Chapter 1: Nightmares – Monday, December 12th, 2011

Chad is walking around the Horton Town Square looking for Will. It's dark out, and all the shops are closed. Except for Chad, the square is completely empty. He shivers and wraps his arms around his body as he calls out for Will. On a post, he sees a poster that is very familiar to him. Walking over to it, he frowns. "Will, where are you?" He pulls the sheet of paper off of the post wishing he could find his boyfriend.

Chad looks up again and sees missing posters with Will's face on them. They are now everywhere, and no one seems to know where he is. The moon lights the signs with a dreary and depressing blue, which causes Chad to sort of lose his mind. He can't take looking at all of them anymore, so he runs to his car and drives off into the darkness. He decides to head to the family home to see if Will is there. Perhaps Will got lost in the DiMera mansion.

Coming up on the driveway of the DiMera mansion, Chad parks his car and gets out. He notices that ice is covering the pavement directly outside of the front door. That's never happened before... Father always makes sure Harold... or sometimes... even Mary places salt on the ground so no one will slip. Chad tries to make his way to the door, but his feet keep sliding on the ice. He slowly braces himself with every step. Finally, he's able to make it to the door and opens it quickly.

Chad walks into the house carefully as it's almost totally dark. There is a faint light shining on the side of the stairs. He calls out for anyone to respond, but he doesn't get one. He listens closely to the silence and suddenly hears noises. Chad realizes the sounds are coming from the basement. He knows he has to check it out as the rest of the house seems completely empty. Maybe everyone is in the basement looking for Will.

Making his way down the stairs, the noises get louder and clearer. Chad realizes that the sound he's hearing is actually a voice repeating a phrase. Walking down the long metallic hall, he can now make out the voice is saying, "Help me get free. I'm stuck."

Chad follows the voice to a door that is securely closed. He begins to pull on it, but it won't budge. The voice gets louder, and Chad quickly realizes it's Will. "Will?!" He shouts Will's name to let him know he's going to save him.

Chad finally kicks the door in and finds Will strapped to an examining bed. "Will, what are you doing down here?" he asks as he rushes to his boyfriend's side to unstrap him.

"I don't know," Will shares. His face is rather pale. "I just woke up down here. Help me get free. I'm stuck."

"That's what I'm doing." Chad finally unfastens the last strap and helps Will off the bed by holding him.

"Thanks," Will tells Chad before he coldly pulls himself away from Chad. "Now I can do what I was ordered to do."

Chad steps back and gives Will a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't matter, Chad. You aren't strong enough for the job I was created to do." Will pushes Chad away and begins to walk out the door.

Chad follows Will out and realizes that something is wrong with Will. He's no longer himself. Glancing back in the room, he notices there are monitors all around the examining bed. He wonders if his father did something to Will and picks up his pace to catch up with his boyfriend. "Will, what did my father do to you?"

Will stops walking and turns to Chad so he can respond. "I'm the perfect soldier. The one that Father has always wanted."

Chad steps back in fear when he sees darkness in Will's eyes.

–(–)–

Chad immediately wakes up in a sweat in his bedroom at the apartment he shares with Will and Sonny. He wipes his forehead and looks at the clock. It's 2am. He breathes deeply and tries to calm his heart as he reflects on his dream. Will was missing. He quickly turns to the other side of the bed. He sighs in relief due to seeing Will sleeping peacefully next to him.

Chad lays back down and moves closer to Will. Giving him a kiss on the head, he fearfully wonders if his connection to his family will get in the way of their relationship. I can't lose you.

Later that morning, Sonny begins to cook breakfast in the kitchen. He turns around to see Chad and Will walking out of their bedroom; they're dressed for school. "Morning. You guys ready for the first day of finals week?"

Will smiles when he smells what Sonny is cooking. He places his hand on Chad, who jumps because Will caught him off guard. Will looks his boyfriend over to make sure he's okay before replying to Sonny. "After I eat some of your delicious breakfast, I will. I can't believe I'm almost done with my first semester. Hopefully, I will be able to survive finals week. I don't want to get stuck with taking the same classes next semester or worse... next fall."

Chad pats Will on the back as he tries not to think of the nightmare he had before two in the morning. "You are going to be fine." As he speaks to Will, he can't help but think of Will being brainwashed by his father. He turns to Sonny as he shakes his head to keep the thoughts away. "I wish I could stay and eat, but I want to get to my final early, so I can study some more there and not have to move." Chad gives Will a quick peck before leaving the apartment.

Will sits at the table as Sonny finishes cooking.

Sonny makes two plates and heads over to the table.

When Sonny hands him one of the plates, Will thanks him and rubs his hands together in anticipation.

"It's too bad Chad is missing this right now." Sonny smiles as he begins to eat.

Will takes a bite as he thinks about Chad. "This is delicious." After praising Sonny, his thoughts return to his boyfriend. Something was off about him. "Did you notice how Chad seems a bit off just now?"

Sonny swallows his food to answer. "Yeah, he seemed a bit jumpy – a bit on edge."

