A/N: This is where the crazy dreams make sense! There will be more… just hold yer horses! J/K…. keep letting me know what you think of it… it really helps!
Ack… Family!
By: ChickenGoddess
The Realization
When he was certain that Arnie had gone to sleep, Arnold telephoned the Hyerdahls and talked to Helga, making sure she was all right. She affirmed that she would be fine. She'd have to steer clear of Arnie tomorrow and for the remainder of his visit and everything would be fine. The shock was finally wearing off on her, or so she said, but Arnold was more agitated than ever. He'd hung up the phone and walked back into his room where Arnie slept on Gerald's couch. He looked at his sleeping cousin and a pang of alien emotion shot through him. It was strangely familiar, though he could not recall feeling it often. He had felt it when he liked Lila and she was all over Arnie… not hurt, but jealous. That was it. Jealousy surged through him as he remembered seeing his cousin knocking on Helga's door, a bouquet of flowers clutched in his free hand. Yes, he was jealous. But why? What did Arnie have that made him feel this way? He sighed in frustration. His head was aching and he just wanted to sleep. In the morning things would make sense, he hoped.
He awoke in the familiar blackness of the dream world he had come to know over the last few nights. Only now, he was not anxious to leave the void where he resided. Tonight, it was calm. Arnie wasn't here. Arnold set out, his only goal was to find Helga. She would be here, somewhere. He always managed to find her in this dream. Sure enough, there she was, casually leaning against something the darkness had hidden.
"Hey, Helga." He said.
"Oh. I suppose you came to ask me how you can get out of here."
"No."
Helga looked surprised. "Then why did you find me?"
"I guess I knew you'd be here." He aid truthfully. After all, she had been there when he had least expected it. Like when Lila rejected him… he was certain she would rub it in and storm off, but instead she acted as company. "I wanted to find you."
Helga looked hopeful.
Arnold couldn't help but smile.
"Why are you smiling?" She asked.
He didn't have a clue in the world. "I don't know." He said, smiling wider.
"You're pretty dense, Football Head."
"I know. I know." He said, overwhelmed with emotion. He didn't know what it was, but he'd never felt like this before.
"Arnie gives Helga attention… I get mad… Arnie loves Helga… I get jealous…I'm jealous because Arnie loves Helga! But why? …" He thought.
Suddenly, he saw Helga and himself standing on the roof of some building. She wore a trench coat and he was dressed in a suit… this was FTI! He watched the two of them play out the scene, just as it had been.
Then it clicked.
As Helga grabbed him into the kiss he was certain he would never forget so long as he lived, he knew this feeling had a name and he knew what it was. He blinked and the flashback was gone. In its place stood Helga.
"I love you." He said simply.
"You… what?"
"I love you." He said, smiling. "I love being with you. I love Helga the Bully and I love Helga the Romantic. I love you." How freely these words came now that he would admit them! He had been in love with her since she confessed, he just hadn't known it.
Helga smiled.
A blinding flash of light illuminated the blackness he had stumbled through nights before. He looked back at Helga, who strangely resembled the impersonator of his French pen pal, Cecil. Her hair was down in a natural wave, her infamous pink bow tied in the blond locks. Her attire was her usual pink dress. She stood shyly, as if not knowing what to say.
Wordlessly, she held out her hand.
He slowly reached out and returned the gesture. She silently led him through the darkness as if she had mastered the geography of the darkness. Oddly enough, they came to a brown door and Helga turned the knob and stepped out, Arnold following suit. He shielded his eyes from the brightness until they adjusted to the light. When they did, he realized that they were inside Mr. Simmons empty 4th grade classroom.
"You knew the way out… the whole time?" He asked.
Helga simply nodded.
"Why didn't you show me?"
"I already had…" She confessed in a sweet, mellow voice that could only belong to Hilda.
"Hilda?" He asked.
"…Hilda was everything I wouldn't let you see. This is the real me… as I want to be."
"Why did you stay in that place for so long?" he asked.
"I waited for you."
"But why?"
"Because I wanted to." She confessed. "I love you. And even though you're dense, I knew you'd figure it out eventually."
Arnold smiled with a hint of blush. "So… what do we do now?"
"That's your call, Football Head." She said in an affectionate joke.
"You're never going to stop with the 'Football Head' jokes are you?" He laughed.
"Probably not… but you know I'm just playing." She teased.
Arnold rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Helga."
She smiled, a beautiful expression he had seen her seldom wear.
Before he was conscious of his actions, he had swept her into a kiss.
Once they had pulled back, Helga had a goofy grin plastered to her face and Arnold was loopy as ever, unbelieving, but satisfied with his action.
"Hey Arnold." She said.
"Hey Arnold- Hey Arnold- hey Arnold-" His alarm clock called, waking him from his fantasy dream world.
Always during the good dreams.
This morning, he wasn't jealous of Arnie in the least. He had Helga's affections and Arnie didn't. Arnie could offer her all the gold in China, but Helga would still prefer Arnold even under the worst conditions.
"Bye Grandma, bye Grandpa!" Arnold called, flying out the door with his cousin trailing behind.
"See you later, Short Man!"
"Peace out, Happenin' Dudes!" Grandma called. Today she was John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever.
They boarded the bus, and before Arnie could get even a look at the object of his affections Lila had grabbed him into the seat beside her, giggling as she did so.
Arnold collapsed smiling into the seat next to his best friend.
"What happened? Did Arnie die?"
"What?! No, he's up front, Gerald."
"Why are you so happy then?"
"…No reason." He replied, that stupid smile all over his face.
Gerald gave an exaggerated sigh. "Who is it this month?"
"What do you mean?"
"Who are you crushing on now?"
"No one."
"Liar."
"I'm serious. I'm in love with her…"
Gerald moaned. "Here we go again."
"This one likes me back."
"When were you planning on telling me this? 'Uh hey, Gerald, I'm getting married in 5 minutes and I want you to be the Best Man'?"
"No… it's just… I haven't told her yet."
"Hold on a minute!" Gerald said, confused. "You love her, and she loves you but you haven't told her you love her yet? What's going on?!"
"Never mind… I'll tell you later."
"Good, 'cause this is too confusing for me." He replied. "Hey… where's Phoebe?"
Arnold looked around. "She and Helga aren't on the bus?"
"Nope."
"Phoebe's mother probably took them to school." Arnold concluded.
"Why? What happened?"
"Arnie kinda… professed his undying love to Helga last night."
"You're kidding, right?"
Arnold affirmed that he was indeed serious.
"Poor girl…" Gerald lamented. "There are few times I will feel bad for Helga G. Pataki, but this one beats them all."
"She's not so bad, Gerald."
"We are talking about the same Helga G. Pataki, right? The bully? The girl who's always calling you 'Football head' and 'Paste-for-Brains' and throwing endless numbers of spitballs at you?"
"She doesn't mean it. She's done a lot of nice things too."
"Like what?" Gerald replied skeptically.
"She got her dad to fund the float, she helped save Mighty Pete, she helped me realize that Summer was using me, helped me with the sandcastle competition, she took the four of us out to dinner when she could have taken anyone, and she risked everything to help us save the neighborhood."
"You like Helga, don't you?"
"Is it that obvious?" Arnold blushed.
"Yeah, man. Sorry."
"Why am I the last one to realize these things?"
"That doesn't matter. When you talk to Helga… can you maybe… ask her… if… uh…" Gerald blushed, nervously scratching the back of his neck.
"Sure I'll ask about Phoebe for you."
Gerald smiled as his face reddened. "Thanks, man."
The bus stopped. Today would be one for the history books.