Chipmunkfan No. 1 = Sorry about that. Had to divide the chapters. Okay, I learned my lesson - Not doing that again.
LOVEURSTORIES = I'll see to it if I can. I don't know how to put it yet. It's not like I can just make them say "Hey, we're stuck in a cage, so let's make the red out of our lips."
Webweirdo332 = Alright. For you, I will.
Simon couldn't believe it. First Serene, now Stanley. And with AJ and Ally missing too, what the heck is going on? Well, right now, that's not important. Surely Serene has AJ with him, so he can put a little worry on her. AJ's much like his father, and he won't let anything happen to Serene. And Stanley's a big boy now. He can take care of himself. He wasn't kidnapped, he ran away, so Simon knows that he knows what he's doing.
But where to put the worry? Jeanette. After hearing the news, she couldn't breathe straight. She was standing in the children's room, and after finding Stanley gone (And knowing that he's really gone), her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell to the ground, unconscious. The kids nearly yelped in shock.
Simon carried Jeanette's body over to Stanley's bed (Which was of course, unoccupied) and let her head lie down comfortably on the small pillow clad in blue sheets. He sat on the bed next to her face, caressing her head and making sure her hair doesn't block the passage to her nose. A few minutes later, Jasmine arrived with a fan and started fanning her mother's face.
She looked over to him, her face as pretty as a flower. And despite what happened, it never ceased to brighten him up. Although, her smile wasn't there when she spoke. "Daddy, is mommy going to be okay?" She asked her, the slightest hint of Jeanette's voice present inside her soothed his ears.
Simon reached for her and scratched the back of her ear. She liked that. Everyone in his side of the family found it nice and soothing, almost like a massage. "She's going to be alright. She just couldn't bear the news, so she fainted."
Jasmine stopped fanning her mother's face and sensually wrapped her arms around her father's body. She nuzzled her face against his chest. "She's not going to leave us, is she?"
Simon nearly shuddered in the unrealistic possibility. "Jasmine, don't say that. You know your mother. She's not going to let one bad news get to her." He turned to his mate and caressed her cheek. "She's every woman I dreamed of. Smart, beautiful, strong, everything. It'll take more than a fall to the ground to hurt her."
"I know. I'm just so afraid." Jasmine embraced him tighter.
On the other side of Stanley's bed, J'Nell, Simon Jr., Shannon, and Janice sat, while the rest sat on their beds, looking at them or talking to each other.
When Jeanette finally gave out a soft groan, Simon let go of Jasmine and took his mate's paw, looking deeply into her eyelids as they slowly fluttered open. Then finally, Jeanette's beautiful amethyst eyes shone under the light from the ceiling. When Jeanette spoke, her voice sounded low and soft, tired and exhausted.
"S-Simon?" She called out.
Simon hushed her. "Shh, Jeanette, it's alright. It's alright. Don't waste your energy," He said before turning back to his sons. "John, Simone, can you get your mother a glass of water? And no pranks."
They both nodded. "Yes, dad." They vanished into the door together. Simon felt kind of relieved that they didn't complain, or give an exasperated sigh of frustration. They don't normally do, but if they did so, then he'd get the water by himself. He didn't want the kids to hate him.
"Simon..." Jeanette called out, her voice sounding weak, but getting better. Simon looked at her violet eyes, his lips nearly smiling at the beautiful color. Jeanette seemed to have difficulty keeping her right eye open. "S-Stanley..." She mentioned his name.
Simon wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Stanley's going to be alright. He knows what he's doing." Though his mouth said those words, his mind couldn't help whispering, 'I hope.'
A few minutes later, Jeanette's voice seemed to be getting better, and she started to smile at him. A good sign, Simon thought. Another moment passed, Simone and John arrived at the door, John holding a glass of water and Simone holding a chipmunk-sized pitcher of water. Simone's other paw curled into a clenched fist, holding something in them.
John gave the water to him, and Simone opened his paw, holding pieces of irregularly shaped tablets on his palm.
"Here, dad. Let her take this. I got a human-sized Paracetamol from the bathroom and chipped it into smaller pieces. Don't worry, I made sure the milligrams are just about right for mom."
Simon smiled at him in utmost appreciation and gratitude as he received the pills in his paw. "Thank you, Simone." He turned to Jeanette and lifted her upper body up slowly, using his paw to support his back. "Here, Jeanette. Drink this." Simon cupped her opened lips with his paw and slowly let the pills fall into her mouth. Jeanette swished the pills in her mouth, not minding the bitter taste as Simon handed (pawed) him the glass of water.
Jeanette gulped it down in ease. With a loud, satisfied sigh, she smiled at the three of them. "Thank you."
Finally, John cleared his throat after receiving the glass. "That's not all, dad." He told, and Simon looked at him curiously. John reached for his pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. "We found this posted on the fridge. No doubt about it, it Stanley's paw-writing."
Simon took the note from John's paws and looked at it.
"What does it say, Simon?" He heard Jeanette asked.
Simon read it.
