Thanks to my beta reader Scarlet Moon for living up the story.
"Jean, you up?" Brittany asked, knocking again. "Jeanette?"
"Okay, genius." Alvin whispered. "Now what?"
"Just stay on the other side of the bed. I'll take care of Brittany." Jeanette whispered, giving Alvin a quick kiss as Brittany knocked on the door once more.
"Jean, I can hear you. Can I come in?"
"Just a minute!" Jeanette called as Alvin quickly hid on the other side of the bed.
"Just meet me and Si down stairs. We need to talk about something."
"Okay, I'll uh, be down in a minute." Jeanette yelled, blowing out a sigh of relief as she heard her sister's footsteps fade away.
"What do you think that's about?" Alvin wondered, resting his head on the bed.
"You look ridiculous, you know that right?"
"I love you." He grinned.
"Put your clothes on. I have a feeling that you're going to need to be there too." She smiled. "And I love you too."
-Simon & Brittany-
"Alvin wasn't in the office. I'm trying his cell now." Simon said as Brittany walked down the stairs.
"He was with Jeanette and I don't think they were just talking either. Did you get a hold of El and Theo?"
"Either their cell phones died or they're out of range. I can't get a hold of them." Simon sighed, watching Brittany, noted that something was clearly bothering her. "Are you sure he was up there with Jean?"
"No, not really, but it just about makes sense."
"Make sense how exactly?"
"Jean gets hurt and Alvin does what he does best. Flies in and saves the day, a little too well if you ask me."
"He's changed Britt. He's not the same person he used to be."
"I don't know that." Brittany snapped harshly.
"Don't know what?" Alvin asked as he and Jeanette walked into the living room.
"That Charlene has secrets that could possible tear us apart." Simon said between clenched teeth, still looking at Brittany.
"Do you two need a minute? Jean and I can-"
"We're fine." Brittany cut Alvin off. "What does Charlene have against you?"
"Nothing that would ruin me. You?" Alvin asked.
"Nothing… Current." Brittany replied.
"It probably has to do with me." Jeanette spoke. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was."
"Jeanette what are you talking about?" Brittany raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "What have you done that could be used against you?"
"Why do you need to know? For all you know, Charlene could be bluffing or this couldn't even be about Jean." Alvin said. "If this is about us, our family, what could she have against you?"
"Okay, that's enough. Alvin, upstairs, my room; Brittany talk to your sister." Simon cut in. "You and I will talk later." He whispered as he passed by Brittany.
"What was it that you were saying?" Brittany asked Jeanette as the boys walked upstairs.
-Alvin & Simon-
"What's going on? If I know Charlene it's going to take more than secrets then to bring us all down." Alvin stated.
"If you were to tell me this a year ago, when everything was good, I'd believe you. But now… Now we're practically falling apart. Ron managed to break us apart and Charlene gets the pleasure in finishing it." Simon said harshly. "The least you can do is to cut her some slack."
"Like she just did down stairs? She's back what, a couple of hours and she's already holding something against me."
"Are you sleeping with Jeanette?" Simon asked.
"Why? Are you jealous?" Alvin smiled.
"Damn it Alvin! This isn't funny." Simon grunted. "Some things will never change." He said under his breath.
"What does that mean?" Alvin asked defensively.
"The Alvin she remembers is the jerk who cared about no one but himself. How does that make you look now that you're sleeping with her sister?"
"I've changed."
"I know that. Jeanette obviously knows that, but that doesn't mean Brittany will see it that way."
-Brittany & Jeanette-
"I'm going to kill that-"
"Brittany!" Jeanette yelled. "London certainly changed your language."
"Don't play Mom, Jean." Brittany sighed. "Why would you do that?"
"Now look who's trying to play Mom."
"Jeanette."
"If you didn't leave, none of this would be happening!" Jeanette yelled with tears in her eyes. "You have no idea what I've been put through."
"Then tell me. You could have called me."
"I tried, but I never was able to dial the number."
"I'm sorry that I wasn't here. I didn't know what Charlene had planned. What matters is that I'm here now."
"I don't need you now." Jeanette stated.
"But you need Alvin."
"He was there for me. He has changed Brittany. You just weren't here to see it."
Reunions were supposedly the happiest time a family gets together….but not ours. I trust my brothers and the girls, but I can't play both sides. Needless to say… They succeeded into tearing us apart. They just don't know it yet.
You see, behind the scenes, we know that Jeanette tried to kill herself because of how Charlene had treated her. Alvin was going to start a solo career because he deemed it best for him at the time. I made a stupid mistake with drinking too much, which lead to sleeping with Charlene, and (thankfully) Brittany was very forgiving. However, the news she told me was a lot to take in.
Long story short, she too tried to kill herself. That is, before she became famous. Her sisters were more popular than her when they were in school. One day she came home, locked herself in the bathroom crying, ready to slit her wrists, but she hesitated and Mrs. Miller was on the other side of the door talking to her. She eventually saved Brittany and helped her on in life.
Not everyone is perfect and we seem to forget that. We may seem to get along on the outside but some of us can't stand to look at each other. And that's something we're going to need to work on.
"Not the journal again. And here I thought you were going to be able to go two months without it." Brittany smirked, tossing her phone on the pull-out bed next to Simon.
"It helps me sort through my thoughts without be interrupted." Simon replied, closing his journal. "What are you still doing up?"
"Well, considering that your room is next to Alvin's where Jeanette is also staying. It's hard to sleep." She sighed, heading to the kitchen.
"We could always return the favor." Simon halfheartedly teased.
Her lips lifted up in a hint of a smile. "If I ever stop being ill, I'll consider it."
"You should really go see a doctor." Simon said standing up.
"I'm not pregnant. How many times do I need to tell you?"
"When do you eat pickles by themselves and then want a milkshake after words?" Simon asked standing on the other side of the counter. "Go see a doctor. Please."
"If I go, will you stop bugging me about it?"
"Yes."
Brittany sighed. "I'll call them in the in morning." Simon grinned. "Don't look at me like that." He chuckled. "Just for that you get to go buy me a milkshake." She demanded as Simon walked over to her.
"I love you." He said grabbing her by the waist.
"I'll love you even more if you go get me that milkshake." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Simon smiled, looking into her blue eyes before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Strawberry or Vanilla?" He asked, walking to the freezer. "You're only choice is Strawberry though."
"Strawberry it is then." Brittany said walking over to the bed.
Being the family that we use to be… I don't think that will take very long. It's just a matter of us trying to get back to where we use to be. Which, like I already said, won't take very long.