The episode opens with a deputy going into the high school at night and walking around the halls until she stumbles into Danny and a few other members of the school band. Danny asks if everything is alright, sees that the deputy has her hand on her gun, and confirms for himself that everything isn't alright. She tells them that they all need to get out of the school as quickly as possible, and they all go without complaint.

The deputy hears chanting over her radio and a door slams down the hallway, with feet being dragged down the hall. She follows the body being dragged and announces who she is, telling whoever is there to come out with their hands up. She keeps walking until she sees that one of the showers is on, and a vision of her own dead body sits under the spray. The Darach comes behind her and strangles her, and she lays dead on the shower floor where she had just seen the image of her own body.

—

Seconds later, Scott and Stiles pull up to the school, Scott on his bike and Stiles in the jeep. Stiles asks where "she" is, and Noel runs in with Lydia in tow saying that she's here. Allison rushes in after Noel and Lydia as Lydia tells them that 'it happened again.'

"We were leaving dinner, the two of us had just finished eating and we were gonna go home but she kept taking wrong turns. I tried to tell her we were going the wrong way, but then I saw the look on her face, and I didn't want to stop her in case she was taking us somewhere important," Noel explains.

"And you told me to call you if I ever found a dead body," Lydia says, Stiles looking intrigued by this development. Lydia says that she didn't find the dead body yet, and that she's not going to be doing so again. It's Stiles' job to find the dead bodies, apparently, and she just tells him when there's one to be found.

Stiles complains that there's no way he can find the body, and that Lydia has to do it since that's her thing, but as he says this, Scott says that he found the body. They look across the grass to see the deputy from earlier on the Beacon Hills High marker, and the credits roll.

—

After Allison and Isaac have a brief (flirty) scene together, we go to Jennifer's classroom, where she's talking about idioms, analogies, metaphors, and similes. She sees Lydia's drawing of a tree and compliments it as she goes deeper into explaining an idiom, her eyes trained on Scott, Noel, and Stiles as she does. But she moves on quickly, and once she does, Scott tells Stiles and Noel how he thinks he can get Ethan to talk.

Stiles asks why, and Scott points out that druids are emissaries, and wonders if the Darach could be an emissary to the alphas. Stiles comments on how strange it is that all those words make perfect sense to him, and Noel says "Well, it's a good plan, but I don't think you're gonna have an easy time talking to Ethan."

Scott asks why not, and Noel says simply "Because you'll have to get through Aiden first."

To prove Noel's point, we next see a scene of Aiden all but commanding that Ethan stop talking to Danny, complete with the threat of ripping Danny's face off, and Noel says "Ever since they both came back to school they've never been apart. How do you expect to be able to talk to either of them alone?"

The three boys share a pointed look, and turn to face Lydia in unison. She doesn't look amused, asking what they want now.

In the next scene, she's making out with Aiden.

—

After the break the boys are talking three on one with Ethan, who reminds them that he helped kill Boyd and asks how they know he won't kill another one of their friends. Stiles asks if Ethan was looking at him when he said that, then threatens him colorfully (saying that he'll "break off an extra large branch of mountain ash, wrap it in wolfsbane, roll it in mistletoe, and shove it up [his]-") before he's cut off by Noel shoving a hand over his mouth and Scott saying his name warningly.

Stiles glares daggers at Scott and Noel before dropping his shoulders, and Noel lowers his hand as Scott tells Ethan they're talking to him because he knows Ethan didn't want to kill Boyd. Ethan doesn't deny this, but tells Scott that the three of them don't know what he and Aiden owe the alphas and iterates that they were omegas before the alphas took them in.

We then see as Cora picks a fight with Aiden (to put it lightly), and Ethan puts a hand to his chest as he feels his brother's pain at being scratched across the chest. Aiden throws Cora aside and she writhes on the ground, Aiden grabbing a weight and slamming it across Cora's face. She falls as Lydia begs him to stop, and the boys run in just in time to stop Aiden as Noel and Stiles try to help Cora.

Ethan tells Aiden that he can't touch Cora or Derek until after the next full moon, and everyone looks up at the twins except Noel. He keeps his hand and eyes on Cora's head, barely visible black veins running up his arm. When the twins leave, Noel finally speaks, saying "Guys... She's really hurt."

We see the deep wound on Cora's forehead as we change scenes to Allison and Isaac at Allison's, where it's revealed that the final categories of sacrifices are philosophers and guardians.

—

At the school, Cora dabs at the blood on her forehead. Scott asks if she's okay, Lydia pointing out that she doesn't look okay, but Cora assures them stubbornly that she'll heal.

She stumbles back away from the counter, Noel immediately rushing forward and stabilizing her. She pushes his hands away as vehemently as she can muster, reiterating that she's fine.

"Do you have any idea how suicidally crazy that was? What were you thinking going after them?" Stiles asks her, and she spits out at him that she did it for Boyd, and says accusingly that none of them were doing anything. She looks pointedly at Noel as she says this, and he looks guilty as he realizes that she has a point. Before he can account for his lack of action, Scott tells her that they're trying.

