A/N: Hey, people. I wasn't expecting to take so long to post my second story, sorry for that, but I had a few set-backs. Mainly, it took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I had to erase an entire chapter of the story, a chapter I really liked, by the way. But it was more causing problems than moving the story ahead, so it had to go. Still, it was hard. And then I had to write a new chapter to connect things. Anyway, it's up for you all to read it. Oh, and again, if you find any major grammar crimes, let me know. Hope you people enjoy.

A/N 2: Quick update, people. The rest of the story is up. All the chapters are posted and you can read the complete story. Just so you know I've never had the intention of not finishing the story, it was just my poorly expressed intention of delaying the upload of the final chapters. Sorry for that. Now, go ahead and enjoy it.

Chapter 1 – Justin in Trouble

It has been two days, complete forty-eight hours of peace and quietude in the Russo household. Something like this only happens when Alex and Justin make an effort to avoid each other, even to ignore any attempt of contact.

Right now, Alex is in the living room going over her magazine while Harper finishes baking a pie. And Alex is not getting out of the couch until it is out of the oven. Harper's pie is a very good pie and she has to save herself a big slice before her father gets to it. She already lost a whole pie last week and this is not going to happen again.

But now she is bored to death. Her life has been so calm for the last few days, she hasn't even picked on Justin. It has been so long for Alex, too long without having fun at her brother's expense. Actually, now that she thinks about it, Justin has been avoiding her for some time. Where is he when she needs him?

Oh, yeah! Justin is mad at her for some reason. But it's been days now, she doesn't even remember what happened anymore. How dare he still be mad at her? She is the one who holds grudge in this relationship. … Not "relationship" relationship, just … friendly … sibling … whatever!

See what is happening? Alex is almost losing it, she has to do something. Then she hears some quick steps coming down the stairs. It's Justin. He comes running down to the living room, and starts looking around for something. Alex gets ready for some fun coming her way.

"Did you take Dad's old training wand?" He asks sounding a bit desperate and still keeping some accusatory tone, while looking around.

Oh, right! Justin is mad at her because he thinks she took their father's wand. It was with him when it disappeared. This is not the first time he asks her, and she always denied it.

"Justin, when are you gonna learn that not all your problems come from me?" Alex shoots right back. She is so ready for an argument.

"The day it actually doesn't happen?" He retorts with evident good point.

"Funny!" Alex replies with sarcasm. "I didn't take Dad's wand."

Alex was sure Justin was going to keep yelling at her and demand the wand back. Instead, he runs down stairs and leaves her and Harper alone. Alex is angry now, and also frustrated because he left. She wants a real fight.

"Did you take the wand?" Harper asks her. Oh, she knows her so well.

Alex looks at her and slowly brings a smile. "Of course I did." She calmly answers, keeping her emotions well guarded for when Justin comes back.

"You know, he looked really desperate." Harper points out.

"Harper, he always looks desperate when he is in trouble."

"No! He may be in serious trouble this time. I think you should give it back to him." Harper tries to reason.

"I will … If I remember what I did to it."

"You don't know!?" Harper asks, aggravated.

"Well, I'm sure I had it some time ago. But that's been months." Alex clarifies.

"Well, but at least you know you took it!"

"Yeah! I mean, probably!" Alex answers.

Harper rolls her eyes but she is so not in the mood to take this further.

Alex sits on the couch and patiently waits. Harper just gives up, as she has done many other times when Alex was about to do some wrong.

Several minutes have passed and Alex is still waiting. Then Justin finally comes up the stairs. He gets straight back to looking around.

"Justin, don't you know any spells to bring missing things?" Alex will tap her own back later for that idea. That will totally clear her from any trouble for taking the wand.

"Don't you think I've already tried that? It didn't work!" He yells.

WHAT! Alex jumps on the couch. "What do you mean it didn't work?" No! A great idea like that cannot be wasted. This is not fair.

"I don't know!" Justin yells. "It's like it has disappeared from existence." Suddenly he stops and gives Alex a mad stare. "Or it's locked under a protection spell." Yes, he totally means she did it.

"Don't look at me! I'm the one who always forgets to do it." Alex defends herself.

Justin grunts and continues looking. Suddenly he stops and stares away, thoughtful. "Max's room!"

He runs for the stairs the exact moment their father, Jerry, comes down. "Is that Harper's pie I smell?" He stops when he sees Justin. "Oh, Justin! Have you found my wand already?"

"Sorry, Dad! I looked everywhere."

"Fine! Give me your wand." Jerry demands.

