I have this story completely finished and I'll be posting it every Saturday until it's done.

Flynn loved diamonds.

Mostly, he loved to steal them.

They were not only a great way to make a quick buck but also a great way to charm any woman he got into trouble with. And Flynn, through no fault of his own, got into trouble with a lot of women. Mainly the ones he slept with. Or the ones he worked with. Or the ones he passed by on his many travels. Or…

You get the idea.

Flynn loved women and they loved him back but he never let himself fall in love which upset the woman he seduced. They tended to think marriage was on the table.

Nope.

So, ergo, diamonds to the rescue.

He'd give them as a gift and, while they were distracted, he'd sneak out the window and be on his merry way.

That was something he was in the process of doing right now.

He had just finished a turn in the sack with a gorgeous red-headed woman named Rose. Ever since he came to Gion RL150, a planet that was mostly covered in purple sand and orange water (a strange combination he always thought) to steal the cherish jewels of the Duchess, he had been spending time with Rose. She made for a fun bed partner while he was planning his mission.

But now that he had the jewels (dumb luck allowed him to get it after he pretended to be a guard and easily snuck into the castle and nabbed them) he was ready to move on to the next place.

Which meant he had to say goodbye to Rose.

"Oh, Flynn," she said, stretching out in the bed. The beds in Gion were made out of clouds which Flynn was honestly gonna miss. But a thief is always on the run. He couldn't allow himself to miss anything. "That was amazing." She flashed him a wicked grin. "Want to go for a second round?"

He gave her his most charming look – the smolder. Everyone woman he had ever used it on always swooned. And Rose was no exception. Her eyes practically rolled back into her head as she sighed, staring at him dreamily.

Did he feel remorse for fucking her and then planning to ditch her?

Nope.

He had done it to countless women on countless planets in countless different times throughout history.

Because that was the thing with Flynn. He wasn't just a thief.

He was a time-traveling thief.

"I'd love to," he said, answering her question, "but first, I have a gift for you." He reached over to grab the cheap black box he found in the dumpster outside the hotel he had been staying at. Inside was one of the green jewels the captain of Gion had in his collection. It was the center piece of a necklace.

There were many more. This one was just a taste.

Like Flynn was going to give her all his treasure. Please. He had standards, you know?

Even though he loved fucking women, he loved money more.

He handed Rose the box. Her eyes lit up as she opened it and took out the green jewel. "It's beautiful. This is for me?"

"All yours, baby." He was already slipping on his pants while her eyes were drawn to the jewel.

"Put it on me?"

He paused, turning around. Rose held out the jewel. His eyes flicked to the window that presented his freedom to him but he couldn't just bail on Rose yet. He needed her to be so distracted by the present that she wouldn't even realize he was ditching her.

"Sure." He grabbed the necklace and put it around her neck. Rose oohed and aahed at the sight.

That was his cue.

He quickly jumped up, grabbing his favorite blue shirt and long dark coat while stuffing his feet into his boots. His brown pants were still open at the fly. He would just have to fix that when he made it outside. Hopefully no unsuspecting person caught sight of his cock.

Granted, it'd be a great sight.

He made it to the window when Rose's words made his freeze. "Where are you going?"

"Uh, out for a walk."

"Then why are you heading for the window?"

He chuckled and looked over his shoulder, giving Rose his smolder again. But this time, she didn't swoon. This time, she looked incredibly annoyed judging by the way she had her arms crossed and her lips pinched. "I like to go out windows when I go for a walk. It's just my thing."

"Just your… thing?" She clearly didn't believe him.

"Listen, baby. Just take the necklace, ok? I'm leaving." He threw her a wink before slinging one leg over the window seal.

"You're leaving? But we just had sex! You're abandoning me?"

"Technically it's not abandonment if all we had was a few one-night stands. It's more like… ghosting, if you will."

Rose huffed. "You can't have a few one-night stands, Flynn. That defeats the purpose of a one-night stand."

He paused, thinking of something witty to say. "Then we were friends with benefits. Better?" He threw his other leg over the window. Rose came running over in all her naked glory. Damn, he wished he could fuck her once more but alas, all good things must come to an end.

