The form of this chapter is a little unusual, but I like it very much. I hope you will enjoy it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER 7 – WALKING TROUGH FIRE
10 YEARS EARLIER
Helga knew that her family probably noticed she was missing by now, but she couldn't care less. Once again, they pushed her over the edge. They just could not shut up about her "ruining her life." Ever since their precious Olga got engaged to that talented young director with high hopes, Arnold never seemed to be good enough for them.
They forbid Helga to go on a trip with Arnold for the long weekend, they wanted her to go to the mountains with her family and Bob's business partners where the obviously wanted to set him up with Mr. Jefferson's son, the self-obsessed pretty boy. Helga didn't know, but they were scared to let her be alone with Arnold for such a long time.
Helga took off on the motorcycle Big Bob had gotten her for her birthday. This bike had made her one of the coolest people in her high school. There had been some cool "bad boys" with motorcycles in the school, but when she rolled in on her bike she instantly became most badass chick in town. Her ride was cool in spite (or maybe because of) of its pink paintwork. The color had gone well with all everything she wore, and the fancy yellow "Rogue Angel" sign on it matched her character as well. Helga originally wanted to call "The Old Betsy" but Phoebe had convinced her that it sounded like something that one would name an old car or a pirate ship.
Arnold was waiting for her in front of Sunset Arms. His grandparents had had no problem with Helga, for some reason they liked Helga very much. They actually knew she had a crush on Arnold long before she had confessed it to anyone. Once grandpa said to Arnold: "Helga has that kind of fire inside of her, the same fire that most of our family has had."
Of course that it was probably that fire, that intensity that had killed Arnold's parents.
She parked her bike next to Arnold, and took her helmet off.
"Hello hair-boy," she said, as she kissed him. Two months passed since the school-famous "Cafeteria Kiss". It was the official start of their relationship, since then they were almost constantly together.
Helga looked at Arnold who had appeared to be over-packed.
"He must have packed a lot of clothes," she thought. "Stupid dwarf. He's not gonna need them!"
After much thinking about Arnold and the trip Helga had come to a decision: this was going to be the night that she would give herself to Arnold. Arnold had never rushed her; he thought they were too young for it. But Helga knew that even if his mind said no that his raging hormones would say yes a lot louder. And she... well, such had been her fantasy for so long.
"Hey Helga," he said after their long kiss ended. "Excuse me for a moment," he said, as he turned around, and looked up to one of the dark windows. "Mr. Kokoshka, stop peaking!" he shouted. Helga sensed some movement of the curtains, but she wasn't sure of anyone had actually been there or not.
"So, can we go now?" he asked.
"Yeah, jump on," she said, as she gave him the second helmet. A few minutes later they were on their way toward the freeway. It had still seemed strange to him, to sit on the back of the motorcycle while his girlfriend drove. It always seemed like it was supposed to be the other way, like some common law. Seeing them like this, his friends would always crack stupid, childish jokes that would often question Arnold's masculinity and Helga's femininity.
"Hey, Football Head!" she said, over the purr of the engine. "I was thinking: What if we decided not to take the rooms tonight? What if we just take our sleeping bags and, you know, sleep on the shore, under the stars...it would be kind of romantic."
"Geez Helga. I don't know if it's a good idea," Arnold said, he was bit afraid.
"Hey, I know you always liked to watch the sky and daydream. This would be kind of like daydreaming too... only at night..." Helga laughed.
"You doesn't make any sense Helga, you know that, right?" he said. As they entered the freeway the bike got a bit louder, it had become a bit more difficult to hear each other.
"Stop being a smartass Hair boy." – she said.
It was pretty hard for to her to talk Olga into buying them the necessary means of protection. She freaked out a little bit, but Helga convinced her to do it. Helga wouldn't do it herself in a zillion years; she found it way too embarrassing.
"Helga, I don't know what you are planning tonight, but I'm don't know if I am ready yet..." he said. Helga could hear a bit of anxiety and fear in his voice. She pulled to the side of the road and turned off the noisy vehicle. She took off her helmet and turned to Arnold who did the same.
"Arnold, honey, do you really think I would push you to do something you don't want to?" she asked as she gazed deep into his eyes.
"To be honest.... Yeah, I kind of think that," he said, smiling. Helga leaned closer to him and she gave him her first, what she liked to call a, "turn-on" kiss. When the kiss ended Arnold sat there in awe for a moment that was when he realized he had completely changed his mind about not being ready.
