Rose served as Damon's assistant and his best friend. Currently, she was trying to play both roles simultaneously. His personal life was in shambles and she was desperate to help him pick up the pieces. However, she knew that he had more immediate concerns for which she had little insight. Damon had made a point of keeping Rose away from the organized crime portion of his life. It was a promise he had made years ago when she accepted the job as his assistant. It was times like these when Rose wished that she hadn't insisted on the division. She could tell that something had rocked Damon to his very core but he refused to speak to her about it. All she really knew was that Damon would have to attend a string of funerals next week. If his mood was any indication, he was shouldering the blame for those deaths.
She had plans to visit Bonnie at Abby's house later in the day. Rose hoped that she might be able to get a read on the young girl. Damon was too blindsided and too emotional to be objective on what was happening between them. Furthermore, he had never been particularly astute when it came to ascertaining the needs of women if it went beyond his cock, money, or coke. Rose needed to understand if reconciliation between the husband and wife was truly possible. If not, she needed to prepare for the worst. Damon was behaving rationally and going to counseling because Zacharias had convinced him that Bonnie might take him back. However, Rose knew a great deal about the ways in which a woman's heart could harden when she reached her limit for a man's bullshit. She also knew the demon that lived inside of Damon. Rose shuddered to consider what he might do if all was truly lost.
Rose blew on the steaming cup of tea in her hands as she idly stared out the balcony doors. She had arrived at the Claiborne Hotel thirty minutes ago. It was 11 o'clock in the morning, but Damon had still been asleep when she arrived. Despite the late hour, her boss looked as if he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Rose could only assume that something drastic had occurred because hours ago two armed men showed up at her house to protect her. While she didn't know the details of Damon's other business, she did understand the inherent danger. If her friend/boss thought she needed armed guards then she trusted him. Currently, the men were standing guard outside of Damon's suite.
Damon walked out of his bedroom fresh from the shower. He was dressed in a suit that Rose brought to the hotel for him. He hadn't bothered shaving that morning because he simply didn't have the energy. Damon had slept for a total of four hours. Unfortunately, those precious few hours were made restless by nightmares. Giuseppe was on the loose now because someone had warned him about the impending raid. Damon took full responsibility for the colossal failure and all of the collateral damage that had followed. In his escape, Giuseppe had slain seven men. Those men had families that were grieving their loss today. Four other men were seriously injured. Leo's condition was so precarious that he had to remain at the hospital in France. Luke Parker stayed behind to protect him and Sabine. However, it seemed unlikely that either would survive past the coming weekend.
Damon obviously had a leak in his organization. He planned to sniff out the traitor and make an example of him. However, finding his father was equally as important. Giuseppe had concrete proof now that his eldest son wanted him dead. The old man would most certainly retaliate. Giuseppe had tried to burn Sabine alive for simply providing Luke and Kai with the floor plans to her home. She had only agreed to assist Damon because she was worried about her young son being caught in the crossfire of a gun battle. Now that three-year-old boy was in the wind with their demented father. Damon's new plans for killing Giuseppe had to include retrieving young Victor safely. He would wager that was part of the reason his father had kidnapped the boy. Victor was an innocent child but more importantly, he had Salvatore blood pumping through his veins. Bonnie had been right when she said that blood meant everything.
Damon wasn't surprised to see that Rose had ordered a breakfast spread for him. She was always taking care of him in ways that went well beyond her official job description. He sat down at the table and poured a cup of coffee. This morning he forwent the cream that he normally added to his morning brew. Damon would need the caffeine boost if he intended to conduct business without needing a nap. He would be in and out of meetings all day to ensure that Giuseppe no longer had a foothold in the organization. Today, Damon would assume his rightful position as head of the family. In some ways, it felt as if everything in his life was falling apart at the same damn time. In other ways, it was all coming together.
He eyed the vitamins awaiting him on a saucer. Rose was more insistent about monitoring his health than even Bonnie was. Whenever he complained, his friend was quick to remind him of all the damage he had done to his body as a younger man. Frankly, a man that had lived as hard and fast as Damon had should have already died. The drinking and drugs had taken a toll on his body. However, it was the brushes with death that had left behind visible scars. He popped the vitamins in his mouth and washed them down with a glass of water.
Rose said, "I cleared your schedule for the next ten days. I was able to reschedule most of your appointments until after Christmas. The ones that could not wait were shifted to your uncle. I have already spoken with him this morning to confirm his availability."
