Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jaina knew she didn't know everything about Sylvanas, not yet at least. It had only been a few months, after all. But she thought she knew a lot of the big important things, and she knew most of the not-so-important things.

Yet somehow, this had never been mentioned. This, which was possibly the most important thing. More important than meeting her family. Than the tension between her and her older sister. More important, even, than the cause of the long scar on the elf’s sternum she wouldn't talk about, or why Sylvanas didn't like her to touch it. It was, perhaps, the most important thing for her to know in this relationship. It was earth-shattering.

And it was staring at them with- Jaina was certain- the intent to kill. With huge, dark, soulless eyes, and an open, panting mouth. She could see the gleaming ivory of fangs as it ran at them. Fangs that were surely about to go straight for her throat.

Jaina yelped, scrambling back, but Sylvanas knelt down and let the beast impact with her. And started laughing!

“Did you miss me?” Sylvanas cooed, barely heard over excited whimpering. The golden retriever whined louder, squirming and wagging its tail furiously as she ruffled its fur and scratched its ears.

Jaina stayed pressed against the doorjamb, heart pounding in her chest. Sylvanas didn’t seem at all concerned about the maw full of fangs near her face, trying to lick her cheeks and eyebrows and everywhere the dog could reach.

“Jaina, this is Aletius.” Sylvanas turned her head to give a lopsided grin.

And sweet Tidemother that brought her to the animals attention and now it was looking at her and its nose was twitching and it could probably smell her fear oh god-

“Jaina?”

Jaina quickly looked away from the dog, plastering a strained smile on her face for Sylvanas as the animal squirmed away and started hopping at prancing at her feet. Panting in what Jaina was sure was hunger.

Sylvanas’s long brows were furrowed, ears drooped in concern. “Are you okay?”

Shit. Jaina really liked Sylvanas- might even love her- and she knew for a fact that not liking someone’s dog was a break up-able offense. Sure, her source was TV and movies, but she believed it. People loved their dogs- she just didn’t think high elves did for some reason. She had always seen more of them with cats, and honestly cats seemed to fit better for them anyway. But no. Sylvanas had a dog.

And it’s not like Jaina hated dogs! She just… thought they were going to maim, if not kill her and wanted them not near her please.

“You have a dog?” Jaina tried to calm her voice, hard to do with said beast still looking up at her and wagging its tail and fuck it was getting closer and pressing into her legs. “I’ve never seen it before.”

Her eyes crinkled in mirth, grin growing wider. “Did you think I posed with random dogs for Instagram selfies?”

“I thought it was Vereesa’s, honestly.” Jaina tried very hard not to sound like she was whining but she had! It appeared in the other elf’s feed too. Most often in pictures of when the twins would set up a tent in her back yard to ‘camp’.

“The twins like to ‘borrow’ him,” Sylvanas explained, reaching out to pat the dog’s flank. Distressingly, that didn’t turn its attention from Jaina. “They dogsit when I’m at your place, and kinda coincidentally, when you come here they always beg to have him over for their backyard camping. Apparently, a dog is just as important as a tent.”

“I- I see.” Jaina tried not to scream when it sat at her feet, crowding as close as it could, and set its jaw on her leg so it could look up at her.

“...Are you okay?”

Fuck. Lie Jaina, lie! “Just more of a cat person,” Jaina said quickly, “I was never around dogs growing up, and he’s rather...large. But very cute!”

Cute. That was good, right? Cute, and not deadly and drooling over the thought of her blood.

Sylvanas laughed, standing and brushing off her jeans. “Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite. Aletius is a good boy, right Aletius?”

The dog’s entire body was wiggling now with the force of its wagging tail, and it whuffed, but it still didn’t look away from Jaina.

Tides. Sylvanas was probably expecting her to pet the beast, if she was saying that.

“I’ll go get dinner started, if you wanna find a movie or something?” Yet mercifully, the elf was walking towards the kitchen. Expecting that her word was enough, and also that Jaina wasn’t about to die of a heart attack or potential mauling.

