A/N: Thanks to everyone who's left a review, or reading and following, or favourited! Things start to come to a head in this chapter. It's longer than the others, so I hope that makes up for my absence. As always, enjoy!

Chapter 14

Eugene, sweat dripping from his face, was pounding out the length of steel into a sword when they found him.

He put up a spectacular sword fight, but was bested in the end. He swore he would have won had he had a frying pan.

He wanted to know how they'd found him. He'd been working in the blacksmith's shop in town, as the older man's apprentice. He thought it was perfect because no one cared about the apprentice and he stayed in the back with the fire and tools. But it seemed someone had figured out who he was.

The real kicker was that he hadn't stolen anything in almost two years. Not since just after Jacques was born.

As the guards frog-marched him into his cell and shut the door behind him with a clang, he wasn't worried about what was going to happen to him. Instead, he fretted over what would happen to his wife and son.

Rapunzel was outside in the courtyard, painting with the queen, when she heard the news.

Lately, the queen had asked Rapunzel for lessons. Rapunzel had just about painted everything there was to paint in the castle and kingdom, and Marie had finally inquired about lessons. She didn't want to see the girl go, and Rapunzel enjoyed their days so much that she felt the same way. So, Marie prolonged it by having Rapunzel teach her to paint.

It began as simple strokes and how to mix colours and how to judge and paint distances, and over the last two years the queen had gotten very talented. Now, the two women took to just painting whatever took their fancy and chatting amiably.

Rapunzel was just laughing at some remark the queen had made when she heard strains of conversation floating on the breeze from two passing servants. She didn't ordinarily listen to the idle gossip of the ladies, but one word in particular caught her attention: Flynn.

She stared at them, her body freezing. Then she was flying out of her seat, knocking several of her paints over as she did so. Ignoring the queen's startled cry, she dashed over to the girls, who watched her apprehensively.

"What did you say?" she asked breathlessly, her heart hammering in her chest. She felt dread begin to build in her heart. The girls looked at her curiously. "I heard you! What did you say about Flynn?" She demanded.

They looked startled, shooting each other glances. "Didn't you hear?" One spoke up. "The kingdom thief, Flynn Rider? They arrested him this morning."

Before she knew what was happening, Rapunzel was flying towards the dungeons. She vaguely heard the queen calling after her, but there was blood pounding in her head and all she could hear was the pounding of her heart and the voice in her head whispering 'no no no no no no'.

Within seconds she was at the entrance to the dungeons. A pair of guards blocked her path. But she was a woman with a mission and there was no way they were not letting her through.

"Let me pass!" she demanded, hands flying to her hips. Even with her short stature, she was a power to behold when she was angry.

The guards regarded her with an amused expression. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but we cannot let you through."

"But my husband's in there! You have to let me speak with my husband!"

"I'm sorry, but we can't – "

"Let her through," interrupted a calm and regal voice.

The three turned to see the queen striding in, her chin held high and her voice demanding action. The guards saluted and let the two women pass.

Once in, Rapunzel ran down the length of the hallway, tearfully crying out, "Eugene! Eugene!"

"Rapunzel?" a startled voice called out from a few feet ahead. Two hands gripped the bars of the cell, but the face was hidden in shadow.

Rapunzel skidded to a stop in front of the cell, tears streaming down her face. "Eugene! Oh, Eugene!" she cried, attempting to throw herself at him. She stuck her arms through the bars and grasped his face in her hands.

He did the same, wiping the tears on her cheeks. "Shh, shh," he consoled as he brought her face to the bars, planting a small kiss on her lips. "Rapunzel, darling, it's alright."

She gulped back her tears and ran her hands through his hair. "What happened?" she whispered.

Eugene looked down. "I was working. I didn't…"

She shushed him. "I know you weren't." She attempted a smile, but fresh tears poured from her eyes. "Oh, Eugene," she sobbed. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll get through this, Rapunzel, I promise you."

The empty promise settled like lead in her gut. "How can you say that?" she whispered harshly. "Eugene, you were almost hung the last time! You can't tempt that sort of fate twice!"

"Rapunzel," he said seriously, gripping her face so that she looked into his eyes. "Listen to me. You and Jacques are going to be fine, okay? We've been saving money. You've been making good money here. Philip and Susan will look after the both of you, okay?"

"Stop, don't say that!" she cried again. "You can't leave me!" All her fears and her nightmares were pouring to the forefront, rushing in like a dam, and she felt like she was drowning. It was really going to happen. They were going to take her husband, the love of her life, away from her and away from their son.

Eugene grappled with the right words to say. The problem was, there were no right words to say. What could he say?

He was spared from the dilemma when Queen Marie approached Rapunzel from behind. She had been silently observing the exchange from a distance, but now she stepped forward. Her heart too, was breaking.

"Rapunzel, dear," she said gently, laying a hand on her shaking shoulder. "The guards are asking that we leave now. Please, come along."

"No," she wailed, clutching Eugene tighter.

"Rapunzel," Eugene insisted, "Listen to her. You can't stay here. I'm not going anywhere, alright?" He searched her eyes, waiting for her nod. He looked over her head and met the eyes of the queen. "Please make sure she gets home safely, Your Majesty," he beseeched her.

The queen nodded. "I will prepare a room for her here."

"Thank you," Eugene said gratefully. "And our son is staying with friends. Philip and Susan Stone. If someone could alert them that Rapunzel is here…" he let his sentence hang, gulping back the words nervously.

The queen, however, understood his message. "Of course. I will send a guard over there right away." She glanced at him once more before attempting to usher Rapunzel along.

Eugene reached out a hand and grasped his wife's hand. "I love you," he said.

She smiled through the tears. "I love you too."

Susan thanked all the stars that Jacques was playing in the other room when the guard came to the door to tell them that Rider was in prison, and that Rapunzel was staying at the palace. He said that Rapunzel requested they watch her son for a little while longer.

Susan loved the little boy to death and had agreed to watch him for Rapunzel in a heartbeat. Philip loved the boy too, and enjoyed playing with him.

Philip stumbled towards the couch when the guard had left, looking shocked. "Eugene – he – Flynn Rider?" He cried in disbelief.

Susan would have rolled her eyes at his naivety had the situation not been so dire. Her stomach turned with the complications.

Eugene would surely be hung for his past life. And Rapunzel would surely fall apart. Jacques would be without not only a father, but a mother as well.

Jacques chose that moment to walk into the room, eyes wide and fearful. Susan wondered if he'd heard the conversation after all.

The boy's green eyes were wide, and his features, so much like his father's, were pinched in discomfort. "Auntie Susie?" he called.

Susan immediately scooped the boy up and held him close in her arms. His small arms snaked around her neck and he looked up into her face. "Where's mama? And papa? Where they go?"

She thought her heart would break. "Well, love, mama and papa have a few things they need to do, okay? So you're going to stay here with me and Uncle Philip for the night, alright?"

He seemed to take that as an appropriate answer, and laid his head on her chest.

Susan closed her eyes and let a single tear fall down her cheek.