While Damon had his pied-à-terre at the Rischard, Bonnie had a little place of her own outside the city. She wisely sold the majority of Sheila's real estate holdings after her death. However, she chose to keep a handful of places that held special meaning such as the Shadow Hills estate, the villa in Monaco, and their compound in Milazzo. Bonnie also chose to keep a beach house located 30 minutes from the Salvatore Manor. It was her own little Shangri-La when her home life became too suffocating. Today it would also serve the purpose of hosting a clandestine meeting with her mother. Since a staff of 20 people worked full-time at the manor, there was never truly any privacy there.

Before Bonnie could meet with her mother, she had to get away from Damon. Fortunately, Lucy was waiting for them in the airport's bar when the plane landed. The older woman's flight had arrived perhaps an hour before theirs did. Bonnie told Damon that she needed to spend some time with her older cousin. They hadn't seen each other in months and there was a lot they needed to discuss. It was obvious that Damon didn't like the idea of letting Bonnie out of his sight. However, he reluctantly agreed as long as they allowed two bodyguards to shadow them.

The young woman's first order of business was to do a little shopping. She needed to buy a christening gift for Hayley and Elijah's little boy, Erik. She also wanted to get a little Christmas shopping done. Spending three weeks in Shadow Hills had thrown off all of Bonnie's holiday plans. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve were always big productions for the Salvatore family. As the lady of the house, it was Bonnie's responsibility to ensure the holidays went off without a hitch. The entire family was on pins and needles because of Giuseppe. However, they would have to maintain appearances for the outside world.

Bonnie and Lucy went Christmas shopping with Sarah in tow. However, Bonnie had to make sure that her makeup was flawless. Damon and Bonnie's relationship was a popular topic in the tabloids. She really didn't want to make the gossip rags for the wrong reasons. Everyone would immediately assume that Damon was abusing her. She didn't even want that theory out there because it would be too hard to refute. Damon already had a reputation with the tabloids because of his misspent youth. He had been dubbed a reckless playboy. Moreover, his violent tendencies had been well documented in the past. Damon had made a concerted effort to change all of that since he married Bonnie.

After putting Sarah down for a nap, Bonnie settled down in the living room. She decided to wrap the gifts she had purchased that morning. Frankly, it was just a poor attempt to distract her worried mind. Earlier in the morning, she learned that Niklaus Mikaelson had been released from prison. He was a wild card that Bonnie absolutely did not need right now. She could only hope that he had forgotten about her during his five-year incarceration.

Lucy walked out of the kitchen with a sterling silver tea set. She placed it on the coffee table in front of Bonnie. "Are you sure that I can't get you anything to eat?"

She shook her head. "No, my morning sickness isn't doing me any favors right now. I am just going to keep nibbling on these crackers and hope they settle my stomach. Thank you for brewing the tea."

She waved her younger cousin off. "You need to take it easy. I saw the way you were flexing your wrist while you were wrapping those gifts. You're still in pain."

"It's getting better," she promised.

"There's no need to be a martyr, Bonnie. No one is going to think that you are weak for taking it easy for few weeks. And if someone does say something about it I will bitch slap them," she sassed.

Bonnie knew the comment was a thinly veiled shot at her husband. Lucy wasn't known for having a forgiving nature. She blamed Damon for what happened to Bonnie. "Damon has been trying to get me to stay in bed but I am fine. The worst of my injuries have already healed."

Lucy frowned because she still didn't like the fact that Bonnie had concealed her situation for nearly two weeks. In fact, her cousin had only called to tell her about the assault when it became obvious that Rose suspected what happened to her. By most standards, she and Bonnie were merely distant cousins. Their grandmothers were sisters, but that didn't mean much for the Benedetto family. They were also close to the grandchildren of their grandmothers' cousins. One of Hannah's enduring lessons had been the importance of family. It was how she kept the family close knit even after her son, Daniel, moved to Italy. They all gathered at the estate in Shadow Hills for a family reunion each year.

"I've been thinking that I might stick around through the end of the year."

"Won't your nana be expecting you home for Thanksgiving and Christmas?" Bonnie asked.

She shrugged and sat down. "She'll get over it. Trust me. There are enough grandchildren and great-grandchildren to keep her occupied. I'm needed here…at least until Giuseppe is handled. Even if he stays in Milazzo past Thanksgiving, you know that he will be home in time for Christmas."

