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-Seven

Good Mourning

'Don't Search For The Answers To Every "Why"

Just Watch Us Die.'

Smoke was filling the sky and distraught screams were echoing through the street as people hysterically rushed out of the burning building.

Rebekah watched the mayhem with horrified blue eyes as she hurried toward the hotel. Elijah had told her that he didn't want to work with her any longer because he couldn't trust her, but she still cared about his well-being. She still cared about Bonnie and Damon. So, she bribed the police officer working with her ex-partner on the case and got him to tell her where the suspect was last spotted.

She had a bad feeling in her gut the entire drive to the hotel.

It only got worse when she got there and realized that the entire building had gone up in flames.

She looked through the crowd of people forming in the street in front of the hotel. Now that they were safely out of the wreckage, they were watching the flames with mesmerized eyes and intrigue. It had always disgusted Rebekah when people just stood by and watched a crime or devastation occur. As long as they weren't involved, they loved to watch the pain of others.

Bonnie, Damon, and Elijah were nowhere to be found.

Originally, she had been going to the hotel to help Bonnie and Damon escape, and to talk some sense into Elijah.

Now she was just praying that they were all still alive.

Firetrucks and police officers were speeding down the street toward the building, their sirens blaring loudly.

The longer she looked through the crowd the worse she felt. She wasn't seeing any of them anywhere. Her stomach was tangling into knots and she felt the urge to vomit as she pushed through the people. "Out of my way! NYPD!" The people parted like a sea when she told them she was on the police force. "Elijah!" She called. "Damon! Bonnie!"

A young man ran directly into her and nearly knocked her off of her feet.

"Watch it!" Rebekah practically screamed at him. She didn't mean to take her frustration out on the random civilian, but she felt like she was about to have a panic attack. There was a weight on her chest that was making it difficult to breathe. She just needed to see them. She needed to know that they were alive. None of them deserved to die. They were all good people.

"Jeeze! Sorry, lady!" The man shouted back angrily.

'Bloody hell, I can't breathe.' She felt dizzy and like she was going to pass out as she continued to push through the crowd. 'Please god, just let them be okay... Just give me a sign that they are alive.'

Rebekah had never really believed in God.

But, in that moment, it was as if God himself had answered her prayers. Her eyes filled with relief when she witnessed Damon making his way out of the crumbling building with Bonnie held protectively against his chest. His arms were scorched by the flames, but he looked to be in good condition all things considered. Bonnie on the other hand, didn't look so well.

From where Rebekah was standing she could see that she had passed out and there was blood smeared all over her face and arms.

"Damon!" The blonde Brit called out to him, sprinting in his direction.

Damon's head snapped up when he heard the familiar voice. He didn't understand why the police officer was helping them out, but he knew that he could trust her. She was the reason that they had escaped the police station. She had given her keys and gun to Bonnie and told her to escape. He stared at her with broken and helpless blue eyes as he tightened his grip on the fragile woman in his arms. He couldn't do this on his own. He didn't know what to do. Should he take Bonnie to the hospital? Would they go to jail? Did he have any other choice?

Bonnie's life was his main priority. He would rot away in jail for a lifetime if it meant she was alive and well.

"What happened to her?" Rebekah asked as she reached the two of them. The young woman's injuries didn't appear to be related to the fire.

He swallowed hard and tried to calm his racing mind. He couldn't stop thinking the worst. 'Bonnie is already dead. She isn't breathing. I've lost her. I've lost everything. She sacrificed herself for me. She is gone. I need her back. She has to come back.'

"She was doing a spell to get rid of the demon and it was too much for her." Damon explained. He didn't know what to do and he was looking to Rebekah for help. He needed her to tell him what to do.

"Paramedics!" Rebekah called. "We need some paramedics over here!"

"What about the police?" He asked worriedly.

"I'll find a way to call of the search." She knew that it wouldn't be easy. She knew that she was going to have to lie. She was risking her job and she was risking her freedom, but Bonnie Bennett had to survive. "She needs to go to the hospital right now, Damon." Rebekah insisted. "We need some bloody paramedics over here!" She shouted again.

Four people dressed in navy blue uniforms urgently ran toward them, wheeling a gurney across the grass.

Damon felt his heart shatter into a million pieces as the paramedics took Bonnie out of his arms and strapped her to the gurney. They placed their fingers to her neck to check if her heart was still beating. His stomach twisted angrily and he felt nauseous as he watched them checking for a pulse. He was praying that she was still alive. He didn't know what he would do if they pronounced her dead. 'You have to be alive, Bon-Bon. You have to be.'

