This is a sequel to my other Tangled story, Time Crossed Lovers. It's really recommended you read that one first. I have this story completed and will be posting in on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Eugene hated aliens.

They were always popping up at inopportune moments. They were always trying to take over the world. And they were always trying to kill him.

Case in point – the alien disguised as a mummy that was chasing him through the stacks of books in the Cairo Museum of Antiquities. Why did he have to get chased? All Eugene wanted was to grab the book him and Rapunzel came for, get out, and possibly make out with his girlfriend once they were safely back in her time traveling tower.

Seeing as he just brought Rapunzel back to life – granted through alien magic (not all of them were bad) – he really wanted the chance to just relax and be with her.

But nope. She wanted to search for her parents and being the good boyfriend that he was, he was inclined to help her. Which meant that they hadn't had the chance to even kiss since arriving in Egypt, 1919. All because things were a little awkward now that they were on the same timeline.

Because that was the thing with him and Rapunzel – they once weren't on the same timeline. They had been going in opposite directions. So when he met her the first time, that was her last time seeing him and vice versa.

After she died in his arms in the Palace of Versailles in 1779, he had gone on a journey where he got to know past versions of her. He finally found the chance to bring her back to life after entering a weird, fairytale land full of magic, where an alien named Nazura gave him the magic to resurrect his girlfriend. Rapunzel was alive and well again and they were finally on the same timeline.

But things were still kind of awkward now that nothing was stopping them from being together.

So, that's why Eugene wanted to deal with this damn alien mummy, get back to Rapunzel, and figure out the state of their relationship.

He just wasn't sure which one he was more worried about – the mummy chasing him or his and Rapunzel's relationship.

All he knew was that he needed to figure this shit out before it drove him insane.

A few hours ago

Rapunzel landed her tower in Cairo, Egypt, 1919.

Eugene glanced out the front windows. "So, you think this book can lead you to your parents?"

"I hope so," she said, looking at the computer on her desk full of nick-knacks and buttons she used to help her time travel. "All I know is that Cass mentioned seeing something about them in the files the Society had. But she didn't get a good look. I know the Society keeps books about their history scattered throughout time. When I was at the Academy, they taught us a class on it. One of those books is in the Cairo library in 1919. They move the books around all the time. This is where it should be. So, hopefully this book can tell us something about my parents. Who they are or where they might be."

Her heart squeezed at the thought of the parents she didn't even remember. She was kidnapped by Gothel when she was a baby and grew up thinking Gothel was her mom. It wasn't until she escaped Gothel two years ago on her own when The Time Traveler's Society found her and took her in. They told her they knew who her parents were but that they didn't know where her parents were located. That was all they said. Since then, Rapunzel had been desperate to find them.

Despite time traveling for the better part of a year, she never found them. But hopefully with Eugene at her side, he'd be able to help her so she could meet her parents for the first time. Eugene was the first person to ever make her believe in herself. With him, she could do anything.

Even find her mysteriously lost parents.

Eugene walked back over to her. Just knowing that he was standing before her – the Eugene she had fallen in love with – made her heart sing. He was with her on the same timeline finally. She could almost cry tears of happiness at the thought.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked, reaching for her hand and giving it a squeeze.

She let out a slow breath. "I am. It's just… I never found the courage to go looking for my parents before. I mean, really look for them. I kept my eyes and ears open for any information on them over this past year but now I'm really putting in the work to find them. And it's… scary."

"How come?"

"What if I put in all this work and never find them? I'll just be filled with disappointment. Or worse. What if I do find them and they're not who I thought they'd be?"

"Isn't that every orphan's fear? Hell, it's mine too." He put his hands on her waist and pulled her in close. Her heart skipped a beat. How Eugene's touch still managed to give her get butterflies was beyond her but she knew she'd never stop getting them in her stomach every time he was close to her. "I've never met my parents and honestly, I don't care to. They gave me up. Whether it was for me or for themselves, it doesn't matter. I grew up having to fend for myself. I don't need them." He placed his hand on her cheek.

"But you," he continued, "lost your parents when Gothel kidnapped you. Of course you'd want to meet them. They wanted you, Rapunzel. They didn't give you up. I know you have high hopes when it comes to them so have high hopes. You deserve to want that. To hope."

She thought her heart might melt right into his hands. "You deserve that too, Eugene."

He shrugged. "I'm beyond saving."

"No, you're not."

