Ten years ago…

The one thing Alice Horowitz longed for in this dreadful Arizona weather was snow. She always heard stories about it, how the weather could be so cold that it could actually trigger the falling of crystallized water that would accumulate on the ground into something beautiful and white. Not here, though. She and her family lived in Phoenix, smack-dab in the center of the desert where snow was nothing more than a fancy story. Winter time was spent gazing at cacti decorated with fairy lights, staying outside in the sun because you could still get a tan while celebrating Hanukkah without the snowball fights and cozy hot chocolate.

Elizabeth, however, enjoyed the weather, no matter how annoying the heat became. The thought of enjoying snow meant having to deal with the cold weather that came with it. She was already content with her linen dresses and fancy sandals. While, yes, sometimes it got so hot that she hated wearing her gloves, she knew that the weather wasn't a viable option in taking them off. Not if she wanted to unleash something horrible on other people. So when her sister tried overclocking the kitchen fridge to create more ice in the freezer, she made sure to take her violin and hide outside in the back of their house, as Alice wasn't a good enough tinkerer and the fridge was like a ticking time bomb once her sister got her hands on it.

She found solace in the gazebo, something she used more than anyone else in the family. It was piled up with cushions and dolls. She practiced her violin there more often than not, as the house wasn't ever quiet with her sister attempting to invent things that didn't need inventing. Their shared room was getting a little too crowded, with all the computers Alice kept rescuing from trash bins outside the school, slowly turning her half of the bedroom into a laboratory, while Elizabeth's half was becoming smaller and smaller every following month.

Out here, out in the backyard, fenced in to keep onlookers away, was her real sanctuary, the gazebo becoming a welcomed addition as a place for her to read or do homework, sit in comfortable silence or practice her violin for hours on end. She made sure it was her property, not her sister's, not anyone else's. Not even that one scorpion she found one day while she was painting the wood a bright turquoise. When she played, she did it knowing that her sound would be heard beyond her sanctuary, loud enough to at least reach the next neighborhood.

She never expected to get a visitor because of it.

Elizabeth jumped when she heard the clapping, going still and removing her bow from the strings as she turned to face the source of the sound. Her lips pursed into a thin line at the sight of a dark-haired stranger and the child at his side. Instincts flared up within her, the original fight or flight response screaming at her to treat these strangers horribly to scare them away.

The equally dark-haired boy at the man's side looked purely amused at her hard glare, nudging the older man in the side. The man only flinched, as if he was recalling a memory, quickly clearing his throat and giving her a smile. "You're very good at that, Elizabeth."

The girl stepped back, holding her violin closer to herself and watching them wearily, "Are you here to see my father?"

The question made the man falter, but he quickly shook his head, "No, um, sorry. I'm a...friend of your mother." He grinned then, reaching down to pat the boy's head, "That violin you have there, it belonged to her, didn't it?"

Elizabeth glanced down at the instrument, nodding quietly.

"You see, I'm the one who gave her that violin." He continued, "Your mother was very talented, and you remind me so much of her." The man looked wistful, but the boy at his side only rolled his eyes sarcastically, immune to the older man's emotions.

Elizabeth's instincts were failing her now, as the man was talking like he was an old family friend she never met before. She never got to know her mother, unless it was from her father's stories. Even so, she still never got nothing more than fond memories and a polaroid picture album. "How did you know my mother?" She questioned, finally setting down her violin.

The man looked happy at that, "We've known each other for quite a while, long before she met your-father." The way he said the word sounded like an ugly taste in his mouth, and he grimaced just slightly.

Elizabeth quirked her head to the side, because she wasn't a stupid child. "You don't like my father, do you?"

The question made the boy bark out a laugh, quickly covering his mouth as he continued to snicker. The older man, however, only chuckled. "I'm afraid not, he was the reason your mother left me, but that's not important. Not anymore."

