Damon stood in the conservatory and looked out the window deep in thought. He had attended three funerals yesterday. The sadness and grief had taken a toll on his already unraveling emotional state. He sipped from the cup of coffee in his hand. He had resisted the temptation to add a little whiskey to his morning brew. Drinking hard liquor before 8 o'clock in the morning wasn't wise. Moreover, he had a busy day that required him to have a clear mind. Damon was glad that Rose would be by his side for most it. She always had a calming effect on him. Rose also knew how to defuse his normally quick temper. Damon would be leaving his father in Alaric's capable hands for the day. The new crime boss had focused on the illicit side of his family's empire yesterday. Today, Damon had to return to business as usual as not to attract unwanted attention.

He glanced at his watch and sighed deeply. He would need to leave soon if he planned to make Bonnie's appointment on time. He wanted to be there to support his wife. The ultrasound scheduled for that morning would likely confirm the genders of their twins. However, he was not delusional enough to believe that Bonnie really wanted him there. Somehow, Bonnie and Damon's conversations devolved into screaming matches whenever they were in the same room. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her any more stress. Stefan had described Bonnie as being in shambles when he visited with her Tuesday morning. The younger Salvatore also reported that Big John would be arriving a few days after Christmas. The Benedetto family was obviously circling the wagons around Bonnie.

The mobster did not know what magic his little brother had worked on his childhood friend. However, Bonnie had reluctantly agreed to join Damon for a counseling session Thursday. She also agreed to more sessions on the condition that the first wasn't a complete clusterfuck. It took some sweet-talking from Zacharias but Dr. Correa agreed to meet with the troubled couple outside of her normal hours. They had an appointment on the books for tomorrow at six o'clock. The doctor left the appointment open ended after Zacharias gave her a brief overview of the central issues. Damon was paying through the nose for this unorthodox arrangement but it was well worth it in his opinion.

He had spent the better part of yesterday evening using a variety of modern and arcane torture and interrogation techniques on Giuseppe. Damon had even gone as far as administering a staggering dose of sodium thiopental to coax the truth out of him. However, his father vehemently denied having ever raped Bonnie. Damon did not know if Giuseppe was telling the truth. The old bastard had dosed himself with an impressive array of drugs over the years to build a tolerance against them. It was possible that Giuseppe was somehow resisting the effects of the sodium thiopental. Nevertheless, Damon was beginning to think that perhaps his father was innocent of this crime. Eliminating Giuseppe as Bonnie's attacker widened the suspect pool—but only to a certain degree. The girl had lived a sheltered existence prior to marrying Damon. Her attacker was likely a member of the Benedetto or Salvatore organizations. Damon found himself trying to remember anyone that had paid a little too much attention to Bonnie.

As if Damon's plate weren't already filled to the brim, he suddenly had a toddler in his care. Caroline did all the heavy lifting, but he had spent three hours with Victor yesterday. They had spent the majority of that time watching cartoons in silence. However, Victor seemed to be slowly warming up to Damon. He wanted his little brother to feel comfortable in his new surroundings. They still had no idea if Sabine was going to survive her injuries. Even if she did manage to survive, it could be months before she was well enough to care for Victor. The Salvatore Manor was Victor's home for the time being.

He turned around upon hearing Rose's heels click against the polished marble floor. Damon said, "Good morning. I was beginning to think that you would be late."

Rose looked as impeccable as she always did despite the early start. She was wearing a cream Gucci dress with long sleeves. The dress might have looked plain on some women. However, Rose resembled a sexy librarian with her red lipstick, perfectly manicured fingernails, and six-inch pumps. She smiled primly. "I could hardly be late this morning. It is a very special day for you."

"I think what you mean to say is that you wouldn't miss this appointment because you plan to play referee," he replied without judgment. Damon knew that he had made a complete mess of things.

She smiled, "I did not say that."

He just smiled in response because they both knew it was the truth even if she was too polite to voice it this morning. "Thank you for being here. I know that I have ruined your holiday plans."

Rose rolled her eyes and hugged Damon. "You know how much I detest my family. Besides, you are paying me very well to spend the holidays with you."

"You are worth every penny," he replied in a heartfelt voice.

She held up a shopping bag to mask the concern she felt for her friend. She could not remember the last time she had seen Damon so subdued. Rose found this entire situation to be maddening. Bonnie and Damon were meant for each other even if they were too dense to see that now. She had watched them dance around one another for years.

Damon said, "I don't think Bonnie will be in the mood to receive any gifts from me this morning, Rose."

