Summary: Alex Russo just found out a secret about herself. She's adopted. Now, that may seem enough of a shock on it's own, but it gets more shocking. She's not just any teenager. She's related to somebody quite famous. What happens when three worlds collide? Will Alex go home to the family she's always known? Or will she join her rightful family in Los Angeles, California? Either way, Alex will have to make a choice. The real question is: will she make the right one?

Author: UtterlyRandom

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I own zip. Okay, I own CDs, my laptop, my iPod and my cell phone, but nothing worth suing me for!

Chapter Name: The Truth

JBJBJB

Alex Russo sighed. It didn't matter how much she studied her wizarding notes, she couldn't get the spells right! It was so easy for Justin and even Max, so why not her? She put down her pocket spell book and pulled out her iPod instead. Now, there was something she was good at! Not pulling iPods out of pockets, but singing. It was her natural born talent. A talent that must skip generations because nobody in her family could sing. Her mom thought she could sing, but that's a whole other story.

Alex had just hit the 'play' button on her iPod when someone knocked on her bedroom door.

"Who is it?" She called, not turning down the music.

"It's Justin. Max locked himself in the lair and I can't get him out. You have to help me." Justin pleaded.

Alex huffed as she paused the song and got out of bed to open the door.

"Why don't you get mom or dad to do it?" She snapped, folding her arms across her chest.

"Well, because mom and dad aren't home and we aren't supposed to be in the lair when they aren't home." Alex raised her eyebrows. Justin never disobeyed their parents. He lived for rules. So why was he breaking them?

"Then why were you in the lair?"

"I wasn't! Max was...is! Come on, help me get him out before mom and dad get home. You know how dad gets about this kind of stuff." Justin said.

Alex rolled her eyes. "I don't see why I have to help. I didn't do anything." She pointed out.

Justin shrugged. "True, but he always blames you." Alex sighed, Justin had a point there. She followed him to the lair, wondering why she couldn't be an only child.

xXx

"Finally! I though I'd be stuck down here forever!" Max cried as Alex pulled the door open.

The brunette walked past him and picked up her notebook of spells. Just then, a letter whizzed out of the portal and almost hit her in the face, but Alex ignored it. She had outgrown getting excited about mail, unless it was her monthly Cosmo-Witch or Seventeen magazines. For Max, however, the entertainment of receiving mail was still fun.

He ran over to the rolled up scroll and picked it up.

"It's probably my acceptance letter from Wiz Tech." Justin bragged. "The test scores should be arriving soon."

Max shook his head. "Nope, it's for Alex." He said, pulling at the ribbon to open the scroll.

"That's weird. I never get mail." Alex said with a frown.

Justin smirked. "Maybe dad found out you used his credit card to suscribe to Cosmo-Witch and he cancelled it and you got a late fee. Or it is from Wiz Tech and they sent a refusal letter."

"Or it's a letter telling me I'm too smart to even do the competition to be the family wizard and they're just going to give me the powers." She shot back as she snatched the scroll from Max's hands. She unrolled the scroll and read,

'Dear Ms. Alexandria Russo,

It has come to our attention due to your low score on the Standard Wizarding Tests that your test score was abnormally low, even for a half-blooded witch. The Wiz Tech staff did a standard background check and have discovered you to be a mortal. Mortals are not permitted to attend Wiz Tech. Furthermore, mortals cannot be taught magic, so you are no longer competing against your brothers, Justin and Maximilian Russo to keep your powers. We wish the best to you!

Sincerely,

The Wiz Tech staff'

Alex almost dropped the paper. How could she be a mortal? Well, it would explain why she sucked in wizard training, but it didn't explain anything else. Obviously, the wizard gene had skipped her. Alex rushed past her brothers and ran into the Sub Station, waiting for her parents to get home.

xXx

"What does it mean that I'm a mortal?" Alex demanded as her parents read over the letter.

"Alexandria Maria Russo! You know that you aren't allowed into the lair when I'm not home! And you aren't allowed to touch wizard mail! It can be dangerous." Jerry Russo yelled.

Theresa Russo patted his arm. "Jerry, we-" Alex interrupted her mother.

"Who cares? I'm not even the one who went into the lair, Max was! He couldn't get out and Justin wanted my help! Then I went to get my notebook so I could study for the test on Friday and the mail came through the portal. I didn't even pick it up, Max did! And he said it was for me and Justin made fun of me and said it was probably a letter from Wiz Tech telling me I wasn't accepted, so I opened it and...you know what, that's beside the point!" Alex glared at her father and took a deep breath. "The point is, what does it mean 'you're not a wizard'. I am a wizard!"

