The wedding was over nearly as fast as it had begun; or at least, it seemed that way to Rapunzel, who never wanted it to end. There had been a few days in her life that she'd declared "Best Day Ever"; there was the day Eugene took her to see the lanterns, the day she'd met her parents, the day Eugene had proposed to her, but today topped them all. She and Eugene had eaten the most delicious cake she'd ever tasted (chocolate with some sort of mousse between the layers). She'd danced with nearly everyone; Eugene, her father, Hook Hand, Vlad, even her mother! It was perfect. And now it was over.

Rapunzel stood in her bedroom, glancing around the room she had made her own over the past two years. This was her haven; her sanctuary. And now, Eugene would share it with her. The thought made a thrill run through her. Her mother had sat her down earlier and had attempted to tell her what to expect tonight, when she and Eugene were husband and wife. Of course, the Queen hadn't really gone into detail. All she'd really told Rapunzel was that when a man and woman were married, they must consummate that marriage by lying together, though Rapunzel suspected she and Eugene were meant to do more than just lie there.

Honestly, it wasn't as if Rapunzel was completely clueless anymore. She'd been sneaking into Eugene's bedroom almost as long as she'd been living in the castle. While they certainly hadn't done everything, they also hadn't done nothing. Rapunzel was curious and Eugene was…frighteningly experienced. She knew what was to come tonight, because Eugene had explained it to her and she had been waiting for this night when they would finally become one with the other. Though, Rapunzel did have to admit that spending her wedding night in a room just down the hall from her parents' was somewhat disconcerting. Not that they were within hearing distance or anything. It wasn't like she was staying in the old nursery she'd inhabited right next to their room (that would have been weird).

"All set?" Her mother's voice came from the doorway. Rapunzel nodded, turning toward her and biting her lip. She suddenly felt like she might cry. Everything was different now. She was a married woman, and although she knew her parents were thrilled, she wondered if it wasn't just another reminder that they'd missed her entire childhood.

"Just waiting on Eugene. He said he had to go take care of something, though he wouldn't say what," she told her mother tremulously. The Queen was too observant, however, crossing to her in a few steps and placing a gentle hand on Rapunzel's cheek.

"Sweetheart, what is it?"

"It just hit me that I'm married. That means I'm an adult, for real. I mean, I guess I've been an adult since I turned eighteen, but this makes it more…real." She swallowed the lump in her throat, looking up at her mother through tear blurred eyes. "And I just…I wish…"

"What?" Her mother's voice was soothing as she drew Rapunzel into a comforting embrace.

"I wondered if maybe you and Papa were angry about it because you missed my childhood," she finished bravely, staring up into her mother's stunned green eyes.

"Rapunzel…" The Queen sighed, brushing a dark lock out of her daughter's eyes and pulling her into a tight hug. "Am I angry every day that I was robbed of watching you grow up into the amazing young woman you are? Yes, I am." Rapunzel cringed. "But," the Queen held her daughter's face in her hands, looking straight into her eyes, "not at you. Never at you, Rapunzel. What happened was terrible, and I will remember the pain for the rest of my life, but since you came back into our lives, every day became better and easier, and that pain is far outshined by the happiness I feel every time I see you sitting across from me at the breakfast table." Her mother kissed her forehead. "Now, no more tears."

"Who's crying?" Rapunzel's father's voice sounded behind them, drawing them apart. Unthinking, Rapunzel flung herself into his broad warmth, burying her face against his chest. She felt his hand settle against the back of her head, cradling her there. "Hey now, sweeting, it's your wedding day! No tears! What did you do?" He accused the Queen teasingly.

"Oh hush, you," she laughed, wiping at her own moist eyes. "Just a little mother daughter talk is all. Happy tears."

"Yes, happy," Rapunzel agreed, drying her eyes with the back of her hand and smiling up at her father.

"Good," he grinned. "Your husband is waiting for you downstairs."

Rapunzel blinked in confusion. "Downstairs? But he's supposed to come up here, isn't he?"