Jaina made an agreeing noise, trying to shift the dog away as slowly and gently as possible so she didn’t trigger whatever murderous urges it had. As long as it was calm-

“Oh, and there’s some treats in the basket under the end table!”

The dog’s ears pricked up and a gleam entered its eyes and fuck now it thought she was food.

Aletius was a good boy. He knew he was a good boy because Sylvanas always said so and Sylvanas was The Best Person. If she said he was a good boy, then he was. Every so often she said he was Bad, like when he ripped up her couch when he was little, and that was always devastating when she said Bad Dog, but mostly he was good!

So yes, he was a good boy. And good boys didn’t jump on people, even though he desperately wanted to right now because Sylvanas had finally brought back the human that she had been smelling like for months. Months, and all Aletius had to go on was a scent! But now she was here!!

Though she seemed afraid, but Aletius didn’t know what of. Maybe she saw ghosts, like Sylvanas sometimes did. Well, he could help with that!

The ghosts were always chased away when Sylvanas pet him, or when he made sure he was touching as much of her as possible or licked her face. (He always worried, the nights when he was with the two boys and Sylvanas’s sister and her husband instead of Sylvanas, even though the boys always gave him Pizza or Hot Dogs, because the nights were always worse and he wasn’t there to chase the ghosts away.)

Aletius shifted and wiggled even closer, until he was pressed as close as possible, wagging his tail and looking up at her reassuringly. No ghosts would get her while he was here, no sir! Though she still wasn’t petting him and still seemed afraid. Maybe he needed to get closer, somehow. If she leaned down, he could lick her face and that would help.

“-treats in the basket under the end table!”

Aletius’s ears pricked up. Treats? He liked treats! If he was getting a treat then he must be doing Good chasing away the ghosts for the human, even if she still looked scared.

She must not have been as brave as Sylvanas, but that was ok. Not everyone was.

The human pushed him away enough to edge away and close the front door. Aletius obligingly shifted back, eagerly following her as she gingerly walked to the couch. Good! She could give him a treat and he could be on the couch and in her lap! That was sure to chase away all the ghosts.

Jaina braved leaning down to get the treats, biting back a whimper of fear when she saw the dog licking its chops and lowering its front half. She grabbed the box, pulling out two of the hard biscuits that were shaped far too cutesy for a hellhound and threw them to the other side of the room.

As she hoped, the dog bounded after them, and Jaina hurriedly crammed the box back down and all but leapt on the couch. Surely, Sylvanas didn’t let it on her furniture. The thought was absurd! It would get hair everywhere. She tucked her feet under her, curling up so no part of her hung over the couch, and breathed a sigh of relief.

That sigh of relief quickly turned into a choked back scream when the dog leapt up beside her and Tides she was going to be eaten

Despite his best efforts, Aletius and the human- Jaina he had learned - were not friends yet. It had been forever, yet she still avoided petting him and always seemed afraid. She must see a lot of ghosts, and strangely he couldn’t help. Which wasn’t very Good of him, but he was trying!

Besides Jaina gave him plenty of treats, more than Sylvanas, so obviously he was doing something right. Though weirdly, she always threw them. Maybe Jaina thought they were toys. Which, frankly, Aletius thought was a little silly. They didn’t smell anything like toys, and tasted too good, but maybe Jaina just really wanted to play Fetch. Aletius was a good fetcher! Jaina just needed to be shown what was the correct thing to fetch, that was all.

Aletius considered his toys carefully, nosing though his box. Ropes were out. He could fetch them of course, but they were too fun to tug and he didn’t think Jaina would like Tug. The rubber rings were out for that reason too, and kongs could bounce and that was fun but usually they were for filling with peanut butter. The Fuzzy Bear was not a fetch toy. The tennis balls Sylvanas didn’t like to use in the house and that had earned the two boys a Scolding when they played fetch in the house with them and even though Sylvanas hadn’t said bad dog, Aletius had certainly felt like a Bad Dog so no. No tennis balls unless Jaina went outside.

