Life is Short

by starfiction123

Many have different perspectives on how life is defined. Some would say lovely, complicated, treacherous, passionate even. But whether the thoughts be pleasant, cherishing its value, or bitter enduring its harsh realities, from my experience I've found this fact to be true...that life is short. So my story begins…

34. Storms (Upsurge) part 6

A/N: I'm baaack…who missed lil' ol' me? Yeah, I know I'm late as heck since May, but 2 jobs and training for Dental Assisting guys…do the math. Lol. But to make up for it, this chapter is well over 10,000 words so, you're welcome. And dang it I better get some long reviews too! I don't even care if they're flames! Lol just kidding. (But seriously, I'd love to know everyone's thoughts!)

Anyways, from the past chapters, heck, this whole story, I can honestly say that I've been so blessed to have people new and even legendary writers on here take the time to actually read this story and review with their thoughts. I mean Ajay435, HAFanForever, and DeepVoice'06 just made my day with their comments and reviews and the reviewer Kryten had me falling over with joy! So a big thank you to all who are still reading the updates.

Now…

OH MY GOSH GUYS! YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT YET?! REALLY?!

(Well, actually, Ayjay435 guessed the mystery and even though she said a lot of pretty good and close options of what she thought was happening in the story, ONE of those options was correct! So kudos to her! She gets an invisible cookie prize! But it's still up for grabs to the person who can guess it right as well.) Lol But seriously, everyone's still mourning over the big "risk" I did which is VERY necessary for a reason though it was VERY painful to do, BUT at the same time, like I said, if anyone can guess the mystery of what's going on, it WILL NOT be a sad story any more, it'll just be SUSPENSEFUL till the happy ending happens…but until then, things WILL get worse before they get better. But just to see if the lightbulbs can spark to life in all of you, I'll state some hints that were apparently overlooked, and also say that 2 reviewers, besides Ayjay435, almost inadvertently figured out the events, and yes, I will be doing a mini "reveal hint" chapter to spark your spirits up.

Now…

I won't be too specific, but the hints to the mystery can partly be found in one of the "Courage" chapters, and it can clearly be found in the "Loss" chapter, and in ONE of the "Changes" segment chapters. Finally, all I can say is, pay very, VERY close attention to Halenie.

That's all I'll reveal.

But for those who have finally figured it out, feel free to put your thoughts without spoiling it for other readers please and thank you! I want the surprise or the "Oooh! DOI! How clever!" effect to be as powerful as possible!

And YES, I will be including little Easter egg Jungle movie memory moments and quotes even though MY TJM version was WAAY OFF from the actual movie! I can merge both worlds if I want! FUDGE TIME PARADOXES!

Thanks and enjoy!

---

Yeah, yeah, I know what all you worry warts must be thinkin'. Just why in the he** did I say, "I don't feel like things could go wrong right now"?! I might as well have just smashed Pandora's Box wide open with a sledge hammer or something, right? Well, contrary to how that saying only welcomes nothing but disaster, I gotta say that things actually didn't turn out bad! Like…at all!

…

…Ugh…Fine. You got me…At least at first they didn't...

But that's the thing about storms, Bucko…One moment, it starts out with the calm; a calm that can be so serene that you question and even scoff at the notion of it being a warning sign for impending danger, until the next thing ya know, the upsurge takes place.

So what happened, you ask?

Well, once we finally had our admittedly NOT puke worthy outfits set, I was once again yanked by the hand downstairs by the football headed version of the energizer bunny only to watch her scurry off to retrieve a few items; mainly a tea party set with the works, the pink colored table, the pink colored chairs, the pink colored plastic cups, plates, and silverware; heck, even the freaking tea kettle was pink! I mean criminy, I know I've got a soft spot for the color myself, but sheesh! This Kid-

"Okay! We're almost set! Now I just gots to get the tea and goodies weady!" Halenie exclaimed with a bright smile.

"You mean we'll actually get to eat some grub?" Helga raised an eyebrow as her stomach rumbled against her will, reminding her that they had both skipped out on lunch. "Huh, well when ya put it that way, this little waste of time activity might just be useful after all, Kiddo."

"Oh we'll be in for a weal tweat, Mommy! The food served at my tea parties are always tray mag-neat-feet!" Halenie blew a dramatic kiss off her fingers tastefully. "Auntie Rhonda always says so when she gets invited!"

Helga rolled her eyes. "You mean très magnifique. Actually, if you wanna get technical, c'est vraiment magnifique, is a better use of word since it means really magnificent instead of going too far in expression adjectives. Not that the prissy princess could grasp on to those facts I bet." She finished while scoffing at the thought of Rhonda.

Halenie gasped with interest, not stopping her tasks in setting the small sized table. "You know how to speak in French fries, Mommy?"

