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A/N:

Thank you once again for all of the love and support you guys keep showing this fanfic with all of your lovely, encouraging reviews and all of the favs/alerts. Also a big thanks to those who send me messages as well. :)

I hope you al spent Valentine's Day with the ones you love. :)

Not much to say really…I recently returned to uni which means updates may be a little slower, unfortunately.

Err…that's it for now.

On with the story!

Enjoy! :)


NOTE: Quote for this chapter is in the bottom A/N to avoid spoilers.


Key:

"Speech" - Normal speech

"Speech" - Character's thoughts.

"Speech" - Pain Darkness speech.

"Speech" – Memories.


It's All In Your Head, Alvin
Written by mpkio2

Chapter 45
It's All In Your Head, Alvin

"Get up and fight!"

Simon?

But….how?

He's….dead.

That can't be him I see standing in front of me, his voice echoing all around…

I must be imagining this, right?

"No, Alvin," The supposedly dead chipmunk replied in a strong voice. "You're not imagining things. I'm standing right here in front of you!" Simon yelled loudly for all the world to hear, but mostly for his brother, who was still pinned on the floor by the monster Pain, his eyes wide, his mouth agape just slightly.

"Get up and fight back now!"

Tears continued to leak down the chipmunk's right eye, his brother's voice ringing in his head, his heart thumping wildly…

"But…Si…." Alvin whispered in a breaking, weak voice, sobs escaping here and there. "I- I can't…I've lost…."

"That's what quitters say," Simon whispered back in a dark voice, his voice hidden with emotion, his head titled down to the floor. "I thought you weren't a quitter, Alvin?"

This conversation…it felt….

…familiar….

As if Alvin had this conversation before….

"I-I'm not…" Alvin whispered back, and although both were whispering, it was as though both were shouting at each other, as if both could hear each other loud and clear.

"Yes, you are," A dark, growl hovering above Alvin, interjected. "You are a quitter, Alvin," The chipmunk looked up in the direction where the dark voice was coming from, Alvin's brown eyes staring up at Pain's red, snake-like eyes, a glint of twisted pleasure playing within them.

"It's the reason why I have you pinned down on the floor," The monster's claws dug ever deeper into Alvin's flesh, the chipmunk letting out another painful scream, which echoed along the corridor, the teachers, students all who dwelled within the building of education, unaware of the painful and struggling odeal Alvin was facing.

"That's right," The monster murmured in a pleasuring, twisted voice. "Give in, give up. You're quitter, after all, isn't that right, Alvin?"

Just screams, just painful, sorrowful, dark screams echoed all over, going on and on, as if it was never going to end, Alvin closing his eyes due to the extreme pain he felt coursing through his body, not wanting to give the disgusting monster the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

And then, just as quickly as it begun, it stopped.

Silence was all that could be heard, except for the voices of students on the other side of the classroom door's.

"No," Alvin whispered in broken voice.

"What was that?" Pain asked, his voice loud and strong.

"I don't think I can hear you either, Alvin…" Simon added, his voice still dark and hidden, standing just a few feet from where Alvin was pinned on the floor.

"I'm…not a quitter…." The chipmunk returned, his voice broken, quiet…pathetic.

"W-w-what?" Simon asked in the same dark voice, his voice…shaking.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU, QUITTER!" Simon yelled, his voice filled with strength and….Love, voice echoing all around.

Alvin's eyes, which were previously closed, suddenly opened wide, the strength and determination, the fire buring in them strongly, a sudden overwhelming feeling coursed through out his whole body, fighting back the pain that fought for dominance. But this feeling, this strong warm feeling that Alvin felt throughout his body, strengthening his muscles, bones, his very soul, was stronger…much stronger than the poison which Pain struggled to course through Alvin's body, the monster realizing the sudden fight in Alvin's body, it's eyes widening seeing the strength and determination written in its prey's eyes.

"You can't win, Alvin!" The monster screamed in Alvin's face, sensing the fight whish was taking place in Alvin's body. Pain dug it's claws deeper within Alvin's flesh, pushed more of its poison within the chipmunk's body, thinking Alvin would submit once he felt the immense power that Pain possessed, the monster succeeding in killing Alvin's fighting spirit once and for all.

Alvin's heart was bursting with strength, the sight of his brother standing in front of him, confident strong, the sun shinning brightly behind him, Love and hope returning all the while, fighting back the shadows and darkness that threatened to take over at any moment without warning.

"Yes, I can!" Alvin screamed back with all his strength in the monster's face. He did not scream out in pain like before, his did not close his eyes in pain, he did not scream and scream wanting the pain to stop. On the contrary, the opposite occurred; his eyes were open widely and not one scream, not even a whimper escaped his mouth. The chipmunk actually…smirked, if Pain was seeing correctly.

This can't be!, the monster thought in a disbelieving voice. Where did this sudden increase in Love and strength come from?

"That's obvious, isn't it?" Alvin replied in a laugh below the panicking monster on top of him. Pain's eyes widened, realizing that Alvin could hear its thoughts.

