AN: In this story, Jerry adopts Alex & Max – hence, their last names are already "Russo", respectively. Furthermore, I don't own WOWP or any of their characters!
WARNING: I'm an Australian, so I really have no clue as to how the American school system works, as well as American geography and so forth. So please bear in mind with me if I mention something that sounds completely ridiculous to American ears lol.
Synopsis: Alex and Justin have never truly gotten along. Even as step-brother and sister. Now what will happen when Justin has to stay with the Russo family for the entire school year?
Title: Lips Like Morphine
Chapter One: Memory Lane
It had all started on an unusually dull, cloudy Tuesday morning:
'Didn't you hear? – Justin's coming to stay with us'
To the average person, the sentence seemed innocent enough. Really, it was just a simple, informative sentence. Nothing controversial. And nothing along the lines of unorthodox. But this particular sentence wasn't directed at someone who was average – no, in fact it was quite the contrary really, because this sentence was directed at a person who was as far from average as possible. And it was directed on purpose, because the moment those simple, mediocre words had slipped from the depths of her younger brother's mouth, Alex Russo had paused in her current occupation of eating breakfast (peanut butter on toast), and stared at him in slight disbelief.
Had she hallucinated what he had just said to her? She cocked her head to the side in silent question. She knew there had been a smug undertone attached to it, and knew that Max – of all people, wouldn't apply any form of smugness towards her unless there was an underlying motive. And there always was a motive when it came to matters concerning him. And further so, if she had truly been hallucinating - which she thoroughly doubted up till this point – then why would she be hallucinating about him of all people?
Count Dorkula.
She wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction. At this point she really needed a clarification. Thinking too much wasn't really her strong suit.
'What?'
Max coolly gazed across the kitchen bench towards his older sister, who was now staring at him with a strange, quizzical expression. It wasn't really what he was expecting her to say in response – because usually, she was faster than this, but he decided given the benefit of the doubt that he would cater to her unusual state of perplexity and take it slowly. 'Justin's coming to stay with us' he reiterated casually, watching with meticulous amusement as his sister's breakfast went from being the centre of her undivided attention to that of an discarded trash bag. It seemed she lost her appetite almost spontaneously.
He raised an eyebrow in question. 'He'll be here this Friday' he added pressingly, waiting for a provocative reaction of some sort. Alex wasn't usually the type of person who could be provoked so easily – in fact, she was so annoying she took the phrase "as stubborn as a mule" to a whole new three dimensional level. However, like most human beings, she did have one small weakness in her stubborn defence mechanism – a weakness that Max j'adored to exploit on every odd blue moon that would sparkle entertainment for weeks to come: Justin.
'MOM!'
Perfect. Right on cue.
It seemed everything had all started when Alex and Max's mom, Theresa, had married the Wizard, Jerry Russo, 7 years back in what was a modest, yet elegant wedding in the South of the Caribbean. It was there that the two younger Russo children unexpectedly found out for the first time that their step-father was indeed a Wizard – well, a former one at that given he'd just married a mortal (a major no-no in the magical community). It also happened to be where they met their elder step-brother for the first time. Justin.
x0x Flashback: The wedding reception had been packed with old friends and relatives, who were either sporadically seated at their designated tables – some even joining others over on other tables, or standing huddled together with a glass of champagne held loosely in hand; entertaining one another with hilarious war stories and random, tipsy-inspired toasts to Theresa and Jerry – the bride & groom – who they hoped would find eternal happiness with one another, for they seemed utterly meant to be – cliché aside, of course. 'Hey, Alex' whispered Jerry as he leant down towards his 10 year-old step-daughter, who was currently a sulk in the midst's the whimsical atmosphere. Even as a 10 year-old, she wasn't the type of girl who liked to dress in pretty gowns and have her hair all dolled up and smile unconditionally at the camera. But she had been forced there against her will. And Alex Russo wasn't one who liked being forced to do things. So what did one do when they didn't get what they want and all other measures of scheming failed? – Sulk. For the past 2 hours at the reception, Alex had sat alone at the main table in her stubborn, brooding mood whilst her mother – tailed closely by her then-baby brother and grandparents, went diplomatically around the room thanking and socialising with all the reception guests. She really couldn't be in more pain to be there. She was being deprived of entertainment by the minute. 'Yeah?' she inquired with a bored tone, not bothering to spare a glance towards him 'I want you to meet somebody – he just managed to make it now' said Jerry excitedly, which seemed to capture Alex's attention for a second. She glanced at him curiously. Momentarily, Jerry stepped aside to reveal a young boy around Alex's age; tall and gangly with jet black hair and blue-grey eyes. He seemed a little awkward to be in her presence, as he fidgeted nervously with his hands. Wait, was that a doll she saw in one of those hands? 'Alex – this is my son, Justin'. Alex raised an eyebrow quizzically. 'Hi' she said bluntly in his direction, faking a smile
