Well, I'm back. Here we are with the first part of Great Expotations. I honestly don't like this episode, but I'll get through it.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Tangled. I only own this story idea.

Now, let's get started.

In Old Corona, Varian smiled as he worked on his invention, his father assisting him by holding the pieces in place while he welded. It was rare that his dad came into his lab, let alone helped him with a project, but lately, Quirin had been trying to spend more time with his son now that he was living in two places.

"So, what is it you're building, Son?" He asked.

"Sorry, Dad, it's a surprise," He grinned. "But you'll find out once it's done. I'm going to give a test run before presenting it."

"Presenting it to whom?"

"Not who, where," Varian corrected as he looked up at him. "At the Exposition of Sciences! I'm going to show everyone something new and great!"

"I'm sure you will, Son." He smiled.

"By the way, Dad…" his son began as he grew shy. "I was wondering… You see, I will need some help with the presentation, so… would you have the time to… help me with it? I know you're busy, but…"

Quirin smiled fondly before patting his son's shoulder. "Of course, I'll help, Son."

"Really?!" Varian asked excitedly.

"Sure," He nodded. "Planting season's over, and harvest isn't for a while yet. I can ask Mr. Miller to keep an eye on things here while we go into town."

"Thanks, Dad!" Varian suddenly hugged him, surprising his dad, before the older man hugged him back.

"You're welcome, Varian."

(A couple of days later)

It was finally time for the Exposition of Sciences. Cass was lifting a banner into place as she stood on top of a ladder, Owl sitting on the pole next to her.

"Don't see why the lady-in-waiting has to help set up for this thing," She grumbled. A couple of guards passed by as she stared at them longingly before looking back at her work. "Dumb science expo's for dorks, anyway."

"What's wrong with dorks?" She turned to see Varian standing nearby with something covered by a white sheet. He waved to her with a teasing grin, causing her to blush slightly.

"Uh, Varian! I… didn't see you there."

He chuckled. "So, I take it you're not attending the expo?"

She sighed before trying to tie the rope. "No, probably not."

He walked over to her. "Want some help?"

"Actually, yes." She climbed down the ladder, and he took her place, tying the rope securely to the pole. "Thanks…"

"No problem. So, why aren't you coming to the expo?"

"It's not my thing…" She shrugged. "Besides, I'm slammed, so–"

"Cassandra," Stan came over to them. "I thought you should know the Captain is short of guards for the expo. This could be your big chance!" He said excitedly.

She smiled excitedly. "Come on, let's go!" She ran off with him, leaving Varian baffled.

"Big chance?" He wondered curiously before shrugging at Owl.

"Cassandra, looking good!" Varian turned around to see Rapunzel run up to him, wearing an odd helmet with goggles attached to the front. "You should see some of the inventions on display! Look at these crazy goggles!" Adjusting the lenses, she saw that it wasn't Cass she was talking to. "Oh. Hi, Varian!" He chuckled and waved at them before climbing down the ladder. Rapunzel took the helmet off and waved back. "Sorry about that."

"Hey, no problem," Varian shrugged. "Cass went off with Stan to see her dad about something."

"Really? It must have to do with the Royal Guard!" Rapunzel said excitedly.

"By the way, Princess, did you take off with someone's invention?" He raised an eyebrow.

Looking at the helmet in her hands, she blushed and ran off to put it back. Eugene laughed and looked at Varian. "I'm guessing you're making something for this thing?"

"Oh yeah! I wouldn't miss the chance to promote the merits of alchemy! Dad and I have been working on something that will amaze everyone." Varian told him. "But, you'll have to wait for it to be presented to know what it is."

"Is it under this cloth here?" Eugene teased as he crept over to it.

"Ah, ah, ah, no peaking." He stepped in front of him, grinning. "Why don't you make sure Rapunzel doesn't walk off with anyone else's invention?"

"Well, if you insist, I will spend more time with my girlfriend instead of teasing you." He smirked playfully before leaving to catch up with the Princess.

Varian rolled his eyes fondly before turning to his dad as he walked over. "Let's get this over to the expo."

"Alright," He nodded, almost chuckling at his eagerness. "You do know we're second-to-last to present?"

