Rapunzel sat on her bed, legs drawn to her chest. She stared blankly out the window, already knowing what Cass was going to say.

"I dunno, Raps. We leave in two days. There's not really anything we can do for him," Cassandra grunted, struggling to rake the brush through Rapunzel's hair. "I think that it's just best to leave the whole thing behind us. Besides, I think your dad has a pretty good handle on everything, now that it's all out in the open. He'll take care of him."

Rapunzel sighed.

For the last week, she'd been trying to sort through her feelings about everything that had happened. "I know," she said quietly. "But this whole situation is just so...wrong. What he did was horrible, and selfish, and cruel...but with everything he went through, is it even right to blame him? I turned him away when he was desperate, the people of Corona were harassing him, and his father..." Rapunzel closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. "He must have felt so alone," she whispered.

Cassandra let out a frustrated sigh - whether it was directed at Rapunzel or her hair, Rapunzel wasn't sure. "All of that may be true, Rapunzel, but it doesn't change what he did. He put half of the Royal Guard in the infirmary, he kidnapped the Queen - Rapunzel, he tried to kill you!" she said angrily, pulling the comb violently through a snarl. "Any one of us could have easily died that night. We're all lucky to be alive. He's not blameless."

There was a long, heavy moment of silence.

Finally, Rapunzel looked up at Eugene, who sat in a chair across from the bed.

"What do you think, Eugene?" she asked desperately.

Eugene's head snapped up, as if he had been deep in thought. He leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. "I dunno, Blondie..." he said slowly, sounding quite unsure himself. "I think you're both right. Varian did some really, really awful things. There's no way around that, no matter what his reasons were. But...I don't think he was in his right mind. Whatever he went through, it changed him." Eugene paused, letting out a heavy sigh. "I don't think he's the same person we knew anymore."

Before Rapunzel could say anything, she winced at a sharp tug on her head.

"It's no excuse," Cassandra muttered angrily. "He's a traitor."

Rapunzel started to argue, but Cassandra cut her off. "Hair's done," she said dryly. "I'll be back in a bit with your laundry." And with that, she turned and left the room.

Rapunzel stood to run after her, but Cassandra slammed the door shut.

Rapunzel sank back onto the bed, suddenly unable to do anything but stare at her hands. It was as if time just froze. Or she did. For what seemed like the hundredth time since that night, Rapunzel became entirely overwhelmed by emotions. She was furious with Varian for what he did, but guilty for not being able to help him in the first place. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, and tell him that they would fix it, together. She never wanted to see him again. She was relieved that everyone was okay, but she was still afraid.

Suddenly, she felt Eugene sit down on the bed, and wrap his arms around her. Instantly, she felt grounded again. She took a deep breath, and leaned into him.

"Everything's gonna be okay," he murmured in her ear. "Cass will come around eventually, and soon enough, this will all be behind us."

Rapunzel closed her eyes. She let out a sigh, trying to relax the knot in her stomach. "I just can't wrap my head around all of this, Eugene," she said. "I don't know what to think, or feel, or...do..." her voice trailed off.

"I don't think there's a right answer, Blondie," he said gently.

She thought for a moment. "Maybe...maybe I should go see him?" she wondered.

Eugene pulled back and held her at arm's length. "Rapunzel, I don't think that's a good idea," he said quickly. Rapunzel saw the worry fall over his face. "I know you still want to help him, but I don't think seeing you would do him any good. And, as much as I hate to admit it, Cassandra is right. He did try to kill you." He took her hands in his. "I just don't think that it would go very well, for either of you," he pleaded.

Rapunzel looked up at him, knowing that he was right. She took a deep breath in, and slowly let it out. She tried to shut out everything except for him, the man she loved. Her mind wandered through everything they had been through together. So much, good and bad. He had been right beside her through all of it, from the moment she left the tower. Always there, holding her hand. Telling her that it was going to be okay. Putting up with all of her antics. Making her laugh. Always ready for any adventure that she wanted to bring him along for. She couldn't even fathom how much she loved him.

A thought occurred to her suddenly, and a pang of guilt hit her in the stomach.

