Beauty and the Beast
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold. Oh well. You can't have everything.
Summary: This story is about how Helga is in a terrible fire and becomes disfigured. Feeling sorry for her, Arnold visits her and becomes her friend. And maybe he becomes more than that. Who knows? A/N: I decided to make Helga the beast because she already had the emotions down, and I didn't want to make another one of those: Helga grows up beautiful, tells Arnold the secret, they get married fics. I already wrote one. This is gonna be original. P.S. This is set in the future so they're about 22. This story has taken me at least to months to create and perfect, so I would appreciate reviews. Thanks!
Beauty And The Beast: Part One
Helga woke up from a good nights sleep. She looked at her clock, jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom to take a shower. "My God!" she thought. "I'm going to be late!" Her shower took about fifty seconds at the rate she was going. She threw on some clothes and scarfed down a muffin. Helga grabbed her backpack and ran out the door.
She hopped into her small car and sped out onto the road. "I am so stupid! This is why they invented alarm clocks."
Helga had moved to England after high school. She had been accepted into Oxford for her wonderful writing skills. She concentrated mostly on her studies. She had lost all of her 'attitude' once she left hr family and Arnold. The initial separation from Arnold had been too much to bear for Helga and she fell into depression for a few months. After seeking professional help from one of Dr. Bliss' colleagues that operated in the U.K., Helga was back on track. She had pushed Arnold to the back of her mind.
Although Helga had lost all of her bullying tactics, she hadn't really made any friends in England. She had a few school acquaintances but no really close pals. Many people thought she was too protective or had a bad attitude. She wasn't lonely though. She enjoyed the solitude and comfort of sitting in an armchair with a book near the fire.
After speeding past every person that was going the legal speed, Helga made it to the building her medieval literature class was in. She ran in the door, mumbling an apology to Prof. McCairn. She sat down at a desk near the front and took out her laptop.
"Today's topic will be Shakespeare's "As You Like It"." I trust you have all read it. I would like a two-page essay discussing your favorite scene in the play and how you envision it being acted out. In one week Mrs. Trinched's acting course will perform it. We will be the critics for it. It will be due on Friday. Remember that midterms are in two weeks. Be sure to prepare for them."
After class Helga went to a local coffee house. She ordered an espresso and sat down at a table and opened her copy of 'As You Like It'. She flipped through the pages until she found the scene she loved. Rosalind, (main character) is deeply in love with Orlando but is in disguise as a man so she cannot tell him.
In the scene, Rosalind expresses her love for Orlando "thou didst know how many fathom deep I am in love! But it cannot be sounded: my affection hath an unknown bottom, like the bay of Portugal. let him be judge how deep I am in love. I'll tell thee, Aliena, I cannot be out of the sight of Orlando: I'll go find a shadow and sigh till he come."
This scene struck a chord in Helgas' heart. She imagined Rosalind, beautiful and weeping, leaning against a tree talking to her cousin. Rosalind's tear stained cheeks were flushed and her eyes red. Helga had often done the same, in the years before college.
Helga scribbled her thoughts on a pad of legal paper, sipping her coffee. After her hour and a half break, she went to her French, Poetry and Celtic. Celtic was her favorite course because she enjoyed the old Welsh tales of heroes and knights and romantic maidens. She ran into one of her "chums" on the way to her car.
"Hi Helga!" The speaker was William Cooper, a young man in Helgas' French class. "I was wondering, would you like to go with me to dinner this Friday and maybe a jazz club. I know how much you like jazz." William had been smitten with Helga since her first day in Oxford. He learned all he could about her, and asked her out at least once a week. Helga was flattered but she just wanted to concentrate on her studies at the moment. She was struggling on coming up with an excuse to let him down.
"Will, you know I'd love to but I have a paper due Friday and midterms are coming up. Maybe some other time."
Helga felt horrible keeping his hopes alive but she couldn't imagine going on a date with someone after so many fantasies and dreams about Arnold.
"Yeah, that'd be great. I'll see you later." Helga sighed as he walked away. The past few years, Helga had been growing more and more stressed out. Socializing with anyone became a problem. She felt like she had a two- ton brick sitting in her chest all the time. "Maybe I just need a vacation. Good thing it's Christmas after midterms." Helga had developed her own traditions for Christmas, since her families had never meant much to her. She would get a small evergreen tree, place it in her town houses' living room, cook a turkey and read "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. The fire would be lit, a couple of presents under the tree from Phoebe and about five from Olga. The fire would be roaring and Helga could almost feel the warm cup of hot chocolate in her hand.
"Only four more weeks", she reassured herself. She went home, spread her books over her kitchen table and got to work. Three books and five cups of coffee later Helga went to bed, even the caffeine not enough to stop her from sleeping the minute she got into bed.
Next morning, she awoke, not refreshed but at least she was awake. She was feeling really stressed out so she decided she would hit one of the local jazz clubs after class. She wouldn't dance, probably just sit and have a drink and listen to the music.
That night she drove home, changed into a red dress and drove into town. There was a place called "Mr. Z's" that always had a good local band lined up and it had a good atmosphere. Helga had been there a few times before. She went up to the bar, ordered a beer and sat down. Helga was looking around the room, watching the people. That had become one of her hobbies, trying to guess about people. She saw a young blond man trying to get a woman to dance with him. After being rejected for the third time he sat down a couple seats away from Helga. "Tourist," she thought. She looked at a couple out on the dance floor. They were young, about 24, and obviously in love. Helga felt a pang of jealousy and remorse. "That could have been me", she reflected, "That should have been me. If only I hadn't been so stupid."
"Excuse me." Helga was jerked out of her thoughts by a voice. The blond man from before was standing beside her.
"Yes?"
"This may sound stupid, but you look familiar. Have you ever been to the States?"
Helga studied him. He looked familiar to her too, but she couldn't place him.
"Yeah, I grew up there. I lived in Boston."
"Really!? That's' where I live! Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. The names Arnold. Arnold Topson.
"Helga felt faint. Could it be possible? Her very own Arnold, here in England?
"Arnold! I'm sure you don't remember me. It's Helga Pataki." It was now Arnold's turn to be surprised.
"Helga! Of all the people! I haven't seen you since high school. I wondered what happened to you."
"Yeah, well, I came here on a writing scholarship."
"Writing? That's cool. I never knew you were a writer."
"I kept it quiet through the years. I mostly write stories but I have a couple of poetry books out there. So, what have you been up to?"
"Oh, I went to Harvard, staying in Boston you know. I'm studying to be a lawyer and I have to keep an eye on Grandma since my Grandpa died three years ago." He suddenly looked sad.
"Oh, I'm sorry Arnold."
"Yeah but it was a while ago." He looked around the room. "So, you like jazz. This band is pretty good. English jazz isn't bad, but it's not quite B.B. King."
"Well, I like it. So Arnold, what are you doing here?"
"I'm listening to music and having a beer. Why?" Helga looked at him.
"Oh, you mean in England. Sorry. I came here to see about an internship at McDonald, Smith and Kernat next summer. It's a law firm in London. I stopped in Oxford to spend the night before I go on to London."
Helga mentally slapped herself. 'What where you thinking? That he came here to see you? He didn't even know you were here.' She thought.
