Damon frowned as he parked in front of the house Abby shared with his uncle. Several cars lined the street outside of the pricey two-story home. As Damon turned off the car, he wondered if Bonnie's cousins from Milazzo had arrived. He was not the type of person to fear facing anyone. Giuseppe had beaten anything resembling fear out of him years ago. However, everyone knew that Damon and Cesare were quick to anger when it came to matters of family. Big John's eldest grandson despised Damon and never made much of an effort to hide it. The two men had gotten along well enough before he married Bonnie. Cesare, like a great deal of Bonnie's family, resented Sheila's decision to give the future of their family to Damon. In hindsight, he couldn't help but feel that they had been right.

He smoothed a hand over his hair and groaned in frustration. Damon was only here to return Cooper to his mother. Damon had confronted his uncle at Peppe's about an hour ago with Zacharias as back up. This was a matter best handled by blood alone. At first, he thought he could allow Alaric to drop the boy off at home before meeting them at the manor. Unfortunately, his uncle became indignant at the mere suggestion that he would have to answer for the content of Stefan's nightmares. He went as far as to accuse Damon of enabling his younger brother's obvious mental illness. It took an immense amount of willpower to keep him from knocking Alaric on his ass. However, he had restrained himself for the sake of his six-year-old cousin. He saw no reason to traumatize the next generation.

Damon had decided that he would take Cooper home while Zacharias escorted Alaric to the Salvatore Manor. He would have gotten the boy home sooner but he had stopped off for donuts to soothe him. He had been understandably upset by the argument he overheard while at Peppe's. The office's walls hadn't been thick enough to shield the boy from the raucous conversation. Fortunately, after a cup of hot cocoa and two chocolate glazed donuts Cooper was a cheerful little boy once again. Well, he did pout a bit when Damon refused to allow him to have a third donut. However, the blue-eyed mobster was mindful of Alaric's story of Cooper eating too many churros and then promptly throwing up in the back of his car. Damon was in no mood for the kid to befoul a car that cost more than some people's homes.

He looked at the boy and asked, "Can you get out of the booster seat on your own?"

The boy looked at him with as much disdain as a six-year-old could manage. He promptly unbuckled his seatbelt and said, "I'm not a baby."

Damon held back a chuckle as he raised his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry."

Cooper opened the door and climbed out of the car. Then he slung his Spider-Man backpack over his shoulder.

Damon climbed out of the car and grabbed the two boxes of donuts he had purchased. He figured it wouldn't be fair to give Cooper sweets when there were three other kids back home. Besides, he had bought a dozen bear claws because they were Bonnie's favorite.

A guard climbed out of the SUV that had been tailing their car. "Sir?"

The mobster shook his head. "You can stay out here. I won't be long."

The man nodded and glanced around the street to ensure no one was watching Damon or the house.

Damon was about to approach the front door when he heard music coming from behind the house. The telltale aroma of BBQ also wafted towards his direction. He said, "Sounds like everyone is around back."

Cooper took off around the side of the house. He stopped at the electronic gate that led to the backyard. "Mama! I'm home!" he screeched at the top of his lungs.

Damon snorted and shook his head.

A moment later, Tyler appeared behind the eight-foot wrought iron gate. He was surprised to see Damon standing there. He quickly entered the security code and then pushed the gate open. "Hey, little dude."

Copper grinned. "Hi, Tyler! I had donuts!"

Tyler chuckled and ruffled his curly hair. He nodded to the chocolate frosting around his mouth. "I can see that."

The boy took off like a bat out of hell when he saw Jamie and Cesare playing basketball with another boy about Cooper's age. "I wanna play! Can I play, Jamie? Jamie, can I play?"

Tyler said, "Uh, Bonnie is back here if you wanted to see her."

He nodded. "Yeah. Can you take these? I bought donuts."

The younger man took the boxes and headed into the backyard. He nodded his head in the direction of where Bonnie and Lexi were laughing and talking. "I'll go put these somewhere. They'll be gone soon with these little crumb snatchers."

Rudy was seated near the grill with a bottle of beer. However, the older man made a point of glaring at his son-in-law. Abby had filled him in on Bonnie's reasons for separating from Damon. To put it mildly, he wasn't pleased.

Brady was manning the BBQ grill with Lucy playing backseat grillmeister. "Move them away from the hot spot. You're going to burn the ribs."

