I do not own Tangled!

Sirens blared through the usually calm streets of Corona as a herd of police cars drove down Shadeston Avenue. The immaculate houses were closed off as all of the occupants had already retired for the night. However, upon hearing the uncommon sirens, many of the citizens in that part of town woke up and watched. There was only one person any of them could think of that would go through Lindale and commit a crime. He was all over the papers, the news, and even in some magazines. Whatever trouble he had gotten into, the people on Shadeston Avenue did not want any part of it. The risk of losing their homes, their jobs, anything that could be considered comfortable, was too high. Besides, he wouldn't stop with the police so hot on his trail. No, he would presumably go straight on until he reached Coldwick, the poorer part of Corona.

From the distance, Flynn Rider listened as the police arrested the Stabbington brothers instead of him. The satchel was pulling at his shoulder, leaning heavily on his hip. It was surprising that something so tiny and delicate could weigh so much, not that the satchel itself was light. The combined weight made running on foot difficult, but it was safer than staying in the getaway car. Naturally, the great thief knew the police would continue looking for him, but with the Stabbingtons taken care of, they would relent. If he travelled throughout the night, Flynn knew he could get far enough away to avoid immediate capture. And from there, maybe he'd leave Corona. There were plenty of other countries where selling a tiara wouldn't pose a problem.

America doesn't have any royalty. And I've heard great things about New York, he thought as the sirens stopped and the lights went out. He waited in the bush a few minutes longer before continuing in the opposite direction of the police cars. He had decided. As soon as he got to an airport, he'd set off for New York. From there, only time would tell. But there was a plan, which was more than he'd had as he snatched the tiara off its fancy pillow. Nobody used it, and now he could make a fortune off the fancy headwear.

A leaf crunched beneath his combat boots as Flynn moved through the backyards of the rich people of Lindale. He winced at the loud sound, even though nobody else was around to hear it. Still, the crunch seemed louder in the absolute silence than it would any other time. Sneaking around at night was always more difficult during the fall, but it was manageable. All he had to do was get through these houses and into the nearby forest before he was free.

The trees seemed larger than normal and every sound seemed more ominous. Perhaps it was the lack of light or the feeling that someone was following him, but Flynn Rider was ill at ease in the forest. Have I ever been in here at night? he wondered as he continued running. Running was safe, as that was the only way to avoid being mauled by an animal. As far as Flynn was concerned, animals were his main threat.

A clearing soon presented itself, and Flynn took the moment to pause and catch his breath. When air filled his lungs a bit more easily and he didn't feel completely winded, Flynn looked up and the breath instantly fled from his lungs again.

The meadow, the flowers, the grass, and the small saplings were normal. But in the middle of the clearing was a beautiful building. Almost like a small mansion, it had a Victorian feel pouring off every inch of it. There was a small garden in the front, which was almost completely barren as winter was fast approaching. Every room was dark, and the house looked as if it had been abandoned. Grass reached up taller than Flynn's waist and vines climbed the side of the house.

As he thought about the strange occurrence of the house, he realized how perfect the opportunity was. If the house was truly abandoned, it would be the perfect place to hide until he could book a flight to America. From there, he would leave and became a millionaire. Everything was falling into place, and he no longer needed to keep running. The police wouldn't search this far in the forest, and even if they did, he would be long gone by the time they found the Victorian house.

Before he could talk himself out of it, Flynn was climbing the vines that lead to the highest room in the entire building.

A soft rustling sounded outside the only window of the room. It was probably just an animal, as the only person who ever visited wouldn't come this late at night. A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was after 2:00 am. But as the rustling persisted, the occupant of the house became more and more curious. A hand settled on the window ledge, followed by another hand and an arm. Noticing that the arm was more toned than the usual visitor, the slim girl who occupied the house hid under her bed. She made sure to pull all of her long hair beneath the bed as well, just so she would be extra hidden.

The window cracked open, letting in the cold night air and the crisp smell of autumn. A pair of boots and loud THUMP greeted the hiding girl as she stifled a scream. Up until that point, she had never understood why she kept a frying pan under her bed. But as her fingers wrapped around the cool metal handle and she slid out from her hiding spot, she knew exactly what to do. Her bare feet padded softly across the hard wood floor and she raised the frying pan high above her head. A hollow sound reached her ears as the frying pan connected with the intruder's head.

Rapunzel wasn't sure what to feel at that moment. She was proud that she had been able to take care of the intruder, but at the same time, she was terrified. There was now an unconscious man on her floor with nothing but a satchel. Satchel? she thought as she slipped it off his body and hid it in her large vase. Then, she worked on hiding the body.

The only place he would possibly fit was her closet, but that wasn't the issue. Getting him into the closet was the issue, as the most Rapunzel had ever lifted was a paintbrush. Somehow, she managed to get him into the closet without him falling out, after many unsuccessful attempts. She felt a slight urge to open the closet and make sure his fingers weren't broken, but then she would have to start the process all over again. Besides, the sun was rising and her mother would come by in a matter of minutes. Rapunzel would take care of the strange man later, after her mother had left.

This is going to be similar to the movie (straight down to the magical hair!), but it takes place in the modern world. I'm only posting this chapter for now until I finish my other stories. But I just wanted to see how you reacted to my first non-ROTG work to date. If I get reviews, favorites, follows, REVIEWS, I will probably continue. If not, I'll take this down and it'll be like it never existed. :)