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The Will & Sonny Story
After growing closer, Will Horton and Gabi Hernandez began dating, and a few months after graduation they slept together. That summer, Gabi’s cousin Sonny Kiriakis arrived in Salem. Openly gay, Sonny became the target of bigoted remarks from Will’s friend T, whom Will repeatedly challenged. As Will pulled away from T, he grew closer to Sonny and Chad.
Will’s personal life unraveled further when he witnessed his mother, Sami, cheating on her husband Rafe with E.J. DiMera. Disillusioned by her betrayal, Will questioned whether lasting relationships were even possible. Desperate to preserve the illusion of stability, he impulsively asked Gabi to move in with him, but his emotional distance after their night together left her hurt and confused. Realizing their relationship could not continue, Gabi broke up with him. Overcome with anger and heartbreak, Will trashed Maggie’s kitchen.
Determined to escape Salem, Will attempted to blackmail E.J. into funding his departure by threatening to expose the affair. E.J. turned the tables, revealing he knew Will had shot him in 2007 and blackmailed Will into working for him instead. Over time, Will began to enjoy the work, and an unexpected friendship formed. Still estranged from Sami, Will moved out and eventually confided in his grandmother Marlena, later telling Sami the truth about what he had seen.
As Will spent more time with Sonny and his friends, he drunkenly kissed another man, Neil, at a party and fled in panic. Troubled, he turned to Marlena and began questioning his sexuality. Though he initially tried to dismiss the kiss as a drunken mistake, Marlena’s gentle support helped him accept the truth: Will was gay. He came out to her and was met with unconditional love, though he wasn’t yet ready to tell his parents.
Will did confide in E.J., who treated his sexuality as a non-issue. Gaining confidence, Will eventually came out to his parents. Lucas responded with immediate love and support, while Sami initially blamed herself and walked away. In time, she accepted Will fully, reassuring him that she loved him and always would.
Will later confessed to E.J. that Stefano had coerced him into revealing the truth about E.J.’s affair with Sami. Furious, E.J. fired Will, severing both his job and their friendship. Vowing revenge on Stefano, Will went to the DiMera mansion the following night to confront him and briefly handled a gun left on a nearby table.
That same night, Stefano was shot and presumed dead in his home. When Will’s fingerprints were found on the weapon, his grandfather Roman Brady was forced to arrest him. Will was ultimately cleared when Neil came forward with an alibi, confirming Will had been with him at a gay bar at the time of the shooting. However, the incident had lasting consequences: the newspaper ran the story on its front page, publicly outing Will to all of Salem.
Suspicion then fell on E.J., and Will and Sami helped him escape police custody, only for it to be revealed once again that Stefano had faked his death.
As the months passed, Will and Sonny grew increasingly close, and Sonny fell in love with him. When Sonny surprised Will with a kiss, Will panicked and rejected him, prompting Sonny to accuse Will of still hiding who he was. Confused and emotionally overwhelmed, Will sought comfort with Gabi, and the two slept together, an impulsive mistake they immediately regretted.
Soon after, Will confronted the truth he had been avoiding and told Sonny he was ready for a real relationship. Sami enthusiastically supported them, but Lucas struggled when he saw Will and Sonny openly affectionate in public. Though tensions flared between Lucas and Sonny, Lucas ultimately stepped aside after realizing how deeply Sonny loved his son. Sonny told Will he loved him, and they took their relationship to the next level. Moments later, Gabi arrived and privately revealed she was pregnant, with Will’s child.
Gabi’s boyfriend Nick proposed that she marry him and allow everyone to believe he was the baby’s father. Believing it would protect everyone involved, Will reluctantly agreed. However, on their wedding day, Chad exposed the truth, forcing Will to admit he was the father. Hurt by Will’s secrecy, Sonny ended their relationship, but they later reconciled after Sonny’s pre-arranged Valentine’s Day gift led to an emotional conversation and renewed trust.
Nick, harboring deep-seated homophobia, vowed to keep Will out of the baby’s life. He planted a listening device on Will and uncovered the truth about Lucas having gone to prison to protect his son. Nick blackmailed Will into signing away his parental rights, threatening to expose the shooting of E.J. and implicate Lucas, Roman, Hope, and others in the cover-up. Despite pleas from Sonny, Sami, Lucas, and E.J., Will felt trapped and complied. Nick eventually admitted his true motive: he believed Will was unfit to be a father because he was gay. Matters escalated when Nick physically attacked Sonny, prompting Will to turn to Sami for help.
