Bill Lewis called "Little Billy" as a child, grew up with his parents Billy and Vanessa who divorced when he was still an infant in 1986. Soon after though, Vanessa went to Venezuela to see Billy, who continued to be plagued by alcohol problems. After spending two years with them in Venezuela, a young Bill returned to Springfield in 1989 with his mother. Billy returned at the same time, and though an eight-year-old Bill was distant at first, he soon developed a close bond with his father. Later, Bill was shocked to discover that his friend, Dylan, was Billy's son and so his half-brother and he ran away with his cousin, Marah. Luckily he was found and brought home by Dylan. In 1990, Bill was happy when Billy and Vanessa became engaged again. Though they almost remarried, they broke up again due to Billy's affair with Nadine Cooper. In 1991, a rebellious Bill, hurting because his parents weren't getting back together and because Billy married Nadine, began drinking, which led to him stealing his grandfather Henry's Bentley and wrecking it. Throughout his childhood, Bill's closest friends were Michelle Bauer and Ben Reade who were inseparable.

In 1993, a twelve year old Bill helped Michelle run away after her stepmother Maureen Bauer's died, even though it was just to his closet. He was also on hand when his parents finally reunited and married again. Later, Bill found $ 500,000 on the beach which was hidden by Tangie Hill. Bill used the money to buy bought expensive perfumes for Michelle with whom he developed feelings for and shared their first kiss. Unfortunately, the money wasn't really Tangie's and a thug named Ray came after her to recover it. Ray tracked Bill and Tangie to the lighthouse in January 1994, chased them to the top, and then set the lighthouse on fire. Most of the money, as well as the lighthouse, was burned in the fire. Luckily Bill's Uncle Josh saved him and Tangie while Ray was arrested. Not long after, Bill was shocked when his father was arrested for the attempted murder of Roger Thorpe. Later in January 1995, Bill accidentally started a fire on 5th Street, causing people to lose their homes. With Vanessa's help, he confessed to the crime but wasn't charged because he underage. At this time, he was shocked to learn about Vanessa's secret lover, Matt Reardon, whom she soon married. When Vanessa apparently died in a car accident in 1996, a teenaged Bill refused to stay with Matt, his new stepfather, and moved to the boardinghouse. However, in 1997, Bill had finally started to accept Matt and move back home.

Meanwhile, Michelle was determined find the recipient of her late mother's heart but since her brother Rick refused to help her, Michelle asked Bill. Although he initially hesitated he agreed to help. Although Rick walked in on Bill and Michelle using Rick's access code to break into the hospital records, Bill was later able to find two names of possible recipients and he helped Michelle to search for the patients. That summer, Bill graduated from high school and Billy gave him a new car as a present. While Bill gave his valedictorian speech, he didn't realize that Vanessa stood watching from the wings! Weeks later, Bill would be stunned to hear Dinah and Matt discussing the possibility that Vanessa was alive. Angry at being kept out of the loop, Bill stormed out and when confronted by Matt, informed him that he was too old to be protected. Not long after, Vanessa returned home. At the same time, Michelle continued to locate the recipient of Maureen's heart, which directly led to her involvement with Jesse Blue. Bill had always loved Michelle and became quite jealous of Michelle's relationship with Jesse.

In 1998, Michelle's Aunt Meta suspected that Bill had feelings for Michelle. Although he denied it, it was obvious that Meta was right when a frustrated Bill tried to get Michelle to see him in a new light by kissing her. However, Michelle simply used Bill to make Jesse jealous when Jesse and Drew Jacobs seemed to be getting close. Late that year, Michelle and Drew came to him and Jesse announcing that they had accidentally killed mobster Mick Santos. The four of them decided that they had to find Mick to see if perhaps he was still alive. However, the group couldn't find any sign of Mick and later heard on the radio that his body washed ashore. Jesse, Michelle, Drew and Bill arranged an alibi to prevent the girls from being blamed for Mick's death. Scared for the girls' safety both he and Jesse agreed to stay with the girls. Later, the truth came out and, in 1999, Michelle married Mick's brother, Danny, to save her from the wrath of their mother, Carmen.

Though initially jealous of Michelle's marriage to Danny, a now more mature Bill ended up finding love with a girl named Pilar, whom he spotted talking to Danny. When Danny walked off, the girl implied to Bill that Danny had been hitting on her so Bill agreed to help her. By the time Danny returned, Pilar and Bill had left. Danny found them together and when Danny tried to take Pilar home by force, Bill punched him. Later, Danny threatened Bill, warning him to stay away from his sister! When Pilar learned the truth about her criminal family, she asked Bill to bring her to his house. Later, Bill was accosted by Carmen's henchman, who cautioned him against seeing Pilar. The thug beat Bill up. But Bill still insisted on helping Pilar. Needing some clothes from her mother's house, Pilar got Bill to help her sneak inside. Once within the darkened, empty house, they started to kiss. At that moment, outside, Carmen's thug loaded his gun and prepared to open fire. Luckily, Bill successfully pushed Pilar away and the pair remained unscathed. Later, Bill told Pilar that he had gotten a job with Sancorp, and was stunned when she told him that it was a Santos company. Bill considered turning down the job offer, but Pilar assured him the business was legit. However, wanting Bill nowhere near the Santos family, Vanessa panicked and demanded that he stop seeing Pilar. Later, Bill was shocked when he was fired from SanCorp. When Bill confronted Pilar's mother, Carmen, about the firing, he argued that his new software could benefit Sancorp, so he was rehired at a higher salary.

Meanwhile, Matt approached Bill about a job at Spaulding Europe that Vanessa planned to offer him. However, Bill saw through the offer and was furious that his mother created a job to get him away from Pilar. Not long after, Ben Warren lied to Bill that he was having trouble accessing Sancorp files. At Ben's request, Bill unknowingly broke into the Spaulding computer. In short order, Bill was arrested. Ross Marler advised Bill to plea bargain: he would receive a suspended sentence, but must stay out of the computer industry for five year. After getting in some trouble with a volatile prison guard, Bill ultimately agreed. After his release, Pilar unexpectedly broke up with Bill. Soon after, Bill learned that Pilar had feelings for Ben! Pilar tried to deny it, but Bill wouldn't believe her and walked out of her life. Soon after, Ben was murdered on the same day Vanessa had a horrible accident. Worried about Vanessa (whose terminal illness had returned about the time he was arrested), Bill stayed by her side until he found out that Michelle was arrested for Ben's murder. Unwavering in his belief in her innocence, he decided to prove that she didn't kill Ben. However despite his best efforts, he was ultimately unsuccessful. In 2000, Pilar announced she wanted to devote her life to God as a nun. While Bill wasn't able to talk her out of it, they did almost make love.

