"Why's he at mine and Malias stream?" Eli asked as him and Liam caught up with Stiles, looking at Theo standing on the small overpass.

"Try to get his scent." Stiles encouraged Liam quickly. "Get anything?"

Liam shrugged. "Soap. It's nice. It smells good."

"Not his soap, his emotional state." Stiles said in disappointment. "Chemosignals, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Okay." Liam nodded, getting an encouraging pat on the back from Eli. "I...he's sad."

"Aw." Eli frowned.

"He's sad?" Stiles looked his way.

"Well..not just sad...it's more like grief." Liam explained with a small shrug to his shoulders, trying to grasp it perfectly.

"Grief?" Stiles asked, the trio staring as Theo dropped a single, white flower into the stream. "Oh my god. Go. We have to go."

"Did he see us?" Eli asked as Stiles grabbed the pair, pulling them away.

"What? Why?" Liam asked as they were drug.

"Go! Right now. Just go." he insisted quickly as the trio hurried through the woods together. "That's the bridge where they found his sister."

"She ran away?" Eli asked.

"What sister?" Liam added.

"The one that got lost and died from exposure." Stiles explained quickly, clear guilt in his tone from dragging the pair out to follow him. "He's leaving a flower for her."

"Aw, poor thing." Eli frowned. "God, Stiles, now I feel like a horrible person."

"That doesn't sound evil." Liam looked over in disbelief.

"I know." Stiles huffed, the three pausing as they saw Theo standing on a tree branch above them, hoping down just a few feet infront of them.

A cheeky grin went across his face. "What are you guys doing?"

"Looking for Bigfoot." Eli said quickly, the first thing that came to mind.

Liam let out a low growl, Stiles tapping his arm to hold his back.

"Wow." Theo laughed, holding a hand up slightly. "Why do I get a feeling this kids tougher then he looks?"

"Only when we let him off his leash." Stiles said back, still keeping his hand on Liam's arm.

"Hi, Eli." Theo tilted his head so he could see him behind the pair. "How's Bigfoot hunting going?"

"Not so good, actually." he nodded, keeping behind Liam and Stiles.

"Stiles, we were in little league together. Why are you so suspicious of me?" Theo asked, a shake of his head and a smile on his face.

Stiles huffed, hesitating but pulling the parking ticket and transfer form from his hoodie pocket. "Because of these. Ones a speeding ticket signed by your dad eight years ago. The others a signature on a transfer form to Beacon High. They're different."

Liam looked back at Eli over his shoulder, meeting his eye before they looked back to Theo when he spoke up. "Huh. Yeah, they do look a little different."

"No, they're totally different. Signed by two different people." Stiles snapped at him quickly.

"So my dads not my dad?" Theo grinned. "Like he's an imposter?"

"Yeah, something like that." Liam took Stiles side, missing the eye roll of disbelief from Eli.

"Who do you think I am?" Theo asked, folding the papers again.

"We don't know yet." Stiles shrugged.

"Want me to give you a DNA sample or something?" Theo continued to grin.

"Why do you keep smiling?" Eli spoke up with a crazy look his way. "We're accusing you of being a fake person and a possible bad guy and you just keep on smiling. That's the suspicious part, dude."

Theo smiled again. "I think it's good you guys are suspicious of me. Can't be too carful. Like I said, I can give a DNA test."

"No, I don't have anything from the forth grade to match it to." Stiles rolled his eyes.

Theos face fell slightly as he looked down. "You know, Stiles, I came back here for Scott. But I also came back for you. Someone like you. Someone who's willing to walk into the woods in the middle of the night to protect his friends. I don't have anyone like that but Scott does. You all do."

Eli hated when he met his eye, because he felt pure guilt for even being out here.

"I know i'm in the right place. I'm meant to be here." Theo looked at Stiles again. "I'm meant to be part of this pack."

"Scott, thank god." Eli sighed when they reached the end of the woods, finding Scott waiting for them. "Do you know how cold it is out here?"

Scott tossed Eli his jacket as he met Stiles eye. "Find anything?"

"Nope." Stiles shook his head, opening his door.

"I feel in a hole." Liam grinned Scott's way.

"He did, very memorable memory." Eli sighed, holding the jacket around him more as Scott went to Stiles window.

"It was the bridge where his sister died, wasn't it?" Scott asked him.

"Yes, it was. Very embarrassing. So we are gonna leave now." Stiles huffed, twisting the keys as the engine sputtered. "Son of a...Liam, just do me a favor, get in the car and turn the ignition when I say."

Liam got in, Eli circling the other side and getting in. He slipping, nearly falling but catching himself. Liam gave a crazy look. "Eli."

"Slippery feet." he pulled himself in, watching the hood of the car pop up. "I don't think Theo's a bad guy."

"He seems a little suspicious." Liam admitted honestly. "But not in necessarily a bad way."

"I'm glad i'm an only child." Eli said back, leaning against the seats. "I think me and my mom wouldn't have as good of a relationship if she had another kid."

Liam looked over at him. "You don't want her getting with the sheriff, do you?"

Eli looked down a second. "I want her to be happy. And the sheriff is great, he's not some asshole dude I know will treat her badly and not like me. But he's not...he's not my dad and it just doesn't feel right seeing her with another guy. I know that's not fair to say."

"Do you wish they'd stayed together?" Liam asked him curiously.

"Absolutely not." Eli shook his head. "But sometimes I think about, before it got bad, all the good times we had together and I just miss it."

"Yeah, but don't you think you guys will have that again with Stiles and his dad?" Liam asked, listening to the boy outside and twisting the key, still having it sputter.

"That's exactly what I think." Eli nodded, meeting his eye. "That's the problem. I think it'll just make me sad, because he isn't my dad but we're doing the same thing my parents did."

Liam frowned. "When my mom and step dad got together I was really young so I don't remember much. But sometimes I still think about my dad and wonder what it would be like if he was still involved."

Eli gave a guilty look. "I didn't mean to compare our dads."

"No, that's not what I mean." Liam shook his head his way. "I'm saying, I don't get it the way you do, but in a way I kinda do. It sucks that your dad isn't the one to do all the dad stuff with you anymore, and I know it probably feels like you're gonna have this new dad come in and try and take that role. But I think that over time you'll see it isn't that bad, once you get use to it. Not the same, but not so bad."

Eli knew he was right, despite not wanting to belive it. Liam tried to engine again, nothing.

"If I wasn't with you that night atvthe hospital, would you have told me you were a werewolf?" Eli spoke up a second later, leaning his head on the seat and looking over at Liam.

The Dunbar boy laughed. "Where'd that come from?"

"I'm just wondering. Since you don't wanna tell Mason." he said back honestly.

Liam hesitated. "No, I don't think I would have."

"Because you don't trust me?" Eli asked.

"No, because I wouldn't wanna get you involved like you are now." the blonde gave a nod of his head. "After all the times you've gotten hurt, I see that, and I haven't forget. I don't want the same thing to happen with Mason. Especially since I can't do anything to keep you away now."

"To be fair, Mason is a lot smarter and can balance better then I can." Eli flashed a grin, making Liam laugh. "And it's worth it, you know."

"What is?" Liam asked.

"Getting hurt." Eli shrugged his shoulders. "At least I still get to help everyone. At least I can at least try to protect our friends and you."

"I think you do a pretty good job at it." Liam flashed a grin, twisting the ignition, despite Stiles not asking him to do so. Eli cheered when the jeep started up. Liam poked his head out off the window. "Can we go home now?"

•

kylie speaks

is this gonna cause
tension with the sheriff
and eli? eli and mama?
eli and stiles? idk man. idk.
see y'all at the dinner table.