Author's Note: A huge thank you to my Beta reader TheWolfHourX for helping review the long awaited chapter! Super excited to be sharing it with everyone as the plot develops.

Warnings: Incestuous themes and smut

Because It's Us

Next Morning

Ever since Justin was younger he usually made decisions based on facts and not how he felt. After doing research he came to the conclusion that feelings were opinion based, making them less reliable. However, he found that if he rooted arguments in logic, he was more often right.

It was statistically harder proving the validity of an opinion anyways.

By using a logical approach, he felt more confident with his decisions. Though he knew not all decisions were as simple as listing off facts. Some required a different approach, especially when making a choice that had to do with feelings.

Justin sighed deeply, and stared up at her ceiling while listening to their soft breathing. Her apartment was dimly lit by the pale moonlight. It wasn't surprising to him that he couldn't sleep. The thought of telling anyone, about them being together wouldn't leave him alone.

What if Professor Crumbs tells Mom and Dad?

Would he tell the Wizarding Council?

… What if I lose her?

Justin knew thinking in the middle of the night was never a good idea. Yet the heaviness lingered along with the vivid image of their parents' faces. He knew them so well and the idea of them finding out scared him. The sheer amount of negative outcomes vastly outweighed the possible good ones.

Pursing his lips, he looked to his left at Alex's sleeping form. Lifting his hand, he focused on the soft warmth of her bare back beneath his fingers. He watched her take a deep breath before sleepily scooting towards him.

She turned her body towards him, and he found her chocolate gaze. Brushing the stray curls from her face to better see her soft features, he gave a small smile of acknowledgment.

"Justin," she whispered his name with lips slightly parted.

Using his fingers, he lifted her chin towards him and leaned down. He paused, brushing his lips against hers.

How could being with her be wrong if it felt this way?

Justin trailed his fingers down her side and past her hip, feeling the warmth of her skin. Gently grabbing her thigh, he pulled her leg across his lower half. The heat from between her legs instantly met his exposed member. Without saying anything, she pressed her lips against his with a hum.

Justin opened his mouth when she brushed her tongue against his bottom lip. As she kissed him, he felt her moving her hand down his chest, trailing along the dips in his abdomen. She peeled a breathy groan from him by taking him into her hand and stroking him.

The heat intensified as she rubbed the head of his member against her damp heat. In one swift motion she positioned him at her opening and guided him inside. Breaking the kiss, he groaned and tightened his grip on her thigh.

"Alex," her name rolled off his tongue as she wiggled her hips.

He licked his lips and opened his eyes to find her looking at him. Sliding his hand from her thigh to her back he pressed her against him and rolled her beneath him. Using his elbow to prop himself up and felt her grab his upper arm.

Leaning down, he captured her lips and pulled his hips back slowly. With a grunt, he pushed back inside her and felt her gasp against his mouth. He could feel the familiar warmth inside his gut.

He couldn't lose her. It was fucking selfish, but he couldn't just go back to before. He'd been able to compartmentalize his feelings once, but he couldn't do it again. Not after everything.

Justin kept his pace slow and steady, relishing their soft movements. Alex broke their kiss with a gasp, but he kept trailing kisses against her skin. She whimpered as he ground himself into her. This wasn't sex. It was never just sex with her; this was making love. He wanted every movement he made to show her himself. Even if it was only a little taste of how he felt.

"I love you," he whispered, his voice husky.

Justin felt his eyes stinging and a lump forming in his throat. On paper everyone always saw him as the 'perfect' son, even a role model student when he was in school. He followed the rules, worked hard, and always tried to do the right thing.

However, none of that meant anything without her. Even if he'd been given the option, he knew he couldn't choose differently. The mere thought of a life without her was empty… incomplete.

He felt the heat building in his cheeks while his body tingled with every thrust of his hips. Exhaling, he breathed the three words followed by her name against her skin. She clung to him, pulling him closer and gasped beside his ear while he swallowed the thick feeling in his throat.

"I love you too-" she breathed the words against his cheek and trailed her fingers against his rib cage, "-Justin."

