I do not own the Chipmunks, Chipettes, Miss Miller or David Seville. Bagdasarian Productions does.

Chapter 10

The night after the Chipmunks and Chipettes were rescued from that cave, Simon had done a lot of thinking, which was not out of the ordinary. It had torn his heart to see Jeanette so sad and scared that day. Then after she fell through the snow, Simon had felt sick at the possibility of her being hurt, or worse. He thought about his previous feelings towards Valentine's Day, that for him it should be a day for friends and not romance, and Simon resolved that this Valentine's Day would be different. He knew he had a crush on Jeanette and had been trying to ignore it. Now, he was going to show her his true feelings. He didn't care that it might be more romantic. He wanted to do something with Jeanette based on what he really felt, not what he thought it ought to be.

Simon and Jeanette were going to Ile Saint Louis for the day. It was actually a small island in the Seine, located near Notre Dame. The island had a beautiful neighborhood with cute boutiques to shop at. Simon knew Jeanette loved those. They mostly window-shopped, as neither had much money left to spend, but they did find a couple things they could buy. After she had looked to her heart's content, they ate lunch at a restaurant and had one of the most intimate conversations in their friendship.

For dessert, Simon treated her to Berthillon. It was a type of ice cream that the location was famous for. It was so good that they bought a second bowl to split. Simon's eyes were bigger than his stomach as he put a big spoonful in his mouth. Some of it dripped down his chin, and he reached for a napkin. Jeanette wiped it away for him before he got a chance to.

"Simon, that was one of the best afternoons I've ever had!" exclaimed Jeanette after they were done with their ice cream. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," he smiled. "Would you permit me to take you to one last place?"

"Certainly."

He held out his arm, and she took it again, this time bringing him closer to her. Getting caught off guard, Simon stopped walking. He felt almost uncomfortable, yet he wanted her to stay that way forever.

"Is there something wrong?" She looked up at him.

"No, just admiring a bird. Let's go."

After walking briefly, Simon looked at his map and realized it was too far for them to walk. He told the taxi driver to take them to Bois de Vincennes. This was a forest with a large castle, Chateau de Vincennes, and Lake Daumesnil. After touring part of the castle, Simon rented a canoe for them to ride in the lake.

"This is so lovely!" Jeanette sighed happily as Simon rowed. "You know what would be perfect right now? A book. Too bad I don't have one."

Simon stopped rowing and pulled a copy of Romeo and Juliet out of his bag.

"Romeo and Juliet, how delightful! This is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. Did you plan this?"

"Perhaps."

"Shall we read aloud certain characters?"

"Yes, I thought it would be fun."

Simon let the canoe drift (but still keeping an eye on it), and they held the book together, reading through two-thirds of the play before they had to stop due to lack of daylight and water left to drink. They stopped in enough time to watch the sun slip down into the horizon. She leaned against his chest and sighed with contentment. His arm was around her shoulders.

"It's a beautiful play, isn't it?"

"Yes," Simon replied, "quite thought- provoking."

"It's getting late. We should go."

"You're right." He reluctantly rowed to shore.

"When we get back, I want to give you your present."

"I have one to give as well."

"But you've already done so much!"

"It's just a little something."

Simon and Jeanette went to her hotel room and were surprised to find only Einstein there.

"Hmm. I wonder where Miss Miller is. Here's your gift; actually it's three presents taped together." She stroked Einstein as he opened them.

"It's heavy. Inside box number one is… more microscope slides. Thank you. I needed these. You gave me samples too. I'm excited to analyze them. Next is… the tool I needed for my experiment! Thank you! The last present looks like it could be a thesaurus. The book about the construction of Notre Dame that we saw at the gift shop! Oh, thank you, Jeanette!"

He gave her a quick hug.

"You're welcome. I know how much you wanted it, and I felt dismayed when you didn't have enough to buy it."

"I appreciate your thoughtful gifts. Allow me but one moment to get mine." He pulled out his present from his bag.

"Simon! A copy of that book I was telling you I wanted to read! It's even signed by the author! Thank you so much!" She squeezed him.

"You're quite welcome." He stared at her as she read the book cover. "I'm sure she will enjoy the little notes I placed between some of the pages. Just little notes to encourage her and express my deep admiration of her, no not her, of our friendship."

"I can't wait to read it. I'll start it tomorrow on the plane." She blushed as a large growl emanated from her stomach.

"I think we should go to dinner. I thought we could eat in the hotel dining room."

"I agree. Farewell, Einstein."

Einstein purred nonstop. Not only had Jeanette pet her right where she had that terrible itch, but she was thoroughly enjoying herself as she watched Simon's and Jeanette's romance blossom into something beautiful.

"This hotel has some of the best food," Simon stated as he finished the last of his vegetables.

"Mmhmm. So what will we do after this? I don't want the day to end!"

"We could…well… talk, I suppose. To tell you the truth, I didn't plan anything else."

A gentleman announced that the dance floor was now open again, and several couples stood up.

"Let's dance!" Jeanette suggested with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Well, I thought you wouldn't want to since we do that every year."

"But I look forward to it. I love dancing…with you."

Simon blushed a shade of Alvin red. He collected himself and stood next to her chair with a bow. "May I have this dance?"

"I'd love to."

They began dancing gracefully with a respectable distance between them. Jeanette did trip over his feet and her shawl a few times, but Simon caught her each time. As they continued, they found themselves pulling each other closer together. By the fifth dance, they were cheek to cheek. No words needed to be spoken. Jeanette lay her head on his shoulder, and Simon held her. She was so close he could smell her hair.

"She's so beautiful in that dress! Her hair smells so sweet! I feel like I should kiss her. I want to! But, I mustn't let my heart escape from my head too much. One step at a time. But her smile is the prettiest thing in the world. One little kiss wouldn't hurt."

Jeanette looked up at him. Simon bent down to kiss her on the lips, but he kissed her gently on the forehead then quickly pulled back.

"I just don't think I'm ready."