DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place. I'd say that if I did, Harper and Alex would be in love, but I think they already are without my help!

WARNING -- I know this is already rated M, but I wanted to reiterate that the sexual content in this story is very strong. If that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, leave now or forever hold your peace (haha)!

It had been six months since Harper and Alex had moved past being "just friends," and they were still in the seeing-stars-and-fireworks mode. From everything they understood and were told, the whole 'warm and fuzzy' thing would wear off no more than a month and a half into the relationship, which is why they were both pleasantly surprised to be continually finding new ways to become infatuated with one another. Maybe something about the bridge between a life-long friendship to a newly-developing love made it all the more exciting, but 'why' wasn't really a question on the forefront for either girl; they were just along for the ride.

When Alex found out that Justin won the teen cruise contest on the S.S. Tipton, she figured that even if it took a little magic and otherwise wrangling, it would be a perfect romantic getaway for she and Harper. Alex Russo said 'romantic' -- even if internally... she knew this had to be something real.

It was around 4:30 PM on the second day of the cruise, and Alex and Harper were in the ship's elevator, traveling upward toward the top deck. Alex was regaling Harper with all she had been up to all day while Harper quietly listened.

"Okay, so I was thinking, we'll get dinner to go so we can go back to the room and eat in, just you and me. I told Justin to get lost and make sure Max stays lost, too," Alex said, reaching out to hold Harper's hand. About two months earlier, Alex was happy to find out that Justin wasn't as much of a jerk as she thought when he agreed to keep she and Harper's relationship a secret from their parents for the time being (and from Max, of course, who would blow it within the first 5 minutes).

Harper was reluctant to take Alex's hand. "So, now you're going to be romantic?" Harper half-smiled.

Alex wasn't sure if she should smile or be serious since Harper's mouth wasn't fully decided itself. "What do you mean?"

"I just mean.... is the only reason I'm here to take your marine biology course for you?" Harper asked, again cautiously sort-of smiling, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"No way!" Alex insisted, knowing in her heart that she was telling the truth and knowing that Harper was one of the only people who knew her well enough to know her sincerity. "You're here because if I had come without you, I would be spending the whole time missing you and being miserable."

Harper's smile upgraded to about 75 percent of the way, and her fingers inched closer to interlocking with her girlfriend's. "You promise?"

Alex tried to hide a preemptive victory smile, certain now that there was nothing to worry about. "I promise, Babe," she said, sealing the deal, knowing how much Harper loved it when she called her 'babe', "I mean, come on, I'm paying for dinner -- which is a big deal for me since you know that I have a serious disease that doesn't allow me to keep money in my pocket for much longer than about 5 minutes!"

And the smile had officially reached the 100 percent mark. "You're lucky you're so cute," Harper flirted, her fingers finally reaching their destination by mingling with Alex's. "I could never stay mad at you."

"I know that," Alex smiled confidently, "but the only way it would be a bad thing would be if I were charming you to get out of a lie, but I'm not. Ever since I told you about being a wizard, I haven't had to lie to you once, and I'm not going to start now, okay?"

The shorter girl leaned in and softly brushed her lips against the set of full lips a few inches away. "See, there is a genuine romantic side to Alex Russo," Harper beamed happily.

Alex feigned shock, her mouth dropping open. "So, you played all hard to get just to get me to 'be romantic?' Am I rubbing off on you or something?"

Suddenly, the lights in the elevator flickered and dimmed and the sound of a distinct, yet distant, alarm could be heard from outside the elevator, followed by garbled words over an intercom.

"What the hell..." Alex wondered aloud. "What's that saying?"

Harper pressed her ear against the door of the elevator and looked up at the floor meter, which was also dimmed. "I don't know.... I think we're in between floors," she stated, pressing the 'door open' button to no avail.

Alex could see the panic in Harper's eyes, and although she was apprehensive, she was determined to stay calm, for her girlfriend's sake, especially since she knew that between her powers and her family, they'd be fine.

