South Park's Emotional Warzone Chapter 11: The Wedding 2: Electric Boogaloo
The wedding was about to begin! Everyone walked inside and the chateau's great hall was adorned in gold and white balloons and ribbons with chairs lined up in rows, all facing the altar.
Kenny had set up a special row at the front of the altar for Larry, Barry, Penny, and their friends. Before the parents sent the group of 17 on their way they gave them the usual shtick: behave yourselves, don't talk to strangers, so on and so forth. The children went to their assigned seats, wishing their parents luck. Before the children went on their way, Cody's eldest child, Edgar, notice his dad and Junior's mother, Shelly talking as if they were old friends.
We cut to the row of seats where the 17 children await for the start of a beautiful ceremony. Edgar and Tori decided to use this time to chat more with their new friends. Tori decided to chat up the Lyra, Chelsea, Tommy, Larry, Barry, Penny, Felix, Isabella, and Matthew, while Edgar decided to chat up the rest of the gang. For right now, we focus on the latter group.
"Okay, guys, let's see how much more we have in common." Edgar said. "I'll fire off some questions and we'll see how similar they are."
"Sounds fine." Paul said.
"Yeah, that sounds fine." Carrie said, causing Paul to glare at her for copying him again.
"Fire away, dude." Junior said.
"Alright here we go." Edgar began. "First question: What is the greatest ice cream topping ever?"
"Hot fudge." The seven kids replied in unison.
"Okay…best cartoon on Cartoon Network?" Edgar asked.
"The Amazing World of Gumball." The seven kids replied in unison.
"Alright. Now I've got one I know we won't see eye to eye on." Edgar said. "What is your dream vacation spot?"
"Rome, Italy." The seven kids replied in unison. "No way!"
"Dude, we have more in common with you than we thought!" Mimi said.
"Did we just become best friends?" Edgar asked.
"I think so!" Lindsay said. "Shame we all live so far away from each other."
"We can fix that." Edgar said taking out his cell phone. "I'll send you guys a friend request on Facebook right now. Look out for an Edgar Oppenheimer."
"Okay, thanks, man." Paul said.
"Yeah, thanks, man." Carrie said.
"Knock it off!" Paul said annoyed.
After sending his friend requests, Edgar turned to Junior. "So, Junior, I couldn't help but notice you mother getting a little close with my father on the way in here."
"So what, she's just friendly." Junior said, completely unaware of the status of Shelly and Cartman's marriage, "What's your point?"
"I'm just asking if your father approves of that." Edgar said. "If he's around, I don't want him to get jealous and punch my dad out. I mean, my dad can hold his own in a fight, but your father must have done more fighting than he did if he was sent to battle."
"Dad's not here." Junior said. "My parents are spending some time apart."
"Oh…I see." Edgar said, his mind immediately defaulting to one word: 'divorce.'
"Don't worry though." Junior continued. "My mom and dad are still totally into each other. Mark my words, they'll be back together faster than you can say 'Wakanda Forever'."
"I hope so." Edgar said, turning his attention back to the altar. It was then that Mimi and Cici got his attention.
"You know his parents are actually divorced, right?" Mimi whispered.
"I had a hunch." Edgar whispered. "But what was I supposed to say? Telling him here will ruin not only his, but all of our evenings."
"We can't let a word of this out to anyone." Cici whispered. "This news must be kept between the three of us."
"Do you two know what caused this?" Edgar asked.
"Our parents said that it's inappropriate for eight year old girls like us to know." Cici said. "But they did say that when you're married, there are things you can and cannot do. Mr. Cartman did something that he should not have done, landing him in hot water."
Edgar's mind was already using that vague description to draw conclusions as to what lead up to the divorce. He immediately stopped after thinking of four possible conclusions, knowing that he'd either depress himself further or get a major headache from all of this thinking. Edgar looked over and Junior with a worried expression on his face. Junior noticed this and turned to face the older Oppenheimer child.
"Is something the matter?" Junior asked.
"Yeah…everything is fine." Edgar said, focusing his eyes back on the adorned alter.
Our attention is now focused on Tori chatting with the other half of the group, mostly Lyra, Felix, Isabella, and Matthew. As she chatted with them, Barry couldn't help but admire Tori as she sat and talked with the group of four.
"That Tori girl is awfully cute, isn't she, Larry?" Barry asked his twin brother.
"Whoa, Barry, are you crushing on her? Larry asked.
"Barry's got a girlfriend. Barry's got a girlfriend." Penny sang in a sing-song manner, causing Barry to blush.
"Dude, you know she's like two years older than you right?" Chelsea asked Barry.
"Hey, age is just a number." Barry said.
"She got you there, sis." Tommy said, taking his inhaler out of his pocket.
"Oh just take a puff of your inhaler." Chelsea said annoyed, and Tommy did just that. It's at this moment when we focus on what exactly Tori is talking about with her new group of friends. She appears to be very interested in Felix and Isabella's little brother, Matthew.
"Felix, Isabella, your baby brother is so cute." Tori said, doting over Matthew causing him to giggle.
"Thanks, Tori." Felix said.
"I especially like the name: Matthew." Tori said.
"Our mom picked it because that was the middle name of our father." Isabella explained.
"Hey, where is your guys' father?" Tori asked confused, causing Felix and Isabella to frown.
"He, uh…Izzy could you help me out here?" Felix said, not feeling up to finishing the sentence. Isabella made a gun with her fingers and pretended to fire it on herself, complete with a gunshot sound.
"Oh dear, suicide. How awful." Tori said.
"No." Felix said. "Someone shot him…on the same day Matthew was born."
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, you two." Tori said, feeling bad she brought up the subject.
"It's fine." Felix said. "I'm just worried about Matthew. At least Izzy and I knew our father. All our dad did was hold him for a good minute or so before leaving to get our mom some roses. After that…the rest is history."
