Author's Note: Hey, thanks for reading, just a few things.

First off, to the person who asked about pairings, I haven't settled on anything, though Scott is someone I'm considering (I genuinely enjoy writing the dynamic between the two of them). If anyone's got any suggestions/thoughts/opinions, I'm open. This won't be romance-oriented though.

Also, the next chapter (which should go up later today, I just need to finish editing it) does contain some cursing (Pretty sure it still falls withing PG-13 guidelines). It's pretty minimal but I figured I'd give a heads up just in case.

Thanks again.

"You know sometimes I really begin to question to question this 'friendship'!" Stiles said loudly, prompting several confused looks from the other students in the hallway.

Julian wasn't one of them. In the small amount of time he'd spent with Stiles, he'd come to realize that it probably wasn't such an unusual thing for him to say.

"Hey, can we talk for a minute?" Scott called over, a mischievous smile fading from his face as he walked over to where Julian was standing, attempting to find his 4B pencil.

"What's with him?" Julian asked, not really answering the question.

Scott didn't seem phased. "Do you know anything about the kanima? Stiles did some research but all he could find was that it's a were-jaguar that goes after murderers. And that wasn't exactly a were-jaguar. And Stiles says he hasn't killed anyone."

"Hey, if I killed someone you'd know because I would need someone to bury the body," Stiles chimed in. "You could use your werewolf powers to dig me a hole."

Not to be distracted, Scott fixed Julian with an expectant look.

"Some stories from when I was kid, that's about it. It's a werewolf gone wrong; creates some messed up thing," Julian recalled with a noncommittal shrug. "Peter used to tell everyone that if you were bad that the kanima would get you," Julian continued, the mention of his uncle only feeding his discomfort and unease. "It's sort of the werewolf equivalent of the boogey man."

"So, nothing useful," Stiles summarized.

"Because 'were-jaguar' was?" Julian retorted. "And it's not like this is common; everyone talked about them like they were a myth. And I was six." Digging through his pencil case, Julian found the pencil and tucked it back in the case with his art supplies.

Sensing that the conversation was at an end, Scott and Stiles exchanged a look before turning to head down the hall.

Julian swore under his breath and dug his hands into his pockets. He was tempted to just let them walk away, but they needed help, and if the kanima went after Stiles, who knew who else it might try to kill. "Look, I… Snakes," he started. Scott and Stiles stopped, regarding him curiously. Julian shifted restlessly before he verbally plowed forwards. "They have syringe-like teeth; the venom gets pushed from a gland through the fangs and into whatever they're biting. Venomous lizards can work differently. They chew so that the venom on their teeth gets into the wound. Their teeth aren't hollow; the venom is in grooves in the teeth."

"The kanima has claws," Scott pointed out.

"And a tail," Stiles muttered.

Julian gave them an annoyed look for the interruption. "Shifters take their qualities from a certain animal though. You and I have enhanced senses; but it's mainly hearing and smell, and there's need to belong to a pack. Those are all things we share with wolves. But the kanima isn't like that; there aren't lizards with venomous claws and tail barbs."

Scott frowned. "So it has to be a type of animal?"

"No, it doesn't," Stiles realized excitedly. "It's an abomination, right? It's not even an animal, it's a total abomination."

Julian shrugged again. "Doesn't help much. But it's something, right?"

"Platypuses have a needle-thing on their back leg, but it's not a claw either. It's a spur; like a really poisonous cowboy boot... " Stiles said idly. "There's gotta be a venom gland…" he muttered half to himself.

"I thought it was platypi," Scott commented, his brows furrowing.

"Hey, at least you weren't bitten by a were-platypus," Stiles said, nudging Scott in the arm with a wide grin. "Grow a duck bill once a month."

"I don't think that thing was a were-platypus," Julian said. "If it was than it would have been able to swim."

Stiles stared at Julian's deadpan expression, trying to gauge whether or not he was joking.

