A/N: Another long chapter. I wrote it (and the first half of the next one) on a long car ride. It feels a little repetitive and plotless, it's because I was sitting here working on it for five straight hours, and didn't have much to do but add more words.


Reunion |rēˈyoōnyən| - noun, an instance of two or more people coming together after a period of separation.

Max was still in charge at breakfast the next morning. Justin watched him spread liberal amounts of butter on his pancakes; his eyes were perfectly calm.

"We're going to buy Halloween candy this afternoon," Theresa said from the sink, where she was washing dishes. "Who wants to come with?"

Justin was silent. Harper, who had just trudged downstairs, gave an apologetic look. Max, on the other hand, was quick to say, "I'll go."

Theresa's eyes widened in sarcastic disbelief. "Really? Well, I guess it'll be good to get you out of the house." She wrung out the dishcloth and left the kitchen.

"What's up?" Justin eyed his brother.

Max shrugged. "I just want to get some fresh air."

Harper cast her eyes down. "It's because of me, right? I'm sorry I came here, it's just stirred Alex up-"

"No, no," Max protested, "she'd be like this anyway. Really, it's not your fault." He looked over at her and forced a smile.

The three were silent for a long time after that. There was only the sound of forks on ceramic and the humming of the dishwasher.

"Do you need any help in the Sub Station?" Harper broke the silence. She set her fork down on her empty plate.

Justin shook his head. "We always close it on this weekend. Just one of Mom's crazy 'remembrance' things."

"Yeah," Max agreed, "Alex always complains what a stupid idea it is. She hates this time of year."

"It must be hard on her," Harper said.

"More like annoying. Imagine a whole day where all anyone says is, 'She would have laughed at that' or 'She would have loved this dessert.' And all the while you're yelling, 'I don't want enchiladas! I want biscuits and loose corn!"

"Loose corn!" Justin and Harper both said though their laughter. They cut off and looked at each other, red-cheeked. Max caught this and smiled.

Justin stood up and began to stack their plates. "Max, I told Harper I'd let her talk to Alex today." Harper blushed even harder.

"Alright," Max said, obvious dejection in his voice. He finished his orange juice and stood up. "I haven't heard a word out of her since last night, though. It probably won't work."

"We can still try. Go on, Harper."

Frowning, Max hoisted himself onto the kitchen counter. "Alright," he groaned, closing his eyes. After at least a minute, his face changed and he said, in a softer voice, "You guys just gonna attack me again?"

Harper froze, her eyes glued to the floor. "Alex?" she breathed without looking up. Her fists tightened around the ends of her sweater sleeves.

"Harper." Slowly, as if through great effort, Alex slid off the counter. She stood in front of Harper for several long moments, just staring down at the dark hair, the freckled cheeks. Neither of them spoke.

Justin's fingers brushed Harper's back at he slid quietly out of the room. Harper shot him a brief panicked glance, but he was gone before she could open her mouth.

"Harper," Alex said again. "Wow, it's been a long time."

Harper still could not meet Alex's eyes. This was too strange, she thought. How could she be sure that wasn't Max looking back at her? But there was something in that voice, a familiar tone that was impossible to describe...

"Three years in a couple of days," Harper answered briskly.

"Yeah. Look, I'm really sorry I didn't listen to you."

That was the last thing Harper had expected to hear. "What?"

"I shouldn't have gone downstairs, I should have just done what I was supposed to. Then none of this would have happened." Max's face drooped into a frown, and Harper felt her heart swell with sudden sympathy.

"Don't say that!" Without thinking, Harper reached out and grabbed Max's hand. It felt frail and unfamiliar.

"But it's true. I'd still be alive, and everything would be fine."

"Alex..." Harper closed her eyes and tried to picture her friend's face. Maybe that would make this easier. "Things wouldn't be like you're imagining. I think, with everything that's happened, we'd forgotten how it really started. You were pregnant."

Alex paused, then dropped into the seat beside Harper. "Oh. Right."

Harper mentally kicked herself - that was probably a sensitive topic. But before she could apologize Alex's mouth curled into the smallest of smiles.

"I wanted to name her Clara. I've always thought that was the most beautiful name ever."

"Like in The Nutcracker?" Harper asked. She heard the slightest shimmer of happiness in Alex's words.

"Yeah. And her middle name would have been Margaret, like mine, only American."

"Clara Margaret Russo," Harper said. "It's beautiful. But how did you know it would be a girl?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't know, I just had a feeling. Or maybe it was wishful thinking. I didn't want a boy, they pee in your face." Harper had to laugh at this.

There was a surreal haze about the whole conversation. Harper felt at times as though she was dreaming it. They discussed their old school, their old friends, things they used to do together. Harper told Alex all about graduation, and Alex pretended to gag at the idea of a slideshow dedicated to her.

