"Liam." Theo murmured.

He was hurt, Liam wouldn't give him a chance to explain and after everything they'd been through he couldn't believe that the man wouldn't give him that chance.

Six years.

It's been six years since the Anuk-ite. Six years since both boys had lied to each other when they said they wouldn't die for the other. Six years since something more stirred between them and four years before they finally admitted it.

Four years is a long time to be with someone. Four years to learn to trust and grow with the other. Four years of bickering and petty fights. Four years of figuring themselves out and laying down the foundations of a long lasting relationship.

Four years of bliss.

That is until three months ago.

Three months ago, the murders started.

Almost one a week and almost all of them had the same MO.

Every crime scene smelled of Theo. Like he had rubbed himself all over the walls themselves.

But Theo hadn't killed anyone since before he came back from hell. And Liam had believed him.

Had.

Liam moved out of their apartment two weeks ago and Theo understood, tried to give the wolf his space but it was killing him.

He knew he probably deserved this, all the sins that Theo had committed guaranteed that he didn't deserve the happy life they had created.

Theo had repeated Senior year with Liam, Mason and Corey. Corey and Mason went to the same college and Theo and Liam managed to get into college together as well. They lived together seamlessly, although there were moments when they pissed each other off and Theo earned himself a few more broken noses than he'd like to admit.

But they always came back together, fighting with and supporting each other.

Then came the night Theo almost died trying to save Liam from a Wendigo. The younger wolf had frozen, no doubt having flashbacks from the night Scott had no choice but to bite him and the Wendigo was approaching fast. Theo howled in pain as the beast's teeth took a chunk out of his shoulder and neck, snapping Liam out of whatever was going on in his mind and he threw the monster back off of the chimera.

That night; after Deaton had barely managed to save him, Liam had admitted that he'd never been so scared in his life at the thought of losing the older man. They kissed, holding each other through the night as they tried to reassure themselves that this was happening and they had the other.

It wasn't easy, Theo knew his nightmares could be hard to deal with and Liam's IED sometimes meant that his outbursts during arguments could get a little violent but it was worth it. Theo knew it was and he knew Liam had felt the same.

Liam still had trust issues which Theo could never blame the younger one for, he knew that after everything he'd done and all the pain he'd caused couldn't be erased overnight.

But they worked hard, finished their degrees and moved back to Beacon Hills into their own apartment. Even that came with its hardships; bills and work getting in the way, not to mention all the supernatural shenanigans that cropped up every couple of months because of the Nemeton but it was something.

It was theirs, not perfect. But damn near it when Theo would come home to the sight of Liam, dressed only in a pair of boxers and cooking them dinner, or Liam would come home to find Theo had fallen asleep on the sofa with a book on his chest and brushed a hand through his hair to wake him with a soft look on his face.

But all good things must end. Theo knew it was only a matter of time before something would fuck it up but this?

This was like he was being punished all over again. Like Tara ripping her heart out of his chest except Liam was there cheering her on.

If he wasn't an atheist he'd think God was laughing at him.

"No Theo, I didn't want to believe it but the evidence is piling up! How many bodies are there gonna be before I realise that it's true?!" Liam argued, his voice was pained but his face was angry, trying to keep up a mask like this wasn't killing him inside either.

"Liam I swear to you, I haven't done anything! Listen to my heartbeat, you know I'm telling the truth." Theo begged, eyes desperate and everything hurt. Liam had left him two weeks ago, saying he needed to think but he had to come back tonight to get more of his things and Theo had tried to get him to talk to him before this fight broke out.

"Shut up!" Liam exploded angrily, shaking his head with nothing but hurt and betrayal in his eyes. "I know you can control your heartbeat so don't even go there."

"I never had to around you." The chimera mumbled, stung by the wolf's clear animosity.

"That doesn't matter." He growled. "I can't believe you. Every instinct inside of me doesn't want to believe that you'd do something like this again but look around you Theo. Don't you see how much of a weird coincidence this all is?" Liam added brokenly.

"I didn't fucking do it!" Theo shouted, eyes glowing now as he lost his temper and all the heartbreak from the past few weeks had caught up to him. "For fuck sake Liam, you'd think that after being together for Four. Fucking. Years! You'd give me a little fucking credit!"

