Cinderella: My Way

by P.M.

Email: moonangel_forever@yahoo.com
Pairing: B/A fluff
Rating: PG
Summary: Just think Cinderella.
Disclaimer: All the characters in this story belong to Joss, the WB, Mutant Enemy (Grrr Argh), ect, ect, ect. I don't own them.
Distribution: Ask me first, please.
Feedback: Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good feedback, bad feedback, I don't care, I want to know what people think of my writing.

Once upon a time, there was a girl, named Buffy, who loved her mother very much. Her father died when Buffy was only a year old. When Buffy was about ten, her mother got remarried, and her stepfather was very cruel, nasty, and pathetically stupid. He had two evil daughters, who treated Buffy, like a servant when her mother wasn't around. Then when Buffy's mother died, her evil stepfather, named Snyder, made Buffy a servant for good.

Then about 8 years past. Buffy was a young woman, now, instead of a little girl. One day Buffy was making breakfast when the doorbell rang. She went to see whom it was.

"Yes, may I help you?" asked Buffy.

"Yeah, I have a telegram from the king. It says:

To All Single Women:

I, The King am hosting a ball, tonight at the palace. Here my son, Prince Angel will choose a bride. Come one, come all. I'm looking forward to seeing you all.

         King Giles

Here is a copy of the telegram," and with enough said, the messenger left.

Buffy ran upstairs to tell her stepfather the news. She knocked on the door.

"Yes," called her stepfather. "Come in."

"Oh, stepfather, a messenger from the castle was just here. There will be a ball tonight. It's for all eligible women."

"Oh really. And why are you so excited?" asked Buffy's stepfather.

"Well, it said all eligible women. And I'm eligible," replied Buffy.

Just then, Buffy's two evil stepsisters walked in, Faith and Cordelia.

"What's this talk about a ball?" asked Cordelia.

"There's a ball at the palace, tonight," answered Buffy.

"Buffy, go clean...something," ordered Snyder.

Buffy opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. She turned to leave. Buffy closed the door behind her.

"Father!!!!! Buffy can't go to the ball!!!!! She's just a servant!" yelled Faith.

"Don't worry, start picking out what you're going to wear. I'm going to give Buffy so much work to do, she'll never be done in time," replied Snyder.

Buffy was cleaning the dishes, when Snyder came down into the kitchen.

"Buffy," started Snyder, "I want you to move the boxes in the basement to the sub-basement. Then, I want you to clean the drapes, scrub the floors, clean the chimney, and mow the lawn."

He turned to leave. Buffy sighed. I have a lot of work to do, thought Buffy.

But, at that very moment, Snyder turned around, and added, "Oh, and plant the flowers, water them, and wash all the clothes in the house."

"What about the ball?" called Buffy after Snyder.

"Only if you finish your work in time."

Buffy was sad. She didn't know if she was going to make it to the ball.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to work extra hard."

Half the day past, by the time Buffy was done with the boxes, drapes, floor, and chimney. She went right to work on the yard work. She finally finished with that, a couple hours before dusk. She quickly started to get the clothes clean.

Her stepfamily was about to leave when she finished the last dress.

"Stepfather! Stepfather! I'm done!! May I go to the ball?" yelled Buffy, as she ran through the house. Buffy got to the main hall. Then the three started laughing.

"Are you really going to the ball in that dress?" asked Cordelia.

Buffy looked at her clothes. She was so worried about her chores, she forgot about getting any dresses for herself.

The three kept laughing as they left. Buffy just stood there. Tears started to roll down her cheeks. Finally she just bust out sobbing. She covered her face as she ran all the way up to her bedroom in a drafty attic.

She fell to the floor right next to her bed. Sobbing.

"Sweety?" asked someone. "Don't cry darling."

"What? Who?" started Buffy. Buffy looked up. Standing there before her was a transparent woman.

"Who are you?" asked Buffy. "Wait? Mother??"

"You remember."

"How could I forget you?"

Buffy's mother smiled.

"I'm going to send you a friend angel of mine. She looks your age, but she already has her wings. She can help you."

All of a sudden, there was a bright flash. Buffy's mother disappeared. In her place stood a young woman. More of a teenager really. She was about Buffy's age, by her looks. She was about the same height. The angel had red hair and hazel eyes.

"Hi," greeted the angel. "My names Willow."

"Hi," replied Buffy.

"So, what's the problem?"

"Well, I really wanted to go to this ball at the palace today and--

"Say no more. Come with me."

Buffy wanted to finish what she was saying earlier, but Willow had this resolved face. Buffy didn't want to say anything, after Buffy saw that face.

Buffy followed Willow outside. Then she waited.

"Okay, you need to get to the ball. So??????"

"There's an old carriage in the back??"

Willow, pulled a wand out of a small bag she held. She said some weird words. Then Buffy watched as her old broken up carriage drove up to the front of the house all by itself. As it came up it started to turn into a beautiful sparkling carriage.

"There, now, you need horses."

"There are horses in the stable, over to the side of the house. But they might be to old."

Willow said a few more words, waved her wand around and two horses came trotting up like they were only five years old instead of fifteen. They were all clean, and somehow they changed from brown, to white horses.

For a driver, Willow turned the family dog, Oz, into a human.

"Now, about your dress...what color?"

"Well, I don't know, blue, purple? Something beautiful."

"I've got it." Willow waved her wand and Buffy was suddenly wearing an ice blue gown fit for a goddess.

"Oh, Willow!! Thank you! It's so beautiful! Thank you!! And the shoes, their gorgeous!!" Buffy went over to hug Willow.