"Hey," Alex said, wrapping one arm around Harper's waist from behind, "It's going to be fine. Let me call Justin." The eldest Russo's phone went right to voicemail, making Alex progressively more nervous even though she tried not to let it show. "Or have your phone off, Loser," she mumbled more to herself.

Harper's eyes continued to dart back and forth nervously as she held tighter to Alex's hand that was around her waist. "Alex, that alarm keeps getting louder," she fretted, "Don't mess with the phone right now, just do a spell or something."

'A spell. Right,' Alex thought, her head racing a bit out of control at this point. "Okay," she breathed deeply, wanting to come up with an accurate improv spell, "Whether far or whether near, just take us safely out of here," Alex recited with the pointing of her finger, only to be met by a feeble spark of electricity as the spell failed.

Harper's face became pallid. "What happened?"

The wizard choked on a breath that tried to escape, trying to calm down before her heart was sure to shatter out of her chest and fall to pieces on the floor. "Um, my dad said something about rolling blackouts in the wizard world, which means that my powers are down... and could be for awhile."

The young fashionista's grip released Alex's hand as she backed into the far wall of the elevator, her hands covering her mouth. "O-kay," she managed, "so, uh... what if this is something really serious, like the boat is sinking or something... and we.. can't get out?"

Alex physically, yet subtly moved her head backward as a desperate attempt to keep the tears behind her eyes where they belonged before walking across the elevator to hold Harper's face in her hands comfortingly. "I'm going to try again every few minutes. My powers could come back at any time."

Harper, always the rationalist, couldn't help but ask, "...and if they don't?"

The gravity of the situation couldn't have been any heavier, any more apparent to Alex at that moment, and even then, she answered the only way she knew how. "Then we're going down together."

Harper unexpectedly pulled Alex into a kiss that stole her breath and almost threatened not to give it back, capping it off with the tightest of hugs, matching her lips with Alex's ear before whispering "I love you," into it.

The often tough-shelled Alex choked on an almost-cry. "Harper, I love you, too," she whispered back, but when she went to pull back to kiss her girlfriend, another whisper held her firmly in place.

"I had always hoped I would get to have my first time with you," the lighter-haired girl whispered, catching the other girl off-guard.

The words hit Alex like a punch in the stomach, further driving home the situation they were in. "Baby...." Alex began.

"I want you to be my first, right now. Even if it has to be the first and last," Harper said without hesitation.

This time Alex more forcibly moved her head from Harper's shoulder, locking her eyes with that of her lover. "A - are you sure?"

"I am," Harper said, again without the slightest pause. "That's how I always wanted it anyway -- you to be my first and my last."

And that was it. They had now reached the point of no return. The tone had physically and visibly changed, the impending peril not a burden, but a motivation like no other to stay touching at all times and make this moment one for the books. Breathing had turned to panting and touching had turned to groping as Harper fumbled with her eyes shut for the hem of Alex's t-shirt. Alex placed her hands over Harper's and broke their kiss as she helped guide her top off. Alex leaned in for another kiss, but saw Harper's shiny brown eyes studying her nude upper body, and the dark-haired girl more than enjoyed the look of desire on the other girl's face. Harper, who had never even seen anyone naked before, marveled at how perfectly powerful she felt when Alex's body responded to her hands with hard nipples, goose bumps, and noisy breathing. Alex sank into Harper's touch, lowering herself so she was laying flat on top of the other girl and used their proximity to breathe hot breath into the amber-haired girl's ear.

"Mmm," Harper purred in satisfaction, but then she was struggling to reach behind her back. "Help me get my bra off," she commanded breathlessly.

Alex happily obliged as her hands made her way behind Harper's back and unhooked the clasp with ease. Without taking her eyes off her girlfriend, she discarded the item and allowed her eyes to linger on the body she had so desired to see for a long while. Harper, who couldn't help but feel self-conscious, covered her breasts with her arms before Alex quickly moved them aside. She brought her lips back to her lover's ear and whispered, "Don't cover up. Every inch of you is stunning."

