A/N: HAH! I bet ya'll thought this story was dead and gone! NOPE! Just heavy writer's block. But I promised you a happy ending and that's what ya'll will get…After many chapters down the road because we haven't even hit the heart of events yet. Much more is to happen and much more is to come. So here we go…for anyone that still reads this? Idk…

Storms, whether we like it or not, are a common occurrence that happens in our lives. Whether it is metaphorically or the actual bad weather events, it holds a negative connotation that affects our attitudes and outlook of everyday. Well, that is if you're that kind of sap. But back when I was not even 4 years old, I walked in the midst of the pouring rain; determined to be strong- to have purpose of being my own person after being kept in my sister's shadow for what seemed like forever. Truth be told, the weather barely phased me, even though I was cold, soaked to the bone, and weak. I didn't want to be helpless. But found that I was anyways. The storm made me realize that; both the natural and emotional kind. That was a fact…until I realized that after every storm there was a rainbow somewhere. The sun would come out again and make such sad times all but a memory…I knew that was true the moment I felt the warmth that consumed my heart as soon as I felt the shelter of a green umbrella over me; shielding me from the rain. And suddenly, I had hope. Hope that storms would not last forever. But what if that hope was taken away from me? What would happen then? Where would that leave me? Honestly, I didn't get that far in figuring out the answer…I hoped I'd never have to…But oh well. Fu** my hopefulness I guess, cause here I am…and I still don't have an answer…

"PHIL! HAL! HEY, BREAKFAST IS READY SO MOVE IT OR LOSE IT!" Helga called upstairs from the kitchen. Normally, it would be a pain to remove herself from her office, especially after getting over writer's block for a piece she was working on, to be bothered with preparing the most important meal of the day, but it wasn't just her anymore. She had kids- and those kids apparently needed to eat. Such was the luxurious life of a single mother.

"Come on Halie! Hurry up! You heard mom! Get a move on alweady!" Phil exclaimed with annoyance to his sister who was taking her time as she rolled around in bed, clutching her stomach.

"I'm coming! I'm coming! Ow! You didn't have to jump on me Philip! I said I'd get up in 1 more minutes!" Hal whined as she rubbed her stomach from where her brother painfully body slammed her.

"There's no such thing as 1 more minutes Dummy! If you didn't like me jumping on you then you should have been faster! Now quit being a baby and hurry up and get up before I pound you! My food's pwobably getting cold thanks to you!" Phil scowled.

"Hey! There will be no pounding going on here understood?" Helga stated sternly as she walked in their room, before mumbling under her breath, "Criminy! Not even noon yet and you guys are already trying to give me a headache?"

"He started it Mommy! He jumped on my stomach weally hard and it hurt!" Hal whined again, on the verge of tears.

"Not like I haven't done it before Weirdie Head Girl! Cwiminy! You're really gonna start crying now?" Phil rolled his eyes.

"Enough. Both of you. Phil, apologize to your sister and get downstairs." Helga deadpanned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Why do I have- "

"Now." Helga stated with a scowl.

"Oh Cwiminy, fine. Sowwy Weirdie Head Girl." Phil droned looking down to the ground.

"Now go on. Oh, and for the record Phil, you're breakfast is already cold. It's cereal. Your favorite." Helga smirked.

"Sewiously? Again?! Why can't we have something cool and yummy like chocowate chip pancakes, or waffles, or, bacon, or cookies?!" Phil whined.

"Because it's my kitchen and I'm the cook. So whatever I make, that's what you eat Bucko. Don't like it, tough. Now move it." Helga pointed downstairs, watching her son sulk out of the room.

She sat on the bed to check on her daughter. "Okay Kiddo, let's see that tummy. Hm. No serious bruises, you should be good. Let's go." Before she could raise up, Hal gently grabbed her mother's hand. "Mommy, wait, can you kiss it better?"

"Can I what now?" Helga raised an eyebrow.

"Kiss it better? You know, like all mommies do when their kids get boo-boos." Hal smiled hopefully.

Helga considered it, but her ego had other ideas as she grimaced. "Hm, sorry kid, I don't go for that kind of mushy stuff." Before she could get up, her daughter's puppy-dog eyes captivated her so she looked away uncomfortably before smirking mischievously. "But, I think I know what'll help you feel better…"

Before Halenie could ask what she meant, she erupted in a fit of giggles as her mother blew a series of raspberries into her small tummy, tickling her with the vibrational sensation. She wanted to laugh along with her daughter, enjoying the pure joy that shone across her face. It took her back to the times she saw the same look of innocent bliss plastered on her face when she was a baby and her sharing the same look as Arnold as they tickled their twins' stomachs with the same lovable raspberries.

The happiness was instantly gone from Helga's face as she clenched her heart painfully at the memory. But the look of sorrow went unnoticed by Halenie as she continued to giggle.

