A meaningful name and a meaningless one
Prompt: Can you write one were Fitzgerald asks why he got his name and can reveal how Cruella called her daughter Anita?
"Mom, just one more question"
Cruella sighed heavily and casted a glare at the boy, but eventually just nodded. It was actually at least the twentieth question and, in less than fourty minutes, she had already been forced to revive: the first encounter with Isaac, the beginning of her friendship with Maleficent and Ursula and also some moments of her children's childhood. Everything in a sugarcoated version, of course. One would thing that the time of constant "why?"-questions was over after five years old, but apparently putting a first step in the teen-age had given start to a new round of curiosities.
"Why was I called Fitzgerald?"
"I think you know pretty well why you are called like this, little puppy" she answered absent-mindedly, continuing to fix the sleeves of the boy's jacket.
She had spent two weeks making the children's dresses for the baptism of Lily and August's second child, but the hardest hard proved to be trying them on – for the unwanted interrogatory, first of all. Perhaps it was exactly the choice of the baby name that gave to Fitz the idea of that last question: Woody Booth was in fact a meaningful name indeed, and – according to Cruella – also quite funny. But, after all, who was her to judge?
"Yes, I do" the boy replied with a nod, thinking immediately about his father's obsession with that writer. "But what I mean is, why did you agree and how did you two exactly decide? Not that I'm complaining, but… Just to know"
Cruella held back the urge to roll her eyes and instead remained some moments just focusing on the last details of the suit. Just some more seconds, because her work was finally over. A satisfied smile crossed her lips as she admired her boy for a short while: in spite he had taken most of his features from Isaac, he already was a beauty and in a few years he could see him having girls at his feet. He had looks and also wits – what a pity that he talked too much!
"I was six months pregnant and I had just got the job at the library – yes, I worked for a short while with aunt Belle – and as a way of celebrating, your father came up with a list of potential names for you" she finally gave up, looking into his eyes and starting to tell that story as well. Luckily, it was one that didn't need much changes. "They were all names of writers, of course ,and it wasn't the first time he showed me that. I was already getting pretty annoyed – besides I was craving for cherries! Anyway, Fitzgerald wasn't in the list though, because Isaac was thinking about writers' names only and not surnames. But eventually, he had a realization about it and I admit I didn't mind that – it was better than any other options, honestly. So I liked it, he liked it and you liked that too. In fact, that evening was the first time he felt you kicking, you know, little puppy? Me too actually, because I never realized that those strange movings I've been feeling for weeks until then, it was you kicking!" she interrupted to chuckle amusingly. "I'll never forget his face! He was so shocked about me, and I got angry and offended of course… The usual arguments, nothing you don't already know"
While speaking, her voice seemed a bit distant and colored of a strange melancholy. Probably she didn't realize that, but everytime she rivived some happy moments of the past, she showed a lot of feelings and Fitzgerald loved to see that unusual aspect of her mother. Maybe that was the main reason why he had so many questions after all.
"And how did daddy make it up to you that one time?"
"He went and bought me cherries of course!" she exclaimed immediately, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Fitzgerald laughed, almost able to see the scene, and Cruella let out a smirk herself. However, there was a certain someone in the room who was enjoying that family-bond moment very much, or better they were two: Anita and the black and white cat she was playing with.
"So… Fitz gets the meaningful name and I get a normal one? It's not fair!" she suddenly said, speaking probably for the first time in order to give voice to her protest.
She seemed resented about that fact and from her point of view she had every right to be. She was the one to have inherited Isaac's love for literature the most, and at eleven years old she had already written some poems of her own.
"You should be grateful, little diamond… If it had been up to you father, now your name would have been Gertrude as Gertrude Stein!" Cruella calmed her, shaking her head at the thought of an annoying memory this time. But when she finally turned around to look at her daughter, her annoyance turned into anger and all for a more concrete reason. "Oh and for furs's sake, Anita! Don't play with that hideous fleabag while you're wearing that dress!"
Anita puffed, but didn't complain: she knew better than make her mother angrier, especially when it came to animals. "Go, Joyce, we'll play later!" she exclaimed sending the cat away, while smoothing her light blue gown. "Anyway, I like Gertrude" she said then aloud, turning to Cruella.
The boy looked at the women of the family, perceiving that the situation was becoming tensed. So he decided to intervene. "Maybe you are called Anita after Anita Garibaldi…"
"Yeah… ANITA i salso the name of the first calculator to be completely eletronic" the girl added hinting a smile.
"And also a species of spider sent in space – or so I've heard on TV!"
Anyone would have certainly been surprised listening to a conversation like that between two so young people, but Cruella instead was just annoyed. Sometimes they sounded like two brain-monsters, but after all what she could have expected? Isaac had started to read them stories before they had their first words yet – and besides Anita's first word had actually been book.
"Okay, Wikinita and Fitzpedia!" she suddenly exclaimed, before discovering that Anita maybe was also the name of a pornostar. "Anita doesn't mean anything and I choose that name exactly for this reason, sorry to disappoint you…"
"What does that mean?" Anita asked, sounding no more disappointed but now just genuinely confused.
But Cruella just hinted her to come closer and allowed herself some moments to study her. She was beautiful like her brother, but unlike him she was blonde with blue eyes. From Isaac she had instead taken the kind character and also the behaviour, and it still amazed everyone in town to see a little Cruella acting totally like the author. It amazed Cruella first of all.
"I know what it means to have a name that means something and I didn't want that for you. Yes, you have a quite meaningless name, so it's totally up to you to give it a brand new meaning…" she explained softly, looking into her eyes.
"Oh, then there will be a new page on Wikipedia with Anita Heller as a writer" the girl answered smirking. And it totally was Isaac's hopeful smirk.
Cruella rolled her eyes at that, but then instinctively pulled the girl into an insual hug and just whispered in her ear without a trace of irony: "You'll be one of the greats, little diamond"
Hello! First of all, thanks to guest for the prompt! After I've kinda introduced Fitzgerald (in "Of moms, gin and tattos"), I'm proud (?) to introduce you Anita as well! I decided that it was Cruella to choose that name, just because she liked it AND didn't mean anything yet. I think that "Cruella" as a name is somehow a burden for her, so she wouldn't want her child to suffer that as well - in negative or in positive. For Fitzgerald it was instead Isaac to choose, so it was quite different... Anyway, hope you liked this sort of fluffy moment in the Heller-De Vil family :)
As a note: the story of how Fitzgerald's name was chosen is totally a reference to chapter 12 of my fic "Loving the Devil", so if you want to know more I suggest you to go and give a look:)
Oh and if maybe you have some other ideas for me to write (Heller-De Vil family or just Authella), let me know!:)
