Will wasn't normally a light sleeper. He could sleep through just about anything if he was really tired enough. He remembered once, in Memphis, he'd slept through the fire alarms going off when Susan had tried to cook breakfast.

He wasn't sure if it was the anxiety of the serum and worrying about getting his memories back or what , but he slept incredibly light last night.

That's probably why it was so easy for him to wake up.

When he felt the blanket being moved under his chin, he opened his eyes, blinking a few times. He turned so he could see his boyfriend, who was staring at him.

"What's up?" he asked tiredly.

"Sorry," Paul laughed weakly, "I was just...worried about you," he admitted, "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," Will told him, "I...remembered Sonny hugging me, but that's kind of it," he told him quietly, "Sorry-"

"You don't need to apologize for remembering," Paul told him and then smiled, "I actually...I got you something," he explained, getting out of the bed.

Will watched him walk, his eyes drifting down his partner's body.

"I know you're working on your journal, but I wanted to make sure you had something that was just...for your memories," Paul explained to him, taking out a bag, "I saw this downtown and thought...maybe you'd like it," he said, handing it to him.

Will smirked, "Man, I get a experimental serum and a present in the same week?" he asked, taking the bag.

Paul rolled his eyes, "Very funny, smartass, just open it."

Will's smirk turned to a soft smile and he opened the bag, revealing a deep purple journal. Will knew how much these things costed, especially in the boutiques in Salem that raised their prices every holiday rather than lower them.

"Paul, this is amazing," Will said softly, opening the book to the first page, that had writing on it.

To, Will,

I hope you remember everything. Just know that no matter what, I'm going to be by your side through it all.

Love, Paul.

"Thank you," Will said, pulling him down onto the bed and into a close hug, "I love it, Paul."

"And I love you," Paul mumbled against his shoulder, holding him close.

"Love you too," Will told him quietly.

"Hey, how about I go get us some coffee and breakfast downstairs?" Paul asked, "You only had cereal for dinner last night, you gotta be starving."

"I'll just take some toast and coffee," Will said, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Peanut butter on it?" Paul asked, untangling himself from Will and grabbing his discarded t-shirt from the floor.

"Yup," Will said, popping his lips and grabbing his charged phone from the table, going through his messages.

"Be right back," Paul told him, walking out of the room.

Will opened up his Instagram and lazily scrolled through it and stopped when he saw something Sami had posted. It was a selfie of herself and three teenagers. It had the caption talking about how much she loved her kids and couldn't believe how mature they are for their age.

"Allie," Will breathed out, scrambling to grab the new journal he'd put beside him, "J-Johnny…." he said, opening up to a new page and wrote out the date, with his sister's full name and his half-brother's full name. Who was his brother's father?

Alice Caroline Horton

Goes by Allie

My full sister, she's Lucas and Sami's daughter

Johnny

My half-brother through Sami

Who is his father?

What's his last name?

One other sibling

What's her name?

Will took a shaky breath, suddenly getting a pain in his head. His hand shot up, gripping right above his ear and closing his eyes. He'd gotten headaches before, sure, but this one was pretty painful.

"Johnny...was sick," he mumbled to himself, writing under Johnny's name again, "I-It had something to do with his eyes ...he was so small in that hospital bed," he felt his eyes sting, like he wanted to cry.

It finally came to him and he wrote under Johnny's name.

Johnny had cancer in his eye when he was a kid.

"Will?" Paul asked, surprising him.

Will hadn't even heard him come in.

"Headache," Will told him quickly, tapping the page with his pen quickly, "Paul, look at this. I saw a picture Sami posted online a-and I remembered my brother and sister," he said, handing him the notebook.

Paul put the coffee and bag on the table beside Will, taking the notebook with his free hand. Before he looked at the notebook, he opened the drawer and handed Will a bottle of Tylenol, "Here, take this, it'll help your head."

