A/N Well here's the next part of the tragedy, I hope you don't think this story is to bad. I am glad that you are at least reading this story. Be looking for one of my newest one shots due to hit my profile soon. It will be a very interesting one to say the least. You might like it. But I hope you enjoy the following installment. FYI I am going to finish this off and my other one shot then I am going to write a continuation for Simon's Proposal. I hope you are pumped to read the sequel, which I promise will be as good and extremely interesting to read. I am going to make sure I get my best man...I mean lady onto it as I am going to as TheDCStar if she will help me make sure its up to par. Anyways enjoy and please leave a review no matter how short it is.

An entire month and a half passed since the accident on that fateful day. Alvin was doing ok but something was different. No one could quite put their finger on it. Not even Alvin's wonderful wife Brittany whom he married right out of high school.

"Alvin...you...you seem...different." Brittany said a little hesitantly still laying in bed.

"What do you mean...'different'? Am I not good enough for you any more?" Alvin shot back. He was standing up getting dressed for work.

"Alvin...how...how could you say such a terrible thing? Do you think I'm that shallow and shady?" Brittany asked aghast at how Alvin responded. Sitting up in her bed with a worried look on her face.

"I'm sorry sweetie. I didn't mean to snap at you, I'm just under a lot of pressure at work right now. It would seem my boss is being an ass and won't let me continue my education in college." Alvin said trying to schmooze things over and walked over to her and pecked her on the check.

"Alvin...you are worrying me. You never back lashed at me for trying to help you and make you feel better. Are you...sure it's only work and...not..." Brittany trailed off lost in her thoughts and afraid she'd said too much.

"I'm sure of it. Its only work and I'm sure here in a couple of weeks it will blow over and I will be fine." Alvin lied to both Brittany and himself putting on a happy face and a false smile.

"Ok Alvin. But I am here for you always. Never forget that. Whatever you may be dealing with personally either because of work or the accident you don't have to do it alone." Brittany said sincerely relaxing and snuggling back into her side of the bed.

"I know. I promise I will in the future." Alvin said. "Well I have to go to work soon."

With that he began to head down the stairs. He headed down the stairs and into the kitchen where he saw Simon sitting at the table staring into space.

"Alvin are you going to tell me what's bothering you? Or are you going to shut out your friends and family and let it eat you up?" Simon asked still maintaining his stare into oblivion.

"What problem Si? I think your big brain just can't handle the fact I'm able to deal with my feelings and emotions on my own." Alvin retorted.

"Is that so? Then do pray tell how it is you are handling them?" Simon asked trying to get Alvin in a checkmate.

"It's none of your business. Just leave me the hell alone ok? I don't need help from you or anyone else!" Alvin said in a stark raised tone of voice.

"If you say so. I mean you can't help that you hit that man in September." Simon said purposefully messing up the date.

"No it was October 5th at 5:45 am. It has been 1 month, 28 days and 23 hours ago that I killed that man." Alvin said without realizing he had been setup.

"See...that's what I'm talking about! You not only gave me the date and time of the accident you also told me how much time passed since then." Simon said passionately.

"So? What's your point?" Alvin asked not caring.

"What's my point? Gee Alvin I don't know...maybe it's the fact that you are harping on it to the point of obsession? Or is it the fact that you are changing?" Simon said trying to keep his voice down.

"Damn it! Just leave me the hell alone you…you son of a bitch! You're just as nosey and bad as Britt!" Alvin said storming out of the kitchen and out the front door making sure to slam it really hard. As he was really pissed that his family was treating him like a little kid, when in fact he wasn't!

Simon's point of view.

Well that could've gone better. I mean I might have been a little pushy and overdone it. But he's not himself. All I am trying to do is keep him from himself and whatever it is that is bothering him. I don't understand Alvin and why he's acting like this...My thoughts were interrupted.

"Si...am I a bad wife for trying to help Alvin?" Brittany asked me close to tears standing in the kitchen doorway.

I had never really seen Brittany in this state before. "No you are not a bad wife. As a matter of fact I think it's wonderful that you care enough about him to want to help him." I said a little green with envy.

"I...I...guess. It's...just that he snapped at me this morning when I was trying to help him. It really hurt getting a verbal slap in the face." Brittany said as she sniffled.

"Here's a napkin to blow your nose" I said giving her the napkin. "Why don't we go and sit in the living room and talk?" I asked.

"Ok. I'd like that."

We went into the living room and sat on the couch.

"I'm a terrible wife! I can't really cook that well, I don't have a job and I don't seem to do anything right." Brittany said as she began to cry.

"It's ok. Everything will be ok. Dave said we are going to go on vacation and visit some relatives for Christmas. Maybe a break from this place will help clear Alvin's mind." I said in a soothing tone placing my arm on her back.