Twenty minutes later they took a turn toward the town of Mountwood. They immediately found themselves enveloped by the smell of the ocean. They were two teenagers in love, and for the first time, it was just the two of them, alone. The world couldn't have been more perfect. Nothing could possibly go wrong. At least until the moment they pulled into the hotel parking lot, where the sinister form of Bob's SUV appeared from the shadows, He had been waiting for them.
Helga stopped her bike in the surprise, when the huge shape of Big Bob emerged from the car. For a moment Helga caught the sight of Olga sitting in the car too. She looked pretty nervous. So, after some thinking, she decided to protect the innocence of her little sister. It was a huge mistake to trust her. That would never happen again.
"Good evening little missy," Bob said. "What the hell were you thinking, sneaking out like some criminal trying to escape confinement?"
"You didn't let me any choice Bob," Helga said and Arnold stared at her.
"You didn't tell your parents your coming?" he asked in shock.
"No. They forbid me. But I told Miss Trustworthy over there where we were going, big mistake!" she said, glaring at Olga who was sitting in the car, crying.
"I'm fed up with you Helga!" Bob said. He always remembered her name when he was angry. He turned to Arnold. "What the hell did you do to my daughter? She has never done anything like this before! And if what I hear is true and you have seduced my daughter I will..." Helga exploded into laughter before Bob was even able to finish his sentence.
"Oh my Bob, where have you been in the last few years?" she asked. "I have been sneaking out since I was eight. You wouldn't have even known what was going on if it weren't for the fact that I had forgotten to tell Phoebe to cover for me!" she said. "And about the seduction... if anything I would be the one seducing him... besides, Hair-Boy here is such a wuss he wouldn't get into my pants if I begged him," she said, and then, she did an imitation of Arnold with a small, girly voice "I'm not ready yet! It isn't right!" Bob's face just twisted in horror – so did Arnold's.
"That's it missy! Get into the car!" he said.
"No!" Helga said. Arnold felt a little sorry for Big Bob, and the Pataki family in general... Even if they weren't the most perfect parents, dealing with Helga, especially since she passed the age of 13, must be pretty exhausting.
"You should do as he says," Arnold said.
"Would you stop being such a..."
"Into the car, or we will sell the bike!" Bob said. He had finally had some sort of effect on her. Helga's eyes went very sharp.
"You son of a..."
"God damnit, Helga, don't make this worst! Get into the car!" Arnold said and Helga looked at him.
"I hate you so much Arnold! Why can't you just stand up for me?" she asked as she walked angrily toward Bob's car. As she entered the car she glared at her sister.
"Did you know, in hell the best places are reserved for traitors?" she hissed.
"I'm sorry sis, but I thought..." Olga said.
"Save this 'sister act' please. We tried that, and now I can see this will never work. So do me a favor, and never talk to me again!" she said. Her cruelty surprised Arnold so much that he hadn't even paid attention what Bob had just said to him.
"Hey, listen to me Armand!" Bob said again. "Drive the bike back to our house, will ya?"
"Excuse me sir, but... I don't have a driver's license," he said, embarrassed, but deep inside he was thankful for that... He wouldn't have to ride a pink bike with the sign "Rogue Angel" through the city.
"Jesus Helga, you were right. What a wuss!" Bob said as he drove his car away. He was so angry, he just left Arnold and the Rogue Angel alone in the dark parking lot, miles away from Hillwood.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was the first time Arnold and Helga had broken up. Gerald and Harold had come to Arnold's rescue and together the three of them left back to Hillwood. Harold had his motorcycle license so he rode the bike back, he looked pretty funny sitting on the pink motorcycle, it had suited Helga much more so.
Arnold tried to talk to her several times in the next few days, but Helga refused it until Monday, when he caught her on the school corridor.
"Helga, listen I'm sorry, but..."
"Stop stalking me hair-boy! I'm so angry with you! I had to listen to Bob preaching all weekend. And it wasn't the worst part! Miriam and Olga felt that a little bit of sex education was in order. This could have been the best three days of our life but instead it was the worst! But do you know what pisses me off the most? The fact that you took Bob's side and not mine!" Helga growled.
"I just thought it was better, they are your parents and you lied to them!" Arnold said and Helga just glared at him.
