In Their Hearts

Alright... first:

I AM SO SORRY!

School + Finals + Real Life + Red Dead Redemption = NO FREE TIME!

Anyway, it's a little late... but it's finally here!

ENJOY! ^^

Chapter 5: In Their Hearts

"And, that's how it happened…" Theodore sighed as Eleanor stood up and gave him a gentle hug.

Before anyone else could say anything, Alvin and Simon came barging through the doors which they left through.

"Come on, Brittany, we're leaving." Alvin declared.

"Come on, Jeanette." Simon said as he held open the door.

The two chipettes looked at each other before looking back at their counterparts.

"No."

Everyone in the room was silent for a few moments, each trying to understand and comprehend what Brittany and Jeanette had just said and why they had said it. Giving up, Simon was the first to break the awkward silence.

"What do you mean 'no', Jeanette?"

"What do you think it means?" She replied coldly. "I'm not going anywhere until we all settle this."

"And neither am I, Alvin." Brittany added as she cupped her hand around Jeanette's.

At this moment, Eleanor left Theodore's side to join her two sisters, locking her hand with Jeanette's.

"Settle what?" Alvin asked blindly.

"Theodore told us everything…" Eleanor said as she gazed towards Theodore, whose head darted up in shock.

"Why would you do that?" Alvin shouted at Theodore. "Didn't you learn anything after the first time?"

When Theodore didn't respond with words or even a gesture, Alvin started to approach him, but Eleanor cut him off.

"Don't you dare touch him, Alvin." Eleanor threatened. "We asked him to tell us."

"Yeah, something he managed to do." Brittany fired back. "You, on the other hand, refused to tell your own wife for ten years!"

"That's because it didn't concern you." Alvin said as he glared at the sisters.

"Oh, really?" Brittany chuckled angrily. "If someone insults me, it 'doesn't concern me'? If something's tearing my husband's family apart… it 'doesn't concern me'?"

Alvin looked away from Brittany and let out an audible gulp. Seeing no response, Brittany decided to continue.

"Well, let me ask you something, Alvin," Brittany said as her voice started to crack and tears started to fall from her eyes. "Did you ever once consider that I really care about you and that's why I kept asking you? Did you ever think tha-"

Before Brittany could continue any further, she felt her lower lip begin to shiver and her tears fall harder. Angry, upset, and embarrassed, Brittany quickly pulled her hand out of Jeanette's grasp, turned around, and ran out of the nearest door.

Alvin didn't watch her leave, but as soon as he was sure that she was gone, he turned to the rest of the group.

"I-I'm going to see if she's okay…"

And with that, Alvin quickly ran through the door that Brittany exited, leaving four chipmunks left in the room. As the remaining chipmunks watched Alvin's exit, the room began to fall into another awkward silence. Jeanette turned towards Eleanor, who was still watching the door.

"Eleanor, could you do me a favor and give Simon and me some privacy?" Jeanette asked kindly, glaring back at Simon in the process.

Eleanor cocked her head up, giving her a questioning glance before finally understanding what she meant.

"Oh, right…" Eleanor chuckled lightly. "Come on, Theodore…"

Eleanor quickly walked over to Theodore, grabbed his hand, and led them both out of a different door. Jeanette waited for a few moments to make sure that Eleanor and Theodore were truly gone, but when she was sure, she suddenly glared back at Simon.

"So, Simon… let's talk." Jeanette demanded as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Talk about what?" Simon shrugged. "You know what happened…"

"Yeah, now I know what happened. Let's talk about why I didn't find out until ten years afterwards…" Jeanette snapped.

"Why? It's not that big of a deal." Simon fired back.

"Oh, you kissing another girl while you're dating me 'isn't a big deal'?" Jeanette questioned. "And I suppose that me finding out about it ten years later, 'isn't a big deal' either, right?"

"What are you talking about? Alvin told you ten years ago, in our senior year." Simon retorted.

"You know, Theodore said the same thing." Jeanette chuckled bitterly. "But, Alvin didn't tell me anything!"

Simon remained silent for a moment. He had a confused look on his face as his mind pondered about what Jeanette had just said.

He thought about her statement from every angle that he could think of. He thought about the possibility that Jeanette was lying to him… but why? Why would she lie to him? Especially at a time like this… it didn't make any sense. So, he scratched that thought out of his mind.

But now, there was only one more possibility that he could think of… and that was that Alvin had never told Jeanette in the first place… but, that didn't make any more sense to him, either. Why would Alvin not tell Jeanette? He had a perfectly good chance to, and that fact still remains that they had already been fighting for some time. So, what actually happened?