"Talk about being at the right place at the wrong time." Larry chimed in.
"Larry, quiet!" Barry scolded.
"What did I say?" Larry asked confused.
Lyra picked up where Felix left off by saying, "Matthew and I are on the same boat with not knowing a parent. My mother died at the age of 18, a few hours after I was born."
"Oh dear." Tori said, feeling worse.
"The doctors said that she had some pretty bad hemorrhaging that they couldn't fix." Lyra explained. "The hemorrhaging happened due to me being what they call a breech birth, being born feet first."
"I've heard about breech births." Tori said. "Are you okay? I hear that breech births can cause nerve or even brain damage."
"Don't worry about my brain. That's fine." Lyra said. "My nerves…that's another story. Take a look at this hand."
Lyra held out her left hand for Tori to reveal some faded scars that were both on the back of it and on the palm. "When I was born, the umbilical cord was suffocating me, and I guess that somehow had an effect on the nerves in my left hand. I wasn't able to feel a thing from my fingers to right about here." Lyra pointed at an area on her wrist before continuing. "I had to have surgery in order for it to work properly again. That was easily the worst week of my life."
"Worst week of your life so far." Larry chimed in.
"Quiet!" Barry, Penny, Tommy, and Chelsea scolded.
"Is your hand fine now?" Tori asked.
"Oh yeah, it's perfectly fine." Lyra said. "My family originally noticed this problem when I was only three years old. My dad and I visited our grandparents and I saw that my grandma had just taken some cookies out of the oven. I ended up touching the hot cookie tray by accident. I didn't feel a thing, no reaction whatsoever, not even a simple 'ouch'."
"I see." Tori said. "I'm sorry for you misfortunes, you guys."
"Hey, what's past is past." Lyra said. "Nothing we can do about it now. These are just more life experiences that we put under our collective belts."
"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." Felix said.
"Nice to see you all not letting any of this get you down." Tori said.
"That's because we're turning all of this negative energy into something positive." Felix said. "I'm trying to get my mom and Lyra's dad together so we can have one big happy family. The plan is already set in motion as a matter of fact. And it's going very well so far."
"Oh that's awesome and totally nice." Tori said. "I hope your guys' plan works out."
Isabella just slumped down in her seat, an annoyed expression on her face.
"What's wrong with you?" Tori asked Isabella.
"Nothing, just thinking." Isabella said. Just the tone in her voice had Tori thinking to herself.
"I wonder if Isabella is with her brother on this plan." Tori thought to herself. "It could be possible that she still misses her father and thinks he's irreplaceable. I just feel so bad for them all."
A few moments after that Kenny and Lola's mother, Diane Johnson, came up to the altar to start the wedding. Kenny stood in the middle of the altar while Diane went up to the podium to speak.
"Good evening, everyone." Diane said. "Thank you all for coming to my daughter and her soon-to-be husband's wedding. It means a whole lot to us all. I like to think we've all accepted Kenny into our family as he proved to be a wonderful lover to my little girl, and an exceptional father to my two grandchildren, Lawrence and Bartholomew McCormick…"
"She had to use our full names didn't she?" Larry muttered.
"…here's to many more years of love and happiness for all four of them." Diance said, leading to wondrous applause. "Speaking of my grandchildren, it's time I let them come up and have them speak. Come on up, kids."
"This is it." Barry said getting nervous.
"Good luck up there, you two." Tommy said.
"Yeah, break a leg." Paul said.
"Let's do this!" Larry said.
The twin brothers left their seats and walked up to the podium, ready to give their speech. Larry and Barry looked at each other and nodded.
"Hello, everbody." Barry began. "We are Barry and Larry McCormick, the twin boys of Kenneth Daniel McCormick and Lola Michelle Johnson."
"Our parents started dating three years before we were born, in the 11th grade year of high school." Larry said. "Right off the bat, they must've known that they were meant for one another."
"They both had nothing but good things to say about each other and they always show respect to each other." Barry said.
"And anytime our parents got into a squabble, they'd just cut their losses, and kiss and make up not even five minutes later." Larry said. "This just shows our smart and mature our parents can be. Not that they don't know how to have fun."
"You'd think being together for years would cause them to grow distant, but if anything, we think all these years have made their relationship stronger." Barry said
"Even more so when we came into the scene." Larry chimed in.
"Exactly." Barry said. "Larry and I know more than anyone that our parents love is real and genuine, always loving each other unconditionally, and giving gifts not when it's appropriate like a holiday or birthday, but when it's out of the kindness of their hearts."
"I like to think that our parents do this to show us what real love looks like, and I can safely that in all nine years of mine and Barry's lives, we've learned a lot." Larry said.
"And we've still got a lot more to learn, especially now that our parents are getting married." Barry said. "In closing…"
"Thank you, mom and dad, for being amazing parents and we wish you the best of luck." Larry and Barry said in unison. The audience clapped and cheered over the twin brother's speech, their friends especially loved it. Baby Matthew was in his stroller laughing and shaking his rattle ecstatically.
Kenny looked over at his sons with pride, saying: "My boys…" Immediately, he got a flashback to when Larry and Barry were born. He held baby Larry while Lola held baby Barry, they both looked at each other lovingly, very proud that they were able to bear children. Kenny was then brought back to the present as the cheering died down, and the main event was about to unfold.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the ordained minister for this event." Larry began.
"None other than Dr. Strange himself." Barry continued.
"Benedict Cumberbatch!" Larry and Barry both said as the well known actor came from a side room and made his way to the altar. Benedict Cumberbatch was wearing a nice black tuxedo with matching tie and dress shoes. When everyone saw Cumberbatch, the whole audience went wild. The twin brothers shook the actor's hand, wishing him luck, as they returned back to their seats. Larry and Barry looked at their friends' collective expressions of shock and awe.
"Dudes, that's freaking Benedict Cumberbatch!" Felix said in amazement.
