RAVING
(HAS NOT BEEN REWRITTEN)

"Are you sure you're all right?"

Carter sighed, rubbing at her left forearm unconsciously babying the wound that was no longer there. Ever since Carter experienced Erica's wound, Scott had been practically glued to her side, asking if she was okay or if she was having any pain. At first, Carter enjoyed and appreciated Scott's concern, but now, it was becoming too much.

"Yes, Scott, like I said before: I'm perfectly fine." Carter answered, walking alongside Scott down the abandoned alleyway.

The two of them had been following Jackson nonstop since everything that had happened in the library. Almost killing Matt, Erica having a life-threatening seizure, and the threat of murdering them all had really put things into perspective.

Carter realized that they had been underestimating their enemy the entire time. It was a losing battle, they were taking blow after blow after blow. Scott and his mother barely converse as well as the fact that he was practically failing all of his classes, Jackson's possessed, Allison was having her family code shoved down her throat, and Carter can hardly stand to be in the same room as her brother.

She was fed up with all of the damage that they were taking on.

Jackson turned out of the alleyway, Scott and Carter peered around the corner as he fell in the line. A long line was formed in front of a building, a dark-skinned girl handing out tickets through the bars of the service elevator, almost as though she were protecting herself from something.

Carter and Scott nod at each other before slowly making their way out of the alleyway and watching as Jackson made his way to the front of the line. They took their places at the end.

The line shifted forward a bit, Scott's eyes widened while Carter fished around in her pockets for cash. Something clicked inside Carter's mind, and she instantly knew that this is the line for tickets to the underground rave Matt had told her about.

Speaking of Matt, "Matt," Carter called out quietly, trying hard not to disturb Jackson. Matt turned his head, making eye contact with both teens. "How much are tickets?"

"Seventy-five."

Both Carter and Scott's eyes widened at the amount. Carter pulled the inside of her pants pockets out, glancing up at Scott in panic, showing him that her pockets were completely empty. Matt turned around slowly as the two of them began to flail their arms around in a questioning manner at one another.

The people in line behind them watched in confusion as Carter slapped Scott's chest when he made a gesture to call Derek; knowing all too well that he has plenty of cash stored away.

Scott threw his arms down to his side in defeat, looking toward Matt again and whispered: "Can I borrow some money?"

"Yeah, how much?"

"Seventy five," Scott replied, causing Carter to, once again, slap his chest for not considering that she was going to need a ticket as well.

Matt's eyebrows crinkled together while he shook his head slightly in disbelief before turning away from the two.

Carter scoffed and rolled her eyes, grabbing Scott's hand and drug him toward the back of the line. A puzzling warmth spread through Carter's entire being, not the painful heat-waves like normal, but this warmth made her feel flustered. She coughed awkwardly and immediately released Scott's hand.

Scott's ears perked up when he detected Carter's rise in heartbeat. He honed in on the sound as listened to her abnormal heart - how it fluttered - the sound reminded him of a humming bird. He pushed the sound of her heartbeat out of his head and began to wonder why her heartbeat spiked in the first place.

Carter mentally scolded herself, why would her heart race just by a simple touch? They were just friends. Nothing else. There shouldn't be any increased heart rate of any kind.

Carter shook her head, physically trying to shake the thoughts out of her head. It didn't mean anything. But the warmth that glowed from inside her, said otherwise. It was like when someone touches someone they love and they get fireworks, butterflies, sparks, etc. but instead of those things, it was this soothing warmth that refused to cool.

"Next," the girl handing out tickets called out, Scott and Carter leaned toward the side as they tried to get a view of Jackson as he made his way up to her. "How many?"

Both of them visually tensed when Jackson lazily lifted up his hand, simply holding up one finger. The girl searched for a ticket, but she seemed to grow more and more uncomfortable under Jackson's gaze. He slowly retrieved a wad of cash from his pocket, sliding it through the bars of the elevator's gate.