"No, I would not expect her to want anything from you at this juncture. However, these presents are for the both of you."

He placed his cup of coffee on a nearby table and then pulled one of the boxes from the bag. Damon examined the custom-made baby memory book. The name Bennett-Salvatore had been pressed onto the leather cover. Damon's lips turned up into a smile. "These are very nice, Rose."

"I thought the memory books would be a way for you to connect with Bonnie. I know that everything is in tatters right now but you are both excited about the babies," she explained.

Damon returned the gift to the bag. "Thank you. I am sure that Bonnie will love them."

"You are welcome. Are you ready to leave? Traffic on the freeway will be an absolute bear. You do not want to arrive late for this appointment," she said.

He glanced at his watch once more. Damon nodded and said, "I need to speak with Stefan before we leave. It will not take long."

Rose took the gift bag from him. "I will meet you outside."

The two friends exited the conservatory together and then went in different directions. Damon walked toward the kitchen where he expected to find one of his younger brothers. Instead, he found both of them at the table sporting serious cases of bed head. Victor was perched on Stefan's knee staring at a tablet. "Hey…"

Stefan and Victor's heads popped up at nearly the same time. The older of the two nodded in greeting. "Hey. I thought you would be gone by now."

Damon walked over to the table and sat across from his brothers. He said, "I am about to leave in a few minutes. I was just waiting on Rose to show up. What are the two of you doing?"

"We're watching an episode of Babar en Francais while we wait for breakfast. I think that maybe Victor is so quiet because he feels more comfortable speaking French. He seems to be enjoying it so far. I have downloaded several French cartoons to give him some variety. A man can't live on Babar alone."

The older man shook his head because it was yet another thing they did not know about Victor. Giuseppe had done them all a disservice by hiding the child's existence. Their younger brother obviously spoke and understood English—despite the limited vocabulary of a toddler. It had never occurred to Damon that Sabine might have been raising Victor in a multilingual home. The elder Salvatore brothers had been raised in a home where English, Italian, and French were spoken with equal frequency. However, Damon remembered Lilly often comforting him in French when he was very young. "Good job, little brother."

He said, "Actually, Bonnie gave me the idea of trying this when we spoke yesterday. I told her how quiet Victor was being and she wondered if perhaps French was his primary language."

Damon smiled at the mention of Bonnie. He directed his attention to Victor. "Es tu bon garcon pour Stefan?"

Victor looked up from the screen and smiled at Damon. He nodded his head and went back to watching the cartoon.

Damon chuckled softly. "He also might be on the quiet side because he likes sucking his thumb. Taking it out to speak is kind of a hassle."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Stefan argued.

The older man smiled wryly. Stefan had sucked his thumb until he was five years old and could be a little sensitive about it. He held up his hands in mock surrender. "I didn't say that there was anything wrong with that. Just try to keep him from touching the puppies and then putting his thumb in his mouth."

Stefan winced in disgust. "I'll make sure to inform the nannies to sanitize his hands often."

Damon asked, "What are you doing today?"

The younger man said, "I will probably hang out with the kids for most of the day. Caroline will be busy with work. She and Liz have a massive Christmas party to manage tonight."

"The uncles' flight is scheduled to land around 3 o'clock. I don't know if I will be able to get away from work to meet them," he explained.

Stefan shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Damon. Uncle Zach already made all the arrangements to have them picked up from the airport and brought here. Caroline instructed the staff to prepare their old rooms. She even asked Sophie to prepare Zio Bruno's favorite meal. We have everything covered here. Go handle your business."

Damon was relieved that everyone was helping him juggle his responsibilities. "Call me if anything comes up, Stefan."

"I will."

Damon stood up and ruffled Victor's shaggy brown hair. "Au revoir, Victor."

The little boy looked up once more. He removed his thumb for a moment. In a tiny voice, he said, "Salut."

A broad grin spread across Damon's face. He looked at his brothers for a second longer before heading out to the car.

The guard opened Damon's door as he approached the car. "Good morning, sir."

"Morning," Damon replied as he climbed into the car. He glanced over at Rose. "I need for you to get a bunch of French language stuff suitable for someone Victor's age…preferable before Christmas morning."

Rose nodded and added the item to her growing to-do list. Her duties had expanded since Damon and Bonnie were on the outs. He also had her playing go between with Katherine. Rose didn't mind playing the role if it helped her friend avoid unnecessary temptation. She said, "I will get on that immediately, Damon. Your brother will have a splendid first Christmas with your family. You will, too."

The driver pulled away from the Salvatore Manor.

