Rating: PG13…at the moment…

Spoilers: BTVS season 4 and Steven Sondhiem play Into the Woods.

Summary: I was told to write a fic involving the gang and the Steven Sondhiem play Into the Woods. So her you go.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my Spikebot.

Author’s note: Sorry this one took me so long, it’s been in sane here in the real life. Thanks to who ever nominated my fic over at http://www.vkawards.vampires-kiss.net/ http://destined.to/lsawards and http://www.loveslastglimpse.com/awards/index.html 

So I’ve been asked to make a cast list. At the end of Chapter 4 we had Xander and Cordy over in the baker’s area with Buffy in Cinderella’s “house”. So As it stand so far the cast is such:

If you have any questions just drop me a line. Remember this is my first fic, so go easy on me. Also to those of you who know the play, I warn you that this is where I veer off course into my own little world. Thank you to everyone who sent me kind feedback, it meant a lot.

Feedback sends me to the happy place

The Wolf watched as the little girl skipped through the flowers, stopping every now and then to pick one. He thought of the wonderful supper he was going to have that night when a crash brought him out of his thoughts.

He turned around and saw a young woman sitting on the ground near the edge of the woods. She was brushing leaves and dirt off her dress, though The Wolf couldn’t see why she bothered. She was already dressed in filthy rags, so what was the point of brushing off the dirt?

She looked up and nodded at him. The Wolf’s heart nearly stopped. Her golden locks fell loosely about her face and her piercing green eyes held such fire.

“Hello, Mr. Wolf.”

“Hello. Looks as if you’ve had a bit of a fall.”

“You could say that, yes,” she frowned. She pushed herself to her feet and looked down at her golden dress lying on the ground. She reached down to pick it up and brushed it off gently.

“That’s a very lovely dress you have there,” The Wolf commented. He walked slowly towards the young woman.

“Thank you. I’m going to a ball tonight,” she said brightly.

“A ball, you say? Would this be at the King’s festival?” he inquired.

“Yes, it would.”

“And why, pray tell, would you be going?”

The young woman scowled at him and gathered her fallen things together. The Wolf could tell that he’d angered her and it worried him. He didn’t want this fiery beauty to be displeased with him.

“I only ask for you don’t seem the sort to go.”

This only seemed to anger her more. She glared defiantly up at him, and he had to force himself not to take a step back.

“I’ll have you know I’m just the sort of person that goes to these things. I deserve to go. I work and slave away, and I have just as much right to go as anyone else. I’ve earned my dues,” she spat.

The Wolf smiled at this, pleased to see that the fire in her eyes came from her soul.

“Forgive me, me lady,” he said bowing deeply. “I did not mean to offend. I simply meant that the people who go to such things are somewhat…flighty.”

“Flighty?” she asked. Some of her anger seemed to slip away with his apology.

“Yes…flighty. They put on airs and are not what they seem. They don’t care for anyone but themselves. They are not like you.”

“You don’t know anything about me,” she frowned.

“No…no perhaps not. But I think that we are more alike, you and I, than you are with them.” His smile was genuine, and he could see its effect on the young woman.

“May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?” he asked.

“Everyone calls me, Cinderella.”

“Tell me, Cinderella,” he spoke softly as he stepped closer to her. “If you’re going to this gala tonight, why are you in the woods?”

“I was…um,” Cinderella’s heart began to race as he drew closer, “I was visiting my mother’s grave.”

The Wolf stopped only a foot from her and looked down at her upturned face.

“I’m sorry to hear you’ve lost her.” His voice was a soft caress.

Cinderella felt a tear slide down her cheek. The Wolf wiped it softly away causing her to look up and smile.

“Well I should be heading home; I still have to get ready.”

They stood there looking into each other’s eyes for a moment more before she took a step away, breaking the spell.

“It would be my pleasure to walk you back. There are dangerous things in the woods you know.”

“I know,” she smiled and looked pointedly at him. “But I’d hate to take you away from your dinner plans.” Her eyes flicked to where the young girl in red had been.

