*Annabelle's P.O.V.*

After school was over, Elena got a ride with Bonnie and went home, while I decided to walk to the cemetery, as I often did. As I entered the cemetery, I heard a crow squawk somewhere behind me and turned my head briefly in order to spot the bird just to make sure I wasn't imagining things (like I often seem to now), but couldn't see it anywhere, so I just shook my head and kept going.

*20 Minutes Later*

I sat on the ground, leaning against one of the many statues that were placed all over the cemetery, with my knees pulled up to my chest as I stared at my parents' gravestone, deep in thought. They were buried next to each other, so they only had one gravestone. I played with the blueish/greenish, multi-stone bracelet that I received from my dad on my 16th birthday last year. I don't know how long I sat there, just staring at that gravestone while millions of memories flooded my mind, but I was snapped out of my thoughts by a bird squawking, and I looked up, only to see a black crow sitting on top of my parents' gravestone. How I didn't notice it before, I have no idea.

"Okay..." I trailed off slowly, my brows furrowing as the bird stared at me intently, "Hi, bird," I said, before shaking my head and looking down at my bracelet as I played with it. I sighed, the image of my father's face popping up in my mind, before I looked around half-heartedly, only to get quite creeped out as a thick fog suddenly started to surround me from all sides. I looked around, and then back at the bird, and quickly stood up, walking over to stand next to my parents' gravestone, "Shoo!" I shooed the bird away, seeing as I was quite creeped out with it staring at my while a fog started surrounding me out of nowhere. It was way too much like some horror movie.

I breathed out as the bird flew away and turned around, now a bit calmer, before gasping and staggering backwards a step or two as I saw that same bird now sitting on top of the statue I was leaning against only a few seconds ago. It turned its head to look me in the eye, and squawked again.

I was quite freaked out by now, so I just picked up my backpack and started walking away, fully intending to go home. But after I walked a few meters, I felt eyes on me, and cautiously turned around, only to see a silhouette of a man standing behind one of the statues, watching me. Seeing as I was completely alone in the cemetery except for that man, I started feeling a bit scared and decided to run. I ran down the small hill, but of course, being the clumsy fool that I am, I tripped over a root. As I leaped forward, I caught myself by placing my hands on the tree in front of my, but I felt my shin get scraped by the bark. However, I definitely wasn't paying attention to that at the moment, and simply turned to the right in order to go home, only to gasp loudly and step back as I came face to face with the new guy from school.

"You okay?" he asked me, and I placed my hand over my chest and exhaled in relief, before nodding.

"I'm fine," I replied, and he looked at me with a bit of concern in his eyes.

"Are you sure? I, uh, I saw you fall," he said, gesturing to the tree beside us, and I nodded once again.

"No, I'm alright," I assured him with a small smile, and he returned it, "Are you visiting, too?" I asked curiously, quite certain that he wasn't here just to hang out.

"Yes," he nodded, "I have family here," I nodded in understanding, knowing what it feels like to loose a family member, or members, and then smiled at him kindly.

"I'm Annabelle," I said, and he smiled at me softly, his green eyes staring intensely into mine.

"I'm Stefan," he introduced himself, his voice soft and friendly, giving me a polite nod and stretching out his hand for me to shake. I smiled and placed my hand in his, feeling a warm tingle spread through my arm as I shook his hand. He smiled at me again, and I looked him in the eyes for a moment longer than I should have (though he did so as well) before looking at our hands, which were still clasped together. A small smile formed on my lips, before my gaze landed on the old-fashioned-looking ring on his middle finger.

"Nice ring," I said, my voice snapping him out of some kind of trance, seeing as it took him a few seconds to comprehend what I was talking about.

"Oh," he let go of my hand, raising his hand a bit so that I could see the ring clearer. It looked like the kind of jewelry that was worn in the late XIX century, or somewhere around that time. It also head a beautiful, oval, lapis lazuli stone with silver linings. "It's a family ring. Yeah, I'm kind of stuck with it. It's weird, huh?"

"'Weird' isn't the word I'd use," I said with a small, a bit teasing, smile, and his smile seemed to grow, although it could have just been my imagination. His eyes then traveled up to mine, and he reached his hand towards my face, before grabbing a small leaf and plucking it out of my hair. "Thanks," I smiled at him, and he returned the smile as he threw the leaf to the side, before his eyes fell to the ground and his brows furrowed, his smile disappearing.

"Did you hurt yourself?" he asked out of nowhere, and my brows furrowed a bit.

"Oh, uh..." I trailed off as I crouched down, "I don't know," I said, before pulling up the pant leg of my left leg, only to reveal a bloody gash on the right side of my shin, "Ouch," I muttered under my breath, before looking up at Stefan, only to see him not looking at me, but away from me, his face hidden from my sight.

"You should go. Take care of that," he spoke, his voice strained. My brows furrowed even more in confusion as I looked down at my leg again.

