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 Twenty-One

The Answers We Seek

'I Have Felt The Cold Hand Of Death And Nothingness,

I Can Hear The Calling, That Brings Me Back From The Abyss.'

Bonnie smiled sadly as her fingers danced through Damon's dark hair. She had refused to leave his side for hours. The boys had tried to talk her into getting some rest. They had tried to convince her that he would be fine. But, she wouldn't believe it until she saw his blue eyes staring back at her and the playful smirk on his lips.

'Please, Damon. Open your eyes. Come back to me.'

They had bandaged his arms in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but he was still bleeding. He needed stitches. They all knew that. She just hoped that eventually the blood would start to clot and form scabs. They couldn't go to the hospital. If they did, then they would be throwing away all of the progress they had made.

They were too close to figuring out what was trapped inside of him to throw it all away.

She twisted her fingers in his hair. In that moment he looked so peaceful. More than anything, she longed for the day that he could sleep peacefully and enjoy life without the darkness corrupting his soul. She longed for the day that they could enjoy their life together. That was what she was fighting for. Every time that she found herself giving up or losing strength, she would envision that day sitting on the deck sipping on coffee together while their children played in the yard. That was what got her through it all. That was what was going to give Damon the strength to come back to her.

She couldn't lose him.

'Not before I tell him I love him. Not before he knows how much he means to me.'

"What are you so worried about, witchy?" Damon wondered. He didn't open his eyes, but his lips did twist up into a smirk. "I've been through worse than this and survived. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Green eyes widened and shimmered with tears as relief rushed over her. She was smiling from ear to ear and laughing at what he said. It was true. He had been through so much worse than this. His entire life had been miserable and yet he was always pulling himself back out of the darkness. He was a survivor. "I knew you'd come back to me." She breathed out.

He popped one of his blue eyes open and stared up at her, his grin stretching, "God himself couldn't keep me away from you."

"Is that so?" Bonnie asked playfully. She couldn't stop smiling as she climbed on top of him. She knew that he was injured and he needed to rest, but she just wanted to be closer to him. She wanted to feel his lips against hers again. She wanted to feel the warmth of his body beneath hers. She wanted to know without a doubt that he was still alive and breathing.

"Yep." Damon said with a loud pop of the p. He reached out and rested his hands on her small hips, pulling her body closer to his. As he did so, he felt a shooting pain through his wrists, but he ignored it.

He was used to the pain.

He wanted to indulge in a little of the rare pleasure in his life.

Bonnie lent down and delicately brushed her lips against his. The kiss was gentle and meaningful. It was saturated with the love and adoration she felt for him. He slowly raised his hand and teased his fingers through her dark curls, pulling her body closer to his, applying more pressure to her lips.

"When I reached the gates." Damon stated between soft kisses and hums of pleasure. "God was standing there." He kissed her again. "And he was like, come on Damon, there are tons of hot sorority girls in here."

She stopped kissing him as he mentioned the hot sorority girls and she eyed him warily. She was still smiling though. "Oh, really?"

"Totally." His blue eyes widened and he waggled his brow at her. "He said, "All you have to do is leave Bonnie behind and you can have them all." And I was like, nope. I'll take my Bon-Bon any day."

"I see." Bonnie stretched the words, laughing and shaking her head at him.

"And you know why I turned down all those hot sorority girls in Heaven for ya?" Damon asked, pulling the petite woman closer to him so that their lips were only inches apart and he was staring deep into her eyes. His breath was rushing against her face and she was blushing as she stared deep into his blue eyes. There was something behind them that she had never really seen before.

"Why?" She breathed out. Her heart pounding loudly in her ears. Her body felt like it was on fire as she anxiously awaited his answer.

"Because, I love you, Bonnie Bennett." He emphasized on her name and it warmed her heart.

Bonnie suddenly couldn't remember how to breathe. She couldn't find her voice. She was so stunned by his words. The truth was, she had never expected Damon to be the one to say 'I love you' first. It didn't seem like him to let people in or to fall in love. It was strange that they had only known each other for almost two weeks, and yet she felt like she had known him all of her life.

Finally, she managed to find her voice. "I love you too!" She exclaimed. "God, I love you so much, Damon!"

