Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Liam was grumbling almost sadly in the corner of their pack meeting, a familiar calming chant echoing in his head as he tried to control his emotions – his anxiety, nerves, and fear had a horrible habit of turning to unbridled anger. He didn’t want to drag the pack down further than it already was.

The chunk of the pack that was situated in Beacon Hills  that summer was gathered in Deaton’s clinic to discuss ‘The Plan’ – what great defense they could set up to survive whatever the hunters had planned for them next. Not having so much as a hint of what said hunters might have planned wasn’t helping things in the slightest. Rattled from the last attack and with clashing chemo signals in the air, the pack was flat-out arguing. They had been for hours, and the argument was only growing more and more heated as it went on.

“Attack the hunters back,” one would propose before Scott shoved the idea aside.

“No, it’s too risky. Hunker down in town and go on the defensive.”

“We’d be sitting ducks, I say someone shows them they’re dealing with more than they bargained for.”

“That would be attacking.”

“Oh come on! You actually expect us to sit around and take whatever they decide to dish out next?”

And round and round they went without actually getting anywhere. Even Scott was growing visibly irritated. The only people who seemed to share his stance completely were Lydia, who had been eerily quiet for a while, and Corey, who refused to intervene.

In all honesty, Liam had stopped paying any real attention two hours into the so-called ‘discussion’, opting to instead drown himself in his own recollections.

The latest attempt to ‘save humanity’, as Monroe had so eloquently – and oh so sanely - put it, had been to divide the puppy pack and attack them in a single coordinated attack. Everyone working under her seemed perfectly content with the fact the move had also put dozens of the humans, who they were supposedly trying to protect, at risk.

Unfortunately, the complete lack of compassion and disregard of people’s lives wasn’t all that was setting Liam off. The fact that it had almost worked, that the hunters had nearly taken them out, that his friends had gotten badly hurt, and that the majority of the fault likely laid at his feet, all because of a couple of rash decisions – that had his non-existent tail instinctively tucking between his legs with guilt.  

The wolfsbane had taken a toll, but Liam and Alec’s wounds had healed up nicely by now, though it had left the younger of the two exhausted and under home-arrest as per Mama McCall’s say so. Mason and Corey on the other hand, were not quite as lucky as both were still bruised and battered, favoring hurt limbs, and overall lucky to be alive at all.

Beyond incapacitating a solid portion of the pack for a few days, the hit also brought on some pressing questions – what had the hunters done that wouldn’t let Corey heal? Were they even aware of what they had?

The pack was holding on to an ever so thin sliver of hope that the hunters weren’t aware of it. Their logic rode on the slightly more realistic assumption that the hunters also weren’t aware of the actual existence of chimeras. Anything else would be far too much to handle at that point. Thankfully, that assumption was backed up by the fact that Theo and Corey were the only actual chimeras left alive. Or at least, presumably alive.

Speaking of which.

“What about Theo,” Liam cut through the umpteenth round of the ‘defense vs offense’ debate.

All eyes turned to him, all with varying degrees of incredulity or concern.

Stile’s annoyed scoff woke something feral that Liam was becoming increasingly intimate with. As much as Liam tried to ignore it, he knew his fuse had grown shorter in the past few months.

In contrast Scott’s hesitant step toward him made Liam want to whimper. The alpha had never been this reluctant with him before Monroe’s attack. It was becoming painfully clear he didn’t trust him fully anymore. Frankly, neither did the others.

Corey, Mason and Alec were more hesitant to listen to him. Lydia, Stiles and most everyone else were treating him like a child. Worst of all, Scott was putting him on the backburner with all the subtlety of a roaring lion. While Liam understood it was mostly protective alpha instincts and there was little he could do against those, he couldn’t help but wish he and his ‘puppy pack’ weren’t so consistently relegated to the simplest, safest missions possible.

