Will came barreling down the stairs into Horton's Square happy to finally be done work.
"Hey, handsome. Got a minute?" Marlena asked as Will came into the square.
"Um...I guess so. I'm done with work, but no lectures please."
"I promise. You are an adult. You may do what you like and work where you please."
"Thank you for saying that, Grandma."
Marlena gasps.
" Sorry, Doctor Evans."
"Thank you for saying that, yes. The thing is that... I couldn't live with myself if I didn't share with you some hard-learned knowledge."
"What is it?" Will asked cautiously.
"There is something I know... in a way that nobody else that walks the earth could know. That nothing good ever comes from associating with a DiMera."
"You know about our relationship with the DiMeras. The history. What they've done to us over the years. What they did to John, what they did to me, what they did to your mother." Marlena fervently intoned.
" Grandma I Love you probably more than anyone, and that will never change, but and I know you don't like to acknowledge this, I am EJ's son, I am a DiMera, and I honestly believe that EJ would never do anything to actually hurt me. And as for Mom well frankly she had it coming in spades."
"Oh, Will, for heav—"
"Hey, Will. Hi, Dr. Evans." Abigail said coming in from around the corner with a huge smile on her face.
"Hi, there. How are you?" Marlena asked with genuine sincerity despite her frustration.
"Better, thanks."
"That's good I'm truly happy to hear it."
"But not as good as you, obviously. Dude, I saw your new car. That is awesome!" Abigail said with excitement radiating from her voice.
"Oh. Uh, thanks, thanks." Will said nervously he knew he was going to hear about this later from Marlena.
"Well, I gotta run, but promise you'll take me for a ride later?"
"Sure, yeah. Okay, I'll call you." He said happy she was gone.
"Bye-bye, now. Oh, my goodness. A new car? Tell me EJ did not buy you a new car." Marlena begged Will.
'Thanks Abby, Thank you so much' Will cursed inside his head.
"Will still hasn't picked up the posters from the printer yet. How much do you wanna bet that he's with his concerned granny, who's pigeonholed him, asking him the same questions that I can't get you to answer? So- one more time, remind me why Will Horton would want you elected mayor." Nicole prodded finally hoping to crack her husband's nearly impervious shell of secrecy and mistrust.
"Nicole, we have discussed this. Several times." EJ said with aggravation and hoping she would get the hint and just drop the bloody thing already. She was like a starving dog with a bone.
"Yes, we have. "There are certain aspects of this campaign that I must do alone." Yes, I get that. All right, if you were embezzling a billion dollars, I would see why you want me in the dark, and that's exactly where I would want to be. But-but just some 18-year-old kid who's a campaign intern? I don't get it. What's the intrigue?"
"There isn't any intrigue. Nicole, William is a very bright boy, okay? He's technically very savvy. You know, he does get college credit for this. The most important thing... is that his brother told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn't vote for me, he'd be in trouble."
"Yeah. That's brilliant. Cute. But, um, I mean, what if Johnny found out that you used Will to win the election, and you asked him to lie, cheat, and steal? Do you think Johnny would still feel the same way?"
"Sweetheart, I did not ask Will to do any of those things," EJ lied effortlessly " and I never would, I would never let William do anything that might jeopardize his future."
"Are you kidding? You're telling me that Will had nothing to do with stealing Abe's jobs plan. Oh, come on, EJ. I completely understand you wanting to protect your son and believe me I don't have a problem with that it's just I thought we were on the same team here."
"Yeah. Dad bought me a car. So what?"
"So what?" Marlena asked with an obvious cringe at the word "Dad".
"I'm- I'm his campaign intern, which means I'm-I'm always out running errands and doing other stuff like that, so I just- I just needed some reliable transportation."
"Mm-hmm. Seems like from Abigail's reaction this is no ordinary little car."
"Dad's running for mayor, right? So he has a reputation to uphold. I promise you, Grandma, you- you're making a big deal out of nothing. It's fine. It's-it's fine."
"Will, don't you get it? You're so bright. Don't you see this? EJ is trying to buy you. Trying to corrupt you. Trying to make you beholden to him."
"Grandma, he's not try—"
"And I will not let him do it to you. I promise you. He will not do that." Marlena said as fierce as lioness.
"Grandma... this is just an internship, really. It's, like, a-it's, like, a few months. It's not a big deal."
"Will—"
"I promise you."
"Did you go to EJ and ask for this job?"
Will stopped he knew that he had to be very careful about what he said next or their would be chaos to no end."I went to EJ, yeah."
