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you were put through hell

pairing : melodie saint germaine x platonic!jackson family

summary : melodie saint germaine, goddaughter of the 'king of pop' michael jackson is a finalist on the american dancing with the stars. a former ballerina and the aforementioned goddaughter of michael jackson has had a traumatic upbringing with the loss of both parents when she was very young and then of her godfather in 2009, a sweet reunion with the remaining jackson family ensues as does a sweet moment between one of the judges after her most memorable dance was dedicated to her beloved godfather.

warnings : sad, mentions of michael jackson and his death, mention of parental death, mentions of abuse at an undisclosed ballet company, dancing with the stars and winning dancing with the stars

a/n : i warned you guys, here it is, my new series about michael jackson called 'heal her world' and here is the first one shot! which i literally just put on wattpad yesterday but i clearly couldn't wait and made an entire new masterlist and my first ever series on tumblr!

a/n : and yes, i did originally have this in the format of united kingdom's strictly come dancing and no, i'm not changing it so, pretend dancing with the stars has their own version of it takes two lol.

it takes two | monday night

it was monday evening and the night before the final of dancing with the stars 2026. alongside melodie saint germaine and her partner alan bersten, all of the remaining couples were on dancing with the stars 'it takes two' show to talk with the hosts joey graziadei and julienne hough. talking about all things about their dancing with the stars journeys, their three dances for tomorrow night's finale and much more.

in her skin-tight maxi dress, heels and his button-down shirt, jeans and polished shoes, melodie and alan sat in their it takes two interview with joey graziadei about their dwts journey. melodie was downright excited as was alan. however, he was a lot more emotional about the whole thing than he thought he would be. especially considering it had been six years since his first win as a dwts pro, it was clear that he was craving another mirrorball in 2026.

joey had introduced their vt package for their dwts journey. and, in all honesty for the two of them, it felt so bizarre to be watching all of that content. from the last twelve weeks of their thirteen-week journey on the show together. they watched in complete awe and content as it all suddenly finished too quickly. it had now returned back to the duo and joey on camera.

joey smiled, "awe, that was amazing to watch, wasn't it? congratulations, you're in the final!" he cheered as melodie and alan chuckle as they hold hands, one leg crossed over the other

"how are you feeling after watching that?" he asks as alan immediately turns to melodie who giggles, responding

"umm, emotional, i feel exhausted *laughter*, i look like a mess. i'm sweating, i've recently just had to go and strap up my foot and ribs because they're still inflamed from the week before *giggles*. but, truthfully, i feel so grateful and it feels amazing to be in the final and have that video to watch back of everything we've done. it does however feel crazy because when we truly try to think about it, it doesn't feel like we've done a lot. but, then you show us this video and we really have done a lot and, truly, it's been the best adventure i could have ever gone on. especially when i see just how far the both of us have come since the beginning. i mean, it's completely overwhelming but, i'm sure we can pull it together for our three dances tomorrow night!" melodie's indiana accent seeps through as she giggles, her smile bigger than it ever had before as alan nods his head in agreement

"let's go right ahead and talk about your three dances for tomorrow night then. you are doing the viennese waltz which was a very successful dance and it was also your first ever perfect score. as well as the earliest in dancing with the stars history *cheers*, yes, well done! and it's a dance that is very loved by everyone. and, melodie, i just want to bring up something that you said to julianne last night and it was that you were going to be more spicy for tomorrow's performance. and, may i ask, how is that even possible because you were already so spicy and in character during the original dance *laughter*?" joey pauses as melodie giggles as she shakes her head

"we first watched the dance back, alan and myself with prince, paris, bigi and my godfather's nephew jaafar jackson the night before alan and i spoke with julienne..." as melodie was going to continue, alan giggled as joey held a singular finger up to pause

"...i still get shocked when you just casually bring up the children and nephew of michael jackson in our conversations like that because i still cannot believe that michael jackson is your godfather!" joey scoffed in shock as melodie giggled as did alan as they both nodded their heads

"honestly, that's still my reaction and i've been michael's goddaughter since i was basically in my mother's womb..." melodie giggled as joey allowed her to continue what she was originally going to say

"...and all four of them agreed, prince, paris, bigi and jaafar, that whilst this was one of alan and i's best dances, i just needed to add a little bit more fire, spice and attitude throughout my facial expressions and, of course, i agreed cause i'm never going to argue with a jackson, let alone four *giggles*. even though i'm the only one out of my siblings with dance experience, people forget just how different each dance form is different to the others so, whilst i did do ballet and was a ballerina, there are actually things about dancing that i don't know. and besides, i stopped doing ballet around two years after michael died when i was thirteen because he was the one that kept me in ballet after the loss of my parents when i was seven. so when he died when i was eleven, i just fell into a hole of not enjoying ballet anymore because now no one was alive to watch me do the thing i loved at a place where i was actually being completely mistreated and abused..." melodie trailed off as joey's eyes softened as he spoke up

"...i'm so sorry, melodie. i, obviously, had no idea how you had been treated whilst being a ballerina, especially so young from how old...?" joey asked as melodie smiled softly

"...my parents first enrolled me into ballet classes when i was around two-years-old. my mum was also a ballerina and then became a prima ballerina in her late twenties before retiring and going on broadway..." melodie smiled as joey continued his meaningful words

"...because whilst your parents, similar to michael and the jacksons, were so famous, they did everything in their powers to make you and your siblings as private as possible so we never knew as much about the newer generation of the saint germaine's. that was until your godfather, michael jackson, showed you off to the world at seven-years-old at your parents' very famous and public funeral which must have been so strange. and you still like to keep some things about your life private, what made you decide to finally start to come out of the shadows again?" joey asked finally as melodie smiled as her head tilted to the side and she thought about it

"i think i decided i no longer had to be scared about the cameras and the attention. whilst there were people with those cameras and attention that were awful, especially to my parents and my godparents, my godfather especially, i came to the realisation that even if i stayed private, people would still say things. so, it just came to my mind that if my parents and michael were still around, they wouldn't want me hiding now that i'm much older and have my own autonomy, i'm allowed to be a face in the public eye because i've forged my own path. i'm not just the daughter of elaine and john saint germaine and the goddaughter of michael jackson, i'm actually someone who isn't just a 'nepo baby' and to cash off of my parents and godparents' names..." melodie responded with a headnod as both alan and joey nodded their heads as joey asked his next question

"...did joining dwts ever scare you or give you the worry that the trauma you experienced as a ballerina when you were a child would return as an adult?" he asked softly as melodie smiles and almost giggles as alan smiles at her

"initially, i was terrified but, the longer i thought about it and made my agent wait on giving a response, i had a similar realisation about doing the show that i had about me coming out properly to the media. and it was just that i had to, mind my michael jackson pun, stop exisiting and start living. and i realised that as much as it hurt me, if i couldn't find my love for dancing again, not even ballet, but dance than i wouldn't be living. i'd just be miserably exisiting in a world where i'm basically alone except for my siblings..." melodie responded as joey nodded his head as did alan

"...but even though i was put through hell whilst being a ballerina with the loss of my parents at seven and then my godfather at eleven, i knew that what i went through as a ballerina isn't the same as what ballroom dancers go through. or even other dance forms, no dance forms are the same, yet i still had dance as a whole associated with the trauma i had with ballet..." melodie trailed off as joey and alan nodded their heads as she continued

"...i was still so scared that if i went into any dance class ever again, i was going to be treated horribly again. and that was something i wasn't ready to put myself through again so when we came to week five, that spiral started again when i got too in my head and started to have those panic attacks that no dwts camera ever saw. and i actually think it stemmed from having such a fantastic week the week before with the viennese waltz and then our argentine tango that was funnily enough, ballet inspired and done to swan lake, that led us into the bottom two. whilst that situation had nothing remotely to do with what happened to me as a ballerina, i associated the emotions i felt after the argentine tango as the same emotions i had whilst i was a ballerina and being abused..."

