Damon could not deny that he had been exceedingly anxious in the preceding days. He had convinced Bonnie and Katherine to allow his daughters to spend the three-day weekend with him. The mere thought of being responsible for three children under the age of eight-years-old was daunting. However, it was important that the three of them formed a healthy relationship while they were still young. Damon was especially concerned about his daughters that lived with their mothers full-time. He needed to ensure that the girls always remembered that they were in fact Salvatores. He was excited to spend time with his daughters and younger brother. Fortunately, living in the Salvatore Manor meant having family members, nannies, maids, and guards to lend a helping hand. Damon would have plenty of back up if necessary.

This was Damon's first time being a single parent. When Sarah first came into his life, Caroline stepped up to help him. Then he married Bonnie who seamlessly assumed the role of Sarah's mother. She took over the lion's share of their daughter's care without complaint. Damon was present when he had the time but he didn't bear much of the responsibility. He would play with Sarah and read to her, but Bonnie handled everything else. This week, he decided to ask Zacharias for child rearing advice. His uncle was a good husband and an even better father. His children varied greatly in ages, but he always managed to connect with them. Damon could be headstrong about many things but he was willing to listen when it came doing the right by Sarah, Victor, and Nadia. They all deserved his best effort.

Zacharias had wisely advised Damon to plan several activities over the weekend. It would help structure the children's time so that they wouldn't run roughshod over him. The weekend was only a few hours old but it had been successful so far. Damon picked up his daughters after leaving work a couple hours early. Then he took Victor and the girls to an indoor trampoline playground. Stefan, Caroline, and their children had joined the excursion. The children had a blast and were dead tired when they finally left the playground. Once home they ate dinner, then Damon allowed a nanny to get them bathed and ready for bed. He got roped into reading several stories before the kids fell asleep. Nevertheless, he felt good about the time they had spent together.

Currently, Damon sat behind his desk with a pinched expression. He had honored his role of a father to his daughters and a father figure to his younger brother. Now it was the business that sorely needed his attention like an unruly child. Damon and Bonnie were on the same page about the children. However, there was still a power struggle happening within Velocita. The struggle grew more tense each day. Damon could see how factions were forming within the executive ranks. He also knew that his wife had been schmoozing the voting shareholders. Next Friday she was hosting a charity event at Hayley's gallery. Elijah was kind enough to lift the guest list from his wife's computer. As Damon suspected, Bonnie had invited dozens of influential people from Velocita. She had also invited several venture capitalists and tech moguls from Silicon Valley.

Zacharias was able to grease the right palms and learned Bonnie's plan. The young woman wisely sought to make Ayana a more attractive prospect for CEO by teasing an influx of new investor dollars and cutting edge technology. The simple truth was innovation within the company was lacking. Other car manufacturers were beginning to outpace them. It wouldn't be long before that was reflected in the company's bottom line. Bonnie blamed the company's lack of innovation on Damon and Zacharias. She believed that BTS had become stunted since merging with Velocita four years ago. Bonnie was not wrong in her assessment but she was also being unfair. Merging two companies of that size had been a tedious affair. It was made more difficult because of the speed at which it happened. Sheila's death meant the merger happened in months. However, the successful integration and synthesization of two massive multinational corporations could take several years.

Damon could put that argument before the voting shareholders and some might agree with him. He also knew that there were others that would only be concerned with the dollars and cents of the matter. Moreover, there were also Benedetto shareholders that would side with Bonnie out of hand. Damon had not been idle during these early weeks of January. He had been consolidating his power within the company and amassing allies. Damon had worked diligently to ensure the Salvatore shareholders would support him. He also stopped the hemorrhage of voting shares by offering to buy them for more than market value. Damon hated this boardroom intrigue but he wasn't about to roll over for Bonnie. Losing the CEO position would be a major blow for his family. The prospect of losing that sort of power made him understand Bonnie's point of view. She had been watching someone else run her family's company with no input from her for years.

Damon watched Alaric refill his glass for a second time. He sincerely hoped that they wouldn't have to send his uncle to rehab. He needed Ric helping him navigate his new role as boss of the family. However, a sloppy alcoholic unable to control himself was useful to no one. Damon was limiting his own intake for that very reason. His hedonistic ways ended when he killed Giuseppe. He no longer had a safety net to catch him.

