'Fuck, fuck,' Chad rushed through town. 'Where the hell does Sami live? Where does his father live?'

Taking a chance, Chad ran towards a street lined with condos and apartments. One of them had to be the right one.

Stefano and Rolf stood over a prone Angel.

"Reminds me of when he was a baby," Rolf commented.

Stefano said nothing. He had a soft expression on his face.

"I thought you had abandoned your plan, Sir," Rolf continued. "16 years and not a single sign you wanted to go ahead."

"I have been busy," Stefano defended.

"Perhaps you fell too hard for the boy," Rolf offered sympathetically.

Stefano cleared his face.

"Do it," Stefano ordered.

Stefano took one last look at Angel before walking away.

Chad banged on the door to EJ's apartment. He had never spoken to the man before. EJ came into Common Grounds every now and again but that was it.

Thankfully, Chad came across a helpful neighbor that directed Chad in EJ's direction.

"Hello?" Chad screamed. His fist pounded on the door. "Come on!"

EJ and Sami both frowned from inside Sami's apartment.

"Who the bloody hell is that?" EJ wondered. He pushed off the sofa and headed for the door.

"Hurry up!" Chad screamed.

"What the hell is your problem?" EJ ripped open the door and stepped into the hallway.

Chad turned around.

"EJ!?" Chad shouted.

"What?" EJ grunted in annoyance.

"It's Angel," Chad explained. "We, we were, he kissed me and we-,"

"What about my son?" EJ demanded.

Chad made a stabbing motion towards his neck.

"Some, some creepy dude in a lab coat stabbed him in the neck," Chad stated. "Guards rushed us and carried him off."

Sami gasped, hands over her mouth.

EJ grabbed Chad's shoulders in a tight grip.

"How long ago?" EJ questioned, voice low.

"About a half hour," Chad answered.

EJ growled before running off. Chad and Sami quickly followed.

Angel opened his eyes and sat up, back ramrod straight.

"There's my little patient," Rolf smiled. "You're up sooner than expected."

Angel blinked slowly, not responding.

Stefano walked inside.

"Is it done?" Stefano asked, barely sparing Angel a glance.

"Everything went according to plan," Rolf confirmed. "He's ready."

"Follow me," Stefano barked towards the bed.

Angel stood up and robotically followed.

"You can't come inside," one guard shouted at EJ.

"You want to stop me?" EJ yelled. "Go ahead and try."

Chad shot a menacing look over his shoulder at the man.

EJ slammed open the door.

"Where the hell is my son?" EJ shouted.

"They took him that way," Chad pointed down a hallway.

EJ headed for the hall when Stefano, Rolf, and Angel appeared.

"Aw, my progenies, together at last," Stefano grinned.

"Angel, get over here," EJ ordered. He pointed to the spot next to him.

Angel didn't react, didn't respond.

"What's wrong with him?" Sami put her hand on EJ's arm.

EJ examined Angel's blank stare, his expressionless face.

"What did you do?" EJ hissed at Stefano.

"I told you when I brought him to England," Stefano replied. "He would only be there for a short time. You're the one who got attached."

"What did you do?" EJ repeated.

"Exactly what I bought him to do," Stefano declared.

"Bought him?" Sami's mouth fell open. "Bought him?!"

"Did you think I just happened upon an accident?" Stefano asked. "His life could have been much worse if it wasn't for me."

EJ had heard enough.

"Get out of my way," EJ warned.

"Is that what we've come to?" Stefano shook his head. "After everything?"

"You do not mess with my son," EJ stated firmly. "Now, get out of my way."

Stefano refused to move. He stood there with a smirk on his face.

EJ made a motion to shove Stefano aside. Only he never got the chance.

Angel, quick to act, reached out and pushed his father back.

EJ, stumbling, looked at Angel, stunned.

"What are you doing?" EJ asked.

Angel said nothing. He stood in front of Stefano, arms crossed.

EJ took another step closer. Angel pushed him back once again.

"Angel?" EJ questioned.

"What's wrong with him?" Chad wondered. "He looks, he doesn't look right."

"I don't know," EJ frowned.

"Angel?" EJ tried one more time.

"You can't reach him now," Rolf said. He felt a bit of regret.