Just as things began to heat up between them, there was a knock at the door. It was Carmen. Suddenly Pilar panicked, leaving Bill confused about her reaction. Meanwhile, Michelle was tried for Ben's murder while Bill started to believe that an unconscious Vanessa was the one who killed Ben. Later, to Bill's shock, Pilar confessed to seeing her mother kill Ben! Unfortunately, she was seen as mentally incompetent and her testimony was inadmissible. Bill knew, however, that Pilar was telling the truth and rescued her from the mental hospital where her mother hid her. Realizing that he had wronged Pilar by doubting her feelings for him, he told her that he loved her. In the end, Vanessa recovered; Carmen was arrested for Ben's murder. That summer, Vanessa informed Bill that she was leaving Springfield to help Dinah who had become pregnant. Saddened to see his mother leave, Bill was shocked when she turned over all of her businesses and property to him. Vanessa assured Bill that he could handle the responsibility. In September 2001, Danny mentioned that he'd sent Pilar to Europe to shield her from the turmoil in his life, so Bill left Springfield to be with her.

In June 2002, Bill returned to Springfield to attend Josh and Reva's wedding and decided to stay. By Bill's own admission, he and Pilar were history after a matter of months, and Bill spent the next year working and partying at various locations around the globe. A stop in Texas included a run-in with a doppelganger for Beth Raines named Lorelei Hills and Bill shared some wild times with her. Now back in town, Bill confided in Beth that she reminded him of his friend Lorelei. Beth questioned Bill about his relationship with Lorelei, although he merely said that they were friends, Beth was uncomfortable by the thought. Later, alone with Bill, Olivia Spencer discovered that he knew Lorelei in Texas and asked him to share all the details of their relationship. Later Olivia invited Bill over and "innocently" revealed that Beth was Lorelei. Bill was stunned by the news and Beth covered that Olivia hadn't succeeded in embarrassing her. Beth explained her condition to Bill and apologized for having kept it a secret. At this point, Bill revealed that he'd lied--he and Lorelie were more than just friends. They had a whirlwind romance that ended in marriage.

Later, Bill decided to rent a room at Company and stay in town. Upon learning from Olivia that Beth had gone to Texas to learn about her time as Lorelei, Bill followed and after sharing a steamy dance, Bill told Beth the truth about his past with Lorelei--they were lovers. Weeks later, Beth had a memory flash and after some digging discovered that she and Bill married in Mexico! Confronted by Beth, Bill admitted that after a whirlwind courtship, he impulsively married Lorelei in Mexico but she left the following morning. In the midst of all this, Beth's relationship with Phillip Spaulding was faltering and she found herself falling for Bill's charms. When Beth learned that Phillip had kissed Olivia, she decided to break away from Phillip and immediately became involved with Bill, despite the difference in their ages. Unfortunately, the relationship ended quickly due to Beth's jealousy over Bill's friendship with Michelle, especially after she misconstrued an innocent kiss between Bill and Michelle.

In early 2003, Bill was on hand to rescue Michelle from her deranged mother-in-law, Carmen Santos. Carmen had pulled a gun on Michelle with the intention of kidnapping Michelle's son Robbie and taking him to Cuba with her, where she could raise him to head the Santos family. When Michelle refused, Carmen went to shoot but Bill rushed in and tackled her, knocking her unconscious. Almost losing Michelle made Bill realize his true feelings and he quickly broke it off with Beth and began a relationship with Michelle, who was separated from her husband, Danny. Although Michelle was afraid that having a relationship would destroy their friendship, Bill convinced her to go on a few dates with him. As he was dating Michelle, Bill was approached by Danny about using Lewis Construction to help renovate Towers, now owned by Danny. Despite reservations from Michelle, Bill agreed. Not long after, Bill and Michelle made plans to consummate their relationship but in the midst of kissing Bill, Michelle suddenly pulled back. Bill correctly guessed that Michelle was distracted by thoughts of Danny, got up and left Michelle alone crying. Later, Bill tried to resign from Danny's renovation project but Danny wouldn't let him. Bill vowed to not be used by Danny to push Michelle's buttons. He then went to Michelle and told her to get over Danny.

Later, Bill began a relationship with Eden August, despite the fact that she ran an escort service. Soon after, a number of people connected to that escort service started dying and both Eden and his childhood friend Ben Reade became the prime suspects. Not believing either was guilty, Bill defended both of them, and even stuck up for Ben when Marah, Tony, and Remy elected to throw him out of the museum. Though he tried to protect Eden, since he believed she'd be the next victim, she was obsessed with getting close to Tony. Finally, the murder investigation ended with the revelation that a mentally unbalanced Ben was the killer after all. Days later, Bill finally arranged for Eden to meet Billy. Unfortunately things didn't go as Bill hoped when Billy ended up accusing Eden of simply going after the Lewis money. When confronted by Bill, Billy tactlessly called Eden a tramp, which got Bill angry enough to hit his father! At the end of the year, Bill surprised everyone, including Danny, by suggesting that Danny run for mayor of Springfield. In 2004, Bill's professional and personal life blossomed with him being appointed President of Lewis Construction and Eden accepting his marriage proposal. Finally, in April, came Election Day. Although Danny started out by gaining on Ross in the polls, as the day progressed, it looked as if he would lose to Ross, a sudden upswing in votes from 5th St. led to Danny's totally unexpected win. Unfortunately, immediately following the election, came an accusation that the votes were tampered with and a recount was ordered. Not long after, allegations from the press claimed that Danny used mob money to finance his campaign. Incensed, Michelle and Bill made plans to fight the allegations but were shocked when Danny conceded the election to Ross! Not willing to give up,

Bill tried to talk Danny into fighting the allegations, however, Danny remained firm. Confused by Danny's attitude, Bill suddenly realized that the allegations must be true. His suspicion seemingly confirmed when Danny didn't deny it, a betrayed Bill walked away from Danny. Weeks later, still disgusted with Danny, Bill was surprised to see him in the company of known mob boss Vinnie Salerno, who was Eden's former employer. Sensing that Eden was very uncomfortable with Vinnie, Bill warned him to stay away from his fiancée. He then went to Michelle and informed her that Danny had gone back to the mob. Meanwhile, Bill confronted Salerno again, demanding that he leave Eden alone. Salerno didn't take too kindly to this treatment and ordered his thugs to give Bill a beating. Mere days later, Bill received horrible news--Eden had been killed in a warehouse explosion! Filled with rage, Bill was ready to use H.B.'s old pistol to avenge Eden's death, but was discovered by Olivia Spencer Spaulding. Although Olivia did her best to reason with him, she couldn't convince Bill to stand down and when Tony Santos showed up, Bill turned the gun on him!

