**So, Fanfic's stats and traffic updates have been down for over a week now. So, I have no clue if anyone is still reading or not. Hopefully so. But I will keep posting anyway. Hope you all enjoy. ***

SONG: Nobody said it was easy…It's such a shame for us to part…Nobody said it was easy…No one ever said it would be this hard…Oh, take me back to the start ~ The Scientist by Coldplay

Chapter 19

Malia:

"I don't understand why I have to be there. Scott looked like he was ready to rip my throat out earlier. Why would I want to give him a second chance at it?" Theo asked as we walked out the back door and towards the courtyard.

"He doesn't want to rip your throat out."

Theo snorted and gave me a look.

"Fine, maybe he thought about at least hitting you. Stiles is his best friend. But he also wants to help."

"Why? How?"

"It's what he does. He likes to help people."

"Yeah but how? What can he possibly do?"

"You'd be surprised what he can do?" Isaac said coming up behind us, a hand gripping Theo's shoulder, hard if the wince on his face is anything to go by and inserting himself to walk between us. Allison came up on my other side wrapping an arm around me.

"Are you okay?" she asked. I shrugged. I wasn't okay at all. Between this bio mom thing and Stiles, I was not okay in the least. "We'll fix this."

I looked and saw Isaac had led Theo over to the rest of the group gathered and stopped Allison.

"I didn't want to hurt him. I -." I swallowed hard not able to say it aloud.

"I know."

"What if he won't listen? What if he won't forgive me? I just wanted to protect him. The thought of anything happening to him…"

"Guts you. I know. We all feel that way about people we… care about. But after what happened to him, Scott and Lydia, Stiles is big on honesty and trust. You may not have meant to, but you broke both of those when you broke up with him. Knowing Stiles, he knows your hiding something from him."

I flinched but nodded.

"This won't be easy. Just don't give up on him okay. We'll figure this out and he'll come around."

"I let Lydia's premonition and then all this get to me, and I just panicked. I can't let him get hurt." I repeated.

"I get that. But Lydia's vision was of him getting hurt not dying. He can heal from being hurt and I know he would take any injury if he got it helping or protecting you."

"But what if it's an injury that he can't come back from?"

"Do you really think Scott would let Stiles die if he could prevent it in any way?" she snorted with a raised brow. I nodded in understanding.

"I know, you're right." I sighed, remembering a conversation that Stiles and I had.

You never want to be a supernatural?

If I had a choice, no. I'm good with being just a human. But if it came down to life or death then I hope he bites the hell out of me. Just take a big ole chunk right out of me.

"Come on, let's get this taken care of and then we can work on Stiles forgiving you." She said grabbing my hand and tugging me the rest of the way to the group.

Scott was standing in front of Theo, Isaac standing just off to the side behind him and Liam next to him, with Mason somewhat behind him. Lydia was sitting on the tabletop. Allison went off to join her while I stood awkwardly between Theo and Scott. Theo was looking between Liam and Mason with his head tilted.

"Are you two together?" he asked them.

"What? No, Liam's like my brother." Mason answered with a disgusted shiver. Liam rolled his eyes not at all offended.

"Okay, first things first. Theo, what are you?"

"What? What do you mean?" he asked going to take a step back but bumping into Isaac.

"You're not a wolf, not a coyote but you are something. What is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said, shaking his head.

Scott took a step forward his eyes switching, which apparently signaled the rest of us. Theo looked around and saw gold, red and blue eyes around him.

"Okay, alright. I don't actually know what I am." He sighed.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Isaac asked.

"I mean, I don't know. Not sure how else to say that. I'm not a shifter really. I got the eyes and strength and speed, but I can't shift. No claws, no fangs."

"Is that even possible?" Liam asked.

"I don't know. I wouldn't think so, but we learn new things every day." Scott said. "But we'll think on that later, maybe talk to Deaton."

"Or Argent, I mean Mr. Argent." Isaac corrected himself, looking nervously around.

"Dude, he's not even here." Mason exclaimed.

"You don't know that." Isaac whisper-yelled in paranoia. Allison giggled.

"Anyway." Scott said rolling his eyes. "It's a discussion for another day. Right now, I need you both to explain what's going on." He said to Theo and me. We looked at each other and he gestured for me to go first.

"How much has Stiles told you about my birth mom?" I asked looking only at Scott. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, and I still didn't like being stared at and I didn't have Stiles to make me feel less overwhelmed.

"I know nothing besides what I told him before the full moon back in November. He wouldn't tell me anything unless he thought I needed to know, and he wouldn't tell me until he talked to you about it first." Scott explained. I tried to smile in appreciation of Stiles.

Nodding I went on to explain what I told Stiles and then continued on to what I was hiding from him and about the plan for Peter and maybe Braeden to go with me to meet her. I stopped right at the point where I broke up with Stiles. Lydia twitched in my direction then waved me over. Relaxing at the fact that I hadn't lost their friendship I joined both her and Allison at the table.

"What's your part in all this?" Scott asked Theo.

Theo looked around at everyone and seemed to deflate.

"Fine, I'll tell you what I know. Just remember I am only the messenger. So, promise you won't kill me, or let anyone else kill me." He said glancing my way.

"I promise no one is going to kill you." Scott said.

I opened my mouth to protest but Lydia squeezed my arm and I shut it but glared at Theo, wondering what it was exactly anyone would want to kill him for. Theo inched further away from me standing closer to Isaac, the fact that he felt safer with Isaac then me right now made me even more suspicious.

"I met Corinne just a couple of months ago."

"Who's Corinne?" Allison asked.

"The Desert wolf."

"My mother."

Theo and I answered together. Everyone nodded and Theo went on.

"I'm kind of on loan to her."

"You're on loan to her? Like rent a kid?" Isaac asked.

