Chapter 1: We Could Be In A Sweet Dream Or A Beautiful Nightmare – Friday, September 30th, 2016
Walking through a garden, the flowers are in bloom. Each curve, each angle is perfectly crisp to the touch. At the distant left, stands a growing willow tree. Its budding branches contain life. Life that hangs in the balance, and, sometimes, it falls.
A glacial stone sits near the trunk. When life hits that piercing grey rock, things can change. Life starts to fade as death tries to conquer it. The flowers wilt; the colors in the leaves begin to fade. A pulse can still remain – its rhythm continually beats in time, but if something does not jolt life back into awareness, back into action, then what is honestly the point? Death is a given. It is life which is truly a gift.
Beat. Beep. Beat. Beep.
"I caused Chad to start dreaming because I touched him."
Beat. Beep. Beat. Beep.
–(–)–
In his sleep, Will rolled to the other side and woke up because the sun shined brightly through the big window inside his and Chad's hotel suite; they were honeymooning in Bangkok, Thailand. After gently rubbing his eyes for a moment, he took in the view before noting a hint of his reflection. His hair was a mess. He must have slept hard.
Will suddenly became aware of the fact that Chad wasn't holding him. Reaching back, he couldn't feel any part of his husband, so he turned his head to visually verify Chad wasn't next to him. He jolted upright and called out, "Chad?"
No response.
Will pulled off the heavy blankets and jumped out of bed. "Chad..." he released once more into the void. He got the same response, so he checked the rest of their suite to find it completely empty. Will was alone, and Chad was nowhere to be found.
Rushing over to his cell on the intricately carved coffee table, Will checked the screen of his partially charged phone. There was nothing from Chad – no message, no call, nothing. He began to freak-out and decided to call him, but before he could push the call button, Chad entered with a familiar brown paper bag in his hands.
Chad took in Will's lack of clothing and smiled. "Looks like I found something else I want for breakfast," he teased.
Will ignored what Chad said and noted aloud with relief, "You went to the floating market for fruit. You scared me because I couldn't find you."
Bringing the bag closer to Will so he could have a look inside, Chad somberly commented, "We return home tomorrow Salem-time, and I want to enjoy our time away from everything for as long as we can."
"It has been an amazing couple of weeks," Will reflected through a smile. "I wonder what's happening in Salem." His thoughts went to T as he pulled out a small plastic bag of diced pineapple from the paper bag in Chad's hands.
Chad raised his eyes as he pointedly answered, "Sleep is my guess."
(*)*(*)*(*)
Now Friday morning, Salem-time, Jen sat in her office at The Salem Spectator when Harold enthusiastically entered. "Jen, have you looked at tomorrow's paper before we go to print?"
Jen shifted from her laptop and proudly shared, "I just finished looking over everything. You did a great job on the piece covering Maxine and the dinner tomorrow night."
With a slight bow, Harold thanked Jen before admitting, "I had fun touring the hospital for non-medical reasons. I am excited about the dinner tomorrow."
Agreeing with Harold, Jen remarked, "I think it's going to be a great evening. I'm looking forward to catching up with all the people I used to work with." She really missed Maxine's smile.
Harold gave Jen a nervous but playful look as he joked, "I'm not losing you to the hospital again."
Jen chuckled before assuring, "That won't happen." Leaning forward on her desk, she questioned, "Is Jere coming?"
Harold thought about his husband fondly and answered, "My RSVP is for two. He may come later since he will be on his way back from a day trip."
"Well, hopefully he's able to come," Jen warmly stated when her phone began to ring.
Harold decided to excuse himself, so Jen could answer. "I'll check in with you later."
After Harold quietly exited her office, Jen pushed the appropriate button on her phone to take the call. "Hello?"
It was one of the rehab counselors working with JJ. "Ms. Horton, I'm calling you to let you know that your son, Jack, will graduate from treatment early. We hope you and the rest of the family will be there for a short ceremony to celebrate this step in his recovery."
Jen's eyes lit up from the surprising news. Trying to control her excitement, she responded, "Of course. When is this happening?" She felt happy knowing her son would soon be released permanently.
(*)*(*)*(*)
In the back office at Chez Rouge, Sarah and Melissa took turns convincing their mother they had everything set up for the dinner honoring Maxine tomorrow. "We put out word that the restaurant will be closed and have verified all the workers we have coming in for set up in the morning as well as the workers who are actually working the event."
