Song: Salty Sweet by MS MR

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my OC.

6 - Salty Sweet

Five Years Earlier...

Julius fell back onto the pillows of the California King, spent but satisfied. Beside him lay the most gorgeous woman he'd ever set eyes on. "Is it just me or does it get better every time?" He asked, rhetorically, causing her to laugh.

She responded with the soft, sultry voice he found so seductive. The voice that turned him on every time he heard it. "It will always get better with us."

He turned to meet her piercing gray eyes. "I can't believe how lucky I am to have you," he said, softly. She smiled and he gently cupped the side of her face. "I think I may be the luckiest guy in the world."

"You can be even luckier if you come closer," she teased.

He brought his lips to hers and immediately felt himself ready to go. They went at it again fiercely, as they spent a lot of their time doing. Julius had never made such wild, passionate love as he did with this woman on a regular basis, and she never failed to surprise him with the things she wanted to do. She had been pleased when she learned he could nearly match her aggression, as she looked to be the boss when it came to their relationship, but appreciated occasionally being dominated sexually. It was a sexy power struggle in the sheets, but there was no question as to who was in charge in every other aspect.

Julius was displeased when she broke out of his hold and stood up, throwing on the white t-shirt he'd previously been wearing. "Where are you going?" He asked, sitting up.

"I'm going to make you dinner," she revealed, tossing her tousled, thick black hair over her shoulder, a move he always found hot.

"I can do that."

"You cooked yesterday," she reminded him. "I want to this time. Plus, we both know you can't cook nearly as good as I can."

Julius lay back against the pillows. "I can't do anything nearly as good as you can, baby," he complimented. "Why don't you eat first? You haven't all day. This time bite me somewhere less obvious. People may start to think I'm being abused."

She chuckled. "Yeah, right. No one would ever believe that. I'm good for now, baby. Mexican or Italian."

"Definitely Italian."

"Coming right up." She blew him a kiss and disappeared from the room.

Julius relaxed for a moment, then stood and walked over to his dresser. He looked through it and pulled out a pair of basketball shorts to throw on. When he unfolded them a photo dropped to the ground, facedown. When he picked it up and flipped it over he felt his heart skip a beat. There was April, beautiful as ever, the biggest, most genuine smile on her face. Julius had completely forgotten he still owned this picture, as his current love had demanded he get rid of anything reminiscent of her after he desperately pleaded with her not to compel away his memories of April. He swore it was unnecessary because his heart only belonged with her now, and he really didn't want six years of memories taken from him, even the negative ones. He was still looking upon the picture when he heard his lady's voice behind him.

"Yes," he whirled around, quickly tucking it away.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, you just scared me," he admitted. "I didn't hear you walk up."

She pondered him for a moment then in a blink of an eye she was in front of him. "Are you sure?" The veins around her eyes started pulsing.

"Bab-"

Before he could finish his sentence, she was in full vamp mode and she sank her teeth into his neck with a force he wasn't accustomed to.

"Ah!" He fell back against the dresser as she sucked madly away at his blood. Her unexpected aggression was causing more pain than usual. "I thought you said you weren't hungry!"

She sucked a bit more before coming up for air. "I changed my mind." And she was at his neck again. Julius suppressed his cries of pain and took it. He got the message loud and clear. It was in his best interest to get rid of that photo.

Bonnie and Julius' laughter rippled through the air as she recalled her first time using magic on another human. "You don't understand!" Bonnie cried. "She was being such a bitch!"

"How petty of you," Julius laughed.

"I know, but there was worse things I could've done," Bonnie said. "I set a car on fire that same day. That chick is lucky she only got a hose to the face!"

"It's unwise to belittle a Bennett."

"Exactly, now you're learning!" Bonnie exclaimed with a smile.

Their laughter was interrupted by a loud banging on her front door. Bonnie's brow furrowed as she stood. "Who's knocking like the police?" Julius questioned with a concerned look.

