A/N It's another long one! Thanks as always to everyone who left such kind feedback for the previous chapter! Please enjoy, and please keep letting me know if you do - your reviews make my day :).

SILENCING NATURE

Chapter 9 - Assuming This is True

"Ok. I can work with this."

Helga had surveyed the interior of the boat, and now stood with arms folded and brow raised. Honestly, she was impressed! This was more than a little step up from the small, creaking craft that Lasombra had sailed as he lured them into the jungle. Each of the small cabins was warm, dry and fitted with clean, comfortable cots; a far cry from the dark, dingy quarters stacked high with mouldering hammocks that their class had filled before the exciting 'detour'. The decks and hull (and comfortingly, the safety rails) lacked the other boat's generous coating of thick rust. Even the bathrooms (this boat had more than one, thank goodness) were clean and hygienic, not to mention functional! Though in fairness, Lasombra's vessel had a working toilet until Harold came aboard... Sure, it was still by no means a million dollar yacht, but compared to the last few days of unforgiving jungle, pirate prisons and rigid stone slabs, this was the lap of luxury! Too bad the lap was bouncing so hard...

Once the group had safely boarded, Eduardo had wasted no time in manning the controls, the boat's engines roaring to life with the press of a few buttons. Maybe the kids were biased, but this boat even sounded better than the last one. At least if this turned out to be another pirate ship, it was apparently a more successful pirate ship... Miles and Stella had quickly gone to work releasing the craft from its mooring, their experienced hands remembering the steps, and just like that, they were on their way. Sadly, 'on their way' was a much slower term than when they were heading down the river. The current was raging against them, desperately fast and unpredictable, and the boat lurched and tilted as fresh waves assaulted it with every passing second, battling its way towards their destination. As she fought to keep her balance, Helga suspected this was how her mother felt during her rodeo days. This wouldn't be a short or smooth ride, and the children had quickly been ushered safely inside while the adults worked to get them on course.

"Well that's great Pataki; I'm so happy you're enjoying the décor." Once he finally worked up the courage to board, Gerald had wasted no time in rooting out fresh towels, quickly followed by the thickest blanket he could find. By the end of the trek his hoody had been so ridiculously saturated that it probably could have served as the boat's anchor, and it now sat crumpled in a growing puddle alongside a collection of shredded plastic. All the same, being dry and cocooned in a warm blanket had apparently done nothing to take the sour edge from Gerald's tone. Maybe it was the hair – it was still droopy, despite his best efforts. In any case, he sat sulkily on the cot furthest away from the room's small window as his friends followed suit, quickly drying themselves as best they could. Arnold and Helga blinked in surprise; it wasn't like Gerald to snap like that. Then again, he'd barely said a word since they left the hidden city.

"What's your problem?" Helga shot him a standard scowl as she wrung out the ends of her pigtails. It was a lot more familiar with her bow back on display, dry and pristine no less. Eduardo had insisted on reclaiming his hat before sailing, and Helga had reluctantly complied; when your last boat exploded, you kind of want your captain to have his lucky charm. "We get it; you hate the jungle! But now you're warm, you're dry, and look; you've even got that nice, modern bathroom you wanted so badly." She gestured wildly to a nearby door; unlike their lodgings for the night, this room actually did have an en suite... "I bet you it flushes and everything! So why the heck are you still acting like someone kicked your puppy?"

Gerald's clenched fists tightened on his lap, his face set; he wasn't as accomplished a scowler as Helga, but the spirit was clearly there. The truth was that a long walk in the miserable, pouring rain gives you plenty of time to stew, and Gerald was just about ready to boil over. "Oh, you wanna know? You want an itemised breakdown? Ok! In the last, cuuh..." He groaned at another boom of thunder, this one accompanied by a bright flash from the window, far too close for comfort no matter how well-grounded you are. The momentary silence was filled by yet more heavy rain, the drops now thudding and resonating as they bounced off the metal walls and hammered against the windowpane; far more familiar sounds to the inner-city children, not that it offered much comfort. Gerald took a breath, his eyes closed and his clenched hands now trembling a little. His voice was softer when he continued, filled with forced, resolute calm. "In the last couple of days I've been tricked, kidnapped, threatened, put in jail, beat up, exhausted, and terrified. I nearly died, multiple times! My best friend nearly died!" Another clap of thunder filled the room, but this one went unacknowledged; Gerald was on the worst kind of roll, and everything was tumbling out. "And you know what? It's cool. That's aaall cool. Ain't the first time we've done something crazy, right?" He looked back and forth between Arnold and Helga, his brows raised. It was true – at least he didn't have to drive a bus this time. "But what's not cool is that my best friend has suddenly started keeping secrets from me!" He shot Arnold a hurt, accusatory look, the blond boy's face falling in response.