Luckily Olivia helped to mediate the situation, and the two men briefly bonded over their shared passion for Eden. Later, convinced that Salerno was behind Eden's death, Bill went to confront him, only to be stopped by Danny. Although Danny tried to warn him that Salerno was too dangerous of a man to get angry, Bill didn't care since he felt he had nothing left to lose. Wanting to save Bill, who was determined to see the mob boss, Danny gave him an address and told him to go their immediately. Upon arriving, Bill came face to face to Eden! It was then that Bill learned that Salerno coerced Eden into intercepting a drug shipment for him. However, Eden double-crossed Salerno by flushing the drugs down the toilet. Although Bill pleaded with her to stay and fight Salerno, that was impossible; the only way Eden would be safe was to disappear forever into the Witness Protection Program. Though Bill offered to leave with her, Eden couldn't let him sacrifice his life in Springfield and, in an effort to drive him away, she cruelly confessed her affair with Tony. Recognizing that she was purposely driving him away, an angry Bill branded her as a selfish coward for being unwilling to fight for them and declared that she was dead to him.

Totally disillusioned, Bill began drinking heavily and acting belligerent toward Danny and Tony, since he blamed the mob (Danny specifically) for his situation. Throughout all this, he started having random, unexpected meetings with Olivia who tried to help him overcome his anger and despair. However, Bill was in no mood for her sympathy and in an effort to shut her up, he pulled her into a kiss! Although they both maintained that the kiss meant nothing, it was obvious that there were sparks. At the same time Bill was trying, not very successfully, to handle losing Eden, Olivia was trying to buy up more stock at Spaulding Enterprises only to learn that someone else was buying as well. It didn't take her long to realize that that someone was Bill! Although he initially tried to deny it, it was obvious to her that he was bulking up on Spaulding stock and she suggested they combine their assets to bring down the Spauldings. However, Bill was skeptical of Olivia's ability to take down the Spauldings and refused her offer.

Miffed at his refusal, Olivia told Josh about Bill's destructive behavior (namely the gun incident and him trashing his apartment). In lieu of what Olivia told them, as well as their own observations on Bill's drinking, Billy and Josh confronted Bill and asked him to step down as President of Lewis Construction in the interim. However, Bill was quickly able to appease Josh and get back into the business. Not long after, Bill was summoned by Olivia's not-so-loving husband, Phillip, who convinced him to stop seeing Olivia so the Spaulding marriage could be saved for the sake of their daughter. Not wanting to interfere in another man's marriage, Bill agreed. Not long after, Bill severed ties with Lewis Construction when Josh questioned his business practices, notably his working with Tony. In the meanwhile, despite his previous intention, Bill continued to find himself befriending Olivia.

In the midst of all this, Bill was shocked one day to see his older sister, Dinah in Springfield! Knowing she was wanted for murder, he was told she was there to finally turn herself in and agreed to hide her. At the same time, Olivia was given a divorce from Phillip and Bill finally agreed to help her bring down the Spauldings. Together they formed "Slingshot Enterprises". In the course of trying to bring down Spaulding Enterprises, Olivia and Bill grew closer and after Bill succeeded in hacking into Alan's computer to obtain a list of investors, the pair celebrated by making love. Meanwhile, in order to get the goods on Phillip, Bill and Harley concocted an audacious plan to gather inside information. Disguising herself as a middle aged, frumpy woman (complete with wig & fake nose) named Ruth Karloff, Harley and Bill set up a scene in front of Phillip where he'd see Bill pleading with his assistant "Ruth" to stay on the job. As expected, "Ruth's" directness impressed Phillip and he hired her as his own assistant. Over the course of several weeks, "Ruth" made herself indispensable to Phillip, while her unfailing loyalty helped Phillip feel secure. Soon after, the pair got a call from Phillip, summoning them to Harley's demolished house. At this point, Harley had run off with her and Phillip's son, Zach, and Phillip declared that if Bill didn't tell him where Harley was, Olivia wouldn't be able to see Emma.

When Bill denied having any knowledge of the kidnapping, Phillip warned them that this was no longer a game. Realizing that Bill knew exactly where Harley was, Olivia asked Bill but he refused to tell her. Believing he was putting her daughter in jeopardy, Olivia blasted Bill for helping Harley. Though he tried to assure her that he wouldn't let Phillip keep her from Emma, Olivia doubted his effectiveness. A mere day later, Olivia was detained by INS agents, who she believed were sent by Phillip. While Olivia was sent to jail, awaiting deportation back to San Cristobel , Bill surprised her with a proposal--a marriage proposal that would keep her in the country. Weeks later, Phillip had made off with all of his children! A few days later, thanks to a wedding gift from Phillip, Bill and Olivia discovered who was actually responsible for the order to deport Olivia--Billy. Enraged that he could have cost her her daughter, Olivia lashed out at Billy and ran off while Bill refused to accept Billy's apologies or listen to his reasoning for wanting Olivia out of his life. Days later, Bill was summoned by Phillip to meet him at Company at 9pm that night--if he did, and told no one of the meeting, Emma would be returned to Olivia.

That night, Bill arrived to find that not only had Phillip summoned others, but also he was lying on the ground from a gunshot wound. Soon after, the missing children were found and Bill decided to forgive his father. Meanwhile, after making a spectacle of herself at Phillip's funeral, Olivia was accused by both Alan and Lizzie of killing Phillip. After being interrogated by the police, a desperate Olivia made plans to flee Springfield with Emma, but before she can get to the airport, she was kidnapped by Bill who tried to persuade her to stay. Although a frightened Olivia planned on escaping, she changed her mind and stayed with Bill. Then right before Christmas, Bill decided to give Olivia a very special present--he intended to adopt Emma. But after Bill made the arrangements, Olivia suddenly disappeared! Knowing Alan was behind Olivia's disappearance, Bill angrily confronted Alan but no know avail. Luckily, soon after Olivia called Bill and told him that Alan had her committed to Ravenwood. Luckily, with Billy's help, Bill was able to break Olivia out in early 2005.

In the meantime, Harley had been arrested for Phillip's murder. Although Olivia wasn't too concerned, feeling that Phillip had gotten what he deserved and it was better for Harley to suffer than her, Bill continued to show Harley his support. Bill's support of Harley rankled Olivia, especially when Bill offered to help Harley on the stand when he testified. Later, in court, Bill went against Olivia's wishes when he testified that he was the mastermind behind the plot to get Phillip and named Olivia as a witness to that. Soon after, Olivia got a visit from Alan informing her that if Harley was found innocent, he'd make sure the investigation turned to her. He then produced proof of Olivia's intention to flee the country hours after the murder. Shaken, Olivia was forced to make sure that Harley's prosecution would not be derailed by this surprise witness. In order to get some dirt to destroy the witness's credibility, Olivia followed him and was shocked to see him meeting with Gus! Taking a photograph with her cell phone and gives it to Alan, to assure that she stayed out of prison. The plan worked. The photograph proved that Gus had indeed paid the witness to lie. Wondering who provided this evidence, Bill was shocked to see the photo (thanks to Alan) in Olivia's cell phone--she betrayed Harley! Bill confronted Olivia who admitted that she was the one who exposed Gus's connection to the witness. Olivia insisted that she was fighting for her life and for Emma's since Alan was exuding pressure on her to make sure Harley was found guilty, but Bill declared that he couldn't accept what she did.

