This is last chapter of Theo's pov.

And probably the last chapter of this book.

So enjoy you sexy gremlins.

Theo scrubbed a palm across his eyes hard enough to leave spots dancing in the darkness.

He let his hand drop to the table, blinking rapidly to try and clear the sleep still muddying his vision. Theo had never really gotten headaches, as a kid he was more prone to stomach aches and then he met the dread doctors and after that, well, it took a lot to give a chimera a headache so he hadn't really experienced them unless he'd experienced a particularly nasty bash on the head but ever since he came back it felt like he'd been living with a perpetual one, and for once he wasn't just talking about the dumbass currently sleeping in his car but an actual physical ache behind his eyes and nittering at his temples.

He knew why, of course, a lack of sleep could do a lot to a person, a headache the least of which and since coming back his sleeping pattern had been sporadic at best but still, as his head gave a soft throb he couldn't help but wonder why the hell his body couldn't just suck it up and ignore the fact it was constantly running on next to no sleep like he was trying to do.

He downed the last tepid dregs of his coffee, grimacing both at the taste and the way it swirled unpleasantly in his empty stomach before he made his way back to the counter, ignoring the nervous looks of the few early risers inhabiting the other seats.

"What can i get you?" The older woman behind the counter asked, looking about as good as Theo felt.

"A coffee." He hummed, eyes straying to the dingy windows of the McDonald's that seemed to be styled like a subway station, because, of course, who didn't love to eat in a place that was decorated like somewhere homeless people pissed with the added bonus of having giant ceramic clowns hidden around every corner.

With a jolt he realized the sun was beginning to peak over the tops of the trees and wondered how long he'd been camped out at his little table, sipping pisspoor coffee. Hopefully not long enough for Liam to wake up and find that Theo wasn't there.

His stomach gave a desperate rumble as he pulled his wallet from his pocket. He thought of Liam. Of the blood staining his hands and the desperation in his eyes the night before. He was probably used to breakfast being made for him, or at least, he had been, once upon a time, before his life had been upturned by the supernatural.

I'm tired, Theo could still hear the words circling in his head, bouncing off of the sides of his skull leaving it pounding harder with each reiteration of the phrase.

"Two coffees." Theo corrected, scanning the few scant bills shoved unceremoniously into his wallet. "And a McMuffin."

"What kind?"

"Uh.." Theo eyed the menu, scanning the list of McMuffins trying to remember if he'd ever seen Liam eat anything that would suggest what food he actually liked. "All of them." He decided when he came up blank.

"All of them?" She repeated. "Yes. One of each."

"You that hungry?"

"Yes." Theo said with a scowl.

*

It wasn't long before Theo was marching back down the cold shoulder of the still quiet roads, food and coffee balanced in his hands as he squinted against the early morning sun and listened to the shrill rumbling of what he could only assume was Liam's phone.

The truck came into view a moment later, nestled neatly by the trees, Liam's head visible through the window apparently completely unaware of Theo approaching as his phone illuminated his ruminative expression.

He hesitated momentarily, foot hovering midair as he wondered what it was that had Liam frowning at his phone so early in the day.

Liam would have to go back, he had a family, friends, responsibilities in Beacon Hills and despite the smile that had tugged at his face when they had left hours before, Theo knew that Liam knew it as well.

Any respite he got on their little adventure would just be him catching his breath, it didn't matter whether they went to the grand canyon or just kept driving until they reached somewhere pointless, like Maine, Liam would always be drawn back to Beacon hills.

The Hellmouth he called home wasn't done with him yet and until he had a real reason to leave he'd never be selfish enough to actually walk away.

I'm tired. His finger tapped against the coffee cup lightly, once, twice.

Theo couldn't stop him from having to go home but he could distract him, help him catch his breath so he had enough energy left to fight everything else Beacon Hills threw at him before it finally spat him out.

He kept his footsteps light as he moved towards the car, juggling the food silently until he managed to balance both it and the coffee's in one hand. When he was close enough he let his fist rap against the window.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty." He drawled.

