This has got to be some sort of joke. Some sort of sick, maniacal joke. How could this be happening? She spoke to him on the phone just yesterday, and he sounded fine. He sounded normal, and Brittany could tell just by the sound of his voice, that he was determined to change his behavior, for her, for their child, and also for himself. He sounded so promising, that he was no longer that reckless, party-obsessed, alcohol indulging idiot that he once was. And more than anything, Brittany wanted to see a change in him because she believed him, and maybe - just maybe - this change can finally allow them to be together.

But Simon's words haunted her, telling her how wrong she really was.

She felt dizzy, as if the floor beneath her feet had disappeared. She sat on the edge of her bed and closed her eyes. The grip she had on her phone became tighter, and before she even knew it, her eyes were flooding with tears. These weren't tears of sadness, however, but rather tears of anger and frustration. She felt heartbroken, not necessarily because of him, but because for the first time, Brittany wanted to give up.

She has given him so many chances, so many opportunities to learn and grow and to become a better person. She tried to be understanding of his actions, because she used to be the same way, but she honestly felt like giving up. She tried to see the good in him, the side that his friends and peers don't see. She has tried to change him for the better, to make him happy. Hell, part of the reason why she agreed to keep the baby was because she knew that was what he wanted. She tried to forgive him for his past, and to fucking love him more than her damn heart can handle.

But she's had enough.

The little hope that she had for him, for whatever relationship they had with one another, was now gone.

Simon, who was still on the phone with her, became a little worried when the silence on the other end became longer. "Brittany, you okay?"

"...He got arrested?" she whispered. The word felt so disgusting to say out loud.

"Well, I think so. He's detained at the police station right now, but knowing Alvin, things may not look too good on his side," sighed Simon. He sounded so disappointed. "A cop came over to tell us that they're keeping him for questioning right now."

"So, he's detained, not exactly arrested," said Brittany.

"Yeah, but we all know what's gonna happen, Brittany. Alvin's been in trouble with the cops before. They're not gonna let him get away so easily this time, especially with something as serious as drunk driving," said Simon.

That pained her even more. She felt so hurt. He had promised her that he would stop. Of course, there was nothing wrong with having a few drinks with friends, but Alvin didn't know how to do it responsibly. His behavior during his birthday party was the beginning of his downfall, and he promised her that he would stop, because he cares about her, because he wants to make things right between them again. And Brittany, because she so badly wanted to believe that he could become a better person, stuck out for him and cared about him, even when she found all those empty beer cans and half smoked joints in his bedroom. But now, she felt betrayed in the worst way.

"Does Dave know?" asked Brittany.

"Not yet, just you, me and Theodore. I'm honestly scared to tell Dave. He had so much hope in Alvin. I can't even tell you how many times Dave has questioned his own parenting over the years, because of how often Alvin gets in trouble. Dave has blamed himself so many times, wondering where he went wrong in raising Alvin, and how he allowed his son to get like that," said Simon. "But now, with the baby and especially with you, Brittany, Dave can see how different Alvin is, how serious and mature he is about you and the baby. I haven't seen Alvin and Dave so close in years, and for the first time in years, Dave is actually proud and happy with Alvin. I...I just can't tell Dave about this. Not yet, at least. It'll crush him."

Brittany closed her eyes again. She understood, because much like how Dave was feeling, Brittany was feeling the same. She really thought Alvin was becoming a better person, she really did.

"I can't believe him. He knows that our baby is due in 2 weeks, and he thinks it's okay to go out and be stupid? Did he not think of the consequences? I'm about to give birth to his damn child, and he just...disappears?" she couldn't find the words to say. She was extremely broken, and she couldn't think straight.

"I'm so sorry, Brittany. I'm sure Alvin realizes that now. Look, I know that you're hurt, and that this could be the worst thing that can happen right before having a baby, but if Alvin is found to be guilty, at least it's only 3 months. It could've been worse," said Simon. "He's gonna have to do a lot of making up if he wants you to forgive him.

"No," Brittany said. "I want absolutely nothing to do with him. I've given him so many chances, Simon, but he just keeps messing up. I mean, how much more do I need to do? I've run out of options, and I don't know what to do. He's not going to change. He doesn't even have to change for me, but I wish he could change for the baby. But he won't. I...I can't do this anymore."

