The confrontation with Bonnie left Damon feeling angry, guilty, and oddly impotent. He was a man and it was his job to protect the people in his life. However, his wife, a girl he'd known since her infancy, refused his protection at every turn. It was difficult to avoid taking Bonnie's rejection personally. Damon had to accept that she didn't trust him. He knew the distrust in their relationship was largely his fault. Damon couldn't expect Bonnie to lean on him for support after years of hurting her. It was moments like these when Damon wished he could take it all back. His frequent tumbles beneath the sheets with beautiful women wasn't worth what it cost him.

Despite his foul mood, Damon went home after work. He made sure to put on a good face for Victor. His baby brother was in a particularly clingy mood that evening. He latched onto Damon almost as soon as he walked into the door. The nanny explained that Victor had been moody all day. Spending time with Victor helped soothe some of the earlier sting. Damon was reminded that he had not failed everyone in his life. Moreover, he was making strides to be a better man for the people that truly mattered. He stayed at the Salvatore Manor until Victor fell asleep. Then he set off to his family's boxing gym to blow off some steam. He wasn't surprised when Stefan and their uncles decided to tag along.

They had the gym to themselves because it had already closed for the evening. The privacy was ideal because they needed to discuss business, too. Their top concern was fulfilling the bargain Damon had struck with Bonnie after Giuseppe's funeral. He had offered to get her military grade explosives for a cut of the profits from the deal Lucy brokered in Australia. Getting the product had been a simple exercise. However, Bonnie had demanded a face-to-face meeting with the supplier. Ric had finally convinced the cagey bastard to agree to a meeting at the end of the month. Damon was pleased by his uncle's hard work. Strengthening the business relationship between their organizations could only be a positive. Business and financial entanglements made it harder to sever ties cleanly.

Once they finished discussing business, Stefan and Alaric went into the ring first. Their uncle had more skill and that showed in the first few sparring rounds. Alaric was a 40-year-old alcoholic but he had been boxing his entire life. However, Stefan's youth, strength, and stamina ultimately proved to be the deciding factor. He wisely allowed the older man to wear himself out. Then Stefan pounced on his exhaustion and took pleasure in knocking him onto the canvas a dozen times. It was safe to say uncle and nephew were still at odds over Lilly. Neither man would admit as much but the hostility was readily apparent. Fortunately, the mostly-friendly spar ended without any injuries or barbed words. Stefan decided to go home early rather than stay to watch Zach and Damon spar.

Zacharias and Damon were more evenly matched opponents. The men were closer in age and were both in relatively good health. They had been sparring for over an hour with no obvious stopping point in sight. However, Damon noticed that Zach seemed annoyed. He could see that something was building but decided to wait for his uncle to say something.

He got his answer soon enough. Damon stumbled against the ropes after a particularly violent uppercut from his uncle. He briefly saw double and had to take a moment to regain focus. He spit out his mouthguard and asked, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I'm trying to beat some sense into the empty fucking head of yours!" Zacharias snapped angrily.

Alaric snorted from his chair positioned outside the boxing ring. He was bone tired after going six rounds with Stefan. The boy had put Ric on his ass a dozen times. He couldn't tell if Stefan had improved markedly or if own prowess had declined precipitously. No matter the reason, he was exhausted now and longed for his bed. However, he enjoyed seeing his brother and nephew sparring together. He snorted, "Good luck with that. Salvatores are thick headed and are slow to learn."

Damon glared at Ric and said, "Fuck you, too. I know you both think that I am being unreasonable."

Zacharias leaned against the ropes and caught his breath. His shorts and t-shirt were soaked with sweat. He couldn't remember how long he and Damon had been in the ring. He took off his gloves and said, "You are being unreasonable. Bonnie shared something deeply personal with you. Your response has been to disregard her wishes on the matter. You also saw fit to share information told to you in confidence with other people. Then when she confronts you about being a deceitful asshole, you nearly accused her of wanting to be raped. I had my reservations about pursuing this matter from the outset. But you are the boss and I'm obliged to do your bidding. And I figured taking a rapist off the street wouldn't be a bad thing either. But you are only making things worse."

