It's been three months since the events with the Anuk-ite and the hunters fiasco. The people of Beacon Hills had started to rebuild their lives, there was no more hiding the supernatural but the fear was no longer there.

People remembered how Scott and his pack had been saving them over the years, their shame at hunting them made them avert their eyes for the first few weeks and the pack couldn't be more relieved.

But eventually as all things do the memories faded, not forgotten but less...

Eventually Melissa's house was being inundated with gift baskets, people trying to ask if maybe their kids were supernatural too when they began staying out late and how best to broach the subject with them. At first she was irritated with them for even daring to speak to her after how they treated her son and his friends but she thawed to the idea when she thought back on it.

Parrish still received the odd fearful look when he was on a callout but eventually he was receiving donations to his never-ending purchases of uniforms for when he became the hellhound.

The sheriff's phone was never off the hook at first for people panicking when a stray dog ran through their back gardens, or a dog howled, or anything making noise in the night.

Scott, Malia and Lydia had eventually moved on too, Malia had decided against going to France for now as it was just an excuse for her to run and see the world away from this place. She and Scott had managed to get an apartment close to his college while she went to the local community college, with financial help from Peter on the condition that they actually spend Father-Daughter time together at least once every two weeks.

Lydia and Stiles still Skyped each other but were also able to visit each other on the weekends, sending pictures of Stiles overdramatically crying as he hugged her while she looked up with fond exasperation into their group chat. They agreed that they all had to keep in touch through that; Scott making sure that Liam filled them in with an update each week.

Liam, Mason and Corey stayed behind to look after the town and finish their Senior Year. The bitch of a teacher and any other person of authority that were complacent in Liam's beating were fired. Thankfully nothing else really big had happened and they were able to actually concentrate on being normal teenagers for a while.

Liam's parents found out he was a werewolf obviously, his mother couldn't look at him for a week but his stepdad seemed to take it well and asked him questions about the shift and how he became one.

And Theo?

Well Theo managed to get a place (finally). It wasn't much; chipped paint on the walls and a constant chill in the air but it was better than sleeping in his car. He had a bed and a roof over his head; he didn't really need anything else. He was repeating his senior year at school due to his 'illness' and thankfully no one had heard about his Chimera status as Theo much preferred to keep that to himself. Not trusting this kind of acceptance that was happening in the town.

He spent a lot of his free time in the local bookstore after and after seeing him there for two weeks straight, reading in the corner; Gladys had put him to work. Gladys ran the bookstore after her husband died but she wasn't well enough to be looking after it all the time and they didn't have any children so when she saw the Raeken boy reading in her store everyday she offered him the job on the condition that he would finish his school year.

"If you're going to be reading my books for free then you may as well make yourself useful." She scolded him and he looked at her awkwardly, eyes darting to the door as he subtly moved closer towards it. "Stop right there young man." She added and he froze.

"Sorry..." He murmured, hoping to get the hell out of there as quick as possible and get back to his car.

"I'm not, so are you going to help me or not?" The woman asked with her hands on her hips, like she wouldn't accept any answer but yes.

"S-sure." Theo said with wary eyes and wondering what the hell the lady wanted from him.

"Good." She said, shoulders relaxing a little. "Now I'm willing to let you read whenever you want but you have to at least dust in here once in a while, I'm not fit to be doing it myself anymore you know? You have to serve customers too, I'll show you how to work the tills once or twice but after that you're on your own." She said not unkindly and Theo looked up at her in surprise.

"I could rob you y'know? You shouldn't just be offering random strangers jobs here and there." Theo told her a little sarcastically.

"I may be old Theo but I'm not green." Gladys remarked with a knowing smirk when he looked up in surprise that she knew his name. "Yes I know who you are, and words been getting around that you're homeless boy. My friend's daughter works for the police and she's caught you a few times in your car."

Theo looked down, barely keeping the shame from his face and he didn't really know what to say for himself.

"Now, I have a friend who has an apartment a few blocks from here, it's not much; about fifty bucks a week. I'll be paying you $250 a week as long as you do a good job and you finish your school." She announced, waiting patiently for him to respond as he looked at her incredulously.

No one's ever given him a chance like this. The dread doctors tainted his innocence, his childhood robbed from him. His sister... He didn't deserve any of this but he wanted to prove to himself that he could do this. Live a normal life or as close to normal he could get.

"Why?" Theo asked her when she let out an impatient sigh. "I could do anything, why are you helping me?"

"Why not?" Gladys asked, almost sounding offended. "Sometimes it pays to have blind faith Theo. If you really didn't want the job, if you could really do anything, rob me even or destroy the place...you would have done it by now or even left." A knowing smile graced her lips. "Maybe you should have blind faith too, not everyone's out to get you boy."

He met her eye then, weighing his options. This could be a total trap...but she genuinely seemed like she wanted to help and he was kind of desperate. The others didn't really know about his homelessness, though he didn't even know if he would tell them if they asked and he could always run if this turned out bad.

