Thanks for the reviews...keep it up! I love you guys! Here's Chapter 3... also, trigger warning: rape :(

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Alex awoke early (for her) on Monday morning to find that everyone was downstairs working in the Sub Station already. She was confused, because she was supposed to work and no one had come to yell at her for sleeping in. Alex stirred in her bed and turned over to her side, where she found a note resting on her pillow.

Alex,

Took your shift today. Get some rest…you owe me!

-Justin

Alex grinned to herself, again filled with warmth and relief. She wrapped herself up in the fluffy comforter, held the note to her face and kissed it as if it were from a lover. Then, she immediately stopped and realized what she was doing.

Wow…I really just did that, didn't I? Super glad no one witnessed that one…get a hold of yourself, Russo!

Russo.

She tightened up instantly. Even thinking about referring to herself the way Dean always did was enough to put her stomach in knots. All it did was give her flashbacks of the night before; his hands all over her, ripping the buttons off her good shirt; Dean holding her down, trying to put his mouth everywhere…

Alex's head began to throb immediately. She had to think about something else. Something happy, soothing…

And Justin entered her mind. Not just their closeness from the night before, but the feeling it gave her to tease and banter with him every day. The internal joy she felt just knowing he was around, though she had never acknowledged it before. The yearning to impress him and outdo him, the electric chemistry they had...and most of all, knowing she could rely on him. It was touching to know that he cared about her enough that he wanted to dart out the door in the middle of the night to find/hurt Dean. It was very un-Justin.

Alex realized that she had never heard Justin curse before. She had never seen Justin react that way to anything. He was so angry, and so ready to retaliate immediately. It was a side of him she wasn't used to, but a side she was happy to see, regardless. It showed her that he wasn't just dorky Justin; he could also be the protector and the fighter when he needed to be.

She had to stop herself there, because she started to realize that she was making a mental list of traits about her brother that she finds attractive.

The knock on her door was an appreciated distraction from her thoughts.

"Alex? You up yet?" Justin asked.

"Yeah…sort of. Come in," Alex sighed and sat up in her bed finally, quickly pushing the note Justin had written her under her pillow. She had completely forgotten that she was still clutching it.

"Hey," Justin said, somewhat awkwardly from the open door.

"Hey…what are you doing here?" Alex wondered.

"I'm just on a break. I thought I'd come up and make sure you're OK…" Justin said, and thinking he sounded too nice, he continued, "…because I can't be covering your shifts all the time!"

Alex sighed. "Wow, thanks bro. That could have been a totally adorable brother/sister moment…maybe you should work on that."

"Well I…" Justin paused, becoming slightly flustered. "OK. You're right… I'm sorry about that. It's kinda like a reflex to turn what I say to you into an insult."

"…I guess I can understand that. Personally, I have to struggle to avoid constantly insulting you," Alex replied, grinning devilishly.

Justin rolled his eyes and smiled. He then came and sat next to Alex on her bed.

"Listen, I'm just going to drop the taunting… for now. I have to be honest, I am really worried about you, Alex," he said to his sister sincerely. "What happened to you was very serious, and I would be lying if I said I didn't still want to go find Dean and rip his head off," Justin said, as he stopped to run his hands through his hair and sighed. "I just wish you would tell me what happened. I don't want to pressure you, but I need to know that you're OK."

Alex looked at her brother a moment, taking in the sincerity in his voice and his genuine concern. Neither of them ever missed an opportunity to tease each other, so his decision to be heartfelt with her caught her off-guard. Internally, she struggled with her desire to ignore what happened, conflicting with her yearning to be closer to Justin and express herself to him. She knew that she could try to brush him off over and over, but she also knew that this was Justin she was dealing with, and that he would never drop it.

Alex couldn't hide from it forever, so she figured what better time than now? She took a deep breath, stood up, and decided to confront the horrible feelings inside her that she wanted to run away from.

