Life started to settle down again for Sienna Carlton.

Paige and Sienna had moved in with Gram, but Sienna was now using her money from her job at the bakery to help pay bills. For the most part, Gram had gotten off her back. Paige had offered to work at Frank's, too, but the moment she offered, Frank gave Sienna a huge bonus she couldn't make him take back from her. It seemed wrong to receive this much money from him as just an employee, especially with Sienna having no way to pay him back for it. When he wouldn't take it back, Sienna committed her time and effort to working for it.

On the other hand, Sienna hadn't heard from Lori in a long, long while. She called every night, but no one answered. Not even their drunken mother answered the phone. As time passed at Gram's house, Paige seemed to forget she had family elsewhere, but when she realized Lori had stopped communicating with Sienna completely, there was no doubt in Sienna's mind she would panic. Still, fear kept Sienna away from the house she had once shared with her family. She refused to go there, to check on Lori, to see if anything had changed. In her heart, she knew it wouldn't be a pretty sight.

Things with Matt had also calmed down. He was as mysterious a guy could be. Sienna received a lot of late-night calls, either short-notice or very scheduled dates, and a lot of public appearances from Matt. He usually came around when she was working, around lunchtime, and always had a few reporters in tow. Sienna was used to be spotted and pointed out and Frank's bakery was getting a lot of attention for it, good and bad.

"I can't believe they're behaving like this, Frank," she groaned. Frank was standing at the door, hollering at a bunch of children running off with cameras in their hands. They had been sneaking in, one at a time, to try and get pictures of Sienna for newspaper articles. "This is so…ridiculous!"

"That's the price of fame, Ms. Carlton," Frank said, mimicking the voice a reporter had used once when he had attempted to interview her while she was ringing him up for a coffee, and only a coffee, in the bakery. Long story short, the reporter had gotten a loaf of bread to the butt.

"I can't take this anymore! I don't know what to do…" she sighed and leaned against the counter.

"Well, what does Prince Charming say when you talk about this with him?" Frank asked. "You promised me you were going to have a talk with him."

"And I did, but he didn't seem concerned. He said it was just drama and gossip and once they got over it, they'd leave me alone."

"How insensitive can he be?" Frank snorted and rolled his eyes.

Sienna was shocked. "What do you mean?"

"You're not just dating a celebrity, Sienna. The boy is a Prince, and not only that, he's next in line for the throne! When would they get over him having a girlfriend? You're a potential for ruling this country someday. In fact, right now, you're the only potential."

Sienna laughed. "Trust me, Frank; I'm never going to be queen."

"What makes you so sure?" he asked.

"I don't…like him that way," she said.

Frank was stunned. His mouth opened and closed once or twice before he finally asked, "Then…why? Why would you continue to date him if you're not interested? Doesn't that sound a bit cruel to you?"

"It's complicated," she said.

"Sienna Carlton, if you don't explain why it's so complicated right now, I'm going to assume the absolute worse and I know for a fact you're not that kind of person!"

Frank had never sounded so angry. Sighing, Sienna walked over to the door, closed it, locked it, and put up the CLOSED sign. It was making her awful keep the secret, so why not tell Frank? He was the closest thing she had to a friend.

She started, "Matt's…kind, I guess, but apparently, he's sensitive. I talked to his brother Leo…"

"Oh, yes, Prince Leonardo!" Frank said sarcastically. "He and I had tea the other day, what a nice fellow, just another casual common person he is, that Prince!"

"Yes, well, it was over tea, but that's not the point. Leo asked me not to…leave just yet. He said as soon as I gave Matt some confidence back, I could move on and Matt could find another lady."

"And you believed him?" Frank guessed.

"I think I do," she said. "He sounded sincere."

"From what I've seen, this prince figure is sketchy. He seems pretty confident. I heard he used to have plenty of ladies, and once he had you, he stopped listening to you and the paparazzi are all over your life. I hate to say it…" Frank leaned in and grabbed her shoulders. "Sienna, I think he's using you."

