A/N

A Cinderella story in which there were never a Royal Ball and no Prince Charming, but only day after day of the same. And I stick to naming Lady Tremaine Eleanor because it fits. ;)

Cinderella stood next to Lady Tremaine, looking out the window at the departing carriage with a newly wed Drizella. Anastasia had been married - like her sister to a nobleman - only a few months earlier. Cinderella glanced at her stepmother from the corner of her eye. The older woman stood ramrod with her head held high, almost in a defiant way. I did it, her posture seemed to say. I did what nobody thought possible. I managed to cut and squeeze those hopeless two girls into suitable marriages. My work is finally done. For the first time since her father died, Cinderella saw her stepmother as a human being. Closed up, standoffish, cruel… but still human. There were so many emotions trapped underneath that frozen mask of haughty indifference. She could sometimes see them, like ripples seen through the thinnest of ice layers on a lake.

Lady Tremaine seemed to sense her eyes upon her, for she turned around to face her stepdaughter.

"Just the two of us now, Cinderella. Isn't it… lovely?"

She cupped the younger woman's chin in her hand, piercing Cinderella's eyes with the cold stare of her emerald green.

"Yes", Cinderella replied. "Lovely."

"Oh, why so melancholy, child?" the older woman mocked. "Not afraid of me, are you?"

"No", Cinderella replied, and oddly enough, this was the truth. She had stopped being afraid of her stepmother years ago. She would often wish she and her stepfamily could get along, because they were, after all, each others' only company. But afraid? No.

Lady Tremaine's eyes narrowed as she tried to catch the thought process behind the sapphire eyes, but she couldn't. She let go of Cinderella and took a step back, shrugging.

"Well, my girls are off. And I linger."

"So do I."

She glanced at her stepdaughter, almost surprised.

"Yes. So do you."

She spoke thoughtfully but softly, with no obvious menace in her voice. Cinderella wondered what that meant, but she wasn't going to ask. She was tired and the last thing she wanted was a fight with her stepmother.

"You know Cinderella, I noticed that all chores were done."

"Yes", she replied, hoping for dear life there wasn't more work bestowed upon her tonight. Lady Tremaine nodded slowly, as if to herself.

"Very well then. You can go to bed."

"Oh thank you!" she burst out in relief, immediately regretting it. A cruel "however…" would fall upon her for that, sure as darkness fell upon day. Lady Tremaine raised an eyebrow at this unusual gratitude, but then she smiled.

"You're welcome."

And as Cinderella hurried towards the tower room, Lady Tremaine spoke again. She had turned back to face the window, but watching Cinderella's reflection intently in the windowpane.

"Cinderella? You may take Anastasia's room from now on. I should imagine it will be less…" she flicked her wrist dismissively, as though she didn't care either way "..draughty."

"Th-thank you…" she stuttered, incapable of asking any questions. And knowing she would probably get no answers even if she did. As she left, her stepmother sighed and rubbed her face. Life was supposed to be easier now, but she had a feeling it would only be more complicated.