"You've done it before." Liam hissed and Theo froze, face frowning in hurt but Liam was on a roll. "Pretty sure you enjoyed it too. What's to say you haven't been doing it this time as well? You're scent is all over the place and they were all killed by a werewolf."

Theo didn't really hear much after Liam's first sentence and that had been the last straw. Theo straightened, face pulling into a nasty smirk but his heart. His heart was beating a mile a minute.

"Well if that's what you truly think of me." He hissed, moving towards the door and ignoring the warning growl behind him. He paused with his hand on the door, turning his head with a hard look at the younger man. "Hope you have a good life Liam."

"Theo, wait!" Liam called out but the chimera had already ran out the door.

Theo ran on two legs at first, waiting until he got under the cover of trees before pulling his shirt off, kicking off his shoes before pulling down his sweats mid-shift and finally landing on four paws.

He could hear the frantic heartbeat of his boyfriend, or ex–boyfriend, chasing behind him and he stopped before growling at the man. Liam froze in place, hurt and regret in his features.

"Please." Liam murmured brokenly but he bared his teeth in a huffing sneer in a clear gesture of 'fuck off' before turning and running; leaving the man behind.

Theo kept running, he headed through the preserve and kept going. He couldn't bring himself to stop, stopping meant thinking and thinking meant breaking.

He let out a broken howl, it had built in his chest and before he could stop himself it had come out. Mournful and heartbreaking.

He collapsed then, in a pile of dead leaves as tears dripped into his fur and he tried to push himself up so he could go and find a cave to hide himself in but his grief prevented him.

He had no energy when his heart was breaking, this was what he deserved. He never deserved someone as amazing as Liam in his life, he grew up with the dread doctors but that was only part of it. They saw something evil in him and amplified it, that's what they had told him...maybe they were right.

He finally dragged himself up from the ground, crawling into a little cave for the night and he curled up into himself exhausted and emotionally drained, tail tucked tightly into his side.

He closed his eyes and wept.

Liam finally came back into the apartment, he'd picked up Theo's clothes and brought them in as he wasn't sure what else to do.

What had he done?

He'd fucked up. He didn't even know why he'd said those things, the last two weeks were the worst in his life. He barely slept, always used to the warm body beside him and curling into his side.

Why had he done that?

Liam's legs gave out and he collapsed to a sit on the floor, tears flowing freely down his face and his breaths coming out in heaving gasps as he panicked.

No matter what happened during their arguments, that never happened and this was the first time Theo had ever left.

Liam never believed for one moment that Theo was behind those murders, Theo had always promised his innocence and he believed his boyfriend implicitly. But they had hosted a few pack meetings without Theo, Liam didn't want to agree but he couldn't refuse an order from his Alpha and they all discussed the possibility.

Jason, their newest pack member as of six months ago, had openly stated his distaste for the older chimera as Theo had done nothing but piss him off.

Theo mocked the werewolf mercilessly, he was more short-tempered than Liam and that was saying something which was something the chimera had gloated over.

Stiles made jokes about Theo going on the killing sprees; the FBI were interested in the case as well but they weren't exactly going to take scent as evidence so thankfully Theo was still in the clear.

Malia didn't hate Theo as much as she used to so she was always in the 'it could be him' category but never with certainty.

Scott just wanted to find out who it was but he wasn't saying if he thought it was Theo either way.

Lydia, Corey and Mason were in the unequivocal 'no he didn't' side. And Liam was with them, he only moved out because the more bodies that piled up the more the arguments happened at the pack meetings.

"We need to stop him before he kills anyone else!" Jason growled angrily one night and Liam growled back.

"He didn't do it!" Liam defended his boyfriend and Jason barked out a humourless laugh.

"Wake up Liam! How many people are gonna have to die until you see that he's nothing but a murderin' piece of shit!" The werewolf shouted and Liam would have attacked him if Scott hadn't grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"The only evidence we have is his scent." Scott told Jason as he guided Liam behind him, knowing how this was affecting his beta. "Until we have something more, Theo is innocent."

"Not you too?!" Jason exclaimed, hand covering his eyes in distress. "You're too close to him Liam! One day he might kill you too."

"He wouldn't!" Liam growled out, trying to jump out from behind Scott but the Alpha kept his grip on him.

"No?" Jason laughed again. "Didn't Stiles say he was a total psycho a few years back? Killed a couple of people with no regrets?"

