Disclaimer: I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place. No profit is being made by releasing this fictional story.

Author's Note: I have writer's block! Omg this sucks. I'm trying to force my way through it. **so sad**

Let's read on!

A Familiar Pattern 21

By genielou

Zeke watched as Harper glanced towards the walk-in freezer for the third time in the last five minutes. The past two days had gone by as such: Zeke and Harper would open and close the Waverly Substation on time, and go through their respective responsibilities through the duration of the restaurant's operation hours. At the same time, both would also spend their time silently worrying over their adopted family, and dwelled in their routines as therapy. Everyday, Zeke would make sandwiches and Harper would maintain the cashier counter and the tables. But on this particular day, the third day since the Russos' departure to the Wizards world, the weather forecast promised and delivered an irregularly gloomy and rainy day so the entirety of Waverly Place, including the Waverly Substation, was completely and utterly deserted of customers. That meant that there was nothing to distract the two companions.

"How do you think they're doing?" Harper asked, more to herself than to Zeke. "I hope they're okay."

Zeke allowed himself a slight glance at the walk-in freezer before frowning in frustration. "When they told me about this, I thought it would only take a few hours," he confided while his hands worked through slicing a tomato in even lengths. "It's been two frickin' days. I can't even imagine what kinds of things they're doing right now."

The furrow on Harper's expression immediately made Zeke regret what he said.

"Oh no. No! Nononono, Harper, I'm sorry—Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" he exclaimed in haste.

Harper smiled sadly at him. "No, it's okay," she sighed. "I've been curious about that myself. Well, obsessing is more like it, I suppose." She placed a metal bowl on the table and began scooping the sliced tomatoes within it. "When Alex first told me about it years ago, I thought that maybe it would be like taking the finals at school. A few hours and you're done. But, knowing the Wizarding world, expecting the unexpected is just the tip of the ice berg. I should know. I've lived through it half my life."

Zeke chuckled. "I know what you mean. Those few years that Justin let me experience the magic stuff that he goes through were pretty unexpected, alright. And exciting," he grinned. "Sometimes, I almost wished I made friends with Alex instead. That way, I would've been able to experience more stuff."

Harper raised an eyebrow at him. "You're kidding, right?"

"Oh come on," he continued, his hands still slicing through tomatoes. "You mean to tell me that you didn't enjoy all those crazy stuff that you and Alex did? Not even once?"

Harper looked on thoughtfully, trying to remember if there were any instances wherein she enjoyed herself whilst trying to survive Alex's schemes. "Okay, fine. I did enjoy myself quite a bit," she confessed. "But! And trust me on this—the enjoyment was not always worth it. Did you know that she actually made my brain disappear once? Yeah! She ended up transferring my brain into her head. Her brain and my brain were roommates for almost an entire day!"

Zeke's hands abruptly stopped at hearing this. "Seriously? That happened?"

Harper nodded vigorously.

The smile on Zeke's face grew wide with excitement. "That. Is so. Awesome!"

Harper wanted so much to hit some sense into him, but this was instantaneously forgotten as the sound of Zeke's laughter seemed to enlighten the atmosphere in the room. Before she knew it, she had started laughing too.

"And have I told you about the time she dragged me to the undergrounds of the cemetery? I thought I was going to faint from seeing all those ghouls…"

Harper and Zeke laughed and giggled at the many stories that Harper provided. "Oh! And you wouldn't even believe how I found out that she was a wizard…" Time passed by comfortably as she provided the distraction for the both of them, until the door of the walk-in freezer suddenly opened to reveal a rather exasperated Theresa. Her hair was disheveled and the wrinkles at the corner of lips anointed her tiredness; although, the excitement in her eyes could've suggested otherwise.

"Harper! Zeke! It's over!" She exclaimed with exaggerated waves of her arms. "Oh goodness! I thought it would never end, but if finally did! Oh!"

Zeke hurriedly fixed a glass of water and handed it to the overly excited woman. She gladly took a huge gulp before continuing. "Oh, kids, you wouldn't believe how the entire thing went—"

"Who won?" interrupted Harper.

Theresa took another huge gulp of water before answering. "Alex did! Well, technically Justin won, but he admitted that Alex was the rightful winner. Something about going back to help him, blah, blah, blah—"

A tinge of disappointment came down on Harper as she remembered the many times that Justin confided in her of his restless anticipation towards becoming the family wizard. "So… Alex won…"

Theresa downed the rest of her water. "Oh! But here's the kicker! Justin gets to be a wizard too!"

