Pain, Pain, Go Away 3

by SawyerSeville19

Adjusting to his new life and home, Alvin is still disconnected emotionally and mentally. When he discovers he is still being preyed on by that man, Alvin is deteremined not to lose anyone else...Not Bailey. Cartoon version.

Here is the final installment to my Pain, Pain, Go Away series. I hope it's worth the wait. Please read on and review for me. My other stories will be updated as soon as possible.

SawyerSeville19

Here is:

Pain, Pain, Go Away 3: I Know You're Coming After Me

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**A Month Later**

Alvin couldn't say he's fully adjusted to his life with Bailey and her proper, rich parents, whom were strict on being perfect. He couldn't even say he was completely there within himself either. He felt numb, dull, and dead. He was grateful that Bailey and her family took him in. But he didn't know how to feel about the possibility of them adopting him, which wasn't official yet, but he knew it was coming.

While his body went with everything happening day by day, his mind stayed with everything that has happened to him within the year. He couldn't do much about his thinking about it; it wasn't like anyone was really trying to stop him from thinking about it. Bailey's parents had hired a psychiatrist for him to go to once a week, but Alvin didn't go to the appointments. It was the last thing he wanted to do, talking to someone about his problems.

When the pain of the memories got to be too much for Alvin, he would write. He still had his journal, and he still wrote in it. Some other things he did, which he hadn't done in a while was play his guitar. But he didn't sing. The only music anyone got from him was through an instrument, not his vocals. And he rarely even used instruments.

He struggled through school more than he had after losing the Chipettes, Dave, and Miss Miller. He was to the point where he didn't care about it anymore. When he was close to caving, he remembered his brothers, and how hard they had worked to help him get as far as he had gotten. He didn't want to let them down, and it was that thought that kept him going in school.

Alvin changed his outfit around as well. He no longer wore his red sweater and matching cap. He wore a black, waist-length sweatshirt, dark blue jeans, and a black cap. His sweatshirt had no "A" on it, and he was happy with it that way. He had no reason now to flaunt who he was, because who he was, isn't who he is now.

Bailey worried about him, and he knew this. He didn't bother to reassure her he was fine, because he couldn't even convince himself, not that he's tried. He knew he didn't look fine, and he didn't look like he would be for a long time.

Ice blue eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the faint light signaling it was morning. With a sigh, he turned onto his right side, away from the window, and covered his head up. He didn't want to wake up. He didn't want to face the world again today. He just wanted to lie in bed and sleep.

"Come on, Alvin, you know you have to go to school today." Alvin heard Theodore's voice in his head trying to coax him to get up.

He didn't react on it.

"Please Alvin, get up and go to school. Learn something new, for me?" Simon's voice always got a reaction out of him. It wasn't that he loved him more than Theodore; it was more Simon's tone. It always soothed him.

Reluctantly, Alvin tossed the blanket off his body and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He pushed himself off his bed and went over to the bathroom and turned the light on.

"Thank you." Alvin smiled a very small smile.

**At School**

Bailey and Alvin walked side-by-side to their classes. Where Bailey waved and smiled to majority of the people in the hallway, Alvin didn't. He kept his gaze between ahead of him and on the floor. Just enough so that he wouldn't run into anyone.

"Everyone knows, Bailey," Alvin had said to her a few weeks ago.

"I know Alvin, but you shouldn't let that get to you."

"Well it does! If it weren't for my brothers, I wouldn't even consider going back to school."

Everyone knew about all seven of his closest people's deaths. Alvin didn't like the way people looked at him. Not just the students, but random strangers he didn't even know were looking at him like it were his fault, and that they wished he had died with them.

As he walked into his class, without even looking, he knew there were eyes on him. He didn't acknowledge them as he sat in his desk, the furthest in the class, by the door.

Only when class started and the teacher got everyone's attention was Alvin released from their stares. Sad, Alvin folded his arms on his desk and rested his face in them, keeping his eyes and nose shown.

I can't take being here anymore, he thought to himself.

"Be strong, Alvin." Simon's voice was soft, reassuring. Alvin shook his head slightly, his vision getting blurry slightly.

I can't be strong. I have no strength left in me… A few tears slipped from his eyes.

"Close your eyes." Almost instantly, Alvin did as he was told.

In his mind, he was surrounded by darkness.

"Turn around."

He turned quickly, shocked by how close Simon's voice was, and how real it sounded.

"Simon…?" Alvin whispered in shock. Simon was behind him, dressed as he usually dressed and smiling.

"Is that you, Alvin?" he asked, examining his brother's change in attire. "Well, it looks good."

"I must be dreaming…" Alvin whispered, looking down at himself.

"You could say something like that," Simon said. Alvin shook his head, taking a step back. "Don't open your eyes yet, Alvin. In reality, you're asleep in class." Alvin looked at him with confusion.

"Simon, this isn't real. I don't want to be taunted about your death by being able to see you in my head, and knowing at the same time I can't see you anymore outside of it," Alvin said sharply. Simon nodded.

"I know Alvin. I just want to talk you. Okay?" Alvin just looked at him.

"You want to talk? Alright, let's talk about all the weird looks I'm given by strangers and students, looks that have blame and anger in them. Let's talk about how I'm not only an orphan, but an only child now. Let's talk about how I lost everyone I ever loved in the most terrible and brutal way."

Simon remained silent as Alvin vented, his older brother's blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"It's only been a month since you and Theodore left me. And seven since the others left us. I can't take being alone, Simon. I don't want to be alone."

"Alvin, you're not alone. I'm with you, and so is Theodore. Us, Dave, Miss Miller, Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor. We're all with you."

Alvin shook his head, and opened his eyes. Slowly he dried his eyes and saw that he had an assignment on his desk. Glancing around, he noticed that the other members of his class were working diligently. With a sad breath, he slid his paper over to him and began working on it.

He had never had something like that happen to him. Simon had sounded so real, looked real; it would be crazy for Alvin to dare think maybe he had been real. He didn't need to taunt himself with the idea. Simon and Theodore were dead. Have been for one month already. That's how they'd stay.

At the end of the day, Alvin met up with Bailey and together they walked to their lockers, dropped of their books and picked up their backpacks, and then walked to the front of the school where Bailey's parents waited for them.

"How was school you two?" Bailey's father asked, behind the wheel.

"It was good," Bailey answered, pulling the car door closed and then strapping her seatbelt.

"Alvin, did you have a good day?" Bailey's mother asked. Alvin shrugged, and then nodded. That was his expected response, and so with that, Bailey's father put the car in drive and they drove home.

He stared out the window in silence, like he did everyday on his way back from school. Normally his mind would be blank, as he had trained it to be, so he wouldn't think about everything again. He did that enough in his dreams and throughout the day when his practice would slip from his grasp.

But this time he was thinking about seeing Simon. He had been dreaming, but never had his dream felt so…real. His nightmares had lost their real touch, and he knew it was just his mind's way of coping with the trauma. But he hadn't had a dream in a while that felt like it had really taken place.

He felt as though he had really seen Simon, had really spoken with him. The words Simon had said could only have come from his mouth. It wasn't made up speech that his own subconscious pulled up from memory and placed it into a dream. Simon had never really said those words before, so Alvin had no memory to pull it from.

Stop it, Alvin! Alvin scolded himself. You're thinking too much into the dream. But then… there was Simon's voice he had heard coax him out of bed. And now that he did give it more thought that dream hadn't been the only time he'd heard his deceased brother speak to him.

Alvin's eyes widened as he fully comprehended the things that were happening to him. He wasn't sure what it meant, but Simon's words rang and bounced through his head: "Alvin, you're not alone. I'm with you, and so is Theodore. Us, Dave, Miss Miller, Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor. We're all with you."

Were they really with him like Simon had said? What did he mean by that? And if so, why is it really only Simon talking to him? He hasn't heard much from Theodore or the others. So then, why only Simon?

Alvin felt a blush form on his cheeks for the first time in what felt like ages. Why wouldn't Simon be the only one contacting him? He had shared a bond with his younger brother that had soon outgrown any other bond he'd had with anyone else from their group. Not only that, but he had developed feelings for him that were much more than brotherly. It made sense now.

Simon had the ability to contact him because Alvin gave him that ability. Their bond surpassed life and death, and the proof was the fact that Simon could reach him with ease.

But, Alvin thought with renewed frustration. What does it mean? How do I really benefit from having Simon able to contact me? Aside from having his brother calm him down when he was at his worse, and being able to get him to stay as active as expected, Alvin couldn't help but feel like this connection was deeper than that. There had to be something else going on. Something that was about to happen that he'd need Simon's help with. But what?