"In Stiles' defence I was discussing that with my fiancé as a joke and you were not supposed to hear that." Stiles grumbled guiltily when Liam looked at him in betrayal.

"And in Stiles' defence, he said 'used to be' and was 'kind of proud of how much he's changed'." Lydia added reassuringly whilst glaring daggers at Jason.

"Doesn't matter though does it? He's still a murderer." The newest pack member replied smugly.

Liam snapped out of his murky thoughts when his phone vibrated and he pulled it out of his pocket eagerly, even though he could clearly see Theo's phone which was on the counter, he still had that stupid hope that he was calling.

"Hello?" Liam asked hoarsely, clearing his throat a little to talk properly.

"You accused him didn't you?" Lydia asked sternly and Liam broke, softly sobbing into his hand.

"I didn't mean to, I was just gonna grab my stuff and leave but he kept trying to talk to me and we argued. I really hurt him Lydia." He cried, pulling a cushion off of the couch to hold into his chest and he tried to muffle his sobs into it.

"Well you better hope he has killed those people...well no, obviously not but Liam, come on. You know it wasn't him." She told him softly.

"I do, I think but why would his scent be over every crime scene Lydia? It's like he rolled over everything in the room." The wolf asked sadly.

"It's obvious isn't it?" The banshee asked gently.

"It is?" Liam sniffed with shaking hands.

"Someone's framing him." Lydia said as if there should be a 'duh' implied.

"How? You can't do that with scent." Liam told her, wiping his face with his hand.

"Yes you can, you just have to be a little sick in the head to do it." She remarked and the wolf hummed questioningly. "Liam really, god you werewolves really don't use your brains after you've turned." Lydia sassed with a long-suffering sigh.

"What do you mean?" Liam asked, a little offended at her judgement of werewolves.

"I mean that once you've become a wolf, you rely on your sense of smell, sense of hearing and all that but none of you take a step back to think." She explained like she was telling off a child.

"Are you saying I'm dumb?" He asked her, joking weakly despite how much he just wanted to bury his head in the sand and pretend none of this was happening.

"I thought that was implied." Lydia replied softly, he could hear the light smirk in her voice and then she cleared her throat as if to get them back on topic. "Why do you think Theo's scent is so obnoxiously ingrained on every surface of each crime scene? It's a little too incriminating. Before Theo went to hell, although he did kill people and manipulate, he was careful. The Theo that came back from hell might be different but he didn't lose his ability to think and don't you think he would find some way to hide his scent?" She explained and Liam already felt like he'd made a huge mistake but now he felt bile rising at the back of his throat.

"Anytime there's a fight, he always comes up with best plans to get in and out with the least amount of damage." Liam sniffed lightly, he hugged the cushion tighter to his body and he couldn't quite keep the tears back. "Lydia, I fucked up."

"Did he leave?" Lydia asked knowingly. "We heard him howling, that's why I called you. Stiles tried phoning Theo but his phone's off."

"He left, his phone's on the counter and he can't speak anyway, he full-shifted." Liam explained sadly.

"Worse than I thought then." The banshee murmured.

"I really hurt him Lydia, I said some really harsh things and he tried to pretend like it didn't hurt and left. I tried to go after him but he growled at me and took off." The wolf told her guiltily.

"Give him time, he loves you so don't worry. Just know you'll have a lot of grovelling to do when this is over." Lydia replied reassuringly.

"I don't know if he'll forgive me this time." Liam mumbled insecurely.

"You don't know that. You've been together for four years, he won't throw that away. He cares too much." She told him and Liam sighed, another sob breaking through. "No more of that, I'm coming over okay? So try and calm down, I'll bring movies and snacks and we'll deal with this." Lydia added, shuffling could be heard in the background and Stiles was softly asking if she wanted him to come too but she must have shook her head as he could hear the telltale sounds of her kissing him before getting into her car.

"Okay, just text me when you're outside and I'll open the door." He replied shakily, sniffing again as he wiped at his eyes with his hand.

"I'll be there soon." Lydia said as she started her car and hung up.

Liam dropped the phone onto the sofa, pushing himself off of the floor and walking shakily to their bedroom. He cried softly when he was met with the scent of Theo, the various chemosignals of sadness and the salt from the chimera's tears. No doubt he'd been crying himself to sleep in here, much like Liam had been for the past two weeks at his parents' house.