"Woman," Brady growled in warning.

"I'm just trying to help," Lucy replied with a grin.

Damon made his way over to Bonnie but he was casually keeping his eye on Rudy. Alaric was going to lose his shit when he found out the bastard was just chilling at a party in his backyard. Well, he would lose his shit if Stefan didn't murder him before the night was out. Damon was reminded of just how complicated his life was right now. He was at his uncle's house but it felt as if he was walking into enemy territory.

He stopped beside the wicker sectional couch where Bonnie and Lexi were seated. The blonde mother of three was showing Bonnie pictures on her phone. Damon's eyes were automatically drawn to his wife's cleavage. He wasn't happy that she was wearing such a low cut spaghetti strap dress. The cardigan she wore over it didn't make it any more modest. He cleared his throat. "Bunny…"

Bonnie looked up when she heard her husband's voice. She said, "Hey. What are you doing here?"

Damon knew it was a fair question but it sounded so cold. The pain in his chest was becoming annoyingly familiar. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just here dropping Cooper off for Zio. Something came up and he couldn't bring him home. I couldn't leave without seeing you and Sarah first."

Bonnie said, "Oh. Sarah is over at the playhouse. I'll walk over there with you."

He nodded in Lexi's direction and then began walking with Bonnie. "How are you feeling?"

"I am okay," she replied.

"I am sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean for everything to go so off the rails."

The young woman shrugged. "It's no big deal."

Damon took Bonnie's hand and stopped her from walking. "It is a big deal for me. I didn't come here yesterday to make things worse. I know that you don't believe it but I love you, Bonnie."

She nodded. "It's fine. I know I dropped a bombshell on you yesterday."

He huffed out a laugh. "Yeah. You could say that."

Bonnie smiled a little as she slipped out of his grasp. "Come on. Sarah will be happy to see you."

He followed Bonnie over to the grand playhouse. Damon had the feeling that he would be splashing out for something similar for Sarah. He whistled lowly.

The green-eyed girl giggled. "I know right? You should see the inside. There is a child sized chandelier in there."

Damon's eyes widened. "No shit?"

She shook her head as she knocked on the door. "Bambolina, someone is here to see you."

Sarah poked her head out one of the windows and squealed. "Papa!"

A moment later, the door flew open and Sarah had attached herself to Damon's legs.

Damon scooped up his daughter and hugged her close. The tightness in his chest intensified. All Damon wanted to do was take his family home but he knew they were a long way away from that. He pulled back and smiled. "Have you been a good girl for your mama?"

She nodded. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I helped Nonna and Mama make struffy."

Damon looked at Bonnie for clarification.

"Oh, we made struffoli this afternoon," Bonnie explained.

Sarah nodded and said, "I got to roll the balls all by myself. It's a secret recipe and that means I cannot tell you, Papa."

Damon grinned and tickled her side. "What do you mean you can't tell me? What if I want to know how to make yummy struffoli, too?"

The girl shook her head as she giggled and squirmed in her father's arms. "I cannot, Papa. Only the girls can know the family secret. Right, Mama?"

"That's right, bambolina. Nonna Emily taught my grams how to make struffoli. Then my grams taught me when I was about your age. And now your nonna has taught you, too," Bonnie replied with a wide grin.

"See, Papa," Sarah said as she widened her big blue eyes for emphasis. "Can Papa have some struffy, Mama?"

She smiled. "I don't see why not. There are mountains of it in the kitchen."

Damon said, "Well, I can't wait to try to it."

"You are gonna love it, Papa."

"Of course I will, you made it," he replied.

Bonnie bit her lip as she walked to the house with her husband and daughter. Moments like these reminded her of the reasons she loved him. Damon could be gentle and loving when he wanted to be. Bonnie felt grateful that he was always that way with their daughter. However, Bonnie's mind quickly supplied her with all the times Damon left her feeling like something stuck to the bottom of his shoe. His being a good father didn't make him an adequate husband.

She walked into the kitchen where Abby was taking two large pans of macaroni and cheese out of the oven. The girl's mouth literally started watering.

Abby noted her daughter's hungry expression. "Not ready just yet, baby girl. It needs more cheese."

Damon said, "Hi, Abby. I brought Cooper home for you."

