AN: Sorry this took so long, but part of me didn't really want to write this because he thinks he's going te die and it's depressing. it's not fun to write, and neither will the next two chapters (because then he actually DOES die), but don't worry. I'm still going to finish this. :)

Over the Weather: Well, here you are! mentioned again. :) I'm trying to respond to every review personally, just to let you all know how much I really do appreciate you reading and reviewing...and well, caring about this story. It's amazing. Thank you!

Crystalicefire- Thank you. It wasn't easy to write, and so I'm glad it was both sad and suspenseful. YAY

Kaydee- Thanks! I called it Eugene vs. the Noose, but I like your suggestion too.

Delilahgirl- He is. He really is. He really REALLY is. Is it possible to write him so much and not love him? I don't think so, because I do. And I promise that I will never kill him, except in this story because I have to, just to keep the plot of the movie. Thank you for saying that you wish they'd put my scenes in the movie. That's so sweet. :) Oh, and I love your idea for the story, and I've actually written snippets of it just because I love the idea so much. I might write that story out for you, just because I LOVE the idea so much.

EmilySnow-I know! She's brilliant really, and while she's innocent, there's a huge difference between the too. i'm glad you liked the snippets :)

Much love to you readers!

FL6

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

Chapter 13-Eugene vs. the Noose

No life that breathes with human breath

Has ever truly long'd for death.

-Alfred Tennyson, The Two Voices

You know, I have to admit to you that you're a pretty smart listener. So I'm pretty sure you know what I'll tell you next:

Yes, you're right, I didn't want to die. Does that surprise you? Because it really shouldn't, considering that I told you in the last chapter that I didn't want to die. Does anyone ever want to die, especially if they were going to be executed? Of course not. But I really, really didn't want to die, considering I was madly in love with Rapunzel and wanted to be with her. A future with her was something that I had dreamed about that night, when I wasn't pacing, blaming, and berating myself. I wanted to get out of here and be with her, but more than that I wanted to save her from the Stabbingtons and be her hero. I didn't want to be hung that day, not then, not ever truth be told.

As much as I wanted to not die, I also knew I deserved this. I had stolen too much, lied to too many people to say that I didn't. Besides that, I had known the risks when I started a life of thievery- there was always the possibility of getting captured, and having something like this happen. When I had told Rapunzel about why I became Flynn Rider, I had felt like an idiot, but I felt like an even bigger one then- because the thing that I thought would make life better didn't. In fact, it had doomed me and cost me life. Isn't it ironic that the thing that I had thought might give me recognition proved to be the complete opposite? After I died, I would eventually be just one more thief who was stupid enough to get caught and executed.

Even though I knew I deserved this, I didn't want it. Death was something completely unknown and I wasn't thrilled about finding out what it was. I remembered that my mother had told me-as she lay dying- that she wasn't scared of death, because there was nothing in it to be afraid of. But she believed in God and heaven. I wasn't sure I believed in either. Well, I thought ruefully, I guess I'm about to find out. I wondered if death by hanging would be painful and if it would be better or worse than death by drowning. It did occur to me that this was the second near-death experience I'd had in the past three days, except I was a hundred percent sure the outcome would be different. And of course there was no Rapunzel here to save me, or her magic hair to heal me. This was an experience I'd have to face alone.

My mind always traveled back to Rapunzel, realizing as I walked to my doom, my hands cuffed behind me, that I would never see her again. Never hear her call me Eugene, never see her smile, never hear her laugh. I'd die without her knowing how I really felt about her. And I'd die without seeing her safe. I think that was the thing that tormented me the most, and maybe, just maybe, if I knew she was okay, it would be easier to do this.

It didn't help that I could feel Irwin's (and the rest of the guards') smugness. It was obvious to me that they couldn't wait to see the demise of their foe, Flynn Rider. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they broke out the beer after and had a toast all around .Well, except for Luke, that is. Somehow I doubted he would act like that. So at least there was one humane person here.