He rummaged around to find one of Theo's hoodies, finding one that smelled strongly of the chimera and he pulled it on. It was ironic that the thing soothing him right now was the very thing causing this whole mess and he sighed brokenly as he buried his face into one of Theo's shirts.

His sensitive hearing picked up the telltale buzzing from his phone and he heard the little knock on his door.

"Oh baby." Lydia murmured sympathetically when he opened the door and she pulled the wolf into her arms as he broke down. "Let's sit down, I'm starving." She added as she guided the wolf to the couch and pulled out the plastic bag of snacks she had brought.

"I'm not hungry." Liam whispered, sniffing lightly and burying his nose in the sleeve of Theo's hoodie.

"Have you eaten today?" Lydia asked him worriedly, resting a packet of chips on her swelling stomach and brushing a hand through the wolf's hair comfortingly.

"I had a sandwich earlier." He murmured guiltily and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"How many hours ago was that?" She questioned sternly.

"This morning." He sighed and his stomach let out a little noise in protest.

"I'm ordering pizza." Lydia stated, phone already in her hand as she dialled the number for the pizza place.

"Okay." Liam replied weakly, not wanting to argue with a pregnant woman on a mission.

"It'll be here in half an hour, you can have some chips but I don't want you to spoil your appetite." She told him, stuffing a few chips in her mouth and he looked at her pointedly with a small smile. "What? I'm eating for two." The banshee defended and the wolf let out a sad little sigh as he almost instinctively turned to smile at Theo.

Liam had managed to keep his grief inside until after they had ate their pizza and watched the first movie but he couldn't help but feel the cold dose of reality. Theo might not come back, he'd pushed him too far, had hurt him and that thought set him off again.

Lydia let him sob into her shoulder, her mothering instincts set in as she held the wolf close and rubbed a comforting hand up and down his back. They needed to find out who was doing this but the pack had been keeping her from the fray ever since she found out she was pregnant and it only served to stress her out more.

Her pack was in distress, she might not have all the same instincts as the others but she still felt the same pull when her pack was in danger. Her powers had seemed to amplify while pregnant and she knew that if she was allowed to go near the bodies, instead of merely getting to see pictures and information from the rest of the pack she could figure this out.

Liam fell asleep like that, cuddled into her and she smiled lightly in relief, the sleep might do him some good and she texted her fiancé to let him know she'd be back in the morning. When the movie was over, she pulled the blanket down from the back of the couch and set it out over them both and snuggled into the werewolf heat.

The next two weeks were a blur for Liam, his heartbreak over Theo's continued disappearance was agonising and more bodies began to pile up as if someone was smug about it. Lydia had had enough and sneaked out of her house to go and investigate the scenes. Parrish was the only one she allowed to come with her as he was also a harbinger of death and would be able to sense similar things to her.

That and he could protect her if something happened.

She had visions of the victims' fear, the murderer liked to chase and each victim met the same gruesome end. Each time the crime scene was rubbed down with some kind of clothing but from what the pack could sense, Theo's smell was becoming less and less with each new body.

It confirmed Lydia's belief, it couldn't be called a theory if Lydia believed it to be true and Liam felt nothing but relief and grief at the confirmation.

He'd caught Jason breaking into their house one night, rooting through their laundry and Liam almost destroyed the house trying to catch him. Jason ran for it and Liam howled for the pack.

When he tried to grab for Lydia in order to shield himself from their anger, Stiles had shot him in the shoulder before his dirty hands could touch her.

Scott had howled, they fought and Liam's fragile control without his anchor meant that he had to be held back by Malia.

Parrish arrested him then, dragging his ass back to the sheriff's station and when he was interrogated; he laughed.

Hysterically.

Stiles ran his prints in the crime database of the FBI and found that Jason; or more accurately Michael Dawson, was linked to a lot more murders across the country.

"I knew there was something about him." Stiles groaned into his hands at their next pack meeting. "I'm so sorry I didn't see it sooner." He directed at Liam.

Liam grimaced, leaving shortly after to go home and ignoring the worried calls of his name by his pack mates.

He'd thrown away four years for nothing.

He barely made it home before he sobbed into their couch.

How could he be so stupid?

Mason and Corey called over then, Mason using the spare key he'd been given the first day they moved in and both young men crowded around the grieving wolf.

"What do I do now?" Liam whispered brokenly.

"We go find him." Mason told him with a small smile.

