Warping Around

Chapter 1 – The Guests Arrive

Liam was grumbling almost sadly in the corner of their pack meeting, a familiar calming chant echoing in his head as he tried to control his emotions – his anxiety, nerves, and fear had a horrible habit of turning to unbridled anger. He didn't want to drag the pack down further than it already was.

The chunk of the pack that was situated in Beacon Hills that summer was gathered in Deaton's clinic to discuss 'The Plan' – what great defense they could set up to survive whatever the hunters had planned for them next. Not having so much as a hint of what said hunters might have planned wasn't helping things in the slightest. Rattled from the last attack and with clashing chemo signals in the air, the pack was flat-out arguing. They had been for hours, and the argument was only growing more and more heated as it went on.

"Attack the hunters back," one would propose before Scott shoved the idea aside.

"No, it's too risky. Hunker down in town and go on the defensive."

"We'd be sitting ducks, I say someone shows them they're dealing with more than they bargained for."

"That would be attacking."

"Oh come on! You actually expect us to sit around and take whatever they decide to dish out next?"

And round and round they went without actually getting anywhere. Even Scott was growing visibly irritated. The only people who seemed to share his stance completely were Lydia, who had been eerily quiet for a while, and Corey, who refused to intervene.

In all honesty, Liam had stopped paying any real attention two hours into the so-called 'discussion', opting to instead drown himself in his own recollections.

The latest attempt to 'save humanity', as Monroe had so eloquently – and oh so sanely - put it, had been to divide the puppy pack and attack them in a single coordinated attack. Everyone working under her seemed perfectly content with the fact the move had also put dozens of the humans, who they were supposedly trying to protect, at risk.

Unfortunately, the complete lack of compassion and disregard of people's lives wasn't all that was setting Liam off. The fact that it had almost worked, that the hunters had nearly taken them out, that his friends had gotten badly hurt, and that the majority of the fault likely laid at his feet, all because of a couple of rash decisions – that had his non-existent tail instinctively tucking between his legs with guilt.

The wolfsbane had taken a toll, but Liam and Alec's wounds had healed up nicely by now, though it had left the younger of the two exhausted and under home-arrest as per Mama McCall's say so. Mason and Corey on the other hand, were not quite as lucky as both were still bruised and battered, favoring hurt limbs, and overall lucky to be alive at all.

Beyond incapacitating a solid portion of the pack for a few days, the hit also brought on some pressing questions – what had the hunters done that wouldn't let Corey heal? Were they even aware of what they had?

The pack was holding on to an ever so thin sliver of hope that the hunters weren't aware of it. Their logic rode on the slightly more realistic assumption that the hunters also weren't aware of the actual existence of chimeras. Anything else would be far too much to handle at that point. Thankfully, that assumption was backed up by the fact that Theo and Corey were the only actual chimeras left alive. Or at least, presumably alive.

Speaking of which.

"What about Theo," Liam cut through the umpteenth round of the 'defense vs offense' debate.

All eyes turned to him, all with varying degrees of incredulity or concern.

Stile's annoyed scoff woke something feral that Liam was becoming increasingly intimate with. As much as Liam tried to ignore it, he knew his fuse had grown shorter in the past few months.

In contrast Scott's hesitant step toward him made Liam want to whimper. The alpha had never been this reluctant with him before Monroe's attack. It was becoming painfully clear he didn't trust him fully anymore. Frankly, neither did the others.

Corey, Mason and Alec were more hesitant to listen to him. Lydia, Stiles and most everyone else were treating him like a child. Worst of all, Scott was putting him on the backburner with all the subtlety of a roaring lion. While Liam understood it was mostly protective alpha instincts and there was little he could do against those, he couldn't help but wish he and his 'puppy pack' weren't so consistently relegated to the simplest, safest missions possible.

The alpha in question proceeded to de-rail Liam's train of thought. Focusing on a single line of thinking was becoming more and more challenging as time went by, much like keeping his anger under wraps. Liam refused to admit that it had started when Theo disappeared.

"Liam, we talked about this. Theo's -"

"We didn't talk about shit," Liam jerked his head in denial once, his wide-open glowing eyes and snarling mouth letting the others know he wouldn't just let them glance over the topic again, "You decided everything else was more important than finding him."

