Disclaimer: The Hey Arnold characters belong to Craig Bartlett, and him alone. That his characters have inspired such hubris in me that would see me attempt a fan fiction based on them, speaks volumes of my reverence of the man.

ICYMI: Then boy, are you late for the party! Anyhow, Arnold reconciles with his friends in the afterlife, before returning to the real world to make his future plans known to Phoebe.

The chequered flag is out, Ladies and Gentlemen! The chequered flag is out!

27. Dance Across That Sea Of Time

The feeling is unreal: the knowledge and realization that today is his forty-fifth birthday. The number carries even more significance to him as it means that he'll be older than either of his parents were when they died. There are still occasional moments when he'll shed mournful tears over their deaths. Over time though, Arnold Philip Shortman has found the best way to honor the memories of his parents and grandparents by living his fullest life possible.

His friends, family, and acquaintances have done just that over the past seventeen years, to varying definitions of success.

Michael Bartlett, aka Brainy, for instance. He declined Arnie's offer to work in what would be the Sheriff's new Intelligence Division, citing that he belonged in the urban jungle that was Hillwood and that even after the demise of Scheck and FTi, the city still needed him to keep tabs on matters. To that end, he quit being a CI and struck out as a private investigator. He retained most of the human and material resources from his CI days to become one of Hillwood's most sought-after PI's. At least he no longer has to lie to his parents about his vocation, though he'll be damned if they ever hear of his involvement in the downfall of Alphonse Perrier du von Scheck. That aside, his relationship with his parents has improved tremendously and visits are no longer exercises in patience. Introducing Sheena to his parents did help matters, with his mother being especially ecstatic that he has someone special in his life. Currently, he works mostly on retainer for law firms, though he still finds the occasional 'interesting' case to throw at Lana Vail.

Speaking of Lana Vail…her hard, diligent work saw her reclaim her reputation as Hillwood's most feared defence attorney. She never lost her proclivity for bedding young studs, so when Arnold met her at Brainy's thirtieth birthday party for the first time after she left The Sunset Arms, he was in no danger of any improper advances.

Back to Brainy. His predictions of a post-FTi Hillwood were mostly on point. New threats did come and go, though none were anywhere near the magnitude of Scheck's activities all those years back. Nevertheless, his intel-gathering skills remained critical, if unsung, in thwarting and convicting would-be terrorists, assassins, and other odious characters.

Brainy did confess to Arnold – despite everything, the two had become fast friends, down to the handshake Arnold once shared only with Gerald – that he valued his low profile. Little attention to him, after all, meant equally little attention to his long-time live-in girlfriend, Sheena Gross. Not too long after the harbor incident, Sheena felt the need for a less volatile medical career. Inspired by her Aunt Shelley, she studied part-time to become a Registered Nurse, a position she's held to this day at Drymon Medical Clinic. She'd be lying if she said the work was less strenuous. However, incidences of her life being threatened on the job have been significantly reduced. She became friends with Phoebe, not quite a bestie like Hilda but close enough for visits to culminate into rather raucous girls' nights out (post-pregnancy, of course).

Sheena and Brainy lived together for about ten years after the Scheck incident, with the bigger bed which Brainy had recommended. After ten years, however, without so much as a hint of a suggestion of a proposal from Brainy, Sheena did what any lovelorn person would do: she took the initiative herself and proposed to him, bent knee and ring and all! Brainy would later confess to Arnold and Arnie that his own uncertainty was what forced the situation and that he accepted her proposal very tearfully. They've since been – in his words – 'eventfully, but generally happily, married.'

xxXXXxx

Olga Pataki certainly made the most of her second chance. However much money she pocketed, whether from her late husband's full pension or his ill-gotten gains, she considered it all immaterial. She moved out of her suburban purgatory, back to the old neighborhood which following Scheck's demise had indeed been repurposed as a low-cost housing development. Now in her fifties, she has recounted to Arnold and Phoebe – the latter with whom she is now on a civil first-name basis – what a pleasure it was to witness over the years how the neighborhood reclaimed its lost character. It's now a place where bodegas and small mom-and-pop stores serve the community, free from the encroachment of big-name franchise gentrification. Children may not play in the streets and parks at all hours, nor are they permitted to walk the streets 24/7 as was the case in her days, but by god do they treasure their outdoor activities!

