline.
A half-moon shone down through the trees, illuminating a shadowy figure moving through the forest. He paused beside an oak tree at the edge of the treeline, looking out into a meadow surrounded by forest on three sides and looking out into the woods beyond. He could make out the yellow glow of a window through the black trunks, oddly comforting in the silver-washed darkness he was so used to.
He knew he shouldn't be doing this. He knew it with every dead nerve in his body. It was quite despicable, putting her in so much danger just so he could see her again. But he had to give himself something to be his own warm window in the black forest, something to make his eternity just a little bit more bearable. He needed something to stop him from giving up completely, from lying exposed in the meadow and letting the morning sun burn his skin away.
So he kept walking. He cut across the corner of the meadow and slowly made his way toward the log cabin. Her bedroom window was lit up, the way it always was when she stayed up late to read.
He located the pile of pebbles he had made nearby, the same ones he always used to throw at that very window to get her attention. Sighing, he leaned down and scooped up a handful, wishing he could be throwing them under happier circumstances.
When he threw them, she appeared in the window in a matter of seconds, hands pressed against the glass. He waved awkwardly at her, careful not to smile too widely and reveal his honed front teeth.
He cringed at her excited smile, as bright and eager as it always had been whenever they snuck off on midnight adventures. That all seemed like a lifetime ago. He could sense the happiness and relief coursing through her upon seeing him, thinking everything was going to go back to the way it was. He could only imagine how disappointed she would be.
Rapunzel got dressed quickly, slipping a warm cloak over her shoulders before hurrying outside. A thousand feelings were flying through her head at once, but for the most part she was overwhelmingly happy that Jack was all right. Sure, she would have to chew him out for going missing for over a month and scaring her half to death, but she would take care of that another time. For now, all she found herself wanting was to feel his lips brushing hers and his strong hands caressing her back.
She tiptoed across the hardwood floor, taking great care not to wake her mother. The raven-haired woman had always made a big deal about her staying away from boys, especially since, she claimed, many of them had pointy teeth. Rapunzel was certain Jack didn't have pointy teeth, but she had still kept her relationship with him as discreet as she could.
He was leaning against a tree close to her bedroom window, wearing some sort of cape that was billowing in the wind. She let out a relieved laugh and started to race toward him, but she hadn't even ran four steps before she realized something was very wrong.
His eyes. What happened to his eyes?
They used to be a chocolatey brown, but now they were a sickening yellowy-amber. She stopped when she was a couple feet away from him, feeling wary of coming any closer.
"Hey," he said softly, taking a step toward her. She took a step back.
He must've seen the terror in her face, because his expression turned to one of hurt. "It's me. D—don't leave, I can explain…"
Rapunzel looked at his eyes again, and realized that they didn't contain any hunger or malice. Instead, they looked empty and scared. Feeling a sudden rush of compassion for the boy, she stepped forward and placed a hand on his cheek.
"What happened to you?" she whispered. "What did they do to you?"
He smiled sadly. "Well…it turns out old Belinda was right in her ramblings about vampires roaming about in the woods. And you were right that I should've left your house earlier…that night…"
He trailed off, and Rapunzel cringed as she remembered the night Jack had vanished. Her mother had been out on business, and she and Jack had had the house to themselves. They had already agreed that he couldn't spend the night, as Rapunzel's mother was coming back early the next morning and would probably have a heart attack if Jack didn't wake up in time to leave and Gothel found a boy in her daughter's bed. Rapunzel had told him to leave by evening, just in case there was some merit behind the sharp-toothed bloodsucker jargon Belinda spouted from the rocking chair of her porch. But Jack had wanted to stay later and later and later until it was well past midnight.
"I was walking home through the woods—trying to take the shortest route possible, of course, but that didn't end up being much help," Jack explained. "Then I started hearing this…this rustling behind me. I was a little spooked, but I figured it was just a raccoon and moved along. But then it kept sounding, over and over again, and then this man jumped out in front of me!" The brunette boy shuddered at the memory. "He had white skin and these long pointy teeth, and oh god, did I turn and run, Zellie! I ran like I'd never ran before, but…he was faster. All of the sudden, he was pinning me down and I felt those long teeth sink into my neck, and then…" He trailed off, staring at the ground.
