A/N: I can't believe that we've already reached 100 reviews! You guys are amazing! Thank you for all of the awesome feedback.
Damon felt his blood run cold when he walked into his bedroom at the manor. The room bore signs of a violent struggle. Furniture was out of place and a bedside lamp lay broken on the floor. However, his stormy blue eyes locked onto the disheveled bed. He could see streaks of blood staining the periwinkle sheets. Damon's mind went to dark places as he wondered if Bonnie lied about being able to stop Giuseppe from violating her. His fists clenched so tight that his short nails dug into the palms of his hands. Even after having a week to digest what happened here, seeing the aftermath brought a new realization. His little bunny had fought back. It was almost inconceivable to him.
The staff never entered their room without explicit permission from him or Bonnie. If the door remained closed then they weren't allowed to enter. Part of him wished that he had called ahead to instruct the cleaning staff to take care of the mess. However, something in him needed to see this. In his mind's eye, he could picture the attack clearly. His father was a hulking man that stood several inches taller and weighed nearly 60 lbs more than he did. Giuseppe had been lying in wait for Bonnie after she put Sarah to bed. He didn't need to imagine her fear at finding Giuseppe waiting for her. Damon had been on the receiving end of Giuseppe's fists for as long as he could remember. Their most recent fight had taken place about six months ago. However, at 31 years old Damon could hold his own in a fight with the older man. Years of boxing meant that he had knocked his father on his ass easily. Zach and Stefan had to pull him off Giuseppe before he inflicted real damage.
Damon would never understand how his father became this type of man. His great-uncles were good men. Maybe they liked to drink and gamble a little too much but everyone had their vices. He'd never heard of them striking their wives or children. From all accounts, his grandfather hadn't been a needlessly violent man either. Yet somehow, his father had grown into a violent sociopath that laid waste to everyone unfortunate enough to cross his path when he was on a bender. There was always alcohol involved when Giuseppe lost control with his family. However, Damon always believed that it was an excuse—not a reason. Giuseppe used his alcoholism as a cover to lash out whenever he felt like it. Once he was sober, he would offer an insincere apology and then acted as if it never happened.
He still couldn't believe that his little princess had to witness any of Giuseppe's madness. This wasn't the life he imagined for Sarah when she landed on his doorstep five years ago. Damon had been drunk off his ass and more than a little high when Zach burst into his room with a squalling bundle in his arms. At first, he thought that his uncle was holding one of Stefan and Caroline's twins. They had been born a few months earlier. However, Zach quickly snapped him to reality by depositing the infant into his arms. Damon thought all babies looked alike. He couldn't even tell his niece and nephew apart but instantly realized that this was a different baby. She was obviously biracial and her cerulean eyes matched his own. He hadn't needed Zach to say that the child was his. However, his uncle had read the note that Bree's sister left behind to confirm his suspicions.
Briefly, Damon had considered giving Sarah up for adoption. He also considered giving her to Ric or Zach to raise. They were both men he respected and they were good fathers. One thing Damon had known was that he wasn't fit to be anyone's father. He worked and played hard. He slept with any woman that smiled at him. He used to drink too much alcohol and snorted enough coke for it to be classified as worrying. However, Sarah's tiny hand had clenched the material of his t-shirt and she held on for dear life. Keeping her was a snap decision but he never regretted it until now. Now he found himself wishing that he had shielded his little girl from this life and her grandfather.
Zach cleared his throat as he walked into the room. "Damon…"
The younger man turned around at hearing his uncle's voice. "What's up?"
"I just talked to Alaric. He's worked out a roster for more guards to be posted here. He also mentioned that you wanted personal guards for Bonnie. He tapped Tyler Lockwood and Matt Donovan to protect her and Sarah. I'll find people to fill their roles in the interim at Velocita."
Damon was familiar with both young men. However, he knew Tyler on a more personal level than he did Matt. Stefan and Tyler were best friends. As children, they used to cause chaos around the manor. However, they were never more troublesome than when Bonnie was present. It seemed that they were twice as loud, reckless, and messy with her assistance. Bonnie was obviously the ringleader despite being two years younger than Stefan and Tyler were. However, those big green eyes of hers managed to get them out of trouble every time.