Scott rolled his eyes and grinned. "We need to get that book translated," he declared. "We have to find out who it is before Derek does," he finished, shooting a quick and uncomfortable glance towards Julian.

"I'm aware my brother is an idiot," Julian said exasperatedly. But he is still my brother. The thought only deepened his scowl. A scowl that turned thoughtful as he thought about the events of the night before. "Maybe it wasn't after Stiles," he mused. "Maybe it was after Derek."

"Derek? Who did- Oh."

"Yeah," Julian said darkly with a grimace. "That." Taking a calming breath, he forced a grin and turned to Stiles. "Or you know, it could be trying to kill you. Now it's just waiting for the opportunity to paralyze you before it shreds you to pieces.

"Both of you suck," Stiles proclaimed. "Especially you," he added, jabbing an accusatory finger at Julian who gave him a mock-hurt expression.

"We'll figure it out," Scott reassured them confidently.

The other werewolf gave him a reluctant nod. "If you guys need help," he said uncomfortably. "I can... I mean it's not like avoiding this crap has been going all that well, and…"

"We'll call you," Scott said with a smile.

Julian could smell the nervousness radiating off of Scott and Stiles as he made his way into chemistry class. The two were crammed next to a pretty redhead from Julian's art class. Lydia, if he remembered correctly. She'd been the head of the popular crowd back in elementary school, and things didn't look like they'd changed if her outfit and demeanour were anything to go by.

Scott was shooting nervous looks to the concerned brunette- Allison Argent as it had turned out- and nodding at the desk behind him where Erica was sitting with a guy Julian didn't recognize.

This better not backfire, Julian thought as he nervously set his books down next to Allison and gently tapped her on the shoulder. "What's going on?" he asked, hoping that she was not about to kill him. Scott and Stiles trust her, he told himself. And not every hunter is like Kate, remember the two brothers back in Lawrence? Sure the two had tried to shoot Laura with a silver bullet, but after she had explained things (they were under the impression that werewolves couldn't control their shifts and that silver actually did work) the brothers had sent them 'apology apple pie'. Admittedly, the pie was missing a noticeable chunk, but it wasn't laced with wolfsbane and it was actually pretty good.

Not every hunter is Kate, Julian repeated. Just like you're not Peter.

Allison shot a look at Scott who gave her an affirmative nod before continuing to unsubtly gesture at Erica and the guy beside her. The blonde girl was wearing a self-satisfied sneer to match her neighbour's, both of them dressed in leather jackets.

Really, Derek? Julian thought as he narrowed his eyes at the curly-haired guy. Are you starting a pack or a shitty pop band?

"Isaac must have gotten out of jail," Allison said.

"He was in jail?" Julian stared at her in shock, momentarily forgetting his worries about her. Derek, who exactly did you turn?

"He got accused of killing his father," Allison explained quickly. "It wasn't him; it was the lizard- the kanima… But…" she trailed off, squinting as she tried to understand the words Stiles was trying to mouth at them. He stopped, either realizing that he was abysmal at doing so, remembering that Julian had enhanced hearing, or, most likely, because of the look Lydia was giving him.

Inhaling deeply, Julian filtered through the sweat and chemicals to the dark, twisting scent of jealousy, anger and excitement. "They're here to kill someone," he said quietly. "Aren't they?"

Scott nodded and jerked his head at the girl next to him.

"Lydia," Allison said worriedly. "They must think it's her…" She stared at Julian for a moment. "You're Julian, aren't you? Scott mentioned you…" Her tone was uncomfortable and almost apologetic which did a great deal for his initial opinion of her.

"You're Allison, then. Scott talks about you a lot," he told her, not wanting to have the 'Your Family Killed My Family and My Family Killed Your Family' argument in chemistry, especially not when there was a present danger.

Flushing, she looked down at her hands for a moment before the concern took over again. Her brown eyes hardened and met Julian's grey-green ones. Matching the stare, the two of them formed an unspoken truce.

Nodding slightly, Allison looked to Derek's betas with a calculating gaze. "They can't kill her in class," she said. "So what are they going to do?"

