WHEN ERIN SOMMERS RETURNED AS A GHOST, SHE WAS MORE THAN THRILLED. She saw it as a chance to do the things she always wanted--but it wasn't really like that. She couldn't leave Mystic Falls as much as she wanted to. There were still people that she wanted to see, her parents, her old friends Carson and Sebastian.

As much as she wanted to see them she couldn't find herself standing at the door. What if they didn't believe her? Would they be upset at the girl who looked exactly like their dead daughter?

But she did it.

When she saw her mother she had every urge to hug her and start crying--but she didn'. Her mother's hair was slowly turning grey and her health was deteriorating. When her mother saw her, her chocolate-brown eyes became glassy, and her mouth opened slightly.  Her mother shut the door thinking it was a trick or prank. After that, there was no attempt.

Erin felt herself freeze. She wanted to cry and the knot in her throat was getting tighter and tighter with every passing second. She ran quickly because it was all that came across her mind at the moment and with every step it felt like a mistake.

***

Erin sat on the edge of the Wickery Bridge. Her feet swung over the edge as she held a cold cheap beer in her hand. She took a swig of the cold beer as she looked at the river swishing under the bridge. The light from the moon reflected onto the river and it cast a hollow glow.

Erin heard footsteps coming from behind her and she turned her head swiftly to see who it was. She saw a male crossing the bridge, he had raven black hair and he had baby blue eyes. He wore a black leather jacket and he wore it with a pout on his face.

Erin got out another cold beer from the pack that she bought, "Hey there stranger!" she called out to him with a wide grin on her face.

The man looked up at Erin with furrowed brows, "Hey..."

"Need a drink?" she asked cheerfully. The man walked slowly over towards Erin,

He grabbed the beer from her hands, "I'm always in need of a drink," she popped the cap off the beer and took a swig of it, after the sip he had a bitter look on his face, "but you need to find better ones, this beer tastes like shit."

Erin let out a laugh, "Sorry Mr. Complainer, but that's all I can afford."

"Fine then, I'll drink what I can get." the man sat on the ledge next to Erin and the ghost got a strong whiff of his perfume.

"So...how was your day?" she asked taking a swig of the beer.

The man simply pouted and Erin could tell what was up. She never liked seeing people in a bad mood, it made her uncomfortable and she did what she could to make them happy. It was one of the hallmarks of her personality. "Bad day, huh?"

"Bad century."

"Come on, I don't think your day could be worse than mine," she started, "I finally got to see my mother after like ten years and she slammed the door right in my face. I had built up all the courage but then she ruined it,"

"Oh, poor you," he replied sarcastically

"Oh, whatever," she said with a laugh, "My name's Erin, by the way." she turned to look at him and the two shared a look.

"Damon. Damon Salvatore."

"Salvatore, huh?" she said, "The name rings a bell."

"You probably learned it in history class." he said taking a drink of the beer.

Erin sat trying to remember the name but nothing came to her, that's when she remembered the founders of Mystic Falls, "I remember now, you're one of the founding families."

"Bingo," he answered.

Erin rolled her eyes playfully, "You're very sarcastic, you know?"

"Yes, I know." He said with a grin on his face.

"So tell me about yourself, Mr. Salvatore," Erin drank the last few drops of her beer before opening another one.

"Let's see, my brother is a pain in the ass, this town is insanely boring, almost everyone here makes me want to kill them and my ex is a bitch." The words came flying out of his mouth as if he had practiced saying it before.

"That does suck," she agreed, she spotted the dark blue ring on his finger with a silver 'D' encrusted in it, "What's with the gawky ring?"

Damon looked down at his daylight ring with a sour look on his face, "It's a family heirloom, if I take it off I die."

Erin looked at him with a quizzical look on her face, "Mhm," she mumbled,

Damon looked at her with a puzzled look on his face, "What?"

"You're not fooling me," she confessed, "I know what you are." Erin's voice was calm which made Damon shift in his seat.

"And what would that be?" Damon got ready just in case she would attack with vervain or a stake.

"You're a vampire," she answered nonchalantly, "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. And if you're wondering how I know, my mom knew about them and I took vervain everyday. So don't do anything stupid."

Damon let out a laugh and relaxed a little, "Look at you, Detective Erin,"

Erin let out a laugh which made Damon smile a bit, "Detective Erin, I like it."

Damon finished his beer and when he finished he placed the empty glass bottle near him, "How come I don't see you around very often?"

Erin panicked slightly at the question, "Um, I don't really live here, college." She lied, Damon noticed the change in her heartbeat which made him suspicious, he didn't say anything but he wasn't going to let it go.

"So, when did you turn?"She asked trying to steer away from the topic.

"Eighteen sixty-four." he answered, "By a psycho bitch."

"Psycho bitch?" Erin repeated in a confused tone, "What's her name?"

Damon got of the edge of the bridge and took the empty beer bottle, "I'm afraid that is a story for another time," he interrupted,

"You're leaving already?" She asked, "Am I horrible company?"

A laugh escaped from Damon which made the ghost smile, "Until next time, Erin."

"Adios, Mr. Complainer." Damon turned his back and walked away from Erin. Erin still remained on the edge of the bridge as she watched Damon walk away.

Damon turned his head and took one last glance at Erin. There was something she hiding and he was going to figure out what it was.

That night when Damon went to sleep all he thought about was about the mysterious girl with the cheap beer.

// I apologize for the trashy chapter xoxo