"I don't know," she said. "I'll be right back."

She went to the door and looked out the peephole to see Jeremy. She cursed to herself as she opened it. "Hey, babe!" She cried, attempting to sound excited to see him. He was clearly pissed.

"Why haven't you been answering your phone?!" He demanded to know.

"You called?"

"Yes, I've been calling all day!" He pushed his way into the house but didn't fail to notice the she had made no move to let him in.

"I'm so sorry, Jeremy," she said. "My cell has been in my room and I've been down here. I didn't even hear it."

He looked down at her suspiciously. "What's going on with you?"

"Everything okay, Bonnie?" Julius suddenly appeared in the hall. Bonnie cursed to herself again.

"I knew that was your car outside!" Jeremy exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Jeremy - " Bonnie began but he quickly interrupted her.

"You guys acted like you barely knew each other!" He reminded them in an accusatory tone. "Now he's hanging out in your house?"

"It's not like that, mate," Julius piped up.

"Dude, I know you're a vampire," Jeremy snapped. "I overheard Damon and Elena talking about what happened last night." He looked back at Bonnie. "And I know what you did to my sister. How could you, Bonnie?"

"Jeremy, I really didn't want to," Bonnie explained. "She wasn't letting me leave and Damon was going to kill Julius. I really didn't want to do it, and I know I owe her an apology."

"Has he been here all day while I've been trying to reach you?"

"I'm just helping him find his friend then he's leaving town."

"It doesn't take that long to do a locator spell, Bonnie," Jeremy quipped. "I've seen you do it plenty of times."

He was right, but she wasn't going to tell him they had spent the past two and a half hours just talking. Once Julius saw her grimoire, he started asking questions, and soon she was telling him all about her personal history of magic. He seemed genuinely curious and interested in her stories and in what it was like being a young witch surrounded by vampires and werewolves. He'd never even heard of the Originals until she filled him in. Needless to say, they talked a lot, he learned a lot about her, they made each other laugh, and Bonnie was surprised to find herself actually enjoying his company, even with his constant teasing. The time flew by, and she hadn't even attempted a spell.

"It's my fault," Julius said. "I kept distracting her with irrelevant questions. We were just about to get to it." Jeremy rolled his eyes to the ceiling but didn't turn to face him.

"It's time for you to go," he demanded, still facing Bonnie. "I need to have a talk with my girlfriend."

Bonnie looked at Julius who nodded in understanding then headed past them to the door. Jeremy glared at him and he looked back at them as he opened it. "I promise you, Bonnie has done nothing wrong," he told Jeremy. "She's been trying to get rid of me and I kept bugging her to help me out."

"Yeah, well, you can find yourself another witch," Jeremy stated, coldly.

"Jeremy!" Bonnie cried.

"I mean it!" Jeremy exclaimed to Julius. "You can quit buzzing around my girlfriend, and you can take this fake friendship you tried to start with me and shove it. I don't want you around anymore." Julius looked to Bonnie and Jeremy moved in front of her, blocking his view. "Goodbye, Julius." Julius nodded and stepped outside, closing the door behind him without another word.

"We need to get Bonnie back," Damon declared. Elena looked at him strangely.

"Where did that just come from?" She questioned.

"We need her back on our side," he elaborated. "We can't lose her to Julius. What if a situation arises and we need her."

"You're right," Elena said as she snuggled up next to him and he wrapped his arm around her. The two were lounging on his couch, talking about what exotic location they would travel to on their first romantic getaway, which made Damon's mention of Bonnie even more random and ill-placed. "There always seems to be a life-threatening situation that calls for some magic. This may be the longest we've been without one, assuming Julius doesn't have some diabolical plan up his sleeve."

Of course he does," Damon disputed. "What supernatural creature ever comes to Mystic Falls without one?"

"Good question," she remarked. "I think it would take a lot more work than usual for you to get on her good side. Especially after you spilled the beans to Jeremy about everything."