Sami enlisted Stefano to destroy the remaining police evidence, though Stefano secretly kept it instead. While Sami and Sonny recovered Nick’s recording of Will’s confession, they were unable to erase every copy.
Later, Will and Sonny witnessed Nick and Gabi being taken by a man named Jensen and followed them to an abandoned warehouse on Smith Island. Jensen held Nick and Gabi at gunpoint. Will and Sonny rescued Gabi, but Will stayed behind to free Nick. As Sonny rushed Gabi back toward the ferry, she went into labor, and Sonny delivered the baby in an abandoned shack. Arianna Grace was born on May 21, 2013.
Meanwhile, Jensen returned and revealed he had abused Nick in prison. When Jensen threatened Nick with a gun, Will intervened. A struggle followed, and Will was injured when the gun discharged. Police arrived, and Hope fatally shot Jensen. Will survived surgery, and Gabi ensured his name was placed on Arianna Grace’s birth certificate. Sonny suggested the four of them build a life together, and Will embraced the chance to finally create the family he had always wanted.
Life together settled into an uneasy rhythm until Will and Sonny learned that Gabi had resumed her relationship with Nick. Furious, they demanded answers, and Gabi promised to end it. Nick, however, refused to let go. He secretly arranged for Gabi to be offered a modeling job in New York, then followed her there under the guise of starting fresh. When Gabi discovered the deception, the confrontation turned violent, and Nick attempted to rape her. Gabi struck him with a rock, and when Kate and Sami arrived, having followed her, the three women disposed of what they believed to be Nick’s body in a lake. Unbeknownst to them, Nick survived. He later resurfaced on the day of Arianna’s christening, claiming he wanted peace.
Despite the lingering chaos, Sonny proposed to Will. Will, caught off guard, declined, explaining that he needed to be sure the turmoil surrounding Nick and Gabi was finally over. With Marlena’s guidance, Will accepted that their lives would never be free of drama, and on Valentine’s Day he said yes. Will and Sonny were married on April 3, 2014, at the Kiriakis mansion, with Marlena officiating. Surrounded by family and friends, they began married life hopeful and united.
Nick remained the last shadow over their happiness. That ended when he staggered into the town square with three gunshot wounds. Believing Sonny was responsible, Will falsely confessed to the shooting to protect him. Gabi later revealed herself as the shooter and was sent to prison, leaving Will and Sonny to raise Arianna together.
Knowing Will longed to be a writer, Sonny enlisted Victor’s help to secure him a job at Titan’s magazine TruVista. Will soon published a controversial exposé about Sami and E.J.’s affair with Abigail, enraging his family and even Sonny, though they eventually forgave him. Months later, Hollywood producers arrived in Salem seeking to adapt Sami’s life into a film and asked Will to write the screenplay, requiring a six-month move to Los Angeles. Overwhelmed by work, Will failed to return Sonny’s calls, and the distance between them quietly grew as their contact dwindled.
Will secured a writing job at TruVista magazine, where a controversial exposé about Sami—and E.J.’s affair with Abigail, led to a major opportunity: writing a screenplay about Sami’s life. Will moved to Hollywood for six months, but the demands of the job caused him to neglect Sonny, straining their marriage as contact dwindled.
After returning to Salem around Christmas, Will accepted a confidential assignment profiling all-star baseball player Paul Narita, unaware Paul was Sonny’s ex-boyfriend. Bound by secrecy, Will hid both his identity and his marriage, removing his wedding ring during interviews. When Paul flirted, Will questioned his sexuality, and the moment escalated into an affair. Though they agreed it could never happen again, their closeness allowed Paul to trust Will enough to come out publicly in the article.
When Sonny discovered the truth, he confronted Will, who offered excuses rather than honesty. Devastated, Sonny left Salem for Arizona. Though he later returned, the damage was done. Desperate to save his marriage, Will sabotaged Paul’s life and his relationship with his newly discovered father, John Black. When Sonny learned the extent of Will’s actions, he left Salem for good, ending their marriage.
After Gabi was released from prison on a technicality, she reunited with Will and Arianna. Soon after, a series of murders rocked Salem, victims strangled with a necktie. Marlena narrowly survived an attack. Months later, Will discovered a matching tie in Ben Weston’s apartment and realized Ben was the killer. When Ben caught Will with the evidence, he murdered him and staged the body in Will and Gabi’s apartment, where Gabi later found him.
Salem mourned Will Horton’s death. Sonny was left devastated, grieving not only Will’s loss but the fact that he never had the chance to tell him he was forgiven, and still deeply loved. Ben Weston was eventually exposed and committed to a sanitarium.
