Abby didn't pull into her driveway until shortly after 10 o'clock. She had spent approximately eight hours in her ex-husband's company. It was the most time the exes had spent together in nearly eighteen years. They had not even seen each other since Bonnie and Damon's wedding four years ago. Abby and Rudy's relationship lived at one extreme or the other. Either they couldn't keep their hands off each other or they were seconds away from committing murder. Long before she arrived at his hotel, Abby could tell which extreme Rudy had in mind. Every time they spoke on the phone, he flirted with her in that deep baritone voice that she loved.

Rudy definitely stepped up his game once he had Abby alone. She had assumed that they would order room service for lunch. However, when she arrived Rudy greeted her in the lobby looking as if he had just stepped off the cover of GQ magazine. Abby had teased him good-naturedly and offered a few genuine compliments to get the meeting off on the right foot. Rudy had soaked up her flattery with a shit-eating grin and offered a few well-targeted compliments of his own. Then he led his ex-wife to the private dining room he had reserved in the hotel's five-star restaurant. Rudy had ordered several of Abby's favorite dishes and desserts for the two of them to share. He had even procured a bottle of her favorite wine produced by her family's vineyard.

The exes had dined for well over an hour as Abby updated Rudy on their daughter's life. He had even sampled the hamentashen Abby brought from home. She teased him for being brave enough to eat anything she cooked after having been poisoned by her. After lunch, they had retired to Rudy's suite to get down to business. Unfortunately, it meant something different for both of them. Rudy was ready to take his ex-wife to bed. However, Abby was insistent that they work out the details of their plan. Abby didn't break her promise to Bonnie, but she did make Rudy understand the gravity of the situation. When he listened to her talk, Rudy realized that Abby would have already killed Esther's bastard with her bare hands if only Bonnie would permit it.

Abby had a few dozen valid reasons to despise her ex-husband. He had done things to her that were inexcusable but that afternoon Abby had felt a swell of emotion for him that she thought died long ago. The fancy lunch and his sweet-talking ways didn't woo her. However, she caught a brief glimpse of the man she married when Rudy realized that Niklaus had hurt their daughter. He didn't even know the details but his first instinct was to track the animal down and slaughter him. Abby knew that she wouldn't be able to rein Rudy in if he knew the truth. She was barely able to contain her own murderous rage. Seeing Niklaus at the dance studio had set her teeth on edge. She couldn't believe the pervert had the audacity to approach Bonnie after everything he had done to her.

Abby turned off the car and pulled out her phone. She scowled at the seven missed calls she had from Alaric. He had been calling her incessantly for hours. However, she knew that he only wanted to talk about what happened during Damon and Bonnie's lunch. She would have paid good money to see the look on Damon's face when he learned that Bonnie planned to take over the smuggling operation. Abby felt more proud of her daughter each passing day. A parent's greatest wish was to see their children succeed in ways that they could not. Abby had no doubt that her little girl was going to bring the Salvatore family to heel.

She grabbed her purse and a shopping bag from Christian Louboutin, a gift from Rudy, as she climbed out of the car. Abby headed into the darkened house and locked the door behind her. She followed the excited voices coming from the family room. Her lips hitched into a smile when she saw Jamie sitting on the floor with Matt while they played WWE 2K16. A couple pizza boxes and a variety of snacks were stacked up on the coffee table. It had been awhile since she had heard her son laughing and having a good time. However, he had slowly come out of his shell since Bonnie and Sarah started staying with them. Abby wasn't sure if that was because of them or because she had banned Alaric from the house. Jamie still refused to speak to his father.

Matt was dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans. However, the .45 holstered on his hip proved that he was very much on duty. It would have been a strange sight for anyone else but Abby had grown up in a world where everyone was always carrying. Jamie had a similar experience growing up because of the time he spent with her side of the family. Part of Abby hoped that her son wouldn't be sucked into the life but she knew better. Few had the courage to resist the siren song. Unfortunately, Jamie would have temptation coming from both sides of his family tree.

