Last chapter was short, this one's rather long. I hope you guys like it!

"We've searched all over Care-A-Lot! Where could he be?" Tenderheart demanded, sounding extremely frustrated.

"Maybe he's not in Care-A-Lot?" Funshine asked. "I mean, you saw that place. There's only one way in and out."

"How did he get out though?"

"I don't know, T.H. But it was clearly through magical means."

Tenderheart growled, the sound out of place on the usually kind bear. Funshine said goodbye then began walking toward Luck's house. After knocking on the door, he stood back. Luck opened the door and smiled.

"What can I do ya fer, Funshine?"

"I need some luck."

"With what? Another one o' yer tricks?"

"About finding Grumpy. And before you freak, we've looked all over Care-A-Lot. He is absolutely nowhere. I know you don't like using your powers for something big like this, but I really need to know where he is. Please, help me."

Luck frowned, leaning against the doorpost and looking thoughtful.

"Fine. I'll help ya, Funshine. But yer gonna owe me big for this. I can already feel that there ain't much ta go on. Hardly anythin' at all. I'll have to use quite a bit o' luck for this."

Off they went on a nice long walk. They came to Grumpy's Care-A-Van and, luckily, it was unlocked. They waked in and searched every inch of it. Luck ended up pulling a black care charm out of the bed. They were both confused. Usually a care charm was blue if it was for a boy and pink if it was for a girl. But black?

"This is it, Funshine. This is the only thing that will give you a clue. I'm sorry, but there's nothin' else. I feel it in me gut."

Funshine nodded. "Thanks, Luck."

The Irish bear pulled a four leafed clover out of his belly badge. "Here. A little extra never hurt. Good luck, Funshine."

"Thanks again."

With that, Luck Bear departed. Funshine stared at the charm for a good five minutes. He finally sighed, swinging it absently. It began flashing. He stopped swinging it and the flashing stopped as well. Funshine grinned and swung it back and forth, faster and faster, until with one good swing, there was the sensation of being sucked through a tunnel and blackness all around. He landed on something and there was a splash.

"What in the—" Grumpy gasped. "What are you doing here?!"

"Grumpy!" Funshine laughed, hugging the black bear.

"What are you doing here?" repeated Grumpy.

"I came to find you!"

"Yes, but I'm bathing."

Funshine paused to take in his surroundings. He was in a bathtub with a spray of water beating down on them. The yellow bear was embarrassed.

"Sorry. I didn't know you were going to be…yeah…"

"Well, I'm done anyway," Grumpy muttered.

They got out and dried off as best they could. Grumpy opened the door and Michael looked up. His jaw dropped.

"What in the hell is Funshine doing here?"

"Interrupting my shower," Grumpy growled.

"Grumpy!" Funshine exclaimed.

"What?"

"He's…that's not a child."

"He used to be."

"But Tenderheart's gonna kill you for doing that! You know the rules. Nobody past twelve, and that's the maximum!"

"Relax, Sunny," Sofia said, looking over at the two bears.

"Sunny? I haven't been called Sunny since…Sofia?"

"Si, Funshine. It is I."

"Then who are you?" he asked, looking to the man.

"Michael."

"We've had several Michaels."

"I helped you with your ATV. Engine problems. I told you it was the air filter."

Funshine lit up. "Oh! Shinin'! It's good to see you two again! You look different all grown up."

Michael smiled. "Yep. You and Grumpy Bear have stayed the same, though."

"What can I say? Care Bears have a super long lifespan. Grams Bear has to be…what, three hundred?"

"That's Tenderheart. Grams is close to a thousand," Grumpy replied. "So what's for lunch, Sofe?"

"Pizza. I'll have to make another one if Funshine's eating here."

"No, thanks," Funshine said, grabbing the black paw. "We gotta go talk to Tenderheart."

"No," Grumpy said flatly.

