Like A Man Possessed

By: Tracy Cook

Disclaimer: I own nothing. These characters belong to the creators of Vampire Diaries.

Couple: Bonnie/Damon

Rating: M

Warning : This fic will have serial killer Damon in it. And lots of murder and violence and smut!

Chapter Eighteen

Eyes Of The Serpent

'I've Got A Body That I Don't Want To Be Living In,

I've Got Devils Flooding Up To The Neck, And I've Forgotten How To Swim.'

"If you want the answers you search for. Look into the eyes of the serpent."

'Thud. Thud. Thud.'

Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears as she stared away from those blue eyes she loved. She didn't want to look into them. She didn't want to stare into the darkness corrupting Damon's soul. She was scared. She was scared of what she would see.

'Thud. Thud. Thud.'

'You have to do this, Bonnie. This could be the only way to understand what this thing is and how to get rid of it... This could be the only way to save Damon's soul...' Bonnie took in a breath and she forced her gaze up, staring directly into his eyes. They were no longer blue and captivating. They were white and she could see dark red veins twisting along them. His skin was pale and he had veins that looked like snakes moving beneath the skin of his neck and traveling along his jawline.

He cocked his head to the side and stared directly into terrified emerald depths. Staring straight through her. Into her soul. She could feel a chill run down her spine as her eyes closed and her body convulsed.

'She was no longer staring through her eyes.

She felt like she was having a vision, but there was something different this time. The body she was residing in didn't feel familiar, the eyes she was looking through didn't see the same way as Damon's eyes, the voice in his head wasn't Damon's voice. Bonnie stared through his eyes at his hands and she saw the same open wounds carved into his wrists. She saw that he was holding a knife in his shaky hand.

His mind was conflicted.

Just as Damon's mind had been before he killed someone.

He felt like he had no control over himself. He was fighting the demon inside of him. He was trying to get it to go away. Trying to tell it he didn't want to kill again. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to stop himself, his legs kept moving beneath the weight of his body. He was walking through a house. The carpet was soft against his bare feet. There were pictures hanging on the wall. Pictures of a middle-aged man, a woman, and their two sons. One of them had dark curly hair and striking blue eyes, the other had dirty-blonde hair and green eyes.

She recognized the boys.

So did the man. Staring through his eyes at the picture she felt his heart break in his chest. Those were his boys. They were his sons.

He loved them. He loved his wife. But, the voices in his head were telling him to kill them all. To sacrificed them to the demon within.

"Honey... Are you okay?" A female voice asked from behind him. He didn't respond. His mind was filled with images of stabbing her in the chest. He didn't want to see the darkness seep from her eyes and mouth. He didn't want to kill her. "Honey." She called out again, reaching out and holding onto his arm.

He turned and looked her in the eyes. She was shocked to see the blood dripping from his wrists. She was worried about his well-being.

"Oh god, what happened to you Giuseppe!? Did you-did you do this to yourself?"

Bonnie stared through his eyes and she watched as the darkness enveloped his wife. Pouring out of her eyes and mouth. The sight made him angry. It caused his muscles to tense and his grip to tighten around the knife in his hand. He pushed her away from him in an attempt to save her life. It was the only thing he could do and it took all of his strength to take control of his arm for just a second. She didn't understand. He was trying to save her life and she thought he was trying to push her out.

"Giuseppe, talk to me, please?" She reached out for him again.

This time he lost control of himself.

The demon took over.

He lifted the knife and stabbed her in the chest. She didn't fight at first. She was too shocked. By the time she started to fight back, it was too late. Blood was bubbling at her lips and rolling down her chin as he stabbed her again and again. Four times. His heart was aching and he hated himself for what he was doing. He was internally screaming for someone or something to save him. Sending up prayers to a God that wasn't listening.

As his wife's lifeless body fell to the living room floor, he found that his nightmare wasn't over.

He didn't regain control over his body like he had after he killed the others. He couldn't call the police, or try and save his wife. He couldn't wrap her up in a tight embrace and tell her how sorry he was and how much he loved her. The demon inside of him wasn't finished.

The demon was screaming at him to kill his sons.

