(I'd like to welcome new readers who recently watched The Death Cure movie. I wrote this for you. People who sought this out because they feel sick about some canon deaths, you are in the right place. For readers who just want to have the adventure go on this is for you too.

What follows is based 90% on the books and 10% on the movies. The prequel books have minor representation in favor of what I think is a more interesting origin of Thomas and Teresa. This is set in an alternate universe where Newt and Teresa survive as did a version of Flat Trans. Themes include love, discovery, and survival. A word of warning, what follows is full of harsh language, sexual content, and other mature content like psychological disorders related to PTSD. I ship Thomas/Teresa, Newt/OC, Sonya/Frypan, Minho/Harriet, Brenda/Jorge. I don't write using fade to black so if a scene involving intimate character interaction occurs, it is resolved in print. The cast is played by their movie selves except Jorge is played by Taylor Lautner. For the movie-only fans, in the books, Jorge was originally portrayed as being mid 20's not 59 like Giancarlo Esposito. I hope you enjoy. Disclaimer: I do not own Maze Runner. Updated with corrections 11/27/19)

When they first arrived in paradise, everyone was running on adrenaline. The trials were over. They escaped WICKED and left behind a dying world all at once. Even Thomas couldn't resist the euphoria of the moment arriving safely via Flat Trans. The next thing he knew, he was sitting with Brenda on a cliff watching the sunset. She leaned in and kissed him with their feet dangling above the breaking waves of the ocean below. That's when it happened.

*Flash to Thomas and Teresa standing in a sterile-looking white hallway. Teresa drops a scanning device she was using, and they both reach down to get it. They end up face to face smiling at each other… Then a room filled with bluish light from an instrument panel both are working at. Thomas reaches over to key in a sequence and inadvertently places his hand on Teresa's. Neither of them pulls back for a moment as they trade awkward glances and smile... Next, a dimly lit server room filled with tall racks of horizontally mounted computers. Teresa is saying something as she brushes her hair behind her ear. Thomas is standing in front of her close enough to feel her breath. Teresa takes his hands, and Thomas leans in pressing his lips to hers. The pair kissed for several seconds before blinding flash ends his vision.*

Thomas snaps back to reality. Brenda is saying something to him. He tries to listen but couldn't register her words through the torrent of memories that flooded his head. Back in the scorch when something similar happened, Thomas just assumed it was because of the drugs they were forced to take. Brenda took his dumbfounded look as a compliment and smiled unaware. The next thing he could pick out was Minho's voice as he started organizing the survivors below. He excused himself to Brenda and approached Minho to see what he could do. Thomas had a feeling that after everything that they'd been through even peace wouldn't come easy. At least not for him.

"Hey, Shuck-head. If you're through playing kissy-face with your new girlfriend, I could use a hand here."

Minho didn't mean anything by the remark. It was a perfectly normal thing for him to say. But when Thomas heard him say 'new girlfriend' he felt a pit form in his stomach. Minho used to tease Thomas the same way about Teresa only then he called her his girlfriend. Thomas didn't even want to think about the cost of him standing there. Minho could tell right away the impact his poorly chosen words had on Thomas. Not wanting to prolong the subject further, Thomas spoke.

"Give me something to do Minho. I want to help."

Minho looked relieved that Thomas wasn't going to make him climb off the hook.

"Great shank, how about you take a look around and find some freshwater. The closer the better."

Thomas nodded. He picked a direction and started running. It wasn't long before he found a creek. He knelt down and cupped some water in one hand and took a sip. The pool was fresh and much colder than he expected. With the task at hand completed, he made his way back.

"I got a good water source. It's even cold."

He pointed the direction to Minho who was standing with Gally.

"Good to see you," Gally remarked plainly.

"You too. So what do you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're the Builder. You tell me. We've got a water source past the clearing about forty yards into the forest."

"Oh, Ok, right."

Gally seemed pleasantly surprised. He was enjoying being deferred to by Thomas. Gally started walking forward into the grassy clearing flanked by Minho and Thomas. His eyes were scanning the tree line and the sky. He took each step as if he measured the grade of the ground beneath his feet.

"Yea there. On the far side of the clearing near Thomas' water source. It's close to building materials and the way the ground slopes we won't flood in a hard rain."

Thomas and Minho looked at each other and tried not to laugh at how serious Gally was taking where to set up camp. Gally continued.

"Plus we'll get shade most of the morning and evening. Yea that spot will do."

Gally turns to Thomas and Minho as they abruptly start laughing.

"Alright fine! You slintheads have a better idea?"

Minho put his hand up to signal Gally to calm down.

"No, you're right, it's perfect! It's just... I've never heard a clinical diagnosis of a campsite before. Are you sure you aren't working for WICKED?"

Thomas laughed the first genuine laugh he'd felt in a long time. Even Gally couldn't help but laugh at Minho's smart mouth. Once the laughter subsided, Minho threw his arms around both Thomas and Gally. Slapping them both on the backs as he faced back towards Flat Trans and the other survivors.

"We did it, boys, we're finally home."

The next three weeks were a blur. After all the lies WICKED had told them, the survivors were understandably skeptical about their new home, at least at first. But it really seemed to be the paradise it was promised to be. A fact which every high vantage point seemed to confirm. Paradise was a massive valley filled with lush forests and rolling hills, all wrapped in distant snowcapped peaks. Thomas had only managed to map a few miles around the camp, and none of it failed to inspire. Of the two hundred survivors were each adjusting to their new life in their own way.

