A/N: Oops! I almost went a little crazy deleting things earlier in my saved documents. Thank you for the reviews. :)

Running over to her locker during lunch time, Helga slid up to it immediately grasping the combination lock. Dialing up her numbers, she opened it up to get the book to give to Phoebe. Grabbing it she spotted a letter in there. It had been a while since she received any notes so to find one again had her bringing it up to read.

Dear Helga,

I watch you every day wishing I could ask you to the dance. A dance that Arnold is taking you to. He has been always far too lucky to be the keeper of your heart while I stay in the shadows admiring you from afar. I've always been shy with you until your poetry that you recite brings me to you. I'm hypnotized by your words. Your passion. It is a passion that will never die just like my admiration will never cease. Do I love you? Yes I do. Can I have you? That is a no. You belong with one and he is the one that has finally returned your heart.

Love forever,
Brainy.

Hearing heavy breathing, Helga whirled around in fright. Her eyes were wide as she found Brainy with his hands up in the air issuing out silently that he isn't there to harm her. Releasing a very deep and long sigh, Helga placed a hand to her heart.

"Sorry. I am sure the breathing triggers something in you." Brainy spoke more than a couple of words. She knew he had before, but it still came as a shock. "I even used my inhaler before approaching you, but it is always bad."

Her smile was very shaky as she tried to find the words to speak to him as she pointed to her heart to indicate the wild beating of it. Her knees felt weak. Closing her eyes for a moment had that guy right at her face slamming her against the wall. This prompted her to gasp for air as she lurched forward towards him. To safety as she held him. She noticed that Brainy wasn't breathing as hard as usual with this action. It was either this or she was in her own world being attacked. Being ripped open from the inside.

Brainy was worried as he held on to her. He tried to soothe her. Tried to say the right things, but found his shirt becoming more wet where her head laid. She needed someone with far more experience than him. Lifting his phone up he texted Arnold that Helga had an episode by her locker. He would of texted Phoebe, but he didn't have her number. He did hang out with Arnold more when it came to male activities than Phoebe.

"What can I do, Helga?" Brainy requested quietly.

"There are times I want to never close my eyes, Brainy." Was all she could say as they both heard a pair of feet approaching them. She sensed Phoebe and Arnold coming towards them. "Thanks, Brainy."

Brainy watched as she latched onto Arnold now. Watched in his own helplessness as he carried Helga away in his arms into an empty classroom with Phoebe beside them. He felt guilt feeling he was the main cause this time for the trigger. When he heard that she still hears his breathing in her face, he was careful in never approaching her. Why did he think that after a year, she would be fine finely with him doing so? Feeling a hand clasp down on his shoulder, he turned his head to Gerald.

Gerald spotted the sorrow in his eyes. "Don't blame yourself. Blame that bastard."

"I love her and she is hurting. I wish I can help." Brainy admitted his feelings. He wasn't ashamed of them now. He didn't think after all these years anyone would pick on him for them. Gerald squeezed his shoulder gently.

"Well it wasn't a big surprise to us that you love her. As for helping, you are. You are still her friend. If you didn't care, you wouldn't of texted us. You wouldn't of comforted her." Gerald saw how his attention was drawn to the classroom they went in. "She went into your arms. She trusts you. If you were a stranger or some random in this school, she wouldn't of done that. You helped her just now. Understand that."

Brainy took a step away from him. "Please make sure to tell her that I hope her nightmares end."

It was depressing to hear him and see him act like that. Gerald's mouth thinned as he watched him slink off with his head hanging low. Turning back to the room he watched them go into, he followed inside to see Helga sitting on one of the desktops swinging her legs. She appeared like a little kid right then.

"I hope Brainy doesn't feel too bad." Helga had such a low voice.

Gerald couldn't say how exactly Brainy felt knowing she would be feeling guilty herself. "He told me to tell you that he hopes that your nightmares end."

A slight smile appeared on her face as he watched, Phoebe now rub her back. "I hope so too, Gerald. I hope so too." Lifting her head up, her eyes found Arnold's. "Doesn't seem to matter with how much time passes that the son of a bitch still can rule your life as much as you fight it."

"Wouldn't mind putting his feet in concrete and throwing him into the water so he can suffer." Arnold's voice was so cold and so foreign to them still when he spoke with such hatred. It was always when it came to this subject. Anything else he would be Mr Brightside.

"I wish that too, Football Head." That seemed to calm Arnold down a little as he approached her to cup her face in his hands. "Want to put that in an American Greetings card?"

Arnold snickered at her weakly as he leaned down to kiss her on the lips. Phoebe and Gerald knew what was happening between them. "Maybe I will, Angel."

As the week passed, Helga found herself in her room with their homework forgotten on the floor now scattered. In his lap they were both kissing becoming much more heavier than that one time or previous moments where they just mostly petted. Feeling intensely from their feelings, Helga lifted herself from him to move away from the bed. They were alone in her house with her mom working overtime and her father working overtime himself due to a blow out sale.

She watched his eyes following her wondering what she could possibly be thinking right now. She decided to head to her closet to remove her clothing and to slip her robe on. When she came out, she headed to her door turning the handle slowly. "Coming?"

