Rachel took pause.

She lifted the ends of her dress again, looked down at her feet, and wiggled her sadly restricted toes inside her shoes. To have permission to kick her shoes and dance around bare foot was a blessing to her ears. But she was also very aware that it wasn't polite to just run around without her shoes on, even if it pained her.

"I could do that..." she said, coaxing herself into giving into the temptation of it. "I'm gonna do that!" With that, Rachel kicked off her shoes, finally content in the sweet relief of bare feet on hard floors (even if it was absolutely freezng!)

"Dukes and kings and princes?" she asked, looking to where Ella's eyeline went. (She didn't see any dukes or kinds of princes nearby.)

Ella carefully picked up the shoes from the floor and offered Rachel a warm smile. She couldn't help but notice how content her friend felt walking barefoot, and it made her feel a little restricted. As a mother, she was expected to behave more maturely and set a good example for her child.

But sometimes, Ella couldn't help but feel like she had lost her childhood with the loss of her parents. She had been forced to take care of her stepmother and step siblings, cleaning up after their messes, tending to the garden, and working herself to the bone.

Then, when she became pregnant, her childhood truly ended. So seeing Rachel walking freely and without a care in the world made her feel a twinge of jealousy and awkwardness.

"Okay, have fun dancing. When you're finished, you can find your shoes where you left them - with me," Ella said with a smile, trying to hide her mixed emotions.

.

"That'd be just wonderful," Guinevere said, quite delighted at the woman's response. "I use to frequent DeVille's, you know. Beautiful gowns there, beautiful coats, too. But I might change my preferred place to get my outfits, if the quality's as satisfactory as the waiting times." She wrote her address by the border of the printed page. Guinevere was careful not to show it, but she was indeed quite happy about the result of her rather fortunate last-minute change of heart.

"Ah, I know. You're Mrs Tremaine's little girl," she remembered, and smiled. "I don't think she ever introduced us properly." She hadn't been around Redwood Hollow ten or fifteen years ago, so there was no way for her to meet those parents of hers. Mrs Tremaine, however, she did use to know.

With a gentle and kind tone, Ella gazed at the address in front of her and said, "I'm certainly hoping you will be as satisfied with the result as I will be making the gown." She then noticed the name on the address and exclaimed, "Oh, you are Guinevere Bach, the stepmother of Sophia." A warm and genuine smile spread across her face.

Although Ella was not close friends with Sophia, she held a deep admiration for her. Ella knew Sophia to be a kind and lovely person. However, the topic soon turned to a somber note. "I'm sorry about your loss," Ella said softly. "I too, have lost a husband - well, we were engaged when it happened." She remembered the pain of finding out about Edmund's death after discovering she was pregnant.

Ella's smile then faltered a bit when the conversation turned to Lady Tremaine, her stepmother. "Ah yes, Lady Tremaine is my stepmother," Ella said with a weak smile. "I'm not surprised she didn't introduce me. She preferred to keep her focus on her real daughters." Although she spoke

with a smile, Ella's heart held a sense of bitterness from knowing the truth but being unable to share it.

the twins were thankfully good sleepers and the new parents couldn't have lucked out better. they went down quick and they were in a routine faster than expected. hayden on the other hand expected it, they were his and pesephone's kids after all, they would be remarkable.

"they're fine, they've been working. the boys have been doing overtime since i've been dealing with the kids. they've been around a lot to see the twins, though the twins have already started ganging up on patrick" he chuckled "paxton's stepped up. i intend to have him take lead whenever i choose to step down but he's been distracted of late and that won't do"

"i'm glad she's doing well. i'll be sure to let persephone know that it's duck related gifts from now on"

Ella longed for a peaceful night's sleep, but unfortunately, her six-year-old daughter, Dandelion, was a restless sleeper, full of boundless energy that often prevented her from getting enough rest.

As a result, Dandelion was prone to mood swings and often woke up cranky. Despite being a well-behaved girl. It was hard being a mom at times

Despite this, Ella listened intently as her godfather Hayden mentioned Patrick, a topic that elicited bittersweet emotions within her. She wore a soft smile on her lips, but deep down, felt a twinge of guilt over the break-up.