To Minho, the adventure was just beginning. They were finally free from WICKED. Now he could do more than managing the routine of a hand to mouth existence like back in the Glade. He could lead his friends to live like never before. Not just survive, thrive.

To Gally, it was time to get building the new world. His focus was to create a permanent settlement. He knew it would take dozens of hands to get started. After a few days, he had organized new Builders into teams by age and experience. He was determined to make this place everything he ever wanted the Glade to be, only better.

To Thomas, no matter how he spent each day, he felt a little further from Teresa. As if time was a physical thing and the more of it that passed the more layers of bricks were added to a wall between them. Thomas had volunteered as the camp's only Runner. Minho even made him Keeper even though he was the only one. Essentially, Thomas was a scout. He spent days at a time running deeper into the wilderness to make maps of the terrain surrounding the camp. Thomas liked contributing, but these days he liked solitude even more. One thing he knew for sure. He wanted was to be left alone. He'd been avoiding Brenda so effectively that they hadn't spoken more than a few words since they'd kissed on the day they arrived. The second thing Thomas knew for sure. He regretted that kiss.

The survivors of WICKED had made a monument to all the friends they'd lost. A huge boulder that sat on a hill overlooking the spot where the immunes made camp. It was the inverse of what the boys had done the Glade. Instead of carving the name of every new arrival into the rock. The stone was inscribed with the names of the friends that made the ultimate sacrifice getting them here. People were calling it the Memory Stone. Thomas only carved one name into it himself. 'Teresa.' He would have carved Newt's name as well, but Minho beat him to it. Thomas always found a reason to go past the Memory Stone whenever he was at the camp which was becoming less and less often.

Thomas was out on one of his runs. He sat motionless on a rock overlooking the inland lake he discovered the day after they arrived. The lake sat at the base of a long mountain range which disappeared out of sight in both directions. The sparkling blue water was ringed by a narrow beach then again by fields of tall wild grasses. The tall grass betrayed every light breeze. They'd twist and bend, looking like a paler shade of green as they danced in the wind. Beyond the fields, an old-growth forest hugged the mountain basin. This steep rocky hill had quickly become Thomas' favorite place.

Thomas was staring intensely at the water about fifty feet offshore. Fixated on something. He knew he'd been running from this moment ever since the shock of losing Teresa wore off. He'd tried to crowd out his feelings by staying busy, but they were finally breaking through. His timing couldn't be worse. He knew Minho would be along soon to pick up the maps he'd drawn. But he just couldn't deny it to himself anymore. He'd found something he desperately wanted to see again. The perfect shade of blue that matched Teresa's eyes.

Thomas' face begins to contort with sadness. His eyes narrow and his brow wrinkles. He begins to weep with his face in his hands. Thomas abruptly dives forward and grabs a nearby stone then whips it into the lake so hard he fell off balance. Thomas clambered to his feet yelling at nothing and did it again, snatching up more loose rocks throwing them as hard as he could. Thomas wasn't sure if it was his arms or his lungs that gave out first. Or even how long it was before the fit subsided. He fell backward to the ground unceremoniously taking ragged breaths between ugly sobs still staring into the electric blue.

"THOMAS! HEY, SHUCKFACE! YOU ALRIGHT?"

The voice echoed across the valley as a tall, slim figure raced towards the primal cries. Thomas' eyes were blurry, flooded with tears. He couldn't make out a face but recognized the voice. It was Minho.

"Of all the times that guy could have been early he chooses now."

Thomas jumped to his feet and called back while wiping his tear-streaked face.

"Y-YEAH! I'M FINE! Take it easy Minho."

Minho slowed down staring at Thomas. His eyes looked as puffy as Chuck's the first day he arrived in the Glade. Minho spoke.

"Hey Slinthead, I bet they could hear that screaming all the way back to camp. I thought you were one of the group B girls finding her first spider."

Minho waited for a smirk or dirty look from Thomas, but he was silent and motionless. Minho continued.

"You know Brenda has been looking for you. She's worried about you."

Thomas was trying to compose himself but turned his back to Minho at the mention of Brenda's name. He spoke again.

"What's up with you lately? I thought you liked her? Everyone saw you kissing after we came through Flat Trans."

Until now Thomas hadn't faced the choice he was about to make. Part of him genuinely cared for Brenda. But after he lost Teresa, after seeing her pleading eyes disappear into soot and flames after trading her life for his, he knew the truth. He realized that even if he tried to be with Brenda, she would always be his second choice. Thomas spoke.

"It's a long story Minho."

"Well, that's alright. It's a long time until dark too. And the camp is coming along great, thanks for asking. Not that you'd know since you've been hiding in the woods. So come off it Shank."

Minho's demeanor was jovial. He plopped down on the ground making it clear to Thomas he wasn't leaving. Thomas shook his head.

"It's just not like it should be with Brenda."

Minho leaned forward with interest thinking Thomas was hung up on lurid details. He looked around before speaking even though they were in the middle of nowhere.

"Did you two? -You know?"

"No man, it's not like that!"

Minho laughed as Thomas spoke.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. It's just every time I think of Brenda I keep seeing Teresa. I keep thinking about how she saved me even after I spent all that time treating her like she was to blame for WICKED. She died proving herself to me, thinking part of me still hated her."

Thomas felt himself beginning to cry again. Usually, he'd rather gouge his eyes out then show weakness in front of Minho, but at this moment he didn't care. Thomas spoke through choked back tears.

"Th-The look in her eyes... It was like she was apologizing to me Minho. Shuck me, man, I hate myself for that."