"Eugene, I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I've been so caught up in my own head these last few days, that I never even asked if you were okay." As the words came out of her mouth, Rapunzel realized just how different Eugene had been acting the last few days. He'd been uncharacteristically quiet and somber; she often caught him staring off into space. He also hadn't willingly left her side since they'd been back. Rapunzel had assumed that this had been because of her own mental breakdown, but now, she wasn't so sure.

She watched Eugene put on an unconvincing smile.

"I'm fine, Blondie," he murmured. "Don't worry about me."

Rapunzel sighed. She hated when he did this. "Eugene, we've been together for a year now. I know when you're lying to me," she said.

Eugene remained quiet, staring at the wall. Rapunzel wrapped her arms around him, and laid her head on his shoulder. "I know you cared about him," she continued. "This has been horrible for everyone, you don't have to suck it up for my sake."

A long silence hung in the air before Eugene finally spoke.

"I just feel like I let him down," Eugene murmured quietly. "He kind of looked up to me, you know? When I was his age, the only role models I had were thieves and murderers. And I knew I couldn't trust a single one of them." He paused, fiddling with a loose string on the end of his sleeve. "I don't know. I guess I thought that I could be to him the person I needed when I was his age," he said dryly.

"We all wish we would have done more," Rapunzel said gently, pulling him tighter. "But I don't think we could have. No one saw it coming."

"Yeah."

There was another moment of heavy silence, and Rapunzel could tell that Eugene had more on his mind.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" She asked carefully. "Did. . . did something else happen that I don't know about?"

Eugene gave a lifeless chuckle. "No," he said flatly. He paused, then sighed. "Rapunzel, I thought you were dead. For a split second, when you let go of those rocks. . .I thought you were gone."

Rapunzel pulled back and held him at arm's length. His face was stone cold. "Eugene. . ."

"And now, we're going to go chase these rocks to who knows where," he said bitterly, cutting her off. "People are going to find out. I mean, the whole kingdom already knows, I'm sure the news will spread fast. People are going to hunt us," He finally looked her in the eyes, and Rapunzel could see the fear in his. "People are going to hunt you, Rapunzel. And if we had this much trouble from one kid. . . It's only going to get worse. It's going to get so much worse."

Rapunzel didn't know what to say. She knew he was right.

Eugene sighed. "I know this is something we have to do," he said, taking her hands. "And I want to help you figure out what this all means, I really do. I just. . ." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm so scared of losing you."

Rapunzel watched a single tear fall down his cheek. She reached up to wipe it away, and held his face.

She took a deep breath. "I'm scared too. I don't know what's at the end of all this. I don't know where my destiny is going to lead me. . . Or if I'm even supposed to come back from it," she paused, swallowing hard. "And I'm scared of what's going to happen to everyone else. You're all going to be in danger because of me."

"It doesn't matter," Eugene said sternly. "Wherever you go, I go. I'd rather die out there with you than go back to any kind of life without you."

She sighed. There was nothing to do but hold each other.

After a few minutes, she broke the silence. "You know, as long as I can reach out and touch a rock, I think we'll be okay," she joked.

Eugene chuckled. "It was so strange," she continued, "and terrifying. It was like my whole body was on fire, but it didn't hurt. It was like I could go outside of my body, controlling things that weren't me."

"I'm just glad you're okay," Eugene said quietly.

"At least we're not boring."

Eugene leaned in and kissed her. "I love you," he whispered.

She kissed him again. "I love you too."

"I should probably go help with repairs," he said unenthusiastically. "I told the men I'd be there this afternoon."

Rapunzel nodded. It had been a week since the attack, and there was still a lot of mess to clean up.

"I think I'm going try and talk to Cass," she said. "Something was off with her."

"Something's always off with her," Eugene said sarcastically. Rapunzel elbowed him. Eugene chuckled, seeming a little bit more like himself. He stood up, kissing her on the forehead. See you tonight?

"Yeah."

Rapunzel watched as he walked towards the door, stopping to look at her once more. When he was gone, she flopped down on her bed, and quickly fell asleep.