Jerry glared at his only daughter. "Listen to me, you do not get to speak to me in that tone." He glanced at Theresa before continuing. "And you might be mortal. Your mother is mortal, so maybe the wizard blood is just diluted in you and that's why-"

"Jerry, stop." Theresa said as she stood up and put her hand on his shoulder. "We knew we would have to tell her the truth one day." Theresa said.

Alex raised her eyebrows and glanced at her parents. What do they mean 'tell her the truth'? What truth? She asked herself. Her dad sighed and sat down on the couch. Alex stared at them from her position on the armchair.

"Alex, you're adopted." Alex's jaw dropped.

"This is a joke...right? You know, karmic payback for pranking you guys all these years? Seriously, it was good. You really had me going there. With the official letter and all." Alex babbled nervously. Something about the way her parents were looking at her made her believe that they were telling her the truth. She just didn't want to believe it.

"I wish we were, sweetie. You see, I found out that I couldn't have girls, only boys. I'd always wanted a girl, so I adopted you. It was... a very confusing time. I guess I'll have to tell you the whole story, huh?" Alex nodded and Theresa took a deep breath.

"Okay. I had been married to your father for two years when I got pregnant with Justin. Now, I had always known I had wanted a girl, so I was very excited when I found out I was pregnant with a girl. Justin had just turned one and I was so excited to have a boy and a girl each that would be close in age. I miscarried and was devastated, but we tried again. I got pregnant again and gave birth pre-maturely and my daughter was stillborn. I went to see a specialist and after a lot of tests the doctor told us that for some reason, I would not be able to carry a girl to full-term without there being pregnancy scares or birth defects." Theresa's eyes misted over as she spoke and her voice wavered.

"I became very depressed after that and due to rash thinking and unbalanced hormones, I left your father and Justin. I didn't divorce him, but I moved in with one of my friends. You see, while I was being tested I submitted my name to a few adoption centers and soon after I left I found out I had been accepted as a adoptive parent and was on a waiting list. The family... your real family, chose me to raise their little girl. You." Theresa smiled at Alex and sat down next to her husband on the couch.

"I went to the adoption center to meet you and then drove to the courthouse to sign the adoption papers. I told the judge and your birth family that your father and I had a fight. They wouldn't let me get you unless I could maintain a family. So, I went back to your father and explained the whole thing. We had never stopped loving each other and he knew how much I wanted a girl, so he came to courthouse with me and signed the adoption papers and a legal agreement to a social working checking in on us for the first five years, just to be sure we were raising you in a safe environment. I didn't even care about any of that. I was so happy to have a girl, at last." Theresa patted away tears and Jerry rubbed her back, showing affection and support.

"You see, we were offered very little information about your family, but we do know that you have a sister. That's it. That's all that they told us. We don't even know how old your sister is, but she must be older than you because she can't be younger, you were just a baby when we adopted you." Theresa finished with her eyes glittering with tears and a large, happy smile on her face.

Alex blinked and stared at her parents blankly. "You mean you aren't my parents? Justin and Max aren't my brothers? I'm not even a Russo?" Alex asked. Her mother shook her head and walked around the coffee table and hugged the hyperventilating teenager.

"No! Of course you are, honey! Just because we adopted you doesn't mean that we aren't your parents! Or that Justin and Max aren't your brothers. We are your parents, just not your birth parents. Justin and Max are your brothers, just not by blood. We are still your family, though. We still love you. You know that, right?" Theresa asked. Alex looked at her mother... no, Theresa, and her father... no, Jerry, and shook her head.

"I need time to think." She removed herself from her adoptive mother's hug and went to her room. It probably wasn't even supposed to be her room. It could've been a playroom for Max and Justin, if Theresa hadn't adopted her. Alex collapsed on her bed, crying. Why had she been put up for adoption? Hadn't her parents wanted her? Where were they? Where was her sister? Why hadn't they given up her, but gave away Alex? Why her?

JBJBJB

So, what did you think? Reviews are nice! Oh, and for those of you who don't know, I am the author of Alex'sConnection, but that doesn't have anything to do with this story. And, yeah, I have to update that, when people actually review! This is for Cara, the best friend and soul sister anyone could ever ask for. I love you, Carebear!