He acknowledged Rose with a nod as he cut into the stack of pancakes on his plate. Damon enjoyed having an assistant that could anticipate his needs. Going forward, he would have even less time than he normally did. Damon was sorely tempted to step down from his position as CEO of Velocita. The company deserved someone at the helm that could devote their full attention. Zach was at the top of his list for possible replacements. However, the board would have to vote on the matter. Normally, that wouldn't be an issue but he was at odds with Bonnie. If she was staking her claim on the smuggling operation then it stood to reason that she would do the same with Velocita. Damon shook his head with a wry smile as he remembered how she had innocently asked for an internship at Velocita while they were in Shadow Hills. He didn't want to believe it but it seemed that his innocent wife had been playing him then, too.
"Thank you," he replied.
Rose took out her tablet so she could run down everything on their agenda. "I spoke to your lawyer and financial advisor yesterday about setting up Nadia's trust fund. It will be fully functional by end of business today."
Damon added more syrup to his pancakes and asked, "And it is structured the way that we agreed?"
Rose nodded, "Yes, it is structured in the same ways that Sarah's trust fund is. Nadia will not have full access to the trust fund until she is twenty-five years of age. However, she will begin receiving a monthly stipend when she turns 18-years-old. That stipend increases by 25% if she chooses to attend college. The monthly stipend increases by 50% if she has a child."
He sipped from his cup of coffee and nodded approvingly. "When will Joshua have my updated will ready for me to review?"
Suddenly, getting his affairs in order had become time sensitive. Damon didn't anticipate losing to Giuseppe. However, he had seen enough men die to know that people rarely anticipated their own deaths. He wasn't sure if it was the unpredictability of their business or because there was a feeling of invincibility that came with escaping death in the past. Unfortunately, Damon didn't have the luxury of behaving so myopically. He had four children and now a toddler-aged brother that would require years of financial care that he might not be around to provide.
"There was a slight delay because you wanted to add Victor Laurent to your will. However, I was assured that it would be sent over by courier before noon. If not I will personally go to his office to light a fire underneath him," Rose promised. "However, the draft I reviewed last night seemed to apply all of the changes you requested. Stefan will manage Nadia's inheritance in the event of your death."
"Good," he replied.
Rose had been thrilled when she learned that Katherine wouldn't have access to Nadia's inheritance. She didn't like nor did she trust the woman. Honestly, she didn't understand what Damon saw in Katherine. However, Rose was certain that Stefan would ensure his niece's well-being. He was always the more levelheaded of the two Salvatore brothers. Moreover, Stefan was a wizard with numbers.
"I spoke to Katherine last night. She is quite busy this week. However, she will make time to meet with me next week so that we can discuss her living arrangements. Is there a price range that you would like for us to stay within?"
Damon shook his head. "I trust your judgment, Rose. I know that you won't allow Katherine to go overboard. I already gave you my requirements on the house and neighborhood. Anything beyond those requirements is at your discretion."
She was certain that Katherine would be infuriated when she learned that Rose would be controlling the purse strings on her little house hunt. She intended to make Katherine understand that the house was meant for Damon's daughter. The girl's mother would simply be allowed the privilege of living in it.
Rose nodded. "I have already begun looking at potential properties in the proper school catchment areas. However, I am also inquiring about two of the more prestigious private schools near the manor as you requested. I also took the liberty of purchasing Christmas gifts for Nadia. I will have to speak to Katherine to learn if your daughter still believes in Santa Claus so that they may be addressed properly. Do you want the gifts at the manor or should I take them to the penthouse at the Rischard?"
Damon winced as he swallowed down a mouthful of pancake. He had honestly forgotten about Christmas. Rose had already taken care of Sarah and Bonnie's Christmas gifts for him. "You can have them delivered to the Manor for now. I haven't discussed Christmas with Katherine yet. I am not sure if I will see Nadia on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day."
"That's forgivable. You have been a little preoccupied these last few days. How is Bonnie?" she asked. Rose felt it necessary to remind her friend that he had another family in need of his attention.
He huffed out a tired breath and shook his head. "I can honestly say that I have absolutely no idea. Our lunch sort of went off the rails yesterday."
Rose frowned but she wasn't exactly surprised. She knew that Damon wanted to repair his family but he was a stubborn man. He wanted things fixed immediately instead of recognizing that the journey would take months—if not years. "What happened?"
