A/N: Sorry for the delayed update. I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I also uploaded a new fic, Enemy, if you haven't yet you should check it out!

Have a fun Superbowl Weekend, sports fans!

Song: Silver Line by Lykke Li

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, except for Julius. They belong to LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement intended. This is for entertainment purposes only.

7 - Silver Line

"Stefan!" Bonnie exclaimed. The younger, brown-haired Salvatore stood with the most confused expression, and Bonnie still couldn't believe what she was seeing. She slowly started to approach him. "You're back?"

"I'm back," he confirmed.

"Oh my God!" She rushed into his arms and they wrapped each other up in a friendly hug. "I'm so glad to see you. I didn't know if I ever would again."

"I know," Stefan said with a head nod as they separated. "I didn't know if I would ever come back but Damon has left me countless messages over the past two weeks, and it's getting harder to ignore him."

"Well, you know how persistent he can be," Bonnie reminded him.

Stefan laughed and nodded in agreement. He looked past Bonnie and his expression quickly grew serious. "Who's your friend?" He asked, his blue-green eyes narrowing. Bonnie looked back at Julius who was watching them closely, his hands in his jacket pockets.

"This is Julius," Bonnie said, immediately feeling awkward. She was glad to see Stefan again, but the horror of what he may have just witnessed was sinking in. "Julius, this is Stefan. Damon's brother." Julius held out his hand and Stefan gave it a very firm shake. She was starting to get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Damon's brother, eh?" Julius repeated. "Has he always been such a nice guy?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Damon has been...Damon, for a very long time," Stefan responded. "Julius. I think your name may have come up in one of his messages." Bonnie could see right through Stefan's casual deliverance of that statement. Julius' name had come up in every single one of those messages. "Was something going on tonight, Bonnie? I see Elena and Caroline's cars."

"Yes, we had a dinner party," she replied. "It was your brother's idea, actually." Stefan made a face. "I know, he's being weird lately. He even bought me a new car after he dented my old one." Stefan thought he stepped into the Twilight Zone for a second. Damon Salvatore buying Bonnie Bennett gifts and throwing dinner parties where no one was killed? It just couldn't be. "I'm tired so I was just heading home. They're all inside and I'm sure they'll be happy to see you, especially Caroline. She's missed you a lot." Stefan nodded and started heading toward the house. Bonnie called his name and he stopped and looked back at her. She ran up to him and dropped her voice to a whisper, even though she knew it wouldn't really make a difference. "I just want to say..." She looked back at Julius for a moment. "Don't be so inclined to believe everything that Damon tells you. He's given Julius a hard time since he got here and there's no real reason for it. And I want you to know that Julius and I are friends. That is all." Stefan looked upon her for a moment, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking, then he nodded his head.

"Okay," he said. "Goodnight, Bonnie." He turned and headed into the house. Bonnie watched him for a second, then walked back down the pathway toward her car. It wasn't until she lifted her head again that she realized that Julius was gone. When she got back home, the Mercedes was gone as well.

A soft knock came from behind Stefan and he turned to see Elena lingering in the doorway of his bedroom. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked and he gave her a small nod of agreement. She entered the room and approached him uncertainly. "How have you been?"

"Good," he responded, simply.

"Things have been...different without you here," she told him. "We've all really missed you." Stefan had missed them terribly as well, but seeing Elena in the arms of his brother so soon after their break-up was something he just didn't want to deal with.

When he'd first entered the boardinghouse everyone had stopped what they were doing and just stared at him for a second, coming to terms with what they were seeing. Finally, Caroline exclaimed his name and went rushing to hug him, followed by Damon and Elena. He received a warm welcome, which was nice, but everything just felt different, including all of their energy around each other.

"Look, Stefan, I just wanted to say that I am so sorry for what happened between us," Elena said as she stood before him, her apology reading genuine in her eyes. "I never meant for any of this. I loved you so much, and I still love you. Things just...changed. Regardless, your brother needs you and I hope that if you stay, you'll continue to be one of my best friends as well."

