Back Then

A/N Summary: Justin hasn't seen Alex for five years, not since the competition. And when he does see her, she's not what he remembers. Jalex. I don't own anything.

Prologue:

Justin came downstairs to get some milk. It was after midnight and he didn't expect anyone to be up. But he saw a candle on the terrace burning so he went to check it out.

It was Alex out there with one of her vanilla scented candles that she loved. She was curled up on one of the reclining chairs under a multi-coloured blanket that their grandma had knitted. A portable radio was playing Beethoven's Moonlit Sonata, which Justin knew Alex only listened to when she was really upset.

"Hey." She whispered when she saw him standing there.

"Hi." He whispered back.

Today was Max's eighteenth birthday so today was their wizard competition. Surprisingly, Max had won. Alex was really taking it hard.

"Are you okay?" Justin said to her quietly.

She was silent for a long time before whispering, "No." Her bottom lip trembled and she ducked her head as the tears started to over flow from her red eyes.

"Oh, Alex." Justin said compassionately. He sat down on the chair and pulled her onto his lap. He leaned back against the back of the recliner and Alex cried into his shoulder, the blanket protecting them both. He stroked her glossy dark hair as she sobbed for the first time in about fifteen years.

"You'll be okay, Alex." He said to her.

She lifted her head from his shoulder and glared at him angrily, "No, I won't! I'm nothing without my magic! I thought I'd win like the last time, but I didn't! And now I feel… I feel so empty! Like all the warmth of body has been taken away! Like – like there was a light burning inside me, but someone turned it off! I feel dark inside, Justin. Dark and cold."

"I feel that too. I also felt it when you won the last time. It's the absence of our magic. But we'll be okay. I mean, Max will do great things with our magic. He loves it. He will take good care of it." Justin said to comfort his little sister.

"I'm scared Justin. What am I going to do now that I don't have my magic?" Alex said to him as she looked up at him with her vulnerable tawny eyes.

Justin felt like crying himself when he looked into her eyes. He could handle the physical pain of losing his magic, but when he saw Alex looking so scared, he felt scared as well. Alex was the strongest person he knew, and when she was sad, he knew he would do anything to protect her.

"Listen to me, Alex. You're much more than just a wizard. You're clever and funny and brave and artistic. Magic defines one part of you. But you don't need it to be the same person you were yesterday." Justin hugged her tighter, tight enough to feel her heartbeat against his chest.

"Thank you, Justin." Alex said quietly.

He just held her close for a few minutes in silence until she looked up into his eyes. Suddenly, he was aware of the fact that their noses were almost touching, the fact that she was laying on top of him, the fact that he could taste her breath. His breath caught in his throat when his sterling eyes met her cinnamon ones. Her lips were coming closer and closer and he knew if he didn't stop this right now, he would do something he would regret. Her lips just grazed his when he shoved her off him. Maybe a little too hard, she landed on the ground with a crash.

"Why the hell did you just do that?" She shouted angrily.

"You know why!" He said back.

"No, I really don't!" She said still on the ground.

He lowered his voice before saying, "You were about to kiss me!"

She stood up and glared at him, her cheeks turning crimson. "I wasn't! I would never do that!"

"You did! We're siblings, Alex." He felt a little bit like throwing up. He just kissed his sister. It was short, but her lips definitely touched his. He felt sick to his stomach. He was so going to Hell; he just did the most impure thing ever. He looked at her again, and tried to keep the disgust out of his eyes.

"I know! God, just leave me alone!" She screamed.

She turned around and crossed her arms. Justin reached out for her, but she turned and smacked his hand away.

"Go away!" She shouted.

"Hey!" A neighbour leaned out of their window and shouted. "Shut up!"

"Screw you!" Alex shouted back.

Justin saw the light in the kitchen flick on and Jerry sleepily walk out onto the terrace, "It's midnight, guys. Go back to sleep."

His sleepy eyes widened when he took in the scene. Alex and Justin were on separate sides of the terrace, Alex with tears in her eyes and Justin reaching out for her.

"What's going on? Are you guys fighting about the competition?" He asked.

"No! Justin, I never want to see you again! I hate you!" Alex screamed and ran back inside. Jerry followed looking confused and Justin stood alone in the night air, wishing somewhere deep inside him that he had done things differently.

Please review and comment. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can.