"Too much to recount," he replied. He went quiet for a moment. "Did you know that Bonnie was dieting to impress me?"
Rose shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She said, "She never mentioned it to me but I noticed the weight loss. However, she did ask me about a plastic surgeon once. She wanted someone that would be discreet if she went in for a consultation. Fortunately, Caroline talked her out of the idea."
Damon shook his head. He slept in the bed with Bonnie most nights. He saw her naked at least a couple times a week. Damon didn't understand how he had missed the ways her body had changed. He didn't even want to consider why she had contemplated going under the knife. He was grateful that Caroline had talked sense into her.
"Bonnie sort of unloaded on me yesterday. She told me a few things and alluded to many more. I have really fucked up this whole thing. I don't know how to fix it," he confessed.
"I think that you have already made the first step. You went to see Dr. Correa and I know that wasn't easy for you. You're not exactly big on sharing your feelings," she replied.
He huffed out a wry laugh. "Desperation will do that to you. I love her. I can't imagine the rest of my life without her."
"I know and maybe that will never come to pass. Keep seeing the doctor and continue doing the work. It won't be easy but it is the best option that you have. Charming Bonnie is not going to work any longer. The pull you had over her has eroded with time. She is not the doe-eyed girl that was head over heels in love with you. She is a young woman that you have hurt a great deal."
He groaned. "I know. I also know that you have been warning me for years to get my shit together. I should have listened to you. I know that you were only trying to help me."
"I was trying to help you both but I understand why you didn't listen to me," she replied.
Damon smiled tiredly. He joked, "If only Bonnie could be as understanding as you are."
Rose laughed softly. "I wasn't nearly as understanding when you and I were an item. If you remember, I ended our relationship so that we didn't lose our friendship. The girls and the drugs were just too much for me to stomach long term. I thought I was worthy of a man that only wanted me. My guess is that Bonnie feels the same. In fact, I would wager that a large majority of women feel similarly."
"Katherine…" he began to argue.
"Katherine wants you to herself but knows that will never happen. She accepts your scraps because the alternative is finding a new benefactor that treats her as well as you do. I might even believe that she has come to love you with time. However, I am fairly certain she did an Irish jig when Bonnie met with her in Tenerife. She expects all of your attention to be devoted to her since your wife wants nothing to do with you. Don't fall into the trap of preferring the easy situation."
Damon ate a piece of bacon as he considered what Rose was saying to him. He asked, "What are you talking about?"
Rose reached out and took Damon's left hand. She squeezed it gently and said, "I love you, but you like taking the easy way out of relationships. You were relieved when I broke up with you. The only reason you turned up on my doorstep at three in the morning was because you were afraid of losing my friendship. You knew that our relationship was dead in the water months before it ended but you like the easy way. You didn't want to be the one to end it. This thing with Bonnie is hard. It will be the hardest you have ever had to work for a relationship in your whole life. The simplest solution is to give in to Bonnie. Give her the separation she wants and double down on your relationship with Katherine. You know she isn't going anywhere. Katherine is going to be thrilled to have more of your attention. The two of you have a daughter together now. You have missed seven years of that little girl's life. It would be so easy to play happy families with them but it wouldn't last for long. You will never love Katherine the way that you love Bonnie."
He swallowed thickly because Rose was right. He had seen Nadia every day since they were first introduced. Sometimes it was only an hour but he was determined to build a relationship with his daughter. Last night he had gone to the Rischard to have dinner with his daughter and Katherine. It all felt incredibly domestic and simple. However, it didn't stop him from thinking about Bonnie all evening. He left without even touching Katherine despite having the green light from his scorned wife. "Fuck," he muttered.
Rose said, "You are my best friend, Damon. You are like a brother to me. Honestly, I love you more than I love my biological brother. Trevor is a complete arsehole. I don't want to watch you throw away the life I know that you want. You love Bonnie. You just have a horrible way of showing her that."
He said, "I am glad that you are still my friend, Rose."
"I am not going anywhere. Do you know how much you pay me?" Rose asked with a smirk.
Damon chuckled. "Not nearly enough to put up with me."
"Well, I am always open to a raise. I've been thinking about buying a little get away for myself in the Seychelles," she teased.
He smiled good-naturedly and replied, "We should probably wait on that raise for awhile. I might not be able to afford it if Bonnie chooses to divorce me. I get the feeling that she would try to fleece me in a divorce."