He made sure his thrusts were steady. The heat invaded his veins, while his entire body thrummed with pleasure. She arched her back beneath him and he suckled at the spot below her ear.

The slow building pleasure steadily increased with every thrust. Her skin was hot against his and slick with sweat. He listened to the soft rhythmic creaking of her mattress and sighed against her neck.

"I love you… so fucking much, Alex." He felt a singular tear trailing down the bridge of his nose.

She dug her fingernails into his skin and he hissed softly at the sudden prickling. He felt her slowly come undone. She moaned his name and pulled him over the edge with her.

The world stilled with his gasp as he tightened his grip and pulled her hips towards him. A world with Alex was a world painted in vivid color. He couldn't go back.

He slumped against her, feeling the buzzing in his lips. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he leaned his head back to look at her. The guilt he knew he should feel from being with her like this, nowhere to be found.

Pulling his now softening member out of her, he mumbled the new wandless spell to be safe. Slipping his arm under her, he rolled them so she was on top of his chest. There was a glittering reflection of the moonlight in her eyes that made him pause. The heavy feeling reappeared from earlier as he looked at her. It was almost as if he could still hear the questions echoing in his mind.

"Justin," she whispered while he watched her expression falter. "You've got that serious thinking look. What's going on?"

"Nothing," he said, looking into her eyes.

"Really?" She whispered, and even in the moonlight he could see the squinting look of disbelief. "Because that look is telling a different story."

"I don't know." He said with a shrug. "Just thinking about us."

"About us?" She asked, with a momentarily pinched expression. "Does it have to do with Professor Crumbs?"

He pursed his lips and exhaled slowly. "We're gonna be fine, Alex."

"How do you know?" She asked, and he could hear the uneasiness behind her words.

"Like I've said before, because it's us. We always find a solution. And we'll find the right one again."

He watched her return his soft smile with one of her own as her features relaxed.

"It's late," he mumbled, briefly kissing her. "We should get some sleep."

"Well, I was sleeping until someone," she coughed his name, "Justin… woke me up."

Halfheartedly, he glared at her before wrapping his arms around her waist. He nuzzled her neck and placed a kiss on her jaw.

"Hm, well, I didn't hear you complaining a few minutes ago." He smirked, and she gently smacked his upper arm.

"Whatever, Justin," she said, and he swore he could see the faint pink in her cheeks.

He chucked, kissing her cheek before letting her slide back onto the mattress beside him. She grabbed her pillow and pulled the thin sheet up higher on her body.

It was at that moment he knew going back to before their first bet wasn't an option. Being with her changed everything. Tomorrow he had to find another way. Telling Crumbs with no back-up plan wasn't an option.

Maybe looking into spell casting and magical conductors might help, he thought to himself.

If there was a way to cast the memory spell correctly, he had to find it. He wasn't about to put their fate in anyone else's hands other than his own.

Alex decided that she didn't need permission on what to do and when to do it. Sure approval felt nice at times, however it wasn't like she was gonna wait around for someone to tell her yes or no. Especially when it came to something she wanted.

And right now, she wanted to sleep the day away.

Well, that was the idea until she reached out in her bed only to find a cold empty space beside her. She patted the empty spot with furrowed brows. It was the smell of coffee and the sizzling sound of breakfast that made her open her eyes.

The clock beside her bed read 9:12 AM. She couldn't stop herself from groaning. Quickly grabbing her sheer flat sheet, she pulled it over her head. Not that it helped with the overwhelming amount of light coming from her window.

Where the fuck is my blanket?

"Oh good, you're awake. I made breakfast." Justin called from her kitchen.

Pulling the flat sheet down, she squinted at him. Not quite a glare because he did make her food after all.

"While I appreciate the thought, you do know that Saturday is my sleep till Sunday day. Don't you?" She huffed, sliding to the edge of her bed.

"Mm, that is today, isn't it?" He asked as she reached for his t-shirt from yesterday off the floor.

She pulled on the shirt and made her way to the kitchen. Before she sat down he turned and handed her a cup of coffee.

"Extra cream and sugar." He gave her a soft smile and she attempted to hide hers.

"Someone's in a good mood." She took a sip and sat down. "Any particular reason?"