"How the heck did your parents get him?" Lindsay asked Barry.
"Mom was performing at Carnegie Hall this past Christmas, we ran into Cumberbatch who was there to see the show, our parents asked him to be the ordained minister and he agreed." Barry explained. "Larry and I got to meet him personally a few weeks ago."
"You two are now officially the coolest people I know." Edgar said.
"Yeah, your guys' cool points went up by a lot." Junior said in agreement.
All eyes were on Benedict Cumberbatch as he began to speak.
"Hello everyone." Cumberbatch began. "First I just want to thank Kenneth and Lola for inviting me to be the ordained minister, and I want to thank Lawrence and Bartholomew for that heartwarming speech…"
"Oh God, not him too." Larry said, showing distain for the actor using his and Barry's full name as well.
"…Weddings are about a myriad of things: Love, friendship, and unity." Cumberbatch continued. "I am very glad to not only bear witness to such a union, but officiate it. With all of that said and done, let's begin. Please rise."
Everyone stood up, but Lyra wanted to record everyone walking down the aisle…which she couldn't do with all of the people blocking the way. "I can't see a thing." She whined. She noticed that Lindsay had the seat closest to the aisle. "Lindsay, trade seats with me please?"
"Very well." Lindsay said as she moved over for her friend.
"Thanks, I really appreciate it." Lyra said, obtaining her new seat.
"I don't know what the big deal is, Ly." Junior said. "I doubt this'll be the last wedding you'll attend.
"Yeah, but this is the first one that I'm going to film." Lyra said, getting ready to record.
"I shall now call up the bridesmaids and groomsmen." Cumberbatch announced. "First, Maid of Honor: Karen McCormick and Best Man: George Smith."
Karen and Firkle walked up the aisle together and joined Kenny at the altar before Cumberbatch called everyone else up: "Clyde and Rebecca Donovan. Craig and Heidi Tucker. Tweek and Sally Tweak. Leopold and Millie Stotch. Cody Oppenheimer and Shelly Cartman. Stan Marsh and Bebe Broflovski. And Token Black and Esther Stoley."
The rest of the groomsmen and bridesmaids walked down the aisle, with Lyra recording all of it. "Dad, Mrs. Broflovski, hi!" Lyra waved as the two adults walked together. Stan and Bebe discretely waved back at the girl in response.
Felix was especially happy to see her mother walk with Stan down the aisle just like he wanted. He whispered over to Larry and Barry, "You pulled through you guys, thanks a million. I knew I could count on you." The twin brothers both gave a peace sign at Felix as the wedding continued.
"So glad to see you all could make it." Cumberbatch said to the bridesmaids and groomsmen. "Now, onto the main event."
Kenny took a deep breath as Benedict Cumberbatch gave a nod to a small orchestra, signaling them to play, not the wedding march, but the song, "Can't Help Falling in Love." As the orchestra started to play, the flower girl and ring bearer walked down the aisle. The two small children got up to the altar, eager for what's about to unfold.
The music got everyone feeling warm and fuzzy inside.
"Wow, so beautiful." Lyra said mesmerized, but still recording intently.
"These are some of the people mom worked with." Barry explained. "Professionals if you will."
Then the lead singer began to sing….
"Wise men say, only fools rush in. But I can't help falling in love with you."
Shelly looks over at Cody. When Cody notices, she blushes and he gives a warm smile and a thumbs up.
"Shall I stay? Would it be a sin if I can't help falling in love with you?"
Stan is getting flashbacks to his and Wendy's wedding, mainly saying "I do," and kissing. The music made Stan get misty eyed.
"Hey, Stan, you okay?" Clyde asked, sensing Stan's emotion.
"Yeah, man, I'm fine." Stan said.
"Like a river flows surely to the sea, darling so it goes. Some things are meant to be."
Now Bebe is getting flashbacks to hers and Kyle's wedding. Of course she too remembers them saying "I do" and kissing. But what makes this flashback special, is that when all is said and done, Gerald Broflovski hands Bebe and Kyle a baby Felix, and they both cradle him in their arms.
Red noticed Bebe wiping a tear from her eye. "Hey, are you alright, Bebe?"
Bebe gave a warm smile and nodded.
As more instrumentals played, that was when Lola came out with her father, Oliver Johnson, who was ready to give his daughter away to Kenny. The father and daughter walked down the aisle, Oliver in a nice gray tuxedo and Lola in a white, vibrant, flowing wedding dress. Everybody was amazed at the beauty Lola possessed. To Kenny, she looked like an absolute love goddess.
"Mom…" Larry and Barry said, astonished at how beautiful their mother was.
"So…pretty." Lyra said recording Lola walking down the aisle.
"She looks absolutely…radiant." Edgar said, blushing.
"She looks like a princess." Carrie said.
"Take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can't help falling in love with you….For I can't help falling in love with you."
As the last verse of the song was sung, Oliver had delivered Lola to the altar so she could be with Kenny.
"She's all yours, Kenny." Oliver said. "Just so you know, I'm proud to call my son-in-law."
"Thanks, sir." Kenny said with a warm smile.
With the song over, and Kenny and Lola at the altar, everybody sat back down so Cumberbatch could continue with the ceremony.
"Dearly beloved," Cumberbatch said, "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of these two souls, Kenneth McCormick and Lola Johnson, in holy matrimony. Now, it has come to my understanding that you two have prepared your own vows, correct?"
"That's right, sir." Lola said.
"Very well." Cumberbatch said, letting the bride and groom have the floor. After taking their respective rings from the ring bearer, Kenny let Lola say her vows first.
"Kenneth Daniel McCormick." Lola began. "I knew from the moment we had our first date that our love was meant to last. You know how to make me laugh, you know how to have fun, and most importantly, you know how to be a great lover and an even better father, as proven through our two wonderful sons. You are my heart, my soul, my everything. I consider it a high honor to be your wife. Kenny, my Prince Charming, with this ring, I vow to love, nurture, and support you until the day I pass on." Lola puts Kenny's ring on his finger and he begins to say his vows.
