Paul closed his eyes and counted to ten. Afterwards, he pushed his shoulders back, standing up straight. He held his neck up high and put on his confident face. The face he always used while strutting out onto the pitching mound.
'This is just like that,' Paul reminded himself. 'Head up, don't show weakness. Stick to the script and don't answer any questions.'
With that, Paul walked in front of the podium set up before him.
Cameras flashed, reporters jostled to ask questions.
Paul drowned that all out. He wasn't here for that. He was here for one thing and one thing only.
Clearing his throat, Paul began.
"I called this press conference to address certain rumors about myself. I arrived in Salem for surgery that while successful did not fix my arm. While recovering, Sonix Magazine approached me for an interview. After reading a few articles online, I accepted the proposal on the condition that I would chose the journalist. I chose Will Horton.
"During the interview process, I became close with Mr. Horton. He was there for me when I discovered my injury was career ending. I was there for him when he was going through a personal ordeal as well.
"Yes, Will Horton is my friend. No, the two of us have not slept together. The pictures published were taken severely out of context. What everyone saw was nothing more than two friends offering each other comfort.
"Will Horton has now and will always be nothing less than professional. I do not appreciate nor do I condone any suggestions otherwise. I trusted Will with the news of my retirement because of his professionalism, a rare quality in journalism these days. The article he produced is nothing short of perfection. I deeply regret that Mr. Horton's association with me has cost him any harm."
Paul paused in his speech and adjusted the index cards in his hands.
'It's now or never.'
"Throughout my career I have always been someone confident," Paul stated. "With women, models, singers, actresses flocking to me. I've never lacked female companionship or attention. For all the women that I've dated, flirted with, I must apologize.
"Baseball was my entire life. Nothing mattered to me more, including my love life. Because of that, I kept myself a secret. I was afraid of the fan reaction, how my teammates would react, how the world as a whole would see me. I'm not afraid of that anymore.
"Therefore, I have nothing left to hide. The rumors regarding my sexuality are true. I am gay," Paul smiled. He tapped his index cards on the podium. "No further questions."
Paul turned and walked away from the media scrum. Head held high, the picture of confidence, and a lifetime of weight lifted off his shoulders.
Sonny pointed the remote at the TV, flicking it off.
Watching Paul during that press conference, hearing him loudly and proudly declare his sexuality, gave Sonny mixed feelings. For a long time in Sonny's life, that press conference was all he wanted. He wanted the whole world to know Paul was gay. Now, Sonny realized he wanted that for entirely selfish reasons.
Sonny wanted Paul to come out for the sake of their relationship. Because Sonny wanted to show Paul off, didn't want to hide.
'I didn't want Paul to come out for himself. I wanted him to come out for me,' Sonny knew.
Sonny was glad Paul was confident enough in himself to come out now. Unfortunately, Sonny was terrified of what it meant.
'Paul's out. He backed Will up. Complimented Will, took care of him,' Sonny sighed. 'What if that gets to Will? What if Will realizes he could be with Paul?'
For perhaps the first time, Sonny was glad he slept with Paul when he did.
'At least that'll keep Will away from him.'
"Alright," the news anchor said. "The press conference has ended. This is Channel Five reporting live from-,"
Lucas turned the channel to Sesame Street for Ari before shaking his head.
"Well," Lucas said. "At least he cleared up the rumors about you, Will."
"It'll just lead to more," Will insisted. "In the media's eyes, two gay men can't just be friends."
"Who cares?" Sami asked. "Everyone can focus on Paul and stay away from you."
"Hopefully," Will closed his eyes. "I'm so tired of dealing with this."
"What do you want to do now?" Lucas questioned. "I mean about the situation."
"Yeah," Sami moved closer to Will. "What's your plan?"
"I have no idea," Will confessed. "I don't want to change Ari's routine but I don't know how to do this alone. Ari needs to see Sonny and I need to check on the pub but I just, I don't want to see them."
"Well," Lucas said. "I can talk to Adrienne. See if you and Sonny can work something out."
"I'll call Kayla," Sami assured Will. "She wouldn't want you doing anything if you were upset."
"Thanks," Will told them. "I just, I feel so out of it. I don't know what to do or how to make this better."
"Let's be real," Sami responded. "There's pretty much no way to make this better. Your life is a giant mess and no amount of sugarcoating it is going to change that."
"What do I do?" Will asked her.
"I can't make that decision for you," Sami replied. "You're the only one that can do that."
