AN: FINALLY, a fairly long chapter. Told you it wouldn't be long! I hope you're all enjoying this. I can't decide how long this is going to be yet but there will be at least 3 more chapters! (Sorry if they've been too short, but I prefer to break up the scenes!) This chapter is Diaval centered and includes a flashback. Anyways thanks for the support!

Diaval couldn't understand it. She had just run away and he was worried for her. He had always tried to keep his distance, take his time with her. She was wounded but not broken. He had been waiting for the right opportunity to confess his feelings, as he knew that it wouldn't be an easy topic to approach.

He had left the party after she did, but she had been too fast and when he had reached the door, his mistress was out of sight. Now he wandered through town, not really going anywhere in particular, just thinking. What had he done to upset her so much? Had he said something wrong? Maybe he shouldn't have made her go to the party in the first place. He had been so convinced that she would have been able to cope. The past few months he had seen a change in her, a glimmer of hope that she was finally going to get over Stefan and the pain he had inflicted on her, both mentally and physically.

Diaval had only seen the scars twice. The first time had been by accident early on in his career as her assistant. He had made the mistake of bursting into her office without knocking and Maleficent had been facing away from Diaval, her shirt lifted up to her shoulders revealing her bare back applying a lotion carefully to it. From the top of each shoulder to the small of her back two identical gashes were spread, he could tell they were new because of the peeling skin near to the edges, the dried blood spotted along her spine. He had gasped aloud instinctively when he set eyes on them. Diaval was utterly horrified that this strong, incredible woman had such a severe injury. At his gasp Maleficent had spun around abruptly, her eyes angry and full of hatred and had screamed at him to leave immediately. When he asked what had happened she had told him that he should never meddle in her private life and Diaval had never brought the subject up again. It was only when the pair grew closer that Maleficent had revealed the reason she had them.

It was the night after Auroras seventeenth birthday and Maleficent and Diaval were sitting together in the sitting room, exhausted.

"I don't know about you, but I'm never inviting Thistle wit to another party ever again." Sighed Diaval glumly.

In fact all three of those old crones had almost caused disaster that evening. Whilst bringing in the specially designed dragon cake Knotgrass tripped over her skirt, nearly dropping the masterpiece. Luckily Aurora's boyfriend Phillip had come to the rescue, catching the plate just seconds away from impact. Later on, during the dancing Little spun around a little too forcefully and knocked Maleficent's antique £600 French vase over and it had smashed all over the dance floor. Diaval had to physically restrain Maleficent from pouncing on the blundering woman. However neither of those incidents could compare to Thistlewit's fiasco. After drinking a little too much punch long after most of the guests had made their leave, Thistlewit spent almost half an hour in the bathroom. When she finally departed, Maleficent entered the bathroom only to discover that the floor, shower curtains and sink were drenched in fresh vomit.

Maleficent smiled warmly in response to Diavals comment. "While I do agree with you entirely, it is hardly your choice. Aurora could never leave anyone out, no matter how irritatingly oblivious they are." She said rolling her eyes and Diaval tittered.

"That's the trouble with that girl, she's too unwaveringly kind." He joked fondly.

"That certainly isn't a trait she inherited from her father." Maleficent declared sadly. She looked at the ground quickly, almost as if embarrassed for uttering the thought aloud. Diaval was surprised that she mentioned Stefan, she would always change the subject if his name was brought up in conversation and she would absolutely never refer to him as Aurora's father, at least not since his death. There was a very long pause and just as Diaval was about to reply, his mistress met his eyes and spoke very seriously.

"Diaval, do you want to know how I got my scars?"

His eyes widened in astonishment and before he had a chance to answer Maleficent shuffled closer and turned to face him.

"It was the day Stefan admitted his infidelity and I was… I was furious and I began to scream all kind of abuse at him… things I am ashamed to repeat. And he shouted back at me. He told me he had never loved me, he had only proposed because of my family's wealth and status and that no man in their right mind would ever love me."

She shivered at the memory and Diaval unconsciously grabbed her hand, she did not push it away, even as his thumb stroked it gently. She continued.

"I began to walk away, I tried to leave his apartment but he grabbed hold of my wrist, he grabbed it so hard his fingertips left bruises. I continued to pull away from him. We reached the top of the staircase, he lived on the top floor, he still had hold of me and to get him away from me I pushed him. This angered him so much that he pushed me as well."

Tears were beginning to form in her green eyes, as one dropped down; Diaval wiped it away and softly caressed the woman's cheek. She closed her eyes and allowed the touch. After a few minutes she placed her hand on his, taking it off her cheek. She then interlocked their fingers again.

"I fell down two flights of stairs. When I landed, I felt so numb that I thought I had died. I didn't mind the thought." She admitted. "But instead I was taken to the hospital. I broke my back in two places, my right arm and was severely concussed. The scarring you saw that day was from the stairs that scraped me as I fell. The doctors told me I was lucky to survive. I didn't feel lucky, I felt cursed."

After a short silence Diaval asked furiously, "Did he get charged? Was he… in any trouble." His voice shook as he spoke, so horrified that anyone could have caused his companion that much pain.

Maleficent shook her head. "No, he claimed that I'd tripped and I was so scared of him at that point that I went along with it." She confessed and he let out a pained groan.

"I can't believe he got away with that! He aught to have been jailed, the bastard."

Maleficent half smiled at his tone. "To be fair I think he was tortured with guilt. I think that may be what caused the drinking problem. Stefan never could deal with his mistakes." She shrugged her assistant was still frowning.

"Maleficent, he can never hurt you again, and I'm glad. But if anyone ever treats you that badly again, I swear, they'll wish they'd never been born."

After that confession Diaval had believed that could be a chance of a relationship forming between them, but now he wondered if he had destroyed this.

Sadly, he began to walk in the direction of his apartment.