"Dearest Lola," Kenny began, "We've been together for so long, and I feel like with each passing day, I love you more and more. I can't tell you what awaits us in the future…but I know for a fact I want to experience it with you, my queen. I feel blessed to not only be your lover, but the father of your children. I love you, Lola Johnson, a hundred years from now that fact will have never changed. With this ring, I promise to be your muse, your provider, and your loyal and loving husband." Kenny puts Lola's ring on her finger as Benedict Cumberbatch prepares to finish the ceremony.
"With all of that said and done, I must ask: Kenneth, do you take Lola Johnson to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Cumberbatch asked.
"I do." Kenny said.
"And, Lola," Cumberbatch said. "Do you take Kenneth to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do." Lola said.
"Then I now pronounce you, husband and wife." Cumberbatch said proudly. "You may kiss the bride."
Kenny and Lola held each other, looking into each other's eyes as they gave each other the most romantic kiss that either have given each other in a long time. There was cheering, applause, and joyful tears a-plenty. A truly wonderful and memorable ceremony this has been.
….
….
….
NOW IT'S PARTY TIME!
The chateau's ballroom was just as decked out as the great hall. There were even more decorations, linen table cloths, great music, a photographer to take pictures of everybody having a good time, a buffet table, and, as Bebe mentioned earlier, a chocolate fountain to go with desert.
We cut to the kid's table where the children of our main characters, sans Matthew who is sitting with Bebe and Stan at their table, are watching the aforementioned couple sitting and chatting with some of their friends, and even more notably, listening to Benedict Cumberbatch's jokes. He was sitting with them as well.
"Dr. Strange over there is foiling Operation Cupid as we speak!" Felix complained.
"What do you expect?" Mimi said. "It's not every day you meet a celebrity."
"But from the stories my mom told me, I'd think running into celebrities would be just another Tuesday for her and her friends." Felix said before realizing something. "Uh, guys, where's Lyra?"
As if on cue, Lyra returned to the kid's table, camera in hand.
"Sorry, guys, just had to record some footage of everybody having fun, everybody giving their best wishes to the bride and groom, you know all of that." Lyra explained.
"Lyra, that's lovely and all, but at what point did you forget that we're trying to get our parents together." Felix said
"You two are trying to get Mr. Marsh and Mrs. Broflovski together." Lindsay overheard along with Paul and Carrie, the three of them now being that last of the children to know about Operation Cupid.
"That's so nice." Carrie said.
"That'd be so totally awesome if you pulled if off!" Paul said
"I know it would." Felix said. "But we can't commence with the plan with Cumberbatch hanging out with our parents. We have to distract him long enough for Chelsea and Tommy's parents to deliver the wine bottle."
"Let me handle this." Paul said getting up from his seat and making his way to Cumberbatch's table.
At the aforementioned table, the likes of Stan, Bebe, Francis, Nelly, Bridon, Annie, Token, and Esther were laughing at a funny story Cumberbatch had told while working on the set of Avengers Infinity War.
"No way!" Bridon said.
"Swear to God, true story." Cumberbatch said laughing along with everyone at the table.
"That is so hilarious." Esther said.
"Who knew Benedict Cumberbatch was such a comedian?" Stan asked himself.
Paul came up to the actor and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Cumberbatch?"
"Oh hello, young man." Cumberbatch said most cordially. "How may I help you? Autograph, photograph?
"Actually, I just wanted to say I was just outside and I saw some shady characters hanging around a black Mercedes-Benz." Paul said, concocting a lie. "I think the license plate read: SHRLK 76."
"Oh no, that's my car!" Cumberbatch cried, falling for the lie. "Excuse me, I'll be right back."
Cumberbatch ran out of the chateau and Paul quickly headed back for the kids' table.
"Alright, Mr. Cumberbatch is taken care of." Paul said.
"Hurry, Felix." Chelsea said, "Get my parents and tell them to prepare the wine bottle!"
"On it!" Felix left the kid's table and went out to the dance floor where Clyde and Red were slow dancing to "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack. "Psst, Mr. and Mrs. Donovan, over here."
"Oh, what's up, Felix." Clyde said. "You having fun?"
"With all due respect, sir, there's no time for idle chit-chat. I think it's time we gift my mom and Mr. Marsh the wine bottle!" Felix said. "Do you two still have the money and the note?"
"Got them right here." Clyde said taking both the money and the note out of his tuxedo pocket.
"Perfect." Felix said. "Go over to the bar, ask for any wine that costs $80 dollars, and tell the bartender to attach the note to it."
"Yes sir." Clyde joked as he and Red went over to the bar, but not before Clyde could utter this line: "I thought I was done taking orders after the Marine Corps."
Back at Stan and Bebe's table, Benedict Cumberbatch had returned.
"Well, there were no shady characters to speak of." Cumberbatch said. "I wonder why that boy told me that?"
"Kids these days and their pranks, am I right?" Bridon asked.
"I guess." Cumberbatch said shrugging his shoulders. "So, how about another story to pass the time? May I tell you about the time when…" The actor was cut off when a chateau worker appeared with a wine bottle in hand.
"Excuse me, are you two Stan Marsh and Bebe Broflovski?" the worker asked the two adults.
"Yes." Stan and Bebe said together.
"Somebody wanted me to give you this wine bottle. Here, enjoy." The worker said placing the wine bottle on the table. Stan and Bebe looked like they were ready to pay the worker. "Don't worry about paying me. It was already paid for." The worker explained.
"By who?" Bebe asked.
"I'm not at liberty to say. Sorry" The worker said before going off elsewhere
Baby Matthew noticed a note attached to the bottle and tried to bring it to Bebe's attention. The baby gently tugged on Bebe's dress and pointed at the note.