He huffed, "Don't make promises that you can't keep. There is every chance this will be an absolute disaster. I don't even know if I will see both of my daughters on Christmas."

She said, "Of course you will see Sarah and Nadia on Christmas Day, Damon. I have already made arrangements with Katherine and Bonnie. I will pick up both girls at 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon. You will have them for the rest of the day. The girls are allowed to spend the night at the manor if they want."

Damon shouldn't have been shocked because Rose always had his back when he needed her most. However, he had not been expecting that. "How in the hell did you pull that off?"

"Well, Bonnie's family is celebrating the holiday on Christmas Eve. The only plan for Christmas Day is to open presents and have brunch. She thought Sarah spending the day with your family was a good idea," she explained.

He said, "I can't imagine that Katherine was so easily convinced."

She laughed softly. "Katherine is trying to get on your good side. I am sure that she is hoping that a little good will on her part will inspire you to loosen the purse strings. However, I think the deciding factor was Nadia. She is eager to spend more time with you. She is also quite excited to meet Stefan and Caroline's twins."

Damon reached over and took Rose's hand. He placed a kiss across her knuckles and murmured, "Thank you."

"I am only doing my job."

He smiled. "I think we both know that this is above and beyond your job description."

Rose shook her head and said, "I meant my job as your friend. I am supposed to help pick you up whenever you are down. You would do and have done the very same for me."

He chuckled. "You have never fucked up your life to quite this degree."

"No, but Trevor nearly did," she replied solemnly.

Damon's expression turned more serious, too. "Being related to an idiot is not a flaw in your character. It is merely a quirk of DNA."

"That is true enough but I was a fool to allow Trevor to drag me down with him. You saved both of us when you were not obligated to do anything."

He smiled and squeezed Rose's hand before letting it go. He had called in many favors to make Trevor's problems disappear. Damon had been willing to allow the idiot to suffer the consequences for crossing the Mikaelsons. However, everything had changed once Rose was drawn into the fray.

It was quiet on the ride to the medical complex where Dr. Huerta's office was located. Damon was trying to ignore the knot twisting in his stomach. He hated himself for hoping that both twins were girls. He knew it was unfair to trap Bonnie in their marriage out of necessity alone. However, he just needed more time to figure out their relationship. He couldn't see divorcing Bonnie when he didn't even know her. If Damon was being honest, he had hid a great deal of himself from her, too. He couldn't imagine a scenario where Bonnie could truly love someone covered in as much blood as he was. Giuseppe's taunts had been meant to scare Damon. Instead he found himself more intrigued.

Damon climbed out of the car when the driver opened the door for him. He waited on the curb for Rose to join him before they walked into the building. The friends were walking to the elevator when Damon saw Abby headed in his direction.

The older woman flashed a winning smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hello."

"Hi, Abby," Damon said in greeting.

Rose said, "Hi, Ms. Bennett. How are you?"

"I am absolutely bubbling with excitement," she replied.

Rose said, "I think that we all are. This is a perfect Christmas gift."

Abby nodded in agreement. She looked at her son-in-law. "Can I have a quick word with you over here for a moment?"

Damon looked at Rose. "I'll meet you at the elevator."

Abby linked arms with the younger man and led him over to a deserted corner of the large lobby. "How are you doing?"

He lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Do you really care?"

Abby didn't take offense to his blunt question. She said, "I care about you, Damon. I also care about my little girl. Today is supposed to be a happy one for her. She has had such a difficult pregnancy up to this point. This appointment is meant to be a new chapter of her pregnancy—a better one. If you can't help foster a positive environment, then I suggest you turn around and leave."

"I am not here to argue with Bonnie or upset her. I just want to support my wife and learn what we are having. I know that everything has been crazy but I am happy about this pregnancy, Abby," he swore.

She nodded and pulled him into a hug. She whispered, "If you ruin this for my daughter, I will gut you like a fish and leave you to bleed out in the parking garage."

Damon pulled back from the hug to see if Abby's threat had been made in jest. However, her hazel eyes reminded him of sharpened blades. He said, "You have my word."

Abby smiled and smoothed her hand over his charcoal gray jacket. "This is a nice color on you. You look very handsome this morning."

"Thank you…" he said.

She linked arms with Damon once more and walked to the elevator with him. "Bonnie is already in the examination room. The nurse decided to collect all the samples for the lab work before the appointment since we were here so early."

"Will today just be the ultrasound then?" he asked. Despite having two daughters, Damon had never actually been to an OB/GYN appointment. He didn't really know what to expect.

