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

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

(o.o)

Chapter 2.15

After the sheriff and I got back from L.A., I had him drop me off at the animal clinic. Scott had texted me while we were stopped for dinner to tell me he found something, so it was fitting for us to get together and swap information. I shared with Scott that we confirmed the trick the Nogitsune was playing on us, and he told me about how he robbed an armored car to procure something Deaton called a "Shugendo Scroll."

Deaton's loose translation of the Japanese phrase on the scroll said that in order to expel the Nogitsune from Stiles' body, we'd have to change the host. It could mean turning Stiles into a werewolf, but Scott and I knew we weren't able to make that decision for him. We'd have to ask him, just to make sure that it was something he could live with. When I reached for my phone to call the sheriff and have him ask Stiles, he was already calling me to tell me that the Nogitsune had gained control again and was missing.

Feeling defeated, Scott dropped me off at my house after we'd processed what the sheriff told us. Unfortunately, he didn't have much information because no one really knew what happened. Stiles really was just gone. I entered my house wanting to do more to find Stiles, but I knew that I had to take care of myself for at least one night. I dropped my bag at the entrance before closing and locking the door behind me. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes, taking it in that I was finally home. My phone vibrated in my hand with a text from Dad.

"My office." The text said, his way of beckoning me to him without being able to shout for me.

I made my way into his office, pushing open the door and finding him behind his desk.

"There's leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry."

I shook my head. "The sheriff and I got dinner before we got back into town."

Dad nodded. "What did Doctor Mathis have to say about Stiles' condition?"

I sighed, flopping myself down onto the couch he had tucked under the window in the room. "Not much, unfortunately. "I knew it was a long shot, but I wanted to help by taking dementia off the table completely."

"And did you?"

"I did. The MRI scans that were done of Stiles a few days ago weren't his. They were his mom's. The Nogitsune was trying to trick us. Again."

"At least he's not sick."

"Yeah. That's true." I nodded. "But to actually save him, we might have to turn him into a werewolf which we can't actually do because he's missing again. The Nogitsune has control."

"Is the sheriff out looking for him?"

"I'm sure that he is. I just -" I let out a breath. "I'm exhausted. I haven't slept in days and I just wanted to be home."

"That's okay. You know that you're allowed to worry about you even if you're worried about Stiles."

"You said I shouldn't stop looking for him." I reminded my father.

"I said you shouldn't lose hope." Dad corrected me. "That first time he disappeared, you locked yourself in your room and curled up in a ball like you were never going to see him again. You lose hope and you lose everything."

I stared at my dad, having trouble remembering him like this before Carter was gone. Has he always been this wise? This hands on? "Dad, Carter's death affected you differently than it did the rest of us." I pointed out to him. The perplexed look on his face made me continue. "Not in a bad way, but when I think about the memories I have of you it's conversations about the weather or when my car was going to need an oil change."

Dad looked back down at his work, a sketch for a new project possibly. He looked back up and his eyes were glassed over. "Your mother and I were always so focused on the people you two were going to be. Carter was going to be a doctor, and while you hadn't made a decision yet, we knew it was going to be great. I knew Carter. I knew what he was capable of and what he tried to do with it. But I didn't really know him." He shook his head, all of these thoughts coming from almost nowhere. "You said for months that he was full of secrets because he was. I spent twenty-four years learning the wrong things about my son."

"Dad, you didn't learn the wrong things."

"I should have asked more questions. Should have been involved more."

"It would have been impossible with Mom, though. Just like it was last month. You know that, and Carter did, too. He always tried to make things easy on everyone. That's why he didn't tell you everything. That's why he didn't tell us everything." I stressed. "But with him gone, we grew. That's the point. I've grown from under his wing and you've moved from under Mom's."

Dad furrowed his brow as if thinking about my words. He pushed away from his desk, leaning back in his chair.

I got up from the couch and made my way over to his side of the desk. "We're flying on our own, Dad. And that's okay."

