Author's Note: Wow. Those were some intense reviews. I'm just about
floored. I guess toeing the line of insanity works.
Anyway, I'm glad people agreed with me about the April Fools episode. I'm not the only slightly perverted mind out there, thankfully. I think that's up in my favorite episodes. And I noticed that we have yet another new Arnold—I'm glad. This one sounds much more like Toran Caudell and Phillip Van Dyke (I hope I got these names right) than Spencer Klein. Movie countdown is ticking nearer…
DropsOfJupiter…yeah, Arnold would be too "enlightened" to see a bra. But I think he was also a little distracted, and he's too much of a gentleman to look or comment. But you did alter a little of the plot in this chapter with your review…I think you'll see what I mean when you read…(I'm trying really hard not to give anything away!)
I'm glad everybody liked Curly's random appearance. He just kind of showed up and looked at me and said "What are you going to do about it?" And I said, "Hey, go ahead, man," because let's face it—I am not about to get into a power struggle with a guy who once framed his own friend for a crime because he chewed up his pencil, holed himself up in the principal's office with all the kickballs because he got passed over for ball monitor, and can sic a large amount of zoo animals on me at any given time. Besides, he's a sweet kid. Someday I will put Nate in a story. Nate is my favorite ("Helga's Show").
Ms. Prongs…wow. That's pretty much all I can say. Wait, let me get my thesaurus…Gratitude: Nouns-gratitude, gratefulness, thankfulness, indebtedness, acknowledgement, recognition, thanksgiving, thanks, praise, paean, Te Deum, worship, grace, thank-offering, requital. Verbs-be grateful, thank; give, render, return, offer, or tender thanks, acknowledge, requite, thank or bless one's [lucky] stars. Adjectives- grateful, thankful, appreciative, obliged, beholden, indebted to, under obligation. Interjections-thanks! Much obliged! Thank you! Thank Heaven! Heaven be praised! Thanks a million! Gracias! Merci!
In other words, thank you. That goes for all of my wonderful readers as well.
Houkanno Yuuhou, thanks for the lyrics. I am currently attempting to download it, and I do think it's possible I will use it in another story, but not this one, as this one is winding to a close.
About the end of the last chapter…all I will say is that some people are very clever…and thorough readers…
Disclaimer: You know what? It's not mine. But Craigers, sweetheart, if you happen to be reading this (it would be SO cool if the Craigmeister actually read fanfiction) not only do I write…and I do write script- fashion, and I am working on things for the screen right now…but I'm also an actress, so if you're looking for a voice-over artist…send me a line…I have candy…
Part XVI
"Salvation"
Helga went nearly blind with rage. She hurled herself at Eddie, heedless of her own safety. The gun dropped from his stunned fingers as she landed on him, bearing him down to the ground. She clawed at his face, striking him wildly.
Her foot knocked against something. The knife. Holding Eddie down with one hand, she reached back for the knife. Grabbing it, she pressed it against his throat.
Eddie immediately stopped struggling and pressed himself down, as if to burrow into the earth, away from the blade that threatened his jugular.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," she growled, her cold blue eyes snapping dangerously.
"You wouldn't," he gasped.
A perfectly arched eyebrow raised. "Wouldn't I?" She pressed down on the knife. A line of blood appeared at Eddie's throat.
"Helga! No!"
Helga turned her head sharply to see Arnold standing behind her, Eddie's discarded gun trained on where Eddie's heart would be, if he had one. Blood stained his side, but none poured from the small, perfectly round hole at his chest.
"But…" she breathed.
Looking a bit flabbergasted himself, Arnold reached under his shirt and pulled out something that looked like a miniature gong. There was a deep dent in it where the bullet had struck it.
"Those propellers drowned out the sound it made," he explained. He shrugged. "When Grandma gives good-luck tokens, she doesn't kid around." Then he grew serious. "Now let him go, Helga."
She turned back to Eddie, who looked like he had seen a ghost. "After all he's done to us?" she demanded angrily. "Why should I?"
