"Alvin & the Chipmunks: An End Has a Start"

Fan fiction by Vilsy...

Disclaimer type stuff: I make no claim to "Alvin and the Chipmunks" or any related characters, names, etc. They are property of Bagdasarian Productions, Inc. c/o Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. and Janice Karman as far as I am aware, and this is just a non-commercial textual tribute to their grandness.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews as always! I really appreciate it. This chapter is a bit longer and fluffier, and the end is well… uber-fluff. I may rework it before all is said and done. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has comments! You'll also see that I've 'modernized' things a bit, but tried to stay vague enough not to say "This is 2007 and the Chipmunks are gangsta rapperz! roflcopter!" Sorry… just the bad taste of the new movie soundtrack coming out. Anyway… onto Chapter 3!!

Alvin jumped as the angry sound of stuttering plastic suddenly woke him from his sleep. He lay there for a moment staring at the ceiling, eyelids drooping again as he waited for his heart to slow down. When he finally came to the understanding that he was in bed and his cell phone was ringing and vibrating on his night table, he rolled over onto his side and groped around lazily for it. His fingers brushed against the phone a few times before he finally gathered the oomph to grasp it and hit the talk button.

"Hullo…?" he managed to wheeze in an exhausted voice.

"Alvin, we have to talk."

"Brittany?"

"Well duh! Who else would be calling you?"

"…… at 4 o'clock in the middle of the night? No one."

There was a slight pause on the other end as if Brittany had just realized how early in the morning it was. "Oh please, just get over it," she demanded with no real logical support on her side.

Alvin rolled onto his back and half yawned, half sneered at Brittany's disregard for normal people's sleeping patterns. "Whaddaya want, Britt?" he inquired after clearing his throat, but to no avail; he couldn't shake the raspy just-woke-up voice.

"We have to talk about us," the reply came in a very matter of fact tone. Alvin lifted himself up and rested on one elbow, suddenly feeling more awake at the sound of this. "I mean the Chipettes and Chipmunks," Brittany added quickly realizing her wording. "It's not fair! I don't want to end my career just because Dave says so!"

Alvin's brow furrowed and he leaned further forward, rubbing his temples with his thumb and forefinger. "Yeah I know, I know. But my stupid brothers—"

"Bring your brothers to the mall today at noon."

"Whu--?"

"I'll bring my sisters. We've gotta all talk about this and what we can do to fix it."

Alvin flopped back down onto his pillow and scratched his chest with his free hand. "Look, Britt, Simon hates me right now and Theodore won't even look at me. I doubt they'll want to go anywhere with me."

"Alvin," Brittany went on in a reprimanding tone, as if the fact his brothers hated him was a trivial matter. "Come on, just get them to the mall. We all need to talk about this if we're going to change Dave's mind."

Alvin sighed and gave in. "All right, Britt. I'll get them there. But just tell me one thing."

"What, Alvin?"

"Couldn't you have called later?" He was graced with silence, and a moment or two passed before he pulled the phone away from his ear and realized Brittany had hung up on him.

It was a rare phenomenon for Simon to set foot anywhere near a shopping mall unless it was under Dave's explicit instruction. Theodore could usually be bribed into going if a trip to the gourmet ice cream shop in the food court was promised. Alvin to could handle that much at least, but convincing Simon would prove more difficult. Alvin knew better than to ask Simon outright, but he had a few tricks up his sleeve that were worth a shot. Dave had gone to run various errands, so Alvin's scheme began to unfurl around 10 AM. Alvin did his homework, figuratively of course, and waited for his brothers to migrate to the TV room. Simon was sitting on the far end of the couch, engrossed in a book while Theodore sat on the opposite end. He was staring intently at a handheld video game system (you can't sue me Nintendo, kyahaha) clutched tightly in his hands, his tongue poking out a bit and pressing against the corner of his mouth. Alvin grinned at the sight and slinked casually through the doorway. "Hey guys!" he announced as though he hadn't seen them just a half hour before at breakfast.

