i'm an art student! me! at college! me, rae gothel! a college art student! living on her own! too weak to handle myself out here, huh, mother? tell that to my frying pan! okay don't, it'll tell you i burnt breakfast.
Flynn had no idea where to start with Rae. All he wanted was to wrap her up in his arms, to pull her close and keep her safe, away from her mother and all the destruction and hurt that she’d reigned down upon the two of them. She was cruel and manipulative, and everything she’d ever put Rae through had gotten her to where they were now. She’d trapped her own daughter, bullied her, abused her, and Rae had been so blind to it. Not that Flynn could really blame her. Sure, it was infuriating at times, listening to her praise her mother, defend her actions, and even talk of just how grateful she was for the life that she’d been blessed with – but Flynn knew his anger was misplaced. Their first ever argument had been a result of her own mother and Flynn’s desire to protect Rae, even back when he’d barely known her She was always getting in the way, always seeking to destroy Rae’s happiness, and he wouldn’t let her. Not anymore.
She could beat him until he had no more blood to bleed, but he’d be damned if he let her keep hurting Rae like this. She deserved to know the truth, even if the mere thought pained him.
The second that she retreated, separating herself from Flynn so delicately, so careful not to hurt him, his eyes bore into her own. He could see every last inch of pain and anguish in the way that she stared up at him, and he felt so stupid to have left her wondering for so long. Though he knew the truth of her mother’s tricks, he knew damn well that it was he that had gotten in the way of their perfect New Year’s kiss He’d been the one to pull away, to leave Rae second guessing herself and questioning every last second they’d spent together. Her mother, those brutes, they’d been the reason for his bloodied and bruised jaw, just as they were at fault for the agonising twinge in his chest, but slowly dawned on Flynn that none of that even mattered. Sure, he couldn’t bear to see Rae hurt, and if keeping a distance and removing himself from her life was the way to protect her, then so be it. All the same, he had to see her one last time, he had to make her understand. He wouldn’t let her live in the dark any longer, and he wouldn’t allow her to be subjected to that monster ever again.
“Hey, look, you’re getting paint everywhere,” he muttered, trying with all his might to keep his tone light, gentle. He lifted a hand to brush her cheek, grazing her skin as he lifted it to the corner of her eye, before wiping her tears away with the pads of his thumb.
His eyes fluttered shut as he listened to her ramble on about New Year’s Eve. Inhaling sharply, sending a harsh pain through his ribs in doing so, he shook his head at her words, cutting her off before she could go any futher.
“We were. What you thought? We were. And then I… I ruined it,” he muttered, his forehead knitting together in frustration. Frustration at himself for not having told her sooner, frustration at having let her mother come between the two of them.
Shaking his head, he listened intently to her words, giving her the chance to unleash all that had built up inside her tiny frame. He hated to think that he’d been the cause of so much hurt for her, to think that she’d been embarrassed because of his own stupidity. He watched, pained to his inner core, as she lifted a hand to suppress yet another sob. There she was, fighting to hold it all in, to focus all her attentions on him and push her own feelings aside. Rae Gothel had been subjected to all kinds of attention since her arrival in Cherry Grove, none of which had gone amiss to Flynn. She was a friend to many, and even those that claimed to dislike her (himself briefly among the many few), even they held a soft spot for the charming blonde. She was endearing from head to toe, her smile and laughter infectious, and there was just something about her… Even now, with tears streaming down her cheeks; she was like a light brightening up even the darkest of pits. A glowing ember that could never truly be put out, a lantern in a sea of black. It was captivating.
“That’s the thing, princess. We, uh… We need to talk,” he told her, his gaze intense as the words fell from his lips, nothing but a choked stammer. He had to remain strong, though, he knew he did.
Lifting a trembling hand, he pulled her hand away from her face, tangling their fingers together carefully. He didn’t care how much it might hurt him to touch her, he didn’t care if his body burned with each kick and punch that had been landed that night, so long as he could hold Rae just this once, he’d suffer through it all again.
Leading her across the room, he squeezed her hand before perching himself down on the edge of a sofa, gesturing for Rae to join him.
“You asked me who did this…” he started, his eyes catching hers for a moment. He saw the confusion on her face, saw his own uncertainty reflected in her eyes. He realised, with a sickening jolt, that he couldn’t do this looking at her; it was too painful. He didn’t know if he’d be able to handle the look that would cross her face once she knew the truth.
Tearing his gaze away, he stared down at his feet, anxiously running his teeth over his bottom lip. His thumb ran gentle circles against her knuckles, and he let out one last shaky breath before confessing the truth.
“Your mother, Rae. All of this? It was her doing.”
“What?” Rae sniffed, momentarily confused by Flynn’s words. Then she remembered the still-drying paint on her hands and, knowing her, her face. “Oh!” She shook her head, feeling stupid as she wiped her hands down on her old apron. “Sorry, Flynn.”
It seemed like the only thing she could do was apologise after the selfishness of her actions over the past few weeks caught up with her and made her realise just how horrible she’d been to Flynn. Rae had never thought she’d ever have it in her to freeze someone out, never mind someone like Flynn, who’d been nothing but kind to her. And what for? Because he didn’t like her back. Wasn’t that the most awful thing you’d ever heard? Rae was so ashamed of herself, and was ready to give Flynn another long-winded and probably hard-to-follow apology when she suddenly became aware of Flynn wiping her tears away.
She wasn’t the one who’d been beaten and bruised and yet she still insisted on being the one who cried and needed to be comforted. Her mother hadn’t been wrong when she’d snappily told Rae to grow up.