Maggie knew Sarah and Melissa didn't want her there, but she did. "I still want to be sure tomorrow goes well and that business is not hurt in any way."
Sarah looked to Maggie and mentally noted she was acting like Victor. "Mom, have we ever let you down?"
Julie arrived in time to hear Sarah's question. She softly stepped into the office as Melissa said, "You didn't need to come and do this."
Maggie looked past her daughters and saw Julie standing behind them with a smirk on her face. To get Melissa and Sarah off her back, she directed, "Well, stop wasting time on me and focus on work. I'm simply sitting in the office to make a few calls."
Melissa and Sarah caught on that Maggie was looking past them. When they turned around and saw Julie, they quickly greeted her with hugs. After they left the office, Julie walked over and gave Maggie a hug. "Are you honestly worried about Chez Rouge?"
Maggie quickly denied it and revealed, "I'm actually worried about Victor. He's kept me from getting too close." Shaking her head, she complained, "I watched him do it to the family and tried to encourage him to let them back in, but that seems to have only made him push me away now."
Placing her hands on Maggie's arms, Julie made Maggie sit with her. "I want to know what's going on with the old goat…"
Maggie closed her eyes for a moment to avoid getting over emotional. She took a deep breath before exhaling, "Victor has been struggling health-wise. We've run tests to figure out the cause of the decline he's been experiencing. I'm worried, Julie. I'm worried that Victor is dying."
Julie reflected on her past with Victor, but now was not a time to go into that. She knew she needed to be there for Maggie. "I know this has to be hard on you... especially after what happened to Uncle Mickey."
Maggie pushed Mickey's death to the back of her mind. "I'm not losing Victor as well."
Saunders, Victor's new head of security, suddenly entered interrupting the moment between Julie and Maggie. "Mrs. Kiriakis…"
"Yes?" Maggie was clearly unamused.
Saunders ignored Julie's presence as he explained his interruption. "I simply wanted to verify you were okay."
Unable to hold in her frustration, Maggie slapped her hands against her legs before laying into Saunders. "We have not been at risk for some time. I am tired of you just popping up and scaring me!"
Saunders didn't reply. He simply backed off and left.
Julie watched Maggie shake her head at herself. "This is really getting to you."
Sighing, Maggie noted, "I shouldn't have gone off on Saunders," but then admitted, "I'm not sure what to think of him. He used to work for the police until he was forced out by the commissioner for killing that man who kidnapped Nicole all those years ago." Forrest's death was supposedly unavoidable, but something didn't feel right about the timing of it.
Though Julie nodded her head, she couldn't help but internally note that Maggie was trying to distract herself once more.
(*)*(*)*(*)
Saturday, September 17th, 2016
Standing outside of Chad and Will's home before the wedding began, Abby watched as Josh abruptly cut Ezra off. Her husband seemed rather upset with her ex about something. Since she couldn't hear a word they were saying, she anxiously questioned why Josh would do that while noting how Ezra seemed to attempt calming down Josh.
Josh only seemed more upset with Ezra. Josh tried to walk away, but Ezra stopped him by grabbing her husband's arm. After Josh jerked his arm away, it became clear to Abby that whatever Ezra was saying to Josh caught his attention.
Abby intently studied Josh's body language hoping to decipher what Ezra could be saying to him. Her husband seemed to calm down somewhat before he and Ezra walked away together. She wished she knew what that was about.
Later, during Chad and Will's wedding reception, Abby stood with her maternal grandparents and spotted her husband approach Kristen in a similar way he approached Ezra earlier. Josh seemed to accuse Kristen of something, but Kristen didn't seem interested in engaging with Josh. After Kristen walked away, Abby felt even more uncertain about things, and when her grandmother, Laura, encouraged her to keep Josh away from Kristen, she felt extremely confused about what Josh could be doing.
Present: Friday, September 30th, 2016
Coming out of her memories, Abby gently rubbed her stomach thinking about the son she and Josh would have in a couple of months. Her OB-GYN told her to avoid stress as much as possible, but Josh wasn't making it easy. "Things have been quiet since Josh has been busy at work with Chad and Will gone," she admitted to herself. "…but things have been too quiet."
Abby remembered what Chelsea told her to do concerning Josh. Though she tried to confront her husband about his odd behavior, he had an excuse for everything before. The problem she faced now was if she could trust Josh. What her grandmother said stuck with her and fueled her insecurities. She hated this so much. There was too much uncertainty once again.
