Chip In The Head

About This Story: Alvin and Brittany discover a secret about each other that they may have forgotten to discuss to closure with Dave after all these years. They aren't sure how to tell him, especially after another emergency takes priority. Warning: some chapters contain more adult-ish themes than others (chapter warnings provided). Age-wise they are 11. I don't own any part of the Chipmunk franchise, just borrowing them from Nickelodeon, Janice Karman, & Ross Bagdasarian, their family, & their company.

About This Chapter: Rated PG-13 (T), due to conversation involving a case of child molesting (non-explicit), medical and drug (medication) stuff

Pairings: Alvin/Brittany


4. Forgiveness Following Forgetfulness

Everything appeared bright and fuzzy as Alvin blinked his eyes until he was sure they were fully open. His own voice even sounded foreign to him. "Mmmm... Wha...what happened? Whe...where am I?"

"Hey, Alvin!" Someone gasped excitedly from Alvin's right side. "How are you feeling, son?"

"Uh..." Alvin wasn't even sure what he felt right now. He would've also preferred asking the questions to answering them, since he was not in a thinking mood. But it must be a good sign if he was waking up to seeing someone smiling at him and warmly patting his right hand. His vision got less cloudy, as a man with brown eyes and black hair came more into focus. "Hey..."

"It's alright, Alvin." The man continued to hold his hand reassuringly. "You're gonna be OK. You sure gave us quite a scare yesterday at the beach. Theodore said you hit your head on a rock as a big wave pushed you into it. Then Simon and Logan had to make sure you didn't get washed out to sea. I stayed with you throughout the night once they moved you from the ER to this hospital room. The doctor said you needed a few staples in your head, so you might not want to move it."

"Huh?" Alvin released his hold on this man's hand so that he could move both hands to the upper sides of his face. Only his right hand was movable, since there was an IV in his left arm. "Oh..." He felt a crown of bandages around his head, along with a wave of moderate pain as he felt the left side. "Owww..."

"Shhh...you're OK, just leave the bandages alone and get some rest." He patted Alvin's right shoulder with his left hand, while using his right hand to resume holding Alvin's right hand. When he read some feelings of pain on Alvin's face, he assured him, "We can call the nurse to give you some more pain meds, if it hurts. Would you like for me to call the nurse?"

All Alvin could do was wince. This guy sure asked a lot of questions! Even though Alvin wasn't in the mood to answer any of them, he found the sound of this man's voice soothing.

"Here, I'm pressing the call button. The nurse should be here any moment." He bowed his head and pecked a small kiss to the back of Alvin's hand. He looked back into Alvin's eyes, seeing them welling with tears. "Oh, Alvin..." He patted Alvin's right shoulder and stroked his fingers across Alvin's right cheek as a few tears fell.

A brief knock on the door announced the entrance of one of the nurses carrying a small medicine tray. "How's he doing, Mister Seville?" She set down the tray next to the table by Alvin's IV pole.

The man explained, "Well, he woke up and discovered the bandages, and now he's in pain. Could he get some pain meds now, please? And he's been less responsive to me than usual, so he may even have amnesia."

The nurse looked at something in the chart, before she nodded, "Oh yes, we can give him a bolus of morphine. He might fall back asleep again, but considering what he's been through, that might be a good thing." She set to work preparing one of the syringes on her tray. "And here you go, Big Fella." She stated as she hooked up the syringe on the piggyback of the IV port in Alvin's left arm. "It should start kicking in within a few minutes. In the meantime, maybe your dad can sing you a song. I hear you are quite the rockstar at eleven years of age, or you've been a rockstar since you were..." She shot a questioning look toward the man.

"Since he was two." The guy cut in. "Yeah, sometimes I sing to them - he and his brothers - when they get sick, and they sing for me or each other, or I play the piano or guitar for them. Since I didn't bring my musical instruments with me, I guess singing for him might help break the ice." He smiled at Alvin, although Alvin continued to look confused. He gave Alvin another shoulder rub and patted his hand again as he started singing, "I told the witch doctor I was in love with you..."