They had arrived at his sub-home; this is what Alvin called it because he could never really call it just his home. He climbed out of the car, closed the door and followed Bailey and her parents up to the front door.

The house was a two story house, painted white with a large front yard and healthy grass and flowers. It pained Alvin to see the pureness of the house, almost as much as it pained him to be around the people who owned the house. They were so trauma free that Alvin resented them for it. He knew for a fact that they couldn't even come close to understanding his feelings, and it said a lot to know that they weren't even trying.

As he made his way upstairs to his room, he made up his mind that he wasn't going to let these people adopt him. He had other options; his mind was just too jumbled to even attempt to sort them out.

He climbed onto his bed and sat against his pillows, removed his backpack and dumped the contents from within on his bed. He set his backpack aside and gathered up his homework and got to work on it, hoping that it would help distract him.

An hour later, there was a knock on his door. He remained unresponsive. This was a normal response, so whoever had knocked opened the door slowly, giving him time to make any noise or sound that signaled he was either changing or simply wanted to be left alone. Once again, no response came. So Bailey walked in and watched him for a moment, contemplating how to approach the silent chipmunk.

He was still busy working on his homework, and she was reluctant to disturb him, although she was already in the room. Not like being in his room was really an accomplishment, but she rarely came in here anymore.

She stood there silently. He gave off such a strong vibe that it sometimes made her uncomfortable to be around him. He normally had a "leave me alone" vibe. Right now he wasn't really giving much of a vibe off, which normally happened when he was concentrating. But his silence was what always got her. The silence was more than auditory, it was in his face, his eyes, his body language, everything. Sometimes, when he did speak, she'd be shocked because she normally forgets that he still can.

After a few more minutes of silence, Alvin finally looked over at his guest. He watched her take a sharp breath, as though his simple action had surprised her. He resisted the urge to raise a curious eyebrow and simply stared at her with a blank expression. This simple look always had two possible outcomes when it came to Bailey. One, she would either leave, because the look became uncomfortable after a certain length of time. Or two, she would hurry and get what she came to say out, this was normally when it was her sending a message for her parents. Alvin wondered what the end result would be this time.

After moving past the blankness of Alvin's stare, she took a few steps towards his bed. "Hey, Alvin," she began.

So she decides to speak, Alvin thought to himself before returning his gaze to his math homework. He wasn't fully aware of the fact that she was still walking towards his bed, until he felt it dip, only slightly, under her light weight. He looked at her once more.

She ignored the look. She sat cross legged in front of him with her hands on her legs. "I came to see how you're doing." Alvin blinked once. Based on her "I'ma be here a while" position, he knew it was more than just seeing what he was doing. She came to talk.

Alvin was good at masking his annoyance with this change in events. He was really not in the mood to be playing Twenty Questions with Bailey. If he'd wanted to answer questions, he would be seeing his psychiatrist. He blinked, now that he thought about it, he was willing to bet that her talking to him was related to his appointments. If not, he was sure it would come up, like it always did. He was wasting quite the amount of money for every appointment he missed. He's surprised they hadn't given up on it yet. He supposed they had money to spare.

After a minute, she cleared her throat and began talking once more. "Alvin, my parents wanted me to bring it to your attention that they have every intention of adopting you some point in the near future." Bailey didn't understand why she was always the messenger. Her parents haven't spoken a paragraph to Alvin since he moved in with them a month ago. And here they were, saying they wanted to adopt him? It's not that she didn't like the idea, but they only know so much about him. You'd think they'd want to know more about a child they planned to adopt.

If Alvin had any reaction to what Bailey had said, he didn't show it. He had known for some time that her parents were planning to adopt him, so it wasn't news to him. He waited in silence for her to continue.

"But," she began. Alvin almost snorted, almost. "They have some requirements for you to meet before that's to happen." Alvin had to roll his eyes at that. "They want you to go to your counseling once a week, make the best of the money they're spending."

Alvin wasn't going to counseling. He wasn't planning to either. If they hadn't realized that yet, then they were very ignorant parents.

"They want A and B grades from you throughout the remainder of your education life," she continued, not voicing what her opinion of what her parents' rules were. It was safe to say she was embarrassed by this announcement.

If it weren't for his brothers, Alvin wouldn't be passing all of his classes right now with A's and A-'s. He briefly considered deliberately failing because of what she'd just said, but he couldn't do that to his brothers.

"And…" she was hesitant to say the next one. "Alvin, you know I have no say in this, right? I mean, I would love to have you as my brother, don't get me wrong. But I think the rules and stuff is stupid. My parents have some wacky sense of what a "good" child is, and they want you to be just that before adopting you."

Alvin said nothing. But he understood, and didn't hold Bailey responsible for what her parents were trying to do. He knew she was powerless when it came to them. He's been here long enough to know that at the least.

"Of course," she continued, shifting a bit and looking uncomfortable. "This last rule seems inconsiderate and just plain stupid compared to the others. And that's saying something." Alvin looked at her. Inconsiderate?

Now she had captured his interest. He was curious as to what this rule was. What could be their idea of a "good" child with this last rule that was both inconsiderate and plain stupid? Odds were, he wouldn't abide by any of these rules (at least not with any intentions of pleasing them), but he was curious as to what inconsiderate, stupid rule her parents had designed for him.

The words he would have normally said to get her to continue talking were in the back of his throat, trying to come out. He just couldn't manage it. Sometimes it was hard for him to get back into the routine of talking after being silent for so long. Even though he could talk, he found it difficult after some point, and just stuck with silence.

Bailey didn't know why her parents made these rules for Alvin. They hadn't even considered the idea that he may not want to be adopted by them. The possibility hurt her too much to bother asking him. She wanted him to be part of her family, she really cared about him.

She cleared her throat and locked eyes with the older child, "Their third rule is that they want you to start singing again." She ignored his suddenly wide eyes. "They understand that it may be difficult for you, but they're willing to work with you. They're ready to hire a vocal coach in hopes of getting you back into the flow of things and where you used to be with Da-." She stopped before saying Dave's name.

She didn't have to hear him ask his question, because she had the same one.

"Why would they want you to sing? I'm not sure," she said, looking down. She was really upset with her parents and ashamed of them as well. "If I had to guess," she looked back at him. "I'd say it's just for the money. I don't see how doing any of these things should make them want to adopt you."

Alvin knew he was showing more emotion than he would have liked.

The idea of singing… He could feel his throat tightening with the urge to cry. How could someone ask him to do that? His breathing quickened in an effort to keep himself in check, to keep his tears at bay. He looked into Bailey's sympathetic, remorseful baby blue eyes. Eyes that were either similar, or dead on, with Brittany's.

She didn't know what to do at this moment. It was clear Alvin was trying not to cry. She completely understood his reaction. She couldn't bear to see him cry. It just wasn't something she could handle. She wanted to hug him, tell him words of encouragement. But she knew where her limits were. She hasn't gotten that far with the withdrawn chipmunk yet. Sure she was the only one he talked to, but really, even she couldn't get him to open up and just talk with her more than half the time.

After watching him struggle with his emotions, she decided she should leave. She knew how it was when someone didn't want to cry or be emotional in front of someone else. "I'll see you later, Alvin," she whispered, climbing off his bed. She made her way to the door, before glancing at him one more time before leaving. Maybe she could muster up the courage to talk to her parents about this.

Alvin looked down at his work before gently gathering it up and setting it onto his nightstand beside his bed. He let out a long, shaky breath, hoping to calm his emotions. Still the question Bailey had read from him bounced around in his mind along with everything she had said. Why would they want me to sing? How can someone ask me to do that? She had been right, it was very inconsiderate.

He kicked off his shoes and turned off his light. He curled under his blanket and lay facing the window, which was open, but the curtains were drawn.

As he relaxed his body, his tears filled his eyes and traveled down his face and into the fabric of his pillow. He hasn't sung since he'd told Simon of what he had witnessed. He had sung with his brothers at the time too. He couldn't even think of singing without feeling his chest constrict and his throat tighten. He closed his eyes and covered his head up.

"Alvin," Simon's voice echoed through his mind, clearing it up of all his jumbled thoughts for the time being.

"Simon?" Alvin clenched his eyes shut tighter, trying to find Simon in the darkness of his mind.

"Alvin," he called again. Alvin saw him up ahead and he hurried to him. Simon turned and smiled in time to have his older brother run into his arms.

Simon's form is naturally transparent, and Alvin wasn't sure if he would make contact, or go right through. But, thankfully, he had made contact with his taller brother and clung to him.

Simon wrapped his arms around Alvin's shoulders, smiling down at him with understanding and love. Alvin opened his eyes in time to see Theodore appear beside Simon, smiling as well.

