Hello all! I'm sorry that this chapter took so long to get out - exams have been insane here. I am also sorry to say that this is not the last chapter, as I had originally intended it to be. It is the second to last chapter - next chapter is the last one. Thanks to all those who have favorited and alerted this story.

A special thanks to those who have reviewed:
NintendoGal55: Thanks! 'Renowned?' Ah, shucks. *blushes* Arnold isn't about to give Helga up...but his method of trying to win her over is not without its bugs...you'll see.
thecommonaubrie: Merci! Yeah, when I was writing out how Arnold came to Lila for help with his dancing, I felt like I had to point out the apparent anomaly between his tango and other dancing - when I come up with something OOC, I tend to try and justify it by coming out and saying it's out of character. Bwhahaha, very sneaky of me. BxL's relationship is starting to bloom, but they continue to be oblivious...which is fun for me. And yes, jealous Arnold is very hot!
Kpfan72491: Thanks, and good guess! I hope you enjoy this chapter.
acosta perez jose ramiro: I do enjoy twists, lol. Thanks very much!
ilovemaddy: Gracias! I hope you like this chapter as well!
loonytunecrazy: Yup, I don't know why it's so funny when guys try to learn how to dance to show off for their crushes and fail utterly. I may just be evil...I did like that it gave me the opportunity to write a little BxL fluff of sorts. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! or any of its characters. Sigh.

Phoebe bit her lip anxiously as she leaned against the park bench and folded her arms. "I don't know about this…"

"Come on, Phoebe," Lila said coaxingly, turning to face her hesitant friend, "it's not a bad idea – and it could solve our problem."

As Arnold was practicing his dancing at home in order to put his plan to impress Helga into action, his friends were formulating a plan of their own. Upon hearing Lila's idea for getting Arnold and Helga together, Brainy had insisted on calling in back-up. He'd called Gerald, Lila had called Phoebe, and the four decided to meet at the park about halfway between the gym and Phoebe's house to rally the forces and compose strategies. Gerald was immediately enthusiastic about the plan, but Phoebe seemed uneasy.

"It's not that I don't want them to get together," Phoebe said slowly, "I do. And your plan's a logical one, but…" she sighed, "I don't like the idea of deceiving him. He sounds so hurt already."

Gerald leaned over the back of the bench, where he was standing with Brainy, and gripped her shoulders reassuringly. "But Phoebe, it's only for a few more days."

"And it's not like we're lying, really." Brainy reasoned, "We just let them assume things that they've already assumed – and just omit certain details." Phoebe still looked unsure, and so he continued, "Besides, we wouldn't make him think things he was thinking already."

"Please, Phoebe?" Lila pleaded, "Don't you want to see them happy?"

That did it; Phoebe couldn't go against the plan if following through with it would make her friends happy in the end. She nodded, "Okay, let's do it."

"Great!" Lila beamed. "All right, we've only got two days left, so we'd better make the best of it. I'll convince Rhonda and Sheena that we need an especially long practice the day of the party, so Helga will be away all day. When you guys go get Arnold, answer his questions if he has them about Helga but keep them vague."

Brainy spoke up. "And I'll do the same at work…and I guess we can play that up at the party until the dancing starts."

"Mm, mm, mm," Gerald hummed in satisfaction, rubbing his hands together, "I hope this works, Brainy, I'm getting tired of Arnold being all lovesick."

"It'll work." Brainy said confidently, "I'm sure of it."

There was still a degree of worry in Phoebe's eyes, and Lila patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Phoebe – the way this plan goes, no one is going to get hurt." She stood up to stretch her legs and somehow managed to hit the more sore spots on the soles of her feet, and gasped in pain. Brainy managed to grab her before she crumpled to the ground, and helped her back to the bench. She laughed, "Besides me."

"What's wrong with your feet?" Phoebe asked alertly, her voice tinged with concern and a medical curiosity that would prove useful in her planned career as a pediatric surgeon. Lila said nothing, instead pulling off her sock to show bruise-mottled skin. Phoebe gave a hiss of sympathy pain and examined the foot more closely.

