The sound of three loud knocks on the door woke her up and she groaned in annoyance.
"What?" She yelled to whoever was on the other side of the door.
"Does it mean you don't want pancakes?" She heard her mother's voice and jumped out of her bed to open the door.
"Mum?"She questioned as she opened the door. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?" She asked her confused and rubbed her eyes.
"I got a day off. I thought we could spend it together...?" Rhea trailed with a small smile and her daughter smiled too before hugging her.
"I would love to." She said to her mother's blond hair.
"I'm glad. I thought we could have some mother to daughter talk?" She asked and Melanie nodded grabbing Rhea's arm and taking her down to the kitchen.
Melanie and Rhea were about the same height, the former maybe a little taller by an inch or two but they were still considered somehow short in their family where everyone was above six feet, and Melanie being five feet five and Rhea five feet four.
The girl sat in their kitchen next to the table as her mother put a plate with one pancake across from her.
"Thank you." She said as her mother sat next to her with a similar plate next to her.
"So... I want to hear all the boys drama." Rhea taunted with a smirk seeing her daughter's cheeks turn a dark shade of red.
"There's none." She answered and Rhea laughed before taking a sip from her coffee.
"Don't you lie to your mother." She said with a playful pointed look.
"Well... There's this boy, or man? I don't-" She started but was cut off. "How old is he?" Rhea asked and Melanie gulped.
"What?" She muttered. "His age? How old is he." Rhea asked again.
"Oh, he's my age. He just acts like an adult sometimes, like he's lived forever." She laughed but stopped as she saw her mother's face.
"Fine. Umm, I think he's like, twenty two, maybe?" Melanie trailed awkwardly.
"You think?" She frowned. "Well I never asked." She started tapping her leg on the floor.
"Oh Lord, Annie." Rhea sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"He's really sweet, I promise." Melanie started. "And he's beautiful and nice and caring..." Her mother smiled in a taunting way.
"Is my daughter in love?" She smirked as Melanie's eyes turned wide.
"What? No! Of course not, what are you talking about." She said defensively and Rhea chuckled.
"I'm just saying...I know he may be a little too old for me but he's amazing, really." She said and her mother nodded with a knowing smile.
"What's his name? Your father was telling me all these stories about the santa guy and I really hope it's not him." She said with raised brows and turned to look back at her daughter to see her ignoring eye contact.
"Don't tell me it's him. Mon told me how he hurt you. I don't like him." She said and Melanie rolled her eyes.
"Dad doesn't know the whole story, and, he made up to it I swear." She said and Rhea narrowed her eyes.
"Okay." She muttered. "His full name is Niklaus, I call him Nik and he's the sweetest. Really." Melanie said with a small smile.
Her mother was about to speak but she stopped her. "But there's another small thing." She started anxiously.
"What is it?" Rhea asked with furrowed eyebrows. "It's Damon he-" She started but now her mother was the one to cut off.
"Oh, Damon! I haven't seen him in so long. How is he? Is he good? I miss him!" She rambled.
Melanie chuckled. "Damon's fine. But, yesterday...He kind of kissed me?" She trailed and looked up to her mother to see her smiling.
"I always knew he loved you. He tried to hide it with this Alena girl." She said and the green eyed girl rolled her eyes.
"It's Elena, mum." She muttered and Rhea scoffed. "Like it really matters." She said.
She looked at her daughter and frowned. "You don't seem too happy about that." She said and Melanie sighed.
"Because I'm not." She said. "I always saw him as a friend, nothing more nothing less." She said.
"Do you love him?" Rhea asked and Melanie hesitated before shaking her head slowly.
Rhea thought for a second. "Who did you think of when he kissed you?" She asked and Melanie looked down to her lap.
"Oh, my love." Rhea said as she came to hug her daughter as her eyes started to tear up.
"I love Damon as a friend, and I don't want to ruin our friendship but I can't be with him while every second I'll think of...Klaus." She said as small tears started to run down her cheeks quietly.
"It's okay my love, if he really loves you he'll understand." Rhea nodded to her after pulling away.
Melanie nodded to herself as well and Rhea wiped her wet cheeks.
Her mother looked down to Melanie's plate. "It's already gotten cold." She smiled and Melanie chuckled a little.
"Yeah, that sucks." She muttered.
"Well I have to get ready for school. It's Care's birthday today. Need to decorate her locker." She said with a smile wiping off her cheeks again.