"WHAT?" both Harper and Zeke exclaimed.

"Yes!" Theresa continued while gesturing for Zeke to fill up her glass again. "Professor Crumbs was so impressed with Justin's dedication to his Wizards studies that he offered for Justin to be his successor. And, of course, he can't really be the headmaster of an entire Wizarding school without powers, so Professor Crumbs made it so that he could keep his powers! We have two family Wizards!"

Harper and Zeke couldn't help but join in as Theresa jumped up and down in happiness. They clapped their hands and cheered.

"Wait," Zeke suddenly halted his cheering. "What about Max?"

Harper looked to Zeke, then to Theresa; her own curiosity making her eyebrows furrow deeply.

Theresa merely smiled. "Max is inheriting the restaurant."

Harper and Zeke remained silent.

"He's very excited about it," Theresa continued.

Harper and Zeke both grinned as their enthusiasm peaked a whole new level. The long awaited Family Wizard Competition was finally over, and winners have been announced. More importantly, it sounds as if the entire family was gleefully satisfied with the results. Harper kept clapping her hands while Zeke danced around with Theresa in his arms.

The moment was halted by the re-opening of the walk-in freezer. A very flustered Mason came running out. His eyes immediately zoned in on Harper and Zeke.

"You two have to hide!" he yelled as he grabbed their arms and pushed them out of the kitchen. "The council is coming!"

"What?" Theresa exclaimed.

"Along with many other creatures from the Wizards world!"

Harper tried to compose her growing panic as Mason led them towards the entrance to Harper's basement room. "Wait—why are they coming here?" she asked.

"To celebrate," Mason provided. "They want to celebrate Alex's accomplishment and Justin's promotion, and they want to do it here." He held out his hand towards the door as he looked pleadingly at Harper. "Please hide in there for a bit. I'll come get you when it's safe."

"And when would that be?" Zeke asked, annoyed. "We can't wait here. A party takes hours."

"Waiting for the party to end shouldn't be necessary," Mason reasoned. "When there are enough people here, it should be safe for the two of you to come out. You wouldn't be noticeable in a crowd." He turned to Harper and took her hand in his. "Justin sent me, darling. He is very excited to see you but he's concerned about the council finding out about you. Please. It will probably only take about twenty minutes or so. They are already on their way."

Harper's brows knitted, her irritation at having to constantly hide from the Wizards council and any other sort of magical creature re-surfaced from her many experiences as Alex's best friend. Hesitantly, she nodded in agreement with a tiny smile.

"You're wonderful!" Mason told her as he planted a kiss on her cheek. He held a hand towards the door again, and waited as Harper and Zeke made their way in. As soon as they stepped through the door, Mason shut the door and hurried away.

"I swear, if that guy was just any other regular guy, I wouldn't have let myself get into these kinds of situations," Zeke scoffed as Harper slowly made her way to her bed. "It's the accent. It's hypnotizing, I tell ya."

The level of activity from the floor level of the restaurant increased within a matter of minutes, and both Zeke and Harper could hear it from the basement bedroom. They heard yelling, cheering, and even roaring from the more magical attendees. Soon after, there was also music blaring.

"Wouldn't it be weird if someone walked by the windows and saw what's going on up there?" Zeke inquired.

Harper shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it. They'd probably think it was a costume party," she answered.

The promised twenty minutes, turned into thirty, then forty; and as the two entertained themselves with the television, the time quickly turned into an hour. Zeke made no distinctive notice to care, but Harper was quite the opposite. She kept turning her gaze towards her bedside clock and the door every few minutes, hoping that the werewolf would keep to his promise of letting them join the celebration. She was anxious to congratulate the Russo's, but she couldn't very well do that unless someone lets them out.

Sighing, Harper turned her attention back to the television and tried to concentrate on the cartoon that Zeke was chuckling at. "Huh. That fat fish has a really big butt," she told herself.

The room suddenly flashed a bright white. Harper blinked rapidly and almost thought she had just imagined it.

"I know, right?" came a reply from behind her. "And the dorky fish has braces? I'm not sure if that's even creative. I mean, fishes don't even have teeth!"

