Bonnie stifled a yawn as she slowly climbed the stairs. It was only ten o'clock and she was already dead on her feet. There was still work to do if they wanted to remain on schedule for tomorrow. However, Bonnie had decided to take a break in order to check on Sarah. She was still concerned about how her little girl was coping with being home. Fortunately, she had found Sarah fast asleep in the playroom with the rest of the children. Stefan's plan to tire out the kids had worked like a charm. It seemed that only Ric and Jo's twins were still awake.

She yawned again as she walked down the corridor to her mother's room. Bonnie had decided to check on Abby before returning to the kitchen. Her mother had hastily fled the room with a weak excuse. That had been well over an hour ago and she never returned. Abby's departure had come literally minutes after Jo stopped in to grab a snack before heading to bed for the night. Bonnie had nearly cut her finger when Jo offered to set Abby up on a blind date with a neurosurgeon from the hospital. Jo had jokingly said that Abby wasn't getting any younger. The little jab made Bonnie wonder if Jo knew about Abby and Alaric's affair.

Bonnie knocked on the door. "Mom? Are you in there?"

Abby opened the door a few seconds later. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying. However, she put on a brave face for Bonnie. "I promise that I still plan to help you cook. I just needed a little time to collect myself."

"I don't care about that. Lucy, Caroline, and I have everything under control for now. I came to check on you because I was worried. Did your call with Ignacio not go well?" she asked.

The hazel-eyed beauty smiled sadly at her daughter. She had lied about needing to call an old friend in order to get out of the kitchen without suspicion. In truth, she had received a text message from Alaric asking her to meet him in the library. The look on his face when she arrived would be etched into her memory for a long time. "It's nothing," she choked.

Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise because her mother wasn't prone to emotional outbursts. Sheila had raised them both to believe that lack of control was unbecoming of a Benedetto woman. However, tears were especially loathsome because they were a sign of weakness. Instead of questioning Abby further, she just hugged her. "Just let me know if there is anything I can do to help," she whispered.

The floodgates opened when Abby wrapped her arms around Bonnie. She was such an absolute failure as a mother. For a time, Abby believed that she was doing a better job with Jamie, Cooper, and Savannah. She was older and more prepared to be a mother by the time Jamie was born. Yet somehow, she had managed to fail them just as spectacularly as she had failed Bonnie.

Bonnie quietly ushered her mother into the bedroom and closed the door. She knew that Abby would not appreciate anyone else seeing her in this state. Afterwards, she just stood there and allowed her mother to cry for as long as she needed it. Bonnie could practically feel the despair spilling out of her mother and it was painful. Sometimes Bonnie had moments like this, when she felt helpless. Those were the times that she went to the beach house for a few hours. There she had the privacy to scream and cry at the very top of her lungs to release all of her pain and frustration. When she returned to the manor, her mask would be firmly in place again.

Abby pulled away when she had herself more under control. She dried her eyes and shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize. We all have our moments. I know being here with Jo can't be easy for you," Bonnie replied. She figured a lost job prospect wouldn't be enough to make Abby spiral out in this way.

Abby shook her head and slowly sat down on the settee near the window. "I have never been jealous of Jo. I had the opportunity to be Alaric's wife and I turned him down. I still think it is the best decision that I ever made. I love that man but the idea of being bound to him legally scares me to death. What we have is complicated and unfulfilling but marriage doesn't guarantee anything. Alaric is never going to leave me and he's never going to leave Jo. We're in this eternal stalemate until one of us dies—it will probably be Alaric with his complete disregard for his health."

Bonnie sat beside her mother. "Then what's wrong?

"I didn't leave the kitchen to call Ignacio. I went to see Ric. He had just finished talking to Jamie. Your little brother has been in a shitty mood all day. I just chalked it up to him being an angst riddled preteen. You certainly had your moods when you were his age," Abby said.

Bonnie smiled a little at that. When she was a little girl, she would be on her best behavior whenever Abby spent time with her. She had foolishly hoped that by being a good girl that her mother would stay. However, as she got older she realized that was never going to happen. After her epiphany, Bonnie's attitude toward Abby was unpredictable from day to day. Sometimes she wanted be her mother's sweet girl. Other times she took great pleasure in seeing her mother flinch at her unkind words. Bonnie was never disrespectful because Sheila wouldn't allow it. However, her grandmother never stopped her from being truthful about Abby's failures. She asked, "Is Jamie okay?"