"But Gerald, I said I was sorry for before! I thought you forgave me for that!" Arnold pleaded; betraying Gerald's trust before had torn him apart.

"Yeah, I did! I forgave you," his voice started to rise again, "then I busted you out of jail, let you drag me through the jungle, and helped you save a whole civilisation, plus your parents! Then you disappear down some spooky hole, come out looking more freaked than I've ever seen you, and you pull the same thing again? And I won't even mention the fact that you kept the whole Deep Voice thing to yourself for a whole year! What the heck, man!?"

"Whoa, take a breath, ok?" Gerald's angry eyes darted to Helga; since when was she the voice of reason? It was weird to see her looking concerned rather than angry, especially when Arnold was involved. "Look, Arnold told you, what happened down there was nuts, and it's not like we've had a lot of free time since it happened. You're gonna get the full story, alright? Just give the kid some time to process!" Her words succeeded in deflating a little of Gerald's anger. Looking at his best friend with unclouded eyes, his heart sank; Arnold looked devastated. He let out a weary sigh, rubbing his face with both hands.

"Aargh... Look, I'm sorry. It's just that I'm tired, and I hate the rain, and I really hate thu-" he caught himself, coughing slightly. No need to reveal his fears to Phoebe's best friend; he had an image to maintain. "I know you're gonna tell me, I do. I just got overheated for a second. But you gotta understand," he turned to Arnold, "you did all this to find your parents, and I totally get that." He turned to Helga, pointing a finger. "And I know why you did all this, and you might notice I've been too polite to say anything about it till now, in spite of everything. But I figure even Arnold isn't dense enough to not get it after that whole locket business, not to mention you guys' little display last night." Little did he know. Both Arnold and Helga blushed at that, the latter looking away with a pout and crossed arms before he continued. It wouldn't have been a 'display' if he hadn't butted in! "But I did this to help my best friend, and I feel like I got the raw deal here. Now I don't mind the fact that the Green Eyes didn't worship me or anything. I don't even mind that I didn't get to go down there with you... too much. But don't I deserve to not be left out of this?" His rage was gone now, and his eyes were pleading. It was a moment that lasted for about two seconds, until Helga gave a small snort of laughter. Even though Arnold and Gerald both shot her their best 'what the heck' looks, she couldn't help but smirk.

"Football Head said almost the exact same thing after all that craziness last night – man, you two are such a couple."

Arnold could only facepalm, with his own weary groan, but Gerald simply looked confused. "Wait, when last night?" His words wiped the grin from Helga's face, her eyes going wide; bad time for a slip of the tongue. Scrabbling for an escape, she met Arnold's equally-wide eyes, his expression panicked. They had nothing...

"Oops..."

"Oh, come on!" Gerald shot to his feet, wobbled, and fell heavily back on the cot. He didn't try again. Instead, he threw his arms in the air. "What did you do? Wait till I fell asleep then creep off for some kind of 'Tiukwí Club' after hours meeting!?"

Helga's "No!" was perfectly timed with Arnold's "Yes...", her hands raised in defence and his shoulders slumped in resigned embarrassment. They quickly looked to each other in awkward shock. "Yes?" "No?" In unison again, but with the roles reversed. After a beat they both turned back to Gerald, this time speaking as one. "It was an accident!"

Gerald narrowed his eyes at the two of them, both Arnold and Helga looking decidedly sheepish by this point. "Ok. I'm done waiting. Spill." The two blondes shared a nervous glance again, trying to wordlessly decide who would do the spilling. Arnold was probably better equipped to handle this one without reigniting the powder keg Gerald had become thanks to their unpleasant hike. Then again, Helga didn't exactly trust the football-headed boy to not overshare on the more private parts of their evening... She considered just leaving the room, but you can only run so far on a ship afloat; too bad she didn't have Brainy's apparently Olympic swimming skills. Besides, on balance she figured she'd rather be there to handle damage control her way. Finally, she let out a resigned growl.

"Oh, just tell him, Football Head!"

"What, e-everything?" Arnold seemed taken aback, blushing; since when was Helga ok with sharing anything personal?