The girl nodded slowly, turning her attention towards the boy while her hand twitched to lash out and hit him, but she held herself back. "I know you." She said then, realization dawning on her face. "You're that new kid, Damien." She suddenly remembered why she wanted to hit this kid. He was just so…bothersome.

"I was wondering when you'd figure it out." Damien said to her, still amused at something unbeknownst to her. The two had a hate-hate relationship at school, even though she did her best to distance herself from the new kid, and for some reason he loved to annoy her. Alice, however, thought he was fun, and that in itself told Elizabeth that the boy wasn't worth knowing.

"This is my father," The boy addressed the older man next to him, "Satan."

The way Damien said it so matter-of-factly made Elizabeth laugh, it was a nervous hysterical laugh that shook her chest. Her sudden amusement at it annoyed the ever-loving fuck out of Damien, and he glared at her until the laughter died down.

Elizabeth looked between them, cracking a grin and shaking her head, "You're still pushing that 'child of Satan' story? What next, are you going to shave your head and reveal the 666 tattooed in your scalp?"

Damien's eye twitched, "You fucking whore! That's your-" Satan's hand clasped over Damien's mouth before Damien could say anything more, practically trying to scream from behind the hand. Satan only broke out into a nervous laugh and shoved Damien behind him.

"I heard laughing, did the world just explode?" Alice's voice chimed in from behind them, and she caught sight of Damien and grinned wide, running at the boy and launching at him for a hug.

"Get the fuck off of me!" The boy shouted, glaring back at Elizabeth when she cracked a grin. "Don't you DARE-" He hated them, so much.

"Girls!" Richard's tired voice stopped everything, the man stepping out of the door to lay eyes on the older man, flickering down at the boy and back to Satan. His eyes narrowed, "Are you lost, sir?" He questioned, stepping out towards them.

Damien's eye twitched at the sight of the man, his hand shoving Alice's face away from his as he wrenched the girl from his person.

Satan eyed him evenly, "Excuse me, I was looking for Charlotte Baker's children."

That made Richard freeze in place, his stare going harder now, "These are my children, sir. I hope you remember that."

"Only for another ten years, Richard." Satan said with a cool smile, "I hope you remember that." He stepped away then, "Come on, Damien."

"Aw, but-" Alice stepped towards the retreating boy but was stopped by her father. Alice pouted, pulling her goggles up finally and exposing her green eyes.

Elizabeth stepped over to her father, watching his face carefully. The tiredness was replaced by worry, quickly vanishing as he registered that his daughter was watching him. "Liz," He smiled then, "I came out here for a reason."

Alice opened her mouth, but winced when there was a sound of something exploding from the inside of the house, "Shit!" She quickly darted back inside to grab the fire extinguisher, attacking the fridge.

Richard sighed tiredly, reaching over to lay a hand on his daughter's shoulder, "I believe it's time to find a bigger house."

Elizabeth nodded, her eyes flickering towards the area where the visitors left from and putting that memory aside. It wasn't important to think about anymore, because right now Alice was in the middle of destroying the kitchen.

Present Day…

The question was straight to the point, but it still made Elizabeth Horowitz laugh. Eric Cartman was irritated by her reaction, waiting impatiently for her to stop laughing in his face. It didn't help that it was just after a round of fucking and that they were in bed together.

"Are you done?" He bit out.

Elizabeth's smile couldn't die out, "You can't be serious." She stared at him, noting that he was, in fact, serious. "Christ, you are serious." She realized quickly.

"Forgive me for wanting to actually share my fucking faith with you." He argued, rolling his eyes. "Jesus, Liz."

Elizabeth frowned, "Asking me to visit your church came off as a joke, excuse me for laughing."

Now Eric looked offended, "How does something like that come off as a joke? Are you so fucking Jewish that the thought of a Catholic church comes off as silly? You don't even go to fucking Carousel!"

