Author's Note: Before you start reading, Spring-Heel-Jacq has come to me, a little concerned about the lack of interest in the Titanic story she has been writing. She could really use your help by voting on the polls she has set up for which generation of Dave should play Jack Dawson. Remember the title is The Chipmunks Go To The Movies: Titanic.

Chapter19: The Calm before the Storm

Two months.

Suspended from school two freakin' months.

Dr Ruben had exploded like a volcano and her lava river of words had burned and came down on them hard. Marcus came clean and admitted that he was the one who came up with the idea, but the Seville's were not let off easy. As quickly as it had started, Dave would never again set foot in the school until that foot was that of a human's. And for once in his life, Dave didn't regret a single thing of what he had done. This would be one of his life's highlights.

The next day was spent celebrating their success. They had a big picnic in the backyard and brought out several djembes, congas and other instruments to jam along and sing together, like a mini music festival. Alvin even bought out his golden harmonica; the one Dave had given him during a talk one night after Alvin had a nightmare. It was a beautiful little thing too and had a very sweet sound on chipmunk ears. They took turns in dancing with their mates or girlfriend while Dave played melody's he had learned while playing his own silver harmonica.

The food was absolutely scrumptious. Dave couldn't remember the last time he had eaten meat, but he didn't miss it when there were plenty of fruit, vegetable and nut based dishes to feast on. The garden salad and the sundae's were the best part. Dave chuckled at the ice cream moustaches over the kid's top lip and chortled when he realised he had one too.

As the afternoon kicked in, the sun sneaked past the clouds, bringing in a warm change. Jeanette cheered Simon on as he and Dave sparred in the middle of the picnic blanket, the sugar rush still buzzing away at the back of their minds. Theodore and Eleanor had disappeared into the paddock for some alone time, Theodore planning to start courting his counterpart properly.

Underneath the oak tree where Dave had taken his first climb, Alvin and Brittany were laying together at the roots. Brittany curled into her mate's warm and comfortable body while Alvin held on securely to her waist, their legs and tails entangled. Their calm breathing rippled each other's fur as they snoozed the afternoon away in the shade together.

While everyone is occupied in their own activities, I'll tell you a little bit about Bonding. Bonding is the easiest stage of a mateship and quite a fun part too. It doesn't matter what a couple do for it, as long as they are enjoying each other's company and show plenty of affection, it's done and dusted. For Simon and Jeanette, Bonding concerned the most intimate of affection you can show your partner. For Alvin and Brittany, it's all about being cuddly and taking care of each other's needs. The Bonding is completed once the female goes into heat for the first time. After that, they have to be careful not to bring any pups into the world until they're good and ready.

Anyway, there was still the matter of celebrating the coming together of two couples. Like a wedding day, it was all about the girls. Brittany wanted to go nightclubbing while Jeanette wanted to go and see Mamma Mia: The Musical. There was no convincing Dave though for either. For one, he absolutely forbids clubbing since they were only 15 and as for the Musical, he didn't think it was wise to use up the money they had. They hadn't done a proper concert since the Music Awards and the other accounts were unusable until Dave turned back into a human.

In the end, they decided to have an intimate dinner with Toby and Claire at a popular restaurant called Tony's and Belle's. All the A-List celebrities went there. Being one of the most famous music groups in the world, Simon managed to gain a reservation at the last minute.

That night...

The restaurant was extremely classy: imagine you are dining on the Titanic before it hit the ice berg. The high ceiling and walls were a chalky red and covered in photos and posters of all the celebrities who had dined there for a special occasion. Massive diamond chandeliers hung off the roof in a circular pattern. Tonight's diners were dressed as if they were attending the Oscars, feeding on ridiculously small meals for an even more ridiculous price.

In a corner booth sat the biggest names of the night. The table was covered with an elaborate purple table cloth and the usual candle and rose. Brittany was wearing a pink and gold chiffon dress with her shining hair in a braid, Jeanette was in a matching dress in purple and gold with her hair in her usual messy bun. Eleanor was wearing the same dress she had worn for the Ball, yet it had been nicely rearranged in a different style using her sewing skills.

The Chipmunks wore black leather jackets over customized dress shirts. Dave decided to go for his old look and had a plaid brown shirt with a casual deep brown jacket. The seven chipmunks all chatted happily as they waited for Toby and Julie to come back from ordering the meals.

"This is such a great night," Brittany remarked. She leaned back into Alvin's warm embrace. "I can't believe I'm finally celebrating my Mateship. Even better, I get to share it with my little sister."

"Aw, that's sweet Britt," said Jeanette. She was smiling from ear to ear and her violet eyes glittered.

"I still can't believe how easily Toby and Julie took all of this in. First with Dave's transformation and now this; they have really understood about it all haven't they?" Simon asked. He also was holding on to his mate as if she were made of glass.

"We should do something nice for their wedding!" piped up Theodore. He and Eleanor were chewing slowly on the breadsticks, knowing that their own meals would take over an hour to cook and were already hungry to begin with.

"That's a good idea Theo, but what? You guys are already the after party's entertainment and the rest of the details are already filled in. There's not much we can do," replied Dave. He rested his chin on a paw using a thinking gesture, his eyes glazing over as he thought.

The engaged couple soon returned and took their seats. Toby was looking sharp in a navy blue suit with a white shirt and black tie. His fiancée was sporting a gorgeous slim black dress that complimented every curve and wore red high heels. Toby looked well groomed for once and Julie was wearing elaborate silver earrings you'd never see her wear in a classroom.