Zacharias shared a knowing look with his nephews. They were all concerned about Ric's drinking. They had been monitoring him for a few weeks and insisted that he cut back. The concern was so great that their uncle, Bruno, opted against returning to Milazzo. His stay was now indefinite so that he could help keep Ric in line. Uncle Giacomo would return if they had to send Ric to rehab.

Ric turned around and found the three men looking at him. He growled, "Fuck off. This is only my second drink of the night."

Stefan lifted an eyebrow and retorted, "It's only the second drink you have had in the office. You had a couple glasses of whiskey with dinner…"

He gave a mutinous scowl and asked, "Are you counting my drinks you little bastard?"

Damon and Stefan answered simultaneously. "Yes!"

Ric sat heavily on the couch. He grumbled, "I'm drinking and then going to bed. I stay sober during the day."

"That's true," his younger brother conceded.

The raven haired mobster rolled his eyes. He didn't feel like parenting his uncle but he would do it. He picked up a folder and handed it to Zach. "Before we get down to business, I received Victor's evaluation today."

"And?" asked Ric with some concern.

He still had trouble believing that Giuseppe had kept Victor from the family. They knew next to nothing about the child and his mother wasn't capable of filling in the blanks. Damon had taken Victor for a physical that determined he was asthmatic and a bit undersized for his age. However, they had been waiting for the assessment of his development, too.

Zach skimmed the written report to pick up the highlights.

Damon said, "His score fell into the superior range but that could change if he's tested again in a few years. Because of Victor's age he was only tested on five of fifteen subsets so the results are somewhat incomplete."

The younger Salvatore brother flashed a proud smile. "That's still good news. Victor is just quiet and there is nothing wrong with that."

Ric said, "Let me see the results."

Zach obliged his brother's gruff demand. "I am glad that you went through with this, Damon. It is better that we know everything possible about Victor. Will he join the other children in the homeschool classroom?"

"I was thinking that he should. Victor is old enough for preschool. Besides, I wouldn't want him to feel left out when the other kids are learning," Damon mused aloud.

Stefan suggested, "We should hire another tutor. I want someone that is fluent in French. Victor's education shouldn't suffer because he transitions between English and French so often."

They had four tutors that taught the Salvatore children. However, the only bilingual tutor spoke English and Spanish. They had hired her at the beginning of the school year when Lucian expressed an interest in Spanish. At 12-years-old he was Zach's eldest son and the oldest child in the house.

Zach replied, "I think that is a great idea. I'll take care of it."

Damon hummed in agreement. "I've been talking to Katherine about allowing Nadia to be homeschooled here, too. She's been learning French her entire life. I would like her to continue that."

Stefan smiled a little. He knew that Lilly would love to know that Nadia spoke French. She had been touched to learn that Stefan and Damon still spoke French fluently. She had assumed that her sons had lost all connection to their heritage after she fled the country. Giuseppe had always been dismissive of the French side of Lilly's family. Frankly, he only married her because Domenico had coveted her father's political connections.

Zach hummed in agreement. "It is better for children to learn a second language when they are young. Easier…"

Ric snorted. "They should all be learning Italian. You know how easy it is to lose the connection to the old world, Zacharias."

The man was inclined to agree with his brother, barring is sour attitude. Speaking Italian was essential to doing business in Milazzo. It was bad enough that Damon didn't possess a deep abiding love for the birthplace of their forefathers. His nephew enjoyed visiting Milazzo but he was decidedly American and preferred to spend his time here.

Damon ignored his uncle's attitude and said, "We can do that, too. Right, Zio?"

He nodded. "I'll find someone that can teach the kids Italian, too. Most of them know common phrases but...you're right about the need for fluency."

Damon asked, "Are you done bitching now?"

"Do you want me to drag Zio out of his bed? He can tell you that I'm right," Ric griped.

"I just said you had a fucking point! If you are looking for a fight you can go to bed, too," Damon snapped.

Zacharias shook his head. "He's just in a bad mood because Jo and the twins went to Abby's house for dinner tonight. He saw the pictures on Instagram."

Damon's expression softened a little. "Shit...I didn't know. I'm sorry. Have you talked to Jo or Abby?"