"How did you get all those bruises?" Gerald asked concernedly.

"I'm teaching Arnold how to dance."

"Oh." Comprehension dawned on both Gerald and Phoebe's faces.

That explained it.

···

Arnold took a deep breath and gave an appraising look at himself in the mirror. He was dressed up for the party as Indiana Jones, and was wearing the long khaki pants and shirt. A long whip that he had borrowed from the drama department hung in a coil from a loop on his belt, the loop hidden beneath the black tail of his leather jacket. He nervously readjusted his clothes until it met his approval, and then turned towards the dresser. Arnold's breath caught slightly in his throat as he picked up the final piece of the costume and gripped it tightly in his fingers.

The fedora was anything but new – its felt discolored, the brim ragged, the ribbon sagging slightly, and when he tapped it nervously against his thigh, a slight cloud of dust rose up from it. But in all its disrepair and obvious age, Arnold wouldn't have used another hat for anything. The fedora had been his father's.

It had been an enormous surprise to both Arnold and Grandpa when they found in while cleaning out the attic. For years, Arnold had resigned himself to having only his hat, a picture, and a diary as physical mementos of his parents – but when moving some of his grandmother's martial arts gear, the hat had come loose from its imprisonment between some packing boxes and fallen onto his back. Once they'd figured out what it was, Arnold hadn't let it out of his sight for the rest of the day, and it had become a compulsive habit to run his fingers across the brim when he was stressed. It was as though he could feel his father's warmth from when he wore it, and the concept was soothing.

Now, he slung on the hat as though he was a warrior strapping on his armor. Something tells me I'm going to need your support today, Dad. He smiled sadly at how the hat fit comfortably on top of his head, and his mind wandered. She's a really amazing girl – I wish you could meet her. I wish you were here to give me some really embarrassing pep talk. He sighed. But I guess this'll have to do.

Arnold gave the hat a decisive tweak and then left the room, turning off the lights.

Gerald had been about to lean on the horn when Arnold came out of the boarding house and down the steps to where the car was waiting by the car. Both he and Phoebe, who had been sitting in the front seat, got out of the car to greet Arnold. Phoebe grinned at him, "You look nice, Arnold." And then shivered.

"Thanks," Arnold said, preoccupied, and then his eyes narrowed in concern. "Are you cold, Phoebe?"

She shivered again. "Just a little bit." Phoebe giggled, "Although I really don't know why – I'm completely covered." Phoebe had dressed as a ninja, with only her eyes revealed to the public – the rest of her was wrapped snugly in black fabric and a saber hung loosely from a sheath on her waist. It came as no surprise to Arnold that the saber was genuine; Gerald had told him that the docile, almost shy girl was actually an expert in several martial arts and had some traditional weapons at home. He'd shuddered when relaying that information, and Arnold had laughed himself senseless when Gerald had told him about what had happened when he'd been an hour late for one of their dates.

"She was livid, man. Came after me with the bo staff and really let me have it. I don't know if my ankle will ever be the same…"

But now, she looked completely harmless, and Gerald chuckled affectionately as he pulled his tan robe off and draped it around his girlfriend. "Yeah, but it's thin fabric, kirei," he smiled, "wear this until we get there." She blushed and gave him a grateful kiss on the cheek. Gerald was dressed as a Jedi, and was warm enough without the robe. His light saber banged against his hip as he opened the back door for Phoebe to get in.

"Why are you moving to the back, Phoebe?" Arnold asked, and then his face lit up, "Is Helga going to sit there with you?"

Phoebe had waited until both guys had gotten into the car and Gerald had started the engine before answering. "No, I just thought you boys would like to talk – we won't be seeing Helga until the party. Actually," she rubbed her concealed chin thoughtfully, "I haven't seen her all day."

"Oh." Arnold's face fell noticeably.

"Yes," Phoebe mused, "in fact I haven't seen her since Kurt grabbed her yesterday – and today she's been so busy with practice."

Out of the corner of his eye, Gerald could see the conflicting emotions warring on Arnold's face and smirked internally. His kirei would have made a good ninja – small, subtle and deadly.

