Hey everyone!

Ok, I've been itching to put up SOMETHING new Tangled, and here you go. For the record, I think this is WAY better than my other story, Fantasy, which I am planning on deleting right after I post this. (DON'T TRY TO STOP ME! HAHAHAHA) So...I really hope you like this one.

I have some new projects I'm planning on working on, including the story that YOU GUYS voted on *Yay*! The winning story will be entitled A Hero...Maybe and will be about little Eugene Fitzherbert's life in the orphanage. I hope you like it...It should be out soon. But I'll be busier than ever for a while, so it might be a bit. I'll try my best to get that and some of my other stories up soon!

I hope you like this oneshot, and I hope everyone's not too OOC. As I have mentioned before, Eugene's awesomeness is really, REALLY hard to write!

Enjoy.

I...OWN...TANGLED!

Note: Sheep1215 does not officially own Tangled, seeing as all rights are owned by Disney, which owns practically the whole universe, and-

Me: AW! BE QUIET!

The brown boots pounding against the cobblestones slammed in synchronized rhythm with the racing heart of the man who owned them. Rain pounded against his face, but still, he pressed on, running unremittingly against the elements as he swerved, left and right, through the bewildering, maze-like streets that made up the kingdom of Corona. He was running out of time…

He wasn't even entirely sure what he was looking for…but he knew he had to find it…For some reason, it was a matter of life or death.

And no one knew life-or-death experiences better than Eugene Fitzherbert.

On, he ran, against every drop of rain that soaked his face, dodging street stalls and the occasional passerby. Once, he almost slipped, but he quickly regained his balance and continued racing down the streets. He couldn't stop now…

The rain stung, and the wind howled, but one sound…one voice…rose above it all.

The all-too-familiar sound of a guard.

Eugene whirled around to spot a huge crowd behind him, and he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before. Looking around, he found that he had somehow ended up in the castle courtyard. His stomach lurched. He knew what awaited criminals who ended up here…

This is where the gallows were.

The guard's voice actually was reading something; a decree of execution. Eugene pushed his way through the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of what unlucky lawbreaker had ended up here…What ill-fated criminal, who, within seconds, would be punished for their wrongdoings and be hanging lifeless from the noose. He wondered who on earth was to receive the punishment that he himself had been able to escape just by the skin of his teeth. Who?

And then, his heart stopped as he caught sight of them.

The condemned criminal was actually a girl—a young woman with pixie-cut brown hair and emerald green eyes, which were now brimmed with fearful tears. Her lavender dress was tattered and torn, and she looked like she hadn't been in good conditions for days. Eugene's stomach lurched at the sight of her…his lost princess….his true love…his…

"Rapunzel!"

Terror flooded his whole being at the sight of the helpless girl at the gallows, and he immediately began shoving his way through the dense crowd, trying desperately to reach her.

"No! Stop! Please!" he called out to the guards surrounding the gallows, and the cloaked executioner menacingly approaching the girl. However, they all seemed oblivious to Eugene's cries. He tried harder to get their attention, finding it getting more and more difficult to maneuver through the thick crowd. "You're making a mistake!"

And they were making a mistake. They had to be! That girl was one of the most innocent human beings on this whole earth! What on earth had she done? What had she done to deserve…death?

"…And that is why, on this day," the guard reading the decree of execution continued on, "we are to execute this criminal, Flynn Rider, who will be hung by the neck until dead…"

Flynn Rider?

Wait…

Eugene froze at the sound of that name…his name…A name that he had donned for so many years...a name that he had been able to rid himself of, somehow, after all this time, and now…

Now Eugene was positively confused. How in the world could Rapunzel be mistaken for him? Unless…

Oh, gosh. Now it made sense.

It wasn't that Rapunzel was Flynn Rider. Flynn Rider had killed Rapunzel. It was his fault that she was there…If he had never stayed with her…never associated her with the dangerous life he led…They had probably thought her as an accomplice in another stupid crime he had done…And now she was going to pay, right before his eyes…Oh, gosh, how could he have let this happen?

