Chapter 25: Stefano DiMera – Thursday, September 15th, 2016

Hell had broken loose as far as EJ was concerned. He looked at Frank with great intensity. "I need you to repeat and explain yourself."

Frank lifted the package in his hands and said, "A package came in earlier today addressed to Chad and Will. I decided to check its safety since it did not include a return address. I believe it is from your father, Stefano."

Sami eyed Kate remembering what she shared before Frank walked into the room. "Is Stefano planning to make an appearance soon?"

EJ eyed Kate as well remembering the text that Stefano sent her. "I wouldn't put it past him to do something dramatic and to make everything about him," he admitted before taking the package from Frank to look it over. "Do you know what's inside?"

"It appears to be a DVD of some sort," Frank answered as EJ wondered what they should do with it now.

Sami placed her hands on her hips. "We should tell Will and Chad about the package," she declared.

Noting EJ was debating telling Chad and Will, Frank reminded his boss, "Their names are on the package."

EJ sighed because he knew this would complicate things for sure. "We should call them."

Shaking her head, Kate complained, "This never seems to end."

Monday, January 6th, 2014

When the New Year hype had died down, Kate set up a coffee date with Marlena at Mandalay Café. "I want to discuss Stefano with you," she revealed after they chatted about Kate's helping Philip move back to Salem and John and Marlena's permanent return from Colorado.

Though she figured there was more to Kate's inviting her to get coffee together, Marlena tilted her head in confusion as she questioned, "Why do you want to hash things out with me – about Stefano?"

"You were once my therapist and friend," Kate reminded Marlena. "I need your help to continue the work that I am doing."

"And what work is that exactly?" Marlena had to ask for clarification since she was no longer allowed to practice any kind of therapy.

Kate cleared her throat before sharing, "I have taken steps to get over Stefano, but no matter what I do, I cannot escape him."

Marlena gave Kate an understanding look. "I know what you mean. I wish we could have gotten some sort of confirmation that Stefano died in the castle from all those explosions."

Realizing Marlena had no idea that EJ and Sami saw Stefano alive or that she saw him leaving the castle in a limo, Kate now figured she could only say so much. "Have you talked to Will recently? Have you noticed the issues he's having with his memory?"

Frustration showed in Marlena as she thought about Will's sudden condition. She looked down feeling some shame about the entire situation. "I'm not sure what to think about Chad at this point because he kept this a secret for so long. I found out because I tried to talk to Will about what I did to Kristen all those years ago, and for a moment he had no idea what I was talking about. Will and I are still struggling through my part in Kristen becoming a sex slave, but he did tell me about his memory issues after he made me promise not to tell Sami." Tossing her hair back, she made direct eye contact with Kate and said, "I am beside myself wishing there was something I could do to help. I don't like that our grandson has to suffer because of the DiMera family."

This time it was Kate who would do the assuring. "I know Rex will find a cure and help Will. I made Rex tell me everything about Will and how they hope to help him."

Even though Kate was remaining positive, Marlena couldn't help but note, "I noticed there is still a bit of doubt in you. What is that about?"

"I do not doubt Rex's ability," Kate clarified before explaining, "…but I can't help but wonder what will come next. There's always a next when Stefano is involved."

Marlena agreed. "I wish this wasn't true, but as long as Stefano is alive, he will always cast a shadow over our lives."

(*)*(*)*(*)

Present: Thursday, September 15th, 2016

At Chad and Will's mansion, Safiya helped her friends clear off the table after dinner. "So my little brother took me out to lunch to celebrate my new single's success. Don't Perform for Me is already rising on the charts! Qamar also said he would hang out with me while I house sit for you guys."

Will raised his head realizing how swamped he was with his own stuff. Showing some guilt on his face, he said, "I promise we will do something for you soon."

"Don't worry about it because you two have enough on your plate," Safiya excused Chad and Will.