Will sighs before standing up to grab something to drink. He pours two glasses of orange juice and brings them over. After taking a seat, he sits down and watches Sonny. "I've woken up to Chad moaning in his sleep," he admits. "I think he's really worried about something. Whatever it is, it's stressing him out to the point he may be having nightmares."

"He's probably just stressed about finals," Sonny counters as he continues to eat. He places his fork down to give Will a look. "Have you talked to him about taking the next step in your relationship?"

Will shifts in his seat as he gives Sonny an uneasy look. "Not really. I don't know how to mention it to him. I don't want to push him into it." He wants to make love to Chad so bad, but he doesn't want to guilt-trip Chad into it directly. "I've tried to give him a hint by playing songs that have to do with making love and having sex, but he's not biting."

Sonny perks up and tries not to laugh. "Wait… what songs have you played for him exactly?"

Will rolls his eyes as he thinks of the songs he played for Chad. "Just some songs. You know what I am talking about – sexy songs." He tries not to let the situation stress him out too much, but, deep down, he's worried that he and Chad haven't had sex yet. Biting his lip, Will looks back to Sonny. "Chad will be ready when he's ready. I'm not worried." He focuses on eating again so he won't have to look at Sonny for the rest of the meal.

(*)*(*)*(*)

EJ enters the mansion; he's a bit out of breath after his morning jog. He makes his way into the living room to pour himself a glass of water.

Stefano, who is sitting at his desk, turns to him. "How was the run?"

Before EJ can answer, Sami walks in and gives EJ a kiss on the cheek. EJ smiles while trying to slow his heartbeat. "It was productive, I suppose. It's quite cold outside."

Sami gives EJ a playful look. "Well, there's such a thing as winter. Winter happens when the air gets colder, and precipitation falls from the sky in the form of snow. Snow is that white stuff you see all around outside."

EJ shakes his head and begins to playfully rub his sweat all over Sami. "How come the precipitation from my body isn't turning to snow?"

Sami laughs and pushes EJ off of her. "Stop. I have to head to the pub to help my grandmother. It's my turn today." She wipes her clothes. "…and to answer your question, it didn't turn into snow because you're so damn hot."

Stefano rolls his eyes at the two. "Hello. I'm still sitting right here."

EJ and Sami stop flirting with each other. As EJ grabs his glass of water, he turns to his father. "I noticed that the mansion in the next lot has been sold."

Sami is intrigued by the news. "I wonder who moved in. Did you see anyone there when you ran by?"

"No, I did not. Whoever bought the house is probably waiting to move in." EJ takes another sip of water.

"Whoever it is, we will find out soon enough." Stefano wonders if he should have Marco look into it.

(*)*(*)*(*)

Jennifer and Daniel sit across from each other in Daniel's office. Jennifer holds her coffee cup with both hands as she speaks to Daniel about her daughter, Abigail. "I cannot wait until she's home again. I bet she has tons of pictures and stories about her study abroad."

Daniel thinks about his time out of the US. "It's fun to get out and visit other countries."

"I'm so glad that she's going to be home to settle in before the holidays." Thinking of family and Christmas, Jennifer's excitement increases. "Speaking of the holidays, JJ is finally coming to Salem for Christmas. His school year ends in the middle of next week." Even though Daniel is looking through his files, she knows he's listening. "Daniel, I really want you and Melanie to join my family at my house for Christmas."

Daniel puts his files down and stands up to kiss Jennifer. "I thought you would never ask," he responds lightheartedly.

Jennifer smiles and leans in for another kiss. She stops, though, when she hears something fall in the hallway. "What was that?"

Daniel heads towards the door. "I wonder if that's the new doctor I heard is coming in."

"What new doctor? Why wasn't I told about the new doctor?" Jennifer follows Daniel out to the hall.

Daniel looks back at Jennifer. "You didn't get the memo?"

In the hall, they spot the new doctor. Jennifer was about to respond to Daniel about the lost memo, but her thoughts shift when she realizes who the new doctor is. Colin? She was already aware of Colin's return to Salem, but she never expected to see him here. She looks up to Daniel and then to her watch. "You know what? I need to head to my office. I forgot I have a meeting now. I will catch up with you later." She walks away without outwardly acknowledging Colin's presence.

Daniel scratches his head and wonders if there is another reason Jennifer walked away so abruptly. He turns back to Colin. "Sorry about that. When she has her mind focused on something, she goes for it." Smiling, he puts his hand out. "I'm Dr. Daniel Jonas."

Colin stops picking his things up from the floor and shakes Daniel's hand. "I'm Dr. Colin Murphy." He also took note of Jennifer's strange behavior. He's fully aware of the reason Jennifer responded in that way. Hopefully, I can convince her I am a changed man.

Daniel quickly notices the accent and then remembers seeing Colin on the island that Rafe took his daughter to. "Oh, I remember you. Do you need help with your stuff?"

Colin smiles. "Sure, I would appreciate that."

Daniel grabs a few things and helps Colin carry his stuff into his office.

