A/N: I haven't written the next chapter, and this week is Thanksgiving, so I probably won't be able to update for a little while, probably early December. Don't worry, we're so close to the end here, and the chapters are so short, that I definitely won't abandon it. There's only a couple chapters left.

Thanks for reading, and thanks especially to "My Silver Heart" for reviewing every chapter!

Chapter Five

After leaving a message on Kelbo's wand voicemail nearly an hour ago, Harper and Zeke anxiously waited in the thirteenth floor apartment for some kind of response. They didn't know what else to do. They'd tried calling all three of the Russo siblings to check in, but could only leave messages.

"Hey, Harper? How did Justin, Alex and Max plan to beat Gorog?"

"They were talking about a spell."

"What spell?"

"Something about recruiting help."

"Then why are we trying to contact Kelbo? Wouldn't he already be there?"

"I hope so. But I figured we should tell him ourselves anyway."

"Oh. Well, what are we going to do when we talk to Kelbo?"

"Send him over to help the Russos. Or ask him to contact someone else who can."

Zeke nodded. "Okay, that's good." He glanced at her. "Does Kelbo seem like a weird name to you? It does to me, but then I think Taylor is weird too. I mean, is it for a girl or a guy?"

"For both."

"But how can a name be for a boy and a girl? I'm sorry, but that shouldn't be allowed. It's just gotten way out of hand. They're naming girls Dylan and boys Ashley...pure madness!"

Laughing, Harper patted him on the shoulder. "Calm down, Zeke. Maybe it's just a trend."

"Still..."

They were surprised when Kelbo flashed in, oddly enough wearing a chef's uniform. "Hey...I'm guessing you're Alex's friend Harper?"

"Yeah, Uncle Kelbo, we met when you were here for the retest," Harper reminded him. "This is my boyfriend Zeke, he's Justin's best friend too."

Kelbo shook Zeke's hand. "Nice to meet ya, Zeke."

"Same here. So...why the outfit?"

"The design works for my figure."

Interrupting, Harper reminded them, "Uh, guys? Our friends, your family is in trouble!"

"Right, Gorog, you mentioned him in your message." Kelbo shuddered. "Man, that guy, he's bad news. I missed the Wizard of the Year ceremony, but I did worry he might try something like this when I heard my niece got the better of him."

"Right, so, do you know how to help them? Or another wizard who does?" Harper asked eagerly.

Kelbo paused for a long moment, thinking. "Well, I'd need to know the current situation. I'm a little concerned they haven't contacted me already. Okay, yes, they usually don't. But I figure if they're rounding up wizard supporters to go against Gorog, they'd at least give me a call."

The other two traded confused glances. "So...now what?" Zeke asked.

Holding up his wand, Kelbo replied, "We investigate." Before the teens could protest, they all disappeared from the apartment.

Seconds later, the trio found themselves outside the Sub Station. "Man!" Zeke exclaimed, dizzy and leaning on the wall to keep from fainting. "I will never get used to that."

"You will eventually. After a while the metal taste isn't even that awful anymore," Harper assured him. She then looked in the window, then was startled to find all of the thirteenth floor residents...and Theresa...standing around, looking like they were just waiting for orders. "Oh my gosh! Look!"

When the guys did, all three stepped away from the window, taking in what they saw. "I guess Gorog isn't defeated yet," Zeke remarked. "All those wizards looked pretty evil to me. Plus that zombie, but it's kind of hard to tell since they eat brains either way."

"Did you guys see Mrs. Russo in there with them?" Harper added, worried. "I think Gorog turned her too. Maybe even Mr. Russo, but I didn't see him."

Kelbo stepped to the side. "Okay, well, you two go in and see what's happening, I'll just sit on this bench and..."

Pulling him back over by his elbow, Harper retorted, "Oh, no you don't. You're the only one with powers. Let's go."

"But wait, I don't have powers..."

"Zeke!"

Reluctantly, all three went into the Sub Station, trying to stay inconspicuous.

And of course, the entire dark force turned to stare at the newcomers.

Slightly panicked, Harper attempted to pretend like she had every right to be there. "Hey, everyone!" she greeted weakly. "Just, uh...stopping in for a sandwich. Yup." The trio then rushed over to where Theresa was standing behind the counter, apparently staring into space, not even noticing that her children's best friends and her brother-in-law had walked in. "Mrs. Russo! What's going on? Where are Alex, Justin and Max?" Harper whispered. Even if Theresa had been turned evil, she still might be willing to talk about her children.

Theresa gave Harper a blank stare, again not understanding the questions. "I...who..."

"Mrs. Russo? What happened to you?"

