Disclaimer - I still own nothing.


Eugene's head was pounding. There was a terrible throbbing on the back of his head. He let out a groan as he opened his eyes, squinting in an effort to focus them in the dim glow of a lantern on a nearby table. His brain immediately kicked into action and set his nerves on fire when he felt a rope around his neck. Struggling to move, he quickly found his arms and legs bound to a chair. Try as he might, he could not loosen his bonds and any attempt to lean forward was stopped by the rope that was secured around his neck, lashing him to the chair. The last thing he remembered was his failure to give the brothers the slip.

"Well, well, well." A voice spoke from the darkened room. "Looks like sleeping beauty is finally awake." Junior stepped out of the dark and into the faint light of the lantern sitting on a nearby table. "'Bout time."

"Where did you bring me?" Eugene wasted no time.

"Nowhere special, really." Junior said, taking a seat on a small wooden stool at the table. Grabbing Eugene's satchel from the table, he reached in and pulled out the crown, spinning it on his finger. "Just our little hideaway."

Eugene stared at the crown that the man so carelessly twirled on his finger. "I gave you what you wanted." Eugene said. "Why take me?"

Junior stopped and placed the crown down on the table before standing and approaching Eugene. "We figured there was more we could get out of this deal." He answered simply.

"More? Do you have any idea how much that thing is worth?" Eugene blurted out. Junior gave him a funny look at his outburst. Clearing his throat, Eugene started again. "If you want me to steal something else, it's kinda hard to do like this." He pulled at the ropes for emphasis. "I'm good, but not that good."

"Chomping at the bit to steal again, eh, Rider? I knew you hadn't changed." A second voice drew the attention of both Eugene and Junior to the front of the room. Into the light stepped Ron, removing the helmet of his stolen uniform. "You're still criminal scum like us."

Eugene responded with an indignant 'hmph'.

"You really stirred up the hornet's nest, Rider. You're slipping." Ron unfurled a wanted poster from his pocket and showed it to Eugene. "These are everywhere."

Eugene stared at the poster and frowned. "I think whoever draws those is jealous." He said casually. "No one is going to find me with that abomination."

"Everyone knows it was you. Even if we wanted you to go after something else, you'd never get to it." Ron said. "Everyone is on high alert."

"Please! I'm Flynn Rider." Eugene grinned. "You give me too little credit."

"That's an interesting statement." Junior spoke up. "I might only have one eye but I still have both ears."

A confused Eugene hoped for some clarification. "Care to elaborate?"

"You call yourself Flynn Rider. I hear they call you Eugene." Junior said. "Which are you? Or are you trying to be both?" Junior reached into Eugene's satchel and pulled out his Flynnigan Rider book and began to absently thumb through the pages. "It makes sense now." He continued. "This is like a how-to guide to be you."

Eugene scoffed.

Junior closed the book and set it down roughly on the table. "Poor bastard. Never knew you had such identity issues."

"I know exactly who I am."

"Do you?"

Eugene was ready to fire back but was interrupted when Ron gave his brother a hard shove, pushing him to the side. "It doesn't matter!" Ron snarled. "I don't care who he thinks he is or his problems! All that matters is who they think he is." Ron pointed in the direction of the door. "She'll come for him. And then we'll have our prize."

She.

That one word set off alarms in Eugene's head like nothing before. "She who?" The smirk that spread across the brothers' faces send chills down Eugene's spine.

"Oh, I think you know who." Ron said. "The magic flower girl."

Eugene froze.

"How much do you think someone would pay for that kind of power on demand?" Ron asked, looking in Junior's direction.

"More than this that's for damn sure." Junior said, grabbing the crown from the table and waving it around in the air.

Eugene cursed himself for thinking they wouldn't betray him. After all, he'd betrayed them before. Everything he had done was to keep Rapunzel from getting involved, yet that was their plan the entire time. However, Eugene could see a giant hole in their plans.

"While I admire your steadfast business sense, I'm afraid you don't stand to get much out of this." Eugene said nonchalantly.

Ron narrowed his eyes at Eugene. "Explain."

And explain he did. He told them of her magic hair and how, when it was cut by him, she lost her powers. "She's just an ordinary girl now."

"Not the way I hear it."

Now it was Ron's turn to explain. "There's a lot of hearsay and tales about her return. Most of it's ridiculous." He said. "Yet, there are some interesting details that are consistent. Something about magic tears."

