Author's note: Hello again! I'm terribly sorry that I had not updated sooner. I got all four of my wisdom teeth out last week and was in no physical or mental condition to write. But now I'm back. Shoutout to Alpha-Wolf619 and yasdnilgoth for your constant reviewing and support. It means the world to me, especially since this is my first ever fanfiction.

I hope everyone reading enjoys the next chapter. We are recovering from the ball and getting ready for the action to follow after this chapter!

As the carriage raced down the road, the bells of the clock continued to chime. Ella's panic increased as she knew the magic would wear out any moment now.

"Hurry!" She cried to the poor driver, who was in a bit of a tizzy himself, having only been a goose earlier that day.

The situation only grew more stressful as Ella noticed that the King's royal guard were hot on her trail.

"How can this be happening to me?" Ella cried. The night had not gone the way she had hoped or expected. All she wanted was an enjoyable experience at the ball out of the Tremaine's company. All she wanted was a night off from her housework. All she wanted was to dance with her best friend! And while she had to admit, it was rather fun to dance with the prince, she was upset that he insisted upon spending the whole ball with her. She never got her dance with Greyson!

Her luck, however, took a turn for the better, as the town's winding roads caused the King's royal guard to lose track of Ella's carriage. And just in time! The last stroke of midnight had rang out, and suddenly Ella felt the carriage begin to shake as it started to transform back into a pumpkin...

This is how Ella now found herself walking home in her mother's torn-up gown. Trailing behind her was the carriage driver, relieved to be a goose again, and the two lizard-returned footmen. In her hands she cradled the lone glass slipper, preserved as a gift from the godmother. In it, she had placed her mice friends, as their tiny legs could not possibly stand the journey back home. Fortunately, the carriage had not reformed too far from her home, and the night sky was at least pleasantly full of stars to gaze at on her way.

The woman smiled to herself. The night was not a total bust, for at least she had gotten to see Greyson before she left. She got to be in his arms, even. Ella decided that there was no better place to be in the world than in the arms of the person you love. That was another thing that proved that the ball was not a total loss, for she had discovered that her feelings for the baker were indeed love. Ella smiled to herself, feeling a little bit silly for not realizing sooner. Looking back at their interactions, Ella saw that the affection she had for him was as plain as day.

It was a shame that she didn't get to tell Greyson how she felt. However she was the slightest bit relieved, for she did not know if she was prepared for his possible rejection. After all, she did value their friendship quite highly. She didn't know what she'd do without it. She'd have to go back to being alone with just the Tremaines in her company.

Ella finally made it back to her home, thankful that her family was still at the ball. She climbed up the many stairs to her lofty attic. It was here where Ella kept her possessions that were close to her heart. Toward the edge of the room, she lifted a floorboard loose to reveal the small compartment for her trinkets. They were mostly gifts that her father had brought back from his various business endeavors. Among them, she stowed away her glass slipper. A memoir of an exciting night where she got to dance with royalty and realize her affections for her baker.

When the Tremaines returned, they were abuzz with endless chatter.

"The prince looked at me! We made a connection!" cried Anastasia.

"He looked at me too!" argued Drisella, "And for a much longer time, I might add."

The Lady Tremaine sat silent at the head of the table, a cold look in her eyes.

Ella smiled to herself as she served the sisters their late dinner. "So I take it the ball went well?" She mused, as if she were never there.

Anastasia shrugged. "It was alright. We were obviously the prettiest girls there."

"And I had a lot of fun dancing," added Drisella

"But neither one of you had a chance to win the prince's heart!" Lady Tremaine snapped suddenly, silencing the two girls.

Anastasia sighed woefully. "It isn't our fault, mother!" she whined.

Drisella agreed. "It wasn't our fault at all! It was that horrible mystery brat!"

Ella laughed at this. "Oh?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Just as the prince was about to select a maiden for the first dance, this unknown woman arrived! Late, I might add!"

"And she caused such a fuss of attention that the prince felt obligated to choose her as a dance partner! Can you believe it?" exclaimed Drisella.

Ella's smile grew. In a way, though she knew it was a tad bit unkindly do so, Ella could not help but feel pleased with her sisters' upset reactions to her dance with the prince. After years of bring mocked, stomped on, and ordered around, it felt nice to get the best of them for once. They themselves had said that the prince would not ever associate himself with Ella. And yet, he had, and the sisters were none the wiser.

