A/N: You guys are all SHAMAZING! I love you lot! Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter just as much :)
……

Chapter Twelve

She couldn't stop herself from doing it. Looking around at her surroundings one final time before her world would be turned upside down once again. As dingy and horrible as the small musky room was, she couldn't help but smile a little. Yes she had hated it at the beginning. Hated it with a never ending passion. The thought of being cooped up like an animal had done nothing but cause her blood to boil. When she had looked around all she was able to see was pain, hurt and misery. Now, all she could see when she looked around was a brief escape from a world that caused so much anguish and confusion. An escape that had brought her a taste of something that she never knew would be possible for her to genuinely experience. Love.

Letting her fingers dance across the dusty window pane, Rapunzel slowly turned and eyed the beaten boxes that had sat in the corner of the room since her arrival. She had to admit that she hadn't felt very compelled to have a rummage through them during her 'stay'. She had almost forgotten that they were even there, but now the more she looked the more she was itching to see.

A little hesitantly, Rapunzel moved over to the stacks of boxes. She could tell that they hadn't been touched in a very long time, a thick layer of dust covering each and every one of them. As quietly as possible she reached up and brought down the first one, surprised that it was a lot lighter than it looked. Sitting crossed legged and tucking a curl behind her ear, Rapunzel tore open the box. She couldn't help but smile at what she found.

Rapunzel felt like she had been transported back to the 20's as she stared into the box of wonders, glitzy dresses, stunning shoes and elegant feathered boas all begging to be brought out and admired. She had never seen anything quite like it in her life. Reaching in, she picked out the few crumpled black and white photos that littered the top; a young beautiful woman dressed to the nines gracing every one. She couldn't have been any older than her. Turning over the picture Rapunzel found a neatly printed handwritten note. Gracie Roth, 1928, 18 years old.

After spending what felt like a blissful lifetime rummaging through the box, Rapunzel soon found herself opening another, this time only to find instead of dresses, countless wigs. Wigs of every style and colour each being stored with yet more pictures of Gracie wearing every single one of them. She couldn't help but envy Gracie slightly. Beautiful, young and with the world at her fingertips. She could be anyone that she chose to be, not having a care in the world.

Reaching further into the box, Rapunzel's fingertips brushed against something hard. A little confused, she pulled it out, only to come face to face with a worn out diary. Gracie's diary.

With excitement jumping within her, Rapunzel didn't think twice before flicking it open, Gracie's neat penmanship covering every page.

May 4th 1928,

Oh diary, what can I tell you? He's perfect. Wonderful even...A real gentleman, you know? Not like that Billy Dukes who works behind the bar. I swear if that boy don't leave me alone I'm going to have Ronnie sort him out...Oh diary, I know it's a little pathetic that I talk to you like a real person, but out of everyone in the whole world I've ever shared something with, your the only one that has never spilled a secret...

He came up to me again tonight. Joe Stabbington that is. He asked for a dance, and you know me, ever the extrovert, I accepted. You know I really think this is going to go somewhere...Daddy don't like him too much though. Said he's heard some bad stuff about Joe's family. Said if he ever hears of me hanging out with him then there'll be hell to pay...Oh, it's just like Romeo and Juliet...Star-crossed lovers. Oh, I get giddy at the thought. How romantic!

Well diary, I better go for tonight...Joe and I are meeting at the diner tomorrow for a 'secret rendezvous' as he put it. I can't wait...For now though, I bid you farewell...

Gracie x

Star-crossed lovers...Gracie and Joe...Flynn and Rapunzel...

Sighing, Rapunzel closed the diary. She probably would never know what happened to Gracie and Joe, part of her happy to leave it at them having their 'secret rendezvous'. Happy at leaving them happy...but as Rapunzel had been reading about their happiness, she didn't hear the heavy footsteps making their way up the stairs, the sound of the rusted key turning in the lock. By the time she had realized the door opened, Flynn slowly entering only to be followed by two rather tall, rather pissed looking men...The monsters.

"What's going on..." She managed to stutter out, her gaze never leaving the two brutes.

"Rapunzel..." Flynn spoke softly, standing to the side a little "I'd like you to officially meet Scott and Mike..."

She didn't know what to say. She could only stare. Her eyes meeting with the twins' for the first time. One looked particularly menacing, his eyes and nose bruised by what she assumed was her doing. She couldn't help but smile inwardly at the memory of punching someone in the face as she was being taken, nor the time that she had kicked out before filming the ransom tape.

"What the fuck you doin' lookin' through all this stuff." The one with the bruises grunted, snapping Rapunzel out of her daze "This is our Grandmother's stuff..." Marching over he grabbed the boxes away from her, quickly closing them up once again and stacking them away "Don't ever touch her things..."

"Sorry..." She mumbled "I was just looking..."

There was silence again, Scott staring at her through slits. Sensing the tension, Flynn cleared his throat, his eyes darting back and forth between the three.

"Rapunzel..." He began, breaking the deafening silence "We're hear to talk about what's going to happen this afternoon. How we're going to go about handing you back over." Her heart wrenched as she gave a small nod "We're doing the drop off outside DC USA Shopping Centre at noon..." Flynn continued "We grab the money, we'll leave you out in the open and then that's it...over...That cop, Max Guard, is going to be watching from a distance. He'll come and get you when we're gone..."

Again she nodded, praying that her tears wouldn't fall in front of Scott and Mike.

"Ok..." She replied, her voice hoarse "So what are the plans?"

