A/N: Well, hello! So may new readers & reviews! You are a beautiful sight to a sore eye. Yes, thank you for all of your kind comments, I appreciate them more than words can say now that writing is getting harder and the community has toned down. I do plan on keeping this up for a tad longer, so stay tuned and as always, leave your lovely thoughts! xx - D.
Aurora woke up from her slumber with a jolt. The cabbie had stopped and she heard the woman next to her unlock both of their belts. Confused and slightly bubbly, she rubbed a bit of sleep out of her eyes and gazed out the window.
Kensington. 'Of course', she thought. 'Where else would she live…' The beautiful, three-floor houses with their white pillars and black, massive oak doors were no strangers to Aurora; she'd grown up in Kensington Gardens and walked this same street many times during her youth.
"We're here", Maleficent said softly as she opened the door and stepped out of the cabbie, gesturing Aurora to do the same. At the quick turn of her head, her hair sent an awakening scent towards Aurora's nostrils, and the girl snapped out of her haze.
Slowly, she followed, whilst feeling her stomach twist for reasons she was not entirely aware of. The cabbie driver opened the trunk and lifted their suitcases onto the pavement and Maleficent paid for the ride while Aurora looked down the street, recalling the last time she'd felt like she belonged. Right now, she couldn't tell; London was her home, but she felt out of place.
"Come along, now", Maleficent said and grabbed her own suitcase, pulling it after her towards one of the gates. She opened it swiftly and lifted her bag up as she ascended the white steps of her door. Aurora smirked. They could easily have been made out of marble.
The minute Maleficent unlocked the door to her home, a huge pile of brown hair jumped her so hard she had to fight to keep her balance. Aurora gasped and brought a hand up to her mouth in surprise. There, only a few feet in front of her, was the biggest dog she'd ever seen. Its head was painted with a striking black mask, its ears brown and fluffy and it seemed to wear an expression of utter happiness and pride. It had lifted itself onto two legs and wrapped its fore paws around Maleficent's slender form, its tail moving swiftly from one side to another.
Aurora suddenly realized something strange. Maleficent was laughing.
Maleficent pressed her face into the thick, shining mane and patted it on the back. "Hello, baby", she whispered as the dog backed down and looked up at its owner. Behind them, Aurora carefully took a step forward, making the dog turn its attention to her straight away.
"That's…" she begun, still amazed by the size of the hairy monster.
"This is Martha", Maleficent smiled and turned to look at Aurora, unable to hold back her laughter once she saw the blonde's horrified expression. She'd expected it; her leonberger took pride and confidence in the stares it received wherever they went together. When Aurora didn't move, Maleficent tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. "Come and say hello. She's perfectly safe."
"She's huge", Aurora whispered and carefully took one step forward. The dog barked softly and made its way to her, wagging its tail and sniffing her hands. She felt herself begin smiling like an idiot; standing up, the dog's massive head was as high as her chest, making her feel peculiarly small.
"She's almost 120 pounds", Maleficent nodded, watching Aurora with her pet. "But she's kinder than any other. Just don't pull her ears." Aurora looked up at that, confused. Maleficent flashed a bright smile and looked down at her ball of fur. "She hates looking like Dumbo."
"Oh", Aurora burst out, suddenly imagining Maleficent pulling the dog's ears. What a weird thought. She scratched the dog's neck, and immediately it showed its tongue and panted heavily. It was funny how the presence of an animal made her feel so much lighter at heart, but never in a million years had she expected Maleficent to own a dog; her features, sharp and elegant as they were, made Aurora think of some kind of a calm, graceful cat, and certainly not a 120 pound wolf.
"You're not allergic, are you?" the older woman asked softly, studying Aurora's face intently. The blonde looked up and shook her head, her hands still patting her new friend. "Good, come on then." She whistled swiftly, and Martha immediately turned around and hurried in through the door before the two women.
Once inside, Aurora placed her suitcase by the door and looked around. It was a classic, English home; the interior was the same as in her own – previous - home, but Maleficent clearly preferred using warm, earthly colors instead of pastel ones. The floor mat was dark brown, like maple, whereas her furniture was off-white. She gazed forward towards the kitchen and was met by glass doors that probably led out to the backyard terrace. The afternoon sunlight drizzled in through the blinds, making the cold woman's home feel warmer than she'd expected.
