Chapter seven

Light at the end of the tunnel

Wendy bid Kyle goodbye with a hug and left the Broflovski residence dressed in very oversized clothes. The young Jew had offered to take her in his car, but she had declined, with the excuse that the fresh air would do her good.

After spending the night with Kyle and partially coming to terms with the fact that Stan had cheated, on her she felt slightly better.

She was still quite annoyed at Bebe though, all that time she had such strong feelings for Stan, she could have just told her, but on the other hand, Wendy new that she hadn't said anything, not to be malicious, but to make sure she didn't worry.

The recovering logical side in her new that Bebe had only acted out of desperation after years of suffering seeing them together, but the jealous and vengeful side of her couldn't forgive her; no matter how desperate, you never do that kind of thing to a friend, especially to such a close friend.

The birds chirped and the sounds of the town drifted to her from afar as she wondered home. Wendy looked up at the clear blue sky as a single plane could be seen flying, leaving a single streak of cloud behind it.

It was alone in the sky, just like her, single. She looked back down, sighing.

"Well… let's make the best of it…"

She muttered to herself as she took a left up her pathway, rummaging through her pockets in search of her keys. She eventually found them and entered her house, greeted immediately by her worried parents.

The tone indicating that she was calling rang as she help up her mobile phone to her ear, her breathing slightly faster than usual.

The sound stopped abruptly and a calm voice answered the call.

"Hi Wendy"

Wendy paused for a moment upon hearing Cartman, even his voice was enough to make her feel her palms start sweating. What was it about this guy that threw her off so much?

"Oh… um… Hi Eric"

"This is a surprise, I thought you didn't like me"

He said, quite forward.

"Yea well… I was being a bit to irrational…"

"It's ok Wendy, I understand. What can I do for you?"

"Did… you hear what happened to Stan?"

She asked, not quite sure how to steer the conversation.

'Yes, yes I did. It was quite shocking news… Have you seen him?"

"Y-yes, I, um… visited him yesterday, he is… still in the coma…"

"I'm very sorry Wendy… you must be divested to lose your Boyfriend like that"

Wendy sighed, he hadn't heard about them.

"Well… we aren't really together anymore… but I'm still worried about him, don't get me wrong!"

"Is that so…?"

Wendy walked around her room nervously. She wasn't entirely sure why she had called Cartman in the first place. She had determined that she wanted to see him, but was calling him the day after Stan was put in hospital the right thing to do?

She stopped and blinked, what was she thinking? She was just calling him to chat, it wasn't as if there was anything else to her intentions, was there? As she lost herself in thoughts, Cartmans voice echoed threw the receiver, pulling her back.

"I understand you must be quite affected by the news, I am free this afternoon, why don't we get together, I'm sure talking about it for a while will make you feel a lot better, if you don't mind being with me of course"

Wow, such a direct offer from someone who had a history with her like Cartman. Wendy paused but then answered.

"No, I'd like that, I'm going to give you a chance, you deserve at least that. Where and when do you want to meet?

"Well, I know you like the mall, so how about there at 4?"

His voice asked boldly.

"Ok then… see you there Eric"

She hung up and fell back on her bed, hugging a pillow against her chest. She had just asked Cartman out on a date, well, more like he had asked her.

Cartman had asked Wendy out on a date, she pondered over how strange that sounded and how she would have reacted if this had occurred when they were kids, she would have kicked him square in the balls.

"People change…"

She said to herself and then suddenly realized she had no idea what to wear. So she got up and started to search for something appropriate to put on of the date.

A few hours later Wendy left her house with a short purple skirt, a grey half shirt, not to revealing though, and a purple hairband around her head, holding her hair in place with a big bow.

Her parents were quite surprised, and not very happy, about her leaving a mere day after her, now ex boyfriend, had fallen in coma, but she had managed to push that to the back of her head, its something she had become quite good at doing over the years. Her worrying about him like crazy was not going to bring him back any faster, he had Bebe for that, she did however make a mental note to visit him the next day.