"Just what they all needed, huh? My face up there to remind them what happened."

Harper shook her head. "That's not how it is, Alex. They like remembering you. There was a memorial in the gym - I guess you were there, then, with Max - and everyone, even people like Gigi, were holding hands, crying, smiling. They all cared about you very much."

"Which explains that whole tea party thing with Gigi. And the time she-"

"Alex, that was five years ago," Harper cut in. "She was our senior class president, and at graduation she talked about how fun and smart you-"

"Me? Smart?" Alex threw her head back and laughed. "What is she smoking, and can she loan me some? I'm making like a 50-something in math." But as Alex continued to laugh and tease Gigi, Harper felt something in her heart break. Alex had spoken in present tense. She had spoken as though she was alive, three years ago, still a high school student. As though she had forgotten she was dead.

At that thought, hot tears welled up behind Harper's eyes. She had almost forgotten that Alex was...

"Could you excuse me?" Harper said quickly. "I have to go to the bathroom."

And without any room for debate, she stormed out of the room and up the stairs.


Justin smelled the smoke first. It caught his attention as he stepped out the back door, a full trash bag in tow, and he followed it around the back of the building to the nook where a doghouse had once been. Cigarettes, and something flowery.

Harper.

She was wearing pajama pants and a red sweater, and one hand was cupped around her mouth. When she saw Justin, she quickly lowered it to the ground. A red lighter fell out from inside her sleeve.

"Damn," she whispered, fumbling to put out the cigarette.

Justin crouched down beside her. "It's alright. I already knew."

"Really?" Harper looked stunned. In the cold her freckles stood out like stars.

"You always smell sort of like them," Justin answered with a shrug.

Harper smiled a little, and stuck the cigarette back in her mouth while she fiddled with the lighter. "I'm going to try and quit soon," she said, her voice a little muffled. Justin sat down next to her and put one hand on her forearm.

"Why not now?"

She shied away from his glance, fixing her eyes on the hay-colored grass. "I started during the divorce. It was an accident, I never meant... Can we change the subject?"

"Sorry," Justin hastened to say, "I didn't mean to get preachy."

Harper shook her head. "It's alright." There was a pause as she took a drag on the cigarette. "I, um, talked to Alex. But you already knew that," she added sheepishly.

Justin smiled. "How did that go."

"Weird." Harper gave a half-grimace. "She apologized for what happened... that day. About how to told her not to go downstairs and everything. Then we talked about the baby."

"The baby..." Justin whistled. "I had almost forgotten. If she hadn't died, I'd be an uncle." He looked over at Harper, hoping to lighten the mood, but her face had fallen blank.

"Clara Margaret..." she said under her breath. Then, she stuck her cigarette back in her mouth and didn't say a word more.


Alright. You talked to Harper. Can I please have my body back now?

Alex grinned and flexed her arms over her head. Max's arms, Max's head... But that didn't really matter. She leaned back into the couch cushions and turned up the TV volume. You're such a spoilsport. Can't you let me have a little bit of fun for once? She flipped channels until she landed on a music video. The television volume was borderline blaring, so Theresa's entrance came completely unannounced.

"Ready to go run errands, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, Mom." Alex gave her best suck-up smile and turned off the TV. Max managed to break in just to add: "Let me get my coat."

"Your coat is in he-"

"I want the blue one. It's in my closet."

Instead of going up the stairs, Max slipped around the corner and opened the back door. Alex pushed her way back in. "What's going on?"

I just want to talk to Justin.

But he's up in-

I saw him go out here earlier while you were sulking.

Why does it smell like-

Shut up and let me talk this time.

Not a chance.

Alex smirked, making the most of her control by leaping down the two brick steps to the backyard. She trooped across the packed dirt, making an effort to scuff up Max's tennis shoes as much as possible.

No Justin out here. I'm going back. She turned on one heel, but Max struggled and fought until she had to sit down in the grass.

Would you stop that?

Why should I let you talk to Justin?. You're just gonna sit around and make plans about how to kill me. She pouted, self-pity in her voice.

Max was silent for a moment. Then, Didn't you hear anything he said to you yesterday?

Alex scoffed. Heard it, yes. Agreed with it, not so much. Now let's go, I want some Halloween candy.

And as she stomped back up the stairs, Max put all the energy he had into stopping her.

This time, all of his energy was not enough. Alex laughed out loud as she swung the door open.


The room was silent except for the scratching of pen on paper. Justin studied the popcorn patterns on his ceiling and pretended to be thinking deeply. Periodically he looked over at Harper, who was curled up in his desk chair with her legal pad. Writing put her at peace, she had said, and Justin was not about to disturb that pleasant trance she seemed to be in.

