Thanks to all who have encouraged me to write this. I will have to say, this story is really helping me hone my writing skills and I love the fact that so many of you are enjoying the story.
This one, due to being set during their twenties, will have a few more adult scenes to it, so be forewarned. Not NC-17 or anything, but come on, a bunch of twenty-somethings definitely won't be stuck in the holding hands stage…just FYI!
And BTW, a big thanks to RavenChild, a very talented writer and artist who recently honored me with some illustrations for this story. Any chipmunk fan should check out her stuff!!!
Justifying the Means
"Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil."
-Niccolo Machiavelli
"The end justifies the means."
-Niccolo Machiavelli
Chapter 7"As much as I loved touring Egypt, its good to be home."
Simon nodded in agreement, his eyes never leaving the road. "I know how you feel. I just wish that they would have had our house ready by now."
"Its just a few more days, Simon. I don't mind staying in the spare room at Dave's for a few days." Jeannette assured him. "Besides, I'm sure it will be nice for you to spend some time with your brothers. And I miss Eleanor and Brittany, too."
"You're right." Simon grinned. "You just can't wait to give them their souvenirs."
'Souvenir' was hardly the word for what Jeannette had bought her sisters. 'Ancient treasures' would have been more appropriate. Brittany had thought Jeannette and Simon were crazy when they had said they were going to be going on an archaeological tour of the Egyptian pyramids for their honeymoon, but Simon thought the vain Chippette would change her tune when she saw the priceless gold and ruby necklace her sister had found for her. Rumor had it that it had once been worn by Cleopatra and given to one of her favorite ladies before it had found its way several thousand years down the line to the antiques' dealer that had sold it them. Eleanor's gift was just as opulent, if not so ornate. Jeannette had found a beautiful tapestry that would complement Eleanor's taste perfectly.
Simon hadn't been quite so fixated on gifts for his brothers. But he thought that Alvin and Theodore would appreciate his souvenirs just the same.
"Simon?" Jeannette asked hesitantly as he turned into their neighborhood. "Actually…would you mind dropping me at Miss Miller's for a little while? We can unpack later, and I actually would really like to see my sisters for a little while."
"Of course." Actually, Simon had been kind of thinking the same thing…it would be nice to be able to talk to Alvin and Theodore about his honeymoon, just man to man…at least for a few hours. Then he'd want his bride back, he was sure. "No problem."
"Thanks." Jeannette kissed him as they pulled into Miss Miller's driveway. "I'll call you in a few hours."
"Okay." Jeannette started to get out of the car, but Simon pulled her back. "Oh, and one more thing…make sure to tell Brittany thanks for your bachelorette gift."
Jeannette blushed. "Uh, sure."
"And on the off chance that Belle's there…tell her that if Gavin and her ever get married, I'm going to get Gavin something way worse than a pair of blue fuzzy handcuffs."
His wife's blush deepened. "Uh, okay. No problem."
Simon kissed her one last time before letting her go and pulling out of her driveway. He grinned as he drove the short block back to the Seville house. The last two weeks had been the most amazing of his life…and it was just the beginning. Nothing could ruin this day. He couldn't wait to talk to Alvin and Theodore and give them all the details.
Simon parked in front of the house and got out of the car quickly, grabbing a few suitcases and heading for the door. "Hey, anyone here?" He called as he dropped the suitcases by the door. "I'm home! And I could use some help!"
There was no answer. Simon frowned. Alvin's car was out front, and so was Theodore's van. Dave should be at work right now, so his brothers should have been home. "Guys?" He called, walking into the living room and leaving the cases behind him. There was a light underneath the door to Theodore and Alvin's bedroom, and Simon smiled. Theodore must be resting. He started to head to the door.
Suddenly a pounding on the stairs made him pause, and he turned to see Alvin running down the stairs at top speed in nothing but a towel and dripping wet. "Simon! You're home early!"
"Our flight got in a little early." Simon raised an eyebrow. "And I'm glad to see you too, but you could have waited until you dried yourself off before coming to say hello."
Alvin looked down at himself dripping all over the rug. "Oh, yeah."
"Why don't you go get dressed, and I'll tell you and Theodore all about our trip. It was amazing." Simon headed for the bedroom door again. Alvin rushed in front of him.
