Damon sat back with a smirk on his face as he watched his little brother make a complete ass of himself. Stefan didn't exactly share the rest of his family's alcoholic tendencies so after a handful of shots he was usually on the wrong side of buzzed. They had been at Niklaus' party for over three hours and Stefan was well past his limit. At some point, he had lost his shirt and started chugging from a bottle of champagne while he danced. A better older brother would have stepped in to make Stefan calm down. However, Damon was enjoying the display too much to do that. Besides, it wasn't as if he would let Stefan get into any real trouble. It was just nice to see Saint Stefan let loose every once in awhile.
The trip to Milazzo weighed heavily on Damon's mind. He had some reservations about allowing Stefan to become more involved in the family business. He still didn't understand why his brother had made such a sudden about face on the issue. Alaric, Zacharias, and Damon had gone to great lengths to protect Stefan from Giuseppe's abuse. However, they had also sought to protect Stefan from the harsh realities of mob life. They never wanted him to have to get bloody the way that they all did. Damon had learned how to torture and kill their enemies before he was old enough to drive a car. He vowed then he would never allow his father to subject his baby brother to the same torments. Defying Giuseppe had not been easy but Zach and Ric had backed him up on the matter.
Damon wanted his younger brother to have as normal life as possible. Stefan was a good kid that married his high school sweetheart. Caroline and Stefan were sickeningly sweet in their love for one another. However, Damon also had less altruistic reasons for steering Stefan away from the blood and death that consumed him and their uncles. Stefan had always been his older brother's moral compass. Damon often evaluated his actions by considering how he would explain them to Stefan's disappointed face. Damon knew without a shadow of doubt that Stefan would be the one to pull him back if he ever stumbled into the madness that had claimed their father long ago. No one else would be able to reach him.
Damon was close to getting the thing he had worked for his entire life. However, he found himself approaching the precipice with trepidation. He held no illusions about the fact that he was an abomination. Giuseppe had shaped his son into a remorseless killer. Yet he still managed to retain some barely noticeable morsel of humanity. Damon feared that he would lose that remaining shred of humanity once he became the boss. His father had not always been a demented beast that ruined everything good and pure in his path. His uncle, Bruno, often told stories of how happy and full of wonder Giuseppe was as a boy. Damon wondered had something sinister always lurked within the depths of his father's soul. Perhaps some life-changing event could explain the cruelty he heaped onto the people he claimed to love.
Damon had listened to the recording of Giuseppe and Sheila's conversation repeatedly since he received it from Bonnie. He wondered when Sheila had stopped loving his father and began to view him as her enemy. Was it after his grandfather arranged for her to miscarry what would have been Damon's older brother or sister? Had his father done some unspeakable thing to the woman he claimed to love above all else? Damon certainly would not put it past him. Giuseppe viewed women as disposable playthings. People called Damon a playboy, but he couldn't begin to count the number of women Giuseppe had bedded over the years. On numerous occasions, he accidentally walked in on his father with some woman that he had never seen before bent over some hard surface.
Zach chuckled from beside his nephew. He took a puff from his cigar and said, "He is covered in stripper glitter and cheap perfume. I can't wait to see Caroline's face when we take his drunken ass home."
Damon laughed and shook his head. Stefan had a hall pass of sorts from Caroline. She trusted her husband to remain faithful even if he enjoyed a lap dance or two. Infidelity had never been an issue in their five-year marriage. Stefan trusted his wife, too. Caroline had recently visited a strip club while in Las Vegas for her cousin's bachelorette party. At the time, he couldn't believe how unbothered Stefan had been by the whole thing. Damon couldn't imagine ever allowing Bonnie to visit a nightclub let alone a strip club. It had never come up since she had only turned 21-years-old recently. However, he hoped that it never came up. Damon did not enjoy dictating Bonnie's activities.
He said, "I am just glad that Blondie gave him a hall pass for tonight. Sober Stefan is a buzz kill. And you know how pathetic he gets when she is pissed with him. I wouldn't want to deal with that shit since he's joining us on the trip to Milazzo."
"I still can't believe that Alaric agreed to let Stefan come with us," Zach said in a dubious tone. His older brother had belatedly gained his approval. Zach was not in favor of Stefan accompanying them.