"Why are you being so stubborn about this? I mean, first you say that Tenderheart's going to kick you out of Care-A-Lot. Then you say that you're not going to talk with him. Then you run away, probably using this thingy," Funshine said, holding up the black care charm. "And now, now you're refusing to come back home just so you can avoid talking with him."

Grumpy looked away. "I can't bear to have him hate me. He's like the father that my father wasn't. I can't…I don't…"

Michael watched carefully as Funshine embraced Grumpy. Funshine hesitated before reaching up to lap at Grumpy's ears. The man smiled at his wife. It was definitely time that Grumpy go back home. They clearly didn't hate him.

"Grumpy Bear?" Michael said. Said bear looked up. "Go home, Grumpy. You're always welcome here, but you need to go talk to Tenderheart. From what I remember of him, he's not the type to hate. Especially not one of his precious Care Bears."

"I…fine. I'll be back in an hour."

"No, you won't," Funshine said firmly. "Bye, you two. Hope to see you again soon!"

"Do you even know how to work that thing?" Grumpy asked in amusement as he looped his Carry-All around himself.

"Well, I swung it to get here. Don't know why it dropped me on top of you, but it did. I suppose you know how to work it?"

"I invented it, so I'd better. Give me that." Grumpy tapped the gem in the center. "Tenderheart's house, outside, by the fountain."

With that, the black bear swung care charm as the gem flashed. They were sucked through that black tunnel again, which was so very suffocating this time around, and Funshine gasped as he hit the ground, shivering.

"That is too strange," he muttered.

"Sorry, Funshine. This one isn't acting right, which is why I was repairing it in my Care-A-Van. I still haven't worked all the bugs out of it. Whatever Rico did to this thing, he did it good."

"You mean Michael?"

"No. I mean Rico."

"…Who else?"

"Lila, Cody, and Samantha."

"All of them are too old, right?"

"Michael and Sofia are twenty-five, Rico is sixteen, Lila and Cody are fifteen, and Samantha just turned fourteen."

"So they are."

"Grumpy!"

Grumpy jumped, stashing the care charm in his Carry-All quickly.

"Not one word!" he hissed then turned hesitantly to face the bear he sincerely didn't want to.

Tenderheart lifted his arms and Grumpy flinched back violently, as if expecting a strike. Funshine and Tenderheart started. The yellow bear had told the copper about Grumpy's admittance to being abused, but to see him flinch like that? It hit home just how wounded their friend was, and they hadn't even known it.

Tenderheart gently stroked the black bear's cheek. "I would never strike you, Grumpy. You know that, don't you?"

"I…Yes."

"Come inside. We need to talk."

"Grumpy!"

"Little Wonder," Grumpy Bear said with a smile as he embraced her.

"Wow, you're all black! Whoa! Cool belly badge! It's all different now!" the little pink bear exclaimed, looking him over.

"Funshine, would you take Wonderheart to Share's? They've planned a tea party."

"Sure thing, T.H. See ya Grumpy."

Grumpy waved half-heartedly then jumped as Tenderheart grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the house. The black bear followed hesitantly. He was settled in a chair and served tea and cookies. He sipped the tea, but didn't feel like eating. Tenderheart sat in the chair across from him then proceeded to study him. Grumpy picked at the macadamia nuts in a cookie, staring resolutely at the floor.

Tenderheart finally shifted. "You didn't think you could come to me with this?"

"You hate Terror Bears."

"Well, hate's a strong word…"

"So are some of the words you used to describe me when Share saw me all black in the forest."

"What exactly did I say?"

Grumpy muttered, but when it was clear Tenderheart expected an answer out of him, he sighed. "You called me a damnable monster who didn't deserve to live. That was the kindest thing you said. You were talking to Giving and Grams."

"How did you hear that?"

"I was a very small child. I was hiding in the bushes. I think the other two saw me, but you were too busy going off on a tirade."

"Grumpy…I'm sorry. I didn't know that it was you."

"You wouldn't have cared back then if it was. You didn't know me. Only Funshine really got to know me back then."

