Hello everyone! I've started using Google Drive to write each chapter (not that this changes anything). Maybe it'll allow me to post chapters a little earlier, though. Anyway, this chapter doesn't really have any action, just a lot of foreshadowing and side-plot developing. I'm trying to slow the roll with the villains so that the plot kind of matches real world time. I hope it works...

Okay. *puts on announcer voice* Last time on Care Bears Z, Terrence and Tiara managed to infiltrate No Heart's castle and rescue not only Lisa, but Tiara's husband Niall as well. A daring battle ensued, resulting in the full awakenings of Noble Heart Horse and Love-a-Lot Bear. Now, the four guardians of caring must not only figure out a way to find and reunite the rest of the Care Bears and Cousins, they must be on their guard as suspicions arise among friends and family. Think that's not enough stress? What happens when real-world problems work their way into their lives? Find out in Care Bears Z Episode 07: Human Woes and Vengeance!
~Z~

A home in the sky really is beautiful. You never need to worry about ground-worthy things such as noisy cars and noisier people. If you live higher than the clouds, you'll never have to worry about weather. If you live even farther away, you can watch the world in all its big blue glory, patiently sitting and staring as it slowly turned itself around the sun. You could also sit in the comfortable silence of the stars, the beautiful beacons of the night. Then you could watch as the moon greeted its sister Earth as it danced around it. A life like this never has a care in the world.
Too bad it wasn't this way.
Being the Great Wishing Star, he had the ability to do all these things. He had the choice to just sit back and watch time as it played out on its own. He had the choice to not speak, the choice to simply hear and to oblige. He didn't have to do anything for these dear people.
However, he wanted to.
They were his charges, his children to an extent. He had given them these powers, and watched over them as they used them. He had foreseen what would happen; the events occurring now and the events that would come to pass. Some of it was foggy, yes; he was getting older and older by the decade. However, he could see clearly that this journey would not be easy. He pitied them, as the trials that awaited them were large and plentiful. He could do nothing, it seemed. He supposed it was better; it would do no good to throw a wrench into the timeline if it wasn't necessary. After all, the Care Bear Family had overcome many trials. Surely they could overcome these...
Then again, their experiences with adolescent life were often second-hand.
A soft squeak called his attention from the slowly turning Earth. He gave a small smile to the little, wide-eyed entity that floated next to him.
"Yes, little Heart Buddy. You may go to him now," he said. "You will do well, I know it."
The little heart moved its body in what was most likely a nod. Then it turned and flew down toward Earth's surface. The Great Wishing Star watched it disappear, and then sighed softly.
"I have faith in them, and what I have seen," he said to himself. "Though I wish to reveal all, I mustn't disturb it this time..."
The old star sighed again. Then he turned his attention back to Earth, for the Eastern Hemisphere had made itself fully visible. His mind never quite left the Care Bears as he felt the wishes of countless people flow toward him.

