Um, hi! This is my first fanfiction story. Well, I hope you like it...

P.S - I own nothing, except for the plot.

Notice (2/5/15) - Hello there! If you're reading this, you might have noticed by now that this was written a very long time ago now. I feel I should state the obvious and tell you before you read that my writing style has changed a lot since this story, but despite this I have kept it as it has been one of my more successful stories, and I'm incredibly proud of this story's sequel "Staying". Also, for reference when the time in the story comes - Oscar and Jake are also Chipmunks but they are OCs. I hope this doesn't put you off too much!

"Dave! Please can't we just talk about this?"

"For the last time Alvin, no! Now go to your room!" Alvin groaned and stomped up the stairs. He paused outside the bedroom door, fists clenched until they turned white. Alvin knew that his brothers were just as disappointed as he was about this. In fact, he had never seen them more upset. It hurt him to see them hurt. Tears started to form in the corners of his eyes, the heavy pang in his stomach refusing to go away.

Slowly, Alvin eased open the door and stepped inside. He saw Theodore and Simon lying in their beds, not making any sound at all. He figured they would be asleep. In despair, he flopped down onto his bed and stared at the ceiling.

"This is my fault," He muttered. "If I hadn't been so stupid!" The horrible memories of that day began flooding back into his mind.

Flashback

Alvin walked out of the supermarket with a bunch of bananas in his hand.

"Alvin, this is ridiculous!" His brother Simon said, trying to persuade him not to go through with this.

"Relax Simon! Geez! Live a little, she deserves it anyway." Simon, groaning, smacked his palm against his forehead.

"No, two wrongs do not make a right Alvin. Will you please just drop this?" Alvin furrowed his brow a little.

"And why are you so concerned away? Exactly! That's what I thought. Now out of my way!" Alvin took big strides as he walked on to the Miller residence. In his eyes, this was going to be the best prank ever.

Once he had arrived, Alvin quickly made sure nobody was watching as he cautiously made his way up the front path to the door. There, he grabbed a banana from the bunch and hastily peeled the skin away. Silently, he was snickering to himself. Once the banana skin was carefully placed outside the front door, Alvin rang the doorbell...then ran.

"Alvin, Brittany is going to KILL you when she gets her hands on you." Simon remarked, clearly emphasising the word kill, as he very well knows of Brittany's tempers.

"You know what Simon, I don't care! Just as long as I get to see her face as she slips on that peel. It'll be priceless!" Alvin was trying to hold himself from laughing like a maniac in anticipation.

"Priceless, I'm sure" Simon muttered slightly under his breath. He was shortly interrupted however by the sound of the Millers' front door opening.

"Here she comes!" Alvin whispered, grabbing eagerly onto Simon's arm. Both chipmunks watched carefully as a figure stepped outside the door, but it was not Brittany. It was Miss Miller.

"Hello? Is anybody there? Hello?" Slowly, Miss Miller took another step forward, but it was to be her last. With a swift motion, the old woman almost comically wobbled around as she screamed for her dear life, then thud. She had fallen down the front steps.

"Uh oh..." Alvin whispered silently. Simon remained speechless. Not a minute passed. Time stood completely still, as the two brothers watched their elderly neighbour lay at the bottom of the steps. None was them was sure of what to do. Should they run now, and save their bacon? Or should they stay, and wait for somebody. It was too late to think of an option though; the silence was broken by the shrill yell of a particular pink-clad chipette.

"Oh God! Miss Miller! What happened?" Brittany scrambled over her foster parent who appeared lifeless and frantically looked for clues. Meanwhile Alvin watched with horror as he contemplated ducking for cover while he still had the chance. Brittany looked up in frustration only to find two chipmunks standing across the street, looking rather sheepish. "Help me!"

Both of them came running as fast as they could, Alvin a little slower to "find out" what had just happened. His stomach was beginning to twist - was that blood?

"Alvin, Simon! Help me! Miss Miller, she..." Brittany suddenly broke down in flood of tears. Simon placed a hand on her back for support. "H-how did she... w-why?"

While she was sobbing uncontrollably, something caught the chipette's attention. A craggy looking banana peel. She stared in confusion at the object, and then looked up only to be dismayed by the sight: Alvin holding a bunch of bananas.

"Alvin Seville! What have you done?" She roared, pouncing on the chipmunk like a wild tiger. In complete anger, she repeatedly punched at his chest until he eventually spoke.

"B-Brittany, I'm sorry! You have to believe me! It was supposed to be a trick... f-for you. I didn't know Miss Miller was going to answer the door!" His statement was merely answered with a merciless growl.

"Well, you idiotic little punk, I'm sorry to inform you that your little prank has backfired on you. Look at the mess you've got us in now!" The chipette's voice was raw with unkempt emotion, the grief evident in every syllable. Simon kept a fair distance from the pair, avoiding being dragged into this situation too.

"Brittany, perhaps the best thing to do right now would be to call an ambulance?" Simon said, trying to find a fair medium, somewhere inbetween 'my brother is an idiot' and 'my brother can't be killed right now'. Brittany suddenly stopped, loose strands of her hair covering her hair. She was heaving for breath, but realising what the better option would be right now, she stood and went indoors for the phone.

