A/N: the serial killer storyline on the show leaves much to be desired. So I'll be playing around with that here.

Will nervously fiddled with his shirt collar while looking in a mirror.

"Hey," Paul came up behind Will. He placed his hands on Will's shoulders and caught his eyes in the mirror. "You're going to be fantastic. You don't need to be nervous."

"Really?" Will wanted to believe Paul but it seemed too good to be true.

"Will," Paul smiled. "The newspaper wants you. They called you to set up this interview."

"I still could find a way to blow it," Will weakly responded.

"None of that," Paul squeezed Will's shoulders. "You, Will Horton, are a wonderful writer. In fact," Paul turned Will so they were face to face. "Your writing is how we met in the first place."

Will gave Paul a weak smile.

"So," Paul continued. "I need you to stop worrying about what could go wrong and focus on how everything is going to go right."

Will nodded. He really didn't like it when Paul was right.

"And you're sure you don't mind watching Ari?" Will questioned for the millionth time.

"I can handle it," Paul assured Will. "I know what she likes for lunch. I know her favorite movies. I can totally do this."

"Just remember to keep her up until one," Will reminded Paul. "Or else-,"

"Or else," Paul took over. "She won't fall asleep at night. I know, Will."

"Sorry," Will sighed. "I know I'm ridiculous."

"You're protective," Paul amended. "I get that."

Paul followed as Will went into the front room. Will grabbed his laptop bag, tablet, and a folder with his resume and sample pieces.

"Besides," Paul reminded Will. "At least this time you're giving me permission to watch Ari. It won't be a surprise coming home and seeing me and her on the couch."

Will recalled when he came home from his trip to Poplar Bluffs and Paul was with Ari.

'Wasn't that my worst nightmare come to life,' Will thought.

Will wrapped his arms around Paul. "It's hard to believe how much things have changed since then," Will whispered.

"For the better, I hope," Paul agreed.

Will pressed his lips against Paul's.

Paul dug his fingers into the nape of Will's neck, deepening the kiss.

"Ew," Ari squealed. She was playing with her Little People on the floor. "Daddy, Paul, groooooooossssss."

"Gross, huh?" Will put his things back on the ground. He snatched Ari into his arms and started kissing all over her face.

"Daddy, no," Ari giggled.

"Nu uh," Will continued his kiss attack. "If I can't kiss Paul I have to kiss you."

"Help me," Ari reached her arms out for Paul. "Save me."

"Do I have to rescue you from the Daddy Monster?" Paul laughed.

"No," Will pulled Ari against his chest. "Never!"

Will and Paul pretended to pull Ari back and forth between them. Ari laughed and laughed until she was red in the face.

Before Will knew it, it was time to leave for his interview. Feeling much happier and confident, Will grabbed his things.

"Wait," Paul called out before Will could leave. "Good luck kisses," Paul announced.

Will smiled and accepted a big kiss from both Paul and Ari.

'OK,' Will told himself as soon as he closed the front door. 'You can totally do this.'

Will met with Charlotte Murphy in her office at the Salem Chronicle. The two breezed through the preliminary questions and Will was feeling good.

"Now," Charlotte told Will. "Do you have any questions?"

"Actually," Will rubbed his sweaty palms on the knees of his dress pants. "Yes, I have a few."

"Shoot," Charlotte leaned forward on her desk and smiled.

"Why did you want this interview? And don't say," Will said sternly, "That it's because of my writing. I know that's not it, at least not all of it."

Charlotte gazed at Will admiringly. "You're right," she confessed. "Your writing, while impressive, was not the reason I wanted to hire you."

Will nodded. He needed to know the truth.

"The Chronicle has been going through a bit of revamp," Charlotte revealed. "As you know very few people read newspapers nowadays. Online subscriptions are where we get most of our money. And even that is lessening with social media taking over the world."

"What we need is a big story. Something that can capture the attention of the entire town," Charlotte added. "Unfortunate as it is," Charlotte explained. "That's the Necktie Killer."

"OK," Will nodded. It was as he figured. They wanted him for his connections. "And you think because of my family I can find out information."

"I know you can," Charlotte confirmed. "My reporters can get intel from the PD but it's gossip, hearsay. Things like you being cleared as a suspect because of who you were sleeping with."

