Important Note: For those who read this previously and are probably getting an update about this and are wondering why the heck it is being sent again, you should know that I changed this slightly! I saw Tangled again (that makes it 6 times) a few weeks ago and found a clip of this scene on Youtube. I have now added more and fixed the dialogue that I left out. It is actually fairly different, so if you want to reread it, feel free to. Also, I will be doing the same to Rapunzel's view, and hopefully it'll be up in maybe half an hour (depending on whether or not I can finish it in time before I have to go somewhere).

Disclaimer: I don't own Tangled-but I may very well own a Flynn Rider doll because my mom looked on Amazon (I had viewed it recently) and called me in, raising her eyebrows. "Do you want this?" she asked me. "Um . . . maybe," I had replied, so I might get it for my birthday in a few weeks! :D

Barely suppressed panic was threatening to overwhelm Eugene as he stood at the base of Rapunzel's tower. He called up, praying that she would answer, but there was no reply. He tried once more.

"Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

When there was still no reply, he ran to the stones that lined the tower, digging his fingers into the gaps between them. The stones cut and bit at his hands, but he ignored it. He had to see if Rapunzel was all right. He had to know.

But suddenly there was a creaking sound. He paused and looked up, relief filling him when he saw Rapunzel's golden hair falling towards him. He grabbed it and climbed it quickly as possible, stumbling inside through the window.

"Rapunzel!" he gasped as soon as he was halfway through the window. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Then he looked up and gasped.

Rapunzel was chained across the room, a piece of cloth tied across her mouth. Her hair trailed across the room and out the window. But the thing that alarmed the most?

Her eyes were wide and panicked as she screamed through her gag. He couldn't understand what he said, and by the time he did, it was far too late.

He felt a movement behind him and went to dodge, but whoever it was too quick for him. A sharp, biting pain ripped through Eugene's stomach, a grunt of pain escaping from his lips as the knife—held by the woman who could only be Rapunzel's mother—was wrenched from his body.

He slumped to the floor, clutching the bloody wound in the middle of his stomach, gasping for air.

"Now look what you've done, Rapunzel," Rapunzel's mother sneered. "Oh, don't worry, dear. Our secret will die with him."

She stepped over him, her cloak brushing his wound. He let out a small cry and curled in upon himself, furious at how he was completely unable to protect Rapunzel from this horrid woman. The figures of Rapunzel and her mother grew blurred, but by blinking frantically, he was able to clear his vision temporarily. He knew it wouldn't last, though. He had seen enough of swords to know which sorts of wounds were fatal.

He knew he was going to die.

But, seeing Rapunzel there, chained and gagged, completely helpless against her mother, he knew he had to do something. But how? He was weak and barely able to breathe—how on earth was he supposed to do anything?

He could hear her muffled screams even through her gag and the anguish that he could feel radiating from her hurt him even more than the wound. He hated seeing her in pain—it was as if her pain was his. Was that what love was supposed to be like?

He heard the clink of chains and tried to look at the woman he loved. He could see her blurry form moving, struggling against the bonds that held her in place, screaming desperately through her gag.

In that moment, he hated Rapunzel's mother. Never before had he ever hated someone as much as he hated that woman, had he longed for someone's death as he longed for hers. Because of that woman, he was going to die. Because of that woman, Rapunzel had been trapped in her tower her entire life and had only just gotten a taste of the world that would now be ripped heartlessly from her grasp. He wished nothing more than to have the strength to stand and push that woman out the window and watch her fall to her death. He wanted to see her die.

"And as for us, we are going where no one will ever find you again!" The clatter of chains caught his attention and he tried to find the strength to move, but how could he when it was difficult enough to find the strength to breathe? The woman grunted and Rapunzel continued to scream his name through her gag. "Rapunzel, really! Enough already! Stop fighting me!"

"No!" he heard Rapunzel cry. He tried to look up and saw the blurry forms of the two women. He squinted hard at the smaller and could see a small ring of white cloth around her neck—her gag had fallen off. "I won't stop! For every minute of the rest of my life I will fight! I will never stop trying to get away from you! But . . . if you let me save him, I will go with you."

"No—no Rapunzel," he coughed, but she ignored him.

