A/N: So, in case you couldn't tell from the title of this chapter, both Rapunzel and Eugene get M-A-D in this chapter. At each other.

Please don't leave me comments like "OMG you can't have them fight!", because for one, it's fairly important to my plot and two, even the most compatible of couples fight sometimes. From my experience in life, both my parents and my sister/brother (in law) are very in love and they fight. So there you go-couples fight. And I don't think I'm straying too far from reality in the things that I chose them to fight about.

Besides that, the fun part of writing them fight is writing them make up. :)

As always, thank you for reading/reviewing.

-FL 6

Chapter 13-A Quarrel

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

-From Robert Burns' poem To a Mouse

"Afterwards the universe will explode for your pleasure."

-Douglas Adams

Kel: He says he's changed.
Neal: I suppose he could have changed, I myself have noticed my growing resemblance to a daffodil.
-from Page by Tamora Pierce

Leana cringed. Her father was scary when he was mad. "Oh, I'm not sure I want to hear this," she muttered fearfully.

Her parents exchanged glances. "Well, you're right to think it wasn't pretty," Father admitted.

Mother frowned thoughtfully. "That's one way to put it. Though it was Eugene who did most of the yelling."

He winced. "Unfortunately, she is right about that. I was quite hard on her. Have I told you lately that I'm sorry about that fight?"

She looked kindly at him. "Oh, sweet, you don't need to. I know you are."

He beamed a smile at her. "You're the sweet one, Rapunzel." Then he noticed Flynn's annoyed look and cleared his throat. "Well, do you want to tell this part…or should I?"

Mother seemed to think for a moment. "I guess….I guess I will."

"Don't be too hard on me," he said. "Please."

"I'll try," she joked. "Anyway…"

I know Eugene just said that he thought I was acting a little bit funny, but I have to say that I think he was acting funnier than I was. Oh, it's not like it was completely obvious or anything, but I knew Eugene well enough by then to know when he was keeping something from me. And he was now. It was subtle things that made me concerned. For instance, I never saw him anymore. Granted, part of that was Prince Lorcan's fault, because he hadn't given up on wooing me, but even when I wasn't with him, Eugene was never around. I would go by his room some days, and he wouldn't be there for God knows what reason. It wasn't as if he had a lot of buddies here. Beyond that, I saw him look concerned about something occasionally over the past few days and he never would tell me why. Furthermore, sometimes I would ask him to meet me somewhere and either he would beg off, or he would show up late and he never would tell me why about that either.

So I guess you could say that the tension had been building since the moment my parents had told him to spy and I had meet his father, and the fight was inevitable. But who wants to say that a fight with their love is inevitable? I've fought with Eugene more than once over the years, like most other couples, and I would hate to say that there was no chance we could have avoided it. Regardless, we were still on the brink of our worst fight ever.

But let's back up slightly to the fated meeting with Lord Herbert. I went to the garden early to figure out what I was going to say to Eugene. I had to decide on something because I could guarantee he wouldn't be happy about seeing his father. Lord Herbert? I wasn't actually too worried about him. As completely odd as this sounds, I sort of liked him. I know! Weird, isn't it? Eugene couldn't hate Lord Herbert more, and I liked him. Hilarious. But I did. He reminded me of Eugene so much in his mannerisms, the way he talked, essentially everything. They could even irritate me the same way!

And because of this, I wanted them to know each other. So I set up the meeting, the meeting that, if my clock was correct, would start right around now.

"Princess?"

I stood up with a smile. "Lord Hebert! Thank you so much for coming!"

He smiled back. "It's my pleasure, Princess, though I confess I am quite eager to know with whom I'm going to meet."

"Oh?" I asked innocently. "I didn't tell you?"

"No," he answered. "Would you like to tell me before whoever it is shows up?"

I sighed, knowing that it was time to tell the truth. I wasn't concerned about his reaction. Well, not that much, anyway. "Well, sir, the person I asked to come is….your son."

His eyes widened. "My what?"

"Yes," I said. Was there any good way to say this? Most likely there wasn't. Look at Eugene's reaction when I had told him that his father was coming to the ball. I tried my best to be tactful about it, and he still was very upset "You know Eugene, my…..beau?" I said carefully.

