The Devil Within
Damon Salvatore stared at the beauty that was Brooke Davis. When he first laid eyes on her a year ago he never thought he'd fall so completely and utterly in love with this ordinary woman. But that was it, she wasn't just another ordinary woman. She was beautiful and funny. She was also spontaneous, generous and caring. Damon wasn't looking for love, he thought he had it with Katherine Pierce, but he had never known love like this. This wasn't something Damon was prepared for. He smiled when Brooke stirred next to Damon, the summer breeze wafting through the open window, making the curtains flutter. Damon ran his fingers ever so slightly along her bare arm, and watched as her skin erupted in goose-bumps where ever he touched her.
Brooke awoke with a smile, her skin tingling wherever Damon touched her bare flesh. She couldn't put to words the emotions Damon evoked in her. Because no words seemed appropriate enough to explain the love she had for this one man. All she knew was that she felt content with him here, so close to her. She was also aware that he brought her here to their own little paradise for a reason. She couldn't help but think it was because he was hiding something from her. She saw it in his eyes every so often, especially when they discuss things like the future. Once, after a visit to her Godson, Jamie Scott, she said that she'd love to one day have kids of her own. Damon didn't say anything, but Brooke suspected that there was more to the man she loved, more than life itself. She just didn't like to think too much about it, afraid that it will all come crashing down if he did tell her what caused the pain she saw in his eyes.
Damon leaned closer and kissed Brooke's shoulder. Brooke shifted and turned on her back, and looked straight at Damon. In those instances, Damon thought that Brooke could see in to his soul. See the demons he was trying so hard to suppress. Brooke touched the side of his face with her hand and lifted her head giving him the slightest of kisses. Damon closed his eyes and pulled Brooke closer to him. She snaked her leg around him, and pressed herself against him, deepening the kiss. Damon struggled to keep his control on the beast inside him, too afraid of hurting Brooke if he did let go of the control he had. He slowly pulled away and looked at Brooke. She looked at him with that same vulnerability that scared him to death. It reminded him of the reason he brought her here to their little sanctuary. It was a little cottage in a small Alaskan town, hidden from view and a rare find. Damon had to end this relationship. It was too dangerous. He couldn't risk hurting her, or worse killing her when he could no longer control the beast he's tried so hard to hide.
Brooke watched as Damon went to that dark place he so often went to. It's been occurring more frequently in the last few weeks. Damon got out of bed, pulling on his boxer and mumbling something about getting some fresh air. Brooke sat up, clutching the white bed sheet to her chest. She stared after him contemplating whether she should follow him or not. Brooke gathered the sheet around her and got up. She rearranged it around her body and followed him out onto the deck. The setting sun painted the sky orange and purple, and Brooke paused to admire it's beauty. She approached Damon, and wrapped her arms around his naked torso, resting her head against his bare back. Damon took her left hand in his, and held it tightly. The moment was close to perfect, but something was wrong. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach. Damon sighed and dropped his head, tightening his grip on her hand. "We have to talk," Damon said his voice grave. Brooke knew that voice very well. It was Damon's go to voice when he was about to deliver bad news. "Figured," Brooke said taking a step back, as Damon turned to look at her. Brooke saw in Damon's eyes that he was about to break her heart. She didn't know how or why she knew, but she could feel it in her very being. She pulled the sheet tighter around her looking at Damon fearing the worst. "I've been hiding something about myself," Damon said slowly reaching for her free hand. "I know," Brooke said pulling her hand from Damon's hold. She turned around and walked back into the bedroom, sitting down on the bed getting ready to have her world shatter around her.
Damon followed Brooke into the bedroom and leaned against the wall, putting some distance between himself and Brooke. He needed all the clarity he could get to do what he was about to do. Being close to Brooke only distracted him and made him doubt the decision he's made. "I'm leaving, Brooke," Damon said getting to the point. There was no reason to drag it out. He needed to do this and do it now. "Why?" Brooke asked quietly. Damon saw the hurt Brooke was trying to hide. He chose to ignore it, because if he stopped and thought about it he wouldn't leave, and he had to leave. There's no way that a human and a vampire could ever make it work. This was uncharacteristic for Damon. He never thought he'd ever care about someone let alone love them like he loved Brooke. But, there were just too many risks, and not to mention the fact that Damon would never age. "I'm not who you think I am," Damon said looking directly at Brooke.
