General POV

Simon, though on the other side of the window glass, heard his older brother's whisper, and turned his head towards the window. He was a bit surprised yet also very relieved to see Alvin standing there, but with a confused look.

Simon walked to the window. Placing his hands on the sill and smiling, he said, "Hey Alvin,"

Simon saw Alvin's chest rise and fall quicker, which meant he was panicking. His eyes also became as big as dinner plates.

"Alvin, it's okay! It's me, Simon! I'm alright!"

Alvin made no movement that he heard or understood.

Simon didn't want to scare Alvin any more than he already did, so he pointed to the door and pantomimed as he spoke. "Can you unlock it for me?"

Alvin glanced at the door then back at Simon. Dumbfounded, he nodded and walked to the door. After he unlocked it, Alvin stared at his supposedly dead brother.

Simon didn't like the awkward tension. "Alvin, I'm okay, see?" Simon held out his hand for Alvin to touch. Alvin's mouth was slightly ajar the whole time, but glanced down at his brother's hand and slowly reached out to it. After a second, they had their palms pressed together.

Alvin's vision became blurred as he looked up at his brother again. It was then Alvin realized Simon was back. Simon smiled compassionately and held out his arms. Alvin rushed over and squeezed him tightly, burying his face into his brother's chest. "I thought you were gone," Alvin whispered, his voice slightly muffled by Simon's bright blue sweater. "We had the funeral. It's been a few months. Where have you been?" Alvin didn't sound cross, but more awestruck and overjoyed.

Simon gently pulled Alvin off him and held him out at arm's length. "I am gone," Alvin's eyes widened. "I am dead," Alvin's jaw dropped. "I needed to come back because I need to save someone's life before I can enter Heaven. So I'm going to be here for a week." Simon told Alvin regretfully.

Alvin seemed upset at first, and then was accepting because he got to spend a final week with his little brother. Hugging him one more time, he inhaled deeply. Simon still had his familiar "Simon" scent, making Alvin smile.

Suddenly, Alvin thought of something. "Theodore would want to see you!" Alvin grabbed Simon's hand and nearly dragged him up the stairs. Once they reached the room, the first thing Simon noticed was his bed. It was stripped of its blankets and such and left only a mattress and pillow.

Raising his eyes, the next thing Simon noticed was his younger brother, Theodore, sleeping restlessly in bed. He whimpered as he tossed and turned. Simon walked over quietly, Alvin right behind him.

Simon leaned over Theo and placed his hand on his brother's head. Running his fingers through Theodore's frazzled hair, Simon whispered encouraging words to Theo. Still asleep, Theo responded by smiling and leaning towards Simon's hand.

After a minute, Theodore woke up with a small sigh. His eyes fluttered open, but they were blurry from sleep. Simon kept stroking the green-clad chipmunk's hair. Finally, Theodore was able to rub the sleep from his eyes and focus on Simon.

His eyes became huge, but a disbelieving smile soon covered his whole face. Sitting up quickly, he stared at his dead brother, trying to see if it was a trick. Simon kept running his fingers through Theodore's hair, smiling weakly.

Theo glanced at Alvin for an explanation and saw his oldest brother trying to hold back tears as he watched them. Theo turned back to Simon and grinned before wrapping his arms around him tightly. Simon hugged him back.

Looking over at Alvin, Simon held out an arm, motioning for him to join the hug. He did so without delay.

After a very long time, Theo suggested, "Simon? Do you wanna sleep in your bed tonight?"

Simon sighed. 'Better now than never,' "Yeah, I'd like that a lot, Theo," he began. "However, there IS something I need to tell you. Alvin already knows some of it..."

And so Simon told both brothers about how he had seen their mother as well as Cookie ("Can he come back too?"), and how Simon now had a job-to save someone's life. And he only had a week to do it.

Finally, the hardest part for Simon came up. "Also, fellas... You're the only ones who can see and feel me. No one else, not even Dave, can see me."

Theo began to sob. "That's not fair! How are you supposed to save someone if you can't even touch them?"

"Well, I can touch others, but they just feel air. Maybe they think they did it without realizing it. For example, jumping out of the way of a car. I may have pushed them, but they might think they did it themselves."

"Oh," a disappointed Theo said.

"But YOU guys can still see me, right? Aren't you guys happy?" Simon wanted to get rid of any bad feelings right now. That did it.

"Of course!" Theo and Alvin cried in unison. Theo jumped up.

"I'll go get some blankets for you," and ran from the room.

"Simon, I can't believe you're back," Alvin said, still in awe.

Simon shrugged. "Well, not for long. I have to leave again in a week, and then it's for sure. But for now, let's just enjoy ourselves, okay?" Alvin nodded, smiling widely.

Theo rummaged through the blankets closet, searching for Simon's blue quilt. However, the noise was enough to wake up Dave, who came out yawning. "Theodore, what are you doing?"

At first, Theo didn't know WHAT to say. Should he tell his father that Simon was back, but Dave can't see him, or come up with a white lie? "I uh... Simon's back, Dave! I'm getting his blanket for him!"

Dave raised an eyebrow, thinking that his youngest child had officially gone insane, making an imaginary brother and pretending it was Simon. However, Dave helped Theo get the blanket and carry it to their room.

When Dave opened the door, he just saw Alvin standing over Simon's bed, staring at it. When Dave came in, Alvin glanced up. "Oh, good. Simon, your blanket's here!" Alvin told the bed. Or so it seemed to Dave.

But in reality, Simon got excited, hopped off the bed, and helped Alvin pull the blankets on the bed the way he liked them. Dave watched as his two visible sons then crawled into Simon's bed, leaving a gap between them. He couldn't see his own middle son lying right there, snuggled between his brothers.

"Goodnight, Fellas," Dave said before turning off the light and heading out the door, still believing that his kids were insane.

"Goodnight, Dave," a chorus rang out. But Dave could have sworn it sounded more like a trio than a duet.