"That was an accident!"

"Sure it was, Damon."

"It was!" He lied. After his confrontation with Julius at Bonnie's, he'd went over to the Gilbert house to talk to Elena and return Jeremy's phone. He'd recounted what had just taken place to Elena, knowing her brother was within earshot. Predictably, Jeremy had stormed into the room, demanding to know what was going on, and Damon felt compelled to let him know.

"All I want is for us to save this summer while we still can, because it's starting to go downhill," Elena complained. "All I want is peace."

Damon pulled her closer to him, wrapping both arms around her and placing his chin on top of her head. "I can fix this," he promised.

The next morning, Bonnie felt the urge to go on a coffee run. After a long night of fighting with Jeremy, she was still tired and just wanted to fill up on caffeine and read magazines, like a normal eighteen-year-old girl. She planned to ask Caroline and Elena to meet with her later as well. They had to all bury the hatchet once and for all. She refused to keep fighting with her friends like this, it was draining.

When she stepped outside she had a brief moment of panic when she didn't see her dented Prius parked directly in front of the house where'd she left it. Julius' Mercedes was there instead. She looked down and saw a small jewelry box with a note attached to it. She picked it up and quickly read the note.

Sorry about your car. This one should get you from A to B.

-J

PS: Don't set this one on fire.

Bonnie opened the jewelry box to see a car key placed on top of the velvet. The key to the Mercedes. Bonnie's jaw dropped. "Oh my God!" She looked back up at the car in disbelief. Then she shot off the porch and ran over to it. "Oh my God, are you kidding me?!" She rounded the car entirely, taking it in, then hopped into the passenger seat. Bonnie wasn't a flashy type of girl, and she was actually quite fond of her Prius, but she did want to have a little fun with this. She found herself wishing it was a girlier color, the car reeked of Julius' ego, and she smiled to herself as she turned on the engine and Kendrick Lamar came blasting from the speakers. 'No harm in a spin around the block', she thought to herself as she put the car into gear.

For the next three minutes, Bonnie didn't care what anyone thought. She was a spectacle as she rode down the street, windows down, music blasting. "Seem like the whole city go against me, every time I'm in the street I hear YAWK YAWK YAWK YAWK!" Bonnie rapped loudly along with Kendrick as she rolled along, enjoying herself quite a bit. It wasn't long before reality hit her, and she was back in front of her house before the song even ended. She and Jeremy had come dangerously close to breaking up the night before, and she knew riding around in another man's car would send him over the edge. Even if it technically belonged to her now. She sighed and got out of the car. She was going to climb into her good ol' Prius, Damon-shaped dents and all, and drive to the coffee shop like a normal person. No fancy rims, no leather seats, no speakers with eardrum-blowing volume.

Bonnie took a quick look around and panic set in. Her car was nowhere to be found. Not even in the driveway. Julius had taken it away completely, leaving her with only his ride. Bonnie cursed and faux-banged her head against the top of the Mercedes. She hadn't gotten his cell number before Jeremy bullied him out of the house, so she couldn't even call him to thank him for the gesture and politely request her own car back. She didn't even have the blood required to do a locator spell and bring the car to him. She huffed at the inconvenience of the situation, but she refused to be stuck in the house all day.

Two hours and a bus ride later Bonnie found herself wandering into the Mystic Grill. She took a quick look around and spotted Matt across the room, clearing off a table. When he looked up and noticed her he shot her a nervous smile. Bonnie walked over to him and he still seemed unsure of what she was feeling.

"Hey Matt," she said.

"What's up Bonnie?" He seemed to relax a little at her casual tone.

"I just left the coffee shop and I wanted to stop by and talk to you," she revealed. "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure, let me just drop these dishes off then I'll take my break," he said. She nodded and settled into a seat at the table he'd just cleared as he hurried off. As she awaited his return her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bon Bon?"

"What do you want, Damon?" She asked with a roll of her eyes.