Ric glared but his pain was obvious. His children wanted nothing to do with him. The mothers of his children wanted nothing to do with him. Lilly wanted to offer him a port in the storm but he knew better. He didn't hate her the way that Damon and Zach did, but he didn't trust her. Ric knew that she was up to something. He just hadn't figured out what yet.

He said, "I'm picking up Cooper and Savannah tomorrow. But Abby said that she won't make Jamie spend time with me until he's ready. He's been responding to my messages so...that's something. Lizzie and Josie have been responding to my messages, too."

Zach nodded. "I know this is a bitter pill to swallow, Ric. But the girls are teenagers and Jamie is nearly there, too. You add normal teenage angst to this situation and it is a recipe for chaos. It is better to take it slowly instead of demanding what you want. They haven't shut you out completely and that is a good sign."

"You're right...I just miss my kids," he replied sullenly. "Anyway, we aren't here to talk about my fucked up life. What's happening with Velocita?"

Damon said, "We have pulled even with Bonnie for votes but...it is going to get ugly if we take this in front of shareholders. Internal turmoil like this is bad for business. Velocita is too important to both of our families to allow this to become a protracted fight. I think it would be better to offer Bonnie a deal."

Ric frowned. "Is that wise? The girl has been kicking your ass since December."

He snorted. "You don't need to remind me of that. But part of being the boss is doing what is best for everyone. A pyrrhic victory does nothing for me. I'll just come out looking small and irresponsible."

Zach smiled at his nephew with a sense of pride. "What did you have in mind, nipote?"

Damon rolled his eyes at Zach. He asked, "How do you feel about sharing the CEO position with Ayana?"

Zach was taken aback by the suggestion. "That is a unique solution to our problem. Dual CEOs aren't unheard of but it's certainly not common place. I have worked with Ayana frequently since the merger. We have a good working relationship. I would even say that we are friends."

Ric lifted an eyebrow. "Or she's been playing you the way Abby and Bonnie played us…"

Stefan said, "Maybe but Zio doesn't have the habit of being a complete asshole."

Damon chuckled at his younger brother. "You have a point. You and Uncle Zach are well liked by the Benedettos. They have real reasons for hating our family...it's not just hostility for hostility's sake."

Zach said, "I would be willing to try it to keep the peace. Besides, I will do anything that helps the company...you know that, Damon. Do you think that Bonnie will go for it?"

"Bonnie might not like me but she wouldn't sabotage Velocita. Rejecting my compromise would be tantamount to sabotage...I would certainly present it to the board and shareholders that way."

Watching Bonnie settle her family's disputes with her own two hands had been an eye opening experience. It was the last push that Damon needed to abandon his former view of her. She was not the little girl that chased Stefan through these halls once upon a time. Bonnie was a skilled killer that had been hardened by life. She had a mind for the business but was wise enough to lean on those who knew more. Bonnie also wasn't opposed to learning from the more seasoned individuals in her life. Damon now understood that he had to treat her as his equal or she would try to bury him. Ultimately, he had walked away from the experience with a morbid sense of pride. Bonnie was deserving of her position as boss of the Benedetto family. He even found himself feeling a form of gratitude towards Giuseppe. The old man had manys flaws, but the best thing he ever did was arrange the marriage between Damon and Bonnie. In many ways, the estranged couple were mirror images of each other. He was even more dedicated to winning back Bonnie.

Zacharias nodded and said, "I think it is a reasonable proposal. It will give us an opportunity to see if Bonnie can be reasonable where our family is concerned. Can we be partners or is the animus too great?"

"I think that Bunny will agree to the proposal. She has a lot on her plate. This would lighten her load while still netting a win. Besides, her complaints about Velocita aren't unfounded. R&D hasn't received nearly as much attention as it should. Just looking at the yearly expenditures from before and after the merger bears that out. The company has been too focused on our end of the business. We haven't made full use of BTS," Stefan replied.

Damon nodded in agreement. "After the merger, I was worried about screwing up. I leaned into the aspects of the business that I knew best. Taking a big swing with R&D would have led to profit loss if it was unsuccessful. I knew Giuseppe had only granted me the position because I agreed to the marriage arrangement. I was expecting him to depose me the moment I faltered."