The thought process works both ways?, the monster thought once again, not believing, not understanding how Alvin could now hear Pain's thoughts. The monster could always hear Alvin's thoughts, but never vice versa…

"My strength comes from the people I love," Alvin replied in a strong voice. The monster looked up, away from Alvin, and to his brother, who stood with a small smile on his face, a few tears running down his face.

No, the monster thought in a panicked voice. This can't be happening!

"Are you a quitter, Alvin?" Simon shouted out.

And suddenly, a bubbling sensation coursed within Alvin's very stomach, a sensation which started to flow through his body, all muscles and even to his very heart. Pain sensed this reaction taking place in Alvin's body, looked back down at Alvin with a confused expression on its face, not knowing what this sudden feeling he could feel within his prey's body.

Alvin started to shake erratically, closed his eyes and quite suddenly opened them again, his eyes burning with intense fire. With this unbelievable sensation coursing through his body, Alvin screamed loudly into Pain's face:

"I AM NOT A QUITTER!"

Pain was taken aback by this intense power, but before he had the time to react, before he even realized what was going on, it had already been sent flying across the corridor, letting go of Alvin altogether and slammed against the hard, cold floor, falling back into the shadows, which crept away by the increasingly strong fighting sun, it's rays brighter than ever.

Alvin jumped to his feet in one swift move, never knowing he was so agile and flexible; he had never done anything like then when he was a teenager. Knowing that Pain would soon be back on his feet, knowing what Bucky and Gina had asked him to do, Alvin ran as fast as he could towards the struggling creature, a fist pulled back behind him, which contained all the Love and strength he could muster….

Theodore's smiling face….

His son, Little Alvie hugging him tightly…

Brittany kissing him passionately on the lips…

Love was Alvin's strength, and it was all he needed to defeat this monster.

"Pain!" Alvin screamed loudly, his distance from Pain decreasing in size, feeling the impending impact approaching. Hearing its name called loudly, the monster opened its eyes, looked to the left from where the source of the voice had come from and once realizing who had screamed his name, once he realized who was coming at him with a fiery fist, its eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

No, it whispered. Pain slowly stood on its four paws as quickly as possible, ready to defend itself from Alvin's assault. "You can't win!" it screamed back, black gooey balls of darkness shooting from its mouth, aimed straight at Alvin.

Alvin, who saw the attack coming, dodged eloquently, avoiding the balls of darkness and hate which if hit would consume the subject, the prey in nothing but hat and pain. Pain shot again, and again, and gain, but Alvin dodge all attacks as if it was nothing but avoiding an annoying fly.

"I will win in the end!" The monster screamed loudly. And suddenly, it took in a deep breath and then, all took quickly, exhaled, a huge black ball with spikes poking out of it, an evil aura lingering around came hurting towards Alvin's direction. "I will win!"

But just when Pain believed to have won the battle, Alvin changed his belief within an instant. In one swift move, with a fist full with Love, Alvin knocked the black ball of darkness to the side, as if it was nothing but a play ball, the black ball colliding with the green lockers and exploding into nothingness, as if it never existed.

"No you won't!" Alvin screamed back, pulling his right fist back, feeling the immense feeling of Love within his grasp. With all the strength and Love he could muster, his fist finally collided into Pain, hitting the monster right in its face. And even after the fist made contact with the beast, Alvin kept it in its place, pushed harder against it, pulled everything into it, feeling the monster being pushed back all the time at an incredible rate, feeling the monster shrink in size…

Feeling all strength gone, coming to halt, Alvin fell to the floor with a "Thud" worn out and at his limit of strength.

"Al-Alvin…" he heard a small voice, by his side. He turned to the right and what he saw next, made his eyes widen with shock; a small dark ugly face stared at Alvin with small red eyes.

"Pa-pain?" Alvin asked in a weak, confused voice. "I-is that y-you?" It was even a struggle for Alvin to talk, let alone stand.

The creature grumbled. "No thanks to you," Pain replied in a grumpy voice, it's voice a lot higher than before.

"Well done, Alvin," Came a happy voice that Alvin recognized at once. "You did it," The happy face of Buck the squirrel looked down at the worn out chipmunk.

"You beat Pain!" Another familiar voice exclaimed joyously, the smiling face of Gina looking down upon Alvin.

"I knew you could do it, Alvin," This was the voice Alvin wanted to hear the most. This was the voice that had helped him in the fight with Pain, this was the voice which gave him strength to fight, that gave him Love and reminded him what was important to him.

Alvin slowly lifted his head, his eyes landing on the form of his brother, Simon, who sat crouched by Alvin's side, a paw laying on Alvin's shoulder a gentle smile on his face.

"S-Simon…" It was all he could say, but by the look on Simon's face, by the nod Alvin received in return, it appeared he understood what Alvin meant.

"I know," Simon replied. "You don't have to say anything else,"

"B-but…I-," Alvin could say no more, all strength, vanished from his body.

"You need to converse what little strength you have left in order to stay here," Simon explained in a gentle voice. But Alvin didn't fully understand Simon's words…

"Stay here?", Alvin thought, confused. What does he mean by that?

To stay in this memory, Alvin suddenly heard Simon's voice in his head. He looked to his brother, confused at how he could hear him in his head.