"Okay, you better get going. You've got until the stroke of twelve."

"Oh, then that only leaves me three hours. I better get going."

And with that, she was off. As they were going, Buffy sat next to the window. She waved back to Willow. Buffy, then, stared at the stars the rest of the way to the ball.

At the ball, Prince Angel was getting annoyed.

All these foolish girls, he thought.

Two girls tried hard to get his attention, their names were Faith and Cordelia. But they like the rest, except worse.

Angel soon became bored. He hoped the ball would end soon or he would fall asleep.

Buffy walked up the the steps of the palace in her beautiful gown and her hair flowing. She walked down the grand stairs case slowing, afraid she'd make a fool of herself, or be recognized.

Angel looked around from his seat. Then he saw her. She walked so swiftly, she looked as if she was floating. He got up and walked over to her.

"Hello," he greeted.

Buffy gasped, she just wanted to go to the ball, she didn't think the prince would even notice her. She bowed.

"Um.., hi," she replied nervously.

"Would you......would you like to dance?" asked Angel.

"Me? Oh, um okay," answered Buffy.

They danced all around the room. They talked, they laughed. And as they night went on, Buffy became less nervous, and more fond of the prince.

Ding!!

Buffy looked up at the clock.

It was midnight.

Ding....Ding....Ding!!

"Oh no, I must go!!" gasped Buffy.

Ding....Ding....Ding!!

Buffy pulled from Angel arms and fled.

Ding....Ding....Ding!!

"Wait, I don't even know your name!!"

Ding!

But by then Buffy was already out of sight.

Ding!!!

Buffy ran all the way home. As she ran she noticed the carriage, the horses and the dress had disappeared. Oz was running right next to Buffy.

They got home and Buffy found the carriage and they horses where they where supposed to be. She sighed. At least she got back before her stepfamily.

But there were horses coming from the front of the house. Everyone was back. Buffy found the back door locked.

"Oh no!! What am I going to do??" she whispered.

Then she saw the kitchen window open.

It's my only hope, she thought.

Buffy grabbed the ledge and pulled herself through. She fell to the floor with a thud. As she was getting up she noticed she still had one of the slippers Willow gave her. Then she remembered the other one slipped off as she ran out of the ball room.

Creek!!!

Someone opened the front door. They were back! Buffy couldn't let anyone see the slipper. Then she saw her old shoes sitting by the back door. She grabbed them and hid the glass slipper in a pot. Buffy went over to the fireplace grabbed the book she was reading and opened it to the middle. She wanted to look as if she had been reading for hours.

"Oh, there you are Cinder-soot," greeted Cordelia as she entered the kitchen.

Buffy just looked up.

Over at the palace........

"How am I going to find her?!" yelled Angel.

"Don't worry Angel, she'll show," answered Angel's best friend Xander. (Xander short of Alexander).

"No, I am not going to wait, I have to find her now. And as soon as I do, I'm going to marry her."

Angel got up from his seat. The ball was long over, and the ballroom was empty. Out of the corner of his eye, Angel saw something glowing. He walked over to the staircase and found a shoe.

"This is hers!!!This is the girl's slipper!! Xander, I want you to come with me!! We are going to go all around town, we're going to try this slipper on every girl until we find the girl who fits this slipper."

News about the slipper traveled like a wildfire all about the town.

Unfortunately, Buffy was picking apples in the orchard all morning, and was told not to return until late.

"Okay, this is the last house Angel," announced Xander.

"I know, I know," Angel replied.

One of Angel's guards knocked on the door.

In the kitchen, Snyder was looking to see if Buffy returned. He wanted to show the prince how well his servants listened to him. He heard a knock at the door and turned to leave. But then he saw it. The other glass slipper. He thought as second and gasped. Snyder looked out the window again. He saw Buffy walking down the hill. He locked the back door quickly, and went to answer the door.

"My prince! Come in, come in," greeted Snyder.

Xander tried the the shoe on Cordelia and her feet were to big. Then he tried it on Faith, but it fit!!

"No!! How!?" started Angel.

For a minute, Faith admired the shoe, but seconds later shoe was shouting.

"Who in the world would where a glass slipper!! It's horrible. I wouldn't wear this thing for five minutes!!" yelled Faith. Then she pulled of the shoe and threw it.

The shoe shattered.

"No!!" Angel cried.

"Angel don't worry, there aren't anymore young women to try the shoe on anyways. Let's just go back to the palace," reasoned Xander.

"You know, even though, she didn't go to the ball, you could've tried the shoe on Buffy. But you.."

"Cordelia!! Shut up!!" whispered Snyder.

Cordelia paid no attention to her father, "But you would still need the slipper."

"Who's Buffy," asked Angel.

"No one, she's not important. Why don't you just go back to the palace. You've had a long night," tried Synder.

"Who's Buffy?" inquired Angel again.

Faith started to get what her father was doing.

"Like my father said, Buffy's no one."

"Did someone call me?" asked Buffy, as she walked through the front door. "You know, it's wierd, the back door was locked." Buffy looked up, there he was. Standing before her, her Angel.

"You?" started Angel.

"You can't marry her. First of all, she's a servant. And second, you said who ever fit the slipper," concluded Faith.

"The slipper?" asked Buffy.

Buffy walked into th kitchen and got the other slipper. She returned wearing it.

Snyder glared at Buffy. He put his foot in Buffy's path. Buffy didn't notice it and tripped. But she fell into Angel's arms. They looked into each others eyes. And their lips touched.

One month later...

Buffy's stepfamily was put to work in the nearest factory.

On the one month anniversary of the ball, Buffy and Angel were wed.