CHAPTER 3

A/N

Some things to know about this story before we continue, just to lay out all cards on the table:

- Theo is the main character of this story. Although there will be other characters with large parts in this story, Theo is the character who most of the storylines will be based around. He's going to be a very fleshed out character so if you are into stories with an O.C, I highly recommend continuing. However, I know that there are some people out there who aren't as into them and would prefer to just read about the actual show's characters, so to them, I'd say maybe this story isn't for you. No hard feelings if you click away now!

- As you will see from reading on AO3 or FFN, there is a Santana/OC pairing in the story. This pairing is with Theo. I don't mean to be spoiling anything, and I won't spoil too much else apart from this. I just want to make sure the readers understand where I'm coming from. I 100% recognize that Santana on the show is Lesbian. However, in this story, she does have strong feelings for Brittany, but she also has feelings for Theo (a straight guy). Having Santana and Theo being together at some point isn't supposed to be homophobic in any way, and I sincerely apologize to anyone who might interpret it that way. There are indeed other stories on this site where Santana is paired with a male character, or straight characters are paired with other straight characters of the same gender. Just like I'm sure none of the authors mean any offense to any community with their stories, I mean absolutely no offense or disrespect with mine. Because I know how important the topic of sexuality is to a lot of people, and I would hate to offend anyone by writing something incorrectly due to a lack of understanding or knowledge. Growing up, we were never taught anything about this topic and while I'm trying to educate myself and learn as much as I can, I would hate to use the wrong terminology or say something unintentionally that someone might find insensitive. Kurt and Blaine will remain in their relationship as they are very minor characters in the story, but given that Santana is one of the major characters, I personally felt like it'd probably be easier doing it this way. There's absolutely no hard feelings if you'd like to click away from the story now because of it. I sincerely apologize if I've offended anyone. Sexuality is not meant to be a large theme of this story: the story's main theme is recovering from trauma and getting over loss.

One more minor detail about the story

- As you've probably noticed, the story takes place during the characters' senior years. This means that nothing from 3x01 onwards in the actual show takes place. Some storylines will be taken, or at least inspired by the show's Season 3, but many of them will be unique

Anyways, that's all I have to say. If you're still here reading, I really appreciate it. I will try my best not to let you down with the story! I hope you enjoy it! Here's the next chapter:

END OF AUTHOR'S NOTE

A few hours later, Theo walked out of the Southeast Florida Juvenile Detention Center. As he stepped through the gates, a free man for the first time in 8 months, he looked around him and pondered what this experience would've been like for most of the other prior inmates. On the very pavement where he stood, families probably did too: mothers, fathers, boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, all waiting eagerly to embrace their loved one and bring them home at long last. He could almost hear the delighted shrieks and screams as they lay eyes on the recently freed teenagers for the first time.

For Theo, it was dead and utterly silent. Nothing but the faint tweeting of a bird in the distance greeted him as he walked through the wrought iron gates, dressed in the very same clothes he had been wearing upon arrival, 250 whole days ago. That was 1 thing Theo was at least grateful for: no more ridiculous orange jumpsuit. There was something about wearing the same uniform as hundreds of other convicts that made Theo feel so small. Like he was just an inmate number and nothing more. That was part of the point of it, he supposed.

With nobody there to greet him upon his release, Theo had little choice but to begin walking. He walked further and further until the juvie was a mere speck behind him, breathing in the fresh air, allowing freedom to embrace him, but not allowing himself to enjoy it. Eventually, when Theo finally made it to something that at least resembled civilisation, he managed to find a taxi, wave him over, and step inside the vehicle.

"Morning, sir! How are you today?" The driver asked, cheerfully, as Theo collapsed in the back seat, unable to drag his own head upright and look the taxi driver in the eye.

"Fine. And you?" Theo mumbled.

"Can't complain." The driver responded. "So… where can I take you?"

A simple question, one asked by all of the millions of taxi drivers around the world, and yet Theo found himself stunned into silence. He was severely taken aback. Behind bars for 8 months, now that he was out, Theo realized that he had absolutely nowhere to go, nobody in his entire life to be with him.

"Uh… uh… I, uh… I don't know." Theo stammered, his mind whirring as he tried to think of somewhere, anywhere, but still frustratingly coming up empty. The driver chuckled, clearly sympathetic to the 18 year old's situation, unknowing of the details, but able to sense the aura of troubledness that followed the boy.

"Can I bring you to your parents, kid? Where does your old man live?" The driver asked innocently, eliciting a loud, mirthless chuckle from the teenager as he finally raised his head to look the driver in the eye.

"If you can somehow bring me to my father, I will personally pay you every cent in my wallet." Theo remarked. There was no mistaking what that meant - it was an epidemic plaguing more and more children worldwide by the day - and the taxi driver understood instantly.

"What about your mom?" The driver followed up. The joyless smile that had briefly inhabited Theo's face disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a dark, brooding look.

"Yeah, I… I have no interest in seeing her either. Doubt she really wants to see me either." Theo murmured. Another dark patch on the endless resume of misery and sorrow that was Theo's short life.

It took a little while longer, but Theo eventually gave the driver an address. He had lived in Florida for 4 years, and this was the only place he could possibly think of. It was the only place he wanted to go, somewhere he needed to go but hadn't gotten a chance to yet.

