Chapter 7: Holding On

So, I always tell myself I will update sooner and life always seems to get in the way. Anyway I want to thank everyone who has left a review for this story, reading your lovely comments is what keeps my inspiration flowing and believe me when I say this story wouldn't be anywhere near where it is without your encouragement, so a huge thank you to those who left a lovely review last time.

Well... this chapter was getting way too long and I had to cut it in half, which is not what I had planned but I think it works. Also this chapter is written entirely in Flynn/Eugene's POV, since I considered it is a very important part of his character development within this story. Hope you don't mind.

Anyway, happy reading!

A dangerous plan, just this time

A stranger's hand clutched in mine

I'll take this chance, so call me blind

I've been waiting all my life

Please don't scar this young heart

Just take my hand

~ I Was Made For Loving You

Chaos reigned all around the ship and the frantic shouts of the crew coupled with the relentless waves crashing in the ocean below them were deafening, yet all Flynn could hear was his own heart beating erratically against his chest, blood rushing in his ears. Fear wasn't a stranger to him, but as he watched helplessly the black sails fast approaching their vessel he had to admit that he had not felt such an impending sense of doom in a long time.

Perhaps it was the feeling of being absolutely trapped that was making him quite breathless, he hated the fact that he did not have any easy escape routes available, stranded as they were in the middle of the open sea. He was always ready for the run, ready to escape whenever possible, but this situation had taken him completely by surprise and not having an established plan was making him even more anxious. He knew they needed to escape as soon as possible, pirate attacks were swift and deadly, and their time was running out.

"We need to get off this ship right now." He gripped Rapunzel's arm firmly and tugged, urging her to move forward as his eyes frantically searched for the safest way out. He was definitely coming up short.

"How exactly are we going to do that?" Rapunzel replied with a hint of hesitation. She seemed disoriented and bewildered and he tried not to let his irritation with the situation get the better of him. His eyes landed on the far corner of the deck, where a distinctive wooden bulge stood out like a sore thumb.

"The rowboats." Flynn could feel determination set firmly within him as he led Rapunzel towards the rowboats stacked along the corner of the main deck. He bit back an irritated growl as he felt Rapunzel stiffening against his tight grip.

"If I'm not mistaken, those are for the crew in case of emergency." She pointed out as she slowed her pace, much to his annoyance.

"And if I'm not mistaken, we are part of the crew and this very much qualifies as an emergency." He snapped back, not too keen on wasting any more time than absolutely necessary. Rapunzel dug the back of her heels against the floor, halting and refusing to move any further. Flynn rolled his eyes. "Would you move already?"

"If we take one of the boats there will not be enough for the rest of them." She tried to reason with him, but Flynn had absolutely no time for her sympathy or her compassion. One of the rowboats could be their salvation and they could either take the chance right now or sink to the bottom of the ocean along with the ship, as Flynn was quite certain would be the vessel's destiny.

But Rapunzel was not easy to dissuade and she wouldn't budge despite his insistent tugging. "We cannot leave them behind, Flynn!"

"Blondie," he let out an exasperated sigh. "Have you ever heard that a good captain always goes down with the ship?" She gave him a blank look and he wasn't sure why he felt the need to elaborate instead of forcefully dragging her to the rowboats and make their escape even if it was against her will.

"The crewmen aren't going to escape without a fight, they will not lose their precious cargo and just leave the ship behind. They will stay and defend what's theirs." Flynn insisted, trying to push her forward even more urgently than before. "If these men are lucky they will be killed instantly, a better option than to be taken hostage if you ask me."

Flynn may not have been a seasoned sailor but he had read enough tales to know what the crimson flag waving along with the black sails meant. The pirates would grant no mercy, and it seemed like Rapunzel was just not grasping the urgency of the situation. His grip on her arm tightened.

"Listen, whatever gruesome fate they might face is nothing compared to what would happen to you if they find you in here." He could hear the desperate edge in his own voice and he shuddered to think what would happen if the pirates only knew there was a woman aboard the ship they were about to attack. Killing Rapunzel would be a better kindness than letting her live long enough to be found by the deadly sailors in that case. He'd heard enough stories to know that no good fate could befall a woman whose village or ship was attacked by pirates.

Rapunzel still seemed hesitant, and he gripped her shoulders firmly with both hands, his eyes boring into hers as if pleading with her to make a move. "Murder and rape are not above them, Blondie. You have to leave the ship, now."

That finally snapped her out of her dazed state, as if she was just realizing the dire situation they were currently facing. A flicker of fear crossed her eyes before determination set in. She clutched his hand in her own. "You're coming with me, though."

It was a statement more than a question and Flynn fought the urge to snort. As if he had ever had an option.

"Of course I'm coming with you, I'm not looking forward to getting killed by pirates!" He tried to lead her again toward the boats but once more, Rapunzel had other plans.

"Wait, Pascal!" No sooner had the words left her mouth than she was dragging him back to the opposite side of the deck and, regrettably, away from their safest route of escape.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Flynn groaned, quite certain that this woman would eventually be the dead of him. Not today, though. If he was going to die, it would not be because of a pet lizard.

