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Almost all of them are sexual in nature, too.", "count": "22", "submission_left_submission_id": "427193", "submission_left_file_name": "551046_Fritti_018_-_more_surprises.doc", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/551/551046_Fritti_018_-_more_surprises.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/551/551046_Fritti_018_-_more_surprises.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/551/551046_Fritti_018_-_more_surprises.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "196", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "196", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "118", "submission_right_submission_id": "427199", "submission_right_file_name": "551054_Fritti_020_-_all_is_cleared.doc" } ], "description": "Moving right along, here is the next installment. After all the long stories with unexpected surprises in them, it was time to take a small step back and return to the somewhat simpler format. Still, in this story, I draw back upon the sensitive subject breached in the \"Lotsa surprises\" story, as in this story the reasoning behind it will be explained. And there's still a surprise or two in it as well =~.^=\nFeaturing Tenderheart Bear and Cheer Bear.\n\nOf course, the Care Bears, Care Bear Cousins, Care a Lot, the Forest of Feelings, the entire Kingdom of caring and all associated things are not mine but © Those Characters From Cleveland; I just borrowed them for some fun =~.^=\n\nAnd if you don't want your childhood raped; [b][i]don't read this![/i][/b]", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Moving right along, here is the next installment. After all the long stories with unexpected surprises in them, it was time to take a small step back and return to the somewhat simpler format. Still, in this story, I draw back upon the sensitive subject breached in the "Lotsa surprises" story, as in this story the reasoning behind it will be explained. And there's still a surprise or two in it as well =~.^=
Featuring Tenderheart Bear and Cheer Bear.

Of course, the Care Bears, Care Bear Cousins, Care a Lot, the Forest of Feelings, the entire Kingdom of caring and all associated things are not mine but © Those Characters From Cleveland; I just borrowed them for some fun =~.^=

