Chapter 5

The guy was still gaping, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"How..."

Bella pointed over her shoulder where she and Barkley had gone through

"If that is a fence, there is a gap at the hedge. This loud little guy ran away from me and came through. I followed him in."

The guy nodded. He didn't seem to be much older than Elena, who was seventeen according to Jenna. Light brown hair, green-ish eyes, look like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Did Barkley hurt you?"

The guy shook his head.

"Can you speak?"

She asked speaking slowly. In response Green eyes scowled.

"I'm fine. This... mop... may be loud but he's harmless."

He extended a hand to pet the dog, only to have it bitten. Bella hid her smirk.

"I wouldn't pet him until he calms down, if I were you."

She said lightly and gave the dog another firm tug at the leash succeeding in drawing Barkley away from the guy.

"Well, sorry to barge in like this. If you can point me back to civilization, I'll be out of your hair and Barkley here will be coming with me."

The guy seemed to find his tongue after a swallowing and licking his lips. He stood slowly and extended a hand

"Stefan"

"Bella"

She shook his hand and he pointed to their side

"Civilization."

Bella nodded her thanks, letting go of the guy's slightly cold hand.

"See you around."
"I'll hear you coming."
"Only if I have the dog with me."

Laughing to herself, Bella kept a tight hold on the leash and began walking in the directed way. Soon a stone path crossed her way and following it, she found a large mansion and then a gate.

"House that backs into the woods, Barkley. Always hated those."

She made a mental note to look into who lived there. The area was wooded but her vampire related experience knew better.

- - - Memories of a Past and a Future - - -

Stefan for his part was still staring the direction to which Bella left. If his heart was beating, it'd be slow as death despite being startled by the little four legged monster.

"I'll be damned. First Katherine and now her companion. And that ... thing."

Here he was, minding his own business and ridding the woods of small furry animals for lunch, and out of the blue comes another furry animal. Without paying attention, Stefan had tried to sink his teeth into that one as well but it fought back and began yowling even louder than before, got on his chest and nearly bit his head off. And then, she strutted out the woods as well. Isabella Pierce.

First time he had seen her, it was when she stepped out of a carriage right after Katherine in 1864. She was introduced as her companion, and no one ever questioned them having the same last name even though they didn't look all that alike. He had fallen head over heels for Katherine, while Isabella became closer with his father. It seemed the young woman had a flair for business and would often accompany Giussepe Salvatore in his trips but never spoke up when Stefan was there as well.

It was a happy time, Stefan reflected as he began walking towards the house. His father was attentive despite being strict, and had allowed him to work towards his studies as he wanted, rather than pushing him to join the war, like his older brother, Damon. Speaking of Damon, it was his return that ruined everything.

His far more wordly brother used his good looks and bad boy image and ruined his courting of Katherine. His father had reminded Damon that his reprieve of the war wouldn't last forever and he was to return to the front. Katherine had began flirting and dating both with the talent of a master juggler while Isabella had refused to get involved. In retrospect, she was smart to do that, although at the time Stefan had hated her for it. How could she not see that he was the smart choice for her friend? He was reliable, would inherit the family business and wouldn't cheat.

He was a moron.

When the truth came out, along with Katherine's vampirism, he and Damon had worked together to save Katherine from the eternal slumber fate the town council had planned for the captured vampires.

Neither Salvatore son had known about it, but there had been a massive operation by the town council, which served as protectors of the small town against supernatural threats, to catch all of them. At the time, no one knew that vampires could walk during the day, if they had a magical stone that allowed them to. However Giussepe Salvatore had began to see clearly through Katherine's act.

He had suspected her for a vampire when his formerly amicable, if not overly loving, siblings began fighting like dogs in heat over her. Each brother becoming nothing more than a caricature of their former selves. It didn't help that the Pierces had arrived the day after his wife's horse had been spooked by something and had tossed her off its back resulting in her death. Giussepe had watched and had seen the pattern in Katherine's revolving bedroom door and spiked Stefan's drink with a local herb that was poisonous to vampires. When Katherine got sick immediately after she sank her teeth in Stefan's neck, he had acted. Stefan had asked help from Damon, whose neck was bearing similar bite marks and the two did their best to save the woman they loved.

They failed. Katherine had been entombed alive in a mass grave along with the rest, and his father had lost both sons, by his own hand. The old man had such a deep hatred for vampires that the thought of his sons being sympathizers was too much to consider.

Isabella had been smarter and had been working along with Giuseppe to catch the vampires without revealing her own status as one. While Katherine kept the sons occupied, Isabella had found out how the council worked and had protected small clusters of vampires that were truly not hurting anyone, directing the full sweep in the direction of the crazed ones that would attack and kill people left and right. In the crazy of *that* night she had disappeared and was never heard of again.

Until now.