"Keep moving people!" said Kayla. "Massage the heart!"

The surgeon obeyed, but the beeping went even faster.

The beeping seemed to slow down, but went faster again.

"We're losing him!" the surgeon said.

They started working faster on Chad, but the machine flatlined.

"Massage the heart, dammit!" Kayla exclaimed.

The surgeon tried, but the machine wasn't changing.

Kayla got fed up. "Ugh, give it!"

She pushed the surgeon aside, and grabbed Chad's heart with her own hands, and massaged it. "Come on, Chad, don't die on us. You got so much to live for! Live! Live, dammit!"

Kayla hated doing this. It wasn't like it happened on a daily basis, but whenever the team found themselves in this situation, there was very little chance the patient could survive. Sometimes the efforts were in vain, for the patient was already dead.

But of course, there were also times when it was all worth it in the end. Like that moment. The machine started beeping again, and when Kayla let go of the heart, it was beating normally on its own.

She sighed in relief. "Make sure nothing's wrong in the system and stitch him up. We're done here".


Malcolm looked at the warehouse. Paul had followed the goon and had his gun raised.

"Let him go, Deimos!" he shouted.

"Oh, no. I have had it with you boys" Deimos replied, still struggling with Will.

Malcolm, still on the ground, regaining consciousness after the hit, heard a loud gunshot that came from where Deimos was.

"NO!"

There was silence. Will had closed his eyes, expecting death to finally come to him. But he opened them again when he felt a strange liquid falling on his head.

Malcolm and Paul watched in horror, thinking Deimos had shot Will, for they saw blood on his blond head. Only, it actually came from Deimos's head.

The shootout inside the warehouse ended, and Deimos loosened his grip on Will and fell to the ground. Will managed to break free and stepped aside from Deimos, who lied on the grass, dead.

The three men looked up, and gasped.

Sonny was behind Deimos's body, raising a smoking gun. He looked angry, resolute, and scared, all at the same time, for he had acted just following his instincts, something he hadn't done in quite some time.

The fact that Will, Malcolm and Paul were looking at him in shock wasn't making the situation any better.

"Jackson" said Malcolm, in a horrified whisper. "What the hell have you done?"

Sonny dropped the gun in shock, not knowing what to do. He wasn't even sure of what had happened either. He had silently followed the team that looked for Will in hopes of doing anything he could to help. Only, he hadn't thought of what.

"They're coming" said Paul, as he heard voices that approached.

"Dammit, Jackson" said Malcolm, pushing Sonny aside and taking the gun from the ground, for he knew he could get in trouble if they found out Sonny had been the one who pulled the trigger. Not that Malcolm saw the point, though.

"Oh my God" said Hope, the first one who got where they were, after hugging Will in relief and catching sight of Deimos's body. "Malcolm, what the hell?

Malcolm raised his hands in surrender. "What?"

"Geez!" Steve exclaimed, looking at the cadaver. "Way to go, Malcolm!"

Hope glared at him. "Malcolm, this was not part of the plan!"

Malcolm frowned. "How not? We planned to shoot the guy!"

"On the shoulder or the leg, not on on his head!" she exclaimed.

"Aunt Hope, please leave it" said Will. "Deimos is dead, there's nothing to do about it".

Hope rubbed her hand on her face in dismay.

Just in that moment, John and Rafe, who had stayed at the warehouse checking the damages, joined them.

John caught sight of the body first, and after looking at Malcolm holding the gun, sighed in dismay. "Oh, come on, Malcolm".

"What, why is everyone so upset about this?" Malcolm complained. "It's not like I haven't killed bad guys before, and it's certainly not like you guys wanted to shoot him first, is it?"

Sonny, determined to not let Malcolm take the fall for what he had done, be it for morality or his own pride, stepped up. "No, come on, actually I..."

"Jackson, shut the hell up" Malcolm ordered.

It was then when everyone noticed Sonny was there.

"Sonny, what the hell are you doing here?" asked Steve.

