Hello! This is probably the chapter you've all been waiting for, and you all probably already know what's to come here based off the chapter title.

1. I have posted a separate story called 'Living the Dream: M-Rated Scenes'. Basically, that's where I'm going to be posting/intending to post all the M rated stuff from this story's universe. The first chapter has been posted there, and it details how Rapunzel and Eugene's first moment of intimacy went. It starts off from right where Chapter 32 of this story ended. This chapter here starts off directly from when their moment of intimacy ended. Feel free to check it out, but if you are not a fan of M rated stuff in general, it is not a required read to understand what's going on here in this chapter.

2. There's two more chapters after this one that are a part of the 'Chains of her Sorrows' storyline. After that, it's a bit of a wildcard as to what comes next. Basically, I've written a bunch of stuff already that's to happen after this storyline is done with, but one of my main problems is lining everything up so it makes sense in the official timeline of this story. I'm almost certain that the first chapter after 'Chains of her Sorrows' is done is going to be a little one-shot I've written about what happened to our good ol' pals the Stabbingtons (that one's a little dark, so will have to see if it warrants being posted in the M-rated version).

3. Enough blabbing for me. My apologies for any spelling/grammar mistakes that fall through the final cut. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 33 - Questions and Answers

Type: Direct continuation of last chapter, part of the 'Chains of her Sorrows' storyline.

Description: Eugene and Rapunzel have recovered from their moment of intimacy and have a heart to heart discussion about one very important question.

The first intimate experience with each other that went far past the lengths of kissing had concluded, and Eugene now found himself in Rapunzel's bathroom as he threw himself in her shower to somehow rid himself of her scent and all the sweat and oils that had taken over his body after this truly remarkable night. He came into this expecting to find the love of his life in a broken mess, which she was, but by the end of it he came out of having experienced something truly magical, something he'd been thinking about for months…

And you bet that he's already counting down the minutes until they can share this experience with each other again.

There are other, far more important things on his mind, though. Eugene stepped out of the shower, carefully avoiding the now dry small pool and random specks of blood from earlier, and dried himself off as he slipped on his same undershirt and vest he wore when he came here. His palm, which had been slit during his little incursion he went on to get into her room, ached but the cut had been cleaned well by now and wouldn't provide any other cause of concern.

There was only one slight problem. He knocked over the bowl of warm water when he rushed himself up to Rapunzel, and let's just say his pants found their way onto the floor during their little fun, falling into the small puddle created by his very own doings.

The only way out of her room is through the front door. He could go for another free climb, but he very stupidly threw his arrows out, and it'd be almost impossible to get a grip on any of those bricks outside, even without the bitter cold and his fingers clamping up because of it. So, one way or another, he's going to either:

1. Wear one of Rapunzel's skirts

2. Open the door and greet them in his trousers

3 Put on the wet pants like a man and own up, say he slipped or something.

You can guess that he's leaning with number 3.

Eugene slipped on his pants, cringing at how wet they were, but it's not like he had many other options here. Like, come on.

He brushed his hair back with one of her obnoxiously large hair brushes until he was content with his appearance, and stepped out.

Rapunzel, during his shower, had moved to put on an actual dress, a casual, light blue colored one that she could still comfortably move in. She managed to pull on some leggings and socks, wearing a pair of her boots her mother recently gifted her for the upcoming cold and winter days. Ever since she dressed, she's been sitting down in her chair by the fire, happily humming to herself as she's stroked Pascal's little reptilian head.

She's not all that knowledgeable in the world of adult relationships and intimacy in general, but if that's how they always happen, if this is how she's always going to feel after being with Eugene like that...then she's counting down the days until she can convince him to go at it again!

Her eyes lit up when she saw him walk out of the bathroom, wearing those wet and dirty pants. She cringed at their sight and knew he was probably freezing in them. Eugene walked over to her and took the seat next to her and she snuggled up close to him, Pascal scurrying up to her shoulder during all this. She leaned her head onto his shoulder.