Will took the bottle gratefully and grabbed his water bottle, taking the pills quickly. He guzzled a bunch of water before putting the bottle down, "Paul, I have to look at more pictures," he said quickly, "Y-You can't give me any answers, either."

Paul looked up from the page he was reading and nodded, "Yeah, good idea. Uh...oh," he said, opening up his phone, "Belle posts a lot when she goes to see everyone. We can look at some of her pictures."

"Belle is my aunt," Will said bluntly.

Paul stared at him with wide eyes.

"Sorry," Will sighed, "Just...remembering something that Marlena told me, I was just making sure," he told him, "C'mon, let's do this," he said, grabbing his journal back, "I'm going to keep a list of everyone I get right."

"Okay," Paul told him, "Will, if you don't get some of these...don't worry about it, okay? Just you remembering Johnny and Allie is amazing ."

Will gave him a weak smile, curling close to him and looking over at his phone.

"I follow Belle's husband too, so you'll be able to see a lot more of your relations," Paul told him, opening a photo, "Okay...any ideas?" he asked.

Will squinted his eyes, looking at the two people. Belle and Shawn were in the picture with the two, happy smiles on their face.

"Dad," Will breathed out.

Paul looked up at him, "No, Will…Lucas is your dad, remember?"

"R-Right," Will said, "I...I know them," he said, touching the photo with his thumb, "Am I related to them?"

"You are," Paul told him, feeling a little bit of hurt that Will couldn't remember the people who were so important to him.

"Carrie," Will mumbled, grabbing his book quickly, "Aunt Carrie, that's my aunt."

"That's right," Paul said excitedly, "You know the other one, I know you do. Just...think."

Will stared down at the photo, not saying anything.

"Wait," Paul said, getting up and grabbing a photo album that Will remembered unpacking when he moved in, "I saw…" he trailed off, flipping through the photos. He stopped when he saw a picture of the man Will didn't know again, holding a toddler, "Here, look at this," he said quickly, taking the old photo out.

Will took the photo, looking down at it, "Austin," he whispered, "My uncle."

"That's right!" Paul said happily, "Will, you did it."

Will smiled weakly, "I stayed with them for a while...in Switzerland. Things were so different there, it made me feel...relaxed."

"Yeah," Paul said softly, "Yeah, Will, that's right."

Will wrote down Austin's name under Carrie's, a smile on his face, "I think...I think I like them."

"From what I've heard, you like them a lot," Paul told him, "We'll have to give them a call sometime...maybe we could go for a visit."

"I'd love that...I'd get to see Noah too," Will mumbled and then his eyes widened, "Noah is Austin and Carrie's baby."

"Your cousin," Paul added.

Will rubbed his eyes, "Paul, this is amazing," he breathed out, writing down Noah's name, "If I can get the serum again, just imagine all the things I'll remember."

Paul's smile fell slightly at that. They were lucky this time, it seemed the most Will was getting was a headache...but who knows what would happen if he took an experimental serum twice.

"Yeah," Paul agreed, faking the enthusiasm in his voice. He pressed a kiss to the side of his head, not saying anything else.

Will squinted down at the page, "I remember a place called the Spot in Salem...we should go there," he said suddenly.

"Never heard of it," Paul said, taking out his phone, "But if you remember it, we should go. You might get more memories back there."

"We can get lunch there today," Will said, shrugging and writing it down as well, "If it's still around, I mean."

"Yeah, sounds like a plan," Paul said, kissing his head again, "Ready for more pictures?"

"Hell yes," Will smiled.


Will tilted his head, looking up at the building, his hand linked with Paul's. There was a blinking pink sign that said THE SPOT with an open sign under it. There was heavy bass coming from the music inside that hit Will's ears; it was familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"Bringing back any memories?" Paul asked.

"Not...really," Will said, still looking confused, "I thought this was a restaurant or something. It sounds like a club."

"Guess we should go inside," Paul said, "Maybe you have a secret stripper past I don't know about," he smirked, "Wouldn't mind seeing that."

Will shoved him playfully as they walked inside.