Sonny tried to tell the truth again. "I..."

"He thought it would be a good idea to come and help" Malcolm interrupted again. "Not that we would have let him, since he's a civilian. And come on, it's Jackson. He must have had a well-rehearsed speech about morality and family to talk Deimos out of hurting Will".

Will snorted, trying not to laugh. Jackson, on the other hand, glared at him.

Steve, however, thought it made sense and shrugged. "I guess".

"We'll have a serious talk about this later" said Hope. "We must go back to Salem right away. I'll stay until the forensics take the body".

Everyone started to walk away.

Paul approached Malcolm and Will. "You know, you'll be lucky if you get away with this. Lying of who the actual culprit is".

Malcolm shrugged. "Haven't we all?"

Paul shrugged too. During the heat of the moment, there had been a silent agreement between Malcolm, Will and Paul that no one would say Sonny had actually shot and killed Deimos, for he would get arrested for intervening in a dangerous operation. Besides, it was easier for Malcolm to deal with the cops anyway.

With all that in mind, Paul turned to Will, and offered his hand. "I believe I never got to introduce myself properly. Paul Narita, nice to meet you this time for real. I'm deeply sorry for what you went through".

Will shook his hand. "Will Horton. But you already knew that, I think. I'm sorry that guy made your life hell posing as me".

"Eh, you had nothing to do with it" Paul dismissed. "I'm glad you're back where you belong. Maybe you'll get to get back all that time you lost".

He glanced at Sonny.

Will looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry my return ruined your wedding and put an end to your relationship".

"The spark was long gone" he sadly replied. "We just didn't want to admit it and hid our true emotions, which led us to engage and try to marry the same week. It's not your fault".

Will nodded. "Thanks".

"Just" Paul said. "Make him happy, will you?"

"I don't even know if I want to be with him" he said. "Too much time has passed".

Paul shrugged as he left. "Don't you owe it to yourself to find out?"

Will watched him leave. "He's nice. Even if he ruined Sonny's marriage to my double".

"Yeah, well" said Malcolm, looking at Sonny, who was staring at Deimos's dead body. "The guy's leaving town. Again, not your fault. I guess he wanted to actually meet you and say goodbye".

"He really thinks Sonny and I should try again?"

"That's for you to decide" he replied. "I won't interfere, and I'll make sure no one does either. Now come on, let's make that one accept the fact he just murdered his uncle".

He and Will approached Sonny.

"You ok, Jackson?"

Sonny stared at him. "Um, yeah. It's just..."

"Surreal, huh?" he said. "I felt the same way the first time I killed a guy. It's not right, but sometimes it's what you gotta do, well, considering what I do. Don't get used to that".

Will stared at Deimos's face. He suddenly felt rage once again building up inside of him, and felt the need to spit on him. Just a last effort to profane the body for the hell he had been through thanks to him. But he didn't. "I'm better than that".

"Now we all have something in common" said Malcolm, interrupting his thoughts. "We have all pulled a trigger on someone".

"Please don't remind me" said Will. "And that's supposed to be a secret, how the hell do you know that?"

"Nevermind" he evaded. "We should get going. But first..."

He turned to Sonny again, who was distracted staring at Deimos's corpse again, and punched him hard on the arm.

Sonny winced in pain. "Ow! The hell was that?!"

"I still don't like you" said Malcolm.

"Yeah, that makes two of us" Sonny grunted.

"Just go" said Macolm, making him walk. "Before I beat you up. I may not like you, but for some reason my brother does, so this is the last time I take the blame for something you do".

"Like you've done that before" Sonny murmured, rubbing his arm and walking away.

Will shook his head, chuckling. "You wouldn't beat him up".

Malcolm rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I wouldn't. You'd probably cry like a big baby if I did".

"Shut up" Will said. "You do care about me".

"I used to be an only child until all of a sudden a father, four siblings and a niece were thrown at me" he shrugged. "It's not that bad, though".