"Just excited to study today, is all." He set a plate down in front of her and sat across the table.

"You do realize how lame that sounds, right?" She smirked, setting her coffee down.

She watched him open the spell book upon the table before looking at her with pursed lips.

"What can I say, I like learning." He shrugged and she rolled her eyes.

She proceeded to finish eating her omelette, setting her fork down upon the plate. Looking at Justin while he casually continued to read what looked to be a spell book, she reached for her coffee.

Alex took the moment to study him as intently as he did his book while she sipped on the warm drink. She enjoyed the fact she currently wore his shirt leaving him in only his black boxers. Mentally she took notes about his smooth pale skin and the dips in muscle. She even found that she liked the light dusting of hair upon his chest. A smile tugged at her lips.

Looking down at the table, she noticed Harper's training wand. She made a mental note to tell Harper to be more careful where she leaves it. Though maybe she wasn't one to talk. Both Justin and her wands were also on the table.

Looking back at him with a satisfied hum she tucked a section of hair behind her ear. Justin found her eyes and proceeded to return her expression with a smile of his own.

"Thanks for the food," she said and set her drink down.

"You're welcome, Alex," he smiled widely and lifted his brows. "I've been watching cooking shows for tips lately, and they're really helping."

"You would," Alex snorted.

"Ha-ha," he said dryly, rolling his eyes as he took another bite of his breakfast. "They're actually very informative."

Alex smiled looking down at her plate as she listened to Justin turn the page in his spell book.

"Anything new?" She asked curiously, causing him to sigh.

She knew after their moment last night that maybe the idea of talking to Crumbs was definitely adding to Justin's stress. He did look up to the older wizard afterall.

"Unfortunately, no. The spells that could've been useful have been recalled due to glitches." He pursed his lips.

Alex nodded her head. "Well you know, we could take another look at that memory spell you mentioned."

"I haven't ruled the spell out yet. I just-," Justin ran his fingers through his hair and closed the book, "-I want to be sure of our options. It's important to consider all possible scenarios. Especially when it comes to using magic."

At first she couldn't quite place where she'd seen his current expression. Examining his features, she began to nibble on her bottom lip. Then it hit her. His eyes were heavy again, just like they'd been last night.

The image of him in her bed covered in moonlight from last night flashed in her mind. She could almost feel the delicate and desperate movements he'd made while they made love.

"Look Justin, normally I'm the type of person to just ignore something until it goes away," she sighed, setting her cup down. "But I know you, and can tell you're upset by the idea of talking to Crumbs."

"It's not just the thought of telling Professor Crumbs. It's the thought of telling anyone without a back up plan," he said, and exhaled sharply.

"Okay. Then we use magic," she said with a shrug.

"There's no clear cut answer to find, Alex. It's researching and weighing the probability of each outcome," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Also, I would like to clarify that I wasn't upset last night. I was just thinking."

Alex attempted to find his eyes and he looked away. She squinted at him. His shoulders slumped just a little, signaling he was indeed overthinking. He opened his mouth to speak and she held up a hand before he could.

"Alright, Justin. You're 'thinking' too much and need to chill," she said, rolling her eyes. "Now, this isn't something I like to admit… but you're right."

"About?" He asked, meeting her gaze.

"The fact that it's us, and that we'll find the right thing to do," she said with a shrug. "Only we'll do it together. Not just you alone in the lair for days on end."

"Alex…" He breathed her name, his features were soft and his head was tilted. "Thank you."

She couldn't even stop the smile on her own lips from forming. Picking up her fork and she reached across the table and took a small bite sized section from his omelette. Silently hoping it would distract him and lessen how exposed she felt when he looked at her like that.

"Hey," he gasped when she ate the bite and grinned at him.

Instantly she could see his shoulders relaxing as he squinted at her.

"Alex," he lifted his brows, "I love you…. But just to be clear. There will never be a free pass for you to eat my food. And yes. I know this won't stop you, but I felt like I needed to say it."

Alex giggled, taking a sip of coffee as he reached for their now empty plates. Setting her mug down beside his cup of juice, she walked over to him while he rinsed their dishes.