Suspicions confirmed; it was definitely a club. Neon lights, a bar, a few people dancing, the whole nine yards. Will assumed it might be busier at night, given it was afternoon on a Friday.

"...wow," Paul said simply, " You remember coming to this place? It doesn't really seem like your scene."

"I think so," Will said, scratching his head in confusion, "I definitely...remember this place-"

"Horton? Is that you?" someone called from the bar.

Will was felt with warmth upon seeing the man, despite not really knowing his name. The man had kind eyes...and big muscles. He was wearing a tight white t-shirt that THE SPOT across it in big, bold letters.

"Looks like we have a clue," Paul nudged him before approaching the bar with him.

Will approached, looking confused, "Look, this is going to sound crazy, but I don't really-"

"Know me?" the man interrupted, "Trust me, everyone knows that you're back from the dead with amnesia, don't sweat it," he held out his hand, "I'm Neil."

Will shook his hand and Paul did the same.

"We're going around Salem trying to figure out some of my memories," Will explained, "I remember this place, but...that's kind of it," he told Neil, "Did you know me very well?"

Neil laughed, "You could say that," he gestured to the barstools, "Take a seat, amnesia boy, let's talk. I'll answer any questions you want."

Will looked at Paul, who raised an eyebrow, waiting to see if he really wanted to do this. Will gave him a nod and sat down, Paul following his movement.

"So...how did you...know me?" Will asked carefully, "How did we meet?"

Neil sighed, "Well, you were friends with Sonny...not really out , y'know? Sonny brought you to this party and you just got slammed , man," he laughed, "You looked like you weren't doing to well, so I came to check on you, see if you needed some water or something."

"Then what?" Will asked, his cheeks turning slightly red, like he knew where this was going.

"Then we made out," Neil smirked slightly, but it wasn't a malicious one, "Sonny interrupted us and you ran off."

"Oh my god," Will groaned, hiding his face with his hands.

"Hey, nothing to be ashamed about," Neil said, laughing a little, "Public intoxication happens in Salem way more than you think, buddy."

"Did we…?" Will trailed off weakly.

"Oh...no," Neil shook his head, "We just hung out here mostly," he shrugged, "Sonny didn't like me too much, really. He thought I was a bad influence on you."

Paul had to roll his eyes at that. God forbid Will have other gay friends or interests outside of Sonny, even back in the day.

"So, I kinda showed you the gay scene around Salem. It's not that big, really. Most of the guys around here are stuck up jackasses ," Neil shrugged, "Trust me, I've dated several."

Will felt like he was zoning out all the sudden, remembering Sonny's friends. He didn't remember their names, just remembered that they made him feel pretty bad about himself.

Will slipped his hand into Paul's under the bar.

"I think the last time we had a real conversation was at the police station, really," Neil told him, "After you and Sonny got together, I didn't really get to see you much after that."

"The police station?" Will asked.

"Yeah," Neil sighed, "Look, like I said, you weren't really out. We didn't date or anything, but I cared about you. I considered us friends. You were…" he trailed off and sighed, "You were trying to take the rap for Stefano DiMera's supposed death because you couldn't provide an alibi for the night he was shot. You didn't really want people to know you were here with me," he shrugged, "So, when I heard what you were doing, I couldn't let you do that to yourself. I went to the police station and I was your alibi for that night."

Will winced slightly.

"Everything hit the papers the next day that you were cleared, but it also revealed where you were and, in turn, who you were," Neil shrugged, "I felt bad, but I don't regret it."

Will closed his eyes, remembering hugging Neil in front of his grandfather, Roman, at the station. He remembered their last words to each other.

"Call me."

"I will."

"Don't lie to me."

"I remember you," Will said softly, "I didn't know you worked here though."

"New thing," Neil shrugged, "I go part time between here and I inherited an apartment building from my dad, so I'm the landlord there. Had to support myself eventually, I guess."

"Oh, uh...this is Paul," Will said, gesturing to him, "My partner."