"I'd apologize for that article," Charlotte offered. "But I have to report what I can get. Narita is popular. He sells papers. But this Necktie Killer and the access you could bring us would surpass anything your sex life could offer."

Will furrowed his brows and bit his lip. "Exactly what do you think I can do?" Will wondered.

'This all sounds a lot more complicated than I thought,' Will realized.

"I want you to follow the case as close as you can," Charlotte said. "Your grandfather is the chief of police. Your family friend is the mayor. You know the DA and the lead detectives. I also know that one of your best friends is the only suspect."

"I'm not writing anything about Chad," Will told her plainly. "I'm not going to do that." 'Again,' Will told himself.

"I thought you might say that," Charlotte smiled. "That's why I want you to get an interview."

"What?" Will frowned.

"Interview DiMera and get his side," Charlotte shrugged. "Interview Detectives Hernandez and Brady. Interview random concerned citizens. I don't care. I want something about this killer on the front page every day. I want this town talking about our coverage and nothing but our coverage."

"I want you to figure out every single thing that could possibly connect the victims. See if there's a pattern. Figure out what doesn't make sense. Look for security footage. Hack into systems, use all of your skills," Charlotte explained.

Will was a bit alarmed Charlotte even knew he could hack into things with relative ease.

"And," Charlotte continued. "If all goes well when this case is over there will be a nice, permanent position waiting for you."

"I don't even know if I can do all those things," Will admitted. "I might not be able to get as close as you expect me to."

"I know you have a better chance than anyone else," Charlotte shrugged.

"Now," Charlotte leaned back in her seat. "Do we have a deal?"

"Let's see," Paul said as he tapped his chin. "We watched Bubble Guppies. We played blocks. Now what should we do?"

Ari shook her head. "I don't know," she replied.

"Hmm," Paul thought. "I know!"

That was how Ari found herself following Paul's lead and exercising. Paul had her hop on one leg. He had her doing jumping jacks. Ari touched her toes and jumped as high as she could.

Twenty minutes later she was exhausted.

"Alright, Princess," Paul pulled out his phone. "Let's show off those muscles."

Paul and Ari both flexed their muscles for the camera as Paul took a selfie.

"Beautiful," Paul praised.

Ari flopped on the couch. She looked ready for her nap.

Paul sent the picture to Will. On a whim, he decided to send it to his mom too.

"Water break," Paul ordered. 'And then nap time.'

Will walked out of the Salem Chronicle office. He had a lot to think about. On one hand he knew this was a great opportunity.

'I do have those connections. I'm sure I could get closer to the situation than anyone else. But I don't want my friends and family to think I'm using them. I'll have to tell them what I'm doing,' Will was lost in his own world.

"There you are," Sami declared while grabbing Will's arm. "I almost didn't catch up."

"Did you follow me here?" Will wondered, amused.

"Yes," Sami answered honestly. "Why were you in there anyway?"

"Interview," Will said. "They hired me to cover the Necktie Killer."

"Hmm," Sami hummed. "I assume they want you to get the real dirt no one else would."

"Exactly," Will nodded. "I just don't want it to end up badly. Almost everything I write does in the end."

"You start out with good intentions," Sami agreed. "But somewhere in the delivery things get turned around."

Will hung his head.

"Did I ever tell you how sorry I am about that article I wrote about you and EJ?" Will swallowed. "Because I am. I don't know what was wrong with me."

"Nothing's wrong with you," Sami linked her arm with Will's. "But you are easy to manipulate and get ahead of yourself more often than anything."

Will glared at his mom.

"The same can be said for me," Sami laughed. "But you know it's true."

"Doesn't mean I want to hear it," Will commented. "Then again that's never stopped you before."

"And it's not going to stop me now," Sami divulged.

"What does that mean?" Will asked cautiously.

"You and I are going to have a nice, long chat," Sami patted Will's hand. "Aren't you excited?"

"I'm overjoyed," Will replied in a dull voice.

"Alright Ari," Paul grabbed her hand. "It's time to pick out a story and take a nap."

"No," Ari threw herself on the ground. "No nap!"

"Uh," Paul stared at Ari. He had rarely seen her throw fits.

'I am not prepared for this,' Paul thought.

"Not bedtime," Ari cried. She thrashed about and kicked out at Paul when he tried to pick her up.

'What would Will do at a time like this?' Paul panicked.

Paul stared at Ari crying and whining. With a deep sigh, Paul lifted Ari up and took her into her room.