Damon huffed and took off his own gloves. "I will admit that I crossed a line by involving other people. But I was at a loss on how to find this son of a bitch. No matter what anyone says, I can't imagine allowing him to keep breathing."

Ric offered, "He's in prison now. Let him rot in there."

Damon chuckled wryly and shook his head. "He's not in prison."

Both older men looked at Damon with a level of disbelief. Zacharias spoke first, "Bonnie said…"

"My sweet wife is a liar. We all know this to be true. She is also a very good liar. I was blind to her ways in the past but not anymore. The way she flew into my office in a rage, she wanted to divert my attention from the situation at hand. Instead of pursuing the identity of her rapist, I was thrust into a nasty argument with her. She plucked my strings and got me to play precisely the song she wanted to hear. Then she idled me back down with sweet words and mild flirtation. My wife, that beautiful girl, is conniving and manipulative. I love her all the more for it. Unfortunately, it means that I am no closer to the truth than I was before she stormed into my office."

Zach frowned as he recalled the argument he witnessed earlier. He shook his head. "All I saw was a young girl that was embarrassed and suffering. I hate that I played any part in her feeling that way. The pain I saw...that was genuine, Damon."

The younger man winced and conceded his uncle's point. "You're right. Bonnie was genuinely hurt by my actions and words. I believe her when she says that being raped still affects her to this day. However, I think two things can be true at the same time. She was hurt and angry, but she also wanted to lead me astray. A month ago, she might have gotten away with it. The more of herself that she reveals, the easier it is for me to see behind the mask she wears."

Ric nodded in agreement as he thought about his former girlfriend. In truth, Abby was the love of his life but she hid herself from him, too. He said, "I have had years of watching Abby work in the same way. She takes her pain and fashions it into a weapon against others. She learned that from Sheila. I would assume that Bonnie learned the same lesson at her grandmother's knee."

Damon frowned and said, "Turning your pain into a weapon against your enemies is certainly better than the way we cope with it in our family. But I don't want to be Bonnie's enemy. I love her and I want to take care of her."

"I doubt she has any interest in you taking care of her, Damon. Bonnie has gone to some pretty impressive lengths to excise you from her life," the older man replied.

He was quiet for a beat. "Do you think that Abby knows who raped Bonnie?"

Alaric said, "There is no way Bonnie told Abby about the attack when it originally happened. Abby would have killed the prick with her bare hands-slowly and painfully. She didn't always have a good relationship with Bonnie but she loved that girl fiercely. Anyway, you see how close they are now. I doubt this is something that Bonnie would keep from her mother."

Damon nodded. "Lucy certainly seemed to know exactly what was happening. She didn't seem surprised by anything Bonnie was saying in my office. Lucy is even more volatile than Abby is, she would have carved the fucker's heart out if 16-year-old Bonnie had told her the truth."

"Then I would assume that Bonnie has only recently shared this information with Abby and Lucy. Maybe in the last year?" he suggested.

Zach considered his brother's words. Out of the three men, Alaric knew the Bennett women best. He had shared Abby's bed and life off and on since they were teenagers. They had created three children that his brother loved dearly. However, the closeness of the relationship did not make her an open book to him. Abby had proven that she was a Benedetto first and foremost.

Zach said, "Neither of them will be willing to tell us anything. The Bennetts are a monolith when it comes to secrecy. They'll protect Bonnie's privacy with their last breath."

Damon shook his head and said, "You misunderstand my intentions, Zio. I am merely trying to establish a timeline. Bonnie told me that her priest is the only person she ever told about the abuse...at the time. Lucy obviously knows and we've established that their improved relationship suggests that Abby knows, too. When did Bonnie tell them the truth and why? She obviously took great pains to safeguard a secret she felt was shameful. Why change course by telling Lucy? Why was this pain she had buried so close to the surface that she accidentally revealed it to me?"