Theodore quickly looked up from his game and smiled cheerfully, apparently forgetting how hurt he felt from Alvin's poor treatment the day before. "Hi Alvin!"

Simon lifted his eyes discreetly and nodded at his brother and turned the page of his book. "Hey."

"Whatcha playing, big T?" Alvin inquired, plopping down onto the couch in between his brothers and leaning over towards Theodore.

Theodore refocused on his game and continued playing. "Super Italian Pizza Cousins 3," he replied.

Alvin leaned back against the cushion and slid his hands behind his head and rested his left foot on his right knee. "Man, you haven't beaten that yet?"

Theodore lifted his nose slightly in a rare display of pride. "I have too. I'm just playing it again 'cuz it's my favorite game."

Alvin rolled his head to the side and stared at Simon for a moment, who completely ignored him and turned another page in his book. "You know, I think the new Super Italian Pizza Cousins came out last week."

"Really?" Theodore yelped, turning to look at Alvin with a surprised expression.

"Oh yeah, I read about it in game magazine the other day," Alvin lied as he bounced his foot against his knee. "Everybody's gonna want that game. They'll probably sell out of it pretty soon."

"Oh no! How did I miss this?" Theodore cried, practically dropping the handheld onto the floor. He turned to Alvin and grabbed a hold of his sleeve, shaking it desperately until Alvin looked over at him again. "Do you really think they'll sell out of it?"

Alvin sat up and patted Theodore's hand in a brotherly fashion before adjusting his sleeve. "Probably. We could always go to the mall and see if they have any left."

"Yes! Let's go!" Theodore exclaimed, jumping off the couch and fumbling the game into his pocket after shutting its power off.

Alvin couldn't believe how easy it was to get Theodore riled up, but he could have just as easily asked his little brother to go and achieve the same result. It was just the first act of the clever play he needed to put on to get Simon to tag along.

The bespectacled boy appeared as though he hadn't heard a single word of his brothers' conversation and flipped another page. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully in response to a particularly interesting passage he was reading, when Alvin stood up and stretched.

"Sure thing, Theo. I wanted to pick up Blood Massacre: The Slaughter anyway."

"What?!" Simon's voice suddenly emanated quite clearly despite half of his face being obstructed by the book; His eyes were the only features visible and were focused sternly on Alvin.

Theodore was so preoccupied puzzling out whether he had enough spending money for Super Italian Pizza Cousins 4 to hear Alvin's declaration or Simon's incredulous outburst. Alvin grinned mischievously at his brother. "You know, Blood Massacre: the Slaughter. I've been saving up for it."

"Isn't that game rated Mature, Alvin?" Simon continued in a chastising voice, lowering the book ever so slightly.

Alvin shrugged his shoulders and reached into his pocket, pulling out an obscene amount of cash for visual effect and counted it smugly. "Yeah, and?"

"AND…" Simon went on, raising his voice for equal effect. "Didn't Dave say you couldn't buy any M rated games?"

"He might have," Alvin said casually, glancing at Theodore who was busy counting his own pocket change. "But hey, what Dave doesn't know…"

"Alvin," Simon warned, finally lowering the book to his lap. "Why do you insist on going behind Dave's back all the time?"

Alvin feigned a look of sheer injury. "Me? Go behind Dave's back? Simon, you wound me!"

"He's going to find out," Simon replied simply with a look of arrogance that denoted he'd jump at the opportunity to snitch on his troublemaking brother.

Alvin dramatically feigned defeat and went in for the kill. "Fine… fine… I won't buy it then…" he heaved with a pitiful yet unmistakably fake sigh. Just to make his statement seem more like a horrible lie, he finished counted his money out and tucked it back securely into his pocket. "Let's go Theo." He turned his back on Simon whose teeth where just short of grinding. Alvin blinked as Theodore looked right back at him with one of the most crushed expressions he'd ever seen.