"Uh yeah," Stiles cut in matter-of-factly, willfully ignoring the warning signs on display "Because everythingelseis more imp-"

The young beta couldn't stop the growl that ripped itself from his throat. It was echoed by Corey echoed it, who had become close friends with the only other chimera in existence.

"Shut up!"

Stile's indignant guffaw and subsequent complaints to the room faded into the background as Scott came up in front of his beta, grabbing his shoulders in a strong hold that would have grounded him, had it been any other topic at hand.

The ever patient leader that he was, Scott proceeded with a placating tone and sympathetic eyes.

"Look Liam, I get it man. I know you two got close. And I know you want to find him, and so do I" his grip tightened when Liam looked like he was about to interrupt, "However, Stiles has a point. We can't drop everything going on with the hunters to look for Theo. We don't even know where to start."

Liam wanted to back down. Not only was this the same conversation they'd had several times over, but Scott made good sense, and no matter how much it pained him to give in, Liam didn't want to add this much additional stress to the alpha's life. He imagined Theo would have told him something along the same lines. But then Scott kept talking:

"Besides that, he might have left on his own accord to start with."

And all that went to hell.

"No!"

"Liam," Scott trailed off warningly, the pack shifting uncomfortably behind him.

They'd all heard snippets of this fight at some point or another, and they'd all made themselves scarce as quickly as they could. That wasn't an option this time.

"No, Scott! I know he didn't leave on his own!"

"His truck was on the outskirts of town," Scott reiterated tiredly for what felt like the hundredth time, Malia was nodding enthusiastically behind him.

"It had his clothes and phone in it. It had blankets in it, too. He was clearly ready for a long trip."

"Theo wasn't in it! Or near it. Why would he just leave his truck like that?"

"I don't know, Liam."

"So, what? He decided to leave his perfectly good ride behind and take a walk across the country?"

"I don't know, Liam," it was the first time Scott raised his voice that night, the steel behind it reinforced by his eyes flaring red for a brief moment, effectively cowing the supernatural creatures in the room.

"I do know there wasn't any scent besides Theo's around the car. There were no signs of an attack or a struggle-"

"There weren't any tracks either. And Theo's scent disappeared just a meter or so from the car! That doesn't seem weird to you?"

"It does," Scott conceded carefully, hoping that what he said next wouldn't blow up in his face. Regardless, Liam had to hear it, no matter how much it might hurt him. Avoiding it had obviously not done any good.

"But it doesn't change anything. Whatever happened with him happened. We can't change that, and we can't go out of our way to look for him."

Liam tensed despite the soft tone, taking a terse step forward with elongated fangs and protruding claws, before a hand landed on his shoulder from behind.

"Liam, come on. We're all tired and tense," Mason pleaded with him, "Let it go."

The beta continued to stare down his seemingly put-together alpha.

"It's not fair," Liam whispered harshly, fighting back the burning in his eyes and the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat, "He doesn't deserve to be pushed aside like an afterthought."

'Not after he was doing so well,' is the thought he left unsaid, an image of a rare soft smile and bright eyes flashing in his mind.

Mason was now rubbing his arm, trying to provide what little comfort he could, as surprise plastered itself across Scott's face. They'd never taken this turn in the conversation before. He had certainly never seen Liam tear up over it.

"I'm sorry, Liam."

The apology came out almost automatically and even Scott had to wince at how insincere it sounded. Although there was still some left-over bitterness from Theo's manipulation and deceit, he knew very well how much the boy had changed, and he did want to find him.

He was honestly looking for signs of him whenever possible – a scent in the hunter camps they raided every so often, tracks left in the mud when they were scouring forests for shifters in trouble, local rumours in the places they travelled – but every time he'd come up empty.

An idea had formed in his head after a while - hunters got their hands on Theo, most probably reduced him to nothing more than an experiment to understand what he was. Something severe twisted in Scott's gut every time he thought about it, the potential consequences of it, and just how likely it all sounded in his head. But he couldn't share the thought with his pack, not with how it could affect Liam and Corey, who had built a friendship with Theo. So he'd vowed to find the chimera instead. However, failing at every turn has worn his resolve out to the point it was barely hanging on.

Over time finding Theo had steadily slipped lower and lower on his list of priorities. Frankly, he was sorely tempted to forget about it completely. The pack would be fine. Some of them might mull over it, and possibly even feel guilty to some extent, but they'd be ok. Liam was probably the only one who would be truly broken up about it. But he'd get over it eventually, he'd be fine too.