"Oh, right! Send her a happy birthday from me!" She said to her with a smile.
"I will." She smiled too before going upstairs to get ready.
~
"Elena. Hey." Melanie said as she reached her and hugged her.
They pulled away and Elena smiled. "We're good now, right?" She asked.
"Yeah, sure." She answered and Elena's smiled widened. "Great. Now let's start!" She said and they started decorating Caroline's locker.
"Hey, sorry I'm late, I...I got held up." Bonnie said to Elena and Melanie after a few minutes as she came up to them.
"It's okay. We just got here too." She said and turned to Melanie. "Can you pass me the balloons? Thanks." She said as Melanie handed her the items.
"What got you running late?" Melanie asked Bonnie with a frown.
"I was...working on some new spells. You two?" She said and Melanie's frowned deepened.
"Working out with Alaric, and Mell just was with her mother." Elena answered for the two of them. "So, I have something I need to tell you, and you're not gonna like it." She said to the two of them that shared a glance.
"What happened?" Melanie asked. "Yeah...What's going on?" Bonnie asked too.
"Jeremy is gonna be leaving town for a while. He'll be staying with some old family friends in Denver, until this whole Klaus thing blows over." She said and they both looked at each other again.
"Jeremy wouldn't just leave you to deal with Klaus on your own." Bonnie said and Melanie nodded in agreement.
"I know...I asked Damon to compel him." Elena said and Melanie gulped at the thought of him.
"You what?" Bonnie exclaimed.
"I know, Bonnie. But it's not safe for him here anymore. Leaving will give him a better life." She said and looked back at Melanie.
"The only reason I'm telling you is because I know that you two haven't really worked out your stuff. And I thought that maybe you'd wanna say goodbye." She said to the witch before walking away.
The two girls that were left looked in the background for Jeremy and he looked at them and waved.
Melanie smiled at him but Bonnie was with a disapproving look on her face.
Melanie turned back to look at Bonnie to see her about to leave.
"Wait, Bon, I need to tell you something." She said and grabbed a hold of her arm.
Melanie was walking down the street as someone suddenly grabbed her in a choke hold, it was a grown man, close to his thirties with brown hair and brown eyes.
She tried to scream but her lungs wouldn't let her even breathe. The man shushed her with his voice and told her he wasn't going to hurt her but she didn't believe him, he was already hurting her.
Bonnie realised she had a vision, where Melanie, her best friend was in danger, and she didn't know when will it be.
This man was familiar for her but she didn't understand from where, she guesses time will do its thing.
"Bonnie..." Melanie trailed after pulling away from her.
"What is it?" She asked in a rush not really ready to listen to anything, she just wanted to leave.
"Never mind, it's nothing. Bye." She said to her and walked away before Bonnie could stop her.
M: Where R U? My mum wanted me to tell you a happy birthday from her.
She texted her friend as she walked passed the many students in the hallway.
~
Caroline walked into her house and put her stuff down. All of a sudden Melanie, Elena, Matt, and Bonnie jumped out with balloons, party hats, and a sign.
"Surprise!!" They all yelled.
"Happy birthday!" Matt told her as he and Melanie walked up to her.
"I love you Care, happy birthday." She said and hugged her tightly as they both smiled.
"What are you guys doing here?" She asked, moving her gaze from one to another.
"Well you blew off school and missed our work of birthday art, so..." Elena said and Melanie chuckled taking off her crown and putting it on the blonde's head.
"Change into warmer clothes, we are going to the Falls. S'mores, camp fire.." Bonnie smiled.
"Cake! Like when we were little." Elena chimed in as well.
"Except for the tequila!" Matt laughed and the green eyed girl smiled.
"Thanks, guys. Really, um, I'm just not feeling my birthday this year." Caroline said and they all frown.
"I'm sorry, what? You've already claimed your birthday as everyone's favorite day of the year." Melanie said confused with a small smile.
"Yeah, and now, it's just a reminder that technically, I'm dead. Look, I didn't even like 17. And the only point to being 17 is to get to 18. It's a filler year; I'm stuck in a filler year." Caroline sighed and Melanie sighed too after a moment.
"You're not stuck, Caroline." Elena told her softly.
"Yeah I am, but it's okay. You know, it's all good, I'll be fine. But I just need some time to wallow in it." The blonde girl said.