Eugene's emotions betrayed him and his expression told the Stabbington's everything they needed to hear. "It's true isn't it?" Ron was smiling again, that creepy smile that put Eugene on edge every time.

"She won't come alone." Eugene was quick in his attempt to dissuade them. "She'll bring guards. You'll be outnumbered."

The brothers shared a chuckle. "That's part of the fun, isn't it?" Ron said. "Just like you said - Steadfast business sense. Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Eugene silently prayed that Rapunzel didn't come looking for him, as unlikely as it sounds, and that the brothers' gamble would fail. And in the event that she did come, he hoped she wouldn't be alone. It would be the first time in his life that he would be happy to see the Captain, or any other guard for that matter.


Even on a sunny day the prison wing was a foreboding place and this morning was no different. Since her return, Rapunzel never had any reason to visit, and it was just as bleak as Eugene had described it. High walls and small windows prevent anyone on the inside from seeing out and only allowed faint sunlight into the cells. Pascal tried to hide behind her hair as she approached the building.

The two guards standing post at the door were slightly taken aback at the presence of the Princess but quickly straightened up and stood at attention at the sight of her.

"Is the Captain in?" She asked to neither one in particular.

"Yes, your Majesty. You'll find him right inside." The guard that answered turned and opened the door to let her him, bowing slightly as she passed.

Crossing the threshold, Rapunzel was greeted with the muggy interior of the prison. Even though it was still on the palace grounds it was clearly not built to be a welcoming place. Though she could not see them, it was clear that there were cells somewhere in the building. With a stench that was not unlike the Snuggly Duckling, though with a distinct lack of alcohol, it was hard to miss.

Sitting a desk that was much newer than the room it was in was the Captain, toiling away at a large pile of paperwork. Rapunzel approached the desk and cleared her throat softly in an attempt to get his attention.

The Captain looked up from his desk only briefly to greet her before returning his eyes to his work. "Morning, your Majesty." He said. "Forgive me for not standing but as you can see I have a lot of work to do." Rapunzel couldn't help but notice the stack of wanted posters on the desk: Flynn Rider, dead or alive.

Rapunzel dismissed his concern with a slight wave of her hand. "Don't worry about it."

The Captain brought his eyes up from his desk once again and eyed the Princess curiously. "Is there something I can do for you, your Majesty?" He asked her. "Surely you didn't come here just to take in the sights and sounds of the jail."

"Actually there is." Rapunzel began. "I was hoping I could talk to you about something."

"And what would that be, your Majesty?" He almost felt he didn't need to ask. Rapunzel's answer was not a great revelation.

"Eugene."

"The case of Flynn Rider is currently underway." He said as professionally as possible. "His arrest is pending. There is little more I can tell you."

"I don't need an update, Captain." Came Rapunzel's swift rebuttal. "I need to talk."

It was not his place to ignore Royalty when they wished to speak. He stopped writing entirely, placed his elbows on his desk, interlocking his fingers, and gave the Princess his full attention. "As you wish, Princess. I'm listening."

"What if I told you that I know he didn't do it?" Rapunzel asked.

"I am well aware of your opinion about-" Rapunzel interrupted his protest.

"With good reason."

The Captain raised an eyebrow at her. "Princess, I rely on facts and evidence. Rider is the only one who was in the castle last night that is not accounted for. Your reasoning is substantial, I hope."

"It is." She assured him. "I know that Eugene would never willingly do something to separate himself from me like this. What if something beyond his control forced him into action?"

The Captain was quick to question her story. "And what is it that he can't control? His own greed?"

"People." Was Rapunzel simple answer. "I believe he was pressured into it by someone." She explained. "I think it's about me. What else would he risk his life for like this?"

The Captain considered her words carefully before speaking, idly stroking his mustache. "Blackmail? That is a serious accusation, your Majesty." He said. "And not one to make lightly."

Rapunzel nodded.

"There are far reaching implications." The Captain continued. "That someone could threaten your safety in any way that is believable would mean they have access to the palace and to you."

The Captain shook his head. The implication that a traitor was right under his nose was unsettling.

"If such a crime was committed, why didn't he step forward and report it?"

Rapunzel shrugged lightly, a small sigh escaping her. "I don't know."

"And you have no proof of this blackmail?"

"No." Rapunzel quietly answered. "Can't you just take my word for it?"

"I would loved to be able to take your word for it." He said. "But right now, my efforts are concentrated on capturing a dangerous fugitive." Rapunzel frowned at the way Eugene was labeled. "I cannot spare any resources to follow what, if I may be so bold, sounds like speculation to protect him."