Mr. Harris, a teacher who looked like a vampire and acted like the type of person who had a permanent storm cloud over his head, started talking before the two could figure out what was going on. "Einstein once said, 'Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity'," he declared, stalking over to where Stiles, Scott and Lydia were sitting. "'And I'm not sure about the universe'. I, myself have encountered infinite stupidity," he continued, clasping a hand on Stiles' shoulder. A quiet chuckle spread through the class. "So, to combat the plague of ignorance in my class, you're going to combine efforts through a round of group experiments. Let's see if two heads are indeed better than one. Or in Mr. Stilinski's case, less than one. Erica, take the first station. Start-" He stopped talking as he caught sight of the plethora of hands that shot into the air, Erica smiling lazily. "I didn't ask for volunteers. Put your hormonal little hands down," he snapped. "Start with Mr. McCall. Alright, next two," he continued, pairing off the class.

Taking his seat next to Stiles, Julian looked at the instructions and began to grab the appropriate chemicals. "Care to tell me what's going on?"

"Derek thinks that if you're immune to the kanima venom than you're the kanima," Stiles explained, his foot rapidly tapping against the bar of his seat. "He tested Jackson and now he's after Lydia."

Glancing over his shoulder at the other werewolves, Julian turned back to Stiles. "They seem a little murderous for 'just testing' her."

"Your werewolf senses picking that up?" Stiles asked sarcastically, worriedly shifting in his seat as Julian began to measure out the chemicals in front of them. "I guess they think that if it's her than they get to kill her. Gets them all riled up and ready to go."

Hesitating, Julian attempted to find the nicest way to put it before going for blunt. "What if it is her?"

"It's not," Stiles said. There wasn't a trace of uncertainty in his voice.

"I'm not saying we let her die," Julian whispered in annoyance. "I'm not a total asshole. I'm just pointing out that if it is her-"

"It's not her. I'd know it."

"Forgive me for not trusting your gut," Julian said irritably. "But I'm going to argue that if Derek thinks it could be her, then there's got to be a reason."

Stiles twitched and his heartrate picked up. Before Julian could confront him, the bell rang.

Ding! "Switch!" Mr. Harris called.

Isaac instantly made a beeline for the spot next to Lydia but Julian got there first, giving the confused looking redhead what he hoped was a comforting smile. "So, what are we doing?"

"Just try not to screw anything up," she said frostily, taking in his paint-stained jeans and Panic! t-shirt with an unimpressed gaze.

"Alright then," he muttered as he gave her a quick once-over. Attractive with a curvy figure, large hazel eyes and careful waves of vibrant, strawberry blonde hair, Lydia Martin didn't seem evil. Maybe a little bit stuck-up, but from the sound of her heartbeat and the faint tang of fear in the air she was more confused than murderous. From the outside at least she didn't seem like the type of person to go around murdering people as a giant lizard creature.

"If you are done staring, I need some help."

"Sorry. I just moved back here and I'm having trouble remembering everyone's name," he half-lied. "You're Lydia, right? We're in the same art class."

"Just hold this," she ordered primly, shoving a beaker into his hands.

"Alright." Glancing around, Julian spotted Scott behind him, shooting worried looks at Allison, who was seated next to Erica. The female beta was practically snarling, leaning over to Allison, the experiment in front of them forgotten. Scott tensed as Allison let out a gasp of pain and Erica's eyes flashed gold.

Ding! "Switch!" Mr. Harris yelled.

Julian got up, intending on waiting until Scott could grab the seat, only to have the curly haired guy wrench him painfully out of the way and steal the seat with a nasty smirk. Gritting his teeth, Julian grabbed the seat next to Allison, holding his arm to his chest. If he hadn't been in class, then the asshole would be on the floor by now. Derek had passed on martial training in favour of basketball and his girlfriend. Julian hadn't.

