Will eased onto a couch hyper aware of everyone in the room. Leon Aker stood behind him with his arms crossed blocking Will's only path out of the room. Keith Frick, petulant look on his face, sat in an armchair across from Will. All while Amal Paracha threw mutinous glares at Frick beside Will.

As Will sat down, he could feel the drugs working through him. A preternatural relaxation enveloping him; Will tightened his hold on Ari in alarm.

"You idiot!" Amal shouted over the small crackle and pops of the fireplace. "Don't you ever think?"

"Yes, woman," Frick sneered. "I know how to think."

Amal's eyes snapped to Frick's face so fast Will thought she must have gotten a crick in her neck. "What did you just call me?"

As Amal stood up and took a step towards Frick, the man shifted in his seat. Will didn't blame him. He wouldn't want Amal's black eyes blazing at him either.

"I know what I'm doing," Frick insisted, ignoring her question. "It's the only way. He knows too much," Frick pointed at Will.

"Knows too much?" Amal repeated with a grim look on her face. "You kidnapped that poor boy and his daughter because he knows too much. Look at him! Look at her! What the hell are you even thinking?"

Frick gave Amal a withering glare and glanced at Aker out of the corner of his eye.

"Relying on your muscle to do your dirty work?" Amal sneered. "Why doesn't that surprise me? I bet that's why you didn't kill those men yourself, isn't it? You were always too much of a coward."

Will didn't know what Amal was doing. Agitating Frick when they were the ones kidnapped didn't seem like such a good plan.

Frick scoffed. "I'm the coward? Please, woman. The only reason any of you are alive right now is because I allow it."

Amal took a few more steps toward Frick and slapped him clear across the face.

Will winced as the sound echoed throughout the room. He kept Ari's face pressed against his neck, hands over her ears.

Aker stepped forward, pulling Amal off of Frick when she motioned to strike him again. Amal didn't go without a fight. She put up quite the struggle until Aker subdued her and forced her next to Will.

Will said nothing, just took in the scene with observant eyes. He didn't think there was any way out of this. Frick was right. Will knew too much.

"That was a mistake," Frick hissed as he stood up. Will thought he looked ridiculous with a red handprint on his face.

Amal and Frick exchanged insults as Will's eyes began to droop. It was getting harder and harder for Will to concentrate.

When Will opened his eyes next, Frick was staring right at him.

"As I'm sure you're aware," Frick crossed his arms and leered at Will, "The police are looking for you, beautiful."

Will did his best not to react to the pet name.

"We heard," Amal interrupted. "Balewa was here, looking for me."

"Oh, he must have noticed you were gone too," Frick smiled. "That'll make things easier. But," Frick glanced at Will again. "Nothing was as easy as manipulating you."

Will swallowed, keeping Ari pressed against him.

"You just believe anything you're told, don't you?" Frick tilted his head. "It is a shame. You were a good dancer."

"Why did you hire me?" Will couldn't stop himself from asking, voice slurred. "If you knew who I was, why let me stay?"

"I needed you," Frick gave Will a sharp smile. "Insurance, remember? Amir needed a reminder."

"Why?" Will asked. "Why are you doing this? Why Amir? Why me?"

Frick spat out a laugh. "Do you think I'm going to spill it all to you?"

"Why did you send Amir to California? Why that movie?" Will demanded. "Why?"

"Why does anyone do anything?" Frick shrugged with a teasing smirk.

"How could you let three innocent people die? How could-?" Will tried.

"Innocent?" Frick snorted. "Did you know Mark Boltz used to make Amir's life miserable in high school? Not just his either, anyone, male or female, that wasn't straight. Was he innocent when he terrified every queer kid in town?"

Will blinked. His mind went to the downtrodden widow he met a few days ago. The one that told him her husband didn't support gay rights.

He bullied Amir? Is that why he's dead, revenge? But what does that have to do with Frick?

"I don't understand," Will admitted.

"No, I don't suppose you ever will, either," Frick stated. "None of those men were innocent. Boltz spent his free time using queers as a punching bag. But he had the nerve to show up in my club looking for work. And Jacob Stevens? He married his pretty little high school sweetheart and had two pretty little babies. But he never bothered to tell his wife he spent his evenings on his knees on the bathroom floor at my club. That he wasted all their hard earned money on my strippers. And Gregory Leighton? He thought he could hang out at the local playground and no one would notice it wasn't the scenery he was admiring.

