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chapter four ━ you trust me, i'll trust you

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❝ all the legends are true ❞

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SHE FLIPPED ON her other side and cuddled closer to what Melody thought was her pillow. The female was getting the best she had gotten in ages. But the previous night's events at the carnival had her drained of energy. Not even coffee could help her now. So she gladly allowed herself to sleep in. But then she slowly came conscious, realizing that her pillow wasn't this bulky.

"Wakey wakey, sleeping—"

"Damon!" Melody exclaimed, jumping up and quickly covering herself as she sat up. Her eyes went wide in horror. "What the hell?!"

Damon laid next to her smirking. He had his hands behind his head. "Hello to you too."

"Get out you creep!"

He didn't move, his smirk still playing on his lips. "Is someone mad at me for almost killing Caroline?"

"No. I'm pissed that you had the audacity to come into my bedroom" She glared at him. "Damon, I swear, if you do not get out of this room right now, I will snap your neck and throw you into the ocean."

The raven-haired vampire got up with his hands in the air. "Fine, fine. But I just wanted to let you know that we will be going on a little road trip, and you're coming. So get ready."

He left the room and Melody stared after him, fuming silently. She threw the sheets off of her with a huff of annoyance, getting up to get her clothes ready. Moving towards the shower, she turned it on and waited for the water to warm up. Once it did she stepped in and washed her body off first. Melody slowly started to remember the events that took place after she had called Pan.

Keeping a secret from her family was hard, so she had told her entire family over the phone about what had happened so far in Mystic Falls. This had earned a series of yells, telling her that she come back to StoryBrooke immediately just as she had predicted.

But the girl wouldn't budge. She had explained to her family that she felt like there was a reason that she was in the small town. Like it was fate, to which Mary Margaret had said that Melody should stay in Mystic Falls if that's how she felt.

The ex-bandit had explained to the others that maybe fate was about work. And had said that maybe there was a reason that Melody's first place she went to was a small town in Virginia. Regina and Pan had scoffed at this and fought her against it, trying to get Melody to come back home. And the both of them were worried that something would happen to her, considering that the town was inhabited by supernatural beings. Damon and Katherine being the main concern.

Melody tried to convince them that this is where she wanted to be. She wanted to stay and help the others with their Katherine problem, and with future problems. The fairytale girl didn't want to just abandon them.

In saying this, she had persuaded them to let her stay. But, naturally, Pan had gone home that day and ranted to Felix about it, saying he was worried for her. Felix had told him that he couldn't baby Melody any longer and that she was grown up now, ready to take on the world. Though his daughter did not know that they had this conversation, Pan had called her back in the middle of the night and told her to stay safe and that he loved her, adding that she call if anything serious happened. Melody had agreed, thanking her dad, hanging up, and calling it a night.

Once she felt the shower start to grow cold, she turned it off and got out, getting ready for the long day ahead of her.

———

Melody sipped on her coffee as she sat on the couch next to Stefan. Her eyes were on her phone as she scrolled through the recent events happening in StoryBrooke. Nothing major was happening beside the fact that the news team was looking for new recruits and that Granny's was having a bake sale. 

Damon walked in with Alaric and he greeted him. "Thanks for coming, Ric. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee, bourbon? Bourbon in your coffee?"

The two walked into the living room and the history teacher looked at Melody. "So you're the fairytale character with magic huh?"

Melody looked up, pointing her coffee cup at him with a slight smirk. "You bet I am." She sipped again and Alaric stepped further into the room, sitting on the couch across from them.

"Stefan mentioned you guys needed my help."

"Yeah, we were hoping you could help shed some light on the Lockwood family," Stefan explained.

"Now, why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?"

Damon came to stand near the group. "Well, you wouldn't. But your dead, not-dead vampire wife might."

Melody set her coffee down on the coffee table, then leaning back on the couch. She crossed her arms over her chest out of habit. "Isobel's research from when you guys were at Duke together. I heard that she had spent years researching Mystic Falls. She must have found something."

"Isobel's research here in Mystic Falls rooted in folklore and legends but at the time I thought much of which was fiction," Alaric replied.

The brunette couldn't blame him honestly. She had witnessed an outsider first-hand discover that fairy tales were real and that everything she thought wasn't true. And Melody was there as Emma found out the truth about her parents, then everything after that which led to her now being married to a said fairytale character.