Sensing the shift in mood, Ella changed the subject and asked: "Talking about gifts what do you wish for a gift, for you and Persephone, as you have become a new parent."

.

"Monday suits me just fine," she replied, daring to lean forward, as if sharing a secret. She was still smiling, she realized. She pressed her lips together, as if to stop herself, imagining how silly she looked. But she couldn't stop. She really had a date with Ella, her first date. She didn't really think this would ever happen.

But it is happening, she told herself, so you better start believing it. Otherwise you're just going to keep embarrassing yourself. For once her mental parroting of her father's words seemed like good advice.

"Duckies! I'll need to get right away on designing ducky plushies," she joked, or rather, half joked. She had never made bird plushies before, but she liked a challenge. "How is she doing at kindergarten? Is she making friends?"

Ella's heart filled with joy as she spoke about her beloved daughter, Dandelion. Her maternal love knew no bounds, and she dedicated herself to providing the best for her little girl. Ella beamed. " Dandelion made friends with James and his sisters". Anne and Mary, in particular, had taken a liking to Dandelion. Anne was fiercely protective of her and Mary expressed her affection in her own unique way - by fighting off a child who had insulted Dandelion by calling her a baby. Ella couldn't contain her laughter as she shared this amusing anecdote.

Leaning in closer, Ella whispered as if sharing a juicy secret with her closest confidant. "It seems like Dandelion inherited my fine taste.". Ella noted that Dandelion had developed a special bond with Anne. "She even gifted Anne a rose on Valentine's Day", a gesture that melted Ella's heart.

if anyone else had made this request of him other than persephone he would've told them to piss off. however, this was ella, so here he was with twin snoozing in their pram beside him. "they are" he agreed looking at his children "they get that from persephone" he was aware that they had caught people off guard with their return to town, but it was agreed that they had wanted to tell people in person "we're good. tired but good. persephone has taken to motherhood like a dream." she was remarkable in every way and hayden doted on her as much as he did the twins. "we wanted to tell people in person" persephone did "we felt that the people we were close to in life deserved to hear it face to fact rather than a phone call or a message" he answered, taking a swig of his coffee.

"this is sort of round two with parenthood after paxton and patrick, but i'd be lying if i said i didn't have a soft spot for it all, they're mine and perse's and they're perfect. how's dandelion doing?"

ella smiled widely, looking at the twins carefully without waking them up. Baby's sleep was sacred something she learned being a mother was that you gave up sleep because of them as well. In between naps were important, you needed them if they were criers like dandelion had been. especially when she started teething.

"How are paxton and patrick, i haven't really spoken them recently?" With paxton being involved with nani and patrick and her being on this awkward relationship after their breakup.

"Dandelion is doing well, she is having a duck obsession lately."

"Handsome?" he offered with a hint of his old charm. Oh, he dreaded to think what she really meant. Perhaps the truth was he merely wished he didn't have a heart. Wouldn't that make things much easier? He opened then promptly closed his mouth when Ella gave out her unsolicited advice. It hit home.

He let out a breath, almost a laugh. "Well, I appreciate your input, Ella. Thank you for saying that, I'll ah... Take it on board." Hans raised his eyebrow just so-- "May I ask, are you prone to taking your own advice or are you strictly out to save the souls of the rest of us?"

"Very handsome." She giggled. "With a good heart to boot." She pointed out poking where said heart was beating. It had a strong beat, but not hurried, which she appreciated. She would feel bad if he were to feel nervous around her.

"Don't think - act." She said with a knowing smile. She hummed. "I take my own advice, and I certainly have learned from my mistakes. But who isn't worth saving now and then?"

"Plus I'd like to see my sister less tormented over the fact that Travis is spending time with Lottie. Maybe I should give the same advice to her as well."

