"Alright, yes, thank you," John Black said, hanging up the phone in his office.

He gave Paul a look before nodding his head.

"That's the third neighbor I've talked to who confirmed they've heard Sonny screaming at Will," John revealed with a grimace.

Paul ran his hands through his hair, leaning his elbows on his father's desk.

"How did this happen, Dad?"

"I'm not sure," John said with a deep sigh. "Marlena and I kept our distance after everything that happened with you and Will. We focused on Marlena's recovery and I couldn't stand to see Will without you. I should have kept a better eye on things. I should have known something was wrong to begin with. He was so in love with you. How could he have gone back to Sonny unless there was something forcing his hand?"

"But what?" Paul asked for about the millionth time. He ran his hands through his hair so much it was a mess, sticking up in odd directions. "What could have made Will go back to Sonny? And Sonny, I mean, I knew he had feelings for Will. He told us all the damn time. He finally got Will and he's what? Abusing him? Is that what happened?"

"That's what we're finding out," John said. He had to be the level-headed one in this situation. Paul was too close to Will to stay objective. They already had to send Marlena away. John needed to be the stable, steady force for them as they learned the truth. "Let's go over what we've got."

"Sonny hasn't had a job the entire time he's been with Will," Paul listed in a robotic voice.

John glanced at his computer before making a tsking sound.

"Looks like Sonny does have a job, now. Oh, boy."

"What?" Paul asked, sitting up straighter. "What is it?"

"Sonny got hired yesterday. Guess who his new boss is?"

"Who?" Paul wondered, lost.

"The same guy we saw at brunch. The one that bought Ari a bunch of toys and couldn't keep his hands off Will. Isak Larsson."

"What?" Paul spat out.

He grabbed John's laptop and turned it around.

Yep, sure enough. There was a picture of Sonny's new identification badge and a record of his employment.

"Will failed to mention that."

"Alright," John cleared his throat. "Let's go over it again. Sonny hasn't had a job at all until yesterday. His boss has a connection to Will. Brady told me months ago Sonny and Victor got in a screaming match that ended in Sonny getting kicked out."

"So," Paul grabbed a few papers scattered across the desk. "He moved in with Will. And according to this," he indicated the paper in his hand, "Will's been paying for everything."

John's ISA contacts gave them access to financial records. John let slip he was looking into the abuse of his grandson and all sorts of official records opened up to them.

Paul glanced at the list of bills Will paid. None of them looked like something Will would approve. He knew with absolute certainty Will didn't even have a Mastercard. So, why would Will pay off an astronomical amount for one in Sonny's name?

The only conclusion John and Paul could come to was Sonny made Will pay for everything.

"He's also been writing like crazy," John added. He grabbed the laptop again and clicked on a tab opened to a list of Will's articles. "And this is only what he wrote for the Spectator. He's got so many more."

"What are you doing, Will?" Paul whispered to himself.

Paul loved Will's writing. It was what drove him to request Will for his own interview when he first came to Salem. Will's writing had a way of grabbing a reader and never letting go. Paul was Will's biggest fan and even he could tell Will was overextending himself.

Not that Will's writing suffered but there was so much of it. How could Will get it all done while also being a full-time parent?

Which brought Paul to another aspect of Will's life they uncovered.

"How long has Will had full custody?"

"A long, long time," John said. "And according to the neighbors I spoke to, Will drops her off at the bus stop every morning and picks her up every afternoon. They only see Will take her to the park or any extracurricular activities. They never see Sonny."

John glanced at some notes he jotted down.

"In fact, no one's seen Sonny much at all. But, they hear him."

Paul shook his head, cradling his skull.

"And teaching Ari all kinds of manipulative bullshit."

"On top of what you told me about last night," John reminded Paul.

"He walked in and started screaming. And I mean screaming, Dad. He didn't even care about Will at all. He was so angry and my presence made him even angrier. When he started talking, Will grabbed his nose, too. Like he knew something bad was going to happen."

"And he told Will not to go to the doctor about his nose bleeds. We gotta get that kid checked out. See what the hell is going on here."

The two slipped into silence, shaking their heads and sighing.

