"If he's not up by 6:45, you have to wake him," Damon tells his boyfriend as they stand in the entryway. "And then you have to stay there until he actually gets out of bed, because he will try to go back to sleep."

"I know," Enzo says, patiently. Damon already gave him a typed up list with Stefan's schedule. If it makes him feel better, he'll let him repeat it.

"If he dropped, obviously no school. Then he can also get some more sleep. But I don't think he'll wake up Little, he didn't show any signs last night. So, he gets blood with breakfast. Usually just cereal or whatever…"

"I'm here for meals, Day. I know what he gets."

Damon raises a brow. "Stef isn't a morning person. I'm trying to prepare you."

"I know, I'm also letting you know I've got this."

Damon sighs, running his fingers through his hair.

"I put money on his lunch account. It's pizza day. But he also needs a thermos of blood for lunch."

"I already put it in his backpack."

The briefest bit of a smile comes across Damon's face. "Matt and Tyler are walking with him today. Make sure he has his phone. He'll be home around 2:30."

"I'll be here. Encourage him to get his homework done so he can enjoy the weekend."

"Great. I should get to Vegas 2:45 our time, but it'll be 11:45 over there. Then tomorrow, I'll get in at 9 PM."

Enzo nods, checking his watch. 5:30. Klaus will be here soon. He agreed to drop off Damon at the airport, knowing there's no way the overprotective father would get on the plane if Stefan was there. It's also why they scheduled such an early flight. The younger vampire sleeps soundly upstairs. Damon said goodbye the night before. Ripping off the bandaid.

"I have the itinerary," Enzo assured him. "And I also know Stef's bedtime is 10, unless he drops." Damon opens his mouth. "Either shower or bath, depending on his state. He needs to wear actual pajamas and have his blood. No sweets after 7."

Damon gnaws on his lip. "You've got this."

"I do." Enzo wraps his arms around his neck and smiles. Damon pulls him close, tracing his facial hair. "Go have fun. I know you'll worry, but the whole point of this is for you to get out of your head."

"I'll try, I promise." Damon grazes his chin with a kiss. "Thank you for this. There's no one else I'd trust with my baby."

"That means a lot. I know how precious he is to you."

"I should add, if he acts up, you have permission to punish him. I mean, he says he'll be good, but he is Stefan. When he gets cranky, he's not a lot of fun. A pop to the behind, time-out, you know the parameters."

"I do, but I'm not too worried about that."

Damon runs his hand up and down Enzo's back, clearly trying to think of anything else. Enzo gives him a kiss.

"We'll be fine. If anything happens, and it won't," he quickly adds. "I'll let you know."

"Send pictures. Of both of you." Damon smirks. "I'm going to miss you too, ya know."

Enzo chuckles. "Same here, amore. Stay safe."

"Will do." Damon kisses him. "When I get back, I'll have Stefan go out with his friends so we can have a fun night ourselves."

He rests his forehead against his boyfriend's. "Looking forward to it."

The rumble of a large SUV fills the driveway. Damon whispers, "That'd be Klaus. I love you."

"Ti amo, il mio cuore," Enzo mumbles.

They exchange two kisses before Damon grabs his Armani duffel. He glances at the stairs with a bittersweet look in his eyes.

"Bye Bunny Boy," he whispers, even though Stefan can't hear him.

With one final kiss, Damon leaves. Enzo watches from the doorway, a small ache in his chest as he watches Klaus' car pull out of the drive. He's pushed so hard for this, he almost forgot this is the longest they've been apart since their reunion. This time, it won't take 50 years for them to reunite. Damon will come back to him.

He could go back to sleep, but instead he tidies up some around the house and later makes French Toast. Enzo hopes the smell will wake Stefan up, but there is no movement from above. Enzo heads upstairs and knocks on his door. Still nothing. He pushes it open, pausing to smile at a sleeping Stefan. He's curled up in bed, clutching his bunny to his chest with one hand, the other supporting his thumb as he sucks on it.

Enzo walks over to the bed and gently pushes some hair out of Stefan's face. "Stef," he whispers. A little movement. "Stefan."

Stefan's eyes just barely open, his thumb falling out. "Daddy?" His voice slurs.

Enzo's smile falters a bit. "No, Bambino. It's Enzo. Daddy went on a trip, remember?"

Stefan blinks a few times, rubbing at his tired eyes. He slowly sits up and looks around the room. Enzo is prepared to swoop down and pick him up, when he hears a very teenager groan.

