Hello all! I am an Into the Woods freak, and I think it's high time I wrote a story for it. So, here it goes. This takes place after the musical ends. I believe there are a few loose ends that needed to be taken care of. The Baker and Cinderella will be paired up and the main focus of the story. I will not, however, pair up Jack and Little Red because I consider them more having a brother/sister relationship. There will be "ghost" and/or dream appearances for some of dead characters. The original cast is who I am picturing for these characters. Below is a list of the unnamed characters from the show, with the names I have given them;

The Baker: Dean Baker

The Baker's Wife: Linda Baker

Cinderella's Prince: Michael Of Faraway

Rapunzel's Prince: Richard of Faraway

The Baker's Child: Jerauld (Jerry) Baker

The Witch: Iris Spellcaster

Jack's mother: Molly

Red's mother: Katie

Red's grandmother: Wanda

Happy reading and please review!

It had been a long and exhausting day, to say the least. Five weary travelers collapsed in a shaded area of The Woods, their clothes tattered and faces dirty. The Baker, who's name was Dean, leaned against the trunk of a tree, pulling his hat over his eyes. The young princess Cinderella sank down next to him, holding the Baker's child in her arms. The child was asleep, blissfully unaware of the events that had occurred around him. The lad Jack and Little Red sat at the edge of a stream, quenching their thirst, as well as splashing water on each other. Cinderella watched them with a small smile on her face. She had grown fond of the two children, and was happy that the two of them were getting along so well together.

A soft snore caused her to startle, and she turned towards the direction of the noise. Dean had fallen asleep, the day's events obviously catching up with him. Cinderella smiled, watching him sleep. He was a kind man, with a big heart. He had been willing to take everyone in after defeating the giant, even though his house was in complete shambles. He was a lot braver than he gave himself credit for, with a good head on his shoulders. "He's not horrible looking either," Cinderella thought with a small blush. He was short and on the skinny side, with a decent build. He had high cheekbones and a hooked nose. No, he wasn't exactly a princes' calibre when it came to looks, but there was something about him that attracted Cinderella. Maybe it was his smile, sweet and full of warmth. Maybe it was his voice, soothing one minute and excitable the next. But mostly it was his eyes, beautiful green orbs that sparkled with life and warmth.

"What am I thinking? His wife just died for goodness sake! Besides, he wouldn't take me. I'm the princess, a PEASANT like him wouldn't be worthy of MY hand," she thought sarcastically, smirking at the irony of the statement. "If only he knew..." she whispered quietly, wishing that she had never become a princess. The Baker stirred, calling out "Linda!" in his sleep. Cinderella froze, not wanting to startle him or wake him. "Linda must have been his wife's name," she thought, watching as his face suddenly softened. "Go...Safe...got Ella..." He muttered, before rolling over. Cinderella couldn't believe what she had just heard. Either her ears were playing tricks on her, or The Baker had been saying something about her in his dream, and called her ELLA no less. It gave her hope, and she decided to let him come to her, when he was ready. "Of course, if he needs a little push..." She thought, but quickly shoved the thought out of her head. There were plenty of things they all had to take care of before any of that.

The cry of a small child shook her out of her thoughts. She looked down and saw the boy waking. "Hush now Jerauld, your father is sleeping," she whispered, rocking the baby. It was too late however, The Baker jolted awake the second he heard his child cry. "Whatsthematter..." He muttered incoherently. Cinderella stifled a laugh and handed the baby to him.

"It's alright Dean... The baby just woke up that's all," she said quietly, watching as he kissed his son on the forehead. "Oh... Well thank you Mrs. Cinderella," he responded groggily, still waking up. Sighing, Cinderella looked at him with slight exasperation. "Please Dean... I'm no longer the princess. And besides, if we are going to be a family you might as well get used to treating me as a friend. Call me Ella," she finished, hoping she finally got through to the man.

Dean nodded, a small grin playing on his lips. "As you wish Mrs. Ella," he said teasingly. Glaring at him, Cinderella snatched the hat off of his head as hit him with it, much to the shock and amusement of the Baker. "You...are...infuriating!" She growled, ignoring the child's cries of protest at the noise. "Please... Ella... I was kidding. Of course I'll call you Ella, providing you continue to call me Dean," he said quickly, afraid that he had actually upset her in his teasing. Cinderella...no, Ella... smiled at him, easing his fears. "I know you were. Yes, that suits me just fine," she said kindly, taking his hand.

"Excuse me," Red called out, causing the moment to end. Dean quickly let go of Ella's hand, turning a bright shade of red. Ella looked away, trying to hide the smile on her face. "Yes Red?" Dean asked, still unable to meet the children's eyes. "Um... Mr. Baker sir... We were wondering..." Jack started, but Dean held up a hand. "Now, now... None of that. We've been through too much together. You can call me Dean," he said smiling. Jack's shoulders seemed to sink, to the confusion of Cinderella and The Baker. But Jack noticed their looks and plastered on a smile, encouraging Red to do the same. "Thank you Dean... Um, we're losing daylight and Red and I thought it would be best if we continued on," he said, prompting Red to nod in agreement. Dean smiled and clapped Jack on the back. "You're right Jack. Ready to go Mrs. Ella?" He asked, winking at the ex-princess. Ella smiled and curtsied mockingly. "Whenever you are Mister Baker," she said. With that, the five set off again, heading back towards the village and what was left of their old lives.

So that's the first chapter. Stay tuned for the next installment coming soon. Please review!