(*)*(*)*(*)
Safiya excitedly opened the front door of Chad and Will's mansion to find Eric on the other side. He had food from the pub in one hand and a clasp envelope under his other arm. "Eric. Come in."
Walking into the spacious foyer, Eric studied his surroundings. "Have there been any changes?"
Safiya gave Eric a look of defeat, though she tried to remain positive. "T still hasn't left the mansion, but he continues to groom himself thankfully." Reflecting on the situation, she shared, "My father suffered from PTSD from when he was overseas, so I see some of the same signs. T's having nightmares, staying inside, etcetera. I talked to Chelsea and she gave me a few numbers, but he won't accept any help or talk about it. I even asked my dad to try talking to him when he was over the other day."
Eric now sighed because this was a lot. "Maybe some food from the pub and a few pictures will help." He debated talking to his mom about T, but he recognized that Will may not want him to do that. He knew Will wasn't in the best place with Marlena.
"I hope so," Safiya released as she glanced at her watch. "I'm supposed to meet my brother for lunch, so I will talk to you later. He's somewhere upstairs. Thanks again for coming before I head out."
Eric nodded his head before Safiya left. He eyed the right staircase before climbing them. When he found T reading in the study, he held up the bag of food and stated, "I'm not sure if we're supposed to eat in here, but…"
T welcomed the break and put his book away. "I hope it's not a problem because I've eaten in the study a lot," he admitted before revealing, "…and by the pool as well."
Walking closer, Eric questioned, "Have you gotten food from a variety of places since your return?"
"Not really," T revealed. "It's mostly from Will and Chad's fridge, which surprisingly has remained stocked while they've been gone." He figured Safiya was responsible because she came in with grocery bags on occasion.
Standing at the long table now, Eric delicately suggested, "Why don't you come with me to Chez Rouge tomorrow night?" T tensed up and remained silent, so Eric decided not to push it. He sat at the table with T and shared, "I got your favorite from the pub."
T lit up moving past the fact that Eric somehow knew what his favorite was; he figured Will told him. He grabbed the bag and opened it, so he could begin eating. "Thanks for bringing this over."
Eric nodded his head and waited a moment before he mentioned, "I also came because I need your help."
Finishing his first bite, T gave Eric a confused look. "Need my help with what?"
Eric placed the envelope onto the table and opened it to reveal photos from Will and Chad's wedding. "I'm finishing up the wedding video for Chad and Will. Which one should be the final shot? You're Will's oldest friend, and I thought you'd be the best person to help me."
As Eric spread them out on the table, T studied each photo carefully. A few featured Chad and Will only, but there were a couple that featured different family members. He paused when he saw a picture that included Shane Donovan.
Saturday, September 17th, 2016
It was truly odd for T to be back in Salem again. He was glad he made it in time to see Will and Chad get married, but being around all of these people made his anxiety level increase. He kept to himself for the most part, but whenever he saw Chad or Will alone, he snuck in a word or two when he could.
Turning a corner, T suddenly felt nervous when he saw a familiar face. He didn't know what to say.
"Sorry, I about ran you over," Shane stated with his phone near his ear. He didn't think anything of it and went on his way.
T turned and kept his eye on Shane. He didn't know him as Shane though. He knew him as Iago and Drew, the man who saved him and brought him to a strange doctor with the strangest accent. He wondered if the doctor sent Iago to check up on him.
Present: Friday, September 30th, 2016
Eric noted T went somewhere else. "T… you find one you like?"
T came out of his head and tried to play off what happened. "I like this one," he quickly decided. It was a picture of Chad and Will before they left for their honeymoon. Wanting to put an end to what just happened, he shared, "I don't want to get any food on your pictures."
"Sure…" Eric put the photos away as he wondered what just happened with T. The way T shut down on him reminded him of the way Colton used to. He began to reflect on how much he missed being a foster parent.
(*)*(*)*(*)
Theo's antique watch made a sharp beeping sound as he walked through the main hall of Salem High. He quickly stopped when he saw Ciara talking to a few of their friends near their locker. It appeared she was putting up a front that everything was okay. The others didn't seem to notice, but he could definitely see through her façade.
When Ciara unexpectedly turned her head in his direction, Theo swiftly moved around the corner, so she wouldn't see him. He still felt upset because she told Celeste everything he asked her to keep a secret. By doing that, she put him in an awkward position of having no control over anything. Ciara promised him repeatedly she would never let him down, but she broke that promise.
