(Scene 1)

Arnold and Helga sat on a bench in the park across the street from the restaurant. Arnold had an ice pack over his right temple, where a small bump had been forming.

Helga was sitting with her arms crossed, one would think in anger. The reality, however, was she was cold. The breeze had picked up, a sign from god she was sure, and she was cold.

She had quickly paid the bill, asking for an ice pack, and then left with Arnold not too far behind her. They hadn't spoken a word to each other besides agreeing not to go home yet. There was about a foot and a half in-between them. Helga trying to stay warm was ignoring whatever had just happened.

Arnold, however, had an ice pack on his head, a scowl on his face, and a million thoughts racing through his mind. Less then twenty minutes ago he was a single, childless man. Less then twenty minutes ago he was a happy, free, do whatever I want whenever I want, man. And now, he was a father and a one-night stand. How could one petite, blonde woman do this to a man? She had a Ph.D. and charisma skills, that is how one woman could do this to a man.

He sighed and looked over to Helga who was slightly shivering and staring down at the ground. Of all the days to ignore his horoscope.

Helga was trying to think of something to tell Riley. She had never lied to him before. Well maybe telling him, when he was four, his father was a space cadet was somewhat far fetched, but hell, he believed it. He knew that his parents had had differences. Like, Arnold wanted to forget about it and Helga didn't. But Helga had a feeling that Riley just wasn't going to take this well.

What kid would?

She felt something rub against her arm. She turned to see Arnold looking forward, his arm outstretched with his jacket held out for her.

"Thank you." She said softly. He nodded, still not looking at her, or the direction she sat in.

Again, in a perfect world, he would have looked at her.

But this was no perfect world.

Helga sighed, taking in the scent of his jacket. He smelt like clean linen fresh out of the dryer.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She looked over at him, surprised by the action and tone of his voice. His eyes were focused on something in the distance, but his energy was all on her.

"When was I suppose to? I found out two months after I moved to Illinois. You told me that it never happened, that we should forget about it. So logically, of course, my first reaction was to call you and say, "Hey Arnold! Guess what, I'm pregnant! Go figure." Who the hell would do that? How could I tell a person who thought it was a mistake, that I pregnant with his child? Because so help me, my son is not a mistake." Helga was trying to stay in control. She could see Arnold backing down and flinching at her sharp tone and harsh words.

Arnold opened his mouth then closed it again. He closed his eyes tightly and placed a hand over his forehead.

So, was it his fault for being stupid or hers for being burned?

Helga sighed as she walked into school on Monday. Prom had been a trip and a half. She shook her head and stretched out as she looked for Phoebe or Sid. As the fates would have it, her eyes landed on a certain not so much football head anymore.

Arnold, catching her glance, excused himself from whatever group he was talking to and rushed over to her.

"We need to talk." He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the building and straight into the library.

"Ow." Helga said as they found themselves between two large bookshelves. Hidden from the world.

Helga found it somewhat funny, but the way Arnold was looking at her, made her shift gears.

"Look, about Friday…" Arnold paused. She knew it was coming. He was about to say it didn't mean a thing and they should go about their lives. "It never happened."

See in an ideal world, Helga would have flew at him, clawing him to death. But this was no ideal world.

Helga was speechless. Not only did he say something that beautiful and that meaningful (for her at least) had never happened, he was saying it with no emotion what so ever. He didn't only regret it; he was waving it off as a nightmare.

Arnold looked at her, expecting to be beaten or yelled at, anything at all. But he watched as her eyes seem to grow larger and her mouth formed a tense line. He wasn't expecting silence, not from Helga.

"Helga," He gently touched her arm, but she pulled it back. He looked at her as she cradled her arm and her big blue eyes filled with pain. It was almost as if he had burned her.

He realized he had.

Helga closed her eyes. Every time she was so close, she ended up back where she began. And as some cosmic joke it could all be traced back to Arnold. Sweet, dense, horrid Arnold.

She opened her eyes and stared at him. She backed away slowly.

"I'm glad we're on the same page, Arnold." He flinched at the tone of his name. "I was just coming to tell you the same thing. It never happened. Hell, how could it? I don't even know you." She turned on her heel and rushed out of the library.