"Aside from the blood-sucking crazies, what else?" Melody asked curiously.

"The lycanthrope."

Stefan looked shocked and confused. "Wait, werewolves?"

"No way, impossible, way too Lon Chaney," Damon denied. "I've been on this planet one hundred and sixty some odd years, never came across one. If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?"

Melody shook her head. "They exist. I have a friend back from where I live, she's a werewolf."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, the big bad wolf."

"You can't just assume every fairytale you've heard is true, Damon. So no, it isn't the big bad wolf because last I checked, the big bad wolf was a guy and said she. Red Riding Hood, also known as my friend Ruby."

Stefan nodded impressed. He really hadn't put much thought into the idea that the fairy tales he knew were wrong. Melody was Peter Pan's biological daughter, which hadn't happened in any book and didn't seem possible because Peter Pan refused to grow old, but it had happened anyway. It intrigued him and so he wanted to ask her more about how the fairytales he had heard through the years were wrong.

"Why do you suspect the Lockwoods?" Alaric asked them with a puzzled look.

"Because vervain didn't affect the mayor at Founders' Day but the Gilbert device did and it affected his son Tyler," Damon explained.

"And at the school carnival his uncle Mason exhibited inhuman behavior when he fought with one of the carnival's workers. It suggests it's some sort of a supernatural entity," Stefan added.

Melody sat up straight and crossed her legs, looking at Alaric. "We were hoping that some of Isobel's research could help us figure it out what they are. Though now that I think about it, we might be looking at a solid with the werewolf thing."

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet, Mel," Damon responded.

The fairytale woman gave him a sweet smile and the finger in reply. Alaric sighed and then spoke up. "Well, all her things are still at Duke. I mean her office is still there. She's technically still missing."

"So can we get access to it?" Damon asked. He saw Alaric's face and tried to persuade him. "Ric, we need to know what we are dealing with. If this wolfman thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good. It means Mason Lockwood is a real-life Lon Chaney and that little Tyler punk may just very well be Lon Chaney junior, which means Bella Lugosi, meaning me, is totally screwed."

Melody raised an eyebrow, trying so hard not to laugh but failing miserably. "Is he always this dramatic?"

Stefan and Alaric looked at her. "Yes."

———

The brunette huffed, flicking a piece of hair out of her eyes as she followed Damon and Alaric to the car.

"Melody!" The said female turned to look at Stefan as he hurried up to her before the group left. "Just be careful okay. Call if you need anything."

She smiled at him. "Stefan, if anything happens I'll make sure to land a punch right to the face or a nice fireball to their arm." He nodded, still looking worried. "Really, don't worry about me. Just let me know how things with Caroline go."

The younger Salvatore was going to be helping the newly turned vampire while Melody would go with Damon and Alaric to Duke to find out what the Lockwood's were. He sighed, smiling tensely. "Well do." Damon honked and she glared at him before looking back at Stefan. "Alright well, just be careful, like I said."

"I will," she vowed with one last smile before she turned back around. She got into the back seat, holding her coffee in her hands. The younger Salvatore came up to the car and looked at Damon.

"No worries Stef, no need to form another frown line. I'll take good care of Melody," Damon smirked.

"Yeah, no worries Stefan. I'll push Damon in front of me to protect myself," Melody smirked back.

Damon gave her a look and she simply laughed. He rolled up the windows and Stefan stepped back as Alaric drove off.

———

She had texted Pan that she'd be busy, giving him a quick update before scrolling through her phone and checking Instagram again. Regina had posted a bunch of photos of Melody and Henry while the boy was growing up, as a little throwback. But the brunette didn't know that the former Evil Queen did that to help ease the pain of her daughter no longer being around.

The ride was silent until Damon looked back at her and she pretended not to notice him as he tried to touch her leg to get her attention. But then he turned back to look at the road as Alaric drove. "How are you doing back there? You know, this whole pretending to ignore me thing is getting a little silly."

"I don't think she's pretending. You aren't actually a likable person," Alaric backed up.

"There is a huge asterisk next to that statement: I'm a very likable person."

"Like I believe that for even a second," Melody spoke up, scoffing.

"What makes you say that?"