I wished what I had told my dad about coming into our own would have put him at ease, but we're too alike. I knew it wouldn't just like it hadn't done so with me. Of course, I knew everything I said was at least somewhat true, but being in a world without Carter still kicked rocks.

After I talked with my dad, I went up to my room in the hopes of passing right out. However, even with a relaxing shower and melatonin, I remained awake much later than I wanted.

Dad was right. I was still worried about Stiles more than myself, without being able to help it. Especially with the Nogitsune being a complete other consciousness stuck in his body. Everything Stiles was doing wasn't of his own accord, but he knew he was doing it.

I sat up in bed, looking around my room. We had to find him, and somehow, I knew that I could. Problem was, I really didn't know how. I haven't been able to figure out how much my powers would actually work. It was random, no pattern or justification for the things that I saw. Carter was able to see things in his dreams. They weren't every night, but it was while he was sleeping.

That was it.

Carter had his dream while he was sleeping: completely relaxed.

I reached into my bedside table drawer, pulling out my favorite scented candle and lighting it, setting it back onto the surface. I crossed my legs and rotated my neck to get the pops out so that I could fully relax. After a deep sigh, I closed my eyes, thinking only of Stiles.

Or, I would have if my comforter hadn't been tangled around my foot. It was the only thing I could focus on. And the one time my bed felt far too squish just had to be this moment.

I groaned, grabbing my freshly lit candle and going to my closet. It was large, but all of my clothes were pushed to one side. With more than enough room for me, I closed myself in. I sat on the floor, the candle in front of me on the ground, and resumed the same position I had on my bed. I repeated my deep breath, relaxing every part of me like I had when I sat on the park bench. Even though I wasn't sitting somewhere meaningful to the both of us, it had to be enough to find him.

Suddenly, I felt cold from the inside out. I should have been feeling at least a little bit of warmth from the candle sitting at my feet. I opened my eyes and I was in, what must have been, a backyard. It was fenced in; snow was everywhere. At least it explained why I was cold. I swear I had seen this place before. My eyes scanned the area, finding Stiles.

"Stiles!" I called for him, getting up and walking over to him. Stiles sat on the ground in front of a weird fountain. He stared down at a chess board like he was debating on his moves. "Stiles?" I questioned.

Still, he didn't move.

I sat down on the other side of the chessboard, like I was playing against him. I stared at his face, his features all exactly like they were supposed to be. Not like the dark eyes of the Nogitsune that would normally haunt me. I looked down at the chessboard, recognizing the pieces as his own from his room. Also, as long as Stiles' lessons were correct, he was close to losing this game.

Stiles moved his piece, finally, chewing on the inside of his lip. He knew he was going to lose and he was still making those moves.

I grabbed the piece he shifted and moved it back, finally gaining his attention.

Stiles looked up at me, worried, but still, I smiled back at him. When he spoke my name, no sound came from his lips. It was so unlike my visions.

"Stiles, you need to hang on, okay?" I told him, pleading with him. "We're going to find you and we're going to figure this out, but you have to hold on."

He glanced back down at the board, his hand back on the same piece that would bring him closer to losing.

I stopped him from moving it with my hand over his. His gaze met mine. "Find another way. There's always another move."

Another hand appeared over mine, grabbing my wrist harsley.

I looked up. It was Stiles, but it wasn't. "Nogitsune," I said aloud.

The spirit grinned evilly from just the corner of his mouth. "You shouldn't be here."

My eyes grew worried as I heard his voice plain as day. "Yeah? What are you going to do about it?" I asked, trying to compensate for my fear.

The monster chuckled, squeezing my arm tightening and pulling me out of my spot.

I teetered from my position on the floor, nearly falling over. However, I noticed that I wasn't in the garden anymore. I was back in my closet having bumped my head on the wall behind me. I groaned, clutching my head. "How did he do that?" I questioned myself.

The closet door swung open and my father stood over me.

