Noel makes his first appearance in the locker room. After the canon lines of Scott and Isaac talking with the sheriff, Scott asks "What do we do about Noel?"
The sheriff looks across the room to where Noel is sitting on the bench with his head in his hands, pulling on his hair and rocking subtly back and forth. Isaac narrows his eyes and asks "Well, where are Jackson's parents? He should be with them."
"They took off to the hospital the minute Melissa said Jackson was unresponsive," the sheriff says, Scott's jaw dropping in disbelief.
"They just left him here and forgot all about him?! After his cousin died right in front of him, while he's in their freaking custody?" he asks, the sheriff shrugging and shaking his head like he agrees with Scott but knows he can't say anything.
After a beat, he suggests "How about I just take him with me, I can give him a ride to the hospital after I get this Stiles business sorted out. Or he can stay at my place for a while if he wants to be away from everything for a little while."
Scott looks at Noel again, who is now sitting with Danny, the two boys holding hands silently while they stare at the floor. Scott nods, saying "Yeah, I think that's what he needs right now. Thanks."
The sheriff nods and makes them promise to call him if they hear anything about Stiles. They agree, and the sheriff walks off.
After Scott breaks down Stiles' locker and tells Isaac they're gonna find him by scent, Noel comes over with bloodshot eyes. He sniffles, wiping his eyes and nose before saying "I wanna help."
"Noel, I don't think-" Scott begins, but Noel immediately cuts him off.
"Don't. Not now, Scott, please, just don't. I can help, I want to help, I can't think about this right now. I can't think about... Him."
Scott puts a hand on Noel's shoulder, nodding and handing the shirt in his hands to him. Noel smiles weakly and appreciatively in response, and Scott looks over and sees Derek standing there. Noel turns and looks at him too, a new wave of tears filling his eyes at the sight of his ex-boyfriend.
"We need to talk," Derek says, Peter stepping in behind him. "All of us," the man says, and the camera shows Scott and Noel. Noel now looks like he isn't going to burst into tears any time soon, and Scott says "Holy sh-"
The scene ends there and we go to Stiles in the basement with Erica and Boyd, telling them to "Shhhhh."
Clever, Teen Wolf. Clever.
—
Back in the locker room after the commercial, Scott asks "What the hell is this?"
Noel asks immediately after "Is this why I saw you in my dreams a few nights ago?" while pointing at Peter. Derek looks shocked, but shakes off the question (he's heard weirder things from Noel) and says "You know, Scott, I had the same question when I saw you talking to Gerard at the sheriff's station."
"You what?" Noel asks, turning to Scott. Scott defends himself, saying "Hold on, he threatened to kill my mom."
"He what?" Noel asks, turning back to Derek. Scott continues "I had to get close to him, what was I supposed to do?"
"You had to what?" Noel asks, turning back to Scott. "I'm gonna go with Scott here," Peter says, Noel barely saying "You-" before Peter cuts him off. "I what, yes, we get it. Move on."
"Who is he?" Isaac asks, Noel saying "Peter. Derek's uncle. Not too long ago he tried to kill us all, so we set him on fire, and then Derek slashed his throat."
Peter shoots Isaac a little wave and a small "Hi."
Isaac fakes a smile, saying with a slight fearful lilt in his voice "That's good to know."
"How is he alive?" Scott asks, Derek avoiding the question. "The short version is, he knows how to stop Jackson. And maybe how to save him."
Noel takes a step closer to Derek, his eyes quickly glazing with tears again. Isaac pulls him back, saying softly "Well, that's very helpful, except Jackson's..."
He doesn't know how to finish that sentence, squeezing Noel's shoulder comfortingly before the boy finishes deadpan "Dead. Jackson's dead."
"What?" Derek asks, and it's his turn to take a step toward Noel. "It just happened on the field," Scott explains, Derek turning to face Peter. Peter looks down, and Isaac asks why no one is taking the fact that he's dead as good news. He then realizes he's still holding Noel's shoulder, taking his hand off quickly in embarrassment.
"Because," Peter explains, "If Jackson is dead, it didn't just happen. Gerard wanted it to happen."