"OK… we were outside the sub station in his car, at the end of our date. I told him I wanted to go all the way with him. I told him I was ready… but then I got scared."

"What? Alex, you have got to be kidding me! You are WAY too young to b—"

"OK Justin! I know! Calm down," Alex said, pacing more quickly. "I realized that I wasn't ready yet, and I told him I changed my mind and wanted to stop."

"Wait… wanted to stop what? Were you guys already… oh my god, I'm not even sure I want to know…"

"No, no! We were just kissing at that point. He kept trying to touch me, and kept trying to undo my pants… and I just didn't like it. I like kissing Dean and I like being with him, but it just didn't feel right."

"And he got mad?" Justin asked, trying to remain calm with rage pulsing through his body.

"Well, obviously. He tried to argue with me at first… tried to tell me, 'you promised! It's cruel to break promises, Russo.' Then he tried to be sweet and kept trying to kiss me again, saying, 'come on baby, it's OK, I won't tell anyone.'" She said, her eyes watering. "Finally when I said, 'NO, Dean!', that was when he pushed me down and started messing with my shirt…" Alex paused, choking on a sob. "I was scared, Justin. I froze. He's a lot stronger than me…" she finally collapsed back onto the bed, crying with abandon.

Justin immediately reached out to hold her. "It's OK, Alex… you're safe now. But… how did you get out of there?"

Alex sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I panicked. My arms were pinned! The only thing I was really able to do was kick him in the balls…and then I ran out of there without looking back." Alex explained, burying her face in her hands. "I am SO glad were already parked right outside. I'm not sure how I would have gotten home."

Justin continued rubbing her back. He couldn't deny that he was impressed. Most girls would have ended up coming home, stripped of their innocence. Alex won the battle without even trying.

"That's horrible, Alex. I'm so sorry. Honestly though, I'm really proud of you." Justin said, sincerely.

"…you are? Even though I was a total idiot and said I wanted to do it with him?"

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time you did something stupid, Alex, but you didn't deserve that in return. And yes… I am proud of you. You may have gotten yourself into a dumb situation, but you also got yourself out of it unscathed."

"Thank goodness for that…but can I ask for one more favor?"

Justin thought for a moment. "…maybe. What is it?"

"Please don't tell Mom and Dad what happened. I mean, I'm going to make up something and tell them Dean and I broke up, but I really just want to move past this crap and get on with my life."

"Yeah, Alex… of course. I won't say anything…" Justin said, pretending to zip his mouth shut.

Alex's urge to break the serious mood finally overcame her. "Haha, 'unscathed'…" she giggled, "someone's been studying for their SATs."

"Ooooookayy…and there goes our meaningful moment."

"No, in all seriousness, Justin…. Thank you." Alex put her hands on his shoulders, "thank you for being proud of me. I honestly can't explain how much that means to me… and more than anything, thank you for being there for me last night."

Justin stared into her eyes. Their proximity to each other, her hands on his shoulders, the both of them sitting on her bed together… Justin suddenly felt a temptation creeping through his body that he was trying desperately to ignore.

Before he could think any further, he noticed Alex was moving closer to him. Justin froze up and wasn't sure what to do.

Alex's face inched closer and closer, as panic ensued within Justin's mind…

… and she closed the gap and tenderly kissed Justin…

on the cheek.

Relieved, Justin's anxiety settled and he took Alex in his arms. The feel of her lips on his cheek warmed him throughout. He brushed her hair from her forehead, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. They held each other in silence for a few moments, thinking of nothing else.

"Are you still on break?" Alex said, breaking the silence.

"Oh, damn it!" Justin exclaimed, ending their embrace. He immediately stood up and started heading for the door.

He abruptly stopped and turned to Alex, waving and saying, "Ok, see you later…" before he ran back downstairs to finish the shift.

Hah! Sorry for the tease... I know that was mean, but you didn't really think I was gonna give it all up yet, did you? :)

Review please!