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chapter fifteen ━ uneasy bonding

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❝ angel playing with a demon ❞

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"CAN'T I JUST start off my day normally, please? Just for once?"

Stefan smiled sympathetically and wrapped an arm around her neck. "Nope, sorry. Welcome to the world of the supernatural."

Melody groaned in annoyance and switched her eyes over to look a familiar doppelganger. "Just leave, no one wants you here, Katherine."

Katherine feigned hurt and pouted, putting a hand to her chest. "You hurt my feelings, Melody. I thought we were getting along?"

The fairytale woman scoffed in reply and rolled her eyes. Stefan got between them before Melody disintegrated the Boarding House in anger. "She's just trying to get a reaction out you. Ignore her, it's what I do. Now I have to go the school to keep an eye on Elena." He grabbed his bag and set it on his shoulder. He pointed at her. "Don't kill her."

Melody smiled sarcastically. "No promises." Stefan gave her a warning look and then left the Boarding House. Katherine smirked at Melody and the latter crossed her arms over her chest. "You even move to kill me, I'll kill you."

"I wouldn't dream of it." She stepped toward her. "But answer this one question for me. Who's better? Me or Elena?"

She thought for a moment and then slowly smirked. "You." Katherine smiled. "Don't make me regret it."

She turned on her heel and then walked down to the basement where Damon was trying to burn Elijah's body. However, he was failing. "Good morning to you too, sunshine." He didn't turn from her and continued to try and burn his body. Melody smiled. "Damon it's not going to work. He's practically indestructible."

Damon stopped and then turned to her. "It was worth a try."

"When is—" She cut a glance to the stairs before looking back at him. "—she going to be gone?"

He shrugged. "Who knows? She wants something, probably her freedom from Klaus."

"Well if I was running from someone as long as she has, I'd probably be doing the same thing." Melody was being open and honest with him. She really did think that the years of running and running from Klaus made her the way she was. Evil isn't born it's made. And Klaus made Katherine the self-protecting person she was. Damon gave her a look and she sighed. "It's just a thought."

Damon threw the blowtorch on the ground and stepped toward her threateningly. "Yeah? Well, keep your thoughts to yourself. We don't need any pity taker ruining this."

He brushed past her and Melody covered up the fact that she was hurt by what he said. However, she knew he was right. They couldn't back down now.

———

In her anger, Melody had found something to do to pass the time. And that something was reorganizing the thousands of Johnathan Gilbert journals. Footsteps echoed through the room and she didn't even have to look up to know who it was.

"What you up to?" Katherine asked, walking over to her.

Melody still didn't turn to her. "Why do you care?"

She reached her side and Katherine sighed. "I thought we were making progress? Don't you want to be friends?"

The word made her stop. Friends. Now Melody would've jumped to the offer if it wasn't Katherine she was talking to. She was always open to making new friends, something that her family admired. She always tried to see the good in people; though as she got older, she tried but if she didn't see anything, she stopped trying. It was just what she did. However, there were always a few exceptions.

"Friends?" Melody looked at her and then faked a thoughtful look. "Let me think. Being friends with Katherine Pierce who only cares about herself and gladly spares anyone if it means saving herself?" She made a face. "I'll pass."

Katherine ran her fingers across the table Melody stood at. "Fine, but I want to help and how can I help if you won't tell me what you're doing?"

"Unless you can tell me where a ton of witches were massacred in this town?"

"No."

Melody went back to reorganize. "Then you can't help."

Katherine stared at her for a moment. Deep down, the doppelganger really did admire the fairytale woman. She respected that she fought for the people she loved even if it meant her own death. Melody was a younger version of her really, and it was only a matter of time before she made the same decision she made years ago.

The fellow brunette began to help and Melody looked over at her skeptically. Katherine helped her sort through them while she spoke, "Emily Bennett told me about the massacre. It was a big deal in witch folklore. When a witch dies violently, they release a mystical energy marking the place of their death with power."

Melody didn't say anything and sent Katherine a thankful smile to which — surprisingly — she returned. And it was odd because Melody found herself liking Katherine a bit more. Maybe they could be friends. Then she remembered her plan and threw the thought out the window.

"Isn't she gone or dead yet?" someone spoke up.

Both of the girls turned to look at Stefan who was leaning against the doorway. Katherine glared. "For the last time, I'm here to help. Can we skip the secrets, hmm?"

Stefan seemed to consider it and Melody gave him a shrug as to say she really didn't care if he told Katherine or not. He decided to tell them both and pushed himself off the doorway, walking down the steps and toward them. "Elijah had no weapon to kill Klaus but he believed that if a witch could channel enough power...They wouldn't need one."

Melody thought for a moment before she realized something. "You wouldn't need a weapon if you had a spot marked with the power of a hundred dead witches."

"We just need to find it."

———

They had resulted to reading through the journals to see if they found anything. Melody and Katherine were silently reading in the living room when Melody looked up from the journal. She glanced at Katherine who sat behind her, reading through a journal too. The doppelganger saw and looked at her. "What? Did you find something?"

Melody opened her mouth to say something but then closed it. She reopened it and replied, "Nothing. Just thought I heard something." They both fell back into silence and Katherine shut her book. The fellow brunette then went over and peered over Melody's shoulder. She noticed but continued to read. "Is there a problem?"

