A/N: Hello, I was worried I wouldn't be able to upload this today but here it is! I love you guys, you make me so happy and want to continue writing this story. Okay, confession time. I've never gotten 100 reviews for a story before and I was hoping I might be able to do so with this story. I don't know how I might do that without your help. I don't write for reviews but they still are a big deal to me so maybe you guys could recommend this to friends and stuff? I'd so love it.

Next chapter will be a BIG Jalex moment so stay tuned. I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place.

Chapter Six:

Alex sat on the couch with one hand on the phone. The other was in her lap, shaking like a leaf. Why was she so nervous? It was just a simple phone call. She tried to push herself to pick up the phone but she couldn't make her hand lift it from the cradle. Finally, just as she was about to pick it up to finally talk to Grady Adams, the phone rang.

Could it be? Was Grady actually calling her first? She picked the phone up and said hello. Her voice was stupidly shaky, she thought with disgust.

"Hey, are you almost ready to go?" Oh, it was only Justin. She still felt a skip in her heart though. Odd.

"Hey, nice going. I was just about to call Grady."

"We have to leave soon. Are you almost ready to go?"

"Yeah, yeah. Keep your shirt on," she drawled. "I'll be ready in ten minutes."

"Good because I'll be there in five," Justin said, with a hint of annoyance. He hung up the phone and sat back in the cab, wondering where the annoyance had suddenly come from. Stupid Alex. Pretty-Boy could wait for a day. Especially since today happened to be Max's graduation from grad school.

He grinned. Dear, old, empty-headed Max had suddenly sprouted brains galore when he won the family wizard competition. Justin and Alex had been shocked, then angry for a while but they got over it. Max claimed he had been holding back but Justin suspected that one-third of powers was also one-third a brain for him. Having all the magic meant Max's brain was at full capacity now.

And boy had Max taken to his newfound brainpower. He enrolled in community college, got good enough grades to transfer to Yale in his second year and graduated with honors. Now he was getting a Masters from Columbia of all places. Justin was more than proud of his younger brother.

The cab pulled up to Alex's building and Justin hopped out and rang the buzzer. Alex let him in and he walked in as she was finishing pinning her hair into a low bun. A few tendrils framed her face and he had the urge to reach out and brush them away. He waited on the couch while she grabbed her coat and scarf.

"I just have to get my keys."

"I'll get them," Justin offered. He stood up and strode to her bedroom, where he knew they would be sitting in the bowl on the dresser. Her bedroom was more like the Alex he remembered from childhood. There was a wet towel on the bed which he folded and put in her bathroom. Make-up and clothes were strewn here and there, along with a few shoes.

A magazine was spread out on the bed as well, opened to a page with pictures from the DeLuca Fashion Show. He glanced down and saw that there was a picture of them together on the 'red carpet'. Alex looked radiant but what struck him was his expression. He was looking at her like...like...

Like he was in love with her. That thought punched him straight in the gut, almost making him double over like he'd actually been punched.

"Are you done in there yet?" Alex called.

"Uh...coming!" he yelled back. He wondered if Alex saw what he saw in the picture. Surely she couldn't think that of him, could she? It was just...weird. He gave the magazine a gentle nudge and it fell off the bed and he pushed it under with the tip of his shoe. Maybe best to not let Alex look at that photo too hard. He grabbed the keys and headed back to the living room.

"There you are," Alex said. "I was wondering if you fell in."

"Nope, just cleaning up the mess you left," Justin said. It lacked his usual zing.

"Come on or we're going to be late," Alex grabbed his arm and he tried to ignore how it made his body respond.

They headed to the street and Alex hailed a cab while Justin milled about, hands in his overcoat pockets. When a cab pulled up to the curb, he let Alex get in first, trying to ignore the way her shapely legs looked in the heels she had on. In the cab he ignored the heavenly aroma of her perfume. And when they got out and Alex realized she left her purse, he was definitely not interested in the curve of her glorious bottom as she bent over the seat. No way, Jose.