"Nope, no. We are going to the boats right now! I'm sorry about Pascal, he was a good pet and I'm sure we're going to miss him but there's no more time left." He started towards the opposite side of the deck once more, not leaving room for discussion.

He might as well have told Rapunzel that he had personally murdered her frog. Her bright eyes flared at his words, lips pursed and cheeks turning an alarming shade of crimson. He knew then, even before she spoke, that nothing he said would turn Rapunzel around.

"I am not leaving without Pascal!" She stomped even more determinedly towards the other direction, his hand still firmly clutched in her own in an almost bruising grip. In another life, perhaps a few weeks ago, he would've told her to screw herself and left her behind. He would've grabbed a boat himself and saved his own life, he'd done his best to take her with him but if she wanted to die along with the rest of the crew well then so be it.

Not now, though. As mush as his instincts were screaming at him to just make the escape on his own, he knew he couldn't just leave her. He was in a bit of a conundrum, then. She would not be leaving without Pascal, and Flynn would not be leaving without Rapunzel. He groaned inwardly, already resigned to his fate. "Fine! But make it quick."

They rushed towards the trapdoor leading to the cabins belowdeck, they had barely made it halfway downstairs when the beginning of the end finally hit them. A terrifying crash violently shook the entire ship, much more forcefully than any wave that had hit the large vessel during the storm they'd braved barely a few days before. Both Rapunzel and Flynn lost their balance as the ship trembled to its very core, the wood groaning and creaking in protest and Flynn didn't have to be an expert to know that the pirates had made their first strike, hitting the merchant vessel with a strategically aimed cannonball. The precious time they'd had left had run out.

They scrambled to regain their footing as the crew on deck went wild, their shouting orders could be heard even through the trapdoor blocking the way to the exterior of the ship. Rapunzel wasn't deterred, and she stubbornly trudged forward to their shared cabin despite the fact that she could barely stand straight with the ship swaying dangerously. Flynn followed close behind, silently wondering why he had such a dead wish, to be following the princess around like a lost puppy when what he should clearly be doing was escape the goddamn ship.

They found the frog she kept for a pet in near hysterics by the time Rapunzel pushed the door to their cabin open and stumbled inside. She had barely taken the little reptile in her hands when the overwhelming sound of a second cannon firing shook the air around them once more.

It felt like being in the middle of a storm, like seeing lightning illuminating the sky and waiting for the thunder that would soon to follow. He flinched for an instant, his body already anticipating the blow, but the thundering crash that had previously trashed their vessel never came. Flynn wasn't quite certain if the cannon had been fired from their end of the ship this time or if the pirates had simply missed their target, either way he was glad for the precious seconds they were granted to at least escape their cabin.

"Blondie..." he pressed, as he watched Rapunzel flutter around the cabin in search for something.

"Just a second!"

She reached below the cot and extracted the old frying pan she had brought with her all the way from Corona. He could've killed her himself if their lives weren't already in peril. To be wasting their time looking for a pan and rescuing a frog was beyond ridiculous.

"Are you serious?!"

"What? You never know when this can come in handy."

"It's a damn pan!"

"It could very well be used as a weapon." Rapunzel flipped the frying pan in her hand, expertly catching it by the handle. "And right now it's the only one we have."

Flynn ran a hand through his hair, more than a little exasperated by the princess' odd life choices. "You know what? I don't care, let's go!"

He grabbed her hand and led her out of the cabin, their feet padding difficultly across the narrow hallway as they made their way back to the stairs that would take them to the main deck. Flynn tried not to focus on the disturbing feeling of uneasiness pooling in the pit of his stomach. He was no expert but a considerable amount of days aboard a large ship had given him quite an insight to what it felt like to navigate the high seas, and there was definitely something odd about the way the merchant vessel was moving at the moment, or not moving to be more precise. It felt like it was just swaying in the same place.

He had no more time to ponder on the fact as another cannonball hit the side of the ship, this time much closer to the sleeping quarters. The force of the blow knocked them off their feet and the walls around them creaked dangerously, a few beams came lose and fell to the ground with alarming force and Flynn wondered for a moment if the floor would cave in and open up beneath them as the entire vessel quaked. The damage done this time could be easily spotted. The walls around them were cracked, sawdust and splinters fluttered in the air and littered the floor and he could already see that a large beam was blocking part of the trapdoor leading to the main deck. Despite the stairs being mostly unblocked, they wouldn't be able to remove the enormous wooden beam blocking the exit. They were trapped below decks now.

He could hear a commotion start within the crew on deck and he hoped it was due to the second blow that had just hit them, although he feared the real reason behind it was that the pirates had already commandeered the ship. Flynn looked at Rapunzel, sprawled out on the floor, green eyes darting here and there as if looking for a route of escape. Her face cleared for an instant and she suddenly sprang to her feet and took his hand in her own, hastily pulling him up with surprising force.

