Chapter 25

Last Time:

As they run out of air, they pull back. Their foreheads rest against each other's as Draco opens his eyes. He watches Alex slowly catches her breath before opening her eyes, to find they lock on Draco's blue ones. Draco kisses Alex's lips gently before kissing her cheek to her right earlobe. He nibbles on it but only to find Alex pull away.

"I have to go" Alex gets up before running into the house now getting nervous. She runs up to her bedroom and locks the door behind her. She falls onto her bed and thinks about what just happened.

Now:

Minnie is sitting on Alex's bed with Alex still lying down.

"And then I ran here" Alex concludes to Minnie as she retold Minnie what happened.

"You two are only thirteen. That's a little too soon to make out. Why don't you two stay on base one, not go to base two for another two years?" Minnie asks.

"I know. I freaked out Minnie" Alex's eyes begin to get watery, "I was scared. I didn't want to make out, but how could you just pull away and say that you can't? If I did that, Draco would have questioned me and I wouldn't have the answers" Minnie sighs and the two of them hears the door open and close. Alex doesn't bother to look up until the person that entered the room sits down next to her. There is Snape.

"I spoke to Draco" Snape whispers as Alex wraps her arms around herself as she sits up. Snape gives Alex a hug which she returns, "he was worried that he did something wrong"

"He didn't really do anything wrong. If I told him to stop, would he have or would he pressure me, or would he be mad?" Alex reveals her fears... somewhat. Snape knows what is going on, since Draco told him EXACTLY what went on outside.

"What about you and Draco just talk everything out? Lay everything out on the table" Alex sighs but nods.

"That's the least that I could do" Alex slips off the bed and stands up, "where is he?"

"Living room" Alex slips out of the room, leaving Snape and Minnie alone.

"I'm sorry Master Snape, but I do not think that Mister Draco is right for Mistress Alex" Minnie tells Snape making him nod.

"I agree Minnie. But Alex has to figure that out for herself" Minnie nods.

"I know Master Snape. Does Mister Justin know?"

"Yes he does. He thinks Draco is nice and all, but is not good for her. Shaby and Toni agree with Justin, same with Cedric and a few of Alex's friends."

"Mistress Alex is changing Mister Draco for the good and showing him that you have to become independent, but he is changing Mistress Alex for the worst a little bit" Snape nods, knowing Minnie is right. Alex's grades have been slipping and she has been leaving a lot of her homework for last minute. Hogwarts has accepted Alex and Draco as a couple, but don't like it. Alex beings out the good in Draco, but he brings out the worst in Alex. Alex may not know it, but everyone else does. They want Alex to decide things for herself and to pick who she wants to date or be friends with.

"I will have to be stricter with Alex for homework wise... don't I?" Snape asks Minnie, who nods.

"I think so too" Snape allows Minnie to leave Alex's bedroom first before following.

~H&A~

After Alex leaves her bedroom, she walks into the living room. She and Draco have been dating since June and it is December. 6 months.

"Hey" Alex whispers with her arms crossed. Draco looks up and sees the sadness in Alex's eyes.

"Hey" Alex sits down on the couch, pulling her knees to her chest. Draco though, stays in the single chair, "I know this is going to hurt Alex, but I think we should take a break. Not breaking up or anything, but just enough for us to think. I know I stepped over the line outside and I'm sorry for that. I went too fast too soon. You are changing me for the best. But my slackness with homework and ditching my friends, is rubbing off on you. Sev told me that your marks are really low and Hermione told me that you would make plans with them, but ditch them to hang out with me when I ask. I'm changing you for the worst and I don't like that.

"So what I'm saying is, if we do take this break, we could figure out if we are better together as a couple or better being just friends" Draco looks at Alex to find tears falling down her cheeks. Alex hides her face in her knees as Draco stands up, "I'm sorry Alex, but it needs to be done" and just like that Draco leaves the living room and heads upstairs. Alex just sits there on the couch crying, feeling her heart shatter into a million pieces. Alex knows the reasons are true, she have been putting off her homework and ditching her friends to spend time with Draco. It's like someone you trust says 'go jump off a bridge', and you say 'ok' and you do so.

Alex hears two set of footsteps walk down the stairs.

"Get Justin" Alex hears Snape whisper to someone.

"Yes Master Snape" Alex hears Minnie answer. Minnie runs up the stairs and not even 5 seconds later, Justin runs downstairs. Justin immediately pulls Alex into a hug and she just cries into his chest.

