November 16, 2015

"Dad, it's fine," Will said as he balanced his phone between his shoulder and ear. "You have to work. I get it."

"I tried to get back to town, I did," Lucas Horton, Will's father, promised from a hotel in Chicago. "You know I wouldn't miss your birthday for anything."

"Yeah, I know. Like I keep telling you, it's fine," Will said as he slipped on his jacket and grabbed his keys and wallet. "But I gotta go pick up Ari."

"You're sure you're alright, right?" Lucas stressed. "Because I know that things are kind of rough for you right now and-,"

"Trust me," Will interrupted. "I'm just fine. Ari and I are gonna get dinner at the pub and have a slumber party."

"That doesn't sound like much of a birthday," Lucas responded.

"It makes Ari happy," Will defended. "That's all I need, time with my daughter."

"If you say so," Lucas said not convinced in the slightest. "I'll be home in a few days and we'll do something, okay?"

"Sure," Will said. "Have a good rest of your trip."

"I will," Lucas replied. "Happy birthday, buddy."

"Thanks," Will said as he hung up.

Will didn't know why his dad was making such a fuss. It was just a day. Or, at least, that's what Will told himself when it seemed no one else remembered.

It's not like 22 is that big of a deal anyway, Will thought as he headed in the direction of Ari's preschool.

Will and Ari walked into the Brady Pub with their hands swinging together. Will wore Ari's My Little Pony backpack over his shoulders. He was rather curious why it seemed heavier than when he packed it that morning.

"Did you have a good time at school?" Will asked Ari as he searched for a free table. He grabbed a booster seat and lead them to an open booth.

"Uh huh," Ari nodded, blonde pigtails swinging as she tried to take off her jacket by herself.

"What did you do?" Will questioned, pulling off the jacket caught on Ari's sleeves. He lifted her onto her seat, buckling her into the booster seat so she couldn't escape.

"Play!" Ari cheered, squirming around so much Will almost couldn't snap her in place.

"You only played, huh?" Will looked down at Ari's hands covered in marker. "Then what's that?"

"Surprise," Ari shouted before lowering her voice and saying, "Shh!"

"Oh, okay," Will smiled as he sat down next to her. He unzipped the front pocket of her backpack to get a few toys. "What do you want for dinner? A sandwich?"

Ari shook her head back and forth, making grabby hands for the toys.

"No? Okay, how about a cheeseburger?" Will suggested, holding the toys just out of reach until she answered.

"Nu-uh," Ari responded, sticking out her tongue and making a face. "No."

"Macaroni and cheese?" Will tried.

"No 'roni cheese," Ari said. "Can't like."

"Yes, you can," Will argued before leaning his head in real close to Ari's. "I know what you want. You want chicken nuggets."

"Yes!" Ari yelled, big doe eyes gleaming. "Yes!"

"Gee, how did I know you were going to pick that?" Will mused, placing the toys in front of Ari.

Too busy playing, Ari ignored Will.

A waitress walked over to their table, asking, "Are you Will Horton?"

"Uh," Will narrowed his eyes, "Yeah."

"Oh, good," the waitress smiled. "I was afraid I missed you. Anyway, your dinner is almost ready."

"I didn't order anything yet," Will pointed out.

"Someone phoned it in," the waitress informed him. Without waiting for Will to say anything, the waitress took off.

"That's weird," Will said out loud. "Wonder who did that."

The waitress returned with a Coke for Will and an apple juice for Ari before Will could even order them.

"Now, that's just freaky," Will commented. Before the waitress could leave again, Will asked, "So, who ordered all this?"

"I'm not sure," the waitress paused half-way through turning away. "I didn't answer the phone. But I did hear she was loud and pushy. Sorry, that doesn't answer your question, does it?"

"Oh, no," Will smiled at her as he opened a straw to shove in Ari's juice. "That explains everything."

Once the waitress left and Will gave Ari her drink, he said, "We'll have to call Grammy later and thank her."

Will ate everything Sami ordered him. He was impressed his mother knew him better than he thought. Sami ordered Will a smorgasbord of his favorite foods. Everything from cheeseburger sliders to several different kinds of garlic bread and everything between. Will didn't even think the pub offered most of the items. He had to wonder just what kind of strings his mother pulled to get him all this.

As Will polished off a few ribs and Ari devoured her French fries, Will heard the door to the pub opening. He smiled when he saw his grandma, Marlena Evans, and her on-again-off-again partner, John Black, walk inside. His smile drooped when he noticed Paul trailing after them.

For a brief moment there, Will thought his grandma came to join him and Ari. That she remembered today was his birthday. But, as he watched her search for a table with John and Paul, Will realized that wasn't the case.

