Author's note: Hello everyone! Sorry it took so long to update! I had to deal with a few things that took my attention away from writing. I believe that I should be back to my usual routine now.

A quick side note, the prince is this story bears similar qualities too, but is NOT Kitt from the movie. I love him just as much as you all do and could not bear to have him in a situation where Ella would have to choose between him and Greyson. Kitt is too precious for words and I could never do that to him!

Please, please, please continue to give me feedback as we progress through the story together! I absolutely love hearing from you!

Weeks had passed since Greyson had made a delivery to Ella's home. Ella's suspension was finally drawing to a close and she was absolutely itching to get out of her house. Her patience had been tested more in the past month than ever in her lifetime. She was positively fed up with the Tremaines and their snobbish, negative behavior. However, even though she had to put up with this great nastiness, Ella remained kind to her step-family, as she knew that was what her mother would've wanted - relentless kindness.

Her promise was almost broken once, though. It was a few days after the encounter with Greyson. Ella was preparing the table for lunch when she couldn't help but overhear her stepsisters gossiping.

"I still cannot believe that ratty baker boy talked back to mother!" Exclaimed Drisella in a disgusted tone. "The nerve! I can't imagine!"

"To think, rubbish like that - delivering to OUR household!" Anastasia shrieked. Then, her voice grew quiet. "Do you think he wasn't just the slightest bit cute though? I mean, for rubbish. " Ella's ears burned a bright red at this pondering. She continued to arrange the place settings, attuning her ear closer to the conversation.

"Anastasia!" The other sister gasped. "Cute? He was a mess, covered in flour! Fumbling with his packages! Those are hardly attractive qualities!"

Ella's grip on the plate she was holding tightened to the point where her knuckles turned white. It hurt her heart to listen to her friend be so insulted. If only she had the courage to share a slice of her mind!

Anastasia wrinkled her eyebrow in frustration. "I didn't mean that I like him! Baking is hardly a noble profession. I'd sooner be dead than be caught in the arms of the likes of him! But you don't think he was perhaps the slightest bit good-looking?" She reasoned.

Drisella rolled her eyes. She had always considered herself the wisest of the pair. "Well yes, he might have been a tad bit good-looking. I would never go so far as to call him handsome, however! He's disgusting. A baker! Gah! What a peasant. He is of no value whatsoever."

Ella put her foot down. "That's not true!" She spoke suddenly. The two sisters looked up at her in genuine surprise at the sudden courage. "He seemed like a noble man! A kind man with a heart bigger than the two of yours combined! And baking is indeed a valued profession, just as he too is a person of value!" She held the plate tightly to her chest as if it were a shield. Part of her instantly regretted the outburst as soon as it escaped her lips. However, part of her knew it was a just action, to defend Greyson Fitz, for she knew that he would, and already did, defend her.

The two sisters merely laughed at her. "Ah, Cinderella! You naive fool! You know nothing of the world or how it works. You know nothing at all. Of course YOU would defend the baker boy. He is at your basest level." Drisella declared in a snobbish tone.

"Base indeed!" Anastasia agreed. She turned to her sister. "Now the prince," she fawned, "he is quite the specimen!"

Drisella nearly fainted at the mention of the prince. It was no secret that the desire of almost every young maiden in the kingdom was to catch the eye of the bachelor royal and marry him. It was the absolute fondest dream of the sisters, for with the princes hand came all the trappings of royalty. Not to mention the fact that they thought him to be quite attractive.

"The prince!" sighed Drisella, "that jet black hair!"

"Those baby blue eyes!" Anastasia cooed.

"That tall body!"

"Those muscular arms!"

"Now HE is a man worthy of our attention!" Drisella turned her head to Ella. "Not yours though, Cinderella. He would never so much as look at you. Don't even dare to get your hopes up."

Ella scoffed at the suggestion. The prince may have been the goal of every other woman in the kingdom, but he sure wasn't hers. At this point, she had decided that she had had quite enough of this conversation. "If you two need me, I will be in the village. My suspension is over and we need fresh greens for dinner." She decided curtly. And with that, she grabbed a basket and stormed out, her cheeks flush with red.

Before she left, however, she turned to look at her stepsisters. "And for your information, I believe I am worthy of the prince's attention just as much as you are." And then, she was gone.

Greyson's productivity at the bakery had doubled after his delivery visit to Ella's residence. He figured that if he stayed as busy as possible, he'd have no time to allow himself to be angry at Ella's family. Thus, he buried himself in his work and allowed it to consume him. He had no knowledge on when, if ever, his friend would return. He was unsure if she was even willing to step foot in his establishment after overhearing his outburst. He held heavy remorse over the fact that he had allowed himself to lose control like that. Ella probably thinks him to be a brute now!

