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Despite having been given reassurance from Alec, she had slept poorly her mind racing with anticipation and anxiety of what will happen when she finally met her father. She’s not even planned to meet him but here she was getting ready to meet him. She’s looked over her clothes from her duffle bag a thousand times trying to decide what she should wear to meet her father for the first time ever. And realized she’d not really packed anything nice, just comfy clothes. So with a sigh she showered then changed into a clean pair of jeans, a short sleeve fitted teal tee and then pulled on her black hooding tucking the picture of her mom with Alec, the recent photo of her mom, and the phantom of the opera program into the large pocket then she pinned her short white hair back under a gray bandana then pulled a black cap over that to ensure her hair was hidden. She was double checking that she had everything when she heard a knock at the door. “Come in?”, Zoe called. Alec leaned into the apartment his keys in his hand. “You all set to go?”, Alec asked. Zoe sighed and pulled her sneakers on. “Yeah as ready as I’m going to be I guess.”, Zoe said following him out the door locking the apartment behind her. The drive to the Haven was generally quiet. Both were a big on edge at the coming meeting. Once they parked Alec got out and looked at the building. “This isn’t what I expected. I haven’t been to the Haven before, but I didn’t expect a house as big as my Nonna’s villa in Sicily.”, Alec said with a smile walking up to the door and knocking. Zoe smiled a little and put her hands into her pockets. “It’s going to be alright..”, she said mostly to herself.

Inside Merrick was the only one home, having told David he’d wait for Alec and Damon’s meeting to be over before going anywhere. Hearing the door from the living room Merrick got up and headed to the door pulling it open. “Hello Mister D’Amour and….”, Merrick greeted recognizing Alec from when he and Leslie looked at the apartment. However he didn’t recognize the girl with Alec and smiled at her. “Mister Bryant-Frost, I had forgotten this was your alliance.”, Alec greeted. “Hi, I’m Zoe DeLuca.”, Zoe said. Merrick smirked and gave a playful wink to Zoe. “Merrick Bryant-Frost, you can leave the Mister off since I don’t really think I’m old enough for formality.”, Merrick greeted. “Your cousin David said it would be alright for us to meet with Damon here.”, Alec said getting the subject back on track. Zoe just smiled giving Merrick a once over with her eyes as his attention went to Alec. “Yeah David mentioned it, only reason I’m home. Supposed to stay till after your meeting in case things get…out of hand. Though as friends with Mister Petridis I don’t see why you need to meet here. But whatever, I’m a mushroom and I’m okay with that. Come on in.”, Merrick said opening the door fully stepping out of the way. “Thanks.”, Alec said stepping inside taking off his jacket and folding it over his arm. Zoe smiled looking at Merrick again as she stepped inside. “Thank you Merrick.”, she said her accent thick. Merrick smirked. “You have full use of the study right over there. Hope you have a good meeting with Mister Petridis. I’ll send him in when he shows up since I’m apparently butler today.”, Merrick said. Alec nodded and headed for the study. Merrick moved to close the door, Zoe looking over her shoulder as she followed Alec looking at Merrick’s backside.

“Dio benedica l'America, sì? (God bless America, yes?)”, Zoe commented as she walked into the study, Alec laughed and shook his head shutting the door to the study. “Yes well there’s a line of local girls that have that same opinion of the young Mister Bryant-Frost.”, Alec commented taking a seat. “Just looking, not touching.”, Zoe said with a smile sitting down in a chair next to him. “Though I’ve only met him once. He looked at the apartment with his girlfriend of the time. That was before her car accident that left her permanently hospitalized. Poor boy.”, Alec reflected with a frown. Zoe’s shoulders sank a little at the story. “The poor man.”, she sighed. She rubbed her hands together starting to get nervous as this was actually happening. She was going to meet her father. Alec sighed. “Hey it’s going to be alright. I’m here to back you up and give support to both of you if needed.”, Alec assured. “It’s just…I didn’t prepare to do this.”, Zoe said chewing on her bottom lip nervously. “I know. You had planned to just see him and leave. I’m sorry I’ve put you into this situation, but he needs to know this.”, Alec apologized. “I just hope it doesn’t go wrong.”, Zoe said looking down at her lap. “Wrong how?”, Alec asked tilting his head slightly in question. “He..what if he doesn’t want to know me.”, She admitted. Alec sighed and gave her a side hug around her shoulder. “You’re his daughter. He will want to know you. And if he doesn’t I’ll smack him in the back of the head for being an idiot.”, Alex offered with a smile. She smiled weakly. “What if he’s happy?”, she worried. “Doesn’t change anything. He needs to know about you. Yes it might complicate things for him. But he’s better off knowing than not.”, Alec concluded.

Zoe nodded and after a few minutes of waiting stood up starting to pace in the study. Alec watched her walking back and forth. He sighed and reached out taking her hand to stop her. “Relax kid. You are going to make your old uncle dizzy pacing around like that.”, Alec said with a soft smile. She looked down and smiled softly. “Just..nervous energy.”, she explained. Alec nodded letting her hand go. “It’ll be alright.”, he encouraged. His eyes looked to the door as he heard a knock at the main door. Merrick sighed and headed back to the door pulling it open and looked at his old trainer. “Hi Mister Petridis.”, Merrick greeted being polite. “Merrick. Where’s Alec?”, Damon questioned getting straight to the point. “In the study just there Mister Petridis.”, Merrick said pointing. “Thanks..”, Damon said stepping inside and heading to the study. He opened the door and raised an eyebrow seeing his friend sitting there with a young girl. “Alec? What is this?”, Damon questioned. Zoe looked over and exhaled softly when he walked in. She stared at him, her shoulders tense and breath frozen similar to a deer in headlights. Alec sighed and stood up. “Damon take a seat please and we will explain.”, Alec suggested. “We? What is going on old friend?”, Damon asked but still sat down. His cold blue eyes looked at the girl and recognized her from the other day sitting outside his dojo. But it was more than that. He locked on her eyes and there was something them, something familiar. “She was outside the dojo the other day. Who is she? Who are you?”, Damon asked no looking away from her eyes. Zoe’s eyes were locked on him focused intently on him. He was…amazing up close…her father. This was the man singing in that home movie. This was the man who had an arm around her mother and made her laugh and blush. This was the one that…Zoe snapped out of her trance and took off just the hat keeping the bandana on. She stood there pulling nervously at the brim and looked to Alec. But as the question came of who she was she looked back at Damon. “I..I’m..Il mio nome è Zoe Deluca. (My name is Zoe Deluca.)”, she said nervously slipping back to Italian.

Damon felt his heart stop at hearing the last name. He looked from the girl to Alec in question. “DeLuca? Deluca?! What is this?”, Damon demanded. “What do you think it is, old friend.”, Alec asked. “I don’t know. I mean Deluca could be more common in Italy than I think. But it doesn’t matter. The only Deluca I care about is gone.”, Damon said firmly starting to get up. The yelling Zoe had expected and even the pain in his voice. “No, she’s not.” Zoe said. She reached up and pulled off her bandana letting her white hair fall free around her ears and eyes as she looked at him. Damon froze in place before falling back into the chair looking at her hair. “It’s not April 1st for a few more weeks and this is the worst joke ever.”, Damon finally spoke starting to rise again. Alec quickly moved and placed his hands on Damon’s chest and pushed him back into the chair. “I know how you are feeling right now, well to a point. I felt the same when she approached me. But she’s not lying. I spoke to her. She called her mom from my apartment and I talked to. I would never forget Izzy’s voice. It is her.”, Alec pleaded for Damon to stay. “Show him the picture of her.”, Alec suggested glancing to Zoe. Zoe nodded and reached into the front pocket of her hoodie and took the picture out offering it to him. “Mamma would never talk about Bayville, her time in America besides little glimpses, and never about mio padre (my father). So I searched for many years and came here looking. This was taken three months ago, in the kitchen of the café.”, Zoe explained. Damon looked at Alec with a mixture of hope and sorrow in his eyes being told he’d spoken to Isadora. He cautiously took the picture from Zoe. Alec held his breath a bit unsure what emotion Damon would have next.

