A/N: Just want to give a big heartfelt thanks to SideshowJazz1(you also rock for reading both of my fics! Thanks! :D), lovelyredmess, BettyAwesome715, FlyingMintBunny03, and WhiteRose of Alaska for leaving reviews! It's nice seeing how everyone likes how the story is progressing so far and it continues to be a huge encouragement for faster updates! (: Thanks guys for finding it enjoyable, and I hope to keep it so!


Caleb frowned. He worried about the human male and Helga's connection to him. He wasn't stupid. He may not be human anymore, but he had desires like any other hot-blooded man on the planet, and he couldn't help but worry that the desires Helga ignited in him would ignite inside whatever nature of human Helga foolishly sunk her fangs into.

He'd be damned to a life in hell before he allowed another creature, human or vampire, to take Helga away from him.


"Arnold, what are you so hung up about?" Gerald asked, watching his friend. Arnold was zoned out, a frown on his face. Not only that he kept sighing a lot. It was getting hard to find it fun to be around the guy.

"Nothing," he muttered snapping out of his daze. Just great. He really needed to learn how to stop doing that in front of Gerald.

"Is it Lila?"

"No, of course not."

"Well, you guys did go on that date yesterday, one could assume it would be her that's having you zone out."

Except he had been zoning out long before his 'date' with Lila, but he usually was good at hiding it. His worry was having him slip when he didn't use to. "It has nothing to do with Lila, and it wasn't a real date anyway."

Gerald studied Arnold with inquisitive eyes. "I've been trying to be patient with you Arnold. I figured you just needed time, but lately you've been keeping secrets, which normally is okay, except whatever secrets you're keeping to yourself is making it hard for me to want to hang out with you lately. So I'm going to give you a choice: are you willing to tell me what the heck is going on, or I'm leaving until you can get your thoughts sorted and are ready to confide in me, your best friend."

Arnold opened his mouth, but how do you tell your best friend that almost two weeks ago a vampire bit you and all you can think about is seeing her again? Helga had stopped visiting him last week, and he missed her more than he felt he should have. He still barely knew her, and well, she was a vampire. He should be cowering in fear, and grateful that she hadn't been around, but the exact opposite was occurring. He enjoyed her company, more than he did Lila's or even his ex's. She was fun, funny, and full of life, well if she were alive. She did say she was half human so maybe she was? There was still much he didn't know, and instead of scaring him off, he just wanted to know more about the world that Helga lived. More about her.

The problem was, it was like the closer he got to her, the further she became. She looked almost…guilty those last few times they had hung out. Then she stopped visiting him altogether. He tried not to worry. Perhaps she were doing vampire like things, but he could not help but miss her. With him not even understanding what was going on how could he possibly explain it to Gerald? Then there was the small part where maybe it could do more harm than good to even let Gerald know.

"I…I'm sorry Gerald. I still can't explain it yet." He drooped his head miserably.

"So that's your answer," Gerald got up and strode over to the door. "Once you're ready to prove that are friendship is real, you know where to find me."

Arnold watched in dismay as the door closed and Gerald left him alone with his thoughts. He now felt even worse than before, and it seemed he was down a friend. Could life get any worse?


Helga frowned, stepping away from the unconscious boy. She didn't want to, but her need for Arnold was growing stronger and they were nowhere close to seeing a full moon. She sighed. She had drunk so much of the boys blood he had gone unconscious just like the first time she had drunk Arnold's blood and she had to coax his address out of his memories.

She felt miserable. At this rate, it seemed that she'd need Arnold's blood more than every 29 or so days before another full moon were to occur. She knew Caleb would not be pleased at knowing that.

"How sloppy. I'm guessing you must be a half breed."

Helga broke from her thoughts and turned to look at the owner of the voice. A girl with long black hair and red sunglasses stared at her. She was wearing black slacks and a red pea coat. She offered Helga a condescending smile and jumped down from the rooftop she was perched on.

"If you're not going to kill the human," the girl spoke again. "Then you should at least drain them of their memories before they wake and remember what happened and decide to tell others about the whole experience. We don't need an international scandal. And you should really learn how to heal these wounds." She pointed to the spot where Helga had bit the human. "You've healed it somewhat, but he'll awake and wonder how it had gotten there."

"Um, what?" Helga said, staring at the girl blankly. She looked to be about her age, which meant crap when it came to vampires. She could be skating on eighty or even two hundred.

"The wounds…" She knew she was waiting for a name.

"My name is Helga."

"I see," she made a face, but made no other comment about it. "Mine is Rhonda, Rhonda Wellington Lloyd, anyway," Rhonda pushed her glasses up a bit and continued. "I can tell you have hidden potential with your power and abilities, but for some reason you're not even in touch with the basic vampire survival skills most vampires have." She clicked her tongue.

Helga blushed. "Um…well, you see…"

"It's okay. I'm sure it's not your fault. You're a half-breed I assume? When did you sprout your fangs?"

"Nearly two weeks ago."

"Please tell me you bit another vampire at least." Rhonda asked. Her words sounded harsh, but Helga knew she meant well.

"No…" Helga's blush darkened.

"I see. Does he still know then?"

"Yep, you got it."

Rhonda covered her mouth. "You cannot be serious."

"It's fine," Helga said, waving her hand. "Arnold isn't like that. Plus, I've been following him around. He's never once looked close to spilling the beans."