"Listen Arnoldo, I don't care who was right, okay? If you ever want to be with me you have to understand this: It is always me against them, it always was and always will be! If you are supposed to be my boyfriend then you need to show it. I need you to take my side!" she said and Arnold nodded.
"You're right Helga. I'm so sorry," he leaned in and tried to kiss her, but Helga shoved him away.
"Cut it out! Criminy! I'm really not in a mood right now!" she said as she walked away with Phoebe.
It took Arnold all week to get Helga to the "kissing mood" again. They didn't lose their virginity for another two months. So, there were no serious consequences. But this was only their first break up in a very long line.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 YEARS LATER
Arnold had gotten pretty bored of Washington. He escaped from Lila early, so he had a lot of time to kill. So, he went sightseeing, but unfortunately he seen the city a thousand times. They always met here. He felt at home at NYU. The climate of New York City was so similar to Hillwood that some mornings he would wake up and he could swear he was back in Washington. The only difference was the fact that he usually woke up next to Lila.
Arnold had one reason to go to New York and one reason alone... to see Helga again. She was studying there; it had been rather easy to meet there without the danger of people seeing them.
He sat on the lawn next to the hot-dog stand to wait for her, he loved the smell of hot-dogs; so mouthwatering.
They had some meetings like this in the past few months, ever since that one spring day where they ran into each other on the beach. On that day Arnold felt his old love for Helga burning so brightly that he had wanted to break up with Lila in that moment and almost did. But then Lila called saying that her only living relative, her father, had died, and he just couldn't do it to her in that situation. There was also another reason why he didn't go with Helga. He remembered all those times that he was going with Helga; they had gotten into such horrible fights. They had such a harmonic relationship the way things were at that moment. He wasn't around her all the time to fight with her. They kept in touch only through email and only met in person a few times.
"I'm cheating on my girlfriend," Arnold thought. He had never really thought that through. He just couldn't understand why he was doing it; he wasn't the kind of guy who would cheat. He was about to fall into another state of deep contemplation but then he saw Helga. She had just stepped out of a cab, yelling at the driver for one reason or another as she slammed the yellow door. She even looked beautiful when she was angry and yelling at someone. Her golden blonde hair was cut short in whispy layers. She was wearing a pair of pink shorts and a tight, white shirt. A group of guys passing by couldn't help but turn their heads to check her out.
"Criminy! Put those eyes back in your sculls!" she said, smiling. She winked at them. They all had dopey smiles on their faces. Arnold felt himself getting a bit jealous, which was absurd, he was with sleeping with Lila; he didn't care who Helga won the affections of. He stood up and Helga walked over to him. They kissed without a word. Arnold always enjoyed her kisses they were so different from Lila's gentle kisses he got day after day. When Helga kissed him it was like a fire, intense. He often felt like they were closer than anyone else ever could be. He often felt like he would be able to read her mind while they kissed.
"What's wrong honey?" Arnold asked, as Helga pulled back from the kiss.
"Nothing... I just..." she peered around suspiciously. "I just had a strange feeling... like... we were being watched."
"Hey, I think you are becoming a bit paranoid. Listen to me, if you feel bad about this whole thing and don't want to..."
"Cut that out, Hair-boy! When have I ever been able to say 'no' to you?" she asked, smiling. She took his hand and led him up to the apartment she had been sharing with Phoebe since they started college.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They had been having a pretty good time up in Helga's room but they also felt the need for a little air. The whole city seemed to be a lot more interesting with Helga around.
"We need to talk Arnold," Helga said as they were getting dressed after the shower they had taken together. "We really need to talk. Let's go out for a walk," she said again.
They met Phoebe in the corridor. She wasn't too surprised to see Arnold there. Helga explained things to her then left with Arnold. A huge smile spread across Phoebe's face as she saw the two blondes trying to avoid her sight. When they got outside Helga turned serious, well as serious as she could get.
"Listen Football-Head. I have made an important decision, and I want you to be the first one who hears it," she said. "After collage I'm going to Quantico."
"What for?" Arnold didn't get it.
"You know... Quantico... FBI Academy... Ring any bells?" she asked.
"Well this is... nice..." Arnold mumbled, sarcastically. "Helga, are you out of your ever-lovin' mind? This is nuts!" Arnold threw his arms up in the air.
"Why?" Helga glared at him.
"You're an artist Helga! You have wanted to be a writer forever," he said. "What changed?"