Remembering a discussion he and Will had some time ago, Chad revealed, "Will and I talked about throwing a huge party when your album comes out. What do you think?"

With excitement, Safiya clapped her hands and exclaimed, "I love it! I am so happy to share this experience with you!"

Will's phone suddenly rang. It was Sami. When he answered, Sami informed him about the package they received from Stefano. With concern, Will asked, "Do you already know what's inside?"

Sami shared, "I do." A part of her wondered if Will would scold her for opening his mail, so she didn't give him time to respond. "Frank looked into it, and it appears to be a DVD. We did not watch it yet. What do you want us to do?"

Will eyed Chad and Safiya as he told his mom, "Bring it over so we can watch it here." After his mother agreed, he ended the call and despairingly sighed.

"What's wrong?" Chad immediately asked.

Will shook his head. "Trouble may be coming this weekend after all."

Saturday, February 22nd, 2014

At Salem University Hospital, Safiya sat next to Chad, who was in a hospital bed. She was checking in with him because she heard he had to be rushed to the hospital the day before. "Hopefully, you'll get the test results soon and everything will work out."

Chad still felt drained from whatever hit him yesterday. "Do you know how Will is doing?"

Safiya crossed her legs and rested her hands on her knee. "Your brother and Will's parents are in his hospital room keeping a close eye on him. He is resting." Noticing Chad seemed a bit lost, she repeated, "I hope the cure works so we can all get our lives back."

With an uneasy look, Chad apologized to Safiya. "I'm sorry this is getting in the way of your career."

"It's okay," Safiya reassured. "Dario and I talked to Brian and Josh. We decided I should record another cover to release on my YouTube channel. That doesn't matter at this moment because I am worried about you just like Will is worried about you." Smiling, she looked up as she reflected on her conversation with Will the night before. "Will misses his Cuddles."

Chad immediately laughed. It felt like a long time since he had done that. "I am thankful you are here now to keep me company while we wait."

"Me, too."

Rex abruptly entered the room causing Chad to lose his grin and become serious. "Can I have a moment alone with Chad?" he requested.

Safiya patted Chad's hand and stood up. "I'll go check on Will to see how he's doing," she decided before walking out. She closed the door behind her.

As Rex moved closer, Chad tried to pull himself up, but it was a struggle. "Did the cure work?"

Rex slightly lowered his head as he looked to the side. "Things are looking positive so far, but we want to run the tests again to be sure."

"Why did I have a different reaction to the same serum used on Will? The memory issues started quicker for me, and what happened to me in my room yesterday never happened to Will."

Rex took a seat and reminded Chad, "I hypothesized before that the serum could have different reactions in different people. I believe I was correct. It acted quicker in ways with you, and it's possible this serum was made specifically for you. Rolf pushed you to use it."

A look of realization covered Chad's face. "…meaning Stefano wanted to shut me up for good." Shaking his head, he asked, "Is this what you wanted to discuss with me in private?"

"No," Rex denied before saying, "It's Lexie."

"What about my sister?"

Rex swallowed hard. "Lexie is already trying to make plans in case my antidote doesn't work on you and has talked about starting some sort of procedure with Will." He showed discomfort on his face as he continued, "She wants to try the same procedure they performed on Abe when they found him in the basement of your father's home – the one where Colin and Lexie extracted the serum used on Abe while he was experimented on by Maddalena." He stood up and began to pace the room. He declared, "We cannot let that happen, Chad. We can't or Will will die."

Troubled by what he was hearing, Chad wondered, "How do you know that?"

Rex stopped pacing and disclosed, "I uncovered another trait in the serum in that it puts the person injected in a dead like sleep for a while… which is what happened when everyone, including my sister, was transferred to Melaswen all those years ago." He rubbed his head because the stress was really getting to him. He really needed to get this all out. "With this latest serum Rolf gave you and the serum used on Abe, the same immediate side effect occurs, but the same dead like sleep happens every now and then as well – a cycle is set depending on how much was used on the host."

