Ric looked at his watch with a frown as he rode the elevator up to Damon's penthouse at the Rischard. He was meeting his younger brother and nephew for a working lunch. The trio needed to discuss the enlightening conversation Ric had with their uncle just an hour ago. If everything went as planned, Bruno and Giacomo might be able to intercept Giuseppe in the next few days. However, he was most relieved to have confirmation that his older brother was still in Milazzo. Ric could enjoy Thanksgiving with his family without the fear of Giuseppe popping up unannounced and unwelcomed.

The holiday was stressful enough with Jo and Abby being under the same roof. The two women were always civil with one another but there was a lot of history between them. Jo would never be able to escape the fact that she had been Alaric's second choice. Everyone in the family knew that Ric had wanted to marry Abby after she divorced Rudy. They also knew that Abby turned him down cold and proceeded to flee the country as if she were running from a pack of wolves. Despite rejecting Ric, Abby still spent the holidays at the Manor in order to be with Sheila and Bonnie. Ric and Abby would get into epic screaming matches that devolved into hate sex.

It would be putting it mildly to say that Ric took the rejection poorly. He had coped by throwing himself more fully into his work. Those were dark times for Alaric. He could admit now that he had reacted childishly. Instead of sulking, he should have chased after Abby. However, he spent the next few years whoring around the West Coast and crushing their family's enemies without mercy. Eventually, Giuseppe stepped in to put a stop to his pity party. Joshua Parker had been dangling his eldest daughter in front Giuseppe for quite some time. The mob boss had been divorced from Lilly for years. Everyone wondered why he hadn't remarried. Giuseppe wasn't interested in marrying Jo but he decided that she might be a good fit for Ric.

Alaric was ever the dutiful younger brother. He didn't object when Giuseppe suggested an arranged marriage. The Parker family hailed from a town not far from Milazzo. Their connections had helped the Salvatores increase their territory in Italy. Pulling them more firmly into the family seemed like a just reward. Ric and Jo actually dated for a year before they were married. While she wasn't the love of his life, he did fall in love with Jo. She was beautiful, smart, and ambitious. However, Jo's loyalty made him want to marry her. He knew that she would never betray him as Abby had. Somehow, that knowledge soothed his wounded pride.

In the beginning, he tried to be faithful to Jo. Abby had respected that and tried to keep her distance whenever she was in town for a visit. It worked for all of two years. Ric and Abby crossed paths by chance while he was in Milazzo on business. They barely made it through dinner with Big John Benedetto before falling into bed with each other. Thirteen years later, he has a wife, a mistress, five children, and two houses 30 minutes apart. Ric's whole life was a balancing act but he was too far down the road in both relationships to call it quits now.

Ric stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall to Damon's penthouse. He knocked and waited for someone to open the door. His nephew's mistress lived in the penthouse whenever she was actually in Los Angeles. However, Damon also swept the penthouse for listening devices on a weekly basis. He never knew when he might need to use it for business. Sometimes driving all the way to the manor just wasn't an option.

Zach opened the door having shed his suit jacket and tie at some earlier point. He beckoned his older brother inside. "You're late. We started eating lunch without you."

Ric rolled eyes as he walked into the living room. He closed the door and asked, "Did you at least order something for me? I'm starving."

Damon was sitting on the couch while devouring an 18-ounce rib eye steak with all the sides. He motioned to a cloche-covered dish sitting on the coffee table. He said, "We wouldn't leave you hanging like that. I ordered one of their heart healthy options for you, Zio."

He scowled at his nephew while he took off his suit jacket. Jo and Abby were equally worried about his health. His wife cooked heart healthy meals from a cookbook his cardiologist suggested. However, Abby forced him to eat a gluten free paleo diet whenever he stayed at their house. "I'll kick your ass and take your steak if you did."

The raven-haired playboy scoffed, "I'd like to see you try, old man."

Zach smirked as he returned to his chair with a bottle of beer for his older brother. "Calm down. He ordered the exact same meal for all three of us. You know neither of us cares if you keel over from a heart attack at an early age. We're not the ones that will be responsible for raising your spawns all alone."

Ric sat down on the other end of the couch and removed the cloche. He laughed, "That's why I love the two of you so much. Do you know that Stefan tried to get me to drink this soup in a bottle crap? What is wrong with that boy?"