"Phew, thanks for that save, bro!" Alvin wiped the sweat from his forehead. Simon glared at him in response.

"She's right you know. Look at this mess. What are we going to do when Dave finds out? Or even worse Jeanette and Eleanor?" Alvin looked at the ground in shame. As much as he would hate to admit it out loud, Simon was right.

Beep. Beep. Those were the only sounds that filled the room as Simon, Alvin and Brittany waited anxiously in the waiting room. Alvin kept his head down. He avoided eye contact from anybody in the room, especially Brittany, who was glaring at Alvin through teary eyes. Every so often, a doctor or nurse would pass through the room, placing false hope in their little hearts. Silence. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Nobody dared to speak. Then that fragile silence was broken, by Dave and the others. Two anxious looking chipettes were guided into the room by Dave and Theodore followed closely behind. Jeanette and Eleanor immediately ran to embrace Brittany in a sorrowful hug.

"Boys, is everything alright? How is she?" Dave asked, advancing towards Simon and Alvin. Simon took off his glasses and wiped them on his oversized shirt unnecessarily.

"Not good, Dave. Doctor said she's very critical." Simon tried to keep his voice to a hush but the chipettes stared at him in disbelief.

"Oh dear, poor Miss Miller. I do hope she'll be alright." Dave took a seat next to Alvin, who flinched at this. "A-Alvin? Are you alright?"

He adjusted his cap so that it was covering his face. "I-I don't wanna talk Dave." Brittany clenched her fists.

"Yeah, that's right. Just hide your face. You deserve to, after what you did!"

"Brittany, please-" Jeanette placed a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"No. Do you have any idea what this good for nothing punk did? It's his fault! He's the reason Miss Miller's here right now!"

Alvin groaned and slumped into his chair, feeling everybody's glares on him. "Exactly. Look at him, so guilty he has nothing to say. That's how heartless he is" Suddenly he leapt up from his seat.

"Now wait just a minute Brittany! Do you honestly think I wanted this any more than you did? Do you not think that if I could turn back time I would?" Alvin shouted across the room, practically lunging towards Brittany.

Dave and Simon tried to hold him back, as he desperately tried to go for Brittany. "Alvin! That's enough! We're all upset about Miss Miller now please apologise to Brittany and Brittany you do the same!" A doctor entered the room, gesturing for Dave to speak with him. The room went back to silence, as the Chipmunks and Chipettes watched the two adults mumbling to each other. Theodore whimpered and clung onto Simon.

"I'm scared Simon."

"I know Theodore, so am I, but we'll get through this, I promise!"

Alvin and Brittany both looked fiercely at each other, refusing to apologise.

Dave and the doctor eventually turned back to the waiting chipmunks and inhaled deeply. The doctor began.

"Kids, I'm not sure how to put this, but Miss Miller is seriously ill. She won't get out of hospital until at least a few months. This means that the girls will need alternative care."

"Y-you mean temporarily though, right?" Brittany asked, putting an arm around both her sisters.

"Now, that's the problem. You see, Miss Miller is ageing very quickly and we're just not sure how she would cope taking care of three little girls. Her condition just doesn't make it feasible."

"Wait a minute, what are you saying?" Eleanor frowned.

"I'm saying that somebody else will have to take care of you until you are old enough to look after yourselves. Miss Miller just can't do it anymore." The doctor, and everybody else looked at Dave in some sort of hope that he will be their saviour.

"Now wait a minute here, look, as much as I would love to look after you girls, I just don't think I could afford it. I mean, it's hard enough looking after my boys but the girls too? Oh boy." He ran a shaky hand through his hair, remembering how exceedingly well it went the last time the Chipettes stayed at their house.

"Come on Dave, surely it won't be too expensive letting them stay with us?" Simon placed a reassuring hand on his father's arm.

"Are you kidding? Brittany living in our house? Nuh-uh! I don't think so!" Alvin crossed his arms, being the stubborn person he is.

"Me? Living under the same roof as Alvin? Ain't gonna happen!" Brittany folded her arms neatly and faced her head away from everybody else.

"Dave, you don't have to say yes, but if you don't..." Jeanette began.

The three chipettes gasped in horror. Not that. Anything but that. They all whimpered and pleaded with Dave to let them stay. Tears began to fall from their little eyes. Dave just had to save them! But would he?

End of flashback

Alvin held his head in his hands as he silently sobbed to himself.

"God, I'm so stupid! It's all my stupid fault!" He kicked the books lying on the floor in anger.

"Y-you're not stupid, Alvin." Alvin almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of his little brother's voice.

"T-Theodore? Is that you? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Alvin, don't put yourself down. You're not stupid. It's not your fault!"

Oh how Alvin hated his brother's naivety. "Theodore, you don't understand. If it's not my fault then those fault is it? Everybody hates me. Dave hates me. Brittany hates me. Simon won't even speak to me, the others..."

"Shhh. Get some sleep. You sound like you need it. It's been a long day."

"Thanks Theodore." Although everybody hated Alvin right now, Theodore still loved him, and that thought could at least warm his heart until morning.

Morning...

Well, was it an alright first chapter? More? Please review!

Peace, love, and COOKIES! ~ MissSteph22 x :)