"That's great. So, are you still friends with Gerald? I know from Phoebe that they got married, but I haven't heard that much about him and how things turned out. What's he up to?"
"Well, he went to Michigan State for basketball, and Phoebe as you know went with him. He's doin' pretty good."
"That's great." There was a silence. Arnold took a drink of his beer and he looked at her.
"Helga, would you like to dance?" Helga's heart skipped a beat. 'I'm supposed to be over him! He hasn't even been here for 10 minutes and I'm already falling back in love with him.'
"Sure, that'd be fun."
He took her by the waist and led her onto the dance floor. The band started a new, slow song and some other couples joined them on the floor. Arnold was leading, which was good, since Helga wasn't paying any attention except to the feel of his hands on her waist.
When the song ended, they went back to the bar and talked some more, about the future, college, friends, dates (mostly from Arnold), but most was about the past. They remembered summer days in Gerald Field, the Jolly Ollie Man, and school. Before they knew it, the bar was closing and they were walking out the doors.
"Well…it was nice seeing you Helga. I'll try to stop by on my way back from London. And I'll be sure to keep in touch." Helga thought 'I can't let him go. Not yet.'
"Arnold, the hotels here are kinda crappy. I have an extra room at my place. Why don't you stay with me for tonight."
Arnold thought about for a minute. 'It wont be that bad. She's okay to be around. And then I wont have to spend my money.'
"Sure, that'd be great." They climbed into Helga's car, which was a small, red town car. After about five minutes of driving, they got to Helga's place. She lived in a small typical English house, with flower boxes at the windows, and snuggled close between two others exactly like it. Arnold looked up at it and said,
"How can you pay for this Helga? I work everyday at a Coney Island and I can barely make rent on my apartment."
"Well, since I don't have to pay for tuition, all my money that I make at selling my poetry books and working at a bookstore goes straight here." She took her set of keys out of her coat pocket, opened the door and walked in. Arnold followed her. She flipped on the light switch.
"Wow Helga. This is really nice. Where should I put my bag?" He was carrying a tattered old suitcase, full of clothes.
"Here, I'll show you the room. Follow me." Helga led him up a narrow staircase and down a short hallway until they reached a door. She opened it to a small room with a dresser and bed. It was decorated with antiques and paintings and had a large bookcase filled with novels by famous authors such as Dickens, Shakespeare, and Jane Austen. The room had a great feeling about it. Arnold felt truly at home. He set his bag down. Helga left, saying,
"I'll be downstairs if you need anything. The bathroom is across the hall. 'Night."
"Thanks Helga." She was already gone. Arnold put on a pair of flannels and a t-shirt and grabbed a copy of "Pride and Prejudice" of the shelf. He went down stairs after skimming it. Helga was sitting at her kitchen table, working on the Medieval Literature report. She looked up when he came down the stairs.
"Sorry if I interrupted." He said.
"Oh, it's no problem. I was just going to make some tea anyway. Want some?"
"No thanks. I'm a coffee man. Tea isn't my thing."
"Yeah, that's how I was when I first came here. But it grows on you. I have coffee, it you want it."
"No, I need my sleep. I have a ways to go tomorrow." She sat down, tea in hand. She looked at the book in his hand. He sat down next to her.
"What's that?"
"Pride and Prejudice. I'm trying to figure out why every woman I meet loves this book. So I'm asking you. What's so great about it? It's just a big love story.'
"It's more than that. It's a story about how you have to look past people's appearances and first impressions. And how you can find love in the person you least expect." She said this last part with a bit of remorse in her voice, but Arnold didn't notice.
"I'll try reading it tonight. What are you doing?"
"Writing an essay on one of Shakespeare's plays. It's for my medieval literature class."
"Oh, that's cool. Do you remember when we did Romeo and Juliet in the fourth grade? That was pretty fun."
"Yeah, it was. Except for when I had to kiss you and all." She blushed and so did Arnold, but Helga didn't see him since her eyes were fixated on her tea.
"So…how's life goin' for you Arnoldo?" Helga used her childhood nickname for him and he laughed. "Any new loves? How about Lila? I remember you having a small crush on her back in the days."
"Oh, that's over. She moved somewhere, I don't remember exactly. I have a pretty steady girlfriend back in Boston though. Her name's Amanda. She's studying to be a doctor at Harvard too." Helga's heart collapsed on the inside, but she put on a smile and said,
"That's great."
"So how 'bout you. Any of these English blokes your beau?" He said jokingly with a horrible British accent.
"No. Can we talk about something else?"
"Sure, but why?"
"Arnold, I just can't talk about it with you, okay?"
"Fine. But you brought it up." He mumbled.
"Yeah, I know I brought it up. I'm not stupid."
"I didn't say you were. Jeez." He was starting to get a little angry, and he could already tell she was kind of pissed off about something.
"Listen, I've had a rough time when it comes to guys. And I don't really want to discuss it. I'm sorry if I yelled at you."
Arnold was surprised at this apology. It wasn't like the Helga he used to know, she would never back away from a fight. She had decided that it wasn't worth it to get him mad at her.
"It's okay. I shouldn't have pressed you for stuff about your personal life. So, on a lighter note, what are you studying to be?"
"Well, I think I'm going to be a Professor of Writing some where, and write actual novels and things on my spare time. I really want to be a writer, but I wouldn't make that much money. This way, I can do both. But I know I want to stay in England. It's so peaceful here. Maybe go live in a smaller town. I really like that small town feeling. You know you walk into the market, and everyone knows your name and asks you how you are. I think that'd be really nice."
"That's really cool Helga." They both sat there for a few minutes neither thinking of something to say, so finally Arnold said,
"I'm gonna go to bed now Helga. See you in the morning. And thanks for letting me stay here."
"No problem Arnold. 'Night."
When he left, Helga pushed her books aside and put her head in her hands.
Arnold went upstairs, climbed in bed and started reading the book. After about an hour, he decided it wasn't the worst book in the world, and he went to sleep.
Helga went upstairs about an hour later. She collapsed on her bed and fell asleep instantly.
She awoke to sunlight streaming in her window. She got up and wrapped herself in her bathrobe. She then went downstairs to make some coffee. When she got to the kitchen, she gasped. She had forgotten Arnold was there, and he was just sitting there at her kitchen table. He looked up when he heard her.
"Morning Helga. I made some coffee. I hope you don't mind. Want some?" Her heart slowly began to go at a normal rate.
"Yeah, that'd be great. Sow what time are you leaving this morning?"
"What, so eager to get rid of me?" He said smiling, while standing at her counter pouring coffee.
"No," she said blushing "Just asking." He brought over the mug, handed it to her and sat down.
"I was thinking I would leave as soon as I can call a cab to take me to a rental car place."
"Oh." He looked at her and said,
"But you know, I don't really want to leave yet. Maybe you could show me some things around here, huh?"
'Was he just flirting with me?' she asked herself.
'Was I just flirting with her?' He thought.
"Well," she said regrettably, "I have classes 'till one this afternoon."
"Oh, well that's okay. I could hang around here and try reading Pride and Prejudice some more. That okay?"
'He was flirting with me!' She thought, amazed.
"Um, I guess. Sure. If you want to."
"I do." She smiled at him over the rim of her coffee cup. 'Why is he doing this? He can't like me. He hardly knows me.'