The alpha in question proceeded to de-rail Liam’s train of thought. Focusing on a single line of thinking was becoming more and more challenging as time went by, much like keeping his anger under wraps. Liam refused to admit that it had started when Theo disappeared.

“Liam, we talked about this. Theo’s -”

“We didn’t talk about shit,” Liam jerked his head in denial once, his wide-open glowing eyes and snarling mouth letting the others know he wouldn’t just let them glance over the topic again, “You decided everything else was more important than finding him.“

“Uh yeah,” Stiles cut in matter-of-factly, willfully ignoring the warning signs on display “Because everything else is more imp-“

The young beta couldn’t stop the growl that ripped itself from his throat. It was echoed by Corey, who had become close friends with the only other chimera in existence.

“Shut up!”

Stile’s indignant guffaw and subsequent complaints to the room faded into the background as Scott came up in front of his beta, grabbing his shoulders in a strong hold that would have grounded him, had it been any other topic at hand.

The ever patient leader that he was, Scott proceeded with a placating tone and sympathetic eyes.

“Look Liam, I get it man. I know you two got close. And I know you want to find him, and so do I” his grip tightened when Liam looked like he was about to interrupt, “However, Stiles has a point. We can’t drop everything going on with the hunters to look for Theo. We don’t even know where to start.”

Liam wanted to back down. Not only was this the same conversation they’d had several times over, but Scott made good sense, and no matter how much it pained him to give in, Liam didn’t want to add this much additional stress to the alpha’s life. He imagined Theo would have told him something along the same lines. But then Scott kept talking:

“Besides that, he might have left on his own accord to start with.”

And all that went to hell.

“No!”

“Liam,” Scott trailed off warningly, the pack shifting uncomfortably behind him.

They’d all heard snippets of this fight at some point or another, and they’d all made themselves scarce as quickly as they could. That wasn’t an option this time.

“No, Scott! I know he didn’t leave on his own!”

“His truck was on the outskirts of town,” Scott reiterated tiredly for what felt like the hundredth time, Malia was nodding enthusiastically behind him.

“It had his clothes and phone in it. It had blankets in it, too. He was clearly ready for a long trip.”

“Theo wasn’t in it! Or near it. Why would he just leave his truck like that?”

“I don’t know, Liam.”

“So, what? He decided to leave his perfectly good ride behind and take a walk across the country?”

“I don’t know, Liam,” it was the first time Scott raised his voice that night, the steel behind it reinforced by his eyes flaring red for a brief moment, effectively cowing the supernatural creatures in the room.

“I do know there wasn’t any scent besides Theo’s around the car. There were no signs of an attack or a struggle-“

“There weren’t any tracks either. And Theo’s scent disappeared just a meter or so from the car! That doesn’t seem weird to you?”

“It does,” Scott conceded carefully, hoping that what he said next wouldn’t blow up in his face. Regardless, Liam had to hear it, no matter how much it might hurt him. Avoiding it had obviously not done any good.

“But it doesn’t change anything. Whatever happened with him happened. We can’t change that, and we can’t go out of our way to look for him.”

Liam tensed despite the soft tone, taking a terse step forward with elongated fangs and protruding claws, before a hand landed on his shoulder from behind.

“Liam, come on. We’re all tired and tense,” Mason pleaded with him, “Let it go.”

The beta continued to stare down his seemingly put-together alpha.

“It’s not fair,” Liam whispered harshly, fighting back the burning in his eyes and the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat, “He doesn’t deserve to be pushed aside like an afterthought.”

 ‘Not after he was doing so well,’ is the thought he left unsaid, an image of a rare soft smile and bright eyes flashing in his mind.

Mason was now rubbing his arm, trying to provide what little comfort he could, as surprise plastered itself across Scott’s face. They’d never taken this turn in the conversation before. He had certainly never seen Liam tear up over it.

“I’m sorry, Liam.”