"We made sure that Stefan knows that he's only going to observe."
Zach said, "I am more concerned about Gio targeting him. I want to look over Ric's security plan again. Stefan makes for damn good leverage to use against you."
Damon frowned because that was true. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to get Stefan back if Giuseppe kidnapped him. "Where is Zio anyway? I expected him to join us. He is always bitching about maintaining our relationship with the Mikaelsons. He should be here making nice with Klaus so that I don't have to do it."
"He told me that he was spending the night with Abby. She's pissed at him so he's trying to make it right before we leave town," Zach replied.
He didn't envy his older brother's predicament. He had long believed that having a mistress was too much work. He was happy with Meredith. Occasionally, he hit up the strip clubs with his nephews but he was perfectly satisfied with just looking. However, he understood that Alaric's situation with Abby was about more than having a little something on the side. They had children together and that changed things.
Damon snorted. "He completely misunderstands the purpose of having a mistress! They're supposed to be fun and not complicated."
Zach lifted an eyebrow at his nephew. "Is that right? Then how exactly do explain what the hell is going on between you and Katherine?"
He flipped his uncle off as he finished off his glass of bourbon. He grumbled, "She's been unusually complicated lately. It is really unlike her. I still can't believe that she has been texting Bonnie behind my back. I don't know what the fuck she was thinking."
"Maybe she was thinking that she has been with you the longest?" Zach suggested flippantly.
"She knew the deal when I married Bonnie. I gave her an out and she didn't take it," he snapped.
Damon had been relieved when Katherine rejected the idea of breaking up simply because he was getting married. He knew that their relationship needed to be more discreet but he didn't feel the need to change anything else. Damon had upped Katherine's compensation in light of her loyalty. He had grown used to women abandoning him but she was different.
He chuckled. "You are acting as if people are completely rational beings when it comes to matters of the heart. You know that Katherine is in love with you. Besides, you are a hypocrite. You would be ready to kill someone if Katherine decided to start seeing another man in her free time."
Damon scowled but didn't try to argue the point. Katherine belonged to him and he didn't share. He knew it wasn't fair to her or Bonnie but that was just the way that things were. Damon was hardly the only man in his position that had a mistress. It was almost expected in their world.
"Well, she is pissed at me because I sent Enzo to warn her about harassing Bonnie. She has decided to stay at the villa in Tenerife until January."
Zach nodded. "I guess that's why we're leaving a day early so that you can see her. Trying to patch things up?"
He shrugged. The truth was that he missed Katherine. He didn't really want her to stay out of the country for so long. He might have gone overboard with having Enzo threaten her life. However, he didn't know how else to get her to back off Bonnie. His wife didn't deserve to be taunted and humiliated. He wouldn't stand for it, not even from Katherine.
"Something like that. I am going to try to convince her to come home early. If she stays gone until January I will have to find someone else to scratch my itch."
Zach rolled his eyes. "You have a wife. Why not try being faithful for a few weeks? It won't kill you, Damon."
"Sometimes I just want to blow off steam. I can't do that with her. Besides, things with Bonnie are complicated already. She is in love with me and I don't know what she's expecting. No matter what I do, she is going to end up being disappointed. You know that I'm not cut out to be anyone's husband."
"You didn't think that you were cut out to be anyone's father either. Nevertheless, you figured out how to do that without screwing up my niece. You can do this, too. You just need to make your wife a priority, Damon."
Damon groaned and said, "I'm not here to get life lessons from you. I'm here to get drunk off my ass and maybe get a blow job from one of these strippers."
"Aren't you lucky that I am always around to tell you when you are being a fucking idiot? You have a wife that loves you. You need to get your life together, Damon. You are my nephew and I love you. I don't want to see you lose the best thing that has ever happened to you. You can put up a front for everyone else but I know how much you love Bonnie. You are so afraid of showing her the real you that you are pushing her away."
The younger man growled and flagged down a topless dancer. He flashed a wad of cash at her. "Come here, sweetheart. I need you to give my uncle the time of his life. I think he might be literally turning into a pussy. Save him from himself."
The woman giggled in response and walked over to Zach. "Hi, Mr. Salvatore…"
Zach laughed at Damon and said, "Fuck you, asshole." However, he spread his legs to give the curvy blonde enough room to do her thing.