His shocked look took her aback. Was he ashamed of her? No – she fought off the old voices – he was just being Arnold; he wouldn't reveal anything she was uncomfortable with until he knew she was ready. And boy, was she NOT ready! The second someone outside the 'Tiukwí Club' (the name had already stuck – she didn't bother trying to fight it) knew about her and Arnold, and their supposed 'connection', this would all become hopelessly, intractably real. Real, and firmly out of her hands. Plus, she'd never admit it out loud, but she figured Gerald was sharp enough to figure out that she and Arnold were... something... if he heard enough about their little talk the previous night. Helga wondered what would be worse; Gerald knowing that the two of them were allegedly super-spirits, or Gerald knowing that she and Arnold 'didn't hate' each other. Ok, so he said himself that he figured out the second one already, the Helga side anyway, but last night seriously changed things on that score! On one hand, he'd been WAY too eager to jump on the whole 'superhero' idea when Tiukwí first approached them, and the last thing she needed was their local legend keeper running around trying to score them a comic book deal. On the other hand, she really hated that smug grin... In the end, though, it was her own words echoing through her mind that resigned her: 'fair's fair'. Gerald was right; he'd fought the same fight, slogged through the same rainforest, dangled from the same ex-bridge. And until now, he hadn't asked for a thing in return. 'Ugh...'

"Um, you know, tell him everything that you're... comfortable telling him." And done, reigns handed over; it was all in Arnold's hands now. "But hey, if I think you're telling it wrong or getting something twisted, the codeword to stop will be 'my hand covering your dumb mouth', got it?" She inwardly sighed. 'Aaand we're back to insults – way to go, Helga...'.

Her words made Arnold blush even deeper, something that didn't escape Gerald's notice. The boy raised a worried eyebrow. He hadn't seen Arnold turn that shade since the Ruth days, when the poor kid was pining over a girl he didn't even know. Someone he wound up idolising for no better reason than a pretty face (and dazzling braces). Heck, with Lila he'd been too busy tripping over himself to make her 'like him' like him to even spare the time for longing glances; the girl wound up being more of a project than a crush by the end! But Arnold did know Helga, as well as anyone aside from Phoebe 'knew' Helga anyway, and he was turning that same shade for her? For an insult no less? He gave a small gulp; he was starting to suspect that spiritual journeys into ancient caverns wouldn't be the weirdest part of this little chat.

"Whatever you say, Helga..." Arnold took a deep breath. He was slightly behind; the rest of the room was already holding theirs. "Ok Gerald, first of all, Helga and I did wind up talking with each other last night... for a while." There was the classic neck rub, and this was just the first sentence. Since when had talking to his best friend gotten so challenging? At least Gerald was sitting quietly and patiently, apparently ready to listen rather than rant. "It really was kind of an accident. Neither of us could sleep, I wanted to look at the stars for a while, and Helga-" He paused, suddenly tilting his head in thought before turning to the girl in question. She had been focussing on being as invisible as possible while this went on, so the sudden attention caught her off guard. "Actually Helga, why were you out of bed?" The girl stammered for a moment.

"Uh, like you said – stars. Stay focussed Football Head!" Her diversion apparently worked, and Arnold only gave her an uncertain look before continuing.

"Ok... Well anyway, we didn't plan it, so I'm sorry if you feel left out. We just talked about some of the stuff that happened that night. And, uh, some other stuff too." Gerald rolled his eyes as Arnold trailed off. Fortunately neither noticed Helga's small flinch at Arnold's last comment. She was starting to feel like she was tied to a train track, and the train was coming fast.

"Fine. It was a big, happy coincidence. I get it. How about we cycle back the 'other stuff' later, whatever that means? For now, just tell me what went down in that creepy cave, 'cause I was about two seconds away from calling 'stranger danger' when the old guy took you down there without us! I'm guessing it had something to do with why I had to listen to the Green Eyes chanting both your names the whole time you were gone?"

"Yeah, it did." Arnold gave a small nod. "He showed us these super old carvings, all glowing like the amulet. They told the story of where the Green Eyes and the Corazón came from."

"I knew it! They're aliens aren't they?!"

"What? No! They believe that the Corazón is the heart of the goddess that made them. They think she created the land and brought balance to nature, so the Corazón is tied to the balance of nature too." Arnold did his best to explain; he was nowhere near the storyteller Tiukwí was, so he hoped the abridged version would do.

"Oh..." Gerald looked a little put out. "Well that's still pretty awesome, I guess. But what does that have to do with them worshipping you?"

"Um, you know the story Tiukwí mentioned, about how I was born here during a volcanic eruption?" It was a dumb question; Gerald made a point of never forgetting a good tale.

"Why, yes Arnold. Tiukwí aside, I vaguely remember you blowing my mind with that one after you found your dad's journal a few months back." Gerald gave Arnold a flat look. "But I'll admit, it was a little hard to believe before Tiukwí backed it up. And before you ask; yeah – I've known you nearly my whole life, and I totally believe that you stopped that volcano." He took Arnold and Helga's stupefied looks in his stride. "What? Man, you got Stoop Kid off his stoop; apparently the forces of nature bend to your will." Arnold raised an eyebrow at Gerald's logic, but did his best to move on.