Zach sighed but nodded. He loved his older brother but Giuseppe had been waiting for his son to fail. He had been furious when Damon was successful. Giuseppe despised the idea of relinquishing any amount of power. That should have been their first hint that he wouldn't retire from the mob peacefully. In those early days, Zach had worked non-stop with his nephew to ensure he didn't fail.

Ric asked, "When are you going to suggest this compromise to Bonnie?"

"I was thinking I would bring it up Sunday at lunch. It is a casual setting and we're usually in a good mood," he replied.

Bonnie had honored her promise to have lunch with Damon and the kids every Sunday after Mass. The first two meetings had been pleasant. Bonnie was even kind to Nadia despite her hatred of Katherine. However, Damon struggled to stay civil after learning that Tyler and Bonnie were going out on real dates. He had people keeping an eye on his wife without her knowledge. However, he refused to let their relationship troubles interfere with family time.

Besides, Elena had been diligently working on their scheme. Several members of her family and close friends suspected that she was pregnant. She planned to break the news to Tyler this weekend. Abby was hosting a send-off party for Big John tomorrow evening. The man had been stateside for over three weeks at this point. It was past time for him to return home. However, he had waited until he felt that his family was safe here.

Damon and Elena both agreed that confronting Tyler while he was at Big John's party would have the biggest impact. The mobster was also hoping that the big reveal would turn some of the Benedetto family against Tyler. Certainly, they wouldn't be eager for Bonnie to be in another relationship with a man who had a complicated situation with his ex-girlfriend. Damon was just pleased that Angelo had found a doctor willing to participate in this farce.

Stefan said, "I think that's a good idea. You need to remind Bonnie that our families don't have to be enemies. It's better for everyone involved if we show a united front."

Zach said, "Speaking of united fronts...how goes things up north, Ric?"

Ric said, "Elijah sent Klaus up north to shut down the Dezerians' little business. He racked up a body count and sent them scattering back in December. They haven't been as brazen but something is happening."

Damon tapped his pen against the desk. "There have been some skirmishes between our people and them. They have been peddling their heroin different places all over the state. They haven't set up shop anywhere specific."

Zach nodded. "The Dezerians are obviously testing the waters with both organizations. They want to know what they can get away with under your rule."

Damon darkly replied, "They will find that I have an even lower tolerance for bullshit than Giuseppe did. Once Big John is safely back in Milazzo, I want more of our attention focused on shutting down this bullshit with the Dezerians."

Damon had wisely been keeping a close eye on Bonnie and her family since Giuseppe's funeral. Until the confrontation at the beach house, he hadn't realized just how much they hated his family. Bonnie was angry with him but she didn't have a desire to kill him. He knew the same probably wasn't true for Big John and his sons. He wouldn't feel better until there was an ocean between them again.

Ric said, "I'll take care of this, Damon. You have my word on that."

Damon knew that Alaric was having a difficult time with his family. However, he had always been able to count on his uncle on business matters. Frankly, crushing the competition would serve as a great release valve. He nodded. "Thank you. Have we got an update from Uncle Jackie?"

Giacomo had returned to Milazzo to maintain order. Things were in upheaval now that the Loiaconos had officially left the Salvatore organization. Damon was concerned that other crews might try to follow suit. He also didn't believe that Bonnie had truly revealed all the moles in his organization. It would be foolish to waste decades of work put in by her great-grandmother and grandmother. Damon was certain that his wife wasn't foolish when it came to the business.

Zach nodded. "Everything has been quiet thus far but that could change when Big John returns home. Bonnie was pulling his strings here but he's the boss across the ocean. We'll have to see what moves he makes-if any. However, I'm hoping that his friendship with Zio will keep the peace. There's never been any bad blood between them to our knowledge."

Damon hoped that Zach was right. However, they had learned that the Benedettos were fond of the long game. They had been waging a silent war against the Salvatores for decades all because his grandfather was a racist son of a bitch. However, Damon got the distinct feeling that it was more than that. Emily was a woman of color in a powerful position, she had to be used to people disrespecting her. Damon's grandfather must have done something beyond the pale. He wondered if her family knew the whole story or if they had been blindly following her orders from beyond grave. In anycase, Giuseppe using Sheila as a punching bag for years would probably be enough to keep the feuding brewing long after Emily's death. Damon certainly hadn't helped matters by treating Bonnie poorly. He had unwittingly reinforced her family's beliefs about his.