Sighing, Flynn looked between the two brothers.

"I don't know yet..." He confessed "I mean if we grab the money, then lead you out then there's a very high chance that He'll see the car and follow us...Then again if we lead you out then grab the money, a member of the public is most likely going to say something. Your face is on every news channel in the country..."

"We could just do it quickly..." Scott jumped in "Take her out, grab the money then bolt. We could even park further away."

"And what if he catches us..." Flynn replied back "He does that then Eugene's gone for...We can't risk that."

Rapunzel couldn't help but drone out a little as the three men began to debate amongst themselves. It didn't matter what would happen. After 12 noon, she would never see Flynn again...but just as the thought left, Rapunzel's eyes quickly drifted back over towards the boxes. Of Course!

"Hey, guys..." She cut in, her eyes never leaving the boxes "I have an idea..."
…

They had pleaded with him to come along. Begged him to let them stand and watch the scoundrels hand over their baby, but he refused point blank. He had already promised 'John' that he would be there alone, and already he had broken that promise. Years of training and being in the field had taught Max that you should never go to a scene without backup. The armed SWAT Team was enough backup to make sure nothing would go wrong. He would stand on the other side of the street with his coffee and watch. His army taking root on the roofs above him, their weapons aimed.

"I want these guys alive, Gentlemen!" He cried to the readily prepared SWAT Team as he fastened a bullet proof vest on "You only shoot if you have to. I have this guy's trust just now. I promised it would be over when we got the Princess back. Any cock ups and we could lose her forever."

"But sir..." One of the men began "You can't just let them walk away."

"I am aware of this." Max replied, finally focusing on the group "But right now they don't need to know that...We wait till he takes the money, we grab the Princess and then...we get him...I'm not letting this one get away..."
…

It was genius. Simple really, but genius all the same. Scott and Mike had been a little reluctant at first, but after some gentle persuasion they finally relented. When Rapunzel had suggested what had been going on in her head, Flynn could have kissed her there and then. It would give her an element of control. She could watch them drive off before revealing herself. Giving them that freedom and securing that hope that Eugene would be safe.

They wasted no time in getting ready, the three leaving Rapunzel in the attic to give her some privacy. Flynn changed into a simple white t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. Rapunzel back into her dress she had worn that night, Flynn's infamous hoodie wrapped round her small body. Once dressed she began to rummage through the old boxes again, picking out the most suitable shoes she could find before taking her pick from all the wigs. She settled on one of the most basic wigs she could find. A lovely pixie cut brunette one. She had always wanted to be a brunette when she was younger, probably because her Mom was.

Flynn couldn't help but smile a little when he came up to see her. He wanted to have his last minute goodbyes before Scott and Mike called them down.

"Looks better on you than it does on me." He smirked, tugging at the end of his hoodie a little.

"I'll make sure you get it back." She all but whispered "It's colder in Washington than it is in Corona. Wouldn't want you catching a death."

"Nah, You keep it." He replied, taking her small hand in his "I'll take my chances."

Feeling the tears burn the back of her eyes, Rapunzel flew into his ready arms, wrapping her own around his neck.

"Hey..." Flynn spoke, his own voice cracking slightly "No more tears...It'll be alright..."

Pulling back a little, she looked up at him, her eyes wider than he had ever seen them. He could see the question dancing in her eyes. How? How will it be alright? But instead of answering her silent pleas, he just smiled again, his gaze travelling to her hair. No crying...Don't cry, Rider...

"You know..." He began, hoping that his voice sounded more light hearted as he tried to divert the conversation "I've always had a thing for brunettes..."

Smiling a little herself, Rapunzel pulled back once again, wiping her nose on the hoodie sleeve.

"Oh..." She said with a slight nod "That so?"

"Yeah." He replied with a shrug "But then I met this blonde girl who changed everything."

"Really?" Rapunzel feigned interest, a smirk tugging at her lips "What happened there?"

"Oh, you know..." Flynn carried on with a roll of the eyes "I contracted that really inconvenient disease that people get...what's it called now? Oh! Love! Yeah...That's it. Horrible thing that is..."

She couldn't help but giggle a little as Flynn pulled her in towards him, his forehead resting against hers as he gave her a deep kiss.

"I love you..." He finally whispered as he pulled back, his lips millimetres from hers.

"I love you too..." She replied.

Brushing her cheek slightly, Flynn found that he could do nothing but look at her. He didn't want to think about what it would be like that night, or the next day, or the next. Instead, he just looked.

"Rider!" Came the cry from Scott downstairs, snapping them out of their own little world "It's time. C'mon!"

Sighing, Flynn's gaze never left Rapunzel's. He didn't know what to say in their final moments without sounding pathetic. But in those seconds, he really didn't care.

"You gave me a forever within numbered days..." He eventually whispered "...Thank you for showing me what it's like to live again..."

Smiling through her tears a little, Rapunzel reached up and brushed his cheek.

"I never really had a dream in life..." She spoke softly "Then I met you...You were my new dream."

Pulling her in for one final kiss, Flynn bit back his tears. He was not going to cry.

"Rider!" Came Scott's cry once again "Let's go!"

Reluctantly pulling back, Flynn could do nothing but give Rapunzel a small nod, his grip on her hands tightening slightly.

"Showtime."
……

A/N: Well guys, I hope you liked this chapter. It wasn't originally supposed to end there, but if I carried on it would have been WAY too long. Please review and let me know what you think. I'll be dedicating the next chapter to my 100th reviewer :)

Thanks :)