Will nodded as he heard Ari whimpering in her room. As soon as Will left, Sami and Lucas turned to each other.
"What are we going to do, Lucas?" Sami questioned. "I can't stand seeing him like this."
"Neither do I but what can we do?" Lucas shook his head. "We can't tell Will to do anything. We can't tell him to stop hurting or to move on."
"No," Sami agreed. "But I think I have a plan."
"That is always the scariest thing you say," Lucas covered his face with his hands. "Every time."
"Morning, princess," Will told Ari as he lifted her from her crib. "How did you sleep?"
Ari nuzzled against Will's neck, holding on tight.
"Still sleepy, hmm?" Will questioned.
Will lied Ari down on her changing table and pulled out a fresh diaper.
"Did you have any dreams?" Will wondered as he wiped and powdered her.
Ari shook her head, eyes still fluttering.
"Daddy didn't have any dreams either," Will confessed. "That made me happy. I didn't want to dream."
Will snapped her pajamas back into place.
"Now, you're all ready for breakfast," Will told Ari. "Should we make oatmeal or pancakes?"
"Pa'cakes!" Ari cheered, perking up.
"That's what I thought," Will lifted Ari up again, playfully swinging her around.
Ari wrapped her legs around Will's waist, head on his shoulder.
"Daddy?" Ari asked. "Dadd'Son?"
Will paused, swallowing heavily.
"Daddy's having a sleepover for a while," Will explained. "You'll get to see him soon."
Will swung Ari around and over the back of the couch. Ari giggled loudly.
"Now, let's make some pancakes," Will said.
"Uh," Sami frowned. "I think I better make those. I don't trust you in the kitchen."
"I don't trust either of you," Lucas interjected. "So, I'll be making the pancakes."
Sami and Will crossed their arms and glared at Lucas in exactly the same way.
Half-way through washing the dishes, Will's phone buzzed across the countertop. Will flipped off the faucet after checking the name on the screen.
Balancing the phone between his ear and shoulder, Will answered.
"Hello?" Will asked while wiping his soapy hands on his jeans.
"Hey," Chad responded. "Do you think you can meet up with me today?"
"You want to meet up with me?" Will asked sounding wary. "Since when do we do that?"
"We do that all the time," Chad insisted.
"We used to do that all the time, you mean," Will countered.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Chad dismissed. "I need to talk to you. Best friends stuff and all that."
"I don't know," Will replied. "I don't feel like leaving the apartment, Chad."
"Well, I just watched an interesting press conference," Chad argued. "And I've seen some pretty damn interesting pictures. I think we have a lot to talk about."
"Chad," Will sighed. "I'm not in the mood right now. My mom's here and my dad and-,"
"All the more reason to leave," Chad laughed. "Come on, dude. I'm not taking no for an answer. So, just get over here."
"Fine," Will groaned, rolling his neck in a circle. "Where?"
Will, head down, walked as quickly as he could towards Horton Town Square. He could feel several eyes on him, hear the whispers. He knew what they thought of him. The entirety of Salem had seen the pictures by now, knew about the press conference.
Will spent the majority of his time ignoring phone calls from his concerned grandmothers. He didn't have it in him to talk to either woman about what happened.
'I don't even know if I can stomach talking to Sonny's best friend,' Will thought. 'Huh, when exactly did I stop thinking of Chad as my friend and only Sonny's?'
Will pulled his jacket further around him, covering his neck with his collar. He avoided anyone's gaze. He picked up his pace when he saw someone aiming their phone at him. He couldn't wait for all this to blow over.
Will immediately noticed Chad sitting inside a small cafe. Thankfully, Chad knew better than to suggest they meet at TBD. Will didn't think he could go near that place right now.
Will was surprised to see Theresa sitting with Chad. He wasn't adverse to her presence merely startled the two hit it off. Reluctantly, Will slouched his way over to them.
"Hey," Chad stood up to greet Will.
"Hi," Will flashed Chad and Theresa a look before looking at the floor again.
Chad rolled his eyes before yanking Will into a bone-crushing hug.
Will sputtered, surprised.
"You look like crap," Chad declared.
Will held onto Chad's shoulders, remaining silent.
"Come on buddy," Chad pushed Will away. "Sit."
Theresa sat up straighter. She didn't know Will as well as she should have. But she wasn't stupid. She could see how upset the kid was.
Despite what everyone thought of her, Theresa could be empathetic.
"The coffee here is really good," Theresa pushed a cup towards Will. "I know you don't like all that fancy crap."