"She would probably try and succeed. Bonnie seems like the type that has been building as case against you for years."
Damon's eyebrows furrowed because he had been thinking the same thing. If Sheila had collected information on Giuseppe, it was possible that she had schooled Bonnie to do the same. It would explain how she had come to learn about the penthouse he kept for Katherine.
"Well, let's hope that isn't the case. Miss Sheila made sure our prenuptial agreement was ironclad and punitive."
Rose said, "That's one of the reasons that I plan to visit Bonnie today. I want to get a sense of where her head is now. She is combative with you because you have hurt her. I hope that she will be a little more open with me. She and I have become close since you were married."
Damon said, "Thank you for doing that. Frankly, I can use all the help that I can get with Bonnie. She has surrounded herself with family and I am sure none of them are exactly singing my praises."
She shrugged with a small smirk. "What are best friends/ex-girlfriends/assistants for?"
His blue eyes twinkled with mirth as he finished his cup of coffee. He said, "Enzo would disagree with the bestfriend portion of that description. He is so jealous of you."
"And he should be because I am your best friend and always will be. You would think that he would be used to being second banana by now," Rose replied airily.
"It's just because you won't give him the time of day," he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
She rolled her eyes. "He is smarmy. Besides, I have always had the feeling that trashy women were more his type. He certainly seems fond of Katherine."
He chuckled at Rose's blatant shot at Katherine. Damon was well aware of Enzo's affection for his mistress. However, he trusted Enzo not to cross that line again. The fallout after they both dated Sybil had been enough of a lesson for the friends. However, now he wondered if maybe he should step out of the way. Perhaps Katherine and Enzo dating was what he needed to keep himself honest. Damon realized that willpower alone wouldn't do the trick. He wouldn't be a functional alcoholic if he were any good at quitting the things that were bad for him. He had needed professional help to shake his cocaine addiction.
"You can admit that I have ruined you for other men," he joked.
Rose chuckled quietly. "My boyfriend would beg to differ."
The mobster sat up more in his chair and grinned at Rose. "You have a boyfriend? Why haven't I met him yet?"
She huffed. "I don't know. It could be that you scared away the last two men that I have dated."
"They aren't good enough for you, if they scare so easily," he replied in a nonchalant voice. "What's his name?"
"His name is Alistair and that is all I am going to tell you about him. We have only been dating for a few weeks and I will not let you sabotage this relationship—yet."
Damon opened his mouth to complain but stopped when his phone began to ring. He frowned when he saw that Caroline was calling him. She wasn't exactly speaking to him at the moment. It was meant to be a show of solidarity for Bonnie. He could understand why Caroline would take his wife's side in their conflict. If he was honest, everyone thought he was a dick but most didn't have the cache to express that sentiment. "Hello?"
She sniffled, "Damon, you have to come home now. It's Stefan. He just came back from his appointment and he is losing it in the library."
"What do you mean he is losing it?" he asked.
"He is throwing things around in the room. He won't talk to me. I don't know what to do. I'm scared that he is going to hurt himself, Damon. His hands are all cut up and he won't tell me how it happened."
Damon's heart began to beat faster. He had been waiting for the other shoe to drop with his brother and this was it. He scrubbed a hand over his face and said, "It will take 30 minutes for me to get there. In the meantime, you stay away from him. If he wants to destroy shit…let him. All of it can be replaced."
"I have to do something, Damon! He's in pain. I can't just leave him in there alone. He has been having trouble sleeping for weeks now. He started buying energy drinks to help him stay awake. I tried talking to him but he just kept saying that everything was okay. I asked him to talk to you but he said that you were too busy."
Damon said, "Stefan isn't himself right now. But he will never forgive himself if you get hurt. Let him burn himself out, Caroline."
"We're not talking about Nico having a tantrum here. I am worried. He has a gun, Damon. I am scared that he might kill himself," she admitted as a sob wracked her body.
"Even more of a reason for you to stay out of the fucking way! I will be there soon. Just do what I say for once, kid. Okay?"
"Okay," Caroline said in a shaky voice.
Damon was out of his chair as soon as he ended the call. He marched out of his suite and barked at one of the guards. "Let's go. Now!"
The man scurried to the elevator and pressed the call button. He took out his phone and texted the guard stationed at the car. The man's job was to keep an eye on the hotel's main entrance. They had another guard stationed in the lobby to prevent an ambush. Giuseppe knew the hotels his son liked to frequent.