"Why?" Noel asks, looking to Peter for an answer as to why his cousin is dead. Peter takes a second before saying "Well, that's exactly what we need to figure out. And something tells me the window of opportunity is closing. Quickly."
—
After Stiles reunites with his father, the group of boys walk into the Hale house and Scott informs them that the sheriff found Stiles. Noel breathes a sigh of relief, Derek telling Peter that he already looked everywhere.
"Looked for what?" Isaac asks, as Peter pulls something out of the stairs. "What is that, a book? Derek asks, Peter blowing dust off it and saying "No. It's a laptop. What century are you living in?"
From where he stands next to Derek, Noel allows himself to crack a smile, looking up at his ex and trying not to laugh when the man pointedly rolls his eyes.
"A few days after I got out of the coma I transferred everything that we had. The Argents aren't the only ones that keep records."
Scott's phone rings, and Scott nods for Isaac and Noel to follow Derek. They do, and Scott tells his mom he can't talk right now. Melissa tells him that she needs him and Noel to come down to the hospital, because they need to see what she discovered when she opened Jackson's body bag.
We then see Jackson, wrapped in a cocoon of his own venom from the chest down. Blackout.
—
After Lydia's first scene in Stiles' room where she reveals that she still has a key to Jackson and Noel's house, we go to the hospital, where Noel, Isaac, and Scott stare at Jackson.
"What's happening to him?" Scott asks, and Melissa responds "I thought that you were gonna tell me. Is it bad?"
"It doesn't look good," Isaac says, Noel standing near Jackson's head and forcing himself to keep his arms crossed.
Suddenly, Jackson's body jerks, and Noel almost puts a hand on the side of his cousin's head. He stops himself at the last second though, so as not to put any fingerprints on the body, forgetting that his fingerprints would already be there because of the way he held his head earlier on the field.
"Mrs. McCall, could you zip up the bag please?" Noel asks politely, pulling his hand back away from Jackson's cold skin.
She looks at him, zipping the bag up and getting the zipper stuck by his chin. Jackson then jerks awake, mouth opening to reveal his teeth as he hisses.
"Mom, zip," Scott says, and Melissa zips the bag up the rest of the way as Jackson starts jerking more violently.
A bit later, Derek is on the phone with Noel. He tells Peter what's happening with Jackson (the venom cocoon and the movements) and Peter reveals that the lizard version of the kanima is actually Jackson's beta form, and he's evolving as they speak.
"He's turning into that?" Derek asks, looking at the screen, saying numbly "That has wings."
"I can see that," Peter remarks as he stares at the screen.
"Noel, I need you to bring him to us." Derek directs, Noel saying "I'm not sure we have much time for that." The body bag starts to move more, and we go back to Peter and Derek.
"Look, somebody animated it. Maybe it's less frightening if we..." Peter trails off and hits play on the animation, and a screech is heard before Peter slams the laptop shut. "Nope! Not at all. You should probably meet him halfway."
"Noel, get him out of there now," Derek says, "Go now."
—
Noel acts as a lookout while Scott and Isaac carry Jackson to the parking lot, Scott accidentally dropping Jackson as they walk. Before Noel can chastise him, a car pulls up behind them, the lights blinding all three. Chris Argent steps out, and says nothing as he approaches them.
—
After the break, Peter tells Derek that they need Lydia.
"There's no time," Derek retorts, Peter saying "That's the problem. We're rushing. We're moving too fast, and while everybody knows that a moving target is harder to hit, here we are racing right into Gerard's crosshairs."
Derek looks down and says "If I get the chance to kill Jackson, I'm taking it, Whittemore family issues be damned."
—
Right after, we're back in the parking lot with Chris and the boys. "You're alone," Scott points out, Chris saying "More than you know."
"Well what do you want?" Noel asks, Chris replying "We don't have much in common, boys. But at the moment, we have a common enemy."
"That's why I'm trying to get him out of here," Scott says, and Chris shakes his head. "I don't mean Jackson."
—
After Lydia and Stiles' scene where Lydia tells him she'll find Jackson herself, it's back to the parking lot again.
"Gerard has twisted his way into Allison's head, the same way he did with Kate, and we're losing her. All of us." Chris says, and Scott replies "You're right. So can you trust us to fix this?"
Chris nods, and Noel says "Then can you let us go?"