He nodded. "Yes, Princess. But I don't see-…."

"His full name is Eugene Fitzherbert," I said, bracing myself for his reaction. Lord Hebert was no one's fool, and I was sure he would notice the Herbert part of his last name.

Slowly, the realization dawned on his features. "Fitzherbert? As in the son of-…"

"Indeed," I said. "As in your son, and Vivian."

He ran his hand through his hair ruefully. If the circumstances were different, I might have smiled. Eugene did it the exact same way. "I see."

"Do you?" I asked, searching his eyes. "Do you really?"

He nodded slightly. "Yes," he answered. "And it was…. kind of you to try to reunite us."

I smiled faintly. Lord Herbert was being….rather understanding and kind about this whole thing. I could only hope that Eugene would react with the same grace. I wondered briefly if he remembered him when he was little. "Do you…remember him when he was a boy?"

He smiled sadly. "Quite honestly, Princess, I didn't….I didn't pay much attention to him. I knew of his existence but I didn't really act like I did."

That would explain part of Eugene's animosity. I couldn't imagine my mother or father not caring about me. Even…even Gothel had cared about me a little, just in a completely schizophrenic manic-depressive and obsessive way. But still. She cared. Poor Eugene had always thought his father didn't care at all. "I see. Did you ever feel….sorry about that?"

"Of course," he said. "I feel sorry about a lot of things in my past."

"Like?" I asked politely.

"Like my being such a womanizer," he answered. "Like ignoring Eugene and his mother. Like not ever knowing what happened to him after his mother died. You know, you asked if I remembered him. I don't a lot, but I do remember him a little."

"Really?" I asked eagerly. "What was he like?" I loved nothing better than hearing about Eugene when he was a little boy.

His smile almost reached his eyes. "Much like his mother. Willful. Spirited. They had so much fun together, I can tell you that. Practically inseparable, really."

I couldn't help a laugh. "Is that so? I find that kind of funny actually. I never thought of him as a….mama's boy."

"He was," he said. "But you have to remember that she….she was only eighteen when she had him. Still very young. She was a good mother, but in some senses she was like a playmate or a big sister. He was devastated when she died, I know that for certain."

Eighteen was a little young to have a child. I was eighteen and I couldn't imagine having one. I did want children one day though, especially if it would be a little boy or girl when Eugene's eyes and hair…. "Consumption, right?"

His eyes filled with surprise. "How did you know?"

"Oh, he told me about her. And I…" I smiled ruefully. "I read a letter that she wrote to him back in Corona. That's how I learned about you, actually."

"So he didn't outright tell you?" he said.

"No," I admitted. "He didn't know I knew until a couple weeks ago."

"Is that so? And did you tell him?" he asked.

I hesitated for a moment. "Well...I had to," I said. "Because you were coming to my ball. And I figured he should be aware beforehand." I hesitated briefly, remembering Eugene's reaction. The word hostile quickly came to mind to describe it. "He….he doesn't really like you, you know."

His eyes crinkled in amusement. "That's your polite way of saying that he loathes me, isn't it?"

I smiled sheepishly. "Well….sort of. I think he would love to put something in your face. Like his fist."

He barked a laugh. "That sounds like him."

"Really?" How did Lord Hebert know?

"Oh yes," he said. "He had quite a temper. I can remember a time where I was the object of his tongue-lashing."

"Oh, I bet that wasn't fun," I said. "Eugene strikes me as someone who would be…very intimidating when he's mad." I had never seen Eugene angry ever, but I could picture it. And I was scared just thinking about it.

"Indeed," he said. Then he frowned. "Princess, can I ask you a question?"

"Certainly."

"If Eugene doesn't like me as much as you say," Lord Hebert asked cautiously. "Then why did you ask him to meet me?"

Like Eugene, Lord Herbert doesn't miss anything, does he? My cheeks flushed. "I….sort of….I sort of didn't tell him."

He nodded knowingly. "Ah. Well, if I may Princess, don't be surprised if you receive a tongue-lashing yourself."

