Chapter 9

I don't own the Hey Arnold characters……..yet.

Helga felt at peace there in Arnold's arms. It was a feeling that she fit perfectly there and it was her appointed place in the world. Her mind numbed over with an ecstasy of being wanted and needed in this world. She never felt this way really, since her family only used her when they found her convenient. But now, a place to belong, to be loved.

The kiss broke and they just stared into each others eyes for awhile. They soon untangled from each other.

"So you hungry?" Helga said, picking up her box of food.

"Yeah, thanks for getting me this, ….Cecile." Arnold said with a snicker. Helga laughed in a light manner.

"I still can't believe you fell for that. I didn't have that great of a get up on to hide my true Helga-ness." She said. Arnold thought about it for a minute.

"Well, I look back on it now and it is really dumb I didn't know. Bt back then I didn't know you had a soft side, or at least hadn't confirmed it." Arnold said and took a few bites of the duck he had gotten. "I mean now, I know you are more then just a scowl and a mean right hook."

"Yeah and now I know you are more then just a goody-two-shoes." Helga said. Arnold sighed.

"I use to like to help everyone out with their problems like back in PS 118. But then everyone started getting problems I didn't know how to deal with. Like Gerald stopped coming to me for advice because I didn't know about girlfriend troubles. Everyone else grew up faster then I did, now they kind of see me as a wimpy or sensitive." Arnold said. He hadn't had it that easy in middle school and high school either.

"Well that's good, keeps you humble." Helga said. "I mean that's what I always what I liked about you Arnold, that you were sensitive to other people. I mean besides Phoebe, you were the only person who was really concerned about my feelings ."

"So you don't think I am a wimp?" Arnold asked. Helga laughed.

"Of course I think you are a wimp! But that's a good thing, better to be a wimp then a jerk." Helga said, thinking of men like her dad and other boys.

"Yeah and you are still a bully!" Arnold said. Helga mockingly shook her fist at Arnold. They went on talking about old times as the finished there dinner. Eventually the threw all the cartons away and laid on Arnold's bed just talking. Arnold's body was feeling great thanks to the herbal rub. He even let Helga use one his arms as a pillow as they laid there. Hours went by, till it was around 10:00 pm.

"Hey Helga, could you hang on a minute, I have to go lock up downstairs. Be right back, kay?" Arnold said.

"Sure. Whatever." Helga said and Arnold slipped his arm out from under her. She smiled as he walked out the door, this evening was going great, at this rate he'll want o be her boyfriend. She went into a fantasy of her and Arnold running down a beach hand in hand. It was rudely interrupted by the phone. With out thinking Helga got up and answered it.

"Hello?" Helga said. Then that when she realized that this wasn't here phone and she should have let it ring. But since every room in the boarding house had a different line, only Arnold's friends would call this number.

"Helga?" a female voice asked on the other end.

"Yeah, who is this?" Helga asked in a defensive voice, what girl would be calling Arnold at this time of night?

"It's Phoebe. I tried calling your line, you weren't there, so I figure I would try Arnold's room." Phoebe said. Helga blushed, she was caught. Then she heard a male voice in the background.

"I told you to call there first. I knew she would be up there." Gerald's voice could be heard. Helga growled, how was he so sure of himself?

"Well what did you need to tell me?" Helga asked. Phoebe giggled on the other end.

"Actually, we were trying to judge how you two were doing." Phoebe said.

"We?" Helga asked suspiciously.

"Well Helga, it is a known fact that people tell everything to their best friend. And Arnold and Gerald are best friends." Phoebe said. Helga sighed, at this point everyone would know. "So how are things going, where is Arnold?"

"He had to go do something for the boarding house. And everything is going just fine without the use of sexy clothing or sex at all for that matter." Helga said, knowing just what they were trying to find out by calling.

"Well, that's great Helga, well Gerald and I are going over my place for a while. If anything happens, call me around 12." Phoebe said and the phone clicked off. What Gerald and Phoebe were going to be doing in that two hour span, Helga didn't want to even guess. She put down the phone, just as Arnold was walking in.

"Hey, who was that?" Arnold asked.

"Just Phoebe tracking my whereabouts, her and Gerald are scheming to make sure we get together." Helga said and walked back over to the bed and collapsed onto it. She was on her back looking right up through the skylight at the stars. Arnold walked over and laid right next to her on his side. Watching her.

"Well, I can tell you that they aren't the only one who are scheming." Arnold said and started to play with a strand of her hair.

"Who else?" Helga said and turned to see the look in Arnold's eyes. "Ohh, I see."

"Helga, I got cut off earlier, but I am going to say it now. And nothing is going to stop me. Helga, I love you!" Arnold said and leaned over on top of Helga and kissed her passionately. While still kissing her he reached over and grabbed his room remote and turned off the lights……..

(Author Note: Okay, insert Lemon scene here! Heh heh heh heh! Sorry I tried my hand at it and it was pretty lame, so I am just going to let you guys use your own kinky little minds to come up with it…..)

