A/N: Yes, I finally got a chance to update! I know, it's waaay overdue. It's another long one. I realized I listed this as a romantic drama but it's been severely lacking any romance so I'm going to try to remedy that with these next couple chapters. There is some action and major drama coming up but it's not all bad. Hope you all enjoy!

Song: A Little Death by The Neighbourhood

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs.

12 - A Little Death

Four Years Earlier...

Bryan did nothing but roll his eyes as Chris underwent a complete panic attack. His hands were shaking uncontrollably as he stared wide-eyed at the blood on them. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he pawed at the blood stained on his shirt and his jeans. "What the fuck did I do?!" He cried. "Why the fuck did I do that?! Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"Dude, relax, he's not really dead," Bryan reminded him, calmly.

Chris looked at him like he was insane for remaining so nonchalant about the situation. "Why did I have to shoot him?" He asked. "Why would she make me do this?"

"You love her, don't you?"

"Yes."

"You want to make her happy, right?"

"Yes," Chris replied. "Is this the kind of shit that makes her happy?"

The backdoor of the truck they were sitting in opened and Victoria poked her head in. "Everything okay in here?" She inquired.

"He's freaking out," Bryan explained, nonchalantly. Victoria took in Chris with his red eyes, blood-stained clothing, and horrified expression. He'd been calm when she talked to him on the phone ten minutes ago, then the realization of what he'd just done hit him and he was on full freak-out mode.

Victoria slid onto the seat beside Chris and grabbed him by the face so he would look into her eyes. "You will forget everything that happened here today," she said, her gray eyes dilating. "You will forget everything I told you about my plan to make Julius a vampire. All you'll remember is how much you love me and that I may come back for you. Until that day, live your life. Work, go back to school, date, do whatever you want to do, but hold onto the possibility that we could one day be together." She released him and the young man instantly calmed. Of course, she had no plans to actually be with Chris as long as she had Julius, but she could use him to carry through future plans if need be. She turned to Bryan who was in the driver's seat. "Is he still trapped inside?"

"He is," Bryan said, proudly.

"Undo it, I'm going in," she announced. "Then get Chris out of here. I'll call you when we're ready to hit the road." Bryan assented to her plan and she climbed out of the car. Akira and Anton had arrived in their vehicle, awaiting instruction. Victoria gave them a nod, then purposefully strode into April's house.

She instantly heard the sound of sobbing. There was a pool of blood right by the front door, and spatters of it leading into the next room. She followed the sound of crying into the kitchen. Julius was on the floor, cradling April's body. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," he was sobbing into her hair. Victoria was taken aback by the sight of him. It was even more pitiful than she'd expected.

"Julius..."

He looked up at her, his eyes completely clouded with tears. "I'm so sorry," he said to her. He wanted to hate Victoria. As the memory of the night he was going to propose to April came back to him, and Victoria compelling him out of it, he wanted to hate her. She was essentially the reason all of this had happened, but he could only hate himself. He had made the choice to re-enter April's life, knowing the danger it could bring her. He was the one who'd drained the life out of her. no one else. And Victoria was the only one who could help him deal with this situation, and the only who could help him get through the next phase of his existence. He couldn't hate her. He needed her.

"What did you do?" She asked, feigning shock.

"I didn't mean to." He continued to hold onto April for dear life, wishing, praying for some kind of miracle that she would open her eyes. Yet, Her heart remained still and she was growing colder by the minute. "I didn't mean to kill her. I don't know how this happened. I don't know why." Victoria cleared the room and kneeled down in front of him, wrapping him in her arms, "She's dead!" he cried into her bosom. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. This had been what she wanted. To make him suffer emotionally, to reduce him to a whimpering, sniveling man-child, and to make him regret ever being disloyal to her as he pleaded for her forgiveness. But to actually see him like this, all traces of his confidence, sexiness, everything that made him Julius wiped away, it hurt her because damn it to all hell she still loved the dummy.

"Sshh, we're going to take care of this," she told him. He moved out of her arms and looked at her.

"How did you know I was here?" He asked.

"I had Bryan do a locator spell," she lied. "I was so worried when I got home and you weren't there. I thought you may have run off on me, then I saw you hadn't packed anything, and when you weren't answering your phone I got worried. Now, I see why you were so against leaving town."

"I'm sorry I've been lying to you," he said. "I didn't want to upset you and I was stupid."

"You were stupid, Julius."

"I need you right now, Victoria," he told her. "Please forgive me. I learned my lesson. I'll never lie to you again. I don't want to be a vampire, I can't be a vampire. I need you, Vic."

Victoria placed a hand on his shoulder. "I need you to let her go," she stated. He didn't make a move. "Let her go, Julius. She's already gone and there's nothing we can do. Akira and Anton came with me. I'll have them take care of the body and all evidence of anything happening here." She stood up and flashed over to the front door. Not even five seconds after she opened it, Anton and Akira were in the house.

Julius felt a panic as Anton forcibly took April's body out of his arms. "Where are you taking her?" He demanded to know as he stood to his feet and watched Anton carry her toward the back door.

