Hey guys.

It's been three months now since I last updated this and I apologize for that. Around the time of my last update I hit a major wall and lost the necessary spark and energy needed to write. I've been going through a rough stretch.

But in any case, personal problems aside, I'm back now. This story will be my main focus from now on (I had a couple of other projects going simultaneously that are now finished). And to refresh everyone's memories, the last chapter was sort of the culmination of the first act so to speak. This chapter will be relatively short, a kind of intro into what's to come because we aren't done folks. Not by a long shot.

Anyway, let me answer your reviews real quick.

Call Me Nettie-Thank you! I really was feeling the scene as I wrote it. In fact I had that song playing as I was typing out the dance scene haha.

Guest- I take it you liked it :)

Yali Page- The Cecile thing has been overused I think. Wanted to go in a different direction. I'm glad you liked it though!

Ezza- Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter

The Rhombus- Phoebe and Gerald are one of the most underrated couples in this series. They don't have the drama surrounding them like Arnold and Helga but they have a really sweet dynamic that I've always enjoyed. I believe one of the most interesting aspects of Helga's character to write is her odd relationship with girly things. She wears a dress, bow, and likes the color pink but she's a tomboy in almost every way. She's one of those girls that I think will come to embrace a more feminine aspect of her personality without selling out who she is. As for the dance, I really wanted to give off the 'awkward' middle school vibe because no one that age has a clue what they're doing haha. There's always that one couple that takes the initiative and it was a perfect set up for the dance scene.

starfiction123- I'm incredibly flattered, thank you! There's a lot more to come that's certainly not as mushy as chapter 11 so just be prepared. But I really enjoyed writing that whole interaction with Arnold and Helga and it turned out amazingly.

Laylion4869- You're probably terrified by now, given my absence. Rest assured, everything is fine. Life is up and down but I'm also very blessed in many ways too. Nothing to worry about.

Deep Voice 06- I didn't feel I could properly write a 'magic moment' in this fic if the tango dance had occurred so I altered that for AU purposes. Arnold is indeed finally falling for Helga and is realizing just how beautiful inside and out she is. This whole scene was a major step forward for them both. But will it last? Well, we shall see. I hope you're doing okay, btw, I'll send you a PM.

AllegroGiocosco- I'm so glad you're enjoying this, even though it's not your preference in fandom! I hope you continue to review because I always look forward to them!

Sir Pootis- Don't worry! There was no way I was going to stop writing this. Just had a mini hiatus is all. I hope you enjoy this chapter:)

Well that just about covers everything. Welcome to part 2 of 'More Than You Bargained for'! Enjoy! Thank you to all who continue to read and support this fic.

Chapter 12. Sunday Afternoon Musings

It wasn't often that Helga Pataki found herself to be indecisive, it simply wasn't in her nature. So, when those rare occasions did occur, it left her feeling extremely out of place and uncomfortable.

Gazing outside of the window in her bedroom, Helga had spent practically the whole Sunday in her room, lying sprawled out on the bed, ignoring Olga's calls to see if she wanted to go to the park. She had considered calling Phoebe but hadn't summoned the energy to dial the phone. Ever since the dance the previous Friday, when she had danced with the love of her life, the 12 year old preteen had been unable to stop replaying it in her head. The cheesy nineties music, the warmth of his body pressed against hers, his funky vintage cologne colliding with the lavender of her perfume…it was bliss heaven itself could not have surpassed.

However, that bliss had eventually worn off and the anvil of reality sent her crashing back to earth. Because the more Helga thought about it, the more certain other memories resurfaced to put a damper on the magical evening. People had been watching them as they danced for hours on end. They must have looked like a high school couple on prom night. What would people when they entered the doors of P.S. 118 tomorrow morning? How much gossip would fill the halls from Rhonda Lloyd's lofty voice echoing about as she held court?

'Well it was simply shocking,' Helga imagined her saying. 'I mean Arnold and Helga? What are the odds? It's unbelievable.'

Yes, it was unbelievable. In more ways than one.