Keeping his head downturned, Will hoped to get through the rest of dinner without them seeing him. Will forgot that he seldom got what he wanted when Marlena turned her head and spotted Will and Ari. With a deep sigh, Will put on a brave face when all three headed in their direction.

Will wiped his face with a napkin. He didn't need any of them seeing him with barbeque sauce all over his face.

"Will," Marlena greeted with a smile. "Hi, Ari," Marlena wiggled her fingers in Ari's direction before turning to Will again. "I haven't seen you in person in quite a while. As much fun as our word games are, it is nice to see your face."

Will did his best to look at his grandma and his grandma only. Out of the corner of his eye, Will could see John frowning at him and Paul staring.

"Yeah, well," Will thought of what to say, "I've been busy."

"Work?" Marlena wondered with a curious expression.

"Something like that," Will mumbled even though it was a lie. He hadn't worked on an assignment in several weeks.

"I see," Marlena said. She looked at the hodgepodge collection of food on the table. "That's some meal you're having. What's the occasion?"

Will's eyes darted to Marlena's face and he froze for a moment. Swallowing down his hurt, Will said, "Nothing important. Just felt like having something different."

Marlena nodded. "Well, it was nice seeing you, sweetheart. You and Ari should come by and visit me sometime. We could have lunch tomorrow."

"Ari started preschool," Will said. He was certain he already told Marlena that as well. In fact, Marlena was the one to suggest he enroll her. "So, she can't go to lunch."

"Oh," Marlena's face scrunched together for a moment before saying, "Well, this weekend then, dinner just the three of us."

"Maybe," Will avoided giving her a direct answer.

"If nothing else I'll see you on Thanksgiving, won't I?" Marlena grinned. She placed a hand on John's arm and rubbed up and down. "We're having a little get-together. We'd love for you to come."

Will got the feeling the only thing John would love for him to do was disappear off the face of the earth. Will always considered John an important person in his life but now the feeling wasn't mutual. Or, at least, it wasn't in the face of John's picture perfect son.

There was no way in hell Will was spending his holiday with Paul even if he didn't have plans.

"We're spending Thanksgiving with Mom and the kids," Will informed Marlena with a strained smile. "But thanks for the offer."

"Oh," Marlena frowned. "I didn't know that. Your mother didn't mention anything to me."

"She didn't? Well, I guess you know now," Will said in what he hoped was a polite tone.

John cleared his throat, gaining Marlena's attention. "Yes, well, we'll leave you to finish your meal. Call me. I think we need to catch up."

"Right," Will nodded. He would say anything to get them to leave faster. "Sure. Bye."

Will breathed a sigh of relief when they moved to a table on the other side of the pub. He had no intention of catching up with his grandma. The last few times he tried to talk with her, talk the way they did years before, did not go well.

Why would I want to catch up with someone that thinks I'm a slut? Will snorted to himself, shaking his head. Especially when she spends more time with Paul now than me.

"Grandma didn't even remember my birthday," Will whispered. He turned to face Ari. An abrupt laugh bubbled out of him. While he wasn't looking, Ari managed to get her face covered in ketchup. "Oh, baby girl, what am I gonna do with you?"

Ari, unconcerned with her appearance, gave Will a toothy grin. Will got to work on cleaning up her face and hands with a series of wet wipes. He got the majority of it off. The rest would have to wait until bath time.

"Daddy," Ari tugged on the sleeve of Will's shirt. "I has surprise."

"You do?" Will said. "What is it?"

"Surprise," Ari tilted her head and gave Will a judgmental look.

"Oh, of course, my mistake," Will chuckled. "Is the surprise for me?"

"Uh huh," Ari nodded. "I make!"

"Ooooh," Will responded. "Where is it?"

Ari pointed to her backpack, smacking her hands on the table in excitement.

"In here?" Will unzipped the bag, making a big show of reacting to everything. "Is this a card for me?"

Ari nodded, hair flying again. "I make!"

Will smiled at the handmade card. He would have to thank the preschool workers tomorrow for helping Ari. The top of the card said Happy Birthday, Daddy! The bottom featured scribbles in various color markers which explained the state of Ari's hands.

"Wow," Will said. He pulled Ari into a big hug. "I love it!"

"More!" Ari shouted, getting loud in her excitement.

"More, for me? You're spoiling me," Will insisted. He pulled out a macaroni bracelet and a construction paper birthday crown. "These are the best presents ever," Will told Ari as he put on his bracelet and crown. The bracelet was a perfect fit while the crown kept slipping to cover his eyes. "How do I look?"

