Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold! Or any of the characters. I do own the following plot.

For Every Sane Reason in the Universe Revamped
Chapter One: Waited
by Ame no Chikara

'Darkness eclipsed over her eyes in a dull manner. Hope fell out from the bottom in evanescent pools as the silver blade drew crimson droplets from her freshly marred wrist. A slight whimper murmured its way out of her mouth before her teeth drove deep into her ruby lip. Subjugating the pain, her mind lulled out a distant lullaby of words and people, places and things left so far behind. Something in the recesses screamed out something about the stupidity of it all... how vacuous it had all been in the end, even her life. Her body had gone numb as indistinctness ran itself across the room. It was then she knew that it would soon be over.'

Helga Pataki through her pen across the room and studied the paragraph once again. A frown creased its way across her face as she diverted her eyes to the calendar. June 10th, 2014 it claimed with pride. She tapped her foot impatiently on the floor as she turned to face the clock. Eight in the evening it claimed in glowing red letters. She pushed back from her desk. It had to be about time.

She looked down again at the room key to verify the room number she had been residing in and was proud to see that it was still room 610 of the Las Vegan Hilton and that it hadn't changed within the last five minutes. "He should be here by now." Her voice echoed through the room as she jumped down on the bed. She looked back to the desk and took in a sharp breath- had she not been remembering it right?

She closed her eyes slowly and felt the wave of that sweet memory wash itself over her body again. She took in a deep breath. She could see it all again... she could see June 10th, 2007. She could even taste the air.

It had been the last day of school for her ever. Part of her was content and another part didn't wish to leave any of her school years behind. On that day, Stinky had come up to her with intent. However, not any intent that she would ever take a liking toward.

--------------------------------------June 10th, 2007---------------------------------------------

"Why miss Helga! I wanna tell you that I fancy you!" Stinky had claimed, standing proud in his cut off jeans and stained shirt. Helga's feeling at that moment had been an absolute inane moment of frustration. Her eyes rolled in all directions but Stinky's as a bored sigh emitted itself.

"Stinky, you tell me that every day..."Helga sighed, watching the clock intently. The bell had been close to its final toll as her eyes dodged between Arnold and the clock.

"But today it's different Miss Helga! I wanna marry you!" Stinky fumbled through his back pocket to pull out a cheap Wal-Mart ring. Helga looked at it briefly before taping her foot impatiently and letting the first words that came to her mind roll off of her tongue.

"Stinky, how many times do I have to tell you? I don't fancy any boy who has even just asked me on a date with tea and little bear shaped cookies! More or less you, who asks me, on the spot, for marriage. I don't 'fancy' you! Hell, I don't even like you. Got it? I don't 'fancy' anyone who 'fancies' me." Stinky's lip quivered gingerly as she had said this.

"Miss Helga...I hope you ain't tryin to tell me that you're...well... like Miss Lila and Miss Ruth. You know, screwed up in the head thinkin' theys be in love with each other..." Stinky's foot made suggestive circles on the floor as Helga kicked him fiercely.

"No, Stinky, I'm not a lesbian. In fact, I do love someone in this grade..." She said, her eyes shooting over to Arnold's desk.

"Certainly not a girl, Miss Helga!"

She cast her eyes up in a cruel manner. Curse words spat themselves through her mind as she took in a jagged breath. "What the hell does 'I'm not a lesbian' mean to you?"

"Well, I... uh..." The bell rang its way through the class as all the seniors in the room cried out in a certain relief. Helga snapped her notebook shut violently as Stinky's face budded with enlightenment. "Miss Helga, I-"

"Stinky, that was the final bell ever." Helga said, throwing her backpack over her shoulders quietly.

"Why, yes it-"

"It means I have no more reason to talk to you. I have more important things to occupy my time." She pushed her way out into the crowded hallway. "Arnold!" she yelled out to a boy making his way to the door.

The blonde turned to look at his best friend and smiled. He fought his way back to her as she made her way to the small locker that contained her coat. "Hey, you gonna walk home with me tonight?"

Helga smiled and slammed her locker shut for the last time. "Don't I walk home with you every night? Jeez, you about left me here."

The two pushed their way out of the doors silently and walked down the steps without giving a glance to one another. "So," Arnold said, breaking the silence, "I hear Stinky proposed to you today."

A hollow laugh trickled out of Helga's mouth as her eyes watched her feet hit the pavement. "Yeah. You know how that works though."

Arnold nodded and took in a deep breath. "What did you say to him?"

Helga gave the boy an estranged look. She could almost swear that sometimes he either didn't listen or had no idea whatsoever who she really was. "I told him to screw off, of course."

Arnold blinked and looked up at her with shock. "You certainly found it in your heart to say words nicer than 'screw off' whilst still keeping the same meaning, right?"

A smirk tainted its way across her lips as she shook her head from side to side. "I actually ended up being a lot crueler than just the simple 'screw off'."