Except now, looking at the younger's hunched shoulders, teary eyes, and unintentionally-shifted face, that didn't seem to be particularly true. The sadness rolling off him in spades only served to support that.

"If it was Stiles," Liam said lowly, voice cracking.

Breaths hitched throughout the room as the pack shared unsettled glances. The thought obviously did not sit well with them. Scott's own gaze softened tremendously as he slowly enveloped the boy in a hug, beginning to grasp some understanding of how his beta was feeling.

"I'm so sorry," far more sincere than the previous knee jerk reaction, the alpha cupped the back of Liam's head, and guided it to his shoulder, waiting for him to calm.

Even knowing that Scott thought he understood, Liam was certain he didn't. Not really. Sure, he and Stiles were very close friends. But that was the problem. Theo wasn't just a friend to him.

Despite the pack's mistrust, the two of them had built a strong connection. Theo had quickly, if unexpectedly, become his confidant. He had shared things – doubts, fears, hopes – with him that he could never mention to Mason or Scott, let alone anyone else. Liam often vented to the chimera, which helped settle his tendency to act out violently. In return he helped Theo open up, making it very clear to him that someone not only cared for him, but trusted him too… needed him.

And god, it had been working. It had been working so damned well for both of them. Liam wasn't lashing out uncontrollably. Genuine smiles and vulnerability came more naturally for Theo. Liam had only just started entertaining the possibility of Theo being his anchor, and vice versa. And then suddenly – he wasn't there anymore. What was worse, Liam couldn't feel him at all. Waking up one day with the sensation of something missing had been horrible. Though the feeling had subsided recently, the memory of it remained fresh.

"Um. Are we gonna go back to planning," Malina popped their little emotional bubble, tired of just standing there awkwardly.

"Right," Scott pulled away from the hug, cleared his throat and made a miserable attempt at dispelling the tension with a swinging clap of the hands.

"Where were we?"

No one had the chance to answer him, as Lydia jerked, gasping and sputtering, out of whatever silent trance she'd been stuck in. Stiles rushed to her side in the blink of an eye, mouth running a mile a minute, only for her to push him away.

The hunch in her back, spread out arms and wild look in her eyes kept everyone else from trying to do the same.

"Lyds? Hey, what's wrong?"

The banshee pinned her boyfriend with a wide eyed unseeing stare before she seemed to collect herself.

"Something's coming," she looked around the room, "Something very weird is coming."

"Well, that's nice and vague."

Lydia twirled around to face Malia.

"Well I'm sorry, but it wasn't the clearest of visions."

"What did you see?"

"Well... It looked…" she hesitated, struggling to believe what she had seen with her own eyes, "it looked like magic?"

"I-I'm sorry. Magic? Actual magic!?"

They winced and Mason's outburst. Even for them, who've been dealing with the supernatural for years, the thought of hand-wavy, light-showy magic sounded absurd.

"Wait. But like, Harry Potter-y magic," Malia questioned.

"Like a purple aura making people float."

"Well that's just great," Stiles threw his hands in the air, "Like we didn't have enough to worry about, now there's a murderous magician, too."

"No," Lydia deadpanned.

"No?"

"No."

"Um," Corey piped up, "Could you maybe elaborate on that?"

"The 'magician' isn't murderous. But whoever it is, they are hurt."

"Deaton," Scott turned to the veterinarian, who had stayed to ensure they didn't decide on suicidal plans that weren't strictly necessary.

"There isn't much I can do without the actual patient here."

As if on que, frantic banging and frustrated growls met their ears from outside the room, signifying said patient's imminent arrival.

"Not murderous she says," Stiles raises his voice so Lydia and Mason hear him over the noise as the shapeshifters form a barrier between them and the entrance – the tension in the room growing as the sounds grow closer.

He doesn't notice her exasperated eye-roll, too busy staring at the familiar red eyes glaring through the window in the door.

"No way," he gasps as the door almost flies off its hinges, never standing a chance against the furious kick that meets it, and he's met with an impossible sight. Albeit enraged, older and more worn, it was undoubtedly Scott McCall scowling back at them.

Time froze for the pack as they were rendered stunned. Even the actual Scott, who Stiles had spent the day with and driven to the pack meeting himself, didn't know how to react.

Liam on the other hand was focused on something else entirely.