Never mind that she closer than ever to finally being with Arnold, there was no erasing past abuses she had heaped upon him. There really was no other word for it. Screaming, yelling, ridicule, pranks, spitballs- no other boy or creature on the planet would have put up with it as long as he had. Yet, here they were only two days removed from love locked eyes and slow dancing.

Love? Is this really what this moving towards? Or am I just the same old basket case?

Helga sat up on her bed, burying her head in her knees, working her brain into overdrive. There couldn't be any doubt Arnold was enjoying spending time with her. Criminy he had chosen her out of every girl in that spring formal to take the floor with. If that wasn't a sign of something, nothing was.

So why did it feel so fragile? That at any moment whatever progress she had made with her beloved, with herself, would shatter into a million pieces from one of her usual blunders?

She took a deep breath and pulled her locket from her bra, cooing softly at the photo of the boy that had captivated her heart for so many years now. Those years had seemingly morphed into an eternity despite the fact she had only lived twelve years. But it was hard to put that in perspective when that love had existed for almost as long as she could actually form memories in her head. It was almost all she had ever known, and it played into her anxiety. For as long as she had loved Arnold, she had been the class bully for an almost equal length of time. That was a reputation not easily shed and there was a part of her unwilling to let that label go. For all the suffering and sometimes loneliness it had wrought, the nastiness and bad girl attitude had also protected her from the hurt that was all too familiar in her family life. Was it something she wanted? No, there was no innate desire to be a frowning, mean spirited misanthrope. It had been born out of survival and taken on a life of its own.

The fact that I've gone this long without slipping up has to mean something right? That I don't have to be this way anymore…

Even as fear threatened to consume her once more, gentle whispering from the angel on her shoulder told her she didn't need to give in to that fear any longer. She didn't have to protect herself to keep everyone out, Arnold could be that person for her now and she could provide them same for him. Despite being polar opposites, if there was one thing they had in common it was they had experienced tremendous pain throughout their young lives. Despite their different outlooks and dispositions, it had given them an almost unspoken understanding even when she was screaming in his face and gluing feathers to his butt. He knew as well as her how unfair life could be, and it was just another reason for her undying attraction to her football headed love god.

Setting the locket aside for a moment, Helga returned her gaze to the cloudy, slightly discolored world outside her window. Though the sun was not technically out, the light was bright enough to give the illusion that it was, as though the weather couldn't make up its mind what it wanted on this lazy, Sunday afternoon.

For Helga, it summed up the full depth of her emotions that she struggled to make sense of. Never had she felt so torn, fearful and desperate all at once. Reputation, vulnerability, Arnold Shortman, it was all coming to a head and she did not sense that she was prepared for the day they inevitably collided. That day could come as soon as the bell rang for class tomorrow.

Completely restless, she fell back once more on her comforter, staring at the ceiling, the scents of dinner downstairs barely registering in her mind.

She was close. Closer than she had ever known. Enough to taste it on the tip of her tongue. Yet, she feared what would happen on Monday if Arnold tried to talk to her or worse yet…ask her the ultimate question.

"For Pete's sake, Helga old girl!" she said aloud to herself. "Stop psyching yourself out. Everything will be fine."

But the words rang hollow as anxiety continued to plague her.

Saying it aloud didn't make the scenario of Arnold asking her out any less frightening. Nor her possible reaction if he did.

Arnold Shortman attempted to finish homework that was due the next day, but the necessary concentration eluded him. Helga couldn't have known it, but he was just as preoccupied with the dance as she was. But for the twelve year old blond boy, it was not a question of how he felt but what to do going forward.

There was no doubt in his mind that he had feelings for Helga. A night of getting lost in her elegance and sparkling blue eyes had rendered that fact indisputable. On the one hand, having a crush on Helga was something of a boon; he had never felt this strongly about a girl before and it had eased the burden of the inner turmoil that raged like a storm inside of him. He had her to thank for that.