Minho wasn't laughing now. He could tell Thomas was serious. People didn't talk about Teresa very often, and never around Thomas. A lot of the immunes still had strong feelings about her part in the trials. Minho had always taken an interest in Thomas and Teresa's relationship if only because teasing them was good sport. They were both so defensive about their feelings for each other. Minho actually envied their weird chemistry in a backhanded way even if he never liked Teresa. At best he considered her a dangerous diversion for Thomas. At worst, a traitorous shuck. But Thomas was right. The things Teresa did to liberate them all before the end, balanced the books.

Minho's posture stiffened, any trace of humor evaporated from his face. He sat up attentively.

"Yea, I guess that's gotta feel shucked up Thomas. In a way-"

Minho paused as if having to will himself to say her name to Thomas.

"-Teresa kind of saved all of us. I'm not saying she did it for great reasons or even as her first choice but honestly, she did a lot to get us here. Hell, if she hadn't told you how to deactivate the Griever's who knows if any of us would have made it out of the maze."

Thomas nodded slightly. The pair was quiet for almost a minute.

"Minho, I think I know why things ended up the way they did. Have you ever heard of karma?"

"Yea, I think so, but what the shuck are you talking about?"

"Teresa and I created the maze Minho. We gave WICKED the tools to torture all of you. So after all the shit, I put you through. After all the people who died. Why shouldn't I be miserable?"

"Thomas, WICKED put us in the maze, not you. Considering everything you did to free all of us, and considering where we are now. I think maybe you should give yourself a break. Look, I know you cared about Teresa. A lot more than you wanted to let on. I know I gave you a lot of shit about it, probably not enough, but still. You know she wouldn't want you crying over things you can't change. And you sure as shuck shouldn't beat yourself up on our account. We aren't kids anymore Thomas. We all had to grow up sometime."

Just then another figure broke the tree line on the opposite side of the valley. Minho noticed it first and nudged Thomas. He directed his attention to the far side of the field.

"Speaking of karma, here comes Brenda. I told ya you were loud."

Brenda was running hard. She only broke stride after she saw Thomas was fine and sitting with Minho. She called up the hill to Thomas.

"What happened Tom? Are you okay?"

Thomas cringed hearing Brenda called him Tom. It was just another thing that reminded him of Teresa. He called down to reassure her.

"Yea I'm fine, uh-no need to worry."

Thomas could see Brenda was making her way up. He turned to Minho before she was in earshot.

"Here's my scouting report. I-uh finally named the lake."

Minho glanced at the rolled maps Thomas gave him to find out what he'd scrawled on his top-down survey. Minho's eyes got wide then shot straight to Thomas.

"Holy Slint, you're crazy Shank. Lake Agnes?!"

Minho was whispering as Brenda arrived. Minho rolled up Thomas' map and placed it into his pack before speaking aloud.

"I'll... I'll just give you two some privacy."

Minho nodded to Brenda as he passed her. Minho turned and grinned at Thomas patting his Run pack with the map inside. Thomas rolled his eyes realizing he just handed Minho blackmail material. As Minho walked past Thomas, he whispered again.

"I'll just get going-I don't want Brenda to murder me by mistake."

Thomas shot Minho a dirty look as he walked off excusing himself. Brenda smiled and nodded at Minho utterly unaware before sitting close to Thomas.

"Hey, stranger. You look upset. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Thomas relented and started to speak.

"I don't think so, Brenda. I just need time to sort things ou- "

Before Thomas could finish his sentence, Brenda leaned in to kiss him full on the mouth. His mind spun out another blur of images from his past.

*Thomas was standing next to Teresa in a field of wildflowers. She starts leading him by the hand. Teresa slips on something and is about to fall. Thomas tries to catch her but succeeds only in falling himself, pulling her down on top of him. Teresa lands on Thomas, and the pair laughs. Thomas tries to sit up, but Teresa blocks him bringing herself face to face with him. She says something Thomas doesn't hear clearly. She foils another attempt the same way. She repeats herself. Thomas still can't make out what she's saying. Thomas tries to sit up a third time, and Teresa blocks him all the same, but he pushes past her. Teresa relents and is about to stand when Thomas grabs her hips, and she falls into his lap. The pair is face to face with Teresa straddling him. Thomas hears his own voice speaking.

"Just remember who said it first."

Teresa cups Thomas' face as she presses her lips to his and kisses him deeply.*

Thomas' focus snaps back to reality where he's kissing Brenda with borrowed enthusiasm. He abruptly pulls away. Brenda just stares at him with confusion written all over her face.

"Seriously Tom what's going on? Are you okay?"

"I am. It's just..."

Thomas was stammering, trying to explain his hesitation. He felt guilty as hell that every time he kissed Brenda he saw Teresa. The most damning part was… He wanted to do it again. See if another kiss unlocked more memories of her.

"Just let me be the one to kiss you for once."

Brenda smiled wide at the mention of Thomas kissing her. Thomas edged forward filled with hesitation. He hated the idea of kissing Brenda just to continue his kiss with Teresa. He knew she deserved better than that. They both did. He closed his eyes tight and leaned in. She stood a little closer, closing her eyes expecting a kiss... That never came. After ten uncomfortable seconds, Brenda let out an exasperated sigh and opened her eyes as she crossed her arms. Thomas spoke.

"I'm sorry Brenda-but it's no good. Can't we just wait? Try being friends for a while? Friends who aren't dodging cranks and running for their lives. See where that goes?"

"I have been waiting for you, Tom. Until today you hadn't so much as looked at me since we first got here!"

