Up in the Air Part Nine

Helga felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. She released an unsteady breath as she wiped her sweaty palms on her pants. Derek had escaped prison and Helga was sure he knew where she was. The car was silent. She was in the backseat with Arnold and there were two other federal agents sitting up front. She and Arnold had been picked up from the apartment nearly twenty minutes earlier and the car ride had been virtually silent since then and Helga wasn't sure how long she could handle the silence.

"Hey…" She looked over at Arnold when she felt him take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze.
"You okay?"

Out of the corner of her eye Helga noticed the two officers sitting in front look back at the gesture. Arnold must have noticed too, because he quickly released her hand. "Well, the man who wants me dead just escaped prison so he can mostly likely have the honor of to do the deed himself. I'm just peachy, Football Head." She replied sarcastically. She shot a look at the two men, who apparently found something about that statement amusing, snickering in the front seat. She kicked the passenger side seat that she was sitting behind. "I'm glad you find my current predicament amusing."

"Helga, he's a federal agent. You can't do that." Arnold scolded, yet he had the tiniest hint of a smile on his lips.

She rolled her eyes, "I kicked the back of his car seat. I could have kicked him in the ba-"

"Helga!"

"What?" Helga asked innocently, "I didn't say I was going to, I just was just saying I could have."

"You really should learn to respect your authority figures." Arnold argued. Still keeping his hands to himself, he crossed his arms.

Helga snorted, "Have you just met me?" She asked, "Let's review the 'authority' figures I had growing up, shall we? Who should have, I respected more the one who was drunk ninety-nine percent of my childhood or the sober one who seemed to never remember my name?" She scowled, "Someone can get my respect once they earn it."

"I get that, but there is a difference between your crappy parents and federal officers." He winced, immediately regretting his words.

Before he could muster up an apology Helga interrupted, "I think it is ridiculous that you think I should automatically respect someone because of their title."

"I know you two had a cover story of being married, but would you quit bickering like an old married couple?" The agent in the passenger seat asked.

"Shut up!" Helga and Arnold shouted in unison. Helga shot Arnold a look, "What happened to respecting authority figures?"

"He's more of a co-worker than my authority figure." Arnold argued.

"Actually Shortman we both outrank you."

Before there could be any more arguments Helga interjected, "So where are you taking us anyway?" She wondered if it even mattered, if Derek would find her no matter what. From everything Arnold had said about Derek and the case she guessed that he had some serious connections.

"We're on our way to a private airport where you'll take a private plane to Maine. We don't know where you're going from there. With your last location compromised, your next one will be is a need to know kind of thing and frankly we don't need to know."

Helga didn't respond, she could feel the fear of the situation bubbling up inside her stomach. Derek knew she had been in Chicago. She just knew he knew.

"It's going to be okay, Helga." Arnold tried to promise her, "I won't let Derek or anyone else hurt you."

"Unless they kill you first." Helga muttered, "You think he's got someone on the inside helping him, don't you? He knew exactly where I was in Chicago and that's why he escaped when he did. Someone helped him with that too. That why our relocation spot is on a need to know basis, because you have no idea who the dirty agent is. Hell, there could be dozens."

Arnold and the other two agents didn't say anything, knowing that Helga was completely right. There very well could be a dirty agent among them and they had no way of knowing who it was.


It was a full day later when Helga and Arnold arrived at their final destination. They'd be staying in a house this time. It was secluded and tucked away in a wooded area, away from any close by homes in a small town, that Helga had already forgotten the name of. Helga was slightly confused how this was going to be any safer, but the agent that brought them there insisted that it was. Apparently there was an impressive surveillance system outside the small two bedroom house that was going to be constantly monitored. Somehow, even with the extra security, it still didn't make her feel any better.

Arnold was worried about her again. The last few days in Chicago she finally started to act like her old self, but now she quickly reverted back to wallowing. He sighed; he had to find a way to snap her out of it. He looked over at her; she was sitting on the couch mindlessly flipping through a book. He doubted she was actually anything in it. "Helga." He grabbed the book away from her, ignoring her protests. "I know you're scared, but I promise you, I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"He wouldn't hesitate to kill you." Helga look at him, "You know that, right? He would kill you to get to me. I'd never forgive myself if get hurt because of me."

"Helga…Look at me." Arnold commanded, he turned her shoulders so she was facing him. "The day I joined the FBI I knew there were risks. I knew the risks when I joined the police academy. Don't even think for a second if something would happen to me it would be your fault."

"That doesn't make me feel any better." Helga mumbled, "I'm really scared." She admitted, "I don't want to die. I don't want you to get hurt because of me." With Arnold's hands still resting on her shoulders Helga bowed her head, "Maybe it would have been best I hadn't ducked."

It took Arnold a moment to realize exactly what she was talking about. She thought it might be better if whoever it was who shot up her car had succeeded in killing her back in Boston. He squeezed her shoulders softly. "Why would you say something like that? You told me you'd never forgive yourself if something happened to me…How do you think I'd feel if something happened to you while you were on my watch? Even if you weren't on my protection…Just the thought of anything happening to you…I can't even think about it. Don't you know how much it would destroy me? Don't you know much I care about you?"

"So what we are saying is that we would both be pretty devastated if something happened to the other?" She found herself leaning forward. Or was Arnold pulling her towards him? She blinked when she noticed Arnold making more intense eye contact than usual. Wait. Was he looking in her eyes or gazing?

"That's what I was saying." Arnold told her in a hushed whisper.

