Sorry for the long delay. Here's the next chapter! Hope you all enjoy. Working, or trying to work, on my other stories. It'll take time.

Alvin felt nothing. A blessed change from the constant, overwhelming range of emotions he'd grown used to feeling. Wherever his mind had taken him, he didn't want to leave anytime soon. He didn't want to leave ever, if he didn't have to.

It had been a day since Alvin received the news. After an hour of Alvin showing zero signs of comprehension to outer stimuli, Dave had taken him into the emergency. Simon and Theodore had insisted on coming along.

After being examined, the doctor diagnosed Alvin as catatonic. "What's that mean?" Dave asked, concerned. All eyes were on Alvin. His eyes were half-lidded and unfocused. The only indication that he was alive was the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

"Considering what you told me about Alvin's behavior, I'm narrowing it down to catatonic depression." The nurse picked up Alvin's board and jotted something down. She then looked up at the anxious Sevilles.

Simon was familiar with the term catatonic. He looked over at Alvin with concern. The news was that bad, that his brother would respond in this manner.

"It's a type of depression that involves the person becoming speechless and motionless for an extended period of time," the nurse explained. "Mr. Seville, you gave some of Alvin's latest symptoms that support this diagnosis."

Dave nodded. "Is there anything you can do to bring him out of it?"

"There are options, but I'll let the doctor explain them when he comes in." She set Alvin's board back down. "You three make yourselves comfortable and the doctor will be in as soon as he can."

The three nodded mutely, gazes on Alvin. The nurse left quietly.

"I don't like seeing Alvin in the hospital bed," Theodore said softly, watching Alvin blink slowly.

"None of us do, Theo," Simon replied, focusing on the steady rise and fall of Alvin's chest. This was Alvin's second time in the hospital. He really hoped this wouldn't become a regular thing.

...AATC...

Skateboarding...

In his bed, Alvin frowned. His eyes had drifted closed an hour after he'd been checked in at the hospital. His brothers and Dave felt a little less stressed about his condition now that he looked like he was resting.

That blissful nothingness Alvin had been in was distorting into a memory.

It was late afternoon. The sun was beginning its descent. Alvin was on his way back from hanging out with his friends at the park.

Alvin was trying to get back to the nothingness he had fallen into.

He glided down the sidewalk, subconsciously adjusting his cap so it wouldn't fly off. He made a turn, eyes widening as another boy walked right in his path. "Whoa!" Alvin exclaimed, getting the boy's attention right before they collided.

Alvin groaned, rolling off the boy and onto his back. He heard an echoing groan beside him and forced himself to an upright position. He rubbed his head, looking down at the boy. "What hit me...?" Came the soft question as the boy opened his eyes and looked up at Alvin. He blinked a few times before he sat up quickly, making himself dizzy. He rubbed his head once more but kept his gaze on Alvin. "Are you Alvin? Like, from the Chipmunks?"

Alvin blinked before grinning. "The one and only!"

The boy grinned back before scrambling to his feet. Alvin followed suit. He looked around for his skateboard and saw it turned over a few feet ahead. He went to retrieve it, picking it up and examining it for damage. "Hey, can you come with me to my uncle's?" Alvin looked back at the boy, seeing him approaching. "It's my cousin's birthday and I know she'd be so excited to meet you!"

Alvin hesitated, suddenly aware of how dark it was getting.

Seeing his reluctance, the boy put his hands together in front of his chest. "Please? They live real close by! And I'll ask my uncle to give you a ride back home after."

Alvin sighed, putting his skateboard under his arm and smiling a small smile. "Anything for a fan." The boy smiled back.

After walking for ten minutes, it became apparent to Alvin that 'real close by' wasn't as close by as he had hoped. The sky was dark by now and he knew he was definitely in serious trouble when he got home.

The boy had stopped chatting once they began the trek to his uncle's. Alvin had figured if he was such a fan, he'd have a thousand questions. But the boy wasn't even showing the previous signs of excitement. Alvin wasn't sure if he should be anxious or not.

"This is further than I thought," Alvin said after another ten minutes of walking passed.

"We're just about there," the boy replied.

"Hey, what's your name?" Alvin saw the boy glance at him briefly.

"Derek."

Alvin tried to force the memory back. He didn't want to remember. He wanted emptiness and quiet...

He shouldn't have gone with the boy.

Finally they arrived at the house. It was modest and there was only one light on inside. Alvin followed the boy into the house at his nod and smile, despite his instinctual uneasiness.