"Not really, no," Will gave her a grateful smile. He didn't want to talk anymore about this.
"Ironic when you think about it," Chad realized. "I mean what with whom you married and everything."
Will thought back to the time he called Sonny a glorified barista.
'That's probably when he decided to cheat on me. He just needed to wait for the right person,' Will mused.
"Hey," Theresa smacked Will's forearm.
Will shook his head. He rubbed his arm and frowned.
"What?" Theresa shrugged. "You weren't listening to me."
"Has anyone ever told you you're a lot like my mom?" Will asked Theresa.
"Yes, actually," Theresa lifted her neck and smiled. "I take it as a compliment."
"Speaking of ironic," Will looked at Chad with a raised brow. "How's Stefano taking you dating Sami-lite?"
"He doesn't seem to hate her," Chad answered. "Which is somewhat worrying."
"That's because he knows my worth," Theresa sniffed, nose in the air. "Also, I'm pretty sure we hate the same people."
"Oh, yay," Will shook his head. "Just what this town needs."
"Shut up and be happy for me," Chad ordered. "Now, uh," Chad rubbed his hands together nervously. "I think I owe you an apology."
"Why?" Will wrinkled his forehead in confusion.
Will assumed they were there to talk about the pictures, the rumors about him and Paul.
"Well," Chad admitted. "I think it might be partially my fault about the money, that is."
"How do you know about that?" Will wondered.
"Sonny told me," Chad admitted. "About using the credit card and everything."
"Things with the club started going downhill," Chad explained. "And I laid most of the blame on Sonny. I'm pretty sure he took that to mean he had to be the one to fix it. So, when we made changes I didn't realize how he was paying for things."
"It doesn't matter," Will mumbled.
"I gave him the money to pay off your card," Chad said. "I should have supported Sonny more, offered him more help. I expected him to do everything for so long and he never complained. I think the stress of it all got to him."
"Thanks," Will whispered.
Knowing Chad paid the credit card off relieved Will. He didn't know how they were going to pay for it otherwise, not a figure that large.
It didn't make up for what Sonny did though. He lied to Will, kept the truth from him. Put his family into debt for the club without ever even discussing it with his husband.
'Oh top of everything else,' Will sighed.
"That isn't the only reason I wanted to meet you though," Chad said. "What's been happening with you, Will?"
Will reached out for the coffee Theresa ordered him. He wanted something to do with his hands instead of wringing them.
"I didn't sleep with Paul," Will said first.
"Well, duh," Chad responded. "I could have told anyone that. You don't have it in you to cheat. So, what really happened?"
Will glanced around the cafe. A few people diverted their eyes making Will wince. Lowering his voice so no one would hear him, Will explained.
"When I was in LA, Sonny slept with Paul," Will told them robotically. His eyes were trained on the tabletop. "They used to date before Sonny came to Salem. They only broke up because Sonny asked Paul to marry him and Paul said no."
Theresa winced while Chad's lips straightened into a line. She still felt indignant over her own interactions in the hospital with Paul. But it was nothing compared to this.
"Sonny left San Francisco and Paul," Will added. "Never getting over him, never moving on. Until they met again and it was like I didn't exist at all."
"And you started interviewing Paul," Chad put the pieces together. "And became…friends?"
"Something like that," Will muttered. "Paul was the one that was there for me after I found out what Sonny did. Sonny never told me it was Paul. Paul never told me he was with Sonny. They both lied to me."
Chad nodded while Theresa shifted in her seat. The defeated expression on Will's face made her uncomfortable.
"Do you want me to talk to them or anything?" Chad questioned.
Chad had a difficult time picturing Sonny doing any of these things. He knew Sonny and Will were having some problems but he didn't imagine this. Sonny never seemed the type. But he wasn't dumb enough to tell Will that.
"It doesn't matter. I don't want to see either of them anymore," Will maintained.
"Are you sure?" Chad questioned.
Will and Sonny were both Chad's friends. Sure, Chad hadn't spent much time with Will since either of their returns to Salem. But Will was there for Chad when his mom died. Will was there for Chad when he found out Stefano was his father.
Chad didn't know when or why he started forgetting about Will in favor of Sonny but it happened. Now, Chad was going to fix it. He wasn't going to choose one friend over the other but he would support them both.
"I can't stop picturing them together," Will confessed. "I don't think I'll ever get over it. Even before I found out about the cheating," Will closed his eyes. "Sonny treated me like crap. Forgetting dates, yelling at me. He practically called me useless once."
