"It's going to be just fine, Rapunzel."
"You don't know that. Eugene, what if they don't like me? It might not even be them. They probably won't even recognize me even if I am their baby."
"We'll just tell them the truth. It'll be just fine. I promise. And if you're not their kid, then so what? It's a small world, we're bound to run into your folks at some point."
Rapunzel sat next Eugene on a park bench. It had taken them a while to finally reach their destination, but it was almost worth the wait. It was early March, and the midday sun shined brightly. Birds twittered about, swooping through the green leaves of the healthy trees. Mother Nature had truly blessed the season.
"Bardstown is a lovely place," Rapunzel murmured, trying to keep her thoughts occupied. Eugene patted her hand supportively, his eyes reflecting back the light from the sun. In the distance, Eugene's eye caught on two shadows, approaching slowly from across the park. Rapunzel looked up from her lap, her eyes now rested where Eugene's were. She burst up like a firecracker, immediately smoothing out her dress of any invisible wrinkles. Eugene stood beside her, resting a hand on her delicate shoulder.
"It'll be okay," he reminded her as the shadows approached. They were easier to make out. They were a couple, not young but not old. They held hands, and walked at a steady, almost withdrawn pace. Finally it was clear enough to see their faces. They looked nearly identical to the happy young couple in the newspaper clipping that Rapunzel kept close with her always. They were older, of course, with their faces slightly wrinkled. Rapunzel began approaching them, leaving Eugene behind. Soon the couple stood face to face with their daughter. She was the exact image of her mother. Words were not spoken; they didn't need to be. Mother simply reached out for her child, as no further examination was needed.
Eugene watched from a distance as the family embraced, a slight smile on his face. They looked so happy and relieved. He wouldn't ever have that with his parents, but it pleased him to no end to see Rapunzel finally reunited. Rapunzel's mother looked up at him, a grateful look on her face. The family slowly broke apart, all smiles and tears. Eugene found himself approached by Rapunzel's father, who held out a hand.
"Thank you, my dear boy. For bringing back my daughter," he said in a deep, gravelly voice. They shook hands, and Eugene felt the warmth in his palm.
"It was my pleasure, sir." Rapunzel and her mother walked over to the men, separating into their respective couples.
"Mom? Dad? This is Eugene. Like I told you, he saved me. He's the reason I'm here with you today." Rapunzel beamed with pride.
"I wouldn't be here either, if it weren't for your daughter," Eugene chimed in.
"It sounds like you two have quite the story," Rapunzel's mother finally spoke, a warm smile on her face.
Eugene laughed, "Yes, yes we do. Definitely the tangled mess of a story, but I promise, it has a fantastic ending."
And that's the end, everybody! Thank you for sticking around if you have, and thanks to any new readers as well. I'm considering writing a few drabbles on Eugene and Rapunzel's life after the reuniting, or possibly during the road trip to find Rapunzel's family, but I'll let the readers decide. So if that's something that interests you, please let me know. Finally I'd like to thank a few readers who have stuck around since October. Thank you Aurora-inked, Tangled4ever, Naara-no-temari, MyNameIsAlexandraRider, Kovva, ItsOnMars, FairyTaleLover6, and of course Umbe0n. I think that's everyone, but if I missed you, please let me know. Also I'd like to give a quick shout out to anabelgem14, who suggested the town of Bardstown as Rapunzel's true home. Thank you. Thank you all.