2

"Alex… Alex…." A voice was calling. "Time to get ready for school."

Alex Russo groaned, blinked her eyes once again and tried to return to her dreams of being on stage with Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers. Maybe even hanging out with Cole and Dylan Sprouse on that TV show of theirs. Harper's birthday party had worn her out. It wasn't exciting or spectacular at all. It was just her, Harper and two of Harper's female cousins with two adults and some ice cream and cake, much like they were when they were still in grammar school. Nothing fun at all although it was quite funny when Harper's grandmother fell asleep watching The Wizard of Oz DVD played for the party. It gave the party girls a chance to sneak off to get pizza and hit on boys at the Italian restaurant. Lying in bed, Alex tried to ignore the memories of the childish and non-fun party and yawned tiredly. In the brief fraction she blinked her eyes, she looked at her room and saw a picture of her brother by her bed. That was enough to shock her awake. Looking again, she realized she was not in her room. She was in a canopy bed with frills and lace. This was not her bedroom! The walls were with covered with posters of Jesse McCartney, the Jonas Brothers, Michayla -why did she look so familar - and goofy dog and cat photos, the shelves held stuffed animals and the underlying décor was of a brownstone apartment rather than her loft above the sandwich shop. This was Harper's bedroom at her house!

"Mrs. Evans… how did I get here?" Alex started getting scared.

"Mrs. Evans?!" Connie Evans wondered about the formality coming from Alex. "Alex, did you have a bad dream or something?"

"Where's Harper?"

"She probably at home with her family getting ready for school."

"Her family??"

"Yes…" Connie brushed her blonde hair back and shifted to her leg as she picked up dirty laundry from the floor of her daughter's room. "I need you ready on time. I'll drop you off at school on the way to the office." She kissed Alex's head. "Your grandmother has your breakfast ready."

"My grandmother??" Alex recoiled in shock. What was going on here? Since when did she wear pajamas? These were Harper's clothes which she was wearing! Down the hall, she heard Harper's grandmother and mother talking. Somehow, some way, she was in Harper's place, and if she was not here, Harper had to be in her place. It had to be a spell. It had to be! She jumped out of bed to hurriedly change clothes. Her feet hit the floor and she stood where she landed to cast a spell to hurriedly change her attire. Nothing happened.

"Where are my powers?!" Alex was freaking out by the second. She tried zapping herself over and over. "Where are my powers?!" This was not going to work! She had to borrow some of Harper's bright pink or neon green clothes if she wanted to or not. The best she could find was a pair of blue jeans and a white sweater with a picture of a rabbit on it. Ignoring breakfast, she raced to get to her home on Waverly Place. When she arrived, something made her stop and look instead of racing on in. Through the window she noticed Harper wearing her clothes and talking to her father. They laughed at something then hugged. Justin was there too, as well as Max. As Alex started motioning closer, her mother entered the shop.

"Harper, honey…" Theresa looked to her kids. "It's a bit chilly. Go get a jacket."

"I got it." Harper pointed to herself as a shimmer of light around her turned into a dark blue cardigan around her. Theresa reacted upset.

"Harper Russo…" Jerry pointed to the girl. "When your mother tells you to go get a jacket, you go get a jacket. I don't like it when you get lazy and use magic when you don't need it. How many times do I have to tell you this?!"

"Oh my god…." Looking in the window from outside, Alex started getting dizzy and started fighting to keep from passing out over the sidewalk outside the sandwich shop. This spell was more reaching than she had thought. Harper was now a part of her family and had her powers? She was now a normal girl with a normal family? This could not be happening!

"What's the use in being a wizard if I can't use my powers?" Harper asked her new father.

"Because magic should not be used for selfish reasons." Justin spoke up. "Right, dad?"

"Exactly." Jerry Russo did not see nor sense the recasting amidst his kids. "As you kids develop your wizard training, you're going to learn how closely your powers are tied to your personalities. I don't want any of you getting seduced by the dark side."

"Dad…" Young Max smirked and scoffed. "That's the Force…. You know, Star Wars… The Empire Strikes Back…"

"It's the same principle!" Jerry chopped vegetables for the day's worth of sandwiches. "With great power comes great responsibility!"

"And that's Spider-Man!" Justin remarked.

