A/N: Guys! I'm sorry! I wanted this chapter out by last Christmas! Or my birthday! Or heck, New Years! But...better late than never? Okay, for those of you hangin' in there, thank you! That last chapter was a doozy huh? I almost cried myself writing it lol! Also, guys thanks so much for the insightful reviews! And guys? Holy cow? I'm almost at 100 reviews! Can we make that happen? That be epic! I enjoy reading every single thing ya'll have to say and try to reply accordingly! Ok now to reply to the ones I couldn't which are labeled as guest reviews.
Guest number one: My heart goes out to you for your life experiences and I'm here for you. There's a huge reason why I wrote a story like this especially with the Hey Arnold universe. Helga's story in general is kind of sad if you look at her childhood. If it wasn't for Arnold, could she really learn to appreciate life despite the dark times? Heck, could we all learn how to be happy when there's so much pain? That's what the story is about. As for you being wrong all the time, well…No spoilers but let's just say I wouldn't sell myself short just yet and I hope you stick around for the ride to see what's next. Thanks for the review!
Aaand…that was it? Okay. On to the story!
Change is one of the most important facts of life that everyone deals with. It is inevitable and can leave an impact in the smallest of ways or even be long lasting. Whether such an impact can be deemed good or bad however, mainly depends on how one handles the events. Considering how such said events have been nothing short of he** for me lately, I can only draw one conclusion to sum it all up…
Change. Sucks.
"Outa my way Bucko! One side moron! I'm walkin' here da**it! Criminy! Slugs like you shouldn't even be allowed to walk these streets!"
An angry Helga scowled as she nearly stomped down the busy city sidewalks with her writer's bag slung across her shoulder, and pushed anyone who blocked her path. To anyone who was unfamiliar with her display, he or she might have taken quick offense and would have responded accordingly (and would have later regretted it). However, for anyone who was familiar with the brash woman's ways, he or she would just briefly look her way and once they were sure that she was not looking, would then shake their heads in empathy and disappointment as they realized that this was just another day of crossing paths with Helga G. Pataki.
Once upon a time, there might have been days where the woman would continue such a stiff like disposition, but it would all be out of good fun as she would then smirk and even start civil and humorous conversations that engaged everyone in her captivating yet fiery personality. Her mood would especially brighten for the times she was accompanied by her oblong shaped headed husband who would playfully scold her and add on to her joyful moments.
But now, it would appear that such times were all but forgotten…
The sparks of fire and life disintegrated from her eyes and its death was evident in her chilling glances and scowls. But along with that lifeless look came the overpowering impact of sorrow and pain invisible to the naked eye. If anyone dared to look deeper, dared to look harder, they would then see that her grief was apparent and shone like a beacon in the night.
But how would they respond?
How could someone confront or comfort someone that held so much pain?
Someone that was damaged beyond repair?
They had no answer…
And as a result, they focused their attention to their various tasks, letting the woman stomp away in her concealed misery.
No one dared to get in her way.
She would be ok.
Surely she would be. And if not, then she would find a way to be okay. That's what she does. She's Helga G. Pataki. And everyone knows that Patakis never break a sweat. They never talk about things. They sweep it under a rug and uphold a veneer of power and control. They never cry. They never waver on what they want. Their ambition is unparalleled.
Such encouraging conclusions were what set the people's minds at ease about the woman formerly known as Helga G. Shortman, now once again called Helga G. Pataki. After all, it seemed like these days, the woman proved to be more and more of Big Bob's descendant than they had ever known.
"WHAT DO YA MEAN THEY WANT ME TO EDIT THE STORY?!"
The citizens winced as they heard the woman yell furiously on her Bluetooth.