Abby shook her head. "We've both talked to him now but he's still confused. More than that, he's hurting and it's all my fault. He overheard my conversation with Uncle Johnny this morning."

Bonnie tensed at the mention of Big John. She hoped that her mother hadn't done something unwise like tell him about what Giuseppe had done to her. If Big John learned the truth, he would take away her leverage by striking out against the Salvatores.

She noted the look on her daughter's face. "It was just a routine call, baby girl. I talk to him once a week. He likes to keep in touch. He worries about me. Besides, I wouldn't tell him what happened to you unless it became necessary. I know that you have your own thing going. I'm not trying to step on that."

The green-eyed girl relaxed visibly. "Why would a conversation with Uncle Johnny upset Jamie?"

Abby raked her fingers through her curly brown hair. "We were arguing about Alaric—again. It has become routine since I moved to Huntington Beach to be closer to him. I thought Jamie was outside playing with Cooper. He had come back inside to get something to drink and overheard me say that Alaric was his father."

Bonnie stared at her mother in disbelief. She knew a little something about learning uncomfortable truths about one's parents. She was a little younger than Jamie was when she learned that Rudy had essentially sold her to Sheila. Bonnie had been heartbroken by the revelation. She refused to speak to her father for years. Sometimes Rudy would call to speak to Bonnie but she would only hold the phone silently. Once she was older, Bonnie understood that her father didn't really have a choice. Sheila would have killed him if he refused to sign away his parental rights. However, by then Rudy was a bitter man and no longer cared to have a relationship with his daughter. It was petty to hold a grudge against a teenager but that was exactly what Rudy had done.

"Oh my God."

Abby said, "He's devastated and confused. Who can blame him? He's been calling Ric 'Uncle' for as long as he can remember. Now he learns that this man is his father. He had questions. He had so many questions. We tried to answer all of them with as much detail as is appropriate for a 12 year old. He's furious with Ric. I've never seen him angry before. Jamie is my sweet little boy. Things usually roll off him like water off a ducks back. But not this…"

Bonnie asked, "He's only mad at Ric?"

Abby sighed deeply and nodded. "I was crying while talking to Uncle Johnny. Things have been stressful with Ric because he doesn't want me working as a choreographer. It got worse after our argument yesterday about you. I'm faking it for Ric but things are tense. We'll sort it out eventually…we always do. I don't know exactly how much of the conversation Jamie heard but it was enough to make him worried about me."

Bonnie nodded in understanding. Whatever her issues with Abby she would never stand for someone hurting her mother. She could only assume Jamie felt a similar connection to Abby. "Why should he have a problem with you working? Jo works 60 freaking hours a week."

"Oh, Ric is perfectly fine with me working. He just doesn't want me working as a choreographer. He's worried that I'll end up getting a job as some artist's tour choreographer," Abby explained.

The younger woman suddenly understood his fear. Abby had gone on tour with music artists in the past as their choreographer. She always hired a pair of nannies so that she could take the kids with her. Bonnie had to imagine that it wasn't easy getting Abby to agree to settle down in the first place. For such a short marriage, Rudy had certainly done a number on her mother. Abby hated feeling confined or controlled. Although, Bonnie sometimes wondered if at least some of that phobia was related to Sheila. Her grandmother wasn't abusive like Giuseppe was but she ruled her family with an iron fist. Her word had been as good as law and there was no room for disagreement. Bonnie couldn't think of anything worse than disappointing Sheila. She had hidden the worst experience in her life from her grandmother for fear of that disappointment.

Bonnie asked, "What are you guys going to do about Jamie?"

Abby sighed softly. "Ric promised to sit Jo and the girls down after Christmas to tell them some version of the truth. All of this is an absolute disaster. I hate having to ask Jamie to keep secrets for me."

Bonnie nodded in understanding. "I know this isn't ideal but you couldn't have meant to keep this a secret forever."

"No. We had a plan. It wasn't a very good plan but it was something. Ric wanted to wait until Lizzie and Josie graduated from high school. We don't have that luxury anymore."

