Author's Note: Thank you for tuning in once again! This chapter was so fun to write. It is fast-paced and sweet. Who doesn't love the idea of our faves going camping and having the time of their lives? Like always, Hey, Arnold! and ALL characters mentioned belong to Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon.

Disclaimer: This chapter contains semi-explicit descriptions of sex and lovemaking between two consensual adults. Oh, the smut in a TENT, a dreamy Arnold and lovesick Helga. What is not to love?

ONWARDS!

Chapter 13: I Love Every Part of You

The next morning, the two couples carpooled in Arnold's car and arrived at their campsite located just two hours away from the city. When the old reliable olive-colored car came to a stop and the group stepped out into their natural surroundings, they all felt an immediate sense of tranquility at being surrounded by nature. The fresh air, mountain trails, and pine trees were completely different from the usual buildings, heavy traffic, and general city bustle.

Gerald stretched his body and sighed loudly, "Ah, this is just what we needed. Cool air and a break from the big city!"

Arnold breathed in deeply and shared his own enthusiasm, "I agree, Gerald. Come to think of it, haven't we all been here together?"

Phoebe neared Gerald and leaned her head against his chest, closing her eyes and sighing out loud, "Yeah. When we were kids. We got lost while hiking. If it wasn't for you, Arnold, we might've not made it back safely."

Gerald turned to face Phoebe, crossing his arms and scowling, "Woah there, babe! I helped out too! Grandpa Phil taught us both the ways of being out in nature." He retorted.

Phoebe let out a giggle and reached over to kiss him on the lips. Immediately his scowl was replaced with a dreamy look. "I still admire your survival skills, Handsome."

"Yeah, yeah keep talking. I'm not gonna spend my evening looking at some 'pretty bushes and trees' when I'm starving!" Helga complained as she rummaged the trunk and began to take out about a dozen grocery bags and camping equipment.

Arnold approached the blonde girl who was waist deep inside the trunk of the car, rummaging through bags. He observed his impatient girlfriend and smiled as memories of her entered his mind. She'd always been hungry or sought out any opportunity to eat. At school and when they'd shared space for their infamous bio project, the first thing on her mind had been to snack on as much food as possible. He placed his hands on her waist and she jumped in surprise.

"What do you think you're doing?" She glared as he retrieved his hands and offered a small smile.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you, Helga. I just wanted to offer my help." He said as he moved in front of her and began to retrieve the rest of the bags from the trunk.

After dinner that evening, the couples sat at a log in front of the fire roasting marshmallows. They shared stories of their childhoods and laughed as they remembered all the adventures they'd shared together. The smell of wood burning and the magical light of the fire enveloped them in warmth and safety.

"…And then Harold pulls me back into the water and there I am being choked by the big guy cuz he cant swim! So I grab a hold of a log and we swim back to safety." Helga exclaimed as she stood up and dramatized the story of her and Harold's childhood misadventure. The group was lost in a fit of laughter.

Arnold wiped at a tear that had formed from laughing. "Speaking of which, I've hardly spoken to Harold since that day at the party. He's been avoiding me and I think he's mad. Anyone know what is up with him?"

Helga scoffed as she sat back down on the log next to Arnold, "Of course he's mad! Harold probably found out Phoebe and I knew about his little rendezvous with Patty when we told Rhonda, and they are now officially broken up. The whole school knows it, where have you been?"

"Wait, you told Rhonda?" Arnold exclaimed loudly and Gerald spit out his Yahoo soda.

"What were we supposed to do? Not tell her? She's our friend too, ya know!?" Helga scowled and threw her hands up in the air, displaying her exasperation.

Phoebe adjusted her glasses and nodded in agreement. "This time I have to agree with Helga. We could not hide such an enormous act of betrayal on our friend."

Arnold stared back at the fire and a worried expression settled on his face. As much as he knew Phoebe and Helga were right, he felt responsible for making the situation escalate to this level. He hoped that Harold would at least recognize his mistake in all of this and apologize to both Rhonda and Patty.

"I do not have a good feeling about this." Gerald murmured as he poked the fire with a stick.

As the night progressed, the conversation flowed onto other topics. Phoebe shared her plans to study bioengineering at Hillwood University while Helga shared her plans to study Literature. Arnold, Helga, and Phoebe cheered at the knowledge that they would be attending the same college if they got accepted. The couples also celebrated Gerald's acceptance to Hillwood Fire Academy located less than a mile away from Hillwood University. It seemed like they were on the brink of a new beginning together and there was no better place than to celebrate around the warmth of a campfire.

