Author's Note: Shut up and read!

Chapter 13: The Ball

The weekend and week ahead passed with not much to comment on except for the growing romance between the three resident couples of the Seville Manor. Eleanor and Theodore were still showing their sweetness for each other by stuffing each other with cupcakes, then running them off around the paddock. Simon and Jeanette were still enjoying their stolen moments in the lab, as well as their school assignments. Last, but certainly not least, Alvin was tending to Brittany's every need as if she was a queen and he, her loyal servant.

On Tuesday afternoon, there had been an excited buzz in the air as Eleanor and Jeanette had been trying on their dresses for the Ball so Eleanor could make alterations on them if needed. Brittany heard the commotion coming from Jeanette's room and huffed jealously, earning a nuzzle from Alvin to take her mind off not being able to go. Much to their chagrin, Simon and Theodore were forbidden from even standing in that side of the house and obeyed just to keep the ugly looks for their counterpart's faces when they suggested otherwise.

Dave finally finished up the song they would perform. With Alvin and Brittany now out, Dave had made a few changes so that the rest of the gang could show off the better qualities of their voices through the lyrics. Dave was now Alvin's replacement for lead guitarist. He couldn't help but feel pumped. After watching concert after concert, he was going to rock out on stage with them! How awesome was that?

As Valentine's Day approached, everybody walked the over-decorated halls of the school apart for the two eldest chipmunks. Julie had arranged for a tutor to work with Brittany so she wouldn't fall behind, which she agreed to, as long as her boyfriend could stay with her.

The whole school was talking about Friday night, the girls swapping rumours and details about their dresses and dates, while the boys bragged about the girl they had managed to 'snag' for the night. Dr. Ruben was forced to shove all other duties aside so she could make last minute arrangements. Julie had managed to convince Toby to act as a chaperone, much to his massive discontent. Dave had nearly fell off his desk laughing when Julie informed him. Toby...A responsible adult? Bahahahaha!

After much anticipation, the 14th of February arrived, and romance was stronger than it ever had been before.

With perfect grace...

It was actually sort of a proud moment for Dave as he watched his two younger sons waiting nervously at the foot of the stairs, adjusting their ties and suits accordingly. Simon was wearing a black suit with a dark and pale blue striped tie, while Theodore had the same, instead in green. Dave himself was wearing a red dress shirt with a stylish black leather jacket. He wasn't so formal seeing as after the song was performed he was going to join the DJ and laugh at Toby trying to contain a bunch of teenagers all night.

Getting back to the proud moment though, Dave had a bit of an emotional upheaval. He had finally had that moment when a parent realised that his children were no more, but were now adolescents beginning to find their place in the world. Granted, he had only known them for five years, but it was still bitter knowing that they would never come crying to him or be told tales of their wondrous adventures in the playground. Heck, he would even miss Theodore sleeping on his forehead after a nightmare!

After a little while, Jeanette and Eleanor finally came down the stairs. Dave can't give much detail, so let us see what the boys thought...

Simon's POV

I stood there with sweaty palms as I waited for my mate to join me. Finally, I saw her and she seemed to be glowing with her beauty. Her violet eyes sparkled even more than her dress behind her gorgeous glasses. It flowed down to her knees and glittered with purple sequins over soft golden silk. Her hair was pulled back into an elaborate braid, but a few of her caramel locks were hanging to curl and frame her face. Her smile was dazzling and warm. I was so concentrated on her face she could've been floating down the stairs for all I know! Who could dare say that there was someone more beautiful than my Jeanie?

Theodore's POV

When Ellie finally came down the stairs, she took my breath away! She wore a flowing dark green dress that complimented her curves and illuminated her eyes. She wore just enough makeup to show off her many features. She looked my way and giggled at the dumbfounded look I was probably wearing at that moment. Her sandy blond hair was out of its pigtails and was instead in waves, flowing down to her shoulders. What a smile! What an amazing spectacle! In the moment I knew I was the luckiest Chipmunk in the world to have one this fair Chipettes heart.

Back to Dave...

The girls looked amazing and obviously their boyfriends thought so as well, seeing as Simon was drooling and Theodore looked like he had been smacked in the head with a club. Dave heard a chuckle coming from behind him and he spun around to see an amused Alvin watching his brothers. Dave caught his eye and Alvin winked before turning on his heel as he set off to set up his surprise for Brittany. Her sisters hopped down the last step and stood aside their respective partners.