The voices in his head had started yelling the moment the girl revealed her white hair, but he was ignoring the,. Damon turned the photo in his unsteady hand. He inhaled sharply like he’d been punched in the lungs as he looked at the photograph. “ángelos ti̱s mousikí̱s (angel of music)”, he whispered softly in Greek so soft it was barely audible. Zoe crouched down, putting a hand on Damon’s knee gently and looked up at him. “Damon, mamma never told me who my father was. Alec thinks it was you.”, she tilted her head. “I was born May 21st, 2008.”, Zoe explained. “Think? I’m not a geneticist, but I’ll eat snails for a year if you are anyone’s but his.”, Alec said folding his arms. Damon didn’t look away from the picture of Isadora. His eyes not even looking at the scar only seeing her face. He heard Zoe and Alec though. He didn’t have to do the math as the voices did it for him. They started swearing in various languages at him realizing it was true the girl was his. Damon just nodded. “But..why didn’t she… how did I get that death certificate? Harry Polk…I’ll kill him…”, Damon said speaking in fragments and rage started to boil up from the pit of his stomach into his eyes. Alec had expected that reaction from Damon. Zoe bit her bottom lip a little. “Don’t kill someone for a mistake.”, she said softly. “Mamma, when he came…well people attacked us. Grandpa died and mamma was badly hurt. Friends thought she was dead too until the truth was told to them.”, Zoe explained. “A mistake!? Giving me falsified documentation…that’s not a mistake that’s lying to the wrong man.”, Damon said shaking his head. “I…God I shouldn’t have made her leave. Or I should have just gone myself instead of sending someone. I shouldn’t have waited for my team to acclimate to the others.”, Damon said shaking his head. Alec sighed and sat down next to his friend. “You told her to go to be safe. Many long mutants got hurt in the aftermath. You did what you thought would keep her safest. You can’t change the past old friend, trust me. I know that from experience. All you can do is look forward. Look to what you can do now.”, Alex encouraged.

“I only came to America to find out who my father is, and just see his face. Alec was the one that felt I should meet you.”, Zoe said softly. Damon looked at Alec. “You need to know. I know what Isadora is to you. And that there’s a significance to the first born Petridis.”, Alec explained. Damon took a deep breath. “Oh god…the Petridis curse. God damn it.”, Damon cursed. “Everyone keeps mentioning this first born shit.”, she frowned. “What is going on? Can someone explain?”, she asked. “Oh there’s a line of what you wouldn’t tell her Alec?”, Damon teased. “Hey that’s your deal. My head hurts thinking about it.”, Alec replied. “Your head hurts? Mine is going ballistic right now.”, Damon said setting the picture on his lap to rub his temples. He sighed and looked at Zoe. “There’s a curse, or at least I call it one, on the first born Petridis. Has been going back to 465 BC Sparta.”, Damon explained. She blinked in surprise and tilted her head. “Great. So not only did mom hide my dad but I’m cursed?”, she asked. “Well I don’t exactly know how it works now. The curse was that when the Petridis had an heir they didn’t live to see that child born. Instead they were reincarnated joining with the soul and consciousness of their heir. I’m obviously still alive and have three children, apparently.”, Damon explained.

“Could it, be because I was not there? You didn’t know about me?”, she asked. “I don’t know. The ancestors don’t know either. I’m the first one to not die. And you are the first girl born in the history of the Petridis line. Used to be my Gina was the only girl Petridis.”, he explained. Zoe shrugged a little. “Guess all of you should get used to the idea of being in a chick’s brain.”, she said trying to tease about it. It was how she coped with the idea of being cured it seemed. “That’s the thing you and my other children are already here, so I couldn’t reincarnate with any of you. It occurs during gestation. I just don’t know what this means for my future. Because if it just skips and goes to the first grandchild born after my dead who’s would it be. Yours or Alexander’s? I don’t know if gender factors into this as the name wouldn’t carry on through a daughter.”, Damon sighed his head hurting. “Maybe the curse got broken or just ran out?”, she shrugged. Damon shrugged. “I can hope. I don’t wish these assholes..”, he said pointing to his head. “On anyone. Heck they are why I said I didn’t want to have children.”, Damon explained. Alex and Zoe both laughed. “Good to see you kept to that.”, Alec teased. “Glad it didn’t work out for you.”, Zoe agreed. Damon rolled his eyes. “You exist because condoms and birth control apparently failed. Alexander because my wife is a sneaky cagna. And Gina exists because I lived to see Alexander born so figured fuck it.”, Damon explained. Alec chuckled a little.

Zoe laughed softly. “So..umm. Hi.”, she greeted offering her hand to him. “I’m Zoe Alexandria DeLuca…your daughter?”, she introduced. Damon raised an eyebrow. “Alexandria? She gave you my mother’s name?”, Damon said shaking his head laughing a little. “Damon Alexander Petridis, there’s some roman numeral but I stopped using it. Your dad?”, Damon introduced shaking her hand. She smiled a little leaning over and hugging him around his neck briefly. “Mamma never was angry at you, I think. I just think she thought you had different lives.”, Zoe explained. Damon raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean? Someone want to tell me why she never came back?”, Damon asked. “Well she had to recover from the attack and then get things settles. So well when she did come back..”, Alec said looking down. “What? When?”, Damon questioned. “After Alexander was born..”, Alec answered. Damon frowned and sank into the chair further. “Skatá (Crap)”, Damon cursed in Greek. Zoe nodded. “I guess she saw you pushing a stroller with a woman at your side and a white haired baby in the carriage.”, Zoe explained. “Which means she saw me with Alexander and Geri...fantastic.”, Damon muttered.

