A/N: Some SOARsing (aging up) happens in this chapter with Johnny, Allie, and Sydney. It only makes sense since the other kids their age (Ciara, Claire, and Theo) were all aged up as well. It would just be weird if they come back as kids when Ciara is an adult. I think she's an adult. I don't know, I only watch Will and Paul's scenes. Whatever. I'll google it post-editing.


"Okay, I admit I'm glad I couldn't stop you from leaving now," Paul said around a mouthful of pancakes from the Brady Pub.

Will just laughed, eating his own. He cleared his throat and smiled at Paul, "Guess who I talked to?"

"Who?" Paul asked, finally looking away from his food.

"My Uncle Austin," Will said excitedly, "They were putting off visiting because they didn't want to push my memories, but Austin says they're leaving as soon as they can now to come and see me," he said quickly.

"Will, that's amazing," Paul said, a smile on his face as well, "I can't wait to meet him."

Someone knocked on the door.

"Austin here already?" Paul joked, continuing to eat his pancakes.

Will sighed and got out of bed before jogging over and opening the door to reveal Neil.

"Hey, buddy," Neil said, eyeing his neck, "Heard through the grapevine you had a guy grabbing your neck again and wanted to see how you were doing."

"It happened yesterday; how did you hear already?" Will sighed, crossing his arms.

"Gossip moves fast, especially when it involves a dead body in a big family's living room," Neil said, shrugging, "So, I'll repeat; how are you doing?"

"Fine, I guess," Will pursed his lips, "Wanna come in? I made coffee and we have a few extra pancakes from the pub we haven't hate."

"Speak for yourself," Paul called, his mouth full again.

Will rolled his eyes, " I have a few."

"Yeah, sounds cool," Neil smiled at him, following him inside and taking a seat at Will's desk, it being the only open place to sit besides, well, the bed...and while Neil loved breaking boundaries with his friend, he wasn't about to get into bed with Will and Paul.

Will went to get him a cup of coffee.

"Oh, hey, by the way, just let me know when you want to look at that apartment," Neil called to Will.

Will whipped around, " What ?" he demanded.

"Part-Time landlord," Neil waved his hand, "I split it with one of my uncles. But just come by Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, and you can even see the exact one Sami Brady used to live in. It's empty right now."

"Do you just have something to do with everything in Salem?" Paul laughed as he got up, stretching as he did. He took his plate to the sink, giving Will a kiss as he did.

"Basically," Neil said simply, eating his own pancakes now, "I mean, it's more of an...underground business, it's not really prominent like Titan or anything," he shrugged, "It's inherited."

"Yeah, we've heard," Will told him, handing him a cup of coffee, "You do realize that Paul's dad is John Black , right? He told us about your dad."

"Yeah, my dad was a good guy though," Neil said simply, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Uh-huh," Will said, rolling his eyes despite Neil looking right at him, "Hey, I'm off today but Paul has to go into work-"

"Will-" Paul started.

"Paul is definitely going into work because I'll be fine," Will said firmly and looked at Neil, "But he might feel better if someone is hanging around with me. Are you busy today? We could hang out for a while...i-if you want, I mean."

"Sounds great," Neil told him and looked at Paul, "Look, go to work. I'll make sure we call you if he so much as coughs."

Will rolled his eyes again.

Paul studied the two before sighing, "Yeah...yeah, okay," he walked over and started to go through his dresser to find something to wear.

"Okay, Horton, prepare to get your ass kicked at Mario Kart because you're dealing with the champ," Neil pointed at him.

Paul came out of the bathroom from getting dressed only to see Neil and Will already playing Mario Kart on the TV, screaming at each other. Part of him worried if he should leave the two alone, given Will was trying to hit Neil with his controller, but they both seemed to be laughing and friendly with each other...and that was something he really wanted for Will.

Before Paul could say anything, there was another knock at the door. He looked at the two sitting on the floor, who didn't move at all at the sound of the door.

Paul rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, I'll get it," he said, going over to the door and opening it, "Yeah?"

Sonny was there.

"Hi, I...wanted to see how Will was doing," Sonny said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "I got released this morning and they deemed Leo's murder self-defense."

