This little one-shot is based on the episode "The Journal". :D Takes place during the flashback scenes in the park, when all the gang were little babies! They were all SO CUTE!
During one part, when Arnold had ninja'd his way to the slide unknown to his parents, Miles and Stella were looking for him, and at one point, Miles is not far from the swing set where baby Helga and Phoebe are, and Helga says "Lookit dat!" in her SO CUTE little baby voice, pointing to where Arnold is on top of the slide. Ah yes, she found Arnold! That to me, just kind of brought something on. A bit of a connection.
So, this thing here...is a fantasy of mine. XD It takes place after the slide incident, and before Eduardo shows up. :D
Characters all belong to Craig Bartlett
--~~--
"It looks like we have quite a ninja for a baby." Stella remarked, taking a washcloth and dampening it with water from their water bottle, proceeding to wash the dirt off Arnold. "Or he's just as accident-prone as you are."
Miles gave a laugh. "Hey, come on, Stella."
Arnold giggled along with them, squirming playfully as Stella washed him. She smiled and kissed his round nose, making him smile widely. Even now, it was so hard to believe that this little precious creature was their son, their own little son, who they loved more than life itself. He was one now, and it seemed like it was just yesterday that he was born...
"Gosh, they grow up so fast." Miles said, apparently thinking the same thing. "I can only imagine what it's going to be like when he grows up. I just know I'm going to blink and before we know it, he'll be a big boy."
Stella could feel her heart both wrench and warm up at the same time as she too, envisioned her precious son grow up to be a young boy, a teenager, a young man... it all seemed to be coming too fast. She shook her head of those thoughts, deciding not to dwell on them now.
"Let's not start picking out his prom suit!" Stella said jokingly, and she and Miles both laughed. "But even though he'll grow up one day, I know for sure he'll always be our little boy." She kissed his forehead, and finished washing him, taking him out of his stroller.
"And he'll be handsome like his old man!" Miles grinned, ruffling Arnold's hair. "You're going to be quite a heart breaker when you get to be older, kiddo."
"Then I suppose it'll be my job to see that he treats women with love and respect." Stella smiled. "I'll make sure that any girl would feel lucky to have him."
"For sure!" Miles agreed, and then glanced over toward a nearby sandbox. He saw the cute, pigtailed girl now sitting in there playing, while the man, presumably her father, was off arguing with another parent, not even paying attention to her.
Miles gave a small frown, and then could see that the little girl was looking at them, but when she saw him looking, she immediately looked away. He gave a smile, seeing that it was the same girl who had spotted Arnold earlier when he was on the slide. He then got an idea.
"Hey Stella, why don't we let Arnold keep that little girl company? She looks pretty lonely."
Stella followed her husband's eyes, and gave a bright smile. "That sounds like a great idea. Arnold, do you want to go play with that cute little girl over there?"
Though Arnold didn't quite understand, he looked at the girl and smiled widely, waving his little hands. Miles and Stella went over to the sandbox, and placed Arnold into it next to the girl. The girl had blonde hair done in pigtails, a pink bow on her head, and wearing a pink dress with poofy sleeves and a white flowery collar, and pink shoes. She had big blue eyes, and a unibrow. She looked at Arnold and smiled. Arnold smiled back at her widely and crawled over to her, holding his hands out to her. She looked at him, and then his hands, and smiled more, taking his hands and giggling.
"Awww...look at that...they're fast friends..." Stella mused, smiling at the two.
"I think Arnold's found his future wife!" Miles joked, and turned to the little girl. "And what's your name, sweetheart?"
The girl looked up at him timidly, but she answered in a soft voice. "Helga."
"That's a nice name." Stella smiled. "Helga, this is Arnold."
"'Elgaaaa...." Arnold said, smiling at Helga sweetly. "'Elga!"
"A-A...Anold?" The little girl, Helga, replied.
"'Elga!"
"Anold!"
