Wizards of Waverly Place
I've got a secret
Part Eighteen: Day Eighteen
It was Tuesday, October 19, and none of the Russo's were able to get any sleep the preceding night due to all the tension that faced them from the day before. Be it food deprivation, genetic questioning, or physical berating, each person in the family had a lot to be concerned about.
Theresa and Juliet were both sitting around nervously when Mason walked in. "Ha, is he here yet? He said he'd be here at eight o'clock and it's almost nine." Said Mason.
"I don't know, he's the head of the Wizard Council, he could be held up with some pressing issues of magical proportions." Stated Juliet.
"Oh, what could be more important than finding out about my son, how could they say Justin isn't mine?" Asked Theresa frantically.
"Who knows, with us all sorts of weird things happen, but never anything like this. Oh I hope he hurries up, I just can't understand how this could be true." Said Juliet.
"And, hu, if Justin isn't our son, then who's going to do the transplant and save Jerry, Alex still isn't back, and she's been gone for five days." Said Theresa.
"Oh I hope Alex makes it back here, if only I knew who those men were that stole her right before my eyes. I just couldn't bear to lose her, not without telling her, well you know." Said Mason to Juliet.
"What are you talking about?" Asked Theresa.
"Well, a while ago, Mason and I dated, and we never told Alex or Justin about it." Said Juliet. "I was going to tell him as soon as this whole watch thing was over, but now that all this has happened I can't tell him. Mrs. Russo how do you think Justin will take it?"
"I don't know, I mean I used to think I'd know, but now that I know I don't know my son, I don't know what he'd think anymore." Said Theresa. "Uh, first I lose one of my children, now I know my son's not my son, how can I go from three children to one in less than a week?" Asked Theresa.
"Ha, I went from a whole family to two parents lost somewhere in the forest in a matter of thirty-six hours, I know how you feel." Said Mason as he hugged Theresa.
"Ya, Alex always meant well, whether she was bringing mobsters to lunch, or killing an entire family, she always meant well, I hope she makes it back, now that I have learned to appreciate her insane actions. Ya know this never would've happened if you hadn't run away from home!" Yelled Theresa.
"And I never would've run away if she didn't get my family killed." Retorted Mason.
"Alright you win." Said Theresa. "Ha where is that man! We've been waiting for twenty-six minutes and forty two, three seconds!" Yelled Theresa.
"What's going on, is he here yet, it's almost nine o'clock." Said Justin. "Oh this is crazy, how can something like this happen, of course I'm your son, I mean I have a birth certificate, the same last name, and a world's best son mug, which you gave me."
"I know, why do things like this always happen to us!" Demanded Theresa. "I mean, first I lose Alex, then the thing with Juliet and Mason and now this!"
"Ya, maybe we're just a family that fate, what thing with Mason and Juliet?" Asked Justin.
"You know, Mason got his family killed." Said Juliet in a fast and nervous voice.
"And just look at Juliet." Said Mason.
"Ha." Said Juliet.
There was a knock at the door. "It's open!" Yelled Theresa.
The door was opened and a tall man walked in a suit, with slick black hair and a suitcase. "It's Aslam!" Yelled the family.
"Where have you been?!" Demanded Theresa. "We've been waiting for a half hour."
"Sorry, my wand was out of miles, so I have to take a ninety minute bus ride sitting between a bearded man and a deer!" Proclaimed Aslam. "So, why don't we get down to business." Said Aslam as he sat down.
"Where are your vests, your lion hat, your wand?" Asked Justin.
"Ha, you know how people react to somebody on a bus with a lion hat and a wooden wand? They are not as respectful as an audience of magical creatures, that's why I hate mortals!" Yelled Aslam.
"Thank you." Said Theresa.
"I'm sorry." Said Aslam.
"Ha, if you're the head of the Wizard Council, then you're the one who ordered my family to be killed." Said Mason.
"Well I did have a mob have a gang of werewolves be killed once, and, oh, that was your family. This is awkward." Said Aslam.
"Alright, can we get back to business?" Asked Justin.
