"Gone." Eugene sighed, throwing a chunk of rock at the ground. "Nothing." He said, looking around him. He was underground in his mine. He had been feeling more hopeless of this place than ever. He had only found a few pieces of gold and it wasn't much. "No color."

He picked up his shovel, feeling the weight in his hands. Anger grew in him. He had lost his best friend and his mine was completely empty. He had to take it out on something. "Jezebel!" He shouted as he swung.

The impact from the shovel smashing the wall made a wooden scaffolding fall. Dirt began pouring out from the wooden beams above. Eugene rushed out of the mine, large rocks hitting his back and shoulders. A beam fell on top of him, bringing him to the ground.

Just when he thought he was going to die down there, the crumbling stopped. He sat up, groaning as he pushed away the wooden beam. He rubbed his shoulder that now ached in pain. Suddenly, his eyes landed on it. "Lovely creature."

He stood up, using the beam as support. "That's what you've been trying to tell me all these years, huh?" He asked. He walked to the wall and used his hands to dig out the large chunks of dirt. "That you're up here." He chuckled as he found a large, beautiful vein of gold.

Back on top, Kristoff and Anna were just arriving. They rode Sven up to the house. "Eugene," Kristoff called out. He stopped Sven. "Eugene!"

He sighed. "Damn." Where was he? Kristoff wanted the two to meet. After all, Eugene had been asking about her.

"What a strange place," Anna said, looking around. There were many different things just laying around. Anna didn't have a name for most of them. "Who is this Eugene?" She asked.

Kristoff snapped his head back to look at her. "I thought you knew him."

"Well, why should I?" She asked. Why would she know someone from the high country? Her father wanted nothing to do with them.

Kristoff looked forward again. It made sense now why Eugene didn't want to talk about his brother. They clearly hadn't spoken to each other in years. "You wait here. I'll check down at the creek."

Anna looped her arms into his and slid off of Sven. She couldn't help but wonder what Kristoff meant. She wandered up to the house as Kristoff rode down the hill, calling for Eugene.

The door opened with a creak and she peeked her head inside. "Hello?" She called. She walked in, leaving the door open so if he came back he wouldn't be startled by her presence. She began looking around. She couldn't help but to snoop. This house was nothing like hers.

Outside, she heard hooves. Must be Kristoff and Sven. She continued looking as Kristoff entered the bungalow. "Well, he's not down there." He said as he entered the bungalow and took off his hat.

Anna continued walking around the kitchen as Kristoff sat at the table. Suddenly, something caught her eye. She rushed over and opened the small book. A small tune began to play as she stared at the same picture that hangs in her father's bedroom.

Why did he have this? Where did he get this?

"Kris? Kristoff Bjorgman!" Eugene called out.

Kristoff jumped up, a smile on his face as Eugene hobbled into the house. "Kristoff, my boy!" He cheered. He pulled Kristoff into a hug, spinning him around. "They said old Eugene was mad, huh? Mad, huh? Yahoo!"

"Are you alright?" Kristoff chuckled as Eugene let go.

"I've never felt better in my life!" He whooped, punching a fist into the air. Suddenly, she caught his eye. He stopped, staring at her. He lowered his fist and slowly walked toward her. "Rapunzel." He softly said.

Anna stared at him, unsure what to do. "I found the gold." He continued.

Anna slightly shook her head. "I'm Anna. Anna Harrison."

Eugene paused, thinking it through. That's right. She couldn't possibly be Rapunzel, even though they looked identical. "Oh, Anna." He softly said. He chuckled, smiling. "You've grown up."

"Anna," Kristoff said, catching her attention. "This is Eugene." He said, pointing at him. Then he placed his hands onto his hips. Well, there was no easy way to say it, so he was just going to tell her. "And, uh, he's your uncle -your father's brother."

Anna stared at him. No wonder he looked so familiar. And no wonder Kristoff thought she knew him. Why hadn't her father ever mentioned him before?

Eugene shrugged his shoulder, trying to clear the awkward air. "One of life's injustices. You never get to choose your own relatives." He teased.

Anna was still trying to form a thought in her head. "Uncle?" She stuttered.

He turned around. "Let this be a lesson to you, Kris. I find a little bit of gold, and suddenly, after all these years, the relatives turn up, huh?" He chuckled. He really wanted to get to know Anna. He wished he could have been there more in her life, but Jackson would have never let him.

Anna blinked away tears, ignoring his joke. "Why do you keep this portrait of my mother?" She asked.

"Uh-" Eugene stuttered. He couldn't think of a way to explain this to her, so he ignored it. "Well, the prettiest visitor I've ever had and not even a cup of tea." He said, looking at Kristoff. "Come on."

He hobbled away, but Anna chased after him. "What are you trying to hide from me?" She asked. There was a secret she had never been told and it was clear that it had something to do with her father and her new uncle. It also involved her mother somehow. "I'm not a child."

