Will sat on the couch at home, books spread open on the coffee table, notebook and pen in hand, laptop open beside him. Will was completely focused on studying for his mid-terms. The house was empty. His phone tucked away in his backpack. Will wished he could just turn it off but EJ told him he would be calling soon. Will would rather deal with the increasingly annoying texts from Sonny and Paul than an upset EJ Dimera.

Engrossed in his notes, Will let out a shrill scream when the front door burst open and slammed against the wall. Seeing it was only his mother Will yelled out, "Oh my god. What is wrong with you?"

Sami huffed loudly. She threw her purse on the side table before flopping on the couch dramatically; dislodging Will's carefully placed papers.

Will rolled his eyes theatrically. 'There went my quiet time.' Will began to gather his stuff together. "What is it this time, Mom? Whose life are you about to destroy?"

"EJ's," Sami uttered mutinously. Her arms crossed her chest and her eyes got that crazy glint to them. The one she always had before she did something utterly ridiculous.

"I thought you were getting along better now," Will questioned. He found their whole relationship odd but Will was a bit weirded out that EJ was so invested in him if he was having issues with his mom.

"We are," Sami admitted, "Which is why I'm upset. He's keeping a secret from me."

"How do you even know that," Will wondered out loud.

"I asked him to check up on something for me and now he won't tell me what he found," Sami explained in irritation.

"Did he at least tell you why," Will speculated already figuring EJ must have a good reason.

"He said I would overreact and make everything worse if I knew," Sami pouted. "I would not."

Will stared at his mother until she turned to face him. Taking one look at his expression Sami lightly slapped his arm. "I can control myself," she insisted, "I totally can."

"Right," Will said sarcastically, "I'll believe that the day you're nice to Nicole."

"She always starts first," Sami answered her son vehemently. A sheepish expression crossing her face as soon as she said it.

Will laughed loudly at his mom's antics. He wished they could always be like this, honest and teasing. Hearing a loud buzz Will reached for his bag, yanking out his phone from the front pocket. He looked at the most recent message which was from EJ:

Come to the mansion ASAP.

Will, resisting scrolling through the rest of the messages, put the phone away and rolled his eyes. Taking his collected items Will started stuffing them in the backpack mournfully kissing his good grades goodbye.

Will quickly made his way to the door, hoping to sneak past Sami. Will barely refrained from sighing when he heard her stopping him.

"Where are you going," Sami demanded, stopped in the middle of opening her own bag and pulling out her laptop. Attention focused entirely on her son Sami sat looking at Will expectantly.

"Out," Will told her simply while quickly putting on his jacket. 'Definitely can't tell her where if she's upset with EJ.'

"Cute," Sami told him with a blank face, "Where exactly out?"

"Just out to study," Will vaguely explained. His lies worked best when he gave no details and tried to look distracted.

Lips pursed and face troubled , Sami sternly advised, "Wherever you go please tell me it's not to see Paul Narita."

"What," Will asked in complete surprise.

"I love you Will and I know you would never recover if you went through with this," Sami explained calmly.

"I don't, I, I don't know what you're talking about, Mom," Will told her a horrible creeping suspicion crawling up the back of his throat.

Sami exhaled deeply before walking over to Will and grabbing his hand, "I think you do. You always hated when this happened with me. So, please, Will, just don't."

Will wrenched his hand from his mother in horror, "I would never do that." Will backed away from Sami. "Why would you think that? I wouldn't. Never ever."

Sami's face twisted uncomfortably, "Things happen Will. But you don't need him. There will be other boys. You don't have to settle for this."

"I'm not going to Paul," Will choked out in dismay. "What do you think of me, that I would do something like that?"

"It's OK, baby," Sami placated. "You, you just need some guidance. I know I haven't been the best role model so this has to be my fault. Just please reconsider."

"I don't need to do anything because I won't ever be with him," Will argued. "How could you even think that?"

"I've seen the way you look at him Will! I see the look in your eyes when you talk about him," Sami continued as if Will hadn't said anything. "But he's with someone else. You could be with anyone you want Will. Just don't hurt Sonny this way, please."

Will just shook his head disturbed by what his mother was telling him. What she was accusing him of doing.

"Then explain that message Will," Sami begged. "Tell me why you were ready to study but the second you got a message you were out the door and won't tell me where you're going."

Will stared at Sami tears of anger filling his eyes, "I'm not meeting Paul. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"I don't believe you Will," Sami admitted. "I know all the signs OK? I've been down this road more times than I care to remember." 'Don't become me, Will, please.'