"What's this?" Bebe asked as she detached the note from the bottle and read it. "You two look so cute together. Enjoy."
"Who would send us a bottle of wine with a note that says that?" Stan asked.
"Who knows?" Bebe said, looking at Stan with a small blush on her face.
"Hey, Bebe, are you blushing?" Annie asked.
"Huh, no, no way! You're crazy, Annie." Bebe said embarrassed.
Meanwhile, in another part of the ballroom, Cody looked outside on the chateau's deck to find Shelly just staring at the full moon in the sky. He decides to go outside and say hello.
"Hey now, what are you doing out here?" Cody asked, opening the door to the deck.
"Oh, hey Cody." Shelly said taking a glance behind her. "Just thought I'd get some fresh air."
"Oh." Cody said closing the door behind him. "Mind if I join you?"
"By all means." Shelly said as Cody stood beside her, looking at the moon with her. Cody reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.
"Smoke?" Cody offered.
"No, I'm good." Shelly said. Cody lit his cigarette and started smoking away. After taking a good puff, Cody blew out the cigarette smoke and let it float off and disappear into the night.
"Sure is a beautiful night, isn't it?" Cody asked. "Not a cloud in the sky."
"Yeah." Shelly said with a chuckle.
"So, if you don't mind me asking, why are you out here all by yourself?" Cody asked.
"It's just that being surrounded by all of these people who are in love, and me, fresh from a divorce, seeing all of this, just kind of makes me depressed." Shelly explained.
"I know exactly what you mean." Cody said. "I remember when my Mallory first died, I couldn't even be around lovey-dovey couples. It just made me too depressed. But I realized that that's how life sometimes goes: When you're stuck in a sea of sorrow and turmoil, there will be others floating by on their ship of happiness. As long as I told myself to get back up and keep on trucking, I knew that there'd be plenty of good times ahead of me, and I shouldn't dwell on every setback that may have befallen on me, no matter how big or small."
Cody put his hand on Shelly's shoulder before he continued talking. "Trust me, Shelly. You may be sad now, but if you keep your head up and don't let the stresses of life get you down, you may very well find yourself back on the path to the good life. As wise men once said, 'this too shall pass.'"
Just hearing Cody's words of encouragement was enough to perk Shelly up exponentially.
"Wow, that's the smartest, most insightful thing I've heard anyone say in a long time." Shelly said. "Thank you, Cody."
"My pleasure." Cody said with a smile. "So, you want to head back inside?"
"In a little while." Shelly said. "I just want to hang out here for a little bit."
"Okay." Cody said finishing his cigarette. He discarded to cigarette butt in a nearby ashtray. "Is it okay if I hangout out here with you? I wouldn't feel good about leaving a lovely lady like yourself out here by her lonesome."
Shelly blushed at Cody's chivalry and took her hand in his, causing him to blush. "I'd like that very much, Cody." She said.
"Great." Cody said with a smile.
Back inside with the kid's table, Penny looks back at Stan and Bebe's table to see Token and Esther chatting it up and having a good time together.
"Even if we don't succeed in getting you guys' parents together, at least we brought Mr. Black and Ms. Stoley together." Penny said. "Who knows, maybe we accidently created a romantic relationship. Granted, it's not the one we wanted, but at least we created one."
"And there's the key sentence right there: 'It's not the one we wanted.'" Lyra said.
"Just trying to look on the bright side of things." Penny said.
Felix got up and took the Cyndi Lauper CD out from his pocket. "I think the time has come for the final part of Operation Cupid." He said showing everyone at the table the CD.
"Cyndi Lauper, eh?" Cici said. "My mom love her music."
"What's the song good buddy?" Tori asked.
"Time After Time." Felix answered.
"Awesome." Junior said.
"I'm gonna go up to the DJ and put in my request." Felix said
"Alright you do that." Barry said as Felix left the table. "Good luck, dude."
Felix went across the dance floor, making sure to avoid getting noticed by Stan and Bebe, who were still sitting at their table. He eventually makes it to the DJ and Felix taps him on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, sir." Felix said politely
"Yo, what's up little dude?" The DJ asked.
"I want to know if you can play track seven of this CD next." Felix said handing the DJ the CD. The DJ examined it and saw the song he wanted.
"Bro, Time After Time is me and my girl's jam!" The DJ said enthusiastically. "Of course I'll play it for you, little dude."
"Thanks, sir, I'm grateful." Felix said as he returned to his table and rejoined his group of friends. "Alright gang, the pieces have fallen into place, now we wait."
As Felix was talking with his friends, the DJ put the CD into his sound system and set it to Track 7. "Attention party people." The DJ began. "If you're not too tired of slow songs, come and join us on the dance floor for a little Cyndi Lauper with Time After Time."
The music began to play, and it certainly piqued Bebe and Stan's interest.
"Oh my God, I love this song!" Bebe said.
"Yeah, me too." Stan said.
Stan looked to see Annie and Bridon as well as Francis and Nelly head out to the dance floor. He then looked over at Bebe and got an idea.
"Hey, uh, Bebe." Stan said as the woman looked in his direction. "I don't if you want to but…do you want to dance?"
Bebe blushed when Stan asked that. "Gosh, I'd love to, Stan," Bebe said, "But I can't leave Matthew alone. Look, the little guy is all tuckered out." She showed Stan the baby sleeping in his stroller. Oddly enough, the loud music that was playing all throughout had no effect on the baby. Matthew was sleeping so heavily and soundly that not even an earthquake would wake him up."
"I can watch him if you want, Bebe." Esther said.
"You can?" Bebe asked gleefully. She knew she could trust Esther.
"Of course." Esther said. "Go and have fun."
"Thanks, Esther." Bebe said before turning to Stan. "Okay, Stan, let's go." With that, Stan guided Bebe to the dance floor, catching the attention of the kids at the kid's table.
"Felix, look!" Chelsea said excitedly.
