Arnold and I walked down the hallways of our school constantly glancing at each other with content and loving smiles. We were holding hands as we walked, linking our fingers together gently. I think Arnold was having a hard time resisting the urge to kiss my hand, especially in a place where others could see us.

If you're feeling confused about all I've said so far, I'll clear it up for you: Arnold has finally reciprocated my feelings and now we're going together as a real boyfriend and girlfriend. Yes, it's true! He's finally mine, all mine!

How did it happen, you may ask? Well…

Not long Arnold had ended his crush on Lila (and he didn't know that I'd been stalking him all that day!), I finally confessed to him that I loved him atop the roof of the FTi building (amidst trying to save our neighborhood) and kissed him to prove it! It's all a long story, but we both pretended that it never happened. However, I knew that I couldn't get away from it forever. We both knew that he knew the truth, and I couldn't really take it back.

It seemed like an eternity of waiting before I would finally get a response from Arnold on how he felt, but in the end, during our adventure in the jungles of San Lorenzo, after we finally found his lost parents, his answer was that he felt the same way about me and gave me a kiss of his own!

Needless to say, I was stunned, but ecstatic!

It was also another moment where things between Arnold and I would change forever.

When we started going together, I had started to let down some of my defensive walls, thanks to some encouragement from Arnold, and was being a little nicer to the other kids. Luckily, he said that I could still be assertive and aggressive if necessary so that the other kids would understand that just because I was acting nicer, that didn't automatically mean I was a throw pillow. And if they did start teasing me, I would stand up for myself, but avoid going too far with violence.

And even with my temper and aggression, I still brought it out when it counted most with Arnold's case, especially since he often had his head in the clouds and needed a good push to be more assertive. That part helped a lot, especially during a more recent time when Rhonda, Stinky, Sid, and Harold saw us together and started teasing us. I was afraid and started to push the limit with violence, but Arnold just stood up to them and boldly told them to leave us alone if they couldn't accept our relationship, and the way he did that really shocked them!

While they were the ones who particularly didn't understand our relationship, everyone else just acted cool with it, like they didn't care so much.

Our best friends were especially happy for us, even though Gerald initially worried that Arnold was losing his mind, but Arnold had managed to convince him that I wasn't the bad person our classmates thought I was. He said to Gerald that he didn't have to best friends with me, but at least get along with me for his sake since he knew what he was doing. And since I knew Tall Hair Boy liked Phoebe so much, Phoebe would also be able to convince him otherwise about me, since Pheebs knew me better than anyone.

Brainy was also happy for me, even though he had a weird way of expressing it: just letting out some words in a sentence as he did his usual wheezing and breathing.

But as far as I could figure, there was still one person who hadn't come up to us and commented on my relationship with Arnold…

I was so lost in my train of thoughts about Arnold and me that I almost didn't see Lila approaching and talking to us.

"Hello, Arnold. Hello, Helga," Lila said cheerfully, like she always did.

"H-h-hey, uh, Lila," I stuttered nervously.

"Hey, Lila," Arnold answered. "How are you?"

"I'm doing ever so well, thank you, Arnold. I'm quite happy to have found you two together, because I have heard about your new-found relationship. I never had the chance to do until now, but I wanted to stop by and congratulate you so you know that I'm oh so happy for the both of you!"

"Thanks, Lila. That's really thoughtful of you," Arnold said.

"Ye-yeah, th-thanks, Lila," I stuttered again, then I nervously tugged at my shirt collar and let go of Arnold's hand. "Um, Arnold? Would you excuse me a moment?"

"Sure, Helga."

I walked away and made my way into the bathroom. I didn't need to use the toilet; I just wanted to get away from Lila, even though I couldn't force Arnold to come with me.

However, as I looked at myself in the mirror, I thought about Arnold. I'm sure he figured out that I ran away because he knew I hated Lila for the time when she was his crush. Even though he assured me he was over her, and that he told Lila himself, I was still afraid that he would someday change his mind about me, especially if Lila ever came up to him and said she changed her mind and wanted to give him a chance.

I thought more and realized that part of why I loved him and needed him was because he was always helping people and giving great advice. I realized that if he were here with me now, he would tell me that I can't run away from this problem with Lila, especially whenever she would be in our presence. I'm sure he would also say that because Lila no longer had his affections, maybe she and I could start over and gradually become friends, like how we got along before his crush on her began.

Before I could answer myself on that thought, I looked in the mirror and saw Lila in the bathroom with me!

"Lila!" I cried out and turned around, shocked to see her.

"Hello, Helga," Lila replied, and looked at me with a little smile.

I scowled at her. "Don't you have anything better to do than sneak up on me like that?"

"Sorry, Helga. I certainly didn't mean to startle you."

"Well, what do you want?" I snapped.

"I wanted to talk to you. I was hoping ever so much to talk to both you and Arnold outside, but then you left." She pointed in the direction of the door, where Arnold probably was outside now.

Don't run away. Listen to what she has to say. My conscience was telling me to do that, even though I wasn't interested in hearing what Lila had to say because, despite she was no longer in my way, I still considered her the bane of my existence.

"All right, what is it?" I asked throwing my arms up as if I were defeated, then I crossed them and scowled a little.

"Well, I've wanted to talk to you ever since I heard about your relationship with Arnold," she looked down at her shoes and clasped her hands together. "Helga, I figured you hated me a lot of the time when I had Arnold's affections, even when I didn't return them. I never gave Arnold a chance because, well, he really just wasn't that 'oh so special someone' I was looking for." Then she looked up at me. "But also why I never gave him a chance was because I knew how much he meant to you. Even before you told me you liked him, I had a hunch you did, so I figured you had a special connection to him. I had thought that you needed him ever so much more than I did."

