Doesn't it make you mad that they were going to make another Hey Arnold movie about Arnold going to find his parents (with Helga I think), but they never made it? AND they were going to make another series called The Patakis but once again they never made it cause of the author and Nick's stupid arguments? Man, I want that movie and that series!!!

~………………~

"I found my parent's journal in the fourth grade. I had decided to go after them, and see if they were still alive. Of course, a kid traveling alone would be too suspicious. So Grandpa went with me to Mexico after fourth grade ended, helped me get all the utensils I would need, and after a sorrowful goodbye, I made my way through Central and South America."

"What? How did you, a fifth grader at that time, manage to go all that way alone? That just sounds impossible."

"Grandpa had set up check points along the map my parents had left in the journal. I stopped every couple of miles, and got food or information from the people I met."

"Why did you take them with you? Your grandparents?"

"They're getting older and older; taking them would have only sped up that process. I didn't want to lose them if I found nothing in the jungle."

"So…did you…did you find anything?"

Arnold turned his head to Helga, who was holding her breath in anticipation. He chuckled for a moment before his smile turned into a remorseful one. "Yes…but sometimes, I wish I hadn't."

He paused, trying to collect himself, and turned his head up towards the sunroof before he continued. "I found my parents after a year…but they were going through a difficult time.

"I recognized them instantly; I simply called out to them, and they turned, already knowing their son had returned to them.

"They were happy to see me again, and for a good three years we lived together. I became part of the village they lived in, and together we helped the butterflies that my parents were so fascinated by." Arnold's eyes shined, remembering the wonderful three years, but his eyes dimmed as he continued.

"…but I noticed how something was troubling them. Eventually, they told me."

"…What?"

He sighed.

"There was a neighboring village that wanted to use the butterflies as subjects for an experiment. They offered money in return for the butterflies we'd healed, but we refused. It was then that they began to harass us.

"There were more than just verbal threats; a month after our decline, we found dead animals on our door step. There were so many other horrible things that they did, but we endured it all.

"But one day…it went too far. They threw in a burning corpse that was dipped in oil, and our hut set on fire completely. We made it out alright, but my dad forgot something precious to him, and he ran back inside."

Arnold was silent, and Helga was now sitting up, shaking her head. "No…"

"The roof collapsed before we could go in after him. If he didn't die from the collapsed roof, he was burnt to death."

Helga covered her face as Arnold sat up and turned to look out the window. "My mother was in a shocked state. She was constantly worrying about my wellbeing; she woke up in the middle of the night to check on me. Her eyes were always swollen red; she never stopped crying. It was a month after my father died when she asked that I return to the United States again."

"Huh? But why…why did she want to send you back?"

"She wanted to protect me. She promised that she would let me know when I could come back. She wanted to make sure that no one else would die."

"But Arnold…why didn't you tell us you were Arnold? Why did you cover yourself?"

Arnold's face, if possible, dimmed even more as he faced Helga. "Shortly after I left, my mother called me and warned me that the neighboring village was trying to track me down. She begged that I disguise myself; she was too paranoid.

"She had me get plastic surgery on my head; anyone could notice me with a football head." He chuckled quietly at his joke, but Helga stared at him.

"So…you didn't tell us because they're people after you?"

He nodded, and Helga sighed. "Oh Arnold…if only you had told us…we could have helped you instead of giving you more problems."

Arnold smiled lightly as he shook his head, and looked at Helga as he rested his cheek in his hand. "It's alright. Being with you guys again has been one of the brighter moments of my teenage years. I actually felt human again."

Helga smiled lightly before it dropped, and she took his hand in hers. "Arnold…I-I know this sounds weird, coming from me, but I just want you to know…t-that I am here for you."

Arnold didn't hesitate. "I know. And that is why you were the last to know of my secret."

When Helga responded with a look of pure confusion, he explained. "Even when we were younger, you were always around me, somehow giving me advice through hidden messages or slapping me out of my sorrowful dazes. It didn't take me long to realize that you weren't the mean girl you acted like. Strong-willed, maybe, but not mean."

Helga's ears burned as he said this, and she bent her head down. "…you figured it out? That I…felt that way about you?"

"That you loved me?" She nodded. "Yeah, I realized it shortly after I left."

Helga was hiding her face in her hands in embarrassment as Arnold smiled. "And it didn't take me long to realize that I felt the same way too."

Her hands fell off her face as she stared at Arnold, who was gazing at her as he had Lila years ago.

She didn't understand the words he was saying. It didn't make sense, and it didn't add up. Helga was…Helga. Arnold was Arnold. Helga + Arnold = ???

"…Why?"

"Why what?"

"I…always pushed you away back then; I never wanted you to know of my feelings. But here you are, returning my feelings..."

Tears streamed down Helga's cheeks as she covered her face again. Whether it was in sorrow for Arnold, or joy for his feelings she didn't know. But all she could do was cry.

Arnold petted her head lightly as she rested her head on his chest.

"…Let's stay here for the night, okay?"

Helga nodded her head, and the two spent the rest of the night, staying close to each other while they could.