After a silence, he looked up at her again, his eyes pained. "I woke up like this. The vampire who turned me was still there…led me to this shabby little house way out in the woods. There were all these other vampires there, and he said they were his 'family.' They offered to let me stay with them, and…I told them yes, because where else was I going to go? Not back to my family, or…or anyone else who I'd put in danger…"
"So that's where you've been all month?" she asked quietly.
Jack smirked. "Yeah, more or less. Trying to adapt to being a blood-sucking atrocity since that's what I'm stuck as for the rest of eternity."
"Why didn't you come and visit me sooner?" Rapunzel's tone grew accusatory. "I thought you were dead!"
"Well, I didn't exactly want you to see me like this." He eyed his body in disgust. "And the bloodlust, Zellie…it was awful at first. I could barely control myself. And I didn't want you to get hurt."
"But you're safe now?" she asked hopefully. "I mean, you have to be, or else you wouldn't have come to see me."
"You think too highly of me, Rapunzel." He smiled wanly. "I'm…mostly safe. I have a lot more self-control than I did, anyway. But the real reason I came to see you was because I'm selfish, and I wanted to see you." His smile widened, revealing his long, sharpened fangs. "Besides, I figured I owed you an explanation. Couldn't just leave you hanging forever."
"Damn right, you couldn't!" Without warning, Rapunzel leaned forward and wrapped him in a tight hug. She buried her face in his chest and breathed in his familiar scent, blocking out the fact that it now had a slight tinge of blood. He hesitated for a few moments before pulling her closer.
"I've missed you so much," she murmured into his shirt.
"I've missed you too," he replied sadly.
She pulled away slightly, but still kept her arms locked around his back. "I was so worried about you," she admitted. "Everyone in town just assumed you had died out in the woods, but no one could find a body. I still assumed the worst, though."
"Well, technically I am dead," he pointed out. His hand found a way into hers, and his skin was deathly cold.
Although he was smirking, there was a sadness in his amber eyes that never seemed to leave. His grip on her was just a little too tight, like she was the only thing keeping him grounded.
The night a month ago came rushing back to her. Her teasing remarks about avoiding Belinda's forest vampires, Jack pleading to stay longer with enormous brown doe-eyes, her relenting and letting him pull her in to another make-out session on the couch. Him walking out the door at what must have been two in the morning, and her doing nothing but offering him a wave and a "be careful" before retiring to her room.
"This is all my fault," she choked out, pulling away suddenly.
"What?" He stared at her in utter bewilderment. "No, it was mine. I should've listened to you!"
"But I barely took old Belinda's rambling any more seriously than you did!" she protested. "I should've tried harder to convince you to leave at sunset. I should've made you leave. I should've pushed you straight out the door. But I didn't because I kept telling myself there was no such thing as vampires and I was just being ridiculous and my stupid desire to kiss you all night was more important than your own safety. And now you're stuck like this because of me."
"Rapunzel, come on! I was the one who didn't listen to you. You really did try pretty hard to get me to leave. I remember being super frustrated by it. Besides, I'd hardly say your desire to kiss this handsome devil all night was stupid."
"Shut up!" She slapped his arm, but a smile tugged on the corner of her lips.
"I'm serious though, Punz," he told her. "Don't blame yourself for what happened to me. It was just me being an idiot."
"But if I had just—"
"No. Stop." He put a cold hand over her mouth. "There was nothing else you could have done. But I am what I am now, and I just have to deal with it."
She let out a small sigh and forced a smile. "Well, I'm still going to love you no matter what you are."
She leaned up and pressed her mouth against his, pulling him into a deep kiss. His lips were just as slow and gentle as she remembered, although the taste of cinnamon and brown sugar had been replaced by blood and his fangs pricked at her lips. But none of that mattered, not now that she could hold him close again.
When they pulled apart, they were both smiling. Jack reached forward to brush a strand of blonde hair out of Rapunzel's face, and his expression grew serious."
"Listen, Rapunzel, I also came to see you because…well, I need to say goodbye."
"Why?" Rapunzel's voice was laced with hurt. "But I just got you back! Where are you going?"
"I'm leaving this town." He explained, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. "With the other vampires."
"Why?" she asked quietly.