Each time she thought about New Year’s Eve made her insides burn with humiliation. But it was something she was going to have to face sooner or later and as she babbled on about it, she was fully prepared for Flynn’s rejection. Bracing herself, she waited for him to calmly tell her that she had gotten it wrong, hoping that he’d be kind about it. But instead his whispered words only confirmed everything she hadn’t dared hope for.
Blinking up at Flynn with wide eyes, Rae fought to swallow her disbelief. It wasn’t the right time for her heart to swell in her chest and for the beginnings of a smile to tug at her lips. Not when Flynn was looking like that. But…
“We were?” she repeated. “So… you and me? We… And you…” Despite the situation, she let out a small, slightly shrill laugh. Perhaps it was out of relief after months and months of wondering whether or not Flynn felt the same way as she did. Belle and Anna had been quick to reassure that of course he did, but they were her best friends. They would never outright lie to her, but it was an unspoken rule in their friendship that they would always try to help lift each other’s spirits, and Rae had secretly thought their encouragement for her relationship with Flynn was a byproduct of that. An extremely well-meaning byproduct though!
Before she could get ahead of herself though, Flynn’s tone caught her attention. Allowing herself to be lead to the sofa, her fingers linked with Flynn’s, she sat down with him and eyed him curiously. She could tell that whatever he was about to say was difficult for him, so she pushed a smile onto her face and wrapped her other hand around his.
“It’s okay,” she reassured him. She waited with bated breath, nausea pooling in her stomach as she waited for him to tell her who’d hurt him. What if she knew the person? Rae had only come across kind people since moving to Cherry Grove and the thought of one of them turning into someone who went around, hurting people like Flynn, was such an awful thought that she almost hoped Flynn wouldn’t say anything at all. But she had to hear it, because Flynn’s safety came before anything else. Just like Belle’s safety and Anna’s safety and Paul’s safety. So she readied herself and squeezed his hand comfortingly.
But she hadn’t been expecting that.
“W-what?” she choked out. She stared at Flynn, eyes wide. A strange sort of burning feeling had started to overwhelm her, flooding her senses and numbing her limbs right up to the tips of her fingers. “Flynn, that’s… that’s not funny.”
She withdrew her hands from his, gathering them at her chest as she frowned at the boy next to her. After getting to know him since moving to the little town though, Rae liked to think she had picked up on what Flynn’s joking tone was. True, she was more than a little naïve according to, well, everyone. But even she knew he wouldn’t joke about something like this. But that just meant he wasn’t making any sense.
“Flynn, you can’t just… say things like that. I know you don’t like my mother but saying that she… Flynn, she wouldn’t!”
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when the glitter fades and the walls won’t hold // rae & rowenna
Rae didn’t know whether snow was her friend or enemy at that moment.
She’d never been allowed to run outside and play in it like most children. No, she’d been tucked firmly inside, out of harm’s way where frostbite and any other dangers brought by the weather could no longer reach her. But this winter, she’d been able to wrap herself up, shove her feet into rubber boots borrowed from Elsa, and finally discover what it was like to play in the snow.
She, Anna and Belle had all sat one behind the other on a sled and sped down the tallest hill in Cherry Grove. She’d encouraged Paul to have a snowball fight with her and he’d definitely won. Joy had held her hands tightly and kept her upright whilst Rae swapped her boots out for ice skates and wobbled nervously on top of the rink before she eventually got the hang of it. Flynn had treated her to hot chocolate, managing to charm the barista into giving her extra marshmallows and whipped cream.
Her breath caught in her throat when she thought of Flynn. Her phone was gripped tightly in her hands and she looked down at it, pressing the home button so her screen lit up with a picture of her, Anna and Belle pulling silly faces. But nothing else. No reply from Flynn. Not that she’d been expecting one! She figured he probably wouldn’t care about her leaving, but she’d still thought it right to let him know, even though he had Blossom now and was recovering from his injuries far away from her. The injuries he’d apparently gotten due to her mother, but Rae still had a hard time believing that.
“Well, this is just dreadful, isn’t it?” came Rowenna Gothel’s voice as she pushed her way into Rae’s room and peered disdainfully out the window. Rae nodded absently, always knowing it was better just to agree with her mother if she had nothing else to say.
“I’m sure we could walk to the train station no problem,” Rowenna continued.
Rae cast a doubtful look out the window. Her mother’s words didn’t help her decide whether or not the snow was helping her or hindering her at that moment. On one hand, it was snowing so heavily that she and her mother couldn’t drive to the station and get back to Connecticut. But on the other hand, Rae was almost glad that she had an extra while in Cherry Grove, even if it would mean saying another tearful goodbye to Belle and Anna before they had to set off again.
“It’s really bad out there,” Rae murmured softly, frowning at the blizzard.
“If you’re bold enough to come here on your own, dear, you’re surely bold enough to trek through a little snow,” her mother retorted. That was her usual train of thought now: if Rae had found the gall to defy her mother’s expectations and move to Cherry Grove then she was able to do whatever else it was her mother required of her. Even if that meant dragging all her belongings out into snow that came up to her knees just so they could get back to Fairfield quicker.
“Why don’t we just stay one more night and see how it is in the morning?” she asked.
“Rae,” her mother cut in harshly. “We’re leaving today.”
“But—”
“Rae.”