"Look chum! If the publishers don't like the idea of a gutsy and gory story, then I'll take my award winning best seller elsewhere! It's no grime off of my boots cause there's no way in he** I'm gonna write crap about lights at the end of the tunnel and bullsh** hopes like that! It's time the world got a dose of reality bucko! Life sucks! And if YOU can't get them to see…Ya know what. Forget it! I'll save you the trouble! YOU'RE FIRED!" Helga ended the call with a growl and grumbled as she crossed the crosswalk and came around the corner of a building only to pause as a flashback overtook her mind.
"Oof! A-Arnold!"
"Oh! Sorry Helga, didn't see you there are you alright?"
"I-uh…YEAH WELL WHY DON'T YA WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOIN NEXT TIME FOOTBALL HEAD! I SWEAR YOU'RE GONNA GIVE ME A CONCUSSION FROM YOUR STUPIDITY! NOW OUTA MY WAY GEEKBAIT!"
"Always nice running into you too Helga…"
She blinked, frozen in place, unable to move for a moment.
"Oof! What the he-Oh…don't tell me. Let me guess, I just crashed into someone with an enormous stupid football looking head who can't walk to save his life!"
"Ha-ha ouch! Kind of harsh when you say it like that. Besides, I thought that after not seeing me from being in San Lorenzo for so long, my girlfriend would actually be happy to bump into me."
"More like collided like a train wreck…And of course she's happy to see you! Still doesn't change the fact that you're out to give me a concussion from your stupidity and can't walk to save your life, but…I guess I can let it go this time Bucko…"
She rounded the corner of a random building that was one of the many places that she used to collide into her beloved…only for nothing to happen. She glanced around the corner only to find a lone fire hydrant and cars attempting to parallel park on the side.
"Oh Arnold…"
She felt a sharp pang in her chest as her eyes moistened under her thick rimmed writer's glasses, but then slapped herself out of the trance, scowling once more.
"No. None of that. Not this time. I'm over it. Get it together Pataki." She scolded herself. Before she could continue walking however, she heard the sounds of heavy breathing from behind her. Without thinking, she fiercely and abruptly launched her fist over her shoulder at the source.
"What do you want Brainy? You should know by now that it's total reflex for me to bash your face in when you pull sh** like that." She stated dryly without turning around or losing the scowl.
After a few quick and deep breaths into his inhaler, he wiped the blood form his bleeding nose, adjusted his broken framed glasses, and smiled lightly. "Heh….Good…to…see you…out and about…Helga."
She gave no response.
"How…are you feeling these days?"
"What kind of stupid bullsh** question is that?" She spat as she turned to face him with pure enmity.
"…I see…You're still in pain…I'm sorry…Just wanted you to know…I'm here for you…We all are…Beauty and the girls miss you…The whole gang does…They won't say it out loud but…They are all worried…" Brainy wheezed and put a hand on her shoulder.
Helga sucked in a breath, her hands clenching at her sides. "Get out of my way Bucko and never touch me again...Or I swear when I hit you next time it will be with intent instead of impulse." She glowered.
"Fair enough…All things considered…I hope your latest gifts will help you cope better than going back to the bottle…"
She rounded on him, ready to pound him to pieces for the comment about her former drinking problem, but curiosity got the best of her as she paused with her fists squared up, ready to strike.
"What gifts?"
Brainy's eyes widened slightly. "…You mean…you don't know? Stella must not have told you…"
"What the fu** are you talkin' about Brainiac! Spill it already before I rip your tongue out and tie it around your neck!"
Brainy blinked before smiling a little. "You'll find out soon enough…Take care of yourself Helga…" He turned around and walked away, leaving her to blink with confusion and irritation at his last statement.
"What a moron…and yet…What the fu** could that have been about?"
Once she made it home, the weary blonde trudged up the steps to her little porch, pondering on Brainy's mysterious statement and expression. It was almost as if he knew something that she didn't. That irked her. Now these days, she was never a fan of surprises. As her nerves worked her, she longed for instant relief. Something that a few quick shots of chilled Gin could provide in a flash.
She nearly slapped herself once more and mumbled to herself.