Miles and Stella both laughed a little as they watched the tots interact with each other in their own little ways. They sat on a bench nearby and watched them as Helga showed Arnold her pink plastic shovel, and Arnold took the bucket sitting there, now putting sand inside it with his hands. Helga helped him out, both of them giggling happily.
"What a sweet little girl...I think she likes Arnold." Miles mused, leaning back against the bench.
"And I think Arnold likes her too." Stella giggled. "Look at them, they're having so much fun."
"A ball of lint is fun to a baby." Miles remarked, and Stella playfully slapped his shoulder. He looked to see whom he presumed to be Helga's father now talking to a blonde woman in a dress with glasses, blonde hair, presuming to be Helga's mother. With them was a thirteen-year-old girl, probably Helga's sister. The three of them were talking, and also, he noticed, paying no attention to Helga.
Stella followed her husband's gaze, and frowned a little. "Miles, you don't suppose that's her family, do you?"
"I think so, I saw him near the swings earlier with that other little girl and her mother." Miles replied. "What a shame, I can't believe they'd do that."
"I don't understand." Stella agreed, shaking her head. "How could they just leave their own daughter unattended like that? Ooooh, I'm going over there and giving them a piece of my mind!"
Miles placed his hand on Stella's, shaking his head. "We'd better not, Stella. It's none of our business. Besides, she's with Arnold now, and we're looking after them both, she'll be all right."
Sighing, Stella looked at the Pataki family, and then at Helga, who was having a ball playing with Arnold in the sandbox. Despite that Miles was right, she still felt a tug at her heartstrings for seeing the poor little, defenseless girl be left on her own like that. She could never do that to Arnold, not unless knowing he was 100% safe.
"It's not fair to her." Miles went on, but he smiled as he watched the two kids. "At least now she's not alone."
"...You're right." Stella murmured, and smiled too as she watched them play.
They watched warmly as Arnold and Helga continued to have a ball with each other in the sandbox. The blonde girl took his hat and inspected it, placing it on his nose. Arnold laughed and looked at it cross-eyed again, before taking it off and placing it on her head. Helga beamed with delight and then leaned over and kissed Arnold on the cheek. He giggled happily, and then kissed her on the cheek too. Seeing this, Miles and Stella grinned and couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Oooh, Arnold just got his first kiss!" Miles laughed. "Better start sending out the wedding invitations!"
"Miles!" Stella laughed too, amused by the adorable sight. "Oh, what am I saying, that was just adorable. Aren't they just so cute?"
"More than cute." Miles said, and stood up, seeing the Pataki family approaching. "Oh boy, I sense trouble lurking in the shadows."
Stella frowned lightly, but followed her husband to the sandbox. This wasn't looking good.
"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing, letting him near my daughter?!" Big Bob Pataki demanded, picking up Helga abruptly, taking Arnold's hat off her head and tossing it toward them, Miles catching it.
Stella gave a warning stare, and picked up Arnold from the sandbox too, who was looking at Helga sadly, reaching for her, as she did too.
"Hey, Big Bob, relax." Miles said, now recognizing this man as Big Bob Pataki, who he had gone to school with, despite being a few years younger. "They were just playing together."
"Playing together, I saw them smooching face from where I was! My daughter is ten times too young to even look at boys!"
"B, calm down..." Miriam Pataki sighed.
"Daddy, it was only just playing." The teenage older sister said. "Baby sister is far too young to understand."
"Playing together my foot! I won't let that wretched-"
"Listen here, you big buffoon!" Stella interrupted. "You had better quit talking to my husband and about our son that way! You are in no position to get upset, since YOU were the one who was neglecting Helga in the first place! What do you have to say for yourself, leaving her all alone in the sandbox like that?! She could have hurt herself, or have been kidnapped! She's one, for Pete's sake, and you just leave her alone?! Well I'll have you know that I don't put with that! And another thing-"
"Stella, Stella, calm down. Let it go." Miles cut her off, his hand on her shoulder. Still, he agreed with her.
