4

Things were almost the same. Alex and Harper walking down Waverly Place for the sandwich shop. Max was sitting in a booth doing his homework as he saw the two come in. Alex came in first out of habit and held the door for Harper. She looked over to her parents reacting the same way she always did.

"Dad, I'm home…" She said it out of habit. Jerry Russo stopped and reacted. Harper turned and made a face to Alex. Why was her best friend calling her father dad?

"What did you just say?" Max looked up confused from his homework.

"I mean, uh," Alex looked at Harper and the confused faces at her. "You've all been like family to me." She looked at Harper. "Harper, you're like the sister I've always wanted… So, your family is like my family."

"Isn't that like so sweet!" Theresa shined at that glowing statement. "And Alex, I like thinking of you as my daughter too." She kissed both Harper and Alex. Harper mused a bit taking her jacket off with her schoolbooks.

"That's one branch of the family tree I'd cut off." Justin quipped as he helped his mother at the counter. "If I even wanted another sister, Alex Evans would not be at the top of my list." Theresa swatted him than bear that insult. He looked at her a bit confused.

"Kids, time for your… um…" He noticed a few customers interspersed with his kids both real and illusory. "Home-schooling…" That was a secret buzzword for their wizard training to use in public. Alex again reacted out of habit, but Harper stopped her with a confused grin. Things were not back to normal yet.

"Uh, dad…" Harper looked to the man she thought was her father. "There's something I need to tell you. You see, Alex figured out that I'm a…."

"Tell me about it later, honey." He stopped her confession and gave her a kiss before scooting her off to the lair. Harper looked to Justin, Justin looked to who he thought was his sister. Alex stood waiting and watching.

"Okay, did you figure out a counter spell?" She asked her father.

"There is no counter spell." Jerry told his real daughter. Alex's eyes widened in fearful shock of not getting her life back.

"The only way to get things back to normal is for Harper to reject her wish." Jerry explained.

"How are you going to do that?" Theresa asked.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but…" Jerry rolled his eyes ashamed. "Somehow, someway, I've got to make my daughter pick a fight with her brother."

"You mean my brother with my best friend." Alex pointed out the truth.

"Whatever!"

"What's going on here?" Justin spoke up. Both Jerry and Theresa jumped a bit upon realizing he was listening.

"Justin?" Jerry reacted, looked to Theresa and Alex and back to his son. He took a deep breath ready to reveal the truth. "Justin… Okay, it turns out… There's a spell on Harper. Alex is your real sister."

"What?" He refused to accept that. "Not Alex, dad. Please not, Alex. I mean, sure she's cute…"

"You think I'm cute?" Alex turned to him. "All together now, Ewwwwwwwwww…"

"But I cannot be related to Alex Evans!" Justin refused to accept it. "She's like one of the worst students in school! I cannot be related to her!"

"Honey…" Theresa came round to confront her son. "We need you to pick a fight with Harper."

"Why?"

"In order to void her wish so I can come home." Alex remembered being related to Justin even if he did not. "I want my powers back!"

"There is no way I'm letting you in this family!" Justin shook his finger in Alex's face. "You've been pulling cruel pranks on me since we met! In case you haven't figured it out, I don't like you! I've got one sister, and I don't need another! I like her a heck lot more than you!" Even if he did not recall Alex ever being his sister, he still had the same past with her and knew enough about her that he knew he didn't like her at all. If anything, removing her from the family had increased his distaste of her. He turned on his heel and marched off toward the lair to await his wizard training. Alex stood a bit shocked. Her mouth hanging open, she stared at Justin leaving her and wished she could place a curse on him.

"Alex, are you okay?" Theresa looked to her true daughter.

"I'm not coming home, am I?" Alex wondered out loud.

"Forget about Justin…" Jerry watched his son march off and turned back to Alex. "He's like us; he has no memories of you as his sister. It's Harper we need to worry about. There is no way those two can keep from fighting. They're brother and sister!"

"Yeah…" Alex dumped herself into a stool at the counter. "Right…." She responded defeatedly as Theresa rubbed her back trying to console her. Jerry headed toward the lair behind the shop. "I'll be home soon… Maybe…" She said it, but she didn't believe it. "No matter what happens…." Alex turned and looked to her mother. "You'll always be my mom, right?"

"Always…" Theresa hugged her true daughter despite whatever spell was telling her.