"You look beautiful," Dave heard Simon murmur in his beloved's ear as he gently took her paw and kissed it, bowing as he did so.

"You are so handsome, Teddy!" Eleanor squealed as she threw her arms around Theodore. Theodore grinned and smooched her on the cheek. There was a flash of light and the green couple looked startled at Dave, who had evidently jumped on the camera next to him to capture the moment.

"What?" he asked with a cheeky smile, "It seemed like a good snapshot to remind you of your first Valentines together. Now come on all of you! I want to get a few photos in before Toby and Julie get here!"

All four groaned in protest, but did as asked and grouped in. The girls clung to the Chipmunks and put on winning smiles, while the boys tried to look as dignified as they could. Dave chortled and prepared the camera again, "Say, cheeseballs!"

"CHEESEBALLS!" they cried in union. Another flash of light blinded them.

Toby and Julie arrived several photos later. Toby wore a nice suit he probably had saved from his own high school days and Julie looked stunning in a shimmering maroon gown with matching high heels. At the sight of the Chipettes, Julie exclaimed, "Oh my, you girls looks so beautiful!"

"Thank you!" Jeanette gushed.

"Oh, stop it Jules, you're embarrassing us!" Eleanor joked, pretending to blush deeply. Everybody shared a laugh before setting off outside.

Dave's Moment

The gymnasium was looking immaculate and very pink to celebrate the occasion. Pink banners bearing flowers and the saying, 'Happy Valentines' were strung all over the walls with giant hot pink hearts joining them together. Red confetti was constantly fluttering down on everyone who walked under the machine, making it look like red raindrops were falling. A large table with all sorts of sweets and drinks (none alcoholic, of course) was backed up to one side and the bleachers were filled with the lonely hearted students who only came to end up being a third wheel.

"Are you ready to have some fun?" cried Dr. Ruben to the restless crowd of teenagers. They screamed in response and pumped their fists in the air, clearly wanting her to shove off so the show could start. "Then without further ado, let's begin with The Chipmunks!"

The make shift stage rumbled as the first two rows of audience slapped their hands on the edge. The murmur of a guitar started to buzz as the lights turned on to reveal Dave holding Alvin's prized Black Beauty and Simon, Jeanette, Theodore and Eleanor standing in formation. Once the audience shut up, the drummer started to tap the high-hat cymbal to show the pace. Then Dave joined in with a soft tune, driving the crowd into hysterics once more. The rest of the band joined in as Simon took the lead.

Welcome to our fun tonight,

We know you're here to bring it on.

The excitement-so hard to describe,

From just singing it in an old song.

The music took on a rockier beat and Simon sang on as if nothing had changed.

You know I'm here to brighten your day,

And to rock your world all night.

Don't pretend that it's all the same,

Cause what I do is way outta sight.

The crowd continued to roar and scream their delight as the chaperones kept a look out for any misbehaviour. Toby watched on in awe when the song came to a guitar solo and Dave went off his nut. It was clear to see where Alvin got his skills from as Dave's fingers danced and slid along the strings. He was having so much fun that he even let loose enough to pull off a power slide!

Then came the chant of, "Ross! Ross! Ross! Ross!"

Dave felt exhilarated. He hadn't performed on stage since his college days, but it didn't seem to take much to get over his nerves and rock on! He put everything he had into this one moment as he felt all eyes in him. It was his time to shine and screw anybody who felt otherwise! A smug grin worthy of Alvin graced his features with one eye ridge cocked.

It was only two minutes, but to him it felt like a lifetime in the sunshine before the song continued, Dave still rocking on like a trooper.

The Punch

A little later in the night, Simon and Jeanette were occupied in a very awkward waltz as they and 50 other couples started to slow dance. Simon was doing fine and would've been moving quite easily if it weren't for Jeanette. She was enjoying herself, but still managed to step on Simons toes, causing him to jolt in pain as her claws pierced the top of his feet. He tried to hide his hisses of pain, but Jeanette noticed every single time.

"Oh, I'm sorry Simon," Jeanette said worriedly as Simon gasped again. This time his left foot actually started to bleed.

"Don't worry about it, Jeanie. I know you're just nervous," Simon said reassuringly. Jeanette still looked sad though, her ears arched. Simon smiled warmly and adjusted his arms so they were now around her waist, "Okay, let's just take a deep breath. We don't even have to move our feet a lot to dance."

