Chipmunksforlife = Hey, I saw Randy Orten (Or was it Orton?) in action two days ago. And I gotta tell you - Man, he beat 37 kinds of shit out of Christian.
Webweirdo332 = Read and reviewed. :D
Brittany ran up, Jeanette closing behind her as they took stairs to stairs, trying to find their mates and their children, wherever they would be. The smoke was unbearable, and ever since they got inside, Brittany noticed Jeanette's been wheezing out for air between coughs. They took one more stairs, and Brittany looked back to see Jeanette holding on to the hot wall, weak and gasping, coughing madly.
Brittany stopped dead in her tracks and looked at her, worried. "Jeanette -," She coughed. "Jeanette, are you alright?" She asked.
Her worries only increased when Jeanette dropped to her knees, panting, holding on to the wall for support. She kept coughing.
Brittany quickly approached her, careful of the burning debris. Jeanette coughed again. Brittany held her and titled her chin up to look at her. Jeanette's eyes were weak under her glasses, almost as if she's going to faint. By the looks of her, she couldn't go any further.
"Jeanette, you have to get out of here," Brittany commanded.
Jeanette shook her head weakly. "No, no. It's Simon-" She coughed before she could continue. "I-It's Simon. He needs me."
Brittany removed her paw, feeling something cold, something liquid. She looked at it. She gasped in shock as she found her paw drenched in black blood. Dead blood. Her eyes widened as she caught her sister's eyes.
As Jeanette looked at her paw, her eyes widened as well.
"Oh, my God. Jeanette, you're-" Brittany couldn't mask the horror in her voice. She pressed a paw on her stomach protectively.
Before she could continue, Jeanette's eyes rolled to the back of her head and landed limp and weak in her sister's arms.
"Jeanette! Jeanette!" She called out.
Jeanette didn't move, nor respond.
Brittany's eyes found Jeanette's inner thighs, drenched in dark, red blood with a touch of dead black. The liquid trickled down from between her thighs, drenching her fur, down to her knees. She felt an instant drop of realization, followed by another crossroad of decision. Should she help her sister, or Alvin? Of course, Alvin goes first, above all. But should she leave her sister like this? Unconscious?
Of course, there's nothing more she could do for her without forsaking Alvin. But also, she can't just leave her like this. That would be heartless. Too heartless, it might even discourage Alvin.
Jeanette moaned weakly, getting her attention. Brittany finally decided. Of course she's not going to leave her sister here after all they've been through. Jeanette was still in her arms, moaning weakly, still limp. She looked at the stairs that led to the third floor. She cursed under her breath. If she's going to carry her, they won't be able to jump up to those human-sized stairs. The steps are way too high.
She looked at her sister. Jeanette's eyes were slightly opened, just enough to see. "Br...Brittany." Her voice sounded so hoarse. "Britt, just... just leave me."
"What?" She shook her head. "Jeanette, I'm not going to leave you."
"A-Alvin... he needs..." She coughed again. Brittany held her close. "H-he... he needs you."
"Simon needs you too, Jeanette."
Jeanette's face dropped to a fearful, disappointed look with tears pooling in her eyes. The sight unbearable to look, but unfortunately hard to ignore. "I... I lost the children." The tears dropped from her eyelids as she said. "Simon... he's... he's never going to forgive me. I don't think... I have any purpose living, now that he'll hate me."
"Why didn't you tell anyone you were pregnant?"
"T...The kids. They're the only one who knows. E-even... Stanley,... and Serene."
"Simon doesn't know?"
Jeanette shook her head weakly. The building gave yet another shell-shocking explosion, followed by a life-threatening quake.
"Britt, you have to leave me. Please."
"No, Jeanette. I can't let you die."
"Alvin."
Brittany's ears flicked as she heard the name. She felt an unwelcoming sensation at the pit of her stomach, sensing danger. The sound of that name alone brought her back to who she really was, and what she lives for. For Alvin and now, he needed her. She felt the adrenaline surge in her veins, each part of her body telling her to run and look for him. She felt the need to run up to the stairs. She looked at her sister, unaware of the tears that flowed in her eyes,
"J-Jeanette, I'm sorry. I'll be back for you, I promise," She swore.
Jeanette was leaning on the wall, her paw clutching her stomach protectively, blood trickling down her thighs. As a response to her sister's promise, she said nothing.
