Chapter 50: I Won't Give Up – Friday, September 20th, 2013

Breathe In. Hold. Breathe Out. Repeat.

Chad found himself standing at the side of the stage shaking his arms out. His heart wanted to beat out of his chest. The moment was finally here, and Chad's nerves were really getting to him. "Be confident," Chad whispered to himself before glancing over to Will, who was taking his seat next to Eric in a special section designated for Will's team.


Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011


Chad opened the front door at the DiMera mansion to find Will on the other side. He had sent Will a text message asking him to come over, and his nerves seemed to get worse now that they were standing in front of each other.

"You asked me to come?" Will released.

There was something so endearing in the way Will asked his question, but Chad didn't allow that to show on his face. Instead, he quietly led Will into the living room, which was empty. "Yeah, I thought it was time that we talked about Saturday night."

A small bit of nervous excitement covered Will's face. Chad noted that Will tried not to make eye contact with him. With a sense of shame, Will stated, "Yeah. I told you how I felt, and I still feel that way. I'm sorry if that's a problem."

Chad hated seeing Will so down. "Will, I didn't ask you over here for an apology. I asked you over because I want to tell you that I don't know how I feel. I'm really confused, but I do know that I want to be a part of your life."

"What are you afraid of?" Will must have noted the fear in Chad's eyes.

To avoid having to answer the question, Chad walked over to the minibar to pour himself a drink. "You want something? I won't card you," he tried to joke to relieve the tension in the room.

Will walked over to Chad and stopped him from drinking. "No. Don't. Just tell me what you're thinking. Tell me what you feel about me. The good… the bad… I want to know everything."

"It's not necessarily either of those. I don't know." Chad wanted to drink to help him relax but knew it would get in the way of what he needed to say to Will. "Growing up, I always wanted a big family. I always told myself I would have lots of kids because I never wanted my kids to experience what I experienced as an only child. You heard my speech at the reception. I longed for a brother or a sister. I attached myself to friends or cousins and thought I understood what it felt like to have siblings, but the truth is they all had brothers and sisters of their own, so they never felt the same about me."

Chad noticed that Will moved closer but stopped himself. "Go on."

"I think the reason we connected so well after what happened with Mia is because you were the first person I felt a real connection with. You were like a brother to me. Every time we saw each other I felt loved and cared for." Chad watched Will to see what he thought about his statement and immediately noted that Will seemed disappointed.

Will confirmed it when he asked, "Do you still feel that way?"

It was in the way Will asked that Chad knew what the answer was. "No," he admitted as he realized his answer only seemed to make Will sadder. A moment of clarity came over Chad in seeing Will so hurt. He didn't want Will to feel sad, and he felt this pull to tell Will exactly how he was feeling. "My feelings for EJ and Lexie are completely different from what I feel for you. I think I love you more."

Chad stepped back after confessing his feelings and wondered where that came from. "I don't know why I said that… I'm so confused." He was very afraid of his connection to Will.

Will grabbed Chad's hands and moved closer to him as his face lit up. "It's going to be okay, Chad. We can still have a big family. We can have a surrogate or adopt kids. We can be together."

Chad looked into Will's eyes and began to feel at peace, but he still needed some encouragement to continue what was happening here. "Say it."

Will smiled but still gave Chad a strange look. "Say what? That I love you? I love you."

Even though he was happy to hear those words again from Will, Chad shook his head. "No. I pick dare. Truth or Dare… I pick dare."

"I dare you to kiss m…"

Before Will could complete his dare, Chad pulled Will into a passionate kiss. Both closed their eyes as they were in the moment and all was good. Chad wrapped his hands around Will's jaw as he pulled him closer. He forgot all the things that told him this was wrong.


Friday, September 20th, 2013


Snapping out of his memory, Chad turned away from looking at the most handsome man in the room. Instead, he searched around the club because he hadn't seen Dario yet. He hoped his second-cousin was okay.

After exhaling deeply one last time, Chad walked onto the stage and stood in the front center as a spotlight shined on him. With a microphone in his hand, he raised it up to his lips. "Thank you for coming out tonight. I am really excited about what's happening here, and I hope you're just as excited. Tonight, you will get to watch some amazing live performances from many local musicians who have worked very hard for this concert. It is my hope that these performers will become regulars at the club once it officially opens."

Scanning the audience, Chad continued, "You will also see four very different and entertaining music videos from four local artists and bands that are competing for free recording time in a built-in state of the art recording studio. Before I introduce the team that has worked with the finalists for the contest, I want to give my thanks to the Dean of the School of Music at Salem University, Dr. Kahn, who couldn't be here tonight, as well as the music and tech departments from Salem University for their help tonight."

Lights appeared on Will, Eric, Abigail, Beth, and Sonny. Looking over, Will was pleasantly surprised to see his roommate decided to come after all. Even though he was happy to see Sonny, a part of him feared the possibility that Sonny would try to do something to disrupt the night. With a deep breath, he turned his attention to Chad, who was talking about what he and the others did with the bands. "I need to stay focused on why I'm here," he whispered softly to himself.

"On the panel, we have Will Horton, Eric Brady, Abigail Deveraux, Beth Ward, and Sonny Kiriakis. As I mentioned earlier, they will introduce each of our finalists' entries." Chad turned to Will and continued, "Will Horton will explain how voting will work at the end of the concert before he introduces the first finalist. I hope all of you have a chill time tonight." When Will began to speak, the spotlight on Chad turned off so he could exit to the side of the stage.

As the first music video began to play, Alessandro came back stage with a regular drink from the bar and poured a small amount of Captain Morgan into it. Chad tried to find him a seat in the audience to watch the concert, but Alessandro insisted he hang out backstage with Chad instead. Mixing the drink, he put everything away before looking to see where Chad was. He spotted Chad giving Dario a hug.

Holding onto Dario, Chad whispered, "I know you're going to kill it out there. You're that amazing!"

Dario took a deep breath and made sure to give Chad an appreciative nod before joining the others on the stage.

When the music video was over, Melanie said a few words to transition to their first set of performances. The stage was still black. "Growing up, we're told to make plans for our future. We dream big when we're little, but as we get older we start to fear our lives might become a little mundane. Fortunately, and maybe unfortunately, we learn change is a constant in life. Things can be one way for years, and then one second later it's all very different. We grow up single not knowing anything else in life until we meet the boy – or the girl. Dating can change a person's life, but when a person falls hard, it changes the world."

The band began to play the intro to Arms by Christina Perri as the lights for the stage came on. Melanie leaned in with the microphone as she began to sing: "I never thought that you would be the one to hold my heart, but you came around, and you knocked me off the ground from the start." As she sang, her thoughts went to the first time she met Nathan at Salem University Hospital only to find him half-dressed drying his hair with a towel at Maggie's house later that day. She accused him of being a mental patient pervert only to discover he was actually Maggie's grandson. "You put your arms around me, and I believe that it's easier for you to let me go. You put your arms around me and I'm home."

From backstage, Chad glanced over to Will and remembered how he and Will slept in the same bed. After sharing a sleeping bag during a camping trip, they discovered how to have the best sleep ever. They didn't mean for it to happen, but they always woke up cuddling. Chad missed being able to wrap his arms around Will and holding him close.


Tuesday, July 12th, 2011


At the DiMera Mansion, Chad's alarm went off in his room. Chad opened his eyes to find his head resting on Will's chest and Will's arms wrapped around him. Chad quickly removed himself from Will's grasp and avoided making eye contact with him as he turned off his alarm. "I'm going to take a shower first," Chad announced as he disappeared into the bathroom.

Chad got into the shower and heard Will enter the bathroom soon after. He decided to pop his head out of the shower. Pulling the shower curtain back a bit, he watched Will start to brush his teeth. When they made eye contact through the mirror, Chad pulled his head back into the shower and asked, "How did you sleep?"

"As good as ever," Will replied in a flirting manner. "You know… you better not get addicted to cuddling with me."

Chad rinsed his body in the shower as he thought about Will's comment. He felt weird about the closeness he felt towards Will. "I feel a bit awkward that I get the best sleep when I cuddle with you. Don't you think that's weird?"

Will paused before answering, "A little, but what can you do when it's the best sleep ever?"

Chad popped his head out of the shower again after styling his hair with the shampoo in a funny way. Noting the big smile across Will's face, he grew a bit nervous as he shared, "I won't tell anyone if you don't tell anyone."

Will's face almost turned a different shade of white as he replied, "I… I won't tell anyone. It's our secret."

Smiling back in relief, Chad exclaimed, "Awesome. I just don't want anyone to think that we're… you know… together like that. We can be cuddle buddies without it being too gay, right?" He pulled his head back in the shower to rinse his hair.


Friday, September 20th, 2013


Mathieu, who had managed to get a last-minute ticket thanks to Dr. Kahn no longer needing his, watched Sonny from a distance. He couldn't help but think about his past with Sonny. Before Sonny headed back to Salem, they had some really good times, but Sonny fell for Mat harder than Mat fell for Sonny, and now they were here – so distant and disconnected. Mathieu felt like an idiot for not seeing what he had then.

Recalling all the times she hurt Nathan in the past, Melanie believed he deserved so much better. She continued with the second verse: "The world is coming down on me, and I can't find a reason to be loved. I never want to leave you, but I can't make you bleed if I'm alone."

Hearing this song brought Will back to the time when he lived with Chad at the DiMera mansion. He found it odd that he would go there, but he couldn't help it. The struggle that he went through then felt like it was just yesterday.


Saturday, July 16th, 2011


Will arrived at the DiMera Mansion rather late hoping to avoid running into his mom or anyone else because of the slightly swollen bottom lip he received from Dario. He made his way upstairs to the room he shared with Chad hoping Chad had already fallen asleep. Walking in, he heard the radio softly playing in the room with the lights out.

Chad suddenly turned on the lamp next to him and turned to find Will starting to undress. "I thought you might stay with your dad again."

Will froze when Chad turned on the lights and turned his face away from Chad. He continued to undress. "I figured I should probably come home tonight."

"Hurry up, man. I'm getting lonely here," Chad joked.

Will let out a small laugh. "I'm going as fast as I can." He finally stripped down to his briefs and got in bed. He pulled the blanket over him and looked at Chad who seemed really excited about him being there.

Chad playfully pulled Will closer to him and then noticed his lip was a bit swollen. "Dude, what happened? Are you okay?"

Chad put his hand on Will's lips to inspect them, but Will removed Chad's hand from his lips knowing he had to lie to Chad about what happened. He did not want Chad to know the truth about Gabi catching him kissing Sonny. "I went to the beach today and while I was out swimming this guy accidentally elbowed me in the mouth."

Chad tried to put his hands on Will's face again, but Will would not let him. "Did you at least get it checked out?"

"Yeah. I had Melanie look at it for me." Will could see the concern in Chad's eyes, but he knew the concern only went so far. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Will decided to change the subject. "Are we going to the gym tomorrow with EJ?"

"Yeah," Chad confirmed before he turned off the lamp. He turned back towards Will and said, "Come here." Chad wrapped his arms around Will to cuddle with him.

Will laid in Chad's arms and smiled, but the smile did not last. He felt uncomfortable because he realized that he was only allowing himself to feel hopeful at the moment only to feel rejected later. Will knew that being close to Chad like this was only a tease, and he would never get what he wanted. He needed to put a stop to it.

Will removed Chad's arms from around him and moved closer to the edge of the bed. Chad tried to pull Will close to him again, but Will fought him off.

Sitting up in bed, Chad looked over at Will and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No," Will let out, not wanting to say anything else about it.

Frustration filled Chad's voice as he released, "Will you just talk to me? Tell me what's going on in your life."

Will turned his head towards Chad. "I'm just tired, Chad. I want to go to sleep. Goodnight." Will turned his head away and scooted closer to the edge.


Friday, September 20th, 2013


The struggle was too real for Will. At the time, he tried to cut himself off from Chad, but, at the same time, he felt he wanted and needed more in his relationship with Chad. He wanted to be home in Chad's arms for the rest of his life.

Alessandro finally made his way to Chad and handed him a drink. "I thought you might get thirsty," he whispered to Chad, who was actually remembering when Will tried to push him away because Will was too scared to share his feelings.

With an appreciative smile, Chad patted Alessandro on the back. He was happy to see his friend from Texas. It made his journey feel more complete.

Alessandro watched as Chad took his first drink. Chad seemed to enjoy the taste. "You just relax, and I'll keep them coming."

I tried my best to never let you in
To see the truth
And I've never opened up
I've never truly loved 'til you
Put your arms around me
And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go...