"You make me believe that I deserve more in life. God, I love you Rapunzel."

Her breath hitched. The last time she had seen Eugene before she died, he was meeting her for the first time, so that version of him didn't love her. She hadn't heard him say 'I love you' in a long time because the version of him that loved her was the one she had met months ago. It reminded her that he was real standing before her. That this was real. That they were together for the first time ever.

"I love you too," she whispered, fighting back her tears.

He leaned down to kiss her and she… froze. She wasn't even sure why. She loved this man. Her Eugene.

It's not liked they hadn't kissed before. They had done a lot more than kiss. In fact, they had just kissed when he brought her back to life not even an hour ago.

That was it, it dawned on her. She had been dead and then came back to life.

It was messing with her head.

Eugene explained to her that he used the Nazun's – an alien species of tree people – magic to bring her back to life, so he didn't cheat Time to do it. But when most people die, they don't come back.

But she did.

Rapunzel had no clue how to even process that. She was grateful to be alive for one thing. Grateful to be with Eugene again. But she was scared. Scared of what the side effects could be. Scared that maybe Time wouldn't like that she was brought back to life, even though it was from a natural resource.

And it was for that reason that she backed up when Eugene tried to kiss her.

He laughed awkwardly and looked at her with curiosity. "Sorry. Um…"

It was strange to see Eugene at a loss for words.

"Sorry," she said. "I just… I just think I want to go get the book now. I don't want to wait another minute."

He nodded. "Understood." Even though he wasn't objecting, she could see the disappointment in his eyes.

She couldn't keep her fears from him – it wasn't right. "I died," she blurted out.

"I know. I was there." He said it half-jokingly but there was pain in his voice.

"I died and now I'm alive. It's… a lot to take in. So, I just need a little time, if that's ok. It's not you, Eugene. It's me."

"Ah, the classic 'it's not you, it's me.'" He rocked back on his heels, then let out a breath and smiled. "I get it, Blondie. That is a lot to take in. I had months to deal with your death so when I brought you back, I was ecstatic. Still am. But for you, everything just happened. You died and came back in the span of minutes. So, I'll give you all the time you need. I'm here. I'm always here."

"Thank you." She wrapped her arms around him. The way he pulled her closer made her stomach flutter.

But now was not the time to deal with their relationship. She wanted to start searching for her parents. She had waited twenty years for this day.

She was finally going to learn what had happened to them.

Eugene couldn't deny his disappointment over Rapunzel not wanting to kiss him but he understood. It was a lot she had just been through. But god, it was hard not to kiss her (and do more) with her walking beside him, looking cute in her 1919 outfit.

She had on a gauzy white blouse and a pink skirt that hugged her body. Her blonde hair was pinned up. It gave academic historian vibes and honestly, Eugene was here for it.

He himself had on a white shirt with suspenders which were attached to the blue slacks on his legs. He thought he looked damn good – like something out of an old black and white film.

Rapunzel kept historical looking clothing from every time period in her tower. It was sort of like magic that the clothes just appeared when you needed them. It made Eugene's life a whole lot easier now.

Before he met Rapunzel, when he'd time travel using his watch (which could only time travel with one person at a time), he would have to buy his clothes to blend into the time period. Now with Rapunzel's magical time traveling tower, he could just go into the closet and pick out what he wanted to wear.

They walked through the streets of Cairo, which were dusty and hot as the sun blazed down on them. When they reached their destination – the Cairo library – Eugene was grateful to get out of the hot sun.

But it wasn't even that much cooler inside.

"Damn. No air conditioning yet, I take it," Eugene muttered as they entered the lobby.

"Actually, air conditioning was invented in 1902. But it was slow to show up in homes and buildings."

Eugene shook his head while he smiled. Rapunzel's knowledge of just about everything always made him happy. "Still. I'm sweating right through my shirt."

"Poor baby. Talk to me again when you're wearing a corset." She winked and strode forward, leaving him standing behind, his mouth partly open.

Ok. So he was a little turned on by her confidence.

Pushing that from his mind, he rushed after her. "It's not like you have to wear period appropriate clothing under your clothes," he whispered.

"It's all part of it, Eugene. How could I not?"

He chuckled as he looked around the library. It was grand and decorated with dark woods and ornate paneling. Eugene felt more like an archeologist standing in the library than he had ever felt before. Which wasn't at all before. But now Eugene felt like he should have become an archeologist. Could have stolen all those old bones and sold them on the black market to get his private island.

