Disclaimer: Maleficent and its characters belong to Disney.
Note: Woot woot! A wild update! I hope you don't mind too much if I can't update twice a week anymore. I'm trying my best but I've been attacked by real life and responsibilities... I hate those!
You guys are all amazing and sweet! Reading your comments always make my day~
jeep28: The m-word proposed is very interesting! Maybe it'll be included in a future chapter, maybe not! We'll see!
SwanMillsFiction: Malefistache-Swan3ills! I knew it! I knew it was you! But why does everybody insult poor Phillip only trying to do what he thinks is good for his (not really) secret crush...
moth·er
(n.) a term of address for a female parent or a woman having or regarded as having the status, function or authority of a female parent
"Are you planning on ruining my father after our wedding?"
"Yes."
These words are haunting Aurora's mind. She can't believe she had been naive enough to think Ms. Moore wouldn't hold a grudge against her father anymore - many years had passed since their break up, after all. The older woman's answer had been so brief and honest. It is not what Aurora wanted to hear, but the fact Ms. Moore hadn't tried to find excuses, to apologize, is somewhat reassuring, because the girl now knows Ms. Moore, unlike Stefan, will not lie to her.
Aurora looks up at Ms. Moore, chatting with the waitress, in French. It has been going on like this since the waitress came back with Ms. Moore's credit card. At least five minutes ago. Aurora doesn't know if she is annoyed because she's being ignored or because she decided to be annoyed by everything the businesswoman does - or if it really is annoyance she feels. Before she realizes it, Aurora is lost in her thoughts again and she doesn't notice Ms. Moore standing up until the woman calls her name.
"Sorry, Mal, I got distracted," Aurora says with an apologetic smile as she gets up.
They leave the restaurant without another word, locking arms as soon as they are outside. They walk to the car in an uncomfortable silence, and Aurora hopes for it to disappear. She doesn't like this situation, Ms. Moore and she will be married soon, they can't stay like this; Aurora feeling betrayed and Ms. Moore carefully avoiding casual conversations.
"Could we talk about last night's phone call?" Aurora ask, her voice soft and shaky with hesitation.
Ms. Moore nods as she starts up the engine.
"We will talk about it at my apartment, if you don't mind waiting."
"Oh, yes. I can wait."
The drive is short and Aurora can't help letting out a sigh of relief as she gets out of the car. She follows Ms. Moore out of the underground parking lot, only taking her hand when they can feel the fresh air of night, for the photographers that may be lurking a few feet away from Ms. Moore's building, just like after their previous date. Aurora looks up at the older woman, suddenly very aware of the height difference between them. She hadn't noticed before, hadn't paid any attention to it, too busy worrying about everything. But Ms. Moore was much taller than Aurora - maybe even taller than her father.
"Oh no…"
The girl blinks, confused, as Ms. Moore stops walking. Aurora glances around them; they are only a few feet away from the businesswoman's building and there isn't anything, except another couple on the sidewalk. Oh no. Aurora put a hand on Ms. Moore's arm to catch her attention but it's too late, as the couple has already walked up to them. The woman, tall, slender, with golden locks of hair and deep blue eyes, has both her hands clasped on her partner's arm. This man, Aurora knows he is the one her father talked about in his last interview.
"You might want to let go of Aurora, little devil."
Twenty two years earlier…
Stefan walks through the cafeteria, holding his lunch tray closely to his chest so nobody will knock it from his arms. His target is sitting at the small table in a corner, her head buried in a book, long silky brown hair hiding her face. He lets out an exasperated sigh as he sits next to her, making her look up at him.
"When are you going to talk to me again, Mal?" the boy asks, elbowing his friend's arm.
"Now."
A smug smile appears on Stefan's face. He shifts slightly in his chair to face Mal and puts a hand on her thigh. The girl ignores the gesture and resumes reading.
"You don't hate me, then?"
"Why would I?" she asks, but speaks up again before Stefan can say anything. "Because you're graduating? I can't hate you because a miracle happened."
The comment makes the boy groan loudly, and Mal smirks at his predictable reaction - he doesn't notice, though, too concentrated on the slender silhouette of the cheerleaders' captain exiting the cafeteria. Mal knows he thinks Queen Bitch is the most attractive girl at school. Stefan looks back at her as soon as he can't see the cheerleader anymore.
"Stefan, you can go eat with the other football players. l have to get used to being alone, since next year you won't be here to protect me from these idiots."
"So you're worried because you'll be alone?"
He sounds oddly relieved, and it is obvious he is hiding something from her. Mal brushes it off though - she is not interested in discovering what would without a doubt create an argument.
"You'll be enjoying your new life in college, going to parties, and forgetting about me. While I'll be here, getting insulted and humiliated every fucking day."
Stefan snakes his hand higher on Mal's thigh.
"I won't forget you, Mal. I'll call you, and send you letters if you want! You're my friend-"
Mal slaps Stefan's hand away from her leg and stares at him coldly, making him back away a little.
"Friend? I'm your friend? You dare calling me just a friend, even after last night? And ones before it?"
