"Hey," Paul opened the door to his new studio.

"Hi," Will mumbled. He adjusted Ari, her diaper bag, and his laptop bag in his arms.

"Come inside," Paul stepped aside and politely grabbed Will's bags. "Hi, Ari."

Ari wiggled her fingers in Paul's direction.

"Sorry, I brought her," Will said. He placed Ari on the bed and handed her his phone. "Babysitter is busy today. If I took her to my dad or grandma they'd make me talk and I don't want that."

Paul faced Will as he closed the door not paying any attention to the world outside his door.

If Paul had been in San Francisco, he would have been vigilant. He would have been hyper aware of his surroundings, who was standing where. But, here, in Salem, Paul let his guard down. He was so focused on Will, Paul didn't notice the man peeking behind the corner at the bottom of the staircase.

The man holding a camera.

"That's fine," Paul assured Will. "Whatever is easiest for you. Besides," Paul sat down on the sofa. "You happen to have the sweetest little girl in the world."

Ari flashed Paul a goofy smile as she opened one of her games.

"I take it if you don't want to talk," Paul looked at Will. "You won't want me asking any questions?"

Paul noted the dark shadows under Will's eyes, the tension in his shoulders.

'And he still doesn't know about me,' Paul reminded himself.

"Not really," Will admitted. He put on a fake smile. "I'm trying to keep things normal for her," Will put his hand on Ari's head. "I don't want her knowing anything's wrong."

"She might not understand yet," Paul offered. "She's still young."

"She knows when I'm upset," Will disagreed. He sat next to Paul on the couch. "I don't want her remembering any of this."

"Okay," Paul nodded understandingly. "That makes sense."

"I just want to work on the article," Will pleaded.

"Of course," Paul stated. "Whatever you want to do."

Will pulled out his laptop and opened it to his article. He handed the machine over to Paul.

"You read that over," Will ordered. "And let me know what you think."

While Paul read, Will grabbed a stack of papers from his bag. He had printed the article before he and Ari left the house. Whenever he did revisions, Will liked to do it on a hard copy. He liked to touch and visually see the changes in front of him without erasing the original.

The further Paul delved into the article, the larger the smile on his face grew. It was always a surreal experience reading about himself. But there was something about Will's writing. It made Paul feel like he was reading about someone else's life.

'This can't be about me,' Paul thought. Will painted him as near saint-like. Right now, Paul felt anything but.

When he finished, Paul looked over at Will. Will was busy marking, crossing out, and jotting things down. Paul had no idea what Will could possibly fix. He thought the article was perfect.

"I have no idea what you're doing," Paul put his hand over Will's. "Because this? This is amazing."

"I have a lot to fix," Will whispered.

"Nope," Paul argued. "I love it. I love every single word. I don't want you to change anything."

"I do," Will pointed to one mark he made. "I'm pretty sure I can't print something that says, 'Pau Narita'."

"…Oh," Paul smiled. "In that case, yeah."

"I want every single word to be meaningful," Will continued. He picked up his pen and circled a sentence he didn't like.

"Then explain it to me," Paul suggested.

Paul moved closer to Will, wanting to understand everything about the process.

Sonny woke up to an empty apartment. He had no idea how he managed to sleep through Will and Ari leaving. The only excuse he could think of was how exhausted he was, emotionally and physically.

Sonny didn't sleep the night before. He couldn't sleep without Will, without knowing where he was. The daytime had been even worse. Knowing Will was at home, alone, ruminating.

'And he still doesn't know the whole truth,' Sonny knew. 'I told Will I was with my ex and that was true. Does he need to know it was Paul? Or would that make him even more insecure?'

'No,' Sonny decided. 'No more lies. I need Will to know everything. If I want to rebuild our relationship it can't be based on a lie.'

Scared Will might have left permanently, Sonny grabbed his phone. With a few quick calls he'd be able to find out where Will was.

"The only problem now," Will said as he sent an edited version of his article to Zoe. "Is Zoe isn't going to be happy."

"What are you talking about?" Paul laughed. "This is like…the greatest article to ever article."

Will stared at Paul for a few moments trying not to smile.

"She wants me to out you," Will reminded Paul. "And I didn't."

