I do not any of the Chipmunks, Chipettes, or Dave. They are rightly owned by Bagdasarian Productions.

I just wanted you to note that, in my stories, Theodore is not a vegetarian. Thank you, everyone, for all your kind comments and encouraging words! I'm sorry it took me so long to get this story up. I turned out to be a lot longer than I thought.

Chapter One

It was a warm Thursday morning in September at the Seville breakfast table. The aroma of maple syrup, bacon, and hash browns still lingered. Dave was reading the Sports section of the newspaper; Alvin was reading the Comics. Simon had the front page story, and Theodore was stuck with the Classifieds. Theodore's eyes fell onto the "Dogs" section and read with longing. Boy, did he want a dog! He and his brothers had owned a dog once, Lily, but they eventually had to give her away. They hated doing it, but they thought that Lily deserved a better life than what they were giving her. Also, they hadn't been very responsible. Now that they were older, Theodore felt that the time was right to get another dog.

"Can someone pass the syrup?" Dave asked.

"Here you go," Simon said as he handed the bottle to him, not even looking up from the paper.

"Dave, I want a dog." At Theodore's mention of a dog, Alvin and Simon looked up with the same longing in their eyes that Theodore had. Although they had never mentioned it, they thought often about getting another dog.

"Theodore, we've discussed this many times. I've already told you the reasons why we can't keep one."

"Remind me again what those 'reasons' are," Alvin challenged.

"Well, first, I don't feel that you boys are responsible enough. Remember what happened with Lily."

Theodore argued, "But, Dave, we're older now, and if all three of us promise to take care of him, I know we could do it."

"Second, we can't afford it."

"Oh yes we can!" Alvin indignantly said. "You always say we can't afford something when you really save all the money for us in the bank. With all the concerts we do and products we sell, I'm sure we could get a dog!"

Ignoring the fact that Alvin was right, Dave continued, "Third, I'm allergic to dogs."

"You've been allergic to both cats and dogs," Simon countered. "Frankly, I'm not even sure that you are allergic. Even if you are, there is medicine you can get now to treat dog dander, the object which makes most people allergic to canines. There are even breeds such as the poodle and Wheaton who don't have dog dander. They make perfect pets for people with animal allergies."

"Any other excuses, Dave?" spoke Alvin.

"The answer is still 'no.' Subject closed." Dave resumed reading the paper, and they finished their breakfast in silence. Dave had made up his mind, and very little could be done to change it.

The subject of dogs was soon forgotten. Or so Dave thought it was forgotten. The Chipmunks had merely put the topic in the back of their minds and silently agreed not to bring it up again for a while. A week and a half passed, and before Theodore knew it, it was that time of the month again when he sat down at their bedroom desk to answer fan letters. Ever since the Chipmunks had posted their official email addresses on their website, they had received a lot more emails. After all, it is much easier to email a person than to write them a letter. Simon found his inbox was fuller than Theodore's was; because of that, he answered his letters every three weeks. Alvin had no choice but to answer them every two weeks. He always chose a week night to answer them, so he could have a good excuse for not doing his dreaded homework.

Theodore had waken up early just to answer his 52 emails. The number was a little low this month, but that was only because fans didn't have time to write, what with the new school year starting. Simon was working in his inventions notebook on the bed. Theodore hated to be in a room alone, and Simon had kindly volunteered to work in there until he had to return to his basement. Outside, you could hear an occasional thump against the house followed by the window opening up. Alvin was throwing his football against the house, and Dave was opening the window to tell him to stop.

After he finished answering email 37, Theodore decided it was time for a little break. He went downstairs to look for a snack. "Now what do I want? I could have some Ritz crackers. No, I already ate those. How about chips? No, Alvin ate those a couple days ago. I think…I'll have a sandwich."

Theodore started his usual process of making a sandwich. First, he got out six slices of bread, the turkey, ham, bologna, lettuce, onion, tomato, avocado, Swiss cheese, cucumber, and American cheese. Then he began making his sandwich tower, adding mayonnaise on each slice of bread. As he was getting the ingredients, Theodore noticed that some of their vegetables had rotted. He sadly threw them away. "It's such a waste." Alvin walked in through the back door just as Theodore was about to take a bite.

"Hi, Theodore!"

"Aaahhh! Alvin, you scared me!"

"It's not like I meant to do it on purpose or anything. All I said was 'hi'. You gotta admit though; it was a pretty good scare." His smirk wiped off his face after he sniffed the air. "Whew! What's that smell?"

"It's probably coming from the garbage." Theodore finished chewing and continued, "I had to throw away some of our vegetables. I peeled an onion too."

"Oh, that would do it. Listen, I came here to ask you if you've seen my slingshot."

"Why would you need that?"

"You'll see," he answered with his famous smile that spelled "trouble". "Now have you seen it or not?"

"I think it's in our closet."

