Here is the second part of Ursa Major. If there's one thing I've learned from this, it's that I should probably have written the second part of this before I posted the first part...sorry about that :)

Thanks so much to those who reviewed!
loonytunecrazy - Thank you! I love writing Helga's lines. For all I know, Helga's Arnold shrine is simply a physical, artistic testament to her devotion to her love - but I couldn't resist implying that it doubled as a night light. Teehee. And that's a good guess for what Arnold wants to tell her - you'll have to wait and see!
NintendoGal55 - Oh, it is important, trust me! I'm glad that you're sticking around. *sweat drop* You'll cry? Oh, great, more pressure... ;)
Thundercatroar - Thanks for the encouragement! It means a lot to me. I really liked having Phoebe come out of her shell and give as good as she got to Helga.
Readrbug21 - I'm glad you're excited! Thanks! I love writing for Helga when she's ticked off for some reason, it just has a lot of capacity for humor since it really doesn't faze Arnold at all..hehe. When Helga yelled about writing it down, she was channeling me a little bit - I've been known to do that. I just hope hers was more successful, usually by the time I find my notebook, the words I've wanted to write have slipped away. Oh well. And it makes total sense to me - that was what I was trying to do - and thanks for reviewing so early!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! or any or its characters. Unfortunately.

Helga lay down on the green grass and closed her eyes, letting the warm sunlight soak her through. She luxuriously stretched her arms and legs in an almost cat-like manner, taking care not to bump into Phoebe who was lying beside here. "What a glorious morning, wouldn't you say, Phebes?"

"Oh, I think so. Although you thinking so surprises me a little…"

"Well, maybe you're right about all that 'communing with nature' stuff, Phebes. I feel so rejuvenated and refreshed; maybe sleeping and being outdoors did the trick."

"So, letting you sleep in until ten and the three cups of fire-brewed coffee you downed as soon as you crawled out of the tent had nothing to do with it?"

Helga sat up and grinned at the smirk on her friend's face. "Nope," she said as she folded her legs beneath her and propped her elbows on her knees, "completely and totally the 'communing with nature' thing." Phoebe giggled and shook her head.

It had been a beautiful and peaceful night – not too hot and with a breeze just strong enough to keep the various insects at bay. Once Arnold and Gerald had returned with the firewood and stored away most of it, the four had set together by the fire ring, the girls sliding into the warmth of the boys' arms, which wrapped protectively around them. They'd talked a little but spent most of the time in a comfortable silence, listening to the snap of the flames and watching the patterns of light they made on the grass and the nearby trees. All were peaceful, although Helga noticed Arnold looking up at the sky a few times with what could only be termed frustration. That kind of emotion from her calm, easygoing boyfriend surprised her, and her mind became a little uneasy. What's the matter, Arnold? Maybe he's just tired – that's kind of like me this morning. A pang of guilt tugged at her mind. Poor Football Head, I sure gave him the gears this morning. I wonder if that's why he feels so frustrated now. She'd leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, Arnold. You know that, right?"

He'd looked down at her, the frustration fading from his expression to be replaced by the loving smile and half-lidded gaze that made her heart thump in her chest. "Of course," he'd returned as he leaned down and did her one better by kissing her gently on the lips. "I love you too."

A robust rumble of laughter shocked them both into breaking the kiss, and they looked towards the source of the noise. Gerald was the one laughing, but he wasn't laughing at them – his eyes were locked onto his girlfriend who had turned around and was looking him full in the face. One of her eyebrows was arched, and the smile on her face might as well have screamed, And why aren't you kissing me? Gerald quickly remedied the situation, and Arnold and Helga gently chuckled at the pleased blush on Phoebe's face before they turned away and looked out into the clouded night. They all sat together enjoying the peace, and Helga grew so comfortable that she almost stopped thinking about the 'something important' Arnold had to show her. Almost.

They had risen nice and late that morning, and the girls were now waiting to welcome their friends by the parking lot while the boys were standing out on the main road so that no one would miss the turn-off. Soon they'd need to be jumping all over the place, but for the moment they could just relax.

"Who do you think will be first, Phebes?" Helga asked as she stretched her neck.