"That's not for you to worry about," Victoria told him firmly. Akira disappeared up the stairs. Vic grabbed him by the hand. "Let's go." She tried to tug him away but he stilled

"My daughter," he said. Victoria looked back at him with a fire in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't leave her here all alone. She's just a baby."

Victoria stepped close to him and placed her hand on the side of his face. "My Julius," she said, her tone soft but with an underlying menace. "My foolish, sneaky Julius. You will never lie to me or deceive me again, will you?"

"Never," he swore.

"Victoria!" Akira called from the top of the stairs. "What are we doing with the little one?"

"Do you know of anyone that can take care of her?" Victoria asked Julius.

He nodded. "My great-aunt. I've only spoken to her twice in the last two years just to ensure her I was still alive, but the last time we spoke she was still just as healthy as she was when my sister and I lived with her."

"Good," Victoria said. "We're going to take the girl to her. I'll give you a chance to say goodbye, then I'll tell your aunt that April is dead, compel her to believe you are too and into wanting to raise the girl herself. Then we're going back to the house to get our stuff, and we're getting the hell out of here. She's out of your life forever, she has to be. You're a vampire now, Julius. Nothing will ever be the same."

Chris Hendrick descended the steps to the basement of the large blue house located on 124 Cedar Drive. Less than two months he and his supernatural coven had resided there and it'd become the home to a hostage situation twice over. He hated that his life had become this, but knew it would all be worth it when Victoria turned him and they ran off together. She may not have ever expressed it vocally, but Chris knew deep down she loved him the way he loved her,

He peered into the room where the young vampire was being kept. He was tied to a chair and still appeared to be unconscious. Chris was going to have to keep him vervained and weak until Victoria returned. Chris was just a human and Raven, the vampire who had sneak attacked Julius when he'd arrived, was very recently turned and would be no match for Julius if he got loose.

Chris was hoping Victoria would either kill him or release him for good. He was the one thing standing in between his eternity with Victoria. Despite her unspoken feelings for Chris, Julius clearly still had a hold on her heart. She was hellbent on getting revenge for him leaving her, but Chris was sure if Julius told Victoria he wanted to be with her again, she'd drop him like a hot potato. He needed this guy and his daughter out of the picture.

Chris entered the room and slowly approached him, vervain needle in hand. He kneeled down in front of Julius and studied him. What did Victoria see in him? What was it about him that made her so crazy? Yes, he was tall and obviously good-looking, and he dressed like he got paid to look good, but what else did he have to offer? Did he have the heart Chris had? Was he willing to bend over backward and do whatever it took to make Victoria happy like Chris was? Chris had no real purpose until she came into his life and he couldn't thank her enough for making him feel like someone who mattered. She'd given Julius the same courtesy, he was lucky enough to gain her love, and he thanked her by leaving her with a broken heart and no explanation. Chris had studied his picture that Victoria kept, waiting for the day he would come face to face with this asshole.

His grip tightened around the needle and he leaned in close to Julius. "I hope she decides to kill you," he hissed then lifted his arm to stick it in his neck. Julius' eyes snapped open and before Chris could register what was happening, Julius reared his head back before throwing it forward with a vengeance, smashing his forehead into his face. Dropping the needle, Chris fell back and hit the floor, blood gushing from his nose. It felt like an asteroid had just landed on his face and he was surprised his head hadn't caved in. He lay on the floor, fighting off unconsciousness, and could faintly hear a banging sound. Eventually, it sounded like the wooden chair Julius was tied to fell apart, then a moment later he was being pulled to his feet and shoved against the wall.

"I should kill you, you son of a bitch!" Julius growled in his face. "You killed me!" He gripped him by his throat. "Victoria orchestrated that whole thing didn't she?! I got hurt so she could feed me her blood, then she had you kill me, and she trapped me in the house so I'd feed on April. Right?!"

"I don't...know...what you're talking about!" Chris wheezed.

"You're either lying or compelled," Julius concluded. He squeezed Chris' throat tighter, lifting him off the ground and completely cutting off his air. "I don't think I care either way." Chris eyes widened in panic as he struggled to breathe and found he couldn't. Julius' eyes burned with pure hatred and anger. "I killed my girl, I could've killed my daughter, I lost everything, and I spent years loving a woman who had everything to do with it. And you were a part of it. You shot me in front of April and now she's dead. That's something I have to live with every single day. Do you get that?" Chris sputtered and choked but he could not provide a valid response.

Julius was two seconds from snapping his neck when a soft voice came into his head. I don't want you to harm any humans. Dammit, Bonnie, he thought to himself as he dropped the mortal to the floor. His eyes dilated as he asked Chris, "Where is Valerie?"

"Second floor...down the hall...last room on the left."

Julius nodded and stood to his full height. "Just to let you know, you've been touched by an angel," he told him. The last thing Chris saw was the bottom of Julius' boot before everything went black.