Thomas took a deep breath trying to explain but feeling irritated by the pressure he was getting.

"It's Thomas. Look if I'm not going fast enough did it ever occur to you too, I don't know, maybe slow down. I keep trying to get the point across to you that I'm not ready."

"Why? Is there someone else?"

Brenda was getting to know the other girls in camp and made a quick mental list to herself of any likely competition.

"No, it's not like that, I'm not ready to start anything with anyone."

"Is it about Teresa?"

Brenda said Teresa's name with particular contempt like it was a slur only spoken softly and never in public.

"Is it that I'm not her? Well, I don't know if you're keeping up on current events out here in the woods but guess what Thomas? She's didn't make it. Do you want to know what else? She brought it on herself. And I'm not the only one who thought that the way it ended was poetic justice. After what she did to all of us, she got what she deserved."

Thomas felt some part of himself snap when Brenda suggested Teresa deserved her fate.

"SLIM IT!"

He walked closer and looked down at the much shorter girl.

"Don't you get it?"

Thomas takes two steps back and starts pacing back and forth in front of her; Brenda's face looked like three parts shock mixed with one part sadness. Thomas emphatically gestures towards the camp.

"Part of the reason I'm out here is after everything; people still call her 'Betrayer' in camp. Well, you know what? If she hadn't done what she did, we'd be holed up with the Right Hand fighting an ocean of cranks. Pretending our friends aren't going to get sick and turn on us or worse ask us to kill them! So let's say since we're alive in paradise we have some respect for the friends that died getting us here!"

Brenda starts to cry. Thomas turns away.

"...I'm starting to think I never understood what Teresa and I were. But the things I felt for her are the only parts of me WICKED couldn't erase."

Brenda doesn't say anything in response to Thomas and runs off towards camp.

Teresa whispers something weakly with no one left to hear. Clouds of dust billow. They choke out the last of her already limited vision of Thomas being dragged away. The dust stings her eyes, so she clenches them tight. Gasping for what breath she could still get. She braced herself for the unbearable pain she knew was imminent. Her whole body seemed to fade away for an instant then is suddenly revived by a crushing sensation. An explosion roars towards her. Teresa futilely tries to cover her face, but her arms are hopelessly pinned. Everything goes black...

A methodical beeping leads her back. The faint echo of footsteps on a tile floor. A familiar voice in conversation sounding both close and far away at the same time. The immediate instinct to breath made all the more powerful by the urgency she remembered from those final moments. Teresa gasps, fully awake.

"Hello, Teresa."

Teresa opens her eyes to see an older blonde woman with her hair pulled back tight. She's wearing a white gown and a surgical mask. She can't see her face, but Teresa recognizes the voice as Ava Paige.

"Is... Is Thomas safe? Did he make it?"

The Chancellor doesn't bat an eye at Teresa's first question.

"He is thanks to you. That was a very selfless thing you did saving Thomas."

Ava walks over to a bank of machines and begins viewing various medical readouts.

"Not that I'm surprised, Teresa. You always put others before yourself."

Teresa tried to sit up and winches in pain before abandoning the effort. She lays back on the bed. Her fingers began tracing along her ribs and pelvic bone.

"How am I still alive?"

Ava responds immediately.

"We saved you. A retrieval team was never far away. I guess inadvertently you have Thomas to thank for that."

Teresa stares at Ava quizzically.

"We became aware of Thomas' betrayal well before we placed him in the maze. Once he revealed the locations of WICKED installations, we knew it was only a matter of time before the Right Hand or some other misguided coalition would launch a credible assault against our efforts. So steps were taken to assure the survival of essential personnel and assets."

"I don't care which of those you consider me. I'm not helping you anymore." Teresa responded with indignation.

Ava's eyes narrowed slightly for a split second at the girl's demeanor.

"After today Teresa your duty to humanity is simply to carry on. You're going to the sanctuary site that Thomas and the others arrived three weeks ago."

"Three weeks? I've been unconscious for three weeks?"

"The extent of your injuries made reviving you prematurely impossible we-"

Before Ava could continue, she was interrupted by a tone emitted from a panel near the door. Ava promptly walked over and tapped the board without speaking another word. A heavily modulated voice spoke. Teresa strained to hear still groggy. She could only pick out a few words.

"Chancellor-...-infected-...-level two-...-immediate-..."

Ava spoke.

"Divert remaining security to the laboratory level. Retrieve the Omega recipient. Prepare to send two via Flat Trans to the Plan B site."

Ava turned to Teresa again and spoke.

"I'm afraid our time is up Teresa. It's time for you to go. I'm giving you an injection for pain and something to reverse muscle atrophy. You will fully recover but expect weakness for the next seventy-two hours."

Ava leaned over and pressed a small device to Teresa's neck. It made a slight whooshing sound. Teresa felt her pain subside immediately. Nodding suspiciously, she got back on her feet as a small tremor shook the room. Teresa braced herself against the bed. She could tell from Ava's reaction that the situation was already out of hand.

"Quickly, follow me."

Ava entered the corridor adjacent to Teresa's room. The futuristic hallway was dimly lit with what Teresa assumed was emergency lighting. Ava led her to a descending staircase.

"These stairs will lead you to the Flat Trans; the system has been modified to send and receive immunes only. Take this."

She handed Teresa a small silver device that looked like a pair of throwing dice fused together at a thirty-degree angle.

"This can only be activated by you and Thomas together should you choose to do so."

A distant screech echoed from somewhere within the corridors. Teresa shoots a glance down the dimly lit hallway then back to Ava Paige.