"Theodore!" Alvin let go of Simon and hugged Theodore as well. He was thrilled beyond anything to see him. He was beginning to think he had let go of Theodore, which was why he never heard from him, or seen him like he did Simon. But here he was, and he couldn't be gladder to see him. They were a family, after all, no matter what.

Alvin pulled back from Theodore and stood straighter, looking at his younger brothers. He watched Theodore frown slightly at his outfit, and remembered only Simon had seen him in it. Both Simon and Theodore were wearing their usual sweaters with their normal colors and same shoes.

"Alvin, you look thin. Are you eating right?" Theodore asked. Alvin smiled; Theodore would ask him something like that.

As for an answer, Alvin could only give a one shouldered shrug. He hadn't been eating a large amount, but he was eating.

"You guys," Alvin began, looking at them both. "You are watching over me, right?" They both nodded. "So then, you know what just happened now, right?" He was hoping they did, he didn't trust himself with the words to say it if they hadn't.

Both his brothers frowned and looked at one another before back at Alvin. It was then Alvin knew they knew what had happened. He was relieved of the pressure of having to say it, and was informed that they were indeed watching over him. Perhaps, more than he had imagined.

"What should I do?" Alvin asked, although the question seemed stupid to him. There was really no other option. He had vowed a long time ago, back when Simon and Theodore had been alive, that he was never singing again. So then what was the purpose of his question?

It seemed Simon knew what he really meant. "You're talking about her parents wanting to adopt you, right?" Alvin merely nodded. "Why wouldn't you want that?"

Alvin was surprised by the question. He replayed it, looking down in thought. "Because," he began, looking back at his brothers. "Because I feel like I'd be giving up. I know there are other options out there, I just haven't thought of any of them yet. Besides, it's not like Bailey's parents want to adopt me for me. They want whatever money I can bring in."

Simon nodded. "Promise us something, Alvin?"

"Anything."

"Don't give up."

Alvin opened his eyes, looking around the room. As much as he would have loved to just go back to sleep, he knew he still needed to finish his homework, and eat something. So, he sat up and grabbed his work, setting it down in his lap and getting back to work on it.

As time went by, Alvin hasn't heard much from Bailey's parents on their desire to get him back into singing. It wasn't until a week later did he realize Bailey had talked them out of it. So, when she mentioned it on their way to school, his first choice of words were:

"You did what?" Alvin asked, clearly taken aback by the news. Bailey rarely ever spoke up when it came to what her parents deemed right and wanted.

It seemed Bailey was also still in shock by what she had done. But there wasn't a trace of regret in her eyes or voice. It wasn't like it wasn't a civilized talk. "I told them that what they were trying to do wasn't fair in the least. They weren't respecting you as a person. I told them they don't know a thing about you on a personal level, and if they saw a perfect child doing all those things, then I am by far, a deep disappointment to them."

Alvin could see now she had been deeply hurt by what her parents had done. Not only for him, but for herself. She was smart, he knew that. Talented, he was sure, but in what, he had never bothered to ask. It seemed like they were trying for a perfect child, but what did they think of their own?

"I'm sorry, Bailey," he whispered. Somewhere inside him, he realized, he could manage to feel sad for someone else. After spending so much time dwelling in his own pain, albeit unintentionally, he hadn't thought about anyone else's pain. He never forgot that they could feel it, but he didn't think it would momentarily drown out his own just to make him acknowledge it.

His apology was greeted with genuine surprise before there was a smile and a nod.

"Thank you Alvin, but it's not your fault. I only did it because I saw it was unjust. And, of course, I do care about you," she replied. Alvin looked at her once more in shock.

Now this was beginning to annoy him. No, not her caring about him, or admitting it, he actually didn't mind those. His ignorance to reality was what was annoying him. Was he really so caught up in mourning that he forgot what it was like to feel other things aside from his own pain? Of course, his brothers and the others had meant the world to him, so it shouldn't be a surprise for him to feel like the world had lost its meaning in life, right?

Now he was confused, and the day had barely begun. What should he say to her now? Surely she expected some sort of response, right?

Glancing at her, he couldn't tell. She seemed as thoughtful as he had been. Good, he wasn't sure if he could manage a response to her words any way. At least, not on the spot…

The remainder of the walk was silent, both children thinking their own thoughts the whole time.

Sometimes the burning gazes of your fellow classmates can get to be a bit too much to handle. It also doesn't help when you have a teacher who completely ignores you and encourages the harassment.

Alvin did his best to focus on his work, trying to move past the heated stares that weren't only in his back, but were coming from all over the classroom. Sometimes the glares would come out of nowhere. He could go a week being ignored, and then out of the blue, like now, could be the sole target of every single person's heated gazes.

It also didn't help that Simon and Theodore have been quiet the past two weeks. He couldn't help wondering why.

For the time being, he was trying to get the day over with without losing his mind.

There's also been some other odd things happening to Alvin outside of school. Bailey's parents have actually been trying to communicate with him more. It didn't seem so bad at first, but then he realized what was going on.

His worker was coming over for her annual monthly visit. He wasn't sure if it was supposed to be this often or not. He didn't know a thing about his situation.

He did know that her parents have been talking to him and warming up to him for the past week because they wanted to drown out their month of neglect and silence from his memory. Quite frankly, he didn't care either way how they treated him, as long as he wasn't physically or emotionally hurt.

He was considering telling his worker, what was her name? Sabrina? Serena? Something with an "uh" at the end of her name. He was considering telling her the truth of his living arrangements, but then he thought of Bailey.

He thought of her long and hard the hour before his worker arrived. He didn't know how things worked before he had arrived. She was quiet in school, and still is. But when he was around she smiled more, laughed more, at least, when he wasn't consumed with his thoughts. She stood up to her parents more and more. It seemed she was benefitting from his living with them. But the one thought that got him was when she had said she cared about him.

He thought about this a moment longer. The thought of having someone care about him was scary. It meant that there was one more person that he may end up hurting. He didn't even give the possibility of caring about her as well any thought. He wasn't ready to know.

With her in mind, Alvin made his decision on what to do.

He sat on the couch with a coloring book in his lap, open to a drawing of a boy on a pony, a box of crayons resting beside him. This was the image Bailey's parents wanted to portray. A happy child who was creative in every way. They even made him change his outfit. He now wore light blue jean shorts, a red t-shirt, and red shoes. His hat was red, but wasn't very comfortable on him. He blamed it on the color.

He looked down at the picture with a frown before grabbing a black crayon and drawing an X over it. He set the crayon down and flipped to the next picture when the doorbell rang.

Bailey's mother hurried from the kitchen and to the door. She adjusted her dress and hair before answering it. Alvin rolled his eyes; you'd think she was going on a date.

"Hi Marina," her mother greeted. Alvin nodded. He knew her name had an "uh" in it.

There was a soft reply and she was slowly clacking her short heels into the living room, where she smiled at the sight of Alvin. "Hi, Alvin."

Unsure what his response should be, Alvin lowered his gaze to his coloring book. He picked up a crayon and began coloring. Marina sat down next to him. Bailey's mother followed her in.

"Would you like anything to drink, Marina? A snack?" she offered. Marina shook her head. "Am I needed for this visit?" It was obvious she was nervous. At least it was to Alvin.

"No, this is just for Alvin and me," she answered. Alvin watched Bailey's mother nod and leave. He waited for the sound of her heels to fade down the hall before looking at Marina. "How are you doing, Alvin?"

He hadn't decided if she was going to be one of the people he talked to, or if she was to receive the silent treatment like mostly everyone else did. He came to the conclusion that he had to talk to her in order to put up the front he told himself he'd do.

"I'm fine," he answered softly. She pulled out a notebook and a pen from her briefcase. She wrote something down.

When she was done writing, she lowered her notebook, and looked at Alvin. "Alvin, you're a special case, you know that, right?"

He didn't. But he chose not give that answer.

"What I mean is that it's not just you I go and visit. I go to your school as well." He wasn't exactly sure what she meant, but knew that she knew more than she should know.

"I'm doing well in my classes. I have all A's," Alvin said, knowing what she was saying had nothing to do with his grades.

"I know you have all A's, Alvin. I'm very glad to hear that. But I'm talking about what's going on with your classmates and teachers."

"Oh, well I can't speak for them. Why are you bringing this up with me?" Alvin asked.

"Because I want to know what's going on in school. I need for you to tell me through your words."

Alvin wasn't sure what to say. He remained quiet for a moment before he inquired, "I thought you were here to see how I'm doing with Bailey's parents, not school."