Damon and Zach both got a good laugh out of that one.

Zach said, "He got me to try one of those things a few weeks ago. It wasn't so bad once I added vodka to it. It was like a thicker Bloody Mary."

Damon shook his head. "I will never understand why you humor the little bastard."

"Because he's my favorite nephew," Zach replied with a lazy grin.

Damon flipped off his uncle as he sipped from his bottle of beer. Stefan was the baby and they all treated him accordingly.

Ric laughed at the petulant expression on his nephew's face. He cut into his steak and said, "I finally have some good news to report on finding Giuseppe. He reached out to Uncle Bruno after to speaking to John a couple hours ago. He is interested in working out some sort of truce. He agreed to meet with our uncles later in the week. They're going to feed him lines about you only wanting a peaceful transition of power."

Damon smirked as he reclined against the couch. It appeared that his decision to lean on John Gilbert had born fruit quickly. He should have known the little weasel had a way to contact Giuseppe. However, the old man was playing it smart. The Salvatore boss had accurately assumed that John wasn't the right person to help him make peace with Damon. Giuseppe knew well his son's disdain for John. However, he didn't realize that Bruno and Giacomo were only leading him to slaughter. There could be no truce. Damon wanted Giuseppe dead—they all did.

"We can't make it that easy. My old man knows that I wouldn't just let something like this go. Besides, I all but told John I planned to kill him. He'll get suspicious if I go all Kumbaya on him now."

Zach sat back to give it some thought because Damon was right. Giuseppe raised them to be cold-blooded killers. He would never believe that Damon would simply let bygones be bygones. He suggested, "We could set conditions that bar him from entering Italy and the United States. The consequences for violating those conditions would be death. No questions asked. He might buy it then. We just need Giuseppe to believe the ruse long enough to get him to the compound in Milazzo."

The other two men mulled over Zach's suggestion. They had to get this right because they would only get one shot at tricking Giuseppe. He hadn't been boss this long by being led around by the nose. If he slipped through their fingers now, they would have go about things the hard way—the bloody way.

Ric said, "We can tell him that we know about his attempts to turn our people in Milazzo against Damon. He would believe that you are selfish enough to put your self-interest ahead of revenge. But it would mean tipping our hand and it might expose our uncles' allegiance to us. They'd be burned and no longer useful for getting information from Giuseppe if it doesn't work."

The youngest of them frowned deeply. He was fond of his uncles. They had always been good to him. "Giuseppe wouldn't hesitate to kill them, if he finds out that they're supporting me. I don't want to put them in that position, Zio."

Ric cocked an eyebrow at his nephew. "They'd both kick your ass for making them sound like doddering old fools that can't protect themselves. They have known Giuseppe for his entire life. Our uncles will be prepared for anything. This is our best chance to get the drop on him. Do you really want him to go to ground?"

Zach nodded in agreement. If they lost Giuseppe now a civil war would surely ensue between the disparate factions of the family.

Damon huffed. "Excuse me for exercising some fucking sensitivity. It won't happen again."

Zach chuckled. "They won't be there alone, Damon. We'll make sure our people are nearby to take out Gio if it comes to that."

"Maybe you should try calling him, Zacharias. You've always been the sensible one out of all of us. You're also the last person that Gio would expect to want him dead," Ric suggested. He slathered his salad with ranch dressing.

His jaw ticked in response to his brother's suggestion. Of course, Giuseppe would think that because he believed that Zach was still in the dark about his parents' deaths.

Damon noted the dark look in his uncle's eyes. "I won't ask you to do that. I mean…I get it. You have the biggest grievance with him out of everyone."

"Stefan?" Ric offered. "We just need someone to get his guard down."

Damon tilted his head as he considered that option. "Baby bro has been talking about stepping up."

Zach's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know, Damon. That's a lot to ask Stefan right out of the gate."

"You're worried that he is going to fuck it up? It's just a phone conversation. He'd never suspect, Stef," Damon replied.

"I'll reach out to Giuseppe. I don't want to put that kind of pressure on Stefan. He's always been a terrible liar," Zach muttered.