"She's breathing!" One of the paramedics declared.

'Thank god.' He thought.

Rebekah let out a shaky breath and she placed a comforting hand on Damon's shoulder. She could only imagine what he was going through right now. The woman he loved was close to dying and he could do nothing about it. All he could do was sit by and hope for the best.

No matter how relieved she was to see that Bonnie was alive and preparing to head toward the hospital, she was still worried immensely about her partner. He had gone into the hotel right before it caught on fire. He had undoubtedly been in the same room as Bonnie and Damon, yet he was nowhere to be found. They might not have agreed on much recently, but he was still important to her. He was like a brother to her and she loved him.

She leant forward and asked him, "Damon, where is Elijah?"

Damon's body tensed when he heard Rebekah ask about Elijah. The truth was, he hadn't been a priority of his when he was trying to escape the hotel room. He had left him behind to fend for himself and now he was feeling the weight of guilt knowing that he might have left him to die. He had assumed he could take care of himself. He was a police officer after all.

He turned to look over his shoulder at the blonde and she knew what had happened when she looked into his apologetic eyes.

Elijah was still in the building.

Damon's attention was pulled back to Bonnie when the paramedics started to wheel her toward the ambulance. He wasn't letting her go alone. Rebekah gave him an understanding nod and he started to hastily move after the paramedics and the woman he loved. As they reached the ambulance the people wearing the blue uniforms seemed against him getting into the back with her.

"I'm sorry, sir. You can ride up front, but we can't let you in the back with us." One of them said.

"Like hell you can't." He growled angrily, taking a step toward the man and staring him down. There was no way that he was leaving Bonnie's side. She had been there right beside him through everything. She had always been there to pull him back from the darkness. This time it was his turn to do the same for her. "I'm staying by her side."

"You will get in the way of our medical procedure. You could endanger her life."

"I'm not leaving her side."

"Your wife will be safe with us, sir."

Hearing the paramedic call Bonnie his wife was a bittersweet moment for him. It made his heart swell and break at the same time. Because, he wanted so badly to call her his wife someday, and now that may never happen. 'It's going to happen. She is going to survive this. Bonnie is the strongest woman I know, she will come back to me.'

"I'm not leaving her side." Damon stated in a serious tone of voice, his jaw clenched tightly and his eyes swimming with determination.

The paramedic finally gave in to his wishes. If they continued to argue about it, it could risk the young woman's life. Every second counted when they were in such critical condition. "Fine, hurry up and get into the ambulance!" He hoped he wouldn't lose his job for breaking protocol.

Damon climbed into the back of the ambulance and he moved to Bonnie's side. He reached out and grabbed tightly onto her hand, lifting it up to his lips in order to deliver delicate kisses to each of her knuckles. He watched as the paramedics started to wipe the blood from the beautiful woman's face and put an oxygen mask over her lips and nose. His heart was racing painfully in his chest and he was forcing himself to stay strong for her. She was always so strong for him.

"Bonnie. I can't lose you." His voice quavered and tears filled his eyes as he stared down at her lifeless face. "You have to come back to me. You have to."

'A Tragic End, Swallows My Hopes,

I Am Forever Lost.'

Her fingers were pressed to the glass of the surgical room. Her eyes were focused on him. Knowing how unlikely it was that he would pull through was breaking her heart.

When they found Elijah he was immersed in the flames within the hotel. He was covered head to toe in fourth-degree burns. His police uniform had completely disintegrated, and there was very little skin left hanging from the bones of his face. His brain and heart were still in tact, so there was the possibility to save him. But, his life would never be the same. He would never be the same man.

Rebekah's head snapped toward the heart monitor as it started to beep loudly. Something was going wrong with the surgery. He was dying.

'Please, Elijah. You have to pull through. You have to.' She felt guilty for how the two of them left things. They had allowed petty arguments and disagreements to tear apart their friendship and now she might never get to talk to him again. She might never get to make things right.

The surgeon and the surgical nurses managed to get his heart rate back to normal and she let out a breath. He was still alive. For now.

"Rebekah?" A weak voice whispered behind her.

She recognized it immediately and her heart dropped. Years ago when Elijah had joined the force and he had been shot, Rebekah had been the one to comfort Hayley in the hospital. She had been the one to lend a helpful ear. Now, she was being thrown into the same situation again and she was devastated for the poor woman. She had been through so much and she just wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay. But, this time, she didn't believe that it would.