And if you don't want your childhood raped; don't read this!", "writing": "For a change, the weather was not so good in the Kingdom of Caring. The sun was hidden behind grey clouds, and a steady rain drizzled down on the cloudly kingdom. Nevertheless, that didn't stop all Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins from going about their daily routine. Wish Bear, dressed in bright yellow slickers with her shooting star symbol on the front and a bright yellow sou'wester on her head, was on her post at the staroscope, and by her directions and the read-outs from the Caring Meter, Tenderheart Bear handed out the caring missions for that day. The only difference with other days was that the bears and cousins going out on their missions all were dressed in slickers and sou'westers, and that they had placed roofs over their Cloudsmobiles. Well, all except for Frolicheart Puma of course, he went out on his missions in his latest acquisition, a slightly souped-up, silvergrey 1980 Pontiac Phoenix hatchback. The fawn puma had thought it wiser to get himself a decent, rather inconspicuous, and not too old car to go on his caring missions with, and for transportation around the Kingdom of Caring. Why hadn't he ever tried a Cloudsmobile, by the way? Well, he had found out that he couldn't soup those up. No matter what he did to them, those cloudly vehicles always performed the same: lame, by Frolicheart's standards.\n\nIt wasn't very busy a day. Most of the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins were sitting in the Hall of Hearts cafeteria, waiting for Tenderheart to show up with new caring missions, killing time a bit with chatting about recent events. The Great Wishing Star knew plenty of intense things had happened in the Kingdom of Caring lately. Everything had worked out for the better, though, and therefore it now just provided topics for conversation. Every now and then, some of the bears or cousins looked up with a smile or a giggle when the door to the medical wing opened, letting through Take Care Bear who was singing along with The Scorpions' \"Still loving you\" which was playing rather loudly in the medical wing. The red-orange medical Care Bear was busy tidying and cleaning her infirmary, and she always liked to do that with the help of some loud pop music. The only problem was that she didn't exactly have the very best singing voice around. But ah well, at least her singing along with her music proved she was in a great mood, and it also provided a few laughs for the others.\n \"Champ! I have a mission for you!\"\nTenderheart stepped into the cafeteria, holding out a paper. The golden Care Bear rose up and walked up to Tenderheart.\n \"Any time, sports fan. What is it?\"\n \"It concejns a boy by the name of Freddy,\" Tenderheart said, checking the paper. \"He's skipping gym class in school because he's afjaid he'll make a fool of himself. It appeajs he's not very good in athletics.\"\nChamp Bear nodded.\n \"Sounds like my kind of job indeed. Alright Tenderheart, I'll have a talk with the boy.\"\n \"Thanks, it's appjeciated,\" Tenderheart said.\nSwiftheart, sitting at one of the tables with Brightheart, Cheer, Love-a-Lot and Easy, started snorting behind a paw.\n \"What is it, Swiftheart?\" Brightheart asked. \"You're not catching a cold, are you?\"\nThe blue bunny shook her head.\n \"No, sorry. It's just... I can't help it, but every time Tenderheart mangles his 'r's, it makes me laugh.\"\n \"It does sound kinda funny,\" Easy Bear admitted with a soft giggle.\n \"Funny? It still sounds just plain gay,\" Swiftheart said merrily. \"Okay, so Tenderheart might say he's not gay, he still speaks like a fairy.\"\n \"That's not so nice to say,\" Cheer said. \"He can't help it he speaks that way.\"\n \"Yet that doesn't take away it sounds hilarious,\" Swiftheart said.\nLove-a-Lot shrugged a bit.\n \"Hilarious, I don't know,\" she said. \"I think it sounds rather cute.\"\nEasy nodded.\n \"Cute, funny, whatever you wanna call it. I do have to say though, that when I had just gotten here, I at first also thought he might be gay.\"\n \"Why is it that everyone thinks that, anyway?\" Cheer said.\n \"It's the sound,\" Brightheart explained. \"The whole timbre of Tenderheart's voice, that slight drawling touch to it, plus that slight speech impediment, fits the stereotype of a gay person. I know, it's not appropriate to say it or even think it, but with the way Tenderheart speaks you expect him any moment to lift his heel to his butt, raise the back of his paw to his shoulder and croon \"hieeee y'all\".\"\n\nSwiftheart burst out laughing, and the three Care Bear girls started giggling a bit. At other tables, some of the bears and cousins looked up, but since no one had heard what Swiftheart, Brightheart, Love-a-Lot, Cheer and Easy had been talking about they just looked at them with a smile or a giggle before turning back to their own conversations. Love-a-Lot took a drink from her glass of chocolate milk and looked at Brightheart and Swiftheart over the edge of it.\n \"You know,\" she said. \"I do agree with what you just said, Brightheart, but it does sound a bit as if it's not alright that Tenderheart's gay, if he would indeed be so.\"\n \"Whoa whoa!\" Brightheart said defensively, holding up a paw. \"I never said that at all! I just explained why a lot of people might -think- he is, but I never said that it's not okay [i]if[/i] he is. And if he is gay, then so what, it's completely his own choice; it's not our place to judge.\"\n \"I can tell you from experience, he isn't even gay,\" Swiftheart said. \"He proved that to me well enough.\" She gave Brightheart a teasing squeeze in his ear at the racoon's surprised look. \"That was a long time ago. And besides, just as Brightheart said; it's Tenderheart's life, so if he wants to be gay, fine! Let him! That shouldn't be a problem to any of us, right? I mean, heck, everyone knows [i]you're[/i] gay as well, Love-a-Lot, and everyone knows Wish is [i]too[/i]. Everyone even knows you two live together nowadays, and everyone's okay with that as well, right? Everyone his or her own, I'd say. It's no-one's business to meddle with or judge anyone's sexual preference.\" The blue lapine Care Bear Cousin shrugged a bit. \"Heck, and I sure don't mind if Tenderheart turns out to be gay after all,\" she added.\nThe brown bear, who had just finished talking to Champ, more or less overheard Swiftheart talking, and he stepped up to the table where the two Care Bear Cousins and the three Care Bears were sitting.\n \"You don't mind if I what?\" he asked.\n \"Oh nothing,\" Swiftheart said airily. \"We were just saying that it's quite alright if you still turned out to be gay... ouch!\"\nThe blue bunny recoiled a bit when Brightheart kicked her under the table. She looked at the purple racoon with a frown, and Tenderheart sighed a bit.\n \"I [i]thought[/i] we'd been thjough that, Swiftheajt,\" he said.\n \"I know, I know,\" Swiftheart said, reaching down to rub the leg Brightheart had kicked just now, sending the racoon another displeased look. \"It's just that I still can't get off that every time I hear you speak so funnily.\"\nTenderheart sighed a bit again and walked off again, heading for the doors of the Hall of Hearts. The three Care Bears and the two Care Bear Cousins at the table looked after him, and Brightheart sent Swiftheart a mocking look.\n \"Way to go, bunny-girl,\" he said. \"I never thought it possible, but you actually managed to get your foot even further into your mouth.\"\n \"Oh, shut up you!\" Swiftheart flared up. \"You were joking about it as well!\"\n \"Might be, but at least not so loud that he could hear me!\" Brightheart gave back.\nLove-a-Lot looked after Tenderheart again, then turned back to the two Care Bear Cousins.\n \"I think you should apologize to Tenderheart for teasing him. Both of you,\" she said.\nBrightheart and Swiftheart looked up.\n \"But [i]she[/i] started it!\" Brightheart said at the exact same moment Swiftheart said: \"But [i]he[/i] started it!\"\nThe three Care Bears giggled a bit, and the purple racoon and the blue bunny looked at each other when they chimed out in perfect unison. Both Care Bear Cousins sighed softly, and they both shrugged.\n \"Ah well, maybe you're right,\" Brightheart said.\nSwiftheart nodded in agreement. She and Brightheart got up and walked after Tenderheart, who was just leaving the Hall of Hearts. They caught up with him at the large doors.\n \"Tenderheart!\" Swiftheart said. \"Hey Tenderheart!\"\nThe brown bear looked around.\n \"What? Came to make more fun of me?\"\nThe blue bunny and the purple racoon looked at Tenderheart a bit guiltily.\n \"No, we came to apologize,\" Brightheart said.\n \"Yeah, we're sorry we made fun of the way you speak, okay?\" Swiftheart said. \"We really are.\"\n \"Hm, okay,\" Tenderheart said. \"But I really can't help I speak like that, you know. I've tjied to get it under contjol, but I just can't help the way I speak.\"\nBefore either Care Bear Cousin could reply, Wish Bear called out Tenderheart's name from the staroscope. The brown Care Bear looked around to answer Wish, and Swiftheart bent over to Brightheart a bit.\n \"Yeah, like [i]we[/i] just can't help laughing at the way you speak,\" she whispered behind a paw with a giggle.\nBrightheart snorted a bit, but he very quickly put on a very innocent face when Tenderheart looked back at them. The brown bear frowned a tiny little bit when he noticed the amused expressions on both Care Bear Cousins' faces.\n \"Hm, well, anyway, I accept your apology, Bjightheart and Swiftheart. I'm going for a bit of a walk now, so would you tell Bjaveheart to be in charge until I get back?\"\nBrightheart grinned softly.\n \"Braveheart? He'd be more like in 'chaaaaarge'! But alright, we'll tell him, Tenderheart.\"\nSwiftheart went into a fit of giggles, and Tenderheart nodded.\n \"Good, thanks.\"\nHe walked off, and Swiftheart and Brightheart walked back into the Hall of Hearts. The three Care Bears at the table looked up when the two Care Bear Cousins re-joined them.\n \"Did you apologize?\" Love-a-Lot asked.\n \"Yeah, we did,\" Swiftheart nodded.\n \"Good,\" Love-a-Lot nodded with a smile.\n \"Where is he now, then?\" Cheer asked. \"Didn't he come back with you?\"\n \"No, he said he was going for a walk. He asked us to tell Braveheart he's in charge until Tenderheart would come back,\" Brightheart said. He suddenly stood up again. \"Which reminds me that we should still tell Braveheart so!\"\nHe quickly walked off, looking for Braveheart. Cheer also rose up.\n \"I think I'll go look for Tenderheart. It sounds as if he could do with a little cheering up.\"\n\nShe walked out of the Hall of Hearts while putting her sou'wester on her head, since it was still drizzling with rain outside. As the pink bear walked around Care a Lot, she looked up at the grey sky with a small frown.\n \"Looks like the entire weather could use some cheering up even,\" she muttered to herself. Suddenly she spotted Tenderheart sitting on a cloud bank, and she quickly walked up to the brown bear. \"Hey, Tenderheart?\"\nTenderheart looked up and around, and he smiled weakly when he saw Cheer walking up to him.\n \"Oh, hello Cheer.\"\nThe pink bear sat down next to Tenderheart on the cloud bank.\n \"Are you okay, Tenderheart?\" Cheer asked with a smile. \"You seem a bit down after what Swiftheart and Brightheart said.\"\nTenderheart let out a soft sigh while he looked back ahead of him.\n \"I'm fine. It's just that I get a bit tired of them or anyone else joking about it evejy time. I mean, I really can't help it that I speak like I do. Why do they have to keep teasing me for it all the time?\"\n \"I know, it's not nice,\" Cheer said, putting an arm around Tenderheart's shoulders. She also sighed softly. \"Well, but at least you still have it easier than me.\"\n \"What do you mean?\"\n \"Oh, come on now, Tenderheart,\" Cheer said with a sour smile. \"Don't tell me you haven't heard yet of everyone seeing me as the Kingdom of Caring whore.\"\n \"What?!\" Tenderheart looked up with a shock. \"But you're not! I mean, how... how could they say that? It... that... sounds like... that's an insult!\"\n \"Yes, well...\" Cheer smirked. \"They don't exactly say it with those words, but it kinda comes down to it. And who am I to blame, really? Myself, most probably. I mean, even Take Care called me a nympho. And it's more or less true, I've had sex with as good as everyone in the whole Kingdom of Caring already.\"\n \"Yes, but... but...\" Tenderheart stammered. \"That's... that's not bad, is it? I mean... I sure don't disappjove of it. It's one of the best, nicest things to do.\"\n \"That sure depends,\" Cheer smirked sourly. She bent over a bit to Tenderheart. \"No one but Take Care knows this, Tenderheart, but I've had seven abortions already.\"\nTenderheart now almost fell over.\n \"Wh... wh... what??\" he squeaked, looking at Cheer with wide eyes. \"But... Oh Cheer, I... I can't believe you'd [i]do[/i] that!\"\nThe pink Care Bear teared up and shook her head.\n \"I know,\" she said, trying hard to swallow back a sob. \"And I... I feel so horrible about it. But it's just... oh, I don't know.\" She looked up at Tenderheart. A few droplets ran down her cheeks, and Tenderheart wasn't sure whether it were raindrops or teardrops. \"I do want to have cubs, Tenderheart. I so do. But I... I want to have them with someone I truly love and not... not because I just cheered someone up with some sex. That would just... just feel wrong. It would be so unfair to those cubs, you know? I mean... what if they'd find out that they were just the result of a sex-game because I cheered a down person up in the best way possible? It... They'd feel they're unwanted, and I... I just couldn't do that to them, Tenderheart. They would become miserable, and...\"\n\nShe sobbed and buried her face in her paws. Tenderheart looked at the pink bear wide-eyed for a while, breathing deeply, processing what she had just told him. Slowly, he folded his arms around Cheer and pulled her close.\n \"Cheer...\" he said softly. \"I... I know what you mean, and... I understand. It's okay, you don't have to cry.\"\nCheer took her face out of her paws again and looked up at Tenderheart. Their heart-shaped noses were only a few inches apart from each other. For some time, Cheer just looked into Tenderheart's gentle, soft brown eyes, a few tears still running down from her own eyes. But slowly, a small smile formed through her tears.\n \"You're so sweet,\" she whispered.\n\nWithout even noticing, both Care Bears closed the few inches between them, and their lips pressed onto each other's in a sweet, loving kiss. Oblivious to the rain drizzling down on them and running from their sou'westers in thin trickles, they held on their kiss, embracing each other dearly. They held on their loving kiss for a while, eventually breaking apart and looking each other in the eyes again. They both smiled.\n \"Gosh, you're so sweet, Cheer,\" Tenderheart said softly. \"Anyone who called you a... a who... a prostitute really doesn't know what he or she's saying. You are anything but that.\"\nCheer smiled a bit, but her smile still was a little down.\n \"Thanks,\" she said softly. \"But... it's still so hard, you know. I know that what I'm doing leads people to think that about me, but... all I wanna do is just be nice to people and cheer them up, only somehow, when I do that by means of sex, that always backfires on me. I mean... I mean, even though I enjoy the sex myself too, I always feel... guilty, afterwards. Like... like I'm just... using my body as... as a tool to cheer people up.\"\nTenderheart shook his head a bit, took one of Cheer's paws in both his own and squeezed it softly, smiling at the pink bear.\n \"If you think that that's the only reason people cheer up when you are around, then you're absolutely wrong, Cheer,\" he said with a smile. \"Then you're really wrong. It's not your body, the prospect of having sex with you, that cheers people up, it's your sweet, caring character, your merriness, your determination to not stop until someone is cheered up, that does it. Not your body, honestly.\"\nCheer smiled deeper, more happier, and she wiped the back of her free paw along her eyes, wiping some of the wet droplets that might either have been raindrops of teardrops, off her face.\n \"Thank you so much, Tenderheart,\" she smiled. \"It means so much to me that you say that. I really appreciate it.\" The pink Care Bear suddenly realized something, and she looked up. \"Hey, but... what happened to your speech?\"\nTenderheart looked back at Cheer with surprise.\n \"What happened to..? What do you mean, Cheer?\"\nCheer looked at Tenderheart with pleasant surprise in her violet eyes.\n \"It suddenly sounds... You speak normal now, Tenderheart!\"\nTenderheart was even more surprised, and he thought back on what he had just said to Cheer, softly repeating some of the words, and some other words, that he would normally mangle when speaking.\n \"The reason... you're wrong... prospect... caring character... merriness... determination... sorry, we're working...\" He suddenly looked up happily. \"Hey Cheer, you're... you're right! Wow!\"\nCheer smiled happily, taking one of Tenderheart's paws, that was still resting on hers, in her paw.\n \"What happened, Tenderheart?\" she asked. \"How come you so suddenly lost your speech impediment?\"\nTenderheart thought deeply.\n \"Gosh, I... I don't know, really... I...\" He looked up at Cheer. \"You know, I... I always thought that I kinda had it because... Well, because I'm kinda nervous around the others, you know?\"\nCheer giggled a bit.\n \"That sounds strange. I mean, you're sort of the leader over us, right?\"\n \"Yeah, well...\" Tenderheart said. He looked at Cheer. \"That's just because Nobleheart and Trueheart kinda made me that, you know? But... Out of myself, I don't think I would have taken that position, so... Being put in charge kinda makes me a bit nervous, and that... Well, some people start stuttering, but I guess with me it outed in that speech problem. It would explain why I don't have it now anyway, because right now, with you, I'm feeling like totally relaxed and at ease. That's just the effect you have on me.\"\nTo her own surprise, Cheer felt a blush creeping onto her face, coloring her cheeks a much deeper shade of pink they normally were. She looked away a bit.\n \"Aww, but... I didn't really do anything... anything special,\" she mumbled.\nTenderheart smiled deeply. He raised his paw and very softly stroked Cheer's cheek.\n \"Yes you did. You showed how much you truly care for me. That's special enough for me.\"\n\nCheer looked back up, and her eyes met Tenderheart's gentle, warm, soft brown eyes again. A few moments long they held the gaze, then their faces moved closer together, and their lips locked onto each other's in a sweet, loving kiss again. Wrapping their arms around each other, the two Care Bears slowly intensified their kiss. Then, suddenly, Take Care Bear's warning flashed in Cheer's mind, and she gently broke her embrace to Tenderheart, and their kiss.\n \"You have the same effect on me, Tenderheart,\" she smiled in a soft voice. \"I feel really relaxed and at ease with you too. Gee, do you know you're the only one I felt comfortable enough with to spill my problems?\"\nThe brown Care Bear was a little disappointed that Cheer had broken off the kiss, but he didn't show it. His smile was genuine when he looked at Cheer, and he softly ran his paw over her cheek again.\n \"I'm very happy that you trusted me enough to talk about it with me, Cheer,\" he smiled. \"I even feel honored that you confided in me enough to share your problems with me.\"\nCheer let out a soft giggle, taking Tenderheart's paw in her own.\n \"You really do live up to your name, Tenderheart.\"\nThe brown bear smiled.\n \"So do you, Cheer,\" he smiled. \"So do you.\" He moved a bit closer to Cheer, but then backed off again. He brought up his paw to her face, but let it sink down again. He opened his mouth to speak, but didn't and looked away, while a blush crept onto his face. \"Hey, uh... Cheer?\"\n \"Yes, Tenderheart?\" Cheer said with a smile.\nTenderheart blushed a bit deeper, still not daring to look straight at Cheer.\n \"I, uh... I was wondering if... uhm...\" He shook his head. \"Awh, no...\" he mumbled, hanging his head a bit. He looked up again, stuttering a bit, and even his speech impediment slightly returned. \"I... I was kinda wondejing if, uhm... I was thinking... Maybe... How about if I... I mean... Would you like to come over for dinnej tonight, or... something?\"\nCheer smiled a bit at Tenderheart's shy stuttering.\n \"That sounds lovely, Tenderheart,\" she said. However, suddenly a very slight suspicious undertone crept into her voice. \"And... who else will be coming over?\"\nThe blush on Tenderheart's face was now so deep the red showed through his brown fur.\n \"Well, uh... I was... I was kind of thinking no one else, just you and me, you know? And then later, we could, like... watch a movie oj something..?\" Still blushing, the brown bear quickly added: \"Unless... Unless you would jeally like someone else to be there with us too, of coujse.\"\nHis nerves made the brown Care Bear out a strange high-pitched giggle right after that, which also made Cheer giggle a bit. She shuffled a bit closer to Tenderheart and softly ran her paw over his cheek, like he had done to her earlier.\n \"Just the two of us, just us together, sounds wonderful to me, Tenderheart,\" she smiled. \"I'm really looking forward to it. Thank you very much for the invitation. I'd love to come over.\"\nTenderheart let out an obvious sigh of relief, the blush retreating from his face again and a smile breaking through. His deep sigh right away blew out his speech impediment again as well.\n \"Oh, great! That's so great! I'm so happy you agree.\" He fidgeted a bit with his paws. \"Well... I'll come by your place at, uh... say, six o'clock to pick you up, okay? Does that sound good for you?\"\nCheer smiled deeply.\n \"That sounds wonderful, Tenderheart. I'll see you at six then.\" She suddenly thought of something, and she smiled a bit apologetically. \"Oh, wait, on the other hand... I think I'd better get over to your place myself, Tenderheart. No offense really, but the way you sometimes drive, you know...\"\nTenderheart giggled a little nervously again.\n \"Uh... hee hee... yes, I know, I'm sorry, you're right. Okay, maybe you could indeed come over to me by yourself then.\"\n \"I will, Tenderheart,\" Cheer smiled, running her paw over his cheek again. \"I'll be there at six, count on it.\" For a moment, the pink Care Bear again did some obvious thinking, and she rose to her feet. \"Well, I'd better run along now, I have something important to do. See you tonight, Tenderheart.\"\n \"Okay,\" Tenderheart said happily, smiling. \"See you tonight then.\" He looked at Cheer. \"Oh, and... thank you, Cheer.\"\nCheer bent over a bit to run her paw over Tenderheart's cheek again.\n \"Don't thank me cutie, I should be thanking [i]you[/i].\"\nShe pressed a soft kiss on Tenderheart's brown heart-shaped nose, waved at him and walked off. Tenderheart looked after her with a happy smile, and a deep blush on his face. Cheer's last words kept echoing in his head.\n \"[i]She called me a cutie[/i],' the brown bear thought to himself, blushing and smiling at the same time. \"[i]She thinks I'm a cutie![/i]\"\n\nHe kept looking in the direction Cheer had walked off to. In the mean time, the pink Care Bear had reached the Hall of Hearts again, and she stepped into it. There were a lot less Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins present there now, so apparently a lot of caring missions had come in. With a little relief, Cheer noticed that Brightheart and Swiftheart were among the absent cousins, and she quickly made her way through the Hall of Hearts cafeteria. When she reached the door to Take Care's infirmary, she quickly slipped through it and closed the door behind her. The red-orange medical Care Bear looked up from organizing her sterilized instruments, and a look of disbelief slid over her face when she saw who it was that had stepped into the infirmary.\n \"You here?\" Take Care said when Cheer stepped up to her.\n \"It's not what you think, Take Care,\" Cheer hurriedly said. \"I just came to ask you something. Can I talk to you for a moment, please?\"\nThat surprised Take Care even more, and she put down her tray of medical instruments.\n \"What? Yes, of course.\" She motioned to a few chairs standing in the room. \"Come on, have a seat.\"\n \"Thanks,\" Cheer said relieved.\n\nShe sat down in one of the chairs and took her bright yellow sou'wester off her head, while Take Care sat down in the other chair. For a while, Cheer remained silent, looking at her sou'wester and fiddling with it a bit. Eventually, Take Care broke the silence.\n \"So... what did you wanna ask me, Cheer?\"\n \"I, uhm... I came to ask...\" Cheer said. She suddenly looked up at the red-orange medical Care Bear. \"Do you have some contraceptives for me, Take Care?\" she blurted out.\nIt was that Take Care was sitting down, otherwise she would have hit the floor. She looked at the pink Care Bear with big round eyes.\n \"You came to ask... You actually came to ask me..?\" she said. Very suddenly, the red-orange medical Care Bear regained herself, and a very wide smile slid over her face. \"I am [i]so[/i] glad that you finally came to ask me for that, Cheer. Of course I have something for you. But... Do tell me, what made you so suddenly change your mind?\"\nCheer looked down at her lap, still fiddling with her bright yellow sou'wester.\n \"Several things,\" she mumbled. \"What you said the last time I came to you, when Frolicheart was here. The terrible way I feel about, well... oh, never mind. But also...\" Cheer looked up. \"I talked to Tenderheart just now, and... You know how he's always teased about his way of speaking, Take Care. Even just now, in the cafeteria. I went after him, and we talked for a while. And... my heart just so went out to him, and I suddenly realized how sweet and tender he really is. And... and uhm...\" She looked down again. \"Well, he, uh... he invited me over for dinner tonight, and... I really do want to get intimate with him.\"\n \"Figures,\" Take Care muttered under her breath.\nCheer suddenly looked up with an unusual fierce twinkle in her eyes.\n \"No!\" she said out loud. \"It's not why you think it is! If you only knew how bad I always felt after I...\" She sighed. \"Oh well, never mind that. But anyway, the reason I want to get close with Tenderheart is... is just... I so like him, I do even think I love him. And... I even think that I'd even wanna have his cubs, but I'm not sure yet, so I just... well, I just wanna be careful with that until I know for sure, you know?\"\nTake Care, initially taken aback a bit by Cheer's first sudden outburst, already smiled deeply again.\n \"I understand,\" she smiled. \"And as I said, of course I have something for you. Wait here just a second, okay?\"\n\nCheer nodded, with a small smile. Take Care also smiled, rose up from the chair and softly patted Cheer on the head with a paw, and then she disappeared in her small office. A few moments later she reappeared, walked back to Cheer and handed the pink bear a small box.\n \"These are contraceptive pills, Cheer,\" she smiled. \"You take one each week, preferably on the same day each week. If you already have an appointment with Tenderheart for tonight, I suggest you take one now, and then simply one each coming Tuesday. These should last you a couple of months. If you have only one or two left, come back to me and I'll get you a new dose, okay?\"\n \"Yes, sure, of course,\" Cheer smiled happily. \"Thank you so much, Take Care.\"\n \"Any time, girl, any time,\" Take Care smiled, patting Cheer on the head again. \"Now, run along, I understood there's still plenty of caring missions being handed out, and they'll probably need you.\"\n \"Yes,\" Cheer smiled happily again, rising up from the chair. \"Thank you very much again, Take Care. And... I guess I'll be seeing you in a few months, then.\"\n \"I hope it'll be only then, Cheer,\" Take Care smiled. \"Byebye.\"\n \"Bye,\" Cheer said with a happy smile, waving at Take Care as she left the infirmary. Just before she reached the door, she turned around again. \"Oh, Take Care?\"\n \"Yes?\"\n \"Do I have to take them with water? Or can I take them with something else too?\"\n \"As long as you don't use coffee or alcohol, anything will do,\" Take Care smiled.\n \"Oh, okay,\" Cheer smiled. \"I'll get a glass of milk or something in the cafeteria then, so I can take one right away.\" She waved again. \"Once again, thanks a lot, Take Care. Goodbye.\"\n\nShe stepped through the door happily. The red-orange medical Care Bear looked after her with a smile. When she returned to her cleaning and tidying up chores, she sang along with her music even cheerier. And the pink Care Bear with the rainbow-decorated tummy also was a regular ray of sunshine all through the rest of the rainy day.\n\nAt a few minutes to six that evening, Cheer pulled up to Tenderheart's cloud cottage in her Cloudsmobile. She parked it at the side of the rainbow path, got out of it and walked up the driveway. The rain was still steadily drizzling down, but it could not wash away the happy mood that was over Cheer. Reaching the door of Tenderheart's cottage, she knocked on it. A few moments later the door was opened, and Tenderheart looked up with a happy smile when he saw Cheer standing there.\n \"Oh! Hello, Cheer. I'm glad you're here. Come on in, I was just busy finishing dinner.\"\n\nCheer giggled a bit; it was obvious the brown bear was busy with that. He was wearing a flowered apron, and a high white chef's hat that had black lettering on the band which spelled out 'Gourmet Cook', and he held a wood ladle in his right paw. Smiling, Cheer followed Tenderheart into his cottage and closed the door behind her. While the brown Care Bear disappeared into the kitchen, Cheer stepped into the living room and sat down on a sofa. She looked around her with a smile. Tenderheart's living room sure looked very homy and cozy. It was very Care Bear-ishly decorated, and one thing right away attracted attention; the number of flowering plants. There were flowering plants everywhere. At the back side, where normally the wall with the windows overlooking the back garden would be, Cheer noticed large glass sliding-doors instead, giving passage to what looked like a separate dining room.\n\nBefore too long, Cheer looked up when the door to the living room opened, and Tenderheart came stepping through, carrying a large dish with a sort of bell-shaped lid over it. Since he needed both paws to carry it and the sliding-doors were closed, Cheer quickly rose up from the sofa and walked over to the sliding-doors to open them for Tenderheart. The brown bear smiled at her.\n \"Thanks, Cheer. Go have a seat at the table already, okay? I'll be right there, there's some more in the kitchen I need to go get first.\"\n \"Sure, okay,\" Cheer smiled.\n\nShe followed Tenderheart into the dining room, and a soft giggle escaped her when she saw the dining table. It looked like a setting in a romantic restaurant. Tenderheart had sure done his best for her. A decorative sheet covered the table, and on it were two china plates flanked by cutlery, and with a wine-glass standing near both plates. In the middle was a candelabra with two white candles in it, and a small bouquet of flowers. Tenderheart put the large dish in the middle of the table too, and while Cheer sat down on one of the chairs, Tenderheart went back to the kitchen to get the rest of the food. He came back a few moments later, with another dish covered by a bell-shaped lid, but this one was not as large as the first he had carried into the dining room. When he'd set the second dish down on the table he lit the candles, and then he looked at Cheer with a smile.\n \"Would you like some music to go with the dinner, Cheer?\"\n \"That would be nice, yes,\" Cheer said with a soft giggle.\n\nTenderheart nodded and walked over to a cabinet that held a stereo. Apparently there already was a CD in it, because the brown bear just pushed a button, which made gentle instrumental music flow into the dining room. Cheer couldn't help softly giggling behind a paw. Standing near the table again, Tenderheart brought up a carton of red grape-juice (due to their small body-size, Care Bears didn't drink alcohol because they couldn't handle that at all) and looked at Cheer again.\n \"Would you like a drink?\"\n \"Very much so, mister charmer,\" Cheer said with another soft giggle.\n\nTenderheart smiled a bit and filled both glasses. Then he lifted the lids off both dishes, and Cheer sniffed with appreciation. Wow, if Tenderheart had cooked that all himself, then that line 'Gourmet Cook' on that silly hat he'd been wearing sure was justified! The brown bear removing the lids from the dishes revealed a three-starbuddy-meal! Roasted guinea-fowl on a bed of sassafras-dressing, with a side-dish of cooked vegetables and various tropical fruits under a sprinkle of grated coconut. The giggle died in Cheer's mouth as she looked at the dinner with admiration.\n \"Wow, Tenderheart...\" she said. \"That is... impressive!\"\n \"I hope you like it,\" Tenderheart said, with a smile that was a tad nervous.\n \"I very much doubt that I won't!\" Cheer said. \"Sheesh, look at all the trouble you went through!\"\n \"It wasn't all that much trouble,\" Tenderheart mumbled shyly, but secretly glowing under the compliment. \"Well, let me help you.\"\nHe filled Cheer's plate and put it down for her, and then he filled his own plate and sat down at the table close to Cheer. Taking the wine-glass of grape juice, he raised it with a smile.\n \"Well, bone appeteat,\" he said, not really knowing how to properly pronounce that.\nCheer let out the smallest of amused snorts, and she also merrily raised her glass.\n \"[i]Merci beaucoup, monsieur[/i],\" she said, having learned a thing or two from Love-a-Lot, who so much loved listening to romantic French chansons and therefore knew the French language a bit. \"To a wonderful evening.\"\nTenderheart, surprised a little at first by that French thing Cheer had said, smiled a bit.\n \"Yes, to a wonderful evening. Thank you for coming, Cheer.\"\n \"Thank [i]you[/i] for inviting me,\" Cheer smiled.\n\nThey started eating, and once again Cheer was amazed by the food. \"Delicious\" would have been an understatement! \"Amazing\" would hardly have begun to describe it. \"Astoundingly terrific\" already came a lot closer. During dinner, neither of the two Care Bears spoke, apart from an impressed remark over how good it was from Cheer every now and then, which just made Tenderheart smile happily each time. And blush a bit every now and then. After dinner, Cheer found that Tenderheart had done his best on dessert as well; the brown bear served a delicious raspberry bavarois with a whipped cream topping. When everything was clean finished, Cheer helped Tenderheart carrying all the dishes to the kitchen, where the brown bear put everything in a raincloud dishwasher. They went back to the living room and sat down on the sofa together, while the stereo kept playing the gentle instrumental music. For quite a while, both Care Bears just sat in contented silence, feeling happy just sitting there like that, in each other's companionship.\n \"I, uh... really really like you, Cheer,\" Tenderheart suddenly said, out of the blue and rather softly.\n \"I really really like you too, Tenderheart,\" Cheer smiled.\n \"Can I... kiss you again?\"\n\nAs an answer, Cheer leaned over with a smile and pressed her lips on Tenderheart's, meanwhile folding her arms around the brown bear's shoulders. Tenderheart smiled, also folded his arms around Cheer's shoulders and held her close, happily answering her kiss. The pink bear closed her eyes and softly sighed in the kiss. She felt so much speaking from the way Tenderheart kissed. All the things she'd already had always thought about him; how true he cared for others, how kind-hearted and sweet-mannered he was, everything, Cheer felt being confirmed by the kiss. She felt how Tenderheart let her tongue search for his, he let her kiss in the way she wanted to, not forcing through any own initiatives. He just followed her lead. And that in itself already was quite amazing, seeing as how the brown Care Bear normally was the one taking the lead in everything. When finally they parted, Tenderheart kept his arms folded around Cheer's shoulders. He looked at her for a while, with a soft smile, then he nuzzled his cheek against hers and closed his eyes, tightening his embrace.\n \"I... I, uh... love you, Cheer,\" he whispered.\nCheer smiled deeply and pressed her face in the soft brown fur on Tenderheart's shoulder.\n \"I thought I did too, and now I know for sure,\" she sighed with a smile. \"I love you too, Tenderheart.\"\n \"Really?\" Tenderheart asked softly.\nCheer just nodded into his fur. It made the brown bear sigh softly and happily.\n \"You make me so happy,\" he whispered. \"I've... I've always had a thing for you.\"\n \"Yeah, same here,\" Cheer smiled in Tenderheart's fur. She raised her head a little and pressed a soft kiss on the brown Care Bear's heart-shaped nose. \"And no matter what the others may say about it, Tenderheart, I've always thought that the way you speak was just so cute.\" She giggled softly. \"Would you believe I'm even a little bit disappointed that you don't speak that way when you're near me?\"\nTenderheart smiled.\n \"You'd have to make me get uncomfortable or nervous around you, and I doubt that you would manage, Cheer. And unfortunately, since I'm trying so hard to loose that way of speaking, I wasn't exactly planning on doing it on purpose when we're together.\"\n \"Aw, rats,\" Cheer said with a soft giggle. She cuddled up closer to Tenderheart with a sigh. \"Ah well, never mind. I love you either way. Whether you speak cutely or not.\"\n \"That's very nice to know,\" Tenderheart smiled, pulling Cheer close to him. For a while they sat in silence again, until Tenderheart once more spoke up. \"Hey... Cheer?\"\n \"Mmmyes?\" the pink Care Bear murmured, enjoying lying cuddled up in Tenderheart's arms as she was.\n \"Can I... ask you a favor?\"\n \"Mmm, sure.\"\n \"Would you... please not tell anyone? What I told you this afternoon I mean? You know, that I'm actually a little uncertain and nervous around the others, being seen as the leader and all?\" Tenderheart asked softly.\nCheer rose up a little and looked at the brown Care Bear for a few moments. Then she smiled and sank back down against his soft body.\n \"Sure. I won't tell anyone, promise. It'll be our little secret.\"\n \"Thank you,\" Tenderheart said quietly.\n\nThey lapsed back into silence, and sat like that for quite a while. Cheer was almost lying on her side on the sofa, resting against Tenderheart's body, cuddled up in his arms the brown Care Bear had folded around her. She felt an inexplicable sense of relaxation and comfort filling her, just lying in that position like that. With her head resting against Tenderheart's chest, the pink bear could hear the sound of his breathing, the sound of his heartbeat, and it gave her such a wonderful sense of... security. And in the same way, Tenderheart was just silently looking ahead of him, his eyes seeing nothing, but his senses registering everything. Just the feeling of Cheer's soft body against his, her warm fur under his arms, the rate of her breathing softly pressing her chest against his body in a gentle, steady caress, it made him feel happier than he had ever felt. It felt like... it just felt like it... belonged. Like it was supposed to be that way. Only after quite some time, Cheer broke the contended silence.\n \"Hey Tenderheart, can I ask you a favor too?\"\n \"Yes, of course.\"\nCheer raised her head a little so she could look at Tenderheart's face.\n \"I want... I want to get intimate with you, Tenderheart,\" she said softly, smiling. \"And not because of... well, you know, but... because I just so love you, and I so want you.\"\nTenderheart looked down upon the pink bear lying in his arms, looking up at him with a smile and twinkling eyes, and he smiled himself as well.\n \"I'd love to, Cheer,\" he said softly. \"I love you, and I want you too.\"\n \"Please, yes,\" Cheer whispered smiling.\n\nTenderheart slowly bent over, bringing his head close to Cheer's. Their lips met, and they lost themselves in a passionate kiss. Closing their eyes, both Care Bears slowly sank down on the sofa, embracing each other dearly and kissing passionately. Very slowly, carefully, Tenderheart let his soft paws slide over Cheer's back, rubbing the back of her head and her shoulders, slowly moving down to the small of her back and up again. Cheer sighed happily and cuddled up against Tenderheart, fortifying her embrace and their kiss. Her fluffy breasts swelled, and another deep sigh of delight escaped the pink bear's lips when she felt her sensitive nipples running through the soft fur on Tenderheart's chest. The brown Care Bear slowly became more bold in his moves, letting his paws travel further down Cheer's body, now also running over the soft cheeks of her fuzzy butt. Cheer broke their kiss and buried her face in the fur on Tenderheart's shoulder, softly moaning with delight.\n \"Oh yesss, Tenderheart, pleassse,\" she whispered. \"Touch me. Caress me. Love me. I want you so.\"\n\nWith a happy smile, Tenderheart let one of his paws come to a rest at the base of Cheer's little pink tail. He softly scritched her on that perceptive spot, making Cheer wriggle in ecstacy. His other paw kept softly running over the pink bear's butt, his fingers every now and then sliding over the little red heart on Cheer's left thigh. Each time he did that a soft shock coursed through Cheer's body, and she outed a moan of delight. Pressing herself up as close as she could against Tenderheart's soft brown body, Cheer moaned and crooned delightfully at each of the brown bear's tender touches, and she started kissing her way up from the nape of his neck along his face to his ear. When she reached Tenderheart's ear, she started softly nibbling at it, drawing soft grunts of pleasure from the brown Care Bear. One of her soft pink paws slid over Tenderheart's chest and tummy and caressed his thigh, the tips of her fingers softly touching the brown bear's erecting dick. Inspired, Tenderheart's paw slid further down over Cheer's butt and reached for her swollen, moisty pussy. The pink Care Bear outed a short gasp of lust when Tenderheart's fingers slid over the fuzzy pink lips of her longing pussy, and she squirmed in his arms, mashing her body up against his. Crawling over Tenderheart's body, Cheer straddled over his hips while still nibbling on his ear, and she rubbed her moisty, longing pink pussy over his hard brown member. Tenderheart softly grunted with delight again, and he placed his paws on Cheer's soft butt while softly nipping the nape of her neck. The moment Cheer lowered herself even more upon him, however, Tenderheart suddenly brought his paws up and placed them on Cheer's shoulder, slightly pushing her a bit back so he could look her in the eyes.\n \"Cheer...\" he said softly. \"Are you... sure you wanna do this?\"\n \"Hmmm, why shouldn't I be?\" Cheer murmured.\n \"Well...\" Tenderheart said. \"It won't make you feel like... you know... what we talked about?\"\nCheer smiled and pressed a soft kiss on Tenderheart's brown heart-shaped nose.\n \"Lemme answer that with a counter-question, Tenderheart,\" she said. \"Do you need to be cheered up right now?\n \"Ah? Well, uh... no,\" Tenderheart said, rather surprised. \"I mean, I... I'm perfectly at ease and very happy to be with you.\"\n \"Then it won't make it seem I need my body to cheer you up, does it?\" Cheer smiled. \"It only makes it seem like I wanna do this out of my own will and just because I love you very much.\"\nTenderheart smiled a bit.\n \"I'm really happy you see it like that, Cheer. I mean, yes, I would very much like to do all this with you, but I don't wanna force you into anything, or make you feel like you...\"\nCheer silenced the brown bear with a sweet kiss.\n \"You're just such a sweetie, Tenderheart,\" she smiled. She kissed him again. \"Now, please, make love to me, Tenderheart. I love you so, and I want you so.\"\nTenderheart kissed Cheer back and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, but again he suddenly hesitated.\n \"Wait, are you... are you not afraid that it'll... have consequences?\"\n \"Not anymore,\" Cheer smiled. \"Remember I said I had something important to do this afternoon? Well, I went to see Take Care Bear and I asked her for contraceptives.\" She put a finger on Tenderheart's brown heart-shaped nose with a soft giggle. \"So there's really nothing that stands in our way, sweetie.\"\nTenderheart smiled a bit.\n \"Just wanted to be sure,\" he said softly. \"The last thing I want is having you feeling bad about it afterwards, or...\"\nAgain Cheer silenced Tenderheart with a sweet kiss.\n \"You really don't have to worry about a thing, Tenderheart,\" she whispered. \"I've taken care of all unforeseen things that could possibly happen, and I don't care about what the others might think about it; I love you.\"\n \"I'm just too happy to hear that,\" Tenderheart smiled.\n\nHe embraced Cheer and gently rolled over with her on the sofa. Letting his paws caress her pink body again, he slowly laid himself down on Cheer, pressing his lips on hers and folding one arm around her shoulders while holding his other paw on the back of her head, gently scritching at the base of her ears. Shivering with a sensation that was totally different from the plain horny lust she normally felt in this situation, Cheer spread her legs and pulled her knees up to her chest, giving Tenderheart all the room to enter her. Her squeal of lust died in the kiss Tenderheart held on when the brown Care Bear sank into her, and she tried to pull her knees up even higher. Her paws squeezed his shoulders, and she squirmed and writhed on the sofa, mashing her tummy against Tenderheart's while her tongue kept searching for his.\n\nMuffling his own grunts and growls of passion with the kiss, Tenderheart started slowly pulling back, until just the tip of his dick was caught between the warm, fuzzy lips of Cheer's wet pink pussy. Then he let himself slide back in just as slowly, until his tummy was resting on Cheer's again, reveling in the feeling of the pink Care Bear's pussy stretching around his dick. Even though she had more miles on her than all of Frolicheart Puma's cars added together and would therefore logically be rather widened up, Cheer had built an incredible experience in controlling and working all muscles in her love-spot, and she could bring pleasure like no other could. Tenderheart found that out to his fullest pleasure, and he kept up his slow pulling back and sinking in for as long as he could control himself. At every slow deep stroke into Cheer's warm, slippery pussy his self-control ebbed away a little further however, and slowly his tempo increased more and more. Finally, the brown bear let himself be overtaken by the lustful instinct that the feeling of Cheer's body around his was awakening inside him, and he pumped himself in and out of her as fast and as hard as his body wanted him to.\n\nReacting in instinct, Cheer bucked her hips to meet Tenderheart's rhythm perfectly, digging her fingers in his shoulders and swinging her head from left to right with her eyes squeezed tightly, moaning and squealing out her lust and love. The extra added feeling of love, of true love, made the pink Care Bear break down in quickly successing orgasms, faster and with shorter intervals then at any other time when she'd had sex with anyone. Her hot, sticky cum drizzled from her enjoying pink pussy like the rain that had been falling all day already, easing Tenderheart's hard throbbing brown dick into her deeper and smoother at each thrust of the brown Care Bear. Still increasing his tempo, Tenderheart started reaching for the peak of their desires, the mountaintop of their love, his breath coming out in panted grunts. His muscles trembled and tightened, and soft irregular shocks started surging through his body when a stunning orgasm started brewing in his balls, and his thrusts became shorter and more rapid. Cheer, feeling the climax rising in her lover's body, let her paws run from Tenderheart's shoulders, across his back to his butt, and she used both her paws to scratch and caress the base of Tenderheart's twitching tail, trying to help the brown Care Bear reach his climax faster. Tenderheart lowered his head with a jolt and sank his teeth in the nape of Cheer's neck when her caressing paws did indeed help him over the edge. Growling into Cheer's soft fur lustfully, the brown Care Bear plunged himself deep into her slopping pink pussy a last time, jet after jet of his warm, creamy seed shooting from his pulsating cock into Cheer's shuddering body. Cheer screamed out loudly with lust, the feeling of Tenderheart coming so hard inside her driving her into a last thundering orgasm. She clamped her pussy around the brown bear's dick as hard as she could and wriggled with her butt over the sofa, milking Tenderheart's dick for every drop she could get out of him.\n\nFinally, exhausted but satisfied, Cheer sank down on the sofa in relaxation, and Tenderheart slowly slumped over her. They lay on top of each other for a while, both trying to regain control over their panted breathing. One of Tenderheart's soft paws was still caressing the base of Cheer's ears gently, and both of Cheer's paws were still resting on the brown bear's butt, playing a bit with his tail. The pink Care Bear slowly let her paws run back up Tenderheart's back to his shoulders, and she pulled the brown bear close to her in a passionate, loving embrace. Holding Cheer with his other arm in a way that suggested he would never let go of her ever again, Tenderheart took his face out of the pink Care Bear's fur and rolled his head a bit, nuzzling his cheek against Cheer's.\n \"I love you, Cheer,\" he murmured.\n\nIn answer, Cheer just pressed her pink heart-shaped nose against Tenderheart's brown heart-shaped nose and her lips on his, telling him of her love for him with a sweet kiss. When they parted, Cheer opened her eyes and looked into Tenderheart's. The look that crossed between them said it all. Words had become obsolete. They had bonded. The loving power of the Kingdom of Caring had connected them. After another loving kiss, both bears nuzzled their faces against the other's, and they let the sleep of loving sexual satisfaction overtake them, while on the background the CD with gentle instrumental music ran itself out, eventually dipping the room in a contented silence.", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "For a change, the weather was not so good in the Kingdom of Caring. The sun was hidden behind grey clouds, and a steady rain drizzled down on the cloudly kingdom. Nevertheless, that didn't stop all Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins from going about their daily routine. Wish Bear, dressed in bright yellow slickers with her shooting star symbol on the front and a bright yellow sou'wester on her head, was on her post at the staroscope, and by her directions and the read-outs from the Caring Meter, Tenderheart Bear handed out the caring missions for that day. The only difference with other days was that the bears and cousins going out on their missions all were dressed in slickers and sou'westers, and that they had placed roofs over their Cloudsmobiles. Well, all except for Frolicheart Puma of course, he went out on his missions in his latest acquisition, a slightly souped-up, silvergrey 1980 Pontiac Phoenix hatchback. The fawn puma had thought it wiser to get himself a decent, rather inconspicuous, and not too old car to go on his caring missions with, and for transportation around the Kingdom of Caring. Why hadn't he ever tried a Cloudsmobile, by the way? Well, he had found out that he couldn't soup those up. No matter what he did to them, those cloudly vehicles always performed the same: lame, by Frolicheart's standards.