The girl's voice raises with each question she asks, catching the attention of some students sitting close to them. Stefan rudely tells them to stop listening to their conversation, threatening to beat them up with the rest of the football team if they kept doing it. Mal rolls her eyes.
"Mal-" She tries to cut him off but he keep talking. "You're my girlfriend, but- but nobody knows."
"Because you finally made it on the team this year and I'm still the loser who wears a leather jacket in the middle of summer, I know."
Stefan grabs Mal's hands under the table, caressing the cold skin with his thumbs. He smirks and arcs an eyebrow nonchalantly - if there's one thing he learnt during his high school years, it is how to charm girls, especially Mal.
"Everything will change in a few months… but it'll be for the best. We'll still see each other and we won't have to hide anymore."
Four months later…
Stefan promised he would come see her, but he had been too busy and tired by all his classes and auditions for small parts in movies and TV shows - Stefan is ambitious and knows what he wants; to become a celebrity, to have his name written everywhere. So they arranged for Mal to come on campus for him, she took her father's car in the morning - without asking - and drove there. She's early for their date, she always is, so she walks to the park in which Stefan asked her to join him. His reactions to surprises are priceless. She smirks to herself and quickens her pace. She stops abruptly as her happiness fades away.
Stefan is already at the park. But he has his hands all over a girl, who looks familiar. Tall, slender, with golden locks of hair and deep blue eyes. Queen Bitch. Leila. Mal knows it is her - there is no way any other provocative blonde could have such eyes full of innocence.
"How can you do this to me?"
Mal's voice breaks in the middle of the question. Stefan jerks away from the blonde, choking a little.
"I didn't do anything, Mal! I was just-"
"Trying to have sex with her. I can see that. God! I'm so stupid! I should have never trusted you!"
"I love you, Mal, and you know that. But…"
Mal doesn't cut him off this time, she wants to hear the ridiculous excuses he'll come up with, to use them against him and humiliate him in front of his pet. Before Stefan manages to respond, Leila speaks up.
"Are you dating the little devil, Stefan?"
Little devil. Mal hates the nickname. She got it years ago, in middle school, because at Halloween, when most girls wanted to dress up as princesses, she preferred the villains The nickname had stuck with her because of her black clothes and obsession with loud music.
"If fucking and lying count as dating, then yes, he is dating the little devil. Well, he was. And, Stefan, don't even think about about begging me to get back together with you."
Mal turns her back to them and walks away slowly, ignoring Stefan's shouting. She bites down on her lip and tries her best to refrain from crying - she'll have time for that later. For now, she needs to keep her head high, she is not weak or dependent on her relationship with Stefan anymore. She'll start a new life, without him, and if the opportunity arises to ruin his life later, she will do it. She promises herself she'll make him regret it.
"I thought I had gotten rid of this nickname," Ms. Moore says, her grip on Aurora's hand tightening.
The two women stare at each other, straight in the eyes, full of menace. Aurora would not be surprised if they started growling.
"Let go of my daughter," the blonde exclaims,releasing her fiancé's arm to take a few steps closer to Mal and Aurora. "Aurora, you don't have to stay with her, I can drive you back to Stefan's if you want."
Aurora smiles at her mother and takes the few steps separating them. They haven't seen each other in months because Leila left New York after the divorce and met Michael in Boston. Her mother doesn't usually come here, so Aurora is surprised, but not as much as she is excited.
"Don't worry, mom, I'm fine. But you should have told me you were coming!"
It is true, Aurora is fine, more so with Maleficent than around her father - even after the older woman had admitted her intention to ruin him. That's what she wants to tell her mother, but she knows it could only worsen the situation; her mother most certainly doesn't want to hear anything that has to do with Stefan right now.
"We'll have time to see each other, sweetheart!"
Aurora's smile widens. Her mother is planning on staying in New York. They will be able to have a conversation about Mal and the wedding later, just the two of them. No intimidating fiancé, no angry Ms. Moore, no potential loud argument that could end badly.
"Aurora, it's getting late, we should go."
The girl looks back at Ms. Moore and nods; even though she doesn't want to leave her mother just now, she needs to talk with Ms. Moore. Aurora takes back Ms. Moore's hand in hers.
"Mom, I'll call you tomorrow so we can arrange something, okay?"
"No! Aurora, you can't go home with a woman like her!"
Aurora gives a squeeze to Mal's hand, stopping her from responding - the fact that Mal understands the gesture and stays silent surprises Aurora, but she refuses to let it show.
"I trust her, mom," Aurora says before taking a deep breath. "She'd never hurt me."
Leila glances down at her feet and then looks up at her fiancé, frowning a little. He nods and steps forward, not looking away from Ms. Moore, who doesn't even blink.
"Aurora is a good girl. No harm will come to her. You'll make sure of it, won't you?"
Even though his voice stays soft and low, and his words polite, there's no doubt he is threatening Ms. Moore. The businesswoman only smirks. She looks like she' is about to laugh at or taunt him, but to Aurora's relief she doesn't.
"It was a pleasure to see you again, Leila."
Boom! Bet you didn't expect this one! I hope you didn't actually... wouldn't to be predictable...
But you still have to wait for the next update for a real Malora moment~