She could understand the appeal of that option. However, the cat was out of the bag now and there was definitely going to be fallout from this. Bonnie felt terrible for the children caught in the middle. She even felt bad for her mother and Jo. This couldn't be what they thought their lives would be when they were young women. Bonnie couldn't believe that two intelligent women were letting Alaric make fools out of them this way. Then again, Bonnie had killed Freddie today without a second thought yet she allowed Damon to humiliate her with his infidelity. She was hardly in a position to judge anyone's relationship.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked. Bonnie's relationship with her mother had peaks and valleys. However, she had always adored her little brothers and sister.

Abby suggested, "Maybe you could spend a little time with Jamie. He might feel more comfortable talking to you than he does with Alaric or me. Well, he's not actually speaking to Ric at the moment but you get my point."

"I can definitely do that," Bonnie replied.

Abby squeezed her hand. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me for looking out for my little brother."

Abby smiled a little. "You shouldn't leave Lucy alone for too long. She'll end up putting too much nutmeg in the béchamel sauce."

Bonnie chuckled. "She does do that, doesn't she?"

She nodded. "She gets it from Aunt Geneva. They're always so heavy handed with the seasonings. It used to drive Mama crazy."

Bonnie squeezed Abby's shoulder when she stood up. The girl winced when she was hit with a wave if dizziness. "Jamie is going to get through this because he has a family that loves him. He is going to get through this because he is a Benedetto. We bend but never break. And we always…always survive."

Abby huffed out a laugh. "Don't let Ric hear you say that. He gets his knickers all up in a twist when I say that."

"Well, maybe if he had stepped up and claimed his own children then he'd have some sort of argument. But he didn't. They are Benedettos just as we are," Bonnie said.

Abby couldn't have agreed with Bonnie more. She had worked hard over the years to ensure that her identity didn't get lost in the maelstrom that was the Salvatore family.

Bonnie walked out of the room and headed back to the kitchen.

Tyler was standing near the island with a box in his hands. He should have been off duty two hours ago. However, Matt was running late. The Donovans were meeting with Tyler's father and uncles. They were working out the details of killing Atticus Shane in prison. He was set to go before the parole board in a few months. However, his betrayal of the Benedetto family had marked him for death. Moreover, as Giuseppe's godson he was too much of a wildcard. Bonnie didn't want any pretenders challenging Damon for the throne.

"Hey, Bon. This came for you earlier. Sorry about it being opened but all mail and packages are being inspected first. It's just a precaution but…"

Bonnie frowned because she wasn't expecting anything. She wondered if this was another gift from Rose on Damon's behalf. She walked over to take the box from him.

Tyler held the box away from her and said, "It's actually pretty heavy. There are a couple of books in here. I'll just put it on the table for you."

Bonnie playfully rolled her eyes at Tyler. He had been needlessly fussing over her since he learned that she was pregnant. However, she followed him over to the table and inspected the package. She pulled out three leather bound volumes. "Thanks, Ty."

He lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Edgar Allen Poe? They look old."

The young woman's stomach plummeted when she saw the author's name in gold lettering on the spine of the book. "They are first editions," she muttered.

Bonnie opened the first book and studied the table of contents. She quickly discarded the book and moved on to the second one. Her finger slid down the page until it stopped on the title of a poem. Bonnie flipped through the pages so quickly that she nearly tore a page.

"Bon?" Tyler asked with concern coloring his voice.

Bonnie's heart nearly stopped when she saw beautifully drawn orchids defacing the priceless book.

Tyler peered over Bonnie's shoulder and noticed that she had stopped on the poem Annabel Lee. He vaguely remembered reading the poem in high school. "What's wrong?"

Bonnie slammed the book shut with shaking hands. "Get rid of them. I want them out of the house. Now!"

Her raised voice drew Caroline and Lucy's attention from across the room. "Bonnie?" Lucy said with trepidation.

She clapped a hand over her mouth and rushed from the room as a wave of nausea overtook her. Bonnie ran down the hall to the bathroom that was fortunately empty. She slammed the door closed behind her and proceeded to throw up.

Tyler stood outside the bathroom feeling agitated. He didn't understand why a box of old books would send Bonnie into a tizzy. However, he had recognized the genuine fear in her eyes. The package hadn't listed a sender. The dubious origin of the package was one of the reasons that security had taken so long to pass it on to Bonnie. They had inspected every inch of the package to ensure that it wasn't malicious. Tyler could only assume that it was a message of some sort. However, a list of suspects didn't immediately come to mind. It was too benign to have come from Giuseppe. Tyler took out his phone and googled the poem that had caused Bonnie so much distress. Perhaps the context would give him a clue.