"You're failing," Cora corrects. "You're just a bunch of stupid teenagers, running around thinking that you can stop people from getting killed. But all you do is show up late. All that you really do is find the bodies."

She turns around and walks out of the locker room, and Noel stares at the ground as the others look at each other.

"She's definitely a Hale," Stiles comments, Noel shoving past Stiles as he walks out and says in passing "I'll make sure she gets home safe."

Scott and Lydia look to Stiles, who seems unaware of why Noel is angry with him. Scott gestures for Stiles to go with them too, and Stiles rolls his eyes as he calls out for Noel to wait up.

—

In the next scene, Jennifer reunites with Derek, kissing him passionately and asking where he's been.

The two just stand there for a second, Jennifer asking with a slight bite in her tone "You didn't... Run back to your ex while you were gone, did you?"

Derek smiles and shakes his head, saying "He was the last thing on my mind. I just needed to be alone."

From there on the scene is untouched.

—

When we go to the jeep, Stiles is on the phone with Allison while they discuss the final sacrifices. She warns him that he has to tell his dad, considering that "guardians" appears to mean law enforcement. She stresses that he has to get the sheriff to believe in everything that's happening, Stiles telling Cora that he's going to tell his father the truth about the supernatural population that exists in Beacon Hills. Noel pipes up from the backseat, promising "I'll help you."

Cora looks back at him and offers to do it instead, but Noel shakes his head and says "He knows me, and trusts me. The only person he'd believe more than me about this is Scott." Noel then turns to Stiles, putting a hand on his shoulder and saying "You and me. We got this."

Stiles turns and looks at him briefly, nodding gratefully as he turns his attention back to the road and we cut back to Morrell and Scott.

—

After Lydia finds the teacher missing at the school, we're in Stiles' room, where he's pacing back and forth while Cora and Noel sit on his bed and the sheriff stands by his desk.

The sheriff tells Stiles that he doesn't have the time for this, and Stiles finally bites the bullet and asks the sheriff to think about all the murders that he couldn't explain. The sheriff listens, but when Stiles mentions that he's playing a losing game, the sheriff tells him he doesn't need a performance review right now.

Stiles tries to explain using a chess board that the sheriff hasn't been seeing the whole board, and that's why he's been losing, and he says he just wants to help him see the whole board.

—

After Allison and Isaac find the place where the next sacrifice will be, we go back to the sheriff, who asks skeptically "Scott, and Derek, and Noel, are werewolves?"

Stiles agrees, the sheriff turning back to look at Noel. Noel smiles and waves, saying brightly "Hey, Mr. Stilinski."

The sheriff just looks at him for a second before responding in monotone "Hello, Noel," and turning back to his son. "And... Kate Argent was a werewolf?" he continues, Stiles correcting that she was a werewolf hunter.

They go on for a few more beats explaining who's who, the sheriff asking if Deaton is the kanima. Noel butts in and corrects him that Jackson is the kanima, but now he's actually a werewolf in addition to that since Derek and Peter killed him. But he claims that he brought Jackson back to life with the power of "brotherly love", and that his cousin is currently living in London. He also adds that they skype every Saturday and Sunday when Noel's not out trying to solve murders, which is an unnecessary factoid, but a cute one nonetheless.

The sheriff looks back at Noel and says exasperatedly "Thank you, for that added confusion. Very helpful, Noel." He then turns back to Stiles, and asks why Jackson was the kanima.

Noel explains that the shape you take can sometimes reflect the person you are, and Stiles adds "So, you know, since Jackson is a cold hearted snake, he became a cold blooded lizard instead of a werewolf when he was first bitten. And Noel, do I even have to say 'no offense' anymore?"

Noel shakes his head humorously as Cora looks at him fondly, the sheriff asking "What shape would an increasingly confused and angrier by the second father take?"

"That would be more of an expression, like the one you're currently wearing," Stiles supplies, the sheriff nodding in agreement as he stands to leave. Stiles blocks him from leaving and says that he can prove it, pointing at Noel and saying "He's one of them, so is she, I told you, they can show you!"

The sheriff, however, is having none of it, telling Stiles that he's had enough. Stiles tells him to just hold on so Noel can show him, and Noel already has his claws out.

But the sheriff's last thought is to look at Noel, as Cora suddenly gasps and falls to the floor from where she had just been sitting on the bed.

He rushes to help her, and Noel does the same, claws retracting on instinct as he kneels down beside the sheriff and Cora as well. The sheriff tells Stiles to call an ambulance as they kneel with Cora, Noel keeping her head still and trying to take her pain.

—

When the group discovers that the current sacrifices aren't guardians, they're philosophers, they determine that the stipulation is teachers. Scott tells Stiles and Noel (who are at the hospital on the phone with him) that all the teachers are at the recital, and all in the same place.

—

After the scene with Allison, Chris, and Isaac, we see Noel sitting in a chair by the front entrance to the hospital holding his phone and bouncing his leg anxiously. He's obviously waiting for something, either a call or a text or a person to walk in the front door.