Chad was really trying to track Rex, but it was a struggle. "Please. I think I know what you're saying, but is there any way you can simplify it for me?"

Rex realized he was sort of rambling whatever he could to get this off his chest. He scratched his face and took a deep breath. "I realized that Abe could have survived what happened to him if the serum hadn't been extracted from his system when he was found. You did not have to use the serum Rolf gave you on Will so he would survive because the serum already inside of him was cycling through his system once again. He would have just been in a dead like sleep, but I'm not sure for how long. The effect of the experiments Maddalena did still got to Abe in the end, and he died without the serum in his system meaning…" Rex paused because this was the big secret he had kept inside for some time. "…meaning, in a way, Colin killed Abe and so did Lexie."

"No…" Chad quickly stated. He was clearly in denial and didn't want to believe it. "What my sister and Colin did was help Abe because he got better. Maddalena killed my brother-in-law!"

Rex took a seat next to Chad once more to get through to him. "It did help, but it was short-term. Unfortunately, it came back and killed him because he no longer had the serum inside of him to cure whatever terminal ailment Maddalena created with her botched experiments."

Chad rubbed his head. "I… I don't want to believe it."

Rex grabbed his chair and moved closer to his nephew's boyfriend. "Focus Chad. I need you to focus." Once he and Chad locked eyes, he spoke more calmly. "We won't tell Lexie what we know. We both know she couldn't handle this. The reason I'm telling you all this is because we can't let Lexie try to do the same to you or Will – whatever it takes – because if we don't stop her, the two of you will most likely die."

Chad nodded his head to show Rex he understood. "It won't get to that though because your antidote will work, right?" He wasn't sure if he could talk to Lexie about her plan without telling her about how it killed Abe.

Rex nodded his head. "I have worked hard to make sure this cures everything including the cycle that makes someone appear dead."

Even with Rex's reassurance, Chad felt extremely angry about everything. He hated Stefano DiMera more than ever.

(*)*(*)*(*)

With Lexie and Nathan's help, Chad rushed into Will's hospital room after Rex and Cassie to find EJ, Sami, and Maxine trying to hold Will down. "What's going on here?"

All of a sudden, Will stopped trying to fight off EJ, Sami, and Maxine to look Chad dead in the eyes. With a monotone quality in his voice, he asked, "What are my orders?"

Fear ran through Chad's entire body. He suddenly felt faint as he remembered the nightmare he had when he found Will in the basement. It was like it had come true in some way because Will seemed exactly like the perfect soldier from his nightmare. Taking a step back, he feared what this meant. "No."

When Chad stepped back, he lost his footing and fell to the ground. Lexie and Nathan tried to help him back on his feet. "You should have stayed in your room," Lexie complained.

Will started to try and break free once more causing EJ and Sami to struggle with him again. "Can we get some help here?" EJ requested as Maxine stood back frozen from fear due to what happened with Will.

Holding onto her son's arms, Sami couldn't help but notice he seemed to fight more aggressively to break free from her and EJ. "Someone needs to tell me what the hell is going on. Why is Will acting this way?"

Rex stepped in and offered a hypothesis. "It must be another side effect of the serum that he was given in Urbino."

"We should give Will the antidote now," Cassie suggested as she went over to EJ's side to help him hold Will down and calm him. Nathan quickly stood up leaving Chad on the floor with Lexie.

Rex handed Nathan the other syringe he had of the antidote and said, "It worked on Chad. Let's hope it works on Will." He moved to Sami's side to help hold Will still.

Nathan made sure the syringe was set before injecting it into Will's arm. "Here goes nothing."

Will continued to struggle for a short moment before suddenly getting still. He looked up to the ceiling and stated, "You cannot stop me," before passing out. Maxine covered her mouth.

Still on the ground with Lexie, Chad watched in horror unsure of what to say.

Lexie held Chad's hand and promised, "Everything will work out for Will. He will be cured."

