***This will be the only multichapter update for this story. i need time to finish the one that comes after this. But i will be posting 1 chapter at a time twice a week. Enjoy. ***

Chapter 3

Theo:

Could he get any more adorably cute? I couldn't hear what was being said from that end of the table but he, Mason, Isaac, Stiles, and Malia were having an animated conversation about something. His smile was wide, eyes bright and face flushed. He kept sweeping his hair back from his face. It had gotten longer and was constantly falling in his eyes. I'm not sure if he planned to get a cut but I hoped not. I could already imagine my fingers running through it. Isaac said something and Liam's head fell back as he laughed, and I had to fight the urge to just go over there.

"You have so got it bad." Allison snickered from next to me. I turned to see that not only was she smirking at me but so were Lydia and Scott.

"Got what bad?" I asked, picking up my fork and stirring the now congealed mess on my tray. I'm not actually sure what it's even supposed to be. "Is this supposed to be food?"

"We are not actually sure what it's supposed to be." Lydia answered.

"Is it even legal to serve to children? This should be reported." I muttered watching it fall from the fork back onto the tray with a plop.

"No changing the subject. How are things going between you and mini wolf?" Allison asked, making Scott snort and shake his head.

"You all have got to stop calling him that before he revolts." He said.

"Fine, fine." Allison sighed. "Now answer the question Theo."

All three of them were focused back on me.

"Seriously, you all want to know?"

"Only if you want to tell us. If not, then we will respect that. It's not any of our business, really." Scott said.

I really appreciated that trait of his. He didn't push for information. He asked and if you decided not to answer then he left it alone. Only insisting when the situation became an issue for everyone. Still twirling my fork through the mush, I tried to decide what and how much to say.

"We are taking things slow."

"Because he's not out?" Allison asked.

"Partly. He's not ready for that step and I have no plans to rush him on it. I just like spending time with him." I chanced a glance back in his direction just as he looked over at me and smiled before going back to his conversation.

"I don't want to pry but are you going to be okay with that? You're out, right? Won't it be hard for you to keep it a secret?" Scott asked.

"I've known I was gay for years, but only recently been out. Not my doing but circumstances. But since I have been out, I understand why he isn't. it's not easy being looked at like you're disgusting or a predator. Hearing some of the things people say and being called names because you don't follow what they consider normal, can make you feel…" I shook my head remembering some of the things said to me or about me.

Liam's eyes snapped in my direction. His brow crinkled and he tilted his head in concern. I gave him a reassuring smile and winked at him, making him blush. Mason bumped into him getting his attention back on their conversation.

"I'm okay with him being careful and us going slow and seeing what happens. The only hard part of this is I have to be careful of how much I touch him or flirt with him in public. I really like making him blush." I grinned. Lydia and Allison both cackled and Scott grinned.

"Besides, I may have known I was gay for a while, but it was technically in theory. Being locked away for the last six years didn't really allow for practical application. Wanting him as much as I do is new to me as well. So, part of this moving slow is for my benefit as much as it is for his."

"That's understandable. It's good you guys have talked about it. I hope it works out for you." Scott said.

"Thanks. Are you going to warn me not to hurt him too?" I asked Scott.

"Someone warned you?"

"Stiles. He told me to make sure I treated him right because you all think of him as a little brother."

"That's true, we do. But I don't think I need to warn you. I can see how you look at him and how he looks at you. I can't see you ever intentionally hurting him." Scott said.

"Besides, if you do hurt him, we know where to find you." Allison tacked on.

"I have no intentions to hurt him." I told them, seriously.

"Good. Then we have no problems. But I have a good feeling about you two." Lydia said.

"A feeling feeling?" I asked.

She smirked, leaning back against her boyfriend. I huffed and shook my head, pulling out my phone as it buzzed in my pocket.

"It's Corey." I said standing and answering, walking away from the table.

"Hello? Corey?"

"Hey brother." He sounded weary and that worried me.

"Hey. How are you? Where are you?" I asked going out into the hall.

"I'm fine. But things are getting crazy here. I'm not telling you were I am. If I do I know you. you'll come running and it's not safe."

"Corey, what are you talking about? Crazy how?" I asked, angrily.

Liam:

I stopped mid conversation and watched Theo speed walk out of the cafeteria then looked back at Scott in question.

"Corey." He said in way of explanation. Some instinct told me to go after him. maybe it was the fact that I could hear his heart racing even from here, and I could scent his stress.

He was leaning against a wall in the hall when I found him. I startled him when I grabbed his arm leading him to the chem lab. We should just rename this room 'supernatural summit' or something. When I closed the door, he put his phone on speaker so I could hear.

"…losing his shit, Theo. I swear. I keep hearing screams like people are being tortured."

"And dad is doing this?" Theo asked, looking at me.