He knew that, but he couldn't tell her. Not without her father's approval. "Uh, Anna," he began, taking the portrait from her hands. "Uh-" he fumbled. He sighed, shaking his head as he closed the book. "There's a lot of pain and suffering when you try to dig up the past."

"Look, Gene," Kristoff spoke up as Anna walked to his side. "Anna has to get home, and I've gotta go back for the cattle. Can you take her down?" He asked.

"Sure. Sure." Eugene nodded. He didn't want to, but it was time. It was time for him to go back to his brother's property even after what happened between them.

"You look after her for me then." Kristoff smiled, placing a hand on her lower back. He could tell she didn't want to go anywhere with him at the moment, but they had no choice. He had to complete this job for her father.

"Oh, I'll look after her," he said. He looked at Anna. "Like you were my own daughter."

"I won't be far behind you." Kristoff softly smiled. He reached down and grabbed his hat, placing it on his head. "And don't touch his wallaby stew." He teased with a grin.

"Why, you ungrateful tyke!" He shouted, chasing after Kristoff. "There'll be no wallaby tonight. I'll kill the fatted calf."

He stopped, pulling up his overalls. "Come to think of it, I already have." He chuckled, pulling Anna in for a side hug. Maybe being with him wouldn't be so bad.

xxx

Kristoff easily found the strays. He led them down the mountain, cracking his whip to keep them going. Once they reached an opening, Kristoff hung a letter and his red scarf out in the open. He hoped the men could find it.

xxx

"It was silly, I suppose, but I was so angry," Anna said as she lit candles around Eugene's bungalow. It was getting dark inside. She had learned a lot about Eugene, and he had learned a lot about her. Turns out, they had plenty in common.

"Yeah." Eugene softly sighed, listening closely.

"And then I couldn't think about anything else besides seeing Kristoff." She said.

"No harm done. What's the sense of being young if you can't be impulsive now and then, huh?" He asked.

Anna nodded her then continued working. "Now, the tablecloth."

"No expense spared, and you can read the news while you're eating." Eugene grinned, handing her a newspaper. Anna smiled, pulling out the free sheets to use as a tablecloth.

"Aha!" Eugene cheered, pulling down a bottle of wine. "They charge you three guineas excess for the cobwebs down in the city."

"Glasses?"

"On the shelf." He explained. Anna rushed over to the shelf to grab them as he began sharpening his knife.

"Oh, these must be quite valuable." Anna teased as she pulled them down.

"Match pair." He smiled.

"They're both broken." She chuckled, making him laugh as well.

"Anna," he declared. "Take this plate and follow me to the cool room." She followed behind him as he walked to a sack hanging on a hook. "Now for the piÑce de rísistance."

He pulled the string, showcasing a dead cow. "Ah. You raise beef." She said.

"Oh, well-known for it." He said. "Small, modest herd made up of poor creatures who've lost their way."

"And, uh, 'H' is for?" She asked, pointing towards the branded 'H' on the end of the cow.

"Uh, 'homeless.'" He said, making both of them laugh. Anna knew full well that this was her father's cow. Only, she wasn't going to say anything to him.

After eating, Eugene and Anna got into his wagon and rode back to her house.

xxx

Jackson and his crew found the red scarf and letter. Quickly, Jackson's eyes scanned over the piece of paper. He let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Well, thank God she's safe."

"Where is she?" Ralph asked.

Not wanting to answer, Jackson folded the letter and tucked it into his shirt. "She's on her way home."

xxx

Crickets chirped as Eugene and Anna made it back to her house safely. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and gave him a squeeze. She was thankful for him and she knew it was the right time to go back.

"Why haven't I ever been told about Eugene?" She asked from her bed later that night. Elsa ignored her, tucking in the sheets. "Well, was my mother unfaithful or . . .?"

Elsa's head shot up. "Nonsense girl."

"Was she?" Anna pressed.

"What did Eugene tell you?" Elsa demanded.

Anna looked down. "Nothing." She sighed. She wished he would have. She wanted to know. Taking that as a good sign, Elsa went back to tucking in the sheets. "Aunt Elsa, please."

Elsa sat on the edge of Anna's bed, staring into her blue eyes. "About twenty years ago, two brothers fell in love with the prettiest girl in the district. Oh, she was young, and life for Rapunzel was like childish games."

"Well, both the men wanted her hand in marriage but she couldn't choose between them," Elsa continued. "So she decided that the first one to make his fortune would be her husband." Elsa chuckled, shaking her head. "She hadn't the faintest idea what chain of events that would set in motion."

"Well, one of the men scraped his savings together and gambled in one bold throw -a horse named Pardon in the Cup. It won 50-to-1. He was wealthy."

"Father," Anna said, looking at her bedsheets. "And Eugene?"

"He went looking for gold."

~~~~~~~~~~