My eyes widened a little in surprise. "Do you mean that, Lila?"

"Yes, I'm ever so serious, Helga." Lila looked at me. "And while you were gone just now, I told Arnold that I wanted to make amends with you both, but especially you, so that I can be friends with you and let you know you have nothing to worry about in regards to my relationship with Arnold. Even if I did like him that way, which I still don't, I would never stand in your way of having him. And he likes the idea, because he's ever so sweet and cares about you so much and wants you to have more enemies than friends."

As she continued to look at me, my eyes widened even more with surprise. "You're…really serious?"

"Oh, yes, Helga. I am oh so serious about this. You don't have to give me an answer now, but I can assure that I mean what I say."

I made my way to the door. "Give me a moment so I can talk to Arnold." As I exited it, I saw Arnold standing right outside. Before I had the chance to say anything to him, he started talking and held his hands up in defense.

"Helga, before you say anything to object, I just want you to know that I think this would be good for you. I am thinking about you, and I think it would be good for you to have more friends than enemies, and I know you thought of Lila as an enemy since she held my affections. But I promise you, I don't like her that way anymore and it was just a crush. I could never have feelings for her the way I have them for you." He smiled at me on that last sentence, then he took my left hand in both of his own hands. "I know you're probably reluctant to do this, given how you felt about Lila in the past, but since things are different, I'm just asking you to give the chance. It's not like you'd have to be best friends with Lila, especially since you have that in Phoebe, but just good and decent friends like I want to be with her. And furthermore, don't think of doing it for Lila; do it for us, but especially for you since I care more for you than myself."

As he smiled at me again, I felt my eyes go wider than they did when Lila was talking to me, then I smiled at him. "Okay, Arnold. I trust you, and if you think this is a good thing for me to do, then I'll give her a chance to be friends."

"I do, Helga. I love you, and I just want to think about what's best for you." He kissed my hand gently with reassurance.

I let out a lovesick swoon to myself, then I gestured back to the bathroom. "Well, I, uh…I'd better go tell Lila my answer."

"I'll wait for you right here," Arnold said, then winked at me. "Good luck."

I walked back into the bathroom and saw Lila still standing there, so I walked over to her. "Lila, I talked with Arnold, and…I'll accept it. I'd like to try and be friends with you, too."

Lila's face brightened. "You will? Gosh, Helga, thanks ever so much. I'm oh too certain we will become good friends over time."

Before I even had the chance to think, Lila came closer to me and gave me a little hug, just like she did when I dressed up like her at Rhonda's one costume party. I didn't want to get all gushy with her, so I just placed my hands on her middle so I wouldn't hurt her feelings. Then I removed myself from her embrace, and while I didn't want to hurt her feelings, I wanted to tell her not to assume we would become best friends. "Just…don't get ideas about getting all chummy and gushy with me right away. Let's just work that out gradually, fair enough?"

Lila nodded. "Of course, Helga. Fair enough."

"Good. Now I think it's high time we leave because Arnold and I are going out."

"Have a good time." Then we both exited the bathroom where Arnold was still waiting. I walked over to him, then Lila started walking in the opposite direction and waved to us. "I'll see you two tomorrow. Bye, Arnold. Bye, Helga."

Arnold took my hand again and waved with the other one. "See you, Lila."

I waved to her with my other hand. "Bye, Lila."

As we started walking again, Arnold squeezed my hand and asked, "Everything okay between you two now?"

"Okay as it can be, hair boy," I said sarcastically, but I also smiled at him.

Arnold smiled back at me. "Well, I'm really proud of you for doing this, Helga. I think it will be good for you. Maybe you'll thank me for it someday."

I scoffed at that last bit. "Suuuurrrrreeee I'll thank you for it someday, football head! That's the day when Abner learns to fly!" But I couldn't help but laugh a little when I said that sentence, and neither could Arnold!

"You and your sarcastic humor, Helga! That's part of why I love you so much." I felt him squeeze my hand again.

Seeing that we were all alone in the hall at the moment, I removed my hand from Arnold's and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Come here, you big lug!" I kissed him with almost as much passion and force as I did when we kissed on the FTi building, but luckily, he reciprocated the kiss, unlike that last time, as I felt him gently hold my arms.

Because of the amount of force, air was quickly becoming scarce, so we reluctantly parted our lips. But we continued to hold each other and share a tender loving gaze as we looked each other in the eyes.

After what felt like forever in a moment of silence, Arnold removed himself from my embrace and took my hand again. "Well, what say we get out of here now and buy a big sundae to share at Slausen's?"

Still smiling at him, I answered with a sweet tone of voice, "Mmmm, a sundae sounds good, especially when I share it with you, my love."

As Arnold and I walked out the doors of the building and headed down the street, I started thinking more about everything that had just happened between the three of us.

Oh well. Lila may always act like the perfect girl, but that doesn't mean she's perfect for Arnold, like I said once before. At least Arnold has come to realize that now. I was frowning at first, then I began to smile a little. But since Lila has assured both of us that she won't stand in our way, maybe this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship…

Who knows?

So what did you think of this epilogue?

I came up with the idea because I wanted to give the story a happy conclusion. So this take place after TJM, when Arnold and Helga are finally together, and Lila comes up to them at one point because she wants to make amends with Helga and try to be her friend. I got some of the help from SuprSingr's "Blue Eyes," and I really do think Helga and Lila would become friends because Lila wouldn't stand Helga's way of having Arnold, and she wants Helga to know that so there wouldn't be any hard feelings between them. (She never returned Arnold's feelings, so what does that tell you? Maybe she does know how much he means to Helga? I'd like to think that.)

Thanks again for reading the whole story!