This story took me forever to finish. I'm glad to be done with it, honestly. I hope it turned out okay. I don't normally listen to music while I write, it distracts me too much, but this time I listened to a couple songs, and they honestly gave me the feels so bad. Please, do me a favor and before, after, or during this story, listen to OneRepublic's All This Time and imagine it in Theo's point of view and then listen to OneRepublic's Come Home and imagine it in Liam's point of view. You can thank me later ;).
Theo laid in the backseat of his truck. It was not exactly comfy, but it was the only thing he had. While the crickets chirped outside, Theo pondered his life. He was alone. He did not have anyone left. After the Wild Hunt was over, he thought things would be different. He thought he could have finally earned a place in Scott's pack. However, after all the craziness had settled down, he seemed to have been forgotten by the pack. Even Liam, who he thought he had bonded with over the events of a few months ago, had moved on with his life, and left Theo behind. Theo truly had no one. That was the last thought he had in his head before falling asleep.
Waking up to vigorous knocking on his window, Theo knew what to expect. He had been woken up the same way countless times before. This time he thought he had found a good hiding spot to park his truck. However, the talented cops of Beacon Hills had managed to find him yet again.
"Okay, okay, I'm up," he said, raising his hands up to show that he did not want any trouble. He got up and slid into the driver's seat and drove off. He had nowhere to go, so he just kept driving aimlessly.
Theo did not know what changed. Beacon Hills used to feel like home. He was thrilled to return here with the Dread Doctors. He could not wait for the chance to see his old home and old friends again. Of course, at the time, he had tried to manipulate and kill his 'friends,' so he did not know if he even had the right to call them that.
Theo wondered what his life would have been like if his family had never moved away from Beacon Hills. They had moved after Tara died, his parents could not handle the memories of her that filled their home in Beacon Hills. They wanted a fresh start. Theo could not blame them for wanting that. He felt the same way now. If he had not been manipulated by the Dread Doctors into killing his own sister, they probably would have stayed in Beacon Hills. He could have stayed in school with Stiles and Scott. He could have been one of the people to find out about Scott being turned into a werewolf Sophomore year. He could have even been part of his pack. Theo could have had everything he ever wanted, friends, a pack, a family, if only he had not fallen into the Dread Doctors' trap. They convinced him that he would never get what he wanted without their help. His young, naïve mind believed them. He realized how wrong he was to believe them now. He had no family, no pack, no friends, no home.
He could not call Beacon Hills his home anymore. Theo thought that the best option would be to just leave. He did not know why he had even bothered to stay this long. There was nothing for him here. After making up his mind, he decided he could not leave just yet. He wanted to make one more stop before he left.
Liam was getting nervous. It was the first lacrosse game of the season, and his first game as captain. He had to prove to Coach that he could handle the role of captain. Scott believed in him. He could not let Scott down. He wished Scott could have made it to the game, but he had to leave for college. Lydia and Malia were gone, too. At least he had Mason in the stands cheering him on. His werewolf hearing could hear Mason shouting, "Go Cyclones, go lacrosse, yay sports!"
The game was starting. Liam was in the middle with the captain of the other team waiting for the referee to blow the whistle and begin the game. Breathing deeply, Liam tried to calm himself. He did not want to lose control in the middle of the game. He could not disappoint Scott by losing control in front of everyone. He reminded himself that Scott was not there watching him, sadly.
Liam felt like he had no one there for him. There was Mason, but he was mostly watching Corey. Hayden was gone, Scott was gone, Stiles was gone, Lydia was gone, Malia was gone. Liam had been feeling so lonely lately. He tried to distract himself by putting all his time into lacrosse practice, but it was only a temporary fix.
Liam's thoughts were interrupted by the referee blowing the game-starting whistle. After that, all of Liam's thoughts were dedicated to the game. He did not even notice a familiar face appear in the shadows next to the bleachers.
