Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold or any of the characters. Hey Arnold is the property of Nickelodeon and Craig Bartlett.
A Sweet Surprise
Hillwood
It was a beautiful fall day in the town known as Hillwood and not any day, as it is Saturday and many children were either outside playing with friends or hanging inside lazily watching brain rotting cartoons. However, there was a small margin of kids who were actually doing something a little different.
"Okay...if I need to do this, let's see if I have everything in my list..."A little pig tailed girl muttered as she was writing something down.
She is Helga G. Pataki, one of the toughest girls at P.S. 118 who is about to go out on an errand while her father was busy trying to sell his obsolete beepers and her mother was busy making another smoothie as always.
She's going out on an errand, for something she wants to do later, not for herself but really for someone close to her...Really close to her to be precise but she first needed to make some purchases and then come back.
"Mom, can I borrow some money?...'Helga asked her mother who was still making her smoothies but heard her.
"Um...Sure honey...how much?..."Her mother Miriam asked in her usual dopey sounding way.
"About 25 bucks, I need to pick up some things..."Helga said vaguely to her mother and was pleased when she went to get her purse.
Money was still tight with them ever since her dad lost their house when he refused to switch to cell phones but at the very least, they weren't living in the store anymore...though this lame apartment wasn't much better either, but she at the very least didn't need to sleep the employee lounge anymore. Anyway, when her dad wasn't busy with his so called promotions, he was being a total miser and pinching every penny like a lunatic that Helga knew he wouldn't let her have any money even as an allowance and a loan like this was practically impossible.
So that's why she waited until he left for work and asked her mother, who at the very least was acting somewhat complaint here.
"Here ya go honey. ..oh, could you please go pick up some Tabasco sauce on your way back...we're all out..." Her mother asked as she handed her the money.
Helga resisted the urge to roll her eyes and just nodded, since her mom had given her the money she needed for today. So the girl took the money and her list and was soon on her way.
"I really hope Arnold will like this surprise..."Helga thought as she went out the door to leave to get what she needs.
It's going to be a little surprise for her cute little Football head.
Elsewhere
About 10 minutes after Helga left her home, a certain football headed boy had arrived to the apartment, carrying a daisy in his hand as he wanted to come and visit the girl who lived here.
It's Arnold Shortman, Helga's boyfriend since the trip to San Lorenzo last summer, where she helped him saved his parents and the Green Eye civilization from the sleeping sickness. Now his parents were back, everyone was cured and he and Helga are boyfriend and girlfriend now.
And he decided to pay her a little visit to see if she wanted to go out on a date with him.
"Oh Helga..." Arnold called as he rang her doorbell, he wasn't worried since he knew her dad had left for work around this time. However after a few moments, there was no answer. So he rang again...and again.
After about 5 minutes, he decided to give up since he knew no one was coming to answer the door.
"Hmm...I guess she's not home..." Arnold said in a slightly disappointed tone of voice and decided to leave.
Unknown to him, that while yes, Helga wasn't home, her mother was still home but was currently sleeping on the couch and drooling, completely gone from the world that the repeating sound of the buzzing door bell didn't even wake her until now.
"Um...I'm awake...I'm awake..." She muttered as she went to answer the door but Arnold had already left down the stairs, causing the middle aged woman to shrug and then decide to go back to her nap.
Arnold sighed and decided to just head back to the boarding house and settle for giving his girlfriend a call later. They have only been dating for about 3 months now and they always spent the weekend together going on dates, and even if they didn't previously planned one, they just spend time together.
It's not that they were one of those weird couples that had to spend every second together, they did sometimes spent time either with their friends or just by themselves, as all couples need a moment to their selves, right?
Still, it would have been nice to at least see her again to give her the flower he picked up for her but it looks like it will have to wait...
Anyway,the boy was about to head home until he noticed the local grocery store where Gerald's mom works as a cashier and he decided to get a snack for himself. He entered the store and picked up a bar and headed to the check out, only to hear a familiar name being called out.
"That will be $22.25, Helga..." Gerald's mom said.
"Thank you Mrs. Johansen ..." A voice that made Arnold's heart skip a beat said.
Arnold turned to see his beloved girlfriend Helga getting some bags from Gerald's mom and she clearly hasn't seen him yet. He then decided to leave the candy behind and quickly ran to Helga before she left the store.
"Helga!..." Arnold called to her.
Helga stopped in place and her eyes widen when she saw her boyfriend Arnold approach her and she discreetly tried to make her grocery bags less noticeable as he came to her.
"Arnold...hi..." Helga said as he approached her.
"Hey there sweetie, I stopped by your house to pay you a visit but you weren't home..." Arnold said as he sent her a flirtatious smile.
"Oh, sorry darling...I had an errand to do..." Helga said vaguely as she tried to figure out an escape.