"But what is this?"

Ava seemed at peace, even calm as she answered, despite the inhuman roars of the infected racing closer.

"All the answers you seek. Goodbye Teresa. Remember, WICKED is good."

A chill raced down Teresa's newly healed spine. Ava remained expressionless as she pressed a button on the nearby console. Teresa practically had to duck as a pressure door sealed off the top of the stairwell from the corridor above. She slowly backed the rest of the way down the dimly lit stairs. By the time she neared the bottom, she could hear the screeches arriving. Followed by a frantic pounding on the door from above. Teresa shuddered when she realized she wasn't certain that the pounding was from the infected. She was so distracted she almost fell when she reached the bottom. A tall, slim boy wearing a hood was standing facing the Flat Trans. The device was already active and scanning them both as she walked up beside him.

"Immunity status verified."

Teresa recognized the modulated voice as the same voice that was speaking to Ava Paige in her recovery room.

"Well, I guess that's good news," Teresa mumbled expectantly.

"Speak for yourself."

The boy pulled back his hood.

"That's bloody wonderful news."

Teresa looked at the boy's face with disbelief as the device cycled. It was Newt.

Brenda couldn't recall ever feeling so humiliated in her life. She didn't look back once as she ran out of sight. Her cheeks were streaked with tears as she made it to the cover of the woods. She kicked a small rock on the forest floor into the winding creek and let out an infuriated scream. Brenda jogged the rest of the way back to her hut slamming the makeshift door behind her so hard several boards broke free and hung at irregular angles.

"Yikes Brenda. You about gave me a heart attack."

A petite blond girl with thick straight shoulder-length hair that perfectly framed her face stood up from her bunk. She looked at her roommate with concern but kept her distance. Brenda hadn't exactly made an effort to befriend the other girls in camp. It was pretty evident that she was out of her element living with five other girls her own age.

"I can get outta here if you'd rather be alone."

"No Sonya. It's fine; I'm fine."

Brenda's face was more angry than sad, but it was plain to see she'd been crying.

"You wanna talk about it? It's kinda what girls do."

Brenda sat down on her bunk opposite Sonya. Back in the scorch, the only person she ever really talked to was Jorge. She missed it. She missed him. Maybe it was a little of both. In any event, she was tired of living in her own head.

"I guess."

Tess sat down Indian style on the floor in front of her.

"...I'm just so sick of this Klunk with Thomas."

"What happened?"

"I was just looking for vines when-"

"Wait, why were you looking for vines? That's builder work. I thought you got assigned to medical?"

"I did, I was just trying to help out Jake. He said Gally's been on him ever since Aris quit to go to medical."

"Jake's cute, sorry go on."

"So I'm getting vines, and the next thing I hear is Thomas yelling. Like he's fighting someone. So I come running like a slinthead because I was worried about him. I get there, and Minho was just leaving. I sit down, and we start talking, then we kiss. And it's going great. I can tell he likes me, a lot. Next thing I know he pulls away and starts freaking out."

So it was a good kiss?"

Brenda sighed.

"It was awkward at first. But then he kissed me like-like I was the only thing that mattered in the world."

"Wow, what were you talking about before you kissed?"

"I don't know. Just normal stuff. He looked like he was upset. So I asked him if I could do anything to help. Then we just kissed."

"Who kissed who?"

"I kissed him."

Brenda looked annoyed at the question and continued without addressing it further.

"So then he tells me he wants to be the one to kiss me. So I'm standing there for thirty seconds waiting until he chickens out. Next, he starts talking about how he wants to take it slow and be friends first."

"I mean, Thomas doesn't strike me as the type of guy who chickens out."

"Exactly, his excuse was just some Klunk he said to not say what he really meant. So naturally, I ask him if there's someone else. He says there isn't and that he's not ready to be with anybody."

"I bet he felt guilty."

"Why would he feel guilty?"

"Because of his dead girlfriend. Teresa right?"

"She wasn't his girlfriend."

"She kinda was. Aris told me about it. He said WICKED planned all along to use Teresa to manipulate Thomas. They knew it would work because he was in lov-"

Sonya abruptly stopped speaking after considering her audience.

"Because they were close. How'd he say it; Thomas was a variable they couldn't control."

Brenda felt ill hearing Sonya talk about Thomas being in love with Teresa even if Sonya tried to politely sugar coat it. Sonya continued.

"Teresa and Aris made out in front of him while he was locked in a cell or something. That's why he basically hated her up right up until the end."

"Are you serious? That is so shucked up."

Brenda's mind was racing. She wasn't sure how she felt about Aris after hearing what Sonya knew. On the one hand, that was a shucking heartless thing to do to Thomas. To twist the knife just because WICKED said they should. On the other hand, it showed Thomas just who Teresa really was.

"Yea, Aris felt awful about it."

"But he went along with it in the first place."

"I guess he had to, supposedly they both did. It's not something Aris likes to talk about, but you could ask him. I'm not sure Thomas ever forgave him."

"Do you trust Aris?"

"Yea, all the girls from B did. He was nice to all of us. The only girl he was super close to was Rachel. She was my friend too. At least, she was."

Brenda took a deep breath realizing while she was having boy troublesome of the survivors lost people. She reached over and squeezed Sonya's hand.

"Sorry... About Rachel."

Sonya smiled weakly and looked down.

"Yea. Me too. But she helped get us here, that's what matters... So what are you gonna do about Thomas?"

"I'm not sure, give him time I guess."

"Do you think he'll be at homecoming?"

