A/N: Okay, so this is intended to be a sequel of sorts to Lodylodylody's "Harper Takes a Bite Out of Life." It is written with permission, because I'm no poacher. I hope you all like it. Particularly you, Lody (PS: I promise, I'm working on those other stories I promised you).
Disclaimer: Wizards of Waverly Place is not mine, nor are any of the characters within. I am also very obviously borrowing elements from Lody's story, with permission, but the initial ideas still weren't mine.
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Birthdays had never really been a big deal to Alex Russo. So she was another year older, turning 20, so what? She'd learned from experience that being just one year older didn't change anything much. At least, it never had before. But this year, this year was going to be different. This year everything would change, because this year Alex was going to ask her girlfriend Harper to turn her into a vampire. And that was a huge deal.
Four years ago Harper had been turned by Cindy Van Huesen, mother of Justin's girlfriend Juliet. Alex's reaction to that had been a little…extreme. She had gone into a state known in the wizard world as 'Mage-Primal'; a state where a wizard taps into the fundamental forces of magic itself and is able to do absolutely anything. Many mages have tried to reach this state, have spent their extended lives attempting to gain the power available in that state, and only a handful have ever succeeded. Only the most intense emotions can unlock the barrier between a wizard and the Mage-Primal state. Emotions like grief, fury, and love. It was the combination of all three of these that caused Alex to become Mage-Primal at the tender age of sixteen. Her father told her after that had she not been talked down by Harper she could have vaporized most of New York without even realizing she'd done it; he'd also said that if she had been consciously aware of her power in that state she could have taken over the world or destroyed it.
At the time Alex hadn't known that she was in love with Harper. It was her achieving Mage-Primal that caused her father to suspect her of having feelings deeper than friendship towards her best friend. Initially she'd tried to deny stronger feelings, but after one kiss from her newly-vampirized best friend she couldn't refute the truth of things. She had been hopelessly, irrevocably, and desperately in love with her best friend. Since then she'd come to accept Harper as a vampire, and she very much enjoyed having her for a girlfriend. And she was even more in love with her now than she'd been before.
That love was the reason she wanted Harper to turn her. Harper, as a vampire, was going to 'live' forever. And Alex is only human; she isn't going to live that long, she can't. As a wizard her life was going to be longer than the average humans', yes, but still nothing compared to the everlasting life Harper now had. Alex didn't want to die and leave Harper alone for the rest of that life. Alex wanted to be with Harper always, and to do that she had to be a vampire, so she could be around as long as Harper would be, and so they could love each other eternally. It also helped that once she was turned they'd never grow old…well, at least they wouldn't ever look old.
"Alex, you're thinking. Hard. That worries me."
Alex couldn't stop the smile that split her face at hearing the voice of the one she loved. She also couldn't stop it from growing bigger when Harper hugged her from behind. She chuckled.
"I know it does. That's why I do it. You're cute when you fret."
Harper scoffed and turned Alex around in her arms to kiss her. "Silly girl."
Alex put on a smug smile, happy to be in her lover's arms after even an absence as brief as using the restroom. "Mmm, but I'm your silly girl."
"Always and forever."
Harper had responded lightly, but Alex felt it in her gut. "I wanted to talk to you about that, actually."
"About what?"
Alex was starting to get nervous. She replied hesitantly, "The always and forever part."
A dark look passed over Harper's features, making her look more frightening than Alex had ever seen her. "You're not breaking up with me are you? Because I wou-"
She hastened to interrupt, not wanting to hear the rest of that sentence, knowing it would not end well. "No! No, never." Alex cupped Harper's face in her hands and kissed her thoroughly to make sure the message got across. "Just the opposite."
Harper looked confused. "How can we do the opposite of breaking up if we're already together?"
Alex's voice was soft as she said, "But not forever."
"What? Why not forever? I thought you loved me-"
"Harper, stop. I do love you. With all that I am." Alex's hands fell from her lover's face as she sighed. "But you have to realize that, as I am, I'm going to die someday. We can't have forever if I'm dead and gone."
Harper had a terrible feeling about where this conversation was leading. She'd had versions of it in her head many times over the last four years, fighting herself, wavering between wanting it desperately and hating the very idea of it. It weighed heavily on her mind and settled like a stone in her belly. And though she knew the answer to the question she couldn't stop herself from asking, "What are you getting at?"
Alex looked directly into Harper's eyes and took both her hands in her own. "Harper, I want you to turn me into a vampire."
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There had been a fight. A massive fight. A fight like the two of them had never had before in all their years of knowing each other.
Harper didn't want to do it. She didn't want to be so selfish. To turn her girlfriend into a monster just so she would never be alone, she couldn't do it. She was afraid that turning Alex into a vampire would change who she is, that it would change what made her Alex. She was also afraid that if she tried to turn Alex, something would go wrong and she'd lose her forever. And what if Alex, as a vampire, didn't love her? What would she do then? What if Harper did it wrong and lost Alex's soul? There was just so much bad that could come of this that Harper was scared to even think of it all.