"Go and see," the King told her, holding his hand out for his wife to take as Rapunzel's brow furrowed before she hurried out of the room in confusion, wondering what Eugene was up to. If he'd been drinking shots whiskey with the guards again like he'd done the other night…

Oh.

The entire wait staff was lined up at the door, bowing to her as she entered the main hall. The doors were open, leading out into the night. She gave the main housekeeper, Mrs. Boatwright, a questioning look. The kindly woman gestured toward the door. Rapunzel glanced back at her parents, who had their arms around each other and nodded. Swallowing she managed a smile and turned back, stepping outside the large doors of the castle.

Standing at the bottom of the steps was Eugene, along with Maximus, who was saddled and ready to go. Pascal was curled up on Eugene's shoulder, looking quite smug with himself.

"What's going on?" She asked, bemused as she descended the steps and took Eugene's proffered hand.

"It's a surprise," he told her with a smirk, hoisting her up into the saddle, before climbing up behind her. Rapunzel looked out at the entire staff of the castle, at the center of which stood her parents. She waved to them. "I figured it might be a good idea to spend our wedding night away from the castle for some…privacy." His voice dropped suggestively at the last word and his breath against the outer shell of her ear made her shiver. She was glad she'd removed the absurdly long veil before the reception. Pascal scurried off of Eugene's shoulder and moved up to his perch atop Max's head. It almost made her laugh, because she knew he felt like he was running the show that way. Watching the chameleon and the horse communicate was the strangest, most adorable thing she'd ever seen. Shouts and well wishes followed them as Maximus started forward, strutting vainly through the adoring people. Rapunzel waved to them all, sitting sideways with her arms wrapped around Eugene's middle while he held the reins with one hand, the other supportively at her waist, holding her in place.

They rode for what seemed like ages through the woods, passing familiar favorite spots of theirs; the old campsite by the river, a small clearing that Rapunzel liked to come for picnics and finally, the Snuggly Duckling came into view. She gasped, clapping her hands.

"Are we going to the Snuggly Duckling?"

Eugene made a sound that was dangerously similar to a snort. "As much as I'd enjoy spending my wedding night in a broken down, filthy dump, that's not where we're headed, Goldie."

"Oh," she bit her lip, even more lost, but her eyebrows rose when she noticed the opening to the small cave with the overhung leaves. Max stopped, surprising her as Eugene dismounted and helped her down into the soft, damp grass. "Eugene, what…?"

"Close your eyes," he told her, leading her by the hand through the cave. "Max, you can go now. We'll see you tomorrow…uh, after noon though." The horse made a noise to confirm this and Rapunzel could hear the faint clap of his foot falls as he bounded away.

They walked for what must have been only a few yards, though seemed like a mile with her eyes closed. She could hear the comforting roar of the waterfall as they neared. "Okay, Blondie, I need you to hold on tight," he told her, placing her arms around his neck and making her shriek in surprise as he swept her up off of the ground. "Open your eyes."

Rapunzel opened her eyes, glancing up and seeing the tower. It looked much the same as it had the last time she'd been here, just after returning to her parents, to retrieve some of her things. "Oh…" she whispered, noticing that instead of the pile of rocks that had once covered the true entrance of the tower, there was just a door hanging open. Eugene stepped inside, closing the door behind them and Rapunzel gasped looking around the small space. Flowers covered every available surface; roses, violets, daisies, flowers she'd never seen before. The room was illuminated by the bright moonlight coming in through the top of the tower and candles, dozens of candles. "Did you do this?"

"Well, I had some help," he admitted, "Your father had some of the guards help me set it up yesterday while your mother was keeping you busy. They came and lit all of the candles for me just before we got here to make sure, ya know, the tower didn't burn down or anything." He gave her half a grin. "I figured, you loved this place. It had nothing to do with Gothel or being locked up. This was your home. So, I wanted to turn it into something special for you, where you could look back without thinking about all of the awful things that happened."

"Oh Eugene," Rapunzel's voice broke as she crushed her lips against his, trying desperately to deepen the kiss while laughter rumbled in his throat.

"Not yet, Blondie, not yet…" He chuckled. "I still gotta get you up these stairs."