~Z~

"Terrence..."
"Terrence."
"TERRENCE!"
The brunet boy jerked out of his thoughts for the third time that since he'd woken up that morning he couldn't keep his attention on anything but his family, both human and Care Bear alike. He blinked,finally coming back to reality when he saw the face of Benjamin, whose eyebrow was quirked in curious concern.
"What's up with you, man? That's the second time you've spaced out on me," Ben grabbed a fry from his lunch tray and popped it into his mouth. "Something up?"
"Nah...I'm fine. Just thinking..." Terrence looked around the cafeteria, searching for any sign of Lisa. She was nowhere to be found, however, and his shoulders sagged. Ben managed to notice his sudden droop, and smirked.
"Oh, I see." Terrence blinked at him.
"See what?"
"You're missing your girlfriend!"
Terrence fought back the heat in his cheeks. He frowned at his friend.
"Lisa's not my girlfriend."
"Aha!" Ben pointed at him in triumph. "I never said a name."
Terrence opened his mouth, but an argument refused to form. Ben laughed, placing an elbow on the table and slapping his forehead into his palm.
"You are hopeless, man. You know how special you are right now? Like, do you know how many people want to be you? Here you are, one of the most known names in the school - for all good reasons, too - and you can't even get the cutest girl here!"
At that moment, a hand tapped on Ben's right shoulder. Turning around, he missed the hand as it grabbed a fistful of fries off his tray. He did, however, turn around in time to see Terrence snicker at his loss.
"What the..." he turned around again to see the thief sitting on his right, somehow, and laughing almost hysterically. "Preston!"
"Y-you fall for that every time!" Preston laughed. He doubled over; his messy, sandy-tan bangs fell forward slightly. "How do you fall for that every single time?"
"He's right, you know," Terrence laughed. Ben frowned at him.
"I thought we were friends! Why didn't you say anything?" Ben huffed and turned around.
"I-
"And don't say you didn't see him!" Terrence held back another chuckle as Ben turned back to him and fixed him with a serious glare. "I know you saw him."
The boy couldn't hold back. He burst into laughter, causing Preston to do the same. The latter boy nearly knocked over Ben's tray, which would have sent milk and pizza onto all of them. The bell finally rang, and Terrence bid goodbye to his friends. Preston smoothed his warm-color block shirt and khaki cargo pants, then folded his arms with a sigh of satisfaction.
"What are you so happy about?" Ben asked him. Preston smirked.
"A job well done, my brother. A job well done."
At Benjamin's blank stare, he merely laughed again.
"A job of what? Stealin' my food?" the confused boy asked.
"Heh, partly," Preston replied. "But I did get him outta that mood."
Ben tilted his head, and the words clicked.
"Oh, I get it!"
Preston gave a good-natured snort. Then he spun around Ben and headed for the door.
"Gotta bounce. You know how Mr. Fields gets."
"Get to class, hippies!" Ben laughed and did an impression of the snarky history teacher. The boy grabbed his bag and headed off to the science hall.

~Z~

"Whew..." Niall closed the office door behind him. "I guess that could've gone better..."
"What could've gone better?"
The bluenette man groaned inwardly. Despite being the caring creature he was, even he had his limits. Forcing a smile, he looked up at the owner of the voice.
"What do you mean, Jossburg?"
"You got in trouble with the manager, aren't you?" the nosy office worker asked. "It's not surprising; you did run off for two days with no warning..."
"I didn't run off, Mr. Jossburg," Niall said patiently. "There were urgent family matters I had to attend to."
"Is that so?" the pasty man narrowed his eyes at Niall. The latter worker kept as straight a face as he could muster.
"Yes, it is so. Now, if you'll excuse me," Niall edged by the skinny, gangly Mr. Jossburg. "I need to get back to work."
"I'll have you know that I had to cover your work for yesterday," Jossburg sneered, stepping into his way again. "Every bit of it."
"And I am truly sorry," Niall said. "Now, I'm going back to my office to make sure that doesn't happen again. Goodbye, Mr. Jossburg." he pushed past again.
"I'll see you 'round the water cooler, Mr. Hart!" the other man called sarcastically. Niall rolled his eyes before returning to his workplace and plopping down in the office chair.
"Man...I wish I could call Ti right now...but it'd be bad to interrupt her at work..." he glanced at the one framed picture on his desk, that of him and Tiara on their wedding day. A smile played on his lips; she just as breathtaking then as she was now. Sighing, he turned on his computer monitor; it was best not to let the work pile up more.
A little sound pulled his attention away from the computer. He sat completely still for a moment, but heard nothing except for the busy medley of ringing phones, official-sounding voices, and harried typing. He shook his head, passing the sound off as his imagination. Not a minute later it happened again. This time, Niall wheeled his chair back and scanned the room. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, but the sound of yet another squeak drew his attention to the ceiling. He blinked twice before recognition dawned on his face. He smiled and held out his hand.
"Oh...hey there, little guy," he said, allowing the little heart creature to perch on his hand. "Heart Buddy...so you're here, too..."
The little red heart squealed affectionately and nuzzled itself into his palm. Niall couldn't help but grin at the little creature. He gently laid the heart on the desk inside the unused box of tissues he kept there. For a while he could do no work; merely watch the little Heart Buddy as it played around his little corner office.