On the other hand, admitting he had a crush on her brought its own complications. Trying to predict Helga Pataki was like trying to predict the weather in Chicago. One moment she would be laughing or cracking a snide remark, the next she'd be threatening to introduce someone to ole' Betsy. Though her bullying tendencies had been significantly reduced in the past month, he was still unsure how best to approach the situation.

'Situation?' No, you want to ask her out, the voice of truth echoed in his head, annoying but inescapable. Arnold supposed that would be the logical thing to do. After all isn't that what one did when they liked a girl? Catch her alone and then pop the question of seeing a movie or going to some festival? He had done it with Lila more times than he cared to remember.

This isn't anything like Lila, his conscious reminded him. Though Lila had never reciprocated his feelings, she was sweet, thoughtful, mature, and straightforward. There was no big secret to Lila, at least not that he knew of. With, Helga, she had just as many demons as he did, some of which he had only glimpsed briefly, but he knew were there, nonetheless. She was blunt, crass, defensive, and used her aggression to keep people not named Phoebe at an arm's distance.

That brought another thought to his head? What if Helga didn't feel the same way? Unexpected kindness did not necessarily mean that someone had feelings for you. Indeed, Lila was a classic example. Yet, the two situations did not mirror each other completely.

Arnold shut his math book, rubbing his temples earnestly.

"I'll do this later," he muttered, as he picked up his remote and put on some soft jazz to soothe himself.

True, Lila and Helga had both shown him charity and benevolence but there was a marked difference. For one thing, Lila had never shown herself to be anything other than kind and gracious, not so with Helga. The latter had recently shown a slight change of heart, while Lila, despite her funny jokes and sweet, feminine disposition had made it clear over and over again she saw him as nothing more than a friend. So how did that make Helga liking him any more plausible? The girl who had ridiculed and bullied him since Pre-K.

Well for one, Arnold had never one hundred percent bought into Helga's mean girl attitude. Behind all of that snark and hostility, he knew lay a good person and there were personal moments the two had shared that proved that, even if such moments never lasted very long. Did he become angry with her at times? Yes, especially when she pushed him too far. But he had never hated her even in her most difficult episodes. Annoying and frustrating to be sure, however, in her own unique way, she was also a friend. And now on the verge of becoming far more.

Reason would dictate that a few instances of maturity and frankness wasn't enough to suggest she had feelings for him too. But recent evidence made that increasingly more likely as well. For one thing, Rhonda, Nadine, and Phoebe had all given him knowing looks as he couldn't keep his eyes of Helga and her evening wear. Lila herself had winked, taking particular pleasure in seeing them end up on the dance floor together, as if she knew something he didn't. Gerald also appeared to be convinced something was going between them, despite his aversion to the idea. Then there was Helga herself. Her behavior that night was…indescribable. It had reminded him a tiny bit of the time she had dressed as Lila for Rhonda's costume party except with notable differences. Except on Friday, Helga wasn't pretending to be anyone besides herself. That had been more endearing than anything else. She was smart, witty, and though teasing was not unpleasant or scowling, not to mention unbelievable beautiful. She challenged him yet completed him at the same time and it was more than enough to spark deep seated feelings.

Arnold laid down on his bed, absent mindedly knowing his grandmother would be calling him down for dinner at any moment. But any concept of filling his stomach was forgotten in the landscape of his mind that was focused on only one thing: how to ask Helga out.

Despite his reservations, instinct told him not to wait. The farther removed from the dance, the more awkward it would be if he tried to ask her out and there was no telling what the reaction would be. He would do so at some point tomorrow at school, perhaps at lunch, recess, or at the fountain somewhere. Wherever the time and place, it didn't matter all that much. What did matter was that he take the initiative.

Arnold knew that sorting out his feelings was not a strong suit of his, but this time he was sure. Crazy as it sounded, come Monday he would ask Helga Pataki to be his girlfriend.

"I just hope I can hold down whatever grandma is cooking before I do," he said aloud to himself as the butterflies swarmed in his stomach.

Hmmm...what will happen Monday I wonder? Next update should be in March so be on the look out!

-The Wasp