She walked over and dropped a kiss atop her son's head. "Having fun?"

Jamie paused the game and smiled up at his mother. He nodded. "I've beat Matt like four times already."

The blond man scoffed as he drank from a bottle of beer. "You are getting me confused with Tyler. I have only lost twice to you."

He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Tyler is really bad at this game."

"You've got that right."

Abby chuckled and ruffled Jamie's hair. "I am glad that you are enjoying yourself."

"Is it okay if I stay up a little longer?" he asked.

"Sure. It's not as if you have school tomorrow. You can stay up as late as you want, pumpkin," she agreed.

Jamie screwed up his face and whined, "You promised to stop calling me that, Mama. I'm almost thirteen."

She chuckled softly and pinched his cheek. "I promised to stop calling you that in public."

He rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Abby smirked. "Where is Bonnie?"

"Sissy is trying to put Savannah to sleep," he winced at the idea.

Savannah was generally an easygoing toddler. However, she turned into a tiny sleep fighting ninja when it was bedtime. Abby was the only one that could get her to sleep without a protracted battle.

Abby chuckled and said, "I had better go save her."

He nodded in agreement before turning around to face the television once more.

Abby climbed the stairs and stopped by her bedroom first. She dropped her purse and shopping bag on the bed. Then she took a moment to take off her boots and jewelry. Abby wiggled her toes in relief as she walked down the hall to the nursery. She slowly pushed the door open and walked into the room.

Bonnie was sitting in the glider with Savannah in her arms. She was softly singing to the toddler that was nearly asleep against her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Tyler was across the room lying on the daybed with his eyes closed. It looked as if he was well on his way to sleep, too. He was waiting for Mason to call him with an update. Two hours ago, Kai and Luke were gearing up to raid Sabine's house. They hoped the early morning raid would catch Giuseppe off guard. He was getting on in age but he was more than capable of cutting through a couple of young guns like a hot knife through butter.

Abby wasn't surprised to find that Tyler was still there after his shift had ended. He usually stayed well beyond midnight to spend time with Bonnie. Their budding romance was adorable if not dangerous. She said, "I hope that Savannah didn't give you too much trouble."

The green-eyed girl looked up at the sound of her mother's voice. She gave a little smile. "I am now convinced that Little Miss Sassy is part banshee. I didn't know she was capable of screaming that loud. It took twenty minutes for me to settle her down."

She walked across the room and gently took the pajama-clad toddler. Abby swayed side to side to keep Savannah content. "I am sorry, baby girl. I didn't realize that I would be out so late."

Bonnie shook her head. "It's fine. It was actually good practice. Sarah was incredibly mellow when she was Savannah's age. I need a little experience with the other end of the spectrum just in case the twins decide to be a challenge."

Abby chuckled softly as she rubbed Savannah's back in soothing circles. "You certainly were a handful. You were quite possibly the angriest baby I have met til this very day."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "You are joking right? Grams always said that I was a sweet baby."

"Oh, you could be a little angel at times. However, you turned into a little demon if you were agitated or overtired. Before you were even old enough to roll over you would throw temper tantrums. You would lie on your back while you cried and screamed at the top of your little lungs. I felt like the worst mother in the world because I couldn't comfort you. Then one day Uncle Johnny was in town and he watched me struggling with you. He plucked you right out of my arms, deposited you into the crib, turned on some music, and pulled me out of your room. You cried for maybe five minutes and then it got quiet. I rushed into the nursery to check on you. You were just sucking on your fist listening to the music. From then on that was my solution once I was certain that there wasn't anything wrong with you. I used to play the O'Jays and the Isley Brothers to calm you down."