She felt Arnold's smile. "It's called mercy, Helga. It's what separates people like us from people like him."
Tears began to sting her eyes. "What if I am people like him?" she wanted to know.
"I know you're not," he said softly. His voice was like a warm blanket, soothing her. "Not really."
Helga stared at Eddie for a long moment. He was silent, stoic, knowing his future was being decided.
"Please, Helga, let him go," Arnold asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "For me."
That did it. Helga stood up, removing the knife from Eddie's throat and backing away. She stood next to Arnold, letting him encircle her in his free arm.
"Get up," Arnold said contemptuously to Eddie. "I may have stopped her, but don't think that I won't kill you if you try anything."
Eddie got to his feet, slowly.
"Sit down." Arnold gestured to the chair with the gun, and Eddie went to sit there, Arnold's hand and eye following him the entire time.
"Helga, would you get some rope, please?" Arnold asked her gently. Helga gave him a quick grin and searched quickly for some rope. Finding none, she grabbed a wall hanging and used the knife to cut it into strips.
"Tie him up," Arnold commanded. Helga did as she was asked, taking a perverse pleasure in binding Eddie's hands as hard as she could. She walked back over to Arnold when she was finished.
Arnold looked levelly at Eddie, Helga's hand clasped tightly in his free one. "We are leaving now. We won't kill you, but I promise you this—if you ever come near either of us, or any of our loved ones, we will." Lowering the gun, he turned, and Arnold and Helga walked out into the sunshine.
As soon as they did, they realized where the noise of the propellers had come from. A small biplane was ripping across the dig, knocking tents over and scattering Eddie's henchmen like ninepins.
"Our ride?" Helga asked Arnold.
He grinned. "Curly."
Helga surveyed the damage caused by the plane, especially the stockade where the packhorses had been contained, now knocked over, the horses disappearing into the distance. "Yeah, it looks like his work," she agreed.
A couple of Eddie's men noticed them and ran over to them. "Hey, what are you doing?" one asked, looking at Helga. "You're supposed to be prisoner! What happened to Mr. Niles?"
Before he could say anymore, he was unconscious, decked by Helga's left fist. The other ducked around them and ran into the tent. Arnold chuckled.
"I see Old Betsy is back in business," he quipped.
Helga raised an eyebrow. "I got news for you, Arnoldo. She never left. Now come on, we've got a plane to catch."
They headed towards the plane, waving their arms wildly to attract Curly's attention. Apparently he saw them, because he headed their way. Suddenly Arnold stumbled, clutching his side. It was then that Helga noticed just how drawn and gray his face was and how weakly he'd been walking.
"Are you all right?" she asked, concerned.
"Fine," he said, clutching his side. "Just go to the plane. I'll catch up."
Helga shook her head. "Oh, no. I almost lost you—what, four times now? I'm not risking it again." She slung his arm over her shoulder, the arm on the uninjured side, and half-carried him towards the plane.
"Not bad," he said, obviously impressed by her strength. "But um…" He peered back over her shoulder. "You might want to hurry it up."
Helga tensed. "Why?"
"Because that guy let Eddie go and he's heading after us as fast as he can."
Helga glanced back. Sure enough, Eddie was charging towards them. She picked up the pace, closing the last few yards to the plane, which had stopped, faster than she thought possible. Eddie's flunkies were still shooting, and loud *pings!* echoed around her as she helped Arnold into the plane and climbed in herself. Arnold moved slowly, due to the pain of his injury and weakness from loss of blood, and Eddie had made it to the plane by the time Helga was safely inside the cockpit.
"Go, go, go!" she shouted as she squeezed in next to Arnold. Curly grinned as he accelerated.
"I see you're alive, Helga, darling. I must say it's a load off my mind," he said jovially. "You look great."
She knew he was being facetious, with her black eye and slitted torso and unwashedness, but she smiled. "Thanks ever so much, Curly babe, but you'd better floor it or I won't be for long," she tossed back.
