The episode opens at Beacon Hills Hospital, with Melissa, agent McCall, and the sheriff all dreading an incoming patient who stays anonymous through the opening scene (but, using the power of hindsight, we will refer to him henceforth as Barrow).
—
After that scene, we cut to Stiles in the locker room of the school, on the phone with Scott, begging him to get down to the school with him. Scott protests that he's already in bed, but Stiles insists that it's tradition as we see Noel, laying on one of the benches, passed out asleep as Stiles talks with Scott.
He threatens Scott that he'll kill him if he's not down there in five seconds, and after a count down to four, Scott appears (to Stiles' terror) directly behind him and says a cheerful "One."
—
We go then to Melissa, interviewing Barrow, a man who tried to murder a busful of students and succeeded in killing four of them and leaving a fifth without legs. He seems calm throughout the interview, until he begins to scream that he did what he did because he saw the students' eyes glowing, which shocks Melissa, who knows about the supernatural population.
—
Cue credits.
—
The next day at school ("Mischief Night", October 30th) Scott pulls in on his bike and sees the twins on their bikes beside him. He asks if they're finally back at school, but they say they're only there to talk.
Stiles walks up and comments that that's a change of pace for them, since they usually prefer maiming and injuring. Dismissively, they say in a hinting tone that Scott needs a pack and they need an alpha.
Noel then joins the group, putting an arm across Scott's shoulders and saying "Oh, no thank you, he's got the whole pack thing covered I think."
"That's hilarious, though, cute offer," Stiles adds, mirroring Noel with an arm slung across Scott's shoulders as he gently shrugs both his friends off.
The twins point out that they helped Scott when he needed help, but Stiles begs to differ, citing the fact that they beat him to a bloody mess, which was actually pretty counterproductive. Scott asks why he would say yes, but they protest that since they'd be making him stronger, there's no reason to say no.
"I can think of one," Noel says, glaring at them and hissing out "How about the two of you holding Derek's claws while Kali murdered Boyd?"
"Solid point," Isaac says as he joins them, saying smugly "I don't see why we're not returning the favor right now."
The twins bare their teeth and dare Isaac to try, and just as Isaac steps closer threateningly, Scott grabs his wrist to stop him. Isaac seems to concede at that, Scott apologizing to the twins and informing them that his pack doesn't trust them and neither does he.
The four boys walk away into the school, Isaac lingering back for just a second to give them a look before following the others into school.
Ethan and Aiden look defeated, asking each other "What now?" They glance at the school sign in unison, Ethan asking his brother if he seriously wants to go back to high school. He asks if it's about Lydia, Aiden correcting that it's about getting into Scott's pack to save them from their newfound status as omegas.
Ethan tries once again to refuse, but Aiden points out Danny flirting with another guy. Ethan takes a moment before announcing with resignment "I'm not taking math."
"I'll take it for you," Aiden promises as they go inside.
—
The boys walk into school and are immediately pelted with papers, Stiles protesting with a snappy "That's my face!"
He then praises Scott on his "good alpha decision," as the three of them go to their lockers.
"I hope so," Scott worries aloud, Noel correcting "No, you know so. Deucalion or not, what they did to Boyd was unforgivable. I'm grateful to you and proud of what you did."
As Stiles rummages in his locker, Scott watches Kira across the hall being her cute clumsy self, as Stiles quickly notices his gaze and asks Scott if he likes Kira. Scott denies it, before Stiles turns to Noel and asks "Does he like her?"
"Why would I know that?" Noel asks as he takes out a few textbooks, Stiles saying "His scent, Jesus, do you just forget you're a werewolf? Do you have a two second goldfish memory?"
"Goldfish actually have pretty decent memories, up to like five months which is pretty cool for such a small-" Noel begins, but Scott cuts him off with a nod and a smile as he assures Stiles "No. I don't like her. Well... Actually, yeah, I kinda do. She's new."
"So ask her out," Stiles suggests, Scott denying with a small shake of his head.
"No, yes, do it now, I don't think you get it yet," Stiles pouts as he starts off down the hall, Noel and Scott falling in step behind him. "You're an alpha, okay? You're the apex predator, everyone wants you, you know? You're like the hot girl that every guy wants. Tell him, Noel."
"I'm the hot girl?" Scott asks, looking at Noel almost hopefully. Noel hesitates, looking to Stiles for support, as he nods slowly and says "You're the hottest girl."