However, Bill surprised Olivia later by defending her to Billy when he tried to warn Bill that Olivia couldn't be trusted. Gus was determined to clear Harley and began asking Olivia a lot of questions. Although he pretended to be her friend, it was obvious that he suspected Olivia of murdering Phillip. Later, afraid of what Gus's investigation might to do her, Olivia took desperate measures by having Gus kidnapped! Holding him captive for weeks, Gus eventually escaped. Then in an effort to get her to confess he kidnapped Emma and sent a message stating she'd only get her daughter if she returned to Springfield. Olivia returned and held Gus at gunpoint. Olivia nearly cracked, apparently on the verge of confessing to something when Bill stepped in and convinced her to drop the gun. Suddenly, Emma ran in to see her mother, and Gus had no choice but to give up. Later, Olivia convinced everyone that she did not kill Phillip while Bill's adoption of Emma was finalized.

The end of summer, Bill was shocked to find a pregnant Michelle at his door. Michelle had left town months earlier due to a tragic love triangle between herself, Danny and Tony. As far as anyone knew, Michelle was still in Africa and she begged Bill to keep her return, and her pregnancy, a secret. Bill agreed to help Michelle out, but insisted that if Danny was the father, he must be told. When Olivia learned that Bill was hiding Michelle, she couldn't help but be jealous of his concern over his best friend. Hoping to get rid of Michelle, Olivia tried to set it up so Danny would find her at Cedars where she was having a sonogram. However, Michelle was able to hide and Bill blasted Olivia for setting Michelle up. A few weeks later, Bill met a woman named Ava Paralta who was working at his father's bar. Impressed with this intelligent young woman, Bill impulsively got her a job as Olivia's assistant. Weeks later, Olivia shocked Bill by telling him that she was bored with running the hotel and wanted to work for Lewis again. Although Bill was supportive, that decision would lead to their downfall.

Ambitious, not only for herself, but for Bill as well, Olivia lobbied for Bill to land a huge Venezuelan account. Bill, however, was reluctant since he thought it was too much of a project; he though Josh or his father would be better suited to handle it. To Olivia's dismay, it was Billy, not Bill, who successfully charmed the Venezuelan clients. Although Bill admitted that he was happy not to be consumed by big business, Olivia became upset that her husband's ambitions were waning and took drastic action--she set an unsuspecting Billy up to drink an alcoholic drink. She then alerted Josh that Billy had fallen off the wagon. With Billy drinking again, Josh had no choice but to put Bill on the Venezuelan project. That same evening, Bill received a call from Ava and realized that his father has fallen off the wagon. Bill raced to the bar and tried to get Billy to go home, but he was unable to get through to Billy. When Reva arrived, she convinced him to let her take Billy home. When Bill returned to Olivia, he became unsettled by her lack of compassion for Billy. Suspecting something, Bill went back to the bar and started asking Ava questions, and learned that Olivia was the one who led Billy to drink. A furious Bill confronted Olivia who made up one excuse after another before finally admitting that she was responsible. Bill responded by walking out on her. The next day, Bill was conflicted about leaving for Venezuela, especially since Billy had begun drinking again. After Billy assured Bill that he'd be fine and intended to start attending AA meetings, Bill broke the news to Olivia. He was going to Venezuela--alone---for an extended period of time. Although a tearful Olivia begged him to work on their marriage, Bill was tired of dealing with her insecurities and needed to get away from her. After biding a tearful goodbye to Olivia, as well as Emma, Bill left town for Venezuela. Several weeks later, he sent Olivia divorce papers.

In the fall of 2007, Vanessa and Billy made plans to visit Bill in Venezuela but could not get in touch with him. Shortly after, Billy discovered several questionable business decisions that Bill had made and was forced to fire him. Again, he was forced to leave a message and received no response other than a text message. Unhappy with that, Lizzie Spaulding (now working for Billy) called Bill asking him to come home since Dinah needed him since she was going through some problems due to a head injury. Again, there was no response from Bill. Weeks later, Bill finally returned to Springfield. After secretly leaving a teddy bear for Emma, Bill sneaked into Lizzie's room, where Dinah was staying, to wash up. He emerged from the shower in a towel to find a startled Lizzie. Lizzie immediately found herself affected by Bill who flirted with her. After she left, Dinah returned and she told him about her cognitive problems since getting shot in the head and Bill confessed that because of the anti-American atmosphere in Venezuela he was forced to use some unsavory tactics to keep the company afloat. The next day, after a short reunion with Olivia and Emma, Bill found Billy and Lizzie discussing business on Main Street. Apparently, thanks to Lizzie, Lewis got the contract to renovate the street. Billy was obviously happy that his son was back and invited him to breakfast. At Towers with his parents, Bill was clearly uncomfortable, especially in regards to Billy firing him.

Later, alone at Lizzie's, Bill found her diary and immediately began reading it to get a read on Lizzie. Afterwards, Bill saw Alan berating Lizzie and defended Lizzie, using some of what she'd written in her diary. Bill continued to use Lizzie's innermost thoughts to manipulate her emotions and quickly seduced her. Afterwards, Lizzie woke up to find Bill gone and her late for the Main Street project meeting. At the same time, Bill showed up with her business plans, stole the spotlight from Billy and made the presentation to the press with Nelson. By the time Lizzie got downtown, the meeting was over and Nelson informed Billy that he wanted Bill in charge of the project from now on. Later, Bill ran into Olivia who started questioning him but he simply kissed her and stated that he couldn't go back to his old self. When Bill went back up to Lizzie's room, he found an outraged Lizzie who found her diary out and realized he must have read it. An unapologetic Bill tried to tell her that it was nothing personal; it was just meaningless sex, leading Lizzie to get so upset that she swung at him with a baseball bat. .Backing away, Bill backed into a mirror and cut his arm. When he left, Billy came across a sobbing Lizzie who revealed what Bill did. Billy angrily confronted Bill saying that if he had a problem with him, take it to him; not Lizzie.

