A/N: Okay, so obviously this isn't going to be finished by Christmas, considering that it's almost January as I publish this chapter. So do you think I should keep going or wait until next December comes around? I mean, I'll continue if you guys don't mind reading a Christmas story when it's not Christmas… but if not, then I can wait. Anyway, let me know what you all think in a wonderful review!

A crowded room full of tired eyes,

I'm hiding from you and your soul of ice.

The heavy snowfall continued the rest of the night and into early morning. By the time the Chipettes woke up, the ground was covered in white. It was Sunday, but if it had been a weekday, all the schools in the area would have been cancelled for sure. The roads were covered in ice and snow, an indication that everyone would be staying at home today.

Brittany spent most of the day playing board games and talking to her sisters. They had begun to relax around each other a little more, being more playful and casual. It reminded Brittany of times before they went off to college, before everything changed.

"Where is Miss Miller?" Brittany suddenly asked when they were playing Monopoly. Brittany had never been a big board game fan, but she usually played with her sisters on days when school was closed. Although she never saw the point of playing; Jeanette always won.

"I think she's taking a nap," Jeanette replied, moving her little car piece along the board.

"It seems like she takes naps a lot lately," Brittany observed. No one answered, which Brittany found a little odd. Her sisters had been talking nonstop up to that point. "Um, so you know when you guys told me that Miss Miller knew I was coming home?"

Brittany watched her sisters exchange glances.

"We remember," Eleanor said.

"I talked to her yesterday," Brittany went on, "and it didn't seem like she knew I was coming. She didn't seem mad at me either."

"Why would she be mad at you?" Jeanette asked.

Brittany frowned. "Well, that's how you two made it seem. You basically told me that she was mad because I didn't visit all year. But when I talked to her yesterday, she didn't even know that I had come home. And she was acting really weird. I asked why we didn't have a Christmas tree, and she didn't know why we would need one. It was like she forgot it was December."

Jeanette bit her bottom lip. Eleanor stared at her pile of Monopoly money.

"What aren't you telling me?" Brittany demanded. She hated when people kept things from her.

Jeanette sighed. "Well… let's just say Miss Miller hasn't quite been herself lately."

Brittany raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"She's losing her memory, Britt," Eleanor said. "It's been getting worse the last few months. We think its dementia, or maybe even Alzheimer's."

Brittany's heart sank. "Has she seen a doctor?"

"No," Jeanette said. "She refuses. She doesn't think anything is wrong."

Brittany took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm. Not only was she upset about Miss Miller's possible condition, but she was angry at her sisters for not telling her this important information.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Brittany asked, her voice cracking at the word "tell." She couldn't decide if she wanted to appear sad or angry. "Why did you lie?"

"We didn't want to worry you," Eleanor muttered.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "This is unbelievable! She's the closest person to a mother I've ever had, and you weren't going to tell me she was sick?"

"Well," Jeanette said calmly, "we don't know if she's actually sick. We're just assuming that…"

"Make sure she goes to the doctor," Brittany said, not caring that she sounded bossy. "I don't care what you have to do; make sure she sees someone. This is serious, girls. She needs help."

Jeanette and Eleanor kept their eyes on the floor. Brittany couldn't believe how ridiculous they were being. Just because she was away didn't mean she wasn't part of the family. How dare they hide something so important from her?

"I can't believe you'd do this to me," Brittany went on. "What else are you keeping from me?"

Jeanette's eyes widened and she turned to Eleanor. Eleanor continued to look at her colorful fake cash.

"Oh my God!" Brittany said, her jaw dropping. "You are keeping something else from me!"

"Um," Jeanette said, "well, Brittany…"

"We sold some of your clothes in the garage sale this spring," Eleanor said quickly. "Sorry. We should have asked you."

Brittany raised an eyebrow. She knew that wasn't the big secret; but it did explain the lack of clothes in her closet.

"Whatever," she said, peeved that her sisters were obviously hiding something from her. "Those clothes weren't my style anymore anyway."

Eleanor let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you're not upset! Gosh, I've wanted to get that off my chest for days!"

Brittany didn't say anything as she stared at the Monopoly board. Something was up, and she was going to figure out what it was.