"No!" he yelled out, bursting from the crowd. "You can't! Stop! Don't—"

Suddenly, Eugene froze as the executioner removed their hood, and the person standing next to his precious Rapunzel was revealed to be none other than Rapunzel's captor…her false "mother"…None other than…Gothel.

"This is what you get, dear," Gothel hissed to the frightened girl at the gallows, though it seemed that Eugene could feel her icy voice right in his ear, crawling up his spine. "This is what happens to girls who don't listen to their mother…"

Eugene wanted to scream out, to run to Rapunzel's side, do anything, but instead, he was frozen with fear, and all he could do was watch helplessly as Gothel took hold of the noose and slipped it over the princess's head.

"You shouldn't have gone with him, Rapunzel…now look what you've gotten yourself into…"

"No…" Eugene choked out, trying unsuccessfully to move. "No!" Now it felt as if something was choking him…crushing him…he couldn't bear to let this happen!

"The world is a dangerous place, my dear…" Gothel whispered into Rapunzel's ear. "If only you had listened when I had told you…I tried to warn you…"

"No—Please—" Now Eugene had collapsed to the ground, coughing violently. Why couldn't he stop himself? He couldn't get over there…but he couldn't let this happen! He couldn't let her die! It almost felt as if the noose was around his own neck…strangling him…killing him…

Eugene watched, unable to catch his breath, as Gothel approached the lever…The lever that would end his beloved's life, and by result, his own.

Eugene tried to summon every ounce of strength he had, but all he could do was crawl but an inch before the choking feeling overtook him again, and he found himself gasping for air. There was nothing he could do…nothing but watch…

"Rapunzel…" he gasped, holding out his hand towards the beautiful, innocent girl, who was hopelessly doomed…and there was no way he could stop it. She didn't even look at him—just gazed straight ahead, tears streaming from her green eyes down her cheeks. No one paid attention to the writhing man on the ground, except…

Was that his imagination?

No.

Gothel saw him.

Her cold, grey eyes drilled into his, and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that she saw him. In fact, as she set her hand on the lever that would end Rapunzel's life, Eugene thought he saw a faint, evil smile peek through her lips.

"Mother knows best…"

And with that, Gothel pulled the lever, and Eugene watched helplessly as the trapdoor disappeared and his true love fell to her demise.

O-O-O-O-O

"Rapunzel!" Eugene's eyes flew open, and he jolted up, his heart pounding at a mile a minute. He struggled to catch his breath, still feeling the choking sensation faintly gripping at his chest. He looked around between gasps, taking in what he could in the dark room. He wasn't in the castle courtyards anymore. He was inside the castle, safe, warm, and in bed.

And so was Rapunzel.

Eugene heaved a huge sigh of relief at that. His beloved was not at the gallows…Not about to die for some stupid mistake he made. Instead, she was safe in bed, just down the hall.

Eugene rubbed his eyes, wondering what the heck the time was. He wiped the cold sweat off of his brow, finally feeling his heartbeat begin to slow back to its original pace. It all had been a nightmare…A horrible, terrifying nightmare worse than any dream he had ever had before. He felt just as scared as he was when he had awoken in that boat after being knocked out by the Stabbington Brothers…and he knew that Rapunzel was out there, somewhere, in danger because of him.

"Oh, gosh…" Eugene ran his fingers through his hair, trying to shake the troubling images his nightmare had left him with. Rapunzel at the gallows…Gothel pulling that lever…

Another sigh left his lips as he held his head in his hands, trying to calm himself. If anything happened to Rapunzel…No. He would never let anything happen to her. She was his world. Besides, ever since Rapunzel had returned to the castle with him, he had been extra paranoid—something he usually wasn't at all—because, hey, she had been kidnapped once…it could happen again. Heck, there were still people out there: The Stabbingtons, for one, and even Gothel…Though he knew it could never happen, in the back of Eugene's mind, an undying fear lingered that somehow, just somehow, that horrible witch would find a way to come back.

Oh, man…the thought sent chills down his spine.

"Eu…Eugene?"

