Well, I'm glad I waited before I updated, because much has changed since October, and some things will change. Like Stefano dying, Bo and Daniel dying…
I'm really, really hoping Victor isn't killed off, though. I NEED HIM FOR THIS FIC, DAMMIT!
Ahem…
Anyway…
Sonny lay awake in his cell going over the past events in his head. Will is alive…but he's been brainwashed by Andre. He knew Chad was brainwashed once, and only broke out of it when he held his son for the first time. Abigail tried breaking it by kissing him, but that didn't work. So, what will?
He definitely was not going to bring Ari into this.
The door opened, and Sonny sat up. "Hello, Sonny."
"Xander?" Sonny stared in shock, but not surprise.
"You don't look surprised."
Sonny scoffed lightly. "Well, given how Uncle Vic treated you, I knew it was a matter of time before you allied yourself with his enemies."
"True. Since we're family, I decided to move you to a proper bedroom." Xander admitted.
Sonny was suspicious. "Why?"
"I have my reasons." Xander replied simply. He gestured for two men to come in. They put a burlap sack over Sonny's head, held his arms behind his back, stood him up, and frog-marched him out of the cell. To Sonny, it felt like they were walking forever. They kept going higher up. They took an elevator, then they climbed up a long, winding flight of stairs. They entered a room, and Sonny felt someone take the bag off his head. He blinked to adjust his eyes to the light. There was a canopy bed on the opposite wall with a nightstand next to it. To Sonny's right was a large window with no window panes or curtains to keep the weather out. To his left was a small bathroom, a wardrobe, and a vanity mirror. "Enjoy, dear cousin." He walked out and locked the door.
Sonny took a deep breath and surveyed his surroundings. The room was completely dusted and clean. Do they always clean, or did they clean especially for him? Out of boredom, Sonny pulled open the drawers of the vanity. They were all empty except for one, which had a single book written entirely in Old Italian. He moved on to the wardrobe. Sonny half-expected bats to fly out of it when he opened it, and was relieved when none did. There were two completely faded 16th century dresses hanging on the rack. To the side, there was a thin row of drawers. Sonny opened one and some moths flew out. He peeked into the drawer and found some moth-eaten handkerchiefs and a folded up fan. The fan had faded, gold lettering which Sonny recognized as Greek.
…Wait, Greek lettering?! Sonny had studied Greek online to get in touch with his roots. And apparently, it said "Raakel Kiriakis". Sonny gasped quietly. One of his ancestors was held prisoner here? Or was she a prisoner? Sonny investigated further. The middle drawer contained a single pair of grey slippers and the bottom drawer contained a stack of parchment paper, feather quills, and an ink bottle. He closed the wardrobe and moved on to the bathroom. The bathroom has been updated to modern day indoor plumbing, thank goodness. However, there was no shampoo, conditioner, or soap. He moved to the nightstand. An oil lamp sat atop for light, and a sundial to tell time was positioned so the sun and moon can cast a shadow on it. According to the dial, it is just after 12:00 PM. The drawer on the nightstand contains an old bible written in Old Italian. He lifted up the skirt of the bed and jumped slightly when a spider skittered out from under the bed. Sighing, Sonny grabbed one of the moth-eaten handkerchiefs, picked the spider up, and tossed it out the window. Placing the handkerchief on the bed and getting down on his knees, Sonny lifted up the skirt and held it in place on the bed under a pillow. There was nothing under the bed except for a loose floorboard. Curious, Sonny crawled under the bed to check it out. But before he could open it, he heard someone unlocking the door. Sonny quickly crawled out from under the bed, pulled the skirt down, put the pillow back where he found it, and put the handkerchief under the pillow just as Will walked in carrying a tray of food and water.
Sonny smiled. Maybe he can try to get Will to fall in love with him again. "Aww, I get room service?"
Will ignored that and set the tray on the vanity. "Enjoy your lunch." He leaned against the wall and folded his arms.
Sonny walked over to sit at the vanity. "What, you don't trust me to eat by myself?"
"I figured it would be easier to take the tray after you're done eating so you don't use it as a weapon to try to escape." Will said simply.
"As opposed to the oil lamp, chair, drawers, shower rod, and books that are in here?" Sonny raised an eyebrow, then smirked. "I think you just want to watch me eat."
Will scoffed and turned his head. "Just eat."
Sonny nodded and took a bite of his sandwich. He tasted ham, cheese, pickles, and Thousand Island dressing. He felt some dressing trickle down from the corner of his mouth, and slowly licked it with his tongue. He made sure he got dressing on his fingers and slowly sucked them. He noticed Will watching with wide eyes. He shook his head and turned around.
"How's Ari?" Will asked.
'Well, at least he remembers her.' Sonny thought. "Doing great. She's in kindergarten now. She's already learning how to write."
Will smiled longingly. "I really do miss her. Andre promised me that when she's old enough that we would go back for her."
"I see." Sonny took another bite of his sandwich. "And how old is 'old enough'?"
Will just shrugged and shook his head. "Does she remember me?"
"No…but, Gabi, your dad, Abigail, Chad, and everyone else in your family including me remember for her." Sonny replied. "We tell her stories."
Will smiled and nodded. "How's your sandwich?"
