Photographs

A picture's worth a thousand words.

Inspired by the song "Photograph" by Nickleback, and written for a VERY special reason!! LINDSEY'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!! HAPPY SWEET SIXTEEN, LINDSEY! YOU ARE AMAZING!

Waves in the hallway.

Smiles across the table.

Perpetual disagreements.

Hugs during "family" moments.

Everything was seemingly normal on the outside.

Looking through photo albums of the two of them, anyone would think they were the most adorable brother-sister pair they had ever seen. A photograph of them reveals their smiling faces. His arm around her shoulders. The night of his prom. He didn't have a date, and only she knew why. Their parents thought it was the sweetest thing when she offered to accompany him so he wouldn't be alone on the dance floor. It looked like a pity date to some, but they didn't care. Not when they had each other. Not when it was their moment under the stars. Theirs to remember forever. And they would. It was the moment he told her "I love you". And so, the moment she knew they would be together forever.

Another photo is from his graduation day. As always, she was there supporting him for all of his accomplishments. She tells him how proud she is. In his opinion, his biggest accomplishment was getting the courage to ask her to be his girlfriend. He recalls the day.

"YOU KNOW WHAT? IF YOU CAN'T JUST ADMIT IT, THEN I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU ANYMORE!" She had yelled. "I TOLD YOU HOW I FEEL! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH AN ASSHOLE ABOUT IT? IF YOU DON'T LIKE ME, THEN JUST SAY SO! I WON'T BELIEVE YOU BECAUSE I KNOW YOU DO, BUT WHATEVER! I'M DONE PRETENDING THAT THERE'S NOTHING GOING ON BETWEEN US!"

And with that, he grabbed her waist and pulled her in for the most mind-blowing kiss of their lives. Pulling back, he answered her, "I couldn't just admit it because there aren't enough words in the world to describe how I feel about you. Will you be my girlfriend?" Her only response had been a kiss.

The next picture shows him feeding her a French fry. It's a cute shot that they didn't know was being taken of them as they sat in the backseat of their parents care, driving along the highway to New Jersey for a vacation.

Flipping the page exposes said vacation. She's lying on a beach chair, clad in a baby blue bikini, under the hot summer sun, and he's complying to their parents' request for him to apply sunscreen to her back. He's gently massaging it in as Max snaps the photo, smirking to himself. The vacation continues- him holding her hand as they jump the monstrous waves or go down the first drop of the Great White roller coaster or being splashed by the waves created in the Beast of the East ride at Splash Zone or being scared half to death by the live actors at the Haunted House.

The photo album continues to a picture of her prom. She, unlike him, had a date. But, in this particular photo, he had shoved Adam out of the frame and posed with her. He notices that her smile is twice as large with him by her side. And it's that smile that made him decide to sneak off to the dance as well. He showed up and found that Adam had abandoned her when she wouldn't kiss him. Her face lit up when she saw him. She ran to the door and leaped into his arms, whispering "I love you".

This next picture makes everyone laugh. She's covered in sticky ice cream and, if it's possible, he's covered even more. They're seated next to one another on the floor of their dad's substation, laughing at the mess they made trying to get ice cream for Harper. His finger is grazing over her nose as Max snaps the camera, preserving another memory. He recalls licking his finger and thinking that ice cream never tasted so good.

The day he graduated college was bittersweet for both of them. Upon graduating, he had been offered a job in Illinois. It was his dream job, and she wanted him to go for it, but he didn't want to leave her. They both had tears in their eyes as he accepted his diploma that day. After he had thanked his parents for attending and they told him how proud they were, she led him to the shade of a tree and told him that she had accepted the job offer for him, but before he had time to get mad, she pulled out a ring. "I know it's unconventional, but isn't that the story of us? I love you so much. But in order for us to be okay, you have to take this job. I could never live with myself knowing I was what was stopping you. Besides, it'll only prove our love stronger. So, accept this ring as a promise that we'll be faithful to each other and someday be together." She smiled, placing it on his finger. He smiled back and told her that he'd wait for her forever. The next day, they said good-bye at the airport, along with their family and friends, and he took off. The biggest surprise came seven hours later when she knocked on his door and told him she had transferred schools.

They lived together for two years before he worked up the courage to propose to her. He led her back to Columbia University, where he had graduated college, and took her to the tree that symbolized so much for the pair. It was the same spot where she had promised to be with him forever. Her breath caught in her throat as he kneeled down and pulled out a ring. "Despite all of our fights when we were younger, there's been an undeniable chemistry between us. I've known it for the past eight years, and so have you. Memories with you are my favorite memories, even though I make it seem like scholastic achievements are more important. I know that with your strength and our determination, we'll be able to make it forever. I love you more than you could ever understand. Will you marry me?" And with the flowers from the Spring-blossomed tree flying around them making the moment even more magical, she accepted.

They flew back to Illinois and eloped, figuring that it wasn't worth the trouble that would result from telling anyone. Here, nobody knew they were related. Nobody thought anything of it when they wed, and most importantly they were happy and together.

After Max turned 18, it was decided that he would get to keep the family's wizard powers because he was the most enthusiastic about magic, and although Justin was the most responsible, they saw the most potential in Max.

The final picture in the album is of the two of them, sitting on the couch holding hands and smiling. Max had come over to gloat about getting the powers, but more importantly, to ask them if they wanted him to use his magic to change their brother-sister relationship now so they wouldn't have any pressures from society and could have kids some day. They looked at each other and thought back to their childhood, growing up together and remembering the millions of memories they shared, and silently agreed that their love wouldn't be the same if they hadn't been brother and sister. And, as a result, they didn't want Max to change their circumstances, at least not yet. Max nodded, smiled, and took the picture, saying "another one to add to the album of Jalex". They looked confused before he smiled and said "Puh-lease- As if you two could keep a secret from me", as he pulled out the photo album. "I've known about you two for as long as I can remember. Here." He said as he handed the album to him. "Consider it a wedding present, even though I wasn't invited to the wedding." And with that, he had smirked, hugged them, and left.

Justin closed the book and pulled his wife close. "You know, I didn't think Max had it in him to do something this nice. I guess a lot has changed since we were teenagers."

"You can say that again. Max really outdid himself this time." Alex answered, taking the album and putting it back on her nightstand. It was their favorite gift ever, and they could never repay their little brother for such a thoughtful present. She climbed back over to the bed and kissed her husband. "It's hard to believe how far we've come."

"I know. As cliché as it is, I guess it's true- a picture really is worth a thousand words."

Review, please. XD