Chapter 36:

Quinn felt like she was in a daze. For a few days now after she was swept away by the stunning stranger, she spent her time laying in a bed in a motel room. She wore nothing but a big white tee shirt and her underwear, but she had never felt more comfortable in all of her life than she did just laying in that warm, soft bed. Every now in then, in here daze, he would come to her, appear in the bed beside her, stroking her hair, whispering her name.

It all felt like a dream. As far as she knew, she was dead, and this was some form of weird afterlife. She just wished Theo was there, that he was with her. Even though this stranger, the man whose name she didn't know, was one of the most attractive men she'd ever seen, she still wanted her love to be with her. He was everything she ever wanted, and everything she ever needed.

While she was laying there, curled up with the small brown teddy bear that the man had left for her, he appeared again. This time, he was hovering above her, floating just inches away from her. He said her name softly again, one of the only few words he ever spoke to her, then he used his thumb to turn her face so she was looking up at him. Her eyes blinked as they adjusted to the sudden change in light.

"Stay with me," he pleaded with her. These were new words to her. Her gaze narrowed at him, confused by the words. She didn't think she had a choice. Quinn figured she was dead and this was what the rest of her life was going to be like. No eating, no using the bathroom, no pain, nothing but warmth and light. He whispered it again, and she spoke back to him for the first time since he took her away.

"Theo," she said his name longingly, and the man seemed to be hurt by the sound of his name. "I want to see him again." The man floated to the side, then gently lowered himself onto the bed beside her, not touching her, just staring over at her with sorrowful eyes. "Who are you?" She finally mustered up the energy to ask him. He briefly looked away from her, as if he didn't want to answer. "Tell me."

"Call me Cole, if you'd like. It's what my name used to be."

"Cole," she repeated back to him, causing him to smile at her. "Where am I?"

"Safe," he responded vaguely, something that seemed to be common for him. She frowned over at him, then reached out to grab his hand. He flinched at her sudden and unexpected touch.

"I want to go home."

"Why? There you have to live in fear of dying. I can't save you again."

"What do you mean? What happened to me?"

"It doesn't matter. You're safe here. With me. You need to stay."

"Why? Are you the one who brought back Allison?" She asked him. Cole looked away from her, avoiding answering her question again. "Tell me the truth, Cole. What the hell are you? Why can't I go home?"

"You can."

"So take me there."

"If that is what you desire, I guess I cannot say no," he sighed. He sat up on his elbow, leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Sleep, my little bird." Suddenly, the darkness swallowed her whole again.

Theo sat on his knees in a pool of blood he spilled. The head of the alpha that refused to give him information on the crow sat only a couple of feet in front of him, luckily with the face turned away. He didn't want to look into those lifeless eyes. He didn't want to see the monster he was becoming reflected back at him. After a moment of collecting himself, he stood and walked over to the alpha's mate, who still laid injured on the ground, still alive, but barely.

"What do you know about the crow? He brought you back. You mean to tell me you can't remember anything?" He growled down at her. She stared up at him with fear in her big, round eyes. She was so young, only twenty-something it would seem. Yet, here he was, ready to kill her, the last member of her pack left alive after the carnage that Theo created. She shook her head,

"Please. I swear. I don't know anything about him. I don't remember."

"That's truly unfortunate," he sighed. Theo stepped on the werewolf's throat, and with a little extra force, he snapped her neck with the heel of his shoe. He left their house after that. Their entire pack had been slaughtered by Theo, and all for nothing. They refused to give him any information about the crow, the only thing on the planet that could bring Quinn back to him. He was sure of it. The Crow took her. He had to find him, so he could bring her home.

Once he got back to Beacon Hills, Theo quickly dodged everyone and got back to his house without being spotted. He discarded his blood-soaked clothing, then jumped in the shower to wash away all the blood covering his face and hands. What was he turning into? That was two packs he had gone through looking for information about the Crow. Neither of them helped him, and they all died by his hand. He was going out of his mind looking for her, and the bloodlust was starting to build up inside of him. He would go through anyone, kill anything, to find Quinn.

After he cleaned himself up, Theo got dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a white tee shirt. Thank God for Nick. He was sticking around, staying at the house, doing laundry and cleaning and minding his own business. Nick truly was an admirable beta. If only he had his other beta with him, too. Life would be perfect. Theo could be good again. Then again, maybe he was always bad. When Lyza killed Quinn, he snapped his estranged betas neck like it was nothing. He killed Lyza, and he felt good about it. Maybe he wasn't a good guy after all. Maybe he was always a killer. Quinn just held it back.

Then, he smelled her. For a moment, he thought he was truly going out of his mind, but her scent filled the air like a sweet, warm aroma. Theo slammed his dresser drawer closed, then walked out of his room. His heart stopped when he saw her.

"Theo," Quinn blinked at him. "Hey."

"Please tell me I'm not crazy," he collapsed then, falling to his knees. "Tell me this is real." Quinn rushed to him, kneeling down beside him and taking him into her arms. Theo broke into a million pieces then, sobbing against her chest, clinging to her like his very existence hinged on her presence. "Quinn, you're back. He brought you back." She raised an eyebrow.

"Who did? I have no idea how I got here. Do you mind filling me in?"

"What?" Theo leaned back and stared at her. "What do you mean? You died, Quinn. Lyza killed you, and you've been gone for a week now. Someone came, and they took you away, took your body away from me. I assumed it was the Crow, and I had to be right, because you're here now. He gave you back to me." He hugged her again, tighter this time, almost to the point of breaking her. Quinn clung to him, too, confused, but slowly putting the pieces together in her own mind. "I missed you so much," Theo told her. "I tried so hard to find him. To find you."

"I'm here," she reassured him. "I'm not going anywhere." For some reason, she couldn't remember anything. It was all a blur to her, and some of it was completely blank. How could she not remember? Then, she caught the scent of blood. "Theo, are you bleeding?" He pulled away, then looked down at the blood seeping through his shirt.

"I got into a fight. It's nothing." He tilted her head up towards his, away from the wound, then kissed her passionately, like he was never going to be able to do it again. They fell over, tangled in each other's arms, holding one another and enjoying the feeling of being back in the arms of the one they love.