…

Twenty-four hours later, Brittany was standing in front of her full length mirror that hung on the inside of her closet door. She admired her reflection, grinning with every turn. She wore a tight, dark green long-sleeved shirt under a white vest. Her designer jeans made her butt look perfect, and emphasized her long legs all the way down to her black ballet flats. Brittany gave her caramel-colored hair a last second helping of hair spray as she tossed it over her shoulders. She looked ah-mazing.

She and her sisters were getting ready to the Seville's house. Every year, the six of them drew names from a hat, and had to buy a Christmas gift for the person they randomly selected. Brittany loved the tradition when she was younger, but she found it to be sort of lame after she hit her teenage years. Plus she always ended up getting someone boring like Jeanette or Theodore… not really a good opportunity to show off her shopping skills.

Brittany sprayed a few squirts of her favorite perfume on her neck. She wanted to look good for tonight, mostly for Alvin. She wasn't dressing up to impress him or anything; she wanted to look hot to remind him of how much of a fool he was for letting her go.

"This'll make him suffer," Brittany said with a devilish smile as she adjusted the diamond earrings in her lobes.

There was a knock at the door, and Brittany yelled, "Come in!"

Jeanette opened the door to the perfume-scented room. She looked at Brittany and blinked in surprise. Her gaze fell to Brittany's green top.

"What?" Brittany asked, looking down. "Did I spill something?"

"No," Jeanette said. "It's just… well… it's green."

"So?"

"So," Jeanette said slowly. "You hate green."

Brittany frowned. "Jeanette, those days are long gone. Green is a great color me; it goes well with my hair."

Jeanette just nodded, trying to get used to seeing Brittany in such a foreign color. Not that Brittany could blame her; for years, Brittany had made a big deal out of hating the color green, saying that it clashed with her blue eyes. But being picky over a color was something Old Brittany would have done. New Brittany has the confidence to wear any color.

Although Brittany had to admit that wasn't totally sold on green yet. She tried her best to not think of herself as a giant four leaf clover, but it was difficult. She had to keep reminding herself that she could pull of any shade, any time.

Eleanor's voice came from down the hall, getting closer to Brittany's bedroom: "Hey guys are we almost ready to…" she trailed off when she saw Brittany's outfit. "Wow. Green."

Brittany rolled her eye-lined eyes to the ceiling. "It's not a big deal, girls. It's just a color."

"A color you hate," Eleanor pointed out.

"Let's just go," Brittany said with a sigh. She applied another coat of lip gloss as her sisters left to get their coats. She rubbed her lips together and puckered in front of the mirror.

Perfect, she thought.

"You little heartbreaker," Brittany told her reflection. With a confident smile and a quick toss of the hair, she was ready to go.

Show him what he's been missing.

…

Brittany leaned back as Alvin pushed his cap closer to her face.

"You're turn," he said with a grin.

Brittany pushed the hat away from her face. She was the last one to draw a name out of Alvin's old red cap. She couldn't believe he still had that ratty thing.

"Go on," Alvin coaxed, waving the hat from side to side.

Rolling her eyes, Brittany reached into the hat and pulled out the tiny slip of paper. She was playing it cool on the outside, but her heart was pounding and her stomach was in knots. She hoped, wished, and prayed that she didn't get a certain Chipmunk's name.

Taking a deep breath, she carefully unfolded the paper.

Please, she silently willed, let it be anyone except…

She looked down.

Alvin.

Her head began to pound with frustration. She wished she had gone first; that way, if she got Alvin, she would be able to lie by saying she got her own name and would have to choose again. Unfortunately she had no such luck, despite her stupid four leaf clover shirt.

Then the Chipmunks and Chipettes began to go their separate ways, in various areas in the large house. To Brittany's dismay, Alvin sat right next to her, making the couch cushion squeak under his weight. He smelled like cinnamon-flavored chewing gum and expensive cologne. The familiar mix of scents tickled Brittany's nose, reminding her of all the times they had spent together on that very couch.

"So," he said, "what's with the green?"

Brittany sighed. "Why is everyone making such a big deal about this freaking green shirt?"

"Oh, I don't know," Alvin said with a laugh. "Maybe because you've hated it with a passion for the last ten years and you'd always go on about how you would never wear it."

"Things change," Brittany said with a shrug. "People change."

"Yeah," Alvin said, his voice quieter than usual. "They do."