Rhonda looked skeptical, and then dawning lit her face. She gasped. "Wait, did you say Arnold? As in the guy with blonde hair and a football shaped head Arnold?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh, my god! You must be kidding," when she saw the confusion on Helga's face she explained. "Me and Arnold go to school together."

"You go to school?" Helga asked. Usually the sun hurt full vampires, so school was never an option. If that option ever crossed their minds anyway. Who actually went to school when they didn't have to?

"Of course," Rhonda flipped her hair. "I like to at least try and fit into the human world you know."

"How long have you been in school?"

"Since pre-K, and I've had almost the same classmates since then."

"I don't see how you can go to school, or how you've been attending school since pre-K. Are you really a full vampire?"

Rhonda laughed. "Yes, I am. I have an aging ability." As she said this, she aged herself about twenty years. Helga was awed.

"Color me impressed, but what do you do about the sun?" Rhonda reverted herself to her "normal" age.

"Lots and lots of sunblock. I guess because of my aging ability the sun doesn't affect me the same way it affects other vampires. I hardly even tan after I use the sunblock."

"Aren't you fortunate," Helga muttered under her breath. She hated getting the obvious glances from passerby's whenever she went anywhere but the café, but unlike Rhonda, sunblock wasn't her friend.

"So, Arnold huh? You're right, the guy is a total sweetie pie," then a mischievous look crossed Rhonda's features. "So Helga mind explaining to me why you're out here biting innocent bystanders than, oh, say getting your fill of Arnold's blood?"

"Well, see that's uh…" she was lost over the right words to say.

Rhonda walked closer and leaned by her ear. "Don't you want to lean close to his neck, take a deep breath of that intoxicating smell, and just enjoy the taste of him?"

Oh, did she ever. She couldn't stop envisioning that delicious scene that Rhonda drudged up from some dark recess of her mind. She wanted to, no, she yearned to so, so bad. If not for Caleb she most likely would have went straight to Arnold as the hunger became too much for her. She had no doubt in her mind that Arnold wouldn't mind too much…

She shook her head. Such thoughts weren't fair to Caleb. She promised, and while it was hard, she was going to do her best to keep that promise. Even if she had to find other ways to avoid taking Arnold by the shoulders and sinking her teeth into him to get a taste…

"No…I don't…"

"You must think I'm stupid. Darling, you're craving that guy something bad. It's only my guess as to why you aren't with him right now and having your way with him."

"I'm engaged," at this Rhonda smirked.

"Engaged to one, and yearning for another. Hmm, sweetie I think you and me will get along just fine." Rhonda beamed a toothy smile her way.

Helga looked at her warily. "Look Princess I'm not some science project for you to observe. There's nothing to watch. I love Caleb."

"Love can change," Rhonda shrugged. "Don't forget I know Arnold. Time has been good to him. He's gotten sexy, and while his blood doesn't drive me crazy the same way it does to you, I've been there a couple of times myself."

Helga was at a lost for words. Sure Arnold's blood did make her lose sight of her senses, but loving someone was different. There had to be a mental and emotional connection as well, not just physical, and her feelings, no her want, of Arnold stemmed over the fact she was addicted to the taste of his blood. Heck, she still barely knew the guy. Even if she did agree with Rhonda over his looks, he still wasn't a Caleb.

"Well, anyway I'll clean up here, but you really need to get in touch with your abilities. If you ever do get a desire to try and suck the blood of anyone who isn't Arnold you can't just leave them to their own devices."

"Heh, right," Helga blushed, and scratched the back of her neck.

"Look, I can be understanding of the fact that you're engaged, but you're bonded to Arnold. You have a need that can't be ignored. It's suicide. If your fiancé can't get that through his head, maybe he's not the one."

"But-"

"No, buts. Don't forget I'm a vampire too, and sure I'm not a half breed, but who cares? If your fiancé is so stubborn as to be jealous of a guy you need to be with for your survival then he has two choices. To either let you go or get used to it. Well, there is a third, but I shudder to think of it happening to someone I've known this long."

Helga's heart plummeted into her stomach as she realized what Rhonda had implied. Rhonda took notice of this and smirked.

"Are you positively sure there aren't any other feelings there for sir Arnold?"

"I just don't want to see him die. That's all," Helga folded her arms.

" Uh, huh," Rhonda looked as though she believed her not. "You know what? I like you, so how about I teach you the correct way of eating so I don't see a catastrophe on the news? God knows you need it. Bad."

Helga was about to protest, but realized she couldn't be a beggar. "Fine."

"Glad you agree buttercup, and while we're at it, you're also going to get a Rhonda Wellington Lloyd makeover from head to toe. This cape is so totally last season, but your hair is to die for. It's a shame you don't know how to dress up to not look like a total slob. Trust, that once I'm done with you Caleb will fall head over heels for you all over again," then she smirked. "Arnold too."

As Rhonda draped an arm over her shoulder, Helga couldn't help but wonder what on earth she had just signed up for.


A/N: Yep, Rhonda's a vampire. Go figure. I figured Helga could use a female friend, and while I debated on making Phoebe a vampire at first, I figured Rhonda suited the role best overall. Sorry Pheebs. :c Thanks so much for your continued support and I'll catch you all next chapter!