The Night I Fell Asleep At The Wheel

"This is the Beacon Hills General Hospital, I'd like to talk with Malia Tate, please?"

Malia shot up sitting on the bed, rubbing her eyes, her heart hammering in her chest. Had something happened to her father? She licked her suddenly dry lips and spoke with a still sleep-rough voice "You're talking with her, what happened?!"

"We're calling you on behalf of Mr. Raeken, as you are his listed contact. He has been in a car accident. Please report to the emergency room intake desk for more information."

"Alright, I'm going, can you tell me if he's ok?" The question blustered out of her, while confusion and panic downed on her. Theo had suffered an accident. Why were they calling her? Listed contact. Hadn't he changed that yet? Wasn't he conscious enough to tell them to call somebody else? Was he ok?!

"We can't give this information over telephone, Ms. Tate"

Fuck this shit. Malia sighed "Ok. Thank you" she hung up before the woman could answer and started to get dressed. She didn't bother putting on a bra, instead zipping up a jacket over the ripped tank-top she wore and grabbed a pair of jeans over the chair resting near the door, buttoning it while she ran to the car. Malia threw her sneakers on the passenger side to put on them when she got there and was driving before she could rethink her decision.

He had crashed the car at high speed, nothing special, but harsh enough to kick him unconscious despite his lab-made werecoyote abilities. She wondered how he would explain his fast recovery to the doctors.

The doctor had been busy when he stopped by and all he had said was that Theo must be fine thanks to his healthy complexion (Uhu, nothing supernatural at all), and that he should wake up in the next four or five hours, once the ugly head cut had made him lose a lot of blood.
Malia sighed and sat in a chair near the door and studied his handsome face.

Almost one year had passed by since she last saw him. One year since Malia decided his ambition and paranoia was no longer worth it. One year and she still remembered everything about him, from the soft smile to his burning grey blue eyes. Fucking bastard.

Somewhere along waiting for him to wake up and letting herself absorb every detail of his face, Malia fell asleep. It was only three AM after all and what the idiot was doing at such speed in that ungodly hour was a mystery.

"Malia?" his voice brought her back and she blinked heavily, realizing she had probably missed the doctor's visit and that Theo was trying to sit up on bed, now with a big white bandage around his head and an IV hanging near his bed, instead of a blood bag.

"How are you?" She stood up, passing a hand over her face and unconsciously trying to fix her messy hair.

"What are you doing here? How did you even get here?" He answered, wincing when sitting up pulled something.

"Don't move, Theo, you just woke up" Malia rolled her eyes "I'm still your emergency contact"

"Oh" Theo grimace, falling back on the pillows "I'm sorry, I'll change it"

"It's ok" she couldn't help but kind of like it. A selfish part of her was glad he hadn't changed. It meant he hadn't found anyone else to replace her, that he still hadn't – loved – trusted anyone like he did with her. Good.

"I'm fine now –".

Anything he was going to say was cut off by her words "What were you even doing at three AM? At that rate?!" She half questioned, half accused him. Theo visibly winced back, trying to move away from her despite being trapped to a hospital bed.

"Nothing"

She heard it as 'none of your business' and flinched "Good to know you are ok, then."
"No, wait" He stopped her before Malia could get to the door and she contemplated just hitting her head against it. Better yet, she thought about ignoring his plead and just leaving. However, Malia knew that if his eyes and his voice hadn't stopped haunting her during the last year, parting when he was asking for her to stay wouldn't help at all.

"What?" She turned around, crossing her arms in the grownup version of a self hug.

"I was leaving" He explained, exhaustion downing on his face and Malia noticed for the first time in six hours the dark circles underneath his eyes, the apparent cheek-bones and his paleness.

"Leaving? As going… Going away from Beacon Hills?"

"Yeah" Theo stared at the ceiling "I don't have anything else here. The last string attaching me here was… Well, you"

Malia hated it. She hated the lump in her throat as she realized he was letting go of her memory. He no longer thought they belonged together - Theo had always said something feral in their chests matched… Not anymore, it seemed – and that she would never see him again.

"I have to go" She opened the door and ran out of the hospital room, painfully aware that he hadn't called her back.

When she locked herself on the car, shaky hands grabbing the keys on her purse, Malia rested her head on the steering wheel and closed her eyes against the tears. And hell, having him finally walk away completely from her life hurt more than Malia would ever expect it to.

She drove home in numbness, curled up in bed and thanked god that she had the rest of the day free.

"This is the Beacon Hills General Hospital, I'd like to talk with Miss Tate, please?"

"It's her" Malia answered, shooing Stiles' hands away as he tried to grab the baseball bat from her hand.