"Ok, alright, enough already. Stop playing around and go downstairs before your breakfast gets…er…warm and soggy and stuff. Geesh." Helga stated firmly, her tough façade coming back into play.

"Whatever you say, mommy." Hal saluted joyfully and rushed downstairs, not noticing her mother's frozen state at her comment.

"Whatever you say, Helga."

The painful sensation panged her heart once more.

"Criminy this kid is going to be the death of me…" Helga mumbled with a frown.

After breakfast, Helga helped the kids get ready for an amusing trip to the department store downtown for back to school shopping. The kids were to be starting Kindergarten very soon and both were bouncing off the walls just thinking about it...Literally.

"Philip Miles and Halenie Stella Shortman! Jump up and down in the car seat one more time! I dare you!" Helga growled through clenched teeth, immediately making her kids stop automatically. Phil, however, took one more daring leap.

"Philie come on! Mommy said stop it!" Halenie advised next to him.

"Okay! Okay! You guys are no fun! I can't wait till school starts so I can have some weal fun again!" Phil folded his arms.

"I thought you couldn't wait for that camping trip with Jodi and Geraldo's family." Helga smirked, knowing that the upcoming event her best friend mentioned about wanting to happen before school started, was coming up which would in turn, finally free up some time to have for herself and maybe gain her sanity again after having the kids go away for the weekend.

Phil then smiled widely, jumping in the car seat once more. "Ooh! Ooh! Yeah! I'm excited about that too! I can't wait to go with Jodi and make smores, and go fishing, and, and tell scawy stowies awound the fire, and fight a bear and- "

"Hey, Hey, Watch it Bucko! What did I say about all that jumping?" Helga's voice came in firm once more.

"Oh wight. Sowwy mommy." Phil stopped jumping immediately, before shaking his head at his sincere tone and trying to sound tough again. "I mean! Not my fault you got me excited and stuff." He tried to scowl.

Helga held in a chuckle at his actions, shaking her head.

"See Philie! I knew you could be nice!" Halenie smiled at her brother with a hint of playfulness.

"Shut up! I am not!" Phil exclaimed, his face turning red.

"Are too!" Halenie retorted with a smirk.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"I AM NOT!"

"YOU ARE TOO! Besides, Mr. Gween Glowy Guy told me so!" Hal stated full of pride.

"Hey! Hey! Alright, both of you quit your yappin'!" Helga warned, sensing that they were going to get into it. But then curiosity at her daughter's statement got the better of her. "And Hal, what the fu-er-heck is with you and this 'Mr. Green Glowing Guy?"

"I told you mommy, it's her stupid, dumb old imaginary friend that she's stupid enough to talk to because she doesn't have any fwiends except me and Jodi." Phil deadpanned.

"SHUT UP! HE'S NOT STUPID! AND I'M NOT STUPID EITHER! HE'S NICE AND MAKES ME HAPPY!" Halenie nearly screamed indignantly, alarming both Phil and her mother.

"Hey! Cool it both of you!" Helga managed to exclaim, taken aback at how strongly her daughter defended her imaginary friend. "If she's got someone that she likes to talk to and makes her happy even though we can't see it- "

"-Him! It's a him Mommy!" Hal corrected.

"Er okay sorry…him…then that's all that matters. No use in being mean and getting her panties in a twist about it. Criminy." Helga finished her sentence in a mumble.

"Do you even know what your invisible fwiend even looks like?" Phil rolled his eyes.

"Actually, I do! I saw him in my dweams last night and I finally got to see his shadow even though he's still a shiny gween color!" Hal stated proudly.

"Hm. That so? Well what'd he look like Kiddo?" Helga deadpanned, wanting to roll her eyes at the nonsense.

Hal put a finger to her lips. "Umm well…It's kind of hard to say…he's short, and-and he's got something on his head that makes a weird shape. I think it's a hat, but I don't know…"

"Hah, maybe he's got a weird head like yours!" Phil teased with a smirk.

"My head is not weird! And you have the same shaped head as me!" Hal argued back.

"Well my head's not weird like yours. I make it look cool!" Phil stated pride fully, tipping his small blue baseball cap and sticking his tongue out at her.

"Mommy! Tell him that he's got the same shaped head as mine!" Hal whined as she glared at her brother.

"CRIMINY! For Pete's sake! You both have the same weird shaped heads okay?! You're a pair of mini Football Heads just like your- "Helga froze mid-sentence as if she was suddenly stuck in a trance. She snapped out of it once a car from behind her honked after the light turned green at an intersection.

"Like what mommy?" The twins asked innocently.

"Nothing. Just…look just clam up and watch a movie or somethin' till we get to the store okay?" Helga rushed as she tossed them her Beephone, grumbling under her breath, "Man, I can't wait till you guys go on this trip!"

