Just as a reminder to all of those who are reading: When the text is written in bold and italicized lettering "like this," that is the part of the conversation had in sign language.

Also, I want to take just a moment to thank my two reviewers for this Chapter 1.17. ItsJustMe-94, your comment was all too kind, made me want to write this all the more, so thank you! And wisegirl2772, you're too sweet! Honestly, I reread it every time I post, too. Thanks for your review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf. I also have no claim on any pop culture references that I may use throughout my writings. I only own my OCs. Enjoy the read.

(o.o)

Chapter 1.18

Regretfully, we'd ended up sending Lydia with Ethan to Derek's loft, to help protect him. Scott, Allison, and Isaac went over to Allison's to find something of her dad's for Scott to smell and get a scent from. I went with Stiles back to his house, hoping to find something for his dad.

It was a quiet ride to the Stilinski House. I was still a little shaky from the three of our friends being passed out for sixteen hours. Thankfully, they were awake. I kept looking over at Stiles just to be sure. I was the one who held him under until he stopped breathing. That would be a little difficult to get over. I knew I would, but for now, I was wary.

Once we arrived at his house, the two of us entered the house, going upstairs to the sheriff's bedroom. I looked at Stiles. "What exactly does Scott want us to get?"

"He needs something that he can smell so that he can track our parents," Stiles said. He was on a bit of a high so he was moving about the room.

"So what? Clothes?" I asked, earning a shrug. " Shouldn't we have talked about this before we left?"

"Well, we've technically done this before, so I didn't actually think about it." Stiles pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Scott. "Scott, hey. So we're here? Do you have a preference? Anything you can get a stronger smell from?" There was a pause and Stiles walked to his dad's laundry basket. "I got a pair of boxers."

I laughed at the thought when Stiles held up the boxers.

"Yeah, you're right, maybe socks?" He asked, dropping the pair and grabbing some socks. Stiles nodded, "Great, see you soon." He paused, looking at me. "We've gotta get to the preserve."

"Alright, let's go." I turned to leave but felt a hand on my arm.

Stiles stopped me from leaving. "Hey, we're okay, right?"

I furrowed my brow, trying to hide what I actually felt about the whole situation. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"You've just been kind of weird all day."

I nodded, biting my lip. "Do you think that it has something to do with the unknown supernatural abilities that I just found out I had?" I asked. "Or maybe that I drowned you this morning, but here you stand, alive?"

"Yeah, that checks out," Stiles said, scratching the back of his neck.

"We're okay, Stiles. I'm good." I promised, believing it. "Just ready for this to be over. To save your dad."

Stiles nodded. "Right, let's go."

I followed him back down to the Jeep and we jumped in, tearing out of the driveway towards the forest preserve. A storm had begun rolling in, and once we got onto the backroads of Beacon Hills, it seemed to get worse. It was almost as if we were headed straight into the storm. That worried me. If the storm the night of the hospital was any indicator of how this one might be, things were about to get really bad.

"Stiles, maybe we should drive a little slower," I told him, looking to see him nod through the darkness.

Lightning was flashing every few seconds and the fog was so low to the ground I could see anything in front of me. This was definitely something Ms. Blake was doing with whatever strange power that she had. There was no way that this was a naturally occurring storm.

The lightning was getting closer to the ground and surrounded us on all sides. One bolt caught Stiles' attention on his side and he swerved, being spooked by it.

I turned my head forward, seeing us head straight towards a tree. "Stiles! Look out!" I screamed as I braced myself for the impact.

(o.o)

I opened my eyes after losing my round. It was like the day that I got that high score was a fluke, and I'm not actually good at my favorite game. I sighed, turning, expecting to see Carter standing behind me, except that he wasn't there. I furrowed my brow and stood on my tiptoes to find him in the crowd. Finally, I saw Carter sitting at our table, snacking on the last of our french fries.

We'd spent all afternoon at the arcade near our house, playing games and eating super greasy food. We went to it often when we wanted to hang out, just us. This time, it was the week before Carter started his school semester. We were enjoying the last of his free time before he was exceedingly busy with it.

Carter noticed me heading back towards the table and waved at me.

"You left me, you jerk." I signed, sitting across from him at the table.

"You were on a roll." He signed back. "I didn't want to distract you so you'd lose."

"Well, I did lose," I admitted, laughing. "Maybe it was because I didn't have you backing me up with support. I was so close to beating my high score, too."

Carter took a sip of his drink. "So, you didn't?"

I shook my head. "Maybe next time."

"You wanna try again. I promise I won't leave you this time."

"Nah. I'm getting pretty tired," I explained. "Are you ready to go home?"

Carter hesitated, looking back at the games and then down at his watch. "Yeah, we can go home."

I furrowed my brow at his hesitation. He seemed like he had no rush to leave at all. "Do you have another game that you want to play?"

"Nope. Just trying to take everything in, I guess." Carter said, shaking his head. Quickly, he added, "It's my last year before I graduate."

"Are you planning on never coming back here?" I gasped, jokingly, "Are you giving up on arcade time?"