Mom, dad,
Now, I don't even know where to start. First of all, I love you guys and thanks for everything. But if you think I'm running away, I'm not. I'm not going to run away from you guys, ever. I'm just going out to find Serene. Dad, after seeing you scratching that innocent guy in the park, I knew I didn't have the heart to want to see you mad again. Yeah, so please understand.
And also, I hope you don't mind if I take your car. If you want it back, I'm heading to the park as we speak, and I'm going to leave it there and continue finding my sister without it. It should be under the same tree.
So, now you know. Don't worry about me, I know what I'm doing. I always do. Tell the rest of my siblings not to worry. And... I can't believe I'm saying this, but don't let Ally read this next part. It's going to be embarrassing, but if I don't get back, could you tell her that... - let me just phrase it in French - Je t'aime. Et donnez-lui un baiser de moi, vous? Okay, my French is rusty, I admit. But I'm not Simone.
And also, just to let you know, I sneaked into your room when you were asleep and took Serene's ribbon. I cut it in half and placed the other half back in your drawer. So, nothing to worry about. I know where I'm going.
So, that's all. It's Stanley, by the way.
Then it was the end of it. As Simon lifted his eyes from the paper, he stared silently at an empty space. His son's words struck him. Though, what he did came from the stupidity which ran in the family, Simon detected a bit of pride burning inside him. From the empty space, he looked at Jeanette as a small smile spread across his face.
"What did it say, Simon?" Jeanette asked again.
"He's gone to find Serene." Simon handed (pawed) Jeanette the paper.
Jeanette read it out loud, then stopped at the part where Stanley mentioned Ally's name. She paused then started reading again, then all the way to the end. After, her eyes found Simon, and he can tell, Jeanette as proud as well, despite the stupidity which ran in the family.
"What are you going to do about it?" Jeanette asked.
Simon smiled. "Leave him be. He knows what he's doing. Let's just hope he's alright."
"Are you going to ground him?"
Simon thought about it. "For the rest of his life, yes. But still, I'm proud of him."
"What about your car?"
"It's alright. I won't need that old thing anymore, anyways. But when he comes back, remind me to ground him."
Jeanette stifled a small chuckle.
. . . . . . .
After one short, yet silently boring drive, Ally and Stanley finally arrived at a place filled with trees, a gravel path, and numerous benches. Under the night sky, it was hard to make out the interior as they passed the gate, but Ally could tell, this place was greater in the morning than it is in the dark. Ally had never been here before. She'd never been anywhere other than the house and Carnival Dreams, let's say nature has made its first impression on her.
Stanley park the car under a shady tree with bats gliding in circles around its leaves. Ally shrugged off the thought of being caught in their talons, then turned into dinner. Stanley got out of the car, and Ally did the same. After closing the door, she followed Stanley deep into the woods. Feeling the twilight getting thicker, she hesitantly clutched in Stanley's body as she heard a small snap of a twig.
Stanley chuckled. "Don't worry, nothing's going to eat you here. There are no tigers and bears. It's just the park."
"If its the park, then why does it has a forest?" Ally asked.
"I can't even call this a forest. I'm just looking for... for something." Ally sensed Stanley taking in slowly sniffing the air.
"Are you sniffing Serene out?" Ally asked.
"No." Stanley asked, giving Ally the confused feeling. She didn't ask any more. As soon as Stanley finished sniffing, he pointed at a direction. "That way. Follow me."
"Just tell me where we're going, please? Knowing you'd take me out in a place like this, I never would have came with you." Ally grew more frustrated by the second. Stanley didn't answer, which made her even more frustrated. She just puffed the bangs of her hair and rolled her eyes stubbornly as she followed Stanley's steps.
As they walked, Ally had to slap multiple mosquitoes off of her arm. Irritating critters, but what can she do? She's a mammal from a big house unintentionally invading their territory all because Captain Wow Slash Stanley Slash Smart Guy With Glasses is taking her our for a strange walk when they should be rescuing their siblings.
Unbelievable, she puffed the bangs on her hair again.
As they walked closer to Stanley's 'destination', Ally could smell the slightest hint of water and mud. As they walked closer, the sounds of crickets became louder, and Ally clung closer to Stanley, just in case one might land on her.
"Here we are." Stanley stopped dead in his tracks.
Ally blinked and looked forward. Her eyes glistened as her sights laid upon an open field clear of trees and a small pond in the middle. The sound of crickets became mixed with small frog croaks, and despite the green, slimy water lilies, the pond looked very tempting. She turned to Stanley, suddenly angered in realization.
"You dragged me all the way up here for a bath when when should be rescuing AJ and Serene? You're unbelievable." Ally nearly screamed, but kept her voice low.
"So, you're not taking a bath?" Stanley said, grinning.
"Oh, so really wanted me to leave my bag on purpose so you can see me naked? Pervert." Ally's tone reflected her anger. But confusingly, a part of her turned hopeful at the sight of her and Stanley in the pond, no clothes, swimming... Surprisingly, she felt the nipples between her hind legs slowly begin to harden, and she felt warm around her. Strange. Is she sick? She never felt like this before.
