A/N: Thank you everyone for the reviews/favorites/alerts. Much appreciated :)

On with the next chapter…

…

Chapter Two

The cold wind blew through the old house, causing an unhealthy moan to escape from the high ceiling beams. It sent a shiver up Rapunzel's spine, the hairs on the back of her neck standing upright. Apart from the faint sound of voices from downstairs, there was nothing but silence. She had no idea where she could have been taken. Somewhere rural by the sound of it…or lack of. Since she had arrived she couldn't remember hearing one car pass. One sound of a horn or a person yelling in the streets. There had been nothing. Just silence. If it had been under any other circumstances, Rapunzel would have found the quietness rather peaceful. But all she felt was loneliness.

Her tears had long but dried up, the tattered blindfold crusting at the edges. This wasn't how it was meant to be. This wasn't how she was supposed to spend her time in the states. She wanted to be independent. Learn to fend for herself and have fun in the process. It was hard being the daughter of a King. His parenting skills usually outranked by his royal duties. She had wanted nothing more than to have some time apart from him, but now…now she would give everything just to be back by his side.

The wind blew once again, the cold air causing her to shiver. She had been out with a few friends. No one in particular, just a few people she had met while on her trip. They had went out for a meal and then to a local club where she had hoped to dance the night away. Dressed in a flattering knee length, purple strapless dress, she was beginning to wish she had opted for her jeans instead. Her whole body was covered in goose bumps, and her pink stilettos which were now strewn somewhere in the alley behind the club had left her feet bloody and freezing. She could tell there was a cut on her knee which, most probably, still had glass embedded inside, and a bruise on her knuckles from where she had got a lucky punch in. Her dried up tears came back full force.

"Please…" She croaked out, not knowing if anyone could even hear her "Please let me go…someone please help me…"

Exhausted from the night's events, Rapunzel leaned against the cold damp wall, the springs in the battered mattress squeaking under her weight. If only she had listened. If only she had taken Pascal up on the offer of driving her home. Or Vlad's on walking her back to her apartment.

"Are you crazy!?" Pascal had exclaimed "Do you know how dangerous it is out there…especially since you don't know the area."

But she had insisted. She was an adult living on her own for the very first time.

"I'll be fine." She smiled "I'm a big girl…How about one more round? My treat this time."

She hadn't waited for their response, instead she made her way towards the bar, weaving in and out of the bodies that moved to the beat of the music.

"What can I get ya?" The bartender had asked.

"3 Coke's." She replied.

She had never imagined herself spending a Saturday night dancing with total strangers; she had never even imagined herself being in a club before. The whole thing had seemed a little surreal, but she knew that she could quite easily get used to it. Scanning the bar Rapunzel couldn't help but smile. Everyone had seemed so happy. Safe. Lost in their own little world. Her eyes settled on one man in particular though. He had sat at the end of the bar, staring into his beer with a solemn look. He was attractive, a thought that had caught Rapunzel off guard. Broad shouldered, well defined muscles and a strong jaw. Traits that her father would have been pleased with, had he been of royal blood.

Rapunzel had watched as he scratched his stubbly chin, his hand going from his face to his shaggy brown hair. There was a mystery to him. He seemed to be the only person in the whole club who had come alone, nor had he really been dressed for the occasion. A plain black t-shirt covered by a faded leather jacket, and a pair of old jeans with a tear in the knee. Yet, in her opinion, he was probably one of the best looking men in the whole club. He had caught her looking at him, causing her attention to turn back to the bartender who had had her drinks waiting.

"Thank you" She said quickly, trying to hide her embarrassment before taking her drinks and leaving.

The rest of the night had been a bit of a blur after that. She remembered leaving the club, waving to Vlad and Pascal as she left. She remembered walking down the alleyway towards the backstreet that would take her home. And then…nothing. Just chaos. The more she thought about everything the more she could see just how stupid she had been. What would her father have said? A princess should have known better. Should have taken up the chivalrous offer from her friends.

Her tears came back once again, the fear of the unknown crippling her. Bowing her head, Rapunzel quietly began to pray.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid?" Her soft voice filled the room "The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident…Father…save me."
...