"I don't know. I can't get anywhere near that side of the building. I can't even sneak in because it's heavily guarded. But every time he comes back to our side he's splattered with blood or… stuff that I am sure I don't want to know about. And that Kate chick keeps coming back and forth asking if he's made progress. And talking about some kind of ritual. I have no clue what it is though. But your name came up a few times. I'm worried they are going to try to get to you again."

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. I need to find you, so I can get you out."

"Theo, no, you.…" there was rustling on the other end before Corey came back, whispering in a rush. "I got to go. But stop worrying about me. just stay safe. I'll call back when I can."

"Corey…. Corey." Theo called but got no answer. "Damn it!" he growled.

I grabbed his hand before he could throw his phone, which is what he looked like he wanted to do. I grabbed it from him and set it down. Growling, he slammed his fist down on the table in front of him, hard. I stopped him from doing it again and turned him to face me. His eyes were glistening, and he looked minutes away from just breaking down.

"I can't lose my brother. He's all that I have left. I need to find him. But I don't know how. I'm terrified that…" he couldn't finish but I knew what he was not willing to say.

I pulled him into a hug, not having words that would work in this situation. His arms tightened around me as he pressed his face onto my shoulder. My wolf whimpered in sympathy and pain for him.

"We'll find him." I tried to reassure him.

"How? He won't even tell me where he is. I don't even know if he's close or not. What if he's halfway around the world or something."

"Hey." I pulled away to look at him. "If we have to search the world, we'll find him. You're not alone, okay?"

He nodded, closing his eyes, and taking a deep breath. My instincts were hitting me hard. They had never really hit me this strongly before. But it's the reason I swiped at the wetness under his eyes. He blinked in surprise then gave a slight smile.

"Should we tell the others? See if anyone has any ideas?" I asked.

"Yeah, let's do that. Anything to get my brother back." He sighed.

"Okay, I'll text them to meet us here. You okay with doing this today?"

He nodded, pulling back, and using his shirt to clean himself up. I pulled out my phone and sent a group text.

LIAM: MEET IN THE CHEM LAB A.K.A. SUPERNATURAL SUMMIT, ASAP?

I hopped up on a table and waited. Theo hopped up next to me.

ISAAC: WE ARE SO CALLING IT THAT FROM NOW ON.

SCOTT: ON OUR WAY.

"They're on the way. are you going to be okay to talk about this or do you want me to do it?" I asked.

"I really don't know. I should be the one to explain but…"

"Well, if you need me to, just…" I grabbed hold of his hand. "squeeze my hand."

He nodded, relaxing a little, just as the door squeaked open. In walked Scott and Lydia in the lead followed by everyone else. I could see a smirk forming on Isaac's face when he saw us, but Allison slapped a hand over his mouth before he could say anything. She literally slapped it over his mouth. you could hear the contact being made. Theo chuckled. Everyone else just took us holding hands in stride, though Mason did give me a nod and a smile.

"What's going on guys? Scott said Corey called." Stiles said, hopping up on another table and pulling Malia in front of him.

Theo blew out a harsh breath, opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. Suddenly he was squeezing my hand super tight. I smiled at him.

"Wherever Corey is, it sounds like it's getting really bad." I explained what Corey said about the screaming and his father being involved. Stiles looked like he was deep in thought after hearing it all.

"Theo, I know you said you were drugged when you were taken but what did you see when you woke up? Were you in a house or a building? What was around you?"

"The image is still fuzzy in my head, but I was on a metal table, and I could hear machines in the background. I could barely make out white coats moving around the room. But other than that, I don't remember seeing anything else. It felt like I was in a larger room but sectioned off into only one part. I think there were partitions or something."

"Sounds like they didn't want you to see what was going on around you. How old were you then?" Isaac asked.

"Around 9 or 10? I was in third grade when we left."

"Your family?" Stiles asked.

"Yeah, well at that point it was just me, Corey and my dad."

"And your dad is the one who did this. Did he say anything?"

"Uh, not really. Its kind of a jumbled mess in my head. I heard voices. I think… he or someone mentioned something about testing the serum or something on us first since we were younger."

"Younger? So, he had others there that he was using as lab rats also. No offense." Stiles said.

"No, you're right. We were lab rats. My dad is not the most affectionate person." He frowned. "In fact, before the night we were drug he never once put us to bed or tucked us in, but he did that night." he said looking as if he just thought of that and wasn't sure what to make of it now, years later.

"I want to say we were taken that night but again we were drugged, so it could have been at any time after that night. I don't even remember when we got to wherever they took us. After the drugs fully wore off there was dad, and he was even more detached then normal." His jaw clenched and I rubbed my thumb over the back of his hand.

"Whatever they did to us happened as soon as we were coherent. even though everything was fuzzy, I remember seeing Corey next to me, crying. Then hands yanking at my clothes, my arms being strapped down and someone putting something over my mouth to keep me from making a sound."

His heart started to race, and I suddenly didn't want him to continue. He got this far off look in his eyes like he was no longer in this room with us. I saw Scott start towards us, but Lydia held him back. I hopped off the table and moved to stand in front of him.