Melanie thought of something. "Okay, well I think I have another idea." She smirked.
~
"There it is!" Melanie exclaimed as they entered the crypt.
"This is creepy, even for us." Bonnie said, looking around the place.
"No, Care was right...technically, she's dead. Sorry, love. But you don't need a birthday, you need a funeral. You need to say goodbye to your old life, so that you can move on with your new one." Melanie said with a soft smile which Caroline returned to her.
"Okay. Here lies Caroline Forbes..." Caroline started as Elena put candles on top of the birthday cake.
"Cheerleader, Miss Mystic Falls, third grade hopscotch champion..." Elena trailed.
"Friend, daughter, overachiever..." Bonnie continued.
"Mean girl, sometimes, no offense." Matt said jokingly.
"Ah, none taken." Caroline muttered as Melanie smiled.
"The girl who at first I was sure would be my enemy with how she looked me up and down at the Grill that day, but she turned out to be the beat friend I could ever ask for." Melanie said with a smile and Caroline smiled back.
"She was 17, and she had a really good life. So rest in peace, so that she can move forward." Elena finished and held up the cake in front of her.
"That's what you really need. What we all really need. Amen, or cheers or whatever. Bonnie?" Melanie said and turned to the witch.
"Nice! Okay, make a wish." Melanie said after Bonnie lit the candles.
Caroline looked at the cake, then at her friends with a smile before making a wish and blowing off the candles.
~
They were all eating the cake as Matt took the tequila bottle but Elena snatched it from him.
"Ah-ah. I need it more than you do, trust me." She said and turned to look at Caroline who was sitting aside, hiding her phone. "Caroline, what are you doing?" She asked suspiciously.
"What? Nothing." She said and stopped texting on her phone, holding her hands down in front of her to try and hide the phone in them.
Melanie laughed. "Care, you're the worst sober liar. You're an even worse drunk liar." She said, taking her second shot of tequila.
"I might have texted Tyler." Caroline mumbled.
"Caroline..." Elena said in a disapproving tone.
"What? I'm delicate." She said with a small smirk to Melanie's direction.
"Give her a break! You can't control what everyone does all the time." Bonnie exclaimed and an awkward silence fell between them.
"Wow." Elena scoffed.
"Ouch, Bon." Matt said. "Sure it hurt." Melanie muttered to Matt as they both laughed.
"Sorry, I know it's Caroline birthday, funeral or whatever but, I just feel it's really wrong that you compelled Jeremy to leave town." Bonnie said.
"I'm doing it to protect him, Bonnie. I want to give him a chance to have a quiet normal life." Elena defended herself.
"He should be able to choose how he wants to live it, you're taking his choices away." Bonnie fought back.
"Bonnie, you can't tell him." Elena whispered as if Jeremy could hear them.
"Why? Are you gonna compel me not to?" Bonnie questioned.
"You know, you guys are ruining a perfect funeral." Matt said, handing Melanie her third shot.
"I'm sorry. I'm just gonna go sleep it off or something. Happy birthday." Bonnie said before she got up and left.
"You're kidding me." Elena muttered to herself.
"I don't know, I agree with her." Melanie said as Elena glared at her.
"Didn't say anything." She put her hands up in mock surrender and laughed.
Her phone buzzed with a text message. She opened it to see it was a text from Klaus.
N: Love, are you home?
M: I don't know.
He rolled his eyes at the text.
N: Are you drunk?
M: Maybe.
She smiled playfully and got up from the ground to walk outside.
N: Now, be a good girl and tell me where you are.
M: And if I don't?
N: You don't want us to get there, sweetheart.
She blushed a dark shade of pink and smiled big to her phone.
N: Tell me where you are.
M: Well, I don't know where I am.
She heard a sound of leaves crunching behind her and turned around.
"Hello?" She asked the dark place, she couldn't really see anything.
Suddenly someone sped behind her and put a hand on her mouth.
"Shh, Elle. It's me, okay?" She heard Stefan's voice behind her and relaxed only for a second.
"What are you doing?" She asked hurriedly, trying to get him off of her but his grip was too strong.
"I'm just trying to make a point. So Klaus would finally realise I'm dead serious." He said and took a needle out of his pocket.
"I'm sorry." He said before injecting her neck with some liquid and she fell unconscious in his arms.
Her phone was left behind on the forest's ground as it rang with a new text.