Alvin bounded up the stairs and went to their closet, ignoring Simon, and started searching for his slingshot. Simon looked up from his notebook when he heard a loud thump coming from the closet.

"Oww!"

"What happened, Alvin?"

"Oh, my bowling ball just fell on my foot again, that's all."

"You should really store that in your bowling bag."

"I can't. I'm storing old homework and junk in it."

After looking almost everywhere, Alvin found his slingshot. (It was under a shirt that he had been standing on). He grabbed it and some balloons and hurried out of the bedroom before Simon asked about them. Simon had noticed them but was too engrossed in his formulas to investigate the matter. Alvin went into the bathroom and filled the balloons with water. Then, he carefully tucked the balloons and slingshot in his backpack that he had put in the bathroom earlier and headed downstairs towards the backdoor.

Next door, the Chipettes and Miss Miller were on their porch. Miss Miller was falling asleep; Brittany was texting her best friend, Tiffany; Jeanette was reading Pride and Prejudice for the third time; and Eleanor was looking at a magazine. Alvin sneaked behind some bushes and crept towards the unsuspecting girls. He couldn't help but emit a small chuckle. Eleanor looked up from her magazine and listened intently. Alvin froze. After a few moments, she continued browsing. Gingerly, Alvin lifted the bloated balloon from his backpack and placed it in the slingshot. He raised it and took aim at his first target.

Splash! Splash! Splat! Splash!

The Chipettes started screaming, and Miss Miller snorted abruptly awake. "Oh my! We're under attack!" she yelled. Brittany's hair, pink bow, and crisp outfit were drenched and sticking to her fur. Jeanette sat in shock and disappointment as she wiped her glasses and looked at the damage done to her book. Eleanor was furious, but she tried to compose herself as she squeezed the water of her skirt. Alvin was rolling on the ground, laughing so hard that he had to hold his sides. Theodore and Simon had heard the noise and rushed outside. As soon as Brittany saw them, she knew exactly who had done it.

"Alvin Seville! Wherever you are, you're gonna get it!!!" she screeched.

"Alvin, how could you do that to them?" Theodore asked.

"It was easy! Hahahah!"

"Well it wasn't very nice." Theodore walked over to see if the girls were okay, and Miss Miller began telling him how her very life had flashed before her eyes.

"You'll be in trouble when Dave finds out," warned Simon.

"Hey wait, Simon!" Alvin stopped laughing. "Don't be a tattletale!"

Simon was already inside. By the time Alvin caught up to him, he could "Allviiin!" ringing in his ears.

"Alvin, I don't need to tell you that that was a bad thing you did." Dave started. "I want you to go over and apologize to them right now."

"But, Dave!"

"No buts."

"I was only having some fun. You should have seen them. They looked…" The look on Dave's face made Alvin shut up and solemnly head for the door.

"Are you sure you're okay, Eleanor?" Theodore asked as he took back the towel he had given her."

"I'm alright, thank you. I'm just mad. I heard him, but I ignored it. Next time, he won't get away with it."

"Tell me about it, Eleanor!" Brittany whined. "My hair is going to frizz now, and I have to change clothes not that that's a bad thing. But my phone! It better be okay, or he's buying me a new one. And a new outfit," she quickly added.

"I'm sure there won't be much damage done to the book," Simon was telling Jeanette.

"It's one of my favorite books."

"If it is bad, I'll make sure Alvin replaces it. Maybe he should still replace it," he thought aloud.

"What are YOU doing here?" Brittany said coldly as she stared at Alvin. Everyone else looked at him too.

"I came to come over here to apologize," he muttered. "I'm sorry that you can't take a joke."

"Alvin!!" Simon and Theodore scolded.

"Okay, okay." Alvin gulped and continued, "I'm sorry I got you wet and ruined you're stuff."

"I forgive you," Jeanette answered with a weak smile.

"It's okay," Eleanor responded. The last of her anger was disappearing.

"Apology not accepted."

"Now, Brittany," Miss Miller started, "That's not nice. Alvin came all the way over here to apologize, and now you need to forgive him. It's okay, Alvin."

Brittany idly looked at her nails. "Oh alright. It's okay," she blurted. "But don't let it happen again!"

Alvin just nodded and went back inside the house. Simon and Theodore, not sure what to do next, said they'd see the Chipettes later, waved goodbye, and followed Alvin.

"No slingshot for two weeks, you have to dust and vacuum the whole downstairs, and stay inside while I'm gone," they heard Dave say to Alvin.

"Okay," he answered reluctantly.

"I'll see you when I get back." Dave turned to the other Chipmunks. "I have to go to the office for a few hours. Sy wants me to go over some of the songs for your concert in Atlanta. You can call me if you need anything. Stay in our yard while I'm gone. Bye!"

"Okay, bye!" they said.

"And, Alvin, take out trash out too; it stinks!"