He wasn't sure if the pain meds were starting to kick in, but by about the third round of "Ting-Tang Walla-Walla Bing-Bang", Alvin started to smile and join in. By the end of the song, the nurse applauded, while the father and son pair started chuckling together.

Alvin sluggishly reached out his right arm toward his dad. "Dave!"

Dave took hold of his outstretched hand, and he moved over to give his son a kiss on his right cheek. "Alvin! You had me worried there, son. I thought you had amnesia and forgot all about me, and even all about who you are. But I would still accept that over losing you forever."

Alvin squeezed his father's hand. "It still hurts to think too much, but I remember you're my dad - and the best dad ever, Dave. And I'm Alvin Seville, the singing rockstar chipmunk. And my older brother is Simon, the guy who studies a lot and wears glasses. And Theodore is my sweet little brother, who likes to cook and eat. Where are they? And how are they doing?"

"They're at home." Dave explained. "I wonder if they got much sleep after Julie took them home."

The nurse smiled as she slipped out the door. "I'll let you two catch up, but I'll be back if you need me again."

Dave turned around and waved a quick "Thank you!"

Alvin looked a bit confused again. "Julie...Julie?"

Dave pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Here, Alvin, we can video chat with everyone to say hi and let them know you are awake."

Within a few swipes on Dave's phone, Simon's concerned face appeared onscreen. "Dave? Any updates on Alvin yet?"

Dave smiled reassuringly. "Alvin's right here, and awake. He was just asking about you. He just got some pain meds, since his head hurts, so he might be a little groggy." He turned the phone around so that Simon and Alvin could look at each other. "Here you go if you wanna talk to him."

"Hi, Simon!" Alvin smiled at the screen.

"Alvin! How are you feeling?" Simon asked with concern. He was in his pajamas at the moment.

"Hangin' in there, OK." Alvin chuckled. "Kinda sleepy now..."

"Glad to hear that!" Simon smiled at his brother, before turning to his side to talk to some others behind him. "Hey, guys, it's Alvin! He's awake. Wanna say hi?"

Dave and Alvin could hear multiple voices behind Simon, all expressing interest in seeing and talking to Alvin. Simon turned the phone downward, and soon Theodore was waving at them, while wearing his green striped pajamas. "Hi, Alvin! So happy you're OK."

Alvin smiled. "Hi, Teddy-Boy!"

Theodore continued, "We prayed for you last night and this morning, and we even built some forts in our bedroom. That way we could camp out and all of us could hear at the moment Dave called. We have a boys' tent, where Simon, Logan, and me all slept. And we have a girls' tent, where the Chipettes slept. Julie slept on an air mattress in Dave's office. Logan wants to say hi."

The phone camera field panned upwards again to a human boy with dark brown eyes and messed up dark brown short hair, as he sat on the floor wearing a gray T-shirt and some bright orange plaid pajama pants. "Hey, Alvin! Glad you made it through the night! Your brothers put together some blankets and some soft mattress foam so I could sleep on the floor in your room. It was pretty sweet of them - and a sweet way to sleep! Hope you get better soon, so you can join us camping out in your bedroom." To Dave he added, "We'll clean it up, Mister Seville - er, Dave. My mom is downstairs, probably getting breakfast out for us. I can make sure to tell her you called. OK?" He saw Dave smile and nod, so he looked back at Alvin. He also threw in a signal with his hand where he swiveled his wrist while his fingers were tucked in except for his thumb and pinky. "Take care, Alvin! Hang loose, Brah!"

Alvin laughed. "Later, Logan!"

The phone's field of view panned downwards again. This time a smiling girl with platinum blonde pigtails and bright aqua-green eyes came into view. "Hey, Alvin! It's me, Eleanor."

Alvin smiled as the memories of her came back to him. "Ellie-Girl!"

She went on, "So glad you made it! We're hoping Julie will take us to the hospital later today to see you in person. I'm sure you're tired of hospital food by now. Are you?"

