Sonny and Will were back at their apartment after a long, stressful day at the coffee-house. Not only did it stay busy the entire time, but neither of them could stop thinking about the package that arrived earlier that morning. No matter how much they talked about it, speculated, tried to come up with a viable alternative, there was no way they could deny the obvious: Randolph was here and he was plotting his revenge against Sonny.
Will tucked Jax into his new toddler bed after reading him his favorite "Curious George" book. Jax had been up and down all day, too, as if he were riding the same emotional roller coaster as his dads. Will hadn't even gotten three pages into his book when he heard Jax's breathing even out and a sleepy sigh escape his mouth as he pulled Rex closer and snuggled in. He had continued reading, just a few more pages, taking in the boy's blissful innocence. Despite all the tension and fear swirling around Sonny and Will, Jax could still be pacified by some Cheerios, a perfectly placed raspberry on his belly, his stuffed dinosaur, Rex, and his favorite blanket and a book. Will was a bit envious. But even more so, he was happy; happy that Jax could stay unaffected by all of this chaos.
Walking from Jax's room he intended to go straight into their bedroom when he heard Sonny call him softly from the kitchen. "Will?"
"Babe? What are you doing out here? I thought we were going to try to go to bed early...it has been a really tough day." Sonny stood up from the table and grabbed another cup and filled it with hot tea. He then placed a new teabag into it and sat back down at the table.
"I know. But I just can't stop thinking about everything, so I fixed a cup of tea and listened to you and Jax. That's when I figured out what I want to do." Sonny took a sip of his tea and pulled out the chair next to him at the table and motioned for Will to sit down. Will then started to drink a cup of tea as well.
"The sound of that makes me nervous, Son..." Will said tentatively sharing Sonny's intense focus.
"No, don't be, Will. I've stressed all day about this, how to avoid another situation like with Patrick, how to keep our family together; I even went as far as exploring the idea of moving us somewhere far from here. And that's when it really hit me." Sonny paused, cleared his throat and took Will's hand in his. "I want to turn myself in, Will. I want to stop running and finally face up to my past. I need to own what I did and be held accountable for it."
"No, no, no, you don't have to do that, Sonny. You've more than made up for your past! You took in a sick friend, you are taking care of her son, you do charity work all around town through the coffee-house...you have more than redeemed yourself, Sonny." Will was frantic, talking animatedly while squeezing Sonny's hand harder and harder.
"Will, I appreciate you saying that. And I'd like to believe that the good I've done more recently counts for something, but I can't continue to live my life in fear. Not with you and Jax with me. Just when situations seem to resolve themselves, something else comes up, like this watch thing with Randolph. This might go away, too, like Patrick did, but then what's next? I don't want to live every day waiting for the other shoe to drop." He looked so defeated but at the same time, so at peace. As if he knew that this decision would make his past life of crime mean something more positive at that moment.
"Sonny, maybe moving isn't such a bad idea after all? We can start another business, move to state where we can get married and then change our names. We might have to lose touch with our families for a little while until things settle, but it could work, Son, if we get away now." Sonny could clearly see the desperation in Will's face. His eyes were wide and pleading, his cheeks flushed from excitement, his teeth almost constantly nipping at his bottom lip; He was completely adorable and completely scared.
"Will, you know we can't do that," Sonny responded simply bringing Will's hand to his lips and giving him a small, quick peck along each finger. Will opened his eyes wider as if to say "why not?", but Sonny recognized deep down that Will knew that this was the best and frankly, the only choice he had. "How can I teach our son honesty and integrity if his own Dad isn't even a good example to him? Jax has to learn to trust people, to realize that sometimes good people do bad things, and that the only way to get through it is owning up to those mistakes. I need to be held accountable for what I did all those years ago, Will. It may seem hard now, but I think it's the only way I can live with myself and be a good partner to you and Dad to Jax. Will, I don't have a choice anymore." Sonny finished almost in a whisper. It was one of the hardest admissions he'd ever made.
"Sonny," Will panted desperately, a tear escaping his eye, "what will Jax and I do without you? He really shouldn't be away from his Dada Sonny, he needs you! I don't want to be away from you! I need you! How can I possibly do this on my own?" A stream of tears were flowing down Will's face and Will tried to blink them away. He stood up and leaned his body against the counter, needing a moment to himself. Sonny stood up and took a few steps towards Will and turned Will back to face him.