"All will be explained in due time," Simon said, as he put a strong arm underneath Alvin's left armpit, lifting Alvin off the floor a bit. "Could you help me lift Alvin up, Bucky?"

Bucky nodded. "Of course," He put an arm underneath Alvin's right armpit and in perfect synchronization, both Simon and Bucky had successfully lifted Alvin to his wobbly feet.

"I suggest we find a more comfortable place to converse in," Simon said as he looked to a door to his right. Both Bucky and Gina nodded, Simon seeking their approval, but it looked as though Alvin had no say in this for no-one asked him directly of what he thought.

"D-don't t-think this i-is o-over, A-Alvin," A small, high voice sounded from behind the disbanding group, though none stopped, nor turned to face the small monster behind them. "I-I'll still b-be in the d-depths of y-your h-heart,"

Alvin felt like he should reply back, but Simon squeezed the side of his shoulder and encouraged him to keep moving. As he walked, he realized that the corridor was becoming ever darker by the second, the sun that had been shining brightly, now gone.

Once the group approached the door, Gina opened the door and allowed Simon and Bucky to carry a weak Alvin through the door. But Alvin remembered that he could walk through solid objects in this memory, so he didn't see why Gina had opened the door to begin with.

Perhaps there was a reason behind it…?

"R-Remember t-that, A-Alvin. Remember that…"

Gina slammed the door behind her. A faint "click" sound was heard, indicating that the door had been locked.

Pain Darkness was left in the corridor, the darkness and shadows which lurked all around him, his only friends for all eternality.


On the other side of the door, Alvin expected to see a classroom, lined with chairs and tables all facing the front of the classroom, assuming the room would be empty, for why would Bucky, Gina and Simon want to speak to him in a room filled with students who would be loud and rowdy?

Although no-one was in the room, Alvin was surprised to discover that the room on the other side of the door was not a classroom at all, nor any other room you would expect to find in a school.

The room was familiar and welcoming. Sun shone through the large windows, brightening up and shinning upon the couch and three comfy looking chairs which were placed in the centre of the wooden tiled floor, a large patterned rug underneath all furniture, a table placed within the centre of chairs, fours cups of water and a vase in which a rose lay, sat on top of the table.

To say that Alvin was surprised would be an understatement.

"Wh-what the-?" Alvin gasped out with the little strength he had remaining.

"All will be explained," Simon said as all four walked towards the familiar looking furniture which were laid out in a welcoming manner. "Let's get you seated first,"

Both Simon and Bucky slowly helped Alvin down on the couch, but had him sitting up instead of lying down. When Alvin was seated, all three took a chair that faced the couch, Simon sitting to Alvin's right, Bucky next and Gina on the left.

"Now," Simon started, slowly, leaning slightly forward in his chair, both arms resting on his knees, his eyes on Alvin. "What we're going to tell you may be a little shocking, so I think it would be best if you take a sip of water," Simon gestured to the cup that was placed in front of Alvin on the small coffee table.

With a shaking hand, Alvin took hold of the cup and slowly pulled to his lips, opened widely and allowed the liquid to fall down his throat. He was glad he took Simon's suggestion, for he felt some strength returning to him.

"Where are w-we?" Alvin asked the group, looking around the room all four of them sat in. He had a nudging feeling that he had been here before…but just couldn't remember where and when.

Simon sighed. "You're in your old house, Alvin," he answered.

Of course!

The furniture…the shape of the room….it was his old living room, the house in which he, Simon and Theodore grew up with their father, Dave.

But…some things are missing…

"That's because they're not required," Simon replied, Alvin wondering if he had read his mind again. "For this talk, this is all we need," Simon gestured to the furniture and table.

"But…how is it we're here?" Alvin asked, not understanding how they could be sitting in their old living room. "Weren't we just at my old high school?"

"Yes and no," Bucky answered but did not fully understand what he meant.

"Do you remember what Pain told?" Gina asked slowly, taking a sip of water after. "About being in a memory? That no-one could see you?"

Alvin nodded his head.

"Well, that's what this is," Simon gestured with a paw the room they occupied. "This room is another memory, but it's not a memory in the sense of an event. Basically, this is your memory of your old living room, though Bucky and Gina have tweaked it a bit, removing furniture that we don't need, for we don't want you to be distracted when we tell you what you need to know. You understand so far?"

"So…" Alvin spoke slowly, working everything in his head. "This is how I remembered our old living room, but because Bucky and Gina tweaked it, they got rid of some of the furniture?"

"Well at least he understands that much," Gina laughed a little and both Bucky and Simon joined. Alvin, however, who did not appreciate having his intelligence insulted, frowned slightly.

"All joking aside," Simon said, a cup in his paw. "We're all very glad that you was able to defeat Pain,"

"But…I didn't, did I?" Alvin mumbled back, his head tilting a bit. "You heard what he said as we were leaving…his still in the depths of my heart…"

"That's fine," Simon said, after taking a sip of water, his voice level. "No-one can fully defeat Pain Darkness,"

"What do you mean?" Alvin asked, his head tilting up.