Whenever her mother used that tone of voice, it usually meant the end of discussion. But perhaps Rae was feeling a little unhinged at that moment, because she stood up a little straighter and spoke clearly. No mumbling at all.
“Mother, the trains probably won’t even be running to Connecticut! Look at it outside!” she implored.
A hand wrapped itself around her wrist, squeezing tightly. Rae tried not to wince and forced herself to meet her mother’s gaze.
“I don’t know where this attitude came from…” Rowenna said, her voice smooth and velvety but not in its usual comforting way. She searched Rae’s face as if she’d be able to spot something on there that hinted towards her daughter being more defiant, so she could quickly snatch it away and mould Rae back into the girl she’d been in Connecticut: meek and impressionable and all too willing to cave to her mother’s wishes. Over the past few weeks, Rae had definitely reverted back to being that girl. But now…
“Mother, you’re hurting me,” Rae said.
Rowenna’s eyes dropped down to her hand and she slowly unfurled her fingers with a quiet but cheerful, “Oops!”
As her mother stood back, Rae massaged the skin of her wrist where it tingled in an almost painful way. She thought back to what Flynn had said about her mother but banished the memory as soon as it entered her mind. No, her mother wasn’t violent. She was just a little uptight right now. Which was understandable as the weather was preventing them both from going back to their cottage, and Rae figured her mother must miss it terribly. Feeling guilty for being so difficult, Rae offered her mother a weak smile and was rewarded with a pat on the cheek. A little harder than normal, but still.
“Now, pumpkin, why don’t we make sure you’ve packed the essentials? Only the things you really need,” her mother said then turned towards Rae’s bed and immediately began rummaging through her belongings.
Rae didn’t know why she was suddenly feeling so nervous, as she surely had nothing to hide! But she chewed on the inside of her cheek nevertheless and watched as her mother went through her suitcase, inspecting paintbrushes and paint pots and books borrowed from Belle. All harmless things that her mother didn’t think she needed to take home with her but had quickly figured out Rae would be less upset about going if she could keep them.
“What’s this?”
Rae barely suppressed a gulp as the item was presented to the air, the light from above glinting off it. The headband Flynn had given her.
“It’s… just a flower crown,” she said. She might have gotten away with the lie if her cheeks hadn’t burned a bright red. Because it wasn’t just a flower crown, was it? It was a Christmas present from the first boy she’d ever liked, the first boy who’d very nearly kissed her right before…
“Where did you get it?” her mother asked. Her steely gaze was trained on Rae and the blonde knew that there was no way for her to lie herself out of this one and managed to escape unpunished.
“From… Flynn,” she said eventually. Her shoulders dropped defeatedly.
“Then we certainly don’t need to take this with us,” her mother said. “You know I don’t like that boy, Rae.”
Rae hadn’t told her mother about Flynn’s accusations, but Rowenna had still managed to find fault with him. Not that she hadn’t found fault with any of Rae’s other friends as well, especially the males. She’d been told to stay away from Gaston and even Vlad hadn’t managed to escape her scrutiny.
“But… it was a present.” Rae was being stupidly sentimental and Flynn probably couldn’t care less if she kept the headband or not. But she didn’t want to part with it.
“Yes, from the wanted thief. Isn’t that lovely?” her mother sang.
Rae stopped. She hadn’t told her mother about Flynn’s… hobbies. She had been sure that would only solidify her mother’s desire to keep them apart, which had admittedly been a sly move on Rae’s part but, in her eyes, necessary.
“How did you… Flynn isn’t—” She wasn’t sure how she was going to explain that one, but she wasn’t the only one with explaining to do.
“Oh please, Rae. Don’t be dim, I’ve warned you about that. It’s my job to look into your friends’ lives.”
Rae didn’t think that was her mother’s job at all and she stood silently. “Can I please just keep the flower crown?” she asked after a pause.
“Rae.”
“If I could just—”
“Rae.”
“Please, it’s really special to me and I—”
“ENOUGH ABOUT THE CROWN, RAE.”
Silence.
Rae was pressed against her chest of drawers. The frame dug into her back but she couldn’t move any further away. Trapped. Her mother stared at her, eyes wild and frantic and angry. So, so angry. Rae felt a tiny sliver of fear run down her back. She didn’t want to be the first one to speak, and was sure she wouldn’t be able to anyway, completely unable to find her voice.
“Great,” her mother drawled, heaving a sigh. “Now I’m the bad guy.”
“Mother, I’m sorry, I—” Rae cut herself off with a vigorous shake of her head. She wished she could will the words back into her mouth and swallow them so they’d go unheard. She hadn’t set out to argue with her mother. She’d just been selfish and stupid and had grown too attached to a small accessory that meant the world to her and absolutely nothing to anyone else, not even Flynn.
Her mother glared. Then sat down on the edge of Rae’s bed while Rae wrapped her arms around herself.
“When I took you in, I just wanted the best for you,” her mother said, softly.
“I know that, mother.” Rae hated herself right then. She’d been the unwanted child of two nasty human beings who would rather have seen Rae dead in a snowbank if Rowenna Gothel hadn’t been there to rescue her and give her a live full of love and security. And here Rae was, throwing it back in her face. All over a silly crown given to her by a boy who wanted nothing more to do with her.
“I can leave the crown behind.” It hurt to say. But she had to.
Rowenna looked up and smiled warmly. “Well, there we go! It’s such a cheap little thing anyway.”
Rae watched with horror and her mother lifted the headband and promptly snapped it in half. A strangled gasp caught in her throat and tears sprung to her eyes. Her mother swivelled around, looking unhappy to see her daughter so evidently upset.
