Author's Note- This is the part 1 sequel to "Everything has Changed" and takes place about a year after that story. A huge thank you and lots of credit goes to JKing88 for help and advice on this story, and the idea for the part 1 ending. Please read and review. Warning: If you have not read, "Everything Has Changed" this might be a little confusing. Also, major angst and character death.
Will DiMera, formerly Will Horton, carefully woke up as the sunlight streamed into the window of his room in the expansive villa. He did not know what time it was, as there was no clock on the table by his bed, but he assumed it was early since the sun was not beaming through his window. The villa his father had gotten for him in Tuscany sat in the middle of nowhere, but it had everything he ever needed and/or wanted. He still had trouble believing he was able to be someplace as beautiful as this after everything that had happened, but here he was.
He was not completely alone in the house, but it was enough for him. His bodyguard, Rocco, was most likely nearby and able to be ready at a moment's notice, plus there were the caretakers for the house, and a chef that could be called on. The villa was not tiny by any means, but it was the perfect size for Will. He needed to be away from everyone, especially after everything that had happened. It was too hard to be around people, and while he was getting better, he still was a long way away from being normal and happy again.
Six months after Sonny Kiriakis came back to town and had learned the truth of what happened to Will and Arianna Grace's death, Victor had Will arrested on suspicion of computer hacking and corporate espionage. Stefano had gotten Will to hack into Titan's computer system and steal a trade secret for a major deal they were hoping to go through. They were able to trace the computer back to a computer that had been formerly owned by DiMera Enterprises, but there was no proof as to who did it. But Victor suspected that Will was the only one capable of doing it and the D.A. had hoped that they would be able to turn Will against Stefano and make a deal. But it backfired completely. The charges obviously did not keep him locked up for very long, but the entire incident set Will back completely in his recovery. He had gotten to a point where he could handle being in public for certain periods of time and around people, and now that was no longer the case. Being put in handcuffs reminded him too much of when he had been kidnapped and tied up, and he refused to leave his room for days once he was released. At the police station, he refused to talk to anyone, and even when Hope had tried to get a lawyer for Will, he saw through the charade and told them he wanted the lawyer Stefano hired for him. Chad and Stefano had taught Will all the different tricks the police department and the FBI would try to use to trick him, plus he had a secret code the lawyer was supposed to say to him right away, which Hope's lawyer had no idea about and thus did not say.
He had started freaking out in interrogation, and began hurting himself in an attempt to get free from the restraints. He had been cuffed to the table in an effort to make sure he could not escape, but it forced him to flashback to when he had been kidnapped and the writer, the only way he could think of that man, had him tied up and bound to a table, laid out for him to enjoy. The investigators and the lawyer tried to stop Will, but their attempts only made things worse. Will did not see the poepl in the room, and could only feel hands grabbing at him, touching him and beating him to make him submit. Will had slammed the table down to the ground and bloodied and nearly broken his wrists in an attempt to get free, and they almost called a psychiatrist to evaluate Will. Thankfully, Chad had shown up with Will's real lawyer, and the lawyer threatened legal action against everyone before they finally let Will go. Hope and Roman had tried to get Will medical attention, but Will scathingly told them all to go to hell and leave him alone.
Chad brought Will back to the mansion, and, after the doctor Chad had brought to the mansion had looked at Will and bandaged his wrists, Will's fears took hold of him. The doctor had made the mistake of speaking out loud and said that he felt Will would be better off in a hospital where doctors could supervise him, and that sent Will off into a tailspin. He begged Chad to not make him go back to the police station or be locked in a hospital, and cried that he would do whatever Chad and Stefano wanted. Chad's heart broke at the sight of the man who he thought of as his little brother shaking and sobbing at the thought of being locked up again. He held Will for a while and promised to do whatever it took to make sure Will would feel safe wherever he was.
Chad feared that whatever Victor was planning would come through and hurt Will again, and he took action. He spent the next few days researching what needed to be done to make Will safe, and convinced Stefano to let Will leave the country for a while and live away from Salem. Stefano was not happy about it, but understood that there was a danger for Will to live in Salem. Will eventually agreed to leave, but he fought it at first, and offered to continue working for DiMera Enterprises while he was away. He wanted to prove that he was useful to the family, and that they would not just abandon him. He didn't want to leave Salem; he wanted to show that he was capable of being a true DiMera and said that he would just continue to stay in the mansion away from everyone. He could be safe if he was kept away from people and out of sight. But Chad pleaded with him to go, and promised that it was not because he was a burden. Will could still hear Chad's pleas in his mind.