"Now that wasn't very cool and groovy behaviour. Are you okay? You did everything right, they did everything wrong. Let's hope they have to deal with a very minor but very annoying inconvenience for that," Flash said in total solidarity. There was nothing worse than a bad customer-- universal facts. He raised his eyebrows at Ella's question then before remembering what the whole point was of him being here. "Ah, right. Yes. Me. Well... I was looking to get something new, you know? Something, ah, a bit more... I don't know. Je ne sais quoi. Impressive. And-," he swallowed back his fears- "Not covered in pineapples."

Ella blinked, before cracking a smile. "It's fine honestly, they were just upset i couldn't give them an additional discount, which would be poor business if i gave a discount on top of a discount." She sighed. She looked him over and nodded. "Okay no pineapples." She agreed. She was more in the fairytale-esq suits anyway.

She started to sketch immediately went for a grey suit, with a green tie and jacket with golden accents and black sleeves.

Rachel looked down at Ella's feet, nodding thoughtfully at the footwear choice of display. Frankly, Rachel absolutely hated having anything on her feet. From years of never needing them, to being forced to wear anything on her feet the moment she was free, a whole host of sensory issues arose.

Boots, though… if you found the right pair, it could feel like you weren't wearing any!

"Are they comfortable?" Rachel asked. "Like… not too tight? Heels are so hard to walk in. They look pretty but who on earth invented something so hard to walk in?"

Ella nodded in agreement, quite addicted to the way Rachel laughed. She was such a joy to be around with. She however could see Rachel's feet aching. "Why don't you take them off. I'll babysit on them so you can dance on bare feet."

She nodded. "Not police but nobility, like dukes and kings and princes." She looked at the distance a bit dreamy.

"You're very welcome. Oh, I'm just wonderful, thank you. Who could complain?" He wasn't being sarcastic intentionally, the lie was just glaringly obvious. Hans raised an eyebrow as she went on, the question throwing him.

Without thinking, he let out a laugh. "That is very kind of you to say-," he started, holding a hand over his chest- "I'd have to have a heart to suffer from such a thing, I'm afraid."

Ella couldn't help but slap Hans softly against his arm, her brow furrowed and her lips into a thin line. "Hans, you do have a heart, otherwise you wouldn't be so..." Jealous. She wasn't sure if she should be the one to tell him, however.

"Let me give you one advice, you will regret not going after her just because you felt she deserved better, or you felt that you didn't deserve her." She shook her head. "If you love someone, you should fight for them, even if it makes you look like a big idiot."

.

"I know. Really good for the holiday feast, no?" She was more than happy with her choice, though in all honesty she had panicked a little when she wasn't able to find it online. "A lighter color... Yes, i suppose that could work," she said with a little sigh. Not like she knew anything about sewing, apart from a general knowledge on what level of quality she should be on the lookout for.

Guinevere gave Ella a look up and down. She was undoubtedly a pretty woman, but her outfit definitely wasn't the sort Guinevere would think as 'fashionable'. She gave her another look, head slightly turned, before smiling again. "Oh. I'm sorry for the confusion." She started to wonder if it wouldn't have been better to go to DeVille's as usual... Though the fact that they had silk tulle available was somewhat promising.

"Your face seems familiar to me," she said, furrowing her brow and leaning forward on the counter. The question of who she was had begun to really bother Guinevere. "Where might I know you from?"

Ella agreed with a smile. "Then a lighter color it is." She made sure to get the right shade for Guinevere. She'd have the dress ready in three days. Luckily for her Ella knew everything about sewing, and this design was rather easy.

"No insult had been made," Ella assured her. She placed the measurements on the paper and decided that she needed about two days to finish the dress. "You can get the dress in two days, if you want, I can deliver it to your home." She had some of those covers for dresses.

"Oh, I'm Ella Fontaine, maybe you have known my parents, they passed away sadly about ten and fifteen years ago."

.

"I do have something in mind," she said, pulling out the image she had printed right for this occasion from her purse. "No matter how much I looked for it, far and wide, there seems to be absolutely nobody in the whole world able or willing to sell me this Dolce," she said with a disappointed huff. No matter. That was what dressmakers and seamstresses were for.