The game was over. The Beacon Hills' Cyclones had won. In was an intense game. Everyone was celebrating as the team made their way back to the locker rooms. Liam was excited to have won, but he still felt that ever-present sense of loneliness. Mason was congratulating Corey and talking with him. No one was there to congratulate Liam.
Opening his locker, Liam caught a whiff of a familiar scent, but it was quickly overpowered with an intense smell of sweat and adrenaline from all his teammates surrounding him. He changed out of his lacrosse uniform and into clean shorts and a plain t-shirt. He grabbed his duffle bag and exited the locker room.
Finally home, Liam collapsed on his bed with a sigh of relief. He was exhausted from the game. While lying on his bed, Liam noticed something sticking out of a side pocket in his duffle bag. Curious as to what it was, he got out of bed reluctantly and went to check it out. It was a piece of notebook paper. The handwriting was unfamiliar to him, but he picked up a slight scent on the piece of paper: Theo.
Hey, Liam.
Sorry I haven't been in touch lately. I promise I haven't gotten in any trouble. I'm not plotting to take over the world or anything. I know Sheriff Stiliniski would probably kill both of us if I did anything suspicious.
Anyway, I've decided to leave Beacon Hills. I thought you should know. There's nothing for me here anymore. I hope you can understand. Thanks for everything.
I'm sorry.
Goodbye.
-Theo Raeken.
Liam reread the note several times. He could not believe what he was reading. Theo was leaving? Yet another person in Liam's life that had left him. Theo had said that there was nothing for him in Beacon Hills. Liam immediately thought, "What about me?" but, in all honesty, Liam had not spoken to Theo since the Wild Hunt incident. Liam felt bad that he might have been able to prevent Theo from leaving.
Not knowing what else to do, Liam called Mason. After a minute or so, Mason picked up.
"Dude, why are you calling me at like midnight? We have school tomorrow, can't it wait?"
"Theo's leaving. He left me a note. It's all my fault. I don't know what to do. I have to find him. How can he just leave?" Liam said hastily.
"Liam, slow down, one thing at a time. What happened?"
Liam took a deep breath. "There was a note in my duffle bag after the game. It was from Theo. He said that he was leaving Beacon Hills and that there was nothing left for him here. I don't get it. Why would he leave?"
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you but I saw him at the lacrosse game," Mason said.
"What? You saw Theo? Did he say anything to you?"
"He didn't say anything. He showed up right after the game started. He was just brooding in the shadows like he didn't really want to be seen. He stayed 'til almost the very end but then walked off, that must have been when he put the note in your locker. Can we talk about this more tomorrow? I need to sleep, and so do you," Mason said. Liam did not want to wait until the next day to talk about it more, but Mason did not give him a chance to say that and hung up the phone.
The next day at school, Mason met Liam at the lockers.
"You look exhausted, man. Don't tell me you stayed up all night thinking about that note?"
Liam turned to him with dark circles under his eyes. "But what if it's my fault that Theo left? I should have kept in touch with him. I haven't talked to him since we got everyone back from the Wild Hunt."
"Why do you even care some much? You should be glad that he's not your problem anymore," Mason said.
"I don't know. I just feel bad. I hope he's okay," Liam said.
"What are we talking about?" Corey asked. He had just walked up to his two friends.
"Theo left Beacon Hills," Mason said.
"And why is that a bad thing?" Corey said.
"Exactly!" Mason said, turning to Liam.
"Whatever. I don't need you two. I'm going to find him," Liam said, walking away from his friends. Liam did not know if it was a good idea to try and find Theo, but he had to try. He had to show Theo that there were people in Beacon Hills that cared about him. Liam tried to think about other people that cared about Theo. When his mind could not come up with anyone, Liam felt bad. It seemed like Liam was the only person that cared about Theo. Even so, Liam was going to find Theo and try to convince him to come back. He had to, Theo was his responsibility after all.