"No," Frick said, "None of them were innocent. But they all came to me. Thought I would take away their money problems with a wave of my hand. They had to earn their keep. And I'd say the world is better off without them."

Will sat in stunned silence, forcing his eyes to stay open.

"I will admit," Frick said with a wave of his hand, "That it was an accident at first. Leighton needed to sell the drugs, not take them. Idiot killed himself. But we all saw the opportunity for what it was."

Will didn't know what to think. None of it went along with what the police thought, what he thought.

"You look surprised?" Frick noted with a hint of glee.

"I thought you just killed them because they knew too much," Will admitted in a low voice.

Frick snorted again, looking towards Amal. "You're happy they're dead. Aren't you?"

Amal, Will realized, had been quiet throughout Frick's explanations. Will glanced at her, startled by the look on her face. He couldn't make sense of it.

"I'll admit, finding out Boltz was dead did give me a certain sense of satisfaction," Amal said in an off-hand manner. "After the way he tormented my little Amir. I hardly approve of the manner in which it occurred, though."

"Sure," Frick said with a smirk.

Will said nothing. There wasn't anything for him to say.

"Now," Frick tapped his finger against his chin. "What to do with you?"

"Getting rid of Will won't make your case disappear," Amal told Frick. "Balewa won't stop until he finds you. Besides, getting rid of him would displease my son."

"Oh, no," Frick rolled his eyes. "We can't have that, can we?"

"No," Amal stated staring straight at Frick. "We can't."

Will didn't know what he was looking at but he felt like the two were sharing something important. That Amal and Frick were coming to an understanding that was beyond him. That Amal's words had a hidden meaning Will couldn't decipher.

"That doesn't leave me with many options. Hmm," Frick slinked over to the couch. Frick reached his hand out and touched a lock of Ari's hair.

Will yanked Ari closer against him as he moved over on the couch. "Don't touch her!"

"Aw," Frick smiled in mock triumph. "I do believe I've found my way to keep you complacent, beautiful."

"What are you talking about?" Will whispered. He could feel Ari shaking in his arms.

"He's going to let you go," Amal said as she stood up to stand beside Frick. "Aren't you?"

Will's eyes switched between the two of them at a rapid pace. It made him feel dizzy.

Amal lifted one eyebrow up as she twisted a ring Will didn't pay much attention to when they were in the basement. Whatever was on the ring must have startled Frick because he jumped away from Amal.

Amal turned to face Will and smiled. "You're going to run to our dear friend, Detective Balewa, and tell him Frick kidnapped you. You're going to tell him how and why. You're even going to tell him where he kept you. And how poor, innocent Amal Paracha was a hostage beside you."

"I-," Will didn't understand.

"You will keep this conversation a secret," Amal insisted. She sat next to Will on the sofa. She scooted closer and closer to Will until he pressed against the arm of the couch. "I'll know if you didn't. I don't have to tell you what you'll lose if you disobey me."

Amal's dark eyes flashed toward Ari and Will cringed.

"What are you saying?" Will asked. "Are you apart of this? Are you-?"

"Wait a minute," Frick got over whatever frightened him. He towered over Amal, Will, and Ari. "You expect me to go along with this? For you to sell me out?"

"Yes," Amal answered without taking her eyes off of Will.

"You are out of your fuc-" Frick's voice cut off as the front door opened.

"Ammi?" Amir yelled as he tossed his keys in a bowl near the front door. "Ammi, I need your help. Will and Ari are missing. I don't care what his idiot husband says, I know Will wouldn't run away."

Amir's voice got closer and closer before he walked into the sitting room. His jacket was half-way off before he looked up from his phone. Amir's jaw fell open as his eyes ran over the face of everyone in the room.

"Ammi? Will? What-?" Amir drew himself up, setting his jaw. "What the hell are you doing?" Amir glared at Frick.

"What?" Frick's forehead wrinkled.

"Did you kidnap Will and Ari?" Amir hissed. "And in my mother's house! What the hell are you doing?"

"What?" Frick questioned. "You have this all wrong, like usual, kid. You know I-,"

"You monster!" Amir yelled, shoving a surprised Aker out of his way. Amir stood in front of the sofa, blocking Frick from getting any closer. "They didn't do anything to you. How could you?"