"Why doesn't he leave?" Paul asked in a small voice. "If things with Sonny are so bad, why doesn't he leave?"

"Maybe he can't," John answered. "Or he thinks he can't. We'll get to the bottom of this. But, remember one thing for me, Son?"

"What?" Paul wondered, looking up at John's serious, intense face.

"You can't save Will. He has to save himself."

Isak stepped off the elevator onto the third floor, R&D, research and development. Despite it being a Saturday afternoon, there were several employees about. Something that both pleased and irritated him.

He relished the employees who enjoyed their work and couldn't bear to part from it. He did not appreciate anyone showing up on a weekend to suck up to anyone, particularly him.

Isak didn't plan to stay in Salem long. He wanted to oversee the development of the company's American branch and head back to Stockholm. He had plenty of work to do back home even if he wasn't running the day-to-day activities for the company any longer.

Isak would be the first to admit he was competitive. Being the youngest of six boys would do that to you. All his brothers were older and successful in their own rights. Doctors, lawyers, financial geniuses, Isak needed to make his mark somehow.

And he did. Not even 30 and he owned one of the most successful companies in the world. It was something to be proud of and something to hold over his brothers' heads. It was also lonely at times. Never knowing who in his life truly cared for him and who cared for the money.

Which was why Will Horton was a fun little distraction. Such a ball of contradictions wrapped in one pretty, pretty package.

Scoffing at his advances while leaning closer. Always with a quip on the tip of his tongue yet he followed directions so easily. Acting as if he didn't want Isak anywhere near him, yet Will was the one to kiss him first.

Isak would never make Will do something he didn't want to do. As far as Isak knew, he hadn't.

Telling Sonny what he did, while inappropriate at work, wasn't for Will's benefit. He needed to prove a point. Sonny took the bait.

Isak never once considered the possibility of Will actually showing up to convince him Sonny needed a job. He thought Sonny would bring it up, there'd be an argument, and Will and Sonny would be no more. He never thought Will would come to his new home, confused and riled up, yet unwilling to leave.

Will wanted Isak almost more than Isak wanted Will. And Isak wanted him very, very much.

Will was a nice distraction in Salem. Now, though, Isak had – what did Will call it? – a hunch. A hunch about the formula and sample of serum Sonny Kiriakis brought the R&D team that morning. Something which Sonny claimed jumpstarted memories.

Isak got the strangest feeling about it. He read all about Will's assumed death and miraculous return to Salem, alive and memory-less.

Will had his memories, now, though.

No, something about it all didn't sit right with Isak at all. There were times where Will was a little too off. A little too compliant when he clearly didn't want to be.

Will was also in a relationship he didn't want.

No, Isak didn't know what to think but he knew it couldn't be good.

Which was why he asked his top scientists to look over the formula Sonny brought them. A scrap of paper ripped out of a damn journal and a small vial of a disgusting looking liquid.

Isak wasn't even sure any of this was real. It might all be the imaginings of an employee desperate to contribute to a meeting he was obviously in over his head at.

God, Isak hoped that was it.

Isak flashed a badge at a security checkpoint and walked into a science lab. He hadn't gotten more than a cursory tour before but now there were several men and women in white coats bustling about. The best Isak could find in North America and a few extras that traveled from Europe.

The ones he trusted to get things in working order.

One, in particular, came right over to Isak, pulling him aside and speaking in Swedish.

"We analyzed the sample of the serum he brought," the scientist said. "We compared it to the formula on the paper."

"And?"

"They don't match."

"What do you mean?"

"The serum is different. It's similar but something's tweaked."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning it isn't only going to activate the parts of the brain that control memories. It's going to mess with other parts too."

Will and Ari spent the better part of the afternoon wrapped up on the couch. The only work Will did was to send his article about Isak to his Editor to finally, finally get it published. After, Will and Ari had several long and overdue conversations about right from wrong and good from bad. Will didn't realize the time Ari and Sonny were spending together was anything to worry about. He thought, if nothing else, Sonny loved Ari too much to ever let anything happen to her. To ever convince her of his own misguided, selfish opinions about Will.

Will gave Sonny too much credit.