The biggest question was, where to start. Liam had no idea how to start his search for the missing chimera. Theo left Beacon Hills willingly, so Liam did not think he could have him filed as a missing person with the police. The only other way the police would search for him was if he had done something illegal. However, luckily, it did not look like Theo had done anything illegal in the past few months. If Theo had done something, Liam would not have heard the end of it from Sheriff Stilinski. The sheriff had said before that he would kill Theo instantly if he did anything suspicious.
Stumped about what to do, Liam decided to focus on school for the day and do more research when he got home. For Liam, focusing on school was easier said than done. He could not stop thinking about Theo. It was going to be a long day.
Liam stared at the clock for the entirety of his last class. He was tapping his foot impatiently. Every hour he wasted at school meant more time for Theo to get farther and farther away from Beacon Hills. As soon as the bell rang, Liam bolted out of the door with werewolf-like speeds.
Once home, Liam started searching on his computer for how to find a missing person. Most sites said to report it to the authorities. Liam knew that was not an option because Theo left on his own free will, and he was not in danger in any way. Another common suggestion was to contact the person's family. That was not an option either because Theo did not have any family. Liam continued to look for any more solutions only to come up with nothing. Liam ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Of course, he knew it was not going to be simple, but it seemed like it would be impossible to find Theo if he did not want to be found.
"Where'd you go? Why'd you leave?" Liam asked himself. Checking the time, Liam saw that it was getting late. Liam closed his laptop with a sigh. As much as he did not want to give up, he had to call it quits for the night.
Liam was relieved when he woke up and realized it was a Saturday so he did not have to go to school. He debated sleeping in longer but he did not want to postpone looking for more clues as to where Theo could have gone. He knew the police could not help him locate Theo, but he thought of someone else who might help him.
After having gotten ready rapidly, Liam rushed out the door. Before long, he had reached his destination. Checking to make sure the address was correct, Liam looked down at the piece of paper in his hand and compared it to the house in front of him. After decided he had made it to the right place, he knocked on the door. Getting impatient, Liam knocked several more times before someone opened the door.
"Liam? What are you doing here so early on a Saturday? How did you even get this address?" Argent asked, looking very confused.
"Scott gave me the address and said I could go to you in an emergency," Liam responded.
'Of course he did," Argent said, running his hands down his face. "So, what's the emergency?"
"Theo's missing. I thought you could help me find him."
"Theo?"
"Yeah, Theo Raeken. You know, the guy we released from Hell and who helped us fight the ghost riders."
"Oh, you mean the chimera that almost killed Scott? That Theo?"
"Yes, that Theo," Liam groaned. "Can you help me find him or not?"
"Was he kidnapped by hunters?"
"No."
"Other werewolves took him?"
"Nope."
"Is he trying to take over the world again?"
"I hope not."
"Sorry, kid, can't help you," Argent said and went to shut the door in Liam's face. However, before it could shut, Liam stopped it with his hand. His eyes glowed yellow.
"Wait," He growled. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. When his heartbeat was down low enough, he continued. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I need you to help me find him. Everyone keeps saying that he's my responsibility, my problem to deal with. I can't just let him run off like this. He said he's got nothing left for him in Beacon Hills. He's wrong. He needs to come home."
Argent sighed. He stood for a minute in thought. "Okay, kid, come inside. Tell me what you know so far," He said, opening the door wider to let Liam in.
Liam went inside Argent's house. Once inside, they both sat down. Argent had asked to know everything Liam knew about Theo's disappearance. Liam showed him the note Theo had left him. He also told Argent that Mason was the last person—Liam knew of, at least—to see Theo on the lacrosse field on Thursday night. Argent did not say anything as Liam was explaining the situation to him. After Liam was finished, Argent sat in silence for another minute, mulling everything over.
"You know, Liam, Theo probably does not want to be found. Are you sure it's a good idea to go searching for him?"
"I know he might not want to be found, but I have to find him anyway. Everyone knows that lone werewolves are in way more danger than werewolves in packs. He is safer in Beacon Hills than he could be out there, on his own," Liam said.