Alvin shrugged slightly. "Well, I don't feel like eating much right now. I'm still tired." It was difficult to do much non-verbal communication, since shrugging still required more muscle movement than Alvin was willing to put forth.

Eleanor gave him an empathetic smile. "Aww, you poor thing! But I'll try to sneak some real home-cooked food to you when we visit later. I'm sure that will help win back your appetite. Would you like that, Big Brother?"

"Thanks, Eleanor! That would be great!" Alvin smiled at her. "You're so thoughtful, Little Sister!"

Eleanor giggled as she panned the phone slightly upwards. "Take care, Alvin! Here's Jeanette..."

"Hi, Alvin!" Jeanette waved at him. "So glad you made it. We were so worried all night!"

Alvin smiled at her. "It's good to hear your soothing voice and see your smiling face, Jeanette!"

Jeanette beamed. "Aww! Alvin, I could bring a soothing eye mask to help you sleep, and maybe even some travel magazines so you can pretend you are relaxing at the beach. Or if you're still traumatized by your accident at the beach, I could just make you feel like you are at a spa retreat in the mountains."

"Thanks, Jeanette!" Alvin smiled. "What would really hit the spot would be a nice shoulder rub or a back massage. But that can wait, since I'm still too tired to move my head. The other stuff sounds good, though."

"Oh, and here's someone else who can help you pretend you are at a mountain spa retreat..." Jeanette moved the phone slightly down again so that Brittany was in view.

"Hey, Alvin!" Brittany blinked as she lightly waved at him. "On the bright side - that pale-blue hospital gown you're wearing really brings out your eyes."

Alvin brought his right hand to inspect his collar and sleeves. "Oh, thanks, Britt! Come to think of it, I didn't even notice what I was wearing." He glanced at Dave. "How did I get into this, anyways? And what happened to whatever I was wearing before this?"

Dave shrugged. "Your rash guard got taken off at the beach, before the paramedics arrived. I think the hospital staff took off your trunks and put the hospital gown on you once they moved you in here. I'm not sure, since everything that happened after we got to the hospital is just a blur to me. But your beach clothes, sandals - and maybe even your hat were stored in a plastic bag somewhere. I think we still have them in the closet of this hospital room."

Brittany had an idea. "How about I pack you some other clothes you can wear? You know, maybe some pajamas while you're in the hospital - if they let you, and some everyday clothes you can wear when they let you go home?"

Alvin looked a little surprised. "Really, Brittany? Are you even gonna go through my underwear drawer?"

Brittany laughed. "I think that would cross too many boundaries in our friendship, so I could just make sure Simon and Theodore pack those for you. But it's not like I've never seen your underwear before. I mean, we used to take baths with all six of us naked together. But it's cool, I'll respect your privacy and your boundaries, if it eases your mind. I'm just glad you're OK after your accident. You take care and get better, or else I'll have no choice but to raid your drawers and look at your underwear."

Something Brittany said struck a chord in Alvin's memory. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but a not-so-pleasant memory was coming to light. But what was it? It had something to do with Brittany, or boundaries, or nudity, or underwear. But to move the conversation along, Alvin smiled at Brittany and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Thanks, Britt, you're a true friend."

Brittany shrugged. "Hey, what bothers you more, me going through your underwear drawer, or total strangers changing your clothes and..." she lowered her voice to a whisper, "...seeing your 'bathing suit area'?" She rolled her eyes with a slight giggle. "OK, I know they're healthcare professionals, and it's nothing they've never seen before, but I understand how you would still find it creepy to wake up in clothes that you didn't fall asleep in. As I told you the other night, Giorgio used to do that to me all the time. Maybe while Dave is with you in the hospital, you can tell him all about that. You know, hint-hint, nudge-nudge, wink-wink..."

Alvin gasped as the memories came flooding back to him. He whispered with a slightly more worried expression, "Thanks for reminding me, Britt. I knew there was something I was supposed to talk about with Dave as soon as I saw you, but I couldn't remember what it was until you said that. And after this, the thought of you going through my underwear drawer doesn't bother me as much. I mean, at least I've known you since Kindergarten. We're cool, Brittany."