At that point, Bill bitterly told his father about how he used every trick in the book to keep Lewis afloat only to be fired. Unfortunately, that left him unable to pay certain creditors who responded by roughing him up on the roof of a tall building. With that, Bill bitterly told his father to go and get drunk and walked off. The next day, Bill learned from Vanessa that Billy had started drinking again and with Dinah's help arranged for the press to find out about it. With Billy's problems now public, he was ousted from Lewis and Bill quickly took his place. At the same time, Lizzie remained hostile toward Bill for the most part. However, there was a connection between them that neither could deny and while Lizzie was arguing with him, he silenced her with a kiss. Though others condemned Bill for his behavior, he seemed unaffected. Later, after not seeing her for weeks, Bill tried to give Emma a pair of skates, Olivia turned him away by informing him that Emma needed a full time father or nothing. She definitely did not need someone who considered her an afterthought. Afterwards, Bill decided to focus on business and asked Dinah to steal contract bids from a competitor, Andrea Daniels.

Seeing through Bill's reverse psychology ploy (him suggesting it was a bad idea after he asked), Dinah readily agreed and told him that she was impressed with this new persona. Unfortunately, Dinah was caught breaking in by her soon to be ex-husband, Mallet, who tried to make Dinah see how dangerous her little stunt was: she could have been killed if another police officer had responded to the scene. He also railed into Bill for taking advantage of Dinah in her condition. Mallet's words irked Dinah who railed at his implication that she was damaged and asked how he knew this wasn't all her idea. Fed up with this argument, Bill turned to leave but was turned around by Mallet. Bill responded by punching him. Soon the pair began fighting until Dinah demanded that Mallet leave. She then presented Bill with the contracting bid.

In the meantime, Springfield was gearing up for a mayoral election, and Bill worked out a deal with candidate Doris Wolfe that allowed the Main St. project to go forward. After that was finalized, Bill was dismayed when Gus presented him with papers revoking his adoption of Emma. Later, Bill rushed to the hospital when Lizzie informed him that Billy was involved in a drunk driving accident. However, after another argument with Bill, Billy chose Lizzie over his son when asked to bring a family member with him to see the doctor. Though Lizzie tried to get Bill to go with Billy, he didn't. Instead, he reported Billy's drunk driving to a cop. The next day when Billy was released from the hospital, Bill snuck his father out the back door to avoid reporters. The pair started to bond until Lizzie burst in and informed Billy that Bill was the one who ratted him out to the police.

Meanwhile, Buzz won the mayoral election and Bill offered congratulations and stated his hope that they could work together. However, Buzz gave him the cold shoulder not only for what he did to his father but also because he backed Doris in the election in exchange for the Main Street project, which included demolishing Company. Bill assured Buzz that it was nothing personal; it was just business. That same day, Vanessa asked Bill to come to the Cross Creek cabin for an intervention for Billy. However, it soon became apparent that it wasn't for Billy; it was for him. Though his family tried to convince him that he was being self-destructive, things took a disastrous turn when Dinah started defending Bill and criticizing everyone else. Soon the group began arguing which amused Bill. Though Vanessa tried to reason with Bill by stating that Michelle was worried about him, he was unaffected and stormed out. Meanwhile, Billy was forced to enter a rehab program due to the accident. Afterwards, he ran into Olivia's older daughter, Ava Peralta, who gave him some startling information: Buzz's election was rigged; she had a photo of her rival, Ashlee Wolfe, talking with a computer hacker on the day of Buzz's unexpected win.

After sleeping with Ava, Bill went to Buzz to tell him about the fixed election. Buzz didn't believe it but Bill sated that he had proof. Having the upper hand, Bill offered to keep quiet as long as the Main Street project went through. Several days later, Buzz agreed to Bill's deal as long as Company was unaffected. In the meantime, after getting a card from Phillip, a scared Lizzie hid out at Bill's place. Bill postponed a press conference to stay with her. The moment was charged as they realized that neither had a place to go for Christmas. Unfortunately the moment passed when a tipsy Ava interrupted and planted a kiss on Bill. Soon, Bill got a shock when he saw Lizzie giving his press conference—revealing how he used her to get information to oust his father. Soon, Bill and Dinah concoct a scheme for Dinah to spy on Billy in rehab. Days later, Bill was upset to learn that Billy signed over his power of attorney to Dylan—that meant he was in charge of the company! Bill threatened to challenge this and made plans to work on the Main Street project on his own. Then one day, Bill found Lizzie poised at the edge of the roof of the Beacon. Thinking she was about to jump, he pulled her away only be reamed out. As Lizzie was telling him that she was only thinking, she noticed that the roof made Bill uncomfortable. Though each denied it, it was becoming clear that they were falling for each other.

In 2008, Buzz turned the tables on Bill by confessing to all that the election had been rigged. In the meantime, Bill, purposely within earshot of Lizzie, told Ava that they couldn't sleep together anymore because he was a one woman guy. Lizzie seemed touched and she appeared to want to make love in his construction site office. Unfortunately, it was all a set up and Lizzie locked a scantily clad Bill outside. Forced to run all the way to the Beacon in his underwear, Bill snatched someone's dry cleaning and then returned to the construction site. There he got caught in a fiery blast when someone threw a flaming object through the window. Lizzie arrived on the scene and immediately called an ambulance and tried in vain for Bill to stay conscious. Days later, bandages were removed from Bill's eyes and he discovered that he was blind. Though Lizzie and others tried to reassure him, an angry Bill told everyone to leave. Lizzie returned later and calmed down a frustrated Bill. Bill asked Lizzie to get him out of the hospital and she took him to see Billy. Bill then asked his father to help him seek revenge on whoever did this to him.

Bill's condition left him bitter and frustrated. Though Lizzie tried to help him, he turned her away. The one person he didn't turn away was Ava when she tried to seduce him. Unfortunately, while they were bed, Lizzie walked in with presents and railed at Bill for his insensitivity. Equally upset over his condition, Bill cruelly ridiculed Lizzie's support. Later, Bill got a call from Buzz telling him that his son, Coop, was the one who started the fire. Buzz made it clear that Coop was drunk, angry and had no idea there was someone in the building when he caused the blaze. Despite Buzz's pleas for forgiveness, a vengeful Bill had Dinah bring him a gasoline can and drive him to Company on night. When Coop saw Bill with the can, he assumed that Bill was going to torch Company. Railing at Coop, Bill seemed poised to carry out his revenge when Lizzie burst in and begged him not to.

