I don't own Teen Wolf.

Married to Darkness- Chapter 16

Gran stood up from her chair in the sun room, with Theo standing behind her, confident that Erik was fast asleep upstairs and demanded, "What were you thinking Raeken?"

Theo smugly grinned as he saw his reflection in the sun room window, "You wanted the hunters dead Gran and I delivered."

Gran clicked her dentures before she angrily responded, "You burned them alive."

Theo corrected her without an ounce of emotion, "Some of them. I only burned the bodies of the others."

Gran turned and glared at the chimera, "Why?"

Theo light-heartedly shrugged and stated, "Less evidence for the cops and the other hunters."

Gran shook her head and asked, "Who was the alpha that gave you the bite? You shifted into a full wolf and only powerful family lines can do that. Which family claims you?"

Theo's eyes widened and he began to menacingly chuckle, "You don't know do you? This entire time I thought you realized but you really are in the dark."

Gran argued, "What are you talking about? Of course I know you are a wolf."

Theo slowly shook his head and proudly beamed his malicious smile, "No, Gran, I am not a wolf. I can claw like a wolf, I can bite like a wolf, I can even shift into a wolf but I am not a wolf. I was made this way."

Gran furrowed her brow in confusion, "Made?"

Theo nodded slowly, "Yes, made. It's another reason I could control the electricity. And this." The chimera shifted his claws on his right hand and dripped some of the kanima venom into his left hand. He looked to Gran, "Renders my victims unable to move for hours. I can also use it to kill people if I get it into their bloodstream. Nasty, but effective."

Gran gasped and the realization struck her, "Then the chain"

Theo interrupted the old woman, "Is ineffective at controlling me. I did everything of my own free will. And here you were doubting my commitment."

Gran narrowed her eyes, "You are not the sweet young man I first met in the interrogation room."

Theo widened his dark grin, "You aren't wrong, Gran. What are we doing for the next mission?"

Gran replied, "I haven't decided yet. I will let you know, Mr. Raeken."

Theo laughed darkly as he left Gran's home.

Theo drove to the hospital. He pulled the truck around to the far side of the parking lot and parked in the darkness. Methodically, he kept to the shadows and dodged anyone who might see him. He climbed the backside of the hospital and made it to the roof. Using the stairs, he walked down to Liam's floor and slipped into the room. The lights were out and Theo stared at Liam, his eyes glowing gold. Like a shift from night to day, his eyes reverted and the menacing air left the chimera. He slowly lowered himself into the chair and looked at Liam.

He grabbed Liam's hand and a couple of tears drifted down his cheeks as he gazed upon the man he loves. He whispered, "Liam, I don't have long here but I had to see you. I want you to wake up and yell at me over how stupid I have been." The chimera chuckled a bit, "But I bet you won't do that. At least not right away. I bet you are going to have the same, ridiculous smile you wore at Sinema after our dance."

The chimera shook away the tears and continued, "Who am I kidding? I bet I'll be the one with the ridiculous smile. I don't know why I didn't run to you when Corey helped me figure out what was going on."

The chimera laughed but it was coated in pain, "I've done something incredibly stupid, little wolf, and I need you to wake up so you can help me. I hope you can find it in your heart to understand but if you can't, I will understand your decision. Fight through this and come back, Little Wolf."

Theo stood up slowly and kissed Liam's forehead. He stared at the young man for a few moments before he heard movement outside of the room. The chimera released Liam's hand and ran for the window. He cracked it open and slipped out.

The door to Liam's room slowly opened. Mrs. Geyer stepped into the room, a cup of coffee in hand, as Scott followed her into the room. She looked around and said, "I could've sworn I heard someone talking as we walked up." She walked over to the window and closed it before she took her seat next to Liam. Scott caught the scent and said, "He was here."

Mrs. Geyer looked to Scott, "You mean Theodore?"

Scott nodded as he caught the flavor of the scent. Theo was torn between anger and sorrow. His dread filled the room but so did the scent of blood and fire. Scott sighed and said, "Yeah. Theo was here."

Mrs. Geyer shook her head, "Why didn't he stay? I would've liked to see him."

Scott innocently smiled and said, "I think Theo is working through some of his own demons right now. I don't think he thinks anyone should see him."

Mrs. Geyer smiled a little, "I hope he finds his way back to us."

Scott nodded and whispered, "I hope so too."