The answering gasp of surprise and crack of Liam's head hitting the roof was enough to bring a small grin to Theo's lips and dull the ache in his head for a few blissful seconds.

"That sounded like it hurt." Theo said unapologetically, Liam shot him a harsh glare that Theo was sure would be more effective if his hair wasn't sticking up in every way and his cheek wasn't imprinted with the pattern of the seats stitching.

The glare vanished as Theo offered up the drinks tray. "Hope you like Coffee and Mcmuffins." Liam took the drinks with a bemused blink.

Theo climbed into the car and tossed the bag of food into Liam's lap, Liam's gaze flickered from the coffees in his hand to the bag in his lap, eyebrows inching closer together.

"I got one of each. So choose what you want." Theo said. Watching as Liam peered into the bag as if it might bite him.

"You got me breakfast?" He asked. It would be easy to say yes, to admit that he wasn't sure what Liam actually liked so he got him a selection. To just agree that he'd done something nice like a normal human.

"I got me breakfast." Theo found himself scoffing out, like the idea of getting Liam breakfast was utterly ridiculous.

"What, and you just happened to order an extra three breakfasts?" Liam asked, a laugh hiding in his tone like he'd caught Theo in a lie. Which, really, he had, but it wasn't like Theo could give him the satisfaction of actually being embarrassed about that, or at least, he wouldn't show it.

"Math never was my strongest subject." He hummed calmly, ignoring the way his headache had only gotten worse as a desperate voice in his head called him an idiot for the utterly pointless lie that had led him to Liam looking smug in the passenger seat holding a bag of Mcmuffins.

"Hurry up and pick, I'm starving." Theo ordered. Liam did as he was told, grabbing one out of the bag without really paying attention.

Theo grit his teeth as the bag was dropped into his own lap.

Of course Liam wouldn't even bother to look at what he was picking after Theo wasted money for the sole purpose of Liam getting something he actually liked. Asshole.

"Where'd you even get these?" Liam asked, like the McDonald's logo on the bag wasn't a hint.

"Mcdonalds." Theo grunted. Scooping out a McMuffin of his own.

"And you just left me at the side of the road?"

"Preserving gas." Theo let his finger tap on the meter that luckily was actually running low enough to make it a reasonable excuse.

"What if something had-" Theo was saved from the oncoming rant as Liam's phone buzzed. He watched, nibbling on his food, as Liam eyed the phone like it were a bomb, eyes wide and heart rate thundering.

"We could always go back." Theo said, forcing the words out even as they scratched up his throat like sand. He wanted to drive, maybe even more so than Liam wanted him to because this, it felt like his only chance.

Back in Beacon Hills he'd be alone again, like he was before the hunters and Anuk-Ite, constantly yearning for something to change but knowing that no matter what, it wouldn't, there was too much bad blood. Everywhere in that town was haunted with ghosts of his past, ghosts that were far too corporeal for anyone to look past, when they weren't too busy fighting for their lives to notice the cold chill of Theo's past creeping over them. "It would only take a few hours. You can say you were doing one last check for hunters. They'd believe you." Because of course they would, Scott was trusting to a fault.

"Do you want to go back?" Liam's voice was soft, tentative. His fingers picking at the wrapper to his still untouched breakfast.

"Do I have a choice? You're the one who decided we were going on a road trip." Theo joked, or at least tried to, it was obvious it didn't hit the mark as a glower returned to Liam's face and his fingers stilled on the paper.

"It's not like I dragged you."

"No, you just expected me to be fine leaving with you." Theo tried again, once again it fell flat.

"Well it's not like you have anywhere else to go." Liam snapped. Theo grit his teeth, eyes narrowing into a glare as his temples gave a throb.

"Do you want me leave you here? Because I will."

"I just meant-"

"I know what you meant." Theo said. His stomach churned, the few bites of food he'd had left coffee and McMuffin tasting bile creeping up his throat. Appetite gone Theo wrapped the half- eaten Mcmuffin back up and launched it into the bag.