Was his voice huskier than normal? Helga felt her heart rate speed up as Arnold leaned towards her. Her mind started to race. What was happening? She quickly pulled herself out of Arnold's gentle grip. "I'm hungry." She blurted out. "Someone stocked the fridge, right? We should eat something." Laughing nervously, she got up from off the couch and made her way towards the kitchen, "I'll go make us something."

Arnold was left there, sitting on the couch, stunned. Did he just try kissing Helga? He knew he had wanted to kiss her (kiss her, touch her, make love to her) since they drank together the night she found out she wasn't pregnant, but he never thought he'd actually act on it. Was he possessed for a few seconds there? He shook his head almost violently; he needed to stop thinking about Helga as a sexual being. She was someone he needed to protect and nothing more.

He followed Helga into the kitchen, "I had the guys pick us up some pastrami and rye buns. That's still you're favorite, right?" He scratched the back of his neck nervously. He quickly realized that she wasn't exactly looking for something to eat. She was more or less staring inside the open refrigerator. He mentally kicked himself, he completely freaked her out and knowing what her favorite meal was wasn't helping his cause to see Helga as a case and not someone he wanted to…Well there were a lot of things he wanted to do with her…To her. He sighed, this needed stop.

"Oh. That sounds great. Let's have that." She said rather monotonically. She grabbed pastrami and Swiss cheese from the refrigerator. "I like them hot. Do you like them hot?"

He liked a lot of things hot.

"Whatever you want is fine with me." He cleared his throat, "Do you need any help? Or else I was going to take a quick shower before we eat." He really needed a shower, a cold shower to be more specific.

"I think I can handle making a couple of sandwiches by myself, go ahead and take a shower." Helga waved him off as she searched for the rye buns.

"Okay, I'm going to make sure the doors are secure and I'll be quick with the shower."


The water was freezing, but it necessary. He needed to cool off. No matter what he did, he couldn't help but find everything and anything Hega did attractive. He shivered under the water as he washed his hair. Lost in his own thoughts, he never heard the bathroom door open. He didn't hear someone shuffling around or the sound of a zipper opening, he did hear the shower curtain moving open. He jumped, "Helga?" He stared at her wide eyed and shocked. There Helga was standing in front of the shower completely naked. He stared at her, taking in the sight.

"Are you going to turn the heat up in there? I'm not getting in there with you when the water is that cold." Her blue roamed his naked body as she spoke. She smirked, "Hurry up, would you? I cannot wait to get wet with you." She voiced in a suggestive whisper.

Arnold scrambled for the faucet handle clumsily turning the hot water on. He held out his hand when the water was at a comfortable temperature, "Why are you in here?" He asked as he watched the water run down her naked form. He could feel the blood in his body pumping to a certain vain.

"I'm here because I know that's what you wanted." Her fingers caressed he cheeks before bringing his mouth to hers, kissing him. "I know you want me." Her eyes flashed down to his region between his legs, she smirked. "Or at least part of you wants me." Her eyes locked with his, "Do other parts of you want me?"

His hands went to her waist, pulling her flat against him. He closed his eyes, knowing she could feel him, feel all of him against her. "You have no idea how much I want you." He growled before claiming her mouth as his. His hands roamed her body as her clawed at his back.

He pressed her back against the shower wall; he had wanted this for so long…He couldn't believe it was finally happening.


Arnold was cruelly, unwillingly, ripped from his dream. He shot up in bed and blinked. It was just a dream. Helga never joined him in the shower. No, he took a cold shower alone; they ate supper in almost complete silence, and watched a movie before going to bed, separately in separate beds in separate rooms. Damn it, why did he have to wake up?

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a shrill scream. Helga was screaming. He stumbled out of bed as he grabbed his gun off the nightstand and ran to Helga's bedroom. He burst into the room his gun drawn, ready to shoot whatever intruder that was inside of Helga's room. He blinked, momentarily confused. Helga was asleep in bed and there was no one else in the room.

Arnold looked down at Helga and realized she was thrashing her body almost violently in her sleep. A loud cry escaped her lips. Arnold took a deep breath, she was having a nightmare. He set his gun down on her dresser and gently shook her, "Helga." He shook her again, "Helga, wake up. You're having a nightmare."

Helga let out gasp as her eyes opened. She blinked away tears and looked up at Arnold, confused. "Arnold? What are you doing in here?"

"I heard you screaming…You…You were having a nightmare. Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded sharply, "Yeah, I'm fine." She sounded slightly out of breath, "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"It's okay. Did you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, "Not really…" She took a deep breath, "I just keep going through all these scenarios about Derek finds me and this dream just felt so real. It was nothing. I should just go back to sleep. Sorry again for waking you."

"It's okay." Arnold quickly told her, "Is there anything you need before I go back to bed."

Her breathing was shaky, "I know this is pretty pathetic of me asking this, but I'm scared and you make me feel safer…." She paused for a moment, "Can you stay in here with me tonight?"

Arnold really didn't want to sleep on the floor tonight, but he nodded. "Sure. Just let me go get some pillows and blankets…Where do you want me on floor."

She sighed, "You don't need to sleep on the floor. We're both adults. I think we can sleep in the same bed together." She scooted over to the other side of the bed, "Here, you can even have the warm side of the bed."

Arnold only nodded, moving his gun to the nightstand before getting into bed next to Helga. He sighed softly; he should have insisted that he slept on the floor. He wasn't sure how he'd be able to stay sane being in such close proximity with Helga. The little noises she made while falling back to sleep… The fact she wasn't wearing a bra. She was going to drive him insane.

He closed his eyes, doubting a peaceful night's sleep would come to him that night. At least, on the bright side, with no sleep there would be sex dreams about the blonde sleeping only inches away from him.


Poor Arnold. He is getting pretty sexually frustrated and the sex dreams are not helping. As always, please review.