The next day came and practice happened as usual at the fields. Mason watched as Corey and Nolan practiced on the field. He couldn't help but think of Liam, though his kept drifting to Theo. The chimera seemed to act as if nothing were bothering him. That wasn't all though. Mason noticed how tough he was being on the players, which only caused Finstock to cheer him on more. The chimera appeared to be enjoying the pain he was inflicting on the team as the practice devolved into an almost endless rotation of suicide sprints and aggressive attacking drills. When the practice concluded, Mason followed Corey back to the locker rooms. The teen asked, "Is it me or did Theo seem especially agro today?"

Corey smiled as he slowly shed his training gear, "You are telling me. If this is how he reacts without Liam, I'd hate to see him like this on a full moon."

Nolan looked to them and said, "Does the full moon affect him?"

Corey thought for a moment and said, "I'm honestly not sure. I don't know if it does because Theo seems to be always in control of himself, you know."

Mason shook his head, "I think it does though. He does have that side and I think that's all it takes to be affected."

Nolan finished taking off his clothes and wrapped a towel around his waist, "Well, we might have to get prepared for that. The full moon is next week, isn't it?"

Corey nodded as he wrapped his towel around his waist, "You're right. Do you think it might cause Liam to wake up?"

Mason bit his lip nervously, "I wouldn't bet on it. If anything we'll deal with a sleep walking raging predator on the full moon. I can't say I look forward to that."

The teens got cleaned up and ready for class. The school day passed like most and ended with them finishing up at lacrosse practice. Mason left with Corey when practice ended but Nolan chased down Theo as he headed to the maintenance shed. The nervous teen called out to Theo but the chimera seemed to ignore him.

Nolan sprinted to the entrance and barely reached it before Theo. He huffed, "What the hell Theo, I was yelling to you."

Theo looked to the teen and said, "Oh, I didn't hear you."

Nolan smirked as he followed the chimera down into the tunnels. He bit his lip nervously before he asked, "Are you going to see Liam today?"

Theo opened the entrance to his den and Nolan followed him inside. The chimera coldly replied, "I am following up in dealing with the hunters. If I can, I will swing by later."

Nolan stepped to Theo's cot and sat down as the chimera set his phone on the charger and sat at his desk. Theo logged onto his computer and began to do his biology work.

Nolan sighed before the idea struck him and he jumped up and said, "That's it! I can go with you when you deal with the hunters. I can help you like you helped me."

Theo glared at Nolan, "You're kidding right? If things go south, you wouldn't last two minutes."

Nolan pouted, "I don't know why you are being mean Theo, I can help. I know how to take care of myself."

Theo continued to glare, "This isn't you dancing at Sinema. This is against a group of hunters who kill first and ask questions later. How well did you fare last time with the hunters?"

Nolan's eyes fell to the ground before his head slowly lowered. He softly mumbled, "I guess you are right Theo. I am weak and I don't know why you guys keep me in the pack."

Rage filled the chimera as he stood up. He focused that rage at the frail, anxiety ridden teen who seemed to be barely holding back tears. The chimera raised his hand, which shifted into a claw to strike the boy. Theo attempted to slash forward but his hand wouldn't move. He turned his attention to the claw which shook mid-air but wouldn't move towards the boy. The chimera growled which caused the young man to raise his head.

Nolan looked to Theo and his raised claw before looking to Theo's face. A look of surprise flashed across Nolan's face before a smile formed and he met Theo's claw with a high five that shifted into a bro handshake hug. Nolan laughed and said, "I knew you were just busting my balls. Pack for life."

Theo shifted his expression from a neutral one to a smile and said, "Yeah, pack for life. Oh and sorry Nolan."

Nolan, while still holding Theo's grip asked, "What are you sorry for?" Before Theo answered, Nolan felt a tiny prick to the wrist that held Theo's grip. He mumbled, "Ouch, that hurt" before his legs lost their strength to hold him up. Theo caught the teen and slowly lowered him onto the cot. Nolan stared at Theo in complete shock as the chimera released the grip.

Theo said, "Stay here where it's safe Nolan. I'll be back later." Theo grabbed his phone and left the paralyzed boy on his cot. He closed the door and headed towards Gran's.

Mason sat in Liam's room, flipping through the pages of the texts. He checked and rechecked through the different notes that he made with stickys as he found things. Corey stepped into the room and said, "Mase, it's getting late. I think you should call it for today."

Mason glanced to Corey, "But I'm so close, I know it."

