a/n: Warning: this is a Maleficent x Aurora fic, there will be a romantic/sexual element to their relationship.

In the darkness, it would have been so easy to pull Aurora's chin up, lean down, and lay a kiss on her waiting lips. It was easy to give into darker impulses when the light of day could not reveal them.

But instead Maleficent let her arms fall from the queen's moonlit hair and took a step back from the girl. Regret had no business being associated with Aurora.

Aurora smiled though, and took the fairy's hand to lead her slowly into the bedchambers.

This castle did not hold pleasant memories for either of them, and Aurora had a keen sense of what hurt Maleficent and so handled the situation with gentility.

Once inside, she let her hand slip from Maleficent's and lit a candle next to her large, four-poster bed. Very similar to the bed she was meant to spend the rest of her life sleeping in, under a scarred fairy's vengeful spell.

Instead Aurora had cast her own enchantment upon Maleficent.

The candle had a warm glow that settled attractively against Aurora's features, "Where would you like to sit, godmother?" she asked.

Casting a glance around the room, Maleficent realized there weren't many options. The room was rather barren of resting places amidst the colorful, decorative nature of the bedchamber. There was an uncomfortably stiff looking chair near the corner of the room, but her wings would be pressed against it awkwardly.

"The bed is fine."

So Aurora hitched up her white nightgown and plopped down on the mattress, crossing her legs. She looked up at Maleficent with a happy expectancy, waiting for her to sit as well.

Maleficent approached and ran her hand over the duvet, recalling the memory of despair of losing Aurora. Her fight to the death with Stefan had not been nearly so horrifying as the thought of never being whiteness to Aurora's smile again. Then the memory of waking her princess, now her queen, with a kiss of true love. Regaining her wings, and meeting Aurora's eyes, knowing that she had been saved due to the young girl. She would have died for Aurora that night, and any night that followed, she would still. Maleficent carefully settled onto the edge of the bed, her wings flexing behind her, one against the bed and the other draping over its left side as she turned to face the queen, noticing that Aurora was watching the movement of her wings.

"Can I touch them?" Aurora asked, awed.

Maleficent thought it over for a moment before giving the girl a small nod. Aurora leaned over and the bed groaned under the weight of her movement as she crawled bit-by-bit closer to the wing across the bed. She extended her hand slowly, as if Maleficent might retreat like a frightened fawn.

"Oh." She uttered as her hand glided along the outer feathers. Maleficent's shoulders fell, relaxing against the girl's touch. "You didn't tell me they were soft as well as strong."

Maleficent smiled widely, pride filling her, "I would not have them without you."

Aurora turned her smiling face up at Maleficent as she continued to gently stroke the wing. Hair loosely framing her face.

She let Aurora continue to pet her wing for some time before speaking again, "You have not returned for some time. I began to worry. You sent no word. I began sending Diaval to check on you." She did not mention the rumors of the engagement to Prince Phillip. She could not force the words from her mouth. Besides it was merely talk from the riff raff. No substance to it. People would talk.

Aurora let her hand fall from the feathers and turned her attention to Maleficent. There she was, so close again. "I wanted to…" she bit her lip, "But…there was so much to be done, so much King Stefan, my father, had ignored. I didn't want to burden you, to make you worry. I thought I could handle it by myself. And yet there are rules to running a kingdom that I could not have even fathomed before. And the council! Oh they treat me like a child!"

At that Maleficent chuckled, "My dear, you are a child. A kind and wonderful child, but a child still."

In a quiet voice, "Is that why you would not kiss me?"

All sound was sucked from the room and the question hung there in the air between them, everything was still and Maleficent could only stare at Aurora, bold and beautiful Aurora.

There were storm clouds in her sky blue eyes, real pain hidden there.

"What?"

The young queen twisted the hem of her nightgown in her hand, starring down at it to hide her reddened face, "I-you…fairy godmother why would you not let me kiss you?" she turned her piercing gaze back to Maleficent, begging for a reason.

Maleficent did not answer. She was not quite sure as to the reason herself. She just couldn't. There was want, yes. But she could not let Aurora kiss her.

"I love you."

Maleficent turned her eyes away from Aurora, closing them. This pure light was relentlessly shining into her life, trying to brighten the corners of her darkened past, pushing past the horizon at an alarming rate. Even with her wings she was falling into that light, it was swallowing her. All consuming in its warm embrace.