"Now that I am here, I can't help but remember my Grandpa." Arnold murmured into the fire. Helga observed as her boyfriend gazed into the fire, the palpable change of tone in his voice indicating the sadness he carried in his heart. She reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder, offering silent support.

From across the fire, Gerald also offered his sympathies, "Your grandpa was the best. He taught us everything we know about camping. He taught us so many things." Gerald recalled and then laughed out loud as he remembered their time camping out in the woods with him, "But I am not eating canned beans or flapjacks while freezing my butt off."

At his comment, Arnold laughed as flashbacks of their struggles while camping with Grandpa Phil entered his mind. It felt like a lifetime ago. He turned to look at Helga sitting on the log next to him. She was observing him silently. As they locked eyes, he noticed her eyes held tenderness and so much unspoken emotions. Under the firelight, her blue eyes looked glossy and unwavering, as if speaking everything and nothing at all. He felt his heart beating loudly in his chest.

'How is it that she could say so much with her eyes?'

Without breaking eye-contact, he leaned over, "I think you are cold." He whispered, lowering his voice so only she could hear. Her lips parted and she looked like she was about to say something, but she simply continued to stare as their eyes searched each other.

"I think we will…" Helga started to announce.

"…turn in for the night." Arnold finished as he stood up and held out his hand to her.

Phoebe and Gerald gave each other a knowing smile as they observed the couple across the fire stagger to form an excuse to retire for the night.

"We were just about to say the same thing, right babe?" Gerald smirked and lifted his eyebrow in suggestion. Phoebe rolled her eyes and giggled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him.

Inside their tent, Arnold observed as Helga struggled inside her sleeping bag this way and that. The image of a chubby worm came to mind as she grunted and wriggled this way and that. After a few minutes, she emerged wearing her pajamas. Her hair was sticking out in different places. She looked over at him and raised an eyebrow in suspicion. His expression of restrained laughter was not lost on her.

"What?" She asked in mock annoyance.

"I was just thinking that I've seen every part of you and you still rather struggle putting on your pajamas inside your sleeping bag…" Arnold explained as he reached over to pull off his sweater.

"S-So? You got a problem with that, Football-Head?" She asked threateningly as a deep blush settled on her cheeks.

"No. I was thinking it's kind of cute. You are cute" Arnold offered as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"You think I'm cute?" Helga froze, dumbstruck.

Arnold responded by letting out a big laugh. "I haven't told you that? I'm surprised it hasn't slipped out by now. I'm basically thinking you are cute eighty percent of the time we are together." He smiled, reaching to unbutton his plaid shirt.

"Woah! W-What do you think you are doing?" Helga asked as she covered her eyes and sank back down inside her sleeping bag.

Arnold stopped unbuttoning and looked at the bundle of nerves hiding under her sleeping bag. "I'm undressing. Would you prefer if I put on my pajama inside my sleeping bag too?" Arnold asked with genuine concern.

"N-no! I mean. This is all happening so fast." She explained hurriedly.

"Helga." Arnold sighed.

"F-fine! You can change. I'll just stay hidden. Tell me when you are done." She blurted out.

Arnold smiled and resumed to take off the rest of his clothes. As much as he found her shyness endearing, he still had to remind himself to respect her boundaries, even when they seemed out of place considering the progression of their relationship.

When he finished changing into his blue pajamas, he reached over and poked at the worm-like bundle next to him. "Helga. I'm done."

Helga poked her head out, her face bright red.

"Why are you so red? Wait, were you peeking?!" Arnold smiled wide and reached to remove her hands away from her face.

"N-no! What are you talking about, Arnold-o?" Her eyes moved around frantically, avoiding meeting his.

"Helga. When you lie, you can't make eye contact." He described calmly.

"Okay fine! So I couldn't help peeking. But can you blame me? I mean, this is much better than anything I had on vide- vinyl. I have a great vinyl collection, Did I ever tell you that?" Helga blurred out, looking around nervously.

"What?" Arnold tilted his head in confusion.

'Oh, shoot. You and your big mouth. Now he's going to think you are a giant pervert if he doesn't already think so!'

"Never mind!" Helga tried to lift the cover of the sleeping bag back over her head, but Arnold stopped her attempt, holding her hands in his.

Blushing and hesitating for a moment, he reached over and covered her lips with his own. As their lips gently melted together, he felt her body begin to relax. He moved his body closer to hers, hovering above her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him down closer. At her display of acceptance, he tilted his head, exploring a new angle and sweeping his tongue between her lips, prompting her to open up for him. Slowly, she let him in. He thought he heard her whimper as he tasted her. She was so sweet and fresh. Their tongues began a sensual dance. When they pulled away, their breathing was coming out in harsh puffs. He observed her face softening, her eyes once again speaking a million words and none at all.