"I guess we're about to find out. Look!" Phoebe had heard the popping of gravel beneath the oncoming car's tires and sat up. She was now pointing in the direction of the car, and Helga had to squint through the glare of the sun to see it. The driver-side door opened and the driver got out, and Phoebe's face lit up with recognition. Helga still was trying in vain to see, her hand shading her eyes as she peered ahead. "Who is it, Phebes?"

Phoebe turned towards her, her eyes excited, "It's – "

"Hey Helga! Hey Phebes! How are you guys doing?"

Helga brightened, and she called back, "Brainy, is that you?"

"Yeah! Hold on a minute." Brainy walked out of the glare of the sunlight and both girls were able to see clearly. He waved happily up at them. "How are you guys doing?"

Brainy and Helga's relationship had completely switched from what it had been when they were children – it was oddly similar to how Arnold and Helga's relationship had changed. Helga had finally let her defenses down, and Arnold the former target had become her boyfriend. In the same way, Brainy had finally overcome Helga's tendency to injure him on sight and they'd become friends. It'd taken time; they'd maintained the borderline-stalker/stalked interactions up until they'd entered high school – until the day that some moronic senior had ambushed Helga and tried to steal her backpack. Normally, Helga would have been able to fight him off without breaking a sweat, but the jerk had torn her ribbon when he ripped her backpack over her head. Something in her had broken as she watched the two pieces flutter to the ground, and she'd stared at them in shock, the laughter of the senior strangely muffled in her ears. There had been a rush of color beside her and she'd looked up to see Brainy tackling the senior. The surprise of seeing quiet, subdued Brainy attacking a much larger opponent he had no chance of beating snapped Helga back to her senses, and when Brainy had inevitably been pummeled into the ground, Helga sprang into action. The panic on the senior's face had been priceless and it had only taken a few punches before the wimp had run away. Helga had scraped Brainy's glasses off the floor to return them, and seen him picking up the pieces of ribbon very gently. With great care, he'd brushed the dirt off the frayed ends, and turned to her. "Um…do you me to tie these back together?"

Helga had stared at him – he was handling her ribbon like it was fine crystal. It was almost like he understood what that ribbon meant to her – but that was impossible. She shook her head, smiling, and handed him his glasses. "Brainy, you're smart but you sure can't hit! Thanks for the help, though." He'd smiled and shrugged, and was beginning to walk away when Helga impulsively called out, "Hey, Brainy! Want to sit with me at lunch?"

And it was that simple. Brainy had lunch with her that day and every day after, becoming her closest, most trusted friend next to Phoebe. With the confidence he attributed to his friendship with the two girls, he'd learned to hold himself higher and to overcome his shyness. The boy once known for his wheezing now became known for his sense of humor and his love of terrible puns. People became a lot more comfortable with him, and he seemed to be a lot more comfortable with himself. It was always good to see him

Phoebe waved back, "We're doing just fine! How about you?

"I'm glad I found this place – it's a good thing Arnold and Gerald were out there." He looked back towards the road. "I asked them if they wanted some help, but they said I needed to park first. Should I head out there?"

Helga called out, "They'll be fine! Come on up and talk to us, Brainy. It's been so long since we could hang out."

Brainy smiled, but then looked hesitant. "But, they might need help…and I really should have been here to help you last night – "

"But nothing! We haven't seen you in forever, and they're big boys." Helga countered, jokingly brandishing her fists, "Now get over here before I have to deck you."

"Ouch. I know what that feels like," Brainy replied as he walked toward them, "and it definitely would not be worth risking that!" He rubbed the bridge of his nose unconsciously although he no longer wore glasses, but his tone was amused. Hugging both of the girls, he sat down and joined them in soaking up the sun. "Has anyone else arrived yet?"

"No," Phoebe answered brightly, "you're the first."

"I am sorry that I wasn't here to help set up yesterday like I'd planned."

"Don't sweat it, Brainy." Helga grinned, cuffing him on the shoulder. "We understood that you couldn't get off work. We were able to set up everything without any trouble. Not that we didn't miss you."