She nodded as she added more cheese to the top. "Thank you for bringing him home, Damon. Tyler told me when he brought the donuts into the house. Thanks for those as well."

"Not a problem," he replied.

Bonnie said, "Sarah wanted Damon to try some of the struffoli we made."

Abby grinned at her granddaughter. "She did such a good job today."

Sarah smiled up at Damon. "I told you, Papa."

Bonnie grabbed one of the trays and placed it on the counter. "Go on. Give it a try."

Damon picked up one of the honey sweetened dough balls and popped it into his mouth. He had loved struffoli as a kid. However, the struffoli Sheila made around Christmas was always his favorite. They had successfully replicated the recipe.

Sarah looked at her father expectantly as he popped a second one into his mouth.

Bonnie chuckled. "I think that Papa likes it."

"These are great. You did such a good job, bambolina." He looked at Abby and asked, "Think I might be able to get a few to go?"

Abby rolled her eyes playfully but nodded. "Take as much as you would like. We have plenty and I will end up making more in the coming days. Today was just a trial run."

Sarah hugged Damon's neck and said, "We're gonna have a Christmas party, Papa. And I'm gonna meet more cousins. They live in another country."

Damon smiled wistfully as he listened to his little girl ramble.

Bonnie felt a pang of guilt when she noted the expression on Damon's face. She knew that he had to be missing Sarah. She said, "You should show your papa the playhouse, bambolina. I'll bring out the struffoli in a little bit."

"Okay! Come on, Papa. You gotta come inside and see it. It's so pretty. Mama can fit in there so you can, too," Sarah said.

Damon chuckled. He was powerless against those blue eyes that looked so much like his own. He couldn't stay long but he wasn't about to pass up time with Sarah.

Bonnie watched as Damon carried Sarah outside. "You know he is going to tell Ric that Dad was here, right?"

Abby waved her daughter off as she found a storage container for the struffoli. "I don't care what he tells Alaric. Rudy is here as your father. I don't need his permission to invite anyone to my home."

"He really messed up putting this house in your name," Bonnie joked as she washed her hands.

She smirked. "He didn't want to but I insisted. I have never called a place home that didn't have my name on it. That is how you end up homeless or under someone's thumb. I am too damn old for either of those scenarios. I am just old period."

Bonnie rolled her eyes as she started loading struffoli into the container. "You are not old."

Abby huffed as she searched for the container's lid. "I am old enough."

The girl leaned against the counter with a mischievous smile. "Well, there are a few people that think you still look good. I have seen how Dad has been looking at you all evening. Lucy was right about him being interested. It is kinda gross but sweet in some ways. I've never really been able to picture the two of you not hating each other."

She chuckled. "We loved each other once upon a time, baby girl. I know that is hard to imagine but it is the truth. He can be interested all he wants now. I already have one good for nothing man in life. I don't have time or space for another. I would be celibate but Benedettos are passionate people. I wouldn't last a month."

Bonnie wasn't sure that she believed Abby was completely unaffected by Rudy's overtures. She knew how intoxicating it could be to feel wanted. However, it wasn't exactly a conversation she wanted to have with her mother. Whatever was going on between her parents wasn't the young woman's concern unless it somehow affected the plans for Niklaus or if Rudy was stupid enough to put his hands on Abby. Bonnie wouldn't be as merciful as Sheila had been eighteen years ago.

Damon walked into the kitchen with a pinched expression. "I have to run. Something came up. I promise I will make it up to Sarah tomorrow. Would it be okay if I picked her up in the morning?"

"Sure, I didn't have anything planned. We were just going to hang around the house tomorrow. What time should I have her ready?"

"Uh, 8 o'clock would be good. I'll take her out to breakfast so you don't have to worry about feeding her. I will probably keep Sarah for most of the day."

Bonnie nodded as she took the storage container from her mother. She handed it to him and said, "I'll have her ready by eight then."

"Thank you," Damon said. He cupped her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She gazed into his eyes and tensed at what she saw there. "Is everything okay?"

He forced a smile and kissed her forehead. "I'm fine, bunny. I'll see you in the morning."

Damon walked out of the house and climbed into his car. He dropped the container of struffoli on the passenger seat and took a deep breath. He hated having to leave his wife and daughter again. Nothing about this situation felt right to him. Damon started the car and then floored it as he drove away from the house.