Simon sighed deeply. "You have every right to be mad at him, Brittany, but I honestly hope you don't give up on him. I know Alvin still has a long way to go before becoming a better person, but he's getting there. He's a much better person now than he was a year ago. A year ago, I could barely tolerate my own brother. Sometimes he wouldn't come home for a whole week, and I would sometimes wish that he wouldn't come home at all. But he's way better now. His behavior is a lot better. When he's not hanging out with you, he's hanging out with me and Theodore. The three of us haven't hung out in years, which is insane. Even if you think he hasn't changed, he has, even just a little. That's all because of you, Brittany. I know - and you know - how much Alvin cares about you."

Brittany shook her head. "He doesn't care enough. If he cared, then he would be here, spending time with me and preparing for our baby. But what does he do, Simon? He drinks and drives, even when he promised me he would stop."

"I know. I'm sorry, Brittany," said Simon, and that was the only thing he could say at the moment. She sounded so sad, so heartbroken, and Simon felt horrible for her. He was so angry at Alvin for hurting her like this. He knows that his brother has been with many, many girls before, but Brittany was different. Alvin and Brittany have never officially been together, but there was something about their friendship that allowed them to feel what love is truly like.

"No, it's alright. I shouldn't even be upset. I'm angry, but I don't want to be upset because I knew that something like this would happen. I really thought Alvin changed for the better, but who am I kidding? That's Alvin Seville, for god sake. That's who he is, and that's how he's going to be for the rest of his damn life. I wanted to change him, I tried my best," she said.

Simon stayed silent. As much as he wanted to defend his older brother, he knew that Brittany was right.

"And do you know what the worst part of this is?" Brittany's voice was starting to break, and she could feel the tears begin to rise. "Is that after all of this, no matter what the outcome will be, if Alvin and I will ever become something more, or if we just stay friends, or if we never talk to each other again, is that I'm gonna spend the rest of my life thinking of what could have been. That I'm going to spend the rest of my life knowing that deep inside, he's still a good person who I couldn't save, and knowing that he is the first person I have ever, truly been in love with."

3 days have passed.

Alvin hasn't returned home.

Brittany was so hopeful that he would only be temporarily detained, and that he would be released, but knew that it wouldn't happen. Simon and Theodore told her that a police officer told them that Alvin will be staying in prison for about 3 months, however, that was all that he said. There were no other answers given, even when asked, but there were still so many unanswered questions. Alvin's car was towed back to his house, and Brittany felt sick every time she glanced out her window and saw it.

None of this seemed real. It seemed like a blur, like a nightmare that just wouldn't end.

But it has been 3 days. He hasn't been home, and this sick nightmare was starting to turn into a reality.

Brittany told Jeanette and Eleanor everything that happened that night, everything that Simon told her. Her sisters seemed more disappointed than angry. They, too, saw so much change and potential in Alvin. They saw how happy he made Brittany. They saw how excited he was to become a father. But he threw that all away for the addictions that he can't control.

Brittany hasn't left the house in 3 days. She was emotionally numb. She was angry, furious, heartbroken, lost and everything else in between. A few months ago, everything seemed so perfect; she was taking a break from work to focus on her baby, she and Alvin spent every waking moment together preparing for their baby, they were completely falling in love, and they were both so excited to start this new journey together.

But now, everything was divided.

She is now about about a week and a half away before the child was due. She was unprepared, scared, and on top of that, the father of her child will probably miss the birth because he had landed himself in jail.

It all seemed unreal.

Today, while Jeanette and Eleanor were out, Brittany stayed home. Usually on days where she stayed home alone, she would be doing something that kept her mind busy. Lately, she's been occupying herself by rearranging her bedroom so that she could turned her room into half a nursery, so that her baby could stay with her, before moving it to the spare bedroom in a few months. However, today, Brittany wanted absolutely nothing to do with the nursery. She couldn't even look at the crib without feeling her chest ache.

This wasn't what she had wanted. She had imagined the last few days leading up to her child's arrival to be happy and exciting, with Alvin by her side as they decorated the room with everything they needed for their child. But instead, she was alone at home, sitting on the edge of her bed with nothing more than an empty crib and a half-built changing table by her side.