His private island. Wow, that was a thought he hadn't had in a long time. He never got around to buying it. That was his dream for the longest time until he met Rapunzel and everything changed.

Now, he could care less about money and private islands. He just wanted to be with Rapunzel. He wanted to see her happy, which was why he was fighting so hard to help her find her parents. Even putting up with non-air conditioned libraries in the middle of a blazing hot Egyptian city.

"So, where do we find the Society's book?" he whispered, glancing around at all the well-dressed people mingling about the lobby. It was so different from the time he grew up in. Back in the 2020s, people would just show up to the library in ratty jeans and t-shirts. The people here dressed up. Eugene was sometimes reminded that he had a pretty cool job as a time traveler. Granted, he didn't get paid, but it was still a job nonetheless.

"We ask." Rapunzel walked right up to the information desk in the middle of the library where a man stood wearing scissor glasses and a little hat that made his head look huge. "I'm looking for a book about the purple sea."

Eugene frowned. What the hell was Rapunzel talking about?

The librarian seemed to know what she was talking about. "Of course. Right this way."

He guided them down a long hallway filled with rows upon rows of books until he stopped and grabbed a book from the shelf. "This should help you." He handed it to Rapunzel then walked away.

Eugene sidled up to her. "Uh, Blondie, what does getting a book about a purple sea help you find your parents?"

"It's code," she said, flipping through the pages. "The Society can't make it easy for people to find books about them. I know the code because the Society taught it to me. They have members all over the world and through Time acting as librarians to guard the book from people who don't belong to the Society. I need to use this book to find the actual book I'm looking for."

He scratched his head. "Right. Let's just pretend I understood all of that."

She flashed him a smile as she shut the book. "You're cute."

"Why thank you," he said, puffing his chest out.

"I found the location of the book. Let's go."

They spun around and stopped when they saw the librarian blocking their path.

"Hey, buddy, mind moving out of the way," Eugene said, motioning with his hand.

The librarian did not in fact move out of the way. Instead, he grabbed a black baton out of his jacket and held it up. "I can't let you find that book. In fact, I can't let you leave at all."

"Why not?" Rapunzel asked.

"Because the Society is not pleased with you, Rapunzel. You were supposed to stay dead but you figured out a loophole and the Society is not happy about that."

"So, you're here to kill me?" Despite asking a very worrisome question, Rapunzel did not look worried at all. She only stood up straighter and squared her shoulders back. She still held the heavy book in her hands.

"The Society needs to correct Time," the librarian explained. "I'm only doing my job."

And with that, he struck out with his baton and would have hit Rapunzel if she didn't throw the book up in time to cover her face.

"Shit," Eugene muttered as he grabbed a book of his own and smacked it against the librarian's head.

That didn't slow the man down at all. It only made him angrier.

He spun around and slammed the baton against Eugene's side, making Eugene double over, the air leaving his body for a second.

Rapunzel kicked out and landed a hit to the librarian's chest, knocking him back against the book shelf.

In what sounded like a groan of pain, the bookshelf wobbled… then completely tipped over right in their direction.

"Run!" Rapunzel shouted, grabbing Eugene's hand. The librarian tried following them but the bookshelf smacked into him as it smashed into the next shelf.

…Which only made that shelf topple over into the next shelf which made that shelf topple over into the next shelf and on and on it went as all the bookcases fell over one-by-one.

Eugene wanted to stop and stare in both shock and awe at the sight but Rapunzel wasn't slowing down. They ran down the middle aisle between the bookshelves as all the shelves fell down around them. Books littered the floor, all in a large heap.

They only stopped running when the last shelf fell to the ground with a low rumble. People started running into the room to see the commotion.

"So that's going to make finding the book you need a whole lot harder," Eugene said.

People began to look in their direction, pointing at them as if they were to blame for this mess. Well, technically they were but that was besides the point.

"We need to get out of here," Rapunzel said, walking towards the next room. "Before we draw even more attention to ourselves."

"Right there with you, Blondie."

The next room they ended up in was not a library but a collection of artifacts. Scrolls and tomes rested on tables behind glass. Old sarcophaguses leaned against the walls. No one else was in there, giving them time to talk.

"So, what are we gonna do?" he asked. "How do we find the book now since all the books all in a large ass pile on the floor?