"But Theo isn't in anyone's pack. He might have a better chance of finding a pack willing to take him in outside of Beacon Hills. This might be what's best for him, Liam."
"He still has friends here that care about him! I care about him. He needs to come back. I need him to come back. Beacon Hills is his home."
"If it really is his home, he'll come back on his own eventually. I know it's hard, but I think you should just give him some time. If I hear any news of him, I'll let you know. But until then, don't worry about him. You've got more important things to worry about: school, lacrosse, your friends. I'm sorry I couldn't be more help," Argent said.
"You're probably right. Sorry for bothering you. Thanks," Liam said dejectedly.
Argent gave Liam a sad smile. He knew the boy was upset by what he had said about Theo. He also knew that he could not let Liam abandon his normal life in search of Theo. Even though Liam was a werewolf, he was still a normal high-schooler with family, friends, and teammates that counted on him. Argent did not want Liam to give that up to roam across the country in search of his missing friend. Argent hoped Theo would return on his own, but if he felt that there was nothing left for him in Beacon Hills, it was unlikely. However, when Allison died, he himself had felt like there was nothing left for him in Beacon Hills and he left, but he returned anyway. Beacon Hills had always been his home, and would always continue to be his home. He hoped that Theo would realize the same thing he had.
"Let me walk you out," Argent said. He walked Liam to the door and closed it behind him when he stepped out.
As much as Liam did not want to just wait and hope Theo returned on his own, he knew Argent was right. There was nothing Liam could do on his own. He just had to be patient. The problem was, Liam was not a patient person, but he had no other choice. He would wait for Theo to come home, no matter how long it took.
It had been over a month. Liam was sure that Theo would be back by now. He was wrong. For the most part, Liam had managed to carry on with his normal life, but Theo was always in the back of his mind. Every day Liam wondered if it would be the day that Theo returned to Beacon Hills. Every day his was disappointed when the chimera did not show up. He kept searching for his scent, but Liam could barely remember what he smelled like. The last time Liam had caught his scent was after Theo had put the note in his locker. That had been the day Theo went missing. He kept hoping Theo would show up to another one of his lacrosse games. He would always glance at the shadows behind the bleachers, hoping to see a familiar face. However, Theo never showed up.
Liam had called Argent multiple times over the past month. Their conversations always went the same way:
"Hi, it's Liam. Have you heard anything about Theo? Has anyone spotted him?"
"Sorry, kid, I haven't heard anything. I said I'd let you know, you don't have to keep calling me."
Liam was getting frustrated. He did not know how much longer he could wait for Theo. He had started to give up hope of him ever coming back. All his friends seemed to have forgotten that Theo was ever around in the first place. Liam felt like the ghost riders had returned and took Theo and he was the only one who remembered him.
After three months, Liam felt like he might forget Theo as well. He had been so busy with lacrosse that he had not had much time to think about the chimera's disappearance. Calls to Argent had become less frequent, as well.
Liam was currently in a bus with his lacrosse teammates heading out of town for a tournament. Mason had decided to tag along to hang out with Corey. They were sitting together in one row and Liam was by himself, yet again.
The motel they were staying at was in the downtown area of a city about six hours away from Beacon Hills. They had left early in the morning, but by the time they got there, it was already dinnertime. Once the team got to the motel, the coach made an announcement.
"Okay, people. The game is tomorrow. You are all in charge of finding your own dinner. Feel free to explore the city, but you have to be back at a reasonable time. I don't trust you delinquents staying out all night. Make sure to get enough sleep so you're ready to kill it in tomorrow's game. I don't want to see any yawning on the field tomorrow! Got it?"
"Yes, Coach!" the team collectively shouted before dispersing to go search for a cheap place to eat.