Brooke looked at Damon wondering what he was about to confess. It must be bad if he's willing to just walk away from her. She knew how much he loved her, because she could feel it whenever she was with him. He also told her as much a few months ago. So, whatever he was about to say must be something unforgivable. "I'm not human," Damon said so quickly, Brooke thought she might have imagined it. But the look on his face told her that was exactly what he had said. She didn't understand. Not human? What did that even mean? "I'm a vampire, Brooke." Brooke's mind reeled. A vampire. That's impossible. Her mind told her that wasn't possible, but her gut told her that she knew. Brooke looked away confused, trying to make some sense out of all of this. A memory sprang to mind and Brooke focused on the details. She remembered the time she cut her foot on a wine glass and she distinctly recall that Damon left the room in such a hurry he nearly took the door frame with him. There were other instances where she thought she saw Damon's eyes change, but she put that off to being too drunk or too tired. Brooke shook her head and got to her feet. "No," she finally said. "No," she said again looking at Damon. Damon's face changed in front of her and he sneered with his eyes black and his fangs showing. Brooke stumbled back and fell over one of her shoes. She landed flat on her ass, staring up at Damon horrified. This wasn't happening, she told herself sternly. But, as she looked at Damon she saw that this was real. She wasn't imagining this. Right at this second she wish she was.
Damon saw the fear in Brooke's eyes and knew then and there that he was making the right decision. The fear in her eyes was what he was afraid of. He was terrified that she would look at him with that look of fear when he could no longer control the beast within him. He wasn't going to stick around and wait for the inevitable. Damon pulled the beast back and looked at Brooke apologetically. "I'm sorry," he said as he started getting dressed. Brooke looked at him with tears in her eyes. He walked over to her and crouched down in front of her, buttoning the last couple of buttons of his black shirt. "I can take it all away," Damon said meeting Brooke's hazel gaze. Brooke looked Damon in the eye and shook her head, unable to speak. Brooke was scared, that much he knew. But she wasn't scared enough to have the last year erased. He could see realization setting in as Brooke realized lapses in her memory. There were a couple of times Brooke saw him feed on a blood bag that he stole from the local hospital, and he had compelled her to forget that. "How many times have you altered my memory," she asked angrily. Damon got to his feet and took a couple of steps back. It gave Brooke the space to get to her feet. She dropped the sheet and picked up her robe from the chair in the corner of the room. Damon lost his train of thought for a couple of seconds, taking in the perfection that stood in front of him. Brooke slipped it on and tied it around her waist. "A couple of times," Damon confessed looking away. He felt guilty now, like he violated her. When he finally looked up again, Brooke glared at him. "Get out," she sneered.
Brooke heard the front door close and sat down. It felt like her heart had been ripped from her chest. She thought she knew what heartbreak was. She remember feeling heartbroken when Lucas Scott cheated on her with Peyton Sawyer, her best friend. But that was nothing compared to what she felt right at this moment. She felt cold and empty inside, a feeling she's never had before. She leaned forward, clutching her stomach and gasped as she realized what had just happen. Damon left. He left her. The sobs came fast and violently. Brooke couldn't recall a time where she felt this distraught. The room had grown dark and shadows formed on the bedroom floor. Brooke sat back and pulled her legs up, trying to make the ache in her chest stop.
One Year Later
When Damon left a year ago, Brooke didn't know what to make of the situation. She left Alaska and returned to Tree Hill where she tried to mend her broken heart, but it was hard when all she could think of was Damon Salvatore. She sulked around for a few weeks in her pajamas, eating junk food and ice cream. She also drank a lot. She felt lost and hurt. But, Peyton Sawyer and Haley Scott, her two best friends, wouldn't stand for it. They made her get up and face the world. They gave her words of encouragement and told her that she'd be okay. But, Brooke knew that she would never stop loving Damon. It was weird, she remember telling herself that love doesn't last when she was younger. Yet, she refused to let go of her feelings for Damon. She refused to live with this void in her heart, she knew only Damon could fill. So, Brooke started looking for Damon. She searched high and low, and every once in a while she would discover something about him and his whereabouts. But, along the way Brooke lost herself and became the demon she knew Damon was afraid of.
