Previously in "A Soldier's Coming Home", Damon tells his mother and Stefan about a nightmare he had about his brother. Elizabetta takes in her former husband's son and Rebekah and Stefan spend some time together.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
"Momma loves her precious Anthony, yes she does," Fiona cooed to her newborn son as she rocked him in the rocking chair that was in the nursery.
Anthony yawned and wrapped his tiny hand around her finger, earning him another smile from his mother. Fiona looked up when she heard someone clearing their through in the doorway and smiled at her husband. "Did he just wake up?"
"No. He's been up for a little bit," Fiona replied.
Jonas nodded and walked into the room, joining his wife and smiled at their son. "He's a handsome fellow."
Fiona nodded as well. "Yes, he is." Then she added with a smile, "He takes after a handsome man."
Jonas smiled and kissed her. "I couldn't agree more."
"Why don't I go make us some breakfast while you look after our little man?" Fiona suggested to Jonas softly.
Jonas nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me, my love."
Fiona smiled and gently handed Anthony to his father, kissing him before she went to the kitchen to make breakfast for her family.
Meanwhile…
"Daddy, Daddy, Mama says that she wants pancakes for breakfast!" Emma said excitedly as she bounced into the kitchen where Luka was.
Luka smiled at Emma. "She does? Well, I'll definitely make her some."
Meanwhile, Bonnie smiled as Benjamin snuggled up to her in hers and Luka's bedroom. He'd always been her favorite, quiet from the very beginning of when he came into his parents' lives.
Bonnie kissed his forehead. "Mama loves you, Benjamin."
"Love you, Mama," Benjamin replied, his little hand curling around hers.
Bonnie smiled at her son's words and kissed his forehead, holding him close to her. A little bit later, Bonnie carried him to her father-in-law and stepmother-in-law's house, where she knocked on the front door.
Jonas opened the door and saw Bonnie standing there. "Hello, Bonnie."
"Jonas, how are you?" Bonnie said as she greeted him with a warm smile.
"I'm doing well, thank you." Jonas saw Benjamin in his mother's arms and smiled at him. "Hello there, Ben."
"Hi Grandpa," Benjamin said with a smile. Bonnie smiled as well as she set him down.
Jonas then hugged his grandson after Bonnie set him down. "How's my boy today? Being good for Mommy and Daddy?"
Benjamin nodded and replied, "Yes, Grandpa."
"Good, I'm glad to hear it," Jonas said before turning when his wife appeared in the doorway with Anthony in her arms.
Bonnie saw her stepmother-in-law walking in. "Fiona, hi." She smiled at Anthony. "Oh, he is so adorable."
Fiona smiled. "Thank you, Bonnie."
"You're welcome, Fiona," Bonnie said as she guided Benjamin into the house.
Fiona smiled when she saw her grandson. "Is that my big boy?"
Bonnie nodded. "Yeah, it is." She looked at Benjamin. "Say hi to Grandma Fiona, Ben."
Benjamin smiled at his step-grandmother. "Hello, Grandma Fiona."
"Hello, sweetie," Fiona said with a smile.
Bonnie cleared her throat. "We weren't interrupting anything, were we?"
Jonas shook his head. "Nonsense, Bonnie, you weren't interrupting anything. You know you're welcome here. In fact, we were just going to have breakfast when you came."
"Thanks, but Luka already gave us breakfast before we left," Bonnie said. "But, I can look after Anthony while you guys eat."
"Thank you for offering, Bonnie," Fiona said with a smile.
Bonnie smiled. "It's really no problem. Besides, the boys need to bond."
"That's a wonderful idea," Fiona said with another smile. She eased Anthony into her stepdaughter-in-law's waiting arms before taking Jonas' hand so they could go to the kitchen.
Bonnie watched Jonas and Fiona leave before sitting down in the living room, Benjamin following suit a second later. He was obviously curious about the baby in his mother's arms. When they were seated, he said, "Who is that, Mama?"
Bonnie smiled at her son. "This is Anthony, your uncle. I know you think it's silly now, but eventually, you'll get used to the idea."
"Okay, Mama," Benjamin said with a smile back up at his mom.
Fiona poked her head in through the kitchen door and watched as Bonnie and Benjamin bonded with Anthony. It was a beautiful moment they were having and it made her smile.
She jumped slightly when she felt Jonas' warm breath on her neck and she turned to look at him. "I swear I'm not spying," she told him.
Jonas smiled at her. "Oh? If you weren't spying, why were you poking your head through the door?"
