a/n : happy one year anniversary, noel mathis whittemore. thanks for bringing me so much happiness. and to my readers, enjoy season two episode one! ♡, noah.

—

Noel's first appearance of the season is (unsurprisingly) in the opening credits. He is shown between Derek/Tyler and Lydia/Holland. His intro scene portrays him looking over his shoulder briefly before facing away from the camera as a clawed hand rips his shirt in half and reveals the Hale triskelion on his back. Holland's scene then rolls.

—

Though you may expect him to be, Noel is not with Stiles when he sits waiting to visit Lydia in her hospital room. Instead, he is first seen after Scallison's steamy scene.

—

After Scott says "Then we're dead!" to Allison in canon, we get a comedic/dramatic music cue before we cut to the Hale house. Noel is carrying half empty boxes and garbage bags from upstairs to downstairs, a smile on his lips as he does so. He brings down an unlabeled box and lays it down on top of another, wiping dust off his hands and looking over his shoulder. He smiles slightly and asks in the general direction over his shoulder "If you could do that, why did you call me to come and help you?"

The camera cuts to Derek carrying two boxes under one arm and three on his shoulder. He looks at Noel and says with raised eyebrows "Why would I want to do it alone if I could have you to help?"

Noel rolls his eyes and takes the boxes one by one from Derek, and when he finishes stacking them, he crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow. "Are you saying that in an 'I want my boyfriend to keep me company' way, or an 'I don't want to do all this work by myself because I'm lazy' way?"

Derek's hands slide to rest on Noel's waist, shrugging his shoulders and saying "A bit of both, you could say. But what have I said about using the B-word?"

In an attempt to avoid the question completely, Noel asks one of his own. "Where exactly are you moving again?" he asks, looking down and back at the boxes on the floor behind him. Derek takes his chin and tilts it so Noel is once again facing toward him, saying "You'll see it soon enough. Relax." With that he plants a kiss on Noel's forehead, after which the scene cuts back to Victoria Argent, barging in on Allison and almost catching Scott.

—

After Lydia's first going missing scene, we go back to Derek and Noel, sitting and talking on the front steps of the Hale house when Noel gets a text. He takes out his phone and knits his eyebrows together as he reads the text before sighing softly.

"What's wrong?" Derek asks, Noel shaking his head and saying "I have to go. It's Scott."

Derek seems a bit annoyed but nods, and just as Noel has stood up to leave, Derek grabs his wrist and pulls him back down. He gives him a quick kiss before letting him go, Noel smiling and walking off toward a car that we've never seen before. He gets in and drives away in it down the road toward town.

Derek is shown watching Noel drive away for a few seconds, and when the boy is for sure gone, he stands and takes off running into the woods.

—

Later when Stiles brings Lydia's hospital gown out to Scott, Noel is sitting in the backseat of the jeep.

Allison shows up and Noel looks happy to see her, and vice versa. He sits in the backseat, not interjecting or adding much to the conversation. He seems deep in thought between the slight change in location from parking lot to on the road, until Allison says "...after Kate's funeral, when the others get here." Noel is the one that asks her "What others?" instead of Stiles from where he sits beside Allison in the backseat.

—

After Derek's scene with Isaac, Noel walks through the woods with Scott, Stiles, and Allison. They approach the Hale house and Noel turns to Scott looking skeptical. "You think she came to Derek's? Really?"

"This is where the scent leads," Scott assures him, and Noel says "Derek would have sent her to us if he found her, let me go talk to him."

Before Noel can go to the house, Scott says "He's not in there." Noel turns and looks at Scott with his eyebrows knitted together. "What do you mean he's not in there? I was just with him here half an hour ago."

"He's not here, I can't smell him or hear his heartbeat," Scott repeats, grabbing Noel's arm and pulling him back a bit. Stiles takes a step closer to the house and asks "Has Lydia ever even been here?"

"Not with me," Allison says, now holding onto Noel's arm as well as Scott's hand. Noel says "She came here with me one time when Jackson dropped me off, but she was too busy doing her makeup to have any idea where we were." Stiles nods and keeps walking toward the house.