"You remember what I told you Alvin about defeating Pain? How you needed to fight Pain in order for it to shrink in size?" Gina interjected.

Alvin nodded.

"Well that's it," Bucky said in a way which sounded as if his wife had dound the answer Alvin was looking for. Upon seeing Alvin's confused expression, Bucky sighed and placed his cup on the coffee table before him. "You see, no-one can ever fully defeat Pain, no matter how much power and strength they have,"

"What?" Alvin exclaimed, his voice finally regained most of its strength back. "Are you saying that Pain will always live within me?"

Cold silence filled the room.

"Unfortunately," Simon's voice swept through the silence. "Yes. But don't look at this fact as a defeat of yourself. Pain will always been in our hearts, weather upon the surface or buried deep inside – it will always be there, even if its small. But, Alvin…"

Simon, who had his eyes down to the rug beneath them, looked up at Alvin. "You must not let Pain take over. You must always fight back and follow the Love that you feel. It's OK to feel angry, to feel hate towards someone, because it is these feelings which make use human. If we never experience these emotions, we would never be able to fight and move along with our lives, for it is with these emotions which enable us to grow stronger. It's about balance, but not allowing Pain to take over fully. That, I believe, is how you will win in this game of life,"

A somewhat comfortable silence lingered around the group, Alvin taking in everything his brother had just told him, taking in the words slowly and registering them in his mind.

"So, I actually won?" Alvin asked, beginning to fully understand Simon's words. !I defeated Pain?"

Bucky and Gina smiled. "You sure did!" They both chimed in a joyous voice.

"But only for the time being," Simon said in a voice that Alvin's victory over defeating Pain could be washed away in a second. "Remember, Pain could take over for it is waiting on the side lines. But…" A smile washed over his face. "I believe you are entitled to be have this victory; you fought well,"

"Well, if it wasn't for you Simon, I don't think I would have won," Alvin confessed, scratching the back of his head in a embarrassed gesture. "If I hadn't heard your encouraging voice, I would never have muster the strength to fight back…"

"True," Simon admitted, smirking slightly at his brother. "I did help you a lot, didn't I?"

"Hey, I'm supposed to be the conceited one, not you!" Alvin exclaimed, punching his brother lightly on the arm, smiling in return. "Your suppose to be the smart one,"

"Alvin," Simon replied back in a mocking surprised voice. "You have never said such kind things about me. You have never called "smart" when we were-"

But Simon's playfully voice was cut off by a hugging Alvin, who almost jumped upon his brother and pulled him into a tight embrace, afraid that if he let Simon go, he would disappear and never return.

"Simon…" Alvin sobbed, quietly, not afraid to show how happy he was. "I-I…can't believe y-your alive…"

Simon who had been taken aback by Alvin's affectionate show of emotion, put his arms around his brother and sighed deeply in content. "It's OK, Alvin," he said, his voice gentle and calm. "I'm here now,"

"B-but….h-how?" Alvin half asked, half sobbed out.

"It's a little difficult to explain," Simon replied, his voice indicating he had no idea where to start. He just patted his uncharacteristically affectionate brother on his back, trying to calm his happy sobs.

"Maybe we should start from the beginning…" Bucky suggested, feeling bad for ruining the brotherly moment. "It sounds like the best place to start…"

Simon nodded. "Yes, that would be best," Simon agreed, as he pulled away from the embrace he and his brother shared, allowing Alvin to sit back down on the couch. Once Alvin had wiped the last remaining tears from his eyes, Simon began:

"Back when you were just a teenager," Simon started slowly. "That is where it began. Brittany Miller is where this story begins. You've had strong feelings for her, haven't you Alvin? You've wanted to tell her how much you love her, haven't you?"

And even though she couldn't hear him, Alvin whispered four precious words he always wanted to say to hear...four words that meant everything...four words that, quiet recently, he discovered he really wanted to say...

"I love you, Brittany"

Alvin nodded his head, slowly.

"You kept inside what you wanted to tell her, for a long time," Simon continued. "Afraid of what she would say in return. You also knew that your best friend, Rupert had a crush on Brittany on her, from how he spoke of her and the body language he sent her way, correct?"

Again, Alvin nodded.

"And then Rupert threw that house party. You got inebriated…."

Alvin gave Simon a confused look.

"Drunk," Simon explained, knowing Alvin had no idea what "inebriated" meant. "And from hearing Rupert's dare, you went and found Brittany in a bedroom. There you finally, although in a rather unattractive way, showed her how much you love her,"

Alvin remembered that memory, remembered how he saw the whole thing right before his eyes, how he was a ghost and could walk through it all, no-one being able to see nor hear him….just like what happened to him in the corridor, in Ms. Steve's art classroom not too long ago.

Of course…

Memories…

"The morning after, you awoke in the bed with Brittany, but instead of waking her up, you decided to leave without saying a word to her, feeling the situation was too awkward to confront. You decided to burry this memory, to forget about, fooling yourself that it was nothing but imaginary. You compressed this memory, the memory you longed to forget…"

Memories….

It's all in your head….

All in your head…

Always….

