Cruella & Baroness

Cruella & Baroness is the family ship between Cruella de Vil and Baroness Von Hellman from the 101 Dalmatians fandom.

Canon
When the Baroness found out she was pregnant she furious, while her husband was overjoyed of the news and gives her a family heirloom to celebrate. The Baroness would rather have the necklace than a child and decides to have the baby killed after she was born. On the night her daughter was born the Baron was away on business trip, allowing his wife to spin a tale of their baby dying at birth. To hide the fact that she ordered John to kill their only child. Unknown to the Baroness, however, John couldn't bring himself to do something so monstrous and the moment he saw Catherine Miller he knew that she'll help him keep the baby safe. Allowing Estella Miller to grow up thinking that Catherine is her mother, while the Baroness is unaware that the child she never asked for is alive. All she cared about was to forever have focus and attention on her alone, and the heirloom necklace, that John also gave to Catherine so it would be passed onto the Baron's daughter some day.

Estella was shown to have inherited her bio mother's talent for fashion designing and wants to become a design. She was also shown to have inherited the Baroness's cruelty, that Catherine tries to tame by nickname her curl side "Cruella." Which turned into an alter ego from how long Estella kept Cruella in a box. On the night Estella and her mother were heading to London to start a new life, Catherine stopped by the Baroness's gale ball to ask for some start up money to help them get by. Knowing that Estella's unique hair colors would reveal her as the Baroness's daughter, Catherine gets Estella to remain in the car and to wear a hat to conceal her hair. So the Baroness wouldn't learn that her daughter is alive and was brought back to Hellman Hall manor. Estella wanted to keep her promise to stay out of trouble, but the fashion beauty of Baroness's party called out to her and wanted to have a pick peek that blow her mind. The Baroness was unaware of the chaos Estella ended creating while trying to escape her three Dalmatians, that the Baroness calls to kill Catherine. As she had no intention to lend her money and unmoved by her story of wanting to help her talented kid. Estella was too focused on her mother and from her hiding from the Dalmatians she blanked out the Baroness's face as she blow her dog whistle. Making her believe that Catherine's death was her fault, while the Baroness played innocent victim before sending everyone to search for the person her dogs were chasing. Forcing Estella to run and grow up an orphan.

Although Estella was traumatised from that night and dies her hair to hide her black-and-white hair colors from the world and past, she never remembered the Baroness's face or role in her mother's death. Resulting in her looking up to the Baroness whenever she thinks about her dream of becoming a designer. As the Baroness's name and glasses covered face is featured in Library banners and adds, that Estella has collected and placed on her wall of designs. Sometime after Estella got a cleaning job at Library and went behind her boss's back to "fix" a window display, the Baroness gets a glimpse of Estella's talent and decides to hire the "grubby girl." With Estella just fired from her job at Library it felt like the Baroness had opened another door, that allows her to pursue her life long dream.

Working for the Baroness felt like a dream come true as she takes Estella under her wing, from feeling that Estella has something. Estella felt that the two of them were bonding over fashion and how to improve her designs. Even though the Baroness has asked Estella to make her lunch and to pick up the cucumber she uses for her power naps, without fail and sees Estella as someone who isn't competent. The moment she saw the Baroness wear her late mother's necklace, however, her views of her changed. From hearing the Baroness calls her mother a thief who stole the necklace from her and showing no concern for the kid that Estella knew to have been her from the story. With the necklace being her only link to her late mother and knows that it is rightful hers, Estella decides to steal it.

Estella uses her connections to the Baroness to help her get the layout of the building and security without suspicion. Along with her learning the kinds of women that the Baroness is known to throw out of her parties, for "offending her sensibility" and decides to use herself as the destruction at the Baroness's black-and-white ball. Jasper reminds Estella of the fact that the Baroness would recognize her and would end up losing a job she loves if they go through with this, realising that he has a point and how Estella can't be the one who goes to the ball. So she brings out her Cruella alter ego and black-and-white hair style, knowing that it could make an impact beside the red Baroness brand dress she "fixed" for the occasion. When the guards were having trouble dealing with her, the Baroness orders John to the party crasher to her.

Moments

 * Once Estella heard that the Baroness was making her way into Library, she wanted to see her ideal in the flesh. Despite the need to escape with Jasper before the two could get caught by the shop's security.

Fanon
After the Baroness was revealed to be Cruella's birth mother, in the original origin story universe, it didn't surprised too many people. Once they took into account that both of them are cruel fashion designers, who have treated the people in their lives very poorly.

On AO3, the familyship has 15+ gen fics. While the 11+ fanfics on the site might have been due to the fact that the two weren't revealed to be related until very much later in the film. Although there were theories of Cruella and Baroness having some sort of blood connection, before it was conformed.

Fandom

 * FAN FICTION

Trivia

 * The Baroness is based on Malevola De Vil, Cruella's mother from 101 Dalmatians: The Series.