Her mind was filled with wonder on what she would encounter, spending the afternoon with Cartman. Her heart raced as the mall entered her view, she could almost already hear his comforting voice as she rushed inside. She checked her mobile's time. She still had 15 minutes till 4, so she made her way to the fountain in the center of the grand building, only to be surprised.

Standing there, looking up at the second floor was Eric Cartman, dressed in a pair of black tight jeans, a white vest and a black shirt. His hair swayed gently and his smile almost seemed to shine as he looked over at her, realizing she had arrived.

Wendy walked over, feeling her heart beat faster as she approached the handsome teen.

"You're early"

He said calmly but confidently.

"…S-so are you"

She stuttered, feeling herself blush as she spoke, what was wrong with her? She could feel her legs fail underneath her.

"Well, my mom needed to buy some stuff, so I brought her here a little early"

He explained as Liane walked out of a shop and towards them.

"Hello Wendy"

She greeted in her usual cheery self. The middle aged woman hadn't changed much over the last few years, her hair may have been slowly turning white and some more wrinkles had formed around her eyes, but her new glowing smile made her look much more youthful. She quickly hugged Wendy.

"My, my, dear, how you have grown! It's so nice to see you!"

"Um… It's good to se you as well Miss Cartman"

She said, not entirely sure what to answer. Liane stepped back and looked at her.

"Eric told me what happened to little Stanly, I'm very sorry Wendy, I hope he gets better soon! If you ever need anything, please, you are more than welcome to come over, I'll make sure to fix you something to eat"

She said with a smile and looked up at her son.

"Eric dear, I have finished getting the things I need, I'll call a cab home so you can keep the car"

Cartman laughed slightly and looked back down at his mother, his eyes full of love.

"No way mom, you take the car, please don't worry about me, I'll find my way back"

Liane leaned up and placed a kiss on her son's cheek, her eyes filled of joy and happiness that only a mother extremely proud of her son could ever have.

"Thank you so much Eric, what a perfect son I have"

She said with a sniff, almost as if she was going to cry. All the years of suffering had come to an end as Cartman had transformed into his new self. She had been left alone to raise little Eric, and had always feared that he would never change, but to see him now, so handsome, responsible and loving brought tears to her eyes every time she saw him.

She eventually turned to Wendy one last time.

"I know my son may have not have been very nice in the past, but please, give him a chance, you wont regret it"

She said with a wide smile, again her eyes filled with pride for her son.

"Come on mom, don't embarrass me"

Cartman laughed and Liane left them alone, chuckling to herself on her way out.

The noirette just stood gobsmacked at the scene as Cartman turned to her.

"How are you doing Wendy?"

"I-I'm… ok I guess"

She answered staring at the young man, still trying to take in what she had just witnessed, maybe he had really changed for the best. Something inside her flourished, filling her with a warm sensation. She snapped out of her trance and looked up at Eric.

"So… what do you want to do?"

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me a bit about what happened, I have to admit, I'm worried about you."

He said as he his head leaned to the side and he put on a troubled expression. Wendy felt herself blush again and looked away.

"Y-yea…"

"Maybe some ice cream would help? Lets get over to the food court and find somewhere to sit where we can speak in peace.

"Ok then…"

The young teens made their way silently through the halls that were brimming with people talking and kids running and laughing.

After a little while they were sitting together at a little booth, surrounded by plants, next to the fountain. It was a nice sheltered little place compared to the rest of the crowded mall. Wendy stirred her strawberry ice cream in a little glass cup as Cartman took a spoonful of his mint one. He gently wiped his mouth and his black eyes looked over at Wendy. She felt a blanked of warmth as he looked at her, almost sensing his kindness. This was nothing like the Cartman she had witnessed the other day, this one was… perfect. She blushed at the thought.

