That night, Justin slept in Alex's room - on the floor. She'd had to beg and plead after Max had gone to bed for a good two hours, but in the end, he did.

She barely slept, instead watching him on the floor. Alex hadn't used a nightlight in years, but she'd found her old one and plugged it in, just so she'd be able to see that he was there.

Lying there, she wondered when she'd fallen in love with Justin. She'd realized it only tonight, but looking back, she knew that she'd felt it for a long time, without knowing - or maybe being able to admit - what it was. And him - she felt sure, now, that he loved her too, looking back at things.

When she'd animated the taxi she was born in, he'd watched out for her, even when everyone was ignoring him for her. When Professor Crumbs had threatened to take away her powers, he'd stood up for her - and said that she made him a better wizard. When she'd made the wish with the genie, the one that had made everyone forget he was her brother, she'd wanted him - no, needed him back.

And so she lay there on her bed, watching her older brother, hugging a pillow to herself and wishing it was him. She needed him... and she was scared. Scared by how strong the feeling was. Scared by the other feelings that were stirring in her body. Alex had had "the talk" with her mom over a year ago, and she knew what these feelings were - but they scared her still.

I came from him spanking me. That was my first orgasm. Alex blushed at the thought, there in the dark, and then swallowed. And I want another. Oh, do I want another. She thought about going over to Justin, wrapping herself around him, waking him up by whispering in his ear how bad she was, how much she needed a spanking.

Yeah. And then he'll completely freak out, and probably ask Mom and Dad to transfer him to WizTech permanently. And I'll never see him again. No. There had to be a way to make things work. There had to be. At the least, she had to know whether this was real or not...

And that's when it hit her. Yes. Yes! All I need to do is get into the lair alone tomorrow.

I cannot believe he's done this. Alex sat on the couch, silently fuming while doing her best to keep every trace of how she was really feeling off of her face as she chatted with Justin... and Harper.

Justin had woke up on Alex's floor, come to her, asked how she'd slept. She'd lied and said she'd slept well, and he'd smiled, said he was going to make breakfast, and he'd see her soon. And Alex had let herself feel hope, lying there in bed, imagining Justin making breakfast for them.

And then she'd come downstairs, and found Harper there. Justin had called her. He'd told Harper that Alex was feeling down from Dean dumping her, and needed cheering up. Since then, he'd used Harper and Max to keep from being in a room alone with Alex at any point. Of course, every time Justin was out of the room, Harper had to make some comment about him, and... no. Please, no.

Alex's silent plea went unheard, though. Justin finished standing up. "I'll be right back," he said. "I'm going to see how Max is doing."

"Okay." That was Harper, smiling up at him. "Hurry back." She watched him walk to the stairs and up, while Alex tried unsuccessfully to ignore her watching. When Justin had disappeared from view, Harper turned back to Alex. "How're you feeling?"

Like strangling you. "Me? A lot better, really. If you've got something you need to do, that's okay. I'll be okay here." Please please please please.

"Oh, you don't have to put on a brave face for me," Harper said, smiling. "I don't have anything else I need to do today. Mom said I could even stay for dinner."

"That's great!" Greatly annoying. And what is Justin doing up there?

Probably avoiding Harper, Alex answered herself. And that's good, at least. If she tries to scoot over against him "accidentally" any more, I'm going to hit her. And then I'll hit him.

It was nine o'clock before Alex finally got her chance. At last! She pulled out the crystal ball, blew the dust off of it, and got started. "World Wizard Web. WizBay, please."

Ten minutes later, she had it. One magic lamp, with genie. Some tarnish, shipping extra. It had blown her allowance, plus thirty dollars she'd taken from where Justin had hidden the "emergency money" Dad had left them.

But it's all going to be worth it. Alex picked up the notebook she'd written her wishes down on, read them over for the fifth time. Everything looked airtight to her. She wished she could have Justin look it over, but he would so not like these wishes.

"Well, here goes..." she said, then picked up the lamp and rubbed it. A moment later, the genie came out. Eww. The last genie they'd gotten had been the "I Dream of" variety. This one was more the "Aladdin" variety - male and fat.

"Hi. Thank you for choosing my lamp. I know you have many choices in genies..."

Alex held up a hand. "I know, I've heard it before. Void in Vermont and Connecticut and all that."

The genie arched an eyebrow. "And New Hampshire. They just passed the bill there last week."

"Really? Well, we're in New York, so I don't really care. Now, I've got three wishes coming, right?"

"Yes, O wise and astute one."

Wow. Wish I could make one of them be "can the sarcasm." Ah, well...

"I've got them written down here. Will that do, or do I need to read them to you?"

"Written? Well, it's unusual, but let me see." She held the notepad out to the genie, who took it and looked, then furrowed his brow. "Might I suggest wishing for neater handwriting?"

"No, you may not. Just give me the three wishes there."

He passed the notebook back to her. "Actually, you have to say them."

"What? Then why did you ask to see them?"

"Curiousity," the genie answered with a grin.

"Oh, you -"

"Do you want those wishes, or not? I haven't got all day here, you know."

"All right..." Alex pushed a hand through her hair, suddenly nervous. What if she'd worded something wrong? Well... there was only one way to find out. Here goes.

"For my first wish, I wish that from the time my other brother, Max Russo, falls asleep tonight until dawn, my brother, Justin Russo, will believe me to be his girlfriend and not his sister. For my second wish, I wish that at dawn, my brother, Justin Russo, will forget everything that he has done with me during the time period covered by the first wish, and will instead remember spending a normal night."

She paused a moment, feeling her face heat up as she considered the third wish, then plunged ahead. "For my third wish, I wish that neither Justin nor I will suffer from any lack of sleep during the period covered by the first wish, and that any... any physical damage to or changes in my body resulting from our activities during the period covered by the first wish will be undone at dawn."

Alex felt her face burning beet red as she finished, and it only got worse as the genie laughed. "Oh my - you are planning to be a very bad girl, I take it. I don't think I've heard a wish this kinky in fifty years!"

"Okay, none of my wishes were for you to comment on what I wished. So - grant them already, and then get back in the lamp!"

"Mmm... princess is kinky and embarrassed. Me likes." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, then said "Your wishes are granted," just as Alex opened her mouth to tell him to shut up.

And then he was gone, back into the lamp. Okay. Now I just wait.