"A-Alvin? I don't think I have e-enough money," Theodore whimpered, clutching the bills tightly in his fingers. "I… I already spent my week's allowance…"

Alvin gave Theodore a reassuring smile. "No worries, big T. I'm sure I can cover ya."

Theodore's eyes lit up like the Fourth of July. "Really, Alvin?"

"Sure, sure. Let's hurry up and get going," he continued, counting down the seconds in his head before Simon interjected.

"I'm going with you," came the annoyed declaration as Simon slid off the couch dumped his book on the cushions. He marched up to his brothers, giving Alvin a haughty glare.

"Oh, you don't trust me?" Alvin gasped with an appalling look that could win him an Oscar.

"No, not really."

"Fine! Tag along. See if I care." He crossed his arms defiantly and before Simon could snap back, Theodore grabbed both of their arms and tugged impatiently on them.

"Let's go! I-I hope they didn't sell out!"

Simon pried his arm out of Theodore's grasp and marched towards the front door, Theodore hurrying after him. Alvin just smirked as his powers of deception and manipulation once again aided him in the minutest of tasks.

The bus ride to the mall took about half an hour and was riddled with enthusiastic banter about Super Italian Pizza Cousins 4. Theodore went on and on to Alvin who nodded with great interest, even though it was quite plain that he was listening to his CD player. Simon leaned back in the seat across from the two with a heavy, disgruntled look about him. He regretted forgetting his reading material as the ride was rather boring and he was forced to wrap his mind around why Alvin seemed so content. Simon was, after all, along to prevent him from buying an excessively violent video game that he seemed to crave so much. He thought Alvin would have resisted just a little bit more.

The bus at long last pulled into the mall parking lot and sailed to a stop by one of the entrances.

"And—and I hope there'll be tougher bosses in this one," Theodore mused as he hopped off the bus. He turned back, remembering his usual manners. "Thank you!" he announced to the driver who nodded back and welcomed him. Alvin and Simon unceremoniously descended the steps—Alvin with his hands tucked into his pockets and Simon with his arms defiantly crossed and an uninterested demeanor to complement it.

"Theodore," Simon suddenly said as his little brother started marching towards the mall entrance with resolve. "Let's get your game then go right home."

Theodore glanced over his shoulder with a questioning look on his face, but nothing Simon said could really bother him so long as he got his game. Simon hadn't meant anything by it other than his general disinterest in the mall, besides the book store. His suspicion of Alvin's quick surrender and willingness to share his allowances with Theodore was enough for him to want to go in and get out promptly.

Alvin kept checking his watch as the three of them strolled into the massive shopping mall. Their senses were barraged with the dull buzz of people talking and with bright lights and colorful storefronts. Alvin loved the mall--not so much for shopping but for the reactions he'd get when someone recognized him. Hanging out by the central fountain was the highlight of any mall excursion and he knew Brittany felt the same way. The game store wasn't far from the mall's rotunda so he thought he'd keep up his little charade for a bit longer.

When they reached the game store, Theodore ran directly toward the counter and was appalled when he realized he'd have to wait in line like everyone else. Alvin stood to the side with his hands resting at the small of his back. He glanced towards Simon who returned a scrutinizing glare. The bespectacled boy was determined not to let Alvin violate Dave's 'no violent games' decree. When Alvin didn't stir from his spot near the end of the counter, Simon feigned interest in the wall of new arrivals in the hopes Alvin would slip up. Theodore looked like he needed to use the restroom as the line moved hopelessly slow for his taste. After a few minutes, it was finally his turn. He stood in front of the glass counter and smiled mirthfully at the clerk—a young man who looked like he'd much rather be playing games than selling them. "May I help you?" he asked in an almost resentful tone.

"Yes! I'll take a copy of Super Italian Pizza Cousins 4, please!"