Abby nodded as they stepped onto the elevator. "Dr. Huerta will get a look at the twins to make sure they are developing properly. He is going to look for any abnormalities. Hopefully, they will both be in the right position to determine the sexes."

"Abnormalities?" he repeated in an alarmed voice.

The older woman offered a genuine smile this time. She said, "It is a normal procedure, Damon. There is no reason to think that the twins aren't perfectly healthy. Bonnie has an entire team of medical professionals monitoring her health in concert. The concierge medical service she retained sends over a nurse every day to check her blood pressure and glucose levels. That information gets shared with Dr. Huerta so that everyone is in the loop."

Damon felt marginally better but he was still concerned. He would not be satisfied until Dr. Huerta gave clean bills of health to Bonnie and the twins.

They exited the elevator when it reached the correct floor. There were only a few people in the waiting room since it was so early.

Matt was sitting in a position where he could monitor the elevator and the stairwell. He would have a sight line for everyone arriving and leaving the floor. He nodded respectfully when he saw Damon.

Abby said, "Bonnie is in examination room six. It is around the corner to ensure her privacy."

"Aren't you coming with me?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I am going to stay here in the waiting room. Bonnie thought it was important for the two of you to share this moment alone. She will invite me back once the appointment is finished. I will not miss an opportunity to see my grandchildren in 4D for the first time."

"Oh, okay," he uttered. He turned to look at Rose.

She gave him an encouraging smile. "Well, go on. I want to know if I am going to have nieces, nephews, or one of each."

Abby laughed softly. "Well, Sarah is hoping for girls."

"Is she?" Damon asked. He hated that it was something he didn't know. Sarah had learned about the pregnancy while he was in Milazzo. Bonnie had explained everything to their daughter without his help.

"She is also hoping for three babies…take that for what you will," Abby added with an amused smile.

Damon's blue eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "That's not actually a possibility, right? I mean Dr. Huerta is certain that Bonnie is only pregnant with twins."

Abby and Rose both laughed at his priceless expression. He looked horrified.

The older woman nodded. "Dr. Huerta is quite sure. But Sarah insists that if there are two babies in her mama's tummy then there can be three or four."

Rose chuckled softly. She said, "Theoretically she is right..."

Abby said, "True but it looks as if her papa might pass out right here."

Damon cleared his throat and started down the hall. Abby was joking but he might actually pass out if Bonnie was pregnant with triplets. He didn't know how they would manage with twins. Damon was barely keeping his head above water with Sarah and now Nadia.

He stopped in front of the examination room. Damon took a deep breath before he knocked on the door. "It's me, Bonnie."

"Come in," she called out.

Damon walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He stood there a moment completely taken by Bonnie's beauty. She was barely wearing any makeup but there was this glow about her. He said, "Hey."

"Hi," she replied.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I am okay. What about you?"

He hated the awkwardness between them. "I am good. I am excited to see this ultrasound. Your mom told me that it was 4D. I don't even know what that is."

She said, "I have seen some YouTube videos of 4D ultrasounds and the detail is amazing. It's not grainy like the images from the regular machines."

"Really?" he asked. Damon pulled out his phone to search for videos.

Bonnie motioned to a stool that was pushed into the corner. "You can bring that over here if you want to sit down. We might be waiting for a few minutes. I was anxious so I got here really early for my appointment."

He smiled. "Abby mentioned that, too. At least you got all of the blood work done. Are you still afraid of needles?"

She frowned at him. "No."

Damon pulled the stool over and sat beside the table. He smirked. "Really?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Mama held my hand but it was more for her benefit than mine."

"I'm sure it was," he replied. Damon studied a video on his phone. He stared at the screen in awe then turned it to Bonnie. "This is what we are going to see?"

She nodded. Bonnie couldn't help but smile every time she thought of seeing their babies clearly for the first time. "Yep. Cool, right?"

"Definitely…" He asked, "Where is Sarah?"

Bonnie said, "She was still asleep when I left the house. Lucy is watching the kids while Mama and I are here."

"Uh, I talked to Rose about Christmas this morning. Thank you."

She shrugged. "Sarah should be able to enjoy both sides of her family for Christmas. She shouldn't suffer because we are…whatever we are."

"You're still my wife, Bunny. I am not willing to give up on us," he replied.

"Why not? We only got along because I spent my time pretending to be someone else. I swallowed all the pain and the anger just to make it through the day. I don't want to live like that anymore. I also don't want fight with you all the time. It is exhausting and pointless."

Damon took her hand. "I have to believe there is a middle ground."