"Welp," she started to talk as he turned to face her while drying his hands with a small towel, "I mean as long as we're telling the truth, I'm probably gonna keep doing it."

"Yeah, knowing I was right doesn't make me feel better. I think I would prefer having all my food." He sighed and shook his head.

Alex could see the amusement behind his pursed lips causing her to roll her eyes. Setting the towel down he walked towards her and effortlessly slipped his arms around her waist.

Wrapping her arms around his neck she let him walk them a few steps backwards. Then slowly allowed him to guide her onto her bed. Feeling him push at the only article of clothing she had on, she helped pull it over her head.

Watching him toss the shirt across the room, Alex found herself smirking. If this was part of their new routine, she could definitely get used to it. He sighed, resting his forehead against hers as she wrapped her legs around his hips. One of his hands followed the curve of her breast before trailing down her side and to her thigh.

"Well at least there's a bright side," she spoke softly and looked into his eyes.

"Oh," he mumbled and leaned forward to brush her lips softly with his own. "And what would that be, Alex?"

Alex sighed as he trailed his lips along her jaw and stopped to suckle just below her ear. With a soft shudder, she wiggled her hips against the bulge in his boxers causing him to groan.

Then she whispered, "We have the apartment to ourselves for the next three hours."

Nipping softly at her neck, he trailed his tongue to sooth the sensitive skin. Alex slid her right hand along his bicep while he pulled his head back and brushed his lips against hers.

"Mm… That is a plus," he hummed and proceeded to capture her lips.

Alex felt her whole body relax into the kiss as he parted her lips with his tongue. Every time they kissed she had to remind herself to breathe. His touch was intoxicating and she often found herself getting lost in the feeling.

Justin seemed to get the idea when she started to push at his boxers. Just when he started to help pull at them there was a loud scuffling sound that startled them both. Breaking the kiss abruptly, Alex looked to her right towards the front door. She listened to the locked door knob jiggling and panic set in.

"Shit!" Alex cursed while Justin started to push himself off of her.

"Where's my wand?" Justin asked quickly and stumbled as they both heard the sound of keys.

"Uhh… Crap. I don't know!" Alex scrambled to help grab the clothing on the ground. "Justin, what do we do?"

"Uhm," he paused, grabbing the clothing from her. "Okay. There's no time to look. Get into bed. I'll hide."

Alex nodded as he got onto the floor and shoved their clothing under her bed. He then pushed himself underneath while she grabbed her blanket at the foot of the bed. It only occurred to her that she was still completely naked as she slid under the blanket and the door opened.

"Harper," Alex said as she pulled the blanket up to her chin and pretended to be sleepy. "What're you doing back? It isn't noon yet, is it?"

"No, Alex, it's not," Harper said with a sigh. "Also, I know it's your sleep till Sunday day, but you could've at least unlocked the door."

Harper winced as she dropped two bags inside the room and shut the door. Alex attempted to look around the room to see where her wand might be.

Alex laughed softly and spoke, "Really, Harper? Are you really surprised that I'm still in bed on my lazy day?"

"Well, no…" Harper shrugged and walked towards her. "But don't you strive to be lazy on more than just Saturday?"

"Mm, yes. Yes, I do." Alex laughed a little. "Thank you for noticing."

That's when Alex spotted both her and Justin's wands. They sat across the room on the kitchen table beside her coffee cup.

Of course they're out in the open for Harper to see, she thought, then turned onto her side while keeping the blanket under her chin.

That's when she looked back at her friend to see Harper giving her a pinched expression.

"Aren't you going to get out of bed?"

"Uhh… nope. Not yet." Alex pursed her lips and closed her eyes.

"Normally I would probably ask why, but it was a long drive back from my parents. So I'll be right back." Harper made her way across the room.

The second Alex heard the click of the bathroom door she threw back her sheet and rolled out of bed.

"Pst," Alex made the noise and Justin peeked out from under the bed causing her to roll her eyes. "Oh, would you get out of there."

She padded over to the kitchen feeling the cool laminate floor under her feet as she grabbed their wands. Accidentally knocking Harper's wand on the floor in the process, she rolled her eyes.