I gave a wave with my free hand. "Hey, Dad."

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for Stiles."

Dad's shoulders fell in a sigh. "It's late, CJ."

I furrowed my brow. "I just left your office, like, half an hour ago. It was barely 9."

"Well, it's two in the morning now."

"Damn." I looked down at my candle, believing him after my formally full candle was now down to its last bit of wax. I blew the small flame out. "That was a long time."

Dad picked up the glass jar carefully. "Next time, no candles." He insisted, placing it on my desk. "Are you okay?" He asked after turning back to me.

"Yeah," I rubbed the back of my head again. "Just a bump."

"Okay," Dad sighed again. "Get to sleep, alright? Start fresh in the morning."

I nodded, watching him leave. "Night, Dad."

He waved as he left, closing my door.

I knew I should listen to him: get in bed and go back to sleep. But I had new information. I'd finally remembered something I saw. Unfortunately, what it looked like was that Stiles was losing hope.

(o.o)

I slept away most of the morning, trying to catch up on sleep. The first thingI did was check my phone for any new information on Stiles. What I found was a text from the sheriff telling me about his idea that he hatched overnight. I sighed, grateful to him for recruiting me to help Stiles. I showered, dressed, and left the house, heading towards the center of town.

When I arrived at my destination, I rode the elevator to a familiar floor and knocked when I stood in front of the door.

Allison opened the door moments later, looking confused at my presence. "CJ? Everything okay?"

"The sheriff texted me this morning. He asked me to come here to talk with you about his new plan to help Stiles." I told her, glancing around the empty hall. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Allison opened the door so that I could come in and closed it behind me.

I looked around the living area of the apartment, studying it. I'd been here before, but I hadn't gotten much of a look around. It was simply decorated and I wondered if Allison and her dad worked it out together.

Allison moved to stand in my line of sight. "So, what's the plan?"

"Right. The sheriff is working on getting your dad and Derek out of lockup. He's going to try and convince your dad to help us find Stiles using his methods. Your methods." I clarified, talking about her hunting.

"You guys think that'll work?"

I nodded. "If we stop trying to treat the Nogitsune like he's Stiles, and start treating him like he's…a monster, we might actually find him before he does more damage to himself or anyone else."

"That sounds like it might work."

"I thought so, too," I agreed with a smile. I sighed. "I do have one question for you, though."

Allison furrowed her brow.

"I just - I've heard stories about your family and the things that they have done since you've been in town." I watched as Allison shied away from my words, seemingly embarrassed by them. "I want to believe that you guys wouldn't actually hurt Stiles, but given your family's history -"

Allison shook her head. "Things aren't like that anymore."

"Not with you. I can agree with that." I insisted. "Derek sees the difference, too. Especially after the role that he played in your mother's death." I knew about what happened when Allison's grandfather manipulated her. "Then there's the matter of Isaac. I know you nearly killed him, and I look at the two of you now. A bit far off from hatred, don't you think?" I questioned with a smirk.

"You want to talk about my relationship with Isaac?" Allison asked, probably realizing we were pressed for time.

"Yes, but not right now." I joked. "What I'm really saying is that I don't know your dad. I know in the past he's tried to kill Scott and Derek, but I don't know how different that is now."

Allison raised a brow. "You don't really know me, either."

"You're not wrong." I nodded. "But I know you care about Stiles. As a friend, at least. I worry that your dad, as a hunter, may not."

Allison took in a deep breath, looking like she was at least thinking about it.

"I don't mean to be so untrustworthy, but Stiles is…so important. Not only to me, but to his dad and Scott. I think you can understand why I need to be sure that your dad won't just kill him."

"I'll make sure." The look in her eyes told me that I could trust her on that.

(o.o)

Finally, after what seemed like forever of Allison digging through her storage unit, the sheriff, Derek, and Argent arrived at the apartment. We led the three of them into her father's office where she'd laid out a few things on the desk.