"I can walk, you know," she insisted.

"Oh, come on!" He cried in mock offense, "I'm trying to play the dashing Prince Charming, here. At least let me carry you to bed."

"If you must," she giggled, striking a melodramatic pose with her hand to her forehead as he started up the staircase. She was impressed that he wasn't struggling to carry her at all. Or if he was, he was doing a good job of hiding it. The bedroom was equally decorated with flowers and candles, a fire blazing in the heart and casting a dim glow over the room. The bed had been moved into the main tower room and decorated with gossamer lavender curtains and, scattered atop the white comforter were purple petals from the rampion flower. It was the most beautiful thing Rapunzel had ever seen.

Eugene set her to her feet, and she moved to the bed, touching the beautiful curtains. She turned back to look at Eugene – her husband – and felt overwhelmed with love for him. He was better than Prince Charming. His eyes were darker than usual, filled with something that was only for her eyes. And she was his wife. Eugene removed his sash, laying it over a wooden chair and swallowed before moving toward her. Suddenly, she was nervous. This was it. This was the moment when everything became real. The planning, the vows, the dancing…it had all been leading up to this moment.

"Do you like it?" He asked huskily, looking down into her eyes.

"I love it," she told him breathlessly. "Thank you, so much." She stood on her tip toes and brought him down to her for a long kiss. His hands settled at her waist, pulling her flush against his body as he ran the silky tip of his tongue along her lower lip, imploring her to part for him. With long, smooth strokes, he teased her tongue with his own, kissing her as if his life depended on it and drawing quiet, involuntary mewls out of her. Her fingers twined up into the back of his dark hair, holding him there with her as she wordlessly pleaded for more; for everything.

Eugene drew away from her lips, making her huff in protest as he pressed shallow kisses over her jaw, toward her earlobe, where he nipped at the sensitive skin there while she gasped. She kept her fingers tangled in his hair, letting her head loll back as his hands roved inquisitively over her sides, brushing the curve of her breasts through the fabric of her dress with his thumbs. She'd never wanted to remove her clothing so badly in her life. The corset she wore beneath the dress felt too tight, making her breath shallow and chafing against her overly sensitive skin. His laugh was muffled against her skin as she began to feverishly claw at the hooks holding his vest together and he caught her wrist, stopping her.

"Hey, slow down, Blondie," he grinned. "We've got time."

She exhaled in frustration, feeling slightly embarrassed. "I just…you're just so…and I want—"

"I know," he told her tenderly. "I know." Taking her hand, he led her to the edge of the bed and turned her away from him. She gripped the bed post as he began the painstaking task of unlacing her wedding dress. "You know," he mused, "they really weren't taking my needs into consideration when they designed this dress," he whined, though his fingers were shockingly adept.

"I don't think they were taking anyone's needs into consideration," she muttered in agreement, tapping her foot impatiently while he continued to work her out of the gown.

"Hey, Blondie? Are you ever going to wear this thing again? We could just cut it off you," he suggested dryly.

"Eugene!" She half giggled, half scolded.

"Alright…we'll do it your way," he grumbled, though he didn't sound like he was serious as he pulled the ribbon completely out of the dress. Rapunzel could see it fluttering to the ground out of the corner of her eye and realized with a slight chill that her back was completely exposed, save for the equally awful corset and thin chemise beneath. Goosebumps made her skin tingle as she felt the warmth of his breath on her back before he kissed her between the shoulder blades. Carefully, he parted the dress, sliding it down her arms and letting it fall to the floor, pooling at her feet. She heard his sharp intake of breath and looked over her shoulder at him.

"What's wrong?" She asked, worriedly. His eyes widened at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"What's wrong?" He asked, incredulously. "What could possibly be wrong right now? Have you seen yourself lately?"

She looked down at herself in confusion, checking over the corset for something amiss. She wore no stockings or shoes, so it wasn't that…but she had no idea what he was talking about. "Do I have something on me…?" She strained to see her back over her shoulder, turning as she did. Eugene stopped her by placing his hands on her shoulders.