"I can't either! It's gonna be gweat!" Phil exclaimed happily as he started tinkering with his mother's phone. Halenie frowned at the thought of the trip. "Well…I don't think I wanna go…I wanna stay with Mommy!"

"Oh ho-ho no way Jose little Missy. You are definitely going on this trip." Helga stated.

"But if we're not there, you'll be all awone in the house!" Hal exclaimed with concern.

"Da** straight I'll be Bucko. And I'll enjoy every moment of it!" Helga thought, but just shrugged. "Yup! That's right!"

"Won't you get wonewy all by yourself?" Halenie asked with concern.

"I'll live." Helga replied shortly. "Mommy's tougher than she looks, you know that."

"But I still wanna stay with you Mommy! We can have fun too! Maybe we can finawy spend some time together just the two of us! We can have tea parties, and, and play hide and seek, or watch movies, and- "

"No." Helga deadpanned.

"But mommy!" Hal tried.

"I SAID no Halenie. You're GOING to go on this camping trip with your brother, and you're GOING to have fun with your friends, and you're GOING to have a great time, and then you're both GOING to get dropped off at school for your first day, and have even more fun and THEN you'll come home. But you're NOT GOING to stay with me during this trip. Got it?" Helga stressed sternly with a hint of anger as she scowled, clearly annoyed with her daughter's stubbornness.

"…Yes mommy…Whatever you say…" Hal said sadly with a sniff, clearly discouraged.

"Cwiminy, and they say I'm the mean one…" Phil mumbled under his breath as he put a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder, knowing that she was trying to will herself not to cry.

Little did they know that their mother was trying to do the same thing…

A few days later, it was finally time for the camping trip. Helga nearly sprinted to the door as soon as she heard the doorbell and greeted her best friend and her daughter with a hug, while giving a curt nod and punch in the shoulder to Gerald.

"Are the kids ready to go?" Phoebe asked politely.

"You bet I am!" Phil exclaimed as he rushed to the doorway with his backpack, giving his Aunt Phoebe a hug and his Uncle Gerald and Jodi high-fives.

"Phil's been griping about this trip all week." Helga smirked as she explained his enthusiasm.

"And Halenie? Where is she?" Phoebe asked with a smile.

"Here I am…" Halenie smiled sadly as she walked into the room with her backpack-a huge contrast to her brother's earlier sprint.

"Aw Hal Dear, what's the matter? Aren't you excited about this before school camping trip we're going on with all the kids?" Phoebe asked gently with concern.

Halenie looked at her, contemplating on whether or not to tell the truth. She was always told that she should, especially by her imaginary friend, but she knew her mother wanted her to be happy to go, but she wasn't…Not really.

She looked up to Helga for validation. "Mommy? Is it okay to tell the twuth, or not?"

Helga wanted to face palm. Not for her daughter's actions, but her own as she knew she was the perpetrator for her gloomy mood. She finally sighed, knowing she had to make things right as she reached for her daughter's hand. "Will you excuse us for a moment?" Not waiting on an answer, Helga took her daughter into a nearby room and squatted down to her level.

"Look…I don't get it. Why don't you want to go on this trip with your brother? You were excited when Aunt Phoebe mentioned it before, so why not now?" Helga asked her daughter, trying to keep her tone gentle.

"I told you mommy…I just wanted to stay with you." Halenie shrugged as she swayed her body from side to side.

"Why though?" Why do you want stay with me?" Helga stressed in a slightly impatient tone.

"Because it's the only time we'll get to spend time with each other just you and me! I never get to spend time with you! It's always Phil! Evewytime I twy to play with you, you send me away to play with Phil, or you call Phil to come with us, or you go play with him instead! If I got to stay with you and Phil went on the twip, maybe then I can finally get a turn too!" Halenie explained with tearful eyes as she wiped at them with her fists. "I'm not twying to be mean! I'm not twying to be a gween eyed monster, but I want a turn too! Because you love Phil, but you love me too! Wight mommy? Don't you love me too?"

Helga's hardened disposition broke entirely as guilt tore through her heart.

How could she, no. How dare she let it get to this point.

She knew why she kept her distance from Halenie. Though the almost 6-year-old would never understand it…And while it seemed to have worked in keeping the memories and ghosts away, she failed to see how it was affecting her own daughter.

After all, she's been where she's been…

But she played it off through a tough façade because she had to as a Pataki. It was the Pataki rule not to cry, not to whine, not gripe and groan. But Helga could tell, just by her daughter having the courage to express her feelings (something she could never have done at the time) that she was indeed stronger than she appeared. Maybe even stronger than herself…

"Of course Mommy loves you, Halenie…Never think for a second that I don't." Helga replied gently, moving a strand of her daughter's hair away from her football shaped face.