Which is not to say that the neighborhood is perfect. Crimes still occur, and only the most foolish would not consider at least the most rudimentary security measures. But the point remains: the neighborhood was never perfect, ever. That's why people needed to adapt it – and adapt to it – to make it first their home, then their community. And that's exactly what has happened over the past seventeen years.

Olga Pataki chose to fulfill her soul by combining her one solace and her one joy in life: classical music and teaching respectively. She's been giving free piano lessons to the neighborhood children ever since she moved in. Over the years, 'Miss Olga' introduced the love of music to new generations. Most of her students found escapism in her classes, while an isolated few took the matter seriously and are now furthering their studies in more prestigious settings.

And mostly for her personal benefit, Olga began a YouTube channel comprising her renditions of various classical pieces to many appreciative subscribers, hits and praises. Her YouTube popularity attracted sufficient demand for public performances and to this day she is a popular and critically acclaimed regular on the local classical music circuit. Her most requested pieces are her 'delicate and emotional' interpretations of Claude Debussy's The Girl With Flaxen Hair and Rêverie, which she always tearfully dedicates to 'my wonderful baby sister' and which never fail to move the audience to similarly mournful tears.

Olga's biggest fan, one Miriam Pataki, is finally living what she believes is a fully contented life. Having now entered her eighties, she considers her life's work complete now that she and her once-estranged daughter have mended their relationship, and also because her daughter had found success and happiness on her own terms and not through parental pressure. Miriam has retired from retail and remains physically and mentally active, mainly through her daily swimming regimen. She even started swimming competitively, and currently holds a few State Records in her age division. On a social note, she's as active as ever in the senior (and not-so-senior) dating scene where she continues breaking hearts and causing discs to slip.

Though Helga Pataki may no longer be the only common factor binding Olga and Miriam, she remains the most important. Olga and Miriam have made an annual event out of visiting Helga's grave on her birthday. Arnold and Phoebe, then later Brainy and Sheena also joined in the visits and the reminiscing. Over time, many dubious – borderline suspicious – aspects of Helga's past have come to light, including how exactly she was able to obtain the footage she used to cobble together the video that allowed for the fateful trip to San Lorenzo. Arnold remains unsure whether he should remain honored by that gesture, or now be creeped out by it. It also happened during the second annual pilgrimage that Arnold presented Miriam with the locket that was meant to be Helga's gift on that fateful day, citing how it belongs with its intended owner. Miriam accepted the gesture wholeheartedly and since then the locket remains displayed with Helga's dress in Miriam's study. Its message proudly displayed: 'A new heart…for the awesome girl who won mine.'

Though Miriam is genuinely happy with her lot in life, her one point of – slight – discontent is that she may not die a grandmother, little knowing that Olga is now seriously looking into child adoption, a point the latter shared with Arnold and Phoebe under the promise of absolute secrecy, for the time being at least.

xxXXXxx

The old neighborhood may be back to its old, diverse, characterful self, but a lot of behind-the-scenes finagling had to take place for that to happen. For one thing, the protection against demolition and large-scale commercial development afforded to it as a historical site was reinstated following the death of Alphonse Scheck.

"And I'll cut off the balls of any of you two-faced duck-fuckers who so much as thinks about fucking with the neighborhood! Then I'll personally feed them to your wives! Understand?" Gino Giovinazzo, aka Big Gino, is alleged to have warned at the first Post-FTI sitting of the City Council. They obeyed. He had dirt on all the city's higher-ups and power players: of course they'd obey.

Big Gino also footed the legal bill for a class action suit against Scheck's estate brought on by the former residents who were displaced after the Sunset Arms bombing, or their next-of-kin. They sued for emotional trauma and lost earnings, and the case was settled out-of-court for an undisclosed – though rumored to be very generous – amount.

Over and above that, he also arranged that title deeds were sent to the displaced residents who could be successfully traced. Results were mixed: some of the intended recipients had died, while others flatly refused to return to the scene of their lost innocence. A lot did return, including Martin and Mrs. Johanssen, together with Gerald Johanssen's ashes. They'd come to realize how much they missed Hillwood and their family and vowed never to leave again. They've since been subject to the occasional visits from Arnold and Phoebe, whom Martin says will always be welcome in the Johanssen house.