As soon as he entered the house, Alvin's nose was assualted with the smell of cigarettes and what he thought was beer. He could hear the deep rumble of men laughing and talking in the room next to the front door. Derek grabbed Alvin's arm at his hesitance and led him into the room the voices were coming from.

Alvin could recognize Spanish accents and he knew something else was off. Derek wasn't Mexican or of the Hispanic decent; yet his uncle was? He kept his observations to himself, noting that he was probably spending too much time with Simon. He almost smiled at the thought, but brought his thoughts back on track when he entered the living room beside Derek. The whole room was smoky from the cigarettes and Alvin noted multiple empty beer cans scattered all over the place.

The talking ceased once they entered. "Tio" Derek began, a neutral expression on his face. Alvin could feel him stiffen beside him, though. "I ran into someone on my way home."

The man Derek was talking to smirked a bit. Alvin resisted the urge to shift in discomfort as the gaze settled on him. The man had a thick head of hair and well trimmed facial hair. His dark brown eyes were currently unfocused due to his intoxication, but they were adamant on staying trained on Alvin. Following Derek's vague explanation, there was silence before the other man spoke up.

"A deal's a deal, yeah?" The second man chugged the rest of his beer before setting the can down. He grabbed the pack of cigarettes from the table, pulled one out, set the pack down, lit up and took a long drag. Alvin wanted to ask what was going on, but that gaze still on him kept him locked is his spot. "I take yours and you take the other one?" The man exhaled the smoke, glancing at his buddy next to him.

"Deal's a deal," the man agreed, nodding his head. He finally looked away from Alvin to grab another can of beer. "Derek." He motioned the boy over.

Alvin almost grabbed the boy's arm but stopped himself and watched as the boy's tense figure approached the man he called uncle. What was going on? Why hadn't Derek asked about his ride home? Alvin was certain something wasn't right. He watched the man whisper something to Derek and shoo him towards his companion. The other man pulled Derek none-too-gently between his legs with a twisted grin. He blew his smoke into Derek's face, but the boy didn't flinch, just kept his gaze on the man's chest.

"He will be fun to break," the man said, running a hand through the boy's hair.

Break? Alvin's eyes widened.

The other man spoke up. "I only managed to crack him. But this one," the man turned his gaze back towards Alvin and Alvin pressed against the wall. "This one has fire. I can see it already. Come." He beckoned Alvin over, but the boy frowned and stayed put. This only widened the man's grin. "Come, or it will only be worse for you. And it's already bad. I have so much planned for you."

Alvin glanced at Derek, wondering why he had brought him here. There were so many thoughts going through Alvin's head, that he couldn't focus on just one.

"Come, now!" The sudden shout made Alvin jump and he approached the man slowly. "Much better. Let me get a good look at you." Alvin stiffened as the man tilted his chin up, turning his head side to side. He brushed a rough thumb across Alvin's cheek, staring into his eyes for a long moment. Alvin kept his gaze defiant, but didn't fight too much, yet. "Beautiful," the man said softly, the beer odor more potent from this proximity. Alvin scrunched his nose reflexively, his keen sense of smell working just fine, unfortunately. The hand on his chin moved to the back of Alvin's neck, holding him firmly as the man turned to his friend. "Don't be too rough on him tonight, he did well in his task today." Alvin heard what he thought was a deep chuckle in response.

The other man and Derek finally departed. Alvin was unable to see the boy since he was cradled close to the man's chest. Next thing Alvin knew, there was a painful hit to his head and then darkness.

Alvin woke with a gasp, looking around quickly. It took a few seconds, but he recognized the whiteness that came with being in the hospital. He groaned, closing his eyes as everything came rushing back to him. He was vaguely aware of a rapid beeping coming from somewhere beside him and shortly after he processed it, he heard the door to the room open.

A nurse checked the heart monitor before looking over at him. "You're awake, that's wonderful!" Alvin grimaced at the cheery tone, turning his head away from her gaze. "Your family will be thrilled to know. They went to the cafeteria for some lunch." Alvin was silent as she checked his vitals. "Are you hungry?"

Alvin's annoyance grew as she persisted in trying to engage him in conversation. It was quickly picked up by the machine tracking his heart rate. She left him alone once it started beeping rapidly again. Alvin sighed softly once she left, closing his eyes. His mind quickly went back to his dream and he snapped his eyes open again. He missed the nothingness he had been in. No news reports, no cruel classmates, no pitying looks from his family, no concern from the Chipettes. Being in that empty space had been the best experience he'd had since being found by the police.

The door opening once more brought Alvin from his thoughts as his family entered the room. "Alvin!" Theodore chirped excitedly, rushing to the side of his bed. Alvin flinched once more at the bright tone, keeping his gaze off his siblings and father. "You're up! How are you feeling?"