"...and that really scared me more than i think i've ever admitted especially since at face value, i didn't seem scared or as though i was rocked by the sudden change. but, i was scared and completely thrown off. in saying that though, i don't even think our argentine tango was our worst dance either *alan and joey shake their heads*. it was just simply that something wasn't correctly done and conveyed in the foundations of the dance and, this isn't said to throw alan under the bus and say it was his fault because it wasn't. he choreographed a beautiful argentine tango, it just so happened that somewhere between the final rehearsal and the live iteration of the dance, something went wrong and we had to dance it again. but, blessed be god, we danced it better and we were saved for another week--"

"--and it never happened again!" joey stepped in as melodie nodded her head, agreeing

"yes, absolutely right! after week five, it never happened again but it was something that really threw me off in a way that hadn't happened before since being a ballerina. and, truthfully, it genuinely upset me but i never showed or told anyone that because i never cried or talked about it in future vt's. until weeks later but that's a different story *giggles* but, now that we are here in the final, i don't feel the same fear that i felt in week five and then the following week leading up to week six. and since then, i haven't felt scared to go out and perform any of our dances but most importantly, i'm not scared about our three dances tomorrow night. like, genuinely, i feel the most confident i've felt since starting and i'm just truly excited to show everyone the connection that alan and i have built but also sustained throughout this whole competition. so, i...i just cannot wait for tomorrow night," melodie finished as alan nods his head in agreement as joey smiles sweetly before asking another question

"alan, speaking of the argentine tango, that's not the dance that the judges picked for you guys to do again. even though it was your lowest scoring, they chose for you guys to do your most memorable year again. can you explain why they chose that instead of the dance that you'd think they'd want you to do again and try for a higher score?" joey questions as alan responds with a smile, melodie also smiling with a small laugh

"i know right? when melodie and i found that out, we were kind of confused. but, it was, because, as you said, our argentine is our lowest scoring so, we would have thought that they'd choose that one so we could give it another shot and try to get it at a higher score. but, i do think ultimately the reason why they didn't choose the argentine but my most memorable year instead was they felt as though they didn't get the full story of the most memorable year. whereas, they felt as though they saw so much of the argentine tango that they felt like we should just leave it behind and have that stay at it's original score..."

"...because, i guess, it's a reminder not just to melodie and myself but to everyone that it's okay to have one dance or two that just aren't really up to perfection on this show and that not everything has to have a perfect score. and, another reason i think they chose the most memorable year was because, i guess, it touched not just the judges and the audience but it also touched the entire country and countries surrounding. it touched an entire country and world in a time where it's only been four years out of a global pandemic that was scary and so life-changing,"

"and, right in front of us, we're watching a young adult, a beautiful young woman, open up about the fact that growing up, she went through hell with the loss of both parents, who were very famous, at seven and then her even more famous godfather at eleven and as a child ballerina. it wasn't all glitz and glamour, it was screams and torture and grief for her alongside her personal life still being turned upside down, suffering an agonizing tragedy at such a young age..."

"...after being hidden away because of her parents and godfather's fame, she's finally opened up about it, the trauma only being mentioned by her godfather's children. and getting the honour to be the person melodie fully opened up to and being introduced to that part of her life and the inspiration of her most memorable year dance was lifechanging and it changed my perspective of life, truly. it's something that everyone and anyone had their own theories and opinions about as outsiders but actually hearing it with my own ears and watching how she relived those experiences as she told me how it felt losing what was basically her entire family so young is something an outsider would have never of guessed that was how a child dealt with that grief since it was never public until now..." alan trailed off as joey nodded his head in understanding as melodie smiled and nodded her head

"...and, in all honesty, we are so excited to do that most memorable year dance again since it really does give melodie the time and the healing to really once again, become vulnerable and open up. and to talk about those things that maybe she never thought she'd be able to talk about," alan responds as melodie smiles in agreement

"yeah, i absolutely agree with everything alan just said. especially in regards to why the judges didn't pick week four's dance. it wasn't just something alan and i wanted to leave at the low score that it originally was but, it was the judges that wanted to leave it there too. because, they did say that they either wanted to see the argentine tango again or our most memorable year and they said ultimately, that out of both dances, our most memorable year was a lot more meaningful. and they said it showcased a lot more than our argentine tango did and that was why the judges decided to have alan and i perform that dance again as one of our three final dances," melodie responds as joey nods his head with a smile as does alan

"just before we get around to the finale freestyle because that is so much fun to watch since i already did get to watch a cheeky little bit of it earlier, it's gorgeous you two. let's talk a little bit more about your most memorable year, in regards to the dance, it is quite an emotional dance, isn't it melodie?" joey asks as melodie and alan both nod their heads

"yes, it is very emotional, joey. it's a very beautiful contemporary piece and we performed it back during week three as you would know and it was immediately one of our favourite if not our number one favourite dance. it's our number one because it was just so emotional and it felt so freeing for me that i'm just blessed to dance it again. however, getting to see my beautiful godfamily and my siblings in the audience this time will be an added blessing..." melodie smiled, her face almost quivering due to how big she was smiling

"...who's coming to watch the finale this week from your family?" joey asks as melodie catches the way he just includes the jacksons as part of her family, not godfamily which makes her relax and smile

"all nine of my siblings including both sets of twins as well as paris, prince, bigi, jaafar and the remaining jackson five brothers," melodie smiles as joey and alan also smile as joey nods his head

he then allows melodie to continue what she was saying which she does, "and it just brings me so much joy at how supportive they have all been, especially my godfamily because now that i'm technically out of their guardianship, they no longer have to look after me like they used to. but, in saying that, i know they'd never do that so, i'm really glad they all agreed to be there for me and alan like, i don't even think we had to ask them..."

"...no literally, we were about to ask them if they potentially wanted to be in the audience for the finale and before either of us could say anything, all of the jacksons including paris, prince, bigi and jaafar all went yes straight away. like, we didn't even need to tell them what we were asking them before we got a scream of that they'd love nothing more than to be in that audience," alan smiled as did joey as he pouted

"stop it, that's so sweet! i'm so glad they'll be in the audience as i'm sure this will be just as healing for them as it has been for you, melodie!" joey added as melodie nodded her head

"oh, absolutely joey, that was why alan and i wanted to give them invitations because i knew from the beginning that at some point in this competition, i wanted to dedicate a dance to michael and the entire jackson family for how they took care of me when i had no one else even though they didn't have to. i'm also having a special dedication so, i'm just glad i have my entire family, not just my siblings, in the audience tomorrow night," melodie smiles as joey smiled back as alan sat quietly and listened intently

"so, now that you have been rehearsing it again alongside the viennese waltz and freestyle, you did mention to julienne that it is the more emotional dance out of all the dances you two have done. so, can you explain a little bit more what it's been like in rehearsals since it is a dance that was one of the earlier ones like the viennese?" joey prompts as melodie giggles, alan lovingly letting melodie take over

"oh, like i said back in week three when we first performed it, i absolutely love it. it was already so emotional and alan's choreography, again, is just so beautiful and so clear in his intentions for this dance as well. but, for tomorrow night, we have made it even more emotional and, it's actually the most vulnerable i've ever been in any of the dances. even when we first performed it in week three, i was a lot more reserved and i guess, frightened of being emotional on camera since the last time it happened, it was at my parents funeral since i physically couldn't feel anything at my godfather's. but, this week, i've never been so in touch or so confident in showing my real emotions and it's also the most emotional alan has gotten as well this competiton. and like we said, it's a beautiful dance that just honours what i lost at such a young age and it pays tribute to them beautifully. and, yeah, we're just glad we get the honour to dance it again with the other two dances. and i also can't wait for the rest of my family to see it for the first time since it's been years since they've seen me dance in person," melodie smiles with a head nod as joey smiles sweetly as does alan who comforts his partner

"hoo, i'll make sure to have the entire audience decked out with boxes of kleenex before your most memorable dance love--"

"--for a second time," alan sassily jumps in as melodie giggles, smacking him playfully as joey chuckles before continuing

"i know it's been an emotional and exhausting week for you guys and you're tired and i don't want to make it worse. however, we do have an amazing little clip of your family and friends who want to say a few words to you since we're running out of time and can't talk about the freestyle..." joey announces as melodie's eyes widen and she slides down her seat on the couch, before coming back up and hiding behind alan as he comforts her

"...growing up with melodie as our older sister was a dream come true. ever since we can remember, she was always the most delicate, shy and sensitive one. always very nice and sweet but also very shy. but, there was a side of her only few close to her got to see and it was always a party because she only acted in that specific outgoing way when she was around those she knew very well, better than her family at home..."