~Z~

"So, we decided that the service hour op for this month is the homeless shelter supply drive, right?"
"Yep." Terrence nodded. Brandon Rogers nodded back and scribbled something in his ever-present notebook.
"Have you talked with the planning committee about the end-of-year dance?"
"Yeah. Byron said he's recruiting people now."
"Great." Brandon pulled out his calculator and pushed several buttons. "According to my calculations, the treasury has more than enough money to hire a DJ this year."
"Great." Terrence slid his binder into his bag. "That's all for today then?"
"Uh huh." Brandon tossed his royal purple hair slightly as he packed up his things. "Sorry to make you stay here so late; I just wanted to double-check everything."
"It's no problem," Terrence said. "It's great that you're diligent. It's really a wonder you aren't president."
"Oh..." Brandon shrugged shyly. "I'm happy being the treasurer. Math is more my specialty than being the boss."
"Whatever you say..." Terrence stood up and stretched. "I better get home. See you tomorrow."
"Bye."
Terrence stopped at the side door and watched Brandon as he slipped out the other door, which lead to the baseball field. He couldn't help but sift through the memories that had inhabited his mind. He began to blink furiously; each time this happened he became emotional. The more he looked around him, it seemed, the more he was reminded of the Care Bear family he knew and loved. Brandon reminded him strongly of another member of his family, even more so when they hung out on weekends and the shy demeanor he had in school dropped away. The boy was a genius; a 5.0 GPA thanks to his AP classes and a near-wizard in math. When he wasn't with Terrence, he hung out with Christopher Trent and Charity Short - which would seem odd to some people, as these two were more of a popular, sporty pair. As a matter of fact, this was most likely who he was going to see; the baseball team and the cheerleading team were out practicing now.
Sighing, Terrence pushed open the door and headed to the street. He would stop by Ms. Bennett's to pick up Wendy, and hopefully arrive home to his dad waiting in the living room. A frown graced his face. Even more puzzling than the conflicting memories of his past was the current situation he was in. Yes, he was Terrence Lawson, and yes, he was Tenderheart Bear, but what about his family? Who were they? A simple, but morbid thought crossed his mind. What would be happening if he hadn't been given a human life? Would he even exist?
"Terrence!"
Said teen boy's heart skipped a beat as he turned around. Lisa was waving to him as she rushed down the sidewalk.
"I'm sorry I wasn't at lunch today," she said. "I was practicing for the showcase."
"It's okay," Terrence said. "I know it'll be great once you perform."
"Have you got a ticket yet?" she batted her eyes expectantly. Terrence felt heat sear his face.
"Uh-huh...so do Wendy and hopefully dad..." he turned his eyes back to the street ahead of me. "And speak of a little angel..."
"Terrence!" Wendy rushed out of the Memories Antique Shop. She gripped her brother in a loving hug, before turning her attention to Lisa. "Hi, Lisa!"
"Hey there!" the girl replied with a smile and a wave.
"Ready to go?" Terrence asked. Wendy replied with a happy nod. Terrence looked up and smiled at Ms. Bennett and the twins, who had appeared at the door. "Thanks, Ms. Bennett."
"It's no trouble, sweetie," she replied. "Wendy's a joy to have around."
"Bye, Ms. Bennett! Bye, Hannah and Trent!"
"See ya tomorrow, Wendy!" "Bye!" came the replies of her friends.
The three kids walked on with a one-sided conversation as Wendy chattered on about her day. They reached Lisa's house first, and after bidding her goodbye they continued to their street. Terrence's heart leapt and Wendy gave a cry of joy at the sight of their father's steel grey Lexus in the driveway. They rushed to the door; Terrence threw it open and Wendy bolted in ahead of him.
"Daddy!" she jumped up into the man's arms. Mr. Lawson greeted her with a strong hug. He beckoned Terrence over upon releasing her, and pulled both his children close.
"I'm so glad you're back, dad!" Wendy said happily. "I have to tell you what happened today. So, at recess, Kevin dared Trent to swing as high as he could on the swing..."
Mr. Lawson let go of Trent as Wendy slowly pulled him away. He looked to his son, and though he said nothing, he fixed Terrence with a look that clearly said "we'll catch up later." Nevertheless, Terrence's smile fell a bit, and he trudged to his room and shut the door. Once inside, he took his pen out of his pocket. He stared intently at the mini tummy symbol on the top. Then he looked out the window at the late afternoon sun. He rested his arms on the windowsill, silently waiting for the night and the stars it would bring.