"Will, I promise you; you are a part of this family. But you are not safe here. I need you to be safe. Victor is going to keep coming after us, after you, and I need to make sure he will no longer have an opportunity to hurt you again. You don't deserve it. After everything they have put you through, you deserve to be somewhere you can be free and happy. That is not here right now."
Will ended up agreeing to go, but still felt that as soon as he got to his destination, he would be left there and forgotten. But Stefano surprised him and proved he was not going to leave Will. He actually traveled with Will to Tuscany and stayed for a few weeks, making sure Will ate and took care of himself. Will worried he was becoming a further burden to Stefano, and promised that he would be okay if Stefano needed to leave. Will had ended up seeing a completely unknown side of Stefano, and it was so surprising, especially when Stefano held him close and comforted him after he found him crying over a nightmare. While Stefano had not changed completely, and was still as ruthless as ever, he had shown Will a more caring side of him, and it made Will want to make Stefano proud even more than he had before. He was not stupid or naïve; he knew that Stefano was using him and probably manipulating him, but it just no longer mattered to Will. He had been manipulated by people all his life. At least Stefano was honest about what he expected and wanted. And he was not being blackmailed into doing anything.
Getting out of bed and changing, Will thought about what he would do for the day. He knew Rocco would be in soon to check on him, as he did every day, and would then go through an itinerary of anything Stefano needed done. It surprised Will how comfortable he felt around Rocco. He knew very little about the man, besides the fact that he had been working for Stefano and Chad for over 2 years, and that he had come from a rough background. Whatever had happened in the past had made him sensitive to what Will went through, and he seemed to just understand when Will could be touched and when he needed space. Rocco was the only other person besides Stefano and Chad that Will felt safe around. Even the gardener and housekeepers were not allowed to get too close to Will.
Will was grateful for the fact that everyone in the house seemed to understand Will's need for space. It had been the hardest on the housekeeper, a little Italian woman who wanted to mother Will as soon as she met him. Her husband was the gardener, and they spent most of their days in and around the villa. She did not understand Will's need for space until he had his first nightmare. Nightmares had plagued him constantly since his horrible experience in Salem, and while usually he was able to keep quiet and just wake up, this one trapped him in and forced him to relive everything that had happened to him. He had screamed and cried out, and when the housekeeper came into the bedroom to comfort him and wake him out, he struck her in his sleep and lashed out at her. He immediately felt guilty when he woke up fully, but the woman did not hold a grudge. She tried to get him to talk about it, but Rocco and Stefano had stepped in and forced the woman to leave. Her and her husband were now sleeping in the opposite wing of Will in the villa, and Rocco made sure no one was able to get access to Will's room except for him.
Will had recently begun working out again, and found that running helped him to clear his head and focus his anger and fears. He also began lifting weights and boxing, with Rocco spotting and instructing him. A part of him felt worried that he was relying too much on Rocco, but when he spoke those fears out loud, Chad again had convinced him that he needed to learn to depend on someone. And Rocco assured him that he would not leave any time soon.
The hardest part about being in Italy was the fact that he was so far away from Arianna Grace's grave. He used to spend every day out at her grave, talking to her or just lying on the ground in front of her grave. Chad knew it was not healthy, and part of the reason he convinced Will to leave was so that Will could finally heal from losing his daughter. He was never going to get fully better until he separated himself from Salem and let go of the pain he held on to. He still carried around a picture of Ari and Gabi, one of the last ones he took of the two of them together, and found himself looking at it from time to time. His heart still ached for both of them, but he was slowly learning to smile again at the thought of the two of them together. It made him feel better that neither one of them was alone.
Will was stared out the window towards the open fields of the villa's acre, the Tuscan sun shining bright on him, and turned when he heard the knock on his door signaling the start of his day. He took a deep breath and called out, "Come in!"
6 months later…
Will sighed as he stepped out of the JW Marriot Hotel and looked around. He missed the peaceful feeling of Tuscany and the solitude he could find at his villa, but he could not help the sense of excitement he felt coming to L.A. and being able to participate in parts of DiMera Enterprises. His father decided three months ago that he needed to start being visible in the business world and showing up for conferences regarding the company. Will had felt nervous at first, and Chad had wanted to fight Stefano on this, but Stefano held firm. So Will and Rocco left the villa in Tuscany and headed to Chicago to attend board meetings regarding the IT department and the newly revamped Print and Media department. Zoe was still the lead in Sonix, but Will had kept in contact with her and was slowly learning all about the day to day activities in these areas. This conference in L.A. was another step to showing how capable Will was to helping Chad take over.