"We're calling on Mr. Raeken behalf…"

"Again?" Malia frowned. Hadn't he left town?

"Uhm… He suffered an accident and you are his emergency contact."

"Sure, whatever" Malia didn't ask if he was ok. He was, of course he was. He had to be.

"Who was it?" Stiles questioned, hitting his first ball in the last thirty minutes.

"Nothing, I have to go" Malia sighed "See you later?"

"At Scott's party, no?" Stiles turned to look at her and was almost hit by a ball.
"Sure" she had forgotten about it. Scott was celebrating finally getting his veterinarian major. Finally Beacon Hills' supernatural activities had settled enough to give the True Alpha peace.

When she got to the hospital, Theo was sitting on a waiting chair, with a leg cast and a pasty look in his face. Malia huffed to herself and walked toward him.

"I thought you were taking my name off of it"

"You said you didn't mind" He barked back "And I can't drive back home with a broken leg"

"How… You're a werecoyote, why didn't you just wait for it to heal?" Malia whispered, complained and Theo raised an eyebrow.

"I'm a chimera" he corrected her "I'm a lab rat, my healing factor is not as amazing as yours"

"Fine" Malia sighed "I'll drive you home, c'mon"

"Thank you" He grabbed the clutches and helped himself up, almost falling at her feet, but recomposing right in time. Malia didn't offer help, she only watched as he struggled to do it on his own.

"How did you even break your leg?" She asked, opening the passenger door for him and throwing his clutches on the backseat.

"I slipped on the shower"

"That's pathetic" Malia threw him a glare and started the car. Theo didn't answer, only watched her from the side of his eye, as if he couldn't face her.

She was reminded of the beginning of their relationship. After he and his dysfunctional chimera pack had fought side by side with Scott against the Dread Doctors and her alpha had called a truce. Theo and his small pack – even smaller after Donovan passed away, without being missed nor mourned – stayed on their lane of Beacon Hills.

Malia had maintained her relationship with Theo somewhat ok even during his bad times with Scott. She needed him to learn how to shift and defeat Desert Wolf. She had entered his life through this link and before Malia could understand, Theo was everywhere. She liked his pack; he was a great company and had genuinely helped her handling her biological mother. When Scott pardoned him, Malia didn't know why, but she slept better at night.

"How's Corey?" she asked, if only to break the uncomfortable silence. Theo blinked, completely lost in thoughts and startled by her voice, before answering.

"He's going to med school" He opened a small smile. His pack, the one he had manipulated and lied and killed to gain, was his everything. "He met a guy, even brought him over so I could meet him"

"Why didn't you call him? To pick you up at the hospital?"

"He's away for college, in Denver" Theo sighed "They all are"

Oh. I don't have anything else here. Not even his pack. It made sense.

"Weren't you leaving?" Malia asked, after a long pause, turning the corner of his street. The Raeken house used to be piled up with the chimera pack in the past, as none of them could actually go back home after being declared dead. Malia wondered if Theo had gotten his beta's fake IDs so they could exist in the real world.

"I'm not entirely sure anymore" Theo opened the door and struggled to get his clutches on the backseat, making Malia sigh heavily and walk out of the car to help him "I think I might have one last thing to do here"

She wanted to ask what it was. She wanted to ask him to stay, but at the same time Malia only wished he would go already and stop taunting her with this imminent threat. Maybe if he just went away, she would stop dreaming about grey blue eyes and waking up covered in sweat. She would stop remembering him during the most absurd times (like in the freaking market, for a starter).

"Ok. Don't get yourself killed." Malia waited until he got the door open and walked back to her car.

"I won't."

She could have ordered him to take her name off the emergency contacts. Instead, Malia drove home and hoped Scott's party would have enough alcohol to wash his smile away from her memory. Again.

The third time it happened, Malia stared at her phone in annoyance and asked herself if it could still be just a coincidence or if he was trying to irritate the hell out of her.

"Who's that?" her father asked, shoving his hand on the bag of chips and staring at the TV.

"No one" Malia put her phone on mute and pretended she didn't answer it on the first place.

"Who was that?" Now Henry turned to look at her, interest shining in his face. She rolled her eyes.
"Theo"

"I thought you two had broken up a year ago" He frowned, eating another chip and throwing one in her mouth. Malia bit on it and shrugged.
"I'm his emergency contact still"

"Wait. It was the hospital?"

"Yeah"

"And you're still sitting here?" Henry pulled a face that's both concerned and amused "It could be serious"

"He'll survive" Malia smiled "He's a werecoyote after all"

"If you say so, little girl" Her father let it drop and turned to the football game.