"What do you mean 'Alvin didn't tell you anything'?" Simon asked in a mix of confusion and shock.

"It means exactly what it sounds like… Alvin DID NOT tell me anything!" Jeanette snapped back. "But I don't even care about that anymore! I want to know why you didn't tell me!"

After that, Simon snapped out of his state of confusion and concentrated on Jeanette, again.

"I-I thought that you'd be angry…" Simon answered quietly.

"Of course I would've been angry." Jeanette responded. "But you know what, Simon… I would've understood if you came and told me.

"It was an accident, though!" Simon quickly stated. "She forced me to kiss her!"

"It doesn't matter." Jeanette sighed. "I would have told you if it happened to me. But no, you chose to hide it… why?

Simon thought to himself for a few moments before continuing, staring down at his feet in embarrassment.

"Jeanette, you were the only girl that I ever loved… and you were the only girl that ever loved me… and we just had such a great relationship…" Simon paused. "I just… I just didn't want our relationship to end because of something so stupid…"

Simon looked up from his feet and saw Jeanette approaching him. Instinctively, Simon started to bring his hands up to his head in fear of being hit. But instead, Jeanette brought him into a long kiss.

As the two broke apart after a moment, Simon gave a Jeanette a puzzled look.

"I'll forgive you… on one condition…" Jeanette trailed off purposely.

"And, what's that?" Simon smiled softly.

"I want you, Alvin, and Theodore to make things right. You guys had such a strong relationship and it's been ruined for too long…" Jeanette explained.

"I'll try…" Simon sighed. "But that's not only up to me…"

"I know." Jeanette responded. "And right now, Brittany's talking to Alvin, and Eleanor's talking to Theodore. We just have to wait and have faith that they'll knock some sense into your brothers."

"Brittany!" Alvin yelled as he chased the chipette through the courtyard.

Alvin quickened his pace and firmly wrapped his hand around Brittany's arm, restricting her movement. "Brittany, stop!"

"Don't touch me!" Brittany retaliated, ripping her arm out of Alvin's grasp.

"Hey, you're the one that wanted to talk about this… so, let's talk!" Alvin responded.

Upon hearing his voice, Brittany turned around, meeting his eyes with a cold glare. "Yeah, you're right. I did want to talk. I've wanted to talk for the past ten years! But, now? No. I'm done talking. Especially to you, Alvin."

He watched her make her way to their car, desperately trying to think of a way to make things right. Only one thought came to his mind.

"I'm sorry…" He suddenly called out.

He didn't expect it to work. He didn't expect her to care or even listen… but once those two words came out of his mouth, he saw his beloved stop in her tracks.

Seeing this as an opportunity to get his point across, Alvin decided to continue. "I know that I screwed up… I know that you have every right to be angry… but, I'm sorry…"

At this point, Brittany was approaching Alvin's position. She was completely silent, but Alvin could see that her eyes were burning with rage.

"You're 'sorry', Alvin?" Brittany repeated as she continued to approach him.

Without warning, without mercy, and in the blink of an eye, her hand swiftly rose through the air, landing on the Chipmunk's right cheek.

Alvin took a few steps back, quietly whimpering in pain and holding his cheek with his hand. "I guess I deserve that… but, I really am sorry…"

"Now, let's talk." Brittany sighed. "Let's start with why you refused to tell me for ten years…"

Alvin looked away from Brittany's ice-blue eyes before answering. "Because I was still upset about the whole thing… I guess that I just wasn't ready to talk about it…"

"But you still should've told me… he's the one that insulted me." Brittany retorted.

"I know, I know… you shouldn't have found out this way…" Alvin sighed.

"Also, why did you never try to make-up with Simon and Theodore?" Brittany asked after a moment of silence.

"Because I was still mad… hell, I'm still mad!" He answered, slightly raising his voice.

"But why? Lots of people made fun of me throughout school… why was this time any different?" Brittany responded.

Again, Alvin looked away from her gaze. "Because it's one thing if some random person does it… I can kick their ass and forget about it. But when Simon insulted the most important thing in my life… I-I just couldn't forgive him…"

Brittany shook her head. "And, what about Theodore?"

"What about him? He pretty much started everything…" Alvin scoffed.

"That's not what Theodore told us… it was an accident, Alvin." Brittany scolded.

"It doesn't matter… he still couldn't keep a secret…" Alvin retorted.

"Excuse me?" Brittany snapped. "You're the one that told Jeanette Simon's secret!"

"I did not!" Alvin fired back. "I only told them that… I didn't actually do it!"