"No," he said, swallowing a laugh. "What I meant was that you look amazing in that thing. Is that…that's not the one you normally wear."

"Oh, this," Rapunzel touched the light purple satin of the corset that had been made special for today. "Do you like it?"

"God yes," Eugene replied with flared nostrils, "But you should take it off immediately."

Feeling emboldened by his response, Rapunzel began to unhook the garment with shaking, nervous fingers, keeping her eyes locked on his as she did. For as long as she'd known Eugene, and for as many times as she'd crept into his bed at night, he'd never seen her this naked. In fact, she was starting to suspect that what they'd done before was nothing compared to what was to come tonight. When she reached the last hook, she took a deep breath and let the corset drop to the floor with her wedding dress, leaving her standing in only a thin slip of a chemise and under drawers. Modesty brought her hands back up to cover her barely covered chest, though Eugene stopped her, taking a wordless step toward her. His fingers ghosted over the fabric, setting her already sensitive skin ablaze. Her eyes fell to the tight bulge at the front of his trousers as her pulse quickened. She'd never seen Eugene naked, though she had felt him through his clothes before when they'd lain beside each other; when they'd kissed before. She suddenly wanted to know every inch of him, to touch him and hold him in her hands; to feel him skin to skin.

Eugene deftly pulled the hem of the chemise up and over her head, casting it aside without so much as a second glance. He pulled the satin drawers she wore apart, and rid her of them much the same way. His pupils dilated at the sight of her completely bare, though he managed to compose himself, telling her in a strangely low voice. "Lay down." Rapunzel nodded, too inflamed already to care about being nervous anymore. Every nerve in her body seemed to come to life as she watch Eugene undress himself, unhooking his vest and quickly removing his shirt all in one fluid motion. He was beautiful; tall and lean with defined muscles and just a small covering of hair on his chest that led down onto his stomach and into the waistline of his breeches. Rapunzel's eyes widened and she bit her lower lip curiously, unblinking as she watched him unbutton the trousers.

"Didn't anyone tell you it's impolite to stare, Blondie?" He asked her in a hoarse voice. Pulling herself up to her knees, she crept forward on the bed and reached out to touch the open placket. Eugene froze, staring at her with an expression of both surprise and awe.

"Is this…okay…?" She asked. His response was something that could only be described as a cross between a snort and a groan. Rapunzel kept her eyes on his as her hand slipped down inside his pants, following that intriguing dark trail of hair on his stomach. She felt her eyes grow even larger when her hand finally wrapped around him, and she marveled at the velvety soft skin there. Eugene gripped the post of the bed, and Rapunzel watched in fascination as his eyes fell closed.

"Alright, Blondie, that's enough of that…" he told her weakly, gently drawing her hand out of his trousers, and kissing her palm. "Not that it didn't feel great, but I kind of want to, you know, last longer than five seconds once we get to the good stuff."

"Oh," she giggled, watching as he removed the trousers and boots, kicking them to the side before joining Rapunzel on the plush bed and gathering her in his arms, looking down into her face reverently.

"I always knew you'd be perfect," he told her in a completely un-Eugene voice, brushing the dark hair back from her face. "But, just…wow."

"You don't think my chest is too small?" She asked, wondering why she suddenly felt self-conscious.

"What…?" His eyes narrowed. "No, and frankly I'm offended that you would even ask me that!" He tipped her chin up to make her look at him. "Let's just assume that I find everything about you flawless…" His hand covered one of her breasts, rubbing his thumb over the tip and making it tighten under his touch. "Deal?"

She nodded gratefully, but before she could reply, his mouth covered hers, probing gently as he covered her body with his. Rapunzel forgot any earlier worry when his hand covered the delicate dark mound of hair between her legs, spreading her open with his fingers. "Um," she gasped, pulling back and looking up into his eyes, "I'm not sure you should do that…"

"Oh, really?" He asked with a quirked brow. "Why's that?"

