A/N: Yes, yes, I know! I've been on sabbatical for quite a while. But, I'm hoping to be back now! Please forgive me for keeping you waiting for so long! I hope to make it up to you with this chapter. (To understand the end of it, you will need to go back and read the beginning of chapter 5.)

His eyes shot open, his body jetting up in a fit of adrenaline.

It was more than a few seconds before his mind washed back to reality, and out of the terror of his recurring nightmare. He sucked in a deep yet shuttering breath, and ran a hand over the cold sweat that had broken out over his skin. Pressing his palm against his forehead, he closed his eyes, and forced his pulse to slow. Once his mind had caught up with his memories, he opened his eyes and looked to his bedside, and realized why it had taken his mind so long to snap back to the present. His bed was empty. He looked over to the clock on the night stand, and it read just past eight thirty. Unless Helga had gotten religious overnight and decided to go to church, it was odd for her not to be next to him watching him sleep as she always did whenever she woke up before him. He reached down and pressed his hand into the sheets, and felt no residual warmth radiate off, which meant that they had been vacated some time ago.

Letting out a sad sigh for being left in bed alone, he pulled on his boxers from the previous night, and stepped into the bathroom attached to his bedroom. They didn't get into what had happened the day before, they simply made up and fell into bed together, which he couldn't complain about. The first bout of make up love making didn't warrant any complaints, nor did the next few. But now that they were settled down after a long nights sleep, it was usually the time when they would sit down and calmly explain why they said what they said, or at least that's how he wanted it to work between him and his ex wife. Maybe Helga wasn't totally over what he had said to her, which he could understand, he wasn't at all proud of how he had tried to defend Gerald to her.

Coming up with the quick plan to bring her a small bouquet of flowers and some pastries to her apartment, he opened his closet to slip on a clean shirt and some gym shorts to look decent when he took his dog out for the morning. He stepped out into the living room, grabbing her leash off the dresser as he went and stopped in his tracks at the picture that he saw.

Hair falling in a soft, graceful tide down her shoulders, his dress shirt adorning her subtle hourglass figured body, her figure silhouetted by the golden rising of the early morning sun, his tired and tensed muscles relaxed, the lingering terror and overdrive left over from his dream dissipated, leaving behind unbridled love and the wondering of what he had done to deserve this.

He heard the metal hook of the leash hit against the carpet in a soft thud, making her quickly turn back, while Vivian jumped up from her place lying against her feet. A look of slight surprise turned into a soft smile as she made eye contact, drawing him in by the aquamarine sparkling back at him behind the thin half vale of her beautifully unkempt hair. "Morning..." She mumbled, her voice just above a whisper.

Making his trek across his living room slow, either to savor the moment or just because he couldn't seem to move any faster, he pushed past the lump in his throat that had formed, and voiced the first worry that had plagued him until moments ago. "I thought you were gone."

She turned around and took a few long strides over to him, meeting him in the middle of the living room and weaved her arms slowly around his shoulders, offering only a slow shake of her head, until he gently placed his hands low on her hips, running then against the lose fabric of his button down shirt, which was only three quarters of the way buttoned, and pressed her body into his, reminding him how perfectly their bodies molded to each others. "Nope... still here."

Seeing her eyes break away from his and move down to his upturned lips, he craned his neck down toward her, and let his eyes drift shut the closer their lips got. A surge of electricity crawled through his veins as they met, as it always did whenever they kissed for the first time, and pulled him in to deepen the kiss. As they sat together in a very long kiss, which parted with another quick peck, he pressed his forehead against hers, and reveled in how he seemed to step out of nightmare and into a dream. "I think I just fell in love with you all over again, Helga."

She giggled happily as she wove her arms around his chest, pressing her ear to him, hugging him securely, while he hugged her shoulders tenderly, pressing his lips to her hair. "You sure it's not because I'm wearing your shirt?"

"While I do find you very alluring in nothing but one of my work shirts, that's not why I love you."

"Oh?" She replied, lifting her head off of his chest, and tossing her hair behind her shoulder with a quick flick of her neck. "And why do you love me?" She asked, a challenging smile and cocked eye brow looking back up at him.

"If I were to tell you every reason, I would need a couple more lifetimes."

Her smile brightened, and after offering him no quick and witty comeback, he leaned back down and captured her lips again in another long kiss, which she still seemed to be smiling into. "I thought I was the poet."

"You rub off on me I guess." He said with an innocent shrug.

Her smile turned into a sultry smirk as her brow fell. "Is that a hint?"

His hands ventured up her back, exploring the taught skin, "It can be..." She quirked one eye brow in challenge, and slowly started to press up on the balls of her bare feet to capture his lips in what would be a fiery kiss. "But first," He stopped her, making her freeze and drop down off her tip toes and lean back, her sultry smirk turning into a wondering frown, "we need to talk."

"About what?" She mumbled, leaning back farther than he was comfortable with.

Deciding to dismiss her fears, he snaked his arms back around her, pulling her back into him, and shaking his head with a smile. "No, it's not like that at all. It's about Gerald."

