Aftermath

Theo rode in the booster seat up front in Stiles' blue jeep. A year had passed since he and Liam agreed to stay as children and grow up together. At times, he missed the old life but Liam's wish to have the jinni make Mason and Corey kids again so the four of them could grow up together helped him stay grounded. When the chimera found out that Scott and Tara were together he threw a series of tantrums that lasted for weeks until he finally saw them together. His sister was happy with the alpha and that moment became the turning point for the miniature chimera.

He giggled with Scott as they sang along to the music, neither the alpha nor the chimera were able to carry the tune. He glanced over at Scott and caught the true alpha smiling at him while they were stopped at the light. He felt the warmth and love from the wolf and he heard Liam's voice in his head, "Enjoying your time with Scott."

Theo playfully responded to Liam's thought, "Shut up Little Wolf. We are on our way over to your house. Are Mason and Corey there?"

Liam thought back, "Yeah, we are playing with Legos now. At least they aren't pissed at me anymore."

Theo laughed as Scott muttered, "Shit. We've got a problem." Theo looked into the mirrors and saw the blue lights as Scott pulled the jeep over. Theo watched the side mirror and saw Parrish step out of the cruiser. He growled and thought, "Parrish just pulled us over."

Liam calmly thought back, "Try not to create problems."

Theo grumbled, "I really don't like that hellhound."

Liam matter-of-factly responded, "We know. You didn't like him before."

Theo laughed as he watched the deputy walk towards Scott's window and the alpha lowered it. When he stepped into earshot, Theo taunted quietly, "Here piggy, piggy, piggy. Piggy smell a donut?"

Scott shot Theo a glare and said, "Not now Theo" before he looked back to Parrish as the deputy said, "Hey Scott. Is everything alright?"

Scott smiled to the hellhound, "Everything's great, just taking my little brother to his playdate."

Parrish smiled and responded, "I thought you might've been Stiles."

Theo continued the insults, "Is piggy lost? Can't find the donuts piggy?"

Parrish looked to Scott, "What'd you say?"

Scott's eyes widened, "It's not me. It's Theo." The alpha glanced to the chimera, "Who needs to stop saying that."

Theo smiled and innocently continued, "Saying what?" He grinned as he reached into his Ziploc bag of cheerios and threw them at Parrish and began to do a pig call, "Suuuuiiii- Here piggy piggy! Suuuuuiiiii!"

Theo giggled as Parrish eyed the 5-year-old, "That's not funny Scott. Did you teach him that?"

Scott shook his head rapidly, "No, Parrish. I don't know where he learned that."

Theo laughed at Scott and looked to him, "From you Big Brother!"

Parrish glared at the alpha and began to chastise him as Theo laughed.

He had grown to love the alpha as his big brother but that didn't stop him from tormenting him when the opportunity presented itself. The chimera justified that it was his job, his duty as Tara's brother to give Scott trouble.

Liam replied, "Why are you antagonizing Parrish?"

Theo thought, "Because it's fun. What's he going to do? Arrest a 5-year-old?"

Liam grumbled, "Don't get Scott in trouble."

Theo grinned and thought back, "Alright. I've got this." The miniature chimera looked to the hellhound and said, "Where is Sheriff? I like Stil-in-ski. He's nice."

Parrish glared at Scott, "Does he only do this to me?"

Scott slowly nodded, "Yeah. Theo must not like you."

Parrish grumbled, "He's a little asshole."

Theo smiled at the deputy and made eye contact as he flashed his eyes golden, "Asshole!"

Scott shook his head, "Now you've done it Parrish."

Theo began to loudly sing as he swayed in his seat, "Asshole! Asshole! Assho~le!"

Scott shook his head and stated, "He's at the age where he parrots words."

Parrish sighed, "He's going to be a hellion when he gets older." Theo smugly grinned at the deputy.

A few years later, the four boys sat in the McCall living room. Their books were opened on the coffee table with notebooks opened around them. None of the boys were taking notes as Liam sat next to Theo on the long grey couch and Mason sat next to Corey on the floor at the table. Theo looked to the others, "I don't even know why we study? It's not like we don't already know this."

Mason looked to the chimera, "Well, we do have to go through the grades if we don't plan on skipping."

Corey nodded as he held Mason's hand, "My parents won't let me skip. They said it's bad for socialization."