Chad hoped it wasn't too late, but he couldn't help fearing the worst. "Stefano destroys everything," he released in a daze remembering what Rex told him earlier.

Trying to get a hold of herself, Maxine turned to Chad because she heard what he said. She worried about Cameron being Stefano's son.

(*)*(*)*(*)

Present: Thursday, September 15th, 2016

Walking out of Theo's room at the hospital, Lexie lamented, "I hate that they are having to monitor Theo overnight to make sure everything is okay, but I know an EEG will help us rule out any long-term health issues."

Brandon placed his hand on Lexie's back as he looked to Cameron. "We're here all night if you need us to be."

"Thanks," Lexie showed great appreciation when her phone rang. "It's EJ," she shared before answering. "Hello?" She knew he wouldn't call her at this time unless it was something important. He had told her he would check in with her tomorrow when he left the hospital earlier.

"Lexie, how is Theo?"

"He's resting," Lexie answered. "We still don't have definitive answers."

EJ sympathetically sighed. "I hope everything gets cleared up soon for the better. I'm sorry for bothering you, but I thought you would want to know that father sent a DVD to Chad and Will. We're all meeting at their house to watch it."

Needing to see it for herself, Lexie said, "I want to know what he has to say. I will be there." She wondered if Stefano could be the reason Theo's visions returned – if the visions were the reason for Theo's being rushed to the hospital.

Cameron heard Lexie tell EJ that she would talk to him, so when she ended the call, he asked, "Is everything okay? What do you need to tell me?"

Lexie put her cell in her pocket and shared, "Stefano sent a DVD to Chad and Will. We're going to Chad's to watch it."

"I'll go with you," Cameron decided.

Lexie eyed the door that led to Theo's hospital room, and Brandon noticed it. He wanted to do whatever he could to help her through this. "I'll stay here with Theo and let you know if anything comes up," he promised her.

Lexie thanked Brandon by squeezing his hand before leaving with Cameron.

Saturday, February 22nd, 2014

It was late when Lexie met Manny in the park. Taking a seat on a bench with him, Lexie felt overwhelmed by the day's events. "Thanks for meeting and decompressing with me," she stressfully released.

Manny leaned back on the bench and asked, "Do you want to talk about what happened?" before assuming, "Is it related to your mom?"

Lexie shook her head. "My mother is still in a coma, but the reason today was stressful is because Chad was rushed to the hospital and Will almost lost himself."

Manny raised his right eyebrow. "I don't know if I should ask for more details," he wondered. "I'm assuming this is related to Stefano."

"Your assumption is correct," Lexie confirmed. "Stefano did this. I nearly lost my brother, and then he almost lost his boyfriend." Her thoughts went to Abe and how she almost lost herself in her grief. "I hate that Stefano, my father, is such a negative influence in our lives. I feel so cursed. I doubt my ability to find or be happy in life."

Manny took Lexie's hand and reminded her, "Don't go down that road again."

Lexie took a few deep breaths before agreeing. "You're right. I have to be better. I cannot let Stefano take the rest of my life away." Turning to Manny, she admitted, "It would be easier if Stefano was dead – at least I hope it would be easier. With him alive, I know he cannot stay away for long."

Trying to distract Lexie from Stefano, Manny asked her, "Are Will and Chad going to be okay?"

With a sigh of relief, Lexie answered, "Yes. Chad is resting, and Will woke up before I left. He was back to his normal self."

"That's good," Manny maintained.

"Thanks again for allowing me to vent and process," Lexie replied. "You are a good friend."

Manny gave Lexie a nod. "Anytime."

(*)*(*)*(*)

Present: Thursday, September 15th. 2016

Everyone arrived to Chad and Will's mansion to watch the video together. Chad put on the DVD before taking Will's hand. It took everything in him to stay calm in front of the others.

Stefano appeared on the large screen. He had a huge grin on his face. "Hello Chad and William. This is your first wedding gift from me. Yes, I've heard the joyous news, and I am assuming I did not get an invitation to the amazing event due to the fact that you do not know how to reach me."