"I just wanted to see how Bonnie was doing," his wife replied. "There's nothing wrong with being curious, is there?"
"No, my love, there is nothing wrong with that," Jonas said with another smile, leaning in to kiss her softly on the lips.
Fiona returned his kiss. "Good."
Over at Luka and Bonnie's…
"So, do you think Mommy will be surprised?" Emma asked as she helped her father with painting the nursery for the baby.
Luka nodded. "Oh, I definitely think Mommy will be surprised. I've been planning on this for weeks, but I couldn't do it with Benjamin in the house, because he'd blow our cover, so it's a good thing he went to see Grandpa and Grandma Fiona with Mommy. It'll give us more time to work on the painting."
"I think Mommy will be happy with the work we put into it," Emma said to her dad with a smile.
Luka nodded. 'That's what I think too, Emma."
Later…
Bonnie carried a sleeping Anthony while holding the equally sleepy Benjamin's hand as they moved into the front of the house.
Bonnie then placed Anthony down for a nap before doing the same with Benjamin. After doing that, Bonnie headed to the kitchen to find something to eat.
Bonnie saw Jonas and Fiona smiling at her when she went to the kitchen after putting the boys down for a nap. She raised a curious eyebrow at them. "Were you guys spying on me at any time at all?"
Fiona shook her head. "Oh no, not me, dear; I didn't spy on you."
Bonnie didn't quite believe her. "Are you sure? I could've sworn that someone was watching me."
"Okay, I wanted to check and see how the boys were doing," Fiona finally confessed.
Bonnie nodded upon hearing her stepmother-in-law's confession. "I figured that. Well, they were just fine. In fact, I put them down for a nap a little while ago." She smiled. "They're adorable, those two, and they got along very well together."
Fiona felt tears sting the corners of her eyes when Bonnie said that. Jonas embraced her quietly when he saw his wife's tears and kissed her forehead affectionately.
Bonnie hugged Fiona and Jonas, smiling as she felt the love between them. A little while later, Fiona settled down with Anthony in her arms on the couch.
Fiona kissed his forehead. "Mommy loves you, Anthony."
Jonas saw this scene and moved over to gently pick Anthony up, holding his other hand out to Fiona, who took it. "I want to spend some quiet time with the lovely woman who gave me a second chance at love," he whispered to her so he didn't wake their newborn son.
Fiona smiled at him. "I feel the same about you, Jonas. I thought I'd never smile again until I met you."
Her husband smiled then waited until she had settled in the bed before easing Anthony onto it so she could take him gently from her husband and settled in next to her.
Lake House – Later That Day…
Stefan arrived at his brother's house, grabbing the basket containing Dante. He was looking forward to this visit, mostly because he wanted to tell Damon about Daniel and hopefully, he'd get him to accept him as their brother.
Using one arm, Stefan knocked carefully but briskly on the front door before stepping back to wait for someone to answer his knock.
Elena answered the door after a few minutes, smiling when she saw her brother-in-law. "Stefan, hi, this is a nice surprise."
Stefan returned her smile. "Hello, Elena. Can I come in?"
"Of course you can. Sorry, sorry, we've had a lot of activity today," Elena replied, stepping back and letting him inside.
Stefan walked into the house and noticed the mess in the living room. "I can see that."
Elena smiled then shut the door behind him. "Damon is in the kitchen helping the twins wash their hands," she told Stefan.
Stefan nodded. "Thanks." He kissed her forehead. "I need to talk to him about something."
Elena nodded then led the way to the kitchen, where Carrie immediately brightened up at the sight of her uncle. "Hi, Uncle Stefan!" she said excitedly.
Stefan smiled at his niece. "Hello, Carrie."
Damon looked at his brother. "Hey, Stefan, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?"
"I was hoping I could talk to you in private," Stefan said, glancing between Elena, Carrie and Damian.
Damon nodded and gestured toward the study. Stefan nodded as well and, giving Dante to Elena, followed his brother to the study, closing the door. Once they were alone, Damon cleared his throat. "So, what did you want to talk to me about that you couldn't say in front of Elena?"
"I told Mom that I'd be the one to tell you in person. Damon, I am pretty sure that have a half-brother. Mom found him on the doorstep a few days ago, and has taken him in. His name is Daniel," Stefan replied honestly.
Damon raised an eyebrow. "What…a half brother? Stefan, you know that kid could belong to anyone. How could you tell he's related to us?"
"For one thing, he looks like you."
"He looks like me? How is that possible?" Damon asked.
