I loved Connie's (as yet unfinished, alas) novel in which Quentin and Julia were a couple. After reading it, I watched their scenes together again and I could definitely see the chem. Grayson and Selby were very fond of one another (as platonic friends) in RL and I think it shows onscreen.
Yes, I loved that novel too (and even the unfinished version seems to have disappeared off the net into the eternal ether
). And there's another one too, (don't have the URL on this computer, but its the same website as Cassie's Saga of Quentin Collins, so that might work for a google search), where Quentin and Julia start spending time together and things develop from there. Only the whole thing sends Barn into psychovampire mode, since he only wants her obsessively once she's interested in someone else.
Seen a few others too, here and there (some on Collins Library archives). There's also an absolutely Marvelous one by our cousin Julia99, which was on the Juliahoffman. com site.
If you think about it, it makes sense. Quentin's smart, his track record (if you leave out the AMANDA HARRIS anomaly) runs toward smart, outspoken women with backbones (which certainly describes Julia). In other words, he wouldn't be scared of Julia as Barnabas seems to be on some levels. He's grown up and developed empathy since 1897; he's a rascal, but not that much of a player anymore. That's not even counting the eye candy aspect.
Bottom line is there's enough there to build on for a halfway decent writer to get a credible story or two or three out of it.
Other choices for me would be Professor Stokes (though I can also see him with Elizabeth, for similar reasons). I like the Dave Woodard backstory idea too. Early Burke and Early Julia would be a good matchup -- they were both motivated, ambitious, and not overburdened with scruples.
Jeannie