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ANNABEL LEE
001. trouble, trouble, trouble
season one, episodes five and eight
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OCTOBER 2009
ANNABEL LEE WAS A GIRL OF MANY TALENTS. But if there was one in particular that she had been cultivating over the past year was the fantastic skill of not being sober. Ever.
And it was killing her.
Her decision to move to a quiet boring little town in the middle of nowhere wasn't exactly for the charms of Mystic Falls. No. It had been for the frightening realization that if she were to stay in Starling City any longer, she would end up dead in an alley and Detective Lance would be forced to break the news of her passing to Tommy and Thea, who had already lost enough. She needed to heal, and it would be impossible for her to do so with the ghost of Oliver Queen following her around every corner.
But the catch with Annabel Lee was that no matter which direction she took, trouble seemed to like her a little too much to just let her breathe.
And this time, trouble had a name: Damon fuckingSalvatore.
Mystic Falls had only one establishment that sold liquor: a not-so-charming little parlor called Mystic Grill. So, at the only bar in town, after deciding that being sober was just a little too painful, she was bound to meet the alcoholic vampire.
"Well," the blue-eyed man had said, sitting next to Annabel at the bar. "You are new to town."
She smiled flirtatiously at him, "Moved in a couple of days ago."
"From where?" He asked.
"Starling City," she answered a bit hesitantly, fearing that he might recognize her.
It wasn't as if TMZ hadn't had a busy year showcasing all of Annabel's lowest moments. Even before the accident, she, Tommy, and Oliver were big news: Starling City's billionaire heirs. But when Oliver died, the press coverage was off the charts.
He furrowed his eyebrows. "Why would someone leave Starling to come to this hell-hole?"
Annabel took a sip of her whiskey. "Too many ghosts."
He, thankfully, decided not to comment on that. "I'm Damon."
"Annabel," she said, finishing her drink. She turned to him, and with her best smile asked, "So are you going to ask me out?"
Damon chuckled. "Why wouldn't I? A beautiful stranger like you, of course, I would ask you out."
