Rapunzel looked up to see Jack perched on her railing, crooked smile in place. She stood up from the table and opened the window, grinning back.

"Hey, you-"

Jack leapt gracefully and landed in front of her, but before she could take a step back, he pulled her flush to his body, lips finding hers as he lifted her up in his arms.

Rapunzel's thin arms immediately wrapped around his neck as she returned his kiss with equal passion, lips moving perfectly in sync. Their lips separated and she found herself breathing hard.

"Hey, you back," Jack said easily, letting her go.

The blonde ran her hands through her hair, smoothing the stray strands down and took a shaky breath.

"What was that for?" she asked, lips quirking upwards. "Not that I'm complaining on the choice of greeting."

Jack's smile disappeared and he gestured to the dining table. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Something twisted in her gut from his solemnity but she followed, sitting opposite of him on the tiny wooden table with the three mismatched chairs.

He took a deep breath and grasped her hand in one fluid motion. "I have to go back."

"Go back?" Rapunzel asked, brow crinkled. She didn't understood what he meant until she looked past his shoulder and caught sight of the star-lit sky. Her throat closed abruptly. "You m-mean h-home?"

Jack nodded, teeth gnawing on his lower lip. "I... I had a calling because a wanted prisoner escaped and they need my help."

"But Jack, I thought you said that they didn't care what could happen to you," she interjected. "Why the welcoming arms now?"

Jack lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I have no idea myself."

Her grip tightened and he winced at the feel of her sharp nails digging into his wrist. She fell silent, staring at the wooden grains photo-shopped onto a piece of plastic, eyes falling the winding trail.

"Punz," he prompted gently. "Will you be okay with me going?"

She took a ragged breath. "For how long?" she asked in a whisper.

This was the part that he had been dreading; how to tell her that he himself had no idea.

"I-" The words caught in his throat and her gaze turned to him, the green harsh like toxic acid. "I... I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"It means I don't know when I'll be back," he finished in a soft voice. "I am so, so sorry."

Her hand slipped out of his grip and he immediately regretted the loss of heat from her touch. He scanned her face for any signs that she might be angry, but all he got was confusion.

"Punz—"

"Oh God," she barked out suddenly that it startled him. "I truly am an idiot."

"What-"

"I fell for someone who couldn't even promise me a tomorrow," she said, voice breaking on the last syllable. "So stupid. So very, very stupid."

Jack's face blanched at the hundred and eighty degree change in her disposition. "Rapunzel, what do you mean?"

"What, you want me to say it out loud now?" she demanded, standing up and causing the chair to screech in protest.

Jack stood up too, hands lifted in a placating gesture. "Punz, I had no choice," he said pleadingly, willing that she would understand. "North told me that if I didn't go back with him, he would revoke my status and banish me. If that happens, I truly can't come back to you as I wouldn't even know where I am."

Her anger seemed to have dissipated and she slumped, arms wrapping around herself. The room fell silent, the type of quiet that was fraught with tension and unavoidable fear.

She looked up at him and he was stunned to see her eyes filled with tears. "Sorry," she gasped out. "I don't know what came over me and... I just flipped..."

"Hey, hey," he said, going over to her and enveloping her in his embrace. "It's going to be all right. I will always come back for you, I swear on my soul."

"But you have no soul," she sniffed.

He scoffed, gaze glimmering softly at her endearing petulance. "Of course I have one. Every creation has one."

Rapunzel hugged herself tighter. "Just promise me?"

Jack drew her nearer and placed his chin on her head, rocking her body slightly as she turned to bury her face in his chest. "Of course. Always. I promise."

~~O~~O~~

Three months.

It had been three months since she last saw Jack.

Rapunzel had first found it unbelievable that she had let him go so easily, before the surprise changed into anger. Her anger didn't last long as she would revert to sadness and then back to indignation, like a never ending carousel of emotions.

She had decided to find a job, as a past time to take her mind off Jack and find her something else to do besides pining over a man she had just met and lost within a short span of time. The blonde had wondered what had gotten into her during those few days where she had let her guard down easily after the death of her other love.

Patience was a virtue and one she desperately needed if she were going to believe in Jack's words, that he would come back for her no matter what. But he was galaxies away – literally – and time was moved differently there compared to earth.

She had been busy with her work today, overlooking some of the papers that her boss wanted her to go over when a sharp knock caught her attention. The blonde removed the pen she was chewing from her mouth and looked up.

Her heart caught in her chest.

Jack was grinning at her, bright smile contrasting vividly against the steely dark skies that signified oncoming rain, hand lifted up in a wave.

She couldn't believe her eyes.

Rapunzel let out a breathless laugh as she made her way over to the window on shaky legs, unlatching the lock.

Cool wind struck her face and Jack quickly jumped in, helping her to close the window.

He turned around, gaze appraising hers.

Jack hadn't changed one bit; his brown hair was still messy and stuck in different directions, his eyes still sparkled with that same mischief that she had missed so much.

He opened his arms and she practically ran into them, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Whoa, easy there," Jack said with a laugh. God, she had missed his voice.

"I-I thought you were never coming back," she managed to choke out, feeling his grip tighten around her.

"I did promise you," he murmured, "and I always keep my promises."

She detached herself from his embrace, giving him a once over.

"Did you manage to defeat the evil bad guy?"

Jack gave a short bark of laughter at her dubbing of Pitch.

"Yes. Yes we did."

Her relieved smile was brilliant. "Good. I'm glad you're safe."

Rapunzel's heart lurched in her chest, thrumming like a life hummingbird in her ribcage. She inhaled his sweet scent of peppermint and musk, a heady concoction that reminded her he was still alive, and finally after months of pining for him, she had him back.

"We have a lot of catching up to do." His words were more of a statement than a suggestion.

She smirked. "Yes, we do."

He inclined his head towards the dining table where her untouched work sat, impish grin in place.

"You make lasagna and I talk then later I clean up and it's your turn?"

Rapunzel had never heard a better suggestion.

"Sometimes you amaze me with your great thinking, Jack."

"I aim to impress," Jack gallantly replied, pulling the chair for her.

She could finally relax now after months of worrying.

Jack was finally home.

A/N: And this story is a wrap! I hope you guys enjoyed this short drabble that I couldn't get out of my head for Jackunzel. Mega thanks to my beta Jackunzelhayniac3 who helped with the chapters and made this even more legible for all of you.

Thanks for sticking around and I hope to hear some feedback from all of you!