In July 2016, Sonny returned to Salem and reconnected with Paul. On New Year’s Eve, a mutual friend pushed them to admit their lingering feelings, and the two shared a kiss. Their relationship deepened, eventually leading to an engagement. Sonny and Paul planned a joint wedding with Abigail and Chad.
On the wedding day, Ben Weston stormed the church and claimed that Will was still alive. The announcement stunned everyone. Hope summoned the police, and doctors sedated Ben before taking him back into custody. Though the ceremony resumed, Sonny was overwhelmed as Abigail began her vows. Flooded with memories of Will, he fled the church. Paul followed, and Sonny tearfully apologized, explaining that he couldn’t marry Paul while there was even the slightest chance that Will might still be alive.
Seeking answers, Sonny and Paul asked Marlena to question Ben, who claimed he’d learned Will was alive from his father, Clyde Weston. Sonny then enlisted Kate to confront Clyde in prison, where Clyde revealed that Dr. Rolf had told him he resurrected Will. Sami soon returned to Salem, and Chad persuaded André to help locate Rolf. When Hope confronted him, Sami seized Hope’s gun and forced Rolf to talk. He admitted injecting Will with a serum but died by swallowing a cyanide capsule before revealing more. A search of his room uncovered an address in Memphis that had been sending him large sums of money.
Sami, Marlena, John, Sonny, and Paul traveled to Memphis and arrived at the address, where they encountered Roger, an Elvis impersonator, and soon discovered Susan Banks living there as well. Susan confessed she had planned to kill Will to avenge E.J.’s death, only to find he was already dead when she arrived. Paul later spotted Will alive, working at a bar, but withheld the truth for twenty-four hours. When Sonny was on the verge of giving up hope, Paul finally told him. Furious at the betrayal, Sonny ended their relationship.
Sonny rushed to the bar and found Will working as a bartender, with no memory of him. When Sonny kissed him, Will reacted with anger. Sami and Rafe arrived, but Will didn’t recognize them either, insisting he wasn’t Will at all but Susan’s son, E.J. Susan reinforced the lie, poisoning Will against Sami. Sonny desperately tried to trigger Will’s memories, but Will rejected him.
John soon brought Roger to Salem, where he revealed the truth: Rolf and Susan had witnessed Ben strangle Will. After Ben left, Rolf injected Will with fluids to fake his death, then later revived him in the morgue with a serum. Will awoke with no memory, and Susan convinced him he was E.J. Learning he had been deceived for two years devastated Will. Marlena gently urged Susan to accept E.J.’s death, explaining that clinging to Will would not bring her son back. Susan finally understood, apologized to Will, and was hospitalized for observation. Though hesitant at first, Will ultimately agreed to return to Salem with Marlena, beginning the long road back to himself.
Back in Salem, Will met Arianna but had no memory of her, deepening his frustration. He asked Marlena to hypnotize him, but it failed. Desperate, Sami devised a dangerous plan inspired by her own writing: she broke Ben out of the sanitarium, had Will kidnapped, and forced a reenactment of his murder. As Ben strangled him, Will’s memories of his death surfaced, but Ben stopped, revealing it had been Sami’s idea. Horrified, Will cut Sami out of his life.
Belle later told Will about his affair with Paul. Curious, Will confronted Paul, and the two kissed. Eric urged Will to give Sami another chance, and they made a fragile truce before she left town. Sonny convinced Will to try again with their marriage and moved him into the mansion, but on New Year’s Eve Will kissed Paul again, ended things with Sonny, and moved across the hall from Paul. The two bonded over music and began a relationship. Once Sonny learned the truth, he gave them his blessing and focused on work.
Sonny soon began dating Leo Stark but ended it when he discovered Leo had taken a job at Titan, where Sonny was CEO. Leo claimed he quit, and they slept together, only for Leo to sue Sonny for sexual harassment days later. He rejected a settlement and demanded marriage in exchange for dropping the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Ben was released and apologized to Will. Roger later gave Will Dr. Rolf’s notebook, which Kayla used to recreate the resurrection serum. Marlena reluctantly administered a dose, triggering a memory of Sonny. Forbidden from giving more, Kayla warned Will, but he stole the remaining vial and, with Paul’s help, took a second dose, unlocking another memory of Sonny. Will told Paul about both memories, and they confessed their love.
Paul investigated Leo and uncovered his criminal past. Will delivered the evidence to Sonny, convincing him to reject Leo’s proposal. In a violent confrontation, Leo attacked Will, and Sonny shoved him away, accidentally killing him. Will helped Sonny dispose of the body, but the car later vanished. Suspecting an affair, Paul was told the truth about Leo’s death and agreed to keep their secret. After Paul left, Sonny confessed that he still loved Will, but Will admitted his heart now belonged to Paul.
