Stiles is in the guidance counselor's office talking to Ms. Morell. He explains that when you drown you don't inhale until right before you black out because the instinct to keep the water out is so strong that you'll resist until it feels like your head's exploding. He ties his lacrosse stick as he talks to her to keep his hands occupied. "Then when you finally do let it in, that's when it stops hurting. It's not scary anymore. It's actually kind of peaceful." A flashback shows the police fishing Matt's body out of the river. Ms. Morell asks if Stiles hopes Matt found peace in his last moments. 

 

She asks if he feels sympathy for the boy Matt was who drowned. Stiles replies that a bunch of dumbasses dragging him into a pool when he couldn't swim doesn't give him the right to go killing people. Also, they found out that Matt really was stalking Allison, photoshopping himself into pictures he'd taken of her. Even if 9-year-old Matt hadn't been drowned, he was still on the crazy-train.

 

Ms. Morell points out that the Sheriff getting his badge back is nice positive to have come out of the whole thing. Stiles agrees, but there's still a tension between him and his father when they talk. He feels a similar tension with Scott, even though they haven't talked much because he's been dealing with his own problems. Scott's mother isn't ready to talk to him about being a Werewolf yet. Scott also hasn't talked to Allison, but Stiles thinks that's probably Allison's choice more than Scott's. Scott leaves messages on her window asking her to meet, but she doesn't show.

 

Stiles says that Allison's mom dying hit her pretty hard. He thinks it's brought her and Chris closer, though. We see Chris crossing off sections of a map of Beacon County. The one block they haven't crossed off in the main part of the city contains the rail depot, where Derek has his subway tunnel hideout. 

 

He then says that Jackson hasn't really been himself lately. And of everyone Lydia seems the most normal. Ms. Morell asks Stiles about himself. She asks if he's feeling anxiety about the championship game tomorrow night. He stops with the strings of his lacrosse stick in his mouth and wonders aloud why she'd ask him that. He then explains that he never actually plays. "But hey, since one of my teammates is dead and another one's missing, who knows, right?" Isaac is apparently missing. Ms. Morell calls him one of the three runaways and asks Stiles if he's heard from any of them. 

 

Rather than answer, Stiles asks her why she isn't taking any notes. She says she writes them after the session. She presses him about how he's feeling. "I'm fine. Yeah, aside from the not sleeping. The jumpiness. The constant, overwhelming, crushing fear that something terrible's about to happen." She tells him it's called hypervigilance. He says it's like having a panic attack, like he can't even breathe. She compares it to drowning and suggests that if you fight the reflex to take a breath, you give yourself more time to fight your way to the surface. "More time to be rescued." "More time to be in agonizing pain. Did you forget about the part where you feel like your head's exploding?" Ms. Morell suggests that if it's about survival, a little agony is worth it. Stiles asks what happens when it just gets worse. "What if it's agony now and it's just hell later on?" She quotes Winston Churchill at him. "If you're going through hell, keep going." 

 

Scott steps out of his shower and wipes the fog from the mirror. He hears something behind him and turns to see the kanima up in the corner of his room holding his mother hostage. Gerard villains and says there's been some interesting developments lately and would like to talk.

 

Scott takes out his claws, but Gerard just tells him to be realistic. Scott asks him to let Melissa go. Gerard says he can't but he might be able to let her live depending on what Scott does. Gerard tells him that he wants Derek and his pack. Scott replies that they're all in hiding, so Scott doesn't know where they are. Gerard thinks that with the proper motivation he can devise a plan, and luckily the kanima is pretty good at motivating people. He can control the kanima because he came to Beacon Hills to avenge Kate, not just bury her. 

 

The kanima drops Melissa, and it and Gerard leave. Melissa begs Scott to give Gerard whatever he wants. Scott explains that it's not that easy. 

 

Boyd and Erica are walking through the preserve. Erica says that Derek told them to be back before sun up, but Boyd stops her because he hears something. They think it's a wolf howl. Boyd doesn't think the howl sounded like Derek. A bunch of howls go up all around them. 

 

Derek is in the Hale House looking through some old books when Boyd and Erica arrive. He knows they've decided and asks them when. Boyd replies that they'll do it tonight when everyone is at the game. They want to run away. Erica says that she only turned 16 a month ago and would like to get her driver's license. Derek replies that he told them there would be a price. Boyd says that they didn't know it would be this dangerous. Derek says that they need to be in a pack to survive, and Boyd tells him that they know. That's when Derek realizes that they want to look for another pack. He asks them how they're going to find one. Boyd thinks they already did, which catches Derek off guard.

 

Scott's working at the clinic. When someone comes through the front door, Dr. Deaton asks him to go see who it is, but before Scott can really move, the animals start going a little crazy. Deaton and Scott find Isaac standing in the front room, and Deaton invites him in. 

 

Boyd and Erica tell Derek about the howling that they heard. Derek explains the Beau Geste effect, where wolves can modulate their howls so that two can sound like twenty. Boyd and Erica are unswayed. They say they're leaving, but Derek says they're running. "Once you start, you don't stop. You'll always be running." It's another one of his speeches from experience. Erica takes Boyd by the hand and pulls him away.