Running was a gift that he had but hadn't utilised since Liam raised him from hell...He couldn't allow himself to dwell on the why, he just knew that he cared. After failing to heal Mason...when Liam had got himself hurt at the hospital and Theo had dropped to his knees beside him. He gripped Liam's arm and the black veins of pain flowed from the werewolf into him.

Theo had never felt anything like it before, it didn't hurt that much but it was like he could feel Liam's relief at not being in pain anymore...Theo hadn't been avoiding him since then per say, more like he'd be there for the group meetings before quickly moving off before Liam could catch him in a one-way conversation.

"Okay." He answered, shrugging like he had nothing to lose...which is literally true, he thought with a sigh.

"Good, you can start tomorrow. Give me your mobile number and I'll ring you this evening about that apartment, your first month's rent is on me so you can work to save the rest of it from your pay-cheque each week." Gladys said with a warm grin, happy she'd got her way and Theo rolled his eyes a little when he could see the smug glint in her eyes.

"Thank you." He replied genuinely after writing his mobile number down. "What's your name by the way?" Theo asked curiously.

"You're very welcome and the name's Gladys, Monroe is my surname obviously." She explained as she pointed to the logo of 'Monroe's Bookstore'.

It's been two and a half months since then and Theo had actually managed to keep his head down. Finishing his schoolwork on time, avoiding Liam and the pack, working at the bookstore, avoiding even thinking about Liam, cleaning his apartment, and did he mention avoiding Liam?

Liam had been trying to catch the slippery Chimera to talk to him and he'd tried everything short of calling him out on it in the middle of class. Theo felt bad as Liam at first was just pissed off that the older one was avoiding him but now he just smelt hurt.

Theo sighed dejectedly when he noticed the wolf trying to catch his eye with the expression of a kicked puppy, allowing their eyes to meet from across the room for the first time in months and Liam's lips parted in surprise.

"Later, I promise." He murmured so only Liam could hear him and the younger one nodded eagerly before turning his attention back to the teacher with a little relieved smile and Theo let his eyes linger a little longer.

When the bell rang to signal the end of the day Theo waited in his seat instead of darting out like he normally would, he knew Gladys wouldn't mind if he was a wee bit late since he was always too early and she had sassed him for having no friends.

Liam waited as well, slowly making his way over to the chimera when the room was empty.

"Hey Theo." He mumbled nervously, avoiding the older one's eyes as he picked at a loose thread on the sleeve of his shirt.

"I'm sorry." Was the only thing he could think to say, the chemosignals of hurt and anxiety permeated the air and he smiled reassuringly when Liam finally met his eyes.

"You're sorry? For showing up and saving my life, taking my pain, fighting alongside us and then disappearing into the wind like it was nothing?" Liam asked a little angry and Theo got it.

"I was homeless Liam...I had to sort myself out first." Theo burst out before shrugging slightly and averting his eyes when he heard the sharp intake of breath. "And yeah, I was avoiding you a bit."

"What the hell?!" Liam exclaimed, waving his hands worriedly. "You didn't think to tell us?"

"Of course not." Theo snapped. "You think anyone would want to help me after what I did?" He added, getting up from his seat and packing up his books. He was running late but he didn't want to blow Liam off, he wanted to be honest with the werewolf and honestly, he had missed him.

"I would have helped you." Liam said softly and Theo's head snapped up to look at him. "You saved my life how many times now? Of course I would have helped you...but no you decided to run away. You're such an asshole." He said bitterly, turning to leave with a wounded look.

"So that's it?" Theo asked him warily. "I finally stop running and now you're going to run?" Honestly he deserved that but part of him couldn't help but feel hurt by it.

Liam stopped by the door, he wanted to hate Theo but he couldn't. Not after the Chimera had done nothing but try to save him, from himself and others. He turned then, eyes hesitantly meeting Theo's. "I hate you." He said, neither commenting on the tick of his heart for the lie. "I'm so pissed at you."

"I know." Theo said with a knowing smirk. "I hate you too." Allowing the tick in his heart to be heard by the younger boy and the corners of the wolf's lips tugged upwards as their gazes lingered. He walked towards the boy then, and Liam's breathing hitched as he got closer.

"Theo." Liam said quietly. Theo didn't respond, he only walked closer and pulled the younger wolf into his arms for a hug. Liam buried his head in the Chimera's neck and breathed in his scent, hands grasping at the back of his jacket to pull him closer.

"I can't breathe Liam." Theo huffed quietly and Liam backed off quickly but the chimera placed a gentle hand on his shoulder with a reassuring smile. "I promise I'm not running anymore...but I am late for work and Gladys will kill me if I don't hurry up so you can either come with me or text me later." He offered, smirking when Liam's eyes widened.

"You have a job?!" He asked incredulously.

"Yep...at a bookstore." Theo replied, biting his lip to hide his grin.

"You know how to read?!" Liam exclaimed with a smirk, their familiar banter settling in around them like a comforting blanket.

"Well you look like you're feeling better." Theo deadpanned with an eyeroll as he moved past the younger wolf and headed down the corridor.

"Wait." Liam said, running to catch up with him. "So you're okay now? Not homeless or anything?"