Helga couldn't help but humor her with a mirthless chuckle. "Speaking in French fries? Nah. That's more of the ketchup's gig. Now speaking in French, eh I might know a little thing or two…" She shrugged casually while scoffing at herself inwardly.

"Yeah, mind you that I learned the dang language only AFTER I realized what a dumba** I was for misinterpreting the self-teaching tapes I had when I was 9! I gotta hand it to this girly, she's pronouncing the hard stuff more accurately than I did when I was a kid. I mean, I mixed up the simple fu**ing phrase of 'please' by saying silver plate! Oh yeah! THEN I did it AGAIN when I took the class in college like a true MORON! Oh! And let's not forget how my superior skills were tested since I spent my freakin' honeymoon there in Paris."

Helga felt her lips quirk up humorlessly as she got caught up in her thoughts.

"I mean criminy, I'll never forget how clueless my beloved Paste for Brains was, spending the majority of his time drowning in the stupid translation books he brought along with us everywhere we went and how I kept giving him a heck of a time for never taking the stupid language class BEFORE booking reservations in a country that considers it almost RUDE to not speak in its NATIVE LANGUAGE. Doi!"

"Still…the perfume we had named after us was boss! Best wedding gift ever!"

Before she could swoon at the memories, a sharp pang of sorrow struck her heart.

"Yeah, probably never should have thought of that…Stupid!" Helga berated herself only to be broken from her thoughts by the sound of a cheerful clap.

"And wally!" Halenie exclaimed as she stepped back from her work.

"Voilà." Helga corrected in her thoughts as she rolled her eyes again.

"The tea party set up is almost done! Now I just gots to fill the kettle thingy with the delicious tea." Halenie smiled.

Helga's eyebrow raised at the sight of her daughter rushing to the kitchen sink with her tiny pink tea kettle in hand only to fill it with lukewarm tap water.

"The tea is weady!" Halenie proclaimed with pride as she carefully waddled back over to the living room to avoid the water spilling over the brim.

Helga's stomach growled in protest as she glanced at the so called "treats" that were set on the table. Her face then dropped into an unamused scowl as she realized that the cuisine that they were supposed to be "fine dining" on would be nothing more than inedible and poorly shaped plastic cookies and goodies from a toy set and unfiltered tap water to serve for their refreshing beverages.

Which was basically a whole heaping plate of nothing.

"And just what the fu-freak are we supposed to do with this crap?" Helga asked dryly, trying to hold back the actual uncensored version that was eager to be spat out like venom from her lips.

Halenie frowned. "Mommy it's not cwap, it's our Tea party mea-"

"-It's crap." Helga cut her off short as she continued while pinching the bridge of her nose. "Let me get this straight. You basically begged and whined about like a banshee and picked some fancy shmancy getup for us to wear, all so we could just sit down on the floor like hobos around some eyesore pink colored table, sitting down next to a bunch of toppling pillow looking animals to drink some disgusting sink water and stare at cookies made of plastic?!"

Halenie blinked before shrugging. "Well…it-it wooks wike dat…but since we've got imagination, we can pwetend that we've having the BEST-"

"-No dice." Helga cut her off bluntly, before groaning in annoyance. "Criminy kid! I didn't agree to waste my time doing this stupid activity just so I could stupidly starve! What's the point of it being a freaking tea party if there's no actual tea or goodies to actually eat and look forward to?! How-how the heck do little brats your age ENJOY that kind of NONSENSE?!"

"We…use the power of pwetend…?" Halenie twiddled her thumbs nervously with a cheesy smile, hoping to convince her mother to see the fun side of using the imagination.

The little girl could tell by the mother's deepening scowl that she wasn't convinced.

"D-does this mean you don't want to play tea party with me anymore…?" Halenie asked in a fearful, quiet tone. But her question sounded more like a defeated statement as she hung her head low, already knowing the answer.

"Psh! I never wanted to in the first place! Doi!" Helga folded her arms and was ready to voice her inward statement, before she spat out a completely different than intended statement.

"Well sheesh, there would have been no point in starting what we couldn't finish, Bucko. But we did, so that's that. Now cut the frownie face already."

Halenie looked up, caught off guard by her mother's answer.

The mother was also caught off guard as she blinked and fail to resist the immediate urge to face pal m. Hard.

"SON OF A BI***! MY MOUTH IS BETRAYING ME AGAIN?! WHAT IS UP WITH ME?!"

"So we-we're still gonna have a tea party together?! E-even though you don't wike that the food and stuff is pwetend?!" Halenie asked with excitement. She had never gotten this far in her hopes of having quality bonding time with her mother and couldn't mask her giddiness if she tried.