"Woah!" The unexpected voice scared the young man out of his wits, and he jerked backwards, nearly tumbling off of the side of the bed. He miraculously found a way to snatch up the covers at the last second and somehow saved his face from hitting the floor. Trying to catch his breath, he rose back up to a sitting position and looked at the doorway, where the voice had come from. There, just dimly illuminated by a faint light in the hallway, was Rapunzel, heaving with breaths like she had just run a mile. Her eyes were red, like she had been crying, and stared at Eugene with a look of unease. Eugene immediately kicked into "protect-the-princess" mode.

"Rapunzel, what's wrong?" Eugene asked, getting out of bed and rushing to her side. "Are you ok?"

"I…I had a nightmare," Rapunzel answered, rubbing her eye.

"Oh," Eugene sighed, relieved. At least she wasn't hurt. She probably ran down the hall, which left her out of breath. No wonder. Still, he had to admit, nightmares were no laughing matter, as he knew from experience just moments ago. "Ugh, the nightmares…I hate the nightmares."

"I'm really scared," Rapunzel said quietly, as if a giant creature from her dream would swoop out and snatch her up if she said it any louder. "Can…Can I stay in here, with you?"

She didn't even need to ask.

Eugene let Rapunzel crawl under the covers and then pulled up a chair to sit beside the bed.

"No, no, no, I want you here," Rapunzel shook her head and motioned to the other side of the bed.

"Blondie…" Eugene said cautiously. He knew how much trouble they'd get in if someone found them together in here, especially if the princess was in his bed… But he just couldn't deny those eyes. With a sigh, he pushed the chair aside and sat on the bed next to Rapunzel.

"Thank you," Rapunzel whispered, leaning against him. He chuckled and ran his fingers through her chestnut-colored hair.

"Whatever you need, Blondie."

Suddenly, a slight creak—Eugene wouldn't have even noticed it if Rapunzel hadn't nearly had a heart attack at the sound of it—came from the hallway, and Rapunzel grabbed onto Eugene fearfully, as if some killer monster was standing right outside their door.

"Relax," Eugene soothed her, "it's just the place settling. It does this every day. You just can't hear it 'cause there's so much going on."

"Oh," Rapunzel said, still looking uneasy but loosening her grip on him.

"What'd you think it was? Another bunny?"

Rapunzel giggled quietly but her laugh still sounded tinged with anxiety.

"So, this nightmare," Eugene shifted to face her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Rapunzel shook her head quickly. "No…But…Oh, Eugene, it was so scary…"

"I believe you," Eugene went back to stroking her hair once again. If her nightmare had been anything like his…Oh, gosh, he felt sorry for her.

The room fell silent for a while, and the only thing Eugene could hear was the faint sound of Rapunzel breathing, and for some reason, he felt calmed by that.

"Eugene," Rapunzel said suddenly, "if I left, what would you do?"

The question caught Eugene off-guard at first, and he stopped running his fingers through her hair. Finally, he cleared his throat and looked down at her.

"Well, Blondie, that depends," he shrugged. "You mean like, voluntarily? Or dragged off against your will?"

"Either," Rapunzel answered, shifting herself to a sitting position and pulling her knees close to her chest. "If you woke up one morning and I had just…disappeared." Her big green eyes gazed into his own. "What would you do then?"

"I'd go after you," Eugene answered immediately. That was a no-brainer. "I'd search everywhere to find you—to the ends of the earth if I had to—and I'd never stop looking until you were safe in my arms."

For some reason, his words seemed to relax Rapunzel a little.

"And if you couldn't find me?" Rapunzel continued. "What…What would you do?"

Eugene shook his head. "That wouldn't be possible. I'd never stop looking."

"But just, hypothetically," the brown-haired girl said, "if I went missing, and you knew I was gone, and you knew there was no hope, and you couldn't—"

Eugene put a gentle finger to her lips, and Rapunzel instantly stopped talking and stared at him.

Eugene gazed at her as he thought, and then, removing his finger from her lips, gave her an answer.

"Then I would die."

