Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold or any of the characters. Hey Arnold is the property of Nickelodeon and Craig Bartlett.

Hypno-Love

Chapter 4: What's wrong with Helga?

Previously

"Now, when I count to three and snap my fingers, you will awaken and no longer have any fear around the creature that is right next to you...you will be able to do and act as any way as you please, without any inhibitions or fear..in fact, the closer you two are, the less afraid you will become...'The hypnotist said to his volunteer on his stage.

And unknown to him, the one he had in the audience as well.

"The closer we are, the less afraid I will become..." Melissa said, still in her sleeping trance.

"The closer we are, the less afraid I will become..." Helga muttered, still in her unintentional sleeping state and Arnold didn't hear any of it since he was still focusing on the show.

"One...two...three...Awaken!...'He commanded as he snapped his fingers.

Both Melissa Helga, snapped awake from their sleep induced trance and both felt...different.

The entire audience saw the hypnotist bring the tarantula to the woman, but she no longer looked scare, she suddenly picked it up and started petting it as if it were a pet kitten.

"Are you still afraid, my dear?...'The hypnotist asked.

"No...I feel...alright...He doesn't scare me..." The woman said as she continued to pet the tarantula as it crawled over her, but she is no longer bothered.

The audience began to cheer and applaud loudly, including Arnold.

"You got to admit Helga, that was pretty amazing. .." The football headed boy said as he stood up to applaud.

Unknown to him, the girl was staring at him with half lidded eyes and a strange, infatuated look on her face that she didn't even bother to try hiding.

"Yes... amazing..." She said in an airy tone as she blatantly admired the boy who was still too dense to notice the strange way she said that or notice that she was looking at him and not the hypnotist.

Arnold had been completely captivated with the show until it was over, as Matt Mystic gave his grand farewell, but not before doing his final trick, which involved making a stuffy, conservative man in his sixties switch personalities with an 18 year old guy with a Mohawk, which once again wowed the audience.

After the hypnotist gave his final trick and his farewell, everyone began to leave.

"That was a pretty cool show, huh Helga?...'Arnold said to Helga, who had been surprisingly quiet since the second half of the show, she didn't even make a comment when one guy was hypnotize into acting like a race car and "drove" all around the stage, which was pretty funny.

"Yes, Arnold..."Helga said in a strange tone.

Arnold blinked when he heard what she said...She was actually agreeing with him, over a show that just 15 minutes ago, she was complaining about...However, it also wasn't so much what she said, but how she said it. It was... pleasant to say the least and that worried Arnold, since at times like this, Helga would just make a sarcastic comment or a mean comment...she hardly ever flat out agreed with him

Not to mention, she called him "Arnold", instead of "Football head" to boot!

Arnold turned to her, but was surprised to see that she had a serene smile on her face as she looked at him, which confused the boy greatly.

"Helga...um...are you okay?..."Arnold asked as he felt wary of her smile.

Just why is she smiling like that and at him?

"Why, I've never been better..."Helga said in that strange, light voice that worried Arnold once again.

"What's gotten into her?..."Arnold thought as he had gotten out of his seat, as did Helga.

Arnold had walked away from the area because it was deserted now and Helga was walking besides him, a little too closely, which worried the boy greatly. It was by chance that they had both decided to see the hypnotist show but Helga specifically told him to leave her alone on this trip...so why was she still walking with him?...giving him that weird look...

"Helga? Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you following me?...'Arnold asked point blank.

He figured the worst she could do is laugh at him for even suggesting that or make a sarcastic comment before she angrily marched away like she always does...or maybe the tiny possibility that she would give him a legitimate answer as to what she is doing now... He just wants to know what is up here...

Some just doesn't feel... normal...

"Because I wish to be with you...'She said in that weird voice.

Arnold stopped in place when he heard that, which also made Helga stop in place as well. Arnold suddenly started to blink and move again and looked at Helga in suspicion and incredulity.

"Sorry Helga...For a moment there, I thought you said you actually wanted to spend time with me...'Arnold chuckled, think he just imagined what he just heard.

There was no way Helga would actually admit that she flat out with follow him and because she wanted to hang out with him! There's just no way!

"I did..."She said and Arnold gave her a look, wondering what is up.

"What?..." Arnold thought in incredulity.

Usually she would be either teasing him, trying to pull a prank on him or generally being mean, but she is acting...acting...well, he can't describe it but it's just not the Helga he's familiar with.

He didn't trust this...

"I thought you said that you didn't want to be around me..."Arnold asked in a wary voice, keeping his guard up in case this is another one of her tricks.

"Oh darling, you should know that I didn't really mean that...'Helga said in that weird voice again.

"DARLING?!...'Arnold yelped in surprise at what she just called him.