"No," Chris says, Isaac and Noel looking down in defeat. Chris corrects himself, saying "My car's faster."
Then they're all driving away in Chris's car.
—
When they arrive at the warehouse, Isaac notices that Jackson has stopped moving. Noel and Scott look as well, Chris asking where Derek is.
Derek suddenly runs in on all fours and flips unnecessarily, the only person looking even slightly impressed is Noel. But he quickly stifles his smile, asking "Was that really necessary?"
Derek smiles at him before turning to Chris, the man saying "I'm here for Jackson, not you."
"Somehow I don't find that very comforting," Derek says, and he shares a look with Chris. He turns to the boys, saying "Get him inside." Scott nods, and he leads them to where Jackson is.
"Where are they?" Noel asks, Derek asking who he means.
"Peter and Lydia," Noel clarifies, but Derek doesn't respond as he starts opening the body bag with brandished claws.
"Hey, you said you knew how to save him," Scott says, Derek telling him that they're past that. Noel starts yelling at him to stop, but Derek says "Think about it, Noel! He's not your cousin anymore! Gerard controls him now. He's turned Jackson into his own personal guard dog, and he set all this into motion so Jackson could get even bigger and more powerful."
"No," Chris says, and when they all look at him, he says "He wouldn't do that. If Jackson's a dog, he's turning rabid. And my father wouldn't let a rabid dog live."
"Of course not," Gerard says, making his presence across the pavement suddenly known. "Anything that dangerous, that out of control... Is better off dead."
Derek suddenly swings his arm back and goes to stab his claws through Jackson. Before he can, Jackson stabs him instead, all the rest of them watching in shock as Jackson hoists Derek up and tosses him effortlessly across the empty lot.
—
After the break, we're right where we left off, Gerard saying "Well done to the last, Scott. Like the concerned friend you are, you refused to let your friend's cousin die without one last shot at his recovery. You brought Jackson to Derek to save him, you just didn't realize that you were also bringing Derek to me."
Suddenly an arrow goes past Scott's head and into Isaac's shoulder. Noel helps Scott get Isaac away and leaves Chris to deal with Jackson, on Chris's orders.
Suddenly Derek comes back in and roars, Scott, Noel, and a suddenly healed Isaac returning as well with their own claws and fangs brandished.
Noel gets a few hits in on the kanima before he, like everyone else, is put out of commission. Allison stabs Isaac in the back (literally and figuratively) before going to do the same to Derek, but Scott and Gerard both tell her to stop for different reasons.
Allison does stop, and Jackson suddenly grabs her and puts an arm around her neck.
"What are you doing?" Allison asks Gerard, Scott saying "He's doing what he came here to do." Gerard looks at him in shock, asking "Then you know?"
"What is he talking about?" Allison asks, Gerard saying "It was that night outside the hospital wasn't it, when I threatened your mother. I knew I saw something in your eyes, you could smell it, couldn't you?"
"...He's dying," Noel says in sudden realization from where he's crouched beside Isaac, helping the boy up onto his hands and knees.
Gerard turns to look at them, confirming "I am. I have been for awhile now. Unfortunately, science doesn't have a cure for cancer yet. But the supernatural does."
Gerard makes Jackson tighten his grip on Allison, Chris calling him a monster.
"Not yet," Gerard says as Jackson tightens his grip even further.
"What are you doing?" she asks, and Chris asks Gerard if he would kill Allison too.
"When it comes to survival, I'd kill my own son," Gerard admits. He turns to Scott, and the boy starts to walk toward Derek. Noel says his name warningly, but Scott ignores him.
Scott lifts Derek up by the back of his neck, Derek telling Scott to let him go. "He's just gonna kill me right after, so he'll be an alpha."
"That's true," Gerard says, "but I think he already knows that, don't you, Scott? He knows that the ultimate prize is Allison. Do this small task for me, and they can be together. You are the only piece that doesn't fit, Derek, and in case you haven't learned yet from your time with Noel, there's no competing with young love."
"Scott, don't," Derek begs, and Scott apologizes before saying "But I have to."
"Scott, there has to be another way!" Noel yells, being held back by Isaac. Scott ignores him, forcing Derek's mouth open as Gerard puts his arm in Derek's mouth to receive the bite.