It wasn't very busy a day. Most of the Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins were sitting in the Hall of Hearts cafeteria, waiting for Tenderheart to show up with new caring missions, killing time a bit with chatting about recent events. The Great Wishing Star knew plenty of intense things had happened in the Kingdom of Caring lately. Everything had worked out for the better, though, and therefore it now just provided topics for conversation. Every now and then, some of the bears or cousins looked up with a smile or a giggle when the door to the medical wing opened, letting through Take Care Bear who was singing along with The Scorpions' "Still loving you" which was playing rather loudly in the medical wing. The red-orange medical Care Bear was busy tidying and cleaning her infirmary, and she always liked to do that with the help of some loud pop music. The only problem was that she didn't exactly have the very best singing voice around. But ah well, at least her singing along with her music proved she was in a great mood, and it also provided a few laughs for the others.
     "Champ! I have a mission for you!"
Tenderheart stepped into the cafeteria, holding out a paper. The golden Care Bear rose up and walked up to Tenderheart.
     "Any time, sports fan. What is it?"
     "It concejns a boy by the name of Freddy," Tenderheart said, checking the paper. "He's skipping gym class in school because he's afjaid he'll make a fool of himself. It appeajs he's not very good in athletics."
Champ Bear nodded.
     "Sounds like my kind of job indeed. Alright Tenderheart, I'll have a talk with the boy."
     "Thanks, it's appjeciated," Tenderheart said.
Swiftheart, sitting at one of the tables with Brightheart, Cheer, Love-a-Lot and Easy, started snorting behind a paw.
     "What is it, Swiftheart?" Brightheart asked. "You're not catching a cold, are you?"
The blue bunny shook her head.
     "No, sorry. It's just... I can't help it, but every time Tenderheart mangles his 'r's, it makes me laugh."
     "It does sound kinda funny," Easy Bear admitted with a soft giggle.
     "Funny? It still sounds just plain gay," Swiftheart said merrily. "Okay, so Tenderheart might say he's not gay, he still speaks like a fairy."
     "That's not so nice to say," Cheer said. "He can't help it he speaks that way."
     "Yet that doesn't take away it sounds hilarious," Swiftheart said.
Love-a-Lot shrugged a bit.
     "Hilarious, I don't know," she said. "I think it sounds rather cute."
Easy nodded.
     "Cute, funny, whatever you wanna call it. I do have to say though, that when I had just gotten here, I at first also thought he might be gay."
     "Why is it that everyone thinks that, anyway?" Cheer said.
     "It's the sound," Brightheart explained. "The whole timbre of Tenderheart's voice, that slight drawling touch to it, plus that slight speech impediment, fits the stereotype of a gay person. I know, it's not appropriate to say it or even think it, but with the way Tenderheart speaks you expect him any moment to lift his heel to his butt, raise the back of his paw to his shoulder and croon "hieeee y'all"."