"You're not," Chad assured. "You never have been."
"Even I know that," Theresa said with a small smile. She didn't know Will well but she knew that much. "I mean, you've been helping out Grandma at the pub."
"Someone had to," Will shrugged. "Sonny hates it though. Hates that I'm there instead of at home. He told me I shouldn't go there if I can't keep up with the house work."
Theresa furrowed her brow and pursed her lips.
"Sonny sounds like an ass," Theresa bluntly responded.
"He doesn't sound like himself," Chad argued. The Sonny he knew adored Will.
"He's a Kiriakis," Theresa upheld. "Explains everything."
"He was supposed to be different," Will took a small drink of his coffee. "I thought he was different."
Will, Chad, and Theresa wandered through the town square after their coffee. Theresa feigned interested in the small shops, doing her best to distract Will from his thoughts.
"You know what would make this outfit complete?" Theresa asked the boys rhetorically. "These diamond earrings."
Theresa stopped in front of a jewelry store display case and pointed to a set of earrings.
"Maybe if you're a good little girl," Chad mockingly responded.
Theresa pouted.
"You know that's my least favorite thing," Theresa huffed.
"It'll be fun," Chad wrapped his arm around her waist and squeezed. "Bling for good behavior."
"Could be worse," Theresa mused. "What do you get for good behavior?"
"Oh, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be reward for bad behavior," Chad pulled Theresa toward his chest.
Will watched them with a small smile on his face. It was nice seeing the two of them interact. Watching them flirt and tease when Will was so conflicted himself.
'At least they get to be happy,' Will thought.
The three moved along. Will did his best to ignore anyone watching and staring. Theresa and Chad did their best to run interference and shield Will from anyone's line of sight.
Will and Theresa were discussing diaper brands when they ran into Abigail and Ben.
"Oh," Abigail looked between Chad, Theresa, and Will. Her eyes strayed toward Chad every few seconds. "What are you three doing?"
"I'm learning more than I ever wanted to about baby poop," Chad remarked dryly. He loosely wrapped an arm around Theresa's waist.
"Oh, just you wait," Theresa smiled. "You'll be changing diapers in no time."
"I don't think I signed up for that," Chad softly replied.
"How exactly is that going to work?" Will wondered. "I mean with Brady and the baby and you two dating?"
Just as Theresa moved to explain, a group of teenagers walked by snickering about Will. No one could understand all of what they said but they got the gist.
Chad turned around to glare at the teens, frightening them.
"Don't let them bother you," Theresa told Will. "They don't know anything."
Abigail poorly covered a snort with a cough.
Will turned to look at her. The two still weren't okay after the whole article situation. No matter how many times Will explained he didn't include her name, Abigail never listened.
Noticing the attention focused on her, Abigail cleared her throat.
"I just think it's ironic, that's all," Abigail shrugged.
"What is?" Chad questioned.
"After everything last year," Abigail explained. "Will did this."
"Did what?" Will mumbled.
"Publically sleeping with someone, cheating on your husband," Abigail stated blandly. "Take your pick."
"I didn't do any of those things," Will insisted.
"Right," Abigail laughed. "I saw Sonny you know. The other day," Abigail indicated to Ben, Chad, and Theresa. "They were all there too. He was a wreck. We all knew it had to be your fault."
"My fault?" Will repeated in a low voice.
"Sonny's a good guy," Ben said. "We've all noticed how his behavior changed these past weeks. Just as soon as you came back."
"My fault," Will reiterated.
Something in Will changed, snapped. He had been trapped in his pain for too long.
"Sonny's the best thing that's ever going to happen to you," Abigail declared. "I don't know how you could screw this up. He's the only one that would deal with you."
"Hey," Chad growled. "That's too far."
"Don't talk to my girlfriend that way," Ben interjected.
"It's true," Abigail tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Sonny is a saint for dealing with what he does."
"A saint?" Will hissed, glaring at Abigail. "Sonny is a saint?"
"Sonny-," Abigail attempted.
"Shut up!" Will shouted. "Just shut up!"
Will was done drowning in his pain. He was done listening to everyone bring him down; judge him without knowing any facts. He wasn't letting anyone hurt him, demean him, not anymore.
Whatever emotion Will buried down with his crushing pain reared to life.
"Stop it," Will ordered. "Stop talking to me that way! I am so done with this."
"Will," Chad said trying to calm him down.