He actually took a few steps away from her and held his hands up in defense. He didn't know why but her calling him that made him nervous...more nervous than he expected but...but...

"Arnold darling, are you alright?...'Helga asked in a worried, light sounding voice that just freaked the poor kid even more.

What's going on here?!

Since when does Helga act friendly, since when does she flat out say she wants to hang out with him and since when does she call him darling?... she hasn't called since that since-

"Oh Arnold, you're shaking...let me see that you are well...'She said as she came forward but Arnold took a step back, looking at her like she is bizarre or something.

Arnold was beginning to question if he is actually awake or having a hallucination caused by those peanut butter and red pepper sandwiches grandma made for breakfast this morning during the car ride. He however, had a sinking feeling that he's awake, which makes things way more weird...

"Are...are you trying to mess with me?...Because it's not funny...'Arnold said, getting defensive and thinking this is one of her pranks.

It has to be. Maybe she's just bored and decided to psyche him out by acting totally strange and out of character like this. Well, she's has been successful so far...

However, to his shock, Helga actually looked surprised and maybe even a little hurt by his accusation.

"Why would you think that?...'She asked in a confused voice, which actually made Arnold be more confused.

"B-B-Because...Well...Why are you smiling at me? And...why do you want to spend time with me? and...why did you just call me darling?...why are you looking happy like that?..." Arnold asked once he noticed that her worried look soon turned into a smile of amusement.

"Oh Arnold, your shyness is simply adorable..."She said in that airy, light and... romantic kind of voice.

"Shyness?...Adorable?..."Arnold thought in confusion, wondering if this really is happening and why this is happening...

He got out of it when he noticed that Helga took a step forward to him and Arnold instinctively took another step back! And then another...and another...until he is literally just walking backwards as Helga came forward, looking at him strangely and making him feel more and more confused and freaked out.

Soon he found himself hitting the wall of a restaurant with Helga cornering him with that weird look on her face, and he also noticed that it was a tight place between two of the restaurants of the board walk...and no one would be able to see them easily here due to nearby dumpster and small space.

Which means that no one would be seeing what Helga would do to him right now...

"H-Helga..."Arnold let out, feeling very, very nervous right now...

"Arnold..."She said in an airy voice that made him gulp hard for some reason.

"Wait...don't tell me...is she...is she..."Arnold was completely petrified as he was being cornered.

The was only one other time he had seen Helga looking at him this way, speaking to him this way and just acting like...like...

She's in LOVE!

The look on Helga's eyes...the way she was smiling at him now...it was exactly like the way she had smiled at him when they saved the neighborhood from Sheck and when she, in the heat of the moment, declared that she was in loved with him and kissed him to boot!

A day he knew he would never forget, no matter how long he would live...

FLASHBACK

"Deep Voice!...'Arnold shouted as he opened the door, all of a sudden lightning flash and he saw the cloaked figure try to back away from him.

"Don't come another step closer. Pay no attention to that man with the voice box….'Deep Voice said, still holding the voice box as he backed away in fear.

"Who are you?...'Arnold demanded as he got closer.

"Uh…N-No one in particular…'Deep Voice stuttered as he kept backing away from him.

"No more games, Deep Voice. I'm not doing anything until I know who you are…."He said as he kept backing the cloaked figure into a corner.

He was sick of all this mystery. True, he owed a lot to Deep Voice, his tips and information had been very helpful but Arnold was so tired about being ordered around by this guy when he doesn't even know his real name!

What was with all the secrecy?

As he kept stepping forward and thus, Deep Voice kept stepping back until Arnold heard a slight "snap" sound and soon noticed that he was wearing stilts of all things, and he fell to the ground. He then heard a distinctive "feminine" yelp and he soon saw that Deep Voice was a girl.

Not just any girl either…

"Helga?!..."He shouted in shock, unable to believe it at all.

There stood Helga G. Pataki, his personal tormentor, now looking at him with a look on surprise as well at being caught, like a kid being caught with their hand in the cookie jar or something.

"You? You're Deep Voice?..'He asked in a hesitant voice, still unable to believe it.

"Heh-heh. Looks ...like it….'She said into her voice box before putting it down, using her real voice.

"But I don't get it. How come... How come you couldn't just tell me what you knew? Why'd you have to make up all this crazy secret identity?...'He asked, wanting to know why she had done this.

'No reason…."She said nervously, obviously not wanting to talk about it.

"But Helga, you just risked everything to help me save the neighborhood…."He said in disbelief and even amazement as well.

"So? What's your point?..."She said, no longer nervous but just annoyed and was scowling in her typical way now.

"That's a pretty amazing thing to do for someone you claim to hate…"He pointed out, still reeling the whole thing in.

"Yeah, well, I'm a pretty amazing person, football head….'She said with her hands on her hips.