He didn't say a word. 'Ah – well I'll let you two get acquainted, and I'll be back in a sec' said Jerry in a rushed tone after a minute or two of awkward silence, offering an encouraging smile towards Justin before leaving them alone. Justin stared nervously at the ground. Alex couldn't help but roll her eyes. Could this guy be any weirder, or what? 'So, you collect dolls?' she asked casually, attempting to make conversation Justin glared her. 'They're not dolls – action figures' he corrected sternly. Wow, so the dork spoke after all, Alex thought, annoyed at the sudden outburst 'They're dolls, dork' she argued grudgingly, eyeing him from the corners of her eye. His glare on her seemed to intensify. 'Action figures' he gritted stubbornly through clenched teeth, gripping his Justin scowled. 'Are you always this annoying?' 'Are you always this dorky?' retorted Alex angrily, before proceeding to ignoring him Whatever seemed to happen in the next few minutes between the two remained a mystery in the Russo family for the next 7 years as Jerry and Theresa dauntingly witnessed something that they had definitely – under any circumstances – had not planned in their wedding reception. Alex, who was all sulky and broody only minutes ago, seated right at the back on the main table with a step-brother she had just met for the first time, screamed loudly as she was suddenly thrusted up into the air, up-side-down – yellow knickers showing and all. Justin remained standing in his spot on the ground, trying hard not to laugh. 'JUSTIN!'
x0x
That was the first time Alex Russo had ever met Justin Russo. It also happened to be the first time she'd unwittingly found out that he was a Wizard. And you thought you had skeletons in the closet. From then on, things didn't exactly go so smooth between the two of them, as Alex, being Alex, wasn't one to let go of a grudge so easily. And Justin, being Justin, wasn't one to rock the boat. Or was he…? It all happened in the summer of the next year:
x0x
Flashback:
'Hey Alex, Maxie!' yelled Jerry excitedly, juggling an unsteady mobile between his chin and shoulders, yelling at them, and trying to make a Salami sandwich with his spare hands. Max came spiralling down the spiral stairs immediately; Alien comic books in tow.
'Guess what?' 'What?' asked Alex in a bored tone, crossing her arms. Max on the other hand, seemed quite excited for no particular reason. 'Are you friends with Aliens?' he asked, pointing out a picture of an odd looking creature on the cover of one of his comic books. 'Err, no Max, I'm not' replied Jerry stiffly, taking note that there were still customers in the restaurant 'It's Justin – he's coming over this weekend to spend a couple weeks'. 'What!' spat Alex angrily, feeling her left eye twitch 'The He then got around to handing out the sandwich to the patient customer who had ordered it before momentarily turning himself onto the two of them. He took a deep breath before he began. 'Okay, listen you guys – Alex, I understand that you and Justin have gotten off on the wrong foot –' 'Foot? What foot? – Justin's foot? – I didn't know he had a "wrong foot" –'interrupted Max cluelessly, scratching his head ' – AND I KNOW THAT HE MAY SEEM A LITTLE CHILDISH AT TIMES – ' cut over Jerry defiantly, before softening his expression ' – But he's my son. And I love him very dearly' he added sentimentally, glancing pointedly at Alex '– And I want him to feel loved and welcome when he comes to stay with us. Look, he's a nice boy – really, he is – you just need to warm up to him'. Alex looked into Jerry's pleading eyes and felt an immense guilt flood throughout her entire system – not that she would ever admit to it, of course. 'Okay, whatever' she replied in an non-chalant tone before heading upstairs to take a well-deserved shower. So the dork was coming over on the Weekend, huh? Big deal. It's wasn't as if she was going to talk to him or On the weekend that Justin arrived, some few days later, he was dropped off in some fancy, luxurious limousine – and Alex saw from the corner of her bedroom window that his mother had for the last 3 minutes been kissing his cheeks against his will. He had sure grown a lot taller since she had last seen him at the wedding. Her stomach did a sudden somersault and she closed her eyes calmly, breaking in heavily. Memories of that incident suddenly came back to her like a moth to a flame, and a deep feeling of hurt and shame burrowed it's way right inside of her; at the wedding, the minute Justin had finally magicked her down, she did what any girl who had just been thoroughly humiliated in front of everyone would have done: she punched him. Once in the face – where she got him straight in the nose, and right after he'd apologised to her relentlessly, she got him in the stomach. Luckily for her, after that incident, special-op Wizards had been called to the scene and had to wipe the memory of every mortal who had attended the reception – waiters included.