"I know of another way out." She explained before he had a chance to ask, leading him through the debris that was left after the second bombing. "There's a little passage near the galley that leads to the main deck."

He raised a questioning eyebrow, but followed her nonetheless. She answered with a simple shrug, "I've spent enough time helping the cook to know this."

Before long they were crossing the narrow hallway that passed the galley and sure enough, there was a tiny ladder that led to an equally small trapdoor, the shouts of the crew could be heard even more clearly now. Flynn's shoulders sagged as he let out a tense sigh, but his relief was short lived. They hadn't even made it halfway there when they heard the metal of the trapdoor rattling as someone forcefully shoved it open. He barely caught a glimpse of scuffed boots followed by a pair of leather clad legs and the glint of a cutlass before he pushed Rapunzel behind him.

"Flynn?"

"Run." He hastily gathered Rapunzel's golden locks in one arm and grabbed her elbow with his other hand, shoving her forward. "Run!"

They wasted no more time, sprinting in the opposite direction and back the way they came from. With no way to go on deck, he rushed toward the stairs that led deeper down the ship, not a wise decision when he knew the further down they traveled the harder it would be to make their way back up, but he could hear heavy footsteps trailing close behind them and they didn't have the luxury to wait for a better escape plan. Rapunzel wasn't so keen on the idea, unfortunately.

"Why exactly are we going downstairs when we should be going up?" She protested, nevertheless following him close as he took the stairs two at a time, leading down and closer to the stores where the cargo was kept.

"You got a better plan, Blondie? I'm all ears." He grumbled back. With the pirates hot on their heels their only option left was to hide and wait for the right moment. The damage done by the two blows the ship had taken was painfully obvious further down. Where there were splinters and rubble littering the floor near the sleeping quarters there was nothing but seawater already leaking from multiple places near the stores guarding the cargo, the halls darker than they were upstairs, covering them in shadows. His feet landed on the ground with a splash, the water already rising past his ankles and halfway up his shins, and he pushed Rapunzel behind a dark corridor, a little ways away from the stairs.

Flynn pressed his back against the wall, and Rapunzel's back pressed against his chest as they tried to blend in with the darkness surrounding them. They heard the rushing footsteps of the pirates tumbling down the stairs and past them, heading straight towards the stores deeper within the ship, not sparing their surroundings a second glance. He was more than grateful for the reprieve, and he let out the breath he had been holding in a silent sigh. Rapunzel sagged against his chest, clearly as relieved as he was with their narrow escape. She was pressed so close to him that he could feel almost every inch of her body against his own, feel every shaky intake of breath she took, and smell the now salty scent of her hair mixed with the natural flowery fragrance that seemed to cling to her skin at all times. The same flowery scent that haunted him at night, while she slept so close to him it was almost painful not to reach out for her.

The sudden urge to press his nose against her hair and hold her closer was so unsettling to him that he almost pushed her away. He allowed himself another second of relieved peace before he pushed himself off the wall. "I think it's safe now. We should go."

Rapunzel nodded distractedly and they moved as silently as possible, making their way out of the shadows engulfing the corridor and back toward the stairs that would lead them to the upper deck. Flynn kept glancing back the way the pirates had disappeared moments before, fearing they would come back before he and Rapunzel had escaped, and so he never noticed Rapunzel freezing on the spot, her body rigid at the base of the stairs. He stumbled against her and his hands came to rest over her shoulders in an effort to keep his balance. "Blondie, what...?"

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The gravelly voice made his insides twists uncomfortably and he almost didn't want to look up to see what he already knew was blocking the stairwell.

"Didn't expect to find such fine treasure awaiting down here." Two burly men stood in their way clad in dark leather, faces covered in thick beards and rings glinting on the hands fingering their swords. The face of the man who had spoken split into a gruesome grin, revealing yellowish teeth among a few golden ones.

"What's such a pretty lass doing aboard a merchant ship?" The pirate leered, and Rapunzel instinctively took a step back, pressing herself closer to Flynn as his grip on her shoulders tightened protectively. Flynn wanted to punch the lecherous smirk right out of the disgusting man's face, but he had no weapons and the pirates were well armed, so he settled for a glare.

"We should get going." Grumbled the second pirate, this one although equally well built was slightly shorter than the other and Flynn felt oddly grateful that his eyes weren't lingering over Rapunzel's form quite as lasciviously as his companion's.

The first pirate raised a hand in protest. "Ah, ah, ah, I think we should take her to the Captain. I'm sure he would appreciate the little present."

Rapunzel gasped and stumbled back as Flynn pushed half his body in front of her, his arm outstretched to shield her behind him. The two men payed Flynn no mind, as if he wasn't even in there.

"Captain said no prisoners." The shorter pirate protested, seemingly uninterested in whatever plan his companion was concocting in his mind.

"He never said anything about a woman." The first pirate's grin widened eerily and Flynn could feel Rapunzel's hand digging into the arm he had outstretched before her. "We could take her to him. Perhaps after he's done with the lass, he'll let us have our turn with her."