She tangled her fingers in his hair and crashed their lips together in a heated and desperate kiss. She needed to feel his lips against hers again. She needed to taste him. She needed to be close to him and just forget the darkness of the world around them for a few minutes.

"Mm." Bonnie moaned out into his lips when she felt him run his tongue along her full bottom lip, begging her for entrance. She eagerly granted him entrance, parting her lips and allowing his tongue to invade her mouth. Their tongues started a dance for dominance and she subconsciously started to rock her hips against him.

Damon groaned out as he felt her rock her ass against his cock through the denim of his jeans. He could feel his arousal intensifying and he desperately wanted to give into the urges. He wanted to be inside of her again. He loved the way that it felt. He loved the connection that they had. But, he had other worries on his mind and they were making it impossible for him to 'perform.'

He couldn't allow himself to fully lose control until they figured out what the thing inside of him was. They were running on borrowed time and he knew that eventually the police were going to find them. They were going to take him away.

They needed to do the seance again.

Bonnie needed to look into the eyes of the demon and find the answers they were searching for.

Damon pulled out of the kiss and his lips twisted up into a smirk when he heard Bonnie let out a whimper of disapproval. She didn't want him to stop kissing her and touching her. She needed more. It was evident by the dark lust swimming in her green eyes.

"Why'd you stop?" She whined.

"You're going to hate me when I tell you." He stated with wide blue eyes.

"I can't hate you, Damon. I love you."

He gave her an uncertain look. "We can't have sex." Damon paused and looked her body over with hungry eyes, biting down on his bottom lip. "Yet." He cast his eyes back up to hers and explained, "Because, we have to do the seance again A.S.A.P. Bonnie." He sang. "You have to look into it's eyes and find out what this thing is so we can destroy it before the cops show up."

She knew that he was right.

They didn't have much time before the police figured out that they were staying at her grams' house. They needed to do the seance again. This time without breaking the connection. And she needed to find out who or what the demon inside of Damon was and what to do about it.

Bonnie wasn't looking forward to it.

'Once this thing is out of him we can just enjoy our life together.' These were the words she kept repeating to herself. These were the words that got her through the darkness.

'I Can See A Vision Of Life, And It's Beckoning,

I Can Shed The Thoughts Of My Past, And Live Once Again.'

"I have found the location of Sheila Bennett's house." Elijah said with a proud smile on his lips. In his mind he had practically solved the crime. They would bring Damon Salvatore in for questioning, along with the young woman helping him, and they would put him away for murder. "I called the police force in Reno County and they are sending a few officers to the house to check it out."

He took a seat at his desk and glanced over at his partner. She didn't seem as excited as he was to catch the murder suspect. 'Why is she acting so strange?'

"Once they find the suspect and his accomplice they will send them our way."

"That's wonderful news." Rebekah forced the words. Her heart was racing in her chest and her hands were shaking as she stared down at her cellphone. She was torn. She felt like she needed to support her partner, but she also felt like she needed to warn her brother.

"Then why do you sound so solemn?" Elijah questioned curiously.

The two of them had been partners for a long time. Ever since he joined the force. He could read her well, and she was definitely acting strange. Usually when they got close to solving a case she was all smiles and encouragement. Sometimes she would even suggest going out and getting a drink to congratulate themselves for their good work. This time she looked anxious and upset. She had no smile on her full lips. She had no sparkle in her eyes.

He was starting to wonder if he could trust her.

He hated that feeling. Elijah believed that without trust you could not have a relationship and he had always thought of Rebekah as someone he could trust with everything.

"I don't look solemn, Elijah." Rebekah dismissed with a smile as she picked up her phone and stood to her feet. "I need to make a quick phone call."

"Alright. Perhaps we could go out for a drink to celebrate our find?"

"We haven't found him yet." She reminded. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

Elijah laughed. Just like that she was back to herself. Competitive as always. He wondered if she was simply jealous because he was the one that had found most of the leads this case. 'She hasn't really found any leads this case... I wonder what has her off her game...?'

The blonde Brit started to walk out of the department. She didn't want to call her brother in the presence of other police officers. She didn't trust any of them right now. She didn't trust anyone. She walked across the street toward her car and once she was securely inside, she started to dial her brother's number before holding the phone to her ear.

