Cinder-Ellie
By Asteria
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
Note: This came to me in Production this morning. I was scooping muffin batter and this idea popped into my head. I don't understand my thought processes.
Lizzy Mooney, Katie Daye and Max Waxman aren't anyone in particular. I just needed names.
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April, 1988
"Ellie's daddy doesn't love her. That's why he wasn't at Parent's Day," Lizzy Moony says to Katie Daye.
"That's a lie!" I say. "You're a mean horrible liar! My daddy's a cop and he was catching bad guys! And… and my daddy loves me more than your daddy loves you!"
"Nuh-uh!" says Lizzy. "I'm my daddy's little princess. Princess Lizzy!"
"And I'm Princess Katie! And you're just Cinder-Ellie!"
Lizzy and Katie run away laughing and leave me sitting in the corner of the sandbox. I'm trying not to cry. Max Waxman comes over to the sandbox.
"Move!" he shouts. "We're playing here!"
I stand up and walk over to the swings and sit on the broken one. No one bothers me. I try to hide behind my hair.
They're all jealous I think because my daddy has such a cool job. He catches bad guys. Lizzy Mooney's daddy couldn't catch a bad guy even if you gave him the biggest butterfly net in the world. My daddy loves me. He catches bad guys to keep me and Mommy safe. I don't want to be a stupid princess anyway.
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"Daddy? Will you watch a movie with me?"
"Not tonight, sweetie. Daddy's tired. We'll watch a movie on Sunday, okay?"
"Okay."
I sniffle. I can't help it. I don't want to cry.
"I'll read you a story tonight," Daddy says.
I smile at him, a big smile that shows the place where my loose tooth fell out last week.
"Go get all ready for bed and pick out a book, okay?"
"You pick out the book, okay Daddy?"
"Okay. Go get ready for bed."
"Okay!"
I run into the bathroom and brush my teeth and wash my face. Then I run back into my room and put on my kitty cat pajamas and I jump into my bed.
"DAAAADDY! I'm ready for my story!" I yell.
Daddy comes in and sits on the edge of my bed and looks at my books.
"What to you want to read tonight, Ellie?" Daddy asks.
"I want you to pick the book, Daddy," I say.
"Okay," Daddy says. "How about Cinderella?"
"NO!" I yell. "I don't like that one anymore!"
"Why not? I thought that was your favorite."
I start crying again and I tell Daddy about all the mean things Lizzy and Katie said.
"…And… and then… they said that they were princesses and I was just Cinder-Ellie."
Daddy gives me a hug.
"You don't have to be a princess," says Daddy. "In fact, I think I like it better that you're not. You know why?"
"Why?"
"Well, if you were a princess, then you wouldn't be my Ellie, would you? You'd be someone else's Ellie, and that would make me very sad. Because you know what?"
"No, what?"
"I love you very much, Ellie."
"I love you very much too, Daddy."
"Now go to sleep," Daddy says.
"But you didn't read me my story!" I say.
"How about you tell me a story instead?" Daddy says.
"Okay," I say. "Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Ellie who had the best daddy in the world…"
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July, 2001
…because he loved her unconditionally and told her she didn't need to be a princess, she just needed to be Ellie. But Ellie made some bad choices in just being Ellie, and almost got into a lot of trouble. But even when she made mistakes, and even when she was mean to him, Ellie's daddy still loved her. He never needed her to be a princess, never needed to place her on that pedestal. All he ever needed her to be was Ellie. Because Cinderella won in the end, and maybe, just maybe, Cinder-Ellie could too.
And Lizzy Mooney is a big liar.
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This is my first completed piece of CSI fanfiction. Eventually, I may write stuff that vaguely resembles CSI. Please review.