She reached out and handed him the ticket, their fingers brushed against one another's.
It was almost as though Jackson was examining her as he tilted his head to the side. "Let's go. Let's get out of here." She instructed the two large guards on either side of her, neither of them faltering. "Let's go!"

The elevator slowly ascended, Jackson's eyes never leaving hers, watching her until the very last second.

***

"There's got be some other way to get tickets, right?" Scott asked, as him and Stiles exited the blue jeep and made their way over to the sidewalk where Carter was patiently waiting for them.

Carter uncrossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders. "It's a secret show. There's only one way and it's a secret."

"Hey," Matt's voice barked from behind them, the three stopped in their tracks to turn and face him. Carter tilted her head to the side, wondering what Matt could possibly want. "Any of you know why no one's getting suspended after what happened the other day at school?"

"Just forget about it. Nobody got hurt," Stiles stated.

Matt looked slightly taken back, "I had a concussion."

"Well, nobody got seriously hurt."

"I was in the ER for six hours," Matt pressed, his forehead clinked slightly as he watched Stiles in disbelief.

"Hey, do you want to know the truth, Matt? Your little bump on the head is about this high-" Stiles' expression became hard as he bent over and held his palm of his hand about three inches above the side walk. "-on our list of problems right now."

Carter clapped her hand over her mouth to try to stifle her laughter, but failed miserably when the bark of laughter wiggled its way between her fingers. Scott sighed, shaking his head at his two friends as he tried to sympathize with Matt.

"Are you okay?" Scott asked, not really caring, but trying to be considerate.

"Yeah, I'm fine now," Matt replied. "So, Carter, you're totally okay with me giving the ticket I bought for you to Allison?"

Carter gulped and nodded, "Yeah, totally."

"So you didn't get any tickets last night either," Matt turned his attention back to Scott.

Scott pursed his lips and shook his head. "Are they still selling?"

"No, but I managed to find two online," Matt explained, glancing at Carter out of the corner of his eye. "You should keep trying. Sounds like everyone's going to be there."

Stiles' jaw fell open, watching Matt walk away in disgust, "I don't like him," Scott ignored him and began to walk sluggishly toward the school. "Hey, are you sure about this?"

Scott turned around, looking at his two
friends before he answered: "Last time, whoever's controlling Jackson had to kill somebody because he didn't finish the job so what do you think he's going to do this time?"

"Be there to make sure it happens."

***

"Ketamine?"

Deaton nodded toward Scott, "It's the same stuff we use on the dogs, just a higher dosage." He placed the bottle of ketamine and the syringe on the metal operating table between them. "If you can get close enough to Jackson, it should slow him down enough to buy you some time. This," he held up a small glass jar of black ashes. "Is some of what you'll use to create the barrier. This part is for you, Stiles. Only you."

"Uh, that sounds like a lot of pressure," Stiles mumbled, reaching out and grasping the jar. "Can we maybe find a slightly less pressure-filled task for me?"

Scott and Carter both gave Stiles a look.

"It's from the mountain ash tree, which is believed by many cultures to protect against the supernatural. This office is lined with ash wood, making it difficult for someone like Scott or Carter to cause me any trouble." Deaton continued.

Stiles set the jar back down and said: "Okay, so then what? I just spread this around the whole building and then either Jackson or whoever's controlling him can't cross it?"

"They'll be trapped."

Carter placed an assuring hand on Stiles' bicep, "Doesn't sound too hard."

"Not all there is. Think of it like gunpowder. It's just powder until a spark ignites it. You need to be that spark, Stiles." Deaton explained.

"If you mean light myself on fire, I don't think I'm up for that." Carter rolled her eyes and let out a soft chuckle, her and Scott both glancing over at Stiles.

Deaton grinned at Stiles' words, "Let me try a different analogy. I used to golf. I learned that the best golfers never swing before first imagining where they want the ball to go. They see it in their mind and their mind takes over. It can be pretty extraordinary what the force of your own will can accomplish."