But Alex had always been so persuasive and this was no different. She laid out all the reasons she wanted this to be done. So she could be with Harper forever, so Harper would never have to be alone, so she could keep up with Harper as years passed. She also brushed aside Harper's worries; being turned hadn't changed who Harper was, she still had her soul so she wasn't a monster, Alex had gone Mage-Primal for love of Harper being a vampire couldn't possibly change that, and if they got Juliet's advice nothing could go wrong.
Being a vampire hadn't made Harper any more immune to Alex's charm than she'd been as a human, and it wasn't too long before she found herself convinced that turning Alex would be the best thing for both of them.
"Besides," Alex said, "it's the only thing I want for my birthday."
In the end, Harper knew she would do it, because she loved Alex and she wanted only to make her happy.
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Together they sought out Juliet. And they found her in the Waverly Sub Station, where she had regular shifts, only a few blocks from their loft apartment. It was an easy thing to pull her away from her shift and into the lair.
"Are you sure about this?" Juliet asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"I am." Alex's voice was firm and unwavering. "Now what do we need to do to make sure this goes right?"
"Well," Juliet began, "normally when a vampire bites someone it's a surprise attack and the vampire has no intention of allowing the victim to keep their soul, or even of turning them into another vampire. They're just another meal to the vampire, and we don't want a whole bunch of other vampires around to compete for resources, so vampires don't often turn mortals anymore. See, to make a vampire the sire has to intend for it to happen, otherwise the right pheromones won't be produced and the victim won't be turned. As long as the biter consciously intends to make another vampire, it'll happen."
Juliet paused to make sure the younger women were listening, especially Harper since she was going to have to do all the hard stuff for this. When both nodded, she continued.
"Making sure the bitten keeps their soul is a little trickier. The bitten has to want to keep their soul. They have to want it more than they've ever wanted anything. They have to have a strong will, which actually isn't a problem for Alex. When a vampire bites someone it's all shock and pain to the victim, this is different when a vampire wants to turn someone and keep their soul intact. The one being bitten knows what's coming so there has to be pleasure mixed with the pain to make sure the soul isn't so traumatized that it won't want to return to the host body."
Harper nodded again. She'd always wondered why Cindy had groped her before turning her. Now she knew. It was to help keep her soul in place. For a creature with no soul, Cindy Van Huesen was surprisingly kind; she didn't have to keep her word, she could have killed Harper without turning her at all much less made certain she kept her soul. She'd have to remember to send her a thank you card or something.
"So, I'll be dead, but I'll have my soul. Like you two do?"
Juliet nodded. "As long as everything goes right, that should be what happens."
"What about my wizard powers?" This was said more like Alex was thinking out loud than actually asking a question but Juliet and Harper both thought on it.
Juliet shook her head. "I've never heard of a wizard being turned into a vampire before."
Both Harper and Alex knew that Juliet had been around for a very long time, chances were if she hadn't heard about it happening, it never had. "Vampires don't normally bite wizards because they're among the few beings that can fight back and kill us without a stake to the heart. All vampires know instinctively what wizards smell like so they keep away. The only reason Harper and I aren't repulsed by your very scent is because we have souls and our vampiric instincts don't rule us."
"So it's never happened before? I'd be the first wizard to be turned into a vampire?" Alex sounded excited by the prospect, and if Harper were being honest she was a little excited herself.
"As far as I know." Juliet shrugged. "I don't see any reason why you wouldn't keep your powers though. Being turned doesn't take anything away from the person, aside from their blood that is."
"Well, technically, you'd be dead, right? Un-dead, but dead?" Harper asked. "And if you're dead, you can't compete for the family powers, so there'd be no reason you'd lose your current powers, right?"
Alex thought for a moment, before she slowly smiled, then laughed. "You're right Harper. Dead wizards can't compete for the powers. And if I'm not in the competition my powers can't be taken away! This is awesome! I'm going to be a vampire-wizard…with a soul! And Mr. Laritate said I'd never amount to anything. Ha!"
Juliet and Harper exchanged a quizzical look over Alex head, but were quick enough to join in her cheer.
Alex and Harper got up to leave soon after that.
Juliet walked behind them from the lair softly giving reminders, "Remember, Harper. You have to intend to turn her and you have to mix pleasure with the pain of the bite. We don't want her soul flying off."
Harper nodded. She really didn't want to mess this up.
Just before they got through the doors of the sub shop Juliet called out, "Hey, Alex!"
"Yeah?"
"Happy birthday. And good luck."
Alex shot her a grin, "Thanks."
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That night, after she and Harper had finished birthday celebrations with the Russos, it was time. Alex had announced her plan to her family, and while they'd been concerned they'd also been supportive. All that was left was to actually go through with it.
Alex had no doubts. She knew that this was what she wanted. This was the way she was going to get eternity with Harper, and she was ready. She led Harper to the bedroom they'd shared for the last two years, since they had moved out of the Russo loft. She asked Harper, "Are you ready?"