"I'm good." He replied reassuringly. The chimera opened the front doors to the school, holding one open for Liam and walked towards his car. "You coming?" He asked sensing the other wolf's hesitance to ask but also not leaving his side.

"Yeah, just want to make sure you're safe. I am supposed to be the Alpha when Scott's not here." Liam responded, the second part an unconvincing excuse as they got into Theo's car.

"I'm not pack so you don't need to but thanks I guess." Theo said, he wasn't throwing it back in Liam's face but he was just trying to let him know that he had no obligation to make sure Theo was okay.

"You are." Liam replied angrily. "Scott already acknowledged what you did for us back there, you were part of the pack before we even realised it. Granted we argued with you but you were part of the pack all the same." Theo looked at him in surprise before turning his eyes back onto the road so he wouldn't crash.

He stayed silent as he looked at the clock every so often, he was ten minutes late for work now and this was the first time he'd be late. His phone began vibrating and he quickly rummaged around his pocket to answer it and put it on speaker so he couldn't give the cops an excuse to pull him over.

"Theo, where the hell are you? Mrs Kelly is here and she's whining in my ear about not seeing her favourite worker." Gladys complained in a harsh whisper, Liam's eyes widened and a smirk grew on his face as Theo's flushed.

"Sorry I got held up at school and there's traffic, I'm literally around the corner now and I'll be there in five minutes." He hurried to explain to her.

"Yeah well hurry up, I'm about to pull my hair out if she doesn't leave and you're always so good at derailing her from her rants about her kids." The lady muttered bitterly. Theo pulled up in front of the store and parked his car in the space reserved for staff.

"Yeah yeah I'm here already calm down." He snarked as both he and Liam unbuckled their seatbelts.

"Don't you sass me boy." She sassed and Liam couldn't help but let out a snicker as they walked into the store.

"Mrs Kelly." Theo exclaimed with a polite smile on his face as he hung up on Gladys and put his phone in his pocket. "How are you today?" Liam looked at him with wide eyes, wondering who the hell this imposter was.

"Theo! Darling!" An old woman with a posh English accent greeted him in delight. "Oh it's been awful darling, Gemma and her girlfriend came over this morning and her girlfriend stood on my cat! Almost broke his tail the poor baby."

"Aw no, I'm sure it was an accident." He replied sympathetically as he gently accepted the books she had in her hands and walked around the counter to scan them.

"No I don't think so darling, she's always hated him. I know she has, ever since he threw up on her shoes two years ago." She lamented and Theo just shook his head fondly at her.

"That's twelve dollars Mrs Kelly but for you I'll make it ten." He said with a warm grin pulling two dollars out of his back pocket so Gladys would still make the money for them.

"Thank you darling, that's ever so kind of you." She replied with a flustered smile as she handed him the money and he handed her the books.

"Don't mention it." Theo said and waved at her when she left.

"Thank god for that." Gladys said as she came out of the back. "Dreadful woman, can never get rid of her."

"She's not that bad, I think she's just lonely." He told the woman with a smirk before Liam coughed to remind the Chimera of his presence.

"Oh hello there dear, are you a friend of Theo's? I was beginning to think he didn't have any." Gladys greeted the younger wolf.

"Heh yeah, I'm Liam." Liam answered awkwardly. "So I'll..uh...catch up with you later Theo." He added to the older boy.

"Later Liam." He replied with a smile, watching the younger boy walk out before busying himself with his book.

"He seems nice." Gladys commented with a raised brow.

"Yeah, he's my friend from school." He said distractedly as he tried to focus on the words in front of him instead of the lilt in her voice.

"Didn't you used to hang around with the Dunbar boy before the school year?" She asked with a knowing look.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He responded, the tips of his ears burning as he knew that people had suspected Liam of being a werewolf and he didn't know if she knew about that and how she would feel about him being a Chimera.

"I'm sure you don't" She hummed sarcastically. "Anyway, I must be off. Betty and I are going to the movies today so remember it's your turn to lock up."

"It's always my turn." Theo said absently without raising his eyes from his book.

"Well that's what I'm paying you for isn't it?" She sassed in lieu of a goodbye as she grabbed her coat and headed out to meet her friend.

Theo smirked fondly before finishing his page and placing his bookmark in the book. He was allowed to read them as long as he didn't damage them so they could still be sold and he pulled out his homework.

Business was slow today, only a few customers; some young, some old. When it was closing time, he cleaned up a bit, locked the money in the safe and locked the door before getting into his car and heading home.

It was when he was outside his apartment that he picked up the scent in the back of his car.

"You know it's rude to spy on people right?" Theo snarked at the other chimera. Corey appeared then with a worried expression.

"Sorry, I was just worried about you." Corey responded nervously.

"Did Liam put you up to this?" He sighed tiredly.

"No, I came here by myself. I already knew that you worked in the bookstore; my mom told me." He said, exiting the car when Theo got out and held the door open for him.

"Well you have nothing to worry about. I'm fine." He said reassuringly.

"You don't get it do you? You just upped and left without a word." Corey informed the older chimera.

"I didn't leave...I just avoided everything for a bit." He replied warily.