He had gotten to know Matt better in the last seven years. The younger man had become friends with Stefan while they were in high school. Prior to that Damon had only seen Matt in passing because of the age difference. The boy's old man was fourteen years into a 25-year prison sentence for murder. Peter Maxwell was a deadbeat father even before he went to prison. However, he had been a loyal soldier for the Salvatore family. He took his prison sentence like a stand up guy and refused to take any of the deals the prosecution offered him.
He nodded. "They're both good choices. I want them to start as soon as possible. They can work out trading off days amongst themselves. I just want to know that Sarah and Bonnie are protected at all times."
"Mason sat Tyler and Matt down to explain exactly what we will be expecting of them, Damon. Tyler should be on his way to keep an eye on Bonnie right now. They will drive her around, too. We're going to make sure that she is safe," he promised.
"Good." He could focus on Giuseppe if he knew that his wife and daughter weren't in harm's way.
"Should I have one of the maids come take care of this?' he asked.
It was Zach's way of telling Damon to let this go. Trying to recreate the night in his head wasn't going to help them find Giuseppe. Moreover, Bonnie could return home at any moment. She didn't need to be subjected to this. The best thing for the young mother was to put all of this behind her as soon as possible.
Damon took a deep breath and said, "Yes, that would be good."
"Come take a walk with me," Zach suggested. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "We can see how Dorian is getting along with the menagerie that you purchased."
The younger man scoffed as he followed his uncle. "It's hardly a menagerie, Zio. Besides, I asked Rose to hire a dog trainer to help Dorian with the puppies. I'm sure he'll have it all under control in a matter of days…or weeks."
"We now have four dogs, a cockatoo, and a budgie living in our home. What would you call that motley crew if not a menagerie, Damon?" Zach asked with a raised eyebrow.
Damon shrugged and replied, "An apology to my daughter for what happened. And maybe an apology to all the children for what I'm about to do to Giuseppe."
The older man hummed in agreement. Zach's children adored Giuseppe. He was like their grandfather. Fortunately, they had all been spared his cruelty thus far. However, Bonnie was evidence that it was only a matter of time. He motioned to a maid when they arrived on the main level. He said, "Please make sure that their room is spotless before Mrs. Salvatore's arrival."
"Yes, Mr. Salvatore," the older woman replied.
Damon added, "Maybe get in some of Bonnie's favorite flowers to brighten up the room. They're uh…"
Zach chuckled at his nephew's lack of knowledge.
"I'll get in some fresh orchids from the florist, sir," the maid helpfully suggested.
Damon nodded. "Thank you."
The maid scurried off to prepare the room for Bonnie. There had been rumors amongst the staff about the reason for Bonnie's sudden disappearance. Some thought that she had finally left Damon.
Zach said, "You've been married four years now. How is it possible that you don't know your wife's favorite flower?"
He rolled his eyes as they continued outside. "I don't know anything about flowers. Besides, Rose generally handles all of that. I know the important things like her birthday and our anniversary."
"Well, aren't you a hopeless romantic," he said with no shortage of sarcasm.
"Not everyone can be whipped like you, Zio."
Zach laughed. "I'm not whipped. I just know how to appreciate my wife. It wouldn't kill you to do the same, Damon. You should be looking at this as a new beginning for you and Bonnie. She chose to stick by you when most sane women would have run for their lives."
Damon scowled at Zach. "I do appreciate my wife."
The older man just shook his head in exasperation. Unlike Alaric and Damon, he actually honored his vows. Zach had never cheated on Meredith. He loved his wife and he was content with their life together. Frankly, he didn't understand how his brother and nephew had the time or energy to carry on with other women. Zach hardly had a moment to himself whilst balancing his home life, his work at Velocita, and the family business. His workload would only increase once Damon was officially head of the Salvatore family.
"You know that I don't like meddling in your personal affairs…"
Damon snorted and rolled his eyes. Zach was always giving him a hard time about his shortcomings. He didn't do it in a negative way. His uncle just wanted him to be a better man than Giuseppe was. It was all he wanted for both of his nephews.
Zach smiled wryly. "I just don't want you to lose the best thing that ever happened to you. You have matured so much since you married Bonnie. She's good for you and Sarah."
"I know that," he argued.