Liam smirked at the chimera's response, "Wouldn't you have to be more social?"

Corey glared at the wolf as Scott stepped down from upstairs, a textbook in one hand and a large paper in the other. He looked to Theo, "Is mom home?"

Theo glanced to his big brother, "No. What do you have there?"

Scott smiled as he walked around the banister into the room, "My final study for my genetics class. I was hoping she could read over it."

Theo rolled his eyes and extended his hand, "Hand it over."

Scott looked confused as he asked, "Why? I always have mom read over them."

Liam, Mason, and Corey softly laughed as Theo rolled his eyes, "No, Scotty, you don't. You put them on her desk and I read over them. Didn't you find it odd that the corrections were done in crayon and color pencil."

Scott thought back for a moment and weakly smiled, "What? But how?"

Theo stood up and walked over to the true alpha and snatched the paper from him. He glanced over the abstract and flipped into the statistical data. After a few "hmms" he pointed to his graphs, "Your Chi Square is wrong, and it should show a statistically significant change."

The young chimera showed it to Scott and after reading over what was pointed out, Scott's eyes widened, "How?"

Theo smugly grinned, "I've read your textbooks whenever you've left them here."

Scott slowly shook his head, "But you're an eight-year-old."

Theo corrected the true alpha, "That tests beyond a 12th grade level."

Liam thought, "You are blowing his mind Theo. Shouldn't you hold back on sharing too much information."

Theo smiled as he spoke, "No, Liam. Now is a good time."

Scott looked to Liam, who hadn't said anything and then back to Theo, "Is there something I'm not getting?"

Theo laughed as he shook his head, "The only thing you need to get is a ring for my sister, or are you waiting for Lurch to propose to Nolan first?"

Mason and Corey giggled before Scott responded, "Why do I get the feeling that you are the big brother in this situation?"

Theo grinned at the alpha, "Because I'm an old soul." The chimera laughed to himself before he continued, "And I need you to go through our storage unit and find your old lacrosse gear. I want to join an 8U league this season." He looked back to his pack, "Isn't that what we want to do?"

Liam nodded emphatically, "Yeah." Corey smiled, and Mason nervously responded, "It could be fun."

Scott laughed as he placed the papers in his textbook, "Alright." He set the textbook on the table and asked, "What do you know about Brett and Nolan?"

Theo rolled his eyes, "He is probably going to propose before they leave to go back to college. Corey already saw the ring."

Scott looked to Corey, who smiled softly and nodded. Theo continued, "So, if you want to be the center of attention, I'd propose sooner." There was a glint in Theo's eyes as he met the alpha's gaze, "That is unless you don't want to propose to Tara?"

Scott almost said something before he heard Tara's voice from upstairs, "Theo, what are you asking Scott?"

Theo winked to the alpha and mumbled, "Nothing. Scotty is helping us with our homework."

Scott's eyes widened as he smiled to his little brother.

Tara stepped down the stairs and locked eyes with her brother, "Really? Then why did I hear my name?"

Liam smiled at her and answered, "If Tara has two more apples than Jim but three less than Bill and Bill has an even number, how many apples does Tara have?"

Tara rolled her eyes at the little wolf and looked to Scott, "He doesn't know how to mask his heartrate yet."

Scott looked surprised as he smiled to his girlfriend.

Liam slapped his forehead while Mason and Corey laughed at him. Theo growled and thought, "Dude, you need to work on that. We can practice later."

Scott looked to Theo and then back to Tara, "Theo was asking my intentions with you."

The long, dark haired woman looked to her little brother, "Are you being protective of me?"

Theo bit his lip anxiously as he looked away, "Maybe."

Tara walked over to Theo and kissed him on the top of his head before she hugged him, "I love you Theo."

Theo smiled back, "Love you too, Sis."

Theo stepped out of the gymnasium where they held prom. He wore his immaculate black tux with studded grey vest with matching bowtie. The golden crown sat on his head as he walked towards the stairs that led to the parking lot. He saw Scott, his middle aged, worried older brother hang up his cell phone and look back to him. Theo half smiled as he met his brother at the stairs. He motioned for Scott to sit on the stairs as he took a seat.

Scott sighed as Theo looked away and said, "Mom's not doing well, is she?"

Scott weakly replied, "You shouldn't be thinking about that right now. Isn't your boyfriend in there by himself, Prom King?"

