Disclaimer: I own nothing.


"We need to end this. I'm sorry."

Alex watched as Justin took off running towards the glowing ball of magic, her body slowly melting into the stone. When she turned her head and caught sight of the small plant growing through the cracks, she smirked.

Only to feel terror race down her spine at the sound of whirling winds.

As her torso puddled into the ground, she screamed as she watched her brother disappear into the tornado.

Tears blinded her vision as she quickly muttered the spell. A moment later a large plant emerged from the ground next to the prized orb.

She could feel the memories being ripped from her head as she tried to reach out for her family's salvation, but as she heard the vortex moving closer to her, her fingers still inches away, she closed her eyes tightly and sobbed as her body was sucked from the plant and into oblivion.


"Alex. Up. Now."

Alex Russo groaned as she rolled over, pulling her comforter up over her head.

"Five more hours," she pleaded.

Jerry Russo shook his head as he entered his daughter's room, pulling the blankets away from her body.

"Alex, come on. We need to leave in an hour. You've been napping for three hours now. Let's go."

Sighing, the sixteen year old sat up, glowering over at her father.

"But Dad, I don't even want to go."

Jerry's expression softened, as it often did with his daughter. He sat next to her on her bed, clasping his hands together between his knees.

"I thought you liked Theresa," he said quietly.

Guilt flooded Alex's stomach despite her attempt to prevent it. One does not become the master of manipulation by having a conscience, but she did actually love her father.

Damn you, heart.

"I do," she said, picking at a stray thread. "She's nice and she really seems to like you, but... I like our lives how they are now. Just you, me, and Max. I don't want some strangers moving in here."

Jerry breathed deeply, nodding as he listened to her.

"I know it's going to be a big change, but I love Theresa. After your mother left... it's been hard for me. Now, I've met this amazing woman who is willing to put up with me and my unique kids. I want this family, Alex, but I don't want to make you unhappy, so if I am honestly asking too much of you, then please, tell me."

Alex stared at her father, biting her lip.

He just gave her the perfect opening to shut this whole marriage/mixed family thing down, but was she really that selfish?

As she pondered, Max bounded into her room, grinning.

"What are you doing still in bed?" he asked. "We gotta go soon. Can't keep them waiting."

"You're actually excited about this?" she asked incredulously.

"Uhhh yeah. Life here is already crazy and awesome with just the three of us. Add two more people into this mix? It's going to multiply by... um... uh..."

Alex rolled her eyes, but since she didn't really know either she couldn't openly comment.

"Well I guess if Max is in and you're in, then I have to be too. We're the Russo's. We may fight, lie, manipulate, and cause mayhem all over the city, but we do so together," she said.

"That's the spirit!" Jerry laughed, hugging his daughter tightly. "Now hurry up. We don't want to be late."

She crawled out of bed and stretched.

"But why are we only meeting Theresa's son today? You guys been seeing each other for six months. You'd think we would have met what's-his-name by now."

"Her son is very busy. He's really involved in school and activities."

Plus Jerry was absolutely positive that his daughter and her son would not get along whatsoever, so he was putting off this meeting for as long as possible.

"So he's a giant nerd?" Alex asked, already looking put off by the young man.

"Don't call him that," he scolded, then paused. "But yes, he is."

Jerry took hold of Max's shoulders and led him out of the room, letting Alex finally get ready.


"Can I please go on record saying that I vehemently believe this is a horrible idea?" Justin Stohler said, leaning in the doorway of his mother's bathroom, watching as she finished primping her hair and applying her make up.

"Yes, Justin. You've made it very clear that you disapprove of Jerry."

"I don't disapprove of him," he said. "I just think you guys are moving really, really, really fast. Six months of courtship is not enough. Relationship experts recommend at least a year of dating, another year for an engagement, and then marriage."

Theresa rolled her eyes at her son. She loved him with all of her heart, but he could be so pedantic about everything. She missed her little boy who loved comic books and science fiction. If only his father hadn't insisted that he rid himself of such nonsense by age eight, maybe her son wouldn't act like a stodgy old man all the time.

"Maybe that would work for people in their twenties, but we're in love, we're happy. We want this."

Justin sighed, "But he's so..."

Juvenile? Corny? Over the top?

"He makes me laugh," she said, walking over to her eighteen year old son. "Call me crazy but after your father, I think I deserve this. Don't you?"

Anger ignited in Justin's veins, his jaw clenching at the thought of his father, a man he had come to hate over the last year. Seeing the quiet fury in her son's eyes, Theresa smiled sadly.

"Don't work yourself up," she soothed. "I'm in love with Jerry, quirks and all. His kids are amazing, and I really think this could be a perfect second chance for me. A new beginning. New family, new home, new school. No more pitying looks and gossip."

