Chapter 25: The Return – Sunday, July 10th, 2011

It was now Sunday morning. Chad, Dario, and Nathan were putting things in the car, while Sonny and Will walked around to make sure that they left nothing behind. Chad put the tent in the back of his car. He turned to Nathan and Dario who were emptying some water from the cooler before putting it in. "We should definitely plan something like this again! It's good to get away from the ladies sometimes."

"Speak for yourself!" Nathan responded with a laugh.

"Nathan is right. There was definitely too much male bonding on this trip!" Dario picked up the cooler and put it in the trunk.

Chad scratched his head. "What's wrong with male bonding?" Nathan and Dario just shook their heads at Chad's question.

Sonny and Will found a towel by the lake. Sonny picked up the towel and tossed it over his shoulder. He noticed that Will seemed in high spirits. "So did you have fun this weekend?"

Will smiled as he thought about the weekend. "It's the best time I've had in a long time. I haven't felt this good since… ever."

Sonny smiled back. "I can tell. You seem relaxed and happy." Sonny and Will headed back towards the other guys.

"Before we get too close to the other guys, there's something I want to say." Sonny and Will stopped walking.

"What is it?" Sonny asked.

"I wanted to thank you for helping me this weekend. I have learned so much from you and how to handle all of this. You really have been a great friend." Will gave Sonny a hug.

Sonny patted Will on the back as they hugged. "Anytime man. You have been there for me as well." Sonny and Will separated from the hug, but Sonny kept his hands on Will's shoulders as he looked into his eyes. "If you need me for anything when we get back to Salem, I am here for you… whatever you need."

Will tried to control how happy he felt. "Thanks, Sonny. That really means a lot." Sonny and Will decided to meet up with the other guys so they could leave.

At the DiMera Mansion, Sami was on the phone with the bakery about the cake for her and EJ's wedding. She began to describe what she wanted, when Stefano walked in giving her an impatient look. Stefano walked over to the desk and sat down as Sami continued her conversation over the phone. After Sami finished her conversation, Sami hung up the phone. "I'll be out of your way now," Sami said to Stefano as she began to walk out.

Stefano turned around in his chair. "Actually, Samantha, I wanted to talk to you about something."

Sami turned around wondering what Stefano wanted to talk about. She figured it would not be something good. She gave him a cautious look. "I'm all ears."

Stefano pulled himself out of his chair and moved closer to Sami. "Now, if you're really serious about being a DiMera, then I have a proposition for you." Sami's interest was piqued. Stefano continued, "I think that you should take my place on the board at Salem University Hospital. It would be beneficial for the family because sometimes the other board members are skeptical of my decisions to help the hospital. Of course, I will still have a say in the decisions, I just want you to be my voice." Stefano paused for a moment to let his proposition sink in. "So are you interested?"

"I am." Sami thought about how this still was not what she had in mind, but it was a step in the right direction. Sami figured there would be perks as well with the new job.

"Great!" Stefano clasped his hands. "If you play this right, this will be just the beginning!"

At the pub, Caroline was preparing things for Will's return after her meeting with Father Matt and Sami. She had a homemade apple pie in the oven and came out to the front to make sure that everything was in order. As she wiped down one of the tables, she heard the door open behind her. "We're closed today. We'll be open again tomorrow." Caroline looked up to give a smile to whoever ignored the 'closed' sign, but jumped when she saw Victor standing there. "Oh, Victor. What are you doing here?"

"I'm hoping to have a moment of your time." Victor said in a calm voice.

Caroline knew that she and Victor had disconnected a bit after Shawn Sr. died, but they still had their moments. "Sure. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Victor rested his hand on a chair nearby. "I am curious as to why you are so interested in Sonny's sexuality. I thought it was weird that you would come over to my house to talk to Adrienne and Justin about it. Did Sonny do something while he worked here?"

"No," Caroline let out without thinking. She realized that she could trust Victor with what she knew because he had the same beliefs as she did. "The truth is that I am worried Sonny will help Will realize that he is gay."

"How do you know that Will is gay?" Victor gave Caroline a concerned look. He would not wish the disease on anyone.

Caroline looked down in shame. "I have known for a while," Caroline admitted. Her voice filled with sadness. "I noticed the way he looked at other boys. It's innocent though. Will has no idea that he is gay, and I hope to keep it that way. If he ever figures it out, his life will be over."