"HEY ARNOLD! HEY ARNOLD!" The alarm clock rang out. Arnold groaned and rolled over and smacked it off the shelf. He fell back down into his bed. He felt a warm arm wrapped around his waist. He smiled and turned over to see Helga sleeping blissfully next to him. Her face was smiling in her sleep. She didn't smile often, so it was nice to see the expression frozen on her face. Just to make sure he remembered last night correctly, he lifted the sheets and took a look under them. Yup, that wasn't a dream.

"Helga, I swear nothing can ever come between us now." Arnold said in a soothing tone. Helga smile widen.

"You know you are kind of cute when you are not lecturing me on right and wrong." Helga said and opened her eyes. Arnold seemed a little shocked.

"How long you been awake?" Arnold said. Helga sat up and flipped her hair.

"Well since your dumb alarm clock woke me up." Helga said with a laugh. She reached over Arnold to the floor and picked up her clothes. Arnold sighed.

"It's not dumb, I made it myself." Arnold said as Helga slipped back into her jeans and shirt. He whimpered, this morning he really didn't want to have to leave the comfort as bed, or Helga. But he dragged himself to the edge of the bed and grabbed a pair of sweats off a near by chair and slipped them on. "Do we really have to go to school?"

"Wow, that's something I thought I would never hear from Saint Arnold!" Helga said and walked over to the door. She unlocked it and opened it a crack. She peered out into the hallway, she could see Arnold's Grandpa standing into front of her door. "Shit!"

"What's wrong?" Arnold said walking over and taking a look. "Wonder what Grandpa is up to?"

The suddenly heard him speak.

"I swear she didn't leave the house. Arnold locked up last night after she went up stairs. So unless she crawled down a fire escape, then  I don't know why she isn't in here." Grandpa said to someone who was out of sight from their view.

"SHIT!" Helga muffled. "Who the hell is checking up on me? I thought Miriam said she wasn't coming till Friday?" Arnold was puzzled as well till a familiar voice cried out in the hallway.

"What a crock of shit! I should have known Miriam would put the girl in some place like this." Bob's voice filled the hallway. Helga clinched her fist. She had pin pointed her staying in California and her parent's divorce on Bob, since Miriam actually wrote her letters sometimes. Bob hadn't even attempted to talk to her since she left in the 6th grade.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Arnold asked. He was also pissed at Bob. When he went to the Pataiki house shortly after Helga left to ask for her new address, to write her a letter saying he was sorry. But Bob slammed the door in his face that day, and every other time he attempted.

"Well, when she gets her ass back here, give her this and tell her I'll be back later tonight." Bob said and shoved a letter into Phill's hands. With that he stormed off down the hall.

"Good for nothing Beeper Loser!" Grandpa murmured and slide the letter under Helga's door. He then left and went down the stairs.

"What does Bob want now? Most likely scared off his other wife and is trying to bum a place to sleep." Helga said. Arnold and her walked down the stairs to her room.

"He seemed pretty upset. Wonder why?" Arnold asked.

"Well, I know Olga took mom's side in the whole divorce thing, so maybe he is trying to win me over. I know Miriam won't even take his phone calls." Helga said and unlocked her door and picked up the letter. "That's odd."

"What's wrong?" Arnold said. Helga showed him the letter's envelope.

"That's Miriam's hand writing, why would Bob be delivering it?" Helga opened it and took out the letter. Arnold backed off to give her privacy. Helga read on in silence.

"Helga,

            I am sorry I couldn't tell you this in person. I am just too embarrassed. Jacob left me yesterday. It appears he was just using me. He stole every cent I had out of my account. And now he disappeared. He dropped his kids off at his ex-wife's house. He told her he finally had the money to start his new life. I am now going to go live with my friend a few miles out in the suburbs, now I have no money to let you live there. Unfortunately, there is no room for you either. I went to your father hoping he could provide a home for you, but he is unwilling to support anything I spawned. So, I know it was wrong to bring you back just for a week, but you have to go back with Olga. She has that great job and so does her boyfriend. They already agreed to take you back. They seem to really miss you a lot, so much they already bought your plane ticket back, for tonight. Sorry for such short notice, but it's all for the best Helga. I guess with your looks, you were just meant to be a California girl. I am sorry I failed you once again Helga. But Olga will always take care of you. Remember I love you. Bob will drive you to the airport since my car was also taken by Jacob. Good luck and I will write, ok?

Love your mother,

Miriam"

Helga sat there in shock. The letter fell from her hands on to the floor. Somewhere in her head she could hear Arnold asking what was wrong. But it all faded away. All she could think of was the horror of going back to California. She had finally found her place in the world, her place with Arnold. All soon to be gone.

By now Helga had blanked out and wasn't responding to Arnold. Even though he wanted to respect her privacy, he picked up the letter and read it. As he read, his eyes filled with tears. By the end he had turn away to not let Helga see the tears rolling uncontrollable. He finally stabled himself and cleared his voice.

"Helga?" No answer. "HELGA!"

"Huh?" a soft sound from her.

"Do you want to go back?" Arnold asked. Still unable to look at her.

"No." Helga uttered.

"Then you and me are going to run away, they can't take you away if they can't find you." Arnold said.

To be continued……

***sniffle**** Next chapter will be out as soon as I figure out the rest of the plot.