Zacharias had called while Damon allowed Sarah to tell him about all the fun she was having while staying at Abby's house. Apparently, Stefan was getting antsy with Alaric being at the manor and yet unable to speak to him. Damon couldn't say that he blamed his brother. The situation piqued his curiosity, too. He didn't want to believe that his uncle was a rapist, but Ric's reaction at the gym had been disconcerting. Damon made no secret of the fact that he hated Lilly. He could barely speak her name without inserting some sort of vulgarity. However, there was no set of circumstances where Damon would ignore someone raping his mother.

It was dark by the time Damon made it home. He grabbed his struffoli as he climbed out of the car. He planned to indulge in the sweet pastry instead of falling into a bottle of bourbon as he was tempted to do. He needed to maintain a level head tonight. Ric was behaving strangely and Stefan was too close to the edge to behave rationally. Unfortunately, Zacharias was a wild card, too. They were already on the path to killing Giuseppe. His uncle might be reluctant to see his other brother die for a crime committed nearly two decades ago.

He walked into the house and was glad to hear the silence. Zacharias had promptly dismissed the staff early and instructed them to return in the morning. Only the guards were left behind to protect the estate. Zacharias had also encouraged Meredith and Caroline to take the children out for the evening. The women opted for dinner, a movie, and a tour to see the Christmas lights. With any luck, they would stay out until after Damon and Zacharias had sorted out the situation between Alaric and Stefan.

Damon walked into the living room where his uncles were currently a sharing a drink.

Alaric motioned to the crystal decanter.

The younger man shook his head. "Where is Stefan?"

"He's in the library," Zach replied. "He's cleaning up the mess he made earlier."

Ric huffed and shook his head. "I can't believe we are capitulating to what amounts to a temper tantrum. You are coddling him, Damon."

Damon tensed at his uncle's assessment. Ric hadn't seen how overwrought Stefan was earlier. He said, "It's better than his original plan which was to shoot you in the face at Peppe's."

The older man's eyes widen and he asked, "What?"

"When Stefan showed up at the gym, he planned to shoot you in the face. He had a gun with him and everything. The only reason he didn't go through with it was because you had Cooper with you. He didn't want to traumatize the kid by spraying your brain matter all over the office's walls," Damon answered.

Ric sat down heavily on the couch. He licked his lips. "The little bastard was really going to kill me?"

"Stefan has been suffering in silence for God knows how long. He is not sleeping at night because he is afraid to dream of you raping Lilly. The five hour nap I made him take this afternoon was the longest he has slept at one time in weeks. I found out that he has lost his appetite lately. The doctor wants to put him on medication for anxiety. He is all twisted up inside by this shit and it ends tonight. Hell, if you weren't my uncle I would let him kill you right now just to put this matter to bed—guilty or not."

"He thinks that I raped, Lilly?" he asked. He shook his head in disbelief.

Damon said, "Let's move this discussion to the library."

Ric was trying to understand how this even happened. He asked, "Do you think that I raped your mother?"

"I don't know what to think. Stefan is convinced that his nightmares are real. Lilly told him that the nightmare is real. You are acting suspicious to say the least. I will make Stefan hear you out if there is a better explanation for what he saw…"

Zacharias put a hand on his older brother's shoulder. He looked at his nephew and said, "Give us a moment."

Damon nodded and headed into the library. He was surprised by how much progress Stefan had made. It looked as if Blondie's knack for organization had rubbed off on him. He asked, "How are you feeling?"

Stefan stopped sweeping and said, "I'm better than I was earlier. I feel clearer now."

"Did you eat?"

He shook his head. "Sophie left before she could cook dinner. I'm not really hungry anyway."

Damon frowned at his younger brother but it would be hypocritical to chastise him. Rose was always after him to eat more and drink less. He sat down on the couch and opened the container of struffoli. He popped one in his mouth and then tilted the container towards his brother in silent offer.

Stefan was a sucker for sweets, too. He walked over and took a few. Stefan ate the struffoli quickly despite his lack of appetite. "These taste just like the ones Sheila used to make for us. Who made these?"

"Abby, Bonnie, and Sarah," he replied with a smile.

Stefan sat beside his brother and asked, "How are Bonnie and Sarah doing?"

He shook his head and said, "They're doing great without me."

Stefan's eyebrows furrowed and he said, "I'm sure that's not true."

"They look happy and settled."