When the doors finally open, he launches out of his seat, looking to the entrance. We see Derek, who beelines for him and asks "What happened, where is she?"

"She's in her room, she's stable, she's sleeping," Noel says, his eyes welling up with tears. He bites his lip and breathes out "Derek... Derek, I'm so sorry."

Derek's eyebrows knit together, and he puts his hands on Noel's shoulders and asks softly "Why are you sorry? What happened?"

Noel sniffs and chokes out "She got hurt in the first place because she wanted to hurt Aiden for what he did to Boyd. I wasn't there to stop her, or help her fight when she tried to take him out. Derek, I'm so sorry, I should have been there!"

He's close to sobbing at this point, but all it takes for him to stop is Derek pulling him close and holding him in a tight hug.

His whole body freezes, his eyes flutter shut, and his breathing starts to even out as he slowly wraps his arms around Derek and returns the embrace.

We see Derek's chin hooked over Noel's shoulder as they hold each other, his cheek pressed firmly to the side of Noel's head as he whispers in his ear.

"You can't protect her. She's independent, she has a mind completely of her own. You couldn't have prevented it, but you took care of her when she needed you, and that's everything I could have asked for."

With every word, Noel's shoulders relax, the tension falling off him in waves as he's held. When they finally break apart, Derek wipes the tears from Noel's cheeks and says softly "Take me to her room. And stay with me when we get there."

"Why do you want me to stay?" Noel asks as he takes a step back to lead Derek to Cora's room, and Derek falls in step with him as he says "Pack is what she needs right now. And... It's what I need right now too."

Without another word, their hands meet in the middle and their fingers lace together. It's unclear who reached for whose hand first, but it isn't important as Noel leads them around a corner straight past Stiles and the sheriff.

—

Stiles walks through the halls of the hospital still trying to convince the sheriff that werewolves are real, and he says "Just come with me back to Cora's room, Noel will show you, I promise!"

The sheriff is adamant, however, and we hear Stiles' heartbreaking line ("Mom would have believed me") before we go to the recital.

—

After Scott and Lydia's scene, we're in Cora's room.
Derek sits to her left and holds her hand, while Noel sits to her right and watches her vitals. Soon enough, she blinks awake, turning to Derek and saying his name as he whispers to her that he's here.

Noel looks at the siblings and slowly stands to leave, but Cora sees him and smiles. "Noel," she says as loudly as she can muster, and the step he was going to take back turns into a step forward.

"Hey, Cora," he says softly, taking hold of her free hand. She squeezes both Derek and Noel's hands and looks to Derek, asking pitifully "Derek... What's happening to me?"

"I don't know," Derek admits, then continues "But we're not leaving. Okay?" He looks up at Noel, almost asking if he was telling the truth when he promised her that the two of them would stay. Noel doesn't even have to think about it, smiling at her and nodding.

"We're right here, the whole way," he promises, and before he can stop himself he puts his hand over where Derek is holding Cora's. The three of them hold hands, and Derek says under his breath "I'm never leaving you. Not again."

It's obvious who he's talking to, and it's unnecessarily confirmed when he leans forward and kisses Cora's forehead.

But the statement isn't without its implications, especially when after he pulls back from kissing Cora's forehead, he leans his head down to where all their hands are joined and presses his lips to Noel's knuckles.

—

Noel isn't seen again for a while. But to recap the events that take place in his absence:

The recital at the school begins, and Lydia gets a text from Aiden saying he needs to see her as soon as possible. She goes to the school to meet him, but when she gets there, it's revealed that Jennifer is waiting for her, not Aiden.

Scott and Stiles run out of the auditorium to try and find Lydia to no avail. At the recital, the music turns to cryptic chanting and ominous music that we've heard before, signaling the presence of the Darach.

Lydia discovers that she's bleeding and strapped to a chair after Jennifer knocked her out, and Jennifer hovers over her and intimidates her before attempting to strangle her. Lydia screams as she fights back, and all the werewolves in the auditorium at the recital cover their ears in pain at the intensity.

We see that even across town, at the hospital, Derek and Noel's heads snap up when they hear her scream. Noel stands from his seat, saying out loud "Lydia?"

After Lydia finishes screaming, Jennifer asks in disbelief if Lydia even knows what she is. When Lydia doesn't respond, Jennifer tells her herself what she is- a banshee.

At the recital, the music picks up in pace, and as it does, the woman playing the piano gets her throat slit open when a string breaks and lashes across her neck. Everyone gets up and screams and runs, Allison noting that the woman has mistletoe in the blood beside her.

Jennifer goes to slice Lydia's neck open, but the sheriff shows up and tells her to drop the knife. She throws the knife at him instead, as Scott runs into the room wolfed out to protect Lydia and the sheriff. Jennifer puts up a fight and even gets the upper hand on Scott.

As Stiles tries to get to his father, the sheriff pulls the gun on Jennifer and shoots her in the leg, but it immediately heals. She goes through her list of sacrifices, and just as Stiles gets into the room, he finds that Jennifer has successfully taken his father as a final sacrifice, her first guardian.

End of episode.