Damon tried not to think about his uncle's warning. If Bonnie stayed with him after what Giuseppe did, then she would never leave. Damon knew that he was a bastard. He could stand to treat Bonnie and Katherine better. He could make excuses about his shitty childhood filled with abuse and neglect. He could blame his fear of women abandoning him because of Mother of the Year award winner, Lilly Salvatore. His excuses were honest but did not make him any less culpable for his behavior. Damon reasoned that he could not focus on being a better person right now. He would worry about that after Giuseppe was dead and he was the head of the family. Then he would take Bonnie away for an extended vacation. It would be just what they needed to reconnect.
Klaus swaggered over with a bottle of champagne in his hand. He was in a sour mood after his conversation with Bonnie. He couldn't believe that she had accused him of raping her. He was certainly in no mood to socialize with Damon. However, Elijah had ordered him to go talk to the Salvatores.
"Are you enjoying yourselves, mates?"
Damon stiffened but flashed a grin. He had always hated the cocky bastard. However, a certain amount of civility was required when dealing with the younger brother of your greatest ally.
"You've outdone yourself with this party, Klaus. We are all glad to have you home again. You were always the fun Mikaelson brother," Damon joked.
The blond mobster adopted a languid pose on the leather couch. Klaus imagined shooting Damon in the head and freeing his petal from the hold he had on her. Damon's influence was the only way that he could explain Bonnie's earlier outburst.
"It is good to see you again, old friend. I hear life has been good for you while I have been away. You are married to the Bennett girl now, right?"
Damon didn't like Klaus's tone of voice but he chalked it up to bitterness. His life had stood still for years while everyone else moved on without him.
"Yeah, I am. Bonnie and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary early next year."
Klaus took a long gulp from the bottle of Dom Perignon. The idea of Damon touching Bonnie was driving him insane. He regretted his decision of not claiming her fully when he had the chance. It would have given him endless pleasure for Damon to know that another man had deflowered her. Instead, he was filled with rage thinking about Bonnie using the skills he taught her to please Damon.
"Whatever happened to that one bird you were so fond of? I think her name was Katherine. She was gorgeous and cultured. She is exactly what I need to get back on my feet socially," he inquired. Surprisingly, Klaus managed to keep a straight face.
Stefan had moved closer to the group when Klaus joined them. He was there to act as a buffer between his brother and Klaus. He knew how quickly an argument could spark between the two men. He said, "She's his comare."
"I am not familiar with that term," Klaus said innocently. He was lying of course.
Damon frowned at his younger brother for speaking so freely to Klaus. However, he knew that they were friends. Stefan had actually visited Klaus in prison several times. He said, "She is my mistress."
He laughed. "Truly? What has it been seven or eight years now? In some quarters, you would be considered common law married."
Zach nearly spit out his drink as he tried to stifle a laugh.
Damon shot his uncle a nasty glare. "I don't think that counts if you don't live in the same house."
Zach's eyebrows went up at that because he wondered what Damon thought the penthouse at the Rischard was. He had been financially supporting her for years. If Damon and Katherine were to end their relationship now she would certainly be entitled to palimony under state law.
Klaus feigned enlightenment and said, "Ah, I see. Well, congratulations on your good fortune. I suppose I will have to let Rebekah set me up with one of her dreadful friends. Elijah is insisting that I attend some charity auction at Hayley's gallery next week. He wishes to begin the rehabilitation of my reputation immediately. I am afraid that tonight is the last time I will be able to behave like a cad publicly."
Elijah had sat his brother down for a stern talk on the same day he was released from prison. He painstakingly explained what he expected from Klaus going forward. Niklaus' five-year sentence had come at great cost to his family. The seriousness of his crime had deserved a more severe penalty. However, his brother had burned several favors to ensure that Klaus wasn't brought up on charges that were more serious. Many had speculated that he should have been charged with attempted murder given the video evidence the prosecution had.
Damon winced in sympathy. He had been through a similar gauntlet after he married Bonnie. Giuseppe had insisted that he start behaving more discreet. It took some time to adjust but Damon ultimately realized that his father was right. However, he didn't care as much about how he looked as the CEO of Velocita. He didn't want to do anything that would embarrass Bonnie. He remembered how devastated his mother had been every time rumors of Giuseppe's infidelity reached her ears. It wasn't only his father's abuse that had driven Lilly insane.