"It's okay, it's not that..." I trailed off as I looked back up, only to look around in confusion as I couldn't spot Stefan anywhere. Where'd he go? And how did he disappear so quickly without me even hearing anything? Am I going insane? "Bad,"

*3 Hours Later*

"We're meeting Bonnie at the Grill," I told Jenna as Elena and I walked past her.

"Okay, have fun," she replied, before suddenly stopping in her tracks, "Wait, I got this: don't stay out late, it's a school night," she said, her expression mockingly serious, her hands on her hips as she looked at us with raised eyebrows. Elena and I shared an amused look, before we both chuckled as she smiled at us proudly.

"Well done, Aunt Jenna," I smiled at her as I chuckled, and she returned the smile before going to the kitchen as my sister and I made our way to the door.

"Shoot," Elena stopped abruptly, before looking at me apologetically, and I looked at her questioningly, "I forgot my phone," she winced, most definitely knowing that I wanted to spend some time with her, Bonnie, and Caroline, since I really missed the times when we would all hang out together.

"Okay, I'll wait," I sighed, and she flashed me another apologetic smile before rushing upstairs. I sighed one more time and shook my head, before opening the door, wanting to wait by the car, only to gasp as I came face to face with Stefan, who was standing on the porch.

"Sorry, I was about to knock," he said apologetically, and I shook my head to snap out of the shock before giving him a small smile.

"It's okay," I smiled, and he nodded, before looking at me a bit more seriously.

"I wanted to apologize for my disappearing act earlier, I know it was... strange,"

"It's alright, don't worry about it," I smiled with a lighthearted chuckle, and Stefan smiled at me, before glancing down at my now wrapped up shin.

"How's your leg?" he asked in a, what seemed to be, worried voice.

"Oh, it's fine. It was just a scratch, really," I replied as I glanced down at my shin, before looking up at him curiously. "How did you know where I lived?"

"It's a small town," Stefan answered nonchalantly, "I asked the first person I saw," he said, and I nodded. It's true. In a town like Mystic Falls, everyone knows everybody. Suddenly, Stefan looked like he remembered why he was really here, and reached into his pocket, "Um, I thought you might want this back," he said, opening his hand, revealing my bracelet.

"Oh, it must have fallen off when I fell," I said more to myself than to Stefan, before grabbing the piece of jewelry as I stepped out onto the porch. "Thank you,"

"No problem," he smiled, and I returned it before attempting to put the bracelet around my left wrist, and failing, "Here, let me," he offered, and I gave him a grateful smile as he grabbed the bracelet from me and gently placed it around my wrist, before giving me a soft smile.

"Thank you," I thanked him quietly, suddenly becoming aware of how close we were.

"Okay, I got it! We can go now!" I heard Elena's voice, and turned around, only to see her stop abruptly in the doorway as she stared at me and Stefan with wide eyes. "Oh,"

"Uh, Elena, this is Stefan," I introduced, wanting to at least ease the awkwardness a bit. "Stefan, this is my sister, Elena,"

"Hi," Elena smiled kindly, stretching out her hand for him to shake as she finally joined us on the porch. Stefan shook her hand with a polite smile, before looking us both up and down really quick.

"Sorry, were you two going somewhere?" he asked, probably worried that he interrupted us as he saw Elena's black, loose, sleeveless dress that reached down to her knees, and my high-waist, black skirt decorated with small white hearts that reached down to my mid-thigh and my beige, tucked in, 3/4 sleeve sweater. Finishing the look was a light brown belt around my waist. My hair was also now out of the pony tail I had earlier and fell loosely on my shoulders, the front part twisted and pinned back.

"Yeah, we're meeting a friend," I said, and he nodded understandingly. That was when I realized that I wanted to spend more time with him, even if it was with someone else keeping us company, so I asked, "Would you like to come?" I was bit surprised to see that Stefan seemed shocked that I asked him, but he hid it quickly and smiled at me as Elena smirked.

"I'd love to,"

*Third Person's P.O.V., 10 Minutes Later*

"How's Anna doing?" Matt asked Bonnie as they sat together at a table at the Grill.

"Her mom and dad died, " Bonnie replied. "How do you think? She's putting on a good face, and she's strong, but it's only been four months,"

"Has she said anything about me?" Matt asked hopefully, and Bonnie shook her head.

"Oh, no. So not getting in the middle. You pick up the phone and call her,"

"I feel weird calling her," he admitted. "She broke up with me,"

"Give it more time, Matt," Bonnie advised softly, but her smile faltered and her eyes widened as her gaze landed on something behind him, making him turn around.

As soon as they entered the Grill, nearly everyone's gaze was on them. Elena quickly excused herself and went over to Bonnie and Matt, not wanting to feel like the third wheel for even a second longer after riding in the car with the two, sitting in the back awkwardly. Caroline and Tyler, who were playing pool, turned their gazes toward Annabelle and Stefan as well, and they both couldn't believe their eyes. However, Caroline also felt jealousy surge through here, seeing as she hoped that she might, for once, get the guy she wanted. But, of course, it was impossible for her to do so when Annabelle Gilbert was around.