"You'll never be on your own, Will. We've said that from the beginning. Between your family, my family, and our friends, you would have plenty of help."
"I know..." Will let his sentence trail off. "I just...I...I love you so much, Sonny. I love our life with Jax. Why can't we just live our lives and be happy? Why, Sonny? Why, why, why?" he's practically shouting by the time he finished.
"Will," Sonny reached out to take him into his arms, "Will you need to calm down, honey. We'll talk through this and talk to our families. We can do this. Together, I believe we can do anything," he said fervently, begging Will to trust him. Sonny walked Will back to the table where they both collapsed into the floor.
"I want to believe that, too," Will's words are muffled in the neck of Sonny's shirt. "but I'm just so scared."Sonny's heart flipped over at that revelation. This wonderful man that he held in his arms was scared and he put him in that situation. Guilt started creeping in, but he had to shake it away if he was going to get through this. He needed to keep Will strong so that Jax would be taken care of. He dropped his eyes briefly, but made eye contact again.
"I know. I am, too. But the only way we can have a life together, the only way I can look at our little boy and raise him to be a good man, is to be one myself." Sonny pulled back from Will and met his blue eyes, brighter now from his tears. Sonny could start to feel emotion prickling at the corners of his eyes and looking at Will so frightened and vulnerable, pushed him over the edge. He tried to choke back a sob, but he couldn't hold it in any longer. Grabbing Will in a fierce hug, he let everything go, and the two cried together, fearful for their son, fearful of Randolph and the consequences of him going back to his past to admit his crimes. They both sat back down in the chairs at the small kitchen table, and just hugged each other.
When they both were spent and raw, they stood together from the table and walked hand in hand to Jax's room. Gazing at him from the doorway, the pair took in the sight and smell and sounds of their amazing little boy. Without saying a word, both knew that this moment, standing in Jax's room with each other and their son, could be the last for Sonny for a while. Whispering sweet words of love, they shut the door and made their way into their own bedroom.
As they lay in bed that night, Will felt like he could not get close enough to Sonny. Every time Sonny moved, Will mirrored him until he was tucked snuggly back into his arms. Neither of them slept much, but neither wanted to move from the others embrace. Who knew if they'd have this again tomorrow night? Who knew what the future will bring? Who knew how Jax would handle losing one of his father's for any amount of time?
One thing Will knew for sure. He whispered into the darkness, "Sonny, I love you so much. I love you more than life itself, and I'll be here for you and Jax forever. I'll wait for you for however long it takes. My life wouldn't be worth living if I didn't have the two of you."
Sonny smiled into Will's hair and ran his fingers up and down his spine. "I love you, too, so much, Will. I know you'll take care of Jax. And I know the two of you will wait for me if I have to go away for a while. Then we'll have the rest of our lives to live, Will, with no more fear of my past, just the three of us." He kissed the back of Will's head and snuggled again into the body of his soul-mate.
"So," Will let out a heavy sigh of resignation, "let's get our family and friends together at the coffee-house tomorrow night, how's that sound? We can tell them together, and we won't have to worry about waking the neighbors with our yelling and crying by having them all come here."
"Okay, Will. Tomorrow we tell everyone. And we take it from there together."
The room filled with gasps, cries and a chorus of "no's" as Sonny and Will told their families. Sonny and Will were holding hands, Jax was playing peacefully in the playpen and their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and best friends were sitting at various tables in the shop. Before any one person could jump in, Sonny held up one hand firmly. "We have already discussed this, and this is our decision, so no matter how hard you try, we won't be talked out of it. Dad, I'll need some legal advice, Roman, I'll need help figuring out how to do this since I attacked Randolph in Paris. I don't have a clue how any of this works."
Of all the shocked faces, no one was more surprised and devastated than Sonny's mom, Adrienne. "No, Sonny. You don't need to do this. Isn't there another alternative?" She begged him despite what he just said. "There's got to be another way to work with this guy. Can't we negotiate with him? See if there is anything else he would accept in order to drop these charges." Adrienne knew that in the subsequent message she sent to Sonny as Randolph, she did give him the option of relinquishing custody of Jax as a way to make amends. "Randolph" said that the boy deserved to live with someone who could set a better example for him. Adrienne figured that without Jax holding them together, Will would soon follow and leave Sonny.