Rose hurried out of the room behind Damon. "What can I do?"
Damon groaned and said, "Find a discreet facility. We might have to commit Stefan depending on what I am walking into at the manor."
She nodded and began scrolling through the contacts on her phone. Rose followed Damon and the guards onto the elevator.
"What do you think you are doing?" he asked. Damon put his hand out to block the doors from closing.
"I am coming with you," Rose deadpanned. She didn't bother looking up from her phone.
"No," Damon snapped. "It could be dangerous. You need to stay here."
Rose said, "We really don't have time for you to make this argument and subsequently lose it. I will stay in the car once we get there if that is what you want. But I am not staying here. I care about Stefan, too."
Damon growled but she was right. There wasn't enough time to argue. The traffic would already make this trip longer than it needed to be. He stepped back. "Fine but you stay in the car with a guard until I give the all clear."
She nodded in understanding. "I will, Damon."
They took the elevator down to the hotel's lobby. Fortunately, the driver was waiting at the curb when they walked outside.
Everyone piled into the waiting SUV before it sped away from the Claiborne.
Damon sent a 911 text message to Zach and Alaric with instructions to meet him at the manor. However, they were both in Los Angeles and it would take them even longer to make it home. Damon would be walking into whatever this was on his own. He wondered if this was about Stefan's appointment with Dr. Correa. They were supposed to discuss the results of his psychological evaluation. Damon hoped that if it was truly bad news that she wouldn't have let his brother walk out her office. Stefan was the nice Salvatore brother but as he had reminded his brother…he did not escape their abusive childhood unscathed. Stefan was probably more likely to crack under the pressure because he tried so hard to be the good one.
This was a terrible time for Stefan to lose his marbles. Giuseppe would certainly find some way to use that against them. However, Damon was willing to put Stefan's sanity first. He wouldn't sacrifice his brother in this war with their father.
The drive to the manor was practically silent except for Rose's accented voice. She spent the time feverishly looking for a facility far away from the paparazzi-ravaged hub of Southern California.
The car had barely stopped before Damon hopped out and ran into the manor. He made a beeline for the secluded corridor where the library was located. That area of the manor was usually off limits to everyone but members of the Salvatore organization. Giuseppe's study was located further down the corridor. It wasn't hard to keep the kids away from the area because they believed it was haunted. Damon and Stefan had the same belief when they were little boys. The corridor was poorly lit and oil paintings of the previous dons hung on the wood panel walls. Damon used to think the eyes in the paintings followed him when he walked past.
Caroline rushed into Damon's arms as soon as he turned the corner. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. "I didn't know who to call, Damon. Stefan is freaking out and he won't tell me what's wrong. He won't talk to me at all. I offered to call your uncles but he snatched the phone right out of my hand."
He gently grasped Caroline's face and said, "Take a deep breath and calm down. Did he hurt you?"
Caroline's entire body shuddered as she tried to follow Damon's instructions. "No. Stefan isn't so far gone that he would hurt me. He is so angry, Damon. I have never seen him like this before. What's happening to him?"
The mobster took a deep breath and gave his sister-in-law a reassuring smile. "Stefan has just been under some stress lately. It is my fault. I have been putting too much pressure on him but that is over now. I will make sure that Stef takes some time off. You have my word."
She didn't believe Damon for a second. Caroline knew her husband well. The display she had just witnessed in the library wasn't simply stress from a high pressure job. Something was wrong with her husband and she was terrified. However, she trusted Damon to help Stefan. The brothers had their moments of conflict but she had never seen two siblings so devoted to one another. She nodded. "Okay."
"Why don't you take off for a couple of hours? Get some fresh air. I promise that Stefan will be fine by the time you make it back."
The blonde young woman nodded numbly. "Help him. Please…"
He kissed her forehead. "I will."
Caroline glanced over her shoulder at the library's double doors once more before sliding out of Damon's arms. "Call me when he's better."
Damon nodded. "You will be my first call, Blondie. I promise."
She took a deep breath and then walked out of the corridor. It was a physical pain to leave her husband behind when he was in need but Caroline knew that she was overmatched.
The mobster looked at the two guards that had followed him into the manor. He said, "No one comes down this hallway without my permission."
The two men nodded in understanding.