"Are you watching me?" Harper smirked.

"No, no," Justin said a bit too quickly. "I was just-"

Harper put down the pencil and pad, and sighed deeply. "I'm not getting anywhere," she said. "I don't know. Something's missing in all of the characters. They all seem too..." She moved her hands around in a gesture that suggested uncertainty "... interchangeable. There's no foundation, just a bunch of actions and words."

Justin raised one eyebrow, impressed. "I'm going to pretend I know what that means."

"They're based on people who don't exist anymore," Harper went on. "They aren't their own." She stood up and stretched her arms across her chest. She had changed into blue jeans, and her auburn hair was pulled into a ponytail. Some of the dark color had begun to wash out, and long orange strands shone through like bits of stray confetti.

She sat down by Justin. "You look worried."

"What are you talking about?" Justin pretended to be taken aback. "I'm fine." He cut Harper off before she could say anything else. "So, what are you writing about right now?"

Harper stuck out her tongue playfully, but didn't argue. "Remember the Smarty Pants?"

Justin chuckled. "How could I forget? Oh God, that was humiliating."

"Well, that's when Natalie finds out that Julia is a wizard. They get into this big fight, and the pants unroll. Julia tells the principal she cheated, and she gets disqualified."

"I bet Natalie's mad about that - wouldn't they lose?"

Harper shrugged. "Yeah, Bryce wins, but Natalie's kind of distracted by the whole 'my-best-friend-has-magical-powers' thing." She rolled her eyes.

Smirking, Justin sat up. "Bryce is my favorite character."

"You're so vain."

"Hey, I'm only joking." He held up his hands in defense. "Besides, he's nothing like me. I don't have glasses, and I don't play Dungeons and Dragons. Anymore," he added when Harper giggled into her hand.

"Well then who is your favorite?"

"Natalie," Justin said matter-of-factly. Harper's face flushed. "I mean, she's smart, talented... Chinese..."

Harper punched him lightly in the arm. "You're just fishing for reasons. Admit it, she's your favorite 'cause she's based on me, right?"

"Oh, right, because you're an obsessive-compulsive ballerina."

They dissolved into laughter, and the conversation ended there. Harper glanced at the window, the smile fading off face.

"How long do you think they'll be gone?"

Justin looked at the clock. It was just past three. "I don't know. Why?" He shifted his eyes back to Harper, who took a deep breath and pulled her feet up Indian-style onto the bed.

"We need to figure out what we're going to do about Alex."

This was not what Justin had been hoping to hear. He rubbed a fist across his eyes and shook his head. "I don't know."

"Justin." Harper leaned forward and looked him straight in the eye. "She's killing him."

Justin backed away. "I know. I can't believe I let it get this far, I should have done something a long time ago."

"But you wouldn't have done it."

Justin's breath caught in his throat as he considered her words. Of course he would have done it - he was trying to help Max. But the more he thought about it he realized...

Harper was right.

Justin sighed and rubbed his temple. "So what's the plan?"

"Excuse me? I'm not the wizard here, Justin." Harper narrowed her eyes, but her voice was not harsh. She leaned in closer, and Justin felt his heart pounding in his stomach.

"I-I'm sorry," Justin stammered. "I just... I have no idea what to do. I don't want to lose her forever but-"

"It's either her or Max," Harper answered blunty. She scooted closer to Justin, and her voice dropped down to a near whisper. "You wanna know what I think?"

"What?" Justin clenched his teeth, anticipating her answer and trying to ignore that engulfing scent of freesia and smoke.

Harper took his hand in hers. Her bangs brushed his cheek.

"Alex died a long time ago, but Max still has a chance to live. So let him."

Justin looked down at the floor, trying not to meet her eyes, to acknowledge that she would even consider letting Alex go.

But the funny thing was, he had already known.

"You're right." He closed his eyes and laid back on the pillows. "So what should we do?"

There was no answer, only the humming of the air conditioner and the creak of mattress springs. Then, a shimmer of warm air as she whispered in his ear, "Depends on what you're talking about."


A/N: I'm sorry, Justin and Harper have hijacked this story. This is for two reasons: 1) I underestimated how fun their conversations would be to write when I made them secondary characters, and 2) Alex and Max are really complicated to write at this point in the story. There's too much "then she took control, then he took control". That will change soon, and they will get easier to write.

Thank you all for the amazing reviews! If I don't respond to a review, it's is an oversight. I try to reply back to everyone, even if it's just "Thank you". But the past few days have been hectic, and I'm afraid I might have left someone out. Your reviews are really helping to drive this thing. When I first started Psyche, it was as a "no commitment" thing that I was positive wouldn't get in the way of my main stories. When I saw how many people were enjoying it, that changed my mind. I am so grateful :D