"I know, but it will save time if we have it there waiting," Varian explained.

"I see."

"Would you be okay staying with it while I walk around a little? I have heard contestants sometimes try to sabotage each other's projects."

"Sure, Son," He nodded.

They wheeled it over to the expo, and Quirin kept vigil next to it while Varian walked off to see what others had to offer. Some of the inventions were impressive or at least useful to daily life, while others were questionable or useless. Varian made a mental note of the different inventors; the good ones could be potential future colleagues… assuming his secret didn't get blown before then.

He spotted Rapunzel and Eugene in a crowd in front of a tent with pink smoke. Curious, Varian walked closer just in time for someone to step out. "Attention, science lovers!" She announced, parting the smoke to reveal a woman wearing non-native Corona clothing. "I am the one and only Fernanda Pizazzo!"

Varian made a quick mental note of that name. If she was famous, he should find out more about her.

"Yes, thank you, thank you," She bowed slightly as the crowd clapped and cheered. Even Eugene and Rapunzel looked impressed. "You may ask yourselves what revolutionabilly, stupendimonous invention lies behind this veil?" She tapped to her tarp-covered invention.

Varian rolled his eyes. "Those aren't even words…" He muttered, starting to get an off-putting feeling the more this woman spoke.

Pizazzo then stood next to a picture of the expo's judge. "You're about to find out when revered master scientist and handsome morsel, Dr. Alcott De Croix, arrives to name my entry in this contest first prize!"

The young alchemist narrowed his eyes more once she was done bragging. First of all, De Croix was an idiot masquerading as a genius. Varian had respected him when he was younger, but as he got older, he realized his so-called "expert opinions" were quite sad. Varian couldn't believe they had brought this guy to be the judge. They would've been better off with Rapunzel as the judge. Secondly, Varian didn't like how sure this woman was of her success. He made a mental note to check for foul play and tell his dad about this woman.

Rapunzel gasped excitedly, causing Varian to look over at her. "This is all so inspiring!" She looked at Eugene as she said, "I'm gonna go invent something right now!" She then ran off, squealing in delight.

Eugene smiled, glancing at Varian. "Shoulda' seen that comin'."

"I'm interested in seeing what she comes up with," Varian said. "I'm gonna talk to my dad and grab a snack from the castle kitchen. Wanna come?"

"Actually, I should probably go help Blondie and make sure she doesn't 'invent' something that already exists," Eugene said before walking off.

"Good point." Varian agreed, following him.

(A short time later)

After warning his dad about Pizazzo, Varian stopped in his castle room and changed into his nicer day clothes to look professional (Now including a dark brown half-apron and a black belt with extra pockets). After getting his snack, he went to the courtyard, where Cassandra was preparing the seating for the expo celebration meal. She was currently ironing creases out of the tablecloths and adjusting the flowers in the table vases. She looked… stressed, for lack of a better word.

"Hey, Cass." He greeted.

She turned to him, surprised. "Oh, hi, Varian." She looked back at the table.

"Everything go okay with your dad?"

"It went fine," Cass replied, though her tone said otherwise as she poured a beverage. "I just… have a lot of work to do, and–" She gasped sharply when she poured too much into the cup, staining the tablecloth. "No! I can't catch a break today!" She grumbled as she ran to get cleaning supplies.

Varian walked over and pulled a small vial out of his pocket. He casually sprinkled some of the contents on the stain before taking out the flowers in the vase. He held them over the spot, and a single drop of water dropped from the stems onto the stain, causing it to vanish. Moments later, Cass returned with a rag and started scrubbing at the spot where the stain was before realizing in shock it was gone. "Whoa, wait, the stain, it's gone! How–?!" She looked at Varian, who was watching her with an amused expression.

"Oh, simple." He crossed his arm with casual confidence. "Grapes are acidic, so by combining the alkalinity from the flowers' barely grass with rock salt, I was able to stop the stain's adhesion. Alchemy!" He grinned with a shrug like it was the most obvious thing.

Cass laughed slightly in relief and surprise. "Wow. Thanks, kid," She said before sighing. "If only there were some kind of fancy science that could help me with all my chores."

"Sure, there is. I know a lot of science tricks that help me with my chores faster," Varian replied before becoming concerned. "Why? Did something happen?"