“What now, Rae?”
“You – you didn’t have to do that,” Rae whispered. “I could have left it for Anna or Belle or Joy or… Flynn spent money on that.”
“Yes, I’m sure that’s what he told you,” her mother retorted. “I’m sure he told you he was kind and not like the rest of them and that he liked you. We all know where that would lead, don’t we? That boy can’t be trusted with anything. And is it such a bad thing that I wanted to keep him away from my daughter? No matter what I had to do, it was only with you in mind. Alright, pumpkin?”
Rae froze.
“What you had to do?” she echoed, feeling strangely numb. She caught her mother’s eye and saw the truth printed there, clear as day.
“No,” she breathed, feeling like she was going to faint.
“What?” Rowenna asked. Her mother was very good at feigning ignorance. It almost made Rae backtrack. But then she remembered the bruises littering Flynn’s face and how much he’d been hurting.
“Flynn’s attack… you did that,” Rae gasped.
Rowenna let out a peal of laughter. “Now, Rae, you’re being very stupid, aren’t you? How could I hit a man like that?”
Rae supposed she had a point. Flynn was very strong after all. Realising what she’d just accused her mother off, she told herself to calm down and was about to hastily apologise when the older woman got in first.
“But I know the right people to get the job done.”
Rae’s world tilted.
Everything that Flynn had tried to tell her had been true and she’d yelled at him and told him she didn’t believe him. She’d pushed him away when he’d pleaded and begged her to understand. Her blind loyalty to her mother had lead her here, drawing in sharp breaths that stabbed against her chest as she tried to make sense of what it was her mother was telling her. Quite brazenly, too.
“He’s just a boy, Rae. You’ll get over him soon. And I’ll make sure he doesn’t come near you again. Or anyone else in this little town. We’re leaving. Tonight. And then all of this will just be like a bad dream. A blip you had when you should have been listening to me. I’m the only one who’s ever going to take care of you, Rae. So, forget the thief. Forget this stupid town and come with—”
“No.”
Rae clenched her fists and threw the word at her mother. Rowenna had no time to catch it before it threw her off balance and left her staring at her daughter like she’d marched right up and slapped her. Rae felt herself shaking but refused to balk under her mother’s heavy gaze. This wasn’t something she could just bend to. Her mother had hurt Flynn. Willingly. And in Rae’s name.
“I’m not going with you, mother,” Rae said, firmly.
Rowenna paused for her lips twisted into a cold smile. “Oh, yes you are. Pumpkin.”
“No.” Rae shook her head. “I’m staying here.”
Rowenna stared back at Rae for a moment, speechless. She regarded her daughter through narrowed eyes then resorted to her usual tactic when Rae got too big for her boots.
“Rae, I’m your mother. The only one that ever wanted you.”
“Mother, please,” Rae choked out. Tears dripped down her cheeks and she silently wished her mother would keep quiet, because Rae knew she could never go against what her mother said when she played that card. Not after everything the woman had done for her when no one else wanted her.
“Ooh, no. I understand. Rae knows best! Rae’s so mature now!” her mother spat out mockingly. Rae bit back a noisy sob.
“Please don’t make me choose,” she begged. “Please, just let me stay here. You hurt Flynn. He was bruised and bleeding in the streets and you did that. Why?”
“I did it for you.”
“No!” Rae cried. “Why would I ever want that to happen? He was my friend!”
“He was going to keep you here. And the longer you stayed here, the more exposed you were and—”
Rowenna cut herself off with something that sounded suspiciously like a hiss. Puzzled, Rae’s features scrunched together in confusion.
“Exposed? What do you mean? I’ve made friends!”
“The thieves, the gays, the brutes, the harlots, yes I’m so proud,” her mother snapped. Rae flinched and took another step backwards. A better person would have stood straighter and defended each and every one of her friends but Rae was trembling too much at that moment to put up a good fight.
“You were meant to stay at home with me until the time was right,” her mother urged.
“But what if this was the right time?” Rae sniffed. “How long did you want me to wait? Until I was too old to do anything? Until I was so scared of the outside world that I’d never leave? Until staying inside made me so crazy and angry that I just broke?”
“Until you were worth something.”
There was a weight behind those words that Rae didn’t understand. She searched her mother’s face for any clues but found nothing, only a cold and unfeeling glare directed right at her.
“Worth something?” she repeated, wondering if the words would make more sense if they were repeated aloud. “But I thought I was worth something to you. I’m your daughter.”
“You’re a commodity, Rae,” Rowenna half-screamed. The woman seemed hysterical now as she marched forwards and grabbed Rae by her shoulders.
“You are nothing more than a bag of money to me. All those years of your whining and your babbling and, oh God, the mumbling. But I put up with it because I knew the longer I waited, the more you’d be worth.”
White noise buzzed in Rae’s head. But Rowenna wasn’t done.
“Did you really think your parents abandoned you? You should be so lucky. No, they’re still out there waiting for you to come home. They’ll go wherever I tell them to. A sighting in Cuba, a suspect in Rome. Wherever I plant a clue. And they’ll go running. And they’ll raise the reward. Whatever it takes to bring their little lost princess home,” Rowenna snarled. Her fingernails were digging into Rae’s arms now but the girl could hardly feel it. Everything her mother was saying was like a faraway story. It wasn’t true. Rae was dreaming, surely.
“My… my parents didn’t want me,” Rae said, her voice barely audible.