"But Dad…" Justin only tries.

"Give me your wand!" Jerry tells him with a stern tone. Justin takes his wand from his back pocket and gives it to him. "No magic until you find the wand." And Jerry keeps going down stairs. "Harper, save me a slice of pie!"

"Sure!" Harper yells as Jerry disappears.

As usual, Justin runs his hand through his hair, desperate to find the wand. He goes up stairs, probably to keep looking in Max's room as he said. And Alex is still frustrated, but seeing that he is the one in trouble this time gives her some satisfaction.

"See? Justin is in serious trouble." Harper points out again.

"What else could I do?" Alex tries to defend herself.

"Tell your father you took it. That would help him."

"It doesn't help ME!" Alex replies.

Harper stops for a second. She crosses her arms and stares at Alex, a mean stare with disconcerting penetrating eyes. The stare keeps going… and going… and going.

"Stop it! You're creeping me out!" Alex complains.

"Okay! Let me put it in terms you'll understand." Harper starts. "If Justin finds out you actually took the wand, he will be really mad at you. So let's say that you end up doing something you can't fix, and we both know that will happen eventually, Justin is not going to help you even if he gets his wand back, so you're gonna have to tell your father. Then who is gonna be in trouble?"

Alex's mind plays the situation, her eyes bulging in a scared stare. "Fine, I'm gonna look for it." Alex runs to her room. Going for the obvious, it must be here somewhere.

Alex is sure she took the wand, she can even picture it in her head, herself grabbing it in her room. Only thing is she doesn't actually remember how that played out, or what she could have done with it. However, she knows that, at some point, she had the wand with her. For a whole hour, surprising as it is, she looks around for her father's old training wand. And it is not there. If she took it to hide from Justin, it should be in here. But it's not.

Alex sits on her bed, tired and defeated. This is why she doesn't help people, it only makes you feel bad when you fail. Then, after a few minutes, Harper comes up, looking for her.

"Have you found it?" Harper asks.

"No! And I literally looked everywhere. I have no idea where it could be." Alex complains while Harper comes in and sits by her side.

"Give it some time. It will come to you." Harper tries to calm her, wrapping her arm around her best friend. "You know what works for me sometimes? I try to remember the last time I'm sure I saw it and where it was. Sometimes it helps me to remember what I did to it later."

"Okay!" Alex answers with a slightly dejected tone. She is not even in a mood to argue.

Harper rubs her arm trying to encourage her friend for trying. "The pie is ready. Let's go down and eat a slice before your father finds it."

Alex agrees and the two go back to the living room, taking a long time eating their slices and talking. They just chat for some time, and it helps to clear Alex's mind. Then it comes to her, just like that, it simply jumps to her mind.

"I remembered. I know when it was the last time I saw it." Alex tells Harper with renewed excitement.

"Great, let's go look for it, then." Harper says, ready to help her friend.

"No, no! I have a better idea!" Alex jumps up.

"Oh, no!" Harper whines with her excitement dying out. She is constantly scared about her ideas, they usually involve magic and lead to problems.

Alex takes Harper's hand and pulls her all the way up to her room. There, Alex goes to her dresser.

"I just remembered that I was going through my art magazine last time I saw Dad's wand. I'm pretty sure that I had just bought it. I just have to find it and look at which month it is." Alex explains while going through her collection of magazines stored in a drawer.

"And what does the month has to do with anything?" Harper guesses.

"That's where my idea comes in."

"And what would that be?"

"Just a second. FOUND IT!" Alex yells and turns to her friend, smiling.

"Okay! What's the plan?" Harper asks, not very excited about it.

"The magazine always comes out the same day. Now that I know the month I can go back in time and take the wand." Alex keeps smiling, even when Harper's face brings out total panic.

"Are you kidding me? That's the best you could come up with?"

"Don't worry. Everything will be alright." Alex tries to assure Harper.

"Alright? If you remember last time you've tried that, I got stuck in the past and Max completely ruined the 'high-five." Harper panics.

"You don't need to come. I'll go alone, take the wand and bring it back here."

"You, in the past, completely unsupervised. Yeah, that will go well." Harper

"Stop complaining, Harper. You are the one who wanted me to help. This is me, helping." Alex tells with an annoyed tone.

"Couldn't you help like Justin does?" Harper has to try, it is a friend's thing to always do.

"Since I spend most of my time ignoring him, I have no idea what he would do. And I couldn't care less."

Alex goes out, leaving Harper behind, and goes to the lair.