The invitation was so soft sounding prompting him to scan those eyes to see she was filled with confidence. She was sure. Nodding dumbly, Arnold followed her to the bathroom where he locked the door behind him as she turned on the shower. He knew she was still scrubbing herself almost to death at times so he wondered if it was recently. Observing her walking towards him, Arnold kept his eyes where her hands were as she slowly removed the tie to reveal what lied underneath. He already knew half of it, but not completely. She is perfection with how toned she was making him wonder how often did she really work out to bring forth such a body.

Robe now removed and placed on the hook behind him, Helga walked back to climb in the tub. Arnold removed his clothing feeling almost robotic till he walked over to the door to slide it open to climb in. He was met with a kiss. He wasn't dreaming, this is real. It felt even more intimate with the water hitting and gliding down their bodies while their skin touched. It was erotic to the point he felt he was about to release right then. This was the bathroom. It was a place she feared even in her own house, and she brought him in there. Was this her therapy for herself? Was he part of it?

Feeling her hand brush down his body, Arnold couldn't breath at feeling where her hand was going. His head tilted down to meet those azure eyes. She was as aroused as him.

"Do you feel confused by us?" Her question was begging for a truthful answer.

"No." He answered honestly as he felt her hand move. "I know how you feel about me still, just like how you know how I feel about you." It almost was too hard to concentrate. "Can I do something?"

"I trust you, so yes."

He loved when her voice was soft like that. He also loved when she used her more powerful voice. He did have to look at her eyes for assurance before moving himself slowly down to his knees making sure to kiss her all the way down. When he reached the area he had thought about, Arnold kissed her once more. He guided his hand up to support her knowing how hesitant she still was with walls. He wanted to help her. He was strong enough to hold her up and to keep her steady.

It was the strangest feeling to have him do what he was doing, but it was such an elation. Her knees weakened and loved how he supported her. The man knew how to really love someone. He was the man she wanted to think about constantly and not that creature. Bringing him in here was a good thing all around.

"Oh Arnold." Her head tilted back feeling him enter her in another way. She dared not to close her eyes even as she released. It was a hard thing to do, and feeling her knees buckled and him support her, she saw how he was leaning against the wall. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Helga felt like this was him giving everything to her with her not doing anything in return. His smile was far too sweet for her almost to bare.

"You've done everything for me, Helga. You returned my heart."

He really had to say that to her? Doesn't he know how he weakens her at times? The second he gets this mushy with her, her bones feel like noodles. Her heart beats like crazy feeling like her being the sole use of every percussion that existed. He was perfect to her and all she wanted to do was get better so she can shower him with even more love.

Brsiny was surprised when Helga sat next to him in the quad area. He had been sitting alone for a long time since her telling others about what happened to her. Well screamed out in the middle of the hallway. Since then, he picked a spot to keep himself as far from her as possible. Also since that other time in the hallway, he felt it was best to just keep away.

"You know that I'm sorry for acting the way I did in the hallway." Helga spoke in earnest to him. "It really wasn't you, it was me. Closing my eyes can scare me since his image shows up."

He appreciated her coming to him to speak. Lifting up his inhaler, he took in the medicine just so he could speak. "Maybe, but I'm still so unhappy that happened. I've been keeping my distance afraid of scaring you."

She felt guilty for that. It wasn't his fault and here he was taking the brunt of something onto himself. "In the beginning I was afraid of having you too close. Afraid of hearing you breathing against me, but honestly Brainy, I don't want you staying away from me. I don't want you sneaking up to me." Taking his hand, Helga squeezed it. "You would never hurt me. I know how much you care for me."

"I love you and I wish that I can help you feel better." He loved the feeling of comfort she was offering him just with her words and those soft hands.

"Brainy, you are helping me by being a friend. I need that a lot. I also need you to stop segregating yourself from us." Standing up, Helga pulled him up. "You have a lot of friends wanting you to come back and this includes me."

Looking between her hand to her face, Brainy held a strong desire to hold her. "You really want your stalker back in the mix?"

One hand still holding his, she took her other to place on his shoulder. It was an eternity that she last punched him in the face, and though he was a stalker, he was her stalker. "It wouldn't be the same without you." Removing her hand from his shoulder she pulled him along.

"It I went that school you were in I would of stopped him from doing that to you."

Stopping, Helga kissed him on the cheek. "I know you would of. Now come on stalker, as you can see from their faces over there, they are expecting you back over."

Glancing up, Brainy spotted some happy faces beckoning him over while the others patiently waited. He felt it funny how he always was the outsider of the group. Well he was, but they seemed to accept him anyway. Strolling over there with her holding his hand, Brainy fantasized many pleasant things if she was with him instead of Arnold. Not that he hated Arnold, he just felt envy of him sometimes.

"Hey guys! Guess who's back?"

It was a rhetorical question from her as she released his hand to show a flick of her hand where he could sit next to Phoebe on the other side of the table. Sitting back down next to Arnold, she felt his hand go in hers. It felt like this crew didn't part ways at one time or another. Everyone sat at the same long table together with all their different personalities meshing together as one. Helga smiled a little thinking of it.