“Of course that’s what I told you, and you’ve always been simple enough to believe it,” Rowenna said. Her tone was kind but her eyes were gleaming with something else. Another kind of warmth that made Rae want to pass out.
“And then you had to come here. You had to ruin everything I’d been working towards for the past twenty years just so you could have your jollies and run around with the mongrels you’ve made friends with. You could have been seen! You could have been recognised! And all my hard work to better my life would have been for nothing!”
Rae screamed. It was either that or retching and she pulled herself out of her mother’s grasp, gasping and shaking. No, it wasn’t true. She shook her head frantically, hands pulling at her hair as she yanked it down over her ears as if that would stop the words going in.
“What?” Rowenna laughed cruelly. “Do you really think I’d want a daughter like you? Little Miss Blondie with her simpering voice, all soft in the head and… look at you.”
Rae was surprised she was still standing.
“I was never abandoned, I was –” She couldn’t say the word.
“Oh, let’s not be melodramatic,” her mother said, waving a dismissive hand. “You were a pawn that was taken and nothing more. And one day you’ll go running back to those Coronas and I’ll get the money I deserve.”
Coronas.
Rae stiffened at once and her mind flashed back to New Year’s Eve. There was little she remembered of that night that hadn’t been Flynn-centric, but she’d heard that name that evening. From Kit’s father. She remembered the way the kindly older gent had stared at her like she was a ghost, murmuring that unfamiliar name. He’d said that Rae looked like someone of that name. It was with a dreadful chill that Rae realised what was happening.
“You kidnapped me,” she stated bluntly. Her tears had dried now. There was something else building up inside her.
“What did I say about the melodramatics?” Rowenna sighed tiredly.
“I have a family,” Rae managed to say, pushing herself to her feet. “I have a family. And they’re looking for me. They didn’t abandon me. You took me from them.”
She shook her head. “And I’m going to find them.”
Rowenna Gothel’s laugh made Rae feel an inch high. “Yes, of course you are.” She rolled her eyes. “Do you really think it’s going to be that simple? No. You’re coming home with me and we’re going to stay there until you’re the right price.”
“No! People know about me,” Rae argued. It wasn’t a lie as such, just not the full extent of the truth. “Kit’s father. Mr Kingsley. He recognised me. He knows I’m alive.”
Rae hated how satisfying it was to see fear dawn on her mother’s face.
“Then we have to go,” she said darkly. She grabbed onto Rae’s wrist and grabbed her back with her other hand. “We need to get out of her. Quickly. If we make it in time to the station, we can—”
“Get off me!” Rae yelled, yanking her hand back. Out of her mother’s grasp, until she stood a foot away, defiant and bristling and not like Rae Gothel at all. But, then again, she’d never been Rae Gothel to begin with, had she? She was like a lamb being raised for slaughter.
Rowenna was staring at Rae like she’d never seen her before. And Rae had never seen this woman either. She wasn’t the woman who had raised her, she was a monster.
“Did I mumble, mother?” Rae asked.
The back of Rowenna’s hand hit Rae’s cheek before she could blink. Rings encrusted in jewels scratched their way across the expanse of pale pink, opening wounds and drawing blood. Rae gasped and stumbled back. Suddenly, her face was in the strong grip of Rowenna’s hand.
“You’re coming with me,” the woman threatened.
“I won’t. I’ll never go back there,” Rae swore. She was trying hard not to cry, her heart thudding, her cheek throbbing and her head spinning. But she wasn’t going to let her mother win this time.
“Yes, you will. If you want your little boyfriend to be safe.”
Now there was a way to get Rae to be quiet. The blonde’s breath hitched and she stared up at the woman towering above her, knowing she wasn’t playing around.
“You wouldn’t…” Rae whispered. But she knew that Rowenna would.
“You come with me,” Rowenna said in a hushed tone. “And I’ll make sure no harm comes to Flynn Rider.”
Rae was silently, her hand still gripping her phone which she hadn’t let go of this whole time. Staring into her mother’s eyes, eyes that she’d once trusted, belonging to a woman Rae had relied on to never let anything bad happen to her, all she felt now was a strange and disarming sense of detachment. It wasn’t like Rae, who attached herself to everyone she met. Every stranger along the way crept into Rae’s heart and stayed there for good. But this dark-haired, wild-eyed person in front of her had no place in Rae’s sentimentalities.
“You kidnapped me. From my family. So you could gain reward money for taking me back. So Rowenna Gothel could be a hero for reuniting a family. And if I don’t come back home and help you, you’ll hurt Flynn?” Rae’s voice didn’t shake at all this time.
“That’s right,” Rowenna confirmed. Then patted Rae’s cheek. The bleeding one. “You know, Rae, you’re not nearly as stupid as you make yourself out to be.”
“That’s right. I’m not,” Rae agreed. There must have been a point to her tone that made Rowenna do a double take. She frowned down at Rae who quickly pressed the right button on her phone.
“And now Belle knows. Every word you just said… my best friend knows. And she can tell Kit. Who can tell his father. And then I think you’re going to be in big trouble,” Rae said slowly. She lifted her phone and showed her mother the screen where a voice recording of every word Rowenna had spoken had been sent to Belle Laurent.
The hand was gone in an instant and Rowenna was on her feet. “You little bitch. You sly little…”
She advanced forward and Rae had the good sense to struggle to her feet and back up. She didn’t doubt that Rowenna would hit her again.