"What if there isn't?" she asked. "The history between our families suggests that this marriage was always destined to fail. We are like oil and fire when you put us together-combustible."

He shook his head. "I don't believe that because we aren't them. Can you imagine Giuseppe ever going to counseling? Can you imagine Ric doing that? I am doing it because you are worth it."

Bonnie looked away from the earnest expression on his face. "You can't know that. If this is about the kids, we will find a way to be healthy co-parents. I won't try to keep them away from you."

Damon tilted Bonnie's chin up so that she was looking at him. "This is about you, Bonnie. I love you. You know about the other women I have seen in the past. None of them have ever compared to you. Maybe I don't know everything about you but you weren't faking everything."

Dr. Huerta knocked on the door and then entered the room. "Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore."

Bonnie was relieved that the doctor arrived before they could delve any deeper into their issues. She replied, "Morning."

Damon stood up and shook the doctor's hand. "Good morning, Dr. Huerta."

The older man stopped by the hand sanitizer dispenser before returning to the exam table. "How are you feeling today?"

"I feel good. I am just nervous."

He made sure that everything was set up before putting on his gloves. "It is completely natural to feel a little nervous but I assure that this is just a routine checkup. Are the two of you ready to get a sneak peek of your little ones?"

Bonnie nodded. "Yes."

Dr. Huerta smiled, "Lift your sweater up for me, please."

She rolled the red cashmere sweater up until it rested just beneath her breasts. Then she unbuttoned her black leather pants so that her stomach was completely exposed. There was a small, but noticeable swell to her stomach.

Damon stared at the swell in awe. He couldn't believe how much her body had changed in just a few weeks.

The doctor said, "This might be a little cold."

Bonnie smiled. "I know…"

He squirted some conductive gel on Bonnie's stomach before grabbing the transducer. He moved the transducer over Bonnie's stomach until he had a good angle on the twins. "And there they are."

Bonnie tried to blink away the tears that welled up in her eyes. However, it was a losing battle.

Damon looked away from the screen when he heard Bonnie sniffle. He used his thumb to wipe away her tears. "What's wrong, Bunny?"

"I am fine. I am just happy," she whispered. Bonnie had been terrified for weeks that her body would be unable to sustain this pregnancy. However, she could see with her own eyes that her babies were thriving inside her womb.

"I am, too," Damon replied.

The parents listened closely as Dr. Huerta explained that the twins were developing on schedule. Their fetal size was within the normal range for their gestational age. Moreover, all of their organs looked normal. He didn't see any abnormalities or defects that would put the pregnancy at risk. The doctor took the time to point out the twins' developing organs to the anxious parents. He then studied the placenta, amniotic fluid, and uterus to determine their overall health.

Dr. Huerta said, "I have left you both in suspense long enough. Would you like to know the sex of your babies?"

Bonnie looked at Damon. "Do you want to know? We didn't really get a chance to discuss it."

He nodded. "Sure. I mean…I do if you want to know."

Bonnie said, "I definitely want to know. I have been waiting on pins and needles all week for this."

Damon smiled and said, "Go ahead, Doc."

"If you look right here, you will see that Baby A is a little boy. And right here we have Baby B who is a girl. She is just a little bit smaller than her brother is. Congratulations," he said.

Bonnie felt so many emotions all at once. She was elated that her children were healthy. She was also happy that one of the twins was a boy. They had an heir and her duty to the Benedetto and Salvatore families would be complete once he was born. "A boy and a girl," she said in an astonished tone.

Damon's feelings were all over the map, too. He was grateful that Bonnie and his children were healthy despite all of the stress and trauma. Damon was thrilled to be having a son to carry on his name and legacy. He was happy to add yet another girl to the family. He thought it was a great change after growing up in a house filled with boys. Sarah had brought unimaginable joy to his life. Damon felt certain that this little girl would do the same. However, there was also the crushing fear lingering in the back of his mind. Bonnie would have no need of him as soon as their son was born. He kissed the top of her head. "You are amazing, kid."

She shook her head. "I'm not doing anything."

Damon said, "You are doing everything. I mean look at them. Our babies are growing inside of you. I am so proud of you."

Bonnie was taken aback by Damon's sincerity. She smiled a little. "Well, I didn't do this alone."

Damon returned her smile but they both knew that was a lie. The only positive thing he had contributed to this pregnancy was his sperm.

Dr. Huerta asked, "Would you like to hear their heartbeats?"

Bonnie nodded eagerly. "Yes, please."

Soon twin heartbeats filled them room.