Harper's eyes widened as she slowly turned her head. There, sitting on the bed behind her, was a grinning Alex holding a half-eaten corndog. "But then again, I never really paid attention enough in school to be too sure," she continued. "Do fishes have teeth?"

Harper remained speechless and just stared at her with wide eyes.

Alex frowned. "Yo? Harper?" She waved her hands in front of Harper's eyes. "Ha-lloooo? Earth to Harper? Wizard to Harper? Are you in ther- WHAA!"

Both Alex and Harper fell to the floor as Harper tackled her into a bear hug. She squealed and laughed as Alex tried to wrestle her off. "Yes they do, Alex! Fishes definitely have teeth!" she screamed hysterically

"Weirdo! Get off!" Alex screamed.

As soon as Alex was able to pry Harper off, she was tackled down again by Zeke. "Congratulations!"

"Okay! I'm turning you two into apples if you don't knock it off!" Alex screamed. Harper just laughed as she tackled her down again.

Once the room calmed down, Alex proceeded to briefly summarize the happenings that occurred during the competition. Harper and Zeke listened intently; both of their mouths hung open the entire time.

"So, you're a full wizard now?" asked Zeke. "How is that different from when you were—well, whatever you were before this?"

Alex grinned. "Being a full wizard means I don't have any limitations. More power, and less rules."

Harper looked a little uneasy at the mischievous glint that flashed through Alex's eyes; but, nonetheless, she was still happy for her best friend. "And Justin will be in charge of an entire school?" she asked. "Wow. That's like—wow."

"As expected of Justin, right?" Alex smiled. "Nothing less..."

"Can we go out there yet?" Zeke inquired impatiently. His eyes widened in anticipation.

"Yeah! That's actually why I came down here," said Alex. "Just be careful. There are a lot of people up there. Try not to stand out, okay?"

They made their way to the restaurant, creeping along the walls until they saw a good opening where not too many wizards were crowded in. Harper looked on nervously while trying to keep her expression calm and composed. Zeke, on the other hand, grinned foolishly as his eyes darted around. His breathing heightened to an almost hyperventilating level as his excitement arose.

"Oh my!" he whispered to Harper. "Is that a centaur?"

Harper followed his train of sight. Sure enough, there was a centaur near the entrance of the restaurant. It was then that she was finally able to fully take in the sight of the place. There were indeed many different creatures in the tiny space of the restaurant. She wondered briefly how it was possible to fit so many people in the relatively small venue, but immediately diminished her curiosity as the possibility of magical aid came into mind.

"Where's Justin?" Harper asked.

Alex craned her neck as her eyes scanned the crowd. "Not sure. He should be around here somewhere." Her attention was suddenly drawn to an old wizard gesturing for her to come over. "I'm being summoned. Probably wants to congratulate me." Alex turned to Harper. "You know the drill. Try not to talk to anyone. If you do need to talk—"

"Pretend like I'm a wizard, keep the conversation short, and try to walk away as soon as possible," Harper finished for her. "I know. We've done this a gazillion times before."

"Yeah, well, I'm not worried about you," Alex said. "I'm worried about him."

Harper turned to a still grinning Zeke and sighed. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

Harper carefully led Zeke around the party, being extra careful not to catch anyone's attention. One warlock in particular turned a flirtatious eye towards her. She quickly withdrew and snuck away with Zeke in tow before the warlock was able to even smile at her.

"Here," Harper took a cup of pink sludge from a passing dwarf carrying a tray, and handed it to Zeke. "Drink this."

Zeke eyed the drink doubtfully. "What is it?"

Harper bit her lip. "It's like alcohol. Only sweeter." She cringed as she remembered her past incidences with the allotted drink. "Trust me."

It didn't take long before the drink took effect. Zeke began displaying the normal effects of a regular alcoholic beverage, only faster. His speech began to slur, his eyes became slightly unfocused…. And his skin began to turn a deep shade of pink.

"Thish tastes reeaaallllyyy gooooo-" Zeke said to her.

Harper had to stifle a giggle. "You can only drink one cup though. Believe me on that," she advised as she took his cup and set it down on a nearby table. "Okay, I think you sound incoherent enough. Don't you?"

Zeke bobbed his head back and forth.

"Alright, go socialize," Harper pushed him towards a winking sprite. She allowed herself a low chuckle as Zeke began flirting with the short creature.

