While Elsa made sure Anna was safely put to bed after her disappearance, Eugene went to the kitchen to wait for Kristoff's arrival. While he was there, he decided to chat with the maid. "My dear Cassandra, tell me, by what magic did you transform this humble farmyard chicken into such delicate ambrosia, hmm?" He asked, walking around the table to stand close beside her.

She chuckled, looking at him. "You do go on."

"And you gave me my favorite piece too." He smiled, leaning in close to her.

"Oh?" She asked.

"A plump breast."

Cassandra scowled and slammed her spoon against the bowl. She wasn't going to let him talk to her like that. She started to walk away, but Eugene put up his peg leg to block her. "Unless it be tenderloin." He grinned, trailing down her back towards her bottom.

She took her spoon and smashed it against his peg leg. He groaned, pulling it off the table. "Oh, Cassandra. Oh, you're a cruel woman, Cassandra!" He cried, hobbling to the nearest chair.

"Dear! I'm sorry." She apologized, following him. She didn't mean to hurt him so bad. But he did have it coming. He should know not to say such things, especially to women. "Are you alright?"

He pulled her down to sit on his lap. "Ooh, the moment I walked in here, I said to myself, this is a woman to satisfy a man's appetites." He grinned, making her glare. She had been fooled again.

The door clicked open, making Cassandra jump up. Even though they weren't doing anything, especially her, she still felt heat rush to her cheeks. She knew they had been caught by someone. "I didn't expect you for a while," Eugene said as he stood up.

Kristoff entered the room, chuckling. "So I see."

Cassandra was quickly stirring her bowl again. Kristoff began taking off his coat as he walked closer to her. "How's Anna?" He asked.

"She's fine," Cassandra said. Then she felt the need to explain the situation Kristoff had walked into. "Uh, Eugene was, uh, just helping me get her supper ready."

Kristoff nodded his head, but he didn't believe her. Maybe if her voice wasn't so shaky she could have pulled that over him.

"Ah. You're still here." Elsa shouted, seeing them from outside the open door. "Well, you better not be when your brother gets back." She advised as she entered the room.

"We're on our way," Eugene replied. "I'm too old to play the prodigal son." He said as he pulled his coat on. He walked over to Cassandra, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Uh, thank you, Cassandra." He turned away, placing a hand on Kristoff. "And come on, Kristoff."

"After I see Anna." He said.

"Hey, I think we'd better be going," Eugene said. He really didn't want to be here when Jackson got back. That only meant trouble.

"We'll let the weather clear a bit. I want to see her." He replied. He had to see her again. This could be the last time because her father had fired him. He needed to say goodbye.

He walked out the door, closing it tightly behind him. Elsa made a face at Eugene. Kristoff reminded her of someone twenty years ago. Someone who couldn't stand leaving their lover alone for long.

Jackson was just riding into the yard, quickly rushing to the house to make Anna was safely there.

Inside her room, Anna traced her finger on her bedsheets. She couldn't help but think of Kristoff and the day they had spent up on the mountain. She had such a grand time being with him. He had told her he would be right behind them, but she hadn't seen him. Where was he?

A knock came from the door. Aunt Elsa. "Yes," Anna said.

The door opened showing his smiling face. Kristoff. Anna grinned, feeling like she could fly. She was just about to jump out of bed and into his arms when the door from outside opened.

Jackson burst through the door, his blue eyes landing on Anna safely in bed. He peeled off his coat, gloves, and hat as he slowly walked to Anna's bedside. Oh, he was so glad she was safe. "Forgive me?" He asked as he fell to his knees. He pulled her in for a large hug and she hugged him back.

Kristoff hid behind the partly open door. His eyes dropped to the ground.

"You're back." Jackson grinned, brushing her red locks away from her face. Anna nodded her head. She looked over her shoulder. She loved her father, but she didn't want to be with him right now. She wanted to talk to Kristoff.

Jackson's eyes followed hers, landing on the mountain boy. Slowly, his smile fell from his face. He stood up, giving a forced smile. "My thanks to you for my daughter's safe return."