"Flynn? You're seriously leaving?"

"Yep. Oh." He looked at her one last time. "And my real name isn't Flynn." He dropped from the window and landed on the purple sandy road below.

"Then what's your real name?" she shouted as he ran down the street, laughing.

Today was a good day for Flynn.

He nabbed millions of dollars' worth of jewels that he'd take back with him to planet Earth. Soon, he'd have enough to retire completely on an isolated island, surrounded by his enormous piles of money.

But until then, he had one more mission to complete before he'd have enough.

He slipped on his shirt and jacket and righted his pants. Looking down at the watch around his wrist, he input his next location and time. See, his watch wasn't just any normal watch. It was a time-traveling watch.

He stole it off some nerd named Varian who had invented it.

With a push of a button, he disappeared off the streets of Gion and landed in another street on a different planet in a different time.

Paris, France.

1779.

He was going to steal the Hope Diamond from Marie Antoinette herself.

But first, he needed to get into the Palace of Versailles.

He knew he looked somewhat out of place walking around Paris in the 1700s. All the men he passed on the street were in flashy coats and short pants with white stockings. Their powdered wigs did none of them any favors.

Fuck, would he have to wear a powered wig?

Flynn just knew that it wouldn't go well with his bone structure. His brown hair was expertly framed around his face to give him maximum attractiveness. There was no way he was hiding it under some frilly wig.

But… money made him almost willing to put up with anything.

Almost.

He swaggered down the streets of Paris, looking for a carriage he could ride that would take him to Versailles. He wasn't exactly well-versed in how people lived back then.

That was the thing with Flynn. He never did any research about the historical accuracies of the places he visited. He just did enough research to find out who was rich and who wasn't.

Flynn entered a tavern full of more modest looking folk. At least these men weren't wearing fucking powdered wigs. He sauntered up the bar and slammed his hand down. "Barkeep, one carriage please." He tossed the man behind the bar a cold coin.

The bartender raised a curious eyebrow behind his spectacles. "What do I look like, boy? A fucking carriage-cab business? Get your own carriage." That was the nice thing about his time-travel device. It translated all languages into English for him. Thanks Varian.

The bartender stuck the gold coin down his front pocket.

"Hey, give me that back," Flynn said, extending his hand out.

The other man looked at Flynn with a curious expression. "You gonna fight me for the money?"

"I might." Flynn began to roll up his sleeves when something touched his back. He turned around and came face-to-face with a burly, much more muscular man than him.

The burly man growled, turning his hands into fists.

Flynn gulped. He knew who he could fight and who he could not. "You know what?" he said. "Never mind." He looked at the bartender. "Keep the change." The bartender grunted while wiping down a glass.

Flynn tried to look casual as he hurried out of the tavern. He still had a reputation to uphold, seeing as a reputation was all a man had. It didn't matter that he traveled by himself - he was making a name for himself. The great Flynn Rider: World's Most Famous Thief. One day, he'd have wanted posters of himself all over the world.

So far, that hadn't happened yet.

He was honestly a little disappointed about that. The image of his handsome face plastered everywhere sent shivers over him. Oh yeah. That was a good feeling.

He hoped that this last mission would finally put him on the map. Just in time for retirement too.

Flynn needed a plan to get into the Palace of Versailles. Seeing as he had a ton of money from his last heist, he figured he could put it to good use. Not only did his watch translate all languages for him into English, his money automatically converted into the correct currency no matter where he visited. Seriously, Flynn was going to have to find Varian after this and thank him for creating such a great multi-purpose device.

Granted, he'd first have to apologize for stealing it in the first place but semantics.

Finding the first tailor he saw, he sauntered into the store. A tiny little man worked behind the counter. He eyed Flynn over as he approached with an utter look of disdain. Ok, so Flynn was a little dirty from his travels. But money always won people over.

Flynn flashed the tailor a smile and pulled out more gold coins. The tailor's eyes widened with glee and he looked at Flynn with renewed interest.