Flynn's blood boiled at the implication and he took a step forward in a threatening stance, his fists clenched tightly in an effort to control his rage. These filthy pirates would have to kill him before he let them take Rapunzel with them. Unfortunately for him, it seemed like they had already considered that option.

"Fine, kill the spare and take her, but make it quick." The shorter man pushed past them dismissively, already sauntering the same way his shipmates had disappeared minutes before. "We have to get off this goddamn ship before it blows up."

With one swift move the pirate before them drew his cutlass and advanced toward them, a threatening glint in his dark eyes. "That should be easy."

Flynn braced himself for the inevitable and pushed Rapunzel away from him.

"Go." He instructed, taking a few steps back as the larger man approached them. Rapunzel looked at him as if he had lost his mind, but he only shoved her further away, urging her to escape while she still had the chance. "Go!"

They didn't have time for any parting words, but as Flynn glanced at Rapunzel's terrified green eyes he thought he could detect a hint of gratefulness and determination mixed in with her fear. Before he could react she shoved her frying pan into his hands and turned away. He only caught a glimpse of her trying to escape back through the dark corridor out of the corner of his eyes before he had to duck and move out of the way of the cutlass swinging toward him.

Flynn briefly wondered how on earth a frying pan would be remotely useful in this situation, but when the pirate's sword flashed before him he instinctively blocked the deadly blow with the cooking utensil clutched tightly in his hand, successfully catching the larger man off guard and making him stumble back a few steps.

The moment of reprieve only lasted a second before the pirate regained his footing and came back swinging at full force. Flynn was no expert swordsman, and the pirate had certainly the strength and years of experience to his advantage, but what Flynn lacked in burliness he made up in agility, and he swiftly sidestepped any attempt of the bigger man to jab his sword into him.

He blocked blow after blow with increasing difficulty, sometimes barely avoiding the tip of the enemy's cutlass, but considering a frying pan was his only defense, Flynn thought himself lucky to be still standing. The pirate, for his part, was clearly getting quite frustrated with his victim, and the force of his blows only increased in intensity. He swung his blade once more in a particularly deadly stroke and Flynn barely had time to duck and avoid the cutlass ready to cut him in half. The pirate stumbled with the miscalculated force of his own blow, and Flynn took advantage of the man's mistake, swinging the frying pan and hitting him square in the face.

While it momentarily disoriented him, Flynn's strike only served to infuriate the burlier sailor even more, and he turned back around with renewed force and an outraged cry, swinging his cutlass expertly. Flynn stepped back just in time to avoid the worst of the attack but the sharp edges of the sword still caught him, jabbing into the skin of his arm near his shoulder. Flynn hissed at the throbbing sting shooting up his arm, and momentarily distracted, he wasn't as quick to avoid the pirate's fist as he'd avoided his weapon. It connected with his jaw in a painful blow that threw him off balance and the bigger man acted quickly while Flynn was still recovering from the powerful punch, knocking the frying pan off his hand. He heard it hit the ground a few feet away with a splash, too far away for him to even attempt to reach.

With the pirate cornering him against the wall and no weapon to use against him, Flynn braced himself for the worst, silently hoping that at least Rapunzel had managed to escape to the rowboats unnoticed and unharmed. The pirate pressed the sharp edge of his blade against Flynn's throat, the corners of his mouth lifting into a satisfied smirk, his eyes sparkling with what Flynn could only call bloodlust. He tried not to swallow as he felt the cool metal of the cutlass pressing into his skin.

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of the little lass." The sailor muttered darkly and Flynn squeezed his eyes shut, already preparing for the feel of the cold steel tearing into his flesh. But the pain never came.

He heard the distinct sound of metal hitting something heavy, and suddenly the pressure against his throat disappeared. Something big splashed into the floor and he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze adjusting to his surroundings. The man that had been standing before him was knocked out cold and lying facedown on the ground, and a few feet away stood Rapunzel, frying pan raised above her head and wide eyes focused on the pirate she had apparently knocked unconscious.

A moment of silence passed between them as both tried to catch their breath, before their eyes met in a bewildered stare.

"Frying pans! Who knew, right?"

Flynn was somewhat surprised to detect genuine concern morph into her gaze as she inspected him carefully. "Are you alright?"

"I thought I told you to leave."

"Yeah well, you're welcome." She shrugged halfheartedly, and as she waddled towards him through the rising water, her eyes drifted back to the unconscious form of the pirate.

"Oh god, is he dead?" Rapunzel whispered as she difficultly shoved the man's body face up with her foot, apparently concerned that he would drown with the water covering his face.

"Doubt it, you probably just knocked him out." Flynn honestly couldn't care less if the man was left to die in the sinking ship, he couldn't really find it in himself to feel any remorse for the pirate who had threatened Rapunzel in such a disgusting way. "Either way, it would serve him right."