"Well…" He fingered his brown hair uncomfortably. "If I have to kill and suck people to survive, I'd rather it not be people I actually know. I convinced the others to move somewhere else."
From his casual tone and defeated look, she could tell he had gotten used to killing. It was a disturbing thought, having to constantly murder just to keep yourself alive to the point where it didn't even seem like a large deal anymore.
"So you're going to leave me again," Rapunzel sighed. Although she was hurt, she had to admit that his reason made sense.
"I'm sorry." He reached out and rested his cold hand on her cheek. "I'm just trying to protect you."
Rapunzel wanted to plead with him to stay, to tell him she didn't care if he hurt her. She wanted to convince him to keep meeting her, to tell him he was worth more to her than her life and that if he did end up draining her, at least she would die by the side of someone she loved. But she knew that if she convinced Jack and the other vampires to stay, she'd not only be putting herself in danger but the rest of the town as well. The thought of her friends' and family's blood on her hands made her sick.
But she loved him. She loved him and she didn't want to let him go.
"Will you stay with me tonight?"
"Rapunzel, I really can't, I've already talked to you long enough and if I were to lose control—"
"I don't think you will," she interrupted him. "I trust you. Please?" She gave him the best pleading look she could manage, and he sighed.
"All right, fine. But you know I have to be gone by morning."
"So that long string of stars over there is Draco," she said, pointing to the glistening belt of stars with one hand and using the other to grip Jack's hand tightly. They lay in the meadow, fingers entwined tightly with long grass brushing up against their sides. Jack's hand was chilled, as if he had been outside all day in wintertime without wearing any gloves. Somehow, that only made Rapunzel hold it tighter.
"And then all the way over there is Orion," she went on. "See? There's his sword and there's his shield. And then right next to him with the Dog Star is Canis Major. See the pointy nose?"
He turned and looked at her, shaking his head and smirking. "Nah, just looks like a bunch of random sparkly dots to me. Honestly it's beyond me how you've ever managed to find all those constellations, Punz. The only one I've ever been able to make out is the big dipper."
"Well, that's better than nothing," she teased. "But hey, there isn't exactly much to do here. I don't have many better things to do than map the stars."
He rolled his eyes. "Right, remind me again that Little Miss Smart Rapunzel was over here charting stars while I was busy climbing trees and pranking my sister."
"Hey, those are important things!" Rapunzel retorted. "Tree-climbing is a very useful skill if you need to scout the road for suspicious-looking ruffians coming into town. Besides, the whole town thought you were quite the comedian. I don't think anyone ever thought I was near as entertaining as you."
"Yeah." Jack smiled sadly, remembering the many times he had made jokes to wide circles of kids at the town tavern, their laughter mixing with the peaceful crackling of the fireplace. "I really miss that, you know."
"Me too," she said.
Jack looked away suddenly, his amber eyes downcast. Rapunzel regarded him in concern, trying to think of a way to distract him.
"So!" she piped up. "What do vampires do exactly?"
"Hm?" He looked at her in puzzlement.
"I mean, I'm sure you're not out sucking blood all the time," she said, smiling coyly. "So what do you do, you know, for fun?"
The question seemed to catch him off-guard. He stopped and thought about it for several seconds before responding.
"Well…it gets pretty boring sometimes," he admitted. "When I'm stuck in Beaumont's house during the daylight hours with nothing to do but play board games and read from his rather dull novel collection. But sometimes, when I'm out in the woods and I don't need to feed, it can be…amazing." His eyes lit up in a way they hadn't all night, and Rapunzel smiled at his excitement.
"Sometimes I run through the fields outside of town, and I feel like I could just keep going forever," he told her, grinning. "All of us like to have super-intense races. Or tree-climbing contests. That's another thing I'm super-good at now. Well, even better because I was pretty awesome at it to begin with." He smirked.
"Do you ever jump from tree to tree like a squirrel?" she asked.
"Yeah! One time I made it through 17 trees before a branch broke. I'm even better at squirreling than actual squirrels, I'd wager."
"Oh shut up!" Rapunzel punched his arm playfully, and he laughed.
She let go of his hand and rolled over, leaning her head up against his chest. She was so used to picking out a heartbeat that the absence of one was slightly jarring. He didn't radiate heat like he used to, but it didn't stop her from wrapping an arm around the chest and using her other to tousle his brown hair.