The apology came out almost automatically and even Scott had to wince at how insincere it sounded. Although there was still some left-over bitterness from Theo’s manipulation and deceit, he knew very well how much the boy had changed, and he did want to find him.

He was honestly looking for signs of him whenever possible – a scent in the hunter camps they raided every so often, tracks left in the mud when they were scouring forests for shifters in trouble,  local rumours in the places they travelled – but every time he’d come up empty.

An idea had formed in his head after a while - hunters got their hands on Theo, most probably reduced him to nothing more than an experiment to understand what he was. Something severe twisted in Scott’s gut every time he thought about it, the potential consequences of it, and just how likely it all sounded in his head. But he couldn’t share the thought with his pack, not with how it could affect Liam and Corey, who had built a friendship with Theo. So he’d vowed to find the chimera instead. However, failing at every turn has worn his resolve out to the point it was barely hanging on.

Over time finding Theo had steadily slipped lower and lower on his list of priorities. Frankly, he was sorely tempted to forget about it completely. The pack would be fine. Some of them might mull over it, and possibly even feel guilty to some extent, but they’d be ok. Liam was probably the only one who would be truly broken up about it. But he’d get over it eventually, he’d be fine too.

Except now, looking at the younger’s hunched shoulders, teary eyes, and unintentionally-shifted face, that didn’t seem to be particularly true. The sadness rolling off him in spades only served to support that.

“If it was Stiles,” Liam said lowly, voice cracking.

Breaths hitched throughout the room as the pack shared unsettled glances. The thought obviously did not sit well with them. Scott’s own gaze softened tremendously as he slowly enveloped the boy in a hug, beginning to grasp some understanding of how his beta was feeling.

“I’m so sorry,” far more sincere than the previous knee jerk reaction, the alpha cupped the back of Liam’s head, and guided it to his shoulder, waiting for him to calm.

Even knowing that Scott thought he understood, Liam was certain he didn’t. Not really. Sure, he and Stiles were very close friends. But that was the problem. Theo wasn’t just a friend to him.

Despite the pack’s mistrust, the two of them had built a strong connection. Theo had quickly, if unexpectedly, become his confidant. He had shared things – doubts, fears, hopes – with him that he could never mention to Mason or Scott, let alone anyone else. Liam often vented to the chimera, which helped settle his tendency to act out violently. In return he helped Theo open up, making it very clear to him that someone not only cared for him, but trusted him too… needed him.  

And god, it had been working. It had been working so damned well for both of them. Liam wasn’t lashing out uncontrollably. Genuine smiles and vulnerability came more naturally for Theo. Liam had only just started entertaining the possibility of Theo being his anchor, and vice versa. And then suddenly – he wasn’t there anymore. What was worse, Liam couldn’t feel him at all. Waking up one day with the sensation of something missing had been horrible. Though the feeling had subsided recently, the memory of it remained fresh.

“Um. Are we gonna go back to planning,” Malina popped their little emotional bubble, tired of just standing there awkwardly.

“Right,” Scott pulled away from the hug, cleared his throat and made a miserable attempt at dispelling the tension with a swinging clap of the hands.

“Where were we?”

No one had the chance to answer him, as Lydia jerked, gasping and sputtering, out of whatever silent trance she’d been stuck in. Stiles rushed to her side in the blink of an eye, mouth running a mile a minute, only for her to push him away.

The hunch in her back, spread out arms and wild look in her eyes kept everyone else from trying to do the same.

“Lyds? Hey, what’s wrong?”

The banshee pinned her boyfriend with a wide eyed unseeing stare before she seemed to collect herself.

“Something’s coming,” she looked around the room, “Something very weird is coming.”

“Well, that’s nice and vague.”

Lydia twirled around to face Malia.

“Well I’m sorry, but it wasn’t the clearest of visions.”

“What did you see?”

“Well... It looked…” she hesitated, struggling to believe what she had seen with her own eyes, “it looked like magic?”

