Ah herrow, readers! C: I'm on break for school right now, so I figured that I may as well get back into writing-this little idea just popped in my head so I just sorta rolled with it! The amount of reviews for the last chapter were disappointingly low, but maybe that was just because I hadn't updated in 2,565,736 years. d: Hopefully I get more on this one-I hope you guys enjoy! As always, I really appreciate it when you guys leave reviews and ideas for future chapters! C:

Bon appetit!

Two hazel eyes flickered in the black, illuminated only by white rays of moon that found their way past purple curtains.

Again.

Eugene found his arms beneath the white, satin sheets and pulled himself upright; his limbs were numb and he sat there for several minutes, tensing and relaxing his biceps to revive his dead arms. He looked to the heap of a form lying beneath the same blankets, just inches away. Barely recognizable beneath all of the fluff, he could just make out the slow, steady rising and falling of a woman's small chest as she slept on. Careful as to not disturb her slumber, Eugene maneuvered himself out of bed and quietly dropped from the bed to the floor below.

The floorboards woefully creaked from under his toes, earning a wince with each new step he made. He slipped past the opposite side of the bed and over to a bassinet nestled securely within a corner of the room. Only the tips of white light rays touched it; it remained concealed within the darkness as if it were a secret, only shared with the only other person in the room.

The soft scent of baby powder wafted past his nostrils, and he inhaled deeply; it had only been a few days yet the smell of it had become so normal and he had never given it a single thought since it all began. Eugene closed his eyes—it was threatening to lull him back to sleep.

But the sound of a soft, purr-like sound interrupted his reverie. He quickly shook his head and brought himself back to what was real.

Stopping, Eugene craned his head until he hovered over the baroque basket. Adorned with majestic violet and gold satin curtains, it stood on gilded legs and it made him nervous to just be around it in fear that he may bump it too hard and damage it. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, there was no doubt; however, it looked as if it were better suited for a royal gallery.

Something small rustled behind the opaque curtains. Then came a soft gurgle—then another. Eugene carefully pushed purple upon gold and then more purple layers away until he was looking at another, smaller lump buried beneath more royal colors.

"Shh…"

He dug until he found the source of the mysterious noise; a small baby, no older than two or three days with lively, pink cheeks that almost glowed as he lifted it from its cradle. Swaddled in purple, Corona's emblem was embroidered onto the front of the luxurious cloth and Eugene moved it aside to better view the infant's face. Every time he saw that face, he was utterly amazed and he couldn't help but lose his breath.

She was beautiful.

From the moment he had his laid eyes upon her, Eugene was hopelessly in love. He had never imagined the feeling; not in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that seeing his own daughter—something he had helped to make—would bring about such emotions. So many at once—overwhelming joy, unbelievable fear, pure delight, excitement, but the greatest of all of them being love. She was so perfect, so small compared to even his hands that she looked too fragile to even lay a finger on. But when he had picked her up for the very first time, she fit so wonderfully in his two hands and he knew that she was his. So much like him, so much like her mother, she was the perfect combination.

And despite the similarities she held of her two parents, this baby was unique in her own right—from her quiet, calm demeanor, to her milky and flawless skin to the unusually dark, thick hair that covered her head. But perhaps the most noticeable difference that she possessed was her rich burgundy, almond-shaped eyes that belonged to neither her mother nor him. They looked so familiar, but the image that he tried to paint in his own mind of the one person who may have given the child such a beautiful and wondrous trait was blurred and faded.

The baby gurgled. It wouldn't be much longer before she would grow fussier; Eugene held her to his shoulder and gently rocked her. "Shh…Lila. Don't wake up your mom—you know how tired she is already." He silently prayed that the baby would remain quiet so to not wake Rapunzel; goodness knew that was the last thing she needed.

"No, Lila," Eugene held her closer and continued to gently rub her small back. "Please don't cry—don't cry."

…Too late.

Lila choked quietly, coughing before she began with a soft cry, followed by increasingly-louder wails. Eugene rocked her frantically; he unfortunately had not been given much time to learn how to tend to an upset infant and therefore, had not the slightest clue as to what to do. He frowned. "Please don't do this…pretty, pretty please don't do this, not right now…"

Nothing smelled horrendous. Couldn't be her diaper…

Eugene twisted his neck to the bed, where the lump he had once been lying beside was now stirring slightly. He bit his lip and shook his head, closing his eyes as he could already picture her lips pursed into a thin line as she tried to mask her extreme weariness as she pulled herself from the bed and trudged over to tend to both of them.

"Shh, shh…No, Lila. We promised we wouldn't wake up mommy, right?"

"…Eugene…?" A soft sniffle.

He turned in horror. Rapunzel was already out of bed, putting on her velvet slippers and half-sleepily shuffling her way towards him. Eugene lowered his head in defeat; he was already prepared to hand Lila off to her mother in a moment's notice.

Rapunzel stopped before him, remaining silent at first before she rubbed her eyes and gave a sleepy smile. "…What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Eugene replied almost a little too quickly as he held his arms outstretched with the infant in hand. "I don't know…I don't—I'm so sorry."

The princess blinked several times before her mental capacities could register anything. She slowly took Lila from him and lifted her to her face, the smile on her face growing in size as she studied her baby's face. "You haven't done anything wrong, Eugene. She's just lonely," She easily spoke over the wailing.

Eugene looked to her with a blank stare.

"Babies get lonely too, Eugene. She must have missed us."

"She's missing you, Princess."

Rapunzel laughed softly and slowly rocked the baby, closing her eyes in doing so as if she were going to fall back to sleep—probably because she felt as if she was about to. "I'm sure she knows who you are."

Business with other royals had become customary in Eugene's life; the fact that he had a baby coming for nine months previously did nothing to cease the countless members of the court and other nation's desires to help to solve domestic issues and those involving alliances. Not that he had the slightest clue as to what he was doing, anyways—turned out, maybe an ex-thief –turned—prince was not fit to completely rule…not quite yet.

He exhaled. "I haven't had the chance to be around as much as I'd like—you know that, Rapunzel. If I could just stay here with you and Lila, you know that—"

"I know you would," She stopped him with a touch of her finger to his lips, smiling sweetly but her mind was clearly still quite foggy. "I know you'd stay…" She laid her cheek gently upon Lila's, the corners of her lips rising as the baby's cries quelled. Within just a few more minutes, Lila's tears had ceased and she had fallen quiet once more. Rapunzel placed a gentle kiss against her head with a whisper on her lips. "Mommy's here."

Eugene leaned against the bed's sturdy oak headboard and dropped his head. Had it not been for the white moon lighting the room as well as the irises of his eyes, he could have easily been mistaken as already asleep. "I don't know how you do it."

Rapunzel laughed. "I don't know, either," She gently laid Lila back into her bassinet and adjusted the blankets until the infant was once again hidden. "I just…do it. I felt like I've known her my entire life."

He met her halfway across the floor and extended his arm, where the smaller woman nestled herself securely. Together, they peered into the cradle and he smiled faintly. "…Probably because she's almost just like you."

She looked up to him, her green eyes glowing and large with wonder. "Do you really think so?"

He nodded and reassured her with small strokes against her shoulder.

Rapunzel studied the baby—their baby—and pressed her face against Eugene's chest, smiling. "She so perfect," She said it with a soft whisper.

"Her eyes…"

The princess looked to Eugene. "What about them?"

He choked slightly as he whispered, despite his best attempts to mask it. The image was suddenly so clear, as if he had just seen it.

"She has my mother's eyes."