A/N: Huge thank you to KathyMesser for your reviews! I always look forward to them! 3

Chapter 26

Eugene doesn't sleep.

He can't, not with Rapunzel in the state that she's in. He isn't going to rest until he knows that she's okay again, even if that means staying up all night by her side until she wakes up.

Lance hasn't come back into the bedroom since he left. He must be with Varian right now, or somewhere else off on his own, in this maze of a lab, but Eugene doesn't much mind. If anything, he wants to be alone with her. Just for a little bit.

This entire night has been a whirlwind of emotions, running for their lives and moving from place to place. Even though the situation is still dire, it feels like things are finally starting to calm down. At least a little bit.

They've all had some time to digest what's happened, and so now, all Eugene can do is wait. Wait for Varian to figure out some sort of plan on how to make her better.

The rain has stopped completely. It's the middle of the night. The entire building is silent, leaving Eugene alone with his thoughts.

He's sitting on the edge of the mattress, next to Rapunzel's sleeping figure who hasn't moved in at least two hours.

The candle on the bedside table has almost melted completely, but the ceiling lantern provides enough light in the dark room, flickering and casting shadows along the walls.

Rapunzel's breathing is steady, her chest slowly rising and falling. It brings Eugene peace of mind. But she's still pale, and her skin is hot to the touch.

He leans forward, gently pressing a damp cloth to her forehead. If he can't do anything to help with her memories, hopefully he can at least lower her body temperature. It'll help with the fever.

She doesn't react to his touch, confirming that she is fast asleep. He dabs it on her face again, letting the cold water soak into her skin.

He does it with all the care and delicacy in the world, as if tending to a wounded child. Like he's afraid moving too abruptly may startle her awake.

Rapunzel's hair is disheveled, her face is dirty, and her skin is glistening with a thin coat of sweat. Despite all of that, she looks peaceful. Maybe it's because Eugene had just gone so long without seeing her, but even when she's sick, her beauty still manages to take his breath away. She's as beautiful as the day he first met her, all those years ago.

So much has happened in the past few days. He'd almost lost her tonight. He'd lost himself. Seeing Rapunzel here in front of him now, alive and safe, it makes his heart burst with love for her.

And now they're going to have a baby. Together. The thought of it alone is terrifying and exciting all at once.

He isn't sure whether Donovan had been telling the truth about the pregnancy. He might've made it up solely to bait Eugene, in whatever sick, twisted world he lives in. Because how would Donovan have known? Does Rapunzel even know? If she ever did, she may not remember.

Eugene isn't sure. Even though Donovan is the last person Eugene would trust, a part of him hopes that he was telling the truth.

Eugene had never imagined he'd be a father one day. It isn't something he ever thought about. He's always been alone. The family life wasn't for him. Settling down was never an option, constantly being on the run, fighting to survive. He'd thought that's all his life would ever be.

But that was before he met Rapunzel. Somehow, this beautiful, amazing woman in front of him has turned his entire world upside down.

And now, the idea of raising a family with her is like a dream come true. Even though it terrifies him, and he has no idea how to raise a kid, he wouldn't want it any other way.

And to think that Donovan was going to take all of that away by pretending that Rapunzel's baby was his own. It makes Eugene sick to his stomach all over again.

As much as Donovan had planned out an entire future with Rapunzel, it's clear where his priorities lie. He'd abandoned her back on that ship. He must have locked her in that cabin below deck, only to run away like some coward as soon as he realized the ship was sinking.

When it comes down to it, Donovan really only cares only about himself, and saving his own skin. The thought of Rapunzel and their unborn child forever being in the hands of a man like that is just a nightmare that Eugene doesn't even want to think about.

But as he sits here now, dabbing a cloth to Rapunzel's forehead and admiring her peaceful, sleeping figure, Eugene swears he is going to protect his family until the day he dies, in a way that Donovan never could.

As he finds himself lost in thought, he notices Rapunzel stirring beneath him.

Her eyebrows twitch. Her eyelashes flicker softly. Slowly, she begins to wake, hazy and disoriented.

Eugene freezes as he watches her, completely awestruck. He almost smiles out of relief, finally seeing her conscious again after so long. But he's so taken aback by it that he isn't sure anymore whether his eyes are deceiving him.

Rapunzel's gaze shifts around, attempting to figure out where she is. Her blurry vision gradually becomes clear again.