"Force of will," Stiles repeated, slightly nodding to himself.

"Hey," Deaton gained Stiles' attention, Stiles reluctantly glanced back up. "If this is going to work, Stiles, you have to believe it."

Deaton was right; the force of your own will was truly extraordinary.

***

Carter glanced down at her outfit once more, her small over-the-shoulder bag holding her wallet, cellphone, and ID rested on her hip. A flowy white (thick strapped) tank top with large arm holes revealing a floral patterned bandeau. The shirt was tucked into her black high waisted shorts. She finished off her outfit by applying a thin layer of red lipstick to her lips, making them pop out against her white shirt.

She impatiently tapped her foot, waiting outside of the rave for Isaac Lahey. He refused to give her the ticket he had supposedly "beat the daylights out of someone" for.

"Carter!" Isaac's voice called out, the brunette whirled around to see the curly headed blonde sauntering over toward her.

Carter crossed her arms over her chest, "Where's my ticket?"

"Is that any way to talk to your date, the one who risked life-and-limb to get this ticket for you?" Isaac feigned hurt, wagging the ticket in front of her face and giving her an overdramatic pout.

"Date? You wish," Carter rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I guess I'll go give this ticket to someone who actually appreciates my loyalty."

"Okay," Carter grumbled, quickly reaching out to grasp Isaac's arm as he began to turn away from her, before tugging him behind her toward the rave.

The two made their way toward the entrance of the rave, Isaac handing someone both of their tickets. Once inside, Carter was instantly overwhelmed by the scent. Neon lights flashed throughout the building, thick fog coaxed the floor. People were grinding against one another. A large smile spread across Carter's face as she looked up at Isaac.

"Dance with me."

"No, I don't dance," Isaac replied.

"Oh, well," Carter gripped Isaac's hand before leading him toward the dance floor.

Carter wrapped her arms around Isaac's neck, his hands placed firmly on her sides. She allowed his hands to slide down her exposed sides until his hands landed on her hips, feeling his fingertips dig into them in satisfaction.

Isaac removed his hands from her hips and reached up to unlace her arms from around his neck, grabbing them before turning her around. Carter guided Isaac's hands back to her hips, sticking her ass into his crotch before grinding against him.

Isaac leaned down and rested his lips by her ear, Carter feeling his warm breaths fan her flesh. There was a reason for their madness. While they were dancing, they were also waiting for Scott to show up and give them the ketamine.

Carter's head lolled to the side, a certain boy falling into her line-of-sight. He was watching her and Isaac, nodding softly at Carter. She glanced up at Isaac, pulling away from him. Isaac opening his mouth to say something, but Carter gestured with her head over to Scott.

He turned around, catching a glimpse of Scott, he nodded. The two of them maneuvering their way through the thick crowd. Scott turned around, walking toward a more secluded area behind a random cement pillar, Carter and Isaac followed.

"Why me?" Isaac asked.

Carter groaned, playfully nudging Isaac and taking the syringe from Scott. "I'll do it, since wolfie over here doesn't have big enough balls to do it himself."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Carter."

"I try," Carter grinned sarcastically before turning her attention back to Scott, "Why can't you do it?"

"Because I got to make sure that Argent doesn't completely ruin the plan. Okay, look, you better do it intravenously, which means in the vein. When you find him, you pull back on this plunger right here. In the neck is probably going to be the easiest. So you find a vein, jam it in there, pull back on the trigger." Scott explained.

Carter nodded, Scott's hand wrapped around her wrist. Her eyes moved off of the syringe and met his eyes, looking at him in confusion. Scott searched her dark eyes for a moment before saying: "Be careful."

Carter chuckled softly, "Oh, I doubt it'll even slightly hurt him."

Scott's grip of her wrist tightened, Carter's heart began to hammer against her rib cage again.

