"Mommy!", Helga groaned as she grabbed two toaster pastries out of the toaster, happy that she'd set the damn contraption to temper the things instead of toast them because if she hadn't they would have burned her.

"I'm coming Abby!", she called, grabbing her purse and heading for the door where the three year old had been trained to stand until her mother was ready to leave. Blonde hair and blue eyes she looked just like her mother as she stood pointing at the cat clock that hung on the wall, its eyes and tail moving back and forth as the seconds ticked slowly on.

"Open.", Helga said with a smile as the girl opened her mouth and she popped the toaster pastry in for her to hold between her teeth and eventually to eat as she pulled on her coat, wrapped the little girl in a coat of her own and scooped her into her arms before heading out to the car. It was the girl's first day at preschool and they both were excited; after all it was a new day for the both of them.

She'd finally moved back to the city, same old Hillwood, living in an apartment much like her parents' as she waited for her six year marriage to Wolfgang to finally be over, she'd signed the papers and she had another month before she was finally free. A month that she would pass by taking care of the one and only light that she'd gotten from the failed marriage, her baby, Abigail.

Twenty eight and single with a three year old daughter, this was what her sister would have called a failure, but to Helga it couldn't have been more of an achievement as she wasn't really sure why she'd ever agreed to marry Wolfgang in the first place. The man wasn't abusive, but he just wasn't a good fit for her; in high school he'd barely been a match, now that she'd grown up, graduated high school and college to boot, she didn't need the only thing he offered her; protection. Oh yes, she still loved his family and she wouldn't deny him their daughter, but she didn't need him to feel safe anymore.

"Looky! Looky!", Helga was snapped out of her thoughts by Abigail's shrill squeal of excitement and pulled into the preschool's small parking lot. It was the same school that she'd gone to, a little more run down but none the less still standing; getting out of the car, she walked around and got Abby out of her booster seat, telling her to wait a moment while she positioned the booster seat so that the car door would close. Abby was jumping and antsy when her mother finally finished.

"Alright, race ya!", at those words the girl bounded off and Helga gave chase, letting the girl beat her to the door as she always did, "Awww you beat me again~ Are you sure you're not cheating?" The little girl laughed and beamed up at her.

"No, Mommy, I'm not cheating!", the girl giggled.

"Alright, well you won, you go in first", she said with a smile before reaching and opening the door, watching her walk in before following her. Unlike a lot of the children at the center, Abby had no problem leaving her mother for them, she was independent, much like Helga had been at her age; so it didn't surprise Helga one bit when the blond pigtailed little girl gave her a hug goodbye and bobbed off to play with some of the other children.

"Helga?!", the blond jumped at the sound of her name and turned to see none other than Sheena, looking the same as she always did, a bit older like herself but still the same, "Oh my gosh! It is you!! Hi!", Helga smiled gently.

"Hi."

"You dropping a kid off?", the brunette asked curiously, looking around.

"Yeah, my daughter, we just moved back into town, though it doesn't seem like she's missing me too much", Helga giggled a little at her own joke and Sheena smiled upon spotting the little girl.

"Oh she's beautiful, Helga! Have you seen anyone else since you came back?"

"Not really, have I missed much?", she was almost afraid to ask what she didn't know about; she'd gotten the letter in the mail telling her and Wolfgang to come to Phoebe and Gerald's wedding, back when they'd been happy together but nothing much more.

"Did you know that Patty married Gerald? Phoebe and Gerald are expecting their second child; Rhonda is a fashion model in New York, she shows up in fashion magazines every now and again. And of course then there's Arnold-", Helga felt herself stiffen slightly, it was a reflex, ingrained after years of secretly loving him; as it turned out, it was a reflex she hadn't gotten rid of.

"How's he doing?", she asked, trying to sound curious; Sheena smiled.

"He married Lila but we kinda lost touch, I am not sure where he's at", Helga smiled.

"Well I better be going, I have a few errands to run, pick her up at two right?", the brunette nodded though by the look on her face she was confused by the blonde's sudden need to leave. Bidding the old acquaintance adieu, Helga was happy to get out of there, she walked back to her car and tried to shake away the strange stiffness that had occurred in her at the mention of her old crush's name.

Getting into the car she started it, putting on her seatbelt and taking a deep breath. 'Alright, Helga old girl, relax!', when her body seemed to obey, she pulled out of the parking lot; deciding to find something to do until Abby was in need of being picked up. She had meant to go to the shopping center and do a bit of grocery shopping when her eyes snagged on a coffee shop sign.

"Coffee! Perfect!", it was just what she needed, a nice hot pick-me-up; so she pulled into the driveway, put it in park and got out; grabbing her purse and heading inside. The shop was an inviting one, lightly orange walls met khaki-tan trimming met tiled black floors; black tables and chairs whose tops and cushions matched the colors of the walls and an off white ceiling. It somehow reminded her of a caramel mocha, at least the colors did. The hustle and bustle of the shop was a nice get-away from the runaway streets where no one stopped to talk.

"Can I get you anything?", still scanning the room around her, Helga stepped up to the counter.

"German White Chocolate Latte", she said lightly.

"That will be four thirty five", tearing her gaze from the shop scenery; the Pataki dug into her purse and fished out a five dollar bill as the person behind the counter hurried to make her drink.

"Here you go!", the cup was pushed to her and she moved to pay.

"Thank yo- Arnold?!", Helga stopped halfway through handing the man behind the counter the five spot and stood there staring for the longest moment of her life. He didn't seem to recognize her at first but she supposed that was what maturity and a child did to you; then a dawning appearance came over his face and he smiled slightly.

"Helga? Is that you?", she gave a sheepish smile and handed off the five, taking her drink and holding it.

"Small world", she said lightly, mentally making a note about the boy being right under Sheena's round little nose and vaguely wondering if she'd planned it that way. He looked enigmatically happy to see her, which made her wonder as well.

"I didn't know you lived in Hillwood", he said brightly; Helga tapped her cup with her index fingers.

"I just moved back actually."

"Is that so? How's Wolfgang?"

"Another month and we'll be officially divorced."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be, he and I were never a really good fit, I suppose I should have realized that before I married him.", the look on Arnold's face stated that he was trying to figure out why she didn't sound sad at the idea of splitting from her husband, perhaps he didn't realize that she didn't sound sad because she wasn't .

"Well I really can't talk right now but if you'd like-", he checked his watch, "I have a break coming up in about ten minutes…", a grin came onto Helga's face that she just couldn't deny and she nodded lightly before heading to a nearby table and sitting down.

Well, now she knew how she was going to spend her time before having to pick up Abby…