Stefan sighed. "I came back for my brother, because to a certain extent, I need him too," he admitted. "As for everyone else, we'll just see what happens. Things have changed tremendously, Elena. and we can't pretend they haven't. I wish you nothing but happiness, but my relationship with you isn't what's important right now or what I need to be focused on. It can't be." Stefan moved past her toward the door. "I'm really tired, I've had a long trip."

Elena hesitated for a moment. It was clear he wanted her to leave but the conversation hadn't went as she'd hoped. Deciding it was best to give him the space he desired for now, she nodded and walked out.

"Goodnight, Stefan."

"Goodnight, Elena." He shut the door after her.

I miss you. Bonnie received this text from Jeremy the next day as she was lounging on her bed, reading Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. She could barely sleep the night before, as she was feeling every emotion possible thinking about what had transpired between she and Julius. She continued into the next day deciding to do everything she could to distract herself from thinking about him. She tried listening to music, marathoning Pretty Little Liars on Netflix, and now reading, but none of it was effective. She couldn't keep him from creeping into her brain.

Maybe seeing Jeremy was the best way to remedy this. She needed to be reminded that Jeremy was the only guy who should be putting his lips on her. She picked up her phone and quickly texted him back, Miss you too.

Ten seconds later another message popped up on her screen. I got out of work early. Can I come c u?

Bonnie wanted out of the house. I'll come 2 u. Be there in 10.

I'll leave the door open for you.

She climbed out of the bed, and grabbing the keys to the Audi off of her dresser, headed out the door. When she arrived at the Gilbert residence, she found that Jeremy had left the door unlocked like he'd promised. She stepped inside and surveyed the house.

"Jeremy!" She called as she walked down the hall. She entered the living-room and stopped at the sight of him. He stood there, tall and hunky as ever. The adorable smile that used to melt her heart cracked his face, but now all it did was send a pang of guilt through her. Her world seemed to come crashing down around her as she stared at him, and the realization of her situation heavily sunk in. Nothing was the same. No matter how much she wanted it to be, it wasn't. She loved Jeremy, she really did, but she was no longer in love with him. It wasn't fair to either one of them for her to allow them to continue on as if she were.

"Hey baby!" He was excited as he crossed the room to give her a kiss. He noticed she didn't really return it, but he figured she was just in a mood. If she was still upset about their fight from the other night, he was sure she would be over it by the end of tonight. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the couch. "You don't know how much I've been missing you. We can go out if you want. Or we can stay in, watch our favorite movie. I got you ice-cream."

"What kind?"

"Strawberry."

Bonnie's expression changed to one of disgust. "You got me strawberry ice-cream?" She questioned, incredulously. "I hate strawberry ice-cream."

"What? Since when?"

"Since always," Bonnie declared. "When have you ever seen me eat strawberry ice-cream? It's chocolate chip cookie dough. My favorite has always been chocolate chip cookie dough. Why don't you know that?"

"I'm sorry, Bonnie, I guess I just forgot," Jeremy said.

Bonnie sighed and took a step back from him, pulling her hand from his. "Jeremy, we need to talk."

Jeremy's heart sank. He knew that tone all too well. "Look, if the ice-cream is that important to you, I'll run to the store and get you some right now."

"It's not about the ice-cream," Bonnie told him. She spoke slowly, as she wanted to choose her words carefully and approach the topic as delicately as possible. "Things between us have changed, and I know that you've noticed it too."

"We've had rough patches before, Bonnie," Jeremy disputed. "We can get through this one."

Bonnie shook her head sadly. "We can't, Jeremy," she stated. "I don't feel the same anymore. I will never stop loving you, but we can't be together."

"Are you really doing this?" Jeremy looked like he was struggling to hold back his hurt and anger.

"I wish I didn't have to," she said, her voice cracking. The tears were bound to come at any second. "I'm so sorry, Jeremy, but it's over." Her first tear spilled over. They were both quiet, just stood staring at each other, Jeremy's face stone until he finally broke the silence.

"This is about that dick, Julius, isn't it?"