"Man, the staffs here is rude!" Toby huffed, shifting his seat until he was comfortable again, "You'd think that they would give the customers that are paying over $200 a little more consideration wouldn't you?"

Dave chuckled, "Welcome to Hollywood life Toby. Everyone treats the chipmunks like god and goddesses, but as soon as I turn up, suddenly they have gone deaf and blind simultaneously!"

It's true. Dave was well known and respected in the music industry, but in general, nobody really cared about him and only had eyes for his charges. After Dave had adopted the Chipmunks, he had been invited to make an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show. Unfortunately, he was quickly replaced by comedian David Cross.

"I can't believe I'm even here!" Julie exclaimed, her face showing every inch of her excitement, "This place is so high classed. And I saw Hugh Jackman sitting over at the bar! It was only the back of his head, but I know it's him."

"Wait, did you say Hugh Jackman?" asked Alvin in amazement, not quite believing his favourite actor was in the very same place as him.

Julie nodded, "The very same!"

In a flash, Alvin and Brittany were off the table and out of sight. There was no way they were missing a chance to meet with the Aussie actor and hopefully have a bit of a chat. The rest of the group chuckled and continued to chat over the babbling of the rest of the restaurant. Their waiter appeared and dropped off their drinks, informing them that the food should arrive soon momentarily.

"Momentarily, my ass!" cursed Toby under his breath, earning a glare and a small slap from Julie.

"So how's going living with each other?" Julie asked curiously peering down at the bespectacled couple. "Has it been easy to adjust to?"

"It's been wonderful," commented Simon, earning a smile from his counterpart, "I don't think we've ever felt closer, have we Jean?"

"No, we haven't," grinned Jeanette, "It wasn't too hard because we've been living in the same house the whole time. Waking up next to Si every morning really is the best feeling."

Julie did her best not to cringe at that comment. Fifteen year olds living together and sleeping together just didn't seem natural to her. It was hard to think of the Seville's as chipmunks when they were so humanised. As a teacher, Julie was always concerned for her student's welfare and over the years, she had seen and dealt with some pretty bad cases of teenage romance. But these relationships seemed different. They were mature and nicely balanced.

It wasn't long before Alvin and Brittany returned, looking quite pleased with themselves.

"So, how did it go?" asked Simon, "Did you control yourself or did you drool all over Hugh's fingers?"

Alvin shrugged and turned to the teacher, "It wasn't Hugh Jackman you saw, Jules. Completely different person, but you got the actor part right."

"Oh, then who was it?" asked Julie stunned at her misconception.

"Jason Lee."

"Seriously?" asked Dave. He looked up at his soon to be cousin-in-law in disbelief, "How could you mistake Jason Lee for Hugh Jackman? They don't have anything in common!"

(A/N: LOL, there's actually a really funny story that inspired this. If you'd like to hear it, review or send me a P.M.)

"I guess I made a mistake out of my excitement," replied Julie, shrugging her shoulders. She turned back to Alvin, "So how did meeting him go then?"

"Actually, Jason was really nice," said Brittany, "It turns out he's just as much a fan of our music as we are of his movies. He was just waiting for his wife and kids to turn up. We chatted for a little while, had a bit of a laugh and are going to become friends on Facebook."

"Didn't he name his son 'Pilot' or something?" asked Theodore. Eleanor giggled.

"That's not as bad as calling a kid 'Apple'," Alvin retorted, "Pilot is an awesome name for a celebrities kid."

"I hope you're not planning on giving any unusual names to our kids, Al," Brittany said with a warning tone.

Alvin chortled and kissed her nose, "You'll just have to wait and see won't you?"

Half an hour later, dinner arrived and they all settled down to eat. There was a mix of Italian and French scents wafting from the nine plates, one in particular threatening to burn the fur off around Dave's nose. There was a brief argument when Jason Lee was brought up again in the conversation. Dave wasn't impressed with Toby's remark about Dave having a vast resemblance to the actor when he was human.

"For the last time, I look nothing like Jason Lee! People have been saying it for years and I still don't see it!" Dave exclaimed angrily.

Alvin laughed heartily, clutching his stomach. Dave snapped at him.

"Oh, clam it! Would you like it if I told you that you look just like Melvin the Squirrel? DIDN'T THINK SO!"

That shut Alvin right up.

As the night wore on, Toby was getting more and tipsier with each glass of champagne. Julie was the designated driver and was happy to sip on lemonade. The chipmunks all stuck to water seeing as anything that fizzes would cause a massacre that would put Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter to shame.

At 9:30, one of the waiters in a white tuxedo walked up some steps onto a stage. The stage was only two metres away from the Seville's booth. He stood in front of a microphone and tapped it gingerly, the static blowing from the amplifiers. Everybody in the vicinity stopped what they were doing and looked over at him immediately. A few of them looked annoyed that their conversation had been interrupted.

The waiter looked sheepish as he announced, "I'm sorry to inform you all that tonight's entertainment has been cancelled due to a medical issue."

The diners all groaned in annoyance.

"Just great," Sighed Theodore heavily, "I'd been looking forward to that."

Authors Note: Okay, I'll admit that was pretty boring, but the next chapter will be worth the wait. It's the start of the Second Act and Dave will meet his chipmunk counterpart and his true love.

But is that the same person?