Jackson began walking around the bed to meet Kristoff. "Ralph speaks highly of you, says you'll make a good cattleman."

"I've got a few ideas," Kristoff replied, stepping into the room.

"Well, maybe I can be of some help to you," he nodded. "It's time we had a talk."

He looked to his left, smiling. "You just rest, Anna." He nodded. He looked back at Kristoff. "Come."

Kristoff popped his eyebrows at Anna and softly closed the door behind him. He followed Jackson through the house. He led them into a large room, filled with a bunch of expensive items Kristoff could only dream to afford.

"When did you find Anna?" Jackson asked. Kristoff knew this conversation would be inevitable, but why did it have to happen now? Why could it happen tomorrow or even in the next year?

"Yesterday morning." He said.

"Oh," Jackson said. The silence afterward was filled with the ticks of the loud clock on the wall. "Sit down."

Not wanting to anger him, Kristoff cautiously took a seat on a grand red chair as Jackson stood in front of the fire. "You're very fond of my daughter, huh?" 

"I love her," Kristoff said.

Jackson hummed, turning around to face Kristoff. "Love," he grinned. Suddenly, his face scowled. "It's a goddamn strange sort of love."

Kristoff held his breath, keeping his mouth shut as Jackson continued. "You call it love to take a girl who'd been brought up to this and put her in a bark hut, hmm?" He demanded, stomping towards Kristoff.

"We'd make do."

"Living on air?" Jackson exclaimed. "Watch her grow old with hard work and childbearing?"

"I'd look after her." Kristoff defended, narrowing his eyes.

Jackson hummed, rolling his eyes as he rocked on his heels.

"Anyway, why don't you ask her?" Kristoff fired back. Anna had the right to say yes or no to him. It wasn't up to Jackson or anyone else. She could decide for herself.

"The decision is yours!" Jackson shouted, pointing at Kristoff. "If you've a spark of manhood in you, you know the right thing for you to do is to walk away!"

"Now hang on!" Kristoff argued, jumping up from his seat. "You're not the only one who can make something out of life. I've got plans for my own place."

"Then make your plans with someone else's daughter," Jackson growled, stepping close to Kristoff. "I didn't carve this place out of the bush to see Anna run off with the first fortune hunter to come along!"

"You bastard!" Kristoff shouted.

"Kristoff!" Eugene called out. He entered the room, glaring his brown eyes.

Kristoff scoffed, placing his hands on hips as he walked off to the side of the room. Yelling at Jackson wasn't going to get him anywhere. He needed to get on his good side and prove that he could take good care of Anna.

Jackson narrowed his eyes at his brother. So he was still alive. He couldn't believe how much older he looked now, but then again, Jackson didn't look as young as he used to either. "How dare you come in this house." He spat.

"My long lost brother. Didn't recognize you without a gun." Eugene fired back, his eyes scanning Jackson. My how things have changed.

"Get out," Jackson growled.

"Gun?" Anna asked, entering the room. "What is going on?"

"Come on, Anna. Back to bed." Elsa said, gently grabbing Anna's shoulders. She didn't want Anna to be here when the fight broke out. Things were known to get violent between these two rival brothers.

"Oh, no." Anna denied. "I'm sick of secrets. I want to know."

"Anna, get to bed!" Jackson shouted over her. He was radiating in anger, nearly jumping as he spoke. "And both of you, get outta here, or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Eugene cut off. He slapped his leg. "Blow off the other one?"

"Eugene, please," Elsa said.

Jackson took a deep breath, turning his back to his brother. "I only shot to warn you off."

Eugene began hobbling around the room as well. He went and stood beside Kristoff. "I'd hate to be around if your intentions were serious."

"Father." Anna hissed, rushing to his side. "Tell me what happened." She demanded, placing both of her hands on the desk.

Jackson paused, slightly thinking about it. It was time to tell her, but he couldn't. He couldn't let her know what he had down in the past. "Anna, go to bed."

"No. I have a right to know!"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Jackson." Elsa sighed, walking across the room to the desk. "Let's get this thing out of the way once and for all."