Couldn't she see that throwing her life away for his was a horrible trade? He was a thief, a thief who should have been hanged earlier that day. What was his life worth when it came to hers? She was pure, innocent, and lovely. She didn't deserve the fate that was hanging over her head as obviously as if there was a sword there, deadly and waiting to strike. He knew her mother would never give Rapunzel the chance to get away. She would trapped with that horrible woman for the rest of her life. Rapunzel's first taste of freedom would be her last.

"I'll never run, I'll never try to escape. Just let me heal him, and you and I will be together—forever, just like you want! Everything will be the way it was. I promise. Just like you want. Just let me heal him!"

It was silent for a moment and then he heard footsteps in his direction. He winced as the woman's hand grabbed him and unceremoniously shoved him across the room, leaning him against the railing to the stairs. A cold chain was clamped over his wrist. The woman shoved his hand back to him, brushing his wound. He coughed and grabbed at it with his other hand.

"In case you get any ideas about following us," she hissed. She moved away and was instantly replaced with the frantic form of Rapunzel.

"Eu-Eugene!" she cried. Her hands gently cradled his face as he struggled to sit up against the railing. He coughed and sucked in his breath when his movements pulled at his wound, slumping back down weakly. He grasped it with his other hand, his face twisting in pain. His fingers were instantly covered with his own blood as he flowed freely from his wound. He felt Rapunzel's attention move to his gash and her warm fingers gently moved his hand aside so she could examine it. Even the gentle touch made him gasp in pain and she pulled her hand away. He knew that she could see it too—he didn't have much time left.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she gasped, reaching over to grab her hair. He batted her hands away weakly as she tried to place it against his injury. "Everything's going to be okay, though."

"No, Rapunzel," he choked out, coughing.

"I promise, you have to trust me."

"No!" he said weakly.

"Come on, just breathe," she said softly, still trying to place her hair against his wound.

"I can't let you do this," he wheezed painfully, his face still contorted with pain.

She finally paused, looking at him with anguished eyes. "And I can't let you die," she whispered, her voice thick.

"But . . . if you do this, then you will die." His voice was growing fainter—he could feel it, feel his life slipping away as easily as the blood was spilling from his body. Her hand gently stroked his face again, the warm and softness of her skin soothing him.

"Shh," she whispered gently, her voice calm and so utterly her that he couldn't help but fall silent. "It's going to be all right."

She opened her mouth to sing, taking a deep breath, and he saw his opportunity slipping away as fast as his life was.

His hand reached out weakly to the sides and he felt a shard cut his hand, causing it to bleed. He ignored the pain—it was insignificant compared to the agony that came from the wound in his middle. He grasped it tightly as an idea occurred to him in his foggy mind.

It was difficult to find the conviction to cut her hair. It was part of her, and he knew that after so long with it, she was probably quite attached to it, but he had no choice. He had to save her. He couldn't live without her, and that was exactly what would happen if she healed him. In cutting her hair, he would die, but she would live a free life. She could go see the world and maybe fall in love again. The thought of some other man being able to hold her and kiss her as he wanted to do hurt him, but he knew that, as long as she was happy and free, he could be okay with her.

"Rapunzel—wait," he wheezed. His hand went up to stroke the side of her face, longing to press his lips to hers, imagining how soft and smooth they would feel against his own. He shook those thoughts out of his head. He knew he didn't have that sort of time. He had to cut her hair and then enjoy whatever time he had left with her before he died.

He knew she thought he was going to kiss him. He could see even through his failing vision the way her sad eyes began to close as she leaned towards him. His hand quickly collected the hair at the nape of her neck in one hand, ripping through it with the mirror shard before either woman could realize what was happening.

He slumped backwards against the banister, the strength it took from that one action leaving him completely weak.

"Eugene, wha—" she whispered, her hair rapidly turning brown, the short hair she now already brown. His eyes closed, and he felt Rapunzel's hands leave his face.

"No!" he heard Rapunzel's mother scream.

He knew that something important was happening, something caused by his hasty actions, but he was even closer to death than before. He felt his body going slack as he slipped down from the banister and slumped to the floor. Everything was fading away even more than before.

He was almost gone, had almost submitted to the darkness, when he once again felt her hands grasp his face. She pulled his head into her lap, her fingers stroking his face.