"Alright, what's going on?" Asked Aslam.
"The thing with Justin not being Jerry's son!" Yelled Juliet.
"Well excuse me! You know I don't have the memory of a vampire." Said Aslam.
"So, what could be the explanation for this?" Asked Theresa. "I mean, I gave birth to him, I should know most of all."
"Well, I don't know, wait! I have heard of cases, though very rare, of children of wizards being replaced with others." Stated Aslam.
"That can happen?" Asked Justin.
"Yes, especially when the mother happens to be mortal. It can only be done by dark magic, so we have a dark wizard responsible, if that is the case." Said Aslam.
"Who would want to do something like that?" Asked Theresa. "And if that is what happened, then that means..." Started Theresa.
"Yes, if this is the case, then that means your real son is still out there." Stated Aslam.
"Well, how can we find out where her real son is?" Asked Juliet.
"Well, there's no way of finding him, but fortunately there is a way to find who Justin's real parents are, with a few simple DNA tests." Said Aslam.
"Really, that's great." Proclaimed Justin.
"Justin, are you sure you want to do this?" Asked Theresa.
"Sure, I mean, if I don't I'll never know who I really am. So when can we do it?" Asked Justin.
"Later this afternoon, and with luck we'll have the results in a few days." Said Aslam.
"Alright, we might as well do it, but there's no way of finding who my real son is?" Asked Theresa.
"I'm afraid not, the only way would be if another person came out with this, and the tests just happen to match with your and Jerry's DNA, but it is very unlikely." Said Aslam.
"Mrs. Russo, I'm so sorry." Said Mason.
"Me to, well, at least now we understand this a little better." Said Theresa.
"Yes, I'll be back at noon, until then take my lucky spade, you need it a lot more than I do." Said Aslam as he handed her his spade.
"Great, another one of these stupid things." Said Juliet.
"She means thank you, your Aslamness." Said Justin.
"You're welcome, well, bye." Said Aslam as he ran out the door. "Ah!" Yelled Aslam as he fell down the stairs.
"This is nuts, who would want to take my son?" Asked Theresa. "I bet it was that crazy target-faced man."
"Oh, first I kill Jerry and now this?" Said Juliet as she put her face in her hands.
"Juliet, that man didn't know us before six days ago, there's no way he'd want to do something like this." Said Justin.
"Well, somehow as of recent, everything that happens to us is always my fault." Said Juliet.
"Ha, when's Aslam coming?" Asked Max.
"He just left." Said Mason.
"Ah, I missed it all!" Said Max as he walked away angrily.
"Missed who?" Asked Kramer as he walked in.
"Aslam." Said Juliet.
"Ah, I missed him, ah!" Yelled Kramer as he slammed his head into the wall.
Back at the warehouse, Alex was sitting in the chair, her hair was messed up, she seemed thinner, and was breathing heavy. "Huh, huh, please, why are you doing these things to me?" Asked Alex as she struggled to speak through her pain.
"Because, with the rate this is going at, Jerry will be back here is a matter of hours, maybe days, weeks." Whispered the mobster.
"Listen, I can tell you, that doing these things is not going to make him come here any faster! For some reason I don't think he'll be coming at all, because he has no idea where I am!" Yelled Alex. "Why can't you just think for a minute, and realize that your plan is not as well-thought-through as you assume?" Asked Alex.
"Ha, nobody, and I mean nobody! Tells the nameless mob of New York City what to do, so just leave your torture to us, and you just sit there and take it!" Yelled the mobster.
"I don't know, I mean, how will Jerry Russo ever know where to find her?" Asked de Havilland. "I mean I knew where she was and it took me five hours to find this place, maybe it was all that clear wine I had last night."
"Clear wine I love that stuff, you can drink it on the bus and the police will believe it's water." Said Susan. "Ha, let's force her to make clear wine, we can ferment it under a steam iron!" Proclaimed Susan.
"No! No clear wine until Jerry Russo is a rug near my fire place, but no literally, I find people rugs get you in bad with the EPA." Said the mobster.