Swiftheart burst out laughing, and the three Care Bear girls started giggling a bit. At other tables, some of the bears and cousins looked up, but since no one had heard what Swiftheart, Brightheart, Love-a-Lot, Cheer and Easy had been talking about they just looked at them with a smile or a giggle before turning back to their own conversations. Love-a-Lot took a drink from her glass of chocolate milk and looked at Brightheart and Swiftheart over the edge of it.
     "You know," she said. "I do agree with what you just said, Brightheart, but it does sound a bit as if it's not alright that Tenderheart's gay, if he would indeed be so."
     "Whoa whoa!" Brightheart said defensively, holding up a paw. "I never said that at all! I just explained why a lot of people might -think- he is, but I never said that it's not okay if he is. And if he is gay, then so what, it's completely his own choice; it's not our place to judge."
     "I can tell you from experience, he isn't even gay," Swiftheart said. "He proved that to me well enough." She gave Brightheart a teasing squeeze in his ear at the racoon's surprised look. "That was a long time ago. And besides, just as Brightheart said; it's Tenderheart's life, so if he wants to be gay, fine! Let him! That shouldn't be a problem to any of us, right? I mean, heck, everyone knows you're gay as well, Love-a-Lot, and everyone knows Wish is too. Everyone even knows you two live together nowadays, and everyone's okay with that as well, right? Everyone his or her own, I'd say. It's no-one's business to meddle with or judge anyone's sexual preference." The blue lapine Care Bear Cousin shrugged a bit. "Heck, and I sure don't mind if Tenderheart turns out to be gay after all," she added.
The brown bear, who had just finished talking to Champ, more or less overheard Swiftheart talking, and he stepped up to the table where the two Care Bear Cousins and the three Care Bears were sitting.
     "You don't mind if I what?" he asked.
     "Oh nothing," Swiftheart said airily. "We were just saying that it's quite alright if you still turned out to be gay... ouch!"
The blue bunny recoiled a bit when Brightheart kicked her under the table. She looked at the purple racoon with a frown, and Tenderheart sighed a bit.
     "I thought we'd been thjough that, Swiftheajt," he said.
     "I know, I know," Swiftheart said, reaching down to rub the leg Brightheart had kicked just now, sending the racoon another displeased look. "It's just that I still can't get off that every time I hear you speak so funnily."
Tenderheart sighed a bit again and walked off again, heading for the doors of the Hall of Hearts. The three Care Bears and the two Care Bear Cousins at the table looked after him, and Brightheart sent Swiftheart a mocking look.
     "Way to go, bunny-girl," he said. "I never thought it possible, but you actually managed to get your foot even further into your mouth."
     "Oh, shut up you!" Swiftheart flared up. "You were joking about it as well!"
     "Might be, but at least not so loud that he could hear me!" Brightheart gave back.
Love-a-Lot looked after Tenderheart again, then turned back to the two Care Bear Cousins.
     "I think you should apologize to Tenderheart for teasing him. Both of you," she said.
Brightheart and Swiftheart looked up.
     "But she started it!" Brightheart said at the exact same moment Swiftheart said: "But he started it!"
The three Care Bears giggled a bit, and the purple racoon and the blue bunny looked at each other when they chimed out in perfect unison. Both Care Bear Cousins sighed softly, and they both shrugged.
     "Ah well, maybe you're right," Brightheart said.
Swiftheart nodded in agreement. She and Brightheart got up and walked after Tenderheart, who was just leaving the Hall of Hearts. They caught up with him at the large doors.
     "Tenderheart!" Swiftheart said. "Hey Tenderheart!"
The brown bear looked around.
     "What? Came to make more fun of me?"
The blue bunny and the purple racoon looked at Tenderheart a bit guiltily.
     "No, we came to apologize," Brightheart said.
     "Yeah, we're sorry we made fun of the way you speak, okay?" Swiftheart said. "We really are."
     "Hm, okay," Tenderheart said. "But I really can't help I speak like that, you know. I've tjied to get it under contjol, but I just can't help the way I speak."
Before either Care Bear Cousin could reply, Wish Bear called out Tenderheart's name from the staroscope. The brown Care Bear looked around to answer Wish, and Swiftheart bent over to Brightheart a bit.
     "Yeah, like we just can't help laughing at the way you speak," she whispered behind a paw with a giggle.
Brightheart snorted a bit, but he very quickly put on a very innocent face when Tenderheart looked back at them. The brown bear frowned a tiny little bit when he noticed the amused expressions on both Care Bear Cousins' faces.
     "Hm, well, anyway, I accept your apology, Bjightheart and Swiftheart. I'm going for a bit of a walk now, so would you tell Bjaveheart to be in charge until I get back?"
Brightheart grinned softly.
     "Braveheart? He'd be more like in 'chaaaaarge'! But alright, we'll tell him, Tenderheart."
Swiftheart went into a fit of giggles, and Tenderheart nodded.
     "Good, thanks."
He walked off, and Swiftheart and Brightheart walked back into the Hall of Hearts. The three Care Bears at the table looked up when the two Care Bear Cousins re-joined them.
     "Did you apologize?" Love-a-Lot asked.
     "Yeah, we did," Swiftheart nodded.
     "Good," Love-a-Lot nodded with a smile.
     "Where is he now, then?" Cheer asked. "Didn't he come back with you?"
     "No, he said he was going for a walk. He asked us to tell Braveheart he's in charge until Tenderheart would come back," Brightheart said. He suddenly stood up again. "Which reminds me that we should still tell Braveheart so!"
He quickly walked off, looking for Braveheart. Cheer also rose up.
     "I think I'll go look for Tenderheart. It sounds as if he could do with a little cheering up."

