4x11 - A Promise to the Dead

 

MTV

A man turns on a lightbulb and then drags a body bag into an industrial freezer which has both animals and people hanging from hooks. He drops the bag and leans down close to it, listening. Suddenly, someone in the bag struggles, and he tells them to relax because he's going to open it. He does, revealing a girl bound in duct tape. "It's Kalissa, right?" he asks. She nods and sees knives on the wall. He tells her that she isn't going to be leaving there. He then tells her that contrary to traditional culinary practices, to someone like him the kill tastes better when it's been frightened. 

 

The man is a wendigo, and he snarls in her face trying to frighten her more. Kalissa looks over his shoulder and suddenly stops struggle. Deaton is standing there, and he whips out a baton. The wendigo grabs meat hooks, and they fight. As he's about to win, the wendigo informs Deaton that the deadpool is over, so he isn't going to get paid. "I'm not here to kill you, Patrick," Deaton says.  "I'm taking you back to Eichen House where they know all about your culinary practices." He then knocks Patrick out with one blow to the head.

 

Deaton takes the tape off Kalissa's mouth, and she asks him if he's a cop. With a slight frown he replies, "Veterinarian." 

 

At Eichen House, they wheel Patrick away. Dr. Conrad Fenris works at Eichen House now. It's unclear how long this has been true. He advises Deaton against going to see the man he intends to see. Deaton replies that he came through on his end of their bargain and all he wants to do is talk to him. "The last person that went to see Valack left the room but not the building," Fenris says. Deaton isn't swayed and heads to see Valack anyway.

 

Dr. Valack is behind a plexiglass wall in his cell. He says that Deaton must be important because they don't usually let people get this close. Valack complains that while they let him read, all he gets are trashy romance novels. He tosses the one in his hand onto a pile on the floor. Valack recognizes Deaton by name and says he knows his specialty is not cats and dogs. Deaton says he's there because of what Valack knows about South American mythology, but Valack says he's there to learn about Kate Argent. "You want to know about La Loba. The Bone Woman." Deaton looks thrown for a moment. "I need to know what she did to Derek Hale. And if he's dying." "Why?" "Because of a promise I made. To a woman I loved." 

 

Valack tells Deaton to come close, but Deaton replies that he's been advised against it. He's only there to talk, to hear what he knows. "You need to see what I know," Valack says. He removes a band of cloth from around his head revealing a hole. Deaton looks distressed and says that just because Valack trepanned himself doesn't mean he's given himself extra-sensory perception. 

 

Deaton looks at the hole and is drawn to it. Valack urges him on, and Deaton seems to move against his will, staring at it. Inside Valack's head, a third eye opens.

 

Scott comes home from work to find his mom in the kitchen. As he's explaining to her that he got extra hours to earn more money he sees that she found the duffle bag of cash. "How much more did you need?" Melissa asks him. Scott explains that he found the money from the deadpool in Garrett's locker. Melissa asks if he's keeping Derek's money safe for him in a gym bag underneath his bed. Scott doesn't quite know how to reply, so she asks him how long he's had it. "Too long," Scott says. She tells him that he has to give it back, and he says that he was going to. "Do I wanna know why you haven't?" Melissa asks. 

 

Scott looks at the money and says that it's because of her. She realizes that it's because they've been struggling. "Scott, you can save people's lives, but you cannot save them from life. Life is full of struggle." Scott shakes his head. "But it doesn't have to be." Scott picks up a stack of money and says that that one gets them a new roof. Another one pays for Stiles's MRI. A third pays for Eichen House. The fourth means she doesn't have to work double shifts and come home exhausted. 

 

Melissa gives him a look and picks up a stack of bills covered in blood. "What about this one?" He nods his understanding that he can't profit because of the deadpool

 

Meanwhile, Liam and Mason Hewitt are playing video games in Liam's room. Mason demands to know how Liam got so good. "Have you been practicing, or did you just suddenly get superhuman reflexes?" Liam quickly says he's been practicing. Mason gets up to leave, but Liam begs him to stay. Mason catches on that something is up, but when he asks if Liam is okay, Liam tells him he should leave.

 

A little later, Liam tries to sleep, but he's still having PTSD from the encounter with the berserker. While he lays there, he becomes hyperaware of the rain outside and a creak in the floor. He hears footsteps and growling and sees the berserker standing over him. When he can't take it anymore, he turns on the light and looks around to prove it isn't there. 