"Fine," Will told her in a cold voice. "Don't believe me." Will swung his backpack on his shoulder and stormed out the door.

Deciding to walk instead of having to go back inside and face his mother in hopes of borrowing her car, Will was surprisingly enjoying the crisp autumn air. He was attempting to quiz himself with his chemistry flashcards but he found it difficult to focus. He couldn't believe his mother. First he had to deal with Adrienne Kiriakis and her meddling but now his own mom too. Why did they both think Will would do that? Will was going out of his way to make sure nothing like that would ever happen. EJ thought he was better than they did. EJ knew him better than his own mother. Will was prepared to be friendless and alone just to make sure Sonny and Paul were happy.

Grumbling unpleasantly Will was already too emotionally distraught to be interrupted from his musing. So, when he heard a group of guys yell his name he barely bothered to slow down. Glancing behind him Will noticed it was that weird guy Brian and what must be his friends. The group jogged over to Will loudly.

Brian, laughing, threw his arm around Will's waist. "This is the pretty one I was telling you about," Brian bragged.

"Yep, he is pretty," a tall gangly looking guy agreed. "Too bad Neil doesn't want to share."

The others all boisterously snickered making Will shrink in on himself. 'How do I keep getting into these situations?'

"Aw, you're scaring him," a short redhead with a pointy nose teased, "The baby gay doesn't want to hear that."

"Sorry Will," Brian leered. "Neil already promised me a go at this once he's broken you in," Brian's hand reached down and squeezed Will's ass.

Will jumped away from Brian with a squawk. He crossed his arms, hunching his shoulders, "Leave me alone!"

The group of guys, already rowdy despite the relatively early hour, all burst into laughter, "Oh come on dude."

"Yeah, we're just teasing."

Ignoring all the degrading comments being yelled at him Will practically ran away. He was rushing so quickly he didn't even register the new voices shouting his name. The voices jogged ahead of him and blocked his path. Will could have burst into tears when he saw it was Sonny and Paul.

"Hey," Sonny told him with a brilliant smile. "We've been looking all over Salem for you. Why didn't you answer your phone?" Sonny was so relieved to see Will he didn't notice his stricken face.

"Where have you been? You really freaked us out," Paul told Will gently, gazing at him fondly.

'Oh no, god, not right now.' Will stood there, hands desperately clutching at his elbows, head shaking.

"Will," Sonny asked in concern, "Will, what's wrong?" 'Why does he look like that?'

Will could still hear the jeering laughter from those guys; he could feel Brian's hard grip on his hips. He could hear his mother's accusations on loop in his head. The look on Neil's face when he insisted that Will would do the right thing. EJ telling him to stay away from Sonny and Paul. Adrienne's cruel insistence that he focus his illicit intentions on Brian instead of Paul. It was all too much for Will. He was drowning with no sign of rescue in sight.

Sonny stepped closer to Will, hand reaching out for him. Will's lips trembled. Just as Sonny was about to touch Will's arm a sleek black car screeched to a stop beside them.

"Get in the damn car, William," EJ gruffly commanded, yelling through the window.

Will looked between EJ in his car and Sonny and Paul, confused and scared.

"Will," Sonny whispered, wary of what was happening, "Please."

Paul moved beside Sonny, hand landing on his shoulder and squeezing. Eyes focused on where their bodies were touching Will's face crumbled. He slowly backed away from Sonny and Paul, head shaking. Will desperately wrenched open the car door, practically falling inside. EJ sped off leaving Paul screaming Will's name behind them.

"Here," EJ said as he shoved a glass full of Scotch in Will's face.

Will's nose wrinkled in disgust, "You know I don't like this stuff."

EJ sighed and took a sip out of his own glass. "One day I will force you to be cultured. I don't care if you like it; you need it."

Sniffing the glass, Will gagged. Closing his eyes Will took a tiny sip and shook his head in revulsion, "Couldn't you have put it in a coke at least?"

EJ chuckled, ruffling Will's hair. "It's adorable how young you really are." EJ sat next to Will on the expensive sofa adjusting himself quietly. "Now explain to me what compelled you to take a leisure stroll to the mansion?"

"I wanted to clear my head," Will said quietly. "And I didn't want to owe my mom any favors if I had to take her car."

"What did your beloved mother do now," EJ asked with an air of exasperation. Having to contend with both Samantha and William was tiresome. He'd never met a more melodramatic duo.

