Second Chances (Part 1: The First Step)

[perrysburggirl.livejournal.com]

Title: Second Chances (Part 1: The First Step)
Note: I do not own “Once Upon A Time”. I am just a fan who loves happy endings and wants to write.
Setting: Fairy Tale Land
Rating: PG (The rating will fluctuate between chapters)
Warnings: None that I know of
Genre: Drama
Word Count: 1487
Characters: Anastasia, Lady Tremaine, Lord Jeremy Trenton, Red Riding Hood, Mentions of Cinderella and Prince Thomas (More characters to come in later chapters)
Summary: A change of heart leads Anastasia on the path to change her life. Will it be easy or will the obstacles be too large to overcome?

I have not written a story in a long time, so please bear with me. I just had an idea and want to run with this. Thanks for reading!



Anastasia slipped off her shoes and started to tiptoe down the stairs. She didn't want to be heard sneaking out of the house, not tonight. The last thing she wanted was a confrontation with her mother right now. She didn't want to hear about where she was going. All she knew was she just had to go. She got to the bottom of the staircase and no one was in sight. She smiled to herself and slipped her shoes back on. She got almost all the way to the door when she heard to floorboard squeak.

“Where are you off to dressed like that,” said Lady Tremaine as she entered the room.

Anastasia froze, but didn't turn around. She didn't want to see her mother's face. She knew her mother would explode when she told her where she was going.

“I am going to town for dinner,” she said finally facing her mother. She tried to sound confident and calm, but she knew her mother would read right through it.

“Liar! You are sneaking off to the wedding, aren't you?”

Anastasia did not answer. She knew it was better to say nothing at this point. She didn't want to have this fight right now especially since she was running so late. If she did not leave soon, she would miss the wedding altogether.

“Why would you go? Why would you go see her marry the man that should've been yours! The man she stole from you and your sister.”

“But he wasn't mine or Drizella's. You wanted him to be ours, but he chose her. He loves her and I am fine with that. I am happy for her. I do not hate her for it like you do,” said Anastasia looking at her mother.

Lady Tremaine folded her arms and started to pace back and forth while still staring at her daughter. Anastasia could feel her mother's fury building. Lady Tremaine laughed briefly and then walked right up to Anastasia grabbing her chin.

“Go celebrate your sister's wedding. Go have a good time. Let her stab you in the back again. She lives in wealth and shares nothing with us,or did you forget that? We scrape by now and she wants for nothing. We gave her a roof over her head when her father died, but she forgets that. Go if you must, but remember that you are nothing to her,” Lady Tremaine said pushing her daughter away.

Anastasia jumped back from her mother and caught her breath. She wanted to yell at her mother. She wanted to say that they deserved what they got from Cinderella. They deserved nothing because they treated her like nothing. They were mean and cruel for no reason to her. They did it because they could. They were spoiled, rich and mean, but now the money had almost run out and their status in the town was nothing and it was all their own fault.

Anastasia looked at her mother once more before opening the door and walking out. She slammed the door shut and ran to the carriage. Jeffery the coachman opened the door for her.

“To the palace Jeffery,” she said smiling at him.

Jeffery shut the door and climbed up on the carriage and took the reigns. The carriage started on it's way to the palace.

Anastasia sat nervously in the carriage. She still didn't know what she was going to say once she was there. She hadn't talked to her sister since she left the house the day Prince Thomas showed up with the glass slipper. She had thought about what she wanted to say, but was so afraid of what Cinderella would do. Would she forgive her? Would she let everything go, or would she throw her out of the palace? She wouldn't throw her out. She did send them an invitation to the wedding. That must mean she would be at least cordial to her, unless she was just sending them an invitation hoping they would not come or to rub it in their faces. Anastasia sank back into her seat and sighed. What ever was going to happen, she would deal with it. If Cinderella did not forgive her, she deserved it. If she did forgive her, it would be another step in the right direction. She had already started to change her life. Being friends with her sister would help in this process.

The carriage pulled to a stop in front of the palace's grand steps. Jeffery opened the door and Anastasia stepped out. She stared at the steps. She wanted to turn around and get in the carriage and go home, but she couldn't. She had to do this today. If she wanted to be in her sister's life, she had to be there for her on her special day. She had to congratulate her and her new husband. She also has to tell her that she was sorry for all the foolishness and the cruel behavior of the past. It must be done today.

So Anastasia started up the steps of the palace to the grand hall. She had not seen the grand hall since the ball. Her stomach started to hurt. That night still made her sick. Remembering how she threw herself at Prince Thomas. How she acted like a complete fool and for what? She didn't love him. She loved his power and money and that was it. Her sister Drizella and her fought off everyone all night to try to snag him only to lose him to their youngest step sister. Cinderella deserved Prince Thomas. She fell in love with him for him. Not for his money or his power or any of that. She didn't even know it was the prince at first. Anastasia was glad her sister found love. After all that is what made her have the change of heart in the first place. If it wasn't for seeing how happy Cinderella was when Prince Thomas slipped the glass slipper on her foot and it fit, she wouldn't have realized just how miserable and alone she was. She wouldn't have wanted something more. She wouldn't have wanted to find true love. She wouldn't have started acting differently and started to care about more than herself.

Anastasia took a deep breath and entered the grand hall. It was very crowded and full of dancing couples and people talking and making toasts. By the looks of it, she had missed the actual wedding but ended up making it right in time for the reception. As she walked into the room, she noticed people starting to stare and whisper to each other. She knew they were talking about her. She just hoped it was about her bright pink dress and not that she was actually there. She moved quickly to the far corner of the room and stayed towards the back. She would approach her sister later when not so many people were there. She didn't want a big crowd when she told her she was sorry.

As she watched the couples dance around the room, she spotted her sister and her new husband. They looked so happy, so in love. Anastasia smiled. So that's what true love looked like. Maybe she would have that some day. Maybe someday she would be swept off her feet. One could only hope she thought.


“The Prince and Princess look beautiful, don't you think,” said a voice behind Anastasia.

The voice startled her and she jumped. She turned around and saw a young man standing behind her. He was about a foot taller than her with black hair and green eyes. He was wearing a dark blue jacket and white pants. By the looks of him he was upper class.

“I am sorry if I startled you. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jeremy Trenton. My father is Lord Carlton Trenton,” he said bowing to her.

Anastasia felt a blush creeping across her cheeks. She curtsied to him.

“My name is Anastasia Tremaine,” she said smiling.

“Would you care to dance?,” Jeremy said holding out his hand. Anastasia took his hand and not thinking twice walked out onto the dance floor with him.

It wasn't like she didn't know how to dance. She knew how to dance very well. She had taken many lessons on dance etiquette. She had been to many balls and had danced at most of them. This time thought she was nervous, extremely nervous. This time someone had asked her to dance and not the other way around. This time the gentleman seemed happy to be around her.

She took his hand and they started to waltz around the room. Jeremy smiled down at her and she felt her heart skip a beat. Everything seemed perfect. Everything was going so wonderful. She was happy and free. She had totally calmed down and even forgot what she was there for, until she ran right into her sister's friend Red.