Set in Alex's senior year of high school, Justin's freshman year of college. Currently a one shot but based on reviews may grow to be more.

Synopsis: Concern for his sister arises during Justin's freshman year at college. Events in her life are causing Alex to seek out ways of filling a void in her heart and Justin seems to be the only one aware of her well hidden down ward spiral. Feeling responsible, Justin tries to save Alex.

Pretty dark fic. I've been known for taking campy kiddy shows/cartoons and being inspired to write the complete opposite kind of story. (.net/~lokiyamimegami is my old pen name)

PAIRING: N/A

WARNING: Hint at Justin/Alex.

Due to feedback, I will continue the fic. Again, I'm not taking this fic in any particular direction. Just writing it. Also, I edited this to be more of a first chapter and am finishing the second. =)

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Chapter Two: New Divide

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Weeks had gone by. Theresa was starting to be concerned with Justin's renewed presence in her household. At first she was relieved but now as she thought about it, with his new college career and magical lifestyle, Justin should have been out on his own much more. Maybe he wasn't ready to be on his own? Magic was magic but there was nothing stronger or more powerful then maternal instincts and hers were going off insanely.

But she couldn't pin point what it was that Justin needed from her. And then there was the looming aching truth that she couldn't save her kids from everything, especially the real world.

She hisses as she cuts her finger while slicing peppers for the sofrito she would use to make their meal that night. She lifts her finger and frowns deeply as the crimson blood drips from the wound. She never misses. But she got too distracted.

"Mom, what are you doing? You're bleeding all over the cutting board." Theressa blinks and smiles to herself. She remembered when his voice was small and full of restless youth. Now it was beyond that awkward transition between boyhood and manhood and found its own smooth "adult" voice.

"I'm sorry, Max, just not myself today." She responds to her little helper. Max had found a surprising skill in the kitchen, a natural talent that he was honing in hopes of a great culinary career. He was still a goofball and loved to make people laugh but he had definitely matured.

Theresa lifts her dark eyes toward the couch where Alex is curled up, wearing another oversized cardigan causing her to form into a shapeless mass that blended into the couch. She was playfully teasing Justin with a twizzler, poking him while he hunched over his books.

"Oh stop pretending you care about school, you're a full wizard now! Make the teacher give you an A. That's what I would do. Actually, if I had become full wizard, I would have never bothered with college." Alex muses aloud, returning the twizzler to rest between her lips. She grins. "I would magic up all the degrees in the world!"

Justin turns to glare at her in a flustered frustration. "Well, I'm not you. I like school." He poked her with the pen and she gives him a face, rolling her eyes. Justin watches her and shifts closer. "Do you think about college now?"

"She doesn't have to think, she's going. No choice if she wants our help and a roof over her head." Theresa warns sharply.

Alex's personality shifts, all emotion washing from her face and she casts an empty look to her mother. She gets up and pointedly pulls the twizzler from her teeth. She saunters pass the kitchen. Not saying a word as she climbs up the stairs. Theresa groans and mumbles in spanish a prayer for patience and understanding.

Justin, confused, looks to Max who seems completely oblivious to what just happened. Justin rises and approaches his mother. Theresa smiles proudly to her eldest son, and secretly thanks the heavens she never has to worry about him like she does for her younger kids.

His soft hands take her wrist and she feels an electric surge through her body. She would never get used to or like the sensation of magic being used on her. She flexes her newly healed finger. "Thanks, hijo." She whispers, patting his cheek affectionately.

She then continues to cook. There's a pause before Justin speaks. "Mom, what's going on with you and Alex?" Her jaw clenches, like an iron gate shutting abruptly. Her eyes shoot to Justin with a clear message. Whatever it was, it was intense.

"Justin, you've missed a lot over this summer between college prep and magic. I am proud of your independence and where you're headed with your life. Please don't let your drama queen of a sister distract you from that, ok? She's still a teenager, still living under my roof and my rules. So I would appreciate it if you didn't butt in, got it?" She explains clearly and surely, every word finding a home in that talented mind of his. Justin nods respectfully, and honors his mother's wishes like a good boy and backs off.

Before she can worry any more about this, Jerry enters and all is well again. No reason to dwell on difficult things.

- -

Alex grabs her pillow and wraps her body around it, sinking into her bed and sighing as she glares at the wall. If only she still had her magic. Alex would never say it out loud, but she always felt that somehow she would end up being the full wizard again. She wasn't surprised back on their family vacation when she proved herself to be capable.

She returned the power with the secret confidence that she could do it again, and succeed. That she could prove herself again.

She never thought she'd loose to Justin. But she couldn't hate him for it, not after what she had put him through. But she did blame her mother. Not just for her loss but for everything that went wrong.

Justin was the good one, the responsible one so he was free to use his magic as he chose. To practice and do all he had to. All Alex's parents ever did were try ways of restricting her use of magic out of some deluded fear that she would loose empathy for the mortal world and living a normal life. Alex clenches her fist.

The door opens and she looks up to see her brother. No surprise. "Hey Justin." She releases the fist and relaxes. She teased him, but truly Justin had become her best friend. Especially since Harper moved to the Midwest for her early acceptance to college.