Brittany's eyes widened. "W-What?"

"You heard me. I told Simon that I told Jeanette… but, I didn't actually do it…" Alvin sighed.

"Why?" Brittany asked hesitantly.

Alvin let out another long sigh. "It doesn't matter…"

"O-Okay… but you know that you have to apologize, right?" Brittany asked rhetorically.

Alvin let out an annoyed groan. "Why?"

"Because it's the right thing to do…" Brittany smiled softly.

A small laugh escaped Alvin's mouth. "When have I ever been known to do the 'right' thing?"

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Besides, I know you better than anyone… I'm sure you want to make-up with them, too…"

Alvin's smile slowly faded and he turned his head towards the sky above them. "Yeah… yeah, I guess you're right… thanks, Brittany… I don't know what I'd do without you…"

"I love you, Alvin…" Brittany smiled.

"I love you, too… no matter what anybody says…" Alvin responded before pressing his lips against her's.

Once the two broke apart, Brittany cupped her hand around Alvin's and started leading him through the courtyard again.

"Come on, they're probably waiting for us…" Brittany announced as she continued to drag Alvin.

Outside the building, the last two chipmunks stood in silence. Now telling both of his brother's secrets… again, he was embarrassed and scared of what their reaction would continue to be. Eleanor however, knew that she had a duty.

While the three sisters were upset by Dave's passing, they each agreed that it would be the perfect opportunity to reunite the brothers… after all; they were going to be forced to be in the same room. But they hadn't expected this…

The three initially thought that the reason for the brother's fight was obviously stupid… and while it had been indeed stupid… they never would have thought that something like this could erupt from a few petty arguments. Now that everything was out in the open, Eleanor could honestly understand why they refused to talk to each other for so long.

She didn't think that Simon would ever cheat on Jeanette, and of course, he didn't… Theodore quickly told them that Simon said that it was an accident, and Eleanor trusted him… but she just couldn't believe it. Then there was the shock of Alvin's secret at the time. By their senior year in high school, Alvin and Brittany had been together for numerous years and they had already discussed getting married. But even so, she never thought that the two had already had sex. Brittany wouldn't discuss anything with Jeanette or herself… she didn't even drop hints… hell, she couldn't even guess when they found time to do it… but, she didn't care. All that she cared about was the fact that they were both responsible enough to be safe.

But, then there was the whole issue of Theodore's involvement in all of this… First off, Eleanor honestly thought that it was a stupid idea to tell Theodore in the first place… sure, she loves him with all of her heart… but, even she came to the realization that he isn't the most trustworthy. And he proved that by telling their secrets to each other, nonetheless. She agreed that Alvin and Simon had a reason to be mad at Theodore, but she still thought that they had gone too far. And unfortunately, there was no easy fix for the problem at the time… even now, there still isn't.

But, she still had to try…

"Theodore," Eleanor began after a few minutes of silent thinking. "D-Do you want to talk about it?"

Theodore shook his head before looking up at her. "Don't you think I've done enough talking already, Eleanor? This whole thing started because I couldn't keep my mouth shut…"

Eleanor reached over and gently patted Theodore on his back. "I know, I know… but it's not all your fault. Alvin and Simon couldn't help but tell the other's secret, too."

"I think you're forgetting the fact that none of that could've happened if I hadn't told in the first place." Theodore snapped sadly.

Eleanor simply sat there, trying to find the right words to say… but she couldn't. Part of her blamed the whole thing on Theodore… after all, he was the one that told their secrets… but her heart told her that it wasn't entirely Theodore's fault. Everyone makes mistakes, right? She's made mistakes, her sisters have made mistakes, and the three brothers have made mistakes and they've all be overlooked… so, why not this one? It didn't make any sense to her no matter how many time she tried to understand it.

"Theodore, you need to stop blaming yourself for everything." She told him sternly. "I know that you want to blame yourself, and I understand why you want to do it… but, that doesn't make it right."

Theodore lifted his head and looked Eleanor in the eyes. "Then what do you suggest that I do?"

Eleanor narrowed her eyes. "The only thing that I can think of is for you three to talk about this."

Before Theodore could protest, they both saw Brittany leading Alvin into the building.

"It looks like Brittany finished talking to Alvin and Jeanette's probably done talking to Simon by now…" Eleanor pondered out loud.

"Wait… did you three plan this or something?" Theodore questioned suspiciously.

"No." Eleanor shrugged. "But with Dave's passing, we knew that it was time to get you three back together. Now, let's go."