"No, June-Bug." He paused. "But next time we do this, it'll be real life. I'll probably have a real job instead of cleaning up after animals, or bagging groceries."

"Oh, my Gosh!" I played. "You're so old! Such an adult now, with your big ol' Ph.D.!"

Carter laughed. "Yeah, yeah. You'll thank me whenever you get sick and need a doctor. Eventually, you'll appreciate all the schooling I went through."

"If you think I don't admire everything you've done to get where you are, you're so wrong, big brother," I explained, slowing the jokes. I needed to know he knew I was being serious. I looked him in the eye to continue. "What you're doing is pretty cool, Carter."

Carter's eyes glassed over. He took a deep breath and held out his hand. "Let me get my keys."

I got up from my spot. "No, sir. I'm gonna drive back home."

Carter shook his head, getting up from his chair. "You drove here, Juney, I'm driving back. That's how it works."

"Carter, c'mon," I begged. "You hate driving. I'm really doing this as a favor for you. I'm driving."

"It's too dark out. I really don't want you driving." He insisted.

I paused, taken aback. "I've driven in the dark before. What's this really about? Why are you fighting me?"

"CJ, I'm serious."

"Why?"

Carter scoffed. "Just let me drive my car." He stressed, his face serious.

It wasn't often that I saw the serious side of Carter. Sure, when he was working, or doing homework, trying to focus, he'd be serious. However, whenever I came into the room, it was like that seriousness melted away. It was rare that he was forceful with me. At this rare sight of Carter, I handed him the keys, relenting in letting him drive.

We walked to the car in silence. I got in, put my seatbelt on and crossed my arms over my chest. I sighed, turning my head to look out the passenger side window. I was prepared for a silent car ride, but Carter waved his hand, to get my attention.

In the dim light in the car, I could see his hand signing, "I'm sorry."

I smiled, nodding at him. "I know."

"You have fun tonight?"

"Yeah. Thanks for treating this time."

Carter nodded. "You know you're my best friend, right?"

I scoffed, teasing. "Sure, Carter, right behind Derek."

Carter shook his head, quickly. "Number one." Carter grabbed my hand and looked at me, seriously. His face held a different kind of seriousness from back at the arcade. This was softer, meaningful. "I love you."

I stared at him, taking it in for just a moment. But then I saw it. Large, bright headlights, headed straight for his side of the car. "Carter! Look out!"

(o.o)

When I woke up, I felt a hand on my arm, shaking me hard. I groaned, taking in a deep breath. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling a huge pain in my head. "Carter?" I asked aloud.

I felt another rough shake and finally opened my eyes. Stiles was on my right, trying to wake me from outside the Jeep. "Stiles," I sighed, trying to focus on his face. "What happened?"

Stiles turned the flashlight on his phone, facing it up at both our faces. "I crashed. Shit, I'm sorry. Are you okay? Anything broken?"

I shook my head, still trying to get my bearings. "I don't think so." I pulled Stiles' sleeve up on my arm, remembering I still had on his sweater. I put my hand to my head and pulled it away. "Blood," I said aloud.

Stiles propped his phone up on the dashboard and grabbed my face in his hands. He moved my head gently to get a look at the wound on my forehead. Stiles pulled away, "It's just a scratch." He pushed the seat I sat in forward just a bit so he could squeeze his arm through to the back. Stiles had grabbed a t-shirt and held it out to me. "Wipe it off with this. We've got to get that looked out, just in case."

I shook my head, wiping the wound. "We've gotta keep going. We're almost there."

"I don't know where Scott is. He could be anywhere, and neither of us has super scent." Stiles reasoned, "We'd just be stumbling around in the dark."

"Stiles, you know where it is." I reminded him, "You've been there and you know these woods like the back of your hand. You don't need Scott to find your dad."

Stiles looked up at me with wide eyes. He nodded, sighing. "Okay, let's go." Stiles offered me his hand to help me out of the Jeep.

I jumped down with his help and he helped to steady me on the uneven, rooted ground. "I'm okay," I insisted, so he'd let me go.

Stiles nodded and turned back to his Jeep. He pulled the lever to push his passenger seat all the way forward and reached in the back again. Stiles pulled out a bat, holding it tightly in his hand before grabbing his phone from the dashboard. "You got your phone?"

I reached into my back pocket and pulled it out. There were missed calls and texts, mostly from my mother. I rolled my eyes and turned on the flashlight. I looked at Stiles. "Don't lose me, okay?"

Without hesitating, Stiles grabbed my hand, holding it tight. "I won't." We marched through the woods. I was careful with each step that I took so that I didn't trip.

As we got further and further into the woods, I felt myself getting colder. I looked up at the sky, the moon was nearly at its peak. "Stiles! The moon!"

Stiles paused for just a second. "Shit, hurry!"

We ran and the further in we got, the colder I felt. We were close, and I could tell. I turned my head slightly, seeing a giant tree stump in the ground. I gave Stiles' hand a pull. "Stiles, it's right there." When we got closer, I noticed that the ground was starting to cave in. I slowed, but Stiles didn't. Without thinking I followed in after him.