“Mamma, after speaking to Alec and finding out you thought she was dead wanted me to meet you.”, Zoe explained. “So she knows? That you came to speak with me?”, Damon questioned. “Yes, um...after I.”, Zoe rubbed the back of her neck. “After...Ho lasciato a casa senza mamma dire che stavo stavo andando, o dove stavo andando o quanto tempo me ne sarei andato. (I left home without telling mom I was was leaving, or where I was going or how long I'd be gone.)”, Zoe admitted a little ashamed. “Non l'hai detto? Avete idea di quanto preoccupata lei deve essere stato? Dio mi piacerebbe battere Alexander e Gina di asini se lo facessero. (You didn't tell her? Do you have any idea how worried she must have been? God I'd beat Alexander and Gina's asses if they did that.)”, Damon said scolded shaking his head. Alec smiled a little seeing Damon treating Zoe as he did his other children. “Non ha voluto parlare di te, sempre. Non ha mai mi hanno dato anche un nome. Io non sapevo nemmeno che il mio nome era tua madre. In più lei avrebbe cercato di fermarmi. Quindi lei non sapeva dove ero fino alla sera sono arrivato qui. (She wouldn't talk about you, ever. She never even gave me a name. I didn't even know my middle name was your mother's. Plus she would have tried to stop me. So she didn't know where I was until the night I got here.)”, she sighed. “I just...I wanted to know so badly who you were.”, she added. Damon sighed. “If she would have stopped you from coming to find me, why did she agree to you meeting me?”, Damon asked. “Mamma thought you were happily married with children. And that you wouldn’t want an ex and a bastardo (bastard) child coming to mess it up”, she said meaning the bastard in the literal translation of someone who’s parents were not married. Damon sighed at the description Zoe used. “It's kind of my doing that Izzy was on board.”, Alec admitted. “What did you say to her Alec?”, Damon questioned. “To be a bit more blunt than I was with Izzy. I said you’ve been a miserable ass since she left and only married that cagna (bitch) because you thought she was dead. Oh and you still mourn her.”,Alec explained.

Damon sighed. “Geri is a cagna.”, Damon agreed. “I am guessing she’s why we are meeting at the Haven.”, Damon concluded. “Mmm that and others…”, Zoe said. “Others?”, Damon asked. “You’ve been here for three days that I know of. What kind of trouble could you have gotten into. Side note where are you staying in Bayville?”, He asked. “She’s staying in Izzy’s old apartment.”, Alec answered for where she was staying. “I turned a gargoyle into a stone one.”, she said innocently. Damon groaned. “Male or female?”, he questioned. “Male. But his sister was there along with someone David Bryant called a ‘demon’. Talia I think?”, she said not sure about names. “He tried to grab me and I did not like that. So I stopped him And he did not like that more.”, Zoe said with a smirk. Damon sighed and put his hands over his face. “I’ll kick his stupid ass. So you are they those three idiots skipped my training yesterday. Hmm...they think I’m mean on an average day. Oh those three are really going to hate their next lesson.”, Damon sighed. “I hurt his pride more than punching him would.”, she chuckled. “They would have tried more, but David Bryant helped.”, she added. “Who said anything about punching? You don’t punch Apollo, that’s worse than punching a brick wall. No I’ll work those three till they drop from exhaustion.”, Damon advised. “I could make him a brick wall.”, she offered. Damon laughed. “Which means you have her powers not mine.”, Damon stated. “Don’t sound happy of that..”, Zoe commented. “Oh no, I don’t care what powers you have or if you had none at all. Just maybe it means you don’t get the curse. We’ve all had the same powers since the first Damon Alexander Petridis.”, Damon explained. “Maybe it’s really broken then?”, Zoe suggested. “I don’t know. Alexander has my healing powers. Which random question why did the twins and Talia leave the dojo to chase you?”, Damon questioned.

“I was watching from the front window, and I think Talia was angry I was watching you and Alexander sparring.”, Zoe explained. Damon started laughing. “And I’m not surprised. Talia is constantly aware of anyone that looks at Alexander and if it’s female it doesn’t matter how they are looking she gets possessive. Personally, I think she’s just insecure because she’s a blue demon cunt that didn’t get her mother’s wings or her father's teleportation powers.”, Damon explained. “She was about to be obsidian if David hadn’t come. I don’t hesitate to turn people to stone.”, she smirked. Alec laughed shaking his head. “Yeah she’s your daughter.”, he teased. “And cunt? That’s how you want to talk about your future daughter-in-law and possibly depending on that cure mamma?”, Alec joked. “Do not remind me.”, Damon groaned. Zoe chuckled. “I am first born. And many women keep their last names when married. So maybe you’ll be saved from her as your mamma.”, Zoe suggested. “I prefer the idea that I broke the curse better. I don’t want to be reincarnated and spend eternity with these cocksuckers.”, Damon said before wincing. The voices causing him sudden pain. “They don’t like me calling them names.”, Damon explained. “Isn’t your dad in there?”, Alec questioned. “Yes and he’s one of the worse.”, Damon answered. Zoe laughed shaking her head a little deciding to change the subject. “Would you want mamma’s number?”, she offered. Damon blinked then winced again. Alec laughed. “What they catch a dirty thought?”, Alec teased. Damon elbowed Alec. “Yes, I’ll take the number.”, he agreed. Zoe nodded and grabbed a pen and paper from a desk in the study jotting down the number and handing it to him.

Damon took the paper putting it in his pocket as he stood up. “I have some things I need to go take care of. If anything goes bad I want you to leave the restaurant and come here.”, Damon said. He didn’t want to tell either of them that his ‘things to take care of’ is to hunt down Harry Polk. Zoe and Alec both stood up and nodded. “I could just stay here in general if it’s safer.”, Zoe said. “Right she could stay here alone with just Merrick.”, Alec said. Damon raised an eyebrow and looked at Zoe then the door to the study. “Yeah you leave with Alec. Come here if things go bad only. Rather not leave you alone with Merrick.”, Damon stated. Zoe raised an eyebrow. “Why? He seemed rather harmless.”, Zoe said. “I”m not okay with leaving my daughter alone with Merrick, the man-whore of Bayville. That boy’s had a little black book since he was fifteen.”, Damon explained. “Does he not accept no as an answer?”, Zoe questioned. “Well of course he does. His mother would skin him if he didn’t. But that's not the point. For now go with Alec and I will come check on you later. If things are bad you come here.”, Damon explained. “But I don’t want to get Alec hurt if someone traces me to the apartment.”, Zoe argued. “I can handle myself Zoe, thanks for the concern though.”, Alec said. “Then I should stay and protect him.”, Zoe said. “No.”, Alec and Damon both said together. “Look Zoe we both owe it to your mother to make sure you are not harmed. And I’ll not let you square off against Geri, because if this goes bad it’ll be her looking for you. Geri won’t hurt you if you are here and she won’t hurt Alec if he just tells her what she wants to know without swearing at her. So that means no calling her a cagna to her face again. She looked it up last time and was pissed.”, Damon warned walking out of the study.

“I’ll check on you later. Stay out of trouble, both of you.”, Damon said pausing and giving Zoe a hug. “I’m glad you came and I have gotten to meet you. And I look forward to knowing you better.”, Damon said before heading out to go find Harry Polk. Zoe returned the brief hug. “Bye, Damon.”, she said still finding the word dad too weird at the moment to use. Merrick got up and watched Damon leave and looked to Alec and Zoe and blinked seeing the white hair. He chuckled a little. “Well that explains the meeting. Shame, such potential. Oh well.”, Merrick said with a smirk. It wasn't so much that Zoe was a Petridis as that despite the sneaking around Merrick knew that his little brother and her little sister were a bit more than friends. Zoe and Alec both looked confused. Zoe picked up her picture of her mother and put her bandana and hat back on walking out with Alec. “Do you think things are going to turn bad?”, Zoe asked getting into the car. “Depends on what Damon finds out.”, Alec stated. Once they were both gone Merrick headed out too having scheduled to meet Jenna an hour ago but had to reschedule because of that meeting. “What do you mean depends on what he finds out?”, Zoe asked. Alec sighed driving away from the Haven. “He’s going to find Harry Polk. He wants answers about why he was given a false death certificate for your mother.”, Alec explained. Zoe blinked and looked at him. “Does that mean he’s actually going to kill him?”, Zoe asked. “I don’t think he will. Your dad knows how to inflict pain but really he’s a healer in power and at heart he would make sure the man was healthy when he left as long as he was given honest answers.”, Alec explained.