"...when we were younger and all of our other older siblings left the house and indiana, melodie was put into ballet when she was two years old by our parents before we were born. our mom was a prima ballerina before retiring and moving onto the broadway and ever since she did that, it had always been her dream to have the next generation of saint germaine daughters as ballerinas just like her. however, none of our other siblings including ourselves didn't enjoy ballet except for little melodie. even though her name came from the fact that she was our parents greatest melody, that little girl was obsessed with our mom's old red pointe shoes from the red shoes ballet..."

melodie covers her mouth with her hands. her younger twin brother and sister, hayden and xälia, were the first to film a video message for their older sister. alan comforts her as hayden and xälia continue their video message to their sister.

"...watching our older sister dance, even though we were babies, was always a sight for sore eyes. even though we didn't properly understand it, we knew our sister had a talent for ballet which she clearly had gotten from our beautiful mother. however, after the loss of our parents when melodie was seven and we were four, if it wasn't for her godfather, michael, she would have had to have stopped and we knew it would have broke our sister's heart if she had to stop so, he made sure she didn't..."

melodie watched as her twin siblings became teary eyed as hayden talked about their losses and how melodie nearly stopped ballet way earlier. she then smiled as xälia continued bravely whilst hayden had to stop before he'd break down into a flood of sobs.

"...after losing our parents, melodie, hayden and i were split up. all of our older siblings had since left indiana and weren't our legal guardians, me and hayden's godfather being jermaine and melodie's godfather being jermaine's brother, michael. however, even though we had different legal guardians, we were never too far away from our older sister and we continued watching her dance ballet like it was effortless for her at such a young age. however, little did hayden and i know or understand just how terrible ballet had become for our older sister..."

melodie smiled at her younger sister as joey and alan kept close eyes on her as they continued to watch the messages.

"...we never noticed because we never saw or understood what they meant but very quickly, melodie would come home from ballet with bruises, scrapes and cuts that weren't normal or consistent with what she had been doing in classes those days. michael had noticed what was going on, he tried all he did to prevent it from happening and tried to convince melodie to leave because she didn't deserve to be abused and not treated right when she was just trying to dance but then, he also died..."

it was in this moment that melodie noticed the tears in her sisters eyes as hayden just kept his head down as he cried as the clip then switched. melodie almost screamed as the clip was almost all of the jackson family including paris, prince, bigi and jaafar in the one room. all of them smiling as the dwts team had still labeled the jacksons as melodie's family.

"...i don't think it really took any of us in the family that long to realise that melodie was a beautifully talented ballerina..." jermaine, godfather to hayden & xälia spoke as he smiled lovingly

"...although a naturally shy girl, that never stopped her from being a lovely and happy girl that made friends growing up. one of my fondest memories of melodie was actually the day after a ballet class, another one that had her coming home littered in bruises and tears but, it was a different type of tears when she was thirteen. they were tears of relief when she told us at the dinner table, three years after the death of her godfather, that she would be quitting ballet and this upcoming showcase would be her last one. i'll never be able to forget the looks of relief that broke over the twins faces. hayden especially, i could tell it broke his little ten-year-old heart countless time when melodie kept on delaying her final day with the company until it all just became too much and she no longer enjoyed it alongside the losses of her parents and michael. but, saying that now, seeing her now as she finally loves dance again, in another realm of ballroom and latin, is something i'd never thought i'd get the chance to say..." jermaine's smile didn't once fade or leave his face as he said those words

"getting to watch my brother's and best friends little girl every single weekend, smiling and having the time of her life alongside alan has been truly healing for her but i also think for us, her family, as well. we watched for so long as ballet abused and hurt her that we were at first scared that dwts would do the same thing to her. however, watching this journey has been life-changing because ballroom and latin dancing hasn't abused and hurt my little girl. it's actually lifted her up and made her believe in her talent as a dancer again. it's made her truly happy again and i think that's what's been shown week in and week out with each of melodie and alan's dances..."

"...seeing my brother's goddaughter finally smile again whilst dancing is magical and i can only say thank you to dwts so many times before it sounds insane *giggles*. but, i'll keep on saying it until my voice runs dry because they made my little girl smile and feel safe again doing the thing she once loved the most..." jermaine's video faded out as his smile was the last thing seen

it made melodie smile and her heart fuzzy that jermaine called her 'my little girl' even though he was never her legal guardian at any point, even after the loss of michael. photos of melodie from when she was a kid and throughout the years were then shown whilst the voiceovers played over the top. then, a video message from paris showed up. making melodie and alan who were watching this get extremely excited.

"watching my godsister every weekend on dwts has been the best thing i've ever seen in the entire world. i mean, i watched her do ballet when we were younger but, this is the first time i've actually seen my sister be happy as she's dancing. she never had that with ballet, not since she was two when she first started and it was all sunshine and rainbows for her until she was six. all of that light was then taken away from her so to see her finally understand that dance isn't supposed to be like that and actually love it, has definitely been an emotional experience for me for sure..." paris trailed off as that could have almost made melodie cry but she didn't as paris continued in the video

"...before melodie joined dwts, i never imagined or thought of a time in this life that she'd want to do this show and dance again without her godfather being alive to witness it. i remember having to hold her as she had a ptsd breakdown whilst we were walking past her old dance studio that had since been closed down. i don't think she ever saw herself in this life being able to fall in love with dance again after what they did to her after her godfather died after he had protected her after her parents died..." paris was teary as her brother prince comforted her as bigi also watched carefully as melodie watched with a loving smile

"...it's just truly been lifechanging to see my sister finally understand that she can love dance again in a life that doesn't include her parents or godfather. and that it should have never treated her that way in the first place, being a dancer is never meant to be traumatic and i'm glad it doesn't make her feel like that anymore," paris sniffled with a teary giggle as she got emotional

alongside videos of melodie and alan dancing, were video messages from melodie's other siblings and family members. but, the ones that really caught the girl off-guard were from her godfamily, the jacksons.

"watching melodie on dwts so many years later has been so healing for us all. especially after watching her leave ballet at thirteen, it's truly been a godsend seeing her evolve and fall in love with something she once obsessed over as a little girl. we cannot wait to be in that live studio tomorrow night to watch these three dances, it'll be unforgettable for many years to come," jermaine spoke first as his son jaafar agreed as melodie's heart melted as she watched on

"watching melodie on that dance floor every weekend has only brought joy into our family's life after all the public trauma and loss we've gone through. getting to watch melodie have the realisation that dance isn't traumatic or meant to hurt has truly been emotional and such a healing experience not just for her but for the whole family. it's all we've wanted and we know it's everything that her godfather wanted had he still been alive. all we wanted was for melodie to understand that dance is meant to be joyful and magical. it shouldn't bring bruises, tears and abuse and it shouldn't be something that induces fear or trauma to at least try and do any other form of dance. it's been a dream to watch her blossom and really fall back in love with the art form that was truly hers ever since she was two..."