"So the rumors about a Terror Bear living in the Forest of Feelings were true?"

"I only went out of my trees for bumble berries and other foods, like roots and tumors. I was very sickly until Funshine started bringing me food."

"Funshine knew you?"

"He liked coming to visit. Whenever anybody else saw me, they screamed and ran away, but Funshine said it was "shinin'" that I was black. 'I've never seen a black Care Bear,' he said in fascination."

"But you weren't a Care Bear."

"No."

"Did you tell him that?"

"No. I couldn't. My vocals hadn't grown in yet. I couldn't speak English. The most I could growl out was brother, which I called him every time he came over. He really took that to heart."

"Why did Funshine not know about you becoming a Care Bear?"

Grumpy shifted in embarrassment. "He got his belly badge symbol and was so very proud of it. He wouldn't shut up about it. I might not have been able to speak English, but I understood it. I got really jealous because my people have nothing like a belly badge. So I finally…scared him away."

"Funshine isn't the kind to be scared away. What exactly did you do?"

"I, er, bit him. Pretty bad. I couldn't believe I'd done it, and neither could Funshine. I rarely see that bear cry, but he burst into tears right in front of me then ran away. I didn't see him again until I got my belly badge and I turned blue."

"Ah, now that's what I'm most curious about. How did you manage the color change and belly badge? Color change, maybe with the right magic, but a belly badge? Impossible to make one appear as far as I know."

"I don't know. I really don't," Grumpy sighed. "One night I was wishing desperately for a belly badge, to just be a Care Bear. The next day, I woke up to the shock of my life. I was blue, I could speak English, though it was shaky and broken, and…I had a belly badge. It was the most terrific thing that's ever happened to me. But I have no earthly idea how it happened."

"What happened then?" Tenderheart asked, sitting back.

"I started sneaking into Share's tea parties for food. Funshine never did come back so I couldn't tell him the good news, or that I was sorry for biting him. Then you caught me one day."

"Ah yes," Tenderheart laughed. "Everybody had seen a little blue bear sneaking around, but I didn't know you. I knew it wasn't Bedtime; he was too old. But I couldn't figure out who it could be. Then I catch you by random luck and discover that I didn't know you at all! It all makes sense now, what with the whole story, but at the time I was confused to why there was a cub running around that had no parents, no friends, and nobody that knew anything about you. It took fifty years for me to finally discover the truth."

Grumpy nodded, taking another sip of tea. He felt uncomfortable being black in front of Tenderheart. The copper bear yelped in surprise suddenly. Grumpy jumped, looking around.

"What?"

"You…turned blue."

"Huh? Oh…I didn't mean to. Sometimes I do it without thinking. Always black to blue, never the other way around."

Tenderheart hummed and walked over, staring at the blue cloud with the blue rain and red hearts.

"Change again."

"I…Do I have to?"

"Not if you don't want to. But I would like you to."

"Um, no."

Tenderheart nodded then held out a paw. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Grumpy asked as he took it and was pulled to his feet.

"We're going to Share's tea party. You look hungry."

"Yeah, well, Funshine pulled me away from lunch."

"You must be uncomfortable."

"What?"

"You haven't touched the cookies."

Grumpy blushed under his fur then snagged several cookies and munched on them as they took the Rainbow Ride over to the Forest of Feelings. Grumpy was hesitant when he saw his friends—they were still his friends, right?—gathered around Share's table. Wonderheart squealed when she saw him, racing over to hug him again. At least the kid had missed him.

"Aw," Cheer Bear said, sounding disappointed.

"What's wrong, Cheer?" Tenderheart asked as they seated themselves at the table.

"Wonderheart said he was all black. I've never seen a black Care Bear before. I was sorta hoping that he would still be black."

"Yes, well, he can change colors at will, but he doesn't want to right now. So leave him be and let's eat," Tenderheart said firmly.

They could all tell that Grumpy was still uncomfortable because, though he filled his plate, he just played with the food.

"Grumps?" Funshine asked.