The class bell rang sharply. Theo sighed because he had Mrs. Horton's class with Ciara. He knew he would have to face her, but he figured it would be best if he found another desk to sit at – one that wasn't next to Ciara.
Walking into the classroom, Theo noted his usual narrow desk was the only one that was empty. He internally gulped as he headed for his seat. Surprisingly, he managed to sit without Ciara saying anything to him. She didn't even look in his direction. It was odd.
While Mrs. Horton began class, Theo carefully glanced to the side to see what Ciara was doing. He had to look away fast because he caught Ciara staring at him with the saddest look ever. He tried to play it off, but it was too awkward. Before he could say something, she turned her head forward. Theo followed suit because he believed Lucas's wife had her eye on them.
As soon as Theo turned his head forward, everything in the room turned dark. The atmosphere shifted from dusty and stale to cloudy and eerie. The light in the room had a celestial blue tint to it; Theo did not understand what just happened, but he felt a sense of terror enter his heart. He began to speak to the others in the room, but no one would listen to him no matter how loud he got. It was as if no one could hear him. "Hey… What's happening? Why… Does no one else see this?"
Theo kept shifting his sight to study every angle and curve in the room. He continued to raise his voice hoping someone in class would respond. That's when he saw it. A shadow appeared in the corner next to the door. It made a sound that only got louder and harsher; it irritated Theo's hearing to a point where he had to cover his ears, but doing so did not help.
When Theo reached the point of complete panic, everything abruptly returned to normal. He somehow managed to snap out of whatever it was that just happened. "It must have been in my head," Theo noted mentally as he lowered his hands onto his narrow desk.
The bell rang signaling the end of class. As everyone gathered their things around him, Theo wondered if he had been in that weird state the entire sixty minutes of class and didn't understand. He watched as Ciara walked over to Milena, who questioned, "There's been no change with Theo?"
Ciara sorely shook her head and inconspicuously looked at Theo's desk once again before leaving the room with Milena. Theo sighed and wondered if this was what he really wanted. What was the point of this?
(*)*(*)*(*)
For lunch, Sonny met Dario at his mother's restaurant, JoJo's Southern Steakhouse. After ordering, Sonny assumed, "I take it Josh isn't coming?"
Dario placed his dingy cellphone on the side of the table next to the salt and pepper shakers. "Josh claimed he can't make lunch because he has a last-minute errand to run."
Not giving it too much thought, Sonny wondered, "Maybe it has to do with Abby and the baby."
Shrugging his shoulders, Dario replied, "I'm not sure, but Josh has seemed distant recently." He wondered if it was just more noticeable with Chad and Will gone.
Sonny wasn't too worried and suggested, "He's probably just stressed about the baby and how that change is coming." He wanted to enjoy this time alone with his fiancé.
Leaning against the booth seat, Dario mentioned, "Change is constant. There's no escaping it."
Dario clearly went somewhere else and Sonny wondered if it had to do with his fiancé's family. He wanted to check in on a few things, so he moved the conversation. "Has EJ said anything about the future of the DiMera family and DiMera Enterprises?"
Recognizing that Sonny was really asking about the families, Dario answered, "EJ doesn't say much about them anymore."
Sonny's thoughts went to Victor. He wondered how involved his great-uncle was with the heads of those families. He wanted Dario to stay out of that drama and had already shared his feelings on the matter repeatedly. "It's still odd to me there are these families that come together to try and make everything work for them internationally – no matter the cost."
Shaking his head, Dario commented, "It's sinister. I hope EJ can get the DiMera family out from under them."
Sonny eyed Dario intently before biting the bullet. "Have you had any more run-ins with Ignazio?" He usually avoided talk of Dario's other brother from another mother, but he wanted to make sure it wasn't happening.
Showing he was surprised by his own answer, Dario revealed, "I have not. I wondered if he left town again, but Gabi told me she saw him walking through the town square the other day." He lifted his head and noticed a specific look on Sonny's face. He connected the dots and realized Sonny brought up Ignazio after he said sinister.
"Maybe Ignazio knows he needs to stay away," Sonny hoped.
Dario spaced as he thought about Ignazio's being alive and how, deep down, he still worried about him.
Showing some concern, Sonny questioned, "Do you want Ignazio to stay away?"
Knowing what his answer had to be, Dario affirmed, "It would be best if he stays away."
Sonny noted Dario didn't really answer his question. He reflected on the possibility that he was hiding his true feelings on Ignazio and was only doing it to appease him. Sonny told himself that Dario was smart enough not to let Ignazio back into their world carelessly and without talking to him. He looked up when his brother came over. "Alex…"
Alex remained standing though he contemplated taking a seat next to Sonny. "Mom told me you asked for me," he explained his presence.