I hope that you see right through my walls
I hope that you catch me 'cause I'm already falling
I'll never let a love get so close...
You put your arms around me and I'm home...
You put your arms around me and I'm home.

With the end of the first song, Michelle took over on lead vocals for Chasing Pavements by Adele. Chad took another sip from his drink and remembered why he chose this song. It reminded him of the night of EJ and Sami's wedding when Will admitted to being gay and being in love with him. He looked over to Will and hoped he was remembering as well.

Michelle looked over to Will as she sang, "But if I tell the world, I'll never say enough 'cause it was not said to you, and that's exactly what I need to do if I end up with you…"


Saturday, July 30th, 2011


Outside of Chez Rouge, Will continued to walk away from the restaurant as he wanted to get as far away from Chad and Abigail as possible. "This hurts too much," he said under his breath in such agony.

"Will! Wait!" Chad called out to Will as he continued to follow him. After catching up with him, Chad could see that Will was on the verge of tears. "Do you still want to talk?"

Will looked away from Chad. "I do… if you're not busy."

"I followed you out here for a reason," Chad replied rather annoyed. "Don't shut down on me now. I'm so over this." Realizing he wasn't making things better, Chad apologized, "Will, I'm sorry I said that… and I'm also sorry for what I did last night."

Thinking Chad meant what happened in his bedroom the night before, Will responded, "You were drunk. It's okay." Will tried to smile to make Chad feel better about his mistake even though it hurt knowing Chad regretted kissing him. "It was kind of funny how you tried to give me a lap dance and then dared me to kiss you."

"Wait… what?" Chad did not remember those things. "I did that to you? Did we kiss?"

Will looked up at Chad wondering if Chad really did not remember. "Yeah… we did."

Chad could not believe it. "I feel like such an ass right now."

Will did not like Chad talking bad about himself. "You're not an ass, and you shouldn't feel like one."

"No, I am one, Will." Chad looked into Will's eyes filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry that I tried to make you sleep with a woman at that club to prove your manhood. I was being stupid."

Remembering how pushy Chad was at EJ's bachelor party, Will replied, "I forgive you." He realized that he needed to tell Chad his secret. "Chad, there's something I need to tell you."

Chad put his hands on each of Will's shoulders. "What is it?" He did not want to assume anything.

Will tried to keep his emotions in check as he spoke. "I'm gay."

Chad tried to continue looking in Will's eyes, but he could not. "Are you with Sonny? Is that why you moved in with him?" he asked fearfully even though he thought he knew the answer already.

"No." Will quickly answered to set the record straight. "I only moved in with Sonny because I needed to get away from you as I wanted more from you."

Chad's heart began to beat a bit faster. "What do you mean you wanted more?"

Catching Chad's gaze, Will took one of Chad's hands from his shoulder and held it. "I love you." Will grabbed Chad's other hand from his shoulder to hold it as well.

Hearing Will say those words made Chad realize that Will did move out because he feared their closeness but realized he was wrong about why Will feared that closeness. He realized Will was afraid of it because Will believed Chad did not feel the same. Chad questioned if he felt the same and remembered the feeling that he experienced when he caught Sonny with Will. Chad moved his head closer to Will's head as he felt a pull that told him to kiss Will. As they were about to kiss, Chad moved away because it did not seem right, but he allowed Will to continue to hold his hands.

Feeling the same pull to kiss each other, Will knew what he had to do to get Chad to kiss him. "I dare you to kiss me."

Chad thought about his kisses with Will in the past when Will dared him. He thought about the kiss on the beach after he performed C.P.R. on Will. He thought about the kiss they shared on the lake. He remembered Will kissing him the night before. Thinking of all of those kisses, Chad realized that those kisses meant more to him than he cared to admit. "You know I can't say no to a dare," he responded nervously. Chad moved his head in closer to kiss Will, but stopped when he heard his name being called.

"Chad! Where are you?" Abigail's voice sounded.

Chad pulled away from Will. "Will, this can't happen. This is not going to work. This is not how it's supposed to be." He began to walk away from Will but turned around to say one more thing. "We can't tell anyone about this. No one." Chad turned around to find Abigail to see what she wanted.

Will suddenly burst into tears. His heart was completely broken as he believed Chad had rejected him. Trying to make himself feel better he told himself that Chad had to walk away because he was still in a relationship with Abigail. Will thought about how he could feel Chad wanting to kiss him. They both felt the pull. "I'm not giving up," Will decided. "I'm not giving up."


Friday, September 20th, 2013


Will enjoyed the performances so far. He smiled over to Abigail and Eric, who seemed to be enjoying the concert as well. A part of him wished he could have performed tonight.

Sonny planned to keep his focus on Will tonight, but he couldn't help but watch as Dario played his guitar on the song. He remembered taking the chance to tell Dario how he felt when he caught up with him at the airport.


Sunday, August 14th, 2011


Sonny waited outside of the airport looking everywhere for Dario. He hoped he had not missed him already. He walked closer once he spotted Dario coming out of a cab with his luggage. Rushing over, he stopped Dario from going inside. "Dario, you can't leave without at least saying goodbye."

Looking down, Dario replied. "I'm not good at goodbyes."

Sonny placed his hands on Dario's shoulders. "Don't leave then. Dario. I love you, and I know that you love me, too! I saw it in your eyes when Manny held me hostage."

Dario tried avoiding eye contact with Sonny. "I only said that to protect you – to make Manny let you go."

"You're lying and you know it! What you said about me to your brother was real. I could feel it!" Sonny called Dario out. "You won't even look at me."

Dario finally looked up and into Sonny's eyes. Quickly, tears formed in his eyes as he replied, "The reason I need to leave is because I can never give in and give you what you want." Dario pulled Sonny in for a hug. He laid his head on Sonny for a moment not wanting to let go, but he pulled his head back and gave Sonny a quick but passionate kiss on the lips. Dario massaged Sonny's shoulders as he continued, "You need to move on and find someone who will treat you better."

Sonny was speechless and watched as Dario walked into the airport to check in. He watched as Dario moved on to go through security. Tears began to fall from his face as Dario disappeared into the crowd. "Bye Dario."


Friday, September 20th, 2013


Should I give up,
Or should I just keep chasing pavements
Even if it leads nowhere,
Or would it be a waste
Even If I knew my place?
Should I leave it there?
Should I give up,
Or should I just keep on chasing pavements?
Should I just keep on chasing pavements?

Beth smiled as she watched her girlfriend sing. She was so proud of Michelle and couldn't believe how flawless she looked as she performed such a big song. It was such a great moment from beginning to end.

When Dustin began to play the drum intro to the next song, Will immediately recognized it. Dario took over on the vocals for Run Away by BBMak. Will looked everywhere for Chad, but he couldn't find him. Was this a coincidence? This was the same song he dedicated to Chad when Stefano tried to keep them apart. It was the first time he used music to communicate to Chad.

Dario's eyes went to Will as he continued to sing the chorus, "I can make you believe it's worth it. Don't be afraid to be free 'cause no one's perfect." Somewhere, he got lost in the lyrics and turned to Sonny instead. "I'll always be there by your side. Someone said love is all you need, so take my hand I'll show you what it means. Just run away with me."

Will continued to search for Chad and remembered how he thought running away was their best option at the time. He then remembered how Chad wanted to run off, and things ended suddenly. Shaking his head, he remembered what Theo said to him at the Brady pub a couple of weeks back. Theo said, "You can't run away from what will always be in front of you."

Will knew he started working with Chad because he couldn't run away from the past, but a part of him questioned if in some way he was still running. Finally spotting Chad behind a curtain, he took a deep breath and mentally told himself, "This is just a concert. This is only business – nothing more."

Even with Dario singing lead on the song, Sonny was suspicious about what was going on because he recognized the song as well. He wished he didn't arrive late because he could have sat closer to Will. Totally missing the fact that Dario was singing to him, he leaned in Will's direction and tried to get his attention.

Beth quickly caught on that Sonny wanted to tell Will something. She didn't want him to ruin this, so she stepped in. Leaning into Sonny, she whispered, "Can you get me a drink?"

At first, Sonny was set to say no, but when he glanced up to the stage and caught Dario singing to him, he felt uncomfortable and agreed. Beth told him what she wanted. He stood up and whispered, "I'll be back," before heading to the bar.

Because Sonny walked off, Dario realized what he was doing and turned back to face Will. He finished out the song. "I can make you believe it's worth it. Don't be afraid to be free 'cause no one's perfect. I'll always be there by your side. Yes, I'll always be there by your side 'cause I'm here for you. Yes, I'm here for you."

Alessandro watched as Chad finished his first cup. Patting him on the back, he smiled and said, "I'm here for you. I'll get you another one."

Chad raised the cup to Alessandro. He couldn't believe this was happening. As Alessandro walked off, the next song began. Chad remembered choosing More Than Words by Extreme because it was one song Will didn't play when he was trying to hint to Chad that he was ready to have sex. Chad still felt like an idiot for waiting so long to finally have sex with Will.

Singing an a cappella solo to begin the song, Josh sang the first line, "Saying I love you is not the words I want to hear from you. It's not that I want you not to say, but if you only knew how easy it would be to show me how you feel." Melanie, Dario, and Brett came in with harmonies as the song continued, "More than words is all you have to do to make it real. Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me 'cause I'd already know." After a moment of silence, the band came in with the instrumental introduction to the song before Josh and the others repeated the first verse.

Chelsea, who was next to Ignazio, thought about how things were complicated between them. She told him at the hospital she needed space, but they had reserved seats that were next to each other. Hearing the lyrics of the song, she thought about how they hadn't had sex yet, but more importantly hadn't said I love you. She wondered if Ignazio loved her.

Sonny returned to his seat and handed Beth her drink. Sipping on his drink, he watched as Josh and Brett traded off between verses. They sounded amazing especially with Dario and Melanie singing harmony. Reflecting on the meaning of the song, he couldn't help but think about how he usually jumped the gun and slept with someone before they exchanged I love yous.

This song also affected Sami as she thought about how she and EJ would sometimes just communicate through sex. It had been a long time since she and EJ slept in the same bed, and she realized she had a lot of pent-up frustration. She knew they would have to talk things through before they could have sex again, but Kate's warning earlier played in her mind. It had been a long time since they had said that they loved each other.

As the song was coming to a close, Dario turned his head and spotted Alessandro walking around back stage. He found him familiar but didn't know why. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to think it through because it was time for the last song of the first set.

When the band began to play the intro for Bruno Mars' Locked Out of Heaven, everyone in the audience got on their feet and began to dance. Josh took the microphone for the first verse:

Never had much faith in love or miracles
Never wanna put my heart on the line
But swimming in your waters is something spiritual
I'm gonna get every time you spend the night
'Cause your sex takes me to paradise
Yeah your sex takes me to paradise
And it shows... yeah, yeah, yeah

Chad smiled as he remembered the first time he and Will had sex. It was amazing, and it was something he really missed. He looked the crowd over and could tell that everyone was enjoying this. Things were going great. Things were going to plan.

EJ caught himself smiling because of the lyrics of the song. Though they were sort of sacrilegious, they reminded him of him and Sami. Turning his head to his wife, he caught her staring at him. Both had mischievous smirks on their faces, but neither wanted to admit to what they were thinking.

As Lucas covered Allie's ears with his hands, Michelle took the lead for the second verse:

You bring me to my knees
You make me testify
You can make a sinner change his ways
Open up your gates 'cause I can't wait to see the light
And right there is where I wanna stay
'Cause your sex takes me to paradise
Yeah your sex takes me to paradise
And it shows... yeah, yeah, yeah

Adjusting the collar of his shirt, Sonny's eyes were focused on Dario. He remembered when Dario played for him and how it was always a turn-on for him when he did so. It had been a while since he saw Dario in this way. He missed it.

Ignazio had his eyes on Dario as well. Dario seemed so relaxed and confident while having fun, and Ignazio saw the Dario he remembered from the past. So far, tonight was a lot better than the dress rehearsal.

With her eyes on Ignazio, Chelsea noted the way Ignazio beamed as he watched his brother. She saw something in him that made her question her anger and frustration towards him because she found herself smiling at him. Maybe she did love him.

Unfortunately, the song wasn't a pleasant experience for everyone. Hearing the word heaven and not having Abe with her, Lexie struggled because she couldn't feel her husband anymore. He was no longer with her. Lexie didn't want to be there, but she told EJ she would support Chad and the family business. She had to stay.

Everyone on stage was singing now:

'Cause you make feel like,
I've been locked out of heaven
For too long, for too long
Yeah, you make feel like,
I've been locked out of heaven
For too long, for too long

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ooh!
Oh yeah, yeah
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ooh!