Bonnie was thinking of a thousand different ways she'd like to kill Victoria as she and Damon were roughly escorted to the sleek black Lexus with windows tinted way beyond the legal limit. Poison, beheading, heart extraction, staking, by fire all seemed too kind for her. A woman so cruel she was willing to kidnap, murder, and torture for the love of a man she didn't deserve in the first place should suffer, in Bonnie's opinion.

"I told you not to touch me," Bonnie snapped again, pushing Victoria off, unintentionally sparking her magic and sending her flying back further than she intended. She quickly found herself being thrown against the car so hard and fast she experienced whiplash, then a manicured hand grabbed her by the throat, nearly lifting her off the ground.

"Let's be clear. You are not running the show, you little bitch," Victoria hissed in her face. "Piss me off and I'll rip out your -" A dark figure whipped by them so fast it caused a wind to pick up around them, and the whooshing sound interrupted Victoria's colorful threat.

"Who the fuck was that?" Akira asked aloud. Her accented voice was a lot softer and girlier than Bonnie expected. A vervained Damon, whom she'd resorted to dragging to the car by his feet, was unconscious and unaware of anything. Another figure sped by behind Akira, who whirled around to see nothing but the trees.

Victoria huffed. "I am really not in the mood to be fucked with," she snarled, dropping Bonnie.

A whistle sounded from the air. "Woohoo, over here!" Bonnie recognized Stefan's voice.

"No! Over here!" Caroline's airy voice sounded from the other direction.

"You tell your baby vampire friends if they want you to live, they'll drop whatever annoying plan they have right now," Victoria said to Bonnie.

"Aw, but the party is just getting started," came Caroline in her teasing tone. Bonnie had no idea where she and Stefan were hidden but her heart was beating a mile a minute. Elena still lay unmoving in the middle of the yard, Damon was still out of commission, and Bonnie felt it safe to assume that the two "baby vampires" were pissed off about the situation. Bonnie's suspicion was confirmed when a ball of blonde fire seemingly dropped from the sky and landed on Victoria. Caroline pinned her down and narrowed her pretty cerulean eyes at the elder. "So glad you could make it," she teased.

A fully vamped Victoria hissed angrily, as did Caroline. Akira rushed the pair and flung Caroline off of Victoria. Stefan zoomed in and shoved Akira, causing her to fly into the nearest tree so hard she indented it. Victoria was already back on her feet and Bonnie took advantage of her focus on Stefan.

"Malisima!" Bonnie cried out and Victoria went careening through the air. She landed at an awkward angle and heard a deafening crack. She cried out in pain as another of her bones broke in half and Bonnie looked upon her with murder in her eyes. The weather had fiercely changed around them due to Bonnie channeling so much power to take down an ancient immortal. A raging wind howled around them, whipping the trees around, and pushing against everyone on ground. Akira tried to rush at Bonnie to stop her but Stefan intervened. At least he tried to, but she dropped him with ease but was caught off guard by Caroline attacking her. A struggled ensued between the three of them, but Caroline and Stefan were able to overpower her.

A murderous laugh escaped Victoria as she sat up. "You are so stupid," she directed at Bonnie.

"Masoma!" Bonnie cried and another of Victoria's thick bones cracked. She cursed then laughed again.

"This could've been so easy," she taunted the witch. Bonnie's eyes widened as she slowly started to get up. "I'm 300 years old, girl. It's going to take a lot more than that to keep me down." She started to advance toward her.

"Motis!" Bonnie screamed throwing her hands up in a pushing motion toward the vampire. Victoria felt her entire chest cave in and she howled and flew back before hitting the ground hard. At that moment, Akira reared her head back and smashed it into Caroline's face, instantly breaking the blonde's nose. Caroline staggered back and Akira kneed Stefan with enough force to make him drop. Bonnie was so focused on permanently removing Victoria as a threat she didn't see the second threat sneaking up behind her.

"Bonnie!" Stefan, clutching his stomach, managed to wheeze as Akira made a grab for her. Bonnie cried out as Akira's fangs stabbed through her neck and she attempted to drink away her essence. Bonnie quickly got it together and Akira felt an explosion in her brain. She released Bonnie and screamed furiously as she felt her brain cells popping one by one. Caroline and Stefan grabbed her by both arms and brought her down to her knees.

"Finish her, Bonnie!" Stefan growled. Bonnie intended to do just that.

"Stop!" Victoria bellowed. Everyone snapped their heads in her direction, and hearts dropped. Victoria held onto a newly woken and terrified Elena. "Let her go, or I'll kill this one." Caroline, Bonnie, and Stefan all exchanged looks. They were practically reading each other's minds. If they let Akira go, she and Victoria would continue to wreak havoc on their lives, and would surely seek out revenge by way of death. They could kill Akira, but Victoria would surely kill Elena and they couldn't take that chance.

"You have five seconds to release her before I take Elena's head off," Victoria warned. "1...2..." Bonnie's heart broke at the tears pooling in Elena's pretty brown eyes. Her friend knew either way this went, they were fucked.

"Okay!" Bonnie cried. "We'll let her go." She looked to Caroline and Stefan and gave a nod. They released her and Akira stood to her feet with a smirk.

"Wise choice," she stated.