Even over a year after her divorce, the other women in the neighborhood still talked about how Theresa Stohler's dentist husband, Marty, was caught cheating on her with his twenty year old dental hygienist.

And about how the girl was pregnant.

And how he was leaving his family for her.

"You really love him?" Justin asked quietly, gazing down at his mother.

"I do," she smiled.

"And he honestly makes you happy?"

"He does." Her smile turned into a love sick grin at the thought of the man.

Justin groaned, letting his head bang against the door.

"Fine. I'm in."

Theresa laughed, pulling her son into a tight hug.


"So why are we going out to eat instead of meeting at the Sub Station?" Alex asked as the Russo's entered a restaurant called Medium Rare.

Max immediately reached out to grab a dessert off of the tray, only to have Alex slap his hand away.

"Well we kind of wanted you kids to meet at a neutral location, and hopefully you guys will be forced to behave since we're in public," Jerry answered with false cheeriness.

Alex scoffed. "Yeah, since when has being in public stopped us before?"

"Well, there's a first time for everything. Oh, there they are!" Jerry said, leading his kids over to a secluded table in the back of the restaurant.

All preventative measures were taken for the possible blow out that could ensue.

Alex curiously peered around the table, wanting to see who her future step-brother was.

And he was... something else.

Seriously.

What teenager wears a suit to dinner?

Kid really was a dork.

How disappointing.

When they got to the table, Theresa rose from her seat, going over to Jerry to place a sweet kiss on his lips.

All three teenagers cringed.

Justin, too, stood, shaking Jerry's hand as soon as the lovebirds separated.

Alex, however, was too busy sizing him up to properly greet Theresa.

"Alex, Max, this is Justin. Theresa's son."

She watched as he ran his hand down his tie to straighten it before reaching forward to shake her hand.

Alex merely cocked an eyebrow at the gesture.

The polite smile on his face faltered a moment before Max shoved his hand into a hand shake, puffing himself up and nodding as if this was all official.

"Nice to meet you," Justin said.

"Right back atchya, bro. Or should I say, soon-to-be bro.," Max replied.

Justin looked confused, but kept politely smiling anyway.

Oh yeah, this was going to be awesome. Mr. Stick in the Mud, Mr. I have a Primordial Growth in My Room, and Miss I don't have to Listen to You.

All of them sat down, the Russo kids feeling somewhat out of place at the nice establishment while Justin seemed to fit right in his with perfect manners and etiquette.

The silence around the table was awkward, and Theresa tightly squeezed Jerry's hand.

"So," Jerry said, "Justin, you looking forward to starting your senior year at Tribeca Prep?"

Justin, who finished placing his napkin on his lap, turned his gray-green eyes over to his future stepfather.

"Assimilating into a new school always presents certain challenges, but I feel that I am up to the task. I've already contacted the necessary individuals to insure that I am enrolled in all of the advanced placement and honors classes that are offered."

Max, now totally thrown, shot a look over at Alex who shrugged helplessly.

Was the even English?

Jerry cleared his throat, "So that's a yes?"

Taking a deep breath, Justin forced another pleasant smile to his face. "Yes, that's a yes."

"Oh, good!" Jerry replied with a wide grin.

Theresa nudged Justin, who furrowed his brow at her. She nodded her head towards the Russo teens. Although what did she expect? He didn't have any friends his own age, how was she planning on him making nice with these two?

Quelling his annoyance, however, Justin turned his attention to them.

"So, Alex, Max, what kind of extracurriculars do you two participate in when school is in session?"

"Huh?"

"Extracaracka-what?"

Justin blinked.

They were kidding, right?... No?

He closed his eyes for a moment before slowly replying, "Clubs, sports, after school activities..."

"Oh," Max laughed, "I get it. No. Nothing."

"Is detention considered an after school activity?" Alex asked.

"Wow," he breathed, looking over at his mother who smiled reassuringly.

"What about you?" Max asked.

"Well, I was a member of student government, captain of the chess team, the debate team, and the math club, photographer for the yearbook, and copy editor for the school newspaper. Oh, I also run a small tutoring business on the side."

Alex rolled her eyes before looking over at her father with an are-you-kidding-me? look.

Jerry shrugged. The boy had ambition, what did she want him to do about it?

"And you had time for class, too?" Max asked, in awe.

"Of course, all A's."

"Wow, I don't have any activities and I only got a C- in math."

"You're got a C-?" Alex asked, whipping her head towards her brother before frowning. "How did you do better than me?"

"Missy Stevens. She thinks I'm cute so she did my homework for me."

Alex glowered. "Curse you, Missy Stevens."

The waitress approached the table and took everyone's order, leaving another awkward silence in her wake.

"So are you excited to move into the loft this weekend?" Jerry asked Justin, trying so hard to keep the conversation going, and he knew Justin was too polite to blow him off like his own kids would.