Grinning at his older brother, Sonny lightheartedly clarified, "We haven't really seen each other since you got back from your retreat. Where did you go again?"
Alex thought about how he was out of town following Roman for Victor. "I went to Chicago for a bit to enjoy the wind and pizza."
"You're definitely still the odd one in the family," Sonny playfully commented. "I've never heard of anyone going on a retreat to Chicago."
Returning the playfulness, Alex warned, "You better watch it because I can still beat your ass."
Sonny immediately took Dario's hand across the table. "Are you sure about that?"
"If you want to bend the rules, I'm sure I can find someone to take down Dario," Alex confidently argued.
Dario noted the dynamic between Sonny and Alex and wished he had that growing up. Though he was close to his family in some ways, there was a lot more pressure on him and his siblings. The playful banter was something they didn't really have since things were dire and more serious most of the time. Cutting in, Dario assured, "Sonny doesn't need my help, so no need to bend the rules. I believe in him, and I know he has the confidence as well."
Sonny winked at Dario as Alex asked, "What are you two doing after lunch? I've got a short break before I get off work."
"I have a mandatory therapy session," Sonny divulged making sure he said mandatory in a gleeful manner.
Dario answered next. "I have a meeting with my advisor at Salem U."
"We should meet for dinner then," Alex proposed. He made sure to give his youngest brother a look, so he couldn't say no.
Sonny smiled wider. "Sounds like a plan."
(*)*(*)*(*)
EJ returned to his office at DiMera Enterprises after an intense lengthy meeting. Before he could sit behind his desk, his cellphone began to ring. It was Frank. "Yes…"
"EJ," Frank began – it took some time but he was finally comfortable with calling his boss by his first name. "I received word that your father-in-law is returning to Salem after being questioned about his whereabouts since he left for Germany in 2014."
Intrigued, EJ wondered, "When will Roman set foot in Salem precisely?"
"He will be in Salem again on Sunday," Frank answered.
Friday, September 23rd, 2016
"EJ… did you hear me?"
Coming out of his thoughts, EJ turned around to see Sami had joined him in their bedroom. "Samantha… how long have you been standing there?"
Sami studied EJ and decided not to bother him about Jade's latest and rudest – to date – outburst towards her. It was a very rare occurrence for EJ not to notice Sami entering a room. "Thinking about Stefano?"
EJ gave Sami a nod as he reflected on what they knew of Stefano's death from what Frank uncovered. "I wanted to stop my father, but I question if this was the justice I believed he deserved."
"We still don't know who did it," Sami pointed out. Even though Stefano was more than a pain, she understood why EJ struggled so much with this.
EJ crossed his arms over his chest thinking about how Will and possibly Chad did not know about any of this. "A lot of people wanted him dead and out of the picture. At least, we know for certain it is his body."
Moving closer, Sami grabbed EJ's arms, so he would uncross them and let her in. "I talked to Uncle Bo and John about dad finding the body…"
Before Sami could continue, EJ dropped his hands so she could hug him. "Don't worry because I won't go after your father. I just want to get the body and bury it."
Leaning her head under his, Sami wasn't sure what to think about her dad at this point. "Will there be a funeral?"
"No," EJ quickly denied. He then explained, "He has already had enough funerals in his lifetime." Distancing himself from the conversation, he pulled out his phone. "I should call Lexie. I need to check in with her."
Sami gave EJ a kiss and held him for a moment to give him strength.
Present: Friday, September 30th, 2016
Back in the present, EJ was still on the phone with Frank, who asked, "Do you want me to do anything else?"
EJ took a seat at his desk and got comfortable. "Have you talked to T recently?" He reflected on what he witnessed between Chad and T at the wedding. He overheard Will's best friend tell his brother he got it done. EJ couldn't help but wonder what it was exactly.
Frank cleared his throat before sharing, "We have talked at Chad and Will's place, but it wasn't too deep – only surface stuff."
"I need you to continue keeping an eye on him," EJ directed.
Frank agreed even though he felt awkward about it.
(*)*(*)*(*)
Meanwhile, Cameron hastily moved through the parking garage of the hospital searching for his car. He had just finished a shift and was ready to pick up his mother, who was at home. Dialing Maxine's cell number, he had no clue someone was keeping a close eye on him.
