A/N: Wow guys! Thank you all so much for those kind reviews, and a special thank you 'prnamber3909'for taking the time to review all six chapters. I feel like it's been ages since I updated lol.

So guys, I've been getting a few messages saying that it's obvious that Rapunzel is suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, and although I think that it would make for an interesting plot line, in this story she is not. I know that Stockholm Syndrome is when a prisoner begins to have feelings of attachment and sympathy for their captor, but this is usually a defence mechanism where someone feels threatened enough by their captor for the mind to unconsciously develop those feelings.

With him protecting her, Flynn has never caused Rapunzel to feel unsafe around him, whereas the Stabbington's quite frequently cause her to have feelings of fear. I think that if she were to suffer from Stockholm Syndrome, then her feelings of attachment would be towards them instead of Flynn.

...And hopefully that all made sense lol.

Anyway guys, thanks again, and on with the story :-)
…

Chapter Seven

He didn't know if it had been wise, not that he was really caring if he was totally honest, but the moment that 'Call me Flynn' had escaped from his lips he knew that there was no going back. She hadn't said anything at first. Just stared at him as if she were hearing things. But soon enough that small beautiful smile that he loved so much began to creep across her face, and when that happened he knew it had been worth it. Anything to see her smile.

"Flynn..." Her soft voice rang out "Flynn Rider...I like it."

He couldn't help but smile a little himself; not that she could see it anyway.

"Well, it's very nice to finally be able to have a proper introduction..." She began before holding her hand out towards him "Nice to meet you, Flynn."

Chuckling a little, Flynn took hold of her hand, shaking it slightly as her smile grew.

"Thank you." He replied through his smile, holding onto her hand just a second longer. "It's nice to meet you too, Rapunzel."

The city seemed so small from where she was standing. Like another world almost. Down there everything was perfect. Peaceful. She could barely remember what that felt like. She couldn't help but feel an element of anger as she watched the people move about without a care in the world. How could they be so alive when her world was in the process of falling apart.

Sighing, Corrine covered her eyes, praying that the tears that had long since dried up wouldn't fall again. The image of her daughter with a gun pressed to her head was something that she didn't think that she would ever be able to forget. Coming to stand next to his wife, Fergus put his arm around her, joining her at gazing out onto the city. If this were Corona the whole kingdom would be out hunting for his daughter, and the men who did this.

"She's alive, my Love." Fergus said softly "Just remember, she's alive."

"For how long?" Corrine asked, turning to her husband with glassy eyes "A day? A week? Fergus, whoever has her is dangerous. I can't just sit back and pretend that everything is fine because I saw her breathing on a video tape!" Sighing, Fergus took hold of her small hands "I just...I just want my baby back."

"We'll get her..." He said, pulling her in for a hug before placing a small kiss on top of her head "We'll get her, my Love."
…

It was around 3am when Flynn woke up to the sound of the TV buzzing. The film that the two had been watching, or trying to at least, had long finished, snow covering the screen. Lazily grabbing the remote, he flicked the TV off before giving a stretch and turning to face the sleeping beauty next to him. Even when she slept she looked perfect, gently resting her head against his shoulder. He couldn't help but smile. Was there any point now in trying to pretend that the thought of being near her didn't excite him? Didn't enthral him?

Not wanting to wake her Flynn slowly turned, cupping the back of her head as he lowered her down onto the couch. She didn't even bat an eyelid as he moved her. Just sighed a little. Smiling again he reached up and pulled down the old crochet blanket that draped over the back of the sofa before wrapping it round her. She was too peaceful to wake and take back to that hell hole upstairs. No. She would sleep there, and he would sleep on the floor next to her. In the morning he would wake her up, cook her breakfast and then he would take her back upstairs, where, if he had his way, he would spend the whole day talking to her again.

"Goodnight, Princess..." He whispered before lying on the hard floor next to her, sleep quickly over taking him.

