What Could Have Been [Thiam Rewrites]

Chapter 13: Regression to the Mean

Theo screamed himself awake, scrambling out of the truck and into the nearby bushes to heave up the contents of his stomach. He leaned against a tree, not bothering to move away from the rough bark that sliced into his skin.

After leaving the safe house, he'd driven as far from Beacon Hills as he could in the middle of the night until a deer had leapt out onto the road. He'd been so distracted that he'd barely managed not to hit the creature. Theo hadn't meant to fall asleep, and now he was trembling too much to even consider blinking.

The acrid scent of burning rubber still hung in the air. Checking his nearly dead phone confirmed it. He'd slept all of an hour before the nightmares had returned even worse than he could've imagined them. Theo flopped against the back seat, staring at the ceiling of his truck. As much as the smell of hot brakes seared the insides of his nostrils, at least for a few minutes, it overpowered Liam's scent and, more importantly, the scent of his blood.

When the sun crested over the horizon, Theo's eyes were still open. He'd fallen asleep accidentally once more, and the nightmare had only turned darker, bloodier.

Rifling through the glove compartment, he came up with a dollar and 46 cents. Hardly enough for a shitty breakfast, let alone coffee.

He climbed into the driver's seat and drove a few more miles, turning down a dirt road. After the Ghost Riders left, he'd found a trail that led to a natural spring. The rangers usually didn't bother going patrolling so deep into the forest, so he could leave his truck there for while without drawing suspicion.

Theo undressed and left a pile of clothes in a hidden pocket within a massive boulder. He left his keys in another. He bolted into the woods and with a half a thought, his body shifted until he was sprinting on all fours.

He might not be able to fix his problems, but he'd do his best to outrun them.

Liam

The sounds of soft snoring greeted him when he woke. Even though they hadn't been there when he'd fallen asleep, Mason and Corey were curled up together on the futon. Liam wasn't sure if there wasn't enough room in the house for them to sleep elsewhere, or if they'd been worried about him.

His entire body pulsed with nervous energy, and there was only one way to shake it. He tugged Theo's shirt off and found a gross hoodie at the bottom of his bag. The sun had barely risen over the horizon. Judging from the silent house, Liam thought he was the only one up, but that was until he noticed two shadowy figures on the couch.

The only thing keeping him from panicking was the familiar scent.

"Stiles?" Liam whispered as he came around to the side of the couch. Lydia was curled up against him, her eyes puffy as she slept.

"Liam," Stiles whispered and untangled himself from his sleeping girlfriend, careful not to wake her. He stood and grabbed Liam into a tight hug that had his shoulder singing with pain.

"When did you get in?" Liam whispered and sat on the floor to tug on his shoes.

Stiles rested a hand on Lydia's leg and sat down beside her. "Late last night," he said. "Scott wouldn't let me wake you up. He said something about a close call?"

Liam grit his teeth. "Something like that. Is Lydia okay?"

"Yeah," Stiles said, drumming his fingers against his knee. "Mostly. She had a nightmare that really freaked her out. Something about all of us turning to stone."

Liam's heart dropped at that. "Nightmare, or premonition?"

Stiles was studying her face now. "Dunno. If we're lucky, it was just a warning, and maybe we can keep it from happening."