Ari giggled and giggled as Will posed in various positions for her entertainment.

"Wait," Will held up his hand. He pushed his hips off the booth to fish his phone out of his pocket. "We need a picture."

Will pushed his face real close to Ari's and held out his camera. "What do you think?" Will showed Ari the picture.

"No, need stuff," Ari pouted at Will.

Knowing what she meant, Will opened his Snapchat app. The two laughed as Will let Ari pick filters until she found one she liked.

"That one's too cute," Will decided as he looked at Ari's face with a puppy dog nose and ears.

"Yes," Ari agreed with a decisive nod.

The waitress came over with a giant cupcake and a birthday candle in the middle. It was Will's favorite, red velvet.

Will ducked low in his seat when the rest of the wait staff crowded around the table to sing to him.

"Don't worry about the bill or the tip," the waitress said after the song finished, smiling at Will's red cheeks. "It's all taken care of. Oh and don't forget to make a wish."

Will looked at the candle dripping blue wax toward the frosting on his cupcake. He didn't much believe in wishes at this point. He doubted he would get what he wanted anyway. But, it didn't hurt to try.

Closing his eyes, Will thought, I want to be happy again, please, and blew out his candle.

"Let's eat," Will peeled the lining off the cupcake and shared with Ari. The cupcake was so large the two of them almost couldn't eat it all.

Will took another picture of him and Ari both covered in red cupcake crumbs. He made a quick job of wiping them off before getting ready to go.

As they walked outside, Ari clinging to Will's hand, Will ignored the shocked look on Marlena's face when she caught sight of Will's birthday crown and realized the song had been for him.

Will let Ari play at the park until the sun went down as he talked on the phone. Hearing Johnny, Allie, and Sydney wish him a happy birthday almost erased the pain of their grandmother forgetting about him, almost.

After talking with Sami for a time, Will called Ari over. It was getting dark and they needed to go home.

Will and Ari stopped by the mailbox before heading inside their apartment. Will ignored the stabbing pains in his chest seeing the name Jackson Kiriakis on a few bills. Tossing those aside, Will didn't want to worry about those tonight. Will smiled when he opened a birthday card from Austin and Carrie. At the end of the stack of mail was a small package.

"What do you think this is?" Will asked Ari as he rummaged through a drawer for scissors to slice through the plastic tape on top.

"Dunno," Ari said as she played with her toys on the floor unconcerned.

"Me either," Will said as he opened the package. Inside, Will found a small plastic bag with a necklace inside of it. As he unraveled it, Will mumbled, "What in the world?"

For one brief, wild moment Will thought the present was from Sonny. Thought his husband remembered his existence. Thought everything was going to be okay, and his birthday wish came true.

Will recognized the necklace right away. Recognized it from the book it came from and from a tattoo he admired months ago. Dark black ink on brown skin showed after a long discussion deep into the night.

No, Sonny wouldn't send him this. There was only one person that knew what the necklace symbolized to Will. It wasn't anyone Will wanted to see again.

"Oooh," Ari popped up beside Will. "Pretty!"

Before Will could stop her, Ari grabbed the necklace from Will's hand. She threw it over her own neck and smiled up at Will with squinty eyes.

"Beautiful," Will said in a weak voice.

"I keep?" Ari questioned, rubbing one of her toes into the carpet on the floor.

"Yeah, it's all yours," Will assured her.

"Yay," Ari jogged back to her toys, necklace flopping against her stomach from how long it was.

Will sat down on the couch and looked at the necklace hanging off Ari. It featured a straight line, a circle through the middle of it with a triangle surrounding them both. The symbol of the deathly hallows from the Harry Potter series.

For the life of him, Will couldn't figure out how he remembered Will's birthday but most of his family forgot.

Knock Knock

Will glanced at the time on their cable box and frowned. He wasn't sure who would stop by for a visit at this hour. Refusing to get his hopes up again, Will looked through the peephole in his door. Outside the door were three men, two in police uniforms and one in a suit.

Will opened the door with a frown. "Can I help you, officers?"

Will didn't recognize any of them and he was quite familiar with the Salem police department. Now that he was closer, Will realized the uniforms and badges weren't from the Salem PD at all.

"You're Will Horton?" asked the only man in plainclothes. He was tall and wide with dark skin and eyes.

"Yes," Will looked at the man with a strange expression on his face.

"I'm Detective Balewa," the man said sticking out his hand. "I'm with the Fairfield police department."

Will lifted his eyebrows as he shook his hand. Fairfield was a city about an hour northeast of Salem.

"Bit out of your jurisdiction, boys," Will commented, leaning against the doorjamb.