“Go,” Rae urged her. Rowenna stopped and the sight of her blurred as more tears fell from Rae’s eyes. “Mother, please just go. Nothing bad needs to happen now if you please just leave me here. And if you leave my friends alone. I won’t tell anyone anything. I won’t go near the Coronas. And I’ll make sure Belle doesn’t say a word either. It’ll be our secret. Please. Just go and this can all be over.”
Silence stretched between them for an uncountably long time until Rowenna eventually closed the distance between them. She used her finger to tilt Rae’s chin up. Every fibre of strength that Rae had was focused on not crying harder. Because she knew what Rowenna’s decision would be and it would be the right one, but when the woman dropped her chin and harshly shouldered past her, leaving Rae alone in the room by herself, the blonde dropped to the floor and began sobbing, mourning the mother she’d never even had in the first place.
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With Flynn leading the way, the two of them had slipped outside onto the balcony, and Flynn felt his heart rate increase significantly. Leading her out onto the balcony, away from prying eyes and the potential of somebody else snapping her up for their midnight’s kiss; this was exactly the kind of move that Flynn would have pulled with any other girl. He was smooth talking and quick thinking, knowing exactly the right moves to pull, the exact buttons to press, and all the right things to say – yet, with Rae, it wasn’t a move. There was a tightness in his chest as she held onto his hand, a dizzying sensation coursing through him as he tried not to overthink the situation. With Rae, he wanted to do things right. He never actively set out to hurt girls, always up front with his intentions, but with Rae he didn’t even know where to begin – how could he possibly tell her his intentions when they were so laughable? Sweet as she was, he knew there had to be a limit even to Rae’s trust, and had he really been fool enough to think that he was worthy of a girl like her?
He didn’t know. He couldn’t possibly. Each self deprecating thought whirred in the back of his mind as he tried, instead, to focus on her tucked against his chest. His hands rubbed gentle patterns into her arms and around her shoulders as he tried to keep her warm, a soft smile lifting the corners of his lips. The sound of her laugh sent shivers through him, and he found himself suddenly grateful for the chill in the air, knowing he could blame that for his sudden reaction. With his denim jacket, the very same one that Rae had gifted him, wrapped around the two of them, the glue that held them together, he wondered absently if the blonde in his arms could feel the way that his heart hammered in his chest. He’d have been surprised if she couldn’t hear every deafening thud as it threatened to escape.
“Yeah, sure,” he nodded, absently agreeing to words that never quite reached his ears. Whatever Rae was saying had been entirely lost on him as he stared at her, lost in a daze as his eyes met hers, a soft blush creeping up the back of his neck. As she turned her head to the sky, he blinked, pulling himself back down to earth as he finally recalled what she’d been saying. Clearing his throat, he huffed out a gentle laugh at the girl, his eyes never leaving her face. “I think they’re really beautiful…”
Now, of course, it felt almost painfully obvious that he wasn’t talking about the fireworks, and he hoped, with a jolt, that Rae didn’t catch on. His mind was conflicted; he so desperately wanted her to know how he felt, for her to tell him she felt the same way, and for every last insecure thought to dissipate as he held her in his arms – but then, of course, there wasn’t a chance in hell he could handle the rejection, as inevitable as he felt it was. It would surely break him.
And so, he merely chucked her chin lightly, smiling, “I’m sure they’ll be far better in reality.”
The air was soon filled with an almost palpable silence, the two of them huddled close together, not another soul daring to inhabit their space and join them on the balcony. Good, Flynn thought. He couldn’t recall a time in his life where he’d ever felt like this – all that time shuffling from foster homes, his life on the streets, all those years living in a blur. This bizarre character that he’d created for himself, no longer Eugene Fizherbert but the elusive Flynn Rider, all those days chasing down a daydream, and yet… name be damned, Rae had attached herself so adoringly to Eugene. Though she mightn’t know it, that was the part of him that shone when she was around. He’d wasted away so many years on girls who he’d never again clap eyes on, on adventures that weren’t worth a second thought, all that time never truly seeing things the way they were.
As fireworks slowly started erupting around them, Rae standing there, shining in the starlight, their faces inches apart, Flynn could see nothing else, think of nothing else; Only Rae. He swallowed back a lump forming in his throat as he stared down at her, her hands fumbling with the fabric of his jacket as she managed to huddle even closer, bridging an almost non existent gap. A gasp tore from Flynn’s throat as he watched her stare up at the sky, soaking in all the colours that surrounded them, his gaze never leaving hers, a smile lighting up her face.
At her words, Flynn blushed – yep, really and truly blushed (man, Anya was gonna have a field day with that one). There was something endearing about Rae’s uncertainty in that moment. He knew that a lot of other people would consider it a turn off; naïve and childlike, maybe And hey, nobody wants to date a kid. But Flynn didn’t see it that way. Rae was as bright as any of her other friends, like Belle or Anna or Joy, but she wasn’t used to the same customs as they were regarding big holiday events. Flynn hadn’t exactly had the peachiest of upbringings, but he’d not wiled away his years in one room with only a shitty mother to keep him company. No, for all intents and purposes, this was entirely uncharted territory for Rae, and he suddenly felt an obligation to put her at ease and explain the traditions as the countdown sounded all around them
“Well, uh… Usually that’s when people kiss,” he explained, though his voice was low, barely a whisper. The whole world seemed to cease, everything around them happening in slow motion – it was a cliché that Artie would probably have his head for, but true all the same. He felt like the countdown would never end, and that he’d be standing there, staring down at her for an eternity.