Meanwhile, Jack and Nicole arrived at the DiMera mansion hoping they could talk to Marco. Jennifer followed them and got out of the car without pause to show she wasn't going to back down from this. Before Nicole or Jack could say anything, she announced, "I want to question Marco as well."

Annoyed, Jack stood between Jennifer and the front door and said, "Jen, I already told you to stop following us."

Confused, Nicole stepped in and complained, "This is the first time I've heard anything about Jen following us."

Jen ignored Nicole and kept her focus on Jack. "I'm not going to let you put your life in danger."

"Gotcha!" Jack released with excitement. "What was it that you told me in the town square? Oh that's right; you could do whatever you wanted on your time. Here I am choosing to do the same."

Recognizing that Jack had a point, Jen backed off to show she wouldn't stand in Jack's way, but she still had something to say. "Well, I guess the both of us should not mind the other being here to talk to Marco."

Annoyed that Jack and Jen were talking like she wasn't there, Nicole whined, "You two need to sort out whatever it is that you need to sort out. While you do that, I will to talk to Marco."

After Nicole headed to the front door and rang the doorbell, Jack leaned into Jen. "You don't even know what to talk to Marco about. You have no business here. You should be at the concert since Lexie went."

Jen's eyes lit up as she called him out, "Have you talked to Lexie recently because you seem to know a lot of her business?"

Choosing not to answer Jen's question, Jack simply said, "You're supposed to be at the concert anyway. As a matter of fact, where is JJ? Where is our son?"

Glaring at Jack, Jen couldn't believe Jack would go there with her. "JJ rode to the concert with Maggie and Victor. Why aren't you at the concert? Abigail gave you a ticket as well."

"Abigail will understand," Jack claimed as he turned his head to see Nicole ring the doorbell once more.

Jen took another step back and shook her head at herself and Jack. Showing she wasn't going to fight him on this anymore, she confessed, "You're right, Jack."

With a curious smile, Jack questioned, "I am?"

Nodding her head, Jen glanced over to her car before turning back to Jack. "Yes, Jack you are. Abigail will understand. I'm going to the concert to support my daughter. Good luck with all of this."

Jack watched as Jennifer got into her car. As she drove off, he sighed because he could tell Jen was upset with herself more than she was with him. With his ex-wife gone, he turned around to check if Marco had answered the door yet. Surprisingly, Marco had answered the door, but even more shocking was the fact that he had his hands on Nicole. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked as he rushed over.

Marco pushed Nicole out of the mansion but kept his hand on her arm to make sure neither she nor Jack could get in. "EJ asked me not to allow either of you on the DiMera premises. I need you both to get into your car and leave."

Though he wasn't surprised by Marco's claim since he had talked to EJ, it only confirmed he was onto something. Deciding not to dwell on that fact, Jack moved on because he needed to convince Marco he and Nicole were not a threat. "Marco – may I call you Marco? Nicole and I only need to talk to you for a minute, and then we'll be gone."

Marco finally let go of Nicole. "Talk."

Rubbing her wrists, Nicole shouted, "You're a jerk!"

"Don't waste my time," Marco warned.

Jack gave Nicole a look so she'd get a grip and started, "Mr. Marco... I mean, Marco, is there any way we could get surveillance on the street leading to this mansion?"

Looking at Jack as if he was an idiot, Marco replied, "I don't have access to anything. Stefano made sure it didn't exist on the street because it would belong to the city if it did. Why are you asking anyway? Anything I say here is off the record."

Jack nodded his head. "Off the record, of course. This isn't even media related."

Frustrated that Jack seemed to have lost his backbone when it came to Marco, Nicole explained, "Chad told me about a note he found on the door the night we were held hostage. He showed the note to me, and I realized the handwriting matches the handwriting of these letters I got from a crazy stalker fan."

Marco found Nicole's explanation interesting, but he knew how he needed to respond. "I'm sorry, but I cannot help. You should check the campus mobile store. I traced the number there. I have said more than I should."

Before Marco could shut the door, Jack immediately stepped in and placed his hand on the door to stop Marco. "Wait. One more thing. Is there any way Nicole and/or I could check out the basement?"

Marco didn't even bother answering Jack and slammed the door on their faces.

Nicole and Jack traded looks knowing they would have to come up with a better plan to get in the mansion. "So what now?"

Thinking about how Jen went to the concert, Jack admitted, "I need to go to that concert, so I guess I'll drop you off at your car." He realized he was putting things before his daughter once again.

Nicole didn't put up a fight. Heading back to Jack's car, her phone sounded. Eric sent her a text message which read: "Wish you were here at the concert."

Nicole looked to Jack and though he was done for the night, she couldn't spend another night worried about her stan. She quickly replied to Eric: "Do you want to meet up after at the police station? I've decided to file a police report."

It wasn't long before Eric responded: "I can leave early if you need me to."

Though she appreciated the gesture, Nicole couldn't let Eric do that. She replied: "That's okay. You've put so much work into tonight, and you need to be there."

Eric texted back: "I promise to get there as soon as it's over."

Smiling, Nicole replied: "It's a date."


Back at Chad's venue, the second band's music video had stopped playing, so it was time for the next round of performances. As the stage remained dark, Michelle could be heard over the speakers. "Through rose-colored glasses, relationships seem perfect. We look past the small issues because for some odd reason we find them cute. The truth is: relationships bring new struggles. How do we remain independent and co-dependent at the same time? Things get complicated because a war starts between a person's heart and their identity."

When a spotlight shined on him, Brett began to sing Somewhere Only We Know by Keane a cappella: "I walked across an empty land. I knew the pathway like the back of my hand."

Will noted that Brett was staring at him, but then Brett closed his eyes. Suddenly voices could be heard from the audience. The Salem University Chorale surrounded the crowd as they sang the background a cappella vocals of the song. Will's face lit up as they slowly made their way to the stage as Brett took his place behind a piano.

Chad felt chills as well as he saw it going even better than dress rehearsal. He picked this song because it reminded him of the place he and Will met to talk – the place where his mother took him as a child.

Brett now sat at the piano and began to play as he sang the second verse. The whole stage lit up as the entire band joined in.

I came across a fallen tree
I felt the branches of it looking at me
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?
Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

And if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it, somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go somewhere only we know
Somewhere only we know

And if you have a minute, why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go? So why don't we go?

Oh, Oh, this could be the end of everything
So why don't we go somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know
Somewhere only we know

When the song ended all the lights went down for a second before a spot came back up on Brett at the piano. Another spot was put on Michelle, who was sitting on a stool with a microphone in her hand. As Brett played the intro to You Lost Me by Christina Aguilera, the Salem University Chorale quietly exited the stage.

Shaking her head, Michelle began to sing: "I am done. Smoking gun. We've lost it all – the love is gone." She looked into the audience with such sadness as she lamented, "She has won. Now it's no fun. We've lost it all. The love is gone..."

Michelle tapped into the emotion of the song at this point. Tears fell down her face. She was telling a story through her performance. "...and we had magic, and this is tragic. You couldn't keep your hands to yourself." Throwing her hand down in anguish she tilted her head and sang, "I feel like our world's been infected, and somehow you left me neglected. We found our lives been changed. Babe... You lost me."

Hearing the haunting song, Will found that his eyes were starting to water. It was so bizarre how he kept getting hit by each song being performed so far. This time, he went back to the fallout when he caught Mia kissing Chad the night of the masquerade – the night he was attacked on the pier. Will remembered feeling completely torn apart by Chad and Mia's kiss wishing he never saw it. At that point, he thought he had lost Chad's heart.

Dario, who was playing lead guitar on the song, noticed someone talking to Chad on the side of the stage. He turned his head for a second and realized it was the same guy he saw earlier. He still couldn't place Alessandro, but he noticed Alessandro handing Chad a drink. Realizing he was losing focus, he looked away even though he had a sick feeling come over him.

Michelle continued on the refrain of the song as Melanie and Brett joined in with harmonies. "Now I know you're sorry, and we were sweet, but you chose lust when you deceived me. You'll regret it, but it's too late. How can I ever trust you again?" As Melanie and Brett held onto the note, Michelle came through and sang with even more power, "I feel like our world's been infected, and somehow you left me neglected. We found our lives been changed." Placing her hand over her heart in pain, Michelle finished the song, "Babe… You lost me."

Beth wiped her face because Michelle was still bringing it. She knew Michelle's brother would be so proud of what she was doing. Catching Michelle's glaze, she made sure to blow a kiss to her.

It was time for the next song. Chad took a sip as he reflected on his following song choice: Down by Jason Walker. Josh sang lead on the first verse:

I don't know where I'm at
I'm standing at the back
And I'm tired of waiting
Waiting here in line,
Hoping that I'll find
What I've been chasing.

Chad remembered how lost he was when Will was attacked. He felt so alienated from everyone because everyone, including himself, blamed him for what happened. He shot for the sky to get Will to wake up. He actually believed if he came out, Will would come back to him, but it only backfired in the end. Chad wasn't ready to do something like that. He wasn't thinking clearly.

As Melanie sang the second verse with Josh on harmony, she thought about how she went to Austria determined to find her father only to return even more broken. She obsessed over finding her father and was now missing so much with Nathan. "I'm not ready to let go 'cause then I'd never know what I could be missing..." Melanie looked through the crowd and found Nathan with his head down. She couldn't tell if he was enjoying the concert.

"...but I'm missing way too much, so when do I give up what I've been wishing for." Josh watched Abigail closely and reflected on their situation. He wished he could get her to wake up so she could accept what was in front of her. They had the opportunity to be together and live a happy life. He hoped that was what she wanted.

Sami found herself realizing she was missing so much of her family's life due to her focus on Chad and Will's relationship. She looked over to Johnny, Sydney, and Allie and wondered if they were happy with how their lives were. She was definitely failing them as a mother in a lot of ways, and wished things were different. Moving towards the kids, she didn't realize she had created a bigger space between her and EJ.

I shot for the sky
I'm stuck on the ground
So why do I try,
I know I'm going to fall down
I thought I could fly,
So why did I drown?
I'll never know why it's coming down, down, down.
I shot for the sky
I'm stuck on the ground
So why do I try,
I know I'm going to fall down
I thought I could fly,
So why did I drown?
Oh it's coming down, down, down.

Will turned to Abigail and saw the way she watched Josh. Nudging his uncle, Eric realized that Abigail had tears welling in her eyes. He grabbed a tissue and handed her one and asked, "Are you okay?"

Abigail wiped her eyes as she felt this struggle with her life. Things were looking up, and after kissing Josh, she felt a sense of hope that things would work out, but there was something that told her it wouldn't last. She often found herself thinking positively only to have something bad happen. What shoe would drop this time?

Turning away from Josh, Abigail saw her mom enter the club to take a seat in the VIP section. She wondered where her dad was. "It doesn't matter," Abigail told herself before returning her eyes to the stage.

For the next song, Michelle moved over to stand next to the piano as Brett played the short intro to Run as performed by Leona Lewis. She made sure to look at Will as she began to sing the first verse:

I'll sing it one last time for you
Then we really have to go
You've been the only thing that's right
In all I've done
And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Away from here

Noting the way Michelle was watching him, Will couldn't help but find a familiarity to the song. He turned to his uncle and questioned, "Why do I feel a strange connection to this song?"

Eric had no idea. "This isn't the Snow Patrol version," he mentioned wondering if that was why Will couldn't place it.

Lexie recognized the song immediately. She remembered how Chad played this song to Will while he was in his coma. When all of that happened, Abe was missing. He was in her father's basement or somewhere else in the same position as Will. Lexie wrapped her arms over her body as she remembered when Abe was found. She closed her eyes and could still picture it, but for some reason she felt nothing. The memory didn't bring any emotions back to her.

As Brett came in to sing the second verse of the song, Chad looked over to Will and noted it seemed Will continued to connect to the songs. He wondered if Will had figured out the big picture yet. Turning to watch Brett and the band perform, he reflected on what happened when Will woke up. Will seemed so accepting of him when he woke up, but something seemed very incomplete about it. This was such a dark time in their relationship, even if there were small moments of hope.

Michelle joined Brett on lead as she Salem University Chorale sang back up from the sides of the stage: "Light up, light up, as if you have a choice – even if you cannot hear my voice – I'll be right beside you dear. Louder, louder, and we'll run for our lives. I can hardly speak, I understand why you can't raise your voice to say…"

With Run over, Melanie took center stage for the next song, which was The Hill by Marketa Irglova. Maggie smiled because she had no idea Melanie was such a talented singer. Leaning into Nathan, she got his attention and asked, "Why didn't you tell me how beautifully she sings?"

