Title: The Heart of the Matter

Author: QteCuttlfish
Rating: T (just in case)
Type: Family/Drama
Summary: Sequel to We are the Broken. Four years ago, the Chipmunk and Chipette bands broke up, due to a series of events explained in We are the Broken. Now, all six have come home when something terrible happened to Dave. The Chipmunks and the Chipettes must relearn how to work together if they wish to save Dave. Will they learn to forgive one another *and* themselves? Can they save Dave, when danger stalks one of them? Or are they destined to forever sing the blues?

Pairings: Traditional (AxB, SxJ, TxE)

Disclaimer: Obviously, Alvin and the Chipmunks do not belong to me. I just borrow them for my nefarious purposes, then return them unharmed later.

WARNING: This fic will imply mature themes, such as sex, drug use, and alcohol use, and some instances of swearing. You have been warned. Flames will be laughed at, scorned, and otherwise saved to be made fun of at a later time. Reviews, however, will be most appreciated!

Author's Note #1:

Thank you to chipmunkandchipettelover, Northgalus2002, PurpleFox93, chipmunksnchipettes, and Kali101 for reviewing!

I'm sorry it's taken me awhile to write this chapter! I don't know why, but The Heart of the Matter has been a lot harder to write than We are the Broken. On the bright side, the chapters are fairly long. But it keeps deviating from the outline, which makes things harder. o_O

Chapter Two

Kitchen Confidential

Theodore put several plates of various items, such as bacon, toast, pancakes, waffles, and fruit on the kitchen table. I hope everyone can find something to eat, he fussed. He heard someone walking down the stairs, and soon, Jeanette poked her head in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Theodore," she said, slightly out of breath, her green eyes bright. Please don't notice anything wrong, Theodore. Please don't notice anything, she thought.

"Morning, Jeanette!" he said, relieved that she was the first one down the stairs. "Are you hungry? I made breakfast."

Jeanette looked at the piles on the kitchen table and laughed. "Starved." She sat down and began piling food on her plate. None of them had eaten much the night before, and this morning, Jeanette's stomach reminded her of that fact.

"Do you think I made enough?" Theodore fretted.

Jeanette nodded, looking at the many plates piled on the kitchen table. "I think so. Don't worry about it."

"It's just, there are so many touchy people in this house right now, and some are not going to be waking up in good moods. I thought I would try to help, as best I could," Theodore said.

Jeanette sighed. He has a good point, she thought, but before she could say anything someone else walked into the room, someone who made Theodore tense up.

"Breakfast!" the blonde chipmunk said. "Theodore, did you make all of this?"

"U-um, yes," he mumbled.

"Well, it looks great," she complimented him. "Are any of the others up?"

"Simon is. I'm sure he'll be down here soon," Jeanette said, blushing as the memories of a few minutes ago came back into her head in full Technicolor glory.

She's acting weird this morning, Eleanor thought. How would you know what's weird for her? You haven't really talked in three years,a voice asked her. Eleanor sighed, and sat down acroos from her sister. "Could you pass me the butter, Jeanette?" she asked.

Simon walked into the kitchen as well. "I thought I smelled breakfast."

"Y-yes," Theodore said. "I thought everyone would appreciate it, especially since we have a lot to decide today."

"Good thinking, Theodore," Simon said, not noticing Theodore's start at receiving a compliment from one of his brothers after so long. "So this is for everyone?"

Theodore nodded. Simon walked over to the table. He grabbed a plate and filled it, but then walked over to counter to eat it. There was no way he could sit next to Jeanette, not with Eleanor in the room. And he didn't think Eleanor would appreciate him sitting next to her.

"Theodore, aren't you going to eat?" Jeanette asked.

"When the other two get down here, then I'll eat," Theodore said.

"Theodore, you should just eat now. Who knows when they'll come down? After all, they're used to staying up all night and sleeping in all day," Eleanor said.

"You make them sound like vampires," Simon commented.

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "That doesn't make it less true."