Thankfully he managed to get a few more hours than the night before. There had been a little bit of tossing and turning, images of the blonde haired beauty invading his dreams. He had dreamed that she was dancing. Dancing with a masked man dressed in black. Their steps fluent. Passionate. But with every step they took, with every spin and twirl the blackness fell away. The mask bit by bit, breaking off, until all that was left was them. Him. Holding her close. Their foreheads resting together. He had almost cried when he woke up.

"Careful, Rider..." He whispered to himself before looking up at the sleeping girl, her beauty catching him every time "...Careful..."

…

It had been useless. 9 hours of watching the damn tape over and over again, and for what! Nothing. No new leads. No hidden messages. Nothing! The thought of these assholes beating him made his blood boil. Whatever it was that they were wanting, he was not willing to hand over easily. They were bound to slip up sooner or later.

Sighing, Max lay back on his bed. He hadn't wanted to go home. That decision had been made for him. Something about him 'not being able to focus'. What everyone was forgetting though was that they were running out of time. Another couple of hours and Rapunzel could be dead. They were already on day three. Chances of getting her back alive were growing more and more dim. But with nothing to go on, all he could do was wait. Wait for them. Waiting had never done him any good in the past...It's what had killed her. And he would be damned if it was going to happen again.

…

It had just gone 8:30 when Rapunzel woke up, Flynn to her surprise, nowhere in sight. Did the guy ever sleep? Stretching, she sat up. The room looked different in the daylight. Less yellow and more grey. Grabbing the remote, Rapunzel switched on the TV and was immediately greeted by a rerun of her parent's appeal for her safe return. Their pained expression brought tears to her eyes.

"Oh, Daddy..." She sighed "I'm coming home soon..."

She continued to sit and watch the news for a little while until Flynn walked in carrying a tray. The smell of bacon causing her stomach to do somersaults.

"Hey..." He began, the smile evident in his voice "I didn't know you were up. Sleep well?"

"Morning, Flynn." She replied with a small smile, her heart lurching at his presence "Yeah, I slept like a baby."

Taking a seat next to her, Flynn placed the tray down on the scratched table, motioning for her to dig in. She didn't have to be told twice. Pulling the plate close to her, Rapunzel practically began to inhale her food.

"I swear..." She said between mouthfuls "I am never ever eating the palace food again. Ever! You've converted me."

Laughing, Flynn sat back on the couch, putting his feet up on the table in front. It wasn't long before she was finished her meal, making sure she scraped up every last bite before setting the cutlery down neatly on the plate.

"Tidies like a princess, eats like a pig." Flynn chuckled, Rapunzel playfully swatting at his arm "What!? I personally think it's a great combination."

Sticking her tongue out at him, Rapunzel sat back in the chair. It was silent for a while. A peaceful silence. Neither wanting to break it any time soon. Enjoying each other's company was becoming their new favourite past time. But it couldn't last. No matter how much they tried to pretend that it could. And that killed him. Why did the first girl to truly understand him, to truly get him, have to be the one girl that would forever be unattainable. He had poured his heart out to her last night, probably a little too much if he was perfectly honest, but not once had she ever judged him. A gift like that was hard to come across.

"I..." He finally began, the mood shifting "I'm going to phone about the...about the ransom today. See if we can arrange a drop off time."

"...Oh..." She replied, a hint of a smile being forced "...Ok..."

He was silent again, struggling to maintain eye contact. In honesty, he wanted nothing more than to pull her in close to him. Rip off his make shift mask and hold her tight. Just like he had in his dream.

"Hopefully we'll have you safely home by tomorrow night." He spoke softly.

"Yeah." She nodded "I'll be home, Eugene will get his operation and we..."

She couldn't help but look at him, his hazel eyes conveying as much pain as she felt.

"And we..." He continued "We'll part ways as unlikely friends."

"Yeah..." She said again, a sad smile tugging at her lips.

