"Hello!" he called out. Music was playing in the kitchen so he followed it. He almost dropped dead at the sight before him. His mother was standing at the sink with his daughter, singing along to Justin Bieber. Stella finally noticed him and uncertainty came over her face. She looked at Ada, who looked in the direction her grandma was looking in.

Suddenly Arnold could understand why people would want Bieber dead.

"Arnold, what are you doing here?" she asked, looking nervously in the direction he had come from. Arnold looked behind him.

"Helga will be here to pick Ada up in a moment," she said. "Ada, can you take this plate up to your grandad, please?"

Ada nodded, taking the plate off Stella and heading off towards the stairs. Arnold saw her look up at him as she walked past, but Arnold didn't look her in the eye. He couldn't bring himself to do it. Once she was gone he let out a breath. His head had started to swim he had held his breath for so long.

"I wasn't expecting you home," Stella said, wiping her hands on a tea towel and throwing it on the bench. Arnold knew what that meant. She wasn't happy.

"Rhonda and I are having issues," he told her. "We both needed space."

"Uh huh. So she found out about Ada, I take it?" Stella asked, walking towards the lounge. Arnold followed her and sat down next to her on the couch.

"Yeah, I bumped into-"

"I know. Helga and Ada told me," Stella said.

"Mom-"

"Do you know what she asked me today?" Stella said. Arnold shook her head.

"Why didn't you want her?"

"Helga had no right to tell her I didn't want her!" he seethed, trying to keep his voice down

"She didn't," he heard a small voice say from the doorway. She sounded funny, having grown up in New Zealand, not America, despite her mother's accent.

"I can read," she said. "I read what you wrote to mum, how even if she was pregnant you wouldn't want me if it meant her being in your life."

"She shouldn't have shown you that," he said. Man he felt bad.

"She didn't. I was looking for Christmas presents last year and found a pile of documents, and read them."

"Well . . ." Arnold started. What could he say? "You shouldn't be snooping through your mothers things."

Ada rolled her eyes.

"Your making it really hard to believe all the good things mum told me about you," she said.

"Ada-"

"You didn't even want me to exist," she stated.

"I'm back, sorry Stella," Helga called out walking in the door. She walked in to see Ada staring down Arnold. Helga looked at Stella, who shrugged and shook her head.

"Ada, its time to go," Helga said, gently touching her shoulder. "I got a nice new winter coat. We'll be able to use it back home on the ski fields, too."

Ada turned on her heel and walking out.

"Ada, say goodbye to your grandma, please," Helga told her. Ada sighed, then went and gave Stella a hug and kiss. Then she rushed upstairs to say goodbye to her grandad, who came down with her.

"I'll drop her off at 11:30 on Christmas day," Helga said. "Coat."

Helga pulled it out of the bag and handed it to Ada.

"There's some other winter clothes in the car," she said, walking out the door with her.

The sound of the door closing sounded like a gun going off.

"Do I want to know?" Miles asked.

…...

Getting out of the car, Helga recognized Rhonda immediately. Dressed impeccably to the nines, and standing at her parents door talking to Olga. Rhonda turned when she heard a door slam behind her. Her eyes went wide as she saw Ada, who hopped out seconds later.

Yep, defiantly Arnolds.

"I'm so sorry!" she blurted.

Helga shrugged.

"Shit happens," she said, taking Ada's hand and leading her up the steps. "Careful you don't slip."

Rhonda didn't know what to say. She had a whole speech rehearsed in her head. But she couldn't remember a word of it.

"Mum, I'm cold," Ada whined.

"Oh, sorry," Rhonda said, moving aside. Ada walked into the house, leaving Rhonda and Helga alone on the step.

"Look, it's happened, we cant change anything," Helga said. "I've moved on."

Helga walked past her and into the house.

"Helga-"

"Apology accepted, Rhonda. Good-bye."

And she slammed the door in her face.

…...

"So . . . How have you been?" Gerald asked Phoebe, awkwardly. Phoebe cringed. Why!?

"Fine," she answered.