"Not so fast," a voice said from behind them. There was a blur then a loud crack. Akira gasped and her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Damon Salvatore stood behind her, his hand buried through her back and wrapped around her heart. "You hurt Elena again I won't hesitate to take her heart out," Damon sneered at Victoria. Bonnie fought the urge to clap and cheer. Of course he would find the strength to rouse when it counted the most, he was famous for it. He was still severely weakened by the vervain, but not so weak he couldn't extract a heart or two.

"Fuck!" Victoria shouted in rage. "All of you have been nothing but pains in my ass for no reason! If you would've just given up the witch we wouldn't be having these problems!"

"That's not how it works with us," Damon informed her. "To take one, you have to take us all. Now, you have five seconds to let Elena go. One..." Victoria didn't budge, just continued to glare at him with her piercing gray eyes. "Two..."

"Fuck you!" Victoria spat.

"Three!" Damon counted in a louder tone. Bonnie's eyes narrowed at Victoria. Was she seriously going to let her friend, her companion, her family die?

"Victoria!" Akira cried in a panic. "Please...

"Four."

Victoria let out a cry of rage and shoved Elena away so hard it pitched her forward four feet before she toppled onto the ground. Damon pulled his hand out of Akira's chest cavity and she fell over herself. Simultaneously, she and Elena collected themselves and sped to their loved ones. Elena ran straight into Damon's arms.

"I'm going to kill every single one of you," Victoria promised. She grabbed Akira by the arm and the two ghosted away with lightning speed, leaving an almost eerie calm behind them.

Julius crept through the upper floor of the house noiselessly. Luckily, there had been no one in sight on the first floor, so he made it to the second with ease. As he made his way down the hall, he could hear Bryan's voice coming from behind one of the bedroom doors. At the mention of "the witch" he stopped to listen.

"Her and her friends are really starting to get under my skin," he was saying. It was obvious he was on the phone. "It doesn't matter, Vic, the spell is still in place. No one can take Valerie out of the house but me, you, and Chris. Yeah, he just went down to give him more vervain a couple minutes ago." It sounded like Bryan was moving toward the door so Julius quickly moved away. Of course the bastards used magic to prevent Julius from taking Valerie out of the house. That bitch Victoria was always thinking six steps ahead.

He stood in front of the last room on the left. There was no noise coming from within. He placed his hand on the knob and slowly turned it. His heart skipped when he found it was unlocked. He silently opened the door, did a quick sweep and saw no one standing guard, just a small figure lying in the bed that was pushed in the corner. He quickly slipped into the room and closed the door behind him.

The room was draped in darkness but Julius could see clearly with his vampire vision. The covers rose and fell as the sleeping form beneath them breathed. He approached the bed and for the first time in four years, his eyes fell upon his daughter.

He nearly stopped breathing at the sight of her. Her eyes were shut tight as she slept peacefully. She appeared completely healthy and unharmed. She lay on her back but her head was facing the wall, away from Julius. Her sandy brown hair had grown exponentially since the last time he'd seen her, and fell in ringlets over her shoulders. She had her mother's caramel complexion, and April was all he saw when he looked at her. He kneeled beside her bed, admiring how beautiful she was, and took one of her tiny, incredibly soft hands in his.

"I've missed you so much, Valeria Rochelle Taylor," he whispered. A noise right outside of the door interrupted the moment.

When Raven entered Valerie's room, she saw the little girl was still slumbering away as she had been when she last checked on her an hour ago. The smell of her blood filled her nostrils and she stepped further into the room. Seeing as she was still a brand new vampire, she didn't have a total grip on her thirst for human blood, and Bryan had done a spell preventing her from physically touching the child to prevent any accidents. Raven was unaware there was a vampire just behind the door, watching her intently. She turned to exit the room at the sudden sound of shouting coming from below, but was blocked by a much bigger, madder vampire. Before she could shout her neck was snapped.

Julius caught her before she hit the ground and dragged her out into the hall. He moved quickly at the sound of footsteps hurrying up the stairs. He figured a knocked-out Chris and his absence from the basement had been discovered. Leaving a temporarily dead Raven outside of the door, Julius went back into Valerie's room, shutting the door. He opened the window beside her bed, then looked back down at her. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"Daddy's coming back for you," he promised.

The child stirred and when she opened her hazel eyes she was greeted by nothing but an empty room and a soft breeze coming through the open window. Just below her father hit the ground running, and disappeared into the night.

"We have to go to North Carolina!" Bonnie exclaimed, no question in her voice. Damon looked at the witch like she was growing a second head.

"What the hell for?"

"To get Julius," she said, looking around Matt Donovan's living-room at Damon, Stefan, Caroline, and Elena. They didn't feel comfortable convening at the boardinghouse as they could be sitting ducks there if Victoria and Akira hadn't really left. "She's even angrier now and she may take it out on him. We have to go."

"She won't kill him," Stefan stated confidently. "If she does she'll lose her leverage over you."

"She could act out of rage," Bonnie debated. "And even if she didn't kill him, that doesn't mean she won't hurt him. I can kill her. I'm stronger than ever with Bryan's power. I saw the look in her eyes tonight. For a split second she was afraid. She knew I could kill her."