Simon was about to retort to that, when he saw the look in Jeanette's eyes, asking him to back down. He sighed and turned his back on them, concentrating on his food. Eleanor watched this exchange. She saw the relief in Jeanette's eyes as she started eating again. Why am I always so angry around them? she thought. Because if they hadn't kept secrets, we wouldn't have ended up in this mess! she reminded herself. Oh really? a voice asked. And of course, no one else had anything to do with it starting it or keeping it going. Eleanor squirmed in her chair.

Theodore sighed when he realized that Jeanette had been able to prevent Simon and Eleanor from getting into it. He really wasn't up to any more fights in this house, and they really didn't need small skirmishes, when there were two large ones that could start when the other two found their way downstairs.

I always knew that Simon still had a soft spot for Jeanette, Theodore thought. I really hope the two of them, at least, can become friends again.

"Theodore, this is delicious! You always were a good cook, but that culinary school has made you even better," Eleanor complimented.

Theodore beamed. "Thank you, Eleanor."

Jeanette stared at her sister like she'd grown two heads. Since when are you talking to Theodore? Jeanette was glad Eleanor was being nice to Theodore, but she wondered where this was coming from.

Eleanor saw the questioning looking on Jeanette's face, and knew what it was about. But Theodore did go to all this trouble. He deserves some politeness, she justified to herself.

Simon couldn't believe Eleanor's compliment either. He knew how angry Eleanor had been for years at Theodore. Almost as angry as she's been at you and Jeanette, he thought. Almost as angry as you've been at Theodore. That thought made Simon feel very uncomfortable. Being back in this house had started him thinking about what had happened, which was one of the reasons why he hadn't slept well the night before. Deep down inside, he knew it wasn't really Theodore's fault. I shouldn't have kept it a secret, he thought. And Theodore was just trying to help. Simon sighed inwardly. Too bad I couldn't have thought of all this before. And they call me the smart one! Ha! Simon's gaze roamed over to other "brainy" chipmunk. She's really the smart one of us. After all, somehow, she and Theodore managed to come out of that mess as friends. His thoughts would probably have continued along that note, if it weren't for the footsteps he heard on the stairs. He braced himself, as all the hair on the back of his neck raised.

"I thought I smelled food!" Alvin stated as he walked into the room. He immediately walked over to the table and piled up a plate. "I missed this when I moved out."

"G-good morning, Alvin," Theodore said.

Alvin shrugged and waved, his mouth full of food. When he swallowed, he said, "Who took showers this morning?"

The other four looked at one another, and indicated somehow that they had. Alvin rolled his eyes. "All right, we need a system. Five people cannot all take hot showers in the morning. We need to take turns, because I hate taking cold showers!"

Someone behind him snorted. "Like your public love life wouldn't have already told us that," Brittany said, sauntering into the kitchen.

"You mean you didn't take a shower this morning? I thought I smelled something foul," Alvin snapped.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Of course I took a shower. And no, I didn't like the cold water either, but I wasn't going to whine about it like a big baby." Brittany daintily took some of the fruit from one of the plates and started eating it.

"Okay, so Alvin brought up an idea," Jeanette said quickly. "What do we think about creating a system to preserve the hot water?"

"I'd be okay with it," Theodore said. "In fact, I could shower at night instead of in the morning."

"I could do that too, which would only leave four to shower in the morning, instead of six," Jeanette offered.

"Oh good, the genius can add," Alvin snapped, angry that Jeanette had prevented him from going after her sister by jumping into the conversation. Then he felt guilty at the hurt look in Jeanette's eyes.

"She can certainly add better than you can," Simon said, glaring at Alvin. I know I've hurt Jeanette in the past, but that was uncalled for!

"I wasn't talking to you, Simon! And I don't know what you're talking about!" Alvin snapped.

"Um, you're the one who seems to be under the impression that there are only five people living in this house right now, when really, there are six," Simon said dryly.

"That's because there were only five in the room at the time! And I didn't know our resident slut had taken a shower!" Alvin yelled. "Besides she took one after I did."

Brittany gasped. "Look who's talking! How many notches do you have etched into your bedpost?"