He threw her a salute and pulled the nose of the plane up. They left the ground, soaring over the plains towards a small lake in the distance.
Helga peered out the open door of the cockpit, heedless of the winds that battered her, making her eyes water. "I can't believe it! He's climbing into the cockpit!" she shouted, her words barely audible above the winds.
True to her words, Eddie was clinging to the outside of the cockpit door, holding on for dear life. Helga was appalled at his determination to get to her and Arnold, and for a minute she was tempted to stomp on his fingers and close the cockpit door. She reached for the door…
It's called mercy, Helga. It's what separates people like us from people like him.
What if I am people like him?
I know you're not…Not really.
Please, Helga, let him go…For me.
Not understanding it herself, Helga reached down and held out her hand for Eddie's. "Grab my hand!" she called over the winds. "I'll help you up!" She felt Arnold's hand on her back and she knew he was proud of her. It was a warm, comforting feeling, having Arnold be proud of her. She felt herself glow.
Eddie stared at her, uncomprehending. "Take my hand!" she called again, seeing how desperate the situation was. Didn't he understand that he would fall in a minute—and if he fell, there was no way he could survive?
"Take it!" she repeated, shoving her hand in his face. Carefully, holding on tight with his left hand, his legs resting on the undercarriage, he reached for her hand and clasped it tightly.
Helga smiled and began to gently pull him into the cockpit. Before she could, though, a look of pure hate twisted Eddie's handsome face and he yanked, hard. She felt herself overbalance, tumbling forward, pitching headfirst out of the cabin door. She would fall the long distance to the far-off lake below and be killed upon impact, dying brutally, just when she had finally found Arnold, for real this time…
Arnold's strong arms around her waist stopped her plunge. He hauled back on her, pulling her into the cockpit, into safety. Eddie, thus unbalanced, was thrown backwards off of the undercarriage. He screamed as he fell, arms flailing, towards the black water below. He dwindled in size, a tiny dot in the distance, until he disappeared into the lake.
The force of Arnold's tug sent them both into the seat in the cockpit, careening into Curly, Helga in Arnold's lap. Curly's arms were knocked to the side and the plane tilted, causing the door to slam shut. Immediately the noise of the winds receded, leaving them safely within the cockpit.
Helga found herself safe, clasped tightly in Arnold's arms. She tried not to cry with reaction. "I tried to…to do what you said…"
"I know," he replied, kissing her neck. "I know. It's not your fault. Some people…some people are beyond help…even from me," he joked, reminding her of his goody-goody reputation as a child.
Suddenly he seemed to realize that he was holding Helga very tightly and she had only a few scraps of shirt left dangling from her body. He blushed, hard. Maybe his goody-goodyness wasn't completely grown out of yet.
"You need a shirt," he said, moving as if to take his own off. Suddenly he winced and clutched his side. Helga's brow furrowed with concern, and she pulled the rest of her shirt off and wadded it into a ball, holding it to Arnold's wound. His blush deepened.
"But…you shouldn't…I mean…" he stammered. Helga kissed him on the nose.
"You're cute," she said.
He smiled, relaxing. "You're beautiful."
Curly snorted. "You're both sickening."
Arnold and Helga glanced at each other and burst out laughing. Curly, rolling his eyes, chuckled good-naturedly. Pointing the nose of the plane back east, he headed for home.
He's not dead! Did I fool ya? You have to bear in mind that I wrote that last chapter on April Fools' Day…I even talked about the ep! It was a hint! Sillies…
Anyway, I beg you to review this, because I need twenty-three more reviews to make my goal and I have only this chapter and the epilogue left. If you're good and I get a lot of reviews, I'll post the epilogue soon; if not, I'll wait, because I really want to make 200. So review, please! (If you don't hate me for my little prank-o. I'm sorry!)
Also, I've got two short, one-chapter fics almost done, a long one about reincarnation in the developmental stage, and I'm definitely gonna write one about Nate. So let me know if you want to hear more from me or if I should just get the heck off of ff.net ASAP. Oh, how I fish for compliments…shameless, isn't it?
