A/N: You guys are truly amazing. I'm so glad that you're all enjoying this story so much. Please continue to R&R :-)
…

Chapter Five

Wow. That's all she managed to say…Wow. The minute that Rapunzel took off the dark shields from his eyes, she knew that she recognized him. Had they met before? Was that why he was being so nice to her? Because she had laid eyes on him without his disguise? Because she had seen him? Dropping the sunglasses onto the floor, Rapunzel never shifted off of his lap. All she did was continue to stare into his emotion filled eyes. Opening her mouth, Rapunzel went to speak, but closed it again when nothing came out. But who was he? She had to know.

Flynn watched as she slowly began to reach up for the bandanna that concealed the rest of his identity, but just before she managed to pull it down, he quickly stood up, Rapunzel falling onto the floor with a soft thud as he backed away quickly. Confused she looked up at him, only to find him sliding the glasses back onto his face, not daring to meet her gaze. He seemed panicked, looking anywhere but her. Sitting up, Rapunzel gave him an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry…" She exclaimed "I didn't mean to push…you just look so…familiar."

But Flynn still didn't look at her. He couldn't look at her, because he knew if he did then he would cave and take her home there and then.

"I…I'm going to head downstairs." He began, quickly heading for the door "I'll be back up later with some food and water."

"No!" She cried, climbing to her feet and running towards the door "Wait!"

Reaching the door before him, Rapunzel pressed her back up against it, blocking it as she clutched the door knob behind her. She couldn't let him leave. Not without answering some questions. Flynn, a little surprised, took another step back. Why was she having this effect on him!? Turning round so he wasn't looking at her, Flynn sighed. Why had he let her take his glasses off!? How could he have been so stupid!? Scott would have his head for this if he ever found out.

Reluctantly turning back round, Flynn made his way for the door once more, but still Rapunzel didn't budge. She just stood there, the sun illuminating her golden hair. They stood mere inches apart, Flynn trying to reach around her to grab the door knob. She stared up at him, her eyes never leaving the dark shades. She was tiny compared to him.

"Please move…" He said in a whisper, his voice raspy.

"I know you…" She replied, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of his eyes once again "I've seen you before…Where have I seen you!?"

"Rapunzel…" He said a little more sternly "I need to go. Look this was a mistake!"

The last thing he needed or wanted was to fight with her. To lose that trusting bond that she was beginning to build up with him.

"…Please." She begged quietly, her voice small as her eyes once again became glassy "Please just answer me."

"I-I can't." Flynn replied, his own voice sounding as if it were about to betray him by cracking "Now if you don't move then I'm going to have to tie you up again and I don't want to do that…so please, Rapunzel…for both our sakes, please move."

Reluctantly, Rapunzel moved away from the door. She tucked some hair behind her ear and crossed her arms over her chest. Turning to look at her once more, Flynn gave a small sigh.

"I'm sorry." He said before heading out the room, locking the door behind him.

When he was gone, Rapunzel slumped against the door, sliding down it until she was sitting on the cold wooden floor. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she rested her arms on them. She knew that she recognized his eyes. But where she had seen them she couldn't remember. Sighing, she lent her head against the door.

"Where do I know you from?" She said to herself quietly.
…

When outside the room, Flynn closed his eyes and leaned against the door, copying Rapunzel's action in sliding down it. Taking a seat on the top step he sighed and took off his disguise. Why had he let it get that far? He should have known better than that. This was a lot harder than he thought it would be. How did he end up with her on his lap? Her arms wrapped around him and his round her? He wasn't supposed to be comforting her. Not like that anyway.

"Pull it together, Rider." He said through gritted teeth, running his hand through his hair, tugging on it slightly "Get your fucking act together."

Getting up, Flynn headed downstairs, trying and failing to banish all thoughts of the vivacious blonde from his mind. When holding her, he had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. A feeling he had never experienced before with any woman. He had felt...happiness. Her closeness…her touch, they had sent his body into a frenzy. The hairs on the back of his neck standing upright.