Theo looked to Scott and smiled, "Yeah, but I'm going to have the rest of my life with him."

Scott sat next to the chimera and gave him an odd look, "You sound so certain of that."

Theo reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, black felt box, "I am. It's what I wished for."

Scott's eyes widened as a tear came to them. He smiled at his younger brother, "When are you going to propose?"

Theo laughed lightly, "As the final remark for my valedictorian speech."

Scott shook his head as his goofy smile widened, "You've always had everything figured out. I'm kind of jealous."

Theo put the box back in his jacket pocket and pulled out a metal flask. He opened it and took a sip before handing it to Scott. He replied, "I've had all my life to think about it. I've been in love with that man for almost as long as I can remember."

Scott took a sip and responded, "Well you grew up together."

Theo took the flask back and took another sip before he continued, "I need to be completely honest with you Scott. But first I need to ask you something important."

Scott's humor fell as he assessed his little brother. His brow furrowed as he asked, "What do you want to know?"

Theo met the alpha's gaze, "Have you thought about giving mom the bite?"

Scott looked to the pavement and sighed, "I've thought about it and talked with mom and dad about it. They don't want to go down that path."

Theo took another sip before handing it back to Scott, "Alright. How much do you love me?"

Scott tipped back the flask and gulped a fair amount before he answered, "You know I love you Theo. You are my little brother. You helped me graduate top of my class at Davis and have one of the best, if not the best, vet clinics in California."

Theo smiled at the alpha's honest declaration, "I'm not who you think I am. I'm your little brother but that wasn't always the case."

Liam's voice entered the chimera's mind, "You are about to tell Scott everything? I need to be there!"

Theo responded by thought to the wolf, "Little Wolf, let me do this alone. Please."

Theo heard the wolf's sigh as he agreed, "Alright. But if things sound bad or sound like you need me, I'm going to be there."

Scott nodded and said, "You being adopted doesn't mean anything."

Theo smirked, "Not that. Scott do you remember the boy that had an asthma attack in the fourth grade that you consoled him before he was taken to the hospital."

Scott's eyes widened as he remembered, "Yeah. I don't remember his name."

Theo fought the knot in his throat as he confessed, "That boy was me Scott."

Scott shook his head in disbelief, "That can't be true."

Theo met the alpha's gaze again, "We used to share my inhaler when times were tough for you at home. I didn't mind, and we kept it behind the empty plate- "

Scott quietly continued, "In the boy's restroom near the recess field. How?"

Theo weakly smiled, "In that life, I grew up bitter, and hateful and I hurt you and your family the worst."

A few tears spilled from the chimera's face as he said, "Wow. I didn't think admitting this would be so difficult."

Scott reached his arm around his little brother and rubbed his back. Theo continued, "After everything happened, I fell in love with your first beta."

Scott tilted his head as he asked, "Alec? What does he have to do with this?"

Theo shook his head, "It wasn't Alec. Liam was your first beta."

Scott shook his head, "Liam's a born wolf. Always has been."

Theo smirked, "Scott listen to my heart. You know that we've had wolfsbane, so I won't be able to mask it."

Scott took a deep breath and nodded, "Scott, Liam is your beta. You made him a wolf to save his life."

Scott's eyes widened as he only heard the truth. He repeated, "How?"

Theo swallowed difficultly, "After Liam and I graduated, we spent our last night together by going to a bar. That's when we met a jinni who granted our wishes. Liam wished for us to be together and I wished for a little more time."

Theo smiled as he reflected on that time, so many years ago, "The jinni turned our bodies into 4-year-old bodies and de-aged Liam's parents."

Scott's eyes widened as a memory, long since buried, emerged in the alpha's mind. He whispered with an unsure tone, "I went into your mind."

Theo nodded slowly, "Yeah. That's before you fell under his spell."

The memory slivers came back to the alpha, memories of a life long past and he mumbled, "You were the one that killed me, not Tara."

Theo slowly nodded as his guilt flowed, "That was me. In that life, I killed Tara."

Scott shook his head, "It doesn't make sense."

Theo rubbed his pant's legs and said, "We went to find the jinni to change back but, in the end, we chose to grow up together again. That's when Brett and Nolan made wishes that set them on their path together and Liam and I made two more wishes. Liam wished for Mason and Corey to grow up with us again."