He advised, "It just means that you will have to be more discreet. You can still have fun—believe me. It is all about choosing the right women. I keep Katherine around because I can be truly myself with her. She has never found anything I do around her or want from her to be offensive or off-putting. We are closer in age, too. I never thought that sort of thing mattered until I married someone ten years younger than I am. Katherine and I actually have things in common. Besides, her experience means she is a hellcat in the sack."
Klaus wished that Bonnie were there to hear Damon talk about why Katherine was better than she was. He found her defense of this idiot even more laughable.
Ric walked over to the group with a scowl on his face.
Stefan grinned at his uncle. "Zio! I didn't think you were going to make it. This is Candy. Candy, say hello to my uncle Ric."
The voluptous redhead smiled at him while she handed Stefan a new bottle of champagne. "Hi, Uncle Ric."
"Hi, darlin." He chuckled and snatched the bottle of champagne from his nephew's hand. "I'm glad to see that you are having fun, Stefan. But that's enough drinking for you."
Damon chuckled. "Goody the grumpy uncle has decided to join our night of debauchery. I thought you were supposed to be getting laid."
Ric sat down and took a gulp from the bottle of champagne. "She kicked me out before anything could happen."
Zach and Damon both laughed at the same time.
The younger man ribbed him. "You have a wife and a mistress and you can't get either of them to screw you. Are you even a Salvatore? I think we may need some sort of DNA test to prove it."
"Shut up. Abby kicked me out of my own damned house because of you! Your wife showed up on my doorstep in tears. I'm going to assume that you did something to her."
Damon's smile slipped from his face. "What are you talking about? I left Bonnie at home in bed hours ago. How long ago did she show up at your place?"
Klaus stayed silent and hoped that the Salvatore clan would forget that he was in their midst. Niklaus knew that he was likely responsible for Bonnie's desire to seek out her mother. He could only hope that she hadn't shared anything with Abby. Whereas the Salvatores could be reasoned with for the good of the alliance, Bonnie had proven that the Benedettos were a wildcard. His finger idly stroked the tiny cut Bonnie's switchblade left on his neck.
Ric looked at his watch. "She showed up maybe two hours ago. Bonnie didn't call first or anything. She just turned up on our doorstep in her pajamas. I don't know what happened because Abby wouldn't let me stay upstairs. She figured Bonnie wouldn't feel comfortable talking freely with me in the house. I don't know what you did but it must be big. I told Abby to call me once Bonnie left. I waited around for almost ninety minutes before I gave up. I probably won't hear from Abby until the morning."
Damon's eyebrows furrowed as he thought over the evening he spent with Bonnie. Finally, he said, "I haven't done anything to Bonnie. I am an asshole but usually it isn't unintentional. We were on good terms when I left the house. Do you think something could be wrong with the babies? I mean she was feeling sick all day…"
Klaus's jaw tightened when he heard Damon mention the word babies. He thought that Bonnie felt a little thick around the middle earlier but he had forgotten about it in his haste.
Ric started to look concerned. He asked, "How has she been sick? I mean is it something other than morning sickness?
Zach shoved some money at the stripper and patted her on the butt. "Thanks, honey. That'll be all."
The girl quickly cleared out.
Stefan unceremoniously dismissed the stripper he had been dancing with, too. He leaned against the railing and tried to focus on the conversation. However, his level of intoxication made that a serious challenge. "Bon told me earlier that she felt lightheaded."
Damon stood up and began to pace. "I don't know if it is more than morning sickness or not. She fell asleep for a bit at Elijah's house after throwing up. Lately she has been tired more often than not. I asked if everything was okay but Bonnie told me that all she needed was sleep. I guess that she could have been lying to me. Maybe she thought I would be mad if she told me the truth. I mean Dr. Huerta is concerned about Bonnie carrying twins. She is not gaining enough weight or something."
Zach frowned and added, "Meredith mentioned that Bonnie was significantly underweight during her last check up. The morning sickness probably hasn't helped her pack on the pounds the way Dr. Huerta would like."