. . . . . . .
The agony Alvin felt hearing was hearing the bones in his legs snap under the weight of the heavy ceiling that crashed down upon him. But even that wasn't compared to the agony he felt at the thought of his son's life. His safety. He tried, failed, and gave up every attempt to ease the pain in his lower body and looked deeply at his son's eyes. The poor kid hadn't said a word. With his shattered shin, all he could do was stare at him, eyes wide. Over AJ's shoulder, Serene, who was just about to head down the stairs, saw what was happening and ran toward them.
"Uncle Alvin! AJ!" Serene ran to AJ first, kneeling down next to his body.
AJ looked at her. "It's dad! He's hurt!" Alvin detected the fear in his voice.
Serene slung AJ's arm around her neck and pulled him up and walked him towards his father. AJ sat down next to him, his legs and thighs set neatly on the ground as he crawled closer.
"Dad, are you okay?" AJ asked.
Alvin could feel the debris heat over him. He coughed out, nearly breathing the smoke again. "My legs broke, Alvin. I can't move."
"Dad, you're going to be okay. Please stay with me."
Alvin stared out at the fire slowly growing closer towards them. He turned to AJ again, shaking his head. "I can't. Alvin, you have to go," He commanded.
Tears started to drool from his son's eyes. "No, dad! Dad, I can't leave you!" The sobs in his voice were clear enough to be heard under the crackling of the embers.
Under the debris, Alvin felt his legs going numb. "No." He shook his head. AJ sobbed again. Slowly, Alvin reached for his son's face and cupped his cheek. "Alvin, Alvin. Look at me." His son did so and stared deeply into his eyes. Hazel-brown and hazel brown met, one lighter than the other but ever so similar. "You two. You and Serene. Both of you have so much to live for. I can't get out of here, Alvin. You two, you've got to get out of here."
AJ shook his head wildly and violently. "No, dad! You can't make me leave you! I'll never leave you!"
"Please, Alvin." He looked at Serene then back at him. "Do it for her, please. Serene deserves to live. Both of you do."
He sensed Serene stiffen up confidently. To his surprise, she clutched AJ's paw almost too intimately for cousins. "I'm not going anywhere, uncle Alvin." She looked into his son's eyes. "Not without your son."
For one of the few times in his life, Alvin wanted to say something but couldn't. All he could do was wince under the pain, cough when he breathed smoke, and stare dumbfoundedly into their intertwined paws. From behind them, their tails curled and tangled. A gesture of affection... love.
Serene and AJ. Simon's daughter and his son. Who would've known?
From behind the children, the fire has nearly spread to the stairs, leaving only a small opening. Under the radiant glow of the flames, he saw a blue blur, and he never thought he'd live long enough to be glad to see his brother. Simon emerged from the stair case and widened his eyes at the scene.
"Simon!" Was all Alvin could say.
"Alvin!" With all fours, Simon scurried towards them. He stopped in front of his daughter and placed his paws on her shoulder, kissing her on the forehead. Simon embraced her, as if scared to let go. "Serene. Oh, Serene, you're alright." He dug his nose into her hair and sniffed. Once he was done, Simon looked at him.
"Simon." His voice was too low even for himself.
"Alvin." The tone matched his. "Are you alright?"
Alvin shook his head. "No. I'm not." He looked at the children, still holding their paws together. Alvin wondered whether Simon noticed it or not. He turned back to him. "You've got to get them out of here. Both of them, please."
"NO!" AJ, surprising them both, yelled out. "I'm not leaving dad! Uncle Simon, take Serene, please. I'm staying with my dad."
"What? Alvin, no! I'm not leaving you!" Serene yelled out, but her voice turned out unheard.
"Simon, take them. Both of them," Alvin pleaded. He turned to his son, still pleading. "Please, Alvin. I want you safe."
"I'd rather die than leave you, dad. I do anything without you. I need you. We all do. Mom, Ally, everyone. I can't do anything without you, dad." He turned to Simon again. "Uncle Simon, please take Serene. I'm not going anywhere. Not without dad."
AJ finally let go of Serene's paw. From the looks of her, she looked like she was debating whether to reach for it again.
Finally, Simon turned to him again. "Alvin?"