But being in L.A. was hard. The only other place that was harder to be in was Salem. L.A. had held some good memories for him, but a lot of bad ones as well. Will knew that the writer was not going to be here, but he couldn't help looking over his shoulder all day and night. He barely slept the first night in his hotel because he kept feeling hands all over him. His counselor had warned him it could be a long time before Will was able to get over everything that had happened, and his refusal to talk about it only made things worse. But Will did not want to talk about it. He did not feel it was going to make things any better.
He still had no memories of the first incident, but the video had been enough for him to know what happened. He only saw it once, but once was enough to leave a lasting imprint on his brain. He still could not believe how drugged he was, and how he was able to be convinced that everything was consensual. Watching the writer drag him into his room, and manipulate his body in different ways, still sickened Will. He wanted to throw every time he thought about hands on him, a mouth biting him neck, chest, everywhere, and violating him in ways he never, ever wanted.
But the video and the first incident were nothing compared to the 16 hours of torture he went through when he was kidnapped. The scars of that day and night were still evident, and Will still could not bear to have anyone touch him anywhere except for his hand and his shoulder. Even a hug from most people made his skin want to crawl. The thought of being close again to anyone, especially intimately, made him sick and gave him panic attacks. Even in the shower, Will barely wanted to look at himself and washed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Will quickly shook himself of those thoughts and began walking down West Olympic towards a little café, Rocco quietly next to him. He could have just ordered room service or went to the hotel restaurant, but he wanted to be outside a bit and eat away from the hotel. He had been ordering room service for the past few days and eating on the balcony, and he wanted to feel just a little like his old self again.
He looked down at his phone to quickly check his schedule for the rest of the day.
"We have to be at my mom's by 6 tonight. After lunch, I need to go back to the room and send the report to my father regarding the seminar, and then I want to go over the possibility of upgrading Sonix's website with Zoe."
Rocco nodded and continued walking along the path. He did not think he would enjoy being a bodyguard for Will DiMera as much as he did. He liked what he did, and it gave him the solitude he wished for to continue on in his life, but he found himself enjoying Will's company more than anything else. He knew what Will had gone through over the past few years, and it surprised him how much he cared for the young man and how far he would go to protect him. He knew Will could not bear to be touched by most people apart from shaking a hand or a hand on his shoulder, but Rocco found himself okay with that. The thing that surprised Rocco was that Will seemed to actually enjoy Rocco's company.
After what Will had gone through, Rocco expected that Will would close himself off to everyone. He had, and Stefano DiMera did not seem to be bothered by it. But somehow, Will had gotten under Stefano's skin, and the man cared very deeply for the boy. Rocco knew that Chad did as well, by the mere fact that he was threatened by both men to not let anyone hurt or bother Will. Stefano's words still sent a chill down Rocco's spine, and that was a hard thing to do.
Chad had just left the room to check on Will and make sure everything was packed for Italy. He had already threatened to go after Rocco if anything happened to Will, but Rocco was a professional. He knew how to protect someone.
Before he could leave, Stefano held up a hand. "I know my son has already told you this, but I want to reiterate." He stepped in close to Rocco and stared at him in the eye. "That boy has been through more than anyone can ever imagine. Despite my feelings about his mother, I love him. He is my son. If you let so much as one hair on his head be plucked away, I will make what your parents and foster parents did to you seem like a day at the amusement park. Do you understand me?"
Rocco nodded slightly and swallowed. He had never heard Mr. DiMera ever speak about anyone quite like he did about Will, his newest adopted son. He had been a bodyguard for almost 3 years, and Stefano DiMera was one of the few people who actually made him nervous.
Stefano was satisfied, and then turned to see Chad bringing in Will to meet Rocco. "Ah, William. I would like you to meet Rocco, your bodyguard. He will be accompanying us and will be there to protect you."
Will had been looking at the ground, but when he looked up, Rocco felt something tighten in his chest at the sight of the bluest eyes he had ever seen. And then Will spoke, and Rocco was hooked.
Rocco shook himself out of his memory as Will stopped at the outdoor café. Rocco looked around to determine if there were any dangers around and to ensure he could get Will to safety easily. There were not very many people at the café, but something felt off to Rocco. He was about to suggest that Will not eat here, when a voice called out.
"Will?"
Will froze for a moment and turned slowly to see Paul Narita sitting at a table at the café. He felt stunned and caught off guard. He had not seen Paul since the night he found out that Paul was helping Gabi and that was part of the reason why Gabi and Ari died. He had wanted to kill Paul that night. On top of everything else that had gone on between him and Paul, he found out that the man who his ex-husband was in love with had believed him about his stalker and yet Gabi and Ari still died.