Zach grabbed a water bottle and took a drink. He frowned deeply. "You think that Bonnie was telling a half-truth this afternoon. Maybe her attacker has been in prison for years but now he's out. It would explain why she lost control of her emotions when you confessed to using cocaine again."

"Bonnie has been operating in the shadows for years with impeccable control. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of my infidelities and I know how much that hurt her. Bonnie never said a word until she was ready to use that ammo. The truth about what happened to her as teenager, I don't think it was ever meant to be ammo. That was a genuine spontaneous utterance. I think this perverted son of a bitch is walking the streets again. And it brings me back to the question I asked in my office. Why is Bonnie protecting him? You saw what she did to the sons of bitches that kidnapped Jamie. Bonnie is quite capable of killing the bastard with her own two hands. And any of the Lockwoods would kill him with no questions asked. They are loyal to her without a doubt. Yet she refuses to take action."

Zach shifted as an uncomfortable idea took root. He suggested, "Maybe it is someone that can't be killed easily."

Damon lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Ric frowned at his younger brother but he was thinking along the same lines. "Maybe this prick is someone that can't be whacked without fallout. It could be someone in a position of power in one of our organizations. It could also be someone that works for another organization. Your old man was working to consolidate his power in the southwest that summer. How many parties did we have at the manor where Gio invited the heavy hitters from other organizations?"

The younger man's jaw clenched as his eyes darkened ominously. "Bonnie said that he was a family friend, but maybe she didn't mean friend in the true sense. We were in front of Dr. Correa so there was only so much honesty that could be had during the session. Fuck..."

Zach added, "Bonnie is a smart girl and she's pragmatic. She only moves when success seems likely. Both of your organizations are going through major changes. Our enemies and some supposed allies might see that as a perfect time to strike against us. It might unwise for her to whack this person if he is truly in a position of power. Perhaps it would expose some vulnerability in one or both of our organizations."

Damon scrubbed at his face in frustration. He could feel stubble from his five o'clock shadow already. He asked, "Why wouldn't she just be honest with me?"

Ric gave his nephew a look but stayed silent. He would allow his younger brother to state the obvious.

Zach asked, "What reason have you given Bonnie to trust you? And she knows your temper better than most. If you knew the guy's identity, nothing would stop you from killing him. Consequences wouldn't matter to you. You would only want retribution. His blood would be the only thing that could satisfy you."

Damon sighed deeply and asked, "What the fuck am I supposed to do? Bonnie knows me too well. She knows I won't let this go. My guess is she whacks some poor bastard to take the fall. Meanwhile, her rapist is still walking the streets."

"You have to realize that Bonnie is capable of taking care of herself," Ric replied.

"I know that Bonnie can take care of herself but she shouldn't have to do that. Moreover, if this person is untouchable because of position, then he might feel bold enough to hurt her know from experience that she wouldn't come to me if someone hurt her. She didn't even come to me after Giuseppe attacked her. Bonnie went to...Tyler."

Ric inclined his head in agreement. "I'd wager that Tyler knows the truth. I don't see Bonnie keeping something like this from him. She certainly trusts him more than she trusts you."

Damon flipped off his uncle despite the accuracy of the statement.

Zach said, "I agree but Tyler would never betray Bonnie's trust."

"You're right. Tyler wouldn't betray Bonnie's trust by telling me anything. But you've seen what he's like with her-a loyal pitbull. As much as I hate the little bastard, he loves her fiercely. He's protective of her. If Tyler knows the truth then he wants to kill the son of a bitch as much as I do. It could be that we might find some common ground in this situation. I can offer him protection once the deed is done."

Zach looked skeptical. "You want to take the boy into your confidence while you are actively sabotaging his relationship with Bonnie. I can't tell if you're brilliant or an idiot."

"Well, we know for sure that he's an asshole," Ric added earnestly.