"Where are you right now?"

"I'm at the Grill," she replied. "Why?"

"Don't go anywhere. I'm on my way." He hung before she could question him further, then Matt was sitting in the chair across from her.

"How have you been?" He asked.

"Okay, all things considered."

He nodded. "I want to say that I am sorry for what Damon and I did, but Bonnie I really get a bad vibe from the guy and I think-"

"Matt," Bonnie cut him off. "I don't know what you think the nature of me and Julius' relationship is, but you do realize I would never do anything to hurt Jeremy, right?"

"I know, I don't know what I was thinking," he said, with a shake of his head. "He rubbed me the wrong way, and that may be why I was so ready to help Damon. And I just want to make sure you're safe, Bonnie. We've all had such bad experiences with vampires."

"I know, Matt, and I appreciate your concern," she said. "I'm not mad at you."

"Thank goodness," he said with a sigh. "I thought you may have been coming in here to rip me a new one."

Bonnie laughed and shook her head. "No, but none of you have to worry about Julius. I can keep him in line." They continued to converse, Bonnie slightly venting about her and Jeremy's troubles and Matt doing his best to offer sound advice. Soon she received a text from Damon. Come outside. She shook her head.

"Damon is up to something," she said.

"Isn't he always?" Matt joked.

"True." She laughed and stood up. "Thanks for talking to me, Matt."

"Of course, you're my friend, Bonnie." He stood up and gave her a quick hug before heading off to get back to work. She wandered outside and scanned for Damon. It was only a moment before he was pulling up to the curb in a brand new white Audi.

"Nice," she complimented as he hopped out. "You never struck me as the type of guy to like white cars."

"I'm not," he stated, as he rounded the car toward her. He tossed her the keys. "It's not mine. It's yours."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm calling for a truce," he explained, as he hovered above her, those striking blue eyes fixed on her. "I wrecked your means of transportation, even though you did perform your witchy juju on me for no good reason and technically Julius was the one who threw me against - "

"Damon, you did not get me a car," Bonnie said, incredulously. She barely ever got any gifts for her birthday, now vampires were giving her expensive cars like it was candy.

"Of course I did," Damon said with a shrug. "I'm on your side, Bonnie." He spoke with his typical Damon-like delivery, that just didn't sound genuine no matter how hard he tried.

"This is weird," Bonnie said, looking at the car. "I really don't know what to say."

"You can say, yes you'll come to dinner tonight," he offered. "You should know Elena is the one who picked out the car, I just took care of the rest."

"She did?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes, and she really wants you there tonight," he revealed. "Her and Blondie are already getting ready. We're all just going to have a nice, friendly dinner, as a nice group of friends."

"Nice and friendly. Two words that don't go with Damon Salvatore."

"Be at the boardinghouse by 7," Damon demanded. "Until then, enjoy your new ride."

At 7:10 that night Bonnie was clambering up the steps of the Salvatore boardinghouse, big bowl of her best Caesar salad in hand. She rang the doorbell, only hoping that this night would go well. It was never long before Damon started in on her nerves, but maybe they really could have a fresh start.

Caroline was the one to open the door. "Bonnie." She said her name with a sense of pleading in her voice.

"Oh Caroline." Seeing her brought emotion in Bonnie. "I'm so sorry for the other night, Caroline, I didn't mean it."

"Me too!" She cried, and the two girls embraced.

"Bonnie." The voice came from behind Caroline, and she pulled out of the hug to see Elena, looking at her uncertainly.

"I don't want to fight with you guys anymore," Bonnie declared. "I love you guys!"

"No more fighting!" Caroline concurred. "Especially over guys." Elena nodded and joined them in a three-way hug.

"So, are we all friends again?" Damon's voice came from behind them.

"We are," Bonnie said, pointedly, meaning she, Elena, and Caroline.

"How's that Audi treating you?" Damon questioned.

