The teens all found it surprising when Alice brought them to an actual house with food and water and real beds. They fully expected cave or something along those lines. But sure... a gray suburban will do just fine. There were enough spaces for everyone to sleep in, no problem. So, there's another bonus.

But Hope couldn't sleep much. Between dozing in and out of sleep, all she could think about was Mel's wellbeing. She also couldn't quite understand why it matters so much. Besides the fact that it's her life on the line. But Mel's fully capable of handling herself. She's survived so much already... why would this be any different?

Perhaps the difference is that they're the closest things to each other now and it would be devastating to have lost one another. That had to be it.

Eventually, the sun had come up. Hope was exhausted, having been unable to properly sleep, but it didn't stop her from getting up so early to prepare for the day. Not that there was much to prepare for. It's not like finding Clarke would be so dangerous.

When she got downstairs, she saw that Alice was already awake, talking to someone on the phone as she was making something. Breakfast, it seemed.

Alice noticed Hope entering the kitchen, and scrambled to hang up the phone, telling whoever was on the other line that she had to go. Hope noticed the panicked way she ended the call. Tilting her head, she glared at the woman. "What was that? Or rather, who?"

Alice smiled. "No one important. Well, obviously important, but it's just a work thing. Classified."

"Classified work thing?" Hope said, unamused. "Forgive me if I call you on your bullshit."

"You don't trust me. Even when I'm helping you. When I'm making you and your friends some breakfast after I offered shelter in my home."

"You were digging around boxes in a clocktower at midnight... you're Malivore's firstborn."

"And here I thought you wouldn't judge me for who my father is. You of all people should understand what that's like..." Alice poured the eggs she'd just mixed into the pan heated pan on the stove. She was still able to face Hope because she had a stovetop setup going on. "No matter. You're gonna get what you want either way, right?"

"Speaking of which. What do you get out of helping us?"

"That's my own business. Respectfully, of course. Now, since breakfast is almost done, why don't you go fetch your friends to eat. Then we can get going."

Hope sized the woman up as she was extremely suspicious of her actions. And her reasoning wasn't given, so that wasn't valid either. Options were thin now, so what could she do, really? Hope left the kitchen to wake her friends. But being as suspicious of Alice as she is, she stopped near the threshold connecting the kitchen and foyer, then peeked inside. She saw Alice sneaking a quick text. It was likely to whoever she was on the phone with.

Hope sighed internally as she left to really gather the others, then brought them back down to have a much-needed meal.

---

After having breakfast that was surprisingly delicious, they were quick to be on their way finding Ryan. Of course, Alice maybe knew exactly where to go. That part alone was suspicious to the teens, but it could be a real lead.

Lizzie (and admittedly the rest of them, too) grew more and more uneasy the further Alice led them in the woods. Especially since she never said where they were going. So, Lizzie took it upon herself to ask. "Are you taking us somewhere secluded to murder us?"

"Yes."

"What?!"

"It's a joke. Relax." Alice climbed on top of a fallen tree to get a slightly higher vantage point. She looked around in each direction to gather her bearings. "It's been a while since I've come here, but the tomb should be close."

Hope cocked her head to the side. "The tomb? As in the vampire tomb?"

"The one and only," Alice smirked.

"Why the hell are you taking us there?"

"You asked me to lead you to Ryan. That's what I'm doing. He's in hiding from our father—and likely you, too."

Landon shook his head. "If there's one thing that I know about... our brother... it's that he won't be found unless he wants to be. So how do you know where he is?"

"The first thing I did when I came to this town was track him down. Us failures that daddy dearest consumed, we hear everything. We know he's spent decades trying to find a way to destroy Malivore."

"Still doesn't answer my question."

Sighing, Alice jumped off the log and placed her hands on her hips. "Want to find the girl or not?" Neither of them protested the very fact that they do. Alice pursed her lips after having made her point. "Then let's get moving."

They didn't say much else as Alice lead them closer toward the tomb. It wasn't too far from where they last stopped and in no time, they were walking through the tunnels that would eventually take them to the entrance. They were going on blind faith that she was going to be here, that it was Clarke that took her, and that they're not being crossed in this very moment.

Maybe they shouldn't've agreed to following a literal stranger...

It was too late now because they were at their destination now. It looked just as always, of course, being a cave. Only a lunatic would go down there just to clean it...