"Oh, don't worry, Lord Herbert," I assured him. "I don't think…I don't think Eugene could be mad at me. Our relationship is strong that way."

He nodded again. "Princess, I believe you. But even people with strong relationships fight sometimes. So don't be surprised when it happens."

Eugene…angry with me? I couldn't even picture it. "Thank you for your advice," I said politely. But I believe you're wrong.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lord Herbert and I talked for at least a half an hour longer, waiting for Eugene. But eventually he said he had to go, and I apologized profusely about Eugene's absence. He only smiled knowingly and told me to remember what he had said. I waited for him at least a half an hour longer, just in case he came. I sat there thoughtfully, feeling sorry that the meeting hadn't worked like I had wished.

But when Eugene never showed, I went back into the castle, and decided to see if he would come to the sitting room typically designated for those of us from Corona. Occasionally, we meet each other there before dinner. It was possible that he would come, though I didn't really expect he would show up until closer to dinner. To my intense surprise, the feelings of disappointment that he hadn't shown turned into irritation. How could he blow me off like that? He had said he would be there!

And so it was that at six o'clock, when he entered the room, I was waiting for him, my arms crossed. Or as it can be more aptly called, my attack posture. "So," I said. "Missed you today."

"Missed me?" he asked with a smirk. "Well, of course you did. I'm just that kind of guy."

In truth, he was that kind of guy, but that wasn't the point. "Not that kind of missing," I said. "I mean missed as in why didn't you show."

His eyes filled with confusion, but I couldn't tell if it was real or fake. I am dearly fond of him, but that doesn't mean that he didn't have behaviors that annoyed me sometimes. Like his acting. It made it very hard for me to tell if he was being honest with me or not. "Show?"

"You know," I said. "At the meeting."

"Meeting?" Was he purposefully acting like he didn't know what I was talking about?

"Yes," I said. "You know, the one at three in the garden. The one you promised that you'd come to."

His eyes twitched with….something then. Annoyance? Irritation? Regret? "Ah. I'm sorry," he said brusquely. "Something came up and I couldn't make it."

"Something….came up," I repeated. Did he honestly expect me to believe that? I was no one's fool and I could tell when he was hiding something from me (which he was now).

"Right," he said. "So I had to be somewhere else."

"Somewhere…else," I repeated. Could he be any terser? I found myself suddenly hating the words something and somewhere. They were the kind of words that said absolutely nothing. "Mind telling me where that somewhere else was?" I doubted that he would, but I couldn't resist asking.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I can't."

"Really," I said flatly. "So what were you doing?'

"Oh, just some things," he said, almost airily.

His casualness almost made me more irritated. "Oh, I see," I said. "Things. Things that you can't tell me about either." You know something? Things was another word that told me absolutely nothing.

"Right," he said. "I have a…job to do."

Eugene had a job? This was the first I had heard about that. "And I guess you have some reason why you can't trust me enough to tell me what that job is?" Who had asked him to do a job? Could it have been my parents? Was that the something that they wouldn't tell me? Nobody tells me anything anymore!

His eyes twitched again. "Only for the same reason that you can't seem to trust me enough to realize that if I could tell you I would," he said defensively.

Why couldn't he just tell me the truth? "I just want you to be honest with me!" I cried.

"I'm being as honest as I can!" he said, exasperated. "There's a…there's a lot at stake for Corona right now."

"And that 'a lot at stake' I'm guessing caused you to miss the meeting?" I asked tartly.

"Yes," he said. "I had something to attend to."

"And where that something was you don't want to tell me." I emphasized the don't.

Was that distress I saw in his eyes? "I told you before," he said. "I can't tell you where I was."

"You mean you won't," I said.

"No, I mean I can't."

My slight irritation turned into great annoyance. Who was this curt man who looked like Eugene? "Forgive me if I don't entirely believe you," I said. A stab of pain pierced my heart. "What kind of relationship do we have, anyway, if you can't be upfront with me?" I asked mournfully.