She walked out of the Hall of Hearts while putting her sou'wester on her head, since it was still drizzling with rain outside. As the pink bear walked around Care a Lot, she looked up at the grey sky with a small frown.
     "Looks like the entire weather could use some cheering up even," she muttered to herself. Suddenly she spotted Tenderheart sitting on a cloud bank, and she quickly walked up to the brown bear. "Hey, Tenderheart?"
Tenderheart looked up and around, and he smiled weakly when he saw Cheer walking up to him.
     "Oh, hello Cheer."
The pink bear sat down next to Tenderheart on the cloud bank.
     "Are you okay, Tenderheart?" Cheer asked with a smile. "You seem a bit down after what Swiftheart and Brightheart said."
Tenderheart let out a soft sigh while he looked back ahead of him.
     "I'm fine. It's just that I get a bit tired of them or anyone else joking about it evejy time. I mean, I really can't help it that I speak like I do. Why do they have to keep teasing me for it all the time?"
     "I know, it's not nice," Cheer said, putting an arm around Tenderheart's shoulders. She also sighed softly. "Well, but at least you still have it easier than me."
     "What do you mean?"
     "Oh, come on now, Tenderheart," Cheer said with a sour smile. "Don't tell me you haven't heard yet of everyone seeing me as the Kingdom of Caring whore."
     "What?!" Tenderheart looked up with a shock. "But you're not! I mean, how... how could they say that? It... that... sounds like... that's an insult!"
     "Yes, well..." Cheer smirked. "They don't exactly say it with those words, but it kinda comes down to it. And who am I to blame, really? Myself, most probably. I mean, even Take Care called me a nympho. And it's more or less true, I've had sex with as good as everyone in the whole Kingdom of Caring already."
     "Yes, but... but..." Tenderheart stammered. "That's... that's not bad, is it? I mean... I sure don't disappjove of it. It's one of the best, nicest things to do."
     "That sure depends," Cheer smirked sourly. She bent over a bit to Tenderheart. "No one but Take Care knows this, Tenderheart, but I've had seven abortions already."
Tenderheart now almost fell over.
     "Wh... wh... what??" he squeaked, looking at Cheer with wide eyes. "But... Oh Cheer, I... I can't believe you'd do that!"
The pink Care Bear teared up and shook her head.
     "I know," she said, trying hard to swallow back a sob. "And I... I feel so horrible about it. But it's just... oh, I don't know." She looked up at Tenderheart. A few droplets ran down her cheeks, and Tenderheart wasn't sure whether it were raindrops or teardrops. "I do want to have cubs, Tenderheart. I so do. But I... I want to have them with someone I truly love and not... not because I just cheered someone up with some sex. That would just... just feel wrong. It would be so unfair to those cubs, you know? I mean... what if they'd find out that they were just the result of a sex-game because I cheered a down person up in the best way possible? It... They'd feel they're unwanted, and I... I just couldn't do that to them, Tenderheart. They would become miserable, and..."