Nathan had heard Melanie sing around the house and during karaoke, but tonight was something special for him. His only problem was that he feared that Melanie was sending him subliminal messages through the lyrics she was singing. He knew this song because Melanie would play the soundtrack to Once all the time.

As she sang, Melanie thought about how much she was struggling with Nathan. The lyrics coming out of her mouth helped her realize her part. "Walking up the hill tonight, and you have closed your eyes. I wish I didn't have to make all those mistakes and be wise. Please try to be patient and know that I'm still learning. I'm sorry that you have to see the strength inside me burning."

Closing her eyes, Melanie saw herself singing this to Nathan, but something strange happened as she continued to connect to the song. In a weird way, she could see Nathan singing this song to her as well. "Where are you, my angel, now? Don't you see me crying? And I know that you can't do it all, but you can't say I'm not trying. I'm on my knees in front of him, but he doesn't seem to see me. With all his troubles on his mind, he's looking right through me. And I'm letting myself down by satisfying you. And I wish that you could see I have my troubles, too."

Chad continued to reflect on the confusion he felt when Will returned to him because there was so much distance between them. They weren't connecting and Will wanted to pretend that everything was fine, when things weren't. They weren't the same after Mia and Will's attack.


Thursday, January 26th, 2012


Life was filled with so much uncertainty. Life was filled with darkness and the light seemed scarce. It was especially dark in the Horton cabin bedroom. Chad and Will were alone trying to escape the uncertainty that filled their lives. As he laid on his back in the old and tired bed, Chad closed his eyes as Will mounted him. Both were completely naked physically, but there was something that seemed to hold them back from being completely vulnerable in other aspects. Even so, Chad had the desire to be as close as possible with Will in this moment, and Will made it seem this was what he wanted now – no holds – just complete susceptibility. Running his hands up and down Will's bare stomach and chest, he began to moan as he thrust into Will.

Opening his eyes, Chad tried to make eye contact with Will, but Will was looking up. He continued to run his hands over Will's body hoping to grab his attention, but Will wouldn't look down. "Will, I love you," he huffed hoping that would do the trick.

"Oh, Chad," was all Will said in response. His breathing began to sound extremely harsh because the pain seemed to be overbearing for him.

Terror fell on Chad as he began to wonder why Will wouldn't look at him. "Will. Look at me. Are you here with me?"

When Will finally lowered his head to look into Chad's eyes, Chad suddenly saw an image of Will hung on a noose on top of him. Chad understandably freaked out and pulled Will off him. "I can't do this," he told Will. Shaking his head, he turned to Will to make sure he was okay. He couldn't get the image of Will hung on a noose out of his head. "I'm sorry, Will. My mind…"

"What's wrong?" Will asked with concern as he sat up to look at Chad.

Chad watched as Will looked over his naked body. He could tell Will was really confused about what happened. "I don't know... Something doesn't feel right about this..."

Will grabbed Chad's dick and said, "I can tell." He let go of it and shook his head. "Sorry. It's just that you scared me with the way you pushed me off of you. Did I do something wrong?"

Looking away, Chad had to collect his thoughts and push the disturbing image out of his mind. He turned back to Will and didn't answer Will's question. Instead, he requested, "Can we just cuddle? I think I just need some sleep."

Will nodded his head and pulled Chad into his chest. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you want."


Friday, September 20th, 2013


Back in the present, Nathan continued to watch his wife sing: "Looking at you sleeping, I'm with the man I know, and I'm sitting here weeping while the hours pass so slow." Nathan thought about how there were times he looked into their bedroom as Melanie slept. She seemed so peaceful at times, and he wanted to go to her, but he feared he would somehow scare her. She continued to sing, "And I know that in the morning I have to let you go. And you'll be just a man once I used to know before these past few days; someone I don't recognize. This isn't all my fault. When will you realize?"

Melanie closed her eyes and thought about how she had to watch Nathan leave every day for the hospital. She knew things were broken. Things had altered. "Looking at you leaving, I'm looking for a sign."

As Melanie sang the last line, EJ found himself struggling with containing his emotions because the song reminded him of his relationship with Sami. When they finally got married, they were a team, but somewhere they lost their way. Why weren't they a team anymore? Why couldn't they work together? He really wished Maddalena never came to Salem. Looking over, EJ noted that Sami had distanced herself from him somewhat. This was getting real again.

Josh took his turn at the piano for Everybody Lies by Jason Walker. Dario had lead on guitar and vocals. Reflecting over the lyrics before he began to sing them, Dario remembered his conversation with Abigail at DiMera Enterprises. She helped him see the possibility that he was lying to himself and others by accepting a false truth. That was his way of connecting to the song and communicating his struggle to the audience. "We do what we have to when we fall in love. We say what we need to get out when it's not enough. Whether it's to yourself or looking at someone else…"

Chad remembered the lies he and Will told each other, so they could avoid having to discuss certain things. He also remembered picking this song because he lied to Will when they arrived to the gas station after his father's attack.


Saturday, January 28th, 2012


Will dropped his hand in frustration, but then took a deep breath. "Chad, I'm sorry. I should not have yelled at you about everything. I'm not mad at you for what happened with Mia or the rumors spreading around about my character. Can we just put this on hold and deal with this beast when things have calmed down?"

Chad wanted to hold Will's hand when he began to apologize but hearing the word beast caused Chad to remember the last moments of his most recent nightmare. He knew he needed to do whatever to protect Will. He thought about the time he felt hurt because Dario revealed the closeness between Sonny and Will outside of Chez Rouge. He had no right to feel that way because he was hiding Mia from Will. He then thought about how Will admitted to him that T propositioned him, but he failed to tell Will about the many times Mia propositioned him. There were no tears coming from his face, but Chad was crying inside. He had told his brother before he was aware of the fact that Will deserved better because of all the lies he told Will. He knew he would have to lie one more time.

Taking an exit off the highway, Chad found a gas station to pull into.

Will let out a sigh of relief.

Chad turned to Will and claimed, "I don't love you, Will. I was just using you, so I wouldn't feel miserable and lonely."

Caught off guard by Chad's declaration, Will asked, "Where is this coming from?"

Chad pulled away when Will tried to grab his hand. "Just stop. I know you don't want to talk about her, but I think it's time we cleared the air about Mia. I really messed up with Mia, and I felt guilty as hell when you found out about her because of what happened to you on the pier. I did whatever I could to make sure you came back to me, but I don't love you. I'm straight, Will. That's why I kept Mia from you."

With a confused expression on his face, Will released, "I don't understand what you're doing here, Chad. If you really are straight, how were we able to have sex? Did I turn you gay?"

Chad turned away from Will. "I was never gay, Will. I was just horny and lonely. That's it. Don't you remember what happened last night when we tried to have sex? I couldn't go through with it because I'm disgusted with myself for what I did with you."

Will looked away from Chad. Water began to form in his eyes. "No."

Chad hated this, but he needed to keep pushing Will away. "I attached to you because I grew up as an only child. I couldn't stand to be alone when Mia left for New York. Then we got too close."

Will didn't let Chad continue and turned to him where he sat. "No, Chad! Stop this right now. You can't rewrite what happened to us. You did that press conference and came out for me. When I woke up, I felt your love – it was real!"

Chad forced himself to roll his eyes at Will to put off his boyfriend. "I told you, I did whatever I could to bring you back because your parents and my brother were extremely upset with me. I did feel guilty for putting you there, so that was real. As for the romantic love and the sex, I've been faking it this entire time, but faking it for you is now too much work."

Will began to shake his head because he was stunned by Chad's words. "No, Chad. Don't do this to me. Why are you doing this to me? Why are you tearing me apart?"

Chad almost lost his control when he saw the pain in Will's eyes. Looking away, he commented, "Will, you've always been the stronger one in this relationship or whatever this really was. I know you will survive because that's all you've done your whole life, so I am doing you a favor here."

"You're doing me a favor?" Will asked in a serene but broken tone. "I think you're doing yourself a favor by running away. I don't know though. Maybe you never did love me."

Chad swallowed hard as he stated his final blow, "I don't, Will. That's what I am trying to tell you. I figure being alone at this point would be more pleasurable than being with you."

Will couldn't take it anymore. He opened the car door and grabbed most of his things from the trunk, which Chad had popped for him. Before Chad could rush off, Will decided to say one last thing. "My family has tried over and over to warn me about you, Chad, but until now, I never understood their hatred for you. I am not going anywhere with you – ever! Stay the hell away from me! You're a monster!"

Chad watched as Will turned his back on him. He turned his head fighting back the tears that desperately wanted to come out. He thought about how he was so focused on how Will's family seemed to hate him, but that focus blinded him. The truth was he hated himself. He was the beast. Unable to just sit there, he put his car in first gear and drove off into the unknown.


Friday, September 20th, 2013


Dario continued to sing, "Just being honest we're playing for both sides. It's easy to deceive but it's hard when the trust that's broken is mine. For better or for worse, for the happy, for the hurt…"

Sami glanced over to EJ and reflected over her trust issues with EJ. She knew she was guilty of breaking that trust with EJ as well. She hadn't been there for him like she should have, and only made it worse by trying to put the blame all on him.

Thinking about his family – the Hernandez side as well as the DiMera side – Dario knew there were so many lies between them all. "Everybody lies, lies, lies. It's the only truth sometimes. Doesn't matter if it's out there somewhere waiting for the world to find, buried deep inside, yeah, everybody lies. Yeah, yeah, oh everybody lies." Completely connected with the song, Dario turned to Manny, Arianna, and Gabi as he sang the bridge: "Everybody lives, and everybody dies." He was thinking of Isobel as he sang the song.

Lexie was greatly affected by this song. Everything was just so depressing and she still couldn't feel Abe. She tried to escape thoughts of Abe, but something inside of her finally hit her like a ton of bricks. Abe was alive, but now she couldn't escape the fact that he was now dead. She turned and looked for Theo, but he was with his cousins on the other side.

EJ noted that Lexie seemed distraught. He wished there was something he could do to help her, but he felt like there was a wall there once again.

The stage went dark again except for a spot on Josh sitting at the piano as he immediately started playing the intro for Maroon 5's Sad. It was the final song of the second section.

Before Josh sang a word, Chad thought about how he drove off and kept driving after leaving Will outside of Salem.


Saturday, January 28th, 2012


After leaving Will at the gas station, Chad continued to drive south. He tried to keep his eyes ahead towards the road, but he eventually turned his head to the side to see the empty seat next to him. Tears flowed down his face as he felt his emotions coming from the bottom of his body up to his head.

Returning his extremely wet eyes to the road, Chad attempted to dry his face as he told himself, "I'm no good for Will. I'm saving Will by leaving him because death follows me everywhere." He looked in the rearview mirror as he thought about how he lost Grace, his mom, and his dad. He lost Will, too, but at least Will was breathing. There was a small amount of peace in knowing that.


Friday, September 20th, 2013


Man it's been a long day
Stuck thinking about it
Driving on the freeway
Wondering if I really
Tried everything I could
Not knowing if I should
Try a little a harder

Will breathed deeply as he remembered his drive back to Salem when EJ picked him up at the gas station. So many questions were running through his mind, and he wondered if there was anything different he could have done to keep Chad with him. He made so many mistakes after he woke up from his coma. He didn't want to talk about Mia or the discomfort he felt in the way Chad treated him, but since he couldn't get any real answers at that point, he tried to push himself to immediately accept that Chad never loved him and that he was stupid for believing he could be happy and have love.

Grabbing another tissue, Abigail wiped her face as she thought about how she pushed Josh away. She thought he would move on after he left, but the fact that he didn't only made her feel worse that she didn't tell him she knew about his father. She also felt horrible for how she rejected him so he would leave without her. Josh deserved better than her.

Eric glanced at his phone as he thought about Nicole. He wondered if she was at the police station now. Sad reminded him of when he left Nicole in Salem and remained in Colorado. He couldn't lose her like that again.

Man it's been a long night
Just sitting here
Trying not to look back
Still looking at the
Road we never drove on
And wondering if the one
I chose was the right one

Still affected by Dario's performance in the last song, Gabi thought about how she left her family behind when Isobel died. She needed to get away even if it killed her to walk off the way she did. She was glad her family accepted her back. They weren't rude or dismissive like she was when they did the same.

From behind the stage, Dario carefully watched Sonny. He thought about his trip to Alaska, and how much he missed him. He remembered returning to Salem so he could be with Sonny, but that all went to crap because currently they were completely cut off. He wished he never went to Alaska because he could be with Sonny now, but he also understood that his fear would have kept him from fully committing anyway. Taking a deep breath, he sensed he was overcoming that fear now.

