I don't own Once Upon a Time or its characters.
I'm not a native speaker and I'm sorry for all grammar and spelling mistakes.
Please feel free to tell me what you think! If you have any prompts of your own you want me to write don't hesitate to send them my way.
„Sweetheart please at least think about it!" Poseidon exclaimed exasperated. Ursula could be really stubborn when she wanted to be.
"Daddy, you cannot be serious. Have you met him?! He is an idiot. I will not spend the rest of my life with him." Ursula cried out. This discussion was already going on for almost an hour. Yesterday a prince of a neighboring kingdom had asked for her hand in marriage. Ursula had immediately declined but apparently her father thought otherwise and tried to persuade her to agree.
"You know, sometimes it's not about what we want but what's best for the people we are to care for. This would be good for our kingdom!" Poseidon started anew. Ursula looked at him with unbelieving eyes.
"No, absolutely no! What about me? If you would truly care about me you would not try to persuade me to do this. You would simply accept my decision." Ursula said.
"Sweetheart, please. Of course I care about you. You are my daughter and I've terribly missed you all these years but this would be much easier if you agreed." Poseidon called out his voice rising.
"What would be much easier, father? What are you not telling me?" Ursula asked suspiciously. Poseidon suddenly looked uncomfortable and tried not to meet the angry glare of his daughter.
"His father and I agreed many years ago that the two of you…well… you are espoused to him." Poseidon said mentally preparing himself for Ursula unleashing hell on him but to his surprise Ursula didn't say anything. Poseidon swallowed heavily at the sadness and disappointment in Ursula's eyes. He didn't try to stop his daughter when she spun around and left the room quickly.
Tears were streaming down her face and she quickly made her way out of the palace where she was living with her father and through their garden which in fact was the most beautiful reef in all the seven seas.
Ursula had only returned with her father a mere month ago. She had enjoyed having her voice and father back immensely but the longer she had stayed in the ocean the more she had started to miss a certain black and white haired woman who she had left behind in Storybrook. That's why she had worked hard to establish a portal that allowed her to cross the realms. That way she stood at the Storybrook docks only a couple of seconds later. Ursula took a deep breath to calm her nerves. With the back of her hand she brushed away the remaining tears on her cheek and hoped that she didn't look too disheveled. With quick steps Ursula made her way into town. Cruella was now living at a small apartment in the town center. Luckily the whole author ordeal had taken a surprising turn when Rumpel and Mal had gotten their happy ending without the author. Only Cruella's situation hadn't changed. After Mal and Rumpel had quit the author quest Cruella had no other option than to quit too and the three of them had gotten the permission to stay in Storybrook. Mal and Rumpel were now living happily with their loved ones and Cruella…Cruella had gotten herself a puppy.
When Ursula entered the apartment complex and walked up the stairs to the first floor where Ursula lived she could already hear Spot barking. Ursula laughed quietly despite how miserable she felt. Cruella had always had a fondness for irony. Cruella opened the door before Ursula could ring. Spot immediately greeted the woman friendly by licking her hands. His mistress bowed down and used her magic on the Dalmatian so that he quickly turned tail and moved back inside the apartment.
"Hello Darling. It's good that you are back." Cruella said and smiled at Ursula with one of her rare smiles. At the comforting sight of her friend Ursula's bottom lip started quivering and tears shot to her eyes. Quickly Cruella's smile fell. "Darling?"
Ursula couldn't hold back her tears anymore and before she knew it sobs shook her frame. Cruella pulled the sea witch into her arms and rubbed soothing circles on her back. Ursula hid her face in the crook of Cruella's neck and let her tears run freely. After several minutes Ursula calmed down again and drew back from Cruella.
"I'm sorry" Ursula whispered quietly. "I think I might have ruined your dress." Cruella shrugged only. The make-up stains on her dress were not important at the moment.
"How about we go inside and you tell me what's bothering you?" Cruella suggested and stepped aside so Ursula could enter.
"Thank you" Ursula stepped into the apartment and walked right into the living room. She made herself comfortable on the couch and accepted the offered drink gratefully. Cruella sat down next to her and took the sea witch's hand in hers.
"What's wrong, darling. You know you can tell me anything." Ursula leaned against the other woman and placed her head on Cruella's shoulder. For a moment she simply enjoyed the closeness to the other woman, the way she rubbed small circles on the back of her hand with her thumb, the way her shoulders slightly rose and fell with every breath, the way she quietly hummed Ursula's favorite song to calm her nerves. She had already spent countless hours thinking about the way Cruella made her feel. Not that she would ever admit it to anyone.
"I'm supposed to marry a prince from our neighboring kingdom." Ursula whispered quietly and if Cruella hadn't been so close she wouldn't have heard it.