"Arnold." She whispered breathlessly.

"You want me." He stated matter-of-factly. "I noticed. The way you looked at me outside." He murmured as he bent his head and softly nipped at her bottom lip. She felt goosebumps as his words echoed in her ears, his soft lips teasing awake her every sense.

"You don't have to hide it, anymore. I love every part of you." He whispered, his eyes roaming her face.

"Even the weird parts?" She asked, her voice sounding small and weak.

"Especially the weird parts." He grinned as his hands started to unzip her sleeping bag. As soon as she emerged from her cocoon, he reached over to turn off the lantern.

"What about Phoebe and Tall-Hair-Boy?" Helga asked as he captured her lips once more.

"What about them?" Arnold asked in between kisses, moving down and nipping her neck. God, she was sweet. She let out a sigh.

"Ah…I mean, wont they hear us?" She asked weakly, struggling to keep a coherent thought in her mind as his lips continued their journey downward.

"I can bet they are doing the exact same thing right now. We wont tell if they don't." He chuckled and she felt a tremor envelop her as his husky voice seduced her every sense.

He helped her out of her garments. Their harsh breaths and hushed whispers and groans filled their enclosed tented space as they explored each other, hands eagerly moving in an intimate exploration.

In the darkness, his hands found her center, His tongue tortured and licked. He parted her legs and positioned his shaft at her entrance. They lost themselves as he entered her over and over, hovering above her and whispering psalms of love.

"Oh, Arnold!" Her hushed whimpers threw him over the edge, her slick center engulfed him tightly and pulsed around him as she cried out and found her climax. He was going mad with desire for this girl and he couldn't see an end in sight.

"Helga…" He groaned as his own climax erupted, joining her in a state of pure bliss.

The next morning, the couples walked along a narrow trail and explored the forest densely populated by trees. The morning sun shone bright and birds chirped all around them. Gerald and Arnold took the lead while Phoebe and Helga chatted closely behind.

"Criminy, these mosquitos are eating me alive!" Helga complained as she slapped away the mosquitos landing on her arms and surrounding her in a cloud above her head.

Arnold paused and acknowledged his girlfriend, observing her frantic attempts to slap away the pesky insects. "But why are they only picking on you?" Arnold asked worryingly as he opened his backpack and handed her a bottle of mosquito repellent.

"That is a good question, Arnold. Some people produce more of certain chemicals in their skin. Perhaps Helga is one of those people." Phoebe explained.

"Hey, guys?" Gerald announced from a few meters ahead. He moved a shrub out of the way and stepped back, revealing a swimming hole nestled in between the heavy shrubbery all around them. The group stepped in closer, observing the crystalline water in front of them.

"I knew we were close to water when we saw that deer family, plus the vegetation was growing more and more green and luscious the more we explored." Gerald explained and Phoebe sighed as she listened to her boyfriend talk about his accrued knowledge of nature.

"Geez, Geraldo, you sure firefighting is the right career for you?" Helga teased before adding, "So what are we waiting for? It's warm enough to go for a swim!"

Helga was the first to strip away her clothing to reveal her pink-and-white striped two-piece bathing suit. Phoebe followed suit, peeling away her hiking clothes to reveal her one-piece turquoise bathing suit. As the girls made their way into the water, the guys stared dumbfoundedly. Gerald was the first to snap out of his reverie, elbowing Arnold and distracting him from his blatant staring at the curvy blonde woman splashing in the water.

They had been hopeful about finding a swimming hole and prepared adequately, but the reality in front of them was better as they jumped inside the cool waters.

Laughter and chaos ensued when Gerald jumped from a nearby rock and splashed the girls in the water. Arnold swam underneath the water unnoticed and surprised Helga when he emerged and carried her bridal style before dropping her back into the water.

"Come over here, Football Head! I'll give you a taste of your medicine!" She shouted as soon as she emerged from the water, swinging her fists in the air.

In the late afternoon, after hours of swimming and playing in the water, the girls laid soaking in the sun by the shoreline. The sun was beaming, and Gerald and Arnold sat at a small picnic table located near the water and prepared sandwiches for themselves and the girls.

"Why do they get to keep sunbathing while we do the work?" Gerald asked playfully as he turned around to look at the girls napping in the beach towels.

"Because if we don't have food ready, we will have very grumpy girlfriends." Arnold explained as he remembered how grumpy Helga got whenever she was hungry.

