Note from the Author: Shmello! How are you all? Well anywho, there are only two more chapters tops so let me know what you think :) xoxo ~

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Chapter 17

"I am so sorry all of this happened my dear", Gothel told Rapunzel as she brushed her Rapunzel's hair. Rapunzel didn't answer. She just looked down at her hands in her lap.

Gothel got up and walked over to the drapes that covered Rapunzel's door," The world is a dark and cruel place. It will make you fall in love, and then rip your heart out."

Gothel closed the curtains and Rapunzel fell back into her bed. She looked at her ceiling and felt her eyes brim with tears. Was her mother right? Jack hadn't come for her. But he didn't even know where she was. Who's to say he wasn't looking for her right now? Her mother went with Pitch Black. The man of all evil. Who's to say she isn't with him now? What if... What if her mother was the one who was supposed to pick her up from those two brutes?

She sat up and wiped away her tear. So what if Jack didn't come for her? She could protect herself. She wasn't about to be locked up in this damn tower for the rest of her life with her psychotic mother. She opened up the curtains of her room and looked down at her mother. Gothel turned to face her.

"Dear?" Gothel smiled.

"I'm... I'm not staying here", Rapunzel said quietly.

"God, speak up Rapunzel", Gothel criticized," You know how I hate the mumbling."

"I'm not staying here", Rapunzel stood tall," Did I mumble mother?"

"What?" Gothel laughed awkwardly and reached for Rapunzel," Rapunzel, do you even hear yourself? You sound ridiculous."

"It was you!" Rapunzel backed away from her touch," It was all you!"

"Everything I did was to protect you", Gothel frowned.

"Ugh!" Rapunzel pushed her mother aside and started walking down the stairs," I've spent my entire life hiding from people that would use me for my hair or hurt me -"

"Rapunzel!" Gothel yelled out, but Rapunzel wouldn't stop.

"When I should have been hiding from you!" Rapunzel turned to Gothel and glared.

"Where will you go?" Gothel yelled at her," He won't be there for you!"

"What did you do?" Rapunzel took a step forward.

"Pitch Black is going to take his revenge out on him for the way the Guardians have treated him. He is going to kill them all off one by one", Gothel informed her.

"No", Rapunzel wimpered and put her hands over her heart. Jack... Her sweet Jack. Her friends...

"Now, now, it's alright", Gothel smiled and went to Rapunzel and went to rest her hand on top of Rapunzel's hair," Listen to me, everything is as it should be."

"No!" Rapunzel grabbed Gothel's wrist," You were wrong about the world and you were wrong about me and I will never let you use my hair again!"

She let go of Gothel and she stumbled backwards knocking over the mirror and it shattered on the ground. Rapunzel glared at her before turning her back and walking towards the window.

Gothel snarled at her daughter," You want me to be the bad guy. Fine, now I'm the bad guy."

"Rapunzel!" Jack yelled from the ground of the tower," Rapunzel!"

He flew up to the top and climbed in through the window.

"Rapunzel!"

"Mmm!" Rapunzel screamed through the cloth that was covering her mouth," Mmmm!"

It was dark and Jack couldn't see Gothel come up behind him.

"Gah!" Jack grunted as Gothel stabbed him in his stomach.

"Mmmm!" Rapunzel screamed as tears cascaded down her cheeks.

"Oh, now look what you have done Rapunzel", Gothel gestured to Jack on the ground who was writhing with pain. Gothel walked over to Rapunzel and grabbed the chains that were wrapped around Rapunzel's wrists. She opened the door that led to the stairs of the tower.

"And as for you, we are going to a place where you can't leave and no one will ever find you again", Gothel yanked on the chains, but Rapunzel was resisting.

"Mmmm!" Rapunzel yelled, yanking the other way.

"Rapunzel, really! Gothel yelled," Enough already! Stop fighting me!"

The cloth around Rapunzel's mouth loosened and she was able to yell," No! I won't stop for every minute of the rest of my life, I will fight! I will never stop trying to get away from you! But if you let me save him, I will go with you."

Gothel loosened her grip on the chains and eyed her.

"No Rapunzel", Jack moaned on the ground.

Rapunzel ignored him," I'll never run. I'll never try to escape. Just let me heal him. Please. You and I will be together, forever! Just like you want. Everything will be the way it was. I promise. Just like you want. Just let me heal him."

Gothel went over and handcuffed him to the wall," In case you get any funny ideas about following us."

She went over and unchained Rapunzel who instantly shot up and ran over to him.

"Jack", she dove down and grabbed his face, brushing his hair out of his eyes. He was grabbing the wound on his stomach. She carefully took his fingers off and looked at the deep gash.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! But everything is going to be okay", Rapunzel grabbed her long hair and brought it to him.

"No Rapunzel."

"I promise. You have to trust me", Rapunzel looked at him," C'mon, just breathe."

"No", he breathed out between rasps," I can't let you do this.