She wrote something down, and then replied, "You're right. But seeing how you're doing in school revolves around your living arrangements. As your guardians, it's their job to ensure you're in a safe environment outside of this house as well."

"Oh, I see," Alvin said and thought some more on the situations in school. "Have you already talked to the people in my school?"

Marina was quiet for a moment, trying to decide if she should answer his question or brush it off. "I've spoken with a few people, yes."

Alvin realized he couldn't lie his way out if she already knew the answers to the questions she was asking. He realized he couldn't put up a face like he had planned. He thought some more. His mind played back his and Simon's conversation.

"You're talking about her parents wanting to adopt you, right? Why wouldn't you want that?"

"Because… because I feel like I'd be giving up. I know there are other options out there, I just haven't thought of any of them yet. Besides, it's not like Bailey's parents want to adopt me for me. They want whatever money I can bring in."

"Promise us something, Alvin?"

"Anything."

"Don't give up."

Alvin frowned slightly in thought. What had he meant by don't give up? He broke down their conversation. He had said something about giving up, he remembered that. When he said that, he had been referring to letting Bailey's parents adopt him. So, when Simon said don't give up, he really meant, don't let them adopt him.

He was well aware of Marina watching him, so he did his best to mask his face as he thought.

Why wouldn't Simon want him to be adopted? Sure, he understood that Bailey's parents weren't the best he could have on a level of affection and love. But they were better than a lot of other parents he could have ended up with. So what did he want him to do?

He fought back a shiver as he felt someone close to him, sitting beside him. But it wasn't Marina. He couldn't close his eyes, so he just concentrated on the presence that had showed up.

"I'm only going to tell you because you can't keep quiet too long with your worker here. She documents everything you say and do," Simon whispered, even though Alvin was sure only he could here him. "Remember what you said after saying that you'd feel like you'd be giving up, if you were to let Bailey's parents adopt you?"

Alvin sat up more. He really couldn't do much to tell Simon he did remember. Simon already knew this so Alvin's response wouldn't have been necessary either way.

"You said you know there are other options out there. You're right Alvin, there are. If you settle for this, you're stuck here. I promise you, once you realize what you've forgotten, you'll be glad you didn't just give up. Think about it, Alvin." And with that, the presence was gone.

"Alvin?" Marina's voice broke him from his thoughts. He looked at her. The only thing that kept him from saying how his experiences were while living here was Bailey. He didn't know what would happen if he were somehow taken from here. Would she resent him for leaving? She's the only person alive who cared about him. He wasn't sure if he cared about her or not. He really didn't want to, only because he was afraid of being hurt by the feelings.

He didn't know what to do. So he decided to just be honest.

After their time was up, Alvin watched Marina put her stuff into her briefcase. Before she stood to leave, he said her name, stopping her from rising.

"You're not going to take me from here, are you?" he asked. She looked at him for a moment.

"I don't know what the decision will be yet, Alvin. I have to have a meeting with some other people. In my own opinion, I think you're in a good environment when it comes to food supply and a clean house, but you're being neglected by these people."

"What's neglected?" he asked.

"It's when you're not given attention and you're ignored. A child needs plenty of love and attention, especially one who's been through so much already."

"So then it's a bad thing," he realized. Marina nodded. "Well, what about Bailey?"

Marina looked at him more intently. "What about Bailey?"

"Well, she's neglected too. I've been here long enough to know that she's treated the same way as I am. And if you can help her too, then I want you to do it." Marina checked her watch.

"I have a few more minutes before my next appointment," she said more to herself. She reopened her briefcase and pulled out her notebook, turning to a fresh page. She wrote down a few things before giving her attention to Alvin once more. "Why don't you give me some information on what all has been going on between Bailey and her parents?"

Alvin fought back a smile of accomplishment. I'd be glad to.

After Marina left, Alvin made his way up to his bedroom. He stopped half way there and looked at Bailey's room door. He stood there and thought about going in and seeing how she was.

No, he decided. Not right now. So he went into his room and shut the door.

Half an hour into his relaxing after seeing his worker, there was a knock on his door. He didn't know if he should reply or not, and found he didn't have to when in came Bailey.

"Alvin?" she said softly, making her way over to his bed slowly. Alvin sat up and looked at her.

She climbed onto his bed and sat in front of him.

"How'd your meeting go?" she asked. Alvin shrugged at first.

"It went fine. I told her what was going on here and at school. She wasn't too happy about it, but she knows now." Bailey nodded.

"So, does that mean she's going to be taking you somewhere else?" she asked. He knew instantly that she didn't want him to leave. He understood, because it was because of her that he didn't want to leave either.

"She said she won't know anytime soon," he informed.

He could see that she was trying to mask her happiness at knowing he'd be with them longer.

"Bailey, can I ask you something?" he asked. She blinked. It was good to see him talking to her more, he seemed like he was opening up a little bit more each time.

"Sure thing, Alvin," she said with a smile.

"Why do you care about me?" he asked. Her smile fell and she looked surprised.

"Why do I care about you?" she repeated. He nodded. "Well, it's hard to explain. You've been through so much, lost so many people who meant the world to you. I just want you to be happy; I want to be your friend. I'd do anything to keep you from getting hurt, Alvin. You're like the brother I always wanted. I want you to be part of my family."

Alvin was shocked to say the least. He knew she cared about him, but never thought it came as far as wanting him for a brother. Most kids resent foster kids when they're brought into their home. But, then again, it had been Bailey's idea for her parents to take him in.

"Thank you, Bailey, for caring about me so much." She simply smiled.

"Thank you, Alvin, for making it easy." It was Alvin's turn to smile. It was a true, natural, genuine smile that hasn't been seen for a long time. It filled her heart with joy at seeing it, and she wanted to do all she could to have it become a regular thing.

Alvin was surprised at how easily the smile came. He watched Bailey's eyes light up at the sight. She really was a good child, and he felt her parents really needed to take notice of that.

Things went relatively better for Alvin. He was more capable of ignoring the looks he was given by his fellow classmates, he ignored the whispers and taunts, and he ignored the teachers' decisions of acting as though he wasn't even there.

He was in a better mood lately, but knew better than to let it be known in this type of environment. He knew if anyone saw he was happy, even in the slightest, they would do all they could to get him back to where he had been at in the beginning. They felt he deserved to feel the way he had been feeling, and wanted it to stay that way.

Of course, a week after he talked with his worker, things began to get weird. Not with Bailey's parents, or with his school environment, but with Alvin himself.

"I think I'm going crazy, Bailey," Alvin told her on their walk back home. Her dad was working so they had to walk home.

"What makes you think that, Alvin?" she asked. Alvin thought about it. He's been seeing things, or more so, a person. Sometimes at night when he's in bed, he'll wake up and watch the stars. Last week when he had done that, he saw a dark figure outside his window.

"I've been seeing something, or someone, outside my window every night for the past week," he told her. He didn't want to think of what had taken place the last time he had that happen to him. But really, he had a feeling that it wasn't over yet. He knew there was one person missing when Bailey had saved his life. There had been three, but only two were found.

And they never found the third person.

Bailey gasped and looked at him, "Alvin don't say things like that!" He looked at her with the most serious look he could manage. Her face softened. "Alvin, it's probably your trauma coming back to hit you. I mean, you did see a lot of things a kid your age wouldn't even see in a nightmare."

Alvin gave that some thought. "You know, you're probably right Bailey. It's probably my mind trying to cope in a new manner." She smiled.

"See, so don't worry about it so much." Alvin nodded. All he could hope for now was to have Simon talk to him. His brothers have been quiet since he last spoke with them. Maybe Simon could rationalize his fears.

That night, while he lay in bed, he stared at the fabric of his blanket. He kept his entire body covered so he had no way of seeing out the window. If this really was his mind playing tricks on him, he hated his mind. He needed to talk to Simon, because he could say for sure if what he was seeing was truly part of his mind's way of coping.

But, he hasn't tried to contact him yet, and he didn't really know how to do it himself. He just followed the call Simon made.

Sighing, he closed his eyes and tried to relax. Once he drifted to sleep, he called for Simon.

He walked around in the darkness, not knowing where he was going, but hoping to find his brothers. "Simon, where are you?"

There was no reply.

Alvin fought back a shiver of anxiety and tried once more. "Simon, I need to talk to you. Please, where are you?"

"Alvin?" Simon's voice sounded distant. Alvin's ears perked at the familiar voice and he ran towards where he had heard it. He saw his brother up ahead.

"Simon!" Simon turned and smiled when he saw Alvin coming. Alvin hugged him when he reached him, but kept it short due to the questions he had. "Why haven't you talked to me, Simon?"

