Charlotte stood alone in silence in the dark alleyway surprised and mystified. Vampires were real. And if they were what else was? Deciding that there was no more reason for her to stay outside in the cold Charlotte walked back and used her key to open the back door. She returned to her station and found a few more annoyed alcoholics sitting a the bar looking like they were upset that they were sober. She poured them a few shots and their complaining faded into the distance. It continued like this for a couple more hours. She would pour people drinks and they would quiet down, and eventually when they were done, they would stumble out of the bar. If anyone tried to flirt with her she would shrug them off and continue pouring them alcohol until they became too drunk to care.

The whole time she was halfheartedly pouring alcohol she was thinking, wondering about the stranger who told her he was a vampire. Why didn't she shrug him off when he tried to flirt with her? Could she sense there was something different about him, then? No, she ignored him just like any other drunk. However, he didn't just give up and sit down. And more importantly, why did she follow him outside? Why wasn't she afraid of him? Charlotte's mind was a jumble of questions and she was nowhere close to getting any answers. She continued her shift wondering until every last customer had left. Somewhere around 2 am she closed up shop and locked the front and back doors so no more visitors would come. As she was cleaning up the tables and putting away glasses and taking out the trash her manager walked out of the dubstep room which was now errily quiet.

"Easy night?" he asked and she nodded as she wiped down the tables.

"Well I cleaned the room in there, all the trash and all so you don't have to worry about it." he told her motioning to the room he had just exited.

"Ok, thanks." she told him.

"Where's Violet today?" he asked her. "She usually helps you out on days like this."

"She's home sick." Charlotte replied.

"Well remind me to get on her about that." her manager replied smiling. "Would you like any help?" he asked looking around the room.

"No, I've got it. You go on ahead." she told him finishing up.

"You sure?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I've got it." Charlotte replied.

"Ok." He nodded and walked out the door. "Have a good night!" he called back to her before he left, got in his car, and drove away.

Charlotte stood alone in the bar and finished cleaning up. When she was done she turned off the lights walked out the front door and locked it again, just to make sure. Finally done, she got in her car around 2:45 am and began to drive home. Meanwhile she listened to the nightly talk shows and news that came on around this time. The voice of a news anchor came out at her through her car speaker: "...the prevalence of animal attacks in the area has increased leaving wildlife experts appalled at the change in behavior. Authorities are currently investigating the cause of these attacks but the source still remains unknown." Animal attacks? she wondered. That was a first, the town had murders and theft, sure, but animal attacks were unheard of. As she drove along in her car, Charlotte noticed a dark shape appearing in her headlights in the middle of the road, blocking both lanes. She slowed down to avoid hitting it and managed to come to a stop meters from the dark shape. She parked her car and got out approaching the thing until she recognized a human shape.

"Hey, are you ok!?" she called. As she walked closer she could make out features and she recognized the man from the bar a couple hours ago. In a swift motion he got up off the ground and within milliseconds was standing right in front of her, dried blood around his mouth. He stared at her for a second before he recognized her.

"Charlotte?" he asked looking at her curiously.

"Yeah." she replied still confused about what to make of him. "What are you doing? Laying out in the middle of the road?" From the way he moved and held himself, different from before, she could tell that he was intoxicated.

"I don't know. I'm... lost." he told her.

"Well where do you need to go?" she asked.

"Not that kind of lost." he told her. "Existentially."

The more and more she found about about this man the more he intrigued her. A vampire with a conscience? However, the words hit deep with her because she knew the feeling all too well, and somehow, she understood him.

"Come on," she told him. "Let's get off the road."

"No," he told her. "I'm 174 years old, I've seen things no human alive to day has ever seen. Yet none of it matters, none of it."

"I'll tell you what does matter." she snapped. "Getting off this road. I'd like to see you try your vampire abilities against an oncoming car." she told him and helped him up.

"I would still win." he muttered smirking and Charlotte rolled her eyes. She was treating this man like a human even though not but a few hours ago he had shown himself to be a monster. Yet for some reason she wasn't afraid. Why wasn't she afraid?

The man stood up and faced her, staring at her with his piercing blue eyes.

"I never caught your name." she told him as he looked at her.

"It's Damon." he told her. "Damon Salvatore."

"I'm Charlotte," she replied.

"I know," he told her and then clarified. "Your name-tag."

"Oh." she replied and looked down at the name-tag that was still pinned to the front of her blouse.

"My friends call me Char." she told him.

"And am I a friend?" Damon asked her.

"I'm not sure yet." she replied smiling.

He was certainly more sober now than he was when he was laying down in the middle of the road; Charlotte noticed. As she thought about it her mind only developed more questions about who this strange man was.

"Why were you laying out in the middle of the road?" she asked him curiously.

She had apparently said the wrong thing because Damon frowned remembering something and not answering her question. They stood in silence for a moment before Charlotte spoke.

"Look, do you need a ride anywhere?" she asked him.

Damon raised an eyebrow. "You are willingly inviting a vampire into your car?"

Charlotte shrugged. "You don't seem as big and bad as they make vampires out to be."

"Well that is a stupid answer." Damon snapped. "You don't even know me, I could snap your neck without even blinking. Bite into your neck and drain you of blood until there was nothing left and not waste a drop. I could kill you now and not feel any remorse because I am that monster."

As he spoke veins slowly began to appear under his eyes which turned red. From in between his lips Charlotte could see fangs poking out.

Charlotte stared at him wide eyed as she carefully observed the formation of veins in his eyes. "Your only the monster you make yourself out to be." she told him.

"None of this means anything to me. None of it." he told her and before she could say another word he vanished into the night. Leaving Charlotte, for the second time tonight, standing outside alone.

"Fine!" Charlotte called after him angrily. "Stay here alone and see if I care!"

She went and got into her car, started it up, and drove away. By the time she got home it was 3:30 and she was so exhausted she stopped only to take her shoes off before she curled up in her bed and fell asleep. Her dreams were plagued with shadowy figures with piercing blue eyes.