"Yeah, that's the thing. Look, if I am to be bored to death by this shindig, we gotta have some REAL food. I mean geez kid, I'm practically starving right now and you've been bouncin' around like a bunny on crack all day without any proper fuel. Aren't ya the slightest bit hungry?" Helga raised an eyebrow.

Before she could question what "crack" was, Halenie's stomach growled in reply. She giggled at her mom's perplexed look. "Well…I guess I am kind of hungwy too, Mom!"

Helga nodded. "Then that settles it." She whipped out her cell phone and speed dialed a number to a local pizza place.

"Yeah, I want two extra meat topping pepperoni pizza specials with the works, cheese better be hot and melty from your oven to my doorstep, crusts crisp, and two sodas strong and frosty, Bub." Helga demanded casually before putting her hand over the phone and turning to her daughter. "Oh yeah, what kind of pizza did you want, Kiddo?"

Halenie blinked and tilted her head in confusion. "We're having pizza…at a tea party?"

Helga groaned in irritation. "UH DOI?! What part of I'm not gonna stupidly starve with your stupid sink water and plastic shi-CRAP didn't you get?! Now hurry up and tell me what you want!"

"Um…OKAY!" Halenie smiled, letting the delicious excitement of eating pizza energize her statement, before she frowned suddenly. "Oh no…"

"What?" Helga raised an eyebrow at the attitude change.

"Well…Philie wikes pizza too and I feel kinda bad that he won't get any cause he's not here with us…"

Huh, well that was unexpected…

No seriously, all I could do at the time was blink at her genuine concern for her brother. I mean, it was a bit of a shocker to say the least since every time I spent time with my son and tried to keep Hal Pal at a distance, her brother held back ZERO punches over gloating. He made sure that he made his privileges and victories over his sister known with every chance he got. Heck, I'd have thought if anything, HALENIE should have been dancing around, calling him up, and having the upper hand in a gloating session this time around, but that clearly wasn't the case…

The mother couldn't help but blurt out her thoughts.

"You're brother usually lords it whenever he gets any kind of treat or advantage over you, makes you cry on almost a daily basis, and all you can think about is feeling guilty that he doesn't get a slice of pizza?" Helga asked incredulously.

Halenie shrugged innocently. "Well…yeah! I mean I know Philie can be kind of mean…and…a pain…and…bossy…" Halenie's face contorted in a scowl. "…And sometimes just-just a big doo-doo butt brain MEANIE PANTS JERK!"

Helga's eyes grew wide at the little girl's outburst.

Halenie calmed down, continuing. "…And just a weal bully…but he's still my twinkie bwother! And well...He's one of my bestest fwiends in the whole wide world!"

Her entire face brightened at the statement she made with pride, before softening with a sad smile.

"Actually…besides Jodi…He…he's one of my only weal best fwiends who wants to be my fwiend and keeps me fwom being wonely…And he may be a meanie but he's not all the time…He can actually be the nicest person ever if he wants to…But he says he doesn't want to…"

"Why's that?" Helga asked, though she felt that the answer was clear.

Halenie shrugged. "I dunno. I asked why, but he always just tells me to shut up 'cause it's his secwet."

"Ah." Helga droned.

Halenie then smirked and folded her arms as she continued in a prideful voice. "Yeah. It's too bad. He weally sucks at pwetending though 'cause I know he's nothin' but a soft, squishy marshmellow when he's not being mean. I just know it! And-and ya know what? Gwandma and Gwandpa and Gweat Gwandma and Gweat Gwandpa and Jodi know it too!"

"Sounds familiar…?" Helga thought inwardly as her face softened.

Halenie paused before gulping fearfully. "B-but do-don't tell him I said that or else he'll pound me into da gwave before I'll be able to meet the Tooth Faiwy or wide my bike without twaining wheels!"

"Definitely familiar…" Helga's mind confirmed.

Halenie's smile turned calm as she continued softly. "But wike I said…Philie's a good boy deep down …He even says his most important job ever is to pwotect me wike a special knight 'cause that's what our daddy used to call him…"

Helga visibly winced at the memory of the nickname her husband used to call the children.

"That's my special little knight and brave little sunshine!"

"…Arnold…" Helga thought sorrowfully before slapping herself hard in the face to break out of her depressed trance.

"M-mommy?!" Halenie jumped alarm that her mother just slapped herself.

"BUG!" Helga unintelligently blurted to cover up her actions, blushing with embarrassment as she recovered. "Uh…those mosquitos are phew, they're-they are some nasty little boogers this year heh heh…" She laughed nervously, knowing that she just gave a rather weak and very lame excuse.

"Helga ol' girl, I don't even know who you are anymore…besides the world's biggest idiot. Like ANYONE would believe such a load of-" Helga inwardly scolded herself only for her to be interrupted by her daughter's horrified gasp.