"Oh, I hope he's not dead." Rapunzel worried her lip between her teeth in that telltale anxious gesture of hers and both Flynn and her weird frog looked at her as if she had suddenly spurted a second head. He was glad that for once he and the frog could agree on something.

"Are you seriously worried about the wellbeing of a man who just threatened to kidnap you?" Honestly, Rapunzel's infinite compassion sometimes surprised him beyond belief.

"I just don't want his death hanging over me." She explained with a hint of sheepishness. "Besides you did kidnap me and I worry about you."

Flynn wasn't sure how to respond to that statement, and he sputtered for a few embarrassing seconds. "I-I never...! T-That's not the same... I-I didn't...! Oh, forget it!"

He walked past Rapunzel towards the stairs and she followed close behind. He could feel her stare boring into him and he fought the urge to look back as he climbed the stairs as quickly as his feet would let him. Once they arrived at the upper deck where the sleeping quarters were, Rapunzel slowed down and rested her hand on his shoulder, momentarily halting his step.

"You are hurt." She said softly, eyeing his arm with obvious concern. Flynn followed her gaze, blood was seeping through the gash on his bicep and tainting his shirt. The throbbing pain shooting up his arm and swelling on his jaw was difficult to ignore, but he didn't have time to nurse his wounds now. He shrugged dismissively.

"I'll be fine. Let's keep going."

Before they could reach the narrow hallway that led to the galley he heard splashing footsteps coming from the stairs they had just climbed. Too many footsteps, if he was not mistaken and he felt panic welling in his chest all over again.

"They're coming back!" Flynn whispered harshly and Rapunzel's eyes widened. She nodded toward the direction of the sleeping quarters as the footsteps grew dangerously closer and she didn't have to speak for him to understand; hiding in their cabin at this point would be their safest option. At least until the pirates disappeared back to the main deck.

They rushed to the tiny room and smashed the door shut, and Flynn listened closely, pressing his ear against the wooden door. The heavy footsteps and muffled shouts of the pirates were easy to detect, and they waited with bated breath as the pirates stomped their way back to the main deck, probably carrying their loot with them. Flynn knew they didn't have much time left, if what he'd heard from one of the men earlier had been right. Once they abandoned the ship with the stolen cargo with them, they would most likely blow up the entire vessel. And even if they didn't, the rising water would soon sink the ship to the bottom of the ocean. The lower decks that were used as storage rooms were probably already inundated and it wouldn't take long for the water to reach the sleeping quarters.

As soon as the sound of the stampede of pirates faded into the distance, Flynn shoved the door open and stepped outside, Rapunzel's arm clutched in his hand. It worried him more than a little bit that by the time they reached the galley the water was already leaking through various cracks in the wall and pooling at their feet, but they were so close to the trapdoor that led to the main deck that he pushed his anxiousness to the back of his mind. They would make it out alive and then he could try to forget this horrid nightmare.

But fate wouldn't be so kind to them. At first Flynn felt it more than he heard it; the rumbling of the walls as they creaked and the wood groaned, and the floor shaking so violently he thought it would cave in. Or perhaps it was his panic blocking any sound, either way his senses eventually did make way to the thundering boom of one final cannonball blasting the ship.

His vision went dark for a few moments as he tumbled to the ground, and he could only hear Rapunzel's panicked scream and the terrifying crash of their surroundings exploding all around them. Heavy beams, splinters and dust fell upon the ground as the walls collapsed, and for a moment Flynn was sure they would be buried in the debris. The entire ship quivered and trashed, and he could now feel the water flowing even quicker than before. The deafening sound of the blast faded and left his ears ringing, and once he stopped feeling the ground shake beneath him he opened his eyes and coughed.

Sawdust fluttered in the air and made his eyes sting and his nostrils flare. Most of the hallway had been destroyed with the blow, beams and enormous pieces of wood that had formerly been the walls covered the ground and blocked the way. His breath caught in his throat and he felt like he could not breathe. He could not see an opening through all the debris, no matter where he looked, and the darkness enveloped his surroundings.

The sound of Rapunzel's coughing soothed his panic just the tiniest bit. She was alive. Flynn focused all his energy into helping Rapunzel back to her feet and tried to quell his rising fear. Rubble surrounded them wherever he looked and he knew this time they were well and truly trapped within the disaster. It was a miracle really, that nothing heavier than a few splinters had fallen over them considering a good part of the walls had completely collapsed. There was nothing really left of the hallway that passed the galley save the tiny space they were trapped in. Flynn's heart hammered in his chest and he felt a shortness of breath he hadn't experienced in a long time as he watched the water rapidly rising past their knees. If he didn't find an opening through the rubble they would soon drown.

He took a deep breath and dived into the water, trying in vain to look for an opening, a hole in the wall, a tiny space they could squeeze through and escape, but it was too dark to see anything. When he resurfaced to take another breath he caught a glimpse of Rapunzel trying fruitlessly to poke a hole through the debris using her frying pan. Flynn tried again to look for an escape, but the darkness was too great for him to see anything past his hands.