"But when you try to forget, when you deny anything happened between you and Brittany, something deep within you grows, feeding off the guilt and shame you feel, the guilt and shame of what you believe to be taking advantage of Brittany in a state of total forgetfulness. And this thing you feel, this thing that eats on your feelings is Pain Darknness. From that point onwards, Pain grew within the depths of your heart; this was when he treied to take over…"

No, it….couldn't be true…

He never compressed a memory!

I….

But then, how is it he saw everything yet again before his very eyes? How is it he saw the exact memory in which Simon spoke of?

"And then the day in which you pushed Brittany over arrived," Simon spoke in a heavily low voice. "The day in which you lost your brother's, your friends, and Dave. The day in which you screamed horrible things to Brittany…"

"YEAH, WELL YOU CAN GO AND GET MARRIED TO SOME FUCKING WOMANBEATER FOR ALL I CARE!" He wanted to hold her...tell her everything...how much she meant...how he wanted to be hers... "I DON'T FUCKING NEED YOU!" He needed her so badly...he wanted to hold her in his arms... "I DON'T NEED ANYONE!" He needed Brittany. "SO GO HOME, GET FUCKED! I DON'T CARE!" He did care... a lot.

"And she said horrible things in return…"

Brittany stood still, lost for words. "ALVIN SEVILLE, I HOPE YOU GET SHOT WHEN YOU WALK HOME!" She didn't mean that...heck, she didn't mean half the stuff she said to him. "I WILL BE SO HAPPY, YOU HAVE NO IDEA!" She will be distraught! "I FUCKING HATE YOU!"

"The day in which you ruined Theodore's cooking exam…when he said…"

"You know..." Theodore said in a small voice. "...I fucking hate you, Alvin"

"The day in which you stole my math assignment….the day I punched you in the face…"

"You fucking asshole!" Alvin heard Simon say. "You just caused me my fucking math grade!"

Alvin looked at Simon; his hands were in fists and he was moving uncontrollably.

"The day in which you screamed in Dave's face…"

"I FUCKING HATE YOU!"

"The day where you lost everything, everyone, ran out the house and down the street to Brittany's house…"

Keep going, keep going, Alvin went over the word in his head. He was beginning to get tired but, he didn't care; making it on time to Brittany's house was more important than anything else.

"The day you got run over by a car and fell into a coma…"

CRASH!

Alvin thought nothing more…..He was lying on the street, blood trickling out of his mouth. He closed his eyes….and there was nothing…

Darkness….

"The day when your brain started to play tricks on you…"

Alvin looked at his brother with hazy eyes, tears falling down his face and landing onto his lap, remembering everything that happened on that fateful day in which Simon spoke of.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Alvin asked in a shallow voice, not understanding Simon's last statement.

"In short," Simon said in a strong voice, his eyes staring into his brother's. "It's all in your head, Alvin,"


NOTE: Go here and listen to this piece of music (Inception – The Dream Is Collapsing). I imagine something like this to play if this was a film. Plus, I listened to this piece of music while writing the following part, so you will feel the thrill of it all while you're reading: http:/www. youtube. com/watch?v=M1_4f17QBlA (Remove the gaps).


A cup filled with water fell to the floor, and although this happened in a second in reality, to Alvin, the cup fell slowly and surely, the liquid in which it contained slowly falling out, the cutlery finally hitting the floor and smashing into a million pieces, like the thing he believed reality to be, his paw outstretched in front of him, the said cup of water which were previously held by his paw.

The sun began to dim ever so slowly as if it wasn't the sun at all, as if it was a light that was slowly losing its power, the room in which he and the three others sat in, began to shake, Alvin feeling the floor beneath him beginning to weaken…

It…it wasn't….real?

Everything…

Everything that happened…?

It…wasn't real…?

"The events in that day, like the memory in which Pain showed you, are pivotal," Simon continued as if nothing unusual was happening around him, Bucky and Gina too just sitting and sipping the glass of water they held within their paws. "It is everything that occurred in that day which sent subliminal messages to your brain…."

No…way….I…

"Because right now Alvin…"

It can't be true! It can't be-

"You are in a coma. In reality, you're lying in a hospital bed and your body and mind, like you have been experience here, is fight for your life…"

The pain Alvin felt when you awoke…the pain that coursed throughout his brain and spread through his body….the pain which made him fall to the floor in aginy….it was his brain in pain from being in a coma? It was Pain and the coma working together and….that is why Pain attacked him, because right now, he was in a vulnerable position.

No, Alvin thought, his eyes wide all the time, his heart thumping all the while, his paws sweating, his-

And it hit him yet again; the pain in his head had returned, but this time it was stronger than before, powerful. He put his paws to head and screamed in pain, falling to the floor on to his paws and knees, the floor crumbling slightly under his weight.

"The things you said on that day, the things in which were said to you were all placed in your head and were carried out. For example, when you screamed at Brittany that you didn't care that she got beat by a woman beater, what happened to her in the future?"

And although the pain coursed through his brain, he could still understand what Simon was telling him, could still follow what he was telling him, what he was asking him…though he did not like the answers he discovered.

