A/N goes here

Broken

Part 1

There weren't many unused areas in the GUARDIAN base. They only had so much space, and it was almost all utilized, for everything from barracks, to gyms, garages, the cafeteria, science labs, and everything else a spy base might need.

But Jack knew what few empty spaces there were. They offered more privacy than his room in the barracks, where someone might come looking for him.

Today, he chose the one behind the science labs. Well, it was a hall of yet more science labs, but they were rarely ever used. No one would look for him there, and most of the scientists didn't even noticed when he passed the labs that were in use.

Leaning back against the wall of the dimly lit hallways, Jack slid down to the floor. He dialed Rapunzel number from memory. For security purposes, he couldn't program it into his phone. Raising the device to his eye, he prayed desperately that she would answer.

A part of him – a small, but persistent – was convinced that she wouldn't.

It was the lingering effects of the nightmare gas, he knew. The gas itself was gone from his system. But the psychological effects remained.

The third ring cut off.

"Hello?" she asked, her voice hopeful.

His number showed up on her phone as a restricted number – the same as some of the editors she worked for, so she could never be sure who was calling.

"Hey." He had hoped that one word would come out. Just that one word. But his voice broke in relief at the sound of her voice.

Rapunzel didn't miss it.

"Are you alright?"

Jack tilted his head back, looking up at the tiled ceiling. There were florescent lights up and down the hall, but since no one was supposed to be in that hall, they hadn't been turned on. He knew where the switch was, but hadn't bothered. At that moment, he both wanted and hated the darkness.

He wanted to tell her that he was fine. Or, since she would never buy such an obvious lie, to assure her that he would be.

But he wasn't sure that he would be. And he couldn't lie to her.

He didn't want to.

"No," he admitted. "I'm not."

"Oh, Jack." It came out as a breath.

"How are you?" he asked, before she could ask what was wrong. He wasn't ready to talk about it. Right now, he just needed her voice. Preferably on the most mundane subject possible. "What are you doing?"

There was a pause, and he knew she was debating if she should let him change the subject, or turn it back to him.

"Please, Rapunzel." The words came out in a hoarse whisper. "Just talk to me. I need …" To know you're still there.

But he couldn't finish that sentence.

Another moment passed, and he knew she was processing his words.

"Just talk to me," he whispered again. "Before I lose my mind."

"No pressure," she said, her tone taking on a lightness that they both knew was forced. It was how she talked when they were avoiding the elephant in the room. "Do you remember that collection of fairytales I'm illustrating?"

"Of course."

She was always enthusiastic about her work. And the GUARDIANs paid him enough that she could pick and choose which jobs she took. But he had never seen her want an assignment as badly as she had wanted this one. And she had been working on it almost constantly since she had gotten it a little over a month ago.

"I'm working on the Rapunzel story," she said, sounding sheepish.

The corner of Jack's mouth twitched in a grin. It was half-hearted – more a habit than anything. But it was there.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"No matter how hard I try, it looks like me," she admitted, and he knew she was blushing. She always got self-conscious when the fairytale came up. Though he also knew it was her favorite.

He had known that within twenty-four hours of knowing her. A lot of that first week was a blur – too many nights without sleeping as they drove like crazy all over the Pacific Northwest. She trying to keep up, him not entirely sure why he had brought her along. But they had discovered that talking came easily.

And one conversation stood out vividly. The middle of the night, driving Highway 1, up the California coast and into Oregon. He had finally been too tired to bite back his curiosity about her name.

She must have been as exhausted as he was, if not more so, because she had told him that her mother had chosen the name because 1) they were German, 2) her mother had craved lettuce the whole time she was pregnant.

About how she had loved growing up with the name, even when other kids teased her.

Even how, when she had been four years old, she had asked her father how she was ever going to find her prince if he didn't lock her in a tower.

Jack had laughed so hard he'd had to pull over on the almost nonexistent shoulder of the highway.

"Your publisher doesn't know what you look like," he reminded. "I won't tell if you don't."

Rapunzel giggled.

He wondered if she remembered that night as well as he did. If she was remembering it now.

"So who does the prince look like?" he asked.

"You, of course," she said. As if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "But with your brown hair."

Jack ran a hand through his hair, which was now white. He had never dared to ask if she had preferred his brown hair.