"You don't want to go in there right now, Simon." Alvin said. "Not until we've talked."
Simon gave him a dubious look. "Talked about what?"
"A lot has happened the last two weeks. Please. Just let me get dressed, and I'll fill you in. Wait here." Alvin bounded up the stairs. "I'll be two minutes…just wait!"
Simon shook his head in irritation. He wasn't going to delay saying hi to Theodore because Alvin seemed to be in a snit about something. Instead he walked over to the door and knocked briefly, grabbing the door handle automatically to open it. He didn't have the chance.
"Alvin, I told you to go away!" He heard Theodore shout from the other side of the door.
Whoa. Simon wondered what Alvin had done that had made Theodore so angry. "It's Simon, Theodore." He called through the door before walking in. He wasn't the one Theodore was angry with.
Theodore sat in his chair by the window, staring out of it. He had a photo album on his lap. Simon recognized it – it was the one the Chippettes had made for them for Christmas last year. It contained an entire lifetime of memories of the Chipmunks…photos dating from when they were babies to their college graduation pictures. "Hey, Theodore, don't I even get a hello?"
"Hello." Theodore said, not turning from the window. He didn't even glance towards his older brother. "How was your trip?"
"Fantastic." Simon felt something was definitely wrong here. "We actually got to tour a newly opened tomb, and saw a mummy preserved in its natural environment-"
"That's nice." Theodore said in that same dead voice. "Sounds like you had fun."
"Yes, we did." Simon was beginning to get worried. "Theodore, are you okay? You seem a little…depressed, I guess."
"I'm fine." Theodore still didn't face him. "I'm just tired. Could we talk later? Like I told Alvin earlier, I feel like being alone right now."
"But I just got home…and I only have a few hours before Jeannette gets back. I thought we could have some brother time." Simon protested.
"Not now." Simon almost gasped at the irritation in Theodore's voice. His brother had never had much of a temper, but he certainly seemed irritable enough right now. "I said that I wanted to be alone. Please, Simon, can you respect that?"
"Of course, Theodore." Simon backed out of the room, shutting the door. He hadn't seen Theodore so despondent since after the accident when they had broken the news of just how bad it was for him. What on earth was going on?
"Alvin!" He shouted as he ran up the stairs. "Alvin, are you dressed yet?"
Alvin came out of the spare bedroom – the one Jeannette and he were supposed to be using – just fixing his cap on his head. He took one look at Simon's face and seemed to know how Simon felt. "Oh, no. You went in there, didn't you."
"I just went in to say hi…what on earth is going on? What's wrong with him?"
Alvin sighed heavily. "He and Eleanor broke up."
Nothing could have prepared Simon for that. "What?"
"You heard me."
"But…why?" Simon felt as if the earth had fallen out from beneath his feet. "They've been together for years…and they always seemed so happy."
Alvin held up his hands helplessly. "I don't know, Simon. Brittany says that Eleanor told her Theodore just felt they were growing apart, and I can't get Theodore to even speak to me. He just sits in that bedroom all day, looking at that damn photo album. Its like he's a different person. Dave's at a loss…Theodore's twenty-three, there's not much he can do." Alvin looked around the room, and for the first time Simon realized that most of Alvin's things were now back in their old bedroom. "He even asked me to move out of our room. So I guess it's on the sofa bed for me while you and Jeannette stay here."
Simon sat on the bed next to Alvin. "I just don't understand…why would Theodore leave Eleanor? Everyone knows how much he loves her."
"Don't ask him that, Simon." Alvin warned, and the tone of his voice made Simon think that Alvin had first hand knowledge of just why that would be a bad idea. "Trust me…he won't tell you, and he just about bit my head off when I asked why he left her."
"When did this happen?" Simon asked. "How long has he been like this?"
"The day after you left for Egypt." Alvin answered. "Brittany and I came back from house-hunting and found him crying in the living room. That's the last I've seen of any other emotion from him other than anger or total apathy. Honestly, I'm getting scared for him."
"I've been home five minutes and I'm scared for him." Simon said.
There was quiet for a few minutes. "On the up side, Brittany and I bought a house." Alvin offered inadequately.
"Oh." Simon said, not quite sure what to say. "That's nice."
