Will spent his time at work Friday with an eye on the door. Half-convinced another blast from his past would waltz inside.

The night before ended with Sami and Lucas hurrying out of his apartment, heads bent together. All because Will joked Paul might have something to do with his disappearance.

Will was kidding.

(Again, Paul was too boring to do anything interesting, besides Will.)

The situation was a mess even before his death and subsequent return. And yeah, Paul couldn't have been a saint but Will doubted the guy would cover up a not-quite-murder. Digging up a grave was one thing.

(one creepy, creepy thing)

But keeping someone from his family, from his daughter, was another.

Then again, everything seemed a bit too convenient for Paul to be innocent in everything. Seducing and lying were different than making everyone believe Will was dead, though.

(according to Salem, though, infidelity while gay was the number one crime. Fuck them for ostracizing and slut-shaming him.)

Then again, Paul had been in Salem for a while.

He could have caught the stupid.

Either way, Will was quite relieved when his shift ended and nothing out of the ordinary happened. His head hurt and his whole body ached with exhaustion.

Will hadn't slept well ever since this whole past business came to light.

(100% convinced he's allergic to Salem)

Nothing made sense in Will's life anymore. As much as he wanted to walk away and shut everyone out, he couldn't. Ignore, offend, or even insult, sure. But not walk away.

(daughter daughter daughter daughter daughter)


Will wanted a relaxing weekend. He had planned to drive up to Nashville with some friends. Catch a Predators game, rent a hotel, and make a weekend of it. Instead, he offered his ticket to someone else.

He wouldn't enjoy the game anyway, not when there was too much to figure out.

(did explain why in the playoffs he felt honor bound to support the Blackhawks over the Preds.)

Instead, Will opted to spend his Friday night at home binge-watching TV. Xavier agreed.

(agreed or helpless to Will's puppy eyes and borderline bullying, whatever.)

The two lounged on Will's couch sharing a pizza and watching a marathon of the show Tanked.

Will had an obsession. He didn't care if it was scripted or showed overindulgence at its finest. Will loved those damn fish tanks.

(And he had a crush on Wayde. What of it?)

They watched a rerun where Acrylic Tank Manufacturing created something for the San Francisco Giants. The whole thing struck a chord in Will. It took the entire episode to realize why.

"Oooooh yeah," Will said when the show mentioned former Giants players. "Paul played baseball. That's what that stupid article I wrote was about."

Xavier looked up from playing a game on his phone.

"Huh, why the hell would a famous ballplayer go to Salem of all places?"

(Will gave Xavier the cliffnotes version of what Sami and Lucas explained.)

"Seems suspicious. He could afford the best doctors in the world but he chose to go to Salem. A place that happened to have his ex-boyfriend. His married ex-boyfriend."

"Where married ex-boyfriend's husband wrote an article on the guy. Something's not right there. It took you and me two seconds to see if you're married online. But he didn't know?"

(Will still didn't believe he was married even if the internet had the pictures to prove it.)

"You're right. He came to the same town as his ex-boyfriend. Met the new husband. Slept with the new husband. Then went out of his way to get the ex-boyfriend back."

"Didn't Sami mention something about his dad, too?"

Will snapped his fingers, eyes wide and crazy once more.

"Yes, something's rotten in the state of Denmark."

"You can't remember your past but you remember Shakespeare?"

Will wrinkled his nose, head tilted.

"Shakespeare? I heard it on The Golden Girls last night."

"You gotta stop watching that before bed."

"Either way, this whole story is a bunch of bullshit. Hell, Sami and Lucas might be right after all."

"Right about what?"

"I made a joke last night about Paul sending me here to get me out of the way. When you put it all together it's plausible."

"Rich stalker using your almost death to make a move on your husband? Goes along with every other batshit crazy thing we've learned. You gonna tell Sami and Lucas or what?"

Will shrugged, grabbing another slice of pizza.

"It's not like we know anything. Besides, I get the feeling they'll go overboard with anything I tell them."

"Understatement."

The two turned back to the television show. They watched a new celebrity request a ridiculous fish tank for their ridiculous mansion.

"I could do some digging," Xavier suggested. "Look into your paperwork at Cobalt. There's a whole process to it. Someone has to refer you, the hospital board has to approve it. I could see who got the ball rolling."

"You'd do that?"

"I look at charts all the time. Wouldn't take much to peak at yours."

"With everything else going on, I never did think about how I got to Cobalt. Or who paid for it."

Xavier turned to face Will on the couch.

"What do you mean? I thought they were sending you bills."

"Nope. I haven't gotten anything. I assumed someone signed me up for insurance or something."