On the other side, Alessandro brought Chad another drink. Handing it over, he could tell Chad was clearly affected by the current song. "Take this. You'll feel more relaxed." He added a little more liquor to this one.

Chad took the cup and drank a big gulp. Giving Alessandro a smile, he whispered, "I shouldn't drink so much soda, but these are so delicious." He looked over to the stage and watched as Josh finished out the song.

"Oh, but I'm scared to death that there may not be another one like this, and I confess that I'm only holding on by a thin, thin thread. I'm kicking the curb 'cause you never heard the words that you needed so bad. And I'm kicking the dirt 'cause I never gave you the things that you needed to have. And I'm kicking the curb 'cause you never heard the words that you needed so bad. I'm so sad... so sad..." Josh lowered his head as the lights went out.


At the police station, Bo, Hope, and Roman met to talk about the investigation on Colin's escape from prison. "I'm just saying I find it odd that EJ was at the penitentiary the same day he disappeared," Roman argued.

Making a ticking sound with his mouth, Bo nodded his head to show he understood where his brother was coming from. "Look, I don't really trust Junior, but why would EJ help Colin escape when Colin is the one who put Stefano in the hot seat?"

"Exactly," Hope agreed with Bo. "What reasons do we have to believe EJ is guilty in this?"

Roman shifted in his seat as he remembered his conversation with EJ. EJ claimed he came to him to help them in their investigation, but he found it all very suspicious. He didn't want to tell his brother and sister-in-law about what EJ told him because he believed it would only cloud their judgment. "There's the possibility that EJ is the one who set up Stefano, so he could take over the family business. EJ and Stefano haven't always seen eye to eye."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Hope still couldn't see EJ going this far to take over the company. He wouldn't do that to Lexie or Abe. "If we're going to blame EJ, what about Maddalena?"

"No," Roman replied. He shook his head immediately at the idea. "It's EJ. Maybe Maddalena is protecting him in some way, but this is definitely something EJ would do."

Hearing Maddalena's name only caused Bo to think about his daughter. Chelsea was at the concert with Ignazio, and he didn't like that. Fortunately, Billie and Victor were keeping an eye on them. Noticing the time, he asked, "Are we going to be here long tonight?"

Roman shook his head because he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere at this point. "I think we're done here for the night. Let's head to the pub since Ma is watching the concert there."


While the third music video played, Dario returned backstage with a bottle of water and spotted Alessandro mixing a drink on the other side of the stage. He looked over to Chad, who was right next to him, and noted something was off about him – almost as if he were drunk. Worried, Dario grabbed Chad's arm and began to berate him because he believed Chad had someone sneak in alcohol for him. "Chad, you need to stop drinking from the stress of tonight. If you keep at it, this is going to fail."

Confused, Chad held onto the nearest wall and claimed, "The only thing I'm drinking is vanilla coke. You should get on stage because the video is almost done."

Dario wanted to say something else, but Melanie pulled him onto the stage and handed him a microphone. He remembered he was supposed to introduce the next set. Quickly collecting his thoughts, he spoke, "Sometimes in war, no one wins. There is so much loss. When a person has lost their identity and heart, it's a struggle. It's a struggle because before they can lift themselves up, they have to mourn what they have lost. Nothing can be the same again. All we can do is hope that through all this darkness and confusion, there will be a light at the end."

The lights went up showing Melanie and Dario sitting on stools next to each other. It was time for their duet. They were singing Set the Fire to the Third Bar by Snow Patrol and Martha Wainwright. "I find a map and draw a straight line over rivers, farms, and state lines. The distance from A to where you'd B – it's only finger-lengths that I see. I touch the place where I'd find your face. My fingers in creases of distant dark places."

Dario and Melanie turned away from each other as they continued, "I hang my coat up in the first bar. There is no peace that I've found so far. The laughter penetrates my silence as drunken men find flaws in science. Their words mostly noises. Ghosts with just voices. Your words in my memory are like music to me."

As the chorus started, Chad remembered thinking about Will constantly. He finally turned to alcohol hoping he could forget his past, but it didn't work. It only made his life worse. It also reiterated how much his life sucked without Will. Remembering how Dario seemed upset with him before this set began, Chad shook his head and tried to remain positive about everything. He believed Dario was only commenting on how relaxed he was. Maybe Dario thought he should be more stressed out.

Will thought about how even though Chad left Salem, he eventually felt like he was in a long-distance relationship with Chad. He wasn't ready to give up. He pretended things would get back to normal, when he knew, deep down, he messed up by pushing Chad away. He was a liar.

I'm miles from where you are,
I lay down on the cold ground
And I, I pray that something picks me up
And sets me down in your warm arms
I'm miles from where you are,
I lay down on the cold ground
And I, I pray that something picks me up
And sets me down in your warm arms

As soon as Brian began to play the keyboard, Will recognized that the next song was Talking to the Moon by Bruno Mars. Will knew this song well – not because he listened to it a lot when he was driving around town – but also because it was one of the earlier songs he dedicated to Chad after Chad left Salem. As silly as it was, he would talk to the moon hoping that Chad somehow got his messages.

Chad remembered when Will dedicated the song as well. He, too, began to talk to the moon believing Will was doing the same. He smiled as he remembered his dream about Grace. He hoped she was watching from wherever she was.

Looking up the ceiling, Josh sang, "I sit by myself talking to the moon trying to get to you in hopes you're on the other side talking to me too, or am I a fool who sits alone talking to the moon?"

Unable to forget what he witnessed earlier with Chad, Dario glanced backstage for Alessandro. He wondered why the guy seemed to always be in the shadows and finally found him stashing his bag in a hidden place. Dario knew that when he got the chance, he would have to do something before Chad drank anymore.

Michelle and Brett took their places at opposite ends of the stage when it was time to perform Just a Fool by Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton. Michele took a seat on a stool and turned towards the audience as she began to sing, "Another shot of whisky please bartender. Keep it coming 'til I don't remember at all how bad it hurts when you're gone... Na, na, na, na." She looked over her shoulder towards the band and with a pleading look stood up and voiced, "Turn the music up a little bit louder. Just gotta get past the midnight hour...uh huh. Maybe tomorrow it won't... be... this... hard... Who am I kidding? I know what I'm missing... now..."

While Chad reflected on his many visits to the bar in hopes of forgetting about Will, Will remembered the times he went out with friends because they told him he needed to get past Chad. It didn't seem to work though. Both felt like fools for falling in love.

Placing her hand over her heart and bending her knees, Michelle continued by augmenting her voice with a strength she had previously concealed. "I had my heart set on you, but nothing else hurts like you do. Who knew that love was so cruel? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I waited and waited so long for someone who'll never come home. It's my fault to think you'll be true... yeah, yeah. I'm just a fool. Yeah."

On the other side of the stage, Brett looked over to Michelle before turning to the audience to sing the second verse, "I say that I don't care and walk away, whatever. And I tell myself we were bad together, uh huh, but that's just me trying to move on with... out... you... But who am I kidding? I know what I'm missing… I…" He added a grit to his voice that made the song even better.

Still distracted, Dario watched as Alessandro forced another of his spiked drinks on Chad. He wasn't sure if he could wait until this set was over but then realized his big performance was up soon. He couldn't let Chad down. Knowing he needed to mentally prepare for it, Dario focused on what he was doing. He remembered how he told his mother he was going to show his strength and resilience. He couldn't let himself down.

Brett began to walk towards Michelle. He looked directly into Michelle's eyes as he crooned, "I'm just a fool for holding on to something that's never ever gonna come back. I can't accept that it's lost."

Michelle came back with, "I should have let it go, held my tongue, kept my big mouth shut 'cause now everything is just wrong…" before Brett joined her on, "...wrong... wrong… I'm just a fool."

Michelle put her hand out and caroled, "A fool for you…" Brett came back in as to prepare for the last chorus. They were feeding off each other and Michelle felt like she was singing with her brother again. "I'm just a fool… I..."

Sonny watched as the crowd swayed back and forth to the song. He didn't understand how Chad managed to put this all together. It was mind boggling how everyone came together for this, and he felt a sense of defeat come over him.

Sonny leaned in his chair and sighed. He didn't want to watch the concert anymore because it made him feel bad about himself. Seeing someone who looked like Mathieu in the audience, he thought about how he was a fool for falling in love with him when Mathieu wasn't ready to settle down. He shook his head because now Mathieu wanted to be with him. Sonny felt so lonely.

When the lights went down for the next song, Echo by Jason Walker, Dario realized he didn't have to stay on stage because he didn't have anything to play for the song and Josh was singing lead. He could go and rescue Chad, but Melanie, who was clueless as to what was going on, stopped him from leaving because she didn't want him to miss his entrance for the next song.

"You need to set up for the next song. You can do this," Melanie whispered to him believing he was trying to ditch because he feared his upcoming song.

Even though he was worried about Chad, Dario knew Chad would want him to kill the next song. Listening to Melanie, he put his lead guitar on the stand and went to the side to take off his shirt. He knew the only way he could perform this next song well was if he was in the correct mindset. As the others were performing the song, he glanced at Chad one more time. Chad seemed really happy. Maybe he was wrong about Chad being drunk.

Chad was feeling pretty good but scared at the same time. He was starting to notice he didn't have complete control of his body. Something definitely wasn't right. He told himself to just breathe and when he looked out to see Will, he felt a bit better because Will seemed to be enjoying the show still. "Everything is going to be fine," he whispered to himself.

Listen, listen
I would take a whisper if
That's all you have to give
But it isn't, is it
You could come and save me and
Try to chase it crazy right out of my head

In the crowd, Lexie found herself in an even worse place. Abe always saved her from herself, but now he wasn't there. She wished she could hear just an echo of Abe's voice again, but she knew it couldn't happen. Unable to take it anymore, she began to leave.

EJ reacted quickly and grabbed Lexie's hand to stop her. "Where are you going?" he questioned softly. He didn't care if the investors saw them.

Lexie removed her hand gently and shared, "I'm sorry, EJ, but I can't be here," before walking off.

EJ scratched his head noting that the music had a long depressing streak. He wondered what Chad was doing with all these sad songs. Remembering the words Dario said at the beginning of the set, he hoped there would be a light at the end of this tunnel.

Back to the side of the stage, Dario returned his focus as he began to stretch. He told his mother he would do this. He told her he would not be scared anymore. He was ready to show his journey. He was set to share his struggle – his strength – his growth. It was time.

As the performance of Echo ended, Sonny made his way around to talk to Will because he believed he knew exactly what Chad was up to now. Exasperated, he tapped on Will's shoulder to get his attention. "Will... this is..."

"Shh..." Will hushed Sonny as he pointed toward the stage.

Sonny looked up and watched as a shirtless Dario took hold of a microphone stand in the middle. There was only a spot on Dario as the unseen band behind him started the intro to Alibi by 30 Seconds to Mars.

Reliving specific moments from his past, Dario first thought about how he came out to his mother, then when she rejected him at the hospital, next when he found out she had died, and finally when he was in the morgue with Sonny where he read his mother's letter and had to walk out alone because Sonny abandoned him. The pain – it was all there. It was ready to come out.

"No warning sign, no alibi. We're fading faster than the speed of light. Took our chance, crashed and burned. No, we'll never ever learn," Dario released first with both of his hands wrapped around the microphone. Dwelling on the pain he suffered in the morgue and then when he walked out of it alone, he continued, "I fell apart, but got back up again, and then I fell apart, but got back up again, yeah."

As the band continued to play gently, Dario stepped back and let go of the microphone for a moment. He looked up and thought about his mother and the things they never got to say to each other before she died. He then returned to the microphone to sing the second verse. "We both could see crystal clear that the inevitable end was near. Made our choice, trial by fire, to battle is the only way we feel alive… I fell apart, but got back up again, and then I fell apart, but got back up again, and then I fell apart, but got back up again. Way-o, way-o, way-o, way-o, way-o, way-o."

Taking the microphone off the stand, Dario moved it to his mouth. He thought about how he was on this journey to fix himself – to be something he couldn't be – something he shouldn't have tried to be. "So here we are, witching hour, the quickest turn to divide and devour. Divide and devour. If I could end the quest for fire, for truth, for love, for my desire... my soul..." In the end, he was destroying his soul.

Falling to his knees, Dario released all the pain, the torture, and the guilt he had held onto as he warbled, "And I fell apart, but got back up again. Way-o, way-o, way-o, way-o, way-o, way-o, way-o, way-o, way-o... I fell apart, I fell apart, I fell apart, I fell apart, I fell apart, but got back up again." As the band continued to play in the background, Dario's abs showed he was now breathing heavily. He lowered his head as he thought about how he had let go of so much and felt lighter. After a moment, he got up and quietly exited the stage.

