No Mercy

Night of the Hunter by 30 Seconds to Mars

Pray to your God, open your heart
Whatever you do, don't be afraid of the dark
Cover your eyes, the devil's inside

One night of the hunter
One day I will get revenge
One night to remember
One day it'll all just end

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter One: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Mystic Falls, Present Day

Dark blue eyes rested upon the three tombstones lying side by side in the Mystic Falls Cemetery. The tombstones were at the very back of the cemetery, having been there for over a century. Moss had grown on the front and sides of two of the tombstones, but even then Ash still knew the names carved into them.

The names of her brothers.

What intrigued her, though, was why her tombstone and grave itself looked as if it was being cared for, when the tombstones of her brothers' graves looked as if they had been purposely neglected.

The dark-haired girl rested a small, delicate looking hand on the front of her twin's tombstone. "I miss you brother." She whispered, a rare moment of weakness overcoming her. Her dark blue eyes were intently focused on it, hopelessness clear within them. "You and Damon both."

After another moment passed, Ash stood up and forced her face to become calm. Placing her sunglasses back on, she cast one more look at the graves before walking away, disappearing in an instant as she used her enhanced speed.

Ash didn't know what had made her decide on impulse to come back to this town of nightmares. Who was she kidding? She wasn't anywhere near strong enough to deal with all of the haunting memories this town held for her.

No, but she had to be. Fear was a luxury, a weakness, that she could not afford to have.

One thing, unknown to her, was certain though. Now that Ashlynn Salvatore was in town, all of the carefully made plans created by not only the citizens of Mystic Falls, but by Klaus as well, were about to go in an entirely new direction.

In the hundred and forty something years since Ash had last laid eyes on Mystic Falls, very few things had changed.

Sure, everything was more modern and there were more buildings than there used to be, obviously…but the people were exactly the same. The minute someone new entered town, people stared. People stuck their noses in other people's business. Everybody knew everybody in small towns like this and Ash stuck out like a sore thumb.

At one point in time, she would've flushed in embarrassment…looked away…something. But that was long gone. Instead of embarrassment, she felt…nothing. Numbness. She felt nothing for these people that judged her, whom she did not even know.

They meant nothing to her.

Throughout her life, only five people ever meant anything to her. Three were dead, one had betrayed her, and only one had remained true.

The only reason Ash hadn't turned off her humanity again was because of that one, her best and only friend. Alexa had risked a lot to get Ash to turn her humanity back on and Ash wouldn't belittle her friend's sacrifice just because she was too weak to handle her birthplace.

Deciding that what she really needed was a drink, the brunette walked into the building that said above the door in dark neon lights "Mystic Grill".

Ash ignored the curious looks a few sent her way as she walked to the bar counter, pausing momentarily to glare at some of the men who stared at her a little too long. Yeah, she was a hundred and sixty two and was by no means an innocent, but damn, on the outside she still looked like a seventeen year old. Clearly, Mystic Falls had some closet pedophiles.

Her lips quirked up in the slightest hint of a grin at that thought. Sitting down, she motioned the bartender over with her head, her most charming smile put on display as he approached.

Eying her warily with a smirk on his lips, he walked over. "What can I get you?"

"Bourbon on the rocks."

The bartender arched an eyebrow, his smirk growing. "I'll have to see some I.D."

Ash tilted her head and smiled up at him, an eyebrow slightly raised. "Can't we work out some sort of…arrangement?" She looked up at him innocently, but the sharp curve of her lips belied this.

The bartender looked mildly amused and he shook his head slightly before looking at Ash with bemused eyes. "Sorry hon, no can do."

Ash still kept the smile on her face, but her voice held a slight edge when she spoke again, her eyes intent upon the bartender's. "You will give me my drink on the house, a gift for a stranger passing through. Oh and while you're at it, cut open a vein and pour some of your blood into the drink. You will forget this conversation the moment you hand me the glass and all you will remember is that you cut yourself on broken glass. Understand?"

"Yes." The bartender said in a monotonous voice.