"No. Come on Helga ol Girl! Where's your dignity?! You're almost sounding as bad and desperate as she was! Unlike some people, I don't need some stupid drink to keep me goin'. I'm just fine on my own! Besides, I've been down that road and it took me a long shot to get clean, but…I did it by myself like always. No stupid AA meetings, no pats on the backs, just me, myself, and I…and my strong will. That's all it takes. I'm ok. I got this. Just…go inside, quickly pass the mini bar…and stick to routine. Nothing's gonna make me go back to that state."
She fished out her keys to unlock the door only to find it already unlocked. She then raised an eyebrow.
"What the…Okay. I could have sworn I locked the door before I left…Or did I? Ok. No more tequila shots before breakfast Helga. You're going to the looney bin for sure if you keep this up!"
"One…Two…Three…Four…Uh…Oh Cwiminy what came next after four?! Uh…Sixteen and a half…Thirty thousand and twenty-three…Five…"
Helga paused in the doorway, confusion gracing her features as she heard a young sounding voice count completely off and out of sequence. She walked in the living room around the corner to find a person no taller than her knee hiding underneath a large pillow on her couch; the little legs and body that stuck out covered in blue plaid shorts, and dark blue shoes, immediately made her guess that it was a little boy.
The muffled sounds of off counting continued.
"Six…Seven…Eight…Nine…Nine and a half…Nine and three quarters…Ninety-nine thousand...Ten! Kay! Ready or not here I come! Ya might as well give up now Weirdie-Head Girl! Because I'm gonna win!" The muffled voce exclaimed with pride.
Helga watched the little boy emerge from under the pillow, only for her eyes to widen in shock.
The little boy shared the same startled look as he now saw the tall blonde woman standing a few feet from him.
It was then that Helga realized that for the first time in what seemed like forever, she was actually standing in front of Philip Miles Shortman…Also known as her and Arnold Shortman's only son.
His features were so much like his father's it was almost haunting. The football shaped head, the blonde almost yellow like tuffs of hair that stuck out from each side of the little familiar blue colored hat, the height, everything screamed that he was indeed the offspring of the Football-Headed man I loved more than life itself. And yet, at the same time, the blue eyes that were intense and deep as the ocean, the G shaped nose, the bushy unibrow almost hidden under his light colored bangs, and the little confused scowl on his features clearly showed that he was my son as well.
"Who the heck are you lady?"
Along with the blunt attitude.
Helga's eyes could only widen as her mouth was agape and shock took over her entire fame. She was no doubt overwhelmed since the very last time she laid eyes on her son was when he could barely walk. Now as he stood in front of her with hands folded and a confused yet defiant, lack of trust in his fiery blue eyes, she could only stutter in a quiet whisper.
"E-excuse me?"
"What are ya deaf?! Whooo. The. Heeeck. Aaare. Yoooou? Aaand. Whaaat. Aaare. Yooou. Doooing. Heeere?!" Philip demanded once more, slowing down his speech as if talking to an alien.
"…I-I…Hey. Wait a minute! Watch your tongue Bucko I'm not some sort of idiot ya know! Don't you know who you're talkin' to here?!" Helga scowled.
"All I know is I'm talkin to some skirt who just came into the house that I don't know so dat makes you a stwanger! I'm not supposed to be talkin' to stwangers since they can be dangerous! And since a person I don't know got into this house, you could be a wobber like those police shows gwandpa and gweat gwandpa like to watch! I could be in gweat danger wight now and should pwobably call da cops and run for my life all scared and stuff! But guess what Bucko! I'm not some scared little chicken! I watched TV pwenty of times! And good guys always kick bad guys butt! I'm not scared of you! Just wait till my mommy gets home and stuff! She'll sock you weally, weally good! And my gweat gwandma knows kar-kara-karo-She'll kick your butt too!" Philip stuttered, deepening his scowl.