Paul grabbed the first book he saw and forced Ari into a cuddle.

"Book then nap," Paul informed her. "Just like with Daddy."

"Alright, spill," Sami told Will as she shoved a cup of coffee in front of him.

The two were back in the Brady Pub.

"About what?" Will asked, playing with his mug.

"Paul," Sami stated. "And Sonny."

"Haven't we already talked about this?" Will looked down at the table.

"Well, I want to talk about it again," Sami informed him.

"So," Sami continued. "You told me that you had gotten closer to Paul. But I want to know how."

"How?" Will repeated. "Well, I guess it all started at the beginning. When I first got to know Paul, before."

"Before you found out he was with Sonny?" Sami guessed.

"Yeah," Will nodded. "I mean," Will closed his eyes. "I didn't just sleep with Paul because he was there. I-I kind of liked him, had a crush on him."

Sami nodded. "You know I've been there," Sami told Will. "I've been on both sides of this equation before."

"I thought Paul was this really nice guy," Will confessed. "I wanted to help him. I did help him with coming out and everything. I thought we were friends. And then I pretty much ruined that."

Sami gave Will an unimpressed look.

"If we're doing this you aren't placing all the blame on yourself," Sami informed Will. "Yes, you did some questionable things. But so did Sonny and so did Paul. You alone were not responsible for what happened."

"OK," Will shrugged. "But I was the one who-,"

"Neh," Sami cut Will off with a sound. "You were the one who was called out and blamed. I didn't see anyone going after Sonny for keeping Paul a secret for years. Or for following after him. Or for having feelings for him and lying to you about it for months."

"No one called Paul out for going after you when you were taken. Or for doing the exact same thing with Sonny. Or for making you feel paranoid and crazy when he knew what he was doing," Sami added. "It is not all your fault. Every single one of you was in the wrong. It shouldn't matter who was wrong-er."

"It doesn't matter now," Will pointed out. "Sonny and I are done. I am with Paul. We've talked about all this. We've gotten past it."

"Good," Sami said. "I'm glad to hear that. But I want to know what's going to happen the next time you aren't perfect. Is he going to walk out on you? Is he going to try to change you?"

"No," Will defended. "Of course not."

"Are you sure about that?" Sami wondered.

"Paul wants to be with me," Will implored. "Me. Not some image of me or some version of me. Me."

"You better be right about that," Sami opened a sugar packet and dumped it in her coffee. "Or else he's going to have to deal with me."

"No crime is worth that," Will gave his mom a small smile.

"Ha, ha," Sami replied with an eye roll.

The two were interrupted by their waitress asking how they were doing.

"What are you going to do when Sonny comes back?" Sami finally asked once they were alone.

Will shook his head and lifted one shoulder. "Tell him the truth," Will said. "There's not much else to do."

"You aren't worried you'll see him again and all those old feelings will come out?" Sami questioned. "Because as someone who has been married four times I can tell you it's going to be hard."

"I know it will be. But I'm with Paul now. I like Paul. What I had with Sonny was in the past," Will confessed. "And you've been married five times."

Sami narrowed her eyes. "That can't be right," Sami argued.

"EJ counts as two," Will smiled widely.

"Did you want to come back to the apartment with me?" Will asked his mom once they were done talking. "Paul's going to help me finish packing everything."

"I would," Sami stated. "But I'm meeting your father. That'll be a blast."

"Are you two going to talk about Allie?" Will asked.

"Yes," Sami revealed. "And he's got something to tell me about some new woman in his life."

Will almost laughed. "Well," Will said, trying to keep a straight face. "When he tells you who she is you can counter back with who I'm dating."

"Why would I need to do that?" Sami frowned.

"Trust me," Will patted her on the back. "You'll know when it happens."

Will unlocked the door to his apartment. Once he put his keys and bag down he looked around in surprise.

"Hey," Paul greeted from the kitchen.

"Hey," Will walked over to him. "What are you doing?"

"Just trying to pack this stuff up for you," Paul revealed. "As quietly as possible."

Will looked over the boxes everywhere. "You didn't have to do that," Will told Paul.

"I just wanted to help you," Paul finished putting some pans in a box. He stood up and kissed Will.

"How did the interview go?" Paul smiled at Will. "Did they offer you a job?"

Will pulled Paul back against him for another kiss. "It went pretty good. I was right about why they wanted me though," Will said.