"More like a blackmail, hostage situation." Theo corrected.

"Blackmail?" Scott asked.

"Hostage?" I asked.

"Yes. Can I please just get through this before any questions or outrage?" Theo sighed.

"Okay, go ahead." Scott said.

"So, I met Corinne a couple of months ago, around the middle of November. She had seen a newspaper article that a girl that had been missing for 8 years turning up unexpectedly. So, they sent me to spy. Gave me the information to see if it was who she thought it was. I saw Malia with Stiles at the movies and followed them found out the address she gave me was the same one Stiles dropped her off at."

My hands curled into fist, and I could feel the switch in my eyes. He's the reason she knows about Stiles. I growled lowly at him, wanting to launch myself at him but both Lydia and Allison grabbed me to stop me. Liam inched closer to me just in case I lost it. We still called him mini wolf, but he was seriously strong.

"I reported back to her what I saw and that's when she put a plan together, well both of them did. They had someone hack the school system and enroll me in school here. This was after Corinne followed you to the lake house. Her original idea was to enroll me in all Malia's classes and get me to flirt with Malia and lure her away somehow. I knew that wouldn't work for more than one reason. And when she saw Malia and Stiles cuddled up she made the decision to use him as bait or at least that's what she wanted Malia to believe."

"Wait, she wanted me to believe she was going after Stiles, not that she actually plan too?" I couldn't help but ask.

"No, she wanted me to make you worry about Stiles to get to you come to her. She's clever but not stupid. She had no intention of going after a cops kid and she figured you or Stiles would have told his dad about her already. Going after Stiles would have been a last resort for her."

"But you warned me. You made it sound like she would use it to me. Made sure to tell me that every time we talked."

"That wasn't her idea." He admitted.

"The mystery partner?" Lydia said. Theo nodded.

"Anything else?" Scott asked. He shook his head.

"Not much more then what Malia already told you? The plan is to go to her on Friday. She may have something planned once she gets there, but I don't know what that is. My job is technically done when we both show up there."

"Who's the partner? And why is she so invested in my breaking up with Stiles?" I asked.

Theo looked at me but said nothing. His lips pressed into a thin line as he shook his head.

"Theo?" Scott questioned.

"I can't say." He finally answered.

"Why not? Is this about the blackmail thing or whatever?" Isaac asked.

"Yes, it's the blackmail thing."

"But you won't tell us who it is?" Allison asked.

"I can't. I can't risk it."

"This thing, whatever it is that they're holding over your head, it's that important?" Liam asked. Theo nodded.

"Can you tell us what it is at least?" Scott asked. Theo looked pained running a hand through his hair.

"They have my brother."

"Shit, man." Isaac groaned.

"Yeah, so you can see why I don't have a choice. I have to get him away from them, but I don't know how and right now I have to play along until I can figure it out. If they finds out I told you who it is, it could cost him his life."

"But you're telling us about Corinne's plan." Allison said.

"Yeah, they doesn't care about Corinne or her plan. They're using that as a jumpstart to their own plan."

"And their plan involves separating Malia and Stiles?" Mason asked. Theo clamped his mouth shut.

"Okay. Let's put a pin in that for now. Let's focus on this problem now and maybe afterwards we can find a way to help you get your brother back. Okay?" Scott said. Theo nodded looking relieved, scared, hopeful and helpless all at the same time.

"I'm just curious. You said you knew flirting with Malia wouldn't work. Why?" Isaac asked. Not sure why that was relevant but its Isaac, sometimes he didn't do or say things that made sense, hence his unnatural fear that Argent was listening to his every word.

"Because I'm gay. I've tried flirting with girls before, no matter how pretty they are it is awkward and unnatural." He snorted.

"Okay then. Make sense." Isaac nodded then got a wicked grin on his face. "Have you met Mason yet?" he asked waving his hand in Mason and Liam's direction.

"Seriously Isaac. Are you trying to pimp me out?" Mason rolled his eyes while the rest of us snickered. "He's not even my type. No offense." Mason said to Theo.

"None taken. You're not my type either actually. I'm more into adorable and blonde." Theo said winking at Liam, whose eyes widened, and he looked awkwardly away, his cheeks pinking up.

"Aww…" Allison cooed. Liam groaned.

"Please don't call me a puppy again." He whined.

"Okay, before this gets out of hand. We need to find a place to meet at probably tomorrow after I talk to Stiles… and yes I do have to tell Stiles, at least part of this. We can't keep him out of this Malia. I'm sorry. He needs to know what we are going up against."

I nodded, not liking it but understanding it.

"So, I'll text everyone once I talk to him. Not sure where we can go though. I don't trust being out in the open like this where anyone can overhear us. But…" he glanced around the nearly empty courtyard and then at Theo. "Not sure I want it to be at any of our homes either."

Theo shrugged, not looking offended at all.

"Derek's?" Liam suggested.

"We can't always go there whenever we want to meet, but we do need to talk to Peter and Breaden. I can see if he's willing."

"Or… I do still have the keys to my old house. Its empty and all. We can use that to talk." Lydia suggested.

"God, I love you." Scott practically moaned. Lydia giggled.

"Anyway…" Allison cut in before those two could get started. "Lydia's old house could work. Malia can you contact Peter?"

"Yeah I can do that." I agreed.

"Alright. I guess that's it for now. Theo, we need a way to contact you as well. Is your phone safe?"

"Corinne gave me a burner phone so it's untraceable. But I do have a normal cell phone to stay connected with my brother, when we can." He said sadly, pulling it out and handing it to Scott, who put his number in and called himself.

"Good. Let's get going."

Meeting dismissed, I walked with Mason while Theo sidled up to Liam. The light blush Liam was sporting said he was flirting with the mini wolf. Mason and I looked at each other and shook our heads.