"More time, huh?" Matt turned to Bonnie, his voice sad and the look in his eyes heartbroken, before he pushed himself off the chair and headed over to the two, while Elena looked at Bonnie confusedly, not understanding what was going on, although getting a good idea. Bonnie just smiled sadly, and Elena's guess was confirmed, "Hey, I'm Matt. Nice to meet you," he introduced himself to Stefan politely, and Annabelle looked at him sorrowfully, but at the same time happy that he was being nice.

"Hi. Stefan," Stefan shook Matt's hand, and Matt gave him a nod before looking down at Annabelle, who was much shorter, at 5'3 1/2", than them, seeing as they were both taller than 6 feet.

"Hey," she smiled at him, wanting to make him feel at least the tiniest bit better, still feeling immensely guilty about their breakup, but he only gave her a look of heartbreak and longing.

"Hey,"

*5 Minutes Later*

After having time to settle down, Caroline, Bonnie, Elena, Annabelle, and Stefan all sat down at a table, and Caroline began her interrogation,.

"So you were born in Mystic Falls?" she asked, and Stefan nodded.

"Mm-hmm. And, uh, moved when I was still young,"

"Parents?" Bonnie asked with a smile.

"My parents passed away," Stefan replied, and the same look appeared on both Annabelle and Elena's faces, who gripped each other's hands comfortingly.

"I'm sorry," Annabelle said sincerely, knowing what it's like to loose a parent, or in this case both, and Stefan gave her a thankful nod, "Any siblings?" she quickly changed the subject, mostly for Elena's sake as she saw the look of sorrow in her sister's eyes.

"None that I talk to," Stefan replied with a small smile, speaking mainly to Annabelle, which was quite obvious considering his eyes never left her. "I, uh, I live with my uncle,"

"So, Stefan," Caroline spoke up, wanting to bring his attention to her instead of Annabelle. "If you're new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow,"

"It's a back-to-school thing at the falls," Bonnie explained with a smile, and Stefan immediately turned to Annabelle, who was sitting on his other side.

"Are you going?" he asked.

"Of course she is," Elena immediately replied, not wanting to give Annabelle even a second to refuse. She knew how her sister felt about parties, especially after what happened after the one four months ago, but she couldn't let Annabelle let Stefan slip through her fingers. She saw how he looked at her sister, and she wanted Annabelle to finally be happy. And if Stefan was the key, she decided there and then that she will do anything to help him with her sister.

Annabelle felt a smile grow on her lips, and she shook her head at her sister lightly, before bringing her gaze up to look at Stefan, who was already gazing at her with a soft smile.

*1 Hour Later*

Stefan opened a cabinet in his room, and pulled out an old-looking journal. He opened it, and looked at the old picture that was in between the pages. It was a photo of a beautiful woman, with a late XIX century hairstyle. The woman in the photo looked exactly like Annabelle, down to the smallest detail, but it wasn't Annabelle. Under the photo it read: Layla 1864.

*The Next Day*

"The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls. How many casualties resulted in this battle?" Mr. Tanner asked the class. "Ms. Bennett?"

"Um... a lot?" Bonnie answered, though it sounded like a question, making a few people chuckle. "I'm not sure. Like a whole lot,"

"Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett," Mr. Tanner said coldly, making Bonnie look down. "Mr. Donovan. Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?"

"It's okay, Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it," Matt replied, making everyone chuckle.

"Hmm," Mr. Tanner hummed, before he brought his gaze onto the oldest Gilbert child. "Annabelle? Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical events?"

Unfortunately, Annabelle wasn't paying attention as she played with her bracelet, remembering what Stefan's fingers on her wrist and her hand in his felt like, so she didn't even know what the question was when the teacher called on her.

"I'm sorry, I..." she shook her head and trailed off with a sigh. "I don't know,"

"I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Annabelle. But the personal excuses ended with summer break," Mr. Tanner said, and Annabelle looked down as she took in a deep breath, while Elena stared at the teacher in disbelief, not knowing how to comprehend what their teacher has just said to her sister.

"There were 346 casualties, unless you're counting the local civilians," Stefan answered the History teacher's question, also looking slightly aggravated that someone would say something like that to Annabelle.

"That's correct," Mr. Tanner nodded, glancing at Annabelle, before pointing at Stefan. "Mister..."

"Salvatore,"

"Salvatore. Any relation to the original settlers here at Mystic Falls?"

"Distant," Stefan replied after a moment of silence.

"Well, very good," Mr. Tanner praised. "Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle,"

"Actually, there were, uh, 28, sir," Stefan spoke up. "Confederate soldiers, they fired on a church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The founders' archives are, uh, stored in Civil Hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner," Annabelle's mouth slowly opened in disbelief and a smile spread across her face at how Stefan defended her (even if it was indirectly), and everyone chuckled in disbelief as well, though they were all glad that Mr. Tanner finally got what he deserved.