"Three months Theo." The younger chimera insisted.

"I was at school wasn't I? It's not like I skipped town." He defended himself quietly.

"And avoiding Liam like the plague wasn't 'leaving'." Corey said with a raised brow.

"I don't need to explain myself to you." Theo snapped; causing the other boy to jump and the older chimera froze. "Look." He added with a defeated sigh. "I've already spoken to Liam today, everything's fine now and I'm not going anywhere...Sorry for snapping at you."

"I get it but just don't push us away, you wanted to be pack and now you have one. So don't throw that away. Check in every now and again; let us know you're alive at least." The young chimera told him with a determined expression.

"Okay." Theo said with a nod. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to let Liam know he was out of work if he wanted to meet up and he smiled up at the younger boy. "Fine, you can come in if you want." He added when he noticed him hovering.

"Okay good, we need to talk." He responded quickly.

"We weren't just talking there now?" Theo asked rhetorically as he unlocked his apartment door and let the other boy go first. "It's not much but it's enough." He added modestly when he noticed Corey staring at anything and everything in his apartment.

"Honestly, it's better than I thought it would be." Corey replied before wincing at his own words. "Sorry that's not what I meant."

"What, you thought I would live in a fortress surrounded by a lava moat?" He asked with a smirk but Corey shook his head.

"I was worried you'd be homeless if we're being honest." He said nervously.

"I was." Theo informed him and averted his eyes when he saw the pity in the other boy's face. "I'm fine now though." Thanks to Gladys giving him a chance.

"I'm sorry Theo." Corey murmured.

"Don't be. Brought it on myself." He said honestly.

The conversation lulled there as Theo received a message from Liam wanting to know his address, which he texted to him and informed him of the other chimera's presence.

"Liam's on his way over, what do you want to talk to me about?" He explained as he gestured for the chimera to sit down.

"Well, we think there's a group of hunters that are coming to finish the job they started a few months ago. They're not exactly happy that people know about werewolves and stuff." Corey informed the older one.

"Okay." Theo said as he waited for the other boy to continue but Corey was just looking down nervously at his hands. "Corey, what is it? What do you need me to do?"

"Well it's not really me; it's Scott, which you would know if you bothered to check in with the pack group chat."

"I didn't know I was invited." Theo ground out guiltily. "Fine, what does Scott want me to do?"

"Not many people in this town know about you..." Corey trailed off.

"Spit it out." He said tiredly.

"We need you to go to a bar on the outskirts of town, you're the only one who looks old enough and we're the only ones that can get through the mountain ash." Corey said in a rush, his anxiety levels through the roof as he thought Theo would be pissed at being asked to do something as dangerous as this when he was just getting back into the pack.

"And do what?!" Theo asked incredulously.

"Get info." Corey explained.

"Get Argent to do it, he's an actual hunter." The older chimera said with a huff.

"We can't, they know he helped Scott." The young chimera explained like that should have been obvious, which Theo supposed it should have. He sighed again.

"Fine, when?" Pulling out his phone again when he felt the buzzing in his pocket announcing Liam's arrival.

"Tonight...As soon as possible." He answered, looking nervously at the door when Theo opened it to a pissed off Liam.

"You told him?!" Liam growled.

"You weren't going to! It's the best option we have and you know it!" He replied angrily and Theo just looked between the two awkwardly.

"I told you we didn't need to do that. We could find someone else." Liam ground out like they had had this conversation a million times which always went the same way. "I can't believe you went behind my back like this...No wait, I can! You're always sneaking around, I told Mason that I would work with you if you'd cut this shit out but you just can't help yourself can you?" His eyes began to glow as his voice came out in more growls than actual words.

"Liam, calm down." Theo said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder and he couldn't help but feel proud when Liam instantly calmed and his eyes found the older Chimera's.

"I'm sorry Liam." Corey murmured as he all but ran out the door with a hurt look.

"If it helps, I said yes." Theo informed the younger wolf.

"No it doesn't." Liam sighed dejectedly as he sat down on the couch.

"Why are you so against this?" He asked with a confused frown.

"Because Scott needs someone to do this, anyone who isn't associated with the pack so it can't be traced back and they can't be hurt. You've been seen with us before and Corey's too much of a coward to do it himself." He growled out.

"Have you seen his face? He'd be kicked out for being underage a mile off." Theo joked, nudging Liam a little to get him to smile and it worked.

"Just...be careful. Please." Liam begged. "These hunters are willing to do anything, if they think you're working with us; human or not, they'll kill you." He bit his lip nervously and his heart rate was reaching dangerous levels for a panic attack.

"I'll be fine Liam, if something happens I'll call." Theo reassured the younger wolf, putting his arm around his shoulders and pulling him into his side to comfort him.

"I don't like this, at all." The werewolf said, nuzzling his head in Theo's shoulder before pulling back. "You call as soon as you're out of there." He added with raised brows.

"I promise." The chimera said with a nod, he stood up then and looked around for anything he might need. "Just tell me what I need to do and then I'll go."