Alvin sighed. Knowing AJ got this stubbornness from his mother, it'll take more than just a talk to get him to budge. He sighed, regretting his decision deeply. "Take Serene."
. . . . . . .
Simon couldn't believe his brother, but he respects his decision. Yes, all the time, Alvin was unbelievable, and this time was no exception. As much as he hated him for it, he couldn't help but hurt at the sight of his son risking his life for him. Alvin and Simon have been through a lot since they were left by their parents, and together with Theodore, all they had were each other. The thought of losing Alvin threatened his tears, despite himself.
He reached for his daughter, convinced her to come, but for some reason, she wouldn't budge. Her paw was held tightly with AJ's, then it came to the point where she was embracing him already. Affection was the only feeling that described Serene's actions. Affection for AJ. Her cousin. Basically it was wrong, but seeing her daughter, something in her expression made everything seem right. And he believed it was.
But he wasn't about to risk his daughter's life. He grabbed Serene and slung her body over his shoulder, holding her tightly. He ran away. Away from father and son, hurting at every word Serene yelled out to her cousin. Hurting at every plead Serene made to stay.
He ran to the stairs, holding Serene tightly as he jumped down from steps to steps. The fire heated his face, making him sweat. But that, along with the weight of her daughter, was nothing. With the adrenaline surging in his veins, all he could think of was getting her to safety.
As he made his way down the stairs, he gasped at the pink blur running to the top. Finally, she saw him too and stopped, gasping and panting. In her eyes, Simon saw tears dampening her fur and from her looks alone, he could tell something was wrong.
"Simon! Simon, please, you've got to help." She sounded troubled.
"Alvin needs help. If I have time, I'm going to get the firemen."
Brittany shook her head. "No, no. It's...-" She gulped. "It's Jeanette."
The name alone startled him. His heart pounded against his ribs, and he couldn't help but think of the worst scenarios that had happened to his mate. He felt his eyes widen involuntarily. "Why? What happened to her?"
"Just help her, please!" She started running up the stairs again. She stopped at the middle and looked at him. "She needs you just as much as Alvin needs me."
Simon pictured Jeanette's lower body crushed under a pile of flaming debris. He shook his head and cursed himself for even thinking about it. When he ran down the stairs again, only then did he notice the tears streaming down his eyes.
. . . . . . .
Brittany couldn't shake the pictures off her head. The picture of the blood trickling down between her sister's thighs, Jeanette coughing and wheezing for air, Jeanette leaning against the wall, holding on to the dead, unborn children in her stomach. The thought of it made her sick and it was all she could do to keep the bile from propelling into her mouth. She walked up to the stairs and met Simon, told him what happened, and continued heading up again.
Alvin's in trouble. She felt it, Simon confirmed it. Only by her mate's name, she felt the fire burning in her eyes as hormones rushed all over her body, her insides filled with determination. Alvin's in trouble, and he needs her. Needs her more than ever. The thought made her rush, made her hurry and worry.
She reached the end of the steps and gasped fearfully at the sight of her mate crushed under all the piles of flaming debris, coughing. What scared her the most was AJ, their son kneeling next to him. She tried hard not to burst in tears again, but when the building shook once more only then did she allow herself to scream.
The two males heard her yelp and faced her.
"Brittany!"
"Mom!"
AJ stood on his feet and started to scurry towards her, but failed. He gave a sharp yelp of pain and stumbled to the ground, a few inches from his father. Brittany gasped again and ran to their son instinctively and worriedly. Brittany knelt beside him and wrapped him in a warm embrace, not letting go. Afraid to let go. Their son is alright. Brittany kissed him on the forehead and allowed her tears to dampen their son's fur.
"AJ, oh, God you're alright." She kissed him on the forehead again. "What happened?"
"My leg. It hurts," AJ answered.
Brittany sobbed again and buried her face in their son's shoulder. She kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry your dad and I weren't there for you. But it's going to be alright. I promise."
She let go of him and looked at under all the pile of debris, meeting her mate's dreamy hazel-brown eyes brightened by the threatening flames around them. Tears were pooling, but not dropping. Alvin's trying hard not to cry. She walked closer towards him and kissed him on the lips.
She stared into his eyes again, giving her tears the freedom to drop.