"There's no need for that. I have my measurements right here," she said as she handed the woman a small paper with the numbers written down. "Regarding the dress, I do need to request that you make sure your dressmaker uses silk tulle, not the nylon or polyester type." If she was forced to have to purchase an imitation, she would rather it was the highest quality available. Though she had to wonder if there was real French silk tulle available in such a little forgotten town, in such a little shop. "Are they here right now? I'd like to speak to them, if possible."

"Oh, what a beautiful design," Ella said, and she started making notes in her sketchbook. She walked to the back and took out some French red tulle. Everything in her store was authentic, which made you expect that it would be expensive, but none of that was true because Ella was quick enough to work on a gown, that was both sophisticated and elegant.

Ella nodded. "I think this fabric color might be a little too light, maybe we can go between a lighter color and wine red."

"Oh, it's just me, I'm the official designer and sew stress of this establishment."

.

"Well... I could guess we could learn together," Sally said with a smile and another shrug. That was something nice to say, something a girl would say to her girlfriend. She wondered what else Ella wanted to learn how to do: she had been wanting to try out pottery for a long while, and she knew there were some classes being offered near the woods. Maybe that could be another idea for a date, a pottery class.

Look at me, she chuckled. Planning ahead of time and all. "When would you like that?" Sally asked. Suddenly she wanted to meet her again, at her house or at hers, to see Dandelion and play with her, and make little dresses like she used to do when she was a child and dressed her dolls up. It really sounded like a lovely afternoon. "Really?" she asked as she opened her eyes wide. "My, how time flies... I remember when she was as big as a hiking boot.

Ella smiled once more, really she was feeling so happy.

"Yes, we can."

She really loved Sally's smile, it was a nice look on her, she wondered if Sally saw how bright she shone when she smiled like that. "What about Monday, the in two days, Monday." She closes her store on Monday to spend time with her daughter.

Ella chuckled.

"Oh, and she has a fascination with birds now, especially duckies." She couldn't help but roll her eyes with fondness. "She's adorable, you wouldn't think she's already four years old."

.

Sally nodded. “A picnic sounds really nice. I’m not sure if our movie tastes align so well... But I do like a few romantic movies,” she said with a small shrug. She should probably not start pointing out their differences so early on, she chided herself. Just going to the movies with Ella would be more than enough. They’d solve those issues later on.

“I’m afraid I'll only embarrass you if we go ice-skating. I haven’t been to one in ages, and I don’t think I remember a thing about how to do it.” But in the end, that was basically what she looked forward to in a relationship with Ella. Spending more time together, talking more, getting to know her better. It had been years since they had been friends, and still Sally felt like she might not know the whole story behind her yet. Even if it was a little awkward at the beginning, to call it actual dating.

A date with Ella, she thought. It sounded like an alien concept, but not an unpleasant one at all. What was so weird about it, anyways? It sounded easy enough. Just spending time together. Not that more different than spending time as friends, really. Taking it slow was, indeed, the best course of action.

"I like the idea of a picnic as well," Ella admitted. She loved picnics, her parents had them since her birth. They were the true romantics, Ella could never get to their level.

They danced every night in their bedroom, her father gave his mother and herself a gift every time he went on one of his journeys, but it was her father's tales she truly looked forward to.

"I'm not that much of an ice skater myself," Ella admitted. She, too, looked forward to spending time together, like best friends would. And eventually, slowly, they could become more.

They didn't need to hurry, she was already happy to hold her hand.

She took a sip of her drink. "We certainly can make that a date - I'm sure Dandelion would love that!" She excitedly clapped her hands together. "She can she has all her teeth already."

"Quite literally," Myra replied, looking Ella over in all her sugary sweetness. She conceded only enough for a brief smile. "Oh, I'm just magnificent. Who could be anything less surrounded by-," she paused a little too long- "This. And how are you doing, Ella?"

Of course, Ella was sweet, she believed in her mother's words that kindness would heal the world and courage would lead her path. "You look magnificent." Ella pointed out the obvious, Myra was a beautiful woman. "I'm well, thank you for asking," she said in a matter of politeness, the issues bottled inside of her deeply suppressed.