She was tired, and she wanted to take her mind off of everything. However, right before she laid her head on her pillow to take a short nap, her phone started to buzz. Brittany took a look at her screen and saw that an unusual number was calling her. Normally, Brittany would ignore it and send it straight to voicemail. But this time, her gut feeling told her to answer the phone, which she did.

"Hello?"

"...Brittany. It's me."

For a split second, Brittany didn't recognize the voice, as if her body forbade her from recognizing the voice. But it was him. It was really him, and at first, Brittany didn't believe it until he said her name a second time. And in this moment, her chest felt heavy and sad, but she didn't know how to react. She didn't know how to respond, she didn't even know what to do.

"Brittany, are you there? Please talk to me."

She felt frozen, and her mind was elsewhere, that when she did decide to speak, she let out the three words that were on the tip of her tongue.

"How could you."

Her voice was ice cold, yet the pain was so raw, that it even frightened Alvin for a quick moment. But his heart was hurting for her. He had hurt her again, caused her to lose her trust in him again, caused her to think that he was the bad guy again. He hated himself for that, because he had put her through so much already, and he needed to set the record straight before he loses her for good.

"It's not what you think, I swear. Just listen to me, please. I don't have much time. I only have 2 minutes on the phone, the cops are monitoring every word that I'm going to say, so please just listen to me," Alvin begged.

"What makes you think I want to-"

"Because I'm in jail, and I've waited three fucking days to talk to you, Brittany! Just listen to me please," he begged.

And Brittany shut her mouth, because she has never heard so much despair from Alvin in her life. Alvin Seville never shows vulnerability, he never shows weakness or powerlessness or helplessness, and Alvin sounded so damn helpless. And that was the moment when she knew that every word that was going to come out of his mouth was true.

And it broke her damn heart.

"Okay," her voice turned into a whisper. "I'm listening."

Alvin was quiet for a quick moment, as if he wasn't sure how to start it off. But he finally spoke up, and his voice was trembling just a little as he relived that night. "The guys called me around 3am. They were drunk at some bar, and they needed me to pick them up because they were all too drunk to drive. I didn't want to, I told them that I didn't want to, but I would've been a shitty friend if I left them there, so I went to pick them up. Long story short, Oscar and Ivan were being annoying in the back, and at one point, one of them got hold of the wheel and started swerving the car. The cops saw, and blamed me, because I was behind the wheel, and they arrested me. But that's all that happened, Brittany. I swear on my life, I didn't do anything stupid. I wasn't drinking or driving, I promise," he said.

Brittany stayed quiet, as if she needed a moment or two to process what Alvin had just said. She was silent for such a long time, that Alvin was starting to think that she had hung up on him, but she finally spoke up again.

"So if you didn't do it, then why did they arrest you?"

"Because the cops hate my guts. They know me, and I've gotten in trouble with this specific cop more than once before. I tried to explain to him that it wasn't me, and that he could check my blood for any alcohol if they wanted, but he didn't even bother," he said. "God, Britt, I never should've left my house that night, I'm so sorry."

"What?" Brittany felt sick. "So they arrested you because they don't like you? They can't do that!"

Alvin sighed in defeat. "Apparently they can, especially when your name is on file with them."

"No, they can't do that!" Brittany exclaimed. "You're in there for nothing! What the hell, Alvin, you need to do something!"

"I've tried everything, Brittany, but it's not gonna happen. I'm in here for 3 months," he said.

"I'm due in a week and a half. You're gonna miss the baby's birth because of some stupid misunderstanding between you and some police officer?" she said. "You're not even going to fight this? Why are you giving up?"

"I'm not giving up, Brittany! Fuck, do you think I want to miss the birth of our kid? You don't understand how damn painful it is to be here, knowing that the baby could pop out any day now, knowing that everyone is gonna be there by your side as you give birth, while I'm stuck here. You don't understand how fucking miserable I am, knowing that I'm not going to be able to meet my own baby for another 3 months, that I'm not able to see you until I get out of this place," Alvin said, and he sounded destroyed.

Brittany closed her eyes. "God, Alvin. I can't believe this is happening right now. I-I don't want to have this baby without you."

"You're going to have to, Brittany. I'm so sorry," he said. Words have never been so painful until now. "I swear, I'm-"

"Hey, asshole, stop hogging the phone."

