Damon waited eagerly for his son and all the kids to land; it seemed like forever since he had seen Stefano. Although they spoke on a daily basis, Damon still missed his son terribly. Marco’s arm came around him and Antonio took his hand.

“You are looking forward to this,” Antonio said, smiling.

“I miss him very much, as well as all the children.”

“We are here,” Marco and Antonio’s daughter, Anna, announced somewhat indignantly.

Damon crouched down and took Anna and her brother, Sergio’s, faces in his hands. “And I am so glad to have you all the time!”

 

Stefan watched the landscape get closer and closer and Jordan took his hand.

“You miss your dad.”

“I do. For the longest time I couldn’t trust him; now I trust him with my life.”

“He loves you, Stefan. He proved that to me a long time ago.” Jordan leaned over and dropped a kiss on his mouth.

 

Damon watched impatiently as all the adults got off the plane and then the grandkids. Tanner and the youngest Damon ran to him, almost knocking him over.

“Grandpa!” Tanner held him close.

“Look at you! So grown up.” Damon held their faces.

“You look young,” Damon countered.

“What do you want from me?” Damon teased, mussing his hair.

“Nothin’, I missed you.”

“Grandpa!” Jordan plowed into him.

“Oh my, look how much you have grown!” Damon smiled at all the children; his eyes fell to Nikolai and he frowned. “It is going to come off soon, no?”

“Yes.” Nikolai tapped his cast. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault we had to wait longer to see you.”

“Nonsense!” Damon picked him up. “It is very good to see you, young Markov.”

“What about the older Markov?” Vince asked.

“Come here!” Damon managed to hold Nikolai and take Vince, Andrei, and Viktoriya in his arms, squeezing them all.

“Uncle Tomas!” Lucy squealed.

“And the crush continues.” Isabelle rolled her eyes.

Tomas smiled and grabbed her. “Wow, look at you Miss Lucy! You are beautiful!”

“Yes, she is.” James winked.

“Uncle James!” Lucy held him tight.

“Well, well.” Theo smiled at James and Tomas. “You beat us here.”

“Shit, Theo.” James teased. “You look old.”

“I’m not leaving puffs of dust behind me, am I?” Theo smiled.

“You got a bucket of chicken on you somewhere?” James joked. When Theo stopped being James’ guard years ago, an old man who looked like the famous white-haired fried chicken icon had replaced him.

Theo grabbed him and they hugged hard; James pulled away and studied his face. There was something not quite right just beneath the surface.

“What is it?”

Theo looked around at all the people talking and then turned his attention back to James.

“It’s nothing,” Theo tried to lie his way out of it.

“Liar.” James called him on it.

“Later, Greco.” Theo smiled.

“Hey! There’s my little shit.” Dante grabbed Tomas in a bear hug.

“I’m not so little anymore, big brother.”

“No, you’re not. You talk to Mom?”

“Yep. Wanting babies and such.” Tomas rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well, according to her, you’re running out of time.” Dante laughed.

“You’d think I was forty.”

“Well, you know how she is.”

“Uncle Tomas.” Katiana smiled at him.

“Oh wow, aren’t you a knockout!” Tomas swept her up in a hug.

“Yes, she is.” Landon agreed.

“Well, I hope you treat her right, Landon.” Tomas winked at him.

“He treats me like a princess.” Katiana beamed.

“Good.” Tomas hugged her hard; he could see Landon was waiting for him to let go. “You want her back?”

“Please.”

“You are so cute!” Tomas pinched his cheek.

“Uncle Tomas,” Landon complained.

“Oh, I know, I know. You’re not a baby anymore.”

 

“I spy,” Justin began, spotting Mason and Dominic.

“Mason!” Dimitri shouted.

“What about me?” Dominic tilted his head.

“You know I care for you.” Dimitri winked.

“Yeah, well.” Dominic laughed and hugged Dimitri.

“How are you?” Brandon hugged Mason hard.

“I’m good. I see you are too.” Mason smiled at Justin, who was with Jensen. “Wow, you look just like your dad.”

“I know, I’m sexy.” Jensen snickered.

Mason laughed loud. “Like father, like son, eh?”

“That would be me,” Evan chimed in.

Dominic did a double take at Evan. “Oh wow! You do look exactly like your father.”

“He acts like Chris too,” Dimitri pointed out with a sigh.

“Yep.” Evan giggled.

“Wow.” Mason couldn’t believe how the girls had grown. “Is there a beauty pageant in town?”

“Uncle Mason.” Lily blushed.

“You all are beautiful. You make sure your boyfriends treat you right.” He looked stern.

“I’m not allowed to have a boyfriend until I’m thirty,” Juliet told him.

“Oh, really?” Mason cocked an eyebrow at Lorenzo.

“He’s dreaming. Let him have the fantasy.” Reece chuckled.

Damon turned to little Stefan and Nico. “Little Stefano is not so little! Neither is Nico.”

“Hey, Grandpa.” Stefan and Nico swarmed in to hug him.

“I am very happy you do not call me Great-Grandpa.”

“It’s too many words.” Nico laughed.

“Well.” Damon clapped his hands together. “Let us get back to the house; we can eat.”

“Is there cake?” Joshua asked.

“There is cake,” Damon assured him. “All kinds of cake!”

“I love cake,” the adult Jordan told everyone.

“Yes, we know, Dad.” Heath rolled his eyes.

Dinner was an enormous affair. Damon had brought in an extra table just to seat everyone. He shook his head; the grandkids had all grown so much.