"I think it's time you see your parents," he said somberly, his tone surprising her. She could only nod in response as Eugene stood himself up and dusted his shirt off. He walked carefully over to the dresser and cleared his throat.

"Your majesties!"

He heard their sudden movements and footsteps. "Yes, Eugene?" It was the King speaking to him.

"She's ready to see you. I'm going to be moving this thing in just a few seconds. I don't know what preparations you want to go through, but I suggest you ready yourselves to-"

"Did she say yes? Did Rapunzel accept?" The Queen's voice echoed through the doorway and Eugene's eyes widened. He turned sharply to Rapunzel who sat there wide-eyed, too. Of course, the King and Queen suspected that during their time of intimacy, which they were hopefully completely and utterly unaware of because he's not sure he's ready yet to face the father of his love and tell him to his face that he touched his daughter in ways that would otherwise be considered sinful, that he was actually proposing.

"Eugene? Are you there? Did she say yes?"

He mouthed to Rapunzel, 'What do I say?' and she mouthed back, 'I don't know!'

"Son, is everything alright?" It was now the King's turn apparently to re-join the conversation. Because of course.

Eugene turned back to the door and yelled into it, "Yes! Everything's amazing! Perfect! Lovely! Wonder-"

"I'm assuming she said yes, then?"

Eugene's heart dropped and he lifted a finger, a broken creaking sound coming from his throat as he tried his gosh darn hardest to find the right words to say. Rapunzel during his proposal didn't say yes, nor did she say no either. She literally had a mental breakdown and couldn't answer him. "One moment! Your majesty, give us one moment!"

"This better be quick!" The King yelled.

Oh, Eugene knew he'd be in for a stern talking with his majesty for keeping him and his wife away from their daughter for practically an hour in the state she was in. He felt bad, thinking all the things they probably thought was going on when the glass shattered, when things went quiet...for goodness sake, if they were thinking the same things he was thinking, he can't even imagine how they held themselves together out there. He could barely hold himself together as he was in here with her.

He ran over to Rapunzel, took the seat next to her and held her hands in his own. "What are you going to say? What are we going to do?" she whispered to him frantically.

Eugene tsked his tongue and rolled his eyes all around, saying, "Well, you weren't lying to them when you said I was proposing. Though, I was of course not proposing in that very instance-"

"I know. You were on the verge of falling apart due to the magical spell I now conveniently can hold over you whenever I want." She bit her lip and winked at him.

This girl. This goddamn girl. What did I ever do to deserve her?

"Yes, and I'm in fear for my life. The horror. Anyhow, what I said earlier: that was it. That was my marriage proposal." And a mighty terrible one at that! Seriously, what was I thinking!? I was proposing to a Princess, for goodness sake! I couldn't do something more romantic-

Rapunzel brought her hand to her mouth, whispering with widened eyes, "What are we going to tell them? I didn't give you an answer, I didn't say-"

"Yes, I know. You didn't say yes. But you also didn't say no, not directly at-least." He shrugged his shoulders and sighed, looking up to her with pleading eyes. "I dunno. This whole thing is awkward. You want me to redo it? We can just make it something simple-"

"No, no no no, I don't want you to," Rapunzel shook her head with frantic movements.

"But it was such a lame excuse for a-"

Rapunzel brought her pointer finger to his lips, shushing him. "No. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard, Eugene. You opened your heart to me, and in return I…" Tears began to form in her eyes, and before she even had the time to cry, Eugene pulled her in close and held her head to his chest.

"Please, sunshine, don't cry. Please don't cry. It was my fault for popping the question when you were in such a vulnerable state, and I'm so... so sorry-"

"No apologies," she sniffled and laughed faintly, lifting her head. "I'm sick of hearing that word come from your mouth, and I'm sick of how it sounds coming from mine." Eugene looked down to her and saw that adorable smile rise up on her face, which was a tad wet now. He lifted his shirt up and she took it, wiping herself and all the sadness away from her skin.