'Ring. Ring. Ring.'

Her heart sped faster and faster with each ring. "Come on, Kol. Answer your bloody phone."

"Sorry, mate! Can't get to the phone right now! Leave me a message and I might get back to you!"

Rebekah let out a loud groan of frustration as she heard his voice message. She lowered the phone and quickly started to dial the number again. The police were going to be at Bonnie's grams' house any minute and her brother needed to know. Right now she didn't care if Damon got caught, she just didn't want Kol and Bonnie to get locked up for being involved with him.

She lifted her phone to her ear again and listened to it ring, running her free hand through her long blonde hair.

"Sorry, mate! Can't get to the phone right now! Leave me a message and I might get back to you!"

'Beep.'

"Kol! If you get this message you need to get the bloody hell away from Bonnie's grams' house! The police are on the way! Call me back when you get out!"

'Man, Or Myth, I've Been Shaped By The Hands Of The Master,

Fiction, Or Fraud, My Path Has Been Laid In This Manner.'

Their hands were linked and the candles were flickering as Bonnie recited the foreign words of the spell.

Kol could feel his cellphone vibrating in the pocket of his jeans, but he couldn't reach for it. He couldn't break the connection. Before they started the seance, his best friend had lectured him for nearly ten minutes about the consequences of breaking the spell this time. If they didn't complete it then they would miss their opportunity to save Damon.

'I really hope that call isn't important.' He thought to himself.

Bonnie continued to recite the spell, wind rushing through the room and tossing around their hair. This time the demon was more powerful than before. It had a presence in the physical world, not just through a host.

All eyes were on Damon as his head snapped back and the bones in his spine cracked loudly, his eyes rolling back into his skull. He was weaker than usual and there would be no fighting it this time. He would lose control of himself completely. And that was the plan. For once, he wanted to lose himself completely to the demon. He wanted it to explain to Bonnie who or what it was so that they could find a way to destroy it.

Dark veins rose beneath the skin of his neck, moving up and twisting into the white of his eyes.

The demon was there with them again.

His head snapped abruptly to the side and his neck popped loudly as he stared directly into Bonnie's terrified green eyes. She had her chin held up confidently, but her heart was racing in her chest and the truth was she was scared to death. She didn't want to journey back into the darkness. She didn't want to ever see the demon again. But, it was the only way to save the man she loved.

Damon's smile stretched clear across his face. "Didn't get enough of me last time, little witch?"

The voice was no longer his. It was the same dark, demented voice that belonged to the creature hiding within.

"I need you to show me what you really are." Bonnie spoke with determination. She wasn't going to let the demon frighten her.

"Are you so sure about that?" He cocked his head to the side and his bones cracked loudly.

"I'm sure."

"If you want the answers you search for, look into the eyes of the serpent." The demon said each word with deliberation as it stared deep into Bonnie's eyes. Staring through her, into the purity of her soul. It loved how pure her soul was. It loved how powerful she was. It had plans with her after it finished it's work.

Kol watched his best friend with concerned eyes as she stared into white eyes again. He knew that she had told him not to break the connection again, but if she showed any sign of dying he was going to break the connection and save her. He wouldn't do so because of a nosebleed this time, but if things got worse he wouldn't hesitate. Bonnie Bennett was his first priority always. And she was Damon's first priority too.

His best friend didn't know about it, but Damon had thanked him for breaking the connection. He had thanked him for caring about Bonnie's well-being.

Bonnie watched the veins in white eyes as they twisted and curled like snakes. Suddenly, her eyes shut and she took in a sharp breath, her body convulsing violently, as she was taken back into the darkness of Damon's mind.

The demon was standing before her. It's long clawed fingers outstretched to her, asking her to take it's hand.

'Thud. Thud. Thud.' Her heart blared loudly in her ears as she extended her hand to reach for it's. She was terrified that it was a trap. That she would reach out and touch the darkness and it would suffocate her and kill her. But, it was worth the risk to her if it meant she found the answers she sought after. If it meant she could save Damon's life.

Her fingers danced along it's claws. They were freezing cold against her skin.

She swallowed hard as it linked their fingers together.

In that moment everything went black.