"She…she got beat by my best friend, Rupert!" Alvin screamed out, his voice echoing all around him.

"That is correct," Simon replied in a firm voice, as if he couldn't see that Alvin was on the floor in pain. "And what did you scream at Dave?"

"Th-that I fucking hate him!"

The pain…let the pain go away…please….

"Yes you did," Simon continued. "And with this being said, your mind created a scenario both due to the guilt and shame you felt when muttering those words, where Dave was dead in the future, allowing you to learn the importantance of a parent's love,"

"And you completely ruined Theodore's cookery exam and Simon's math assignment," Bucky interjected, who stood up from chair and started to pace along the crumbling floor, around the room that shoke wildly. "You also felt guilt about this as well, so your brain, so your subconscious, me and Gina, created a scenario where Theodore is living in poverty because you ruined his chances of getting into a cookery school, where Simon was unable to get a job to support his family,"

"I- what do you mean-?" Alvin squeaked out.

"Alvin," Gina spoke out in a firm voice. "Me and Bucky are your subconscious, manifested as squirrels for you to interact with. We are the ones responsible for tall that has happened to you here in this world. We created everything, the people, the land, the events that occurred, all of it was us…"

This…no…I…

All in your head…

All in your head…

Always in your head!

"On that day, you also felt guilty for pushing Brittany over," Simon continued, his voice never changing. "Deep down, you had a feeling that Brittany could pregnant, for you never used a condom at Rupert's house party and, from your knowledge, you were sure Brittany wasn't on the pill. Afraid that you had hurt your potential child and its mother, guilt ate at you slowly and surely, afraid of the responsibilities which laid out in front of you, which coursed a hate for your father because you felt like he achieved something that you believed you could not do; raise a child…"

"And so," Bucky continued, facing Alvin with his paws behind his back. "A scenario where you could be the potential father of one "Little Alvie" was created. We introduced the idea that if you had a child, perhaps you could look after it. We tried to show you that you just had to believe in yourself and believe that you are doing right for your child and to always protect it. To reinforce this message, Rupert, who was getting married to Brittany, was abusing her son. When you discovered this information, your strength, you parental protection kicked in, allowing you to take care of your child,"

"Rupert, who in which you held a strong hate towards, due to your belief that it was Rupert's fault for allowing you to sleep with Brittany and then become incredibly guilty about and to how you believed that he was always flirting with her, became all that was horrible with society. He was corrupted and wanted nothing but power, wanted nothing but Brittany, to control everyone and everything, to put your life in misery. This scenario was created for one purpose…"

And Bucky looked down at Alvin, you looked up with tear filled eyes. "To show you that there are some things worth fighting for, that life is worth living for, to help you grown stronger!"

"Brittany getting married to Rupert was to show you how if you really wanted something you loved, it was worth fighting for, that it was best for you to take hold of it and hold it affectionately for the rest of your life,"

"Everything else was a result of this very variable; Rupert's corruption of the town, trying to take over everything, is what caused almost everything else. Eleanor's story, of her being raped by Rupert, of her knowing the truth of your son, was all down to Rupert, for his action's entwined with her life,"

"For Simon," Came the voice of his brother, over taking Bucky. But wait…why did Simon say "For Simon"?. What was he addressing himself in the third person?

"His life was messed up. But it was because of something he said to you on "that day". He told you "Why don't you leave us all alone...forever?" This very sentence created a scenario in which Simon wished to kill you if you ever returned to their lives ever again, wanting revenge for you indirectly killing Dave in the process. Remember the video tape, Alvin? The tape in which he left for you?"

"DON'T YOU EVER COME BACK! DO US ALL A FAVOUR AND FUCKING KILL YOURSELF!"

Yes…he did.

He remembered it all.

Remembered every painful experience.

Everything everyone had said to him…

Alvin slowly nodded his head, his eyes shut, tears leaking down the sides, the whole room shaking all the while, Alvin afraid that the floor would give in at any minute.

"And then there was Pain," Gina said in the same firm voice Bucky and Simon used. "Seeing how you could sense Pain was lurking within your heart, the concept of Rupert being a "monster" was always in your head, for Rupert represented the thing you did not want to become for you feared it would happen to yourself; you even started to question if you were "the monster". This idea was used to help you fight back against Pain, for we all knew that he was lurking around waiting to attack you,"

"Funny how you didn't notice the inconsistencies, Alvin," Bucky spoke in a light voice, a chuckle lifting off the end of his sentence. "Didn't you notice any of it? The school which was burnt down? How the streets were always empty? The voices in your head? The TV sending your message up in your bedroom? How your son's injuries were healed faster than the speed in which they should have recovered? Any of it?"

Now that Alvin thought of it, most of the things in which Bucky spoke of sounded very…weird. Voices in your head? Streets that were always empty? Even both Bucky and Gina who disappeared from time to time sounded bizarre. Why didn't Alvin notice any of it as "strange"?