"Because that's my…that's where I…" The words died on her lips when one long finger slipped inside of her, stroking her just the right way to make her belly tighten. It actually felt good. Sounds slipped from her mouth, but Rapunzel no longer had the decency to care because it felt so good. "Oh, please don't stop," she begged, arching her back to try and take his finger deeper. He assuaged her by adding a second finger and teasing that small pearl of nerves above with the pad of his thumb as he soothed her. "Eugene, I want…I want…"

"Not yet," he told her, amused as he withdrew his hand from between her legs. "Soon." He moved lower, dragging his lips over the modest curve of her breast, creating a fascinating sensation with the scratch of the bristle along his jaw. Eugene kept his eyes on hers as he flicked his tongue over the taut pink tip of her breast, sending a jolt of sensation straight down to her toes. Her reaction earned a wicked smile from him while he moved to the other, this time swirling his tongue around the peak and then softly blowing on it, covering her in gooseflesh.

"Now?" Rapunzel asked, aching to be closer to him, though she wasn't sure quite what she was aching for. Everything they'd done before had been through clothes and layers. She'd never imagined how much more there was. Eugene lingered over the flat plane of her middle, pressing a warm kiss to her belly button and sending another shiver through her. Dark amber eyes met hers.

"Soon," he murmured, sliding lower still and gently nipping at the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. "But first I want to taste…"

"Taste?" Rapunzel squeaked, rising up onto her elbows and watching him hook her legs over his shoulders. She could feel his breath on her, hot and eager as his eyes flashed with wickedness.

"Mmm," he answered, and before she could protest, his mouth settled on her; lapping exquisitely at that one perfect spot and sending a barrage of ecstasy rushing through her body and causing her to grip the lace coverlet on the bed in her fists as she arched up off of the mattress to meet his strokes. One of his hands slid over the expanse of her smooth, porcelain skin and settled over her breast, kneading the pliant flesh there while he continued to torture her with his expert ministrations.

Sounds continued to spill from her lips wantonly, pleading and encouraging him to keep going, don't stop; never stop. Maybe she'd be embarrassed later, but right now, all she could think about was how amazing it felt and the pressure building in her belly was leading to something that she was fighting for, some sort of release from this heavenly torture. Rapunzel clutched fistfuls of his hair, holding him tightly against her while she writhed beneath him, her short hair splayed over the pillow as she moved her head from side to side. And then it came, gloriously spilling over her like the sun on a warm summer day, causing every muscle in her body to tense and then relax so marvelously that she could have slipped right into a deep slumber and contentedly slept until morning.

Eugene rode out the last few spasms of her release, before crawling up her body, his arousal painfully evident against her leg as he did. "No, no…don't you fall asleep on me, Princess," he told her, kissing her lips. She could taste herself there; a curious taste, both salty and sweet. "We're not done yet."

"But, Eugene, I don't think I can—"

"Yes you can," he interrupted, kissing her nose as he urged her legs open with his knees and settled himself there, poised to enter her sated body.

"Oh," she whispered, tentatively putting her hands on his waist and running her fingertips over the sun browned skin there. It was smooth, save for a few soft, raised spots that she realized were scars. She'd have to ask him about them later. Bringing one hand up between them, she touched his cheek tenderly. "I love you."

"You're the only thing that's ever mattered to me," he admitted hoarsely. "If anything ever happened to you—"

"It won't," she assured him.

"But if it did," he continued, turning his face to kiss her hand, "I couldn't cope. I never wanted to fall in love. I always thought it would make things complicated and messy. I was selfish. But now…I feel like I was just in limbo every day of my life until I met you. I wasn't living. That wasn't life. That was purgatory. You saved me, Rapunzel."

"Well, you saved me too," she pointed out with a breathy laugh, "So, let's call it even."

"God, I love you," he groaned, kissing her with feral passion and sending thrills through her, making her grind upward, against him and causing him to moan as if he were in pain. "This is going to hurt, probably. So, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she nodded, feeling him start the long, slow descent into her, wondering at the feeling of him filling her. He seemed huge to her, or maybe she was just really small…either way, Rapunzel wasn't quite sure how this was all going to work. Not that she had any frame of reference. The thought of doing this with anyone else ever was completely repulsive.