No one could dispute the metamorphosis Damon had undergone since he married Bonnie. He kept his dalliances out of the public eye. He stopped using cocaine completely. Damon even scaled back his drinking so that he was more of a functional alcoholic. However, he knew that there was room for improvement. He could try to be a better husband and father.
"Well, then act like it. Or maybe one day, Bonnie will figure out that you need her more than she needs you. She's not Katherine. She doesn't need your money. Bonnie is set for life if she never makes another dime," he warned.
They walked outside to where a small kennel had been hastily constructed by the grounds crew. Dorian was taking notes as the dog trainer spoke. However, Zach and Damon were far enough away that their conversation couldn't be overheard.
Damon ran a hand through his hair and said, "I'm trying. Okay?"
The older man lifted a skeptical eyebrow. Zach seriously wondered what his nephew considered 'trying'.
"I'm not screwing Katherine as often as I did when I first married Bonnie," he explained.
"Why are you dealing with her at all after that stunt she pulled with Bonnie?" he asked.
Damon shook his head. "I know that Katherine is a manipulative bitch. She is a complete train wreck but so am I most days. I can be myself when I am with her. I know that nothing I do or say is going to scare her away from me. Katherine has seen me at my most destructive and she stuck with me. It's not just about the money. I'm not egotistical enough to believe that she couldn't get what I provide from someone else."
Zach's eyebrows knitted together in concern. This was as honest as his nephew had ever been about his relationship with Katherine. He said, "I understand that you might have worried about scaring Bonnie when you first married her. However, she's not a little girl anymore. Frankly, the way she handled the situation with Giuseppe proves that she isn't as delicate as you make her out to be. You should be getting to know your wife. Bonnie is a lovely young woman."
He scoffed, "I do know her. I've known Bonnie since she was born."
Zach shook his head and clapped Damon on the back. "You know the little girl that grew up running through these halls. You may have even known the grieving young woman that married you after her grandmother died. However, she is not that anymore and hasn't been for a long time. If you won't be a better husband for Bonnie, then do it for the business. You have to know that her family will pounce on even a whiff of discord in your marriage. The Benedettos were not in favor of Bonnie marrying you. They were very much in love with the idea of Bonnie marrying a distant cousin. It is an arrangement that would be eagerly presented if this doesn't work."
"She's pregnant with my children. Bonnie isn't going anywhere," he snapped angrily. He wasn't going to let anyone take his wife away from him.
Zach shook his head. "Why does Bonnie need to stay married to you if she gives birth to a son?"
Damon opened his mouth but then quickly closed it. His eyes darkened as he mulled over his uncle's question. "She loves me," he finally spat out.
The older man chuckled at his flummoxed nephew. "Trust me when I say that love isn't enough for her to keep putting up with your bullshit. You need to cut Katherine loose because she is a liability, Damon. If you just need something on the side then choose someone smart enough to be fucking discreet."
Damon didn't like the tightness in his chest that came from thinking of Bonnie leaving him. It took him back to the night in Shadow Hills when Bonnie suggested that she could find someone more worthy of her. Damon wasn't delusional. His wife was beautiful and intelligent. He knew that she could have a line of suitors a mile long if so inclined. However, the very thought made his blood boil. "I'll figure it out, Zio."
"You had better because Big John won't be interested in you controlling his family's smuggling operation if you aren't married to Bonnie," Zach pointed out.
Damon growled, "I get it! I've had enough life lessons from you today."
Zach shook his head with a wry smile. "Not yet. I'm expecting you to restrain yourself Saturday night when we're at Klaus' welcome home party. I know that the two of you aren't the best of friends…"
"I hate that pompous asshole," Damon corrected.
"Pompous asshole or not, he's the little brother of our best ally. You know Elijah intends to make him a captain. You are going to have to put the bad blood aside for the good of the alliance."
Damon said, "I still can't believe that Elijah is putting that rabid dog in charge of his own crew. Maybe if we're lucky he'll flip out and beat another man half to death on camera."
Zach rolled his eyes. "Quit your bitching. You are lucky that their father didn't get his way. Mikael wanted you to marry Rebekah to reaffirm the alliance."
"Thank fuck he died before he could convince Giuseppe of that," Damon replied. He'd slept with Rebekah a few times but there was no way in hell he'd want to be married to her.