"THE SKEETERS ARE OUT?! AH! KILL IT! KILL IT! PHILIE SAYS IT SUCKS BWOOD WIKE A VAMPIRE BOOGEYMAN ZOMBIE THINGY!" Halenie whined before running around in circles swatting at the air mercilessly.

"So…the kid won't bat an eyelash at the mention of a spider, but she'll do a hokey pokey freak-out over a mosquito…Typical."

Helga felt her lips quiver as she resisted the urge to coo at the quirky yet cute and ridiculous sight of her daughter. She just sighed and shook her head, choosing not to slap herself since her cheek still stung from her earlier assault.

"You are SUCH a Football head…" Helga mumbled before hearing the man on the phone meekly ask if anyone was still on the line. Forgetting that she put the pizza worker on hold, Helga rushed to inform that she wasn't done with her order and put her hand over the phone, turning towards Halenie.

"Look…I get it. About Phil I mean. And I gotta say, it's pretty…n-nice of you to think of him like that despite him being…well…him…" Helga started out semi-softly before dropping her voice into a dry irritated tone. "But time's a wastin' Toots. I'm hungry, there's NO way I'm cooking right now, it's still rainin' cats and dog's outside, and I've kept this Joe Schmoe on hold long enough. So ya want something or what?"

"…I dunno…" Halenie hesitated.

Helga bit down on her tongue to prevent the hostile words that were ready to be spat out, turning them into mental streams of profanity instead before she sighed. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, we'll just order pizza again when the other mini Football Head comes back, then both you saps can be happy. Sound like a plan?"

Halenie nodded with a smile. "Okay! Then in that case, I-I WIKE PEPAWONI TOO! GIVE ME PEPAWONI PIZAA MOMMY! AN-AND-AND I WANT-I WANT DA WHOOOOOOOOLE BOX TO MYSELF MOMMY! OKAY?! I WANT DA WHOLE THING! ALL MINE! MIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE! Pwetty pwease with sugar and sprinkles and fudge and nuts on top too of course…" She exclaimed in a rush of excitement and eagerness as she folded her arms with a cocky grin.

Helga's eyes widened in amusement, caught off guard by the girl's brash insistence despite her earlier considerate and selfless behavior.

"Yeesh! This kid…Definitely a daughter of mine…" Helga thought with a sense of pride. She couldn't help but smirk as she spoke into her phone again.

"Welp, pretty sure ya heard the gal. So make that two extra meat topping pepperoni pizzas specials AND one peperoni pizza special with the works, cheese better be hot and melty from your oven to my doorstep, crusts crisp, and two sodas strong and frosty with no funny stuff and make it snappy, Bub …Yeah, yeah charge it on my card on file. Oh! And tell the delivery chump to bring a pen this time! Criminy!"

---

After confirming the address details, Helga hung up and looked down to see Halenie bouncing on her heels cheerfully. "Yay! We get to have pizza! This is gonna be the BEST NOT NORMAL TEA PARTY EVER!"

"Well that's what ya get when Helga G. Pataki calls the shots, Kiddo! Nothin' on the cheap! Only the sweet stuff!" Helga gloated as she jokingly dusted off her fingernails on her plaid shirt.

Halenie then gasped dramatically. "Sweet stuff! OH NO! Mommy! We gots no deserts for the tea party! We've got to have the desserts!"

Helga raised an eyebrow as she gestured to the tastefully decorated plastic. "Uh doi, they're already on the plate."

Halenie immediately grimaced and folded her arms defiantly while she shook her head. "Nuh uh, I don't want that fake stuff no more! If we get to have weal food to eat, then I want weal sweets too!"

Helga wanted to roll her eyes but just scoffed instead. " Well, tough luck then I guess Hal Pal cause if you haven't noticed, we don't exactly have a cake baked and ready in the oven, ya know. And like I said, there is NO way I'm goin' outside in this trashy weather."

Halenie just smiled. "That's okay Mommy, you won't have to. Gwandma can help us out! She's got the best wecipies for cookies in the world! We just gotta ask her to bwing over the stuff to make the cookies!"

The color in Helga's face drained instantly as her thoughts went into a rampage.

"W-wait…WHAT?! OH NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! That's a horrible idea! I mean me and Stella, my practically ex mother-in-law and I being face to face since, since I don't know how long?! Oh wait, yes I do…since when I was basically begging her in angry, desperate tears on my knees to not call up her lawyer to set a court date for taking MY children AWAY from ME…How could I forget? After all, I think I can still feel the throbbing from that backhand she gave me when she found out I was drinking and kind of neglecting the kids…Didn't turn out well...at all…So yeah, strike that idea out of the ballpark! There's NO way that's gonna work ou-"

"-Weally?! You'll be wight over?! Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, Gwandma! That's gonna help awot! See ya in a few minutes!"