“I-I’m sorry. Magic? Actual magic!?”

They winced at Mason’s outburst. Even for them, who’ve been dealing with the supernatural for years, the thought of hand-wavy, light-showy magic sounded absurd.

“Wait. But like, Harry Potter-y magic,” Malia questioned.

“Like a purple aura making people float.”

“Well that’s just great,” Stiles threw his hands in the air, “Like we didn’t have enough to worry about, now there’s a murderous magician, too.”

“No,” Lydia deadpanned.

“No?”

“No.”

“Um,” Corey piped up, “Could you maybe elaborate on that?”

 “The ‘magician’ isn’t murderous. But whoever it is, they are hurt.”

“Deaton,” Scott turned to the veterinarian, who had stayed to ensure they didn’t decide on suicidal plans that weren’t strictly necessary.

“There isn’t much I can do without the actual patient here.”

As if on que, frantic banging and frustrated growls met their ears from outside the room, signifying said patient’s imminent arrival.

“Not murderous she says,” Stiles raised his voice so Lydia and Mason would hear him over the noise as the shapeshifters formed a barrier between them and the entrance – the tension in the room growing as the sounds grew closer.

He didn’t notice her exasperated eye-roll, too busy staring at the familiar red eyes glaring through the window in the door.

“No way,” he gasped as the door almost flew off its hinges, never standing a chance against the furious kick that met it, and he was met with an impossible sight. Albeit enraged, older and more worn, it was undoubtedly Scott McCall scowling back at them.

Time froze for the pack as they were rendered stunned. Even the actual Scott, who Stiles had spent the day with and driven to the pack meeting himself, didn’t know how to react.

Liam on the other hand was focused on something else entirely.

Cradled protectively in Angry Scott’s arms was an unconscious Theo. The blood that stained the side of his face and lips made the paleness of his skin stand out. His relaxed face made him look younger than they knew him to be – almost innocent in what could have easily been mistaken for a dreamless sleep, if it weren’t for the viscous gash in his stomach.  Liam’s chest clenched when it registered just how fragile the chimera looked, the feeling only amplified by the surprisingly careful grip of his carrier around him.

Liam couldn’t help the whimper that escaped him, stuck somewhere between euphoria over seeing his long-missing more-than-friend, fear and worry over him, and disbelief over the alpha-doppelganger.

The others didn’t seem to have any problem settling on an emotion, every last one of them gaping at the all too familiar face, and shifting their stare from the newcomer to Scott and back. Liam wouldn’t be surprised if they hadn’t even noticed the chimera in his arms.

Meanwhile Angry Scott let his eyes skim past the faces of the were-creatures in front of him, pausing only briefly on his doppelganger’s face before settling on Deaton, who had inched toward the hurt couple. A glimpse of relief sparked in his too-red eyes

“Deaton,” Angry Scott gasped out, “Help him. Please help him. He won’t heal, he can’t-”

The raw desperation in his voice spurred the veterinarian to action. Deaton opted to first stop the rambling before it could truly begin with an understanding gaze and a brief yet firm grip.

“Ok. I’ll help. Set him on the table.”

The alpha wasted no time in rushing past the pack to do as told.

The movement spread an arrangement of scents through the air. The most prominent for Liam being Theo’s – mellow and calming, yet twisting the beta’s stomach into knots as it intertwined with the pungent metallic stench of blood.

"Theo," his voice cracked around the name as it ripped itself from his throat. He saw Angry Scott’s shoulders tense at that, even as he gently laid Theo on the table.

The rest of the pack finally caught on to the chimera’s presence and the strangled beginning of a hysteric laugh bubbled past Stiles lips. It sounded more like a disgruntled yelp than anything else.

A deep growl floored the human with its wild fury, effectively shutting him up. Stiles had never been on the receiving end of Scott’s anger. Never like this. He had certainly never felt his life threatened by his best friend, or at least what looked like him. Whatever this thing was, it was definitely not the same as Scott.