"No…" She sighed again. "Okay, yeah."

Varian leaned on the table a bit to show he was listening.

"My dad said I could help with the Royal Guard today if I finished my chores first." She looked down glumly. "And that includes setting up for the expo and all my usual chores. I don't know how I'm going to get any of this done…"

Varian looked at her sympathetically before smiling. "If you want, I can help you out."

"Really?" Cass perked up. "Are you sure?"

"Sure. I'm the second-to-last to present, and my dad's watching my invention, so I've got time."

Cass smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Varian."

"Anything for a friend. Now, come on, the sooner we start, the sooner we can finish!" He chirped.

(An hour or so later)

Thanks to having a lab in the castle, Varian could easily grab and build whatever they needed to get the jobs done. While Cass wasn't a science person, she had to admit, she was impressed with his ability.

Cass had trouble getting the stains off the utensils, scrutinizing a spoon before scrubbing again. She looked over and saw Varian holding some silverware to a machine with quickly moving brushes. He held them up between his fingers, and they shined, attracting Cass's approving smile. She wouldn't be surprised if they saw that device around the castle more.

Then, she had to mop the castle hallways filled with dirt. Varian tapped her shoulder, and she turned to him. Opening his hand to reveal several tiny blue balls, he rolled them onto the floor like marbles. When they stopped, they burst open and emitted clouds of sparkly blue smoke. He then held up a yellow ball, tossing it into the smoke without looking. There was a green explosion, causing Cass to squeeze her eyes shut against the blowback. When she opened them, the hallway was sparkling clean. The friends smiled at each other before Varian's sleeve suddenly caught fire, both noticing in alarm. "Whoa!" Varian patted out the fire quickly with no damage to his shirt.

Next, they went back outside to replace the withered flowers in the vases. Varian pulled out one bouquet and showed off the power of alchemy again by dropping another blue ball into it. They perked up instantly, and he handed the flowers to Cass. She turned around with a smile and put them back in the vase. She crossed her arms and smiled at Varian, getting a thumbs up in return.

(Meanwhile, in Rapunzel's room)

"Okay, so for my first invention, I wanted to start off with something small and simple," Rapunzel said, facing her boyfriend.

"Uh, can he take his tiny little claws off my eyes now?" Eugene asked, referring to Pascal covering his eyes.

"Oh, yeah! Pascal." She prompted.

Pascal removed his limbs, getting an annoyed look from Eugene before he looked at Rapunzel to see… a large spool of thread in her hand, with part of the thread tied around her middle finger.

"I give you the Hey-Hey!" She declared, demonstrating it for him, making it go up and down to her hand. "When I was in the tower, I devised a way to play catch by myself using a ball and string. Now, I believe I've perfected that design!" Eugene and Pascal shared a look, the chameleon raising his eyebrows before they looked back at the Princess as she did more tricks with it. "How does it work? Glad you asked. It's powered by potential and kinetic energy." She pulled back to her hand one last time. "Science! Hey-Hey!" She launched it at Eugene several times to show it off more. "Hey-Hey!"

Eugene glanced to the side, afraid this would happen. Getting a look from Pascal to respond, he laughed slightly before breaking the news to her. "Rapunzel, that's really amazing, but it's already been invented."

"Hmm. Okay…" She set her "hey-hey" down, shrugging. "I guess I'll chalk that up to being locked in a tower for eighteen years…" She brightened up before walking away. "Good thing I have lots more amazing ideas where that came from!"

Eugene smiled, crossing his arms. He was sure one of her ideas wouldn't be something that was already invented… eventually.

(Back with Varian)

Varian was now polishing the frames of the portraits in the hall. "Huh, look at that," He turned to Cass as she approached him with her rag and bucket. "The kid can use elbow grease, after all. Ever consider becoming a lady-in-waiting?"

He chuckled a little. "Alchemy may make things go faster, but I don't use it for everything."

Cass climbed the ladder with a smile, offering the bucket before frowning a little. "Do you… think we'll get done on time?"

"Plenty," Varian assured her. "We're actually ahead of schedule already."

"Yeah…" She sighed bitterly. "Knowing him, though, he might just give me more to do."