"He did give me one other choice, Mom, but it's one I won't even consider. He wants me to give up Jax, but it isn't even an option." Sonny dismissed it so quickly that she felt she had to bring it up again.
"But Sonny, think about it! You could go to prison, you could be stuck in Paris while all of this is going on, what would happen to Jax then?" Sonny mistakes her concern for familial support. Except in her mind, this was her baby who was protecting a whore's baby. Sonny deserved better in her mind than Janice, that woman who turned her sweet little Son into this hustler. How dare she? And then she brings this baby back for him to take care of? Unacceptable! She turned her head to look at Justin for support but her attention was brought back to Sonny when he began speaking again.
"Mom, I love you, but I need to do the right thing here. And Will and Jax will be fine on their own. Plus I know that you and our family as well as the Horton/Brady clan will step up while I'm gone."
"Yes, Sonny, we will," Sami spoke softly from the back of the room. You could hear the tears in her cracked voice. "I admire you both. You are stronger than I ever imagined, and I'm so proud." Lucas squeezed her hand in moral support and looked across the table at his Mom. Everyone was pretty much in shock, but no one else, but Adrienne, questioned their decision. They all just nodded their support, brushed tears from damp eyes, and wondered what was next in life for Sonny and Will's little family.
"I said NO!" Adrienne stood from her seat and started to pace. Justin tried to calm her, he took her hand and tried to get her to sit back down, but she was inconsolable. "How could you let this happen? How could you steal and hurt someone, Sonny? How come you didn't feel the need to turn yourself in then? Huh? When Janice was still alive and forced you into THAT life."
Sonny's eyes began to water at the harshness of his mother's words against himself and Janice. Will chose to ignore the comment to keep the peace and spoke slowly and methodically. "Because everything has changed now, Mrs. Kiriakis," Will stepped in front to protect Sonny. "Raising a child, that teaches you so much about honesty, trust and integrity. Sonny wants to be a good example for his son. He's such a great dad, you should be proud."
"Proud? I don't think so Will!" Adrienne continued to rant. "This child isn't even his! He's not yours, Will, and we don't actually know who the father is. Why would you give up your life for a bastard child?" Will stepped closer to Adrienne and further in front of Sonny. He didn't need to be affected by this woman any more.
At that point Sonny, Will and several others had heard enough. Before Will could retort, Justin beat him to the punch. "Adrienne, we are all having a hard time with this, so I understand your frustration. But shouting at our son right now, questioning his decisions both now and from his past, that is just unfair and cruel. Can't you see how much pain his is in already? You've only made things worse, I'm afraid. And will continue to do so if you do NOT sit down this instant." He tried to get Adrienne to stop pacing and sit back down.
"No, Justin, it won't work this time. The only option I'll accept is for them to give up Jax. There are plenty of people out there looking for young children to adopt. Don't ruin your life for this baby, Sonny, I beg you." Adrienne looked desperately at Sonny, pleading with him to change his mind.
"Mom, Randolph's message made it clear - give up the boy or my freedom. I know my only option is to turn myself in and own up to what I did. I need to be truthful for once, and set a good example for my son." Sonny said as he stared in bewilderment into his mother's unfamiliar eyes.
"Sonny! Gosh you are so stubborn! You don't even know for sure that it's Randolph who took that Cartier watch from your drawer anyway, do you?" The words were out before she realized what she said.
But Sonny caught on right away. "Mom, how do you know where the watch was at our apartment? I never told anyone...not even Will." Will's jaw dropped at the knowledge it was hidden right under his nose, but for Sonny he recovered quickly. he needed to be able to stand there and support his love to this woman.
"Oh, Sonny, I just guessed. That's where everyone keeps their prized possessions. You used to stash coins and cards in your drawers as a kid. I assumed you still hide things there." Adrienne scrambled herself to remain calm and blow it off as just a coincidence. But on the inside, her heart was pounding right out of her chest. She didn't know how easily those words could pop out when pushed.
"Okay, Mom, you are right about that. But how did you know the brand of the watch?" Sonny questioned her pointedly, glancing back at Will to make sure he was doing okay.
"What? I-I didn't..."
"You did, too, Adrienne." Justin spoke. "Yes," EJ echoed Justin, "I heard it and so did everyone else." The room, filled with Kiriakis', Brady's, Horton's who were typically at adds with each other, banded together against Adrienne.