"It's the same principle!" Jerry barked at his kids. "Go to school. Go learn stuff. Go stuff your heads with knowledge and information." He guided them to the door and practically kicked them out. Holding the door open, he looked at Justin and Max heading off to catch the bus. Harper even gave him a kiss thinking he was her father, and why should she think otherwise? In her mind, her name was Harper Russo. She was a wizard-in-training learning the practice and discipline in the science of magic, that field of the unknown that encompassed the realm of the paranormal and the anathema forces of earth and the universe. She was going to follow the path of sorcerers and mystics like Merlin and Morgan le Fay.

A few feet away, Alex longed for that legacy once again. Shaking off her fainting spell, she moved and postured a bit dizzy and off step. She had to get her life back. She reasserted her will and turned herself into the shop just missing the friend that had stolen her life. Jerry and Theresa Russo looked up to her.

"Hi Alex." Jerry responded casually to her.

"Hey Alex…" Theresa looked upon the girl she thought was her daughter's best friend. "You just missed Harper."

"Okay, mom, dad…" Alex was freaking as she entered. "Something really bad happened. I woke up in Harper's house and without my powers. I think it's from that wish I gave her."

Jerry and Carmen looked at her without saying anything. They looked at each other and back to Alex.

"That's really nice, honey." Theresa humored her and turned to her husband. "Doesn't Harper have any normal friends?"

Jerry just shrugged his shoulders in confusion.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's true!" Alex panicked trying to prove it. "I'm your real daughter! Harper has my powers. I'm the wizard, not Harper!"

"Alex, you're so funny." Jerry started feeling awkwardly nervous. "I mean, everyone knows there's no such thing as wizards or magic." Theresa had stepped back a bit afraid.

"Really…" Alex became annoyed. "Then… how do I know about the lair and wizard training?"

"Did Harper tell you about that stuff?" Jerry reacted like an angry father. "I am so going to punish her!" He looked to his wife and back to Alex. "Okay, if you really are my daughter, what's the animation spell?"

"Murrieta animata."

"What was the name of the ghost that was in Harper's body?"

"Uh…" Alex reacted a bit. "He was in my body, and he was Max's friend, Nick."

"When adult Harper came from the future, how many kids did she say you and Justin had?"

"Okay, first off, ewwwwwww…." She reacted from that disgusting slant of events. "But it was me from the future, and I said Justin and Harper had two bratty daughters!"

Jerry and Theresa stood speechless for a second. Could it be?

"Jerry?" Theresa finally spoke.

"I don't know what to think."

"Please, you've got to believe me." Alex's eyes started filling with tears. "I want to come home. I don't want to give up my life and be someone I'm not. I like being a wizard." She began crying from the heartbreak. "I want to come home." She reached out and hugged her mother. When she felt Alex's arms holding her, Theresa felt a motherly bond that no magic could break. She realized then that this was her daughter!

"Jerry?" She looked to her husband for answers. "I think she's telling truth!"

"I don't know what to think." Jerry Russo wandered into the sub shop trying to think. He looked to his wife and back to Alex. "What kind of spell did Harper wish?"

"What?" Alex was still crying as she wiped a tear away. "Uh, I don't know… It was a secret wish."

"A secret wish?!"

"But she's always had a crush on Justin." Alex revealed. "Maybe she wished they were boyfriend and girlfriend."

"My daughter has a crush on her brother?" Theresa reacted. "That's disturbing!"

"That doesn't make sense." Jerry motioned back and forth pacing as he thought. "They're not boyfriend and girlfriend, they're my kids… they're brother and sister!"

"Jerry," Theresa spoke up as she passed from the counter. "Girls don't think like guys. When I was sixteen and had a crush on a boy, I always wished we could be together forever."

"A wish like that would do it." Jerry realized the heart of a young girl. "I do recall giving Harper a wish to give to Alex, but if Alex was my real daughter and Harper actually made a non-specific wish to be with Justin, a desire like that would explain this skewering between Harper and Alex."

"How do we put everything back?" Theresa just wanted her real daughter.

"I'm going to have to study that chapter on wish fulfillment." Jerry defeatedly realized what he had to do and looked to the girl he thought was his sister's best friend. "Look, you go to school and come home with Harper and…" It suddenly hit him. "You really are my daughter, aren't you? Why didn't I see it? You look just like Theresa…"

"I love you, dad." Alex reached to him and hugged him close to her soul. Despite what his mind told him, Jerry responded with his heart and hugged his daughter.