Harper looked through the crowd, her eyes skimming as she searched for Justin. Her heart beats heightened at the prospect of congratulation. Should she hug him? Should she tackle him as she did Alex? Should she… kiss him? She could barely contain her anticipation when Justin finally came into view. He looked… not healthy, to say the very least. Justin looked a bit worn, tired, but nonetheless smiling widely at his audience. She could barely hear what he was saying, but it sounded like he was retelling his hardships as a Wizard student.

"Why, thank you, thank you. I do try," he said. His cheeks blushed as he was heralded by his tiny fan club.

Harper started walking towards him. She wished he could just spot her and meet her halfway, but he now had his back to her. She bit her lower lip as she inched closer. Only a few more feet and she would be able to extend her arm to him. She reached out, ready to tap a finger to his shoulder, when a head of long, golden, blonde hair blocked her path. Her vision blurred as she recognized the familiar smell that the female emitted.

"Oh, Justin! Don't be so modest! Tell them about your organized flashcards. They're amazing!"

The color on Harper's face drained as the familiar voice triggered jealousy within her. Her eyes analyzed the girl in front of her. Blonde hair, flower-patterned skirt, pale skin, and a hint of vanilla unsuccessfully masking a faint smell of death… Even with her back turned, Harper could identify her anywhere.

Juliet van Heusen.

Her stomach turned as uneasiness built up within her. She watched as Juliet placed a hand delicately on Justin's arm and smiled at him. The look on her face signaled comfort, happiness, and physical fluency. The bottom of Harper's lip quivered as she turned and walked away.

The lighting in the restaurant suddenly dimmed as a disco ball appeared atop, seemingly out of nowhere. Cheers erupted as heavily-based music filled the place and the crowd by the center floor started to move. People and creatures started to dance wildly to the beat.

All the way from the corner of the room, Harper kept her eyes concentrated on her beau as he was pulled in all directions by all sorts of females, including the one that caused her current agitation. Of all the people to have appeared at this particular time, why did it have to be her? Harper wished she could just return to her room and go to sleep.

"Hello."

She turned to the owner of the voice. He looked familiar, but she couldn't quite be sure where she had seen him from. Harper smiled politely and turned back to the direction that Justin was at. Apparently, Juliet had won his attention and was now dancing with him. A tiny smirk escaped her lips as she watched him flail his arms in an attempt to show off his 'moves.'

"You're a mortal, aren't you? I can smell it."

Harper's eyes widened as she turned her attention back to him. Her neck reddened as fright arose.

He smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'm not going to turn you in," he smiled sweetly at her. "I was just wondering what a gorgeous being such as yourself is doing in an event like this?"

Harper shifted uneasily as she turned her head to hide her deepening blush.

"You're Harper, right?" he asked. "Don't you recognize me?"

At this, Harper became curious enough to really look at the man in front of her. He was taller than her. He looked to be on the stockier side, very toned and built; evident even with the shirt that he was wearing. His skin was darkly tanned, contrasted by almost-white, blonde hair that fell loosely down to his jaw line. His eyes were crystalline blue; a rarity in mortal eyes, but may be usual for magical creatures.

"I'll take that as a 'no.'" He sighed and held out a hand. "The name's Andaman. But call me Andy."

She shook his hand hesitantly. "Andaman," she whispered. "As in Andaman Islands?"

He laughed heartily at her. "Yes. My parents named me after that. I was born in the Bay of Bengal, but my clan migrated to the west of France soon after. We now reside in the Bay of Biscay."

Harper held a finger to her chin inquisitively, trying hard to remember what she had learned from past geography classes. "Bay of Biscay," she repeated. "So, you live on the more provincial lands of France?"

Again, he laughed heartily. "Adorable," he murmured. "No, ma'am. I live in the Bay of Biscay."

Harper pondered this a while longer. In the Bay of Biscay… In? That was when she noticed the protruding pattern emerging upwards on his neck. They looked like scars at first, but upon a second glance, she realized that the scars had a shiny gleam to them. As the disco lighting hit him, his scars reflected an almost rainbow-like palette.

"Those," she started, pointing a finger at his neck. "Are those… scales?"

He smiled gently at her. "Yes, Miss Harper," he answered. "I'm a merman."