"We just need to know what they're planning, who they know about and when they're going to do it. You don't even need to talk to anyone, just go in and get a drink and use your hearing." Liam explained worriedly. "Actually I would prefer if you didn't talk; you have a bad habit of pissing hunters off."

"That's not fair, I piss everyone off." Theo replied with a smirk.

"That's not the point." Liam said as he tried to repress a smile.

"Let's just get this over with." The Chimera said, rolling his shoulders and taking a deep breath.

Liam nodded worriedly as he followed Theo out the door, he gave the older boy the directions to the bar and watched worriedly as he got into his car and drove away.

Theo shook his head warily, was he really ready to do this? He was just getting back into the swing of things and he didn't want to fuck it up.

He parked his car and got out, looking up at the bar which seemed to be packed with people. He took a deep breath and sauntered into the bar confidently. He could feel the mountain ash in the air as he walked through the doors and he was thankful for his Chimera status.

Conversations stuttered as some of the patrons looked at the newcomer before going back to what they were saying and Theo avoided eye contact with anyone other than the bar man.

"What are you havin'?" The bartender asked, wiping an empty glass with a dishcloth.

"I'll just have a beer." Theo responded with a small smile, paying for his drink before moving off to sit in the back of the room on his own.

"So there he is right? Crying for his mama, half wolfed out and like ten arrows sticking out of him. I used the shotgun on him; it's hard to heal a shotgun blast to the face." Howls of laughter followed the story and Theo tried to suppress a wince as he took another sip of his beer and played with his phone nervously.

"Did you hear about Anto? They say he was murdered by an animal, stupid cops don't know what they're dealin' with."

"Baby can we go back to my place, I'm bored of this dump."

"It's going down soon. Lost my cousin a few months ago..." Theo tried to focus his hearing on that particular stream of conversation but was quickly interrupted when a bearded biker-type sat in front of him.

"Hey there friend." He greeted cheerfully.

"Uh, Hey." Theo replied with a friendly smile.

"I'm Sam, over there is my girlfriend Julia." He pointed over to a woman playing pool, she winked at her boyfriend before potting the eight ball and winning the game. "Proud of you baby." He let out a whoop when the man she'd been playing begrudgingly handed her fifty bucks.

"Name's Josh." The Chimera lied easily, a friendly smile on his face but he was nervous as hell in a bar full of hunters.

"Nice to meet ya Josh, lemme buy you another beer." Sam said, heartbeat steady and Theo relaxed somewhat.

"Sure." He replied with a friendly shrug.

Sam nodded and turned to Julia. "Baby, get us two beers and whatever you want for yourself." He called to her, she nodded and walked up to the barman conversationally. Theo tried to watch for a bit but Sam quickly pulled his attention back on him. "So, what're you doing here all by yourself?"

"Had an argument with my dad, needed to get out of the house for a bit" Theo answered with a sad expression on his face.

"I get it, me and ma old man never really got on much either." Sam said sympathetically, he had a bit of a southern twang to his accent and he smiled lovingly to Julia when she sauntered over with their drinks.

"Hey there." Julia greeted, same southern twang in her voice as she sat down on Sam's knee.

"Hey, thanks for the drink." Theo said gratefully, he could smell the wolvesbane coming from the glass but he didn't let it show on his face. Wolvesbane could still affect him but not as easily as a normal werewolf so he would just have to drink slow. He took a confident sip and he could see their shoulders relax a little as they watched.

"So Josh, you ever go huntin'?" Sam asked him as he took a sip of his own beer.

"I used to with my dad; we hunted deer, a pheasant or two when we could." He responded with a nostalgic smile on his face as he stared down at his glass before taking another careful sip.

"You never hunt anything bigger? Like a wolf." Julia asked curiously and Theo shook his head.

"Nah, we haven't been in this town long but when we were back in my hometown we used to do it every hunting season." Theo heard the tick in their heartbeats, they'd caught him out in a lie but he never let on and neither did they.

"It's going down next Thursday, we got someone on Argent and we're taking everyone we can. Those who would try to protect 'em too."

"Well this has been great, thanks you really cheered me up after my fight with my dad. Let me buy you both a drink to repay you." The Chimera said smoothly, reluctantly downing the rest of his wolvesbane-laced drink and raising his hand to the barman. He ordered their drinks and quickly took his money out of his wallet to pay for them before saying his goodbyes and walking out of the bar.

He walked to his truck; running would just make it worse. He could hear them talk about him inside and he knew he was screwed. Liam was right, he should have kept his mouth shut but what was he supposed to do? He was perfectly fine sitting by himself.

"Hey Josh." He heard from behind, he tried to squash the panic down as he turned with a polite smile but froze when he saw the gun. "Tell Argent we send our regards." Sam said as he shot Theo in the abdomen five times.

Theo fell backwards and groaned, trying desperately to hold back the shift as the pain made him want to wolf out and howl but he knew that that wouldn't be the best thing to do in front of a bar full of hunters. Julia straddled his chest and he let out a loud shout as she pressed down on one of his wounds.