"Well, okay then. I have to go get dressed, my class starts in about twenty minutes." He watched her retreat up the stairs.
'Why did I do that? I gave up a day of sightseeing in London, to spend time with Helga Pataki?' Arnold was very confused. Not upset, just confused.
She came downstairs gathered up her books and said to him as she walked out the door,
"Help yourself to anything you want, tv, fridge, books, whatever. I'll be back at about one, and then we can go into town and have lunch. Bye." He chuckled as she walked away. 'Same old bossy Helga.' He went to read the book some more.
Helga walked out of her last class a mixture of hope and fear stirring in her chest. This was Arnold, her lifetime love. The chances of him actually finding her in England were about one in a billion, so she had to hope this was a part of destiny. She drove home, half expecting Arnold to be gone, scared away by her old façade. Much to her relief, he was sitting on her porch, engrossed by the book. When he saw her, he got up, marked his place in the book and walked down the steps to her. He was smiling, and Helga wondered why.
"I'm ready. If you want to go change, I'll wait. This book is actually getting good.'
"That's okay. We're not going anywhere fancy. Come on." Arnold was interested as to where she was taking him. They got in her car, and she started driving into the town where they were last night.
"Where are we going Helga?"
"I think we're just going to walk around. There are some really cool places here if you know where to look."
"Yeah? So, are we meeting some of your friends or something?" Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the steering wheel harder.
"No." She said it with such force that Arnold looked at her in surprise.
"Alright then." He was hesitant to start a conversation because he knew there were topics that Helga didn't like, but he didn't know which ones.
They drove in silence the rest of the way. She parked on the main street of the town and they got out.
"Do you want to eat first or walk around?" She asked him.
"I think eat first."
"What kinda food do you like?"
"I'll eat pretty much anything. How about we try some English food?"
"Sure. Why not? There's a good pub just down the street here." Helga led him into "The Red Dragon" pub, and they sat down at a table. Helga said,
"Do you know what you want, or should I order it for you."
"No, I want to try those fish and chips thingies." Helga looked at him doubtfully.
"Alright, if you're sure."
"What, is there something wrong with them?"
"No, no. If that's what you want, by all means get them."
"Well what are you going to have?"
"Yorkshire pudding."
"Pudding? You're eating pudding for lunch?"
"It's not like jello pudding, smart one. It's this baked thing, kind of like bread. You can try some of mine when it comes."
The waiter came.
"Do you know what you would like, or should I just take your drink orders now?"
Helga spoke up in her bossy manner,
We would like a fish and chips, Yorkshire pudding and I'll have a Mike O'Doul's beer."
"And for your drink sir? We have Irish, Scottish, French and German beers. We also have you normal martini's and bar drinks and I could probably whip up something else if you wanted it."
"I like the hospitality, but I'll just have a scotch and a glass of water."
"As you wish sir." The waiter walked away.
"So Helga, what do you talk about?" She scoffed.
"You're asking me? Do you remember me from back in high school?" Arnold remembered.
She was the dark rebel sort back then. The one who skipped school and talked back to teachers. But whenever Arnold tried to talk to her, she would close up, and walk away. No one but Phoebe could get near her. Arnold had often wondered about this, back in those days, since she didn't see like the shy type. Phoebe had once said to him, after he asked her about it, "She has her reasons. Don't judge her like this. She may just surprise you." Arnold had thought about this for a few days, and then had just given up on it. After high school, he had almost forgotten about Helga, until he saw her last night. Suddenly he flashed back to last night. He had just sat down after being rejected for a dance by a beautiful French woman. He just assured himself that it was because she didn't speak English to boost his ego. He looked down the row of seats at the bar and saw another woman. She wasn't beautiful, she was about average, but there was something about her that drew him to her. He didn't know why, but she reminded him of someone he had known long ago. Suddenly he had realized that she was more than familiar. She was Helga. That was when he had gone over to her. He had been very surprised when he found her to be more pleasant than before. He had though she would never change. Suddenly, a voice drew him out of his reverie.
"Arnold?" he shook his head.
"What? Sorry. I drifted off there."
"I'll say you did. I said your name about four times." He blushed.
"Sorry."
"It's okay. So what were you thinking about?"
"You." Helga drew back, startled.
"Me?"
"Yeah. About how you were in high school and how different you are now." Helga began to look uncomfortable.
"Oh, um ok." Arnold didn't notice how agitated Helga was becoming.
"Yeah, and I was wondering. Why were you like that? I mean, you were really mean sometimes, but sometimes you were kind of nice. And you were really protective. You only let Phoebe near you. Almost everyone was scared to come near you. What was up with that?" Helga by this time was almost fuming.
"If I was protective, did it ever occur to you that I might have something to protect? You had one of those perfect lives. Your parents came back in fifth grade and you were one big happy family. You had great friends and great grades. Everyone liked you. And lets not forget about Lila. Little Miss oh-So Perfect." By this time Helga was standing beside the table. She threw her napkin onto the table. "I never had that. I had a family who didn't give a damn either way about me. I had one friend. I never got asked out. No one liked me, as you were so kind as to point out." She turned around and stormed into the ladies restroom.
She left a very confused, and upset Arnold behind her. He didn't mean to upset her. He just wanted to know more about her. He had obviously figured out that this was one of those unspoken about topics.
Helga stood in front of the mirror, glaring. She didn't know whom she was mad at, Arnold or herself. She knew it was a bad idea to become so attached to him. He was leaving anyways. Besides, it's not like she could convince him to like her, let alone love her. He had a girlfriend back home. And that was the other problem. They lived in countries separated by an ocean. She knew now it was herself she was mad at. Once she had calmed down, and washed her face of the few tears that had snuck out of her eyes, she walked back to their table. Arnold was sitting there, looking truly sorry. When he saw her coming, he stood up.
"Helga-" He began but she cut him off with,
"Arnold, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have down that. It's not your fault." He looked relieved.
"I just have so many bad memories of before. I still can't think about it easily."
"Well, how about we just talk about something no one can be offended by. Like the weather or car prices or something." Helga laughed.
"You mean like, hey Arnold, I heard that the retail price on socks went up this year. My God, that is so lame."
He chuckled. "Fine, fine. You came up with something then."
"Too late. Food's here." Arnold looked up and saw their waiter bringing them the drinks, a plate with his fish and chips and something that looked like bubbly golden bread dough. Their food was put in front of them, and Helga began to eat. Arnold looked incredulously at his own food. Helga watched him.
"I warned you." She said.
"No you didn't. You just looked like you wouldn't eat it."
"Well, you ordered it so you might as well try it."
"Yeah, I guess." He replied in a forlorn voice. He picked up his fork and stabbed a piece of his dish. He brought it slowly to his mouth and with closed eyes put it in. he chewed for about three seconds, then grabbed a napkin and spit it out. Helga almost spit out her own food when she saw his reaction, because she was laughing so hard. Arnold however, was not so amused. The look on his face was a mixture of horror and dislike.
"That was disgusting!" he said in a rather loud voice. "Whose idea was that?" Helga was almost out of breath from laughing so hard.
"Your face!" She said, gasping for breath. "You should have seen your face!"