He wanted to be mad, wanted to let out every ounce of frustration he endured in his lonely existence, on Liam but he couldn't. Not when what he said was so true it left his chest aching.

He didn't have anywhere else to go, he didn't have anyone who would miss him or try to call to ask where he was. Hell, no one would even notice he'd left town and that was the whole reason he'd done it in the first place.

Because he wanted Liam to care enough to notice, wanted to have a friend again. "I was trying to be nice you dumbass, Telling you it wasn't too late to run home with your tail between your legs if you're to-"

"I don't want to go back yet." Liam interrupted.

"Fine. We won't." Theo said.

"Fine." Liam echoed, rolling his eyes and stabbing at his phone bitterly like he was the one who'd just been told they had absolutely no one and nothing.

"Well, this is going to be fun." Theo said, a humorless laugh rumbling out of him as he shook his head in disbelief, so this was what happened when he tried to be nice, good to know.

"Shut up Theo."

"As you wish your highness." Theo wasted no more time, just pulled away from the cold shoulder as quickly as he could, ignoring the thumping of his head and the nagging feeling of loneliness tugging at his stolen heart.

*

"Answer it." Theo commanded when Liam's phone rang for the umpteenth time, Scott's face smiling mockingly on the screen. "If you don't he'll just go looking for you." He reasoned before Liam could try to argue.

"I don't know what to say." Liam said accusingly, like it was Theo's fault that Liam had ordered him to leave town in the dead of night. Although, technically it was as he'd put the idea in his head in first place, but really, that wasn't the point.

"Tell him you're on holiday." Theo suggested

"But-"

"He's your Alpha." Theo snapped before Liam could continue. "You're the one with people who give a shit if you're not there so you figure it out." He could feel Liam's eyes on the side of his face, wondering whether the jealousy he was feeling was as obvious as it felt. "Just do it. I don't want them thinking I've kidnapped you."

Liam didn't answer and so Theo let the two fall back into silence, eyes firmly on the road as he tried not to think about what it would be like to have people so worried about him they call every five goddamn minutes to try and get a hold of him.

Part of him wanted to press harder on the gas, wanted to throw Liams phone out the window so they could just go. So he could try and show Liam that he was trying to help, that he wanted this.

Another part of him wanted to turn around and take Liam back to Beacon hills before it all went wrong, before he fucked up like he had when he'd tried to make a joke and left Liam hating him not for what he'd done in the past but for who he was now.

Liams phone rang again. Theo stayed silent, eyes on the road. He could feel Liams gaze burning into the side of his face, a silent plea for help that Theo ached to answer.

Instead he kept his focus on the road. And Liam answered.

Theo tried not to feel disappointed that Liam had to answer, he needed to tell Scott what he was doing so no one thought he'd been kidnapped. But, with the answering of the phone came the very real possibility that Liam would realize that driving across state lines with an ex-murderer was a terrible idea, that he would change his mind and the slim chance Theo had to try and find a friend would be gone.

Although Theo kept most of his attention on the road, he paid the phone call enough mind that he would be able to know the moment Liam realized that he had better options for a travel companion back in beacon hills and turn the truck around.

Only, to his surprise, it didn't come, instead he felt his breathing stutter when Liam turned down the offer of other company. The odd sense of relief vanished the moment he realized that his part in the road trip was being kept a secret.

He waited, biting his tongue to keep him from questioning Liam while Scott could hear.

Finally, Liam hung up.

"There a reason you didn't mention I was with you?" He asked stiffly.

"You said you didn't want them thinking you'd kidnapped me." Liam said lightly, Theo took his eyes off of the road, shooting Liam an unimpressed glare. "I don't know, he'd worry more." he mumbled, picking at a hole in his sleeve.

"He might not let me go if i'm with you. I couldn't exactly turn him down and then say 'oh by the way, I'm with Theo' could I?" And really, he should be happy. Liam chose him, maybe not entirely intentionally but he'd had the offer for different company and rather than go with his Alpha or friends he'd settled on going with Theo, but instead he felt cold dread creeping in.