Up until this point, he had almost looked…grieved, but now that vanished and he looked aggravated. He crossed his arms across his chest, almost imitating my own posture. I guess it was his turn to go on the attack. "Oh, right," he said sarcastically. "The way you were so upfront with me about who I was supposed to meet today. What, was the fact that I was supposed to meet my father so insignificant that you decided you didn't need to mention it?"

He knew? "How did you…" I began.

He laughed, but it was a laugh without amusement. "Oh come on, Rapunzel," he said. "I'm not stupid. I had some idea of what you were up to, just by the way you acted. Just admit it. You've been hoping for reconciliation between my father and me since the moment you meet him. Knowing you, that's not a surprise. But what is a surprise to me is how sneaky you've been about it."

I flushed. The last time he had accused me of being sneaky was wrong, but this? Well…let's just say there was a little more merit to it. "I wasn't necessarily trying to be sneaky. I didn't think you would go if I told the truth. I just wish you could just talk to each other. He says…"

"Let me guess," he interrupted. "He says he's changed. He says that he regrets everything he did. He says he wishes he had never acted the way." He listed those completely robotic.

"Well, yes," I said. "He told me that he always wanted to know what had happened to you after your mother died. Because he really had…cared about her."

His jaw set angrily. "I see. And while he was telling you all that, did he also mention that I wasn't the only bastard he had fathered? That he never acknowledged my mother after that? Or me either? Did he mention how my mother died in the first place?"

I cringed from hearing him refer to himself as a bastard. It was just a horrible word. Degrading, too. Like he didn't matter to anyone. And he did. "No."

"I didn't think so," he said sourly. "You see, when she got sick, I went to see him. I asked him to please send for a doctor because she was so ill. I begged, even. And do you know what he said?"

"No," I whispered, almost afraid to hear what would happen next.

"He said no. He said that a doctor would cost too much, and he couldn't spare the money. He basically let her die!" As he ranted, he started to pace the room.

His father let her die? Remorse filled me. What had I been thinking? "I'm so-..."

His eyes flashed angrily. "I knew he was lying to me. He had plenty of gold; he just didn't want to spend it on a poor servant. Because he's such a piece of scum and a complete liar. So you have to forgive me if I don't believe a word that he's telling you now."

"I didn't-…"

"It makes me furious to think that he actually told you that he did! And you thought I actually would want to see him!"

"I-…"

Suddenly his eyes lost any emotion whatsoever. I knew I was in trouble, because the last time his face had been like that was the night of the floating lights. And look what had happened then. "But you know the thing that gets me the most? It's how quickly you believed everything he said. I never thought you could be that easily fooled." If I didn't know him better, I would say he was almost sneering now. Oh, not in his expression. His inflection. "But maybe that happens when your best friend was a frog and you lived in a tower most of your life. You don't know when somebody's lying to you."

Oh no, he didn't. Up until that point I had taken everything he said, and I had to admit three things. One, that Lord Hebert was right that Eugene was angry with me. Two, that my idea about reuniting them wasn't the best. Three, I did feel quiet sorry for Eugene, and I could understand why he was so upset. But he couldn't insult my intelligence and get away with it. Or my life in the tower. Or Pascal. My own temper flared. "I can, too! I can tell you that he wasn't lying. He looked like….like he was sorry. You just don't know him the way I do."

"Rapunzel," he snapped. "You might think you do, but you know nothing about people, nothing. Especially about someone like my father."

Is that so? Who was it that calmed the thugs down in The Snuggly Duckling? Or convinced the guards that I was the lost princess? Yeah. That would be me, not you. My cheeks flushed angrily. "I know more than you think. Enough to know that you're acting like a condescending brute. And I'm not putting up with it anymore." Then, without thinking, I turned on my heel.

And I walked out.

So there's their fight. Hopefully they weren't too out of character :) Both Rapunzel and Eugene strike me as the type of people who don't get mad that often, but when they do... well, watch out. I'm basing this observation when (in the movie) Rapunzel confronts Mother Gothel and Eugene confronts the Stabbington brothers. Obviously, I don't get that disturbed watching Rapunzel yell at Gothel because I'd only been waiting for it the entire movie, but I don't know about you, but a mad Eugene is freakin' SCARY. It's no wonder to me that they quickly gave him the info he wanted.