Brainy raised an eyebrow. "So I wouldn't have been a fifth wheel?" He joked.

"Of course not!"

"Well, fine. I am glad to be here now, though." He grinned and stretched. "Who do you think will show up next?"

Helga lay back down on the ground and closed her eyes. "Hmm, I don't know."

Brainy's eyes widened slightly, but Helga didn't notice. "Maybe Rhonda?"

Helga scoffed, "Oh, I don't think so. You know Princess Lloyd, always has to be fashionably late. Although that will probably come in handy -" Brainy poked her in the shoulder warningly, but she was oblivious as she continued, "- because she'll probably bring so much luggage everyone will have to help carry it."

"Uh, Helga…"

"I just hope they don't weigh too much – "

"Helga." Phoebe was joining Brainy in the chorus.

"- because the last think we need is for someone to throw their back out carrying cosmetics."

"Tell me about it," laughed a new voice, "it's bad enough that I have to suffer."

Helga's eyes shot open and she sat bolt upright to see Rhonda's boyfriend grinning down at her. Her eyes flashed back to the others, who were both determinedly avoiding her gaze. "Why didn't you say something?" She hissed at them.

Brainy shrugged, "We tried. But once you start talking…"

"Oh, ha ha." Helga rolled her eyes and turned back to the newcomer, "Hey Harold. Where's Rhonda?"

Harold grinned down at her. "She'll be here in a minute – she's trying to check her voicemail." Harold had been one of the easiest people to contact about the trip because, unlike most of his classmates, he'd chosen not to attend college and still lived in Hillwood. Instead of college, he'd gone into an apprenticeship with Mr. Green at the butcher shop. Some of his friends had worried about that decision, but Harold was perfectly happy and, as he liked to point out, he was already making money whereas most of the others hadn't even thought of paying their college loans off yet. What's more, he was an excellent worker and Mr. Green had been turning more of the business over to him. Although he'd just complained about carrying Rhonda's stuff, it was unlikely that it would cause him any difficulty; his arm muscles were like footballs, toned from years of high school football and hauling the massive cuts of meat that Mr. Green couldn't. His baby fat had all worn off and he was in great shape, a fact particularly frustrating to some of his classmates (including his girlfriend) as he had maintained his childhood habit of eating pretty much anything.

"She'll be along soon. And don't worry, we'll be able to carry everything ourselves. No one else will have to suffer."

"Suffer? Harold Berman, you had better not be talking about me." Rhonda was walking towards them, putting her cell phone into the pocket of a large duffel bag she had slung over her shoulder. "Have you been telling them that that's my stuff you're carrying? You liar, those extra bags are all the snacks you brought!"

Harold laughed, "Yeah, guilty. But you can't deny that you do bring a lot of unnecessary stuff with you…"

"Not this time!"

Helga, Phoebe, and Brainy all stood up to welcome their friends. Helga's and Rhonda's eyes met and it was like lightning flashed through their gaze. Rhonda raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows and nodded, "Unibrow."

Helga's gaze remained steely. "Princess."

The tension held in the air as both girls held the glare – and then suddenly broke as they burst into laughter and hugged each other. "How are you doing, Princess?"

"I'm doing okay, Uni, although I guess I can't call you that anymore." Rhonda indicated with a flick of her eyes the two eyebrows on Helga's face.

"I guess not." Helga had only recently split the unibrow, although it wasn't for aesthetic purposes. She had just gotten so tired of the hot scratchiness that she had finally done something about it. Actually, she'd also done it to see what Arnold's reaction was – but all he'd done was be briefly puzzled and then smile. It hadn't made any difference to him, which had been slightly disappointing but mostly reassuring – he thought she was beautiful no matter what. "So how're things at the design school? Still have the scholarship, Princess, or have you decided to return the money to the poor populace?"

Rhonda rolled her eyes in response. "Whatever, Uni. Classes are good and, no, I'm not returning the scholarship money – it's a merit scholarship and I earned it!"