The clerk stared at him for a moment before asking, "Do you mean Pizza Cousins 3?"

Theodore's head immediately shook. "No, I have that one. I want the new one that just came out. Ah, please."

"Sorry, that doesn't come out until July 20th," the clerk reported, motioning to a sign that confirmed the fact, plain as day, behind him.

"Wha- what?!"

Theodore's pale eyes shimmered with disappointment as he leaned heavily against the counter. All his dreams and happiness seemed to have been unscrupulously shot down like in Water Fowl Hunters. The clerk, numb to the chipmunk's pain, merely glanced at the next customer in line while mentioning, "You can preorder it for five bucks if you like." Theodore seemed too crushed by the fact that he couldn't have it in his hands at that very moment to hear the clerk's dismissive suggestion. Alvin, however, was on top of things.

"We'll do that," he said, nudging Theodore with his elbow and laying down some cash on the counter. "Sorry about that, Theodore," he added softly to the side where his brother stood. "I guess I read the magazine wrong."

Theodore shook his head quickly and shuffled his sneaker against the ugly Berber carpet. "Oh, that's okay, Alvin. It was an honest mistake." He blinked at the stack of bills Alvin had slapped onto the glass counter. "You don't have to pay for it..."

"I insist," Alvin interjected, resting his hand on the counter and wiggling his fingers in wait for a receipt as the clerk picked up the money and started a transaction. Once he received it, he generously handed the piece of paper to Theodore who took it graciously.

"Gee, thanks so much, Alvin! That's really, really nice of you!" he praised as he folded the receipt with great love and care. "And thanks you, mister!" he directed at the clerk who nodded and bid them a nice day. Theodore hastily got out of way of the next person in line and ran up to Simon and showed him the glorious speck of paper." Look Simon! It hasn't come out yet, but Alvin reserved Super Italian Pizza Cousins 4 for me!"

"That's riveting, Theodore," Simon said, not so much to demean his little brother's joy but to exude further suspicion towards Alvin. "You'd better hold on tightly to that receipt," he added in suggestion. Alvin sauntered over to his brothers, hands in his pockets, and an awkward moment of silence ensued. Simon squinted at his crimson-clad brother and waited for any dubious actions.

"Well, whaddya say we get some ice cream before we go home?"

"All right!" Theodore chimed before Alvin had even finished the sentence.

"That's it? You're done?" Simon inquired, leaning forward as if to smell the deceit coming off of his brother.

"Well yeah."

"You're not going to... look around?"

Alvin chuckled. "Why? Did you want me to, Simon?"

Simon stood up straight again and lifted an eyebrow. Alvin was underhanded but Simon had never known him to steal, so that ruled out the possibility that his brother had somehow lifted the game. Simon had of course been watching Alvin the whole time, and all the games were locked up behind glass. Simon felt guilty that the thought had even crossed his mind. In fact, he felt even worse knowing he could have probably stayed home. "No, let's go. Ice cream sounds wonderful." He turned and started walking out of the store, determined to have some sort of enjoyment for his troubles.

Alvin grinned and patted Theodore on the back who looked up at him and smiled ear to ear, and then they followed Simon outside.

To reach the food court, they of course had to pass the fountain in the center lobby to get to the escalator. Alvin was the first to spot the Chipettes sitting around the fountain, but pretended as though he hadn't noticed them. Theodore's mind was firmly set on which ice cream flavor to choose, but Simon glanced over at them. "Aren't those the girls?" he said as they neared the fountain.

"Well, I do believe you are right. What a coincidence," Alvin replied in the most matter-of-fact tone imaginable. He was already veering off in the girls' direction. "Why don't we go say hello?"

Theodore stopped walking, and then quickly changed directions, favoring to see the girls over ice cream. Simon grimaced as he was left behind. He stood there and shook his head before finally deciding to bite the bullet and follow his brothers. "Please let this be painless..."