Walking into the living area, Flynn found the Stabbington Brother's finishing converting the recording to disc, Scott shooting him a look of hatred as Mike put the DVD into a case.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, man!?" Scott bellowed, walking towards him "You letting her get to you!? Letting her get into your fucking mind!?"

"You shouldn't have been touching her like that!" Flynn shouted back "We agreed on that!"

"No!" Scott said, Mike coming to stand next to him "You agreed to it…Why do you care so much about the little bitch anyway!? Look what she did to my face!?"

Scott pointed to his bloody nose, his eyes turning a sickening shade of purple. Flynn couldn't help but feel a burst of pride for Rapunzel. She certainly knew how to hold her own. To cause that much damage to someone's face there had to be a lot of power behind that kick.

"Well, think about it Scott." Flynn began "You touch her, hurt her, have sex with her…all these things will come back to bite you on the ass. It's not as if the cops won't find out! And I'm not adding rape onto my list! Kidnapping is enough, and now thanks to the little 'stunt' that you pulled upstairs we've got assault with a deadly weapon!"

The two brothers were silent as Flynn finished his rant.

"I just wanted to scare her a little." Scott finally said his voice gruff with anger.

"Yeah, well it worked didn't it!?" Flynn spat, collapsing onto the sofa and lighting a cigarette "Is the DVD ready?"

"Yeah." Mike said, waving it front of him.

"Good." He sighed "You guys remember the plan?"

"Phone and trash can." Scott mumbled, rolling his eyes "We got it." He said, heading for the door with his brother "But don't expect us back tonight Rider. Like you said, we need to keep up the appearance of normal everyday life. I'm going out."

"Well I hope you two have fun." Flynn replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice "I'm sure you two will be capable of that while I go and visit Eugene."

At the sound of Eugene's name, they all went quiet. Even Scott who was beginning to lose sight of what they were meant to be doing. Saving his life. Giving a small grunt Scott left the house, Mike following close behind. The whole house shook as they slammed the door shut, and then there was silence.

"Just don't get caught." Flynn whispered, taking a drag from his cigarette.
…

The hour drive from Dickerson to DC was one that Flynn had never been able to appreciate in all its glory before, but knowing that Rapunzel was safe from his two 'friends' till tomorrow helped him relax a little and enjoy the peacefulness. The sun danced behind the trees, the fields golden as he headed on route to the hospital. How could the world go on spinning when Eugene was lying there, wasting away? How could it still look so beautiful? Winding down the window a little, Flynn turned on the radio.

These bruises make for better conversation, loses the vibe that separates…

Nothing like a little Train to pass the time.
…

It wasn't too long before Flynn came to a stop outside the hospital, the once shining sun disappearing behind the greying clouds. It had been a while since he had managed to visit Eugene, the 'money making' plans taking up most of his time, but he knew he couldn't hide forever. Eugene was in there dying, and it scared him. Every step he took through the hospital felt like a thousand, but eventually he found himself standing outside his brother's room, gazing through the little glass window on the door as he slept. There he lay, hooked up to all sorts of machines. There seemed to be more wires coming out of him than there was a Christmas tree. Taking a deep breath, Flynn opened the door and stepped in, the only sound coming from the various machines around him and the small TV in the corner. The News once again updating the public on the Princess's disappearance, although now the headlines read 'Abduction'. Looked like the Stabbington's had managed it after all.

Nervously, Flynn made his way over to the side of the bed, taking a seat in one of the uncomfortable pink chairs. He could feel the tears burn the back of his eyes at the sight of his little brother. He looked worse now than he had the day he found him bleeding all over their kitchen floor. Unable to control them any longer, Flynn's tears fell, a strangled sob escaping from his throat as he covered his face with his hands.

"You better not be crying over me you big wuss." Came the soft slurred voice of his brother, causing Flynn to snap up.

"Eugene." He smiled a little, wiping away his tears quickly "Of course not…" He said "I was crying at the thought of you getting a sponge bath from that lovely little nurse out there and me missing out."

"Sure you were." Eugene joked, pressing the button on his bed until he was moved into a sitting position.