~Z~

"I'm home!" Lisa called as she closed the door behind her.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Mrs. Clarke rushed to her daughter, wrapping her in a crushing hug.
"Ow!...Mom, I'm okay. I was just at drama practice!" the girl struggled to break free from her mother's grip. "You know, the thing I do every other day?"
"Oh, I know, sweetie," the woman finally released her. "It's just...I was worried..."
Lisa sighed. Despite her best efforts to play off the events of the previous day, her ever-doting parents all but refused to let her out of their sight. At the moment, the thing Lisa was most thankful for was the fact that her father would not be home from work for an hour or two. He had nearly gone ballistic when she'd turned up in the middle of the night. The intense questioning had not been easy to muddle through. She had been forced to come up with a plausible story.
"Mom, I told you, I'll be fine. That was a one-time thing, I promise. Carenburg never gets events like these; it was a freak crime. And I told you before, someone helped me out."
"You also told me you can't tell me who helped you out," the woman retorted. "There's no telling when that person will be there for you if this happens again."
"Mom..."
"And on top of that..." she paused and sighed. "The police station wants to interrogate you for details."
Lisa bit her lip, but tried her hardest to change her look of worry into one of annoyance. Sliding this with the police would be much tougher than convincing her parents of the story. Within her mind, she panicked - and then a thought struck her.
"Mom, is Mr. Danek going to be on the interrogation team?"
"Yes, why?" her mother folded her arms. Lisa shrugged, her face indifferent.
"No reason...just wondering."
She gently edged past her mother and rushed up the stairs before she could be questioned further.

~Z~

The city of Carenburg began to quiet down as evening bloomed over its region. Shops began to close and kids made their way home from any after school activities they had. Parents called their young ones to dinner, while others settled themselves in front of the TV or into bed. Peace began to descend gracefully over the little community.
At Lake Erie, there was quite a different atmosphere.
The space above the lake swirled with clouds so dark and ominous they were even visible to the human eye, if you were to look hard enough. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed at random. Howling winds churned the water beneath the clouds, creating an isolated spot of angry, choppy waves. Within the castle, the old stone walls nearly shook with the strength of the energy flowing from their master.
"CURSE THOSE WRETCHED BEARS!" No Heart swiped his hand at a shelf, sending vials of goodness-knows-what flying across the room and adding to the growing mess of potions and books overturned by his ire. His rage was reaching every part of the castle, including the previously damaged dungeon and corridors, which had been quickly repaired by the outpouring of No Heart's hatred for the guardians of caring. Beastly and Shrieky were nowhere to be found, and even the shadows were staying well away from the seething wizard.
"One day, one day, they shall fall! They will be slain, by my hand!" No Heart balled his left hand into a fist so tight that white shone through the sickly green color of his skin. "Those accursed creatures..." he shuddered. "I will not let them escape again!"
The evil wizard took a deep breath. Even though he was composed, his crimson eyes still glowed with a burning, prickling malice. He gripped the edges of his cauldron and peered into it.
"But how? There must be a way to discreetly bring them down. Now I must find that way...Ah," he leaned in closer to the magic liquid within the pot. "What have we here?"
The image of a man was forming in the frothing liquid. He was small, gangly and lean, a bit of a shrimp by normal standards. He had a mousy face, which was scrunched up in an unpleasant scowl.
"Darn that Hart," the man said to himself. "Thinks he can just disappear like that...and that manager, hardly doing a darn thing about it... 'family emergency', my foot..."
"Hmm..." No Heart's eyes glinted with a ghost of amusement. "Perhaps...yes, this might do nicely..."

~Z~

Whew. Hello, everyone! Did ya like this chapter? Google Drive isn't what I'm used to, though maybe it'll make it easier, as I won't have to run downstairs to type...anyway, thank you for reading! And if you catch any mistakes, please tell me. Thanks again!

FUN TWO CENTS OF THE DAY: There needs to be more Care Bear fanart, like, pronto. I'm not good at drawing anthros, but sooner or later I will draw the Care Bears Z characters and post them on Deviantart, so keep your eyes open!
~Smiley :)