"Oh, I'm sure they did that because the law was on your side," Neil snorted from beside Will, "It has nothing to do with your big, scary family."

Sonny stared at him and then looked at Paul, "What the hell?" he demanded.

Paul shrugged, "Will remembered Neil, they're hanging out today because I need to go to work. I don't want to leave Will alone after everything."

"Why didn't you call me?" Sonny demanded.

"Oh yeah, because the guy who keeps trying to harass him about his memories so he'll get to fuck him again is the perfect person to leave him with," Neil said, not looking away from the screen.

Paul pursed his lips, "Neil, c'mon, man," he sighed, ever the peacemaker.

Sonny stared at the two before grabbing Paul's arm and pulling him out of the room.

"Something I said?" Neil asked, causing Will to snicker.


"What the hell, Sonny?" Paul demanded when he shut the door.

"Neil...he's bad news, Paul," Sonny said quickly, "You need to keep an eye on him, especially around Will. H-He...His family is bad news too. You know he comes from a mafia family?"

"You know you basically come from a mafia family too, right?" Paul snapped. Neil being around had made Will happy and he seemed nice enough, especially if his father didn't see a reason to even get involved with the Hultgren family.

"That's…" Sonny sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Look, that's not the point. He has a thing for Will...it makes him obviously uncomfortable."

"Oh yeah, he looks absolutely miserable," Paul crossed his arms, "Look, Sonny...Will is...dealing with it. I have to go to work."

"You're going to trust him alone with him?! After everything?!" Sonny demanded.

"YES!" Paul snapped, "He's not a child. He's an adult and he's my boyfriend."

"He's my-" Sonny started.

"He's nothing to you, Sonny," Paul said quickly, taking a shaky breath, "Why can't you just realize that he doesn't remember you ? He's not on some great journey to remember you either! He wants to remember his family! He wants to remember his daughter! Stop making everything about you!" he snapped and took a deep breath, "Sorry," he said immediately, "Sorry, I'm just really stressed with Ben around-" he blurted out.

"No...no, you're right," Sonny sighed, "And you have ever right to be stressed about Ben," he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "Look, just...I'm here if you need me...and my family is here if you need them to do anything about Ben Weston," he told him before giving him a weak smile and walking away.

Paul watched after him, confusion written all over his face.


"Enjoy getting bitched out by Sonny?" Neil asked when he heard the door open.

"Oh, it's always a pleasure," Paul said, walking over and kissing the side of Will's head, "I'm off to work, okay? Call if you need anything."

"Will do," Will said, finally looking away from the TV and looking up at him, pointing at his lips.

Paul laughed, leaning down again.

Will leaned up and met him halfway for the kiss, "See you later," he told him, smiling, "We'll be here."

Paul nodded, patting Neil on the shoulder before walking out.


"Hey, son, what's on the list today?" John asked when he saw Paul walk in.

"I have a phone meeting with Jordan Ridgeway," Paul said, giving him a smile, "And then...I guess we're going to be working on our other cases, since there isn't really...a Leo case anymore."

"Well, that all depends," John told him, "I got a message this morning when I came into the office...you're going to want to hear it."

"It never ends, does it?" Paul sighed.

John pressed the play button on his answering machine.

"Hello, my name is Ted, I'm Leo Stark's lawyer. I'm looking to put together a team for the investigation of my client's murder-"

Paul reached over and slammed on the button, turning the message off, "No way we're taking this."

"If we don't, someone else will," John reasoned with him, "What if we gets someone else on it, Paul?"

"Christ," Paul groaned, rubbing his eyes, "Dad...you have the wedding coming up and I have the case about Ben, maybe we should just...take a break."

"Ben Weston isn't a case, son, we're not getting paid for that," John sighed, "We need cases to keep doing our jobs."

"Ben Weston is important!" Paul snapped, "Keeping him away from Will is important! Keeping him from hurting anyone else is important," he looked down at the time on his computer, "Look, we'll talk later. I was supposed to be on the phone with Jordan five minutes ago and I don't want to keep her waiting."

John held his hands up in surrender, "Okay, I can take a hint," he joked, "You want coffee?"