So what to bring... ah! Perfect! The crinkly duck. It crunched satisfyingly when he chewed, and it was easy to throw and Sylvanas would throw it in the hall! They could play fetch with it, and that would take Jaina’s mind off ghosts.

Very pleased with himself, Aletius pulled the crinkly duck out of his box and eagerly trotted to the couch where the human and Sylvanas were curled up.

Weeks, and it hadn’t gotten better. Jaina still expected the dog to maul her, and she was sure it was just biding its time and it didn’t help that it tried to get as close as possible like all the time.

Her acting skills must be better than she thought, since Sylvanas still only seemed to think she was just unused to dogs, and held only a mild discomfort. Or maybe dislike? Still, she didn’t know Jaina was terrified so take that Derek, and everyone else who said she couldn’t lie! She could put on a brave face and throw the dog treats and even occasionally muster up the courage to give it a pet when Sylvanas was near, just so she wouldn’t get too suspicious about her level of discomfort.

But Tides help her, she wasn’t going to do more than that. Thankfully Sylvanas was very accepting of not letting it on the bed when she was over, even winking and joking that that was a good idea, since she didn’t need two bed hogs at the same time.

The dog had stared at them from its place in the dog bed for a long time, until they turned the lights out and couldn’t see anymore. Sylvanas called it pouting, but Jaina was positive it was plotting revenge. She could feel it.

But times like this, where the dog was off doing its own thing and Jaina and Sylvanas could cuddle and watch Netflix or read in peace were perfect. They were rare times, as the dog was usually in the corner with a chew stick or some kind of ball filled with peanut butter. Which was also fine, but Jaina preferred not to hear the disturbing crunching of its teeth as it chewed. Even better was when Vereesa’s twins ‘borrowed’ it. But this was good too.

Jaina sighed happily, melting further into the couch and stroking over Sylvanas’s head in her lap. The elf purred in return, ears flicking. Wanting more petting. Jaina giggled, obligingly rubbing behind Sylvana’s ear and delighting at the loud purr it earned her.

The moment was abruptly ruined when a furred head appeared over Sylvanas’s own. The dog held a canvas duck in its mouth, and promptly nudged it against her free hand. It bit down, and the duck crinkled and Jaina could so very easily imagine it grabbing her by the neck instead of a fake duck and it being her neck bones crunching under its teeth.

Sylvanas, on the other hand, chuckled lazily. “I think he wants you to play.”

At her words, the dog’s tail started wagging.

Tides no.

But Sylvanas was right here watching, so she couldn’t ignore the animal.

The dog let go of the duck, letting it rest on Sylvanas’s face, earning an indignant snort, and backed up. Watching Jaina expectantly. At least she didn’t have to reach near its mouth.

Jaina gingerly picked up the duck, wincing at the damp, drool covered canvas, and hurled it away down the hall. The dog scrambled after it, blunt claws clicking on the wood, the hall rug bunching up under its paws.

There, she had played with a dog, and she hadn’t died and FUCK why was it bringing it back?!

This was it. The day the dog finally turned on her and it was going to rip her throat out.

Jaina was valiantly not crying, even though the dog had her pinned in a corner and she very much wanted to. She couldn’t even scream for Sylvanas to help her, her voice frozen in her throat. She probably wouldn’t be heard under the furious growling anyway.

The dog backed her further into the corner, bodily blocking her way, hackles raised and bristling along its shoulders. Everything about it screamed tension and anger, and its snarling was reaching a new frenzied pitch and any moment now it would turn around and she was going to die and Sylvanas was outside right now, she didn’t even know she was here yet and she would come back inside to her dead body and Tides she didn’t want to die!

Aletius snarled furiously, snapping his teeth as It came closer.