 

Derek turns away to glower, then picks up a shard of broken mirror and throws it like a knife. Peter catches it just as it's about to cut his throat. "I expected a slightly warmer welcome," he says. 

 

In the clinic, Isaac watches as they treat an injured dog. He asks why the dog smells the way it does. Deaton smirks. Scott said something similar to him awhile ago. All of a sudden he could tell which animals were getting better and which weren't. Isaac looks like he's about to cry when he says that the dog isn't getting better. "Is it cancer?" "Osteosarcoma. It has a very distinct scent, doesn't it?" Scott nods in agreement. Deaton invites Isaac to come closer. He says that Isaac knows what his abilities can do for himself, but he'd like him to learn what they can do for others. He asks Isaac for his hand, and then places it on the dog. 

 

Without really meaning to, Isaac starts drawing the pain into himself. He pulls back his sleeve to watch the black threads move up his skin. "What did I do?" Isaac asks. Scott tells him that he took some of his pain away. Deaton explains that it was only a little bit, but sometimes even a little can make a big difference. Isaac starts to cry, and Scott tells him that he cried the first time he did it too. 

 

Peter is impressed with how screwed up things have gotten in the few weeks that he's been dead. Now there are lizard people and geriatric psychopaths. "And you're cooking up Werewolf out of every self-esteem deprived adolescent in town." Derek asks Peter what he wants, and Peter just claims he wants to help his favorite nephew. He asks Derek if they can just talk and puts his hand on Derek's shoulder. Derek throws him across the room into the staircase. 

 

Isaac tells Scott that Boyd and Erica are leaving during the game. He's asking for Scott's advice on whether he should go with them. Scott's surprised that Isaac would ask him, but Isaac claims that he trusts him because Scott always seems to want to do the right thing. Scott admits that he never has any idea what he's doing. Isaac asks what Scott is going to do, and Scott says that he's not leaving because he has too many people that need him. "I guess that makes me lucky, because I don't have anyone," Isaac says. He wishes Scott well at the championship game. Scott says that he isn't going to play because he can't even imagine playing a stupid game right now. Isaac tells him that Jackson is playing, which means there could be trouble.

 

At the game, Danny asks Jackson if he's okay. Jackson replies that he's perfect, which is Danny like "Yeah, we all know that" but the important question is whether he's okay. Jackson hasn't answered any of Danny's texts all week. Danny tries to get an answer out of him, and Jackson eventually comes back to himself for a minute. He tells Danny to stay in the goal and not come out. "And if you see me coming toward you, run the other way as fast as you can." Scott overhears this and knows something is going to happen at the game.

 

Melissa McCall comes in just in time for Coach Finstock's motivational speech. She's confused and taps Stiles on the shoulder. He explains that it's the speech from Independence Day (iTunes) which is Coach's favorite movie. "He doesn't know any sports speeches?" "I don't think he cares." As the speech ends, Gerard comes in and tells them that he thinks they'll do well with only one co-captain leading them. Scott and Stiles look at each other, not sure what that means. Gerard tells the players to get out there and murder the other team. 

 

Scott hurries to ask Coach Finstock if he's benched. Finstock says it wasn't his decision. Scott's failing three classes. 

 

Derek continues to toss Peter around the house and beat him up. Peter kind of laughs and assures him that he doesn't want to be the alpha again considering that his last attempt at it ended in his death. Derek grabs him to punch him again, and Peter tells him to bring it on, to get out all the anger and self-loathing that comes with total and complete failure. "I may be the one taking the beating, Derek, but you've already been beaten. So go ahead. Hit me if it will make you feel better." Derek stops hitting him and shoves him away.

 

Scott and Stiles are on the bench together just like old times. Scott asks if the Sheriff is coming, and Stiles points to him in the crowd, sitting with Mrs. McCall. They haven't seen either Allison or Lydia. Stiles asks Scott if he knows what's going on, but he doesn't. "It's gonna be bad, isn't it. I mean the people screaming, running for their lives, blood, killing, maiming kind of bad." Stiles looks like he's going to cry. He tries explaining to Scott how helpless he feels, like when he watched his dad get hit by Matt and couldn't do anything. Scott tells him that it's okay that he can't do the things a Werewolf can do, but Stiles says they're losing. 

 

Coach Finstock suddenly appears behind them and tells them to shut up because the game hasn't even started. He orders Stiles to put on his helmet and get on the field because he's switching for Greenberg. Stiles asks what happened to Greenberg, and Coach tells him that while they both suck, Stiles sucks slightly less. Stiles grabs his gear and runs onto the field.

 

Sheriff Stilinski groans wondering why Stiles is running onto the field.  "Because he's on the team?" Melissa replies. And the Sheriff realizes that Stiles is actually going to play. He's so excited he gets up and cheers just at that. 

 

Gerard starts talking to Scott and tells him that the game is about to get interesting.

 

Chris, Allison, and some other hunters ride their 4-wheelers through the preserve. Allison plays a recording of wolves howling. Boyd and Erica are hiding behind a nearby tree and know that they've been tricked. They clasp hands.

