Alex beat out her siblings for the role of the family wizard. When it came time to take the title, she couldn't do it. It wasn't a question of who deserved it. It wasn't even a question of who wanted it. To Alex, it was a question of who needed it. The only answer was Justin.

She could never take that part of his identity away from him. It was an intrinsic part of Justin - built into the very fabric of who he was as a person. Some people were born to do certain things, and Justin was born to be a wizard.

On the other hand, Alex still needed to find out what she wanted. Despite her love for fashion, she wasn't sure that corrupting that love by turning it into a career was the right move.

Plus, with Justin in the wizarding world, Alex could be the first Russo to go to college. Wouldn't that be just desserts? Also, if she can clear a path for Max to follow, that would be a pretty cool legacy.

Sitting down with her parents at the beginning of her senior year of high school, Alex learned about the SUNY system and how to make it affordable with loans (and starting at a Community College for her gen-eds). Her mom was essential in helping her map out a path. (Her mom had considered pursuing night classes to secure a business degree, but ended up not moving forward with it yet.)

In Alex's first year at community college, she learned to apply herself to her studies. It was one thing to slack off when you were required to go to school. It was something altogether different when you spent a significant portion of your time working to afford to go to school. She had plenty of motivation to stay on top of her schoolwork. Eat your heart out, Justin.

It wasn't easy. As Justin jumped into the wizarding world without looking back, Alex was proud of him. But she missed him. Harper chose to go to college in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest. Thank goodness for Alex's parents. That's a sentence she never thought she'd use.

After fighting tooth and nail for her education, Alex graduated with a Bachelor's degree in English, a job at a publishing house, and several book ideas in her head. It took some time, but once her financial situation was more stable, Alex moved out of her family home. And, immediately into an apartment with four other women (New York rent was no joke). There was a little bit of a culture shock, moving from a home with her family's idiosyncrasies as opposed to these strangers' lifestyles. Alex adjusted.

By this point, Max was taking business night classes alongside her mom. He was interested in taking over the family Sub Shop. Alex was more than happy for him to have it. She spent her time working on her first manuscript. She got so sucked into it that she almost missed when Harper returned to the city.

Returning with her Master's in librarian studies, Harper secured a coveted job in the New York Public Library system - a highly competitive spot. Alex (jokingly, mostly) asked who she had to kill to get it. When Harper refused to answer, Alex burst out laughing.

With Harper back in the city, Alex spent all her time with her. Even when Harper was working. Harper became Alex's go-to for help researching her novel. As Alex put the finishing touches on her manuscript, she started shopping it around.

Thankfully, Alex got a bite! From there, it was like the floodgates opened. She rode the wave of this book and even started writing a second book while the publishing process started.

A few years later, she had four historical murder mysteries on the New York Times Best Sellers List. If you asked Alex's high school teachers, they'd be shocked to learn that she was regarded as an extremely detail-oriented and historically accurate author.

"You should consider publishing your work," Harper said one day out of the blue.

"I have?"

"No, silly." Harper lightly slapped Alex on the shoulder. "You know what I mean."

"I really don't?" Alex had a slight smile on her face. She was too busy staring at Harper (and maybe getting lost in her eyes).

"If I brought you Geoffrey James' work as a reference material, what would you do?"

"Hand it right back to you and ask you to put it back. You know his work is trash." Alex had a disgusted look on his face.

"No, YOU know that. I know that you've told me that. I've listened to your explanation. But what about someone else looking at the reference materials? They don't. If you don't publish your findings, his work will continue to exist unchallenged." Harper insisted.

"Do you think people would actually read something like that? They might not believe me?"

"Alex, it isn't 2008. You aren't lying to your parents about some magical mishap. You're a prolific author. When you lay out your argument and send it to a literary journal, they'll at least read it. If they don't immediately publish it." Harper muttered the last sentence under her breath. God Alex loved her.

Trying to dedicate her novels to Harper, Alex was constantly shut down.

"Alex, you asked the questions," Harper said.

"Yes, and you got me the answers!" Alex insisted.

"No, I pulled reference material. You read the primary sources, evaluated them, and you're the one that caught the discrepancy that called into question all of Geoffrey James' work."

"Anyone could have done that." Alex scoffed.

"But not anyone did it." Harper paused. "You did it."

Alex blushed. She never thought that she was as smart as Harper or good enough for her. They'd been friends for decades now. She couldn't risk anything. (What if Harper didn't feel the same way?)

Unfortunately, one day Harper was "Harpering" too strong and Alex couldn't contain herself.

"Who is the world-leading expert on the Industrial Revolution as it pertains to New York City? I have a question for them." Alex asked when she was editing her latest novel.

"Oh my goodness." Harper sighed.

"What? What did I say?" Alex asked.

"It's you!" Harper said.

"What is me?" Alex was confused.

"You're the foremost expert in New York City's Industrial Revolution!" Harper said in exasperation.

"Really? When did that happen?" Alex looked at Harper in surprise.

"I thought you were over this complex you have." Harper stepped up to Alex and grabbed her head between her hands. "Alex, listen to me closely. You are smart! You know your stuff. I don't know if I'd rather shake you or kiss you."

"Kiss me!" Alex didn't hesitate to reply.

"What?" Harper's thoughts clearly hadn't caught up with her words. Her mouth was hanging slightly open.

Alex took a chance and kissed her. Harper didn't respond. Taking an extra second to live in a world where she could kiss Harper, Alex reluctantly pulled back.

Harper stared at her with a dazed look in her eyes. She still had a hand on each of Alex's cheeks.

Alex panicked and started rambling. "I'm so sorry, Harper. I've wanted to do that forever. And, you said that I was smart, and then you mentioned kissing me. I couldn't help myself. Your lips are so kissable. But you didn't kiss back. I didn't even ask for your consent to kiss you. Oh no."

"Alex! Stop talking." Harper said forcefully.

Alex flinched. She prepared to get yelled at for daring to kiss Harper.

"Do that again," Harper said with a slight smile.

"Really?" Alex looked at her with hope shining in her eyes.

"Really," Harper's eyes were twinkling at her.

"With pleasure," Alex said as she kissed Harper again.

The End.

A/N This was inspired by Agatha Christie and how she gets so into the details, that she becomes the expert on the topics she writes. I probably didn't need all the background and exposition, but I decided to leave it in. Hope you enjoyed this!