"Giuseppe was never going to go for that arrangement. His eyes were always focused on joining the Salvatore and Benedetto families. However, it was amusing to hear Mikael pitch his idea a half dozen times. At one point, Giuseppe offered up Stefan to appease him."
Damon laughed. "She would have eaten poor little Stefan for lunch and used his bones as toothpicks."
Lucian ran out of the house bouncing a basketball. The boy was already 5'5" tall despite just turning twelve years old earlier that year. He was the spitting image of his father. He bumped Damon on purpose as he stopped next to him. "You really bought puppies for us, cugino?"
Damon ruffled his younger cousin's hair. "Yeah. You little animals are going to help Dorian take care of those little animals. Got me?"
He grinned up at him. "Yeah. Thanks, Damon."
Zach scowled playfully. "You're not even going to speak to your old man?"
Lucian shrugged and said, "You didn't buy me a puppy."
Damon laughed at the expression on Zach's face.
Zach smirked. "Where's your mother?"
"She's upstairs giving Jon a bath. Uncle Logan let him play in the mud. He's covered in the stuff. She's pissed."
"Aye! What have I told you about your language?'
"Pissed isn't that bad," Lucian argued.
Damon said, "Exactly. He could have said fucking pissed."
Zach glared at his nephew. "Don't put any ideas in his head."
Damon smirked. "I'm sure he's cursing every chance he gets. I did when I was his age."
Lucian looked at the ground with a sly smile on his face.
His father groaned. He didn't want to think about the ways his son could be like Damon. He kept a closer eye on his children than Giuseppe ever did with them. However, there just weren't enough hours in the day and there were too many ways for Lucian to find trouble. "Just don't let your mother hear you or you'll be an altar boy until you go off to college."
"I won't, Papa."
Damon tapped him on the back. "Go over there and listen to what the trainer is telling Dorian. You're the oldest around here so I am expecting you to help out the most."
"Okay." Lucian jogged across the yard to join Dorian and the trainer in the kennel.
Zach said, "I'm going to head inside and see how bad the damage is with Jon. Think about what I said earlier. Yeah?"
Damon nodded. "Yeah, I'll think about it, Zio."
Zach shook his head as he walked into the house.
The younger man considered his uncle's plea. Perhaps it was time to end things with Katherine. He had already promised Bonnie that he would end the affair. He had truly meant it in the heat of the moment. He would have said anything to stop Bonnie from pulling away from him. Katherine's tantrum could have very well cost Damon his marriage. However, there was part of him that just didn't want to let her go. Enzo seemed to think that Katherine had heeded his warning. However, he knew that his best friend had a soft spot for his mistress.
Damon took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He had earned the moniker of playboy honestly. He could call any number of women to satisfy his appetite at a moment's notice. While Katherine was his longest relationship, she was not the only woman to receive his attention. His flavor of the month was Andie Starr. They had crossed paths a few months ago during a charity gala. Bonnie had been with him at the time but he sent Andie flowers the next day. They had met up several times since then and he wasn't disappointed. Perhaps she could be the woman to replace Katherine.
A guard walked outside and said, "Mrs. Salvatore has just arrived, Sir."
Damon put away his phone and nodded in acknowledgement. He headed out to the front of the house to greet his wife and daughter.
An SUV with tinted windows pulled up in front of the massive three-story mission style home. The Salvatore manor sat on a ten-acre lot 40 minutes outside of Los Angeles. The perfectly manicured grounds featured an Olympic sized pool, and full-size tennis and basketball courts. The only way onto the property was the gated entrance at the bottom of the hill. The manor had been the Salvatore family's prized possession for seventy-eight years.
Damon walked up to the car once it came to a stop. He was eager to get his family back into their home. He opened the back door and smiled at his wife. "I was wondering when you would come home."
Bonnie took Damon's hand and stepped down from the SUV. She said, "Sorry. I did some shopping for Christmas gifts and decided to wrap them at the beach house. Sarah took a nap while we were there. Then I took a nap, too."
Damon scooped Sarah out of the car and said, "Well, I am glad that you are both here now and well rested. I have a surprise for you, bambolina."
The little girl looked up at her father with big eyes. She tightened her arms around his neck. "Really?"
"Yes, really."
"What is it?" she asked curiously.