But that didn't mean he'd be completely sad. Once I was dead, only one person might grieve, and that was if she didn't completely hate me for what I had "did" and the Stabbingtons had somehow told her.

Speaking of the Stabbingtons, I glanced around and caught a glimpse of them in the cells. And I grew a little angry then. Okay, fine. I didn't get a little angry, I got really angry. Happy now? But can you blame me? They were going to turn Rapunzel into some healing slave! Was there any way I wouldn't be angry about that? Anyway, I was so overcome with rage at them for what they did, that I shoved the two guards (and felt slight bit of pleasure at shoving Irwin) and jumped so my cuffs were now in front of me.

Then I grabbed Thor by his collar and pulled him toward me. Remember how I told you that you don't want to see me mad? Because it's not pretty? Ahem. Exhibit A. "How did you know about her?" I demanded angrily. His eyes widened, as if he thought I'd hit him or something (though that was pretty much impossible with the cuffs). I think that had been the first- and only- time I had actually seen Thor scared. (AN: I just have to interject something here- that if Eugene looked at me the way he looks at Thor, I'd be pretty freakin' scared too. I've seen the screencap of this part, and boy that is one fierce looking face. Anyway. Carry on). That should let you know how intimidating I can be when I'm irrevocably furious about something. "Tell me now!"

"It wasn't us," he finally managed to say. "It was the old lady."

"Old lady…" I repeated dumbly. Old lady? What old lady? Oh, no, no, no, no….the only person besides me who knew about Rapunzel's hair….was her mother. And if her mother had told the Stabbingtons, then she couldn't be who Rapunzel thought she was. She must be up to something…something bad. No real mother would ever do that to her daughter. The guards started to drag me away, but I fought them with everything in me. "No, wait. Wait!" I pulled away from them again. "You don't understand. She's in trouble! Wait!"

Previously I had walked…fairly docilely to my fate (not that I was happy about it, mind you. How could I be?), but now I fought them ever step of the way. They practically had to drag me down the hall. As they pushed me down the hallway (still unwillingly, but really there's only so much fighting I could do with handcuffs on), I caught a glimpse of the gallows through one of the windows, and I knew deep down that this was for real. They were really going to hang me, and there would be no escape for me, no chance to help Rapunzel. I'm sorry, Rapunzel, I thought. I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry I'm going to die without telling you how I feel about you, without rescuing you…..

As we walked down the hall-okay, as they shoved me down the hall, I saw something in one of the alcoves. Was that…was that a tiny unicorn? The only time I had seen a unicorn like that was at the Snuggly Duckling. Suddenly the door in front of us slammed shut, followed by the ones behind us. What?

It was clear that Irwin, Other Guard, and the Captain were as bewildered as I was. Though a tiny, tiny speck of hope was rising in me. Was it possible that somebody was trying to help me?

"What's this? Open up!" the Captain demanded, banging on the door.

The window opened and I could see the tiny man from the Snuggly Duckling. "What's the password?" he asked blithely.

The Captain looked incredulous. "What?"

He laughed a little."Nope."

"Open this door!" he commanded.

"Not even close," he said.

"You have three seconds," the Captain informed him. I just want to point out something about the Captain- that he is not a patient man. I can begrudgingly say that he is a capable Captain, but he was not patient. Three seconds? Really? "One..."

While he was counting, a hook took Other Guard away. Then somebody grabbed Irwin. I couldn't say that I was too sad about that. "Two…"

The Captain turned around, because of course he wondered what had happened to his merry men. "Three…" I gave him my best innocent look, like I had no part in planning this- which I didn't. Then another thug smacked him on the back of the head with a frying pan and he slumped to the floor.

Boy, Rapunzel sure was right about those things. They were one of the best inventions ever. If I got out of this alive, the first thing I was going to do was buy one of them. "Frying pans! Who knew, right?"

I heard a crack behind us and saw that the door was being smashed open by more guards. I immediately started to run, where I was running I didn't really know. But one of my thief rules was when in doubt, run. So I followed the thug wherever he was going and somehow he got the cuffs off me at the same time. Pretty amazing, don't you think?