But then she was startled out of her thoughts as she felt Stanley's paws giving her a gentle push. Though, gentle, it was enough to knock her of her feet. She landed at a pile of mud beside her, feeling the nasty liquid through her jacket, then through her shirt, then finally on her fur. The smell of it was unbearable, her nose wrinkled. Recovering, she glared madly at Stanley.
"What the heck did you do that for!?" Ally said, shaking her body to get rid of the mud. Some of it landed on Stanley.
"Getting rid of the scent. Now our parents can't find us," Stanley answered.
Now a normal person would find those words weird, but to Ally, why did it sound so... so... - let's be frank here - hot?
"Freak," Ally managed to say.
"You can hate me later. We're trying to rescue our siblings, and we can't do that if our parents are finding us.''
"Again, I repeat: Freak," Ally said again, but to her surprise, her voice didn't sound mad. Is sounded as if she was teasing him. Okay, what's going on? She's always like this when she's near him.
Stanley gestured to the pond. "How about a bath?"
"So you want to see me naked? Pervert, freak, I don't what else I should call you."
"Voyeuristic would suffice, but no. I'm not doing this to let you show off your body. In fact, I don't even want to see your body." Ally felt like something inside her died. "But you definitely need a bath." Stanley added.
"Thanks to you."
"Don't worry, I won't look."
"Aren't you going to take a bath too?" Ally asked.
"After you."
Ally watched as Stanley knelt down next to the mud and started gather piles of dirt into his paws. He started placing it all over her body, but Ally couldn't help thinking he was showing off. The graceful way he touched his chest and rolled the mud down to his sweater, it struck her somewhat... hot. She watched as Stanley closed his eyes and covered his eyelids with mud before wiping them off. Then he made his way to his neck, rolling the pile of mud over to his fur.
From a small distant, about a feet or so, Ally was strangely having the urge to run her paws along Stanley's fur, feeling how soft it feels. Stanley the misplaced mud off his lips. As he did that, Ally's paws raised up and found her chin, and without thinking, her fingers began caressing her lips, a few droplets of mud dripping from her paw. She found it hard to breathe, and for some reason, she found her tongue licking the tip of her index finger.
"You take a bath." Stanley's voice startled her back to reality. She quickly took her paw away from her lip, cursing it for what it did. "I'll get some firewood and we'll call it a night."
"You mean we're sleeping?" She asked, a part of her inside sounded hopeful.
"Yes," Stanley answered.
"Here?"
"Yes."
"Together?"
"Yes."
"Naked?"
"Practically, yes."
"At one space? Together?"
"Yes, and yes. But don't worry. I'll keep my distance. I know you won't feel comfortable, but it's only until our clothes dry. And besides, there are leaves everywhere. You can use them as blankets, towels, whatever."
Ally sighed and wiped her face. "Why am I getting the idea that I should stay away from you?"
"Uh,... because you're a girl. You have hormones."
"What?" Ally didn't understand that certain word.
"Nothing." He dismissed before gesturing back to the pond. "You should take a bath. I promise I won't look. I'll be under that tree after I get the firewood." With that, Stanley started walking away. Ally decided to call him back, but he was already far away.
Sighing, she debated whether or not to take a bath with her clothes on. But after much deliberation, she looked around her for any signs of Stanley. When she knew he wasn't there, the started to take her jacket off, then her shirt, then her skirt. A cool wind brushed against her naked fur, making her shiver. She walked closer to the water and examined the temperature with her toes. Despite the cold air, it was warm. Ally walked into the deeper part of the pond until the water reached her stomach. She knelt down, letting the water into her chest as she drowned her entire face deep into the water. She resurfaced and breathed the sweet cold air.
She sighed in content. Though she was satisfied, she suddenly felt lonely. But not just lonely as in no-one's-here-with-me kind of lonely. Her thoughts drifted to Stanley, and that made it clear that he's the one she wants to be here with, despite being naked. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she knew she wanted Stanley with her right now.
This was in fact, her first swim. This was the second place she swam in, the first being the house's bathtub. But the bathtub didn't have the right temperature. Sometimes it was too cold, then at times, the water was too hot. But this, this is just perfect.
She sighed again in content, feeling the scent of the mud lifting away. She closed her eyes and felt the moment, but then they opened up as soon as she heard a snap of a twig. "Stanley?" She called out.
She looked behind her to the source of the sound, drowning herself deeper so Stanley wouldn't be able to see her chest. She saw a figure, a chipmunk,... or... or a squirrel? But whatever it was, it wasn't Stanley. Its claws grew out of its sheath, its teeth gritted, and its voice hissed. In the dark, she couldn't make out if it was a chipmunk or a squirrel, or another rodent, but it was definitely angry. And it undoubtedly, it couldn't speak.
Fear gripped her body, and she couldn't find her voice. She tried to walk further into the water. The thing walked closer to her, and she tried but failed to scream.
So, that was the other half of the last chapter. :D Enjoy.
VIVA, PIT SENIOR! VIVA, VIVA, VIVA! Happy Sinulog Festival 2013 of Cebu, guys.