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.

This week I only had one person review the last chapter. But it came at an amazing time. I've had a really hard time right now, with the virus stuff that's going on, so hearing my guest's compliment nearly put me to tears. I've tried hard to make everything in this fic seamless. Backtracking so many times just in case my facts got jumbled somewhere along the line. So thank you, so much for your wonderful words.

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 1.20

Telling Stiles the truth about Carter was a weight lifted off of me. Even more so than Derek telling me the truth about Carter and how I was supposed to die that day. It's saddening to think that Carter took the gift he had and used it to save me. Especially with everything that he was going to do with his life. Carter was going to be a doctor. He was going to help people. Maybe he even planned on using the powers that he had to make people as comfortable as they could be for the end. Knowing him, I knew Carter wouldn't stop the inevitable, but he'd at least help.

Last night while we bonded over kill-streaks and egg rolls, Stiles told me about how he lost his mom. It was years ago, but still, it felt the same. It helped me to know that he could relate to me in some sort of way. After he told me about her, he asked me if my father knew about what was happening. I furrowed my brow when he asked and realized that I had no idea. I didn't know if dad knew about the Hales being werewolves or if he knew that Carter was an Omen. I knew I had to find out though. I couldn't keep this secret from him. Dad would have to believe me. If I had to throw my mother under the bus to get him there, I guess that was what I was going to do.

The next morning, I went downstairs to grab something to eat for breakfast. There was a note on the counter from Mom. She'd be at Aunt Natalie's until dinner, so it was the perfect opportunity to talk to my father.

I went down the hall from the kitchen, knocked on his office door, and peaked my head in. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, CJ." He signed with one hand. "What's going on?"

"I wanted to talk to you about the past couple of days. And what happened." I said, warily, almost afraid of how he was going to react to what I was about to say to him.

Dad gestured to the couch on the sidewall of the room for me to sit. He followed me over there once I sat down. "Tell me what happened."

I gulped. "First, you have to promise to be very open-minded and no matter what I say, you're going to hear me out."

Dad sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "This is about the werewolves."

I furrowed my brow at the man. "You know?"

"Of course, I knew. Talia was my best friend. It's how we knew the Hales. My family's known hers for as long as I can remember."

"So, it wasn't Mom? I always thought that she was the reason we knew Auntie Talia." I admitted, having absolutely no clue. I wasn't in any way prepared for the conversation to go in this direction.

"Your mom hated Talia. She hated everything about that family. She barely wanted you and Carter to hang around Cora and Derek, but I told her that Talia and her pack were good people." Dad said to me.

"But Mom loves Derek." I thought. "Right?"

"Yes, but it wasn't hard to love a kid like Derek."

I smiled at the thought. No, it wasn't.

"Your mother agreed to let you all be friends so long as we never said anything about what they really were. In reality, it was their secret to tell anyway."

I shook my head, anger filling deep in my chest. "I should have been told. At least when I was old enough to keep the secret. Keeping a secret like that isn't the way families are supposed to be. "

"I agree." Dad nodded, "Talia was one of my oldest friends. I knew her before I knew your mom. I wasn't about to cut her out of my life."

With that simple sentence, I found whole new respect for my father. He's always done what he thought was best. Talia was no threat to his relationship with my mother, not in the way most would think. I appreciated my dad for keeping his friendship with someone he cared about.

"How did you find out?"

I dreaded this question. "Honestly?" I questioned, knowing he'd nod. "Carter. I found his laptop, and I found the journals that he kept on them."

Dad nodded slowly. "He had a rough time with the things he dreamt about," Dad admitted. "I told him that writing them down somewhere so that he could let it go would be smart. I'm glad he took me up on it."

"So he told you about what he could do?"

"I knew a little bit. But he was very secretive about it, for obvious reasons." Dad said. "I told him that I was here for him if he ever needed to talk about anything, and that was the best thing that I could do for him. It was the only thing I could do for him." Dad fiddled with his watch for a moment before looking back up at me. "It's sad that the only death he couldn't see coming was his own."

Dad didn't know that it was supposed to be me. And by the look on his face, I thought it was smarter not to tell him. Not now, at least. "I can do it, too," I told him. "It doesn't happen while I sleep though. I'm awake, and I can hear the things I see."

"Oh, CJ." Dad sighed. "I was really hoping that this was something you wouldn't have in common with Carter."

I shrugged. "It hasn't been long. Since Carter." I shared. "It's like it transferred. I don't really know." We sat for a moment, not really saying anything, just absorbing the things we'd shared with each other. "That's why I was gone. I was helping my friends with a small problem that they had."

"This Stiles that you're hanging around? He's one of them?"

I shook my head with a smile. "No, Stiles is pure human."

"And Lydia?"

"Banshee," I said, simply. "But I don't think Natalie knows anything about that." I planted that to make sure she didn't find out unless she needed to.