Rapunzel's eyes widened fearfully, and then she wrapped her arms around him as if he was about to drop dead right that instant.

"No, no, don't do that…" she murmured. "Don't die, Eugene."

"Tell you what," Eugene wrapped his arms around her, taking in her warmth. "You don't leave, and I won't die. Does that sound good? Deal?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Deal."

As she ended the embrace and slumped back into her spot on the other side, Eugene looked at her curiously. "Why are you bringing this up, Blondie? Not planning on running out on me, I hope, right?"

The princess sighed, and wrapped her arms around herself. "No. My dream…" she sighed again and closed her eyes. Eugene put a caring hand on her back and rubbed it soothingly as she continued. "In my dream, Moth—Gothel came back. She took me, and though I was crying and screaming and begging for you to help me, you couldn't hear me."

The thought saddened Eugene so—To think that he had just let her slip away like that, even if it was only a dream…

"Then, for some reason, I ended up back in the boat," Rapunzel continued. "The—the boat that we saw the lanterns in…I was watching the lanterns again, and you were right behind me in the gondola…Or…at least, I thought."

Oh, gosh…Had he deserted her again?

"When I turned around, you weren't there, but she was,"

"Gothel?"

Rapunzel nodded sadly.

"As soon as I saw her, the whole sky erupted into flames—all the lanterns just…" She imitated the explosion with her hands, and made a fwoosh sound as if to demonstrate it. "I kept looking around for you…I couldn't find you anywhere…and then…Then I saw you."

Eugene's heart lifted a little bit. Maybe he hadn't left her…?

No such luck. Rapunzel gripped herself even tighter as she explained the last part of her dream. "You were standing on the shore, just across the water. I kept screaming out your name, and I knew you saw me…You looked straight at me. But even though I was crying and screaming and reaching out to you, you just looked at me, turned, and…left me."

"Oh, man, Blondie…" Eugene wrapped his arms around the girl, disgusted at himself. Who cares if it was a dream? The very thought that he would do something so horrible to her…just leave her there?
When the two of them had first returned to the castle, Rapunzel had explained how, that night, when the Stabbingtons knocked Eugene out and sent him on a literal "boat ride of doom", Rapunzel had thought that he had taken off with the crown and left her. When she had told him, he was troubled by that, because, when he had first met her, that was actually his plan; Get the satchel, and bolt the second he had the chance. But now...He could never, ever do something like that. Rapunzel was worth more than a million crowns. He would never leave her…never let anything happen to her…she was his priceless treasure.

And she needed to know that.

"Hey, hey, Blondie, look at me," Eugene gently directed Rapunzel's face to look at him. He put special enunciation on his words, because she needed to hear this. "I will never leave you. Don't believe that for a second. If you're in trouble, I'm gonna go after you, no matter what it takes. And you know what? No—you're not ever gonna be in trouble, because I'm not going to let that happen to you. You are my world."

Rapunzel's voice lowered to a whisper as she gazed at him. "Really?"

"Would I lie to you?"

A sly smile crossed Rapunzel's face, and then, clearing her throat, she made her voice imitate Eugene's.

"'Ah, the Snuggly Duckling! Very quaint place, perfect for you…'" she gave him a joking look.

"Hey!" Eugene held up his hands with a chuckle. "It was, wasn't it?"

Rapunzel shrugged with a smile. "Yeah, I guess so, in the end."

Eugene smiled. "So am I right or am I right?"

"What was that second answer again?"

Both of them giggled quietly, and then, with a contented sigh, Rapunzel laid her head up against Eugene's chest.

"Eugene," she asked suspiciously, looking up at him, "why were you awake?"

"Huh?" Eugene looked down. Aw, man…he hadn't thought that she had noticed.

"You were awake when I came in," Rapunzel said again. "Why?"

Eugene shrugged. "Hey, even big strong amazing men like me have nightmares too."

Rapunzel giggled, but then her smile faded as she eyed him curiously. "You had a nightmare too?"