"Yeah. You'll like it."
"I'm sure I will." Simon shook his head as if to clear it. "No, Alvin, I am not going to talk about your new house while our little brother is downstairs depressed out of his mind. I've got to talk to him."
Alvin shook his head. "I really wouldn't recommend it. Trust me, he's not himself."
"Maybe he just needs a different person to talk to." Simon said hopefully.
Alvin shrugged. "It's your funeral."
Despite Alvin's grim warning, Simon went downstairs with determination. Theodore and he had always been able to talk to each other, and he had every reason to believe that he could get his brother to open up to him.
He didn't bother knocking. Until he officially moved out, it was still his room too. "Theodore, I really need to talk to you."
Theodore was just in the process of getting himself into his bed, and dropped from the support bars above his bed onto the mattress so that his useless legs hung over the side and he sat on the edge of the bed. "I asked you to leave me alone, Simon."
"I know, but I can't stand to see you like this…please, talk to me."
Theodore looked at him angrily. "See me like what? Crippled? Useless? Like what?"
Simon actually took a step back at the heat in Theodore's voice. "You know that's not what I meant. I meant I hate seeing you so depressed…and it will help if you talk about what happened. Alvin told me you broke up with Eleanor."
"I'm sure he did." Theodore said bitterly. "Its all he ever wants to talk about."
Simon felt as if he didn't know the chipmunk in front of him. "He's worried about you, Theodore…and frankly, so am I. We just want to help."
"I don't want any help, Simon. I don't want to talk. I don't want to have a heart-to-heart with you or Alvin about why I left Eleanor. I don't even want to think about it. I just want…to…be…left…alone." Theodore slid a little on the bed, and he grabbed the bars above him and pulled himself back. "And if you can't tell, I was trying to lie down, so if you'd please leave I'm going to rest. That's what us invalids do, you know, is rest. We rest a lot. So we need to have a lot of peace and quiet and nobody bothering us all the time."
"What are you talking about?" Simon asked incredulously. He'd never heard Theodore talk about his condition in this way, even when he had been on the feeding tube and his right arm had been almost completely useless. "You've come so far, Theodore. Its amazing how much you've been able to accomplish, considering-"
"Considering I'm a Reader's Digest inspirational story now, right?" Theodore said hotly. "Oh look, the poor young star who overcame so much and is still full of life. Look at him, adversity overcome by sheer will and determination and now he's so grateful for what he does have, a loving family, great friends, and the will to keep fighting." Theodore glared at him through his green-tinted glasses. "Well, you know what? This isn't adversity overcome. This isn't some story where the poor cripple is the hero because he doesn't let it bring him down. This is reality, Simon, and the reality is that I will always be half a chipmunk, half a man, and I'll never be able to overcome that fact." He pointed to his wheelchair. "I'll never overcome the need for that, or the fact that it's nothing more than a chain to which I'll always be bound." Theodore grabbed the support rails above him, and before Simon could do anything to stop him, had swung himself up and towards the wheelchair at such a speed that his legs struck the chair, knocking it over and cutting both Theodore's knees in the process. "I hate that thing!"
"Theodore!" Simon rushed up to him as Theodore dropped back to the bed.
"Don't worry, Simon." Theodore laughed harshly. "I can't feel it."
"I need to clean those up." Simon said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. He couldn't believe this was his brother. "You banged yourself up pretty good…I don't think you'll need stitches, but I definitely need to bandage them."
Theodore swung himself so he was lying on the bed. "If you feel like you have to. I'll be here." He looked at the chair lying on its side and laughed that same frighteningly bitter laugh. "Doesn't look like I'm going anywhere right now, does it?"
Simon left the room quickly, shutting the door behind him. He turned to see Alvin standing there, his face somber. "I warned you, Simon." He said.
"My god, Alvin." Simon couldn't keep his voice from trembling any further. "How could he…what in the world…" he couldn't even find words.
Alvin didn't seem to need them. "I know how you feel."
"He's a totally different person…how could this happen in the last two weeks?"
Alvin looked at him helplessly. "I wish I knew. I don't know what to do…neither does Dave. Its as if all this bitterness about the accident just suddenly overcame him." Simon could hear the guilt in Alvin's voice. He knew that some part of Alvin still blamed himself for Theodore's accident.