Halenie's cheerful voice broke Helga out of her thoughts as she whipped her head around to see Halenie with her cell phone as she smiled cheerfully, blowing kisses into it. Once the meaning of her daughter's confirmation sentence processed through Helga's mind, the mother rushed to snatch the phone back from the five-year-old's hands despite her protests and quickly tried to retract the request.

"ST-STELLA! Oh ho! D-don't mind Halenie, she was just a little fussy about not having any snacks available right now, but n-no need to listen to her. We-we've got it all under control here and there's absolutely no possible reason to have you going through the trouble of coming all the way here in this crappy weather to-hello? Hello?! Are you still th-oh criminy…"

Helga face palmed as the steady dial tone continued to sound through her ears, confirming that it was too late.

Not bothering to hold back a growl as she whipped her head around to yell at her daughter, her shout suddenly got caught in her throat as she watched the five-year-old dance around the room with excitement wearing a rather euphoric grin that spread across her face and sent a jolt of joy through her mother's normally stony heart. She couldn't help the tiny chuckle and swoon that left her lips as she watched her daughter complete her victory dance, but Helga then shook her head vigorously once more, raising her hand up, yet hesitating as if deciding whether or not she wanted to slap herself as punishment for losing control again.

She dutifully chose to take the punishment.

"HELGA G. PATAKI! YOU HAVE LOST IT! SNAP OUT OF IT ALREADY! CRIMINY! I SWEAR THIS KID HAS SOME TYPE OF SUPERNATURAL POWER OR SOMETHIN' OVER ME! I NEED A FU**ING EXORCIST AT THIS RATE IF I KEEP GIVING IN TO HER LIKE THIS SHI*! THERE IS NO WAY IN HE** THIS IS NORMAL! NOT FOR ME!"

"Mom-my why do you keep swapping yourself wike dat? Doesn't it hurt? You need to stop it." Halenie protested and advised as she went up and gently rubbed her mother's cheek, caressing it in a gentle motion.

The mother felt an unfamiliar warmth that suddenly burned like the sensation of a white, hot flame as she locked eyes with her daughter's. The piercing bright blue color was an exact replica of hers, yet held a calmness and peace that currently matched the very same sensation of her touch…

It was a touch that moved her…

It was familiar…

The mother's eyes widened with a horrific revelation.

"Oh my go-H-how…how is this…it's impossible! Even her touch…it's…just like his…WHAT THE FU-?!"

It was just too much.

---

Not too much later, the consistent sound of a simple doorbell ringing in sync with the crack of thunder sounded from outside, breaking the frozen Helga out of her mental freak out that was still happening in her mind, though her eyes remained widened and slightly twitching.

Halenie on the other hand just gasped with elation. "Yay! It's Gwandma! Gwandma's here!"

She immediately ran to the door, her blonde pigtails bouncing with the same energy she contained inside and reached for the knob to reveal a composed yet slightly absentminded Stella Shortman who wore a neutral expression on her face until she heard the little girl shout her name. She then brightened up instantly, adjusted the grocery bags she held on one arm, and bent down to her level to hug her granddaughter.

Yeeeaah in that moment, I kind of just stood awkwardly next to a wall, wishing I could hide behind it, if not phase into it and become part of the wall altogether. I mean, I did my best to appear absentminded and look away, but I couldn't help but sneak peaks and analyze every moment of Stella's presence in that doorway. Age was apparent yet did not leave any negative impact on the football headed woman. She was still as beautiful as I remembered her when I first met her…or at least when I was blushing like some stupid idiot after being caught umm…ahem, expressing my finally returned feelings with her son…

Yeah THAT was some first impression let me tell ya'…

But her eyes…

I can't ever forget the kindness she always held in them. Even when I was occasionally the biggest jerk in the universe…I blame my, ahem, insecurity at that time of course, she was never judgmental of me…Heck, she supported me at every chance she could. But don't get me wrong, Stella proved quite the challenge for my defiant ways…In short, if I was out of control she wouldn't hear of it. She had this…this STARE that could rival MY SCOWL any day! It actually scared the sh** out of me and admittedly, I was kept in line…Especially when she was, insert dramatic gulp, disappointed in me…god forbid…I NEVER wanted that. She was practically the mother I wish I had, then became the mother I always needed at the time…Well mother-in-law anyways…But when my beloved…well, you know…. things kind of took a turn for the worse. Don't get me wrong it's not that she wasn't there for me, the whole family tried to be...I just wouldn't let them. I kind of pushed everyone away…In more ways than one…and after everything that happened with the kids as I explained earlier, let's just say it left Stel and I in a pretty bad spot…A spot that never got better…And that I never bothered to fix…I never planned to…I was kinda just gonna live with it I guess. But oh well, fu** my c'est la vie plan to he** then, cause guess what shi* I had to deal with on that ever so lovely fateful day?!