"He doesn't remember me…"
"Y-you don't know who I am?"
"Well Dooiii! I just said you're a stwanger! I don't know what you're here for, but you'll never get away with it!" He exclaimed bravely.
Helga blinked before her lips started to twitch. Eventually the twitch turned into a snicker and then finally a full blown laugh.
Philip stared at the lady as if she had two heads.
"W-what's so funny?!" He demanded.
"Well what do ya know…You got guts kid. Yep, you're most definitely a son of mine…" She folded her arms with a smirk.
"Huh? A son of yours? Wait…" Philip squinted his eyes and examined the woman. "Wait a minute…Y-you? You're Helga? Y-you're my mommy?" He asked quietly yet skeptically.
"You got it Einstein." Helga smirked with her arms folded.
"Wow…" He stared at her in wonder.
Helga's face couldn't help but soften and she rubbed her arm uncomfortably, trying to figure out what to say. "Y-yeah I-"
"-NO WAY!"
She jumped, startled at his sudden yell.
"THERE'S NO WAY YOU'RE MY MOMMY! SHE'S WAAY PRETTIER THAN YOU!"
"W-wait a minute the fu-?!"
"-MY GWANDMA GAVE ME A PICTURE OF MY MOMMY! AND YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE THE PICTURE AT ALL!" Philip pointed at her with accusation, while reaching into his pocket to retrieve the picture.
Helga scowled at the boy until she saw the photograph.
She recognized it instantly.
"Criminy Football-Head! I told you to get that camera out of my face!"
"Aw come on! One picture Angel? I just want to capture this moment! Especially since the twins are actually staying still in one place for once!"
"Yeah cause knocking down mommy's hard labored sandcastles in the sandbox and flinging sand in her eyes is totally a Rapidgram moment."
"Haha come on please?"
"Arnold no! Criminy! I'm all sandy, my hair's a mess, and I look like a wreck!"
"Do you want to pretend like you didn't sound like Rhonda just now or should I?"
"I'll pretend to not pound you into next week if you don't get that thing out of my face!"
"Okay, okay. One picture and I'll leave you alone, promise."
"Ugh…fine what the heck."
"Great! Come on you guys, get close to mommy and give her a big hug…Yeah just like that! Okay hold it…Reeady? Perfect!"
"Well how'd it come out?"
"Beautiful…"
Helga snapped herself from the sudden flashback and examined the photo closely. It was a picture of her a few years back hugging her baby son and daughter close to her chest. She took note of how she used to look and completely understood why her son had his doubts. The woman in the picture could have been a model. She was beautiful with golden hair that cascaded down her back in light curls, dressed in a light pink sundress, and wore a smile that although showed a hint of mischievousness was the very essence of gratification. Her bright blue eyes underneath her neatly trimmed eyebrows held a light inside of them that sparkled with something that she hadn't felt in a long time.
Happiness.
She then looked at herself in a nearby mirror and almost wanted to cringe. Her gravity defying pigtails stuck out from her pink knitted beret, her eyebrows that formed a full blown unibrow was intimidating, along with her ripped faded jeans, and ruffled looking red plaid flannel shirt that once belonged to her husband, but now was something she wore religiously. And her baggy blue eyes were hazed with a dreariness she could not explain.
There was a striking differentiation between the woman in the picture and herself.
But before she could protest, Phil's eyes widened.
"Ooh! Hold on! Wait a second…" He fished into his pocket for another photo and examined it, his eyes shifting back and forth from the photo to Helga.
"Hmm…Okay. Scratch that. Never mind. I believe ya. Gwandma gave me this picture of mommy too when she was a kid. She doesn't look as pwetty as the first one, but she kind of looks like you a little bit."
Helga frowned at the photo of her nine year old self scowling angrily.
"So…You're my mommy huh?" Phil folded his arms as he took in Helga's current appearance.
"Looks that way Kiddo." She replied simply.