"I am not seeing any better ideas. I won't allow Bonnie's rapist to keep drawing breath. I don't have it in me. I killed my own father for much less. I don't care if it is someone in our organization or the boss of another. I won't be satisfied until the fucker is dead and buried," Damon said darkly.

Zach still didn't think that Tyler would be willing to betray Bonnie. However, he didn't have anything better to offer as an alternative. He said, "We need to sort truth from lies. Bonnie has probably told you just enough of the truth to remain credible without providing details that could out her attacker. I think you're right that this person recently resurfaced. We need to be looking at anyone that has been out of the country for an extended period and anyone that did time in prison. I'll start digging first thing in the morning."

Damon nodded and said, "Be discreet. I don't want to embarrass Bonnie more than I already have."

"I'll keep my inquiries appropriately vague, nipote," the older man replied.

"Thank you," he replied before climbing between the ropes. Damon made his way to the locker room for a hot shower.

Ric waited until he was sure Damon was out of earshot. "This is going to blow up in his fucking face. He's such a stubborn little son of a bitch."

Zacharias climbed out of the boxing ring and sat down beside his brother. "I get why Damon is adamant about seeing this situation sorted. I would do this and more if the shoe was on the other foot."

"The difference is that Meredith isn't the head of her own organization. We're already on thin ice with the Benedettos. Damon antagonizing Bonnie, even with good intentions, isn't going to make the situation better. He should just tell Big John and wash his hands of the whole fucking thing," Ric snapped.

He didn't particularly like Big John and the feeling was certainly mutual. The two men would never see eye-to-eye because he felt Alaric didn't properly value Abby. In hindsight, Ric could see the man's point. He should have divorced Jo years ago and married Abby. In anycase, he knew how much the man loved his family. He had witnessed John's devotion to Abby when she was on the outs with Sheila. He treated her more like a daughter than a niece. Ric also knew that devotion extended to Bonnie. While John obviously deferred to his niece's wishes on business matters, he would demand answers from her about this. He would never allow a trespass such as this to go unanswered. Moreover, his grandsons were still in the States helping Bonnie run her organization. It wouldn't take much effort to pull the necessary strings.

Zacharias shook his head. "If Damon goes over Bonnie's head, it will cause more problems than it is worth. Besides, our nephew wants to handle this personally. He's looking to redeem himself in Bonnie's eyes. I don't know if this will have the desired effect, but I'll help him."

Ric nodded with a frown.

"How are you doing? Earlier, it looked like you were working out some shit in the ring."

The older brother frowned. "I talked to Jamie for a couple minutes tonight."

Zacharias perked up hearing that. "That's good, right?"

"Talking to the boy was like pulling teeth. It was obvious that Abby put him up to it after I threatened her."

He went very still beside his brother. "Threatened her how, Alaric?"

Ric rolled his eyes and said, "Not with violence, asshole. I've cut back on my drinking and my head is on straight. I told Abby that I would get the courts to establish paternity for the kids. It's the only way to sue her for joint custody."

"Maybe you should do that anyway. Not the suing for joint custody part, because that would just cause more problems. Establishing paternity would mean adding your name to their birth certificates. Maybe in time Abby would even agree to legal name changes for them. It would be good for the children to at least have our name, Alaric. They deserve to be Salvatores-legally," he replied.

Ric was inclined to agree with his brother. However, getting Abby to agree would be a challenge. She had no interest in their children bearing the Salvatore name. She had been married to Rudy and still refused to give Bonnie his last name. The Bennett women stubbornly refused to give up their maiden names. Even 17-year-old Bonnie had only seen fit to hyphenate her last name after marrying Damon.

He muttered, "We'll see. When are you and Ayana meeting up to start hashing out your responsibilities?"

"We both cleared our schedules for tomorrow. We're going to divy up the roles that we're both best suited to. Then we'll decide which duties have to be shared. We will have everything ironed out before Damon officially steps down as CEO."

Ric nodded. "You need something other than your dick in your hand when you speak to the board. There are going to be those that are apprehensive about having dual CEOs. Especially, when everyone knows we've been fighting over the company for the last few weeks."