Before Theodore could react, Eleanor grabbed Theodore's hand and started to pull him into the building as Brittany had done with Alvin.

Once the two entered the building once again, they saw Alvin and Simon standing on opposite sides awkwardly.

"Alright," Brittany began. "Are we ready to talk about this?"

Alvin sighed. "Brittany… don't… I'll take it from here…"

Alvin silently began walking over to Simon, finally resting his hand on his shoulder.

Simon looked confused, and Alvin chuckled at this. "Simon… I'm sorry, alright? This whole thing was stupid and my fault…"

Simon shrugged off Alvin's hand. "No Alvin, it wasn't just your fault… it was mine, too. And, I'm sorry."

Alvin stuck out his hand as a way to make amends, and Simon took it… and shook it.

"Umm… guys…" Theodore began nervously. "I'm sorry, too…"

Alvin and Simon shared a glance before walking over to Theodore and pulling him into a hug.

"We love you, Theodore… and we're sorry to put you through all of this…" Simon said soothingly.

"Yeah, nothing like this ever happen again…" Alvin said reassuringly.

After a few moments, the three broke apart and Theodore looked both of his brothers with excitement. "Does that mean that we're going to do song?"

Alvin chuckled to himself. "Yeah, we'll book a theater somewhere and get as many fans as possible…" He said confidently.

"But what about the song? What are we going to perform?" Simon asked curiously.

Alvin thought for a moment. "Well, we'll perform our regular songs… but I have a very special one in mind…"

The five chipmunks eyed him suspiciously before agreeing.

"Alright," Brittany began. "If this is going to happen, then you guys are going to have to practice… a lot…"

Alvin groaned. "Yeah, yeah, yeah…"

"Shut up, Alvin…" Brittany snapped playfully. "Come on, let's go everybody."

Brittany held open the door as everyone walked out.

"Oh wait, Brittany…" Simon began before leaving the building. "Can you let me and Alvin talk for a moment?"

"Umm… sure…" Brittany replied awkwardly before leaving the two alone.

The two stood in silence for a moment before Simon finally spoke. "Why didn't you tell Jeanette?"

Alvin shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"Please just tell me, Alvin…" Simon sighed.

Alvin groaned again. "Alright… I knew that you and Jeanette were really good together… and I didn't want to ruin that, okay?"

Alvin got his answer as Simon quickly pulled him into a big hug. "Thank you, Alvin…"

"Hey, no problem… that's what big brothers are for…" Alvin smirked. "Come on…"

And with that, the two left and joined their family.

Three Days Later…

Outside of a well-known theater in Hollywood, stood multiple people. Everyone was smiling and parading as the giant high-beamed lights briefly flashed on them before turning their gaze towards the sky, brightening it. Above the people's heads, there was a giant banner entitled, "Alvin & the Chipmunks Reunion Concert!"

Further into the building, there was a long lined up at the ticket booth. People were rushing in and out of the room, some stampeding over others to get a chance to buy a ticket. While the theater was the largest in all of Hollywood, the theater only had five people working the ticket booths.

"I'm sorry everybody, we're officially sold-out!" One of the workers announced causing everyone in the room to groan. "For all of those who managed to buy a ticket, please move to the entrance hall so that security can check and validate your tickets. As for everyone else, I'm sorry."

It was true. The concert had sold-out quickly. Once news of a reunion between the brothers was brought into the spotlight, people all around the world started to rush to secure their own ticket. It was surely the biggest even in the world at the moment and within two days, the theater managed to sell over one million tickets.

Inside the actual theater room, it was completely packed. All of the seats were full and for those who didn't have a seat, sat on the floor or in the aisles. Yes, every seat was full… except for three. The three seats were clearly reserved, the names of the owners clearly visible on the back-cushion of the seats.

In the front of the theater, was the stage. On the stage, was a drum set, two microphone stands, and a keyboard. Usually, the large red curtain would be concealing the stage until it was time for the performance, but the three brothers protested at this saying that "their fans have waited too long to be teased."

Backstage however, the three brothers were together with their wives, talking about the show.

"So, are you two ready?" Alvin asked suddenly.

"As ready as I'm ever going to be…" Simon sighed.

"Aww come on, Simon… it's going to be fun!" Theodore exclaimed happily.

Alvin's smile widened. "Yeah," Alvin agreed. "Besides, you should be used to it from when we were kids."

"Well, Alvin," Simon began. "We've only had a day to practice…"

Alvin chuckled briefly. "Don't worry, Si… it's going to be fine."

Simon smiled back. "Thanks, Alvin…"

Before either of them could continue, they heard an announcer's voice over the loud speaker.