Now, after hours, Will thought he finally got through to her. Ari could love Sonny all she wanted. It didn't mean she had to believe everything he believed. And, if someone said something mean about someone she loved, she didn't have to agree to it.

Will also spent a long time trying to figure out what his daughter believed about him.

It reminded him to send his mother a text, though. Payback was a bitch. He didn't recall disliking either parent until at least ten.

His daughter had to be an overachiever.

Maybe Will worked too hard and didn't pay enough attention to her after all. He was so busy with work and his own selfish needs and wanting the perfect party when he should have worried about Ari.

It didn't help Will couldn't stop thinking about Paul. Couldn't stop dwelling on the few minutes he spent in Paul's arms the night before. Even with the blood and the confusion and Sonny yelling at him, Will would do it all over again. He would deal with it all if it meant having Paul look at Will like he was worth something one more time.

But, Will couldn't worry about Paul. Because if he did, he would never do anything else. Instead, Will had to worry about the only good thing in his life. Had to make sure she knew Will, the real Will. Had to make sure she loved him and, in return, knew how much Will loved her.

"Hey," Will cleared his throat, "you know what I'm in the mood for?"

"What?" Ari asked, cuddled up to Will's side.

"An ice cream sundae."

Ari gasped, sitting up and digging her bony elbows into Will's stomach.

"With chocolate?"

"So much chocolate," Will promised, grabbing the bony elbows and yanking her up into his lap. "But, we gotta go to the store and get some supplies."

"Sundae supplies for my sundae surprise?" Ari asked, cracking herself up.

"Sure thing, goofy girl," Will laughed, standing up with her cradled in his arms. "Aw, do you remember when I used to carry you like this all the time?"

"Daaaaady," Ari complained, kicking her legs wildly.

Will and Ari walked to a grocery store a few blocks away. They splurged on fancy ice cream and hot fudge, sprinkles, nuts, whipped cream, and cherries to go on top.

Because he was a sucker, Will even let Ari pick out candy bars as they waited in line.

By the time they got back, the apartment was still empty. Ari sat at the counter while Will got out bowls.

The two gorged themselves on sundaes until they couldn't eat anymore. Not the healthiest of dinners but Will didn't even care. Ari's cheeks were flushed with happiness and she hadn't stopped laughing since they got home.

"After you wash off your face, why don't you pick a movie for us to watch?" Will suggested, putting everything away.

Ari ran off to her bathroom singing a song from the movie Coco at the top of her lungs.

Will shook his head but couldn't stop smiling. When he flopped on the couch, he sat on his phone. He forgot it when they left for the store.

He had several missed messages.

One from Sonny saying he was working late. One from his dad saying hi. One from Marlena saying how good it was to see him. One from Isak saying he needed to talk to him.

Nothing from Paul.

Will didn't know why that hurt but it did.

It also made Will open up Isak's message first.

Will opened his front door with a sheepish smile on his face.

There wasn't anything wrong with his apartment even if it was overloaded with Sonny's crap and Ari's toys. It was a decent size and the appliances and finishes were less than ten years old. Sure, the carpet was a little worn in spots and had various juice stains. It was nice enough. Not as grand as Isak's new house but then again nothing Will could afford would be.

Will gestured Isak inside and tugged at his old shirt self-consciously. It was a basic tee with minimal amounts of blood stains. Will couldn't afford to replace all his clothes every time he argued with someone. He had to keep some around for moments like this – lounging and relaxing at home. With a comfortable, worn-in t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants that had seen better days.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Will asked, shifting his weight between his bare feet.

Isak was too busy looking around the place.

Will couldn't read his face, didn't know him well enough to even if he could.

When Ari came trotting out of her room in Shopkins pajamas she froze when she saw Isak. Eyes wide and cheeks red, a bright grin on her face.

"Hej, little one," Isak greeted with a wave of his skeletal fingers.

"Hi," Ari said with a high-pitched squeak before giggling.

"Pick out our movie while I talk with Isak, okay?" Will asked, half-amused and half-exasperated by Ari's little crush.

Will tilted his head toward the kitchen, a little ways out of hearing range for Ari.