"You better tell me what's going on right now." Justin was furious. "In fact this whole room deserves an explanation. Especially Sonny, you know, the child you claim to love. "
Adrienne continued to stand and everyone could see the various expressions change on her face. First it was anger which turned into smugness, followed by doubt, and then eventually terror. She turned and started to run towards the door, but Sonny got there first.
"You have some explaining to do, Mom. I think it's time we sit down and have that chat you wanted to have at the coffee-house."
Adrienne went back to the table, slumped in her chair and started sobbing into her hands. "I just want what's best for you, Sonny! I'm your mother, I raised you for so many years, we've watched you live a successful life after coming back from London. You deserve so much better than to be tied down by Will and Jax."
"Excuse me?" Sami jumped in as did Marlena.
"Adrienne," it was Marlena who continued, "your son is a good man, and you've helped make him the person he is today. Don't you realize that this is a reflection on you and Justin? You raised him to be a loyal friend, a dedicated, supportive partner and a wonderfully loving Dad to a little boy, who without him, would be bounced around from foster home to foster home for most of his life."
"I do realize that," Adrienne conceded, "but just as passionately as Sonny wants to take care of Jax, that's the way I feel about him! I need to protect my baby!"and she let out a broken cry. Her outburst startled Jax, who immediately looked at his Dads with concern.
"Dada?" he stared at Sonny. Lucas went to the playpen and lifted Jax out. He grabbed a puzzle and expertly distracted him, so Sonny could respond.
"That's just it, Mom," Sonny said softly with a sad smile. "I'm not your baby anymore, and I don't need you to protect me. I wish you had felt the same way all those years ago when I came out to you and you chose to kick me out instead of support me. It's too late, Mom. I thought you had changed, but I'm wrong. This is the last and final straw. And as far as Janice is concerned, she was my best friend; like a sister to me. Don't you EVER disgrace her memory again, especially in front of her son. Remember, I met her because you kicked me out."
"So you took the watch from Sonny's drawer?" Will put two and two together, and he was sure the rest of the room had as well, but he needed to hear it from her. He knew that Sonny did, too.
They all sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting, trying to take everything in. Finally, Adrienne spoke. "Yes I took the watch. Yes I sent it to you here. Yes, I talked to Randolph to get the information I needed to make this believable. Yes, I wanted you to give up Jax and leave Will. Yes, I did it all. Are you happy?" Her eyes spanned the room, meeting just about everyone's with the same cold stare.
Sonny was shocked. "So, Randolph is involved in this? You contacted him after all these years, Mom? I told you what happened in the strictest of confidence, and you betray me?" He couldn't believe what she had done. "Well, then, your involvement doesn't really change anything, does it, Mom? He knows now where I am. He will find me. I still need to do what I intended and that is to turn myself in. Roman, can you walk me through what this process might look like? I don't even know where to start."
"No," Adrienne interrupted.
"Mom, sit down, please. This is my decision, and I'm finally going to do the right thing."
"No, that's not what I mean." She took a moment before giving up her final truth. "I called him back last night to update him on my, umm, progress, and I spoke to his wife." She swallowed and continued on, "Randolph was in a car accident two weeks ago. He didn't make it. Sounds like from the articles I could find that he had been drinking and then on his way home, his car crossed the median and hit a large truck head on. He was dead at the scene."
"So, there is no more Randolph?" Sonny was incredulous. This whole evening had been so surreal. In fact, these last months...this last year felt like a bad soap opera.
"Yes, Sonny, he's dead."
"Which means, Sonny and Will, that any charges against you would be dropped; there would no longer be a case against you." Roman clarified for them.
Sonny just nodded, letting it all sink in. "Please, Dad, get her out of here," for now, Sonny maintained complete control as his Dad escorted a very distraught Adrienne out the door. "Everyone else, thank you for your support. We could not do any of this without you. And I know I speak for Will when I say that we are so grateful and love you all very much." Sonny grabbed Will's hand and walked to where Jax was playing with his puzzle. Picking him up, Sonny kissed the toddler's head and pulled him close.
"Dada and Dada Dill!" Jax smiled at the both of them. "Home?" he questioned excitedly and squirmed to get down.
"Yes," both Sonny and Will answered him at the same time. "Let's go home,"Sonny finished and the three left the coffee shop, hand in hand.