"Good . . . good . . ." he said.

He was quiet for a moment.

"Yours?" he asked, pointing to her son.

"Yes."

"Cool," he said. She wasn't making this easy. "Want to have coffee?"

"Are you freaking serious?" she asked, voice rising.

"Phoebe, honey, keep your voice down," her mother said soothingly.

"No, Gerald. I don't want coffee with you. For starters, I don't have time. And even if I did? You're the last person I'd have coffee with, unless I'd added cyanide to yours!" she yelled.

Okay, maybe he deserved some of that. But really? Cyanide?

"I'm going home, mom, see you there," Phoebe said, before storming out the shop.

…...

Ada watched the kids playing outside in the snow. They were having a snowball fight. She wanted to go out there and join in, but she didn't know them.

"Just go out and ask to join in," her mother told her.

But she didn't. instead she sat, staring at them out the window until a boy noticed her and waved. She dropped the curtain and moved quickly away from the window.

…...

"There's a kid at the Pataki house!" Darius Johansson called out to his friends.

"But no kids live there," Rory Diener said.

"Well, I saw her!" Darius insisted.

"Should we ask her to come play?" Isabella asked, tugging her red plait.

"Hey, Girl!" Richard called. "Come out and play!"

They saw her peek around the curtains again, and they started to wave her out. Then she disappeared again.

"Stuff this!" Richard said, stomping on the steps and banging on the door.

"Can I help you?" a tall woman asked. That wasn't Olga Pataki . . . which meant . . .

"Are you Helga Pataki?" Richard asked, in complete awe.

Helga Pataki was a legend to the kids in the neighbourhood. She was the meanest, toughest girl who had ever lived!

"Yeah . . ." she answered, a little uncertain.

"Is there a girl in there?" Isabella asked, coming forward.

"Yeah, Ada," Helga told them.

Richard was still in awe. This was the only girl in the whole world who could scare his dad.

Next to his mom.

"Can she come out to play?" Darius asked.

"If she wants too," Helga said, opening the door a little wider. "Ada, they want to know if you want to join them."

Ada slowly and shyly came to the open door.

"We're gonna have a snowball fight!" Richard yelled.

Darius reached out and grabbed her hand pulling her outside.

After a few hours of play, Jamie O came looking for his son, with his brother in tow.

"Darius! Time to go!" he called out.

"That's the only thing about winter that sucks," Darius said, starting towards his dad and uncle. "It gets dark to early."

He dropped his snowball on his way.

"Yeah, we better go as well," Isabella said, reluctantly. "Do you want to play again tomorrow, Ada?"

"Sure," she said. She waved to them as they went.

"See you tomorrow Pataki!" Darius called out.

"I didn't know Olga had a child," Gerald said, watching the girl go inside, a sinking feeling in his stomach he couldn't explain. Why was he suddenly feeling a little queasy?

"Olga? That's not Olga's daughter," Darius told his uncle. "That girl is the daughter of Helga .G. Pataki herself!"

Now he really wanted to be sick.

…...

It didn't take long for the news to get out. Helga Pataki and her daughter were in town. And guess who the daughter took after? Lila immediately called Rhonda to see what gossip she could glean. Rhonda told her to shove it and hung up on her.

That was all she needed. It spread like wild fire through town that Helga hadn't been lying all those years ago, after all. Arnold had lied. Arnold had cheated. Arnold who had always been the golden boy, the go-to-guy for help, perfect in almost everyway.

Was nothing but a liar and a cheater and a shirker of responsibility. When Lila showed up on Helga's doorstep she had the door slammed in her face. But that wasn't going to deter her. Knowledge was power, and she wanted to know all she could on this!

…...

And what better way than to go to the source of gossip! She saw Ada playing with some neighbourhood kids, one she recognized as Gerald's nephew. This was good because he knew her, so it wouldn't seem so strange that she was stopping to talk to them.

"So, who's this little one?" she asked, looking at Ada.

Ada eyed her warily.

"This is Ada Pataki," Isabella said. This was working even better, as Isabella was a child in her class.