Scott sighed and looked away as he asked, "Theo, why are you telling me this?"

Theo glanced to the parking lot and replied weakly, "Because, I didn't wish to become a member of your family but it's by far the best thing that could've happened. I used to despise you for who you were, but I was blinded by hatred. As your little brother, I've only known love from you, mom, and dad. You gave me this life that I never knew I could have and I couldn't just lie to you anymore."

Scott stood up and took a few steps as the faint memories triggered and he said, "It's just so much. It makes sense now, the comments, the academic achievements, the college level material and beyond that you just understood. You were an adult in a child's body."

Theo focused on the pavement as a few tears fell, "Yeah. It's the lie I've been living for years."

Theo tried to read the alpha's chemo signals but couldn't place them as the variety bled off confused the chimera. Scott turned around and knelt in front of the chimera. He lifted Theo's head and met his gaze. The chimera saw the tears on the alpha's face as he said, "It's not a lie, Theo. You are my little brother. That hasn't changed, and I love you. That will never change. So, you took the long way to get here, it doesn't matter."

Theo hiccupped as the Alpha embraced him and he returned the embrace. When Scott pulled back from the hug he said, "If that's your confession, then I'm sorry you didn't feel comfortable enough in the past to share it."

Theo half smiled, "That's part of what I wanted to say."

Scott looked confused as he saw the chimera's mind working, "Part?"

Theo nodded and smugly grinned, "I still have my wish left."

Scott shook his head, "What wish? You grew up with Liam."

Theo nodded slowly again, "My final wish was to be able to summon the jinni in the future as a fail-safe for my life."

Scott's eyes widened, "What? You aren't thinking?"

Scott felt a slight tap on his shoulder. He quickly turned around and saw a man with darkly tanned skin, slicked back black hair, with a curled black mustache, wearing pajamas. The man smiled and said, "Well, I barely got to sleep." He looked to Theo, "Thanks a lot. I knew you were an asshole."

Theo smiled as he shrugged and looked to Scott, "Parrish was right. I am an asshole."

The jinni grumbled, "What do you want Theo?"

Theo replied, "If nothing changes, will Melissa die soon?"

The jinni rolled his eyes, "You know the answer already. She won't live to see your wedding."

Scott looked to both men and said, "What? We need to do something."

The jinni grinned to Scott, "Your "little brother" is already doing something."

Scott interrupted and looked to Theo, "I can't just let you do this. This is your last wish. What if something happens in the future. Or what if something happens to Liam? You'd have to live without him."

Theo looked to Scott and warmly smiled, "So, I'll have to be human, like everyone else. Scotty, let me do this one last supernatural thing for our family."

Scott gasped as Theo looked to the jinni, "I wish for Melissa to live happy and well and live at least long enough to see her grandchildren grow up."

The jinni grinned, "You know what you have to do." Theo smiled and nodded as he tipped back his flask and drank deeply.

The jinni laughed loudly and said, "Finally. Maybe I can get some peace and quiet without having that last wish over my head. Have a nice life Theo. And just to show I'm a nice guy, I'm going to give you a freebie."

Theo felt energy surround him and dissipate. He asked, "What was that?"

The jinni grinned, "You and Liam are tied, life and death. You won't have to live a second without him. Have fun." The djinn disappeared in a puff of white smoke while Scott stood dumbfounded.

Theo stood up and embraced his older brother. He whispered, "I hope that with everything you remember and everything you know, I love our family, our pack, and you, big brother."

Scott hugged his little brother and when he was released, he looked to the gymnasium. He saw Liam standing by the entrance, watching them both. He commented, "Little brother, your boyfriend is here for you."

Theo turned and saw Liam. He noticed the tears on his face as the little wolf walked up to them. Theo walked up the steps and was immediately embraced by the Little Wolf, "Theo, if I didn't tell you I loved you enough lately, I love you."

Theo kissed his boyfriend and responded, "Try to act surprised when I propose to you in a couple of days."

Scott remarked, "Wait, Theo, you are supposed to keep that a secret."

Liam looked to his alpha, "Scott, we share our thoughts. We don't have secrets."

Scott gasped, "Oh."

Theo looked back to his big brother and said, "You chose a good beta Scott. Thanks, big brother."

Scott looked to his phone and read Argent's message that Melissa just made a miraculous recovery. He whispered, "No, thank you, little brother."