He looked at his bride upon the bed. She looked so peaceful. He hated to wake her, yet he had to.

He walked over to where the princess lay and began shaking her arm. "Rapunzel?" He heard a soft moan, which caused him to smile. "Rapunzel, I need you to get up."

The brunette turned to face him. "Eugene?" She started to sit up. "When can I get out of here?"

The ex-con had a sympathetic smile on his face. "Blondie, you can wander the castle, but everything else is off limits." The young woman pouted, jutting her bottom lip out. "Don't give me that look. It's doctor's orders."

"Well, I guess I'll take what I can get, but for right now, I just want a bath and a fresh change of clothes," she stood up, took her crossed arms, uncrossed them and let them fall to her sides.

As soon as she had gotten out of bed, and took one step, she collapsed, and Eugene rushed to her side. Helping her muscles strengthen by walking on her feet was tiresome and wearying work, all of which needed to be done. Once her muscles had re-gained their forte back, the princess walked out of the door, and down the hall, toward her and Eugene's bedchambers.

The former crook suddenly stopped, pulling Rapunzel close. "Um, hey, remember how I promised to look for Pascal? Well," he raked his hand through his brown hair.

"What?" Rapunzel re-crossed her arms and turned so that the left side of her hip seemed to be protruding out.

"Since you're up, can you do that on your own? I'd do it, but, I have other responsibilities an-" Rapunzel cut him off.

"To whom?"

"To you." He brought her in for a hug, placing his chin atop her head. "I want you to get better, and the only way that will happen is if I leave to bring back another magical flower."

Rapunzel broke away from the warm embrace. "What? That flower has been annihilated!"

"No, it… well, yes it has, but that's not the point." She turned her back on him.

"Then what is the point?" She shot angrily, over her shoulders.

Eugene came toward Rapunzel and put his arms over hers. "Blondie," he sighed, "when the guards uprooted the flower, five pods fell from its petals, with new seeds for five new flowers. Since it has been roughly twenty-four years the seeds have had time to mature and grow, they are ready to heal. Now do you understand?"

"There are five new magical flowers? Why didn't I know about this?" she turned back around to face Eugene.

"Probably because Gothel kept you hidden up in that tower for so long and," the prince consort started swaying with Rapunzel's body to a tune that was in his head, "because they weren't fully grown."

"Okay," she reached up on tiptoes to kiss him. "You handle the flower and I'll-" this time Eugene cut her off.

"Somehow, handle the frog." Rapunzel was not amused.

"Just don't take too long, or get hurt or injured." She poked at his chest, "Some people actually like this body." The princess pulled his regal, black, vest together.

"I'll keep that in mind when I'm in Drakko Island," he put his hands over hers, but she quickly wrenched them back.

"You're going to -" the brunette firmly clasped both hands over her mouth and began shaking her head. "No, Eugene! Don't go! Please!" She tugged at his arm. "What if you meet up with one of them? They'll grind your bones, pickle your spleen and squeeze the jelly from your eyes!" She shivered and started crying.

The prince consort took his princess by the hands, led her into their bedroom and sat her in a chair. "First off, I think they're all dead, secondly, you just described a giant and an ogre," he laughed, but inwardly was cringing. He didn't want to go to Drakko, but he had no choice. Rapunzel had to get better. "It's not like I'm going by myself," he reassured her, but mostly himself.

"No?"

"Of course not! I'll be taking Max."

"But what if -"

"Rapunzel, I'm going and that's the last I want to hear of it."

"Can I please finish my question?"

"Sure. Go ahead,"

"What if I'm pregnant again? Not saying that I am, but you seem very potent in your 'little Eugene' area," this time, it was she who eyed his crotch region, and turned beet red, "and I'm exceedingly fertile in mine," she pulled him in for a tender hug, "plus we just made love, and now… I'm scaring myself! Without you around, what will the baby and I do?"

"Do you think you're pregnant again? Is there a way to find out?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "Not until the end of the month, and then its only speculation."

"Well, I can't wait that long."

"I know," the princess sighed. "I just… I just wish you didn't have to go."

"I know, but it can't be helped." Eugene kissed her forehead lightly.

"Can't we send out some guards?" She rested her head to the side of his chest.

"I can't trust them with this quest."

"Well, at least take Pascal. He can come get me if there's any trouble and I'll dispatch search parties," she turned to the bedpost, where the maid, Abigail, made him a little makeshift bed out of packages and cloths, and placed it where the princess could talk to him. But the sight that greeted the young brunette was one of fright. The reptile was totally shriveled up, un-breathing and pale for a chameleon. "Pascal, time to get up." When the lizard didn't move, Eugene's suspicions were confirmed.

"Poor little guy,"

"Why do you say that?"

Rapunzel was so naïve, it was hard for him not to smile, in spite of the circumstances. The prince consort led his bride by the arm away and sat her down in a chair while he straddled a stool across from her. "Rapunzel, Pascal is," he tried to put it delicately. "Pascal is with his other chameleon friends now."

The princess cocked her head to one side, "When will he be back?"

"He's… he's not coming back, Blondie. I'm sorry."

"No, Eugene! He can't be..!" She carefully picked his little body up. "Oh, no wonder! He had the same symptoms as I had and now he's…" she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"So, he's the culprit that brought the pneumonic plague in here," Rapunzel nodded and sniffed. The former thief had all intentions on leaving then, but he just couldn't… not at a time like this.

The princess closed Pascal's reptilian eyelids, and straightened his appendages to make him look a little more life-like, instead of all shriveled up. She crawled up into bed and wept. Eugene put his hand on her back and began stroking it.

"And to think," the brunette cried in frustration for the passing of her good friend, "Pascal was really starting to warm up to you!"

Eugene suddenly swore, causing Rapunzel to jump. "What? What's wrong?"

"I just remembered something." The prince consort mentally kicked himself.

"What?" Rapunzel sat up, and gently urged him on.

"I forgot all about finding Annaliese a nanny. Once you got sick, I put the search on hiatus, and then when we found out what it was that got you sick, I simply forgot!" this caused Rapunzel to jump out of bed.

"Oh no! Anna!" She began pacing around the room, Pascal's death totally forgotten. "How is she? Did our daughter catch the pneumonic plague? Can I see her?" The questions tumbled out over each other.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it there, Blondie, keep pacing like that and you'll wear a hole in the floor," he laughed, as he led his wife to sit in a plush, forest green chair. "Anna is fine and she did not get the plague, but I don't think it would be very wise to see her yet. She's in isolation."

"But I thought she didn't get the pneumonic plague?"

"She didn't," the Prince consort explained, "but she's in isolation from us, so she doesn't come down with it."

"I don't understand." Rapunzel shook her head. "If it's dead now, why can't we see her?"

"I just don't think it would be a good thing to do right now." An idea occurred to Eugene, as he took Rapunzel by the hands and pulled his bride to her feet. "Tell you what, why don't you handle the nanny position while I'm off looking for the flower."

"I guess I can do that," she looked up into his amber eyes and he gazed into her emerald ones. "But please be careful! I want you back soon, and in one piece!" She grazed her lips against his and held him close by the torso. The princess bent her head against his chest.

"I'll be careful, Rapunzel. You can count on that." The former thief rested his head upon hers, a smile playing at his chapped lips. I can't believe I tried to pawn off this priceless treasure for a mere crown! How foolish I was! Eugene thought, mentally slapping himself. Well, at least now she's mine and, as God as my witness, I swear, I'll never let anything bad happen to her again! The ex-con kissed the top of his bride's head.