Cass climbed down, and Varian climbed down shortly after with a frown. "Your dad?"

"No matter how much I want it or how hard I work, his standards are higher for me than they are for anyone else."

"Yeah…" Varian sighed. "My dad's kinda hard to impress, too. I mean, I stopped trying years ago because I realized it was a waste of time, but it still hurt to see other boys my age getting to do things with their dads and getting praise for it, while all I got was disappointment when something went wrong. Even when I did something right, he would just give me a strained smile and ask if it was necessary."

Cass looked at him with understanding before she asked, "What made you decide to stop?"

"I just had an epiphany one day. I realized I was just making myself miserable trying to live for someone else's approval. I needed to live for myself and do what I wanted." He cleared his throat before smiling slightly. "I guess it's a little harder when your dad is also your boss."

She smiled a bit before they heard bells chiming. Cass groaned as she walked away a bit. "Oh, who am I kidding? None of it matters anyway." She leaned against the wall, sulking with her arms crossed. "It's already noon, and I still have to make up all the guest rooms." She noticed some guards walk by, frowning before Varian walked up to her.

"Well, they're definitely not going to get done if we sit here complaining about our dads. C'mon, we got this," He assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We'll split the rooms between us and finish in half the time," Varian smirked teasingly. "Want to make it a competition? Whoever gets done first gets treated to Monty's?"

"Oh, you're on!" Cassandra grinned as they cleaned up their equipment and headed off to the guest rooms.

(With Rapunzel and Eugene)

Rapunzel had Eugene stand in front of a covered table, removing the cloth to reveal three plates of vegetables. "Carrots, celery, cucumbers," She introduced as Pascal crawled to each plate. Eugene glanced at them before looking back at his girlfriend. "What do these have in common?"

"Uh, I don't eat them," Eugene said flatly, then held up a hand. "No, wait, don't tell me–" He grunted when he was interrupted by a tomato to the face. He glared down at Pascal, who gave him a smugly raised eyebrow.

"We chop them!" Rapunzel went on, gesturing to the food. "But knives can be really dangerous. That's why I invented the Safety Slicer!" She pulled another cloth away to reveal a device that looked like a mini-guillotine in bright colors.

Rapunzel demonstrated the machine as Pascal put a carrot under the blade. "Just load it up, and…" She pulled the string, and the blade came down. "Slice! Voila!" Pascal held up the end of the carrot like a decapitated head.

Eugene brought a hand to his neck, cringing with a groan. "That seems a little extreme, right? I mean, for produce? Besides, I think they have something like that already."

"Really? This too?" She huffed as she walked away from the table. "How am I supposed to know everything that's ever been invented?" She sat down on the seat in front of her bed.

"I don't know, maybe something a little more practical?" Eugene suggested.

"Practical… okay, sure." Rapunzel looked over her open door to see a laundry cart go by at the other end of the hall. "Automatic laundry cart?" She questioned, confused by what she saw.

"Now that I have not seen," Eugene commented as she left the room. He watched her go, then gasped sharply and jolted back as Pascal decided to play with the "Safety Slicer," making red tomato juice splatter everywhere.

Rapunzel stepped out into the hall and approached the laundry cart, hearing voices on the other side as she got closer.

"No way, I totally have the lead." Cassandra's voice said.

"I'm two rooms ahead of you." Varian's voice replied.

"Cass? Varian?" Rapunzel asked.

"Oh, hey, Rapunzel," Varian greeted as they stopped.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked.

"Varian offered to help me get my chores done. We're actually almost done." Cass said.

"We even made a competition out of it. Whoever finishes first gets treated to Monty's." The alchemist nudged the other with a grin. "Cassie's lost count, apparently, because I'm two ahead of her." He pulled out a notepad to show her.

"Rats, you're right!" Cass conceded before smirking. "Well, I'm just going to have to make up the time!" She then darted for a room before Varian grinned and went for another.

Rapunzel tilted her head as she watched them go. "Are you sure you have time for this?" She peeked into the room Varian was working on.

"My invention's already at the expo, and my dad's guarding it. Besides, I'm second-to-last to present, so I have time." He assured her as he worked.