Looking down at her lap, Rapunzel began to play with a loose thread at the hem of her oversized sweater. The thought of never seeing the dreary house ever again brought her nothing but joy...but the thought of never seeing Flynn ever again...it brought her nothing but a horrible feeling in her chest. One that she had never had before. In all her life she had never met anyone that she had had such a connection with, and as strange as it sounded she felt like he knew her better than anyone else. He knew her as Rapunzel, not as The Princess...and she knew him as Flynn. Not Rider. Not the Troublemaker...but Flynn.

"You know..." He began, a hint of a chuckle to his voice as he scratched the back of his neck "...think I'm going to miss the fact that I can have an intellectual conversation with a girl. Before you I didn't think that that was possible."

She couldn't help but giggle a little. She would miss that too.

"Yeah?" She said in reply "Well, I think I'm going to miss you cooking me all this amazingly unhealthy food." He laughed "You know we're always looking for staff at the Palace. Maybe I'll hire you to be my own personal chef."

"Oh yeah." He agreed, playing along "Eggs and bacon...Lucky Charms...Cookie Dough ice cream, and that's only breakfast!"

"Sounds like the perfect plan." She smiled "Flynn and Rapunzel! Changing palace meals one clogged artery at a time!"

They both laughed, Rapunzel falling into his side a little, her closeness setting his body alight. Slowly their laughter began to die down until there was nothing but silence, Rapunzel looking up at Flynn as he looked down at her. In a matter of seconds the mood had shifted, Flynn helping Rapunzel sit up a little straighter as they continued to just stare at each other.

"You really are beautiful, Rapunzel." He said quietly, bringing his hand up to brush some of her golden hair behind her ear, his thumb gently caressing her soft cheek.

"...Why are you still hiding from me, Flynn?" She replied, her own hands now resting against his broad chest "...Take off the bandana..."

"I can't..." He all but whispered.

"Flynn...I said that I would make sure that you got the money...And once you've got it I'm not going to go back and turn you in" She said with pleading eyes "So please...Let me see you...Let me see the man behind the disguise..."

He didn't know what was going through his mind as she sat there staring up at him. He had known from the beginning that he was getting himself into an emotional roller coaster ride...he just wasn't expecting the feelings that he was having for the Princess would be part of that. It was wrong. Unnatural...but still, they were there.

"...What if you don't like the man you see?" He asked, her hands slowly making their way further up his chest "What if all you see is a greedy, evil man? A man that you don't want to help in the end."

"...I can't see what's not there, Flynn..." She said softly, her hands finally coming to a stop at the edge of his disguise.

He could feel her fingers brushing the edge of the bandana, her eyes never leaving his as she silently pleaded with him to take it off...How could he deny her? So with a deep sigh, he slowly let go of her and reached for the last semblance of mystery that he held.

He couldn't help but close his eyes as he pulled the small piece of fabric away from his mouth, looking down at her small hands. He was too frightened to look at her reaction, her silence saying enough. He shouldn't have done this. He shouldn't have let his guard down...But just as he was about to hide himself once again he felt her tiny hands on either side of his face, gently lifting him up to look at her.

"...I remember you..." She said quietly, Flynn opening his eyes to see a look of realization in hers "...You're the guy from the bar..."

"Yeah..." He whispered, her fingers gently dancing across his jaw "...You disappointed?"

But she didn't answer him. Instead she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a tight hug, something that caught him a little off guard before he replied in wrapping his arms around her.

"I could never be disappointed, Flynn."

Pulling back slightly, Flynn looked down at her, their faces only inches apart.

"Rapunzel..." He quietly began "I..."

But just as he was about to speak, the sound of tires screeching to halt outside brought both of them back into reality.

"Shit!" Flynn cried, turning to see Scott's banged up truck outside the window "Quick! Run!"
…

A/N: So...what'd ya think? Hope you all enjoyed this chapter guys. I know just now it seem that all these two are doing is talking, but things are now beginning to get shaken up.

Reviews are such an encouragement, so let me know what you thought. Thanks :-)