Frick looked between Amir and everyone on the couch. He took a step back and pointed at Amir. "No, no this isn't my fault."

"Not your fault?" Amir shouted. "You're holding them hostage!"

"No!" Frick countered.

"What were you going to do?" Amir screamed. "Kill them too? My mother doesn't even know anything."

"Your mother is the entire reason I'm here," Frick shook his head. "It was all her idea. All of it."

"What?" Amir gave out a short laugh. "You expect me to believe that? When I've spent years with you blackmailing me, threatening me, ordering me around. With you sending me pictures of my mother with bullseyes on her face. You ruined my life! And you're trying to blame my mother?"

"You don't understand what you're talking about, son," Frick growled.

"I am not your son," Amir barred his teeth. "And I am not letting you get away with this."

Frick ran a hand through his hair before throwing his head back and shouting. "I am done with this ridiculous family. You aren't putting the blame on me, woman," Frick glared at Amal. "I'm not going down for this and you can't hold me back anymore."

Frick made a step toward the exit when Amir blocked his path.

"Get out of the way," Frick ordered.

"No," Amir held his head high. He was much shorter and skinnier than Frick. Will didn't like his chances. "You have run my life for almost a decade. Well, no longer."

"Stop lying to yourself," Frick sighed. "Now, move."

"No," Amir shoved Frick when he tried to take a step. "I'm done following your orders. I'm done with you threatening the people I love."

Aker looked between Frick and Amal on the sofa. He stayed put.

"This is ridiculous," Frick growled before punching Amir in the face.

Will couldn't help the gasp he let out, holding Ari tighter.

Amir threw a punch at Frick next. The two becoming a tangle of fists and arms. Amal, in a panic, screamed out words Will couldn't understand.

Will wondered if he could use the distraction as an escape. Leave all this behind and never worry again.

Taking his chances, Will stood up. He stumbled to edge out of the room when Aker put a large hand on Will's shoulder, keeping him in place. Will, woozy, leaned against Aker to stay up.

"No," Aker said. "Stay."

Will glanced at Amir and Frick again. As Will feared, Frick had the upper hand. He straddled Amir's waist, landing hit after hit to Amir's face.

Amal let out a shriek of rage before throwing herself on top of Frick. The two landed in a heap next to the fireplace.

Will held his breath at what happened next. Amal's hand closed around a fire poker and swung it up in the air. Before it made contact, Frick caught it. Stronger than Amal, Frick ripped the fire poker out of her grip.

Will closed his eyes, hands over Ari's ears as the fire poker made contact. A sick, wet crunching noise filled the space.

Amir, panting on the floor, caught a second wind seeing Frick bludgeoning his mother. With a shout, Amir jumped at Frick again. Swinging and hitting for all he was worth.

Will didn't know what happened next in all the confusion. One second he was humming as loud as he could, desperate to block the noise from reaching Ari's ears. The next, several familiar faces barged into the room. Doors kicked in, windows shattered. The Fairfield and Salem police departments flooded the room.

Aker held Will and Ari in front of him as a human shield. Officers Ramirez and Washington lowered their weapons. They couldn't point them at Will or Ari.

"Get out of my way," Aker threatened, stepping backward. He wrapped a beefy arm around Will's throat, dragging him and Ari along.

Aker didn't make it far, only three steps. Roman Brady, Will's grandfather and head of the Salem PD, shoved a gun in the back of Aker's skull.

"Let go of my grandson," Roman threatened.

Ramirez rushed forward and grabbed Will and Ari. He pulled them out of the house and toward safety. The last thing Will saw was Detective Balewa prying Amir off of Frick's passed out body.

"It's okay," Ramirez promised Will. He half dragged, half carried Will and Ari. Lowering them onto a patio chair outside the home's entrance, Ramirez said, "It's okay."

"How-how did you find us?" Will questioned, petting his hands all over Ari. Whispering in her ear that everything would be okay now.

"We followed Paracha," Ramirez explained. "We thought he might have known where Frick went. We weren't sure if we had probable cause to enter. But when we heard Amir shouting, we recognized Frick's voice."

Ramirez continued talking but Will tuned him out. Will wanted to get Ari as far away from this mess as possible.

