Title: Such Great Lengths

Author: NexustehULF0o

Description: Rapunzel's been in a strange mood, and Eugene's dying to know why. Eugene's POV. Oneshot. Eugene/Rapunzel

Rating: K +

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TANGLED, RAPUNZEL, PASCAL OR FLYNN/EUGENE. I –need- the movie to come out on DVD. I want it SO BAD.

Nexus: I'm on a roll, here, people. I even just made a Pascal papercraft. XD Anyway, thanks (as always) to ~Sumshine904 for her support and ideas and stuff. I think she might be joining the Tangled fandom soon, so look for her stuff! Anyway, enjoy!

It wasn't like Rapunzel to mope.

Normally, she was bouncing around the halls of the castle, singing and dancing and playing with Pascal or the palace children, smiling and laughing heartily without a care in the world. It was so rare that she was sad or depressed, that I'd almost forgotten what it looked like. In fact, the last time I thought I'd seen her that way was when I was dying in her lap – and, come on, I really can't blame her for that.

She'd always been so peppy; all throughout the six months that I'd known her.

But today…as well as the past few days – scratch that, it'd been at least a week – she'd been in this depressed slump, unwilling to go anywhere or do anything. She wouldn't go outside and walk around the lake or visit the thugs down at the Snuggly Duckling...but most importantly - and this is really the reason I'm telling you all this - is that she wouldn't even look at me.

If you haven't seen me before, I'll tell you right now that I'm one decent-looking guy. I mean, when I'm passing by on the street, people turn and look and just by the looks on their faces I can tell what they're thinking –

"Oh, man – that guy, is that Eugene Fitzherbert? He's got everything! Strength, cunning, extreme good looks, and he got the girl? How does he do it?"

Haha – all kidding aside, I was not an extremely well-disliked person in the kingdom, but Blondie…man, she's something else. After six months of straight discovery and excitement and love, she'd suddenly just...crashed, looking to bring me down with her! It's like she'd been luring me into this false sense of security these past six months and now…well, now she was…I didn't know.

And it's not like I didn't try to ask her what was wrong, anyway. Every morning, I'd go and rap on her chamber door and stand there, waiting for her to open the door, respond, or at least do something to acknowledge my existence. If I was feeling particularly daring that day, I'd call her name once or twice, only to receive a harsh "Go away!" from the other side.

And so, I'd heave a defeated sigh and walk away, only to do the same thing again the next day.

Hey, I said that I'd got the girl, but in fact, that wasn't the whole truth… I'd forgotten to mention that the girl'd got me pretty bad, too.

I'd sit and think about her while eating lunch or sitting by the lake or taking a walk or doing other things that I was restricted to now that I'd given up thievery and turned it all around. I'd daydream about the times when she'd steal glances at me, or blush something outlandish I said...and then I'd wonder what the heck kept me from going up there right now and asking her what had gotten her so badly. Was I the reason? I didn't think I had done anything particularly to make her that angry – Rapunzel's extremely forgiving that way – and if it was, I had to know what it was. To have her stay mad at me forever was pretty much asking to be killed by every person in the entire kingdom, myself included.

And if it wasn't me that was causing this – well, then just essentials would cover it – an address and something sharp at most.

But I digress.

Anyway, one lovely afternoon in the kingdom, I'd decided that one way or another, I needed to talk to Rapunzel. Even if she entirely blew me off, I figured she'd have to use more words than "Go away."

But how? She wouldn't let me in through her door, and the only other possible way I could get in was through the balcony – and pfft, if you thought that I was coming bursting through those doors…

Wait.

The balcony.

You'd be amazed at what the palace crew will do for you on a whim. You want a snack? "Will that be cake or pie, sir?" You need directions to the armory? "Second door on the left, sir." You need ideas as to how to get up onto Rapunzel's balcony? "You could try tying bed sheets together, sir." I swear, people don't give those guys enough credit.

So there I was, standing with about seven roped-together bed sheets, staring up at Blondie's balcony. I know what you're thinking – how did I ever manage to get one side of the bed sheet rope up there? The balcony is very high up, and well, despite my glamorous physique, even I couldn't throw that high, much less be able to tie it on.

"How am I gonna get this all the way up there?" I thought out loud, holding one end of the sheets in my hand while looking in between it and the balcony.

Luckily for me, something green and frog-like padded against the wall slowly – and even luckier for me, I caught him just before he changed into the same gray color of the stone.

"Pascal!" I called, running over and plucking off the wall before he could scurry away. "Hey, buddy! – how's about you do me a favor?" I grinned my most convincing grin as he returned to his original lime green.

But the little cretin just stuck out his tongue.