"It's Phil. I have a name ya know." He huffed.
Before Helga could protest and scold him, he suddenly took off running around the room, checking underneath various objects. She sighed and shook her head; still in shock from seeing her son again, along with his attitude that was a pure reflection of hers. He certainly was more of a handful than when he was a baby. She figured that a nice glass of that Gin would probably be good for her nerves right now, but she shook her head from the thought and decided to follow her son.
Helga raised an eyebrow at his actions. "Uh what are you doing?"
"Doi what's it look like? I'm seeking!" He replied without looking at her and running into another room.
"Seeking for what?" She asked with annoyance.
"Not what! Who! It's called hide-and-seek for a reason! I'm twying to find her! I can't let her win!" Phil replied.
"Who?" Helga asked with curiosity, wondering who the he** else could be in her house.
"Weirdie-Head Girl!"
Helga blinked in confusion.
"Ugh! My sister? Halie? Doi?!"
Her eyes widened. "S-she's here too?"
"No doi! Gwandma and Gwandpa dwopped us off here in this dump earlier so where else would she be?" He replied as he looked underneath a table and growled with frustration.
"Oh did they?" She grit through clenched teeth as her fists clenched with fury as she realized why this was happening.
"Dang it Halie! I won't let you win! Come out alweady and just give up!" He stomped his feet with frustration.
Helga rolled her eyes. "Brilliant idea. Stomp on the ground like an angry elephant and bring the house down why don't ya. That's sure to make her want to come out."
Phil scowled in her direction, but then frowned sadly as he realized that he couldn't find his sister. "I'll never find her now…And Gwandma wanted me to keep an eye on her too…"
He tried calling again. "Haalliee?! Come on! Come out! Pleease?"
"Not the best game for keeping an eye on someone is it Kiddo?" She taunted until she saw his saddened expression. Helga's face softened once more and she sighed. "Look, if you want…I think I can maybe lure her out for you."
"You can do that? How?" He asked curiously.
Meanwhile, somewhere upstairs behind a shelf, a little girl kept herself hidden.
"He's calling again…He sounds almost sad…Maybe I should come out now…But what if it's a twick like last time?"
The little girl twiddled her thumbs and continued to speak to the air as if she were holding a conversation with someone present with her.
"I don't know what to do Mr. Gween Glowy Guy. Phil could be twicking me again and then I'll never be good at this game in time for Kindergarten…And even worse, mommy still hasn't shown up yet…Do you think she's okay?"
The little girl heard only silence and sighed as she thought about her dream from the previous night.
"I wemember what you said to me last night…I hope you're wight…"
Flashback to Dream Sequence
"Halenie? What's wrong Sweetheart?" The soft voice called out.
Halenie looked up from the bright colored meadow and looked towards the bright green glowing aura that floated in front of her. "Gwandma's taking us to see my mommy tomorrow…"
"I remember you telling me that…You were so excited, but now you look so sad. Why is that? Won't you tell me?" The soft young voice replied.
"I am excited! But…I'm also scared…"
"Why are you scared?"
"I haven't seen my mommy for a vewy vewy long time…I was a baby when she went away…What if she doesn't wike me like the other kids at school didn't wike me…"
"Halie…Of course she likes you. I'm sure she loves you and your brother very much."
"Then why did she leave us?" Halenie asked in a whisper as she wiped her tears away.
She heard the voice go silent as it sighed sadly. "I'm sure she'll tell you why someday…But you and your brother are going to see her again and you should be happy about that. That's what matters now right?"
"I guess…But evewyone says that she's mean…They say that she looks mad all the time and stomps awound, yelling at people and calling them mean names, like Philie does when he gets in twouble…Even her fwiends don't play with her anymore…What if she does that with me?"
"Halie…Everyone gets mad and acts mean sometimes…But it's important to know why they get mad too. Maybe it's because they're actually sad, but instead of crying, they get angry and make other people feel bad."