"Yes, please," Paul sighed, opening up the messaging system on his computer, "We shouldn't be too long...just the usual interview format...I'm just hoping to get some information."

"Good, see you soon. I'm going to lock the door on my way out so you won't get interrupted" John called, walking out.

Paul waited a moment to make sure he was gone before going to his settings and indicating he was online.

And he waited for under one minute before an incoming call popped up.

Paul immediately hit accept when he saw Jordan's name.

Jordan's friendly face popped up on the screen and she gave him a smile, "Paul! It's good to see you! How's your arm?"

Paul flexed the muscles on the arm he'd always worked on with Jordan, "Still alive, just not pitching anymore."

"From what I've heard you're with Black Patch," Jordan told him.

"You keep in contact with Salem?" Paul asked.

"Well, I made friends outside of the usual suspects," Jordan chuckled, "So, I'm sure you didn't call with me just to catch up."

"No," Paul said, sighing, "Look, this isn't...anything for Black Patch, it's more for my peace of mind," he swallowed, "But, uh...I'm dating Will Horton now and we're...we're really happy together," he explained.

Jordan sighed, "And you don't have that peace of mind with my brother staying in Salem," she said, the smile gone from her face now.

"Look, I...I'm grateful for all the treatment you gave me in the hospital," Paul explained, "I consider us friends, even...but you have to understand-"

"I understand," Jordan interrupted him, "So, ask me anything you need to know."

Paul looked at her, confused, "But...he's your brother."

"He's my brother, but he also murdered innocent people," Jordan said, straightening her glasses, "He'll always be my brother, but...he's always going to be the person who murdered them too. There are things we can't change...and I can't change either of those things. I don't believe he has gotten enough help and I don't believe he should have been released...but that's up to the doctors in Salem, not me," she cleared her throat, "So please, get on with the interview. I want to help you the best that I can."

Paul stared at her for a moment before shaking his head with a smile, "Okay...let's try to keep this as professional as we can?"

Jordan nodded, "Of course."

Paul cleared his throat and looked down at his papers, "What can you tell me about Ben's childhood that wasn't in the news? All they mentioned was that he was born in Poplar Bluff and his father was listed as Clyde Weston and an unnamed mother…" he trailed off.

Jordan sighed, "Clyde was my step-father and Ben was my half-brother," she explained, "We have the same mother," she told him, "Clyde was always rough on all of us, the entire family."

Paul nodded, "And, in your professional opinion, did Ben ever exhibit signs of mental illness when you guys were young?"

"Well...yes," Jordan said simply, "He had aggression issues that I didn't recognize until we were away from Clyde. It was obviously connected to our childhood, but that doesn't make it any less of a mental illness," she sighed, "Paul, Ben has anger management issues, that's quite obvious...but it doesn't take a medical professional to see that with everything that's happened."

Paul nodded, looking down at the paper, "When was the last time you saw him before you came to Salem?"

"Not since 2006," Jordan admitted, "He'd called me a few times, when he needed help or money, but I didn't ask any questions. I partly blame myself...for not looking into some of the things he'd been into. I just saw him as my little brother who had a little bit of trouble because of the way we grew up…" she trailed off and sighed, "I wish I would have recognized the signs sooner and maybe the things that happened in Salem wouldn't have happened...but we can't change the past," she told him, "And I can't change who Ben is."

"And who is Ben?" Paul asked.

"At the end of the day, Ben is just...a person with a lot of issues," Jordan told him, "But he's also a killer. He killed Serena, he killed Paige, and he killed Will...and I think the people of Salem should realize that before they come to trust him again."

"Do you believe that we should trust him?" Paul asked.

"No," Jordan said simply, "I don't...but I believe with the proper help, he could at least have a little bit of rehabilitation."

Paul nodded, pursing his lips, "And, you said he had anger issues when you were children...do you know what any of his triggers were?" he asked.

"Well, I know some of the things he'd said to Abigail had to do with...cheating," she said, studying Paul's face, "Clyde was always accusing our mother of cheating on him, even when the claims weren't warranted," she said, "Look, I don't know about Paige and Serena, but Will's...situation was high publicized and maybe Ben saw that and just...lost it," Jordan sighed, "I'm not trying to excuse what he did to him, I'm just trying to find a reason, the same as you. I don't want to dig open old wounds."