"No!" Will took a step away. "I am so sick and tired of hearing her! You wanna know what?" Will glared at Abigail. "I don't regret using your name. In fact, I wish I had done it on purpose. I wish everyone knew exactly what kind of a cheap, dirty, disgusting excuse for a human being you are!"
Abigail's mouth dropped open while Ben made a growling sound.
"If I were you," Will offered Ben. "I'd leave her now before she's back on her back for the next man that's dumb enough to sleep with her. I'd warn you to watch Chad," Will told Theresa. "But no one is stupid enough to leave you for that trash."
Will, breathing heavily, glared at a stunned Abigail for another moment before declaring.
"Stay the hell away from me and my daughter," Will announced. "Or I'll make you regret it."
With that, Will turned on his heel and stormed off.
Chad and Theresa watched Will walk away.
"I want to slow clap him," Theresa stated. "I do."
"Not now," Chad said half-amused and half-concerned.
Abigail sputtered, looking to anyone to defend her.
"Why did you have to do that, huh?" Chad shook his head at Abigail. "Can't you see how much he's hurting? What the hell is wrong with you?"
"With me?" Abigail indignantly responded. "What about him?"
"You know what? Will's right," Chad grabbed Theresa's hand and walked away. "You are selfish."
It took Chad and Theresa a few minutes to catch up to Will in the park.
Will sat with his head in his hands on a lone park bench. His blood buzzed and hummed.
"That was impressive," Theresa approved. "You should have seen their faces."
"Why did I do that?" Will asked out loud. He wasn't necessarily talking to either of them just in general.
"I'd wager you're repressing your feelings," Chad sat next to Will. "It happens. Probably shouldn't do it in public with a huge crowd but it happens."
"Crowd?" Will questioned, panicked.
"Little bit, yeah," Theresa confirmed. "It was pretty badass."
"I didn't want to do that," Will whispered. "I didn't mean to do that."
"No, but you needed an outlet," Chad figured. "You couldn't be miserable forever. Something had to give. She was just the one to trigger you."
Seeing Will was still in shock, Theresa smacked him on the back.
"Why don't we walk you home and we can go visit Arianna," Theresa suggested.
When Will and Chad both stared at her in disbelief, Theresa lifted her hands in annoyance.
"What? I can't like kids?" Theresa complained. "Besides, Tate needs a playmate."
"Come on," Chad put one arm around Will and pulled him up. "Let's get you home."
Will, blood still buzzing, unlocked the door to his apartment. Theresa and Chad followed behind him.
"Hey," Sami greeted with a quizzical expression. "What's going on here?"
"Nothing," Will answered. He rushed over towards Ari. He lifted her in the air and held her close.
"Hi," Chad nodded towards Sami.
Lucas, coming out of the bathroom, paused when he saw the new additions to the apartment.
"Well," Theresa didn't like uncomfortable silences. "You missed Will blow up on Little Miss Muffet."
"Who?" Lucas frowned. He glanced at Will.
Chad looked at Sami warily.
"Abigail," Chad stated. "Actually it was pretty impressive."
"Really?" Sami raised her eyebrows in interest.
"Sami," Lucas warned. He didn't approve of his son screaming at his niece but considering the circumstances he wasn't surprised.
"She definitely had it coming," Theresa divulged. "She's just glad that Will stopped when he did. If it was me, I would have kept going."
"Same," Sami agreed.
"Yeah, that doesn't worry me," Chad mumbled.
Will, taking a few steadying breaths against Ari's hair, turned back to face everyone.
"I didn't mean to do that," Will insisted. "I just got so angry."
Will set Ari down on the couch between Theresa and Sami.
Ari stared at Theresa for a few moments before reaching out to pull on her hair. Dark hair fascinated Ari, reminding her of Gabi.
Theresa offered Ari a small smile. Perhaps motherhood had softened her.
"As you should," Sami acknowledged. "It's an important step. It means reality is finally settling in."
"I don't want reality," Will complained. "I want a time machine."
"Been there," Lucas commented.
Will made to say something when his phone rang. He looked at the screen and sighed.
"It's Zoe," Will informed them all. "I need to take this."
Will walked into his bedroom, leaving everyone alone.
"Hello?" Will said into the phone.
"Will," Zoe replied in a clipped tone. "Why didn't you answer the phone earlier?"
"I was busy," Will evaded
"Why was I promised two exclusives?" Zoe ranted. "When Paul came out in a press conference!"
