In honor of Valentines Day… several weeks after the fact (I started it around then), I present a different spin on a classic episode. I do realize this one is less of a fanfic and more of a rewrite of an episode, wherein the dialogue is basically the same but with the added layer of Arnold's inner monologue providing a different spin on it. I've got a ton more slightly more original stories in the works and hope to share them as well.
I never could quite get behind Arnold's Valentine for the simple fact that I just couldn't suspend my disbelief that Helga's disguise actually fooled anyone. Apparently Craig Bartlett must have felt the same because in the book version he adds an extra layer to her disguise by dying her hair pink, so that was at least something. Eventually I came around and enjoyed the rest of the episode for the emotional beats, and decided that the reason her disguise worked came down to Arnold likely not being able to believe that Helga was even capable of acting so nice at this point in his life. I think in his heart of hearts he knows who "Cecile" really is, but probably can't bring himself to admit it at least on a conscious level.
This started as just a little writing experiment based on the idea that he DID see through her disguise right away, but decided to play along thinking that she was trying to pull some kind of prank and that he would try to turn the tables on her. On the surface this little fanfic plays out exactly as it does in the real episode and some bits from the book, but with the added layer of Arnold's internal perspective trying to figure out Helga's angle and coming to a slow revelation. Enjoy!