Corey walked over to Mason and closed the book in his hands. He gently smiled, "You aren't going to figure it out with how brain fried you are right now."

Mason shook his head, "No, Corey. I know I am close. I just think we might have to create the compound using another set of notes."

Corey sighed as he looked into Mason's eyes. His boyfriend's eyes showed fear and desperation, but also hope. He said, "We only found these texts."

Mason looked away and fought back a tear, "There has to be more. This can't be it."

Corey kissed Mason's forehead and said, "We can find a way Mase. Malia was here yesterday right?"

Mason looked to his boyfriend and nodded, "Yeah, she wanted to see Liam."

Corey half grinned, "I bet that was an awkward conversation."

Mason's eyes widened as he nodded, "To say the least. She did help point out why the Geneticist was so interested in Theo and Tara. She was trying to breed a body she could transfer her consciousness into. Some really freaky Dread Doctor stuff."

Corey sounded confused as he asked, "Malia helped figure this out?"

Mason sheepishly grinned, "Well, yeah. She pointed it out, right before she suggested I use the green stuff on Liam."

Corey thought for a moment and reflected back to Theo and his time in the hospital. His eyes widened, "Wait. The green stuff does neutralize the effects of the purple stuff. That's one reason that Theo takes it after he uses the other."

Mason gasped, "What? Then we need to get some." Mason pulled out his phone and tried to call Theo. The phone went straight to voicemail. Mason fought back his anger, "Theo's phone is off or out of signal."

Corey grinned, "Do you want to make a visit? Or we could go to the source and get some from the lab."

Mason grabbed the texts and tossed them into the bag. He quickly stood up, "We'll try Theo first and if not, then we can go to the tunnels."

The two teens left the hospital and rushed towards the chimera's den.

Theo met up with Gran and Erik at the edge of the preserve. He parked the truck just in the wood line and walked to their meet up point. Gran and Erik waited as they saw the chimera walking up. Gran stepped towards Theo and said, "Today should be easy."

Theo smugly smirked, "Every day dealing with these hunters is easy."

Gran tutted, "Pride comes before a fall young man."

Theo rolled his eyes at the woman, "If you and your junior hulk want to sit back, I know I can handle this by myself."

Erik growled at Theo, his eyes red and already wolfed out. Theo glared at the alpha, "If you want to fight Erik, I can leave you beaten right here."

Gran fought back her anger as she continued, "We're going to the armory. Their records showed that they are using the facility to hold more equipment since your pack's raid."

Theo playfully shrugged his shoulders and responded, "Sounds easy enough." The chimera shed his clothing and shifted into his wolf form before darting off into the forest towards the compound.

Erik ran after the chimera as Gran slowly moved towards the facility.

Nolan frantically attempted to move but accomplished nothing more than moving his eyes to look around. He tried to call out for help but quickly realized being underground was a problem to that. The teen's breathing accelerated as he struggled to move. His thoughts swarmed with being permanently paralyzed. He struggled to control his breathing and whispered to himself, "Come on. Think of something else."

As if his frazzled mind wanted to continue the torture, Nolan thought back to getting shot. He remembered the feeling on the bullet travelling through his body and how it hurt for a very short amount of time before he couldn't feel anything. Nolan's breathing only sped up as he thought, "I'm dying. That's why Theo apologized. I'm going to die right here. I don't want to die. I can't die here. Why can't I move?" The teen continued to freak out as he grew light headed from being unable to control his breathing. Eventually, filled with dread, he passed out.

He woke up to the sound of someone banging on the metal door. Nolan cried out as loud as he could, "Help! I'm in here."

Mason's voice carried, "Nolan? Open the door then."

Nolan screamed in desperation, "I can't move. I'm paralyzed Mason. Just open the door. Please."

Corey yelled back, "We can't open the door. It only works for Peter, Derek, and Theo."

Nolan's mind raced before he responded, "The claws. Get the claws."

Mason answered, "What?"

Nolan, almost giddy with the thought, "Go to my locker. I've got the bag with Theo and Liam's claws in it. It should be in my gym bag."

Mason yelled, "What's you combination?"

Nolan wracked his brain as the adrenaline and dread threatened to fog the numbers, "32, 10 and um. Um. Oh 7"

Mason confirmed, "32, 10, 7. I'll be right back Nolan. Hang in there."

Corey continued to speak, "Mason's going to get the claws. I'm right here Nolan. How are you holding up?"