"So Wendy… do you want to talk about what happened? I'm all ears"

He said, his calm voice and soft stare filling her with security as she felt like nothing could harm her now. She breathed in deep and exhaled slowly, feeling all her emotions flow away and commenced to tell him about the events that had occurred in the last days.

Bebe acting weird, Stan's reactions to her advances, finding them, the shooting, the hospital and Kyle's house.

"In fact, it was Kyle that recommended I speak with you"

She said, finishing and wiping some of the tears that had formed in her eyes.

Eric, who had been silent the whole time with his hands crossed in front of him, unfolded his arms and lay them down on the table, leaning forwards with a sigh.

"I'm so sorry Wendy… you have been through so much… I can't even begin to imagine the pain you must have suffered.

Wendy looked down, trying desperately not to cry, not in front of Cartman, but her emotions that had built up over the last days finally caught up with her. The security Eric emitted around her had made her let her guard down so all those feelings that had stored up finally had a way to escape.

Tears began to gently slide down her cheeks as her throat tightened and she found it harder and harder to keep her voice down.

Cartmans strong arms wrapped themselves around her with care and his chest rubbed against her back. At some point he had gotten up in silence and walked over to her side of the booth and had hugged her from the side. She looked up to him and realized he had closed his eyes. She couldn't believe it, this wasn't what she wanted, for Cartman to pity her, but he wasn't laughing at her, he wasn't taunting her, he was embracing her, he was protecting her with his body, he worried about her. More and more tears formed in her eyes as she realized that he really cared now. She shifted herself deeper into his embrace and buried her face between his warm and cologne scented clothes, crying her eyes out, letting all the bottled up emotions escape under the only cover of protection she had felt in years. For the first time since she could remember, it wasn't her against the world, she didn't only have herself to trust in, he was there now, another human being that filled her with a real sense of safety.

Time passed without either of them moving. If could have been minutes or hours, Wendy was to lost with the face that she could finally let her guard down and relax to notice. Eric hadn't spoken a word in the whole time, it wasn't necessary.

Finally Wendy reached the end of her years worth of bottled up tears, but kept herself there, every now and then sniffing, rubbing herself gently more and more into the young mans embrace, taking in all his warmth and scent.

Eric's grip tightened one last time and he slowly released her. The bright light blinded her momentarily as she adapted back to it, slowly making out the young man looking at her, his face bearing a slight comforting smile.

"Feeling any better?"

He asked and Wendy felt her heart skip a beat once again.

"Y-yes"

She said with a sniff as she wiped the remaining tears on her sleeve.

"Much better, thank you Eric… thank you so much"

She said, pulling out a little mirror from her purse to check her makeup that must have been ruined after all the crying.

Cartman stopped her hand and pulled out what looked like a purple colored silk handkerchief from his shirt pocket. He got up close to her face and looked at her, slowly dabbing around her eyes with an extremely gentle touch, this dark eyes examining her all over. A few moments later he leaned out again and picked up the mirror Wendy had placed on the table and put it in front of her.

Wendy gasped as she saw her face in the mirror; except for her bloodshot eyes, her makeup was in a perfect state, as if she had never been crying at all.

"How did you…?"

"I was took drama classes for a few years and we learnt some tricks with makeup"

He explained with a smile, handing her back her mirror. She slowly took it and put it back in her purse, then noticing the handkerchief Eric had used sitting on the table, covered in her makeup. She reached for it.

"Please, let me take this home, I'll clean it and get it back you as soon as possible!"

She said, desperate to repay him in someway for all his kindness. He laughed slightly.

"Ok then, if that makes you feel any better"

Wendy looked up at the handsome man. Kyle was right; Eric had changed for the best. He had filled her with feelings no one had ever made her feel. She lowered her head as she reached and put her arms around him, giving him another hug. There was no reason behind it, she just needed to. Cartman didn't say anything but did return the hug. They remained joined together for a few minutes and Wendy finally broke away.

"Thank you… so much Eric… I… don't know what to say..."