The girl nodded in agreement. Giuseppe would wait to come home until he thought it had all blown over. "I won't make the same mistake twice. I let my guard down and I shouldn't have done that. I knew that something was off the moment Giuseppe came home that afternoon. Damon thinks his absence set his father off but I'm not so sure. He was in a mood and I think he was just looking for a punching bag…I just happened to be there."

"Don't make excuses for that motherfucker," Lucy snapped.

Bonnie gave a humorless laugh. "I'm not making excuses for Giuseppe. I am only saying that I didn't protect myself. Grams taught me better than that. I'll never put myself in a situation like that again."

"Well, I am staying anyway. Am I invited to Thanksgiving dinner?"

"Of course you are invited to dinner, fool. You might as well stay at the house if you are going to be in town. I hate that we haven't been able to spend more time together."

Lucy opened her mouth to say something but stopped short when she heard a door closing in the distance. She drew the gun she always kept tucked into the holster situated on her hip.

Mason walked into the room and waved. "It's only me. Calm down, Stable Mable."

Lucy growled and said, "I nearly shot you, boy."

He chuckled. "I'm sorry. I came in through the backdoor because I know Damon has two guards posted out front."

She slowly eased the gun back into the holster. Lucy sucked her teeth and muttered, "Asshole."

"I love you too, Luce," Mason taunted.

She flipped him the bird and rolled her eyes.

Bonnie looked at him expectantly. "Tell me you have good news. She should be here soon."

"I was able to confirm that he bought a place for her out in Huntington Beach. She has been living there since the start of the school year. He's been spending a couple of nights a week there with her and the kids."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "At least she's actually got the boys in school."

Bonnie pushed down the hurt of learning that her mother had been less than 20 minutes away from her for months. She had to remind herself that right now this woman wasn't her mother. Abby was merely a means to an end. She said, "Finally, her monumental selfishness will work for me."

Lucy stood when she saw a car pull up in front of the house. She said, "That will be Abby."

Mason said, "I'll head upstairs and make myself scarce."

Lucy watched as he quickly climbed the stairs. She might have also been admiring his toned backside. Then she turned to her younger cousin. "Do you want me to stick around for the conversation?"

Bonnie shook her head and smiled. "No, I'll handle my mother. I need you to make that call to Uncle Johnny. I want eyes on Giuseppe while he is in Milazzo. I want to know everything he is doing."

"I don't see why we can't just tell Uncle Johnny what he did to you. He is brave to brutalize you and then conduct business with our kin. Uncle Johnny would skin him alive if he knew the truth."

She understood Lucy's fury at Giuseppe's audacity. Bonnie felt it too but involving their family would take matters out of her hands. She just couldn't afford to do that right now. There was too much at stake. "Giuseppe is going to get what he deserves, Lucy. However, I need to know that Damon is the man I believe him to be. "

The older woman nodded in understanding. She trusted that Bonnie knew what she was doing. However, Lucy planned to be there to keep her safe just in case things went off the rails.

Bonnie took out her compact and studied her reflection. She had cleaned the makeup from her face after they made it to the beach house. She needed to use her healing bruises to elicit guilt from her mother.

Lucy opened the front door and smiled at her older cousin. "Hey, cuz."

Abby hugged her. "Hey. It's so good seeing you. We need to catch up."

"It's good seeing you, too. It's been too long since we've seen each other. Maybe we can get drinks later tonight. I'm just about to head out."

"Drinks tonight sounds great, Lucy. I'll call you with a time."

"Great! Bonnie is waiting for you in the living room."

"Are you going to tell me what's going on? You dragged me half way across the country without so much as an explanation. Is everything okay?"

Lucy held her tongue because she knew that Abby was lying. However, it wasn't her place to call her older cousin out. Bonnie would do that in her own time. She hugged her. "Just go talk to your daughter. She needs you right now."

Abby removed her sunglasses with a frown as she watched Lucy walk out to her car. She closed the door and then locked it behind her. Then she walked into the living room. Abby froze in the middle of the room when her eyes fell onto her daughter. She dropped her purse and glasses onto the floor as she rushed to Bonnie's side. "Who did this to you? Damon? I'll kill him."