Harper looked into Alex eyes; she saw the confidence typical of Alex, she saw the trust Alex was placing in her, and she saw the love that was always there shining from the soul behind those beautiful brown orbs. Every moment she looked she fell more in love. If Alex had that much confidence in her, that much trust, then how could Harper feel anything less? "I am. I love you, Alex."
Alex smiled a gentle smile, one reserved just for Harper that made her un-dead heart flutter and her head swim. She wondered, briefly, that Alex could make her feel this way without the seductive powers of a vampire how strongly she'd make her feel with the seductive powers. "I love you, too, Harper. So much." And she kissed Harper long and slow, building passion and fervor.
They made love. Unhurried and gentle. Teasing and caressing with hands, lips, teeth, and tongues. Moving together in a dance familiar to them both, using their bodies rather than their words to express just how deeply they loved one another.
And just as Alex reached her peak, her body singing with joy, her blood pounding through her veins, Harper bit down on her neck. Alex cried out once in ecstasy, thinking she'd never felt so alive as she did in this moment with her life draining from her, knowing she was happier than she'd ever been, and looking forward to a very long future with her lover.
She sighed "I love you, Harper," when she felt Harper pull away and softly kiss her lips. She was full to bursting with that love. She felt the earth shake as her vision went black and her last breath left her lungs.
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When next Alex opened her eyes it was to see Harper pacing at the foot of the bed wearing the short silk robe she'd bought for her a month ago. The color seemed more vibrant now than it had the first time she'd laid eyes on it.
Actually, all colors seemed a bit more…colorful now. And the smells! She could smell so much more. She could smell the dirty shirt she'd thrown on the floor yesterday, the scent of sex clinging to the sheets, the uncapped toothpaste in the bathroom down the hall…she could smell all of it. And Harper. She could smell Harper. Sunshine and graham crackers and fabric and growing things. Beautiful, intoxicating, irresistible and so very Harper.
She could hear more, too. Like Harper muttering under her breath, wondering if she'd done something wrong, and why wasn't Alex waking up, and oh god what if she'd just killed her girlfriend for good. Deciding to put a stop to that sooner rather than later Alex slid from the bed with her new vampire speed and caught Harper in a sneak-attack smooch, kissing her deeply for several long moments, longer than ever before now that neither of them needed to breathe. Taking the time to really feel it, it was electricity everywhere their skin touched.
Pulling back she gave Harper her signature smirk and said, "You did everything just right, baby." Then she laughed, giddy in her new senses and reveling in Harper's presence.
"Alex! You're awake! Thank god! I was so worried I had done something wrong, like I hadn't produced those pheromones, or hadn't made it pleasurable enough-"
She stopped Harper there, knowing from experience that those rants could last much longer now since Harper no longer had to breathe. "Trust me, Harp, it was plenty pleasurable." Alex shuddered all over remembering just how pleasurable, and suddenly all she wanted was to reciprocate. "You got it all right. I'm a vampire and I'm still me. Now, as much as I love how this robe looks on you I think it would look even better on the floor, while the bed would be much improved with your presence."
Suiting actions to words Alex slid the robe from Harper's shoulders and watched it pool on the floor before taking Harper in her arms again and kissing her so soundly they both fell onto the bed.
Before she could get much farther though Harper stopped her, "You're sure everything's right? I mean, there was an earthquake when I bit you and I got distracted, so I don't know if that messed anything up. And what about your magic? Do you still have it?"
"Earthquake? I don't rememb-" But she did. She remembered feeling like the earth was shaking, she'd thought it only a dream. But New York doesn't get earthquakes, so what happened? And a sudden thought occurred. Mage-Primal. Alex had been so full of love for Harper and so happy, she'd felt the same overwhelming power she had when she'd gone Mage-Primal but everything had gone black before she'd realized it. She wondered if she could reach that state again, and if she could, what would she do?
"Alex?" Harper sounded worried.
Shaking her head, Alex came back to herself and to Harper. "It's nothing. I remember the quake, barely. It might have been me that caused it. I think I might have been so happy I went Mage-Primal but blacked out before I could do any real damage. Now, let's see if I've still got my powers."
Alex didn't want to move to grab her wand off the nightstand so she held out one hand, closed tightly in a fist. She concentrated hard, forming an image in her head, and when she opened her hand, there curled into her palm was a perfect purple rosebud. Thinking at it a little more, the petals gently opened, releasing the flower's sweet scent into the air.
Harper gasped. "I've never seen you do magic like that before. I thought you needed a wand." She gently ran her fingers over the delicate petals in Alex's hand.
A little surprised, Alex found herself saying, "Usually I would. But I'm un-dead now. I'm thinking the usual rules don't apply."
Harper smirked. "Yeah, well, you were always a rule breaker anyway."
Alex smiled, "But I'm your rule breaker."
"Always and forever." Harper kissed her. "Happy birthday, Alex."
Happy birthday, indeed.
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A/N: Thoughts? Comments? Flames? Leave a review, please.