"Well, I wanted to ask if you wanted to see a movie together today and maybe get some ice cream at Slauncens..." Arnold said in a sweet voice to his equally sweet girlfriend.
He was expecting her to say yes, like she always does whenever he asks her to spend time with him, even if they didn't have anything pre planned. However to his surprise, Helga didn't give him the usual romantic smile and enthusiastic yes she always gives him at times like this.
"Sorry darling but can it wait till later, I kind of have to get all of these home..." Helga said as she gestured to her bags.
"Oh how rude of me, here...let me help you with those bags, Helga.." Arnold said as he offered to help carry her grocery bags like a good boyfriend would.
However, to his immense confusion, his girlfriend moved her bags away from him...
"That won't be necessary Arnold, it's just two bags..." Helga said.
"I don't mind helping you Helga..."Arnold said again but Helga still didn't do anything.
"That's very sweet of you to offer Arnold, and I'd love to go to the movies and have ice cream for you, but I got my schedule pretty booked this afternoon...and I really need to be heading back home now..." Helga said and hoped that didn't sound as suspicious as she feared it was.
No such luck, as Arnold kept insisting...
"Then let me walk you home, I don't mind..." Arnold said and Helga looked worried.
That confused him until Helga nodded but she kept carrying her two bags, which confused Arnold greatly, as he repeatedly kept asking her f he could help and she turned him down each time until they made it to her apartment.
"Anyway darling, thanks for walking me home...I promise that once I'm done with my...stuff, I'll give you a call...'Helga said as she quickly kissed him on the cheek before reaching for the door
Arnold, who momentarily became goofy faced upon the kiss, was blinking in surprise when Helga was about to close the door.
"You know Helga, if you want...I could help you with your errands...'Arnold said.
"What's with him? Why is he being like this? I hate turning him down but I'll never be able to get his surprise ready if he's here watching me..."Helga thought.
She did not want to risk him figuring out about her surprise for him before she actually had a chance to make it. She had to shake him off without hurting his feelings or lying to him. ...she was done with the lies and wanted to have an honest relationship with him...
She just needed him to leave and she would explain everything to him later today...she just needs a couple of hours to herself now to get things ready...
"Thanks for the offer Arnold but I can managed, anyway, I'll see you later today..."Helga said before closing the door.
Arnold stood out there in shock that Helga actually all but told him to get lost! What's going on here?
'What's with her? Did I do something wrong or something?...'Arnold thought.
He didn't think so, all he did was try and offer to help his darling girlfriend out and ask her to spend time with him, stuff which usually always had her smiling widely and planning on kissing him wildly as soon as they were alone together. Helga however, almost acted like she was hiding something from him and that she really wanted to be away from him.
Just what is going on here?
At the Boarding House
In Arnold's Room
"It was totally weird Gerald..."Arnold said to his best friend.
He had arrived home over two hours ago since he now had nothing to do and he called Gerald to hang over and to be a voice to vent to with what he just experienced just now.
"I mean...maybe I am imaging things but it was almost like Helga was trying hard to not let me help her.." Arnold said to his best friend.
"It's just grocery bags man, most guys complain about girlfriends who tell them to carry all of their stuff and you're complaining about one who doesn't want you to...'Gerald said.
"This isn't about the bags, what I am trying to say is that it looked like Helga was trying to avoid me or something..." Arnold said.
"Now I think you're being over dramatic here my friend...she did say she was in a hurry, right..."Gerald said.
"Maybe but still, it was really weird how she wouldn't let me help her with her errands...she's never flat out turned down my offers...well, since we began dating...'Arnold said.
"Did she tell you what her errands are suppose to be?...'Gerald asked his oblong headed friend.
"Well...No...She didn't mention what her errands actually are...she just said that she'd call me when she's finished with it..."Arnold said to his best friend.
"Then, there you go...Wait until she calls you, hang out with her and casually mention what those errands are and if she refuses to tell you, then you have the right to be suspicious..." Gerald said.
Arnold however, looked worried about something.
"But what if she doesn't tell me?..."Arnold said.
"You got to cut that out Arnold...Usually you're suppose to be the level headed and secure one, but now you're sounding like Jamie-O when he dated that mean girl whats-her-face..." Gerald said sharply.
"I do not...It's just that...Helga and I promised each other to be totally open and honest with each other now that we are a couple and her acting dodgy like that...well..."Arnold paused and tried to think of the right word.
"Makes you as nutty as she is..."Gerald joked.
"GERALD!...' Arnold shouted.
"I was kidding man, sheesh...I know you used to get a little squirrely around girls but you were never this paranoid...Love has a weird grasp over you...'Gerald said.
Arnold glared at him and looked offended, Gerald saw this, sighed and sent him an apologetic look.
"Look man, I'm sorry about that but I really think you're making to big of a deal out of this...just what is it that you are worried about with Helga?..." Gerald asked.
