(A/N: So, here you go, another jalex one-shot. This is the companion piece to 'Not so Easy'. Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed and made it favorite. But let me warn you, this isn't as good as 'Not so easy'. Anyways, please review!)
*****
Disclaimer: don't own it.
*****
"I can't do it! It's impossible!" Little Justin cried as he failed to levitate the can (again).
Jerry patted his shoulder. "Try harder. Remember son, nothing is impossible. It's just really difficult."
****
Difficult is one of the most frequently used words in Justin's vocabulary. Being a good wizard is difficult. Being a great science student is difficult. Playing guitar perfectly is difficult. Fixing the lamp(s) Alex breaks is difficult. But the most difficult part of it all is being a responsible, mature, older brother to Alex.
*****
"Justin, what's a voltmeter?" Alex asked lazily from her bed.
"It's an instrument used for measuring potential difference across a circuit, connected in parallel combination to the circuit and having a high resistance." Justin replied from her desk, eyes fixed on his history book.
"Really? I thought it was used to do electrolysis." Alex scoffed.
"That's a voltameter." Justin snapped.
Alex rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She mumbled. "Justin, what are isohyets?"
"Isohyets are imaginary lines joining places having same amount of rainfall, usually drawn on- wait a minute," Justin paused, thinking, "Are you using me to do your homework?"
Alex smiled mischievously.
"Alex Russo is doing homework?" Justin pretended to be surprised and widened his eyes.
Alex threw her pillow at him. "Dork. So, drawn in?"
"What? Oh," Justin recollected himself, "drawn usually on maps and weather charts."
Alex wrote down what Justin said.
"Why exactly are you doing your homework today?" Justin asked her, genuinely surprised.
Alex rolled her eyes. "Because Harper is not doing it for me, duh."
"Alex", Justin started lecturing, "You know homework is meant for evaluating a student's progress and is meant to be-"
He paused mid-sentence as Alex stretched. When did she grow up so much? He quickly got up and walked out of the room. "I need some fresh air."
See, it's really difficult to not have any feelings for her! He's a teenage boy with raging hormones for crying out loud!
*****
"I won't eat carrots." Alex crossed her arms.
"Alex"Theresa warned.
"I won't!" Alex stomped her feet.
"Alex, they are good for your eyes. You won't have to wear glasses when you grow up." Jerry reasoned.
"NO!" Alex yelled.
"Alex", Justin said calmly, "Eat your carrots quickly. And then we can go play house."
Alex smiled quickly. "Feed me." She demanded.
"Alex, you're five now. You can feed yourself." Jerry stated.
"No! Justin will feed me!" Alex stomped her feet stubbornly again.
"Its okay dad, I'll feed her." Justin smiled.
Jerry smiled back. "Thanks Justin. You are becoming a really responsible older brother."
****
"Justin?" Alex whispered as she walked into his room.
Justin quickly shot up in his bed. "Alex, what the hell are you doing here in the middle of the night?" Justin hissed.
Justin never swore. When he did, it could mean two things- 1. He was really angry. 2. He was scared. Alex guessed it was the second case. (Because he can never be mad at her like this, right?)
"I couldn't sleep." She murmured as she bit her bottom lip. "I wanna stay with you."
"What! No! Get out of here! You can't stay here with me!" Justin hissed again.
"Why not? I stayed with you when I was a kid." Alex stomped her left foot.
"Sshh…you'll wake up mom and dad!" Justin panicked. "Well, you are not a kid anymore are you? You are fourteen, Alex." Justin snapped.
Alex had tears in her eyes. "I miss you."
Justin sighed. "I miss you too." He gave her a quick peck on her cheek. "Let's go to your room. I'll put you to sleep and come back to my room."
See, it is so difficult to do the right thing and send her back to her room (when all he wants to do is hold her in his arms and cuddle her all night).
*****
"Studying again, dork?" Alex commented as she sat down beside him on the cough in the lair.
"Nope." He replied briefly, eyes fixed on the spell book.
"Then?" Alex asked, suddenly curious. (She may be just ten, but she has every right to know things that her big brother does! Not that she actually cares about the geek stuff, ew.)
Justin sighed and looked at her. "I'm trying to find a spell."
"For what?" Alex questioned again.
"For changing things." Justin looked down at his shoes, suddenly feeling guilty. "I don't want you to be my sister anymore."
"Oh." Alex said calmly, and he saw a look of understanding in her eyes, "any luck?"
Justin simply shook his head. That's a bummer. "I'll keep trying." Justin reassured. Alex nodded, believing him.
See, it's really difficult to read 500 pages of spells every day (but when he looks at Alex, he doesn't mind).