'Yeah?' inquired Alex lazily, as she walked towards him, having just finished her ungodly shift at the Sub- Station.
anything – she could easily ignore him. She could even ring Harper up and plan schemes to make his life a misery for the next two weeks. Things would be swell.
Breathing in heavily once more, Alex opened her eyes and saw that the Limousine had left, which meant that officially, the dork had entered the premises. She sighed loudly, and decidedly went downstairs to greet him before her mother came and forcefully did the deed for her. As Alex slowly reached the living room, she saw everyone hovering over Justin and engaged in livid conversation; he seemed to be entertaining them with his…magic. She scowled at the sight of the thing.
'Well, well – if it isn't the boy who can do magic tricks' she sneered bitterly, crossing her arms. Everyone stopped in their tracks and stared at her. (Strangely enough, to add to the situation, Max had ready-made popcorn in his hands and was munching in excitement – as if this was something to be anticipated. Alex would never truly understand her brother). Justin stopped his trick and put his wand away immediately. 'Alex' said Jerry awkwardly 'You remember Justin, right?' Before Alex could say anything, her mother gave her a tight smile that silently encouraged her to behave. 'Oh, I sure do' said Alex sarcastically, wrinkling her nose in distaste 'Hi, Justin!' Justin stared at her nervously; once again, he didn't acknowledge her. And inwardly, it infuriated her. For the next few days on end, Alex completely ignored Justin's presence and continued life as it was without him, which in all honestly - wasn't so easy, since she was just Later on in life however, she realised she should be more careful for what she wished for in future, considering that one day: 'MOM!' Alex screamed from their small bathroom, glancing back at her blood stained hand. With her stain-free hand, she tightened the towel that was wrapped around her. It wasn't like she hadn't seen this coming – she was 11 for crying out loud…but in retrospect that still didn't mean she was prepared. She was 'MOM! –' 'What's wrong?' came the sound of someone from the direction of the guest room. Alex rolled her eyes in annoyance. Geez, of all times for him to finally speak to her… 'That, is none of your concern' said Alex acidly, closing the door more slightly in defence 'It is my concern when you're waking up the whole neighbourhood' he retorted in an annoyed tone, rubbing his eyes. 'Out of all the times – look – just where the heck is my mom? – I need her' demanded Alex angrily, feeling a slight blush creep to her cheeks as Justin stepped closer towards the door, squinting his eyes at the tiles on the bathroom floor as he came closer towards her. With every closing step he took, Alex was getting more and more uncomfortable. She had just gotten her first period, for crying out loud – how embarrassing was 'There's blood on the floor, you know…' he informed her seriously after a minute or two, looking into her eyes intensely 'Are you alright?'. Alex felt her heart drop.
'I'm fine' reassured Alex impatiently 'I just need my mom. Will you be a good sport and go get her for me?' she added, hoping he would buy into her fake grin Justin stared at her blankly for a second or two, before casually leaning up against the corridor wall. He then said in an relaxed tone: 'They left real early this morning to go shopping at some warehouse – all three of them. They tried to wake you, you know, but it seemed you weren't one to budge. A heavy dreamer, I take it?' Alex sniffed angrily. She really wasn't in the mood to play "happy families" with the 'How…h-how' she stuttered in embarrassment as she opened the door a little more to reach out gratefully for the packet of pads. 'How did you know?'. Well, this was a real cringe moment to remember… 'I'm a guy, not a complete moron' deadpanned Justin, obviously unimpressed with her perception skills Alex's left eye twitched. Seriously, this guy was 'So how did you get a hold of these?' she asked quietly, avoiding his gaze 'Supermarket' Justin replied casually, shrugging. Alex raised an eyebrow at this. 'But how the hell could you have done that when you were right 'Magic' replied Justin simply, holding his wand up in proof 'There are such things as clones, you know' he added cheekily, before vanishing into thin air. Alex stared into the empty hallway with an expression that equalled that of both confusion and disbelief. Had he…had he smirked at her as he'd vanished? It later turned out that Justin had tagged along with the other three Russo's earlier that morning, being the real Sir-Dork-A-Lot he was. Nothing much had truly changed between the two of them since "the incident" - they still ignored one another, and Alex bagged him in public, although she was surprised to see that Justin remained strictly tight-lipped about her…well, her "physiological" changes. She smiled at that. It was real…nice of him.
