After Ever After

Chapter One

Snow and Florian's Home

Friday Morning

Snow hummed softly to herself as she moved about the kitchen, broom clasped between her slender hands as she concentrated on sweeping the stained wood floors in her kitchen. She had already put away the dishes, washed off the countertops, and beat the rugs. She wanted to vacuum but knew Florian would have a fit if she woke him before dawn again. He wasn't exactly the most chipper person in the morning like she was, so she settled for her light morning chores.

Snow swept the small pile of dust and dirt into the dustpan and dumped it into the waste bin. She placed the broom back into the kitchen closet and then sashayed over to the sink to wash her hands. She swayed her hips to an imaginary beat as she continued to hum an unknown song that swirled itself around her dainty little head. She dried her hands on her favorite yellow dish towel and reached above the sink to draw the flowered curtains back, tucking them neatly into their designated hooks.

She smiled as she noticed a familiar blue jay perched on her windowsill. The bird offered her a few high-pitched chirps, fluttering its small wings at her presence as if it was greeting her. Snow laughed softly, petting the bird's head gently with her finger.

"Good morning," she cooed. Beside her sat a small bowl of unsalted sunflower and pumpkin seeds. She placed it in front of her little friend, who released a string of chirps and warbles before eating a seed.

"You're welcome," Snow chuckled.

She turned her attention to the little clock that hung above the back door. It was 6:45. Florian would be waking up soon, and she hadn't even started on making his breakfast. She resumed her humming, even louder this time, as she rummaged through the cabinets for various ingredients, Florian's favorite mug, and a set of china. As she dug for the big mixing bowl, waffle iron, and muffin pan. She waltzed to the fridge and pulled out eggs and milk, then twirled to the oven and turned it on. Once she had all of her ingredients in front of her, she traded her humming for singing.

"Birds flyin' high, you know how I feel, sun in the sky, you know how I feel, breeze driftin' by, you know how I feel..." she sang to an imaginary audience as she dumped her dry ingredients into the bowl, measuring them by eye like she'd done dozens of times before.

"We all know how you feel, honey," stated Florian as he dragged his sock-clad feet into the kitchen. His brown hair sat in a matted halo atop his head, his boxer shorts hung loosely off his hips, and his bare chest displayed several small bite marks and faintly red hickeys. He walked over to his wife, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his head into the crook of her neck, kissing it.

"Good morning."

Snow ruffled her fingers through his hair. "Good morning. Did I wake you up?"

Florian huffed and shook his head. "No, not really," he said as he lifted his head, peeking into the bowl that Snow was stirring a whisk in. "What are you making?"

"Almond chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, and cheese popovers," Snow stated proudly, a smile creeping onto her lips.

Florian grabbed his mug and the coffee beans and moved over to the coffee maker. He yawned and stretched his limbs for a long moment. He looked over at Snow, who still had pins tucked all over her raven hair. Her red nightgown clung to her small hips and left much of her amazing set of alabaster legs revealed. His eyes traveled upwards to her perfectly defined butt and slender back. He watched her as she bent to pick up the bottle of vanilla, her ample cleavage practically smiling at him. Florian grinned like a teenaged boy at his gorgeous young wife.

Snow picked up on his staring, eyeing him out of the corner of her eye. She strategically scratched her left shoulder, allowing the strap of her nightgown to dangle off her shoulder. She glanced over at Florian with a mischievous smile before returning to mixing the waffle batter. Once it was mixed enough, she scooped up a decent amount for her to taste. She locked eyes with Florian as she licked off her finger. "Mmmmm..." she moaned at him. She held her finger out to him. "Wanna taste?"

Florian abandoned his coffee and crossed the room to his wife, scooping her up into his arms. Snow giggled when he nestled his face into her bosom, kissing her exposed cleavage. She pulled his head away from her chest and kissed him deeply. His hands slid down to grab her butt, gripping it hard. She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening their kiss even further. Florian's hands just started drifting down her stomach when a shrill ring sounded throughout the kitchen.

Florian groaned as Snow pulled away from him to answer her ringing phone.

"Good morning, Cindy."

"Good morning, Snow. How are you this morning?"

" Good. Good. How are you?" Snow asked as she turned to the scrambled eggs. Florian planted a kiss on her cheek before heading upstairs to get dressed for work.

"I'm doing okay..." Cinderella paused a moment. Snow could hear the muffled sound of sniffles. "I'm sorry for calling you so early in the morning...I-I just wanted to be sure we were still meeting for drinks later."

Snow frowned, noting her best friend's odd behavior and the cracking of her voice. Like Snow, Cinderella was usually very chipper in the morning. In fact, she was rather chipper all the time, hence why she and Snow were the best of friends. Is she crying?

"Oh, you're fine, Cindy. I've been up for an hour. Yes, we're still meeting up for drinks at The Golden Flower." Snow popped bite-sized pieces of cheddar cheese into the muffin pan, quickly filling it with popover batter.

"Cindy..are you okay?"

"Yes...yes, Snow, I'm okay. I'll see you later."

"Okay, Cindy. See you later." Snow hung up the phone with her brow wrinkled in concern for her best friend. Cindy sounded as though she was on the edge of having a breakdown, which was unusual because Cindy had a seemingly happy life. Maybe things weren't as perfect as they seemed.

By 7:30, Snow and Florian were at the kitchen table, fully dressed and enjoying the remnants of their breakfast. Florian chewed what was left of his cheese popover while skimming through the sports section of the newspaper. Snow casually sipped on her cranberry juice, her mind still on Cindy.

Florian noticed his wife's distant demeanor and sudden lack of cheerfulness. "What's with the face, Snow?"

Snow snapped out of her inner thoughts, returning her mind to the kitchen table with her husband. She offered him a small smile. "It's nothing."

"Doesn't really look like nothing to me," he pushed.

Snow sighed. She knew her husband wasn't going to leave the issue alone, so she might as well tell him. "Something is wrong with Cindy."

"What do you mean?"

"When she called, she sounded really upset. I think she was crying, even...I don't know. Maybe I'm overreacting," Snow finished softly. She sat with her chin in the palms of her hands, absentmindedly running her finger around the brim of her cup.

Florian sat the paper down on the table, stood up, and grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. He went over and placed a kiss on Snow's cheek. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it's nothing too serious. Have a good day, sweetheart."

"Bye, honey," Snow said as she rose from her chair to get ready to leave, hoping Florian was right.

A/N: Credit to artbyjody on Tumblr for the artwork for this chapter! She's an amazing artist, and you should all check her out!

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