"The concept "Seeing is believing" is applied here," Simon summed up. "You see, in a dream, when one sees a two headed person, they don't think their head rationally. They go along with it and their brain comes creates an adequate reason for this strange phenomenon and this strangeness goes right over the individual,"

"The voices which you heard at times were mine and Bucky's," Gina further elaborated. "Pain was the growling voice and the small, intelligent voice at the back of your head was none other than your brother, Simon's. We were always there for you Alvin, trying to guide you along the way, even if you did not agree with a lot things Simon threw at you. We popped up when we felt like you needed us to help you,"

"And so Alvin," Simon said as he stood up, Bucky and Gina on other side of him, looking down at Alvin. "This is where we must leave you…"

The pain in Alvin's head seemed to have died down a lot, though it was still enough to keep Alvin on the floor in pain. He looked up with tear filled eyes, a paw outstretched to his brother.

"S-Simon…" He croaked and just when he thought his paws was going to touch Simon's paw (which hung loosely down by his side,), his paws went right through him. Alvin's eyes widened in shock.

"W-what…?" He asked, no one in particular, looking at his shaking paw and up at Simon.

"I'm not your brother, Alvin,"

"B-b-but….you…you have to be!" Alvin screamed in reply, the room shaking more than before so, pieces of the ceiling starting to fall, the very building itself falling to pieces, the room which was a home to Alvin now crumbling around him, the ceiling before him beginning to give in, the chairs falling down into nothingness.

"I'm nothing but a figment of your imagination," The entity…no, Simon, explained, pieces of wood and debris falling right through him, Bucky and Gina and even Alvin he didn't realize the , the memory of his old home, was crumbling all around him, his full attention on his brother. "I'm the representation of your brother, the desire for you to see him. I am the voice of rationality, a voice in which someone as yourself never follows,"

"I…I…" Alvin whispered, his head down, eyes closed, keeping the unshed tears at bay. "DON'T BELIEVE IT!" he screamed up at his brother, his hidden face, showing his now falling tears, his eyes full with resistance, the building finally falling to the ground, the ceiling giving in, the furniture all falling, the light of the sun now gone.

Darkness….

But then…

Light.

Three lights shone out from the ever flowing darkness, brightening everything around them.

Alvin, who had realized that he was indeed floating in nothing but nothingness, laid eyes upon the three lights, which were flying all over the place by their own will.

"We have told you all you have to know," One of the lights…one of the voices spoke out in a strong voice.

"Just remember what we have told you, what we have taught you…" One of the light's said in a voice which sounded an awfully lot like Simon's. Alvin's eyes widened yet again, realizing that what Simon, Bucky and Gina…what the voices had told him was the truth. That light had Simon's voice, but it wasn't Simon himself.

"Everyone makes mistakes,"

"But you must grow strong and move onwards from those mistakes,"

"Everyone deserves a second chance,"

"Everyone deserves to be loved,"

"You mustn't let fear stand in the way of the ones you love,"

"If you remember everything we have taught you, you'll be just fine,"

"W-what do you mean?" Alvin asked, his voice a little shaky, quiet from the shock he felt coursing through his body, the pain still there in his brain.

"It's time for you to wake up, Alvin," One of the lights said in a gentle voice. "It's time for you to wake from this hellish nightmare, to escape this prison and live life to the fullest,"

"We must leave you," One of the voice's said. "Good luck, Alvin,"

"We know you can do it," Another chimed in.

"It's time for us to leave,"

"W-Wait!" Alvin cried out in a struggling voice. "I need to ask you something,"

The three lights just hovered in front of him, ready to hear what he had to say. "So, are you saying this was all fake? That all this was just in my head and that none of it was real?"

The lights kept quiet for a few moments, until one, the middle voice, spoke. "It's all in your head, yes,"

"But we wouldn't say that it was all "fake"," Another explained. "We would say that, although we had an influence in what you saw, we would say that most you was a "premonition" of what could occur in the future…"

"Just because it's in your head does not mean it's not real,"

"But does that mean the future will occur as I saw it?" Alvin asked in a panicked voice, obviously not wanting a future in what he saw to take place.

"No, it does not," One voice replied.

"Actually, it means the complete opposite," The middle voice added in a more cheery voice. "Now that you know of a future that can occur, you can strive to make it not happen. Because you will be alive you will be alive, because you will wake up only six weeks after you were hit by the car, the future will, ultimately, turn out a lot different,"

"Remember, only you can walk your own destiny. Only you can make the future,"

Slowly taking in what the voices had told him, Alvin nodded his head in understanding.

"But is what you showed me accurate? Is what you showed me fact? Like, did Rupert really cause a car to run into me?"

"That is for you to decide, Alvin," One of the voices replied, heavily. "We cannot tell you what was "fact" and what wasn't, cause, like we said, although we influenced most of what you saw, some of it came from what you believed in. Some of it came from…well…even we don't know that,"

"In short," The left voice spoke. "We can't tell you even if we did know, it would still be up to you to decide,"

Alvin frowned. "That's not very helpful,"

"Didn't say it was helpful, Alvin," The right voice replied with a nit of laughter heard. "It's just what we know,"

Alvin smiled. "You know, I wanna punch all three of you and hug you at the same time…"

"Why's that, Alvin?"