Damon chuckled and said, "You're right about that. I've been thinking of pulling him aside to ask about Tyler."

Ric looked puzzled. "Ask him what about Tyler?"

"Just wondering if Tyler and Bonnie are friends or whatever," he replied in a nonchalant voice.

"Any reason you can't ask your wife that question?"

Damon glared at his uncle.

Zach asked, "What's going on, Damon? Is Tyler not working out as her bodyguard? It has barely been 24 hours."

"I don't know. They just seemed very familiar with each other last night. I overheard them talking in the kitchen. They were joking and laughing together."

"Alone?" Ric asked.

Damon said, "No, Lucy and Caroline were in there with them."

"Then what the fuck are you worried about?" Ric asked in exasperation.

Zach chuckled. "He's worried that his wife might want someone closer to her age that doesn't fuck everything in a skirt. Glad that something I said yesterday sunk into your thick skull."

"It's not just that. She said some shit to me while we were arguing about Katherine. She said that she could find someone better."

Zach said, "She could. Have you looked at your wife lately? She's definitely not a little girl anymore."

Ric laughed at Damon's sour expression. "It's not as if Tyler and Bonnie have been hanging out behind your back. You always know where Bonnie is going. I guess they could be talking on the phone. You could verify that by checking her phone records. But that is a dick move even for you."

Zach said, "It is also a waste of time. She is not cheating on you, Damon."

"I didn't say that I thought that she was cheating on me. I said that I wondered about her friendship with Tyler."

The older man chuckled. "You're just trying to make sure that you are her only option?"

Damon growled when both of his uncles laughed at him. "Fuck the both of you. I know that I am being paranoid. Bonnie isn't that type of girl. She's loyal."

Ric lifted an eyebrow but didn't keep making fun of Damon. He knew that his nephew's ego could be fragile. They didn't need him throwing a fit over his sudden paranoia. "Do you want me to put someone else on Bonnie?"

Damon sat there a moment but then shook his head. "No. But I was thinking I might take Bonnie on a trip around her birthday…to reconnect or something like that."

Zach said, "That's a good idea, kid. Putting in a little effort won't kill you."

Ric checked his phone and groaned. "Are we done here? Abby is about to head over to the manor with the kids. I want to be there when they arrive."

Damon shook his head. "I don't think that there is anything else to talk about right now. I should be getting back to office anyway. I've got shit to do."

Zach looked at his watch. "Yeah, I should be heading back, too."

Ric stood up and pulled on his suit jacket. "I'll see you both at the house later."

The three men said their goodbyes and Ric left the penthouse. He took the elevator down to the parking garage.

Ric took the time to reply to Abby's text before he pulled out of the garage. He was hoping the gift he bought for Abby would put her in a better mood than she had been since he had returned to Los Angeles. She said that she forgave him for not being honest about what happened to Bonnie. However, something felt off between the two of them. He wasn't sure if Abby was still angry with him or if she was just tense about being at the manor with Jo for a couple days.

Ric made good time driving to the Salvatore Manor. He arrived at the same time that Abby did. He parked and then went to greet his family.

Abby was already out of her car with Savannah perched on her hip. She opened the backdoor for Cooper.

Cooper hopped out of the car and ran towards Ric. The six-year-old boy was practically her twin. He had curly chocolate brown hair and hazel eyes. He was short for his age but made up for it in sheer energy. He launched himself at Ric fully expecting to be caught.

The older man caught him with a grunt. "What are you doing here, speed racer?"

"I'm having a sleepover."

"Really? Me, too!" The older man replied facetiously.

Jamie walked by the two of them carrying his overnight bag. He was the opposite of his younger brother. He had curly jet-black hair and his complexion was fairer. Jamie also got his height from their father. He was tall and gangly for his age. His hazel eyes were the only similarity he shared with Abby.

Ric ruffled Jamie's hair as he walked past. "How's it going, Jamie?"

He shrugged. "Is Lucian home?"

"Uh, yeah. He's probably in the theater. You know the way, right?"

Jamie walked into the house without saying anything else.

Ric placed Cooper on the ground. "Go inside with your brother. I am going to help Mama with your bags."

Cooper chirped, "Okay, Uncle Ric."