"R-right, well what I didn't know before last night was that the Green Eyes think that whole thing happened, that my whole reason for being here, is because of when Lasombra stole the Corazón the first time. They think he brought an 'imbalance' to the world when he took it." He tried to avoid glancing in Helga's direction; he was all too aware of how she looked at Tiukwí when the old guide had called her the same thing. "A really powerful spirit. And I sort of... balanced it out."

For the first time, Gerald seemed intrigued. "You mean the time your mom and dad got it back?" Arnold nodded nervously, he could guess the next question. "I heard your folks mention something an 'imbalance' last night, but what kind of spirit could do that? Some kind of crazy, Fantasia-style volcano demon?" Maybe that was an outlandish guess, and he made it with a chuckle, but Gerald doubted anything would surprise him by this point. But then Helga closed her eyes tightly, cleared her throat and slightly raised her hand. She was as ready to take the bullet as she'd ever be.

"Right here."

She waited patiently while her words sank in, watching Gerald's face blank in shock, his jaw going slack and his chuckle suffering an instant death. It didn't help that another boom of thunder had rattled through the boat just after her big reveal, like something out of a cheesy horror movie... Then she waited a little less patiently while his forehead crinkled in confusion, his brain trying to work out whether he'd heard her correctly. After around twenty second, her patience wore out completely; she figured he was stuck in a loop. She offered a shrug.

"Boo?"

That seemed to snap him out of it a little, and the stunned boy gave a tiny shake of his head. He looked back and forth between Arnold and Helga, his mouth apparently trying to form words but failing every time. Eventually he seemed to give up on that, for the moment, and instead fixed Arnold with a penetrating, almost accusatory gaze. It was the face someone pulls when they want you to know they've seen through your joke; he was clearly waiting for Arnold to step in and refute Helga's bold claim. Too bad for Gerald's mental stability, Arnold could only nod and give a small shrug of his own. It made Gerald's eyes bulge even further.

"Are you guys yankin' my chain?" His first spoken question just caused Helga to give a low growl of frustration. What did he want, a signed and sealed declaration?

"No Gerald, it's true." Arnold slumped onto another nearby cot; he was having flashbacks of the mental and emotional upheaval Tiukwí had dragged them through the previous night, which really didn't help his sea-legs. At least the bed was more comfortable to collapse against than the walls of the strange cave. "Or at least it's true as far as the Green Eyes are concerned. I know it sounds crazy-"

"It sounds beyond crazy, Arnold!" Gerald cut him off, his voice rising an octave or so. "You're telling me that, what, you only exist because of Helga? And you actually believe that?"

"I never said that!" Arnold quickly raised his hands in defence. "That's just what Tiukwí thinks happened!" Gerald studied his best friend's face for a few moments, as if waiting for something more, before drawing back a little, his own expression growing even more concerned.

"But you don't not believe it... Do you?" His voice had grown quiet again, and was filled with disbelief. Gerald turned to Helga, giving her the same piercing look for a second or two. She did her best not to meet his eye. "And you Pataki? You're usually the first one to stomp all over this kind of thing!" He wasn't lying, as far as he knew; whether it be haunted trains or wheezing, ghostly mobsters, Helga was usually their group's voice of stubborn denial. Then again, Gerald wasn't to know about the nightly prayers and spells chanted in the secrecy of her closet shrine, or her brief encounter with love potions. Really, Helga wasn't opposed to the supernatural – she just preferred to believe in the supernatural that could work in her favour.

"What?" The girl shot him a challenging look, before turning and staring very deliberately out of the window, quietly stammering something about the 'job' coming with 'good perks'.

"Mmhm..." Gerald didn't look impressed with her answer (or lack thereof).

"I don't get it. You knew what Tiukwí thought I was, and you say you believe the volcano story, but you're getting upset about this? Why did you think the Green Eyes started worshipping Helga too?" Arnold was looking at his best friend with worry. Gerald had been right there when all the Tiukwí weirdness started. He seemed even more willing to believe the old man than Arnold was in the beginning! It was confusing.

"I don't know, I just figured he was a little crazy! Or maybe that his 'aura vision' thing was broken after being asleep for so long. I mean, it's Helga! No offence." He quickly apologised under the weight of a fresh glare. And I'm not upset, I just... It's a heck of a lot to take in!"

"Tell me about it..." Arnold and Helga murmured at the same time. It didn't help. Gerald should have counted his blessings; at least he didn't have to take these bombshells in a dark, mysterious cave.

Gerald sighed and shook his head as he pieced together what he'd been told, counting the steps on his fingers. "So... Assuming Tiukwí isn't just a confused old man, let me get this straight. Lasombra steals the Corazón before any of us are even born. This throws nature out of whack, which somehow leads to the birth of none other than Helga G. Pataki. And, what, you were too much for the universe to handle, so a volcano erupted, and Arnold showed up to balance out the math?"