Allison gestured to his arm. "Are you alright? Isaac-"

"I'm healing," he said, more annoyed than in pain. Isaac was strong but he lacked skill and technique to do any real damage. Besides, Isaac had just wanted the chair, not to hurt him. At least not badly.

Allison studied Isaac angrily. "He can't do anything while we're in class," she repeated. The words were undercut by the nervous tone of her voice and the white knuckled grip on her pencil.

"With what Erica just pulled I wouldn't put it past the two of them. I'm not sure who's dumber, the two of them, or Derek for turning them," Julian said, the anger and pain wearing on his self-control. Remembering what Erica had done, "Are you alright?" he asked Allison.

"Yeah, she didn't dig too deep." The brunette was lying but Julian didn't press her on it. The two of them wordlessly finished up the experiment while keeping an eye on Isaac as they waited for him to make his move. He didn't do anything though, just sat next to Lydia and tossed them the occasional smirk.

Ding! "Time," Mr. Harris declared. "If you catalyzed the reaction properly you should now be looking at a crystal." Julian glanced at the clear crystal formation in their beaker and Allison even smiled a bit. "Now, the part of that last experiment I'm sure you'll all enjoy. You can eat it."

"You can have it," Julian offered, not wanting to eat something that was literally a chemistry experiment. Allison must have felt similarly or was too focused on Lydia, as she shook her head and left the crystal where it was.

"Lydia!" Scott's shout prompted the two of them, as well as the rest of the class, to stare at the werewolf. Scott was stood halfway out of his seat, poised to grab something out of Lydia's hands. The crystal that she and Isaac had created.

"What?" the redhead asked, annoyed.

"Nothing," Scott said reluctantly as he returned to his seat.

Julian frowned. The crystal looked fine at first glance but… A glob of clear liquid caught the light. Kanima venom on the rock crystal. Judging by the sudden increase in Allison's heartbeat, she had noticed it as well.

Lydia bit down on the crystal chewing and swallowing, not noticing the stares of her friends or Isaac and Erica's ominous smirking. Smirks that turned into broad grins as the seconds ticked by and Lydia remained unaffected.

Derek is going to kill her, Julian realized with a growing sense of horror and disgust. He's going to kill a sixteen year old girl.

"Derek's outside waiting for Lydia," Scott said urgently as the four teens crowded into a small, unused room.

Allison blanched. "Waiting to kill her?"

"He thinks she's the kanima," Julian said, running a hand through his hair. "He'll take that test as proof and justification. He's probably convinced himself that he's in the right."

"It's not her!" Stiles exclaimed in frustration. He looked at the other three with an expression that was both pleading and angry as he realized that none of them were going to back him up.

Scott gave him a sympathetic look. "Stiles," he said in a softer voice. "She didn't pass the test, man. Nothing happened."

Stiles was already vehemently shaking his head. "No, it can't be her."

"It doesn't matter because Derek thinks it's her," Allison said, her practicality shining through. Even though she was an Argent, Julian couldn't help but admire her focus and level headedness. "So either we can convince him that he's wrong or we've got to figure out a way to protect her."

"You're not going to be able to convince him not to do it," Julian stated. "I know my brother, he's too stubborn to admit he's wrong. It runs in the family…" Julian trailed off, his fingers tapping his thigh nervously. It was so strange to think of his brother as being willing to kill someone. Their mother had always taught them control and understanding. Their job was to protect themselves and others like them. Yet here Derek was, wanting to kill Lydia with his pack of out of control betas. Julian hadn't been close with Derek before, but now he hardly recognized him.

"I really don't think he's gonna do anything here," Scott said thoughtfully. "Not at school."

"What about after school?" Allison demanded. "What if we can prove that Derek is wrong?" she suggested, her brow furrowed in concentration as the wheels turned behind her eyes.

Stiles gave her an incredulous look. "By 3 o'clock?"

"There could be something in the bestiary."

"Oh, you mean the 900 page book written in archaic Latin that none of us can read? Good luck with that," he scoffed.

"Actually, I think I know someone who may be able to translate it." The realization brought a faint smile to Allison's face.