"Come on, please?" I furrowed my eyebrows with faux disappointment - I even held out the "e" in "please" - but Pascal would have none of it. The chameleon shook his head stubbornly and crossed his small two-fingered arms, then glaring at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Do I have to use the smolder?" I lowered my face, giving him a preview of what was to come. A terrified squeak leaked from the reptile, and he covered his mouth, his eyes wide with some kind of mix between terror and surprise.

"I don't have to use it, Pascal - this whole situation could be avoided if you would just lend me a hand...Whaddaya say?"

Adamant, Pascal shook his head no.

My face deepened into the smolder a little bit more and raised an eyebrow.

No again, more furiously.

"Aw, come on Pascal! I need to talk to Rapunzel before I go completely insane with…whatever she's trying to pull on me! I don't know what I did, or what I didn't do, or if she's just…well, I DUNNO! All I know is that I need to see her! Please, come on, help me!" I exclaimed – looking back, I must have looked like a total idiot speaking so harshly to this little thing in my hand.

Pascal thought for a moment and then glared at me and smiled devilishly.

"…What?" I asked, glancing around me.

But he kept on smiling. And somehow I knew…that this wouldn't be good for me in the long run.

Anyway, the frog obliged. Er, chameleon. I gave him one end of the bed sheet, holding the other end as he quickly padded to the balcony's edge and tied it to one of the pillars of the guard railing. The little thing then hurried back down the wall and hopped onto my shoulder, smiling and giving me a thumbs-up before I grabbed onto the rope and started climbing.

About halfway up I started having flashbacks about the last time I did this. High up but filled with adrenaline, I clambered up a very different kind of rope to rescue a certain princess from a deadly fate and an even deadlier witch.

I found it ironic that out of the two of us, the one dead that day was me.

But now was different. Goldie was in no danger and if nothing else, I was simply proving just how much I loved her by going to such great lengths to see if she was just all right.

Geez, I had no idea I was so deep.

I was almost to the top when the glass door swung open, revealing the beautiful green-eyed princess herself. She stepped light-footed out to the railing, leaning on it and heaving a sigh as she rested her chin against her open palms. Her short brown hair waved slightly in the breeze – as did the only thing keeping me attached to the balcony.

I let out an unintentional "WOAH!" and clung tight to the bed sheets, looking at Pascal who was clutching tightly to me before I looked to the ground below.

Sure was a long way down.

"Eugene!" a voice called, and suddenly, it didn't seem so far. I looked up and grinned for her.

"Rapunzel!" I called back.

She grabbed the bed sheets and began pulling hard, slowly but surely lifting me towards her.

When I was finally close enough she extended her hands and pulled me and the chameleon onto the balcony floor.

I smiled – she lifted her hand out for Pascal, and he stepped on, moving onto her shoulder when he once was on mine.

"Hey," I breathed, placing my hands on my knees and glancing up at her.

She softly folded her arms and stared at me indignantly before turning back around and walking back into her room.

"Rapunz – wait!" I stood and ran after her, watching her sit on her plush bed and hold her hand out for Pascal once more. And here I thought that our agreement had put our pasts behind us– but even my new partner in crime was betraying me in the face of the princess.

She slowly began to stroke the chameleon's back with her finger, and he smiled contentedly, curling into a little ball and closing his eyes.

"Rapunzel, why are you ignoring me…?" I asked quietly, placing my hands in my pockets.

"Why would you think I was ignoring you, Eugene…?"

Oohoohoo, feisty.

"Well, for starters…" I began, placing one hand to my chin before pointing it at her. "You've barely left your room for the past week. Not to mention that the very sound of my voice seems to make you furious – you're not even looking at me right now…!"

Well, I guess that changed her mind. She looked right at me, although it wasn't the, you know, the standard angry face I expected to see. Her green irises were dusted with tears, and she stared at me with such loss that my heart nearly melted.

Well, Blondie has that effect on me already. But it was twice as bad now, if not three times.

"Let's just say that I know all about your big plans, Eugene." She uttered, looking away.

"'Big plans'…? Rapunzel…what…?"

I knit my eyebrows in concern, kneeling at her bedside and placing a hand gently on her leg. She brushed it off, placing Pascal carefully on her pillow and standing up on the other side of the bed.

"That's what you said, wasn't it? You told my parents that you were gonna leave the castle, and that for you, living here forever was like me being up in the tower…" Tears flowed freely from her eyes now, her ears and cheeks flushing a bright red.

"Rapunzel," I stood as well, looking to move around the bed toward her. "I have no idea what you're saying –"

"Don't act like you don't know, Eugene! I heard you talking with my parents, how you said you wanted to go so many places and do so many things…"

Rapunzel placed her head in her hands and began to bawl.

I was utterly confused, to say the least. Her parents? When did I talk to her parents without her present…? I never spent a waking moment with them without her - honestly, I thought they were just waiting to arrest me while Rapunzel wasn't looking. But then again, they had agreed to -

Oh.