 

Derek is in bed with Braeden, staring out at nothing and listening to the rain while she sleeps. The proximity alarm goes off, and they both jump up and grab guns. They search the loft, heading toward the door. Braeden spots movement outside the door and motions to Derek. He goes to open the door, and they both greet the intruder guns drawn. Derek stares wide-eyed because it's Lydia, drenched. Lydia lifts her head and screams.

 

The next morning, Malia tries to wake Stiles up. She reminds him that he has an early morning practice for their big game tomorrow. Malia informs him that if she's going to watch an entire lacrosse game he better not suck. She goes on to say that he's supposed to drive her to school early so she can study for her math test, which will determine if she can move on to be a senior with the rest of them. 

 

Annoyed, Malia looks around the room and sees Stiles's crime board. She suddenly smiles and rolls him over to kiss him. This brings Stiles awake. "What are you doing? I haven't even brushed my teeth yet." "I don't care." They kiss more, and we see what Malia saw on the board. The main mystery has now been switched to: Who is the Desert Wolf?

 

In Derek's loft, Derek pushes the bag of money slightly away and says, "Okay." Scott asks cautiously if Derek wants to know why it took so long to return it. Derek asks Scott how much he makes at the Animal Clinic. "Minimum wage," Scott replies. Derek shrugs. "That's why. Everyone can be tempted, Scott. Even a True Alpha. Scott is stunned that Derek isn't angry. "It's not even mine. It belongs to Peter." Scott asks Derek where his money is. "You're standing on it," Derek answers.

 

Scott looks down, stunned. "There's another vault?" This makes Derek laugh. He owns the building and he has his own bank accounts. All the money from the vault was Peter's. Derek thinks they'd be better off if the rest of the money never got recovered. Derek zips up the bag, but the look on Scott's face says that there's more. Scott admits that he knows Lydia was at the loft last night and says that Deaton is working on figuring out what Kate did. "If anyone can find an answer, it's him." 

 

Deaton gasps awake in a dreamscape of overgrown church surrounded by bone. He pulls an antler out of the altar, and it's covered in blood, like the one they pulled out of Scott's stomach.

 

Outside the dream, Deaton is on a bed in Eichen House and Dr. Fenris is checking on him. Fenris tells his people to check on Deaton every hour.

 

At school, Malia shows off her test grade to Lydia. "I passed!" Lydia isn't impressed with the C- Malia got, even though Malia is thrilled. Coach then slaps down another test on Malia's desk where she failed. Coach tells her that he's disappointed, and Malia looks deflated. Lydia agrees to send her more notes. Then she looks up at the board, which has rich people's net worth at the times of their deaths adjusted for inflation. It's a little too close to home, talking about rich people dying.

 

Kira sees the effect the words have on Lydia and leans over to assure her that it's all over. The computer is off so there will be no more assassins. "No one's dying." Lydia looks away. "Not yet."

 

Liam and Mason are in the weight room. Liam puts a lot of weight on the bench press and Mason offers to spot him. Liam is snide about it and refuses his help. He lifts the bar just to prove Mason wrong. Mason has enough of Liam's attitude and leaves. While he lifts the weight, Liam has a flashback to the roof with the berserker. He starts to panic and can't lift the weight anymore. Scott arrives quickly and lifts the bar off him. Liam coughs but claims that he's fine. Scott tells him that if he doesn't want to be a part of the pack, it's fine but he shouldn't push his friends away too. Liam looks over Scott's shoulder and sees a berserker in the mirror. 

 

Chris is in the sewer tracking Kate and finds Peter instead. "How'd you find her?" Chris asks. "Keen sense of smell. You?" Chris pulls out the antler that impaled Scott. There was calcium hydroxide on it, which is used in water treatment plants. Peter says his tracking is very impressive and wonders if one of the berserkers might still be around.

 

A berserker comes around the corner, and Chris starts shooting. 

 

Scott opens the door to Derek's loft and leads Kira inside. She comments that it doesn't look like Derek's home, and Scott says he isn't. She asks why they're stopping there, and he assures her that she'll see. Kira asks Scott to turn on the lights, but he smiles and says that she has to do it. He brings her hand to a lightbulb, and it turns on. The electricity spreads to a cloud of lightbulbs hanging around the loft. Scott asks if he did okay. "For our first real date? It's a start," Kira says. 