She sobbed and buried her face in her paws. Tenderheart looked at the pink bear wide-eyed for a while, breathing deeply, processing what she had just told him. Slowly, he folded his arms around Cheer and pulled her close.
     "Cheer..." he said softly. "I... I know what you mean, and... I understand. It's okay, you don't have to cry."
Cheer took her face out of her paws again and looked up at Tenderheart. Their heart-shaped noses were only a few inches apart from each other. For some time, Cheer just looked into Tenderheart's gentle, soft brown eyes, a few tears still running down from her own eyes. But slowly, a small smile formed through her tears.
     "You're so sweet," she whispered.

Without even noticing, both Care Bears closed the few inches between them, and their lips pressed onto each other's in a sweet, loving kiss. Oblivious to the rain drizzling down on them and running from their sou'westers in thin trickles, they held on their kiss, embracing each other dearly. They held on their loving kiss for a while, eventually breaking apart and looking each other in the eyes again. They both smiled.
     "Gosh, you're so sweet, Cheer," Tenderheart said softly. "Anyone who called you a... a who... a prostitute really doesn't know what he or she's saying. You are anything but that."
Cheer smiled a bit, but her smile still was a little down.
     "Thanks," she said softly. "But... it's still so hard, you know. I know that what I'm doing leads people to think that about me, but... all I wanna do is just be nice to people and cheer them up, only somehow, when I do that by means of sex, that always backfires on me. I mean... I mean, even though I enjoy the sex myself too, I always feel... guilty, afterwards. Like... like I'm just... using my body as... as a tool to cheer people up."
Tenderheart shook his head a bit, took one of Cheer's paws in both his own and squeezed it softly, smiling at the pink bear.
     "If you think that that's the only reason people cheer up when you are around, then you're absolutely wrong, Cheer," he said with a smile. "Then you're really wrong. It's not your body, the prospect of having sex with you, that cheers people up, it's your sweet, caring character, your merriness, your determination to not stop until someone is cheered up, that does it. Not your body, honestly."
Cheer smiled deeper, more happier, and she wiped the back of her free paw along her eyes, wiping some of the wet droplets that might either have been raindrops of teardrops, off her face.
     "Thank you so much, Tenderheart," she smiled. "It means so much to me that you say that. I really appreciate it." The pink Care Bear suddenly realized something, and she looked up. "Hey, but... what happened to your speech?"
Tenderheart looked back at Cheer with surprise.
     "What happened to..? What do you mean, Cheer?"
Cheer looked at Tenderheart with pleasant surprise in her violet eyes.
     "It suddenly sounds... You speak normal now, Tenderheart!"
Tenderheart was even more surprised, and he thought back on what he had just said to Cheer, softly repeating some of the words, and some other words, that he would normally mangle when speaking.
     "The reason... you're wrong... prospect... caring character... merriness... determination... sorry, we're working..." He suddenly looked up happily. "Hey Cheer, you're... you're right! Wow!"
Cheer smiled happily, taking one of Tenderheart's paws, that was still resting on hers, in her paw.
     "What happened, Tenderheart?" she asked. "How come you so suddenly lost your speech impediment?"
Tenderheart thought deeply.
     "Gosh, I... I don't know, really... I..." He looked up at Cheer. "You know, I... I always thought that I kinda had it because... Well, because I'm kinda nervous around the others, you know?"
Cheer giggled a bit.
     "That sounds strange. I mean, you're sort of the leader over us, right?"
     "Yeah, well..." Tenderheart said. He looked at Cheer. "That's just because Nobleheart and Trueheart kinda made me that, you know? But... Out of myself, I don't think I would have taken that position, so... Being put in charge kinda makes me a bit nervous, and that... Well, some people start stuttering, but I guess with me it outed in that speech problem. It would explain why I don't have it now anyway, because right now, with you, I'm feeling like totally relaxed and at ease. That's just the effect you have on me."
To her own surprise, Cheer felt a blush creeping onto her face, coloring her cheeks a much deeper shade of pink they normally were. She looked away a bit.
     "Aww, but... I didn't really do anything... anything special," she mumbled.
Tenderheart smiled deeply. He raised his paw and very softly stroked Cheer's cheek.
     "Yes you did. You showed how much you truly care for me. That's special enough for me."

Cheer looked back up, and her eyes met Tenderheart's gentle, warm, soft brown eyes again. A few moments long they held the gaze, then their faces moved closer together, and their lips locked onto each other's in a sweet, loving kiss again. Wrapping their arms around each other, the two Care Bears slowly intensified their kiss. Then, suddenly, Take Care Bear's warning flashed in Cheer's mind, and she gently broke her embrace to Tenderheart, and their kiss.
     "You have the same effect on me, Tenderheart," she smiled in a soft voice. "I feel really relaxed and at ease with you too. Gee, do you know you're the only one I felt comfortable enough with to spill my problems?"
The brown Care Bear was a little disappointed that Cheer had broken off the kiss, but he didn't show it. His smile was genuine when he looked at Cheer, and he softly ran his paw over her cheek again.
     "I'm very happy that you trusted me enough to talk about it with me, Cheer," he smiled. "I even feel honored that you confided in me enough to share your problems with me."
Cheer let out a soft giggle, taking Tenderheart's paw in her own.
     "You really do live up to your name, Tenderheart."
The brown bear smiled.
     "So do you, Cheer," he smiled. "So do you." He moved a bit closer to Cheer, but then backed off again. He brought up his paw to her face, but let it sink down again. He opened his mouth to speak, but didn't and looked away, while a blush crept onto his face. "Hey, uh... Cheer?"
     "Yes, Tenderheart?" Cheer said with a smile.
Tenderheart blushed a bit deeper, still not daring to look straight at Cheer.
     "I, uh... I was wondering if... uhm..." He shook his head. "Awh, no..." he mumbled, hanging his head a bit. He looked up again, stuttering a bit, and even his speech impediment slightly returned. "I... I was kinda wondejing if, uhm... I was thinking... Maybe... How about if I... I mean... Would you like to come over for dinnej tonight, or... something?"
Cheer smiled a bit at Tenderheart's shy stuttering.
     "That sounds lovely, Tenderheart," she said. However, suddenly a very slight suspicious undertone crept into her voice. "And... who else will be coming over?"
The blush on Tenderheart's face was now so deep the red showed through his brown fur.
     "Well, uh... I was... I was kind of thinking no one else, just you and me, you know? And then later, we could, like... watch a movie oj something..?" Still blushing, the brown bear quickly added: "Unless... Unless you would jeally like someone else to be there with us too, of coujse."
His nerves made the brown Care Bear out a strange high-pitched giggle right after that, which also made Cheer giggle a bit. She shuffled a bit closer to Tenderheart and softly ran her paw over his cheek, like he had done to her earlier.
     "Just the two of us, just us together, sounds wonderful to me, Tenderheart," she smiled. "I'm really looking forward to it. Thank you very much for the invitation. I'd love to come over."
Tenderheart let out an obvious sigh of relief, the blush retreating from his face again and a smile breaking through. His deep sigh right away blew out his speech impediment again as well.
     "Oh, great! That's so great! I'm so happy you agree." He fidgeted a bit with his paws. "Well... I'll come by your place at, uh... say, six o'clock to pick you up, okay? Does that sound good for you?"
Cheer smiled deeply.
     "That sounds wonderful, Tenderheart. I'll see you at six then." She suddenly thought of something, and she smiled a bit apologetically. "Oh, wait, on the other hand... I think I'd better get over to your place myself, Tenderheart. No offense really, but the way you sometimes drive, you know..."
Tenderheart giggled a little nervously again.
     "Uh... hee hee... yes, I know, I'm sorry, you're right. Okay, maybe you could indeed come over to me by yourself then."
     "I will, Tenderheart," Cheer smiled, running her paw over his cheek again. "I'll be there at six, count on it." For a moment, the pink Care Bear again did some obvious thinking, and she rose to her feet. "Well, I'd better run along now, I have something important to do. See you tonight, Tenderheart."
     "Okay," Tenderheart said happily, smiling. "See you tonight then." He looked at Cheer. "Oh, and... thank you, Cheer."
Cheer bent over a bit to run her paw over Tenderheart's cheek again.
     "Don't thank me cutie, I should be thanking you."
She pressed a soft kiss on Tenderheart's brown heart-shaped nose, waved at him and walked off. Tenderheart looked after her with a happy smile, and a deep blush on his face. Cheer's last words kept echoing in his head.
     "She called me a cutie,' the brown bear thought to himself, blushing and smiling at the same time. "She thinks I'm a cutie!"

He kept looking in the direction Cheer had walked off to. In the mean time, the pink Care Bear had reached the Hall of Hearts again, and she stepped into it. There were a lot less Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins present there now, so apparently a lot of caring missions had come in. With a little relief, Cheer noticed that Brightheart and Swiftheart were among the absent cousins, and she quickly made her way through the Hall of Hearts cafeteria. When she reached the door to Take Care's infirmary, she quickly slipped through it and closed the door behind her. The red-orange medical Care Bear looked up from organizing her sterilized instruments, and a look of disbelief slid over her face when she saw who it was that had stepped into the infirmary.
     "You here?" Take Care said when Cheer stepped up to her.
     "It's not what you think, Take Care," Cheer hurriedly said. "I just came to ask you something. Can I talk to you for a moment, please?"
That surprised Take Care even more, and she put down her tray of medical instruments.
     "What? Yes, of course." She motioned to a few chairs standing in the room. "Come on, have a seat."
     "Thanks," Cheer said relieved.