"I'm going over there," the raven-haired mobster muttered.
Ric stood up to stop him. "Calm down, Damon. You don't know that Bonnie is sick. Meredith and Jo interacted with her during dinner and cocktail hour. If she were sick, they would have noticed. It's more likely that she was just upset and needed to talk to her mother."
He rolled his eyes. "Because she has such a great relationship with Abby?"
He didn't often pull rank with his nephews but he had his limits. He admonished Damon. "I get that you are worried but don't talk shit about Abby. She deserves respect as my girlfriend and your wife's mother."
Damon was practically grinding his teeth. He took a deep breath. "I am sorry. I am just worried about Bonnie. You know that she isn't the type of person to complain. There could be something wrong with her or our babies."
Ric ran a hand over his scruffy face. "Look, Tyler was waiting outside in the car when I left. Call him to see if he knows what is happening with Bonnie. If she is still at my house then you know that everything is fine. Abby would have insisted on Bonnie going to the hospital if she was sick."
Damon slowly sat down and nodded. "You are right. They would be at a hospital if it was serious."
Zach nodded. "It doesn't hurt to check. Do you have Tyler's number?"
Damon took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He called the number and waited for the kid to answer.
"Hey, Damon. Is everything okay?"
"Where is my wife?" he snapped. Tyler hadn't done anything wrong but he wasn't in the mood for niceties.
"Bonnie asked me to drive her over to Abby's house a few hours ago. We're still here," he explained.
"Why did she want to go over there? Ric said that Bonnie was crying when she made it to the house. Is she sick?"
"I don't know why she was upset. I asked but she wouldn't tell me anything. Bonnie just asked me to drive her to Abby's house. Matt is at the manor protecting Sarah right now. Bonnie didn't want to leave her unprotected."
Damon frowned. He wasn't sure that he believed the kid. However, Damon knew that some of his suspicion was because of Tyler and Bonnie's friendship. He didn't like that his wife had hidden the relationship from him. However, he hadn't figured out how to question Bonnie about it yet.
He snapped, "Take the phone to her."
"She's asleep, Damon. Do you really want me to wake her?" he sounded disapproving of the notion.
Damon ended the call and scowled.
"What did he say?" Zach asked.
"He said that she is sleeping but I can tell that the little fucker knows something. Why did you assign him to Bonnie's security detail?"
Ric said, "Mason is the one that put together the security team for Bonnie and Sarah. He figured that Bonnie would be more comfortable with people that she knew well. You wanted someone to protect her, Damon. You didn't say anything about them spying on her for you."
"I am not asking him to spy on Bonnie. I think it might be time to replace him. I don't like how friendly they are with each other," he complained.
Stefan winced because he could tell that his brother was close to throwing one of his epic tantrums. He wasn't about to let Damon take his bad mood out on Tyler. The two young men were still best friends. Tyler was actually godfather to Stefan and Caroline's youngest son.
Stefan said, "Don't do anything to make the situation worse, Damon. If Bonnie isn't sick then you probably did something to upset her. Maybe Katherine contacted her again."
"How do we know that Bonnie isn't sick? Tyler doesn't actually know what's wrong with her. Or at least he isn't telling me."
"Tyler would have taken Bonnie to the hospital if she were sick. We were all close as kids. She wouldn't be able to hide something like that from either of us."
He ground out, "How close?"
That question intrigued Klaus as well. He remembered the Lockwood runt vaguely. However, he was more familiar with the boy's uncles.
Stefan rolled his eyes. "It's never been like that. They are friends. Some men are capable of being friends with the opposite sex without fucking them. You should give it a try, Damon."
Damon said, "It didn't stop you from trying it and according to you Bonnie was like a little sister."
Ric gave Stefan an unimpressed look. "Really?"
He huffed. "It's not my fault! She was walking around in a white bikini and I had the libido of a teenager. Maybe I loved her like a distant cousin. You know the type of cousin you can fool around with guilt free. The point is that Tyler is not screwing your wife. Maybe you should have stayed home with her since she was sick instead of coming here. Then you wouldn't need someone else to tell you about your wife's condition."
Damon's jaw clenched. He stood up and asked, "The fuck did you just say to me?"