Lizzie told Bill he needed to grow up and then shocked by stating that she was pregnant. Afterwards, Bill told Lizzie that the can was filled with water, not gas. Unsure about his ability to be a parent, Billy assured him that he'd be fine and encouraged him to step up. Bill did just that when he told Lizzie that he wanted a future with her. Meanwhile, the Lewis family was gathered for Tammy's memorial. After the service, Bill's vision started to return and the first thing he saw was Jonathan—who everyone believed was dead. Bill revealed to everyone that his vision returned then asked Dinah what Lizzie would do if Jonathan was still alive. When Dinah suggested that Lizzie would want to stay with Jonathan, Bill decided to keep quiet. Later, he agreed to meet Lizzie at the Bauer cabin to discuss their future. However, instead of talking, Lizzie seemed desperate to seduce him. When Bill demanded to know what was wrong, Lizzie ran out. Bill followed and when he caught up, an upset Lizzie blurted out that there was no baby. Bill demanded to know what Lizzie did and Lizzie got away from him and ran right into the path of a car. Luckily someone pushed her out of the road; that someone was Jonathan. Lizzie was shocked beyond belief to see Jonathan alive. Initially claiming that Sarah was dead, Jonathan soon revealed that she was alive: he faked both of their deaths to protect Sarah from Alan.

In the meantime, Lizzie confessed to Bill that she was mistaken—she was never pregnant. As Lizzie reveled at having her daughter back, Bill was convinced that Jonathan could not be trusted. Suspicious, Bill sneaked into Jonathan's room and found two airline tickets. Believing that Jon was going to take off with Sarah again, Bill went to the Spaulding mansion. Realizing that Jonathan intended to drug Lizzie, Bill switched the drinks. Jonathan became sedated instead and when he awoke, Sarah was gone. Later, Bill approached Jonathan offering to help him get Sarah back, so that Bill could have Lizzie all to himself after Jonathan and Sarah left town. Bill helped Jonathan sneak into the mansion, but as soon as they did, Bill tipped off the house security and two guards arrived and strong-armed Jonathan. As he was about to be arrested, Lizzie arrived and ordered the guards to let Jonathan go. Bill's set up disgusted Lizzie and she angrily blasted him since his scheme could have alerted Alan to Sarah's whereabouts. In the meantime, Bill asked Billy to let him run the company but Billy was evasive. Soon the pair argued and Bill admitted that he wouldn't help the family fight Alan for Jonathan since he wanted to do business with Alan one day. Fearful that Jonathan would eventually take off with Sarah again, Bill went to Alan (who was vacationing in San Gabriel this entire time) and told him that Jonathan and Sarah were alive. Bill promised Alan that he'd get to be a part of Sarah's life as long as long as he was prepared to do business with him. He also emphasized that he didn't care what happened to Jonathan. Afterwards, Bill admitted that he was doing business with Alan so that he could keep tabs on him and protect her and the baby. Unfortunately, Lizzie's closeness to Bill didn't sit well with Jonathan who didn't trust him, especially since he was willing to work with Alan.

Jonathan was convinced now more than ever that Alan was a threat to Sarah and Lizzie came up with a solution. She and Jonathan would get married so they could raise Sarah as a family. Meanwhile, Bill did some digging into Jonathan's past and discovered that Jonathan had been involved with a young woman named Aubrey Cross whose father murdered. Believing that Jonathan killed the man in Tourmaline, Bill confronted Jonathan. When it seemed as if Bill would reveal his secret, Jon began to choke him—until Lizzie arrived, begging him to stop. At the wedding, Bill barged in and urged Lizzie not to marry Jonathan whom she obviously didn't love. Lizzie was so moved by Bill's words that she when it came time to say her vows she couldn't go through with it and left to find Bill. After Lizzie told Bill that she couldn't go through with the wedding since she loved him, she mysteriously disappeared. Bill assumed that Lizzie ran off until she called him to say that Jonathan abandoned her at the side of the road. Though Lizzie intended to share custody of Sarah with Jonathan in Springfield, in the end she realized that Sarah would never be free of Alan's control and allowed Jonathan to leave with Sarah. In exchange for Alan's promise not to go after the pair, Lizzie offered to move back into the mansion. When Lizzie told Bill what happened, he comforted her and they made love. Post-lovemaking, Lizzie snuck out to fulfill her promise to Alan.

Realizing that Lizzie was resigned to her fate, a depressed Bill slept with an equally depressed Ava. Days later, Lizzie informed Bill that she received an e-mail from her father who convinced her to follow her heart. Lizzie also stated that her grandfather had heard from Phillip as well. Meanwhile, Bill had just spoken to Dinah about a company that approached him for some business. Later, Bill realized that the company's initials were PS—which could stand for Phillip Spaulding. Bill did some more digging and discovered that Dinah was impersonating Phillip. Confronted, Dinah admitted it and told Bill that she wanted to make Alan pay since she blamed him for her father's death. Bill offered to help and later lied to Alan that Phillip was following him and to meet him at the gym. Alan searched for Phillip to no avail. Bill then met Dinah at the mansion where she placed a file in Alan's drawer. At the same time, Dinah had arranged for the IRS to audit the Spaulding books. Thanks to Dinah, the police found evidence of financial fraud and Alan was arrested; his assets seized. Meanwhile, Ava smugly told Lizzie that she and Bill slept together recently. Bill confirmed but assured Lizzie that it meant nothing. Soon after, Lizzie told Bill that she wanted to move in with him and although Alan tried to stop it, Beth was able to free Lizzie from her deal.

In the meantime, Bill posted Alan's bail and warned him to stay away from Lizzie. Soon after, Ava shocked Bill with news that she was pregnant with his baby. Skeptical, Bill demanded a pregnancy test which did come out positive. When Bill told Lizzie the news she was ultimately supportive and promised to stay with him. Though Ava used her pregnancy to keep Bill close, he remained committed to staying with Lizzie. In the meantime, Dinah approached Bill with the idea of taking over Spaulding Enterprises. Intrigued, Bill talked Lizzie into merging Lewis and Spaulding into one company, Lewis-Spaulding. Though Bill offered to walk away from the deal if Lizzie was against, Lizzie agreed to the merger. Though Lizzie was for it, Billy was against it and voiced his concerns that Lewis would get swallowed up in the large international conglomerate. As Lizzie helped Bill brush up on his knowledge of the Spaulding board, Ava offered to become Bill's right hand gal once he settled in at Spaulding. Though Bill told Lizzie that this would be a merger, his ultimate goal was to take over Spaulding Enterprises completely. Unfortunately for Bill, Ava learned of his plans and went straight to Lizzie. Appalled that he'd lied to her and used her to get her family's company, Lizzie asked him to stop the takeover if he loved her. However, Bill had warmed up to the idea of heading this company and couldn't find it in his heart to stop the takeover. Hurt, Lizzie broke things off with Bill.