She sat down in one of the chairs and took her bright yellow sou'wester off her head, while Take Care sat down in the other chair. For a while, Cheer remained silent, looking at her sou'wester and fiddling with it a bit. Eventually, Take Care broke the silence.
     "So... what did you wanna ask me, Cheer?"
     "I, uhm... I came to ask..." Cheer said. She suddenly looked up at the red-orange medical Care Bear. "Do you have some contraceptives for me, Take Care?" she blurted out.
It was that Take Care was sitting down, otherwise she would have hit the floor. She looked at the pink Care Bear with big round eyes.
     "You came to ask... You actually came to ask me..?" she said. Very suddenly, the red-orange medical Care Bear regained herself, and a very wide smile slid over her face. "I am so glad that you finally came to ask me for that, Cheer. Of course I have something for you. But... Do tell me, what made you so suddenly change your mind?"
Cheer looked down at her lap, still fiddling with her bright yellow sou'wester.
     "Several things," she mumbled. "What you said the last time I came to you, when Frolicheart was here. The terrible way I feel about, well... oh, never mind. But also..." Cheer looked up. "I talked to Tenderheart just now, and... You know how he's always teased about his way of speaking, Take Care. Even just now, in the cafeteria. I went after him, and we talked for a while. And... my heart just so went out to him, and I suddenly realized how sweet and tender he really is. And... and uhm..." She looked down again. "Well, he, uh... he invited me over for dinner tonight, and... I really do want to get intimate with him."
     "Figures," Take Care muttered under her breath.
Cheer suddenly looked up with an unusual fierce twinkle in her eyes.
     "No!" she said out loud. "It's not why you think it is! If you only knew how bad I always felt after I..." She sighed. "Oh well, never mind that. But anyway, the reason I want to get close with Tenderheart is... is just... I so like him, I do even think I love him. And... I even think that I'd even wanna have his cubs, but I'm not sure yet, so I just... well, I just wanna be careful with that until I know for sure, you know?"
Take Care, initially taken aback a bit by Cheer's first sudden outburst, already smiled deeply again.
     "I understand," she smiled. "And as I said, of course I have something for you. Wait here just a second, okay?"

Cheer nodded, with a small smile. Take Care also smiled, rose up from the chair and softly patted Cheer on the head with a paw, and then she disappeared in her small office. A few moments later she reappeared, walked back to Cheer and handed the pink bear a small box.
     "These are contraceptive pills, Cheer," she smiled. "You take one each week, preferably on the same day each week. If you already have an appointment with Tenderheart for tonight, I suggest you take one now, and then simply one each coming Tuesday. These should last you a couple of months. If you have only one or two left, come back to me and I'll get you a new dose, okay?"
     "Yes, sure, of course," Cheer smiled happily. "Thank you so much, Take Care."
     "Any time, girl, any time," Take Care smiled, patting Cheer on the head again. "Now, run along, I understood there's still plenty of caring missions being handed out, and they'll probably need you."
     "Yes," Cheer smiled happily again, rising up from the chair. "Thank you very much again, Take Care. And... I guess I'll be seeing you in a few months, then."
     "I hope it'll be only then, Cheer," Take Care smiled. "Byebye."
     "Bye," Cheer said with a happy smile, waving at Take Care as she left the infirmary. Just before she reached the door, she turned around again. "Oh, Take Care?"
     "Yes?"
     "Do I have to take them with water? Or can I take them with something else too?"
     "As long as you don't use coffee or alcohol, anything will do," Take Care smiled.
     "Oh, okay," Cheer smiled. "I'll get a glass of milk or something in the cafeteria then, so I can take one right away." She waved again. "Once again, thanks a lot, Take Care. Goodbye."

She stepped through the door happily. The red-orange medical Care Bear looked after her with a smile. When she returned to her cleaning and tidying up chores, she sang along with her music even cheerier. And the pink Care Bear with the rainbow-decorated tummy also was a regular ray of sunshine all through the rest of the rainy day.

At a few minutes to six that evening, Cheer pulled up to Tenderheart's cloud cottage in her Cloudsmobile. She parked it at the side of the rainbow path, got out of it and walked up the driveway. The rain was still steadily drizzling down, but it could not wash away the happy mood that was over Cheer. Reaching the door of Tenderheart's cottage, she knocked on it. A few moments later the door was opened, and Tenderheart looked up with a happy smile when he saw Cheer standing there.
     "Oh! Hello, Cheer. I'm glad you're here. Come on in, I was just busy finishing dinner."

Cheer giggled a bit; it was obvious the brown bear was busy with that. He was wearing a flowered apron, and a high white chef's hat that had black lettering on the band which spelled out 'Gourmet Cook', and he held a wood ladle in his right paw. Smiling, Cheer followed Tenderheart into his cottage and closed the door behind her. While the brown Care Bear disappeared into the kitchen, Cheer stepped into the living room and sat down on a sofa. She looked around her with a smile. Tenderheart's living room sure looked very homy and cozy. It was very Care Bear-ishly decorated, and one thing right away attracted attention; the number of flowering plants. There were flowering plants everywhere. At the back side, where normally the wall with the windows overlooking the back garden would be, Cheer noticed large glass sliding-doors instead, giving passage to what looked like a separate dining room.

Before too long, Cheer looked up when the door to the living room opened, and Tenderheart came stepping through, carrying a large dish with a sort of bell-shaped lid over it. Since he needed both paws to carry it and the sliding-doors were closed, Cheer quickly rose up from the sofa and walked over to the sliding-doors to open them for Tenderheart. The brown bear smiled at her.
     "Thanks, Cheer. Go have a seat at the table already, okay? I'll be right there, there's some more in the kitchen I need to go get first."
     "Sure, okay," Cheer smiled.

She followed Tenderheart into the dining room, and a soft giggle escaped her when she saw the dining table. It looked like a setting in a romantic restaurant. Tenderheart had sure done his best for her. A decorative sheet covered the table, and on it were two china plates flanked by cutlery, and with a wine-glass standing near both plates. In the middle was a candelabra with two white candles in it, and a small bouquet of flowers. Tenderheart put the large dish in the middle of the table too, and while Cheer sat down on one of the chairs, Tenderheart went back to the kitchen to get the rest of the food. He came back a few moments later, with another dish covered by a bell-shaped lid, but this one was not as large as the first he had carried into the dining room. When he'd set the second dish down on the table he lit the candles, and then he looked at Cheer with a smile.
     "Would you like some music to go with the dinner, Cheer?"
     "That would be nice, yes," Cheer said with a soft giggle.

Tenderheart nodded and walked over to a cabinet that held a stereo. Apparently there already was a CD in it, because the brown bear just pushed a button, which made gentle instrumental music flow into the dining room. Cheer couldn't help softly giggling behind a paw. Standing near the table again, Tenderheart brought up a carton of red grape-juice (due to their small body-size, Care Bears didn't drink alcohol because they couldn't handle that at all) and looked at Cheer again.
     "Would you like a drink?"
     "Very much so, mister charmer," Cheer said with another soft giggle.

Tenderheart smiled a bit and filled both glasses. Then he lifted the lids off both dishes, and Cheer sniffed with appreciation. Wow, if Tenderheart had cooked that all himself, then that line 'Gourmet Cook' on that silly hat he'd been wearing sure was justified! The brown bear removing the lids from the dishes revealed a three-starbuddy-meal! Roasted guinea-fowl on a bed of sassafras-dressing, with a side-dish of cooked vegetables and various tropical fruits under a sprinkle of grated coconut. The giggle died in Cheer's mouth as she looked at the dinner with admiration.
     "Wow, Tenderheart..." she said. "That is... impressive!"
     "I hope you like it," Tenderheart said, with a smile that was a tad nervous.
     "I very much doubt that I won't!" Cheer said. "Sheesh, look at all the trouble you went through!"
     "It wasn't all that much trouble," Tenderheart mumbled shyly, but secretly glowing under the compliment. "Well, let me help you."
He filled Cheer's plate and put it down for her, and then he filled his own plate and sat down at the table close to Cheer. Taking the wine-glass of grape juice, he raised it with a smile.
     "Well, bone appeteat," he said, not really knowing how to properly pronounce that.
Cheer let out the smallest of amused snorts, and she also merrily raised her glass.
     "Merci beaucoup, monsieur," she said, having learned a thing or two from Love-a-Lot, who so much loved listening to romantic French chansons and therefore knew the French language a bit. "To a wonderful evening."
Tenderheart, surprised a little at first by that French thing Cheer had said, smiled a bit.
     "Yes, to a wonderful evening. Thank you for coming, Cheer."
     "Thank you for inviting me," Cheer smiled.

They started eating, and once again Cheer was amazed by the food. "Delicious" would have been an understatement! "Amazing" would hardly have begun to describe it. "Astoundingly terrific" already came a lot closer. During dinner, neither of the two Care Bears spoke, apart from an impressed remark over how good it was from Cheer every now and then, which just made Tenderheart smile happily each time. And blush a bit every now and then. After dinner, Cheer found that Tenderheart had done his best on dessert as well; the brown bear served a delicious raspberry bavarois with a whipped cream topping. When everything was clean finished, Cheer helped Tenderheart carrying all the dishes to the kitchen, where the brown bear put everything in a raincloud dishwasher. They went back to the living room and sat down on the sofa together, while the stereo kept playing the gentle instrumental music. For quite a while, both Care Bears just sat in contented silence, feeling happy just sitting there like that, in each other's companionship.
     "I, uh... really really like you, Cheer," Tenderheart suddenly said, out of the blue and rather softly.
     "I really really like you too, Tenderheart," Cheer smiled.
     "Can I... kiss you again?"

As an answer, Cheer leaned over with a smile and pressed her lips on Tenderheart's, meanwhile folding her arms around the brown bear's shoulders. Tenderheart smiled, also folded his arms around Cheer's shoulders and held her close, happily answering her kiss. The pink bear closed her eyes and softly sighed in the kiss. She felt so much speaking from the way Tenderheart kissed. All the things she'd already had always thought about him; how true he cared for others, how kind-hearted and sweet-mannered he was, everything, Cheer felt being confirmed by the kiss. She felt how Tenderheart let her tongue search for his, he let her kiss in the way she wanted to, not forcing through any own initiatives. He just followed her lead. And that in itself already was quite amazing, seeing as how the brown Care Bear normally was the one taking the lead in everything. When finally they parted, Tenderheart kept his arms folded around Cheer's shoulders. He looked at her for a while, with a soft smile, then he nuzzled his cheek against hers and closed his eyes, tightening his embrace.
     "I... I, uh... love you, Cheer," he whispered.
Cheer smiled deeply and pressed her face in the soft brown fur on Tenderheart's shoulder.
     "I thought I did too, and now I know for sure," she sighed with a smile. "I love you too, Tenderheart."
     "Really?" Tenderheart asked softly.
Cheer just nodded into his fur. It made the brown bear sigh softly and happily.
     "You make me so happy," he whispered. "I've... I've always had a thing for you."
     "Yeah, same here," Cheer smiled in Tenderheart's fur. She raised her head a little and pressed a soft kiss on the brown Care Bear's heart-shaped nose. "And no matter what the others may say about it, Tenderheart, I've always thought that the way you speak was just so cute." She giggled softly. "Would you believe I'm even a little bit disappointed that you don't speak that way when you're near me?"
Tenderheart smiled.
     "You'd have to make me get uncomfortable or nervous around you, and I doubt that you would manage, Cheer. And unfortunately, since I'm trying so hard to loose that way of speaking, I wasn't exactly planning on doing it on purpose when we're together."
     "Aw, rats," Cheer said with a soft giggle. She cuddled up closer to Tenderheart with a sigh. "Ah well, never mind. I love you either way. Whether you speak cutely or not."
     "That's very nice to know," Tenderheart smiled, pulling Cheer close to him. For a while they sat in silence again, until Tenderheart once more spoke up. "Hey... Cheer?"
     "Mmmyes?" the pink Care Bear murmured, enjoying lying cuddled up in Tenderheart's arms as she was.
     "Can I... ask you a favor?"
     "Mmm, sure."
     "Would you... please not tell anyone? What I told you this afternoon I mean? You know, that I'm actually a little uncertain and nervous around the others, being seen as the leader and all?" Tenderheart asked softly.
Cheer rose up a little and looked at the brown Care Bear for a few moments. Then she smiled and sank back down against his soft body.
     "Sure. I won't tell anyone, promise. It'll be our little secret."
     "Thank you," Tenderheart said quietly.