"I thought the exact same thing," Stefan said. "But, it's true. He has jet black hair and blue eyes."
Damon shook his head. "Okay, let's say I believe you. Dad's the father, right? Who's the mother? Who did Dad knock up?"
Meanwhile…
Rose Hunter knocked gently on the boardinghouse door. She'd gotten directions to the large home from someone in town and had come straight to it.
Rebekah had been helping her mother-in-law in the kitchen when she heard a knock at the door. Not sure who it was, she went to answer it and saw a woman standing there. She scowled curiously at her before saying, "May I help you?"
Rose smiled at her. "I think you can. I'm here to see Elizabetta Salvatore. Is she home by any chance?"
"She is," Rebekah said. "But, I can't just let you in without knowing what you're here to see her about."
"I'm here to find my son. He ran away while his father and I were in an argument," Rose replied quietly.
"You're…Daniel's mother? Hold on, let me go get Elizabetta," Rebekah said, closing the door but not all the way, heading toward the kitchen again.
Elizabetta came to the door a few minutes later, smiling at Rose. "Rebekah tells me that you're Daniel's mother and that you're here looking for him."
"I am, ma'am," Rose says in her heavy British accent. "I do apologize for any inconvenience."
Elizabetta shook her head. "Oh, it wasn't any inconvenience at all. Daniel was a very good boy and we enjoyed having him. He's welcome here any time."
"Thank you, ma'am, I will let you know if we decide anything. You see, his father and I are getting a divorce and he is not taking it very well," Rose replied.
Elisabetta nodded. "I know what you mean. My husband abandoned me when our sons were little, so I empathize with you." Curiously, she added, "What's your husband's name?"
"Giuseppe," Rose replied.
Elizabetta's eyes widened. "Oh my god, that was MY husband's name."
Rose gulped then glanced quickly at a framed picture of Damon, Elena and the twins and Stefan, Rebekah & Dante. "You are his former wife. He talks about you some but he doesn't mention you that much," she tells Elizabetta.
Elisabetta nodded. "Yes, well, we weren't exactly happy. As I said, he abandoned me when the boys were little. I was angry at first, but I knew Damon and Stefan needed me." She placed a hand on Rose's shoulder. "I'm sorry that we had to meet like this…what's your name, dear?"
"I am Rose. Rose Hunter."
"Rose…that is a beautiful name. What happened to yours and Giuseppe's marriage that made you decide to divorce him?"
"He hardly comes home, and when he does, he is always yelling that I am not good enough for him. He yells that I am free to leave whenever I like and to take Daniel with me," the younger woman replies as she looks down at her hands.
Elisabetta hugged the other woman to her and was about to say something when Daniel came in and saw his mother. "Mama, what are you doing here?"
Rose smiled at her son. "Hello, sweetheart, I'm here to take you home."
"Oh. Well, can I come back here? I really like Miss Elizabetta and she's very nice," Daniel said softly.
"I don't see why not, Daniel," Rose said with a soft smile.
Elizabetta smiled. "You two are both welcome to come back. I have plenty of room. Plus, if you come when Damon brings Elena and the twins to visit, you can meet them. I'd like for Daniel to meet his other half brother, since he already met Stefan."
"Of course, thank you, Elizabetta," Rose said before taking Daniel's hand and led him out of the boardinghouse.
Rebekah came out after Rose and Daniel were gone. "I'm going to miss that little boy."
"He'll be back, Rebekah. They'll both be back."
A Few Days Later…
The loud smack Giuseppe sent across Rose's face turned her cheek red. "I asked you specifically NOT to go see her, Rose! Why did you disobey me?" Giuseppe demanded loudly.
Rose growled at him. "She was kind enough to take care of Daniel for a few days. Giuseppe, she's a dear woman and you had no right to hurt her the way you hurt me!"
"Do NOT talk back to me, woman!" Giuseppe yelled, slapping her again.
Rose growled and punched him, sending him to the floor. "You will NOT hit me again, you monster!" Once she said that, she turned and fled out of the office, where she saw Daniel sitting at the bottom of the stairs, tears running down his cheeks. "Oh, Daniel sweetheart…come here."
He immediately obeyed, climbing into his mother's arms once she was close enough and latching himself onto her warmth, his tears soaking the material of her shirt. "I love you, Mama," he whispered.
Rose kissed the top of his head. "Mama loves you too, sweetheart. I promise you, I'm going to make sure we never have to suffer like this."
Author's Note: I'm full of surprises, right? The Rose/Giuseppe pairing just unexpectedly popped into my head and I didn't argue with it!