Though Bill tried to get Lizzie to understand his point of view, Lizzie refused to go back to him and told him to concentrate on fatherhood. Bill did and when he learned that Ava planned on moving away, he asked her to move into the Spaulding mansion with him. Meanwhile, Lizzie went to a lawyer with plans to get her family's company back. Though she tried to persuade the stockholders to put power back into her family's hands, and even tried to drug Bill so he'd miss the meeting on the day of the vote, Bill had already won them over and was voted in as CEO of the new company, which he named Maximus Inc. Though Dinah and Bill invited their entire family to attend the press conference where Bill would announce the news, no one showed up except the press. Later, both of Bill's parents made it clear that they were not impressed with his recent power play. Later, trying to boost his public image, Bill shocked Ava by announcing to the press that he and Ava were engaged. Privately, Ava asked Bill if it was real and he assured her that he did want to marry her. Despite his words, Bill really didn't take any interest in the planning of the wedding. Later, Bill told Lizzie that his wedding would be held at her old house. Obviously still in love with her, Bill gave her a kiss goodbye. Later, Lizzie and Bill appeared together in court and the court ruled that the Spaulding takeover was legal. Afterwards, Doris suggested that Bill should run for public office, an idea which intrigued Bill. Afterwards, Bill prepared for his life with Ava by purchasing a cottage. Finally, came the day of the wedding. As several important guests arrived, including Bill's parents, Bill got a surprise visit from Lizzie who gave him shocking news—the baby Ava was carrying was not his—Ava had gone to a sperm bank. Stunned, Bill confronted Ava who tearfully admitted that she did get herself pregnant by artificial insemination.

Though Ava expected Bill to call off the wedding, Bill had come too far and refused to let this scandal ruin this public image. To save face, Bill informed Ava that the wedding would go ahead as planned and they'd have a marriage in name only. Ava found out what they meant when, the following morning, Bill informed her that they'd have separate beds. Days later, Bill and Ava had dinner with the govenor who was so impressed with Bill that he planned to endorse him as his successor. Afterwards, Bill went to the cottage he had bought and was surprised to find Lizzie there. Unfortunately, the photo of the cottage had fallen out of Bill's pocket one day and Lizzie assumed that it was for her. Since there wasn't time to talk, they arranged to meet at some other time. At their next meeting, Bill informed Lizzie that he had to stay married to Ava for the sake of appearances but announced that he wanted to be with her. Realizing that he was talking about her becoming his mistress, Lizzie ultimately declined. Weeks later, Ava's baby, whom Bill named Max Harlan Lewis, arrived, several weeks premature. To everyone's shock—the baby was black. Bill believed that there was a mix up at the sperm bank until Remy Boudreau, who'd been befriending Ava her entire pregnancy, saw the child, he immediately announced that he was the father. A distressed Ava confirmed Remy's story. However, by this point, Bill had fallen in love with the child and had no intention of giving up his son. Unfortunately, the point became moot when Max died mere days later.

.Meanwhile, at Dinah's request, Lizzie returned to Springfield having previously decided to move to Los Angeles. Though Lizzie tried to convince Bill that he needed time to grieve, he immediately went back to work. At the same time, Bill learned that Dinah gave Remy money that she took from Maximus, to fight for custody of Max. Feeling betrayed, Bill threw her out of the mansion and brought her up on embezzlement charges. Later, Lizzie admitted to Bill that she loved him but could not be with him and planned to go back to Los Angeles. Filled with rage, Bill destroyed all of Max's things and refused to talk to Dinah or Lizzie. Days later, Bill dropped the charges against Dinah but informed her that he secretly got her to sign away the house and her stocks to him. Later, after Max's memorial service, which was arranged by Lizzie, Bill asked Lizzie not to go back to LA. In the meantime, Alan informed Bill that he was going to take his company back.

Later, it became apparent that someone on the inside was feeding information to Alan and Bill asked Dinah to find out who it was. Soon after, Bill had an argument with Alan outside Towers. During the argument, Alan suddenly collapsed. After mumbling about seeing Gus, Alan recovered and refused to let Bill call for an ambulance. Bill went to Lizzie and warned her that something was seriously wrong with Alan. Lizzie heeded Bill's warnings and convinced Alan to go to Cedars. Concerned for Lizzie, Bill showed up to support her. At Cedars, they learned that Alan had a life-threatening blood clot. That blood clot was the cause of his "visions" of Gus. Alan was against getting surgery for his blood clot and promptly left Springfield to conduct business in New York. When Bill told Lizzie where Alan was, Lizzie went to New York and Bill followed. Bill informed Lizzie that Alan was there to make a play for Maximus but claimed that he didn't know how. Both knew that Alan was in no condition to conduct business and Lizzie feared that Alan would ruin the family's reputation. Unbeknownst to Lizzie, Bill knew exactly where Alan was going and slipped out of the hotel room. Bill confronted Alan at the meeting place. When Alan began ranting about his visions and faith, Bill realized that he was right about Alan and had him escorted out of the building.

Back in Springfield, Lizzie revealed to Bill she ran Alan's meeting for him and owned 49% of the company. Lizzie assured a shocked Bill that she didn't do it to usurp him but rather to help their relationship since they would be on equal footing. Days later, Lizzie announced to the world that Maximus was now Spaulding-Lewis. Unfortunately, Bill still resented that Lizzie took half of his company away and rejected her attempts to reconcile. Meanwhile, Bill saw Alan and Dinah in the heated conversation and suspected that something was going on. Bill tested Dinah by mentioning that a person leaked information to Alan about Maximus. When Dinah was out of eyesight, Bill searched her phone and found Alexandra's number. Bill challenged Alex and asks her if she tipped off Alan that Bill was in New York but Alex denied it. The same day, Bill checked in on Alan. Delusional and believing that Bill was Gus, Alan revealed that Dinah was the leak. Bill angrily confronted Dinah and lamented that he gave her a second chance. Meanwhile, Lizzie officially announced to the press that Maximus was Spaulding-Lewis. Soon after, Lizzie discovered that Dinah messed up the purchased of the house—it still belonged to the Spauldings. Lizzie asked Bill to stay at the mansion but he refused.

Things got more complicated when Bill did some research of his own and found out that while the Spauldings owned the mansion, the land belonged to the company. Bill decided to stay at the mansion but declared that he and Lizzie would lead separate lives. However, Bill was determined to prove that he was better at business by interrupting her meeting with Decker. At the meeting the two attempted to outdo each other. Eventually, Decker called Lizzie and Bill simultaneously and suggested that they bid against each other. In the meantime, Lizzie moved Alan back into the mansion after he was released from the hospital. As a counterpoint, Bill invited his parents to stay at the mansion as well. As the weeks went by, Lizzie and Bill played games to make each other jealous. It was obvious to both Billy and Vanessa that Bill loved Lizzie and both encouraged Bill to tell her. Meanwhile, it was decided that Bill and Lizzie might work better together and they prepared to give an important presentation to Decker and various investors. Unfortunately, on the day of presentation, Lizzie never showed up.