Rare seriousness in his words, Kelbo answered for her. "Some mortals don't react to evil well. Generally, surrendering to the dark side rewires a wizard or other being's conscience with the angel's magic, but once in a while there's a glitch in the process. Especially for mortals because magic is a foreign substance." He sadly glanced at his sister-in-law. "And some of them never recover."

There was complete silence as the teens reacted to the news. Zeke put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "Come on, Harper. She can't help us."

"No!" Harper protested, shrugging off his hand. They couldn't give up so easily. Theresa had been her second mother since Harper first moved in with the Russos...since before then. "Come on, Mrs. Russo! It's me, Harper!"

Complete silence again. Theresa hadn't even flinched.

"What about your kids, Alex, Justin and Max? You remember them, right?"

Finally, some reaction. The mother's eyes seemed to focus just a little bit. She didn't snap out of it, but she appeared to be thinking, slowly registering that she was having a conversation. "My...my kids..." she whispered, as if she at least knew what the words meant.

"Yes! Youremember,right? Justin, Alex...little Maxie..." Harper could tell she was making a breakthrough. She just had to keep mentioning the Russo teens over and over until...

"What's going on here?"

Harper, Zeke and even Kelbo jumped when Justin entered from the kitchen, an intense glare on his face that none of them had ever seen before. "Hey bro, what's up?" Zeke squeaked, petrified of his best friend's intimidating appearance. While Justin's clothes were the same, he had the darker facial expression and carried himself differently...he seemed cold, official.

Justin didn't even look at him, instead focusing on scared Harper. "What's going on here?" he repeated. "Master Gorog sent me to assess the disturbance and inform him of intruders."

"Uh...uh...we were..." Harper sputtered, not knowing how to respond in a way that wouldn't get them in further trouble. "Uh, here to join the dark side!" While Kelbo and Zeke gave her bewildered glances, she continued, "Yeah! I figure since you...and Alex and Max...joined, we might as well too. I mean, there's no hope for good in that case, right?"

The flattery worked, and Justin relaxed slightly. "That would be true, but Gorog has sent Alex and Max away to an another dimension for now. He doesn't trust me yet so he fears I will help them destroy him. Which I won't, so I wish he would bring them back now. They'd be perfect minions."

Wow,he is seriously messed up, Harper thought in amazement. "Yeah..." Thinking their next step should be for Kelbo to use his magic to track down the missing Russo siblings, she decided to make a quick exit. "Well, bye!"

She then gave Kelbo and Zeke a "let's get the heck out of here" signal, so all three bolted toward the door. They heard Justin realize he'd been duped, then scream for Gorog.

"Kelbo, get us back to the apartment! Quick!" Harper shrieked.

Within seconds all three vanished from Waverly Place.

They arrived back at the girls' apartment and got to work tracking down their kidnapped friends. "Okay, Uncle Kelbo, there has to be a spell you could use," Harper said. "If we find Alex and Max, they can figure out a way to beat Gorog. Or at least get Justin back from the dark side."

"Wow," Kelbo said, sitting on the couch as he took in the day's events. "You know, you hear about evil a lot in the Wizard World. It's the ultimate betrayal. Never thought it would happen to my family."

Shaken from the experience, Zeke sat down as well. "I've never seen Justin like that. Ever. He was so...intense, you know? The way he glared at Harper, not acknowledging me at all...I'm not even sure that was really him."

"It wasn't. 'Evil' is like...a spell you're under," Kelbo explained. "Can only be broken by loved ones, family. And sometimes even that doesn't work if the wizard is too far gone."

Harper frowned, talk about evil and darkness just making her more upset. "Yes, we get it, this is all very bad. Uncle Kelbo, please, just use your magic and get Alex and Max back!" Tears had started to form in her eyes mid-way through her outburst.

"Well, give me a minute!" Kelbo replied. "I'm not good at stuff like this!"

"Stuff like this?"

"Yeah, you know...acting all, hero-y."

Trading exasperated glances, Harper and Zeke waited not-so-patiently while Kelbo did his best to remember a spell that would save his nice and nephew.

"Murrieta Animata!"

"Nope."

"Edgebono Utoosis!"

"Nope."

Alex glared at her useless wand. Sick of waiting around, she'd started casting any spells she could think of with the hope that one might actually work. If the anti-magic shield, or whatever it was, on this place only blocked transportation spells, then maybe they could find another spell to get them out of this mess. But so far she wasn't having any luck. "You don't need to say 'nope' every time I try one, Max," she snapped, frustrated. "I can see for myself."

"Just being helpful."

About to retort, Alex paused when there was a bright, explosive burst of light. In the moment that she and Max averted their eyes, she wondered with dread if Gorog had appeared, if he'd sent a spell to destroy them, or...

"Hiya favorite niece, and one of my favorite nephews!"

"Uncle Kelbo?"