John proposed to Marlena, and she joyfully accepted. During their wedding, Will began experiencing vivid flashes of his marriage to Sonny. Overwhelmed as more memories returned, he fled the ceremony. Sonny found him outside, shaken and in tears. Though Will initially resisted reliving the past, Sonny gently encouraged him, and the remaining memories came rushing back. Fully restored, Will kissed Sonny and told him he wanted to be with him.
Before he could speak to Paul, Will learned that Paul had been severely injured while saving Sami and was now paralyzed from the waist down. Will went to him and explained that his memories had returned. Though Will and Sonny still loved each other, they agreed to step aside so Will could support Paul in his recovery, and Will moved in with him.
Weeks later, Brady revealed to Paul that Will was still in love with Sonny. Feeling betrayed, Paul ended the relationship and left Salem. In time, Paul regained full mobility, leaving Will once again at a crossroads.
Will and Sonny reunited and returned to the Kiriakis mansion, pausing in the foyer to share a joyful kiss. As they headed upstairs, joking that Thanksgiving had become their favorite holiday, the doorbell rang. Sonny answered it in shock to find Leo Stark, very much alive. Leo claimed he’d survived because Susan Banks had him injected with a serum, then laughed it off, admitting he’d never been dead at all. He revealed photos proving Will and Sonny had helped cover up his attempted murder and demanded Sonny marry him to keep them both out of prison.
After the wedding, Sonny confessed the truth to Victor, admitting he planned to continue seeing Will. Victor forbade it, fearing scandal and Leo’s retaliation. Matters grew more complicated when Leo’s mother, Diana, arrived in Salem, warning that people were asking questions about her son. John visited her, hoping to stop Leo, only to learn Diana was Diana Colville, an old flame from the period when John was brainwashed into believing he was Roman Brady. Diana claimed Leo was John’s son.
Despite everything, Will and Sonny secretly spent Valentine’s Day together at the Salem Inn while Gabi held Leo captive. Enraged by the deception, Leo turned the incriminating photos over to the police, forcing Eli to arrest Will and Sonny for attempted murder. After their release, Will lashed out and punched Leo, but John ultimately convinced Leo to drop the charges.
The truth soon emerged: Diana had lied, and Leo was not John’s son. Leo signed annulment papers, but not before ominously warning Will that he was “cursed,” then left Salem, finally freeing Will and Sonny to move forward.
Though Sonny dismissed Leo’s so-called curse, Will couldn’t shake his unease. Moments later, Will collapsed, and Sonny found him unconscious. Rex Brady diagnosed Will with an aggressive brain tumor, resistant to radiation and rapidly worsening. Will began suffering memory lapses and severe mood swings. Kayla later revealed the tumor contained traces of the serum used to restore his memories.
Struggling with guilt, Will blamed himself, and lashed out at Marlena for allowing the serum, only to forget the outburst moments later and feel crushed by remorse when Sonny told him what he’d said. Kayla soon delivered devastating news: Will had only days to live.
Racing against time, Sarah Horton obtained Dr. Rolf’s diary and worked with Rex to create a cure. Knowing the end might be near, Will proposed to Sonny. They married in an intimate ceremony officiated by Marlena, with family present. Sami and Lucas arrived just in time.
Shortly after, Will went into cardiac arrest. As doctors administered the experimental cure, Will experienced a vision of his great-grandmother Caroline, who gently sent him back. Days later, the tumor was gone. Will returned home with Sonny, alive, married, and finally at peace.
On Mother’s Day, Will rushed home, eager to tell Sonny he was ready to have another child. While driving, he remembered he’d forgotten to wish Sami a happy Mother’s Day and texted her. Moments later, he swerved to avoid an oncoming car and came upon a crash involving Sarah and Adrienne. Will tried desperately to help, but Adrienne lost consciousness and later died. Believing himself responsible, Will confessed to Sonny, Justin, and the police.
A year later, Will was in prison, sharing a cell with Ben Weston. When Clyde attempted to kill Will, Ben saved him, and the two finally put their violent past behind them. Sonny visited Will, but Will told him never to return. Still grieving Adrienne, Sonny later met Evan Frears and admitted he missed Will but could never forgive him for causing his mother’s death. As Sonny grew closer to Evan, Will, urged by Kate to reconsider, learned of Sonny’s new connection and asked him for a divorce.