Big Bob just let out an irritated snarl, before thrusting Helga into Miriam's arms and then walking off in a huff.
"I'm so sorry about Bob." Miriam said. "He can be such a blowhard sometimes."
"Never mind, Mrs. Pataki." Miles said kindly. "We'll just be going, we're sorry to have caused any trouble."
"'Elga!" Arnold whined, reaching for her.
"Anold!" Helga whined, still reaching for him.
"Awwwww! How sweet, baby sister doesn't want to be apart from her new little friend!" The teenage girl cooed. "Oh mummy, you mustn't let daddy keep them apart! It could break their poor little hearts!"
"Oh, but honey, your father..." Miriam began, and then sighed. "He works until six on weekdays, we can bring Helga over or you can bring Arnold over any time."
Miles and Stella exchanged glances, and gave a nod.
"We'll take you up on that." Said Miles. "See you later, Mrs. Pataki. Arnold? Do you want to say goodbye to Helga?"
Stella held Arnold closer to Helga, and he gave her a little hug. She hugged him back.
"Bye, 'Elga."
"Bye, Anold."
Both tots held each other's hands for a moment and then let go as both families went off on their separate ways, with the little tots waving sadly to each other as they peeked up over their mothers shoulders.
Despite it all, Miles grinned some more and ruffled his son's hair. "Well good work, son! You got yourself a girlfriend!"
"Miles! He's one!" Stella said, but she laughed.
Miles laughed, bringing an arm around his wife and placing Arnold's hat back on the little boy's head. "I know, honey. At least he made a new friend."
"He's growing up, as you said..." Stella said softly, kissing Arnold on the head. "I think you're right. Our little Arnold found his first little true love."
"Hey, you just said he's one, too young for that kind of thing!"
"I can change my mind, can't I?"
It was then, sometime later, that their lives were to change forever...and not quite for the better.
--~~--
"So wait a minute, you're saying I met Helga before I remembered meeting her when I was three?" Ten-year-old Arnold confirmed, surprised at his parent's story.
Miles nodded and grinned. "That's right! It didn't last very long, but you and little baby Helga were fast friends!"
"It was adorable." Stella said, nodding in agreement. "You two were just simply taken with each other."
Arnold blushed a bit, unable to believe after all that happened over the years, good and bad, that at the mere age of one, before his parents had left for San Lorenzo, that he and Helga had actually met and played with each other, and even shared a kiss on the cheek. It was just too bad they didn't see each other again until they were three, and for a brief time, that little friendship had come back...and then was buried away when she became a bully.
It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, some days after the entire adventure in the depths of the San Lorenzo jungle, when Arnold and his class had won a trip to Central America, and came to San Lorenzo, where Arnold was determined to find his parents with the help of a map he had found in his father's journal. They had come back to Hillwood, and the family was determined never to separate ever again. Now on this day, Miles and Stella were telling Arnold some stories of their adventures and past, while Gertie came to bring them sandwiches, and Phil often popped in to add some fun remarks and give helpful advice.
"I-I guess we were...huh." Arnold murmured.
Stella smiled. "So what did happen between you two after that, Arnold?"
At this, he sighed. "It wasn't easy. Helga had a pretty tough time, and because of it, she became a bully. Picking on me the most, actually. So everyday I had to endure her teasing and pranking. For a while I blamed myself for it, thinking I had done something to her. But..."
"But?" Stella said, puzzled.
"But what?" Miles asked.
"I knew that deep down, she was a good person, and had feelings. It was hard to believe sometimes, since she always seemed to come through as a raging bully, but, still, I knew that it was just an act. She was protecting herself. You know that whole expression of 'Get them before they get me'? That's pretty much what she did. I grew to realize that it was nothing personal. She was just hiding her insecurities and protecting herself from being hurt. I can't say it was a good thing to do, but I understand why." Arnold said, and sighed again. "I felt bad for her. I always wanted to help her, but I didn't think I could."