Bonnie found herself standing at the edge of the world. They were hovering hundreds of feet above the flaming depths of Hell. Demons were clawing at the walls of the cliff, attempting to escape the pit of lava. They were burning endlessly. Screaming endlessly.

"Edetah." The demon standing beside her said.

"Edetah?" She asked with a furrowed brow. She didn't know what the word meant. She didn't know if that was it's name or the name of the place they were at, or perhaps it wasn't a name at all.

"I am Edetah." It spoke in a deep voice. "I am not human, nor was I ever human. I am the bringer of death."

Bonnie turned to look at the demon with perplexity written all over her face. She didn't understand. "Like the grim reaper?"

"No. Like a massacre."

It's words sent a chill down her spine. "Why?"

"Our ruler has set a challenge." It explained. "Every century one of us is assigned to be the bringer of death. It is an honor. It is our only chance to escape this dimension and return to yours." Bonnie was slowly starting to understand what the demon was telling her. It was killing people to earn a life on Earth. A chance at living. "We must deliver 100 souls to our ruler and then we are free to find a host and join the land of the living."

"How many have you delivered?" She feared the answer. If the demon was telling her it's plan, then it must have been close to completing the quota.

"Ninety-nine."

Kol and Stefan exchanged a worried look as they saw blood pouring from Bonnie's nose, rolling down over her neck and staining her shirt. She was coughing loudly and her entire body was shaking. Still, neither of them broke the connection. They didn't dare. Not this time.

He could feel his cellphone vibrating in the pocket of his jeans again and he was starting to get really anxious. He had a feeling that it was his sister. No one else really called him. And if she was calling him, it was probably an emergency.

Suddenly, the front door to the house was thrown open and police started to file inside. They were wearing vests and helmets and they were wielding guns as they aimed them at Damon and the others in the room. Bonnie and Damon were still lost to the darkness. She was bleeding from her nose and his eyes were rolled back into his head. And Kol and Stefan were instructed not to break the connection.

But, as one of the police officer's rammed the barrel of his rifle into the back of Kol's head and shouted, "Put your hands in the air!"

He didn't see any other choice than to break the connection.

'I should have answered the bloody phone.' He thought as he stared over at Stefan who was sharing a similar look of hopelessness as a police officer told him to hold his hands up. Neither of them wanted to break the connection, but if they didn't, the police would shoot.

"I said, put your hands in the air!"

Kol clenched his jaw tightly and he pulled his hand away from Bonnie's lifting his hands into the air.

The connection was immediately destroyed.

Bonnie's eyes snapped open and she took in a deep breath as she was dragged back to the living realm. Her eyes were wide as she turned to scold her best friend for breaking the connection again. "Kol, I can't believe you..." Her voice died in her throat as she noticed there were police officers surrounding them and one of them had a rifle pressed to the back of her best friend's head.

"Bonnie Bennett, you are under arrest for aiding and abetting Damon Salvatore. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law." One of the police officers said, holding a gun to her head.

Her green eyes landed on Damon who was being arrested as well.

The police officer was trying to force him to listen, but he wasn't himself any longer. His eyes were still rolled back in his head and the veins were still moving beneath the skin of his neck. He had no control over his body. He couldn't do as they told him.

Bonnie stood to her feet and allowed the police officer to pull her hands behind her back, locking the handcuffs around her wrists.

Damon wasn't cooperating.

He couldn't.

So, the police grabbed him by his shoulders and forced him down onto the table. The cuffs were cutting into the fresh wounds along his wrists as they forced them on.

'Forever Alone - With The Fears And Haunts That Pursue Me.'

Author's Note :

Thank you SOOO much for all of your wonderful reviews y'all! They really do mean everything to me! I was worried that people might be getting bored with the story line now that it was sort of coming to an end, but I'm so happy to see that y'all are still interested! I hope that y'all enjoy this chapter! I'd love to hear your thoughts! What do you think is going to happen next? Are you happy to see that Bonnie and Damon admitted that they loved each other? And Bonnie finally knows what the demon's name is! But, now they are going to prison! What do you think Rebekah will do now?

Thank you so much for reading! I hope that y'all enjoyed this chapter!

I love you guys!

-Tracy Cook-