"What if he doesn't want to be found?" The wolf asked insecurely.

"We still have to try." Corey murmured earnestly and Liam nodded, straightening a little.

"Scott said to be ready in half an hour." His best friend said warmly and Liam sniffed with a small smile.

"Thanks." He mumbled, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"Don't thank us, just get ready." The human told him fondly and Liam stood up quickly to go into his (their) bedroom. Picking out some clothes for Theo and hoping against hope that the chimera would want to come home to him.

The pack met in the preserve, it was a huge area and Scott held his hand out to Mason. Mason handed over one of Theo's shirts, giving Liam a reassuring look when he looked up curiously.

"Well, turn around." Malia told them all, everyone but Scott turning their backs when they realised what she was going to do and he held his free hand out for her clothes as she stripped quickly before shifting into her coyote form.

He lowered the hand with Theo's shirt so she could sniff at it and she yipped quietly when she caught the scent and took off running.

"Split up, remember he's probably thinking we're here to hurt him so be careful and try not to spook him." The alpha said before running after his girlfriend and the other pack members ran in different directions.

Liam just hoped that the chimera wouldn't be angry at the others, it was his fault and his responsibility to apologise.

Theo tore into the bird he'd just caught with his muzzle. This whole going native thing wasn't so bad, the only real danger he had in this form was going feral. You could spend too much time as the wolf, he'd heard.

He remembered hearing Derek say that as the man had spent a month as a wolf in an undercover mission and had had trouble speaking for two weeks afterwards.

His ears twitched in different directions as he focused on his meal, he could hear breaking twigs on the forest floor but that wasn't too unusual as there many things that lived out in this forest.

His face rose from his meal slowly when he heard the heaving breaths coming from a wolf as it broke through a bush. They froze as they faced each other from a distance and Theo realised then that it wasn't a wolf, it was a coyote.

A very familiar coyote.

The coyote's eyes flashed blue, his flashing yellow in response and he knew this was it.

They were here for him. He could hear the footsteps catching up to her now, no doubt Scott and that was it, Theo ran.

The coyote chased, both beasts speeding through the forest and the chimera tried to use all the different routes he'd learned over the past few weeks in order to throw her off. It didn't work, she was hot on his tail, she had more experience in this form and therefore was a little faster but he wasn't going to give up.

He skidded to a stop before changing directions when he heard Stiles' jeep pull up, narrowly avoiding the coyote's leap for him and he kept going. Heart beating wildly in his chest.

He ran into an open area, almost giving himself a heart attack when he felt some sort of invisible mesh catching his back paw, and he looked around wildly. Seeing Mason holding something invisible and he could sense Corey on the other side, both young men tried to move around him to trap him and he managed to chew through whatever the hell it was before running again.

Malia almost caught him with her paw that time and he threw himself forward, coming to a skidding halt when Liam stood in front of him.

"Theo, please." Liam murmured sadly. The chimera almost gave in but Malia had landed on his back then, both coyote's snarling and Theo twisted and rolled as he tried to throw her off. He wasn't trying to hurt her, he just wanted her to get off of him and he twisted his body, managing to throw her off and her back hit a tree.

He looked over guiltily before shaking his head, he looked up at Liam and let out a growl, eyes shimmering with betrayal and ran off again.

Scott leaped in front of him then, Alpha eyes glowing and he howled commandingly in Theo's face. Theo backed up as he tried valiantly to hold onto the shift but his bones were twisting and reshaping, fur receding as he shifted back. He backed up to a tree and covered himself with his hands.

"We're not here to hurt you." Scott told the chimera reassuringly when he looked at them all warily, avoiding Liam's gaze and he scoffed.

"What do you want? I was kind of in the middle of dinner." Theo asked bitterly, his defences were raised and he didn't trust any of this.

"You mean the bird? What? Too lazy to go after a deer?" Malia snarked, she had shifted back too and Scott had covered her with his jacket before offering her her clothes.

"If you must know, yes." Theo said with an eyeroll. He was tired, the bird was there and thus he had himself a bird for dinner.

"Dude, are you seriously having a conversation while you're naked?" Mason asked incredulously and Theo smirked with a raised brow.

"What? You don't think I look good?" He asked sarcastically.

"You're covered in dirt." Stiles remarked.

"And naked." Lydia added awkwardly.