"GUYS!" Eleanor screamed. "This arguing is not helping Dave! Remember him? His life depends on this working! If we all want to kill each other, then wait until AFTER the concert! Do you understand?"

Everyone looked subdued at that point. Sometimes I could just strangle those two! Eleanor thought. If those two wouldn't fight so much, maybe the rest of us would still be friends!

"So," Theodore began, after a few minutes of silence. He had finally started eating as well, though his stomach felt like it had a brick in it. "Um, what should we do first?"

"Well, we're going to need a time and a place," Jeanette began.

"And we're going to need publicity," Eleanor added.

"Not to mention a back-up band, dancers, and whatever else we can to make this into a big show," Brittany said.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us," Theodore said.

"We can do it," Alvin said. "We have to save Dave!"

"And I'm sure Miss Miller will be able to help us," Jeanette said.

"So where are we going to start?" Simon asked.

"First of all, have all of you been keeping up with your music?" this came, surprisingly, from Brittany.

Eleanor, Simon, Theodore, and Jeanette all got sheepish looks on their faces. Each turned away, and muttered something under their breath. Alvin looked at them in surprise, while Brittany got an impatient look on her face.

"You're kidding!" Alvin said. "None of you have kept up with your music! What are we going to do about our instruments?"

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Obviously, use a back-up band, Alvin. Though, I think we need to see if we can get you guys in shape before then."

"How so?" Eleanor asked.

Brittany turned away. "Theodore, where do you keep all of your instruments?"

"Um, I think they're around here somewhere," Theodore said, blushing.

"Let's go find them," Simon said, sighing.

After about an hour, they managed to locate and put into the garage, all of the instruments the Chipmunks had once used. Then, they cleaned up the kitchen. They reconvened in the living room. Brittany took control once again.

"All right. Here's the plan. I say one of us needs to call Dave and Miss Miller, to see if they have any connections to book us a concert that will be big enough to earn the money for Dave," Brittany began. "I say that will fall to me. Alvin can go out shopping for interviews. As soon as we have a date and a place, we should really give an interview. The rest of you need to stay here and practice."

"Who died and made you boss?" Alvin demanded.

"Do you have any better suggestions?" Brittany snapped back.

"Alvin, that sounds like a sensible plan to me," Eleanor said.

Brittany stared at her sister. You're defending me? But you never defend me! But not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, she turned her attention to everyone else.

"Does anyone else have any other suggestions?" she asked.

Everyone else shook their heads. Each of them was thinking about the last time they had touched an instrument or sang…and for all four of them, it was at their final concert.

"All right. Let's do it," Brittany said.

She walked out of the room. Alvin muttered under his breath, but he obeyed what Brittany had said. We really will need to give an exclusive interview to someone, which will then cause a media circus, he thought. The more publicity we can get out of this thing, the better.

The other four looked at one another.

"Well, what should we start with first?" Eleanor asked.

"We could divide into teams, with one working on vocals while the other works on instruments," Jeanette offered.

"That's a good idea!" Theodore said. "But who should team with who?"

Simon cleared his throat. "I think one team should consist of Jeanette and I, while Eleanor and Theodore make up the other team."

"That sounds like a good idea. After all, our styles are similar," Jeanette said.

Eleanor and Theodore exchanged uncomfortable glances. Well, I suppose we could work together. We did before, Eleanor thought.

I know Jeanette and Simon will probably work together just fine. But I don't know about Eleanor and me, Theodore thought.

But they both nodded. They flipped a coin, to decide which team would go where. Theodore and Eleanor won the garage, to work on instruments. Simon and Jeanette were to work on their vocals, next to the piano. As the two of them sat down next to the piano, Jeanette giggled nervously.

"What is it?" Simon asked, trying to ignore her close proximity had on his body.

"It's just…I can't remember the last time I had to do this," she said.

Simon shrugged. "Well, it should be like riding a bike. You never really forget."

"True. But it's just hard," she said. Like a lot of things around here.

"You're right about that. But it is necessary," he said. He looked at the piano. "Shall I play, or do you want to?"