"It's not funny. That stuff tasted like crap." Helga was calming down, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. Arnold took a drink of water and said,
"So how's your food? Any better than my disaster dish?"
"Of course it is. I live here, so I know all the good foods. Here," she said cutting off a piece of her Yorkshire pudding.
"Thanks."
"Pour some gravy on it. It tastes really good that way." He followed her advice, and took a bite.
"Hey this is really good! Gimmee some more of that!" He reached for her plate.
"Hey! Back off! This is my dinner."
"Please?" He pleaded with her with his perfect green eyes. Helga melted in a second.
"Alright. You can have half." She gave it to them and they finished. After they paid, they went out to "see the town".
"So where are we going to go Helga?"
"Well, do you like art?"
"Umm, I don't know. I guess so."
"This isn't quite normal art. Come on." She led him to a small shop a few doors down. It looked normal on the inside, but the minute Arnold stepped inside, he was blown away.
"It's called interactive art. Come on, let's go and play with some of it." She walked up and down the isles, spinning wheels that turned little statues and pressing hidden buttons to make the art piece change color. Arnold went along with her, having a lot of fun. He walked around the store, and soon realized Helga wasn't with him. He soon fond her, engrossed in a piece of artwork. It was a statuette, with a man and a woman sitting next to each other by a brook. She cranked a lever that made a small stream of water come over the brook, and create a calming effect.
'That's really nice."
"Yeah, it's my favorite."
"So, do you think other girls would like it as much?" She looked at him wonderingly, but replied,
"Depends on their taste, but probably. Why?"
"I promised Amanda I would bring her something nice back from England."
"Oh." Arnold didn't notice the defeated look on her face.
"I think I'll buy it."
"Fine. But hurry up. We have to go." Arnold did notice this change in Helga's attitude, since a few moments ago, she had seemed like she wouldn't mind staying for an hour.
"Okay," he said cautiously. He brought the statue to the counter and paid for it. Helga was waiting for him outside. She was lighting up a cigarette.
"Are you okay Helga? I didn't know you smoked." Smoking was a big turnoff for Arnold since it was what had killed his Grandpa.
"I don't," she said throwing the cigarette to the ground and grinding it with her shoe.
"It's a nervous habit. I never actually smoke them, just light them up and watch them burn."
"Let's go."
"Yeah." They went home, Helga wasn't really in the mood to do anything else, and Arnold was very cautious, since he had already angered her twice today. Once they were back, Arnold went up to the room he was using, and Helga sat down in a chair, and thought about the situation.
'Helga, what were you thinking? That he would fall madly in love with you and never look back? He has a girlfriend. Don't put yourself through this love business again. You know what a broken heart feels like. Do you want that?' She was struggling to hold back a flood of emotion.
Meanwhile, Arnold was in his room, packing his bag. He was going to leave in the morning. He thought to himself,
'This was stupid. The only reason she even let you stay the night was because we used to know each other. It seemed like she had changed, but deep down, she was the same old mean Helga. Besides, I love Amanda. A lot. Don't I?' He ended his thoughts on this provoking idea. He went down stairs to tell Helga his plans for the morning. He found her sitting and staring at the wall, oblivious of everything around her.
"Helga?"
"What?" She said it with out turning around, or even moving at all.
"I'm going to leave in the morning, so I'll probably be gone before you wake up." At this, she turned her head.
"Oh. Okay." She sounded regretful, as if she wished he would do otherwise. But Arnold knew this couldn't be. He drove her insane. What he didn't know was that he drove her mad with love.
"So, if you don't mind, I'm going to use your phone to call the rental agency."
"Yeah, sure whatever. I'm going to go on a walk." She got up and left the house without another word. Arnold went into the kitchen and arranged for a car to come and pick him up at 7.
Helga went to a park that was about three blocks from her house. It was a typical English park/garden with plenty of tree-lined paths and benches by ponds. It looked like it was going to rain, but Helga didn't notice. She walked under the protection of towering oaks and maple trees. The sky was steadily darkening with rain clouds but she still walked on. She was thinking.
'Why do I always have to get angry. Arnold just wanted a present for his girlfriend. He doesn't love me, and he never will. I just have to learn to accept that fact.' But that was too much to ask, and Helga fell onto the path, sobbing, as rain began to pour.
Helga had been gone for almost an hour and a half and Arnold was getting worried. The rain hadn't let up at all. In fact, it was raining so heavily now, that it made it impossible for Arnold to watch out of the kitchen window for her. He was steadily becoming more anxious, and had just looked up the police station number and was about to dial it, when Helga came through the door.
Arnold put down the phone and went to her. Little streams of water were pouring from her hair. Her clothes were soaked through, and she was shivering uncontrollably. As he stepped closer, she collapsed. Arnold caught her, and carried her to the living room. He laid her down on the couch, and covered her with a blanket. He then went and made her some tea. When he came back, she had fallen into a restless sleep. He sat by her that night only leaving to cancel the rental car that was coming in the morning. All through the night and the following morning, she tossed and turned, talking, and sometimes yelling, in her sleep. He was constantly feeling her forehead, which was burning up. When by 10 o'clock the next morning she was not better, he became seriously worried. She was now constantly delusional, awake or asleep. Most of what she said consisted of "I love him!" or "I wish" or "I'm sorry." Arnold concluded that she loved someone and either couldn't tell him, or did something to hurt them. He truly felt sorry for her. He decided that he couldn't leave her in this state, and he decided he would stay another night. At random times she would realize who he was, and she was surprised, but she was so ill, she could not say anything. It was at times like these that Arnold would smile and hold her hand. This calmed her, and she would fall into a more relaxing sleep that the preceding one.
The next morning, Arnold awoke in the chair he had slept in, and found that Helga was awake and looking at him.
"What?"
"Why are you here? You were supposed to leave yesterday."
"You were to sick to leave alone. I couldn't just go away and pretend you were fine."
"Thanks." She tried to get up.
"No! You have to stay there."
"Yeah, that's what my headache is telling me too. But I have to go to school. I can't miss classes."
"You are way to sick to go to school. Just stay home and do all your work right here on the couch."
"Fine. But I'm going tomorrow."
"Well, that's up to you. I won't be here to stop you."
"What?"
"I have to leave this afternoon, or I'll miss my interview and any chance of sightseeing. I only have a week and a half grant of vacation from the school."
"Oh, uh, yeah."
"So, my plane leaves at two, so I'm going to have to get going. I'll try to stop bye before I leave England, but if not, bye, and thanks."
"It was no problem. I really liked seeing you."
"Yeah, me too. This was pretty fun, except for you getting sick.
"Uh huh. So, I'll write to you."
"I'll write to you too. So, I called a cab, and it should be here any minute. If you weren't better, I was going to call the hospital before I left."
"Okay, well bye." A car horn honked impatiently outside.
"Cabs here. Bye Helga." Helga watched him walk out of her front door, and leave, before crying into her pillow. That night, Helga fell asleep while reading "As You Like It" by a roaring fire. And her quite neighborhood was awoken that night by the sounds of sirens.
A/N: So, you like? I know, cliffhangers suck, and you'll have to live with this one for about a month probably so I'm sorry! Please please please review! The more reviews the faster I'll type, if that's any incentive. And for those of you who read my "As You Like It" fic, I want reviews there too, and ideas if someone has read the actual play.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold. Oh well. You can't have everything.
