( little thanksgiving chapter ! )

IT WAS THANKSGIVING AND ERIN WAS ALONE. Ever since she had died she alone so it wasn't anything since she couldn't do anything about it. Now, she was in Mystic Falls, her family was here but they thought that she was dead, and she couldn't do anything about it either. Erin sat on the edge of Wickery Bridge with Chinese takeout, she had a small plate of pork fried rice and boneless spare ribs with a can of Coca-Cola and two little fortune cookies.

Erin ate two spoonfuls of rice before taking a sip of soda. She had remembered the taste of coke and the fizz of the sugary drink. She had missed the human food, especially her mom's cooking at the time of Thanksgiving.

"I thought I'd find you here," Erin turned her head to see Damon, the corner of her lips turned into a smile, she put the food aside and threw her arms up in the air.

"And you're back!" Damon walked over to where she was and sat down next to her, he looked at what she was eating and furrowed his brows.

"Why are you all out here by yourself?" he asked taking a sip of her coke.

She watched him carefully and she gave him a look when he took a sip of her coke, "I have nowhere to go for Thanksgiving," she took the coke out of his hands, "And this is mine, go buy your own can, it's only a dollar."

"Well, I'm glad you're drinking something other than that nasty beer," he grabbed a small piece of the boneless spare ribs and threw it in his mouth.

"Are you going to keep taking my food?" she asked cocking her eyebrow, "Plus, don't you have friends or some family to hang out with?"

Damon licked his lips before answering, "I do but my brother is a pain in the ass and everyone else is doing their own thing."

Erin pouted sarcastically before smiling, "Well, then I guess we'll spend this Thanksgiving together, how does that sound?" she eyed Damon looking for a reaction in him.

"Well, there's no other option is there?"

Erin placed the plate of food between them and gave him one of the fortune cookies she had gotten, "Well, as they say in France, bon appetit!"

Damon raised his brows as he opened his mouth to eat the food, every few minutes he would lick his lips to get rid of the sauce that was ok the spare ribs. After Erin was done, she licked her fingers and wiped them off with a napkin.

After Damon was done, Erin handing him a fortune cookie, "Here, open it."

Damon grabbed the cookie, "Do you really believe in this?"

Erin laughed, "I believe in a lot of things, and I believe these cookies will speak the truth," she smiled at Damon before opening her cookie. She cracked it open in half and pull out the tiny piece of paper.

"What does it say?" Damon asked curiously,

"It says that you should open yours," she teased with a smile, "Just kidding, it says 'the greatest friendship is the most unexpected one'"

He laughed sarcastically, "Haha," he broke his fortune cookie and took out the small piece of white paper, "A chance meeting opens new doors to success and friendship," he crumbled up the paper and threw it into the water below.

"So, now that we're done eating, how about we go do something fun!" Erin got up from her spot and brushed herself off.

Damon looked at her puzzled, "What are we going to do? Everything is closed."

"Ah, but you my friend are a vampire, you've lived longer than me, I'm sure you can think of something." she grabbed his hand and made him get up, Damon got up reluctantly and furrowed his brows as he thought of what to do.

"I got nothing," he said raising both of his brows.

"Ugh," Erin scoffed, "Seriously? Nothing?" 

"Nope," he answered popping the 'p' 

Erin pursed her lips as she thought and when she came up with an idea her eyes went wide, "I know, I have a very special I used to go to on Thanksgiving whenever the family drama was too much," she started, "And from what you've told me, you need some peace." 

Damon furrowed his brows, "Where is it?" 

"I'll show you," she said taking his hand. 

***

Mystic Falls had a number of buildings that were no longer inhabited by anyone. They were just empty buildings that no one used anymore nor did they want to use. Some said that the reason they were shut down was caused by the supernatural folklore--which attracted Erin Sommers. 

Damon and Erin made their way through the various flights of stairs, which made Erin exhausted even though she was a ghost. Damon had insisted on using his vamp-speed but Erin refused to do so. 

Once the two reached the rooftop, Erin took a second to catch her breath. She felt her lungs and knees burning, Damon looked at her oddly before she regained the strength. The thing that surprised Damon was that the rooftop wasn't empty. He expected there to be a chair, and possibly a blanket. 