Not that any of this suggests that Big Gino has gone good: he still needs to eat, after all. His enterprises have expanded with smuggling cigarettes, alcohol, and critical-care medication. There's also talk of how he closed down the gun-running operation and relocated it to San Lorenzo. Fine by Bridget: with Scheck gone, she reckoned her work in Hillwood was done anyway. Besides, introducing cheap weaponry to a populace who'd otherwise be unable to defend themselves against river pirates and other unsavory sorts was just the thing to scratch her itch for dispensing justice. One must also consider that since Scheck's foiled attempt at exploiting San Lorenzo's natural resources, the country's rainforests have been declared protected natural wonders and heritage sites. An armed populace could go a long way in deterring the oil companies, mining companies, and developers who'd decimate San Lorenzo's endemic biodiversity in a heartbeat. Local word of mouth also has her on very friendly terms with Eduardo, though for a long time both remained tight-lipped regarding that assertion…

Back in Hillwood, Gino receives his cut from the weapons sales and all the other revenue streams, so he isn't hurting for cash. The thing is, he always puts money back into the community. A soup kitchen here, new features in a park there, new books and PC's for the library. Everybody in the community knows how he earns his money, yet they all develop amnesia when asked to provide details. They also know that Big Gino has his thumb on the scale at City Hall and Police Headquarters, but since they reckon he's doing it all for the neighborhood…well, who gives a shit?

Brainy, that's who! Well, he and Mister Smith. While Big Gino keeps close tabs on the politicians, Brainy and Smith keep close tabs on Big Gino. It is Brainy's sincere wish that he won't be forced to act against a Gino gone rogue. So far, so good.

xxXXXxx

Arnie and Hilda MacNeille remain prosperous in their professional and personal lives. Arnie has remained Sheriff of the county, winning all of the elections by such landslides that the electoral process is considered a mere formality: speculation centers more around how big his winning margin will be for a given ballot instead of his chances of victory. For good reason too, as he has modernized the rural law enforcement's methods and resources. OK, so he couldn't rope in Brainy for his proposed Intelligence Division, but no problem: Carl Foutley was long overdue a promotion anyway and was instead chosen to head the section, even though it meant having to curtail his off-the-record activity. Curtail, but not cease entirely. Just in case…

Thanks mostly to Arnie's efforts, the county's crime stats have been among the lowest in the state. But he'll be damned if he ever lets himself rest on his laurels.

Not that his work will ever be more important than his family.

Shortly after birthing their daughter, Hilda retired from the Sheriff's Department. The Denkova incident had impacted her more than she let on and in a rare moment of vulnerability, she confessed to her husband that her maternal instincts made her fear that a day on the job could dawn that wouldn't see her return home by the evening. Her decision was wholeheartedly accepted, with the tears flowing freely at headquarters at the news of her departure. She'd always been a talented writer and so sought to forge a writing career. Seventeen years of hard work and persistence later, she holds the unusual distinction of authoring a bestselling children's book series, as well as two equally bestselling erotic novels. She was quoted – out of context, she claims – in an interview speaking of her flexible writing ability: "Well, I'm nothing if not flexible. Just ask my husband…"

Helle Stella MacNeille, their daughter, is growing up a fine young woman. Paler blonde hair aside, she's otherwise the very image of her mother. Unfortunately, she's also inherited the droll, pedantic, monotone personality of her father when he was a child. Instead of reading labels, however, she finds joy instead by dismantling and reassembling anything mechanical, electric or electronic. As a toddler and adolescent, she was the cause of many voided warranties in the MacNeille household. It was therefore just as well that her high school offers shop class, in which she is regularly top of her class. Despite her – inherited – personality traits, she's no pushover, known at school for possessing the hardest headbutt. She does have a circle of friends, even a boyfriend who won her affection by lasting two rounds of MMA against her. One-and-three-quarters, really, as she choked him out just before the end of the second round, but by then he'd already made an impression on the girl's heart.

Despite her quirks, she remains a sweet, humble, intelligent person. She really is her parents' pride and joy.

xxXXXxx

Finally, there's the fate of Arnold Shortman and Phoebe Heyerdahl.