Felix looked, and he saw his mother and Mr. Marsh slow dancing, just like his plan intended. "We did it guys!" Felix said, almost crying tears of joy. "Everything went according to plan. Operation Cupid is a total success."
"Boy, aren't we lucky." Isabella muttered to herself sarcastically.
"This is awesome!" Lyra said getting her camera. "I've got to record this!" Lyra left the kid's table to record her father dancing with Bebe.
Felix took his eyes off of the two adults long enough to look over at Chelsea. He held out his and the girl looked up at him.
"May I have this dance?" Felix asked.
"You may." Chelsea said taking Felix's hand. Barry saw the two of them head for the dance floor, so he went over to Tori and held his hand out to her.
"Are you asking me to dance?" Tori asked.
"Y-Yeah." Barry said with a blush. Tori giggled and took Barry's hand as the two of them went out to dance.
"Way to go, Barry! I'm proud of you!" Larry said seeing this.
Meanwhile, outside, Cody and Shelly heard the music playing. They looked inside and saw everyone slow dancing. "Time After Time." Cody said. "There's a song I haven't heard in a while."
Cody turned to Shelly and held his hand out. "Shelly, would you like to head back inside and dance with me."
Shelly blushed hard and accepted Cody's invitation. "O-Okay." She said as she and Cody headed back inside and joined everyone else on the dance floor. Once they got there, Shelly got a little nervous.
"I'm going to be honest, Cody." Shelly began. "I haven't really slow danced with anyone in a while."
"Don't worry, I'll give you a little refresher." Cody said, showing Shelly how he should hold him. "Hold my hand like this, wrap your other arm around me like that. I'll hold you like this. And now we just sway back and forth like so." The two of them began to slow dance, and Shelly quickly understood the rhythm. "There we go, you got it!" Cody said happily, "Very nice."
"Thanks Cody." Shelly said happily. The two of them looked into each other's eyes smiling.
We cut to Stan and Bebe dancing. They seem to be enjoying each other's company, just slow dancing and embracing each other.
"Wow, you're pretty good at this." Bebe said.
"Thanks, Bebe." Stan said. "Last time I slow danced with someone was with Lyra at Cartman and Shelly's wedding. Gotta say it feels weird not having someone standing on my feet while I dance."
Bebe laughed at that joke before looking up at Stan with a smile. "Truth be told, I haven't slow danced with anyone in a while either." Bebe said. "I forgot how nice it feels."
"I know what you mean." Stan said. "I think it's the closeness of it all that makes it feel good."
"I agree." Bebe said. "Hey, Stan, is it okay if I rest my head on your chest while we dance?"
"Go ahead." Stan said blushing.
Bebe rested her head on Stan's strong chest. She smiled as he heard his heart beat almost in sync with her own. "I love this." Bebe whispered, a warm smile spreading over her face.
Stan looked down at Bebe, her head still resting on his chest, enjoying the feeling of her body on his as they slowly danced. Suddenly, Stan felt all warm and fuzzy inside, almost as if another emotion was taking president in his heart: Love!
"This is good, isn't it?" Stan asked Bebe.
"Mmm-hmm." Bebe said with a nod.
Lyra was recording all of this on her camera, the beautiful moment bringing a tear to her eye. "I'm never going to forget this night." She said as she recorded her father and Bebe slowly dancing as if they were a couple in love.
About two hours later, it was midnight. The party was over and everyone was heading back to the Stanley Hotel for the night. Everyone except the Oppenheimers that is. Cody decided to drive back to his home in Boulder with his kids, Edgar and Tori. After saying goodbye to their new friends, the three of them headed back to their car with Shelly following behind so she could say goodbye to Cody personally.
"Wowie, what a fun night this has been." Tori said with a yawn.
"You kids tired?" Cody asked.
"Yeah." Edgar and Tori said together, causing Cody to unlock the door to their Lincoln Navigator.
"Why don't you kids wait in the car while I say goodbye to Ms. Marsh." Cody said. After divorcing Cartman, Shelly wished to be referred to using her original surname.
"Okay dad." Edgar said. "Goodnight, Ms. Marsh."
"Yeah, great seeing you." Tori said as she and her brother headed into the car.
"Thanks for dancing with me, Cody." Shelly said. "I had a really great time with you tonight."
"Glad to hear it." Cody said. "I had a great time with you tonight too….Hey, Shelly."
"Hmm?" Shelly said
Cody began twiddling his thumbs like a nervous child and said, "I know you're just fresh from a divorce and all, but have you ever considered dating again?"
"Well, I've thought about it, why?" Shelly asked.
"If you really enjoyed spending time with me, I thought maybe you'd like to see me more often." Cody said. "You know, I call you or you call me, and we just hang out."
"That'd be great." Shelly said. "But you live in Boulder while I live in Pueblo, soon to be back in South Park this summer. I think it'd be too much of a hassle to meet up."
"I could come down and get you, and we can hang out someplace in Pueblo." Cody said.
"You don't mind driving over two hours for me?" Shelly asked.
"I don't mind." Cody said. "I'm always up for a good drive. And besides, a girl like you is worth it."
"Well, I'll think about it." Shelly said.
"Okay." Cody said taking out a pen and pad and writing something down. "If the mood ever strikes you though, here's my phone number." Cody handed Shelly the piece of paper with his phone number written on it. "Just let me know when you're ready for the date, and I'll come down for you ASAP."
"Okay, thanks." Shelly said with a blush.
"I gotta go now, Shelly." Cody said bringing the woman into a hug. "It's been fun hanging out with you, and I'm glad to have met you."
"Same to you, Cody." Shelly said hugging back. "You have a safe trip home."
"Thanks, you have a good night, now." Cody said as he got into his car and drove off, Shelly lovingly staring after him. She was brought back to reality by Junior calling her.
"Mom, hurry up!" Junior called. "You're going to miss the shuttle bus."