While investigating Ben’s case, Ciara uncovered the truth: Will hadn’t caused the crash. Maggie Horton, driving drunk, had crashed and blacked out, while Victor and Xander covered it up, allowing Will to take the blame. Ciara told Will, who initially begged her to keep the secret. Victor later pleaded with Will to stay silent, but Maggie recovered her memory and confronted Victor and Xander, who finally confessed. Will was released from prison and reunited with Sonny, while Maggie was sent to jail.
The truth unravelled further when Rafe discovered Evan was actually Christian Maddox, Orpheus’s son, and the real killer of Jordan. Ben was freed. It was later revealed that Orpheus and Evan had drugged Maggie, kidnapped her, and staged the crash to make it appear she had been driving drunk. Sonny secured Evan’s confession, and Maggie was exonerated at last.
Will and Sonny decided they wanted to have another child and began discussing adoption versus surrogacy. Around the same time, Will’s sister Allie arrived in Salem and revealed she was pregnant and planning to place her baby for adoption. After she left, Will and Sonny considered adopting the child and sought Allie out, only to learn she had already asked Rafe and would turn to them only if he declined.
Sami soon arrived and, determined to prevent Rafe from adopting the baby, pressured him into refusing. She then told Will, hoping the child would go to him instead. When Allie learned of her mother’s interference, and that Will had known, she refused to let Will adopt her baby. Sonny was furious with Will but ultimately forgave him.
Shortly afterward, Sonny shared that he and his brother had once discussed starting a business in Adrienne’s honor, and one of those ideas had finally received funding. To lead the project, Sonny would need to move to Phoenix. Will fully supported the decision and agreed to relocate with him. After some hesitation, Gabi consented to let Arianna move with them.
Will later returned to Salem for the holidays and rang in the New Year by video chatting with Sonny before heading back to their new life together.
Will and Sonny welcomed Chad DiMera to Arizona, where Chad joked it had been so long he barely recognized Sonny. After Will left for work, Sonny confided his growing fear that Will was cheating. Checking Will’s credit card activity, Sonny discovered a hotel charge, and he and Chad went to investigate, only to find Leo Stark inside the room.
Will explained he was researching a story about the legendary bejeweled Alamainian Peacock, stolen in 1991 by Princess Gina. Leo claimed to know where the emerald centerpiece was hidden and had been stringing Will along with promises to lead him to it. Embarrassed, Sonny apologized for doubting Will and reluctantly agreed to let Leo stay the night so he could take them to his contact the next day. The following morning, Leo overstepped yet again and was promptly thrown out.
Leo later told them the emerald could only be acquired through a contact at a club, requiring Chad to use the DiMera name to negotiate the purchase. That night, they discovered the club was a drag bar. The owner refused to sell the gem unless they won the amateur drag competition. Reluctantly, Will, Sonny, and Chad entered. Sonny stumbled, Will held his own, but Chad dazzled the judges and won, receiving the emerald.
Moments later, they realized Leo had stolen it. Ironically, his betrayal proved beneficial, as it inadvertently prevented Drew Donovan from using the gem and saved the world once again.
When Craig Wesley returned to Salem and began a relationship with Leo Stark, Will and Sonny were instantly wary. They knew Leo’s history of manipulation and chaos, and while Sonny wanted to believe in change, Will recognized a familiar pattern, charm masking danger. Craig’s insistence that Leo was misunderstood only deepened their unease. Working with Chad and Abigail, Will and Sonny uncovered proof that Leo was conning Craig. Though Leo confessed his feelings were real, Craig ended the relationship and left town. Furious and humiliated, Leo vowed revenge.
Soon after, Abigail DiMera was murdered. The loss devastated Will, who had grown up with her, and terrified Sonny when evidence began pointing toward Leo. With motive, opportunity, and a long list of grudges, Leo seemed the obvious culprit. Will believed it; Sonny hesitated, uneasy with how easily Salem condemned him. As Leo spiraled and claimed he was being framed, even accusing Craig, Will dismissed it as desperation. Sonny remained conflicted, especially after he was stabbed, a crime that appeared to confirm Leo’s guilt.
The truth came too late to heal the damage. Clyde Weston had killed Abigail and used Leo’s knife to murder her and later stab Sonny, framing Leo to cover his escape. Leo was innocent, but Abigail was gone, Chad was shattered, and Sonny was left to recover in every sense. Will, grieving, was burdened by guilt for nearly believing Leo capable of murder.
For Will and Sonny, the tragedy underscored a brutal truth about Salem: love, loss, and violence are inseparable, and sometimes, the truth arrives only after everything that mattered has already been destroyed.