Isaac comes up then as Stiles walks away, followed quickly by Noel. He asks what just happened, as Scott answers "I'm the hot girl."
"Yes you are," Isaac confirms, no questions asked, to Scott's adorable amusement.
—
We're treated to a hilarious scene of the coach investigating his office for Mischief Night pranks, in which his whole office topples down and he screams, much to the delight of his students in the next room.
He bursts in and delivers a speech shaming the students for their hijinks, during which Noel laughs along with his classmates.
Lydia begins to hear a buzzing noise, swatting her hands by her ears in an attempt to deter the noise. Noel looks over and asks what she's doing, Lydia insisting "There's a fly!"
She continues to shoo the fly, as she looks around to try and see it. She then realizes there's no fly, looking up to the ceiling as we return to the operating room with Melissa and Barrow.
—
The surgeon jokes about letting Barrow die, as Melissa notices there's something abnormal inside him. The surgeon goes and looks for the right blade, as Barrow's abdomen bursts, and out come hundreds of flies.
He sits up and turns to Melissa, holding up the blade the surgeon needed and striking as the camera abruptly cuts.
The sheriff is trying to get to the OR, where Melissa is, consoling the surgeon where he lays bleeding out in her lap as she informs the sheriff that Barrow is gone.
—
After the break we see Peter and Derek as Derek sews Peter's finger back to his hand. Peter winces in pain and asks Derek if he has any anaesthetic, Derek confirming he does but not giving him any.
Peter asks if Derek will at least tell him what he was risking his life for, Derek jabbing him again with the needle and telling Peter he'll show him.
He then opens up the little box with the Hale triskele atop it, Peter giving him a look and saying "If you pull a tiny picture of your boyfriend out of there, and this was all a plot to alleviate your inconsolable manpain, I won't be thrilled."
Derek doesn't entertain the thought with any words, as he tips over the box and a set of claws clink out onto the table. He explains that after the fire, that's all that was left of "her."
"Talia," Peter says, looking for clarification as he continues "I can't decide if that's touching or morbid. You know, on second thought... I may actually prefer consoling your manpain. Should I give Noel a call?"
Derek gives him a look as Peter goes back on topic, asking Derek what he plans to do with the claws.
"I have to ask her something. And from what I've heard, this is the only way that it's possible," Derek explains and slides the box over to Peter.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Peter says, not believing that Derek would ask him to do this, as Derek says a bit too gleefully "Why do you think I sewed your finger back on?"
Peter continues to glare, as Derek concludes with "Need some moral support? Should I give Noel a call?" He then smirks as we cut to Melissa.
—
After a scene where it's determined that Barrow is heading for the school in a stolen ambulance, Lydia and Aiden share a scene in which she tries to deny him before they share a steamy encounter in Coach's office. They relocate when Lydia gets a bad feeling, and Barrow reveals himself and begins to staple himself shut.
—
Stiles follows his dad down the hall in the next scene, trying to get information. The sheriff looks around and leans in to talk to his son, informing him that Barrow is closer than Stiles knows.
Agent McCall walks down the hall and tells a staff member no one is allowed in or out of the school. Stiles asks what's really going on here, and suddenly he's going into the basement with Noel, Isaac, Lydia, and Allison.
—
"Barrow is going after kids with glowing eyes, those were the exact words he used?" Noel asks, Stiles confirming that no one knows how he woke up from anaesthesia. All they know is that when he was cut open, they found a tumor filled with live flies.
"Did you say flies?" Lydia asks, informing them that she's been hearing flies buzzing all day.
—
After Kira and her father have a sweet scene in which Scott eavesdrops and finds out Kira doesn't want a boyfriend, Stiles and Noel run up to him and ask where the hell he's been. Lydia joins them and announces that the police are leaving, asking Stiles why.
Scott seems confused, Stiles saying they would only leave if the grounds had been cleared and Barrow wasn't there. Lydia insists that he has to be there, because the buzzing she's been hearing is only getting louder.
—
Stiles runs after his dad after the break and insists he has to stay, but the sheriff has to go to follow an eyewitness report that puts Barrow at the train station. Scott also shares a scene with his mother, where she hands him a bag along with a warning to stay safe and he gratefully kisses her forehead.
—
"Lydia thinks he's still here even though the cops searched the whole school," Scott says to the twins, Isaac, and Noel as he reaches into the bag his mother handed him.
He pulls out a hospital gown, continuing "But they didn't have one thing; Our sense of smell."