"Sure, sure, we're cool, Alvin." Brittany nodded and sighed. After a moment, she perked up. "Oh, and I'll also bring some socks for you, so your feet don't get too cold." As Alvin smiled at her thoughtfulness, she turned to the side. "Did you have anything else to tell him, Simon? Or anything else to tell Dave?"

The phone was in Simon's hands once again. "I think that's it. Glad you're OK, Alvin. And Dave, we are gonna try to visit sometime after lunch. I hope that gives Alvin - and you - enough time for a refreshing nap. Take care!"

Dave took the phone. "Thank you, Simon! I've enjoyed talking with you and the others. Thanks for the prayers and the well-wishes! I love all of you!" With that, he ended the video chat. He turned to Alvin once the phone was off. "So, Alvin, are you hungry now, or do you feel more like a nap?"

Alvin had a slightly anxious look on his face as he began, "Uh, Dave? As tired as I feel right now, and I'm sure you are too, there's something I need to talk to you about, before I forget."

Dave blinked. "Oh... Does this have anything to do with that father-son talk you wanted to have? The one that you wanted to tell me at the beach, when you came into the tent for some sunscreen? Or is something else wrong?"

Alvin closed his eyes as if trying to nod without moving his head too much. "It's about the original father-son talk I wanted to have." He opened his eyes and looked at his father. "Brittany actually reminded me of it just now. It's something that sort of affects both her and me."

Dave thought for a moment. "Well, she wanted to have a daddy-daughter talk with me, and she didn't mind waiting until after I had the father-son talk with you. I didn't know if it was the same kinda questions you had or not."

Alvin explained, "I think our questions will be similar. You see, Dave, last night - or whenever it was before we went on our beach trip - Brittany and I got to talking and strolling down Memory Lane. That's when we both remembered Uncle Ian, and his assistant Giorgio. Both of us realized that Giorgio...did similar...stuff...to both of us. And we both weren't sure if we had really sat down and talked to you about what we went through with him. I'm sorry if I kept forgetting to tell you about it. Over the years I would either forget about it, or the times I would even think of it, something else would come up. I don't mean to speak for both of us chipmunks, but the other night Brittany and I felt guilty about not getting closure for this. I'm so sorry I didn't talk to you about this earlier, Dave. Are you mad?"

Dave had a look of concern on his face, and lovingly held both of Alvin's hands in his. "Oh, Alvin, I'm not mad at you - or Brittany - at all about this. If I'm mad at anyone, it's at myself for letting six years pass without really talking about it. I did talk about this with just about everyone else except for you and Brittany. Since the others individually came to me within a few weeks of when it actually happened, I thought you and Brittany would also come to me on your own time. I even thought of coming to you, but I let my busy life get in the way. Either that, or I thought maybe you and Brittany had worked past it OK, and I wouldn't want to be the one who dredged up the memories you had long since buried. But if any of it still bothers you, you can still talk to me about it."

Alvin slightly smiled and squeezed his dad's hands. "Thanks, Dave. At the time it happened, maybe I just thought getting myself, my brothers, or the girls out of the situation was enough. And, you know, now that I'm older I know how wrong it all was. But when we were five, I was starting to see how wrong it was, for Uncle Giorgio to treat Brittany - or any of the girls - like that, or when my brothers complained, but I was OK with him doing the same kinda stuff to me. Like I had a double-standard about it being wrong when it happened to others, but not so wrong when it happened to me. And to be honest, at the time he did that stuff to me, I kinda...didn't completely hate it. I even enjoyed the attention, and now I feel even more guilty thinking about it. Maybe that's why I didn't want to tell you this secret when it happened - I was afraid I would get in trouble for sharing that I even liked some of the treatment at the time. To this day I occasionally have dreams that relive some of those memories with Giorgio - and I wouldn't call all of them 'nightmares' per se."