Brittany wondered what he meant by that. Hell, he probably didn't even know what he meant. Alvin didn't take his eyes off her, which made Brittany feel uneasy. But Instead of showing discomfort, she decided to be upfront with him. She decided that she had to remind him that she was stronger than he thought.

"Look," she said quietly so the others wouldn't hear, "I know what you're trying to do. And like I told you before, it's not going to happen. So stop wasting your time and mine, and just give up."

Alvin gave her a crooked little smile, knowing that she couldn't resist his cocky charm.

"You know I don't give up easily," he reminded her.

"Neither do I," Brittany shot back. She wasn't sure what she meant by that, but it sounded good to her at the time.

"I just want to talk to you, Brittany," Alvin said, a hint of pleading in his voice. He sounded serious, but Brittany wasn't totally convinced. She knew how good of an actor he could be.

"We are talking," Brittany said. "And we haven't gotten anywhere. All you've done is pester me."

Alvin rolled his eyes. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

"Well forgive me for not feeling so light," Brittany said, the words uncontrollably spilling out.

Alvin leaned back. "Whatever. You'll come around. I know you will."

Brittany stood up to leave. "Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that."

She slowly walked away. As she did, she felt Alvin's eyes on her. He was checking her out.

This made Brittany grin, as this was her plan all along. He probably hated himself right now for letting such a beautiful girl walk out of his life.

Brittany also couldn't help but be proud for blowing him off again.

Brittany- 2. Alvin- 0.

But as she walked, his words replayed in her head: You know I don't give up easily. Brittany knew this was true. She was dealing with Alvin Seville, the guy who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. And in this case, he wanted Brittany. Or at least he said he did.

But Brittany wasn't going to let that happen. He didn't deserve her. He had his chance, and he blew it the second he let that other girl put her lips on his.

Brittany glanced back. She instantly wished she hadn't. Alvin was still looking at her, the corners of his mouth turned up into a small smile. His face seemed to say, I know what you're trying to do. It's cute and amusing, but you can't fool me.

And she was sure that's exactly what he was thinking. She knew that boy better than she knew herself; and that was especially true these days, when she wasn't even sure who she was anymore.

She stared back at him, determined not to let him think she was weak. Brittany narrowed her eyes into an icy glare before she turned and kept walking, nearly bumping into Simon.

"Oh!" Simon exclaimed as a few drops of liquid jumped out of the glass he was holding.

"Sorry," Brittany muttered, her mind still on Alvin.

"It's all right," Simon said, wiping his shirt with a hand. He frowned when he saw her expression. "Is everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" It came out snappier than she intended.

Simon shrugged. "You tell me."

Brittany snorted. Like she was going to discuss her problems with Simon of all people. Sure, she had confided in him before, in a time of pathetic desperateness; but she was thinking clearer this time, and she wasn't about to humiliate herself again.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "Just a little tired."

As Brittany started to walk away, Simon said, "You drew Alvin's name, didn't you?"

Brittany froze.

"No," she said slowly. "I got Jeanette."

Simon shook his head. "No. I got Jeanette."

Brittany rolled her eyes. She had been caught. She hated getting caught. "How the hell did you know I got Alvin?"

Simon grinned. "Lucky guess."

"Okay," Brittany sighed. "Not that it's any of your business, but yeah, I got Alvin. I have to get the guy who cheated on me and broke my heart into a million pieces a gift on the holiest day of the year. So, yeah, I'm not exactly thrilled about it."

"I see," Simon said.

Brittany frowned. "That's it? That's all you have to say? 'I see?'"

"I'm sorry," Simon said, trying to hold back a smile. "Were you expecting something else?"

Brittany sighed. "Honestly, I don't know what to expect from anyone anymore."

"That's not such a bad thing," Simon said. He took a sip of whatever was in his glass. "If you like surprises."

"I don't like surprises," Brittany said without thinking. She instantly thought of the "surprise" she got last Christmas Eve when she opened Alvin's bedroom door.

Brittany snuck another look at her ex-boyfriend. He was looking at her and Simon with a curious look, probably wondering why they were speaking. When they dated, Brittany would always tell Alvin how boring Simon was and that she couldn't believe they were related. Alvin was under the impression that Brittany thought she was too good to talk to a geek like Simon.

And Brittany really did used to think that. Maybe in a way, she still did. But for some reason, Simon was willing to listen to her. And Brittany always took advantage of someone who would listen to what she had to say.