The Lady Tremaine watched Ella's growing smile with a suspicious glare. Why was she so happy? Tremaine had personally guaranteed that Ella would have an utterly awful night. Yet, here she was, smiling and perky as always. This made her begin to ponder...

Greyson had retuned home to the bakery. He was tired, confused, and saddened, to say the least. The night had not gone the way he had dreamed of it to have gone. He was supposed to have spent the night dancing with Ella. He was supposed to confess that he was in love with her. Neither of which was accomplished.

He was cheered in the fact that she was in his arms at one point in the night. How fortunate was he, to be there right when she needed someone to catch her? How lucky was he, to get to hold her close to him for as long as he did? Though the rest of the night did not fare well for him, he was comforted by the brief moments of perfection.

However comforted he was, there was a detail that the baker could not escape. Ella was about to tell him something before she ran off, what was it? Greyson tried very hard to imagine what she was preparing to say. Was she merely going to muse about their friendship? Was she going to confide in him her feelings for the prince?

Greyson hoped sincerely that it wasn't the latter and felt bad in doing so. As her closest friend, Greyson felt he should be happy for Ella. After all, it was every maiden's dream to be with the prince. And Greyson had seen the gleam in the prince's eyes as he danced with Ella.

The baker was also confused at his friend's sudden departure. She had pushed him away, leaving him. He was puzzled at this. Was it something he said? Something he did? The man might never know.

The baker glumly thought of the future. The future where he saw himself frosting Ella's wedding cake, for that was what she had said she wanted, him to make her wedding cake one day. Though, back then Greyson had secretly hoped that it would be a cake for the both of them. He saw himself watching Ella at all the kingdom's grand events, as a princess. Perhaps it was for the best, as Greyson decided that if anyone had a big enough heart to properly rule the kingdom, it was Ella. She'd be an outstanding queen one day. However, as royalty, she would not be able to see Greyson nearly as often as she did now. Maybe on very rare occasions the two would meet.

Greyson had to stop himself from his upsetting thoughts, as they were beginning to hurt his heart more than he could bear. He was distraught at the idea of not getting to see Ella, to be with her, to hold her, to be there for her.

As the baker headed upstairs to his home above the bakery, he started to have doubts. Was the prince really a good match for Ella? He didn't know as much about her as Greyson did. He didn't know her favorite color, or what dinner rolls she preferred, or how she would walk in the meadow with her mother, or of her love of wildflowers and all creatures. The prince didn't know how her face felt when tears were wiped away from it. He didn't know the glow on her eyes as she told a fantastic story. He didn't know any of it! And Greyson knew it all and much more!

But Greyson was not a prince. Greyson was just a baker. His knowledge could not compare to what the prince could offer.

And yet, the baker was still hopelessly in love despite his hopeless situation. It made his heart ache.

Greyson turned in his bed to face the window. The sky was filled with a brilliant array of stars. "Ella," he thought out loud. "If you told me that you desired the stars, I would find a way to bring them to you. I would spend my life working to gather them if only to put a smile on your face. If you wanted the moon, I would work to see that it was yours. If you needed the sea, I would collect it for you, bucket by bucket. And if you want a grand wedding cake for your royal wedding, I shall see to it that it is the finest cake the world because I love you. And I want nothing more than to see you happy, even if it means I am without you."

Before the baker drifted off to sleep, he decided that he would find a way to tell Ella his feelings after all. He would do it the very next moment he saw her. Because she deserved to at least know the truth. In that way, even if she did not want him, Greyson could live without regrets.

As Ella composed herself for bed she made a decision. Even though the night had gone astray, she would find a way to confess her feelings to Greyson. He was the best friend she had ever had and he deserved to know. Even if he did not want her, it meant that Ella could at least look back at herself later in life and know that she did all she could.

As she lie in her bed, Ella began to dream of a future. An imaginary future where she gathered her courage and proclaimed her devotion to the baker and he reciprocated in likeness. A possible future where she could watch as Greyson baked their wedding cake, just as she had wanted. Where they could manage the bakery together just as his parents did before him. Just the thought made her heart sing, as it was what she wanted more than anything in the world.

As she drifted off to sleep, Ella turned to face her attic's window, which framed a sky as stunning as could be. "Greyson," she softly declared. "You are my stars, for your eyes are as brilliant as their glow. You are my moon, for your heart is as large as its surface. You are my sea, for your effect on me is as calming as its crests. I love you, and I swear I will find a way to show you."