"I-I-I don't understand that. I don't get it. Why would you go to the man who you- oh, yes, I do get it. This is not about the internship. This is about you punishing your mother."
"No. No, Grandma, that has noth…."
"Will, look at me. Is this your way of hurting your mother because she slept with EJ?"
Will had to admit to himself that one of the reason he wasn't fighting as hard as he should was that working for Ej would drive his whore of a mother absolutely crazy. But he also knew that he couldn't tell Marlena that.
"We are on the same team, sweetheart. Always." He meant that he really did, but when it came to his son he wasn't going risk the chance of Nicole finding out what he did with Samantha and ending his marriage.
"EJ, it's just... suddenly, I'm starting to feel like we're slipping back into our old ways. Keeping secrets, telling lies."
"Look. I made a promise to you that I wasn't going to lie to you, sweetheart. And I'm not lying to you now. But there are certain things that you need to be protected from."
"I don't need you to protect me, EJ. I need you to be honest with me. Honest!"
"You want me to be honest with you right now?" EJ asked coyly.
"Yes."
"You look very sexy."
"Oh, come on. I am being serious."
"So am I. I'm being deadly serious." EJ said running sensual kisses up and down her neck and lips trying to distract her.
"Stop, stop it. I know what you're doing, EJ. Okay? And it's not gonna work. I need you to talk to m- EJ—"
"Mm-hmm?" EJ asked when Nicole's phone started to ring.
"Oh, God. Stop. Stop." Nicole begged reaching for her phone and trying (unsuccessfully) to see who was calling.
"No."
"Come on."
"Please leave that alone."
"No, no, I don…"
"Just ignore it."
"Leave it alone in the middle of an election? EJ, stop it, okay? As much as I would like to play around all day with you, I can't. I have work to do. And don't you have a phone interview in, like, five minutes?"
"Yeah, maybe. Time flies when you're kissing the woman you love."
"Why don't you go in the den, where you're not so distracted? And we'll continue this conversation late…"
"Okay."
"Later."
"Maybe?" He asked.
"Go."
"Later."
"Maybe."
"Five minutes." Five minutes he said going into the den to organize his schedule.
"Mm. Hi, I got your message. What'd you find out?"
"Why is it so hard to believe... that I just want a decent internship?"
"Well, I could believe it if you were working for anybody besides EJ. Will."
Will sighed heavily he was trying to be patient but she was not making it easy.
"If you really just want some work, you know that John and Brady are going to re-open Basic Black. They would love to have you with them. Why don't I make a call?"
"Look, I-I made a commitment already. I can't-I just-I can't quit." Even though that sounded really good. He would love to work with John and Brady at Basic Black. It sounded so great but he was stuck.
"You can quit, before it's too late."
"No, I can't."
"Look, if-if there's something going on, you should tell me. I can help. I really can help you."
No she really couldn't this was one situation where Marlena couldn't help. But he knew he had to pacify her with something that she would believe. "You know what? You- you're right. You were right. Part of me is doing this to get back at my mother."
"And what will that accomplish? I'll tell you, darling boy. The only thing that's going to happen is you are going to get hurt."
"I fetch his coffee, and I make copies for him. It's not-it's not life or death."
"All right, I am begging you now. Will, if this is about your mother, then confront her and move forward. But don't go to work for the enemy."
"It's not that simple."
"It's that simple. Will, please. Get out now."
"And-and when did you say the car was purchased? Interesting. And you're certain it's in Will Horton-DiMera's (Will Horton-DiMera is his legal) name. Okay, that's all I need to know."
"That's all you need to know about what?" EJ asked.
"Grandma, you are the most important person in my life. Hands down. I can talk to you about anything. And you never judge me or- and you never talk down to me, and I appreciate that more than I can say. So right now, what I need... is for you to let me make my own decisions. Okay? Please do not get involved."
"How can I not get involved? If Stefano or EJ ever hurt you... I'd never forgive myself for not stepping in."
"Nothing bad is going to happen."
"You have no way of knowing that. You've been under so much pressure. You're not thinking…"
"Grandma, please. Please, okay? Please let this go. I love you. I love you, and I do not want this to be the thing that comes between us."
"Oh, Will. Nothing is ever going to come between us. Not EJ or Stefano. Not anything. Not anything."
"Thank you. I'm sorry, but, um... I gotta go. Is it okay if I call you later?"
"Of course it is. Do that. Call me. Any time, for any reason." Will kissed her on the cheek as he left. Marlena decided that if she couldn't change Will's mind she would make sure EJ knew what would happen if he even tried to do anything to her grandson.