"Really?" Lila said. "So will you be going to school here?"

Ada shook her head.

"No, just here for Christmas. Then I'm going home," she said.

"Oh, are you Australian?" Lila asked, trying to place the girls accent.

"No," she said, looking at the woman like she was stupid. "I'm from New Zealand."

"Oh, were you born there?"

"Yeah . . ." Ada said, starting to get suspicious. "Did you know my mum?"

"Oh, yes, we went to elementary, junior high and high school together," Lila answered smiling.

"Wow! So you know my dad, too?" she asked.

Pay dirt!

"Your father?" she asked innocently.

"Arnold," she said.

"Oh, Arnold's your dad?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"Yeah, but . . ."

"But?"

"He never talks to me or mum. He never wanted me."

"Oh," was all that came out. What could she say? "What makes you say that?"

"Last year I went looking for Christmas presents ad found a box mum keeps hidden in her wardrobe. When I looked in there, there was all these papers," Ada explained.

"What kind of papers?" Lila asked, leaning forward.

"The kind a nosey gossip like you would cream herself reading," Ada said, giving her a smile. "I'm not stupid. I know about you. I read about you in one of my mum's diaries. Your nothing but a nosey, manipulating bitch."

Lila sat back shocked that such things could come out of a young girls mouth.

"Mum's words, not mine," Ada finished, then got up and walked back to her grandparents house, calling out her good byes over her shoulder.

…...

Arnold looked at the gift in his hand. He'd never brought a little girl a gift before, let alone his own child. What did she like? He felt like the worst person in the world. What kind of father knew nothing about his daughter? Then he remembered all those years ago.

Helga had once told him that her father didn't know anything about her. But in Arnold's defence, he hadn't had a chance. Helga had moved away to New Zealand. New Zealand! What was in New Zealand?

"Arnold?" his mother called. He looked up to see Helga and Ada standing in the doorway.

He stood up. Helga looked uncomfortable, looking everywhere but at him. Ada scowled. How was it that she could resemble him, yet still look so much like her mother?

"I can leave her here," Helga said. "I will pick her up at three."

Helga bent down to give Ada a hug.

"I don't want you to go," he heard his daughter whisper, and glance his way.

"Your welcome to stay, Helga," Stella said.

"No. It's fine," Helga pulled away. She looked over at Arnold. Then she whispered something in Ada's ear. Ada sighed and nodded. "I'll see you in a few hours."

Then she left.

Everything was quiet for a moment, no one knowing what to say. Finally Arnold couldn't stand it.

"What did she say?" he asked curiously. Nothing good, I'll bet, he thought to himself.

"Get to know him a bit," she said. She took off her jacket and sat down on the couch next to him.

"But I already have a daddy, so I don't need you."

…...

Helga got back to her parents and snuck up to her room. She was worried. What if she went to pick Ada up and Arnold had run away with her or something? What if he was telling her horrible stories about her? Ada . . . Ada was her baby, the most precious person in her life. She was everything to her.

Finally she just fell onto her bed and cried.

She missed her baby.

…...

Phoebe had been off since the other day. Louis finally got fed up and demanded to know what was wrong with her. She sighed and finally told him.

"Really?" he asked. "Did you mention you were married?"

"I can't remember, but I'm wearing a ring and I have a baby. It would be logical to assume I was," she told him. "I just couldn't believe the audacity of his!"

Louis nodded.

"Well, it's only for a couple more days," he said.

Phoebe sighed.

"That's true," she said. "And I really should try to catch up with Helga."

"There. Tomorrow morning we will got to see if Helga is, indeed, at her parents. You can kiss and make up and all will be well," Louis said to her.

Phoebe just nodded, not so sure.

"How about I bath Michael tonight?" he suggested. "You relax, then once he's down I'll pour you a bath and you can let the world melt away."

He started to massage her shoulders and neck. How had she gotten so lucky?

"I love you, Louis," she whispered.

…...

It was a disaster. Arnold had now locked himself in a bathroom.

"I don't like dolls," Ada stated.