"I didn't know about that," Will insisted. "I didn't know he was going to do that."
"I don't care," Zoe seethed. "The publicity from your article is dying out now that he's out. There's bigger magazines, bigger websites. We needed that exclusive, Will."
"I'm not in charge of Paul," Will stated.
"I know about your relationship with Paul," Zoe said in a huff. "So don't even start with me right now, Horton. What the hell happened?"
"It was beyond my control," Will repeated. "I haven't talked to Paul since the article came out."
"Well, you know what's not beyond my control?" Zoe sneered. "Your employment!"
"What?" Will asked, stunned.
"Unless you give me something," Zoe declared. "You don't have any use to me anymore."
"I-," Will's mouth dropped open. "What?"
"Give me some dirt on Paul," Zoe ordered. "A tell-all about a night in bed with him. The size of his dick, something."
"If I don't?" Will choked out.
"Then you're fired," Zoe growled. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yeah," Will mumbled. "Crystal."
"He's been in there a while," Sami pointed out. "Do you think we should check on him?"
"Leave the kid alone," Lucas requested. "He doesn't need us babying him."
"Well, we didn't do enough of it when he was a child," Sami argued.
"Why don't you both go and get something to eat?" Chad suggested. "Get us all something."
Chad gave Theresa a strange look, widening his eyes dramatically.
Theresa frowned, head titled. She didn't understand what he was getting at.
"I think Will would like some time away from you," Chad pressed. "And it'll give you a chance to get some fresh air."
"Oh, yeah," Theresa nodded, catching on. "We'll watch Ari."
Neither Sami nor Lucas looked convinced.
"Chad'll watch Ari," Theresa amended.
"In that case," Lucas grabbed his coat.
Will sat on the edge of the bed.
'I can't do this,' Will thought. 'I can't write anything like that about Paul.'
'Can't you?' a voice whispered. 'After what Paul did to you, couldn't you expose him? Expose his secrets?'
Will didn't think Paul had any secrets, not anymore.
'He has one,' Will realized.
'No, no, no one is ever knowing that secret. No one is ever going to find out about Sonny and Paul.'
Will began to pace.
'Someone is bound to find out though, someone that wouldn't hesitate to tell the world. Why shouldn't it be me? Why shouldn't I be the one to write about Paul and his dirty little secret?'
'I'm the only one that should be able to write about it, to reveal it.'
The anger from earlier pulsated through Will's veins. He spent so long being trapped in a depressed haze to feel this, to be angry. But now he was.
Knowing he trusted Sonny and Paul, knowing he fell for their lies and their schemes so easily, angered Will. He placed his trust, a part of himself, into their hands.
They played him for a fool.
They took his heart, his trust, and the parts of him that comprised Will Horton and broke them into little pieces. Will didn't think he would ever recover from this.
'Why shouldn't I make them feel even a fraction of what I'm feeling?'
Would Sonny feel as self-righteous when the entire town knew he slept around? Would Paul be as saint-like if the whole world knew he went after a married man, men?
'Maybe then they'd understand,' Will decided. 'Maybe they'd feel what I feel. Know what it's like to be that humiliated. To have their trust that broken.'
Before he could think better of it, before his conscience could catch up with him, Will grabbed his laptop. His fingers flew across the keyboard, getting out every hurt and every pain.
"Uh, Will?" Chad knocked on the closed bedroom door. "Your parents are going to get you food. Theresa and I are still here though."
Will didn't answer.
"Do you need anything?" Chad wondered. "Will?"
"Leave him alone," Theresa called out. "He probably wants a break from everyone hounding him all the time."
"We're out here," Chad called through the door. "Don't do anything stupid."
Ari, playing with her stuffed animals, smiled brightly up at Theresa.
Theresa smiled back.
"That's a nice dress, Ari," Theresa told her.
Ari nodded before running into her room. She dragged a large bag full of play clothes back towards Theresa.
Ari, yanking out dresses and plastic heels, handed Theresa a pink cape.
"Oh, thank you," Theresa praised dramatically. "It goes perfectly with my outfit."
"Super chic," Chad quipped while sitting down.
Ari grinned at Chad, handing him a sparkly tiara.
"You were saying?" Theresa dryly remarked.
"Only for you, little girl," Chad mock sighed, placing the tiara on his head.
Ari clapped her hands and bounced up and down.
"I'm just saying," Sami reiterated. "I'm worried about him. He's never been this down before. He's always been emotional but this is something else."