"But…You got so mad at me in the car…" Halenie sniffed.

"I know I shouldn't have done that…I'm…I'm sor-I was wrong to do that and Mommy won't do it again." Helga tried to apologize, the word 'sorry' feeling like a bitter taste in her mouth. "Look I get that it looks like I spend a lot of time with Phil and all, but that doesn't mean I don't love you Kiddo…I just…There's things that Mommy's trying to work out and…" Helga paused, reflecting on the reasons of why she preferred to keep her distance as she looked into her daughter's innocent blue eyes.

If they were green, it'd be just like his…

She shook her head of the thought before sighing. "Okay. I'll tell ya what. You go on this trip with your brother and I promise when you get back, we'll do somethin' fun. Just the two of us."

Halenie's eyes brightened. "Really? You mean it?"

"Cross my heart, hope to die, and all that jazz." Helga smiled.

"Mommy! It's cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!" Halenie giggled and explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah. That. So what do ya say? Will you be a big girl and go on this trip and have fun for mommy?" Helga asked with a smile.

"Okay Mommy I will!" Halenie smiled reluctantly.

"That's my girl." Helga grabbed her in a small hug before firmly patting her on the back. "Now go on, Aunt Phoebe and everyone are waiting!"

"Kay…Um…Mommy?"

"Yeah Kiddo?" Helga turned to her, wondering what she could possibly want now.

"Are you sure I can't stay home with you?" Hal tried giving the most adorable puppy eyes she could muster.

"Nice try. Get goin' Little Bucko." Helga replied shortly and pointed to the door.

After Halenie properly greeted her Aunt, Uncle, and best friend with a hug, she ran out with Jodi to join her brother, the kids all sharing an interesting handshake that they apparently came up with. Before Helga could watch them all get into the car from the window, Phoebe tapped her shoulder.

"So Helga, I understand that we'll be dropping the kids off to school for their first day of Kindergarten. Will you be making an appearance? All of our friends will be present and are wondering if you are also going to come." Phoebe asked with a smile.

"Mm, depends on what I got goin' on that day Pheebs." Helga replied shortly. "But who knows, maybe I might be able to free up some time…" Helga muttered looking out the window again, not seeing the kids, but figuring that they were all in the car by now.

Phoebe nodded. "Well I do hope you consider. I mean- "

"-Those kids of yours have been in a funk from the time you didn't show up for their first day of Pre-school. Kindergarten's a big deal for them and it would mean the world to them if you were there to see them off, so you better show up Pataki." Gerald finished firmly with a smirk, though he kept his tone serious.

"Hey, I ain't makin' any promises Tall-hair Boy, but if I said I'd be there then I'll be there. So just go on your little trip and take care of my little Buckos until then and don't rush me. Got it?" Helga scowled.

Gerald scoffed as he rolled his eyes, but put his hands up in surrender, heading back to the car. Phoebe followed after him after giving her friend a hug goodbye and promising to take care of the kids. Once they were gone, Helga rushed back in the house, wanting to give a cry of victory for finally having some time to herself, but finding the house to be strangely quiet and empty. Though she wouldn't admit it…She'd already began to miss her children.

A few hours later, once Helga was finally able to adjust to the stillness atmosphere of the house, her cellphone went off with a happy Phoebe on the other line.

"Konichiwa Helga! Just checking in." Phoebe chimed.

"Checking in? For what Pheebs? You just left. Are the kids okay?" Helga asked with confusion and slight concern.

"Why yes! They're just fine! I was just seeing if Halenie made it back into the house with you okay." Phoebe explained casually.

"WHAT?!" Helga exclaimed in alarm nearly dropping the phone before she lowered her voice. "I mean…what do you mean? She's supposed to be on the trip! She's not with you and Geraldo?!" Helga started pacing the house in a panic.

"Why no! She told us after she excused herself to go to the bathroom that she didn't want to go and that you were fine with keeping her and would be dropping her off to Kindergarten instead. We all thought she'd be with you right now!" Phoebe explained with concern and confusion to what was going on.

Before Helga could curse, she paused as she saw the back door to her yard. It was cracked open slightly with little pink sneakers discarded on the floor along with a backpack.

The same backpack that her daughter had earlier…

"She never left! That little…" Helga mumbled under her breath in disbelief.

"Helga? What's going on?" Phoebe asked in concern with a slight demand in her tone.

"I'll call you back." Helga replied shortly and hung up, hearing a light clattering noise from the hallway. Without thinking, she opened the closet door to see her daughter huddled inside as she let out a light yelp at being caught.

"Heh heh…h-hi there mommy…How's tricks?" She tried to smile innocently with a meek and cute wave.

Helga was not amused as her scowl deepened.

"Like I said…This kid is going to be the death of me!"

To be continued…