About two months after Phoebe accepted Arnold's proposal, the two were married in a private, intimate ceremony. Sure, they could have waited until after Phoebe birthed their child, but Phoebe's romanticism and sense of tradition overrode her logical faculties: she wanted to be a bride before she became a mother. The ceremony was attended by family and close friends that included Brainy, Sheena, even Miriam and Olga. Eduardo took a break as a prominent San Lorenzen community leader to attend the ceremony as well, accompanied by his girlfriend, Bridget. Eduardo suggested a formal Green-Eyed ceremony which was summarily shot down by a pregnant Phoebe once Arnold explained just how long the ceremony would last. Instead, a Justice of the Peace was appointed to marry the couple.

Phoebe gave birth to a healthy baby girl christened Galena Heyerdahl-Shortman. What a beauty she is: she has her mother's face and hair and ears, and her father's eyes. As she grew up, her personality developed into an aggregate of her mother's logic and her father's childhood whimsy. Today she's a consummate all-rounder at school with way-better-than-average academic performances coupled with sound athletics performances, particularly in middle-distance events. She gets along very well with her cousin Helle; regular play dates as tiny tots saw the two develop a very close rapport which developed over time into something best described as a hybrid of a tight friendship and a strong familial bond.

At one point, Galena started querying about her origin, given that she had seen her parents' wedding photos and noticed her mother's protuberant bump which she correctly guessed contained her. The parents admitted to her premarital conception, though Arnold teased her about how close she came to being conceived in an alleyway. Galena has never since raised this topic.

After Galena's birth, Arnold continued as a bounty hunter, while Phoebe retired from journalism to ply her skills in writing non-fiction crime books. She authored two bestsellers detailing prominent cold cases, in her venture for truth and closure for victims of crimes long forgotten and in need of reopening. In doing so, she began letting herself heal from the memory of that night when she emptied eight rounds into Oskar Kokoshka, with her sole motivation being premeditated malice. It's just as well that the murder of Oskar Kokoshka remains unsolved; in fact, no investigation was ever opened. For that matter, his body was never found. Brainy was eventually able to piece together what happened after she and Arnold left Kokoshka's corpse. Gino had a team of cleaners on standby, having gotten word of Arnold's intended visit. While half the crew deep cleaned and sanitized the apartment, the other half seized the body, chopped, sawed and butchered it into more manageable chunks and elsewhere introduced the chunks to a woodchipper. Brainy thinks that Oskar Kokoshka is currently enriching some forestland somewhere in the state of Washington, which is the most good he's ever likely to have done.

All the while, Arnold and Phoebe took to parenting more easily than either had expected (which wasn't really saying much at all...) despite all the pitfalls: the sleepless nights; the projectile vomiting; the visits to the doctor at the slightest indication; the nursing and the dirty diapers. Fortunately, Kyo and Reba were there to assist in the matter and help the young couple survive (and ultimately thrive) as parents. Eventually, Arnold and Phoebe reckoned they had the hang of this whole parenting thing.

But fate is a fickle friend and so more was in store for the couple.

Four years after Galena, the twins arrived. Arnold was gobsmacked by the announcement of Phoebe's second pregnancy, before later being rendered catatonic by the announcement that twins were in the offing. Eventually, he and Phoebe welcomed Miles Kyo and Reba Stella Heyerdahl-Shortman into the world. Whoopie! Twice the fun! But soon enough, they too were considered no big deal to raise, even if it did mean having to extend the house and switch from a hot hatch to a Volvo SUV. He knew his world had changed irrevocably when his main considerations for a new vehicle changed from 0-60 times and road-holding ability to the number of Isofix brackets and airbags as standard.

These two…these two: heads and unruly hair like that of their father, with only their mother's eyes and jet black hair as evidence of her genetic contribution. Much like their father, they are predisposed to bouts of whimsy and realistic optimism. These traits and their easy-going nature have won them many a friend over the years. They've also inherited their mother's brains, much to Arnold's admitted relief.

Today, Arnold looks at a life he never thought he'd ever make for himself given his tragic circumstances and stands a humbled man. He has the love and support of a beautiful, wise and intelligent wife for whom he'd go to the ends of the known universe many times over. Through his children, he has a chance to continue the Shortman legacy.