"We can't just go to North Carolina," Damon spoke up. "We have no idea how many people she has on her side. We could be completely outnumbered. You can't kill them all, Bonnie."

"Then we'll come up with a plan on the way there," she said. "Think of a way to sneak past them, get Julius out, and get to Victoria so I can kill her. A sneak attack could be a better option than just storming the castle, but we have to move quickly." The room remained quiet. Everyone looked at Bonnie with a mixture of worried and unwilling expressions. "What?!"

"Bonnie, we know you care about Julius and you want to save him," Caroline said, stepping forward toward her friend. "And we would all like to help, me especially, but we've just had a trying night. Elena almost died. Is it really the smartest thing to go running headfirst into another battle. Victoria seems smart. Even if we tried to sneak her, she'd probably have all her bases covered in case of that possibility."

"AKA why should we all risk our lives trying to rescue a guy no one gives a fuck about but you!" Damon declared loudly.

"Damon," Elena said in a harsh whisper.

"It's true!" He threw back and glared at the witch. "I refuse to put my girl back in danger to help this guy. It's not happening."

Bonnie nodded. "You're right," she said. "It's not fair of me to ask any of you to risk your lives for someone who is virtually a stranger to you. Regardless, I'm going."

"Like hell you are!"

"That's not an option."

Both of the Salvatores had spoken simultaneously. Damon already looked ready to snatch Bonnie up if she made a single move toward the door. "I'll be fine," Bonnie said with a roll of her eyes. "I can do a cloaking spell, get Julius, and get out."

"It's not happening," Damon replied, simply.

"It's not up to you!" Bonnie cried. He was suddenly right in front of her.

"Why are you so determined to go on this suicide mission?" He asked her, his cerulean eyes narrowed at her.

"It's not suicide," she argued. "Why are you so determined to stop me from saving him. You were never this determined when it was Elena I had to save."

"That's different!" Damon cried in frustration. "You've known Elena your whole life. You love her!"

"Yeah, exactly!" Bonnie exclaimed then sucked in a breath when she realized what she'd just said. Damon stiffened and Stefan furrowed his brow. Elena and Caroline exchanged a knowing look. "Look, what if you were in my shoes and it was someone you cared about out there. What if it was Alaric? Wouldn't you do this for him?" Damon said nothing, just continued to bore his eyes into hers.

"Why don't you sleep on it?" Caroline suggested, placing a comforting hand on Bonnie's arm. She broke her intense stare down with Damon. "If you still feel it's a good idea to go in the morning, then I'll go with you."

"It'll be just as stupid an idea in the morning," Damon sniped.

"But's its her decision," Caroline said, firmly. "And there's no way in hell I'm letting her go alone."

"If you still want to do this tomorrow then I'll go too," Stefan gave in. He looked to a visibly fuming Damon. "It's better to get rid of the threat as soon as possible, then we can all sleep better at night."

Damon looked back down at Bonnie. "I'll go, but as soon as we're out of there," he started to say then corrected himself, "if we get out of there, you better keep your boyfriend as far away from me as possible. I could kill him myself for everything we're dealing with."

"Fair enough," Bonnie said.

The conversation ended and everyone got ready to sleep. Once again, the girls were on the couch, and the men took to the floor. Soon, Bonnie found that maybe sleeping on it wasn't a good idea, because she could hardly sleep. Her mind kept wandering to Julius and what they could possibly be doing to him. The thought of him being harmed kept her up and bothered her way more than she ever expected. She had to eliminate Victoria. There was no way around it.

Halfway through the night Bonnie rose from the couch. She attempted to tiptoe around her friends as quietly as possible but a pale hand shot up from the floor and grabbed her by the ankle. "Don't even think about it, Witchy," a half-sleep Damon quipped.

"I was just going to the bathroom," she said in a whisper.

"Cool." He was on his feet in half a second. "I think I have to go too." Bonnie gave him an annoyed look as vampires had no use for the bathroom.

"I don't need a babysitter," she hissed.

"You need to be quiet and go before you wake someone."

Bonnie huffed and started away. Damon practically glued himself to her side. "You're being completely ridiculous," she complained as they headed down the hall to the nearest bathroom.

"I don't trust you, Judgy," Damon told her. "Not after that little stunt you pulled at our last slumber party. You've been moving around all night, bugging the hell out of me, and I know if it was up to you you'd already be halfway to North Carolina. Hurry up." They'd stopped in front of the bathroom at this point. Bonnie glared at Damon as she stepped inside and flicked on the light.

"Ok, I'm here, you can go back to bed now," Bonnie said, exasperated. "If I wanted to sneak out, I'd have to go past you, and it's impossible now that you're awake so no need to keep policing me."

"Fine."

Bonnie shut the door in his face and when she did her business and opened it again two and a half minutes later she was greeted by a pensive Damon, still lingering in the door frame. Bonnie jumped at the unexpected sight of him. "What the hell, I thought you were going back to bed," she huffed.