She looked up with a raised eyebrow, challenging him with her expression. "Hm, I don't know. Do you always climb into girls' beds early in the morning and pretend to be their pillows?"

"Yes."

Melody narrowed her eyes at him and her nose wrinkled in disgust. "You're unbelievable." She went back to looking at the old photos, listening to his reply.

Damon waved her off. "Melody, you should know this by now. I'm completely unbelievable but that makes the ladies love me."

The other two passengers rolled their eyes. Alaric spoke up, snapping at the egocentric vampire. "Just shut up would ya'?"

———

They had arrived at Duke and Damon opened the door for Melody, earning a glare from her. She exited the car and followed Alaric as they walked inside. He immediately began to explain. "So Isobel was officially employed by the anthropology department, given that most paranormal phenomenon is rooted in folklore." They made it to an office where a lady was filing when they entered. "Excuse me, hi. I'm Alaric Saltzman, I called earlier."

She smiled and closed the drawer, walking over to them and shaking his hand. "Yes, of course. I'm Vanessa Monroe, research assistant, comparative folklore." The girl looked at Melody strangely. But once she caught the female's raise of an eyebrow, she cleared her throat. "Uh, let me just grab Isobel's keys."

Alaric noticed her look and explained. "These are my friends Melody and Damon. I hope this isn't too much of an imposition."

Vanessa shook her head, waving it off. "Oh please, Isobel's office is right through there." She led the way as she continued on. "Isobel was one of my first professors. I'm a grad student. She was brilliant, and one of the reasons I went into folklore." She stopped and turned to him with a serious expression. "Uh, I have to ask — has there been any news?"

The air became tense but Alaric was quick to answer, forcing a sad smile with a shake of his head. "No, I'm afraid not."

She nodded slowly and turned to the door. Vanessa used the keys and unlocked it, opening the door wide for them to enter. They walked in, gazing around. "I'll grab the light, feel free to look around. It's fascinating, isn't it?"

Vanessa left and the three looked around the room. Melody got a bad feeling and flexed her fingers, a sign that her magic was trying to warn her. Only a few seconds passed before Damon noticed that their guide had been gone for too long and turned around. "Where'd she go?"

Melody raised an eyebrow and turned around to face Vanessa who came back into the room with a crossbow. She shot an arrow at her and when the woman was about to stop it, her arm raised and her magic waiting, but then Damon rushed in front of her and the arrow landed in his back. The fairytale woman went wide-eyed and the vampire grunted, falling to the floor. 

Alaric ran over to Vanessa and pushed her against the wall, restraining her. The brunette threw her arms up, glaring down at the fallen Salvatore. "Seriously, Damon?"

She pulled him up to stand and sat him down in one of the chairs. Melody kept one hand on the arrow, looking at him.

He groaned in pain. "Pull it out. I can't reach it, Melody. Just pull the damn thing out. It hurts." She rolled her eyes and quickly pulled out the arrow, making Damon grunt again. Melody stood up and so did Damon. He grimaced and glared at nothing. "That bitch is dead."

"I could've handled it. You should've just let me use my magic. But she's just a human. Killing her is stupid," Melody defended.

"Watch me."

She pushed him back with her hand, narrowing her eyes. "You touch her and I swear I will personally rip your tongue out of your head."

Damon raised an eyebrow at her, standing in front of her. "What makes you think that has any power over me? Because I took an arrow in the back for you? You're severely overestimating yourself."

"You didn't have to do it. I had it under control. But you know what, I forgot that I was speaking to a psychotic mind who snaps and kills people without thinking. So fine, go ahead, do whatever you want. Just remember, I could've stopped the arrow myself. I didn't need any help." Then she smirked. "Have fun telling Stefan you risked my life. I wonder what he would say."

He made a face. "You're trying to manipulate me."

Melody crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, I definitely am." She smiled sweetly, patting his shoulder before she walked past him and out of the room where Alaric and taken Vanessa.

The grad student held her hands up in surrender. "Please! I freaked out okay? Alright, you would have done the same thing, it's not possible! Melody Pan doesn't exist and Damon Salvatore died in 1864. Okay? I read Isobel's research."

"Well, then you should know just how possible this is," the history teacher replied.