"What can I do for you, good sir?" the tailor asked, pocketing the gold coin.

"Your finest suit, por favor."

The tailor frowned before motioning for Flynn to follow him towards the back of the store. "I have a suit already hand made that I could tailor to fit your measurements."

"Perfect." Flynn settled into an incredibly comfy chair and relaxed while the tailor went into a back room and came back out with a suit. Flynn sat up when he saw it. The jacket was a deep blue color while the waistcoat underneath was a slightly darker shade of blue, more like the deep depths of the ocean. The pants were black and the stockings were white. Flynn couldn't believe he'd be wearing fucking stockings but hey, when in Rome. Or in this case, Paris. In the 1770s.

The shoes the tailor sat down were black buckled shoes. A little stuffy for Flynn's tastes but he figured if he was going to get invited into Versailles, he might as well look the part.

Flynn tried the outfit on and was surprised by how damn good he looked. Scratch that. He wasn't surprised he looked good. He looked good in anything really. He was just a little shocked that he pulled off the white stockings as well as he did.

The tailor took his measurements but the suit was an almost perfect fit.

"Good, good," the tailor said, slipping the jacket off Flynn. "I'll have this ready for you in an hour."

Flynn decided to go exploring a bit more while he waited. The tailor shook his little head at Flynn's normal clothes before he walked out the door. Flynn figured duster jackets that sort of made him look like a space cowboy weren't exactly 'in' during this time.

He decided to see if he could find a woman to pass his time with while he waited. He still smelled slightly of Rose and he wanted to put that behind him. Rose was a thing of the past now. Women were like clothes for him – fun to try on but they never lasted long.

After asking around, Flynn made his way to one of the nicer brothels in Paris. One where he wouldn't contract syphilis.

Upon entering the brothel, which was decorated in red hues and fancy looking furniture, he was accosted by a handful of women, all looking to get paid good money.

"Ladies, ladies," he said, holding up his hands. "There's enough Flynn Rider to go around." His eyes landed on a cute brunette who had large breasts and a tiny waist. "You look like you're fun."

She battered her eyelashes at him. "Come on, then." She grabbed his hand and took him upstairs to her room.

"Nice," Flynn commented, looking around. The bed looked stable and the sheets looked clean.

"I haven't seen you around here before," she said. "I'm Camille."

"And I'm looking for a good time." Flynn flashed her his best charming smile. She flushed a little. He wasn't sure if she was just pretending for her job or if he really had that affect on her.

He probably had that affect on her. He did for most women.

"Then let me show you a good time." She grabbed his jacket and pushed him onto the bed. Before Flynn knew it, Camille was on top of him.

Camille didn't lie. In the next hour they spent together, she sure did show him a good time.

Clothed in his new suit from the tailors, Flynn managed to pay for a carriage to take him to Versailles. A good fuck session was all he needed to invigorate him.

The tailor tried selling him a powered wig but that was a hard no from Flynn. He'd dress in French finery but he drew the line at a fucking powered wig. Flynn needed to focus on more important things.

Like the Hope Diamond.

The Palace of Versailles was as opulent and grand as he imagined. Guards stood the length of the doors, not letting the peasants into the building. But since Flynn was showing up in style, he was waved on through. The top guard near the front of the palace asked for his name.

"The Lord Flynnigan Rider," Flynn told the driver of his carriage to introduce him like that.

Judging by his fancy carriage and fancy suit, the guard believed him and let him on through.

Flynn got out of the carriage and walked through the great doors of the Palace of Versailles into the grand entranceway. Other nobility walked by with their large powered wigs on. The women's wigs stood four feet tall at least. Men wore slightly high-heeled shoes. Man, these French nobles were freaking fancy.

All for the Hope Diamond, he reminded himself. He'd put up with anything for it.

He sauntered into the palace like he belonged here and no one batted an eye. In fact, some of the women eyed him over, giving him secretive smiles, which they quickly hid behind their colorful fans. He gave them smiles back and continued walking. He needed to get in good with the king or queen. Of all the people in the palace, they'd have access to the diamond.