Harper grinned and leaned upward to request another kiss, which Alex granted before moving her head down and taking Harper's right nipple in her mouth. Harper's breathing and heart rate sped up to an immeasurable degree as she watched Alex's tongue swirl around her sensitive skin, and Alex got a shiver down her spine when Harper cried out at the sensation of Alex's teeth grazing her nipple. As Alex's mouth planted a trail of kisses toward Harper's left nipple, her hand began a downward descent, fingers cautiously dancing their way down, and stopping periodically to make sure that Harper was okay with the direction they were headed. With eyes closed and head thrown back, Harper hooked her thumbs under the waistband of her pants and slid them down as far as she could without leaning forward, letting her pants slide down just past her knees before she prompted Alex to finish the job.

Alex, whose breathing was racing out of control at this point, took the soft material in her hands and slowly pulled them off of Harper's legs the rest of the way. Alex could see the evidence of the other girl's arousal through her green and white panties, and wasted little time removing the final barrier.

The two sets of chocolate brown eyes met, and before Alex descended to where she had desired for so long, she leaned and placed the gentlest of kisses on her girlfriend's mouth. Harper's comforting smile when their kiss broke was more than enough of an indicator that her consent was given, so Alex wore a path of hot breath down below Harper's waist and placed a firm grip on her inner thighs as she parted them.

Not even a full second after Alex's tongue met Harper's center, she uttered a throaty exhale, and Alex had to suppress a smile of arousal and anticipation. The brunette treasured every scent and taste as she eagerly discovered new ways to make Harper writhe. When the rhythm and suction she created would get faster and harder, Harper's hands would tightly grip the carpet fibers, and when she would teasingly slow down, her hands would release, accompanied by a whimper of frustration. As much as Alex was enjoying Harper's sexual fate being in her hands, she could tell by her bucking hips that she was ready for the release that she very much deserved.

Alex found a pace that could potentially send her girlfriend over the edge when with every upward motion of her tongue, Harper would let out a series of moans that just continued to get louder and turn Alex on more and more. She decided to be bold as she slipped her index finger inside Harper, the other girl's wetness accepting every inch of her finger with ease despite how tight she was.

"Oh, God…" Harper literally could not help herself from exclaiming a bit louder than she knew she should. Alex noticed Harper bite down hard on her bottom lip as a desperate attempt to silence herself before she placed a gentle hand on Alex's head, urging her to bring her to climax. Once again, Alex followed her gut instinct and dared to slide one more finger inside of her girlfriend, and as soon as she did, Harper tightened around her fingers and covered her own mouth with her hand in a screaming orgasm. Alex made sure to thrust a few final times to make every second last and pulled out to find her hand covered in Harper's juices.

Soon, the only sound that could be heard beside the buzzing alarm that had faded into the background was the panting between the two girls. Harper reached out for Alex, gesturing for her to come close, and Alex allowed herself to be guided by Harper gently leading Alex to lay her head down on Harper's chest.

Alex could feel the racing of Harper's heart reverberate against her cheek. "Are you all right?"

All Harper could do was nod, unable to find her voice just yet. Harper gently massaged Alex's temple as the rising and falling of her chest began lulling Alex into a relaxation on the verge of sleep.

Suddenly, Alex was startled into a gasp when she felt Harper tugging down her shorts and panties in one fell swoop, which she did successfully regardless of the fact that their bodies were still pressed against each other's. Goosebumps covered Alex's body where her clothes used to be, and she shivered from head to toe when Harper's soothing hands grazed up the backs of her legs and rested firmly on her ass, taking advantage of the fact that Alex was still on top of her.

"Mmm, Babe…" Alex cried out, sliding up so that her pelvis was even with Harper's and grinding slowly against her in satisfaction.

As Alex moved to roll off Harper, the other girl held her girlfriend firmly in place on top of her. "No, stay where you are, please," Harper begged. "I want to feel you on top of me."

