Liam was asleep when Theo got the call.

Stilinski.

"Hello?" Theo whispered into the phone as he tried to get out of bed as gently and quietly as humanly possible, making sure not to disturb Liam.

"Theo. I think you'll wanna come down to the station asap."

"Do you have him?"

"No. But we have close."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"It seems he's got an accomplice."

Donovan. Of course that fuckwad was involved.

"I'll be there soon. Thank you, Stilinski" Theo said as he hung up the phone. He looked over at Liam and decided it would be best to let him rest. It wouldn't take him long. He found a pen and notepad just in case and left Liam a note letting him know he was out. He didn't want to say anything in case the cops couldn't arrest Brett.

He double checked that Liam had his phone close by and that it was charging. He also left some sweatpants, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt on the bed beside Liam where Theo had been laying. When he was sure he had everything in order, he grabbed 2 bottles of water, one for himself and one for Liam, and went out the door. He made sure his security system was up and running so that if Liam even rolled over, he'd get a notification.

Nobody else was gonna touch him.

"Yo! Parrish! Where's-" Theo stopped dead in his tracks. Josh. Why was Josh here?

Josh looked up at Theo, still uncuffed, making no eye contact whatsoever with Theo.

Please... NO...

"Josh?..." Theo looked at him with a broken expression, but only for a second. Not long enough to really convey his emotions. He became stoic after the realization hit him.

"Theo, the sheriff is finishing up some paperwork If you wanna wait here" Parrish left after a few moments of having Josh sign some paperwork.

The silence was deafening. Theo tried not to look at Josh, but Josh was looking at Theo. He looked guilty. He looked mortified. He looked betrayed. It was ironic because that's how Theo felt. Betrayed. Mortified. How could Josh have done something like this? What exactly had he done? Why was he not in handcuffs?

"Alright, Diaz. Just wait over with Parrish and he'll get your statement."

Oh thank GOD.

"What's going on?"

Noah looked at Theo and then back at Josh and waited until Josh was out of earshot before answering. "That guy was an accomplice. He says he was working with Talbot and Donati on some revenge quest gone wrong. He said they paid him."

Theo felt sick. He wanted to sit down, but if he sat down it would be worse. The room was spinning.

"I take it you know the guy?"

"We're... familiar... with each other." Theo said ashamed.

Noah didn't need to know the details to understand what he meant. "You liked him."

Theo snapped his head up at the accusation. "I barely knew him!" He defended, though he didn't really know who he was defending...

"You felt like you could trust him, though," Sheriff Stilinski reiterated. "That's why he felt he could get to you easily."

Theo felt his stomach drop. This was his fault. No matter what, this was because of him. Liam got hurt. Violated... Raped... because of Theo...

Liam woke up to an empty bed.

Where was Theo? Why would Theo leave him alone after this?

How did this even happen...

Liam laid there, in Theo's bed, hands over his face, and started crying...

He wasn't sure how long he was crying, but he did know that it wasn't daylight yet and now it was starting to get bright out.

Liam rolled to his side, dehydrated and now hungry... that didn't mean he wanted to eat, though... He did, however, grab the bottle of water that was sitting on the nightstand. Theo must've left it there for him before he left him to deal with this by himself.

Liam leaned forward to grab the water and that was when he saw that Theo had left a note. It was under his phone which he had evidently grabbed out of the bathroom and put on the charger at some point.

Liam,

I'm going out for a while and I didn't want to wake you.

If I'm not back before you wake up, make yourself at home.

I won't be long.

-Theo

Liam checked his phone for the time and it was 6:23 in the morning. The sun was so bright for such a dark cloud to be over Liam. He didn't even know how he was going to make it though these next few days. He has to work. How was he going to work at a hotel now?

It's my fault... I knew... I let this happen to me... It's my fault...

"Sheriff, do you mind if I talk to Josh by myself?"

"Raeken, is that the best idea?"

"I just wanna know why he did it."

"He said they paid him" Jordan chimed in.

"Yeah. I got that. There had to be a reason why he thought it was a good idea, though. I mean... he didn't seem..." Theo looked absently at Josh through the office window. He couldn't believe he was the same man. The man who was so tender, but so playful. SO loving... Caring... How could this man have anything to do with such a fucked up pair of morons as Brett fucking Talbot and Donovan deranged Donati.