She willed herself not to let a tear escape, kept her eyes closed as Aurora moved closer, bringing her hands up to either side of the fairy's face, gently. "Please look at me godmother." Her voice was full of concern, full of love, and Maleficent could not ignore such a plea. So she opened her eyes and faced her queen.

"You don't have to be scared." Aurora told her in a near whisper, "I am not my father."

Maleficent's lips parted just slightly. There were so many thoughts crashing wildly against each other in her mind, she was unable to form them into proper words. Unable to communicate the intensity with which she adored Aurora. How could she possibly deserve this child?

The fairy took hold of Aurora's hands carefully and guided them away from her face, "I know. But…this love, perhaps you are confused about what kind of love it is."

"It's true love." She said with conviction.

"Even if everyone in the world thinks me naïve and foolish, I know that the love between you and I is the most beautiful. I am not confused, Maleficent I know I want to kiss you, I know I…" she blushed, unable to finish her thought and instead gazed down at where Maleficent's hands held her own.

The fairy brought Aurora's hand to her full, red lips and kissed them delicately. Aurora gasped, "I do not think you foolish." Maleficent said quietly.

"We don't have to kiss like lovers. Not if that brings you discomfort. We don't even have to kiss. I just want you to know that I love you. And to know that I want to be with you, always. I am between two worlds now, I want you to be a part of both of them."

Here Aurora was, tired and scared and alone in this castle, with few familiar faces and no previous guidance in her role as a leader, thrown into the thick of it. And here she was trying to make life more comfortable for Maleficent.

Brilliant golden, forest brimmed eyes flickered up to Aurora's face, "If that is what you wish." She could not help but smile as Aurora's face lit up.

The once vengeful, angry fairy loved Aurora with ever bit of her being. It filled all of her body and her spirit brimmed with it, Aurora was the wind and sun and sky. She did not have to return the sentiment of love in words. Words did not seem enough.

Aurora knew though.

The queen smiled back and moved to embrace the fairy; Maleficent's wings came around her like a shield of protectiveness.

"I will help you rule in any way I am able. If you will have it."

"Have it? I need it!" Aurora laughed into the hug, "But not tonight. I want to get to know my fairy godmother tonight."

That night, they talked.

Aurora wanted to know every detail of Maleficent's life up until they had met. The good and bad. She smiled when Maleficent spoke of meeting the young boy that would be king, and cried when she was told of the night Maleficent lost her wings. The fairy herself felt her eyes water. Aurora cried so hard, felt the offense so personally that Maleficent had to take the girl in her arms once again as Aurora found it a comfort being there. When it came to the years of watching Aurora grow, Maleficent spoke teasingly of Aurora's childhood escapades. As the night wore on the queen found it increasingly difficult to keep her eyelids from falling, until finally she was asleep there in Maleficent's arms.

Carefully, Maleficent lifted the queen and laid her down, pulling the blankets over her sleeping form up to her shoulders. For a long moment, Maleficent stood there, watching her beastie sleep. It was a captivating sight. She leaned down and brushed a stray lock of hair from Aurora's face before laying a kiss softly against her forehead.

Looking at her now, she seemed much like that girl not too long ago who was cursed to spend the rest of her life in a state of dreaming, forever dead to the world. Now though, she was burdened with the weight of a crown and the knowledge of the past. Even in that little time between then and now Aurora had grown wiser. She had an intuition to her and a love for all living things. She had a purity that no one could dream to compare themselves to.

How badly she wanted to kiss Aurora on her sweet lips. For years she had held an ambiguous love for the girl, a love she hadn't realized was growing there in her heart, it had been entangled in too many weeds and thorny vines until it was nearly too late to save. Aurora's love for her had bloomed nonetheless, even after learning that Maleficent was the evil in the world that had cursed her when she was nothing but a new born babe. With a kiss the curse was lifted and a truth revealed. Now Aurora lay before her, innocent in this moment as the day she was born.

In truth the depth and honesty of Aurora's love frightened her. If she abused that love, she would never be able to live with herself. It was unforgivable. That fear kept her from giving in, from testing the waters of this new form of love that Aurora wanted from her, and that she wanted herself. Instead she would sate herself with smiles and laughs and embraces.

"Sweet dreams, my beastie." Maleficent whispered.

The candle had burned low and Maleficent blew out the last of its light.

a/n: I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, reviews are always welcomed!