Bonnie shook her head vehemently. "It's not, I swear. It's just about us."

"Liar!" He snapped. "We were fine until he came to town." He leaned closer to her, and his tone was low and biting. "Don't be stupid, Bonnie. You barely know the guy. He's just trying to use you, and you're going to be the one that ends up hurt and alone in the end."

She gazed at him for a long moment, the once love of her life that was now just her former love. "Goodbye, Jeremy." She turned on her heel and walked out. A loud crash came from behind her, followed by sounds of household items being thrown around and kicked. She flinched but she didn't look back, she just left silently as her ex took his anger out on the house.

Bonnie sat Indian-style on her bed, a piece of paper and a lit candle in front of her, contemplating her next move. She knew it was probably a dumb idea, but something inside of her just really found it necessary. Finally, she snatched up the paper and crumpled it up in her hands. She began muttering an incantation, holding her hand above the candle. The paper burned hotter and hotter in her hand until it disintegrated into ashes. She took a deep breath then blew out the candle. Luckily, this spell no longer took as much out of her as it did the first time she'd performed it. Then it was to get a message to Elena, and Jeremy had been beside her. She was a much more capable and powerful witch now, the spell was a lot simpler for her, and the message was intended for someone else this time. It was a simple one:

Meet me at Mystic Park at midnight.

-B

Stefan could feel eyes on his back as he stood in front of the fireplace, drinking a glass of Damon's favorite bourbon. "Are you going to say something or are you just going to stare?" He questioned before turning to face his older brother.

"Where have you been for the past month?" Damon asked, walking into the living-room.

"A couple different places," Stefan replied. "Did some traveling. I just needed some space." He didn't have to specify. Damon knew he had needed some space from he and Elena.

"Well, I'm glad to have you back, brother."

"I don't know how long I'm staying," Stefan revealed. "I came back to make sure you weren't causing any trouble or about to get yourself killed."

"Me? I'm the good guy now, Stefan."

Stefan didn't laugh at his joke. "What's going on with Jeremy and Bonnie?" He questioned. "Are they still together?"

"Far as I know," Damon replied as he settled onto the couch. "Why?"

"It's just that...it's probably nothing..."

"What is it?"

"The other night when I ran into Bonnie and that guy Julius," Stefan began uncertainly. "They seemed really friendly."

"Yeah, remember I told you they're like best friends now," Damon said, irritation clear in his tone. "For some annoying reason."

"I must be mistaken then."

"If you have something to say, Stefan, spit it the hell out!"

"Bonnie made sure to tell me that she and him were just friends," Stefan revealed. "But when I arrived...I'm pretty sure I saw them kissing."

Damon's blue eyes narrowed and he immediately felt anger rising within him. "That witchy little liar."

Bonnie was at Mystic Park, standing near the woods, deep in thought. She heard the soft whoosh behind her and knew that he had arrived, but she didn't turn around. Instead, she took a deep breath then headed off. Not a word was spoken as she trekked deeper into the woods, weaving through the trees with a sense of familiarity, and he followed behind her. They soon came upon a small clearing, and she finally turned and met his smoldering hazel orbs with her innocent green eyes. He stood nearly seven feet away from her and didn't make a move to get closer.

"Why am I here, Bonnie?" He asked.

Bonnie felt her nerves tingling. This was odd to her, since she'd been around him plenty more times than she'd wanted over the past two and a half weeks, but now he was invoking a feeling in her aside from annoyance. She wasn't sure how to answer his question or exactly what it was she wanted. "Why did you kiss me?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, then gave her a full once-over. "You may be confused about how you feel, but I'm not confused," he stated. "I like you, Bonnie. I knew I liked you from the moment you gave me that first aneurysm behind Mystic Grill."

"That's...weird."

"I'm not a normal guy," he replied, humorously. "You told me to take my car and go, then you send me a witchy message to meet you. What's going on?"

"Jeremy and I broke up," Bonnie revealed.

"Okay."

"It wasn't because of you," she said quickly.

"I didn't think it was."