But over the past year, Will had come to realize he could not blame Paul for their deaths. Gabi was a strong-headed woman, and didn't listen to anyone when she put her mind to something. He also came to realize that the writer was unhinged and would have probably gone after Gabi and Ari no matter what. It was a hard thing for him to come to terms to, and for a while it was just easier to blame Paul. But he couldn't do that anymore.
He walked over to Paul and quietly said, "Hey, Paul."
Paul was equally stunned at seeing Will walking up to the café that he was eating at. Paul was in L.A. sort of just wandering, traveling around while his agent set up different events for him to be at. After everything that had happened in Salem, and then seeing Sonny again, Paul realized he needed to get away from everything and figure out what to do with his life. He still visited Salem from time to time, but it was too hard to stay for long periods of time and he ended up traveling as just a way to escape. He had lived for a few months in San Francisco, but even that did not feel right anymore.
Salem had started to feel like home to him, but after everything that had happened and his part in it, he felt he had no right to live there. Marlena had tried to talk to him about it, and get him to see that it was not his fault, but it didn't help. A part of him felt angry that she was trying to help him when she never did anything to help Will while he was struggling. He had actually confronted her about that during his last trip, and his last comment before he left still stuck with him.
"Why was I one of the only ones in this town who actually cared about what Will was going through? All you people cared about what the fact that he was causing drama and making your lives harder. Guess what? His life was just as hard, and none of you gave a damn!"
Marlena tried to question him later, wondering if part of the reason he was so angry at everyone was that he had feelings for Will, but he blew her off. He did care about Will, and he was attracted to Will. But he did not want to be in a relationship with Will. At least, he didn't think he did. But now, staring at Will, he wasn't so sure what he wanted or felt.
He clumsily got up from his chair, jarring the table and causing his water to spill over. The small crash sound startled Will, who jumped and Rocco pulled Will behind him. Loud noises still had a bad effect on Will, and his anxiety began to rise. He closed his eyes and forced himself to do the breathing exercises the counselor had shown him. After a few moments, his chest loosened enough that he can breathe fully, and he turns back to see Paul apologizing to the waitress and waving her off.
Rocco still keeps Will behind him, guarding him from this unknown intruder. He knows who Paul is, and while he knows that Paul was not one of the ones who tormented Will during his time in Salem, he also knows that Paul represents a bad part of Will's life. Bad memories that Will had only just started to free himself from. He didn't want Will reverting back to the way he was before.
Paul stared at Will standing behind a tall, broad looking guy. "I'm sorry. I'm just startled I guess to see you here."
Will took a deep breath and stood to the side of Rocco. "Same here."
There was an awkward pause, and then Paul said, "How are you? I haven't seen you in a long time."
Will nodded. "I'm good. My father had me come here for a conference and to start getting more into the business."
Paul looked confused for a moment, but then realized Will was talking about Stefano. The news had spread like wildfire that Stefano had adopted Will and Will had changed his last name. He had no idea how Lucas felt about that, but he knew it hurt and bothered most of the people in the town.
Still, Paul knew that Stefano was important to Will. "That's great. I'm not living in Salem right now, but I have been visiting a few times and I heard a lot."
Will sighed and hardened, ready to defend any decision he had made over the past few years against anyone. But Paul did not seem to be judging him. In fact, Paul seemed almost happy for him.
Paul suddenly realized they were all awkwardly standing. He gestured to the table. "Do you two want to join me?" He had no idea who the guy with Will was, but he seemed really intimidating and angry at Paul for some reason.
Will hesitated, not sure if this was a good idea. But he knew eventually he needed to start dealing with his past, and his father had been encouraging him to eventually come back to Salem. Maybe this was a good place to start at. He placed his hand on Rocco's shoulder, gathering strength from him, and nodded.
Rocco was surprised that Will agreed to join Paul, but he moved forward and sat down at the table. They were close enough to the entrance that he could get Will away quickly if they needed to. Paul sat back down and Will sat closer to Rocco on the other side of the table. The waitress came over to give them water and take their orders.
After they all ordered, there was an awkward silence again. Paul truly had no idea what to say. He looked over at Rocco and reached out his hand to introduce himself.
"Hi, I'm Paul."
Rocco didn't say or do anything, only stared at Paul. Will sighed. "This is Rocco, my bodyguard/friend."
Paul dropped his hand, realizing Rocco was not into pleasantries. "Bodyguard? That's cool.
Will shrugged. "My father and Chad thought that is was a good idea after everything that happened." He smiled over at Rocco. "I wasn't sure at first, but I'm glad now. Rocco has been amazing."