“If you’re not going to help, get out.”

The man didn’t even turn to look at them as he uttered the command, yet it set everyone in motion. Their Scott, the actual Scott, rushed to help his doppelganger and Deaton with cleaning and stitching Theo’s wounds. Lydia and Mason also managed to make themselves useful as assistants, while Corey ushered Stiles and Malia out the door.

Despite the flurry of activity, everyone witnessed Angry Scott hovering worriedly over the chimera, stroking the hair out of his face with trembling fingers, caressing his cheek. Everyone also heard the desperate tremble in the alpha’s voice, which sent chills down their spines. The newer members of the pack had never heard a sound like that from Scott. The others, on the other hand, were sorely reminded of Allison.

Before he knew it Liam was at Theo’s side, gripping his arm to syphon as much pain as he could. It was almost unbearable, but it was also the only way he could make himself useful and he could not let himself be kicked out of the room. Angry Scott, who had his own hands on Theo’s shoulders, seemed far too focused on soothing the boy to pay Liam any mind. It was… uncanny.  

What Liam had failed to foresee was just how close he’d be to everything in this position. The pain was nothing next to the sight and smell of Theo’s blood, the deathly paleness of his far-too-peaceful face, the abnormally slow beating of his heart. A tan hand came up to tenderly brush the blood from the chimera’s lips as Deaton deftly cut the shirt off him, carefully peeling away the blood-soaked cloth from the worst of his wounds. God he was feeling nauseas.

Theo’s body spasmed, Angry Scott swore, and just like that the nausea was joined by lightheadedness. Liam became very aware that he was no longer properly taking Theo’s pain. Instead he just stood there, staring at his face, uselessly holding onto his hand. A frustrated grunt broke him out of his stupor.

“Kid,” Angry Scott spoke up gruffly, “I get you’re trying to help, but if you can’t get it together, you’re just getting in the way. It’s best if you stay clear of him.”

Nobody stopped what they were doing, but the pointed looks they gave him had Liam whimpering quietly as he slinked away to the nearest wall and slid down to curl up on the floor. His vision grew blurry as he slowly lost track of his surroundings.  He no longer noticed the other’s movements, the instructions from Deaton, or the glances Mason kept throwing his way. All he could focus on was Theo’s hand hanging limply off the side of the table.

Chapter Text

Silence reigned in Deaton’s clinic, broken only by the clinking and shuffling of the tools and supplies he was putting away. Not counting Theo, it was just three of them left occupying the florescent-lit room - Lydia and Mason having urged Liam out of the room as soon as they’d finished patching Theo up. Visibly shaken, the beta had barely reacted – moving sluggishly with a dazed look on his face, until his friends completely blocked his view of the wounded chimera. Scott would have attended to him too, if he hadn’t been so preoccupied with his own thoughts.

It felt like ages ago that they were discussing Monroe, her hunters, and their plan of action. Now he was leaning against a counter, blatantly staring at the other him in a manner many would call rude. Back curved and hands braced against the operating table, the doppelganger looked like he was holding back from curling around Theo. He looked somehow more wary than when he had first burst in, if that was possible. ‘Probably worry setting in now that his adrenaline is dropping and Theo’s injuries are really sinking in,’ Scott winced at the thought as it shot through his head. This couldn’t be real.

The ink on the other man’s forearm only served to strengthen that feeling - crisp black lines intertwining with vibrant watercolor. A hint of a scar - one formed a long time ago – poked out from under a soft splash of purple trailing off at his elbow.

“Ok, so not a clone,” Scott breathed under his nose and then startled at the snort that came from the other alpha. He ignored the clatter of a tool hitting the floor as he looked up to see Not Scott’s amused expression.

“Right, werewolf. Enhanced senses,” he nodded jerkily to himself.

“Yup.”