"Sorry I forgot to pack my clothes in my other fur." He replied with a smirk and Liam stepped forward shyly, holding out Theo's clothes.

"I brought these for you." The wolf mumbled and Theo sighed, standing up before accepting them from Liam gently.

"Oh my god!" Stiles squawked and a few of the others protested when he stood there without shame and he chuckled before pulling on his clothes.

"What? Don't tell me you haven't thought about it." Theo told them mockingly but he sobered when Liam looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Can we talk?" He asked nervously.

"There's nothing to talk about." The chimera said harshly, looking away from the beta and sighing tiredly. "What do you guys want anyway? If you're not here to arrest me or kill me, what the hell are you doing here?"

"We found out who it was." Scott murmured, eyeing his beta worriedly when Liam looked down sadly.

This piqued Theo's interest. "Well? Don't leave me in suspense." He said, leaning back against the tree and folding his arms.

"It was Jason." Liam mumbled softly and Theo froze for a moment before a wide grin split on his face.

"Was it now? Well be sure to send him my regards in the form of 'fuck you'." The chimera replied, pushing himself off the tree and began walking off.

"Theo." Liam called pleadingly and he turned sharply.

"What? Did you think that it would be that easy?" Theo asked him incredulously, the pack looked on awkwardly and Lydia tried to usher them back a little so they wouldn't be in the crossfire but could watch from a distance.

"No I-" Liam tried but was cut off.

"No! You don't get to say anything right now." The chimera hissed angrily. "When you moved out, I thought 'hey Liam needs some time to himself', I got that it can be hard to trust me sometimes but you can't take back what you said." He said bitterly, hands shaking as he tried to hold back how he was feeling, his impassive mask falling apart.

"I know I-" The wolf said again but was cut off again.

"You know?! You know fucking nothing." Theo shouted. "I get that before I went to hell I was the fucking worst person in the world, I do get that. But you? Ever since you brought me back...I haven't killed anyone, no matter how much I wanted to, even if it was the easier option. I never did. I thought you would have known that and yeah, sure my scent being over every fucking crime scene was too much of a coincidence...but Liam." The chimera broke off, looking off to the side as his eyes were glowing and he took in a deep calming breath.

"I'm sorry." Liam blurted out before the chimera could interrupt him and Theo looked at him with a raised brow.

"Oh you're sorry?" He let out a humourless laugh before he moved closer to the werewolf. "For what? For saying what you really think of me? What you've probably been afraid of saying this whole time? Admit it Liam, you think I enjoy killing people. I've done it before haven't I? What's to say I won't do it again? Or...what's to say some bullshit like this won't happen again and there's Theo: Suspect Number One."

Theo's eyes hardened when the tears fell from Liam's eyes and he turned his face away. He didn't want to hurt him but he was so angry, he was still hurting from their argument and he started walking away again before he could say anything more.

"Don't try to stop me this time Scott." He warned as he pulled off the shirt and sweatpants and shifted. He ran away then, turning when he heard the quiet sobs coming from the beta and the pack crowding around him.

He huffed sadly, turning again to run away from the man he loved so much as he wasn't sure if he could trust him with his heart again.

"Come on Liam." Lydia coaxed the younger man, arm around his shoulders as he buried his face in her neck and she guided him to the jeep. "I'm sorry; he just needs some more time."

"I don't think so." Liam mumbled brokenly. "You heard him yourself."

"I know." She hushed as he kept sobbing into her neck and Stiles looked at the two sadly as they got into his back seat and he drove the wolf home. "I'm staying with him tonight." She added to her fiancé and he nodded with a soft look.

Stiles helped the two inside, getting them both settled onto the couch and he put on a movie so they wouldn't have to get up. He settled himself down on the chair, wanting to make sure they were both okay and eventually Liam had managed to cry himself to sleep.

"I'm going out there." Lydia whispered to her fiancé and he looked up sharply.

"No, it could be dangerous." He told her worriedly.

"It's only Theo." She hissed and she eased herself out of the wolf's grip.

"There's more than just Theo out there, you know that." Stiles murmured quietly.

"I need to do this. Just keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Lydia told him, leaning down to kiss him softly and holding her hand out for his keys.

"Fine, but you call me the instant, the instant, something happens." Stiles told her, hand resting on her bump for a few moments.

"Promise." She replied lightly, accepting his keys with a warm smile as he handed them over in defeat.