Summary: This story is about how Helga is in a terrible fire and becomes disfigured. Feeling sorry for her, Arnold visits her and becomes her friend. And maybe he becomes more than that. Who knows? A/N: I decided to make Helga the beast because she already had the emotions down, and I didn't want to make another one of those: Helga grows up beautiful, tells Arnold the secret, they get married fics. I already wrote one. This is gonna be original. P.S. This is set in the future so they're about 22. This story has taken me at least to months to create and perfect, so I would appreciate reviews. Thanks!
Beauty And The Beast: Part One
Helga woke up from a good nights sleep. She looked at her clock, jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom to take a shower. "My God!" she thought. "I'm going to be late!" Her shower took about fifty seconds at the rate she was going. She threw on some clothes and scarfed down a muffin. Helga grabbed her backpack and ran out the door.
She hopped into her small car and sped out onto the road. "I am so stupid! This is why they invented alarm clocks."
Helga had moved to England after high school. She had been accepted into Oxford for her wonderful writing skills. She concentrated mostly on her studies. She had lost all of her 'attitude' once she left hr family and Arnold. The initial separation from Arnold had been too much to bear for Helga and she fell into depression for a few months. After seeking professional help from one of Dr. Bliss' colleagues that operated in the U.K., Helga was back on track. She had pushed Arnold to the back of her mind.
Although Helga had lost all of her bullying tactics, she hadn't really made any friends in England. She had a few school acquaintances but no really close pals. Many people thought she was too protective or had a bad attitude. She wasn't lonely though. She enjoyed the solitude and comfort of sitting in an armchair with a book near the fire.
After speeding past every person that was going the legal speed, Helga made it to the building her medieval literature class was in. She ran in the door, mumbling an apology to Prof. McCairn. She sat down at a desk near the front and took out her laptop.
"Today's topic will be Shakespeare's "As You Like It"." I trust you have all read it. I would like a two-page essay discussing your favorite scene in the play and how you envision it being acted out. In one week Mrs. Trinched's acting course will perform it. We will be the critics for it. It will be due on Friday. Remember that midterms are in two weeks. Be sure to prepare for them."
After class Helga went to a local coffee house. She ordered an espresso and sat down at a table and opened her copy of 'As You Like It'. She flipped through the pages until she found the scene she loved. Rosalind, (main character) is deeply in love with Orlando but is in disguise as a man so she cannot tell him.
In the scene, Rosalind expresses her love for Orlando "thou didst know how many fathom deep I am in love! But it cannot be sounded: my affection hath an unknown bottom, like the bay of Portugal. let him be judge how deep I am in love. I'll tell thee, Aliena, I cannot be out of the sight of Orlando: I'll go find a shadow and sigh till he come."
This scene struck a chord in Helgas' heart. She imagined Rosalind, beautiful and weeping, leaning against a tree talking to her cousin. Rosalind's tear stained cheeks were flushed and her eyes red. Helga had often done the same, in the years before college.
Helga scribbled her thoughts on a pad of legal paper, sipping her coffee. After her hour and a half break, she went to her French, Poetry and Celtic. Celtic was her favorite course because she enjoyed the old Welsh tales of heroes and knights and romantic maidens. She ran into one of her "chums" on the way to her car.
"Hi Helga!" The speaker was William Cooper, a young man in Helgas' French class. "I was wondering, would you like to go with me to dinner this Friday and maybe a jazz club. I know how much you like jazz." William had been smitten with Helga since her first day in Oxford. He learned all he could about her, and asked her out at least once a week. Helga was flattered but she just wanted to concentrate on her studies at the moment. She was struggling on coming up with an excuse to let him down.
"Will, you know I'd love to but I have a paper due Friday and midterms are coming up. Maybe some other time."
Helga felt horrible keeping his hopes alive but she couldn't imagine going on a date with someone after so many fantasies and dreams about Arnold.
"Yeah, that'd be great. I'll see you later." Helga sighed as he walked away. The past few years, Helga had been growing more and more stressed out. Socializing with anyone became a problem. She felt like she had a two- ton brick sitting in her chest all the time. "Maybe I just need a vacation. Good thing it's Christmas after midterms." Helga had developed her own traditions for Christmas, since her families had never meant much to her. She would get a small evergreen tree, place it in her town houses' living room, cook a turkey and read "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. The fire would be lit, a couple of presents under the tree from Phoebe and about five from Olga. The fire would be roaring and Helga could almost feel the warm cup of hot chocolate in her hand.
"Only four more weeks", she reassured herself. She went home, spread her books over her kitchen table and got to work. Three books and five cups of coffee later Helga went to bed, even the caffeine not enough to stop her from sleeping the minute she got into bed.
Next morning, she awoke, not refreshed but at least she was awake. She was feeling really stressed out so she decided she would hit one of the local jazz clubs after class. She wouldn't dance, probably just sit and have a drink and listen to the music.
That night she drove home, changed into a red dress and drove into town. There was a place called "Mr. Z's" that always had a good local band lined up and it had a good atmosphere. Helga had been there a few times before. She went up to the bar, ordered a beer and sat down. Helga was looking around the room, watching the people. That had become one of her hobbies, trying to guess about people. She saw a young blond man trying to get a woman to dance with him. After being rejected for the third time he sat down a couple seats away from Helga. "Tourist," she thought. She looked at a couple out on the dance floor. They were young, about 24, and obviously in love. Helga felt a pang of jealousy and remorse. "That could have been me", she reflected, "That should have been me. If only I hadn't been so stupid."
"Excuse me." Helga was jerked out of her thoughts by a voice. The blond man from before was standing beside her.
"Yes?"
"This may sound stupid, but you look familiar. Have you ever been to the States?"
Helga studied him. He looked familiar to her too, but she couldn't place him.
"Yeah, I grew up there. I lived in Boston."
"Really!? That's' where I live! Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. The names Arnold. Arnold Topson.
"Helga felt faint. Could it be possible? Her very own Arnold, here in England?
"Arnold! I'm sure you don't remember me. It's Helga Pataki." It was now Arnold's turn to be surprised.
"Helga! Of all the people! I haven't seen you since high school. I wondered what happened to you."
"Yeah, well, I came here on a writing scholarship."
"Writing? That's cool. I never knew you were a writer."
"I kept it quiet through the years. I mostly write stories but I have a couple of poetry books out there. So, what have you been up to?"
"Oh, I went to Harvard, staying in Boston you know. I'm studying to be a lawyer and I have to keep an eye on Grandma since my Grandpa died three years ago." He suddenly looked sad.
"Oh, I'm sorry Arnold."
"Yeah but it was a while ago." He looked around the room. "So, you like jazz. This band is pretty good. English jazz isn't bad, but it's not quite B.B. King."
"Well, I like it. So Arnold, what are you doing here?"
"I'm listening to music and having a beer. Why?" Helga looked at him.
"Oh, you mean in England. Sorry. I came here to see about an internship at McDonald, Smith and Kernat next summer. It's a law firm in London. I stopped in Oxford to spend the night before I go on to London."
Helga mentally slapped herself. 'What where you thinking? That he came here to see you? He didn't even know you were here.' She thought.