"No, I mean you," Scott told her, Carter's humorous face fell when she realized how serious he was being. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Carter's breath hitched in the back of her throat, "I won't, I promise."

Scott scanned her face one more time before taking off. Carter watched as his body vanished in the crowd, and she let out a shaky breath. Knowing that she never had the courage to say that she didn't want him to get hurt either.

When Isaac and Carter found Jackson in the midst of the rave, Carter smirked in triumph with the syringe secure in her back pocket. Making her way toward Jackson, whose back was facing her, she reached out and placed her hand on the back of his neck softly. Jackson paused, allowing Carter to move in front of him, leaving a wet kiss on his neck.

Jackson closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side, giving Carter better access to his neck. Isaac smirked and began to grind on the other side of Carter. The two boys both danced against her, Carter leaned her head back to plant a kiss on Isaac's mouth.

Jackson's lips ran up and down the side of Carter's neck, she let out a gasp as her back rest against Isaac's chest. She felt Jackson's hands slip into her shirt and caress her bare skin. Isaac bowed his head and began to kiss her jaw line as she shoved her ass into his crotch once again.

Carter felt Isaac's hand slip into her back pocket, the plan finally falling into motion. Jackson began to kiss her jawline once again, Carter let out a cry of pain when his claws dug deep into her back. Isaac stumbled back, being pierced with his claws as well, Jackson smacked the hand which Isaac was holding the syringe with.

A dark and deadly look flashed across
Jackson's face, a demonic voice growled: "She belongs to me."

Isaac and Carter both crumbled to the floor, Carter let out another cry of pain when she felt Isaac's wound being afflicted on her side. Isaac lifted up the back of Carter's shirt, watching as both set of claw marks disappear.

Carter pulled herself away from him and lunged toward the syringe only for someone's foot to kick it. She glanced up from her position on the ground, making sure to keep an eye on Jackson before scrambling to grab the object.

Shoving through the crowd, her eyes locked on Jackson's back. Approaching from behind him, Carter stabbed the syringe into Jackson's neck, pulling the trigger back. Jackson's body became heavy, Carter moved, allowing his body to fall into Isaac's arms.

Jackson's eyes rolled to the back of his skull.

They finally had Jackson just how they wanted him.

Isaac and Carter managed to carry Jackson's unconscious body into a small abandoned room, Carter quickly sent Stiles a text. In the process of texting back and forth, he told her that he ended up getting the whole barrier sealed.

Jackson's body was slumped lazily in a metal chair, the door into the room suddenly opened. Carter jumped as Isaac lunged toward to door, Stiles finally revealing himself.

Stiles held his arms out in defense, trying to keep Isaac from attacking him, "No, no, no! Just me, it's just me. Don't freak." Stiles spat out quickly before looking down at Jackson. "Is he okay?"

Isaac moved toward Jackson's body and said: "Well, let's find out," He lifted his hand, flashing the others his extended claws. He reared his arm back, prepared to stab Jackson in the chest, Jackson's hand shot out and curled around Isaac's forearm. He began to twist the arm in an abnormal way to the point where small crunching sounds could be heard.

Isaac let out grunts of pain, finally prying Jackson's hand off of his arm. Letting out a pained gasp he rushed toward the back of the room, cradling his arm against his chest.

Stiles pointed a finger at him and exclaimed: "Okay, no one does anything like that again, okay?"

Isaac's face looked pained, "I thought the ketamine was supposed to put him out."

"Yeah, well, apparently this is all we're going to get." Stiles replied, gesturing toward Jackson. "So let's just hope that whoever's controlling him just decided to show up tonight."

Jackson's body flinched slightly, his eyes snapping open. Carter jumped back a bit, both Stiles and Isaac pushed her behind them protectively. "I'm here," a demonic voice fell out of Jackson's mouth. "I'm right here with you."