He felt his behavior was party justified, however. It utterly disgusted him how Ella's family treated her! Sure, he had heard of their nastiness from Ella's stories and that too made him quite upset. However, seeing the abuse in person was a different feeling entirely, and frankly much more than he could bear. Ella's suspension was a rough time for Greyson because he knew every day that she spent at home was one more day where she was mistreated, and that made his stomach feel positively ill. It took every ounce of his strength to not march over to Ella's house and continue to give the lady Tremaine another piece of his mind. However, he knew that Ella would not approve, for her kind heart was surely opposed to such behavior. So, Greyson figured that the least he could do was offer himself and his bakery as a safe haven for whenever Ella needed to rid herself of the madness. He sincerely hoped that she would someday return to the bakery, because he could not stand the thought of her with that awful family.

He was almost finished sweeping the floor when he heard the store's front door open. He didn't bother looking up, assuming he had time to finish his sweeping job before the customer had decided what to buy. To his great surprise he felt a small figure run up and wrap its arms around him, causing him to lose hold of his broom. It fell to the floor with a large clatter. Greyson looked down at the figure and felt his heart swell when he recognized the golden hair that lay against his chest. He quickly wrapped his arms around Ella in a tight embrace, as if holding on to her tightly may allow her to never leave for such an extended time again.

The two held their position for what felt like an endless time, a just reunion, though it must've only been mere minutes to the rest of the world.

When they finally separated, they looked at each other and grinned. "It sure is nice to see you again," whispered the baker.

Ella beamed. "it sure is indeed"

The two spent the next hours between customers catching up. Greyson had apologized an infinite amount for what he considered to be his unforgivable behavior at Ella's house while Ella simply laughed at his flustered state. "You defended me when I could not." she explained, "you will never have to apologize for that." Greyson was relieved at her calm demeanor.

The two decided to close the shop momentarily for Greyson's lunch break and take a walk about town. They strolled and chatted and admired the various gardens and shops and generally were simply pleased to be spending time with one another. They had made it to the town square when they heard the king's royal messenger call out for the attention of all. The pair looked at each other in interest. This was not a routine occurrence, so it must have been a relevant announcement. They stopped their strolling to listen along with the rest of the town.

"I have an important announcement to all citizens of the kingdom!" The messenger bellowed. "It has been decreed that the prince is becoming of age and is to be in search of a young woman to be his bride. A royal ball is being held for this occasion. All of the neighboring kingdoms are welcome to present their royal highnesses for the prince's consideration. In addition, at his majesty's special request, every citizen of the kingdom, especially every young woman, is invited and encouraged to attend."

Cheers and shrieks were amongst the massive applause of the town. Maidens began to grow overwhelmed with the joyous opportunity to meet and woo the prince. This was a dream come true for many.

"Invitations shall be sent out to every member of every household shortly. On behalf of the king, may everyone be welcomed and have a splendid time!" And with that, the royal messenger got on his horse and followed his entourage out the gates to return to the castle.

Ella smiled brilliantly! A ball! What fun! If everyone in town was invited and encouraged to attend, then the Lady Tremaine was sure to let her go! She wasn't after the prince by any means, but she was enthusiastic with the idea of a grand party. She turned to Greyson.

"A ball! Oh, doesn't that sound just lovely?" She gushed. Greyson was charmed with her delight, he smiled as her eyes lit up with excitement.

"It does indeed!" He agreed. He too was intrigued by the idea of a grand party. The town would be energetic with happiness and he would get the chance to dance the night away with Ella. The thought of it made his heart race. He was about to ask Ella if she would perhaps like to attend the ball with him when she interjected his thoughts.

"I don't care so much about seeing the prince or whatnot. I mean, it's not like he'd take any interest in me anyway, right?" She pondered out loud.

Greyson's mind furiously disagreed with that pondering. Not take interest in Ella? Any man would be insane to not notice Ella. She was perfection in Greyson's eyes. The prince was an utter fool if he didn't take interest in Ella. He'd be missing out on the most wonderful girl in the whole kingdom. Greyson couldn't help but realize that he would be distraught if the prince and Ella were to cross paths, for he knew that he'd instantly be smitten with her. And well, Greyson wasn't sure how he felt about that. To be honest, it made his heart ache just thinking of the hypothetical scenario. But if that was Ella's desire...

"Not take interest in you!" He scoffed, "of course he would take interest in you, Ella. He would ask for your hand as soon as your eyes met!" Ella smiled at this. She had no want to have the prince's hand, but Greyson's words made her blush.

"Really?" she asked shyly.

"Absolutely." he responded strongly.

Ella smiled sweetly as the two continued their stroll. When she had purchased the greens and it was time for them to part she turned to the baker. "I'm so happy that I'm able to see you again." She looked into his deep brown eyes. "I've missed you terribly, if I'm being honest. I do hope greatly that I see you at the ball." She stood up on her tiptoes to give the baker a quick kiss on the cheek before she briskly turned and left for her home.

Greyson felt himself melt as he gently touched the spot where her lips had been moments ago. "I missed you too," he whispered.

He suddenly couldn't wait for this ball.