The problem still remained, however, that the guy seriously had issues he needed to address. No, honestly – what 12 year-old boy in his right mind had an regular 8 hour study routine down-packed and followed religiously? Alex absently shook her head at that. He was just too mature for his own good.
'Let me see…'
So naturally, she did the only thing she knew that could capture his undivided attention. She played pranks.
x0x
That was the first time Justin had ever stayed under the loud, colourful, and unsurprisingly trouble-prone Russo household. It also happened to be the first time he was ever laid victim to some of the most abysmal, God-awfully cringe-worthy pranks ever to set foot on the face of the Earth; not that he'd truly minded – just for the record (with truly being the key word in that sentence). The next time he'd ever stay at the Russo household, which turned out to be the summer two years later, happened to be the first time he'd ever stay for the entire summer. It was also the first time he'd ever bring a girl friend over. It was one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
x0x
Flashback:
Alex couldn't believe that Justin now had a girlfriend. The guy was a complete freak – and not to mention the fact that he had an insane knack for studying. STUDYING! Who the heck does that, these days? The guy seriously had issues. Not that she needed reminding, of course – she'd been saying it for the past three years now. Alex had been working a [reluctant] shift at the Sub Station when Justin first arrived with his girlfriend, Juliet. He hadn't really changed much in the looks department from the last time she'd seen him. He was still the same old nerdy – geeky – dorky Justin. He just so happened to now be nerdy – geeky – dorky Justin with a girlfriend. And for matters that were way beyond her explanation, that concerned her. He had failed to acknowledge her presence,
' – Oh, and Alex is over there – you should go say hi to her, she's really missed you – ' said Jerry whimsically as he casually motioned over towards where Alex was cleaning tables. She stopped immediately in her tracks. So did he.
'Oh, did I just say that?' said Jerry awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head 'Forgive me – wrong kid. I guess that's what constant work does to ya, you agree? What I meant to say was, was that Max has really missed you, buddy –' Alex, inwardly thankful for the re-phrasal of her step-fathers sentence, continued to work on cleaning the tables. She felt the sudden urge however to turn around and throw a glare at her oh-so-perfect older step-brother and his oh-so-perfect girlfriend who she figured he would marry in the next few years and built a ginormous castle where they would live happily ever after, the end. It was a thought that made her visibly scowl. When she turned around however, she was surprised to see him already gazing at her in what she gathered was his own, nerd-like form of a glare (it actually turned out he was just "looking" at her). As Jerry unassumingly talked on with Juliet, they locked gazes for what seemed like hours. Ultimately however, she found she couldn't maintain eye contact with him, and broke the connection. Her heart skipped a beat. This wasn't good. This was far from good. Over the next few days they went into their usual routine of ignoring one another, even after Juliet's many vain attempts to get Justin to introduce her to Alex: ('Justin – is this your step-sister? – The one you met at your father's wedding?'). Two words:
Did Jerry just say what she thought she'd heard? Alex's stomach did a sudden somersault.