Keeping it from Scott, even though Theo understood why Liam wanted to and agreed that he might feel differently about Liam's trip were he aware of the chimera travel partner, it felt risky. Like a disaster waiting to happen.

Scott trusted Liam but there was a time he didn't, a time when Theo had shattered that trust so far he'd thought it would never recover, and although it had, Theo knew there would still be cracks there. Cracks that could very well leave everything crumbling to rubble if he felt Liam was testing his trust again.

He took a steadying breath. "You should have told him."

"It doesn't matter." Liam said, and it didn't, not really, not for him, because, as Scott had proved he could forgive Liam. he would hear him out, give him the benefit of the doubt. Theo however...Theo knew he was one slip up from someone super gluing the sword back together.

"If this bites me in the ass-"

"It won't." Liam snapped. Before Theo could argue anymore Liam was dialing a new number.

Theo's unease over Scott was forgotten as he listened to Liam's borderline hysterical parents and Liam's truly awful attempts at calming them down, attempts so bad that they managed to draw a laugh from him as Liam insisted that if he were to die, it would be more likely to be in the school than in a random ditch.

The laugh died in his throat as he heard the order to return to beacon hills. He quickly steered to the cold shoulder, holding out a hand for the phone. A short scuffle later and Theo was speaking in an all too practiced tone as he spun sweet-sounding lies to Liam's mother.

He knew he shouldn't be proud of how easy it was to change her 'come home this instant' into permission to keep going but as he passed the phone back to Liam he couldn't help but feel smug.

He idled by the car as Mrs Geyer set some ground rules and the two started to say their goodbyes.

"I love you, Pumpkin." Mrs Geyer said. A snort rolled out from Theo as his lips twitched in a smile at the nickname, a smile that fell as his mind threw him back ten years, to when his mother would drop him off at the McCalls with a pat on the head like he was a dog and a distracted 'be good cupcake' that would have Scott and Stiles tittering and calling him Cupcake in sugar-sweet voices until Stiles inevitably fell over and the mocking was switched to him.

He physically shook his head to rid himself of the memory. Before hell he could barely remember his childhood, he remembered Scott and Stiles, remembered what he needed to know to keep up the ruse when he returned to Beacon Hills but otherwise...Otherwise it was like that part of his life had been wiped from his mind, only splinters of it left, the phantom compression on his chest of an asthma attack, the echoes of raised voices through thin walls.

The parts that made him want to go with the dread doctors.

That had changed since he came back from hell, there was still a lot he couldn't remember, or maybe, that he just didn't want to remember, but the splinters had started to piece themselves together, fragments forming and leaving bile creeping up his throat as he remembered the good moments.

The way Scott's hand would feel in his when he tried to help him calm his breathing, the way Stiles would throw his head back when he laughed and honk out a sound that drew all attention to them, the way Tara would smile when he'd peek into her room as the voices from downstairs got too loud, the way she'd pat the bed next to her, once, twice, in a silent invitation that had Theo scurrying across the room, blanket wafting behind him like a cape and she'd laugh and-

"I love you too." Liam's voice shook Theo from his thoughts as he hung up. He dropped the phone, letting it drop into the footwell with a hearty clunk as he flopped back against the seat, whole body relaxing in a deep sigh.

"Do you ever tell the truth? Or is everything that comes out of your mouth total bull-"

"I tell the truth when it helps." Theo admitted. The truck rumbled to life beneath them. "You ready to leave Pumpkin?" Liam's head thunked back against the headrest again.

"I hate you." The words were harsh, and yet, as Liam said them with a tone so dry the words flaked between them, losing their edge and leaving them blunted and bouncing off of Theo in a way that felt more like a friendly dig than anything serious.

Theo let his attention flicker from the road to Liam, his eyes were closed, head tilted back and hair spilling out across the headrest as his body swayed to match the gentle rocking of the car.

An unhidden smile crept its way onto his face.