Immediately after Derek bites down, Gerard's wound turns black, and black blood begins to pour from it.
"What is this?" he asks. "What did you do?"
"Everyone said Gerard always had a plan," Scott says, looking down at Derek. "I had a plan too."
We flash back to showing Scott switching out Gerard's pills for mountain ash as the man collapses to his knees and vomits a stream of black blood. He then collapses again, this time flat on the floor.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Derek asks Scott, and Scott responds "Because you might be an alpha, but you're not mine."
Gerard crawls around a bit uselessly before turning to Jackson, crying out "KILL THEM. KILL THEM ALL!" before there's a blackout.
—
After the break, we see Gerard face down on the floor. The jeep then pulls in when Jackson goes to kill Allison, Stiles and Lydia driving it straight into him. Everyone watches in shock, Noel looking more impressed than anything else even though his cousin literally just got run over by a car.
"Did I get him?" Stiles asks, Scott and Noel laughing and nodding. Suddenly Jackson jumps up onto the hood of the jeep, hissing at Stiles and Lydia. They scramble out, and Lydia calls out Jackson's name as soon as she and Stiles are both out.
She holds up the key to the Whittemore house, Jackson looking at it and tilting his head as we get a glimpse into his mind. A memory of the two of them in his bed after having sex pops into Jackson's mind, when he gave Lydia the key to the house as they cuddled afterward.
When the memory ends, his eyes go from reptilian to human, and he takes the key from Lydia's hand. She lets him take it, saying "I kept it. I kept it... Because I still love you."
Jackson watches her for a second before looking back to the key, his eyes glazing over with an unknown emotion. We see more flashes into his memories, of Jackson grabbing Lydia's arm in the hallway during 2x03, of Lydia belittling him and making him feel inferior, and just generally a handful of clips that show how mutually abusive their relationship really was.
A long tense pause drags out before he suddenly returns to full reptilian form, throwing the key across the empty lot. He hisses at Lydia, quickly pulling his arm back to swipe at her.
Noel immediately rushes in, getting between Lydia and Jackson just as Jackson starts bringing down his claws.
"Jackson!!" he yells, shoving Lydia back and into Stiles' arms out of harm's way. She's shaken, but unharmed, clinging to Stiles' sleeve as he wraps his arms around her.
Noel holds a hand up to Jackson, as if trying to placate an animal, which is essentially what he's doing after the memories of his abusive relationship with Lydia resurfaced and turned him feral.
"Jackson," Noel repeats, softer this time, his chest heaving with his labored breaths. Jackson stares at him, not moving except for some swishes of his tail and his breathing. His hand is still suspended in mid-air, venom dripping from his claws down to the floor below.
Noel takes a deep breath and says calmly "Jackson. You have to stop this."
Jackson doesn't respond, and Noel swallows before continuing "I need you to come back, okay? We used to be best friends, can you remember that for me? A few years ago, you became popular, I stayed part of the losers, and we drifted apart. You started to act differently around other kids, but that never bothered me until you started doing it at home for no reason."
As he speaks, memories of Jackson and Noel as kids playing together flash on screen every so often. Mostly, though, we just see shots of Noel and Jackson's faces, staring at each other as Noel speaks.
"Back when I first moved in with you, when I lost my mom, you said we were brothers. You never let anyone at school say a single bad word about me, and if they did, you would beat them up and make sure I was okay. When you got different friends, I wasn't upset, because I knew that someone as amazing and kind as you deserved better friends than the stupid little orphan you were suddenly being forced to live with."
Jackson's lizard skin starts to fade to human skin the more Noel speaks. Jackson's eyes change to human, and he stares intently at Noel as the boy continues.
"Even now, four and a half years later, I'm still clinging to the hope that we can be that close again. I want us to be brothers again, Jackson, because... Whether or not you would still die for me like you said you would then, I would still do it for you. You're my brother, okay, Jackson? You're my brother, and... I love you, and I need you to come back to me. We can fix this, all of us can work together to fix this. We just need you to come back to do it."
By this point, Jackson is almost completely human. He takes a step away from Noel and looks at Derek, who's poised to attack, his eyes turning red. Realizing what he has to do to stop this, Jackson holds his arms out and nods his head toward Derek.