While Damon at least felt secure that his new found daughter was in the care of his closest friend and that his other children were safe at the Academy none the wiser of her existence, he wanted answers. And he knew exactly where he was going to get his answers. He drove to the small hole in the wall offices of Private Detective Harry Polk, who was still in business. Damon stepped inside the office the receptionist blinking up at him and at his ivory hair. “I’m here to see Harry.”, Damon said sternly. “Um he’s in a meeting right now. If you want to sit and wait Mister…”, The woman said a little nervous by his presence. “I will not be waiting. I suggest you take the rest of the day off.”, Damon said pushing open the door to the office. Harry, now a plumper and older man with a comb over, was in a meeting alright his pants were around his ankles bent over on his desk while a woman in a skimpy nun costume was spanking him with a yard stick. Damon held back his vomit and his laughter at the sight. He covered his mouth and gulped down his vomit. “Kýrie, eíste akatháristo ánthro̱pos. (Lord, you are a gross man.)”, Damon exclaimed in Greek. The woman holding the yardstick stopped in mid swing startled by the door opening. Harry turned his head to look and see who had interrupted his 4 o’clock. In his long career most faces just blended together and he forgot people. However it was not often that a man walked in with pure white hair and even at a young age carried himself the way you’d expect of a man with many years of experience and confidence. So when Harry’s hazel eyes landed on a slightly older version of this man in his office he blinked. He quickly stood up and started to pull up his pants. “Um..er…Mister…Mister Petridis…I didn’t…I hadn’t expected to see you again. Um did we have an appointment I forgot?”, Harry stammered.

Damon narrowed his eyes and shook his head before looking to the woman and pointed. “You can leave. Depending on how my conversation goes with Mister Polk your services may never be required again. Now leave.”, Damon instructed pointing to the door. The receptionist was hurrying outside the door to pack up her purse and leave as quickly as possible. The woman in the costume glanced to Harry only briefly but was quick to get past Damon wanting nothing to do with whatever was about to happen in that room. Once he heard the door to the front room close Damon slammed Harry’s office door closed the glass pane cracking at the force. “What..um can I do for you Mister Petridis…”, Harry asked moving behind his desk hoping he could use the large piece of furniture as a buffer between him and Damon. “You are going to give me answers Harry. And you are not going to lie to me this time. Now SIT!”, Damon said his voice going from calm to agitated at the command for him to sit. Harry epped a little as without even thinking about it sat in his chair. “What..er…what do you mean. I..I have never…lied…to you.”, Harry stammered. Damon narrowed his eyes and set a bag down upon Harry’s desk and reached inside pulling out a roll of ducktape. “I do not appreciate liars. Put your arms out onto your desk palms down.”, Damon instructed. “I don’t like this part of what I do, but I’m damn good at it. So if you won’t freely give me answers I will force them out of you.”, Damon said. Harry didn’t move his arms frozen in fear. Damon reached over and grabbed Harry’s left arm and forced it down before taping it in place then repeated with his right. “Now you are going to tell me why you gave me a fake death certificate for Isadora DeLuca almost nineteen years ago. You are going to tell me why you left out the fact I have a daughter.”, Damon said reaching into the bag again this time taking out a heavy metal meat tenderizer. “What..what is that…”, Harry stammered gulping looking at the object which it was easy to see had blood on it.

Damon smiled. “This? Well to my chef friend this would be called a meat tenderizer. Which I suppose is accurate for how I utilize this tool. Now answer me. Why did you tell me Isadora DeLuca was dead?”, Damon demanded holding the tenderizer with his right hand and took Harry’s left pinky, pulling it away from the others with his left. Harry wanted to just tell him the truth, but the thought of that red haired woman came to his mind the one who said she’d burn his office and his home and make sure he was inside. “I…I never lied to you. I told you the truth…”, Harry stammered. “Lies.”, Damon said slamming the tenderizer down onto the pinky finger with enough force that he knew the bone had splintered. Harry screamed in pain. “Tell me the truth Harry. Because you have nine other digits I can do this to. And otherwise I can reach into my bag and see what else I find. Maybe a knife will come out next and we see what body parts I feel you can live without. Now why did you lie to me!?”, Damon said grabbing Harry’s ring finger next. “I…I didn’t lie to you…”, Harry stammered holding to his lie as he cried. Damon glared at Harry and slammed the tenderizer down smashing Harry’s pudgy ring finger. Harry screamed again in pain. “Why do you keep lying to me. I know she’s alive. So just tell me why you lied. Save yourself the pain.”, Damon demanded grabbing Harry’s middle finger. “I…I can’t. She…she’ll kill me.”, Harry cried. “SHE? You are worried about what someone who threatened you nineteen years ago will do? You should be worried about what I’m going to do to you. WHO!? Who told you to lie to me!”, Damon demanded slamming the tenderizer into the middle finger breaking it in multiple places. Harry screamed again. “She…she’ll kill me…”, Harry cried again.

Damon shook his head grabbing Harry’s index finger. “Worry less about what ‘she’ might do and worry more about what I WILL do. Now who told you to lie to me?”, Damon demanded slamming the tenderizer onto e index finger blood gushing out as he hit just right to create a gash rather than fully breaking the finger like the others. Harry yelled in pain. “She didn’t …she didn’t give me a name. She just said I was supposed to tell her what I found out in Italy and not deliver your letter.”, Harry said. Damon narrowed his eyes and grabbed Harry’s other pink finger. “So this woman approached you before you left for Italy. What did she look like!?”, Damon demanded smashing the pinky finger smiling a little hearing the bones cracking under the force. Harry again screamed in pain, tears had been streaming down his face since the first finger was broken. “A red head. Young. Australian.”, Harry whimpered. Damon nearly dropped his tenderizer. “Geri….”, he said hate in his tone. “What did you tell her?”, Damon demanded moving to the next finger. “Everything….I told her how you sent me with a letter for Isadora DeLuca. I told her that the woman and child had survived the attack.”, Harry admitted slumping his head, his bad comb over falling over his face a little, crying.

“You told her about my daughter!?”, Damon shouted slamming the tenderizer into Harry’s middle finger taking happiness in the sound of the bones breaking. Harry screamed again. “Yes…yes I told her about the baby with white hair. She seemed to angry about the child and that they were alive. She told me…that if I ever told anyone the truth she’d burn my house and my business and make sure I died in the fire. So…so I gave you the death certificate. She said you’d never know..”, Harry sobbed. Damon slammed the tenderizer into Harry’s index finger. “Well I did find out. I found out Harry. Nineteen years…nineteen Harry. You destroyed three lives with your lie. And you don’t deserve this…but you did finally tell me the truth… So”, Damon sighed putting the tenderizer back and placing a hand on Harry’s arm and let his healing powers heal the damage to the eight fingers. “You don’t need to worry about my wife. I will deal with her backstabbing ass myself.”, Damon said grabbing his bag to walk back out. “W…wif…wife? Um Mister Petridis…are you…are you going to let my arms up?”, Harry stammered. Damon paused at the door and looked at Harry. “No. Good night Harry.”, Damon said slamming the door the glass fully breaking as Damon left the office.