“Dinner plans?” The Wolf asked confused. He followed her gaze and smiled. “Ah yes…well, it can wait.” He turned back to Cinderella and offered her his arm, which she paused for only a minute before taking.

With that they headed back off down the path together.

~*~

The Wolf walked Cinderella to her house and waited till she had entered before he started back into the woods. He had tried without success to convince her to stay with him, rather than attend the ball. He knew it was wrong, but for some reason he could only think of her, being with her, watching out for her. She had such power, such strength, but she was being forced to keep it in check.

He shook off all thoughts concerning her as he slipped into the darkening woods. He inhaled deeply and tried to pick up the scent of the little girl in the red cape. He snarled in frustration when he couldn’t find it. He thought perhaps he should make his way back to where he’d found her. There he would be able to find her scent and see if she had begun her way to her grandmother’s.

Near the edge of the clearing he picked up a scent, the scent of aged meat. He made his movements more precise, more fluid. His footsteps made no noise; he gave nothing away.

Kneeling in the darkness at the edge of the clearing he saw a man and woman arguing. He slowed his breathing and listened to the angry words filling the air.

The couple was arguing about a spell laid upon their house and also about the ingredients to another spell that would lift it. A young man with a dilapidated white cow came down the path and walked past the arguing couple. The couple stopped arguing when they saw the young man.

He watched as they tricked the young man into selling his cow for a few “magic” beans.

“Magic beans,” The Wolf scoffed, “some fools will believe anything.”

After the sad young man left, the couple began to talk again of what else they needed now that they had the cow. When The Wolf heard them mention a cape as red as blood he remembered why he’d gone back to the clearing. Making his way towards the young girl’s grandmother’s house, he left the young couple to their own devices.

~*~

Later that night, the baker’s wife made her way slowly through the woods with the milky white cow. As she made her way past a fallen log, a young woman in a beautiful silver and gold dress came crashing through the woods. She seemed to lose her footing and fell abruptly to the ground.

“Are you alright?” she asked the fallen woman.

“Yes,” Cinderella said taking a deep breath, “I’m fine. I just need to catch my breath.”

“That’s a beautiful gown, were you at the King’s Festival?”

“What?” Cinderella asked as she stood up, “Oh yes. Yes, I was.”

“My, aren’t you the lucky one,” the baker’s wife commented as she admired the dress. “Why ever are you in the woods at this hour?”

Cinderella was about to answer when the sound of voices not far off stopped her short. She looked startled and ran to hide behind a tree.

“Please,” she begged, “don’t say anything.”

“What?” But before the baker’s wife could get her answer, the trumpeting sound of fanfare filled the glen.

A Prince and his steward came into view. The baker’s wife dropped quickly to her knees and bowed. The Prince came to stand before her, his gaze taking in the whole glen. The Prince was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. His short black hair and broad shoulders made him a powerful vision. Finally, his dark gaze fell on the Baker’s Wife.

“Have you seen a beautiful young woman in a ball gown pass through?” He asked. His voice was deep and powerful.

The baker’s wife stole a glance up at the prince, but quickly averted her gaze.

“I don’t think so, sir.”

“I think I see her over there,” the steward said as he pointed to the far side of the glen.

The prince motioned for the steward to go and look. The prince cast one more glance at the kneeling baker’s wife. His eye’s roamed over her, taking her all in. It was an animalistic look: dark, passionate, powerful. But since it was only a glance, in his mind, he quickly turned and made his way over to his steward. As he walked away the baker’s wife allowed her own gaze to take in the retreating form of the prince, and the way his dress uniform clung tightly to his body.

When the Prince and his steward were out of view, Cinderella made her way over to the still kneeling woman.

“I’ve never lied to royalty before,” the baker’s wife said. Her voice held a hint of humor as well as satisfaction.

“Thank you.”

“If a prince were chasing me,” she said as she stood up, “I certainly wouldn’t hide.”

“Well…what brings you here--and with a cow?” Cinderella asked pointing to the old, white cow that was munching slowly on a patch of grass.