The girl laughed softly. She adored hearing stories about the early years of her life. She hadn't lived with her grandmother until she was three years old. Sheila had only seen her granddaughter during holidays and the summer at that time because Abby and Rudy refused to live in Shadow Hills. "You chose the O'Jays and the Isley Brothers? That's a little old school even for you, Mama."

She shrugged. "It was the music I found comforting because it was what my mama played around the house when I was a little girl. Besides, Ronald Isley's voice still does something to me."

Bonnie balked. "File that under TMI, Mama."

"Listen to me now and believe me later. Footsteps in the Dark is good lovemaking music," she argued.

Lucy leaned against the doorway with a hand on her hip. "Is that what you and Rudy were listening to tonight?"

Abby looked over her shoulder at her younger cousin. She laughed a little. "Rudy was always partial to Jodeci. I have very fond memories of Feenin'."

Bonnie groaned and said, "I am not old enough to hear this."

"Well, I am definitely old enough and I want details. Rudy is damn near 50 years old. Can he still lay the pipe like the old days?" Lucy asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Abby chuckled as she placed Savannah in her crib. "Stop it before you traumatize Bonnie with your nasty talk. Rudy and I just had a lot of things to talk about."

"Uh huh," Lucy said in a disbelieving voice. "Eight hours is a lot of talking for two people who were only ever good at two things."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow at her cousin. She didn't know very much about her parents' relationship. It wasn't a subject that Sheila or Abby brought up when Bonnie was growing up.

Lucy answered the silent question. "Fucking and fighting. And I don't see any bruises."

Bonnie's eyes went as wide as saucers. She said, "I hope you didn't have to do that just to help me out. We could have figured out another way."

Abby shook her head and walked over to Bonnie. She placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Ignore Lucy's dirty mouth and mind, baby girl. She is right that your father and I have a tumultuous relationship. However, there is one thing we were always able to agree on…you. I didn't have to put out to get his help."

Lucy grinned. "It doesn't mean that you didn't do it for the fun of it."

"Lucy Marie," Abby said in a warning tone.

She rolled her eyes but held up her hands in surrender. "I'll quit if you tell me what all this cloak and dagger nonsense is about. Calling Rudy away from London is a pretty big fucking deal."

Bonnie sighed softly. She said, "Close the door."

Lucy closed the door and then leaned against the wall. "What's going on, cuz? You have been acting squirrelly for awhile now. I am starting to get the feeling that you don't trust me."

"It's not that at all, Lucy. We are blood and there is nothing stronger than that. Things have just become very complicated for me lately."

"Okay…" Lucy said.

Tyler opened one eye to look at Bonnie. He had been content to lie there silently before now. "Bon?"

She looked over at him and gave a tight smile. "She's not going to drop it. And it might be better to have someone else that knows what's happening."

He slowly sat up on the daybed and nodded in agreement. Tyler had been of that mindset since he learned the truth. However, he understood that revealing something like that was a deeply personal decision.

Bonnie licked her lips nervously. "Mama asked my dad here to help her get Niklaus sent to prison for drug trafficking. It is the best way to get rid of him without putting a bullet in his head."

Tyler scoffed and muttered, "I am still in favor of killing the fucker."

"Me, too," Abby agreed.

Lucy's entire body tensed but she showed patience by not rushing Bonnie. However, she could only think of a handful of situations where eliminating Niklaus would be appropriate. He was too important to kill for something petty. Lucy was beginning to understand why Bonnie chose to keep her in the dark. There was a time when she was impulsive and quick to act on her anger. Lucy was still a pistol but she understood the virtue of patience now.

The girl sought out the Saint Christopher's medal around her neck. She ran her thumb over the grooves. "I don't want to get into the details. I just…Niklaus hurt me when I was younger—more than once. He's apologized but he can be unpredictable. He confronted me the night of the christening because he was wasted."

Tyler rolled his eyes because he didn't buy that bullshit excuse. Furthermore, Bonnie had allowed him to read Klaus' apology letter. It was more of a love letter in his opinion. Klaus' feelings for Bonnie made him worry for her safety. A man of his stature and pedigree wasn't used to being denied his heart's greatest desire.