EJ looked into his son's eyes and didn't recognize him.

"What did you do?" EJ whispered, dread taking over him.

Stefano placed his hand on the back of Angel's head.

"It's over, son," Stefano declared. "It's time that you leave."

"No," Sami declared. She crossed her arms. "I just got my son back. Like hell I'm letting you take him again."

"Yeah," Chad agreed. "We're not going anywhere."

"In that case," Stefano sighed. "Get rid of them," Stefano ordered Angel.

Stefano and Rolf walked away.

Angel followed without question. With a rush of strength Angel didn't know he had, he charged forward.

EJ pushed Samantha out of the way. He didn't understand what was happening. How his son could change so easily.

"Stop this," EJ hissed. He ducked at the swings his son threw at him.

Angel didn't respond or give any indication he heard him. He jabbed and punched every place he could reach.

EJ moved out of the way. He couldn't find it in him to fight back. He couldn't hurt his own son.

"Do something," Sami urged Chad. "Help him!"

"Which one?" Chad asked before jumping in.

Chad threw his arms around Angel's waist and yanked him away from EJ.

Angel fought the entire time. He elbowed Chad in the sternum and kicked at his legs.

They both fell to the ground in a heap of thrashing limbs.

"Don't hurt him," Sami cried.

"I'm trying," Chad wrestled Angel onto the ground.

EJ assisted Chad. They each held down one half of Angel.

Angel growled and hissed. He fought the two off, completely unconcerned for his own safety.

"Stop it," EJ held down Angel's shoulders. "Snap out of it."

EJ caught Angel's eyes. Recognition flashed across the blue eyes before disappearing.

EJ lessened his grip.

Angel seized the moment and smashed EJ in the face. A sharp crunch permeated the air.

EJ howled in pain, nose broken.

Angel used the moment to kick out at Chad's ribs and escape his hold. He grabbed a nearby fire poker and swung it around defensively.

"Woah," Chad held up his hands, wincing at the pain in his ribs.

Sami put her hand on EJ's back.

"Are you alright?" Sami questioned.

"I'm fine," EJ dismissed. "Angel, we have to get to him."

"Hey," Chad attempted to smile. "I know we just met but you know me. Remember? I told you how I lost my mom. You told me you never knew yours."

Angel jabbed the poker out again.

"You taught me how to make tea," Chad tried again. "I took you to the Horton cabin."

"You did what?" EJ growled.

"We danced tonight," Chad continued, moving closer. "You kissed me."

The fire poker drooped slightly.

"I kissed you back," Chad admitted.

Angel's eyebrows scrunched together for a second.

"I know this isn't you," Chad finished.

"It isn't," EJ pinched his nose to stem the blood. "You cry during Disney movies. You still sleep in my bed during thunderstorms. You'd never hurt anyone."

While EJ spoke, Sami grabbed a heavy vase. She slinked behind her son.

Angel shook his head.

"This isn't you," Sami agreed. "You're my precious baby. And I am not letting anything happen to you again, Will."

Angel's eyes opened widely, reacting to the name.

Without any warning, Sami lifted the vase and smashed it into Angel's head. He fell to his knees before dropping to his stomach, passed out.

"Samantha," EJ gasped, horrified.

Sami, face deadly serious, dropped the vase.

"I told you," Sami repeated. "I'm not letting anything hurt him, even himself."

"EJ?" Lexie questioned. "What? Is that your son?"

EJ carried Angel into the hospital. He placed him on a gurney and begged his sister.

"You have to fix him," EJ pleaded. "Father did something to him. Please!"

Lexie glanced at the tall boy and Sami Brady that joined her brother.

"What happened?" Lexie pulled out a flashlight and looked in the boy's eyes.

"I don't know," EJ shook his head. He looked to Chad for help.

"He got injected with something," Chad explained. "He was gone for less than an hour and he was completely different."

"Different how?" Lexie asked.

"He didn't recognize us, followed Father's orders," EJ shook his head. "He tried to hurt us."

"Okay," Lexie focused. "Anything else?"

"Stefano touched the back of his head," Sami revealed.

EJ frowned momentarily, something niggling at his memory.

"When I first met him," EJ recalled. "Angel was in an accident. He had to have brain surgery to repair the damage."