Stefan asked, "Do we need to send some of our guys in from surrounding areas to make sure we keep control of the situation?"

Damon frowned and said, "No, Big John could take it as an act of aggression. But I think there's nothing wrong with having them ready for anything."

"I'll talk to Uncle Jackie about it. He'll know which crews to call in for support if necessary. When things are settled here, we'll need to take a trip over, Damon," Zach declared.

"You're right," the raven-haired mobster agreed. "I'm the boss now. I think it would be smart to visit Milazzo a couple times a year. The old man had the right way of it. I should have done this before now but I was…"

"Young," Ric offered.

"Arrogant," Zach added with a smile. He was proud that Damon saw the errors in his ways.

Stefan said, "Dismissive."

Damon glared a this brother. "I don't see you running to visit Milazzo."

Stefan shrugged with a smirk. "I'm wasn't the heir."

He snorted in reply. "Is there anything else that I need to know?"

Zach cleared his throat and glanced at his older brother. "Bonnie has hired a top flight security company. They will be starting Monday morning. She is also in the market for a new house. Actually, she's looking for an estate. She's planning for her mother and siblings to move in with her."

Damon and Stefan immediately looked at Ric cautiously.

Ric's jaw clenched a few times and the grip on his glass tightened. Finally, his shoulders slumped in defeat. He said, "I've been expecting something like this. There's no way that Abby's family would allow her to continue living in a house that I bought. Not after...not after what happened. I'm shocked that she isn't taking the kids to Milazzo. It's not like I have the legal right to stop her."

Zach put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

Damon rubbed at his temples. Bonnie buying a large home was bad news for him, too. It would be that much harder to get her back home. He asked, "Any idea where she's looking?"

"Yes, she's looking in the same general area where Abby is living now. She doesn't want to move so far away from Jamie and Cooper's private school," Zach explained.

He nodded and then glanced at his watch. He sighed, "We should get ready to leave, Zio. I don't want to be late to our meeting with the padre."

Zacharias nodded but he suspected that Damon merely wanted to distract himself. Father Kieran was booked into a penthouse suite at the Claiborne on their dime. The man would be there to answer Damon's questions whenever he arrived. He motioned for Stefan to follow him out the room.

Stefan walked out the office and looked at his uncle expectantly.

"You keep an eye on Ric while we are gone. Don't let him leave this house. Do you understand?" he said.

He nodded. "I'll keep an eye on him, Zio. I promise."

Zach ruffled the younger man's hair.

Stefan rolled his eyes and batted Zach's hands away.

Zach chuckled as Damon walked out the office. "I'll call to check in later."

Damon clapped his brother on the back. "Keep an ear out for the kids, yeah?"

"Yes," he said with a huff.

Damon chuckled and walked out to the waiting car. He climbed into the backseat with Zacharias and tried to relax. He felt anxious about talking to Father Kieran. Damon could think of many terrible moments in his life but somewhere near the top was that counseling session with Bonnie. Hearing his wife talk about some man assaulting her made him sick to his stomach. What's worse was that she had kept it a secret in fear of his reaction. She truly thought that he would shun her because she had been 'spoiled' in some way. Damon hated that she felt that way, but he realized there were many who would have taken that view. However, he wasn't one of those people. He knew something about being vulnerable to the whims of someone's demons. Damon had seen Dr. Correa just last week to discuss his own demons. He was grateful that the psychiatrist was willing to see him again after the last debacle.

He asked, "Is Father Kieran willing to play ball with us?"

Zach looked up from his phone and nodded. "He's named his price and we'll pay it."

Damon scoffed. "So much for the seal of confession. What does the good father want?"

"A not insignificant donation."

"To his pockets?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Zach chuckled, "Father Kieran might not be what the Vatican would call a good priest but he isn't craven. He genuinely wants us to donate to a worthy charity. I checked out the charity and it's on the up and up."

Damon snorted, "Do gooder."

"Someone has to be," he replied sagely.

"I suppose you have a point," Damon muttered.