Helga knew that it gave Arnold a lot of relief to know that Rhonda was no longer the wealth-obsessed girl who'd yelled hysterically, "Being rich is the one thing I'm really good at!" After years of parading around in the latest fashions, Rhonda had decided to start designing her own clothes. And unlike several rich heiresses who'd peddled their own fashion lines, she was genuinely talented – it was her talent that had attracted the attention of some of the top design schools in the country. Rhonda had even received a few scholarships, which she'd taken advantage of despite her own personal resources. She'd preferred it that way; it made her feel like a competent person rather than a leech of her parents' money. But although she was no longer obsessed with money, she was still very much the old Rhonda – stuck-up, appearance-conscious, and confident. And she and Helga still regularly butted heads, although now it was more good-natured than combative.

"Okay, okay, Princess – you're right. Take it easy!" Helga laughed.

"And don't you forget it!" Rhonda looked around. "So can I drop my stuff here?"

"Go ahead." Phoebe nodded, "We're just waiting for the others before we take everything to the site." Then her eyes narrowed. "Wasn't Patty coming with you?"

Rhonda's face fell. "She was, but her mom's not feeling well, and her dad's out of town – so she's staying home to take care of her. That's Patty for you – she could snap you like a twig, but underneath she's just a big softie." She smiled a little, "But she asked me to send you her regrets and hopes that we have a good time. Oh," she squealed, "I just noticed, Phoebe – I love your haircut!"

"Really?" Phoebe smiled and reached a self-conscious hand to touch her hair.

"Yes, it's so cute!"

"I told you, Phebes," Helga interjected, "it was a good idea to cut it that way."

The girls continued to squeal and wax poetic about Phoebe's hair, and the two guys began slowly edging away, secure in their mantle of masculinity.

"Okay, we need some more guys to get here…" Harold muttered in an aside to Brainy.

Brainy nodded covertly, "Tell me about it."

Both breathed a sigh of relief as two more cars pulled up. Stinky and Sid got out of the first car and quickly came over, dragging their gear behind them. Stinky began bragging in his lazy drawl about some of the new vegetables he'd helped cultivate at the local greenhouses – because after the enormous pumpkin he'd grown in fourth grade, his legendary botanical skills were legend – that'd he brought for them to sample, and Sid was clamoring to mention all of the safety measures he'd planned to keep the vegetables fresh and parasite-free. Sid's paranoia still knew no bounds, and Brainy contemplated telling him that, in nature, the measures were doomed to failure but decided against it. Why burst his bubble?

A dull thud came from the open door of the second car, and all stopped talking and looked over with varying levels of concern. Brainy ventured, "Could that be – "

A slight rustle of movement was heard, and then a quiet "I'm okay" floated towards them. Brainy grinned, "Yup, that's Eugene."

The passenger door opened, and long, willowy Sheena unfolded herself from the car and walked briskly over to where Eugene was presumably lying. Brainy jogged over to them, and all three of them came into view, Sheena and Brainy supporting Eugene, his arms over their shoulders. Although Eugene had grown quite a bit taller, reaching around Sheena's shoulders was a stretch – but then Sheena probably still towered over everyone there.

Eugene was leaned against a tree trunk to give him some time to recover and he sat in a daze idly rubbing the red spot on his cheek. Sheena loped back to the car, returning with the small first aid kit she always carried for obvious reasons. She handed him an ice pack which he placed on his cheek. "Sweetie, what happened?"

Eugene grimaced as the cold pack met with his hot face. "I think…that I tripped…on the seatbelt loop…on the floor."

Helga shook her head. "That takes some skill, Eugene." She glanced at Sheena, "I can't believe you let your boyfriend drive up here."

Sheena piped up, "Oh, but he's a very good driver, Helga. We've never had a single accident in that car. Once we get out of the car, something usually happens, but never in the car. For example, did you hear about the massive pile up on the interstate last week? Well, we were there, and no, he did not cause it!" Her voice was uncharacteristically stern as it was directed to some of her smirking classmates. "Actually, we almost got trapped in it, but Eugene did this really neat maneuver that got us out – and this race car sponsor noticed him and offered him a job."

Sid's mouth dropped, "You're a race car driver, Eugene?"

Stinky continued, "Sure hope they don't let you name the car. I don't reckon the world could stand two 'Mauve Storms.'"