"Sure. I suppose."

"And how about for your first day of work at the Sub Station?"

At that, Justin froze. The placating smile disappeared completely.

"What?"

Theresa sat up, looking over at her son nervously.

"Oh, I didn't mention that?" she said, reaching up to play with her earring.

"No, mother," he said, frowning. "You left that part out."

"Oh well, you know since we're leaving the neighborhood your tutoring job will be gone, so I figured this would be a good replacement for you to have. Some extra money, bonding with new family?"

"Yeah, because making sandwiches is so much more impressive on a college application than tutoring."

"Oh no," Jerry said. "I'm the chef, you'll be a waiter."

Justin's jaw dropped as he looked over at Theresa again.

Alex snickered at his reaction, getting a kick out of seeing the uptight kid get so worked up like this.

Huh, maybe having him around all the time won't be such a downer if she can get a rise out of him like this.

She felt a new life mission coming her way.

"Don't worry," Max said, plopping a hand down on Justin's shoulder. "You get free sandwiches."

"Oh," he replied sarcastically, "that makes it all better."

Max smirked, leaning forward. "You're welcome."

Justin shrugged him off, clenching his jaw tightly as he took a deep breath.

"Excuse me for a moment," he said, rising from the table and heading towards the exit.

Theresa, looking heartbroken, put her napkin down and made to follow him, but stopped once Jerry put his hand on her shoulder.

"Alex, why don't you go after him?"

Alex, who had been taking a sip of water, choked on it, coughing viciously for a second.

"Me? Why? I don't even know the kid."

"Please. Maybe encouragement coming from someone in his situation will help. Now go," Jerry said in a tone that was definitely an order.

Rolling her eyes, she got up, muttering about how ridiculous this whole thing was as she followed Justin out onto the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.

She found him leaning against the building, hands in his pockets, head down.

Over dramatic, much? Geeze, his mother was just uprooting his whole life and dumping him into a lifestyle that was radically different from everything he had known. Get over it.

Licking her lips, she slowly approached him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hey," she muttered.

He glanced over at her.

"Your dad tell you to come out here?"

She shrugged, leaning against the wall next to him.

Alex gazed at his profile, watching his features as he tried to bottle everything up inside. This guy was seriously 18 going on 50. But still, it was surreal how she already sort of felt comfortable around him. Granted, Alex was blessed with an overabundance of self-confidence, but usually around new people she tensed up a bit. She was a rather guarded individual, but something about Justin Stohler put her at ease, like she already kind of knew him.

It was kind of weirding her out, but in a good way.

Huh, whatever. This was getting to be too deep for her.

"Look," she said, staring at the sidewalk instead of him. "I'm against this whole Brady Bunch bullshit, too. The Russo's are impulsive, quirky, and generally all around awesome while you are clearly uptight, boring, and from what I can tell a giant nerd."

Justin frowned, looking over at her in confusion. "Are you trying to give me a pep talk? Because if so, you're atrocious at it."

See?! Atrocious? Who talks like that? Just say she sucks at it!

"But," she barreled on, "I've never seen my dad as happy as he is with your mom, and... to be honest, Theresa seems pretty nice, too. And... I don't know... it's been suggested that Max and I need some stability and direction in life, and I know for damn sure you could use some loosening up... so maybe this won't be so bad."

Justin gazed down at Alex, actually listening to what she was saying (which would be a first for most of the guys she talks to). But standing on the sidewalk with her, empathizing with her, he agreed with her. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, especially if he was beginning to sort of feel a sense of comradeship with her, which was weird because he never really clicked with anyone before.

And this girl seemed to be the complete opposite of him.

"Are you asking me to be your stepbrother?" he asked, a small smirk coming to his lips.

Alex bit down on the tip of her tongue so she wouldn't smirk back, just carelessly flipped her long hair over her shoulder.

"Well I could use someone like you in my life."

"Really?" he deadpanned.

Color him shocked.

"Absolutely, you seem so easy to manipulate and blackmail. The opportunities are going to be endless."

The humor left his face as Alex laughed, pulling him away from the wall and wrapping her arm around his as she led him back into the restaurant.

"I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship," she said, tightening her grip on him.

"More like you're the evil stepsister I never needed."

As the approached the table, Alex released him.

"Oh Cinderella, you have no idea."


A/N: So I'm planning on this being sort of a parallel universe WOWP (with a sort of LWD type twist). I'm open to suggestions if anyone is actually reading this. Things you want to see, plot lines, stuff like that. I also need to apologize if people are upset with their characterizations. Justin is probably going to be more uptight about everything while Alex may struggle a bit more with her feelings. I still want their fundamental dynamic to remain. Please let me know what you all think.