"I think we can make them see the value in compromising in this way. The company will be better off with Ayana and I focusing on our strengths," he replied.

Ric nodded. He hoped that his brother was right.

Zach said, "I think I am going to get a shower, too. You coming?"

He chuckled and said, "I think I'll just wait until I get home."

The younger man eyed his brother for a moment and then nodded. He disappeared into the locker room without another word.

Alaric pulled out his phone and considered calling Abby. However, he didn't think she would be eager to talk to him. Instead, he started flipping through the pictures on his phone. He had a couple dozen pictures of his children. He missed them terribly and wanted things to go back to normal. But 'normal' wasn't really an option anymore. Frankly, 'normal' hadn't been particularly fair to any of them. Perhaps the only good thing that came from this debacle was that they had each other now. Josie and Lizzie didn't seem to hold his sins against their younger half-siblings. Abby and Jo had both sent him pictures of the kids together.

He lost track of time while ruminating over his many failures. Alaric was snapped back into the present when he heard raised voices approaching him.

"I'll kill that stupid bitch if she's left my kid alone in a fucking hotel!" Damon snapped.

Ric got to his feet. "What the fuck is happening now?"

"Nadia just called me because she can't find Katherine. Her grandmother is out of town this week so she's alone and scared in the penthouse," Damon complained as he stormed towards the exit.

Zacharias frowned. "Calm down, Damon. We don't know what's happening. Don't overreact until we have the full story."

Ric followed his brother and nephew out of the gym. He locked the door behind them and then piled into Damon's SUV.

Damon started the car and floored it as he left the parking lot.

"Don't kill us on the way to the hotel, Damon. You told Nadia to stay in the penthouse and she's Facetiming with Stefan. She's safe for now," Zacharias counseled.

The younger man gripped the steering wheel so tight that his fingers turned white. "I know Katherine is doing this to be a spiteful bitch. She is probably trying to get my attention because I've been ignoring her. I only take her calls if it's about Nadia. Rose has been handling Katherine's monthly allowance and the house search."

"If that's the case then we will handle it, Damon," Ric assured him.

Damon was glad that he was still at the gym when Nadia called him. He wasn't too far away from the Rischard. He came to a screeching halt in front of the hotel and gestured impatiently to the valet attendant.

The red-vested young man rushed over to the car and gave Damon a ticket.

The three Salvatore men marched into the hotel and went straight to the elevator bank. They rode in charged silence as they went up to the penthouse level.

Damon tried not to fidget as he watched the elevator climb. His hands were clenched at his sides. He was used to playing Katherine's petty games but involving their daughter was too much. It would take every shred of his restraint not to choke the life out of her.

When the elevator doors slid open, Damon flew into the hallway. He quickly arrived at the penthouse and opened the door. Damon could hear Nadia's little voice coming from the living room.

"Papa is here," she said to Stefan.

The mobster crouched in front of the couch and asked, "Are you okay, baby?"

Nadia was wearing light blue pajamas with silver snowflakes all over them. She dropped the phone onto couch and wrapped her arms around Damon's neck. She nodded in answer to his question. "You're here…"

"Of course, I'm here. I'll always show up when you call me. I promise," he murmured into her dark hair that was so much like Katherine's.

Zach said, "I'm going to take a look around."

Damon nodded but continued to hug Nadia. After a moment, he pulled back and asked, "When is the last time you saw your mommy?"

"When she put me to bed. But...I had a nightmare and I went to look for her," she replied in a timid voice.

Damon nodded and rubbed her back. "It's okay. Do you want to tell me about your nightmare?"

Nadia shook her head and instead buried her face in his chest. "Where's mommy?"

"I don't know, baby. But I'll find her," Damon replied.

Zacharias walked into the room. He spoke in a stern voice that brooked no argument, "Come with me, Damon. Now. Alaric, take Nadia into her bedroom."