"I'm sorry I've not been for a while." Flynn said softly "I've been trying to get some money together."

And I've been terrified of coming to see you.

"Flynn…" Eugene began through deep breathes, tiredness evident in his voice "Don't…You and I both know that you'll never get this money on time…and I'm ok with that…I can cope, and believe me, you will too. Don't go beating yourself up over this."

"Eugene…" Flynn began "Shut the fuck up." Eugene smiled a little at his brother's potty mouth "I'm going to get the money together really really soon. Trust me. You just sit back and relax. You'll be better again. Ok? I promise."

"Just…" He began "Don't you go and do something stupid now. I love you too much to see you in jail again."

"I'm not touching drugs." Flynn said bluntly "I'm not using. Or selling either."

Giving a small smile and a little nod, Eugene slowly turned his head towards the TV, images of Rapunzel gracing the screens once again as the reporter delivered the news that an anonymous tip off had confirmed that she had been abducted.

"That's insane." He finally slurred out "I mean who would be stupid enough to kidnap a Princess and think they could get away with it?"

"I know…" Flynn said in agreement praying that his voice didn't give anything away "Couple of fucking idiots probably."

Or just someone who was truly desperate…
…

The 'goodbye' had been hard, the promise to visit again soon had been even harder, but soon Flynn found himself back parking in front of the rundown house, the sun just beginning to set in the distance. He had been a little longer than intended, and he knew by now that Rapunzel would most likely need something to eat and drink.

He didn't waste too much time before preparing her a warm meal, carrying it up the stairs alongside a tall glass of water. Starving the girl to death was definitely not part of his plan. Setting the tray on the ground, Flynn unlocked the door before nudging it open with his foot to reveal the petite girl sitting on the bed looking out the window. She had been crying again, he could tell, not that he could blame her though. Picking up her food he closed the door behind him, carrying it over to the bed beside her.

"Hey…" He said softly, causing her to look up at him with a little scowl as he sat the plate beside her "You ok?"

"What do you think!?" She cried, running her hands through her hair "Of course I'm not ok! No one is telling me anything! Not even the reason that I'm here! Why am I here!? And I swear if you say 'you'll be fine' one more time, I'll scream!"

Closing his eyes, Flynn took a seat on the other side of her. He looked over at her, surprised that she had moved a little closer to him, her anger quickly fading into sadness.

"I'm sorry…" She sighed "I didn't mean to snap at you. You're the only one who actually seems to care about me. I'm just feeling…frustrated. I want to know what's going on. Even if it's only partly."

"Don't be sorry." Flynn said softly, a hint of a chuckle in his voice "I understand."

He didn't know whether it was stupid or not, but at that moment he didn't really care either, because the next thing he knew he was reaching up for his glasses and setting them down between them on the bed. Looking over at Rapunzel he was glad to see that she was now sporting a small smile, a hint of a blush creeping up her cheeks.

"I like you better without them." She said softly as she picked up the plate of food, quickly digging in.

"Thanks." He said with a small smile.

He could feel the question bubbling away in the back of his mind, reluctant to ask it, but he knew deep down that if he was in her position he would probably want to have the same question asked to him.

"Do…do you want to talk?" He finally asked, causing Rapunzel to look at him like he had just sprouted another head.

"Are you serious?" She asked in confusion, a hint of laughter in her voice as she continued to eat "What about?"

"Anything." Flynn said "Might get your mind off of things and help you 'vent' a little."

Smiling, Rapunzel quickly finished off her meal before tucking her legs up under her body to get comfy. Flynn couldn't help but laugh a little at her eagerness.

"Ok…" She began, obviously excited at the chance to socialize "How about I ask you some questions and you can ask me some."

"Ok, deal." Flynn smirked, the bandana hiding his smile "But I'm not promising that I'll be able to answer everything."

Rapunzel nodded and tucked some hair behind her ear. She didn't care if he could answer them all. All she cared about was the fact that he was being a friend towards her.

"Ok…" She began "I'll start with an easy one then…what age are you?"

"I'm 26." Flynn said with a chuckle.