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Despite having been given reassurance from Alec, she had slept poorly her mind racing with anticipation and anxiety of what will happen when she finally met her father. She’s not even planned to meet him but here she was getting ready to meet him. She’s looked over her clothes from her duffle bag a thousand times trying to decide what she should wear to meet her father for the first time ever. And realized she’d not really packed anything nice, just comfy clothes. So with a sigh she showered then changed into a clean pair of jeans, a short sleeve fitted teal tee and then pulled on her black hooding tucking the picture of her mom with Alec, the recent photo of her mom, and the phantom of the opera program into the large pocket then she pinned her short white hair back under a gray bandana then pulled a black cap over that to ensure her hair was hidden. She was double checking that she had everything when she heard a knock at the door. “Come in?”, Zoe called. Alec leaned into the apartment his keys in his hand. “You all set to go?”, Alec asked. Zoe sighed and pulled her sneakers on. “Yeah as ready as I’m going to be I guess.”, Zoe said following him out the door locking the apartment behind her. The drive to the Haven was generally quiet. Both were a big on edge at the coming meeting. Once they parked Alec got out and looked at the building. “This isn’t what I expected. I haven’t been to the Haven before, but I didn’t expect a house as big as my Nonna’s villa in Sicily.”, Alec said with a smile walking up to the door and knocking. Zoe smiled a little and put her hands into her pockets. “It’s going to be alright..”, she said mostly to herself.

Inside Merrick was the only one home, having told David he’d wait for Alec and Damon’s meeting to be over before going anywhere. Hearing the door from the living room Merrick got up and headed to the door pulling it open. “Hello Mister D’Amour and….”, Merrick greeted recognizing Alec from when he and Leslie looked at the apartment. However he didn’t recognize the girl with Alec and smiled at her. “Mister Bryant-Frost, I had forgotten this was your alliance.”, Alec greeted. “Hi, I’m Zoe DeLuca.”, Zoe said. Merrick smirked and gave a playful wink to Zoe. “Merrick Bryant-Frost, you can leave the Mister off since I don’t really think I’m old enough for formality.”, Merrick greeted. “Your cousin David said it would be alright for us to meet with Damon here.”, Alec said getting the subject back on track. Zoe just smiled giving Merrick a once over with her eyes as his attention went to Alec. “Yeah David mentioned it, only reason I’m home. Supposed to stay till after your meeting in case things get…out of hand. Though as friends with Mister Petridis I don’t see why you need to meet here. But whatever, I’m a mushroom and I’m okay with that. Come on in.”, Merrick said opening the door fully stepping out of the way. “Thanks.”, Alec said stepping inside taking off his jacket and folding it over his arm. Zoe smiled looking at Merrick again as she stepped inside. “Thank you Merrick.”, she said her accent thick. Merrick smirked. “You have full use of the study right over there. Hope you have a good meeting with Mister Petridis. I’ll send him in when he shows up since I’m apparently butler today.”, Merrick said. Alec nodded and headed for the study. Merrick moved to close the door, Zoe looking over her shoulder as she followed Alec looking at Merrick’s backside.

“Dio benedica l'America, sì? (God bless America, yes?)”, Zoe commented as she walked into the study, Alec laughed and shook his head shutting the door to the study. “Yes well there’s a line of local girls that have that same opinion of the young Mister Bryant-Frost.”, Alec commented taking a seat. “Just looking, not touching.”, Zoe said with a smile sitting down in a chair next to him. “Though I’ve only met him once. He looked at the apartment with his girlfriend of the time. That was before her car accident that left her permanently hospitalized. Poor boy.”, Alec reflected with a frown. Zoe’s shoulders sank a little at the story. “The poor man.”, she sighed. She rubbed her hands together starting to get nervous as this was actually happening. She was going to meet her father. Alec sighed. “Hey it’s going to be alright. I’m here to back you up and give support to both of you if needed.”, Alec assured. “It’s just…I didn’t prepare to do this.”, Zoe said chewing on her bottom lip nervously. “I know. You had planned to just see him and leave. I’m sorry I’ve put you into this situation, but he needs to know this.”, Alec apologized. “I just hope it doesn’t go wrong.”, Zoe said looking down at her lap. “Wrong how?”, Alec asked tilting his head slightly in question. “He..what if he doesn’t want to know me.”, She admitted. Alec sighed and gave her a side hug around her shoulder. “You’re his daughter. He will want to know you. And if he doesn’t I’ll smack him in the back of the head for being an idiot.”, Alex offered with a smile. She smiled weakly. “What if he’s happy?”, she worried. “Doesn’t change anything. He needs to know about you. Yes it might complicate things for him. But he’s better off knowing than not.”, Alec concluded.

Zoe nodded and after a few minutes of waiting stood up starting to pace in the study. Alec watched her walking back and forth. He sighed and reached out taking her hand to stop her. “Relax kid. You are going to make your old uncle dizzy pacing around like that.”, Alec said with a soft smile. She looked down and smiled softly. “Just..nervous energy.”, she explained. Alec nodded letting her hand go. “It’ll be alright.”, he encouraged. His eyes looked to the door as he heard a knock at the main door. Merrick sighed and headed back to the door pulling it open and looked at his old trainer. “Hi Mister Petridis.”, Merrick greeted being polite. “Merrick. Where’s Alec?”, Damon questioned getting straight to the point. “In the study just there Mister Petridis.”, Merrick said pointing. “Thanks..”, Damon said stepping inside and heading to the study. He opened the door and raised an eyebrow seeing his friend sitting there with a young girl. “Alec? What is this?”, Damon questioned. Zoe looked over and exhaled softly when he walked in. She stared at him, her shoulders tense and breath frozen similar to a deer in headlights. Alec sighed and stood up. “Damon take a seat please and we will explain.”, Alec suggested. “We? What is going on old friend?”, Damon asked but still sat down. His cold blue eyes looked at the girl and recognized her from the other day sitting outside his dojo. But it was more than that. He locked on her eyes and there was something them, something familiar. “She was outside the dojo the other day. Who is she? Who are you?”, Damon asked no looking away from her eyes. Zoe’s eyes were locked on him focused intently on him. He was…amazing up close…her father. This was the man singing in that home movie. This was the man who had an arm around her mother and made her laugh and blush. This was the one that…Zoe snapped out of her trance and took off just the hat keeping the bandana on. She stood there pulling nervously at the brim and looked to Alec. But as the question came of who she was she looked back at Damon. “I..I’m..Il mio nome è Zoe Deluca. (My name is Zoe Deluca.)”, she said nervously slipping back to Italian.

Damon felt his heart stop at hearing the last name. He looked from the girl to Alec in question. “DeLuca? Deluca?! What is this?”, Damon demanded. “What do you think it is, old friend.”, Alec asked. “I don’t know. I mean Deluca could be more common in Italy than I think. But it doesn’t matter. The only Deluca I care about is gone.”, Damon said firmly starting to get up. The yelling Zoe had expected and even the pain in his voice. “No, she’s not.” Zoe said. She reached up and pulled off her bandana letting her white hair fall free around her ears and eyes as she looked at him. Damon froze in place before falling back into the chair looking at her hair. “It’s not April 1st for a few more weeks and this is the worst joke ever.”, Damon finally spoke starting to rise again. Alec quickly moved and placed his hands on Damon’s chest and pushed him back into the chair. “I know how you are feeling right now, well to a point. I felt the same when she approached me. But she’s not lying. I spoke to her. She called her mom from my apartment and I talked to. I would never forget Izzy’s voice. It is her.”, Alec pleaded for Damon to stay. “Show him the picture of her.”, Alec suggested glancing to Zoe. Zoe nodded and reached into the front pocket of her hoodie and took the picture out offering it to him. “Mamma would never talk about Bayville, her time in America besides little glimpses, and never about mio padre (my father). So I searched for many years and came here looking. This was taken three months ago, in the kitchen of the café.”, Zoe explained. Damon looked at Alec with a mixture of hope and sorrow in his eyes being told he’d spoken to Isadora. He cautiously took the picture from Zoe. Alec held his breath a bit unsure what emotion Damon would have next.