"That shouldn't be our only plan; for all we know that book might only convince him further," Julian pointed out.

"I can talk to Derek," Scott offered. "Maybe convince him to give us a chance to prove it's not her," he said.

"I'll come with you," Julian said. "He's my brother, and when things inevitably go wrong, you could use some backup. Derek isn't quite stupid enough to go alone."

"Derek's an Alpha," Scott said in a warning tone. "And the others…"

"I've trained in Muay Thai since I was thirteen," Julian responded, raising an eyebrow. "And I've been a werewolf longer than you or the betas. I can take care of myself."

Scott nodded then paused for a moment. His jaw set and his look became determined as he fixed Stiles and Allison with a piercing gaze. "If anything happens you guys let me handle it, okay?"

Stiles nodded gratefully while Allison looked affronted. "What does that mean?"

"You can't heal like I do…" Upon seeing the annoyed look on his girlfriend's face, Scott trailed off with a sheepish expression. "I just don't want you getting hurt," he amended.

Allison rolled her eyes and reached into her duffel bag, whipping out a mini-crossbow and holding it aloft with a set expression. Stomach twisting, Julian couldn't help but feel sick as he remembered that as nice as Allison seemed, she was still a hunter. Still an Argent.

And yet, she was helping them with Lydia. A girl who, despite what Stiles thought, was likely a lizard-monster.

"I can protect myself," Allison stated, her hardened expression softening as looked at Scott. "What? Did something else happen?"

"I just don't want you getting hurt," Scott answered earnestly. "Seriously, if anything goes wrong you call me, okay? I don't care if your dad finds out. Call, text, scream, whatever. I'll hear you and I'll find you as fast as I can." His impassioned words clearly struck a chord with his girlfriend.

"If I need help, I'll ask for it," she conceded. "But I can take care of myself." The two gazed deeply into each other's eyes, caught up in their own world.

Uncomfortable, Julian studied his nails and began to pick at the dried paint that he hadn't been able to wash off.

Stiles on the other hand decided to grab Allison's lethal looking crossbow and wave it around. Julian diverted his gaze from the navy blue paint flecks long enough to see Stiles point the weapon at his own face before turning it around.

"You have until 3," Scott declared, startling Stiles, who reflexively squeezed the trigger and sent the bolt flying directly at his friend's head. Luckily Scott's quick reflexes allowed him to catch the bolt in midair, holding it in front of his face with wide eyes.

Julian bit back a laugh at their expressions. It was good that Allison hadn't managed to smuggle a full-sized crossbow to school. No matter how fast you were, catching a bolt from one of those was impossible.

As Allison shot him a disapproving look, Stiles winced. "Sorry. Sensitive trigger."

Handing Allison the bolt, Scott opened the door, his heartrate still high.

"Lydia's in my art class," Julian told Scott as they made their way out into the hallway. "I'll keep an eye on her just in case."

"Thanks," Scott said.

"Before I do though, I have a question." Stopping in the hallway, Julian crossed his arms over his chest.

"What is it?"

"Lydia, she wouldn't be a suspect unless she was turning. Peter bit her, didn't he?"

Scott opened his mouth for a moment before he actually found the words. "Lydia was bit the night Peter… died," he admitted before hurriedly continuing. "But she didn't turn on the full moon, and her bite didn't heal like mine did. She was hospitalized; they said it was like she was having an allergic reaction or something. After she healed she ran around the woods naked for two days," Scott added reluctantly, "But she's not… I think Stiles might be right. Maybe it isn't her. She's not like us, she's something else." Upon catching sight of Julian's expression, Scott said, "What's wrong?"

"I just…" Julian paused uncomfortably, searching for the words. "It's weird looking at your family and wondering if they were ever the people you thought they were," he explained. "It was hard enough when I found out it was Peter… And now Derek…" Julian shook his head, giving Scott a tight smile. "Look, I've got to get to class, I'll meet you as soon as the bell rings. Then we can have a talk with my brother."