"No, it's not" Will smiled.

Malcolm looked at Will carefully. He hadn't seen it earlier, but with the help of the moonlight, he could see how bruised Will's face was. "That son of a bitch".

"And we gotta take you to the hospital too" he said. "That face of yours doesn't look good at all. Does it hurt?"

Will touched his face. It didn't hurt that much, but he could totally imagine how he must have been looking. Still, he thought it was nothing a pack of ice wouldn't solve. Until...

"Oh my God" he gasped. "Oh my God, Chad".

He dropped himself on the ground, taking his hands to his head.

Malcolm frowned as he looked at him. "He's definitely worse than I thought"

Will wasn't crying yet, but he was totally freaking out. "Chad, oh no, Chad, he can't, he can't be dead".

"Huh?" Malcolm said, as his frown grew deeper.

"Chad!" Will exclaimed. "Oh my God, and he died protecting me! Abby's a widow and Thomas is an orphan because of me! Just one day in Salem and I'm already causing problems!"

"Will, what the hell are you talking about?" said Malcolm. "Chad's not dead. Yeah, Deimos shot him, and he must be in the OR as we speak, but he's not dead. The guy's a fighter, he won't die".

Will seemed to calm down a little. "Yeah?"

"Of course!" said Malcolm. "Now, you may want to stand up again, this is embarrasing".

Will obliged.

"Now you wanna be checked out?" Malcolm asked.

"I'll get a doctor to see my face" said Will. "But I want to see Chad. He didn't deserve what happened to him".

"No, he didn't" Malcolm agreed, walking away with him.


Abby paced around the room, worried sick. Stefano was oddly quiet, and Lucas, EJ and Sami were having coffee.

It was harder for them, because, even though they were genuinely worried about Chad too, they were more worried about Will. Some hours had passed, and Malcolm hadn't called, which made them feel more and more anxious as the minutes passed.

"Why do you think it's taking so long?" said Abby. "They should have finished with Chad like an hour ago! I volunteered here, for God's sake, I know how long these surgeries take".

"Relax" said Gabi. "Maybe they're trying to be extra careful with Chad. He was critically injured, they must not make any mistakes".

"Abigail" said Stefano. "Stop worrying. Chad'll be just fine".

"I hope so" she replied. "I don't know what I'd do without him".

"You'll always have us" he said, offering her a smile.

"Oh my God" she groaned, walking out of the waiting room.

Stefano rolled his eyes as Gabi followed her friend.

Meanwhile, EJ, Sami and Lucas were at a corner of the room, trying not to lose it.

Especially Sami, who every now and then checked her phone. "Ugh, what's taking so long?"

"Try to calm down, sweetheart" said EJ. "It won't make the waiting any easier".

"Deimos is a sneaky guy" said Lucas. "I trust Malcolm. I know he'll find him and bring Will safe. Besides, have you seen the size of that machine gun?"

"Yeah, are teens his age even allowed to touch one of those?" she asked with a frown.

Lucas shrugged. "He knows how to use it, that's for sure".

Abigail entered again, with her arms crossed, followed, again, by Gabi.

"You should not have yelled at that nurse" she scolded.

"Hey, what happened?" asked Jeniffer.

"Nevermind" said Abby, visibly annoyed.

Suddenly, Lucas's phone rang. He looked at the caller's ID. "It's Malcolm".

"Pick up! Pick up!" said Sami, as EJ held her arms in support.

Lucas obliged, and put the phone on speaker. Everyone gathered around him. "Malcolm, what is it?"

"We're on our way" said Malcolm over the phone. "We found Will. Deimos is dead".

Everyone sighed and cheered in relief.

"Oh thank God!" Sami exclaimed.

"Are you ok?" Lucas asked.

"Oh, I am" he replied. "Will's a little bruised, we're going to the hospital to get him checked out".

"A little bruised?"

"Yeah, that son of a bitch wouldn't give in without a fight. Don't worry, the guy has a bullet in the head so I guess he got the worst part. Anyway, how's Chad doing? Someone here's dying to know".