"We'll figure that out. But what I'm most worried about is that the Society sent a person after us to kill me. Because you brought me back to life." She began pacing around the room. "Maybe you shouldn't have done that. Now we're both in more danger. Time travelers are taught how to fight for every circumstance. It's why Cass was so good at what she did. It's why I'm capable myself. So now we have trained fighters coming after us." She shook her head. "I never thought the Society could be that ruthless. They literally sent an assassin after me."

"Hey, hey," he said, grabbing her arms to stop her from pacing. "Getting worked up over it isn't going to help. We need to find the book and get out of here before more Society assassins show up."

"You should have left me dead, Eugene. You shouldn't have messed with the natural order of things."

"No." He spoke with more anger in his voice than he intended. "I will not apologize for bringing the woman I love back to life. I didn't go against Time. I used alien magic to bring you back. I did nothing wrong. You did nothing wrong. Don't become self-destructive on me here, Blondie. We need each other more than ever."

Her eyes soften as she leaned into his touched. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just never thought the Society would try to kill me. I've done nothing but good work for them. I've helped countless people for them. The Society I know is kind and good. Not dark and full of assassins."

He shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe it was just the one. I say we count ourselves lucky." He leaned over to the nearest sarcophagus and rapped his knuckles against the outside. "Knock on wood."

"That's not wood, Eugene. That's solid gold. Our mummy friend here was wealthy in his or her previous life."

The sarcophagus cracked open and a mummified hand shot out.

Eugene yelped and backed away.

Rapunzel sighed. "You just had to touch it, didn't you?"

The sarcophagus opened all the way and a mummy – an honest to goodness mummy – stepped out of it. It was wrapped in gauze and was wearing a medallion around its neck.

Then it stopped and just stared at them.

"Uh…" Eugene said. "Hello?"

"Hello," it responded in an American accent. Instead of sounding like an Egyptian pharaoh, it sounded more like some guy named Dave who worked at Walmart.

"You speak English?" Eugene turned to Rapunzel. "Blondie, the ancient mummy speaks English."

"Oh I'm not a mummy," the mummy said. "I'm not even human. I just like to get dressed up and sleep in sarcophaguses."

Rapunzel squinted. "So… you're an alien."

He shrugged. "If you say so. I'm just here because I like it."

"Why?" Eugene asked.

The mummy – sorry alien – shrugged again. "Because it's cozy. I love scaring the patrons. It's fun. Sometimes I'll come out at night and terrify the librarians."

Rapunzel slowly shook her head. "What's your name?"

"You can call me whatever you want. I don't really have a name." He scratched the side of his mummified head. "I was abandoned as a baby on my home planet. I traveled here to Earth and liked it, so I stayed."

"But why make yourself look like a mummy?" Eugene asked. "I don't get it."

"Oh, because I've been told I'm really ugly so I thought I'd wrap myself up in gauze to look like a mummy. Mummies are cool."

"…right." Eugene turned to Rapunzel. "Blondie, I say we find go find that book now."

"Sounds like a plan."

Mummy raised his hand. "Oh, can I come? I'd love to help. I know all the books in this place. I spend my nights reading."

Eugene and Rapunzel shared a look before they both shrugged. "Sure," they said in unison.

It was sort of a relief to find such a chill, non-scary alien who just liked to dress up as a mummy and read books.

"I'm gonna call you Dave," Eugene said as they headed back into the library.

Mummy nodded. "Dave sounds good."

"Then Dave it is."

They stepped back into the library room, which was still in shambles. How were they ever going to find the book in this mess?

A woman looked in their direction and screamed at the sight of Dave. Then everyone started looking and pointing at the walking mummy.

Rapunzel turned to Dave. "Are there other rooms with more exclusive books?"

"Of course. But they're exclusive for a reason. Not easy to get to."

"That doesn't matter. Take us there."

"So, Dave," Eugene said as they quickly walked down another hallway lined with beautiful art work, "why don't you do something else with your life? Why dress up as a mummy?"

"Because this is my home now. I don't want to leave."

He nodded at the medallion around Dave's neck. "What's that?"

"Oh, I stole this off the real mummy that resided in the sarcophagus."

Eugene almost stumbled. "Uh… what happened to the real mummy?"

Dave shrugged. "I threw him out. I wanted his sarcophagus so I took it."