Tentatively, Flynn lifted a hand, carefully using the tip of his forefinger to brush hair from Rae’s forehead with a fleeting touch. Then, he dropped his hand to the nape of her neck, cupping the skin gently there, his other arm circling her waist as she fell flush against his chest. His eyes bore into her own as the countdown reached half way, his heart skittering in his chest in the process.
Everything that Rae had been thinking about for going on the past few months seemed to be building up to a dramatic conclusion in the next few crucial seconds. Rae knew that she shouldn’t get ahead of herself but Flynn had brought her out here and they were standing so close and there were fireworks and… Breathe, Rae.
She barely managed to drag her gaze away from the colours lighting up the sky at that moment, but the reminder that Flynn was by her side helped. With a jolt, a weird and wonderful and foolishly, stupidly hopeful jolt, she realised that Flynn hadn’t even tilted his head slightly to look up at the fireworks. He was looking right at her, just like he had that night they’d danced in The Snuggly Duckling. For once, she didn’t feel nervous under his gaze. A little exposed and slightly giddy, but she wasn’t at all scared.
Before leaving for Cherry Grove, her mother had warned her that there would be men out there who would lure her in and pretend to be her friend when they only wanted one thing. And Rae would be stupid to think that it meant anything special. But Flynn wasn’t like that, was he? The thought seemed traitorous and nasty and she felt guilty for even letting it stray into her mind in the first place. Flynn would never hurt her. He was her friend, even if they were gravitating closer and closer together in a way that people who were strictly friends rarely did.
His answer to her question seemed to help everything slide into place. It had been the reply she hadn’t dared let herself expect, but when Flynn confirmed that people usually kissed as soon as the countdown reached zero, she knew that there was a weight behind his words.
Oh my stars, Flynn was going to kiss her.
She stood as still as she could. For someone as hyperactive as Rae, that was a difficult feat. But she was pretty sure that the reward was going to be worth it. With her heart hammering in her chest, Rae had the silly notion that she wanted to tell Belle and Anna exactly what was happening right now, but she knew there’d be time for that later when she inevitably skipped home and melted into a big gooey puddle. Focusing on the here and now, Rae went almost cross-eyed as she followed Flynn’s hand. His finger gently swept her hair from her forehead, leaving a palpable trail across her skin that prickled in its wake. She barely managed to suppress a shudder and smiled up at the boy.
She couldn’t look anywhere except Flynn’s brown eyes, noting that they didn’t flicker away from hers even once. It struck her that she should be a little anxious. This was her first kiss after all, and she had no idea what she was doing. But Noah and Allie, Jack and Rose, Harry and Sally, and Westley and Buttercup had never made it look awfully difficult. Gripping onto Flynn’s jacket, the countdown reached zero and the crowd inside erupted into cheers and Rae’s eyes slid closed, her mouth a breath away from Flynn’s.
And then nothing.
It was like the moment had hit a snag, the tension between them tugging on something invisible and trying to draw itself back like elastic. It was such a static feeling that Rae slowly blinked her eyes open and looked up at Flynn who seemed to have went rigid.
“Flynn?” she said softly upon realising that his eyes were open now too. But he wasn’t looking at her. Following his gaze and glancing over her shoulder, Rae could see… well, nothing. Now more than a little concerned, she turned back and tried to push an encouraging smile through her worry. “Is everything okay?”
Flynn didn’t like being flustered. He didn’t think it suited him. No, he liked to maintain his image of being smooth, and knowing exactly how to handle every situation – even though, and Anya could easily attest to this, Flynn never knew how to handle shit. He wasn’t a problem solver, not by a long shot. He never knew how to deal with a problem and, more often than not, he just opted for avoiding it entirely. Now, however, he couldn’t avoid the problem he was faced with. He’d chickened out of kissing Rae, instead planting one on her nose (what was he, her freakin’ grandma?!), and now his stomach was twisting and turning in ways that he couldn’t even begin to explain.
He couldn’t tell if she was disappointed or relieved by the move, her wide eyes blinking back at him. She was still breathless from the way he’d lifted her moments before, and Rae had always been a bubbly, altogether fun loving kind of girl, so he knew that it was only in her nature to get excitable about the goofy kind of behaviour he’d been exhibiting moments before. Sure, it was a little out of character for Flynn, but she brought that kinda shit out in him, and he knew that she’d have probably had the same reaction if it had been anyone else – like Artie, or Kris, or… Vlad.
Clearing his throat, Flynn merely smirked back at Rae when she confirmed that he did, in fact, have moves. He’d never danced with a girl in his life, so he’d been totally talking outta his ass before, so it came as a weird relief to find that Rae actually agreed. Or maybe she was just being nice? He couldn’t really tell, but the smile she was giving him was enough to send his heart racing, and his mind into a daze. He blinked back at her, his mouth agape as he took her in. Fuck, she was beautiful. How could he not have kissed her? What the hell was wrong with him? Swallowing a lump in his throat, he smiled meekly back at her, searching for something to say, only to be taken aback by the tiny blonde hopping up onto her tiptoes and pulling him into an embrace.
He didn’t have time to react, not even so much as wrapping a steady arm around her to brace her, when she was kissing his cheek and pulling away. His heart pounded, and he wondered momentarily if it was even healthy for it to be going so fast, and he blinked back at her, a feeling of dread bubbling in his chest as it occurred to him that his cheeks were turning pink. Had she just made him blush? By kissing him on the damn cheek? Oh, shit.
He was a goner.
Now or never, right, Fitzherbert?