Jackson sat down in the desk beside the desk. But he couldn't. He couldn't possibly look Anna in the eyes and tell her.

Seeing that Jackson wasn't going to do it, Elsa took matters into her own hands. "Eugene gave your mother a wedding present, a young colt -Old Regret's first foal-" She explained. She turned and glared at Jackson. "-but your father couldn't stand the thought of another man giving her anything."

"I wanted to shoot the animal, but. . . I couldn't." He said, taping his fingers on the desk.

"Well, I'm glad to see you draw the line somewhere." Eugene butted in.

"Your mother feared for the horse, and she turned it loose." Elsa continued on. "Eugene saw it running free, and he came to tell her, and your father found them together. Oh, it was all quite innocent, but your father was in a rage, and Eugene was shot."

Elsa paused for a moment, waiting to see if Jackson had anything else to say. Since he didn't, she went on. "Rapunzel decided to leave-"

"Enough!" Jackson shouted, pounding his fists on the table. He stood up and stormed out of the room. How much was Elsa planning on telling Anna? Everything? If she was, he wasn't going to stick around to hear about it.

"In a way, she did go of her own accord, " Elsa went on. Anna turned, looking at her. "When you were born."

Realizing what Elsa meant, Anna quickly walked across the room and sat down in the red chair in a daze. She causing believe everything she was just told. It just seemed too crazy, too knotted in her head. Everything she had once imagined was now crushed by reality.

"You're more a part of this, Kristoff, than you realize," Eugene said, watching Anna with a frown. Confused, Kristoff turned and looked at him. "Rapunzel's colt is now the old stallion."

"He leads the brumbies," Kristoff mumbled, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Now who's to judge a man the rest of his life for one impetuous act?" Eugene asked, tossing his hands out to the side. "It happened a long time ago. I want to forget, bear no malice."

Seeing the tears pooling in Anna's eyes, Eugene lead forward toward her. "Hey, don't worry. It's just the beginning, not the end." He encouraged. Anna softly smiled, shaking her head. She stood up and pulled him into a tight hug.

They let go and Eugene headed for the door. He was glad things didn't turn too sour with his brother and he was glad that Anna hadn't changed her mind about him. "Eugene," Elsa called out.

"Hmm?"

She walked towards him, opening her arms wide for a hug. Eugene grinned, hugging her back. "I haven't had so much feminine attention in years. I like it." He teased, making Elsa laugh.

Kristoff and Anna were left alone. He walked up to her, staring at her gorgeous face. "I'm leavin' too."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"No." He denied, shaking his head. All he could think about was what Jackson said earlier. Why would Anna want to live up in the mountains in a bark hug when she had grown up here? She deserved better than him. "It couldn't work, Anna."

Anna held her breath as she walked him walk away. She started to chase after him but stopped. Her emotions were all over the place. Why? Why was he leaving her? Had she done something wrong? Was what they had up on the mountain meaningless to him?

It took all her strength to keep from crying at that moment.

xxx

Eugene began riding his wagon back to the mountain when a horse dove in front of him. "Ah! That's nice. You've come to open the gate for your crippled brother." Eugene said.

"You've said enough tonight," Jackson replied. "Turning Anna against me, just as you did Rapunzel years ago."

"You misjudge the girl, just as you did her mother."

Jackson rode close to Eugene's face, staring into his brown eyes. "Whose child is she?"

Eugene chuckled, shaking his head. "Poor Mr. Harrison."

"You owe me the truth," Jackson demanded. This sick thought had kept up for countless nights since Rapunzel had told him she was pregnant. He had to know.

"If you really knew Rapunzel, you could never ask that." Eugene fired back as thunder rumbled in the distance. "Of course she yours, but you don't deserve her."

Eugene snapped the reins, leaving Jackson alone. Jackson should know that Rapunzel would never dream of having relations with a man she wasn't married to, especially that man's brother. Anna was his child, not Eugene's. The very thought shouldn't have even entered his mind.

~~~~~~~~~~