Ladies and gentlemen, this may well be the longest one-shot I have ever done. Yeah, I could have split this up into chapters, but I didn't want to, so now that we've established that, please read and review and enjoy.

Blazer Boy Strikes Again
Carl had been sitting at the park on his haunches drawing a squirrel in a karate suit, so he'd seen the whole thing, from the "casual stroll" to when he'd decided to intervene.

"Why, Cynthia!" Eustace said as he walked up to her, "What a coincidence meeting you here! I do hope you've been well."

"I was," she said venomously, "until your sorry carcass showed up on my turf!"

"Ouch," he replied, "Sticks and stones, Cynthia. Why drop your venom on me?"

"You're right, Eustace," she replied in mock-politeness, "you're not worth my time or venom, so good day to ya!"

"And I suppose Neutron is?" Eustace asked, eying her after his fingernails, "You save your special spats just for him, don't you?" She stopped. She should've kept walking, but we all know her too well to expect that. She turned on the spot with her fists clenched.

"Watch it, Polo boy," she said lowly and dangerously, "You're on thin ice on my lake." She would later regret saying anything; hook, line, sinker. He had her.

"Oh," he smirked, approaching her, "so sorry. I appear to be treading sacred ground, aren't I?"

"Yes," she hissed through gritted teeth, "you are. So if I were you, I'd back up now." But, of course, he didn't listen. He walked behind her with his hands comfortably behind his back and stopped on her right side. She turned her face away and shut her eyes as his words slithered into her ears. Her anger rendered her immobile.

"I really don't understand why you persist after him, Cynthia," he said in the most devilish voice possible as tears formed behind her eyelids, "You flirt and you faun, and every time you do, he throws it right back in your face. No matter what you do, it's never enough, is it? He's always going to be the boy who was within range, but just beyond your reach."

Her head was bowed to where her bangs covered her eyes, but those tears started to get bigger.

'Why are you listening to him?' her inner thoughts shouted, 'this is Eustace Strych you're talking to! He's just trying to get to Jimmy through you, AGAIN! WHY ARE YOU LETTING HIM GET TO YOU?'

"You curse the very ground he walks on," the snakelike boy continued, "Yet every time his life is in danger, you're one of the first at his side. So tell me, Cindy: Why do you do it? Why do you spend every day chasing after a boy you claim to hate, who shoots you down every time you try to impress him, who tries so hard to pretend you don't even exist?"

Carl was watching, and he was worried.

'Come on, Cindy!' he mentally coached her, 'Punch him or do a karate move on him, or something!'

"Is it because you enjoy having your heart broken on a daily basis," Eustace kept egging her, "or that you really believe he cares anything about you?"

(sfx: record scratch!) That was where he made his mistake.

Time stopped with her heart. Cindy's eyes flew open as a million memories fell on her mind and heart like a 16-ton sledgehammer: The Yolkian dungeon, the Brain Drain helmet, the virtual brain pod, the oceanography project, Carl's dream, Egypt, Valentine's Day, Jet and Beautiful's wedding, the alien game show, the first fight between Jimmy and Eustace, Mars, the League of Villains, the island...their island...all those oysters...that pearl...HER pearl! Their binding tie! How dare this stuck-up prig invade her feelings like this! How dare he even suggest that Jimmy didn't care about her, after everything they'd been through! How...? NO!

"SHUT UP!" she cried as her fist clocked his right eye and her hot tears cascaded down her face, "STOP IT! YOU DON'T KNOW, EUSTACE! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! WHO ARE YOU TO PROFESS HIS FEELINGS, WHEN ALL YOU THINK ABOUT IS HOW TO TEAR HIM DOWN? (sob) WELL, YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET TO HIM BY TOYING WITH ME LIKE THIS, AGAIN!"

Her volume dropped a little, but she was just getting started. How he even had the nerve to stand on his two feet in front of her was beyond anyone. Cindy's breathing got a little shaky, and she didn't even care about the tears gushing out of her eyes.