Simon's smile faded slightly. "I don't know, Alvin." Alvin blinked. Naturally, he didn't believe that answer.

He didn't press the issue. "I need to know something, Simon." Simon nodded and Alvin knew he had his full attention. "You can tell if what I'm seeing is part of my mind or not, right? Since you are in fact, part of my mind."

Simon looked thoughtful for a moment, and Alvin knew he was breaking down what he had said. It hadn't really made sense, at least to him it didn't. "Yeah, I can do that."

Alvin waited for him to say more. But no more came. "Haven't you and Theodore been watching over me like you used to?"

Simon gave a light shake of his head. "Not on a daily basis anymore, no. But I do know why you asked me that question." Simon sighed and looked reluctant to continue. But he did. "No, Alvin. The figure you're seeing every night, it's not in your head. Your mind has gone past the stage of portraying your trauma through real-life things. What, or who, you're seeing is real."

Alvin's breath caught and he froze. "So, he… He's really here… The last one, he came back for me?" Simon nodded.

Alvin was sure Simon was saying something else, he couldn't tell what though, because he was waking up.

As soon as he was awake, he sat up and looked around. He looked out his window, but saw that nothing was there. His heart racing, he climbed out of his bed and out of his room. He tip-toed to Bailey's room and gently eased her door open. He poked his head in before sliding the rest of his body in after.

Her room was clean and about the same size as his. Her bed and furniture were arranged in the same spots as his own.

His blue eyes were immediately drawn to her window. What was she doing sleeping with it open? It wasn't open a lot, it was barely an inch. But it could still be opened from the outside now that the person had access to it.

He made his way to her window and shut it, locking it in place before going back to the door. He let his eyes scan her room before resting them on the child sleeping. He now fully realized the danger she was in with him in her home. But he couldn't do anything about it now. If he left, the man still carried the knowledge that he had been here, and that he was close to Bailey.

This was exactly why he had tried to avoid bringing people closer to him. Now, it'd be his entire fault if anything were to happen to her. He had made up his mind when Bailey had told him she cared about him, that he would do everything he could to protect her.

For now, he didn't sense any danger in her room, so he left, closing the door just as quietly as he had opened it.

It was Saturday at last. Alvin and Bailey were in the backyard. Bailey sat on a swing and Alvin stood behind her giving her gentle pushes when her momentum was beginning to slow down.

"My parents are going out tonight," Bailey announced as Alvin pushed her on the swing.

"Out where?" Alvin asked.

"To some fancy diner, I guess. I think it's their anniversary. Not the wedding, but of when they first met," she explained. Alvin shrugged even though he was behind her and she couldn't see him.

"So, are we going to be here alone or are they hiring a babysitter?" he asked. Bailey smiled.

"They're hiring a sitter. I don't know why though. I think we both show how well behaved we can be. But I guess no matter how mature we are, our ages always get the most consideration."

Alvin side stepped the swing after giving her a good push and watched her go back and forth. She was giggling and moving her legs to keep the pace of the swing. Alvin smiled.

"Keep your guard up tonight, Alvin…" Simon's voice blew past his ear and there were no more words. Alvin's smile fell and he felt his heart start to speed up.

Bailey looked at him and at seeing his face; she jumped off the swing, sticking her landing perfectly, and went over to him. "What's wrong, Alvin?"

Alvin shook his head, "Nothing, just thinking."

"About?" Bailey was persistent. "Are you thinking about what you told me yesterday?"

"In a way, I guess," he said with a shrug. Bailey sighed.

"Alvin," she began.

"I just got this bad feeling. I don't think we should be at the house tonight." Bailey folded her arms and thought for a moment.

"We'll have a sitter with us, Alvin. We won't be alone, remember? And I thought you agreed that this whole thing was just in your head," she said.

"I did, until I realized it wasn't," he retorted. Bailey locked eyes with him.

She looked like she wanted to say more, but settled with shaking her head. She headed back inside, leaving him alone in the backyard.

He knew what he was saying was scaring her, and he knew she desperately wanted to believe it was just in his mind. He could also tell that part of her believed him, but she was also stuck on denying it. He had to do something to keep her from getting hurt. But he couldn't help her until he helped himself.

Alvin and Bailey watched her parents come down the stairs dressed in matching black outfits. "We can't leave until the sitter arrives," her mother said, checking her husband's watch

"Relax, hun, we're ahead of schedule. We won't miss our reservations," her father reassured.

Bailey and Alvin exchanged looks. At seeing Alvin's pleading face, Bailey looked away. Alvin sighed and looked at the door when the doorbell went off. Bailey's father went and answered it, letting in a young woman who couldn't be older than eighteen years.

Alvin felt something drown him with dread and he somehow knew something terrible was going to happen tonight.

"Alright," her father said, clapping his hands once and leading the sitter into the living room. "Cassidy, this is Alvin, and Bailey. Bailey, Alvin, this is Cassidy."

"Hi," Bailey said with a smile and light wave. Alvin remained silent. Bailey's father then proceeded to give Cassidy a tour of the house and some contact information. When all three adults were gone, Alvin faced Bailey.

"I don't wanna hear it, Alvin," Bailey said, shaking her head.

"Bailey, please?" he said earnestly. Bailey just shook her head once more. Alvin heard her dad's voice coming downstairs.

"Is there anything I'm forgetting?" he asked aloud.

"No dear, you've covered everything she needs to know about the house and who to contact if something were to happen," his wife answered. They all were now huddled around the door. "Now," she faced Cassidy. "Their dinner has already been made, it's in the oven. Just reheat it and give it to them. Alvin is always quiet, so don't worry about that. Their bedtime is at nine."

Cassidy nodded. Without saying anything to either of the children, her parents left. Cassidy closed the door behind them and locked it. She looked at Bailey and Alvin.

This looked like it was going to be a long evening…

Cassidy had soon realized just how unnecessary it was for her to be sitting for the two children in the house. She learned how independent they were within the half hour after Bailey's parents had left.

Without even asking for help, Alvin and Bailey had reheated the food and ate. After doing that, they washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. From there they went into the living room and discussed what movie to watch, and settled on one without any disputes.

That covered the first hour and a half of her babysitting. The three of them sat watching movies until it turned nine.

"Alright you two," Cassidy said, sitting up more. Both children looked at her. "Time for bed."

Alvin and Bailey shrugged and climbed off the couch and made their way upstairs. As they neared their rooms, Alvin made Bailey stop for a moment. "Do me a favor, Bailey?" She looked at him with curiosity before nodding. "Keep your window closed tonight."

Bailey sighed, "Alvin-"

"Bailey, I'm serious," Alvin cut in firmly. "You may not think much of what I'm saying, but I refuse to lose someone else I care about."

Bailey blinked. Did he just say he cared about her? She smiled. "Alright Alvin, I'll leave my window closed tonight. Okay?"

Alvin nodded and went into his room.

*An hour and a half later*

Cassidy was on the phone with Bailey's parents. "Everything is going great. Bailey and Alvin are very well behaved, independent children."

"Oh that's good to hear. We'll be returning within a couple of hours, okay?"

"Alright. You have a good evening. Bye." She set the phone back into its receiver and plopped down onto the couch she and the children had been on. She pulled her backpack over to herself and pulled out a book to read.

In their rooms, Alvin and Bailey slept soundly.

"Alvin," Simon called.

---

The back door was being jostled from the outside… as though someone was trying to get in.

"Alvin," Simon's voice was more insistent.

---

There was a subtle click and the door creaked open. Cassidy's ear caught the sound, and she looked over her shoulder in the direction of the dining room.

"Alvin, would you get up!" Simon demanded. Alvin let out a soft breath, curling into himself more as he slept.

---

Cassidy set her book down and got up slowly from the couch. As she walked out of the living room, she wondered what Bailey's parents were doing coming in from the back door, and why so soon? It was these thoughts that kept her from thinking absurd ones like: someone breaking in. It was preposterous…right?

"Allllllviiiiiin!"Alvin's eyes snapped open and he yawned.

"What, Simon?" Alvin asked in his mind, rubbing his eyes.

"Didn't I tell you earlier to keep your guard up?" Simon snapped. Alvin's breath caught.

---

Cassidy looked around the dark room, momentarily forgetting where the light switch was at. She made her way over to the door and gently pushed it closed, locking it back. "Strange…" she whispered out loud.

She took an incomplete step back before two large hands gripped her head. Within that second, her head was roughly twisted around and with a loud crack, her neck was broken. He let her body fall to the floor with a soft thump before leaving the kitchen.

Hearing the noise, Alvin sat up quickly. His concern for Bailey's wellbeing temporarily overruled his fear of what he knew was coming had finally arrived.