Bonnie could feel the internal struggle. She could feel him fighting back. She could hear him screaming at the voices and forcing them away. His sons were everything to him and he would rather die than be the one to take away the light in their eyes.

"I won't kill them." He muttered under his breath. It was nearly impossible to force the words out.

He was fighting the darkness.

He was taking back control. This moment gave Bonnie hope. Hope that Damon could do the same if he tried hard enough. Hope that this demon wasn't as powerful as it seemed.

Despite his words, his legs were still moving. They were tugging his body toward the closet where the demon knew his sons were hiding. His grip was tight around the knife. He knew that he couldn't kill his sons. He loved Stefan and Damon too much. His eyes landed on one of the photographs of him and the boys playing football in the backyard and somehow he found strength in the memory as it filled his mind. Bonnie watched it play out before her.

Stefan couldn't have been older than three. Damon was seven or so. The two of them were running around and trying to catch the ball as their father threw it to them. They all looked so happy and she could feel the pain the memory brought him.

He needed to stop himself before he killed his children.

So, he used that strength, love, and compassion, to take back control over his body. And in that moment he did the only thing he could think of to stop himself. He stabbed himself in the chest. Four times, like he had the other victims. Bonnie could feel the blade pierce his skin each time. She felt the sharp pain and the blood filling her lungs and rolling down her chin. It was the worst pain she had ever experienced. It felt so real.

His body toppled to the floor next to his wife. She was still staring through his dead eyes.

Giuseppe had killed himself to save Damon and Stefan.

Bonnie still had so many questions. So many things she didn't understand. What was the demon inside of him? Was it someone who was human at one point? Was it a soul that had escaped the depths of hell? How did it pass on to Damon? Did it pass through bloodline? Were the other killers descendants of the Salvatore line?

Suddenly, she felt herself rising from the lifeless corpse.

That was when she realized that the entire time, she hadn't been staring through Giuseppe's eyes, she hadn't been staring through Damon's eyes, she had always been staring through the demon's eyes. She looked down at the hands before her and she saw darkness. It's fingers were long extended claws, it's arms were thin and made of shadows.

It wasn't a physical being.

It was a virus feeding off the life of others. It needed a new host. That was what it was thinking about. Finding a new host.

The sound of small feet creeping through the living room caused the demon to look up to find the source. Someone was hiding behind the couch. It could hear the little boy breathing, it could hear his heart beating loudly. He was terrified.

"Mom!?" He called when he gained the confidence. "Dad!? Are you okay!?"

They didn't respond.

The young boy with the curls slowly moved out from behind the couch and walked toward his parents. His blue eyes were filled with panic as he saw their lifeless bodies sprawled across the floor. He couldn't see her standing there. He couldn't see the darkness. He hastily rushed to the telephone and started to dial 911. He didn't scream though. He probably didn't want to scare Stefan.

Bonnie watched him closely through the eyes of the demon as it slowly approached the young boy. It's hands outstretched and it's dark claws curled as it rested it's hand on Damon's shoulder. It's claws digging into the skin of the boy's shoulder as it slowly clawed it's way inside of him.

There, the "virus" would lay dormant for years.

This is what it had been doing for hundreds of years.

"You wish to know who I am." A familiar voice asked from behind her. It was the same dark and demented voice that Damon had been using a few minutes ago at the table. Bonnie turned and looked at the creature standing before her. She was now in her own body. Staring into the face of evil. "What I am."

"Yes." Bonnie spoke confidently. Though she felt anything but confident in that moment. She was scared to death.

The only way she could destroy whatever was inside of Damon and free him from the darkness tormenting him, was to find out who or what it was.

The demon extended it's long fingers to her, asking her to take it's hand. Her heart was pounding painfully in her chest and her hand was shaking, but she had to do this for Damon. Slowly, she reached out her hand.

Just as she felt it's cold fingers brush against her fingertips, the scenery around her started to fade.'

"Bonnie!" Kol's voice broke through her haze. He was shaking her by the shoulders and attempting to snap her out of her trance. His brown eyes were filled with worry. He wanted to help Damon, but Bonnie would always be his first priority. "Snap out of it!"