"You can read my mind, so you know the answer to that,"

"We know," All three replied together.

"But we wanna ask you anyway," A voice replied with laughter.

"You guys helped me a lot," Alvin replied, smiling all the while at the three lights, the voice, his subconscious. "You helped me fight Pain, kept a watch on me and taught me valuable things when I almost fell into the darkness. But I also wanna punch you cause you put me through hell itself!"

If voices could grin widely, Alvin was sure all three were doing just that. "Anytime Alvin, anytime,"

"Gee, thanks," Alvin replied in an unenthusiastically voice.

"And now we shall take our leave for now,"

"But…where are you going?"

"We'll always be with you Alvin,"

"After all, we are with you for eternality,"

"Oh what joy," Alvin replied back in a sarcastic voice.

"It's time to wake up Alvin," The middle voice announced strongly. "It's time you lived your life once again,"

"But how do I wake up?"

"That's easy," All three spoke in unison. "Fight!"

And the pain was back, coursing through his body once again, stronger and stronger. Alvin fell to his knees and grabbed hold of his head.

"You can do this, Alvin!"

"Just fight! Fight back with everything you got!"

"Your life is waiting for you on the other side, everyone you love is waiting! So fight for your life, fight for your freedom!"

Alvin did as the voices asked him to do, remembering all those who loved im where just on the other side, outside in the real world, where Alvin wished to be. The voices, his subconscious, encouraged him on, Alvin slowly gaining strength, thinking of his loved ones and nothing more.

He could start a new, could patch things up, make everything right again, and keep his promise to the Brittany in his head, striving to live life to the fullest, to go through the bad times and the good and to remember that he must always push on forwards…

Alvin had much to live for, and he wasn't going to give up on his life! The pain pushed back against Alvin's will and strength, always trying to squish it, but Alvin was stronger. So strong in fact, that he was able to get up to his feet, the powerful, warm bubbling sensation in the pit of his stomach…

Love.

All for he cared about flashed in front of him…

Dave…

Simon….

Theodore…

Brittany…

Everyone…

Alvin lifted his head, pushing th pain back all the while, his eyes closed. He put out both paws in front of him and grabbed the darkness in front him. With all the strength and Love he could muster, he drived all his power into his fist which clenched onto the darkness.

I'm coming home…

In one swift movement, the darkness ripped in two. Alvin could sense a light bubbling through the torn darkness. The light took over the darkness in a quick succession….

It was the light of the outside world…

Alvin, he faintly heard in the distance. "Live your life to the fullest,"

"Al-Alvin? Alvin! Everyone, Alvin's eyes are fluttering!" A familiar voice exclaimed.

Alvin opened his eyes…

He was home at last…

- TO BE CONTINUED –


"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry,
but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"
- Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Quoted from "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling, Chapter 35, Pg.579, UK Edition.


A/N:

And there we have it…

The truth of what Alvin had been going through was actually all in his head.

I hope the characters all explained it properly to you of Alvin's predicament and of what is really going on, for I don't won't any of you to be confused and not understand (If you don't understand, let me know in a review or PM me.)

Yes people, it was all happening in Alvin's head, hence the title of the chapter and fanfic ("It's All In Your Head, Alvin"). I would like to say well done to those who guessed right what was really happening in the story (about the whole thing being in Alvin's head). A virtual cookie for you all. Yum, Yum! :)

I've been waiting so freaking long to reveal this all to you! I've known from the very beginning that everything that Alvin would experience in "the future" was all in his head. It feels so good to let it out for the world to see. :)

OK, explanation time. Well, hopefully not a lot explaining seeing as the characters in the story (Simon, Bucky and Gina) did that for me. Throughout the story I left hints all over the place to tell you guys, the readers, that this was all in Alvin's head. The voices in his head….the repetition of "It's all in your head" over and over….the empty streets….Alvin's old house….Bucky and Gina…the memory of Rupert's party that Alvin experience again…I left all over the place. Did any of you pick them up? Let me know.

Alvin is still in a coma…well, was. Those pains in his head…remember those in chapter 7, how Alvin was in pain and agony. Well those pains was Alvin's brain trying to deal with the fact that he is in a coma. At the end where Simon, Bucky and Gina reveal everything to him, he feels the pain again. This time his brain is trying to deal with all the information that his subconscious is telling him, though his brain wants to deny it all. The pain subsides because he has accepted the predicament he is in. The building and floor beneath him crumbling to pieces was "the future" that his brain had created was falling to pieces, now that he knew the truth. Just wanted to clear that bit up.

Hope everything else is self-explanatory…

I would also like to hear from you guys of your theories of what was happening to Alvin. It would be really interesting to see what people thought and how close some people got. :)

Alvin's fight with Pain was epic, no?

So we are getting very close to the end of this story; I expect another 4 more chapters. But remember, Alternative Endings and other goodies will be posted as well. I will even put up an explanation of the story for all those who are still a little confused, or for those who would like to know more details. :)

Please leave a review to show me that you are still reading this fanfic. It is thanks to your reviews that this story is still that going and that I try to write as much as I can when I get the time. Thank you.

Until next time more awesome peeps! :)