Damon said, "I'll just have to show you. But I think that you are going to like it."
"Is it a puppy?" Sarah asked in a hopeful voice.
"Maybe," he hedged playfully.
Bonnie looked over her shoulder at Tyler. "Could you bring those bags inside? You can give them to one of the maids. Just tell them to put everything in the bedroom."
Tyler nodded and said, "Of course."
Bonnie followed Damon and Sarah into the house. She wasn't afraid to be inside the manor. Giuseppe valued his life too much to return so soon after attacking her. However, the atmosphere felt tainted to her in some way. She used anticipate visiting the manor as a child. Now the nostalgia was replaced by the feeling of being in enemy territory.
Damon led them out to the kennel in the backyard.
Sarah squealed in excitement and squirmed until Damon put her onto the ground. "Puppies! There are four puppies! I love them, Papa. I love them so much."
Damon watched as his daughter rushed into the kennel to meet her new canine friends.
Bonnie smiled looking at the four chocolate Labrador puppies that couldn't have been more than a six months old. She asked, "Did you buy them from a breeder?"
He slipped an arm around Bonnie's waist and pecked her cheek. "No, I know how you feel about breeders and puppy mills. Rose adopted the puppies from a local rescue group. They're all part of the same litter. That's Georgie. She's the dog trainer. She's going to come by a couple days a week to help Dorian train the pups."
She watched Sarah fawn all over the puppies. She was grateful that for now their daughter wasn't thinking of what happened here. "You did a good job, Damon."
"Yeah?" he asked.
Bonnie nodded. "Oh, I hope you don't mind but Lucy is going to stay with us for the holiday. Maybe a little longer than that actually…"
Damon tensed at the mention of Lucy staying at the manor. It wasn't that he had any problems with her. In fact, she had stayed at the manor many times in the past. However, he was concerned about having an outside voice in Bonnie's ear. He was reminded of his uncle's warning from a few minutes ago. He hadn't been concerned when Alaric told him that Abby knew what happened to Bonnie. The woman might have been her mother but they didn't have a close relationship. However, Lucy was a different matter completely. The girls were close and Bonnie often sought her older cousin's counsel.
He feigned a smile. "I don't mind at all. I think it would be good for you to have family around for the holiday. Lucy is welcome to stay as long as she wants."
"Are you sure? I can put her up at the beach house if it's a problem," Bonnie offered.
He shook his head. "It's no problem at all. You know that we have the space. Maybe she can convince you to rest."
She laughed. "You two are starting to sound like a broken record. If both of you got your wish I would be on bed rest."
"Is it a crime to be worried about you? You are pregnant after all," he murmured into her hair.
"It's not a crime but it is completely unnecessary. I am fine. Your aunts have assured you of that several times in the last week."
He grumbled. "They're not obstetricians."
Bonnie rolled her eyes while she smiled fondly at her husband. "No, but one of them is a neurosurgeon and the other is Chief of Surgery at a level one trauma center. Besides, they've both had an obstetrics rotation. If it makes you feel any better, I'll make an appointment with Dr. Huerta for next week. You can come with me."
Damon squeezed Bonnie's hips and said, "There's actually something I need to talk about with you."
She scoffed. "Are you going to say that you don't trust Dr. Huerta now?"
He kissed her neck. "No. But there's some business I need to handle next week. I'll probably be away at least ten days."
"Oh," she said.
Damon quickly added, "But you will be safe here. Tyler Lockwood and Matt Donovan will both be protecting you. I promise that nothing is going to happen."
She nodded. "Okay."
"Bunny…"
Bonnie smiled. "I understand, Damon. Lucy will be here, too. Sarah and I will be fine. If I don't feel safe I'll just go to the beach house."
He didn't like that idea at all. However, he wasn't exactly in the position to reject the plan. He couldn't make any guarantees on how long he'd be away from home. "Just call me before you decide to go anywhere. Okay? Things are just…unsettled right now. I want to keep you safe, bunny."
"I will be safe. I have guards now," she replied.
Damon conceded, "Well, let me know if you don't like them. We can find replacements."
"I think that Matt and Tyler will work out just fine. It's nice that they are familiar faces," she replied. When Bonnie looked over her shoulder, Tyler was standing near the entrance. The tides were starting to turn and she could feel it.