"That's great. So, are you still friends with Gerald? I know from Phoebe that they got married, but I haven't heard that much about him and how things turned out. What's he up to?"
"Well, he went to Michigan State for basketball, and Phoebe as you know went with him. He's doin' pretty good."
"That's great." There was a silence. Arnold took a drink of his beer and he looked at her.
"Helga, would you like to dance?" Helga's heart skipped a beat. 'I'm supposed to be over him! He hasn't even been here for 10 minutes and I'm already falling back in love with him.'
"Sure, that'd be fun."
He took her by the waist and led her onto the dance floor. The band started a new, slow song and some other couples joined them on the floor. Arnold was leading, which was good, since Helga wasn't paying any attention except to the feel of his hands on her waist.
When the song ended, they went back to the bar and talked some more, about the future, college, friends, dates (mostly from Arnold), but most was about the past. They remembered summer days in Gerald Field, the Jolly Ollie Man, and school. Before they knew it, the bar was closing and they were walking out the doors.
"Well…it was nice seeing you Helga. I'll try to stop by on my way back from London. And I'll be sure to keep in touch." Helga thought 'I can't let him go. Not yet.'
"Arnold, the hotels here are kinda crappy. I have an extra room at my place. Why don't you stay with me for tonight."
Arnold thought about for a minute. 'It wont be that bad. She's okay to be around. And then I wont have to spend my money.'
"Sure, that'd be great." They climbed into Helga's car, which was a small, red town car. After about five minutes of driving, they got to Helga's place. She lived in a small typical English house, with flower boxes at the windows, and snuggled close between two others exactly like it. Arnold looked up at it and said,
"How can you pay for this Helga? I work everyday at a Coney Island and I can barely make rent on my apartment."
"Well, since I don't have to pay for tuition, all my money that I make at selling my poetry books and working at a bookstore goes straight here." She took her set of keys out of her coat pocket, opened the door and walked in. Arnold followed her. She flipped on the light switch.
"Wow Helga. This is really nice. Where should I put my bag?" He was carrying a tattered old suitcase, full of clothes.
"Here, I'll show you the room. Follow me." Helga led him up a narrow staircase and down a short hallway until they reached a door. She opened it to a small room with a dresser and bed. It was decorated with antiques and paintings and had a large bookcase filled with novels by famous authors such as Dickens, Shakespeare, and Jane Austen. The room had a great feeling about it. Arnold felt truly at home. He set his bag down. Helga left, saying,
"I'll be downstairs if you need anything. The bathroom is across the hall. 'Night."
"Thanks Helga." She was already gone. Arnold put on a pair of flannels and a t-shirt and grabbed a copy of "Pride and Prejudice" of the shelf. He went down stairs after skimming it. Helga was sitting at her kitchen table, working on the Medieval Literature report. She looked up when he came down the stairs.
"Sorry if I interrupted." He said.
"Oh, it's no problem. I was just going to make some tea anyway. Want some?"
"No thanks. I'm a coffee man. Tea isn't my thing."
"Yeah, that's how I was when I first came here. But it grows on you. I have coffee, it you want it."
"No, I need my sleep. I have a ways to go tomorrow." She sat down, tea in hand. She looked at the book in his hand. He sat down next to her.
"What's that?"
"Pride and Prejudice. I'm trying to figure out why every woman I meet loves this book. So I'm asking you. What's so great about it? It's just a big love story.'
"It's more than that. It's a story about how you have to look past people's appearances and first impressions. And how you can find love in the person you least expect." She said this last part with a bit of remorse in her voice, but Arnold didn't notice.
"I'll try reading it tonight. What are you doing?"
"Writing an essay on one of Shakespeare's plays. It's for my medieval literature class."
"Oh, that's cool. Do you remember when we did Romeo and Juliet in the fourth grade? That was pretty fun."
"Yeah, it was. Except for when I had to kiss you and all." She blushed and so did Arnold, but Helga didn't see him since her eyes were fixated on her tea.
"So…how's life goin' for you Arnoldo?" Helga used her childhood nickname for him and he laughed. "Any new loves? How about Lila? I remember you having a small crush on her back in the days."
"Oh, that's over. She moved somewhere, I don't remember exactly. I have a pretty steady girlfriend back in Boston though. Her name's Amanda. She's studying to be a doctor at Harvard too." Helga's heart collapsed on the inside, but she put on a smile and said,
"That's great."
"So how 'bout you. Any of these English blokes your beau?" He said jokingly with a horrible British accent.
"No. Can we talk about something else?"
"Sure, but why?"
"Arnold, I just can't talk about it with you, okay?"
"Fine. But you brought it up." He mumbled.
"Yeah, I know I brought it up. I'm not stupid."
"I didn't say you were. Jeez." He was starting to get a little angry, and he could already tell she was kind of pissed off about something.
"Listen, I've had a rough time when it comes to guys. And I don't really want to discuss it. I'm sorry if I yelled at you."
Arnold was surprised at this apology. It wasn't like the Helga he used to know, she would never back away from a fight. She had decided that it wasn't worth it to get him mad at her.
"It's okay. I shouldn't have pressed you for stuff about your personal life. So, on a lighter note, what are you studying to be?"
"Well, I think I'm going to be a Professor of Writing some where, and write actual novels and things on my spare time. I really want to be a writer, but I wouldn't make that much money. This way, I can do both. But I know I want to stay in England. It's so peaceful here. Maybe go live in a smaller town. I really like that small town feeling. You know you walk into the market, and everyone knows your name and asks you how you are. I think that'd be really nice."
"That's really cool Helga." They both sat there for a few minutes neither thinking of something to say, so finally Arnold said,
"I'm gonna go to bed now Helga. See you in the morning. And thanks for letting me stay here."
"No problem Arnold. 'Night."
When he left, Helga pushed her books aside and put her head in her hands.
Arnold went upstairs, climbed in bed and started reading the book. After about an hour, he decided it wasn't the worst book in the world, and he went to sleep.
Helga went upstairs about an hour later. She collapsed on her bed and fell asleep instantly.
She awoke to sunlight streaming in her window. She got up and wrapped herself in her bathrobe. She then went downstairs to make some coffee. When she got to the kitchen, she gasped. She had forgotten Arnold was there, and he was just sitting there at her kitchen table. He looked up when he heard her.
"Morning Helga. I made some coffee. I hope you don't mind. Want some?" Her heart slowly began to go at a normal rate.
"Yeah, that'd be great. Sow what time are you leaving this morning?"
"What, so eager to get rid of me?" He said smiling, while standing at her counter pouring coffee.
"No," she said blushing "Just asking." He brought over the mug, handed it to her and sat down.
"I was thinking I would leave as soon as I can call a cab to take me to a rental car place."
"Oh." He looked at her and said,
"But you know, I don't really want to leave yet. Maybe you could show me some things around here, huh?"
'Was he just flirting with me?' she asked herself.
'Was I just flirting with her?' He thought.
"Well," she said regrettably, "I have classes 'till one this afternoon."
"Oh, well that's okay. I could hang around here and try reading Pride and Prejudice some more. That okay?"
'He was flirting with me!' She thought, amazed.
"Um, I guess. Sure. If you want to."
"I do." She smiled at him over the rim of her coffee cup. 'Why is he doing this? He can't like me. He hardly knows me.'