The blonde turned and she was met with the most heartbreaking sight.

Dark hair was thrown all over the place and tangled into knots. Makeup was running down her cheeks and fresh tears were pouring from her eyes. Her entire body was shaking and her skin was pale. Hayley was completely defeated. She had already given up.

"Is he..." Hayley started, her voice cracking and dying in her throat. The truth was, she didn't want to know just how bad the injuries were. She didn't want to know what his chances of survival were. When he left her that afternoon after she told him that she was pregnant, she had a terrible feeling all day. She just knew that she was going to lose him. It was his last case. After the case was over they would finally be ready to start their family, and she just knew something bad was going to happen.

She coughed to regain her voice, "How is he?"

"The surgery appears to be going well." Rebekah lied. She needed to give the poor woman some hope to hold onto.

Hayley let out a shaky sigh of relief and she slowly started to approach the glass window that the blonde was staring through. She had one hand protectively placed on her stomach and Rebekah immediately noticed the gesture.

Things clicked into place for her in that moment.

'She's pregnant.' That realization made things all the more heartbreaking. Rebekah just wanted to comfort her somehow, but she knew that she couldn't. How could she? The man she loved and the father of her child was laying on a surgical table with severe burns and his heart was giving out.

'Come on Elijah. Please, come back to us.' Hayley thought as she placed her free hand on the glass. She was willing him to come back to her and their soon to be child. She was praying with all her might that he would be a part of their lives. That they would have a very long life together. 'We need you here with us. It isn't your time. Please...'

The heart monitor started to race again and both women felt the panic set in as they watched the scene unfold before them with worried eyes and racing hearts.

Elijah was fighting with all that he had to stay alive. The nurses and surgeon were trying their hardest to save him.

They all died a little when they heard that godawful sound.

The heart monitor blaring loudly as his heart flatlined.

"No." Hayley whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks and her hand pressed firmly against her stomach. "No. No. No. No. You can't die Elijah. You can't die. Come back to me, please?"

She watched as they rushed to do everything they possibly could to save his life and return his pulse. They were all trying so hard, but nothing seemed to be working. After the seven longest minutes of Hayley's life passed her by, they declared Elijah dead. She died with him. She crumbled to the ground and tears started to free-fall as her body shook violently. She had no strength left to stand. She had no strength left to go on. In that moment she saw no light at the end of the tunnel. She saw nothing.

Their dreams had been so close. She could practically taste them and then within a second he was gone. She would have to raise their child alone. She would never wake up to him cooking breakfast again. She would never see his handsome smile again.

He was gone.

'Tears Were Streaming Down Her Face,

Cold Dread Of Death's Black Cursed Embrace.'

'Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.'

Damon loved the beeping sound radiating from the heart monitor.

With each beep he heard, he knew that Bonnie was still alive. He knew that she was still fighting her hardest to come back to him. He was holding her small hand between both of his and his lips were pressed to her fingertips as he watched her lifeless form. Even with the oxygen mask strapped to her face, she was the most breathtakingly beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on.

She was his sleeping beauty.

He only hoped that she would wake soon so that they could have their happily ever after.

The doctors had told him that she had a good chance of waking back up tonight. They told him that she had suffered from internal bleeding and they couldn't quite put their finger on the source of the injury. It seemed like she had just sporadically started bleeding. She was not infected with a virus or a disease. She didn't have any puncture wounds to her body. She had just started to bleed out.

Medicine didn't have an answer for magical downfalls.

"You gotta wake up, Bon-Bon." Damon pleaded sadly, kissing her fingers once more. "You gotta come back to me."

He didn't know exactly what she was going through or if she could hear his voice, but he knew that when he was lost to the darkness of his own mind, her voice would always be the thing that pulled him back to reality. Her voice was the light in the darkness and he hoped that his voice would be the same for her. It was a long shot, but he had to try.

"If you can here me, please, follow my voice." His voice cracked and tears stained his cheeks. He could taste the salty bitterness on his lips.

It wasn't like him to cry when he was upset.

Usually, he would just avoid the problem and find the closest bar. Then he would drown himself in bourbon and forget about it until the morning came. Bonnie had changed that about him. Bonnie had turned him into a man he was proud to be. She had given him a reason to keep fighting for himself. She had given him a reason to stay alive. He refused to lose her now.