She knelt to pick up a stray shirt that fell off the cart. "Maybe I can help you? Make it go faster?"

"Don't worry, Princess, we've only got a few more rooms left to do anyway." Varian stripped the bed and put on new bedding. "Thanks, anyway. Did you come up with something to present?"

"Well…" She sighed. "I thought of a few ideas, but they were already invented."

He picked up the dirty bedding and walked over to her. "You'll think of something. Why not something you could've used back in the tower? Or even now?"

"Well…" Rapunzel looked thoughtful, watching as he put the dirty bedding on the cart and then moved on to the next room. "Hm… what about something to quickly dry laundry?"

"Good idea. Kid, take notes." Cassandra said, bringing dirty bedding from another room to put on the cart before moving to the next room.

"Hey, yeah!" Rapunzel brightened excitedly before running back to her room.

"Hey, look at that!" Cassandra stepped out of the last room. "I finished first!"

"Rats!" Varian groaned good-naturedly before shrugging. "Well, fair is fair. I can take it from here, Cass. You go get changed into your armor."

She smiled brightly as she left. "See you at the expo!"

He waved after her before taking the laundry where it needed to go.

(Outside)

Once she got changed, Cass stood beside her father with a smile as they stood at the front gates. She smiled up at him, glad she was finally doing this. A carriage pulled up to the castle, and when it stopped, the Captain stepped forward, opening it up as the renowned scientist stepped out.

"Master Dr. St. Croix, welcome." The Captain bowed his head. "It is a pleasure to have you with us."

"I imagine it would be…" He said pompously. "I assume you are to be my personal security detail?"

"Um," He glanced away momentarily. "Unfortunately, no, but I have chosen my very best man for the job." The Captain assured him, looking towards Stan.

"Mm-hmm." Croix seemed pleased and left his carriage, Stan falling in line behind him.

(Back inside)

After shoving the last load down the laundry chute, Varian finished the laundry, sighing wearily as he leaned on the metal door. "Phew! They need to consider putting in more chutes to the laundry room."

"Wiped out?"

He looked to the side and smiled, seeing her in her Royal Guard uniform. "No," Varian pulled away from the wall. "It just took a minute to find the laundry shoot. Anyway, you got in?"

"Well, it's a small assignment, but, yeah," She nodded. "Thanks for your help today."

"Ah, I wouldn't leave my friend to flounder." He assured her with a smile.

She smiled at him before shifting her foot a bit. "What you said before about not working for someone else's approval… what changed your mind, if you don't mind me asking?"

He looked at her in surprise before smiling a bit. He couldn't tell her the whole story, but he could tell her a few things. "Let's just say I found something inside me that I didn't realize I had. And that something gave me the confidence not to need validation. Through the highs and lows, I know what I can do, and I know I'm good at it. My mistakes don't bother me as much as they did before."

Cass gave him an impressed smile, surprised to see how wise the teenager was. "Anyways, I'm finished here; now it's up to the maids to do the laundry. So, I'm heading off the expo."

"I'm looking forward to seeing what you have planned."

Varian grinned teasingly. "Oh, it sounds like you're gonna attend the expo after all. 'Sure you don't mind being around a bunch of dorks?"

The guard chuckled a little. "Well, there's going to be a dork there who's my friend. Even if it's not my thing, I should be there to support him."

"Thanks, Cass," The alchemist smiled appreciatively. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a contest to win." He said before walking away.

"Good luck," Cass called after him.

As he turned the corner, Varian couldn't help the slight frown that appeared. Cass called him his friend, which made him worry how she'd react if she knew the truth…

(At the expo)

"There you are," Quirin said as Varian joined him at the back of the crowd in front of the stage. "I was starting to wonder where you disappeared to."

"Sorry, Dad, I was helping Cassandra with something." He assured him. "Besides, we haven't even started yet."

"Still, cutting it close."

They looked towards the stage as the judge walked onto it. Varian smiled when he saw Cass step onto the stage behind him, glad she was getting her moment in the sun. Soon, it would be his turn.

And we are finished. I'll be back with the second half while working on Outcasts of Corona.

Before signing off, I have special news: I'm working with an artist called Lydia Crazy to make this story into a comic book. I'll tell you where to find it when she posts the first chapter.