Alvin didn't reply. He'd been awake for twenty minutes and he was already completely fed up with everyone. He breathed slowly to keep himself calm.

Dave spoke up after it became apparent Alvin wasn't going to reply. "The doctor should be here in a bit to see if you're well enough to go home, Alvin."

Still, Alvin remained quiet and kept his gaze on the ceiling.

Simon glanced at Theodore and Dave, each of them wearing looks of concern. "Alvin," Simon began, looking back at his older brother. "Is there anything you need?"

I need everyone to shut up and leave me alone, Alvin answered in his head. Simon frowned at Alvin's continued silence. Alvin hadn't really broken that habit of not talking, but he had been more responsive lately until now. Of course, Simon knew that Alvin wasn't going to come out of his catatonic state completely back to where he had been previously. But unless the doctor missed something, Alvin's silence was selective.

"Are you just going to lay there and ignore us?" Simon demanded. Alvin, Theodore and Dave were shocked at the snapped question. Only Alvin didn't show any physical reaction to it.

"Simon," Theodore whispered in shock. "Don't be mean."

Simon folded his arms, eyes narrowed. "So you guys just want to enable his behavior, then? Because he'll never get close to back to normal if we just let him get away with running away every time reality hits him in the face."

Alvin's mouth twitched in an indiscernible frown.

"Simon," Dave began, running a hand through his hair. "We need to let Alvin deal with this at his own pace."

Simon scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Deal with it? He's not dealing with anything, Dave! He's wallowing and feeling sorry for himself."

Alvin clenched the blanket firmly in his hand, forcing himself not to react. That was what Simon was trying to do: get a rise out of him. Dammit all, it was working.

"Simon, you need to stop talking like that," Dave scolded, sounding more exhausted than upset. Simon picked up the slight increase on Alvin's heart monitor and glanced at his brother. Alvin's jaw was set and his hands were fisting the blanket tightly.

"Do you want me to stop, Alvin?" Simon asked.

Alvin said nothing.

Simon growled lowly. "Fine! Shut us out! Wallow in self pity! Who cares?!" Simon stormed out of the room, the door shutting behind him sounded final to Alvin. Dave sighed as Alvin's grip on the blanket loosened.

"He didn't mean it, Alvin," Theodore said, moving closer to the head of Alvin's bed to get a better look at his brother.

"He's just scared, and overwhelmed," Dave explained.

"...whatever," Alvin whispered in response. Dave and Theodore glanced at each other in worry. Everyone was quiet after that until the door opened once more. The doctor came in, glancing over Alvin's medical reports as he did so.

"Well, Alvin, how are you feeling?" the doctor asked, looking from the papers to his patient. Alvin remained silent. The doctor glanced at Dave who just shook his head with a shrug. "Everything looks good. So you can go home now." Dave and Theodore smiled at that information, turning to look at Alvin. He had fallen back to sleep. The doctor smiled and handed Dave the forms to sign for Alvin's discharge.

Theodore sincerely hoped things would finally start getting better from here on out.

...AATC...

Alvin was released from the hospital the following day. As soon as he got home, he planted himself in his bed and refused to come out.

"Theodore," Dave began as he came downstairs and entered the kitchen. "Can you bring Alvin something to eat, please?"

"Sure thing, Dave," Theodore answered brightly, getting right to the task.

Simon, who was at the table reading, sighed heavily. Dave sat down across from him. "He's not gonna eat it, Dave. Why do you bother?"

Dave blinked in surprise. "What do you mean, Simon?"

Simon sat back and folded his arms. "Why do you guys bother? Alvin isn't gonna eat, or talk, or do anything because he doesn't want to."

"He's been through a horrible ordeal, Simon. It's gonna take a while before he can move past it."

"He's never going to move past it with the way he's wallowing in it. Why do you enable it?"

"I'm not, Simon." Dave was concerned with Simon's perspective. Did he really think Alvin should already be past his experience?

"Yes, you are. Both of you are."

"Simon, do you honestly even know what happened to Alvin while he was gone?" Dave asked softly. Theodore frowned as he made Alvin a lunch of chicken noodle soup with toast.

"I know what you told me." Simon shrugged.

"And knowing that, are you sure you want to continue on with your mentality?" Dave asked seriously.

Simon sat up straight once more. "Dave, we all know that the way Alvin's coping isn't coping at all. He'll never get better."

Dave sighed heavily, taking a moment to find the right words for his thoughts. "I understand what you're saying, Simon," he began slowly.

Theodore listened as well, curious about how this conversation would end.