"...and it's something we're glad she commited herself to since i remember just how scared she was to even think about dancing again, let alone on a competition show. so, it's been an honour to see the girl she once was peak through every so often throughout this journey because we've all missed seeing that part of my godsister. the part of her that was so cruely taken away from her when she was just a little girl because she loved to dance..." jaafar also becomes emotional as it then switches back to paris, prince and bigi, this time, prince is the one talking

"...watching melodie fall back in love with dance and accomplishing everything she's accomplished these last twelve weeks is mental. people tend to forget that ballroom and ballet are completely different dance forms but because it's dance, people think it's the same and that melodie has an 'unfair advantage'. now, in saying that, i can barely tell you what the terminology of a turn or lift is in dancing but, even i can tell that ballet is nowhere near the same as latin ballroom and melodie shouldn't be judged just because of her previous dance experience. because of what she went through as a ballerina, melodie tried everything she could to physically force her body out of the way it would act when she was a ballerina because of how much trauma she went through that even seeing the smallest thing to do with ballet, it would trigger her. even if it was her own body, her own feet turned out or pointed, she'd break down into tears because it would take her back to when she'd be a ballerina and being hurt. so, that's why it's very emotional seeing her dance every week because she's no longer trying to physically force her body to change when it naturally falls back into it's comfortable dance position like when she was a kid because her body still remembered what her brain didn't want her to. and because she isn't fearful or hurting when she's dancing, she's genuinely happy and seeing that joy reflect in her eyes as they sparkle has been nothing short of a blessing. i just want to wish the both of them, as all of us in the jackson family want to, the best of luck for the final tomorrow night. and, we just hope that we'll be watching the both of them lift the mirrorball trophy live when we come to watch it in the dwts studios," prince smiles as does paris and bigi as melodie and alan were moved by all the messages

the jacksons and the saint germaine twins then revealed their favourite dances which spanned from the viennese to a quickstep/salsa fusion to their upcoming most memorable contemporary as it then got more emotional again at the end of the messages.

"...i have no doubt in my mind that our parents and melodie's godfather would have loved to watch their angel girl finally fall in love with dance again. they died without getting the chance to watch melodie know what it finally felt like to find joy in dance again. however, we know for sure that they've been looking down and watching this entire time..." xälia smiled tearfully as she looks at hayden who smiles back

"...they're definitely wishing they could have stayed longer to watch you melodie. i just know they would have loved it and been in that front row every single week. you are a superstar and like the judges say every week, you could totally get away with changing jobs and join the dwts professionals. it's blindly obvious at this point who the winner is, we love you melodie!" hayden blows a kiss to the camera with a teary smile that matches his twin sister

a video from her viennese waltz showing melodie and kai's first ten was then accompained by a video from jaafar, "when odie and alan got their first fourty back in week three, with their viennese waltz, that was a standout moment. a moment in which i think it clicked in melodie's head that she could potentially really fall back in love with dance again and that it was okay. it was okay that she wasn't scared of being hurt from it again and that she was allowed to be happy that she was finally feeling safe enough to dance again. seeing her fully involve herself in the world that once abused and traumatised her has been nothing short of a miracle which i'm certain i'm not the first or last person to say *giggles* but it has been. but it's been a journey that's given us this miracle and i'm forever grateful that i got to witness it, although from afar," jaafar explains with the sweetest smile on his face, melodie smiling at the old childhood nickname, as the rest of the jacksons appeared

"if odie was to win, it would be completely life-changing, not just for her but, i think for every abused and traumatised dancer who sees themselves in melodie. and also for every other young person across the country or even the world. she was always looked at with fear-glazed eyes and as though you couldn't speak to her without the shadow of her traumatised life as a ballerina and the girl who lost her parents and godfather. those kids that used to find her trauma funny, look who's laughing now? that girl you used to relentlessly tease because of the things she was exposed to way before she was ready to, she's now on TV with her name being chanted out for everyone to hear and watch her. she's more than just the girl that was hurt by a company that promised to take care of her after the loss of her parents and godfather!" jermaine spoke as the jacksons agreed with him as melodie found herself going red in the face as she watched

"to watch her have the same ups and downs on this show that had her being abused and shouted at as a ballerina and watching her pick herself up and continue with such grace and confidence is truly a switch that is truly unbelievable. but, it was all of that grace and confidence that got her all the way into the final and it's incredible. i mean, all the hard work she and alan went through is paying off in the best way possible. i just absolutely adore that girl and, truly, i am so glad she is my godsister," jaafar ends off the individual messages as it went back to the entire group

"you are amazing, melodie and alan! we know you can win so, go out there tomorrow night and win it for us!" prince calls out before everyone else joins him for the final message:

yelling, "we love you odie and alan! you can do this! come on, bring it home to indiana!" the group yelled as melodie and alan chuckled

one last clip of melodie and alan laughing and hugging was shown before the vt was completely finished. the camera coverage returning back to joey, melodie and alan on the couch.

joey awes as does melodie as she giggles, revealing to everyone that she hadn't cried but, alan had and he laughed. a look of shock and concern quickly covers melodie's face when she actually took the time to pay attention to him. pulling him for a hug, alan chuckled and accepted the hug, joey gives a sweet, touched look to the camera as he gave the duo a moment to breathe and so alan could compose himself.

a small pout on his face, melodie then offers him a tissue from the bedazzled tissue box that joey had handed her, "awe, alan, melodie that was so sweet. now, i need to ask you both though, i know the competition has meant the most to you and you haven't really mentioned winning but, how would you feel if you two did end up lifting that mirrorball at the end of tomorrow's show?" joey questions as melodie chuckles, comforting alan as she tilts her head to the side slightly

"umm...honestly, of course, it would feel amazing to win because, obviously, alan deserves it so much. but, i...i don't know honestly! it's a weird question for me to answer because i've truthfully never thought about winning this show. like, genuinely, i only wanted to do it because if my parents and godfather would never be able to see me dance again, i wouldn't want that same thing happening to my remaining family. and, also that, like my whole family mentioned, that it's okay that i've fallen in love with dance again and that it isn't meant to cause pain and that it's not scary anymore," melodie shrugged as joey's shoulders slumped and he pouted as did alan as melodie chuckled

"aw, love," joey whispered as melodie explained herself further

"i would love to lift that mirrorball, joey, don't get me wrong, of course i would, because, like i just said, alan truly deserves it. and, it would mean so much to him as well as myself if we did win it. but, i think just being on this show full stop and getting partnered up with alan and dancing with him every week and just getting to laugh with him has been the real winner. i mean, all of this stuff, getting to dance again after so many years of being scared of it and laughing with alan for the last thirteen weeks and to remember how joyful dancing is has been even better if not the same as the feeling of winning that trophy is. like, getting to feel myself falling in love with dance again and knowing i no longer have to be fearful of it with alan right by my side reminding me that it's safe has been life-changing. so, in all honesty, whether or not alan and i win, it won't change a single thing to this journey. i won't feel too sad because having someone like alan show me the joys of dancing all over again has been a win and a dream i never thought was possible," melodie smiles as she squeezes alan's hand tightly as he had been trying to compose himself the whole time, wiping away his tears as he nodded his head in agreement as joey nods his head as well

"i know you're emotional alan but, even with all the support and the love from not just your friends and family but also from the public, what would it mean to you, alan? what would it mean for you to lift that mirrorball tomorrow night?" joey asks as alan tearfully giggles, tilting his head similarly to melodie before responding

"honestly, it would mean the entire world to me. it would mean that melodie's family were absolutely right in trusting me with her. it would mean that *sniffle* everything i did was all worth it," alan whispers as he started to cry again, melodie pulling him in for a hug as joey cooed, his shoulders relaxing again as he gave the duo a moment

"that was so sweet of you to say, alan," joey smiles as alan nods his head, calming himself down so he can continue

"it sounds so dramatic but, i truly mean it because that's what it does mean for me. i mean, it's not the fact that we made it this far but the fact i managed to peel back the layers of what was once a terrified, traumatised and orphaned former child ballerina and make her re-fall in love with dance again as the reason why we're still here. and, i think that's what the public have seen as well and that's why we're just grateful why we're still here," alan finishes as he wipes away the rest of his tears, melodie nods her head and joey smiles

"we're also grateful that you two are still here! they have been amazing everybody, so sorry we couldn't find out more about the freestyle but, that just means it'll be a surprise for tomorrow! well, listen, best of luck for tomorrow and get some rest because we've got a big night tomorrow. everyone, please, give it up for the amazing melodie and alan! now we go over to julienne who is with the other celebrity/pro dancers," joey finishes as melodie and alan applaud and giggle as they then leave