She looked from the piano to him. Jeanette bit her lip. "Would you mind playing? You're better than I am." Not to mention the fact that I always loved listening to you play, even if this is just for voice exercises.

"I wouldn't have offered if I minded," he said, putting his hands up to the keys. He tried to ignore the fact that Jeanette was sitting beside him. Simon also tried to forget all of the memories that came into his mind as she sat beside him and began going through voice exercises. They tried solo singing, then blending their voices together. After awhile, they took a break, to get a drink of water.

"I really liked your roommate," Simon told her in the kitchen.

Jeanette smiled. "Yeah. She's great. I got really lucky."

"Did she ever tell you that she elected herself your protector?"

She giggled. "She most certainly did. Of course, she never told me until last Thursday that she even knew who I was before we met or that she was a fan."

"My roommate was a fan as well," Simon said.

"He seems really cool, too. How did you meet him?" she asked.

"Freshman year. He was my assigned roommate, the same as, I'm assuming, Anna was," he said.

"Yes she was," Jeanette said. "Yours seemed as protective of you as mine is with me."

"In his own way, he was. That's why he wouldn't initially let you into the room," Simon told her.

"Attack of the killer fan girl?" Jeanette asked, giggling.

"Pretty much," he said dryly. "Of course, I haven't had problems with that for a long while."

"Why not?" she asked, after all, I know all sorts of girls who had a crush on you.

Simon shrugged. "What about you? I'm sure guys are constantly knocking at your door."

Jeanette smiled and shook her head. "No. Of course, since I reverted to my old style, I don't look like I did as a teenager. Besides, I don't really have time for a boyfriend."

"You found the time senior year," Simon said shortly.

Jeanette looked away from him. She remembered that. Joe Anderson, she thought. He'd been a classmate of hers. When it became apparent to everyone in the school that none of the Chipmunks or Chipettes were talking to one another, he had taken a chance on asking her to the second of their three formal dances throughout the year, the winter dance. He'd told her that he had always had a crush on her, but that he didn't think he had a chance because of her feelings for someone else. Jeanette had been lonely and miserable, and Joe was a really nice guy. She'd agreed to go with him to the winter dance, then they dated for the remainder of the year, breaking up only because he was going into the military and she was going to school across the country.

"Well, I was not as busy during the latter half of senior year, after my contract expired," Jeanette said quietly.

Simon looked away. He remembered how jealous he had felt throughout her entire relationship with Joe. He couldn't help but think she should be with me the whole time. It made him even more desperate to get away. Not to mention that Alvin was impossible to live with, and poor Theodore got backlash from both of his brothers.

"What is this, a party?" Brittany snapped, walking into the kitchen. "Get back to work!"

Without a word, the other two walked back into the living room, both of them thinking about the past. As they got back to work, Simon's thoughts were racing. He made a decision of what he needed to do, at least as a start.

The front door opened and closed. "Everyone, come here!" Alvin yelled.

Simon and Jeanette walked into the foyer. Miss Miller stood next to Alvin. Brittany, Eleanor, and Theodore soon followed.

"Well, it's settled. We have an interview on Monday," Alvin said.

"That soon?!" everyone said.

"Of course," Miss Miller said. "After all, we have a time and a place, too." She added when it was.

"A month?" Brittany exclaimed. "We have a month to put this crazy scheme together?!"

"It'll be enough," Alvin said confidently.

"Well, that means no days off for the rest of you," Brittany said to the others. "You have to get back up to performance quality, up to," she glanced at Alvin, "well, me."

"When should we decide what we'll sing?" Theodore said eagerly.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "When we see how fast you can polish your rusty skills. If this afternoon is anything to go by, you all have a long way to go."

"That's a little harsh, Brittany," Eleanor said.

"But not too far off, Ellie," Jeanette said. "Brittany's right. We can't take any days off between now and the concert. We have to get back up to the quality the Chipettes and Chipmunks were before the two bands disbanded, which will be hard because Brittany and Alvin have performed consistently since then."

"That's another thing," Simon brought up. "Alvin and Brittany are used to being solo artists. You two have to get used to being part of a group again."

