Sorry about the delay, I've been really busy with work. Hope you all enjoy the next two chapters. It may be a few weeks before I can upload again.

Chapter 10

Arnold's Journal.

It didn't take long for the small book store to fill up with eager fans waiting for Helga to sign their book or pose for a photo. A few people had flowers and some had other small gifts all ready to present to her. One of the store clerks was making sure everyone stayed in line and tried to keep the volume to a minimum, it still being a book store. Just beside the area set up for Helga was a small café with a few tables. Arnold brought a small Danish and some tea and crabbed a seat which was in direct line of site to Helga's table. He had also brought his camera, knowing that Phoebe and even Olga would like the photos later. Shortly after he settled down Peter stepped out and introduced her and everyone cheered. Arnold snapped some photos and did his best to give the loudest applause possible, realizing his voice stood out as he was one of the only males in attendance.

He watched the line slowly start to move. Helga G. Pataki had fans! She truly had come full circle, from the street tough tomboy to the elegant established women receiving praise now! He wondered if anyone could see how proud he was of her.

Twice through out the signing women had cried before Helga. She stood up from her desk each time and gave them big hugs, once even crying a little herself. A few times she pointed over towards Arnold and he awkwardly waved unsure about what being said about him. Though he didn't have to wonder long since one of the ladies came up to him and expressed how lovely it was to meet not only the author but the inspiration behind it. She did so in French and he was happy to have learned so much of the language back in the Congo.

Moments later Peter announced a short break which signaled the final hour of her first signing. Helga waved him over and they snuck away to a small hallway leading towards an employee break room out of site from the rest of the store, which gave an implication of privacy. Helga explained to Arnold about her scheduled dinner with Miss. Davis. To which he teased that he would be lonely without her, so she kissed him passionately not wanting the minutes to end so she could stay in that embrace. Remembering the events of that morning left them both a little discomposed.

"It isn't normal how you can get this reaction from me each time. I didn't think it was even humanly possible to be honest!" He told her between kisses as she teased him by rubbing her long legs against him, making him even more aroused.

"I hate to interrupt this but Helga you only have two minutes left." Peter said shyly leaving the two alone again. Reluctantly she pulled herself off of him and quickly refreshed herself in the restroom and resumed signing. Helga was the happiest she had ever been and even the worry she had earlier of Arnold going off to college away from her was fading.

Arnold had sneaked out and ran across the street to a small gift shop and purchased a dozen roses and a Statue of the Eiffel tower. In the card attached to the roses he wrote. 'I foolishly left my heart at San Lorenzo when I allowed you to leave without telling you how I really felt. I'm the luckiest man to have found it here! -Love Arnold'. When her signing was over a few people remained to cheer one last time and Arnold presented her with the flowers and small statue and a few more people cheered.

Helga waved her statue like a trophy and walked back to her little corner to collect her bag. She felt such a rush from the success of tonight. Last year she was just starting off at Hillwood Publishing making copies and sending out faxes, now they worked for her. Arnold gave her one last kiss and she promised to return to his room after dinner.

Helga and Miss. Davis walked to a restaurant not far from the book store, a real French restaurant Helga laughed to herself.

"You look lost in thought Helga! I must admit I wasn't expecting to see Arnold here with you! You have to tell me everything." More like a young school girl Miss. Davis sat anxious to hear Helga's story. The story she thought which truly magical. Helga beamed as she told the story and Miss. Davis reached out for Helga's hand when she paused at certain parts.

"Helga I am a grown women I gather the rest, you can skip the embarrassment." Helga blushed realizing she might be sharing too much.

"Honesty I'm glad we had a chance to talk. I've never been close to my mother or sister... sorry if I'm ranting on. I'm just so happy! Though I will admit that I fear I gave up to much to fast if you get what I mean."

"If memory serves me correctly you told me that you've loved Arnold since the age of three?" Helga smiled and nodded in reply.

"Well then I'd say you did nothing wrong. I would just hope safely." Helga understood her meaning and was proud to report she had. Olga had suggested she get on the pill months ago not for sake of her virtue but to help keep her skin clear and with cramps while on the road during her trip.

"The one bit of advice my sister gave me that actually worked well." The two laughed and spoke about love and marriage. Miss. Davis went on to explain why she never got married and how she's happy being married to her work. Though she was open to finding love just didn't see the need to seek it out. Helga expressed her fear of losing Arnold to college in the fall but tried not to stress over it to much until they actually spoke about it.

They parted ways after dinner taking two separate caps. Helga had two signings the next day and promised to be early to both as she had been today and was happy when Miss. Davis said she'd allow Arnold to return again.

She made it shortly after to the little inn he was staying at. Having texted him in the car he was waiting downstairs for her and they walked for a while taking in the cool summer night hand and in hand. In a public park just around the corner from his room there was a street performance going on and they sat under a tree on the grass and watched laughing at the poor acting. She sat just in front of him laying back on his chest he laced his hand in hers and brought her in close.

"Helga what are your plans after this tour?" The burning question she had been too afraid to bring up.

"Well I have those two weddings to attend then I start college in the fall at NYU. I'm sharing a dorm room with Phoebe. We live close enough to stay home but the freedom will be nice. Why what are you doing?" Please don't say Africa or something crazy. Her heart was beating so hard, begging fate not to be cruel to her.

"I'm not sure. I applied for a bunch of different colleges but it was while back home in the Congo and put my address as Hillwood. Not sure if I've gotten any replies, since I came after you the day I got back to Sunset Arms." He said playfully booping her nose. She turned around to face him crossing her arms pretending to be angry!

