Chapter 1: Nightmares – Monday, December 12th, 2011

Chad walked around the Horton Town Square looking for Will. It was dark out and all the shops were closed. The square was completely empty except for Chad. Chad shivered and wrapped his arms around his body as he called out for Will. On a post, he saw a poster that was very familiar to him. He walked over to it and frowned. "Will, where are you?" He pulled the poster off of the post wishing he could find Will.

Chad looked up again and saw missing posters with Will's face on them. They were now everywhere, and no one seemed to know where he was. The moon lit the posters with a dreary and depressing blue causing Chad to sort of lose his mind. He couldn't take looking at all of them anymore, so Chad ran to his car and drove off into the darkness. He decided to head to the family home to see if Will was there. He wondered if maybe Will got lost in the DiMera mansion.

Coming up on the driveway of the DiMera mansion, Chad parked his car and got out. He noticed that ice covered the pavement directly outside of the front door. That never happened before as his father always made sure Harold or Marco put salt on the ground so no one would slip. Chad tried to make his way to the door, but his feet kept sliding on the ice. He slowly braced himself with every step. Finally, he was able to make it to the door and opened it.

Chad walked into the house carefully as it was completely dark except for a faded light on the side of the stairs. He called out to anyone but did not get a response. He listened closely to the silence and suddenly heard sounds. Chad then realized the sounds were coming from the basement. He knew he had to check it out as the rest of the house seemed completely empty. He wondered if everyone was in the basement looking for Will.

Making his way down the stairs, the noises became louder and clearer. Chad realized that the noise he heard was actually a voice repeating something. Walking down the long metallic hall he realized that the voice kept saying, "Help me get free. I'm stuck." Chad followed the voice to a door that was securely closed. Chad began to pull on it, but it would not budge. The voice began to get louder, and Chad quickly realized it was Will. "Will?" Chad shouted to let Will know he was going to save him.

Chad finally kicked the door in and found Will strapped to an examining bed. "Will, what are you doing down here?" he asked as he made his way to Will to unstrap him.

"I don't know," Will shared. Will's face was rather pale. "I just woke up down here. Help me get free. I'm stuck."

"That's what I'm doing." Chad finally undid the last strap and helped Will off the bed by holding him.

"Thanks," Will told Chad as he pulled himself away from Chad. "Now I can do what I was ordered to do."

Chad stood back and gave Will a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't matter, Chad. You aren't strong enough for the job I was created to do." Will pushed Chad away and began to walk out the door.

Chad followed Will out and realized that something was wrong with Will. He was no longer himself. Chad glanced back in the room and saw monitors all around the examining bed. He wondered if his father did something to Will. Chad ran to catch up with Will. "Will, what did my father do to you?"

Will stopped walking and turned to Chad to respond. "I'm the perfect soldier. The one your father always wanted." Chad stepped back in fear when he saw darkness in Will's eyes.

–(–)

Chad immediately woke up in a sweat in his bedroom at the apartment he shared with Will and Sonny. He wiped his forehead and looked at the clock. It was 2am. He took deep breaths and tried to calm his heart as he reflected on his dream. He thought about how Will had gone missing and quickly turned to the other side of the bed. He sighed in relief as he saw Will sleeping peacefully next to him. Chad laid back down and moved closer to Will. Giving him a kiss on the head, Chad fearfully wondered if his connection to his family would get in the way of his relationship with Will.


Later on that morning, Sonny began to cook breakfast in the kitchen. He turned and saw Chad and Will walking out of their bedroom ready to head out for school. "Morning. You guys ready for the first day of finals?"

Will smiled when he smelled what Sonny was cooking. He placed his hand on Chad making him jump as Will caught him off guard. Will looked at Chad to make sure he was okay before replying to Sonny. "After I eat some of your delicious breakfast, I will. I can't believe I'm almost done with my first semester. Hopefully I will be able to survive finals week. I don't want to get stuck with taking the same classes next semester."

Chad patted Will on the back trying not to think of the nightmare he had before 2am. "You are going to be fine." As he spoke to Will he could not help but think about Will being brainwashed by his father. Chad turned to Sonny as he shook his head to keep the thoughts away. "I wish I could stay and eat, but I want to get to my final early so I can study some more there and not have to move." Chad gave Will a quick peck and then left the apartment.

Will took a seat as Sonny finished cooking. Sonny made two plates and headed over to the table. After Sonny handed one to Will, Will thanked him. "It's too bad Chad is missing this right now," Sonny smiled as he began to eat.

Will took a bite as he thought about Chad. "This is delicious." After Will praised Sonny's breakfast his thoughts returned to Chad. Something was off about him. "Did you notice how Chad seemed a bit off just now?"

Sonny swallowed his food to answer. "Yeah, he seemed a bit jumpy – a bit on edge."