The revelation hit her like a brick wall. Her mind worked in overdrive as she tried to remember every fairy tale that she'd been told about mermaids and underwater creatures. "But—but," she stammered. "You have legs!"

He nodded. "I usually only wear them on special occasions," he provided as he smiled sheepishly at her.

Harper's eyes widened even more as his smile triggered something in her memory. The way he shyly averted his eyes to the side, his stocky-build, his deep voice, and the fact that he was a merman. "Would you like to dance later?" she vaguely remembered.

"You hugged me!" Harper exclaimed. "At the Blue Lagoon—uh, something something."

"The Blue Lagoon Water Adventure," he provided, happy that she finally recognized him.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to dance," she said. "It was pretty chaotic then."

"Well," he said. "I'd still like the chance if you would allow me to."

Harper looked at him hesitantly, not sure if dancing with an extremely handsome merman would be appropriate. Just as she was about to decline his offer, her eyes focused on Justin, who was now gladly dancing to the drawling melody of a slow song with a girl with pointed ears. She turned determinedly at Andy.

"I guess one dance wouldn't do too much harm," she said.

He grinned as he offered his arm to her. "It is a pleasure to finally have this dance with you, Miss Harper."

"Please, just call me Harper," she said as she took hold of his arm and allowed him to escort her to the center of the restaurant. She tried her hardest to maintain a nonchalant exterior but found it hard to do so as he took her hand in his and placed his other hand to her waist. She, in turn, settled her other hand on his arm. She blushed as she felt the hard bulges of his arm muscles.

"That guy that kissed you at the Blue Lagoon," he started. "He's the new headmaster of WizTech, isn't he? The reason for this party?"

She nodded. "Yeah. He's been made into an honorary wizard for it."

"A first in the history of the Wizards World. Very impressive."

She nodded knowingly as her eyes looked into the crowd. Justin was now dancing with a different person… or an angel, seems more like it.

"He is quite a catch," he continued. "But, he is your boyfriend, no?"

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Um, yes," she answered. But somehow, she felt almost guilty for claiming him.

Andy just smiled softly at her. "I hope he understands completely what he truthfully wants. Because to have someone as beautiful as you is quite a contest to something as being a wizard."

Harper's gaze sharpened. "What—what do you mean?" she asked.

He looked away from her growing glare. "I'm sorry," he said. "That was very intrusive of me. It's really none of my business."

"Well, yes, but," she proceeded, her tone softening. "Please tell me what you meant by 'a contest to being a wizard."

Andy hesitated before looking at her. Sadness flashed briefly in his eyes. "If I remember my facts correctly, there are rules and regulations that address cross-race relationships. One of the strictest is the forbiddance of it. I believe that accounts to the relationship between Wizards and mortals."

Harper took in the information, but, honestly, it was nothing that she hadn't known before. Mr. Russo was an example of that rule; he was forced to surrender his status as the Family Wizard to marry Theresa. Although the prospect of marriage was far from her mind, she had always thought about how Justin would handle the situation if he were to become a Wizard.

"But it may be too early to really consider this?" he offered. "After all, he is only your boyfriend…."

Her eyes searched for him again. Her boyfriend. Her Wizard boyfriend. They were forbidden. Not allowed. When she finally caught sight of him, he was now chatting with a few official-looking wizards.

"Please don't look like that," Andy said, snapping Harper out of her reverie. "It makes me uneasy to see you look so sad."

Harper looked at him again. His eyes, his nose, his mouth… If it weren't for the fact that he had scales on his neck, he would look almost normal. Almost mortal.

She offered him a tiny smile before diverting the conversation to a lighter topic. She asked him about life as a merman, and he, in turn, asked her about life as a mortal. They continued their light chatter, and Harper actually enjoyed herself as he told her tales of his world, until a tap on his shoulder interrupted them.

"May I cut in?"

Harper smiled at the familiar grin that Max displayed. Andy complied with a nod, turned to Harper, and lightly kissed her hand.

"Until next time, Harper."

A light blush spread on Harper's cheek as she watched him disappear into the crowd. Max's eye brows rose with curiosity.

"Who's that guy?" he asked as he placed his hands on her waist.

Harper just shrugged, and proceeded to congratulate him for his inheritance of the Waverly SubStation. When she looked towards the crowd, it didn't take long to find Justin. He was dancing with Juliet again.