Despite the epitome of the story, Miles gave a little smile, and Stella did too. They heard a story like this before.
Arnold went on to talk some more about the past few years, and especially over the events that had happened during the fourth grade, to which he bashfully shared the pranks she'd pulled, the teasing, the events of his first and second kiss, which had ironically been from Helga, to the times Helga had helped him and was nice to him, it went on.
And of course, the quite embarrassing to tell, yet enlightening story, which had changed his and Helga's lives forever. The FTi incident.
"Good gracious! You did all of that, all to help save the neighbourhood?" Stella exclaimed in astonishment. "Wow, Arnold...I...."
"I'm amazed, kiddo! You went through all of that, to help save the neighbourhood and prevent everyone from moving away." Miles said, equally amazed. "Wow. I'm proud of you, son. Very proud. You really did an amazing thing back there."
Arnold smiled. "Thanks, Dad. I'm glad it all came through and we saved the neighbourhood."
"Your father is right, son. That was truly an amazing thing you did." Stella said, smiling widely at her son. "I'm proud of you too. We're both proud of you. ...But I do want to know, what happened with Helga during that time?"
"Oh...right." Arnold remembered, and blushed. "Well...while we were on roof, after I discovered that she had been Deep Voice all along, I asked her why she did it. She kept saying all these lame excuses, and I just kept asking her. I didn't understand why I wanted to know so bad. I mean, she had just helped me and Gerald save the neighbourhood, all over giving up getting rich off the deal, and I guess I could have accepted that she was even helping at all, but still, I had to know, since it WAS a big deal. Eventually, I got my answer." He blushed at the memory. "...She told me it was because she loved me."
Miles hid a smile behind his hand, and Stella giggled, having just about expected that to have happened.
"How'd you react?" Miles asked curiously.
"I was pretty shocked. There was the girl, who I was so sure hated me, and yet I knew she was a good person inside, especially then...but still, it shocked me. She even kissed me."
"Ho ho ho! And that's what you call a real kiss, short man!" Phil cajoled as he joined them in the living room.
Arnold blushed. "Y-Yeah...I guess."
Stella giggled. "My oh my, I guess the passion of expressing her love to you got to her."
"You have no idea." Arnold agreed. "Anyway, so after it was all over, we just... kind of pretended it didn't happen, that it was just the heat of the moment. I knew better though, by then especially. She meant it, and she knew that I knew, but we needed time and space to breathe and think about this. But I felt bad that I couldn't give her the answer she wanted. I mean, she may have been Helga Pataki, but, she did deserve to be loved."
"That's understandable, Arnold." Stella said gently. "I can see why you did that."
Arnold gave a shaky smile. "Yeah, pretty much."
"What happened after that? Did you two ever get around to settling things?" Miles wanted to know.
"We did, actually. It was...surprisingly, during our adventure in San Lorenzo." Arnold said. "Before then, I couldn't get the situation out of my head, I thought long and hard about how I felt. I even went to a couple of sessions with the school Psychologist, Dr. Bliss. It helped, but, I still didn't know how I felt. And then while I was searching for you guys, I had some moments, usually when we were alone together, that I was thinking about what had happened during the FTi incident, and how I was feeling. Eventually, it all came to a head. And I realized how I felt about her."
Phil grinned knowingly, while Miles and Stella leaned forward curiously.
"What did you feel?" Stella asked.
Arnold took a breath and smiled dreamily, his eyes half-lidded. That alone told his parents what his answer was, but they waited for him to say so anyway.
"I realized I was in love with her."
Gertie gave a hooted whistle from the doorway, making the family jump a little and laugh, while Phil grinned and gave a thumbs up, Miles and Stella both smiling at this, eventually they all giggled.
Once it all quieted down, Arnold went on.