"Great. Elena has good taste," Bonnie replied. She shut the door and the four of them left the hallway. Bonnie went in the kitchen to drop her salad off with the rest of the food, then wandered into the dining-room. Caroline and Elena had already set the table, and had done quite a nice job.

"Why is there five place settings?" Bonnie questioned. "Who else is coming?" She knew Jeremy was working a night shift at the Grill and Damon never invited Matt to anything so it couldn't be either of them.

Elena looked to Damon. "You didn't tell her?"

"I thought it would be more fun this way," he said with a shrug. "Who doesn't like a good surprise?"

"I don't," Bonnie said quickly. "What's going on?"

"Of course you do, Bon Bon, that's why you rode over here in the Audi and not the dented but still running Prius," Damon pointed out. Bonnie wasn't going to volunteer the information that she was no longer in possession of the Prius but a Mercedes instead.

"If you're going to hang this car over my head you can have the damn thing back!" Bonnie snapped.

"I don't want it back I just think a simple thank you would've sufficed," Damon said.

"Damon," Elena said with an eye roll. "Bonnie, don't worry about him. That will be the last time he brings it up." The doorbell chimed at this moment.

"Ah, our last arrival," Damon announced, then disappeared from the room.

"What's with Damon trying to play nice guy?" Bonnie asked Elena quietly.

"Nothing's up with it," Elena responded. "He's just trying to get back on your good side. All I can ask is that you please give him a chance. My life would be so much easier if everyone just got along."

A minute later Damon marched back into the dining-room and Bonnie was shocked to see Julius trailing behind him.

"Julius!" Bonnie exclaimed. Julius was stone-faced until he laid eyes on Bonnie, then a smile broke it. Caroline's jaw had dropped, as this was the first time she'd ever seen him.

"He made it!" Damon declared with faux excitement. "Now we can have the nice, friendly dinner I promised Bon Bon."

"I am so confused," Bonnie said. "What's going on here?"

"You keep vouching for this guy so I decided to extend an olive branch," Damon said. "Give him a proper chance."

"You two were literally trying to rip each other's throats out on my front porch just yesterday," Bonnie reminded them. "How are you going to sit down and eat together?"

"Funny, that's the exact same thing he said when I called him this morning," Damon said, his blue eyes wide. He, of course, had stolen Julius' number from his phone when he'd went snooping through it, though he hadn't initially planned to use it for this purpose. "I couldn't even convince him to come until I swore repeatedly that you were going to be here. I think he feels safer with you around."

"That's not it!" Julius snapped.

"And he did threaten to rip my heart out the second I tried anything before he even stepped foot in the house," Damon continued. "Dude's got trust issues." Bonnie shook her head and Damon disappeared into the kitchen.

Julius sighed and approached the girls. "Nice to see you again, Elena." He took her hand and softly kissed it.

"Nice to see you too, Julius," she said. "And I hope you know that I am so sorry for Damon's actions the other night. I did not want that to happen."

"I'm sure," Julius replied then looked to Caroline. "Who is this stunning woman?"

"Caroline," the blonde said in a whispery voice. Bonnie laughed to herself. It was the voice Caroline used whenever she was around someone she found attractive. She didn't even realize when she was doing it.

"Caroline. What a beautiful name," he complimented as he kissed her hand as well. He had the charm fully turned on, and it seemed to have instantly won Caroline over. She beamed at him as he walked past her over to Bonnie.

"Does this qualify as buzzing?" He asked in a sarcastic callback to Jeremy's accusation. "You heard the man, he invited me."

"Then I guess you're off the hook," Bonnie declared. They both smiled and he wrapped her up in a hug. Caroline and Elena watched them like hawks. The hug wasn't too tight and it didn't last too long and they stepped away from each other after, just like two platonic acquaintances would do. It was still weird to see for Elena. The last time she'd seen them interact, Bonnie looked like she wanted to rip his face off. Now, she smiled at him and it looked genuine. The dynamics of their "relationship" had definitely changed since that night.

