Note: Little Red Riding Hood's 'real' name is Charlotte. The bakers son is called William. This is my first into the woods fanfiction and I am hoping not to make it an one shot. It is a little different to what I am used to (Bechloe) and it creates a bit of a change for my readers too.

I was sat in the soft fluffy armchair in the house I had come to call home when he came into the room. 'Ella...' He was crying, he had come to call me Ella rather than Cinderella which was my full name. 'What is it my baker-boo. Is it what happened?' I knew before I even asked, it had been 5 years since his wife had died. I remembered that day all to well, the day I rejected my dream. The day I left a prince. The day I became a Mother, House wife and Baker. I had raised my 'children' well as if they were really my own. Little Red Riding Hood (who eventually told me that her name was Charlotte), Jack and the bakers lovely son, William.
A small young boy walked into the room. 'Hello mummy Ella.' He said 'Are you and dad having a chat?'
William was an adorable child. He was average height for a five year old, though I knew he would eventually be taller than me. I loved how he called me 'Mummy Ella' rather than Mum as that meant he realised I wasn't his birth mum, and that he didn't call me Ella, and that meant he had accepted me as his 'mother'. I smiled at him.
'Just give us a moment William.' I said. He walked away.
I looked at the man crying softly beside me. 'I understand... I know what it's like to loose somebody you love, although lets be honest I had it a whole lot worse. Things that have happened to me always seem to be bad. I mean lets face it we have been through the same but at different times. Both of us...' At this point I was cut off by Charlotte Red (that was my name for her).
'Miss El, I mean Mom Ella. Jack's climbed a tree again and he won't come down.'
I sighed 'I will continue this later.' I told the man sat next to me. 'I'm on my way miss Red...'

I liked to play with the children in such a way as I did. Having missed so much of my childhood due to horrid step relatives, when I was around children I felt the need to let out the child within my personality. I was a young girl at heart, forced to mature far too quickly by a cruel and unloving family, and despite being 22 now.
I followed Little red through the forest to where Jack had climbed a tree, a tree right outside where he apparently used to live with hateful mother. 'Jack would you please like to come down.'
No response from the boy
'Jack it's nearly dinner time.'
'I'm not hungry Ella' He said I could hear the tears in his voice.
'Can I come up Jack?' I asked
'Yes just don't bring Charlotte.'
I looked round at Charlotte. 'Charlotte. Could you please return to the house and help your father with the bakery.' I really didn't like to sound impolite or to hurt her feelings, but I had to make sure she left if Jack wanted to talk to me.
'Sure. I actually want to show him my secret bread.' She said, then she ran back to the house.
She stopped after a short while and turned back to me. I looked at my shoes. Heeled shoes, no thing to wear while tree climbing. 'Yeah, I was just thinking you might want these' Charlotte said walking forward bear footed. I took off my shoes and gave them to her. She gave me hers, it really paid to have a daughter with the same sized feet as me.

Carefully I scaled the tree. It actually was quite easy to climb this tree as it lots of thick branches close together, and I quickly reached Jack.
Now almost 16 years old Jack was taller than me, and looked older than me to be honest he looked 17 (the same age as me when I took on being a mother to him) and I looked 17 so it looked like we were a couple. Fortunately for our mother/son relationship, not many people who hardly know us came though this part of the wood. I put my arm around the 15 year old. 'What's the matter?' I asked softly.
'As I am nearly 16 I think my mother would be really proud to see me now.' Jack told me. I smiled sadly at him and he smiled back. 'Tonight, come and see me. I'll tell you about my 16th birthday. It wasn't even a event to most people. You are certainly more lucky than me...' he looked at me and then hugged me.
'You wanna race down' he said.
'Yeah sure' I replied
'Down the tree and into the house, 3, 2, 1, Go' and we happily raced down the tree and back to the house.
Obviously being a strapping teenage boy he beat me but I didn't mind. With my mismatched family I felt like I could be who I really was, rather than Cinderella, doing all the work while her step family partied all night.

I liked to be around people I could relate to and this family was definitely could all relate to each other. We had all been through similar things in our lives, at varying ages and with various outcomes for each person. I had certainly lost so much, My mother, my father, my sibling and my childhood, but I felt like I had my sibling and my childhood back when I was with my 'family'.

Thanks for reading please leave a review on your thoughts/opinions. Hope you enjoyed and I will update this again very soon. Lea. 🌈🌈