"My life has been such a mess," Bonnie said with a sigh. "My friends are always in danger and I always have to risk myself to save them, my parents are never around, my Grams, who was the only mother figure I've ever had, is dead, I haven't been a priority in my boyfriend's life for months, and sometimes I just feel alone. The other night with you, at my house, that was different for me. You seemed really interested in getting to know me, and you made me laugh and you were charming. You showed me a different side to you that night. That person is someone I would like to know, that person is someone I could be friends with, vampire or not."

Julius was silent for a moment as he contemplated her. His face remained passive and she couldn't tell what he was thinking. Finally, he responded. "I was a good guy before I was turned," he said. "Being around you brought that out of me. There hasn't been anyone for years that I could be that guy again with. I've done some bad things, Bonnie."

"We all have, Julius."

"You don't understand," he said with a head shake. "As much as I have tried to redeem myself, I can't, so I've stopped trying."

"You are a good guy," Bonnie argued. "That smug, arrogant asshole you like to portray is a facade. I can see through it now. Just let it go, Julius. Be who you are. You can be that guy with me. I want to be your friend. I want to help you, but you've got to let me in."

He was suddenly directly in front of her, looking down at her intensely. Bonnie's heart skipped a beat, and she was sure he heard it. "You are the most amazing girl I've ever met," he confessed. "Amazing and beautiful, but so complicated. You told me you wanted me out of your life, that how Jeremy felt about me was more important than how you felt about me. Even with that knowledge, I had to kiss you. I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't. I was halfway out of Mystic Falls when you contacted me. I know I should leave you alone because I don't deserve to have someone as amazing as you like me, in any way. But the moment I got that message on my windshield, I didn't give coming back a second thought. There was no way I couldn't see you again, knowing that you wanted to see me. I haven't had any real friends for awhile, but I'll take you anyway you'll have me. If friends is really all you want to be." He angled his head down closer to her.

"Julius..."

"Bonnie..."

"What about Valerie?"

This gave him pause, but only for a second. "My love for Valerie is completely different than anything I feel for you. Trust me." His lips were on hers. Her heart started racing, and her mind was screaming to stop it, but it felt so perfect. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he began kissing her with more fervor.

She pulled out of the kiss. "Julius..." she breathed, but she didn't move away from him.

He didn't respond this time, just started kissing her again. She pulled her body closer to his and his hands gripped her waist. They stepped back as their lips went at each other fervently until her back was against the tree. He brought his hands underneath her bottom and slightly lifted her up, causing her to let out a soft cry. His lips traveled from her mouth down to her neck. She closed her eyes and basked in his passion for a moment before once again her mind was telling her this wasn't right. Think of Jeremy. You just broke up with him. This isn't right!

"Stop! We have to stop!" She suddenly cried.

He slowly lifted his lips from her neck and looked into her eyes, his face still only an inch from hers. He opened his mouth to respond than his head snapped to the right with only the speed a vampire possessed.

"What's wrong?" Bonnie questioned, curiously.

"Sshh," he said, softly then released her. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

His head snapped to the left this time and his brow furrowed as he concentrated hard. It slightly reminded Bonnie of the way Stefan looked whenever he was in serious vamp-hearing mode. "Somebody's out here with us," he said, quietly. "They're watching. It's her people."

Bonnie was utterly confused. "Who's people? What are you talking about?"

"We have to get out of here. Now." He suddenly grabbed her and lifted her up, then sped her out of there.

Julius pulled to a stop in front of Bonnie's house in his infamous Mercedes Benz a short time later. Most of the ride had been silent. Bonnie wanted to question him about what had transpired, but he'd shut down as he was prone to doing. She wasn't going to get any information out of him just yet and she knew it.

"Thank you for meeting me," Bonnie said softly.

"Did you really think I wouldn't?" he asked. He pulled his cell out of his jacket pocket and held it out to her. "I know every spell takes a little out of a witch. I think it would be easier to communicate like normal people if we have something to say to each other. Even if we aren't normal people." Bonnie gave a half smile and took the phone. She quickly entered her number, then looked out the window.