"In a nutshell..." Helga muttered once again, still watching the churning waves. Hearing Gerald summarise it out loud like that somehow made it sound even more ridiculous, but every time she started to weigh her odds at swimming out of there another flash of lightning would remind her how utterly stuck she was.

"Wow. That's gotta be the craziest thing I've ever heard, and I've read Curly's manifesto..." Gerald had a newfound appreciation for why Arnold and Helga had looked so shaken after their trip below ground. He suspected he was now wearing the exact same expression; a careful blend of exhaustion, disbelief, panic, and just a hint of discomfort that parts of it made sense. If ever someone was the polar opposite of the 'spirit of harmony' Arnold Shortman... Then Gerald remembered what opposites do, and he became all the more worried for his best friend. It really didn't help that every lurching vibration of the boat was travelling straight to the pit of his stomach. He looked at the two of them, and chose his next words carefully, his mouth a little dry. "So, assuming all this is true, what does that make you to each other?"

Now there was a loaded question, the one both blondes had been awkwardly dreading as it sped in their direction. Helga, in particular, swore her heart was trying to break free of her ribs. No matter how many times she repeated in her head that she had agreed to this (twice, in fact), the battle to suppress her fight-or-flight instincts was nearly overwhelming. Arnold needed to rip off the band-aid – since she was otherwise occupied fighting an all-out mental war – and he needed to do it quickly. And as for Arnold, he had thought telling Gerald all this would feel easier, but somehow the fact that it was Gerald made it so much more difficult. He cared about what Gerald thought; that was the whole reason he'd kept his thoughts about Helga secret since FTi, even from him. He loved Helga, and he wasn't ashamed of that, but if Gerald were to laugh in his face and call him crazy... That would hurt. It didn't help that he could almost feel the anxiety radiating off Helga like heat from a bonfire. He took in one final deep breath, trying to draw in as many reassuring thoughts with it as he could.

"Assuming all this is true, and according to Tiukwí," Arnold started tactfully, "Helga and I are sort of... connected. He said we're two parts of the same equation."

Gerald nodded, but apparently wasn't satisfied. "Ok. That would make sense I guess, assuming all this is true. But connected how? Is this like a matter-antimatter thing? 'Cause the two of you exploding every time you're around each other I could definitely believe." It was actually a hopeful question. An offer of escape, really. Arnold and Helga being mortal enemies? That made sense. That sat well with everything Gerald had come to know while growing up with the two of them. Everything he'd come to accept as universal fact over the first ten years of his life. Sure, maybe he'd seen a couple of things that suggested there might be more going with Helga than he'd previously thought. You know, small things like the odd stolen glance, an airy sigh or two, a video library, a heart-shaped locket. Oh, and a full-on, hand-in-hand, foot popping kiss! But he was Gerald, not Arnold. Arnold couldn't let stuff go. He was a busybody, for better or worse. Arnold would probably pick away at the issue until it all came loose and caused all kinds of drama. Gerald was more than happy to just sweep things tidily under the rug. Lots of things can fit under the rug, nice and quiet where they can't bother anybody or cause monumental changes to people's way of life. Heck, most of those 'little hints' were under there already! It made life easier. But this whole conversation was making the stuff under the rug start to squirm and wriggle it's way towards the edges...

"Well... Not. Really." Arnold nervously drummed his fingers on his lap, and Gerald's stomach sank. "Assuming all this is true-"

"Oh, CRIMENY!" Helga, who had been gritting her teeth as tightly as she could without needing dental work, wheeled round in exasperation. "I'm assuming you knuckleheads are giving me a migraine!" Both boys recoiled at the outburst, their hearts pounding; before that second part they thought she'd seen that the boat was about to crash or something! "Look, the old man thinks me and Football Head are literally made for each other. Ok? A perfect balance, a dream team, peas in a freaking pod. And if you so much as giggle about it I'll remove every strand of that stupid hair with my bare hands! Capiche?" The girl paused, breathing heavily. Actually, she was a little surprised she wasn't breathing fire... A little extreme, maybe, but Gerald and Arnold's 'assuming's had quickly started to approach 'ever so' levels of irritation. Mix that with the ridiculous stress she'd already been feeling and, well, kaboom... For their part, the two boys looked suitably terrified, exchanging a wide-eyed glance.

"You know those moments when someone yells at you, and it's really, really, serious, but for some reason you can't help but want to laugh?" Arnold was the first to speak.

"Yeah." Gerald gave a numb nod.

"You need this to not be one of those moments, Gerald." Arnold's words earned another nod, and a small gulp.

