A/N: As promised, here's another chapter. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!

Chapter 4

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Eugene took a moment to lean on his shovel. He was in the public stables, cleaning, as was his job. While it smelled horrible and was hard work, it was a job he took seriously because it was decent pay and he couldn't get a job anywhere else where people might recognize him.

Sighing, he continued his shovelling until his boss wandered into the stables. "Morning, Mr. Fitzherbert," he greeted him, inspecting the tacks on the wall.

"Morning," Eugene replied, shovelling around his boss.

"It was a curious thing, Fitzherbert. This morning some royal guards came around asking about a Flynn Rider." His boss never looked at him, but continued to inspect the saddles hanging on the walls.

Eugene almost dropped his shovel. He felt the familiar feel of adrenaline begin to pump through his veins as the fight or flight feeling took over. He began thinking of escape routes while his hands twitched, looking for something that could protect him if he needed it.

Looking back again at his boss who still wasn't looking at him, Eugene forced himself to calm down. He had to act natural so that he could sneak out. He didn't want to fight his boss or give himself away. So far there was no accusation in his voice. He cleared his throat and said, as nonchalantly as he could, "Really?"

"Yeah. They're gone now, but I said I'd never seen the guy in my life. But if I were him," he continued, walking to the other side of the stable, his back still to Eugene, "I'd beat the hell out of here."

Blood pounding in his ears, Eugene finally found his voice again. "Right." He wasn't an idiot; he could see the door the man was holding open for him and he wasn't going to ignore it. He swallowed, licked his dry lips, and said again, "right. Well…thank you. Um, good day." He quickly made his way to the doors, his urge to run nearly overpowering all other thought processes.

He was just at the doorway when his boss called out again. "Oh, Fitzherbert?"

Eugene gulped and turned back to see the man was finally looking him in the eye, but there was no emotion on his face. "Yeah, boss?" he asked nervously.

His boss tossed him a small leather bag that rattled when Eugene reflexively caught it. "This week's pay. But I don't want to see you around here again, got that?"

Eugene nodded. "Yes sir. Good day."

"Good day, Fitzherbert."

Then Eugene turned around and ran all the way home.

Rapunzel and Susan sat at their usual table in the market, chatting with each other and the people who visited. It was another beautiful day with the sun high in the sky and not a cloud in sight. This brought people outside and to the market, bringing in some extra coins for Rapunzel and Susan.

The sudden clip clopping of hooves made Rapunzel look up and squeal with excitement. "Maximus?" she cried.

The white horse turned her way and whinnied with happiness. He trotted over, nearly pulling the guard holding his reins to the floor.

She dashed around the table to pet her friend. "Max! How are you?" she scratched his head and he nuzzled her face.

The guard cleared his throat. "I'm sorry miss, I –"

Rapunzel smiled at him. "Oh, it's alright! Max is a friend of mine. We haven't seen each other in a while since we parted ways." She took one of the apples from the table and held it out for him.

The guard, obviously young and inexperienced, didn't know what to do. He shifted on his feet, glancing nervously around.

Meanwhile, Max looked past Rapunzel, as if looking around for someone. Rapunzel giggled, realizing he was probably searching for Eugene. "Don't worry about Eugene, Max. He's alright." He snorted, conveying how he wasn't so much worried about Eugene's health as his previous exploits. Rapunzel lifted her left hand, wiggling her fingers so that the light caught the diamond, making it sparkle. "Look, Max! We got married! Isn't that wonderful?"

The majestic horse neighed and snuffled her face, happy for her. It didn't mean that he liked the thief now, but he liked Rapunzel and she was happy.

The guard finally found the courage and strength to lead Maximus away, politely excusing himself.