"I don't care about you clear wine, I'm just saying that beating me isn't making anybody any closer to their goals." Stated Alex.
"It is for me, my goal of seeing Alex Russo miserable, just as much as I am." Said Susan as she twisted a napkin.
"Alright, but can I go to the bathroom, I haven't gone in three days." Said Alex.
"Fine, I think there's a tree outside." Said the mobster.
"You sure, we are in a forest?" Asked Susan. "Sorry sir."
At the house, Juliet was looking through some pamphlets. "Ha, look at all the rock climbing classes they offer here in New York, that means my life goal is possible, not like your life goal of having purpose in your life." Said Juliet.
"Thank you, I don't know what this family would've done if you hadn't been here for this whole ordeal." Said Theresa. "Why do you want to be a rock climber?"
"Because, you've seen those movies where people climb mountains, and save people from caverns, and, wasn't Cliffhanger good?" Asked Juliet.
"No." Said Mason.
"All I want is to get married, have one kid, just like me, and make a billion dollars." Said Justin.
"That was my goal." Said Theresa. "Then I realized I'd have to go to all these life coaching classes, just too much work." Said Theresa.
"Ha, once Justin makes a billion dollars, he can pay for all those classes." Said Mason to Juliet.
"Ya, I don't know." Said Juliet.
"Sure you do, if we get married I'll go along with whatever crazy thing you decide to do." Said Justin.
"Ya, about that, maybe we should break up." Said Juliet.
"What, why?" Asked Justin.
"Well, now that I find out you're not really who I thought you were, I just don't know about this." Said Juliet.
"Juliet, you know who I am, you just don't know who my parents are." Said Justin.
"Ya, but that means I won't know how you look when you get older, and I can't go into a relationship not knowing that." Said Juliet.
"What, you thought Jerry was my dad and you still dated me." Said Justin.
"Ya, but I figured my looks would make up for yours." Said Juliet.
"Ya your mom is pretty hot." Said Justin.
"I know, but who knows, your parents could be a bald man and a bearded woman, I can't make up for that." Said Juliet.
"Ha, don't make fun of my son's parents." Said Theresa.
"I would be honored to marry your daughter if she grows to look like you Mrs. Russo." Said Mason.
"That is the nicest thing anybody has ever said about Alex relating to me." Said Theresa.
"Ha, do you think Justin's parents are as boring as he is?" Asked Max.
"Ha, nobody's even met my parents and they're already making jokes, you are a mean family." Said Justin.
"Ha, you were in this family twenty four hours ago." Stated Kramer.
"I know, ha where do you think Alex is, since we're not related, we will have to find her so they can do the surgery on Jerry." Said Justin.
"Ya, I wish I could've done something, then we'd have one less thing to worry about, oh this is all my fault, even the Justin thing." Said Mason.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, it's punishment enough that Alex might be dead now." Said Juliet.
"Yer right, ha, without Alex I don't know what I'm going to do, I mean I can't come up with insane ideas like Alex did, oh I hope she's okay." Said Mason.
"Uh, uh, uh." Said Alex as she was whipped by the mobster. "Uh, this is awful, I wish Jerry would come so I could die already!" Yelled Alex.
"That's right, now that we both want the same thing, it is much more likely to happen!" Proclaimed the mobster.
"Uh, where could he be, they would usually be here by now, something must be wrong." Stated Alex.
"Uh." Said de Havilland as he and Susan heated a liquid over a steam iron.
"What are you doing?!" Yelled the mobster.
"Nothing!" Yelled Susan as they dropped the liquid, the iron short-circuited and steam came out.
Later at the house, the group was sitting around when Aslam walked in. "Ha everybody!"
"What do you want?" Asked Juliet in an annoyed voice.
"I have come here with the test results." Said Aslam.
"What, you said it would be days, days." Said Mason.
"Yes, don't things have a way of working out in the end? Well, not really, I mean you still don't know who your son is, and the Alex thing, and that whole thing with the economy, but I got the results." Said Aslam.