"That's weird," she said.

"What?"

"I turned all the lights off before I left but the living-room and the kitchen lights are on." She opened the door and quickly climbed out of the car. Before she could take a step Julius was out of the car and standing in front of her, facing the house.

"I can check it out," he offered.

"That's okay. I can handle myself, Julius."

He looked back at her with a smirk. "I think I know that better than anyone." He vamp-sped onto the porch and Bonnie scurried up the steps after him. He was concentrating hard on the sounds coming from within the house. "There's someone inside. Stay behind me."

Bonnie nodded then the door to the house opened slowly and soundlessly. "I'm still not used to that," he muttered and Bonnie smiled to herself. Julius stepped inside slowly, Bonnie close behind him. They walked down the hall and peeked into the living-room which was empty. Then there was a loud rustling on the second floor.

"Bonnie?" Called a deep, male voice from upstairs. Bonnie's eyes widened to the size of saucers and she quickly pulled Julius back.

"Who is that?" He mouthed.

"It's my father!" She hissed, frantically motioning for him to get out as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "You have to get out!"

"Bonnie! There you are." Her father, Rudy Hopkins, strolled into the room. Bonnie looked back and her heart slowed at seeing that Julius was no longer behind her. "Where have you been?"

"I was out with friends," she said, trying her best to sound casual and not like she'd just been on the brink of a heart attack. "What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you for another two weeks."

"I finished my project in Nevada early." he said with a shrug. "And I just missed my daughter so much." Bonnie smirked at this untruth. Not that she thought he didn't miss her at all, but he never missed her enough to leave work behind. There was obviously something calling him back to his home office early and he was conveniently leaving that out. He walked past her and grabbed a piece of his luggage from the floor.

"So, do you always stay out this late?" He questioned in the fatherly tone she'd always found annoying.

"No, but it is a Friday night," she said, pointedly. "In the summer."

"Were you with Jeremy?"

"No."

He looked down at what she was holding. "New phone? It looks expensive."

It wasn't until that moment that Bonnie realized she still had Julius' iPhone in her hand. "Oh..."

"Gift from Jeremy?"

"Um..." Before she could come up with a coherent response he was moving past her toward the stairs, his bag slung over his shoulder.

"I'm hitting the sack," he said. "I have an engagement in the morning."

"You mean work?" Bonnie challenged, crossing her arms. Her father paused and looked back at her. She was wearing the look she always wore when she was ready to go head to head with him. He was too jetlagged to deal with it tonight.

Have a good night, Bonnie." And he disappeared up the stairs.

Bonnie sighed then traipsed up the stairs herself. She went into her bedroom, closing the door behind her and leaning on it. She looked down at the phone in her hand and Damon's message came into her mind again. Maybe you can get an answer to what I found. HINT: Check Gallery. She found herself pacing as she debated with herself. She knew it was wrong to snoop, but she had just experienced the hottest make-out session of her life. Now Julius was nowhere to be found, and she couldn't help feeling that if there was some dark secret he was holding she needed to know before she got further involved with him. She hit the power button on his iPhone and the screen lit up. She was surprised it wasn't locked. She took a deep breath then let her curiosity get the best of her.

Five Years Earlier...

Julius stood in front of the two story townhouse while being plagued by a grip of memories. He'd told Victoria he was just going for a ride, but an hour later he found himself in front of his old home and he didn't know how he had gotten there. He hadn't been able to get April out of his head since rediscovering her photo in his drawer.

Getting the townhouse together was their first step to bringing their relationship to another level and their first time living together or with any partner ever. The house held a lot of loving memories for the two of them, and Julius had left it suddenly in the middle of the night. April had awoken the morning to find all his stuff gone and nothing but a letter saying he'd fallen for someone else and they could no longer be together. Julius hadn't stuck around to witness the heartbreak and devastation he'd caused her. He'd sworn to his vampire lover, Victoria, who had stolen him away from this sweet girl, that he'd never seek her out again. He'd upheld that promise until this day.