"You know," Isak said as he trailed after Will. Leaning against a counter and watching Will get out supplies to make popcorn. "You and the little one are very similar. Both get the same look on your face when you see me."

Will gave Isak a sharp glance and said, "uh-huh."

"You do," Isak shrugged with a smile. "But, not why I come."

"Why did you come?" Will asked, looking over his shoulder while he tossed a bag of popcorn in the microwave. "Is it about those weird immunization questions from this morning?"

"Ja, yes," Isak confirmed with a pensive expression. "I have questions, lots of questions."

"Like what?" Will turned around to face him. The two leaning on opposite sides of the kitchen, staring at one another.

It was rather surreal to Will. Isak was a friend, in a way. The only one he seemed to have at the moment and Will was pretty certain all Isak wanted out of him was sex. It was all Will wanted.

But, still, Isak Larsson did not belong in Will's kitchen. With his pretty accent and his long, long limbs and giant eyes that shouldn't be attractive but were. Even the remnants of his suit seemed out of place, too expensive and too formal for Will's humble life.

Will shouldn't have let the man insides the apartment. He shouldn't have continued meeting him after their initial interview was over. Shouldn't have flirted every chance he could and hopped on his dick every opportunity he got, literally.

Isak was a simple, routine interview. Will might have needed to ramp up the charm a bit to get him to open up but nothing more.

Like Paul once upon a time.

The situations were similar, too similar. Will, lonely and bored, attaching himself to the first handsome man that offered regardless of Will's relationship status.

The only difference was Isak was all fun and thrills. But Paul? Even back then, there was something about the man. Something that got under Will's skin, buried deep down inside and wouldn't let go. It was why Will lashed out when he learned Paul was Sonny's ex. Because Will was desperate and jealous and lonely for all the wrong reasons. Because Paul was kind and thoughtful and sexy and offered Will something no one else ever could.

It was why Will was instantly attracted, connected once everyone found him in Memphis. He didn't feel a damn thing for Sonny but Paul? Will felt so much of everything. He chased after Paul so hard when he returned to Salem. So hard and for so long and he was so damn thirsty and he didn't care who knew.

Before Will even knew it, he was in love. He fell in love with Paul as swiftly and gently as a newborn falls asleep. One moment he was awake and enthralled and the next, Will was asleep and in love.

He was still in love.

Still spent hours every day wondering why he left Paul at all. Wondering what he did in a past life to deserve this. Wondering how he was going to survive the rest of his life without the man of his dreams by his side.

Then there was Isak, handsome, seductive and here.

It had been so long since Will had anyone around but Ari and Sonny. He loved Ari. He did, more than anything in the world but sometimes Will wanted to be selfish. He wanted something just for him. He wanted something that made him feel good even if only for a few minutes. And Sonny? Well, the less time Will spent with Sonny the better they all were.

But, if Will wanted to keep his life under control, Isak couldn't be there for long. In Will's house and in Will's life.

Thankfully, he wouldn't be. Isak was only in Salem for short-intervals at a time. And he was just a bit of fun. Will earned that much, at least. Even if the thought of anyone finding out about what they did together hurt.

Although, Paul finding out would hurt more than Sonny knowing.

"I do not know how to explain right," Isak said after several moments of the two staring at each other.

"Explain what right?" Will wondered, the sound of popcorn popping in the microwave.

"No, I need you to go to office with me, let scientists explain it."

"Scientists? Why do I need to talk to scientists? Is this something you want me to write about? A new project you're doing?"

"No," Isak shook his head and ran his hands through his messy hair. "No, no, I don't know how to say it. They didn't match and I think one went in you and now you are mess – no, how do you say it? Messed up."

"Excuse you?" Will took a step away from the counter and gave Isak a stern look.

"No, see, this is why I can't say it right. I need you to go to my office and they will tell. I think you did it but didn't know it was a bad one. But I still do not know where the bad one came from and why they don't match."

Isak started rambling in Swedish while Will stared at him with a blank expression.

He didn't know what the hell the guy was talking about.

Isak cleared his throat and moved to stand in front of Will. He put his hands on both his shoulders.

"Just, say you will visit and let them explain. I need you to know."