Simon put a comforting hand on Alvin's shoulder. "We'll figure something out, Alvin. Right now, I need to bandage Theodore's knees."
"Bandage his knees?" Alvin looked at him questioningly.
"He swung himself over and knocked over his wheelchair. His knees were pretty cut up in the process."
"Ah." The most frightening thing of all is that Alvin didn't even seem surprised. "Okay. I'll go get you the first aid kit."
When he had the kit in hand, Simon reentered Theodore's room cautiously, this time knocking as he entered. "Theodore?"
"Come in, Simon."
Simon did so. There was blood on the bed sheets from the cuts, but it wasn't too bad. "Hi, Theodore. I just want to bandage those knees, and then I'll let you have some time alone."
"All right." The anger seemed to be gone from Theodore's voice, leaving it with no emotion in it whatsoever. Simon almost preferred the anger. At least then Theodore had sounded alive. "Would you mind putting my wheelchair upright again, in case I want to get up?"
"Of course." Simon quickly righted the chair.
"Thank you." Theodore was silent as Simon cleaned the wounds with alcohol and bandaged the cuts. "There." He said when he was done. "We got you fixed right up."
Theodore smiled a little, but there was no humor in it. "I wish it were that easy to fix me up, Simon. But thank you." He paused. "And…I'm sorry about earlier."
"It's okay."
"I'm glad you had fun on your trip, Simon. Really. You and Jeannette deserved it." Theodore pulled himself over so he was lying on his side. "Bye, Simon."
Simon knew that that was his cue to leave. He briefly considered offering to help changing the bloodstained sheets, but was afraid that after Theodore's dismissal he would be treated to another outburst and didn't think he could handle it.
Alvin was waiting on the couch when he left. "It's been a bad day today, Simon." He offered. "He's not always this bad. But Brittany was over earlier…we still have some last minute things to work out about the wedding…and that really seemed to set him off. Its really not always this bad."
"It shouldn't ever be this bad." All his life Simon had felt responsible for his younger brothers. It didn't matter that they were young adults now, he still felt the weight of that responsibility. I wish it were that easy to fix me up. It wouldn't be easy to help Theodore with this…but Simon couldn't not try. And he knew that there was a way…a remote possibility, but one nonetheless, that he might be able to help him. "I need to make a phone call."
Alvin looked at him quizzically, but Simon's mind was otherwise engaged. He went to the kitchen and picked up the phone, dialing the hospital's number from memory. Switchboard answered.
"How may I direct your call?"
"Dr. Quentin Pryce's office, please." Simon said. He knew Jeannette would disapprove, but Dr. Pryce was actually working on practical theories that could someday maybe help Theodore…and Jeannette's dislike of the doctor didn't change that. With Simon's help, maybe that day could come sooner.
He didn't expect to get Dr. Pryce, but he did. "Pryce here. Can I help you?"
"Dr. Pryce, this is Simon Seville."
"Simon! I didn't know you would be back from your honeymoon already." Dr. Pryce sounded glad to hear from him.
"I just got back today." Simon said.
"Did you have a good time?"
"Fine." Simon didn't want to muddle through the small talk. "Dr. Pryce, I was actually calling for work reasons."
"Oh?" Dr. Pryce sounded interested. "And that is?"
Simon hesitated. Jeannette's words sounded in his head. I just don't trust a doctor who is only thirty-four and already has been accused of unethical practices. "I was wondering if that research position was still open."
"Why yes, yes it is." Dr. Pryce's voice said cautiously.
Simon breathed deep. "I'd like the position, then, if it's still available to me."
"Of course it is." Dr. Pryce assured him over the phone. "Although, honestly, I had given up on you taking it on."
Simon thought of the dead look in Theodore's eyes. "Well, I've had a bit of an eye-opening experience, and I've decided I can't let this opportunity pass me by."
"I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that." Dr. Pryce told him. "I'll work out the details with the administration and Dr. Thomas and contact you about your new schedule."
"Thank you, I'd like that." Simon said.
Simon could almost see Dr. Pryce smiling over the phone.
"Welcome to the team, Dr. Seville." Pryce said.
End of part 7
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