"I'm sorry, Damon."

"It is what it is. I don't have anyone to blame but myself. I will figure a way to get my family back. You know me…I never give up."

Stefan nodded. "I know. You can be annoyingly persistent when something is important enough."

Zach and Alaric walked into the room. The two brothers sat down on the couch across from their nephews.

Stefan stiffened when he saw Ric. His fingers itched to hold his gun again. However, Damon had confiscated it earlier.

Ric scrubbed at his face for a moment before really looking at his nephew. For the first time, he recognized the unadulterated hate staring back at him. "I've done a lot of heinous shit in my life, Stefan. I have done things that I know will cast me into the deepest pit of hell when I die. However, I have never raped a woman and I never would."

"Are you saying that I am making up? Do you think that my mind just conjured this disturbing memory for kicks? My mom said that I walked in on the two of you. Is she lying to me?" he demanded.

He shook his head. "She's not lying to you but Lilly also didn't give you the full story. I didn't rape her. I was having an affair with her."

Stefan stiffened. "I don't believe you. Damon fed you that bullshit to appease me."

Damon grabbed his brother's arm to prevent him from fleeing. "I didn't tell him shit but that you believe that he raped Lilly. I kept all my theories to myself. I swear on Sarah's life."

Stefan's nostrils flared but he slowly sat down. Damon wouldn't swear on the life of his child unless he meant it. The younger man swallowed thickly while staring at his uncle. He looked for sincerity but all he saw was the monster from his dreams. "I don't believe you. Mom said that she abandoned us because of you."

Ric licked his lips and said, "That is a bit of revisionist history on her part. Lilly left because we made some stupid decisions. Namely we weren't using condoms."

Damon's lips curled in disgust. He could do without the details but he understood that Stefan needed a reasonable explanation for his dream and the aftermath.

"Lilly found out that she was pregnant a couple of weeks before she left Giuseppe. She was terrified of what he would do when he found out because they weren't having sex. He would have immediately known the baby couldn't be his."

Stefan looked puzzled. "What happened to the baby?"

"She had a miscarriage not long after she moved to Paris," he explained.

Stefan shook his head. "You are a selfish son of a bitch. You could have gotten her killed. You know what Giuseppe would have done to my mother if he ever found out about the two of you."

Ric glowered at him. "Hey! It takes two to tango. I didn't have to do much to coerce Lilly into my bed. She was willing and eager to spread her legs for me—anytime and anywhere."

Damon's jaw tightened. "Whoa! That's my fucking mother you're talking about. I hate the bitch but you aren't going to talk about her like that in front of me and Stefan."

Stefan shook his head as he tried to make sense of everything. "In my nightmare, I heard things breaking. It's the reason I went looking for Damon and ultimately ended up in my parents' bedroom. The two of you were fighting, right?"

Ric was getting tired of defending himself to everyone. It seemed lately that he was being bombarded by everyone in his life. Abby and Jo certainly seemed to hate him and Jamie still refused to speak to him. Now Stefan was joining the party.

He stood up and yelled, "Lilly is no delicate flower! Okay? After years of the rough stuff with Giuseppe, she liked to be manhandled a bit. I have to say it kinda did it for me, too. The sex was always more passionate after we had a good fight but I wasn't slapping her around."

Zach groaned and put his head in his hands. He needed a vacation—a long one. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Damon said, "I should fucking kill you for even making me think about my mother liking rough sex. I am going to need extra counseling for all this shit."

Stefan put his head in his hands and muttered, "Me, too."

"I'm just trying to be honest here so that you two little assholes don't murder me! I never raped anyone. Call Lilly and ask her yourself. We had an affair for a while but it was consensual. I have my faults but I am not Giuseppe," he said vehemently.

"How long did this go on? You can spare me the details," Stefan added quickly.

Alaric shrugged. "You want the truth?"

"Might as well. We're in the trust tree now," Damon muttered sarcastically.

"Lilly and I were off and on for years. It wasn't a consistent thing til after Abby left the country. I needed Lilly and I guess she needed me, too. I don't know. It was a stupid idea. I know that it was dangerous but I was also in my twenties. I did a lot of reckless shit in my twenties. We all did. Or did you forget about the time that you nearly killed yourself drag racing while drunk, Damon?"

The blue-eyed mobster nodded because Ric was right. Damon had a long list of reckless things he did in his late teens and early twenties.