—
Allison agrees to search the bestiary for mentions of flies bursting out of a person, but she warns Stiles and Lydia it could take her quite a while since the bestiary is exhaustive.
—
"This is how it's gonna be now? We trust them?" Isaac asks as he, Scott, and Noel search for any signs of Barrow or his alleged bomb. The "them" he's talking about is, of course, the twins.
"Just because I'm letting them help doesn't mean I trust them," Scott defends after a beat, Noel letting out an amused chuckle at the notion. "You gotta have some level of trust in them, since you sent them off alone instead of having me or Isaac go with them."
"I need you both," Scott insists, "and if that means I have to trust them even a little bit, then I do."
"Well I don't trust them at all. In fact, I hate them, and I want them to die," Isaac says casually as Scott assures him that he may get what he wants if Barrow really is there with plans to kill supernatural teens. This causes Isaac to smirk.
—
Ethan claims that he found something, gesturing for Aiden to be quiet as they round a corner. There they find Danny, making out with a nameless boy, causing Aiden to laugh and Ethan to stare in disbelief.
—
Lydia confirms with Stiles that the boys are in the basement, Stiles affirming they're down there with Ethan and Aiden. He then elaborates on the plan, how they'll meet in the middle in the boiler room, when Lydia realizes what that means- all the werewolves, the teenagers with glowing eyes, will be in the same place at the same time.
Stiles realizes that Barrow's plan is to blow up the boiler room to destroy the entire school, with the wolves taking the hardest hit just outside the boiler room.
To get them and the rest of the student body out, Stiles trips the fire alarm, and is subsequently caught by coach.
As everyone files outside, Lydia spots the wolves and pulls Stiles over to them by the hand. They relay to them that they didn't find anything, not even a scent, and Stiles points out that school is over since it's three o'clock.
"If Barrow wanted to kill everyone, he would have done it by now," Noel points out, then turns to Lydia and asks "Does that mean it's safe?"
"I don't know," Lydia says and looks blankly ahead, seemingly trying to sense danger and repeating that she doesn't know.
—
After a scene where it's revealed that Barrow is in the library looming over Kira, we cut to commercial, and return to the Hales.
—
Peter tells Derek there's always an element of danger in the ritual they're trying to carry out, and tries to con Derek into giving him a benefit once he complies. Derek chuckles at this, humoring his uncle and asking what he wants.
Peter says he wants to keep Talia's claws, Derek looking up in shock. Peter explains that they have sentimental value to him, pointing out that while she was Derek's mother, she was also his sister.
"You already gave a piece of her to Noel, how can I guarantee you won't present Noel one of her claws on a golden chain and deem it a gesture of your romantic devotion on your anniversary?" Peter asks, Derek laughing and shaking his head.
"You don't care about the apron, and you don't care about sentiment," he says and slides the claws toward him.
As Peter goes to put the claws into his own hand, he hesitates, which causes Derek to rush in and press his hand down onto them faster with a declaration of "Too long."
—
After a cute scene between Scott and the Yukimura family where Scott tries sushi for the first time, we cut to Stiles' room, where he, Noel, and Lydia are poring over Stiles' board of the investigation.
Lydia asks what the different colored strings mean, and Stiles explains that green is solved, yellow is to be determined, blue is just pretty, and red is unsolved.
"The whole board is red," Noel points out, and Stiles says "Yes, buddy, I'm aware, thank you."
Lydia asks Stiles if he got detention for pulling the fire alarm, and he confirms that he'll be in detention every day that week.
"Noble sacrifice, and a small price to pay for saving five of our lives. Thank you, Stiles, seriously," Noel says with a small smile, as Stiles looks down almost shyly and points out "Well, we didn't find any evidence of him being there, or definitive proof that he was planning to kill you guys in the boiler room."
"That one's my fault," Lydia says sadly, fidgeting with some of Stiles' string as she lays on his bed. The boys both look at her, starting to approach, but Stiles speaks first. Noel hangs back and allows them to have their moment, where Stiles assures her she's been right every time so far and she shouldn't doubt herself now.
Lydia points out that the wolves couldn't even find a scent, much less a bomb, and Stiles assures her that what she felt was definitely real and that he wouldn't be afraid of going back to the school to prove her right.
Something tense lingers in the air as Stiles starts to make connections, and he orders Lydia to get up. Noel knits his eyebrows together, as Stiles repeats that she needs to get up, because they're going to the school.