🩰

it was the final of dancing with the stars 2026 and melodie was just about shitting herself. all three finalists had three dances they were dancing as part of their last ever chance at winning the mirrorball for 2026. the dances that melodie and alan were going to be doing is their viennese, which they chose and was the dance that gave them their first and earliest ever perfect score. their freestyle that was a new, never before seen dance made purely for the final as well as their most memorable contemporary which was chosen by the judges to see again.

videos of melodie walking on the dwts stage in a gorgeouos red halter-neck one-piece playsuit were then shown. her ginger hair was in a slicked-back high ponytail, glittery pumps worn to tie the whole outfit all together. several videos showed melodie reaching up towards the glitterball, the biggest smile ever on her face as she stared at it in complete awe. she couldn't believe that she was a finalist in dancing with the stars 2026.

speaking in the vt for the final time, melodie smiled, "getting to the final of dwts is just incredible. like, since the beginning, i don't recall ever thinking i'd get this far even though i wanted to for the little girl that was taken advantage of simply because she loved ballet. and, it was never because i doubted myself per se or alan but, because i genuinely didn't think that the public would be able to find me likeable. or, really, have any other personality to me other than the fact that my parents are elaine and john saint germaine and my godfather is michael jackson, the king of pop. however, being able to say i'm in the dwts final is truly something i'm always going to be grateful and quite proud of," melodie smiles as she nods her head

alan laughed hysterically as they rehearsed for their viennese. however, the reason why alan was laughing wasn't for the reason you'd think it would be over. melodie had just been surprised by her godfamily, the jacksons. so, the reason why alan was laughing was that melodie was trying to teach her godsister paris her and alan's viennese waltz. however, paris just couldn't get it nor wrap her head around how complicated and intricate it was and why it was so hard! she never remembered any of melodie's old ballet routines being that intricate or that difficult. even though the viennese is quite notoriously very intricate and hard and so much more different to ballet. however, it seemed as if melodie was doing it seamlessly and perfectly, even with paris not quite getting the steps. which is what made alan laugh even more which ended up with paris and melodie laughing as well as everyone else who was watching them.

and this time, it was paris apologising to melodie, not melodie apologising to someone else, "jesus christ, i am so sorry odie, that was so bad!" paris chuckled as the song finished, melodie cackling, her head flying back as she calmed down before responding

"it's okay paris but, you have to admit, that was hilarious!" melodie giggled as she placed her hands on her knees to open her airways enough so she could get her breath back

however, like always, with all of the laughter between the two, they also had time to knuckle down and be serious during their rehearsal time. they didn't want to mess up, not at the final of all places. they couldn't afford to since they had bascially been labelled as "perfect" since the beginning. with the exception, of course, of their argentine tango, there was no way in hell they were going to fuck it up now when it really mattered. after more videos of alan and melodie rehearsing their viennese were shown, so was a voiceover of melodie talking about this dance again. talking about how excited she was in having the opportunity to dance it again in the final.

"the dance alan and i chose as our couple's favourite dance is our viennese waltz. this viennese is by far the most intricate viennese that has ever been choreographed by a professional on this show before. and it just happened to be choreographed by alan for the two of us and it was very stressful when he first pitched it to me. but, honestly, it has genuinely become one of our favourites," melodie smiled as she giggled in the background

"we just hope that we can recreate how it felt when it was seen for the first time all over again. because, dancing it the first time was probably, at the time, the highlight for me and alan on the show. so, i just hope we're able to replicate that feeling one more time on that stage," melodie smiles as the vt ends

as the vt ends, melodie and alan get into their positions and smile at the crowd hyping them up. even though it was mostly their family that could be heard. they then waited for the start of bishop briggs' song water as the dance began.

hitting their final pose, melodie and alan started laughing in joy. incredibly proud that they were able to, once again, replicate what this dance was like for the first time all those weeks ago. but better. running over to alfonso riberio for the judges' comments, the poor host was flabbergasted at how amazing their first dance of the evening was. it was clear that they were wanting to do nothing else but win tonight, melodie and alan.

"...what an amazing viennese and what a joy to see it again, carrie-anne?" alfonso comments before gesturing over to carrie-ann who is smiling brightly

"i know i said this when we first saw this dance but, i'm gonna say it again. that is the most intricate viennese waltz my eyes have ever watched and i feel dizzy in the best way possible *giggles*. for this to be your first dance of the evening and knowing the next two that are coming, i'm bursting with excitement. i was so glad that this was the dance you picked to do again because i have loved this dance since the start and it was a blast watching it all over again! well done and thank you for your wonderful and flawless execution of a viennese two separate times!" carrie-ann cheers as do the audience as melodie and alan chuckle, looking over to derek who is shocked

"i am truly flabbergasted at how amazing that was you two! it was as if we were seeing this for the first time all over again! i mean, melodie, you were so sharp in your movements and so smooth in your lines. you looked so confident and happy and in all honesty, you really should think about returning back to dance because this feels like i'm just watching you come back home after some time away. it looks so easy for you and it truly makes my heart sing that you have taken so much out of this experience and how good you are up against alan. you are not falling behind at all my darling, i cannot wait to see your freestyle and the judges choice!" derek winks as melodie and alan smile, attempting to catch their breath and thanking the former pro now judge as they look over at bruno

"i mean, i am shocked! that was so much fun and entertaining, it as like i was being rained on and i just wanted to join you! as derek said, you would really be amazing returning as a dancer, melodie and i agree that it is something you should heavily consider because you are what we need as dancers in this industry! i also can't wait for your other two dances, well done!" bruno energetically says as melodie and alan laugh as they thank the three judges

alfonso smiled as he turned back to melodie and alan, "amazing comments, not that that isn't new, melodie and alan. however, due to time constraints, we won't have time to talk about them so, over to you julienne so we can get the judges' scores and these two can get ready for their freestyle!" alfonso winks as melodie and alan grab hands and run over to the dwts box to get their first round of judges' scores.

"...the judges' scores are in... carrie-ann inaba..."

"...10!"

"derek hough..."

"...10!"

"bruno tonioli..."

"...10!" bruno smiled as the box filled up with cheers and applause for yet another perfect score for melodie and alan

"congratulations, melodie and alan, yet another pefect score! wish we could speak more but, since you've got to get ready for your freestyle, we have to let you go!" julienne laughs as melodie and alan nod their heads, just as astounded as everyone else as they left to then get ready for their freestyle

in the vt for melodie and alan's freestyle, it was explained that this year, the freestyle would be danced in between the couple's favourite and judges' pick. because the majority of the finalists had their most memorable year/most emotional dances as the judges' pick dance and they decided to show them last.

in the video, small clips of melodie and alan rehearsing the freestyle were shown and it was beautiful. they were freestyling to avril lavigne's head above water. and, just like the first vt, many giggles and silly little mistakes were shown in this vt as well.

the amount of fun that melodie and alan were having whilst rehearsing their freestyle was so much. it was joyus and filled with pure happiness for those watching.

in giggles, melodie attempted to explain her and alan's freestyle, "for our freestyle *giggles* alan and i are dancing to avril lavigne's song head above water. the song is beautiful and the choreo--stop it alan!" melodie squealed as alan scared his celebrity partner as laughter erupted through the dance studio

"can you believe that i still have to deal with this big child?!" melodie squeals, her indianna accent popping out as alan hangs off of melodie's shoulders as he giggles childishly whilst his partner is trying to stay serious

"you love me, odie!" alan tries to win his partner over but, this time, it wasn't working, a death stare being fed back to the professional

"do i, alan?" melodie responded back with a blank face as the cameraman teased the professional who looked truly devastated

"wow, that hurt!" alan sighed as melodie burst out into laughter, hugging the professional

"i'm only joking! of course, i love you alan!" melodie giggled as alan's face went from being sad and hurt to happy again as the two of them started laughing

more clips of the two rehearsing were then shown. then a voiceover of melodie screaming in rehearsals was then shown as laughter followed afterwards.