Simon searched Dave's eyes as his father continued speaking. "I think Alvin won't get past this until he faces it head on."

Simon opened his mouth to comment but was silenced by Dave's head shake.

"But, we all know that Alvin is in a very fragile head space right now. And the wrong push can have a very negative impact."

Simon slumped a little, but more so because he saw that Dave didn't fully understand where he was coming from.

"He needs patience and understanding right now."

Simon sighed, lowering his gaze to the table. "Whatever you say, Dave." Theodore smiled and headed upstairs with Alvin's lunch.

...AATC...

It was early evening when Simon heard a muffled thud come from upstairs. He frowned, remembering that Alvin was the only one up there at the moment. Curious as well as concerned, he headed upstairs to see what was going on.

As he approached the closed bedroom door, he heard another sound: the sound of glass breaking. Hastily, Simon opened the door to find Alvin throwing his bowl of food at the wall. Simon rushed to him trying to get him to stop. Alvin pushed him away.

Simon stumbled back a couple of steps, the push had very little force behind it. His retreat had been due to Alvin's distress being so blatantly obvious that it startled as well as frightened Simon. His older brother's clothes were the usual black T-shirt and dark gray sweatpants, he had on socks. Alvin's hair was tossled and unkempt, probably bed head from his earlier nap. Simon took in Alvin's flushed face, his eyes bloodshot and brimming with tears. Alvin's breathing was shallow as he regarded Simon angrily.

"Alvin, what are you doing?" Simon took a moment to take in the disaster Alvin had put their room in. All the beds were unmade, pillows and blankets scattered about the room. Any posters had been ripped off the walls. Books were everywhere; Simon forced back a frown as he noted some were even torn apart. He looked away from the mess and looked back at Alvin's disheveled appearance. His brother was still catching his breath.

Simon figured Alvin had just experienced a breakdown. But what could have caused it? There were too many possibilities. Something had to have happened recently to set Alvin off. But he's been up here since coming back from the hospital.

Alvin shocked Simon by speaking. "You were right." Simon furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Alvin explained, "I did bring this all on myself."

Simon shook his head. "No. It's not your fault. I was angry, confused, and in denial when I said that." He watched rage turn Alvin's eyes from their murky blue-gray to nearly black as his hands balled into fists.

Alvin turned his back on Simon with a barely concealed shout of anger. Alvin looked around the room before walking over to the tall bookshelf, where the books that he couldn't reach remained, untouched. Simon watched him, worried.

Alvin put his hands between the back of the shelf and the wall it was against. Simon's eyes widened, Alvin wouldn't... Simon scanned the bookshelf before realizing it was much too big and heavy for Alvin to knock over.

"It is my fault," Alvin ground out lowly. Simon looked back at him.

"No, it's not."

Alvin's eyes flashed. His hands put more pressure on the bookshelf. "Yes. It." Alvin shut his eyes tightly as he put all his anger and hatred into his next action. "IS!"

Simon watched the bookshelf fall forward, the books dropping off as it fell. He shut his eyes at the loud thud it made as it met with the carpeted floor. Some smaller thuds made him open his eyes back and he watched Alvin tossing the books all over the room. Alvin's face was a combination of both anger and sadness, consistent and endless tears trailing down his cheeks as he tossed book after book with quickly draining energy.

Simon approached him slowly, wary of Alvin's mood swings. He could hear Alvin's labored breathing and the muffled sobs the closer he got to him. When he was directly in front of Alvin he reached out and embraced him. He knew how Alvin loathed to be touched, but this was the only way he knew how to calm his brother down.

Alvin tensed, the book in his hand dropping. His uneven breathing shook both himself and Simon. Simon was worried about how shallow Alvin's breaths were. "Calm down, Alvin. Please." It sounded like Alvin couldn't get a decent breath in.

"Le-... Go..." Alvin gasped out. He regained his mobility and pushed against Simon, but the lack of strength was apparent. The attempts were beyond weak and futile.

"It's not your fault."

Alvin's struggles ceased and his legs gave out. Simon went down with him. They both sat on their knees, Simon kept Alvin wrapped in his arms as he rocked them gently.

Alvin's breathing calmed, but it was still uneven. "It is... I...went with him...it was..a trap..." Alvin's eyes filled with more tears that journeyed down his cheeks.

Simon was curious about this new information, but remained silent.

It's my fault..." Alvin said brokenly. "My fault. I did it...to myself... You were right..." Simon closed his eyes against his own tears and held Alvin closer. "I should have known better..."

"It's not your fault, Alvin," Simon said sternly.

"Yes...it is..."