Will sighed. He stood up to grab something to drink. He poured two glasses of orange juice and brought them over. After taking a seat he sat down and watched Sonny. "I've woken up to Chad moaning in his sleep," Will admitted. "I think he's really worried about something. Whatever it is, it's stressing him out."

"He's probably just stressed about finals," Sonny countered as he continued to eat. Sonny put his fork down and gave Will a look. "Have you talked to him about taking the next step in your relationship?"

Will gave Sonny an uneasy look. "Not really. I don't know how to mention it to him. I don't want to push him into it." Will wanted to make love to Chad so bad, but he did not want to guilt trip Chad into it directly. "I've tried to give Chad a hint by playing songs that have to do with making love and having sex, but he's not biting."

Sonny perked up and tried not to laugh. "Wait… what songs have you played to him exactly?"

Will rolled his eyes as he thought of the songs he played for Chad. "Just some songs. You know what I am talking about – sexy songs." Will tried not to let the situation stress him out too much, but, deep down, he was worried that he and Chad had not had sex yet. Biting his lip, Will looked back to Sonny. "Chad will be ready when he's ready. I'm not worried." Will focused on eating again so he would not have to look at Sonny for the rest of the meal.


EJ walked back into the mansion a bit out of breath after his morning jog. He made his way to pour himself a glass of water. Stefano, who sat at the desk, turned to him. "How was the run?"

Before EJ could answer, Sami walked in and gave EJ a kiss on the cheek. EJ smiled while trying to slow his heart beat. "It was productive, I suppose. It's really cold outside."

Sami gave EJ a playful look. "Well, there is such a thing called winter. Winter happens when the air gets colder and precipitation falls from the sky in the form of snow. Snow is that white stuff you see all around outside."

EJ shook his head and began to playfully rub his sweat all over Sami. "How come the precipitation from my body isn't turning into snow?"

Sami laughed and pushed EJ off of her. "Stop, I have to head to the pub to help my grandmother. It's my turn today." Sami wiped her clothes. "And to answer your question, it didn't turn into snow because you are so damn hot."

Stefano rolled his eyes at the two. "Hello. I'm sitting right here, still."

EJ and Sami stopped flirting with each other. As EJ grabbed his glass of water, he turned to his father. "I noticed that the mansion in the next lot has been sold."

Sami was intrigued. "I wonder who moved in. Did you see anyone there when you ran by?"

"No, I did not. Whoever bought the house is probably waiting to move in." EJ took another sip of water.

"Whoever it is, we will find out soon enough." Stefano wondered if he should have Marco look into it.


Jennifer and Daniel sat across from each other in Daniel's office. Jennifer held her coffee cup with both hands as she spoke to Daniel about Abigail. "I cannot wait until she's home again. I bet she has tons of pictures and stories about her study abroad."

Daniel thought about his time out of the US. "It's fun to get out and visit other countries."

"I'm so glad that she's going to be home to settle in before the holidays." Jennifer became more excited. "Speaking of the holidays, JJ is finally coming to Salem for the holidays. His school year ends in the middle of next week." Jennifer noticed that Daniel started looking through his files when she mentioned the holidays. She knew he was still listening though. "Daniel, I really want you and Melanie to join my family at my house for Christmas."

Daniel put his files down and stood up to kiss Jennifer. "I thought you would never ask," he responded lightheartedly.

Jennifer smiled and went in for another kiss but stopped when they heard something fall in the hallway. "What was that?"

Daniel headed towards the door. "I wonder if that's the new doctor I heard was coming in."

"What new doctor? Why wasn't I told about the new doctor?" Jennifer followed Daniel out to the hall.

Daniel looked back at Jennifer. "You didn't get the memo?"

As they both made their way to the hall, they spotted the new doctor. Jennifer was going to respond to Daniel about the memo, but her thoughts went somewhere else when she realized who the new doctor was. "Colin?" she thought to herself. She knew Colin was in town, but she did not expect to see him there. She looked up to Daniel and then her watch. "You know what? I need to head to my office. I forgot I had a meeting now. I will catch up with you later." Jennifer walked away without acknowledging Colin's presence.

Daniel scratched his head and wondered if there was another reason Jennifer walked away like that. Daniel turned back to Colin. "Sorry about that. When she has her mind focused on something, she goes for it." Daniel smiled and put his hand out. "I'm Dr. Daniel Jonas."

Colin stopped picking his things from the floor and shook Daniel's hand. "I'm Dr. Colin Murphy." He had also noticed Jennifer's strange behavior. He knew why she responded that way though. He hoped he could convince her that he was a changed man.

Daniel quickly noticed the accent and then remembered seeing Colin on the island that Rafe took his daughter to. "Oh, I remember you. Do you need help with your stuff?"

Colin smiled. "Sure, I would appreciate that." Daniel grabbed a few things and helped Colin take his things into his office.