"He's still in surgery" said Abby. "They're taking longer than expected".

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure they got things under control" he said.

"Malcolm, where did you find Deimos?" asked EJ.

"In a freaking warehouse. Can you believe the lack of originality of these bad gus when it comes to kidnappings? It's always a stupid warehouse!"

"Huh" said Abby and Gabi at the same time, thinking about the times they had been kidnapped before.

Gabi shrugged. "He's right".

"Anyway, I gotta go" said Malcolm. "We'll be there in a few".

"Give Will a big kiss from me!" said Sami.

"Yeah, if he lets me" Malcolm joked, hanging up.

Lucas put his phone in his pocket and hugged Sami. "Our son's ok".

"He is" she said.

EJ smiled at them, turned his head, and saw Jeniffer with a small notepad. "Are you serious?"

"What? It's big news" she defended. "The Spectator is the only newspaper in town anyway".

Just in that moment, Kayla walked in the room.

Abigail would've tackled her had she walked to her faster. "How is he?"

Stefano approached too.

Kayla looked at them. "The operation was a success".

"Oh, thank you so much, Aunt Kayla" said Abby, hugging her, as everyone else smiled at the news.

"Anytime, dear" she replied, and pulled away. "However, we need to monitor him very closely".

"Were there any complications?" Stefano asked.

Kayla hesitated a bit. "Actually, yes. Chad went into cardiac arrest near the end of the surgery. We managed to stabilize him, and he's ok now, but the next 24 hours are crutial to determine he doesn't go into that again. We highly doubt it, because he's young and healthy, but better safe than sorry, right?"

"Thank you, Kayla" said Stefano.

Kayla nodded. "I should go. He's in recovery, and we'll let you know when we take him to a room".

"Thank you" said Abigail, as Kayla left.

She, Gabi and Jennifer got into a group hug.

"Oh, we should go to the lobby and receive the others!" said Sami.

They all went outside.


In the back of Paul's car, which followed John and Hope's cars, Will had fallen asleep on Sonny's shoulder. Sonny looked slightly uncomfortable and awkward, Paul had decided he didn't care anymore, and Malcolm, who sat on the passenger seat, pretended he ignored them both.

"So" said Malcolm, putting away his phone after talking to Lucas. "Tonight was interesting".

He turned to Sonny, who was trying to ignore the fact that Will had his head on his shoulder. "Wanna say why you followed us?"

"Who's the gun of anyway?" asked Paul.

"My Uncle Victor" he replied.

Malcolm took out the silver gun. He frowned. "This the one Gabi killed Will's cousin with?"

Sonny didn't answer.

Malcolm chuckled. "I so wanna see Victor's face. I'll have to be fast making a story up about how I got it".

"Why did you take the fall for killing Deimos?" Sonny asked.

Malcolm shrugged. "The boss would kill me if he found out a civilian got in the way of the operation. And the agency wanted Deimos's blood anyway".

"Also" he added. "That would make the guy leaning on you pretty happy".

"Malcolm can handle the cops" said Paul. "They might want to charge him with extrajudicial execution or something like that. Only a CIA agent has the tricks to walk free".

"Damn right" Malcolm agreed. "You still haven't said why you followed us".

Sonny sighed. "Once again, I acted deliberately".

Malcolm thought about it. "Makes sense".

"Wake Will up" said Paul. "We're here".


As Stefano and Abigail waited for Kayla to tell them they could see Chad, Gabi was on the phone with the sitter.

"No, it's ok, bring them to the hospital and you're done for the day" she was saying. "Ok, thanks".

She hung up and turned around, as the elevator opened.

"Oh my God, Will!"

Everyone gathered around, welcoming Will again, who was being followed by everyone involved in the operation to save him.

Will hugged his parents, Gabi, and then Abigail.

"I'm so, so sorry" he said. "It's my fault he's in there, I'll move out tonight if you want".

