A/N So This is supposed to be taking place sometime after TJM (saw TJM and I loved it) Helga's more comfortable being around him in public but she's still a little unsure of her self.

Also you know the premise of Arnold's hat? Yeah, it's a little different since the sentimentality of the ribbon is different then the sentimentality of the hat, but I like this idea.

Oh and I would also like to thank that person from Hey Arnold we saved the jungle movie group. You helped a lot with the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold.

Helga's Bow.

Arnold smiled as he walked along trying to get to the beeper emporium that now doubled as the Pataki household trying to get there in time to take her to get some ice-cream. Things between Helga were slowly getting better, she was still Helga, rash, passionate, sarcastic, but her anger was mellowing out. She still got angry, but it wasn't as constant as it was before San Lorenzo, before they started dating.

She entered the beeper emporium it was empty, except for Miriam who was at the cash register bored; looking over a magazine. On the counter was a thermos that she was occasionally taking a drink from.

"Hey Mrs. Pataki," He said walking over to her.

"Oh hey," She said smiling. "Your one of Helga's little friends, aren't you? Alfred..?"

Arnold shook his head. "Actually, it's Arnold. Is Helga here? She and I were going to head over to Slausen's for some ice-cream"

Mrs. Pataki looked like she was thinking about it before she heard a loud scream.

Arnold glanced at Mrs. Pataki before hurrying out to the back room.

He had been to the backroom loads of times after she and he had started dating so it took next to no time to find her room. He rushed upstairs and slammed the door open.

"Helga, are you…" He paused as he took in the state of her room. "Okay?" Her room looked like a tornado had ripped through her room after zoo animals had stampeded through it. Books and clothes were thrown everywhere. Jewellery and hair accessories were being tossed in every which direction.

At hearing his voice Helga turned around "Arnold!" She shouted her hand on top of her head. Before a scowl appeared on her face and she crossed her arms. She was wearing her signature jumper, and her hair was in its typical pigtail style, but her signature bowtie which had been a part of her style since he had first met her was missing.

"I'm fine, Arnold, I just can't find my bow," She said throwing another scrunchy over her shoulder.

And that warrants a scream that half the neighbourhood can hear? He thought to himself, though he didn't say that out loud. For all he knew that bow could be like his hat, it could have been given to her by someone special to her.

"Need any help?" He asked kneeling on the floor.

Helga tugged at her pigtails. "No. Arnoldo, I can manage myself." She said.

Arnold looked around her room. "Yeah, I can see that"

"Oh, hush," she said. "But if you really want to help…" She sighed. "Be my guest."

The spent hours searching every nook and cranny going through every crevice of that house, Helga even having retraced her steps from the last time she saw it twice. With every hour that crept by, he noticed Helga getting more and more agitated.

"It's no use!" She shouted finally hitting the ground. "I'll never find it."

Helga folded her legs up to her chest and breathed. "Seven years, I had that bow for seven years, and I lose it now?" She asked. "I've never lost it," she said.

"It must be special to you," He said, putting a hand on her arm.

She eyed him for a moment before looking away.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

Helga sighed. "It's stupid."

Arnold kissed her cheek. "Helga… nothing you say could ever be stupid."

Helga eyed him. "Do you remember the first day of preschool?"

Arnold scrunched up his nose and thought about it. "Umm, a little…?" He asked.

"I do," She sighed and slowly loosened up. Arnold waited and for a while, she didn't speak.

"Helga… no matter what I won't say anything." He promised. Helga eyed him for a moment before she sighed.

"I had spent the entire night before, expertly picking out the clothes I would be wearing, I was so excited, finally I would get to be around kids my own age, I wouldn't have to hear Bob yelling, or hear Miriam and Bob praising Olga every chance they got. So I was excited when I finally got downstairs ready to go, and Olga was at the piano playing some piece I barely remember, and my parents were gushing over her as usual, and I asked them to take me to preschool, but the two of them were just so busy praising Olga that they didn't have time to deal with me" She sighed. "After trying to get them to listen I finally made the decision to just head off to preschool myself."

Arnold stared at her wide-eyed.