"Now now, calm down." She trilled as she lightly kissed the tip of his nose. "Wouldn't want you to die too quickly now." She giggled as she reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. "Well that's disappointing." She sighed when she saw that a bullet had cracked the screen and she tossed it to the side.

The Chimera let his eyes drift shut, blood pouring from his wounds and he controlled his heartbeat to be slow. He felt her reach into his pocket again and she took his car keys before getting off of him and skipping to her boyfriend.

"I got us a free ride baby!" Julia giggled to Sam and Theo barely managed to suppress a growl.

"Nice, we need to get out of here though; if the cops come it'll look bad when they see a dead underage kid." Sam told her, he alerted everyone else in the bar and they all scattered. Theo kept his eyes closed, barely able to keep himself from coughing black blood everywhere as the bullets were laced with wolvesbane too.

He waited another ten minutes after everyone was gone before he chanced opening up his eyes, he gasped in painful breaths as he couldn't control his breathing anymore and he rolled over onto his stomach with a groan.

"Fuck." He said as he tried to push himself up to a stand and staggered forward. Liam was going to kill him, he had no phone and he didn't want to panic the entire town with a howl.

It took him almost over an hour just to get to Deaton's, between walking, stumbling to the ground and dragging himself along the road when he couldn't walk anymore. He was feeling weaker by the minute and he noted with a gasping sigh that the veterinarian's car-park was empty.

He tried the door just to see if by some chance it would be open and when it was predictably locked he finally allowed himself to howl. It was a weak desperate thing even to his own ears and his legs gave out. He knew he was going to pass out soon and he'd rather not do it in front of the Vets so he dragged himself around the back. He had shifted about twenty minutes ago and didn't have enough strength to pull the wolf back.

He pulled himself in between a wall and the dumpster before coughing out a lot of black blood onto the ground. He took a deep shuddering breath then, using the last of his strength to let out a long painful howl hoping and praying someone could hear him before collapsing onto the puddle of blood unconscious.

Liam awoke when he heard something, disoriented he reached blindly for his phone on the nightstand and he growled when he noticed that he had heard nothing from Theo yet. It was after twelve now and Theo should have checked in by now.

He'd probably headed home and decided to leave the wolf hanging until the morning. Liam sighed angrily, throwing the phone back onto the nightstand before slumping into his pillow again to try to go back to sleep.

He shot up in bed when he heard the howl. He'd recognise that howl anywhere and he threw the covers off himself as he ran around his room to throw on some clothes. He didn't want to wake his parents so he opened his bedroom window quietly after throwing on his hoodie and pocketed his phone.

Jumping and rolling to break his fall on his front lawn, he pulled his hood up and wolfed out. Howling back to let Theo know he'd heard him as he ran, instinct pulling him towards the source of the sound as he ran.

He skidded to a stop near Deaton's when he saw the blood trail on the road and he desperately looked around for Theo's car. He tried to calm his breathing so he could focus his hearing for any heartbeats in the area, there was only one other than his and it sounded faint to his ears.

"Theo?!" Liam called out but received no response and he followed the scent of Theo, blood and wolvesbane. "Theo!" He shouted worriedly when he found the wolfed out Chimera in a pool of his own blood, before he even knew it he had his phone out in his hand dialling Deaton's number and he was kneeling in front of the older boy.

"Hello?" Deaton asked tiredly, Liam put him on loudspeaker and set the phone down on the ground as he reached towards Theo with shaky hands.

"Deaton, Theo's been hurt bad. I heard him howling and found him passed out and wolfed out behind your clinic." The younger wolf informed him in a panic, stroking the hair out of Theo's eyes.

"Okay Liam, don't panic. There's a key for the back door under the concrete step, get him on the table and try to wake him up. I'm on my way." Deaton ordered urgently, shuffling noises could be heard in the background as he got ready to leave.

"Okay...please hurry." Liam replied anxiously before hanging up. He gently lifted Theo into his arms and carried him to the clinic. Looking around for the loose concrete took a little longer than he would have liked, especially with Theo's dead...unconscious weight in his arms.

Once he found the key, he hurried into the clinic and set Theo gently down on the metal table.

"Theo." He called softly, lightly slapping his furred cheek. "Theo! Wake up!" Liam shouted louder, his heart rate was getting weaker but at least he was still breathing and the younger wolf stroked the Chimera's face worriedly. "Come on Theo, please." He begged, he hesitated when the he curled his hand into a fist but he knew it was the only way.

"WAKE UP!" He shouted as he punched Theo in the face. Theo's golden eyes opened and he shot up with a panicked howl and Liam gripped both sides of his face to get the Chimera to focus on him. "Theo, it's me!" He said soothingly as he could smell the older boy's anxiety.

"How'd you find me?" Theo asked before coughing out more black blood and Liam nervously wiped his lips with a tissue as the Chimera collapsed back on the table.

"You howled remember? I heard you, I found you..." Liam trailed off with a shrug, avoiding the older one's glossy gaze. "What happened to you? I can smell the wolvesbane but normally it doesn't affect you this much."

"Drank a beer laced with it, got shot, dragged my ass here." He replied drowsily, eyes heavy and drifting shut.