Arnold did not realize at how easily readable his emotions were and silently fumed, leaving Gerald and Phoebe to carry on the conversation between the two of them. His thoughts were muddled, foggy, and made him oblivious to his surroundings. Gerald had to punch his shoulder when they arrived at the parking lot of the building where the party was being held – otherwise, he probably would have been in that same position for the entire party.

They were fairly early when they arrived, a few minutes before the party was technically supposed to start, but all three were nearly blown backward by the blast of music and voices as they opened the door to the ballroom where the party was located.

"Guess nobody here heard about being fashionably late," Gerald muttered out of the corner of his mouth, and the other two laughed.

"There you are!" They heard an imperious voice call, and Rhonda walked over to them. The rich red satin of her ball gown trailed behind her, the hue matching perfectly with the most-likely-real ruby in the center of her tiara. Her typically proud, imperious profile was even made more regal with the addition of finely crafted earrings and the other trappings of a Elizabethan monarch. As per usual, the resident princess was living up to her nickname in style.

"Hello, Rhonda." The skin around Phoebe's eyes crinkled as she smiled, "Thanks for inviting us."

Rhonda waved a hand in the air. "How could I not?"

"I'll say." Gerald smirked. "Since you must have invited the rest of the school – only way it could be this loud."

Rhonda shrugged, "With a room this big, why try not to fill it?" More people walked in, and her attention was diverted. Gerald took the opportunity to drag Phoebe down the stairs, and Arnold followed them, grinning. Gerald could only take Rhonda in small, diluted doses.

The ballroom floor was alive with people laughing, talking, and eating. As Arnold walked down the wide staircase down to the floor, he cast an interested look over the orange and black streamers and banners draped across the walls, and the strategically placed jack-o-lanterns. In an almost superstitious hesitation to get on the dance floor too early, he edged his way over to the snack table to get something to drink – his throat was painfully dry at the thought of trying to impress Helga.

A person with an unruly shock of white hair was standing by the glass punch bowl, idly stirring the orange and green liquid with a ladle. At Arnold's approach, the person turned and was revealed to be Brainy, dressed as a mad scientist and very much looking the part as he continued to stir the brew with a smirk on his face. "Hey, Indiana. How's it going?"

"Fine, I guess," Arnold said smiling, "I was just coming to get something to drink."

"Oh," Brainy took a protective stance over the punch bowl, "well, I wouldn't drink this if I were you."

"Really?" Arnold raised an eyebrow, "Why's that?"

Brainy pointed off into the distance, "Because that's what happened to the last person who drank the punch."

"MY PRECIOUS!"

Arnold had to bite back a laugh as he looked towards the source of the yell. "That's an interesting costume choice."

"My precious!" Curly-as-Gollum had located Rhonda and was attempting to fling himself upon her, much to her dismay.

Both boys started laughing, and Arnold pulled the ladle from Brainy and poured himself some punch. "But he was like that before – I don't think it was the punch."

"True." Brainy grinned.

"So…have you seen Helga?" Arnold attempted to sound nonchalant but failed utterly.

Brainy's mouth twitched slightly, but otherwise gave no indication that he saw through Arnold's question. "No, I haven't," he looked back, "Hey Harold! You know where the dancers are at?"

Harold lumbered up to the table and grabbed a cupcake. "Nope," he shoved half of it into his mouth and chewed appreciatively, taking care not to smear the pastry on his shirt or the bolts he'd pasted to the sides of his neck – his bulky but muscular form made a fairly believable Frankenstein. "Rhonda's way too secretive about that – has to go for the 'wow factor.'" His voice hit a surprisingly high pitch as he imitated his girlfriend, and the others snickered.

"When's the dancing going to start, anyway?" Gerald asked as he walked up and swiped a cookie.

"Attention everyone!" Rhonda's voice boomed through the PA system.

"Now, I think." Brainy laughed.

"I would like to draw your attention to the center of the dance floor," Rhonda continued, "where, for your entertainment, there shall be a dancing demonstration – after which the floor will be open for all to dance."

There was a polite patter of applause, and then the entire room went dark.

