The whole walk home Cinderella contemplated what the kiss meant. It seemed so strange. She wanted to tell him how she felt for so long and now that those feelings had been expressed a part of her wanted more. She tried to keep herself from blushing as Jack and Red could easily see and would prompt her.

But she couldn't help but watch the Baker. He held his son in his arms and pointed out all the different kinds of trees and leaves he could find, gently lowering him so he could touch and smell them. He was smiling, looking off in the distance, teaching the boy how to identify the types of plants and animals that inhabited the woods.

The tenderness that he had for the boy made her like him even more. In the early months he had complained and worried that he would never be a good father. He tried his best to soothe the boy's crying and teach him to count and walk and move, but he always had so little confidence. She always watched him interact with the boy, and she knew he was a a great father and a great man. She would've been lucky if her father had treated her even half as well as he treated the boy.

"When we return Jack you should go back to your master's house," she could see his face sink a little. "It was generous of him to give you the day off,"

"I know, but I just enjoy being with you. You're the only family I know,"

"It's not like you live in another world, silly," Red piped up from his side. "It's a 15 minute walk,"

"Yeah, you'll see when you have to move out," he said glumly.

By this time they had almost reached the cottage. The Baker set the boy down and let his run to the front door. His giggled and his little boots made a clip clop noise as they hit the pebble path.

After gathering his things Jack bid the rest of the group goodbye and headed back to where he now lived. Red followed him for a minute but turned back, blushing.

"What's going on now?" Cinderella asked after the Baker had stepped inside. Red was almost skipping toward the front door, her dress bouncing up and down with each step.

"Jack kissed me," she said giddily. "I have wanted him to but he hasn't and he finally did!" She bounced inside the front door and right back into her room. Cinderella laughed as she watched her long curls move up and down with her quick step. She knew they would make a good pair.

The Baker and the boy sat down on the wood to play with some toys. They could never afford anything too expensive so it was mostly the same raggedy stuffed bear and a few wooden blocks. Cinderella especially liked it when he used his over mitts as puppets to tell wild stories. Sometimes she would even help him.

But this time she just wanted to talk with him. He had hardly said anything on the way home, and now she was frightened that she messed things up. Was she really that terrible? Her nervousness seemed to show because he motioned her to come sit with him.

"What did it mean?" she asked him. "The kiss. What did it mean?" He paused for a moment before answering.

"It means I was a fool to take you for granted for this long," He said, reaching out and stroking her forearm. "For the past two years you have been by my side, comforting me and aiding me with everything I needed. I was so gutted by my Wife that a part of me blocked out the possibility of love forever. It was when I saw you in the sunlight that I truly realized how I felt,"

"But your Wife - " she said.

"My Wife was my first love. I think of her every day when I see my son, when I see the flowers outside the window. She was my world for 12 years. But I think - " he stammered over his words. "I think she wouldn't want me to grieve her forever. She was so full of life and I think she would be disappointed in me if I didn't share that love with someone else. So long as I never forget her," he smiled. A true smile that Cinderella hadn't seen on him in a while. His dimples showed, and the wrinkles around his eyes became more pronounced. She loved him, she realized. It had taken them both two years of healing to know it.

This time it was her who made the first move. She took him in her arms and pressed her lips against his. His touch was so soft. It was unlike any kiss she had shared with her husband, she could feel his happiness through his touch. They continued to kiss, holding each other close and embracing it.

Suddenly, Cinderella's mind was overcome with images of her Prince and his Wife together. This is how they must've felt. She saw them together in her mind and suddenly it felt wrong to be enjoying this knowing that he still didn't know. She broke away.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried.

"It's - it's nothing," she said, still seeing the images of them close together, sharing the same embrace she and the Baker had.

"It's just, I think we should take this slowly," she smiled and took his hand, but it felt like he could see right through her.

"And I think this young man needs some rest," she said motioning to the child. He stumbled into her arms and she carried him up to the Baker's room where his bed was.

She couldn't help think about how much she enjoyed his presence. But she still felt wrong with him not knowing. Should he? There was no reason to taint the memories of his wife other than to make herself more comfortable in his embrace. She had vowed not to tell, and yet, the secret was eating away at her inside.