Paul swallowed and nodded, "Yeah...yeah, I know."

"It might have been that Will was just getting close to what Ben had done too," Jordan shrugged, "Will's an investigative reporter, right?"

"He is," Paul laughed weakly, rubbing his eyes, "It wouldn't surprise me if he was getting close either...he's smarter than people give him credit for...and loves getting himself into trouble, I swear ."

Jordan laughed, "Seems like it."

Paul pursed his lips, "Thank you...for your help. This has actually been really helpful for my investigation, Jordan. I know it couldn't have been easy, digging up these memories."

"It never is," Jordan explained, "But I want to help...just...from a distance," she told him, "Salem isn't good for anyone that wants peace in their lives. And if I can give you some advice?"

Paul nodded.

"There's going to be a day in the future where you can't take it anymore," Jordan said softly, "And when that time comes, don't try to stay in that town. It's not good for your mental health...or anyone else's for that matter."

Paul swallowed, unsure what to say before looking back up at her, "Thank you, I'll...keep that in mind," he told her, "And thank you again, for letting me interview you."

Jordan smiled, "No problem. Be sure to call if you need anything," she said, "Bye, Paul."

"Bye, Jordan," Paul nodded, ending the call.

Paul sighed, rubbing his hands over his face, "Okay," he mumbled to himself, going to get started on the notes, but another call started to come in.

Paul looked confused when the name Emi Narita popped up. He checked the time before hitting to accept the call. His face lit up when he saw his nephew, Jona, instead of his half-sister.

"UNCLE PAUL!" the six year-old screeched, causing Paul to wince.

"Hey, buddy," Paul laughed, glancing down at the clock, "Does your mom know you're calling me? It's gotta be close to your bedtime."

"It's my day off tomorrow," Jona said, smiling at him, "Mom and Dad said I could stay up late!"

"Well, that's nice of them," Paul told him, "Does your mom know that you have her laptop?"

"Yeah, I'm playing a game," Jona explained, "But I saw you were online and I wanted to see you! I haven't seen you in a while, when are you gonna come and visit?" he whined.

"Well things are...busy right now, buddy," Paul sighed, "Hey, I have an idea. You should be on break soon, right? What if I talk to your grandma and ask her about bringing the whole family for a visit to Salem?"

"What's Salem ?" Jona asked, getting distracted with one of his toys already.

"It's where I live with my boyfriend, Will, and my father," Paul explained.

"Where's Salem?" Jona asked.

Guess we're playing twenty questions, Paul thought to himself.

"It's in America, where I used to play baseball," Paul explained gently. Jona was one of the reasons he was good with Ari, given that he'd had experiences with his own nephew just a few years prior to meeting her.

"That's so far," Jona whined.

"Jona? Who are you talking to?" a familiar voice asked offscreen, in Japanese.

"Uncle Paul!" Jona chirped.

Emi came into view; she looked a lot like their mother, Tori, but was younger...though the years of her stressful job put a few extra years around her eyes.

Emi sighed, taking the computer away, causing another whine from Jona in the background, "Sorry, Paul, he was using my computer to play Minecraft," she said, switching over to English as fluently as Paul did, "He didn't bother you at work, did he?"

"No, I was just working on some notes," Paul smiled, "It's always good see him...and you," he added, "Both of which I kinda wish I saw more often," he said expectantly.

Emi sighed again, "Paul, you know work is busy this time of year."

"You're a fashion designer...it's always busy," Paul said, "It's been busy since you got the job and you've never taken the day off...so you should use those days off to come to Salem and see me...and meet Will," he added, "I already told Jona I'd bring it up with mom."

Emi rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I'm sure mom would love to meet Will. Oh wait, she already has...and has voiced her distaste for him non-stop since you told us you were dating."

"Well...I might be in love with Will," Paul said simply.

"Oooooh," Jona said in the background, "I'm telling Great Grandpa Hiro that you're in looooove."

Paul rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to Emi, "Just think about it, okay? Tell Michi to take some time off too...I know grandpa agrees with me."