Damon slowly got to his feet and gently passed his daughter to Ric. He assumed that Zach had found Katherine. Damon couldn't wait to get his hands on her. He said, "Go with your uncle. I'll come get you in a few minutes. You're going to come home with me tonight."

"Okay, Papa," Nadia replied.

Ric nodded and asked, "Which way is your room? I've never been here before."

Nadia directed him to her bedroom that was in the opposite direction of where Zacharias had come.

Zacharias led his nephew into Katherine's bedroom and out onto the balcony. He explained, "The balcony door was closed when I first came in here."

Damon's heartbeat sped up when he saw Katherine slumped over on a chaise lounge. He swallowed thickly and checked for a pulse. Damon huffed out a relieved breath when he found a pulse-even if it was weakened. He brushed Katherine's hair out of her face and breathed out, "What the fuck did you do, Kat?"

Zach said, "I already called 911. We can't cover this up. She needs a hospital."

"Search her room...try to figure out what the fuck she took. Call Rose, please. I need her to do damage control with the press. We won't be able to keep this quiet," Damon ordered quietly.

The older man glanced at the nearly transparent nightgown Katherine wore. He said, "I'll grab a blanket, too."

Damon nodded shakily. He wondered if this was an accidental overdose or a suicide attempt. He didn't know which option would make him feel more culpable. He scooped Katherine up in his arms and carried her into the penthouse.

Zacharias was standing over her nightstand. He was searching a half dozen bottles of narcotics. He said, "She could have taken any of this shit or some combination. Who the hell prescribed all this shit to her? It couldn't be our guy...he'd know not to give your mistress any of this."

"Katherine has her own guy that writes scripts for her," he muttered quietly.

He shook his head and picked up a fleece blanket from the foot of the bed. Zach helped Damon cover her nearly nude form.

Damon placed Katherine on the bed and ran an anxious had through his hair. "What the fuck was she thinking?' he murmured.

Zach looked at his nephew. "Go call your wife, Damon. I'll stay with Katherine until the paramedics arrive."

He nodded numbly and walked out onto the balcony. It was selfish to ask Bonnie for help now. Katherine had taunted his wife for years, but Damon had come to terms with his selfishness long ago. He needed Bonnie's support now. He felt adrift and confused. Damon called her and hoped that she would answer.

Bonnie answered after a couple rings. Her sleep weary voice asked, "Hello?"

"Bunny…" Damon trailed off because he didn't know what to say to her. His thoughts were racing and jumbled. Had he caused this? Had rejecting Katherine sent her over some emotional cliff?

There was a pause on the other end of the line as she waited for him to continue speaking. The prolonged silence unnerved the young woman. Bonnie's voice was filled with concern now. "What's wrong?"

"I know that I'm a narcissistic asshole. I don't deserve you but I need you tonight. There's no one else I trust to be by my side."

Bonnie could be heard sitting up in bed. "You're scaring me, Damon. What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"I'm at the Rischard penthouse with my uncles. We were at the gym when I got a call from Nadia. She woke up from a nightmare and couldn't find Katherine. I found her...she overdosed on pills. There are so many, I can't even begin to guess what she's taken. We're waiting for an ambulance now but she's unconscious. It's bad and I...please," he finished in a trembling voice.

The line went quiet for a beat. Then Bonnie said, "Text me once you know what hospital they will take her to. I'll meet you over there as soon as I can."

"Thank you, Bunny. Do you want me to send a car for you? It's late and I don't want you driving by yourself."

"No, I don't need a car but thank you. Tyler is with me. He'll drive me to the hospital. Is Nadia okay?" she asked with genuine concern.

Damon swallowed thickly. "Ric's keeping an eye on her for now. She doesn't know about Katherine. God, I don't even know what to tell her."

"Don't tell her the truth right now, Damon. You'll just scare her. Say that her mommy isn't feeling well and has to go to the hospital," she advised gently.

Damon nodded even though Bonnie couldn't see him. "Okay, I'll do that."

"I'll see you soon, Damon." Bonnie said and ended the call.