It, was Evil.

Sylvanas had brought It home two days ago. A vacuum, only worse. Quieter, more mobile, and without Sylvanas there to wrest control of it. It had rolled over the long fur of his tail when he hadn’t been watching and it had gotten twisted up and painfully pulled. Sylvanas had had to come rescue him and cut away part of his fur. Aletius was more watchful now, and always left when It stalked its way into the room. He couldn’t destroy It, that would be a Bad Dog thing to do and he was a good boy, even though he was positive It would eventually get Sylvanas too.

And on that day, he would tear It apart in his righteous fury.

For now, he couldn’t, but he would die before It got Jaina!

It scooted closer, whirring in its quiet, deadly way, and Aletius let out a furious bark and backed further into Jaina, putting her safely against the wall. The sweet human was too soft to face It alone, she couldn’t walk past It with impunity like Sylvanas did. No, she had jumped when she saw It and Aletius could sense her ever present fear ratchet up, so he would protect her. With his very life if necessary!

He bayed when It edged closer still, lunging and snapping in warning. He wouldn’t let It come any closer to Jaina!

“What the hell?”

Jaina tore her eyes away from the snarling beast, finding a very bemused Sylvanas standing in the doorway. She still couldn’t find her voice, but pleaded with her eyes for help. For her to get the dog before it turned and killed her!

Distressingly, her girlfriend just started to laugh herself silly.

“S-Sylvanas!” Jaina managed to squeak, jumping when the dog snapped again. “Help! He- he’s-!”

“He’s protecting you from the roomba!” Sylvanas gasped out. But still, she stumbled over to reach out a foot and nudge her new roomba in a new direction. It beeped and trundled off and the dog slowly relaxed, though kept himself in front of her, warily tracking the roomba’s movements.

Sylvanas leaned over him, resting her head against Jaina’s shoulder, hands creeping around her waist, as she laughed and laughed. “He was growling at the roomba- the roomba!”

Maybe once Jaina’s heart stopped pounding and the growling was chased from her ears she would see the humor in it.

The altercation with It had obviously shaken Jaina more than she let on. She was jumpier. Worried. But she trusted him to protect her. Every time It came into the room, Jaina looked at Aletius. He would stop it from getting her, of course, but Sylvanas still didn’t want It destroyed, so there wasn’t much he could do. Between that and ghosts, poor Jaina was often quietly terrified.

And today, she smelled of sickness and was clearly miserable. Also the fault of It, probably. Sylvanas had bundled her onto the couch in the softest blanket, and was currently making something Chicken that smelled really good. He hoped he’d get some, after Jaina had her fill- clearly it was for her after all. Sylvanas only made it when someone smelled sick, and it always helped.

There wasn’t much Aletius could do for Jaina. She didn’t like his cuddling, and surely she was too warm for it anyway. He couldn’t bark and chase sickness away either. But, there was one thing.

Jaina needed The Fuzzy Bear.

Aletius carefully pulled it from his box, making sure to be as gentle as he could with his cherished toy. It wouldn’t do to rip The Fuzzy Bear, especially not when Jaina needed it! The Fuzzy Bear would make everything better.

He held it by the edge of an arm, careful to not get too much slobber or drool on it. Jaina always cringed and made disgusted sounds when his toys were too wet. Softly padding up to the couch, Aletius placed The Fuzzy Bear onto the cushion near Jaina’s head and nudged it closer, ever so gently pressing it to her neck.

A bleary eye opened, Jaina murmuring in confusion. But, she reached out and put a hand on his head briefly before clutching The Fuzzy Bear.

Aletius’s tail wagged. The Fuzzy Bear was already making things better if she pet him.

Jaina was initially worried about going to Sylvanas’s when she was sick. She already felt like shit, she didn’t feel like dealing with the dog on top of it all.

But the thought of homemade soup and being cared for was too powerful a draw, and Sylvanas had assured her the dog wouldn’t bother her. It all sounded a hell of a lot better than going home to wallow in her misery until Sylvanas could make it over.