"I did... I grew up Football-Head. Things are... different now, much different then the way they were when we were kids," Helga sighed, looking to the ground.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know, life, family...us. Don't get me wrong Arnold; what we have now is great. It's just not what I have dreamed of... It's not really very inspirational," she said, looking back up into his eyes.
"So you're not going to write because we're not together?" Arnold asked, not believing what he was hearing. This was ridiculous.
"It's not that Arnold... I just noticed that life is... not exactly as vibrant and colorful as I once imagined... It's more of a shade of gray; dull and boring and I don't really feel like writing about it."
"Okay," he said. "I understand if you have a writer's block or something... but why the FBI?"
"It suits me okay? At least I could do something good. I took a few tests and they said I would be just the kind of person the academy would seek out."
"Yeah," he sighed, it saddened him that Helga would just drop her art like that.
"So I was thinking, when collage is over... it would be the best if we would move on with our life. You know... stop seeing each other this way... It doesn't lead anywhere, and to be honest it's killing me inside," she said.
She was right of course. Arnold knew that they wouldn't be able to see each other behind Lila's back forever. He would have to choose between the woman he loves, and the woman he can be with.
"I guess you're right," Arnold said sadly. Helga smiled at him.
"Criminy Hair-Boy, do something with that look on you're face! We have plenty of time left! Good times!" she said as she kissed him. And she was right again; very good times did lie ahead.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TWO YEARS LATER
Helga and Arnold were sitting in their favorite café in Hillwood. Every morning they drank a cup of coffee there before they went to work. Actually, Arnold never drank coffee, he was a tea person but he tried to hide it.
It was nice place that was close to their apartment, and it was easy to catch a cab from there. Since Arnold never had bothered getting his driver's license for various reasons, it was essential for them.
Six months had passed since they sent Brainy into the Miller institute. Helga and Arnold had found perfection in Hillwood. Since they had gotten back together things were at their all time highest, they lived happily with little to no arguments and they moved back to Hillwood so that they could be close to all of their friends and Helga's family.
Of course, Helga was the bad sister again since they discovered she had dumped the rich and famous Joshua Flanders for Arnold, but she didn't let it bother her, she had a pretty good relationship with Olga at the time.
Arnold dumped Lila too, but since he and Helga were pretty sure that she was the one who sent those pictures to Brainy, and tried to make him kill both of them, Arnold didn't feel so guilty about it.
"I still can't believe it! How could you do that?" Helga asked.
"Hey, I'm a charming fella!"
"Eh, your a Football headed dwarf with yellow hair," Helga said as she took a sip of her coffee. "But you do seem to have a way with the ladies. I mean... you talked princess Lloyd into a bowling match with us! This is... exceptional! What will they say in the yacht club?"
"Well, Harold will be there you know, and I thought..." Arnold said quietly.
"Oh my god, Arnoldo! Why would you want to do that? Just because our little fairytale ended so well, you want to go around posing as cupid? That's a bit childish." Helga laughed.
"I know, but... I have learned that is never too late. Never!" he smiled and she smiled back at him. They were madly in love with each other.
"You're right. Maybe you were right all along with that childish positive attitude of yours. I mean, things are working out! It's all fine in the end!" Helga said.
"This is not the end Helga. It's the beginning," Arnold said as he reached over and grasped her hand in his and looked deeply into her eyes.
"We're getting lame here," Helga said, jerking away, laughing.
"Yeah, I'm feeling it too," he said laughing. "And, we're going to be late!" he said and stood up. He was working for the Hillwood Journal and Helga, since she retired from the FBI with 0 actions, was working on a book. There were many interested publishers, most of them knew of her because she used to date the great Joshua Flanders.
Her whole life was all coming together. There had only been one piece missing that would make their happiness complete. Phoebe was currently missing from their lives, she had decided to stay New York at first they had been very saddened by her decision but things changed a few months later when she suddenly decided she would move back to Hillwood. She just couldn't make it alone in the big city; it was too overwhelming. Maybe she was depending on Helga too much but it was understandable, they had been inseparable since they were in elementary school. Her reasons for coming back didn't matter; the important thing was that she was back. There were no longer any clouds hanging in Arnold and Helga's perfect, blue sky.
"Listen, I could be late from bowling. It's Tuesday you know," Helga said. Tuesday was the day when he visited Brainy in the Miller institute every week. Arnold really admired her for that.