"Are you on assignment?" she asked, when he didn't respond.

"No, I'm at the base," he said. "We got back last night."

He knew she tried to keep hope out of her voice as she asked: "So, are you coming home soon?"

She tried, but he still heard it.

And it hurt.

Stars, he wished he was going home.

Wished he could tell her he was on his way to the garage now.

Or better, that he was at a gas station somewhere along the way.

Instead, he was stuck in the base, which was starting to feel like a prison.

"No," he said, closing his eyes. "We… we ran into Pitch. He hit us hard."

"Are you alright?" she asked. "Is the team?"

"I…" Jack sighed. "We're alive," was the most honest answer he could give. "But they're making us stay for a psych evaluation."

"Oh."

He could clearly picture the scowl she was wearing. As much as his golden girl could scowl. The expression was more cute than intimidating. And he wanted to be there to see it. To pull her onto his lap and kiss her brow so the expression faded. To lean in and inhale her scent. To feel the warmth of her arms.

Missing her was a physical ache, and it was hitting him harder than usual in that moment. A hug from her would do more good than any of the GUARDIAN shrinks could hope to do for him.

"I love you," he said, voice raw even to his own ears.

"I love you, too," she said. "Can't you get North to exempt your from the therapy like last time?"

"He's not here," he said. Since North was the only one (aside from Eret) who knew about Rapunzel's existence, he was the only one would clear him, since he would know that Jack wasn't trying to run. Most people thought he lived on the base, so that didn't realize that he was trying to go home.

She huffed a little.

"Oh." He didn't like the turn in her voice. "I know I should probably wait to bring this up, but I talked to my parents called yesterday."

Jack cringed. "We can't get out of seeing them again, can we?"

"Their anniversary is in a couple months," she said. "They want us both to be there."

Jack did not do parties. He did not do crowds. He never had, but his PTSD now ensured that they were absolutely torture. The only reason he got through them on assignments was because he was focused on what he needed to do.

"Email me the date," he sighed. "I'll talk to North about getting the time off."

"We only have to go for the weekend," she said. "And you just have to make an appearance at the party. So my parents know you're there."

"You can't let them think I'm the jerk who stole their daughter and just won't show up for social functions?"

Rapunzel giggled. He hadn't managed to get the intended sarcasm into his tone, but they had had these conversations enough that she knew he was (half) joking.

"No, I will not," she said. "Because you are not a jerk, and I am not going to let my parents think you are."

"They do," he reminded.

"They just don't know," she said, sighing.

"No, they're distracted by the fact that I practically kidnapped their daughter - twice. Eloped the second time. And now makes her live in the middle of nowhere, while leaving you alone ninety percent of the time."

"You're too hard on yourself."

"It's the truth," he reminded her. He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Why do you put up with this?"

The line was quiet for a very long moment.

"Pitch got you alone, didn't he?" she asked.

"Him, me, and who knows how much nightmare gas."

Rapunzel exhaled, and he could hear her frustration in that sound. "You don't need a psych evaluation. You need to come home."

"Tell me about it," he muttered.

He was going to say more. But before he could find it, his phone beeped. Pulling it away from his ear to check the screen, he saw the alert telling him it was time for his appointment.

"I have to go," he said. "If I don't know up for my appointment they'll throw a fit."

"I might throw a fit if you don't come home soon."

Jack chuckled. "I'd love to see that."

"Will you call me later?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "You're doing more good than this appointment will."

"I do my best," she sighed. "I'll talk to you later."

"Will you kiss me?" The words were out before he fully realized what he was saying.

She hesitated a moment. "As soon as you come home."

"No, I mean now," he said. "Through the phone."

It wouldn't be the same, he knew that. But if he couldn't be there, then this was the closest he was going to get.

"Okay."

As she kissed the microphone on her phone, Jack did the same with his.

She giggled. "I feel like I'm fourteen."

Jack barely even remembered being fourteen. He just felt broken.

"Thank you. You helped more than you can know."

"If you say so," she sighed. "I hate feeling useless."

"You're not," he promised.

"You know I try not to say this," she said, reluctance saturating her words. "But please come home."

She could demand he come home in a teasing way – or in mock seriousness, as she had throughout this conversation. But this was different. It was an actual request. Something she didn't do often, since they both knew he had no power over when he was allowed to come home.

"As soon as I can."