She paused, searching his eyes for a moment before nodding, "Okay."

"You were right. He's a jerk. And my friendship with him isn't worth losing you over." After fruitlessly gauging her unchanging reaction, he continued, "Nothing is worth more to me than you."

In reality, he should have just shoved her off of the cliff of her sanity, and sent her into a spiraling nose dive for him, now knowing how much he treasured her. But really, it felt like he had just placed a ton of bricks on her shoulders. He was giving up his friendship with Gerald for her, and it was up to her to live up to the pedestal he seemed to have placed her upon. She smiled weakly and replaced her ear flush against his chest, hiding herself in his embrace.

She already felt guilty about making him chose before, and she thought that they had come to an unspoken understanding that he didn't need to when she stepped back into his arms last night. But here he was, giving up his best friend of close to twenty five years just to be with her. And she didn't know that it could be this bad, but the fear that he would eventually resent her for something that she never should have made him do in the first place was crippling her. And this crippling fear that she would eventually fall off the pedestal he had her on and into a state of resentment for giving up the last of the family he has left, it was keeping her from challenging him.

She tightened her grip on his midsection, and burrowed herself further into into him, and let her eyes drift shut, forcing herself to focus only on his arms around her, holding her to him, keeping her from spinning out of control as he always seemed to be able to do, whether he be with her or not. She felt his soft lips press against her scalp, then sit against her hair, as he would always do whenever he would kiss her hair.

"Arnold," She spoke, her voice finally breaking through her fear. She felt his chest vibrate as he let out a hum in response and pulled his lips off her scalp, and she leaned back to meet his eyes. "I-I can't ask you to give up your friendship with him for me. I can't be that selfish."

"Helga, he's a jerk. Ten years ago, our friendship would have been worth saving. But now, he's not the same guy I knew in grade school. Even last night he tried to spin me some sob story about how 'special' his night with Phoebe was."

"Why... why don't you just hear him out?" She asked, looking up to him with an almost pleading look.

He paused and considered where this was coming from. Just a few hours ago, she wanted to send Gerald to the gallows, but now she's asking him to give him a second chance? "Where is this coming from, Helga?"

Helga brought her hands down to his chest, and scrunched her fists into his shirt, while he ribbed her upper arms soothingly. "Yesterday, when I left, I went over to Phoebe's and she asked me something. She asked me what if you were to ask me to choose between you and her, and it got me thinking. I don't know where I'd be if it wasn't for my friendship with Phoebe. She always stuck by me when no one else was there... and hasn't Gerald done the same for you?"

"Yeah... he was." He muttered, casting shameful eyes down to the small space between them.

"Look, you know he's not my favorite person, but you are. And I at least want to see you give him a chance, to get your best friend back."

Arnold considered it, and knew that she was right. Gerald always had his back. He was the brother that Arnold always felt like he had, because he was always there. Despite his slight personality shift, when the chips were down, Gerald was there, especially when his Grandfather's health took a turn for the worst. Then there was his divorce. And it was true, that he saw his life falling apart at the seams, and crumbling down around him, and he was ready to just give into it, and give up, let Rachel have everything and go back to live in the boarding house. Gerald was the one who snapped him out of it and convinced him that he can't let her walk out and take everything they built together with her. It was him that convinced him to stay in the apartment in the settlement.

So, just like Helga wouldn't know where she would be without Phoebe, he didn't know where he would be without Gerald. And maybe it was time to stick to his principles, and give him a second chance.

He stepped into the coffee shop and up to the counter to order an iced coffee. He had sent Gerald a text message, asking him to meet here about ten minutes ago, and had never heard back from him. So he didn't know if he was actually coming or not.

Arnold had just sat down at a table near the window and looked up to see Gerald walk through the doors, his body language telling him that he was slightly anxious, and trying to hide it. Gerald met his eyes and his expression turned blank, as he started to saunter up to the table, probably trying to intimidate him in some manner. But Arnold just kept his eyes on Gerald, and watched as he pulled out the chair, and sat down heavily, leaning back and stretching his arm out to rest on the edge of the table, while the other swung around the back of the chair. "Thanks for coming, man."

"What do you want?" Gerald asked, keeping his voice low and steady.

"Listen, man, I'm going to be honest with you. I want us to be friends again."

Gerald kept his expression blank and paused. After a moment, he gave a sharp nod and looked down at the table. "Me too."

"But just tell me one thing."

"What's that?"

"What really happened between you and Phoebe?"

In a second, Gerald's whole demeanor changed from calm and cool, to nervous and very wide eyed. "Last time I tried to tell you, you walked out on me."

"I want the truth this time."

"What do you take me for, Arnold?!" Gerald asked, suddenly leaning forward.

"Come on, Gerald, I remember how you were in high school, talking about all of those 'hot dates' you went on. All of those stupid innuendos you told the guys."

"You know it was different with her."

"Oh really? Then why did you leave her?"