He climbed out of his bed and went over to his bedroom door. He gently eased it open and looked down the hall. Pulling it open more he stepped out into the hallway. He hurried to Bailey's room and went in, shutting the door softly behind him.

He was glad to see and sense nothing out of place and went over to Bailey's bed. "Bailey," he whispered, shaking her by her shoulder. "Bailey."

She moaned in protest and hit his hand away.

"Bailey, wake up," Alvin whispered, climbing onto the bed and making her sit up. Baby blue eyes opened unwillingly and blinked a few times. When she caught on to what was going on and by whom, she yanked herself from his grip.

"Alvi-" Alvin covered her mouth instantly, muffling the rest of what she might have said.

"Bailey," he whispered. "Would you just trust me?" She calmed down and looked at him, seeing the desperation and fear in his eyes. Slowly, she nodded her head. Alvin removed his hand and made a motion for her to remain quiet.

He climbed off her bed and went over to the door. Bailey looked around before climbing off her bed as well and going over to her desk.

After making sure the hall was clear, Alvin looked back at where he'd left Bailey. He blinked when she handed him a baseball bat. He took it, momentarily dumbfounded. What she had for herself was a lamp with the light bulb and lamp shade missing. She was also holding it with the bottom up.

"If someone is out there, we're not going out there empty handed," she said matter-of-factly. Alvin simply nodded and took note of the fact that the bat she handed him was made of metal. After what happened last time she had used a bat on someone, Alvin wondered what she could do with a lamp.

"Alright, just keep quiet," he instructed. She nodded.

"Alvin, he's downstairs somewhere," Simon said. Alvin blinked. Can Simon really give him that kind of information? That would make it so much easier and less dangerous.

"What part of downstairs? Where exactly is he?" Alvin asked as he inched the door open and made his way into the hall, Bailey following close at his heels, lamp post ready.

"I can't say for sure, just that he's down there. He killed your babysitter." Alvin faltered in his step. He completely forgot about Cassidy.

"What is it, Alvin?" Bailey asked softly. Alvin looked at her and shook his head. If he told her he knew something he shouldn't know, it'd just make him seem crazy. And he really didn't need someone else thinking he was crazy.

"I think he's downstairs somewhere, so we should find someway to get outside," Alvin said, making his way over to the bathroom and going in. Bailey followed him, gently easing the door closed and locking it.

"The window?" Bailey suggested, pointing to a window that was in the shower a good five feet higher than they were.

Alvin looked around before setting his bat down. He grabbed the laundry basket and put it inside the shower against the wall. He climbed on top of it and reached for the window pane. He was still too short.

Bailey set her item down and went over to him. "What if I climb onto your shoulders?" Alvin got back down.

"I don't trust that thing with both of us. And I don't want to put you at risk of getting hurt," he answered.

"But if we're both to get out, I'd have to be on your shoulders anyway. I can't reach without you," she explained.

Alvin thought about this. He really wished Simon was here. He could come up with something in a heartbeat. He's not here and I know it. So I'll have to do this on my own… "Alright, we'll give it a try."

Bailey nodded.

Bailey kept herself as still as she could so Alvin could maintain his balance. She wasn't heavy so that made it easier.

"Can you reach it?" Alvin asked, minding his voice and loudness. Bailey reached up with her right hand and grabbed the windowpane. She could reach it, but she was still too short to open the window.

"I need to stand, Alvin," she said, grabbing the window pane with her other hand. "I'm going to pull myself into a standing position. Push me up and please, don't let me fall."

"Don't worry, I gotcha," Alvin said, feeling her pulling herself up.

Bailey pulled herself up more and could soon rest her forearms on the sill. She pushed against the window sill and lifted herself higher. She looked out the window and nearly froze at what she saw.

It was too dark to make out his face, but Bailey knew what she was seeing was indeed a man. She watched as he reached towards the window. Panicking, Bailey's reflexes made her push herself away.

"Bailey, what are you doing?" Alvin asked, struggling to get his balance back. Her reaction was too unexpected and strong, and so he couldn't. They both fell, taking the laundry basket with them.

Alvin landed in the tub while Bailey landed outside of it. Moaning in slight pain, Alvin pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and looked over at Bailey.

She was sitting up and rubbing her head.

"What the heck happened?" Alvin asked as he climbed out of the tub and went over to her. Bailey lowered her arm and looked at him with the most frightened eyes he's seen. "You saw him…didn't you? Outside the window?"

She nodded and forced away frightened tears. "Part of me knew you were right, but I didn't want it to be true."

"Yeah, well that makes two of us," he said and looked around. He stood and helped Bailey up as well. "Come on, we don't have time to waste." He went over to the door and unlocked it, pulling it open. Bailey grabbed both the baseball bat and lamppost and followed Alvin out of the bathroom and down the hall.

---

Simon and Theodore were watching over Alvin and Bailey in mutual worried silence. "Simon, there has to be something we can do."

Simon looked at Theodore and sighed. "We can only do so much, Theodore. What we're doing now is stretching our limits already. We shouldn't have been contacting Alvin, and we shouldn't be helping him out right now either. Anymore and we can get ourselves into serious trouble, as well as Alvin. Even if he doesn't know it's forbidden."

"Well," Brittany's voice joined in as she and her sisters appeared beside Simon and Theodore. "That's stupid."

"Yeah," Eleanor said as she watched what was happening with Alvin and Bailey. "Britt, that girl looks a lot like you." Brittany looked at what Eleanor was talking about.

"Leave it to Alvin to try and replace me," she was smiling though, not meaning it in a bad way. She knew who his heart belonged to, and it wasn't her or Bailey. She looked at Simon.

"Simon," Jeanette spoke up. Simon looked at her. "You already know that if the roles were switched, Alvin would do anything to help us, not giving the rules even a moment's thought, right?" Simon looked at Alvin and Bailey once more.

She was right. He knew she was right. And he knew he was not going to let his older brother die. It wasn't even close to his time to do so. He would do anything to ensure his brother lived his life. He knew Alvin would do the same. He had tried to do the same.

Brittany, Jeanette, Eleanor, and Theodore looked at Simon, waiting for his response. "Alright. Let's do it." There were cheers and high fives. Alvin and Bailey were going to make it out of there, so long as they were involved.

---

It was quiet. Eerily, suspiciously, quiet in the house. The clocks weren't even ticking as they hung on the walls. There were no squeaks as Alvin and Bailey made their way slowly, fearfully, down the stairs.

Alvin knew enough about horror events from the movies he used to watch to know that whoever was after him, was somewhere in this house. Even if Bailey had seen him outside, he knew he was back in the house.

And so, by walking downstairs, which is where he had to be by now, Alvin knew he was walking right into his hunter's arms. He tightened his grip on his baseball bat and wished Simon would tell him where he was at again.

Bailey stayed close behind him; he could feel her presence and her fear. He truly regretted putting her life in danger. He just wanted to get her somewhere safe before anything tragic were to take place. If he had to choose, he'd want her to live.

As they neared the bottom of the stairs, Alvin stopped and so did Bailey. The front door was wide open. This was a taunt, or a trick of some kind, Alvin knew it. Still, it was tempting, but it wasn't safe.

His heart racing, Alvin looked around. He could be anywhere. Simon, where is he?

Alvin shivered at the feel of a calming presence. "He's behind the door, Alvin." It was Simon. Alvin nodded to himself.

It made sense now. If they were to head for the door, he'd come out of his hiding place and Alvin's feelings would be right. He'd be walking right into his arms. He glanced at Bailey before whispering, "Go back upstairs. As quietly as you can, go back up there."

Bailey's initial response was shaking her head. Alvin gave her a firm look and she had to comply. She didn't know what was going on, but knew Alvin had something in mind. She inched her way up a few steps before Alvin began the rest of the decent. At the final step, he looked back and saw she was hiding at the corner that led to the stairs.

Content that she was at least out of range of being harmed, he placed his foot onto the floor. Everything happened slowly.

The first thing that happened was the door was pushed from the wall and it slammed closed. Out from behind where it had been was the man, and he was lunging towards Alvin in a way a lion would its prey. Then there was Bailey's scream that bounced off the walls and rang in Alvin's ears.

The only thing Alvin heard instead of that was Simon's voice, "Duck, Alvin!" And he felt himself being pushed down onto the floor. He slid some ways along the floor and then there was a rough thud and a deep groan that signaled the man had hit his head on the stairs.

The pace of time returned to normal as Alvin sat up and looked behind him. The man was cursing under his breath and sitting up onto his knees, cradling his forehead. Alvin's blue eyes immediately went upstairs and spotted Bailey, looking petrified and frozen. He motioned for her to run, but her gaze was on the man who was now looking towards Alvin.