"Is that my wand?" Justin asked and quickly pulled himself to his feet

"Yes, it is." She huffed and whirled her wand, "Justin and I are feeling cold and exposed, because we are indecent we need to be dressed in clothes."

With a whooshing warmth Alex watched clothing magically appear. She wore black leggings and her pink and white striped sweater dress. She briefly noted Justin's faded maroon plaid button down on top of a white t-shirt with khakis. Slipping her wand into her boot, she handed him his wand as they heard the toilet flush.

"Justin, you need to go-" she started to say but he shook his head.

"-Wait," he reached out and quickly pulled her towards him by her hand.

The look he gave her made her breathing stutter, and before he could say anything else she kissed him. After pulling away she saw a small smile tug at his lips. When he opened his eyes, she shook her head and gave him a slight push on his shoulder.

"Now go, dork." She looked at the bathroom door and back to him.

"Okay, fine," he said and twirled his wand.

Before he left he winked at her and she attempted to hide a small smile. In an instant, he was gone. Alex continued to stare where he stood seconds ago wishing he hadn't left.

"You changed quickly." The sudden intrusion of Harper's voice made Alex jump.

"Seriously," she said as she used the corner of her bed to steady herself. "Harper, we've talked about you not sneaking up on me."

"Sorry," Harper said, walking towards her. "Although, I wasn't really sneaking up on you. You were just doing that thing you do when you're thinking about something. Looking off into the distance. Kind of like how Justin does when he's thinking."

"Um, no I wasn't. If anything I was trying to make sure I got enough sleep today," Alex said, quickly redirecting the conversation away from Justin.

"Oh, I'm sure you got enough sleep…" Harper snorted.

Harper continued to talk, but Alex found herself lost in thought. Harper mentioned something about her parents and then Zeke. But all Alex could think about was Justin.

She couldn't help but wonder; what if Harper knew their secret? How would she react? Would she be supportive?

No, you can't tell her. This isn't like telling her about being a Wizard… Alex blinked away the thought.

"Wait a minute, you still need to explain what you meant yesterday." Harper pointed at her.

"Explain what?" Alex looked away, feeling uneasy.

"The fact you may or may not be seeing someone," she said and Alex puckered her lips."It really was unclear. Especially because it seemed like you were saying it to make Justin jealous."

She'd really hoped that Harper would have just let it go. Then again, it was Harper.

"Please. Why would I want to make Justin jealous?" Alex played off what her friend was saying hoping something would help change the subject.

"Maybe because you've lost all the bets so far?" Harper shrugged and Alex gasped.

"Hey," she huffed. "You're supposed to be on my side."

"Well, I mean Justin's kind of got a knack for statistics and probability. So it's not really a surprise, is it?" Harper countered while Alex rolled her eyes.

Before Alex could respond, they both froze at the slight knock on their door. The door started to open slowly and a familiar voice spoke.

"Knock knock."

Then she saw him peeking around the door before stepping inside.

"Mason…" Alex took a deep breath as he shut the door behind him. "You can't keep showing up and walking into our apartment uninvited."

"Right. Sorry. I just wanted to make sure you both were doing alright. After everything that happened the night of the party."

"Really?" Alex crossed her arms and glared. "You mean the party where you used Harper's training wand on me?"

Mason nodded, refusing to meet her stare as he walked towards her. Rolling her eyes, she clenched her jaw in frustration.

"Yeah, we're fine. You can leave now." She pursed her lips as he stopped just before her.

A sudden ringing sound came from behind her causing her to look at Harper.

"And that's my cue. It's Zeke. Better take this," Harper said with an awkward laugh and walked towards the restroom.

Alex rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen. Silently she hoped Mason would take a hint while she pulled out her wand.

"Alex, would you just give me a chance. We could talk about things, maybe go for a walk?" Mason pleaded.

"I'm done going on walks." She said, with a rather nonchalant shrug. "Especially ones with needy dogs."

"I see we're a bit angry today." He said, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Duly noted."

Mason's voice reminded her of the time she found out about him and Juliet. It made her skin crawl and her stomach to tighten. Not because she hated him, but because she felt bad for him. The feelings she thought she had for him were nowhere to be found. Looking at him she sighed, and shook her head.