When they arrived, Zacharias and Damon took the elevator up to Father Kieran's suite. The elder of the two men knocked on the door.

Father Kieran opened the door and waved the men inside.

Zacharias said, "Thank you for seeing us, Kieran."

The man walked to the couch and sat down. "Well, you flew me out here first class, Zacharias."

He sat down and said, "That I did…"

Damon unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat in the armchair. "My uncle explained the situation you. Yes?"

Kieran said, "You are interested in confessions given by your wife some years ago."

He nodded.

"Well, I am sorry to disappoint you but I didn't hear those confessions. I heard many confessions from Bonnie when she was a little girl. However, during that summer I had relinquished those duties to another priest."

Damon's eyes hardened. He spat, "And you decided it was wise to waste my time, Father?"

Kieran chuckled, "The impatience of youth. I would not have brokered a deal with your uncle if I couldn't be of some assistance. I did not hear young Bonnie's confessions that summer but Father Finn did. He came to me with a dilemma. He told me that a young parishioner was being abused by an adult male. He left out all identifying information to avoid violating the seal of confession...which is punishable by excommunication. I never knew the girl's identity until Zacharias contacted me."

Zacharias had not been expecting that revelation. The Mikaelsons had been their allies for years. He couldn't believe that Finn had kept something so important a secret...vows or not.

Damon looked downright murderous.

Kieran continued, "Finn came to me for advice on the matter. He could not break the seal of confession but he wanted to help this girl. He feared for her physical safety and mental health. He was worried that she might harm herself to stop the abuse. I believe that she was abusing pills to cope. I suggested that he could use his family's connections to make this man rethink his actions."

Damon stared at the priest in open shock. He couldn't believe that Father Kieran had made such a suggestion. He asked, "Did Father Finn take your advice?"

"I would assume that he did. I asked him about the situation some time later and he said it had been resolved. The young girl was safe and her abuser had been removed from the situation. I did not ask for more details and he did not offer any," he explained.

Zach's head was swimming as he tried to make sense of this. He had heard the stories of Finn's actions before he became a priest. The man's hands were soaked in blood. It would appear that joining the priesthood had not squelched his true nature. He looked at Damon. "Bonnie made it seem that this man was still alive, right?"

Damon nodded. "Yes, it seemed that way. Finn managed to get this coward to back off and leave Bonnie alone...somehow. We'll need to have a conversation with Father Finn."

The older man looked at his nephew warily. "A respectful conversation…"

They could not risk alienating the Mikaelson family. They were already on thin ice with the Benedetto organization. Zach had to make sure they played this the right way. He was tempted to reach out to Elijah first. Perhaps he could reason with his older brother.

"Of course," he conceded through gritted teeth.

Father Kieran asked, "Have I fulfilled my end of the deal?"

Zach nodded. "Yes, I will complete the wire transfer to the charity you requested, Father."

He nodded with a mild smile. "Thank you."

"Thank you for your time. Please, enjoy the suite for the rest of the week."

Father Kerian walked the men to the door. "I will be sure to do that."

Damon looked at his uncle as they waited for the elevator. "I think that we should head over to the rectory to pay Father Finn a visit."

"I think that we need to talk to Elijah first. You bursting into the rectory and demanding answers from Father Finn isn't the way to play this."

The younger man wasn't pleased with his uncle's suggestion but he saw the wisdom of it. "Then call Zio Ric. He and Elijah have always been thick as thieves. Ask him to call in a favor with his friend."

Damon thought that Bonnie's dedication to the church made more sense now. She attended Mass regularly. She also made generous donations of her money and time. She had even spearheaded the efforts to update the rectory. The building had fallen into some minor disrepair over the years.

Zach nodded. "Okay."

He thought it was worth a shot. Elijah was Ric's best friend. It had been this way for as long as he could remember. Certainly, the name of a rapist wasn't worth years of friendship and goodwill. However, Zach also knew that Elijah could not control his older brother. Father Finn was a complicated soul that had joined the priesthood despite his parents vehement protests. He would not be cowed by his younger brother. Elijah was only boss because Finn had spurned the role.

Damon suggested, "You should try leaning on Freya, too. The two of you have a rapport, right?"

"Once upon a time and she has always been closer to Finn than any of their other siblings. It's worth a try," Zach replied.