The second her lips had grazed his cheek, Flynn knew he had to do something. He couldn’t leave it there, he couldn’t. He’d screwed up his chances at kissing her before, but not all hope was lost, right? If he could just pull her back in, he’d be able to fix the problem. Almost on instinct, his hand darted for Rae’s waist, his hand sliding past her cardigan, fingers clutching onto the thin fabric of her dress as he circled an arm around her back to pull her back in.
The second her chest collided with his, however, he panicked, seeing that same, wide eyed stare from before, and the pink that coloured her own cheeks, too. What was he thinking? Rae was beautiful – and far, far better than him. She was way out of his league, and not the kind of girl he could ever hope to like him back. Pushing past his own internal embarrassment, he realised he had to do something, after he’d gone to the effort of pulling her in. So, thinking fast, he shot her a wink, smirked, and dipped the tiny blonde backwards – a move that he’d never pulled before and hoped he never would again – his body towering over hers momentarily as his eyes bore into hers. Carefully, he leaned forward, and placed a soft, sweet kiss to her cheek, before gently rising to his ordinary height, tenderly holding onto Rae and pulling her up with him as he went.
“Couldn’t let you leave before showing off my finishing move, huh?” he teased, working hard to keep his tone light.
Finally letting her go, he released a shaky breath, and nodded at his… friend? God, he had no idea what you’d call the girl who had absolutely no romantic interest in you, despite the fact that you just so happen to be falling for her.
“Glad you had fun, blondie. I did, too,” he told her. He kept his tone low, his words only for her and nobody else. “Can I, uh… walk you home, at least? I mean… It’s late, so… Not that you need someone to take care of you, but, if you wanted… I could…?”
Was a cheek kiss alright?
A cheek kiss was fine, right?
She shouldn’t be overthinking it.
But what if Flynn was overthinking it?
Oh no, that wasn’t good. Because then what if he realised that Rae liked him? Like-liked him. And then he’d have to deal with that and try his best to figure out a way to let her down gently and it would all be awkward and embarrassing and Rae really wished that she was more equipped to deal with this sort of thing but she wasn’t and now, oh, now Flynn was drawing her in and she didn’t quite know what he was doing and wait, why was the world suddenly at an odd angle?
Rae gasped at the sight of all the new friends she’d made that night staring at her. They were hanging upside down like bats and Rae didn’t have time to wonder what Anya had put in her drink before they were all whooping and cheering as warm lips were pressed to her cheek. Only barely managing to stifle a squeak, Rae eventually realised that Flynn had dipped her, which wasn’t something easily digested when Rae was the type of romantic that she was.
The whole thing had definitely made her feel better about her cheek kiss though, and she felt herself relax in Flynn’s arms before she was slowly pulled the right way up again. A little dizzy, Rae let out a breathy laugh and pressed her lips together, eyes twinkling as she stared up at Flynn. Maybe he had done this to other girls, but if the aim was to make them feel special then it certainly worked, and Rae couldn’t really find a fault in that. Still realising that she was gripping onto Flynn’s jacket, she let out a startled ‘oh, I’m sorry!’ and withdrew her hands, clasping them against her chest.
“That was a really good finishing move,” she nodded. Everyone else in the pub seemed to think so too as they were still cat-calling the two of them and whistling loudly. Rae quickly ducked her head against the denim of Flynn’s jacket, her shoulders shaking with giggles all the while.
Eventually stepping back when Flynn let her go, Rae nodded eagerly at his suggestion. Perhaps a little too eagerly and, suddenly worried that her head was going to fall off from the ferocity of her action, Rae forced herself to calm down and offered up another smile to her friend.
“Only if you want to! And if it’s not putting you out,” she said. It did seem like a premature end to the night as, for everyone else in The Snuggly Duckling, their evening was just beginning. But Rae was already feeling sleepy and spent, and the excitement of the night’s occurrences were catching up and taking their toll on her. Plus, it was always good to end things on a high, right?
Making her way to the door with Flynn, Rae glanced back over her shoulder to wave goodbye to everyone, noting with surprise that Anya was watching them go with a sly smile on her face. She tried her hardest not to blush at that.
Rae: Um... hi. [lets out a breath] Wow, I'm really glad you didn't pick up. Sorry, wait, no. I didn't mean it like that! I just - sorry, this is just hard enough, really. Um, I know I'm probably the last person in the world you want to hear from right now. I understand that. I know when we last talked it... wasn't good. I can't... I can't take back what I said or... [sniffs] or change my mind about what you said. I just - I can't - I never want to say I don't believe you but... I just think there's been a mix up here. But, sorry, sorry. That's... not why I called. I'm uh, I'm - [voice breaks] Gosh, sorry. Pull it together, Rae. [takes a deep breath] I'm leaving. [pauses] Uh, yeah, I'm going back to Connecticut with my mom. I think it's just best that I... Cherry Grove's been great for me, but it's not really my home and I think my mother needs me to be with her. I know you're probably wondering why I'm even telling you when we aren't speaking but - [voice shakes] I just wanted to let you know. [sniffs] You made my time here really great, Flynn. And I'm sorry things got so messed up between us... I don't know how we got here, but I'm just really sorry we never got to... Anyway, I... I'll miss you. And um, say goodbye to Anya too for me? And - I mean, I don't know her but... tell Blossom to look after you and... keep you from stealing things. She's... a really lucky girl. It didn't seem fair to leave without saying anything after you've been so good to me, so... Bye, Flynn.
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Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
