Theo heard a gun being shot off floors above him as he frantically slammed his clawed fist into the third floor button. Liam was up there being shot at by Gabe and his equally as inexperienced hunter buddies while Theo was stuck in the world's slowest elevator, wolfed-out, ready to protect the young beta. He searched for the familiar beat of Liam's heart— it was faster than Theo had ever heard before.

"Go ahead Liam, run" Theo heard Gabe's voice say. Theo slammed his fist into the button and the doors finally slid open.

There was Liam, looking down the barrels of three guns, within grabbing distance. Theo lunged forward, wrapping his arms protectively around Liam, and pulled him back into the safety of the elevator. Gabe raced towards them firing wildly. Theo threw Liam against the side wall of the elevator and pressed his body against Liam's.

Liam's hot breath on his neck sent a shiver down Theo's back causing him to bite his lip to hold in a moan he refused to let Liam hear. Still being wolfed-out, Theo regretted the bite when he flinched in pain and tasted blood.

"What are you doing here?" Liam asked, still in Theo's embrace despite the fact that the elevator doors were closed. They were safe and just now realizing this, Theo quickly backed away from Liam and ran his fingers through his hair to clear his mind.

"I was just asking myself the same thing," Theo could never tell Liam the real reason. He couldn't be that vulnerable.

"You're bleeding," Liam stepped closer.

"It's nothing," Theo hastily said, wiping at his mouth.

Liam took another step. Theo couldn't look away from his brilliant blue eyes.

"You still didn't get it," Liam whispered, raising his finger hesitantly to Theo's lips. Liam looked up at him, meeting Theo's gaze. Eyes darting back to the blood, Liam's finger fluttered across his bottom lip and this time a light moan escaped.

Liam jumped back awkwardly and found himself near the door. Theo felt an urge the bring him back to the side just incase Gabe felt like firing again.

"Um…. thanks," Liam said, avoiding Theo's stunning eyes.

"For?"

"You know," Liam shuffle his feet, Theo could smell his anxiety, "for always saving me."

Theo wanted to tell Liam that he was his responsibility just as much as Theo was Liam's. All he wanted to do was grab Liam's waist and thrust his body against his, giving in to the tension. He didn't know how to tell him without feeling impotent so he just smirked.

"They still out there?" Theo asked, nodding at the door.

Liam listened and nodded. Theo could hear it too— the heartbeats of the hunters.

"Look, I'm not dying for you," Theo heard himself say as he stepped closer to Liam. If he had been listening, Liam could have heard the jump in Theo's heartbeat indicating otherwise.

"I'm not dying for you either," Liam moved in, closing the distance between them.

Theo's heart summersaulted in his chest. It had never occurred to him that he could feel anything like this. He hadn't even realized that he was capable of feelings of any kind. Up until recently, he hadn't known that the ever-growing ache in him caused by his sister repeatedly ripping his heart out wasn't a physical pain but an emotional manifestation of remorse and regret of his betrayal to her. And then there was everything else that he had done— taking innocent lives to make himself stronger… leaving him alone. This realization wouldn't have been possible if not for Liam, and he knew it. Without Liam, Theo had no anchor to reality. He made Theo want to be a decent human being and not the monster he had always been. He knew that there was no way he would ever be forgiven, especially if he never apologized, but the moment was never right to bring up the fact that he manipulated Liam into trying to kill Scott. How could anyone ever forgive someone for that?

"But I will fight with you," Liam's voice broke Theo's inner dialogue.

"Okay, let's fight," Theo happily agreed.

Theo tapped the open door button and looked at Liam wolfing up as he did the same. The hunters were right where they had left them. Theo growled and they charged in unison at the gunmen. Using the wall, Theo bounced to better attack his attacker. In his peripheral, he saw Liam doing the same exact maneuver.

Theo went down to better evade gunfire and take out the next man. He arched his back when he saw Liam's position behind him to create a springboard for him to take down the next hunter. Liam seized the opportunity and launched himself at the target. Theo stood to find Liam at the legs of the man wrestling to take his gun away. Using Liam's body to kick the hunter, the man toppled over. Together they hurled him away as Theo was in awe of their teamwork.

Melissa and Nolan rounded the corner just as a gunman was regaining consciousness. Mrs. McCall jabbed the man with her stun rod and Nolan took the gun away from the other man down. Theo began to wonder where Gabe had run off to when Nolan shouted at them to "get down!"

Theo and Liam turned to see Gabe reenter the hallway and open fire. Instinctively, Theo grabbed for Liam and threw him down the hallway before him. He knew he had lied when he said he wouldn't die for Liam, because of Liam, Theo knew that some people were worth dying for. Plus, he had already been to Hell and back. He could, and would, do it agin for the irritable beta.

