Sonny was lacing up his running shoes as his boyfriend woke up. Will moved across the bed so he was pressed up against Sonny’s back. As he wrapped his arms around him and placed his chin on Sonny’s shoulder and asked where he was off too. “I am going running with Riley” was an answer Will wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear. “Why don’t you come back to bed, get a workout here… with me” Will offered in response, aware of how jealous he was coming off. “As nice as that sounds, I can’t just bail on him. He is new in town and he isn’t like us, he doesn’t have a huge family or former group of friends to hang out with. His grandpa is always at work and courses are off still, plus I like making new friends. Rain check?” Sonny explained, not addressing but kind of enjoying how clearly it was that Will was jealous.

“What’s up, buddy?” Riley asked, with only a slight flirtation as he nudged Sonny upon seeing him in the park. “I will have you know that I just left my very handsome, very naked boyfriend in bed for this run, so you better bring it” Sonny smirked as he pushed his new friend back. He knew he was flirting, that he was leading this guy on, that it was wrong, but for some reason he didn’t care.

“You ok man? You seem like something is bothering you?” Sonny asked.

“Really? You think you know me well enough to know when everything isn’t right and I have something on my mind.” Riley asked back, intrigued.

“Yeah, I do actually. There’s just.. I don’t know..”

“Yeah, I get it.. actually there is something bothering me but Im not supposed to talk about and im just really conflicted here because I feel like we have just bonded so fast and I can open up to you… but…”

“But what?” Sonny asked as he put his hand on Rileys shoulder

“Its something my gramps told me and I swore I wouldn’t repeat it”

“You can tell me, I wont tell anyone. Our secret, promise”

“Not even Will?” Riley asked, curious

“Not even Will” Sonny replied, knowing how wrong it was.

Sonny and Riley arrived at the coffee shop Sonny owned. It was only 5:30am so nobody was there. Sonny explained it would be private and Riley could explain his situation as he opened up and Riley agreed. Riley wasn’t sure why he was betraying his grandfather like this, but he just felt a draw, a connection to Sonny and he needed someone to talk to.

“Well, last night he sat me down and said he had some things to tell me. I guess he’s from here Sonny, and he doesn’t want anyone to know he is back. It’s all very weird and I just have a feeling not exactly on the up and up, ya know?” Riley opened up.

“OK, don’t you know anything from his past?” Sonny asked.

“Nah, he doesn’t talk about it. I figured because my mom died and his life before taking me was to painful, I don’t know about his wife or my mom’s mom or anything. We just never spoke of it and I guess I never wanted to press him before, but man… I’m so curious. I want to get to know him better, really know him.” Riley told

“Yeah, dude, I totally get that. You know me and my Grandpa Victor, we are good and all but I wouldn’t say we are close. I really do want to get to know him, truly know him, and hear his stories before it’s too late” Sonny replied, unaware of this himself until this moment. “I’m not sure why I haven’t actually. He and his new wife, Maggie, are really cool so I should make the effort” he added.

“Maggie?” Riley asked

“Yeah, why?”

“My grandpa mentioned a woman he fell in love with here in Salem, Maggie, and how he lost her because her husband Mickey or something came back to her or something like that, how crazy would that be if it were the same Maggie?”

“I think you are about to discover in this town, that’s far from crazy”

--

Austin Reed woke up in a bed that wasn’t his, in a house he knew he didn’t live in and next to a woman that was defiantly not his wife. He couldn’t get a good look at her, really, and he fumbled out of bed trying not to make a noise so he could sneak out. As his eyes cleared and he searched for his pants the room started to look familiar to him. “No, cant be..” he thought to himself.

“[!@#$%^&*]. [!@#$%^&*]. [!@#$%^&*]. What did I do? Oh [!@#$%^&*]” he whispered to himself in a panic as he looked for his clothes and debated just getting out of there in nothing but his boxers. He sat on the bed, defeated. He knew he was going to have to face this sooner or later and [!@#$%^&*], his head hurt. “Was I drinking last night?” he asked himself at a whisper again. Just then the woman sat up. “Yeah, and for the record you are to old to get so drunk you puke all over yourself and need to be cared for. Im the one on trial for murder, maybe I’m the one who should be taken care of?” Sami answered, amused at his pain.

“Sami, what happened last night?” Austin asked.

“Well, you cmae over under the guise of taking care of me. We then started to drink, I stopped, you didn’t. You called Carrie and left her a rather splendid voicemail, puked all yourself and my mothers sofa, then I put you to bed in the guest room here and you.. well, you were crying and I felt bad so I stayed and ended up falling asleep. Wait.. you didn’t think that I.. that we.. had sex?” Sami replied.

Austin just raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Or that you drugged me?” he joked prompting her to playfully slap him before he tackled her onto the bed. Their lips inches apart, their hearts beating. It wasn’t until this moment either one let their minds really wonder there, but now the tension was so thick neither knew what to do.

Sami threw Austin his clothes she retrieved from the dryer and the two headed down the stairs. In the kitchen Marlena was cooking breakfast. When Marlena joked about how this felt like she had a teenager again, Sami couldn’t help but ask when Marlena ever did this for her as a teenager, prompting an eye roll from both. Austin excused himself and took off to his house.

“Don’t even ask.” Sami said before Marlena could.

--

“Good morning, husband. Have fun with my sister last night?” Carrie asked as Austin walked in the door.

“Good morning to you too, estranged wife. Have fun with your sister’s husband while you were [!@#$%^&*] him behind our back?” Austin replied, annoyed at Carries question and tone when she was the one who cheated and ended their marriage, again. He couldn’t believe she would think he’d just jump into bed with Sami, even though he himself had thought it this morning.

“I am not doing this Austin. This is not 1995 again. I will not sit by while that bitch tries to take you from me this time!” Carrie shouted the rage undeniable.

“Take me from you? Recent history recap, hun, you cheated on me. With her husband! Why are you even here? You’re the one who stalls our divorce, not me. I am so done with this, with you. I swear to god Sami is right about you, you really are a sanctimonious hypocrite. Now get out of MY house!”

“That little bitch. She’s got to you. She will never grow up. Even as she stands trial for murder – again – she refuses to be an adult and let go of the past. I can’t” Carrie said more to herself than to Austin before leaving.

“Marlena, I can’t do this. I’m not a criminal lawyer, I’m not familiar with the laws about murder here, and I hate her. I hate her!” Carrie vented to Marlena. Marlena calmed her down and explained why she had to do this, and that she knew she could.

“What if I just don’t want to?” Carrie asked.

“I assume this is about Austin staying the night? Listen, you’re a good person. You’re hurt right now and living in the past. You can do this, and if you don’t want to help her do it for me, do it for will, do it for yourself in spite of that little voice telling you how great life would be without her” Marlena replied.

--

Marlena took off from visiting Carrie to meet Maggie for brunch at The Continental Hotel. When she entered she searched for her friend but was shocked, and horrified to see Stefano DiMera cross the lobby. Marlena tried to hide, but there was nowhere and the two locked eyes.

Don Craig was walking through the Horton Town Square to meet Riley. The two were going house hunting today for a place to lease for their duration in Salem. He passed by the tree and noticed the plaque of Tom and Alice, stopping to admire it.

“They were great people, did you know them?” Maggie asked.

“You could say th-“ Don replied as he turned around to face the woman.

“Oh my god. Don?” Maggie asked, shocked.

“So, what did you and my boyfriend talk about while running?” Will asked, running into Riley on the pier.

“I bet you’d like to know, but I’m busy” Riley snapped as he took off.

“Mom, I need some advice…” Will said after dialing his mothers number.