Rocco continued to stare at Paul, but inside he was beaming. It felt so good to know that Will liked having him around. He knew Will did not want him at first, but that did not matter to him. After everything that happened to Will, Rocco could understand not wanting to have someone watch your every move.
Paul nodded. "What have you been up to? No one has seen you in Salem."
Will sighed. "I left about a year ago. It was too hard being there and just…" he wasn't sure what Paul knew and he wasn't sure how much of it he could handle talking about. He took a deep breath and continued. "Victor wouldn't leave me alone, and Chad decided that it was best I leave. I went to Italy for a while and lived there, and then my father wanted me to come back and get involved in the company again. I've mostly been in Chicago, but I travel a lot around, going to different conferences or meetings."
Paul nodded, thinking that it was probably the best thing for Will to get out of Salem. From what he heard, Victor was on the warpath and he wanted to take down all the DiMeras. They had tried to arrest Will and use him to get to Stefano, but what they did not think about was how badly scarred Will was and how badly being arrested could affect him.
He wondered as well if part of the reason Victor was on the warpath was because of Sonny. After Sonny's ill-advised confrontation with Will and Chad at the DiMera Mansion, Sonny seemed to be a wreck and wander most of the time. Paul saw Sonny a couple of days after, and Sonny looked a mess. He admitted to having nightmares about Ari calling out for him but he couldn't find her, and that he felt so guilty about what had happened. Paul felt bad for him, but he still felt weird about being around Sonny. Even when Sonny tried to kiss him in an attempt to make himself feel better, Paul couldn't find it in himself to enjoy or want it. They both agreed that it was wrong to do it then, and Sonny had apparently been traveling around again. Paul heard from his father that Victor and Adrienne were upset about that and wanted Sonny to come back and stay in Salem.
"I'm really sorry about what Victor put you through." Will nodded his thanks and Paul sighed, knowing he needed to get this out. "That isn't the only thing I'm sorry for. I am so sorry for my part in what happened to Gabi and Ari." He saw Will stiffen and rushed to get everything out. "I know I have no right to ask for forgiveness or anything, and I am not. But you have to believe me when I say that I never wanted any of that to happen. I tried to convince Gabi to not get involved in it, and to just keep Ari safe. I thought that I could gather enough information to go to the police to make them believe you about what you were saying. Gabi and I both knew this guy was bad news, and we just wanted to help you." Paul started to cry. "I hate myself for not trying to help you more or making sure you could protect them. I can barely be in Salem without wanting to scream and cry." Paul slumped back into his chair. "I'm just so sorry."
Will stared at Paul, unsure of what to say. He can tell how guilty Paul feels, and for the first time, Will actually felt sympathy for what someone else had gone through during that time. He had been so focused on his own feelings, since no one else seemed to care but Chad and Stefano, he barely considered how the others felt about everything.
He reached out and put his hand on Paul's carefully. "Paul, it isn't your fault." Paul looked at Will surprised. "I know I blamed you a lot, but the truth is that that guy probably would have gone after Gabi and Ari sooner or later. I know Gabi wanted to help, and would have helped no matter what people said. Her own brother tried to get her to stay away from me and keep Ari away from me, but she wouldn't. They probably would still be alive if they did."
Paul spoke up. "Don't say that. You don't know that."
Will leaned back and sighed. "You're right, I don't. What I do know is that the one who is to blame for Gabi and Ari's…death is that guy, and no one else. You don't need to blame yourself. I don't. Not anymore. And it wasn't fair of me to blame you in the first place."
"I understood why."
Will smiled. "Thank you. But it still was not fair of me to blame you. You were one of the only people who actually believed me when all that was happening and tried to do something."
Paul hesitated before asking, but he couldn't help himself. "Have you talked to anyone from Salem?"
Will hardened. "The only people I care to talk to are my father and Chad." He paused and then relented. "I have talked to my Grandma Kate a few times. I know she is not thrilled about me with Father, but she doesn't bring it up."
Paul nodded, noting to stay away from that subject. "What about your mom?"
Will sighed. "She is kind of the same way. She doesn't like how things are, but she knows that this is what I want. I am seeing her tonight actually."
Paul smiled. "That should be nice."
Will grimaced. "You've never met my mother."
Paul laughed at that, and smiled at the waitress who delivered their food. The three ate in a comfortable silence, Will and Paul casually talking, while Rocco only observed.
Will decided to turn the conversation over to Paul. "So you are not living in Salem? How come?"