"Okay," he replied with a nod of the head, "but your parents are expecting to hear whether or not you gave me an answer, and the specifics to that answer." He furrowed his eyebrows and watched as she rested the side of her cheek right under the opening of his shirt.

Rapunzel sighed in contentment and looked up to him. "You were serious."

"Hm?" Eugene lifted an eyebrow.

"All those things you said about me, how you care about me, how important I am to you, that I'm your everything," she counted off on her fingers each and every little thing he said to her back then during his first attempt at the proposal.

"Hey!" he interrupted and pointed at her, "You said I was your everything, too. Don't forget that."

"How could I?" She looked up to him lovingly.

"So," Eugene tugged at his shirt awkwardly, "what does this mean?"

Rapunzel tilted her head and rested her chin against his chest, looking up at him with a goofy smile on her face. "I think this means you still owe me a question, and that I still owe you an answer to such question."

Eugene bit his lip and nodded as Rapunzel backed away from him, leaning back to her seat. The two of them sat next to each other and he took both her hands in his, resting them in between where both their knees laid. He sighed, squeezed them ever so slightly, and opened his eyes and mouth, his throat creating a noise as his voice slowly came out-

"Are you ready?"

Eugene's eyebrows immediately furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"I asked if you're ready." Rapunzel stared at him with an expressionless face.

"Ready? Ready for what?"

"For when you officially become a Prince, silly." She chuckled quietly.

Eugene, after making sure he heard her right, suddenly felt as if the room had become very hot. Rapunzel was right. If she were to accept his proposal, then technically, he'd be a Prince. Actually, no. Prince Consort. But that wouldn't be until they're married-

You get the point.

He bit his lip in contemplation and looked down for a slight moment, mumbling, "I'm not sure."

"Hey," She retrieved her right hand from his grasp and brought it to his cheek, moving his head back so he looked at her on the same level. "Hey, bud. Look at me."

He looked at her with fearful eyes. She knew what he was probably thinking right now, because it's the exact same thing she's been thinking for the last 4 months of her life. She was practically thrown into this role of Princess, and she's held her own inner thoughts and demons to herself for a good portion of it all. She's gone to Eugene for help, but she's never truly explained to him just how fearful she still is even to this day. The work has been manageable, but the thought of one day ruling this wonderful Kingdom has plagued her mind since the beginning. "I know you're scared, afraid of what this new role may hold-"

"No, Blondie. I'm terrified. I feel my insides eating me up, I feel as if I'm slowly deteriorating away in this very instance."

Rapunzel's eyes widened in fear and she gasped. "Really! Oh my god, Eugene, I never knew-" And then the most evil, snarky grin rose up on his face. She playfully punched him, "You ruffian!"

"Sweetheart, I thought we confirmed months ago that I'm the furthest thing from a ruffian! I mean, have you seen these muscles? The tone of this body? By god, it's like I was a gift from the heavens!" Eugene flexed and showed off his muscles, eliciting giggles from his beloved. After a few seconds of calming silence, he collected himself and re-took both her hands in the palm of his lap.

"Okay. Seriously. I am a little worried, but I have nothing to fear if you don't say yes."

"Wait - wait," she shook her head, "does that mean you don't want me to say yes?"

Eugene's eyes widened and he shook his head frantically, "No! No, oh no, how did I-I'm not going to ask. Rapunzel, why would I be proposing to you if I wanted to be rejected?"

She shook her head, "I dunno."

"Exactly." He cleared his throat and took her hands in both of his own, again, looking down before raising his gaze to meet hers again. "I'm going to ask you now, though I need to tell you something in advance:" He held in a breath before exhaling deeply, "I don't have a ring," and he said his next words in a much quiet voice, "I never got the chance to buy one."

Rapunzel shook it off as if it was nothing. "I don't care."

He lifted his head, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Pardon?"

"Eugene," she laughed, "It's just a ring. I have tons of those."

He shook his head, "You do?"