Anyway, I'm glad people agreed with me about the April Fools episode. I'm not the only slightly perverted mind out there, thankfully. I think that's up in my favorite episodes. And I noticed that we have yet another new Arnold—I'm glad. This one sounds much more like Toran Caudell and Phillip Van Dyke (I hope I got these names right) than Spencer Klein. Movie countdown is ticking nearer…
DropsOfJupiter…yeah, Arnold would be too "enlightened" to see a bra. But I think he was also a little distracted, and he's too much of a gentleman to look or comment. But you did alter a little of the plot in this chapter with your review…I think you'll see what I mean when you read…(I'm trying really hard not to give anything away!)
I'm glad everybody liked Curly's random appearance. He just kind of showed up and looked at me and said "What are you going to do about it?" And I said, "Hey, go ahead, man," because let's face it—I am not about to get into a power struggle with a guy who once framed his own friend for a crime because he chewed up his pencil, holed himself up in the principal's office with all the kickballs because he got passed over for ball monitor, and can sic a large amount of zoo animals on me at any given time. Besides, he's a sweet kid. Someday I will put Nate in a story. Nate is my favorite ("Helga's Show").
Ms. Prongs…wow. That's pretty much all I can say. Wait, let me get my thesaurus…Gratitude: Nouns-gratitude, gratefulness, thankfulness, indebtedness, acknowledgement, recognition, thanksgiving, thanks, praise, paean, Te Deum, worship, grace, thank-offering, requital. Verbs-be grateful, thank; give, render, return, offer, or tender thanks, acknowledge, requite, thank or bless one's [lucky] stars. Adjectives- grateful, thankful, appreciative, obliged, beholden, indebted to, under obligation. Interjections-thanks! Much obliged! Thank you! Thank Heaven! Heaven be praised! Thanks a million! Gracias! Merci!
In other words, thank you. That goes for all of my wonderful readers as well.
Houkanno Yuuhou, thanks for the lyrics. I am currently attempting to download it, and I do think it's possible I will use it in another story, but not this one, as this one is winding to a close.
About the end of the last chapter…all I will say is that some people are very clever…and thorough readers…
Disclaimer: You know what? It's not mine. But Craigers, sweetheart, if you happen to be reading this (it would be SO cool if the Craigmeister actually read fanfiction) not only do I write…and I do write script- fashion, and I am working on things for the screen right now…but I'm also an actress, so if you're looking for a voice-over artist…send me a line…I have candy…
Part XVI
"Salvation"
Helga went nearly blind with rage. She hurled herself at Eddie, heedless of her own safety. The gun dropped from his stunned fingers as she landed on him, bearing him down to the ground. She clawed at his face, striking him wildly.
Her foot knocked against something. The knife. Holding Eddie down with one hand, she reached back for the knife. Grabbing it, she pressed it against his throat.
Eddie immediately stopped struggling and pressed himself down, as if to burrow into the earth, away from the blade that threatened his jugular.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you," she growled, her cold blue eyes snapping dangerously.
"You wouldn't," he gasped.
A perfectly arched eyebrow raised. "Wouldn't I?" She pressed down on the knife. A line of blood appeared at Eddie's throat.
"Helga! No!"
Helga turned her head sharply to see Arnold standing behind her, Eddie's discarded gun trained on where Eddie's heart would be, if he had one. Blood stained his side, but none poured from the small, perfectly round hole at his chest.
"But…" she breathed.
Looking a bit flabbergasted himself, Arnold reached under his shirt and pulled out something that looked like a miniature gong. There was a deep dent in it where the bullet had struck it.
"Those propellers drowned out the sound it made," he explained. He shrugged. "When Grandma gives good-luck tokens, she doesn't kid around." Then he grew serious. "Now let him go, Helga."
She turned back to Eddie, who looked like he had seen a ghost. "After all he's done to us?" she demanded angrily. "Why should I?"