Chad leaned into Will and disapprovingly countered, "He didn't get an invitation because he isn't invited."

Stefano continued, "I am excited the two of you are finally becoming one in marriage. I know you must be in the process of assuring everything is set for the wedding." With a laugh, he joked, "Chad, I hope you have changed your taste in music as I remember the horrible noise you blasted in your room in my house."

EJ and Sami traded looks, and though they were annoyed with Stefano, they couldn't help but smirk about Chad's taste in music.

Stefano stopped laughing. "I digress though. I wish I could be with the family to see how all of you have come together since my last funeral. I am glad that I could bring the family together before I left you all in Italy."

Lexie rolled her eyes and gawked, "He always likes to take responsibility for the good things and not the bad."

"I must say my farewells for now," Stefano announced in the video. "The family will never see me like this ever again, but you will see me in person one day soon." Clasping his hands to show he remembered something, he gloated, "Oh, I have another gift for the two of you, which should arrive in time for the wedding ceremony." He allowed his grin to grow wider as he stated, "My heart is with you," before the screen went black.

Even with the non-threatening tone of Stefano's video, Will couldn't help but note Chad's impatience was running thin. He worried that seeing Stefano's face again would only bring back all the pain and anger from the past.

Sunday, February 23rd, 2014

Lucas followed Sami into Will's hospital room and was immediately relieved to see his son's eyes open. "Good, you're awake," he greeted his son warmly. Per Sami's instruction, he tried to stay positive and not mention what Will had been through the past few months. "It looks like you'll be released today. After that, you'll be set to continue focusing on your future."

Will knew what Lucas was trying to do. It was so obvious to him. "If there's anything I've learned from this experience, it is that I will always have to watch my back. I'll constantly have to look over my shoulder to make sure I have what I need… that I have what I want in life."

With a worried look on her face, Sami moved closer to her son. "Will, your dad and I don't want that for you because you can't always second guess everything in life." She hated that she let her guard down around Stefano.

"I almost lost Chad," Will achingly reminded them with great emphasis. His voice trembled due to the fear wanting to come out. "I almost lost myself. If Chad had taken the same dosage as me, the same thing could have happened or worse. I hate Stefano, and I hate that life is full of people out there who want to destroy others just because they can or because they're too blind to see that their actions – their choices – impact everyone around them."

Lucas hated to see his son so torn up from this. He wanted to step in and be strong for him. "Stefano won't be a problem anymore because he is out of the picture."

Will shook his head before calling his father out. "Do you actually believe that?"

"Yes, I do," Lucas released without hesitation.

But Will knew better. "Do I have to remind you of how much you hate EJ and until recently hated Chad?"

Sami realized she needed to step in as well to help calm Will's fears. "Will, I was the same way, but people can change. You need to lay off your dad and listen. Stefano is done. EJ and I have it covered, and you don't have to worry about that anymore."

Will took a moment to collect himself. "This is too weird… seeing you two on the same side like this." He decided to calm himself and give in to what his parents wanted – to a point. "I won't let Stefano stop me from living my life with Chad, but I will make for damn sure that Stefano does not come back into our lives to destroy it like he does every time. Chad and I are adults, so we don't need you or EJ trying to keep us out of this."

Before Sami and Lucas could respond, Rex and Cassie came in with news, but first they wanted to check in. "How are you feeling Will?"

Will eyed his parents trying to move past the tension between them. "I'm feeling fine."

Rex was glad to hear it. He placed his hand over his chest and sincerely said, "I want to apologize for taking so long with the antidote. We definitely cut it too close, but I wanted to be sure it was the best it could be and so I had to make a few last-minute tweaks."

Sami eyed Cassie and Rex and tried to read their body language. "So is Will in the clear?"

With a smile, Rex confirmed, "Everything is looking great with the latest round of results. We will continue to monitor you and run tests to make sure the antidote is a permanent solution."