"Is everyone here?" Theresa called as she counted heads. Her mother and Jerry's father were present. As was Uncle Kelbo, Zeke and Harper, and Uncle Ernesto and Aunt Megan (who had grown up, gotten over her grudge and fallen hard for Ernesto) were there as well, with their their son Paolo. They were all going together from the sub station to the college campus via shuttle bus. It was a touch embarrassing for the siblings but Theresa had insisted it was the easiest way to ensure they all got there together and on time.

They headed to the campus in the shuttle bus. Alex and Justin were squashed together in the back, next to Max. Just like old times.

"So how are you guys doing?" Max asked. His caramel colored hair was poking out from under a ski cap in deference to the rain that was misting over the city.

"Good," they said at the same time. The three of them laughed and Alex glanced out the window. "I had my fashion show the other day."

"I know, Mom told me. She complained about not being invited.

"I could only invite one guest," Alex fibbed. "And besides, she complained about the last show she went to. She said she was cold the whole time and that she would have been a better model than what we had picked."

"Sounds like mom," Max agreed. The three siblings chatted amiably during the ride to the ceremony with Justin and Alex talking more to Max than each other. When they reached the school, Max parted ways to line up with his schoolmates and the others headed for the seats.

The ceremony was over before Alex realized and they headed back to Waverly Place for Max's party. Theresa and Jerry had ordered Chinese food (Max had balked at Jerry's idea of sub sandwiches, telling his dad off for being rather cheap) to be delivered at six and the delivery person arrived just as they did.

Alex speared an egg roll with her chopsticks (she never had mastered the art of using them), stuffing it into her mouth whole.

"Please, Alex, that's disgusting," Justin groaned. Alex stuck her food covered tongue out at him.

"Make me," she said around a mouthful of food. Justin thought for a second about doing just that. He imagined pinning her down with his body and giving her what-for and it made him blush and shift in his seat. He grabbed his cup of ice water and gulped it down rapidly. The chilly drink helped him clear his head. Get a grip, he ordered himself.

"I'm going upstairs to get some aspirin," Alex leaned in to Justin. "My head hurts a bit." The food had been cleared away and everyone was just sitting around talking now. He nodded and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Feel better," he said softly. Alex left and climbed the spiral staircase into the Russo apartment.

"Haha, when did you and Alex become a couple?" Max joked, seeing the way they interacted.

"That's not funny," Justin said. He glared at Max who held up his hands.

"Hey, hey," he said. "Why so touchy?"

"It's nothing," Justin said, trying not to look guilty.

"Seriously bro, what's going on with you?"

"I don't know," Justin sighed. If he could talk to anyone about this it would have to be Max. His brother understood a lot more than he let on. "Something really strange I guess. I've been having all these weird...feelings...about someone I shouldn't and it's kind of getting to me."

"Alex, right?" Max nodded like it was nothing big to worry about.

"What, no!" Justin looked around wildly to see if they'd been overheard.

"Dude, I see the way you look at her. You guys have had it bad since forever. I don't know why you didn't make a move before now."

"Max, that's my sister," Justin hissed. He looked around again to make sure no one was paying attention and grabbed Max, heading for the Wizard Lair.

Inside, he settled on pacing. "I don't know what makes you think that I have a 'thing' for Alex but that's totally not true."

"Oh right," Max nodded. "So the looks you gave her, the affection you have for each other, how you'd do anything for her, that's totally normal. I don't know why you're so worked up over this. It's really not that big of a deal. I knew from a young age that you guys were going to end up together. I mean, at some point it's like 'Okay, get together already!' I mean, honestly, you guys are slower than Harper when it came to admitting she had no shot with you."

"You really think it wouldn't be a big deal?" Justin asked skeptically. Max shrugged.

"Just admit it to yourself already."

"I don't love Alex. Not like that," Justin protested. Max patted his brother on the back.

"Get some brains," he said. "You so do."

Justin remained unsettled for the rest of the evening and hardly spoke to Alex on the cab ride back.

"I'll see you in a couple days then?" Alex asked.

"Huh?"

"Wake up Justin. Gosh I didn't realize how tired you were." Alex laughed at her brother. "Your office Christmas party? It's in two days. Am I meeting you or are we meeting there?"

"Oh. Um, let's just meet there," Justin said. He said goodnight to Alex and climbed back into the cab to head to his place. He really had no idea what was up and what was down anymore. And the scary part was...he might not mind!

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