"What do you expect?" Lucas replied. "His entire life has changed."
Sami, face pinched, shook her head.
"I swear, when I get my hands on…" Sami trailed off. She exhaled loudly through her nose.
"That isn't going to help Will," Lucas commented.
"It'll make me feel better," Sami grumbled.
The two continued down the snowy path in the park. Just as they rounded a corner, Sami and Lucas came upon a figure with his head down.
The figure, a man, walked with his eyes focused on his feet. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, mind clearly anywhere but in the present.
Neither Sami nor Lucas had ever seen Sonny so lost.
It took Sami mere seconds before marching towards him.
"Sami," Lucas attempted to stop her.
Although, if honest, Lucas didn't do much to detain her. A part of him wanted to go after Sonny Kiriakis as much as Sami did.
"Hey!" Sami screamed out.
Sonny left the mansion in a daze. Everywhere he went reminded him of Will. He didn't realize how many moments he spent with Will in every inch of this town.
It killed Sonny that he hadn't spoken to Will in so long. When Will was in Los Angeles, the two had gone longer without talking. But this was different. Every moment apart was another step closer to never seeing each other again.
That was Sonny's biggest, newest fear. That every knock on the mansion door was someone to serve him divorce papers. That every phone call was Will telling Sonny he never wanted to see him again. Or, even worse, that he didn't love Sonny.
Locked in his own thoughts, Sonny never noticed Sami or Lucas nearby.
"You," Sami pointed a finger in Sonny's face. "You-you-ugh!"
Sami was too angry to even think.
Sonny calmly looked Sami in the eyes. He didn't anticipate her appearance but he knew it was coming. Sonny knew he deserved whatever Sami threw at him. A part of him welcomed it.
Lucas, catching up to Sami, crossed his arms and glared.
Sami, fists clenching rhythmically, took several long moments to compose herself. Several deep breaths and snarls later, she was relatively calm.
"You asshole!" Sami spat.
Sonny nodded. He agreed. After what he did, there was no other way to describe him.
"How could you do that to my son?" Sami hissed. "All he's ever done is love you."
"I know," Sonny responded, voice cracking.
"He isn't perfect," Sami's eyes watered. "But he tries his best. All he's ever done is try. And you, you took my son and you broke him."
Sonny curled his lips into his mouth, anything to stop their trembling.
"I didn't mean to," Sonny whispered.
"No?" Sami manically laughed. "What did you think would happen? That he'd be fine with you using him and tossing him away? That he wouldn't care that you cheated him? Never loved him?"
"Stop it!" Sonny shouted.
Sonny could handle Sami attacking him, pointing out his mistakes. He would not stand for anyone believing he never loved Will.
"I know what I did," Sonny insisted. "But I have always loved Will, always."
"Oh, well, you've done a fantastic job," Sami rolled her eyes. "Bravo."
"I-," Sonny couldn't think of anything to defend himself. There was nothing he could say to defend what he did.
Sonny closed his eyes for a few seconds.
"I know I hurt him. I know that," Sonny expressed. "But I love him. I, I haven't treated him the way I should but I love him. I do, I do love him."
"You love him?" Lucas questioned. "Well, what about Paul, huh? If you love my son so much why the hell did you-,"
"I, everything with Paul was a mistake," Sonny explained. "I didn't mean for it to happen."
"Then why didn't you ever tell Will about him?" Sami screeched. "Will told you everything, everything! He told you the worst thing he had ever done. And you didn't say anything!"
"I know!" Sonny shouted back. "I know! I know I should have. I should have told Will everything about my past, about Paul. But I didn't."
"Why?" Lucas demanded. He held onto Sami's shoulders tightly. Lucas needed to feel grounded just as much as Sami did.
"Because I didn't want Will to know," Sonny admitted. The words physically hurt. They felt as if they were being ripped out of his throat. "I didn't want to tell him about Paul. I never wanted him to know what I had with Paul.
"All I ever wanted," Sonny covered his face with his hands. "Was for the entire world to know I was with Paul. To know Paul loved me. And I couldn't, I couldn't tell Will. I thought, I don't know what I thought."
"Yes, you do," Sami growled. "You thought that one day Paul would come back into your life. That you would have everything you always wanted. And it didn't matter if you had Will. It didn't matter if you built a family. You wanted your stupid perfect make-believe fantasy back."
"I hope it was worth it," Lucas shook his head at Sonny.