"To be honest, I cared about her from the start, even if she was a bully and I found myself pushing it all aside. Truth is though, I realized we were meant for each other. She was, no, she's the perfect the girl for me. I know that sounds strange, but she really is. I love her good side, and I even grew to like her...well, more devious and devilish side. When she's not a bully, Helga's the sweetest and most amazing girl you could meet. She can be aggressive and blunt when need to be, she's good at putting people in their place, and basically, keeping my head out of the clouds. I love everything about her, really." He blushed heavily, feeling a little silly for talking about this in front of his family. "We're perfect for each other. I can't really say why, but I know it."
Miles and Stella smiled in understanding, seeing where he was coming from.
"I know what you're talking about, Arnold." Said Stella. "I can see that you two have facets of your personalities that really go hand-in-hand, while your differences make you stronger."
"Your mom's right." Miles agreed. "You guys have a great deal in common, right?"
Arnold nodded. "Yeah, we do. Pretty much."
"So you two understand each other and get one another. At the same time, your differences actually compliment each other."
Pausing, Arnold considered what they said. It made perfect sense, and he did know of it somehow, but hadn't thought of it that way before.
They looked at Phil, who was leaning back in the recliner with a smug grin on his face.
"I told you so, short man!" He said.
"I know, Grandpa." Arnold smiled.
"Just like you and Mom." Miles mused to his father. "I guess this is the start of our next generation's greatest romance."
"Dad!" Arnold cried, blushing furiously.
"You had it coming, Arnold." Phil winked at him. "Good ol' history is repeating itself, and someday you and the little lady will be walking down the aisle!"
"Grandpa, I'm only ten!" Arnold cried, above the laughter of his parents and grandparents.
Still, at the same time, he smiled at the idea of him and Helga getting married one day. At first when the subject came along, and he'd had that dream about it, he was freaked out and against the idea. But by the end of it, he didn't think of it as so bad. By now, with his newfound relationship with her, he found it a lot more appealing. Sure, he still had plenty of time to decide, but it was nice to have a warm feeling toward the thought.
"The point still stands, short man!" Phil said, winking at him again. "Don't let her get away!"
"Come on Grandpa..." Arnold said, but he smiled anyway.
"So, that's why you two had gone off to talk to each other before we all went home?" Stella then asked.
"Pretty much, yeah." Arnold nodded. "I told her how I felt, and we....well, um...I uh...kissed her." He blushed a little.
"Awwwww...." Chorused the adults, with Gertie doing a little swaying dance with an invisible partner.
"Then Gerald interrupted us, and we gave a lame excuse, then we went back to the plane and went home. I think everyone else started noticing there was something going on between us."
"No wonder. You sat next to her on the plane and fell asleep against each other the entire flight home." Stella told him, giggling. "It was so cute!"
"Mom..." Arnold murmured, blushing furiously.
"So you two have been together ever since, eh?" Miles grinned, and ruffled Arnold's hair. "Well good for you, son! Now you REALLY got yourself a little girlfriend!"
"I-I guess I do." Arnold rocked back and fourth on his feet bashfully. "It's kind of cool to have a girlfriend...no, it feels more than that.
He didn't seem to notice his parents now looking past him, with big grins on their faces and trying to hold back laughter. Phil noticed too, and gave a smile. Arnold finally noticed something was up, and was about to ask, when a pair of thin arms came around him from behind, around his middle and a head of blonde hair came onto his shoulder, a cheek snuggling into his cheek. Arnold realized who it was and visibly melted, making everyone giggle.
"Well well, telling our epic love story behind my back again, football head?" Helga said, her voice was sarcastic and devilish, but her eyes were shining with love.
"Hey, Helga." Arnold murmured. "Yeah, I am. Mom and Dad were curious about it, especially after they told me a pretty interesting story. It was about us, actually."
"Oh really?" Helga smirked, and let go of him, sitting them down on the floor. "Well! Let's hear it then!"
Miles and Stella both laughed, and then sat back down to tell them both the story they had told Arnold earlier. The story of what started as little true love.