Ric watched the boys enter the house before walking over to the car. He tickled Savannah's leg to make her smile at him. "Is everything okay with Jamie?"

Abby balanced Savannah on her hip as she grabbed bags from the back of the car. Packing light wasn't an option with three children. "He's been sulking all morning. I don't know what's going on with him. I even let him play that game you bought for him."

Ric sighed and took the bags from Abby. "I will talk to him. Are you okay being here after what happened to Bonnie?"

She tucked a curl behind her ear and nodded. "I mean if Bonnie can stand being here, then so can I. Besides, it's not as if he is here."

He pecked her cheek with a nod. It was hard keeping their interactions platonic but Jo and his girls were inside. "I'll take care of the bags. You can go inside. I'm sure you are eager to see Bonnie."

"Okay. I will see you inside." Abby walked into the house. She made her way into the kitchen and smiled when she heard Chaka Khan belting out Through the Fire.

Bonnie was at the island cutting up vegetables. "Hey!"

Abby hugged her and said, "You got started without me."

"Not really it's just the prep work. I am glad that you are here. You can leave Savannah in the playroom if you want. The nannies are in there with younger the kids," Bonnie explained.

Savannah tucked her head against Abby's neck.

She said, "I don't think Miss Savannah is going to be happy with that. It's almost nap time for her. I'll put her down in a bit."

Bonnie said, "Well, you can just hang in here with us if you want. We could use the company."

Abby sat down with Savannah on her lap.

Bonnie smiled at her little sister. The toddler was a perfect mix of Abby and Ric. She wondered how Jo never saw it. Savannah had curly sandy brown hair and dark hazel eyes. Her olive toned skin made her look even more like Ric. "She's getting so big."

"Yes, she is. At least she is calmer than the boys were at this age. They were little terrors." She quickly added, "That I loved dearly."

Bonnie hated the part of her that was jealous of her younger siblings. There was always the little voice in the back of her head that wondered why Abby stuck around for them and not her. The mature part of Bonnie knew it wasn't as simple as that. Abby was barely 18 years old when she gave birth to Bonnie. She knew all too well how hard it was to be a young wife and mother. "Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?"

"Started and finished. I ordered everything online. The boys' wish lists were crazy this year but I managed to find everything. I still might get a few things during the Cyber Monday sales. What about you?"

"Lucy and I did some shopping today and yesterday. Nevertheless, I will probably do the bulk of my shopping online, too. It is just easier that way."

Lucy smirked as she shredded blocks of cheese. She said, "Well, Santa came early for me this year. I went out with Brady Lockwood last night."

The younger girl huffed out a laugh. "Lucy got a text from him and she was out the door ten minutes later."

"Lucy never wastes time when it comes to men," Abby teased. "She sees what she wants and takes it."

Lucy gave Abby a knowing look. "I could say the same about you, cuz."

She coughed to cover a laugh. "Well, I suppose it is a Benedetto trait. It might as well be our family's motto."

Bonnie hummed in agreement. She was working on getting what she wanted. "How was it?"

Lucy winked. "I'm seeing him again tonight. He is everything I thought that he would be in bed…not that we ever found ourselves in a bed last night. I was right about him liking to fuck against walls."

Abby laughed and said, "Don't talk like that around Savannah. She repeats everything these days."

Lucy smiled at her younger cousin and said, "You aren't going to repeat that, are you?"

Savannah just looked at Lucy with curious eyes.

Lucy gave the girl a small chunk of cheddar cheese and chuckled as she promptly shoved it into her mouth. "I think we have a deal."

Abby laughed softly. "Where is Caroline?"

"She had to work today. Liz's company is always busy this time of year. Tons of Christmas related events to plan during December. Care will be here tonight to help us cook."

Abby asked, "What's on the menu, anyway?"

Lucy grabbed several laminated pieces paper and handed them to Abby. The list detailed everything they would be cooking for Thanksgiving. There was even a schedule for when each dish should start and finish cooking. "Your daughter is a level of neurotic that I am unfamiliar with."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Caroline is the one that scheduled everything. You would know that if you hadn't ditched us to go see Brady last night."

The eldest Bennett woman smiled wistfully. "These are some of Mama's greatest hits when it comes to cooking a holiday dinner. It is going to be amazing. I am proud of you baby girl."