"It was raining that day," she said. "And I had somehow gotten mud all over myself and a dog stole my lunch, by the time I got to preschool I was cold, wet, muddy and hungry and so very lonely"

Arnold rubbed her back his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"Then all of a sudden, this umbrella appears over my head, blocking the rain stopping me from getting even wetter, I turn around and there's this football headed blonde boy, smiling at me"

Arnold's eyes widened.

"And do you know what he said?" She asked fiddling with her fingers. "I like your bow, cause its pink like your pants," She said looking down at her fingers.

Arnold waiting for a moment letting that story sink in. "And that's why you wear the bow all the time? Cause I complimented it once?"

Helga looked down but didn't answer.

"Oh, Helga," Arnold said. "You wearing that bow isn't going to make me love you more or less," He said. He put a hand on her heart. "I love you for you," He said. "For what's inside, yes the bow was pretty, yes I liked it on you, but you not wearing it isn't going to make me stop loving you."

Helga looked down. She hiccupped before standing and shaking her head and standing. "Oh, what are we all sitting around being all mushy for anyway? Don't we have an ice-cream date to get to?" She asked before grabbing his hand and hurrying out the door.

Once they were outside Helga stopped and turned to Arnold. "By the way Arnold, thanks"

"I had a good time tonight," Arnold said as they walked back to the Beeper Emporium. Going through the back entrance as the store was by that point closed and locked.

Helga scratched the back of her head. Where her bow used to hide. "Yeah… I did too"

Arnold smiled and kissed her cheek. "Your beautiful no matter what" He reminded her. "And you can always buy another one"

Helga blushed when she noticed how obvious she was being. "I know, but… it was special to me"

"I know," Arnold said. "I like your bow, but I also like your bravery, your loyalty, your kindness, your blunt attitude, how you let no one get in your way, your ambitious nature, your eyes, your hair…"

"I get it, Arnoldo, what's your point?" Helga said though on the inside she was swooning.

"My point is, your still you, and you don't have to dress to impress me to get me to like you, I'll still like you even if tomorrow you come to school bald with sweats."

Helga looked down and smiled. "Thanks, football head"

"And if you do miraculously find it because this is Hillwood and things tend to just magically show up, especially if you think they're lost forever… as long as you like it I'll be happy."

Helga smiled thrilled bent down and kissed him tenderly. "Oh, Arnold" She cried. "You're such a romantic!"

Arnold blushed and looked down. "Yeah, well it's all true Helga"

"Oh, baby sister!" Olga called as Helga ascended to her bedroom. Olga peaked her head out of her bedroom. "I found something this morning that you left in the bathroom this morning, I didn't want it to get destroyed so I placed in safekeeping in my room" Olga pulled out her pink ribbon.

Helga looked at wide-eyed. "Criminy, Olga why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going too, but then I had errands to run," Olga said. "It's just a ribbon baby sister, I didn't think you would be so angry about it."

Helga sighed she wanted to yell, but honestly, her losing the ribbon had allowed for her Arnold to come a bit closer.

She nodded to her sister. "Next time, just place it on my dresser alright?" She asked.

"Of course baby sister"

She looked at herself in the mirror. She played with ribbon in her hand. Arnold was right, she had to be herself. She was allowed to do what she wanted, Arnold would still love her no matter what.

She looked in the mirror for a long time before she smiled. She knew what she was going to do.

"You found it" Arnold acknowledged as they walked together to school from the corner they usually met up at.

Helga tugged at her bow self-consciously. "Yeah, apparently it was Olga's room, she found it and hid it in her room for safekeeping."

Arnold nodded and smiled. "Come on," And he took her hand and headed to class.

Helga could have changed her hairstyle, kept her hair down, left the ribbon at home, but the pink ribbon and pigtails were just a central part of her hairstyle that they had just grown on her.

One day she would change. Like she had that valentines day. She knew that Change was a part of growing.

But her signature style had grown on her throughout the years. She still loved the ribbon, and while there may come a day, where she didn't want to wear it anymore.

Today was not that day.

A/N So yeah, I hope you liked it!