This is my first fanfiction in years, so please tell me what you think. This is about a girl that used to live in Mystic Falls. She has special abilities that make her a big help to the gang, but she has a very intriguing past. This is the first story I'm writing that I'm not planning out every detail of. I'm kind of just going with it and seeing how I want it to play out. I hope everyone enjoys it!

New Beginnings

This was never part of the plan. I came back to help, not to cause an even bigger catastrophe. I never wanted anybody to get hurt. I never wanted anybody to die. I just wanted to protect the town I once lived in and the people I once loved. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Let's rewind a little bit. Back to the late Spring of 2009, where it all began...

I pulled my car into my old, familiar driveway. It was really strange being back here. I felt like I wasn't supposed to be here, in a way I couldn't really explain. We still owned our old house. My mom didn't feel right about selling it. She said we could come back and use it whenever we got homesick. I smiled to myself as I got out of the car and slammed the door shut. I entered the house I had grown up in, allowing myself to feel nostalgic for a moment or two. I gazed across the street and felt a heaviness in my chest. I knew what I had to do, but I wasn't exactly sure how it was supposed to be done.

It was extremely difficult to convince my mother to let me do this. But she knew I wouldn't take no for an answer. She knew I couldn't just stand idly by and let my friends die. She understood that I had to do what I could to protect them. And that's exactly what I intended to do.

My friends. The thought turned my stomach. I hadn't told a single one of them that I was coming back. Nobody knew I was here, and that was the way it needed to stay for now. I was way in over my head, and I completely knew it. I was taking on an extremely tricky and dangerous task. If I made one bad move, everything would fall apart. I couldn't let that happen. I'd die first.

I couldn't keep myself from thinking about what I had to do tomorrow. I curled up in the bed I had slept in every night until about two years ago. Every time I tried to close my eyes to sleep, the vision replayed in my mind. There was nothing I could do to stop it from playing. But I sure as hell was going to stop it from happening.

I woke up the next morning, and began to get ready on autopilot. I showered, brushed my teeth, got dressed, and slapped on some makeup. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I still wasn't entirely used to what I saw looking back at me. When I had made the decision to return to Mystic Falls, I decided I should try to blend in. At least in the beginning. My signature golden blonde hair was now a cool brown. Where once it was long enough to touch my butt, it now fell only a couple of inches past my shoulders. Plus, I had changed a lot in two years. At a first glance, I wouldn't even recognize me, let alone any of my old friends. I spent much of the day doing little things to keep me occupied. I had to stay out of sight, or the whole plan would go awry. I didn't know why I needed to stay hidden, I just knew that it was essential. I began to watch television to distract me from what I'd be doing later that night. Soon, the day turned into night and zero hour was closing in. My body knew I was hungry, but my head disagreed. Finally, after much debate, my stomach and mind reached a compromise. I ate six potato chips and tossed the bag onto the table. I looked over at the clock and grabbed my keys. It was time.

I got in the car and drove straight to Wickery Bridge. I began to grow nervous that what I saw was wrong. I thought of all the things that could go wrong. I forced myself to push these thoughts out of my brain. I couldn't let emotions interfere with what had to be done. I had to remain on autopilot. I was standing in the spot I was supposed to be in. Any second now...

And then I saw what I had been waiting for. And I did what I had planned all along, "Stefan! Stefan Salvatore!"

A rustling could be heard from the surrounding bushes. I gulped, trying to digest the situation I had gotten myself into. "Do I know you?"

"Not anymore," I said, spinning around nervously, "I don't have time to explain right now, and I get that you're going to think I'm insane. But I'm going to prove to you that I'm not. See that car? It's about to drive off the bridge and plunge into the water. You can't stop it from happening altogether. It's going to be a girl and her parents. The girl - you're meant to save her. You need to pull her out of the car. Quick, it's about to happen. You're going to think she's Katherine, but believe me, she's not Katherine. Okay?"

"How do you - "

"Please, Stefan! There isn't any time. You're supposed to do this. It's got to happen. It's not her time, yet! I'll explain everything later, I swear to you. But I'm begging you - "

"All right, I'll do it. I'll help," Stefan agreed, and just then, a loud splash was heard. The two of them spun around, and in the blink of an eye, Stefan was gone. I ran to the edge of the bridge and watched. I couldn't see what was going on. I had to just wait for Stefan to resurface. I was breathing heavily, frightened by what I was seeing. I shook my head violently. I had to detach myself from what was going on so that I'd be able to do what I was supposed to do.

A moment or two later, I saw him levitating out of the water, holding the girl I used to be best friends with in his arms. He was staring at her face in pure disbelief. I grapsed her arm and focused. I saw her, waking up in a hospital bed. I saw Matt, Bonnie, Jeremy, and Caroline surrounding her. I saw agony and I saw tears. But she was alive. Elena was alive.

I breathed a sigh of relief, "She'll be okay. Set her down, here. I'm going to call an ambulence and then we need to get as far from here as we can."

"Who are you? And who is she?" Stefan inquired, his face shocked.

"There will be all the time in the world for that soon, Stefan. But for right now, I'm really going to need you to cooperate with me," I said, pulling out prepaid cell phone I had reserved for this very occassion. I punched in the numbers and called an ambulence for my friend. Then, I looked deeply into Stefan's eyes, "Please, get in my car," I pleaded.

Stefan seemed to be struggling with his thoughts, but eventually he must have decided I was harmless, because he got in the passenger seat and we took off. I drove like a madwoman, not saying a single word the whole ride. Then, Stefan looked at his surroundings confusedly, "You're taking me to my house?" he asked, noticing that we were headed in that direction.

"No," I answered, not looking at him, "We're going to mine."

I pulled into the driveway and Stefan shook his head in confusion, "You live here? Across the street from me, I mean?"