"Yeah, we've been waiting for ages, dickhead!"

"Shit. Um, look, I-I gotta go, people behind me are getting annoyed," he sighed. "I'll...I'll try calling you again when I get the chance. Please talk to Dave for me. He'll believe me if it's coming from you."

"Alvin, no, I-"

"I know, Britt, I'm sorry. Just...just take care of our baby for me, okay? I'll see you when I get out," he said.

"Alvin, I-"

But before she could get anything out, she could hear the dial tone at the end of the other line. And the sound absolutely killed her.

Brittany cried herself to sleep that night, which she never does. But she was poisoned with disbelief, with anger and distraught. He's not even supposed to be in jail. He's not even supposed to have been arrested, but he is, only because the police hate him and still think he's the same troublemaker that they've encountered before. Alvin was only being a good person, a good friend, but he got in trouble for it.

And Brittany felt angry at herself, for allowing herself to believe all these negative things about Alvin, for thinking that he didn't care enough to change for her, when he really was. She was angry at herself, because she knows that Alvin is a good person, that there isn't a single bad bone in his body. But the pain and betrayal that Brittany felt from him overshadowed that. And it crushed her to know that at one point, she wanted to give up on him; he never would've given up on her, and Brittany knows that.

Now that the truth was out, now that Brittany was able to hear the truth straight from Alvin himself, she was completely devastated.

It was a little past 5 in the morning when Brittany woke up all of a sudden. She gasped and immediately sat up, pulling herself from the deep sleep she was in. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her pillow was still damp from all the tears she had shed this last night, but it was almost as if she had forgotten why she had cried herself to sleep, because her entire body started to drown in fright. Her hands flew to her stomach, before she pulled the blanket off of her body. Her legs were damp, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion before she turned on the light beside her bed, before realizing that the entire bottom half of her body was covered in some sort of liquid.

Then it came to her, and her face became pale.

Oh shit. Oh shit!

She got out of bed and instantly started panicking. This wasn't supposed to happen now. She wasn't even prepared, and she didn't know what the hell she was supposed to do now. She left her bedroom and frantically knocked on Jeanette's bedroom door, then Eleanor's. She knocked loudly, multiple times, and as she waited for her sisters to wake up, she paced back and forth down the hallway, trying to calm down.

But she wasn't calm. Not only was she brokenhearted over Alvin and devastated over his entire situation, she was freaking the fuck out and all she wanted was for him to be by her side. But reality slapped Brittany hard in the face, making her realize that that wasn't going to happen, and that she was going to have to go through this without him. She could feel the inside of her chest shatter like glass.

Moments later, Jeanette opened her bedroom door, followed by Eleanor a few moments later. They both looked sleepy, but they also looked confused when they saw their sister's scared face as she walked up and down the hallway.

"Brittany? It's 5am, what's going on?" Eleanor asked.

Brittany stopped and looked at them both. It was all too much. She was distressed, she was anxious, and she was downright terrified. She felt like she was seconds away from breaking down and bursting into tears. Her bottom lip quivered as she finally let the words out.

"I think my water just broke."

Oh! My! God!

So many things are happening! Alvin is in jail, but at least Brittany believes everything that he said. But what's gonna happen between them next? How will this affect everything? And hold up, is Brittany about to give birth? What the hell is she gonna do, now that Alvin won't be by her side? Will he, or won't he? Who knows?

The next few chapters are gonna be juicy. I can't wait.

Now that we're moments away from the chapter we've all been waiting for, remember, I'm still taking votes and opinions on what the baby should be. Don't forget to tell me why you think their baby should be:

a) a girl, a little princess whom Alvin and Brittany are completely in love with

b) a boy, an sweet little baby who Alvin and Brittany love and treasure more than anything

c) Melody, a character that I created 10 years ago as Alvin and Brittany's daughter. Ever since I introduced Melody a decade ago, she has been such a loved and popular character in the AATC world, and I would love to bring her back and revamp her adorable personality, along with everything else, but make it so much better. Plus, introduce her all over again, and create a new storyline out of her.

Tell me what you think in the reviews. I can't wait to read some feedback, so please REVIEW! Lets try and hit 740-745 reviews before the next one!

See ya in the next one.