"Maybe she came here on instinct, like she was looking for Derek," Allison suggests, and Scott says "You mean looking for an alpha." Noel looks at them both and makes a face like he wants to say something, but decides against it. Instead he says "Well, wolves need a pack, right?" and Allison nods in agreement. "Well, not all of them," Scott answers, to which Allison continues "Would she have been drawn to an alpha? Is it an instinct to be part of a pack?"

"Yeah, we're stronger in packs," Scott answers, and Noel adds "Must suck to be Derek right now, then. An alpha with no pack."

"He must feel so weak. There's strength in numbers, isn't there?" Allison asks, and Scott says "No, we're literally stronger. We're faster, better, in every way."

"Maybe Derek's looking for a pack, to make himself stronger," Allison says, and Noel says "Will you guys stop making him out to be the bad guy? Please?"

That's when Stiles points out the trip wire and they all go to investigate, getting Scott stuck up in the tree. When they all see Scott hanging, Noel is the first one to openly let out his laughter with a snort and a smile, then Allison does the same. They go to help, but Scott orders them to go hide. Noel listens with Allison and Stiles behind the tree, listening to Scott and Argent's conversation.

When Scott cuts himself free and starts walking up to Derek's, Noel follows behind them and looks around for Derek.

—

The next day at school, Noel walks into school with Scott and Stiles. When Stiles points out that they should be looking at how Scott behaved after he was first turned to try to get some insight on Lydia, Noel says "He's right. What went through your head when you were turning? What were your instincts, what were you drawn to?"

"Allison," Scott says, to which Stiles looks personally offended and Noel rolls his eyes. "Nothing else? Seriously?" Stiles asks, and Scott says "Nothing else mattered. But that's sorta good though, right?"

"How is that good?" Stiles asks, and Scott says "Well, the night she was bitten, she was with you, Noel." Noel pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration and hisses out "If you're implying what I think you are, Scott, I have a boyfriend now, remember?"

"Is he really your boyfriend though," Stiles asks with a hint of jealousy in his voice (about Lydia, Derek, or both is unclear), to which Noel glares at him and smirks. "Maybe it is a good thing she was with me the night she was turned then, if Derek's not my boyfriend."

"She wasn't even looking for you in the first place, OR me, dumbass. She was looking for your cousin."

And in rolls Jackson.

—

At lacrosse when the boys confront Jackson, Noel is standing to Stiles' right. When Scott and Jackson have their little "Turning?" "Yes, turning!" "Turning into...?" Noel breaks the chain and says "Into a werewolf, dumbass."

"Well if Lydia's turning into a werewolf, she's not the one that's gonna need help," Jackson says, glaring daggers at Noel. "What do you mean?" Scott asks, and Jackson chuckles. "You've got it all backwards, McCall. When I was with Lydia, you should've seen the scratch marks she left on me. What do you think she's gonna do with a set of real claws?"

Noel thinks about that for a second, and Jackson says "Whatever it is, it'll be a lot less tame than whatever werewolf claws are probably on his back right now, that's for sure." He nods in Noel's direction and looks him up and down, making the boy shuffle awkwardly and frown. Jackson then laughs and walks away, leaving Scott and Stiles standing there looking at Noel in a mixture of shock, disbelief, and a bit of brotherly approval.

"Oh, shut up, both of you," he says and starts walking in the opposite direction, Scott and Stiles still staring after him before looking at each other and following him out.

—

Later, in chemistry, Noel is sitting with Scott. Stiles says "It's causing me severe mental anguish and a few horrible images of a naked Noel, but he's right."

Noel raises an eyebrow at Stiles and says "No one asked you to picture me naked, Stilinski, that's your brain giving you hints you don't want to listen to."

Stiles and Noel stick their tongues out at each other like children before Scott says "Guys, stop it. Jackson is right. I mean, what if the next body part she steals is from someone who's still alive?" Harris warns the three of them to stay quiet then, because the class is taking a pop quiz. Harris threatens that if he hears their voices again, he'll "put them in detention for the rest of [their] high school careers". Stiles asks "Can you do that?" and Harris says "There it is again. The voice of Mr. Stilinski." From there to the end of his speech is unchanged, until Scott and Noel turn to look at Stiles. "You too, McCall? Whittemore?"