"I didn't think I should tell her I was coming to see you," Will started, seeing EJ nodding his head in agreement. "When I wouldn't tell her where I was going she accused me of sneaking off to sleep with Paul."

"What," EJ thundered out absolutely stunned. 'I should have known this is what she thought I was hiding from her.' "What happened then," EJ demanded, gripping his glass harshly.

Will shook his head sadly, "I told her I wouldn't do that. I just don't understand, why do so many people think I could?"

"I know it's unfair by you're going to be judged all your life based on your family history," EJ stated firmly. For all his dramatic tendencies Will was nothing like his parents.

"But my own mother," Will questioned sadly, the words hard to even spit out, "She's supposed to believe in me and protect me from the people saying things like that." This was one of the times Will wished he had a normal family. Maybe then he wouldn't find himself in these types of messes.

"Your mother loves you, William," EJ insisted, face and tone softening. "She just wants to protect you from making the same mistakes she has." EJ reached his arm over and lightly pushed Will's shoulder, hoping to get a reaction out of him. He was rewarded when Will's lips tried not to smile. "Now is that all that happened today," EJ questioned with a raised brow.

"No," Will sighed; head tilting back on the sofa. "I met this guy today and he and his friends were giving me a hard time."

"Explain," EJ asserted posture straightening in interest.

"His name's Brian. Adrienne tried to set me up with him. You know because if you dangle a guy in front of me I'll jump into bed with him," Will told EJ sarcastically, "Then I wouldn't have any time left for a round with Paul."

"Adrienne Kiriakis," EJ clarified in distaste. 'Who the hell does she think she is?' "We'll definitely keep that a secret from Samantha. What happened next?"

"On my way here him and some friends were bugging me. Calling me a pretty virgin," Will said face flushing in humiliation again. "They said something about asking Neil to share me once I give it up to him."

EJ glared into the distance. 'Want to make William happy do you? I'll be investigating that man further.' "They didn't touch you did they?"

"Brian grabbed my butt. But I told him to leave me alone and left," Will said miserably.

"Good. You make sure to tell me if they bother you again," EJ urged darkly. 'I'm going to need to hire a bodyguard at this rate.'

"That's when Sonny and Paul found me and before anything could happen there you showed up," Will breathed sadly, knees curling up to his chest. Remembering his last encounter with them, 'I just wish they could touch me the way they touch each other, so reassuringly and honest.'

"Of course," EJ stated, tone a mixture of smug and amused, "It's always EJ to your rescue. You're my very own damsel in distress William."

"Unless the dragon you need to slay is your father. Then you keep me locked up in my tower," Will said with a darting smile.

EJ laughed, shoving Will a little harder this time, "Most princesses don't try to kill their rescuers. Besides, I'm starting to think locking you away in a tower might be a good option."

Will giggled a bit inappropriately, 'We have such a weird relationship.'

"Now," EJ told him, charmed by Will's childlike giggles, "I think you should stay at the mansion for a few days. You've already been through too much and it's only been a day. I don't want Sonny or Paul ambushing you again."

"Wait, you really are locking me in a tower," Will asked slightly puzzled. "You know Mom is going to freak out, right?"

"You just let me deal with Samantha," EJ guaranteed Will. 'I always do,' he thought fondly.

"She's mad at you by the way," Will informed EJ with a smile.

"When isn't she," EJ asked rhetorically. 'She doesn't need to know about Narita's parentage. No one is going to know until I find a way to use it to my advantage.' "Now, we were going to go out for dinner but I suspect with your luck if we do someone will mistake it for a date and create an even bigger mess for me to clean up," EJ teased. "So, I'll have the cook make us something instead."

Will made a face at EJ and told him, "That is one level of dysfunctional even you couldn't stoop to."

"How generous of you William. Although if I did want you it would only be too simple to make you mine," EJ insisted mockingly.

"Oh yes," Will laughed out, "Please EJ let me be both brother and step-father to Johnny and Sydney." Will threw himself dramatically across EJ's lap, back of his hand covering his eyes .

EJ barked out a laugh before shoving Will to the floor. Will flailed a bit before righting himself. 'It's nice to see his face pink from laughter instead of humiliation,' EJ mused.

As Will placed his hands on EJ's knees to support himself before standing up, the door burst open, scaring Will yet again. Will, frozen in place, stared in horror at his mother charging in the room.

"I told you we would have a problem with Paul," Sami yelled before taking in Will's position on his knees before EJ, hands resting on EJ's legs, both of them breathing hard. "What the hell," Sami screeched out.