Rapunzel looked back at Dave with a concerned expression. "That was the resting place of a dead person. You shouldn't have thrown their body away."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not right!" Eugene exclaimed. He was starting to see that their new alien/mummy friend wasn't as nice as he first appeared.

"Why not? We throw out bodies all the time on my home planet. Why take up wasted space, you know?"

"Blondie, help me out here."

Rapunzel sighed. "Dave, on Earth, a human's resting place is to be respected. You don't ruin that."

"But these humans already dug the Pharaoh's sarcophagus from his tomb. Why is that any different?"

She blinked. "Uh… well, it's not. But I'm not condoning that either. Neither humans nor non-humans should be destroying the graves of people."

"That includes you, Dave," Eugene muttered when Dave looked confused.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know. The next sarcophagus I take over, I'll be careful to dispose of the body instead of throwing it in the trash."

Eugene's hands flapped down to his side. "This is pointless."

"We're here," Dave said, nodding at the door. "The exclusive book room."

Rapunzel tried the door and it opened right up. Walking inside, they were confronted by even more rows upon rows of books.

"How is this even easier?" Eugene asked.

"It's not. But I have the location of the book," Rapunzel said. "It should be row four, section D. So, hopefully the book that will give me something on my parents is in here."

They walked to the correct aisle and section but where should have been a book was only empty space.

"Looking for this?" the familiar voice of the librarian asked.

Spinning around, they saw him standing at the end of the aisle, holding a large, brown book.

"Buddy, we have a mummy with us," Eugene said. "You don't want to fight us."

"Don't I?" He grinned savagely. "I'm here to correct Time. Rapunzel needs to die. Good thing I also have this with me." He lifted another smaller book up and then began to read from it. The words he was saying were incomprehensible to Eugene.

The medallion around Dave's chest lit up. He stumbled back and clutched at it.

"Are you ok?" Rapunzel asked.

Dave shot back up. But instead of being the naïve alien they had gotten to know, this Dave advanced on Rapunzel and grabbed her around the neck.

Eugene watched in horror as their new mummy friend began to strangle Rapunzel.

Two years ago

Rapunzel gasped when she looked over the edge of the balcony of her tower. Gothel laid on the ground, not moving. Because Rapunzel had pushed her over.

She had become fed up with Gothel lying to her, for hurting her, for killing Pascal. He was her only friend and Gothel ripped him away from her by throwing him over this same exact tower. Rapunzel was desperate to leave her tower so she could find Pascal's body and bury him like he deserved.

She had killed Gothel. Honestly, she hadn't thought she could do it.

But Gothel had kidnapped her. Rapunzel found out the truth when Gothel got drunk one night and admitted it. Gothel was normally careful to never drink around Rapunzel but Rapunzel had read in one of her botany books about some herbs she could add to Gothel's drink to make her drunk. It worked. Gothel told her everything. That she had taken her from her parents. That she kept Rapunzel in this tower because she didn't want anyone else having her.

Rapunzel was shocked. She never questioned if Gothel was her real mom but to hear it from Gothel's own lips, Rapunzel knew it was true. After that day, she vowed she'd get out of her tower.

And then Gothel had killed Pascal and that had changed everything. She couldn't wait any longer. She had to act.

In her anger, she pushed Gothel over the side of the tower.

Now, she wasn't sure what she was going to do while she stared down at the dead body of the woman who she thought was her mother.

The most obvious answer was to leave but… then what? Where would she go? She didn't have any money. She didn't even have shoes to wear.

For the first time in her eighteen years, Rapunzel felt utterly and truly alone.

But that only lasted a few moments before a car materialized on the ground before her tower. Right next to Gothel's dead body.

A man stepped out of the car. He was wearing a black suit and tie and sunglasses. But what made him stand out was the scar running across his face. Rapunzel panicked for a moment until she realized that Gothel's body was covered by bushes, which blocked the view of the man. She didn't want to go to prison after being stuck in one her entire life.

He stared up at her. "Rapunzel, I presume?" He didn't even look in the direction of Gothel's body. She hoped he wouldn't step forward and see her dead not-mother on the ground.

"Yes," she said, frowning. "Who are you?"

"My name isn't important but you can call me Agent Tom. I'm here from the Time Traveler's Society to take you to our Academy."

She thought he was speaking a foreign language since she didn't understand a word he said. "What?"

"It will be so much easier to show you. If you could come down, we can leave."

