Alex and Mason's Puppy Love
Summary: Upset that his sister got Mason back, while Juliet was still a wrinkled old crone, Justin can't help but wonder about Alex's definition of love. Post-Alex Saves Mason.
A/N: Have to give credit to the posters on IMDB's Wizards of Waverly Place Board. Many threads were created saying how unfair it was that Mason was able to return while Justin couldn't get Juliet back. I happen to agree with them.
"You're welcome."
He said the words because they were expected. And because if he stormed out to the elevator, she might somehow get the idea he was upset. She could be perceptive that way.
"So, now that you're here, there's this really cute girl I want you to meet," Alex babbled on, unaware of Justin's barely-concealed glare. "She looks nothing like Juliet, really nice, and I know she's smart because I cheat off her in math all the time. Come on!"
His sister started to pull him into the party room, but Justin easily got his wrist out of her grasp. At her confused look, he swallowed his anger and explained, "No thanks, I'm kind of tired from uh…you know…figuring out how to turn your boyfriend into a full human. I'll meet you back home."
"But Justin…"
Understanding in his eyes, Mason put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "Alex, uh, why don't you go tell your friend that Justin will meet her another time, all right?"
"Fine, but it's his fault he's missing out on a girl who's just looking for the right guy to bring excitement into her dull, average existence…" At their glances, she explained, "I copied her poem in English class too."
When Alex was out of earshot, Mason turned to Justin. "Look, um, about Juliet…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean…"
"I know you didn't."
The dismissal clear in Justin's tone, Mason sighed, then went back to the party. Slightly guilty for being so harsh, Justin almost called the werewolf back. He'd been trying to hide his emotional torment, but if even Mason had been able to see it, Justin clearly needed to go home and rest. Still, the image of his ex-girlfriend's current condition fueled his resentment, so he jammed his thumb into the button for the elevator.
It's just not fair.
Of course the thought was cliché and childish. Though to be perfectly honest, Justin didn't really care. They were his thoughts, and he could have them. He had a right to uselessly sulk about not being able to save Juliet. And he had a right to be furious with his sister for her embarrassment when she was lucky enough to have her true love returned.
Since he knew lashing out based on either feeling would make him seem unreasonable, he kept it all to himself. The logical side of him knew that Juliet was just...gone. Ever since he'd lost her again, he'd been trying to find a cure, some way to reverse the vampire's aging. But searching the World Wide Wiz Web until his fingers were numb, and following every dead-end lead that came up, proved useless. Also logically, he knew he shouldn't blame himself for not being able to find the cure. Not even full wizards had been able to make the discovery (though, given the rivalry between wizards and vampires, he doubted many had tried).
In the same sense, it was equally pointless to be angry at his sister. Though the sentiment was as natural as breathing, her actions had nothing to do with him this time, so accusing her of being insensitive and shallow would be an unprovoked attack on his part. He doubted it would do any good anyway. Alex had just been Alex. He couldn't blame her when she hadn't even meant to hurt anyone.
But how could she be so totally ungrateful?
Justin leaned his head on the wall beside the apparently slow-arriving elevator, and let out a deep sigh of aggravation. She kept saying how much she loves Mason, Justin thought. Yet the second he's not perfect, she's ashamed to be seen in public with him. What? Alex has never cared what anyone thought of her, or who she chose to be seen with. She's been hanging around Harper since kindergarten, despite some outfits that were probably more embarrassing than a face covered in dog hair.
In a way, he could almost understand. She was still an immature teenager after all. And while she declared her love for Mason constantly, Justin had to wonder if that was so when the two had only been dating for a few weeks before he was turned into a wolf. Sure, the necklace was supposed to indicate love, and maybe that was the case when the two were first dating. But would the necklace have glowed if Mason had put it around Alex's neck when he was first transformed? After the incident, Alex seemed able to hide her longing for Mason a lot quicker than he was able to hide his for Juliet. While Justin didn't doubt the power of the necklace, he wondered if there were different types of love. Maybe Alex and Mason had simply been in…well…"puppy love," a relationship that didn't have any depth to it yet.