"What do you like?" he'd asked her.

"Stuff," she answered.

"Well, what kind of stuff?" he asked again.

"Why? After I leave you'll forget I exist, right?" she asked.

"What? No, that's not . . . true," he said to her.

"Why? Because your girlfriend left you?" she asked. "So now you have time?"

She was entering into what he would later call Helga-mode.

"Guess that's what you get when you have no part in your child's upbringing," he said to his reflection. Finally he washed his face, then left the bathroom, heading towards the lounge. He couldn't help but feel jealous at the sight before him.

Ada was sitting between his mom and dad, and they were reading a story. She was not an easy person for him to talk too, but then he watched her with his parents and she was completely different. He entered the room, just as a knock came at the door. He looked at the clock and realised it was three o'clock. His mom went to get up, but Arnold strode forward instead and greeted Helga at the door.

She looked a bit surprised.

"I'm here to get Ada," she said.

"Come in," he said, moving aside and letting her pass.

"Mum!" Ada yelled, jumping up and running over to throw her arms around Helga.

"I missed you," he heard Helga whisper.

"You were only gone for a little while, mum," she said. Arnold watched as they continued to talk, then realised that they were about to leave. Fear washed over Arnold.

"Wait, Helga!" he yelled out, louder than he had intended.

Helga turned to look at him.

"Can I talk to you please?" he said. Helga looked at his parents, then back at him. He watched as her mind started ticking over.

"Sure," she said.

"Ada, come with me for a moment. We'll get some Christmas cake for you to take home," Miles said, coming over to take Ada's hand. Stella followed, casting her son a warning look, which he ignored completely.

"We'll talk in my father's study," he said, walking out of the lounge. Helga reluctantly followed him. When they went in Arnold locked the door behind him. This made Helga nervous. She didn't like the idea that she couldn't just leave when she wanted.

"I want access," he said.

"Access?" she asked, almost laughing.

"It's not fair that you know everything and I don't," he said.

"Oh. My. God!" Helga said, laughing more. "No fair? You think knowing nothing about your nine year old daughter not fair?"

Arnold realised he'd just made a mistake. He'd just left himself wide open for a beating.

"Not fair, is being called a liar, by the liar. Being teased and tormented, and pregnant and alone. Not fair is fleeing your childhood home. Not fair is raising a child alone because the father wasn't man enough to own her," Helga told him. He was getting off light. He could tell, just by looking in her eyes. "Not fair, is trying to explain to your daughter why her father didn't want her."

"Okay, I understand-"

"No, Arnold, you don't," Helga snapped. "The first four months of her life, she screamed and cried almost constantly because of reflux and colic."

He nodded. Okay.

"And it was me who was up with her all night, every night, trying to soothe her enough that she could sleep. That I could sleep. What were you doing December through to April back then, huh?" she demanded.

Arnold thought back. He was settling in at University.

"When she was in hospital when she was three after contracting meningitis, it was me who was in the hospital with her for those six weeks, by her bedside, sleeping in a chair, terrified that she was going to die, or worse! Do you have any idea on what meningitis can do? And this even though she was immunised!"

Arnold though back. He would have been getting ready to go into his last year of University. He was so close to graduating.

"And who do you think rubbed ointment on her when she got the chicken pox to stop her from scratching them? Who sat beside her as she got a cast put on her arm after she broke it falling off the monkey bars at school?" Helga asked him.

He looked down. Wow! He'd missed a lot.

"Who put their higher education on hold to raise her?" she finally asked. "Because I know for sure it wasn't you."

She walked right up to him.

"And who signed away his rights to her before she was even born?" Helga asked. "Unlock the fucking door. Now!"

"I want to know her," he whispered.

"No one was ever stopping you Arnold, except yourself. Now open the door."

He looked into her eyes. He saw so many emotions in them.

He turned and unlocked the door.

"We leave in two weeks. After that, you'll be travelling a lot further to see her," she told him.

"Then move back here," he said.

Helga shook her head.

"I'm not uprooting her because you finally decided you want to be dad of the year, Arnold."