Damon breezed back into the room, announcing he was ready to eat. Soon, they were all seated at the table, digging into the meal. Damon was at the head of the table, Elena and Caroline to the left and right of him, Julius next to Caroline and across the table from Bonnie. Bonnie knew this was a test. She had to be mindful of everything she said and did because Damon would be watching, picking apart all of their interactions in his head. Julius seemed to have the same sentiments, thankfully. Their body language had to read acquaintances and nothing more.

Predictably, a lot of questions were asked, especially of Julius. Damon, Caroline, and Elena all tried to play it cool and not bombard him all at once, but just casually bring up something but it was clear to Bonnie what they were doing. Bonnie and Julius ended up revealing how they'd truly met, Julius noticeably leaving out the small detail on who had left him staked behind the building in the first place. They also told the story of Bonnie demanding he tell her his business in Mystic Falls then leaving him on the ground with a brain aneurysm. This made her friends laugh, as it was such a classic Bonnie move.

"You would think as much as she does it to me I would've built up a resistance by now," Damon half-joked. "I can't say I'm mad at someone else sharing in the pain." They laughed and the conversation moved along. Bonnie was soon itching for the meal to be over and found herself relieved when it was. She could see Damon growing increasingly irritated with Julius' vague answers.

"Do you have any family?"

"Not really."

"When are you leaving Mystic Falls?"

"Soon."

"How did you become a vampire?"

"I died with vampire blood in my system."

Bonnie had to quickly change the subject after that last answer. She knew Damon wouldn't appreciate the sarcasm and was likely to say something not very nice so she brought up the subject of the Originals, which opened an entire conversation of memories. The distraction was successful, but Bonnie noticed Julius' infamous smirk as Damon glared at him over his wineglass. They could play pretend all they wanted. These two would never be friends.

After dinner, the guys headed into the living-room while the girls brought the dirty dishes into the kitchen. "Damn girl," Caroline said as they placed the dishes in the sink. "Elena told me he was hot but she didn't prepare me for that!" Bonnie and Elena laughed.

"He really is a closed book, huh?" Elena questioned.

"He's really private," Bonnie replied. "All I know is that he loves this girl named, Valerie, and he needs help finding her. I guess it doesn't matter now. Jeremy doesn't want me helping him."

"I can see why," Caroline half-joked. "Would you want that guy hanging around your girlfriend?"

"Caroline, I told you it's not like that," Bonnie said. "Jeremy has nothing to worry about. Julius' heart is with this Valerie."

"Bummer," Caroline joked.

The girls reconvened in the living-room where the boys were opening up a bottle of bourbon. Soon the drinks were flowing and the casual conversation turned into a game of "I Never". Bonnie knew this was another strategic move on Damon's part. He wanted to get alcohol in Julius' system and pump him for information.

Throughout the game they learned Bonnie once kissed Tyler during a game of truth or dare at a party in eighth grade, Caroline once had sex with Matt in a public place, Elena was the only one of the girls to never have kissed Tyler, Damon once dated a very famous Playboy bunny, and Julius had never been to Canada. He'd only had two drinks, one of them during dinner, and he was remaining tight-lipped. Bonnie decided to call it a night once she started yawning.

Bonnie went into the kitchen to grab her purse and Damon sidled up to her. "Have fun, Bon Bon?" He questioned.

"I did," she admitted. "We actually made it through a night together with none of your snarky remarks. Who are you and what have you done with Damon Salvatore?"

"Very funny," he said. He lowered his voice. "Did you get my text last night."

"Yes."

"And..."

"I'm not going to go snooping through the man's phone like some psychotic girlfriend," Bonnie admonished. "It's none of my business, and it damn sure isn't yours. Leave him alone, okay?" She walked away, back into the living-room where Julius was conversing with Caroline.

"I'm heading out, guys," Bonnie announced.

"I was just about to leave too," Julius said. "I'll walk out with you."