Stefan straightened up to his full height. He knew what was about to happen but he would rather Damon's fury was directed at him. "I said that you should be at home with your pregnant wife instead of trying to get some stripper to suck your cock. Here is another novel idea, instead of leaving early to see Katherine you could spend that time with your traumatized wife and daughter. Or did you forget what happened the last time you prioritized screwing Katherine over being there for your family."
Damon got in his younger brother's face. He practically growled, "No one asked for your opinion. Not everyone is willing to let their wife hold onto their balls for them. Shut the fuck up about my marriage because you know nothing about it."
"Are you being serious right now? Everyone in the manor knows how shitty you treat Bonnie. Caroline is always trying to cheer her up while she pretends that she isn't depressed. I spend more time with your wife than you do, Damon!"
Damon said, "Get the fuck out of here before you make me do something I will regret. I won't be taking advice on how to be a man from someone that is still afraid of his own father. The last time he went after you I was still the one right there saving your ass! Making sure that he didn't break fragile little Stefan's pretty fucking face."
Stefan tensed as his older brother's words cut him to the bone. "You are right. You have always been there to protect me from Giuseppe. But where the fuck were you when Bonnie needed you to protect her? I might be a coward but I have always protected my wife from that fucking psychopath. Let's ask your wife who is the better man between the two of us."
Damon punched Stefan in the face three times before the younger man even had the time to react.
Stefan swung out blindly and connected with Damon's chin. He targeted his older brother's kidneys with his next punches. Stefan didn't fight often but it didn't mean that he couldn't.
Klaus casually walked away from the fight. He had gathered more than enough information for the night.
Ric and Zach quickly separated their nephews before the situation got more out of hand.
Ric yelled, "Knock it off! You are adults!"
Zach held Stefan back while Ric restrained Damon.
Stefan yelled, "Like father, like son! You feel better now! Do you wanna hit me again? Better get it out of your system before you have to behave like a civilized human being with Bonnie."
Damon bellowed. "Get him out of here before I kill him!"
Ric sighed and said, "Zach."
"Yeah, I got him."
Stefan's nose was bleeding as Zach led him away. He called over his shoulder. "It's the things that are true that makes us the angriest. You're the fucking coward out of the two of us and you know it, Damon!"
Ric pointed at Damon. "Sit down."
"I am going to go see my wife."
"Not until you calm down because your wife is in my house with my kids. You aren't going over there with a head full of steam. Have a drink. Get a blow job and calm the fuck down." He muttered, "I'm getting too old for this shit."
Damon said, "I can calm down on my way over there. Something is going on with Bonnie. You know that she is not close with Abby. It has to be serious if she went to her."
"I am serious. You are not going to my house like that. My kids are asleep. You are not going to wake them up and scare them because you are out of control. You might be able to knock your little brother around but I dare you to try that shit with me. I'll knock you on your ass."
He looked down at his knuckles and groaned seeing Stefan's blood. He ran his other hand over his face as he sat down. "Damn him and his big mouth. He never did know when to shut up."
"I want to hear less talking and see more drinking. Chill out. Bonnie is fine. She is asleep at my house. You can talk about whatever is going on with her later. For all you know it could just be a case of pregnancy hormones. Abby threw a knife at me when she was pregnant with Savannah…all because I ate the last of the Nutella. I am not talking about a small knife either. She threw a freaking butcher knife at my head."
Damon chuckled as he picked up his glass. "Abby might be a special case."
Ric smirked. "Maybe but Bonnie is from the same bloodline so…"
He took a deep breath and downed his drink with one large gulp. Damon couldn't believe that he had lashed out at his brother that way. However, he wondered what made Stefan keep pushing his buttons. He had to know that Damon was close to the edge.
"That little bastard hit me," he muttered.
The older man laughed at him. "Your charm has its limits, nipote. Trust me…"
Damon stood up.
"Where are you going?" Ric asked.
"Calm down, Zio. I am about to take your advice. I am going to see if I can find Candy. I've had my eye on her all night."
Ric nodded. "Good luck…"
"Don't need luck," he replied cockily. "Do you want me to send one of the girls your way?"
He shook his head. "You'll be carting me to a hospital if I go home to Abby smelling like strippers."
Damon shook his head with a laugh and headed out of the VIP section.