"Yeah, it doesn't work that way."

"Well, what the hell? My life was a whole less complicated a few days ago. Can't even enjoy my favorite show without worrying about this crap."

Xavier threw an arm around Will, pulling him close.

"Nothing we can do until my next shift, Papi. Let's try to forget everything else and you focus on your schoolboy crush."

Will leaned his head on Xavier's shoulder.

"You know you could never compete with a married middle-aged white guy."

"The brown guy's never gonna come out on top."


Saturday found Will at home alone. Xavier picked up an extra shift at the hospital for the sole purpose of digging in Will's files.

First, Will tidied up the small apartment. Not much to do there other then take out the trash, vacuum, and start laundry.

(he didn't cook so his dishwasher collected dust.)

He wrote out a grocery list.

(fruit, bread, milk, and condoms)

He tried watching TV but despite the hundreds of channels, there wasn't anything to watch.

With a sigh, Will threw the remote on the couch and trudged into his bedroom. A few weeks ago, while walking home from work, Will stopped at a garage sale. He was the proud owner of a used electric keyboard.

(haggled that shit down to $7, thank you)

Will didn't know he could play until he saw the thing. It was automatic. Nothing but muscle memory. He forgot to ask Sami or Lucas who taught him to play.

(then again, they weren't the type of parents to give him lessons, were they?)

Playing distracted Will from his screwed up existence.

Will dragged the thing out from under the bed. He set it up in the living room so he could sit on the couch.

He didn't recognize the song he played. It was light and up-tempo with a classical feel.

(imagined an ornate room with a baby grand. Disappearing into his own head for hours, letting the music guide him from the perpetual crazy.)

Will didn't hear anyone knocking on his front door, too distracted with his playing. He left the door unlocked, though.

Xavier tossed a laptop bag over the back of the couch. It smacked into Will but didn't disturb his playing.

"What are you playing?"

Will's foot pressed down on an invisible foot pedal.

"I don't know. My fingers are doing their own thing."

Xavier kissed the top of Will's head before checking his phone.

Will turned to look him up and down. He was wearing Will's favorite pair of scrubs.

(navy blue, contrasting with his dark skin and hair. Oh the hours of fun they had whenever Xavier wore those when Will was in the hospital.)

Will continued to play as he appraised Xavier.

(dark hair, dark eyes, Will sensed a trend.)

"Hey, Xaviey-bo-vaviey," Will sing-songed.

Xavier kept his eyes on his phone.

"Don't call me that."

"Between you, the guys I've dated here, my husband, and Paul, the patron saint of hypocrites,"

(Xavier snorted so hard he choked.)

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say I have a type."

"Now that you mention it," Xavier said between coughs.

"I wonder if my baby mama fits those requirements. I still don't understand how I fathered a child."

"Let's find out. What was her name again?"

Will made a face, eyes narrowed.

"Something Hernandez."

"Real helpful."

Xavier navigated an online Salem directory

(who was dumb enough to list all their information online nowadays? The residents of Salem, that's who.)

Xavier dangled his phone in front of Will's face.

"Gabriella, aka Gabi, aka your baby mama."

Will looked at the picture for a long, long time.

"Why is she wearing more makeup than Sasha Velour?"

Xavier cackled.

"Come on, that's an insult to queens everywhere."

Will switched to a new song.

"Anyway, did you find anything out at work?"

Xavier grabbed his laptop bag and unzipped.

"I didn't have time to dig. But I did save your file. Let's hope no one's keeping an eye on it. I like my job."

Will scooted closer, the two pressed against one another as Xavier opened up Will's file on the laptop.

They scrolled through charts and various x-rays, notes from Will's many therapists.

(trust issues, my ass)

After digging, they found the original transfer and admittance papers.

Xavier pulled the laptop closer, squinting.

"Weird."

"What?" Will wondered. He didn't understand any of the medical mumbo-jumbo.

"The board let you in but they didn't have a meeting. There's always a meeting. There isn't much space in the hospital. Enough room for 30 patients. They weigh the costs and rewards for each patient referred. It's pretty messed up but they only take the ones they think can benefit from the treatment. No offense, but you were a terrible candidate."

Will moved his face closer to the laptop too.

(he knew what he was looking at, shut up.)

"Why?"

"You were in a coma for months. You were close to dying. It's a miracle you don't have any lasting injuries. I do wonder about brain damage sometimes. But, if you were older, they wouldn't even look at your referral."

"First of all, fuck you. Second of all, why did the hospital let me in?"

"You don't have insurance, not even with state assistance. Not a single mention of it anywhere. Nothing to do with billing either which never happens. Considering how long you stayed, I don't even know what to make of this."