"Hey be careful I paid a lot of money for this nose!" She said laughing. He studied her face noticing the size difference to her nose.

"I had noticed something different about you but I couldn't figure it out. You always looked beautiful what made you decide to have a nose job?" She gleamed and did her best not to swoon at his flattering honesty.

"I was sick of looking like my father. Like the man that drove my mother to drinking and drove me nearly insane growing up. He's improved a lot over the years but he's still bull headed Big Bob and I didn't want to look like him anymore. I had started working out toning myself to the point where I didn't hate the rest of my body so much. But I would look in the mirror and still hate me because and I figured out that I really just needed to change that one thing I didn't want an overly dramatic change I just wanted something, well less Bob! Now I don't hate myself so much, though I still have a few things here and there that I'm pretty ashamed of." She was referring to her temper and inner anger issues which seemed under control but was still a constant struggle for her.

"What could you possible have to be ashamed of?" She turned around again not to face him. If she was going to be honest she didn't want to see the look of disgust, not from him. Laying all her faith in his benevolent heart she told him about the darker times during his eight year absence.

"Back in middle school that classic anger that to this day identifies me grew into a much larger problem. The things around me always just well angered me. That was when I had started hurting herself just to let the rage out. Not sure if you remember Dr. Bliss but I was going to therapy with her since fourth grade and up until sophomore year of high school and I was even on medication for a short while…" Her words trailed off and she looked at everything and anything just not to stare back at him. This was truly her deepest darkest secret the only thing she hadn't ever even told Phoebe about though she had suspected something was wrong but even she didn't know how deep it went. It wasn't something she felt so much embarrassed to tell Arnold but afraid to tell him because for so long she had blamed him for leaving the way he did.

"Don't hate me for all this please! But the truth is when you left to Africa on such short notice with your parents I kinda well snapped inside. My life was pretty shitty with you around and then you left and that last little gleam of light that kept me going was gone. I was suddenly three again all alone in the rain covered in mud and this time truly no one cared." He turned her around and just hugged her, tighter as he felt her tears drip onto his chest.

"I'm so sorry Helga about how things turned out in San Lorenzo. I had found my parents, alive and well! They loved me and wanted me to join them on there next big adventure. The other part of me just realized how in love I was with the girl that always been in my life but I had to leave her behind and since I was only ten years old I didn't really have a choice. So no believe me I don't hate you at all or think any less of you if anything it makes me even more proud of you! To think what all you survived and look at what you've become!" Not really knowing how she felt at the moment, partly relieved to have told her big secret to him and yet strangely sad after recalling those difficult years.

"Don't be sorry Arnold, I did blame you but even back then I knew you couldn't have stayed with me. You had waited your whole life to be with your parents and no one was happier for you that I was that you had found them. I just had to learn to live without you being there."

"You are so strong, to this day I have yet to meet someone with your courage! I should have tried harder to keep in contact with you, I'm lucky you still love me." His voice had a hint of love and regret.

"I'm lucky you ever started loving me at all. I was so mean to you growing up. It wasn't intentional. I just didn't know how to deal with my feelings and since anger is a feeling I just stuck with that one." Said Helga sincerely, meaning it and wishing like always that she had been nicer to him knowing full well that he had always reacted best when she let the softer side of her peek through.

"Thank you for never actually pounding me!" She laughed through her tears at that one. Remembering back at all the hollow threats she had thrown at him over the years.

"Don't push me football head or I'll have to pound you right now." That wicked twinkle in her eye was back and he understood perfectly her double meaning but he was just happy that she wasn't crying anymore.

"Can we head back to the room I have something for you, I was waiting for a good time to bring it up and since you were so honest with me I think this is the perfect time to show you." They quickly headed back to his room hand in hand leaving the silly street performance behind. Once in the room he started searching through his things for the journal he had written for her.

"When you didn't reply to any of my letters over the years I did lose some hope I figured you hated me but Gerald told me that he knew otherwise and so I started this for you. My writing doesn't stand a chance next to what I've read of your book but writing to you in this journal helped me cope with the separation." He stood up and handed her the blue leather bound journal. "I knew one day I'd be able to give it to you face to face!" Helga took the book and held it close to her heart quickly getting comfortable in one of Arnold's tee shirts and sat in bed eager to read every page.

"I can't believe you wrote me a journal! This means a lot to me since needless to say writing means so much to me! I won't be able to put this down!"

"That isn't the way I had planned to keep you up all night!" He teased kissing her on the cheek and getting ready for bed too. "I'm sure my writing will bore to sleep anyway!" She waved a hand at him already lost in her reading. He lay his head down on her lap and watched her read it was clear that she wasn't going to stop reading until she had finished the entire thing. Though she didn't enjoy reading about his time with Farajai. It wasn't a betrayal on his part she understood that. They hadn't been in contact for so many years and it would have been selfish for her to think that he would never have a girlfriend. None the less it did hurt, just like when he would drool over Ruth or Lila in there youth. Though as she paused from her reading to stare down at the man laying on her lap it was almost as it all those years where worlds away. Her Arnold was genuinely her Arnold now!

He did his best to stay awake! Enjoying the little faces she would make while reading and how beautiful she looked despite the fact that her hair was all windswept and her make up was all runny from the earlier tears. His thoughts went back to college and how he wanted to get into NYU more then ever. The thought of being apart from Helga again was crushing even more so after the confession she had shared with him. Being more a mellow jazz man he didn't believe much in time travel but at that moment he started to day dreamed of going back in time and rescuing her from those dark times, but he knew that wasn't possible and he had to make the here on in as perfect for her as possible! Before he knew it he had fallen asleep with his head still on her lap.