"I still want to know how she even knows about that," Paul grumbled. He threw his head on the back of the couch.

"Must not have been as discreet as you thought," Will answered. "What am I going to tell her when she complains?"

"I was able to come out to you," Paul said. "Because I trust you. I just, I don't know if I'm ready yet for everyone to know."

"You should come out when you're ready, Paul," Will agreed. "Not because some editor wants you too."

"I'd like to tell my mom, at least, first," Paul added. "Maybe my grandfather. I just, I don't even know how they'll take everything."

"I'll tell Zoe to back off," Will assured Paul. "It won't be that big of a deal."

"It's not that I don't want to come out," Paul clarified. "I do, someday. But I'm still adjusting to the injury," Paul sighed. "I'm still wrapping my head around the fact I can't pitch anymore. I want to establish a life, find myself in a good place again. Before dealing with all that."

"I completely agree with you," Will encouraged. "It should be on your terms and when you're comfortable. You're dealing with a lot right now. You don't need to add anything else to it."

"I do know," Paul caught Will's gaze. He loved those blue eyes. "That when I am ready, I want you to write it."

"Really?" Will smiled briefly. The first real smile since he found out about Sonny cheating on him. It felt good knowing at least some things would stay the same.

Paul's friendship wasn't going anywhere.

"Of course," Paul assured Will. "There's no one else I would ever trust with something that important. So," Paul smiled. "We'll tell Zoe she'll get the scoop on my retirement and on my coming out when I'm ready."

"Hopefully that'll appease her," Will nodded. "I just don't want her doing what she did with my other article."

"What did she do?" Paul frowned.

"She put in the name of who EJ slept with," Will stated. "I kept the name out and she put it in. I don't want her doing anything like that to you."

"Well," Paul thought it over. "If she does I'll just let her know I will sue the crap out of her."

"That's one option," Will confirmed. He wanted to smile and laugh but didn't have it in him.

Paul noticed.

"You don't have to be miserable every second of the day," Paul let Will know. "Just like there's nothing wrong if you are miserable."

"I don't want to feel this way," Will admitted. "I just, I don't know how else to feel."

Paul cautiously put his hand on Will's knee. He couldn't overstep his bounds no matter how much he wanted to.

"No one expects you to be fine," Paul stated. "You're putting too much pressure on yourself. You don't have to be perfect."

"I wish I was," Will admitted. His fingers played with the buttons on his coat methodically. "Maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"It's not your fault," Paul insisted. He would tell Will every single minute of the day if he had to.

'It's my fault,' Paul thought. 'Mine and Sonny's.'

"If, if I was better," Will closed his eyes. "If I wasn't so desperate I-,"

"No," Paul interrupted. He hated hearing Will speak that way, hated that Will thought so poorly of himself.

Paul didn't want to hear Will like this. He wanted Will to be angry. He wanted Will to show that he wasn't broken, that he hadn't given up.

"No," Paul repeated louder. Glancing at Ari over his shoulder, Paul lowered his voice. "You don't need to be better. You don't need to fix anything. This is not your fault."

Will inhaled heavily. He didn't want to hear this. Everything was his fault. That's how it worked. Whenever Will felt happy and safe, it was taken away. Every time he had a home growing up, every time he had a family, it never lasted.

Will didn't know why he expected this time to be different.

Shaking his head, Will turned away from Paul.

"Don't do that," Paul grabbed Will by the shoulders and turned. Looking right into Will's eyes, Paul continued. "You might not be perfect and maybe you made mistakes. That doesn't mean you deserved this. Does it?"

Will stared into Paul's eyes, trusting.

"Say it," Paul requested. "Say you didn't deserve this."

"I-I don't deserve this," Will repeated, voice shaking.

"You deserve so much better," Paul reiterated. "And you know it."

"I-I don't deserve this," Will swallowed. He was starting to believe it. "It's, I didn't, all I did was love him."

"That's right," Paul squeezed Will's shoulder in encouragement. "Keep going."

"I-I trusted him," Will added. "I-I wasn't the best but I tried. I tried to do the right thing. I didn't always do it but he said he loved me."

Paul smiled despite the situation. He could see the fog polluting Will's eyes clear.