Flynn made his way to the throne room, where a long line of men and women stood, awaiting an audience with the king. The problem Flynn was facing was that he wasn't sure which king it was.

"Uh, hi," he said to the women standing in front of him. Her dress was so large that Flynn wondered how she'd even fit through the door. She looked over at him, a pinched expression on her face. "So, the king, right?"

She frowned, fluttering her fan in front of her face. "Yes? What about the king?"

"Why are you here to see him?"

"I'm here to see him to discuss better finances for my husband who's away at sea."

"Gotcha. Just… a weird question. The king… which one is he again?"

"King Louis?" she said it like it was so obvious.

He snapped his fingers. "Right. Of course. King Louis. How could I forget?" He slapped his hand. "I'm so silly. And where can I find the queen?"

The woman huffed, turning away from him. "We don't talk about her. She's not a real French woman."

"So… what is she then?" An alien? Man, he was hoping she'd tell him Marie Antoniette was an actual alien.

"An Austrian." She said the word like it was dirty. Ok. Flynn didn't know what was so wrong with Austrians but he wasn't gonna argue with the 18th century woman.

Whispers began to fill the hall. Flynn looked around to see what was happening when his eyes caught onto a woman walking down the hall, her head held high. It was clear from the way she was dressed so elegantly that she was the richest person in this entire place.

"Marie," a woman behind him whispered.

Flynn froze, staring at the woman coming in his direction. That's right. Marie Antoinette. He had done his research. He just sort of forget for a moment in his sex-addled state. Camille was really good at making him forget everything else.

Marie was the reason he was here.

She was the one he wanted to get close to. Screw King Louis.

Flynn stepped out of line and approached the queen. The guards surrounding her stepped in front of her, forcing Flynn back.

"Marie, lovely meeting you," Flynn said as she continued walking down the hall. "Hope we get to catch up sometime!"

She glanced over her shoulder at him, a slight smile on her face. "And who are you?"

"Oh. Me. I'm Flynnigan Rider." He held his arms out and made a big show of bowing. "Lord Flynnigan Rider."

The woman surrounding Marie snickered like they found him both amusing and disgusting. Ouch. French royal women could be so mean.

Marie held up a hand and the women promptly stopped. "Do you like tea, Lord Rider?"

"Tea? I'm more of a beer guy but sure. I could go for some tea."

"Then follow me." She walked with grace as she made her way down the hall and into a large sitting room that was already filled with other nobles. They all bowed for her as she entered. "Lord Rider. You can sit by me." She motioned towards the chair beside her own. Her dress was so poofy that it remained that way even as she sat. Flynn immediately sat beside her, excited to get to know her. This was step one. Get close enough to Marie to find the Hope Diamond.

"So, Lord Rider, where are you from? Rider is an interesting name." A servant came over and poured her some tea. She took a sip as she looked at him.

"Oh, I'm from…" Shit. He couldn't well say he was from the U.S.A circa 21st century. That would cause a whole tone of confusion. "Germany," he thought quickly. "Yes, Germany."

"You don't have a German accent."

Right. Marie was Austrian. She definitely knew what a German accent sounded like. "Nope. You're right. I don't. I've traveled all over that I've lost my accent."

Her eyes lit up and so did the rest of her procession of women. Whatever Marie did, they did too. "You're a traveler? How fascinating."

The servant walked over to him and picked up his cup to pour him some tea. But when the servant began pouring the tea, he froze. He didn't move even as the tea began to spill over the cup. Flynn looked at the guy questioningly.

"You ok there, buddy?" Flynn asked. "You're… uh… making a mess."

The servant jerked back. For a second, Flynn swore he heard the sound of metal clicking. The servant blinked and quickly apologized for making a mess before turning jerkily around and walking away. He moved as if a puppet on strings.

Huh. Weird.

Flynn forgot about it ten seconds later as he took a gulp of his tea. "Shit, that's hot."

The women around him looked shocked at his language. Marie raised an eyebrow at him.

"I mean," Flynn said, looking between Marie and his tea, "Shit, that's great?"