Before long, Liam, Mason, and Corey had found a pizza place that did not look too expensive. Liam was sitting facing the front of the restaurant. The front was mostly one big window looking out onto the busy sidewalk and street. Liam was eating and casually watching people walk by outside when someone caught his eye. Out of the corner of his eye, Liam thought he saw Theo. His hair was longer and he had a bit of scruff but it definitely looked like Theo. Liam practically jumped out of his seat, causing his chair to make a loud screeching sound. He could feel the eyes of everyone else in the restaurant boring into him, but he paid no mind to them. Liam vaguely heard Mason calling his name and asking if he was alright but he ignored his friend. He quickly ran out the front door. He exited the pizza place and scanned the sidewalk. Quickly turning his head from side to side, he searched every face trying to find Theo. Someone put a hand on his shoulder.
"Dude, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Mason said.
"I saw Theo. He was right here. I swear I saw him. It had to have been him," Liam said while still frantically looking around him.
"Are you sure it was Theo? It could have just been someone who looks like him."
"Mason, I know who I saw! It was definitely Theo," Liam yelled.
"Calm down. What about his scent? Can you smell him?"
Liam took a deep breath in through his nose and closed his eyes, trying to pick out Theo's scent from among the crowd of people. However, as hard as he tried, there were just too many people and too many scents. His nose was overwhelmed.
"No, I can't smell him," Liam said solemnly.
"I'm sorry, Liam, but it probably wasn't Theo. I know how badly you want to see him. Your brain probably just imagined him. Come back inside. We can't let Corey steal all the pizza," Mason said.
"Yeah, okay," Liam said and followed his friend back inside the restaurant.
After the group had finished eating, they explored the city for a little while and then went back to the motel. Liam could not stop thinking about Theo. Could Theo have been here for the past three months? It seemed like too big of a coincidence for the lacrosse team to come to the exact same city Theo was in. Liam thought that maybe Mason was right and that Liam had just imagined Theo. Liam could not find his scent, after all. With his brain on overdrive, Liam fell into an uneasy sleep.
The next morning, Liam was exhausted. He had not gotten hardly any good sleep, his brain was too busy thinking about Theo.
The team had a quick breakfast at the motel before piling into the bus and heading to the local lacrosse field for the tournament.
It had been a long day, but the tournament was finally over. Liam was tired, but he still gave it his all on the field. The Beacon Hills' Cyclones won second place. Coach Finstock was disappointed that they did not win first, but he was still proud of his team.
They rode the bus back to the downtown area of the city. After finding a place to park, the coach blew his whistle and addressed the team.
"You all played hard out there, except for you, Greenburg. Good job. We have to head back home in about an hour, but until then, find something to eat, use the restroom, do whatever. I don't really care as long as you're back here in an hour. You're dismissed," He said and the team quickly filed out of the bus.
Liam, Mason, and Corey wandered around aimlessly. Mason and Corey were on their phones looking for nearby restaurants they could go to while Liam followed behind them. He was zoning out from how tired he was. They were arguing over which place to go to when Liam froze. He picked up a scent. It was Theo. His mind became alert instantly. Frantically, Liam looked everywhere. Straight ahead, he spotted Theo. Even though he only saw the back of his head, Liam knew it was him. He pushed Mason and Corey apart and ran. He could hear his friends shouting at him, but he kept running.
Hearing Mason and Corey yelling, Theo turned around and saw Liam. Theo's eyes widened in shock and he started running, as well. Soon, Liam was chasing Theo all around the city. Theo turned down a hidden alleyway trying to evade Liam. Theo did not lose the werewolf behind him, however. Since the alleyway was hidden from view of the street, Liam used his werewolf speed to catch up to Theo. He grabbed Theo and pinned him up against a nearby wall. Theo's back hit the wall and he let out a grunt of pain. Both he and Liam were breathing heavily. Liam's eyes glowed yellow and his fangs were showing as he panted.
"Liam? What are you doing here?" Theo asked.
"I could ask you the same thing. What the hell are you doing here? How dare you just leave like that," Liam said angrily.
"I came here to start over. I thought I made it pretty clear in my note why I left. I told you, there's nothing for me there anymore."