"No, Will, it's ok, it's ok" she consoled. "It's not your fault. And you don't have to move out. We're very happy that you're staying with us".

Will nodded, and pulled away, sniffing.

"How is he?" he asked.

"He'll be ok" she replied, as Will sighed in relief. "You're ok and Chad's ok, and that's all that matters".

Will nodded.

Sami approached, and cupped his face. "Your face, baby, your beautiful face".

"Relax, Mom, it's not like my face's been disfigured" he said.

"Still" said Sami. "Ugh, if only that piece of scum was still alive".

"I know" Will chuckled. "I know".

Then, Kayla came and approached Abigail and Stefano. "Chad's been transferred to room 405. You can see him now, but only one at a time".

Abigail turned to Stefano. He just shrugged. "You go first".

"Are you sure?" Abby asked.

"You are his wife" he replied. "The one he needs the most. Now go".

Abby nodded and rushed to Chad's room, as Kayla went to Will, to treat his bruises.

Jennifer approached Stefano.

"You know" she said. "I hate to admit this. But, you are a pretty good father-in-law to her".

Stefano raised an eyebrow. "Ok?"

"This doesn't change how we all feel about you" she added.

Stefano chuckled. "The love of the people of Salem will always remain in my heart".


Abby entered the room. Chad lied on the bed, asleep, as the machine that monitored his heart rate beeped normally.

She approached her husband and stared at him for a while.

"You gave me quite a scare" she said. "Not that it's the first time. Maybe you should just try to stay away from trouble like everyone else".

She sighed. "But then again I've known you for years to know that will never happen. You risked your life trying to protect Will from Deimos. You'd be glad to know that he's safe, just as he's glad to know you're safe. You've been best friends for a long time, I completely understand why you did it. Doesn't change the fact that I'm mad at you for almost making me a widow".

"I love you so, so much" she continued. "I don't know what I'd do without you. And Thomas needs his daddy too. He's actually on his way to see you. I think that will make you feel better".

She kissed him. "Sleep tight. I'll be back soon, ok?"

Abby caressed Chad's hair, kissed his forehead and left.

Then, Stefano entered. He slowly approached his son, and grabbed his hand.

"I'm an old man" he started, after a few minutes in silence. "I tend to say things I don't mean. Like the last time we spoke. I know I am not the most moral man on Earth, but it would have killed me to know that was the last thing I ever said to you. I'm sorry".

"I love you, son" he said. "And I am proud of everything you have achieved. In business, and in family. And now this. You are a fighter, son. I've known that since the moment I met you".

Stefano wasn't the type of guy who had moments to profess love for others. Everyone in town knew that. But he hoped Chad would get how sorry he was for insulting him. He left the room, after patting his son's hand.


"Are you kidding?" Rafe hissed on the phone. "Because it doesn't make sense! The guy was a threat, he was going to kill his brother! No, it's not right! Yes, he was saved. No".

Hope approached him as he sighed. "Look, we don't need that. We don't need more problems than we already have! Ok. Ok, fine".

He hung up, clearly annoyed.

"Is everything ok?" Hope asked.

"That was the commisioner" Rafe grunted. "He wanted updates on Deimos's case. Had to tell him what happened".

Hope nodded. "And?"

"He's not happy" he replied.

"I noticed, by the way you talked on the phone".

"That's not the worst of it. He said orders are orders and they must be followed until the very end".

"Well, that's true" she said. "Why is that a bad thing?"

Rafe tilted his head to the side. "Because you're not gonna like what I'm about to do".


Will entered Chad's room. He was hungry and tired, for it was already past midnight, but he couldn't find it in himself to eat anything or sleep, not when his friend was in that state, especially because of him, no matter what anyone said.

Once again, his friend needed him, and he was more than willing to be there.

He sat next to the bed, and grabbed his hand. He took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry" he said. "You've had so much trouble, finding me, taking care of me, protecting me and getting shot. You always say I've been the best friend you've ever had but I want you to know you are the best friend I've ever had".