Marie looked at him for a moment before she smiled. "You are funny, Lord Rider. I'd like to get to know you better. Join me for a game of croquet out in the garden?"

"Sounds like fun."

Flynn soon found himself outside in the lush garden of Versailles with a mallet in one hand and a ball in the other. There were already others playing croquet and judging by the shouts and taunts, people were getting competitive. Well, Flynn could be competitive too.

He kept hitting other people's balls out of the way until he soon won the game. He even beat Marie herself.

"There," he said, giving a bow. "You can all applause now."

No one applauded. In fact, they all looked worried. It then dawned on Flynn that he probably should have the let Queen of France win the game.

He looked over at Marie, who was studying him with curiosity. "Good game?" he asked.

She smiled. "You know, not many people would have beated me. They all let me win," she said in a whisper. "But you, Lord Rider. You're something different. And I like that."

"I always aim to please."

Marie lowered her voice even more. "Come to my bedroom tonight." She hurried away like she hadn't just said invited him to sleep with her.

Flynn gulped. He did a lot of dirty things but sleeping with the queen of France to seduce her into getting his hands on the Hope Diamond had to be in the top five inappropriate things he had ever done.

After a moment of thinking about it, Flynn shrugged.

He had a private island he wanted to buy. That was more important than anything else.

The only good thing Flynn had working for him was that Marie didn't share the same bedroom as her husband. Flynn walked with confidence as he strode towards Marie's wing of the palace. Guards lined the hallways but no one said a word.

When Flynn found the right door, he knocked. Marie opened the door immediately, dragging him inside. "We have to be careful," she warned. "I can't get in trouble with my husband."

"Mum's the word."

Marie was in a much simpler nightgown compared to her dress earlier today but the robe she had around herself probably cost millions. Flynn wondered if he could nick it.

Marie walked over her dressing table and sat down. "Just give me a minute, mon cheri. I'm just finishing up my hair. Rapunzel!" she called out. "Come finish combing my hair."

It was then that Flynn noticed another woman in the room. She had been partially hidden behind a privacy screen. When she walked into view, Flynn's breath caught. She was beautiful.

With long blonde hair in an updo and wide green eyes and cute freckles, Flynn honestly thought he was looking at an angel for a moment.

She froze when she saw him. He knew he had that kind of affect on women and he gave her his best charming smile. Marie's back was to them so she wouldn't see him trying to seduce her maid.

Rapunzel kept staring at him in shock for so long, Flynn began to pace on each foot. Finally, she spoke.

"Flynn?"

He blinked. How did this girl know his name?

"It's me, Rapunzel."

"Who?" he asked, scratching his eyebrow.

Rapunzel's smile faltered. "Oh. You… you don't know me?"

"Sorry. I've never met you before."

Marie laughed. "Having dalliances with my maid, Lord Rider? You are a scoundrel. Now, Rapunzel, come over here and comb my hair."

"You don't know me," Rapunzel said in a softer voice, looking down at her feet. "And you're here to be with… the queen." She rushed over to Marie and picked up an elegant comb but her hands were shaking and she dropped it. Marie tsked as the comb dropped to the ground. Rapunzel almost looked on the verge of tears as she picked the comb back up and began working the knots out of Marie's hair.

Flynn could only watch in confusion.

Had he slept with this girl before? He had never been to the 1770s before so there wasn't any chance that had happened. Besides, he'd remember a girl as beautiful as Rapunzel.

Once Rapunzel was done, Marie waved her away.

Rapunzel gave Flynn one last look before leaving the room. The look she gave him felt haunting, like there was an entire unspoken world between them and he should remember.

But alas, he didn't know her.

Marie drew his attention back to her by dropping her robe and nightgown and standing completely naked before him. He soon forgot all about the strange, little maid.

Once Marie and Flynn were done with their escapades, they lounged in bed together.

"That was wonderful, darling," Marie said, stretching out.

"It really was." He traced his fingers down her arm. He just fucked the queen of France. He just fucked Marie Antoinette herself.

