After Zay and Lucas had been dropped off, the twins, Maya, and Melody all returned to the Matthews residence. Riley, Topanga, and Cory, all sat at the kitchen table. They turned to look at the door as the group entered.
"Hey guys, did you have a good time?" Topanga asked.
"That movie was awesome!" Maya exclaimed, "There was this part where this guy took his eyeball and-"
"La la la la la!" Riley yelled, covering her ears. Noticing that everyone was looking at her, she uncovered her ears, "I would enjoy not having nightmares, thank you."
Melody smiled, then turned to her sisters, "So, what happens now?"
"Well, we're staying in town for a couple of weeks, we've got business in the city," Sylvia started.
Jen nodded, "We'll figure it out, little one." Melody nodded, as if to herself, before hugging each sister and then heading to her room. Sylvia smiled, then sat at the table, gesturing for Jen and Maya to sit with her. Jen and Sylvia sat on the same side as Topanga, while Maya sat next to Riley.
"We have something we'd like to share with you," Sylvia spoke, addressing Maya and RIley.
Riley looked at Maya, then back to Sylvia, "Okay, what's going on?"
"Well, we wanted to run something by you," Sylvia smiled, looking to Jen.
"You guys are a part of Melody's life now, and we wanted to respect that by asking you before anything got finalized," Jen continued.
"Before what got finalized?" Maya asked.
Topanga joined in the conversation, "Girls, Jen and Sylvia have hired me to help get Melody out of the system."
"If we can get the paperwork filled out, she'd technically go into our custody since we're her living blood relatives-" Jen spoke.
"And since that's the case, we're able to get her out of the system-" Sylvia continued.
"Hopefully, within the next two weeks," Jen finished the play.
Riley looked at Topanga, "This is happening?"
Topanga nodded, "This is happening."
"Thanks for the heads up," Maya smiled.
"Let's have a party!" Riley exclaimed.
Corey looked at his daughter from his seat at the head of the table, "What?"
"We could have a surprise party, it'd be fun!" Riley justified.
Jen and Sylvia just smiled, looking at one another. With that look, nothing else needed to be said.
As Riley, Maya, Lucas, Zay, Farkle, and Smackle were hanging out at Topanga's, Melody wiped down the counter.
"So, how was the dance?" Zay asked.
"It was fun, wasn't it Beloved?" Smackle reported.
"That it was, but it would have been more fun if we all had been there," Farkle responded.
"How was the movie?" Smackle asked.
"It was epic! There was this part-" Maya started.
"Stop!" Riley exclaimed.
Maya smiled, "Anyway, it was pretty good. I'm glad we all got to go."
"We were actually planning on seeing it downtown," Farkle remarked.
"You won't be disappointed," Sylvia spoke. entering the cafe with Jen.
Melody perked up, "Schwestern!"
Jen smiled back, "Schwester!"
As Sylvia and Jen sat at the counter where Melody was working, Zay looked out the window. His eyes widened as he stood up, "Melody?"
Melody stepped out from behind the counter, spotting what Zay had seen, "Shi-"
"Melody!" Riley scolded. Melody gave Riley a looked that effectively silenced her.
"Melody-" Zay tried to speak.
"I can't hide you from this forever," Melody admitted as Drew walked into the cafe.
"Well look who's here?" Drew smirked arrogantly.
Melody looked directly at Maya, "Get Riley and Lucas out of here, now."
"What, why just us?" Riley asked.
"Because of all the people here, this would hurt you two the most," Melody justified.
Drew laughed, "You don't want them to see this? Who you really are?"
"What do you want, Drew?" Melody asked slowly.
Drew looked at Melody lovingly, "You."
"Don't you dare," Melody snarled.
"You can't hurt me!" Drew laughed, "And I'd never hurt you."
"You sure about that?" Lucas asked, standing up and standing next to Melody.
"Are you sure you want to defend her?" Drew addressed Lucas, "You don't even know her."
"Lucas, back down," Melody said, not taking her eyes off of Drew.
"Melody-" Lucas started.
"Friar," Melody shut down. Lucas looked at Melody, then sat down.
Drew smirked, "Do I win?"
"Maya-" Melody started.
"I'm on it," Maya spoke, starting to stand and grabbing Rileys arm.
"No, I want to see this," RIley forced Maya to sit back down, "I need to know."
"What do you really want?" Melody asked.
Drew smiled, "To do this." Drew leaned in for a kiss.
"Stop!" Melody spoke, putting up her arm. After a pause in which Drew leaned back, Melody pointed to the door, "Get out."