He felt a bullet tear through his shoulder but didn't feel it exit. He fell to the ground, Liam fell with him. They sought shelter under separate gurneys. When the gun shots subsided, Liam sprang up and limped from Theo's line of sight. He heard a gunshot and for a moment he thought everything he had done had been for nothing. That he would get up and find Liam laying in an expanding pool of his own blood.

Thankfully, he heard Liam grunt, more gun shots, and more grunting. Theo turned to see Liam and Gabe fighting for the rifle, Liam winning, and then watched him proceed to head-butt Gabe. Theo let a laugh escape from his healed lips.

A rain of bullets fell onto Liam and Gabe. Theo whipped his head to see a hunter standing trying to get a good shot. Nolan knocked him out from behind with a fire extinguisher before Theo could get up and end it his own way.

Theo pulled himself up and took in the scene. Nolan and Melissa were standing and so was Liam with help from Melissa. Theo wanted to run to Liam but something stopped him— a weak voice.

"It hurts," Gabe whimpered and then repeated.

He felt his legs moving without his brain telling them to. Theo followed the bloody trail leading to a slumped Gabe. He looked up at him as he coughed up blood and Theo knew what he had to do but all he could hear was Mason echoing in his head that you can't take pain away unless you care. Theo was pretty sure that the sensation welling up inside of him was compassion. He knew that Gabe had tried to kill him… kill them all… multiple times. He had even beat Liam to a pulp. Half the atoms in Theo wanted to slash Gabe's throat and be the one to end it. The other half knew he shouldn't. Couldn't. Gabe was just a kid, bleeding out, alone and terrified. He had been manipulated and lied to, just as Theo had been.

He knelt down next to the boy and took his arm in his hands. Theo squeezed and let a tear escape from his eyes. The tear traveled down his cheek as black lines zoomed out of Gabe's body and into his own.

"Does it hurt anymore?" Theo whispered.

"No," Gabe uttered, blood spilling out of his mouth.

"Good."

Gabe's arm went still in Theo's hands. He gently laid it on the floor and slowly stood up. Everyone was looking at him, but his only focus was on Liam who was walking, without his limp, towards him. The bullet must of just grazed him— lucky son-of-a-bitch. Theo quickly wiped the tear from his cheek and walked toward Liam. They met in the middle but neither knew what to say. Liam reached out, as if to grab Theo's hand, but quickly dropped it and turned to Melissa.

"Do you think you could help us get Theo's bullet out?" Liam asked.

"Of course, but we need to check on the rest of the pack first," She had worry written all over her face.

Liam reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, brushing Theo's arm with his. This casual, and most likely accidental, touch made Theo wish they were alone. He leaned into it, slightly, aware that Mason and Corey had joined Melissa and Nolan. Too many witnesses.

Did they all watch me take Gabe's pain?

The thought of this made him beyond uncomfortable— like he was on display. He knew Liam had been watching, that was what gave him the courage to actually do it, but the others? He barely knew any of them since they all hated him. Melissa the most of all. He had murdered her son from which she was the only one to bring him back. Liam squeezed his forearm, pulling Theo back to reality.

"Scott," Liam exclaimed when Scott finally picked up.

"Is everyone okay?" Melissa asked. Liam repeated this to Scott.

"We are all alive. Everyone there?" Theo heard Scott respond. Theo's eyes wandered to Gabe, stayed there taking in his stillness, and back to Liam who was looking at him. Liam's hand went to his wrist and held on tight.

"We're okay," Liam responded. "Where are you guys, we can come to you."

"Actually, we are all exhausted and want to get some sleep. If everyone is okay, then let's meet up in the morning at the animal clinic."

Theo could imagine Scott not wanting to, or even not being able to, go back to his house after the shooting. Theo had a hard enough time going anywhere unless Liam was there. After being in Hell, Theo had changed. He didn't see the world as he use to. He cared about thing: how he thought about himself (which wasn't good) and how he cared and thought about Liam (which was).

"Okay," Liam sounded disappointed, "See you tomorrow."

Theo shook from Liam's grip and grabbed his hand. This time, Theo was the one who squeezed. Theo's eyes still were on Liam who ended the call and put his phone back into his pocket.

"They are all alive and okay," Liam said, looking at the others who were all looking at them with semi-shocked faces. Liam shook free from Theo and continued, "We are going to meet up with them tomorrow. Do you mind helping us with this now?" Liam said pointing at Theo's shoulder.

"Of course," Melissa said and motioned for them to follow her down the hall. Theo followed a few paces behind Liam.

Nolan nodded at them as they passed, indicating he was leaving.

"We're gonna go home," Mason said from behind them once Nolan was out of sight, "See you in the morning!"

Theo saw Corey's hand in Mason's as they turned for the elevator. They were probably going to go do it now that they had lived. Maybe even start in the elevator. The elevator where Theo realized he would do anything to save Liam when the Ghost Riders were closing in on them months ago.