The Real You

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Author's Note: So, this is a one-shot based after the movie. Dedicated to Simonette.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"Home sweet home," Dave sighed, opening the front door of their house. It felt like ages since they all last stepped foot inside the cozy little home. It was a welcome change from the dangerous island they had been stranded on just a few days ago. "Come on, guys. I'm sure all of you are as tired as I am."

Simon, personally, was never so thankful to be back home in all his life. After that fiasco of a vacation (courtesy of Alvin, as usual), it really made one thankful for the calmness of home.

Well, I guess it wasn't a complete fiasco, Simon thought with a small smile. Jeanette and I are all the better for it, right?

"Oh, there's no place like home!" Brittany said happily, twirling around before making her way for the staircase. "The first thing I'm going to do is take a long, hot bath. Oh, and I'm washing my hair, manicuring my claws..."

"Aw man. Britt, don't take all the hot water! You're not the only one who deserves pampering!" Alvin complained, rolling his golden eyes at his counterpart. He then pointed to himself. "What about me?"

Brittany shot him an icy glare. "Excuse me? And who's fault was it that we ended up stranded on that horrible island in the first place? Hm?" Alvin faultered. Brittany smirked at him. "Right, exactly."

"Guys, please, not again," Theodore said, rubbing his aching head. "Let's relax. We made it to the International Music Awards and nobody got hurt. Isn't that a good enough?"

"Teddy's right, guys!" Eleanor said cheerfully. "Now we can finally take a breather."

"Very well put, Eleanor," Simon agreed. "We can unpack later. Right, Dave?"

"Yeah, you all can go to your rooms and crash for now," Dave said, nodding his head. He stretched his back. "I think we can afford to laze around for a day or two."

"Thanks Dave!" his six charges said in unison before quickly ascending the stairs and retiring to their respective bedrooms.

Simon flopped down on top of his bed, sighing in relief. The feel of the clean, cool sheets against his fur felt like heaven compared to the itchy leaves he had to sleep on while stranded on that island. He watched from his spot as Theodore snuggled under his own covers to take a long nap while Alvin rushed into their bathroom to take a shower. No doubt he was trying to beat Brittany to using up all the hot water.

Simon rolled over onto his back, his mind drifting back to just a few days ago. Back when he was "Simone", the amazing french daredevil. Honestly, he didn't remember a thing about it. It all seemed like a blur for him. He remembered being bitten by a poisonous spider, the type that dealt a deadly neurotoxin. Then, before he knew it, the island's volcano was about to erupt and everyone was asking for him to save Jeanette from a mad Zoe. Not only that, but they said that he was dating Jeanette! What on earth happened!

His curiosity got the better of him in the end. Despite his fatigue, Simon slid off of his bed and went off in search of Jeanette. He was still uncertain. Did this mean they were officially together? Did Jeanette really love Simon, as he loved her? Or was she more enamored with this "Simone" character? What if who he really was wasn't enough for her now?

What if she realized she could find someone much more exciting and braver than just boring old Simon?

"When did things get so confusing?" Simon grumbled, shaking his head. "Jeanette knows that wasn't really 'me' talking. But... then again, maybe it was me, deep down. Ugh..."

Frustrated, he decided to just ask her what happened between them. He knew he gave her some kind of crown, but what else? Surely there must have been more than that to give the others the impression that they were dating?

"Simon? You're not taking a nap?" Jeanette asked, interrupting his train of thought. She smiled down at him from her position on the couch. "You must be exhausted. Are you sure you don't want to take a nap or anything?"

"Nah, I'm okay," Simon replied, hopping onto the couch and sitting beside her. He looked over at the television. It looked like she was watching some sort of space documentary. "Jeanette, can I ask you something?"

"Certainly," Jeanette said, adjusting her glasses. She turned away from her show and smiled up at him happily, those big violet eyes peering innocently into his dark blue ones. "Is there something bothering you?"

"W-Well, not really," Simon blushed, rubbing the back of his head. He really had no idea how to put his thoughts into comprehensible words. But he couldn't deny it was nagging at his mind ever since they escaped the island. "I was wondering, um... what happened between us on that island? Brittany said we went on a... on a..."

"Date?" Jeanette supplied, smiling at his nervousness. He's so cute when he's bashful.

"Y-Yes, correct," Simon coughed. Why was he so nervous? It was only a simple question! "I-I just want to know what happened, you see."

"Well, let's see," Jeanette said, thinking back. "First of all, you came to meet me and my sisters, swinging in on a vine like Tarzan," she giggled.

"Me? On a vine?" Simon chuckled. "Can't imagine me doing that."

"Simone, rather," Jeanette corrected. "Then you greeted Brittany and Eleanor, kissing their hands. For a minute, I was really jealous. But then you came to me and kissed my hand... a lot."

Simon felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment. He can't believe he actually did that! Not only was he mortified that he had actually flirted with her own sisters, but he started barraging her with kisses too! He was completely out of control at that time. He was... he was Alvin.

"Jeanette, I'm really sorry about that," Simon apologized. "I would never do that – well, I mean, I would to you, but I, er..."