"Oh, coming!" Shelly said as she came up running. Once all of the wedding-goers were on board, the shuttle busses headed back to the Stanley Hotel where everybody turned in for the night.
We cut to Stan, Bebe, and their kids on an elevator heading to their rooms.
"I don't know about you all, but I had a great time." Felix said.
"It was the best, dude." Lyra said to her friend. The elevator stopped at Stan and Lyra's floor and the doors opened up.
"I guess this is where we get off." Stan said.
"Looks that way." Bebe said. "I had a really great time with you tonight, Stan."
"Me too." Stan said with a smile. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow for the drive back home?"
"Of course." Bebe said. "Good night, Stan."
"Good night, Bebe." Stan said as he and Lyra got off the elevator and headed to their room. The doors closed and the Broflovskis continued to ride the elevator until it stopped on their floor. The mother and three children left the elevator and started to make their way to their room. Felix turned to face his mother.
"I saw you dancing with Mr. Marsh tonight, mom." Felix said. "How was it?"
"It was…nice." Bebe said with a blush. "I really enjoyed it."
Bebe turned to look at her son. It was then she saw a very familiar gleam in his eyes.
"What?" Bebe said. "Hang on Felix, come here for a second."
"What is it mom?" Felix asked coming closer to his mother. Bebe looked closer at Felix's eyes and realized what the familiar gleam was.
"Oh my! K-Kyle…" Bebe said. Similar to when Lyra was born, Bebe is seeing visions of Kyle's life in Felix's eyes. Among these visions we see…
Vision #1: Kyle and Bebe in kindergarten sharing snacks at snack time. Kyle had brought Goldfish Crackers while Bebe brought Double Stuffed Oreo Cookies.
Vision #2: Bebe kissing Kyle in the episode Clubhouses
Vision #3: Kyle confessing his love for Bebe when she came over for a night of studying.
Vision #4: Bebe comforting Kyle in the Four Seasons Hotel Room after he had a PTSD induced nightmare
Vision #5: Kyle admiring Bebe as she's holding Felix when he was born
Vision #6: Kyle and Bebe's wedding as mentioned earlier in this chapter
Bebe was truly astonished and surprised to see such a wonderful site.
"Hey, mom, is everything okay?" Felix asked.
"Yeah, you're kind of zoning out here." Isabella said.
Bebe snapped out of her trance before answering her children. "Yeah, kids, I'm fine." She said. "I just thought I saw pink eye, Felix, but you're okay."
"Okay great." Felix said, unaware of what happened. He let out a yawn and said "Let's get back to our room, I'm tired."
With that, the group of four made it back to their hotel room where they settled in for a good night's rest.
Later that evening, we retreat once again to Felix's dreams.
In this dream, Felix finds himself back on the grassy plain. As he explores more of the plain, Lyra runs past him.
"Hey, Felix!" Lyra said as she quickly zips on by.
"Lyra?" Felix said confused. "Wait stop! What are you doing here in my dream?"
Lyra stopped and turned to Felix. "I should be asking you what you're doing in my dream?"
"Hold on." Felix said. "Lyra, is it me, or are we sharing the same dream right now?"
"You and me, sharing the same dream?" Lyra said confused. "What kind of Inception plot is this? I mean, an idea like that is beyond farfetched. There's no way we could be sharing the same dream."
"Don't second guess him, Lyra." Came a feminine voice
"Yeah, Felix is right." Came Kyle's voice."
"Dad, is that you?" Felix asked. "Where are you, and who are you with?"
"Turn around and take a look." Kyle said as the two children turned around. When they did Kyle was right behind them with, who else, Wendy Testaburger!
"Wait…" Lyra said looking at Wendy. "Mom? Is that really you?"
"Yes it is, Lyra." Wendy said opening her arms for a hug which Lyra graciously gave. Felix ran up to Kyle and hugged him too.
"What are you guys doing here?" Felix asked the two souls.
"It has come to mine and Mrs. Marsh's attention that your mother has seen what looks like, visions of my life in your eyes." Kyle explained to his son.
"Well that explains why she was zoning out on me earlier." Felix said.
"Your father saw the very same things in your eyes when you were born, Lyra." Wendy said to her daughter.
"He told me about that." Lyra said.
"The reason we are here is so that we can tell you both something." Wendy said.
"Felix, Lyra, when we died, we have placed our souls inside your hearts so that we can keep a close eye on you all. Wendy's soul resides in Lyra's heart, while my soul resides in Felix's heart" Kyle explained. "I would've told you the last time we met, son, but I chose to keep it a surprise until a moment like this came."
"Okay, wait a minute." Lyra said. "You mean to tell us that your souls are resting inside us."
"What is this, Kingdom Hearts?" Felix said. "Are we the Sora to your guys' Ventus?"
Kyle and Wendy laughed at that statement.
"As your father said, Felix, we only did that so we can keep a close eye on you, our friends and family, and your friends." Wendy said. "We foresee many great things in both of your futures, and we don't want to miss them for the world."
"That's so nice." Lyra said.
"Speaking of nice things, we noticed how you two are trying to fix up your mom with Lyra's dad, Felix." Kyle said.
"Yeah, we are." Felix said. "You're not mad at us are you? Izzy doesn't seem too happy about this."
"Don't worry about Izzy, Felix, she'll come around I'm sure." Kyle said.
"And don't worry, kids, we're not angry at you." Wendy said. "In fact, we kind of encourage those two getting together. I even thought to myself back when I was alive that if something bad ever happened to me, your mom, Felix, would be the one person I could see Lyra's dad getting together with."
"And that goes double for me." Kyle said. "We appreciate what you two have been doing, and it looks like you're on the right track."
"I'd say those two are well on their way to falling in love again." Wendy said. "All because of you two."
"Thanks, dad, thanks Mrs. Marsh." Felix said with a smile.