"Just follow my voice, witchy." His lips curled up into a smile when he called her by the nickname.

'Bonnie was trapped in the darkness of her mind. She couldn't see anything. She could only hear Damon's voice in the distance calling out to her and begging her to come back to him. She had made a promise to herself and to him before she performed the spell that she would return to him. That she would not die. And she intended to keep that promise.

"Please, I need you Bon-Bon." She heard his voice echo through the darkness.

She couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from though.

"Damon!" She screamed out into the abyss. "Damon! Where are you!?"

Silence surrounded her.

"Just follow my voice." Bonnie heard him again.

Closing her green eyes she focused on the sound of his voice as he spoke to her. She needed to find him. Once she found him then she would wake up and they could start their life together. He called out to her again and she started to walk in the direction of his voice, never opening her eyes. Even if she had, she wouldn't have been able to see anything.

"Bonnie. Please."

His voice was getting louder.

Bonnie was getting closer to him.

"Bonnie." Damon was crying. She could hear it.

Finally, she reached his voice. When she opened her eyes she spotted Damon standing in the clearing of the darkness. The trees were towering over him and rustling in the warm breeze. The sun was raining down on him and illuminating his skin and bright blue eyes. He had that playful smirk on his lips, and he was holding his arms out to her.

Large white wings sprouted out of his back.

This time he was her guardian angel. This time he was saving her life.

Bonnie ran toward him and she wrapped him up in a tight embrace. Enjoying the safety and warmth of his arms wrapped around her body. She found her comfort there with him. She found her happiness. Somewhere along the line Damon Salvatore had become everything to her. "I love you, Bon-Bon." He whispered.

"I love you too."

Bonnie's green eyes snapped open and Damon couldn't believe what he was seeing. The woman of his affections had followed his voice back to him. She was back. She was alive. Her eyes were open and she was breathing on her own. "We need a nurse in here!" He screamed frantically, never letting go of her hand. He refused to let her go.

The nurses all filed into the room and they started to check her vitals and everything else.

They assured him that she was breathing on her own and that she was going to be okay. Damon could finally breathe easy again when he heard this. He gently ran his fingers through her dark curls as he stared down into her green eyes. He was so happy to see them staring back at him again. He was so happy to know that she was going to live. He couldn't seem to force his smile from his lips or his tears from his eyes.

Happy tears.

"You're gonna be okay, Bonnie." Damon said, giving her hand a small squeeze. He had never felt so relieved in his entire life. The demon was out of him and Bonnie had survived the spell. They were going to get their happily ever after. "You came back to me." He leant down and pressed a loving kiss to her forehead and he could see her smile through the oxygen mask.

"You're both going to be okay."

He recognized the accented voice and his head snapped in the direction of the door. Standing in the doorway was Rebekah. Her blue eyes were red and puffy with tears and her voice came out more nasally than usual. She had been crying for some time now.

"What do you mean?" He asked with a furrowed brow.

"Elijah." Rebekah choked a bit on his name and a tear rolled down her cheek. "Wasn't quite as fortunate as Bonnie."

That was all she had to say. Damon knew that her partner had died.

She waited for the nurses to evacuate the room and then she took a few steps toward Damon and Bonnie. Her heels clacking loudly against the floor. "Which means that the two of you are free to go." She told him. "I will have to lie about a few things and both of you will be proclaimed dead and never allowed to show your faces in New York City again, but you shall be free to start a life together."

"Why are you doing this for us?" He asked.

"Because." Rebekah's full lips twisted up into a small smile. "Someone deserves a happy ending."

'My Heart Bleeds For You, My One Dear Love,

Embrace Me, You And I Will Be As One Forever.'

Author's Note :

Thank you all so much for reading this fic and taking this journey with me! I hope that y'all enjoy this chapter! In a way it is the end, but also the beginning! I plan to add like seven more chapters that will be sort of like long one shots of special moments in their future together! So that y'all can see how they ended up! There will be fluff and laughter, children, and smut! :)) All of the happiness that they deserve! Thank you all so much though for reading this fic and sticking with me! I love y'all so much!

Thoughts on this chapter? How much do you love Rebekah right now? How do you feel about Elijah, Hayley, and the baby? Thoughts on the Bamon moments? What about Damon pulling Bonnie out of the darkness and saving her like she always saved him? Excited to see what is to come for them now?

Thank you all so much for reading! Hope you like this chapter! I love you guys!

-Tracy Cook-