"--let's hope and pray that the dance gods and my godfather don't let us mess up this freestyle because jesus christ we need this to work!" melodie is then heard saying with giggles as the vt finally wrapped up

melodie and alan were in their positions for their freestyle. only hoping that nothing that could go wrong in the dance was going to go wrong.

and, nothing went wrong. the freestyle was perfectly executed as melodie and alan celebrated. running down from the mountain top, melodie and alan hugged each other in the pure joy that two dances out of three were done to perfection. running over to alfonso for the judges' comments for a second time, the poor host was again flabbergasted at how amazing that dance just was. and how it seemed as though melodie and alan were just soaring with their dances this final. as mentioned before, it was very clear that they were wanting to win tonight.

"what a stunning freestyle, carrie-ann?" alfonso comments before gesturing over to carrie-ann who now really had no clue what to say anymore

"i thought your first dance had me flabbergasted but no, this one just accelerated it! this was a gorgeous freestyle, melodie and alan. your connection was amazing, you were smiling, you were trusting with one another and the way you two were just having pure fun was just amazing to see. it was like i was watching two best friends just having the time of their lives together! i really loved it, truly i did. melodie, your extensions, your legs, and your hands were all spectacular and the lifts and jumps, wow! you two just blow me away every single week, congratulations!" carrie-ann winks as melodie and alan smile, thanking the judge

derek smiled brightly, "this freestyle was marvellous melodie! your lifts were exceptional, your extensions were gorgeous, those jumps made my heart race but oh my gosh you were so effortless, and your smile and pure joy with alan was heartwarming to watch. and i am so glad we got to see it because your smile just lit up the entire stage and it was timeless. and, it's also a moment that i am genuinely never going to forget when this year's show finishes and i hope it's a moment you never forget either. i am so proud of you melodie and i cannot wait for your judges' pick," he smiles as he applauds melodie and alan who thank him, before looking at bruno for his comment

"i'm completely stumped for words! that was so much fun and just radiated pure happiness! like, all i can feel from both of your dances so far is just joy and energy! like, i wanted to get up on the stage and dance with you two! your connection is so strong and your technique is flawless. well done you two, you are on a roll tonight for the final!" bruno winked as melodie felt herself blush as she felt alan hug her tighter as they then turned back to alfonso

alfonso smiles as he turns back to melodie and alan, "amazing comments, yet again you two. however, like last time, we don't have enough time sadly to talk about them. so, go over to julienne with the judges' scores!" alfonso smiles as melodie and alan grab hands and run over to the box to get their second round of judges' scores

"...the judges' scores are in...carrie-ann inaba..."

"...10!"

"derek hough..."

"...10!"

"bruno tonioli..."

"...10!" bruno smiled as the contestants and box all jumped up in cheers and applause for another one of melodie and alan's perfect scores

"congratulations, melodie and alan, another perfect score! literally record-breaking this, i've at this point lost count of how many 30s these two have gotten throughout this competiton," julienne laughs as melodie and alan nod their heads, just as astounded as the first time

once again, the couple were ushered out to get changed into their outfits for the third and final dance, their judges' pick. which was their most memorable contemporary from week three in which melodie dedicated to her deceased godfather, michael jackson. all the other contestants had since performed their third and final dance leaving just melodie and alan to perform their last dance.

and out of nowhere, the show had suddenly gotten way too emotional from all the other most memorable year/judges' picks. however, it seemed as if melodie and alan were about to just make everyone even more emotional with their judges' picks. so, in anticipation of how her family and godfamily were going to react, especially the jacksons and the twins, melodie and alan watched their final ever vt package before their final dance on dwts for 2026.

in this final vt, no one was laughing or messing around because they didn't want to risk fucking up this beautiful and meaningful most memorable year dance. performed back in week three, it was a dance that was actually very emotional and important to melodie but important to alan as well. for the reason being that he was absolutely honoured to get to be the person showing the entire country this new and vulnerable side to melodie that wasn't even shown in week three when the dance was first performed.

a side of melodie that no one had ever seen, not even in the few seconds of a dwts vt package before a dance or since she was eleven. just like in week three, this most memorable year dance was showing the country the losses that melodie went through at eleven when she lost her godfather, michael jackson. a dance in the semi final dedicated to her deceased parents as she opened up about how the loss of her godfather was the final nail in the coffin that solidified just how lonely she now truly was going to be for the rest of her life.

all she wanted for this final dance was to pay tribute to her beautiful godfather, michael. originally, way back in week three when they first created the dance, they were wanting to dance to one of his songs, potentially heal the world but they couldn't get the rights to the song in time so, they used a cover of nick cordero's song live your life. so, for melodie, this was such an important dance for her to be dancing again as her last dance that was standing inbetween her and the mirrorball.

"...this last dance, which is a dance that the judges' have picked, is the most emotional and the most open i have ever been with anyone. we did this dance in week three as it was my most memorable year dance that takes us back to 2009 when i was eleven years old and my godfather, michael jackson, passed away. that year is a year i can barely remember but all i can remember is just how much i craved the one person i was no longer able to be with anymore, my michael..." melodie's voiceover trails off over a video of her doing a dance move from the rehearsals of the contemporary dance

"...even though i was only eleven and i can barely remember my most memorable year, i remember the sinking feeling i felt when it was confirmed that michael had died. i was in the house at the time it happened as were prince, paris and bigi and i just remember running into his room after they had taken him away from the house, slamming the door shut and sliding down the door as i just cried. it was like hell had truly opened up and swallowed me down taking me down with it. i always thought my godfather was invincible, even with the way he was horribly treated, i still thought just like peter pan, he'd live forever..."

"...when michael had noticed the way i was being abused at my ballet academy, he actually begged for me to stop around two months before he died. he begged for me to switch to a different academy where he had actually seen the way the students were being treated and knew that they weren't being abused but i refused. i told him it that i was okay and that it was just some growing pains at the academy but he knew that i was lying and i knew that he knew i was lying. then he made me promise him that i'd leave the old ballet academy and move to that new one so i lied to him and said i would and then he died. it wouldn't be until i was thirteen, that i finally left that ballet academy but then never return to ballet ever again..."

"...the only reason why i left ballet a couple of years after michael's death was because i didn't think there was anything worse than him no longer watching me dance ever again. i did try to go to that new ballet academy he wanted me to enrol in but, it was after i left the old one and was going through panic attacks so there was no way i was able to step into another ballet academy ever again after that. and even though he knew how much pain and trauma ballet put me through, he knew somewhere inside of me there was still that little two-year-old that was so excited to finally start ballet that it didn't matter that i was being treated in that way that that was why i stayed for so long. and it wasn't until after losing michael that i realised just how awful and messed up my thought process was for thinking that..." melodie paused as she took in a shaky breath so she wouldn't cry straight away

"...i definitely supressed a lot of those emotions in regards to the ballet trauma and the trauma of michael dying that i thought if i just ignored it, it would just go away. but it never went away/ it got so bad that at one point, i refused to see any of my ballet friends because even just thinking about them would have me in a panic attack. whilst they understood why i couldn't see them, i know it killed them just as much as it hurt me because they missed me just as i missed them. not seeing my friends from ballet was like hell on earth but it was what saved my life at the end of the day..." melodie's voice faltered before she composed herself quickly and continued

"...and whilst it's mentioned a lot how my trauma affected me, i don't want it to be forgotten at how it affected my family, my twins, hayden and xälia most especially. they also went through hell watching me suffer because of the one thing i loved more than anything else in the world. they had to watch me almost die because of the way i was beat down by my ballet company after they watched me grieve the loss of my godfather as they overworked and underfed me for weeks at a time, sending me home as though nothing was wrong and as though they weren't going to get caught..."

"...the saddest thing about the entire situation is, i was just a little girl that loved to dance and wanted to make it my job. i had dreams as a girl of being a prima ballerina professionally and for as long as my body allowed me to. however that never got to happen and it never will. and it breaks my heart to think that i kept myself in that dangerous environment up until two years after the loss of my godfather. that was when it clicked in my head that my godfather had been right all along, i wasn't in love with ballet this entire time, i was scared of it because it was painful and that was why i promised myself i'd never dance again for as long as i lived. and then, all these years later, i broke that promise..."