Now he had to find out where she was keeping the Hope Diamond.

He figured he might as well ask.

"So, Marie," he said, peppering kisses down her neck to make her more relaxed. "I've heard that you have the finest jewels in the world. What would it take for a man to see them?"

"Oh. The jewels are kept in the king's state apartments."

Flynn paused. "In the… king's state apartments?"

"Yes. Isn't that just what I said?"

Shit. He'd have to find a way in there and find the diamond. Luckly for Flynn, and unfortunately for everyone else, he was a great thief.

"Why do you ask?" Marie kissed him on the lips. "Thinking of robbing us blind?"

He blinked before he realized that she was joking. He chuckled. "Guilty. I was just curious. I heard great things about the collection. But I'm here for you." Flynn wrapped Marie in his arms and they soon went on another fun adventure together.

Flynn hurried out of her rooms once they finished fucking for the third time. That woman was insatiable. He ran a hand over his hair and knew his clothes were in disarray. The guards gave him dirty looks but still, did not say anything.

Despite it being nighttime, the palace was still in full swing with people out taking walks and partying into the night hours. Flynn used that to his advantage as he made his way towards the king's apartments.

He was getting close to the first room when Rapunzel stepped into his path. He skidded to a stop. "Oh. You again."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Yes. Me again."

Flynn looked around. No one else was around them except for a few guards at the end of the hall. "Listen, I'm in a bit of a hurry, so if you'd kindly move out of my way." He tried stepping around her but she just blocked his path.

"You really don't know me?" She sounded so hurt and disappointed by that fact that he felt a little guilty. Shit. He never felt guilty when it came to women. What was that about?

"I'm sorry. I don't." He managed to get past her this time but right as he reached his hand out to the closet doorknob, Rapunzel's next words shocked him.

"I know all about you."

He snorted. "I doubt that."

She raised a challenging eyebrow. "I know your real name."

"No one knows my real name."

"I do. Because we've spent time together. We've spent… what feels like a lifetime together." The wistfulness in her voice was strong.

Flynn paused as he realized he was dealing with a crazy chick. "Um, ok. So… I'm just gonna go. Sound good?"

"I know you don't believe me. It sounds crazy."

"Because it is crazy." He didn't know why he was still talking to this girl. He had a diamond to find.

"I can prove it."

He sighed and dropped his hand from the doorknob and walked back towards her. "I don't have time for this. Either keep walking or-,"

A sudden clicking sound made him stop. He frowned and looked down the hallway. The entire row of guards was suddenly facing in his and Rapunzel's direction.

One by one, they walked in unison as if they were being controlled by something beyond themselves. And every step they took, they emitted a low groaning, clicking sound. Almost as if they were made of metal.

"What the fu…"

"Get down!" Rapunzel shouted, pushing Flynn to the ground. He landed on the floor, Rapunzel on top of him. For just a second, he could admit how good it felt to have her on top of him but then one of the guards lifted up his hand and, using his other hand, unscrewed his hand from his wrist. Flynn could only stare in shock as, where once was the guard's hand, now was a gun in its place.

And not an old-timey gun.

A modern day, 21st century gun.

He pointed it straight at Rapunzel and Flynn.

"Ok, run instead!" Rapunzel said, pulling Flynn up with her.

He didn't argue with her this time.

They ran down the hallway, the guards right behind them. A vase next to Flynn's head exploded after the guard with the gun fired at him. Flynn yelped, ducking down. He did not sign up for gun wielding guards. He was here to get his diamond, damnit.

Flynn looked over his shoulder at the guards. They were still walking in unison and their movements were very robotic like.

"What the hell are these things?" Flynn asked, ducking again as another shot was fired. That time, a bust of some old man Flynn didn't know, got the hit.

"Automatons!" Rapunzel shouted back. She rounded a corner so fast, Flynn stumbled to catch up. How was she so fast? She was a lot shorter than him and he wasn't the tallest of people, something he felt no shame in. (Or so he tried to convince himself). So, the fact that she was so fast was impressive.