"Believe me, I won't be the one to tell her." Dad laughed. "She's something else, that woman."

"She told mom that I needed therapy again." I said, "And apparently Mom agrees."

"What?" Dad questioned with all the seriousness he possessed in his face.

I nodded. "When she was yelling at me for disappearing, she suggested it. That, and moving schools. She wants me to go back to an all-deaf school in San Francisco." I revealed, not even bothering with thinking of the consequences. "I had to tell her what happened and she implied I was crazy."

Dad's face turned red.

"I called her out on not telling you," I informed him. "That this was something too big for her to do without even talking to me or you."

Dad had no words for what I told him.

"Dad, I don't want to change schools. I like Beacon Hills."

"You're not changing schools," Dad said, his words clipped. "You're staying here with me. Your mother can go to San Francisco if she wants."

"Dad?" I questioned, wondering why he was saying something like that.

Dad shook his head and reached for my hands. "Nothing. I'm sorry that she can't see the way things are."

I shrugged. "I'm just glad that you do."

(o.o)

Telling my dad and having that conversation with him was something that needed to happen. I didn't feel the least bad about telling him what my mother was doing behind his back. Trying to send me away, thinking I was insane. It was ridiculous and something that I couldn't let her get away with.

For a moment, I feared for my parents' relationship. Especially after what Dad said about Mom going to San Francisco by herself. Maybe he'd be better off. Mom was so different from us. Mom's world was always so small, little room for change. Dad and I expected change. Thrived on it.

After talking to my father, I wanted to find out more about that day. I had, too. I'd accepted what Carter did. I wasn't happy with it, but it happened. Couldn't change it now. The most I could do was find out what happened.

I went back up to my room and sat in the middle of my bed, grabbing Carter's laptop. After putting in the password, I scrolled to the latest document with the title "The Girl". It was the one that had been edited most recently, the day everything happened.

July 16, 2005 - This one was hard. I wasn't even sure who the girl really was. I've never seen her before. She was pretty. All I saw was her face, a large smile, and two bright lights shining behind her.

May 21, 2006 - It was the same girl. Same dream.

September 12, 2006 - We were in a car. I think the girl was hit by a truck.

October 2, 2007 - It feels bad. Having this dream. My insides are colder than I've ever felt after waking up. It's taking a while for the cold to subside. I've even taken a hot shower to try and alleviate it, but I had no luck.

June 26, 2008 - I think it might be June.

February 8, 2009 - It can't be. I've been dreaming about this girl for years. Why would I be dreaming about something so far off? It's never happened before. A few months, tops, is as far as I've ever seen. June doesn't start driving for another three or four years. She knows better than to get behind the wheel when she's not ready yet.

April 3, 2010 - It's Juney. The girl. It's been over a year since I last had the dream, but there's no doubt anymore. I recognized the face this time. June's grown up enough that her facial features have filled out enough for it to be a perfect match. Even in the dark, I can tell.

June 4, 2011 - It was clearer this time. I think it's happening soon. I could make out more details. There's a dress. It's red, pink, maybe orange? White flowers on it all over. Sleeves to the middle of her forearm. I couldn't tell how long it was. The dream never lasts long enough. We're in the car and then I look at her and see the lights. It's so fast that I don't think I can stop it from happening.

June 5, 2011 - I talked to Derek about it. I had to. I can't sleep anymore knowing that it's her. I don't want to see it anymore. I don't know if telling him made things worse or better. We fought about it. Mostly because neither of us really knows what to do. Derek knows how I feel about interfering with my dreams. So much so that he admitted that he respected me not saying anything to him about the fire and Paige. Still. This is my sister. Our sister. How are we supposed to just let her die if we could do something to stop it?

May 9, 2012 - She brought the dress home today. I want to burn it. Never let her wear it. Maybe then I wouldn't have to worry about what I'm going to do when the day finally comes.

The next entry didn't have a date, but after reading further, I realized it wasn't just another entry. It was a letter.

June.

I hope one day that you figure this out. I've asked Derek to maybe edge you close to making the decision to read these entries. I asked him to tell you about me when he thought that you were ready to know. I didn't tell him the passwords because I don't want him to know what's going to happen. About you is all he needs.

This morning, you put on that dress. I commented on it, not knowing the color. Apparently, it's coral. With white peonies as the pattern. In any other circumstance, I would love it. But I know what it means. You're supposed to die today. For years, I've been having this dream. I couldn't have known that it was you all those years ago. But I know now. And I know it's tonight.

I hope you find this because I wanted to explain myself. Why I made the decision that I made. Why I couldn't let you die. Why I couldn't tell you that we just weren't going to go to the arcade.

Not going to the arcade was never an option. If there was going to be a "last time" for the two of us, I wanted it to be something memorable. Something that meant a lot to both of us. Something you would cherish. Going to the arcade was tradition. You're too stubborn to let me say no, and I didn't even want to.