Lydia walked out to the jeep quietly, she drove to the preserve and thought over what she was going to do. She couldn't stand to see Liam that way and she had to do something.

She parked in the preserve parking lot, reaching into the glove compartment to pull out a flashlight as it was going to get darker and she began walking.

"Theo?!" She called out every so often. Lydia had hoped that Theo would come out if he heard her and not hide himself away as she was nervous on her own.

"Theo, please I need to talk to you!" The banshee shouted and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw a pair of yellow eyes peeking at her from behind a tree.

"Theo?" She questioned and the chimera huffed as he came closer to her and sat down expectantly.

"Go home." Lydia stated and the chimera rolled his eyes, turning to walk away and she stomped her foot. "Don't you turn your back on me Theodore!"

The beast froze mid-trot, head slowly turning towards her before he bared his teeth in a grin. The chimera sat back down and looked up at her, ears twitching like he was paying attention.

"Liam said some hurtful things, I know that." Theo's shoulders slumped slightly, ears lowering and she sunk down to her knees carefully so she could be at eye level. "Everyone makes mistakes, even you." That earned her a half-hearted growl and she laughed lightly, brushing her hand over his head.

"He didn't mean it and you know it." Lydia told him and he growled sulkily. "I know that's not an excuse but you love each other, you've been together for four years...why would you want to throw that away?" She murmured and he looked at her as if to say 'he' didn't throw it away.

"Please don't punish him anymore, allow him to say sorry. You don't have to forgive him right away but let him in. He never once for a minute believed you had anything to do with those murders, Jason manipulated him; he did that to all of us but he twisted things in Liam's head. Again, I'm not saying it's an excuse but Liam was afraid and you know how he is when he's afraid." Lydia smiled fondly when the chimera nodded sadly.

"Please go home." She whispered and Theo looked into her eyes helplessly. The chimera yipped lightly, nudging her so she would stand up and he led the way to Stiles' jeep. "Thank you." Lydia said fondly when she realised he had walked her to her car so she'd get there safe.

The chimera nodded before running in the direction of town, Lydia grinned and quickly called Stiles to tell him to wait outside and she would pick him up.

Theo ran, heart thumping wildly and he couldn't believe he was so stubborn. Liam was trying to reach out and he'd pushed him away because he was too busy feeling sorry for himself to notice how broken the younger man was.

He nearly gave an old lady a heart attack when he ran past her and she cursed this crazy town she lived in. He ran past Stiles who waved at him fondly before he reached the door to their apartment. He scratched at the door lightly, huffing when he had received no response but he could hear Liam's steady heartbeat and breaths inside.

Looking around to make sure no one could see him; Stiles studiously looking at the road to wait for his fiancé, he shifted and opened the door to the apartment which Stiles had left unlocked.

Theo's heart lurched painfully when he smelled the heartbreak and overwhelming sadness in the room, Liam was sleeping on the couch and he thought about waking him but the man looked tired so he pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and laid it over him.

Theo walked into their bedroom, eyes widening when he saw how trashed it looked and he took in a deep breath. Liam hadn't slept in here since well before Theo had left, and he didn't know how to feel about that.

He grabbed some clothes before making his way into their bathroom and took a shower. He washed the dirt and grime from his body with a relieved breath and he noticed it then, eyes fond. Liam's body gel had been untouched since before the younger man had moved out and Theo's was half empty already.

Liam had wanted to smell like him...

Theo stepped out of the shower when the water ran clear, a towel around his waist as he went to the sink to trim the beard from his face, leaving him with the stubble that Liam had always said he liked on him but complained about when their cheeks rubbed together.

Theo changed into a pair of sweatpants before moving into the living room, the wolf had clutched a pillow to his chest in his sleep and Theo found it endearingly cute. He gently pulled the shoes from the younger man's feet before removing the blanket and Liam shivered but didn't wake.

He carefully placed an arm under Liam's knees, the other moving under his shoulders and he delicately picked him up. Walking into their room, Theo gently moved the blanket with his foot before setting Liam down on his side of the bed before walking around to get into his own side.

He lay on his back then, unsure whether it would be welcome to cuddle into the younger man's heat and he turned his head to look at him. Liam's features were pinched, as if the lingering smell of Theo's sadness had upset him and Theo thought 'fuck it'.

