Jeanette had walked home with Alvin but left him to face his family alone. It wasn't that she wanted to make things difficult for him, but rather a sign of faith. She knew he could do this. It would be hard to face the rooms where Simon was so familiar… hard to look into the eyes of his father and see the remembrance of another son… harder perhaps to accept the sympathy and support of his remaining brother… but Alvin was strong enough to cope.

As Jeanette stepped back into her own home, and glimpsed Brittany turning into the kitchen, she wondered if she had enough strength to deal with her own sister.

"You shouldn't let her speak to you like that, Jeanette," Simon's voice echoed in her mind. He'd always told her to stand up to her sister. To have faith in herself.

She'd never managed it until she'd fallen in love with him… until he'd looked at her as though she were something special… and she'd thought that, perhaps, she could be something special. Together they'd planned to do wonderful things. Was any of that still possible now?

Jeanette steeled herself and headed into the kitchen.

"Brittany." The eldest chipette looked up in some surprise.

"Jeanette?" Seconds later she remembered herself and drew herself up haughtily. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to tell you I spoke to Alvin today…"

"You did what!? What did you want to speak to that murderous…"

"Brittany," Jeannette interrupted firmly. "Shut up." Brittany was so shocked she did actually shut her mouth and simply stared at Jeanette.

"You've said some terrible things to me Brittany… and I can't say I've actually forgiven you for them… but the fact remains that Alvin needs your support right now…"

"Let me get this straight," Brittany interrupted, having recovered her voice. "You want me to support the guy who killed your boyfriend?"

"Alvin didn't kill Simon, Brittany. He was reckless and foolish but he never meant to hurt his brother…"

"So that makes it okay does it?" she demanded angrily.

"No!" Jeanette finally snapped. "No, it doesn't make it okay Brittany! And do you know what? Nothing will. I have to face each day knowing I'll never see Simon again. I have to eat, sleep, walk, talk, and act normally knowing every second of every day that he'll never whisper to me again, never stroke my hair, never smile at me, never kiss me, never…" her tears were falling freely down her face and she drew a shuddering breath. Brittany was looking at her in alarm. Composing herself with an effort, Jeanette drew a deep breath and continued.

"You don't know how lucky you are Brittany. You still have Alvin. If you want to hear his voice, you just have to call him. If you want to see him, you walk down the road. And if you want to hold him and tell him everything will be alright… you can do that too. You have your whole future ahead of you, if you'll only let go of you stubborn anger and let yourself be sympathetic for once." She stared at her sister and noticed that there were tears on her cheek too.

"Jeanette, I…" she stopped and looked around as though seeking inspiration. "I just wanted to support you," she finally pleaded. Jeanette closed her eyes, thankful to finally be getting through to her.

"The best way you can support me Brittany, is by supporting Alvin. Simon wouldn't have wanted his family to fall apart without him. He wouldn't have wanted you and Alvin to have broken up."

"I thought… I thought you'd hate Alvin. I thought if I still loved him…" Jeanette managed a weak smile.

"Brittany… I may have lost my boyfriend but that doesn't mean I want to see everyone else unhappy." Brittany bit her lip. "Do you still love Alvin?" Jeanette demanded. Brittany nodded. "Then what are you hanging round here for?" Brittany smiled.

"How are you so good Jeanette?"

"I just want everyone to be happy," Jeanette said honestly. Brittany frowned.

"But what about you?"

"Me?" Brittany nodded and watched her sister carefully. Jeanette thought about the question.

"I don't think I'll feel happy for a long while yet… but that doesn't mean I won't try. I'm going to try and do everything Simon wanted to. I'll go to college… study… maybe if I get a research job I can do something truly worthwhile and make him proud…" Brittany came over and hugged her.

"He'd already be proud Jeanette." Jeanette sighed and leant into her sister's embrace, letting her sooth away some of her pain. Finally she pulled back and gestured Brittany away.

"Go on. Go make up with your boyfriend." Brittany looked her over once more before smiling and leaving Jeanette alone. Jeannette wandered upstairs to her room, relieved to find it empty. Silently she sat herself on her bed and pulled out the last present Simon had ever given her. The book was leather bound and for a moment she simply ran her hands over it. Then she carefully opened it to the page she had by now memorised –

Music, when soft voices die,
Vibrates in the memory,
Odours, when sweet violets sicken,
Live within the sense they quicken.

Rose leaves, when the rose is dead,
Are heaped for the beloved's bed;
And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone,
Love itself shall slumber on.

And as she had every night so far, she lay down with the words echoing in her mind and drifted off with memories of Simon keeping her company. She was never alone, knowing she had been loved.