"I guess he's right." Said Max.
"Things do work out, I mean, if Jerry never had the same name as my Jerry, I'd still be in a crummy apartment, but now, I'm in a palace!" Proclaimed Kramer.
"Hello, anybody remember my real parents?" Asked Justin.
"Ya know, if I never met Jerry, and we never had my supposed son, my purpose of finding that golden watch would never have been realized." Said Theresa.
"Ya, if I never entered the Wizard Council leader elections, I never would have gotten my new wand, and well, it's a nice wand, uh." Said Aslam as he sat down and smoked.
"Hello!" Yelled Justin.
"Hi, oh! The results, ya, I got em' right here, and they are a doozee." Said Aslam as he pulled out the papers.
"Really?" Asked Juliet.
"Oh yes, the most fascinating results I've ever delivered, and I deliver results, regularly." Stated Aslam.
"Whoa." Said Mason.
"Well what does it say?" Asked Theresa.
"Well Justin, it turns out, from these tests, that you are not in fact Justin Russo, you are really, James Dodreick, son of Ignaceous and Gatling Dodreick." Stated Aslam.
"What, are you serious?" Asked Justin.
"Yes, these tests say so, and they don't make mistakes." Said Aslam.
"The, Ignaceous Dodreick, the famous wizard, of the Four of the Great Circle?" Asked Justin.
"Yes, Justin is in fact his son, isn't that interesting?" Asked Aslam.
"I'll say." Said Juliet. "Oh, he's really old, now I don't know." Said Juliet.
"Ya, I once dated a girl, but her mom was old, so I said nu-uh." Said Aslam.
"Wow, Justin this is great, you must be so excited." Said Theresa in a low voice.
"I am, oh, at least something good came of this." Said Justin.
"Wow, so you're like a celebrity?" Asked Max.
"Can I have you autograph?" Asked Kramer.
"Back off!" Yelled Mason.
"Thank you Mason, wow, this is amazing." Said Mason.
"Yes, now on to other business, Justin, being the son of the Dodreicks, and being an only child, you are eligible for becoming a full wizard, as of your seventeenth birthday." Said Aslam.
"I am seventeen." Said Justin in an excited voice.
"Alright, let's get to the Wizard City Hall, and get on with the process." Said Aslam.
"Um, sir." Said Theresa.
"Yes Mrs. Russo?" Asked Aslam.
"Well, Justin, was my first born son, he has been for seventeen years, and, no amount of science or magic is going to take away the times that we had, so, could I please come, and watch my son become a man, the last thing we'll ever do together." Said Theresa.
"Sure, and your son is welcome to." Said Aslam.
"Thank you." Said Justin.
"Yep, I'll fire up the minivan." Said Aslam as he left.
At the warehouse, Alex was using the steam iron to heat through the ropes when the mobster walked in. "Ah! Hi." Said Alex as she dropped the iron.
"Hello, I am here to say I am leaving for the night, and don't even try to escape, for I'll know!" Yelled the mobster.
"Okay, by." Said Alex. The mobster closed the door slowly. "What a loser, uh, oh, hot iron! Ah!" Said Alex as she shook her hands.
At the house, Theresa was sitting on the terrace, and Justin walked up to her. "Mom." Said Justin.
"Ya, Justin, or, maybe I should start calling you James." Said Theresa.
"Tomorrow, mom, I was thinking, and, I'm not moving out, I mean, even though I know you're not my real mom, you're been there for me for my whole life, and I think that's more important than any biological proof." Said Justin.
"Thank you Justin, and no matter what, I'll always think of you as my son." Said Theresa as she hugged him.
"Thanks, so, want some coffee?" Asked Justin.
"Sure, I think there's a shop down the street." Said Theresa. Her and Justin then got up and walked off into the night, as mother and son.
Will Alex escape the mob in time to save Jerry? Will Justin be able to adjust to his life now that he knows he's a celebrity? Will Theresa ever find her real son? You'll know if you read the other 356 days in the year in the life of the Russo's, "I've got a secret."