"I'm good." They turned their heads back to Helga, who was now reclining against the window. Her rage had been tucked away like a concealed weapon, but her raised brow made it clear that she was waiting for Gerald's carefully chosen response. The boy tried to subtly scooch further towards the opposite wall before continuing. "So, you and Arnold. Made for each other. Ok. Nothing funny about that." Helga gave a single slow, firm nod. Actually, the reveal was a pretty huge relief for him; that had to explain the blush. Imagine; you give a girl a kiss, then two minutes later you get told you're basically stuck together? He'd feel pretty awkward too! It sure made Tiukwí's story a whole lot harder to believe though.

"Oh, and I should probably mention, speak a word of it to anybody outside this room and the same consequences apply." Helga's words made Gerald's face fall again. Somehow that had been even worse. No rage, no heat. Not even a threat! Just cold, dark fact...

"Understood. Uh, am I allowed to ask about it?" Helga shrugged at his new question, her face having returned to an unsettling nonchalance. He wasn't to know that it was carefully crafted Pataki-brand nonchalance. In truth, Helga's mind was still spinning. She hadn't meant to snap like that. Really, she'd done her best to let Arnold handle this in his tried and tested Football Head way. But it was out there now, with absolutely zero softening of the blow. Band-aid well and truly ripped. She figured a good dose of fear could keep Gerald in line for a little while, but she needed to gauge his real reaction to this whole thing before she could come down from Red Alert.

"Go crazy. Cat's out of the bag now, I guess."

"Assu-" Gerald quickly caught himself, "IF this is real, what does it mean for you guys? Like, what can you do?"

"Tiukwí said even he didn't really know what we're capable of." Arnold tagged back in, to Helga's relief. Maybe he was building up an immunity to her anger. "Just that our 'spirits were powerful'. It's not like we have superpowers or anything; we're just... us. He did say we're drawn to each other, like literally, but I don't know about that." That was a lie, or at least a half-lie. Somehow, in Arnold's mind, the memories of their 'accidentally' finding each other all the time had become one of the main pieces of evidence in favour of the Exciting Option. "Oh, and he said that we're, uh, 'stronger' together."

"Well I guess that kind of makes sense." Gerald was actually nodding now; maybe the shock was finally wearing off. "I mean, you two have pulled off some pretty cool stuff when you actually manage to work together. And what are you gonna do about it? Are you gonna test it?"

Helga's eyes widened. "Whoa! Test it? You sound like you really do believe this crap! Heh..." She trailed off, hoping she'd managed to conceal just how much she wanted to believe it.

Arnold seemed just as sceptical. "To be honest Gerald, the whole idea kind of freaked us out, so we figured we'd just... not think about it for now."

Once again, Gerald looked stupefied. "Really? You guys find out you might be superhuman and you just want to ignore it? Where's the fun in that?! If someone told me what Tiukwí told you, I'd be trying to move metal with my mind by now!" Apparently their words had dragged him seriously off-topic.

"Oh, good grief..." Helga started to softly hit her head against the wall.

"I'm pretty sure we can't do stuff like that, Gerald." Arnold tried to persevere in his usual diplomatic way. "Even Tiukwí said we're only human. And besides, don't you see how any of this being real has some pretty big implications for Helga and me?"

"Oh?" Gerald's eyes widened again. "Oh! Right, the whole 'made for each other' thing. Yeah, alright; I can see that being kind of a big deal. Especially for you two. Who'd have thought, huh?" Helga shot him a warning look; that sounded dangerously close to a joke. And she'd thought it since the day they'd met, thank you very much; it wasn't her fault that she'd spent every day of their lives fighting to pretend otherwise! She blamed society.

"But it can't be that bad, right? I mean you two were looking pretty 'comfortable' with each other last night." And just like that, Gerald had opened the door to the 'other stuff'. It was inevitable, but neither Arnold nor Helga had to like it. They exchanged yet another worried glance.

"Uh, what do you think last night was about?" Arnold tried to ease into this as gently as possible, while Helga finally sat down on the last free cot and started rapidly fretting at the hem of her vest. She was looking very pale, something Gerald quickly noticed when he looked carefully in her direction.