"Yes, silly!" She laughed and watched as he awkwardly joined in along.

He calmly quieted down and re-collected himself after a few moments of shared laughter, straightening his gaze and wearing a serious face once more. Thankfully, he knew now for sure that the whole ring thing wouldn't be a burden, but he still felt like a complete and total idiot knowing that he went through so much crap in these past few months and it was all seemingly for nothing now.

Actually, no it wasn't. The docks work was, but the whole shenanigans with that safe and the orphanage: That worked out for the best. He's very happy they have that money now for the kids. Anyway, he opened his mouth to continue. "Okay. You ready?" He looked to her with hopeful eyes.

"Think so."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positively sure."

"Good. Because I'm going to ask you. Right now. Without waiting a second more."

She raised an eyebrow and pouted her lips. "I'm waiting."

"Yes, I see that." He cleared his throat and went to open his mouth, "Are you sure you're ready-"

"Yes! I'm ready!" Rapunzel giggled.

Eugene joined in her for a second, chuckling too. "Good. Just making sure," he paused before finally muttering "Rapunzel, will you-"

"Yes."

Eugene furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head, "Huh?"

"Yes."

"Yes what? Rapunzel, come on, let me ask the damn questio-"

"You don't need to. I just gave you my answer." She kept the straight face, staring at him.

His confused expression immediately melted off his face and his heart began to pace inside his chest. He suddenly felt a large warmth take him over and his breaths began to fasten. "Yo-your...your answer?" he squeaked out.

Rapunzel nodded and smiled ear to ear at him, but Eugene just kept shaking his head as he looked down to her lap. Finally, he chuckled and raised his head back up, croaking out, "You-you're not even going to let me ask?" he laughed.

"Well, you did ask earlier, and as you said, I never gave you an answer then. So I wanted to give you mine now." She kept her innocent smile, shining bright as the light from the fire reflected off her face. Eugene laughed and felt his eyes dampen with tears.

"Yo-you really mean it?"

"Yup!" She pulled him close for a hug and wrapped her hands around his neck, tucking her head into his shoulder. He just sat there completely taken aback, breathless until a sudden happiness and joy came upon him.

She said yes! Holy shi* she said yes!

"Rapunzel! Oh, Blondie!" He pulled back and placed both hands on her shoulders, crying tears of joy now as he stared at her beautiful face. Oh, how she's never looked more beautiful than right now! This is the face of the woman he loves, the woman he's going to spend the rest of his life with, sitting here with him, soon to be his…

Wife.

"Oh, oh I love you! I love you!" He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her so tightly, and she did the same. "I love you so much!"

"I love you, too!"

He snapped his eyes shut as he breathed in her scent, her lovely smell, her lovely touch...he's going to be waking up to this for hopefully the rest of his life! He's the luckiest man on planet Earth!

Eugene pulled back and saw that her cheeks were glistening from her own tears now, but he knew this time that they were not tears from pain or sadness; they were tears of joy, just like his.

They both managed to crack out a few laughs as they sat there, holding one another, lost deeply in both pairs of their eyes. Pascal, who'd been hiding during all this, crawled up her arm and perched himself onto her shoulder, not knowing of what just occurred between the two human creatures. Eugene turned to him and told the little guy with the widest and most open smile yet,

"Pascal!" His voice caused him to jump, and his eyes immediately darted to the giant figure. "I'm your new daddy!" He threw his arms around and about as Pascal's eyes widened. In mere seconds, the chameleon looked up to Rapunzel, frantically shaking his own head and inwardly hoping she'd understand his gestures that this man can absolutely not marry her, but to his disappointment she nodded to him with tears in her eyes, and he turned his gaze back to Eugene.

"Whatcha have to say, pal!?" He tilted his head ever so slightly to the side and smirked.

Pascal had no words. Instead his actions spoke for him. He collapsed backwards onto Rapunzel's shoulder, unable to take the shock and weight of the huge news that was just laid upon him.

Edit History (MM/DD/YY):

1. 6/21/20