They lapsed back into silence, and sat like that for quite a while. Cheer was almost lying on her side on the sofa, resting against Tenderheart's body, cuddled up in his arms the brown Care Bear had folded around her. She felt an inexplicable sense of relaxation and comfort filling her, just lying in that position like that. With her head resting against Tenderheart's chest, the pink bear could hear the sound of his breathing, the sound of his heartbeat, and it gave her such a wonderful sense of... security. And in the same way, Tenderheart was just silently looking ahead of him, his eyes seeing nothing, but his senses registering everything. Just the feeling of Cheer's soft body against his, her warm fur under his arms, the rate of her breathing softly pressing her chest against his body in a gentle, steady caress, it made him feel happier than he had ever felt. It felt like... it just felt like it... belonged. Like it was supposed to be that way. Only after quite some time, Cheer broke the contended silence.
     "Hey Tenderheart, can I ask you a favor too?"
     "Yes, of course."
Cheer raised her head a little so she could look at Tenderheart's face.
     "I want... I want to get intimate with you, Tenderheart," she said softly, smiling. "And not because of... well, you know, but... because I just so love you, and I so want you."
Tenderheart looked down upon the pink bear lying in his arms, looking up at him with a smile and twinkling eyes, and he smiled himself as well.
     "I'd love to, Cheer," he said softly. "I love you, and I want you too."
     "Please, yes," Cheer whispered smiling.

Tenderheart slowly bent over, bringing his head close to Cheer's. Their lips met, and they lost themselves in a passionate kiss. Closing their eyes, both Care Bears slowly sank down on the sofa, embracing each other dearly and kissing passionately. Very slowly, carefully, Tenderheart let his soft paws slide over Cheer's back, rubbing the back of her head and her shoulders, slowly moving down to the small of her back and up again. Cheer sighed happily and cuddled up against Tenderheart, fortifying her embrace and their kiss. Her fluffy breasts swelled, and another deep sigh of delight escaped the pink bear's lips when she felt her sensitive nipples running through the soft fur on Tenderheart's chest. The brown Care Bear slowly became more bold in his moves, letting his paws travel further down Cheer's body, now also running over the soft cheeks of her fuzzy butt. Cheer broke their kiss and buried her face in the fur on Tenderheart's shoulder, softly moaning with delight.
     "Oh yesss, Tenderheart, pleassse," she whispered. "Touch me. Caress me. Love me. I want you so."

With a happy smile, Tenderheart let one of his paws come to a rest at the base of Cheer's little pink tail. He softly scritched her on that perceptive spot, making Cheer wriggle in ecstacy. His other paw kept softly running over the pink bear's butt, his fingers every now and then sliding over the little red heart on Cheer's left thigh. Each time he did that a soft shock coursed through Cheer's body, and she outed a moan of delight. Pressing herself up as close as she could against Tenderheart's soft brown body, Cheer moaned and crooned delightfully at each of the brown bear's tender touches, and she started kissing her way up from the nape of his neck along his face to his ear. When she reached Tenderheart's ear, she started softly nibbling at it, drawing soft grunts of pleasure from the brown Care Bear. One of her soft pink paws slid over Tenderheart's chest and tummy and caressed his thigh, the tips of her fingers softly touching the brown bear's erecting dick. Inspired, Tenderheart's paw slid further down over Cheer's butt and reached for her swollen, moisty pussy. The pink Care Bear outed a short gasp of lust when Tenderheart's fingers slid over the fuzzy pink lips of her longing pussy, and she squirmed in his arms, mashing her body up against his. Crawling over Tenderheart's body, Cheer straddled over his hips while still nibbling on his ear, and she rubbed her moisty, longing pink pussy over his hard brown member. Tenderheart softly grunted with delight again, and he placed his paws on Cheer's soft butt while softly nipping the nape of her neck. The moment Cheer lowered herself even more upon him, however, Tenderheart suddenly brought his paws up and placed them on Cheer's shoulder, slightly pushing her a bit back so he could look her in the eyes.
     "Cheer..." he said softly. "Are you... sure you wanna do this?"
     "Hmmm, why shouldn't I be?" Cheer murmured.
     "Well..." Tenderheart said. "It won't make you feel like... you know... what we talked about?"
Cheer smiled and pressed a soft kiss on Tenderheart's brown heart-shaped nose.
     "Lemme answer that with a counter-question, Tenderheart," she said. "Do you need to be cheered up right now?
     "Ah? Well, uh... no," Tenderheart said, rather surprised. "I mean, I... I'm perfectly at ease and very happy to be with you."
     "Then it won't make it seem I need my body to cheer you up, does it?" Cheer smiled. "It only makes it seem like I wanna do this out of my own will and just because I love you very much."
Tenderheart smiled a bit.
     "I'm really happy you see it like that, Cheer. I mean, yes, I would very much like to do all this with you, but I don't wanna force you into anything, or make you feel like you..."
Cheer silenced the brown bear with a sweet kiss.
     "You're just such a sweetie, Tenderheart," she smiled. She kissed him again. "Now, please, make love to me, Tenderheart. I love you so, and I want you so."
Tenderheart kissed Cheer back and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, but again he suddenly hesitated.
     "Wait, are you... are you not afraid that it'll... have consequences?"
     "Not anymore," Cheer smiled. "Remember I said I had something important to do this afternoon? Well, I went to see Take Care Bear and I asked her for contraceptives." She put a finger on Tenderheart's brown heart-shaped nose with a soft giggle. "So there's really nothing that stands in our way, sweetie."
Tenderheart smiled a bit.
     "Just wanted to be sure," he said softly. "The last thing I want is having you feeling bad about it afterwards, or..."
Again Cheer silenced Tenderheart with a sweet kiss.
     "You really don't have to worry about a thing, Tenderheart," she whispered. "I've taken care of all unforeseen things that could possibly happen, and I don't care about what the others might think about it; I love you."
     "I'm just too happy to hear that," Tenderheart smiled.

He embraced Cheer and gently rolled over with her on the sofa. Letting his paws caress her pink body again, he slowly laid himself down on Cheer, pressing his lips on hers and folding one arm around her shoulders while holding his other paw on the back of her head, gently scritching at the base of her ears. Shivering with a sensation that was totally different from the plain horny lust she normally felt in this situation, Cheer spread her legs and pulled her knees up to her chest, giving Tenderheart all the room to enter her. Her squeal of lust died in the kiss Tenderheart held on when the brown Care Bear sank into her, and she tried to pull her knees up even higher. Her paws squeezed his shoulders, and she squirmed and writhed on the sofa, mashing her tummy against Tenderheart's while her tongue kept searching for his.

Muffling his own grunts and growls of passion with the kiss, Tenderheart started slowly pulling back, until just the tip of his dick was caught between the warm, fuzzy lips of Cheer's wet pink pussy. Then he let himself slide back in just as slowly, until his tummy was resting on Cheer's again, reveling in the feeling of the pink Care Bear's pussy stretching around his dick. Even though she had more miles on her than all of Frolicheart Puma's cars added together and would therefore logically be rather widened up, Cheer had built an incredible experience in controlling and working all muscles in her love-spot, and she could bring pleasure like no other could. Tenderheart found that out to his fullest pleasure, and he kept up his slow pulling back and sinking in for as long as he could control himself. At every slow deep stroke into Cheer's warm, slippery pussy his self-control ebbed away a little further however, and slowly his tempo increased more and more. Finally, the brown bear let himself be overtaken by the lustful instinct that the feeling of Cheer's body around his was awakening inside him, and he pumped himself in and out of her as fast and as hard as his body wanted him to.

Reacting in instinct, Cheer bucked her hips to meet Tenderheart's rhythm perfectly, digging her fingers in his shoulders and swinging her head from left to right with her eyes squeezed tightly, moaning and squealing out her lust and love. The extra added feeling of love, of true love, made the pink Care Bear break down in quickly successing orgasms, faster and with shorter intervals then at any other time when she'd had sex with anyone. Her hot, sticky cum drizzled from her enjoying pink pussy like the rain that had been falling all day already, easing Tenderheart's hard throbbing brown dick into her deeper and smoother at each thrust of the brown Care Bear. Still increasing his tempo, Tenderheart started reaching for the peak of their desires, the mountaintop of their love, his breath coming out in panted grunts. His muscles trembled and tightened, and soft irregular shocks started surging through his body when a stunning orgasm started brewing in his balls, and his thrusts became shorter and more rapid. Cheer, feeling the climax rising in her lover's body, let her paws run from Tenderheart's shoulders, across his back to his butt, and she used both her paws to scratch and caress the base of Tenderheart's twitching tail, trying to help the brown Care Bear reach his climax faster. Tenderheart lowered his head with a jolt and sank his teeth in the nape of Cheer's neck when her caressing paws did indeed help him over the edge. Growling into Cheer's soft fur lustfully, the brown Care Bear plunged himself deep into her slopping pink pussy a last time, jet after jet of his warm, creamy seed shooting from his pulsating cock into Cheer's shuddering body. Cheer screamed out loudly with lust, the feeling of Tenderheart coming so hard inside her driving her into a last thundering orgasm. She clamped her pussy around the brown bear's dick as hard as she could and wriggled with her butt over the sofa, milking Tenderheart's dick for every drop she could get out of him.

Finally, exhausted but satisfied, Cheer sank down on the sofa in relaxation, and Tenderheart slowly slumped over her. They lay on top of each other for a while, both trying to regain control over their panted breathing. One of Tenderheart's soft paws was still caressing the base of Cheer's ears gently, and both of Cheer's paws were still resting on the brown bear's butt, playing a bit with his tail. The pink Care Bear slowly let her paws run back up Tenderheart's back to his shoulders, and she pulled the brown bear close to her in a passionate, loving embrace. Holding Cheer with his other arm in a way that suggested he would never let go of her ever again, Tenderheart took his face out of the pink Care Bear's fur and rolled his head a bit, nuzzling his cheek against Cheer's.
     "I love you, Cheer," he murmured.

In answer, Cheer just pressed her pink heart-shaped nose against Tenderheart's brown heart-shaped nose and her lips on his, telling him of her love for him with a sweet kiss. When they parted, Cheer opened her eyes and looked into Tenderheart's. The look that crossed between them said it all. Words had become obsolete. They had bonded. The loving power of the Kingdom of Caring had connected them. After another loving kiss, both bears nuzzled their faces against the other's, and they let the sleep of loving sexual satisfaction overtake them, while on the background the CD with gentle instrumental music ran itself out, eventually dipping the room in a contented silence.", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Tender hearts and cheers", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "4", "name": "Sexual Themes", "description": "Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "t", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "130" }