A single spotlight came up on three figures standing side by side, and slow, somewhat eerie music began to play. The three girls began to twirl and dip in unison, and another spotlight came onto them, illuminating the individual appearances. All three moved with equal grace and elegance, but Arnold didn't see any of them except Helga. He stopped breathing as he watched her elegantly bend and dip, her golden hair catching the light and shimmering. Arnold could've watched her dance forever – but then the guys came out, and he wished it would stop. It was too painful to see her sliding into Kurt's arms, to watch them move as though they were one, to look at Kurt's hand resting at the back of her neck like it belonged there – but he couldn't look away.

His head throbbed and pounded with a myriad of painful emotions, and his heart sat still and heavy as a stone in his chest. As the music and dance glided to a halt, the pounding of his head steadfastly continued – and it only intensified as Kurt bent over her hand and kissed it.

The rest of the partygoers spilled onto the dance floor and began moving to the more modern music. Arnold remained frozen until Lila walked up with Eugene and Sheena and she stepped on his foot. Hard. "Ouch!"

Lila smiled innocently, a smile that was perfectly in tune with her pristine white robe and golden halo but completely at odds with her actions. "Well, it's only fair – you've been stepping on my feet constantly. Besides, you completely zoned out on us there for a minute."

"Huh?"

Sheena tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear, the long sleeve of her hippy costume whipping through the air. "It's true, Arnold. You looked like a statue. Why don't you go on out and dance?"

Arnold took a deep breath. "I was just about to."

"Well," Lila wheedled, prodding him in the back towards the dance floor, "go on ahead. Show her what you can do."

"Right." Arnold strode out onto the floor towards where Helga and Kurt were dancing. Phoebe came over to where the others were standing at the snack table, and all watched Arnold's progress across the dance floor.

Helga was laughing hard at one of Kurt's jokes – somehow, her cousin always knew just what to say to make her laugh – and almost missed the greeting from Arnold. Even so, she nearly missed it in the blast of the music, only truly noticing him when he started to dance.

It was by no means elegant, but at least it was a dance, and he hadn't stepped on any toes. Helga and Kurt both stopped dancing and watched Arnold instead, Helga starting to blush at the proximity of her crush and Kurt smirking at her blush and at Arnold's obvious attempt to impress her.

Unfortunately, Arnold saw the smirk as a challenge.

"Not too bad." Eugene commented from the sidelines.

"Nope, not at all," Lila observed, "He should be fine as long as he doesn't – " she stopped mid-sentence and slapped her palm over her face. "Oh no."

Arnold had grabbed the bullwhip form his side and began twirling it in an attempt to show off – the one move Lila had absolutely forbidden him to make. He'd tried it several times, only to always fall flat on his face. But Arnold was too jealous and bent on besting Kurt that he'd either forgotten her warning or chose to ignore it. Flushed by the smile he was getting from Helga, he shot a smug look at Kurt…

Only to get distracted, allowing the whip to snarl around his legs, effectively binding them together. He crashed face first onto the ground with a loud noise that made nearly all the dancers look in his direction. All the euphoria Arnold had just experienced drained from him in an instant, leaving him embarrassed and humiliated. Of all the people I had to fall in front of, he mentally groaned, why her? Why?

He picked himself off the floor with as much dignity as he could muster, keeping his eyes riveted to the ground, and then ran over to one of the balconies overlooking the city. He didn't see Helga's concerned expression or the hand she reached out in assistance, nor hear her whispered "Arnold."

The friends over at the snack table were all stuck in a sympathetic wince as they watched Arnold crash and run. Lila, feeling guilty, started to follow him out, but Brainy put out a hand to stop her. As she gave him a confused look, he nodded sagely at Helga, who was rapidly following Arnold.

"I think she has covered."

A/N: Ouch. Arnold completely blew it in front of the entire school and the girl he was actually trying to impress. Is he forever doomed to suffer from unrequited love? (Okay, you probably can guess the answer to that question...) What is Helga going to do? Tune in for the final chapter to see the answers to these questions (really this time.)

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. And please review! They make me happy (and speed up the final update)