"Hi girls!" Alvin greeted in an obnoxiously loud voice. His jovial grin was met with a smirking Brittany with arms folded and foot tapping.

"You're late!" she scolded, pointing a finger at Alvin's nose.

"Nice to see you too, Brittany!" Alvin continued without a hitch. He waved his fingers at Eleanor and Jeanette who waved back. "Hi Eleanor, hey Jeanette."

"Hi Alvin!"

"Hello Alvin."

Theodore stood aloof and blushed a little as Eleanor smiled and patted the space between her and her sister Jeanette on the rim of the bubbling fountain. "Hi Simon and Theodore! Come sit with us!"

Obediently, Theodore trotted over and Jeanette scooted over so he could sit. She shifted her eyes over to Simon who showed little interest in following suit. Instead, he took a step towards Alvin and Brittany, his arms crossed once again. "Oh yes, it's quite the coincidence to run into you girls here, isn't it?"

"Coincidence? I told Al-" Brittany let out a squeak as Alvin put his hand over her mouth and grinned at Simon.

"Yep, it's a coincidence all right! But while we're here, why don't we all sit down and have a nice convers-"

"Alvin, I know what this is about," Simon snapped. "I thought you said you were going to drop this. I can't believe you dragged us out here just to beat a dead horse."

Alvin chuckled and raised a finger on his free hand in contradiction. "No one's beating any horses, Simon. I didn't buy Blood Massacre, remember?"

"Alvin! You know what I mean. If you and Brittany want to argue about this own your own, be my guest. Come on, Theodore."

Theodore was torn as he sat with his feet swinging against the side of the fountain. He turned to Eleanor who looked just as at a loss as he did. Theodore was about to slide off of his seat and follow Simon when Brittany forced Alvin's hand away from her mouth. "Ohhhh, no you don't." She stormed over to Simon and slipped in front of him, barring his path to the exit. She uncouthly jabbed her index finger into the lanky boy's chest. "Simon, you're just as much involved in this as Alvin is. We ALL have to talk about this together!"

Simon was jostled by Brittany's oh-so gentle treatment, and he paused to readjust his glasses. "While your cunning powers of persuasion are impressive, Brittany, I regretfully decline."

Brittany's skin was turning uncomfortably red and her mouth opened wide to give Simon a tongue lashing, but Jeanette saw fit to intervene.

"S-Simon? I'm sorry if you didn't want to talk to us," she said in a soft voice while pushing her own glasses further up onto her nose. Simon turned to look back at the others and focused on Jeanette for the first time. His gaze made her blush just as Theodore had blushed at Eleanor earlier, but she continued on. "But maybe if we just talked about it a little more, Brittany would leave you guys alone about it."

"HA! Speak for yourself, Jeanette!" Brittany hissed, but Simon pulled away from her and walked towards the fountain.

"Fine. If it helps you get it off your chest-" Jeanette blushed even deeper at this, "I'll stay. But then we're going home, ALVIN."

"Whatever works for you, bro," Alvin shrugged with an innocent smile.

"Ah, Eleanor? Would you... like some ice cream?" Theodore suddenly inquired, patting his knees with his fingers nervously.

"Sure, that's a good idea, Theodore!" Eleanor agreed with a smile. "How about we all go upstairs and have ice cream while we talk?"

The other four concurred, as it at least gave Simon, Brittany and Alvin the chance to scowl at each other. Alvin strode his way up the down escalator and managed to beat the rest of them to the top, even after weaving around angry shoppers.

Theodore and Eleanor were impressed with his athletic feat, while Jeanette expressed some sedated amusement. Brittany and Simon secretly wished his shoe lace would have gotten caught in the machinery, or that he would lose his footing. However when they both thought of the consequences of such things, they both pushed the terrible ideas from their heads. Alvin was annoying and manipulative but didn't deserve to be maimed.