She convinced herself it was nothing and tried to understand the game, until an hour later when the hospital called again. Oh, for fuck's sake. "I'll have to go there, they won't stop calling."

"Ok, Malia" Henry accompanied her to the door and pressed a kiss to the top of her hairs "Don't do anything you'll regret later"

"I won't"

She entered the hospital and asked for information, and ended up before a crowded ala, where Theo is sitting on a white bed, not far away from a small boy whose nose was bleeding. His entire face lighted up when he saw her and Malia bit on tongue, forcing down a grin. She hated his smile, right?

"What did you do this time, Raeken?" Malia asked, tilting an eyebrow.

"Fell down the stairs"

"Ok, now that's just dumb" She frowned, noticing it's been barely three weeks since she last saw him and his leg cast was gone. At least his werecoyote's genes were not that shitty. "How are you still alive?"

"I'm not sure" Theo opened a bright smile and Malia tried to digest the butterflies wreaking havoc in her stomach. She let her eyes wander him and noticed his shirt was gone, there was a huge bandage around his chest and his arm was being held still in a sling.

"What did you break this time?"

"A rib and snapped my arm, but it'll be fine." He tried to take a deep breath and winced.

"You should take my name from your emergencies contacts. I can't keep on babysitting you" Malia knew her words were harsh. Especially when he was being so friendly, but she couldn't be around him, not when everything in her still craved him. She couldn't see him every other week and not wonder if maybe breaking up was a mistake.

"I will" his face lost all shades of niceness and he stood up "You don't need to drive me home, I'll call a cab"

Shit. She didn't want to hurt his feelings. Not like that. "No, Theo, that's not what I meant…" But it was and they both knew it.

"Go home, Malia" Theo walked past her and if she was feeling bad before, now she felt awful.

She stood good five minutes staring at the nothing before turning around in a hurry and running after him. They used to like each other, to love each other… She couldn't let him go home in a cab after he was so damn happy seeing her.

"Theo, wait! Wait!" Malia exclaimed, grabbing him by the arm. He flinched away from her touch and it felt like a punch, until Malia realized she had gripped his hurt arm "I'll take you home"

"You don't need to"

"No. Please let me at least drive you home."

"Fine" and Theo's voice only barely hid his happiness and relief. Malia felt manipulated, but at the same time the butterflies were back and she didn't have the strength to digest them now.

He didn't speak the drive back and neither did she. However, the silence was no longer heavy and Malia thought maybe she could go back to liking it - him. Maybe she never stopped.

Four weeks passed without so much as a phone call and Malia wondered more than once if it meant he didn't get hurt or if he had taken her number from the emergency contact. Both options made her stomach curl in an unpleasant way and she found herself staring at the shinning little screen late in night, hoping it would ring.

Stupid idiot.

"Malia!" the familiar voice made her turn around and Malia opened a smile when she saw Hayden. They had become more or less friends during the time she dated Theo and frequented the chimera's house. The fact that the younger girl dated Liam had certainly softened Scott to Malia dating Theo.

"Hey" She was hugged and Hayden pulled back after a long minute, awkwardly "So… Back for Christmas?" two more weeks for it, and Malia couldn't wait for Lydia's party. They were always the better ones. And by better, she meant the ones with the necessary amount of alcohol to get her werecoyote side drunk.

"No" Hayden shook her head "Clarke got shot two months ago, I came back to help her around."

"Oh… So you're staying with your sister?" Malia frowned. Hayden liked Theo, she hadn't ever opposed to living with him and the rest of the pack.

"No, Theo still" she shrugged "Since the old Hayden is not really alive, it's easier to just stay at home"
She couldn't help but notice how the girl used home instead of "Theo's house".

"Oh" and since Malia had never been subtle, the question dropped out of her mouth before she could help it "How's he anyway? Since he slipped down the stairs"

Hayden laughed "More like threw himself down the stairs" she corrected, rolling her eyes "He's fine. Sulking around the house like always."

"Wait…" something downed on her. Hayden was already back two months ago. "Were you home when he broke his leg?"

"Uhm, I wasn't in the house when he broke it, but yeah, I was here already. Apparently he keeps falling down the damn stairs, we should put a child warn on -…"

"No" Malia interrupted "He fell on the shower… and none of you were in the city, that's why he let the hospital call me"

"Uhm, no?" Hayden frowned "I had just got back, we even went out for dinner the night before. And Theo told me he fell down the stairs."

The stupid bastard.

"Shit" Malia closed her eyes, realizing he had caused both incidents on purpose. She fought down an amused giggle. What was he even trying to achieve?