"You think so?"

"Well I am not sure. But it might allow him to be less stressed and deal with his emotional pain. All I do know is the weight of the accident is slowly crushing him." I said somberly.

"Oh...I hope I don't lose my sweet heart. I love him with all my heart and it hurts me to see him hurting. I wish I could take his hurt away. He woke me up the other day because he was shaking and mumbling in his sleep." Brittany said concerned.

"Well I am not sure how to help him. He's of the mind set he doesn't need help. But what can we do?" I said with a hint of defeat.

"I...I guess there isn't anything we can really do to help him." Brittany said saddened.

"Well...I need to go. But I'm always here if you need to talk." I said as I got up and went to my room to get ready for my classes.

7 months after accident.

"Alvin...why does your breath smell like alcohol...again?" Brittany asked in a reprimanding tone. She was very upset with him as there seemed to be an ominous pattern going on.

"Ah c'mon Britt! I took some NyQuil which has a little alcohol. You know I need the NyQuil medicine to put me to sleep." Alvin said very defensively.

"If you say so; but it's just suspicious that you only take NyQuil when you come in from the garage. It makes me wonder what is really going on in the garage." Brittany said still weary of his antics. She was getting tired of this crap. Alvin was pulling away from here and his family. Everybody but Alvin could see it. He spent time outside and when he would come back in he seemed different. There was speculation he was drinking but we couldn't prove it and we never say any proof of it.

"Well I'm going to go to bed sweetie." Alvin said as he pecked her on the check and walked up stairs.

Brittany cringed when he kissed her. She hated the smell of alcohol and she hated it even more when it was on her husband's breath.

Brittany's point of view.

I hope it's just me being paranoid about Alvin drinking. But is there a chance that he is drinking and covering it up with NyQuil? Why would he turn to drinking? Is it because of me? Am I the one who drives him to drink? I bet it is me...I am not really a good wife. It's because I nag and bother him. It's because I'm not the girl he truly loved...or maybe he's grown tired of me.

KRRRSMACK! "Brittany." Simon said as he clapped his hand loudly making contact with his other hand.

"Uh...yes?" I asked a little dazed as to why he clapped his hand at me.

"I was trying to get your attention for the past few minutes. I know what you are thinking." Simon said with a Ben Stein like monotone.

"I'm sorry about that. And I don't think you know what thoughts are on my mind." I said forcefully.

"Oh great...now you are acting like the stranger we all call Alvin." Simon said clearly frustrated at how I reacted.

"Well I'm sorry. It's just that I don't see how you could figure out what I'm thinking." I said plainly.

"Well it's not hard to imagine as I am thinking the same thing. That some how I am to blame for what happened to Alvin. What if I hadn't talked to him that morning? What if I had talked to him longer? I mean I feel that in some way it's my fault." Simon said in a bit of a low tone of voice hanging his head.

"Now how could you blame yourself for that? I mean come on Si, you don't believe that do you?" I asked in shock.

"You aren't the only one who feels guilt for what's happening to Alvin. Also a while back we had a bit of a fight and maybe that's what triggered his drinking." Simon said looking away from me embarrassed.

"Don't blame yourself for any of that. It's not your fault. Not at all!" I said in a firm voice.

Then Simon flipped the tables on me. "So if I'm not at fault then that means you aren't fault for it either." Simon said with a smirk as he knew he got me.

"Ugh. You are impossible. I mean...it's...why did you have to turn my own advice against me? Sometimes you frustrate me." I said as I turned to go up stairs.

He caught my right arm and spun me back around to face him. "Why don't you see that you aren't responsible for his actions? What happened to you? Now you are so dependent on him." Simon said with sincerity.

I wriggled out of his grasp and thundered up the stairs stomping my foot on each step causing then to make a loud booming sound. When I reached the top I spun around and said "Simon I know you want to help me...but for right now leave me the hell alone. I can't handle this confrontation at this time." I turned around then went into our room.

I closed the door behind me and then leaned against it with my back against it. What am I going to do with myself? How can I keep this up? What's wrong with me? My life keeps spinning out of control. I went back to my horrid memories of my childhood before Miss Miller adopted me. I cringed as I thought about how I was abused...I would be beaten and punished for anything I didn't do right. It was horrible. I saw that I was being held captive in my own life...with a stranger. I wanted my mom...I wanted Miss Miller...but she had died. It was horrible.

I peeled myself off the bedroom door and slunk over to 'our' bed...where zonked out Alvin was. I crawled into the bed wishing Alvin would embrace me and keep me warm and take away my fears as well as wipe the tears from my eyes. What did I do to deserve this? I wasn't that bad in my life was I? It doesn't matter. With that thought lingering in my mind I closed my eyes and pulled the covers over my head falling into a fitful sleep.