Emi sighed and turned the camera of the laptop back to Jona, "Say bye to Uncle Paul."

"Bye!" Jona called, waving his hand.

"Bye, Jona," Paul called, smiling.

Emi turned the camera back to her own face, " Goodbye , Paul."

"Take some time off!" Paul called before the call disconnected and the screen went to black.

"Who was that?" John asked as he came in, "Didn't sound like Jordan."

"My sister, Emi," Paul explained, gratefully taking the coffee from him, "I'm trying to convince my family to pay a visit to Salem...Jona seems to miss me."

"Your nephew?" John asked.

Paul nodded, taking a long drink of his coffee before sighing, "Apparently my mom hasn't been exactly...thrilled about Will," he huffed, "Just what I need."

"Hey, if I know your mom...and I do, she'll warm up to him," John told him, taking a seat at his desk.

Do you know her? Paul thought to himself, but opted not to say it outloud.

"How was the interview with Jordan?" John asked.

Paul thought about it for moment, before finally deciding on the word.

"Informative."


Paul unlocked the door to the apartment, not wanting to interrupt Will and Neil if they were still engrossed in their game. Instead, he opened the door and saw Will and Neil in the same place on the floor, but this time with a laptop and not their controllers from this morning.

"Okay, okay, okay," Neil said, showing off a card from the deck, "Is this your card?"

"Shit," the voice of Will's seventeen year-old brother said in shock, "How'd you do that?"

"Skill!" Neil said simply, putting the card back in the pile while Will laughed.

Paul felt happy, looking at the scene. Will was talking to his siblings again and he was smiling. With everything so stressful in the passed few days, it was nice...just to see him smiling again.

"Hey!" Will said happily, waving at him.

Paul walked over and pressed a kiss to his head, "What's going on?"

"Look who we're talking to," Will gestured to the screen.

Paul smiled when he saw two of Will's siblings, Johnny and Sydney, now teenagers, on the screen.

"Hey, guys," Paul told them.

"Paul!" Johnny said, energetic as ever, "What's up, man?"

"Just got back from work and saw I was missing out on a party with you two," Paul said, sitting down beside Will and draping his arm over the back of the bed, "How have you two been? Enjoying your summer?"

"It's okay," Sydney said, rubbing her arm awkwardly, "We've gotten a ton of time at the beach this summer."

"I'm learning to surf," Johnny added, looking just ask awkwardly.

"I'll...give you guys a minute," Neil said, standing up and pointing at the screen, mouthing "talk to them" at Will before going into the bathroom.

Will watched after him before turning back to the screen.

"Where's Allie at today? Is she around?" Paul asked.

"Uh…" Johnny trailed off, looking over at his sister.

"She isn't really...around a lot now," Sydney said awkwardly, "She's...busy."

"Yeah," Johnny agreed, "With school!"

"It's summer," Paul said, crossing his arms, "What's she really busy with?"

Johnny and Sydney looked at each other.

Will pursed his lips, "Look, I know things are weird...but just know that you can talk to me. I'm still your big brother."

"Even if you don't remember us?" Sydney asked bluntly.

Will nodded, "Even if I do have a little bit of amnesia, I'm still the big brother here," he told them, "Don't ever hesitate to call me if you do want to talk, okay?"

"...okay," Johnny said, wiping his eyes a little, "Tell Neil bye, we have to get to the beach before it gets dark. We're going surfing again today."

"Have fun!" Will said.

"Be careful!" Paul said at the same time.

The two laughed as they hung up.

"I'm worried," Will said immediately.

"Same here," Paul said but closed the laptop, moving it aside, "I missed you today. How was your day?"

"Good," Will said, wrapping his arms around his neck and moving so he was straddling his lap, "Pretty boring. How was your day?"

"Had a meeting, talked to my nephew," Paul shrugged, "Missed and worried about a certain someone all day."

"Oh, Ari is with my dad, don't worry about her," Will waved his hand.

"Very funny," Paul snorted, kissing the side of his neck, "I think we both know who I'm talking about."

"Oh, Sonny?" Will asked, smirking.