"It wasn't," Sonny maintained. "Paul is nothing compared to Will. He never was."
"I'm sure you can understand why we find that hard to believe," Lucas responded. "Why we can no longer trust you with our son."
"Why every single moment, every good deed you've ever done," Sami finished cruelly. "Every single smile we've ever seen on your face, it doesn't mean anything. It was all a lie."
"Don't say that," Sonny pleaded. "It wasn't a lie. It was real. It was all real."
"Was it?" Sami lifted her head, staring Sonny straight in the eyes. "Was it real when you married my son? Or were you imagining your picture-perfect little pitcher? I don't care what you say. You hurt my son. You're dead to me now."
Sonny emitted a small painful sound from the back of his throat, tears lining his eyes.
"I will do everything in my power to keep you as far away from Will and Ari as I can. The only reason you're still breathing is because it would hurt them," Sami vowed. "And if you ever, ever hurt him again, I swear to god I'll kill you."
Sonny knew she was serious, knew she would attack without qualms.
Sami shot Sonny one last glare before storming away.
Sonny bit his lip and turned to look at Lucas.
The look in Lucas' eyes was worse than Sami's threats. The utter disappointment and disgust was palpable.
As Sonny watched them walk away, the gravity of the situation hit him.
While growing up, Adrienne and Justin did their best to shield their problems from their kids. Sonny never knew when anything happened between them. Will didn't have that. Will saw everything. He saw every hurt, heard every argument.
'And I'm putting Will through it now,' Sonny realized. 'I'm putting Ari through this.'
Sonny knew the ramifications of sleeping with Paul would be dire. He knew they would have lasting ripples, that things would change. He just didn't know it would be like this.
'Sami and Lucas hate me.'
Sonny never knew how much he valued their approval. The few weeks Lucas was weary of Sonny's relationship with Will were hard. But Sonny knew eventually he would get through to Lucas. He would prove his worth.
'That's all gone now.'
Sonny never truly appreciated how hard Will had it, has it. Adrienne's approval waxed and waned. Half the town saw Will as a carbon copy of his mother.
'I never dealt with that. Everyone always liked me, approved of me. Hell, I thrived off of it. Now, it's gone. Will's gone.'
Sonny stumbled towards TBD, wiping at his eyes, feet scraping the snow-smattered gravel.
He didn't know what to do.
"I hate him," Sami mumbled under her breath. "I. Hate. Him."
"I know," Lucas agreed.
Lucas didn't think he would ever hate anyone the way he hated EJ DiMera. Sonny proved Lucas wrong.
"He is never going near our son again," Sami declared. "Ever."
Sami, seeing Lucas nod, wrenched open the door to the Brady Pub. At least they were in agreement there.
Sami took in all the little changes implemented at the pub. She had to admit that she was impressed. Everything looked good.
The two headed towards the bar, ready to order. While the two waited, Sami caught sight of someone near the back hallway.
Sami didn't know Paul Narita. She never met him before. But she recognized him. Recognized him from the games she would watch with Will and Johnny on the TV. Recognized him from the paparazzi pictures with Will.
Sami didn't know Paul. That didn't stop her from chasing after him.
Will sat on the floor with his back resting against the bed. He was hunched over his laptop, fingers a blur.
Will let his anger guide him, feed him as his article came to life. Sonny and Paul's past wasn't romanticized. They knew exactly what they were doing. Paul knew Sonny was married. Sonny knew what he was risking.
Will took everything he knew about the situation and painted the reality of it. Paul Narita, the nation's beloved sportsman, the man who donated almost all his time and fortune to charity, was actually a homewrecker. Sonny, Salem's poster boy for propriety, throwing away his family to jump into someone else's bed. The two taking a naïve, trusting, idiotic little boy and breaking him.
The harder he delved, the worse it seemed.
Will doubted every moment of his relationship with Sonny, of their friendship.
'Sonny took a scared, closeted boy and turned him into whatever he wanted,' Will viciously thought as he jabbed the keys. 'I wasn't allowed to lie. I wasn't allowed to do anything out of line. But Sonny kept this from me. He could lie all he wanted. He could do whatever he wanted. I never could.'
'I had to deal with disapproval, disappointment. I had to deal with everyone waiting for me to screw up; waiting for the day I did something to ruin everything. But it wasn't me. It wasn't.'
Will angrily wiped away a few stray tears. He was done crying. He was done caring.
Sonny and Paul were going to feel exactly what they put Will through.
Author's note:
Thanks for reading!