Paul sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. I guess, after everything that happened, I wasn't sure how to think of that place as home. To be honest, I was so disgusted by how most people treated you, and it just was too hard to walk around and not want to cry at the thought of all the trauma people put you through."
"But that doesn't mean you can't live there, Paul. Your family is there."
"So was your family. And look what happened."
Will looked away. "The only family I have is my father Stefano and Chad. The rest of them are NOT my family."
Rocco watched Paul to make sure he would not further upset Will, but Paul seemed to get it and dropped the subject.
When they finished eating, Will paid for their meals, even though Paul protested. The three left the café and stopped outside to say goodbye. Without thinking, Paul stepped forward to hug Will, but Will flinched and stepped back, and Rocco got in between the two of them, ready to block Paul's access to Will. Realizing his mistake, Paul took a step back and apologized.
Will looked at Paul and took a deep breath, shaking off his anxiety and held out his hand for Paul to shake. He decided to give Paul a little piece more of comfort. "I know Salem was starting to feel like home to you before this all happened. Don't feel like you can't let it be home again." Paul stared at him, surprised. Before Paul could say anything, Will dropped his hand and continued. "For whatever it is worth, you should explore the opportunity to see if Salem could feel like home again. You don't need to feel guilty about wanting it to be either."
With that, Will turned and walked away, Rocco right behind him. Paul stared at Will in amazement, unable to fathom that this was the person who nearly a year ago hated the sight of him and almost everyone in Salem. And it made him wonder about maybe, if things could change between him and Will, then maybe he could try to change things in Salem for him too.
Later that day…
Will smiled as he watched his sisters Allie and Sydney play dress up together while his brother Johnny played videogames. An ache of sadness ran through him as he could not help but think of Ari as he watched the three kids play together, and tears came to his eyes at the thought that Ari never got a chance to participate in all of this. It has gotten easier to think about Ari, but there are times when it was difficult. But he did not want to get up and make a scene over this, and cause his mom and siblings to get upset.
Fortunately, Rocco is very in tune with how Will feels and is easily able to divert the situation.
"Your father just sent me a message. He needs you to clarify something in the report you sent him. He sent you a copy as well and highlighted the section."
Will looks and Rocco and nods gratefully. Rocco was the one who came up with this solution as they were on their way to Sami's Condo. He knew Will was anxious about seeing his mom again, and suggested that Will tell his mom he is putting his phone on silent, but if Stefano needs him for anything, he will send a message to Rocco, who will let Will know. This way, Sami can feel like Will is trying to actively be there, but if it gets too much for him, Rocco gives Will an out.
Will nods and walks outside for a moment to get some fresh air, staring at his phone. Sami watched Will walk out but did not follow, trying her best to not hover around her son. This was the first time she had physically seen Will in almost 2 years, although she has spoken to him and video chatted a couple of times. She held an immense amount of guilt over the fact that she was not in Salem to help him when everything had happened, and because she was avoiding going to see Stefano, she was not there when they buried Arianna Grace.
Sami did her best to hide her tears from her other children as she thought of her poor grandchild. A large part of her felt guilty over everything because she was the one who encouraged Will to come to L.A. to pursue the ill-advised screenwriting job, and that led to meeting that horrible guy who took advantage of her son. She had known something had happened between them, but she had no idea what. Will never talked about it, and she had suspected he had cheated on Sonny and felt guilty about it. If he had talked to her, she would have helped him to see that what happened between them was not consensual at all. She wished that she had left it alone and let Will stay with his husband. But she refused to let that consume her. She had tried to talk to Will about it, but he kept tight-lipped and snapped that he did not need her guilt on top of his own. This was not about her.
She hated to admit it, but a part of her felt grateful that Stefano and Chad had stepped up when no one else in her family had to help Will. It frightened her that Will said that Stefano was his father now, and she worried what he would get her son into. But she could not deny that, if it was not for them, her son would most likely have lost what precious little time he did have with his daughter and probably would not be alive now. Her and Kate had both talked about the situation, and while they had tried to come up with ways to get Stefano to leave Will alone, they were not able to do anything. Kate even said she had gone to Stefano and Stefano laughed at her, stating that William was there of his own free will, and no one was making him do anything he did not want to do.
While she never verbalized it, it angered her so much how Lucas had essentially abandoned his only son and had chosen Adrienne Kiriakis' side after everything that had happened to Will. While she had been disappointed that her son had cheated on his husband and their marriage had failed, she could also see how much he loved Sonny and had tried to make things better. She wished she had been able to help him then, but now, she felt Will was much better off without Sonny and the rest of the Kiriakis' in his life. They had tormented him so much that she didn't care what happened to them, as long as they left Will alone.