This had also occurred to Sienna. Shock did not come over her, as Frank had expected. Instead, she just felt empty. She hung her head. Any dreams left of a fairytale were gone now. She was so mixed up inside. Why did she have to be so daring, just for one night? Was she really just a simple, silly girl?

"I feel so dumb," she said.

"Hey, hey," Frank pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. It was a comforting hug, and bitterly, Sienna thought it was much more real than anything Matt had ever done. Frank was always there for her. Matt was just smoke and mirrors. "You weren't dumb, not at all."

"You even told me, Frank, didn't you? When I felt like things weren't…right, I should have done my own thing and left. I promised Leo to stay instead. How dumb was I? You always look out for me."

"Okay, you do sound a little dumb for not listening to me, but that's okay. You made a mistake and you can fix it, no problem." He released his grip on her and smiled. "I believe you can still part ways with Matt and, being you, it will seem all kittens and rainbows to the public. It won't hurt either of your reputations if you just come clean and that act…common for a few weeks."

Sienna laughed. "That's my life in one word: common!"

Frank shook his head. "If there's one person in the world who isn't common, Sienna Carlton, it's you!"

Sienna blushed. "Right, the extremely poor, ordinary girl, who works at a bakery…"

"Are you saying there's something wrong with my bakery?"

"Of course not, it's just…wonderful here," Sienna couldn't meet Frank's eyes her face grew so red. "Most of the time, I feel more at home here then I do at home. If I call my residence at my gram's house my home, anyway. I guess you could say this is the one place that never changes, no matter how much I do."

Frank pulled her in closer. "You are always welcome here."

Shivers ran up Sienna's spine. Somehow, she felt pulled closer to Frank. It wasn't physical, but emotional. She had felt the same when she had applied for a job here. Frank had asked her what she planned to be, and she had told him honestly, she wanted to be a baker. He had taken her on her word, shown her the ropes, and turned her into a good baker. She could run the bakery without his help if he was gone. Frank had become more than a boss over the years, whether it was because of their close age or passion for the same thing. She truly admired him.

"Sienna…" he pulled away. His face was a bright, vivid crimson all the way to the tips of his ears. "Would you be interested in becoming my partner…in the bakery business?"

"Frank…" Sienna was shocked. "Are you sure?"

"I don't think your work here should be temporary anymore. You do about as much work as me, I trust you when I'm not here, and you handle things better than any employee I've ever had. This is where you want to go, and…this business was handed down to me. I could use the help." He looked her right in the eyes. "What if…this bakery was your permanent home? You can work here with me."

Sienna could hear her heart pounding in her ears. She began to shake as Frank leaned in. Suddenly, the emptiness in her chest seemed to stretch and she wanted to cry. How could she miss such a subtle, but intense emotion? She stood, stiffly, as Frank kissed her and then melted in, her heart soaring.

This, she thought, this is what I wanted to feel with Matt…but it's so much better with Frank.

There wasn't a doubt in her mind. She was going to tell Matt it was over. Frank, and his bakery, was everything she wanted. All of the princes and fairytales were gone. She didn't have to pretend anymore. Life was going to get easier. It would be hard now, and for a little while afterward, but once they worked through it, it wouldn't matter anymore.

Frank pulled away. "Was that…too much?" he asked.

She pulled him close again, kissed him, and leaned into his shoulder. Her voice was lost and her cheeks were burning. She had never been so forward with another person in her whole life.

Suddenly, the girl in the blue dress from Paris and the simple, silly Sienna were the same person.

Matt cleared his throat. "So…uh…about that Prince Charming of yours…"

Once again, sorry about that long break of mine! I'm doing my best! Sometimes life gets a little complicated, y'know, but it's all good:) You can also check out my shiz on fictionpress. This story is also uploaded there, since it's pretty original, based loosely on the old version of Cinderella with...well, A LOT of twists...