“I have built a theatre room for you all,” Damon announced.

“You did!” Hunter exclaimed.

“Yes, and I have a lot of scary movies.” Damon grinned.

“We love scary,” Ryan said eagerly.

“You like scaring me.” Evan smacked his arm.

“Can we watch one tonight?” Damon asked his dads.

Tyler smiled. “Yes, you can watch one.”

“And then tomorrow you can play in the pool all day.” Damon cupped little Jordan’s face. “I have built slides.”

“There are slides? There were never slides when I was here.” Lorenzo pouted.

“Aw, Daddy.” Juliet patted Lorenzo’s arm. “You can play on them too.”

“I have a feeling you will all be on the slides.” Damon cocked an eyebrow at the dads.

“Why are most of you looking at me?” Vince tried to sound innocent.

Andrei shook his head. “They know you, my love.”

“You two have come a long way.” Damon took Vince’s hand.

“Yes, we have.” Andrei kissed Vince.

“Eww.” Nikolai shivered.

The dads went to find their rooms while the kids were occupied with a movie. Chris stood in the doorway of their room and smiled. It was the room Dimitri had been in when he arrived in Malta, weak from being poisoned.

“You are thinking of our first meeting?” Dimitri came up behind him and wrapped his arms around him.

“Yes.” Chris leaned his head to the side as Dimitri kissed his neck. “You were such an ass. A gorgeous one, but an ass nonetheless.”

Dimitri ran his hands up Chris’ shirt and licked a path to his ear. “I packed the feather.”

“You naughty boy.”

Dimitri turned him around and took his mouth; he shut the door with his foot and pulled Chris’ shirt off, pushing him down on the bed.

“I am naughty.” Dimitri licked Chris’ stomach.

“I’m not complaining.” Chris closed his eyes as Dimitri slid his pants off.

The next thing he knew, Dimitri had entered him with one thrust, and Chris almost screamed in pleasure. They hadn’t had sex in over a week and Chris was having withdrawals. Dimitri was all over him with his tongue, licking, sucking, and biting him in all his sensitive areas. His mouth found Chris’ and he pushed in hard, loving the sounds he was making. Chris was absolutely beautiful during lovemaking and Dimitri couldn’t get enough of him.

“Oh, God, baby,” Chris breathed. “I can’t hold it!”

“Let it go.” Dimitri bit his lip and took his mouth roughly. Chris came with a loud cry in his mouth and Dimitri followed seconds later.

Chris gasped for breath, eyes still closed.

“I can still satisfy you?”

“Oh, fuck yes, you can.” Chris pulled him down.

Dylan cocked an eyebrow at Alex. “I thought he remodeled to get thicker walls?”

“Well, that was my porn for the night.”

“Aw, baby.” Dylan hugged him hard.

“So, the kids are down the hall?” Alex asked.

“Yep.” Dylan checked his watch. “And it’s bedtime.”

“Well.” Alex picked Dylan up and kissed him. “Let’s go get the son.”

With the plane ride, the big dinner, and the jet lag, the kids were half-asleep in the theater room when the parents collected them for bed.

“But I’m not tired, Daddy,” Juliet yawned.

“Of course you are.” Lorenzo held her tighter.

“Okay.” Juliet closed her eyes and put her head down on Lorenzo’s chest.

Tanner was fast asleep in Nico’s lap; he had been for almost an hour. Tyler rubbed Nico’s hair.

“Why don’t you take him with you?”

“Really?”

“He’s not going to sleep without you, so you might as well.” Damon kissed Tanner’s forehead.

“Okay. Goodnight, Uncle Tyler.” Nico picked Tanner up in his arms and left the room.

Tyler bent to pick Damon up but he had Lily wrapped up in his arms. Caleb smiled and lifted them both.

“I’ll take them with me.” He smiled. “ ʼNight guys.”

Paul looked down at Colin and Nikolai; they were wrapped up in each other and Nikolai’s face was buried in Colin’s neck.

“I don’t even want to touch them,” Vince murmured.

Andrei snapped a picture with his phone. “God, they are so adorable.”

“I’ll put them in the room in between us.” Paul picked them both up.

“Daddy?” Nikolai opened his eyes.

“We’re going to put you in the room between us and Uncle Paul, okay?” Vince kissed his forehead.

“I can sleep with Colin?” Nikolai mumbled.

“Yes,” Andrei answered. “Goodnight, little one.”

“Dad.” Nikolai frowned.

“Fine, you are such a man.” Andrei chuckled.

Nico held Tanner in his arms and kissed his forehead.

“Nico?”

“Yes?”

“How come you love me?” Tanner looked up at him.

“There’s not one reason, Tanner. There are a lot of them.”

“Is it because I’m adorable?”

“There is that.” Nico pulled him in closer.

“You are the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen.”

“Wow, that’s saying a lot in this group.” Nico blushed.

Tanner snuggled into him, loving the feel of Nico’s arms around him. “I love you, Nico.”

“I love you too.”

 

Colin was caressing Nikolai’s face. He was so beautiful; Colin kissed his forehead.

“Colin?”

“Yes.”

“Will you always be with me?” Nikolai whispered.

“Whenever I can be, Nikolai, I promise you that.”

“Really? Because you love me, huh?”

“Yes, I love you.” Colin felt Nikolai snuggle into his chest. “Now, go to sleep.”

“You go to sleep.”

“ ʼNight, Nik.”

“ ʼNight.”