"And I can't let you die", she let more tears fall out.

"But if you do this -" he started to say. She brought her hand to his face again," Then you will die."

"Hey", she gave him a small smile," It's going to be alright."

They looked into each other's eyes and Rapunzel could feel the love between them. She felt ashamed that she was so easily convinced that Jack wouldn't come for her. She was so stupid. She was bringing her up to his wound.

"Rapunzel, wait", Jack brought his hand up to the side of her face. She smiled as he pulled her face down to his. She was happy she was able to kiss him before she left. He brought his hands behind her and she felt him gather her hair in his hand.

"What are you -"

Before she knew it, he cut her hair with a glass shard from the broken mirror.

"Jack, what?" she grabbed at her hair on her head and then grabbed her now cut hair on the floor. It was turning a dark brunette hair as she watched it take over the blonde strands.

"No!" Gothel screamed and grabbed at the hair on the ground. It quickly turned brunette in her hands which were growing whiter and more wrinkled by the second.

"No! What have you done!" she screamed and scrambled on the floor towards the what was left of the mirror.

"No!" she screamed and grabbed her cloack hood, pulling it over her face and screaming. She was running around and tripping over her feet, screaming into the air.

"Calm down!" Rapunzel yelled, but didn't leave Jack's side," Please, you'll hurt yourself!"

"No!", Gothel just kept screaming. Before Rapunzel knew it, her mother was running towards the window and tripped over the chain that was around Rapunzel's wrists. She fell out the window. Rapunzel instinctively reached out for her mother, but she was already falling. Rapunzel could hear her mother falling, but then it stopped. She frowned and bowed her head for a moment for her mother before she turned back to Jack.

"No, no, no, no, no", she told him quickly, grabbing his head and pulling him into her lap," Jack, stay with me."

Jack coughed and his eyes rolled in his head.

"Look at me, look at me, I'm right here", she rubbed his face. She grabbed his hand and brought it up to her hair. She was sobbing as she sang," Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine."

"Rapunzel", Jack said loudly to get her attention, but it caused a surge of pain. She looked at him, her eyes flowing with tears.

"I love you", he managed to say. She smiled through her tears," I love you too."

She saw his eyes light up one last time before he closed them and sighed. His body became heavy in her arms. She held his hand against her face as she gazed upon his lifeless body. She sucked in a deep breath before singing," Heal what has been hurt. Change the fate's design. Bring back what once was mine."

She bent her head over his and rested her forehead against his letting her tears fall on his face. She didn't notice when her tears were soaked into his cheeks. She noticed when the gash in his stomach began to glow gold and had the floral pattern coming out of it, circling them with it's warmth. She looked at it with astonishment. She looked back at Jack and color was returning to his cheeks.

She looked at his wound as the light closed off. She looked back at him and his eyes were beginning to flutter open.

"Jack?" she shook his a little.

"Rapunzel", he moaned.

"Jack!" she smiled at him," You're alive!"

He smiled back," Did I ever tell you I have a thing for brunettes?"

She smiled and jumped into his lap hugging him. They held each other tightly for a long time. Rapunzel sat up and smiled at him. She grabbed his collar and pulled his lips into hers. He smiled against her and grabbed the back of her now very short hair.

"I can't believe you are alive", Rapunzel pulled away and started to uncuff him from the chain.

"I can't believe you were willing to sacrifice yourself for me", Jack got up after Rapunzel uncuffed him.

"I love you", Rapunzel smiled at him," I am so sorry. I was so quick to judge you when she told me you weren't going to come for me."

"Did those two give you the bruises all over you?" Jack frowned, gesturing to her face. She nodded and looked away," I know. I'm ugly. I know how bad I look."

"No, no, no", Jack whispered and pulled her face towards him," You're beautiful. I thought I'd never see you again. I don't care if you were permanently scarred, I'd still love you Rapunzel. Did they... Did they do anything like, else to you?"

Rapunzel was wondering why he was looking at her so weirdly and with worry, but then she realized he meant violate her.

"No!" Rapunzel shook her head," Of course not! They just mostly hit and kicked."

"Like that's any better", Jack hissed," I'm sorry about your mother Rapunzel, but she hired them."

"I know", she said quietly.

"You know? When did you find out?"

"I kind of just put two and two together. How would she know where to find me? She just checked a random cave and I just happened to be there? Especially on the same day that the people who hired them was supposed to pick me up?" Rapunzel shrugged," I may not be the smartest person, but I'm not stupid. I put two and two together."

Jack nodded and sighed," Well at least it's all in the past."

"What about Pitch?" Rapunzel's eyebrows knit together.

"Let's go finish him off", Jack grabbed Rapunzel and they flew out the window together into the sky. Rapunzel looked back at her tower one last time.

"Never again", she said quietly.


So there it is! It's a lot like the scene from Tangled with Flynn and Rapunzel. Let me know what you thought!