Cinderella and The Shape Shifting Mice

BONUS CHAPTER

It's been a long time since I visited this story, but I've decided it's time for a bonus chapter. I hope you all enjoy, and thank you again from the bottom of my heart for reading.

~Anna

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Ella

The metal door creaked open slowly in front of me as the guard waved a wand around my body before letting me through. My heels clicked on the hallway as I made my way down to the visiting room, a small grey cinderblock with a few tables scattered around and screwed into the floor. When I walked into the room though, it was empty save for one person.

"Hello Mary." I smiled at my step-mother in her grey prison jumpsuit as I sat down across from her, folding my hands neatly in my lap.

She sneered at me. "Your Highness. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"What? I can't just come and visit my step-mother?" I asked with a grin.

She narrowed her eyes at me and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. It was almost the same color as her jumpsuit. "It's been three years Ella and you haven't come to see me once. What do you want."

I sighed and rubbed my arms. "I wanted to see how you were. And I wanted to know..." I took a deep breath. "I wanted to know why you did what you did. Sacrificing me and the kingdom for your own end goals."

"I said everything I needed to at court," she snapped.

I frowned. "Mary, you raised me for over ten years. I was your daughter. Was there ever, even just for a moment, that you loved me?"

She glared at me across the table and turned her face away from me, looking into the back corner of the room. We sat in silence until finally she spoke. "I did it for my daughters. Despite their looks they had been cast aside their entire lives. I wanted them to be treated as equals, to be loved and admired. I had felt my power slipping away from me and you presented me an opportunity to get it back. The Duke and I went back years, he was the one that made sure our, er, my operation in the basement remained out of the light of the authorities. I would have done anything for those girls."

I hesitated. "And me?"

She looked at me and I saw no warmth, no love in her dark green eyes. "How could anyone love a pebble in their shoe?"

I pinched my lips together and nodded slowly. "A pebble. And do you want to know what that pebble did? That pebble prevented you from execution." Her eyes widened and I smirked. "Oh, your lawyer didn't tell you? That was me who saved you from death. It was me who had you transferred into the nicest prison we had; me who got you your own room. Me who sends the care packages once a month."

"I never asked you to," she replied, her voice laced with anger.

I stood up and laid my hands on the table. "And I no longer will. But I want you to know, every day you go on breathing. Was because of me. Your step-daughter. Who loved you despite never being loved back."

Mary turned her head away from me again and I sighed. "I came to say goodbye, Mary. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a wedding to get to."

"Wedding?" She looked down at my left hand. The large diamond engagement ring Georgie had given me sat on my ring finger next to smaller gold band inlaid with smaller diamonds and sapphires. Georgie and I had gotten married six months ago in front of millions of people, some in person but most on TV. We'd extended our engagement for so long, one to spend time together and second because of all the court proceedings around my family and some of his staff. We'd had to let half the guards and maids go because they'd been illegally accepting bribes from the Duke. It had been a nightmare but we got through it all the way to the wedding day.
Drizella and Grace has been my bridesmaids, and Sam and Johnathan had been Georgie's groomsman. It was a wonderful ceremony in a church as old as the kingdom itself with huge stained glass windows. The reception afterword was small and intimate, away from prying eyes of the public with our favorite people and our favorite foods. Georgie and I honeymooned on a private island for a month, and I was still relishing in the golden tan I'd got from lying in the sand. The five months we'd been back, I was busy with my own charity foundations and helping another girl plan her wedding.

"Yes. Drizella is getting married this evening to her fiancée, Clarence Brown. He's a palace guard, and he's a wonderful man. Here's a picture of them." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and clicked through the pictures until I landed on one of Drizella and Clarence at my wedding. He looked dashing in his formal guards uniform and Drizella was glowing in her lavender gown. "And here's a picture of her wedding dress." I swiped over to a different picture of Drizella's wedding gown, a beautiful form fitted mermaid dress with a halter neck, dripping in sequins and gems. There couldn't have been a more perfect dress for her if we tried.

Mary rubbed at her eyes, smiling softly at the picture. "My little girl, getting married..." She frowned and looked up at me. "Why didn't she tell me?"

I pocketed my phone. "She didn't want to. She doesn't know I'm here, but I thought you should know. We haven't heard from Anastasia in months, but last time I heard she was dating a Count in France."

Mary looked down at the table. "Thank you for telling me."

"Good luck Mary. I hope someday we can forgive each other." I walked to the door and paused before I stepped through. "Oh, one more thing?"

"What?" She sighed.

I laid a hand on my stomach and smiled at her. "I haven't told anyone else this, but I'm pregnant. And whether it be a boy or girl I hope you know I will never, ever, treat my child like you treated me. Goodbye, Mary."

I closed the door firmly and walked out of prison into daylight towards the waiting car. I climbed in and was swept into a pair of strong arms. I laughed and kissed Georgie, grabbing his hand.

"Are you alright love?" He asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I nodded and leaned onto his shoulder. We were driving towards my fathers house instead of the palace; the wedding was taking place in the rose garden out back. One of the projects I'd been working on since our engagement was restoring my old home, with Drizella's help. I came up here every weekend to tend to the rose garden, my mothers garden.

"Yes, I'm alright. I'm glad you talked me into doing that. I... I need to."

I twirled my wedding band around my finger and Georgie stroked my hair. "I'm glad it helped. No sad faces on a wedding day." He kissed my temple and I smiled at him.

"No sad faces." We pulled up the drive and Sam opened our door. Drizella and Clarence were getting ready upstairs, the wedding wouldn't happen for a few more hours. I grabbed Georgie's hand before he could go inside and held them between my own. "I have something to tell you," I whispered.

"What is it love? What's wrong?" He stroked my cheek and I leaned into his touch. Almost four years together and I still couldn't get over how much I loved him; and how much he loved me.

"I-I-" I looked up towards the attic window, for better or worse my childhood bedroom. I thought of running around the garden as a toddler, riding with my dad on the horses, learning how to bake with my mom. I thought of Jack-Jack and Marcie watching over me still as members of my palace staff. I thought of the fairytale books I would read at night to get to sleep all those nights Mary had pushed me over the edge and how they always ended with a happy ever after. And looking at Georgie, I was starting to think that's exactly where I ended: at happily ever after.

"Ella?" Georgie pressed and I smiled at him.

"We're going to be parents. I'm pregnant."

Georgie blinked at me, his hands still clasped in mine and then he burst into the biggest grin I'd ever seen. He covered his mouth and took a step back, laughing and shouting. "Holy shit! Oh my god! Oh my god!"

He scooped me up into his arms and spun me around. "I can't believe it! I'm going to be a dad!" He set me down and cupped my face in his hands, happy tears in his eyes. "I'm going to be a dad." He kissed me firmly on the mouth and I wrapped my arms around him, my heart brimming with love and happiness.

I squeezed my husband, my king, my love. And as we walked towards the front doors hand in hand I knew without a shadow of a doubt that no matter what might come to our lives in the future, I was living in happy ever after. And I wouldn't change a thing.