 

Scott asks her if she brought a movie, and she produces Star Wars, saying that Stiles said he's never seen it and will kill him if he doesn't. Kira glances around the loft and then asks where the TV is. They end up using Derek's computer. Scott asks if Star Wars is the fourth one. "No, it's the first one, even though it says fourth." Kira gives up on the explanation and closes the laptop. She starts making out with Scott instead. 

 

Scott suddenly stops, confused, and Kate and a berserker break through the window of the loft.

 

Sheriff Stilinski comes into Stiles's room where Stiles and Malia are studying. He tells them to drop what they're doing because he's taking them out to dinner.  "Dad, I don't think a man of your debts should be treating anyone to anything," Stiles says. The Sheriff tells him that there's one debt they no longer have to worry about and produces a letter from Eichen House stating that they're dropping the bill on account of Stiles almost being killed by Brunski. "I have never been so happy to have almost been murdered!" Stiles says. 

 

Their debts aren't totally gone but, "At least for the moment I can afford to take my son and his girlfriend out to dinner. Malia, what's your favorite food?" Malia looks thrilled to tell him, "Deer." The Sheriff doesn't know how to react, and Stiles quickly interjects that she likes pizza. Malia smiles at them both.

 

Chris gets held up to the wall by a berserker. Peter says that he promised Kate that he wouldn't kill him, but he also can't let Chris leave. He then takes a piece of rebar and shoves it through Chris's stomach into the wall behind him. He bends the bar into a hook, holding Chris in place. "Now you rest here awhile. You've had a hard time for a very long time," Peter says. He palms Chris's cheek and touches their foreheads together before walking off. 

 

Mason Hewitt drops a new video game next to Liam. "I know something's going on. I know you don't want to talk about it. But you're still my best friend." Mason Hewitt says that the last good friend he made was a professional killer, so he's running low on friend options. He says that Liam should talk when he's ready, but until then he's going to kick his ass in at least one of their video games. Liam picks one up. "Never played this one."

 

Scott comes back to consciousness being held aloft by a berserker. It throws him against the loft door, and Scott falls hard. Kate kicks Kira, sending her flying, which gets Scott to his feet. Scott and Kate fight, while Kira takes on the berserker. She grabs a length of chain, but the berserker just uses it to haul her in close and hit her harder. 

 

Kate knocks Scott down and shoves him against a beam. It's clear that he's losing. He watches as the berserker holds up Kira by the hair. He asks what Kate wants. "I want a little bit of insight, Scott." "To what?" "My family. The Argent family has been around for over 400 years. A powerful, wealthy, aristocratic family of werewolf hunters. But yet somehow, in less than a year, this great family is decimated by a teenage boy. So my question is simple. What the hell in so special about Scott McCall?"

 

Scott tells her to take him, but only him. Kate is having none of that. They're all going. "We're all going to church!" Kate says, then roars.

 

Later, Stiles and Liam go into the locker room. Stiles says that Scott is fine, he got a text from him saying that he was going to be late. Liam wants to know how late late is, because they're playing Devenford Prep again. Coach overhears them talking and asks who's going to be late. Liam admits to him that it's Scott and Kira. Coach asks what they're doing that's going to make them slightly late. "What could Scott and Kira be doing right now that's more important than playing in the first game?" 

 

Stiles just gives Coach a pained expression and looks and Liam. "Oh, Coach."

 

The light go on over the lacrosse field. Malia and the Sheriff take a seat, as does Mason Hewitt

 

Liam looks around. "They're still not here," he says, whining. Stiles asks him what's really going on. "Are you nervous about the full moon? It's not for another 24 hours." Stiles tells him not to worry about it. Liam asks if he's concerned, and Stiles just says that he's mildly concerned. He then sends a text to Scott saying that he's very very worried. Liam declares that they're going to lose without him, but Stiles insists that they'll be just as good without Scott. Stiles says he's been practicing and he's getting really good. 

 

Stiles gets knocked over and falls over nothing, and Liam comes over to just give him a look. Stiles agrees to call Scott again.