—
We see Allison combing the bestiary and Isaac joining her after being shocked by her (newly) electrified windows before they both see a mask that startles them.
—
Back at the Hales', Peter has Talia's claws on his hand, lamenting how they aren't really his color. Derek sits still, as Peter tells him that it's going to be extremely and excruciatingly painful. Derek insists that he just do it, and Peter offers "It's not too late to call him. You know he would come."
"Just. Do it," Derek repeats, and Peter says he will, he just wanted a moment to be petty and remind Derek of what he'd lost to make it even more painful. Then, he plunges Talia's claws into Derek's neck, and we see him grunting in pain before we return to Scott and the Yukimuras as he mistakes wasabi for guacamole.
—
With Lydia, Stiles, and Noel at the school, we see the three enter a classroom. Lydia asks what they're looking for, as Stiles enters the chemical lab. Lydia points out that it was supposed to be locked, as Stiles asks them both what else is wrong here.
"It smells like chemicals," Noel says with a look of distaste before covering his nose with the sleeve of his leather jacket. The smell is obviously overpowering, stifling even, as he steps out of the room with a cough and Lydia says "You guys wouldn't have been able to catch a scent... Not over these ones."
They deduce that Barrow was there and had performed minor surgery on himself, judging by the blood and staples on the ground. They wonder aloud who he had been intending to kill, as Stiles instructs that they spread out and look for any kind of clue.
Lydia notices writing on the board, atomic numbers, spelling out "K I Ra."
—
After the break, we see Derek, waking up in a memory not his own. He breathes heavily as he looks at the nemeton, and a wolf comes in the room and stands on it. They look each other in the eyes, as the wolf's begin to glow faintly red.
—
Scott has a phone call with his mother and learns she kept her married name because it was his name as well, and then he and Kira share a pizza. Allison and Isaac go over their findings from the bestiary and almost share a kiss, but Allison doesn't allow it because she says she's done with werewolves, especially Isaac. And then, of course, they strip. For some reason. Only to be caught by Chris.
—
Peter, out of strength, pulls Talia's claws out of Derek's neck and asks if he saw her. Derek doesn't respond, and Peter asks what she said and if she said anything about him. Derek turns and glares daggers at Peter, who admits that doesn't look good as Derek pants.
—
Kira and Scott bid each other goodnight and share a cute scene until Scott gets (literally) stabbed in the back.
—
After the break Scott wakes up to Stiles and Noel shaking him, as Scott tells them Barrow took Kira. Stiles fills him in that he had been after Kira the whole time, and after a call with Isaac to confirm that their research was inconclusive, he insists they have to think of something before Barrow kills Kira.
Lydia asks how she knew Barrow was at the school, and Stiles reminds her how she heard flies. Noel asks if she hears anything now, and she says she can't hear anything. She feels like she can do something, but she doesn't know exactly what that something is. She says it feels right on the tip of her tongue, and that it makes her want to scream.
Stiles insists that she screams, and once she does, she begins to hear the buzzing of fluorescent lights. She realizes that's always what she's been hearing, electricity, and Stiles points out that Barrow was an electrical engineer.
After determining what substation he worked at, we see Barrow, holding live wires that shoot sparks and taking Kira's photo a few times.
Barrow launches into a rant about how people never believed him when he warned them about children with glowing eyes, and he informs Kira that he plans to "galvanize" them.
Suddenly, Scott and Noel pull in on Scott's bike, followed by Lydia and Stiles in the jeep. Stiles tells Lydia to stay and wait for the cops, and when she asks why, he shows her that he only has one bat.
—
The two wolves run out and find Kira, who yells at them to watch out as Barrow hits them with electricity. They crumple to the ground and convulse from the pain, as Barrow touches Kira with the live wire despite her and Scott's cries.
Suddenly there's a huge explosion which leaves Barrow dead, as electricity surges toward Kira and into her hands. Scott and Noel look on in shock, as lights all across Beacon Hills short out.
—
As the episode ends, we see Isaac surrounded by masked figures, and he cries out as Chris and Allison pound on the door trying to get to him.
—
a/n: hey! i just wanted to remind everyone here that on my profile, there is now a halemore valentine's day special! it is canonical (as canonical as this story gets anyway), and takes place in season 2, celebrating noel and derek's first valentine's day as a couple. please head on over to my profile and give "february" a read if you love halemore as much as i do, or if you want to consume some noel content in a literate format instead of an altered script!