Chapter One
Justin Russo leans on the edge of the dark wrought-iron balcony, staring down at the New York cityscape below him. From his family's third-floor loft apartment over the Waverly Sub Station, the restaurant that they own, everything down below him looks like doll house pieces. Even from so high up, he can see the distinct neon sign for the Late Nite Bite, the sandwich shop owned by the van Heusens four blocks down. He swallows hard, choking back a fresh wave of tears.
"You okay?" a voice asks from behind him. He looks up to see his little sister Alex stepping onto the balcony behind him. Justin screws his eyes shut, willing the tears to disappear before he turns around to face Alex. If there's one thing he definitely doesn't need right now, it's Alex making fun of him.
"Yeah," he says finally, as Alex closes the sliding glass door behind her.
"You sure? Because it's not like you to sit out here brooding. That's usually my thing." Justin sighs and turns his attention back to the hustle and bustle of the city below him, as Alex walks over to the balcony edge as well.
"Seriously, Justin, what's up? You've been like this for days. I don't think I've seen you smile since… oh." Alex's smile drops as realization dawns on her, and her gaze instinctively turns to the neon sign as well. "So that's what this is all about."
"I'm sorry you're all worried about me, Alex, but I'm not going to just get over this in a day or two," Justin says.
Alex takes a deep breath, opens her mouth, then closes it again, exhaling as she does. "Justin…"
"I don't want to hear it right now, Alex," he says curtly. Justin know he'll pay for that one later, as with most things when it comes to his little sister, but he doesn't care.
Alex's eyes darken. "Fine, then. Ignore me and my efforts to try and make you feel better."
Instantly, Justin regrets snapping at Alex, especially because it seems that for once, she's actually trying to help. "I'm sorry Alex," he quickly apologizes. "I don't know what's gotten into me lately; I feel so… not myself."
"You're lovesick because of what happened to Juliet," Alex says matter-of-factly. "Simple as that."
Something about the blunt way she puts it infuriates Justin. "Easy for you to say; you don't feel like your heart's been ripped out of your chest and chopped into a million tiny pieces."
"Oh, Justin." Alex drapes her arm around his neck, and while Justin's first instinct is to push her away, he doesn't. "I'm so, so sorry. We all are. We're just… worried about you. This isn't normal."
"I know. But… I can't help it. I love her, and now she's gone."
"Well, if it's any comfort to you at all, you both knew this sort of thing was something you were going to have to deal with in your relationship sooner or later," Alex says, removing her arm.
Justin's hands clench into fists at her attempt to try and shrug off the situation, but he takes a deep breath and slowly releases his fingers, little red crescent-shaped marks appearing on his palms where his nails had dug into them. "I'd like to be alone now, if you don't mind, Alex," he says calmly.
To her credit, Alex at least realizes what she's said was a mistake. "Justin, I didn't mean it like that," she says quickly, desperately trying to fix things. Her concern is evident in her eyes, even if it doesn't quite make it to her mouth and the words that come out of it.
"I know you didn't, but I'd really just like to be alone again, Alex." He turns his gaze back towards the streets, his eyes going towards the Late Nite Bite as always.
"Please, Justin, talk to me! I… I'm worried about you!" Justin whirls around in shock to see Alex's pleading face. "Before you say anything – yes, I did just admit to being worried about you, and yes, if you repeat it anywhere I will kill you. Got that straight?" Justin smiles, because that sounds more like the Alex he knows and loves (most of the time, anyways).
When Justin doesn't respond, Alex continues. "I'm sorry about what happened with you and Juliet. I know that it must be killing you, and to your credit, I understand why you don't want to be around other people right now. But the pain's never going to go away if you keep brooding in it like this. The only way you're ever going to feel better is if you try to live like everything's normal again. Moping in all your sadness isn't going to do anything."
Justin still gives no sign of hearing anything Alex has said, and she's beginning to grow impatient. "Damn it, Justin, will you listen to me here!"
Justin's resolve crumbles; he could never stay mad at Alex for too long anyway. "I was listening the whole time," he says, watching as Alex's face morphs from intense worry to a sort of stubborn anger-slash-annoyance. He sighs. "And I guess you're probably right. But it just… it hurts so much to even think about her."
"Hey." Alex's voice is soft and sweet now, somewhat like it was that night at the museum when she rescued him from behind the fake scene setup. "Don't worry so much about this. Yes, it seems like the end of the world now, but I'm sure it won't feel this way forever. And if what you two had was really true love, you'll find each other again."
"How can you be so certain?" Justin stares at his little sister, trying to understand what she's saying. Alex is about as opposite from him as is possible for a person to be… and yet despite all her crazy scheming, tricks, pranks, mistakes, screw-ups, and magic-induced (or otherwise) catastrophes, she always manages to land on her feet. Justin would trade all of his knowledge, all of his magic power, everything he could claim as his own, for just a fraction of the confidence Alex has that everything will turn out right in the end.
"Because," she states, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "I just know these things. Like, for example, I know that no matter how much Mom nags him, Dad will never lose those fifteen pounds that stand between him and his old spandex workout clothes. I know that Mom will never get completely used to magic, no matter how many years she's going to live with us doing it. I know that Max will never clean his room. And I know that you will be alright someday, because you're Justin Russo and you don't let these things get you down."
Alex's speech has restored some of his confidence, and despite himself, Justin cracks a grin. "You know, Alex, you just might have a future as a motivational speaker. That was some speech."
"Oh, please," Alex scoffs, rolling her eyes at the very idea, and Justin's grin widens because she sounds like her true self again and it makes him happy to know that some things will always stay the same. "Don't you dare mention me and careerchoices in the same breath again, especially around Mom. She's worked up enough over the SATs and getting ready to apply to colleges next year."
Justin laughs, because again, that is so Alex and he can't help that she always knows how to make him laugh. "Tell Mom and Dad I'll be down in a minute. I just need a little more time to think."
Alex nods, and as she leaves, Justin returns to his first position, leaning over the balcony.
"If you love somebody, set them free. And if they really love you, they'll come back."
When Alex first told him this the night in the museum, he shrugged it off with a sarcastic remark, unable to believe that something so… illogical could be worth believing in. But now, now that he knows that listening to Alex isn't always such a bad idea, he thinks about it again.
"Juliet," he says to himself, watching as the sun starts to dip below the New York City skyline with its tall buildings. The sun is going down but the city is still awake, coming even more alive if possible. "I'm going to find you. Someday, before I die, I will find you again."
The sun sets on another brilliant New York City day, the whispers of a thousand unfulfilled promises dancing in the wind.