It was a good couple of hours later before Flynn had the guts to step back inside. Scott and Mike were both passed out on the couch, the only sound coming from the TV. Sighing, Flynn turned off the TV and began to head upstairs towards his 'room'. A small grungy place that had an old ratty single bed and very little furniture. It was safe to say that it was no palace that they were hiding out in. The house had once belonged to the Twins' Grandfather. A nice guy, but since he died very little had been done with it, including cleaning.

Flynn couldn't help but look towards the attic as he headed for bed. He couldn't help but stop and think about the girl who was tied up, pleading for freedom. Freedom that he so wanted to give. It was cold. Too cold to be wearing nothing but a dress. What if she was freezing…and she was bound to be hungry by now. Heading into his room, Flynn rummaged through his bag and pulled out an old sweater and a pair of sweat pants. They would probably keep her a little warmer.

Turning back out the door, Flynn stopped. He couldn't exactly dress her, and he very much doubted that she was in a state to do it herself blindfolded. How could he hide his identity from her? Rummaging through his bag once more, Flynn came across a bandana, a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses. Disguising himself, he made his way for the attic once again, trying hard to remain as quiet as possible. The last thing he needed was for his friends to wake up.

Unlocking the door, Flynn stepped in to see Rapunzel in the same position. She was huddled in a ball on the bed, sitting as far into the corner as she could get. He could see the panic in her face as she heard his footsteps getting closer. A sight, he was beginning to realize, that he would never find easy. She choked back a sob as she tried to scoot even further into her corner.

"Don't be afraid." He spoke softly, slowly sitting on the edge of the bed.

"W-what do you want?" She replied back.

"I came to bring you some warm clothes." Flynn said "I'm going to take that blindfold off you and untie you. Let you get dressed."

"You could let me go!" She spat back.

"Believe me…" He mumbled, looking down at the ground "I really wish I could."

Standing, Flynn moved closer to her. Her whole body tensed as he reached behind her head to untie the blindfold. He watched as she slowly became accustomed to the dim room. The only source of light coming from the rays of the moon through the window. Her eyes looked worse than he had expected. Red, swollen and teary. He literally felt his heart wrench as she looked up at him. He was only thankful that the sunglasses hid his own glassy eyes. The bandana covering his trembling lip.

"I'm going to untie you now." He said, picking up her wrists "I promise I'm not going to hurt you, ok?"

Nodding with uncertainty, Rapunzel watched as her captor gently began to pull at the knots in the cords. They were tight from all the pulling that she had done, but pretty soon, he had her free.

She couldn't help but wince as he unwrapped the cable from her wrists. They were swollen and bloody. She slowly began to move them as he began the same task on her ankles, which in the end looked just as bad.

"I'm sorry." He practically whispered, never taking his eyes off the marks that had been left behind "Are you very sore?"

"No…" She replied "Only a little. It looks worse than it feels. My feet are a bit sore and I think there is glass in my knee."

"Ok…I'll have a look if you want." He said "Right now I'll turn away and let you change."

A little stunned by his chivalry, Rapunzel nodded. True to his word he stood and turned towards the door, letting her have some sort of privacy. He heard the zip of her dress, the soft thump as it fell to her ankles. Rapunzel pulled the oversized green sweater on without much delay, quickly followed by the even bigger bottoms. At least she would be a little comfier now, and a lot warmer.

"Ok…" She said, taking a seat on the bed.

Turning back round, Flynn felt the wrenching again. She looked so young. So innocent. Kneeling before her he motioned for her to roll up the pants leg to let him see her knee. It was a bit bloody. A purple bruise forming round the sides. Looking up at her for permission, Flynn gently took hold of her leg and slowly began to pick a piece of glass out from her wound.

"There ya go." He said as she winced, pulling the piece of glass out "Apart from that the wound looks pretty clean."

"…Thank you." Rapunzel replied, quickly rolling the pants leg back down "…You…you're not like the other two. You're different…You seem…kinder, almost. Is it part of your scheme? To lead me into a false sense of security? "

"No." Flynn spoke "I just have no reason to act like an asshole. This isn't a personal attack against you."

"Is it against my Father?" She gasped, worry in her eyes "Are my family in danger!?"

"No…no, nothing like that." Flynn quickly confirmed "As…horrible as it sounds…you're only here because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time...I promise I have no interest in hurting either you or your family."