Silence stretched once more – distinct in its awkwardness. Scott couldn’t look his doppelganger in the eye. The more he looked the more he felt like he was staring at a mirror, except the reflection staring back at him was not actually him – more like a window then, ‘But like, if my identical twin was on the other side and also somehow several years older. That would be a long gap between twins-’ Scott didn’t get to continue that brilliant train of thought as the other Scott, ‘Not Scott’, broke the quiet.

“So,” Not Scott leaned forward slightly, “I’m sure you have questions.”

The deceptively casual tone was unsettling, making Scott shift anxiously from one foot to the other.

“And you’re going to answer them? Just like that?”

“We won’t know unless you ask, kid. It’d be better than whatever’s happening right now anyway.”

“What are you,” the question shoots out before the other him is even finished talking.

”A werewolf. Like you just said.”

“Well yeah,” he blinked, “But why are you identical to me?”

“But I’m not identical,” Not Scott waved his tattooed arm with a mischievous grin that only widened when his younger counterpart’s face went blank in bemusement.

“You know what I mean.”

“I guess I do.”

“You’re not gonna answer, are you?”

“Not yet, no,” came the almost apologetic answer. The slump to Scott’s shoulders didn’t seem to sit well with his doppelganger.

“Sorry kid. Ask something else.”

“Alright,” he spared a glance at Theo on the operation table. He was cut off before he could even open his mouth, though not unkindly.

“Some answers aren’t really mine to give.”

Scott sighed, realizing his more pressing questions would have to wait until Theo gained consciousness. He tried not to think of the possibility that Theo himself might not be willing to give answers. Because why would anything be easy?

“You keep calling me kid. How old exactly are you,” he opted to go for instead, glancing warily at the broader shoulders, the sharper look in his eyes counteracted by the beginnings of crow’s feet in their corners – signs of both rough pasts and moments of joy. The impression Not Scott gave was one of being calm and collected, despite the boy he clearly cared deeply about laying on an operating table in front of him. The man was visibly worried and obviously itching to touch, yet somehow Scott felt like he could lean on him for support right then and there and it would be granted. This guy was an adult. A well-adjusted one at that – the type that actually knew how to adult. Scott couldn’t help but be reminded of his mom.

“Somewhere around thirty.”

The odd pitch to his voice and sudden tilt of his head gave Scott pause.

“Maybe you’re not that well-adjusted after all.”

“Excuse me?”

“What? Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself,” the younger alpha couldn’t help but snicker mentally. The other didn’t seem convinced.

“Sure kid.”

“Still don’t think you’re old enough to be calling me kid though.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“…”

“Kid,” Not Scott smirked. Actual Scott grunted. Even Deaton was left suppressing an amused grin of his own.

The ease that had just started to settle over them snapped like a twig when Theo twitched, a grimace overcoming his face before smoothing out in mere seconds. Scott watched his not-clone direct his undivided attention to the chimera and take his hand in a gentle hold.

It looked so incredibly natural, save for the fact Scott was watching his own face contract in far too doting concern. Watching his own hands brush the hair from a pale forehead, and simultaneously hearing sweet calming nothings uttered with his own voice - he hardly even acted like that with Malia, his official girlfriend, and here he was, seeing himself do it with Theo of all people. It was disturbing. Like an out-of-body experience, except it was an inside-of-body-staring-at-other-identical-body experience. He could feel the migraine setting in already.

Deaton had moved, without the werewolf even noticing, to inspect the now still chimera for any signs of what might have caused the discrepancy in his otherwise unconscious form.

“Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. Perhaps he’s having a nightmare.”

“Not surprising considering… everything.”

Any doubt building in Scott’s head was set in stone by his doppelganger’s non-committal hum. Somehow Scott knew he wasn’t going to like it when he was finally clued in on exactly what was going on.

 „Regardless, I would have him rest for at least half an hour more before you move him.”

“Move him,” Scott’s confusion attracted the attention of both men in the room. Deaton raised a brow at him.