"...breaking it because i also knew that if i never tried dance again that i wouldn't ever know real happiness because my godfather knew that even though ballet did hurt and cause pain, not all dance was like that..." melodie sniffled as she covered her face before she gave up trying to be in control, finally starting to cry as the clip ended

a different video of her then started to play where she wasn't crying.

"...getting to perform this dance a second time with my entire family, including my godfamily, watching it live in the audience just feels completely unreal. i mean, i've been so protective over this dance that none of my godfamily have been allowed to watch the original performance of my most memorable year dance. like, when we were watching the episode after it had been broadcast live, i forced them to skip over my dance so they couldn't watch it so they'd be seeing it for the first time live on tuesday. i wanted this dance to be pure for them which sounds so weird but, especially because michael's brothers and kids are seeing this for the first time, i wanted them to be surprised completely. the only people that know this dance are my two sets of twin siblings hayden & xälia and hudson & xëna and it made all four of them cry their eyes out when they saw it live. so, if i got them to cry, i think it may get my godfamily to shed a tear or two as well and honestly, that's my goal," melodie chuckled cheekily in a less emotional clip before more clips of the most memorable year dance rehearsals were shown as was the twins, hayden & xälia and hudson & xëna's initial reactions of the dance

"my most memorable year dance will be dedicated to my godfather michael jackson and my godfamily. whilst michael will never get to watch me dance ever again, my godfamily will be and for that, i'm forever grateful whilst my godfather watches from above. my sweet applehead, you are missed every single day and you are so loved and will always be remembered!" melodie finishes off the vt with a heartfelt dedication to her godfather michael and her godfamily the jacksons

as soon as alan and melodie finished the dance, having already cried since watching the vt, it didn't take that long before the waterworks had started again. a video that had been projected onto the dancefloor of melodie with her godfather michael had been shown that had her collapsing to the ground in sobs. as alan comforted her, the live audience, judges and fellow contestants went teary as they watched the three children of michael rush to the dancefloor to comfort their godsister. it was clear to everyone watching that these were tears that melodie had bottled up for years.

eventually, melodie composed herself and stood back up after being assisted by her godsiblings as they then made their way back to their seats with the rest of the jacksons and saint germaines as melodie and alan found one another again. as much as melodie wanted to, she knew she couldn't rush over to them to give them hugs so she just sufficed in blowing them kisses as her and alan held hands and went over to alfonso for the judges comments.

"that was a gorgeous dance, you two but, before i start crying, which could get very ugly, we'll move straight on to our judges, carrie-ann?" alfonso chuckles as he swiftly brings finger under his eye as carrie-ann smiles sweetly

"oh, melodie, whilst this is our second time seeing this dance, this is what we've been wating for! all we've wanted after so many amazingly precise and perfectly choreographed dances, even seeing this dance in week three, was your vulnerability. and i am so glad you were finally able to show us after being intimidated by it all those weeks ago because watching this exact dance tonight in comparison was so much better. it was so much better because we were able to really understand the song choice behind the dance and the meaning of it for you. which in turn made this weeks version of it a million miles better and that much more gutwrenching when it was paired with that emotional videotape at the beginning to then be followed by it's beautiful dance. thank you for sharing this dance with us for a second time. clearly, there was a reason why we chose it as the judges' pick *giggles*. and i am sure alan's just as thankful for you opening up to him so you two could get this dance to the pure perfection that it was just then. you were utterly stunnning and if this dance isn't what gets you two that mirrorball, well i'll be damned! perfection, you two, perfection!" carrie-ann smiles with a cheeky wink as melodie tearfully giggles, her tears drying as alan consoles her as he sweetly smiles over at carrie-ann before derek spoke up

"i have no idea what to say without getting choked up again but, melodie, that was beautiful. i loved that dance when you first did it back in week three for most memorable year night and i loved it again tonight. that vt mixed with the dance and then that video of you and michael at the end just broke me and i know it did the same to you as it's clear you didn't know alan had done that for you but i'm so glad he did because he knew you needed to be reminded of that moment with your godfather. and it just breaks my heart that he's not here anymore, i think the entire world is but, melodie, you were put through hell losing him as did the rest of his family but you just keep on getting up every day and i'm so honoured that all of us here got to be apart of your family for just a couple of minutes. if this dance isn't the main reason you get that mirrorball i'm going to quit as a judge because you deserve the trophy after all three of your performances but especially this one! i'm so proud of you, melodie and you should be proud too!" derek almost sobbed as melodie's entire body relaxed as she let go of alan's hand and ran over to hug him before running back for bruno's comment

"wow i mean, i don't even know what to say after everything derek just said. all we ever want as judges is to see our celebrities feel comfortable and feel like they can open up to us and i am so glad that you have finally done that. watching you in that vt share all those things that you kept to yourself all these years was the bravest thing i have ever seen a person do. the way you had such control over your body as you danced and just let alan take over as you just effortlessly moved through those steps isn't something easily taught. i am so proud of you melodie and i am so sorry michael wasn't here to see it," bruno smiled softly as melodie smiled as she blew him a kiss as alan also smiled

alfonso smiled as he thanked the judges wordlessly for their comments as he explained that once again, he couldn't have melodie and alan talk about their thoughts on the comments. ushering them over to julienne and the showbox, where they were able to.

julienne smiled as she spoke up, "what an incredibly emotional dance, half of our studio is still recovering *laughter* and frankly so am i! but, before we get to our judges' scores, melodie, you mentioned in your vt that you were also dedicating this dance to your godfamily, the jacksons, can i ask why?" julienne questions as melodie smiles and nods her head

"of course you can julienne, i also dedicated this dance to my godfamily because they were the ones that took me in, not just because my parents asked michael to be my godfather but because they wanted to. they truly loved me and my entire family to the point that they were willing to sacrifice everything to make sure me and the younger twins were in safe happy homes after the loss of our parents. and then after the loss of michael, who was my guardian after my parents died, i was taken in with prince, paris and bigi to their grandmother and just continued to be loved and taken care of until i was old enough to become my own guardian. but even after i left, they never let me truly leave without knowing they'd still be my home if i ever needed a place to fall. i dedicate the rest of my life and dance career to them as well," melodie smiled sweetly as emotional gasps and cheers filled the arena at her last sentence

julienne's eyes widening with joy at hearing melodie say that she'd continue dancing and make it into a career. the camera then zoomed down to the audience and close to the jacksons as their eyes all filled with tears.

"oh, melodie, that is so very kind and sweet of you. now that we are still all recovering here after hearing that, don't lie *laughter*, let's get these judges' scores shall we?" julienne chuckles as do melodie and alan as they hold hands tightly and wait as patiently as they can

"...the judges' scores are in... carrie-ann inaba..."

"...10!"

"derek hough..."

"...10!"

"bruno tonioli..."

"...10!" bruno smiled as the showbox filled with cheers and applause for another perfect score for melodie and alan

"what an amazing score you two, all three of your dances tonight have been perfect scores! which, if you guys were counting, gives melodie and alan a goddamn world record. because, like i said earlier tonight, i have lost count of how many perfect scores they have recieved *laughter*. in all seriousness though, congratulations you two, that dance was perfection and possibly one of the best final dances we've ever seen, if not the best!" julienne spoke in utter shock as melodie and alan just nodded their heads

the both them in shock and still emotional from the dance because, phew, forget about it if you didn't get emotional during that dance!