"But, I thought you were on your dad's side. I thought you were going to get rich off the whole deal…"He said, still in astonishment.

Why on earth would she go through such lengths to help him save the neighborhood when she hated him and she would have profited so much from the whole thing? Not to mention the fact that she had been bragging about that fact for weeks?!

"Money isn't everything….'She said, still scowling.

"Helga, why'd you do it?..."He asked her.

None of this made any sense. He just had to know why she would give up the chance of being rich to help him when she made it clear she couldn't stand being in the same room as him and she made it clear that she was actually relishing the thought of never seeing him again.

"It's my civic duty….'She said nervously as she took a step back.

"Helga. …"Arnold said in annoyance. Did she honestly believe he was going to buy that flimsy excuse?

'Cause I love a good mystery?...'She said it like a question, as if silently asking him to take the bait and leave her be.

Okay, now he was getting mad!

"Oh, come on. What's the real reason?..."He demanded, needing to know the reason WHY for this entire thing.

"Oh, I don't know Arnaldo, I guess maybe I just took pity on you and your stupid friends….'She said with anger.

Arnold lost his angry expression in exchange for a confused and downright surprised one.

"Well, why?...'He asked.

He knew that despite her being a bully, he knew deep down Helga was a good person. He has seen it before but never like this. Sure he is grateful and happy that she cared so much but he needed to know why? Why did she chose to take pity on him? Why did she go out of her way to do something like this?…and go so hard to make sure that he never knew it was her?

None of it made any sense...

"Because... because I guess maybe I don't hate you as much as I thought, okay? I guess maybe I... I even kind of like you a little. Heck, I-I guess you might even kind of say I like you a lot….'She said with a nervous smile.

"You do? You did this for me?..."He asked, his eyes widen when he heard this.

He knew Helga had a nice side and he was kind of touched that she cared about him that much to help him-

He was brought out of his thoughts when an angry and obviously frustrated Helga turned around to address him, obviously her patience has been worn out.

"That's right, hair-boy. I mean, criminy, what else are you supposed to do when someone you love is in trouble?...'She shouted.

"Did she just say…."His mind almost seemed to pause for a minute as he processed that sentence and unintentionally said… "Love?.

That's when the Pandora's Box had opened as Helga lunged at him in desperation...

"You heard me, pal. I love you, LOVE YOU!...'She said with such force that he literally fell down in shock. She didn't stop however, she just continued as he got up.

"Who else do you think has been stalking you night and day…Building shrines to you in a closet, filling volumes of books with poems about you? I love you Arnold! I've always loved you…'She said desperately as she kept coming forward…And he kept backing away from her.

"Shrines?...Poems?!...What is she talking about?!...'He thought, feeling overwhelmed by this information…and a little scared to say the least.

Arnold felt his back hit the railing, and he turned to her in dread as he knew he was trapped. She didn't seem to notice or care…..She just kept talking and talking about things he never knew of and wasn't even sure he wanted to know!

"Ever since I first laid eyes on your stupid football head! And from that moment and every moment since, I've lived and breathed for you, dreamed of the moment I could finally tell you my secret feelings and could grab you…"She literally grabbed him by the shoulders and Arnold unintentionally flinched by her touch.

"'And kiss you and—! Oh, come here, you big lug!...'She said before pulling him into a big kiss.

Arnold still couldn't believe it. Both his ability to think and to breathe had shut down once her lips had touched his. He was still wondering if he was hallucinating this whole thing but he knew that it was actually happening.

Helga G. Pataki was kissing him.

End of Flashback

That was over 6 months ago, when the neighborhood was about to be destroyed and they both agreed that it had only been in the heat of the moment...that it didn't mean anything!

At least that's what they both kept telling themselves anyway...so...so why is she like this NOW?

However before he could say anything or runaway, Helga put her arms on his shoulders and pushed him against the wall, thereby leaving him with no chance of escape as she continued to look t with with those FTI eyes of hers and smiling in that...loving way.

"Come here you big lug..."She said in a soft, delicate voice that made Arnold's face become hot and ice to go down his spine at the same time.

Before he could even blink or regain the will to try and escape, he felt himself being pulled forward and soon he found himself in ANOTHER full on lip lock with Helga G. Pataki!

-To be continued-

Next time on Hypno-Love

The shock of his life

REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewers:

CoolPataki-Girl: How's this for a reaction?

Invader Johnny: It certainly did and it just keeps on getting more interesting...

Guest(1): I remember that, LOL!

Guest(2): So far, getting the shock of his young life...

Guest(3) and Nanami: I'm glad that you're enjoying it so far...

Neon Starch: I hope that this is up to expectations...

:) Till next time beautiful people, remember to read and review :)