"This is everything non-lethal we could find." Allison shared.

"Take all of it." Argent said.

I walked around the desk, grabbing the duffel bag we pulled out and handing it to Allison as she filled it. "What's the plan?"

"Our best shot right now is for Derek to try to pick up Stiles scent from when he was Eichen. Especially if he went through something stressful there."

"Should all five of us be going to the same place?" the sheriff asked.

"Where else has Stiles been showing up?"

"The school. The hospital." I named, thinking if there were anywhere else.

"Okay, hold on." Derek stopped, waving his hand at the desk. "We did this already. He disappeared. We started looking for him. Then we walked right into a trap at the hospital."

"He's getting us to repeat the same moves." Argent pointed out.

"So, what do we do? Wait for him to come to us?" Allison questioned.

I shook my head. "We can't. The Oni will find him before we do when the sun goes down."

"Scott's working on that right now with Kira." The sheriff told me. I wondered why Scott wasn't answering my texts.

"That's the problem." Argent realized. "We're all trying to outfox the Fox."

Stilinski looked at the objects as Allison had stuffed them in her bag. "Listen. I'll understand if anyone wants to back out."

Derek scoffed, shaking his head. He met my eyes. "I won't be the first Wolf to run from a Fox." Derek said, but I knew he was talking to me. He knew this was important to me.

"Apparently, I'm carrying a lightsaber." Argent said, holding up an electric poker.

Allison nodded. "Dad, you and Derek hit Eichen House. Sheriff, it's you, me and CJ in the hospital."

"We'll end at the school." I said, nodding and heading towards the door.

(o.o)

Before I could get into the car with the sheriff and Allison so we could head to the hospital, Derek pulled me to the side. I glanced towards the sheriff. "I'll be right there. Give us a second."

The sheriff nodded, getting in his car with Allison.

Derek looked down at me and sighed, shaking his head. "I can't let you go. I'm gonna take you home."

"What? Absolutely not." I expected Derek not to be exceedingly happy with me getting involved in the search for Stiles. The Nogitsune had hurt me once already and he was worried about it happening again. However, I hadn't expected him to outright refuse it.

"I can't be worried about keeping you safe while we deal with this thing."

"This thing has Stiles trapped inside. I'm helping."

Derek shook his head again. "CJ, think about this for a second."

"I am thinking. It's everyone else that's not," I stressed, waiting for him to let me continue. After a moment of staring at him, he let me continue. "You're thinking that the Nogitsune is going to kill me. I don't think it will. It had the chance and it didn't."

"This time might be different though. We're hunting it down."

"Hunting?" I questioned with a raised brow.

"Poor choice of words," Derek said quickly.

"I think -" I internally groaned, wrapping my arms around my stomach. "I know that even when it's the Nogitsune, Stiles is still in there. He won't let it kill me."

"I think you're wrong."

"And if I am, then I'll deal with it then. But I'm going."

Derek huffed. "What happens when it kills you?"

I took a deep breath. "I'm not going to die. At least not at the hands of the Nogitsune."

"How do you know?"

"I just do," I snapped, tired of all the questions. "In the same way that Carter knew about Paige. And me. It's a feeling and I don't feel like I'm going to die."

Derek stared at me for another few seconds.

"But if we don't do something soon, Stiles might actually die. I can't live with myself if that happens," I stressed, looking away from him. "The feeling that I get… It's not as strong as knowing he's going to be alright. Carter changed things. I have to change things."

"CJ, Carter sacrificed himself to change things for you."

"Carter's abilities weren't like mine, Derek. We already know that much even with what little we know. Carter got hints. Glimpses. I see it. All of it. Before it happens. Stiles isn't going to die and neither am I." I promised both myself and him. "The least you can do is trust me on that."

Derek sighed, his eyes showing his fear, but the rest of him showing strength.

"Trust me," I said again, making sure that he understood me.

"Okay," He said quickly. "I trust you."