🩰

after waiting for what felt like years, it had finally come to the moment that was the be-all or end-all for the remaining three contestants left. melodie and alan stood closest to the right of the stage right where her family sat, the other two couples on their left side, which she felt good about because it meant that she was right in the eye-line of her family. and, if she needed them, she could focus her eyes and concentrate on them if she could just bring herself to do it and it would make her feel better. it all just seemed absolutely terrifying for melodie. sure, she had gone through twleve weeks, not including tonight, of dancing with the stars results but, it was still the first time she was on a competition show like this let alone in general.

holding alan's hand in a double lock with her own, she couldn't bear looking up to face anyone. not even her family like she thought she'd be able to do. comforting her as best as he could, alan only wished that he could do all he could to make melodie feel less scared, especially since she had just spent all these weeks so closed off and basically hidden away from everyone to all of a sudden opening herself up. sharing her whole life with the world in a matter of moments during the final, he only wished he could have switched places with the young girl. however, he couldn't take her fear away or her nausea but what he could do was comfort her and take care of her like he's done the last twelve weeks. they painstakingly waited for the final results and to who the hell was lifting this goddamn dwts mirrorball trophy!

and finally, it was time to find out the winner of dancing with the stars 2026, "melodie & alan, ciara & val and maura & mark, the votes have been counted and independently verified. and now we can reveal the dancing with the stars champions are..."

"...melodie and alan!!" alfonso and julienne announce as screams are unleashed from the stage and audience

and poor melodie sinks to the floor as alan falls down with her as they hug each other tightly. alan whispering to her that he knew she'd win from the beginning as they finally stood back up as she still couldn't believe what had just happened.

"also, massive congratulations to our wonderful runners-up, ciara & val and maura & mark, come on over here darlings," julienne says, hollering the other two couples over so melodie and alan could accept their trophy

"melodie and alan, you are our winners, how does it feel?" alfonso questions as melodie basically shuts down and starts laughing as alan watches on fondly with a sweet smile as he tries to calm himself down

"ummm....*laughter* i don't even know! i can't even think!" melodie shyly chuckles, her hands resting against her cheeks alan wraps his arm around her back, pushing her closer to him

gesturing to alan, alfonso smiles, "it feels amazing, i mean, i just got to say the biggest thank you to this sweet, loving, talented young lady that made my whole life's work come true after six years since winning my first mirrorball! this is definitely the most rewarding mirrorball that i've won and i'm so grateful it was with this one right here. you are just extraordinary, melodie, i mean, what a human you are, right? you are just something else and i just love you, i really do so, i just have to also say a huge thank you to your lovely boyfriend for letting me steal you and also having him trust me in taking care of you! she is so understanding, so funny and just the best team player so, i'm glad i got to be the one to have her enjoy dancing again..." alan trailed off before he could get anymore emotional as melodie giggled softly as she had finally thought of something to say

with some encouragement from julienne, melodie finally found the courage to say what the experience had meant to her, "i...i just want to say, you are incredible alan and you always pushed me to be the person i always wanted myself to be. you always had so much belief in me, more than even sometimes i had in myself. i'm sure you already know what an amazing teacher you are but, i just feel like i haven't actually properly expressed to you enough what a great friend you've been to me this entire journey, it was always you that was there for me when my family weren't able to be. and i just can't thank you enough for what you've done these last twelve weeks of my life, like, you're so amazing and i am so grateful i was gifted as having you as my pro and as a best friend. we've gone through so much together and i just want you to know and remember that no matter what happens, no matter where we go in life after this and when we next see each other, i hope you never forget that you have a piece of my heart, alan. and you'll never ever be forgotten as the person who truly gave me back my love and home that is dance and i can't thank you enough for that because it truly means more than you could ever know!" melodie sobbed at the end as alan tearfully giggled as he swept her up into a hug as he quietly thanked her in the hug

the studio audience, judges, hosts and fellow contestants then showered the winners in applause and cheers.

"congratulations..."

"...we did it!"

"yes, you did it! the mirrorball trophy is yours! your dancing with the stars champions 2026...you can lift it up!" after some hesitations as to who was going to pick it up, melodie just went for it and lifted up the trophy whilst alan hugged from behind as sparkles flew and cheers were heard from probably a couple of countries let alone the next couple of counties over because of how loud everyone in the studio was

melodie and alan celebrated as alfonso and julienne finished up the show, closing it out for one final time for the year before the christmas special. after once again, congratulating alan and melodie as the 2026 dancing with the stars champions, michael jackson's bad played in the background. it played as the winning couple danced together for one last final time as the other contestants stormed the stage. however, it truly couldn't have been a winning moment if the two winners weren't lifted up in the air. so, the contestants parted ways to let the jacksons and saint germaine twins through to have the honour in lifting up the winners.

then, when the show finally went off the air, hayden, prince, jaafar and hudson, who had been the four holding up melodie, let their sister to the floor. only for her to be picked right back up again by her boyfriend dakota, who was in the army and surprised her as they celebrated together. the contestants and family then go wild as the couple kissed which made the couple giggle. then, people started to post on their social media about melodie and alan's amazing win after dwts instagram post. melodie then posted her own, posting one last weekly dwts update before announcing in that very same post that she and alan had indeed won the show!

liked by dancingwiththestars, jaafarjackson, parisjackson, princejackson, officialjermainejackson, dakotajackson, ryleearnold1, lindsarnold, alanbersten and 99k others

melodiesaintgermaine photo one, two & three : me and alan hardcore rehearsing for the final of dwts.

photo four : me and dakota recreating our old soft launch photos after his surprise homecoming from the military after the live show final.

photo five : this is what i call my serious dancer face.

photo six : the photo taken of me holding the mirrorball after it was announced we had won!

yes, alan and i are the 2026 dancing with the stars champions! i am beyond happy that a girl that was a former abused ballerina could even win a show like dwts. in time i'll post a more sentimental caption with more sentimental photos but this is all my emotions are allowing me to post right now before i burst out into tears again. i have loved every second of this experience and i am beyond grateful i was able to do it with alan. and i truly think i could live with being a latin & ballroom dancer for the rest of my life 💃

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dancingwiththestars still crying over this monumental win, not going to lie

melodiesaintgermaine dancingwiththestars so am i guys, so am i!

jaafarjackson watching myself cry my eyes out and scream in excitement and joy that whole evening will for sure become a meme at some point if it hasn't already

melodiesaintgermaine jaafarjackson you are such a sweetheart j! i love you

jaafarjackson melodiesaintgermaine i love you too odie!

parisjackson jaafar wasn't the only one crying the whole time, jesus! that's my entire river of tears gone for the rest of this year and maybe the next two!

melodiesaintgermaine parisjackson you say that now, paris...

parisjackson melodiesaintgermaine ssh, come on now odie, don't call me out!

princejackson that moment your name was called out as the winner and seeing your reaction will always make me awe and make my heart go all warm and fuzzy

melodiesaintgermaine princejackson i hope they post a gif of my reaction and then a gif of how you guys in the audience reacted!

princejackson melodiesaintgermaine oh my gosh, they totally should!

officialjermainejackson i'm so proud of you my sweet girl! you definitely made all of us proud and i'm sure applehead is just as proud

melodiesaintgermaine officialjermainejackson thank you jermaine! i love you guys so much!

dakotajackson oh i am so proud of you my love! watching you win that mirrorball was truly everything i could have ever dreamt of!

melodiesaintgermaine dakotajackson i love you, my love!

ryleearnold1 you are a beautiful dancer odie! i love you so much and i'll miss you so much! you and alan so deserved that win, i sobbed the entire time

melodiesaintgermaine ryleearnold1 i love you too ryry, and i'll miss you more! and i saw you sobbing and i was wanting to run and give you a hug so badly but i couldn't get to you!

lindsarnold omg watching you lift that mirrorball was the most wholesome thing ever! i love you odie!

melodiesaintgermaine lindsarnold i love you too linds! i'll miss seeing you every week omg!

alanbersten i am so proud of you odie! you have been the best dance partner ever and i am so proud to call you my best friend! let's put some time in for next week to rehearse for another dance?

melodiesaintgermaine alanbersten i'm so proud of you too alan! i never made it easy for you but you handled it with such sensitivity and grace! we are absolutely dancing again next week, no questions asked!

fin

this was so much fun to write and turn into a michael jackson fic! like i mentioned in my wattpad version, i genuinely had to get this out and i'm glad i've now turned it into this little one-shot series called 'heal her world'! i really hope i can keep it going and if any moonwalkers have any requests of what they want me to include in this series, let me know!

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