"Does your mother know you're out here with me?" he murmured in her ear.
"I hope not!" Rapunzel laughed. "She did always warn me about boys like you, didn't she? 'Rapunzel, you can't go to the tavern alone! The thugs and the men with pointy teeth will get you!'" She imitated her mother in a high-pitched, squeaky voice.
"No, Rapunzel, you can't stay and play with the other children after school!" Jack continued mockingly. "And I don't care that Little Tommy's father is watching you. He could be a cannibal, for all we know! Or worse, he could be gathering the whole lot of you up to feed to men with pointy teeth!"
"Rapunzel, I don't want you exploring the forest! You could catch the plague, or get caught up with those men with their pointy teeth!" she shot back.
Jack looked away, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, she kind of had a point with that one…"
"Too bad I chose not to listen," Rapunzel purred, rolling onto his chest and resting her arms lightly on his shoulders. "Here I am completely caught up with a man with pointy teeth, and not making any move to escape. I'm such a rebel."
"Yes, you are," Jack hummed.
A warm fluttering filled his chest, and he looped his arms around her neck and pulled her down to meet him. His lips worked against hers, soft at first but slowly growing more and more insistent. She kissed him even harder until they were both going so fast that they were short on breath, panting as they tasted each other.
When Jack tasted her tongue, he was suddenly filled with a burning craving unlike anything he had ever felt before. He seized Rapunzel's waist and flipped her over, rolling so that he was on top. He put a hand on either side of her head, pinning her down as their mouths collided passionately. He pressed harder and harder, and as their saliva pooled together and he tasted her entire mouth, the heat inside him surged.
He wanted all of her.
Jack tugged his mouth away from Rapunzel's, sucking his tongue back in as he began to trail wet kisses down her neck. He stopped just above her collarbone, picking up the scent of her blood for the first time. Fresh and ripe, just the way the other vampires always insisted was the best you could get.
He began nibbling at a particular patch of skin, ignoring her body stiffening up beneath him. He nipped her a little more forcefully, and she let out a loud yelp of alarm.
Snapping out of his trance, Jack jerked back and clambered off of her, backing rapidly across the grass. He stared at Rapunzel in horror, the full weight of what he had almost done washing over him.
"Oh my god, Rapunzel, I'm so sorry…" he whimpered. "I just got carried away, I never wanted to…I would never…I can't believe I just…I'm sorry…" He hugged himself as he trailed off in mumbles, flexing his thin fingers against his pale skin.
"It's okay, you didn't mean to." She forced a smile, but he could tell by the slight tremor in her voice how much he had shaken her.
Jack sighed and broke her gaze, studying the dark field below him. "This is why I have to leave."
"Jack, c'mon, it was an accident." She leaned toward him and reached out a hand to touch his face, but he ducked away. "It's fine, honestly—"
"It's not fine!" he snapped, with a bit more force than he meant to. "I literally just wanted to drain all your blood out just now! You think I could honestly ever live with myself if I did something to hurt you, Zellie?"
"But you didn't," Rapunzel said insistently. "You stopped yourself in time. I know that you're going to have those sorts of…impulses, but as long as you keep them under control, then I can work with it."
"It's not always that goddamn easy." Jack was trembling, and his voice was starting to crack. "If I'd been hungrier, I might have just kept going. I might have killed you. I'm horrible. I'm…I'm a monster."
She scooted up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He knew he should have pushed her away, but he was too broken to make the effort. Whatever cheerful façade he had put up earlier was crumbling.
"Not because you chose to be!" Rapunzel retorted. "Stop hating yourself for something that's not your fault."
"But it doesn't matter, does it?" he spat. "I'm still a killer. I still have to suck the lives out of people to keep myself alive. And when it's not people, it's deer and raccoons and stray cats…and in some ways, that's even worse."
Rapunzel hugged him tighter, resting her head on his shoulder. "There's no shame in trying to stay alive," she murmured.
He turned to look at her, a wet red trail streaming down from one of his eyes to his chin. "There is if you have to do it the way I do."
For several moments, Rapunzel was at a loss for words. She looked at him sadly, holding him as tight as she possibly could and burying her face in the crick of his neck.