His brown eyes flicked over the screen rapidly as he studied the words. He didn't feel any closer to an answer after he finished reading the poem. He knocked on the door. "Bon? Are you okay?"

Damon was headed to the study when he heard Tyler's voice. He walked into the corridor and asked, "What's going on?"

Tyler tensed at Damon's sudden intrusion. He hadn't even noticed the man's presence until he spoke. Tyler was annoyed at himself for being so distracted that he didn't sense his approach. He said, "I'm not sure. Bonnie just ran out of the kitchen. I think she might be sick or something."

The older man eyed Tyler with no small amount of suspicion. Damon quickly dismissed the thought. He was being jealous for no reason. "I can take it from here."

Tyler didn't like the idea of leaving Bonnie when something was obviously wrong. He certainly didn't like the idea of leaving her in Damon's care. However, he nodded reluctantly and walked away from the bathroom door to give husband and wife some privacy. In the meantime, he would find out more about how that package had arrived.

"Bunny?" Damon called through the door. "Open the door, sweetheart."

Bonnie looked shaky when she opened the door. She was still sick to her stomach. However, more pressing was the absolute terror at her past coming back to haunt her. "I'm fine. It's just a little morning sickness."

Damon could smell the vomit as soon as he stepped into the bathroom. He frowned when he saw how peaked Bonnie looked. He flushed the toilet and put the lid down. "Sit down, bunny," he murmured.

Bonnie slowly sat down because her head was still spinning. She had hoped that five years would be enough time. She should have known better. Few things truly scared the young woman. However, this situation was delicate. She couldn't kill the person causing her this distress. His death would no doubt spark a bloody war. Bonnie couldn't allow that to happen.

Damon found a washcloth and soaked it with cold water from the faucet. He wrung out the cloth and then placed it on the back of Bonnie's neck. "Maybe you are overdoing it with all of the cooking. You are pregnant and you are still recovering from what happened. You should be resting."

The cool towel on the back of her neck actually felt good. She closed her eyes and tried to settle her stomach. "It's just morning sickness, Damon. I would be sick rather I was in bed or not. Although, I'm sure no one is going to want to eat Thanksgiving dinner prepared by someone that keeps throwing up."

Damon chuckled quietly. "I think you severely underestimate the strength of a Salvatore man's stomach."

Bonnie groaned softly as another wave of nausea hit her. She was up and leaning over the toilet in a matter of seconds.

His smile fell away when Bonnie started vomiting again. He moved forward and swept Bonnie's hair away from her neck so that it didn't get in the way. "Try not to struggle against it. It'll just make your abdominal muscles hurt more."

She groaned once she stopped throwing up. "This is so gross. You should go. I'll be okay, Damon."

Damon said, "I grew up in a house with all boys. This doesn't even graze my gross meter. Stef once threw up in my bed with me in it."

Bonnie groaned as she laughed. She lowered the lid and sat down again. Bonnie flushed the toilet and sprayed the room with air freshener because the smell of vomit was making her sick all over again. "Don't make me laugh."

"I'm being serious. The little bastard was maybe 8 or 9 years old. He wanted to sleep in my bed because he had the chicken pox. He was miserable and had a fever. I couldn't say no to him. He fell asleep while I was slathering him with that pink ointment stuff. I had just closed my eyes so that I could go to sleep, too. The next thing I know Stefan whines something I couldn't really understand. He puked on the bed and on me. Then he rolled over and went right back to sleep."

Bonnie covered her mouth as she laughed. Damon didn't know how much she needed a little levity at the moment. "What did you do?"

Damon leaned against the counter and shrugged. "I took a shower and then moved Stefan to the room across the hall for the night. My bed needed a serious cleaning after he spewed chunks all over it."

Bonnie giggled with a shake of her head. "You were a good big brother. I don't think I would have been that calm."

"Eh, don't even get me started on his bed wetting phase. There's nothing like waking up to realize that someone else has pissed in your bed," Damon replied with a mischievous grin.

