song: the story by brandi carlile

BEFORE ERIN DIED SHE FELT AN IMPENDING DOOM. She had an iffy feeling but ignored it, thinking that it was just her nerves, she didn't listen to her gut feeling. Today, she felt that doom, she had feeling in her stomach that made her feel queasy. She was in Carson's flower shop and she was sitting in the break room looking over the yearbook from the year she graduated.

Erin stopped flipping through the pages when she saw her picture, she put her finger over the picture and took in a deep breath. She remembered that day vividly, she didn't want her picture taken but her mom and Carson made her go. She was thankful that they made her go.

Ever since her argument with Damon, they hadn't talked. He hadn't gone to the bridge, not even once. Erin thought it was for the better, that way he wouldn't miss her when she was gone. Carson opened the door the room rubbing her belly with a wince.

Erin furrowed her brows, "Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

Carson nodded, "Yeah, I'm just having a little pain, that's all."

Erin didn't believe her, Carson was always a horrible liar, "Are you sure? You might go into labor any second now. You should go to the hospital."

Carson shook her head as she went to open the fridge for some water, "I'm okay, Erin. A lot of mothers experience this, some even experience Braxton Hicks."

Erin turned around in her chair to look at Carson, "Car, you're a horrible liar," She started, "You're high risk, remember? You should go before anything happens."

Carson took a sip from the water bottle, "I'm going to be f--" Carson's eyes grew wide with shock as she looked down, she a puddle beneath her and her pants were wet. She looked up at Erin with tears in her eyes. Erin stood up quickly at her friend who was crying, Carson's hands were shaking uncontrollably.

She grabbed Carson's face lightly, "Hey, hey, it's going to be okay, you're going to be okay. We're going to go to the hospital now. Okay?"

Carson nodded, "Call 911, don't drive, please. I-I'm scared of cars." Erin nodded as she grabbed the phone and dialed the number, the operator asked a few questions before telling Erin they were on their way to the flower shop. Erin seated Carson on a swivel chair and took the chair outside to the flower shop, Carson kept breathing heavily as the contractions came closer.

Erin could hear the sirens from a mile away as the ambulance pulled up the flower shop. People were starting to crowd Carson and Erin and the ambulance pushed the back as they put her on a gurney and escorted Erin into the ambulance. She shut the doors as one of the paramedics went to the front. The paramedics kept asking Carson questions and all Erin could think of was when she was in the same spot Carson was except, she was dying.

She remembered the fact that the ambulance didn't even have to move, she died before it could get to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Erin was so focused on the memory she didn't even hear what the paramedic asked her.

She looked up at the paramedic, "I-I'm sorry, what?"

"What's your relation to the patient?" He asked with concerning eyes.

"S-she's my half-sister," Carson answered, the paramedic nodded and Carson looked over at Erin, she reached for her hand which made Carson uncomfortable. She was supposed to comfort Carson, it wasn't supposed to be the other way around. The ambulance stopped at the hospital and they quickly rushed Carson inside while Erin was put inside of the waiting room.

Erin sat with other families as she read the magazine, a man came running in with sweat on his face, when he saw Erin he ran up to her, "A-are you E-Erin?"

Erin looked up from the magazine and put it down, "Yeah, why?"

The man sighed, "Oh thank god! I'm Carson's husband, i-is she okay?"

Erin nodded, "Uh yeah, I couldn't go in but I think she's still in labor, they'll let you in though."

"Thank you so much for being there for her," he started, "I'll see you later."

Erin smiled, "No problem." Carson's husband ran towards the nurse at the desk, Carson looked around at all the anxious families and the next person that walked through the door made her freeze. It was her mother.

Her mother wore a casual outfit and she held on tight to her bag, she looked around the room and spotted Erin. Her mother went white as a ghost as she saw Erin, she started walking closer towards her. Erin sat straight up, Erin's mother stopped right in front of her daughter.

"Who are you and why are you here?" She asked, Erin, stood up from her seat and put her hands in her pockets, "This trick you are playing is sick."

Erin shook her head, "Mom, it's me," she whispered.

Her mother scoffed, "Oh please, my daughter is dead, you're just some doppelganger or someone playing a sick trick. Do me a favor and leave."

Erin felt her eyes go glassy and she clenched her fists, "Ask me anything, anything the real Erin would know."

Erin's mother gritted her teeth, "Who was the last person Erin saw in the ambulance?"

"Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes," Erin answered, "My last words were 'I don't want to be alone'"

Before her mom could answer a nurse came in and read Carson's last name. The two looked to the nurse walked towards her, the nurse smiled at them and showed them to Carson's room. The tension between the two was thick and they didn't speak a word until the nurse left. The nurse then left and the two stood facing each other at the door, Erin's mother had tears in her eyes.

"It's really you?" Her mother whispered.

Erin nodded with glassy eyes, "It's me."

