"Now remember Cruella, you have to control your temper. My family can be a little, well, extreme when it comes to judgement and first impressions. Meaning: no outbursts, no critiques, no withering looks, no swearing, don't insult my family, don't mention the fur obsession, and don't, under any circumstances, mention my mother."

"Of course, darling," Cruella replied while filing her nails.

Lynn reached over and took the file. Gripping her friend's hands tightly, she forced her to look her in the eye.

"This is serious. I want my family to like you. If you do any of those things they are for sure going to hate you."

"Don't worry, Lynn darling. I promise to keep my temper in check."

"And?"

"And follow all the other rules as well."

"Good."

Their private jet touched down at Dayton at nine a.m., a big time jump for them. It was another two hour drive to get to Lynn's hometown of Cherry Valley. By the time they hit town limits, it was eleven-fifteen, four-fifteen for them. Cruella read the sign as they passed it.

"Cherry Valley, population 186. When you told me you were from a small town you weren't kidding."

"Yeah, it's small, but it's home." Arriving at her parents' house, she saw her father and sister waiting on the porch. "Remember what we talked about on the plane," she warned as she got out of the car. "Daddy! Laurie!" she called as she rushed across the yard and embraced them.

"Bloody hell," Cruella gasped as she walked up behind them. "You didn't tell me your house was so big. Not nearly as big as Inferno Hall, of course, but that was to be expected."

"Lynn, darling, who is this?" James asked as he gestured to Cruella.

"No one calls her darling but me!" the fashion maven roared before shooting Lynn's sister a withering glance.

"Daddy, this is my friend, Cruella De Vil."

"This is the sweet, gentle Cruella you've been telling me about?" Critically looking over the black-and-white woman, he seemed to come to a conclusion. "Wait, isn't this the same Cruella De Vil that owns House of De Vil? The one that's obsessed with furs?"

"I'll have you know that I'm not obsessed with fur, I just have a strong attachment to it." She gave the man a disdainful look. "Honestly, darling, how did your mother ever put up with a twit like him?"

Lynn buried her face in her hands and tried to block out the sounds of the blossoming argument between her family and best friend. She glanced at her watch. A minute and forty-five seconds, a new record.

"Honestly, Cruella, I give you simple instructions and what do you do? Completely ignore them."

Lynn threw her suitcase on the bed so hard the frame creaked. Cruella looked ashamed and embarrassed, as she should.

"If it helps, I really am very embarrassed," she said quietly.

Lynn whirled to face her and she shrank back.

"Good! You should be embarrassed! That was completely unacceptable behavior!" She sat on the edge of her bed and put her face in her hands. "They hate you," she said quietly, and the older woman was sure she heard a sniff.

Hesitantly, Cruella approached her friend and laid a hand on her shoulder, which was promptly shrugged off.

"Hey, it's okay. I don't care what they think. You're still my Lynn darling, and nothing they say will ever change that."

"You don't understand," Lynn said, lifting her head to show a tear streaked face. "My father always has to approve of my friends. If he doesn't, that's it, end of friendship."

"Darling, may I call your attention to a few obvious facts? One, you're a grown woman. Two, you have a job and make your own money. And perhaps the most important, three, you live on an entirely different continent. You can be friends with whomever you like, and only you can choose who you want to associate yourself with."

"You're right. I'm a grown woman. I have my own life and my father just has to accept that." She smiled up at the older woman, who smiled back. "You know," she said in a playful tone, "underneath all that insanity there is actually a very intelligent woman."

Cruella shoved her shoulder playfully before turning to unpack her bags. Lynn headed out with a smile to set things right with her family and smacked into her sister. Laurie stood and smirked at her older sister.

"Is your lovers spat over?" she asked.

"It wasn't a lovers spat," Lynn ground out through clenched teeth. "We just had an argument over something I told her before we landed."

"I'm sure," her sister replied sarcastically. "So tell me, how is your girlfriend doing? When did you two get together?"

"Again, she is not my girlfriend."

"Sure she's not, and I'm the queen of the Nile."

Lynn leaned in close and whispered in her sister's ear. "You're lucky that Dad won't let us fight, because if I could get away with it I would kick your ass right now." Laurie seemed taken aback at her sudden hostility. Lynn smirked and leaned back. "Where is Dad anyway?"

"Downstairs."

"Okay, thank you. I'm going to talk to him. Stay out of my room and don't bother Cruella."

With that, she headed down the hall to find her father. With a sly smirk, Laurie went into her sister's room.

"So Cruella, you're best friends with my sister, right?"

"Yes," she said, though she was confused as to where this was going.

"And you love her, right?"

"Yes," she said, even more on guard.

"Do you have a nickname for her?"

