Never thought I would use this pet name, but, eh, if Shane West can get away with it in "A Walk to Remember," then so can I :)

It was late afternoon when Sonny arrived back in Salem. It had been a long drive, but more contemplative than the sheer numbness he had felt on the drive up. He had gone over what he was going to say to Will during the entire drive home. He wanted to get it just right. He wanted to be understanding and supportive, without being a pushover. He wanted Will to know that he was willing to give him another chance, but it was going to take a lot of time and work to trust him again. But, most of all, despite his fears of opening himself up to getting hurt again, he wanted to let Will know that he still loved him too. He wanted to tell Will that night at the coffee house, but the words couldn't get past the tears he was choking back in his throat.

Walking into the apartment wasn't as painful now. Will still loved him—he had known that when he left. But now…now he knew what he wanted too, and the hope that someday this could be their home again allowed him to be there without the memories weighing him down.

After a quick shower, he tried on way too many shirts, and checked his hair way too many times. Why did he care so much? Wasn't Will the one with something to prove? Sonny knew the answer though. He cared so much because he cared so much—for Will, and for their relationship. He wanted everything to be perfect when he saw Will. Yes, Will had been the one to break their relationship, but it was going to take both of them to fix it. He took one more look in the mirror and headed out to find Will.

Sonny hadn't realized how much he had missed Salem until he was walking down its familiar streets. There was something to be said about traveling and seeing new places, but it was also nice to have that sense of home. As Sonny approached the coffee house, he knew he would eventually have to talk to Chad. He didn't condone what Chad had done, but he had to wonder how long the lies would have continued on if Chad hadn't stood up and said something that day. Still, Chad didn't get to pull the "don't shoot the messenger" card—the way he went about his revenge, he had humiliated so many people that day, including Sonny himself. What people must have thought, for him to not know something so intimate about his own boyfriend? But if Sonny was giving Will a second chance, did Chad deserve one too? As Sonny glanced inside the window of the coffee house, he noticed that Chad was struggling to keep up with the growing crowd. Making drinks, taking money, and the tables were a mess. Sonny thought about going inside to help him.

"Hey, you! Where have you been hiding?" He looked up to see Abigail heading his way

Sonny gave her a hug, and said, "Oh, you know, needed a little time away from the drama of Salem."

"Yeah," she said, glancing inside the coffee house with a scowl, "I know what you mean. Well, I'm glad you're back. I'll let you get in there—it looks like he needs your help."

Sonny smiled, "Oh, no, Chad's proven he likes to take matters into his own hands, so I'll let him do just that…for a while longer anyway. I'm actually on my way over to Sami's right now."

"Oh…Will isn't there," Abigail told him. "I guess you didn't hear."

"Hear what?" Sonny felt an instant sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Well, I'm not sure if you want to hear the details, but, he's at the hospital," Abigail informed him.

"I gotta go," Sonny said, hurriedly.

"What? Wait, Sonny! He…" Abigail started, but he was already gone.

On the way to the hospital, Sonny wondered how he had let himself stay gone so long, completely cut off from the world—from everyone he loved. He never should have gone. He should have let Will explain after the wedding, like he wanted to. He should have given them a chance to work through this. Now it might be too late.

When he got to the hospital, Sonny found Maggie near the nurse's station.

"Where is he? Have you seen him?" Sonny said, desperately.

"Oh, Sonny! Victor will be so happy to see that you are safe and sound! But he isn't here." Maggie said, giving Sonny a quick hug.

"No…I mean, great, I will go see him when I get a chance but…Will…have you seen Will."

"Oh," Maggie said, surprised. "Yes, I just saw him. He's down the hall there, on your right."

"Thank you so much, Maggie!" Sonny said, as he headed that way.

Sonny began to glance in the rooms to the right, but then noticed Will, sitting in a chair in the hall. Looking like he hadn't slept in days, Will had his head in his hands. He looked up at the sound of Sonny coming down the hall. He quickly stood up, searching Sonny's eyes for his reason for being there.