"It's Friday. Do I really have to go to school?"

Enzo chuckles. "I think because it's Friday, that's more of a reason as any. Just one day left, then you can enjoy the weekend."

"I won't tell my dad if you don't."

"Stefan." Enzo straightens up a bit. "I want to get this out of the way. We can have a lot of fun when you're done with school. Or, if you want to hang out with your buddies, you can too. However, we are going to follow your father's rules, alright?"

Stefan's cheeks tint pink. "Yeah, um, sorry. I shouldn't pit you two against each other."

Enzo gives him a soft smile, ruffling his dark blonde waves. "Don't worry about it, Bambino. I get it. Can't say I wouldn't have pulled the same as a kid. Why don't you get dressed? I made some French Toast. Do you want your blood in a glass, sippy cup or bottle?"

"Glass please," Stefan says. He pushes himself out of bed, groaning all the way. "What time did Dad leave?"

"Around 5:30. He should be boarding his plane any minute."

"Oh."

A hint of sadness takes over Stefan's eyes. Enzo shoots him a sympathetic smile.

"I'm sure he'll call you when he lands."

"Yeah. I just also hope he has a good time."

"I think he will. Once he confirms about a hundred times that you're okay," Enzo says with a smirk.

Stefan snorts. "I don't think you're that far off there."

The first few hours at school distract Stefan for the most part. It's not until lunch that he's hit with that familiar tummy ache. One that only comes when he's missing his dad. He tries to ignore it as he picks at his pizza. The only reason he forces the thermos down his throat is to protect those around him. He's been off human blood since the 30s and still, there are times that Elena and Matt smell a bit too good. Stefan would never hurt them, but the blood is an insurance policy, guaranteeing their safety.

With just 15 minutes left in the block, he heads out onto the empty quad. It's an unusually chilly fall day. Stefan zips up his sweatshirt and pulls his hood up. Just as he pulls his phone out of his pocket, Damon's face takes over the screen. Stefan's never clicked "answer" so quick in his life. His dad's face in real time takes over the phone. He's somewhere sunny, yet still wearing his signature leather jacket over a white t-shirt. Stefan smiles so wide, his cheeks hurt.

"Dad!"

Damon grins. "Hey, Stef."

"Are you in Vegas?"

"Yup. About to check into my hotel." Damon studies him for a moment. "Have you been eating? Having your blood?"

Stefan holds back an eye roll. "Yes."

"Good. I gave Enzo the run down, so he knows exactly what to do."

"It's not that difficult. I need to eat, have my blood, go to bed at your ridiculously scheduled time." He pokes out a tongue. "You're acting like a crazy first-time dad."

"I am a first-time dad," Damon corrects. "Did you expect anything less from me?"

"I'm actually surprised you didn't buy Wi-Fi on the plane so you could stalk me."

"They didn't offer it. Something about it being down or whatever." Damon makes a face, but quickly recovers. "Anyway, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine. Just at school. Had my French test, it wasn't so bad. I think I got at least a B."

Damon grins. "Good job, Bunny Boy."

Stefan takes a quick glance around, making sure there's no one in the quad. The last thing he needs is someone picking up on his embarrassing childhood nickname. Luckily, he's alone.

"What are the plans for the night?"

"Those are all too grown-up for your little ears," Damon says, wagging his finger. Stefan rolls his eyes. "Okay, Mr. Sassy."

A flutter of wings comes in the distance. Stefan smiles as Crow lands on his shoulder. Damon tilts his head.

"Are you sure everything's good?"

"Yeah," Stefan lies. "Why?"

"Crow's there."

"Crow stalks me most days. Mostly by your command," he reminds him. Crow gently pecks his head, as he usually does when the teen lies. Stefan ignores him. "Everything's fine, Dad. I swear."

Damon hesitates. "Alright. You know you can call me anytime, right?"

"Yes, Dad. I promise I will if anything happens." He glances at the time in the righthand corner of the phone, sighing. "The bell will ring any minute."

"Alright. You have a good rest of your day. I love you…"

Stefan's lips curl up a bit. "To the moon."

"And back." Damon blows him a kiss. "I'll talk to you soon, right?"

"Yes, Dad. Have fun. Try not to think about me and Enzo too much."

"How could I not think of my boys?"