Dave blinked. "This information isn't easy to hear, but rest assured that you're not in trouble. And for someone who is 'afraid of getting in trouble', you sure find a lot of it." That comment made both of them share a chuckle before Dave added, "But this Giorgio guy sure is gonna be in trouble if I ever see him!"

"But, Dave," interrupted Alvin. "That happened so long ago. Aren't we supposed to 'forgive and forget', like we learned in church? Besides, I still always thought of Giorgio as my friend. He was nicer to me than Ian was, and we made amends with Ian last summer when he helped us get off that tropical island before the volcano exploded. I mean, Uncle Giorgio told me many times that he loved me. I was his 'Li'l Squirt'! And I loved him, too. He was my 'Uncle Gi-gi'! I don't want to see him get hurt."

Dave then did something Alvin did not expect - he started crying. Seeing his father cry like that made Alvin cry with him. Dave took a deep breath after a few minutes, then gave Alvin's hands a gentle squeeze, while planting a reassuring kiss on the right side of Alvin's forehead. "I'm sorry if I lost it there for a moment, Alvin. Maybe I'm more tired and worn out than I thought. In some ways I'm glad for your sake that you have forgiven this man for what he did to you in the past, but as far as 'forgetting' goes, we can't just forget that ever happened or pretend it never happened. I mean, the authorities would never trust this man around children again in the future, and neither would I.

"Now, I understand that he said he loved you many times, and that he expressed a lot of...physical affection for you. When your brothers told me about this, they said they never heard him say that he loved you when he wasn't...physically taking advantage of you, or while you were fully dressed. And they never heard this man express feelings of love for either of them - at least not like he did with you or Brittany. I don't understand why you want to side with this man and protect him from the consequences of the law that he brought on himself. Back when you first met the girls, you were very protective of all of them, and wanted to keep this man and Ian from hurting them. And I've always been that protective of all six of you. My love for you is beyond just a feeling of physical attraction, which is as far as this man's love for you went - just physical. It just hurts me that anyone would ever hurt you or take advantage of you like that! You are my son, and I love you so much, Alvin Michael Seville!"

"Oh, David..." Alvin sniffled as more tears streamed from his eyes while he squeezed his father's hand.

Dave continued to hold his son's hand, even kissing the back of it between sobs. "Listen, Alvin, what I need to tell you next is not gonna be easy, but please bear with me. I understand that you may have genuinely loved Giorgio, and he said he loved you and wanted to give you his 'love' - even if it was in a very physically inappropriate way, but in reality he was taking from you more than he was giving to you. And no one can really put a price on what he took from you - it's intangible, even if he had left any physical scars. Now, I don't want to make you feel any threat to your masculinity by telling you this...but what Giorgio took from you - or rather, stole from you - is considered statutory rape in the legal sense, even if he never...physically 'entered'...your body."

Even though Alvin was moving around less than usual throughout this entire conversation, Dave could sense that his son froze during the revelation he learned during the last sentence. "Um, Alvin? Are you OK?"

Alvin blinked. "Dave, it's just that, since I didn't hate all of the treatment, and didn't really refuse it...I was sorta consenting to it, even though some red light was going off deep in my subconscious - and maybe even my conscience - that something about it was wrong. And maybe even somehow, by not putting my foot down, or even by not talking about all this in-depth with you years ago when I should have...I was giving Giorgio - and Ian - a reason to keep up that abusive behavior. And even in some way, however small, I was even...contributing to their abusing of my brothers - and the girls." He gazed downward in shame. "How could the others ever forgive me if they saw me as one of the rapists?" More quietly, he sobbed, "How could Brittany ever forgive me?"

"Shh...shh..." Dave stroked Alvin's cheek, wiping away a few tears, but hardly putting a dent in the wetness as more tears continued to stream. "Alvin...none of this is your fault - or Brittany's, even though at different times each of you chose to stay with Ian when you could've chosen to come home with me. I'm sure that given what you know now, you and Brittany both would've done things differently if you could. 'Live and learn' may sound cliche, but it sure applies here. But rest assured that no one blames either of you. And I will make sure to let Brittany know all of that once I get the chance to talk with her. But I understand that hearing me just saying this won't make the guilty feeling inside you disappear. I do still love you no matter what."