"Know what?"

Isak grimaced before looking Will right in the eyes.

"You are going to my office and talking to my scientists."

Will pressed his lips together, nostrils flaring. He wasn't going to agree. He wasn't. He didn't know what Isak was talking about and this whole thing sounded ridiculous.

He wasn't going to say yes.

Then a small trickle of blood spilled from his nose.

"Fine," Will said, wiping away the blood. "I'll go. But not right now and not tomorrow."

"What? Will, no."

"Ari and I are bonding and tomorrow is her birthday and her party. I've planned this thing for weeks. I special ordered the perfect decorations and the perfect cake. I reserved the party room at Chuck E Cheese and paid for the party favors, the character meet and greets, and the damn food. I sent out the special ordered invitations Ari just had to have and everyone she knows and loves will be there. I am not missing that or messing it up, got it?"

Isak grumbled something in Swedish under his breath, before nodding. He squeezed Will's shoulders tight before letting him go.

"Fine, I know, it's special day. But, please, as soon as you can."

"Okay," Will nodded.

He still didn't get the big deal. What could Isak possibly know about something Will took that was bad anyway? What kind of scientists did he employ?

Will emptied the bag of popcorn in a big bowl and took it to Ari.

"Say goodbye to Isak, baby," Will told Ari, walking Isak to the door.

"Bye," Ari waved, twirling her hair around her index finger, batting her lashes at him.

Will rolled his eyes while Isak laughed.

"See you, liten flicka, little girl."

Will opened the door to the apartment and stepped out on a small patio. Isak followed, keeping the door open a crack.

Will could see Isak's car parked a few feet away.

"Her birthday is tomorrow? Maybe I'll bring her by another present."

"I'm still finding LOL pieces everywhere I go. Don't you dare," Will ordered with a glare.

"Joke," Isak chuckled. He put his hand on the side of Will's neck, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek. "Vi ses, Raring."

"Do you have to do that?" Will mumbled, ignoring Isak's wide smile and sharp nod.

Without another word, Will went back inside, locking the door behind him.

Isak turned away with a shake of his head and a smile on his face.

Will Horton made Salem interesting.

Isak took a step off a curb in front of his car. He listened for the sound of the car unlocking and was taken entirely by surprise.

Someone grabbed the back of Isak's shirt and slammed him face-first into his car.

Stunned, it took Isak a few moments to come to himself, struggling to fight the person off. Before he knew it, Isak's back smashed into the door of the car.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Isak shoved the man off, taking a few moments to recognize him. The man looked familiar. The one Will interviewed and slept with before. The one Will confessed once made him so happy and loved so much.

Paul Narita

"Me?" Isak responded, straightening his shirt. "What are you doing here?"

Paul, face red and murderous, didn't care if Isak was a good five inches taller than him. Didn't care if he had all the money in the world and probably a whole host of lawyers on retainer.

"I saw you earlier with Will, at the restaurant," Paul shoved Isak into the side of the car again

"So?" Isak responded with a calm expression.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Paul repeated through clenched teeth. "I know something's going on with Will. I know there is and you keep showing up. So, that makes me think you have something to do with it."

Isak scoffed, standing up to his full height.

"Why would you care? You leave," Isak shook his head. "You left Will here."

Paul growled, smashing the skinny, pale asshole back into the car.

"There's something wrong with Will. He isn't himself and he's hurting and if you had anything to do with it, if you did anything to him, I'll kill you."

Isak lifted one brow.

"Why? Why do you care? Will is not boyfriend anymore."

"He's not your boyfriend either," Paul sneered.

"Ah," Isak flashed Paul a teasing smile. "But Will and I are close."

"He interviewed you. You aren't close."

"Didn't he interview you?" Isak asked with an innocent expression on his face.

It took a lot of Paul's strength not to respond to that.

"I know you're up to something," he said instead. "Why the hell would you be at his apartment this late at night? You're Sonny's boss for god's sake."

"I was inside apartment. You are hiding on outside, watching like creeper."

Paul ignored him.

"I know there's something wrong with Will. I know there is and I'm going to find out what, no matter what it takes."

"How?"

"What?"