Alex spoke softly, "Mason you have to move on. I can't keep repeating myself."

After a moment she watched him purse his lips and nod his head.

"Alright then, I'll leave. But only because I respect your…," he trailed off and looked past her, "wishes."

With furrowed brows Alex followed his eyes to the closed spell book, her coffee mug, and a glass of orange juice. She swallowed and hoped he would think the juice was Harper's.

When he looked back at her a brush of unease ghosted at the nape of her neck. He then looked back at the table and took a deep breath. Alex could've sworn his eyes glowed yellow.

"Mason-" Alex was about to tell him he needed to leave, but he shook his head.

"-Before I go, Alex, may I ask you one thing?" He interrupted her, while his tone of voice made the hair on her forearm prickle

"Fine." She crossed her arms. "What is it?"

After a long pause he looked her in the eyes. "Has Justin been here recently?"

The second he said Justin's name, she held her breath refusing to give him any reaction. She opened her mouth to respond when he looked her up and down. It was subtle, but she could now see the slight glow of his eyes. Mason took another deep breath, clenching his jaw. Tightening her grip on her wand she took a step towards the kitchen table.

"Not that it's any of your business, but no, he hasn't," She finally responded, looking at him to sell the lie.

"Really? Because I find it a bit hard to believe Harper was reading a spell book," he said, taking a singular step towards her.

Before she could respond, they heard a soft crackling sound and looked down. He lifted his shoe only to find Harper's training wand with a perfect crack down the center, splitting the wood.

"Dammit, Mason," Alex cursed, quickly bending down to pick up the wand as she set hers down on the table.

The wood felt cool under her fingers as she examined the damage. Surely, there was a way to fix it.

"Alright, well it looks like Zeke's gonna have a small get together at his cabin in a few weeks…" Harper's voice pulled Alex's attention from the wand and she watched her friend's expression change instantly. "Wait! Is that the training wand?!"

"Uh," Alex winced, still holding the cracked wand. "Yes, it is, but we can fix it."

"How?" Harper asked, eyes wide.

"Uhm- Oh, I know. Fixing things is Justin's department. He'll know what to do," Alex said. She noticed Mason visibly stiffened at the sound of Justin's name.

There's no way he knows… He's just acting this way because I told him to leave, she thought, trying not to think too much about it.

"Right. Justin will know what to do. He always does," Harper said, taking a deep breath.

"Harper. I'm truly sorry. I didn't notice the wand on the floor. I-I took a step forward, and well that's when we heard the snapping bit," Mason interrupted, and Alex refused to look his way.

Harper nodded slowly with a half smile. "Alex is right. It'll be fine."

Alex couldn't help but giggle. "You know somethings wrong when somebody says I'm right."

"Couldn't you just buy a new one, Alex?" He said, and she shot him a glare. "What I meant to say is, is it necessary to always go running to Justin everytime there's a problem?"

"It's the official Russo family training wand. We can't just 'buy a new one'," Alex snapped, feeling irritated by his snide comments and jabs. "And I don't run to Justin everytime there's a problem."

"Well…" Harper started to talk, but the look Alex gave made her raise her hands in defense instead.

"You kind of do actually. And if Justin can't fix it, then I assume a new one is better than-"

"-Hang on. Mason, why are you assuming Justin won't be able to fix it?" She asked, tilting her head. "He's literally repaired his wand after snapping it in half, and is one of the best wizards I know."

The second she said it, she froze. Admitting things like that out loud to other people was not following The Steps.

"I-" He momentarily gaped at her, then shook his head. "Why so defensive when I talk about him, Alex?"

The look he gave her made her grit her teeth. There was a pause, and Alex refused to look away first. As she continued to stare, she noticed the shift in his eyes and knew she needed to stop pushing. He nodded, looking at the table for a moment then back to her.

"Well, in Alex's defense she hasn't been getting her extra sleep lately," Harper chimed in with an awkward chuckle. "Mostly because of all the bets that her and Justin are making-"

"-Okay, Harper. I think we've heard enough," Alex interrupted, taking a step towards her. "You both know that getting less sleep makes me cranky. That's not new."

