Let's just get this out of the way now: I am SOOOO sorry it has taken so long to update this story. I have a million excuses, first and foremost my computer crashed and I just got a new one. But still, I know everyone is pissed, and you deserve to be. So here is Chapter 12, and I promise promise promise that the next is coming VERY soon.

Justin lifted Alex softly in his arms and laid her on the bed. She looked away from him with tears in her eyes as he slowly started to unbutton his shirt.

"Very nice…" Marcellus said perversely. It was then that Justin knew what he had to do.

He slowly turned his body toward Marcellus and opened the last few buttons of his shirt. Taking one careful step toward the man in the chair, Justin let the shirt slip from his shoulders to the floor. Just as he'd hoped, Marcellus' eyes scanned his hard chest, abs, and arms. Justin could see the hunger in his eyes and slowly took another step toward Marcellus, another step away from Alex.

Marcellus watched as he moved his hands to his belt buckle, unlatching it. Justin tried to keep his movements slow and seductive, as if he were charming a poisonous serpent that could strike at any moment. His fingers released the button on his pants and then grasped the zipper sliding it smoothly down.

"What are you doing?" Marcellus asked, keeping his eyes on Justin's crotch.

Justin took another step and replied softly, "What you want me to do. What you really want." He watched carefully as Marcellus shifted in his chair. From experience he figured the man probably had an erection that was getting pretty uncomfortable. He let his pants fall to the ground and stood silently in just his underwear.

Justin's mind was clear. He knew that if this were to work he'd have to seduce Marcellus convincingly, and ignore the horror of the situation, and ignore the painful presence of the girl on the bed behind him. Marcellus looked deeply into Justin's eyes and, after a moment, seemed convinced. Justin moved close enough so that Marcellus could reach out to him and pull his boxers slowly down, fully exposing himself. Justin took a deep breath and closed his eyes as the man on the chair in front of him leaned in, holding him by the hips.

One touch. One second of contact was all there was before the world exploded around him. Justin flew back onto the bed, deafened and blinded, unsure of what had happened. He instinctively threw his arm over Alex, shielding her from whatever was about to come at them. She didn't move or make a sound, and her eyes were wide open. For a split second, Justin thought the worst, but then her lips moved. They pressed together and then she opened them, releasing a small sound that Justin finally realized was the word, "Maaax!"

Justin spun around, searching the scene in front of him. The dust and debris was thick in the room, and Justin could see that the blast had taken down a wall. He saw a figure standing at the end of the bed. He couldn't tell who it was, only that his wand was pointing at something on the ground. Then Justin heard his brother's voice say, "Keep him down!"

More people were now there, seeming to be restraining something on the ground. Justin jumped off the bed, pulling his pants quickly on, and ran to see what was going on. Max came into view, along with five or six other boys all wearing WizTech robes. Then he looked down and saw that they all had their wands pointed at a wiggling, squealing guinea pig. "Kill him," one of the boys yelled to Max. Max looked at Justin, who looked back at him confused and terrified.

In that moment, all of the pain that he had caused his siblings came flooding down on him like a tidal wave. Max looked back at the struggling rodents and shot a beam of green light out of his wand, and it was still. For one second Max looked back at Justin, and then suddenly the dead guinea pig at his feet changed back to its true form of a murdered man.

Max took a step back and then suddenly he was thrown to the ground by a surprise impact. His sister's arms wrapped around his neck and he held on to her shaking body. "Oh Max!" She was crying heavy tears and he joined her.

Justin, still stunned stood watching as the other boys quickly left, taking Marcellus' body with them. Then he sat down, staring around the room, trying to decide if any of this was really happening.

"Justin!" He heard finally, but he could tell by the tone of it that she'd called his name a few time before. Then she was there, kneeling in front of him, holding his hands. "Let's go. We need to get out of here."

He saw a flash and they were back home, the three of them. In the lair.

Alex and Max both collapsed on the couch, but Justin stood. He has his arms crossed and he was staring out with a frustrated and confused look on his face. He was still in shock.

"Was it all a dream?" He whispered finally.

Alex and Max both looked down and replied, "No."

Justin looked at Max finally, who had tears in his eyes. The look on his face was too much for Justin to take, so he looked at Alex. He couldn't take that either, so he left the room quietly. No storming out, no slamming doors. He just walked away and headed to his room.

Alex looked at Max, and then hugged him again. He held her tight, sobbing "I'm so sorry" over and over again into her shoulder. She rocked him, trying to sooth him like a mother would. They had all been through so much, and Alex seemed to be the only one holding it together. She knew that it was up to her to help her brothers now, her brothers who'd done so much for her. They were broken in battle and she was going to put them back together, and they were going to be a family again. She was going to have to make it okay.

Also, sorry it is so short, but I wanted to get back quickly to the sexy stuff, so I needed to separate the serious stuff and this was a good stopping point for this chapter. More coming soon though. Still love you guys. Best readers ever. Leave a review even if it is to bitch me out. ;)