In Chad's hospital room, EJ, Lexie, and Dario were visiting with him. Wanting to keep her brother relaxed in bed, Lexie shared, "I talked to Rex about your condition and Will's condition. Everything is looking great. There will be follow-ups to make sure you two remain in the clear."

Noting Chad couldn't look at him or Lexie, EJ reflected over the animosity that still existed between them due to Chad keeping Stefano's secret. Even so, in this moment, all that mattered was that Chad and Will were going to be okay. When Chad finally glanced up to him, he grinned at his brother hoping to keep things positive as well. "I am grateful everything worked out in the end. We can all move forward now."

As much as he appreciated his siblings' attempt in keeping things light, Chad couldn't sit there and just move forward. He could barely look at Lexie because of what Rex shared with him, and with what happened to Will before the antidote was used on him, he was so fired up against the man he once called father. "I'm sorry, but this isn't exactly a happy ending. This isn't over just yet because I cannot forget how this all went down. Stefano came after me using Rolf. He either wanted me dead or he wanted to wipe my memory completely to become his new perfect soldier."

Dario could see the fire in Chad's eyes – he was determined. "I overheard Rex and Cassie talking about Rolf. They plan to continue to search for him to get more answers."

"I don't care about Rolf unless it gets me to Stefano," Chad swiftly stated.

Taking a deep breath, Lexie couldn't hold back her concern for Chad. "What are you planning, Chad?"

Before Chad could answer, EJ tried to get through to his brother to make sure he did not vocalize anything. The last thing he wanted was for Chad to actually have a plan. "I understand you are upset, but you cannot allow that anger to turn into obsession."

Ignoring his brother, Chad declared, "If I ever get my hands on Stefano, he is a dead man."

Present: Thursday, September 15th, 2016

After the lights came back up at Chad and Will's mansion, Safiya walked over to Will and Chad and said, "I had no idea your dad had such a mean mug, Cuddles."

As Chad remained eerily silent, Will noticed EJ motion Frank to follow him to the hall so they could talk in private. Sami followed them out. Returning his attention to Safiya, he realized Chad didn't respond and could see Safiya realized now was not the proper time to make jokes. "Stefano is even scarier in person."

Kate turned to Lexie and Cameron but made sure to keep her eyes on Chad and Will. She knew this was something they did not need to deal with this weekend. "Stefano will most likely show up at the wedding and be the final gift he referred to in the end. He did promise me he would see me soon."

Shaking her head in disbelief, Lexie said, "This is the last thing we need. I wonder if we should beef up security at the wedding to make sure Stefano can't get in."

"Would that even stop him?" Cameron questioned. This was kind of the first time he saw Stefano alive. It was just all so surreal.

Lexie raised her finger and admitted, "You have a point. It probably won't."

Coming out of his confusing thoughts on Stefano, Cameron wondered, "What do you think he meant when he said we would never see him 'like this' again?"

Kate crossed her arms and shared her thoughts, "I think he simply meant we wouldn't see him on video. The next time we see Stefano DiMera will be in person. You can bet my life on it."

After listening in on Kate, Lexie, and Cameron's discussion, Dario walked over to Chad to check in with him. "Are you keeping your cool? I want to make sure you don't let this distract you from what is happening this weekend. You and Will should focus on being happy. You shouldn't have to look over your shoulders waiting for something bad to happen. We promised we would do things different – we would be different."

Raising her hand, Safiya suggested, "I can be a look out for you! I'm good at noticing the small things." She was still trying to be helpful and ease the negativity in the room. She hated seeing her friends going through this.

Dario liked Safiya's idea and said, "I can do the same. I'll give Sonny the memo later. That's the role of the best man, right?" Realizing what time it was, he felt bad because he would have to change his dinner plans since Sonny was most likely on his way home now.