And true to her word, Sylvanas had guided her to the couch, wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, shooed the dog away, and started to make the promised soup.

She didn’t know how long she had laid there in a daze before the dog appeared. Jaina could feel him staring, looming over her. She groaned, having no energy to tell him to go away. She opened an eye to see the dog gently putting a toy on the couch.

He nudged it closer to her, dark eyes so sad and soulful looking.

She looked blearily at the toy, mumbling a bit when she saw what it was. The fuzzy blue bear that, according to Sylvanas, was his absolute favorite toy. One that he only chewed gently and occasionally, when every other soft and plush toy was eviscerated within seconds.

It was...incredibly sweet.

Jaina reached out to give his soft head a brief caress before hugging the bear to her chest.

“Good boy,” She offhandedly mumbled, closing her eyes again. Maybe...maybe Aletius wasn’t so bad.

Ever since Aletius had given her the fuzzy bear, Jaina had slowly had an easier time believing that the golden retriever wasn’t about to kill her. It helped that he had kept her company through being sick, quietly offering the comfort of his presence and the bear, but not bothering her.

Sure, sometimes when he barked she had that jolt of fear, but overall it was good. She found she quite enjoyed stroking his silky soft fur. Of course, when she tried scratching behind his ears it inexplicably made Sylvanas jealous that her ears weren’t being pet, which amused Jaina endlessly.

Things were better, now that she wasn’t in fear of her life. Sylvanas had relaxed, losing a tension Jaina hadn’t even noticed that meant her acting skills were probably as terrible as everyone had said. She had even, shyly, asked her to move in and of course Jaina had said yes. She probably wouldn’t have earlier, when she was more afraid of the dog. Perhaps that’s why it took Sylvanas so long to ask.

Jaina smiled, watching Aletius roam around the yard, amazed at how things had changed. A scant few weeks ago she would have been hoping he stayed out there. Now she was contemplating going out to throw the ball for him.

Just as she was making a move to do so, an almighty crash sounded from the kitchen. Sylvanas! Heart leaping into her throat, Jaina bolted towards the kitchen.

The elf was curled into herself, back against the cupboards and face pressed into her knees. Her hands were fisted in her hair, pulling at the platinum strands in a sure sign that she was having a flashback.

She hadn’t had one in so long.

Jaina hurriedly dropped to her knees in front of her, putting gentle hands over her own, fingers lightly brushing over her knuckles. She always felt so helpless when this happened, wishing she could do more than try and call her out of it. “Shhh...it’s okay Sylvanas. You’re safe. We’re in your kitchen, you’re safe.”

Claws were scrambling frantically over the wood, and Aletius flew into the kitchen in a blur of golden fur. He wormed his way under one of Sylvanas’s arms, whining and licking at her face and putting his wet nose to her ear.

One of Sylvanas’s hands slowly, painfully slowly, released her hair and moved to fist instead into Aletius’s fur.

“There you are. See, we’re all safe” Jaina soothed in relief, putting her hand over the elf’s again. She was frankly amazed that the dog had brought her out of it so quickly, far far faster than Jaina had ever managed to. She had heard that dogs were a huge help to veterans struggling with PTSD but to see it…Tides, she was glad Sylvanas had a dog. “Good boy, Aletius.”

Aletius sniffed happily at the plants in his yard as he wandered around. Everything was good! Jaina was finally calm, whatever ghosts she saw chased away. Even Sylvanas had been seeing fewer and fewer of them! Clearly Jaina was just as good as he was at chasing them away, and now that she wasn’t seeing them, she was keeping them from Sylvanas too. And Jaina had even grown braver around It, though Aletius made sure to watch it carefully when it was out.