Alice spread her arms out with a shrug. "Sorry, kids, this is as far as I go."

"Yeah, right," Hope scoffed. "As if we're gonna leave you here so you can ditch us."

"Exactly. How dumb do you think we are?" Lizzie asked, cocking her hip as she crossed her arms.

Alice looked dumbfounded. "I'm only doing my part here, what's the problem?"

"No one's here, that's the problem."

Kaleb shook his head and tapped Lizzie's shoulder. "Someone is here. And they're getting closer."

"Who is it?" Hope asked Alice.

"Just the guy you told me to bring you to." Alice motioned past the teens and towards the tomb just as Ryan came around the corner. His eyes widened as he saw the bunch of teens standing before him. But it was when he saw Alice that he became panicked. "Brother."

Clarke shook his head lightly as he stared at Hope. "What are you doing here with her?"

"Finding you."

"Why?"

"Because you've got this thing about destroying your dad. You'd do anything to free yourself from him..."

"Like, maybe, tossing a witch-descending hybrid in the pit," Landon continued, holding the same accusing tone as Hope.

"But it didn't work, and she escaped, so, you took her so you can try again."

"I never tossed anyone in the pit." He turned his gaze towards this big sister, pointing a finger. "She did."

Hope was taken aback for a second before turning around to grab Alice by the throat. But when she did, she saw that Alice was beyond her reach, standing past the stony archway with a twisted smile. It was then that she not only had been fooled, but she had also been so blinded by worry that it's clouded her better judgement. Any other nonpersonal situation would have made it more obvious.

But it was Mel. Her first best friend—besides her dead mother, of course.

Alice shoved her hands in her pocket with a sigh. "Did I fail to mention that?"

"I'm gonna kill you."

"You can try, baby Klaus. I would tell you about my reasoning for all this... betrayal... but I gotta get going. There's a hybrid to turn, and a father to kill." The twins were quick to grab one another's hands to siphon their magic. They lifted their free hands to cast a telekinesis spell on Alice, but somehow it backfired, and they were both sent flying into the opposite wall.

Alice smirked, "Oh I forgot to mention that too."

"What did you do?" Hope growled.

"Power manipulation, with the help of some herbs and a phone-a-friend opportunity. Anything you try to do to me, will happen to you instead. Tell me, how was breakfast?" Just as Hope was about to make another remark about how she was going to kill the woman, Alice held a hand up to silence her. "If I knew I could get to you so easily, I wouldn't have to kill Melori just to kill her all over again, but... the deed is done. And I am sorry. But a sacrifice must be made. My father must be killed. But don't worry...you'll remember her honorable death, I promise."

The vampires—and wolves—in the room snarled viciously, their eyes darkening in anger. Rafael growled, "When we get out of here—"

"It'll be too late." Alice sighed heavily. A grim look washed over her face as she hung her head low. "I really am sorry, by the way."

Alice turned around and hurried out of sight. Hope wanted nothing more than to follow her, but the barrier at the entry kept her and the others in.

Clarke shook his head in disappointment as Hope turned around, grabbing fist fulls of her hair. "You've seriously messed up."

"We know that," Landon groaned.

"No, you're not getting it." Ryan stomped towards his brother, grabbing him by the shoulder to have them face each other. "If that girl wasn't dead before, she is now."

"You don't know that."

"But I do, baby brother. If there's one person that will go to more lengths than me to kill our father, it's Alice." Ryan then turned to Hope who was leaning against the wall. "Believe me when I say your friend's as good as dead."

I'm late again, I know but regardless, here we are :)

I really just wanted to warn you all about my horrible plan to incorporate S3 and maybe some S4 events of into this story. I won't spoil it but just know that what will happen in a few chapters will allow time for our girl Mel to tie up loose ends in her past... and honestly, I feel like it's a piss-poor way to include the latest events of Legacies, but I'm gonna go through with it anyway.

S4 fanfiction may not come for another couple of weeks, but still, I thought I would share that with you.

I also wanna warn you all about Melori herself. her ancestry, genealogy, all that.. yeah it's a lot more complicated than the Bennet Hybrid thing so be prepared, okay?

as always, thank you for reading and voting! I mean, what, 13k reads? just about? fucking hell, dudes that number just keeps getting bigger and bigger and I'm very content with that. so thanks, again.

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