Running his hand down Chad's arm, Will thanked Dario and Safiya before attempting to help his fiancé focus on the positive and come out of his shell. "Chad, everything will be fine. Stefano won't get in the way of this weekend."

Chad continued to remain silent in his thoughts. It was a struggle because all he heard was what he should and should not do. How long was he supposed to let this go on? He was done allowing Stefano the ability to do this to him and his family over and over again. This needed to end.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, EJ crossed his arms over his chest. "Frank, I need you to track my father down as soon as possible. He cannot be allowed to ruin anything this weekend or our lives."

Frank nodded his head. "I promise I will get on it and call my connections."

Keeping his eye on the entryway to the entertainment room to make sure no one else joined them in on this conversation, EJ added, "I also need you to keep anything you find from Chad."

Before Frank could respond in any way, Sami took EJ's hand and said, "We should join the others in the room to say goodnight, so we can head home to make sure the kids are okay."

Sami and EJ returned to the entertainment room as Frank remained in the hall taking in everything EJ wanted him to do. He pulled out his phone and sent a few text messages to some of his contacts to continue their search for Stefano. He knew he needed a new plan and was thankful Sami stepped in before he had to promise anything he didn't want to.

Will walked out into the hall after some time. When he was close enough to Frank, he went straight to the point. "What do you know about Stefano's whereabouts?"

Frank put his phone away so he could look at Will. "I am working on finding Stefano. I started when Cameron got that text message. I believe Stefano is covering his tracks well and may be somewhere in Europe – though it could merely seem that way to keep us off his tracks."

Will hated that there were no definites in Frank's response. "I overheard my grandma mention Stefano contacted her tonight. Has Stefano tried to reach out to EJ?"

"No, at least not to my knowledge."

Will couldn't help but find that fishy, but he moved forward. "I know EJ wants you to keep Chad in the dark about this, but please, as a friend, don't do that."

Frank gave Will a nod. He truly believed things would work better if everyone came together on this. "I promise to keep you two updated. I think keeping secrets from anyone can only cause more danger – especially in a situation like this."

"Thanks, Frank," Will said with great appreciation.

"No problem," Frank replied. "Please let me know if you hear anything. For now, I should go."

After agreeing, Will led Frank out of the hall and through the entertainment room. He noticed it was a lot emptier than before. "I guess almost everyone already left."

Strangely calm, Chad shared, "Lexie and Cameron are on their way back to the hospital and Kate, Dario, and Safiya decided to go home. Dario mentioned something about a quiz he needs to take." He followed Frank and Will to the front door where EJ and Sami stood waiting.

EJ placed his hand on Chad's back and said, "Everything will be okay. Don't worry yourself about it."

"I won't," Chad lied.

"Well, goodnight then," EJ replied. After Sami gave Will a hug, they walked out with Frank.

Now that they were alone, Will grabbed Chad's hand and could see he was no longer masking his frustration. "Look at me, Chad," he released to keep Chad's attention on him. "Frank told me that he's tracking Stefano down and will keep us updated. We will be okay."

Chad leaned his forehead on Will's. He closed his eyes as he promised, "Everything will be okay because I will make sure it is."

When Chad opened his eyes again, Will looked deep into them and said, "I will follow your lead. We are in this together." Deep down, he mentally told himself that he couldn't allow Chad to lose himself in this. He had to be there every step of the way to make sure that didn't happen.

Chad wrapped his arms around Will and kissed him. "We are, Blue." Deep down, he wondered what Stefano's next gift would be.

(*)*(*)*(*)

Future: Saturday, September 17th, 2016

Holding hands in their decorated back yard, Chad and Will stood in front of everyone as Lexie, who was officiating the wedding, stated, "If anyone thinks that Chad and Will should not get married they should speak now or forever hold their peace."

Chad and Will playfully turned towards the audience believing no one would object. Suddenly, someone arrived, stepped forward, and said, "I do." Everyone in the attendance turned back towards the person who spoke; they looked on in complete shock.