"Oh, you're going to get it," Paul said, moving so he was on top of him and kissed all over his face.

Will burst into a fit of giggles, trying to retaliate, but they were interrupted by a clearing of someone's throat.

Will looked up and saw Neil, though his vision was upside down, "Oh, hi."

"Look, not that I don't enjoy watching...this," Neil gestured to them, "I gotta get to work, I have the night shift tonight."

Paul got off of Will and helped him up, "Thanks for hanging around today, Neil."

"No problem," Neil shrugged, "Good to have friends...that I actually like," he smirked, heading towards the door.

"See you later, Neil!" Will called before heading into the other room.

"Really, thanks again," Paul said, leaning in the doorway after Neil walked out.

"Like I said, I like having friends...you included," Neil added with a smile.

Paul was hit with a sudden realization then...he had a friend. His first friend in Salem (besides Will, that is) that wasn't related to him. Neil seemed nice enough too, which was amazing...and Will loved hanging around him too.

Paul smiled at him, "Thanks, man."

"And if you ever need to talk, even if it isn't about Will or anything, feel free to shoot me a text," Neil told him, "We'll get drinks sometime!" he called, walking backwards down the hallway with a wave.

Paul smiled, giving him a wave back before turning back when Will walked out, texting on his phone.

"I missed you today," Paul told him.

"Missed you too," Will said, putting his phone down and walking over, wrapping his arms around his neck, "But I kicked ass at Mario Kart, so it wasn't that bad."

"Oh, I'm so easily replaced," Paul said, holding his heart in mock-hurt, "I see how it is."

Will rolled his eyes, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"How are you feeling?" Paul asked, serious now.

Will nodded, "Pretty good. The memories of Sydney are coming, I can feel it. It's foggy, but...it's almost there," he said with a smile, "I want to visit them in person soon. They seem to love you."

"We'll have to set up a trip to LA soon," Paul said and thought about it, "Speaking of family visiting, I got a message after I was done with my interview today...it was my nephew, Jona."

"Everything okay?" Will asked, finally releasing him and sitting down onto the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, he just misses me," Paul sighed, "I feel like I've seen him more through a computer screen his entire life than actually in person," he ran a hand through his hair, "I brought up visiting to my sister, so...that might happen. I just wanted to give you a heads up."

Will smiled weakly, trying to mask his nervousness, "I think that would be great...for you and for Jona. Oooh, maybe him and Ari can be friends."

"That would be amazing," Paul told him, "I just...I want my mom here too, so it's going to take some convincing. But Emi's always been better at convincing her of stuff than I am."

"Does...your mom like me?" Will asked, trying to think, "I don't really remember her."

Paul stared at him, trying to make a decision. He knew he shouldn't keep things from Will...but a part of him wanted to protect him as well. It was never good on someone's mental health knowing that their mother in-law didn't like them...and Paul knew Will had already experienced that so much when he was married to Sonny.

"She just hasn't gotten to know you yet, she's suspicious of everything," Paul said, going to sit down beside him, "She was the same way with my sister's husband before they were married and she got to know him. She loves him now though, like another son. I'm sure she'll feel the same way about you, eventually."

"And...your grandfather? What about your stepdad? Do I know them?" Will asked, staring up at him.

"Not in person, no. But I've told you all about them. My grandfather is so much different than my mother...as long as his grandchildren are happy, he's happy," Paul laughed weakly, "And honestly, I'm closer to John than I ever have been to my stepfather. We were just never close," he gave a slight shrug, "But from the little we've talked, he likes you as well."

"Well, I can't wait to meet them," Will told him, smiling as well and flopping back on the bed with a sigh, "Man, I'm beat. Writing is easy compared to beating Neil at rainbow road."

Paul laughed, flopping back as well, "Figure out if Neil's dad is dead or not yet?"

"Not yet," Will rolled his eyes, "His lips are sealed, sadly. I need to get a betting pool going on this."

"Twenty bucks says he's alive," Paul deadpanned.

"You're on," Will said with a laugh.

"Hey, think he's ever killed anyone?"

"Paul."

"I'm just ASKING."


Next Time: Paul's investigation into Ben takes a violent turn and Will connects with another old friend.