"Sit down, Mom. Have some tea with me," Bonnie suggested. She picked up the sterling silver teapot and poured a cup for Abby. "It's Darjeeling…your favorite."

"No, I won't just sit down and have a cup of tea. Someone beat the shit out of my daughter and I want to know who did it. I know that you think that I am a peace loving hippie but not at the expense of my oldest girl. Now you tell me who did this to you, Bonnie Sheila Bennett."

Bonnie was warmed by her mother's genuine concern. She said, "Sit down, Mom. You had a long flight and there is much to discuss. I promise that I will explain everything."

Abby slowly sat down on the couch and looked at Bonnie expectantly. She had no delusions about her track record as a mother. However, she sincerely loved her daughter. "Please, just tell me that this wasn't Damon."

Bonnie picked up her cup of tea and shook her head. "No, my husband isn't a wife batterer. He wasn't even home when this happened."

The elder Bennett woman added sugar to the cup and slowly stirred the steaming brew. "What happened?"

"Did you get the money that Lucy wired you?"

She huffed. "Yes, but I don't understand what it is for. Or what it has to do with why you look like this."

"Giuseppe attacked me three weeks ago while Damon was away. These bruises you see are courtesy of him."

Abby nearly splashed tea on her hand when she began to tremble. She placed the cup on the table. Dozens of thoughts raced through her head. She now understood some of the strange happenings in the last week. However, her heart broke for her daughter and herself. Abby had always loved Giuseppe as a father but she knew of his demons. She had hoped that they would never be visited upon her daughter. "Did he force himself on you?"

Bonnie shook her head. "He tried but I was able to convince him to stop. Anyway, the following morning he hopped a flight to Milazzo. No one knows where he is right now. On the matter of the money, I need a favor from you. If you agree to this favor I will match what Lucy wired to you last week."

"You don't have to pay me to help you, Bonnie. You are my daughter. Just tell me what you need and I will do it," Abby promised.

The girl laughed. "You'll have to excuse me if I am not inclined to take you at your word. The last time that you did anything useful for me is when Dr. Fleischman cut me from your womb. I prefer for this to be a business arrangement, Mother."

She tensed upon hearing her daughter's cold assessment. It wasn't accurate but debating the point would get her nowhere. She asked, "What do you need?"

"How close are you to Alaric?"

Abby adjusted her position on the couch and picked up her teacup. She realized that her daughter was a great deal like Sheila. She wouldn't ask a question that she didn't already know the answer to. She said, "We have always been close. What does this have to do with Ric?"

"I am pregnant with twins and I am raising Sarah as my own flesh and blood. In good conscience, I cannot raise them in the same house with that monster. I want Giuseppe dead, not exiled to Milazzo. I believe that my husband is leaning in that direction but I am concerned about the others. Damon won't discuss business with me. He believes that I am too delicate. However, I was hoping that your relationship with Alaric would be different. Maybe you could find out what they are thinking. Perhaps you could even whisper in his ear."

Abby went through a myriad of emotions as she listened to her daughter speak. She was wracked with guilt for not being a bigger part of Bonnie's life when she was younger. She had tried to be there for her since Sheila's death but their relationship had highs and lows. "I'm going to be a grandmother again?"

Bonnie nodded. "I was going to tell you but everything got so out of hand.'

The older woman gave a wistful smile. "I can't believe it. I mean my baby is going to have a baby—two babies."

She smiled a little. "I'm not a baby anymore, Mom. Jamie, Cooper, and Savannah are your babies now."

Abby said, "I don't care that you are an adult now. It doesn't matter that my mother raised you. You will always be my baby, Bonnie. I carried you for 36 weeks. I sat beside your incubator for hours on end just waiting for the doctors to let me hold you in my arms."

"Will you do this for me?" she asked. Bonnie had no need for sentimentality. This was business.

She nodded. "You didn't need to pay me for this, Bonnie. I would run that bastard over with my car if it meant keeping you and those children safe. I'll have Alaric meet me at our place tonight to talk. I'll call you when I know anything."

Bonnie picked up a burner phone and handed it to Abby. "There is one number saved in the phone. Call it whenever you have information."

Abby took the phone and tucked it into her pocket. She asked, "Are you okay? Truly?"

"I am bruised but I will heal. This will help me heal faster."

