I walk into the café, my favorite in Chicago. A lot of things had changed since the wizard competition. I had fell in love with a guy I met in an art class. His name was Trent, and he'd been all the things I'd craved in a guy: handsome, smart, funny, caring, and creative. After six months of dating, I left New York to follow him to Detroit. None of my family members approved of Trent, Justin especially. I soon cut off all contact with them. I still talked to Harper; she had went on to college and had her own label, a wacky yet stylish brand that dressed Lady Gaga and many other celebrities. After a month of living in Chicago, I found out I was pregnant. This didn't make Trent very happy. He'd already started to drink at that point.

"So? Get rid of it." he told me when I showed him the results of the pregnancy test. When I refused, things got ugly. He started to beat me, causing me to nearly lose our child twice. Thankfully, Lexi Harper Russo, as I insisted, was born healthy. It wasn't until a month after Lexi born that he started to beat me again. I took it just so my daughter and I would have a roof over our heads. I knew this wasn't the guy I fell in love with; this was the monster that had been created by alcohol. No one knew about the beatings except Harper, who I had sworn to secrecy.

One day, I woke up and I'd just had enough. I was sick of being beat up every day and of having to hide my bruises under layers of clothes. I waited until Trent went to work to pack up our stuff. I carried our bags and Lexi, only nine months old at the time, and hopped on a bus. We ended up in Chicago, where we've lived for five years. Harper comes to stay with us every other month; Lexi adores my best friend and calls her Aunt Harper.

I approach the counter and greet the cashier. "Hey, Sal, how ya been?"

"Good. The usual?" he asks me while getting it ready. I smile and nod. I've become a frequent customer, one of the freaky ones who knows every employee. I even let them advertise in my gallery free of charge.

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention I own a gallery. A lot of my work and other local artists are displayed; it's one of the most popular galleries in Chicago. When I left Trent, I became friends with the elderly woman in the apartment across from us. She would always watch Lexi while I worked. One day, she died suddenly in her sleep. I discovered that she had been a former socialite who had left me a good chunk of money in her will. I was surprised that she had money and was living in such a run-down apartment, but wasn't surprised that she had left me money. She had frequently said I was like her daughter and insisted Lexi call her Grandma. I found us a nicer apartment, put money away for Lexi's education, and used the rest to buy the gallery. The gallery immediately took off. Harper even displays some of her riskier design sketches there. My original work was getting recognition also. I was proud that I was doing so well for me and Lexi, but I was also sad I didn't have my family cheering me on.

Sal handed me my order. I gave him a five. "Thanks!" I tell him as I left the café. I was walking down the street when I see a guy who looks just like Justin. He turns around and I see that it was Justin. My brother, Justin Russo, is in Chicago. He sees me and stares. I really didn't look that much different. I'm a bit skinner and my hair is longer, but I still dress the same. "Alex?" he asks softly. I gulp. This was one of my worst fears; running into one of my family members and having to tell them the horrors I went through.

"Justin," I respond formally. We hadn't parted well, with him calling Trent a worthless asshole and me insisting that Trent was a great guy who loved me. Well, looked like Justin was right there.

"What are you doing here? Where's Trent?" Justin asks, a glint of worry in his eyes. I had told my family we were heading for Detroit, so they probably all assumed I was still living there.

"I live here now and I don't know where Trent is. Still in Detroit, probably." I answer in my I-don't-give-a-damn voice.

"How'd you end up here?" Justin asks curiously, his eyes lighting up.

"Long story." I respond, trying to dodge his questions.

"Why don't you tell it to me over lunch?" he asks hopefully. I did want to catch up with Justin, but there were things I didn't want him to know.

"How about you come over to my apartment? There's somebody you should meet." I tell him nervously. I was worried about how he'd react to having a niece, but I was sick of hiding everything from my five year old. She deserves a chance of a normal family.

"A new boyfriend?" Justin asks, clearly relieved Trent was out of the picture. As was I. I still woke up every day afraid that he was going to get off his drunk ass and try to find us. I'd taken extra precautions, selling my artwork under a different name.

"No, but this person is very special to me," I answer with a smile. My daughter is my light. I didn't know what I would do without her. She's practically a mini-me, from her looks and style to the way she liked to torture the little boy next door. Luckily, she is a lot more practical than I was.

Justin agrees to come with me. He tells me that he was in town for a press conference for his company, an agency that helped businesses go green. Max married another wizard, Lisa, and they have an infant daughter named Isabelle. Our parents still run the sub shop with Max's help. I listen to him talk, loving how familiar it all felt. I have missed my big brother. I'd always been too ashamed to ask for help, but now I was starting to think a little might not be a bad thing.

We walk into my building and Justin lets out a low whistle. "Hey, Alex, no offense, but you can you afford this?" he asked worriedly. Knowing Justin, he was probably concerned about how I got the money.

"Don't worry. I got it legally." I tell Justin with a laugh. He starts to plush a bit and nods for me to continue. "When I left Trent, I bought a bus ticket and ended up here. My old apartment was right across from this old women's. We became good friends, and she was always doing little favors for me. She always said I was like her daughter. One day, she just died in her sleep. Her lawyer called me and told me that he'd left us money. A lot. Apparently she'd been some fancy socialite or something. I used the money to get a better apartment and buy the gallery." I tell him as we walked toward my apartment, sad at the memory of Fran.

Justin takes all this in and breathes a sign of relief. Then he stops in his tracks. "Wait, we? I thought you said you didn't have a boyfriend." my brother says, his voice suspicious.

"I don't," I answer truthfully. Justin looks at me puzzled. I unlock my apartment door. We walk in and I call out my daughter's name. "Lexi! I have someone I want you to meet!" Lexi comes running down the stairs, her hair flying everywhere. My daughter stands besides me, studying the stranger in our home.

"Who's that?" she asks, her eyes big. I know she's afraid it was one of her daddy's friends out to get us.

"Lexi, this is Justin," I tell her softly. Then I turn to my brother. "Justin, this is my daughter," I explain to him.