Justin had gone too long without asking questions, about that night, about everything. Alex was beyond grateful but knew it couldn't last. She just wanted to continue pretending everything was ok. She sits up, suddenly bashful and humbled as she scoots back to lean against her head board. He tilts his head aside, observing her a silent moment. She could see the wheels turn behind those thoughtful and concerned eyes. He was trying to see any other indicators of trouble, signs of distress. She breathes out, dropping her head back. "Come on, Justin, out with it already."

He snaps from his thinking and looks behind him before entering her room and closing the door behind him. "That was intense, between you and mom."

Oh, this may be easier then she thought. She nods slowly. "Yes?"

Justin sits on the bed and Alex can't help but lift her head and stare back at him. His stare in unnerving, making her feel naked and exposed. She wrinkles her nose, clearly uncomfortable. "That night, at the club, you took some stuff."

Maybe not that easy. Alex shifts, preparing to close off, to insult him or distract him, and use her masterful manipulation of conversation to avoid this. She's snapped from planning a strategic defense by his hands grabbing her arms and reigning her in. "Alex, you kissed your own brother. You drank alcohol-"

"So did you!" she interjects quickly.

"But I'm older-" He responds, falling into her ploy.

"Not legal-" She ads, confident in her distractive measures.

"Alex, stop! Can't you see I'm worried about you!" She blinks and frowns, wincing like a wounded puppy that had been scolded for being too aggressive. She drops her head so she's no longer trapped in his disarming stare. She felt cornered and defeated. "Alex, why are you acting like this..."

"... I don't know..." She whispers. He frowns. Did he overestimate the depth of his sister's issues? She lifts her eyes to his and she's shaking and she feels the emotions wash over her. "I don't know, Justin. It's loosing my magic, it's mom... it's Harper and you leaving me for school... It's not knowing who I am or what makes me special without magic."

A mixture of her native cynicism and less familiar vulnerability render her slightly sarcastic yet still sincere as she explains. "I mean, who is Alex Russo if not the Wizard who gets into trouble. Turns out, she's the screw up who..." She trails off. She blinks and looks up to Justin. "Makes her brother look good."

He stares at her, waiting to see what else is there. And there's more, behind those words, behind those eyes. She's holding it all back. He prepares to pry further. "Look-"

"Dinner's Ready! Everyone at the table!" They both jump and turn to stare at the door, even though no one's there. Alex shudders and pulls away and getting up. She walks toward the door and reaches for the door knob.

"Wait." Justin grabs her hand and pulls on it to bring her attention back to him. "Just remember that I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you."

"Not always." She whispers quickly, easily, as if she had been prepared for this part for a while now. "Stop worrying Justin... go live your life, with all the nerdy magical loser glory you can handle. I've got my own life to live."

Justin frowns as the door slams shut between them.

- -

Justin left without eating, telling his parents he had school. Max had asked when he'd be back and Justin simply answered that with Midterms coming up, he would probably stay at his place a lot. No one believed that was the reason he stayed away.

The moment he was gone, he moment that door locked behind him, Theresa turned to glare at Alex. "What did you say to your brother?"

"Theresa, not now." Jerry warns and glares. "We're having dinner."

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true." Alex responds coyly, rising from her seat and casting an ice cold glare to her mother.

"Did you tell him about your antics this summer? about what you did to Harper?"

"No, I told him you're a raging menopausal bitch."

"Alexandra!" Jerry yells, slamming his fists on the table and standing up. "Don't talk to your mother that way!"

Max frowns and covers his head. None of this fighting occurred while Justin was around. And as long as he was around, Alex was around and so were his parents. This fighting drove him crazy. He closes his eyes.

"Oh come on, Dad, she can say whatever she wants about me but I can't fight fire with fire?" Alex growls.

"I can say whatever I want about you, I am your mother no matter how much you hate me."

"My hate for you doesn't match the hate you have for me! You want Harper to be your daughter so badly, adopt her!" Alex growls. She grabs her bag.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Jerry demands. "Alex, Alex!" He calls for her, as she runs out the door. It slams behind her. Max lifts his head to stare at the door. Frowning. "Theresa, damn it, that is our daughter! She's having a tough time with all this!"

"That is no excuse for her to throw her life away like it means nothing, Jerry! You have to got to step up and be the father she needs!"

"What about a mother who doesn't automatically assume the worst! You cut her no slack!"

"I can't do this good cop, bad cop bull with you anymore, Jerry! I need you to work with me! I can't save our daughter alone!"

Max watches his parents argue, their voice getting louder, his mother getting more hysterical. "You don't have to live with her mistakes, she does!"

"I don't? She lives her, doesn't she? She's still my daughter, isn't she? I will not have a promiscuous, party girl living under my roof. Getting pregnant and loosing that baby should have knocked some sense into her!"

"You were no saint at her age!"

Max gets up and begins to clean the table, putting away the untouched food. Alex was a screw up. Justin was perfect. Dad had no ambition. Mom was too strict. Max was beginning to come to terms with the fact that his family was falling apart. And he blamed the magic competition that he so chivalrously backed out on. Magic was not his life. Laughter, food, and his family were.

But he was helpless to stop this. Alex just had no idea how worried she made them all. And Justin had no idea how much they all needed him.

Jerry leaves, Theresa runs to her room crying.

Max is left to clean up after the mess.

- -

I have this idea for song titles as Chapter names. Again, I'm not decided on incest and frankly think the story is fine as it is. I know it's heavy angst but it's the kind of stuff you'd never see on the show itself.

Review Please.

SD