"Yes," Cindy stated with true hate, "Yes, Jimmy pretends I don't exist. Yes, he upstages me, argues with me, and shoots me down in everything I do! But guess what? We're kids! That's what kids do! (She does the same thing to him, anyway.) I don't know what he really feels about me, but I know he cares a world more about me than YOU do! You deceived me, you manipulated me, you schmoozed me over with your fancy heirlooms, and you USED me, Eustace! And for what? To appease your abnormal ego that proclaims you have to destroy Jimmy, no matter who falls into the plot? Jimmy—never—used me. (Her voice started to waver.) He never lulled me in as a pawn to an evil plot...(Tears kept pouring.)...Above all...no matter what we fought about...however serious or trivial..." She touched her face and held her wet hand out to Eustace.

"...Jimmy Neutron," her voice slightly shook, "...never...ever...made me cry."

Out of everything she'd said, that fact stood out above the rest in crowning glory. Making any girl cry was the lowest point a boy could possibly reach, and James would never dream of doing that, especially to her. With the last note of contempt she could muster, she finished him off.

"He didn't break my heart, Strych," she bit, "you did."

In reply, Eustace grabbed her wrist and twisted it just enough to draw a cry of pain.

"When I'm through with you, Vortex," he hissed, "You will have much more broken than your heart." That was when Carl decided to step in. He'd panicked! He knew Jimmy was NOT going to like this. He ran over.

"Oh hi, Eustace!" he said cheerfully, "Hi, Cindy! I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Eustace had already dropped Cindy's wrist.

"No, not at all," Eustace replied, his composure regained, "I was just leaving. Ta-ta, Cindy. Do look after yourself." As he stalked off, Cindy breathed with relief.

"Carl, I don't know how to thank you," she said gratefully as she wiped her eyes, "I hate to think what would've happened."

"Here," Carl said, "Have a hanky. It's unused, don't worry. Hey Cindy, if you're going home, can I walk with you? My mom wants me to cross streets with somebody."

"Sure, Carl," she replied kindly as she pocketed the hanky, "It's the least I can do. Come on." As they walked down their neighborhood sidewalk, Carl tried to console Cindy. She still looked kind of down, and a few stray tears leaked out.

"Hey, Cindy?" he asked, "You don't really believe all that mean stuff Eustace said about Jimmy, do ya?"

"How did you know about that?" she asked him in shock. They stopped at her house.

"Well, everything happened right where I was sitting," he said, "I didn't know what was going on!" Then Jimmy came outside and started to walk over.

"Hey, guys!" he called. Oh, no! If he saw Cindy in this condition, she'd never survive a conversation with him right now! Knowing this, the poor girl covered her face and ran inside. Jimmy was shocked; he could have sworn he'd heard her start to cry!

"Carl," he asked, "What was that all about? Her face looked worn out! What happened?" Carl grew fearful. He grabbed Jimmy's arm, sat him on the Neutron's porch, and sang like a caged bird under Chinese water torture!

"I was there, Jimmy!" he said, scared, "I saw the whole thing! Eustace came and talked to Cindy in the park, and he was saying mean stuff about you, and she was crying, and then she punched him and yelled at him, and then he grabbed her and it hurt, so I went and said hi so he'd stop, and then he walked away, and then I walked her home, and—and—I-I'M A BAD GENTLEMAN!"

"Hold it," Jimmy said, stunned, "Eustace cornered her in the park just to say things about me to her?"

"Mm-hmm," Carl nodded, "but she didn't start crying 'til he said you didn't care about her. Then she right-hooked him in the eye!" Now Jimmy was getting really hot under the collar.

"HE SAID THAT?" he sprang to his feet, "AND HE MADE HER CRY?"

"Y-yes," Carl said fearfully, "What are you gonna do, Jimmy?"

"Thanks for helping her out, Carl," Jimmy thanked his friend, "You're a true pal. Goddard, come on!"

"Jimmy!" Carl called, "What are you gonna do?"

"I'm going to have a talk with Eustace," the boy genius said, steaming.

Eustace had just finished croquet in the park and turned around to meet Jimmy's glare.

"James!" he said nervously before Jimmy socked him in the left eye hard enough to land him on his butt. Jimmy grabbed him up by his shirt.

"Strong as ever, I see!" Eustace said. This had not been going the way he imagined (whatever that was).