He rose to his feet once more and tried a different tactic, shoving his shoulder into the beams blocking the way with as much force as he could muster while Rapunzel kept banging away at the wall of rubble with her pan. It seemed all useless, and as the water level kept rising his panic escalated with it. He tried with his hands, only to get a deep cut in his palm with a particularly jagged piece of wood. He hissed in pain, but quickly ignored the sting.

Flynn couldn't quite resign himself to his fate, even though in the back of his mind he knew there was really no way out. He tried one last time to look for an opening beneath the dark waters and soon came back up again without results. He was exhausted, his body was sore and bruised and his eyes stung due to the seawater they had been exposed to.

"It's no use, I can't see anything." He rubbed his hands through his face as his shoulders slumped. Flynn had feared for his life in various moments of the day but only now was it truly sinking in; he wasn't going to make it out alive.

Rapunzel, however, wasn't resigned yet and she promptly dived into the water the same way he had done before. He quickly followed her and shoved her back up, it was useless to let her try the same route that had failed him before.

"Hey! There's no point." He smoothed his thumb over her forehead to push the hair out of her face, oblivious to the tender gesture. "It's pitch black down there."

An array of emotions flashed in Rapunzel's eyes as the awful truth of their situation dawned on her, and Flynn felt an ugly pang deep within his chest as he watched the distraught look on her face.

Rapunzel stepped back, turning her face away from him as if she was suddenly ashamed. In that moment, Flynn would've liked nothing more than to pull her back close to him, look into her eyes and tell her everything would be alright. But that would be a blatant lie. Nothing about their situation was remotely fine. They were supposed to make it back to Corona safe and sound after a few weeks of adventure. She was supposed to fulfill her dream and then return home. Instead, they were bound to end here in a watery grave, with no one to ever know what became of them.

"This is all my fault." If he hadn't been so close to her he might have missed her whispered statement, but he heard it loud and clear and his heart broke a little at the dejection in her once hopeful voice. "I should've just let you send the ransom note, and none of this would've happened. I should've never left Corona."

Flynn felt an enormous swell of guilt sweep over him an almost swallow him whole, as if a dam had been opened and now all of his regrets were trying to drown him along with the rising water. If anything this whole situation had been his fault, more than hers. If he hadn't kidnapped her in the first place they wouldn't have ended up here. He thought he couldn't really feel worse than how he felt at the moment until she uttered her next words.

"I'm so... I'm so sorry, Flynn." Rapunzel's voice broke as she let out a quiet sob, her face crumpling up as she cried, and if he had felt his heart breaking for her before it was nothing compared to what he was feeling as he watched Rapunzel sob. She was apologizing, to him. As if he had ever done anything to deserve that from her. In that moment, he would've given anything in the world if only he could soothe her sorrow, if only he could save her from this terrible fate. And as the water rose past their chest, he thought he didn't want his last moments in this world to be a lie.

For the first time, he wanted her to see him without masks, he wanted her to see him exactly as himself; genuine and open and vulnerable and himself. If he was fated to die by her side, he wouldn't go out as Flynn Rider.

"Eugene."

Rapunzel's sobbing paused and she hesitated for a moment as she sniffled. "What?"

He sighed heavily, but for once in his life he was sure of what he was doing.

"My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert." He had worn the mask of Flynn Rider for so long he had almost forgotten what it felt like to be Eugene, and the name felt foreign in his tongue. He shrugged slightly. "Someone might as well know."

The corners of Rapunzel's lips lifted into a soft smile, and he returned it with a bittersweet grin of his own, which promptly disappeared a second later as Rapunzel apparently decided it was the moment of truth between them.

"I have magic hair that glows when I sing."

"...What?"

He had wondered before when he first met her, if perhaps Rapunzel was a bit... how to put it... not quite right in the head. But as she repeated the same absurd sentence and her face brightened as if she had just discovered something that would somehow save their lives, he was half convinced that this time she had really lost her mind.

He didn't have more time to ponder over her words. The water rose to his neck and quickly passed his chin and he lifted his head as much as he could to take one last precious breath of air as he vaguely heard Rapunzel recite the words to an odd rhyme before the water engulfed them in darkness.

Everything was pitch black for just an instant before a particularly bright burst of golden light glowed behind his tightly closed eyelids. But that couldn't be, daylight couldn't possibly shine through the rubble they were trapped in. Was this the afterlife? Had he died and the unnatural glow was the light at the end of the tunnel he was supposed to follow?

He chanced his eyes open and what met his gaze was so completely impossible it made him release a panicked cry, bubbles bursting out of his mouth before he had the chance to cover it.

Rapunzel's seventy feet of golden locks glowed illuminating the dark space around them, chasing the shadows away as the light bathed them in a warm golden hue. It looked like she had swallowed the entire sun and it was somehow shining brightly through her hair. The sight was so bizarre that for a moment he thought he had genuinely died.