For a moment Cruella didn't say anything. Only the way her posture straightened and her face petrified gave away that she wasn't pleased with the news.
"Cruella? Please say something." Ursula said and placed her hand under her chin to make Cruella look at her.
"And what did you say?" The calm way Cruella asked this question did not in any way resemble what she felt inside. Those news felt like someone stabbed into her heart and it took her a lot not to cry herself.
"I said no of course but my father thinks it's best for the kingdom." Ursula sighed and placed her face in her hands.
"The kingdom?! What about you?! Is this also what's best for you? Is that why you came? To tell me that you're now going to play happy wife with some stupid prince or whatever and that you are not coming back anymore?" Cruella screamed and jumped to her feet. Ursula could see tears glistening in her eyes. Cruella ran her hand through her hair and started pacing the room.
"Cruella-" Ursula started but was immediately interrupted by Cruella again.
"I knew it! Of course you would leave too because everybody leaves me!" Cruella slumped down on the couch again and hid her face in her hands now in embarrassment at her outbreak.
"Cruella what is wrong with you? If you would have let me finish you would know that I declined and that I've no intention of marrying that idiot." Ursula could not hold back a little pun. "I'm not you after all."
Cruella turned her head slowly and glared at her but the effect was dampened by the relief evident in her eyes.
"So you are not going to marry him?" Cruella wanted to be a hundred percent sure.
"Nope." Ursula grinned and placed her hand on Cruella's shoulder. "You know, sweetheart, I actually came here so you could comfort me and not the other way around."
"Sorry, darling. Come here let me hold you some more." Cruella said and opened her arms in an inviting motion. Without hesitation Ursula accepted the offered hug.
"You know I would have missed you." Cruella said quietly tightening their embrace.
"Cruella, you are going to get your happy ending as well." Ursula whispered.
"You know I now know why I'm not happy. It took me almost an eternity to realize what my happy ending actuall is and…I realized that I finally have to act so it isn't taken away from me again." Cruella said tracing random patterns with her index finger on Ursula's back.
"What's you happy ending?" Ursula asked and frowned at the feeling of betrayal in her gut. For some reason the image of Cruella lying in the arms of some random old man irked her more than it should. Cruella was supposed to be at her side! But maybe that was selfish of her and maybe that served her just right for not acting on her feelings.
"The question is not what but who." Cruella answered absentminded snuggling even closer to Ursula.
"Then who is your happy ending?" Ursula asked feeling at that point literally sick. She closed her eyes and internally prepared herself for the devastating answer.
Cruella didn't answer and it took Ursula a moment to realize that Cruella was not tracing random patterns on her back anymore. She was spelling something.
'Y'- y? Ursula tried to remember people they both knew whose name started with y.
'O'- Nope. Ursula definitely didn't know anyone whose name started with 'yo'. Maybe it was someone Cruella knew back from New York? Did that mean that Cruella wanted to move back to New York. Please no!
'U'-It took a moment for Ursula to realize that Cruella was finished. That was it. 'you'.
"Me?" Ursula asked shocked and drew back from their hug.
"I'm sorry if I upset you but-" Cruella started but was stopped by Ursula pressing her lips against Cruella's. For a moment Cruella didn't react but then she started to kiss Ursula back. Only when their need for air became too strong the two separated.
Ursula cupped Cruella's cheek and smiled at her lovingly. "I think a lot of things will change now. I'll never leave you alone again, sweetheart."
"Please, darling, don't promise something you have no intend of keeping. What about your father? I know how much he means to you." Cruella said sadly. "He won't like you staying with me."
"I don't care. You are right I have to do what's best for me and not for the kingdom. I don't care who my father wants me to marry. I love you and only you." Ursula said and laughed quietly at Cruella's happy face.
"That's good because I'm tired of desperation and gin" Cruella laughed happily.
"So that is how you truly feel?" Someone behind the two of them suddenly said and Cruella and Ursula spun around.
"Father!" Ursula exclaimed at stood up. "What are you doing here?"
Cruella swallowed heavily and stood up as well. She grabbed Ursula's hand afraid that her happy ending would be over before it even started.
"She is the one you truly love?" He asked again and Ursula nodded.
"Yes, daddy and you can't do anything about it. I'm not going to marry that idiot whether you like it or not. Cruella is my happy ending." Ursula answered confidently.
"I see." Poseidon said and nodded thoughtfully. "I came to apologize. I was wrong. I should not have tried to persuade you to marry someone you don't love. I'll accept anyone you're happy with."
"Thank you, daddy" Ursula answered gratefully. "Did you hear that Cruella?"
Cruella nodded and once again Ursula pulled her girlfriend into a kiss. Finally also the two of them had gotten their happy ending.