"Really?" Jeanette asked shyly. Simon smiled again and pulled back a little. Jeanette got the message and threw her arms around his neck. Now clinging to each other, they gently swayed back and forth to the beat of the music. Jeanette slowly calmed her nerves and laid her head on her mate's shoulder. After a few moments, Simon gradually began to rotate them in circles.

"See, isn't this nice?" asked Simon softly. Jeanette got lost in his piercing blue eyes and began to kiss him as a response. Simon deepened and smiled into the kiss; he preferred nuzzling, but it would look weird to the human community if he did so tonight.

The tiny whiskers on Simon's face started to tickle Jeanette's nose. She started to giggle. Simon opened his eyes in confusion and pulled away from the still giggling Chipette. She stared back with the cutest guilty look he had ever seen before.

"Sorry," she apologised again, "You're whiskers were tickling me again."

Simon chuckled and pecked her nose, "Well, if I didn't need them so much I would get rid of them. But then again, I love hearing you laugh."

"You're so sweet," Jeanette cooed, pecking him on the cheek, "No wonder I feel so lucky to have been Claimed by you."

'Claiming' is how Talking Chipmunks became mates in the first place. It was the male that initiated it all. There were three stages to this process. The first is the Courting, which only had to go on for a full week before proceeding to the second step. The second step is to wait til a full moon came; the male would take his beloved out under it and begin to say a vow, promoting his love for her. If she accepted the vow, then stage three could take place. Stage three is...well...mating itself.

Just as the bespectacled couple started reminiscing on that special night, somebody had decided to ruin this one. Both gave a squeal as a pink liquid splashed all over them, staining their clothes almost immediately. There was a moment when time seemed to stand still, as Jeanette looked down at her drenched and ruined dress through her stained glasses, her curled locks dripping on the floor. She cried out in shock and despair

Simon looked up in rage to see Marcus Marshall, the replacement Quarterback for Ryan and Marni's boyfriend, sneering down at them. He held a plastic cup in his hand; they had just been drenched in the punch.

"Oops sorry, didn't see you!" Marcus jeered.

Couples surrounding them stopped and stared. Some looked shocked, most gave Marcus evil glares, but there were a few people who were laughing that the nerdiest couple in school just got pranked. Eleanor and Theodore came sprinting over at once. Dave hadn't seen it, but his ears detected the squeals and he hopped off the DJ's desk to investigate. Toby saw Dave move in and decided to follow.

Simon gazed at Jeanette and his anger increased when she saw that she was nearly in tears. Her eyes were watering as they continued to dart around at the damage and her face had turned red. Eleanor was quick to grab her paw and led her sister away to the toilets, leaving Theodore to try and calm down the irritant and angered Simon, who was giving the human the look of upmost loathing. Marcus just stood there and laughed.

"What's going on here?" Toby called, trying to look as tough as he could as he strutted up to the jock. Easy to say, it didn't work. Even at 25, Toby looked like an easy target. Turned out the effort was not needed anyway.

The second Marcus turned around to come up with an excuse; a cream pie smacked him straight in the face! SPLAT! Everybody laughed as Marcus blinked stupidly and spun around again to see where it had come from. He opened his mouth again only to get more cream on his lips as another pie slammed in his face, covering his vision.

Dr. Ruben came storming over, her hair flying all over the place. She cried out in angst when she lay her eyes on the punch covered Simon, the pie covered Marcus and the pie flinging Dave on the snack table. Dave laughed as he loaded a chocolate cupcake onto his makeshift catapult, but caught the principal's eye at the last moment and dropped it, smiling sheepishly at her.

She was not impressed...

Dr. Ruben had to put an end to it before this started turning into yet another food fight fiasco.

A/N: That is the worst ending to a chapter I have ever written, I swear to God!

For those who think that Theonore aren't getting enough attention, chillax! That is a work in progress for the next chapter! There won't be much Alvittany romance for Valentine's Day, because a particularly romantic scene is coming up for them in a few chapters time!

I'm actually concerned that I'm rushing the story a little bit, but that's because the important part hasn't started yet!

I can confirm that Vinny is joining the story as Dave's love interest, but there's an obstacle standing in his way!

If you have an idea of how I can smoothly get her in, that would be much appreciated!