The call ends and the pit in Stefan's stomach grows. Crow's stopped his pecking and instead, stays perched on his shoulder. Stefan gently strokes the top of his head.

"I can't bring you to class," he mumbles.

A part of him knows that Enzo would come get him if he called right now. Stefan doesn't feel close to dropping, but Damon's told his boyfriend all about the stomachaches. His dad doesn't like him staying in school with them.

No, then Enzo would call Damon. He can picture his brother hopping on the next flight.

He can stick it out for the rest of the day.

Enzo's slightly hurt when Stefan opts to go out with his friends. He understands, of course. Stefan is 17 years old. It's a Friday night. Tyler and Matt wanted to play video games. What teenager would pass that up to hang out with his dad's boyfriend?

Still, he looked forward to getting some bonding time in. He loves the relationship they're building. Enzo isn't Stefan's dad yet, or even a step-dad. Still, it's important to him. That little boy has captured his heart. There's no going back now.

Enzo sits on the couch, scrolling through the never-ending options on Netflix. How can nothing sound good right now? The site brags over 17,000 titles and yet, it all blends together in a mix of cheesy rom-coms, buddy cop flicks and a surprising number of shows about women in prison.

He's about to switch to Hulu when his phone buzzes. A part of him prays it's not his boyfriend. Damon's already checked in twice, not counting the time Enzo called as promised. He knows Stefan isn't home, so there's not much to check on. It's 8, anyway. He should be at one of the many stops on Christian's itinerary.

Enzo's slight annoyance goes away once he spots Stefan's name on the caller ID. He holds the phone to his ear.

"Stef?"

"Uh, no," a familiar, nervous voice says. "Mr. St. John, this is Matt."

"Ah, Matthew. I've told you before to call me Enzo." He pauses. "Is Stefan okay?"

"He's fine, completely fine. He just dropped."

Enzo sits up a bit. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. He went to grab a soda. When he took a while, we went looking and he was confused. Tyler tried to put him in his car to take him home but he's not having it."

"I'll be right there."

Enzo hangs up and rushes to the hall closet. He locates the black leather backpack hung in the middle, the one Damon often stores in his car while they're out. It has just about everything for Baby Stefan. He throws it over his shoulder and speeds down to the Lockwoods. Matt opens the door, granting him entry. Enzo vamps to the living room. Tyler sits on the floor with Stefan, having his favorite bunny dance for him. The little one has a smile that doesn't quite match his eyes. He looks up as Enzo comes closer, disappointment filling his face.

"I wan' Daddy," he whines.

Enzo frowns, crouching down to his height. "I know, Bambino. But he's out of town, remember?" Stefan shakes his head, balling up his fists. "He'll be back tomorrow night."

"Nuh uh. I want him now!"

"I understand that. This isn't easy, is it?" Stefan shakes his head, a few tears falling down his face. "I'm going to take you home, okay? We'll get you into some comfy pajamas and we can relax."

Stefan sniffles, whining a bit more. Enzo lifts him into his arms, adjusting him to his hip. Tyler rises, placing the bunny in Stefan's arms. The little one instantly clings to it. Enzo rubs his back. Stefan just barely looks up.

"Bye bye, TyTy," he mumbles before glancing across the room. "Bye bye, Matty."

Tyler smiles a little. "Bye, bud. We'll see you later."

Enzo carries Stefan out to the car. The little one sniffles, a few tears fading.

"Daddy's car!" He exclaims. "Daddy's here!"

Enzo sighs, shaking his head. "Afraid not, Bambino. I brought your daddy's car, because it has your special seat in it."

Stefan's tears resume, whispering "daddy" over and over again. Enzo runs his fingers through his waves, bouncing him a bit.

"I know, Bambino, I know. Let's get you buckled up."

Enzo settles a squirming and sniffling Stefan into his car seat. According to Damon, he didn't always have one. There are a few Little items that Stefan opts out of, such as the crib. When he drops, he simply sleeps in Damon's bed. Given his history with having to be detained to torture his ripper tendencies out, he can't be contained. This rules out other Little products such as playpens.

Stefan was doing fine when sitting on his own in the car…then one day he scared the living hell out of his day by undoing his belt and opening his door, trying to get out. Thankfully, all the injuries healed quickly and everything was well.

The following day, Damon bought the car seat with a five-point harness. Even in his oldest Little state, Stefan can't figure out the straps. He doesn't sit in it outside space, but it certainly comes in handing while he's in it.