Nolan began to sob a little, "I can't move Corey. It's dark and I don't want to be in here. Theo left to go do something to the hunters. I'm scared."

Corey gently replied, "It's okay Nolan. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

Nolan cried a bit more, "But I can't move. Maybe the purple stuff didn't fully heal me. What if I am stuck like this? I can barely move my head and look around. I don't want to be stuck like this."

Corey continued, "It'll be alright Nolan. We'll figure something out."

Mason yelled, "I've got the bag. Do you think this will work?"

Nolan screamed in desperation, "It has to Mase."

In a few moments, the door slid open. Mason ran to Nolan's side while Corey stepped in holding his hand up with Theo's claws jammed over his own nails.

Mason grabbed Nolan's hand and asked, "What happened?"

The nervous teen looked at Mason, "I came to help Theo. I wanted to make sure he was alright. He said he was going to fight the hunters and I told him I would go with him. He was an asshole but we high fived and bro shook at the end. That's when I couldn't move."

Mason looked at Nolan's hands and saw the tiny scratch on his wrist. The teen asked, "Did Theo have his claws out?"

Nolan's eyes widened in dread, "Yeah, but he barely scratched me."

Mason looked to Corey and the chimera returned the look before he said, "Kanima venom."

Even more dread filled Nolan's voice, "Kanima venom? What does that mean?"

Corey responded, "I think that means that the Theo you talked to wasn't the Theo we know."

Mason stood up and walked to the desk and opened the bottom drawer. He reached in and pulled out a vial of the green liquid. After pocketing it he said, "I thought Theo lost those powers when he was sent to hell."

Corey removed the claws and put them back into the bag. He scooped up Nolan and said, "What if this is that side of Theo? He came back very different than he was sent. What if it's like a split personality or compartmentalization?"

The teens walked out of the den as they continued their conversation. Mason stated, "That would make some kind of sense. His body would already have those abilities, just dormant, and when he tapped into that other side, suddenly he could manifest them again."

Nolan asked as Corey carried him through the tunnels, "This is really bad isn't it?"

Corey looked down at Nolan and said, "Yeah. I think it is."

They reached Mason's car and he asked, "Why now though? Is Liam what kept Theo, or at least the good Theo we know, in control?"

Corey slowly lowered Nolan into the backseat of the car, "I don't know. Maybe. But that also means there is a part of Theo that has given up on Liam ever waking up."

After they got into the car, Mason said, "It's time to prove Theo wrong."

Theo ran towards the compound and noticed that it looked deserted. The only sign of hunters that he found was a fresh ring of mountain ash which he easily broke. He heard the lumbering movements of the angry alpha following him. Theo darted near the doorway and followed the side of the structure until he reached the scorched opening that Corey and Nolan blew out. He slipped inside and heard the discharge of firearms and the howl of Erik. The sound of the fight was short lived as Theo heard the two additional heartbeats slowly quiet to nothing.

Theo shifted back human as he found the room with the crates. He muttered to himself, "More explosives? What the hell are they thinking?"

Theo grabbed the empty power cord that was plugged into the wall and sheared off the end. He drained it of its power which caused the overhead lights to flicker and eventually die. The chimera pushed the explosives into the room that originally contained them, the room Corey blew up and stepped out of the structure. He released a bolt of energy into the box which set off another explosion. The force threw Theo back into a tree which only caused him to laugh. "Another box of goodies gone."

Erik charged from the front of the structure to the side. The alpha roared at the chimera as he got to his feet. The anger bled from the alpha and Theo smugly smirked, "Oh, with Gran not physically here, you want to fight? Fine by me."

Erik lunged at Theo and the chimera managed to step out of the way and claw the backside of Erik's shoulder. The alpha released a roar as it turned itself around. Theo could hear from several hundred feet away, "Don't worry dear. There are ways to deal with kanima venom."

Theo growled at Gran's comment as Erik lunged at him again. The alpha's movements were slower but the venom wasn't doing its intended effect. Theo grappled with the alpha, his hands catching the alpha's claws. The alpha roared in his face and Theo roared back. As Erik pushed his incredible strength into Theo the chimera shifted his footing and used that strength to throw the alpha through a tree, which splintered on his impact.

Theo darkly grinned, "You don't stand a chance."