Assuming that Lizzie bailed to set him up for failure, Bill conducted the meeting alone. The meeting was a tremendous success with Bill winning the account. Days later, a ransom note was delivered to Bill. Though Bill suspected that Lizzie was faking, he realized that it was real when he realized that Lizzie left her dog, Roxy, behind. Since the kidnappers specifically told them not to involve the authorities, Bill vetoed Alan's idea to go to the police. When the kidnappers contacted them again, asking for five million dollars, Bill had a change of heart and decided to contact the police. However, Dinah stopped him and suggested that they only contact one cop—Mallet. Bill agreed and went with Mallet and Dinah to the drop off site. Unfortunately, when Mallet's cell phone range, it spooked the kidnapper and he ran off. As the weeks went on, Bill relied on Dinah's support as he worried about Lizzie. Finally, Bill went on the news and appealed for her release. Following a lead, Bill went to an address and angrily confronted someone he thought was the kidnapper with a gun. Soon, Mallet came and told Bill that he had the wrong guy. Things seemed to improve when Bill mysteriously heard Lizzie on his cell phone. Unfortunately, the police were not able to trace where the call had come from. After drinking and wallowing self pity, Bill was able to find Lizzie by following the leak that she caused by puncturing the van. After confessing to Lizzie that he loved her, Bill escaped with Lizzie in the kidnapper's van. Unfortunately, Bill crashed the van. Though Lizzie was uninjured, Bill was left in a coma for weeks.

Immediately upon waking up, Bill was accused by the police of being Lizzie's kidnapper. According to the police, Bill had the perfect motive—to keep the glory of the Decker deal all to himself. They also had physical evidence against him—namely cut out magazines which were used for the ransom notes and a jacket that belonged to the kidnapper. Though others were still skeptical of Bill's innocence, Lizzie never had any doubt. In fact, Lizzie was the only person, besides Dinah, who was absolutely certain that Bill was innocent. To prove his innocence, Bill decided to make a statement to the police. Unfortunately, his memory was fuzzy and he contradicted statements he made while Lizzie was missing. Later, Bill confessed to Dinah he had no memory of anything while Lizzie was missing and wondered if he was indeed the kidnapper. At year's end, the case against Bill took a dovetail turn when the warehouse housing the evidence against him was torched. It didn't long for Bill to realize that Dinah was his savior by torching the evidence and he thanked her.

Even though the evidence was gone, things got complicated, in 2009, when Bill confessed to Lizzie that, thanks to the accident, he had no memory of the kidnapping. Remembering how power-hungry Bill had been, and the scar she'd recently seen on Bill's chest, it occurred to Lizzie that he may have kidnapped her after all. Disillusioned, Lizzie distanced herself from Bill and decided to become as emotionally detached as Alan. She also became close to her new employee, Cyrus. Though Alan tried to buy Bill out of Spaulding-Lewis, Bill refused. Instead, he offered to undergo hypnosis in order to retrieve his memory. Unfortunately, that was unsuccessful. Later, in an attempt to revive their memories, Bill recreated the kidnapping but that only got Lizzie upset when she realized that he read her diary again. Convinced that Lizzie needed her father, Bill set out to find Phillip despite Billy's warnings that it was a bad idea. Rick felt the same and refused to help Bill when he asked him how to locate Phillip. However, not long after, someone slipped Bill the information he needed to find Phillip. Tracing the address to a cabin on the outskirts of town, Bill discovered the place empty but found evidence that Philip was there. Hearing a noise outside, Bill rushed out and ended up hitting his head while running after a figure in the woods. Luckily, Billy found him and called Rick for help. Afterwards, Bill s memory finally returned and he realized that he did not kidnap Lizzie. Since he remembered hearing dog tags the day that he found Lizzie, Bill decided that Cyrus (who wore dog tags) must have been in on it. Unable to prove it, Bill got Billy's help in making him look like a drunk so that Cyrus's guard would be down.

Meanwhile, everyone was shocked when Phillip returned to Springfield on his own. Soon after, Bill visited Olivia who impulsively kissed him. Olivia then confessed that she had feelings for Natalia Rivera which scared her. Though surprised, Bill was supportive and nonjudgmental. In the meantime, Bill finally confronted Cyrus and Lizzie with his theory that Cyrus had kidnapped Lizzie. Unfortunately, that theory was quickly disproven when Cyrus pointed out that he had no scar. Weeks later, Lizzie's memory suddenly came back to her and she realized that Bill was innocent. After the ordeal, the pair reunited and declared their love for each other. Regretting all of the time they wasted fighting, the pair decided to wipe the slate clean and pretend that they had just met.

Weeks later, the pair was shocked when Dinah confessed that she'd known about the kidnapping all along. Bill refused to forgive Dinah and made it clear that she was no longer his sister. Though Lizzie suggested that he forgive her, Bill wanted nothing to do with Dinah. After pleading for forgiveness and trying to make amends, Dinah finally stopped trying. Weeks later, Bill surprised Lizzie with a trip to Universal Studios and a marriage proposal. Though Lizzie initially wanted to elope, she and Bill both decided that they wanted a real wedding. Later, at their engagement party, Bill was unexpectedly charged with securities fraud. Luckily, Phillip stepped up and told the officers that Lizzie's brother, James, was the one behind the scam. Confronted, James was forced to admit that he lured investors using Bill's name. Fortunately, Phillip was able to keep James from doing any jail time. Weeks later, both Bill and Lizzie decided to leave Spaulding-Lewis. After Bill made the announcement to the press, Billy offered him a job at Lewis Construction. Bill accepted and asked his father to be his best man at his wedding. Though Vanessa and Alexandra wanted to plan the wedding, Lizzie was determined to do everything herself. The couple decided that they wanted to get married in 21 days.

In the meantime, Bill was rocked with the news that Jeffrey's plane went down with Dinah on board. The news turned out to be incorrect when Dinah, who was not on that plane, returned to town. Lizzie ordered Bill to invite his sister to their wedding and she accepted. Unfortunately, Bill and Lizzie inadvertently put the wrong day on the invitation and no one showed up. Though the pair was resigned to the fact that they had to wait to get married, Dinah discovered what had happened and surprised them by throwing them an impromptu wedding in the park. Later, Phillip presented the newlyweds with their own house.

Bill and Lizzie spent the following week renovating their new home and planning a family. In addition, Bill attempted to help Billy with his plan to remarry Vanessa. Though the plan failed at first, by the end of summer, Vanessa reconsidered and married Billy. At the same time, Jonathan returned to town with Sarah and announced that they were staying. A year following Alan's sudden death of a heart attack, Lizzie and Bill were expecting a baby.