"Arnold, think back for just a second. When the guys asked about me and Phoebe, what did I tell them?" Arnold was stuck in his memories, thinking back on the times he was stuck in the locker room with the guys, who were hounding Gerald about details on his latest escapade, but was brought out of them by Gerald's voice just a second later. "I didn't tell them a damn thing!"

"Why don't you tell me?"

"You really want to hear me out this time?"

"I'm here, aren't I?"

Gerald paused, breathed out a heavy sigh, and leaned back. "It wasn't how you think it was. I didn't play on her, I didn't trick her into getting into bed with me or anything. It was just... the dam just sort of... broke. And me leaving had nothing to do with her dad taking me into his fencing room and 'showing me around'. I left because I was scared."

After Gerald had turned his gaze downward, most likely in shame, Arnold prodded. "Of?"

"Her... and me, of us. I mean, I had been on my fair share of dates before then, and none of them ever... shook me up as much as she did. And I don't mean that how you might think. We just clicked. I've never been on such a same level as I have with her. We just seemed to get each other. And it scared the hell out of me. So when we finally broke through the friend zone, and started talking on more of a... relationship level, we just couldn't stop ourselves. And I know I talked a big game back then, but the truth is she was the only girl I ever did anything with."

"So... all of those stories, all of those crappy jokes you told, they were all lies?"

"I had an image to keep up." He said with an almost innocent shrug of his sunken shoulders.

"So you walked out, never talked to her again, and broke her heart just so you could keep your image?!"

"I never said I was proud of how I handled things."

"You shouldn't be! You have to apologize to her, Gerald."

"I can't..."

"Why not? Give me one good reason why you can't see her again."

"Because I'm still scared."

"Of what? That Helga might come after you again?" Gerald's once shameful eyes now turned back up to him, wide set and shocked.

"She-"

"She's my girlfriend, Gerald. And she just happens to be Phoebe's best friend, of course she told me."

"Why are you even dating her? You remember how she was."

"It was her idea that I come here in the first place. She was the one that convinced me to hear you out."

"Yeah, right." He said, with a broad roll of his eyes.

"Get over it, Gerald. She's not that same bully that we knew in grade school."

"Oh, come on, Arnold. She's mean."

"Tell me of one time that you were ever nice to her. Just once when you tried to be nice to her."

"She's stubborn."

"Persistent."

"She's crazy."

"She's fun."

"She's hard headed."

"She's passionate."

Gerald paused and stared into his eyes, and Arnold was just challenging him to come up with something else to say. And he could tell that he was out of straws to grasp for. "You want the truth, Gerald? She scares the hell out of me. Because every time I look at her, I can feel it. Every time I think about her, I fall just a little bit deeper. She scares me because of how easily she can make me crazy for her."

"You know she kneed me in my... manhood, right?"

"Well, it's not like you didn't deserve it." Expecting an off handed comment, Arnold watched as Gerald shamefully nodded his head, and let out a silent sigh. "How'd you get Stinky and Sid to keep quiet?"

Gerald smirked and shook his head, chuckling a bit. "Sid wanted his car buffed, and Stinky made me help out in his garden for two months on the weekends."

"So... that 'part-time job' you had?"

"Yep."

Arnold tried to bite back his laughter, but after Gerald turned his eyes back up with a smile, they both broke out in laughter. And after a few moments, Arnold got a feeling that he hadn't had in years, the feeling of having a brother. After they had calmed down, and their laughter had subsided, Arnold stuck his hand out across the table with a smile. Gerald looked down at the hand that he had been offered, smirked, and grasped it with a strong grip and shook it vigorously. They both stood up Arnold could tell that Gerald knew he had to do something. "You know what you have to do now, right?"

"Yeah... yeah, I do. And you don't have to send your girlfriend after me again, I can do it on my own."

"I won't."

They both strolled back outside, shook hands and parted ways with another friendly smile and a wave. Feeling his phone go off in his pocket, he dug it out and saw that he just received a text from Helga, asking him to lunch. He sent a reply, telling her that he would be by to pick her up once he stopped by his apartment and took his dog out. Telling her what had happened between him and Gerald, and more importantly, what was going to happen between Gerald and Phoebe would probably be interesting, if anything else. She was the one pushing him to give Gerald a second chance, but maybe Gerald was suppose to just leave Phoebe alone. Maybe that's what Phoebe wanted, was to be left alone. But she still deserves an apology, and they both need to get past it.

Arnold had just got to his floor after hopping of the stairs and turned the corner down his hallway to his apartment, and looked up to see someone standing outside his door. Taking a few more steps forward, he saw that it was his captain. "Captain?" He called, gaining the attention of his superior.

"Shortman, I'm glad you're here." He said in his usual gutteral voice.

"Is there something you needed, sir?" It was very unusual to for anyone from work to stop by his apartment unannounced without calling him. The only other time was when he declined an invitation to a bachelor party for one of the guys in the bullpen.

"Shortman, I don't know how to tell you this, so I'm just going to say it."

"What is it, sir?"

"Erik Douglas escaped from jail."