The support beam was giving out with the weight on top of it. Everyone in the cellar was doing their best to hold up the wood. I joined them, but Stiles had a better idea.

Stiles propped the wood up with the bat he had. He looked at his dad, taking him in.

"I always said aluminum was better than wood." The sheriff said.

Stiles smiled and lunged at his dad, hugging him tightly.

I glanced back up in the hole that we fell through and saw that the wind had stopped blowing. "Stiles," I called.

Stiles turned to me, looking up and seeing the same thing. He smiled at me. "It's over."

I smiled back at him, catching his father's eye. "Hey, Sheriff."

"CJ?" He questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know. Hanging out."

The sheriff laughed, pulling both me and Stiles into a hug.

I warmed at the gesture, hugging him back. The sheriff pulled away and I sat back on the dirt and leaves beneath me. It was over. My friends' parents were saved. We could relax now.

Stiles looked back at me. "Are you okay?"

I chuckled, feeling great. "How are we going to get out of here?"

Stiles smiled. He paused and pulled his phone out of his pocket before answering the call that he was getting. "Scott?" Stiles waited for Scott's response. "Yeah, we're okay. We're all okay. How about you? You okay?"

"And Derek?" I asked, for my own selfish reasons.

Stiles nodded directly at me and I sighed in relief. "You think you can come get us?" He asked, pausing. "Great! Okay. Um, bring a ladder."

We sat for a few minutes before Stiles looked behind me. I followed his eyes and saw Scott standing at the opening where we'd jumped through. I sighed in relief. They didn't have a ladder, but I guessed they didn't need it. Stiles and I waited to let the others out first. They'd been trapped down in the root cellar longer anyhow.

Derek had made an appearance when it was my turn to go up. He reached for my hand and I smiled up at him.

I grabbed his hand tightly and he pulled me up like it was nothing. Once on solid ground, I wrapped my arms around his torso, hugging him hard. "I'm so glad that you're okay." I pulled away. "How's Cora?"

Derek nodded, holding my shoulders at arm's length. "She's good. She's with Lydia now."

I sighed at the thought and pulled him in for another hug. I felt my eyes water. I was insanely happy that everything seemed to be behind us.

Derek tapped my back, gaining my attention.

I looked up at him and he gestured behind me. I turned, seeing Stiles standing there. I pulled myself from Derek's grasp. "Hey, Stiles. Your dad okay?"

"Yeah, he's great." Stiles insisted. "Thanks for your help."

"Of course. I was glad to." I admitted. "I'm glad he's okay."

Stiles nodded, pointing his thumb behind him at his father who was watching us. "Look, uh, my dad, he wants to know if you want to come get some greasy takeout with us. We can drop you off back at your house after."

I smiled, grateful for the offer. "Can I raincheck?" I asked.

Stiles' face fell slightly.

"It's just that, I've got about a million texts and angry voicemails from my mom," I explained. "I definitely think I should get home."

"Yeah, that's true."

The sheriff took a couple of steps towards his son, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "We'll hold you to your word on that raincheck, though."

"Yes, sir." I smiled at him. "Thanks for the offer."

Derek tapped my shoulder. "C'mon. Let's get you home."

(o.o)

When Derek stopped his car at my house, we sat in the driveway for a few moments. I was not putting off going inside. I wasn't ready for what angry storm was heading my way. Whatever my mother had to say to me was worse than the storm we just witnessed.

I sighed, "Alright. I guess I should go in."

Derek looked at me. "I'll wait here until you do. Wave to your mom so you can tell her whatever story you want to."

I gave him a small smile. "Thanks." I pulled on the sleeves of Stiles' sweater nervously. "I'll come see you and Cora tomorrow. Sound good?"

"Provided you're not grounded for life."

"My plan for all of this might keep me from being grounded ever."

Derek chuckled. "Good luck."

I grabbed the door handle and climbed out of his car. The front door was locked so I knocked on the door. I waited just a moment before it opened. Thankfully, my dad was the one to get the door.

My dad rushed forward and pulled me into a hug.

"I'm sorry, daddy."

Dad pulled away, taking me in. He grabbed my face like Stiles had done earlier and checked out the cut on my forehead.

"I'm okay." I signed. "Derek dropped me off. And I'm okay."

Dad nodded, looking to the driveway and giving Derek a wave. "Go upstairs. Get a shower. And go to bed."

I furrowed my brow. "Mom?"

"Is asleep." Dad signed. "You look like you had a rough enough night."

I sighed in relief before pulling him into another hug. "Thank you." I pulled away from him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He signed, moving out of my way so I could get upstairs.

I slowly went up the steps to avoid making too much of a ruckus that would wake up my mom. I got to my room, plugged in my phone, and immediately stepped into the shower. After standing in the hot water for half an hour, I got out and dressed in pajamas. I laid in my bed and checked my phone one last time.

You said you wanted to tell me something. Once everything was over. It was a text from Stiles.

I took in a deep breath. I had to tell him. He had to know what I did for him yesterday was so hard for me to do. I nodded to myself, feeling myself fading to sleep.

Tomorrow. I texted back before falling asleep.