"What?"

"Remember…remember the time I fell into those briars?"

Grumpy paused and looked up. "There was a reason I kept chasing you away from there. You just had to find out the hard way."

Funshine laughed. "Yeah. I think you missed a few thorns in my tail!"

Grumpy snickered. "I got one in my tongue."

"Because you wouldn't use your paws!"

"I was a cub. Besides, Terror Bears don't use their paws for all the reasons you do. It was culturally acceptable," Grumpy said with a snort. "And then you had the gall to bring me ketchup covered fries. That burned so bad that I wanted to bite my tongue off."

Funshine and the others laughed. "Well, it didn't help that you didn't talk!"

"I couldn't."

"You were definitely old enough to talk."

"Not by my people's standards."

"What?" Share asked.

"Yes," Tenderheart said. "You said something about your…vocals? not being grown in yet."

Grumpy placed an elbow on the table. "Yeah. What about it?"

"What does that mean exactly?"

"Terror Bears have two languages, which stem from two different sets of vocal chords," Grumpy rattled off tonelessly. "The first set develops over the course of the first year of life, during which the cub learns the basics of body language and the harsh, growling, grating language that Terror Bears usually communicate with. The second set takes ten to twenty years to develop, during which time a cub begins to understand English, or other language of choice—my cousins hover above France, so I know some French—until they can tackle the incredibly difficult challenge of speaking said language."

"Incredibly difficult?" Wonderheart asked. "Speaking isn't difficult."

"When your primary language consists of growls, grunts, and the like, most of which can be made with a closed mouth, mind you, learning to just move your mouth in that way is exceedingly challenging, not to mention the tongue movements. I couldn't pronounce T's to save my life, even after the weird language magicky thingy that came along with my belly badge."

"I thought you had a speech impediment," Tenderheart admitted.

"Why not?" Wonderheart asked Grumpy.

"I didn't get the whole 'flick your tongue against your teeth to make the stupid noise' thing."

"Flick your tongue…?" Harmony asked, staring at him.

"Make a T noise. You'll see what I mean."

They all did so. Wonderheart giggled. "Oh, I get it! That's how you pronounce T's!"

"That was the hardest part of English to learn. Or maybe it was all the weird phrases that you have. Or maybe it was the fact that all of you could speak it perfectly and expected a bear of my age to speak it perfectly. Like Funshine, for example."

Funshine looked down. "I didn't know you couldn't speak, Grumps. I'm sorry."

Grumpy glanced over at him. He felt guilty. He hadn't meant to hurt Funshine like that.

"Eh, whatever," he said, poking the spaghetti on his plate with a fork. "I was the same way, you just couldn't understand me."

"You…you were?"

"Yep. I was constantly 'screaming' at you for not listening to what I said. I didn't know Care Bears only had one set of vocal chords."

Funshine grinned. "Then we're even."

"No, I win."

"What?"

"I didn't end up in the briar patch. Then there were the sparkle spurs, three times I believe. Fell in a pit twice. Not to mention scaring the jeepers out of Share when you ended up dangling by the ankle from her tree. Then there was the thing with Cheer where you—"

"Mercy!" Funshine begged, laughing heartily.

"Sounds like you had many adventures together," Tenderheart said with a smile.

"Yeah," Grumpy said wistfully. "Now he hates me as much as the rest of you."

Not even the birds made a noise. Tenderheart reached over and touched him lightly.

"Grumpy, you don't really think that, do you?"

The blue bear closed his eyes and they were alarmed to see tears gleam in the corners.

"I gotta go," Grumpy muttered, standing swiftly.

"Grumps," Funshine gasped, grabbing at his arm.

"Stop it!" Grumpy screamed, jerking away.

"Grumpy!" they all shouted as they stood, but he was already racing away.

They slumped back down, staring blankly at the spot the blue bear had just vacated. He couldn't really think that…could he?

"Guys?" Funshine asked softly. "He…He didn't even touch his food."