"I had Anita set up the spare room for you", Maleficent said from behind Aurora. The blonde immediately turned around to meet her gaze, wondering who in God's name this Anita person was. "It's on the second floor, opposite my study. There's a balcony. The bath and my bedroom are on the third floor."
Aurora bit her lower lip and nodded, feeling utterly confused. It was like she'd been shipped off into the most surreal dream, and she couldn't quite decide what to think of it. Yes, she was happy to be where she was, but even though she found Maleficent utterly interesting, it didn't take away any of the anxiousness she felt. She was in a foreign home. She didn't know how to act here.
"I do have to go into work", Maleficent continued, eyeing the girl ever so closely. Martha panted by her feet, and she reached down to scratch her head before looking back up at Aurora. "Will you be all right?"
'Do I have a choice?' Aurora sighed and shrugged her shoulders, then circled the spacious kitchen and living room with her eyes. "Yup, I'll be fine. Thank you." She looked at the dog rather than at Maleficent, who was studying her closely. 'Yup? What are you, twelve? Good going', she thought to herself, embarrassed.
"Good." Maleficent bent down and gave Martha a quick kiss on her huge, lion-like head and then headed for the door, heels clacking even though the floor was carpeted. "I shan't be long. If you take her out, make sure you hold the leach with both hands, or she'll have you running down Kensington High Street. Make yourself comfortable." With that, she opened the door and, handbag in one hand and keys in the other, shut the door behind her, leaving Aurora in complete silence, except for the dog's funny noises.
"Oh…kay", Aurora sighed and looked down at Martha, who stared right back at her with beautiful, black eyes. A part of her was sad that Maleficent had left right away, but another part was relieved; this gave her some time to think about how to proceed from here, whether or not to ask the woman to be straight with her and foremost, find out what she expected her to do now.
Aurora decided on taking a look at her temporary room. She climbed the stairs, Martha following her, and took a right once she reached the second floor. There, she found a bright, white room with a wide bed, built-in closet and full bookshelves as high as the ceiling. Anita – whoever she was – had left the door to the balcony ajar and Aurora went up to the double doors to take a look.
It was so peaceful. No noises from the road, no drunken people screaming, no need to worry. Funny enough, she felt safe here. When she turned back around into the room, Martha had climbed onto the bedspread and was eagerly wagging her tail with her tongue out. Aurora smiled and went to sit down beside her.
"I guess it's just you and me", she whispered and patted the huge ball of hair, receiving a gentle bark in return. "This is really insane. Your owner is insane. I don't even know her! But I suppose a psychopath wouldn't own a dog like you now, would she?" She brushed a few strands of her own hair out of her face and got up, figuring she'd get her suitcase, get settled and then take a bath. As soon as she got up, the dog followed, just like she'd suspected it would.
She'd gotten halfway down the stairs when the phone rang. Maleficent's phone, not hers. Aurora looked around and found it on the kitchen counter together with an answering machine. A knot twisted in her chest; should she pick up? What if it was Maleficent calling? No, then she'd pick up once she heard Maleficent's voice from the answering machine.
Six rings later the machine beeped, and Aurora held her hand outstretched, ready to pick up at the sound of that one special woman's voice, but it never came. Instead, something oddly familiar, and something that sent shivers through Aurora's spine, was heard.
"Maleficent – it's Stefan. Do excuse me for returning your call so late; I was on an important trip. Since you didn't tell me what was on your mind in your message, I can only imagine. Do give me a ring once you get this, gorgeous. Ta-ta."
Aurora's heart sank faster than ever before. Her father's unmistakable, Scottish accent rang in her ears like a sharp scream. She brought her hand up to her neck and looked around, on the verge of panic. She didn't want this.
The dog immediately sensed her change of state and walked up to her, nudging her stomach. Aurora lowered her hands to Martha's head, but kept staring at the blinking, red light on the answering machine.
'Ta-ta.' With those same words, her dear father had thrown her out, making it abundantly clear that whatever happened to her from then on was none of his concern.
In the blink of an eye, he had - once again - made her feel like she was swimming through a storm with no lifeline. How she wished Maleficent had stayed with her.