“Oh, my husband's somewhere in the woods. He is undoing a spell,” she said with unabashed pride.

“Oh?” Cinderella was quite impressed.

“Oh yes,” she smiled, “Now the Prince, what was he like?”

“And?”

“And—It’s a very nice ball.”

“And?”

“And—When I entered they trumpeted.” Cinderella walked over and sat on a fallen log.

“And?” she asked as she sat next to Cinderella. “The Prince?”

“Oh the Prince…”

“Yes the Prince,” she looked over and smiled in the direction the prince had gone.

“Well… he’s tall,” she said after a moment of thinking.

“Is that all? Did you dance? Is he charming? They say that he’s charming,” The baker’s wife could hardly contain her excitement.

“Yes? And?”

“And it made a nice change,” she smiled.

“No, the Prince.”

“Oh, the Prince,” Cinderella sighed.

“Yes, the Prince.”

“Guess?”

“Are you to return to the festival tomorrow?” The baker’s wife inquired.

“Perhaps.”

“Perhaps?” she laughed, “Oh, to be perused by a prince. All that peruses me is tomorrow’s bread.” The chime of a far off church bell rang the first tone of midnight. “What I wouldn’t give to be in your shoes.”

The second chime rang and Cinderella looked off into the distance.

“Will you look over there? An enormous vine is growing from behind that cottage.”

The baker’s wife’s gaze was caught not by the bean stalk, but by the glimmer of gold from Cinderella’s slippers.

“I mean…slippers,” she said in awe.

“It looks like a giant bean stalk growing into the sky,” Cinderella said, unaware of the woman kneeling at her feet.

“As pure as gold?”

“I must return home,” Cinderella said. She turned quickly and made her way quickly down the path.

“WAIT!” The baker’s wife called, “I need your shoes!” she pleaded. She was about to run after her when Milky White mooed and began to go down the opposite way on the path.

“No!” she cried and turned quickly to run after the escaping cow.

~*~

The Wolf was making his way quickly towards Riding Hood’s grandmother’s when an intoxicating scent crossed his path. He stopped short and took a deep breath.

“Cinderella,” he sighed.

His body shivered with near pleasure. He turned quickly and followed her scent. He found her moving quickly down the path. Picking up his pace, he came out of the woods to stand in front of her on the path.

She was so focused on making it home as soon as she could, that she didn’t see The Wolf when he stepped in front of her. She collided hard into him, and if his arms hadn’t wrapped quickly around her, she would have fallen. She braced herself against him, her hands gripping his shoulders.

“Hello, milady,” The Wolf said softly.

Cinderella fought to steady her breathing, for she knew only half of her breathlessness was from the shock of running into someone.

“Hello, Mr. Wolf,” she felt proud that her voice came out only slightly out of breath.

“And where are you off to so quickly?” He leaned down every so slightly.

“Home.”

“But the night is so young.”

“I’m very tired. I have been dancing all night.”

The Wolf inhaled deeply and picked up something he didn’t like; the scent of a man. A low growl rumbled from his chest.

“With who?”

“The Prince.”

The growl deepened till his body vibrated. Cinderella closed her eyes against the sensation.

“I left him, though,” she added quickly. She wasn’t sure why she felt she should explain herself to him. But The Wolf smiled when he heard that she left the prince. It was such a pure and happy smile; she wondered what she wouldn’t do to see him smile like that more.

He brushed a stray lock of her blonde hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes and leaned slightly into his touch. She gave herself a little shake and took a step away from The Wolf. His smile faltered a bit, and she almost stepped back into his arms so she could fix his smile.

“I...I really must get home.”

He bowed deeply and stepped out of her way. He offered her his arm and smiled, but it wasn’t the same one from a moment ago.

“Then allow me to escort you home. There are still dangerous things about.”

She took his arm and smiled.

“Don’t worry,” she patted his arm, “I’ll protect you.”

The Wolf threw his head back and laughed. Cinderella laughed along with him as they made their way down the path.

~*~

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