"Well, okay then. I have to go get dressed, my class starts in about twenty minutes." He watched her retreat up the stairs.
'Why did I do that? I gave up a day of sightseeing in London, to spend time with Helga Pataki?' Arnold was very confused. Not upset, just confused.
She came downstairs gathered up her books and said to him as she walked out the door,
"Help yourself to anything you want, tv, fridge, books, whatever. I'll be back at about one, and then we can go into town and have lunch. Bye." He chuckled as she walked away. 'Same old bossy Helga.' He went to read the book some more.
Helga walked out of her last class a mixture of hope and fear stirring in her chest. This was Arnold, her lifetime love. The chances of him actually finding her in England were about one in a billion, so she had to hope this was a part of destiny. She drove home, half expecting Arnold to be gone, scared away by her old façade. Much to her relief, he was sitting on her porch, engrossed by the book. When he saw her, he got up, marked his place in the book and walked down the steps to her. He was smiling, and Helga wondered why.
"I'm ready. If you want to go change, I'll wait. This book is actually getting good.'
"That's okay. We're not going anywhere fancy. Come on." Arnold was interested as to where she was taking him. They got in her car, and she started driving into the town where they were last night.
"Where are we going Helga?"
"I think we're just going to walk around. There are some really cool places here if you know where to look."
"Yeah? So, are we meeting some of your friends or something?" Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the steering wheel harder.
"No." She said it with such force that Arnold looked at her in surprise.
"Alright then." He was hesitant to start a conversation because he knew there were topics that Helga didn't like, but he didn't know which ones.
They drove in silence the rest of the way. She parked on the main street of the town and they got out.
"Do you want to eat first or walk around?" She asked him.
"I think eat first."
"What kinda food do you like?"
"I'll eat pretty much anything. How about we try some English food?"
"Sure. Why not? There's a good pub just down the street here." Helga led him into "The Red Dragon" pub, and they sat down at a table. Helga said,
"Do you know what you want, or should I order it for you."
"No, I want to try those fish and chips thingies." Helga looked at him doubtfully.
"Alright, if you're sure."
"What, is there something wrong with them?"
"No, no. If that's what you want, by all means get them."
"Well what are you going to have?"
"Yorkshire pudding."
"Pudding? You're eating pudding for lunch?"
"It's not like jello pudding, smart one. It's this baked thing, kind of like bread. You can try some of mine when it comes."
The waiter came.
"Do you know what you would like, or should I just take your drink orders now?"
Helga spoke up in her bossy manner,
We would like a fish and chips, Yorkshire pudding and I'll have a Mike O'Doul's beer."
"And for your drink sir? We have Irish, Scottish, French and German beers. We also have you normal martini's and bar drinks and I could probably whip up something else if you wanted it."
"I like the hospitality, but I'll just have a scotch and a glass of water."
"As you wish sir." The waiter walked away.
"So Helga, what do you talk about?" She scoffed.
"You're asking me? Do you remember me from back in high school?" Arnold remembered.
She was the dark rebel sort back then. The one who skipped school and talked back to teachers. But whenever Arnold tried to talk to her, she would close up, and walk away. No one but Phoebe could get near her. Arnold had often wondered about this, back in those days, since she didn't see like the shy type. Phoebe had once said to him, after he asked her about it, "She has her reasons. Don't judge her like this. She may just surprise you." Arnold had thought about this for a few days, and then had just given up on it. After high school, he had almost forgotten about Helga, until he saw her last night. Suddenly he flashed back to last night. He had just sat down after being rejected for a dance by a beautiful French woman. He just assured himself that it was because she didn't speak English to boost his ego. He looked down the row of seats at the bar and saw another woman. She wasn't beautiful, she was about average, but there was something about her that drew him to her. He didn't know why, but she reminded him of someone he had known long ago. Suddenly he had realized that she was more than familiar. She was Helga. That was when he had gone over to her. He had been very surprised when he found her to be more pleasant than before. He had though she would never change. Suddenly, a voice drew him out of his reverie.
"Arnold?" he shook his head.
"What? Sorry. I drifted off there."
"I'll say you did. I said your name about four times." He blushed.
"Sorry."
"It's okay. So what were you thinking about?"
"You." Helga drew back, startled.
"Me?"
"Yeah. About how you were in high school and how different you are now." Helga began to look uncomfortable.
"Oh, um ok." Arnold didn't notice how agitated Helga was becoming.
"Yeah, and I was wondering. Why were you like that? I mean, you were really mean sometimes, but sometimes you were kind of nice. And you were really protective. You only let Phoebe near you. Almost everyone was scared to come near you. What was up with that?" Helga by this time was almost fuming.
"If I was protective, did it ever occur to you that I might have something to protect? You had one of those perfect lives. Your parents came back in fifth grade and you were one big happy family. You had great friends and great grades. Everyone liked you. And lets not forget about Lila. Little Miss oh-So Perfect." By this time Helga was standing beside the table. She threw her napkin onto the table. "I never had that. I had a family who didn't give a damn either way about me. I had one friend. I never got asked out. No one liked me, as you were so kind as to point out." She turned around and stormed into the ladies restroom.
She left a very confused, and upset Arnold behind her. He didn't mean to upset her. He just wanted to know more about her. He had obviously figured out that this was one of those unspoken about topics.
Helga stood in front of the mirror, glaring. She didn't know whom she was mad at, Arnold or herself. She knew it was a bad idea to become so attached to him. He was leaving anyways. Besides, it's not like she could convince him to like her, let alone love her. He had a girlfriend back home. And that was the other problem. They lived in countries separated by an ocean. She knew now it was herself she was mad at. Once she had calmed down, and washed her face of the few tears that had snuck out of her eyes, she walked back to their table. Arnold was sitting there, looking truly sorry. When he saw her coming, he stood up.
"Helga-" He began but she cut him off with,
"Arnold, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have down that. It's not your fault." He looked relieved.
"I just have so many bad memories of before. I still can't think about it easily."
"Well, how about we just talk about something no one can be offended by. Like the weather or car prices or something." Helga laughed.
"You mean like, hey Arnold, I heard that the retail price on socks went up this year. My God, that is so lame."
He chuckled. "Fine, fine. You came up with something then."
"Too late. Food's here." Arnold looked up and saw their waiter bringing them the drinks, a plate with his fish and chips and something that looked like bubbly golden bread dough. Their food was put in front of them, and Helga began to eat. Arnold looked incredulously at his own food. Helga watched him.
"I warned you." She said.
"No you didn't. You just looked like you wouldn't eat it."
"Well, you ordered it so you might as well try it."
"Yeah, I guess." He replied in a forlorn voice. He picked up his fork and stabbed a piece of his dish. He brought it slowly to his mouth and with closed eyes put it in. he chewed for about three seconds, then grabbed a napkin and spit it out. Helga almost spit out her own food when she saw his reaction, because she was laughing so hard. Arnold however, was not so amused. The look on his face was a mixture of horror and dislike.
"That was disgusting!" he said in a rather loud voice. "Whose idea was that?" Helga was almost out of breath from laughing so hard.
"Your face!" She said, gasping for breath. "You should have seen your face!"
"It's not funny. That stuff tasted like crap." Helga was calming down, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. Arnold took a drink of water and said,
"So how's your food? Any better than my disaster dish?"
