Justin and Alex found themselves at a volcano.

"No... not here..."

They were both horrified by where they found themselves.

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE!?"

Alex, to her displeasure, found herself huddling behind Justin. Just like she used to. And, like always, she found herself having a muted body conversation with him over who should speak first. He argued successfully that he should since he had wizard powers. It beat her argument of, "You suck at everything!"

"Why did you bring us here?"

Lexie scoffed, "I don't know."

Once more, the body language argument, this time to Alex's advantage, "Well, since you seem to have wasted your 'time' with us, maybe you'll let us go?"

"What is this place?!" Lexie demanded. Alex and Justin exchanged a look of doubt.

"Huh?!"

"What is this place?!"

The time-traveler was screaming at the top of his lungs now, "It's some big family secret, right? Has something to do with Justine?"

"No... it has to do with Max."

"Who's Max?"

The two exchanged a look.

"STOP DOING THAT!"

Alex jumped startled. Justin started to speak, but his sister cut him off, "Let me." She walked towards her son, speaking slowly, "A long time before you were born, you had an uncle named Max," Confusion lit across Lexie's face, "And Max... died. In a fight against evil. Dark Angels turned Justin against him, and..."

Lexie let out a breath, "I have an uncle...?"

Justin swallowed, "And I killed him."

Lexie blinked, "Ma..." his voice cracked, "Is that why you never trusted me...?"

Her eyes filled with tears, "No, baby, it's not like that."

He held his hands open to her, but his uncle pulled her back protectively. He glared lasers, "You cannot trust him, Alex, something wrong with his brain. Something chemically."

Lexie inhaled angrily, "WHO IS THAT!? Why can't I remember him?!"

Alex patted Justin's arm, "He's your father."

"But Mason..."

"Is your dad..."

"But, I thought you guys were part of the same family..."

Alex nodded, "Yes, he's my brother," She paused, breathing, for the first time admitting it out-loud, "And your father."

There was no air. All of Lexie's life flew past his eyes as he suddenly understood; all those times his mother protected his sister but not him. All the times she was too scared to even go outside.

"Fuuuuuu-"

Alex broke down into tears.

"Now what?" Justin fumed angrily, "Now? Now you go home. Now you never exist. Now your mother is going to include me in your life!"

Alex stopped sobbing for a moment to declare, "Never!"

Snarling, Justin picked her up by her long, dark locks, "Against your will then! Get it through your head! You and Mom, and Dad, and your mangy boyfriend aren't enough anymore!"

Lexie rose up angrily, "Leave her alone!" He even seemed surprised he was defending her, "Look... Mom, I love you, but you have to be honest with us. We need to know what happened!"

Through her tears, Alex shook her head, "No... I can't. It's too hard...!"

"You're the bravest person I know..." a whirlwind appeared.

"Alex, we have to go!" Justin picked his sister up and carried her out of the path of the wind. He looked back just in time to see his son get sucked up inside.

Lexie didn't even have the heart to move.

Alex was sobbing. She had lost so much; Justin, Max, even her son (time travel erasing him aside) had been torn from her.

"Why...?!"

Justin gritted his teeth, "Because that's our life. Because that's what happens to us. We fight, and we hate, and we strive to survive, and in the end, we lose what we never realized we loved...!"

Alex curled into a ball, a feeling of numbness spreading. She felt horrible. This was all her fault. With Lexie gone, time would snap back, Justine would reappear in her crib, and Justin... would be free. And expecting payment.

"Alex, it's time."

Wearily she nodded. Getting to her feet, Alex looked Justin in the face, "Why does it always hurt...?"

"If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn't have to hurt you," He knocked her back with a left hook.