"No! You need to stay awake okay?!" The younger werewolf shouted desperately, hand stroking through Theo's hair.

"I'm tired..."Theo murmured before turning to his side to cough out more blood.

"I know but please, Deaton's on his way." He replied worriedly, wiping the substance away and taking Theo's pain.

Deaton arrived then, rushing around as he grabbed various vials and equipment. "So what happened?"

"He had wolvesbane in his drink and was shot a few times, I'm guessing the bullets had wolvesbane on them as well, I can smell it." Liam answered urgently.

Deaton rushed over, already reaching for his tweezers to pull the bullets out of the chimera's stomach. "This isn't going to be pleasant." He warned Theo and the other boy nodded.

"Just do it." He said after a weak breath. Liam held Theo's hand; taking any pain that he felt when Deaton pulled the bullets out. "Liam...my phone...it got shot." The chimera mumbled weakly to the wolf and Liam squeezed his hand in response.

"It's okay, I'm just glad you howled and I made it in time." The younger boy replied worriedly.

Deaton managed to get all the bullets out and applied some treatment to help the chimera heal faster before placing some gauze to the wounds.

"That's the best I can do for now, the rest is up to your healing abilities. As you are a chimera the wolvesbane won't affect you as strongly however, you did ingest it so your healing will be slower." Theo nodded gratefully, Liam helped ease him up to a sit and he gave the younger werewolf a soft smile.

"Thanks Deaton." The chimera said, he turned then letting his legs dangle over the edge of the table before easing himself onto the floor.

"Easy." Liam told him, pulling his arm over his shoulder to help him walk. "Where's your truck anyway? I didn't see it in the car park."

"They took it." Theo growled out. "I had to let them do it; they think I'm human and working for Argent."

"You talked didn't you?" Liam snarked as he helped him out of Deaton's, the veterinarian watching them with a fond look.

"Like I had a choice, I sat in the back minding my own business and these two people bought me the drink and tried to talk to me. It's not like I could tell them to fuck off when I was trying to be low key." Theo sassed back as they made the long trek back to his apartment.

"You could have been killed; I knew this was a terrible idea." The younger wolf said guiltily.

"Hey, this wasn't your fault. I agreed to it." Theo said reassuringly, he could already feel himself healing so he didn't think it was too much of a big deal. He'd long since gotten over his fear of death.

"I shouldn't have let you go, I should have stopped Corey." Liam replied angrily, pulling the Chimera closer to him, heartbeat elevated as he panicked internally about how close he was to losing the older boy.

"Liam, calm down. I'm okay, this isn't Corey's fault. It was the only plan you guys had and besides it's not like the plan was a total bust or anything." The Chimera informed the younger boy.

"What do you mean? You almost died; I'd say that was a bust." Liam retorted bitterly.

"I survived didn't I? And they're moving next Thursday, someone's following Argent and they plan to kill anyone who sympathises." Theo said with a smug smirk when Liam looked up at him in awe.

"That's the first solid piece of information we've had in weeks." Liam murmured as they neared Theo's street.

"You're welcome." Theo huffed out as he struggled to get his keys out of his jacket pocket. "Thanks for coming for me." He added softly as they stopped in front of his door.

"Anytime." Liam replied genuinely, a small but worried smile on his face as he eased the other boy's arm from his shoulder.

Both boys stood there awkwardly for a few moments, neither wanting to talk first but neither willing to walk away.

In the end they both broke first.

"I should probably g-"

"Do you want to co-"

"You want me to come in?" Liam asked a little too eagerly.

"Sure." Theo replied with a smile as he unlocked the door and walked in with some difficulty. They both sat down on the couch beside each other, silence comfortable between them but only a tad tense as neither boy knew what to say.

"You scared me." The younger wolf murmured.

"I'm sorry." Theo whispered reaching out to pull Liam into his side like they were earlier and the younger boy carefully leaned into his side as he tried to avoid the Chimera's wounds. "Can't believe they took my car." He growled lightly.

"Be glad that's all they did, they could have made sure you were dead." Liam replied, pulling back to give the older boy a soft look.

"Suppose that's true." Theo agreed, meeting the younger wolf's eyes with a warm smile on his face.

They gazed at each other again, nervous tension in the air but eyes light. Neither knew who was leaning in first, just that they were getting closer; eyes glancing at the other's lips just for a moment. Theo's hand sliding down Liam's back, Liam's hand brushing against the older boy's neck and they could feel the other's nervous breath on their faces.

They jumped apart when Liam's phone began buzzing and he rushed to reach into his pocket to lift out his phone. Both boys refusing to look at each other as Liam stood up to answer.

"Hello?" Liam asked anxiously, he'd been too hasty to answer the phone to see the Caller ID.

"Liam, are you okay?" Mason asked him worriedly and the werewolf's shoulders slumped in relief.

"Yeah, I'm fine why?" Liam replied curiously.

"Corey said he heard howling but his hearing isn't as good as yours." Mason said quickly, demanding information from his best friend.

"Theo got hurt but I got him to Deaton in time." The werewolf informed his best friend, rolling his eyes when Theo hissed at him for telling them.