Even though this whole concert was for Will, Dario's performance became something else on its own. Tears fell down Sonny's face as he was now faced with the guilt of what he did to Dario when he left him in the morgue. Overwhelmed, he tried to push what he had done out of his head by telling himself that Dario got up again and moved on.

Will remembered telling Chad that he fell apart and had to get up again after Chad left him, but when he saw the tears in Sonny's face, he tried to reach out to his friend. "Sonny, are you okay?"

Sonny didn't want to talk about it. He stood up and rushed to the bathroom, so he could be alone.

Ignazio also struggled through Dario's entire performance. He had tears falling down his face as well as he recalled everything he claimed he did to protect Dario only to do the opposite. Dario didn't need him to be happy. In fact, he took Dario's happiness away by pushing his fears onto his brother. He took Dario from himself by forcing what he wanted for Dario – not what Dario wanted for himself. He had really failed his brother.

This needed to stop. Ignazio considered sending a message to Alessandro to tell him to stop their plan to ruin this evening for Chad. He knew no good could come from it now. He was tired of hurting his family.

Chelsea couldn't believe she was seeing Ignazio so emotional. Something bigger was going inside of him, and she realized that his being honest with her about what he did may have been him finally allowing something to change in him. Reflecting over his confession at the hospital, she considered his claim that he called the ethics board because he didn't want her to leave Salem. Though he definitely went the wrong way about it, she recognized Ignazio most likely didn't know how to really love since he told her numerous times that he didn't have a heart. Chelsea thought about how she used to manipulate things to be with the guys she wanted to be with before she understood how love worked. Grabbing Ignazio's hand, she told herself that maybe his actions weren't that different from her own.

When the last song of the third set began to play, it surprised everyone in the audience because the mood of the song seemed lighter. The band was now playing Out of My Heart by BBMak. With his shirt on again, Dario was back on stage playing guitar and singing backup vocals while Brett, Michelle, and Josh took turns singing lead.

I feel fine
Now the rain is gone
And the sun has come to shine
Nothing can get me down today
Head over heels
Got my mind made up
As I'm driving through the fields
Nothing can get me down again
Catch me if you can
I got to make a getaway

As the sun goes down
Waking up my dreams
And in my mind you're with me once again
Out of my heart
Into your head
And inside my heart there's a place for you
And in my mind I'm with you once again
Out of my heart
Into your head

Hearing this song, Chad's grin grew as he remembered the first time he allowed himself to genuinely smile and feel relaxed about it. It was when he was driving to Salem to win Will back. He felt more confident and accepted the beast within him.

Will, on the other hand, thought about two other men in his life. He remembered how Ezra always helped him believe in himself, and then he remembered working with Jay. He glanced over to where Jay was sitting. It was weird seeing him again after all this time.


Friday, August 16th, 2013


At Jay's studio, Will joined his producer and kind of boyfriend in the control room. "How did that sound?"

Jay stood up and pulled Will into a hug. "Man, your tracks are dope. You may be a big recording artist one day."

Grabbing the back of his neck, Will smiled and said, "Thanks. You really help me relax and help me connect with myself in a different way."

Giving Will a charming look, Jay pointed out, "Aww... you're blushing."

Will dropped his hand and said, "So are you. My blushing is making you blush."

Holding Will closer, Jay claimed, "Well, it looks better on you," before pulling him into a kiss. "I'm going to miss you this weekend."

Will couldn't believe how good things were. "I'm going to miss you, too."

Jay let go of Will and returned to business. "Don't forget that Taylor West is coming on Monday."

"Right," Will said with a nod.


Friday, September 20th, 2013


Dodging his parents, Sonny headed for his seat after cleaning his face in the bathroom. He froze when he spotted Gabi and Nicholas standing next to each other. He looked down and realized they appeared to be holding hands. Not knowing what to make of it, he looked up again and accidentally made eye contact with Manny. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face as another embarrassing memory came to him: when he tried to date Manny.

While Sonny took his seat again, Josh turned to look at Abigail as he sang the bridge of the song. "Take a look at the sky; feel the sunshine in your heart, in your head, in your own time."

Outside, Celeste arrived and could hear the music as she approached the door. A bouncer looked her way when she was close enough. "Excuse me, I need to talk to Chad DiMera. It is quite urgent."

"Do you have a ticket, ma'am?"

Celeste shook her head. "I'm not here for the concert. I'm here for Chad DiMera..."

The bouncer shook his head slowly. "Sorry, ma'am. No ticket... no entry."

Releasing a sigh, Celeste needed to find a way to get to Chad.

Back inside the band finished its last song for the third set, and the stage went black. Dario rushed off the stage immediately as Beth began to introduce the final music video entry. Finding the bag filled with liquor, Dario took it and placed it in a storage closet before locking the door to make sure Alessandro would stop giving Chad drinks.

Dario then went and found a few snacks and bottles of water and rushed them over to Chad and directed, "You need this."

Chad looked the stuff over and admitted, "I'm not feeling too good."

Dario helped him open a bottle of water. "Drink this."

Shaking his head after taking a few sips, Chad said, "I hate this. I need everything to go perfectly."

Placing his hands on Chad's shoulders, Dario replied, "This won't sober you up, but you need to put something in your stomach. Don't worry. There's no reason to stress out."


After leaving the concert, Lexie found herself approaching Abe's grave in the cemetery. In the pit of her stomach, she felt something that she had started to notice more since the fog began to clear in her head at the concert. She didn't feel full of pain. Even though she stood on top of the dirt where Abe's body laid, she felt nothing. Technically, she did feel something –she felt empty.

Empty. Why did she feel empty – no pain, no sadness, no connection to the man she loved so dearly? Maybe it was because it had been so long since she came to the cemetery. Maybe it was the fact that she had healed from Abe's death and didn't even know it. Lexie shook her head because she realized there was another reason she felt empty. It was her fault. She did this.

What Lexie realized was this: By stopping her grief so she wouldn't lose Abe by moving on, she still lost him because she couldn't hear or see him anymore. She kept pushing those feelings and memories to the back of her mind. She continued to tell Abe to stop entering her mind and heart and now – now he wasn't coming back. She had severed and killed that connection. "This can't be true, can it?" Lexie thought to herself.

Even with this realization, Lexie tried to feel something by talking to her husband. "Abe." She hoped she would get something back after pushing so hard previously. She repeated with more intensity, "Abe." Nothing. She needed to push forward and try harder. "This has happened before. You have died before when you were going to retire after Theo's christening. Mom wasn't any help, and you were shot." Recalling this memory brought nothing to Lexie, and she tried to rationalize the reason why. "It was all fake in the end. You were still alive, but you were captured by André."

Placing her hand on her forehead, she tried to think of another sad memory involving her husband. Instead, she came up with a fear she had. She would surely feel something when she spoke it aloud. "Abe, I believed when you left the police force to become the mayor, you would be in a safer place. I foolishly thought your goodness would be safe in that office, but that goodness is gone now. The light is gone."

Shaking her head while scratching it, Lexie began to look within because she wasn't getting anything from Abe. She was used to him telling her that everything would be fine, but she couldn't hear his voice. She couldn't remember how it sounded. Feeling desperate, she allowed her mind to go to the last time she talked to him alive.


Tuesday, August 21st, 2012


Lexie smiled when she saw Abe's eyes open. Her tears fell down her face and onto his. "There you are. We're here, Abe. We're here for you."

EJ continued to hold Lexie's shoulders. "I'm afraid this is it, Alexandra."

Lexie pulled away from EJ because she didn't want to hear it even though she knew he was right. Focusing on her husband, she gently asked, "Abe, can you hear me?"

Abe turned to face Lexie and gave her a smile. "Lexie, my love. It's so good to see your face one last time. I believe this is it, but it's not forever – remember that, Lexie. I'm not afraid. God is in control."

Lexie hated having to hear Abe talk like this. Her tears increased as she appealed, "You don't have to be strong, Abe. I can do that for you."

Abe grabbed Lexie's hand and pulled it close to his heart while grabbing Theo's with his other hand. With a dark grunting tone, he shared, "You are already so strong, and I know I shouldn't worry, but I want you and Theo to live your lives. I can't stay long, so please hear me. Don't give up. Make sure you tell Brandon, Jonah, Karen, and the others as well."

Lexie gave Abe a hesitant look because she had a question she didn't want to ask. As tears flowed down her face, she finally opened her mouth to ask, "Are you ready for this, Abe? Do you really have to leave us so soon?"

Abe gave Lexie a comforting look. "I wish I could stay Lexie, but I know it's time. I remember when my mother died. She knew it was time and was at peace with it. I want to go out the same way, but it's so very… HARD." Abe groaned. Tears fell from his eyes as he continued, "I'm going to a better place, but I want you to know that I will always be with you, Theo, Brandon, and the rest of the family. Death cannot separate us. It will reunite us. One day, we will all be reunited, but until then I will be waiting for you." Abe looked at everyone in the room, "All of you."

Lexie's tears flowed heavily as she tried to take in everything Abe said to her. Noting that his breathing seemed more difficult and less consistent, Lexie rubbed his chest saying, "Oh, my sweet Abe. Theo and I will be okay. Please be at peace. Focus on our love. I love you so much, and I will never stop talking to you until we are reunited."

Abe's eyes wandered around the room so he could take everything in one last time. Looking at the tears in everyone's eyes, he desperately hoped he was able to assure them that everything would be okay. "I love you all."

Turning to Theo, Abe smiled as he ran his hands through his youngest son's hair. He said with great joy in his eyes, "I love you, my boy. Be good for your mother."

"I love you, daddy," Theo let out with some distance in his voice.

Abe turned to Lexie with great love and tears of peace and inhaled for the last time. With his last breath, he exhaled, "I love you, my sweet Lexie."

Lexie leaned her head against Abe's chest and began to sob uncontrollably. She saw him leave his body through his eyes and she couldn't even bear to keep her eyes open any longer.


Friday, September 26th, 2013


Empty. Lexie fell to her knees and began to pound on the ground. "Talk to me Abe! Talk to me now! Say something! You promised you would always be there! You said... I said I would talk to you... I..." Finally, anger, frustration, and grave disappointment filled her as she collapsed completely over Abe's tombstone. "Abe!"

Wrapping her arms around her husband's tombstone and holding it, Lexie began to try to shake it as if it were Abe's body. She was attempting to wake him up. "Abe... you're not here, are you? You're gone, and I'm here alone. I'm really alone." Dropping her head on the top of Abe's tombstone, she quietly exhaled, "...until I die..."


Alessandro searched for his bag backstage and realized someone must have found it. He hoped it wasn't Chad or Dario and made sure they were nowhere around him. Spotting Dario heading on stage, he realized he needed to get out of there. With his cell in his hand, he quickly sent a text message to Ignazio that read: "I'm aborting our mission. I have to go. Hopefully I got Chad drunk enough to ruin everything."

After pushing send on his phone and then placing it in his pocket, Alessandro didn't waste any time trying to get out of there, but someone spotted him.

"Alessandro," Dario called out. "Is that really you?"

Alessandro turned around realizing Dario must have walked back off the stage. He never imagined he would come face to face with Dario again. "Dario, you have done amazing out there."

Dario's eyes grew when Alessandro confirmed it was him. He was so confused to see his childhood friend again – the friend who first got him started on the guitar. "What are you doing here? You've been getting Chad drunk! Why?"

This wasn't the reunion Alessandro wanted with Dario. He knew he couldn't stay there and talk this out. "I was helping him relax, but I have to go now. It really is good to see you again. You need to be on stage, right?"

Dario didn't want to let Alessandro leave, but it was almost time for them to perform again. He turned to the stage allowing Alessandro to head out. Taking a deep breath, Dario tried to clear his mind of what just happened so he could focus on the last full section of performances.

Chad continued to snack as the last music video finished playing. His heart was beating rather fast because he knew the end of this concert was near. Spying Will get comfortable in his seat again, he hoped Will was connecting the message he was trying to communicate through the songs.

When the music video ended, Josh had a microphone in his hand as he began to talk. "Everything can't be the same again, but love always adapts and has the capability to create something new. It goes through all the struggles and problems, and shows us what's most important. Yes, love brings us back in a way, but it also creates something more exciting than before – something we want to experience – something we don't want to give up ever again."