He has never forgotten his dearly departed friends and family, for whom he and the brood make an annual trip to Hillwood to visit their graves and memorial. He wishes to keep their memories, good and bad, alive in his heart. He hopes that they are smiling at the success he's made of his life. After all, he lives his life daily in their honor.

And for Helga too.

Especially Helga.

In her honor.

THE END

And that's it for this chapter and the story! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for allowing me to (hopefully) entertain you with my little tale. Thus ends a yearlong endeavor, though it really began in earnest mid-November 2018. By then I had finished reading what I still consider the benchmark for Hey Arnold fanfictions: Let Me Be Your Hero by AiraSora. I was inspired by its bold premise to write this tale, though I decided to up the ante with my premise yet remain nothing but respectful to the source material. Writing commenced from about end-November, through December 2018, through January 2019 and most of February before I even set up my Fanfiction account having completed my first five chapters.

The idea was for the story to run no more than twelve chapters and I predicted I'd have it all wrapped up by no later than June 2019. About that...

I started with my premise and framework, plus a list of specific key story elements:

1) I was aiming at the outset for an M-rating. And not just for graphic content, but also for complex social, financial and legal issues that might be too much for a K-rating.

2) I wanted to include at least one action setpiece.

3) I wanted at least one scene featuring hand-to-hand combat.

4) There had to be a sex scene (or two...).

5) The word 'fecund' had to be used. I first (and last) encountered this word at varsity back in 2000 in an Applied Mathematics module (Biological Modelling III) which included a case study on the net birth rates of Southern Right Whales.

But as the story progressed, more ideas popped up in my mind. New setpieces. New bits of dialogue. New characters. Heck, when I started this project, I didn't even have Scheck, Sheena, Lana, Olga or Miriam's extended role in mind. And I hope you all agree that the story would not be the same without this lot.

It reminds me of a Project Management course I did back in 2017 in which we were warned about 'scope creep' and its pitfalls. We were warned of how unexpected changes and additions can delay projects. But this is writing fanfiction. There are no penalties (at least financially) for missing deadlines; heck, the deadlines here are all self-imposed anyway. All the same, I did find myself adhering to a self-imposed writing regimen that helped structure my days. Furthermore, I've found this to be a therapeutic exercise, especially after a day comprising my 9-5 followed by me teaching kickboxing classes between 6 and 8 pm.

Some nights weren't even spent writing because I was researching numerous aspects of the story. Here's a small, random sample of my Chrome search topics for In Her Honor:

'Maximum sentence for attempted murder in Washington state'

'Washington police tattoo policy'

'Premium piano brands'

'Major arteries in the body'

'Best subcompact 9mm'

'How does being shot feel?"

'Area of brain that controls impulses'

There's not much more to say except to thank all you wonderful readers once again for seeing my title among a sea of possibilities and thinking: "You know what? I'll give this one a go." I value the faith each and everyone showed in me, and I hope that you are not walking away dissatisfied. I might revisit this universe for a few short spin-off stories, maybe to expand on some points to which I alluded. Who knows..?

OK, maybe a word to two specific readers who made some comments via PM:

DeepVoice'06: You expressed being an ArnoldxPhoebe shipper but fearing repercussions from the fandom if you were to act on that preference. Well, I can safely tell you that (so far at least...) nobody has threatened me with physical harm for pairing the two. So yeah, I reckon you're safe to act on your creative instinct. For what it's worth, I look forward to what you may have in mind.

The J.A.M.: I've read on your profile your stringent policies and guidelines regarding what you choose to read. And though a lot of the content of this tale might go against those policies and guidelines, I can only thank you for making an exception for me.

Anyway, this was my one big Author's Note. On now to the final chapter's Spotify list:

Time Passages - Al Stewart

Sailing - Christopher Cross

Ordinary World - Duran Duran

Take A Picture - Filter

You're The Voice - John Farnham

Dance Across The Centuries - Johnny Clegg and Savuka

The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up) - Level 42

Se A Vida E (That's The Way Life Is) - Pet Shop Boys

And that really is it, Ladies and Gentlemen! See you soon, I hope.