"You can't resist me!" Drew spoke, scoffing, "I'm all you will ever have! Look around you, none of these people have any real connection to you. You think they'll be that hospital bed when you die?" Melody looked at Drew, unable to come up with a response.
"You want someone with a connection to her?" Jen asked, her and Sylvia standing on either side of Melody.
"We were there when she was born, when she was immediately hospitalized," Sylvia listed.
"We protected and took care of her from a hospital for the first four years of her life,"" Jen continued.
"We taught her how to fight, how to cook, how to speak German," Sylvia added.
"And she taught us how to care for someone, how to take care of others, how to trust people, Jen smiled, looking at Melody.
"She taught us the meaning of life," Sylvia nodded, "And if that's not a connection, then I don't know what is."
"Even when they weren't with me, they were always there," Melody admitted, "I don't need you to have a healthy relationship, Drew, and our relationship was never healthy to begin with. You hurt me, Drew. What's worse is that I think part of you enjoyed it, you love hurting the people around you and toying with them like puppets!" Melody paused, her previous sentences leaving there mark, "And you know what? I am nobody's puppet. Get out."
Drew paused, sputtered, then laughed, "You can't kick me out, you don't own this place."
"She can do whatever she wants," Maya spoke, herself, Riley, and Lucas moving to stand with Melody, "As long as she has us standing behind her."
"We might not've know her for as long, but we care about her," Zay added, standing with them.
"We recognize a great being when we see one," Farkle started.
"And she's certainly a greater being than you," Smackle finished, as the pair stood with their friends.
"Now we're not gonna ask again," Melody started.
"Get out," Everyone but Drew spoke as one.
"Why won't you help me?" Melody yelled at Drew from a crummy apartment.
"You think I don't help you? I'm all you have!" Drew laughed, slapping Melody hard enough to knock her into a wall.
"I wasn't hit mam, I was running and I tripped and fell face first on a log," Melody lied.
"If you say so," Calpurnia agreed, "I suppose you have no reason to lie."
"I'm leaving!" Drew yelled.
"Fine then, go back to the other woman!" Melody screamed back at him.
"She knows how to respect a man, Drew exclaimed.
"You mean how to keep you happy, or how to dodge a fist?" Melody accused.
"How dare you!" Drew grabbed Melody's shoulders and shook her violently, "I have done nothing but kept you happy, and this is how I am repaid? Respect me!" Drew threw Melody against the wall with a large thud. Melody slammed against the wall before crumpling to the floor like a rag doll. Drew recognized the signs immediately. He grabbed his belongings and ran, leaving the door open. The man from the apartment over entered the room, coming to check on the couple after hearing the commotion. He saw Melody and rushed to her side, immediately calling 911.
Melody woke up in a hospital bed. She surveyed her surroundings, noticing Calpurnia sitting in the chair next to her.
"Well look who's up?" Calpurnia commented, "We've collected your bags from Independent Living, you're being moved to a new home, the Vandan's are available."
Melody listened as Calpurnia continued to go on and on about the changes from Independent Living back into a foster home, but she only noticed on thing. Someone had brought he a bouquet of flowers and put them on her nightstand. She plucked the note from the stand, and opened it. The message she read terrified her, causing a panic attack.
"I'll be back. XX -D"
Melody sat across a kitchen table from the Vandan's.
"Look, no one's ever gonna know. We can say that you lost me on a family walk, that we got separated in a store, anything," Melody convinced.
The mom shrugged. Not caring about the kids became the norm when you had too many to keep track of, "No sweat off my back."
Melody had gone to her vault to collect her cell phone before going on the run to the Valley Cabin Lodge. There was some sort of field trip going on there, so she had the ability of blending in with all of the other high schooler's. She noticed a brunette, only slightly younger than herself, who kept watching her. Suspecting the worse, she pulled out her cell phone and pretended to take a call as to not be disturbed. She took her fake call to the parking lot and leaned against the wall on the far end. She put her phone down, then started to scroll through endless text messages she and Drew had once shared. For a moment she considered going back to him, before immediately recoiling at the fact that she would even consider that. She glanced over to the other end of the lot as she tried to catch her breath when she saw them. The brunette from before, Zay, Lucas and three others were watching her from the other side of the lot. She shakily tried to raise her hand in greeting when everything stopped. She faintly recalled seeing Lucas running towards her before her feet failed beneath her. As her head hit the pavement and her heart skipped more than a beat, she cataloged the experience as possibly the weirdest dream she had ever had. And it was the weirdest dream she ever had, apart from the fact that it was real.