Eugene hated this. Why would they make the money card look exactly like the prove-you-exist card? It's not like the coffee was good enough to cost money anyway. It was practically dirt water!

" Yeah, do you think you could spot me on this one Dawn?" Eugene said, keeping his eyes to the floor. She gave him a good natured grin and handed over a bit of cash. Why did this world switch over from gold? It was perfectly acceptable! " Thanks for that blondie."

She responded the same way she did the first time he called her that, by looking to the side and touching her hair. He almost let himself hope it was a sign she remembered something. Before he could let himself go wild with the idea, she spoke.

" Actually, I dye my hair blond. It's brown normally."

"Ah." was all he could say. What he wanted to say was that it made sense her hair was brown after he cut her magical golden hair off. That wasn't really an option, so he went with the non-response. Luckily, she filled the void.

" What do you do for a living anyway?" Shoot. His official cover story was shaky at best.

" I'm an entrepreneur." Oh how quickly her face fell. In this world that must have been code for bum. She shot a few more questions his way. Did he have any pets? No. Why did he come to Storybrooke? Looked like a nice place. Was he always so impossibly dull? Not really, but under the circumstances it was understandable. The date was floundering. How was it possible to fail a date with your wife? He had to do something, fast.

" Do you paint?" Before she even opened her mouth he knew the answer. Her face lit up with all the enthusiasm of the sun bringing in the dawn.

" Do you?" All of the sudden she went from a middle aged woman to a five year old meeting a new friend. No doubt Eugene felt the same at the moment.

"Well no, but I thought you might." Luckily, she was too caught up her excitement to notice the weakness of the excuse.

" Yes! Oh, I've loved it since I was a kid. My mom yelled at me so much for drawing on the walls. I've gotten art stuff for every birthday since I was four."

Just like that, the conversation was reignited, revived from the dead. Her words took him through years of artistic endeavors, idols of painting that brought tears to her eye, and techniques that brought her art to new heights. Even after the coffee was long gone, she was still talking.

" My old art teacher said I should try to stick to one style so I could perfect it." She had just finished talking about the different types of paint brushes (which was a subject Eugene didn't exactly have a degree in).

" Do you?"

She shook her head. " No. I tried for a while, but it didn't work out. Everyone has a way of expressing themselves, and it's a shame not to try them all."

All the time Eugene spent getting to Storybrooke, one question stood out in his mind. Was this girl that he was meeting really his Rapunzel? All of her memories, experiences, her entire life was a fabrication. Could she really be real? All those questions stayed in a corner of his mind, getting smaller each time she smiled one of her trademarked smiles.

Still, he couldn't get too cocky. If he guessed correctly too many times she'd think he was a stalker ( the argument wasn't completely false). Eugene had been on enough failed dates to realize that trying to make someone fall in love with you never worked. So, his current plan was to wing it and be ready for damage control. Just like that, his confidence slipped from his clutches.

By now they were on the promised tour ( a welcome distraction). The place was pretty nice, as towns went. The only thing that really caught his eye was the variety of short people that seemed to be every which way. That and Regina was still watching them from afar. Yes, his little show of strength hadn't dettered her.

" Ice cream?"

"Hmm?" Eugene looked up to see Rapunzel holding out.. something. It was cold, circle-like, it was colorful. Apparently it was called ice cream. Not wanting to seem suspicious, he took it.

Oh how glad he was that he took it.

Oh how glad he was that he had found her.

And he was never letting go again.