"Yes," Balewa agreed. "We talked to your grandfather, I believe, Roman Brady?" seeing Will nod, he added, "He gave us your address, said you would talk with us."

"About what?" Will asked, annoyed his grandfather didn't give him a heads up. "Because I've never been to Fairfield."

"No, we didn't think so," Balewa acknowledged. "Is it alright if we come inside?"

"Oh, right," Will stepped aside to let them enter. "Um, Ari, baby," Will got her attention. He bent down in front of her. "Daddy is gonna talk to these men. How about you play with my phone in your room?"

Will took his phone out of his pocket and enabled the kid mode. Ari, too excited to play with her apps, skipped out of the room, phone held in her hand like a prized possession.

"She's cute," Balewa told Will.

"Thanks," Will stood up and gestured to the sofa. "Um, why don't you all sit?"

"Pardon me, these are Officers Ramirez and Washington," Balewa indicated the men with him.

"Nice to meet you," Will nodded his head at them. He rubbed his hands up and down his thighs, sitting on the edge of the TV stand. "So, what is this about? I'm not sure how I can be of any help."

"Well, you see," Balewa pressed his fingertips together. "Fairfield is small. Our population is less than 6,000. We don't have many crimes to solve. Occasional burglary, vandalism, teenagers running amok on holidays, nothing serious."

"Okay," Will said not sure where this was going.

"At least, nothing serious until now," Officer Ramirez amended.

"Now?" Will repeated.

"We've had a series of murders," Balewa admitted.

"What does this have to do with me?" Will wondered, afraid they were accusing him of something. "I told you I've never been to Fairfield before."

"It has to do with you because we found these on all three bodies," Officer Washington pulled three evidence bags out of his coat pocket. "The first time, we didn't think anything of it. When it happened at all three murders, it couldn't be a coincidence."

Will took the evidence bags, looking them over. Each bag contained a Sonix Magazine opened to a different article of Will's.

"We didn't know it was murder in the beginning," Balewa told Will. "They all looked like single car accidents. The autopsies told a different story."

"Lethal overdoses," Ramirez said. "All of them."

"Well, then how do you know it was murder?" Will questioned with a raised brow. "What if they took the drugs and got behind the wheel?"

"Because the medical examiner discovered they were dead for at least a few hours before the accidents occurred," Balewa said.

Will's lips formed a circle as a quiet, "Oh," escaped his mouth.

"We do have drugs in Fairfield," Washington said. "Problems with pot and prescription drugs but not this one." At Will's curious look, Washington explained, "Ketamine."

"So much ketamine," Balewa added, "That it would have brought down an elephant in about ten seconds. None of those men could afford that much of any drug nor would they take it unless under duress."

"So, someone pumped them full of drugs and staged a car crash?" Will tried to work it all out in his head.

"Yes," Balewa nodded.

"And the articles?" Will asked.

"We're not sure yet," Balewa sighed. "Other than it has to mean something."

"Do you have any idea who's behind this?" Will questioned, disturbed that his writing was connected to this.

"All we know for sure," Washington said, "Is where the victims were before they died."

"Which is where?" Will didn't like the looks the three men were giving him.

"Well," Balewa shifted in his seat. "That's another reason we were keen to talk to you. See, our police department is small just like our town. We have resources, technology and such. But we don't have anyone, um, comfortable enough for this."

"Comfortable?" Will's eyes narrowed.

"The last known location for all the victims, all three male victims, was a club on the edge of town," Balewa told Will. "A gay club."

"Um," Wil paused for a moment, "The victims were all gay?"

"No," Balewa said surprising Will. "Not as far as we can tell. We don't have any idea why they'd have been at the club at all. All the men appear straight. We thought maybe it was a closeted situation. We dug into their backgrounds but there isn't anything to suggest they were gay, bisexual, pansexual, anything."

Will blinked a few times thinking it over. "You came to me because none of your officers are comfortable going to a gay club?"

"Well," Balewa said looking down at his feet for a moment. "Yes and no. I don't believe anyone on my force, male or female, would fare well in the club, nosing around. For one, they aren't going to blend in since everyone knows everyone in Fairfield. Besides, I wouldn't want to cause any political unrest sending in officers to the only gay club in town. We've kept quiet the fact that each man was at the club before they died. We don't want things getting blown out of proportion before we know what we're dealing with."

"Not to mention," Washington interjected, "The owner isn't a big fan of ours. There were a lot of incidents when he opened the club. Protests and things like that. He blames us for not stopping it soon enough. If we go near his club, things will get ugly."

"What do you need me for?" Will shook his head. "I'm not a police officer. What am I supposed to do?"