(*)*(*)*(*)

As Chad heads to his first final to study, Gabi calls out to Chad to stop him from entering the building. "Chad, I know we don't really hang out anymore as a group, but I thought you should know something."

Chad checks the time and decides he has a minute to spare. It is odd that Gabi actually approached him. "Yeah? What is it?"

Gabi lowers her voice so that only Chad could hear her. "Chad, some of the students here have asked me about you and Will."

Chad gets nervous. "Really? Who was it? What did you tell them?"

Gabi does not want Chad to know who approached her; she figures it will only make him more paranoid. "I didn't tell anyone your secret. I just wanted to give you a heads up that people have asked."

Chad looks back at his watch. "Thanks for letting me know. Good luck on your finals." He waves as Gabi walks away. Turning around, he heads into the building. He tries to clear his thoughts to focus on his final, but he notices others giving him looks. I thought I took care of this already. As he continues on his trek, his paranoia starts to get the best of him as he now believes everyone knows that he and Will are together.

Once he enters his classroom, he sits at a desk and pulls out his study guide. Come on, Chad. Focus on studying so I can ace this final. I will ace this final. He takes a few breaths and begins to read over his notes.

(*)*(*)*(*)

Melanie and Nathan arrive at the Brady Pub to grab some coffee before heading to the hospital. Melanie looks the place over. She realizes they are most likely the first customers of the morning as the pub is empty. She takes Nathan's hand as they approach the bar to order their drinks.

Sami walks out from the back and greets them with a smile. "What can I get for you two?"

"I'll just take a coffee with milk." Nathan turns to Melanie before returning his attention to Sami. "…and she'll take a hot chocolate with whipped cream."

"Is that for here or to go?" Sami asks.

"We'll drink them here and probably take another round to go," Melanie replies.

After collecting the payment, Sami tells Nathan and Melanie she will deliver their drinks to their table.

Nathan and Melanie thank Sami before finding a table. Nathan smiles as he watches Melanie take off her coat.

Melanie notices what he's doing. "What?" she asks with a nervous smile.

"Can't believe how lucky I am." Nathan's response causes Melanie to blush. "So, do you know what you and your dad are doing for Christmas?"

Melanie shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know. I know Victor invited us to have Christmas with them when we were at his place for Thanksgiving, but I don't know if dad wants to change it up for Christmas. Why do you ask? What are you doing?"

"Well, the family is coming into town for Christmas at Grandpa and Gram's house." Nathan looks into Melanie's eyes as he grabs her hand. "I know where I hope to see you on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day – with my family."

"We'll have to see. I'll ask my dad." Melanie smiles.

Sami finishes making Nathan and Melanie's drinks and delivers them. Walking back to the bar, Caroline comes out from the back. Sami stops what she's doing when she sees her grandmother hobbling around. "Grandma, what do you think you're doing? You should be relaxing and taking it easy."

Caroline leans against the bar for a moment. "I need to walk around some before I go in for my appointment today. Do you know who is taking me to the hospital?"

"When Lisa gets in, I'll help you in the kitchen and then take you to your appointment when it is time." Sami places her arm around Caroline. "Do you want to take a seat out here?"

"Yes. Just for a moment." Caroline smiles as Sami helps her to a chair at the bar. "Thanks so much, Sami, for doing this for me. I know you have a job that you're taking off from to help me, and I truly appreciate it." She suddenly frowns a bit. "I am sorry if I am a burden, but with Kimberly and Kayla gone, it's hard right now. It's a good thing reinforcements are coming this month in time for the holidays."

Sami smiles at her grandmother. "I don't mind at all, but I do feel good about the fact that you're getting a permanent helper soon."

(*)*(*)*(*)

Will and Sonny arrive at Salem University and try to avoid the icy blocks all around campus. They came a bit early to study for their first final and to meet Sonny's boyfriend, Kai. Sonny turns to Will. "Kai said to meet him here. I wonder if he accidentally slept in."

Will shrugs his shoulders. He just wants to get this over with. He turns and spots Kai walking towards them. "He's right there."

Sonny smiles as he watches Kai approach them. He waves his hand when he's close enough. "Hey, babe!"

Kai arrives. "Hey, Sonny!" He gives Sonny a longing kiss.

Will watches in amazement. He can't believe how open Sonny and Kai are with their relationship. They don't care if anyone sees them making out in the middle of campus. "Hey Kai," Will says to interrupt their moment so they can study in the library.

Kai pushes himself off of Sonny. "Oh, hey, Will. It's good to see you. Where's Chad?"

"He's already taking his first final. Shall we head to the library now?" Will wants to get the show on the road.

"Yeah, it's cold out here." Sonny takes Kai's hand after giving him a quick peck on the lips. "To the library!"

Will watches Sonny and Kai as they head to the library. He can't help feeling jealous because of how comfortable they are with each other. He doesn't understand how fast Kai got used to being gay, considering Sonny is his first boyfriend. I wish Chad could feel comfortable about us like Kai is with Sonny.