Liam was still gripping Theo's shoulders. However, he had calmed down considerably and his werewolf traits were no longer showing.
"Nothing? Really? What about me? I thought I could trust you, but then you just disappear without a trace! You're my responsibility, I let you out, you're supposed to listen to me."
"Just because you let me out of that hellhole doesn't mean I have to stay by your side forever like a freaking servant. When have you ever given me a reason to stick around Beacon Hills? You never spoke one word to me after I helped you beat the ghost riders!"
Liam was hurt by what Theo said, but he knew what he said was true.
"I know I messed up," Liam said.
"You think?" Theo snapped at Liam.
"Shut up, just shut up! You know what, I don't even care anymore. I searched for you for so long, but I'm done. Stay away forever for all I care. I hope you never come back to Beacon Hills. Just leave me, leave me like everyone else has! Hayden left, Scott left, Stiles left, Lydia left, Malia left, you left. All you think about is yourself. You didn't even think for one second how I would feel if you left. I thought I could trust you," Liam said. He let go of Theo, took a few steps back, and turned around.
"Liam, I'm sorry. I didn't—"
"Don't you dare apologize to me. If you were really sorry, you'd come back to Beacon Hills," Liam spat out. Liam gave Theo one last look before stomping out of the alleyway. Walking down the street, people moved out of Liam's way when they saw the angry look on his face. Suddenly, Mason and Corey jogged up to him and bombarded him with questions.
"Where were you? We were looking everywhere. Did you find Theo?" Mason asked.
"What'd he say? Is he going to come back?" Corey asked.
"He's not coming back," Liam said.
"I'm sorry, man," Mason said.
"Don't be," Liam growled out.
Mason and Corey exchanged a look of confusion before following Liam back to the bus. Mason tried talking to Liam on the ride home, but it was clear that Liam did not want to talk so Mason just let him be. Liam spent the entire ride staring out the window of the bus. If Mason did not know any better, he would say that Liam looked heartbroken.
Ever since he had gotten back from the lacrosse tournament, Liam had been quiet. Mason kept trying to get Liam to talk to him, but his friend refused to open up. Honestly, Mason was worried about Liam. It seemed like whatever happened between him and Theo must have upset him badly. Mason did not know what to do. He just hoped his friend would snap out of it fast.
It had been a week since Liam had seen Theo. Part of him wondered if it had all just been a dream, but the ache in his chest reminded him it was real. Liam knew that Theo was never coming back now. He would not be surprised if Theo moved even farther away after the whole ordeal. Liam wished he would not have snapped at Theo like he did. Liam felt like he was the reason Theo left, and now he would be the reason Theo never returned.
Liam was moping around in his room when someone knocked on the front door. With his werewolf hearing, Liam could hear his dad opening the door and talking to whoever it was.
"Liam, a friend of yours is here to see you," Liam's dad shouted. Liam did not feel like leaving his room, but he did not want his dad to get upset. He figured it was probably Mason. Liam decided he would just politely tell Mason to leave him alone.
Liam made his way to the front of the house. He was shocked to see Theo standing in the doorway. Theo stood awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. He looked up from staring at the ground and saw Liam.
"Hey, can we talk?" He said quietly.
Liam nodded. Both boys went outside and started walking down the street together. Theo turned to Liam and broke the silence.
"You said if I was really sorry, I'd come back to Beacon Hills. Well, here I am," Theo said, raising his arms dramatically and dropping them back down again.
"Are you here to stay?" Liam asked.
"That depends. Are you going to give me a reason to stay this time?"
"Yeah," Liam said. Suddenly, he grabbed Theo and connected their lips.
Theo was shocked by the sudden kiss, but not opposed to it. When Liam broke away from him, Theo smiled.
"I think that's a good enough reason to stick around," Theo said and smirked before diving in to kiss Liam again. He wrapped his arms around Liam and deepened the kiss. When they finally broke apart, they were both out of breath.
For the first time in a long time, Theo felt like he was home.
The end