Wizards vs. Darkness

Summary: Wizards vs. Everything AU. Alex, Justin and Max must save the day when Gorog causes their own parents to turn against them.

A/N: I actually didn't hate Wizards vs. Everything. It was a very good season four episode, and the way they destroyed Gorog was awesome. I just always hate when Jerry and Theresa are left out of major events. Also, I want to flesh out the story so it seems more like a huge battle. What they did was nice, but most of the important action was squished into the last half hour.

Note, the chapters will be shorter than my usual, and there will probably be around five or six in addition to this prologue.

Prologue

The customer was either a tourist, or new in town. He actually ordered a sandwich.

"I'll have a pastrami on rye."

Since Jerry's thoughts were preoccupied with other chores he had to do that day, he quickly wrote down the order, barely paying attention. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, a room."

That made Jerry stare, eyebrow raised, attempting to figure the stranger out. "Excuse me?" The brown-eyed, brown-haired man seemed normal, even nondescript. Jerry wasn't sure he would have remembered the average face if not for the strange question.

"I just got here, looking to start over in the big city," he explained. "You know anywhere I could rent a room?" At Jerry's hesitation, he pulled out a money clip, bulging with twenties. "I can pay in cash."

Jerry felt his jaw drop, already wondering how he could get some of that cash. Then he remembered his daughter's empty bedroom. "Uh, well, my daughter just moved out a month ago. You could take hers." Quickly thinking of a price, he sputtered, "Nine hundred dollars per month? We'll need first and last month's rent up front."

The customer grinned. "Perfect. I'll need to see the room, of course. Though I won't be staying long, so whatever you have will be fine."

Snapping out of his money-induced trance, Jerry realized that he couldn't let a stranger off the street live in his home. At least not until they made proper introductions. "Oh, right. Well, um, I'm Jerry Russo. And you are..."

"Seth Calhoun. Nice to meet you, Mr. Russo."

Minutes later, Jerry temporarily close the shop since no one else was there anyway, and brought Seth up to the loft to meet Theresa. "Uh, honey?"

"Oh, who's this?" Theresa asked, crossing the loft to greet her guest. "Hi, I'm Theresa."

Seth shook her hand, offering a warm smile. "Seth Calhoun. Your husband and I just met downstairs. You have a lovely home, Mrs. Russo."

Blushing at the compliment, she replied, "Oh, call me Theresa. Have a seat, please." She and Jerry went over by the dining area to talk while their guest sat on the couch. "What's going on?"

"He wants to rent a room." At Theresa's angry expression, he launched into an argument for his defense. "Think about it! Alex's old room is sitting there empty when it could be getting us a few hundred bucks every month! We should have thought of this sooner!"

Theresa reluctantly considered the idea. "I don't know, Jerry. Having a stranger live with us..." She lowered her voice. "What about magic?"

"What about it? Alex causes most of the mayhem, and she's not here," Jerry reminded her.

"But still..."

"Look, Seth can pay two months' rent, incash," Jerry argued. "And he won't be here long. Weren't you saying how empty the house has been with Max at camp, Alex moved out, and Justin spending all his time in the lair?"

Theresa sighed. "Fine. We'll at least show Seth the room. He might not even want it with the condition it's in right now."

Both Jerry and Theresa led Seth upstairs. "Here you go, first door on the right," Jerry said, opening the door into Alex's bare room. His daughter took her bed with her, along with almost everything else. "Uh, just give us a few days to get it fixed up."

"It's pink," Seth remarked, noticing the fur wallpaper.

"That you'll have to take care of yourself," Jerry replied. By fixedup he'd meant using Craigslist to find a bed someone was throwing away, and making his daughter clear out the rest of her junk. No way was he paying for wallpaper removal.

Seth nodded. "In that case, it's bearable. The size is good."

"And we're in a great location," Theresa said, attempting to sell the place. "The subway is right around the corner. You're only a few stops away from Times Square."

"Oh, I doubt I'll be exploring much. This is just a temporary residence for me," Seth explained. "While I'm here I'll be calling up contacts, trying to find work. I might even be out within the month."

Jerry scoffed. "In this economy? Good luck with that." At his wife's glare, he covered, "Uh, I'm sure you won't be here long, then. So, do you want the room?"

"Yes, I'll take it," Seth answered. "I'm staying with a friend right now. How soon can I move in?"

"How about next week?" Jerry offered, then he and Seth shook hands on the agreement. While this new tenant would probably cause some inconveniences, Jerry didn't mind. Surely the new income would more than make up for them.