She nodded. Abby took a sip of tea and asked, "How did you know about Alaric and me? We are careful at all times. He has a family after all."

"Grams made sure that I had all the tools necessary if this situation ever arose. However, I knew about you and Alaric since I was 13 years old. I walked in on the two of you in the wine cellar at the manor."

Abby looked away as a feeling of embarrassment washed over her. "Then you know about your siblings?"

The boys were Bonnie's twelve and six year old half brothers. Her half-sister, Savannah, was just two years old. She nodded and said, "I do."

"And you haven't said anything. Why?"

Bonnie said, "I'm vindictive but not petty. Exposing your relationship with Ric would only hurt my siblings and his other kids. If Jo is smart, then she knows about you. If she doesn't know, then it certainly isn't my place to tell her. Besides, if I told the truth Ric might do something stupid like break up with you. You're more useful to me as his mistress."

Abby bit her tongue and nodded. "I know what you must think of me but Ric and I…"

She waved her off. "I'm not judging you for being with Ric. It isn't really any of my business. I'm just glad that you are happy. You are happy, right?"

She licked her lips nervously and confessed, "I am. We bought a house in Huntington Beach. He wanted us live closer to each other. Ric was tired of only seeing us once or twice a month."

"That makes sense. Infidelity aside, Ric is a good father. I am glad that he's spending more time with the kids. They need their father."

Abby was shocked. She expected Bonnie to get angry. However, she realized that her daughter likely already knew the truth. She was Sheila's granddaughter all over. "Speaking of fathers, you should tell yours what happened."

Bonnie laughed. "I barely wanted to tell you and you've been more active in my life than he has. I have no interest in speaking to Rudy. If he ever decides to pick up the phone, then maybe I will consider it."

The older woman opened her mouth to speak.

Bonnie threw up a hand to stop her. "Please, don't launch into a pro-Rudy lecture. I haven't seen him since my wedding four years ago."

She huffed. "I have never been pro-Rudy, even when I was married to the bastard. But he is your father and he would want to know that you're hurt. He would want to know that you are pregnant. I would want to know if our roles were reversed."

"You are a different case, Mom. You are not mother of the year by any stretch of the imagination but you at least try. I see you during summer and the holidays. You actually make an effort to call me every week. Sure, you have been lying about where you are living but I am willing to chalk that up to hiding your affair. You're always sending me pictures of the kids. We might not have a traditional mother/daughter relationship but is more than I have with Rudy."

Abby knew she was fighting a losing battle. "Okay. How is Sarah doing?"

Bonnie relaxed once Abby dropped the subject. She smiled at the mention of Sarah. "Oh, she's doing great. She is so smart, Mom. She is really enjoying being homeschooled with her cousins. She is interested in ballet, too. I've been thinking I might take her to a few classes to see if she really wants to learn."

The love of dance was perhaps the one thing Abby had in common with her daughter. Abby had danced professionally for years before moving onto choreography. "Maybe you and Sarah could come visit me and the children sometimes. I mean now that you know the truth about me and Ric."

The girl was always cautious where Abby was concerned. She knew better than to ever get her hopes up. "Really?"

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. I live here now and I'd like to spend more time with you and Sarah."

She said, "I'd like that, Mom."

"Does she know that you're pregnant?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Damon and I thought it was better to wait until I start showing more. We figured it would be easier for her to understand once there's a physical difference to see."

Abby smiled. "That's what I did with Jamie. I waited until he started asking questions. He called me fat when I was pregnant with Cooper, rude little thing."

She laughed quietly. "Kids are definitely blunt, that's for sure."

"How are things with you and Damon? I mean…outside of the obvious difficulties."

Bonnie's eyebrows rose at that. "We're happy."

Abby said, "I just…what happened is cause for divorce under the prenuptial agreement. If you were ever looking for a way out, now is the time. There is no shame in admitting that something isn't working."

"I love him, Mom."

The older woman nodded. "I know. You always have but I never wanted you to marry Damon. The Salvatores are like an infection. I argued with your grams for days when she told me about the engagement."

Bonnie stiffened. "That's a strange stance from a woman dating a Salvatore."

Abby chose her words carefully. "And it's not without its struggles, Bonnie. I never wanted this for you. I wanted you to be free. I didn't want you to end up the boss's wife. I witnessed firsthand how toxic the love of a Salvatore could be. Your grams suffered for the love of Giuseppe."