It feels really nice and natural to have her son with her, even with his new bodyguard. She still is hesitant to accept Rocco in her life, but Will has made it clear that his life now includes Rocco and Stefano, so she can either accept it or not see him anymore. She refuses to let that happen. She has even done her best to ensure the kids do not mention Sonny or Arianna to Will. She tried to explain as best that she could that Ari was taken from them just like EJ was and that Will is still very upset about it. Johnny seemed to accept it the most, considering he still very much misses his dad and gets upset any time someone mentions EJ. He likes the fact that he and Will now share the same last name and that his Nono has been there for Will.
She shook herself from her thoughts and looked over as Will came back into the room. "Everything okay?"
Will nodded. "Yeah, just needed to review a report about the conference and clarify something for father."
Sami did her best not to flinch when Will said "father". She hated that he referred to Stefano as that, but would not say anything. She decided to go for a more neutral topic. "How was the conference? You had said that you learned a lot."
Will smiled and nodded. He explains all about the conference and the different types of ways that companies can use the News and Media to expand their IT department. While Sami wishes that Will was working for another company, she can't help but feel excited for her son, and so happy to see him so animated. A part of her wishes that EJ was around to see him like this, and knows that he would be excited for Will as well. She hopes he is watching them and watching over Arianna as well.
The doorbell rings, interrupting the conversation. Sami gets up. "I'll get that. Probably just one of the neighbors or something."
Will nods and smiles back at his siblings as they play. He actually enjoyed spending time with them more than he thought he would. He thought it would be incredibly hard and they would ask all types of questions, but the kids seem more intuitive than he gave them credit for. He knows his mom has told them about Ari's death, and that he is now living with Stefano, but they don't seem to question things too much. For that he is grateful. He does not want to try and sit and explain everything that happened, and he is not even sure he could do it. Reliving the past is just too hard.
As though that thought jinxed it, Will is pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a raised voice he never wanted to hear again.
"What is the big deal, Sami? So I didn't call? I have a right to see my daughter!"
Sami tries to stop Lucas from walking into the family room, but she is too late. Lucas walks in and immediately lights up at the sight of Allie, but before he can say anything, he sees Rocco sitting on the couch. He starts to question Sami about who Rocco is, not wanting her to have a strange man around his daughter, and then he sees Will.
Lucas is startled at the sight of the son he has not seen or heard from in over a year. He had kept his distance from Will and the mansion, and then heard that Will no longer lived in Salem. He still felt horrible over everything he had done, but a part of him felt justified in the fact that he was only trying to make sure his granddaughter was safe. He felt that his son was grown and needed to take responsibility for his actions and mistakes. Everything just reminded him so much of what he went through with Sami, and he had been exhausted by it. Marlena and Adrienne had talked to him and told him that at some point, he needed to force his son to take responsibility for what had happened, and Adrienne convinced him that Ari was in an unstable environment. But he never wanted or thought things would get to the point that they did.
Will froze at the sight of Lucas Horton standing at the front of the room. His former father seemed just as startled to see him, and he could see from his mom's face that she did not plan for this to happen. Will felt something inside him start to twist and snarl at the sight of Lucas. This was a man who had been in and out of his life for so long, and when he finally thought he had the support he needed, Lucas turned and abandoned him to side with his former mother-in-law, the one who never supported his marriage at all. He could still remember the humiliation he felt when his father came to him and said that because he was asking Kate to borrow money, maybe it was better that Lucas take custody of Arianna. Just until Will gets back on his feet, he had said, so condescendingly.
"Will." Lucas says breathlessly.
Will only stares at Lucas with hatred in his eyes. Rocco and Sami can both see that the situation is about to turn in a bad direction. Allie breaks the silence when she realizes her dad is there.
"Daddy!" she calls out, and Will flinches at that. A part of him hates how much Allie still loves her father, but he loves her too much to make her change. It isn't fair to her.
She runs to Lucas. "What are you doing here?"
Lucas hugs her. "I was in town on business and I decided to surprise you. I wanted to see you!"
Allie smiles, and then brings the attention back to Will. "Will, look! Dad's here!"
Will smiles tightly, quietly saying to himself to not make a scene. Rocco, realizing things are too tense for Will, offers an out. "Will, I think we should get back to the hotel to get ready to leave tomorrow."
Will nods and gets up to leave. Sami chimes in, "But I thought you guys were going to stay for dinner."
But Will shakes his head, saying "Not this time, Mom. I will call you when I am in town again."