Noah and Jordan looked at Theo with sadness and concern in their eyes and finally Noah said "alright kid. Not too long and nothing that would upset him."

Theo walked into the sheriff's office and looked at Josh and before he could even ask anything, Josh started crying. Sobbing. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. Theo didn't really notice, since he hadn't really seen him much in the daylight and his eyes were so dark naturally, but now... Josh looked like he had been struggling to survive... If he wasn't so muscular, though he was lean, Theo might have even thought he was going hungry.

Theo had gotten so wrapped up in the fantasy of what he and Josh had, that the reality didn't exist to him. He had rules. He had reasons. He was strict. Strategic. No one was supposed to be above the boundaries that Theo had set.

This was the exact reason.

Someone got hurt.

"Theo I'm so-"

"Why did you do it?"

Josh sniffles trying to at least give the illusion of regaining his composure. "What do you mean? They paid me. They didn't tell me they were gonna do anything to Liam, Theo, I swear!"

"What made you agree to get paid to mess with me?... I had never met you... I couldn't have possibly done anything to you to deserve your hatred... so... why?" Theo said in a calm, soothing voice. The voice that used to be Josh's lullaby... The voice that now scared him...

Josh sighed and looked down. "They told me what you did... Their versions, I mean" Josh couldn't look at Theo. He knew he'd never believe that anyone would be so stupid, but here he was... "I had just had a bad breakup... My ex threw me out in the middle of the night. He tossed me when he met some chick, but he did get a few good punches in when I tried to at least grab my things from the house... I didn't even have any money for a hotel. I didn't even get to have anything that meant anything to me... I was sleeping in the liquor store parking lot... Less likely to get moved... Eventually I did have to move so no one would get suspicious."

Theo almost felt bad for him... almost. Regardless, he let him continue.

"When I moved, I was staying at the park. Garrett saw me and he or his girlfriend started following me. He slashed one of my tires one night when I was stopped to get something to eat. Another time, she busted my window... My door was stuck closed because the glass made it where I couldn't even unlock my door."

"Shit" Theo said under his breath.

"It could've been the other way around, so... small victories."

Theo didn't want to laugh at that, but that is the worst possible thing. Living out of your vehicle and having your ex stalk you just to cause not only drama, but trauma.

"I drove to Beacon Hills and never looked back. I was living in my car for about two months when I met Donovan. He introduced me to Brett after he got out of jail. I didn't know the story. I wasn't from here. I didn't know anyone. I didn't know what they were gonna do to him... Theo, please believe me..." Josh looked at him with sincerity in his pleading eyes.

"That still doesn't explain anything. What made you think you could trust those two IDIOTS?!"

"Donovan gave me a place to live. He helped me when no one else seemed to care. He said he had some rich friend on the inside and he was watching his place for him while he was gone. He said that he was wrongly accused and he was gonna find a way to help him het out sooner. It was a while before I even knew what he was accused of or even Brett's name. Donovan was so vague about his 'friend in prison'. I was in no position to give up free housing and food. He didn't even make me get a job to help out."

"That doesn't seem like some shady shit to you?"

"The guy was loaded! How could you possibly find it hard to believe he just... didn't need it?"

Brett and his inheritance.

"Anyway, when he told me the stories about you guys... it really did seem like you were the bad guy... It made me think about Garrett... So when they asked me if I'd go along with their plan and mess with you, I just thought it was trying to make you fall for me and maybe expose you as a prostitute... I had NO idea Brett was going to do anything to Liam until you texted me saying he was raped..."

This got Theo's attention. "How long have you guys been planning this?"

"Since about a month before Brett got out of prison..."

Theo looked completely disgusted. He looked like he could murder. Josh wouldn't blame him. However, Josh was there with a purpose.

"That's been four months..."

"I told Brett it was weird and that I didn't wanna be involved anymore and he didn't hear me. He said 'we're almost done.' 'Do what you do Joshy boy.' Finally, I said I was out and screw the money... but he handed me a wad of cash and said it was done and that you would be ruined..."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"He implied that he was gonna try and frame you for Liam's rape..."