Ash smiled pleasantly. "Great." She watched the bartender fix her drink before he disappeared into the backroom to add the blood. While he did this, her eyes roamed the room in boredom, the smile completely vanishing from her face.

The town had become boring. A dark smirk crossed the brunette's face, a wicked gleam in her blue eyes. Maybe I should shake it up a little?

"Thanks." Ash remarked as the bartender handed her the glass. "What happened to your arm?" She asked with fake concern, eyes wide.

The bartender winced as he placed a cloth over the cut to staunch the flow of blood. "Cut myself on some glass back there. No biggie." He stated before walking away to deal with some other customers.

Ash's smirk was hidden slightly as she drank from her glass. I suck at lying, huh Nik? Guess again. Taking another sip of her blood laced drink, Ash allowed her eyes to roam the room once again in amusement. If she really wanted to, she could kill everyone in this measly building. The only problem was that she'd get an angry phone call from Alexa about what 'under the radar' means.

Alexa worried too much. It was as if she feared that at any given moment, Ash would turn off her humanity again. And honestly, Ash had to admit, she was tempted…but she knew that in the long run, she would regret it.

A low growl escaped the brunette as her eyes landed on the last person she ever wanted to see again. "Katherine." She whispered darkly as she noticed the woman sitting in a booth, talking with a blonde busboy. What is she doing here?

The dark blue eyes were transfixed upon the woman who had single handedly ruined Ash's human life. I thought she was dead, Ash thought slowly, her eyes on the woman intently. Anger burned within her at the thought of her brothers having died for nothing. Katherine, being a vampire, could have easily saved Damon and Stefan…but no, she had allowed them to die like the traitorous bitch that she was.

Ash drained the rest of the contents of her glass in an instant before standing up and walking out of the building, a dark smirk on her face.

Elena walked out of the Grill after telling Matt goodbye. She pulled out her cell phone and winced when she realized she had missed a call from Damon. She debated about calling him back, still annoyed that he had let Stefan out of the cellar. How was Stefan supposed to get better if Damon was just going to keep letting him out before he got his humanity switched back on?

The sound of a can rattling drew the woman's attention to the alley next to the Grill. Instantly on guard, her eyes looked around carefully. "Hello?" She questioned calmly as her hand drifted to her bag, pulling a stake out slowly as her brown eyes flitted around the area. "Anyone there?"

A sharp cry flew out of her mouth as she was slammed into the wall, her head hitting the brick with a loud thud. Wincing at the pain, Elena's eyes flicked upwards to meet the murderous dark blue ones of her attacker.

"Who…are you?" Elena managed to rasp out against the hand around her throat?"

The girl tilted her head, a cruel grin on her face. "Playing dumb doesn't suit you Katherine."

Elena blinked, her eyes widening. "I'm…not…Katherine!" She choked out, struggling against her attacker.

The vampire looked at her dubiously, an eyebrow arched in amusement. "Not Katherine? Your lies have greatly fallen from the ones you used to ensnare my brothers." Elena wondered who the vampire's brothers had been and what Katherine had done to them. "Poor little Katerina Petrova," Ash smirked. "No one is here to save you now."

The smirk on her face fell instantly as the smell of Elena's blood reached her. Veins appeared around her eyes and the brunette tilted her head, her now red eyes closely examining the woman's face. "Human." She spoke in a quiet hiss, her eyes narrowing as she hid her confusion.

The dark blue eyes softened slightly, but the steel in them never faltered, not even when she met the panicking brown eyes of the female in front of her. She could sense the vervain on her, now that she was paying attention, so she knew compelling her would be useless.

The sound of someone approaching caused Ash's eyes to flicker briefly in the direction the sound was coming from before once again looking at Elena. Smirking, she remarked, "See you around," before taking off, disappearing from sight.

Leaving Elena to unsteadily stand up, her hand rubbing her more than likely bruised throat, her mind working quickly as she realized that a new vampire was in town, one who knew Katherine.

One who could possibly be working with Klaus.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------