He hadn't needed any necklace to know that he and Juliet truly loved each other. Ever since they first met, they had this instant connection, one that had overcome their parents' disproval. They'd stood by each other against enemies, like zombies. And even though he'd messed up a couple of times, like when he accidentally reported her and her family to the monster hunters, they got through it like adults. Before she was turned into an old woman, their relationship had lasted several months despite everything thrown at them, and had still been strong.
Based on that, Justin thought he was allowed to feel that he and Juliet deserved another chance at love more than Alex and Mason did. Justin and Juliet had been through so much more, first because of their parents, then because of the mummy. They hadn't been allowed to be happy for long. He knew that if Juliet were returned to him, he wouldn't care if she…to make the comparison, was young but still had the wrinkles and gray hair. So what if people stared? He'd just be thrilled to have her back.
And wasn't he the one who had been searching for a cure ever since the fight? Alex had gone through the heartbreak, then did her best to get over the relationship. Justin had been the one spending so many late nights doing research. And he'd been the one to restore Mason! She wouldn't even have human Mason back if it wasn't for his efforts.
Which brought him around to his original argument…
It's just not fair!
So why did Alex get to be happy and he didn't? Why could he find a way to change Mason back, but he couldn't find a cure for Juliet, no matter how hard he looked?
And what was with this elevator? He'd been waiting for a couple of minutes.
As he went to push the button again, he sensed someone behind him. Since he thought it was someone who needed to use the elevator, he began, "Elevator might be stuck, I pressed the button…" He trailed off when he saw who it was. "Oh, hi Harper."
Pure concern on her face, Harper asked, "Are you okay, Justin? Zeke's been asking for you all night, and Alex just told me you're not even staying."
Shoot. He'd been so eager to go home and sulk that he'd forgotten that his best friend was counting on him to co-host. But he couldn't be the life of a party in his condition. "Oh, right. Uh…look, just tell him I needed to help Alex with something, and that I went home to freshen up but I'll be back in a few minutes."
"You look fine," Harper protested. "Come on, it's your best friend's first party! You're already late as it is!"
His face turned hot from guilt, but still Justin argued, "Please, Harper, just cover for me! I've had a very long day."
"So? Tough it out. You can sleep all day tomorrow," Harper insisted, then started to drag Justin toward the party.
Aggravated, Justin once again pulled his hand free and insisted, "Harper, no! You don't understand! I just can't be at a party right now."
Harper glared. "If this was anyone else's party, I wouldn't mind if you went home. But this is Zeke. You know that no matter what he was going through, he'd put it all aside in a heartbeat if you needed him."
Darn it. She's right. No denying that.
Though unhappy thoughts still overwhelmed his mind, Justin tried to get himself in party mode. "All right, so, how's Zeke holding up?"
"Aside from some bad dance moves, the party's going pretty well…" Harper trailed off, then sighed as she stepped in front of him to stop him from returning to the party. "Okay, I have to ask. What's going on with you? Shouldn't you be happy that you fixed everything and Mason's back?"
Unsure how else to answer, Justin shrugged. "I should, shouldn't I?"
"What? Do you not like Mason or something…oh," Harper said, her eyes wide with understanding. "You'd rather have Juliet back, wouldn't you?"
His eyes lowered in shame, he confessed, "I know, I should be happy for Alex. It's great that Mason's back."
Harper sighed. "Look, Justin, I realize that I was the one who told you to move on. But even I know you're never going to stop loving Juliet. And, sometimes, not being with the one you love makes people think ugly thoughts. Shoot, I've wanted to push every single one of your girlfriends down a flight of stairs. Jealousy is nothing new."
"It's worse than that, though…" Justin replied. "I can't help but feel that I deserve Juliet back more than Alex deserves Mason. Especially after she was embarrassed of him. I mean, does she even really love him, if she acts that way after wanting him back for so long? I did all the hard work. I cured Mason. So it's only fair I should be able to cure Juliet, right? Why should they get to have their little puppy love while I miss out on the real thing?"