"You alright?" He asked, though his voice had taken on a tight tone, as if he were in agony. She nodded, pulling carefully at his waist, encouraging him to go deeper. It was an excruciatingly slow process, but every few seconds, Eugene stopped, waiting for her body to adjust to him before he moved forward again.

"J-Just do it," she told him, pulling him down for a kiss to convince him. A sound precariously close to a growl escaped his throat, and he thrust forward, breaking the barrier that remained. It was painful, Rapunzel wasn't going to deny that, but she didn't care, because she was finally as close as she could possibly be to the only man she would ever love; her husband. Eugene. She reached up, brushing his matted hair from his damp forehead, leaning forward to pepper whispery kisses along his jaw and his lips.

Eugene's movements became sharper, more insistent, and finding the sweetest angle as he braced himself on his elbows with his hands cradling her hair, smoothing it back and caressing her face while words of love and adoration spilled from him suggestively into her ear and over her lips as their mouths grazed together. The pain she'd felt at first had gone and was replaced by a sweet, deep burn that was pure bliss. Her legs clamped around his waist, holding him as tightly to her as he would go while she clung to him, holding his shoulders for dear life. One of his hands found hers, twining their fingers together as he drove into her with a long deliberate stroke, and the world fell apart before her eyes again, filling her vision with flashing lights. Eugene's mouth covered hers hungrily as he thrust into her a final time, his body going completely rigid before he collapsed over her, spilling into her body. She could feel him throbbing within her in a seemingly endless climax.

They kept their lips together, panting for breath as they both came down from the euphoric satisfaction of their lovemaking; their bodies glistened with sweat. Eugene pulled away, keeping his forehead against hers and looking into her eyes.

"Best day ever?" She asked breathlessly, bringing her arms around his neck.

"Ever," he agreed with a shallow laugh as he withdrew from her swollen, smarting body with extra care. "Here," he told her, rising off of the bed. "Let me take care of you."

"Oh, that's okay, you don't have to—" she began, feeling a sudden sense of loss as he left the bed. She watched him walk, completely naked in the candlelight, marveling at the taut muscles of his body. He crossed to the washstand and dipped the pristine white towel there into the water warming by the fire, before turning back toward her; a magnificent fallen angel like the statues she'd seen.

"Lay back," he told her, and she did as he bid, letting him open her legs. He lovingly wiped her sore flesh, cleaning the excess fluid and blood.

Rapunzel bit her lower lip again, watching his beautiful, sweet face as he took care of her. "Eugene, can I ask you something?"

He glanced at her in surprise. "Of course."

"Where did you get those scars?" She asked, indicating to the small scars scattered over his chest and back. She wanted to know, yet she was terrified to know the answer. His eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't seem to be angry or offended.

"I grew up in an orphanage," he explained with a sigh. "The husband and wife who ran the place weren't quite the kindly couple they liked to make everyone think they were. So, if any of us got into trouble…well, let's just say I was always the rebellious sort." His jaw tightened. "The old man would use his belt and the buckle was really big." Eugene shrugged helplessly, gesturing to the scars. Rapunzel's mouth fell open, and she sat up, crawling over to him and wrapping her arms around his middle, resting her head against his collarbone.

"I'm so sorry," she told him. "No one will ever hurt you again, I promise."

She felt him smile into her hair as he set the towel aside and pulled her into the warmth of his body, lying down with her pressed against his side. "I know," he told her, looking down into her face. "But I'm glad it all happened. If I'd never grown up in that orphanage and become a thief, I never would have found you. So really, my questionable morals and sad back story do have its advantages." He chuckled. "Plus, I mean, I'm a Prince now. What other guys can say that?"

"Eugene!" She laughed, playfully smacking his shoulder.

"What?" He grinned, pulling the sheets over them with a yawn. "We're living happily ever after!"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes, but snuggled closer to him, resting her head against his chest, her eyes suddenly unbearably heavy with exhaustion. She glanced up at Eugene, whose eyes were closed and his breathing had become even. She caressed his face with the back of her hand, kissing him softly on the cheek. "Yes we are…"