The Balance of Things
Summary: When Justin and Harper's daughter messes up the past big time, she needs her aunt Alex's matchmaking skills to put her parents' future back on track. Jarper.
A/N: Yup, this isn't an original concept. But I'm in the mood to just have fun with a story, and this has been written down in my "Story Ideas" text document for a long time. Besides, while I love Zeke, as the series goes on I find myself rooting for Jarper more and more.
Enjoy!
Chapter One
March 2031
"This is so not fair!"
When her dad and older brother just gave her exasperated looks in response, Terri Russo stormed out of the Wiztech classroom into the hallway. Furious, she began to take off her wizard robe even before she reached her family's apartment in the castle's east wing. After she cast the spell to reveal the door, she walked in to find her mother at the dining area table, working on her laptop.
"Mom!" she yelled as she tossed her balled-up robe onto the couch. "Dad's teaching Jerry another cool spell, and he won't even tell me what it is! Why won't he believe that I'm just as smart and responsible as Jerry is? Even more so!"
Harper Russo sighed while she took off the reading glasses she'd been using to help her write her latest novel. "I promise, Terri, I've talked with your father about this before," she said, walking over to her outraged daughter. "And he does think you're very smart. Responsible, not so much."
"I am too!" Terri shouted. "I do all my homework, both mortal and magic, plus I get good grades. What more does he want?"
Though there was sympathy on her face, Harper replied. "Maturity. You do have a habit of not thinking your spells through. Like that time you cast an invisibility spell on the mess in your room rather than cleaning it. Then your clothes started to disappear."
"Hey, I was fourteen! I'm sixteen now. I don't do that anymore," Terri retorted, her arms crossed. True, she wasn't perfect. But she'd grown up a lot in two years. And it wasn't her fault she'd inherited some of her aunt Alex's rebellious streak.
Her eyes narrowed, Harper argued, "Look, you know I try to let you kids use magic within reason. But it can be very dangerous. You need to prove you can use your powers wisely."
"And Jerry has?" Terri asked, her tone incredulous. "He uses McCreery Timereary all the time when he's late to class by a few seconds!"
The spell usage news to Harper, she became angry for a second, but quickly refocused on the conversation. "I'll be talking to your brother later. The point is, he's at the end of his training, which means he's allowed to learn more complex spells. As will you and Zeke when you're his age."
"Please. Zeke's such a nerd, he'll probably figure out the spells before Dad teaches him," Terri remarked. Even though her little brother was only thirteen, he'd zipped through spell workbooks that had taken her months to complete at his age. Yet somehow he had trouble figuring out his music player. Their parents often said Zeke was simply "book smart," but Terri knew that meant he had no common sense whatsoever.
"Well maybe, but that's Zeke," her mother insisted. "You will just have to be patient."
Too upset to do homework, Terri went to the apartment's extra room, which the family used as their wizard lair. While not as roomy and elaborate as the one in her grandparents' home, there were plenty of magical books and objects the kids liked to go through during their free time.
There was also a desk, and plenty of teaching awards with the name "Justin Russo" printed on them. Her father once tried to claim this as his office since they didn't need the space for lessons. But her mother convinced him to leave the room for the kids, which Terri thought was pretty cool. She suspected her mortal mother embraced magic both because she grew up around it, and because of how much stress Grandma Russo endured uselessly trying to fight it.
However, while Terri respected her mother, she didn't always listen to her.
"'Be patient,'" Terri muttered to herself. She quickly found a book on time travel, which she knew contained the spell her older brother was learning at the moment. "Yeah, right."
March 2011
A half hour later, Terri appeared behind the staircase in her grandparents' restaurant. Just like she'd intended. Which meant the spell actually worked.
Yes! Terri thought as she walked further into the Sub Station, incredibly proud of herself. Take that, Dad! And you thought I couldn't handle time travel. I'll bet Jerry wasn't able to learn the spell so quickly. True, she'd needed a couple tries to get it right, but that was expected for complex magic.
The spell she'd used was limited, so she'd be whisked back to the present in twenty minutes. That was fine with Terri. Any longer and she might mess up the past, especially since she wanted to see what her parents were like as teenagers. However, this also meant she had to make the most of her short trip.
While she was twenty years in the past, she recognized the Sub Station instantly. She saw pictures often, but in reality, her grandparents had changed very little. Terri knew this was due to Grandpa Jerry's cheapness, despite his claim that the "rustic look" added charm. But she didn't care, she still loved visiting the place every Sunday for dinner, and was happy the restaurant miraculously stayed open through years of near-bankruptcy.
Realizing she was getting lost in nostalgia, Terri shook her head so she could concentrate on her mission to locate her parents. Within seconds she spotted her mother, about Terri's age at this point, chatting with her best friend, Aunt Alex. Terri smiled, glad that the two had stayed such good friends even after twenty years. Of course it helped that they saw each other every week, but they also talked on the phone at least once a day.
They seemed to be deep in conversation at the cash register, so Terri sat at the counter three seats away. She could overhear easily, but she'd seem like a regular customer as she browsed the menu. Fortunately, the fashion trends of this time were just making a comeback in hers, so her leggings, skirt, and top pretty much blended in.
"Come on Harper, let me set you up," Alex pleaded while her best friend organized the cash register drawer. "Mason and I need someone to double-date with."
Her face hidden by the menu, Terri raised an eyebrow at that. So her aunt wasn't even dating her uncle yet. And from what Alex had said, Terri's parents weren't together either.
Not into the idea, Harper shook her head. "No! I just broke up with Zeke. I'm not ready!"
"How does that make sense? You broke up with him, so why - "
But Terri barely heard what Alex was saying.
She just broke up with who now?
The revelation made Terri choke back the "oh my gosh" she'd been just about to exclaim, worried she'd draw the teens' attention. However, her effort didn't do any good, as both Harper and Alex whirled around to stare. Her brow creased with worry, Harper offered, "Are you okay? Here, let me get you some water."
"No, really, I'm okay..." But Terri's protests went unheard as Harper went into the kitchen, then emerged a second later with a full glass. "Thanks," Terri muttered, reluctantly accepting the drink.
Instead of just returning to their conversation like Terri hoped, the other two continued to stare at her. "Do I know you?" Alex asked, much to Terri's horror. "You look really familiar."
"I was just thinking that! Do you go to Tribeca Prep, maybe?" Harper asked. Then she shook her head. "No, Alex wouldn't recognize you from school."
"Oh I know this one. Because she's barely there herself. Ha, ha," Alex finished, playfully glaring at her best friend.
Too overwhelmed to say much, Terri shook her head. "N-no, I, uh, go to a different school."
"I guess you look like someone we know, then," Harper concluded as she took out her order pad. "So, what can I get you?"
"Huh?"
Both Harper and Alex pointed to the menu in Terri's hands.
"Oh! Um, no, I was...waiting for someone! In fact I think I see him outside now. Well, bye!" she blurted, and before they could answer, ran out onto Waverly Place. Her heart pounding, she found a slightly hidden spot where she could cast the time travel spell. She didn't need the extra ten minutes or so. She'd already done enough.
Alex and Harper watched the strange teen rush out of the restaurant, equally confused. "Hey, she said 'well, bye' just like..."
"I know. That was weird," Harper agreed. At that moment, she happened to glance up and see Justin enter the Sub Station. "Um, I'm going to go check if any dishes need washing," she said as she rushed back into the kitchen.
Left alone at the counter, Alex felt a distinct chill go down her spine. Something happened, but she had no idea what it was. Eh, well. Bored, she grabbed a sugar dispenser, then carelessly began emptying the contents into her hand. If it's important, I'll figure it out later.