Scott McCall, the Mikaelson

Chapter 54

Beacon Hills Bowling Alley

Done with bowling and everyone going their separate ways, Natalie noticed that Melissa didn't seem to be in a hurry to go home after watching her standing outside her car for a few minutes with keys in hand.

Judging by Melissa's surprise call for a night out and how distracted she was earlier, Natalie figured there was something on the woman's mind, and she was trying to distract herself from thinking about it.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Natalie asked Melissa.

Having not heard Natalie approach, Melissa was startled but not so much so that she forgot her stun baton, and she brought it up to defend herself and attach, only to come face to face with Natalie who gulped, startled by Melissa suddenly movement and the stun baton.

"Oh, it's you!" Melissa said relieved. "I'm so sorry!"

"Who did you think it was?" Natalie asked calming down. "And what is that?"

"An attacker?" Melissa replied looking around before leaning against her car and looked at the heavy powered stun baton in her hand. "This is my pepper spray."

"Your wha-?" Natalie cut herself off shaking her head.

"You've seen the kind of things our kids deal with," Melissa began. "Don't tell me you think pepper spray will work on them."

"From what I've been told, werewolves have heightened senses, therefore, pepper spray will work just fine."

"That's assuming you're dealing with a werewolf and someone without a mask or glasses."

Natalie saw Melissa's point and thought about upgrading to a stun gun.

"What's on your mind?" She asked after a moment of silence and added so that Melissa didn't blow her off. "You seemed distracted earlier, and you've been standing by your car for some time now."

Melissa released a long sigh.

"A lot," She answered.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I wish," Melissa began.

"Well, I'm here to listen."

"But I can't," She completed. "Not about this."

"Something tells me that you need to talk about it, though, for your peace of mind."

Melissa chuckled a little hysterically.

"With my son's school principal?" She asked.

"With a friend," Natalie responded concerned because this was the first time she saw Melissa like this, Melissa seemed vulnerable in ways Natalie never thought she could be, so she allowed herself to be vulnerable as well and added. "With a friend who needs to talk about something she wishes she could talk about too but can't."

That gained Melissa's attention, and she looked at Natalie and the vulnerability she sensed in Natalie's voice was visible on her face and body language, it seemed like she indeed had something weighing on her too.

Melissa thought about confiding in her since Natalie appeared open to confiding in her.

"My son is having dinner with his father," She said after a moment of hesitation, and she was glad that although Natalie's confusion was clear as to why that was an issue, she didn't comment. "But the man he's having dinner with isn't the one he grew up knowing as his father and I thought was his father."

Natalie's confusion doubled.

With the flood gates opened, Melissa couldn't stop herself from talking about everything concerning the topic from the beginning to present and Natalie listened like she wanted to be listened to.
TRANSITION
Klaus' House