Damon heard the rumors but didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe that the woman he once loved had gone and got herself turned. She came looking for him six months ago, but he kept his distance. He never in his wildest dreams thought that she'd go and do something as stupid as becoming a vampire. He got furious just thinking about it. He threw the glass of whiskey in the fireplace and watched as the liquid made a small explosion. How could he have been so stupid. He should've known that Brooke wouldn't just give up. She did this to prove a point. This wasn't the life he wanted for her. Now she'd never be able to have those kids she once spoke of. She will outlive her friends, her family. All this for the love of an undeserving lonesome vampire. He should've never gotten involved with her. What was he thinking? He knew it would turn out to be a disaster, but he followed his desires instead of his common sense.
Brooke woke up in an armchair, her arms hanging off the sides. She felt nauseas and heavy. Her skin felt dry and cracked, and the thick stench of blood brought back flashes of the night before. Brooke sat up and took in the scene around her. She felt sick, as mangled bodies laid splayed in front of her. There was blood everywhere. Splattered on the walls and ceiling. Brooke looked down at her own hands and saw them stained with blood. She took in the rest of her body, and found she was covered in blood. Her hair was sticky with drying blood, her white mini-dress wasn't white anymore, and her arms and legs were also dirty with dried blood. She stood up and looked around her, the weight of what happened last night was almost too much for her to bear. The first sunrays of the day crept in through the windows, and the skin on Brooke's left hand scorched. She yelped in pain, and leapt to close the curtain. The front door clicked open and Brooke froze.
Damon found a scared and confused Brooke standing in a bloody room, with at least six or seven dead bodies laying around. He took in the scene in front of him, and when he looked at Brooke he saw the devastation in her eyes. Ever since he's been looking for her she'd been leaving a trail of dead bodies. It reminded him of his brother when he was first turned. They didn't call Stefan Salvatore the Ripper for nothing. And by the looks of it Brooke was heading the same way. Although, Damon doubted she left dead bodies scattered across the country because she enjoyed it. He was so sure her death trail was because she couldn't control her impulses. Brooke looked lost and sad, and it broke Damon's heart to see her like that. He took another step into the room and Brooke snapped out of the trance she was in and sat down on the blood smeared floor. She covered her face with her hands and cried. When you turn the personality traits you have becomes ten times stronger than what they were while human. So for Brooke this was devastating. She had the kindest soul and killing these many people have taken its toll on her. "I'm so sorry," Brooke said as Damon got down in front of her. "I know," Damon said gently pulling her into his arms. "I can't control my urges," she sobbed. "I'll teach you," Damon promised vowing to himself to never leave Brooke's side again. He was a fool for leaving and thinking that all will be okay. He wasn't going to make that mistake again. From this day forward Damon would always protect Brooke no matter what.
Brooke pulled away and looked at Damon. Being so close to him reminded her of why she knew she needed to be turned. She knew that in order to spend forever with Damon she'd have to become a vampire herself. She just didn't know it'd be so hard to control the blood lust. But, sitting here with Damon, and looking into his eyes she knew that he'd never let her go again. She saw that same glint in his eyes he had when he first told her that he loved her. "It's going to be okay," Damon breathed cupping Brooke's face and bringing his lips closer. He leaned in and kissed the top of her head. At that moment Brooke knew for a fact that everything would be okay.
Damon looked into Brooke's hazel eyes and fell in love with her all over again. Even bloody and looking like a mess he saw the beauty that was within her. He realized then that what they had inside them weren't demons, or even the devil himself, they were beautiful misunderstood creatures. And for the first time in a hundred and fifty years as a vampire he didn't find himself repulsive. He finally saw the magnificence of being an immortal being. And he saw it in Brooke right at that moment. "It will be now," Brooke said softly pulling Damon from his thoughts. She rested her forehead against his. "C'mon," Damon said after a while, getting up and pulling Brooke up off the floor. He led her to the bathroom at the end of the hallway and watched as she stripped down to nothing. She wore nothing under that skimpy dress. It didn't surprise him. Brooke got into the shower and stood under the hot spray letting the water wash away the blood. Brooke wiped the water from her eyes and met his gaze. "Aren't you joining?" she asked with a sly smile.