"You're not seriously in love with this guy, are you?" He asked, incredulously.

Bonnie exhaled. "You cannot be serious." She shook her head and moved past him.

"I mean, come on Bonnie," Damon continued as he fell into step beside her. "The dude is arrogant, he's a troublemaker, and he walks around like he's King Shit."

"Hmm, remind you of anyone?"

"He and I are nothing alike," Damon stated, firmly.

"You're right," she said, stopping her trek and facing him. "You came to Mystic Falls with the purpose of mentally torturing your brother, unleashing a tomb full of vengeful vampires on the town, and you murdered countless innocent people. Elena fell in love with you anyway. Julius came to Mystic Falls with a much more benevolent purpose and got a stake through the stomach, his neck snapped, vervained, and kidnapped. Twice!"

"True, but I don't have that annoying accent, so..." Damon smirked but Bonnie did not find him amusing. "You can do better than him, Judgy. He's already caused more complication in your life than I did in two years of knowing you, and I'm supposed to be the bad guy. And he's a father for fuck's sake!"

"How do you know that?" Bonnie demanded.

"What?"

"How do you know that he has a child?" she elaborated. The answer came to her quickly. Of course Elena couldn't keep from running her mouth to her boyfriend.

"Why is that something that needs to be kept from me?" He questioned. "I'm not going to go after anyone's kid."

"You hate Julius and he didn't trust you with that information," Bonnie informed him. "I thought I made that clear to Elena."

"Elena didn't tell me," he said.

"Then who did?"

"I told you I overheard you on the phone with him the other night and you had mentioned it," he reminded her. "I'm all for killing that bitch Victoria but the last thing you need to be worried about is being a stepmother. You're a witch, he's a vampire. There's no suburban house with the white picket fence in the future for you guys. He can't even give you children of your own. This guy is a world of problems you don't need, Bon Bon."

"Being friends with everyone in this house is a world of problems on it's own," Bonnie declared. "I don't expect marriage and a happily ever after with Julius. I'm sure Elena doesn't expect that with you, but she's more in love and happy than I've ever seen her. And if it was you in Julius' situation a year ago, Elena wouldn't hesitate to save you, even if she knew it was dangerous. Maybe he's not the one for me, but I won't ever know if I let him die." Bonnie took a moment to let her words sink in. "Good night, Damon."

She walked away from him and found her place back on the couch. She slid under the blanket Matt had provided her and closed her eyes. It took a few minutes but she heard Damon settle back onto his spot on the floor. Soon, Bonnie had drifted off to sleep, but Damon still lay on the ground, eyes wide open.

Stakes, crossbows, vervain bombs and more were stored in the trunk of Damon's car. Stefan and Caroline were at the Forbes' residence, grabbing some things she wanted to take along with her. Elena was at her house also getting ready and explaining the situation to Jeremy. Damon and Bonnie had just arrived at the boardinghouse so they could grab some things of their own.

"I still can't believe I agreed to this shit," Damon was mumbling as they entered his grandeur home.

"Just think of the satisfaction you'll feel when you get to watch the woman who tried to kill Elena die," Bonnie said as she headed down the hall.

"It won't be as satisfying as doing it myself," he said.

"We might have to fight over that privilege," Bonnie quipped. She bounded up the stairs to her room and Damon took the opportunity to grab a quick drink. They hadn't continued the conversation they'd had the night before, as both felt they said all they needed to say. Yet, Damon could not shake the growing feeling of irritation he had at Bonnie's feelings for Julius. Damon never quite understood what the witch saw in little Gilbert, but at least he was human. Bonnie had always held such disdain for vampires. What in the hell had Julius done to win her over in such a drastic way.

Damon was sipping a glass of bourbon when Bonnie came back down with a small bag packed with some of her things. "Hey, did you want to bring -" She started to say but Damon quickly ssh'ed her.

"One second," he said in a low tone as his ears picked up the sound of the front door opening. He put down the glass, bristling at the fact that another fight might be coming sooner than expected. Then a painfully familiar voice called out.

"Bonnie! Bonnie, are you here?"

Bonnie's jaw dropped. It couldn't be. It had to be too good to be true. A second later a tall, immortal, heartthrob stepped into the living-room. The sunlight pouring in from the open window hit him in a way that made him look like he was glowing, brightening his hazel eyes. The sight actually made Bonnie think she could be dreaming for a moment.

"Bonnie," he said, emotion creeping in his tone.

"Oh my God." The bag Bonnie was holding hit the floor with a loud thud. "Oh my God," she repeated, then she was moving. She cleared the room in three seconds flat and her feet left the ground as she threw herself into Julius' arms. He held onto her tightly as their lips met. The joy and excitement was overwhelming for them both as they kissed each other with everything they had.

It felt like an eternity to Damon who wanted to gag but did nothing but glare, annoyed, at the pair. "All right, we get it, you're happy to see each other!" He interrupted in an exasperated tone.

Bonnie pulled away but Julius didn't release his hold on her. She held his face in her hands and looked down at him with watery eyes. "I can't believe you're here," she gushed.