She was petting him more, joining Sylvanas in a good scratching session which was the best thing in the world, having two sets of hands in his fur. She was even more accepting of his cuddling! Clearly The Fuzzy Bear had worked wonders, helping her through her sickness and even helping to rid her of the ghosts. She was home more often than not too, the days where she wouldn’t come back few and far between. The times Sylvanas sent him to stay at Vereesa’s even fewer.

It meant less being with the two boys, so less Pizza, but that was fine with Aletius. He preferred being close to Sylvanas and Jaina anyway. Besides, Jaina had started sneaking him bites under the table.

He put his nose to a particularly interesting smell, wagging his tail idly. He knew they’d be friends eventually!

Crash!

His head jerked up, alarmed. That was from the house! In the window for the kitchen, he could see Sylvanas stumble and vanish.

The ghosts!

Aletius abandoned the interesting smell, ripping up dirt and grass as he charged for the dog door. Sylvanas needed him! He burst through the little door, claws scrabbling for purchase on the rug on the other side. He slipped only once in his mad dash for the kitchen, refusing to let it to slow him down.

Jaina was already there, speaking to Sylvanas in low tones and putting hands on her head. Helping chase the ghosts away, just like he thought she did.

Her technique needed work though. Aletius shoved his head under one of Sylvanas’s arms, bullying his way close to her face and whining. He licked her cheek soothingly, nosing at her ear and snuffling. The best way to chase them back.

Sylvanas’s hand came to tangle in his fur, a bit roughly but that was normal when the ghosts were around and Aletius didn’t mind overly much. Anything that helped her. Another hand, Jaina’s came down over Sylvanas’s, smoothing out her fingers and easing her grip. “Good boy, Aletius.”

Aletius wagged his tail, licking Sylvanas’s face again. Between the two of them, he was confident that they could keep the ghosts away. He was a good boy, but he was glad Sylvanas had Jaina too.

Jaina traced the picture fondly, smiling at Aletius in his doggy tux at their wedding. Jaina had insisted, and Vereesa and Lirath and Tandred had jumped on the idea so Sylvanas had agreed. Aletius had certainly worn it proudly.

She thought, anyway. He didn’t fight or try to wiggle out of it, at least.

Jaina had come such a long way from being so afraid of him, she couldn’t imagine life without Aletius in it now. Their little family would be so incomplete without him, and now they were adding to it…

“Dalah’surfal, you’re supposed to be helping me paint!”

Jaina chuckled, walking back to the room they were turning into a nursery. Sylvanas, holding a paint roller, pouted playfully at her. A streak of yellow was already on her cheek. “No, you’re supposed to be relaxing while we wait for our family to show up and help me paint. They’ll all yell at me if they see you working.”

“You all act like I’m helpless already.” Sylvanas sniffed airily, gently nudging Aletius aside so she could get back to the wall. The dog was sticking to her like glue lately, watching her like a hawk and barking at any and all perceived threats. Even a plastic bag that had blown to close to them on a walk, usually ignored by Aletius, was too threatening to get near Sylvanas now.

Jaina was pretty sure he’d make a great nanny. Though she worried for the poor roomba’s safety if it ever dared to go near their baby or even the crib. He was bad enough when it got too close to one of them.

“Besides,” Sylvanas continued, rolling the paint over the wall, “I think Derek wants to paint giraffes on the walls, so I don’t know if he’s allowed in. He can build the crib with your father.”

“Is it his painting skills, or is it just giraffes you don’t like?” Jaina teased, lovingly scratching Aletius’s head before stealing the roller from her wife.

“Can’t it be both?” Sylvanas shook her head, opening a new roller with a triumphant look at Jaina. The rip of the plastic got a warning growl and glare from Aletius. “If we must have animals painted on the walls, we should let my mother do it. She’s a far better artist.”

Jaina stole that roller too, smiling at the scowl she earned and shaking her head when Sylvanas went to open yet another. Her smile only grew when Aletius growled again, looming over the plastic that fell to the ground as if daring it to make a move. “I think we should have her paint dogs.”