Civil Twilight

By: Megan

Chapter 2: Iscariot: Out for Blood Part 1

"We can cut to the chase if you want, I'm not going to kill you right now. That wouldn't serve my greater agenda. So… where's Stefan?"

"He's out looking for Vikki."

"Don't look at me with those judgy little eyes, that girl is going to thank me for what I did to her."

"Did you thank Katherine?"

"You got the whole life story, huh?"

"I got enough."

"Oh I doubt that. Tell my brother I'm looking for him. Oh, and tip for later… Be careful who you invite in the house."

That encounter, back at the Gilbert house, was still running vividly through Elena mind. All her muddled memories were making their way to the surface and becoming clear.

He was sitting no more than several feet away from her, his black hair and pale face gleaming in the artificial twilight of the street lamps that reflected in the car windows, as the rubber of the worn tires screeched against the pavement.

They must be going 100 miles an hour.

It was Damon. The man who she believed could very well turn out to be her future murderer, for he was a predator…evil. His eyes were still focused intently on the road. Elena took a small sharp intake of breath.

"What are you doing?" She whispered. "Why did you save me back there?"

A soft laughter escaped Damon's lips, as they curved into the faint form of a smile.

"It would have been such a waste, and besides…" Damon broke mid sentence as he looked quickly into the review mirror, swerving the vehicle to the side of the road.

"…I like to travel."

The car was positioned at an angle on the side of the highway, the noise of the traffic deafening to Elena's ears. She stared at Damon inquisitively, intently. Waiting for his next move. But he didn't move. He just simply sat there, still, and breathing evenly.

Elena tried to conceal the chills, the slight tremors that rocked her body, but she knew that he saw them anyway. She was the first to break the several minutes of silence, however. But, when she managed to get the words out, they only came in a slight whisper.

"What is going on? What happened to me back there?"

"You're going to have except that there are many things that you will not understand tonight…"

"I already don't understand anything! Every faith, every belief that I have ever had has been ripped apart…"

"Stop. You need to listen to what I have to say, Elena. They know. They know that you know about my brother and I, and they are going to kill you if you don't listen to me and do as I say."

"Who knows, what are you talking about?"

And, in that moment, Elena saw what she believed to have been the most frightening sight she had ever witnessed in her life. A look of fear settled over Damon's features. It was strange. There was none of his usual mockery or malice, and he was, in fact, reclining in the driver's seat, relaxed. Yet that hint of fear… it was evident. It was there.

"You have no idea. Neither does Stefan. You have no idea who the hell you're dealing with."

"What does that mean? Who the hell are we dealing with?"

"About half a century ago, a top-secret wing of the Vatican was formed in Rome. They are charged with the active pursuit and extermination of demons, vampires…"

"The Iscariot Organization."

"What do you know about them?"

"They are mercenaries, the organization is named after Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed Jesus. They hunt vampires even if they do not pose a threat, just for the sake of what they are. But they're not real… they only exists in horror novels, fairy-stories…"

"Like my brother and I?"

A pause. Damon was right, there were many things Elena would not understand tonight.

"But, that is insane, they cannot exist…"

"Oh, I assure you, they do. Mayor Lockwood is one of them."

"That's impossible…"

"Iscariot has branches of their division in every major city, even in every small town."

"How long have they been here?"

With Elena's question, Damon's face went serene. His lower lip gave the smallest, most thoughtful pout, his features then distorting with the most awful feelings of hatred and hurt. A terrible frown broke over him.

"Since 1864."

Katherine.

Vikki ran through the dark and alien forest, blood dripping down her mouth, her shirt. The pounding in her ears, like the pounding of a drum, grew louder and louder. Her lips were throbbing, her fingers were aching, and she could feel the rush in the flesh of her temples, her veins.

She was more astute, aware. Her senses were sharper, more defined. And though horrified, she was astounded by the beauty of the night. As Vikki slowed her run to a walk, along the tree-lined levee in the moonlight, she savored the scent of the orange blossoms, and the smell of the moist leaves, and the wet dirt ground. She could feel the shine of the moon on her shoulders, and strangely, it's caressing warmth. It was then that Vikki decided that she had to see Jeremy.

Stefan was beginning to feel again. Within these past months, everything, every thought, every emotion became apparent again. He wasn't numb anymore, struck dumb by so many passing years… alone.

Elena. The name in and of itself was his savior in more ways then one. He had seen her as Katherine at the start, the resemblance so striking, and comforting, that he had to stay in Mystic Falls. The town of his birth that held so many painful memories, repressed, but never forgotten.

And now he had lost her. Although, he couldn't blame her. And when he actually faced her, told her the truth about his origins, it was a sweet shock to his senses. Yes, Stefan Salvatore was beginning to feel again and it hurt. He would see her again, he decided. Tonight.

"I'm starving."

"What?"

Damon and Elena had been driving for at least several more hours now, in circles. Damon said it was a pre-caution in case they were being followed, because he was taking her home. Not that there was much to go back to anymore. Except for Jeremy and Aunt Jenna.

There was always Jeremy. Elena thought with comfort. Her little brother was a constant in her life, and although he could, most of the time, be annoying and stubborn and lacked an incredible amount of common sense, he was the one guy that would always be there for her. No matter what. They were stuck together, like Damon and Stefan were. Maybe not for eternity, but they were two peas in a pod, and had been since Jeremy had entered the first grade.

"If only I had drained Fell myself," Elena heard Damon mutter under his breath. "I need to feed now."

Elena recoiled slightly, an action that Damon recognized right away. He let out a chuckle.

"Not on you, unless, of course, you're offering?"

Elena shook her head.

"Very well, then."

Damon parked the car at the border of Mystic Falls Park. Elena had ought to be angry with him at that moment, considering that he was actually planning on snatching his dinner right in front of her very eyes, but she could feel nothing but the feeling of gratitude in the pit of her stomach. Damon had saved her life.

"This will only take a moment."

With that, Damon exited the vehicle with his usual swagger. Elena squinted, trying to see through the deep darkness and grey fog, but she didn't see… anyone. What was Damon doing? And then Elena saw her. She was drunk and very beautiful, propped up on the back of one of the wicker benches positioned by the bright, red jungle gym.

Damon approached her, and strangely enough, the drugged doll of a woman with gorgeous red hair shinning and falling down past her shoulders that were covered in a large jean jacket, smiled up at him. Elena couldn't imagine what would happen next, but she knew what would be the ultimate end; Damon was going to kill her.

Damon sat down beside the woman on the bench, as she began to tease him with kisses, apparently recognizing his coldness, his lack of desire for her. This was going to be a very fast kill. For, Damon was not taking his time.

Elena watched as the woman put her left arm around Damon's long neck, her right hand smoothing down his soft, black hair. He buried his face in the flesh of her neck. Damon was masterfully clever and very vicious, as Elena would soon realize, for he had sunk his teeth into the woman on the bench, his thumb pressing down on her throat, his other arm locking her body to his tightly, so that he could drink his fill and, as Elena observed from the look on the woman's face, she never even new what was happening to her. A moment later, her form slumped down against the metal arm of the bench, and Damon rose, walking back to the car. And, entering the vehicle, he sat down in the driver's seat, placing the keys in the ignition. His face was flushed now, much altered.

"You're disgusting."

Damon shrugged, and there was a dangerous glimmer in his black eyes.

"Don't push me, Elena."

Disclaimer: The name of the Iscariot Organization belongs to the Hellsing Series. However, I have incorporated it into my story to serve the plot and will make the organization, and it's methods, my own.

Please read and review if you wish me to continue.