Victor thought about the predicament they were in with Will and Sonny. "Do you think I should send Sonny away to get help?"

Caroline looked back to Victor. "I would if I had the authority to make that decision. Parents these days are so misinformed."

After putting his stuff in a locker at the Salem Gym, EJ made his way to a treadmill to run a few miles. He figured he should skip the weight bench since Chad and Will were not there to spot him. While he ran, EJ felt as though someone was watching him. He glanced over his shoulder but saw no one.

When EJ had finished his run, he got off the treadmill and grabbed a hand towel to wipe the sweat off his face. He looked over and saw a guy staring at him. The guy quickly walked off. "Wait." EJ tried to follow the guy around the gym but lost him when he made his way to the locker room. EJ figured the guy was just checking him out and ran off embarrassed because EJ caught him.

EJ decided to leave it alone and relax in the sauna. He went back to the locker and grabbed his bag. He stripped down and put a towel around his waist. He put his clothes back in the bag and placed the bag back into locker. EJ headed out to the sauna.

After EJ had left the sauna, the man walked over to the locker that contained EJ's stuff. He opened the locker and grabbed EJ's bag. After opening the bag, the man pulled out EJ's cell phone.

Chad and Nathan dropped Will, Sonny, and Dario off by the pub and drove off. Will, Sonny, and Dario made their way over to the entrance of the Brady Pub to find Adrienne and Justin waiting outside. When Adrienne and Justin spotted the guys, they stood up from the bench. Sonny looked around confused, "Mom, dad… why aren't you inside?"

Adrienne gave Sonny a hug – happy that he made it back safely. She placed her hand on his cheek. "We couldn't wait that long to see you. We missed you so much!"

Justin smiled and agreed with Adrienne.

Sonny glanced at Will and then back to his parents. "I was going to hang out with Will a while longer before heading home."

Justin stepped up and put his hand on Sonny's shoulder. "Actually, your mom and I were hoping to take you home now. We kind of need to talk to you about something."

Sonny saw the seriousness in his father's eyes. He turned back to Will and Dario a bit upset that he could not hang out longer. "I'll see you guys later?"

"Yeah. I'll call you tomorrow." Will smiled at Sonny. Will and Dario headed into the pub.

Sonny turned back to his parents who motioned him to their car, but Sonny stopped them. "I can tell something is wrong. What is it?"

Adrienne took Sonny's hand. "Nothing is wrong. Let's just go home."

Sonny became upset because he felt that his parents were crowding him with protection again. They always treated him so delicately. "No… tell me what's going on!"

Justin stepped in. "It's better if we talk about it at home in private, son. The sooner we get there the sooner we can tell you."

"Fine. Let's go home then." Sonny headed to the car as Justin and Adrienne followed him.

Inside the pub, Gabi and T greeted Will and Dario when they walked in. Gabi walked to her brother and gave him a hug, while T gave Will a handshake. "You guys couldn't wait one day for me to get back?" T joked with Will.

"Sorry man. I couldn't remember when you were supposed to get back, but it's good to see you." Will smiled at T nervously.

After hugging her brother, Gabi gave him a smile. "How about we take you home?" Dario shook his head as he was ready for a shower. Gabi walked over to Will and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I missed you."

The kiss threw Will off. "Missed you, too."

Gabi pushed her brother towards the door. T came back over to Will and gave him another handshake. "Looks like I have to go. Gabi seems like she's in a hurry to get back to her place. I'll see you around."

Will watched as the three left the pub. Gabi and T hanging out together alone confused him. Will turned around when he heard his mother's voice, "Will, you're already here!" Sami made her way over to Will and gave him a hug.

"Hey mom." Will looked behind her and saw Lucas and Caroline. "Dad! What are you doing here?"

Lucas walked over and gave Will a hug. "Allie and I are in town for a while. I'm hoping that I can make up for missing your high school graduation."

"Don't sweat it, dad. I knew you were busy." Will offered a smile.

Lucas pulled out a chair for Sami and then took a seat next to her. "Let's sit and catch up."

"Okay." Will took a seat across from his parents.

Caroline walked over with the apple pie and a few plates. "I made your favorite fresh out of the oven." Caroline patted Will on the back and smiled. "Enjoy." Caroline headed to the bar to leave Will alone with his parents. Will looked up from the pie and noticed that both of his parents were smiling at him. He suddenly became suspicious that his parents were up to something.