Brett, on the piano, began to play the intro for The Scientist by Coldplay as the lights came up. Dario was on lead:

Come up to meet you,
Tell you I'm sorry,
You don't know how lovely you are.
I had to find you,
Tell you I need you,
Tell you I set you apart.
Tell me your secrets,
And ask me your questions,
Oh let's go back to the start.
Running in circles,
Coming up tails,
Heads on a science apart.

Chad remembered when he decided to see Will in Chicago. He needed to see him even if it went against his original plan. He jumped the gun and was ready to just talk it all out because a part of him believed that it could all be fixed in an instant. Unfortunately, his over-confidence may have pushed Will further away.

Will looked over to Sonny and noticed how Sonny couldn't keep his eyes off of Dario. He always wondered what kept Sonny away from him because what Sonny told him never truly made sense. Remembering how happy Dario and Sonny were at the Horton cabin before Dario found out his mother died, Will then thought about how things weren't okay between him and Chad. They pretended to be fine and were trying to move forward, but deep down, things weren't right. They weren't connecting.

Noting that Will seemed somewhere else, Eric leaned into his nephew and asked, "Are you okay?"

Escaping his thoughts, Will didn't want to reveal them to his uncle. "I... I'm just realizing this is almost over. We've put so much work into this..."

"And you're wondering what's going to happen when it's all over?" Eric questioned as he raised his eyes to imply something.

His uncle was right. Will grabbed the back of his neck realizing he wasn't ready for this to be over, but he couldn't admit to it. "It's just been a great experience."

Catching Sonny staring at him, Dario looked deep into Sonny's eyes as he continued to sing: "Tell me you love me. Come back and haunt me. Oh, what a rush to the start. Running in circles, chasing our tails, coming back as we are." He kept eye contact with Sonny as long as he could, but Sonny turned away in shame. He wished he could get through to him. "Nobody said it was easy. Oh, it's such a shame for us to part. Nobody said it was easy. No one ever said it would be so hard. I'm going back to the start."

While Melanie, Josh, Brett, and Michelle began to ad lib vocals on the end of the song, Kate thought about how she visited Stefano's lifeless body. She questioned how she became so connected to Stefano when he initially blackmailed her into marrying him. Questioning if this was how it was always supposed to play out, she shook her head and whispered, "I hate this," as the song ended.

Melanie came forward for the next song as Josh, Dario, Michelle, and others took a step back. Brett stayed on the piano for Gravity by Sara Bareilles. "Something always brings me back to you. It never takes too long. No matter what I say or do, I still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone," Melanie softly sang.

Looking over towards her cousin, Abigail locked eyes with Will. She knew they were thinking about how Will sang this song at karaoke after Chad returned to Salem, but she also knew that Will had no idea that Chad actually saw him perform that night at Martha's. Abigail turned towards the crowd and began to look for Chad. She understood what this concert was about now. This was the story of Chad and Will's relationship. Chad did all of this for Will, so they could process what went wrong in their relationship together.

Hearing this song another time caused Will to remember the place he was when he sang it. When he saw Chad again in Chicago his entire life stopped and then fell apart. He was happy with his life in Chicago. He had Jay, an awesome internship, and he was really finding himself musically. Will believed Chad's sudden reappearance was selfish on Chad's part, but at the same time he felt happy with where he was now. He hated how conflicted he felt.

As Melanie sang the bridge of the song, Manny felt a sensation pulling him down. He was overwhelmed as he thought about his predicament with Victor and the files and vials he found in the Kiriakis mansion. Turning towards his sister, he leaned into her ear and whispered, "I think Victor killed Abe."

Arianna's eyes lit up and quickly turned to her brother to make sure she heard correctly. "What?"

Wanting to believe that Arianna didn't hear him, Manny covered because he realized this wasn't the place to talk about Victor – especially since Victor and his family were in the audience as well. "I think Dario's killing it," he tried to cover.

Watching her brother carefully, Arianna nodded and decided to focus on the concert.

As the strings continued to get louder, Melanie put her hand out and sang, "The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down. You're keeping me down, yeah, yeah, yeah. You're onto me, onto me, and all over. Something always brings me back to you. It never takes too long."

Stepping up to the front of the stage, Josh took the first verse of the next song, "Every day just seems so long – every minute that I'm here without you. Will tomorrow ever come? Will I ever get the chance to feel you? I need you so much." The lights went crazy when band got to the chorus. Brett, Michelle, and Brian sang the backup vocals. "You're out of reach... You're out of reach but you're so close."

With the band now performing Out of Reach by BBMak, Chad stood up and peered out to watch Will. He remembered how he felt after hearing Will sing Gravity at Martha's. At the time, he desperately wanted to respond to Will about how he felt about him, but he knew it would only cause more damage. Instead, he went home that night and thought through everything.


Friday, August 23rd, 2013


It was after midnight, and Chad could not stop tossing and turning in his bed. Giving up on sleep, he pulled the blankets from his body and scratched his bare chest. "I'm tired of hurting Will," he announced to himself before turning to look to see how empty his bed was.

"I want to hold Will again," he stated out loud as he placed his right hand where Will slept when they lived together in the DiMera mansion. "That's not all I want though. I also want to make sure Will knows I'm there to support him. I want to help Will achieve his goals, so that he is happy. I want him to smile more and more every day."


Friday, September 20th, 2013


Abigail and Josh continually made eye contact with each other through the song. Even though a part of her still felt uncertain about everything, she couldn't help but note the way he made her smile just by looking at him. She continued to watch him and smile as he stepped back so Brett could sing lead on the second verse.

Another room where I can't hide
Another night without you here beside me
'Cause I don't want to fake it
I'm just trying to make it, yeah
I need you so much

Reflecting on the lyrics of the song, EJ thought about how Sami wanted to talk to him before she left for Chicago. He dodged her, but then she dodged him when she left. He knew that this cycle needed to end, and they needed to meet. Even though she was next to him, he still felt like they were far apart.

EJ's face and body suddenly lit up when he felt Sami's hand next to his. It actually lingered there, too. Feeling her skin on his made him realize she wanted to be close to him. He decided to push forward by grabbing her hand. She didn't fight him. Their hands just fit together.

Most of the lights went down as the band moved onto the next song: Distance by Christina Perri with Jason Mraz. Melanie pretended she was talking to Josh, before she carefully backed away from him. Running her hand through her hair, she thought about how distant she and Nathan had become. "The sun is filling up the room, and I can hear you dreaming. Do you feel the way I do right now? I wish we would just give up 'cause the best part is falling. Call it anything but love…"

When Josh joined Melanie in the chorus by singing the male harmony part, Chad found himself smiling. He remembered waking up with Will after they worked on choosing the finalists. Will was grinning in his sleep, and Chad still wondered what Will was dreaming about before he had to wake him. It was such a chore to make sure he kept his distance from Will, but that didn't stop him from dreaming of the moment he finally got to come clean about his feelings for Will. He loved him, and he wanted to scream it from the hilltops.

The lights now focused on Michelle and Brett. Michelle pushed Brett back as she sang lead and he joined in on the male harmony part. "Please don't stand so close to me; I'm having trouble breathing. I'm afraid of what you'll see right now. I give you everything I am, all my broken heartbeats, until I know you'll understand."

Will remembered how he fought so hard to keep his distance from Chad and eventually gave in little by little.


Tuesday, September 10th, 2013


Still smiling, Will opened his eyes and began to study his surroundings. Confusion quickly took over. "What?" Once he realized he was lying next to Chad, and Chad had his hand on him, he jerked up and moved away from his ex. "What... what time is it?"

Chad looked at the clock on the wall and announced, "It's 7:30 in the morning."

Will looked to the clock as well and pulled himself up. He couldn't believe he was at DiMera Enterprises and fell asleep. "How did I let this happen?" he asked more to himself.

Confused, Chad stood up as well and shared, "Nothing happened, Will. We finished picking our top four and sent the band names in before laying down to talk about what the concert would look like. I guess we must have eventually fallen asleep."

Will found his shoes under Chad's desk and put them on. "I need to head home, so I can grab my stuff for school."

When Will stood up again, Chad approached him to check in with him. "Are we okay?"

Will eyed Chad as Chad continued to move in closer. It was like he was frozen and unable to fight Chad's coming into his bubble. Once Chad got really close, Will managed to take a step back after closing his eyes. "We are nothing more than friends. That's it."

"I understand."

Noting the cute smirk on Chad's face, Will quickly released, "I've got to go," after making sure he had everything in his bag.

Chad swiftly grabbed Will's keys and reached his hand out to him before Will could leave. "You'll need these."

Will studied Chad's hand for a moment before grabbing his keys from him. He felt a shock of electricity hit him when his skin touched Chad's skin. Taking a step back, he said, "Thanks," before heading out of the office and down the hall.

Once he was in the elevator, Will adjusted his backpack over his shoulder and noted he was smiling. "Stop," he directed himself, but he couldn't. He couldn't until the elevator doors opened.

"Will! Why do you look so happy?" his Aunt Hope asked with a grin on her face.

Erasing the smile from his face, Will lied and said, "I have an easy day today at school. I'll see you later."

Before the elevator doors could close, Hope gave Will a wink and said, "I'll make sure I don't ask Chad the same question..."

Will lowered his head as he exited DiMera Enterprises.


Friday, September 20th, 2013


As Melanie sang the bridge, "And I keep waiting for you to take me. You keep waiting to save what we have," she looked over to Nathan wishing he could understand what she was missing.

Chelsea looked over to Ignazio and questioned if she was in love with him. She felt this strong connection to him even when he tried to keep her at bay. Remembering how she dated Dario to help him accept himself, she began to wonder if she was simply trying to save Ignazio from himself as well.

So I'll make sure to keep my distance.
Say I love you when you're not listening.
And how long can we keep this up, up, up?
Make sure to keep my distance.
Say I love you when you're not listening.
How long 'til we call this love, love, love?

Even though they were holding hands now, Sami still felt the need to move in closer to EJ. She wanted to kill any distance from them, and she needed to communicate that to her husband without pulling attention from the concert. Placing her head on EJ's shoulder, she felt a chill when EJ allowed his head to lay on top of hers.

With everyone in place now for the final song of the set, What If by Coldplay started right away. Josh stepped forward first as he sang, "What if there was no light – nothing wrong, nothing right?"

Michelle followed next. "What if there was no time, and no reason or rhyme?"

Moving to the middle of Michelle and Josh, Dario sang, "What if you should decide that you don't want me there by your side? That you don't want me there in your life?"

Melanie stood next to Josh. "What if I got it wrong, and no poem, or song..."

Standing next to Michelle, Brett continued Melanie's line, "...could put right what I got wrong, or make you feel I belong?"

Brian completed the line of singers by standing next to Melanie, "What if you should decide that you don't want me there by your side? That you don't want me there in your life?"

Dustin came in on the drums as they moved into the chorus, "Oooh, that's right. Let's take a breath, jump over the side. Oooh, that's right. How can you know it if you don't even try? Oooh, that's right."

With the second verse, all of the singers sang, "Every step that you take could be your biggest mistake. It could bend or it could break. Well that's the risk that you take. What if you should decide that you don't want me there in your life? That you don't want me there by your side?"

Chad remembered what he said to Dario the night before about this song selection. Before his return to Salem, he asked himself a lot of questions wondering if Will would actually still want him. He found himself in the same situation, and noting that he still didn't feel that well, he realized his hands were shaking. Taking a few deep breaths, he wondered if his nervousness was the reason he felt sick in his stomach. What came next scared him in some ways. He hoped his honesty would come through on the last song.

Quite emotional now, Will remembered asking What ifs when it came to his relationship with Chad. He reflected on all the things Chad said to him when they were together and before he left Salem. Seeing the entire message of the concert, he became really nervous about it all.

Will turned towards his mother and noted that it seemed she had made up with EJ. He figured Chad would approach him after the concert to talk through everything. Will wondered if he was finally ready to do that.

Oooh, that's right
Let's take a breath, jump over the side
Oooh, that's right
You know that darkness always turns into light
Oooh, that's right

As the last song was ending, Chad's phone began to ring. His nerves seemed to only get worse. Chad quickly pulled his cell out and saw it was Celeste. He answered knowing he didn't have much time to talk. "Hey, Celeste, I am quite busy."

Celeste didn't waste time. "Chad, I cannot get in, but I have a message for you. You need to go find something your mother hid in your secret place."

Chad had no idea what Celeste was saying because it was hard to hear her, and he was too distracted by what was happening to really pay attention. "I will have to call you later," he released before he almost gagged.

"Chad, you're the key to save everyone!" Celeste shouted before Chad ended the call. He rushed to the bathroom in the back because he suddenly felt the need to throw up.