"And did you take it?" Paul wondered.

Will nodded. "Yeah, yeah I did."

Paul scooped Will into a big hug. "Congratulations," he cheered.

"Thanks," Will wrapped his arms around Paul's neck.

"I thought this might happen," Paul let Will go. "So I left these out."

Paul turned around and showed off two champagne flutes.

Will shook his head. "I don't have anything to put in that."

"What?" Paul teased. He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of apple juice. "I have only the best bottle of vintage apple juice breathing."

"Has anyone ever told you how big of a dork you are?" Will mused.

"Will Horton, that's the nicest thing you've ever told me," Paul joked.

"Uh huh, sure," Will rolled his eyes. "But speaking of apple juice," Will said. "How was Ari for you?"

Paul filled the glasses and gave Will a scared look. "Well, it was going well until she threw a fit at nap time."

"I'm sorry," Will rubbed Paul's back. "Wait?" Will looked at Paul suspiciously. "Did you tell her it was time for a nap?"

"Well, yeah," Paul replied. "Why?"

"You never tell her it's nap time," Will laughed. "You have to say it's time to read a book. Otherwise she throws a fit."

Paul stared at Will. "You couldn't have told me that before you left?"

"I thought you knew," Will continued laughing.

"Obviously not," Paul groaned. "You owe me big time."

"I'll make it up to you," Will promised.

Paul placed his apple juice on the table and put his hands on the curve of Will's butt.

"Oh, I know you will," Paul knocked their foreheads together.

Just when Will and Paul were going to kiss again they were interrupted.

"Daddy," Ari whined from the bed. "I need you," Ari called.

"I'll get that," Will said.

"Wait," Paul grabbed Will's hand and pulled him back. He handed Will his apple juice, "Cheers."

A Few Weeks Ago

Will double checked his errand list one last time.

'I just need to go to the post office and then I can meet Paul,' Will thought to himself.

Paul invited Will to spend the night in his hotel room. Will arranged for his father to watch Ari for the night. Will knew that meant Adrienne would be there and that Ari would most likely Skype with Sonny.

Will had no qualms about Sonny and Ari remaining in contact, in fact he preferred it. He never wanted his daughter to be caught between two parents. Will loathed thinking Ari could end up in a situation like he did as a child. It was one of the reasons Will tried so hard with Gabi in the beginning.

'Hmm,' Will chuckled sadly. 'Hard to believe both Gabi and Sonny only have a limited amount of contact with Ari. They were the only ones there when she was born and now look at them. One is in jail and the other half way around the world.'

Will, caught up in his memories of the past, didn't pay any attention to where he was going. Before he knew it he was standing in front of TBD.

Will stared at the familiar sign with a frown on his face. He hadn't stepped foot in the place since the divorce. Before that he tried to take Ari there weekly, just to keep her in the same routine. But that proved more bothersome than anything. Both Will and Ari ended up missing Sonny too much.

Will continued on his way to the post office. He focused on getting there quickly, being near TBD reminded him too much of the past. Will wanted to see Paul as soon as possible. Only he heard a loud commotion near the alley behind TBD.

Will wasn't stupid. He knew it would be too dangerous to go down there and investigate the yelling. He knew the smart thing to do would be to call his Aunt Hope and tell her to send someone to check it out. Then Will heard a name.

"We know it was you, DiMera," a deep voice growled.

"You don't know anything," Chad smoothly replied.

Without another thought Will entered the alley. Near the backdoor to TBD, Will found Chad surrounded by a tall, muscular guy and a dark skinned girl.

Will instantly recognized the girl as a friend of Paige Larson's.

'This can't be good,' Will thought.

Before anyone could say anything else Will loudly called out Chad's name.

"Chad," Will greeted in a friendly voice. He pretended he had no idea what he just interrupted. "There you are! I thought we were meeting inside."

Chad glanced at Will gratefully. It wasn't that he felt intimidated by the people in front of him but it was getting tiresome. A man could only defend against false accusations for so long before losing his patience.

"Will," Chad nodded. "Sorry, I was delayed."

"We should get going then," Will replied. He casually walked between Chad and the beefy looking guy and stopped, blocking Chad from sight. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there," Will commented.

"This isn't over," Paige's friend, Daphne, threatened Chad. "Sooner or later someone is going to catch up to you."

