Julia Walker

Julia was the only child of Ben and Beth Ridge. She eventually met and married Thomas Walker.

Julia helped Tommy cope with the sudden death of his father. Meanwhile, they were trying for a baby, but Tommy was devastated to learn he was infertile. Tommy asked his brother Kevin to give his sperm, but Kevin refused. Tommy's other brother, Justin, offered, but Tommy was wary because of Justin's drug abuse. Finally, both Kevin and Justin donated sperm and they all agreed they would never find out who the biological father was.

Julia and Tommy were overjoyed to learn she was pregnant with twins, but joy turned to horror when she went into labor too early. She gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, and a son, William. William was very weak and the only possible way to save him was a transplant from Elizabeth. This could have killed both babies, so Julia and Tommy reluctantly chose to not have the transplant leading to William's death.

Julia sank into post-partum depression and blamed Tommy for William's death. Her parents visited and convinced her to take Elizabeth and stay with them for a while. While she was gone, Tommy had an affair with his secretary, Lena. Julia herself had had a one-night encounter with a man, and the dual revelations led to some tension between husband and wife when Julia returned. Julia felt what Tommy did was worse, as he'd had an ongoing relationship with Lena. Lena left town, and Julia and Tommy pledged to try again.