It took her a minute to fully process what was going on. Kol had broke the connection and he was shaking her by the shoulders. She didn't mean to be angry with her best friend, she knew that he was only worried about her, but in that moment he had ruined everything. She was about to find out who the demon was. She was about to find a solution to the problem. And, on top of that, him breaking the connection before they put an end to the spell could have serious and dangerous side-effects for Damon.

"I told you not to break the connection!" Bonnie shouted at him.

"I could give a fuck about the connection right now, Bonnie! You're bleeding." He insisted, lifting his thumb to her face and wiping the space between her nose and lips. Blood was pouring from her nose and her entire body had been shaking before he put an end to the ritual.

Kol lifted up his thumb to show her the blood.

"It was just a side-effect of the spell. It was too intense, but I would have been okay." Bonnie said, frantically turning to look over at Damon. His eyes were still rolled up into his head and the veins were still moving along his neck. The demon was still in control. It had gained more power.

"Well, that's not a risk I was willing to take!" He shot back.

She wasn't angry with Kol. She understood why he had done what he did. She was just worried about what would happen to Damon now. The book had specifically said not to break the connection before completing the spell. There had to be a reason. Her green eyes were filled with concern as she reached out and placed her hands on his cheeks, looking him straight in the eyes. The demon was in control, but he was still somewhere inside. He could still see her looking at him.

Stefan was now standing and staring between his brother and Bonnie, searching for answers to what was happening. He was scared that they had lost Damon's soul completely to the darkness when Kol broke the connection.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"He's fighting to get control back." She told him.

She knew from the vision she just had of Giuseppe that it was possible to fight the demon. She traced her thumbs delicately along his jawline and she smiled down at him. Her eyes connected with his. She was ignoring the white eyes and trying to focus on his beautiful blue eyes in her mind. The beautiful eyes of the man she cared deeply for.

"Damon." She spoke softly. "I know that you are in there still. Please, come back to us."

Damon could see her standing before him. He could feel the soft skin of her fingers against his face. He was trying so desperately to regain control over his body, to say something, to move, to hold her. But, he couldn't. The darkness had a hold on him.

"Follow my voice." Bonnie called out to him, tears filling her eyes. "Please, just follow my voice."

It was like his dreams all over again.

The ones where she called him out of the darkness. Where her voice brought him to the light. Right now his mind was corroded with darkness and evil thoughts, temptations to kill innocent people, but her voice was bringing him back to his senses. It was reminding him of who he was and the strength he had inside.

"Please. I need you." Her voice cracked under the weight of emotions she was feeling. They had come so far, she couldn't lose him now.

Damon focused on the light. He focused on her voice and he followed it out of the darkness.

She was his guardian angel.

His eyes rolled back and her smile widened as she met blue with green. She felt overwhelming relief rush over her body and she nearly laughed as tears rolled down her cheeks. She had been so scared that she had lost him. That he had lost himself completely. "Thank god you're okay!" She exclaimed, leaning down and capturing his lips in a desperate kiss. Damon smiled against her lips and slowly lifted his shaking hand, tangling it in her hair and kissing her back. He was shaken, but the taste of her lips brought him home.

His home was not a place. It was not his apartment complex. It wasn't his foster homes, or the home he was raised in. His home was a person.

His home was Bonnie Bennett.

Stefan and Kol exchanged relieved looks. They were both happy to see that Damon was safe.

Damon felt his stomach lurch back and forth and he quickly pulled out of the kiss and put distance between Bonnie and himself. He felt like he was going to vomit. "I don't feel so hot, Bon-Bon." He joked, holding his stomach with his hand and forcing his eyes away from hers. He could taste the bile in his mouth and he couldn't hold it back any longer. Leaning over he started to vomit all over the ground. Bonnie ran a comforting hand over his back as she watched him with worried eyes.

'I'm The Only One Who Knows,

The Secret Places That The Light Don't Show.'

Bonnie had insisted that Damon needed to rest. The two of them had retired to her bedroom upstairs. She still seemed like she was upset with him for breaking the connection and it was starting to weigh on his conscience.