Then Rapunzel pointed somewhere below them and he turned around to see an opening in the wall of debris trapping them in the ship. There was a hole between two fallen beams, just big enough for them to maybe squeeze through. They reached for each other at the same time, hands interlocking in a firm grip as they dived deeper into the water and toward their only source of escape.

Somehow, he knew that once they crossed that hole and escaped, he would be leaving the part of him that was still Flynn Rider behind to sink along with the ship.

Eugene would never really remember how exactly they had made it out of the sinking ship. The adrenaline mixed in with slight panic were the only things that had made his body push through. All he knew once he finally broke through the surface of the sea was that he was somehow alive, and Rapunzel was an unnatural being.

He felt his lungs burning as he gulped in a breath of fresh air and promptly coughed up all the seawater he had swallowed in his frenzied attempt to escape. He felt like he was choking and there was not enough air that he could breathe, and his nose, eyes and throat stung.

By the time he was recovered enough to speak there was only one thing in his mind.

"Her hair glows!" Eugene choked out, his legs kicking in an effort to keep himself afloat. He ran a hand through his face as he tried to come to terms with what he'd just witnessed. It wasn't working at all and it all came out in a rush.

"I didn't see that coming. Her hair actually glows. Why does her hair glow?!" His voice increased in volume with every word he uttered, but once he realized he was asking this to no one in particular he paused. There was no response. Where was Rapunzel?

"Blondie...?"

For the first time Eugene took a look at his surroundings. The sun was already setting in the horizon, tainting the dark water with golden flashes. The remains of the ship they had once boarded were floating all around him; splintered pieces of wood, torn up white sails and the remains of once sturdy masts moved with the waves here and there. The carcass of the formerly grand merchant vessel they had traveled in was heeled, almost completely turned over and rapidly sinking below the surface of the ocean, never to be seen again. He could see the pirate ship that had attacked them already disappearing in the distance, and a flash of disdain welled up in his chest, before another completely different kind of panic washed over him.

Rapunzel was nowhere in sight.

"Princess?" Eugene called, hoping he would hear her call back, but there was not even a glimpse of her golden locks anywhere he turned.

How exactly had she disappeared? The last thing he remembered was clasping her hand tightly in his own as they tried to escape the sinking ship together. Had she stayed behind? When had he stopped holing her hand? He took another look at the sinking ship disappearing down the surface of the ocean and suddenly he felt like he was drowning all over again. What if she had never made it out?

"Rapunzel!"

Eugene was so caught up in his own fear it took him a moment to make out the voice calling out his name, his real name. He quickly whirled around and he felt like he could finally breathe properly again. Rapunzel was waving her hand at him, half her body balanced over a big piece of wood helping her keep afloat. She had turned up much further away from the sinking ship than him, and he quickly pushed forward to swim toward her.

Once he was close enough Eugene grasped at the wooden piece Rapunzel was holding onto, grateful for the momentary break it granted his exhausted body to keep him from sinking. He was oddly relieved to notice her pet chameleon alive and well. At least going back for the lizard hadn't been totally in vain. The little reptile's eyes kept darting between Eugene and Rapunzel curiously.

He looked carefully at Rapunzel, knowing her well enough by now to notice her conflicted state. "Are you okay?"

"We're alive." She stated with an uncharacteristic dull edge to her voice. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"We're alive and stranded in the middle of the ocean. What are we going to do now?" Eugene could see now why she was in a state between relieved and worried.

"We'll think of something." He reassured, and he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself of that statement.

"Hey! Over here!" They whirled their heads to look towards the voice and Eugene felt the corners of his lips pulling into a relieved grin. A rowboat floated in the distance, a few members of the crew had apparently made it out alive.

"Look's like we are saved." He looked back to Rapunzel and extended his hand to her. "C'mon Blondie, let's go."

Rapunzel looked at his hand and frowned. "You let go before."

"What?"

"Back in the ship, you let go of my hand." She explained and bit her lip, as if she wasn't sure if she should continue. She did nonetheless. "You let go and when I came out I didn't know where you were, I didn't know if you had made it out."

Rapunzel drew in a shaky breath. "I thought you were..."

"...Gone." Eugene finished for her, because that was exactly what he had feared for a few horrible moments. Rapunzel suddenly lurched forward and took his hand firmly in her own, her fingers interlocking with his.

"You can't let go again." She seemed determined to hold onto him this time, and who was he really to deny her anything.

"Okay, I won't."

"Promise?" She asked, her green eyes looking directly into his very soul and suddenly Eugene felt like she was asking far more from him than just that. "Promise you won't let go this time."

"Yeah, I promise." He gave her a shaky nod, far too distracted by her intense stare to say anything more substantial. Then he tugged at her hand. "But right now we have to catch that boat."

They simultaneously let go of the wood that was keeping them afloat and pushed toward the boat. It was a struggle to swim with the enormous sea waves trying to sink them below the surface, and it was much more difficult to do so with Rapunzel's seventy feet of waterlogged hair dragging her back. Even so, Eugene never once let go of her hand, he didn't think he would have been able to even if he'd tried, with the way she was holding onto him as if her life depended on it. And despite the fact that she was slowing them down considerably, he wouldn't have had it any other way.