Eugene's face grew red as he wished his girlfriend would stop trying to defend him in public. "No, I'm not a race car driver."

"You turned it down?"

"Well…" His face grew even redder.

His girlfriend's voice interrupted. "Of course he didn't! We even went to the man's office, but – "

"Sheena…" Eugene pleaded, but Sheena missed it.

" – but he crashed into a display case and nearly tore some autographed flags."

Helga tried to contain her laughter, but failed spectacularly. "So, the deal was off?"

Eugene sighed, and hid the part of his face that wasn't already obscured by the ice pack. "He didn't want to risk the insurance payouts."

Sheena sent a gentle glare at those who were snickering at Eugene, and dropped a kiss on the top of his head. "It's just as well, sweetie, I wouldn't want you racing anyway – you could get hurt."

Eugene smiled up at her, unable to stay upset at her for long. But he knew that he was not going to be hearing the end of this for a while. He let the ice pack slide to the ground and walked over to the guys, who were wearing jubilant grins. This was going to be interesting…

As the girls crowded around Sheena, Helga walked over to where Brainy was watching the other guys playfully heckle Eugene. He turned to her. "I just don't have the heart to join them – although it is pretty funny."

Helga shrugged. "He'll be fine. But look." She pointed to Stinky and Harold. "So now we have a guy who's obsessed with vegetables and a guy who's obsessed with meat – all we need is a guy obsessed with dessert, and we'll have a full course of obsession. Speaking of which, where is Chocolate Boy?" She grinned shamelessly.

"He wasn't in our class and he wasn't invited, as you know, Helga." Brainy arched one eyebrow and continued, "Besides we already have someone who's obsessed with dessert – specifically," he gave her a smug smile, "someone obsessed with 'ice cream.'"

Helga's eyes widened. "How did you know about our codename?"

"How could I not know? I spent all of high school with you and Phoebe, not to mention you asked me for guy feedback on Arnold and for someone you called 'ice cream.' I don't know how oblivious you think guys are," he laughed, "but it wasn't that hard to figure out!"

"Oh." Helga blushed. "Are you going to tell – ?"

"Of course not."

"Right. Sorry I asked, Brainy." The sound of a motorcycle roared over the area, and Helga turned towards the source. "Ooh, speaking of a full course of obsession, here comes a side of crazy."

"A side of crazy?" Brainy's forehead creased in confusion as he looked toward the parking lot. "What do you mean by – oh." He looked back at Helga. "Do you think we should warn her?"

"I don't think that there's time –"

"RHONDA, MY RADIANT LOVE! FEAR NOT, FOR I HAVE RETURNED!"

Rhonda blanched and then turned bright red from where she had been talking with Sheena. She hid her eyes with her hand. Oh, not again. Will he never quit? She looked over to Harold, hoping for some sort of assistance, but her boyfriend was currently convulsing with laughter at his 'rival's' profession of love. She sighed. Most of the time she was glad to have a boyfriend who wasn't easily jealous, but some help here would have been appreciated.

Curly sat on his motorcycle, proud and nonplussed at the reaction his declaration was getting from the others. He swept majestically off the bike, or as majestically as one could sweep off a multi-colored motorbike that was leaking pretty much every fluid imaginable and looked like it was about to fall apart. Streaked with paint and zebra stripes, the insanity of the bike was matched only by the insanity of its rider, who had mellowed from his somewhat psychopathic tendencies to the point that he would no longer take a school hostage for kickballs, but he was still highly unpredictable. And he still apparently had a thing for Rhonda.

"Have you missed me, my love?"

Although the term 'thing' was probably an understatement.

Curly turned towards the sidecar of his motorcycle, which the observers now noticed was shaking of its own accord, and helped the occupant out. She fell to the ground gratefully and appeared to be kissing the dirt. Rhonda's eyes widened. "Nadine!"

The group all ran over to the motor bike, Rhonda falling to her knees besides Nadine. Nadine was shuddering, "N-never again!"

"You okay, Nadine?" Rhonda ventured as she reached out to grip her friend's shoulder reassuringly.