Eventually we reached the courtyard which you would think would have been a good thing. But it wasn't because an innumerable number of armed guards were heading straight for me. I stood there, dumbly, with wide eyes. The moment I saw all those guards, I have to admit to you that my first thought was oh, followed by something else. And I'll give you a hint- it wasn't dearie me. My second thought was I could have twenty frying pans and it wouldn't even make a dent. Well, that's it, I thought. I'm dead, and it just depends on which way I'll die: run through by one of their spears, run through by one their swords, dragged over to the gallows and then run through by one of their spears or swords. So many ways to have a gruesome death, so little time….

Hook-Hand Thug picked me up and moved me over. "Head down," he commanded.

Immediately I knew that he had a plan and if I was smart I'd do as he said. "Head down," I repeated, and brought my head down.

"Arms in," he said.

"Arms in." I brought my arms in.

"Knees apart," he said.

"Knees apart," I said. Wait, what? "Knees apart?" I asked him in surprise. You might find my questioning kind of silly considering that he was trying to help me, and without him, I'd probably be dead. But still. That was weird. What was up with the knees apart? "Why…why do I need to keep my knees apart?"

I had barely finished the question before I started to fly through the air. With the most amazing and astonishing composure, I then proceeded to…scream my head off. "AHHHHHHHH!"

While I soared through the air I managed to do some kind of flip, a really good flip. Actually, it's too bad that I never dreamed of being an acrobat, because that was one amazingly perfect flip in the air that I did. But of course I wasn't thinking that at the time. What I was thinking was that instead of being hung and die or and run through by a sword and die, I was going to slam into some wall and die. I shut my eyes because if I was going to smash into something, I didn't want to see my perfect nose or the rest of me break or become black and blue.

But instead of crashing into something, I seemed to suddenly sit on something. I cracked one open, then the other. I took inventory of myself and nothing appeared to be broken or bleeding, but that could be because I had somehow smacked my head really hard and I was hallucinating. Again. Maybe if I got out of this alive I should check into some kind of psych ward for people who had slammed their heads against something one too many times and become insane.

The thing beneath me moved and then nickered. I soon realized that I was sitting on a horse, Max in particular, and I was supposed to have sat on him. which could only mean that Max was part of the scheme to help me. Somehow he must have known what happened to me, and gone for help. "Max!" I said. "You brought them here?" I couldn't believe it. I thought he hated me.

Max nodded slightly. "Thank you," I said and I really meant it. Max had pretty much saved my life. Max gave me a look that seemed to say let's go, but I ignored it because I was so grateful. "No, really, thank you." Since he had done something so nice, I felt like I should apologize or some other such platitude. "Uh…I feel this whole time we've been misunderstanding each other and we're really just….."

Max just looked at me. Are you seriously going to talk about that now, when the guards are still after you? "You're right," I said. "We should go." I nudged my heels into his sides, and he ran off. Really, it wasn't a moment too soon because guards started to shoot arrows at us and guards from another part of the castle began to chase us. Max proceeded to canter right to the edge of the castle, but I thought he was insane. Didn't he know that we'd die that way? "Max…." He kept running. "Max!" I don't know why Max didn't listen to me, because I'm very persuasive, but he just didn't isten to me. He jumped right off the castle. "MAX!"

For the second time that day, I soared through the air and for the second time I screamed my head off. "AHHHHHH!" Max landed on a house, slid down it, and suddenly we were cantering through the streets of Caermoor, with many incredulous people staring at us.

But I didn't care. I was out of prison, and the only thing that now separated me from Rapunzel was miles. I nudged my heels into Max's sides again. "Okay, Max," I said. "Let's see how fast you can run." He immediately sped up, as if he knew how important this was (which of course he did. He liked Rapunzel).

I guided Max in the direction of the tower, because there was no question in my mind that it was where she would go first.

The only question was….would I be too late to help her?