Rapunzel raised an eyebrow at the Captain. "Are you calling me a liar, Captain?"

It was the Captain's turn to be flustered. "Of course not, Princess." He answered quickly. "I just need something to work with. If you had, say, correspondence between Rider and the blackmailer," The Captain hesitated before using the word. "It would give me all I need to pursue this."

Rapunzel sighed again. The guards had searched his room earlier in the morning and found nothing. If something like that existed, it was gone. In fact, if it weren't for the mussed bedsheets and the clothes in the wardrobe, you'd almost think no one was using the room. It was an odd feeling, walking past Eugene's door that morning, knowing that he was gone. It was a feeling she never wanted to get used to.

"Until then, there's little I can do for you, Princess. I'm sorry." The Captain said, returning to his work.

Rapunzel turned with a huff and headed for the door. She got so far as to place her hand on the handle when something occurred to her. Turning back from the door she approached the Captain's desk once again.

"Your men turn in reports, right?" She asked him.

"Of course."

"Do you have the reports from two days ago?" Rapunzel was on to something. "From the men you had stationed in the square by the fountain? I believe something happened after I left, it's got to be in there somewhere."

The Captain nodded and began to shuffle through the piles of paper on his desk, muttering lightly to himself. Pulling out several sheets of paper, he began to read over them, speaking aloud occasionally.

"Many reported seeing you and Rider in town that day, shopping at various stands and stores." The Captain said. "This one reports seeing the two of you by the fountain, talking briefly before you left without him." The Captain's eyes moved to a separate report and back again several times. "That's interesting."

"What?" Rapunzel asked.

He shook the paper in his left hand slightly. "This one ends when you separated." He said. "And this one," he shook the paper in his other hand. "Picks up right as you are returning to the palace. Rider was spotted arriving a short time later."

Rapunzel frowned at him. "Why is there a gap?"

The Captain eyed the papers carefully. "There usually is. It's not an uncommon thing." He said. "My men change shifts at dusk and dawn. During the shift there is usually a couple of minutes that are lost in reports where one stops and the other begins."

He looked at the papers and back to the Princess. "Curious that the thing you're looking for happened during our little blind spot." The Captain looked lost in thought, stroking his mustache yet again. "That's a very interesting coincidence."

"I'd say that's more than a little coincidental, wouldn't you?" Rapunzel was hoping she'd found her proof.

"I admit that it's suspicious but it's hardly compelling proof of anything." He said. "Rider arrived at the castle shortly after you did, unharmed. He was not kidnapped or attacked or anything." The Captain looked at the paper once again. "As far as I can prove, he simply decided to stay behind for a moment."

The Captain didn't want to admit how unsettled he'd become at the development. Few knew of the blind spot in reports and even fewer criminals who knew would risk trying to abuse it with nearly twice as many guards out on the street. If the Princess was on to something and her suggestion that someone on the inside had turned on them, it would not appear out of the ordinary to see Eugene talking to one of the castle staff. Or worse, one of his own men. This didn't sit well with him at all.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help, Princess, but I have my orders." The Captain said. "If you wish to follow your lead, I would suggest going back into town and speaking with people. See if anyone saw anything."

"You said it yourself that this is a lead. Aren't you going to investigate?" Rapunzel was beginning to lose her patience again. "That's your job, right?"

The Captain let out a sigh and rose from his desk, crossing around to the front, and approached the Princess.

"Understand, Princess, that when one of my men or myself finds Rider, we are duty bound to arrest him, and if he has the crown in his possession I don't think the reason is going to matter." He said to her. "His fate will be out of our hands. And if you are correct, if, we will lose the one man who can tell us who the traitor is."

Rapunzel had never felt such a strong look from the Captain before.

"If we're going to get to the bottom of this, you need to find him before I do."

"I'm just one person. You have men all over the city." Rapunzel said. "How do you expect me to do that?"

"I think I have an idea." The Captain said, stroking his chin, "I think I know someone who can help. If there's anyone who could find Rider in this city before me, it's him."

The Captain walked past Rapunzel and opened the door, turning back to the Princess. "Come with me."


AN - Here we are, as promised! I said a new chapter would be up in a few days and here it is. And I wasn't kidding when I said there was a lot of talking. Now that I look at it, nearly every line has someone speaking. Nearly. Thanks for all the feedback so far guys, keep it coming! I love it! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Until next time, folks.