"Okay," Bonnie agreed. The girls convened in the hall to bid each other goodbye. Damon took this opportunity to have a quick powwow with Julius.

"Glad you could make it," he told him. Julius nodded silently. "I just have to make one thing clear to you. I still do not trust you. If you have any ill intent toward Bonnie or any of these people, I will end you. Got it?"

Julius shook his head with a chuckle. "It's a wonder you and Bonnie don't get along better," he observed. "You two love to flex your muscle, and sometimes you even talk alike. You have a good night, mate." Julius stalked off and Damon had to refrain from snapping his neck just for the pleasure of it.

Bonnie and Julius stepped out of the Salvatore house a minute later. "I can't believe you actually came," Bonnie said as they walked toward her car.

"I almost didn't," Julius admitted. "As much as I do not like Damon, I did have a nice time tonight."

"I'm glad," she replied. "About last night..."

"Don't worry about it," Julius said quickly. "Jeremy is right to be protective over you. He's lucky to even have you, he would be crazy to want to share your time with another guy. Even if the time is completely innocent. I shouldn't have been so distracting, we could've gotten the spell done. It's just that I find you so interesting."

"I grew up in a small town in Virginia," Bonnie said. "I've had the same friends my entire life. Nothing exciting ever happened until the Salvatores came back to town. Not too much interesting about that."

Julius stopped walking and turned to look at her. "You know there's so much more to you than that." He kept his hazel eyes transfixed intently on her as he spoke.

"I'm sure there's a whole lot more to you but refuse to let anyone in," she replied.

"Yeah, I know your friends were trying to get me drunk," he said. "I don't drink much anymore. When I do I say too much." Bonnie laughed and Julius smiled at her. "So, Damon got you a brand new car."

Bonnie nodded her head. "At his girlfriend's request."

"I think mine would be better suited for you."

"I really appreciate the gesture, Julius, but I can't accept that car from you," she said.

"Of course you can."

"No, I can't," Bonnie insisted. "Things are already really delicate between Jeremy and I and if I was driving around in your car that will make things so much worse."

"It's not mine anymore, it's yours."

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

Julius changed his subject as Bonnie noticed he frequently did when the conversation wasn't going in his favor. "Why is Damon so obsessed with your life?"

Bonnie shrugged. "He usually doesn't care if I live or die," she replied. "There's just something about you that rubs him the wrong way."

"Good. I like making him uncomfortable." They both chuckled then grew quiet for a moment. Bonnie shifted uncomfortably under Julius' intense gaze.

"I have to get going," she finally said. Julius took a step toward her and Bonnie felt a twinge of panic. "Julius, we can't do this. I am so sorry, I know I promised I would help you, but I can't."

"Why not?" When Bonnie looked up at him he could see the struggle in her eyes.

"I told you, Jeremy isn't okay with this and I don't want to piss him off anymore," she said. "You have to leave. I'm sure you can find another witch somewhere else or another way to find who you're looking for. And you have to take the car back. I need it to be gone when I wake up tomorrow morning. Please."

"Is Jeremy the only reason you don't want to be around me?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Julius, please don't do this..." Bonnie was shaking her head vehemently.

"You don't want to see me again?"

"I can't."

"I've only been on my best behavior with you," he said, honestly. "If you really never want to see me again, there's no reason for me to continue being such a gentleman."

Bonnie looked at him with wide eyes. "Julius..." Her plea was cut short. He gently grabbed her by the face and brought his lips to hers. Bonnie's heart was racing a mile a minute as she realized what was happening, yet she couldn't find the immediate strength to pull away. She didn't need it, as their kiss was quickly interrupted by a voice from behind them.

"Bonnie?"

She gasped and pulled away from Julius. She looked past him and her jaw dropped at the sight of a very familiar vampire.

"Stefan!"

A/N: I know this chapter may have seemed like mostly filler but there is a BIG reveal coming up next update. I'm excited for you guys to read it. Working on it now!