"Of course. I call her darling, Lynn darling, or love. And if I'm talking to other people," here her voice gained a possessive quality and dropped an octave, "I refer to her as my Lynn darling."

"Interesting. So, when did you two get together?"

Cruella seemed taken aback before turning a pale red. For the first time, Laurie began to feel there had been more reason for her sister's warning than just to be bossy. When the older woman didn't scream, she relaxed a fraction. That is, until she picked up her sister's lamp.

"Daddy, I know Cruella can be a little..."

"Overbearing? Egotistical? Controlling? Manipulative? A harpy?"

"...unusual and hard to deal with at first, but she really is wonderful once you get to know her. She's been so kind to me these past few years. Just give her a second chance. Please?"

"Well, I suppose-"

A crash came from upstairs, followed by a thud. Lynn looked up at the ceiling and prayed that it wasn't what she knew it had to be. Her father looked at her questioningly.

"What was that?"

"I don't think we want to know."

He went upstairs anyway and she had no choice but to follow. They were greeted by the sight of Lynn's favorite lamp shattered in the hall and her old paper weight lodged in the wall on the opposite side of the room from the cat-fight occurring in front of them. "Cruella!" Lynn yelled just as her father yelled her sister's name. The women froze and looked surprised to see them. They each went to their respective person.

For the most part, it appeared as though Laurie had taken the brunt of the beating, Cruella only having a few scratches.

"What were you thinking?!" Lynn hissed angrily.

"Well, she was questioning me and insinuated that we were a couple."

"Why that little-"

"Lynn!" her father roared, "what's this I hear about Cruella attacking Laurie for asking a question?!"

"She was provoked," she ground out through clenched teeth.

"By being asked if everything was all right?"

"That's not what Laurie asked her."

"Then what did she ask her?"

Lynn wanted to tell him but she knew he'd never believe her, and if he by some chance did, that would cause even more questions. So she stayed silent, and her father kept believing his youngest daughter's lie. After he and Laurie left, Cruella turned to Lynn.

"Why didn't you tell him the truth?"

"That would just make him ask more questions, likely ticking both of us off."

Cruella seemed to accept that answer and settled down. Still on London time, jet lag caught up to them, forcing them to sleep or pass out. A few hours later, James poked his head in to check on Lynn, as it had been a few hours since he had heard anything from up there. His jaw hit the floor at what he saw. Lynn and Cruella were curled up together, spooning even, and it planted ideas in his head. Instead of waking them up, he backed out and left them alone.

The next day was Thanksgiving, and it could not have gone worse. The air was thick with tension and silence throughout the meal, and when there was conversation it was an argument between James and Cruella about the settling of America and the tension with England afterward. When the meal was finally, blessedly over, and Cruella had gone back upstairs, James and Laurie cornered Lynn to ask her some questions.

"Lynn, last night when I came in to check on you, I saw you sleeping with Cruella. Are you together? Are you...gay?"

"What? How could you even think that?!"

"Honey, you were spooning her. What else am I supposed to think?"

"Dad, it's not like that. She has nightmares and it helps her to know someone's there."

"Then why does she call you 'darling' and 'love'?" Laurie cut in.

"They're just her nicknames for me. I call her darling and love, whats the big deal?"

"No daughter of mine will be a lesbian!"

"Is that really what this is about? Or do you just hate Cruella?"

"Both. I despise her and you will not be a lesbian, I forbid it!"

"You're kidding me! Dad, I'm going to say something to you I've been dying to say since the day I turned fourteen-shut the hell up." James spluttered in indignation and shock, but Lynn wasn't finished yet. "I'm a grown woman. I make my own money, live across the fucking ocean for crying out loud, which, by the way is another continent, and you still want to control me!"

"Well I've got news for you, old man. I choose who I want to be friends with, I choose what words make up my vocabulary, and I sure as hell control my own love life. But for your information, no, I am not a lesbian, no, I am not with Cruella, and if you have a problem with her then you can just get over it because I don't plan on getting rid of her any time soon."

"You will not speak to me like that! I'm your father! You will show me some respect!"

"I'll speak to you any damn way I please!"

"Get of this house! You're not my daughter anymore!"

"Good, I'm glad. Here's a message for you: take a long walk off a very short plank!"

"Get out! Take your "friend" and get out!"

"Go to hell!" Lynn yelled as she headed upstairs.

Without explaining anything to Cruella, she began packing both their suitcases. They left without a word, ice hanging in the air. It wasn't until they were on the plane that Lynn broke down and told Cruella what had happened.

"Oh, darling, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, it would have happened sooner or later. We never got along and it just got worse when mom died."

As she pulled herself together, Cruella vowed that if she ever saw or heard from that man again he would wish he was in hell by the time she was done with him.