 

Chris is slowly bleeding out in the sewer. He looks up to see ParrishParrish asks him how long he's been pinned to the wall. "I don't know," Chris breathes. Parrish asks if Peter did this. "You were following him?" Chris asks. "Every day since Meredith Walker," Parrish replies. Chris tells him that Kate is going after Scott, both Peter and Kate. Parrish can't warn them because he can't get cell reception. "Then just go." "If I leave right now, you'll be dead by the time I get back." Chris seems to think that's a reasonable option, but Parrish doesn't.

 

Back on the lacrosse field, Devenford scores again. Stiles tells Liam that neither Scott nor Kira are answering so he has to go see what's going on. Liam asks what he's supposed to tell Coach. Stiles goes to talk to his dad, and they leave Malia at the game in case Scott shows up. Coach yells at Liam to get on the field. Devenford gets the ball and makes a drive across the field. Liam goes to intercept, but he sees a berserker kill another player and freezes. The other team runs right by him and scores. 

 

Peter sits down next to Malia and asks who's winning.

 

In Eichen House, Dr. Fenris decides that Deaton is a lost cause and they have to move him to the sixth floor. Lydia shows up and declares that they're not moving him anywhere. She comes in the room and says she wants to talk to him. Fenris tells her that he's not responding to stimuli so they don't know if Deaton can hear them. "Trust me on this. He'll hear me."

 

On the field, Liam gets the ball and is making a good run, but Brett knocks him down with a brutal and illegal hit. Liam demands to know why he did that. "Because you're afraid. I can smell it on you from across the field." Somehow knocking Liam around is supposed to help him. 

 

Malia tells Peter that she told him not to come there. "If you want to have a clandestine meeting, you need to choose a clandestine location." Malia says that she doesn't want any one-on-one father-daughter time. "How about mother-daughter time?" Malia gives him a sharp look, and Peter says he found the Desert Wolf. He'll tell her if she agrees to help him. He wants her to kill Kate Argent.

 

In La Iglesia, which Kate has traveled to magically fast since Beacon Hills is in northern CA and La Iglesia is in Mexico, Kira wakes up on a pile of bones. She's in a cell and calls Scott's name.

 

Brett finds Liam in the locker room and asks him if he's okay. Liam points out that they lost. Brett asks again if he's okay, so Liam asks why he helped him. "Because of Scott. He saved me. He saved all of us." Brett tells Liam that he's lucky to have an alpha like Scott, who earned his power. He says that Liam is strong because he endures. "You're lucky to have him." "Then why isn't he here?"

 

In the sewer, Parrish tries to bend the rebar straight, and Chris screams from the pain. Parrish can't bend the bar by himself or pull it out of the wall. Chris tells him to just go, but Parrish won't. He begs Chris to help him even though he's hurt and tired. "I've got nothing," Chris says. "Grab the bar, sir," Parrish replies. Chris insists that he has nothing left and asks Parrish to go. Parrish says that he needs adrenaline and there are two ways to get it, fear and anger. He doesn't think a guy like Chris scares easily, so he aims for anger. 

 

Parrish says that Lydia told him some of what Chris has been through. "And I know about Allison." Chris closes his eyes in pain. "And I know how she felt about Scott. And I know if she knew about what was happening to him, she'd be pretty angry. At least angry enough to try one more time to get the hell out of here." He implores Chris to use his anger, and Chris grabs onto the bar with bloody hands. They bend the bar, and Chris screams. Parrish's eyes turn a fiery orange. 

 

Stiles and the Sheriff arrive at Derek's loft to find Derek and Braeden looking around the mayhem. Stiles asks what happened. Derek replies that it was supposed to be a date. Braeden confirms that now they're both gone. Lydia calls Stiles and informs him that Scott's been taken. Stiles replies that it's Scott and Kira but they don't know where. Deaton tells them that they're in Mexico. "And if you want to save his life, that's where you're going too." Deaton looks at Lydia, and she puts her hand over his.

 

Scott wakes up on the berserker altar from Deaton's dream. He's strapped down and wrapped in wolfsbane, like Derek was. Kate asks Scott if they ever taught him the myth of Artemis and Actaeon in school. Artemis was a goddess and Actaeon was a hunter who happened to see Artemis bathing naked one day. Artemis was so angry she turned Actaeon into a deer, and his own dogs tore him apart. 

 

Kate picks up a berserker helmet, and Scott asks what she's doing. She laughs. "I'm not gonna turn you into a deer. But you are about to become something unrecognizable to your friends." Scott begs her to stop, but Kate puts the mask on him, and he screams. 

 

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