Lucy was speechless for a few moments. She imagined all the ways Bonnie and Niklaus' paths had crossed over the years. The Salvatore and Mikaelson families socialized frequently to maintain the alliance. Klaus had known Bonnie since she was a little girl. She asked, "How young are we talking here?"

"I was sixteen. A priest, my mom, Tyler, and now you are the only people that know about this. It has to stay that way, Lucy," Bonnie said.

"This stays between us, Bonnie. You have my word." The older woman shook her head in disbelief. "How long have you known, Abby?"

"Since the night of Niklaus' welcome home party," she answered. She tried to hide the bitterness at her own failure to protect Bonnie. Abby still had a hard time accepting that she had been in the same house one of the times that monster raped her daughter. What kind of mother was oblivious to her child's pain?

Lucy looked to Tyler.

"Same for me," he replied.

Lucy shook her head and said, "I can't believe that you never told anyone. I guess it wasn't a pressing matter while Klaus was in prison. But now…"

"I couldn't tell anyone. Sometimes I wish that I still hadn't told anyone. It makes me feel so stupid and ashamed…" she trailed off when she felt tears welling in her eyes. Bonnie had done enough crying for one day.

Lucy moved over to the glider and kneeled in front of it. She pulled Bonnie into a hug but remained quiet for a long time. Lucy hastily wiped away the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks as she pulled out of the hug. She said, "You poor kid."

"I am okay, Lucy," she promised in a voice thick with emotion.

Lucy didn't believe that for a moment. However, she knew that Bonnie didn't enjoy appearing weak in front of people. Their insane upbringing was to blame for that. She slowly got to her feet and looked at her older cousin. "What's this plan that you and Rudy are cooking up?"

Abby gave her daughter a questioning look. She didn't know if Bonnie wanted to pull Lucy that far into the loop.

Bonnie nodded. "You can tell her. I'd like to hear more about this plan, too."

"When Rudy was growing up in Las Vegas he was best friends with the son of a major drug dealer. When Rudy and Tommy went to college, they started selling cocaine, marijuana, and ecstasy. They did so well that old man decided to send Rudy and his son to California to expand his business. They set up shop in the bay area. I met Rudy because I was attending Berkeley at the time. He left the organization when he married me. Rudy hoped that Mama would give him the reins to the smuggling operation but she hated him. He wasn't a Salvatore, he was a drug dealer, and he was a Jew. I had hit the trifecta of disapproval in her book. Anyway, Rudy and Tommy are still the best of friends and on occasion, they broker an international business deal or two. Rudy went up to Fremont where Tommy lives now and asked for his help."

Bonnie asked, "I thought the plan was to find someone disposable to be the middleman in the drug deal?"

The hazel-eyed woman nodded and said, "That was and still is the plan. Tommy took over the drug ring when his old man went to prison a few years back. Only problem is that his new position doesn't sit well with his father's best friend. He feels as if he should have taken over since he helped build their business. He hasn't made any aggressive moves against Tommy but he's been undermining him for awhile now. He's gotta go but whacking his father's best friend is a bad look. Besides, the guy is well liked in the organization. However, if he gets killed in a drug deal gone bad…"

Lucy said, "Two birds one stone."

"Exactly," Abby replied. She continued, "Niklaus is an easy target. He tried his hand at the drug trade years ago. He had some minor success before Mikael stepped in and squashed it. He might be eager to try it again now that big brother is the boss. Elijah has always indulged his younger brother out of guilt."

Tyler glanced at Bonnie and she nodded in response. He said, "Elijah has given Klaus the biggest parcel of territory in their organization. He is going to have several dozen men answering to him. The best way to ingratiate all those people that might be skeptical is to make sure they are earning well. The influx of new revenue that would come from flooding area with product might pique his interest."