"Gwandma! Thanks so much for coming!" Halenie smiled as she hugged her grandmother tighter.

"Oh, Sweetie of course! After what you told me on the phone I wouldn't miss this for the world! Are you having fun being here?" Stella asked cheerfully, though her last sentence held a tinge of interrogation as she glanced at Helga standing casually behind a wall in the living room.

"You bet I am! Mommy's finally spending time with me! And-and-and we're gonna have da best not normal tea party ever! We got pwetty dwesses! Well, I got a pwetty dwess, Mommy didn't want to wear hers, but it's better than all da pants with the holes in them she has, so she got a pwetty pink pants outfit to wear, and then I set the table all nice and stuff, and guess what?! We're gonna eat PIZZA TOO! And now we're gonna have sweets and it's gonna be the BEST DAY EVER!" Halenie explained in pure elation.

Helga couldn't help but scoff a chuckle as she rolled her eyes and mumbled to herself. "Oh please. She says that pathetic cliché line about any day she can bounce around all happy and get her way."

"Yeah well, this best day ever is diffwent fwom the other best day evers, cause THIS time, I got to spend time with you, AND have a tea party, AND gonna have cookies, AND gonna get to eat pizza without Philie eating mine all up! So this bweaks a NEW weccord of da best days ever! DOI!" Halenie explained conceitedly as she listed her reasons from her fingers, startling her mother as she realized that she mumbled her derision a bit louder than intended.

Helga threw her hands up in mock surrender. "Sheesh! Okay! Okay! Your case is rested! Oh please spare me already from this staggering evidence piled against me in the court! Where's the judge when ya need one? I demand my lawyer be present at once!" Helga dramatically conceded in a voice dripping with sarcasm, making her daughter giggle.

"You're silly Mommy." Halenie shook her head at her mom.

"And YOU'RE a basket case." Helga smirked bending down to while poke her daughter's rounded nose.

"And you BOTH seem to be having a pretty good time."

Helga paled as she rapidly stood back up only to see Stella standing in front of her with a half-lidded smile, though it was more a of a smirk as she folded her arms. "Well, good to know that Halie's not exaggerating then. I'm so glad things are going well for you two."

"Uh…y-yeah I…guess we are…?" Helga replied dully. "Nice going Helga. Could you have sounded any more pathetic?" She berated herself.

Stella hummed thoughtfully in reply before smiling brightly at Halenie. "Halie Sweetie, do you mind putting these bags of goodies in the kitchen for me? I'll be there in a minute, I just want to properly say hi to your mother for a moment."

"Okay! You're gonna join the tea party too, aren't you Gwandma?" Halenie asked eagerly.

"We'll see, Dear. It'll depend if Grandma's job doesn't call her in today." Stella replied sweetly yet honestly.

Helga raised an eyebrow, wondering silently what job Stella was referring to as she glanced at the hidden gold oblong shaped amulet that was tucked underneath her poncho styled shawl. Her flippant expression then changed to a nostalgic yet pained one as memories started to flash through her mind.

"…Huh, I never did read that letter Maria and Roberto told me to read…Or that…journal…" She thought silently, before the vivid memories struck once more of the rampage she had that night she almost destroyed the letter. She then glared with an icy vengeance.

"And I never will."

"So, Helga…It's been a while." Stella said casually, breaking the blonde woman out of her thoughts.

"Yeah. Guess it has." Helga replied simply without spite, but mentally berated herself throughout the conversation.

"Really?! You haven't seen the woman due to intentional evasion for what seems like decades and THAT'S what you're going to respond?! Come on Helga, it's not like a little chivalry will kill ya!"

She clicked her tongue. "Sooo…Stella…You're still as lookin' spry as ever…How's life been treatin' ya these days?" Helga asked in a half-hearted tone, trying to force enthusiasm in her ever cautious voice as she turned to look at her former mother-in-law.

Stella sighed softly. "As you know it hasn't been easy, but…I think healing is starting to become a consistency lately, thankfully." She managed to smile at her former daughter-in-law. Helga noticed it was a pained grin, yet warm nonetheless. "It helps…Having a good support system like our family and friends. Everyone's been great. Not to mention the twins…They've…they've really been a light to uphold. Very precious…"

"Oh. Y-yeah." Helga managed to nod in reply, not wanting to say too much since she knew what Stella was trying to hint at. The mention of her family and friends started to form new memories that were poised as darts, ready to strike at her heartstrings, but she wouldn't let it.

She couldn't.

It was already tough enough, holding back.

Something was already building up inside of her, bubbling, boiling over, and ready to burst through with a powerful vengeance.

She felt it.

But she dared not allow its release.

"And…how have you been Helga? You're looking…" Stella looked at the blonde woman from head to toe, as if analyzing her on a deeper scale that didn't show.