Then she focuses on Eugene leaning over her, whose arm is still extended toward her and touching her forehead.

After a moment, her eyes widen in horror.

She jerks to a sitting position, scrambling to back away. A terrified whimper escapes her throat. Her arm swings toward him defensively.

Eugene catches her wrist, stopping her. "Hey, hey, hey, you're okay," he assures frantically, realizing that he scared her.

She's so disoriented that she doesn't remember this same man saving her life on that ship, or the fact that he had cried at her bedside, telling her he loved her when she'd been in and out of consciousness.

His gentle voice does nothing to calm her down. If anything, it only makes Rapunzel more afraid. Because all she sees is him – Donovan. That man that had leaned over her in a similar way, when she had been barely awake, laying helpless beneath him, much like she is now.

She hears his voice still – that gentle, deceiving, haunting voice that had lied to her countless times. She sees his face in Eugene's, feels the hard bed beneath her as she had that day. She feels the coldness, smells the damp, foul air of the cellar. The same one she'd been trapped in for who knows how many nights. This room doesn't look much different than that one. This is all too familiar to her.

And so Rapunzel only continues fighting against Eugene's hold until she's screaming at him in a panic.

He releases her arm. He sputters out soothing words that do nothing to calm her down. She just continues to scream and thrash about in fear until the door to the bedroom suddenly bursts open.

Lance and Varian rush inside.

Eugene stumbles to his feet at the same time, backing away from the bed and unsure what else to do.

Rapunzel's screams turn into wailing sobs as Lance steps in front of Eugene. Lance gently urges him away, muttering something about giving her space, but Eugene is still too focused on Rapunzel that he doesn't even hear what is being said to him.

All he does is stare at her over Lance's shoulder, feeling completely useless.

Varian is already by her side. He's kneeling next to the bed, both him and Lance blocking Eugene's view of her.

Varian mumbles something to Rapunzel, comfortingly. His voice is quiet and gentle. Eugene can't quite make out the words.

Suddenly, Rapunzel stops screaming. She's only whimpering now, breathing heavily and sniffling until her voice goes completely quiet.

Being the youngest and the smallest out of the three men, Varian does appear to be the least threatening one out of all of them. Eugene thinks maybe that's the reason Varian was able to calm her down and not him.

Then Eugene sees the needle in Varian's gloved hand, and Rapunzel's arm held in the other.

Just like that, the room is completely silent again.

After a few moments, Varian withdraws the syringe from her forearm. He holds her by the shoulders, slowly lowering her back down onto the mattress. He rises to a stand again, stepping away from the bedframe.

When he does, Eugene can see Rapunzel clearly again. Her eyes are closed now. She's laying soundlessly on her back, just like she had been before.

Varian releases a breath, though he's still a little shaken up as he turns to face Lance and Eugene. "I've sedated her for now. It's probably best she stays that way."

But that does little to ease Eugene's mind. He stressfully runs a hand through his hair, wishing there was something else he could do to help Rapunzel.

Lance exhales too, a sense of relief washing over the room now that that's over. He looks to Varian, his eyes pleading, "Is there anything you can do?"

As Eugene paces back and forth at the opposite end of the room, he finds himself on the verge of tears. Solely because of how frustrating all of this is.

He should be the one that calms Rapunzel down. That's his job, nobody else's. But clearly, she's still afraid of him. Even after he saved her life. After everything he had done to make sure that she didn't feel that way. After he had convinced himself that he didn't have to worry about that anymore. Clearly, him being here is only making things worse, when all he's trying to do is help.

Of course, Eugene understands that she's only frightened. She doesn't remember anyone. How can he expect her to trust him? But it hurts Eugene all the same, having the love of his life look at him like he's some kind of… monster.

A monster like Donovan.

This is hopeless. Eugene isn't sure how much longer he can do this.

"I wasn't able to find much," explains Varian. "But I—I can try. I'll have to do some tests on her. I just need time. And space."

"Just—be careful," advises Lance.

"I'm not gonna hurt her, or the baby," assures Varian.

They both turn their heads when Eugene suddenly storms out of the room.

The noise of him pushing the door open startles them both, snapping them out of their conversation. It slowly swings closed afterwards, the hinges creaking. The door echoes loudly as it falls shut again.

Lance and Varian look to each other uneasily, finding themselves left alone in silence.