AN: Almost done… I'm actually sad that this is coming to an end… I had a lot of fun writing it, and hope you guys had fun reading, too. Anyway thanks for all your awesome reviews… and r/r ;)

As Alvin steps out into the hall, there is no sign of the auburn haired chipette who has just burst out of the room. He's not worried, though. Like his brother, he knows exactly where to find his best friend.

Flashback:

The beginning of freshman year. Brittany is sitting on the bleachers by the athletic field, looking dreamily at the sky. She is so lost in thought, she doesn't notice the red capped chipmunk sitting next to her, until he brings his face close to hers and whipers in her ear, "Brittany…"

'ALVIN SEVILLE… YOU ARE DEAD!' Brittany jumps in shock as she turns towards her grinning classmate.

"You say that everyday… yet, here I am… still alive…"

'You'd better be careful… God likes me!'

"He's not the only one…"

'What??'

"Er… nothing… what were you thinking about, anyway…"

'It's just so… perfect. We're here… you're the first ever freshman varsity football, basketball and soccer player… I'm already on the cheerleading squad… we're in all the same classes… there's the school play to look forward to… I just think… this year… is going to be perfect… don't you?'

"No year's ever perfect, Britt…"

'I don't care… this year will be… because…'

"Because?"

'Because… I… have a friend like you…' Brittany looks down, blushing, cursing herself for her sudden shyness. Alvin, too, feels a knot of disappointment as Brittany describes their 'friendship'.

"Well in that case every year is going to be perfect…"

'Why is that?'

"Because… you'll always have me…"

Smiling slightly to himself at the memory, Alvin quickens his pace. Sure enough, Brittany is seated at her favorite "thinking" spot, dead center of the bleachers, overlooking the football field. Again, she's looking up at the sky, but this time, her blue eyes are filled with tears. She doesn't notice him as he quietly sits down beside her. A mischievous grin spreads across his face as he leans in and whispers, "Brittany…"

'ALVIN SEVILLE… YOU ARE DEAD!'

"Careful what you say there, Britt…"

Snapping to attention, she turns towards the chipmunk beside her, eyes filled with tears.

'Alvin…'

Turning towards him, Brittany buries her face in his chest, flinging her arms around him and holding on as if she's afraid to let go. They sit for quite some time, holding each other, silent, until Brittany's sobs subside. Alvin lifts her chin gently, looking into her slightly swollen blue eyes.

"Britt… I'm here… I'm fine… nothing's going to happen to me…."

'Nothing had BETTER happen to you… Alvin Seville if you DIE on me, I'll go right behind you…'

"You… you would?"

'Yeah… I'd have to kick your butt for leaving me…' Brittany smiles through her tears.

"Well then I guess I'll just have to live then…. Seeing as you plan on stalking me all the way to the afterlife…" They smile at each other for a moment, before Alvin speaks up in a low voice.

"I didn't think you cared THAT much…"

'Why… would you EVER think that?'

"I can understand you wanting to date Reuben… but I realized with Charlene almost right away that she could never replace you… you remained with him for two years… why, Britt?" Alvin looks up at her with genuine anguish, and more than a little bitterness.

Looking down at her hands, Brittany is silent for awhile before speaking.

'He… kept my mind off things…'

"What?"

'I… missed you so much… I think I took things the worst out of all my sisters… I would even break down in the middle of the hallway, crying… whenever I passed by your old locker… or when I saw a soccer ball… or basketball court… or the music room… or went to any of the classes we had together…'

"But… we had all our classes together…"

'Exactly…' Brittany looks up with a brittle smile. 'When Reuben asked me out… it was at a point where I just had to do something… I had to keep my mind off things somehow… by dating him, I could pretend for part of the day… but I never stopped…'

"Never stopped…?"

'Never stopped loving you…' Brittany finishes quietly. After finding out how close she came to losing Alvin for life, Brittany doesn't want to play games anymore. She wants to be honest, and if Alvin didn't like it… well… he'd better like it. She'd make him!

"That's good to hear…" Alvin smiles slightly down at her.

'Why is that?' Brittany tries to bat her eyes, but they hurt too much from all the crying she's done. Sighing, she looks at the floor.

"Because I never stopped loving you either…" Leaning forward, Alvin's lips meet hers in an urgent, tender kiss.

Meanwhile, Jeanette, Simon, Theodore and Eleanor are in the detention room, arguing over who had to go and look for Alvin and Brittany.

'Oh no… if they're kissing or something, and I walk in on them, Alvin's going to kill me, baby brother or not!'

"But you KNOW Brittany has a soft spot for you… remember how you just got her to tone down her dare for Theodore… Brittany NEVER does that…"

'But you SAVED Alvin's LIFE… he wouldn't harm a hair on your head…'

'But this is BRITTANY we're talking about….'

"QUIET!" Jeanette's uncharacteristically loud voice startles everyone into silence. Simon looks admiringly at his girlfriend. So that's how she ran the student government for three years in a row. He's impressed… and also a little scared.

"Alvin and Brittany are our siblings. We know them. What is the one thing they'd never leave the room without?"

Comprehension dawns on Theodore and Eleanor's faces as Simon blushes slightly. He's supposed to be the smart one… and he was arguing with Theodore about who was going to go and get Alvin when the answer was so obvious. He turns to look at his girlfriend again. 'She is nothing short of amazing…' he whispers to himself as he whips out his cell phone and presses '2', listening as a familiar, slightly annoyed voice answers.