"I was only trying to help." Kol lent back in the chair and stared across the table at Stefan.

"I know." He offered him an understanding smile. "And so does she. She knows why you did it, she's just worried about Damon."

"Nothing personal, mate. I really do want to help your brother through this. I just wish she'd worry about herself a bit more." The British man said with a small smile. He loved Bonnie and he knew her better than anyone else, and she was constantly sacrificing herself in order to make other people happy. He knew that she loved Damon. Even if she didn't know she loved him yet, but she couldn't die trying to save him. He wouldn't allow that.

"No, I agree. She was pushing herself too hard." Stefan stated honestly. He wanted to save his brother more than anything, but he didn't want Bonnie to die in the process. She needed to pace herself.

Kol felt his phone vibrating in the pocket of his jeans and he quickly pulled it out and looked down at the screen. It said the word 'Sister' across the front of it. His heart jumped in his chest and he bit down on his bottom lip as he contemplated whether he should answer it or not. If she was calling again then there was a good chance she found out about his location and involvement with Bonnie and Damon.

'Perhaps I could convince her to help us... She might understand if she finds the evidence on her own...'

Rebekah calling him meant that she hadn't told Elijah yet. 'Either that, or she has told Elijah and they are tracking my phone...' He couldn't believe that his sister was capable of doing that to him though. He had faith that she knew if he and Bonnie were involved in the murder case, then something else was going on.

"I've got to take this." Kol said, dismissing himself from the table and walking out into the kitchen before clicking the send button.

"Hello sister. So happy to hear from you-"

"-You are in Kansas with Bonnie and Damon, aren't you?" Rebekah asked harshly. Before Kol could attempt to explain the situation or lie to her again, she added, "Don't you dare attempt to lie to me again, Kol. You know that I can see right through you and I only want to help."

He was surprised to hear that she wanted to help. His sister had never been the most "moral" police officer. She often times broke the rules in order to get to the bottom of a case, but helping a known criminal and murderer escape wasn't something she would ever agree to do. "And why the bloody hell should I believe that?" He laughed. "You and Elijah probably bugged my phone and you are waiting to find my location as we speak."

"Elijah doesn't know about any of this." She spoke softly.

This shocked Kol. She never hid things like this from her partner.

"The police officer that spotted Bonnie and Damon was helping me develop a wanted photograph of the young woman helping him escape, and I recognized her immediately." Rebekah paused. She seemed to be struggling with what she had done. She was audibly conflicted with her decision. "I got rid of the evidence and I haven't told Elijah anything."

He was too shocked to speak. Why had she done that?

"Look, I cannot possibly begin to comprehend why the two of you are defending a psychopathic murderer, but I know that for whatever reason you are and that means something to me. It means that there is more to the story than I am seeing through the evidence. So, you have a choice right now, Kol. You can either help me understand why you are defending Damon or I will tell Elijah of your whereabouts and we will handle this with force."

"I am helping Damon because what is happening to him isn't his fault." Kol explained.

"What do you mean?"

"Look up a serial killer named Marcus Tucker from the 1950's, Bekah. Hell, look up every case you can find where the man claimed to be possessed by a demon and he carved the words 'I am the bringer of death' into his bloody wrists."

"Are you claiming that Damon Salvatore is possessed and that is why he is killing people?" Rebekah asked. She didn't believe that for a second. Hundreds of people had claimed similar things in their trials to get away with murder.

"Just look it up."

'This Person I Don't Know, The One Staring Back At Me,

It's Not Who I Want To Be.'

Author's Note :

Thank you SOOO MUCH for all of the reviews! They really do mean so much to me! I'm sorry that I didn't get to add another chapter for a few days. :( I was just caught up in life. BUT I am back now and I should be updating as regularly as usual now! :)) How did y'all feel about this chapter? Do you wish Kol didn't interrupt? Do you understand why he did? Are you worried about possible side-effects for Damon now? How do y'all feel about what happened to Giuseppe? And do y'all think that Rebekah will help them out!?

Again, thank you so much for all of your support! Y'all are amazing! I hope that y'all enjoy this chapter!

I love you guys!

-Tracy Cook-