"I don't know...we have been happy together since that night in San Lorenzo and I love her but... her acting distant like that...well...it doesn't sit well with me...'Arnold confessed.
Things have been absolutely amazing with his absolutely amazing girlfriend and he felt a happiness he never felt with any other girl he used to crush on before. He loves Helga but her trying to be distant or her keeping a secret from him...it kind of reminded him about the old days when she was too scared to admit her feelings to him and well...it made him worried that he did something to make her act like that.
"Look man, as much as this makes my skin crawl by saying this...Helga's crazy for you and she's never been happier from what I see, she hasn't even bullied anyone this year yet because of you...'Gerald said.
Sure, Helga still sometimes lost her temper, made snarky comments or got in the occasional fight but in her defense, her comments were actually light nature and even funny now and the fights she got in were with even bigger bullies like Wolfgang and his crew whenever they harassed her over having a boyfriend or flat out tried to pick on her and Arnold.
Just because her temper was calmed by Arnold's affection, doesn't mean that her fire was gone, it was just a little more tamed now to say the least. So, to be totally honest, Helga had been pretty okay now and that was all because the fact that she had Arnold there now.
"Look... I get it...I've seen it on TV that sometimes being in a relationship can make people a little nuts and feel insecure but I really think you have nothing to worry about...Helga is stuck on you and I'm sure today didn't mean anything you think it might mean...Just call down and talk to her when you see her..." Gerald said.
Arnold thought about it and smiled as he finally began to calm down and sent his friend an appreciative look.
"Thanks Gerald, you're right...maybe I was acting a little insecure..."Arnold said.
"It was bound to happen one of these days... I think it's just one of those unpleasant things all pre-teens go through at puberty..like acne or something..." Gerald said.
"How is it that you haven't been insecure around Phoebe yet?..."Arnold questioned.
"Who said I haven't been? Unlike you, I hide it better and I snap out of it quicker when I remember that she can't resist my natural charm.." Gerald said with a cocky look on his face.
Before Arnold could comment, he heard the phone ringing and soon saw the number on caller ID. He smiled and picked it.
"Hello..." Arnold answered.
"Hello darling, it's me..." A sweet, pretty voice said on the other line.
"Hey Helga..." Arnold said happily as he turned to Gerald who sent him an "I told you so" kind of face.
"Look darling, I wanted to know if you could stop by my place and then later we can head to the movies like you wanted..." Helga said.
"So I take it that your all done with your errands and everything?...'Arnold asked.
"Yep, now come on...I'm already missing you..."She said in a teasing voice.
"Okay...Okay...I'm on my way..."Arnold said before hanging up and smiled.
He considered it a good sign that Helga was acting like her normal, girlfriend-y self on the phone, which made him a little more confident. He turned to Gerald who looked at him like he was expecting something.
"So what did she want?...'He asked.
"She wants me to come over.."Arnold said.
"See, told ya she isn't trying to avoid you..."Gerald said.
Arnold said goodbye to his friend and soon left to head to Helga's apartment.
"He's still a bold kid...bold and crazy in love...'Gerald said as he soon left himself to go meet up with his own girlfriend Phoebe.
Later
At Helga's apartment
Arnold once again arrived at Helga's apartment, rang the door bell and this time, the door was opened by his sweet and loving girlfriend.
"Hi again darling...'Helga said as she kissed his cheek.
"Hi Helga, so what's up?...'Arnold asked.
'Just come right in, Miriam left a while ago to help my dad at the store and we are all alone here...'Helga said as she guided him inside her apartment.
Once inside, Arnold looked at his girlfriend with an expectant look on his face.
"I...well...the reason I called you over is...well... I got this little surprise for you..."Helga said in a somewhat hesitant voice.
"A surprise?...'Arnold asked with interest.
"Yeah...it's...something I made...you don't have to if you don't want to, since this is kind of the first time I actually made something like this and well..."Helga was rambling until Arnold halted her.
"Helga sweetie, what is this surprise and I am pretty sure I'll like whatever it is..."Arnold said in an encouraging smile.
Helga still looked a little insecure about something but she just went to the kitchen and once she was back, Arnold was surprised to see a plate of cookies in her hands that looked fresh baked.
"I made you some cookies..."She muttered but was looking away from him, feeling a little weird.
A few days ago, Helga and Arnold watched a movie together, a romantic action one and in the slow part of the movie, the lead girl had baked her boyfriend a batch of cookies and Arnold said he actually thought it was pretty sweet. Helga didn't know why but it gave her the urge to try something like that too.
Sure, she and Arnold were together (a fact that she loved greatly) and he has (as she always predicted) been the best boyfriend on the face of the earth, always so sweet and loving and patient and understanding. Not to mention the fact that since her family was still practically broke, he paid for pretty much everything on their dates and he always surprises her with flowers and what-not.