"He's right," Miss Miller said. "There's a different energy with the two of you on stage when you're alone than there was when you were performing with the Chipmunks and Chipettes."

"And I know this probably isn't a great suggestion, but it is necessary," Eleanor said. "You two need to re-learn how to sing together, so you look as natural doing duets as you did before."

Alvin and Brittany looked at each other, then cornered Eleanor.

"You've gone crazy in Indiana!" Alvin exclaimed. "I don't work with sluts!"

"No, you just sleep with them. And Eleanor, are you nuts?!" Brittany said. "I wouldn't work with that man-whore if my life depended on it!"

"Well, your life doesn't depend on it, Brittany," Simon said. "Dave's does."

Brittany glared at Simon, but deflated at the realization that he was right.

"And Alvin, I would appreciate it if you would stop calling my sister a slut every two minutes. You have no room to judge her," Eleanor said frostily, "And Brittany, you have no room to talk about Alvin's love life either."

They both gasped. "Are you kidding?" Brittany said at the same time Alvin yelled, "I'm not nearly as bad as she is!"

Simon sighed. "Oh really? Then why is it both of your careers are in trouble for similar reasons?"

Once again, the two of them were speechless. There was really nothing they could say. Their love lives were quite public, and their careers were in trouble. They couldn't argue with that. They glared at each other, both thinking, And it's all your fault! There was one more part of the problem that no one else knew about except for Brittany and Alvin, which was the reason why the two of them had gotten so angry at one another so quickly. It was on both of their minds as they glared at one another.

"Well, we should probably get back to work," Simon said. "Theodore, do you and Eleanor still want to work on the instruments or would you like to work on vocals?"

"Well," Theodore began, before looking at Eleanor. "What do you think?"

"Why don't we switch days? Today, we'll continue working on instruments, while you two work on vocals, and tomorrow, we'll switch," Eleanor said.

"Sounds good to me," Jeanette agreed.

"And while we do that, you two can re-learn how to work together," Eleanor added to Alvin and Brittany. "Miss Miller, would you mind supervising?"

"Of course not, dear," Miss Miller said.

"We don't need a baby-sitter!" Brittany snapped.

"We aren't children!" Alvin yelled.

"Then maybe you should stop acting like it," Simon said.

"We can't trust you two not killing each other," Theodore added.

"Please, Brittany, Alvin," Jeanette said.

They yielded to that plea.

"All right, all right," Brittany said. "After all, what would you guys do without us?"

Alvin found himself smiling at that. "True. We are the current celebrities after all. The rest of you are just has-beens without us."

Eleanor and Simon rolled their eyes, as Simon said, "Oh brother."

No one argued, though. Brittany and Alvin had just agreed on something. It was a cause for celebration. The six split into three groups.

As Jeanette and Simon sat down to work, Simon gathered his courage.

"Um, Jeanette?" Simon asked.

"Yes, Simon?" she said.

"Wi-will you go out to breakfast with me tomorrow? There are some things I need to say, and I'd like privacy when I say them," Simon said.

Jeanette opened and closed her mouth, shocked at what he had just said. What is going on? she thought. But then she nodded.

"Good," Simon said, and that was either one of them said about it for the rest of the evening. Note to self: tell Theodore there will be two less for breakfast tomorrow morning. He sighed. I just hope that Eleanor won't kill me for taking her sister out somewhere alone tomorrow morning.

The rest of the evening went fairly quiet. Dinner was actually a contented affair, with everyone offering their ideas about what they thought they should do. Brittany brought up wardrobe and what everyone was going to need to wear at the interviews. She insisted on going through everyone's wardrobes, and decided that the next afternoon they were all going shopping for clothes. Alvin was coming to help his brothers. It was nice, not having any arguments…at least not until later that night.

******

Author's Note #2:

I have to apologize about adding to the story of what happened among them in high school! Until I wrote this chapter, I had no idea that there was more to the story that only Brittany and Alvin knew. You'll find out soon enough what it is, but I wanted to apologize. Those two are a pain in the butt!

Anyway, I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can.