"D... don't l... leave m... me t... too" Alex sobs. Just then, everything dawns on Justin, Snape and Minnie. Alex isn't crying over Draco. Just Draco walking out of the room made something trigger inside Alex, which lead to the frightful phone call of Max's, Theresa's and Jerry's deaths, which Justin told Snape and Minnie about over the summer.

9 year old Alex Russo is sitting on the couch watching Big Brother.

"Alex?" Alex's mother Theresa calls from the kitchen.

"Ya?" Alex answers dully.

"Your dad, Max and I have to go to Max's baseball game. Justin will be home in a half hour"

"Ok. I love you mom" Alex looks up at Theresa who is slipping on her fall coat. Theresa smiles and gives Alex a hug.

"I love you too honey"

"I love me too" Alex and Theresa looks at the doorway to the family lair, where Jerry just walked out of carrying a bag full of popcorn.

"I love you dad... even though I have no choice" Alex says the last bit as a joke. Jerry gives Alex a hug just as Max jumps over the couch hugging Alex, as the 9 and 8 year olds fall onto the floor.

"I LOVE YOU ALEX!" Max shouts as Alex pushes Max off.

"OWW!" Alex rubs her ears as she gets back onto the couch, "I love you Max, but not when you shout it in my ear" Max chuckles giving Alex a hug before the parents and son leaves the house.

~A&H~

A half hour later, Justin walks into the house, returning home from the library. He looks at the couch to see Alex watching Jurassic Park while eating popcorn.

"Where are mom, dad and Max?" Justin asks.

"Gone to Max's baseball game" Alex answers bored, "can we go to the water park?"

"Alex, its September 4th. We go to school tomorrow. And the water park is closed" Alex shrugs her shoulders just as the phone rings. Alex stops the movie and pushes talk on the phone.

"Hello?" Alex asks, "Yes this is the Russo house ... Yes I'm Alex ..." all of a sudden Justin sees tears fill Alex's brown eyes. Alex normally never cries, "What? Are you sure? ... You can't be serious? ... No. My parents and little brother are at my little brother's baseball game! ... NO! NEVER!" tears begin to fall Alex's cheeks as Justin rushes over and takes the phone out of his little sister's hand.

"Hello? Justin Russo here" Justin speaks into the phone.

"I'm sorry to tell you Justin, but Theresa, Jerry and Max Russo died at 3pm today" a guy tells Justin gently.

"What? How?"

"Someone crossed the center line and hit your family's car head on. They all died on impact. I'm sorry" Justin lets tears fall, "I will send someone over to go over the will. But since you and your sister are underage, we are sending you both to two different orphanages"

"NO! You are not separating me and Alex!" Justin shouts.

"You have no power of this Justin" the guy growls, "now I am going to be there is 10 minutes to take you and your sister to different homes. Screw the will" and just like that, he hangs up. Justin throws the phone at the wall and grabs Alex's arms gently, kneeling onto the ground.

"Let's get out of here before he comes" Justin whispers. Alex nods and jumps over the couch running upstairs to get her's and Justin's wands, Max's baseball glove, Jerry's favourite chocolates and Theresa's favourite flowers, in memory of them.

Once Alex is downstairs again, Justin grabs his wand, and casts a few spells on the items. Alex puts the now shrunken items into her short's pocket before the two siblings' slips into the lair. They open the door, which is the door to the family's Waverly Substation. Justin peeks out to see a man walking in.

"Hurry" Justin whispers as he and Alex crawls out and closes the door softly. They quickly crawl behind the cash register counter as the man starts up the stairs. Once they hear him knock on the door, Alex stands up and opens the casher. She takes out all the money, and stuffs it into her pockets.

BANG!

Alex jumps hearing the house's door smash open. Justin grabs Alex's hand and they quickly, yet quietly run to the substation's door. Justin opens the door and closes it softly as they run hand in hand away from their old life.

"Don't leave me" Alex whimpers as Justin leads them through the park.

"I will never leave you Alex" Justin promises stopping enough to pull his 9 year old sister to him, "you are stuck with me for the rest of your life" Justin feels Alex tremble in his arms knowing this is too much for her to handle.

"I will never leave you Alex. You are stuck with me for the rest of your life" Justin recites his promise that he made to Alex when he was 12 and she was 9, "I will never leave you" Justin whispers the last 5 words hugging Alex tighter to him as Snape and Minnie leaves the room to let Justin comfort Alex.

Please review. Oh and yes, that is what happened and why Alex ONLY trusts Justin more than anyone else in the world.