"H-how are you--"

"I'm a ghost," Erin answered, "But I'm leaving soon."

Erin's mother grabbed her hands, "Y-you can't leave," her mother started, "Y-you're back and y-you're leaving?"

Erin nodded, "Yeah, I'm dead, mom," Erin said, "I can't come back, the reason I'm here is that I have unfinished business. Come on, there's a baby girl there waiting for us." Erin opened the door and saw Carson in the bed with her husband sitting in a rocking chair, holding a baby.

Carson smiled, "Hey, you two," she smiled, despite giving birth, Carson looked alive as if nothing happened.

"How are you two?" She asked.

Erin's mother walked over to Carson, "The real question is: how are you?"

Carson laughed, "I'm okay, she didn't want to come out but she did."

Carson's husband stood and walked over to the two and showed them their baby girl. Her eyes were closed and she had chubby cheeks, she wore a pale pink hat and was wrapped in a hospital blanket, "She's beautiful," Erin commented.

"Thank you," Carson said happily, Carson's husband put the baby in Erin's arms and the tears started rolling down her cheeks, "What's her name?" Erin's mother asked.

Carson's husband walked over to Carson and held her hand, they looked at each other and smiled, "Her name is Sommer,"

"You've all been apart of our lives in such a big way, we decided to name her after your family name." Carson's husband added.

"It's a beautiful name," Erin commented, the baby had her hand around Erin's pinky, "I-I have to go."

Everyone looked at Erin worriedly, "Why?" Her mother asked.

Erin looked up at her mom with glassy eyes, "I have to say goodbye to a friend of mine," she gave the baby to her mother and her mother and Carson all had glassy eyes.

"E-Erin--"

"No, it's okay," she croaked, "This was going to happen, mom, I don't want you to blame yourself for anything. You were a great mother and I always loved you and I am forever grateful to you. Carson, you were my best friend and always will be, you're going to be a great mother and you're daughter is so lucky to have you. I love you all so much." There were tears rolling down Erin's face and she gave her mother a kiss on her forehead. She went towards Carson and embraced her in a hug, Erin took off her bracelet and gave it to her. "Bye."

Damon hadn't seen Erin in days after their fight, Elena had managed to get her humanity back which made Damon overjoyed. Damon was in the Salvatore boarding house on the couch drinking a shot of whiskey. Elena walked in slowly with her arms across her chest.

"Damon," she spoke softly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," he muttered while taking a sip.

"How do you know Erin Sommers?"

Damon looked up at Elena quickly and furrowed brows. He wondered how he knew about her and then he guessed that Caroline must have told her. Damon took in a deep breath, "She's just a friend, why?"

"When did you see her?" Elena asked.

"Before Thanksgiving," Damon answered, "Why?"

Elena took in a deep breath as Damon stood up confused from his seat, "Damon," Elena started, "Erin Sommers is dead, she died in a car crash in 2001. I was at her funeral, Liz was the last person to see her alive."

Damon felt himself sink, his mouth was slightly open from the shock, "Elena, don't lie to me."

"I'm not," she started, she pulled out a yearbook from 2001 and opened up Erin's picture, Damon looked at the picture and saw how she looked the same despite the years. On the same page, there was news article paperclipped to the page, the headline read, 'Local Teen Dead in Car Crash' the date had read 2001.

That's when it all clicked. She was a ghost, everything she said made sense now. The reason she was so emotional was that she was leaving, "Elena, I'll be back."

***

Erin sat the edge of Wickery Bridge where she appeared the first time she was brought back. She didn't have a beer on her and she looked over the water, where she could see the reflection of the trees. She looked up at the clear sky and a smile crept on her lips as she heard footsteps behind her.

"Didn't think you'd come," she commented.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Damon asked, "Why didn't you tell me you were a ghost?"

Erin turned around swiftly and looked at Damon worriedly, "I didn't want to hurt you."

Damon scoffed, "Really, Erin?"

"If I told you, I didn't want you to mourn. If I stayed quiet you would have thought that I moved away and went to live my life and it would have stayed that way." She answered she felt her throat tie up.

Damon's baby blue eyes were starting to tear up, Erin walked over to him, "Hey, don't cry, you're going to make me cry." Her voice cracked.

"Erin--" She grabbed Damon's face, "Let me speak."

She sighed, "People speed by, not noticing the details about their surroundings. For them, I am just another ghost with unfinished business," she started, "Don't be like that, pay attention to what life has to give you. You're a good person under that bad boy attitude. Appreciate your brother, your friends. Like, I said, you may be a vampire but your end can come anytime. Live for me, Damon Salvatore. Okay?"

Damon nodded, he was quiet as Erin embraced him in a hug. She let go of him and wiped the tears from his face and then continued to wipe hers away, "Goodbye Damon Salvatore."

author's note:

i apologize if this chapter is absolute trash but that is the end of Ghost Story. There will be an epilogue.