"Someone's paying for it."

"Hate to say it but that theory about someone keeping you there is looking good. You didn't check yourself into the hospital."

Will chewed the side of his cheek.

"Doesn't mean it's Paul, though."

"Someone with enough money to sway a hospital board and pay off your stay. From what you said, could be a lot of people in Salem."

"Someone with money and a grudge against me or my family. Narrows it down a whole lot."

Will groaned, loud and overdramatic. He flopped across Xavier's lap, pushing the computer aside.

(threw in a few leg kicks because he was an adult and could do what he wanted, dammit.)

Xavier ran his fingers through Will's short, blond hair.

"You're alive. Don't know how or why but you are. Everything else is nothing but details."

Will jutted out his lower lip, batting his lashes.

"Devil's in the details. Tell me it's all gonna be okay."

"It's gonna be okay."

"Tell me all the crazy will go away."

"The crazy will go away."

"Now, tell me I'm pretty," Will deadpanned.

Xavier cooed while pinching one of Will's cheeks.

"Que bonito. Now, budge up, you giant dork."

("I'm in love with a dweeb.")


Will played his keyboard while Xavier fixed something to eat. Will wasn't trusted in the kitchen at all. Xavier was only a little bit better. He'd put his mom on speakerphone and follow her instructions.

(in rapid-fire Spanish. Every now and again Xavier would give Will lessons.)

Hearing Xavier's low rumble always got Will hot and bothered, though.

(Lessons derailed at a rapid-fire pace too.)

Will kept his hands to himself through Xavier's call and dinner. But as soon as the dishes were washed and the two were on the couch, Will pounced.

Hands wandered, legs tangled, shirts rucked up, bite marks lined Will's abs.

Perfect opportunity for someone unwanted to knock at the door.

"Ugh," Will complained, head thrown back. "Ignore it."

Xavier did.

Will lifted his hips, helping Xavier yank down his pants.

The knocking continued.

"Go away," Will yelled over the couch in the door's direction.

Muffled voices responded.

"Don't care, busy," Will shouted, down to his boxers.

"Open the door."

No response but muffled groans and the smacking sound of lips on skin.

"Will. Will. Will. Will. Will. Will. Will. Will. Will. Will. Will."

"Oh my God," Will pushed Xavier away.

Will yanked the door open with a grunt.

"No," Will said, trying to slam the door in Sami's face.

He wasn't fast enough.

Sami barged her way inside, Lucas at her heels.

"Oh, by all means, come inside," Will rolled his eyes.

"You gonna put some clothes on?" Sami wondered, looking Will up and down.

"No," Will said before finding his discarded pants.

(pout pout pout pout pout)

"Sami, Lucas," Xavier nodded to them both, discretely placing a pillow on his lap.

"Sorry to interrupt your mauling my son," Sami huffed.

"You're forgiven," Xavier said earning a glare from Lucas.

"Are you in love with my son?" Lucas demanded, eyes narrowed, clutching a different colored AA chip.

(good for him.)

"Uh," Xavier looked at Will out of the corner of his eye.

Will yanked his pants up. Kept his shirt off in protest.

"Oh for fuck's sake. You don't get to ask him that."

"Why not? You're my boy. He's the man in your life. You might not remember what happened in your past but I do."

"Yeah, no, I'm a grown man. I don't have to love every guy I go out with, by the way. Hence the whole dating thing."

"I like Will plenty," Xavier said. "If that's what you're asking."

"He's not because he doesn't need to know. Now, what are you even doing here?"

"Well, excuse us for wanting to spend time with the son we haven't seen in over two years," Sami said.

"If you're trying to guilt me into taking a trip to crazy town-"

"I'm not. In fact, if it was up to me, you'd never set foot in Salem again."

Will stopped short, eyes on Sami.

"What?"

"I have no intention of sending you back there. I want you as far from Salem and its useless residents as possible."

Will flopped onto the couch, arms crossed.

(hiding a steady trail of bite marks along his obliques.)

"I don't care if you ever get your memories back. I don't care if you never remember me. Hell, it's probably better that way. This is a fresh start for us, Will, for you. We don't need the past. We can make new memories. I want you in my life. I need you in my life. Johnny, Allie, and Sydney need you. And you don't need Salem to make that happen."

"But…?" Will asked after a few moments of thinking.

Sami sighed, sitting on the edge of a recliner.

"But, Salem is a stopover. There's something you need to get before moving on with your life."

Lucas put his hand on Sami's shoulder, standing next to her.

"Your daughter. She's the only thing Salem has to offer. You need to get her back where she belongs, with you."


A/N:

thanks for reading and please review.