The tension was alleviated to a degree once they were all sitting in the food court with ice cream. Brittany poked idly at her cherry fat-free (and mostly tasteless) frozen yogurt while glaring impatiently around the table. Simon watched pointedly as Jeanette shaped her soft serve ice cream into some sort of artistic sculpture, while Eleanor and Theodore were sharing their sundaes with each other. Alvin's feet were up on the table and he blew bubbles through his straw and into his root beer float; he seemingly had forgotten why there were all there in the first place. Brittany decided to remind everyone.

"All right!" she declared, pushing her frozen yogurt aside and standing up. "I call this meeting to order!" Everyone looked up from their ice cream and glared at their moderator. She continued to look around the table as if critically surveying her less-than-competent committee. "OK, listen up. We're here because we need to talk about this whole breaking up thing."

"I told you, we're not—"

"Silence!" Brittany demanded in a no-less-than regal voice that sent Simon into a sort of stupor. She planted her hands firmly on her hips and lifted her nose, gazing down on everyone as though she was the queen of the food court. "Everyone will get their turn to speak. First, me."

"Naturally," Alvin smirked in a hushed, sarcastic tone. Brittany overheard and gave him the evil eye.

Her air of royalty toned down a bit when she started speaking again. "Look guys, you can't really want this! I mean our careers are just starting!" She whipped her arms above her head as if this fact alone was blatantly obvious. "We're famous! We get to go all around the world and sing in front of thousands of cute boys!" She paused, noticing she'd lost the chipmunks on this point. "And you know… girls too or whatever." Her eyebrow twitched when she saw Alvin's smug grin and nod of agreement with this last statement. "Well whatever!" she huffed, pushing the tinge of jealously out of her mind. She lifted her nose elegantly back in the air and brushed her bangs away from her eyes. "The point is that DAVE apparently thinks we shouldn't make music or perform anymore!" Simon raised his hand, wise to Brittany's mannerisms, and waited for her approval. Brittany gave him a look that could kill, but honored his acknowledgement of her supposed power over them all. "Yes, Simon?"

"Thank you," he grumbled, dusting a crumb or two of his long-since-eaten ice cream cone from his shirt. "Dave does not think we should quit singing. We can sing all we like. The only thing he thinks we should quit is slacking with our schooling." Most eyes fell to Alvin who chose to ignore the attention for once. Simon continued before Brittany could interrupt. "And schooling has been difficult to keep up on with recording sessions, concerts, tours, publicity…"

"But I like all those things!" Brittany interjected, slamming her hands down on the table, causing the others to jump. "I don't care about school if it means giving those up!"

Simon crossed his arms and shook his head defiantly. "Sorry to hear you say that, Brittany, but Dave made the decision for us, and we have to respect it."

"But Dave's not our father!" Brittany steamed, leaning closer across the table as if to bite Simon's head off. "Right?" she demanded, whipping around to Jeanette and Eleanor. Her two sisters looked like deer caught in headlights and said nothing.

"That may be," Simon continued, unfazed. "But Dave is your manager, and since we are all minors, he calls the shots when it comes to business."

Brittany's fingers tensed against the cold table and she searched for something witty to say to combat Simon's cool logic. "Well… well that's not fair! Just because Alvin's an idiot and you're a nerd doesn't mean we should—"

"Hey, who're you calling an idiot?!" Alvin suddenly burst out, taking his feet off of the table and addressing Brittany.

Brittany stood up straight again and folded her arms defensively, realizing her mistake. "So what, Alvin? You're on Simon's side now?" she said quickly, in hopes of confusing the boy into forgetting her insult.