"I didn't," Will pressed his lips together, getting angry. "Why did he lie to me? When we got back together I told him everything! So, why didn't he ever tell me about that guy? Why didn't he tell me?"

"If he didn't love me with everything in him he never should have married me," Will concluded. "He never should have married me."

Will startled at the realization. It hurt nearly as much as the cheating did.

Paul didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure there was anything to say.

"Daddy," Ari called from the bed. "Foods," Ari rubbed her belly.

"I-," Will opened and closed his mouth several times. Finally, he nodded and cleared his throat.

"What do you want?" Will questioned. He hoped Ari couldn't tell he was faking his enthusiasm.

"Foods," Ari repeated, elongating the word.

"Okay," Will smiled. "I'll find you something."

Turning to face Paul, Will didn't even need to ask.

"I've got her," Paul stated. Paul moved over to the bed with Ari. "You're my girl now, huh?"

Ari scooted closer, leaning against him.

"Thank you," Will said, voice choking up. He hoped Paul knew he was thanking him for a lot more than just watching Ari.

Paul held Ari against him, heart melting. Not for the first time, Paul wondered how Sonny could throw this away.

'Why would Sonny ever risk this right here, for me?' Paul sighed. 'He had everything. And I helped ruin it all.'

'As soon as the article comes out,' Paul realized. 'Will's going to know everything. Sonny will know I lied about meeting Will. Sonny's gonna tell Will everything.'

Paul closed his eyes. He knew there was no way to prevent it now. It was going to happen.

'I just need a little more time,' Paul desperately thought. 'Just a little bit longer.'

Paul knew he and Will were good together. They got along and had so many things in common. Both were obviously attracted to the other.

'I adore Ari. I help Will whenever I can. For god's sake I moved into this studio to help him out,' Paul bit his lip. 'I invested in the pub for him. I'd do anything for him.'

Paul didn't know if it was the right thing to do in the long run but he was done denying himself. He wanted Will. He wanted a relationship with Will. He knew it wouldn't happen right away, knew there were a lot of things to consider.

As far as Paul was concerned though it would be worth it. Will would be patient while Paul gained the strength to come out. He would understand that Paul wanted to take his time, establish a new career path. Just as Paul would be patient while Will overcame his heartbreak.

Plus, Paul had more money than he knew what to do with. Not that Will was materialistic, but Paul could take care of Will and Ari. They could go anywhere, do anything. Will wouldn't have to worry about anything ever again.

It wouldn't happen overnight. It would take time, time for Will to heal.

'We could be happy together,' Paul thought. 'But not if he's around Sonny.'

The one kink in Paul's plan was Sonny. Paul knew Will loved Sonny. As far as Paul knew Sonny loved Will too.

Paul tried being the nice guy. He sent Will back to Sonny, encouraged him to make things work.

'And Sonny still lied,' Paul recalled.

'If I could just keep Will away from Sonny,' Paul decided. 'He would be with me.'

'I know what I need to do,' Paul realized, formulating a plan.

"How are things out here?" Will asked one of the servers as he waited on their food.

"Steady," the waiter responded. The teenager looked over Will's face. "Are you okay?"

"Not really," Will admitted. "Do you need any help?"

"I think we've got it," the boy reassured Will. "You look like you should get some rest anyway."

"Thanks," Will almost smiled.

"Just remember this the next time I need a day off," the boy joked.

Will nodded in appreciation.

When his food was ready, Will loaded it onto a tray and headed for the staircase.

"Oh," Will frowned when he saw a strange man standing in the hallway. "I'm sorry, sir. But you can't be back here."

"Sorry," a deep voice responded. "I was looking for the bathroom."

"It's on the other side," Will adjusted the tray and pointed with one hand. "That way."

"Thanks," the man mumbled, head low.

Will didn't stop to give the odd encounter another thought.

Sonny reluctantly finished up his late breakfast. He didn't want to eat but it had been a long time. He knew he needed to keep up his strength and health.

'I did this to myself,' Sonny thought. 'If I want to make up for it I'll need to do everything I can. That includes taking care of myself.'

Knock Knock Knock

Sonny paused on his way towards the door. He wasn't up for visitors.