"What?"

"No… Nothing" a shrug "Tell me, is everyone coming back for Christmas? Tracy, Corey and Josh too?"

"Yes" Hayden smiled "Josh is all pumped, we're going to have a Secret Santa this year…" her eyes lit up "Maybe you could come?"

"I'll think about it"

"No, no way" Lydia shook her head "I'm not inviting psycho pack over. No-ope"

"But Lydia, they are nice now and you know it"

"No" Her friend threw her a stern look "Just because I agreed with this moron truce and didn't disown you when you were dating that stupid jerk, it doesn't mean I like them."

"You like Hayden"

"She broke Liam's heart, she's not coming" Lydia crossed her arms and turned for Malia "What are you even planning in that head of yours?"

"Nothing"

"Good." Her voice was final "I've mastered how to use just enough wolf's bane so you can get a semi alcoholic eggnog." Malia sighed, she did love Lydia intelligence, especially when it meant her ginger friend got results like those.

"Fine"

Another week, no phone calls again. Malia was starting to regret ever helping him, since now she kept waiting he would call. She had been reduced to a teen parody.
"I really fucking hate you, Raeken" Malia growled, throwing the phone a dirty look, before she stared at the wall clock and decided that fuck it, she was going to the damn party.

"Malia Tate, I swear to god I'll kill you. Where are you?" Lydia hissed over the phone, while Malia stopped the car before the decorated house.

"At the Christmas party."

"Oh, really, I'm not seeing you anywhere!" sarcasm dripped from her voice and the phone was snatched away.

"Is everything ok?" it was Kira, warm and always nice to talk with.

"Yeah, sure. Tell Lydia I'll stop by later, I was invited for another party."

"But you're coming, right?"

"Yeah, of course" They hang up and Malia took a deep breath, willing the chilling feeling in her bones to go away and pushed the doorbell. She heard the laughter inside the house, the steps and then the door was opened.

In the last three times they had seen each other, he had been pale and wincing in pain. Now, however, he was well dressed and flushed, wearing a stupid Santa's hat and with a cup of eggnog in his hand. "Malia?" Theo blinked in astonishment, opening a smile that made her knees go weak.

"Can I come in?"

"Yes, sure…" his voice broke in a teenager-ish manner and she loved it "What… What are you doing here? Not that I don't like it, of course I do…"

"Hayden invited me" on the cue a head appeared near the living room door and Hayden opened a huge grin.
"Malia is here!" she exclaimed, and the rest of the pack came talk to her.

Seeing them all was good, but seeing them all so peacefully happy was something else. Malia didn't know she could miss anything like she had missed Theo on the first month's after their break up, but now she realized she had missed them just as much.

Corey was his usual mix of shyness and dry humor; Josh always agitated, happy and stuttering; Hayden was a fiery thing that reminded Malia too much of herself and Tracy was simply happy and calm.

"You threw yourself down the stairs" Malia commented, later when Hayden and Tracy were competing on the karaoke, while Corey was snap chatting his boyfriend, cringing to his friend's voices, and Josh was getting more food on the kitchen.

"I did" Theo looked away, handing her an eggnog cup "Twice" his voice was still, but he was flushing nonetheless.

"Why?"

He tilted an eyebrow and turned for her "Why do you think I did it?"

"Just… I wanna hear it from you. I think I'm being crazy"

"I doubt" He shrugged and fell sit on the couch. She imitated him. "You blocked my number after we broke up. You avoided me for good four months… I didn't think I'd talk to you again."

"So you threw yourself down the stairs?" Malia grinned, thinking he was completely insane.

"No. I did crash the car. And then you were there, all concerned, and I thought maybe I had a chance…"

"I chance to what?"

"Win you back. Give us a second a chance."

"What if I don't want to?" it was such a huge lie that he opened a lazy, arrogant smile.

"Then you wouldn't be here and we both know it" Theo looked down at his hands and then at her, his eyes melting on hers with too much passion and familiarity for someone who hadn't really talked with her over the last year "I missed you, Malia. I missed you too much"

"I missed you too" She smiled, taking a sip of her cup.

"C'mon, Malia, it's your turn!" Tracy exclaimed, grabbing her by the wrist and pushing the microphone in her hands. Theo chuckled and smiled when his beta took Malia's place on the couch, hitting him playfully on the chest.

Malia didn't make it for Lydia's Christmas party.

N/A: This drabble is based on the song "Tonight is The Night I Feel Asleep At The Wheel by Barenaked Ladies" and some Christmas carols I really shouldn't be listening mid November. Please, review if you liked it =D