But the thing that stuck out was the fact that Isobel had researched Melody. And the fact that he didn't know about it. Melody narrowed her eyes at Vanessa. "I'm Melody Mills, Peter Pan's biological daughter and the adoptive daughter of the Evil Queen." She pointed to the side at Damon, still looking at Vanessa. "And that is Damon Salvatore who you just shot."

Damon made a face at her that showed he was angry. "I'd be extra nice to me right now."

She rolled her eyes before focusing on the student. "What I would like to know is how the hell Isobel knew who I was. No one in this realm knows."

Vanessa sighed. "I don't know how she knew. All I know is that she read your story and I did too. If she did have something about you, she didn't want to share."

Melody found it better not to argue so she just flicked a piece of hair out of her eyes, irritated at the answer she got. "Okay fine, but we need your help. We need to see all of Isobel's research, anything related to Mystic Falls."

———

They had been looking for a little while for anything that could help them. Vanessa finally saw something and brought over a box to Melody. "This box checks Katherine's arrival to Mystic Falls in April 1864."

Melody looked at it and raised an eyebrow. "Is this all Isobel had on her?"

"All that I'm aware of." The brunette paused and Vanessa saw her look. "I promise. If there was a reason why Isobel had researched you and I knew it, I would tell you. You've been through a lot in your life, you deserve some answers."

She smiled slightly in gratitude and then caught sight of something in the box. She looked over at Damon whose back was turned to them and she pulled out some vervain. Melody handed it to Vanessa. "Here, you might want this," she whispered."

Vanessa looked curious. "Does vervain really work?"

Before the Mills could nod, Damon spoke up. "Nope, not at all."

Vanessa looked over at Melody with a confused look while the fairytale woman glared at the vampire. The student was in shock. "Can he hear us?"

"No, that would be creepy," Damon replied.

"Can he read minds too?"

Damon smirked. "You know, if you want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask."

Melody rolled her eyes at him and then looked at Vanessa. "No, that he can't do and never will be able to do because he isn't that amazing. But he is very capable of being a huge jack-ass." Vanessa smiled and put the vervain in her pocket while Damon smiled from across the room.

———

Hours had passed and Melody was getting bored. She huffed in annoyance and set the papers down, looking through them carefully so she didn't miss anything. Damon came up from behind her and leaned closer to her as he whispered, "Any luck?"

The female pretended not to be more agitated than she already was and replied, "There's nothing in here about Katherine that you and Stefan haven't told me."

Damon sucked in a breath. "Ah, man, you know, it's a bummer we're not friends because I could tell you what I know."

Melody set the paper down and turned to him. "What was it you said about manipulating?"

He only smirked at her. Alaric spoke up, getting their attention. "Hey guys, check this out." The two walked over to Alaric and Vanessa that was looking at a certain book. 

"There's no record of werewolf mythology in Mystic Falls, but here are some records of some of the lesser-known legends. Everything from Scandinavian skin-walkers to the Maréchal de Retz," Vanessa told them, handing Melody a book full of intricate drawings. She would've marveled and admired them if Damon hadn't have looked over her shoulder to see them, breaking her trance. "Tonartsliitsii Metslii, which roughly translates into the curse of the sun and the moon."

"It's Native American," Alaric added.

Vanessa shook her head. "Aztec," she corrected. "It explains one origin of the werewolf curse traced through Virginia. The short story: 600 years ago, the Aztecs were plagued by werewolves and vampires. They terrorized the countryside, made farming and hunting impossible until an Aztec shaman cursed them, making vampires slaves to the sun and werewolves servants of the moon. As a result, vampires could only prowl at night and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. When the full moon crests in the sky, who's ever unlucky enough to fall under the werewolf curse turns into a wolf."

"Can they control the transformation?" Damon asked, crossing her arms over his chest.

Melody looked over at him. "It's called a curse is it not? If they could contol it, I don't see that problem."

The grad student nodded, confirming her words. "Werewolves will attack humans but instinct and centuries of rivalry have hardwired them to hunt their prey of choice: vampires."

Damon didn't seem to believe it from how he kept being sarcastic about the matter. "Well, if werewolves were hunting vampires, I would know about it."

"Not if there aren't that many werewolves left alive. Hundreds of years ago, vampires hunted them almost to extinction."

"Seems like a vampire thing to do," Melody replied with a shrug. "They got rid of something could be a problem for them. So does that mean their bite is lethal or something?"