"No, I'm not, thanks to this maniac!"

Curly shrugged. "I offer someone a ride, and that's the thanks I get."

"I asked for a ride, not a death wish!" Nadine took a deep breath to calm herself. "Sorry, Curly – I did need a ride after my car broke down, and it was nice of you to offer. But you didn't tell me that you drove like that – or that the sidecar didn't have a seatbelt!"

"I think riding without seatbelts enriches the experience."

Nadine stared in shock. "But it's illegal!"

"Only if you get caught." No one could tell if he was being serious or not, and no one wanted to know. With Curly, it was often safer that way.

"If you say so," Nadine replied, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, "but you'd better hope that none of my bug jars broke or it's not going to be pretty."

The last of the mercifully unbroken glass jars had been safely packed away with everyone else's luggage when a final cloud of dust made its way to the parking lot. The red, dented-yet-clean pickup pulled up in the final parking spot, and Arnold and Gerald jumped down from the bed of the pickup where they'd been riding. Arnold tapped the side of the driver's window. "Thanks for the ride back!" He turned towards the others, "Okay, Phebes, everyone's here now."

"Excellent." Phoebe clapped her hands together. "Okay everybody, let's get ready to go."

The driver killed the engine, opened the door, and got out. The instant her foot touched the ground, the jaw of every guy there sagged slightly, which the girls responded to with looks of mingled amusement and irritation. Men. Some of the girlfriends considered mauling their significant others, but decided against it. They'd snap out of the reverie soon enough – this always happened when they first saw her.

Pulling her duffel bag from the back of the truck, Lila slammed the door and ran up to the others. "Sorry that I'm late," she greeted breathlessly. There were the usual exclamations of reassurance from the girls, but the guys remained notably silent. Enough was enough, and the dazed boyfriends were broken out of their reveries by whacks on the back of the head, while the other girls giggled and Lila blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. This may happen every time, but that didn't mean she was comfortable with it.

Once the closest thing their grade had to a femme fatale, Lila was still one of the most beautiful girl they'd ever known, with her shining auburn hair and vibrant green eyes. With the kind of appearance that made most men in the area suddenly unable to blink, it would have been easy for the others to be jealous. But they weren't – Lila was too genuinely nice, helpful, and overall fun to be around that they could forgive her for regularly turning the guys' brains to mush. It wasn't like she encouraged them to do that.

Phoebe smiled and walked up to her, giving her a hug. "Don't worry, Lila, you're not too late. We still have plenty of time to do whatever today. How are you doing?"

"I'm just fine, thanks Phoebe." She looked around at the others who were beginning to pick up their gear. "I've just got the one bag, does anybody need some help?" Despite her slender stature, Lila was actually incredibly strong from all those years working in the country on her father's farm. Besides that, she was the only one there among the city slickers with extensive camping experience whom they could ask for help in a crisis – although Phoebe was hoping they wouldn't need it.

Helga grinned and waved, "No, I think we're good, Lila." Her eyes cut across to Rhonda and she smirked, "Now, Rhonda on the other hand –"

"Shut it, Uni!" Rhonda growled. "I've only brought one bag. One. Bag!"

"Hey!" Phoebe clapped her hands, and everyone looked – down – towards her. Feeling extraordinarily like a den mother, she continued, "Knock it off, you two. Let's head over to the campsite so we can pitch the last tents and start this trip already!"

They all began walking up the hill, Rhonda shooting a glare at her boyfriend who was stealthily snickering behind his hand. They were going to have a long talk about why it is always important to defend your girlfriend – but it could wait. She caught up with Nadine and Lila, who was helping her juggle all the bug jars she'd brought.

Now the adventure could begin.

A/N: *whistles* That was a long chapter...but I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. I just love character exposition. I realize that Brainy seems a bit out of character, but after I wrote a fanfic with him as the main character, I love writing about him with the characteristics I've given him (See Memories if you want to see the fanfic I've talking about - this is a blatant fanfic plug :) ). And I also realize the whole "course of obsession" thing is pretty corny - it made me roll my eyes every time I read it - but I liked it far too much to cut it out. So there!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and let me know what you think!