For a brief, horrible moment, Sonny wondered if it was Lucas or Marlena. If Will sent someone to collect his and Ari's things.

Sonny had to know, he needed to know if this was the end.

Sonny ripped open the door and sighed in relief.

"Mom," Sonny said. "What are you doing here?"

"Like I could stay away," Adrienne pushed Sonny aside. Adrienne took a turn around the apartment. "Where are Will and Ari?"

"He's at the pub," Sonny answered with a sigh. He slumped on the couch. "I called and asked. They said he was there."

"Okay, that's good," Adrienne sat next to Sonny. She put her hand on his forearm. "How have things been? You wouldn't take any of my calls yesterday."

"I slept out here," Sonny revealed. "Which is progress since Will and Ari are here too."

"Have you talked to him?" Adrienne questioned.

"Some," Sonny shrugged. "I don't know if I've gotten through to him. I hurt him too much."

"If you hurt him too much," Adrienne argued. "He wouldn't have come back. He wouldn't have stayed the night."

"He probably only did that for Ari," Sonny shook his head.

"No," Adrienne knew better. "Will would do anything for Ari, yes. But he wouldn't put himself through that. And," Adrienne pulled on Sonny's hand so he would look at her. "Will wouldn't be in this much pain if he didn't love you."

"It won't matter if he can't forgive me," Sonny closed his eyes.

"It's only been a few days," Adrienne reminded him. "This takes time and effort. But the most important thing is that you don't give up, do you understand?"

Sonny opened his eyes and nodded.

"No matter what, no matter how hard it gets, or how bleak," Adrienne held Sonny's gaze. "You have to keep trying. Will has to know that you'll be there, that you still love him."

"I do," Sonny said voice almost child-like. "I will."

"And this is important, Sonny," Adrienne said firmly. "You absolutely cannot see Paul again."

"I won't," Sonny promised.

"You can't call him or talk on the phone," Adrienne continued. "If you see him, you turn around and leave. If you've talked to him at all since that weekend you have to tell Will."

"Okay," Sonny nodded.

"You have to show Will that you mean everything you say," Adrienne stated. "In your words and your actions. You can't say one thing and do another. You have to prove that you love him and only him."

"I do," Sonny guaranteed.

"Prove it," Adrienne said rather harshly. "You hurt him. You have to make up for it."

"I know," Sonny maintained. "I'll do whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes."

"Good," Adrienne nodded. "This is going to be a different situation than you've been in with Will. You've never had to fight for him like this before."

"I waited a year to be with him," Sonny said firmly. "I can wait however long it takes."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Sonny reflected on everything his mother told him. He could do it all, he would.

Adrienne's thoughts were on a different subject.

"Sonny," Adrienne asked. "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh huh," Sonny rubbed against his eyes.

"Ever since you met Will Horton," Adrienne described. "You've been in love with him. Against my wishes," Adrienne shook her head, forehead wrinkled. "Against the odds, after everything with Gabi and Nick, Sami's trial, Will's articles," Adrienne couldn't make sense of it.

"You waited for him to figure himself out," Adrienne continued. "You married him, created a family."

"Yeah?" Sonny asked. He didn't like where this was going.

Adrienne turned to stare at Sonny.

"How could you spend a weekend with Paul?" Adrienne demanded.

"I-," Sonny tried to get her to understand. "When Will wasn't there and Paul was it felt like three years ago. And I guess I wanted that back."

"Did you marry Will, promise him everything, knowing you had feelings for Paul?" Adrienne wondered.

"No," Sonny vehemently insisted.

Adrienne gave Sonny her patented mom-look. The one that always saw right through her son.

"Maybe, maybe a small part of me would always wonder what could have been," Sonny conceded. "But I never would have traded what I have with Will for Paul."

"Then why did you?" Adrienne questioned. "You took everything you built with Will and risked it. Risked it for a weekend of sex with Paul. How could you do that?"

"I-I didn't," Sonny denied.

"Yes, sweetie, you did," Adrienne smiled sadly. "Were you planning on leaving Will?"

"N-No," Sonny said. "I-I didn't mean to. I-I-."