Victoria would surely have his head if she knew he was there, so he sighed and turned from the house and headed back toward his car. He stopped at the sound of the front door opening and an airy voice calling out after him. "Jonathan?"

He hadn't been called by that name in over a year and the familiar voice saying it caused his heart to skip. He slowly turned around, knowing he'd been caught red-handed creeping. He faced his former love, and the sight of her nearly took his breath away. She was staring at him, her brown eyes narrowed. She wore a expression mixed of disbelief and anger. She looked pretty much the same to Julius. Her long, brown hair was flat-ironed straight and flowed down her back and her caramel skin was as pretty and flawless as ever. She looked like she'd gained a few pounds but it looked good on her and she was filling out her jeans well.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The anger was clear in her voice as she threw the question at him.

He struggled for a moment to come up with a decent answer. "April...I..."

"How dare you show up here after what you did to me," she hissed.

"I know, I'm an idiot," Julius admitted. He started to approach her, pleading in his eyes. "You have every right to be angry at me, April. I'm so sorry for hurting you and for leaving the way I did. You didn't deserve that."

April glared down at him, looking like she wanted to spit. "Did you come here after a year to tell me this."

"You were the love of my life," he said with a shrug. "I can't help but miss you."

She raised her chin. "You know, I thought over and over about what I would do if I ever saw you again. I thought I might scream, cry, or maybe not even acknowledge your presence." Julius looked down shamefully. "Come in." He looked back up in surprise. She opened the door wider and walked back into the house, calling back, "Close the door after you!"

A minute later Julius was sitting in the armchair in the living-room. April still owned a lot of the furniture they'd purchased together but the armchair he used to frequent was gone. He looked around the room. All photos of the two of them had been removed from the walls. He couldn't say he was surprised.

She settled onto the couch and looked at him a moment before speaking. "I wished I could forget everything," she informed him. "I wished I could forget our relationship, how it ended, I wish I could forget ever loving you. I was broken for months after you left, Jonathan, and as soon as I start to finally heal, you show up."

"I wasn't going to bother you, I just..."

"You just what?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "I was being stupid. Again. I never deserved you, April. You're a wonderful woman, you deserve so much better than me."

"That's what's confusing to me," April said. "You were a wonderful man, we were wonderful together. Everything was going great when you left. I even thought you might propose to me. That night on the bridge...I just don't get it. Why, Jonathan?" He could do nothing but hang his head in shame. If he'd had a choice, he wouldn't have left her, especially in that manner. But love at first sight and a vampire's compulsion had changed the game completely. "This woman you fell for? Who was she? How long were you cheating on me?"

"I didn't cheat on you," Julius said quickly, his head snapping up.

"You obviously were," she debated. "You didn't leave me for someone you just met." He said nothing. "Six years of loving you unconditionally, and I never even got any closure. You disappeared at the worst possible time, Jonathan." He looked at her curiously. She sighed and stood up. "I was prepared for you to never know and handle everything on my own, but I guess you're here for a reason. I'll be right back." She disappeared from the room and Julius waited with bated breath, wondering just what the hell he'd been thinking coming here.

A few minutes later April re-entered the room, carrying a bundle in her arms. Julius stood and she walked over to him. The sound of a baby's gurgling emitted from the blankets. "Isn't she beautiful?" April asked. She moved the blanket and a small pair of hazel eyes peered up at him.

Julius had four pictures stored in his phone. Two were of a beautiful baby girl, with long blonde-brown curls, a pretty complexion, and the most adorable smile. Bonnie studied the picture, her brow furrowed as she couldn't fail to notice the little girl's resemblance to Julius.

"Find anything interesting?" The voice came from behind Bonnie. Her breath caught in her throat and she turned to see him, standing in the middle of her bedroom, a blank expression on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Julius," Bonnie said with a head shake, then held up the phone. "I have to ask. Who is this little girl?"

She could see his jaw clench. He had been nowhere near ready to share this information, yet she was forcing him to. "She's my daughter," he revealed. "Her name is Valerie."