"No!" Alvin sneered as if the very thought of her accusation was pure insanity. He received another incredulous glare from his brother, reminding him that Simon didn't think much of him at the moment either. He finally stood up and inched over to Brittany as if her words had jogged his loyalties. "Brittany's right, Dave can't do this to us! It isn't fair to me… or the Chipettes. Or you… or Theodore!" Alvin closed his eyes and nodded, proud that he remembered to include everyone present in his argument. "School," he added with an amused chuckle. "There'll always be school. But singing in front of a cheering crowd…" he continued, grabbing Brittany's spoon from her yogurt and holding it up to his face like a microphone. "Dancing across the stage…" He grabbed Brittany's arm with his free hand and gave it a tug, spinning her in a quick circle against her will. "Signing autographs…" He stopped Brittany from turning and traced his initial onto her cheek with his finger. Brittany huffed at him and gently slapped him away with her hands.

"Right," she cut in before Alvin did anymore noisy pantomime. "So we've all got to tell Dave that we're not gonna take it."

"No! We're not gonna take it!" Alvin sang out dramatically, fists in the air. Brittany elbowed him in the ribs.

"So who's got suggestions?" she demanded and resolutely crossed her arms again.

All remained silent except for the low hum of other people around them in the food court. Theodore, Eleanor and Jeanette all seemed to be in a daze from the conversation between the others, and Simon just sat there with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Listen, Alvin, Brittany," he finally said when it was clear that no one else had any opinions on the matter. "I love what we do. But we are going to high school next year, and I personally want to dedicate my time and effort towards that." Alvin and Brittany both leaned together and open their mouths but Simon quickly continued. "Dave is worn out; I've been noticing for several months now. It's unfair to make selfish demands of him, and at this point he just isn't going to change his mind. Yes, he's our manager, but we are also his sons and we should honor his decision." He held up his hand to silence Brittany who raised a defiant finger. "I'm sorry the Chipettes had to get mixed up in this, but business is business. Instead of whining, you should focus on the concerts we have lined up over the summer. Dave was gracious enough to invite you to join us."

Brittany nearly threw herself across the table at Simon for his poor choice of words, but Alvin grabbed her shoulders at the last moment.

"Why you little! I'll show you whining!" she bellowed, swinging her arms wildly. "I REFUSE to have my LAST performance sharing the stage with YOU guys! Eleanor, Jeanette! Tell this high and mighty dork here that—"

"Brittany," Eleanor finally said, standing up from her chair and walking over to her sister and Alvin. "Simon's right…"

"WHAT!?" Brittany and Alvin snapped in unison.

"Well, what I mean is," Eleanor continued, holding onto Brittany's arm. "I think Dave has our best interests in mind. And… he does work really, really hard for all of us. We aren't his daughters, but he's always been there for us too. He does deserve a break, don't you think?"

Jeanette poked idly at her ice cream and shifted her large blue eyes to her sisters. "They're right, Britt. Maybe we all need a break..."

"You're all crazy!" Brittany practically spat as she wrenched her arm away from Eleanor. Alvin continued to hold her back, but she violently shook her shoulders out of his grasp with a sneer. "Get OFF of me, Alvin!"

"Be cool, will ya Brittany? I'm just trying to help you!" Alvin retorted, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm.

"You're in my way!"

"What!? Well you're in my way!"

"You're ALWAYS in my way!"

"OH YEAH?"

"YEAH!"

"Well you're just lucky Dave even invited YOU to be in OUR show!"

"Ugh! I'd rather DIE than have to share my last concert with YOU, Alvin!"

Eleanor had hastened back to her seat and she and the others watched Brittany and Alvin's abrupt fight like a tennis match.

Simon slumped against the cold, hard, wire chair and was filled with such resentment of the situation he was locked in. Brittany and Alvin's constant bickering was a paradox he couldn't take much more of; quite frequently they were on the same side but managed to fight regardless. "I'm going home," he announced plainly as he stood up and pushed back his chair. "See you later, Theodore." Simon's mind was so tied up that he'd forgotten to say goodbye to the girls as he pushed his chair in and turned to leave.

"Wait, Simon!" Theodore begged, standing up as well and holding out his hand as if Simon had said goodbye forever.