"Sweetheart," Adrienne grabbed Sonny's hand. "You have to be honest if you want this to work."

"I thought about it," Sonny whispered. Tears slowly drifted down his face. "I thought I could do it."

"Why didn't you?" Adrienne took a deep breath. She tried not to make any judgments but she wasn't sure she could.

"I remembered what it was like to be with Paul," Sonny admitted. "And it wasn't anything like being with Will. Paul was fun and he made me feel sexy, wanted."

"And Will?" Adrienne pressed.

"He makes me feel everything," Sonny cried. "Everything good, bad, everything. But," Sonny looked away from his mother in shame.

"But what?" Adrienne encouraged.

"It's too much, sometimes," Sonny confessed. "He, he's too much."

"Okay," Adrienne blinked a few times. "What does that mean?"

"He feels so much," Sonny wiped at his face. "And he's so insecure sometimes. He doesn't think and he makes stupid decisions. He drives me crazy. His family drives me crazy. But he's so sweet and he loves so much," Sonny could barely breathe. "And I don't want anyone else. I couldn't want anyone else. It's just him."

"I know, baby," Adrienne pulled Sonny to rest his head on her shoulder. "I know."

"I brought something for all of us," Will said as he walked into the studio.

"Now, I definitely now you were a waiter," Paul replied. He watched as Will expertly balanced three plates.

"I've been brushing up on my skills," Will shrugged before looking down at his feet. "Maybe if I stayed out of the pub's business…"

"Don't do that," Paul pleaded. "This place is important to your family and you. And you've excelled."

"Because of you," Will caught Paul's eyes. "The painters are coming next week. None of this would have happened without you."

"I'm just the money," Paul dismissed. "You're the brains."

Will laughed, head thrown back and all.

Paul's heart skipped a few beats.

"I think that's the first time anyone's ever called me the smart one," Will chuckled.

Ari, despite not understanding, laughed along too.

Paul's smile froze in place. He loathed admissions like that.

'That's why I need to do this,' Paul decided. 'Will needs to get out of this environment, at least for a while.'

"I was thinking about something while you were gone," Paul told Will.

"What?" Will asked.

"When the article comes out," Paul tried to find the best way to explain it. "There's gonna be a lot of publicity."

"I guess so," Will said. He hadn't really thought about it.

"You're gonna get a lot of publicity too," Paul pointed out. "There's going to be a lot of attention on the both of us."

Will shifted uncomfortably. He didn't want that. He didn't want anyone looking at him or analyzing him. Expecting him to put on a happy face and pretend.

Will didn't want his family congratulating him on getting an article right for once. Not when everything else was so wrong. Not when it almost cost him his family.

"I know you don't want that," Paul elaborated. "So, I was thinking," Paul licked his lips. "That maybe you, Ari, and I could go away for a while. That you could use the time to clear your head about your marriage, decide what you want to do."

Will blinked a few times, contemplating.

"Leaving's what got me into this mess," Will mumbled.

"This'll be different," Paul promised. "You can figure things out without any pressure. You wouldn't have to worry about seeing anyone or dealing with anything."

"I can't afford to go anywhere," Will shook his head.

"I'd take care of everything," Paul assured Will. "I just, I want to protect you."

'But apparently not from myself,' Paul thought.

"I don't know," Will replied.

"We could go anywhere you want," Paul had to get Will to agree.

Paul had to get Will out of Salem before the story broke. If he had just a bit of time, Paul was certain he could explain everything to Will.

'If Sonny gets to him first,' Paul knew. 'Will would never understand.'

"I couldn't ask you to do that," Will argued.

"I'm offering," Paul dismissed. "We could go to my house in San Francisco," Paul suggested. "Or go see your mom and your siblings."

"Grammy?" Ari squeaked.

"What?" Will nearly forgot she was there.

"Grammy and Syd-Syd," Ari clapped her messy hands together.

"You wanna see Grammy?" Will clarified.

"Yay," Ari hopped up and down in her spot.

'Thank you, Ari,' Paul thought, relieved.

"Okay," Will reluctantly responded. He couldn't deny Ari. "We'll go.

Author's note:

Thanks for reading! If you celebrate it-Happy Easter. If not, happy Sunday!