"We'd love to stay and chat, but we must leave you now." Wendy said.
"Do you have to?" Lyra said disheartened.
"Don't worry, sweetie, you'll see us again." Wendy said.
"Come here, you two, bring it in." Kyle said as the four of them joined in a group hug. When they released the hug, Kyle and Wendy started to float away.
"Bye, dad, I love you!" Felix said waving.
"Bye, mom, it was great seeing you." Lyra said waving.
"Goodbye, Lyra, it was great seeing you too." Wendy said.
"Bye, son, and good luck." Kyle said.
Wendy and Kyle disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Lyra and Felix alone on the grassy plain.
"That was so cool." Felix said.
"Tell me about it." Lyra said holding her hand over her heart. "So our parents, reside deep in our hearts."
"That's what they said." Felix said mimicking Lyra's movements. "My dad and your mom are always going to be with us no matter what. Even if we can't physically see them, we know that they're always there."
"Yeah." Lyra said as she and Felix look up into the cloudless, sunlit sky of the grassy plain, spending the rest of their time in the dream pondering everything that had just happened.
TO BE CONTINUED…
(Cue Don't Think Twice by Hikaru Utada (Once again, characters and events that have yet to appear/happen will be mentioned here))
(How did I live in a kingdom of thieves? And people who say things they don't really mean?)
(It's a sunny day and Wendy and Stan are dancing together outside and right next to them are Kyle and Bebe, who are also dancing. Suddenly, the sunny skies turn stormy and Wendy is ripped away from Stan, and Kyle is ripped away from Bebe, both couples trying in vein to reach out to one another. Wendy and Kyle go up into the sky, can the ground gives weight for Stan and Bebe to fall down)
(You're only everything I ever dreamed. Ever dreamed of, ever dreamed of)
(As Stan and Bebe fall, they are enveloped by a red colored paint type substance. Behind the paint is a shadowy figure. It smiles evilly. This figure is one of Jacques Brodeur)
(You must be kidding me, did you really think I could say no?)
(Stan's daughter Lyra, and Bebe's son Felix are running through a grassy plain and two balls of light fall from the sky. The light balls reveal themselves as Wendy and Kyle, who hold their hands out to their children)
(I want you for a lifetime. So if you're gonna think twice, baby. I don't wanna know, baby, I don't wanna know)
(Cartman is standing in front of a statue of a heart. He pulls out a gun and shoots it, causing it to break. Shelly then appears and collapses to the ground, heartbroken)
(Everything is just right. But if you're gonna think twice, baby. I don't wanna know, baby, I don't wanna know)
(Sometime later, Cody Oppenheimer finds the broken pieces of the heart and puts them back together)
(I really don't get what everyone else believes. So why do I say things I don't really mean, really mean.)
(Late at night, Lola and Kenny are in bed. But while Lola is sleeping, Kenny is looking up more information about the crystals he heard about in war)
(I'm only crying 'cause I never dreamed. It'd take this long, it'd take this long)
(Kenny thinks about General Rakish with the big purple crystal floating over him. Suddenly, eight more smaller crystals circle around the big purple one: A red one, a blue one, a green one, a gold one, a pink one, an orange one, a white one, and a black one)
(I want you for a lifetime. So if you're gonna think twice, baby. I don't wanna know, baby, I don't wanna know.)
(General Rakish turns into another villain, Carlos Murciélago. The crystals are still floating over him, and the background changes to the grassy plain from before. The main adults and children are watching in horror at the sight before them)
(Everything is just right. But if you're gonna think twice, baby. I don't wanna know, baby, I don't wanna know)
(Carlos summons a demon warship from out of nowhere and easily takes out the adults and younger children, much to the older children's horror)
(Don't think twice, don't think twice. Don't think twice, baby, don't think twice)
(The children are crying and look like they're going to lose hope when an astral projection of Sir Justice appears. The sight of the unknown hero inspires the children to not give up and put the villain down. The children and Sir Justice charge at Carlos and the warship)
(If you want to take it to an even higher level. All you gotta do is say the word, you know I'll follow. If you wanna take it to an even higher level. I don't, I don't bite)
(Outside of the dream, Isabella Broflovski is looking at a picture of Kyle. Behind him Stan places a hand on her shoulder, which Isabella brushes off and walks away)
(If you want to make it happen, nothing's impossible. All you gotta do is say the word, the walls will crumble. If you want to make it happen, nothing's impossible)
(Shelly gets up from her heartbreak and finds Cody holding a hand out to pick her up. Shelly grabs Cody's hand and we cut to the next scene)
(I want you for a lifetime. So if you're gonna think twice, baby. I don't wanna know, baby, I don't wanna know)
(Stan and Jacques are fighting for Bebe's affections)
(Everything is just right. But if you're gonna think twice, baby. I don't wanna know, baby, I don't wanna know)
(Felix and Lyra are in a dark area, the look behind them to find a older, dying boy in a hospital bed. This boy is named Byron. Lyra and Felix try and run to the hospital bed to see him, but once again, the ground gives weight and the two kids fall into darkness)
(Kiss me once, kiss me twice, kiss me three times. Cross the line)
(Stan and Bebe are alone on a hill somewhere admiring the sunset. The two of them look into each other's eyes before making a move to kiss each other)
(Don't think twice, don't think twice. Don't think twice, baby, don't think twice)
(Cut to night time on that same hill where the Marshes, Broflovskis, Donovans, Tweaks, Tuckers, Cartmans, Stotches, McCormicks, and Oppenheimers are looking up at a full moon. Some of the kids are asleep, but those who are awake are enjoying the company and the beauty of the night sky)
Wow this chapter was a long one. But, hey, I enjoyed making it and I feel that it advanced the story in more ways than one.
Next up is Stan and Bebe's date night. Stick around for the fun.
Also, while on the subject of dating, we should keep an eye on Shelly and Cody. One can only imagine what's in store for them.