Disappoint was evident for a moment before it faded to show a gentle smile. "Well, he did only buy you a 10 dollar ring at Wal Mart. That thing wouldn't have lasted until your wedding Saturday!"

"Oh, he wanted to get married tomorrow?"

"That's right... Saturday is tomorrow isn't it?" Arnold sighed as he said that aloud. "Well, one thing is for sure, he has tickets to go to California with you and he probably doesn't know what to do with them."

Helga looked at Arnold with surprise. "You mean he had enough money?"

"Well, not enough to get travelers insurance for if you said no." Arnold smiled looked up at the road signs above them. It was the intersection where they parted. It had come too soon.

"Look, Arnold I wanted to say that-"

"Hey, what field are you going into out in California?"

"Writing." Helga said quietly, looking at the road sign with disappointment. She could never do it now. She could never say it. The moment had been ruined. Not like the moment had been wonderful, anyway. If anything, it had almost been slightly uncomfortable.

"Hey, me too. Of course, I'm not leaving." He brought his wrist watch up to eye-level. "Piano in 10 minutes," he mumbled, looking up to Helga. She nodded sadly.

"See you... when I see you then." Helga said, running a hand through her long blonde hair.

Arnold looked at her for a moment; a confused fit of deja vu threw itself over him as he scrutinized the girl. She looked so familiar... but yet he couldn't place it. "Hey, tell you what. How about when we're 25, we meet in room 610 of the Las Vegas Hilton at 8 pm?"

Helga looked at him, bewildered for an unforgiving minute. "What date? Who gets the room?"

"Oh. June 10th, 2014. Whichever one of us makes the most money will get the room. And if neither one of us makes it, we'll meet outside the door of that room. Okay?" Arnold said, peering down at his watch. "I'll be late for piano if I don't leave now." He turned down his street contently.

"Don't you dare forget..." She whispered, watching the boy disappearing down the street slowly.

---------------------------------------June 10th, 2014-----------------------------------------------

Helga opened her eyes and flashed them back to the clock. The red lights flashed on and off on the time of 8:21 pm. She kneaded her hands into the bed and pushed up, forcing her whole body into an upright position. She tiptoed silently over to the door and looked out the peephole. Nothing. The hallways was filled with light and life, but yet no people.

"He knows I made it real big... what am I thinking? I hope he hasn't forgotten..." She cast her eyes slowly towards the phone and seized it with her right hand.

"May I help you?" An unctuous woman bubbled over the phone.

"Yeah. This is Helga Pataki in room 610-"

"You mean the Helga Pataki?"

"Yes." Helga hissed through the phone. "Could you tell me if anyone has seen a Dennis Arnold?"

"Oh!" The woman on the other end of the line squealed. "Are you two getting together to write a new romance novel?"

"No, we're getting together to have hot and passionate sex on your hotel beds and then we're both going to write our own accounts of it and sell it to the porn industries." Helga growled in a sarcastic manner.

"Oh... Could I come up there and watch you? I'm a big fan of you both and Dennis Arnold turns me-"

Click.

Helga grabbed her purse and opened the door to her hotel room. She pulled back her sleeve and read her watch, boasting a proud 8:27 pm. Her eyes peered desperately down both ends of the hallway before she walked her way over to the elevators.

The elevator opened with a gentle ding as she walked her way out into the casino. She looked through every nook and cranny of the place before going to the main desk. To her horror, the bubbly phone operator was operating the front desk as well.

"Do you know if there is a Dennis Arnold checked into the hotel?" Helga asked in a deep voice to ensure the girl didn't recognize her.

"Oh. There was a lady that called down looking for him. I don't know where he is. He probably changed his name in our computer system because he's famous, you know. No stalkers." The girl bobbed her head from side to side, whistling gently. "Wouldn't it be wonderful to be famous?"

Helga flinched and pushed herself away from the front desk. She had been waiting for this for 7 years... and here there was no reward for her wait. She wobbled her way out onto the Las Vegas street and looked out into the party city of lights. All her dreams were crushed.

"Hey, you." Helga turned around to look into the eyes of a hefty man. Studying him briefly, it was apparent to Helga that he was a bodyguard. "Our boss wants to see you."

She squinted at him momentarily and nodded her head. "So, you're Dennis Arnold's bodyguard, right?"

The hefty man chuckled as he grasped Helga's arm. "Not exactly, but you'll see your boyfriend, okay?" Helga jerked away from the man's grasp. "Come with me. The boss and Dennis Arnold want to see you. If you don't come, we'll take you dead, okay?"

Helga nodded in a slow fear as her stomach turned over harshly. She followed the man to wherever he was headed, with hope in her mind and fear in her heart.

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A/N: I hope you guys like my revamped stories. I plan to put out a whole series of stories that I wrote and had on the site when I was younger and took off to rewrite about a year ago.

Ame no Chikara