Like clockwork, Helga approached the table a few minutes later and clasped her hands together excitedly as she observed the giant sandwich that Arnold had prepared.

"Pastrami on rye?" Helga asked in disbelief.

"Extra mustard." Arnold added proudly, presenting the sandwich to her. She looked down at the sandwich with admiration. In a wave of emotion, she reached over and hugged Arnold's head against her chest, squeezing him against her.

"Oh come here you!" She exclaimed as she held him close.

Gerald let out a laugh as he observed the couple's display and Arnold's flushed face. He then turned to face Phoebe, who'd also joined in at the table.

"Prosciutto and mozzarella for you, my lady." Gerald held out the sandwich in front of Phoebe, who retorted by kissing him lightly on the cheek, in her own discrete style.

After lunch, the group sat around chatting leisurely. Arnold looked up at the darkened clouds above their heads.

"Gerald, did you hear anything about bad weather this weekend?" Arnold asked as he observed the rapidly changing weather around them. The air picked up a chill and Helga leaned in close to him.

"Uh-oh. This is not gonna be good. We left the tents and all the equipment outside." Gerald announced as he remembered all their camping supplies waiting for them back at the camp.

Arnold contemplated their options, "It was about an hour hike. If we leave now, we might make it there on time before the rain comes down."

And standing up, the group started to scramble to pick up their belongings and put on their hiking clothes back on. Back on the trail, it was not more than 15 minutes before the rain began to descend frantically from the sky. The narrow trail became muddy and the group struggled to keep the pace. Helga and Phoebe walked ahead and held onto each other as they struggled to descend a big downward slope without slipping. Halfway down, Phoebe slipped on the muddy trail and tumbled down, accidentally dragging Helga with her.

"Phoebe! Helga!" Gerald and Arnold cried out in unison. Their heavy backpacks did not allow for much speed, and when they reached the bottom of the slope, they found Phoebe laying across Helga.

The girls sat up and looked at each other, mud covering them from head to toe.

"You cushioned my fall." Phoebe cried out in disbelief.

"Yeah, yeah. It was no big deal, Pheebs. Are you okay?" Helga asked.

"No! You cushioned my fall on purpose. I felt when you moved me." Phoebe repeated.

"Helga, is that true? Are you okay? Are you girls hurt?" Arnold pleaded, looking back and forth between them.

Phoebe stood up and Gerald came and embraced her. "Oh, thank God. I should have been the one protecting you."

"You guys had a lot to carry. We are okay, loo-Agh!" Helga yelped in pain as she tried to stand up. Arnold ran to catch her, holding out his arms to her.

"What is it, Helga?" Arnold asked frantically.

"My ankle." She pointed as she felt the searing pain radiate her foot.

Arnold carried Helga on his back the rest of the way. Phoebe continued to apologize the whole way down.

"Phoebe, if you apologize one more time, I'm going to force feed you those little biscuits you hate from the bakery down your house." Helga announced as she held on to Arnold's neck, a little too tightly, as she described her torture method.

"Ah, Helga, you are choking me." Arnold explained.

"Whoops, sorry there football- I mean, Arnold." She loosened her grip on him.

"I just gotta say, I have the coolest friend in the world." Phoebe expressed as she held onto Gerald's hand and he nodded in agreement.

As soon as the group arrived at their campsite, Arnold opened the door to his car and aided Helga in. He studied her foot and concluded that they needed ice and a bandage as soon as possible. He scrambled to help Gerald and Phoebe, putting everything back inside the trunk. The group had planned to stay another night, but with the rain falling down frantically and all of their equipment wet, that idea had been thrown out the window long before they'd even reached the camp.

They drove back into the city and in less than two hours, Arnold had dropped off Gerald and Phoebe and was now making his way to Helga's house. They arrived shortly after nightfall and as soon as he parked, he walked around and opened her door, aiding her out.

"I'm going to have to go in with you. You can't walk." Arnold explained as she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against him for support.

When he knocked on her door, Bob opened the door and looked up and down at the couple holding each other and standing completely covered in mud from head to toe.

"What the!" Bob exclaimed as he observed the young couple.

Author's Note: Arnold, let's pray you make it out of Helga's house alive! Also, I know there may be some confusion about the whole Rhonda/Harold/Patty thing, but I promise you that that plot will come back, and we may be able to get some clarity on it. Sometimes I tend to throw some plot points here and there, and plots get mixed around, but I promise I don't forget.

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Thank you all so much for your continued support! It's been so much fun sharing this journey with you all.