"Theo…"

His breathing came out in gasps, and he squeezed his eyes shut. I could feel him start to tremble and grabbed hold of him.

"Theo, look at me."

Bright golden eyes opened.

"Hey, it's okay. you're okay. You're safe." I tried to keep my voice quiet and calm, keeping up the soothing tones until I felt him relax minutely. The trembling slowed to a stop, and he blinked, his eyes switching back, to see me in front of him and he was calm again.

"Okay?" I asked.

"I think so. Just… flashbacks." He sighed.

I took a minute to look him over to make sure. He grabbed my hand giving it a squeeze and nodded that he was fine. I let go, turning back to the others. Scott was the only one watching, everyone else had tried to give us a bit of privacy. I gave Scott a nod letting him know we were okay.

"Maybe we should leave this for another day?" Scott asked, letting everyone else know it was okay to give us their attention again.

"uh, yeah. Sorry about that." Theo apologized, looking embarrassed.

"Don't apologize, we get it. Believe me." Isaac said, giving him a sad smile. Allison hugged him around the waist. I remember hearing about Isaac's past. If anyone understood how flashbacks could trigger someone, he would.

"was there anything else said in the phone call?" Stiles asked.

"Uhm, he mentioned Kate, didn't he?" I asked Theo who nodded.

"Yeah, he said that Kate was talking about some ritual and asking my dad if he had made any progress, but I think they were separate. I don't think the progress had anything to do with the ritual thing. At least that's how he made it sound."

"Yeah but he also said your name came up a lot between Kate and your dad. So, they are planning something again." I added.

"Maybe." Theo shrugged.

"we still haven't heard anything about Kate lately. I guess we can ask Argent about it later. Let's leave this for now since lunch is almost over. We'll search as much as we can." Scott promised.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Of course."

"Soon, let's get together. Maybe we can piece something together from what you do remember." Stiles said and Theo nodded. I tried not to stress at the thought of him reliving that time again. I didn't like seeing him like that, panicked and trembling.

Everyone headed out of the room except Scott and Lydia.

"Are you okay?" Lydia asked Theo.

"Yeah. I just haven't thought about that in a long time and felt like I was back there in that room for a minute."

"Sorry man, didn't mean to trigger you." Scott apologized.

"It's okay. if I have to relive it to find Corey, I will."

"We will do everything we can to find him." Scott assured him.

"Thanks."

Scott gave a nod, then he and Lydia left, closing the door behind them.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked turning to him. He nodded, looking at my hands, which were on his legs, that I happen to be standing between.

"I'm fine but…" he gave me that cocky smirk again. "Did your definition of slow change in the last 48 hours?"

"No." I sighed lifting my hands. He stopped me, placing them right back where they were. "I really don't know what is happening right now. I just feel like I have to touch you and now I kind of don't want to stop." I could feel my face heat up as I said this, and my hands clenched.

"I'm not going to complain about that."

"I bet." I snorted sitting next to him again. "I'm know I asked this but-."

"I'm fine, mini wolf, I promise. It was just a shock. It's the first time I have thought about that time in a long while."

"I get that. But, I have to admit, I really didn't like seeing you like that."

"I'm sorry I worried you."

"No, it's fine. I just… when you meet with Stiles to go over this, I want to be there."

"You do? Why?"

"I really don't know. my instincts are just yelling at me to not let you go through that again, alone." I admitted self-consciously. He grinned.

"Okay."

"Stop smiling at me like that." I told him, shoving him lightly.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. its like your being protective. I like it."

I blushed, avoiding looking at him but I could feel his eyes on me. Suddenly my senses picked up everything, his heart beating a bit faster, the soap he used this morning, the vanilla lavender of the stuff he used in his hair, the smell of…

I groaned, jumping down and took a few steps away from him.

"You are so not helping right now." I told him. he chuckled.

"I didn't do anything."

"Technically you didn't. but… I can scent everything right now. So, I have an idea of what you're thinking."

"Really?"

"Yes really. I can hear your heartbeat, feel the heat coming off you which makes the scent of your soap and hair…stuff more potent, and I can scent what you are feeling."

"So, it wouldn't surprise you in the least if I told you that I wanted to kiss you so badly right now." He practically purred, hopping down, and stepping closer. I swallowed hard looking up at him. the door creaked open again breaking the staring contest we had going on.

He snickered and then looked up, his smile dimming. I turned to see Hayden standing in the doorway. Why she was here and how she knew I was here I have no clue. I rolled my eyes looking back at Theo.

"I'll see you after school." he said moving past me to leave. Sighing I forced a smile at Hayden.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt. I heard your voice from the hall and thought that now would be a good time to split up the project so we can get started." she said smiling, eyeing Theo as he closed the door.

"Sure. Let's do that."

She giggled and she… sauntered over to me. I controlled the urge to roll my eyes again as she laid the paper on the table and came to stand entirely too close to me. I was really going to have to be firmer with her about us not dating.

"Okay, how are we doing this?"