Sensing a gaze on him, Alvin immediately returned his gaze to the man, hoping he hadn't given Bailey away.

The man smirked and looked upstairs. Still on his knees he began his ascent, his gaze locked on Bailey.

Alvin reacted, grabbing his bat and getting to his feet, he ran after him. Lifting the bat above his head he swung it down hard on the man's lower back, causing a cry and the man was temporarily unable to move.

"Bailey, run!" Alvin yelled and brought the bat down once more onto the man's back, causing the same reaction and further immobilizing him due to the pain and where Alvin was hitting him.

Bailey scooted backward before standing and taking off down the hall, her lamppost still in her hand.

Alvin's next shot at the man was cut off as he was hit away roughly. Staggering back, Alvin hit the wall and slid to the floor. The man growled and struggled to stand before climbing upstairs slowly, clutching his back now.

Alvin shook his head and stood slowly. He had to get to Bailey. He moved to run, but couldn't. His body was still in shock from the rough push he had just received. He looked and saw that the man was barely halfway upstairs.

Alvin followed him, bat ready for another hit. When the man reached the stairs, there was a female "Hee-yah!" and the sound of something heavy connecting with the man's body.

"Aaaargh!" the man cried out in pain. He staggered for a moment and leaned against the wall. At the angle he was in now, Alvin could see that Bailey had hit him somewhere around his small intestines. He wasted no time; he ran past the man, grabbed Bailey and ran back downstairs. He glanced at the door as he ran past it and down the hall.

"Alvin, why aren't we going outside?" Bailey asked as he pulled her into the kitchen. He stopped and looked around before opening up the cupboard next to the sink. He pushed Bailey in and followed. He eased the door closed and it was dark.

"Because," he whispered his answer. "There's too much open space. He could hide anywhere." They both listened to the man's heavy footsteps as he climbed down the stairs. Alvin felt Bailey tighten her grip on her lamppost. He did the same with his bat.

They listened as he made a few stops, checking the other doors for any traces of them inside. Each failed attempt at finding them, he vented through slamming the door he had opened.

In the smallness of the cabinet they were in, Alvin felt Bailey jump whenever the man slammed a door. He was steadily coming closer to where they were hiding. His heart was pounding, and could swear it was loud enough to be heard given how quiet the house was. He could see Bailey glance at him out of the corner of his eye, but he kept his concentration on the sound of the man's footsteps as he bypassed the kitchen and opened the basement door.

Alvin shivered when he felt the familiar calming presence next to him. He's in the basement now, go Alvin, while you have the chance. He didn't waste a second. He pushed open the cabinet, grabbed Bailey's hand and pulled her out with him. With agility he forgot he possessed, he took off out of the kitchen and towards the front door. He stopped in front of it and as quietly as he could, turned the knob, pulled the door open only a little and pushed Bailey outside.

Bailey looked at him with wide eyes, thinking he was going to stay inside, but when he followed her outside she relaxed slightly.

Alvin eased the door shut and scanned the front yard. It was darker than any normal night...and way too quiet. "Come on, we have to get out of here." Alvin grabbed her hand and they took off down the driveway and onto the sidewalk. He stopped once more and looked around.

This was too easy, Alvin knew it. Why didn't he look in the kitchen? What was he planning?

The reality hit Alvin so hard he felt like he had been punched in the gut. "Dammit!" he cursed aloud, startling Bailey.

"What? What is it?" she asked, looking around.

"He got us outside!" Alvin growled. How had he let this happen? "There's too much open space! He can hide anywhere now."

"Let's just go to our neighbor's house," she suggested, urgently pulling him to her left. "Please Alvin, we can't just stand around."

"Alvin, you have to go! He's at the front door, he's going to see you if you don't hide!"

Alvin took off to the left, nearly dragging Bailey due to the speed he used. They got to their neighbor's front porch. There was no car in the driveway. "They're gone..." Alvin whispered, hearing the front door being slammed. He led Bailey into their neighbor's bushes, feeling the branches and a few thorns scratch him, but ignored it. He heard Bailey whimper in discomfort, and then she was silent.

Through the fence that separated their yards, Alvin could hear the man walking slowly on the grass. With the silence that hung in the air, he could even hear his heavy breathing. He looked over at Bailey and saw that she was tense and frightened. He didn't blame her one bit, she was doing much better than he had when he had confronted these men both times.

He looked ahead in thought. If he was to get her out of this safely, he knew he'd have keep her hidden and go out by himself. He wasn't going to lose someone else, that was a fact. He looked back over at her and whispered, "Bailey." She looked at him, her eyes wide and fearful. "I'm gonna go out there, but I need for you to stay here, alright?"

She immediately shook her head at this announcement. "No, Alvin," she whispered firmly. "You can't just go out there alone."

"Bailey, if I let you come with me, I'd be too distracted trying to keep you safe," he said. "Please, just stay here." She looked at him with sad and scared eyes.

"Alvin, I don't want you to get hurt. You're the only brother I have," she said softly. He almost smiled at this, but he didn't. He couldn't promise he wouldn't get hurt. But by having her stay where she was now, he could promise that she wouldn't.

"I promise to be careful, ok?" he said. Bailey knew this was all she could ask for, and knew it was all he could give. So she nodded and watched him slowly and quietly inch his way out of the bush and he was gone.

Simon, Theodore...Everyone. I'm gonna need your help... He sighed as he gripped his bat tighter in his hands and walked along his neighbor's yard, hiding behind a tree.

"We're here for you Alvin," Theodore's voice filled his head and he smiled.

"Yeah," Brittany's voice followed suit. "It's not your time to join us, and I don't want to see you until it is." He could hear her smile.

"Don't worry Alvin," Jeanette and Eleanor said in unison. "We're right here for you." Alvin forced back the urge to succumb to his tears. They really were right there with him. All of them were. He shivered as he felt a presence next to him.

"I'm right here beside you, Alvin," Simon said. "We'll lead you away from this monster." He smiled and nodded, feeling more safe and confident with this knowledge.

---

Alvin made it back to Bailey's front porch with no signs of the man around. He was completely on edge with the lack of any sign of him. He had seen more than a fair share of monster and thriller movies to know that not seeing the bad guy wasn't always a good thing. It usually led right into a trap. But Simon had reassured he wasn't in the house, and Alvin was desperate to grab the phone and call the police. But he didn't want to be too far from Bailey either.

He sighed, hoping to ease his nerves and grabbed the doorknob, but didn't turn it. Are you sure, Simon? Is Bailey safe?

"Alvin, neither of you are in any danger right now," Simon said softly. "But the more you prolong this, the more likely you'll run into danger. So go on, we're all watching over you both."

Alvin nodded and opened the door. He made a quick rush for the phone and picked it up. He listened for a dial tone and was relieved when there still was one. He quickly called the police.

"Los Angeles Police Department, how can I help you?" It was a woman.

"Yes, I'm located at 1132 Milldale Drive. My sister and I are being stalked and are in danger because there is a man after us," Alvin said, struggling not to talk to fast and be clear with what he's saying. His heart was racing and his breathing wasn't matching up to it correctly.

"Ok we're on our way. Stay close to the address and we'll be right there." Alvin thanked the officer and hung up before dialing another number.

He was relieved when the phone was answered. "Marina?" Alvin cut off her sleepy "Hello?"

"Alvin? Are you alright?" she asked, sounding wide awake now.

"Marina, he's hear. The man, he's here, at Bailey's house. Well, he's outside somewhere now."

"Alright, did you call the police?" she asked, not bothering to ask if he was serious or not. She could hear it in his voice.

"Yeah, just before I called you." He could hear movement on her end.

"Alright, I'm on my way over there."

Alvin was about to protest, but the line went dead. His heart stopped and he dropped the phone. S-Simon...? Where is he?

There was a moment of silence before Simon answered, "He's on the side of the house. Get out of there, Alvin!"

Alvin didn't waste a second in the house and bolted out the front door and into something hard. He fell backward and shook his head before looking up. His body froze in terror as he stared into the face of the man. Behind the paralyzing fear he felt, he could feel himself being pushed to his feet and forced to run, and he went with it while his mind caught up to the action.

He felt his wrist being grabbed by a familiar warmth and he let his eyes focus on the form that was a transparent Simon in front of him. His eyes widened and he wondered how this could be happening. He didn't ask as he was led to the other neighbors' house and he was pushed into the bush. He struggled to catch his breath.

"You need to be more careful, Alvin," Simon scolded as his form sat beside his brother, the twigs and branches not touching him.