"I know what you mean, Simon," Jeanette giggled, coiling her tail around his own. His tail twitched in surprise, but he soon returned the squeeze. "I was really enjoying all of the attention. I never had someone so interested in me before I met you. You made me feel like I was the most beautiful girl in the world."

Yet, that wasn't me.

"Then we danced in the rain," Jeanette continued, a dreamy expression on her face. "That was so romantic. I'm usually pretty clumsy, but you – um, Simone – made me feel like I was flying. We made a great pair, you and I."

We had our first real dance together? I missed that?

"Oh! And then you did this really cool jump off of a waterfall! Oh my, it was so brave of you – Simone, sorry. And that's when you found the treasure behind the waterfall, and you gave me that beautiful crown. I... I feel so guilty giving it to Zoe. It was really special to me, but I just felt like the poor girl deserved something after all that," Jeanette said softly. "I hope that's okay with you?"

"Yeah, that's okay," Simon mumbled. "Was there anything else that happened?"

"You came back after that," Jeanette said. "I'm sure you know the rest, hm?"

"Got it," Simon said sadly. "Okay, well, thanks. That's all I wanted to know."

He turned away from her, prepared to turn in for the night. For some reason, he didn't feel like talking anymore. What more was there for her to say? She made it pretty clear that most, if not all, of their romantic opportunities was a result of his stupid alter ego. He could never do any of those things in reality. It simply wasn't in him. He wasn't the brave, daring, exciting, exotic, worldly chipmunk that swept Jeanette off her feet. He was just Simon, the nerdy, uptight, by-the-book chipmunk that everyone knew.

It was clear which one Jeanette had really fallen for.

"Simon, wait!"

Simon paused, turning around as Jeanette rushed to catch up to him. She panted slightly, wiping a bit of sweat from under her bangs.

"I can tell something's bothering you. Simon, you can tell me anything. You know that, don't you?" Jeanette said softly, taking his hand in her own. Simon flinched a bit at her touch, not knowing what to say. "If I've said something wrong, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't offend me, Jeanette," Simon reassured her. "It's just... I think it's really... unfair."

"Unfair?"

"That's right," Simon said, looking down at his feet. "Think about it, Jeanette. Our first real dance together. Our first kiss – sorta. My first gift to you. All of that wasn't me. It was Simone."

"But–"

"And let's face it, Jeanette. The way all of you make it sound, you fell for someone who was the total opposite of me. Someone who was exciting, fun, daring, brave. That's not me. That's Simone," Simon said, exhaling loudly. He was frustrated. How many times had he yearned to tell Jeanette how he really felt? But he just had to get bitten by that stupid spider. "Do you see where I'm going with this? I'm no Casanova. So... all those things you liked so much? You won't find that with me."

Jeanette didn't respond. She simply stared at him with those big, violet eyes of hers from behind her equally vivid glasses. Simon sighed, feeling his heart sink.

"That's what I thought," he said softly.

"Simon, listen to me," Jeanette said, not letting go of his hand.

"Jeanette–"

"Listen to me!" she said firmly. Simon's blue eyes widened in surprise. It wasn't too often anyone saw the soft-spoken brunette raise her voice, even if it was only a little. She blushed at her slight outburst. "F-Forgive me. But Simon, you're wrong. Completely wrong!"

"How am I wrong?" Simon asked. "All of that wasn't me."

"You're right. All of that wooing... it wasn't you," she said softly. However, she shook her head and gave him a loving, warm smile. "But you're forgetting something. It was you who came to my rescue when I needed you the most. Simone didn't rescue me from that erupting volcano. You did. I-I would have been lost without you, Simon. Simone was flashy and reckless. In the end, you were my hero."

Simon gawked at her, touched at her words. But he shook his head again. "B-But, it took me a while to work up the courage to go after you again. Simone wouldn't have hesitated."

"I don't want Simone. Don't you see, Simon? Way before you got bitten by that spider, I always wanted to know you better. To steal away more time with you. To be by your side. Simone was fun, but he's no you," Jeanette pressed. She blushed, moving her bangs out of her eyes. "He's not the one I fell in love with."

"Jeanette..." Simon said, giving her a small smile..

"I mean that, Simon," Jeanette said, showing a burst of confidence he hadn't seen before. "To be honest, I was never one for those types of guys. I always did like an intellectual."

"Thank you, Jeanette," Simon said. He leaned in and gave her a small, soft kiss on the lips. It didn't last too long, but he wanted to make sure she knew how he felt in that one action. "That's part of what I love about you."

"I'm glad, Simon," Jeanette said bashfully. Despite this, she still didn't let go of his paw. She didn't want to ever let go. "I'd take Simon over silly Simone any day."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Author's Note: I hope you all liked it! Obviously, it contained spoilers for anyone who did not see the movie yet. I might just do some more post-Chipwrecked oneshots for Theonor and Alvittany, since they were kind of overshadowed this time around.

And, despite my distaste for Simone, I am a true Simonette lover. Just to clear that up.

Also, I have a poll up asking which pairing I should write about in my next big story. Tell me what you think.