Sonny's eyes began to fill with tears, as he pulled Will in for a hug. He wasn't sure what he was doing, or why, but it felt like the right thing to do. "I'm so glad you're okay," Sonny said, wiping his eyes as he pulled back.

"Me? I was so worried about you! I tried to call you, but it kept going straight to voicemail. You said that you would always take my call… but I knew you were furious with me, so I figured you had changed your mind and I stopped trying," Will explained.

"Oh," Sonny said, "I'm so sorry, I turned my phone off while I was gone. I didn't realize…wait, why…what's going on, why are you here?"

The pain in Will's eyes was evident with the reminder of where he was. He swallowed hard before answering, "the baby."

"The baby? But—it's way too early for the baby—" Sonny trailed off, realizing Will didn't mean the baby was coming tonight. "Oh my g…is it okay?"

"They don't know yet. They did an ultrasound and…something about low fluid levels. They're keeping her overnight to monitor it, and do more tests tomorrow," Will explained.

"Oh,…but they think the baby will be okay, right" Sonny asked.

Will slumped back down into his chair, head back down in his hands, and broke down, "They don't know…they say sometimes it can be fatal. My God, Sonny…I just got used to the idea…I just started fighting to have her in my life, and now I may never get to know her!"

Sonny quickly sat down next to Will and held him as he cried. "Oh, baby, " he said, stroking Will's hair, "baby, it's gonna be okay. It'll be okay. She's here, getting cared for by the best doctors, and the baby will be okay. The baby will be fi—Wait…did you say 'her'?"

Will finally raised his head, tears still in his eyes, but slightly smiling, "Yeah…it's a girl…I'm gonna have a daughter."

Sonny gave a slight smile. He was still so disappointed that Will hadn't been honest with him, but couldn't help but think about Will being someone's father. He even let himself consider Will's daughter would be a part of both of their lives. He hadn't thought he was ready for kids yet, but the thought was not so scary now, thinking of them as a family.

Sonny let go of his hold on Will, brushed the hair off of Will's forehead, and rubbed his thumb under Will's eyes to wipe away his tears. "So, she's going to be here all night, and they are monitoring both of them, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Will said, calming down and taking a deep but still uneasy breath.

"And they will let you know if anything happens during the night. So, there's really nothing you can do here. You look like you could use some rest," Sonny told him.

"But, I don't know…I guess so," Will wanted to be there in case anything happened, but the day had drained him.

"Okay, well, why don't you go in and let her know you are going to go get some rest, and to let you know if they find out anything, or if she needs anything. Then I'll take you home."

"Okay," Will said, thankful that he had Sonny there with him, and that things were less tense between them.

Will was exhausted, and fell asleep in the car on the way home. When they arrived, Sonny rubbed Will's cheek until he finally awoke from his deep sleep. "Someone was tired," Sonny said with a smile.

"Yeah, I can't wait to get in there and get into bed…Uh, what.." Will said, looking out the window, noticing they weren't at his mom's apartment.

Sonny didn't explain, only saying, "Come on, let's get you to bed."

Will got out and followed him to the door. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Sonny answered. "We've got a long way to go…a lot to talk about…and a long road ahead of us, but yes, I'm sure."

Sonny opened the door, and threw his keys on the desk. "You forgot something," he said, handing Will his key.

Will smiled, then leaned in and put his forehead against Sonny's. "Thank you. I love you so much, and I promise I will never hurt—"

Sonny put his finger up to Will's lips, "Not now…I know, and we will talk about it…a LOT" he said with a stern look, "but not now, not tonight."

They both got ready for bed, then, slightly awkwardly, found their way to their familiar side of the bed. They lay, facing each other, both still hurting, but hopeful. "I love you too, Will."

Will smiled, and let out a deep sigh, knowing that, eventually, everything would be okay.

"Oh, and Will?" Sonny said.

"Yes?"

"Welcome home."