Will is pissed, more at himself than anything else. Not just for losing the fight, but for taking the coward's way out. His acting like a coward is what led to him trying to pick a fight in the first place.

Will trudges back down the driveway, through the green grass in hopes of disturbing some unsuspecting wildlife.

He stops at the corner of what used to be, as far as his memory serves, the Grayson property. The creepy place with slowly moving shallow water, its dead trees and heavy scents, and belongs just as much to him as it does to the sketchy neighborhoods and lively pace of the Square.

He'd been a part of it as a kid, knew the difference between a raven and a crow, how to avoid disturbing a snake's nest just by its smell, how to properly cast and reel a fishing line to catch a fish.

It's his family bloodline, just like the Horton Town Square had become home to his bar. He doesn't only come here when his grandma Marlena is depressed, but also when he himself is.

He catches something peeking out of the water nearby. It always is, Will thinks, what lies underneath the surface that could pull you under, in one quick pull, if you weren't cautious and didn't know how to handle yourself.

There's so much underneath the surface of the one called Sonny Kiriakis. He wishes he was just another spoiled, rich, gold digging trust fund asswipe getting his rocks off. That way Will could've really enjoyed his time with him, so he could drop him once he got bored.

But that becomes so much more difficult to drop when you also respect it. Will admires his strength, his sense of purpose, and his sense of humor. Just being friends, Sonny can already give him so much enjoyment.

But as his lover, Sonny worries the hell out of Will.

He wants too much. Will can already feel him pulling him in, and it scares the crap out of him, because it almost feels like he can't even stop it.

Messing with the key hanging off of his neck, Will starts towards the house. Nature will take its course, Will assures himself. It always does.

With that, Will plasters on a smile as he walks to his grandma's apartment, seeing her sitting on the sofa, pushing some papers around.

"Smells like something's baking." Will tells Marlena.

"Coffee cake. Already got one made so you can take it home with you."

Marlena straightens up, looking at Will, "And another one to take to the DiMera mansion for that nice young man. He doesn't take care of himself."

"He does alright."

"He does enough to be able to keep up with you." Marlena goes back to her papers, "Did he manage this morning? It definitely looks like it."

Will walks over to sit down next to her, "What looks like what?"

"You look like someone who's been intimate with someone, but didn't get the chance to have it reciprocated."

It's only because it's Marlena's job to talk about stuff like this as a therapist that Will doesn't find this awkward, just thinks on it, before answering,

"I could've done that myself. That's not the problem."

With a laugh, Marlena says, "Why scratch your own back when someone else can scratch it? I may be in my seventies, but even I can still see when a man's offering themselves up on a silver platter."

"My life isn't completely revolved around sex, grandma."

"Of course not, but I'm sure it would make it much more bearable." She straightens herself again. "You're not Leo, sweetheart."

The term of endearment makes Will smile, "Don't I know it."

"Not being your ex doesn't mean you have to be a monk the rest of your life if you can find someone who makes you feel alive."

Will decides to be honest, "I don't think he's looking to just feel alive. I think he wants to feel it for the rest of his life." Will leans back against the couch, shaking his head, "I've lived this long half alive, and I'm going to keep it that way."

"It's always black and white with you. Couldn't get you to acknowledge the gray without shoving you headfirst into it. You're my grandson, even if you are a young man, so this is all I'm going to say; There's nothing wrong with a man wanting to be alone, as long as he has a good reason for it. Being scared to feel alive again because it'll hurt is most definitely not."

"What happens if I let myself fall in love with him?" Will demands. "Then he has enough of all the small town charm and hauls ass back to Chicago? Or he's done with all the clubbing with me and finds someone else?"

Marlena leans back here, her face one of mild annoyance. "What happens if a tornado hits us and blows all of our properties to kingdom come? Goodness, Will, you can't let yourself think like that. It'll eat you alive."

"I was just fine with how I was before I met him, and I'm going to be again when he's gone." Sulking, he goes on, "That mansion over there, grandma, the one he's so adamant on restoring to its former glory? It's the perfect example of what happens when two people really shouldn't be together. I'm her family, and I know."

"No you don't." Marlena tips Will's chin. "If they weren't in love, if Alice Grayson and Tom Horton hadn't fallen in love and had a baby, you and I both wouldn't exist."

"If they were truly meant to be together, she wouldn't have died like she had. She wouldn't be haunting that mansion."

"Oh, sweetheart." Marlena's voice is now exasperation tinged with affection. "It's not Alice who's haunting the mansion."

"Then who is it?"

"I suspect that's why that young man is really here in the first place. Could be you're meant to help him."

Then, Marlena sniffs. "The coffee cake is ready." She says in a second before the buzzer sounds. "Want to take one over to the DiMera mansion?"

Will clenches his jaw. "No."

"Alright." Marlena stands up, walking towards the kitchen. "I just might bring it over myself." Her eyes dance when she glances over her shoulder. "I just might steal him for myself right out from under you."