Sami bristles at the dismissal, but accepts it. It angers her that Lucas had to surprise them and be here on the one day she gets to see her son in over two years. Her son, no longer their son. And it was Lucas' own fault that Will refused to acknowledge him.
The kids start to complain about Rocco and Will leaving, but Will is stern and lets them know he will see them again. Rocco gathers their things and they begin to head out the door when Allie calls out, "Aren't you going to say goodbye to daddy?"
Will turned back to Lucas and Allie. "Why would I?"
Allie looked at him confused. Before Sami can stop her, she says, "Because he is our daddy. Aren't you happy to see him?"
Will hardens. "He isn't my dad. And no, I am not happy to see him."
Before anyone can say anything further, Rocco pulls Will away and outside of Sami's condo. Will stumbles and feels a pressure in his chest tightening, and he tries to remember everything his father taught him when dealing with an intense situation. But he honestly thought he would never have to see Lucas Horton again.
Before they get too far, Lucas runs outside and calls out to them. "Hey! I am still your father, and you have no right to say any of those things to your sister."
Will turns back to Lucas and snarls. "DO NOT call yourself my father! You have no right to do that!"
Lucas stops. "I am your father whether you like it or not."
Will walked up to Lucas. "No! You are just the man I unfortunately share some DNA with. MY father is Stefano DiMera!"
"How can you say that? After everything he has done, how can you choose him over me?!"
Will widens his eyes. "After everything he has done? He was the one who stood by me and helped me when no one else would. He was the only who believed me when I said that guy was stalking me. He was the one who made sure I got to keep MY DAUGHTER in my custody and away from YOU! He wasn't the one who turned his back on his son and chose to side with his son's ex and another woman! He made me feel accepted and loved! Don't you dare ever talk bad about my father!"
Lucas is startled by the amount of hatred and vitrol spewing from Will, but Will realizes he isn't finished. "You turned your back on me and tried to take my daughter away from me! I need your support and help, not your contempt! You chose Adrienne Kiriakis over me. How dare you call yourself a father after what you did?"
Lucas tries to defend himself. "I was just trying to protect Ari…"
Will slams into Lucas. "Do NOT say her name! You do not get to say her name around me. It is because of you, and everyone else in that town, that she and Gabi are gone. You won! I lost her! Are you happy now?!"
Rocco finally gets a hold of Will and pulls him back to the car. Lucas tries to approach them again, but Rocco stops him with hardened, angry eyes. "Stay the hell away from him, Mr. Horton. Or I will not hesitate."
Lucas bristles. "To do what?" he challenges.
But Rocco just stares at Lucas and says nothing. Will looks at Lucas one last time. "I am not your son. You better forget you ever had me as a son. You obviously replaced me with Sonny, so go make nice with him. Or Allie, I don't care. Just stay the hell away from me." Rocco quickly takes charge again, worried that Will is going to cause himself to have a panic attack. He quickly gets Will into the car and rushes to get them out of the area. Lucas watches with tears in his eyes, wondering if that truly is the last time he will ever speak to his son again. With a resigned feeling, he heads back into Sami's condo, hoping to try and salvage at least one child's relationship.
Back at the hotel…
Will stares blankly at the wall of the hotel, lying quietly on the bed. He barely said a word to Rocco all the way back to the hotel, and only laid on the bed to try and calm the storm in his mind. He truly never prepared himself to ever see Lucas Horton again. He knew eventually he would, but he thought that he would not care by that point. But the pain of losing Ari and the fact that he felt so abandoned by everyone who claimed that they loved him still deeply hurt. And now his fear was that he was disappointing his father and Chad by not keeping calm in public. At least no one was really around to see it.
He hears his phone ringing in the background, but he has no energy to move or talk to anyone. He knows if it is important, Rocco will find out about it. And just as he predicted, Rocco's phone begins to ring.
After Rocco answers, he pales when he realizes what the phone call is about. He puts the caller on hold, and gets Will's attention. Will ignores him at first, but when Rocco tells him its Chad and it is important, Will perks up.
"Chad?"
"Hey! Why aren't you answering your phone?"
Will sighed. "Sorry, I was just lying down."
But Chad cuts off his explanation. "Never mind. You need to come to Salem."
Will stares at the wall confused. "What? Why? I am flying back to Chicago tomorrow."
Will feels a sense of panic and dread build up. He is afraid of the answer why he is needed in Salem.
And Chad gives him the news he never wanted to deal with again. "Father had a heart attack this morning. I'm so sorry, Will. He's gone.
Please review! And thank you again to JKing99 for all of your ideas and continued support. It means so much! A lot of credit for this story goes to you, especially Stefano's death.