"How are you going to find out what is wrong?" Isak wondered, calm and collected in the face of Paul's anger.

"My father and I are private investigators. We'll find out the truth. I know Sonny's done something to him and I know there's something seriously wrong with Will. And, so help me god, if you get in my way I'll –"

"I know what's wrong with Will," Isak revealed, cutting Paul off.

"What?" Paul spat out. "How could you know?"

"Sonny brought thing to my scientists," Isak mimed getting a shot again. "The – uh – uh – the immu thing, the shot."

"What?"

Isak rolled his eyes.

"Sonny gave Will bad shot and now he's mess."

"What?"

Isak grumbled in Swedish once again, pulling on his long strands of hair.

"Just go with Will to my company after birthday party. Hell, bring anyone you want. We will know truth."

Isak ranted to himself while he opened his car door and slammed it shut. Paul didn't understand any of it but the phrase "dum Amerikan" was not hard to translate.

It didn't matter. Paul knew the guy was up to no good. Handsy with Will at brunch in public, handsy with Will at night at Will's own apartment.

Paul's instincts were never wrong. Which was why he was beating himself up so badly for all this.

He knew Will loved him. He knew it.

There might have been doubts and insecurities but Paul felt it in his soul. Every time Will looked at him, smiled at him, Paul knew it.

Will Horton loved him. Will promised he would never pick anyone else over him. Will promised he wasn't anyone's second choice. He was the one and only man Will loved.

Paul knew that but didn't fight Will's decision to leave. All Paul felt was pain and devastation as his entire life crumbled before him. All those doubts and insecurities came true and Paul couldn't see the truth. Couldn't see that Will's words didn't match his eyes. Will was screaming on the inside for Paul to put a stop to it and Paul didn't.

Paul let Will go. Look at Will now.

Paul wasn't making the same mistake again.

When Will came back to Salem after Memphis, Will fought for Paul. He chased and chased and never gave up or gave in even when Paul gave nothing back.

Paul was returning the favor now.

No matter what it took.

Starting with breaking into the empty apartment above Will's.

"Paul, where are you? I thought you were taking a walk to clear your head. That was almost three hours ago, son."

"Sorry, Dad," Paul said into his phone as he set down an electric drill. "I got side-tracked."

"With what?" John asked, weary.

"The apartment above Will's is empty."

"And what? You want to rent it?"

"Not exactly," Paul said, glancing around at the mess he made.

Breaking into the apartment was easy. Sneaking in a bag of supplies he got from the hardware store down the street was easy. Finding out the apartment was under renovation and had exposed subfloors was a godsend. With a little bit of drilling, Paul managed to make a small enough hole for him to look through. To spy into Will's apartment.

Okay, he was a creeper.

But Paul was desperate. He needed to know for certain how bad things were between Will and Sonny. He also needed to know what was going on between Will and that Larsson guy.

It was also for Paul's benefit. Seeing tiny glimpses into Will's life was beautiful. Watching Will and Ari cuddled up together, feeding each other pieces of popcorn and laughing at the same time.

It was like a snapshot out of a life Paul always yearned for, a life Paul left behind without a fight.

If he refused to let Will go, if he fought back, fought for Will and their relationship, this might never have happened.

"Well, I need you back here," John said using a tone that left no room for argument. "I got some paperwork from Billie at the ISA."

"About what?"

"Someone reported a suspicious substance in their laboratory. A lab in Salem, son, owned by one Isak Larsson."

"What?" Paul turned away from where he was spying on Will.

"They don't know what it is yet and maybe it has nothing to do with Will. It's not a chemical agent or anything like that but it got flagged by the ISA."

"I ran into him," Paul admitted. "The Larsson guy, he was at Will's apartment."

"At night? Was Sonny there?"

"No, it was just Will and Ari," Paul swallowed, "and him. He kissed Will's cheek again."

"Hmm."

"I have a bad feeling about this, Dad. About all of this."

"I do too, Son. I do too."

Paul, seconds from packing and cleaning so no one would ever know he was there, paused when Will's front door opened.

Sonny was back.

"Daddy!" Ari greeted around a wide yawn. She was lying on top of Will on the couch, using his chest as a pillow.