N: You're going to really regret disobeying me, my swan.
~
Stefan was driving his red car, Elena in the front seat and Melanie in the back.
"What are you doing, Stefan?" Elena asked as the two girls regained consciousness.
Elena's phone rang and Stefan answered it. "Hello Damon, she's a little busy right now." He said, looking over his shoulder to the doppelgänger and then at Melanie who had small drops of blood running down her temple.
"Why the hell do you have Elena's phone?" The two could hear Damon's loud voice.
"I'm making my next move. Let me ask you something...What will Klaus do if he can't make anymore hybrids?" Stefan questioned and the two girls' eyes turned wide.
"What?!" Elena yelled.
"Stefan, leave her out of this." Damon said to the phone in a threatening voice.
"Stef, please, just stop the car." Melanie begged him with tears in her eyes.
"Melanie?" Damon questioned. "No. Stefan I will kill you, let her go, now!" Damon yelled at him and Elena frowned.
"How whipped you all are it's embarrassing." Stefan muttered to himself.
"Damon..." Melanie whispered desperately. "It's okay princess, you're going to be okay, I promise." Damon said through the phone.
"I'm going to-" Damon started but was cut off as Stefan rolled down the window and threw Elena's phone out of it to the road.
"What are you doing? Stefan, let us out of this car. Do you hear me? Let us out of the car!" Elena screamed but he only ignored with a gulp at the thought of risking the youngest girl's life.
~
"So, what's the plan, Stefan? What's the big move you're making?" Elena asked the vampire.
"I took Klaus' family to make him suffer. I'm not gonna let him make himself a new one." Stefan said and looked through the mirror at Melanie.
"So, what are you gonna do, huh? Are you gonna lock me in some cave and keep me hostage?" Elena questioned.
"Maybe. Maybe, I'll just turn you into a vampire." He answered and the two's eyes widened.
"About you, Elle...I think just letting you die gracefully would be much easier." He said and she shook her head.
"Stop the car, Stefan! Stop the car, Stefan!" Melanie shouted but he ignored and only pulled his phone out to call the hybrid.
"Stefan, how nice to hear your voice." Klaus said to the phone after he answered.
"Tell your hybrids to get out of town, Klaus." Stefan said without any introduction.
"Well that's not gonna happen until I get my coffins back." Klaus answered with a smirk.
"Okay, well then I'm gonna drive your blood source and your precious little swan off Wickery Bridge." Stefan said and Klaus' eyes widened.
"I don't believe you Stefan. You won't kill them." Klaus said, only thinking about the green eyed girl.
Stefan bit his wrist and forced it into Elena's mouth, forcing her to drink it. He turned around and shoved a stake through Melanie's stomach, and pulled it out.
She hissed in pain and put her hand over her wound.
"No! No! No! What are you doing?" Elena muttered and looked back to Melanie to see her getting paler by the second.
"Mell? Mell! Stay awake!" She shouted and Klaus turned concerned.
"What's going on?" He asked worriedly.
"Elena? I just fed her my blood. No more hybrids if she's a vampire." He started and looked at Melanie again, regret filling him.
"As for my little Elle... I just shoved a stake through her stomach. She's kind of bleeding to death right now." Stefan said and could hear Klaus growl.
"You're lying. I want to hear her voice." Klaus said and Stefan saw she wasn't going to say anything to not risk him.
"Say something, Elle!" He shouted at her angrily.
"Nik... I'm scared." She whispered and the two immortals' heart broke for her.
"It's okay, my love, you'll be okay." Klaus tried to reassure her and Stefan scoffed.
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Klaus." He said.
"You won't do it." Klaus said back firmly.
"Really? Try me, because your coffins are next to go. Say goodbye to your family Klaus." Stefan said in a loud voice and sped over.
"I'm going to kill you." Klaus started angrily. "I'm going to make your life so miserable you're gonna beg me to die." He finished but Stefan only rolled his eyes.
"Stefan, slow down! Stefan! Stefan, stop it!" Elena screamed. "Stefan, stop! Please..." Melanie shouted but it got her too tired.
"Fine, I'll send them away. You win." Klaus said quickly.
"Stefan! Stefan, stop! She's dying, Stefan! Stop!" Elena yelled.