I went over what could happen since I figured out that it was you. With the things that I can do, I can't interfere. I have no idea what would happen if I did. Which is why I haven't. Up until now anyway. Thing is, the way the supernatural balance works, I couldn't say we weren't leaving the house. If it wasn't going to happen then, it would be some other time and I don't think I can keep sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for you to die. So I made a hard decision.

A life for a life.

That's how this is going to work. Or at least, that's what I'm hoping.

Everything that I've done has always been with you in mind. You were my best friend. I got into the medical field because of you. Because if I learned enough, maybe I could figure out what happened the night of the Hale Fire. I could figure out what happened in that brain of yours and repair it. Not just with an implant, but actually repair it.

Maybe one day, after reading this, you'll resent me for what I did. But there was one final thought. The one that made me make the decision that I did. How could I live in a world that didn't have my sister in it? Since you were born you were so happy. Rarely ever cried, always had fun. You were determined, and positive about everything. Even after you lost your hearing, you wouldn't let it stop you. That's what makes a great person and I can't live without the drive you give me.

You're the better person, June. Always were. My world was surrounded by so much darkness because of what I can do, but with you around, there was always a flicker of hope.

I love you, June. Always will.

Carter

Reading Carter's letter to me was hard. Especially once I'd finished it. I reread it probably another three times before actually being able to take it all in. Derek was right. Being alone and finding out about these things wasn't fun.

I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text before grabbing my backpack and putting the laptop inside. I went down the stairs, looking around to see if my mother had come back. Unfortunately, she was. I walked further into the kitchen to get a better look, but I saw that her face was red. I furrowed my brow and turned my head. Dad was there. They were fighting. Dumbfounded, I looked between them quickly for a moment and then left without a word.

(o.o)

I showed up at Carter's grave, standing in front of it, staring at the epitaph. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened my eyes, I saw him there. "You should have told me." I said to him. "Maybe not about what was going to happen, but about what you could do."

Carter shrugged, leaning on the headstone. "Would you have believed me?"

I shook my head. "Probably not," I admitted. Without actually living through it, I doubt I would have believed he could see people's deaths. That's something I would always laugh about when psychics showed up in scary movies. "Could you see ghosts?"

"No." He said, "Just deaths."

How could I see him if it wasn't something that he could do? Even when the teacher died at the memorial concert she disappeared almost immediately. I thought to see Carter might have been something completely different. "I don't think you're real," I said, finally, hating feeling as if he wasn't. "I think that when I see you, it's just a way to help me cope. It has to be."

"Why?" Carter asked. "Why can't you just believe that I'm really here?"

"Because you've given me no information, not unless I knew the answers myself. And your voice. It's different from when I was a kid. Too different. I read somewhere that the first thing you forget about a person is their voice." My eyes watered, looking up at the vision of Carter in front of me. "You're not real. And as much as I want you to be, I can't keep hanging around here thinking you are. I have to live and move on. It's what you wanted, right?"

My phone vibrated in my hand.

I'm here. The text said.

I turned around and saw him. Stiles stood there with a single flower. I smiled at him and made my way over to him. He handed me the flower that, upon closer inspection, I found out was a weed. I took it from him anyway, appreciating the gesture. "Thanks." I signed.

Stiles noticed a tear falling from my eye and used his thumb to wipe it away. "You okay?"

I nodded, "Just saying goodbye." I looked back at the grave, satisfied enough to see that Carter was no longer standing there. I turned back to Stiles, looking up at him, hesitating. "Hey, real quick. Um, so I know that things are really weird right now. But in a way, they're a lot calmer and clearer than they were when we met."

Stiles nodded.

"So, I just - well I was - " I paused, trying to gather my thoughts. "Do you wanna hang out?"

Stiles showed me a small confused smile. "Aren't we? I thought we were going to get food?"

"No, yeah." I nodded. "Yeah, totally. I, um, well, you know - "

"CJ? You okay?" Stiles asked.

I looked up at him, mashing my lips together with my teeth. I blew air into my mouth, puffing my cheeks before exploding it out awkwardly.

Stiles laughed at the action which helped calm me down.

"I like you," I said simply, my hands moving automatically to sign. "And I know that we're kind different, what with me being deaf, and you being you, me being me. But I kinda wondered if this was a date."

Stiles' eyes widened and he straightened his back. He looked down at my hands. "Show me again."

"What?" I questioned.

"The sign for a date. Show me."

Blushing, I made a circle with each of my hands, raising my forefingers. I tapped the tips of my fingers together, showing him the sign.

Stiles copied my actions. "Date?"

I smiled, nodding even before I realized what he was doing. I stopped and glanced at him. "You're asking me."

Stiles nodded.

I bit my bottom lip in embarrassment. "Yes."