It was that she kind of wanted to do a little more for him than just occasionally write a love poem for him...sure, he loved those ever since he discovered her talent for writing and that he was the subject but...well...Okay, call it mushy but she was a girl in love and she wanted to do something to show her man that she loved him, no matter how little the gesture is.
So, she decided to take her hand in baking...the first two batches predictably burned or were inedible but hey, they say third time's the charm right, so anyway, she finally made them, taste tested it and decided they were okay enough to be judged by her beloved...
"I hope he likes them..." Helga thought, feeling a little insecure...
Arnold however looked surprised and was silent, which made Helga feel a little worried that maybe they didn't look as appealing as they thought, but that changed when he started smiling at her.
"Did you really make these Helga?..."Arnold asked in an almost amazed kind of way.
"Yeah...I...I kind of found this recipe in an old cook book your grandma let me borrow and well...I kind of just...did it...I...well...followed the recipe and even went to the store today to get the ingredients that were missing..."She said as she began to rub her arm in insecurity.
Sue her for being a little nervous, this is the first time she's ever actually baked something for Arnold and she wanted him to like them.
"So that's why she was acting weird at the store..." Arnold thought as he nearly began to laugh in amusement.
She hadn't been avoiding him at all, she was just trying to bake cookies for him and make it a surprise for him! Arnold was certain that Helga had never looked more adorable than she did right now.
The boy reached for a cookie, took a bite out of it and was silent for a moment as he began to register the taste, the 5 seconds of silent made Helga a little unnerved.
"So...what do you think?...'Helga asked.
"These are really good Helga...'Arnold said as he took another bite out of the cookie.
"Really?...'Helga said in a hopeful tone.
"Yeah...chocolate chip is my favorite..." Arnold said as he continued to eat the cookie until it was all gone. He then got another one but not before sending his girlfriend a sweet look.
"These are great Helga...and I'm actually relieved..."Arnold muttered, however Helga caught the last part.
"What do you mean?..."Helga asked, raising part of her brow.
'It's silly..." Arnold said, looking down.
"Arnold, I spent about two hours feeling worried over some cookies...I doubt it could be any sillier than that...'Helga said.
"Okay, well... this morning, after talking to you at the super market...I felt kind of worried that you were trying to avoid me...'Arnold confessed.
"What?...Why?..."Helga asked in an incredulous voice.
"I don't know...you seemed like you were trying to get away from me at the store and well...'Arnold said looking down.
Helga looked surprised and then thought back and frowned.
"Sorry Arnold, I wasn't trying to avoid you...well, okay...I was...but I just didn't want to ruin the cookies since they were suppose to be a surprise...the reason I didn't let you carry the bags because I thought if you saw all the baking ingredients, it would have tipped you off...'Helga said, feeling bad for making him feel that way.
'It's okay, Helga, I was just being insecure but I'm fine now...'Arnold said with a chuckle.
He then picked up another cookie and held it in front of Helga who looked confused by this action.
"Come on Helga, take one...you are the ones who made it and I can't exactly eat 2 dozen cookies all on my own...'Arnold said.
Helga smirked at that and took one of her home made cookies and she and Arnold began to eat them together on the couch. Helga actually couldn't believe it, if someone last year were to tell her that she ever actually would do something as girly as bake cookies, she would have socked them in the jaw but here she was, eating fresh baked cookies she made and eating them with her boyfriend Arnold.
Her one true love Arnold is now her boyfriend, she baked him cookies and she actually liked doing it and they actually turned out to be good...
Life really could be a funny thing...
She wasn't the only one who was still marveling over the whole situation...
Arnold continued to munch on the tasty cookies and continued to look at his girlfriend with adoration...
"I have a girlfriend...I have a girlfriend who loves me and I have a girlfriend who bakes me tasty cookies...How did I get to be so lucky?...'Arnold thought as he continued to look at Helga with loving eyes.
The two smitten pre-teens had reached for the same cookie only for their hands to touch. When they did that, they began to look into each others eyes, just gone in their love for each other, both wondering how they got to be so lucky to have the other in their life.
"Oh Arnold~..." Helga though with an internal swoon.
"Oh Helga~..."Arnold thought as his heart was all a flutter once again.
The two leaned forward and were now kissing each other, even tasting the lingering sugar of the cookies on the lips, which only made them kiss even deeper.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Helga packed the rest of the uneaten cookies for Arnold to take home and the young couple finally decided to go to the movies together, walking hand in hand as they both still thought they were the luckiest in the whole wide world.
The End
A/N: A little fun one shot I thought of after baking some cookies...Please enjoy.
A/N(2): Also, I thought it would have been funny that for once, Arnold acting a little insecure around Helga, since I guess every one, male or female, has that moment at least once...
:) Till next time beautiful people, remember to read and review :)