Me & My Broken Heart

Me & My Broken Heart: Chapter #4

One Year Later:

This wasn't supposed to happen, but Theo was watching it play out right in front of him, with his own eyes. Derek's body fell to the ground, a burnt husk, the red bleeding out of his eyes as he took a final breath and then his heart stopped.

"Nooooo!! Dad!!" Eli screamed.

Theo was furious that the alpha had brainwashed his son to believe that Derek was his dad and not only that, but Derek got the boy to believe that Stiles had abandoned him. That simply wouldn't do. Theo waited until Malia and Jordan managed to coax an inconsolably Eli home with them before making the call.

"Agent Stilinski," a gruff voice said when the call connected.

"Stiles?"

"Yes. This is him. Who is this?"

"It's Theo. Theo Raeken."

There was silence at first, the rustling of bedding catching Theo's attention and then, with a shaky exhale, Stiles said, "What do you want? I'm at work."

For a moment, Theo was miffed. Stiles was lying and he didn't even need to hear his heartbeat to know it was a lie. Stiles wouldn't be in bed if he was at work. Still, this wasn't the time to argue and really Theo didn't have it in him to argue with this stubborn, beautiful and frustrating man.

So, Theo took a deep breath, a million things running through his mind but none of them should be said over the phone. "You need to come back, Stiles."

"No."

"Stiles, please? You need to—"

"I said no! Even if I wanted to come back, I can't. I have cases to work. Plus, Derek said—"

"Derek is dead!" Theo snarled.

Once again, Stiles was dead silent. "What?" he croaked out. Then Theo heard his heartbeat ratchet up. "Eli?! Where's Eli?! Where's my—Where's Eli?"

Theo clenched his fist, crimson drops hitting the grass as his anger grew. "He's with Malia and Parrish. He needs you, Stiles. I don't know what bullshit Derek pulled, or what lies he's been feeding the kid all these years, but he is insane for what he's done. If he wasn't already dead, I'd kill him for this."

Stiles chuckled wetly but the sound was also heartbreaking, so hollow, and his tone was bitter when he spoke. "It's too late. I can't change what happened and, surely, Eli will hate me on sight. No. It's better I am not there as I would only make things worse."

Theo vehemently disagreed with Stiles's words but didn't blame the man for believing them. 'What did Derek do to you? How did he break you and make you believe these things?' he thought to himself. Aloud he said, "That kid needs his daddy and that's you. So, come home. Come get your son."

Stiles's breath hitched and Theo could hear him start to cry. "Eli hates me, Theo. I'm sure of it. I've not spoken to him since the day he was born. I sent letters, called every holiday and birthday and I t-tried so hard but he never replied. I don't even know if he even got them."

"That doesn't matter now, and he only knows what Derek told him. If you don't show up now, when it matters most, you'll just prove that every lie Derek told him is true when you and I both know you are not the one who abandons people. They abandon you. I should know."

"Theo, I—"

Theo cut him off, not ready to get into the way he abandoned Stiles, when the teen had needed him most nor was he ready to get into what they were to each other which was one big thing he knew would come up in that conversation. Besides, this wasn't about him anyway. "Please Stiles I miss—Everyone has missed you. Come home."