"How does that help them feel better?"
"Sometimes it doesn't…But sometimes they think that it does. It doesn't mean that it's the right thing to do, but I'm sure that no matter what people say, your mommy is a good person deep down and has a good, soft, mushy, hearted center full of love for you and Philip. Just give her a chance."
"How do you know all these things anyways?" She raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
"I just do…"
She nodded softly, looking out at the horizon. "You weally think she'll be happy to see us Mr. Gween Glowy Guy?"
"I think she'll be very…surprised."
End Flashback Dream Sequence
"I wish you were with me wight now Mr. Gween Glowy Guy…You're my only imaginary friend that makes me feel better…" She whispered as she hugged herself.
"HALENIE?"
Halenie's eyes widened with a gasp as she realized her name was being called, only this time it wasn't her brother.
"HALENIE?! WHERE ARE YOU?"
She realized that it was a woman's voice. A woman's voice that did not sound familiar to her and yet it did in so many ways.
"It's her!" She thought excitedly.
Meanwhile, Helga tapped her foot impatiently as she readied herself to call out to the little girl once more.
"It's not working is it?" Philip deadpanned as he sat on the couch with his arms folded.
"It will! I just gotta be a little louder Sheesh!" Helga retorted. "HALENIE?! ARE YOU THERE?! IF YOU ARE GET DOWN HERE ALREADY!"
Helga looked down and grumbled only to hear a soft and quiet voice from the staircase.
"Y-yes ma'am d-did you call me?"
She turned her tired eyes towards the staircase and froze completely.
She was totally unprepared to see the sight before her.
The little girl continued to descend down the steps, but it was like slow motion for me. Her little golden pigtails bounced along with the familiar looking pink bow as she walked, her bright white dress almost sparkled in the sunlight from the nearby window, and her face was lit with pure timid joy. Her bright blue eyes also sparkled with a familiar light of hope that I had only seen in one person in particular. Her voice was in no wise mousey for her age, but was still light and as calm as the sea with a peaceful element to it. Something I only heard from the same said person in particular. She was like a little angel, innocence and kindness gracing her facial features. I mean Criminy! It was as if my deceased football-headed husband was reincarnated as a female! It was then when I realized that Halenie Stella Shortman was the spitting image of Arnold Shortman both in features and in spirit.
And that scared the living sh** out of me…
For some reason…It chilled me to the core…
She was always cute as a baby, but Criminy…Come on! There is no way that such a little angel could have possibly come from someone like me…
But there she was as she stood in front of her mother twiddling her thumbs and turning her shy blue eyes towards her.
"Um…Hi mommy. Y-you called me?"
Helga remained frozen, not seeing her son calmly walk up to the little girl and flick her on the forehead with his hand.
"Ow! Wh-what was that for?" She turned her gaze to her twin brother.
"You're it." He stated simply.
Halenie blinked for a moment before she processed what he meant. "W-whaaa?!"
"I didn't stutter doi!" Phil smirked.
"B-but you can't do that! The game stopped because mommy called me! So I had to come out! That didn't count!" Halenie explained.
"It did count cause she's part of the game! She called your name and you came out of hiding!"
"Nu-uh! You were supposed to seek me first!" She whined.
"I did! And when you came out after mommy called you, I seeked you doing that and then tagged you. So I win!" He retorted.
"THAT'S CHEATING PHILIP!" Halenie cried.
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is. Not!"
"Is. Too!"
"Is not, not, NOT!"
"Is too, too, TOO!"
"IS NOT, NOT, NOOOOT!"
"IS TOO, TOO, TOOOOO!"
"QQQUUUIIIEETTT!" Helga finally yelled, rendering the twins silent.
"Okay. THAT'S IT! Alright brats, spit it out! What time is your grandma picking you up from here?!" She asked sharply.
Halenie's eyes watered, while Phil just folded his arms and replied. "She's not."