"I told you I'd come back for you," Julius replied with a smile.

"I knew you would." She planted another kiss on him then he placed her back on the ground. Bonnie moved in close to him and their fingers intertwined. Damon rolled his eyes, Since when had the witch become so intolerably mushy? He doubted she'd even fawned over Jeremy like this any of the million times she'd brought him back to life.

"Thank you for keeping her safe," Julius said to Damon.

"Please, I kept him safe," Bonnie scoffed.

"Thank you for fucking a jealous, psychotic ancient vampire who's now become a major pain in everyone's ass!" Damon threw at him. Julius nodded guiltily.

"I know, Victoria is a problem," he admitted. He looked to Bonnie. "I'm so sorry about everything."

"It's not your fault," Bonnie told him. "You didn't know the type of person she was when you fell for her."

"Funny, that sounds a lot like a warning I just gave a friend recently," Damon commented. Bonnie shot him a warning look and Julius narrowed his eyes at him.

"Victoria told us her people had you," Bonnie told Julius. "We were just about to go to North Carolina and get you."

"I wasn't going for you," Damon quickly clarified. "I was going to tear apart Fatal Attraction. She hurt my girl, she threatened my brother, and her little sidekick stuck me with vervain. That bitch needs to go to."

"Victoria and Akira are rarely without each other," Julius said. "It would probably be in our best interest to separate them before trying to kill them. It's obvious we hate each other, Damon, but we should work together on this." Damon narrowed his eyes but didn't respond. Julius sighed. "I'll give you time to think about it. I need Bonnie to come with me so we can talk."

"No," Damon stated, sharply.

"Damon..." Bonnie's rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Nothing's going to happen to her," Julius swore, irritated at Damon's negativity.

"Like I'm going to trust a damn thing you say," Damon snapped. "She doesn't need to be anywhere alone with you ever again."

Bonnie pulled her hand from Julius' and stepped in front of Damon. "Damon, once again, this is not up to you. I'm going, and I'll be fine."

"He could be leading you into a trap!" Damon suggested, his blue eyes wide as he looked at Bonnie. "What if Victoria still has him, and she told him he has to bring you to her if he wants his daughter back!"

"I would never do that!" Julius cried.

"Was I talking to you?" Damon hissed, stepping around Bonnie, looking ready to attack.

"Damon!" Bonnie cried, trying to tug him back by his arm. She was aware he would look for any little excuse to pummel Julius and she wasn't going to allow another fight to break out between them. "Just stop, okay! I'm not doing this with you two again! He's not leading me into a trap, but if it'll make you feel better I'll contact you. But I am going."

There was a pause as Damon looked from Julius to Bonnie twice over. "When this guy ends up screwing you over, don't come crying to me," he griped. Bonnie's face fell and Damon picked up his drink.

"Let's go, Bonnie," Julius said, holding his hand out to the witch. Bonnie turned and took hold of it.

"Australia," Damon called and Julius looked at him, "If you ever step into this house again without my permission, I'm taking your head off on sight."

Julius' face hardened but he felt Bonnie tugging at him and he started away with her, rather than respond to the elder vampire's threat. Damon downed the rest of his drink. "How does he know about Vee?" He heard Julius ask Bonnie softly.

"He overheard our phone conversation the other day," Bonnie explained as they opened the door. "Sorry about that." A moment later they were gone and Damon felt the overwhelming desire to get drunk.

A plate laden with fluffy pancakes, drowning in fresh maple syrup, paired with crispy bacon and scrambled eggs was placed in front Bonnie. Her eyes widened at the large amount of food but there was no denying how delicious it all looked.

"This sure beats the bowl of Cheerios I was going to have this morning," Bonnie observed as another plate of pancakes was placed in front of Julius.

"Thank you, Mrs. Flowers," he told the small, elderly lady with a charming smile.

"You are very welcome. Call me if you need anything." The owner of the small bed and breakfast responded.

"We won't be needed anything else," he stated. She bid them goodbye and disappeared from the room.

"She seems nice," Bonnie said as she picked up her fork.

"She is nice," Julius replied.

"She's compelled isn't she?" She asked, knowingly.

"Only to not allow anyone else to stay here while I'm here," he said. "And to give us privacy when I ask for it."

"So this is where you stay when you're in town," Bonnie said as she dug into the hearty breakfast. "Nice to know you weren't ever leaving me and going to some girl's house."

"Watch out, Bonnie. You're starting to sound like a jealous girlfriend," he replied with a smirk. She made a funny face at him and he laughed. He watched her as she ate for a moment. It was obvious that she was pretty hungry. "You're absolutely beautiful Bon, but I noticed that you've lost weight. Are Stefan and Damon feeding you?"

"They try to make sure I eat but it's not on them to feed me, I'm not a child," she declared. "I lose my appetite when I'm stressed." She shot him a small smile across the table. "Now, I'm feeling a little less stressed."

Julius reached across the table and took her hand into his. "I am so sorry for any stress I caused you, and for making you worry," he said, genuinely. "I've brought so much bullshit into your life I wouldn't be surprised if you never talked to me again."