Enzo goes about doing the straps, making sure the chest plate is in the right place. Stefan doesn't make it easy, squirming and whining the entire time. He drops Bunny in the process, which leads to yet another batch of tears. Enzo frowns, wiping some of them away.

"Hey, we'll go home and give you a nice bath. Then we can put on jammies and watch a movie. Whatever you want."

"Wan' Daddy," Stefan mutters.

Enzo feels his heart crack a bit. "He'll be here tomorrow."

He places Bunny back in Stefan's arms, but the little one continues to cry. Enzo locates the backpack and unzips the front pocket. He pulls out an item he put in there. For the longest time, Stefan's rejected a pacifier. Damon's claimed to try them all. Enzo read about this kind recommended in a parenting journal for Littles. The nipple is made of a similar texture to Stefan's bottle, adding some familiarity. The front has a spiderman mask on the front. It's attached to a leash that'll keep it pinned to Stefan's sweatshirt.

Enzo offers the pacifier. Stefan shakes his head, kicking his legs and pouting. "Can you try it? It might help. Look, there's Spiderman on the front." Stefan stills. The tears continue to fall, but he's not making any noise. "Or…" Enzo reaches back into the front pocket and pulls out a similar pacifier with the little one's favorite princess on it. "Cinderella?"

Stefan sniffles, rubbing at his eyes again. He makes grabby hands with his free one. "Spiderman."

Enzo hands the pacifier to him. Stefan plays with it in his palm for a moment, tracing the design on the front. Slowly but surely, he puts the nipple in his mouth. He moves his mouth, nearly losing it in the process. Enzo gently holds the end, helping him latch on. Once Stefan is sucking, his tears continue to dry. Enzo clips the leash to Stefan's sweatshirt and kisses his forehead.

"Let's get you home, Topolino," he coos.

The drive home is quiet. Stefan sucks on his pacifier and cuddles his bunny. Enzo still smells some tears, but there's no whining or sniffling. Just the content sucking sounds and occasional near-incoherent whispers as he talks to Bunny.

Once they're home, Enzo gives Stefan a bath. Much to his surprise, Stefan whines over losing his pacifier. Enzo promises he'll get it back when he's done. He's watched Damon give a bath before, but this one is far quieter than those. Stefan doesn't attempt to splash or play with his bath toys. He sits there, sucking his thumb in place of the paci. Still, he allows Enzo to wash his hair and scrub his body. Any attempts at conversation get very quiet responses.

"So, what movie are we going to watch?" Enzo asks as he washes the conditioner out of Stefan's hair. "Cinderella?"

Stefan tilts his head, removing the thumb. "Number 3." He holds up 4 fingers, consults them before putting one of them down.

Enzo raises an eyebrow. "There's more than one?"

"Uh huh. Number 2 is boring," Stefan makes a face. "Number 3 is better."

"Well, I'm interested." Enzo thinks of the large DVD collection downstairs. "You'll have to show me, alright?"

Stefan nods. "'Kay." He swirls the bubbles around. "Enzo?"

"Yes?"

"Can I…can I sleep in you and Daddy's bed tonight?"

Enzo's face softens at the wide eyed, pleading look on Stefan's face. "Yes, Topolino, of course. You know you're always welcome in there."

"Bunny, Gus and Cinderella too?"

"The whole crew," Enzo promises him. He washes off the remaining suds. "You know what I made this afternoon?" Stefan tilts his head. "Cookies."

Stefan's eyes light up. "Choccy chip?"

"Yup. Once you've had your blood, you can have some."

"5?"

"How about 2?"

"3," Stefan bargains.

Enzo chuckles. "Sure. Let's get you out of this tub."

Stefan is happier as he's dried off and carried into the connected master bedroom. Enzo dresses him in a pair of Cinderella footie pajamas, zipping it up the back and clipping the pacifier to his chest. Stefan's arms are loaded up with his mouse, bunny and princess before they head downstairs. Enzo grabs the bottle and promised cookies. Stefan helps him put on the movie before they settle on the couch. The little one climbs onto his lap. Enzo smiles, moving him into a cradle position. It's a bit of a challenge to feed him the bottle with the three comfort items in the way, but Enzo manages.

The movie is pretty good, a departure from most Disney sequels. Stefan nurses his bottle for the first 10 minutes, keeping his eyes glued on the screen. He holds up Gus when the cartoon version is shown on screen, clinging his Cinderella tight after seeing her.