"Just…stay alive for me, okay?" She said finally. "Stay alive even if it's for no other reason than that I think the world will have lost a handsome, brave, caring, and ridiculously hilarious vampire if you stay out long enough for that sun to come out."
He smirked. "Flattery will get you nowhere in life, Rapunzel."
She returned his smirk. "But it will with you."
He turned and kissed her, and she returned it eagerly. She noticed how tentative he was this time, just barely caressing her lips and moving as slowly as he could.
He pulled away and their gazes met. His amber eyes were filled with something between sadness and longing, and Rapunzel found herself wanting to hold him close to her and never let him go as long as she lived.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too," he murmured. He pulled away from her suddenly, standing up. "And that's why I have to go."
"Now? But it's not even close to morning yet!" Her green eyes flashed accusingly, then grew big with pleading. "Can't you stay a little longer?"
He gave her a wan smile. "After than little episode earlier, I think I've overstayed my welcome a bit."
"Jack, c'mon…" She stood up and started to move toward him, but he took a step back.
"I'm serious! I need to get out of here before I end up doing something fucked up."
"But I'll never see you again…" Her face fell, and his insides twisted with guilt.
Jack smiled gently and stepped toward her, taking her face in his hands. "No, but you'll always have this night. And whenever you feel alone, just remember that no matter how far away I am, I'll always, always love you. All right?"
"Okay," Rapunzel muttered. Her face was in somewhat of a resigned pout, like she didn't much like the idea but wasn't going to protest anymore. "But will you at least…write me?"
"Write you?" It had never crossed Jack's mind to try and keep in touch through letters, but now that she mentioned it, he rather liked the idea. He would have to keep it a secret from the other vampires, but luckily they didn't keep particularly close tabs on him. "Yeah, I think I can work something out," he replied with a cunning smirk. "Don't tell your mother, though."
She laughed. "Oh, I won't! That would be her worst nightmare."
"And hey, Rapunzel, listen…" He sighed. "I don't expect you to wait for me forever. If you find someone else…back here…that's okay."
She rolled her eyes. "Well, that's not very likely. But thanks for granting me permission anyway."
"No problem." Jack glanced behind him into the dark forest. "But I really do need to go now."
"Not yet, you don't." Rapunzel leaned up and kissed him like she'd never kissed him before, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her entire body into him. He kissed her back deeply, and for a long time their lips worked against each other, filled with all of the pain and yearning that they couldn't put into words.
When they finally pulled apart, both of their expressions were pained. Rapunzel held onto Jack's hands, entwining his cold fingers with hers.
"I'll miss you," she murmured.
"I'll miss you too." He leaned forward and planted a single kiss on her cheek. "I love you, Rapunzel."
And with that he was gone, slinking away into the woods like a stray beam of moonlight, glowing briefly before it passed into darkness. Rapunzel watched the spot where he had been for a long, long time before slipping across the meadow and back to her house, bent on returning back to the comfort of her own bed before the tears came.
Well, there you have it, the angsty vampire!AU Jackunzel oneshot that has been gnawing at my brain for months. Inspired, of course, by the "men with pointy teeth" line in "Mother Knows Best"! Hey, if Gothel knew about men with pointy teeth, maybe vampires exist in the Tangled universe! I genuinely hope that this isn't too "Twilighty," i.e. I hope Jack doesn't come across as an excessively angsty, dramatic whiner like Edward Cullen and Rapunzel doesn't come across as a stupid, overly emotionally-driven "I love you even though you could kill me!" dumbass who revolves her entire life around her boyfriend, like Bella Swan. I just wanted to do some angsty "Rapunzel having to convince Jack he's not a monster" and it turned into this deconstruction of the entire vampire trope in general. Whoops! ^^; Also, I realized this is the first (and probably the last, given my preference for wanting my OTPs to have a happy ending) fanfiction I have ever written with a depressing ending. I hate to do this to them, but I just saw no "happily ever after" ending in sight with Jack being a vampire and all. Maybe if Rapunzel got turned, but Jack would never do that to her, probably not even if she asked. I do rather like this AU though…I might do more one-shots in it if I feel inspired! There is definitely more Jackunzel on the way, though, provided I can get a handle on college and write more!