"Well, hello to all of you Chipmunk fans. I'm sure you're all anxious for the show to begin, and personally, I don't blame you… and I have good news for you. It seems like it's time! Ladies and gentlemen… the Chipmunks!"

As the announcer finished, the only thing that could be heard was the unbelievably loud applause coming from the crowd.

"Alright girls, hurry up and get to your seats." Alvin said as he grabbed his cherry-red guitar from the case besides him.

Not needing to be told once, the girls hurried off of the stage and into the stage, anxiously waiting for the show to start, themselves.

After a few moments, the three brothers emerged onto the stage, claiming even more applause than before.

Theodore moved to the drum set and took a seat, Simon walked over to his keyboard and made sure that it was set up, and Alvin moved over to the microphone that was in the front-center of the stage.

Alvin quickly cleared his throat. "Thank you all for coming. I hope you all enjoy the show."

And with that, the main light in the theater dimed to near-darkness, and Alvin's guitar was strummed…

Sometime later…

It seemed like the concert had been a large success. The brothers had made sure that they played all of their hits including 'Wooly Bully', 'Things Out There', 'Monster Out In You', 'Munks On A Mission', 'Off To See The World', and were now finishing with 'We're The Chipmunks'.

"We're the chipmunks

Alvin, Simon, Theodore"

Just as with all of the other songs, the crowd burst into applause as soon as the song ended.

Alvin grabbed the microphone and waited a few seconds so that he could catch his breath. "Thank you, thank you… before we end the show tonight, I want to tell you all something…"

Alvin paused and looked behind him, looking for approval from his brothers. They both nodded. "Most of you probably know that our father, David Seville, passed away a few days ago. Well, his last request was for us to perform tonight… in his honor. So, our last song is the song that he used to sing to us when we were kids… and is dedicated to him…"

Once Alvin finished his speech, a worker hurried onto the stage, placed a microphone near Theodore and hurried off. Once the three were finished, Alvin started to play a soft melody on his guitar that was followed by a soft beat produced from Theodore.

After a few seconds on the same tune, Alvin began to sing and a bright light shined down on him.

"Come stop your crying It will be all right…

Just take my hand, hold it tight.

I will protect you from all around you,

I will be here don't you cry…"

As Alvin continued to sing, the song's tune slowly began to pick-up.

"For one so small, you seem so strong.

My arms will hold you keep you safe and warm.

This bond between us can't be broken,

I will be here don't you cry."

As Alvin drifted into the chorus, the beat fully picked-up, and both Simon and Theodore joined together and sung with Alvin, the light shining on all three of them.

"'Cause you'll be in my heart.

Yes, you'll be in my heart.

From this day on,

Now and forever more…

You'll be in my heart.

No matter what they say,

You'll be here in my heart…

Always."

As the three finished the chorus, the two lights above Alvin and Theodore dispersed, leaving Simon in the spotlight to sing alone.

"Why can't they understand the way we feel?

They just don't trust what they can't explain…

I know we're different but deep inside us,

We're not that different at all."

Just as before, the lights above Alvin and Theodore shined again as they sung the chorus together, once again.

"And you'll be in my heart.

Yes, you'll be in my heart.

From this day on,

Now and forever more…"

Now, Theodore was the only still in the spotlight, leaving him for his first solo in his entire career.

"Don't listen to them, cause what do they know?

We need each other, to have and to hold…

They'll see in time, I know."

The next part was to be sung by both Simon and Theodore, they're bodies being engulfed by the bright light.

"When destiny calls you, you must be strong.

I may not be with you, but you got to hold on…

They'll see in time, I know…

We'll show them together 'cause…"

Alvin was the only one left in the spotlight now, singing a small solo-version of the chorus.

"You'll be in my heart.

Believe me; you'll be in my heart.

I'll be there from this day on,

Now and forever more."

For the last chorus, all three spotlights were activated along with lights all around the stage and room.

"You'll be here in my heart.

No matter what they say.

You'll be here in my heart always…

Always…"

As the three ended their song, the three brothers went to the middle of the stage and gave each other a big hug… as one very proud man, watched them from up above…

And, that's the end...

The song is "You'll Be In My Heart" by Phil Collins.

I REALLY hope it was worth the wait...

And now, to tell you all something:

I'll be posting a story soon that will involve a 'poll' for my next story.

Every story in the poll will have its own preview.

But the news is, that after the poll's winner is done...

The second book of Driven by Love will be started!

Anyway, like I said, I hope you enjoyed this story...

And REVIEW! ^^