"I'm bored." Katherine saw something on one of the pages and pointed. She read, "'Emily Bennett was taken by the Council today. They kidnapped her from her home and took her to the same location her ancestors were burned a hundred years ago.' So Emily died on the site of the massacre, too. Does it say where?"

Katherine tried to take the journal but Melody moved it away from her. "Yeah, I don't think so." She sat up and turned to her with narrowed eyes. "You really think I'm going to fall for this 'oh let's be friends' thing?"

"I have no reason to lie to you."

Melody smirked. "Bullshit."

"I'm hungry."

The fairytale woman turned her attention back to the journal, glad that the subject had been changed, and laid back down. She flipped to another page while she spoke, "Then go get some food."

Katherine got up and left to the basement. Stefan walked in carrying a few of the other journals. "Well, nothing in any of these. Find anything?"

Melody looked around before nodding to him, though she said the opposite just in case Katherine was eavesdropping. "No. Nothing."

She handed him the journal and pointed to one of the pages. Stefan got her plan and went along with it. He read the page and sighed. "That's too bad."

"Mmm-hmm."

He nodded to her and then left the room. All of a sudden, Katherine shouted from the basement. "Melody!"

She heard and jumped, running down to the cellar where she saw Katherine with a stake in her stomach. "Katherine?" Melody hurried over and removed the stake. "What happened?"

Katherine pointed to Elijah's body, holding her stomach. Meldoy spun to see the dagger being removed. Stefan flashed down to them and saw as well. He quickly grabbed the blowtorch, turning it on, and then firing around the dagger.

Melody went wide-eyed. "What are you doing?!"

He yelled over the flames. "The witches! They're doing something!"

Whoever was there ended up being burnt to a crisp. Stefan turned off the blowtorch. Katherine sighed in relief and laid her head against the wall.

———

Even though she did have her suspicions about Katherine, Melody's caring nature she had received from Mary Margaret and David made her help Katherine after the incident. The doppelganger had healed and Melody entered with a blood bag. She sat next to her and threw it into Katherine's lap. "Here."

Katherine took it and then drank it. "Thank you. I mean it."

She bit back a sarcastic comment and settled for something that she had been meaning to ask. "You knew Isobel. Which means you know that she has research on me. How did you even find any?"

Katherine looked over at her. "Simple. There's an ancient book stating a prophecy about a girl that would be abandoned and then killed by someone close."

"And how'd you know it was me?"

She didn't reply for a moment and set the empty blood bag down. Katherine sighed. "Because of Klaus." Melody looked away and then got up suddenly. Katherine raised an eyebrow and followed the woman, watching as she got on her black leather jacket. "Where are you going?"

Melody shrugged on her jacket and then went to the front door. "Jonas's son is dead and Stefan killed him. Now he's going after Elena and if Elena dies, it means trouble for all of us."

Katherine followed. "I'm coming with you."

The fairytale woman turned to her. "No, you're not."

She didn't take that for an answer and sped in front of Melody, blocking her way. "Wait! I have a plan." Melody glared. "Trust me."

And though her instincts were telling her to deny Katherine's offer, Melody nodded, keeping her plan in mind.

———

The plan Katherine had concocted had worked smoothly and Elena was safe. But Jonas was dead. However, Bonnie had gotten her powers back which Melody learned had been taken away by Jonas himself. While Stefan and Damon took care of the body, Melody stood with Elena near the front door.

"How did you guys convince her to do this?"

Melody turned to her and moved her head in one motion. "That's because we didn't. It was her idea."

Elena looked shocked and for once, Melody didn't blame her. "Wow. That's...not good."

The woman didn't reply but agreed silently. Stefan and Katherine made their way down the stairs and Stefan nodded to Melody. "Everything's taken care of."

She nodded back and Katherine took off Elena's necklace that was around her neck. "I'm guessing you're going to want this back. But your pretty little outfit is going to need a good dry clean."

Elena glared and snatched the necklace from Katherine's hand. She looked at Stefan. "You're going to have to get her out of here before Jenna gets home."

Melody scoffed. "Don't start ordering us around Elena. We aren't your puppets."

Katherine smiled in surprise but then looked at Elena with a smirk. "You know, I don't much like you. But if we're going to be open and frankly, I'd be happy to see you dead but if we're going to try to take on Klaus, we kinda need you to be alive. So I'm not a threat to you, Elena. If any of you are going to believe anything, believe that."

They all exchanged looks and Melody grabbed Katherine's arm. "Come on. We need to go."

She didn't fight against her as Melody led her to her car. Katherine got into the passenger seat and Melody got into the driver's seat. She started the car and the vampire looked over at her. "Thanks for not treating me like dirt. For what it's worth, you're my favorite person in this boring little town."

Melody turned on her headlights and then looked over at Katherine. "For what it's worth, you're still better than Elena."

Katherine smiled and the fairytale woman smiled back knowingly. Melody then pushed her foot on the pedal and sped off toward the Boarding House. Who knew Melody Mills would've befriended someone that was running from Klaus? But what if the friendship was fake?

———

Short chapter! But I wanted to include some Melody and Katherine bonding because it's important for the next chapter! Thoughts on it? I hope you guys have a great day/night and don't forget to vote on this chapter, comment your thoughts, and follow me for updates!

( credit : @pepperronys )