"Really!" Rapunzel exclaimed "I thought you were only a couple of years older than me."

"You say that like I'm ancient." He laughed, causing her to giggle a little.

"I don't mean it like that." She smiled, another small giggle escaping her lips.

He loved her laugh. It was contagious.

"Ok…" She finally said "Your turn."

Flynn sat forward a bit and looked up, obviously thinking, but soon he looked back at the beautiful Blonde. Rapunzel could tell that he was smirking by the way his eyes went. She liked the fact that he had taken his glasses off to talk to her. Made her feel like he actually wanted to socialize, and was not being forced into it. He seemed rather comfy too, making her feel like she was just sitting at home in her room talking to a friend.

"What's it like..." Flynn began, bringing Rapunzel out of her thoughts "To be royalty?"

Rapunzel gave a sad smile, looked down at her hands which lay in her lap before looking back into his brown eyes.

"It isn't actually as great as it looks." She answered "I mean, the whole 'never having to worry about money' thing is great, but My Dad is very over protective. Being the daughter of a King definitely has its downfalls."

"How over protective is he?" Flynn asked, truly interested in the conversation.

"Well let's see shall we..." Rapunzel began with a smirk, sitting up straight "Ever since I was a kid I can always remember having someone follow me, even if it was to go a simple walk in the Palace gardens...When he was visiting DC to meet with the President though, I managed to convince him to let me stay in the country a little while by myself. I wanted to go to university. He wasn't thrilled about the idea, but he eventually relented."

"How did you manage that?" Flynn asked with genuine curiosity.

"Easy." She smiled "I simply said 'But Dad, it's not fair! Prince William got to go to university and he was fine!'. Worked a charm."

Chuckling a little, Flynn ushered her to carry on.

"He, I wouldn't say chooses my friends for me…" She continued "But he does have a lot of insight into who would be best for me to socialize with. He just doesn't want me to be used…Most of my friends are kinda superficial airheads. Except Anna and Merida! We've been best friends since we were little."

"Well that's good." Flynn began, sitting back a little on the bed "It's good to have friends that you can trust."

I wish I knew what that was like.

"Yeah, they're great." She smiled "My Dad likes them too…But do you want to hear the big one?" She asked, quickly getting back to her story "I am 18 years old, and I've never had a boyfriend."

"Seriously!?" Flynn said in shock.

"Yeah, I know." Rapunzel said with a nod.

"You've really never had a boyfriend?" He asked.

Rapunzel just shook her head, biting her bottom lip.

"Nope." She stated "I've never so much as had the chance to hold a guy's hand. My Dad makes sure that he is extremely careful when it comes to me socializing with the opposite sex. I think he's terrified that I end up getting pregnant or something out of wedlock and get a bad name for myself. As a Princess I should be a role model for the younger girls of the Kingdom…I don't mind though…I understand that he's just being a worried father. He gave me this purity ring when I was 12…" She began, holding out her hand to show Flynn the white gold un-blossomed rose ring "He asked me if I would like to wear it…I said yes. I like the idea of waiting until you fall in love with someone before taking a step like that. What better way of saying 'I love you'."

Flynn couldn't help but smile a little. If he had heard a speech like that come from anyone else he would have probably thought it was the cheesiest thing ever, but hearing it come from Rapunzel made it sound romantic. Pure. Her Dad wasn't a bad guy. He was a man whose only crime was caring too much for his daughter.

"Well, I've never really been in a serious relationship either." Flynn confessed, although there had been many girls in his life, none were important enough to keep around for any length of time.

"No?" Rapunzel asked, looking up from her ring "How come?"

"No reason." He said with a shrug of the shoulder "I've just never found a girl that I've..." She looked beautiful. Her piercing green eyes never leaving his as she listened to him intently "...that I've had a strong connection with before...I guess you just need to wait for the right person to show up, you know?"

Smiling, Rapunzel gave a small nod, that small blush creeping up her cheeks once again.

"Yeah…" She began "I guess you do."

…

A/N: Cheesy or what lol. Hope you enjoyed this chapter guys. Please review and tell me what you think :-)