I ran a hand through my hair and heaved a sigh, glancing down to the pillow of Rapunzel's bed, where Pascal still lay curled in a tight little lizard ball.

"I just can't believe that after all that you and I have been through together –"

"–Blondie–"

" –That after you died in my arms and then after you'd been brought back to life, you returned with me to the palace–"

"–Rapunzel…"

"That you fooled me into thinking that you were in love with me and then you decide to just–"

"–Rapunzel, calm down."

While she'd been venting, I'd slunk next to her(as all good thieves can), quickly taking her into my arms as she cried quietly into my chest.

I could think of nothing I wanted more in that moment than to wipe away those tears – she'd broken my heart with them. And when she wrapped her hands around my waist, I knew that it was literally now or never.

Suddenly, the necklace I was wearing felt like a thousand pounds around my neck.

"Now, if this isn't a reason why you should never eavesdrop, I don't know what is." I spoke loudly, waking Pascal from his sleep. The green lizard yawned before looking at the two of us and smiling sleepily.

She sniffled. "…What…?"

I managed a soft chuckle, taking a hand to push a thin chocolate brown lock of hair from her vision.

"Well, obviously, you didn't hear the entire conversation…or else you would have heard telling the king and queen how hard I've fallen for their daughter." I continued, grinning when I saw her expression morph into a perplexed state. "And you also would have heard that the plans were not only for me, but for the two of us. I thought that since you'd been up in that tower all your life, you'd like the grand tour of the country. Y'know, see the sights, eat the food, I've been around the block once or twice – I know my way around…"

I trailed off into silence after that.

"Really…?" Rapunzel asked quietly, gazing up at me. I smiled brightly for her – it had been a big misunderstanding, hadn't it? She heard that I was going to leave on a journey around the world, and was going to miss me, so she cooped herself up in her room, playing tower again until I supposedly left.

She was actually going to miss me. That was seriously a first in my life. Had a nice ring to it.

I guaranteed myself that I wouldn't be leaving any time soon.

"Of course, really." I nodded, and rested my hand carefully on the side of her face, wiping away a tear threatening to fall. "Why would I lie about something like that?"

"You wouldn't." She took my hand, leaning into the touch of my hand. A warm feeling surged through my veins. "You're a lot of things, Eugene Fitzherbert, but never a liar."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. It was obvious that the princess had more hope for me than I ever would for myself.

"Well then," I bridged, cracking a crooked smile. "Would you still believe me if I told you that there was a condition to my offer…?"

Rapunzel's newfound excited expression faded just has quickly as it had come.

"What is it…?" She asked, lowering my hand. I seized the opportunity to raise my hand up to the piece of twine hanging around my neck and snap it.

"Well, as I was talking about this with your parents," And you would have heard it had you eavesdropped for about a second longer, I added mentally, "that certain…well…requirements should be met before we go."

"Such as…?"

I laughed, and then drew in what would hopefully be my last breath as the charming, flirtatious, and debonair Flynn Rider.

"Such as…" I held onto my breath, pulling the ring from the twine it was tied to and displaying it in front of her. "...asking you a certain question."

Her eyes widened, giant green irises filling with the sight of the ring in front of her. A startled, disbelieving, and altogether confused look crossed her face.

"Rapunzel…" I whispered, holding onto her other hand tightly. "Would you…be so kind as to marry me?"

She watched me for a moment, that disbelieving look concentrating into a soft smile that perched itself quietly on her lips. Her eyes rose from the ring for a few moments as to read my face, searching my features for anything telling her that she shouldn't believe me.

"You're…" she stammered, slowly placing both hands on my chest. "Eugene…you're…!" Her smile grew broader, and before I knew it, I had been tackled by the princess onto the stone floor beneath, her arms wrapped around my neck as she screamed some ungodly high-pitched note.

Ring intact, I once again held it in front of her.

"Not my first idea of a conventional marriage proposal, but hey," I shrugged as she sat daintily on my stomach. "When have I ever been one for tradition...?"

"Eugene…" if possible, her smile got even brighter and patches of sunlight dappled itself against her short brown hair. "…I would love to marry you."

"Oh, good." I smiled, reaching a sitting position. Almost immediately after that, I quickly slid the ring onto her finger, which she admired from the second I put it on. "Good to know, Blondie. Saves me all the jealousy of seein' you with stuck-up princes."

"Eugene, even the richest, most handsome prince in the world couldn't get me away from you."

"You sure?"

"I promise."

With an ecstatic giggle, she threw herself into my arms, pressing her lips to mine with a passion that rivaled none I knew. If there was one thing that I knew about Rapunzel, it was that when she promised something, she never, ever broke that promise.

Ever.

Nexus: Well, how'd you like it? Good? Needs some work? What did you think? Let me know by leaving me a nice little review, huh? :D

Anyway, thanks so much for reading! I appreciate it SO MUCH! :D