"Synagogue." Elizabeth corrected him. "And no I'm not 'too fucking Jewish', you big baby." She folded her arms. "I don't take stock in religion at all."

"Coming from a girl who was cursed with actual sins!" Eric stared incredulously at her, "So what, are you an Atheist or some shit now?"

"I didn't say that-why are you so sensitive about this subject anyway?"

He went red with embarrassment, finally looking away from her. "Is it so bad that I want to be fucking sentimental for once in this relationship? My mom thought it be adorable or some shit like that. She wants to take us to Casa Bonita afterwards."

Elizabeth's gaze softened and she couldn't help the next soft laugh that escaped. "Are you turning soft on me?"

He glared at her then, "I'll fucking give you a titty twister if you tell your sister about this! I don't want Kinny in my goddamned business!"

Elizabeth's grin never faltered, "I suppose going to church with my boyfriend won't kill me."

Somehow, Alice found out about it. She waited until Friday to bring it up with her sister, not hiding the Cheshire grin on her face when she sat inside the car after school.

"So a little bird tells me you and Cartman are getting married soon."

Elizabeth accidentally shoved her foot on the gas, nearly crashing into another car. "I told you NOT TO DO THAT!" She screamed.

Alice let out a laugh, "Calm down!"

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down!" Elizabeth hissed out, "Who told you about Sunday?"

"Believe it or not, Kyle." Alice explained, "Apparently your loving boyfriend wanted to know how you'd react with that. I won't be available for your honeymoon, sorry." She winked, the motion finally working thanks to her prosthetic eye.

Elizabeth felt a cold chill down her spine, "Why is he being so serious about this? Are religious people like this?"

Alice shrugged, "I think it's like this serious thing, yanno? Depending on who it is, asking you to go to church on Christmas with them is almost like asking for your hand in marriage."

The bispeckled girl stared at her sister like she just revealed a horrifying detail about life she didn't know about. "What the fucking hell did I just sign up for?"

"Kyle wondered the exact same thing, actually." Alice continued, "He's kinda offended that you agreed to this when you didn't let him take you to Synagogue."

Elizabeth did her best to drive home without crashing into anything, her brain running twenty thousand thoughts at one time. "He told me it was his mother's idea." She said distantly.

"I do hope you keep your last name." Alice commented lightly, clearly amused. "Elizabeth Cartman sounds dreadful."

Elizabeth stopped the car only to hit her forehead against the steering wheel. "We've only been together for a few months."

"Apparently South Park has that sort of track record. People get married right out of high-school left and right." Alice knew she wasn't helping, but it was too much fun. "The prom king and queen last year, Tommy Swardson and Nikki Thompson? Well they've been going out for at least a year and now she's preggo with their first baby."

Elizabeth groaned, "I don't want children! I don't even enjoy the thought of marriage!"

"Welcome to small town dynamics, Liz." Alice pat her on the back softly and left the car, where Elizabeth sulked until the sun went down.

The constant fretting continued throughout Saturday, and by the time Sunday came around she hadn't slept over an hour, staring at the alarm clock on her nightstand as it counted towards 5AM.

It was officially Christmas Eve.

She jumped when her phone alarm went off, fumbling for the screen to turn it off and groaning audibly. Why did people get up so early to worship God? She didn't understand, wouldn't he be happy if they held off until noon? She slowly got up and decided to go down to the kitchen, seeing the coffee maker with a half pot and still on, a clear sign that her father had been there just an hour before heading into work. She poured herself a single cup and waited for it to cool down before drinking it black. The biggest thing on her mind was having a calming cigarette in the backyard with her coffee, until resigning herself with dressing up and combing out her hair. With Butters still in the psych ward, and Alice still sleeping in the basement, the house was practically empty.

The festive dress that was hanging in her closet, as she returned from her smoke break, wasn't there when she got up. She turned her head back down the hallway and looked for her sister, not seeing anyone however before picking something else from her closet. One of her simple black dresses, as she never asked the dress code for going to church on a Christian holiday.