"No, I don't think we have heard enough." Mason pursed his lips, looking at Harper with crossed arms. "I'm interested in hearing more about these bets involving Justin. I'm assuming they must've been important. Especially if they were the reason you were giving up extra sleep, Alex."

"Oh, they were. There was one that Alex wasn't allowed to use magic for a whole twenty-four hours." Harper laughed, and Alex swallowed around the tight feeling in her throat. "You can imagine how that went."

You have to stop them. Change the subject. Alex could hear the little voice in her head reminding herself that she needed to be careful.

"Harper," Alex said her name sharply and shot her friend a look. "I think we should go fix your wand."

Using her eyes, she motioned to Mason and instantly Harper nodded.

"Oh, right! We should." Harper said, looking back at Mason.

Alex met his attention making sure to glare with a tight lipped half smile.

"Alright," Mason spoke as she picked up her wand. "I can see when I'm no longer wanted. Best be on my way then."

"It was nice of you to check on us, Mason," Harper smiled and Alex rolled her eyes. "Well, aside from the whole braking the training wand part."

"Right. Again, sorry 'bout that." He spoke while Alex refused to look at him.

Alex paused, looking at Justin's spell book that he left on the table. Without looking, she listened to Mason's footsteps retreating, the sound growing softer.

"Alex," his voice pulled her attention from the table, "I can tell somethings different with you. You seem off, and a bit secretive."

Mason stood in the open doorway of their apartment. His eyes were heavy and dimly glowing. Just knowing him and about werewolves, she could tell he was on edge. She needed to talk to Justin.

"I don't have to tell you things anymore, Mason," she said, pursing her lips with a shrug.

He nodded stiffly, and the moment the door clicked shut she exhaled. She felt her shoulders relax, the tension slipping away slowly. Using the table she steadied herself and pursed her lips.

Shit, she thought and began chewing upon her bottom lip, closing her eyes.

Alex knew that he suspected something the moment he saw the juice on the table. She also knew she fucked up by lying and saying Justin hadn't been there.

Who else would read a spell book willingly?

"Alex, are you okay?" Harper's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hmm, what?" She turned towards her friend and smiled. "Oh, yeah. Let's go-"

"-Wait," Harper paused, looking towards the front door and back to her. "What was that, between you and Mason?"

"He wants to get back together. I don't." She shrugged.

"No, he was mad." Harper looked around the room, and paused when looking at the kitchen table.

Crap! Alex quickly whirled her wand making the cups disappear from the table.

Harper gasped, looking at Alex's bed then back to the kitchen. "You had someone stay the night, didn't you?"

"Uh…" Alex racked her brain for an excuse, but none were to be found. "No?"

"That's why Mason was acting that way." Harper started pacing in a small circle.

"Really, Harper. If I was seeing someone, would it be that big of a deal?" She asked knowing she couldn't lie.

"Ah ha, so you are seeing someone!" Harper pointed and Alex huffed.

"Fine," she said and quickly snatched the spell book off the table. "Maybe I am."

"I knew it," Harper said with a smirk.

"Look, Harper, can we just go?" She walked towards her friend who continued to smile at her.

"Alright, but I'll have you know as your best friend you are required to tell me more."

"Can we not talk about this right now?" Alex groaned. "It's too early and I haven't had nearly enough coffee yet. Also, can you not say anything?"

Harper smiled, bringing her hand up to her mouth and turning it like a key. "Tick-a-lock."

With furrowed brows Alex stared at her friend before rolling her eyes. The heavy feeling she normally felt around her mom tugged at her shoulders. She hated lying to everyone. Tucking the spell book under her arm, she grabbed Harper's arm.

Alex knew they had to decide on a plan today. Between Mason asking about Justin and Harper knowing she was seeing someone, she knew they were running out of time.

Because it's you and I… How can we not?

She exhaled shakily, recalling the moment Justin said those words to her. Whirling her wand, she found herself wondering what life would be like if they'd been born best friends instead. A life with all the memories and none of the guilt.

Maybe Justin would find something that would allow them to use the memory spell. Because she wanted that life. With him.