Arnold sighed; he hated making her mad. In this case, he hated making her cry.

Arnold shook his head. Phoebe had been furious at him. Gerald wasn't allowed to talk to him and Sid had to be held back by Harold from kicking the crap out of him. He knew they didn't know exactly what happened, because had they known. Screw it. He would not be alive today.

He looked over at Helga. She looked so small in his jacket. He sighed.

"You could have told me." He said softly. He looked at her. The way the street lamp hit her face, how her hair seem to lure an innocent bystander to take another look, just the way she was trying to be stronger then everyone else in the world and was succeeding, it as all simply breath taking.

"I could have." He knew that was not the white flag going up. Quite the contrary, it was possibly her declaration of war.

"What did you tell him about me?"

"The truth." Helga sighed. "That I loved you, and something happened, and in the end we realized that we had too many differences."

"Did he know I didn't know?"

"Yes, I told him that he was a surprise, that you weren't still in my life. I didn't lie to him if that's what you're implying."

"But you lie to me?"

"I prefer with holding information." Helga said, still staring at the ground.

Arnold leaned back against the bench. "Does he look like me?"

"I think so, everyone says he's in my image, but I only see you. I always saw you."

"Can I meet him?" Arnold knew at this point there was no going home and pretending it never happened. That was his first mistake last time.

"I have to talk to him tonight. Maybe tomorrow." Helga shrugged. Arnold stared at her.

He was too angry to be angry. He was angry with Helga, at himself, right now he was angry at the world.

Because less then thirty minutes ago, he was childless. Now, as some cosmic prank on him, he had a son.

There wasn't enough alcohol in the world.

(Scene 2)

Helga sat on her bed as Riley paced around the bedroom. She had been grateful the boy was asleep when she got home. After telling him that his father not only lived in Hillwood, but also was taking him out to "talk" in a matter of hours, Helga felt the need for a cigarette. A very big, never-ending cigarette.

"So, this Arnold person, is my father? And you told him last night? And NOW I have to meet him?" Riley said. He felt tears in the back of his eyes. He wasn't quite sure why though. He wasn't really mad, or well he was. But he was a little relaxed at finally having some of the pieces of the puzzle in his hands. He understood why his mother hated Hillwood. He understood why she didn't want him going off with Gerald. He wasn't quite sure why suddenly his mother told his father, but in any case he was somewhat excited to meet this Arnold character.

Helga looked at her son. She wasn't quite sure what was going on in his head, but she was surprised by the maturity he was showing. I'm sorry but at the age of ten, Helga would not have only killed her mother but proclaimed herself an orphan and went to live with Phoebe. Riley had yet to do or even consider these acts of sin.

"Why now?" Riley asked, sitting on the bed next to his mother.

Helga looked at him. She didn't know why now. Hell, she didn't know why not. "It's complicated baby." She said placing her arm around her son.

He didn't push her away; he found comfort in her arms. He always had.

"Mommy." Helga turned from her work and smiled at Riley. He was clutching his teddy bear in his blue jet plane pajamas, sucking his tiny thumb.

"What's wrong baby?" She asked, a smile gracing her features.

"I had a bad dream again." He began to softly cry. Helga picked him up and took him to the couch, wrapping her arms around his tiny frame.

"It's ok baby." She gently kissed his head, holding him close to her.

"Tell me a story." He whispered, staring at her big blue eyes. He like the color of her eyes, they were shades lighter then his, he didn't have a crayon the color of his mother's eyes.

"Ok, what do you want to hear?"

"About daddy." Helga smiled softly.

"Ok," She whispered. "Your daddy was the sweetest, most gentlest soul in the universe. He would take trips to the Africa and South America. He went in search of buried treasure and fought pirates. He always won."

Helga smiled as her tiny son drifted off to sleep. Sweet dreams of false realities. She kissed his forehead, holding him close to her body.

"Maybe one day," She smiled looking at his tiny face. "He'll bring you an adventure to really dream about."

Riley opened his eyes, he felt so warm and safe when it was just he and his mother. He never really did need his father to bring him an adventure. He had his own to dream about.

"Do I really have to meet him?"