"Now that sounds like amazing blackmail material. How old was he? Please, tell me that he was at an age where wetting the bed officially becomes a faux pas," Bonnie pleaded.

He smirked and asked, "What sort of brother would I be if I gave you ammunition to ridicule my baby brother?"

"I don't know but you'd be an awesome husband," she argued.

Damon chuckled and said, "Well, that's dirty pool on your part, wife. I am officially Switzerland between the two of you. I have good blackmail material on you, too."

"No, you don't," Bonnie said dismissively. She noted the smirk on his face. "Do you?"

"My lips are sealed," he replied. Damon carded his fingers through Bonnie's hair. "Are you felling any better?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I think it has passed for now. Besides, I doubt that there is anything in left in my stomach to throw up. I just need to brush my teeth."

Damon helped Bonnie stand up. "Come on. I'll walk upstairs with you."

Bonnie moved by him to wash her hands before leaving the bathroom. She still felt a little unsteady and it was immediately obvious once she started climbing the stairs.

Damon's eyebrows furrowed in concern at the way Bonnie gripped the banister. He swept his wife off her feet without warning.

She flailed a little at the sudden movement. "Damon!"

He carried Bonnie up the stairs easily. He said, "You looked like you were going to fall."

"I wasn't going to fall. I just had a head rush," she argued.

Damon hummed skeptically but didn't put Bonnie down until he reached their bedroom. "Maybe you should try lying down for a bit after you brush your teeth."

She frowned. "I need to get back to the kitchen. It was my big idea to give Sophie the holiday off. I can't leave everyone else to cook without me."

He cupped her cheek and said, "Your health is more important than dinner. I know the holiday is important to you but this is important to me. Caroline, Abby, and Lucy can manage without you. If not I'll pitch in to help them."

Bonnie laughed. "You don't know how to cook."

He rolled his eyes because she was right. He knew enough about cooking that he wouldn't starve if left to his own devices. However, he didn't know enough to accomplish Bonnie's ambitious holiday menu. "Then I'll draft Ric into service. Zio Bruno taught him how to cook."

She huffed. "You aren't going to give up on this are you?"

"Nope," he replied.

Bonnie sighed. "It feels like you are putting me in time out and I don't like it."

Damon just raised an eyebrow at her.

"Fine. I am a little tired so I will lie down for exactly one hour. No longer than that, Damon."

He grinned and said, "There's my girl."

She shook her head in exasperation and continued into the bathroom. Bonnie called over her shoulder, "I think I might be too hot."

Damon walked over to the thermostat and lowered their room's temperature. Afterwards, he stripped down to his boxers and pulled on a pair of pajamas. If he got his way, Bonnie would be staying in bed for the rest of the night.

Bonnie walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later with minty fresh breath and a freshly washed face. Her steps slowed when she realized that Damon was in the bed. "What are you doing?"

He chuckled. "I thought we could spend your timeout together."

She toed off her ballerina flats and climbed into the bed that was really too high for her. Bonnie said, "You aren't funny."

Damon pulled her across the bed with a grin. "You are so cute when you pout. Are you going to be this stubborn for the whole pregnancy?"

Bonnie settled into his arms and but didn't answer him.

He nuzzled her neck and sing-songed, "Bunny."

She bit her lip as she tried to ignore his antics.

"Bon-Bon," he tried again. When Damon was met with silence again, he tickled Bonnie's side.

Bonnie huffed out an unexpected laugh and squirmed. "Stop that."

He chuckled and said, "She speaks!" Damon slid his hand onto her stomach. "I just want to make sure that you're healthy. I promise I won't be overbearing."

She scoffed at Damon's promise because she knew that he wouldn't be able to keep it.

"Okay. I promise that I will try not to be overbearing. Better?" he asked.

"More believable at least," she replied. Bonnie stifled a yawn.

Damon smiled smugly but wisely kept his mouth shut. Instead, he carded his fingers through Bonnie's hair hoping that she would fall asleep.

Bonnie wished that she could tell Damon about the danger looming over her. However, she was too ashamed to tell anyone—including Tyler. In quiet moments, she still wondered how she could have been so gullible. Bonnie didn't cut herself any slack because of her age at the time. She had been raised to take over an empire and somehow she had become prey. The girl said a silent prayer for guidance as she felt her body giving in to exhaustion.