"Right," Lexie nodded. "CAT scan first."

"Do you think I seriously hurt him?" Sami asked. She paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room.

"You did what you had to," EJ promised her. He still had dried blood all over his face and shirt. "What I should have done."

"I'm not as close to him," Sami said. "I-I could hurt him when you couldn't."

"You'll get to know him," EJ promised. "He begged me for so long for information on his mother. He wants to know you."

"I want to know him so bad," Sami closed her eyes. "I can't lose him now that I'm so close."

Chad awkwardly looked away.

Chad didn't know why he was still there. He just met Angel. Sure, he just witnessed a horrible incident but that didn't explain it.

Chad couldn't walk away.

"Chad?" a voice startled him.

Chad stood up and turned around. His stomach dropped.

"Melanie," Chad said. "Hi."

"Hi?" Melanie questioned with a strange look. "What are you doing here?"

"It's um, I was with Angel and there was an accident," Chad weakly replied.

"With Angel?" Melanie held her clipboard to her chest, wrinkling her nurses uniform. "You told me you had to work."

"I was working," Chad nodded. "Then, um, he came in and we went out."

"Went out?" Melanie frowned. "Went out where?"

"The um, well, I snuck him into a club," Chad admitted.

"What club?" Melanie pressed.

"We were only there for a while," Chad evaded. "Then something happened."

A code sounded over the intercom.

"I need to go," Melanie said. "This conversation isn't over."

"That your girlfriend?" Sami asked bluntly.

"Yeah," Chad put his hands in his pockets.

"Yet you kissed my son?" Sami lifted one eyebrow, arms crossed.

EJ observed Samantha. The fiery passion she buried deep down was rearing its head. Despite the situation, EJ smiled.

"EJ," Lexie said calmly.

EJ and Sami stood up, hands clasped. Chad moved in closer as well.

"We found something in his CAT scan," Lexie admitted. She took a deep breath. "We need to operate."

"Oh god," Sami gasped.

EJ's face paled.

"I know I can do this," Lexie promised. "I'm bringing in our best surgeons."

Chad fell into his seat, silent.

Lexie stood to the side, waiting until the piece of Angel's skull and bone was removed. This wasn't how she planned to meet her nephew.

With a keen eye, Lexie immediately noted the foreign object implanted in Angel's brain. Scalpel steady, Lexie quickly and efficiently removed it.

EJ held his son's limp hand. Everything Lexie explained ran through his head.

Successful surgery, implant removed, little chance of complications.

EJ understood the terms but it wasn't good enough. As a father, EJ needed more. He needed to see his son, feel him. Look into those big, wide eyes.

"EJ," Sami blearily said from the chair opposite him. She fell asleep sometime the night before. "Have you gotten any rest?"

"I can't sleep," EJ replied. "Not until I know he'll be okay."

"He wouldn't want you exhausting yourself," Sami insisted.

"I could have prevented this," EJ shook his head. "I should have known better."

"You didn't know he would do this," Sami argued. "You couldn't have known."

"I needed to put it together," EJ shook his head. "I let myself get settled, comfortable. I should have known Father would never let anything happen that easy."

Chad wandered through town, hands stuffed in his pockets. After finding out the news Angel would be okay, he ran into Melanie. She didn't take too kindly to his visiting a gay club. She definitely didn't appreciate him making out with Angel on the staircase.

Chad thought it better to keep the night in the Horton cabin a secret.

Chad didn't know what had happened. He barely knew Angel. He didn't know how things got so out of control. But he wanted to see where things went.

Looking up, Chad realized he wandered to the DiMera mansion. The place was swarming with police officers.

Taking a chance, Chad walked inside.

"Ah, Chad Woods," Abe nodded in greeting. "We heard you were here for the incident."

"I was," Chad acknowledged.

Chad explained everything from his end. The needle, the way Angel behaved.

"Thank you," Abe said. "This will get us closer to bringing this bastard down."

"Can I go get some of Angel's things?" Chad asked on a whim.

"Of course," Abe clapped Chad's back. "Take whatever he needs."

Chad headed towards the stairs when he saw Stefano being escorted out.

Stefano had handcuffs around him. A whole team of officers surrounded him.