"I'm sorry you are here. Believe me when I say, the last thing I ever wanted was for anyone to get hurt, especially you". He smiled slightly as he recalled a part of a recent conversation they had had. "You're like my big brother. I love you, man, we all do".

His eyes watered as he kept staring at Chad's sleeping face. "Please don't hate me. I never wanted this, please don't hate me".

He put his head down, sobbing quietly.

"I would never" said a whisper.

Will raised his head again.

Chad was looking at him, blinking a lot, as his eyes adapted to the light of the room.

Will smiled at him, relieved. "Hey, man".

"Hey" he said, in a hoarse voice. He frowned a little. "Are we dead?"

"No" said Will. "We're very much alive. Deimos, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky".

Chad grinned. "Great. What happened to your face?"

"I may have tried to fight him" he said.

"I see" he said. "Why are you crying?"

Will shook his head. "It's my fault you're here. I could have stayed anywhere. You could have died, and..."

"Stop it" Chad said. "If anyone should be sorry it's me. I vowed to protect you and I failed. I didn't evenget the chance to fight. Deimos shot me the minute we were face to face".

"How could you know it was him?" Will said. He rubbed his friend's hand. "I'm glad you're ok".

"Me too" he replied. "Have you seen Abby?"

"She's actually outside, the sitter is bringing the kids".

"Ah good. Hey speaking of them, I've finally gotten a chance to ask you".

"What is it?"

"Will you be Thomas's godfather?"

Will frowned. "Doesn't he have one already?"

Chad shrugged. "With all the drama going on we couldn't find time for his christening. So, now that you're back to us, will you? You know Thomas loves you".

"He like just met me" Will chuckled. "But, yes, I'll be his godfather".

"Awesome" Chad smiled. "I can't wait to tell Abby".

Will nodded. "I'll let you rest. I should too".

"But wait, you must give me a goodnight kiss! I know you want to" he teased.

Will frowned, but then narrowed his eyes. "What did my mom tell you?"

"What?" said Chad innocently. "I know I've been a pretty irresistible guy and..."

"Oh my God!" Will groaned, as Chad laughed. "She's so dead".

"Hey, I can't blame you for having the hots for me" he said. "But tell me, did you think about me when you...?"

"Shut up!" Will said, horrified, as Chad laughed so hard it literally hurt. He went to the door. "I'll get you a nurse".


"So, I shot him and Deimos fell dead" said Malcolm, as he finished telling Lucas, EJ and Sami what had happened.

"That was a very risky move" said Sami.

"I can calcullate my shots" said Malcolm. "Will was freed unharmed".

"That's good to know" said Lucas, as Will got out of Chad's room and went to speak to Abigail and a nurse. "See? I told you I trusted you could do this".

"I had help" he said.

"Chad's awake" said Will, joining them. "They're now checking him out".

"Oh, that's good" said EJ. "I'll go see him once they finish".

"Well" said Malcolm, checking his watch. "It's already too late for a pizza, so I guess a muffin from the cafeteria will have to do".

"There won't be time for that" said Rafe, approaching him with a pair of handcuffs. "Malcolm Horton, you're under arrest".

"Man, what the hell?" said Lucas.

"Hey, you can't do that, he saved my life!" said Will.

"Twice" Malcolm said, as Rafe put the handcuffs on him and told him his Miranda rights.

"May we know the charges?" asked EJ.

"The murder of Deimos Kiriakis" said Rafe. "Turns out his death is considered extrajudicial execution".

"He had a gun on me!" Will insisted.

"Malcolm, you're not going with them" said Lucas.

"Occupational hazzards, Lucas" said Malcolm. "It's nothing that hasn't happened to me before".

"Malcolm, they can't just arrest you!" Will insisted.

"Don't worry about me, man" he replied, as Rafe took him away. "I'll be back in 12 hours or so!"


Please review and thanks for reading!