"Hey," Sonny greeted, leaving a trail of belongings behind as he stepped inside.

Will withheld a groan at the sight.

"Hi," he said instead, "you were out late."

"It's my second day of work, Will," Sonny said with an attitude and a roll of his eyes. "Some of us like to make good impressions."

Will turned back to the TV and pressed his lips together. He wanted more than anything to tell Sonny the only reason he had a job in the first place was because Will fucked his boss.

"Don't be mean, Daddy," Ari scolded.

Will was ready to defend himself when he realized Ari was looking at Sonny, not him.

Sonny didn't know how to respond at all.

"Me and Daddy spent all day together having the most fun ever. Don't be mean to my daddy anymore."

Will couldn't stop a wide, proud smile from sweeping across his face.

His talk with Ari that afternoon paid off.

Sonny did not seem to think so.

"Will, can I see you for a second?"

Will knew that tone of voice. He held tighter to Ari and shook his head.

"Go in the bedroom, Will," Sonny said before turning on his heel.

Will covered his nose with his left hand as he eased Ari off him.

"I'll be right back, beautiful. I love you. Thanks for sticking up for me."

"You're the best Daddy ever and I love you."

Ari's words were enough to make whatever Sonny was going to yell at him next worth it.

By the time Paul made it to John and Marlena's penthouse he was ready to kill someone.

"What happened?" Marlena asked as she opened the door for Paul. "What's wrong?"

Paul, fists clenched into tight balls, paced back and forth with his jaw clamped shut.

"Oh, there you are," John said as he walked into the front room. "I think I know what's going on but I want your opinion. I thought about – Paul? What's wrong?"

Paul shook his head. He didn't know how he controlled himself. Didn't know how he walked out of the apartment and back here without murdering Sonny Kiriakis first.

"I'll get you something to drink," Marlena rushed to the kitchen. Rushed as much as she could. Months later and she was still recovering, she wasn't as young as she used to be.

Marlena came back with a glass of ice water for Paul. Her and John sat on the couch and watched Paul guzzle the whole thing down in one gulp. When he was finished, he tossed it at a wall, breaking it into a thousand little shards of glass.

John and Marlena didn't react.

"Sorry," Paul said after a few seconds. "I'll clean that up."

"It's fine," Marlena insisted. "Now, will you tell us what happened?"

Paul resumed his pacing, head shaking and so close to hurling something else at the damn wall.

"I was spying on Will, okay? I went on a walk after spending all day researching and I needed to clear my head. Only, I couldn't, all I could think about was Will and how stupid it was to leave without a fight. I ended up at his apartment and I saw that Larsson guy from this morning leave. He was there with Will and Ari. Sonny wasn't even there. And he kissed Will on the cheek again and he has this stupid, smug face on his stupid skeletal body and I lost it. I lost it.

"I smashed him into his car and I threatened him. He wasn't making any damn sense when I told him I knew he was involved in whatever was wrong with Will. He said something about a bad shot and making sure Will went to his building and to bring anyone I wanted.

"I got this horrible feeling and I broke into the apartment above Will's. It's being renovated so I bought a drill and made some holes in the subfloor and I was checking on Will."

Marlena and John lifted their brows at the same time but didn't say anything.

"It was amazing. Will and Ari were watching a movie and they look so much alike. They are so much alike and I was so envious because I used to imagine my life like that. Me and Will with his beautiful daughter and everything would be perfect. Then Sonny came home.

"Will must have talked to Ari about the things she said when we saw her because she scolded Sonny. He was giving Will all sorts of attitude over nothing and she told him to leave Will alone."

"What happened?" Marlena asked with a hand to her throat.

"Sonny forced Will to go in the bedroom. I mean, literally, Will didn't want to go and his nose started bleeding again."

"Why would it do that?" John wondered, arm around Marlena's shoulders.

Paul ignored him.

"And as soon as Will got there he started yelling. About Will forcing Ari to say things she didn't believe, trying to poison Ari against him. About how stupid and useless Will is. Then he told Will he deserved an apology. An apology! And when Will wouldn't do it his nose started bleeding again. And it must happen all the damn time because the shirt he was wearing had blood stains on it.