"It's just dinner, Mom." Bonnie couldn't remember a time her mother had ever said that to her. She didn't know how to take it.

"I am not talking about dinner. I mean that I am proud of the woman that you have become. I would have crumbled after what happened to you. You are everything that I never could be and I am proud of you. My greatest regret is not doing better by you. You deserved a better mother and you had one in your grams. I know because she was a damn good mother to me, too."

The girl blinked in confusion. "Mom…"

Abby shook her head. "I'm sorry. I just needed to say that. I needed you to hear that from me. Okay? I should go put Savannah down for her nap."

Bonnie washed her hands. "I will come with you."

The two women left the kitchen in silence. They took the left staircase to enter the west wing of the house. Abby had stayed in the same room at the manor since she was a little girl.

Bonnie pushed the door open. "My old room next door is set up for the boys. But they will probably end up crashing in the playroom. Stefan has a bunch of activities planned to keep the kids occupied tonight and tomorrow."

Abby walked into the room and smiled at the fresh flowers. "Gardenias are my favorite. Thank you, Bonnie."

"Those aren't from me. You might want to check the card. Here give her to me."

Abby shifted Savannah into Bonnie's arms. "Go to Sissy."

She walked over to the nightstand and took a moment to smell the flowers. Then she picked the card and read it.

*You are my heart, forever and always*

Bonnie bounced Savannah gently and hummed to her. She smiled looking at her tiny fingers.

Abby picked up a small velvet ring box that was sitting beside the vase. She opened the box and gasped softly at the ring. "Shit…"

Bonnie craned her neck to see what was inside the box. "Wow."

The older caramel skin woman sat on the side of her bed and plucked the ring from the box. The white gold ring featured filigree accents with a four-carat canary yellow diamond. She explained, "His way of apologizing."

"That is quite an apology."

She smiled and slipped the ring onto her finger. "He's not great with words."

Bonnie snorted. "Neither is Damon. I'd prefer words over fancy gifts that I can afford to buy for myself."

"Have you told him that?"

"No. I just pretend that I don't know his assistant is the one that chooses the gifts he gives to me and Sarah."

Abby said, "Your marriage is still new enough to make changes. I made that mistake with your dad. I kept letting things slide until I wanted to kill him. The constant disrespect and his controlling nature drove me insane. The string of mistresses certainly didn't help." She frowned and added, "Yes, I see the irony in all of this. Trust me. Sometimes I wish I could do it all over again but then that would be wishing away my children."

Bonnie sat beside Abby. "Are you talking about my dad or theirs?"

"Both. He takes me for granted just as much as Rudy did. He just doesn't feel the need to berate me at every turn as your father did. He doesn't call me a worthless whore in front our children as Rudy did. But this is my bed and now I have to lie in it." She studied the ring on her finger with a tired expression. Abby didn't want to wear the ring but Ric would be offended if she didn't.

Bonnie was confused. She knew that her father wasn't a great guy but this was new information. "What are you saying?"

Abby shook her head. She had said too much. "I am saying to be smarter than me, baby girl. If you aren't happy, then change it. Don't wait for the man you love to do it because ultimately they are selfish. They will do whatever they think that they can get away with."

Bonnie thought about Damon's false promise to end his relationship with Katherine. Even if he did stop seeing her, it was obvious that he planned to keep sleeping with other women. Just last night he had been with Andie. "I should get back to the kitchen to help Lucy."

Abby took Savannah and nodded with a small smile. "I won't be long," she promised.

Bonnie walked down to the kitchen feeling shaken. She had never seen her mother like that before.

Lucy slowly lowered her wine glass. "What happened? Do I need to cuss out Abby?"

The younger girl shook her head. "No, she was actually helpful. I need you to find someone's location for me."

"Okay. Who are we talking about here?"

Bonnie took out her phone and typed a quick text to her cousin.

Lucy opened the message and raised an eyebrow in question. "You know I'm down for whatever but you need to be sure."

"I know what I'm doing, Luce."

The elder of the two wasn't so sure but she knew how stubborn Bonnie could be once she made up her mind. "I'll take care of it. I should have something for you by tomorrow."

"Thank you." She washed her hands and went back to chopping up vegetables.