With the song over, the lights above the stage went out as the audience applauded the show. After the clapping diminished, a spot went on Eric so he could announce, "We're going to take the votes now and decide on a winner. Remember, if you're watching online, you can vote as well on the website."


Back at Maddalena's mansion, Alessandro headed upstairs and walked to Azzura's room to check on her. Finding her in bed, he asked, "Have you talked to my nonna? Are you okay?"

Azzura sat up in her bed and gave Alessandro an annoyed look as a timer on her phone sounded. "She is in her bedroom resting. Please leave me alone, so I can rest as well."

Believing Azzura had simply set an alarm, Alessandro walked out after saying, "Next time, I won't check on you."

With Alessandro gone, Azzura quickly stood up and locked her bedroom door. She headed into the bathroom and picked up the pregnancy test. She smiled when she saw it was positive.


Meanwhile, Nicole arrived to the police station to make an official report about her stalker. When she entered the building, she reached out to the first police officer in uniform she could find. "Excuse me. I need to report harassment."

Forrest turned around and was surprised to see Nicole there. Approaching her, he couldn't help but smile as he asked, "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

The way Forrest was looking at her creeped Nicole out in a way. She covered her body with her arms as she replied, "I would like to file a complaint."

Heading over to a desk, Forrest began to rummage through a drawer for a specific form. "Sure. Let me get what I need, so you can tell me what's going on."

Nicole watched as Forrest seemed to find the form he was looking for. She moved closer and noticed he began to write her name on it. "You know my name," she commented.

Forrest looked up to her with that same smile. "Well, I see you on the news all the time. You're quite the celebrity."

Shaking her head at herself, Nicole quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. I'm just feeling really paranoid right now, and I want this stan to leave me the hell alone."

Forrest gave Nicole an understanding look to show he understood. "It must be really scary for you to deal with this person – especially a beautiful woman like you. Tell me what happened."

Rummaging through her purse, Nicole started, "Well, I've received packages from a so-called friend, but they included some things in my past that I'm not so proud of."

Forrest stopped writing and with a questioning look, asked, "Why not?"

Nicole stopped looking through her purse and studied Forrest for a moment to see if he really wanted to know the answer to that. "It's a long story, and I'd rather not talk about it unless it's necessary."

"It's not," Forrest decided before returning his gaze to the paper. "Go on."

Glancing down at the paper to see what Forrest was writing, Nicole continued, "Well, the other night, I arrived to my apartment, and..." She suddenly stopped because for the first time she noticed Forrest's handwriting. She swallowed hard as she realized it was the same handwriting as her stan.

Forrest kept his focus on the paper. "...and?"

Nicole looked up and studied Forrest closely. The guy appeared to be very young. How could he be responsible? "I'm sorry. I just remembered I left the oven on, so I'm going to have to come back and finish this report later."

Dropping the pen on the desk, Forrest stood up straight and turned to Nicole. "You left the oven on?"

Nicole's heart began to beat faster as she glanced around the room to see she was alone with Forrest. With a nervous laugh, she claimed, "I... yes, I did. I had a sweet tooth and decided to make some brownies, but I got distracted when I saw the package from my wonderful fan and came here... This was a mistake. I really have to go."

Forrest studied Nicole carefully and crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay. Sure. If anything happens, don't hesitate to call."

"I will," Nicole claimed before turning around rushing out of there.

Outside, Nicole found her keys for her car in her purse and pulled her phone out next. She needed to tell someone she found her stalker. "I can't believe this. He's a cop," she whispered to herself. She felt so sick to her stomach.

Unfortunately, Forrest followed her out. Walking faster than Nicole, he was able to catch up as he said, "You forgot your pen."

Nicole didn't turn around but said, "I didn't bring a pen. That's not my pen, and I need to make sure my place isn't on fire."

Forrest quickly grabbed her and pulled her into a dark area of the parking lot. Covering her mouth with his hand, he pulled her right ear next to his lips. "I know you don't bake. The oven in your apartment doesn't even work."

Nicole's eyes widened since she received further confirmation that Forrest was her stalker. She tried to fight him off and scream, but Forrest's grip on her was rather tight.

"We're going home," Forrest informed Nicole before knocking her out. He looked around before taking a sniff of her hair. "Like I imagined… strawberries…"


Walking inside The Salem Spectator office building, Mrs. Blakelee glanced at her phone for the time. She knew Ezra was still at the concert and hoped she would see him after it was done. When she arrived to Diana's office, she knocked on the door before walking inside. "Are you here? I got your text."

A response came from inside the private bathroom. "I'm in here washing my face while everyone votes for that contest at Chad's new club. The makeup artist is on his way because I need a new mask. The current one is falling apart."

Mrs. Blakelee heard the sink come on. After noting she could hear music coming from a laptop on the desk, she waited until she heard the sink come off again before she spoke. "We can talk Titan business later, but first I want to check in about my son. How is Ezra?"

"I think it's great he's trying to make peace here in Salem, but I don't think he's doing well. It's unfortunate it's not working out for him because Abigail is proving to be like her father."

Shaking her head, Mrs. Blakelee knew she would have to talk to Ezra about this tonight. She hated to see him so hurt and a part of her wished she hadn't told him the truth about his father his senior year in high school. Moving on, she asked, "Have you met with the mayor recently?"

Walking out of the bathroom as she finished drying her face, Kristen Blake answered, "No, I have not talked to my mother." She rushed over to take a seat at the desk before questioning, "Are you watching the rest of the concert with me?"


Standing next to Will, Chad finished thanking everyone again for all their work and effort in tonight. He was a bit long-winded, but Will managed to reel him in by saying, "It's been a long night, and everyone's waiting to know who won."

Chad nodded his head and smiled. He felt somewhat better after vomiting and appreciated the fact that he thought to bring his toothbrush tonight in case he needed it. Handing the envelope to Will, he said, "I'll let you announce the winner."

Holding the envelope tightly, Will stepped up to the microphone and said, "The moment of truth." As he carefully opened the envelope, he suddenly felt alone on the stage and believed Chad had simply stepped back to stand with all the finalists on the stage. "The winner of this contest is... Safiya Tyrell! Congratulations Safiya!"

Safiya stepped forward to shake Will's hand as everyone in the audience applauded her. As the other finalists left the stage, Will looked back and noted that Chad was nowhere in sight, which was odd because he thought Chad was supposed to wrap up the concert tonight. Where did he go? Will hoped he would get a chance to talk to Chad about everything.

After Safiya gave a short but sweet speech and headed to her seat, Dario and Josh walked out with guitars as the lights filled the stage again. "We're performing one last song to close the night."

"We're really happy everyone came and hope you enjoyed the night," Josh added.

Startled, Will quickly headed off the stage and took his seat again as Melanie, Brett, Brian, Michelle, and Dustin returned to the stage as well. They stood behind microphones that appeared to be for backup singers. Things only got more confusing when Will heard someone playing the guitar, but Dario and Josh weren't strumming or anything.

Suddenly, Chad came out with a guitar in his hand. He was the one who was playing the demo version of Jason Mraz's I Won't Give Up. Looking up and making direct eye contact with Will, Chad crooned, "When I look into your eyes it's like watching the night sky or a beautiful sunrise – there's so much they hold. And just like them old stars, I see that you've come so far to be right where you are. How old is your soul?"

Will covered his mouth in shock and couldn't believe this was happening. He had heard Chad sing before, but not like this. "I won't give up on us even if the skies get rough. I'm giving you all my love. I'm still looking up."

Sami turned her head to watch Will's reaction to this and though he was covering his mouth, she could tell by his eyes that he was smiling. A tear fell down her face as she realized how wrong she was to interfere in this at all. Chad continued, "And when you're needing your space to do some navigating, I'll be here patiently waiting to see what you find."

In shock that Chad had taken it this far, Sonny turned to watch Will's reaction as well. He was disappointed in what he saw and hoped Will came to his senses on the game Chad was playing. Glancing at everyone else on the stage, he couldn't believe they helped Chad with this.

Singing with as much power as possible, Chad tried to keep his eyes on Will but felt his fingers slip. Fortunately, Dario was there to cover for him on the guitar. "'Cause even the stars they burn. Some even fall to the earth. We've got a lot to learn. God knows we're worth it. I won't give up."

Chad looked down for a moment to catch up on what he was playing on the guitar. He tried to tell himself to keep going and not focus on his mistake. He finally turned to look at Josh and Dario as they sang harmony with him on the next part. He stopped playing altogether, so he could focus on the words. "I don't want to be someone who walks away so easily. I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make. Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use the tools and gifts we got; we got a lot at stake."

Chad tried to focus on the fact that though they did fall apart, their connection remained alive. They had to go on their separate journeys to be where they were today. "And in the end you're still my friend, at least we did intend for us to work; we didn't break; we didn't burn. We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in. I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not, and Who I Am."

At this point Will had to wipe his face because water was starting to form in his eyes. He was in such awe that this was really happening. A part of him wished Chad would look at him again, but another part feared what it would mean if Chad saw him begin to get so vulnerable.

"I won't give up on us even if the skies get rough. I'm giving you all my love. I'm still looking up," Chad serenaded as he finally got back on track with what he was playing on the guitar. He was able to finally make eye contact with Will again as he continued, "So easy is our life. What's mine is yours and yours mine. Hardly do we ever fight. We'd rather be kind."

As Melanie, Michelle, Brett, Dustin, and Brian joined in on vocals, Chad gave Will the most sincere and genuine look as he proclaimed, "I won't give up on us even if the skies get dark. I'm healing this broken heart. I know I'm worth it. I won't give up on us. God knows I'm tough enough. We've got a lot to learn. God knows you're worth it. No, I won't give up on us. God knows I'm tough enough. We've got a lot to learn. Will, you are worth it. No, I won't give up."

After finishing the song with the guitar outro, Chad still felt like he didn't do what he wanted to accomplish. He quickly shouted, "Hold the lights for a moment please." The light crew left the lights on for Chad.

Dario quickly stepped forward and with his mouth away from the microphone, asked, "What are you doing, Chad? We're ending it here." This wasn't a part of the original plan.

Looking back at Dario, Chad claimed, "I forgot to announce the name of the club. I was supposed to do that before we announced the winner."

Dario stepped back and nodded his head to give Chad the go ahead.

Turning back to the audience, Chad cleared his throat before making eye contact with Will again. "I will tell you the name of the club in just a moment, but before I do, there's something I need to say to Will Horton."

Josh stepped forward this time and warned, "Chad, don't overdo it. Stop while you're ahead."

Chad looked over his shoulder to Josh and said, "It's okay. This is something I need to do." He then turned back to Will and looked straight into his eyes. "Will. I don't know if you got the message of what I've tried to tell you all night, but I want to make sure you understand why I did all of this. When our friendship started to become something else, I was weak and scared. I wasn't the guy who deserved you or the guy that you needed. I was so afraid to be out with you that I actually pretended to be sick once when I overheard a group of people in the school cafeteria speculating correctly that we were together. How stupid was I? How could I be so ashamed of someone like you?"

Chad wasn't supposed to give a speech like this. Trying to step in again, Dario said, "Chad..."

With a bit of frustration, Chad closed his eyes and said, "Let me do this, please." He returned his focus on Will, who had a look on his face that showed he was speechless.

Chad continued to pour out his heart, "Remember our games of truth or dare? After we kissed on the beach, a secret part of me lived for the dare to kiss you again because I wanted to. We went on that camping trip, and the first night your sleeping bag got wet. You joined me in my sleeping bag, and I never told you this, but I felt a little safer with you by my side. I didn't understand it. At one point, I think I even called us the gayest straight dudes around because for some reason we got the best sleep when we slept next to each other."

Realizing he was rambling again, Chad got to his point and reiterated "Like I said, I didn't understand it, and I struggled so much with labeling how I felt about you – how you felt about me. Labels are so confusing because they only put people in a box. One of the things I have learned about myself is that I don't like to be labeled. I just want to be me. I don't want to be labeled a DiMera because a lot of the negative connotations that come with it. My last name is DiMera, but that doesn't really define me. I also don't want to be labeled as gay. I just want to be a man who is madly in love with his best friend."

Noting the tears coming from Will's eyes, Chad began to tear up as well. "You are my home, Will. If there's one thing I know is true, it's that through everything – the good times, the bad times, through the joy, and through all of the fear – I have always loved you. I love you Will, and I always will." Chad lowered the microphone from his lips and swallowed hard as he hoped he said what he needed to say to Will.

Will froze as all eyes in the room turned to him. Everyone waited for him to respond.

Breathe In. Hold. Breathe Out. Repeat.