She hesitated. Gothel always taught her to be wary of strangers. Now she knew why. A part of her wanted to defy Gothel and go off with this man, consequences be dammed. But she also didn't want to get murdered in the back seat of his car.

"I'm not going to hurt you. But to prove it, I brought someone with me who might make you more comfortable." He nodded at his car.

The passenger door opened and a young woman stepped out. She couldn't have been much older than Rapunzel but by a few years. Her black hair curled around her chin and her eyes were a striking green that made Rapunzel feel like she could stare into her soul. It was a little intimidating.

"As you can see," Agent Tom said, "I've brought one of our finest students with me. She's a time traveler, like I am. We work for the Time Traveler's Society. We knew to find you here because of time travel. You work with us in your future. You can trust us."

Rapunzel still couldn't believe the words she was hearing but there was something in the young woman's solid stare that made Rapunzel feel like she could trust these people.

Besides, what did she have to lose? She had lost everything already.

"Ok," she whispered. "I'll come down."

She walked to the hidden door at the back of her tower that Gothel didn't know she knew about. It was always possible for Rapunzel to escape but she was always too afraid to.

When her feet touched the grass after leaving the tower, she almost cried. She didn't know grass would be this prickly but it was also lush and soft. She wanted to roll around in it but resisted the urge. The freaky time travel people might judge her for it.

She walked over to them while keeping an eye out for Pascal's body. There was no way he'd be a pile of bones by now unless another animal got to him. She had seen Gothel throw her chameleon over the tower and watched him fall to his death.

So, where was his body?

She almost started to panic when she couldn't find Pascal but there wasn't anything she could do. If some other animal got to him, his body would be long gone by now.

Rapunzel sniffled as she stood before the two time traveler's, crossing her arms and ducking her head as she tried not to cry. She also deliberately didn't look in the direction of Gothel's body, lest the two strangers decided to go investigate.

"We'll keep you safe," Agent Tom said. "We'll give you a place to live. We'll give you a new purpose in life."

"Purpose?" she asked, raising her head.

Agent Tom didn't smile but his voice sounded softer when he replied. "To save people. From time travel threats like aliens."

She blinked. Was he… for real? He looked like he was for real.

"You'll never have to return to your tower again, Rapunzel," he said. "Not if you don't want to."

"And if I want to?"

"You wont after you get a taste of traveling the galaxy. Now, come with us." He motioned towards the car.

Rapunzel turned to the woman. "What's your name?"

The woman eyed her with a hardness that was a scary but a softness that made her trustworthy. After a moment, she held out her hand to Rapunzel.

"I'm Cassandra. But you can call me Cass."

Out of Time

The scratchy hood covering her face made her nose itch. She resisted the urge to sneeze. It was clear to her that she had been kidnapped, judging by the rope around her wrists and ankles, binding her to a chair.

There would be only one person who would want to kidnap her but for what reason, she wasn't sure.

When her hood was ripped off her head, she felt like she could breathe again. Looking to the left of her, she saw a man tied to a chair, same as her. Even with the hood on, she knew that man.

He was her husband.

The room she was in was like something out of a witches fairytale. Dark wood floors decorated with elaborate tiles. Large windows overlooking the sky and the clouds below. Clocks drifted through the night sky – all different shapes and sizes of them.

She knew what room this was. It belonged to the Time Traveler's Society, an organization that she was very familiar with.

The man who had ripped her hood off smiled down at her. "Nice to see your pretty face again."

"Thank you but I can't say the same about your face."

He scowled. The scar on his cheek turned downward with the motion of his face muscles. He didn't reply to her comment, only turned to her husband and ripped off his hood.

She hadn't seen her husband in a while. They were kept apart, so the sight of him with his strong jaw and bushy dark beard made her heart flutter.

"Sweetheart," he said in his deep voice, straining to reach her.

"It's ok," she said. "I'm ok. Are you ok?"

He nodded. "I am."

"Good," the man with the scar said, clapping his hands together. Agent Tom looked between her and her husband. "I didn't want either of you to be hurt because I have a mission for you."

"What mission?" she asked. "I'm done with the Society. You can't force me to do anything. You don't have any leverage on me."

"Don't I?" Agent Tom nodded at her. "Arianna." Then he nodded at her husband. "Frederic." He paused for dramatic effect before speaking. "What if I told you this mission had to do with your daughter, Rapunzel?"

I'll be posting this story every Sunday and Wednesday.