"Julius, damn near all my friends have supernatural baggage, and being the resident witch it's my always my job to take care of it," she reminded him. "Whether you were in my life or not, I'm dealing with this type of shit all day. The difference being, the thought of you makes it all seem worth it." She squeezed his hand.

"You are unlike any girl I've ever met, Bonnie Bennett," he told her.

Bonnie smiled. "So are you, Jonathan Taylor." Julius' heart spiked at her use of his birth name, and how good she made it sound. Then he chuckled.

"I'm unlike any girl you've ever met?" He asked, teasingly.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant, jerk," she said with a smile. She threw down her napkin and got up from the table. Julius watched her in confusion as she rounded the table, then she pushed his chair back and settled onto his lap, straddling him as she gazed into his eyes.

She put her hands to his face and his hazel eyes bore into hers. "You are unlike any man or vampire I've ever met," she corrected, then kissed him softly. She moved her hands from his face as their kiss deepened and Julius lifted his, her brown hair interweaving through his fingers as they physically drank each other in.

They were both breathing heavily when Bonnie came up for air. Julius looked at her with what seemed like admiration. "I love you." The words were out of his mouth before he could even think about what he was saying to her.

Bonnie's brow furrowed. "What did you say?"

Oh well, he'd already put it out there and he wasn't a man to run from his feelings. "I love you," he repeated more boldly. "I love you, Bonnie." She just stared at him for a moment, her face incredulous, but she didn't say anything. "You don't need to say it if -"

"I love you too." Bonnie cut off his sentiment. She broke out a bright smile that sent his feelings into overdrive. "I love you too!" They were kissing again, their passion nearly bursting at the seams.

Julius had claimed the largest bedroom on the second floor. The bed was a kingsize that was so soft and comfortable it enveloped you when you lay on it. Since the first night Julius stayed in Mystic Falls, he'd thought of the witch as he lay on that bed. The first night his mind had fleetingly wandered to the cute girl with the pretty eyes he'd had to compel earlier that day, but his thoughts had been quickly overtaken by everything else going on, like Akira staking him behind that building, warning him away from following his former coven. He refused, a struggle ensued, and Akira bested him, driving a thick tree branch through his stomach and ghosting away, under strict orders from Victoria not to kill him.

The next night he thought of Bonnie again. How horrified she looked when she found him but her willingness to help a complete stranger.

He had fleeting thoughts of her again the third night, but the fourth night she was all he could think about. She wasn't just some random, innocent, young girl who had just happened upon him. She was a fierce, protective, powerful witch who had no plans to take shit from him. Not only was she aware of the existence of bloodsucking demons, but she had no fear of them. Julius was still in shock when he'd come back to the B&B that night after his encounter with her at the Grill. What was the chances of a such a feisty witch being one of the first people he met in Mystic Falls.

As the days passed, Bonnie consumed his thoughts more and more. As much as she bugged the shit out of him, he couldn't help his growing respect for her, and his even deeper fascination. She was beautiful, she was strong, she was powerful but not arrogant, and she was loyal to the people she cared about, almost to a fault. She was truly unlike anyone he'd ever known before, which was made more obvious to him the night she pulled him out of Damon's torturous grip. After their date at the Falls, and opening up to her about things he'd never opened up to anyone about, he was almost afraid of what he was feeling. And as he headed to North Carolina that night and Mystic Falls fell further and further behind him, it hit him just how much he didn't want to be leaving Bonnie. His feelings had grown much deeper and quicker than he ever expected. He loved her, and even if he didn't deserve her love he could only hope he was lucky enough to gain it.

It was being proven how lucky he was as the door to his temporary bedroom flew open and he and Bonnie spilled into the room. He pressed Bonnie against the wall as they devoured each other and his shirt was quickly pulled over his head and cast away. Bonnie pushed him away and stepped back toward the bed as she removed her own tank top, leaving herself in nothing but her black bra and jean shorts. Julius admired her a moment before closing the distance between them and grabbed her, bringing her mouth back to his. They fell back onto the bed and Bonnie was pleasantly surprised by how soft it was. Julius continued to hungrily taste her lips, his hands traveling her body. Bonnie's breathing hitched as he moved his lips down to her neck then down to her bosom. He wanted to taste all of her, have all of her so bad he was nearly falling apart. He planted soft kisses all the way down her body until he reached the button of her shorts that covered the most coveted part of her. He moved back up and looked into her eyes.

"I want you so fucking bad," he breathed.

"I want you to have me," she said in an unintentionally seductive voice.

"Are you saying yes?" Julius asked her. Bonnie was sure in that moment that this was what she wanted, and she wanted it with him. She nodded her head.

"Yes. I'm saying yes."

A/N: Yes, it's finally coming. Some real Julonnie action, lol. If you're not into them like that, I apologize ahead of time. Regardless if you're Julonnie or Bamon, if you liked this update or hated it, please, please review. It really does help and I love hearing what you guys think about everything. I can't thank you all enough for reading and coming back to this story even when an update is delayed. Love you all!