"Am I allowed to answer that?" Earlier threats and mortal terror aside, the question was more about being kind. Gerald didn't know exactly what was really going on in the twisted mind of Helga Pataki, and he didn't really want to. And ok, she still wasn't the easiest person to be around, but he was wise enough to know that this had to be a sensitive, even dangerous subject for her, and he wasn't cruel. To his mixed relief and concern, Helga simply gave a small, mute nod; the girl looked like the seasickness had suddenly hit her with both barrels. "Well, without getting into specifics, it seems pretty obvious that Helga's got some... feelings going on there." He could have sworn he heard the girl release an extremely tiny, un-Helga-ish squeak on hearing that, but he pressed on. "And Arnold, you had to have have worked that out too, right? I figure you must have been seriously grateful for everything Helga's pulled off for you over the last while, so... Well hey, you didn't exactly look like you were hating that kiss, man!" Arnold's blush came back in full force at that, and Gerald's face brightened a little. "So maybe in time you two really could get to like each other. Make this whole weird business easier. Stranger things have happened, right?" Oh, how right he was. Gerald actually felt pretty proud of himself; usually he left the wild optimism to Arnold. But after that blush he saw earlier, maybe it wasn't such a crazy idea. Of course he figured it would probably take years, if not decades, to get used to the idea of Arnold 'like' liking someone like Helga, but you never know. Weird, considering not long ago he would have expected severe retribution from Helga at even suggesting such a thing, and that he had years of memories that told him Arnold would never be interested in her. But then he saw their faces, and his small grin started to fade. He might have expected scepticism, or even disgust if Helga was going to keep up the act for whatever reason, but this was more like they were... bracing themselves? The storm outside suddenly seemed a little louder.

Arnold couldn't quite remember if his mouth had ever felt so dry, and his heart was pounding. 'Ok Helga, I get it. This is hard.'

"We're... a little past that point Gerald." He forced out every word, and watched a small frown form on his best friend's face. The other boy tried his best to rally.

"Ok... Ok, cool. So you already like each other." Arnold's hand went to his neck again; not a good sign.

"K-keep going."

There was a whole new knot growing in Gerald's stomach. "You 'like her' like her?" That was a stretch, blush or not. Gratitude was one thing, but really?

Arnold looked towards Helga, desperately seeking some kind of assistance, but the girl seemed to have shut down. Arnold closed his eyes, one hand moving to rub his temple, the other clenching tightly in his lap. "Little further, Gerald."

Now the other boy looked like he'd been slapped. "You REALLY li-"

"GERALD." Arnold cut him off once again, and sighed, before mumbling something Gerald couldn't quite hear.

"What was that?"

Arnold gritted his teeth and spoke a little louder, but the sound still couldn't quite reach Gerald's ears.

"Dude, what are you saying?" In truth the boy had an inkling, but he didn't quite want to believe it.

"I love her, Gerald."

There it was. Barely loud enough to hear, but hear it Gerald did, without a doubt. Arnold braced himself, ready for his best friend to shout, protest, laugh, joke, or maybe even scream. In that moment, neither of them took much notice of Helga as she released another small sound (this one more like a soft squeal) and collapsed fully on the small bed. What Arnold hadn't expected was for Gerald's face to become completely... neutral. He'd seen Helga get overloaded before, but Gerald? Usually he took everything in his stride.

"Uhh... Are you ok?"

"Are you sure about that?" Arnold was both relieved to hear his friend speak and startled by the bluntness of the question.

"Y-yeah. I'm sure."

"You're not just saying that because of this trip? Or 'cause of what happened last night?" Arnold was starting to feel a little interrogated, but he complied.

"Actually, it's a little in spite of last night. That stuff was pretty overwhelming."

Gerald finally moved more than just his mouth, giving an almost-imperceptible nod. "Ok." He turned to look at Helga, who had started to sit up and was ready to blame her little swoon on water turbulence. "Arnold, would you mind if I talked with Helga alone for a minute?"

Arnold was taken aback. "What? Why?" Helga was frowning too, her and Gerald's eyes locked.

"Indulge me." Arnold frowned, but suddenly Helga spoke up too.

"It's fine with me. Your folks are probably missing you already, Football Head."

Arnold looked back and forth between the two. He really wasn't sure about this; it looked like lasers should have been shooting from both their eyes.

"O...kay. If you're both sure. I'll be with my mom and dad if you... need me for anything." Seeing his best friend and... girlfriend?... both give small nods. He stood and quietly went to leave the room. Looking back before the door closed, the two seemed frozen.

"You... sure you don't have anything else to say about what I just told you?" Considering Gerald had felt hard done by for being out of the loop, he had given Arnold surprisingly few follow-up questions.

"Ohh, I've got questions. But they can wait, and this won't take long, trust me. Please?" With a final frown, Arnold relented and left the room. Whatever was going on, it gave him a seriously bad feeling.

After the door clicked shut, Gerald and Helga remained motionless for a while longer, both mentally counting to be sure Arnold was out of earshot, and both waiting for the other to make the first move. Plus, Gerald was still fighting to put the frantic thoughts in his head in a usable order.

"So, what's all this about Tall Ha-" Helga began in her usual fashion.

"Don't even start that Pataki." Helga blinked at Gerald's tone, her casual insult dying in her throat. Gerald was usually the laid-back one; where was this coming from? "Now, you're gonna clarify some things for me, ok?"