“Did you expect me to shove him in a back room somewhere when my work hours roll around? I do work with actual clients here every once in a while, Scott. ”

The alpha ducked his head, face heating a little in embarrassment.

“Right. Sorry.”

“Where can we go? Preferably somewhere I won’t seem suspicious for carrying a knocked-out teenager. But also somewhere without suspicious men carrying knocked-out teenagers for real.”

“How about home?”

The need to elaborate became clear at Not Scott’s puzzled expression.

“We can take him to one of our homes.”

The doppelganger nodded slowly, seemingly deep in though.

“What about his home?”

“I-,” Scott had to stop and rake his brain for that information. He hadn’t realized he didn’t know where Theo was living. He was the alpha, and Theo may not have been pack but he was pretty damn close. How could he not know where Theo was living? “I don’t know where that is. But I guess we could talk with the others about space for you two.”

“It’s a start,” Not Scott agreed, somewhat distractedly as Theo twitched again – lighter this time, calmer, like a puppy flicking its ear in its sleep. He fondly cupped Theo’s cheek, thumb slowly tracing his cheekbone. Scott had to look away – it was far too intimate. Deaton must have felt much the same as he turned to him.

“Shall we go talk with your pack?”

“Uh, ye-yeah. Let’s- let’s do that.”

And out they went into the waiting room, where they were greeted by an anxious Stiles, a frantic Malia and a zoned-out Lydia. Each one was unsettling enough on its own, but all three together – yes, that migraine was coming along nicely.

“Ok, what’s happened?”

“What’s happened,” it was Stiles who answered first, beating Malia to the punch. Lydia showed no signs of hearing him, “What do you mean, ‘What’s happened’? Did you miss the part where your clone walked through the door with a dying Theo!?”

Somewhere in the back of his tired mind, Scott took offense to Stiles’ imitation of him. But he had to set some things straight:

“He’s not my clone-“

“What?”

“And Theo wasn’t dying.”

“Sure smelled like it to me,” Malia scoffed, “Looked like it, too.”

“That was just blood, Malia,” Scott shuddered, “Lots and lots of blood.”

“How does lots and lots of blood not mean someone is dying?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Scott inhaled slowly trying to keep his thinning patience in check. It had been a really long evening, trudging on to turn into an even longer night.

“That doesn’t matter right now,” Stiles squeezed in between them, “How do you know he’s not a clone? Did he say that? Cause that’s exactly what a clone would say!”

“No, Stiles. He has a scar on his arm.”

“I thought werewolves healed too fast to scar?”

“They do,” Deaton thankfully entered the conversation, patting Scott on the back in sympathy, “However, scar tissue is a natural part of the healing process – the result of it, in fact. A scar is a wound already healed. If it forms before someone is bitten, there’s nothing to be healed afterwards.”

“So the scar stays?”

Deaton nodded to Malia’s question.

“Huh,” Stiles prattled about something related, but Scott payed him no attention, instead watching Lydia, who was staring into space with an almost intrigued look on her face.

“Hey,” he stepped toward her, “Lydia? Are you alright?”

Settling a hand on her shoulder succeeded in bringing her back to reality. She focused on him after a slight shake of her head.

“Everything’s great,” voice pitched up, heartbeat spiking, eyes opened wide - she wasn’t even trying to tell a convincing lie.

“No one believes that,” Malia deadpanned.

“It’s just- there’s-,” she shot a hesitant glance to the door Scott and Deaton had just come through, and continued slowly, “I have a weird feeling.”

“Like someone’s about to die?”

“Oh my god, Malia, will you stop it with the dying already,” Stiles blurted. At the very least, he had enough of a functioning brain cell left to shrink back from the snarl Malia sent his way. Lydia simply rolled her eyes and continued as if he hadn’t spoken.

“No. I can’t explain it. I haven’t... felt anything like this before.”