Damon opened the door and walked into the room. He frowned at the mess that Stefan had made. Some furniture had been overturned and books were strewn across the floor. Damon's chest tightened when he saw his baby brother huddled in the corner with his head in his hands. He could hear his quiet sobs even at that distance. However, the mobster was most concerned by the .45 on the floor beside his brother.
He pushed the door closed with a soft click and walked over to Stefan. Damon slowly sat down beside him. He put the safety on the gun and then tucked it into his waistband. "Stef…"
Stefan raised his head to look at his older brother. He choked out a sob, "I'm not crazy."
"No one is saying that you are," he replied.
He gave his brother a deadpan look.
"Well, you aren't any crazier than anyone else in this family is. What's going on? What has you so strung out that you are destroying Nonna Constanza's library? You know she is going to haunt your ass."
Stefan's gaze shifted to their great-grandmother's portrait hanging above the fireplace. "Probably," he muttered miserably.
The massive room had been a wedding gift from their great-grandfather to their great-grandmother. She had been a schoolteacher before she married into the Salvatore family. Two of the four walls in the room were covered with floor to ceiling shelves filled with books in a variety of languages. There were some shelves on the third wall but there was also a large stone fireplace at the very center. The fourth wall contained three arched windows. However, expensive silk drapes covered the windows to protect the book collection from the sun's damaging UV rays. A baby grand piano sat in front of the windows. It didn't see much use now but Lilly had taught Damon to the play before she abandoned them.
Damon rested his hand on the back of Stefan's bowed head. "What's going on, brother?"
"I'm not bipolar," he answered. However, his voice was muffled against the fabric his jeans.
He asked, "Is that what Dr. Correa told you?"
He nodded.
"Then I don't understand what is happening right now. Not having bipolar is a good thing. Right?"
Stefan swallowed thickly as he looked up. However, he averted his gaze. He couldn't bear to look into his older brother's concerned eyes. "I didn't want to have bipolar. I know how much Mom has struggled with managing her medication over the years. But I was hoping that a diagnosis of something would explain my nightmares. Dr. Correa thinks that I may have generalized anxiety disorder but she refused to make a diagnosis until we explore my nightmares more. She thinks they are repressed memories."
Damon bit back the nasty remark about Lilly that was on the tip of his tongue.
"I know that you think my nightmares are just a product of the overactive imagination of a child but I don't think so, Damon. Mom said that it happened and I believe her. I think part of me always thought that it was real but I didn't want to have to address it."
"Address it?" Damon asked.
Stefan sighed deeply. "I know that you hate her but she's our mother. If he hurt her that way…I have to do something."
Damon suddenly realized that the gun hadn't been for Stefan to use on himself. He cleared his throat and said, "Alaric is an asshole. I will give you that. He's a shit husband and father. I will give you that, too. He's a degenerate drunk and he gambles too much. He occasionally uses coke when he thinks none of us are paying attention to him. However, I can say with certainty that he's no woman batterer or a rapist."
"How do you know? How do you know what he was like damn near 20 years ago, Damon?"
Damon scrubbed at his scruffy face in annoyance because Stefan had a point. Alaric was seriously off his rocker for a while. He had gone off the reservation after Abby refused to marry him. Worse yet, Giuseppe had allowed his younger brother to self-destruct because it made him more lethal against their enemies. Alaric had always been a skilled killer. However, losing Abby had exposed the part of him that enjoyed maiming and killing people. Damon struggled to piece together a timeline that would exonerate their uncle. Unfortunately, there was too much overlap to rule out anything.
"She left because of him, Damon. She didn't leave because of Dad abusing her. Mom left because of what Ric did to her. She told me that she couldn't live in the same house with him any longer," Stefan swore.
"Did it ever occur to you that our cunt of a mother could be lying? How can you believe her word as gospel? What has she ever done for either of us, Stef? She decided to save her own ass and left us to bear the brunt of Giuseppe's abuse."
Stefan shook his head. "I am not just taking her word for it, Damon. I have been having the same dream for as long as I can remember. If it was my imagination, it should have faded by now. It's not as if I am dreaming of being naked in front of my class."
Damon said, "Tell me about the nightmare."
"Why? You have heard it a million times," he said in exasperation.
He shook his head. "I heard the details from the prepubescent version of you. You barely had a handle on the anatomical names for body parts at that age. I want to hear what adult Stefan remembers about his nightmare."