"I told you to stay outside. You just can't do what you're told, can you?" Alvin said.
Brittany smiled. "Then it's your fault. You're the one who mated with me. I'm an overly attached, so deal with it."
Alvin chuckled weakly, despite what's happening around. "I'm not going to ask you to take AJ and leave, because I know you wouldn't."
"I shouldn't," Brittany answered. As Alvin's smile grew weaker, she frowned. "So this is it, huh?" The tears threatened to drop even more. Brittany didn't stop them.
Alvin closed his eyes, and to her surprise, the tears dropped as well from his eyes. "I guess. I never stopped loving you, Britt. Not once."
Brittany felt warm not because of the fire around them. "Neither did I."
From behind them, Brittany heard AJ call out her name. When she looked, she was surprised - scared, even - when she saw three more of their children standing at the end of the stairs, looking at them as if tears were about to drop. Ally, Nelle, and Bryon. Brittany couldn't decide whether she was happy to see them or not. But surely, she was mad.
"What are you doing here?" She nearly yelled.
Ally, Nelle, and Bryon stepped closer to their brother, meeting their mother's eyes. Despite her lesser anger, Brittany felt relief and happiness to see all four of them complete.
"Mommy," Ally started. "Can you think of a time, any time at all, when you left us alone?"
Brittany couldn't understand why her daughter was asking her. But she thought and answered, "No."
"Then we can't leave you too."
Brittany shook her head in negation. "No. Ally, Nelle, all of you. The four of you are still kids and you have so much to live for. You're all going to live." Brittany turned to Ally. "Ally, act like an older sister and keep all of them safe. Take AJ with you and leave, now." It sounded more than a command.
Ally and the others remained rooted to the ground. "You're not going to make us, mommy. All our lives, we've been obeying you because we love you. But now, it's different, mommy. There are times that we may need to disobey you, but it's because we love you. We can't leave you, and we never will."
Brittany gasped in her sob. Tears dropped at every word her daughter said to her. She felt... proud of herself.
Ally moved forward and knelt beside her. Brittany felt her daughter's paw on her thigh. "Mommy, daddy," She started again. "Do you remember when we were kids? When you made your first promise? That you two will never be away from each other?" Ally asked and they nodded in affirmation.
Ally faced her siblings and smiled.
"We promised the same thing, mommy - family stays together." A tear dropped from Ally's left eye. "No matter what."
Brittany allowed the words to sink in, and her dropped every second. She couldn't hold back her sobs, and she didn't try to. She reached for Alvin's paw and squeezed it. She looked at her mates eyes, and they too, were dropping tears that dampened his fur. Alvin nodded and sniffed.
She turned back to the children.
"Ally... all of you. You kids are the best things that's ever happened to us. We never thought we'd-" She choked on her tears and couldn't continue. But she struggled to. "We never thought you'd love us so much that you'll risk your lives just for us. You make us feel... proud of ourselves. You make us feel like we've done good job raising all of you."
"You did a good job, mom. From the first day, you never yelled. You never get mad. Our days our better when the two of you are around," AJ said.
The tears intensified. From behind them, the fire spread like a monster, devouring everything in its path, leaving nothing but a black ash in its wake. She grabbed the children in a last, loving embrace as the crackling of the fire grew louder. The room became hotter, and the explosions became more frequent. But everything seemed so slow.
She thought again about the unborn children inside her. All she could say to them was sorry, for they haven't even seen the world, their siblings, their mother, or their father yet. But of course, if she lives and they die, the children would grow up without a father. She won't allow it. She'll never allow it. Children are nothing without their biological father. She'd rather die than be a lone mother.
Brittany reached for Alvin's paw, and squeezed it tightly. Despite everything, she smiled, knowing she has lived a good life and she couldn't ask for any other way to end it - Together with her family.
WHOA, WHOA! DON'T HATE ME YET! WAIT FOR THE NEXT THINGS I'LL SAY.
1st of all, let's procrastinate.
2nd, I'm still sick, but thanks for the "Feel Better" stuffs.
3rd, let's procrastinate some more.
4th, next story is almost up.
5th, this is just the second part of the last chapter.
6th, another procrastination.
7th, this is NOT the ending. And 8th,
IF YOU WANT THIS TO BE THE ENDING, STOP! DON'T READ ANY MORE!