Will crossed his arms. "I don't think you should be saying stuff like that," Will told her. "It doesn't look good when things go to trial."

"Will," Chad rolled his eyes. "You aren't helping."

Will shrugged, grabbed Chad's arm, and started walking out of the alley. The two walked back out onto the sidewalk. Will looked over his shoulder and saw Daphne and whoever her friend was walk out too.

"Want to tell me what that was about?" Will asked Chad.

"The usual," Chad grumbled. "I'm a deranged psycho on the loose."

"If you were a derange psycho you would be locked up already," Will pointed out. "So, obviously the police don't have anything on you."

"Tell that to Justin Kiriakis," Chad hissed. "The way he talks to me you'd think he had already hooked me up to be lethally injected."

Will winced. Executions were a sore spot for him.

"I don't get Justin's problem," Will said instead. "Did he forget that you're best friends with his son?"

"Did he forget how much he liked you until you slept with Paul?" Chad fired back.

Will winced again. 'I'm sure he'd be thrilled to know that's what I'll be doing again tonight,' Will thought.

"I'm a DiMera and I got drunk with Serena before she was killed," Chad stated. "I obviously must have killed her and those other girls."

"You didn't kill anyone," Will insisted. "Sooner or later whoever is doing this is going to be caught. And you can go around telling everyone in Salem to suck it."

Chad snorted. "Thanks," he replied. Chad checked his watch. "I better get going. I've got a meeting at DiMera Enterprises."

"Sounds fun," Will tittered.

"Oh, yeah, a real blast," Chad remarked. "I'll spend the first twenty minutes explaining that I'm not a serial killer so please continue to do business with me."

"Thanks for bailing me out back there though," Chad told Will. "I appreciate it."

"No problem," Will said.

The two parted ways. Will neared the post office. He wondered if he should bring dinner with him to Paul's room or if they would order room service.

'I get the feeling we're gonna work up an appetite.'

"I am so fucking hungry," Will panted. His sweaty skin was pressed against Paul's.

"You?" Paul groaned, stretching his back muscles. "I think you broke my ass."

"I'll kiss it better after you feed me," Will declared.

Paul threw his arm out for the phone, desperate for that room service now.

Will snickered loudly at Paul.

After Paul ordered their food he pouted at Will. "You'll have to answer the door. I'm gonna be too sore to get up," he stuck out his lower lip.

Will leaned forward and nipped at Paul's lip. "One time and you're already done?"

"Not all of us can take it as many times as you," Paul huffed.

"I don't know if that was a compliment or an insult," Will stated.

"Both," Paul decided. "No," he pulled Will against him. "Trust me. I am never going to complain about how often you want me to fuck you."

Will, blushing like mad, hid his face in Paul's neck. "Don't say it like that," Will argued.

"Oh, that you blush about?" Paul teased. "You didn't seem too bashful when you said you wanted to fuck me earlier."

"I was too excited," Will laughed. "Now stop making fun of my blushing."

Just then they heard a knock on the door followed by, "Room service!"

Will crawled out of the bed and searched for his underwear.

"Just so you know," Paul informed Will as he threw the sheets over himself. "As soon as I can move my lower back your ass is going to get it."

Will snorted. He gave up on his underwear and put on Paul's instead.

"That ass is still mine," Paul continued. He started to say something else but became distracted by Will in Paul's underwear.

'That should not turn me on as much as it does,' Paul thought.

Will attempted to hitch Paul's boxers as high up as he could even though they kept slipping. With the boxers drooping dangerously low, Will answered the door.

A guy wheeled in a cart of food and left, eyeing Will and Paul awkwardly.

"Who wants to bet he's rushing off to tell Derrick what he saw?" Will asked bringing their food closer to the bed.

"Probably," Paul agreed. "Too bad that ship has sailed."

"You also thought the same about you and me," Will looked at Paul. "And yet here we are."

"Yeah, yeah," Paul dismissed. "Fate has a funny way of working things out, huh?"

Will gave Paul an amused smile. "Yeah, I guess it does," Will noted.

Author's note:

Will is going to be exclusively covering the serial killer story now. Just reminding everyone that I'm not going to kill him off though. For everyone wondering, Sonny will be making an appearance soon-ish. Also, the next chapter is going to catch up to the beginning of the story so there isn't going to be many more moments from the past.

Let me know what you thought.

Thank you for reading!