She felt Arnold's smile. "It's called mercy, Helga. It's what separates people like us from people like him."
Tears began to sting her eyes. "What if I am people like him?" she wanted to know.
"I know you're not," he said softly. His voice was like a warm blanket, soothing her. "Not really."
Helga stared at Eddie for a long moment. He was silent, stoic, knowing his future was being decided.
"Please, Helga, let him go," Arnold asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "For me."
That did it. Helga stood up, removing the knife from Eddie's throat and backing away. She stood next to Arnold, letting him encircle her in his free arm.
"Get up," Arnold said contemptuously to Eddie. "I may have stopped her, but don't think that I won't kill you if you try anything."
Eddie got to his feet, slowly.
"Sit down." Arnold gestured to the chair with the gun, and Eddie went to sit there, Arnold's hand and eye following him the entire time.
"Helga, would you get some rope, please?" Arnold asked her gently. Helga gave him a quick grin and searched quickly for some rope. Finding none, she grabbed a wall hanging and used the knife to cut it into strips.
"Tie him up," Arnold commanded. Helga did as she was asked, taking a perverse pleasure in binding Eddie's hands as hard as she could. She walked back over to Arnold when she was finished.
Arnold looked levelly at Eddie, Helga's hand clasped tightly in his free one. "We are leaving now. We won't kill you, but I promise you this—if you ever come near either of us, or any of our loved ones, we will." Lowering the gun, he turned, and Arnold and Helga walked out into the sunshine.
As soon as they did, they realized where the noise of the propellers had come from. A small biplane was ripping across the dig, knocking tents over and scattering Eddie's henchmen like ninepins.
"Our ride?" Helga asked Arnold.
He grinned. "Curly."
Helga surveyed the damage caused by the plane, especially the stockade where the packhorses had been contained, now knocked over, the horses disappearing into the distance. "Yeah, it looks like his work," she agreed.
A couple of Eddie's men noticed them and ran over to them. "Hey, what are you doing?" one asked, looking at Helga. "You're supposed to be prisoner! What happened to Mr. Niles?"
Before he could say anymore, he was unconscious, decked by Helga's left fist. The other ducked around them and ran into the tent. Arnold chuckled.
"I see Old Betsy is back in business," he quipped.
Helga raised an eyebrow. "I got news for you, Arnoldo. She never left. Now come on, we've got a plane to catch."
They headed towards the plane, waving their arms wildly to attract Curly's attention. Apparently he saw them, because he headed their way. Suddenly Arnold stumbled, clutching his side. It was then that Helga noticed just how drawn and gray his face was and how weakly he'd been walking.
"Are you all right?" she asked, concerned.
"Fine," he said, clutching his side. "Just go to the plane. I'll catch up."
Helga shook her head. "Oh, no. I almost lost you—what, four times now? I'm not risking it again." She slung his arm over her shoulder, the arm on the uninjured side, and half-carried him towards the plane.
"Not bad," he said, obviously impressed by her strength. "But um…" He peered back over her shoulder. "You might want to hurry it up."
Helga tensed. "Why?"
"Because that guy let Eddie go and he's heading after us as fast as he can."
Helga glanced back. Sure enough, Eddie was charging towards them. She picked up the pace, closing the last few yards to the plane, which had stopped, faster than she thought possible. Eddie's flunkies were still shooting, and loud *pings!* echoed around her as she helped Arnold into the plane and climbed in herself. Arnold moved slowly, due to the pain of his injury and weakness from loss of blood, and Eddie had made it to the plane by the time Helga was safely inside the cockpit.
"Go, go, go!" she shouted as she squeezed in next to Arnold. Curly grinned as he accelerated.
"I see you're alive, Helga, darling. I must say it's a load off my mind," he said jovially. "You look great."
She knew he was being facetious, with her black eye and slitted torso and unwashedness, but she smiled. "Thanks ever so much, Curly babe, but you'd better floor it or I won't be for long," she tossed back.
He threw her a salute and pulled the nose of the plane up. They left the ground, soaring over the plains towards a small lake in the distance.