"Stop the car, Stefan!" Klaus screamed with a growl and Stefan slammed on the brakes and got to a stop. Klaus heard it. "You're going to pay for this, Stefan." Klaus only said and hung up the phone furiously.
Elena helped Melanie get out of the car and they started walking away with Melanie gripping onto Elena.
"Get back in the car." Stefan sighed in boredom.
"Stay away from us." Elena yelled at him, still walking away.
"Elle, Elena, get in the car." He said and looked at Melanie. "Come on Elle, let me heal you." He whispered but she only shook her head.
Elena had tears in her eyes as she started screaming at him. "How could you?! My parents died going over this bridge. I almost died. You knew that. You're the one who saved me." She finished as tears were now running down her cheeks.
"Look, he had to believe that I would do it, all right? Your fear sold it." He said, looking at the two.
"What if he hadn't?" Elena asked.
"He did." Stefan said.
"Well, what if he hadn't?" Melanie said louder.
"But he did! He backed down! He has a weakness. If I know his weakness, I can destroy him." Stefan shouted and looked down at Melanie.
She was Klaus' biggest weakness. He thought.
"After everything, that's what mattered? Destroying Klaus?" Elena questioned hurtful.
"Destroying Klaus is all I've left." He said back.
"You had me!" She yelled and held Melanie closer to her body.
"I lost you the minute I left town with him. You just haven't let yourself admit that yet." He sighed sadly.
"Is that what you're doing? Trying to make me hate you?" She asked him but he only looked at Melanie before lifting his gaze to her.
"I don't really care what you think about me any more, Elena." He said before biting his wrist and speeding over to Melanie.
He forced the blood into her mouth. "Drink it." He demanded and she did.
After he saw she was fully okay he got back into his car and drove off as the two girls were watching him leave, crying.
~
Melanie was on her way home as she got a text from Matt saying that Caroline was bit by Tyler.
She knew Tyler wouldn't do this to her on his own free will, so low and behold, it was Klaus' doing.
She got to Caroline's house and sat with her, reassuring her she'll be okay, and after a few minutes Klaus showed up as well.
Before the Sheriff could let him in, Melanie stopped her.
"Wait, Liz, don't let him in." She made her appearance known.
He saw her stained shirt with blood and tried to get inside but the barrier stopped him.
"Melanie, love. Are you okay? Let me in please, I want to see that-" He started but was cut off brutally.
"Give me your blood." She demanded.
"Melanie-" He started. "It's not the time for our drama, Klaus. Now, give me your blood." She said firmly and he glared before biting into his wrist.
Her breath hitched before she regained her composure and brought a plastic cup so he could pour the blood into it.
She didn't waste her time to say thank you but Liz did it for her.
She went to Caroline's room and helped her drink the blood.
She got out and saw Klaus was still standing outside of the door.
"Come here, swan." He said pleadingly after Liz rushed back to her daughter's bedroom.
"I can't." She said. "You were going to kill her." She said again and took a step towards the front door.
"On her birthday? Do you really think that low of me?" He asked softly and tried again to walk inside the house with no success.
She sighed. "I don't know what to think." She whispered as quiet tears started falling down her cheeks.
"Come outside, swan, please." He pleaded again and she speed walked outside, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He hugged her waist tightly and breathed in her scent. Now that she was in his arms he could be sure she was still alive, that it wasn't all an illusion.
"I'm so glad you're okay." He whispered and kissed her head as he felt her tears on the skin of his neck.
"I'm so sorry I let this happen." He whispered again and she hugged him tighter.
"When I thought I was about to die." She started and he tensed. "All I could think about was you." She admitted after pulling away.
"But I'm so mad at you for what you did to Caroline...I don't know what to do." She sighed.
"I was going to heal her." He muttered.
"But what if you couldn't make it in time? My best friend would've been dead!" She said loudly.
"I just need to stay here, make sure she's okay. I'll talk to you later, I just can't right now. I'm sorry." She said and turned to walk back to the Forbes residence.
Later that night Damon called her to make sure she was fine.
He apologised over and over again even though it wasn't his fault.
She slept over at Caroline's place and woke up to find her phone outside the house with a note.
Thought you might want it back.
I love you, please forgive me.
And she sighed.
Author's note
finally a mother to daughter moment
it's like mell forgives people too easily it's actually annoying sometimes but she's my baby so it's okay
i had an audition and i got accepted so it just means more ballet for me, yay.
love you all!!