Brenda looked confused.

"Homecoming?"

"Yea the celebration tomorrow night. It's kind of a' welcome home' party we're holding for ourselves. Minho said we've earned it. I guess Siggy made some hooch for the occasion."

Brenda looked even more confused.

"Who's Siggy and what's hooch?"

"Oh sorry, Frypan. And I guess it's like, Glader wine or something.

Brenda nodded then smiled.

"Sonya, should I ask how it is you call him Siggy?"

Sonya smiled innocently.

"I don't know if you're old enough for that story."

The pair laughed and continued talking.

Several moments passed while the device delivered Teresa and Newt to their destination. Teresa never enjoyed traveling via Flat Trans. To her, it always felt like stepping through an icy waterfall into a mixing bowl. Knowing something of how the machine worked offered no comfort. Billions of terabytes of data being sent umpteen miles and resequenced in seconds with no margin for error. But this time she almost savored the experience. She hoped this would be the last time and knew Thomas was on the other side.

The pair emerged from the liquid gray stasis field, and Teresa immediately turned and embraced Newt.

"I can't believe it! I thought you were dead!"

Newt said nothing for a moment as his arms hung slack at his sides. Teresa realized she was part of a very one-sided hug.

"You gotta be pretty good at abandoning ship by now."

Newt's tone was cold and without sympathy.

"I mean, let's face it, you've had a shucking lot of practice."

Teresa stood back taken off guard.

"No... NO. It's not like that Newt. If I hadn't done what I did WICKED was going to kill Thomas. And they wouldn't have had to hunt him down first. They could have just flipped a switch and stopped his heart or made him blind, or so he can't sleep. Because of the Swipe, they could have killed him dozens of horrible ways, and Janson told me they would. Unless I did exactly what they said no matter how much I hated it."

Newt's eye's got successively wider as Teresa was talking. By the time she finished, he looked positively embarrassed. Teresa felt physically lighter after getting a chance to explain herself to someone that might understand.

"Sorry-"

At least she did until Newt continued speaking.

"-but I was just havin' a laugh."

Newt smiled, and his eyes sparkled deviously.

"After all, Minho would never let me live it down if I let an opportunity like this slide by."

Teresa froze. Newt spoke.

"Uh... I didn't think you'd go all bloody father confessor on me."

Teresa walked over to Newt and gently put her arm around his back-then used it for leverage as she punched him in the ribs repeatedly.

"Ow! OW! OW! Alright! ALRIGHT!"

Newt doubled over half in pain, half from laughter. Teresa finished hitting Newt by slugging him on the shoulder slightly harder than was playful.

"Geeze, poor Thomas."

Newt smiled wide at Teresa, and they both laughed. The pair turned a corner and began emerging from the Flat Trans station. It was late. A sweet apple fragrance was carrying on the breeze. The valley was dark and the night sky was peppered with bright stars. Teresa gasped seeing them so clearly for the first time. No light pollution, no dust storms or smog. She knew they must be hundreds no, thousands of miles from anywhere to find a sky so gorgeous and clear. Newt looked around awestruck and turned to Teresa.

"Maybe this really is paradise."

Teresa smiled acknowledging Newt and pointed towards a wide ring of bright torches set around a clearing filled with huts. Teresa spoke.

"Almost."

Five white stone stairs descended the concourse from the Flat Trans station once the pair reached the bottom Newt spoke.

"Hey Teresa, there's one other thing I wanted to tell you."

Teresa nods and looks him in the face. Neut stands beside her with his jaw set tight. He shakes his head.

"It's just, well... WICKED fixed my leg. I thought it only sporting I'd warn ya because-"

Newt immediately pushes off into a dead sprint towards the settlement yelling back.

"IT'S A RACE! SORRY TERESA!"

Newt's words echoed as Teresa sprinted after him with determination.

Thomas woke up from a dreamless sleep to find himself still leaning against his stony perch overlooking the lake. He slowly stood and started rubbing his upper arms. It wasn't particularly cold, but between his tattered shirt and the wind of the valley heights, it made for a chilly night sleeping in the open. He started walking down towards the sad-looking hammock he'd strung between two evergreen trees. That's when he heard it.

"- A RACE! SORRY TERESA!"

The voice was distant. All Thomas could tell for certain is that whoever called out was a boy. Any identifiable inflection had been erased as it echoed up through higher elevations.

"Teresa?..."

Thomas stood motionless and listened intently. After several silent seconds, he hurried back uphill to get a better vantage point of the camp. He squinted his eyes straining against the darkness, hoping to pick out any clue to what he heard. Thomas scanned the empty clearing around the huts. He started pushing down any flickers of hope deciding it must have been his imagination. He was about to give up when he saw it. Two figures running towards the camp like a Griever was on their heels. He was still uncertain what, if anything was going on but he knew one thing. He wouldn't find out up here. Thomas raced down the hill towards the camp. He tripped twice along the steep slope but wouldn't allow himself to fall. He felt like those flickers of hope he was keeping in check just bolted loose. So Thomas accelerated into woods towards the camp after them.

As Teresa chased Newt through the darkness, she thought two things. First-

*That's an overly generous head start for a guy with a brand new leg.*

-and foremost.

*What am I doing?*

Years spent at WICKED had made Teresa a very controlled person. She was raised to be tactical. To use her mind to coldly decipher a problem, not just haphazardly react to it. It was situations like this that made her feel like her instincts were completely at odds with her circumstances. Normally, Teresa would have come up with a way for her and Newt to get reacquainted with the others without it being such a shock. From the other survivors' point of view, Teresa and Newt would be back from the dead. After all the other immunes had been through at the hands of WICKED, she couldn't guess what they'd make of that. It scared her. But all that went out the window with a foot race into the center of camp.