The voices in his head had started yelling the moment the girl revealed her white hair, but he was ignoring the,. Damon turned the photo in his unsteady hand. He inhaled sharply like he’d been punched in the lungs as he looked at the photograph. “ángelos ti̱s mousikí̱s (angel of music)”, he whispered softly in Greek so soft it was barely audible. Zoe crouched down, putting a hand on Damon’s knee gently and looked up at him. “Damon, mamma never told me who my father was. Alec thinks it was you.”, she tilted her head. “I was born May 21st, 2008.”, Zoe explained. “Think? I’m not a geneticist, but I’ll eat snails for a year if you are anyone’s but his.”, Alec said folding his arms. Damon didn’t look away from the picture of Isadora. His eyes not even looking at the scar only seeing her face. He heard Zoe and Alec though. He didn’t have to do the math as the voices did it for him. They started swearing in various languages at him realizing it was true the girl was his. Damon just nodded. “But..why didn’t she… how did I get that death certificate? Harry Polk…I’ll kill him…”, Damon said speaking in fragments and rage started to boil up from the pit of his stomach into his eyes. Alec had expected that reaction from Damon. Zoe bit her bottom lip a little. “Don’t kill someone for a mistake.”, she said softly. “Mamma, when he came…well people attacked us. Grandpa died and mamma was badly hurt. Friends thought she was dead too until the truth was told to them.”, Zoe explained. “A mistake!? Giving me falsified documentation…that’s not a mistake that’s lying to the wrong man.”, Damon said shaking his head. “I…God I shouldn’t have made her leave. Or I should have just gone myself instead of sending someone. I shouldn’t have waited for my team to acclimate to the others.”, Damon said shaking his head. Alec sighed and sat down next to his friend. “You told her to go to be safe. Many long mutants got hurt in the aftermath. You did what you thought would keep her safest. You can’t change the past old friend, trust me. I know that from experience. All you can do is look forward. Look to what you can do now.”, Alex encouraged.

“I only came to America to find out who my father is, and just see his face. Alec was the one that felt I should meet you.”, Zoe said softly. Damon looked at Alec. “You need to know. I know what Isadora is to you. And that there’s a significance to the first born Petridis.”, Alec explained. Damon took a deep breath. “Oh god…the Petridis curse. God damn it.”, Damon cursed. “Everyone keeps mentioning this first born shit.”, she frowned. “What is going on? Can someone explain?”, she asked. “Oh there’s a line of what you wouldn’t tell her Alec?”, Damon teased. “Hey that’s your deal. My head hurts thinking about it.”, Alec replied. “Your head hurts? Mine is going ballistic right now.”, Damon said setting the picture on his lap to rub his temples. He sighed and looked at Zoe. “There’s a curse, or at least I call it one, on the first born Petridis. Has been going back to 465 BC Sparta.”, Damon explained. She blinked in surprise and tilted her head. “Great. So not only did mom hide my dad but I’m cursed?”, she asked. “Well I don’t exactly know how it works now. The curse was that when the Petridis had an heir they didn’t live to see that child born. Instead they were reincarnated joining with the soul and consciousness of their heir. I’m obviously still alive and have three children, apparently.”, Damon explained.

“Could it, be because I was not there? You didn’t know about me?”, she asked. “I don’t know. The ancestors don’t know either. I’m the first one to not die. And you are the first girl born in the history of the Petridis line. Used to be my Gina was the only girl Petridis.”, he explained. Zoe shrugged a little. “Guess all of you should get used to the idea of being in a chick’s brain.”, she said trying to tease about it. It was how she coped with the idea of being cured it seemed. “That’s the thing you and my other children are already here, so I couldn’t reincarnate with any of you. It occurs during gestation. I just don’t know what this means for my future. Because if it just skips and goes to the first grandchild born after my dead who’s would it be. Yours or Alexander’s? I don’t know if gender factors into this as the name wouldn’t carry on through a daughter.”, Damon sighed his head hurting. “Maybe the curse got broken or just ran out?”, she shrugged. Damon shrugged. “I can hope. I don’t wish these assholes..”, he said pointing to his head. “On anyone. Heck they are why I said I didn’t want to have children.”, Damon explained. Alex and Zoe both laughed. “Good to see you kept to that.”, Alec teased. “Glad it didn’t work out for you.”, Zoe agreed. Damon rolled his eyes. “You exist because condoms and birth control apparently failed. Alexander because my wife is a sneaky cagna. And Gina exists because I lived to see Alexander born so figured fuck it.”, Damon explained. Alec chuckled a little.

Zoe laughed softly. “So..umm. Hi.”, she greeted offering her hand to him. “I’m Zoe Alexandria DeLuca…your daughter?”, she introduced. Damon raised an eyebrow. “Alexandria? She gave you my mother’s name?”, Damon said shaking his head laughing a little. “Damon Alexander Petridis, there’s some roman numeral but I stopped using it. Your dad?”, Damon introduced shaking her hand. She smiled a little leaning over and hugging him around his neck briefly. “Mamma never was angry at you, I think. I just think she thought you had different lives.”, Zoe explained. Damon raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean? Someone want to tell me why she never came back?”, Damon asked. “Well she had to recover from the attack and then get things settles. So well when she did come back..”, Alec said looking down. “What? When?”, Damon questioned. “After Alexander was born..”, Alec answered. Damon frowned and sank into the chair further. “Skatá (Crap)”, Damon cursed in Greek. Zoe nodded. “I guess she saw you pushing a stroller with a woman at your side and a white haired baby in the carriage.”, Zoe explained. “Which means she saw me with Alexander and Geri...fantastic.”, Damon muttered.