Alex felt a mixture of confused and aroused, but either way she obliged based on the urgency in Harper's tone. She lowered herself to place a sloppy kiss on her girlfriend's lips, a little unsure of how Harper planned to proceed in their current position. Her question was soon answered when without warning, Harper slid her index and middle fingers into Alex with her left hand and held her lower back with her right hand.

Alex's pleasure was vocalized in high-pitched yells as she marveled at how Harper knew the perfect way to touch her. Before she could complete that thought, she unexpectedly buried her head in Harper's shoulder to conceal the outcry of bliss that took over her when Harper's thumb stroked her clit, her fingers still working inside.

A chill ran down the center of Alex's back when Harper pressed her lips against the wizard's ear, innocently whispering, "Does that feel good?" although she very well already knew the answer.

Alex decided to humor her, knowing that she was helpless in Harper's hands. "Fuck yes," she cursed, her mouth settling on the pulse point on Harper's neck that made her weak at the knees.

As much as she enjoyed the destination of Alex's mouth, Harper roughly, yet sensually pulled Alex's shoulder back so that they were looking each other in the eyes. "Well, then look at me so I can see how good it feels," Harper commanded breathlessly.

The Latina's eyes clouded with a dark, emotional lust as she became even more aroused at the thought of her girlfriend wanting to watch her get off more than anything. "Okay," Alex agreed in a whisper, "But just know that I'm, uh, only going to get louder as I get closer," Alex stammered embarrassedly. "Can't really help it."

"Fine by me," Harper smiled indulgently as she resumed her pace, taking Alex by surprise. Alex propped herself up on her outstretched arms, rocking back and forth to ride Harper's fingers at her own pace so that the redhead could focus on her girlfriend's clit.

Right as Alex's wetness was making it almost too slippery for Harper to create any friction, the dark-haired girl cried out between gasps, "Harper! I - I'm almost there, Baby, I'm gonna - ohh my God!"

Before the ship was further rocked by the intensity of Alex's orgasm, Harper sat up, swallowing Alex's gratified cries in an intense kiss while unwittingly plunging even deeper than she thought possible into the thrashing girl, keeping her fingers inserted and curled up until she was positive Alex had returned to an earthly plane. Harper pulled Alex into a tight embrace as she gently lowered herself on her back, bringing the slightly taller girl with her.

When they locked eyes this time, both of them had tears dancing on the brims of their eyelids, threatening to fall, when Alex couldn't hold it in anymore.

"No matter what happens, you were always supposed to be my forever. I know that sounds dumb, but -- ever since we were little, it's something I think we've both known," the wizard said between rapidly falling tears.

"I'm still your forever, Alex. Like you said... we're in this together."

Their next kiss only made it halfway, startled on its way by the lights flickering back to full power and the 'ding' of the elevator starting back up. Before either girl could process what was happening, the elevator's brief upward ascent came to another stop, but this one accompanied by another 'ding,' as the door started to inch open.

"Shit!" Alex whisper-spat, springing off of Harper to her feet and colliding with the "Door Close" and "Stop" buttons just in time to prevent everyone on the top deck from experiencing their second cruise-wide shock for the day.

Before they could laugh, cry, or breathe a sigh of relief, both of them jumped out of their skin when Alex's text message ringtone blasted like a foghorn in the quiet elevator.

Alex fumbled for her pants, retrieving her cell phone from the pocket to reveal a text from Justin: "So Im thinking we shouldnt tell mom+dad that max started a cruise kitchen fire if we ever want to do anything unsupervised ever again."

She couldn't laugh. She couldn't be mad. So Alex stuffed her cell phone back in her pocket and handed Harper her bra before putting on her own.

Harper was slightly less apathetic about it all. "Well?!" she asked expectantly. "Was that from Justin?"

"It was," Alex began, "Remind me to never tell Max to 'get lost' ever again. He might actually do it and set off the ship's fire alarm while he's at it somehow."

Something resembling a laugh escaped Harper's lips. "So... we're not sinking?"

"Nope," Alex remarked nonchalantly. "You still up for dinner?"