There were pool chairs to lean back on, blankets, pillows, a small red cooler that you fill up with ice and a small coffee table where there lay a pen a small pink diary, Damon looked around, "This is your special place?" 

Erin grinned at him showing her pearly white teeth, "Yep, isn't it amazing?" she asked, "I would come here all the time and I'd read or write or do whatever just to get my mind off of things." 

Damon walked over to where the diary was, "It looks like you haven't been here in years," he picked the diary and opened up the last day it was written in, "The last time you wrote in this was June 7, 2001," 

Erin gulped at the date. It was the day before she died. In there she wrote about going to college and all but she couldn't let Damon see it. He would be suspicious and she didn't want anyone to pity her. She ran over to him and snatched the diary from his hands, "Hey, personal stuff here," she said in a jokingly voice. 

"You were like nine when you wrote that," 

"I know, not only is it personal but it's cringey," she started, "Like you said, I was nine years old," 

Damon rolled his eyes, "Okay, so why are we here again?" he asked. 

Erin walked over to the red cooler and pulled out two cheap beers and walked over to Damon handing him one, "You my friend, obviously have emotional baggage, so have a beer and talk about it." 

He grabbed the beer with a distasteful look, "When will you get good beer?" he asked, "Also, Thanksgiving is supposed to be spent with family and friends, why are we talking about me?" 

"First of all, I am not twenty-one, so unless you want to get the beer yourself, then do it," she started, opening the bottle of beer against the pool chair, "Secondly, if you're supposed to spend it with friends and family, why are you with me?" 

Damon licked his lips as he opened the can of beer and took a swig of it, "Good one," he sat down on one of the pool chairs, Erin walked over and sat on the next to him, "What do you want to hear?" 

"Hmm," Erin thought, she took a swig of the beer, "Tell me about when you turned into a vampire," 

Damon scoffed, "Anything but that, that's a story for another time," 

"Ugh, loser," she teased with a smile, "Okay, tell me about your pain-in-the-ass brother, then," 

"His name is Stefan and he's a pain-in-the-ass, there we're finished," 

"Come on!" she begged, "Tell me about him and I'll tell you anything you want to know about me," 

"Well, he always has to be the hero, hence the hair," he started, "He's dating the girl that I love and I have to pretend not to care about it, even though I do." 

"Yikes," she said taking a swig of the beer, "Falling for your brother's girlfriend," 

"Also, everybody hates me, so it's all good," he said looking up at the stars and holding the beer bottle close to his chest. 

"Oh, come on," she started, "Nobody hates you, you're just different, you aren't like everybody else." 

"Whatever," he mumbled, "Now, tell me something about yourself, how come I haven't seen you around before until now?" 

Erin took a big sip of the beer, "I'm like a ghost," she started, "I don't want to been but I want people to know I'm there, it's really nothing." 

Damon took a swig of the beer and Erin sat up straight, "What?" 

"Sit up." she motioned with her hand for him to sit, he slowly got up, "Promise me something." 

"It depends." 

Erin rolled her eyes, "No, you have to promise me this." 

"Fine, whatever, I promise." 

Erin licked her lips, "After you finish your beer, you're going to home to your brother and you're going to spend this lovely holiday with him. I don't care if he is a pain-in-the-ass but he's your brother and you don't know how much time you have with him." 

"We're vampires, we have all the time in the world." 

"I know you're vampires, I'm not stupid," she started, "But even vampires can die, you're immortal but at the same time you're mortal, you don't want to lose him and then realize you can't live without him. So, promise me, you'll go to him." 

Damon looked at Erin with his cold azure eyes, "Sure." 

"Thank you," she said with a genuine smile. 

Erin watched Damon from afar, as he was heading towards the Salvatore boarding school. She hugged her chest as he walked into the house and she was able to see his brother in the window of the house. Erin smiled at the two brother before turning her back, she yearned to see her family again but as she said before, she was just a ghost. 

//i know, this is waaaaay past thanksgiving but I wanted to post this chapter. there will also be 10 chapters in this story so, if it escalates quickly, that's why. i hope you enjoyed the chapter!