“Mamma, after speaking to Alec and finding out you thought she was dead wanted me to meet you.”, Zoe explained. “So she knows? That you came to speak with me?”, Damon questioned. “Yes, um...after I.”, Zoe rubbed the back of her neck. “After...Ho lasciato a casa senza mamma dire che stavo stavo andando, o dove stavo andando o quanto tempo me ne sarei andato. (I left home without telling mom I was was leaving, or where I was going or how long I'd be gone.)”, Zoe admitted a little ashamed. “Non l'hai detto? Avete idea di quanto preoccupata lei deve essere stato? Dio mi piacerebbe battere Alexander e Gina di asini se lo facessero. (You didn't tell her? Do you have any idea how worried she must have been? God I'd beat Alexander and Gina's asses if they did that.)”, Damon said scolded shaking his head. Alec smiled a little seeing Damon treating Zoe as he did his other children. “Non ha voluto parlare di te, sempre. Non ha mai mi hanno dato anche un nome. Io non sapevo nemmeno che il mio nome era tua madre. In più lei avrebbe cercato di fermarmi. Quindi lei non sapeva dove ero fino alla sera sono arrivato qui. (She wouldn't talk about you, ever. She never even gave me a name. I didn't even know my middle name was your mother's. Plus she would have tried to stop me. So she didn't know where I was until the night I got here.)”, she sighed. “I just...I wanted to know so badly who you were.”, she added. Damon sighed. “If she would have stopped you from coming to find me, why did she agree to you meeting me?”, Damon asked. “Mamma thought you were happily married with children. And that you wouldn’t want an ex and a bastardo (bastard) child coming to mess it up”, she said meaning the bastard in the literal translation of someone who’s parents were not married. Damon sighed at the description Zoe used. “It's kind of my doing that Izzy was on board.”, Alec admitted. “What did you say to her Alec?”, Damon questioned. “To be a bit more blunt than I was with Izzy. I said you’ve been a miserable ass since she left and only married that cagna (bitch) because you thought she was dead. Oh and you still mourn her.”,Alec explained.

Damon sighed. “Geri is a cagna.”, Damon agreed. “I am guessing she’s why we are meeting at the Haven.”, Damon concluded. “Mmm that and others…”, Zoe said. “Others?”, Damon asked. “You’ve been here for three days that I know of. What kind of trouble could you have gotten into. Side note where are you staying in Bayville?”, He asked. “She’s staying in Izzy’s old apartment.”, Alec answered for where she was staying. “I turned a gargoyle into a stone one.”, she said innocently. Damon groaned. “Male or female?”, he questioned. “Male. But his sister was there along with someone David Bryant called a ‘demon’. Talia I think?”, she said not sure about names. “He tried to grab me and I did not like that. So I stopped him And he did not like that more.”, Zoe said with a smirk. Damon sighed and put his hands over his face. “I’ll kick his stupid ass. So you are they those three idiots skipped my training yesterday. Hmm...they think I’m mean on an average day. Oh those three are really going to hate their next lesson.”, Damon sighed. “I hurt his pride more than punching him would.”, she chuckled. “They would have tried more, but David Bryant helped.”, she added. “Who said anything about punching? You don’t punch Apollo, that’s worse than punching a brick wall. No I’ll work those three till they drop from exhaustion.”, Damon advised. “I could make him a brick wall.”, she offered. Damon laughed. “Which means you have her powers not mine.”, Damon stated. “Don’t sound happy of that..”, Zoe commented. “Oh no, I don’t care what powers you have or if you had none at all. Just maybe it means you don’t get the curse. We’ve all had the same powers since the first Damon Alexander Petridis.”, Damon explained. “Maybe it’s really broken then?”, Zoe suggested. “I don’t know. Alexander has my healing powers. Which random question why did the twins and Talia leave the dojo to chase you?”, Damon questioned.

“I was watching from the front window, and I think Talia was angry I was watching you and Alexander sparring.”, Zoe explained. Damon started laughing. “And I’m not surprised. Talia is constantly aware of anyone that looks at Alexander and if it’s female it doesn’t matter how they are looking she gets possessive. Personally, I think she’s just insecure because she’s a blue demon cunt that didn’t get her mother’s wings or her father's teleportation powers.”, Damon explained. “She was about to be obsidian if David hadn’t come. I don’t hesitate to turn people to stone.”, she smirked. Alec laughed shaking his head. “Yeah she’s your daughter.”, he teased. “And cunt? That’s how you want to talk about your future daughter-in-law and possibly depending on that cure mamma?”, Alec joked. “Do not remind me.”, Damon groaned. Zoe chuckled. “I am first born. And many women keep their last names when married. So maybe you’ll be saved from her as your mamma.”, Zoe suggested. “I prefer the idea that I broke the curse better. I don’t want to be reincarnated and spend eternity with these cocksuckers.”, Damon said before wincing. The voices causing him sudden pain. “They don’t like me calling them names.”, Damon explained. “Isn’t your dad in there?”, Alec questioned. “Yes and he’s one of the worse.”, Damon answered. Zoe laughed shaking her head a little deciding to change the subject. “Would you want mamma’s number?”, she offered. Damon blinked then winced again. Alec laughed. “What they catch a dirty thought?”, Alec teased. Damon elbowed Alec. “Yes, I’ll take the number.”, he agreed. Zoe nodded and grabbed a pen and paper from a desk in the study jotting down the number and handing it to him.

Damon took the paper putting it in his pocket as he stood up. “I have some things I need to go take care of. If anything goes bad I want you to leave the restaurant and come here.”, Damon said. He didn’t want to tell either of them that his ‘things to take care of’ is to hunt down Harry Polk. Zoe and Alec both stood up and nodded. “I could just stay here in general if it’s safer.”, Zoe said. “Right she could stay here alone with just Merrick.”, Alec said. Damon raised an eyebrow and looked at Zoe then the door to the study. “Yeah you leave with Alec. Come here if things go bad only. Rather not leave you alone with Merrick.”, Damon stated. Zoe raised an eyebrow. “Why? He seemed rather harmless.”, Zoe said. “I”m not okay with leaving my daughter alone with Merrick, the man-whore of Bayville. That boy’s had a little black book since he was fifteen.”, Damon explained. “Does he not accept no as an answer?”, Zoe questioned. “Well of course he does. His mother would skin him if he didn’t. But that's not the point. For now go with Alec and I will come check on you later. If things are bad you come here.”, Damon explained. “But I don’t want to get Alec hurt if someone traces me to the apartment.”, Zoe argued. “I can handle myself Zoe, thanks for the concern though.”, Alec said. “Then I should stay and protect him.”, Zoe said. “No.”, Alec and Damon both said together. “Look Zoe we both owe it to your mother to make sure you are not harmed. And I’ll not let you square off against Geri, because if this goes bad it’ll be her looking for you. Geri won’t hurt you if you are here and she won’t hurt Alec if he just tells her what she wants to know without swearing at her. So that means no calling her a cagna to her face again. She looked it up last time and was pissed.”, Damon warned walking out of the study.

“I’ll check on you later. Stay out of trouble, both of you.”, Damon said pausing and giving Zoe a hug. “I’m glad you came and I have gotten to meet you. And I look forward to knowing you better.”, Damon said before heading out to go find Harry Polk. Zoe returned the brief hug. “Bye, Damon.”, she said still finding the word dad too weird at the moment to use. Merrick got up and watched Damon leave and looked to Alec and Zoe and blinked seeing the white hair. He chuckled a little. “Well that explains the meeting. Shame, such potential. Oh well.”, Merrick said with a smirk. It wasn't so much that Zoe was a Petridis as that despite the sneaking around Merrick knew that his little brother and her little sister were a bit more than friends. Zoe and Alec both looked confused. Zoe picked up her picture of her mother and put her bandana and hat back on walking out with Alec. “Do you think things are going to turn bad?”, Zoe asked getting into the car. “Depends on what Damon finds out.”, Alec stated. Once they were both gone Merrick headed out too having scheduled to meet Jenna an hour ago but had to reschedule because of that meeting. “What do you mean depends on what he finds out?”, Zoe asked. Alec sighed driving away from the Haven. “He’s going to find Harry Polk. He wants answers about why he was given a false death certificate for your mother.”, Alec explained. Zoe blinked and looked at him. “Does that mean he’s actually going to kill him?”, Zoe asked. “I don’t think he will. Your dad knows how to inflict pain but really he’s a healer in power and at heart he would make sure the man was healthy when he left as long as he was given honest answers.”, Alec explained.