"Neil," Neil said simply, shaking Paul's hand again, "I used to watch you play. Will here was a huge fan of your muscles."

"What?!" Will croaked out.

"Oh yeah," Neil said, "We went back to my apartment one night to smoke and watch the game. You had a thing for the pitcher's muscles," he gestured to Paul, "Him, being the pitcher...I assume he's still pitching."

Will's groaned, "Oh, I definitely remember you now," he said over Paul's laughter.

Neil laughed as well, going to the customer that was waiting at the other end of the bar.

"You should ask him for his number," Paul said the moment he walked away.

"Really?" Will asked, "You don't mind?"

"Why would I mind you having a friend?" Paul snorted, "He seems like a nice guy, really. A little flirty, but…" he trailed off, shrugging, "Might be good for us to have some other gay friends in this town."

Will smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek as Neil walked back over. He looked up when he did, "Who was I covering for, exactly?"

"EJ DiMera, your boss...and later stepdad," he explained, "Pretty sure that was your gay awakening, really."

"What?!" Will demanded, choking on the air he was breathing.

"You were, like, seventeen. Hot, tall dude in a position of power? I wouldn't blame you," Neil shrugged, "You even told me that you thought he was hot when we were drunk once."

Will just groaned again, resting his head on the bar and ignoring the laughter of both Neil and Paul.

"Look, we all have our embarrassing moments during that time," Neil shrugged, "I had a thing for my tutor when I was fifteen, trust me."

"Too much information, Neil," Will laughed weakly, sitting up.

Neil smiled at him, Will smiled back.

"Hey, I, uh...obviously got a new phone," Will shrugged, "Can I have your number? I swear I'll call this time," he joked weakly.

"Oh, sure," Neil said, taking the phone from Will and putting his number in, "I could use some more friends anyways. All the people around here give me a headache."

Will smiled at him, "Well, uh...we should get going. It was really nice to see you, Neil," he told him, "Thanks for everything."

"No problem," Neil told him, still smiling as they got up to leave, "Call me this time, will ya, Horton?"

"I will," Will laughed.

"Don't lie to me," Neil called as they walked out the door.


Will took out his journal the moment they were back in Paul's car, writing down Neil's name. He didn't really know what their relationship used to be...so he put what he wanted them to be now.

Neil Hultgren (a friend)

"I can't believe you used to have a gay club phase," Paul said, still laughing a little, "And that you thought I was hot."

Will rolled his eyes, "Everyone with eyes knows that you're hot, Narita," he grumbled, sinking in his seat with his cheeks still a little red.

"Hey, I think it's cute," Paul said, leaning over and kissing his cheek, "It's cute that we were meant to be together."

Will gave him a soft smile, putting his journal back in his bag, "You sure you won't mind me being friends with Neil?"

"Why would I?" Paul asked, starting up the car.

"We just...we have a history," Will mumbled, fidgeting with his plaid button up awkwardly.

"Neil's in the past," Paul said, pulling the car out of the parking lot of the Spot, "You love me and I love you. That's what matters, right?"

Will smiled, putting his head on Paul's arm as they drove back home, "Can I say something?"

"Always," Paul said immediately.

"He was a good kisser," Will snickered.

Paul just laughed as well.


Note: I had to give Austin and Carrie's baby a name, since they never did on the show. If they ever actually establish a name, I'll go back and edit the parts with him with the name.

UPDATE (7/15/18): Someone sent me a transcript confirming Austin and Carrie's baby to be named Noah. Thank you to anyone who helped me with that.

I literally brought Neil back just because I think Will needs more gay friends. Don't expect anything to go down between them or a jealousy storyline there. Also expect more of Will's friends to come back in the future (T, especially).

Next Time (July 14): After some time off, Will and Paul head back to their respective jobs. While Will works on his story (and tries to recover more of his memories), Paul takes on another job outside of the case with Leo and Sonny: making sure Ben Weston will never hurt Will or anyone else again.