"Automatons? You mean robots?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Just old timey robots, you know?" She skidded to a halt. They were in another deserted hallway. Where the hell were all the other people he saw earlier?

"Why are you stopping?" Flynn asked as he kept running.

She grabbed his arm, pulling him to a halt. She was strong for being so tiny. "We can't keep running. They aren't alive. They'll never tire. We need to stand and fight. I need a weapon." She looked around, muttering the word 'weapon' over and over again under her breath.

Ok. Flynn thought Rapunzel was officially crazy. Cute but crazy. Now, he did cute but he never did crazy.

"Right. Well, you stand there looking for a weapon, I'm gonna keep running. See you later, Blondie."

"So, this is when you call me Blondie for the first time." She paused. "Huh." After shrugging, she ran to the nearest wall and pulled the long curtain before the window right off it's hook. The guards were fast approaching.

With a heave, Rapunzel threw the curtain on the ground. Flynn had no clue what she was doing. It wasn't until the first row of guards reached the curtain and stumbled over it that he understood.

"They're acting on autopilot," he murmured.

Rapunzel flashed him a smile. "Yep. But that won't keep them for long. We need an actual weapon." She looked down the hallway and smiled again. "There." She pointed behind him.

When he turned around, he saw a wall with a row of fancy looking swords on it. "Jackpot," he said.

Rapunzel grabbed one of the swords and before Flynn could even register what she was doing, she was already past him and slashing at the nearest automaton. She completely sliced through the arm of the guard with a hand for a gun. The gun clattered to the ground, firing of another shot.

Flynn yelped. "Be careful."

"I'm trying."

With a determined grin, Rapunzel began to hack and slice at the automatons until the first row literally fell apart. Body parts landed on the ground but where should have been blood and flesh was green ooze and wires.

Rapunzel finished slicing through the last guard closest to her and turned to him with a flourish.

Flynn was slack-jawed and he wasn't even ashamed of it. "Wow," he said. Rapunzel beamed.

Then another row of automaton guards started coming their way.

"Blondie, lookout!"

Rapunzel turned to face the oncoming group and readied herself in a fighting stance.

"I know this is your first time meeting me," Rapunzel said, "and you're probably in shock, but I need your help."

"Right." After grabbing a sword off the wall, Flynn hurried to her side and held out it out before him. The guards were fast approaching in their uniform procession.

Flynn sliced out with his sword, knocking the head of one of the guards clean off. "Ooh," he said, wincing. "That had to hurt." Left behind in the neck socket was a bunch of wires poking up. They were fritzing out.

He couldn't believe he was fighting freaking robots in buckled shoes and white stockings. If he weren't so worried for his life, he'd probably die of embarrassment.

Rapunzel kicked a guard, sending him stumbling back into another one. Soon, they all began to fall like dominoes. Flynn was impressed that she could move with such ease in her dress. It wasn't as opulent or as big as Marie's outfit had been but it still had a hefty skirt to it and he was pretty positive she had multiple undergarments on underneath. He assumed anyway. Marie had tons of layers to her clothes. Why wouldn't Rapunzel?

But why was he even thinking of her undergarments in a time like this?

Flynn just couldn't help himself.

With a grunt, Rapunzel cut through the arm of a guard reaching out for her. It stopped for a second before continuing on. Flynn darted in front of Rapunzel and lashed out with his sword, stabbing the guard straight through the chest. The automaton let out a wailing groan then crumpled forward. Rapunzel gave him a grateful smile.

After that, it was all a blur. Rapunzel and him continued to take down guard after guard.

He was currently in the middle of facing off with a slightly larger, burly guard that was refusing to go down, when Rapunzel came running towards him, multiple guards at her back. "Flynn! Help me." She held out her hand to him and he grabbed it. Rapunzel surprised him by using his body as momentum to run up the nearest wall and jump off, doing a flip in mid-air, and landing behind the guards that had been chasing her.

He stared in stunned silence. Who was this girl?

Rapunzel shoved her sword through both their bodies and they fell forward. Flynn was so distracted by Rapunzel's fighting abilities that he forgot all about the guard he was supposed to be dealing with.