*Maybe it's a good thing.*

Teresa thought as she leaped over a narrow span crossing the creek chasing Newt through the dark. After all, her entire childhood had been filled with outsized responsibilities.

*WICKED is finally gone. It's over.*

Teresa had to keep telling herself that as she ran. Something about that fact gave her permission to act like a girl again and not an agent of the last functioning government on earth.

*Newt wasn't kidding. With his healed leg he's almost as fast as Thomas. Almost.*

Teresa thought about Thomas. How he'd been the only part of WICKED she didn't regret.

*But they even found a way to use that against me.*

Teresa sped up using the pulse of anger she felt as fuel. She started gaining on her competition, new wheels and all.

*They weaponized the way he felt about me.*

The rage-filled realization dumped fresh adrenaline into Teresa's bloodstream. She was rapidly overtaking Newt as they reached a straightaway of tall grass.

*They used it against him. Against Tom.*

Teresa continued her almost inhuman acceleration; pulling even with Newt. He glanced over at her face.

*Jesus, she could light torches with that stare.* Newt ran harder.

Teresa's eyes were wider than they should be. Her strides longer than they should be. Her breaths deeper and faster than they should be. Maybe it was the drugs she just received but she didn't think so. She took all that mental discipline and control WICKED had forced her to learn and turned it on herself. Ordering her body to go beyond anything it was supposed to be able to do. Several seconds of this pace and she passed Newt forgetting he was even there. At that moment she was only racing herself. Wishing she could run fast enough to turn back time and undo everything WICKED did to Thomas because of her. Teresa felt like she was about to blackout. She nearly collapsed as she decelerated but was determined to be awake so Thomas wouldn't have to worry. Newt blew passed her in the last twenty feet, narrowly securing the win. Teresa knew not everybody would be happy to see her. But she hoped against reason that somehow Thomas would. Newt yelled out from the center of camp.

"WAKE UP SHANKS! WE'RE BACK!"

Newt's voice boomed through the camp as the pair entered the interior ring of torchlight. Newt turned back to Teresa. He had a joke prepared but was too impressed to use it. He could tell that for Teresa this went way deeper than a race against a friend. He wasn't sure if she was running from her old life or towards her new one. But either way, he respected the hell out of her for facing whatever she was going through.

Teresa had her hands on her knees catching her breath. She remembered Ava mentioning something about it being a few days before she'd be back to normal. She spoke to Newt between ragged breaths.

"You're... Just lucky... I spent the last... Three weeks in bed..."

Newt extended his hand to Teresa helping her stand tall. Once she was, he clapped his hands saluting her effort and spoke.

"Good that Teresa, good that."

Minho woke up and peered through a nearby window getting a clear view of Teresa. He fell out of his hammock and landed on a groggy, possibly hungover, Frypan. Frypan's hammock spun around dumping both to the ground. Minho leaped to his feet yelling.

"Holy Shit! I gotta get Thomas!"

Minho was so excited to he forgot to bring a torch with him. He raced out the door into the woods towards Thomas' campsite overlooking the lake.

Immunes started trickling out from dozens of huts around the clearing to see what's going on.

Newt was smiling with his hands on his hips while Teresa had her arms crossed, looking demure.

The first group to approach them was led by Gally. He was with three other boys Newt and Teresa didn't recognize. They were all carrying poles sharpened into spears.

"Hey Shank! Don't worry we aren't buggin' grievers."

Gally gave no indication he even recognized the pair as he spoke sternly.

"On your knees now."

Newt looked shocked but was keen to avoid falling for a joke.

"Gally, are you bloody serious? It's me-"

The three other boys flanking Gally all pointed their spears at Newt interrupting him. Teresa knelt down. She grabbed the back of Newt's shirt pulling on it to suggest he do the same, he complies. Teresa scanned the crowd hoping to spot Thomas but couldn't find him.

"It's not gonna work." Gally declared.

He turned to address the confused crowd looking on.

"Look, see for yourself. This is proof WICKED's still trying to play games with us."

Teresa spoke up for the first time.

"WICKED's gone. They got overrun by the infected. We know, they just sent us through Flat Trans."

"Is that so? Well then how come there aren't cranks streaming through behind you?"

Teresa gave Gally a patronizing stare. She couldn't help but think to herself that he was fortunate to figure out which end of that sharpened stick to use.

"Uh, because cranks can't operate a Flat Trans. Ava said they reconfigured it only to send and receive immunes."

"Is that right?" Gally points to Newt.

"Then what's he doing here?"

"I got cured Klunkhead. Whatever they put Tommy boy through gave em' some answers. They gave me something called Omega Serum. Now I am immune."

Teresa looked shocked.

"They cured The Flare?"

Newt shook his head.

"It doesn't work for everyone. Guess you gotta be basically immune already. Which I was else I'd never been included in the bloody trials, to begin with."

Gally could tell Newt was winning over the crowd.

"Alright slim it!"

Gally hit Newt in the stomach with the blunt end of his spear and addressed the crowd again.

"It's just a trick. Think this through. We know they're dead. She got crushed, and he died a crank."

Newt abruptly stood up.

"Shuckface, I ain't dead, I'm standing right in front of you."

There was nothing humorous about Newt's tone this time. Gally walked over and stood face to face with him. Newt was still a couple of inches taller than Gally, but Gally had at least thirty pounds of work earned muscle on Newt.