"Samantha, this isn't what it seems," EJ said placating. He gently moved Will's hands and stood up.

"Oh yeah," Sami seethed, "Then explain what my gay son is doing on his knees for you!"

"Hey," Will said in aggravation, annoyed that he was being treated like he wasn't in the room.

"Samantha, listen to reason," EJ told her, his hands raised innocently in the air.

"Oh my god," Sami said, "Will wasn't sneaking off for Paul was he? That message was from you? That's the big secret you said would make me overreact? I'll show you overreact," Sami threw one of the nearby glass decanters at the wall. "Of all the disgusting things you've ever done this is the worst."

Jumping away from the glass shards, Will screamed, "Mom, shut up! We weren't doing anything, you psychopath."

Sami marched over to Will and dragged him behind her. "I don't know what depraved promises he made Will but I won't let this continue."

"Jesus, Mom," Will argued, "He's helping me with Paul and Sonny. Why would we be together? He's straight. And it's EJ for goodness sake." Will ran his hands through his hair, "Do you think I want to hook up with every guy I see?"

"Samantha," EJ said calmly, "You really need to give your son more credit."

"Then what," Sami floundered in confusion her eyes darting from Will to EJ helplessly.

"Like William said, I've been helping him," EJ promised her voice light and reassuring.

"But why," Sami asked, almost scared.

"Maybe because I love him like a son and want my family to be happy and whole," EJ told her, gaze softening and smiling slightly.

"Family," Sami questioned in confusion. Her heart was still racing. She didn't know what she was feeling besides fear and devastation. The idea of EJ with Will terrified her in so many different ways.

"Yes, I love you, you raving lunatic," EJ told her plainly. "Excuse me for protecting our son."

"Our son," Sami repeated. Normal brain functions were slowly coming back. She looked at EJ warmly and stepped closer to take his outstretched hand.

"Oh gross," Will said, on top of the horrible day he'd had he could not stomach witnessing this reunion too. "EJ, thank you but I have to leave."

EJ waved his hand at Will in acknowledgement before taking Samantha in his arms. In the back of his mind EJ knew there was something off about letting Will go but he was too focused now on finally having Samantha right where she belonged to care.

Will grabbed his backpack and rushed to the door. He was completely wrecked. He had experienced too much today, his emotions changing so quickly and often. Now to see his mom and EJ reunited seemed to be the final straw. Hearing that EJ loved him like a son made Will surprisingly happy but to see his mom go back to another man who treated her poorly unsettled him. Not to mention he was so angry at his mother over her actions towards himself. First she thought he was sneaking around with Paul then she thought it was EJ of all people. 'And when she found out it wasn't she just fell right back into his arms.'

Will didn't know what to do or how to feel anymore. 'I guess staying here is out of the question now.' Will opened the front door, stomach bemoaning his missed dinner. Just as Will began walking down the front path he noticed someone walking towards him. Two someone's. 'Why,' Will cried in his head.

Stopping in front of him, "Please Will," Paul pleaded, gently reaching for his hand. When Will didn't move away Paul grabbed his hand firmly. 'Finally.'

"You really scared us earlier," Sonny insisted, voice soft, eyes shining in that way Will loved. Sonny wrapped his arm around Will's waist gently and held him close.

'This doesn't feel like Brian's arm. Or Adrienne's. Sonny feels right.' Will practically collapsed into Sonny's side, his hand grasping onto Paul's fiercely. 'Please just make it better.'

"Come home with us, Will," Sonny beseeched, terrified by Will's behavior and the expression on his face. "We'll take care of you."

Will nodded his head wordlessly, letting the two guide him, 'Are they saving me from my tower or taking me to a new one?'

Author's note:

Sami had good intentions but like always she just made everything worse in the process.

But at least Will is going with Sonny and Paul now. Of course, they still have to explain what they want to Will and hope he doesn't get the wrong impression.

Also, Adrienne and Neil are both now on EJ's watch list and they don't even know it. Life is probably not going to be easy for them for much longer. I almost feel bad for poor Neil. Just when he thought everything was going his way Sonny and Paul are swooping in to get to Will.

When I started planning this story I figured it would be about ten chapters tops. Yeah, that's definitely not going to happen now lol. I've been slowly discovering that I'm very verbose, in case no one noticed.

Please review and let me know what you think. Feel free to give suggestions or critiques. Is there anything super annoying? Is it moving too slow?

Up next: Paul and Sonny begin to explain everything to Will.