"Shit is he okay?!" Mason asked worriedly, Corey was murmuring in the background and Mason was hushing him lightly.

"I'm fine." Theo called out so that the couple would stop worrying.

"Theo's with you?" Mason questioned in a relieved tone.

"Yeah, and he's okay honestly. I was worried he wasn't gonna make it at first though." Liam responded.

"Liam's being a drama queen, it wasn't that bad." Theo shouted to the phone while giving the werewolf a look.

Liam growled slightly, holding his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone to muffle the sound as he glared at the older boy. Theo just raised his brow in challenge and Liam was five minutes away from howling in frustration.

"Well since I'm being the drama queen I guess I'll go home." Liam said angrily and headed out of the apartment.

"Liam!" Theo called but couldn't manage to stand up in time as he was still healing.

"Did you seriously just walk out of there?!" His best friend chastised him.

"He was pissing me off; he doesn't give a shit about anything." The other teen let out bitterly.

"Jeez Liam I can't believe I'm gonna side with Theo but you are being a bit of a drama queen right now." Mason muttered.

"You don't get it! He was so close to dying, I found him wolfed out and passed out in a pool of his own blood." Liam snapped shakily.

"Calm down Liam, he's okay now isn't he?" His best friend said reassuringly.

"Liam!" Theo shouted, holding himself up against a wall as he called out to the other boy.

"What the hell are you doing?" The younger wolf shouted back incredulously.

"Well I'm not out here for the good of my health." He replied dryly, panting a little from the effort.

"Is he walking after you?" Mason asked with a gentle voice and Liam let out a sigh, face softening as he walked back to help the other boy.

"You're gonna hurt yourself even worse." Liam informed the chimera worriedly.

"Well then it would be your fault for storming out like a diva." Theo snarked lightly, arm going over Liam's shoulders again as they made the short walk back to his place.

"Shut up." He mumbled and he could hear Mason and Corey snickering on the phone. "Both of you can shut up too."

"Ahh you're always so cute when you're embarrassed." Mason said cheerfully. "Anyway, glad you're both alive so I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." Liam replied fondly.

Mason and Corey made their goodbyes, Liam and Theo chiming in with their own before they reached Theo's apartment.

"You coming in?" The chimera asked quietly, averting his eyes shyly.

"Theo...I-" Liam began before he was interrupted by the older one's lips against his own. He pushed back desperately, hands fisted in the collar of Theo's jacket and Theo's hands slid down to his lower back.

Theo pulled back first with a shaky breath, lightly touching his forehead against the other boy's and he smiled gently. "You coming in?" He repeated, softer this time and his hand slowly moved upwards to stroke Liam's cheek.

"Okay." Liam replied with a tender smile and he followed the Chimera into the apartment when he took his hand and pulled him in.

"I'm tired." Theo declared around a yawn. "Are you hungry?" He asked the other boy but Liam simply shook his head, feeling more than tired himself. "Bed it is."

Liam nodded nervously, they walked into Theo's bedroom and he looked over at the Chimera as he pulled off his shirt. The gauze taped to his chest had spots of red seeping through and Liam walked closer to place his hand on the Chimera's side, eyes never leaving the blood.

"You okay?" Theo asked him worriedly.

"You're the one that's hurt." Liam simply replied.

"I'll heal." Theo said softly, leaning in to kiss the younger boy lightly before pulling back and carefully kicking off his shoes.

"I know." The younger boy sighed in defeat before taking off his own shirt and shoes and getting into bed.

Theo eased himself into bed as well, both boys stared at the ceiling in awkward silence for a few moments before he let out a tired sigh and rolled to his side. Liam turned his head to look at him and the chimera couldn't help but slide a hand through the younger boy's hair, pulling back to stroke his cheek softly.

Liam leaned in and pressed his lips into the older boy's, reaching over to pull him closer as their tongue's tangled in a tentative dance. Theo smiled into the kiss before pulling back, burying his face in Liam's neck; enjoying the scent of contentment coming from the other boy and threw an arm across his waist.

Theo drifted to sleep easily, most likely due to his healing but Liam couldn't. His hand stroked lazy lines up and down Theo's back, which caused the sleepy Chimera to snuggle closer in his sleep and Liam smiled lightly.

The last three months had been hell for him, after Theo saving him in that hospital and then fighting together...For Theo to just ignore him hurt. Theo was his anchor, a fact that used to scare him especially when he wasn't sure if he could trust the older boy and he could have lost him tonight when he'd just got him back.

"You're thinking too hard." Theo murmured groggily, rubbing his nose soothingly into the younger wolf's neck.

"Sorry." Liam mumbled, not realising that his heartbeat had elevated with his thoughts.

"Don't be." Was the soft whisper as the chimera stroked the younger boy's side soothingly. "Try and get some sleep."

"Okay." The werewolf replied, kissing the chimera's hair before snuggling close and allowing Theo to pull him closer.

"Goodnight Liam." Theo sighed sleepily and gave his neck a gentle kiss.

"Night." He said and kissed his forehead before settling down to sleep.