He only remembered when the guard barreled right into him. Flynn landed on the floor with a grunt. When a huge freaking 18th century robot lands on you, it hurts like hell.

He scrambled for his sword right as the guard reached for his eyes. Oh no. Flynn was nothing if not a pretty face. He cherished his face. It was his face that allowed him to woo over countless women so he could seduce them into telling him where all the money was kept. It didn't matter what planet or what time period – it worked every time.

So, he most definitely couldn't allow for some freaky automation to mess it up.

"No, you don't," he growled, securing his grip on his sword.

With one final burst of strength, Flynn rammed the sword through the guard. For a moment, he felt incredible pride…

…until the damn thing landed right on top of him.

He groaned. "Uh… a little help, Blondie?"

Laughing, Rapunzel came over and used her foot to knock the guard off him. When he sat up – his ego only briefly wounded – he noticed that all the other guards were lying on the floor in a heap. They did it.

He pushed himself to standing. "What the hell was all of that?"

"Like I said," Rapunzel stated, putting her sword through the edge of her skirt, turning it into a makeshift hilt, "automatons. More specifically though, an alien race. I was visiting Versailles when I got a signal that something wasn't right, so I tracked the signal here. I always wanted to visit the Palace of Versailles. It's one of my favorite places." He blinked, confused where she was taking this story. "So, I pretended to be a maid to see around and when I realized what was happening, you showed up. I was trying to figure out what to do about these automations. Now, I have your help." She smiled so widely at him that it made his stomach flutter.

What the fuck? His stomach never fluttered.

"Woah, there, Blondie. Who says you have my help? What we just did? That was a onetime deal just save my own ass. I'm out of here. I'm not dealing with killer robots. No money is worth that."

Her smiled wavered. "Money? The Flynn I knew wasn't concerned about money. He was concerned about doing the right thing."

"Then you must have the wrong guy," he said, stepping over a guard, "because the Flynn I am is a Flynn who's always in it for the money."

"Where were you expecting to find money?"

He paused, scratching the back of his neck. "Uh… I don't need to tell you that."

She narrowed her eyes before realization dawned in them. "The family jewels. The Hope Diamond. You were going to steal it, weren't you?"

"How did you know I'm a thief? You just said that the Flynn you knew didn't care about money."

"He didn't." She stepped closer to him. "But he told me about his past. He mentioned he used to steal from time to time."

More like a lot of time. Flynn smirked. "Fine, you got me. Now, I'm going to be on my merry way. You have at it with your…" He waggled his fingers at the guards. "Automatons. We good? Good." He started to walk away.

There was something niggling the back of his head. It dawned on him. In all this time, he hadn't asked her how she knew any of this. But he had a good idea how.

He paused and turned back to face her. "You're a time traveler, aren't you?"

"I am. Just like you."

"So, I take it you're not from 1779 France?"

"No. I'm from a time in the far future. Same as you."

Ok. Now she had his attention. He had never met another time traveler before. He didn't even know they existed. "I thought I was the only one."

"You have a lot to learn, Flynn." Her eyes dimmed for a moment. "But you will. I'll see to that."

"What do you mean, I will?" His eyes widened. "Have you… wait a minute. You said you knew me. But that's impossible. Even if you met me in my future, I still would know you." He paused. "Wouldn't I?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Would you?"

He huffed, letting out a low chuckle. "Ok. I don't have time for this. Have fun on your time travels but I'm out of here."

"Eugene Fitzherbert," she said.

Those words made him stop in his tracks. No one knew his real name.

This wasn't possible. It couldn't be. In fact, he hadn't heard anyone say his real name since he was a boy.

He slowly turned back to face her. "How do you know that?"

Her eyes were both a mixture of pure happiness and utter sadness. "Because you told me yourself. Still thinking about leaving?"

He knew in that moment, staring at Rapunzel, that he was looking at someone who knew him. Really knew him. It was written all over her face. No wonder she seemed sad when he didn't recognize her.

There was only one question he could think to ask.

"Who are you?"

See you next Saturday.