"Hey, it's alright," Ramirez squatted in front of Will and touched his cheek. "Don't cry, it's over now."

Will didn't even realize it but Ramirez was right. He was crying, letting out loud sobs that Ari matched. She didn't have to be brave now either.

"This is all my fault," Will sobbed. "I didn't listen and she could have, I could have, oh God!"

"It's not your fault," Ramirez tried. "It isn't. We should never have gotten you involved. I think if we would have just left you alone, this never would have happened."

A loud commotion sounded behind them. Roman escorted Aker out in handcuffs. Rafe Hernandez and Hope Jennings dragged a semi-conscious Frick out. An ambulance pulled into the driveway and rushed inside.

Will watched as paramedics stretchered Amal Paracha out and into the ambulance. He didn't know what to think about Amal. Those last few minutes confused Will so bad. What scared Frick so bad that he backed off? Why did Frick tell Amir everything was Amal's fault? Will didn't know what to believe.

When Amal rolled passed, she looked deathly pale and bloodied.

If she dies, will we ever know the truth? Ashamed he could feel so callous, Will turned away from the sight.

Before Will could say anything, Ramirez got pushed to the side. A warm, trembling body surrounded Will and Ari.

"Are you okay?" Amir questioned. His voice sounded off due to the swelling in his cheeks.

Will nodded, clinging to him. Even Ari's sobs subsided in order to hold tight to Amir's arm. Will didn't know how long the three of them sat there holding onto each other. He just closed his eyes and cried again. A mix of terror and relief swirling around him.


Will sat in a hospital bed. His grandfather insisted that he and Ari get checked out. Fairfield only had a medical clinic, not a full hospital. So, they all went to Salem.

Ari, while in shock and terrified, was fine. She clung to Will but, with some hope, there might not be any lasting effects.

Kayla Brady, Will's aunt, insisted they stay overnight. She wanted to monitor Will and make sure he didn't have any adverse reactions to the ketamine Aker doused him with. She pulled a few strings and let Will and Ari stay in a private room together.

In the chaos, no one had alerted Will's family yet to what happened. Officer Ramirez stood guard outside of Will's room while Amir paced back and forth in front of the bed.

"What if she doesn't make it?" Amir asked in a quiet whisper.

Will didn't know what to say. How could Will tell Amir that he suspected his mother involvement in all this?

Do I know that, though? Maybe I misinterpreted what happened. Maybe it was all a coincidence. I got drugged. Maybe I imagined it all. Do I know anything for sure?

Deciding to think about it later, Will said, "You have to hold out hope."

"I'm trying," Amir said. "There was so much blood."

"Don't think about that," Will pleaded, glad Ari was fast asleep in his arms. "Please."

Amir nodded, pausing his pacing. He plopped down in a chair next to Will's bed, leg bouncing up and down.

"I was so scared, you know?" Amir told Will. "You didn't answer your phone and after what happened in the club I got worried. I drove to Salem and your stupid husband wasn't any help. Kept saying how you ran off but I knew the truth. I knew you wouldn't do that, not after everything."

"What?" Will blinked. He remembered calling Sonny. How the phone rang only a few times before going to voicemail. Sonny dismissed the call, dismissed Will.

We could have gotten rescued sooner if Sonny had answered. All I wanted was to hear Sonny's voice and he hung up on me. He thought I ran away and someone took me, took us and Sonny didn't care. He didn't care.

Sonny doesn't care.

"I had to find you," Amir continued. "I drove back to Ammi's house and you were there and now, now she might be dead and I-I don't know what to do."

Will looked up at Amir's bruised face. He had a split lip and the left side was a mess of mottled bruises and swelling. Will didn't see all that. All Will saw was a man that cared. That's all Amir had ever done, cared about Will. When everyone else dismissed Will, Amir didn't. Even after a full year without contact, Amir still cared.

Will didn't think about what he was doing. He rolled Ari out of his arms and onto the pillows. Throwing his legs over the bed, Will stood up.

Will didn't think, didn't breathe. He dropped to his knees in front of Amir and pulled him into a kiss.


Author's note:

Will Horton, back to making terrible decisions in the heat of the moment.

Thanks for reading!

Also, several reviews haven't posted yet. When they do, I'll respond to them as usual.