Suddenly, the tips of Carter's fingers tingles, her head began to pound as her brain throbbed, her skin pricking with sweat as the overwhelming heat consumed her entire being. "Not now, please, not now."

Carter felt something start to constrict her airway. And all of the air was seemingly yanked out of her lungs. She couldn't breathe; she couldn't even attempt to gasp for breath. Her mouth gaped open as she frantically began to claw at her chest. The waves of heat becoming more sporadic and more intense with each passing second.

It felt like minutes before someone noticed Carter's behavior. "Carter, what's wrong? What's happening?" Stiles asked, his eyes wide as he turned to face her.

Carter couldn't answer him. She needed to get out. Something was happening to someone - this wasn't her. A familiar sense of calm registered in her brain and it all made sense to her.

Scott.

Without giving it a second thought, Carter struggled out of Stiles' arms and bolted out of the room. She continued to walk down the hallway, her feet working faster than her brain. The straining in her throat and chest never ceased or faltered. Her balance failed suddenly and she went barreling into a room, the door swinging open upon impact. No longer having the strength to pull herself up, Carter's body fell to the floor.

"Hmm," A voice hummed, bringing her back to reality. Glancing up, her vision smeared and inconsistent, she recognized a familiar face of Victoria Argent - Allison mother. Carter squinted to see who was lying on the ground next to her, when she realized it was Scott, a pained and strangled cry escaped her throat.

"Wh-" Carter began but was cut off when a hoarse cough climbed up the back of her throat. "What - What are you doing to him?"

"I'm killing him," Victoria answered simply. "I'm honestly not surprised that you're a werewolf, Carter. You are, after all, a Hale."

"You're cr-crazy," Carter coughed out, her vision darkening. Everything around her was becoming fuzzy as the room began to spin, making Carter's stomach churn restlessly.

Victoria hummed under her breath, crouching down so she was hovering over Carter, pushing a bit of her dark hair from her eyes. "No, you're not like Scott and Derek at all." She reached out, grasping Carter's face roughly in her hand. She let out a gasp when Carter's eyes flashed a scarlet-orange before diminishing back to their deep brown. "You're something extremely rare and special. And the best part is, you don't even know what you are."

"What?" Carter wheezed, and tried to move away from Victoria to get to Scott. She barely managed to get her arms to support her upper body before they failed her. The wolfsbane smoke from the vaporizer circled the room.

Victoria reached out, placing her hand on Carter's shoulder before forcing her to lie on her back, "You're a Pheanix, Carter." She marveled as she continued to examine the young girl lying before her. "There hasn't been a word of one in centuries - rumor has it that they were extinct. But here you are." She stood from her crouching position, wiped her hands on her skirt and began to move toward Scott. "They truly are amazing creatures. Creating bonds so strong with the people around them that they actually absorb and feel all of their physical pain."

Victoria started to speak to Scott, and Carter could barely hear through the deafening sound of her heartbeat ringing in her ears. "Alpha, Beta, but what are you, Scott? Omega. Don't you know the lone wolf never survives without a pack? I've heard the cry of an Omega. It's a miserable sound. The howl of a lone wolf."

That sparked something inside Carter, giving her enough strength to fall next to Scott. Scott moved onto his knees, his back still facing Victoria who stared down at them murderously. Scott painfully shook his head, "I'm not..."

"What?" Victoria asked, moving closer. "What is it?"

"I'm not...," Scott mumbled through constricting lungs. "...alone."

Scott lifted his head, letting out a loud roar, whilst Carter screamed and cried in pain as she realized she could no longer breathe. The two teens crumbled to the floor, neither of them having the strength or energy to lift their bodies.

Meanwhile, outside of the rave, Derek and Stiles had just heard the howl from Scott, only Derek having the ears to pick up on the lower scream and cries following the roar. "Scott?" Derek muttered, then quickly recognized the scream and panic settled into his chest. "Carter."

Stiles whirled around in surprise, "What?"

"Break it," Derek ordered, referring to the barrier of mountain ash at his feet.