"No, sir," they say in unison, returning to their quizzes. This is when Jackson gets his nosebleed.

—

After Derek breaks down the stall door where Jackson is frantically trying to stop the bleeding, the scene is relatively canon safe. After Derek says "You're with me now" to Jackson, Jackson scoffs and says "I'm 'with' you? Kind of awkward, considering that you're 'with' my cousin." Derek laughs humorlessly, shaking his head and just staring at Jackson like he had just told a joke.

Jackson then gets a bit angry, and continues with "Don't laugh at me like I'm a child, or some kind of pet. Just because you gave me 'The Bite' doesn't mean I'm part of your little wolf pack."

"Is that so?" Derek asks, and Jackson nods and says "Yeah. Plus, I've got my own agenda. Which, by the way, doesn't involve running around the woods at night howling at the moon with you and McCall while Noel struggles to keep up before inevitably getting chased down and eaten by another pack of moon-crazed idiots. So why don't you just-"

This is when Derek turns him to face the mirror, and Jackson discovers that now his ear is bleeding. From that moment to the end of the overall scene is canon compliant.

—

The next scene of Allison finding Scott's note and talking with Matt is very slightly changed, as Noel walks with Allison to her locker, the two laughing and talking together about something. He walks away from her and gives her a slight wave as she opens her locker, and as he reaches Scott, Scott grabs Noel by the arm and turns him around to watch Allison find the note with him. When she smiles and the shot goes back to showing Scott smiling widely, Noel is smiling too as he offers Scott a fist bump, which he returns enthusiastically.

They then walk off in the direction Scott had come from, and from there everything is the same. Obviously, Noel and Scott have parted ways by the time Allison rounds the corner and Scott pulls her into the classroom.

(Offscreen, Scott had told Noel something was wrong with Allison judging by her heartbeat. Noel asked if he wanted him to stay or if he could handle it on his own, and Scott said he'd be fine on his own. Noel nodded and wished him luck before leaving.)

—

Noel arrives at Kate's funeral with Stiles (he had waited at the school for him to get out of detention before going to the cemetery) and settles down beside both of them to eavesdrop. He ducks behind the statue to hide when Gerard looks over at their hiding spot, and he steals Scott's line by saying "Whoever he is, he's definitely an Argent."

When the sheriff pulls the boys up to stand when he catches them, he's using one hand to hold Stiles and the other to hold both Noel and Scott. "The three of you are unbelievable," he says, and Noel replies "Quite a grip you have on you, Mr. Stilinski." The sheriff tightens his grip even further on all three of them and tells Stiles to pick up his tie. In the next shot the three of them are sitting packed together in the backseat of the sheriff's patrol car, Noel between Scott and Stiles. The sheriff takes the call and the boys all listen intently, and when the sheriff turns around and says "And as for you three-" they're already out of the car.

—

Noel crawls through the woods with Scott and Stiles in the next scene, laying on the left of Scott while Stiles is on the right when they stop moving and get a better look at the ambulance.

"What the hell was Lydia doing?" Stiles asks, and Scott replies "I don't know." As the boys survey the scene and all the blood in the ambulance, Noel asks "What kept you from doing that when you were first turned? Was it Allison?"

"I hope so," Scott replies, and Stiles asks Scott if he needs to get closer. "Probably not a good idea," Noel says, and he looks relieved when Scott says "No, I think I've got it from here."

Before Scott leaves, Stiles grabs his sleeve and says "I just need you to find her. Please, just... Just find her."

"I will," Scott says before getting up and walking away, Noel scooting closer to Stiles and looking at him while Stiles continues to look at the ambulance. "She's gonna be okay. He'll find her," he says to Stiles, a rare moment of empathy and understanding being had between them. Stiles looks at Noel briefly and nods, patting his shoulder before both of them look back toward the ambulance.

—

Later, Noel and Stiles are talking to the sheriff as Lydia emerges from the woods. Stiles is the first to spot her, and shortly after he does, Noel does too. They say Lydia's name in unison the first time, but after that, Noel leaves it to Stiles. When Stiles tries to take the sheriff's coat off him to give to Lydia, he grabs onto Noel for balance right before he trips. As a result, he drags Noel down with him.

—

This is Noel's last appearance in the episode.