By the time she finished brushing her teeth her phone went off again, a text message from her boyfriend reminding her that she had to be outside in five minutes. She could feel her anxiety come back to slam against her like a Mac truck, hoping to Jehovah and God and Jesus and Buddha and Zeus, all those damn Gods out there, that this wasn't anything more than a simple outing.

By the time she got outside she was greeted by Liane Cartman's sunny smile, as if it wasn't 6AM in the fucking morning. Elizabeth forced her own smile and stepped towards her, finding Eric sitting in the car, waiting.

"Where's the funeral?" He questioned immediately when Elizabeth got into the back seat. She made a fist in her hand and punched him hard in the arm, narrowing her eyes.

"If you don't want it to be your own, then shut the fuck up." She muttered.

"Language!" Liane admonished her, sitting in the driver's seat. "Both of you be on your best behavior today, Jesus can hear you!"

Elizabeth shrunk slightly in her seat, glancing at Eric's flushed face. He refused to look at her.

The ride was full of wound tension, and Elizabeth could practically feel the pack of cigarettes burning a hole in her bag. She imagined smoking the whole pack if it meant it would take the edge off. She glanced again at Eric, seeing how he was clearly bothered and staring out the window. He hated when she smoked, of course, and probably could smell the smoke that stuck to her hair from this morning.

"I've been waiting for this day," Liane began, "It'll be so lovely to see my darling son and the girl he loves under the same roof, oh! I'll have to introduce you to Father Mackey! Elizabeth sweetie, I'm just so excited to share our faith with you!"

Elizabeth's eye twitched, "I'm flattered?"

"Mam, Liz is Jewish, remember?" Eric suddenly found words, quirking a brow at his mother.

"Yes, I remember, but I really have my hopes on Elizabeth walking down the aisle in our church-"

"MAM!" Eric shouted, beet red.

"I think I'm going to throw up." Elizabeth stated, suddenly having the desire to leap out the moving vehicle.

"I thought I told you not to talk about that!" Eric shouted again, feeling the same way his girlfriend did just now. "This is just Christmas Mass, not a fucking proposal date!"

Liane pursed her lips, "Language, Eric! Why can't I think about your wedding? Oh you'd be so cute in a tux and Richard will be able to walk Elizabeth down the aisle and she'll be so beautiful in the wedding dress I was supposed to use-"

She continued to plan, clearly not in reality at the moment and Eric gave up trying, finally looking at Elizabeth desperately. "This is not my idea, honest!"

Elizabeth still wanted to throw herself out of the car. "For your sake, I really hope so."

When they finally arrived at church, Elizabeth had to be coaxed into leaving the car, her complexion going pale as she caught sight of Kenny and Stan watching them from across the parking lot, Kenny waving at her with a wide grin. She promptly flipped him off with her own heated glare before Eric took her hand quickly to drag her into the building.

"How long will I have to be here?" She whispered at him, avoiding the curious stares from other patrons. It was warm and stuffy inside the building, making her uncomfortable.

Eric dragged her along with him, following his mom as she happily introduced Elizabeth, or Eric's girlfriend, to people Elizabeth didn't know beyond a name and a face. Eric looked embarrassed with how his mother was going about this, "Just until nine." He reassured her.

She stared at him incredulously, "It's 6AM right now and I have to sit here for three hours?"

"Christmas Mass runs a bit long." He sighed, finally sitting them somewhere between his mom and his friends. Elizabeth went quiet despite being irritated, catching Stan's sympathetic frown.

"Alice didn't tell you, did she?" Stan asked in a hushed voice.

Elizabeth turned her head, "Tell me what?"

Stan leaned in, "Some of the adults here didn't believe that Cartman had a girlfriend so that's why his mom wanted you here, apparently she thinks you two are the perfect couple."

