Here is a little bit more still, since I can't get enough of Cruella :)
August rarely saw Dorothy without a large fur around her shoulders. The summer weather forced her to shed her animal skins out of necessity rather than choice he suspected. Sitting next to her on the park bench on the pleasant June afternoon August studied her. He liked when she was out of her element. It revealed a new layer to her complex personality. People back home never were as complicated as people in the land without magic.
Dorothy looked somewhat magical against the bright green of the park grass. She wore black offset only by a long diamond necklace. Her leather pants made the two of them look very stylish as they climbed off his motorcycle and scouted the empty bench.
"I really don't see the thrill in these peasant activities."
August caught only a glimpse of her ice-blues behind the large rim of her sunglasses.
"You're supposed to be enjoying nature."
She scoffed. Her sleeveless arm rested between them on the back of the bench.
"Darling, the only thing natural I enjoy is picking out an uncut diamond." She looked him in the eyes over the top of her glasses. Her eyes turned toward children on the playground.
"Watching those little beasts run around hardly qualifies as enjoyment."
August felt a twinge at the comment, but he refused to admit to himself why.
"You don't like children?"
Dorothy laughed. A cruel, empty sound that carried through the park.
"Children run from me and wisely so."
August felt his throat dry up.
"So, you don't want any then?" The words slipped out before he could stop them. Rather than bow his head in embarrassment, he pinned his attention on her. Dorothy tore her sunglasses from her face and narrowed her eyes. Her mouth opened but she seemed momentarily stunned.
August figured he might as well admit the rest of it, since he been dropping hints for the last several weeks.
"I just ask in case, if you… If we… I mean, we haven't even talked about marriage."
Dorothy inhaled and the fresh air brought on a choking fit. August reached for the water bottle in his backpack. Dorothy doubled over as coughs racked her body. She shook her head and her hand when he tried to offer her the water.
When she finally composed herself she put her sunglasses back on and rested her arm lazily back over the park bench.
"That's fresh air for you."
August frowned and put the water bottle away.
"…but, really, darling, you must be joking. You can't mean you want to marry me."
August clenched his teeth.
"Yeah, I must be insane, huh?"
Dorothy inched closer to him across the bench.
"August."
She rarely said his name. The seriousness of her tone forced his eye back to her.
"Marriage is such a silly social convention of this world. Really, I see only two reasons for it. One is money, and since you have none, why change things?"
August felt a deep pool of resentment settle in his stomach. For better or worse, he knew the woman he loved was a gold digger. Had he blinded himself into thinking she would be faithful to him once something better, or rather, something richer came along?
"What's the other reason? Love?" He lifted his eyebrow. Dorothy's lips pressed into a smirk.
"No. It would have to be for one of those little…" she wiggled her fingers toward the playground, "things."
August folded his arms and stared at the ground. He reflected on her words, on what she wanted and on what he wanted. He shook his head.
"We're not gonna make it, are we?" He turned to her.
Her brow wrinkled.
"No, don't… don't say that."
The panic in her voice cut through to his heart.
"I want marriage and a family, and you want a vault dedicated to Harry Winston and a mansion in the Swiss Alps."
Dorothy rested her elbow on her arm and lifted her hand into the air.
"Well, not the whole vault, darling."
August chuckled. Her fingers touched the back of his neck. When he looked up he saw her grin at her ability to make him laugh. Somewhere in her complex soul he still believed she cared about him.
"Why are you even with me?" He asked her. She slipped her fingers from the back of his neck, down his arm and laced them around his.
"Because I do believe you love me, and quite frankly, darling, I never thought that was possible. I know I'm not lovable. It's never been a goal of mine." She swallowed. "It's a nice feeling."
August wanted to point out to her that he wanted to know she loved him back, but something in her tone made him stop. He could tell there was something beneath the surface, something she would not let even him be privy to. He had his own secrets, and he couldn't blame her for keeping ones of her own.
He pondered what he wanted to say but he felt something against his shoe. He looked down and saw a large rubber ball. A group of children stopped and stared. One brave little boy approached. August let go of Dorothy's hand and picked up the ball.
"Why don't you return it?" He offered the ball to Dorothy.
She tilted her head.
"Don't torture the poor creature, just give it back."
August did not move. The boy took another cautious step. Dorothy straightened on the bench.
"You are despicable." She swiped the ball from August and looked at the boy.
"Come here, child."
The boy's eyes widened. He looked too frozen by fear to move, but Dorothy's command was answered. He moved forward and she extended the ball. Neither child nor woman got any closer than they needed too. The boy grabbed the ball and ran. Dorothy nearly slipped off the bench from reaching so far.
August smiled to himself.
"I feel that you're reading more into that than you should be," Dorothy said.
August stole a kiss from her lips. She glared at him as he pulled away.
"All I read into that was you will marry me and have my children."
Dorothy scoffed.
"Children? As in more than one little monster?"
August kissed her again. His strategic maneuver to persuade her seemed to be working. While her lips were otherwise engaged she couldn't argue with him. This time she pushed him gently away.
"Darling," she kept her hand on his chest, "how open minded are you?"
August turned his head.
"What? You mean, like a surrogate?" The idea did not appeal to him, but her vanity pretty much knew no bounds.
She dropped her hand from his chest.
"Would you stop about the child thing? You're obsessed."
"That's not what you want me to be open minded about?"
Dorothy moved to the edge of the bench and clasped her hands together in her lap.
"I have a rather," she glanced at him over the rim of her glasses as if to gauge his reaction, "unusual past."
August leaned back against the bench.
"Trust me, lady, not as unusual as mine."
Dorothy blinked several times, and then her shoulders relaxed. Her lips curved up.
"Perhaps, we have more in common than we think."
August took her hand.
"I don't care if we have our past in common, but I do care that we share a common future."
Dorothy shook her head.
"You are such a smooth talker. You remind me of Rumples-"
When Dorothy stopped abruptly August watched her with curiosity.
"Of who?"
Dorothy slipped her other hand over his.
"Just someone I knew a long time ago."
August brought her fingers to his cheek.
"Someone that talked you into marrying him?"
The look of amusement on Dorothy face turned abruptly to hatred.
"Heavens no! I'd burn my collection of furs before I'd ever marry that-that devil!"
August held up his hands.
"Easy, Dot. That's pretty drastic for you. If he didn't succeed, then I hope I don't remind you very much of him."
Dorothy said nothing, but the sparkling of mischief and mystery in her eyes gave August a rush of hope. If he worked on it, he suspected he had a chance of convincing the woman he loved to marry him.