"What? No way."

Derek glared down at Stiles, anger pulsing rapidly through his veins. Turning toward Stiles, he shouted: "Scott and Carter are dying!"

Stiles fell immediately fell and asked: "Okay, what? How do you know that?"

Derek's arms flailed out around him, trying to keep himself from strangling Stiles. "Oh, my God, Stiles! I just know! Break it!"

Stiles spluttered for a second, bending down, swiping his hands across the ash - breaking the barrier so that Derek could get through. Derek rushed through the crowd of teenagers, shoving without caring if he injured anyone. While he focused on finding the right room, Carter and Scott were barely holding onto to what air they had left.

"Scott...I'm sorry," Carter moaned out, reaching out and grasping Scott's hand.

There was a loud banging, Carter's head lolled to the side and saw Derek rushing into the room. Once he had entered completely he stopped in his tracks, the wolfsbane having an immediate effect on him. Victoria moved out of the corner she was hiding in and stabbed a blade in Derek's back, he grunted and spun around, smacking the blade out of Victoria's hand.

Carter's vision blackened after that, the pain in her chest so strong that she didn't even feel the stab wound inflicting itself on her back. She was still conscious, only being able to hear Derek's grunting. She let out a small whimper when Derek growled in pain. Someone hit her feet, but she didn't even move a muscle. There was a pull at her waist and she tried to push their hands away. "Get - Get...You've got to get...," she wheezed. "Get Scott...,"

"Carter, I'm not leaving you here." A familiar voice sounded in her ears, and she recognized the voice as Derek's. She tried to protest again, trying to tell him that once Scott was out of the room she would be okay. Her body was lifted from the floor, her head rolled onto the person's shoulders, and she could feel herself relaxing into the blur around her. Derek stared at Isaac, who had grabbed Scott, then glanced back down at his younger sister in his arms. "I've got your back, remember? Always."

***

"Derek, she's going to be fine."

Carter's eyes slowly fluttered open at the sound of voices, but instead of being met with familiar faces, she was looking directly at a bright overhead light on a white ceiling. Her body was lying on top of something cool and metal - an examination table. Carter attempted to sit up, but winced when everything around her began to spin. She moved her head to the side and saw Derek sitting in a chair against the wall, holding a gauze on his arm.

Deaton walked over to Carter, seeing that she was beginning to regain consciousness, "How are you feeling, Carter?"

"Um, okay, I guess," I mumbled, looking back at Derek.

"What all do you remember?"

"I was, uh, I was standing in a room with Jackson when suddenly I couldn't breathe. And-And I instantly knew Scott was in trouble, like before." Carter began to explain, Deaton nodding his head as he took in the information. "I stumbled upon a room where Victoria was holding Scott - she was killing him." Carter stammered, her memories and thoughts jumbling together and she was trying to organize them.

"She said I was a...a Phea...Phea...it's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't make it out." Carter murmured, rubbing the sides of her head with her fingers.

"A Pheanix?"

Carter's eyes widened at the word, "Yes, what is it?"

"Carter, you need rest. I promise that I will explain everything to you. Just get some rest for now," Deaton instructed, gently pushing on her shoulders so she would lie back down. Carter sighed, watching Deaton walk out of the room.

"Derek?" Carter called out quietly, her eyes not wandering from the ceiling.

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry," Carter began, and when Derek didn't reply, she continued: "You know, for being such a bitch to you all these years. I've been a terrible sister, and you deserve better - especially after you saved Scott and I like you did."

"Carter, stop," Derek stated gently. "I don't deserve a better sister, you deserve a better big brother. I haven't always been there to protect like I promised after the fire. We've been arguing like children lately, and I haven't done anything to stop it. So, for that, I'm sorry."

Carter gulped feeling a ball of saliva form in her throat as tears welled in her eyes, "Brother?"

"Yeah, Carter?"

"Thank you."