The locker closed with a slam as a sixteen-year old blonde haired girl turned to face her best friend. "Hey Pheebs, what's up?" Helga said with a soft smile.

Phoebe returned her friend's smile, but hesitated in answering as she looked in to Helga's darkened blue eyes. That look, it was still there. Her eyes had appeared to be missing some life ever since shortly after Helga had turned fourteen. Phoebe had never entirely figured out why Helga had appeared to die a little at that point, but she had logically reached the assumption (being the logical person that she was of course) that it had something to do with Arnold. Even though she had attempted to pry the truth from Helga, she had proven to remain tight lipped about it, refusing to talk at all about anything regarding Arnold. Phoebe responded, "Not much, Helga. Are you ready for Valentine's Day?"

Helga raised her left eyebrow in disgust at the very mention of the holiday. "Seriously Pheebs? Why would I care about that nauseating, card company created holiday? For your information, I'll be soundly planted in my room watching Wrestlemania and enjoying the quiet of the house for once. Bob's taking Miriam to the hottest restaurant in town and it'll be a miracle if she arrives home sober..." With that Helga let out an exasperated sigh and gazed down at Phoebe. "Soooo what have you and Geraldo got planned?" Helga said in an attempt to up the mood.

Immediately Phoebe's features lit up at the question. "Oh he's taking me to that little burger joint near Chez Paris and then we're going for a carriage ride around the park. It should be quite romantic!" She beamed and her cheeks flushed with a light tint of pink.

"That's great to hear Pheebs. Well, I've got to take off to class or else I'll be late, and you know how Ms. Powell gets when I'm late! You should get moving too!"

Helga dashed off with her books in her arms as Phoebe shouted after her, "Moving!" As soon as Helga had disappeared around a corner, Phoebe's face fell. Her friend hadn't been truly happy in a while, and even though she let Helga believe that she was doing a good job of hiding the truth from her, Phoebe remained severely concerned. "I wish there was something I could do to make her happy," she thought to herself as she traipsed into her Calculus class.

"Hey Arnold!" yelled Gerald as he ran up to his best friend and did their secret handshake that had been around since what seemed like the dawn of time. "How're you doing today?" Arnold looked over at Gerald and managed a small smile. It hadn't been an easy past three months since his grandmother had passed away from sepsis secondary to pneumonia. The death had hit both Phil and him quite hard, Phil especially. Now that Gertie had passed on, Phil mostly sat in the living room of the Sunset Arms boarding house quietly leafing through old albums of their time together and only speaking when necessary. Arnold missed his grandfather's liveliness and was worried that he wouldn't be around much longer. However, Arnold didn't want Gerald to know this fear and thus did his best to hide it from view.

"I'm doing pretty good Gerald. You and Phoebe ready for Valentine's Day?" Gerald vigorously nodded and excitedly relayed his plans to Arnold who listened intently.

"How 'bout you man? Got anything going on?"

"No, considering Kathleen and I broke up two months ago. Guess I'll probably just chill at home." He opened the door to their American History class and walked in, taking a seat near the front while Gerald sat next to him. Immediately upon sitting, Arnold laid his head down on the desk and closed his eyes, his blonde hair covering his face from the world. Gerald looked over at him and could tell that his friend was still going through a difficult time following the loss of his grandmother. It didn't help that Kathleen had broken up with him shortly after, that had just added salt to the gaping wound in his heart. The only other time that Gerald had ever seen his best friend this dejected was during the FTi incident seven years ago when it had seemed that they had lost the fight to save the neighborhood.

"I've got to do something to bring him back," thought Gerald to himself. It was at this moment that he felt his cell phone vibrate. He flipped it open and saw a text from Phoebe displayed on its screen. "Gerald, I need to talk with you after class. I have a most brilliant idea, but I need your help. Meet me at the stadium. Love you!" He smiled at the last part, but the rest of the message got his brain working. What plan did his girlfriend have? And what was it regarding?

Phoebe sat alone on the bleachers of the Hillwood High School stadium silently thinking to herself. A light wind blew causing her ebony black hair to wave in front of her pale face. She had to do something to help her best friend, whether she wanted her help or not and her idea seemed like the best possible plan at the moment. Suddenly she felt a hand on her right shoulder which she abruptly grabbed and yanked forward. "Thanks for meeting me Gerald," she said after planting a small, sweet kiss on the boy's lips.

"You always know how to surprise me, don't you?" Phoebe just giggled and patted the spot next to her. The tall, dark boy sat next to her and swung his arm around her shoulders, bringing her close to him in a protective, loving manner. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I'm really quite worried about Helga. You know she's been really down and out over the past two years. I know you're not especially fond of her, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me with an idea I've had to cheer her up." She looked up pleadingly into his brown eyes.

Gerald sighed then said, "I actually know how you feel, babe. Arnold's been really out of wack too lately and I don't know how to bring him out of his rut. I feel helpless, but he's my best friend and I feel like I have to do something." Phoebe turned his face towards her's and gave him a reassuring smile that made some of Gerald's worries just fade away.

"I've noticed that about Arnold, too." She took a deep breath before she quietly said, "That's why I was thinking for Valentine's day we should set them up on a blind date with each other." At this Gerald leapt up from his seat with a horrified expression on his face.

"WHAT? You want to set up Arnold, the most idealistic boy ever, with the queen of sadistic and crazy, Helga G. PATAKI? ARE. YOU. HIGH?" Phoebe yanked
Gerald down from his perch and faced him head on with a glare that made Gerald almost wish he had never challenged this ferocious woman.

"You know as good as I do that they were great friends- no the best of friends!- for three years before whatever it was that happened that drove them apart! I've believed with my entire being ever since I was three that those two are MEANT for each other, Gerald! She's the reality he needs and he's the support she needs! Now will you PLEASE help me get these two back on track to their happy ending?" She let go of his shirt collar and slumped back on the bench, breathing heavily with her arms crossed. Gerald slumped back too, staring at his girlfriend in disbelief.

"A-a-all right, I'll help. I'll help you with getting Arnold to go on this blind date. If she hurts him at all though, don't try to hold me back from kicking her to the curb." At this Phoebe beamed and wrapped her arms around his body, making him positively melt with a love-sick smile spread across his features.

"Thank you, Gerald," she sweetly whispered into his ear before softly kissing him. "I just know that it's going to take something extreme to bring them back together and make them move forward. I'm positive that this will work."

A/N: Hey all! Thanks for reading this first chapter! This is honestly my first attempt at any form of fan fiction interestingly enough. Before this I had only written analytical essays for Hey Arnold! I'll attempt to update in a timely manner. Any and all feedback is welcome and greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!