Vanessa nodded again. "You are right about that too. Legend has it that a werewolf bite is fatal to vampires."

Alarc and Damon looked over at each other and the brunette next to them smiled widely. "I'm a genius."

———

Stefan stood with Caroline at the party in the woods when his phone rang. He walked away to take it and answered the call. "Hey."

Melody was walking out of the office, arriving outside as she talked to him. "Hey. Listen we've learned some stuff here and I know it's gonna sound crazy but I figured you would want to know."

"What's up?"

The fairytale female looked around her and she sighed before telling him all that they learned. He stayed quiet as he let her explain. Once she finished she rubbed her forehead, adding, "I don't exactly know what it means or if we should even believe any of it, but it's a full moon, Stefan. And after what we saw Mason Lockwood do, something could happen."

"I'll be careful," he promised her softly.

Melody debated whether she should tell him but then decided that she should. "There's one more thing."

"What is it?"

She sat down on the steps, looking up at the night sky. "Isobel had research on me. Vanessa tried to shoot me with a crossbow because she thought that I didn't exist. But I just don't understand how or why Isobel would have researched me. It just doesn't make any sense."

Stefan smiled slightly on the other line though she didn't know it. "Well whatever the reason, I'm sure you will figure it out. From what I've learned about you so far, you never give up." Melody smiled back in response. "Listen, I gotta go. I'll see you when you get back to the Boarding House, okay?"

Melody nodded. "Okay."

They hung up and she took a deep breath. She stared at the star that led to Neverland for a few moments before standing up and going back inside.

———

It nagged at her the entire time but Melody knew Vanessa had already said that she had no idea why Isobel had researched the fairytale girl. Despite her confliction, she went over to her. "I know you said you don't know why Isobel researched me but, did she mention anything about a curse?"

Damon looked over at the brunette as she talked with the graduate student. It was the first he had heard about this curse but he assumed it was because Melody hadn't told them much about herself or her personal life.

"Yeah. You're talking about your curse right?" Vanessa said. Melody nodded. "Well, it was actually the main reason why Isobel started researching you though I didn't want to say anything..." The older woman assured her that it was alright. "Isobel found your curse interesting. She couldn't find out who was the maker of it but she found out why. At least she thought she did."

Melody tried to contain her curiosity and yet she couldn't hold back. "Did she?"

"I'm not too sure, honestly. She never told me, she just said that she was looking at a solid."

She was dejected and upset that Vanessa didn't know but she just nodded. "Thanks anyway."

They left the office and Damon went over to her. "What curse?"

Melody looked at him and glared, walking to the car. "None of your business, Damon." She didn't like talking about it considering that it was the moment when her brother had murdered her. The memory was vivid and it often plagued her dreams. Why wouldn't it?

The vampire flashed in front of her and gave her a look. "You show up in Mystic Falls, telling me and Stefan that you're some fairytale character that has magic, yet you won't tell us anything about your life or about you? That seems a bit suspicious."

"I already told you. The last time outsiders came into the place I call home, they tried to blow up the town. I'm not taking my chances." She got closer to him and pointed at his chest. "So you can think whatever you want about me. But I'm just trying to protect my family."

And with that, she went around him and got into the car.

———

Alaric had dropped them off at the Boarding House and Melody got out of the car, trying to avoid Damon. But when they entered, she was about to go up the stairs when Damon flashed in front of her. "What Damon?" she snapped. He did nothing but stare at her, like he was thinking. "I get it. I'll leave. Let me go get my things."

"Don't," he told her, moving in front of her again. "I trust you."

She raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "I'm not in the mood for your sarcasm."

"I'm not." He looked right at her. "I'm going to trust you. On one condition." She gestured for him to continue. "You trust me."

Melody narrowed her eyes but then she noticed that he wasn't lying, a trick she had picked up from Emma. She sighed and then smiled slightly. "I'll trust you."

Damon smiled back. "Goodnight, Melody."

"Goodnight, Damon." And that was the first time in a while that Damon Salvatore put his trust in someone else. But trust is a fragile thing.

———

I really liked the Melody and Damon bonding in this chapter. Thoughts on it? Who do you think made Melody's curse? Why do you think that person made her curse? 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 )