It was a 15 minute drive to his destination, and during not 1 of those minutes did Theo sit still. He was restless, his hand tapping against his leg and his leg tapping against his seat. When the taxi came to a halt, Theo's apprehension only grew, gnawing at him from the pits of his stomach, the boy swallowing deeply and taking steadying breaths to force himself to keep it at bay.

Within minutes of his arrival, Theo found himself standing in the middle of a lush meadow, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Taking a deep breath, Theo read the sign opposite him, before stepping inside…

PALM BEACH CEMETERY

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Of course she was here. Of course this was where she had finally been laid to rest. It was just so… her. Theo's head swiveled around, taking in his surroundings. It was so tranquil, so removed of all of the troubles of the big city. Birds were able to sing freely. Flowers and trees of all colors were able to bloom without being terrified of being cut down. The grass was long and lush. The only thing distinguishing it from a patch of land in Heaven itself was the needle-like marble and stone slabs that were emerging from the ground.

Theo hadn't gone to his wife's funeral. He had fought tooth and nail to be able to, but he simply hadn't been allowed to. By the day of the service, Theo was already behind bars, and the last thing the Juvie facility were going to allow was for their most recent inmate to be allowed to venture off-site, to the funeral of the person whose death was his fault, no less. So Theo had been forced to mourn his wife from within the cinder block walls, and was only now seeing the proper memorial for his wife for the first time.

Marley Rose-Martin

March 29th 1992 - December 31st 2010

Loving wife, daughter and friend

Rest in Peace

Upon reading the last sentence, Theo instantly felt waves of emotion cascading over him, the roses in his left hand clenching together as he squeezed his knuckles into a tight ball, his fingernails cutting into his skin. Before he could wreck them even further, Theo gently placed the bouquet of white roses against the headstone in front of him, before proceeding to sit down beside it. His back rested against the cold marble and he stared at the blue, clear sky above him.

"Hey, beautiful. It's me." Theo murmured.

He was talking directly to her, able to communicate through an invisible tether Theo knew existed between them. They were soulmates, so Theo knew that no matter where she was, on Earth or beyond, she would be able to hear him.

"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I've kind of been… caught up the past 8 months." Theo told her.

Theo paused for a moment, taking in the quiet surroundings. The cemetery was peaceful, practically empty. That made sense. It was a beautiful August day in Florida, shockingly cool and humid for this time of year, so everyone was probably somewhere else, doing something more cheerful. It didn't take a genius to reckon that if he were at the beach right now, he'd struggle for a square foot of space to stand in. But he wasn't. He was here, with his wife, just the two of them. Just the way she liked it.

"I miss you." Theo's voice cracked, slightly hoarse, as he said this, the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "I miss your voice. I miss your smile. I miss the way you light… you lit up any room you walk into. I miss waking up beside you. I miss the way you made me feel like I could be better than I ever imagined. I miss it all. I wish I could go back and change things. I wish I could go back and make it so you're still here with us. Still here with me."

Theo took a deep breath, feeling the tears beginning to trickle down his cheeks, the dam well and truly broken. All of the pain that had been bottled up inside him for 8 months rose to the surface now, unyielding quakes of agony rocking through his entire body.

"It's not fair." Theo whispered, roughly swallowing a lump in his throat. "It's not fair. None of it is fair. Why was it you who was taken away? It never should've been you! It should've been me! It was my mistake! My bad decision! I was the one driving the car, and yet God deemed it fair to keep me here and tear you away from this Earth!"

Theo could feel his fists clenching with rage, his knuckles pale as the petals of the roses beside him. A whirlwind of emotions swirled inside him, threatening to tear him apart. His chest felt like it's been ripped open, exposing the raw, aching pain that he had been carrying around for months. It was like a dark storm cloud had descended upon him, shrouding him in a blanket of despair. His heart was heavier than ever before, a lead weight dragging him down into the ground below him. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, like a chaotic symphony that had lost its conductor. As he sat beside the gravestone, he felt like he was tumbling into an abyss. His body was shaking with sobs, like an earthquake tearing the ground apart. He was suffocating, the air sucked out of his lungs. His emotions were like a raging river, threatening to overflow and consume him. He was drowning in a vast sea of guilt and regret, the pain radiating through his body like a wildfire. As he continued to speak to Marley, his voice was raw and hoarse, like a wounded animal's cry. He poured out his heart, his words like a torrential downpour of pain, sorrow, regret and despair.

Through a thick veil of tears, Theo saw the gravestone as if for the first time. The letters were etched into the stone like scars, a painful reminder of what he lost. He saw something else that nearly caused him to jump out of his skin in shock. He had been in such a trance, so wrapped up in his emotions, that he hadn't noticed a figure on the edge of the meadow, slowly drawing nearer. It was only when they were standing directly over him that Theo noticed their presence, and as he shot to his feet, his face paled and his mouth went dry when he saw who it was.

"Hello, Theo." A very familiar woman said to him. It took Theo a few moments to respond, his body short-circuited, refusing to respond to his brain. Eventually, he managed to utter his own greeting…

"Hello, Mrs. Rose…"