Stefan said, "Years isn't really descriptive. How many years are we talking here?"

Ric raised an eyebrow at the question. He would have picked up on the underlying meaning if he weren't already intoxicated.

Zach shook his head. "I think our nephew is asking if you could be his father. It happens to be a fairly good question, Ric."

Damon looked down at the struffoli in distaste. He lamented, "I really need that drink now."

The older man grimaced. "No, I'm not his father." He looked at his nephew and said, "I am not your father."

"Are you sure?" Stefan asked. "Wouldn't be the first time you fathered a couple of kids that you didn't claim."

Ric's jaw tightened but he knew it was a fair criticism. "Fuck you. I have always taken care of all my kids whether my name was on their birth certificates or not."

"If you say so, Ric. I need a drink, too," Zach complained. He felt a headache coming on.

Damon laughed brokenly. "Our family is fucking sick. God help us all for bringing children into it."

Stefan nodded in agreement.

Zach shook his head. "We're better to our children than Giuseppe ever was to us. They won't grow up as broken as we were."

"You hope," Damon said.

Stefan finger combed his caramel colored hair. He stood up. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, Zio. I should have asked Mom for more details before I jumped to conclusions."

The older man shook his head and walked over to his nephew. He pulled him into a hug. "I am sorry that this shit has been haunting you for years. I didn't know that you walked in on us. I definitely didn't know about the nightmares. I would have come clean sooner if I had known."

Damon said, "He was always walking into rooms without knocking. He walked in on me often enough. But he is the baby."

Stefan said, "I'm not the baby anymore. That illustrious title goes to Victor. God help him."

Everyone in the room sobered at the thought of such a small child alone with Giuseppe.

Damon shook his head. "That is a problem for tomorrow. Tonight, I am taking my little brother out for steak as big as his head and an incredibly expensive bottle of single malt scotch."

Stefan said, "Damon…"

"No excuses, Stef. You haven't been eating or sleeping. You are going to overdose on red meat and scotch tonight. Then your wife is going to tuck you in for the night or I'll drug you myself."

The younger man rolled his eyes in exasperation. "A steak sounds really heavy right now. I think I'll get lobster instead. Let's go somewhere with a really good seafood menu."

"Spoiled brat. Let's go," Damon said with a smile. He looked at his uncles. "Do the two of you want to come with us?"

Zach nodded and said, "Yeah. We'll meet you there."

"I'll text you the address," Damon replied as he stood up.

Ric waited until their nephews left the room before he sat down. "I am tempted to fly to Paris to kill that conniving bitch. She left her comments vague to push Stefan in the wrong direction on purpose. I can't tell if she was trying to get me whacked or just alienate the kid from the family."

Zach hummed. "Maybe both. I doubt Lilly has forgiven you for choosing the family over her."

He rolled his eyes.

"Were you telling the truth?" he asked.

Alaric said, "You know that I didn't rape her."

"That's not what I'm asking and I think you know that, Ric. You can't pull the wool over my eyes the same way you do with boys. I've known you longer and I have always been impervious to your bullshit."

Ric stared at his younger brother.

"Could you be Stefan's father?"

Silence filled the room for a full minute before he nodded his head. "Maybe."

"Fucking hell, Alaric," Zach exclaimed. He clapped a hand across his eyes in frustration.

"What do you want me to say? I was a teenager. Lilly was offering and I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. It was only a couple of times back then. We didn't start up again until I was in my twenties."

"Did you ever ask Lilly if you might have been his father?"

Ric glared but didn't say anything.

Zach said, "I'll handle Lilly."

"What are you going to do?"

He said, "I need to make sure that Lilly understands how important it is for her to keep her mouth shut. I will bribe, cajole, and threaten her to get my point across. Stefan can never know that your affair stretches back that far or he will start to ask questions. He is Giuseppe's son and that is final. Lilly is up to something and I don't like it."

"She will be surprised by threats from you. You're the nice brother," Ric joked.

"It only means that Lilly should take me seriously. She has caused enough discord in this family for one year. Giuseppe will be in the ground soon and we need to be a united front. I won't have her jerking our nephew around."

"The little bastard was really going to kill me. Maybe he is ready to step up," he said in a thoughtful voice.

"Maybe," he replied. "He's got heart. Let's go have dinner with our nephews."