"As soon as he started bleeding, Will apologized."

Paul sat down on an armchair, head in his hands.

"He apologized and he didn't do anything wrong."

Marlena covered her mouth with her hand, leaning against John.

"How did this happen to my grandson? How did we let this happen? Why didn't we take the time to care?"

"I don't know," John shook his head.

They all sat in silence for a few moments before John broke it.

"What exactly did that Larsson guy say? Why did he want Will to go to his building?"

Paul struggled to remember. All he could picture was the tone of Will's voice when he told Sonny he was sorry. Paul never wanted to hear that sound again.

"He said something about scientists and Sonny giving Will a bad shot. I couldn't make any sense of it."

John sighed, long and deep.

"What?" Marlena questioned, brushing tears from her eyes. "What is it?"

"I think I know what this is all about," John confessed.

"What?" Paul moved to the edge of his seat. "Dad?"

"It's obvious," John said. "The serum. The serum you gave Will, Doc. Something must have got screwed up inside the poor kid."

Paul froze, eyes wide. He didn't blink, didn't move, didn't breathe.

He thought back to a night in Will's old room at the Martin house. Finding Will with a syringe of neon-colored liquid. A serum Will stole and Paul injected into him.

What were Larsson's exact words?

"Sonny brought thing to my scientists. The – uh – uh – the immu thing, the shot. Sonny gave Will bad shot and now he's mess."

"Oh my God," Paul whispered.

"But, the hospital tested the serum. It shouldn't have done anything to him it wasn't supposed to. I made sure the team that developed it was meticulous," Marlena defended. "I – I couldn't have done this to him. I couldn't have."

"You didn't," Paul said in a far-away voice. "I think I did."

"What do you mean?" Marlena asked.

"Will was upset the serum you gave him didn't do anything. So, he went to Kayla's office and swiped some more. Replaced it with something else so no one would know. I gave it to him. I gave it to him and we didn't even know for sure what it was. What if it was the wrong serum? Or the wrong dosage? Or too much did something to him? I told him not to but you know how convincing he can be. I did it and now he's like this. I did this."

Paul turned a shade of green and he covered his mouth, feeling nauseous.

Marlena and John rushed to his side, urging him to put his head between his knees and breathe. Marlena rubbed Paul's back, shushing him when he repeated "I did this" over and over.

"It's not your fault, son," John assured him. "Something in my gut tells me it isn't."

Paul shook his head over and over.

"No, think, Paul. What did that Larsson guy say? He specifically said Sonny. Sonny gave Will a bad shot. Meaning, Sonny did something to the shot – the serum."

"What?" Paul sniffed, skin still an off color.

"You said Will took the serum from Kayla and replaced it with a duplicate. So, something that looked similar but wasn't."

Paul nodded.

"How do we know someone didn't do something similar?"

"What do you mean?" Marlena asked.

"Paul and I did some digging earlier. Sonny had an astronomically high credit card bill. A bill he made Will pay for."

"Okay," Marlena replied.

"The bill wasn't for a purchase. Sonny sent a quarter of a million dollars to an offshore account. I tracked it down just before Paul got here. It's one of the scientists at the hospital. One of the ones who worked on the serum."

"So, you think…" Marlena trailed off, resuming rubbing Paul's back when he gulped in a whole lot of air.

"I think Sonny wasn't satisfied with the results of the serum dose you gave him. So, he paid off someone to make another, maybe even tampering with it."

"The scientist could have switched it before Kayla even locked them in her office. That would explain why Will only got memories of Sonny back when he took a second dose. We never even knew he had a second dose."

Paul wiped at his own face.

"So, Sonny is responsible?"

"It's what I think but we won't know for sure unless we can get the scientist or Sonny to talk."

"But what did they do to Will? What did the serum do to make him the way he is now?"

"I don't know," John admitted with a frown. "I don't know. But maybe that Larsson guy does."

"What?" Paul asked, brows furrowed.

"You said he wanted Will to go to his building. He has a lab. Someone at a lab reported a suspicious substance to the ISA. If it's connected, that means we might get some answers pretty damn soon."