Rapunzel stared up at him, her big green eyes glistening. She wanted to believe him, and if she was perfectly honest with herself, she already did. But she couldn't allow herself to confuse his acts of 'kindness' as anything other than self-seeking motions. She wasn't locked away in this attic for a vacation. She was there because he wanted something, and with her there he knew he could get it. She didn't want to think of anything bad happening, but she knew she couldn't rule it out either.

"I don't know if I should believe you..." She croaked, her usual sweet voice sounding hoarse and raspy "But if I don't...then where's my hope?"

Flynn watched as she covered her eyes, her small body heaving as she began to cry again. He could only imagine how she was feeling. She had spent her whole life in safety, never having to worry physically or financially. To find herself locked away with complete strangers would be the biggest shock to her.

"Then do believe..." He finally spoke "I promise you, you'll be safe, OK? I'm not going to let anything else happen to you. You have my word."

Again, Rapunzel looked up at him and with her tears dying down, gave a small nod. Sniffling, she wiped her nose on the long sleeve of the sweater before running her hands through her long hair. She could feel the dirt and grit through it, a twig or something stuck in the back. Oh, what she would do for a bath right then.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Flynn asked nervously "Food...water..."

"I need a bath." She replied, too embarrassed to meet his gaze "I...I need to wash the dirt off me."

Flynn could relate. He wanted nothing more than to lock himself in the bathroom and scrub until the dirt and guilt was gone.

"Uh...sure." He said, rubbing the back of his neck "We only have a shower though, so..."

"That's fine." Rapunzel answered, standing up once again, the pain in her torn up feet crippling "I just need to...be clean."

"Ok..."Flynn nodded "The other two are passed out so I'll take you down now, but we have to be quick. I don't want to give either of them a reason to act up."

"Ok."

Hobbling slightly, Rapunzel followed Flynn to the door. The pain in her feet was beginning to become unbearable, and Flynn noticed. She held on to the walls and boxes that lay strewn about as she slowly joined him. Opening the door, Flynn turned to her, and without saying anything, gently picked her up bridal style. He could feel her body tense once more at the contact, but he couldn't let her tackle the stairs in as much pain.

"Sorry..." He mumbled, her grip on his shirt loosening.

He quickly carried her down the stairs, peering round the door into the hallway to make sure that Mike and Scott were still sound. With a small sigh of relief, Flynn set her back on her feet before leading her a few feet down the hall towards the bathroom. Rapunzel couldn't help but stare in horror when he flicked on the light, and in all honesty Flynn could understand why. The once cream wall tiles had, over the years, turned a sickly nicotine stained shade of yellow, the linoleum flooring tearing at the door way and round the cracked toilet. Fit for a princess it wasn't.

"Uh..." Flynn stuttered "To work the shower, you need to turn it up to max and wait a few minutes. After that you can change the temperature."

"Thank you." Rapunzel murmured, wrapping her arms around her tiny waist.

"I...uh...I need to keep the door open a little...Just in case." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rapunzel could tell that he was obviously uncomfortable about the situation, but all she did was nod slowly. Giving a slight nod in return, Flynn went out of the bathroom and lent against the wall by the door. Soon he could hear the sound of running water, and the rustle of the shower curtain. Sighing, he took off the sunglasses and pulled the bandanna down from his face. He took down his hood and removed his hat, sitting all the items on the small table which sat beside him. Running his hands through his hair, Flynn sighed again. He looked at the floor, and then back up, his eyes setting on the mirror in front of him. It had a clear view of the inside of the bathroom, and Flynn soon found himself sliding down the wall to sit on the floor when he caught a glimpse of Rapunzel's bare back as she pulled his sweater over her head. He was many things, but a peeping tom was not one of them.

Resting his head against the wall, Flynn closed his eyes, memories of him and Eugene as kids flooding his mind. Are you coming to my football game today...You're the best big brother in the world...I love you, Flynn! He could feel the tears burn the back of his eyes.

"I'm going to make it better Eugene." He whispered, a single tear running down his cheek "I'm going to make it better."
...

A/N: So what did you think guys? Did you enjoy it? Please review, even if it's a bit of constructive criticism. Like I said, I need all the advice I can get. Thanks :)