Helga peered out the open door of the cockpit, heedless of the winds that battered her, making her eyes water. "I can't believe it! He's climbing into the cockpit!" she shouted, her words barely audible above the winds.
True to her words, Eddie was clinging to the outside of the cockpit door, holding on for dear life. Helga was appalled at his determination to get to her and Arnold, and for a minute she was tempted to stomp on his fingers and close the cockpit door. She reached for the door…
It's called mercy, Helga. It's what separates people like us from people like him.
What if I am people like him?
I know you're not…Not really.
Please, Helga, let him go…For me.
Not understanding it herself, Helga reached down and held out her hand for Eddie's. "Grab my hand!" she called over the winds. "I'll help you up!" She felt Arnold's hand on her back and she knew he was proud of her. It was a warm, comforting feeling, having Arnold be proud of her. She felt herself glow.
Eddie stared at her, uncomprehending. "Take my hand!" she called again, seeing how desperate the situation was. Didn't he understand that he would fall in a minute—and if he fell, there was no way he could survive?
"Take it!" she repeated, shoving her hand in his face. Carefully, holding on tight with his left hand, his legs resting on the undercarriage, he reached for her hand and clasped it tightly.
Helga smiled and began to gently pull him into the cockpit. Before she could, though, a look of pure hate twisted Eddie's handsome face and he yanked, hard. She felt herself overbalance, tumbling forward, pitching headfirst out of the cabin door. She would fall the long distance to the far-off lake below and be killed upon impact, dying brutally, just when she had finally found Arnold, for real this time…
Arnold's strong arms around her waist stopped her plunge. He hauled back on her, pulling her into the cockpit, into safety. Eddie, thus unbalanced, was thrown backwards off of the undercarriage. He screamed as he fell, arms flailing, towards the black water below. He dwindled in size, a tiny dot in the distance, until he disappeared into the lake.
The force of Arnold's tug sent them both into the seat in the cockpit, careening into Curly, Helga in Arnold's lap. Curly's arms were knocked to the side and the plane tilted, causing the door to slam shut. Immediately the noise of the winds receded, leaving them safely within the cockpit.
Helga found herself safe, clasped tightly in Arnold's arms. She tried not to cry with reaction. "I tried to…to do what you said…"
"I know," he replied, kissing her neck. "I know. It's not your fault. Some people…some people are beyond help…even from me," he joked, reminding her of his goody-goody reputation as a child.
Suddenly he seemed to realize that he was holding Helga very tightly and she had only a few scraps of shirt left dangling from her body. He blushed, hard. Maybe his goody-goodyness wasn't completely grown out of yet.
"You need a shirt," he said, moving as if to take his own off. Suddenly he winced and clutched his side. Helga's brow furrowed with concern, and she pulled the rest of her shirt off and wadded it into a ball, holding it to Arnold's wound. His blush deepened.
"But…you shouldn't…I mean…" he stammered. Helga kissed him on the nose.
"You're cute," she said.
He smiled, relaxing. "You're beautiful."
Curly snorted. "You're both sickening."
Arnold and Helga glanced at each other and burst out laughing. Curly, rolling his eyes, chuckled good-naturedly. Pointing the nose of the plane back east, he headed for home.
He's not dead! Did I fool ya? You have to bear in mind that I wrote that last chapter on April Fools' Day…I even talked about the ep! It was a hint! Sillies…
Anyway, I beg you to review this, because I need twenty-three more reviews to make my goal and I have only this chapter and the epilogue left. If you're good and I get a lot of reviews, I'll post the epilogue soon; if not, I'll wait, because I really want to make 200. So review, please! (If you don't hate me for my little prank-o. I'm sorry!)
Also, I've got two short, one-chapter fics almost done, a long one about reincarnation in the developmental stage, and I'm definitely gonna write one about Nate. So let me know if you want to hear more from me or if I should just get the heck off of ff.net ASAP. Oh, how I fish for compliments…shameless, isn't it?