"Well I hope its not goodbye. I was hoping that maybe you would like to do something else together"

Wendy's heart fluttered at his offer.

"What did you have in mind? She asked, eager.

"Well… how about we have a game of bowling"

He offered, looking slightly nervous.

"Well… I've never really played, you'll beat me for sure"

She said, quite surprised at the offer.

"Don't worry, I can teach you, so, do you want to try?"

She nodded, how could she say no.

The two of them left their half eaten ice creams behind and set of for the bowling ally in the mall, this time standing much closer together.

"No, no, you have to swing your arm like this"

Cartman explained once more as he situated his body against her back and placed his arm over hers, holding her hand gently.

It tuned out that bowling wasn't as easy as she had thought. She had been having a really good time with Eric and he was now showing her over and over again how to hold and swing the ball until he had finally stood up and gotten close to move her body in the correct way.

His firm arms and torso rubbed against her as he showed her how to prepare the shot, but she was far away from listening to his words, she was to enveloped by the fact that his warm body was so close to her, his smooth hands gently holding hers. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck and yet again she felt her legs fail, but this time she did actually lose control over them, crashing to her knees.

She looked up to see Cartman staring down at her, a grin on his face.

"So I'm guessing were not signing up to the bowling tournament then?"

Wendy stared up at him and where, if Stan had said something like that she would have been angered, this time she just burst out laughing as she got back onto her feet. Cartman chuckled along with her as he walked back to his seat and called out to the noirette.

"Give it a last shot, if you don't get this then we can just leave"

Wendy stopped laughing; she didn't want to leave his side. She shook her head and concentrated, remembering his instructions. She prepared her arms, aimed with her view, swung her arm steadily and sure enough the ball followed its trajectory, knocking all the pins down.

"Wow, seems like you have a hidden talent!"

Cartman applauded from his seat. Wendy turned around and smiled at him, proud of herself.

"I just have a very good teacher!"

"I guess that's true as well"

He laughed.

The afternoon quickly turned to evening and then to night as the last stores started to close.

The two teens walked outside, Wendy holding a little stuffed bear Eric had won her at a claw machine. It was a bit cliché, but for some reason it had filled her with satisfaction and warmth.

They slowly walked back together, laughing and commenting on the highlights of the day.

As they reached Wendy's house she realized how far away he lived, and the fact that he had purposely walked all this way with her just to make sure she arrived safely.

They stood out her front door in silence, bathed only in the light from the small porch light bulb. A few moths flying around it creating flickering shadows and the sound of crickets filled the air around them as they looked at each other.

"Well Wendy, I'm really glad you are feeling better. I'm just happy I could help"

The noirette couldn't find words so she just got close and hugged him, one again resting her head against his chest.

He returned the hug and kept it for a few moments.

"Thank you so much…"

She whispered, her voice cracking.

"You're welcome. Please keep in contact ok? I want to make sure you are alright"

He broke the hug but left his hands on her arms, looking her in the eyes.

"You'll tell me if anything is wrong or if you simply need to talk, right?"

He asked, his eyes flashing with confidence.

"Yes…"

She muttered, blushing.

Eric closed in and gently placed a kiss on her cheek, keeping himself there for few moments and then took a step back.

"Good night Wendy"

He smiled and walked away slowly, disappearing into the darkness as Wendy stood sill, her fingers softly touching the place he had kissed her.

Snow slowly started to fall gently as she turned around and entered her house, then realizing she had the handkerchief in her pocket.

She fished it out and examined it, her eyes filled with surprise as she read a small inscription it had on its side.

-This is a present, from me to you, so you know I'll always be here for you.

Eric.-

A/N: Awwwwww ,isn't Cartman the best? . Don't forget to follow and leave a review to make me super proud of myself, leading to more ff's in the future! This one is reaching the end, expect maybe 2 or 3 more chapters, but i already have a few ideas for future stories. Thanks to everyone who has been following this one up to now! ^^