Stefan swallowed and then looked down at his hands. His hands were bruised and cut up from repeatedly punching a wall. "The nightmare always starts off the same. I hear screaming from down the hall and things breaking. I go look for you because I am scared but you aren't in your room. I can't find you anywhere. I ended up going to our parents' room. I push open the door and I see Zio on top of our mother. He's naked and her skirt is up around her waist. I run out of the room and hide in your closet."
Damon asked, "What did Lilly tell you?"
"She said that the nightmare was real. I really did walk in on her and Zio."
He prodded. "Did she say that Ric raped her?"
"Not in so many words," Stefan said.
Damon rested his head back against the bookshelf. "Then there are two possible scenarios here. He might have raped Lilly. If that is the case…you have my blessing to exact whatever revenge you think is appropriate."
"I'm going to kill him," Stefan said through gritted teeth.
He said, "And I would let you. However, there is a second scenario that you haven't considered, Stefan. Maybe they were just having an affair. Giuseppe treated Lilly like shit. He was cheating on her with anything that had two sets of lips. Sheila was practically his second wife and she was here every holiday and during the summers. Lilly couldn't have been oblivious to that. Not to mention he was smacking her around like a prizefighter. Zio was all fucked up because Abby wouldn't marry him. Then she left the country and he really lost his shit. Giuseppe was always riding his ass about the business. Maybe it was a revenge fuck."
Stefan blinked as he looked at his older brother. "Why didn't she just say that?"
"Because she is a bitch that wants to turn you against us."
He glared at Damon.
"Maybe she didn't think you would assume it was a rape. You need more details before you decide to kill our uncle," Damon said.
"But if he is guilty…"
Damon said, "If he admits to it or if I even think there is a possibility that he did it, I'll hand you the gun myself."
Stefan took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Thanks, Damon."
Damon pulled his younger brother into a hug. "C'mere."
If anyone else were around Stefan would have resisted the hug. However, he felt burned out right then. Stefan took a deep breath and tried to settle his nerves. "I almost killed him."
The older of the two didn't move. He kept his arms around Stefan. "What do you mean?"
"When I left Dr. Correa's office…I drove over to Peppe's because I knew that he would be there. I had it planned out in my head. I was going to ask Zio to meet me in the office and I was going to kill him."
Peppe's was a boxing gym that their grandfather had purchased in the 1950's. The gym doubled as a meeting place for the Salvatore criminal organization. Domenico changed the gym's name to Peppe's after Giuseppe was born. Domenico had been an avid boxing fan. He was known for climbing into the ring to spar with the boxers that worked out there. However, Domenico never let them take a dive against him. If he lost a bout, he shook the fighter's hand to congratulate him. He always said that a man unable to accept defeat was a man unfit to lead. Over the years, the gym had produced a handful of successful boxers. It remained open as a tribute to Domenico.
Damon could have kicked himself for not realizing how close to the edge Stefan had been. The nightmares had been occurring with a higher frequency lately and it was obviously having a profound effect on him. "What stopped you?"
"He had Cooper with him," he muttered.
Damon kissed the crown of Stefan's head. The brothers sat there in silence for nearly 30 minutes. Damon could tell by Stefan's even breathing that he was close to falling asleep. "Come on, kid. Don't fall asleep here."
"I'm not falling asleep," Stefan mumbled in a petulant voice. He sat up and leaned against the bookcase but his eyelids were drooping.
"Come on, Stef. Caroline said that you haven't been getting enough sleep at night. You need to rest. You are going to need a clear head when Zio gets here."
Stefan ran a hand over his head and groaned. "The nightmares…"
Damon nodded in understanding. "Then try to nap on the couch in here. I'll stay with you."
"I'm not a child," he complained.
"No, you aren't a child. But you are my little brother. It's my job to make sure that you are always okay. I haven't really been doing my job lately."
Stefan shook his head. "I'm not your responsibility. I should have sought help when the nightmares started up again. I should have at least talked to you about it. I let myself spiral out of control."
Damon smiled wryly. "We're Salvatores. We are emotionally constipated."
He huffed out a laugh and shook his head. "God. I scared Caroline so bad."
"She was more worried about you than she was scared of you, Stef. She just wanted me to help you."
"I should call her."
Damon shook his head. "I will handle Blondie. You go lie down."
Stefan nodded and slowly got to his feet. He walked over the mess he had made in the room. He sat down on the couch and toed off his sneakers before lying down.
Damon got up and turned off the lights. Then he sat on the couch that was across from Stefan. He took out his phone and sent Caroline a quick text message.