Helga tightly crossed her arms and legs, a defiant pout in place, but relented all the same. All of her 'run away' instincts were on fire, but Gerald was looking like he'd chase her down. She had partially expected this, just not quite so abruptly. "Fine. Shoot."

"Good." Gerald relaxed, but only very little. "Now I've said it before; I think I've been pretty polite about a lot of stuff with you recently. But this changes things. Arnold doesn't usually lie, and I've never heard him use that word for anyone except his grandparents. And now his mom and dad I guess... I've especially never heard him say it about a girl, and that boy's gone through more crushes than anyone our age has earthly reason to. We're in uncharted territory here." In a different conversation, that might have been a joke. It wasn't. "So now I'm gonna have to be direct about this. Since this whole San Lorenzo business started, I've seen some pretty intense stuff from you. You made it a mission to get him here, and you traipsed through the jungle same as me. Difference is, I'm his best friend, and you've been acting like you hated his guts since Pre-K. I've seen that you carry around a locket with his picture in it. But weirdest of all, I've seen your video collection. Actually, it's more of a library, isn't it? You had footage of the guy's bedroom, Pataki; not ok." Helga flinched; of all the clips for Gerald to see...

"Look, I can explain that." She offered, but Gerald waved a hand.

"I don't even wanna know. Bottom line is, you're pretty obsessed with him, aren't you?" Finally; it had only taken eight years for someone besides Phoebe to get the picture. And Lila, sort of. And Dr Bliss, but she was paid to do that kind of thing...

Helga scowled. In all the times she'd imagined her finally confessing her true feelings to Arnold, somehow she'd never planned out this part of the process. Even in her wildest dreams, she never got that far. "Why is that anyone's business but mine?" No use denying it, but she was hardly ready to sing out her secrets to the world.

"Because apparently my best friend's letting the girl who spent years hurting him into a position where she could really hurt him. I didn't really think too much about it till now, but Arnold's been acting funny about you all year. You've pulled your usual stunts, and Arnold would barely say a single word against you, even after hardcore stuff like April Fools Day. I wasn't that generous. And he didn't say a thing to me about whatever went down at FTi, but I'm guessing it was big. For him to keep something a secret for that long from me, I know it must have been important to him. Which means that, somehow, you're important to him." Much as Helga was hating this sudden inquisition, that idea planted a grin that she couldn't quite contain, and Gerald most certainly noticed. In any case, it answered his earlier question.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm..." He shook his head, this was going to take a long time to sink in. For now though, he was on a mission. "Look, I don't know if we're really 'friends' or not. But after everything we've been through here, I'm trusting that you're gonna be honest. Is all of this some big, elaborate Pataki prank?"

Helga's shoulders slumped. Seriously? You pretend to be blinded one time and suddenly people think your capable of anything. She hoped her reaction made her position clear, but apparently Gerald was going to need clear, verbal confirmation. It was impressive really; apparently she didn't scare him when it really counted.

"Sheesh, what do you want from me? Fine." She raised her right hand. "I, Helga G. Pataki, swear that I'm not pulling any prank, trick or cruel joke on Arnold. And... you're right, ok? I'll say it! I-" she gritted her teeth again; this was like the final yards of an exhausting marathon, and every single one of them was uphill. "I. Love. Him. Too. I'm crazy about him. Always have been. He knows that now, and I'm deliriously happy about it, and I'm gonna do my level best not to screw it up. There! Is that good enough for you, or do you want my social security number and blood type too?"

Gerald let out a long sigh, looking almost forlorn. To quote Simmons, this had not been on the agenda. He really didn't understand this, at all, but... "Do you promise you won't hurt him?"

Seeing his concern, Helga was genuinely touched. She got it; seeing Arnold hurt crushed her too. It brought out a shred of vulnerability. Just a shred. "I promise I won't hurt him on purpose?"

Gerald thought about this for a few long moments, apparently weighing her offer against everything he knew about Helga G. Pataki, including everything he'd learned in the last few days and minutes. He made his decision. "Ok then. We're good." In the most shocking move yet, Gerald offered a hand. Helga quirked her brow, looking at it as though it might explode.

"Seriously? That's it? You're not gonna ask why I've tormented him all these years?"

"Wasn't planning on it. Not my business. But if you're really that into him then you should probably quit that." He gave the hand a small wiggle; his arm was getting tired. Finally, with something approaching a smirk, Helga took it in her own, and both of them released quiet exhales as they shook.

"So. Love, huh?" Gerald finally seemed to un-tense as their hands finally parted, and sure enough, yep, there was that smug grin. 'Crap...' "You two are aware that you're not teenagers yet, right?"

"Its... a long story." Helga rolled her eyes; the story of her life. Gerald's grin only widened.

"Tell me about it sometime. I like stories."

A/N Welcome to the 'Tiukwí Club', Gerald.