"You're not Newt -"

Gally had a deadly serious look in his eyes.

"-you're just some WICKED Bulb upgrade."

Before Newt could respond Gally head-butted him square in the face sending him reeling back. Teresa screamed for them to stop as a violent commotion ensued.

In the cool of night under clear starlit skies, Thomas was pushing himself as if the sake of paradise depended upon it. The wind had gone still. The only sound was fleet footsteps on dry dirt and the inadvertent stripping of vegetation as Thomas passed by at high speed. He couldn't hear any of it. All he could hear was his own rhythmic breathing and the pounding of his heart. Everything else around him had the volume turned down. He got like this when every second mattered. Thomas wasn't sure why, but he felt like it did.

Thomas was still deep in the woods swallowed by near-perfect darkness. Pinpricks of light from the moon and stars above were mostly stymied by the dense canopy of leaves hanging overhead. He was navigating mostly from memory. He knew the next clearing would be the camp but saw no sign of it yet. Thomas felt the terrain begin to slope downward. He used the added momentum to run faster still. He sprinted through a sapling forest of maple trees sheering off a multitude of leaves left fluttering to the ground in his wake. The last time he ran this hard, was in the world they left behind. But something convinced him he finally had a reason to.

Thomas was deep in his own head, focusing on his breaths and footfalls when he saw it. The first flickers of torchlight through the myriad columns of trees.

*Almost there.*

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he noticed something or someone charging deeper into the woods. The figure was moving along no discernible path in the direction of the lake but was moving much faster than Thomas thought possible.

*No one runs the woods at night.*

The silhouette moved surely along the opposite ridgeline. It was only visible to Thomas because of a few scattered torches at the clearing's edge. The way shadows stretched in the distant light made the figure look taller and wider than two people put together. Darkness and distance prevented any other details. He considered giving chase until he heard it. A scream that pierced every layer of indifference Thomas had felt since arriving. The apathy he'd armored himself with suddenly melted away.

*Teresa!*

He turned straight towards her voice. The line would take him through a wide briar patch he had planned to avoid. The briars flanked the edge of the woods on the west side of the camp but Thomas was well past caring. A few scratches weren't going to stop him. He raced uphill gathering all the speed he could. Thomas knew that because of the way the ground sloped he'd be jumping blind. He didn't want to waste the time to look before he leaped. He launched himself over the triangular row of briars flying further than he expected. Landing feet first on the clear ground. Thomas fell forward into an extended roll. He looked around astonished. He hadn't cleared the briar patch at all. Instead, he landed in the middle of a fifteen-foot wide gouge that transversed the razor thicket. Grateful for small favors, Thomas rolled to his feet and raced past the outlying torches into the clearing.

The upward slope approaching the camp limited Thomas' view to heights at first. He saw Jake holding a spear with a panicked look on his face staring towards something on the ground that Thomas couldn't yet see. Gally and Leo were wrestling another boy who they'd just managed to pin against a hut. Thomas drew closer and followed Jake's line of sight. That's when he saw her. Teresa on her back struggling against a larger boy Thomas didn't recognize. He was on top of her holding his spear horizontally trying to restrain her, but to Thomas, it looked like he was choking her. Newt yelled out.

"GALLY YOU ARE JACKED? TELL YOUR LUG TO GET OFF HER!"

The familiar voice glanced off Thomas who was too focused to hear it for what it was. The first person to notice his lightning approach was Jake, who suddenly chose a side.

"Catch!"

Jake yelled as he lobbed his spear double underhand to Thomas.

Thomas, still in full sprint, grabbed it out of the air. In one fluid motion, he swung the blunted end like a golf club striking the boy on the side of the head. He rolled several times freeing Teresa ending up unconscious laying on his back. Gally shot Thomas a death stare as he struggled to control Newt.

"THOMAS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

Thomas ignored Gally and threw Jake's spear back to him. He knelt down and cradled Teresa. His eyes were filled with unfalling tears.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Teresa turned up the corners of her lips into a smile.

"You weren't. I was just early."

Thomas smiled, hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head as Teresa clung to him.

"Nice reunion Shank! Now if it ain't too much trouble, how about a little help here?"

Thomas looked up and saw Newt's face as Minho arrived back in camp. Minho immediately began laying into Gally and Leo. They begrudgingly released Newt. Minho mentioned digging a new Pit to Gally and his Builders before they left off. Frypan, Minho, and Newt embraced while other survivors approached to welcome the new arrivals. Teresa was standing shakily using Thomas for support. Between polite conversations, she spoke quietly to him.

"You know anyplace a new girl can sleep?"

"Yea. Sure. Um, you know we can see if Harriet has another bunk. But could it wait until tomorrow? If it's all the same with you?"

"Um, I think I'd like to sleep tonight too if that's ok." Teresa smiled teasing Thomas.

"No, Yea, of course. I just-" Thomas sighs.

"This is going to sound stupid but could we just, stay together tonight?"

Teresa smiled looking flattered. Her eyes gleamed even brighter than usual. Thomas continued.

"I just, after everything... -I don't want to wake up tomorrow and find out this has all been a dream."

Thomas looked down embarrassed about his own admission and fully expecting a merciless teasing to follow.

Teresa reached and tilted Thomas' chin to make him look her in the eyes.

"Hey, we can stay up the rest of the night talking and fall asleep after the sun comes up. Then we'll both know it's not a dream."

(That's chapter 1! I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, write a review, follow or favorite the story. I made some revisions as of 1/25/18)