Eugene nodded.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

No…Eugene was not interested in having those pictures in his mind again. "No, it's all right now," he said, wrapping his arm around Rapunzel. "Seeing you made everything better."

"Good," Rapunzel smiled, but then, another curious look swept across her. "But isn't it weird, though? Us both having nightmares at the same time?"

"Hey, you know what they say, Blondie. Great minds think alike."

"Ok," Rapunzel grinned, giving Eugene a light bop on the shoulder. "Stop having nightmares then."

"Huh?"

"You said great minds think alike. So if you stop having nightmares, then I'll stop having them. Deal?"

"No promises," Eugene shrugged. It's not like he could control his mind. "I'll try, but, I'm not as good at keeping promises as you are."

"Well, I think you're pretty good," Rapunzel assured him, closing her eyes and snuggling up against him.

"Thanks, Blondie. I'll try my best. For you."

Though warmhearted at having her in his arms, he knew, now that Rapunzel was in a better mood, she needed to get some rest if she was going to have any energy during the busy day tomorrow.

"Hey, uh, Blondie, I think you should go back to sleep. I'll be right here if you need me, but you're going to need your rest if you don't want to look like a slug at your etiquette lessons tomorrow."

"You're right," Rapunzel sat up from her spot nestled against Eugene, but instead of leaving the bed and walking to her own room, she pulled back the covers and slid down underneath, then plopped her head down on the pillow on the right side of the bed. "Good night!"

Wait, what? Eugene froze, not sure what to say. Of course, he didn't want to see Rapunzel leave, but if a guard or something came in right then, they would be in so much trouble…He didn't want anyone thinking the wrong thing, even if it was just innocence.

"Uh…Rapunzel?" Eugene said, reluctant to ask her to leave. Maybe she just didn't remember the rule. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"You're right," Rapunzel's eyes flew open, and she sat straight up. But again, she fooled him, instead turning to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good night, Eugene!" She once again flopped back down onto the bed and nestled herself under the covers.

Eugene sighed, touching the spot where her lips had met his cheek. Forget fighting her. With a slight chuckle, he shrugged and gave in. "Why can't I say no to you?"

"Because you love me," was Rapunzel's response.

"So true, Blondie," Eugene smiled, giving her a goodnight kiss on the forehead. "So true."

Rapunzel only replied with a murmur—she was already drifting off into sleep.

With one last stroke of the princess's hair, he settled onto his side of the bed, and pulled the covers over him. It was moments like this that made life worthwhile. So what if he couldn't thieve anymore? He had his treasure right here. And he was going to make sure that he kept it safe. Not by locking her up, like Gothel did, but instead, setting her free…just making sure that the safety of his arms was around her always.

Always.

Suddenly, movements on the other side of the bed made his head jerk towards Rapunzel, whose face was scrunched up in a look of fear, even though she was asleep. "Eugene…" she murmured fearfully, before turning once again. Another nightmare. "No…no, don't—Don't leave…"

But this time, Eugene knew what to do.

He moved in close to the princess's ear, and then, rubbing her back softly, began whispering reassuringly to her.

"It's ok…it's ok…I'm right here…"

"Eu…Eugene…"

"I've got you…I'm right here…I'm never going to leave…I'm right here…"

Eugene kept whispering soothing words to his love until, finally, the thrashing ceased and Rapunzel settled back down again, a slight smile peeking through her lips. Eugene left one final kiss on her cheek before moving back to his side of the bed. The nightmares were gone…It was peaceful sleep as long as he was there to protect her.

Eugene took one last look at his beautiful, sleeping princess, and he couldn't believe how lucky he was. Rapunzel was his. And nothing—nothing—was going to take her away from him. He would protect her until his dying breath, and be thankful for every hour spent together. She loved him, and he loved her right back. There was no doubt about that…not for a second. They would be together…forever.

Forever.

Finally, Eugene lay down and shut his eyes so he could slip away into slumber. He knew with Rapunzel at his side, there was no doubt he'd have sweet dreams for the rest of the night.

Hope you liked it! Hope everyone wasn't too OOC, again.

More stories from me coming soon! Stay tuned!