Abby's smile broadened. "Oh, that's very good. The plan is for Michael to approach Klaus at his New Year's Eve party to make the pitch."

Bonnie asked, "New Year's Eve? Will Dad still be here?"

"Your father is committed to seeing this thing through. He isn't going anywhere until Klaus is behind bars where he belongs. Cade can handle things in London while Rudy is away."

The green-eyed girl was surprised that her father was willing to do that for her. The insecure part of Bonnie wondered if his dedication to this plan was about getting Abby into bed. However, as the old adage said beggars can't be choosers. "Thank you for doing this, Mama."

She shook her head. "I had to do something to protect you from Niklaus. I won't feel that you are safe while he is roaming the streets as a free man. He certainly isn't going to simply leave you alone as he promised."

"He deserves death but prison will have to do," Tyler added.

Abby smiled at him. "Don't you worry, Tyler. I intend make Klaus' life in prison the worst hell possible. When I am done with him, Niklaus will wish that I had simply slit his throat from the beginning."

The wheels in Bonnie's head were turning as she considered her options.

Tyler's phone started vibrating. He glanced down at the screen and said, "This is my uncle. I'm going to take this call in the hallway."

Bonnie nodded. She hoped that Luke and Kai had been successful. Getting Giuseppe off the board was good for everyone.

Abby said, "Your daddy was hoping that he could see you and Sarah for lunch tomorrow."

"Really?" Bonnie asked.

She nodded. "Rudy wants to make an afternoon of it. He asked if Sarah might like to visit the aquarium."

"That would be amazing. Sarah loves the aquarium."

Abby smiled and said, "I will give you his number. You can call him in the morning to hammer out the details."

Bonnie bit her lip nervously. "And this isn't just about getting on your good side? I just don't want to let him into my life only to have him abandon me again. I can't handle that right now."

The older woman's smile faltered as once again she saw the damage they had caused their daughter. Bonnie had been so broken by her parents that she couldn't even believe that her father wanted to see her unless there was some nefarious agenda.

She walked over to Bonnie and said, "You have no reason to trust us but Rudy does love you. He sees this as an opportunity to be part of your life again. I won't promise that he won't screw it up. He is a man after all and they tend to be useless. However, that man would bleed for you. I had to do some fast talking to stop him from going to kill Niklaus this afternoon. He doesn't know what that maniac did but knowing that you are afraid of him was enough for your daddy. Just give him a chance."

Lucy said, "And I'll kneecap him for you if he fucks up."

Bonnie huffed out a soft laugh. "I'm sorry that I am being such a head case. It just broke me a little the last time Dad walked out of my life. I know that I was no picnic as a teenager but…"

"You are not a head case. You haven't had an easy life. Your father and I should have been there to protect and guide you no matter how you behaved. I'm sorry that we weren't, baby girl. We can't change the past but we are here now."

Abby hoped that if she kept reiterating the point that Bonnie would begin to believe her with time. She knew that repairing their relationship would be a long journey. However, the divide between father and daughter was much wider. Sheila was partly responsible for that. She forced Rudy out of Bonnie's life and onto another continent. Unfortunately, Rudy had allowed his pride and bitterness to infect his long distance relationship with their daughter. The argument that blew up the fragile bridge between them had been ugly. It had served as proof for every negative thing Sheila had ever believed about the man. Nothing Abby said was able to sway her mother's opinion. Sheila saw her daughter as the same naive girl that had married a man seven years her senior.

She nodded. "I love you, Mama."

Abby's heart swelled with joy. "I love you, too."

Bonnie smiled. "I have good news. The beach house should be ready right before Christmas."

"That is good news but you don't need to be in a rush to leave. It's been nice having you here," Abby replied.

"It has been nice being here but I don't want to overstay my welcome. I know I am putting a strain on your relationship with Alaric."