Then something interesting happened; Eleanor came up to Alvin. She sat next to him on the couch, leaned toward him, and spoke as if she was telling him a secret. Brittany watched as Alvin nodded to what Eleanor was saying. Then he turned toward her and said something else. Eleanor looked up, and for a brief moment her eyes locked with Brittany's.

Brittany quickly turned away, not wanting Eleanor to catch her looking at her and Alvin. She wondered what they could have been talking about; Eleanor and Alvin interacted about as much as Brittany did with Simon; not much. Sure, they sometimes had silly little sports debates Brittany never paid attention to, but besides that, they rarely spoke, let alone whisper to each other.

"Brittany?"

Brittany blinked, snapping back to reality. She forgot Simon had been standing there.

"Huh?"

"Are you sure you're all right?" Simon asked.

"Yes!" Brittany said impatiently. "God, Simon! Just because I'm not smiling all the time doesn't mean I'm not all right!"

Simon frowned. "My apologies."

Brittany rolled her eyes. "I have to go." And with that, she headed toward the door. She needed to get out of that house.

She walked into the large hallway closet and plucked her coat off its hanger. She nearly ran into Dave, who was standing in the doorway.

"Excuse me," Brittany mumbled, squeezing her way past Dave. The longer she stayed, the more she wanted to leave.

"Did you get everything?" Dave asked.

"Yes," Brittany answered, softening up a little. Dave was still courteous even after she had practically shoved him out of her way only seconds earlier. "Thank you."

Dave talked as Brittany put on her coat.

"Brittany," he said kindly, "I know it probably isn't easy coming back here after everything that happened last year. But the boys and I are glad you came back home."

Brittany wasn't sure how to respond, so she just nodded, knowing he would continue.

"It wasn't the same without you in town, that's for sure," Dave said with a smile. "Anyway, I'm glad that you're still willing to keep in touch."

Keep in touch? Brittany wondered. I haven't talked to you in a year.

"Yeah, well, the Seville family is still a big part of my life," Brittany said, not sure if she really meant it or not. But Dave was being nice, so she figured she'd say something to make him feel happy. "You can't just forget about childhood friends."

"I'm glad you feel that way, Brittany. I was worried that after the break-up, our families wouldn't be as close. I hope that you and your sisters know that the boys and I are there for you no matter what."

"Thanks Dave," Brittany said, forcing a smile. Dave's "heart-warming" speeches were kind of like an ugly sweater… comforting and warm, but annoying and awkward when brought out in public. Brittany knew it was selfish, but she just wanted to go home. "Well, I have to go now."

"Okay," Dave said with a nod. "Tell Miss Miller I said hello. I haven't seen her in a while."

"Will do," Brittany said, shoving her hands inside her gloves. After a quick wave, she opened the front door and headed across the street.

The walk was short, but Brittany's nose and ears managed to numb in the cold. She would have given anything to be on the sunny, warm campus at UCLA, where she was miles away from snow, secretive sisters, and obnoxiously flirtatious ex-boyfriends.

Brittany hurried up the porch and yanked open the front door, eager to escape the cold. The house was completely dark except for the soft bluish light from the TV in the living room. Miss Miller was sitting on the couch. She looked up when she heard Brittany close the door.

"Hi Jeanette dear," she called. "How was the party?"

Brittany frowned. Jeanette? How could Miss Miller call her Jeanette? Despite them being sisters, Brittany looked nothing like Jeanette. Jeanette's hair was several shades darker, not to mention the obvious height difference; she was at least four inches taller than Brittany.

"Actually," she said, "it's me, Brittany. And it wasn't really a party. It was just a…"

"Brittany?" Miss Miller's eyes widened. "Why, when did you get back? I thought you were in school!"

Brittany's heart broke. This was really serious. Miss Miller was losing it.

"I've been here for a few days now," Brittany said slowly.

Miss Miller frowned. "What? No, I would have remembered that."

Brittany didn't respond. Instead, she walked over to her former guardian and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Good night Miss Miller," she said. Her heart suddenly felt heavy, as if she might cry.

"Good night dear," Miss Miller said. "I'm so glad you're back."

Brittany just nodded. She wasn't so glad to be back. She was starting to regret ever coming back in the first place.

Eh, not my best writing. But it's a filler chapter, things will get better shortly. Remember, I'm open to suggestions, so if you have one, tell me in a review or PM.