Simon stopped walking and turned to look back at his little brother. "You can stay, Theodore. Finish your ice cream."

"B-but I don't wanna ride the bus a-alone," he whimpered, at risk of sounding like a baby in front of Eleanor.

"Ride home with Alvin."

"B-but..." Theodore glanced sheepishly towards Alvin and Brittany, not wanting to have anything to do with them at the moment.

Eleanor stood up as Brittany nearly elbowed her in the face from her continuing argument with Alvin. "You won't be alone, Theodore," she coaxed with a patient smile, resting her hand on his arm. "I'll ride the bus with you and Simon."

"Me too," Jeanette added, picking up her cup of ice cream as they all planned their escape from their feuding brother and sister.

And just like that, they took what was left of their ice cream and started walking away, with not so much of a word to Alvin or Brittany who continued to shout at each other. A minute or so passed before either of them even noticed they were alone.

"You're such an idiot, Alvin!" Brittany was yelling as she grabbed the boy's collar. She blinked a few times when she saw the empty table out of the corner of her eye. "What the heck? Where did they go?"

Alvin pulled his shirt out of Brittany's grasp and dusted himself off. "Nice going, Godzilla. You scared them all away."

"I scared them away? You started it!"

"Are you kidding me? You're the one that called me an idiot, twice!"

"That's because you ARE an idiot!"

"Three times!"

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"

Alvin clenched his fists tightly and gave Brittany a rather threatening look, but the girl merely crossed her arms and shifted her hips to the side in a "I dare you" sort of way that brought Alvin to his senses. He pulled his hat off of his head and ran his fingers through his fuzzy hair with a deep sigh. "Look, Britt," he murmured in a defeated tone. "This obviously ain't gonna work if you and I aren't on the same side. Everybody else has lost their minds or something... like they WANT to end our careers or something..."

"I just don't get it! We've got it all! Why would they want to throw it all away?" Brittany sighed, returning to her whining mode.

Alvin put his hat back on and slammed a fist into his palm like a judge's gavel. "They've all been brainwashed by Dave, I tell ya. Dave must have learned some sort of hypnosis powers while I wasn't paying attention."

"Alvin... don't be ridiculous," Brittany smirked, crossing her arms and shaking her head at him.

"Oh, you don't think it's possible?" Alvin grinned, putting his hands on his hips.

Brittany groaned but went along with the line of questioning. Alvin never quite grew out of his fascination of the 'unknown' or rather, the weird stuff he watched at 1 o'clock in the morning on infomercials and cheesy horror movies. "OK, smart guy. If Dave's a hypno..si..tist... a hypno-- If Dave can hypnotize people, then why didn't it work on us? Hmm?"

"Well, we must posses some sort of warding amulets that counteract the effects..." he went on with a straight face. "Let's see... maybe I can find yours..."

Brittany's disinterested gaze turned to one of sheer horror as Alvin advanced on her with fingers outreached. "No, Alvin! Get away from me!" she warned, backing up into her chair and nearly tripping over it.

Alvin quickly grabbed her wrists and caught her before she fell, but his act of chivalry converted to an act of terrorism as he placed his fingers on her hips and proceeded to tickle her without mercy. Brittany screamed as though she had been stabbed, but then burst into high-pitched giggles. "Hmm, no, not there," Alvin grinned as he went for her armpits.

"Noooo!" she howled, practically curling up into a ball as she giggled hysterically. It was rare to best Brittany in an argument, but Alvin had figured out over the years that this was the best way to do it. Not only did it render her veritably speechless, but it embarrassed her more than anything, especially in public. Brittany dared to move her arms away from her side in an attempt to bat Alvin's hands away and then attempted to make her escape. She wiggled away from him and ducked under his arm, trotting off to the end of the food court, all the while shouting, "Don't touch meeeee!"

Despite all the glares and stares he received from onlookers who had heard the girl's screams, Alvin chased after her, cackling maniacally.