Cradled protectively in Angry Scott's arms was an unconscious Theo. The blood that stained the side of his face and lips made the paleness of his skin stand out. His relaxed face made him look younger than they knew him to be – almost innocent in what could have easily been mistaken for a dreamless sleep, if it weren't for the viscous gash in his stomach. Liam's chest clenched when it registered just how fragile the chimera looked, the feeling only amplified by the surprisingly careful grip of his carrier around him.

Liam couldn't help the whimper that escaped him, stuck somewhere between euphoria over seeing his long-missing more-than-friend, fear and worry over him, and disbelief over the alpha-doppelganger.

The others didn't seem to have any problem settling on an emotion, every last one of them gaping at the all too familiar face, and shifting their stare from the newcomer to Scott and back. Liam wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't even noticed the chimera in his arms.

Meanwhile Angry Scott let his eyes skim past the faces of the were-creatures in front of him, pausing only briefly on his doppelganger's face before settling on Deaton, who had inched toward the hurt couple. A glimpse of relief sparked in his too-red eyes

"Deaton," Angry Scott gasped out, "Help him. Please help him. He won't heal, he can't-"

The raw desperation in his voice spurred the veterinarian to action. Deaton opted to first stop the rambling before it could truly begin with an understanding gaze and a brief yet firm grip.

"Ok. I'll help. Set him on the table."

The alpha wasted no time in rushing past the pack to do as told.

The movement spread an arrangement of scents through the air. The most prominent for Liam being Theo's – mellow and calming, yet twisting the beta's stomach into knots as it intertwined with the pungent metallic stench of blood.

'Theo,' his voice cracked around the name as it ripped itself from his throat. He saw Angry Scott's shoulders tense at that, even as he gently laid Theo on the table.

The rest of the pack finally caught on to the chimera's presence and the strangled beginning of a hysteric laugh bubbled past Stiles lips. It sounded more like a disgruntled yelp than anything else.

A deep growl floored the human with its wild fury, effectively shutting him up. Stiles had never been on the receiving end of Scott's anger. Never like this. He had certainly never felt his life threatened by his best friend, or at least what looked like him. Whatever this thing was, it was definitely not the same as Scott.

"If you're not going to help, get out."

The man didn't even turn to look at them as he uttered the command, yet it set everyone in motion. Their Scott, the actual Scott, rushed to help his doppelganger and Deaton with cleaning and stitching Theo's wounds. Lydia and Mason also managed to make themselves useful as assistants, while Corey ushered Stiles and Malia out the door.

Despite the flurry of activity, everyone witnessed Angry Scott hovering worriedly over the chimera, stroking the hair out of his face with trembling fingers, caressing his cheek. Everyone also heard the desperate tremble in the alpha's voice, which sent chills down their spines. The newer members of the pack had never heard a sound like that from Scott. The others, on the other hand, were sorely reminded of Allison.

Before he knew it Liam was at Theo's side, gripping his arm to syphon as much pain as he could. It was almost unbearable, but it was also the only way he could make himself useful and he could not let himself be kicked out of the room. Angry Scott, who had his own hands on Theo's shoulders, seemed far too focused on soothing the boy to pay Liam any mind. It was… uncanny.

What Liam had failed to foresee was just how close he'd be to everything in this position. The pain was nothing next to the sight and smell of Theo's blood, the deathly paleness of his far-too-peaceful face, the abnormally slow beating of his heart. A tan hand came up to tenderly brush the blood from the chimera's lips as Deaton deftly cut the shirt off him, carefully peeling away the blood-soaked cloth from the worst of his wounds. God he was feeling nauseas.

Theo's body spasmed, Angry Scott swore, and just like that the nausea was joined by lightheadedness. Liam became very aware that he was no longer properly taking Theo's pain. Instead he just stood there, staring at his face, uselessly holding onto his hand. A frustrated grunt broke him out of his stupor.

"Kid," Angry Scott spoke up gruffly, "I get you're trying to help, but if you can't get it together, you're just getting in the way. It's best if you stay clear of him."

Nobody stopped what they were doing, but the pointed looks they gave him had Liam whimpering quietly as he slinked away to the nearest wall and slid down to curl up on the floor. His vision grew blurry as he slowly lost track of his surroundings. He no longer noticed the other's movements, the instructions from Deaton, or the glances Mason kept sending his way. All he could focus on was Theo's hand hanging limply off the side of the table.