As Chad headed to his first final to study, Gabi called out to Chad to stop him from entering the building. "Chad. I know we don't really hang out anymore as a group, but I thought you should know something."

Chad looked at the time and decided he had a minute to spare. He did find it odd that Gabi actually approached him. "Yeah? What is it?"

Gabi lowered her voice so that Chad could only hear her. "Chad, some of the students here have asked me about you and Will."

Chad got nervous. "Really? Who was it? What did you tell them?"

Gabi did not want Chad to know who approached her figuring it would only make him more paranoid. "I didn't tell anyone your secret. I just wanted to give you a heads up that people have asked."

Chad looked back at his watch. "Thanks for letting me know. Good luck on your finals." Chad waved as Gabi walked away. He turned around and headed into the building. Chad tried to clear his thoughts to focus on his final, but he could not help but notice others giving him looks. He thought he took care of this already. As he continued on, his paranoia seemed to get the best of him as he believed everyone now knew that he and Will were together.

Once he arrived in the classroom, he took a seat and pulled out his study guide. He told himself to focus on studying so he could ace his final. He took a few breaths and began to read over his study guide.


Melanie and Nathan arrived at the Brady Pub to grab some coffee before heading to the hospital. Melanie looked the place over and realized they were most likely the first customers of the morning as the pub was empty. She took Nathan's hand as they made their way to the bar to order their drinks.

Sami walked out from the back and greeted them with a smile. "What can I get for you two?"

"I'll just take a coffee with milk," Nathan turned to Melanie and turned back to Sami as she continued, "and she'll take a hot chocolate with whipped cream."

"Is that for here or to go?" Sami asked.

"We'll drink them here and probably take another round to go." Melanie replied.

After collecting the payment, Sami told Nathan and Melanie she would deliver their drinks to their table. Nathan and Melanie thanked Sami and took a seat. Nathan smiled as he watched Melanie take her coat off. Melanie looked up and noticed Nathan smiling at her. "What?" she asked with a nervous smile.

"Can't believe how lucky I am," Nathan said causing Melanie to blush. "So do you know what you and your dad are doing for Christmas?"

Melanie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I know Victor invited us to have Christmas with them when we were at his place for Thanksgiving, but I don't know if dad wants to change it up for Christmas. Why do you ask? What are you doing?"

"Well, family is coming into town for Christmas at Grandpa and Gram's house." Nathan looked into Melanie's eyes as he grabbed her hand. "I know where I hope to see you on Christmas Eve and Christmas day – with my family."

"We'll have to see. I'll ask my dad." Melanie smiled.

Sami finished making Nathan and Melanie's drinks and delivered them. Walking back to the bar, Caroline came out from the back. Sami stopped what she was doing when she saw her grandmother hobbling around. "Grandma, what do you think you're doing? You should be relaxing and taking it easy."

Caroline leaned against the bar for a moment. "I need to walk around some before I go into my appointment today. Do you know who is taking me to the hospital?"

"When Lisa gets in, I'll help you in the kitchen and then take you to your appointment when it is time." Sami put her arm around Caroline. "Do you want to take a seat out here?"

"Yeah, just for a moment." Caroline smiled as Sami helped her to a chair at the bar. "Thanks so much Sami for doing this for me. I know you have a job that you're taking off from to help me, and I really appreciate it." Caroline frowned a bit as she continued, "I'm sorry if I am a burden, but with Kimberly and Kayla gone, it's hard right now. It's a good thing reinforcements are coming this month in time for the holidays."

Sami smiled at her grandmother. "I don't mind at all, but I do feel good about the fact that you're getting a permanent helper soon."


Will and Sonny arrived on campus trying to avoid the icy blocks all around campus. They arrived a bit early to study for their first final and to meet Sonny's boyfriend, Kai. Sonny turned to Will, "Kai said to meet him here. I wonder if he accidentally slept in."

Will shrugged his shoulders just wanting to get his final over with. He turned and spotted Kai walking towards them. "He's right there."

Sonny smiled as he watched Kai walk over. Sonny waved at him as he walked over. "Hey babe!"

Kai arrived. "Hey Sonny!" Kai gave Sonny a longing kiss.

Will watched in amazement. He could not believe how open Sonny and Kai were with their relationship. They did not care if anyone saw them making out in the middle of school. "Hey Kai," Will said to interrupt their moment so they could study in the library.

Kai pushed himself off of Sonny. "Oh, hey Will. It's good to see you. Where's Chad?"

"He's already taking his first final. Shall we head to the library now?" Will wanted to get the show on the road.

"Yeah, it's cold out here." Sonny took Kai's hand after giving him a peck on the lips. "To the library!"

Will watched Sonny and Kai as they headed to the library. He could not help feeling jealous because of how comfortable they were with each other. He did not understand how fast Kai got used to being gay considering Sonny was his first boyfriend. Will wished that Chad felt comfortable like Kai did.