Sonny Kiriakis is courting Will Horton. The term is particularly appealing to Sonny, because it conjures up images of sitting on a porch swing in the moonlight, drinking lemonade or dancing.

Throughout the remainder of March, two things occupy his mind, schedule and plans. Will, and the DiMera mansion.

He celebrated the clean bill of health he recieves on his neurological scans by going antiquing. Spring has really brought the flowers to life, and has several pedestrians stopping to look.

The automobiles the tourists love to drive past with the rolling of the tires on the street.

Summer would wrap her heavy blanket soon enough, and turn the air humid. Just the thought of it reminds him he needs to upgrade the conditioning, maybe consider installing a few fans in the rooms.

Sonny buys with his usual caution flinging attitude, making several shopkeepers' days, before he stops in a place called simply, Blast from the Past.

It's just the usual mess of statues, lamps, old accessories and jewelry, with three curtained booths where people can tell you your future.

It's the ring that catches his eye first. The high polished center balanced by two rows of engraved scrolls.

The second he touches it, Sonny knows he wants to get it for Will. He knows how insane it is to buy an engagement ring when they're not that far into a relationship. And it's ridiculous to grab the first ring he sees without even looking at others.

But this is the one he wants to put on Will's finger. If a guy can buy a broken down mansion on a complete whim, what difference is a ring gonna make?

"I'll take it."

"It's incredible." says the shopkeeper. "She's lucky."

"He still needs convincing."

Some things are just meant to be, Sonny tells himself. He lifts the ring again, can already see it on Will's finger--just like the clerk can see him as an impulse buyer.

Sonny leans on the counter and puts his business negotiating skills to work.

He figures they've reached reasonably fair terms when the shopkeeper's smile is still intact, despite it not being as brilliant.

"Will that be all?"

"Yeah, I should go. I'm already--." Sonny cuts himself off when he looks at his phone and sees it's stopped at 12:00 once again.

"You know, I could use a timepiece. An antique timepiece. My phone's been stupid, and I've been knee deep in carpentry. Probably dropped it one too many times on the job."

"I have a wonderful variety of timepieces and chains. Much more inspired than anything high tech."

shopkeeper leads him over to another cabinet, pulling out a drawer and setting it on the counter.

"A piece like this doesn't just tell time." He starts, "It tells a story. This one--."

"No." The edges of Sonny's vision start to dim like fog. The chitchat of voices from other customers fade away to a dull hum. Part of him is still aware enough to know he's being pulled away from himself. Even as he tries to fight it, he watches his own hand reach out, picking up a silver lapel watch hanging from its chain.

The shopkeeper's voice is barely heard, because it's another one that's demanding to be heard, clear as a bell. Female, young. Excited.

It's for my husband. For his birthday. Can you engrave it?

Sonny already knows exactly what he's going to see, before he's even looked at the clip.

To Tom from his Alice

For all the days of our lives

March 7, 1940

"Mr. Kiriakis? Mr. Kiriakis, are you alright? Do you need some water? You're looking really pale."

"Huh?"

"Do you need some water? Can I offer you a seat?"

"No." Sonny closes his hand tightly over the watch, but whatever he's feeling is already slipping away. "No, I'm alright. I'll take this too."

More than a little rattled, he goes to Chad's office. He thought some practicality in Chicago's business district, in the rationality of Titan Industries, might help calm him down.

More than that, he just wants a few minutes with a friend who, even if they think he's crazy, still loves him.

"If I'd known you'd be dropping by." Chad starts as he closes the door to his office, "I could've moved some stuff around so we could have lunch."

"I wasn't planning on stopping by."

"Shopping again, huh?" Chad gestures to the bag Sonny's holding. "Sure you haven't had anything sent down from up here?"

"Actually, I do. Mostly books." Sonny says as he walks around the office. He skims his gaze over the books, the files, even the memos. All of it, the rubble of the CEO, feels so far away from him now.

"A few pieces I had in my office up here should work in the library."

He picks up a paperweight, then puts it back down. Slips his hand into his pocket, to jangle the loose change.

"You gonna tell me the real reason you're here, or you planning on making a hole in my carpet?" With his suit jacket draped over the back of his chair, tie loose, sleeves rolled up, Chad kicks back in his chair and tosses a tennis ball back and forth. "You're starting to freak me out."

"Remember when I told you about all the things that were happening?"

"You mean the stuff I heard with my own ears when I dropped in? I still wish you'd just told me the music we heard was just from a music player you'd left on by accident."

"Guess I'll just have to get a piano for the ladies' quarters, since it seems to be focused on that spot. I like playing anyway, when I actually remember to sit down."

Chad catches the tennis ball in one hand, letting it fall on the desk. "So you're here to tell me about buying a piano?"

"I bought a watch."

"And you're just here to show it off? Want me to call in my secretary, some of my colleagues too?"

"It's Tom Horton's lapel watch."

"Seriously?" The tennis falls onto the floor, from Chad pushing it off. "How do you know it's his? Where'd you find it?"

"Little shop in Salem." Sonny pulls out the box, setting it on the desk. "See for yourself."

Chad obliges, taking the lid off. "Very nice, if you have to look at something whenever you have to know a patient's time of death. Little heavy." He adds when he picks it up.

"So you don't...feel anything coming off of it?"

"Like what?"

"Look at the clip."

"The names and dates match up." Chad says definitively. "Pretty amazing luck, you finding this."

"It can't be luck. I walk into an antique shop, buy a ring for Will, and--"

"Whoa, hold on right there. A ring?"

"I told you I'm marrying him." Sonny shrugs. "I found the perfect ring. Doesn't hurt to have it handy. But that's not the point."

"It's still a pretty damn big one. Does Will know anything about this?"

"I told him exactly how I feel. What I want from him. I'm letting him think it over for now. Can we please focus on the watch?"

"Jesus, Sonny. You were always stubborn. But please, be my guest."

"I walk into the shop, decide to buy a timepiece because my phone's clock is all screwy again. I decide this despite having never owned one before in my life, never even thought about buying one. Then I see this one, and I just know. I know it's Tom's, know Alice bought it for him for his birthday, before I saw it on the clip. The exact inscription, along with their wedding date. Because I could hear every single word."

"I have no idea what to think about that." Chad combs his fingers through his hair. "What about that thing where you touch something, and you can see stuff from it? Like it's life story?"

"Psychometry. I've been doing my homework on all this stuff in my down time." Sonny explains when Chad frowns. "But nothing like that has ever happened before. Will has a theory that it has something to with reincarnation."

Chad thinks on it as he puts the lapel watch back in the box. "I guess I'd be a lot more likely to believe that than...psycho-something."

"If that's what t is, that means the mansion, and now this watch, are triggering memories of a past life. Even you have to admit it's weird."

"It's never not been weird, Sonny."

"But here's where it really gets interesting. If I start to go down that route, and accept I was Tom in a past life, then I just know Will is Alice. What I don't know is if I'm supposed to move him into the mansion, to make things right, or if I'm supposed to keep him away."