"You've been wanting to meet him since you were three. Riley, I think you have to meet him." Helga said, slightly worried.

"It's just… what if he doesn't like me?" Riley felt the tears begging to burn his eyes.

"Baby… how could he not?"

(Scene 3)

Arnold sighed as he stretched. He had been shocked when he had seen the boy walk down the stairs. He did look like Helga's spitting image. His hair was a few shades brighter, much like Arnold's hair, and his eyes were darker then Helga's intense blue. But his face was Helga's.

"So?" Arnold looked over at the short boy. "What are we going to do?"

Arnold looked up in thought for a moment. Currently they were at the park. Their conversation hadn't exactly grown much further then "what do you do at work?".

"What do you want to do?" Arnold asked, smiling. He could see the wheels turning in Riley's head. He watched as Riley gently stuck his bottom lip out and placed his hands in his pocket.

"You like baseball?"

"Yeah." Arnold said. Riley smiled slightly and nodded.

"Know of any good fields?"

Arnold smiled; he knew the perfect field.

(At the Johanson Residence)

Helga sat in the living room; her nerves were acting up. Phoebe walked in with Tai and smiled.

"How you holding up?"

"I guess ok, I mean Arnold wouldn't let anything happen to Riley. Riley's a smart kid. I'm ok."

"Dying inside?" Phoebe questioned sitting down. Helga placed her head in her hands.

"Yes."

"You're just a little off, I mean it's the first time you had to trust someone, like this, with Riley." Phoebe smiled as Helga lifted her head up.

"What if they don't get along? What if Arnold says something? Riley could just come home and never want to talk to me again." Helga mumbled. "I shouldn't have told him. I should have just ignored all this."

"Helga!" Phoebe scolded. "Now come on, you are a mature woman. We want Arnold and Riley to get along. The boy needs a father figure."

"Fine. It's just… I don't know. I guess I underestimated how much I would have to adjust too." Helga shrugged.

"You're just a little nervous that not only will Arnold be mad at you, he'll somehow convince Riley to be mad at you." Phoebe smirked as Helga looked at her dryly.

"Am I not the one that got a Ph.D. in psychiatry?"

"Well I did take those courses during college. I mean, I'm a doctor too ya know." Phoebe smiled as Helga stood up. "Where are you going?"

"Right now? Jump off the roof of the house." Helga disappeared up the stairs.

Phoebe smirked, shaking her head. Her smile faltered as she thought of the possibilities. In a flash she was running up the stairs, still holding on to Tai.

"Helga!" She shouted.

Gerald walked into the house, Lilith babbling in his ear.

"GET AWAY FROM THAT WINDOW." Gerald moved his head towards the stairs and shook his head.

"I had such a quiet life."

(Scene 4)

Riley smiled as he took another bite of his ice cream. Arnold wasn't a bad guy, at all. They had spent two hours playing catch and basketball. Arnold bought him pizza and ice cream.

They were currently sitting at the pier watching the sun reflect off the lake.

"So, this wasn't too bad at all." Arnold smiled, taking a bite of his chocolate ice cream.

"Nope." Riley smiled. "It was to say the least, enjoyable."

"You really are your mother's child." Arnold smiled. Riley nodded.

Silence drifted over them, thoughts of having a father and having a son playing on their minds.

"If…" Riley started, making Arnold look at him. "If mom had told you, before, when she first found out about me. Would you have wanted me?"

Arnold looked back at the lake. He didn't know. He might have, but he might not have.

"I'm not sure, Riley." He shrugged. "I mean… I can't go back in time and see how I would have felt."

"Do you want me now?" Arnold stared at him. They had known each other for a few hours and Riley was asking him some hard questions. The mind of a child Arnold mused.

"At this point, I'm surprised I lived ten years not knowing about you." Arnold smiled as Riley's eyes clouded with confusion. "If I could go back in time, I wouldn't stop your mother from telling me about you."

Riley nodded his head and smiled. "I wouldn't either."

"Cool." Arnold smiled and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

Riley was a great kid. Arnold was still mad with Helga and at himself. But it was true; he wouldn't stop Helga from telling him.

Hell, he would have made her tell him sooner.