While Damon at least felt secure that his new found daughter was in the care of his closest friend and that his other children were safe at the Academy none the wiser of her existence, he wanted answers. And he knew exactly where he was going to get his answers. He drove to the small hole in the wall offices of Private Detective Harry Polk, who was still in business. Damon stepped inside the office the receptionist blinking up at him and at his ivory hair. “I’m here to see Harry.”, Damon said sternly. “Um he’s in a meeting right now. If you want to sit and wait Mister…”, The woman said a little nervous by his presence. “I will not be waiting. I suggest you take the rest of the day off.”, Damon said pushing open the door to the office. Harry, now a plumper and older man with a comb over, was in a meeting alright his pants were around his ankles bent over on his desk while a woman in a skimpy nun costume was spanking him with a yard stick. Damon held back his vomit and his laughter at the sight. He covered his mouth and gulped down his vomit. “Kýrie, eíste akatháristo ánthro̱pos. (Lord, you are a gross man.)”, Damon exclaimed in Greek. The woman holding the yardstick stopped in mid swing startled by the door opening. Harry turned his head to look and see who had interrupted his 4 o’clock. In his long career most faces just blended together and he forgot people. However it was not often that a man walked in with pure white hair and even at a young age carried himself the way you’d expect of a man with many years of experience and confidence. So when Harry’s hazel eyes landed on a slightly older version of this man in his office he blinked. He quickly stood up and started to pull up his pants. “Um..er…Mister…Mister Petridis…I didn’t…I hadn’t expected to see you again. Um did we have an appointment I forgot?”, Harry stammered.

Damon narrowed his eyes and shook his head before looking to the woman and pointed. “You can leave. Depending on how my conversation goes with Mister Polk your services may never be required again. Now leave.”, Damon instructed pointing to the door. The receptionist was hurrying outside the door to pack up her purse and leave as quickly as possible. The woman in the costume glanced to Harry only briefly but was quick to get past Damon wanting nothing to do with whatever was about to happen in that room. Once he heard the door to the front room close Damon slammed Harry’s office door closed the glass pane cracking at the force. “What..um can I do for you Mister Petridis…”, Harry asked moving behind his desk hoping he could use the large piece of furniture as a buffer between him and Damon. “You are going to give me answers Harry. And you are not going to lie to me this time. Now SIT!”, Damon said his voice going from calm to agitated at the command for him to sit. Harry epped a little as without even thinking about it sat in his chair. “What..er…what do you mean. I..I have never…lied…to you.”, Harry stammered. Damon narrowed his eyes and set a bag down upon Harry’s desk and reached inside pulling out a roll of ducktape. “I do not appreciate liars. Put your arms out onto your desk palms down.”, Damon instructed. “I don’t like this part of what I do, but I’m damn good at it. So if you won’t freely give me answers I will force them out of you.”, Damon said. Harry didn’t move his arms frozen in fear. Damon reached over and grabbed Harry’s left arm and forced it down before taping it in place then repeated with his right. “Now you are going to tell me why you gave me a fake death certificate for Isadora DeLuca almost nineteen years ago. You are going to tell me why you left out the fact I have a daughter.”, Damon said reaching into the bag again this time taking out a heavy metal meat tenderizer. “What..what is that…”, Harry stammered gulping looking at the object which it was easy to see had blood on it.

Damon smiled. “This? Well to my chef friend this would be called a meat tenderizer. Which I suppose is accurate for how I utilize this tool. Now answer me. Why did you tell me Isadora DeLuca was dead?”, Damon demanded holding the tenderizer with his right hand and took Harry’s left pinky, pulling it away from the others with his left. Harry wanted to just tell him the truth, but the thought of that red haired woman came to his mind the one who said she’d burn his office and his home and make sure he was inside. “I…I never lied to you. I told you the truth…”, Harry stammered. “Lies.”, Damon said slamming the tenderizer down onto the pinky finger with enough force that he knew the bone had splintered. Harry screamed in pain. “Tell me the truth Harry. Because you have nine other digits I can do this to. And otherwise I can reach into my bag and see what else I find. Maybe a knife will come out next and we see what body parts I feel you can live without. Now why did you lie to me!?”, Damon said grabbing Harry’s ring finger next. “I…I didn’t lie to you…”, Harry stammered holding to his lie as he cried. Damon glared at Harry and slammed the tenderizer down smashing Harry’s pudgy ring finger. Harry screamed again in pain. “Why do you keep lying to me. I know she’s alive. So just tell me why you lied. Save yourself the pain.”, Damon demanded grabbing Harry’s middle finger. “I…I can’t. She…she’ll kill me.”, Harry cried. “SHE? You are worried about what someone who threatened you nineteen years ago will do? You should be worried about what I’m going to do to you. WHO!? Who told you to lie to me!”, Damon demanded slamming the tenderizer into the middle finger breaking it in multiple places. Harry screamed again. “She…she’ll kill me…”, Harry cried again.

Damon shook his head grabbing Harry’s index finger. “Worry less about what ‘she’ might do and worry more about what I WILL do. Now who told you to lie to me?”, Damon demanded slamming the tenderizer onto e index finger blood gushing out as he hit just right to create a gash rather than fully breaking the finger like the others. Harry yelled in pain. “She didn’t …she didn’t give me a name. She just said I was supposed to tell her what I found out in Italy and not deliver your letter.”, Harry said. Damon narrowed his eyes and grabbed Harry’s other pink finger. “So this woman approached you before you left for Italy. What did she look like!?”, Damon demanded smashing the pinky finger smiling a little hearing the bones cracking under the force. Harry again screamed in pain, tears had been streaming down his face since the first finger was broken. “A red head. Young. Australian.”, Harry whimpered. Damon nearly dropped his tenderizer. “Geri….”, he said hate in his tone. “What did you tell her?”, Damon demanded moving to the next finger. “Everything….I told her how you sent me with a letter for Isadora DeLuca. I told her that the woman and child had survived the attack.”, Harry admitted slumping his head, his bad comb over falling over his face a little, crying.

“You told her about my daughter!?”, Damon shouted slamming the tenderizer into Harry’s middle finger taking happiness in the sound of the bones breaking. Harry screamed again. “Yes…yes I told her about the baby with white hair. She seemed to angry about the child and that they were alive. She told me…that if I ever told anyone the truth she’d burn my house and my business and make sure I died in the fire. So…so I gave you the death certificate. She said you’d never know..”, Harry sobbed. Damon slammed the tenderizer into Harry’s index finger. “Well I did find out. I found out Harry. Nineteen years…nineteen Harry. You destroyed three lives with your lie. And you don’t deserve this…but you did finally tell me the truth… So”, Damon sighed putting the tenderizer back and placing a hand on Harry’s arm and let his healing powers heal the damage to the eight fingers. “You don’t need to worry about my wife. I will deal with her backstabbing ass myself.”, Damon said grabbing his bag to walk back out. “W…wif…wife? Um Mister Petridis…are you…are you going to let my arms up?”, Harry stammered. Damon paused at the door and looked at Harry. “No. Good night Harry.”, Damon said slamming the door the glass fully breaking as Damon left the office.