The older woman rolled her eyes. "Oh, honey. My problems with Ric existed long before you needed to crash here. They will most certainly continue long after you've moved into your home. He has been trying to reach me since this afternoon. He's positively livid."

Bonnie winced. "Sorry. I wish I could have given you a heads up about it. Damon started questioning me about why Cesare and the rest are moving out here. I just got tired of lying."

Abby chuckled. "There is nothing to apologize for. I am so damn proud of you. Mama is gone. Alaric doesn't take me serious when it comes to the business because I ran from it for so long. But they are going to learn to respect you."

"That's for damn sure," Lucy agreed.

Tyler walked into the room with Matt at his back. "We've got a fucking problem."

Matt closed the bedroom and leaned against it. His chiseled jaw was clenched tight.

Bonnie sat up straight in the glider. Her hand automatically went to her stomach. "What is it?"

"The raid…it went bad. Someone obviously tipped off Giuseppe. The son of a bitch set the house on fire. He mowed down three guys with an SUV during his escape. Luke and a couple guys went into the house to save Sabine and the kid. Kai and the rest chased after Giuseppe. Only they drove right into a fucking ambush. Kai and Jesse are the only ones that survived the ambush," Tyler explained.

Bonnie did the sign of the cross. She had insisted that Mason put a few of the men loyal to her family on that team. That decision may have cost good men their lives. "How many of ours did we lose?"

"Marco and Richie were killed in the ambush. The car hit Leo and they rushed him to the hospital. He is alive but it doesn't look good. Jesse survived but he is going to be out of commission for a bit. A bullet fucking shredded his right arm. Baz has burns. We don't know how bad they are right now."

She asked, "What about Lucky?"

Bonnie was doubly concerned because Lucky was Matt's cousin.

Tyler said, "He made it out mostly unscathed. He has some smoke inhalation."

Abby swallowed thickly. "What about Sabine and her son?"

Tyler shook his head. "Sabine was trapped in the bedroom. She suffered a lot burns and has smoke inhalation. They are not sure if she is going to survive the day. The boy wasn't in the house. Giuseppe took him when he fled."

Bonnie scoffed in disgust. "I guess that solves the mystery of the kid's paternity. No way Giuseppe would let his son burn."

"That poor fucking kid," Lucy muttered.

Matt said, "This was a complete shit show. Giuseppe will be coming for his brothers and Damon now."

Bonnie's jaw clenched. She wasn't about to let Giuseppe murder her husband. She looked at Tyler. "Tell your father that I want to meet with all our people Sunday afternoon. We need to make sure that our house is clean. I don't think that any of our people were involved but I would like to be certain."

Tyler nodded. "He's locked up tight with Damon, Alaric, and Zach now. I will relay the message the first moment he's free."

"Thank you. I also want you to put together a package for Marco, Richie, and Leo's families. I'll take care of Baz and Jesse personally."

Tyler was surprised but didn't show it. Normally, Mason handled compensation packages for the families. He didn't know if this was a temporary promotion or the start of a bigger role for him. He nodded. "I'll get it ready."

"Matt, I need you to talk to Lucky as soon as possible. I want his read on the situation. Did anyone seem particularly suspicious? Did anyone seem to anticipate what was coming?"

He said, "I'll call him now and see what he can tell me."

She said, "Call your grandfather first. Tell him to sound the alarm. All of our people need to be on high alert. Giuseppe knew about the raid. There is no telling what else he might know until we find the leak."

Matt nodded as he left the room.

"I need you to give Uncle Johnny a heads up, Luce."

Lucy did the math in her head to calculate the time difference. "He should be getting up soon. I'll handle it."

Abby watched in awe as her little girl gave orders like a seasoned pro. She was reminded of how her own mother used to marshal their forces in time of conflict. "Do you need anything from me?"

Bonnie looked thoughtful for a moment. "Not yet but I will."

She nodded. "Then I will be here."

The girl squeezed her mother's hand before exiting the room.