Before Noel can react, Derek and Peter attack Jackson from the front and back, stabbing him with their claws. Noel lets out a cry and covers his mouth with his hand, watching as Jackson chokes on his own blood and starts collapsing to the floor.
Noel catches him, holding him and watching his face.
"Jackson?! Jackson, can you hear me?" he asks desperately, one hand on Jackson's shoulder and the other holding his head up.
"...I... I would," Jackson chokes out, as Noel holds them so they kneel face to face. Noel looks confused, asking "You would what?"
"I... I would still die for you," Jackson says, his head falling forward as he upholds his promise. Noel catches Jackson's head on his shoulder, starting to sob as he holds him close. Allison and Scott grab each other's hands on instinct, Stiles and Lydia doing the same as Derek puts a hand on Isaac's shoulder.
Noel slowly lays Jackson down after a second as the last bit of his kanima skin turns human again, Noel's soft sobs being heard as everyone discusses in fear where Gerard could be.
Noel stands slowly after a moment with Jackson, wiping his eyes. He turns to face the pack and looks directly at Derek with tears running down his cheeks. Without hesitation, Derek takes a few steps toward him to offer comfort.
Before they can meet in the middle, however, claws scraping against cement can be heard. Noel turns around and looks down at Jackson, as the boy slowly opens his now bright blue eyes. They all watch as Jackson slowly rises, throwing his head back and letting out a roar in his new werewolf form.
After he does this, he turns to Noel, and the two just look at each other for a moment. Noel smiles, opening his mouth to say something, but Jackson just grabs his shoulders and pulls him into a tight hug.
Noel is surprised at first, but he quickly drops the confusion and hugs his cousin back fiercely. They stand there for awhile, just holding each other silently. Jackson looks over Noel's shoulder at the pack, nodding toward Stiles where he stands with Lydia in his arms. Stiles nods back, and Jackson tightens his hold on Noel as the scene changes to Allison and Scott's breakup.
—
After the reveal of the Alpha Pack, there is a scene at the Whittemore residence. Jackson stands above his bed, packing all of his things into multiple suitcases.
"I just got you back and you're already leaving me? That's so like you," Noel's voice says, and Jackson smiles before turning to face his cousin who stands in the doorway.
"No one said you couldn't come. It's actually highly illegal that you aren't coming," he says, walking over to Noel and leaning against the wall by him.
Noel shrugs, saying "I belong here. I don't think I'd do very well in London. Besides, the Stilinskis and the Martins already both offered me rooms at their places to stay in. I'm gonna be fine here on my own."
"You just want to stay because you want to get back together with Derek," Jackson says knowingly, Noel making a noise of indignation before saying "Derek and I mutually agreed that we were better off as acquaintances. For now, at least. Plus, I don't think I can handle any more Hale related drama for at least a couple of years."
"That's Noel-Code for 'I'm not over Derek and I don't wanna leave my precious ex-boyfriend behind'," Jackson teases, Noel smacking his arm. The two laugh a bit, Jackson going back to packing.
Noel lets himself in and sits on Jackson's bed, asking "You remember everything Derek taught you about control, right?"
"Of course I do, I'm not an idiot like you," he says. Even though it's something he would have said before, it's softer now, and you can tell he's teasing Noel instead of actually insulting him. Noel knows this as well, holding his hands up in surrender.
"Okay, fine, you win. Just... Promise me, if anything happens, you'll call me first."
Jackson nods dismissively, Noel putting a hand over Jackson's. "Hey. I mean it. The second something goes wrong, or you need help, you tell me. Okay?"
Jackson looks at him, grinning and nodding. "Okay, okay! God, what are you, my mom?"
"No, I'm your brother," Noel says, Jackson grabbing him in a head lock and tousling his hair. The boys laugh and wrestle each other a bit, the Whittemores watching from the doorway.
David puts an arm around his wife, saying "See? I told you, all those people telling us they didn't get along were just overreacting. They're brothers, through and through."
Amy nods in agreement, kissing her husband and leading him away down the hall.
—
The last shot and mention of Noel for the season is him and Jackson, wrestling each other and laughing like little kids.