"Yes?" Helga prompted, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the older woman's pause.

"Oh, do tread carefully there, Mrs. Shortman. Say I look good, and I know you're lying through your teeth. Say I look worse for wear, then I'll at least have respect for the honesty. Either way, I'm more offended by this dumb egg shell stroll we're having right now than anything else. "

"-Better." Stella finished with a satisfied nod. "…Much better than the last time I've seen you. Things must have been going well here.

"Well, glad I'm no longer bleeping on your social services radar, Stel." Helga mentally derided before mumbling. "Thanks. Yeah, havin' the kiddos around does wonders for me, I guess."

She hoped her tone was revealing more of the forced enthusiasm she put in instead of the sarcasm, but she knew the woman was not stupid. Stella's subtle eyebrow raising was proof of that, but she kept her composure as always.

"I see that. It's good to know."

A cheerful, constant giggle lightened the atmosphere and caught the ladies' attention as they turned to watch Halenie run back and forth from one room to the other, setting up her stuffed animals at the tea party table, and verbally listing off other tasks to be completed before the party started.

The women couldn't help but smile and chuckle in unison.

"She looks happy…" Stella mused.

"Yeah…she does." Helga replied sincerely, not taking her eyes off her daughter. She failed to recognize Stella's warm gaze on her.

"…She is happy…" Stella decided. "And from what I see, it looks like you are finally starting to get there too, Helga."

Helga instantly felt self-conscious as she noticed Stella's eyes on her and shifted her feet uncomfortably, trying to gain back her firm, nonchalant composition by folding her arms. "W-well I mean, who said I wasn't fine anyways in the first place. I mean, come on. You know me better than that. I can take care of myself."

"Nice one, Helgs. Ya' ever heard the saying, open mouth, insert foot? Yeah, try, crack the dam, and be da**ed. Here's to releasing chaos!"

Stella gave her a dry, slightly irritated look. "I'm well aware. But if I remember correctly from last time, you weren't the one who needed to be taken care of. At least, you THOUGHT you weren't- "

"-Stella. Don't. Okay? Please don't." Helga put her hand up, knowing where their conversation was leading. "It's all in the past, Halenie's in the other room, and I really don't want to turn this into another fight." She finished calmly before mumbling under her breath. "Besides, that slap you gave me last time hurt like he**…"

"Oh don't be silly Dear, it was more of a sucker punch really." Stella corrected and shrugged nonchalantly, overhearing her mumble.

Helga gave her an "are you serious?!" look, but then remembered the dental procedures she had to go through after the event and deemed that Stella's comment was accurate.

"But you're right. It is in the past, and truth be told, even though you deserved it at the time and crossed a serious line, that didn't mean I was right to react the way I did, and I do apologize…for that anyways. But I wonder…do you really know the reason of why I reacted like that? At the time?" Stella asked calmly.

"Well doi…It's obviously 'cause… I made you hate me." Helga muttered genuinely yet sadly with a shrug, ignoring the painful throbbing that resulted in her heart to the words she spoke aloud about the woman who was dear to her. "I mean, hey, I can't blame ya. I was pretty nasty to the kids, became the ironic joke of Miriam only worse, and you had your own problems to deal with. I just made it worse. Sorry for screwing with your life."

Stella shook her head with a disappointed sigh. "Well, as overly dramatized as you made that sound, one, I don't hate you. I never hated you. And even after every terrible thing you did, I still don't. And two, I shouted at you enough for those things, but that's not why I actually hit you." Stella replied, folding her arms after listing her point from her fingers.

"Then…why?" Helga glared, only to look away and mumble softly. "It…hurt."

Stella knew she wasn't just talking about the initial physical damage she caused and nodded softly. "What did you just tell me earlier?"

"What? About not starting a fight?" Helga raised an eyebrow.

Stella shook her head.

"About Halenie?" Helga tried again.

"About you." Stella prompted.

"…What? That I was fine? Cause…'cause I am…Of course." Helga tried to sound convincing. Stella just sighed and walked up to her former daughter in law and softly moved a long strand of her messy blonde bangs from out of her eye, across the cheek that she injured and tucked it behind her ear with a sweet gentleness that only a caring mother's touch could provide.

"…And that, Sweetie, is why I punched you." Stella started out gently yet firmly. "You said you could take care of yourself. You said you were fine. You said you had everything under control…when in fact, you didn't. You lied. And what's worse…you didn't accept the fact that you weren't alright and needed help if even for the kids' sake. You just kept lying. Lying to yourself, the kids, YOUR kids mind you, to me, your friends…your family…the ones who could have helped you…the ones who loved you…And believe me when I say; that, on top of Arnold's death, hurt us even worse than the mere sudden uppercut I gave you that day."