"I was at first," he said. He shivered at the memory of the man's face, knowng for a fact that if he did make it out alive, that face would haunt him forever, along with everything else. Like he needed more of those incidents to follow him.

"Yeah, at first," Simon continued lecturing him. "Alvin, just be more careful, alright?"

Alvin looked over at his brother's form and nodded slowly, struggling to keep his emotions in check. Did Simon forget how he got when he could see his brother so easily? He mentally shook his head. Now wasn't the time to get emotional. He needed to focus.

Sensing his brother's emotional turmoil, Simon smiled and scooted closer to his brother. "I understand how this all is affecting you, Alvin. But we all need to work on getting you and Bailey out of this conflict so you two can get back to your lives, alright?"

Alvin swallowed his tears and nodded. "I understand, Simon..." Simon nodded as well and motioned for him to get out of the bush.

"The cost should be clear now," Simon said and watched as Alvin stood.

"Where should I go?" Alvin asked. Simon stood next to his brother and looked around.

"It looks like your neighbors are still here on this side. You should go and get Bailey and try and get inside where it's safe," Simon instructed. Alvin nodded and made his way over towards where Bailey's yard was and peeked around the fence.

He sighed softly and made his way across the yard and over to their other neighbor's yard and went over to the bush area. He got on his hands and knees and crawled through the area he had left Bailey at. His heart stopped when he realized she wasn't there. "Oh God..." he whispered and sat back, then stood and looked around. Where was she? He knew Bailey wouldn't just get up and wander off.

Boiling rage filled him and almost completely drowned out his fear. He was not going to lose someone else. He grabbed Bailey's lamppost and briefly wondered where he had left his bat at. He let the thought go and stomped towards Bailey's house. He looked inside, it was dark and quiet. He knew for a fact that his hunter may not even be inside the house, but he also figured he would have wanted him somewhere secluded.

He went upstairs and began searching. He checked Bailey's parents' room. Nothing.

He checked the bathroom. Nothing.

He checked his bedroom. Nothing.

He went over to Bailey's bedroom door and stared at it.

"Alvin," Simon's voice came. "They're in her room. He left Bailey open because he knows you'll go directly to her if you saw her. Be careful, it's a trap." Alvin nodded. It made sense.

He gently, as silently as he could, eased Bailey's door open slowly. He let his eyes scan her room, what parts of it he exposed, and saw Bailey sitting curled up on her floor. He fought the impulse to run to her and make sure she was ok, remembering Simon's warning. Seeing her alive was good enough for him to know she was alright. She looked tense and petrified.

Their eyes met, and Alvin immediately made a shushing motion with his index finger and mouth. She nodded very slowly ahd hugged herself tighter. She motioned with her eyes where he was and he nodded. Behind the door, very original.

Alvin tightened his grip on his weapon and an idea struck him. He felt the presence of both his brothers, and the Chipettes standing around him. He knew they were going to make sure he was safe.

He pushed the door open and ran over to Bailey, listening for the heavy soiund of feet behind him. When he heard it, he narrowed his eyes and whirled around, bringing the lamppost with him. "Hee yah!" He nailed the man in the side of his knee, making them both buckle and he dropped to his knees. He groaned. Alvin growled and hit him in his side.

The man moaned and fell onto his right side. Alvin focused his next hits on his feet and legs, making sure he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. Bailey was the one who got him to stop.

"Listen," she whispered. Alvin gathered his breathing back and listened, tuning out his hunter's painful moans and heard it. Police sirens!

Alvin faced Bailey and then looked at the man. He didn't want to leave him there, he may get away.

"Don't worry," Brittany said. "My sisters and I will keep an eye on him for you." Alvin smiled and led Bailey down the hall, downstairs and out the door in time to see the police drive into the driveway.

---

Alvin watched as the ambulance carried the man on a gurney and into the back of their truck as he sat beside Bailey in another one. They had both just been questioned and were now being examined for any injuries. This time, there were none.

"Alvin?" Marina pushed her way through the police and went over to the child. "Are you alright? I'm sorry I couldn't get here any sooner." She looked both of them over before hugging them.

"We're fine, Marina," Alvin said once she released him. "I know this isn't the best time, but have you figured out what you can do for Bailey?"

Bailey looked up in surprise and confusion. Marina straightened up.

"I have. There will be a process, but I got something for the both of you." Alvin smiled.

"Thanks, Marina. But I have one other option. And if things work out for Bailey, maybe, this time, she can come with me?" Alvin asked. Bailey looked completely dumbfounded.

Marina smiled. "We'll talk tomorrow."

---

**Three Weeks Later**

After a rather difficult trial and some serious press and media, Alvin and Bailey both got away from her neglectful parents.

"Where are we going, Alvin?" Bailey asked as she shifted her backpack and followed him along a dirt trail.

"You've been asking me that since we left," Alvin countered.

"That's because you have yet to tell me where we're going," she said. Alvin watched the final ray of sunshine leave the sky and the stars appear. "It's night now. We should stop and make a camp."

"Nah, we're almost there."

Bailey huffed. "But you told me that two hours ago!" Alvin shrugged.

"I'm sure this time. Trust me, I've been here before." Bailey left it at that. She enjoyed this travelling quite a bit.

He couldn't say when he had finally remembered what Simon had been implying he had forgotten. But now that he remembered, he felt stupid for forgetting about it. Forgetting about her. He had never really lost any options, he and his brother's were never really orphaned. But now he was on his way back, and he was bringing his new sister, and some heartbreaking news.

Doing something he hadn't done in a long time, Alvin inhaled silently and let his voice flow in a harmony he didn't think he would ever do again, as he walked alongside Bailey."Oh hoooo. Oh oooh, ooooh." Bailey looked over at Alvin as he sang, her eyes wide with surprise and her heart breaking as she heard the pain in the voice that she found beautiful. She had never heard him sing, thinking if she listened to any of his music, she'd be violating a very private part of his past. Now, hearing it, she was glad he was doing it on his own.

Alvin continued singing, looking up at the evening sky. "I'm staring out into the night."

"Oh, oh, oh," Theodore and Simon sang in his mind.

"Trying to hide the pain," Alvin sang, lowering his gaze as tears threatened to fill his eyes. Bailey listened to ever word and note, realizing he was amozingly flawless for being silent for so many months.

"Oh, oh, oh."

"I'm going to the place where love, ("oh, oh, oh") and feeling good don't ever cost a thing," he sang, looking ahead. "And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain. Mmm. I'm going home. Back to the place where I belong, and where your love has always been enough for me."

Bailey smiled slightly as the power in his voice grew a bit.

"I'm not running from. No, I think you got me all wrong. I don't regret this life I chose for me. But these places and these faces are getting old. So I'm going home."

"Oooh."

"I'm going home."

"Yay, heeey..."

"I'm going home."

"Mm Hm."

"The miles are getting longer, it seems ("Oh, oh, oh")," Alvin sang as he ducked under a low branch and held it up for Bailey before leading the way ahead. "The closer I get to you."

"Oh, oh, oh."

"I've not always been the best man or friend for you. But your love remains true. And I don't know why. You always seem to give me another try, no. I'm going home, back to the place where I belong. And where your love has always been enough for me. I'm not running from. No, I think you got me all wrong. I don't regret this life I chose for me. But these places and these faces are getting old."

Bailey frowned slightly, growing sad as she listened to the tone in his voice.

"Be careful what you wish for," Alvin sang as he looked into Bailey's eyes. "'Cause you just might get it all. Yeah you just might get it all. And then some you don't want. Be careful what you wish for. 'Cause you just might get it all. Yeah, you just might get it all. And then some you don't waaaant. Ho oh oh ho, whoa ooooooh! I'm going home,("I'm going home")back to the place where I belong, and where your love has always been enough for me."

"Been good enough for me!"

"I'm not running from."

"Not running from!"

"No, I think you got me all wrong."

"You got me wrong!"

"I don't regret this life I chose for me. But these places and these faces are getting old," Alvin sang as he stopped twenty feet from his mother's tree house. "So I'm going hoooooooooooo-oh-oh-oooooh whoa ooooooh! Hmmmmm!"

Bailey stood beside him and saw what he was looking at. She watched someone come outside and call Alvin's name questioningly and in shock. She looked at Alvin unsure, but he simply smiled a sad smile, took her hand and made his way over to his mother, his last physical connection to his brothers.

"Hey Mom," Alvin said as they approached. He struggled against his tears, some of happiness at being home, most at the news he would have to give to her. "I have something to tell you..."

---

That's the end of the series. This took forever to write. Don't worry, Dream Lover 2 will be updated ASAP.

Please review for me.

SawyerSeville19