"No, no, no, no, no! Eugene!" Rapunzel cried. Her voice was enough to give him the strength to try to stay alive, however short his time left may be. He coughed weakly, feeling secure in her arms. Her voice sounded as if it came from the other side of a long tunnel, and he could hardly feel her touch anymore, but he was still alive. His eyes fluttered, catching a short glimpse of her face before they shut again.

"No," she whispered, her voice breaking. Her hands stroked his face quickly, the movement catching his attention. He gathered what was left of his strength, needing to be able to tell her he loved her. "Look at me! Look at me, I'm right here! Don't go, stay with me, Eugene!"

He felt his limp hand being lifted, felt the soft tendrils of Rapunzel's short hair on his hand. Her voice rang through his consciousness, her voice thick as she hastily tried to sing her song, the one that would heal him and keep him alive, but he knew that it was too late. Nothing could save him now.

"Hey," he breathed, but she ignored him. He spoke as sharply as he could, considering he was barely even able to speak at all, finally catching her attention. "Rapunzel!"

"What?" she asked.

He spoke quietly, his breaths coming shorter and less often. He felt his heartbeat slowing rapidly. These would be his last words. "You were my new dream," he whispered, a very faint smile on his face.

Did she know how much she had changed him? He knew what he had been before her—an egotistical, arrogant thief who only thought of himself and how much he could get for whatever he happened to steal. But she brought back Eugene Fitzherbert. Flynn Rider—or at least the thieving part of him—was completely extinguished.

All he wanted now was her. He didn't want what he had before—his ridiculous dream of wanting his own private island and money. That didn't matter. Her smile, her beautiful green eyes, her laughter, the way she looked at him . . . those were the things he cared about. And he was never going to see her again.

He could hear the tears in her voice when she spoke again. "And you were mine."

With those words, he felt the darkness win. His body fell limp and he felt his breath stop. His last thought was of Rapunzel.

Death was not what he had expected. He had thought—well, actually, he had never really considered what death was like. But this wasn't what he had expected.

It was dark. Completely dark. There was nothing there, just darkness. But, as he watched, small clips of his life played before him. He saw himself as young Eugene Fitzherbert, in the orphanage, reading his favorite book and dreaming of having everything he wanted.

He saw the first time he stole and winced at the euphoric expression on his young face. He saw every single time he took something that was not his.

But the story focused most on his time from when he began stealing the crown. He saw himself with the Stabbington Brothers, sneaking into the castle and taking the Lost Princess's crown. He saw himself running away, laughing cockily. He saw himself getting hit over the head with a frying pan by Rapunzel and saw himself gradually falling in love with her.

He even saw his death, Rapunzel's face blurred from what his failing vision had seen.

No, this can't be right! he called out to the darkness. I can't die! I had just found something to live for!

A voice came from the darkness—Rapunzel's voice, tearful and anguished. He heard her singing the song that, if he had not cut off her hair, would have saved him.

Her voice fell silent and he mourned the loss of her sweet voice. But, then, out of nowhere, he felt something warm his body, which confused him because, as far as he knew, he was dead. He didn't have a body. But then where was that warmth coming from?

It spread through his entire form, the darkness evaporating before his eyes. He was back in his body, back in Rapunzel's arms. He could feel the warmth of her body against his in addition to the warmth that was spreading through him. What was it that it reminded him of?

Sunlight?

Suddenly, he felt his lungs move. He took a breath, his eyes opening. He saw Rapunzel there, her short dark hair and lovely face in clear focus.

"Rapunzel?" his voice was still weak, but he could feel his strength returning.

"Eugene?" Her voice sounded as if she hardly dared to believe that he was truly alive.

He needed a smile to come back to her lovely face, so he did the only thing he could.

"Did I ever tell you I've got a thing for brunettes?"

It worked—she giggled light and leapt into his arms. "Eugene!" she cried joyfully.

His arms wrapped around her and he buried his face in her shoulder, inhaling her sweet scent that, oddly enough, reminded him of flowers and sunlight. He held her as tightly as he dared—she felt so small and fragile. She pulled back all too soon, giggling and smiling at him.

He was surprised when she smashed her lips against his, but definitely not displeased. Shocked, his eyes remained open for half a second before he comprehended what was happening and closed his eyes, his hand coming up to stroke the back of her neck.

He had gotten his second chance at life, and he sure as heck wasn't going to waste it.