"Good, but…not as good as sex." Sonny winked. Will just rolled his eyes. Sonny finished off his sandwich and downed his glass. "Tell me something. What do you see in Andre? I mean, besides the fact that he's rich, powerful, and has his own castle."
"He understands me and he takes care of me." Will replied. "He saved my life!"
"By taking you away from your family and friends and doesn't let you contact them?" Sonny asked.
"Look, it doesn't matter. It's true love!" Will argued.
"Doesn't sound like true love to me." Sonny remarked, standing up. "I know what you feel for Andre feels real to you."
"It is real." Will replied, indigent.
"No, it's a trick! A one-sided mind game." Sonny insisted. "You had real love once, and you know it's not that simple."
"It can be." Will replied.
"No, it's not. It's messy." Sonny shook his head. "It means arguing and making up and laughing and-and crying and struggling. And sometimes it doesn't seem worth it. It is. And at the end, when you're in love, no matter what happens, you forgive each other. I forgive you, Will, for what you did to me because I love you. And if there's any part of you that still loves me, help me."
Will looked like he was affected, but shook his head. "Such pretty words. But that's all they are. Words. I know what I feel."
"You feel what you feel because Andre brainwashed you!" Sonny cried.
"Enough!" Will shouted angrily. "You will not talk about him like that!" He sighed angrily. "Put your hands on the back of the chair."
Sonny obeyed. Will picked up the tray and left the room. Sonny heard his retreating footsteps, but didn't hear the lock click. Sonny opened the door. Will had forgotten to lock it! Hmm. On the one hand, he could make his escape. But, he couldn't. Not without Will. He had to figure out how to unbrainwash him first. Getting an idea, Sonny took all his clothes off and lay on the bed against the pillows with his legs crossed, and his arms behind his head. He did that the morning after their wedding. Maybe seeing him like this will jog Will's memory. Sure enough, he heard running footsteps, then the door flew open. Will stood in the doorway sighing with relief with a surprised look on his face.
"You stayed." Will said.
"I knew you'd come back for me." Sonny said slyly.
Will wasn't fazed by that. "I left the door unlocked. I was gone for almost ten minutes. Why didn't you escape?"
Sonny sat up and crossed his legs India style. "I didn't want to get you in trouble. Think about it: you left the door unlocked."
"Why?" Will asked.
"That's what you do for people you love. You keep them out of trouble." Sonny replied simply. "Now ask yourself if Andre would do the same for you." Will just shook his head, stepped outside, and closed the door. "Don't forget to lock it this time!" Sonny called out, half-teasingly. He heard a growl of irritation, then the lock clicking. Chuckling to himself, Sonny got dressed. "I'm getting to him." He said with a note of triumph. He remembered the loose floorboard under the bed, and bent down and crawled under to check it out. Everything was caked with dust, but he felt a thick, leather bound book; a sketch pad, a box of drawing utensils, a small pair of binoculars, and the skeleton of a human head. Sonny gasped and flinched back. Once his breathing returned to normal, he pulled out everything except the skeleton head and box of drawing utensils, and crawled out from under the bed. The lens on the binoculars were caked in dust. Sonny used the bed skirt to wipe the lens clean, but it still wasn't enough. He went to the bathroom to run the lens under water, then wiped them clean and dry. He stood on the toilet to look out the window. He could tell the castle sat atop a mountain with trees. The village was close by. He went to the window in the bedroom. The river ran along the mountainside and there was another village in the distance. Sonny went back to the bed, put the binoculars in the drawer of the nightstand, and studied the leather bound book, which appeared to be a journal. The title page was written in Greek:
"This journal belongs to Raakel Kiriakis of Argos, Greece. 1520 AD"
Sonny gave a low whistle. The pages were completely yellowed and a bit torn. Sonny carefully turned to the first entry, which was thankfully written in English.
"I hast been a prisoner here at Castello di DiMera for almost a month now. Two months ago, I hast been taken from my seaside home of Argos. We traveled by ship, then by horse-drawn carriage. I found out the reason I hast been taken is because the DiMera family bear ill will of my own. My father accidentally killed a DiMera and thence covered it up. They hast put me in a tall tower overlooking the river. I know not what they plan to do with me. I fear they will kill me in front of my family. I must escape before that happens!
I should probably explain how I came to have this diary. The first couple days here, someone placed food on the vanity, then left. I refused to eat. Thence, the boy they sent up started bearing gifts. First, he gave me a bible with my food. Thence he gave me another book. Both were written in Italian, but I do appreciate the effort. He thence gave me a couple of soft, cotton handkerchiefs, then at last, this diary and a quill and ink set. I finally asked him, "Boy, whyfor hast thou givest me these things?"
With a smile, he answered in the most beautiful Irish accent. "Because a beautiful lass like yourself doesn't deserve to be left to rot."
"And if I were ugly?" I challenged.
The boy chuckled. "Then I would say a lady should never be treated like a dog left to rot."
I return the chuckle. "I don't suppose thou wouldst tell me why I am being held prisoner?"
"I know not." He shook his head. "They have not told me. I wast only instructed to bring thee food."
"What is thy name?" I askest.
"Fintan Brady of Galway, Ireland."
Sonny gaped in shock and dropped the book in his lap. Brady?! Will's ancestor? Was this all a coincidence? Something must have happened between the two.