"Of course it is. I live here, so I know all the good foods. Here," she said cutting off a piece of her Yorkshire pudding.
"Thanks."
"Pour some gravy on it. It tastes really good that way." He followed her advice, and took a bite.
"Hey this is really good! Gimmee some more of that!" He reached for her plate.
"Hey! Back off! This is my dinner."
"Please?" He pleaded with her with his perfect green eyes. Helga melted in a second.
"Alright. You can have half." She gave it to them and they finished. After they paid, they went out to "see the town".
"So where are we going to go Helga?"
"Well, do you like art?"
"Umm, I don't know. I guess so."
"This isn't quite normal art. Come on." She led him to a small shop a few doors down. It looked normal on the inside, but the minute Arnold stepped inside, he was blown away.
"It's called interactive art. Come on, let's go and play with some of it." She walked up and down the isles, spinning wheels that turned little statues and pressing hidden buttons to make the art piece change color. Arnold went along with her, having a lot of fun. He walked around the store, and soon realized Helga wasn't with him. He soon fond her, engrossed in a piece of artwork. It was a statuette, with a man and a woman sitting next to each other by a brook. She cranked a lever that made a small stream of water come over the brook, and create a calming effect.
'That's really nice."
"Yeah, it's my favorite."
"So, do you think other girls would like it as much?" She looked at him wonderingly, but replied,
"Depends on their taste, but probably. Why?"
"I promised Amanda I would bring her something nice back from England."
"Oh." Arnold didn't notice the defeated look on her face.
"I think I'll buy it."
"Fine. But hurry up. We have to go." Arnold did notice this change in Helga's attitude, since a few moments ago, she had seemed like she wouldn't mind staying for an hour.
"Okay," he said cautiously. He brought the statue to the counter and paid for it. Helga was waiting for him outside. She was lighting up a cigarette.
"Are you okay Helga? I didn't know you smoked." Smoking was a big turnoff for Arnold since it was what had killed his Grandpa.
"I don't," she said throwing the cigarette to the ground and grinding it with her shoe.
"It's a nervous habit. I never actually smoke them, just light them up and watch them burn."
"Let's go."
"Yeah." They went home, Helga wasn't really in the mood to do anything else, and Arnold was very cautious, since he had already angered her twice today. Once they were back, Arnold went up to the room he was using, and Helga sat down in a chair, and thought about the situation.
'Helga, what were you thinking? That he would fall madly in love with you and never look back? He has a girlfriend. Don't put yourself through this love business again. You know what a broken heart feels like. Do you want that?' She was struggling to hold back a flood of emotion.
Meanwhile, Arnold was in his room, packing his bag. He was going to leave in the morning. He thought to himself,
'This was stupid. The only reason she even let you stay the night was because we used to know each other. It seemed like she had changed, but deep down, she was the same old mean Helga. Besides, I love Amanda. A lot. Don't I?' He ended his thoughts on this provoking idea. He went down stairs to tell Helga his plans for the morning. He found her sitting and staring at the wall, oblivious of everything around her.
"Helga?"
"What?" She said it with out turning around, or even moving at all.
"I'm going to leave in the morning, so I'll probably be gone before you wake up." At this, she turned her head.
"Oh. Okay." She sounded regretful, as if she wished he would do otherwise. But Arnold knew this couldn't be. He drove her insane. What he didn't know was that he drove her mad with love.
"So, if you don't mind, I'm going to use your phone to call the rental agency."
"Yeah, sure whatever. I'm going to go on a walk." She got up and left the house without another word. Arnold went into the kitchen and arranged for a car to come and pick him up at 7.
Helga went to a park that was about three blocks from her house. It was a typical English park/garden with plenty of tree-lined paths and benches by ponds. It looked like it was going to rain, but Helga didn't notice. She walked under the protection of towering oaks and maple trees. The sky was steadily darkening with rain clouds but she still walked on. She was thinking.
'Why do I always have to get angry. Arnold just wanted a present for his girlfriend. He doesn't love me, and he never will. I just have to learn to accept that fact.' But that was too much to ask, and Helga fell onto the path, sobbing, as rain began to pour.
Helga had been gone for almost an hour and a half and Arnold was getting worried. The rain hadn't let up at all. In fact, it was raining so heavily now, that it made it impossible for Arnold to watch out of the kitchen window for her. He was steadily becoming more anxious, and had just looked up the police station number and was about to dial it, when Helga came through the door.
Arnold put down the phone and went to her. Little streams of water were pouring from her hair. Her clothes were soaked through, and she was shivering uncontrollably. As he stepped closer, she collapsed. Arnold caught her, and carried her to the living room. He laid her down on the couch, and covered her with a blanket. He then went and made her some tea. When he came back, she had fallen into a restless sleep. He sat by her that night only leaving to cancel the rental car that was coming in the morning. All through the night and the following morning, she tossed and turned, talking, and sometimes yelling, in her sleep. He was constantly feeling her forehead, which was burning up. When by 10 o'clock the next morning she was not better, he became seriously worried. She was now constantly delusional, awake or asleep. Most of what she said consisted of "I love him!" or "I wish" or "I'm sorry." Arnold concluded that she loved someone and either couldn't tell him, or did something to hurt them. He truly felt sorry for her. He decided that he couldn't leave her in this state, and he decided he would stay another night. At random times she would realize who he was, and she was surprised, but she was so ill, she could not say anything. It was at times like these that Arnold would smile and hold her hand. This calmed her, and she would fall into a more relaxing sleep that the preceding one.
The next morning, Arnold awoke in the chair he had slept in, and found that Helga was awake and looking at him.
"What?"
"Why are you here? You were supposed to leave yesterday."
"You were to sick to leave alone. I couldn't just go away and pretend you were fine."
"Thanks." She tried to get up.
"No! You have to stay there."
"Yeah, that's what my headache is telling me too. But I have to go to school. I can't miss classes."
"You are way to sick to go to school. Just stay home and do all your work right here on the couch."
"Fine. But I'm going tomorrow."
"Well, that's up to you. I won't be here to stop you."
"What?"
"I have to leave this afternoon, or I'll miss my interview and any chance of sightseeing. I only have a week and a half grant of vacation from the school."
"Oh, uh, yeah."
"So, my plane leaves at two, so I'm going to have to get going. I'll try to stop bye before I leave England, but if not, bye, and thanks."
"It was no problem. I really liked seeing you."
"Yeah, me too. This was pretty fun, except for you getting sick.
"Uh huh. So, I'll write to you."
"I'll write to you too. So, I called a cab, and it should be here any minute. If you weren't better, I was going to call the hospital before I left."
"Okay, well bye." A car horn honked impatiently outside.
"Cabs here. Bye Helga." Helga watched him walk out of her front door, and leave, before crying into her pillow. That night, Helga fell asleep while reading "As You Like It" by a roaring fire. And her quite neighborhood was awoken that night by the sounds of sirens.
A/N: So, you like? I know, cliffhangers suck, and you'll have to live with this one for about a month probably so I'm sorry! Please please please review! The more reviews the faster I'll type, if that's any incentive. And for those of you who read my "As You Like It" fic, I want reviews there too, and ideas if someone has read the actual play.