Alvin smiled through the tears. "Thanks, Dave. I at least want to tell you that even though I thought at the time that Giorgio loved me, it was just a cheap imitation of love. I didn't understand love before you showed me. I can now say of all of the dads I've had in my life, you're by far my favorite and still the best! You know, even though you're the dad who's grounded me the most." The two of them shared a chuckle for a moment before Alvin sighed, "And on another subject not-too-unrelated to this one, I feel eerie or even guilty in a sense to learn that I lost my virginity at such a young age."

Dave rubbed Alvin's right shoulder. "It's OK, son. In the mental and spiritual sense, I would still consider you a virgin. You didn't choose to give anything away, you had it stolen from you. Maybe it's just me, but I think you can feel broken and even be used physically, without being considered 'used goods' spiritually. And even then, new beginnings are always still possible. Am I making any sense to you?"

"Kinda..." Alvin blinked, since he still didn't have the energy to shrug.

"Good, since I still want to remember all of this for my upcoming daddy-daughter talk with Brittany - that is, unless she may change her mind and want to talk to Julie or Miss Miller by then. Sorry, I digress..." Dave sighed as he gently took hold of both of Alvin's hands in both of his, and gazed deeply and lovingly into his son's eyes. "I understand that your carrying this burden for the past six or so years must have been very difficult for you. And even though it still wasn't easy for me to hear, I'm glad that you told me, and that you felt comfortable enough to tell me this kind of thing. I know you are a few years away from being a teenager, but I will still love you, and I hope you still feel loved. I want you to still feel comfortable telling me anything - and I mean anything - about your body or about your life, no matter how embarrassing, or even how much you fear that I might judge you or punish you. I'll try my best to be more understanding and comforting than judgmental. I know you are a major rockstar, but you still face many of the same uncertainties and challenges as any other kid out there. And the paparazzi gets in a feeding-frenzy when they can dig up dirt on you, so anything you've told me in this conversation is confidential. I want to make sure that your private parts and your private life stay private."

Alvin closed his eyes and chuckled, with a reddening tint to his face. He took a deep breath to compose himself before he replied with a slight eye roll, "David...the only thing that could make that last bit sound any more embarrassing would be if anyone else was around to hear it."

Dave laughed. "Well, I've heard that if family members are not embarrassing you, then they aren't involved enough in your life." This made Alvin laugh with him. They both sighed before Dave continued, "To be honest, I'm not sure where we are supposed to go from here. Do you think you or Brittany might need additional counseling?"

Alvin thought for a moment, before he released a yawn. "Can I think about that later? Right now I'm kinda sleepy."

Dave smiled at him. "I'm sleepy too. I could use a nap before lunch, and before the others come to visit us." He leaned in, with his right cheek pressed against Alvin's right cheek, before pecking a kiss there. "Oh, Alvin, I would give you a better hug after this kinda talk, but I don't want to accidentally disturb your head bandages and hurt you again. But I want you to still remember that you are my son, Alvin Michael Seville, and I love you, and will always love you no matter what." As he let go of Alvin's hands, he motioned to a reclining chair a few feet behind him. "And I also want to let you know that I'll be sleeping right over in that chair, while I let you take a nap."

"Thanks, Dave. I love you too, best dad ever..." Alvin yawned again as he smiled and closed his eyes for a restful nap.


A/N: Since Alvin was hit on the left side of his head, he's not much into using words at first. Which is why singing to him helps bring back the memories, since his right brain is still intact. And his IV is mostly to keep him from getting dehydrated, but pain meds can also be given to him in this way. The Sevilles made amends with Ian Hawke on the tropical island before the volcano erupted in the "Chip-wrecked" movie. I gave Alvin the middle name "Michael", after Ross Jr's and Janice's son. I've done that in some other fanfics, just going out on a limb.