“Ooh, I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Is it something we need to worry about now,” Scott queried, praying it wouldn’t be something they had to jump on immediately. There were only so many problems he could juggle, and he wasn’t even good at juggling!

Lydia, thankfully, shook her beautiful head and the alpha could have kissed her for it.

“I don’t think it’s anything bad. Just… new,” she paused, gaze shifting to the door once more, “Speaking of new, what did we miss?”

Even though he had been expecting it, the question still managed to catch Scott off guard.

“Not much really. I asked some questions, didn’t get a single straight answer, except that he is older than us. I’m pretty sure he won’t answer any pressing questions properly until Theo’s awake.”

“I smell something fishy,” Stiles added.

“Tell me about it,” Scott sighed, “But there’s not much we can do about that now. What we can do, is go home, and take them along. Let things settle a little, wrap our heads around what’s happening. Hopefully we can get more information out of them.”

“Hold on. Take them along?”

“They cannot stay in my clinic,” Deaton provided, “And with what’s transpired today, on top of Monroe’s hunters becoming more and more active, I do not think it wise for them to be running around on their own.”

Malia and Stiles immediately protested, then proceeded to talk over each other, providing all the excuses they had to not take in the doppelganger alpha and the chimera.

“I’ll take Theo home with me,” Liam piped up from where he sat with Corey and Mason. They’d helped him calm down, to put himself together, but he was still a little out of it, as evidenced by his glowing eyes. The couple shared a knowing look that Liam missed.

“Sorry, Liam. I don’t think the other me will agree to separate from Theo.”

“Then I can take them both,” the beta pinned him with wide hopeful eyes.

“No,” it was surprisingly Lydia who shut him down, “You’d have to explain to your parents not only what happened with Theo, but also why and how a second Scott materialized out of nowhere. All questions to which we have no answers.”

“That’s the case for all of us,” Liam glared defensively, his hackles rising already, held back by Corey’s hand on his arm.

“The Sherriff and Scott’s mom are used to us dealing with crazy things and unknowns. They’d also trust us to know what we’re doing, at least until things start going really wrong.”

Liam’s gaze dropped to the floor but his posture didn’t relax. He knew there was sense to her words, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

“Since we can’t take Theo to a hospital because of the hunter attacks, mom can make sure Theo heals right,” Scott added.

“What about Alec? You think he’ll be fine with it? Do you even have enough room for them both?”

“I’m sure we can figure something out.”

“That settles it then.”

In the operating room, Scott had his lips pressed to Theo’s forehead, trying to convey what he was feeling through it – love, worry, need. Gripping his hand tightly, Scott rejoiced at every minor movement of Theo’s fingers. The boy had continued to twitch even after the younger alpha and Deaton had left the room, though his distress had lessened drastically.

Scott was certain there was some sort of struggle going on in that adorable head, but aside from comforting touches and words, he had no clue how to help. Straightening up, the alpha ran his fingers through unruly hair.

“Come on love,” he whispered weakly, feeling the knot in his chest tightening – it had been a long time since he’d last seen Theo in this fragile a state, “I really need you to wake up.”

His lover remained still and unmoving, though Scott felt a familiar pull, which warmed his aching heart. He ran a careful thumb over Theo’s bruised knuckles with a small sad smile on his face.

“Thanks for the reassurance,” he grumbled, “But as much as I love it, you need to preserve your energy right now,” he waited for the sensation to come again, because of course it would. Theo never did listen to him when it came to his own well-being. And come it did – fainter and barely there, letting him know he would have it his way.

“Rest up, sweetheart,” he murmured quietly, squeezing Theo’s hand, “I’ll be there when you wake up.”

He managed to plant a sweet peck on Theo’s mouth and pull away before the door opened. Calm, collected and in control once more, he turned to his other self.

“You mind staying in my house for the time being?”

“Not at all,” he answered as he scooped Theo up in his arms again, “Lead the way, kid.”