Erik jumped to his feet and threw himself into the air, fury and claws flying towards Theo. The chimera channeled the remaining electricity into a bolt that blasted Erik from the air, causing him to crash into the side of the concrete facility. Theo stepped towards the down and stunned alpha and wrapped his claws around its throat. He lifted Erik up and met the gaze of the alpha. Erik's face had reverted and his eyes were normal. The smell of Erik's scorched flesh filled the air as did the scents of pain, dread, and anxiety. He stared into Theo's golden orbs and fear travelled through him.

Theo whispered, "Why shouldn't I kill you right now?" Theo slowly increased the pressure around the young man's throat but before he could break the skin, his hand fought back against him. It trembled lightly as he fought to squeeze harder and his limb wouldn't listen.

Erik weakly mumbled, "I don't understand. What is going on?" His eyes darted around in confusion as the fear and pain bled off him. Theo glanced away from the facility and saw Gran eying him. The chimera tossed Erik's weakened frame towards Gran's feet. Erik rolled a few times and stopped just short of Gran.

The chimera glared at the two, "This is me doing you a favor Gran. It won't happen again."

Gran helped Erik get back to his feet. The confused alpha pleaded, "Where am I Gran? What's going on?"

Gran plastered her maternal face and gently whispered, "You lost control dear. Theo helped stop you from doing something bad."

Theo rolled his eyes as the woman lied but knew that the young alpha wouldn't catch it. He stepped away from the facility towards the perimeter that he ran not too long ago. He searched for the familiar scent and found where he marked the ground.

Theo uncovered the radio he stashed there. He grinned at his planned effort to get all the information he could need about the hunters.

Mason and Corey walked into the hospital entrance, Nolan in Corey's arms as they made their way to the elevator. Melissa spotted the teens and ran over to them at the elevator. She looked at Nolan before looking to Corey, "What happened?"

Corey remarked, "Kanima venom."

The doors opened and the four entered. Melissa asked, "Jackson?"

Mason shook his head, "No. It was Theo."

Melissa's eyes widened in surprise, "I didn't think Theo could use kanima venom."

Corey sighed, "He can again, which is really not a good sign."

Nolan's voice trembled as he said, "What's going to happen to me?"

Melissa grabbed Nolan's hand as they stepped out of the elevator. She whispered, "Try and calm down Nolan. I want you to concentrate on my hand and squeezing it, okay?"

Nolan sighed before he tried to focus all his effort to following Mama McCall's directions. After a moment, she felt Nolan squeeze her hand. Happily she stated, "Did you feel that? It's starting to wear off."

Nolan's face lit up like a Christmas tree, "What? Yeah. I can feel your hand Mrs. McCall. I can feel it."

She smiled to Nolan, "You are going to be alright."

When they reached Liam's room, Mason opened the door and stepped in. Scott and Malia sat in the chairs next to the comatose young man. Scott stood up and looked to the group entering. He asked, "What's going on?"

Mason stepped to Liam's side and looked into the face of his best friend. He began, "Something is going on with Theo. He paralyzed Nolan with kanima venom. I'm starting to think that isn't the worst of what is going on."

Scott asked, "What do you mean?"

Mason sighed as Corey carried Nolan to the small sofa in the corner of the room and sat Nolan down. The teen continued, "I think Theo is back. The Theo from before."

Malia growled, "That Theo never left."

Scott glared at Malia, "That's not true. He was here last night with Liam. The Theo that cares about Liam."

Corey commented, "Well, we don't know what happened but I think he is back to his horrible self."

Nolan thought about his interaction with Theo earlier and gasped, "He was going to kill me."

Malia looked to the nervous boy, "And you are surprised."

Nolan responded, "Yeah. But it's like his body wouldn't let him. I just thought we were high fiving but he had his claw raised towards me. His arm wouldn't move though. That's why he growled, at himself, not to get my attention."

Corey looked to Nolan, "So it's like an internal struggle?"

Nolan quietly responded, "I hope so."

Scott looked to Mason, "There is only one person who can reach Theo now, and I don't think Liam is waking up anytime soon."

Mason stepped over to Liam's IV and looked back to Scott with a glint in his eye, "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

Scott gasped to respond but Mason pulled out the syringe and injected it into the IV solution. Melissa tried to make it to Mason before he could complete the injection but was too late. She glared at Mason, "What did you just do?"

Mason looked to Liam and then to Melissa, "I thought it would work."

As soon as he finished, Liam's eyes shot open and the purple haze that covered them flashed green and disappeared.