Late April brought their first Easter with Missy and Charles. Since Missy was only two months old at the time, Rapunzel dressed her in a frilly dress and she got a soft purple bunny plush to feel and cuddle with. The couple took turns working in the kitchen and playing with Missy - who rarely was ever put down or left in her bassinet unless she was sleeping; even not then, sometimes. Charles came over in the afternoon and stole the baby away from both of them for some quiet time with his 'grandbaby girl'.
"Does he look well to you?" Eugene asked quietly in Rapunzel's ear as she was slicing potatoes for scallop potatoes.
Rapunzel bit her lip, peering at her father. He was still thin as ever and something just didn't look right with him. "I've been trying to figure it out myself, but I don't know. Maybe he just works a lot and doesn't get a good enough diet or enough sleep. He's said that when he leaves here, he sometimes gets called in for overtime and that's late."
Eugene nodded. "Could be. I don't want to ask him about it because, well..."
"Yeah," Rapunzel nodded as well. "Don't ask him. If there's something wrong, he'll tell us."

The week after Easter, Rapunzel was back to brooding over Eugene's parents' crash. How did they relate to Veronica? Why had she killed them? Was it an accident? Did they have as dark a past as Veronica did? Surely not. Nonetheless, she called the police department and asked for information on the case, explaining that she was Eugene's wife.
The gravelly-voiced man on the other end of the phone told her that, unfortunately, they could not disclose any information. She added that she was the adoptive child of Veronica Conily, but that didn't help. Thinking fast, Rapunzel glanced towards Missy and bit her lip.
"Okay. Thank you. And while I'm at it, may I set up a visit with Veronica Conily?" She couldn't believe she was saying this, but she wanted to know why she'd killed Eugene's parents. She was certain that Eugene would appreciate knowing, too.
The appointment was made for tomorrow morning. Rapunzel shuddered at the thought of sitting face to face with the terrible woman, with just a desk and a thick, clear barrier between them.

And then she found herself seated right there, facing the woman who had caused so much pain. Missy was held close to Rapunzel with the floral sling she'd found, and Rapunzel was glad that the baby couldn't look out and see her. Her gray hair was matted and her piercing eyes tried to stab Rapunzel's heart, but she'd already been hurt there so many times before.
"Look who came back," she grated, her gaze flickering over what she could see of Rapunzel's form and the baby carrier situated in front of her. "Does history repeat itself? Left with a baby on your own?"
"It wasn't like that, and it isn't now," Rapunzel said, trying to soothe the tremor in her voice and her hands, which developed a layer of cold sweat. Her stomach twisted, and she wondered if she'd throw up. Her grip tightened on the phone. "But I have one question for you."
"And what is that, flower?" she asked coolly, watching for Rapunzel's reaction to the nickname. Rapunzel pushed down the memories pressing against her skull.
"You killed Eugene's parents, Joshua and Elaine Fitzherbert. Your first. Why?" She asked this quickly - she wanted out of here now. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea.
Veronica sat back, a cruel smile crawling across her face. Her explanation came out in a stage whisper that only Rapunzel could hear through the phone, her voice scraping across Rapunzel's eardrums and threatening to drive her insane. "I remember that one. It was an accident. But when I ran to help them, I saw what I'd done. The blood spilling forth from his skull; how limp she was. It was beautiful and I knew I had to have more. I saw the baby in the backseat, and I thought about killing it, too. But I figured I'd done enough damage - it would end up just like you. Useless and unwanted."
Rapunzel licked her lips. "Thank you for clarifying." She started to drop the phone, to flee the building, but Veronica's deadly stare caught her eyes and forced her to stay put, like a mouse cornered by a venomous snake.

"I still have connections, you know. You're not safe. Neither is that precious child of yours," Veronica's gaze dropped to the sling almost hungrily, and Rapunzel set the phone down, stood up, and tried to leave as calmly as she could. She could hear the enraged screams Veronica aimed at her. She'd found the one hole in Veronica's threat, though: You can't leave me here to die alone! Rapunzel had been her only visitor in two years.

Rapunzel settled in the back seat of her small car to feed Missy, and she started to cry. "I'm so sorry for taking you in there, baby girl. I should have never taken you. I'm so sorry." Somehow, she was afraid that Veronica's mere presence could have hurt Missy. "I'm so sorry." Missy stared up at her mother and her thin eyebrows furrowed, sensing her mother's angst. She realized that her baby was on the verge of crying as well - because she was upset - and took several gulping breaths, trying to quiet herself. Her phone buzzed in her pocket with a phone call, so she waited until Missy had eaten, been burped, and had been situated back into her car seat before she returned the call, which was from her father.
"Hey, Dad," Rapunzel cleared her throat and looked in the rearview mirror, wiping at her eyes. "What's up?"
"Hi, dear. What're you doing?"
"Oh, I'm out with our little miss," she twisted around in her seat to look at the car seat once more. "Going to, ah, get some formula."
"I see," he said, and Rapunzel could hear the smile in his voice. "Give her a hug and a kiss from granddad, okay? I, ah, listen. I got called out on a maintenance call to...Ohio, I think? And I might be gone awhile. I'm sorry I have to go this afternoon and can't stop by."
Rapunzel was surprised by the news. "O-okay. When will you be back?"
"Not sure. It's, ah, pretty messy, by the sounds of things," he chuckled. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine," she said. "I'll see you when you get back. I love you, Dad!"
"I love you too, sweetheart," he said. He punched 'end' on the phone before he could say goodbye.

"You did what? Are you nuts?!" Eugene asked, his voice growing louder with each word.
Rapunzel's eyes widened, filled with tears, and her gaze dropped to her dishcloth. She rubbed violently at the skillet in the sink. "Maybe," she said quietly. He hadn't taken well to the news that she'd gone and talked to Veronica about his parents' crash. "But I wanted to know why. And I thought you would, too." She wasn't about to apologize.
Eugene took a huge breath and stared at her. It did no good to flip out on her - she'd already gone and she'd done it partly for him. No, he wasn't going to yell at her. There was no need to, and he could see he'd already hurt her. "I'm sorry," he started after he'd calmed down. "I just...can't believe you did that. But what's done is done. And it does help to know it was an accident. Thank you."
She swallowed and nodded, still focused on the sink. She knew she was overreacting, but she hadn't expected Eugene to yell. "I was stupid to do it, I know. But...curiosity killed the cat, I guess," she shrugged and grinned in a self-deprecating manner.
He sighed and shook his head, turning away to wipe down the center counter. "And yelling never helped anything."
"That's not a...a saying, is it?" Rapunzel turned around and asked.
Eugene shook his head. "No. Should I coin it?" he asked, grasping at something to ease the awkward air around them.
She laughed softly.