Hi guys, this is my first Tangled story. I hope you like it :)

P.S.: I do not own Tangled.

At Night, Everything Is Different

Chapter 1: A Nightmare

So Rapunzel finally got reunited with her parents, she had found her love and everything was just great. But at night things are different...

It was already late night but Rapunzel wasn't sleeping. She didn't want to sleep, afraid of the nightmares that would hound her as soon as she was closing her eyes. And she didn't want that to happen, so she struggled with herself. But minute for minute passed by and her eyelids got heavier and heavier and were closing slowly and...

She was in the tower again.

Eugene was laying on the floor, pale-faced and blood dripping from his wound. And Rapunzel was begging her moth- Gothel:"Just let me heal him and you and I will be together- just like you want! Everything will be the way it was. I promise! - Just let me heal him!"

Gothel finally gave in and after she had chained Eugene's hand to a pillar, Rapunzel crawled towards him, trying to heal him. But with his last ounce of strength Eugene cut off her hair and became unconscious.

Rapunzel's chopped off hair turned brown but, surprisingly, Gothel wasn't aging... and she was now dragging Rapunzel off Eugene. "Well, obviously he didn't want you to heal him... come now!"

"No, no, no, Eugene!" Rapunzel cried, clinging to his lifeless body. Rapunzel's tears were running down her cheeks and dripping on Eugene ... and nothing happened.

Rapunzel shook her head in disbelief and desperation: "No, it can't be ... Eugene, please don't leave me, please ..."

But Gothel was still dragging Rapunzel off Eugene and started shaking her by the shoulders now.

"Rapunzel, come with me!"

"No!"

"Rapunzel..."

"No!"

Suddenly Gothel's voice was changing...

"Rapunzel... Rapunzel!"

"No, leave me alone!"

Now the voice sounded very different from Gothel's but still familiar...

"Rapunzel! Rapunzel, wake up!"

Rapunzel's eyes flung open and she stared into the face of-

"Eugene!" She threw her arms around him, buried her head in his chest and started sobbing:

"I had an awful nightmare...I was in the tower again...and you cut off my hair and mot- Gothel didn't age... and and you died...and I cried... but nothing happened...and then...-"

"Shh, everything is alright," Eugene whispered, rubbing her back soothingly. And soon Rapunzel calmed down.

"I'm so glad you're here," she sniffed, wiping her tears away.

Then realization struck her.

"Wait, what are you doing here?" she asked, suddenly aware that she was in the castle... in her bedroom.

"I heard you shouting my name and that you were crying..." Eugene explained, stroking her cheek gently.

"Was I shouting that loud? Do you think I woke up my parents?" Rapunzel asked alarmed, raising her head abruptly.

"I don't think so... I was standing right in front of your door and I couldn't hear you that clearly..." Eugene calmed her.

"Oh, good..." Rapunzel sighed relieved, then suddenly noticing," you were standing right in front of my door? Why?"

"I didn't know that it was yours... I was just wandering around..."

"Why?" Rapunzel wanted to know.

"Well, you're not the only one who has trouble sleeping..." Eugene responded vaguely.

"You have nightmares, too?" she asked sympathetically.

"Not exactly."

"You can't sleep?" Rapunzel suggested.

"It's like the opposite," Eugene laughed dryly.

"Now I'm confused," she admitted.

"Well, it's rather that I don't want to sleep," he explained.

"But why?"

Eugene shifted uncomfortably but then told Rapunzel hesitantly:"Let me put it that way... the last time I closed my eyes they weren't supposed to open again..."

Rapunzel let out a sympathetic "Oh Eugene!" and then embraced him again; this time it was her comforting him.

"It's alright", Eugene reassured her firmly. "I just... don't want to sleep right now," he admitted.

"Me neither," Rapunzel nodded. Her expression darkened with worry but then lit up.

"We could stop each other from sleeping!" she suggested excitedly.

"I don't know... I should be in my room anyway," Eugene objected.

"Oh please, stay here..." Rapunzel pouted.

"Fine, I'll stay," he agreed, sighing in defeat.