He curled onto his side, burying his nose into the other man's neck, arm going over the werewolf's waist and he smiled when Liam's face completely relaxed. He drifted...

Liam awoke feeling sleepy and safe, his heart lurched painfully when he registered that Theo's fading scent was stronger and he realised that someone had put him in bed. He was going to have to have a talk with Stiles' later to tell him he didn't want to sleep in 'their' bed when Theo wasn't there. He tried to get up but couldn't as he felt the warm and heavy weight on his waist and he finally noticed the warmth against his back.

Liam turned his head slowly, heart skipping when he saw the sleeping figure behind him and he turned quickly, launching at the older man with his arms surrounding him; effectively startling the chimera who squawked tiredly in surprise.

"What the hell?" The chimera grumped, he was never a morning person but he hugged back all the same, nose burying in Liam's shoulder.

"You came back?" Liam exclaimed emotionally and Theo squeezed him tighter.

"Of course I did." He murmured and the werewolf sighed gratefully.

"I'm so sorry for what I said to you. I swear I didn't mean it, which isn't an excuse I know. But I love you and I will make it up to you if you'll let me." Liam rambled and Theo smiled warmly, hand reaching up to stroke his boyfriend's cheek softly.

"I know. I'm sorry too for being so harsh yesterday." Theo said guiltily.

"I deserved it." The wolf told him and the chimera rolled his eyes lightly.

"We both made mistakes, Lydia came out last night to remind me of that and I missed you so much. It physically hurt me to push you away yesterday." Theo informed him sadly.

"Wait, Lydia went to talk to you?" Liam asked in surprise and the older man merely nodded.

"She did and gave one hell of a pep talk. I'm glad she helped me pull my head out of my ass or I'd have been pulling bird bones out of my teeth for the next few weeks." The chimera joked gently, a small smirk on his lips and the wolf gave him a warm smile.

"Please don't ever leave again; I don't know what I would do without you." Liam told the chimera softly, eyes earnest and Theo shook his head.

"Never. I stayed in Beacon Hills didn't I? Could have skipped town but I didn't. I was too afraid to leave you for real. Needed some time away from you because you hurt me but I knew you didn't mean it." Theo replied with a pained smile and Liam shook his head frantically.

"Of course I didn't, I was just angry and had had enough of Jason accusing you. I am really sorry." Liam explained honestly, hand brushing through Theo's hair lovingly and he looked at Theo with wide eyes. "I love you." He leaned in slowly, allowing Theo to back out if he wanted to but the chimera had missed kissing him too and their lips touched languidly.

"I love you too, so much." Theo whispered into his lips, hand moving up the wolf's back as he squeezed the younger man closer to himself and Liam's arms did the same as they tried to pull each other closer.

Their tongues met lazily, almost like they were apologising to each other for the harsh words they spat at each other and both boys couldn't help but smile into the kiss in relief.

Liam pulled back, Theo chasing his lips and Liam allowed it for a few moments before pulling back again.

"Are you hungry?" Liam murmured softly, hand stroking down the chimera's face and Theo smiled fondly.

"Well I had to abandon my bird yesterday so a little?" The chimera answered, hand stroking up and down the younger man's back.

"I'm gonna make you breakfast." He announced, trying to get up but Theo tightened his hold and Liam giggled helplessly. "Let me up, I can't make anything like this."

"I don't want to." Theo mumbled with a smirk as Liam struggled to no avail.

"Please?" Liam asked with full puppy eyes and Theo relented with a put upon sigh. "Stay here, I'll bring it in to you." He added cheerfully, a smile tugging on his lips as Theo nodded in surprise.

He was frying bacon when he felt a pair of warm arms surrounding his waist and he chuckled lightly.

"I thought I said stay in bed, I was gonna bring your breakfast in." Liam sighed warmly and Theo buried his face in the younger man's shoulder.

"I couldn't stay away." Theo mumbled tiredly, meaning every word as he breathed in the wolf's scent.

Liam turned off the heat on the stove before turning in Theo's arms, hands surrounding the older man's neck.

"I love you." He mumbled, leaning up to press his lips into the chimera's and Theo pulled back to say the same.

The rest of the day was spent in bed, the two of them reassuring each other that they were together again and that they loved each other.

It would take time before they could fully trust each other again but both knew they would come out stronger once they worked it out.

After all, Theo knew it was worth it and so did Liam