She relaxed when she realized that Abby's concern was genuine. "Damon isn't Giuseppe. I witnessed her suffering, too. I'll never be able to forget it. Nevertheless, freedom means different things to different people, Mom. For you, freedom meant traveling the world without a soul to question your actions. For me, freedom means power and influence. I know that I could divorce Damon and take half the company but I'd much rather have the whole thing and my husband."

"That's an admirable goal but sometimes life has a way of knocking the wind out of us when we least expect it. If you are happy with Damon, then I am happy for you." Abby looked down at the ring on her finger. It was a symbol of Alaric's commitment to her and it was worthless.

Bonnie watched the emotions playing over her mother's face. "I can see that you are worried for me but I don't understand why. Damon would never hurt me."

"Physical violence isn't the only way that someone can hurt you, Bonnie. I know that I haven't been a good mother. I probably don't even have a right to say this but I love you too much to stay silent. You are a smart young woman. You are smart enough to know what your husband gets up to in his spare time. I just want you to be realistic about your situation. Damon is never going to change. He's a selfish man-child just like his uncle is. You want power and influence but there will be a cost. At 21-years-old, it might not seem like a very steep price. But I assure you the weight of it compounds over time. I never want you to get to the breaking point like I did with your father. The good thing about Alaric is that I can walk away at anytime. It'll hurt but I am free."

She grasped her mother's hands and said, "I love Damon with all of my heart. But I am not a fool. I know that my husband is a lying philanderer. I know that he is having an affair with Katherine Pierce. I also know that he is seeing a local news anchor on the side as well. After four years of marriage, I was finally honest with him about my true feelings. Now the ball is in his court. However, I would never be so naïve as to not have a way out of this marriage. If the day comes where I need to leave Damon it will be with my three children and my business. That actually brings me to the other reason that I had Lucy wire that money to you."

Abby felt the tightness in her chest loosen after listening to Bonnie. She was relieved that her daughter didn't view Damon through rose-colored glasses. "What else did you want me to do?"

Bonnie picked up a file folder and placed it in front of Abby. "This is a list of our family members and trusted associates that have the proper education and experience to run Velocita. Some of them used to work for BTS and stayed on after the merger. I need to know which ones I can trust."

Abby was rendered speechless for a few seconds. She opened the folder and skimmed the list of names. She quickly recognized that the people on the list had been in executive positions in BTS before the merger. They would be the perfect group to help Bonnie execute a successful boardroom coup. She looked up at her daughter with a proud smile.

"I understand if you don't feel comfortable doing this because of your relationship with Ric. I won't hold a grudge if you decide to refuse. I can try to test the waters some other way."

"My relationship with Ric doesn't change the fact that I am always a Benedetto, Bunny. I haven't spilled any of our family's secrets simply because he shares my bed and I won't start now."

Bonnie smiled. "Thank you, Mom."

Abby picked up a pen and jotted down a few family members that would jump at the chance to sabotage the Salvatores. "I don't need thanks. This is like my grandmother's last big fuck you to Domenico. She hated that racist asshole. I'm sure he is turning over in his grave. A Benedetto will be running Velocita and one day a Benedetto will be the boss of the Salvatore family. It won't mean a thing that your future son will carry the Salvatore name…it'll be Benedetto blood that runs through his veins."

Bonnie eyed the names that Abby added to the list. She knew then that reaching out to her mother had been the right decision. Abby's relationships with her first and second cousins would prove useful. She knew them much better than Bonnie and Lucy did.

Abby's phone rang. She stood and walked across to pick up the purse that she had dropped earlier. Abby pulled out her phone and said, "This is Ric. I should take this."

Bonnie nodded. "Okay."

Abby disappeared into the kitchen to get some privacy.

Bonnie could hear her mother's raised voice from the kitchen. She could only assume that Abby was ripping Ric a new one for not telling her about Giuseppe.

A few minutes later, she marched out of the kitchen. She picked up the folder Bonnie had placed on the table and tucked it into her purse. "I'm sorry to run but Ric is going to meet me at home. We'll talk soon, baby girl."

She nodded. "Okay."

Abby kissed Bonnie's cheek and then dashed out the front door.