Once the blood's gone, Enzo keeps him in his grip. Stefan slips his pacifier in his mouth. Not 2 minutes later does Enzo's phone ring yet again. He wants to be annoyed, but smiles when he sees Damon making a FaceTime call. Enzo answers it, holding the screen out to Stefan. Damon appears, instantly smiling upon seeing his little boy. Stefan's eyes are still on the movie, unaware. His father simply watches him for a moment, raising an eyebrow at the pacifier but otherwise staring at him in awe.

Eventually, he speaks. "Hey, Bunny Boy."

Stefan breaks away from the TV. His entire face lights up as he jolts in Enzo's arms. He clings to Bunny, Gus and Cinderella in one hand, grabbing the phone with the other. "Daddy!" He squeals from behind the pacifier.

"How's Daddy's little boy doing?"

Stefan claps his hands happily. He tries to speak, but the pacifier limits his speech. Reluctantly, he takes it out. "Gots a splashy bath. Enzo gave me binkies!"

"I see that! You're one lucky boy. Did you say thank you?"

Stefan looks up at his smiling not-quite-step-dad. "Thank you, Enzo!" He leans up and plants a sloppy, wet kiss to his cheek.

Enzo chuckles. "Prego, Bambino," he tousles his hair.

Stefan glances back at the screen. "Daddy, when you comin' home?"

"Tomorrow night," Damon promises. "After you go night night." Stefan slightly pouts. "How about I wake you up when I come home?"

The sadness instantly goes away. "'Kay! Daddy, guess what?"

Damon smiles. "What is it?"

"Enzo and I are watching Number 3!"

"Oh, we haven't seen that one in a while."

Stefan shows off his stuffed animals, along with his jammies. Enzo smiles over Damon's patience. Stefan rambles, going off on little tangents now and again. Damon only interrupts after 5 minutes.

"Can I talk to Enzo, please?"

"'Kay 'kay." He holds the phone out to Enzo. "Daddy wants to talk to you."

"Thanks, Topolino."

Stefan returns his attention to the movie as Enzo grins at his boyfriend. The background is dark, though there's some muffled music in the background.

"What are you up to?"

"We're in between clubs," Damon explains. "I've only had one drink so far."

"Are you having fun?"

"I hate to admit it…but yeah. Everyone's still the same. Then you have me, the tired old dad."

Enzo laughs. "You'll get back to your old ways after a few drinks."

"How's everything there?"

"Pretty good." Enzo hesitates, not wanting to talk too much about Stefan's dropping in front of the lad. "He was a little fussy, but cheered up after his bath. Now, we're just chilling."

"He had dinner?"

"At Tyler's." Damon makes a face. "Oh, be nice. He was doing great with Stefan when I picked him up."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Stefan's voice cuts through. "Enzo!" He tugs on his shirt. "Watch!"

Enzo and Damon chuckle, the latter shaking his head. "Looks like I have some competition."

"Yeah, I'm not giving him back," Enzo teases.

"Oh, just try to take my baby from me."

Damon lets out a soft growl that Stefan won't pick up on. Enzo smirks.

"I better go," he says. "I love you. Be safe."

"I will. Love you too." Enzo holds the phone in Stefan's direction. "Stef?"

The little one looks up. "Yeah?"

"Daddy has to go," Damon says, his voice soft. "You keep being my good boy, alright? Listen to Enzo?"

Stefan nods. "Yes, Daddy. I promise."

"Such a good boy." Damon blows him a kiss. "I love you…"

"To the moon!" Stefan exclaims.

"And back. Sweet dreams, buddy."

Damon's face disappears from the screen. Stefan frowns, laying his head on Enzo's shoulder. Enzo rubs circles on his back.

"Miss him," Stefan whispers, sticking his pacifier back in and sucking.

"I know you do, baby. I miss him too." Enzo gives him a small smile. "But you've been so brave! How about we pause the movie and get you some cookies?"

"Save some for Daddy?"

"Of course we can."

Enzo hits the pause button and scoops Stefan up. The little one wraps his arms around his neck and sucks contently on his pacifier. Enzo allows a soft tear to fall down his cheek.

He wants this. Full time. Damon there too, of course. The three of them in this house. The adults tending to their little boy, regardless of his space.

His little boy.

This is his baby.

This is his family.