"Stronger!" Jimmy shouted, P.O.'d, "And angry! (He shook him once.) You listen to me, Strych! If you have a problem with me, you'd better tell it directly TO me, instead of pulverizing a girl's emotions like you just did!" He lowered his voice considerably, but kept Eustace in his hold.

"Let me tell you something, Blazer boy," he said with special hostility through his teeth, "If you ever come near her or any of my friends again, I will personally run you out of this town with your clean-shaven tail tucked between your stubby little legs." He shoved him away.

"Goddard!" he ordered, "Wedgie!" Goddard grabbed Eustace up by his briefs and hung him on a tree limb while Eustace screamed like a girl.

"Come on, Goddard," Jimmy beckoned as he ran off, "Let's go talk to Cindy."

Libby led Jimmy and Goddard to Cindy's room, who was sitting up with her back to the door in a fetal position on her bed. Libby went over to her, touched her shoulder and told her gently, "Jimmy's here." Cindy's head shot up and turned to see Jimmy and Goddard in her doorway.

"Jimmy!" she said as she wiped her eyes with her hands, "What are you doing here?" She crossed her bed to the other side and Goddard came up, gave her a sympathetic whine, and put his head in her lap. Cindy smiled and petted him; he moved back and Jimmy pulled a stool over and sat across from her. Libby patted her knee to summon Goddard to her, and they left the room.

"Carl told me what happened, Cindy," Jimmy said. Cindy looked at him with surprise.

"How much?" she asked carefully.

"Pretty much everything," Jimmy answered calmly, "including the stuff he told you about me, and that he made you cry."

As you can imagine, this stunned her a little. Why would he care about that? She looked at him square in the eyes.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"He's currently hanging on a tree by his underwear," he answered off-handedly, "with another black eye." He had a mischievous look on his face, and Cindy went wide-eyed.

"You beat him up?" she said with shock.

"Not exactly," he said, "I just socked his other eye and gave him the worst wedgie of his life." She half-smiled at him.

"Why did you do that?" she wanted to know. He looked away for a minute before answering. Then he looked at her.

"Because he made you cry," he said gently, "Boys aren't supposed to do that." Cindy looked at him with disbelief.

"You expect me to believe you did that purely out of chivalry?" she asked.

"Partly," Jimmy admitted, "but also to discredit his theory that I don't care about you." He looked away, slightly embarrassed. Cindy couldn't believe what she was hearing! Jimmy just about told her what he really felt about her! That statement carried a lot more weight than they expected.

"Do you?" her voice melted. There she goes again; he melted her heart all over again. Jimmy nodded. Who was he kidding, though? He loved her!

"I'm sorry Eustace got to you the way he did," he said, "and I'm sorry I wasn't there to get you away from him, but I promise you that I'm never going to hurt you like that, ever. You're a special person, Cindy..." he smiled, "...and I do love you for it." New tears formed in her eyes as she smiled at him with genuine gratitude and affection.

"Aw, Jim," she softly cried as she threw her arms around him, "I love you, too...so much!" They stayed like that for two blissful minutes; Jimmy on his stool, and Cindy hugging him on her feet. Then they pulled back, Jimmy touched her face, and they kissed. Now Cindy knew how he felt about her. That was the moment she knew...that he loved her.

When they finally stopped, Jimmy wiped the last tears from Cindy's eyes and said, "Come on. Let's get out of here." She smiled, took his offered hand, and they and Libby and Goddard ran outside.

THE
END

Author's Review:
(Does anyone even read these things?) I'd concocted the conversation between Cindy and Eustace long before any of the other happenings surrounding it. I actually had it doodled in my notebook, but it never went further than Cindy punching him in the face. :D I'm very happy, however, with Jimmy being such a sweetheart and Carl being such a good friend. He probably wouldn't normally pull something so gutsy (well, gutsy for him, anyway), but he knew he had to do something to help her. (She is, after all, "Neutron's squeeze"—just like Eustace said in "Billion Dollar Boy.") Anyway, I know this is an incredibly long one-shot, but this is the only way it would work for me. Besides, I'm already working on a chapter story, so keep your eyes peeled for it, readers. ;)
-samuraistar