"W-what the heck do ya mean she's not?" Helga demanded.
"W-well…Gw-Gwandma and Gwandpa said we could stay with you fwom now on since we told them that we miss you and haven't seen you in a weally long time…" Hal explained quietly.
"Yeah! So this is our house too now!" Phil smiled pridefully.
Helga's pupils dilated as her eyes started to twitch. "Wait…What?!"
"You heard us a sister! Oh…Sowwy. I mean Moommy. We're back and better than ever! Except Halie cause she's a cwybaby and sucks at hide-and-seek!" Phil chuckled.
"I am not! And I told you that you cheated!" Hal yelled.
"Did not!" Phil started.
"Did too!" Halenie retorted.
"DID NOT!"
"DID TOO!"
"DID NOT, NOT NOOOOT!
"DID TOO, TOO, TOOOOO!"
The twins got up in each other's faces and continued the shouting match before turning to Helga and screaming in unison.
"GRRR MOOMMY TELL HIM/HER THAT HE'S/SHE'S WRONG!"
Helga's eye continued to twitch. She had a lot to process after all. One day she's dealing with the same old crap of everyday life with her work, distracting her mind from her troubles and haunting memories by facing the bottle, then proving her willpower by denying the said bottle, and then all of a sudden her life is turned upside down as her kids unexpectedly were dumped back into her life.
And it seemed that they were still quite the handful.
"Oh criminy! Why is this happening to me?! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED TO M-?! "She paused her thoughts and her eyes widened as her mind flashbacked to Stella's recent conversation…
Flashback
"Heard you were back in town. Good. We need to talk about making good on that promise you made. Now." Stella said in an all serious-business like-and threatening tone of voice.
"What's to talk about? The kids are in good hands…You and everyone else are doing a stellar job at taking care of them, so all's good in the world." Helga deadpanned in a slur as she swished the wine in her wineglass back and forth, and eventually poured it out on the floor.
"You're drunk again aren't you?!"
"Nope. Just the opposite actually. Going through withdrawals from not having a good drink to sharpen my nerves. What can I say the struggle is real…"Helga replied lowly.
"So you've gone sober finally? Good. For a moment there I thought you were going to end up like-"
"Do. Not. Say. Her. Name." Helga warned sternly.
"And that contempt for your mother is exactly why you need to do something for your own children before they have that same animosity!" Stella retorted.
"Why are you on my case Stella?! You know why I did what I did!" Helga nearly shouted.
"Yes! But it's been years Helga. And they are not stupid! They're asking questions! Questions about their father and about you! They miss you! They need you!"
"No they don't. They're fine where they're at. I'm doing what's best for them and if you can't understand that then-"
"-What YOU don't understand is how your so called salvation and rescue mission in the form of abandonment is only HURTING your children! They want their mother! Now you promised a long time ago that if they needed you, you'd be there! And Helga, so help me. If you're not going to be woman enough to take charge of the situation, then I will. Cause you may be okay with leaving your son and daughter questioning your absence, but I will be da**ed if the twins spend their lives wondering and tortured like my son did when he questioned ours!"
"Yeah? And just what exactly do you think you can possibly do about-Hello? Stella?! Criminy! Da**it woman answer me?! Ugh!" Helga growled as she hung up the phone.
"Easy Helga ol girl. She's not gonna do anything. What could she possibly do to make me change my mind?"
End Flashback
After reflecting on Stella's threat and Philip's declaration, Helga put two-and-two together and her eyes widened as she looked into the other room and saw suitcases littered on the floors.
She was stuck with her kids whether she liked it or not.
Her life as she knew it, once again, changed completely.
"Oh…My…"
The kids' argument halted immediately at the sound of a piercing scream as they watched their mother suddenly faint in front of them. They blinked for a moment, before continuing their argument with more yelling, oblivious to the changes they would all soon have to face as a reunited family.