A/N: And so, here is the final chapter. One of my reviewers advised me not to rush my story - very good advice indeed, but for this particular fic I felt it best to quickly touch on only certain key points in the Russos' new continuity, because if I were to pull that into a lengthier development it could get tiresome, since the large majority of the plot would have proceeded as was shown in the TV series itself.

Another reviewer wondered how I could write so fast. Answer: I don't. My policy is to finish writing the story before I begin posting it. That's why you get daily updates without fail, unless I happen to be without wifi.

So, thanks to reviewers Kaycie232, Guest, and Guest (next time d'you think you could use a pen name? It would be much nicer if I could name you individually for thanks). And enjoy the epilogue.

Epilogue
And Here We Are Again

The year 2019 saw the entire Russo family reunited for the first time since Alex married Mason in 2014 (Justin had married Juliet the year before, in 2013). Max was newly engaged to his girlfriend of four years, Alison LaRue – a sweet, pretty mortal several months older than he was with curly dark hair, soulful brown eyes, and olive-toned skin – and Theresa had decided to throw a small celebration party that also served the major secondary purpose of bringing her children back under the same roof once more.

Justin, now 28, was expecting his second child with Juliet, who was due in February next year. The couple had a small house near a blood bank in the Bronx, and Juliet regularly (but carefully) raided said bank's stores for the delicious red plasma. To Justin's chagrin, their 3-year-old son, Terry, was developing a liking for the blood his mother kept feeding him, but Justin was determined to limit his blood consumption and to teach his son to at least appreciate eating normal human food. Terry was currently running rampant around the loft, causing Jerry several near heart attacks as he upset dishes, banged doors, and raced up and down the stairs. The young Headmaster of WizTech finally resorted to using magic to create sparkles to keep his hyperactive son entertained, if only to spare Terry's grandfather more panic.

The pregnant Juliet was helping Theresa in the kitchen, while Alex set the table. The 26-year-old Russo family wizard had completed university, earning a degree in art, and had opened her own art gallery in Brooklyn two years ago, which she now managed with Mason. It was a fledgling business that did not generate much income as of yet, but Alex's pieces were beautiful and noteworthy, and acclaim of her work had begun to spread around New York. Alex herself had matured a great deal, but the irrepressible mischief in her personality was still present, and she would often use magic to make her life easier (though she maintained a strict no-magic policy when it came to her art, as she wanted her work to be acclaimed for its own merit). Tonight she was smiling and radiant, her hand unconsciously stroking her still-flat tummy as she thought of the announcement she would make later on at dinner.

The youngest Russo was sitting on the couch, holding his fiancée's hand and chatting animatedly with Mason. Max, at 23, was now the legal owner of the Waverly Sub Station, as Jerry and Theresa had transferred the majority of the managerial and executive duties to their youngest son earlier this year, though they still worked shifts in the shop. Since the Russo family residence was above the Sub Station, Alison would move in with Max and his parents once she married Max. As for Max, he was living in bliss, happily in love, working a job he adored, and totally content with his life at Waverly Place. He didn't miss magic at all, and felt no deprivation whatsoever about being the only one out of the trio not to have kept his powers.

When dinner was ready, they all crowded around the dining table, which Alex had casually charmed to defy all known dimensional rules in order for it to fit everyone while still taking up the same amount of space in the loft. Justin and Juliet wrestled a complaining Terry into a high chair Justin had conjured up; Alex sat beside Justin and Mason sat next to her. Max was seated between Theresa and Alison.

It was a very pleasant meal, punctuated by easy conversation, amusing anecdotes of each other's lives, and typical random comments from Max. Towards the end, the little party became a celebration of more than Max and Alison's engagement; Jerry opened a bottle of wine and stared at Alex's stomach as if he could see the baby growing there, and Theresa burst into exuberant tears at the thought of getting her third grandchild.

As the night wound down, the three Russo siblings, each armed with a glass of wine, made their way up to the balcony to have their own personal time together while their parents and their significant others remained downstairs.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, until Max broke the pause.

"So…" he said slowly. "Am I the only one, or do you guys remember it too?"

"You're not the only one," Justin confirmed.

"Nope," Alex concurred.

The realization had been dawning on them all night – not as a sudden, flooding onslaught of memories, but as a gradual understanding that crept up on them slowly until they remembered it all – and it had happened in such a way that the memories seemed as though they had always been there.

"We did it," Alex said.

Justin smiled widely. "Yes, we did." He hugged his sister close and heaved a sigh of relief he didn't know he'd been holding for the last ten years. Max, too, joined in the hug, tightening his arms around Alex with joy.

They were safe. After all the anxiety and uncertainty they had gone through ten years ago in the future – how strange that sounded! – they had emerged on the other side of the loophole unscathed, safe in a new continuity where Alex was alive and there was no war and they were all happy.

When they finally pulled apart, Max remarked, "It feels a little surreal, you know?"

"Yeah," Justin agreed, "but in a good way." He glanced fondly at Alex, who winked at him, beaming, before she raised her glass.

"Here's to us," she said. "It's been a good ten years, and we made it together. Thanks for saving my life, you guys."

"The three of us, together, as always," Justin added, raising his glass to meet hers.

"I guess we proved ourselves right," said Max as he joined the toast. At his siblings' puzzled expressions, he explained, "When the three of us make up our minds about something, there's nothing we can't do."

They laughed, and knocked their glasses together. The gentle clink was the perfect end note to their successful quest to secure their future, and it set a promising tone for their new continuity.

A/N: Hooray for happy endings! And hooray for the completion of my 37th story on fanfiction! And thank you to everyone who reviewed, subscribed or favorited, or just read and enjoyed!

Bye bye!