He understood they were a team now. They were in this crazy adventure together, and they would return to Corona together or not at all. Eugene knew now, after everything they had been through, neither would leave the other behind. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that yet.

Once they finally reached the rowboat, the remaining members of the crew helped him hoist Rapunzel onto the boat, and then push himself aboard. He and Rapunzel huddled close together as the sailors made room for them to sit, and when his body finally relaxed he felt every single pang of pain he had been repressing hit him anew.

Eugene winced and bit back a groan, trying to hide his discomfort from Rapunzel as she rested her head over his shoulder, her body sagging against him in obvious relief. He stiffened for just a second before he encircled an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to his side, like he had wanted to do since they were hiding from the pirates back in the ship.

"You both alright?" One of the sailors that Eugene recognized as the sailing master asked.

"As good as we can be." He answered. His eyes slowly drifted over the sailors sharing the boat with them. Of all the crew they had once traveled with, only five members were aboard the rowboat.

"What about the others?" Rapunzel asked softly, and Eugene already feared the answer to that question. The rest of the sailors lowered their gaze.

"They weren't as lucky as us."

Eugene felt Rapunzel sigh and he knew she was feeling deeply for the lives of the crew members lost. She had grown close to them as they had traveled, they were her friends and he knew their loss made a bigger impact on her than it could ever make on him. He rubbed her arm in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

"There was really nothing more we could do." One of the sailors explained, regret evident in his voice. "We were the only ones left by the time we escaped on the boat."

As dusk fell upon them, Eugene thought the growing darkness suited the gloomy and mournful atmosphere reigning in the boat. Everyone fell quiet after that, all of them too shaken by the events of the day to make any kind of conversation.

Before long, he felt Rapunzel's breath deepen and he looked down to see her already passed out, her head resting against the crook of his neck and her hand still clasped in his own, fingers loosely intertwined. Eugene was far too distracted by the steady rise and fall of her chest that only served to remind him she was alive and well and resting right next to him after having had come so close to losing her. He couldn't recall a time he had felt more grateful.

"You two are very lucky to have made it out alive." The voice of the sailing master startled Eugene out of his reverie, and he felt his cheeks slightly color at the idea of being caught looking at Rapunzel so intently. Then he remembered these men thought them to be a married couple and he chastised himself for his sudden surge of sentimentality.

When Eugene only nodded in response, the older sailor continued his sentence with a little hesitation. "We had... feared that they might find her."

"They did." Eugene stated matter-of-factly. The sailing master looked aghast for a moment, before his face cleared as he took a closer look at Eugene.

"I take it that's how you got those." He looked pointedly at his wounds, and Eugene could only shrug halfheartedly. He didn't really want to remember how the pirates had been so close to taking Rapunzel with them. "Seems like you put up a good fight to defend her."

Eugene shook his head as he looked down at Rapunzel once more, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "She's a tough one, she doesn't really need me to defend her."

He recalled with fond exasperation how she had stayed back and knocked out the pirate that had almost ended his life, despite the fact that he had specifically told her to leave while she still could. She was so unbelievably stubborn, and brave and compassionate, and... "She has saved my life more than once."

They had saved each other's life multiple times now, a far cry from the reluctant allies they had once been. But the thought of their growing bond suddenly made him feel more than a little uneasy and he scrambled for a change in subject.

"How long do you think it'll take us to reach land?" Eugene fidgeted a little, trying not to jostle Rapunzel too much.

The sailing master looked contemplative for a second before shrugging. "Probably a few hours, we weren't far from Cygnus' port before." He rolled his shoulders as he prepared to trade places with one of the other sailors with the oars that kept rowing their boat forward. "We would already be there by now, had it not been for the... well you know."

As the moonlight shone brightly over them, Eugene contemplated the horrid events of the day as they flashed before his mind's eye. Rapunzel stirred slightly beside him, shivering in the cool night wind and he hesitated for just a second before he rested his cheek over the crown of her head, his arms cradling her sleeping body closer to his in a soft embrace, trying to keep her just a little bit warmer. He tried not to think too much about the particularly tender gesture.

And as their boat rocked them in a gentle sway that made his eyelids grow heavy, he briefly wondered if they would indeed stay together through whatever fate awaited them once they arrived to their foreign destination.

Well, looks like they now developed a ride or die friendship between them. Now, who's ready for the mutual pining? Because what is a slow burn romance without a bit of pining, am I right? I'm glad we've finally reached this point because now the next few chapters is where the romance ensues so stay tuned!

So as I said before, this chapter had to be cut in half and I have part of the next chapter already written. How long it takes me to update this particular time depends entirely on you my dear readers. If I notice a good amount of interest through reviews I could be encouraged to finish the following chapter during the next few days. So... the more reviews the faster the update ;)

I hope you liked this chapter and as always any comments, suggestions, predictions or constructive criticism are encouraged and deeply appreciated.