*****
"Alex we need to talk." Justin said as he looked straight at her.
"Sorry, I don't have time for your dorkiness now." Alex said non-chalantly, swinging her legs in her chair while listening to some music on her ipod.
Justin grabbed her arm, pulled off the head phones from her ear, and forced her to face him. "You need to stop it Alex."
"Stop what?" Alex asked innocently (though she knew what he was talking about all too well).
Justin groaned in frustration as he pulled a piece of paper and held it to Alex. Alex took it and recognized her handwriting instantly. That was the latest love note that she dropped in Justin's locker.
"Alex, this needs to stop." Justin said, refusing to meet her eyes.
"What if I don't want to stop?" Alex challenged.
"This is not right!" Justin yelled.
"I don't care about right and wrong. And you don't have to either!" Alex snapped back.
"Actually, I have to. I'm the mature older sibling here. I can't take advantage of you!" Justin screamed, and then sighed. "This needs to stop, and it's final."
Alex retreated backwards for a second. Justin rejected her. Again. He broke her heart. Again.
Her chocolate eyes filled with tears as she turned away. Justin walked out, pain evident in his face.
See, it is so difficult to be the mature older sibling and leave his little sister crying (when all he wants to do is kiss away her tears).
*****
"Havity no gravity." Justin and Alex finished the wall-walking spell.
Justin sighed and sat back on the chair.
"Dude, what's up with you today?" Alex questioned as she sat beside him and rested her legs on the study table.
Justin glared at her. "Alex, that's the study table. You shouldn't put your-"
Alex cut him off as she placed her legs in his lap. "What's wrong?"
Justin shrugged. "Nothing….it's just that… this spell… it really confuses me. It's against Newton's laws of gravity!"
Alex rolled her eyes. "So?"
"So?" Justin studied her features for a second. "It's really difficult for me when science and magic conflict."
Alex rolled her eyes again. "Seriously, Justin? That confuses you? What happens when your brotherly and non-brotherly feelings for me conflict?"
That is not exactly what he expected to hear. But yeah, she's got a point. It's really difficult to function as brother and boyfriend to someone like Alex. (Not that he minds.)
*****
"I'm never EVER going to baby sit again." Alex yelled as she sat down on the couch and placed the ice on her leg.
"For once I agree with you. Someone as irresponsible and immature like Alex should never be trusted with a child." Justin stated calmly as he sat down in front of her.
"I knew I should have stolen your money." Alex narrowed her eyebrows.
"Honey, don't talk like that! Don't you want to thank your brother for helping you out?" Theresa asked Alex.
"Yeah. Whatever." Alex rolled her eyes.
Justin translated: yeah, thank you. But I can't say that, so whatever.
"You're welcome." Justin placed a hand on her leg and she yelped in pain.
"I think her femur is seriously injured. And I believe she has a fracture in her radius and ulna. We should take her to a doctor." Justin looked at his mother.
"I hate kids." Alex groaned.
"Honey, don't talk like that!" Theresa scolded. "You know, you're going to have to your kid some day."
*****
"Alex?" Justin asked as he entered her room.
"Hmmm??" Alex groaned.
"Feeling any better?" He laid down beside Alex on her bed.
"I was, until you came in." Alex snapped.
"Would it hurt you to be nice sometimes?" Justin mocked hurt.
"Yeah, it will! If I wasn't being nice to Lauren, I wouldn't have ended up with my bones injured!" Alex retorted.
Justin raised an eyebrow. He wasn't buying that.
"Fine. I was babysitting for money. Whatever." Alex whined. "How can you tolerate kids?"
Justin shrugged. "I have been tolerating you for years."
"Did you just call me a kid?" Alex looked at him threateningly.
"Maybe?" Justin gulped.
Suddenly Alex looked away.
"Alex?" Justin asked, concerned. Her mood swings are never good.
"I….we… we'll never have our kid……." Alex declared as tears filled her eyes.
Justin remained silent for a few minutes and blinked back his own tears. He ran a hand through his hair nervously and then looked at Alex. "I don't need one..." Justin consoled. "I just need you…."
"I wish we could be together all our lives…." Alex closed her eyes as the tears started to flow.
Justin sighed. "You need to move on. You need a family."
Alex shook her head firmly. "No, I just need you…"
See, it is REALLY difficult not to give in to her in moments like this.
*****
Now that he thinks of it, maybe he should build himself a robot wife. Hey, it's convenient! He won't have to love her-it-at least. That won't be so difficult to do, right?
-Fin
Hope you enjoyed it. PLEASE REVIEW. You guys know how great reviews make you feel right?