Elizabeth's eye twitched irritably, turning her head towards Liane before finally settling on Eric's face, and how he was pinching the bridge of his nose. "Did you know about this?" She asked.

Eric looked at her, "She just told me about Casa Bonita, I swear."

The girl finally slumped in her seat, breathing out a tired sigh. "I'm going to kill my sister." She decided, "Tell Kenny to say goodbye to Alice, because I'm going to murder her."

Stan sighed, patting her shoulder.

She stayed quiet when the service began, sharing a song book with Eric when it was time to sing. The annoyance with Eric's mother was slowly being overwhelmed by how uncomfortable she was starting to feel inside the church itself. It felt like there was no air at all and the temperature was slightly warm. She glanced at Stan and her boyfriend, noting that they weren't appearing as bothered as she was.

An hour in, the atmosphere was getting worse, and Elizabeth was beginning to sweat as if it was a sauna. She tugged on the collar of her dress, brushing the sweat from her forehead afterwards. "Why is it so hot in here?" She asked Stan in a hushed voice. The raven haired teen only looked at her oddly.

"Are you alright?" He asked, "Your skin's flushed."

"I'm fine." Elizabeth said hesitantly, "I thought there would be air conditioning, that's all." She mumbled.

The temperature became better when the singing stopped, but further fluctuated when Father Mackey began his sermon. Little by little Elizabeth was feeling sick, and only Stan and Kenny noticed.

"Dude, I think she's caught something." Kenny said worriedly.

Stan reached over to feel Elizabeth's hand, wincing and yanking his fingers back. "Holy shit dude, you're burning up!" It was hard to remain quiet.

Eric's attention was caught finally, moving his eyes away from the book and taking in how flushed Elizabeth was. "Liz?"

"I need some air." Elizabeth said finally, standing up. "I can't do this…"

"I'm going with you." Eric decided immediately, helping her out of the pew.

From how the sermon suddenly fell quiet, Elizabeth wondered if she actually was looking how Kenny described her, because she was swaying as she stood.

"Oh goodness," Father Macky's voice was suddenly at her side, the concerned priest rushing to the girl. "Are you well, young lady?"

Elizabeth's breath hitched when she felt her skin burning, crying out when the man laid his hand on her arm and stumbling away. "FUCKING CHRIST!" She screamed, grasping her arm as it pulsated in pain.

"Liz!" Eric's eyes flew open in a panic, practically dragging her back out of the church when the crowd of people gasped and began to whisper. "We're almost there, just hold on!" He continued, finally shoving the doors open.

It was like relief, the cold air flushed through her body and broke the oncoming fever, Elizabeth finally letting out a thankful whimper when she could finally breathe freely. Her arm was still throbbing, and she glanced at it only to see the imprint of the priest's hand in her skin like a sunburn.

"Why in hell was it so horribly hot in there?" She finally shouted, staring at Eric with wide eyes. "How can you stand it in there?"

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion, "Hot in there? It's fucking cold in that building, Liz. You're the only one that was burning up!"

She let out a ragged breath, stepping towards a nearby decorative rock and sitting on it. "The priest burned my arm, Eric." She said quietly, "Am I so Jewish that I'm allergic to church?"

She expected some kind of reassuring words, or maybe empathy, but what she got was a bark of ugly laughter. Elizabeth turned her now irritated glare at her boyfriend, watching him collapsed on the snowy pavement wheezing out the humor that suddenly hit him.

"You-you're fucking allergic to church! Oh Christ, oh man!" He wiped a tear from his face, "Motherfucker, I can't-I can't take this, it's too funny! OW!"

Elizabeth removed her foot from his groin, glaring down at him. "I'm going home." She announced hotly, turning away from the curled up body and leaving the grounds.

Eric tried desperately to stop laughing, "No-wait-Liz! Liz come back! Liz! Why can't you see how funny this is?" He managed to sit up, wincing in pain and looking around for his girlfriend. "Liz!"