Instead of berating him for the comment, Harper remarked, "Oh, so while everyone's enjoying themselves in that party…" She jerked her thumb in the direction of the crowd for emphasis. "…you're out here having a little self-pity part of your own. How's that working out for ya?"
A little insulted, Justin snapped, "It's my party, I can sulk if I want to."
"Hey, don't get me wrong, I've been there myself," Harper replied, much to his surprise. "Don't you think when Alex had all her boyfriends, and I was single, I'd get jealous? I'd think to myself, 'I'd be such a better girlfriend than Alex, yet she's the one who gets all the guys. How is that fair?'"
His arms crossed, Justin childishly grumbled, "Because Alex always gets what she wants. It isn't fair."
Ignoring that, Harper continued, "But then Zeke and I started going out. And it suddenly doesn't matter how many more relationships Alex had. I'm just happy."
"I was happy. With Juliet."
"And you'll be happy again!" Harper insisted. "You're hurting now, I get it. But I loved you for years, and nothing ever happened between us. Don't you think that hurt?"
Embarrassed and guilty, Justin sputtered, "Harper, I'm sorry, but…"
Harper shook her head. "No, I mean, you were my first love. I'll probably always have a special place for you in my heart. Do I love Zeke? I'm not really sure yet. But I'm happy. And that's what matters." She let out a deep breath. "You'll be happy too. You just have to be patient."
"So that's it? I'm just supposed to wait?"
"Well, no. You're supposed to have hope. If anything, getting Mason back should give you hope for Juliet, right?" Harper argued. "So what if you haven't found the cure yet. You're trying your best, and that's what matters." She added, "But if you need a quick pick-me-up, think of it this way. You're the reason Alex has her boyfriend back, as a human. She's happy now because of you." Then Harper smirked. "She owes you for like, the rest of her life."
"Huh, didn't think of that..." Justin remarked, in response not only to her joke, but to all of her little speech. He was amazed how someone on the outside of his situation could see it so differently. In a sense, her logic was a good slap in the face. When had he given up hope? He couldn't even remember. His intense longing for Juliet had easily turned him into a pessimist. Harper had basically put everything into focus, reminded him that life was a journey, and that losing Juliet wasn't the end of the world. Sure, she'd told him that when she had Alex turn her into Juliet, but with Mason back, he'd quickly reverted back into familiar emotional territory. Once again, he'd needed Harper to set him straight.
"Thanks, Harper," Justin finally said as he gave her a grateful smile. "You know, I'm kind of liking this new friendship thing. You don't seem as crazy now that you're with Zeke."
Harper chuckled. "Well, I've never been able to impress you with my experience in emotional pain before, either. But you're welcome."
"Sad and true at the same time," Justin remarked with a chuckle. He then glanced towards the party. "I guess we should go help Zeke."
At his suggestion, Harper smiled. "Yes we should. Let's go."
They were about to leave, when Justin noticed the elevator hadn't arrived yet. A couple approached the doors, so he informed them, "I think it's broken. I pressed the button about five minutes ago..." Right on cue, the doors opened, and the couple ignored him as they stepped into the elevator. Annoyed, Justin snapped, "Seriously?"
"I guess you weren't meant to leave," Harper joked with a chuckle.
"No...I think that's just my life," Justin muttered. At her narrowed eyes, he explained, "Can I help it if I was born a pessimist?"
Harper shook her head and shoved him into the party. "No, but you can go help Zeke."
"Yeah, where is he? I don't..." Justin trailed off. Over a dozen laughing teens surrounded Zeke, who thought he was impressing them with his clogging skills. While Justin had been indulging in self-pity, his best friend had been in desperate need of some back up. At least he could fix that. "Never mind. Harper, you go kiss Zeke. I'll turn up the music when he passes out."