One day however, as Alex walked down stairs towards the living room, she caught sight of the most sickening vision ever to cross her mind. Justin. Kissing Juliet. No wait, scratch that. Justin was not only kissing Juliet – he was practically eating her face. It was a downright hurtful – no wait, she totally took that back, the dork didn't deserve such heart-felt adjectives, she firmly reminded herself – it was a downright 'Oh – Alex, we're so sorry' apologised Juliet as they broke apart, giggling at Justin. 'We didn't mean to –' 'Make me want to vomit all over the place?' supplied Alex innocently, crossing her arms. Juliet blinked in surprise. Justin looked downcast towards his feet, nervously fidgeting with his hands. Alex wasn't usually one who could be provoked so easily. But HE was an exception. So naturally, she played pranks on him from that day onwards. Oh, sweet memory lane. One day however, Alex had crossed the line, with Justin storming into her room, unannounced, and shoving a dismantled comic book in her face. Captain Jim Bob Sherwood. The first ever edition printed back in 1973. It's Value: priceless. It was right on the night before he was about to leave…
'Does this mean anything to you?' he spat venomously, throwing the comic book at her feet. She didn't bother to spare it a second glance. 'Where's Juliet?' Alex asked innocently, hoping to distract him 'Don't. Change. The topic' gritted Justin through clenched teeth. He was practically fuming. Well, so much for a distraction working… 'You have a 'That's not the point' Justin pointed out diplomatically, trying to remain as calm as possible in the situation. 'What the point is, is why you would be doing it in the Alex shrugged. 'It was burning my eyes – you really should leave these things at home, you know' she lied easily, flicking through another page
A few moments passed in eerie silence. When Alex finally put her magazine down, she noticed that Justin was now staring at her like she was a complete lunatic. Her heart dropped. She sighed before reluctantly standing up from her bed, ready to make an all-round corny, award-winning apology. It was then however that for reasons unknown to them both, that Justin did something very un-Justin like. Slowly, he cornered her up against her wall; his left arm resting loftily high up against it; his breathing hard, laboured and rhythmic. Alex inhaled sharply at the sudden intrusion of personal space. They were close. Very close. Almost too close. She shuddered in slight trepidation under his perfect – no wait, she didn't mean that – ah, his…gangly stature; well, this was awkward. Real awkward. Justin however seemed to be oblivious to her discomfort. In fact, he seemed to be oblivious to the entire situation: 'You destroyed my Captain Jim Bob Sherwood volume ONE – because you felt it played some sort of havoc on your Alex raised her eyebrows at this. Oh, right. It was the comic book they were on about… She nodded mock-innocently. He however seemed to be on the verge of tears. 'My Captain JIM BOB!' 'Oh, geez, can you take your dorkiness elsewhere? I actually have a life here' said Alex lazily, pointing to her magazine. She could inwardly feel her heart racing uncontrollably, and her stomach doing somersaults like there was no tomorrow. She really needed to end this, one way or another. Justin however, seemed to beat her to the punch. 'What did I do to make you hate me so much?' The moment that question had been spoken, the world seemed to stop. Everything went into slow motion, and Alex felt the world gradually getting heavier and heavier. It wasn't just any question that was directed towards her. It was a question that had been spoken with intensity – not just pure curiosity; a question intertwined with emotion so raw that Alex lost her footing in the conversation, blinking for a moment or two. She had to think this through carefully, but it seemed her untamed mouth destroyed any chance of that happening. 'Besides exist?' she retorted naturally, feeling the dire consequences of her actions straight away. Guilt flooded her system as she looked up at Justin, who she saw not only look angry and vengeful. He looked hurt. Crestfallen, even. Alex closed her eyes, right about to form the words of an
'Ok, look, I honestly don't know what your problem is' said Justin resolutely, lifting his hands in surrender 'I honestly just don't'. Alex stared at him; at a lost for what to truly say. She knew this was a now or never moment, but she just wasn't the type of girl who did apologies – the end. Mischief was in her bones. Not sap stories. 'Good' she finally retorted weakly 'Let's keep it that way'.
x0x
'You have got to be joking me' Alex deadpanned, her left eye twitching slightly 'Tell me you are joking, mom'.
She knew that matters regarding he-who-was-hated-with-a-vengeance was not something to be tossed around in their everyday conversation, unless it was that time of the month (AN: holidays). It was practically an unwritten law in their household. Everyone knew that….'Oh, relax, Alex, would ya – it's just Justin' said Jerry dismissively, shrugging his shoulders 'It's not as if you two are sworn, bitter enemies or anything'. …Except Jerry. Theresa glanced up at her husband a little uneasily. If only he knew the half of it…
'Well then if it's "just Justin" –'said Alex ironically, expressing Justin's name distastefully with quotation marks ' – then why not tell me? – I had to hear it from Max, of all people. What am I to you, a door mat?'
'Look, honey it's only temporary – Justin's mom is renovating their home in the Hamptons and he needs a place to stay until that gets done' Theresa reasoned carefully, cautious not to create any loop holes 'Besides, where else do you expect him to go?'
'Oh, I don't know – an animal shelter?' reasoned Alex innocently, which earned her a pointed stare from Jerry. 'Okay, okay, I take that back' she added light-heartedly, casually brushing off her previous statement with a pivotal hand gesture. Inwardly however, Alex felt a strong, unfathomable anxiety creep through her veins. This wasn't good. This was far from good.
It had been three whole years since she last saw Justin Russo. Justin Russo….
The dork.
AN: I would like to thank all the reviewers! Your feedback is greatly appreciated! I'll be updating soon…