"Okay. But without you the team doesn't stand a chance. You see, my eyes are too far from each other to aim well, and Gerald is just staring at Phoebe all the time," he said, winking. "So we need you there."
"Okay, I'll be there by six," Helga said.
"Make it five thirty," he countered.
"Only if you give me a foot massage after the match Arnoldo."
"Deal." Arnold said, shaking on it. Helga turned to walk out the door. "Oh! And Helga," he said.
"Yes?" she turned and looked at him.
"Will you marry me?" he asked casually, albeit seriously.
"Hell yeah!" Helga said, leaving no time for breath between his proposal and her response.
"Okay, that's settled too. Let's go to work," he said and he kissed his girlfriend, no, fiancé.
Arnold smiled. He had just proposed out of nowhere hadn't he? He didn't even realize how much he wanted to marry her until he asked her. He had wondered if maybe he should have planned it out a bit and asked her during a romantic dinner, dance under the moonlight or nighttime stroll. But then he decided that it was better the way he just did it. They had too many romantic and somewhat cheesy moments like that in their life; things were starting to feel too rehearsed. Obviously there was nothing wrong with the way he did it, she had said yes without a moment's hesitation.
Arnold went to work the happiest guy in the world. He was about as happy as Helga, who couldn't quite say a word all afternoon due to the super-sized smile on her face. Life was good.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TWO WEEKS LATER - PRESENT DAY
It was the middle of the night when the telephone rang. Both blondes had been having the nicest of dreams about each other.
"Arnoldo, get the goddamn phone..." Helga mumbled in her sleepy state.
"No way," he said. He was not entirely awake either. "You get it."
"I'm gonna kill you..." Helga grumbled, probably completely unaware of what she was saying. Arnold decided it was better if he answered the phone, after waking Helga up in the middle of the night the caller would probably receive some much unwanted death threats from the half-awake blonde woman.
"Hey, Arnold and Helga's residence. This better be important," he said in an irritated tone of voice. There was a small moment of silence before the caller answered.
"Arnold..." It was Lila.
"Lila? It's the middle of the night, I so can't do this right now," he said.
"Please! Listen to me just this once!" she pleaded in desperation. Arnold had been pretty angry with her. As soon as he heard about the photos in Brainy's room he was sure Lila sent them.
She had probably also read his e-mails when they were together which is how she would know when and where Arnold and Helga were meeting and followed him, taking the pictures. And though it was horrible that he had cheated on her he didn't try to kill anybody. Lila had. Lila tried to kill them, she sent a madman after them to get revenge.
"Not now Lila. It's the not the time for this," he said again.
"Listen, I may still be mad as hell for you cheating on me, but I don't want you to get hurt! You must believe me! You and Helga are probably in danger!" Lila cried.
"What are you talking about?" Arnold gave the phone a strange look, as if she could see him.
"I didn't send those pictures! You must believe me! It was someone else, and they are still out there! And they are probably really close to you!" Lila said in a quick and panicky voice.
"We've been trough this Lila..." Arnold groaned in frustration.
"Yeah, but you never listen to a word I say! If it's not me then someone else wants you dead! And it wasn't me Arnold! I would never do such a thing! You should know that! Do you really think that if I had known you were cheating on me that I would have stayed with you?" Lila asked.
There was a short period of silence.
"No," he said finally. She had a good point, but it was just as easily a lie.
"Watch your back, Arnold. I heard that you and Helga got engaged. Do you remember what happened when you and I got engaged? All hell broke loose," she said.
"Thank... Thanks Lila,"
"You're a bastard, I hope you know that," she said as she hung up the phone.
Arnold wanted to believe that it was her who took those photos. He wanted to deal with the devil he knew.
He looked at the peaceful, sleeping face of Helga. She never seemed so peaceful when she was awake. As she slept the fire and all that wildness was gone and only the dreamer, the lover, and the artist remained.
He was actually frightened by the possibility, that he could die, and therefore, he could never see Helga again. He leaned his head back to his pillow, but was unable to sleep for several hours. Whenever he closed his eyes, he seemed to hear the strange and sick wheezing of a madman in the dark.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, what do you think? I hope the AH history is understandable. There are many hints to flashbacks from previous chapters, and they are coming together.
I enjoy writing teenage Helga and Arnold so much! I'm thinking about launching a prequel or something. :)