"I used to," I replied vaguely, "It feels like a lifetime ago, though," I giggled, despite the situation, "You know a thing or two about that, don't you, Stefan?"

He turned his head slowly to get a good look at me, "You know?"

I nodded, "I do. And I swear, Stefan, I'm only here to help. I'm not here to expose you or hurt you. And I know you're not going to hurt me. That's why I'm not afraid of you." I got out of the car and Stefan followed suit. We both walked up to the door and I stepped inside. I spun on my heel quickly, "I know you won't make me regret this, Stefan... I hereby invite you in."

Stefan looked like he almost wanted to laugh, but the strange situation he found himself in must have given him second thoughts. He nodded and followed me into the parlor. "Would you like a drink?" I asked, "And no, I'm not offering you any of me."

Stefan cracked a smile, "I didn't think so."

"I have scotch," I offered, holding the bottle up.

"That would be fine, thank you," Stefan said uneasily. I poured him a glass and held it out to him.

"I'll be right back," I said, turning around and going into the back room of the house. I opened a container and fished out a Poland Spring bottle. When I returned, Stefan's glass was already empty, "This should be a little bit more of what you're craving. I warn you, it's not fresh, but something tells me you don't care. It's not human, either."

"What is it?" he inquired, holding his hand out for the bottle of blood.

"Deer," I answered, pouring myself a glass of vodka, "I found it in the woods right before I moved. Figured it might come in handy some day. I'm Ashley, by the way. Ashley Brooks."

"You look a lot like someone I used to know, Ashley. And how was it that I knew - "

"That I wasn't a threat to you? This isn't the first time we're meeting, Stefan. Just the first time in this life," I said mysteriously, "Besides, maybe because I looked familiar to you, you associated me with this person you knew."

"What does that mean?" Stefan asked perplexedly, "The first time in this life?"

"All in good time, Stefan. All in good time," I smirked, "But we have more pressing issues to attend to at the moment. I realize I have a lot of explaining to do, and I intend to tell you everything. The only real question is where to begin. I grew up here, in Mystic Falls, just like you did. Granted, it's no longer the Mystic Falls you knew. I'm not entirely human, Stefan."

"So, what are you?" Stefan asked, raising an eyebrow.

I shook my head, "I honestly don't know. I know I'm part witch, but there's something different about me than the other witches I've known. I can do things that they can't. I don't think I'm a full witch. I never knew my father, and I think that it has something to do with him, but my mom never talks about him. Anyway, not the point. The point is that that girl I had you rescue, she used to be my best friend. I moved back here from the city because I was supposed to. It was her parents time, but it wasn't Elena's. And then I realized I had to do something about it. Elena was meant to be saved. You were meant to meet me, and her. But I was afraid you would think she was Katherine - "

"How do you know about Katherine?" Stefan demanded.

"I knew her a long time ago," I admitted, "I knew her very well, actually. The important thing here is that a few months ago, I was holding a bracelet that Elena had given me, and I saw the future. I saw the car accident and I saw you saving her."

"Did you see anything else?" Stefan questioned intensely.

"Nothing I can reveal without seriously messing up the future," I answered apologetically.

"How did you know I would be in the woods?" Stefan asked.

I shook my head, "I just did. I saw you saving her in my vision and that had to mean you were close enough to save her. So, I called out to you and hoped for the best."

"What if I hadn't been there?" he asked darkly.

I bit my lower lip, "I would've had to go in myself, wouldn't I? You're a lot harder to kill and a lot stronger than I am. I might not have even been able to open the door, but I knew that wouldn't be a problem for you."

Stefan nodded slowly, "So, you're clairvoyant?"

"You don't miss a thing, do you, Stefan?" I joked lightheartedly.

"When you said that this isn't the first time we're meeting - "

I winced, "Damn. I sort of thought that with everything you'd forget I mentioned that. But what's done is done, right? I went by a different name in the 1800s, Stefan. Maybe you remember it - "

"Gabriella," Stefan whispered, "I remember you. I would've thought you were her, but we both know Gabriella died a long time ago. I thought maybe you were a descendant or something along those lines. Your hair is darker and your skin is lighter. But otherwise, you're the spitting image. I - I don't understand..."

"Neither do I," I confessed with a half-smile, "People aren't supposed to recall their past lives. But I do. Every single one of them."

Stefan thought for a couple of seconds, "Maybe it has something to do with you being mixed. Your mom being a witch and your dad being - whatever he was. Psychic, maybe?"

"Maybe," I said softly, "Hey, Stefan?"

"What?" he asked, looking completely paralyzed with shock.

"Don't tell Damon I'm here, okay? At least... Don't tell him Gabriella is. It would ruin everything," I begged, looking deep into his blue eyes.

"Even if I had any interest in telling Damon, he isn't here. I haven't seen him in years," Stefan stated without emotion.

"What?" I was surprised, "You and Damon? But you two were so close."

"That was a long time ago," he replied absently.

"I guess I've missed a lot since I died, huh?" I poured myself another glass of vodka, "I'm sorry. About everything that happened back in 1864."

Stefan nodded appreciatively, "So am I."

"So, what made you remember?" I wondered.

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked unsurely.

"How did you know I was Gabriella?" I asked, my voice cracking, "I mean, I know I look almost exactly the same, but... But you thought I died in 1864. And as far as I know, you had no clue about past lives. So, how did you know?"

Stefan looked thoughtful for a minute, "I thought you looked like her. But it wasn't just that. When you said please, Stefan, I sort of had déjà vu, and when you said in another life, I thought of my life before becoming a vampire, and I just had this feeling..."

He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed, "I'm so sorry about what happened to you, Gabriella. It was my fault. I never meant for it to happen. Not to you or anybody else for that matter."

I shrugged, "It was a lifetime ago."