 

Gerard tells Scott that when the scoreboard clock starts counting down the last 30 seconds of the game, if he hasn't given up Derek then Jackson is going to start killing people. He threatens Melissa, the Sheriff, and Lydia and says that Scott will help him take Derek down no matter the cost.

 

Peter examines his wounds in the mirror shard and complains that he's not healing as fast. "Coming back from the dead isn't easy, you know." He says that he needs the strength of a pack to help him, which means that Derek needs him as much as he needs Derek. "Why would I want help from a total psycho?" Peter claims that he's not a total psycho and Derek did slash his throat open so they're both works in progress. 

 

Back at the game, Stiles gets the ball a few times but gets creamed by the other team each time. Once, he misses catching the ball and it hits his helmet instead. The Sheriff, Melissa, and Lydia all look mortified. Scott tries to get up, but Finstock won't let him. Isaac appears next to Scott on the bench. "You came to help?" "I came to win." 

 

Erica and Boyd run from the Argents. Allison hops off the 4-wheeler and shoots Erica in the leg. Boyd goes back to help her, but Erica screams at him to keep running. 

 

Isaac asks Scott if he has a plan. Scott really doesn't. He just wants to keep Jackson from killing anyone. Isaac thinks that'll be easier if Scott's in the game, which means they have to make it so Coach has no choice but to play him. The problem is there's a whole bench full of guys that Coach would play ahead of Scott. Scott asks Isaac if he can injure them without putting them in the hospital. Isaac says he'll try. 

 

Isaac takes down his own players, forcing the guys from the bench into the game. 

 

Allison bears down on Erica and shoots to kill, but Boyd grabs the arrow before it hits. Allison fills him with arrows. Erica cries and begs for her to stop.

 

Gerard figures out what's going on and has Jackson attack Isaac on the field. He gives Isaac enough of a dose of toxin that Isaac can't move his leg. Gerard tells him that if he wants to play chess he better be willing to sacrifice his own pawns. Coach Finstock tells Scott to get into the game. Melissa runs onto the field and asks Scott if something more than a lacrosse game is happening. Scott tells her to leave, but she won't and instead tells him that he has to help if he can.

 

Erica begs Allison to stop, and Chris shoots the bow out of her hands. Boyd collapses.

 

Scott and Stiles both get knocked down at the game, which Boyd and Erica both fall in the woods. 

 

Gerard tells Scott that the real offer on the table is Allison. If Scott gives up Derek, Gerard will let him pursue Allison. 

 

Allison looks at her damaged bow and tells her father that he owes her a new one. He looks concerned and says she owes him an explanation. "For what. I caught them. Me." "Caught came very close to kill. And that's not the way we do this." She's very proud of herself and calls Gerard to tell him that they have the runaways, shushing her father in the process. 

 

Isaac attempts to crawl away from Gerard. Gerard takes a sword from one of his flunkies and holds it up. "This would be so much more poetic if it were half-time," he melodramas.

 

Peter gives Derek a rundown of his failures. Derek glares at him. "How about you tell me something I don't know." Peter promises to tell him how to stop Jackson. Specifically, how to save him.

 

Gerard comes at Isaac with the sword. Isaac pulls himself up against the sinks in the locker room, and Gerard sees in the mirror that Scott is behind him. 

 

Out on the field, Cyclones get knocked down left and right, and the ball rolls to Stiles's feet. None of the other players know where it is, so Stiles picks it up and starts running. He stops in front of the goal, terrified, and doesn't shoot he ball until Lydia shouts at him. He scores! Everyone cheers!

 

Scott deals with Gerard's flunkies, but he doesn't know what happened to Gerard. 

 

Filled with new confidence, Stiles starts playing like he knows how, and he scores another goal. 

 

Peter explains that there's a myth that you can cure a Werewolf by calling out its Christian name. This is stupid of course, but sometimes myths bear a hint of truth. "Our names are a symbol of who we are. The kanima has no identity. That's why it doesn't seek a pack." Orphans also grow up with no pack or identity. Peter says that they need to bring Jackson's identity back to him. "How?" "Through his heart! How else?" Derek says that Jackson doesn't have too much of a heart to begin with, but Peter doesn't believe that. He says there's one person that Jackson shared a real bond with, who can reach him: Lydia. 

 

Stiles scores three more times. 

 

Peter tells Derek that he relies too much on anger and needs more heart, which is why he's always known that he needs Scott. Peter argues that even someone as dead on the inside as himself knows better than to underestimate the simple power of human love.

 

Stiles smiles at Lydia as she cheers for him. Scott bursts onto the field as the counter gets below 30 seconds. As he watches, Jackson starts to turn, but he doesn't attack anyone.  The Cyclones win, much to everyone's amazement. Scott is amazed that nothing happened. But then all the lights on the field go out, and someone screams. One of the players is down on the field. When the lights come back up, Jackson is the one on the ground. Lydia screams and runs for him. Melissa checks his heart and says he's not breathing. They pull back his shirt and see blood. Jackson stabbed himself in the stomach. 

 

Melissa orders Lydia to get down and hold Jackson's head. 

 

The Sheriff breaks into the circle around Jackson and looks around for Stiles. "Where the hell is my son?"