Chad was reminded of something Stefano said earlier that night. He saw EJ and Chad and called them his progenies.

Stefano smiled when he saw Chad.

"My youngest," Stefano declared. "Do give your nephew my regards."

Chad watched Stefano walk away, eyes wide.

Beep Beep Beep

Angel opened his heavy eyes. His head throbbed and he heard a strange sound. All Angel could think of was his father.

Angel whimpered in pain.

EJ squeezed his son's hand. He hadn't slept in days. He had been waiting for this moment.

"Angel," EJ moved forward.

Angel's lips twitched upward when he saw his father.

"There's my boy," EJ sighed in relief. "You gave me quite a scare."

Angel's forehead wrinkled.

"Your nose," Angel whispered, voice croaky.

"I'm fine," EJ insisted. "You're the one I'm worried about."

"What happened?" Angel asked.

"What do you remember?" EJ countered.

"I-I was kissing Chad," Angel bit his lip. "After that it's a blank."

EJ wasn't looking forward to explaining this to Angel. How could he tell him his grandfather put something in his brain?

The door opened, saving EJ for the time being.

"Hey," Sami said. "I got you a coffee. I still think you should rest. He isn't going to want you to…"

"Mom," Angel whispered.

Sami dropped the coffees and rushed for the bed.

Angel looked at himself in the hospital bathroom mirror. He ran his fingertips gently over bandage on his head. All his hair had been shaved off.

Angel turned away from the mirror in distaste. He ambled back towards his hospital bed.

After hours of complaining and pestering, Angel sent his father home to shower and rest. His mother went with him.

'My mother,' Angel thought. 'I have a mother.'

Knock Knock Knock

"Hey," Chad opened the door gently. He had a bag in his hands. "Can I come in?"

"Uh, yeah," Angel answered. He bashfully ducked his head. He hoped he looked halfway decent for just getting out of brain surgery.

"How's the head?" Chad wondered. He sat down in EJ's vacated chair.

"It's alright," Angel shrugged. "Hurts but the doctors said it would."

"What, um, what did they find?" Chad asked.

Angel pointed to his chart hanging off the door. Inside was a picture of the implant.

"Wow," Chad shook his head. "That was in your head for 16 years?"

Angel nodded.

"They, um, they said I'm going to need to come back regularly to make sure there isn't any lasting damage," Angel explained.

"Right, makes sense," Chad nodded. He lifted up the bag. "I brought you some stuff from the mansion."

"Oh," Angel smiled. "Thanks."

The two looked at each other for a moment.

"I'm sorry," Angel confessed. "My dad told me what I did, tried to do. I hope I didn't hurt you."

"It wasn't you," Chad shook his head. "I'm fine."

"I also need to apologize for before that," Angel swallowed. "For kissing you."

"I kissed you back," Chad insisted. "I wanted to kiss you."

"But you have a girlfriend," Angel pointed out.

"Not anymore," Chad offered Angel a small smile.

"Oh," Angel responded. "I'm, I'm so sorry if I had anything, I swear I didn't-"

"It's not your fault," Chad offered. "It's mine. I knew what I was doing and Mel didn't deserve that. It sucks but I'll get over it."

"Right," Angel nodded.

"I'm hoping in the meantime," Chad put his hand on Angel's hand. "That we can keep getting to know each other."

"I'd like that," Angel smiled.

"Good," Chad smiled back. "Because I would be around anyway."

"What do you mean?" Angel wondered, head tilted.

"I found out who my father is," Chad admitted.

"Really?" Angel asked, excited. "Who is it?"

"Um," Chad looked down at their clasped hands. "It's Stefano."

Angel pulled his hand away quickly.

"No, no, don't," Chad grabbed Angel's hand again. "It's okay. You're adopted, remember?"

Angel's heart rate decreased. He had forgotten.

"Right," Angel laughed. "Right."

"It's kind of funny," Chad realized. "You found a new family and so did I."

"Yeah," Angel chuckled. "Life's funny that way."

THE END

Author's note:

This had been stuck in my head for ages. It took an interesting turn but hopefully it was enjoyable. It was extremely hard typing Angel instead of Will by the way. So, if I made a mistake please let me know where.

Please let me know what you thought.

Thanks for reading!