"We," Balewa indicated his officers before putting a hand on his chest, "I was hoping you could visit the club and just look around."

"Look around?" Will repeated with wide eyes. "At a club where men die and their dead bodies are found with my writing? You want me to go there?"

"It's a lot to ask," Balewa acknowledged. "We're not sure if it'll be dangerous or not. We don't know what business the men had at the club."

"We're not even sure if they went inside or if they met someone there and left right away. Or if this is political and someone wants to have the police come down on the club because of who it caters to. Or if it's the other way around and it is someone from the club," Washington said. "We're just trying to get as much information as we can without setting the town on edge."

"We'd take all precautions, of course. Send you in with some surveillance equipment," Balewa said as well. "Make sure that you're safe."

"And you couldn't ask a police officer that's gay and knows what they're doing?" Will offered.

"You know what to do," Washington said. "We talked to your grandfather, remember."

"Not to mention," Ramirez added, "The benefits of something like this to your career."

"My career?" Will asked.

"Think about it," Ramirez said with a shrug. "You do a little undercover journalism work with the backing of the police department. Help solve a few murders. Murders connected to your writing. Sounds like quite the story."

"Just think about it," Balewa suggested. "You'd be well compensated, well protected. And you'd have the support of the whole Fairfield police department."

Will stared at them for a few moments. "Did you tell my grandfather this plan of yours?"

"Ah," Balewa gave Will a sheepish smile. "No, and we'd rather he didn't find out. He's got his hands tied cleaning up the mess Salem's latest killer left behind. We wouldn't bother you if it wasn't so important, though."

"And if I say no?" Will questioned.

"Then we'd figure something out," Balewa said as he stood up. "Here's my card. Give it a few days to think over. But I'll need an answer as soon as possible. We'd rather get this under control before we find another body."

Ramirez and Washington stood up as well and walked to the door.

"It was nice meeting you, Will Horton," Balewa stated. "I hope to see you again soon. Sorry for disturbing you so late."

Will walked the men to the door. Once they left, Will leaned against the door and sighed, mind reeling.

Ari, rushing out of her room with the phone outstretched, pouted up at Will. She drained the battery.

"Fix," Ari requested, lower lip sticking out.

"Sorry, baby girl," Will took the phone. "It's time for Daddy's phone to go to sleep."

"Nooo," Ari whined. "No sleep."

"It's time for you to get into bed too," Will realized, checking the time. "Way past bedtime."

Will gave Ari a quick bath before getting her in her pajamas.

"Since it's a special day," Will told Ari, "How about we have a slumber party?"

"Party?" Ari repeated with a bright smile. "I like party."

"Me too," Will heaved Ari into his arms. He ran through the apartment making airplane noises before plopping Ari on his bed. "Alright, little miss. It's time for our party to start."

Will changed into his pajamas before helping Ari brush her teeth. Once they were both ready for bed, Will peeled back the covers for Ari to slide inside.

"Today was a weird birthday," Will said as Ari snuggled up against him.

"My daddy's birthday," Ari said in a knowledgeable tone, clutching him nice and tight.

"Yep," Will nodded. "Now, let's read a story and get to bed."

It only took a few minutes for Ari to fall fast asleep against Will's chest. Will closed the storybook he read and tossed it over the edge of the bed where it made a dull thump against the carpet. It was late for Ari's bedtime but still early for Will.

As he often did while in bed, Will wondered what Sonny was doing. If he was fast asleep or if he was out enjoying the Parisian nightlife. If Sonny looked at the date and felt a niggling in the back of his mind that today meant something, anything. If Sonny forgot or ignored it on purpose.

Will wasn't sure which scenario would be worse.

Trying to put Sonny out of his mind, Will thought back to the gift he received, the necklace. There was no card or note but Will knew who it had to be from. He just didn't know why. Why now? And why the secrecy? Was it because the movie ended and he thought Will might talk to him now?

It didn't make sense just like the strange visit from the policemen. The fact that they thought Will, of all people, could help them, left Will reeling. In a way, Will supposed he could understand. Their town wasn't like Salem. Crimes were rare. Now they're faced with three murders connected to a gay club and Will's writing.

The more he thought about it, the more intrigued Will became. Who was behind the murders? Why did the victims all have an article of Will's on their person? Did the victims own the magazine or were they planted?

As he drifted off to sleep, Will contemplated everything he could write about. Three mysterious policemen coming to his house on his birthday. Going undercover, helping apprehend a murderer. The officers were right. It could do wonders for his career.

Author's Note:

Look, something resembling a plot.

Thanks to everyone that reviewed, followed, favorited, and/or read. I appreciate it so much.