Helga tore her eyes away from Stella's, letting the shame consume her for a moment as she looked down to the floor. She suddenly felt her chin being lifted up and her eyes locked onto Stella's hard yet kind gaze.

"…But we all still love you. I still love you, Helga." Stella said softly.

Helga felt that feeling building up once more inside of her and it was starting to show through her glassy, blue eyes, though she kept her composure sturdy, ignoring the burn of her tear ducts as Stella caressed her once injured cheek. She then finally stepped away. "So yeah, combine all that while still dealing with the loss of my son and boom, instant over reaction. Again, I'm sorry…but seeing as how the next thing I knew, you were before me trying to make things right…Well, if that's what helped knock some sense back into you, then I'm not that sorry after all."

Helga went quiet for moment before sighing, finally relenting. "It…wasn't just that. Truthfully, I-I wasn't ready. I talked a lot of shi-CRAP about…not wanting my kids around…and all…but…when it hit me that…I really was going to lose them…I couldn't. I couldn't let that happen. I wasn't ready like I thought I was. Because…well…I don't know…because-"

"-Because having those kiddos around are doing wonders for you?" Stella smirked.

"Yeah…" Helga mused as she glanced at a photo on the wall of her in the middle of a tickle fight with her son. Her daughter was holding up the phone camera in selfie mode without her noticing to capture the shot. Even though Halenie was sitting on the side, excluded from the fun, she was still smiling and waving into the camera with joy. Needless to say, when she showed her Aunt Phoebe the picture, the woman wasted no time into printing and framing the moment for all to see, much to Helga's discomfort at the time.

"I guess…they really are." Helga finished quietly with a weak smile.

"And in the end, despite everything…that's all that matters to me, and why you're forgiven." Stella said. "Knowing that you and the kids are not only safe, but happy together, makes all the difference.. And most importantly, knowing that you're not alone, like we've been saying. We are all still here for you Helga. I just wish that for once you'd get that and embrace what's around you instead of listing us all off as kryptonite. You and I both know…that's what Arnold wanted more than anything as well…for us all to stay together…" Stella finished softly.

Helga knew she was right and only nodded, trying to push away the pain that came from hearing her beloved husband's name.

She couldn't deal with it.

Her walls were not crumbling…but they weren't exactly sturdy like before either…

"I'm…sorry Stella. I'll…be better, and…I'll keep in touch more. Promise." Helga stated sincerely, wanting the conversation to end.

"Glad to hear it, dear…and you'd better." Stella smirked.

"GWANDMA! MOMMY! WHEN ARE WE GOING TO MAKE THE COOKIES?! WE'RE WASTING DAY WGIHT HERE!" Halenie's voice whined impatiently from the kitchen.

The women shared a chuckle once again before Helga rolled her eyes and shouted back. "ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! KEEP YOUR SKIRT ON, HYPER BUNNY, WE'RE COMIN'!"

---

The next thing I knew, I was having yet another one of those awkward times in my life just standing in the kitchen against the wall, listening to Stella ramble on and on about how to make scrumptious yet nutritious chocolate chip cookies. Why was it awkward, you ask? Well, besides the fact that Stella literally brought PINK AND WHITE COLORED POLKA DOT PRINTED aprons for us to wear, (I think I'm going to start hating that color…And yes, before you ask, they were JUST as bad as something OLGA would have me wear…And surprisingly, that's not the worse part. Know what the worse part was? It was a FAMILIAR apron that I instantly recognized. But despite my rather strong outright REFUSAL to wearing the horrid garment, I somehow, ended up in it anyways. LOOK, I don't know WHAT possessed me to wear that…that THING! OKAY?! I don't! I mean, CRIMINY! I TOLD you Stella's eyes had some kind of POWER! If the STUPID Football Head's eyes hypnotized me in the past, imagine the SOURCE of where he got that STUPID gaze from?! Then mix that with those STUPID puppy bubbly blue eyes of the other Football Headed brat and what do ya get?! Me, rendered ABSOLUTELY powerless to their goody, goody yet devious wills…

In other words, I, Helga G. Pataki, am still a CHUMP!

"Oh Helga, quit sulking against the wall like you actually hate that apron. I know it was your favorite when you were younger. Brings back memories doesn't it?" Stella smirked while still setting up the ingredients on the kitchen counter.

"Oh…just oodles of them." Helga deadpanned while folding her arms, continuing to sulk. "Didn't think they'd turn into demons of my past though…" She thought bitterly.

"Mommy used to wear pwetty aprons wike that?! I thought you HATED fwoo fwoo stuff wike that, Mommy!" Halenie asked with interest while twirling around in her own pink and white polka-dot apron.

Before Helga could scoff an "I do" to her statement, Stella continued. "Well usually she did, but the moment Arnold mentioned how cute she looked in it, it practically became a constant for her! She started wearing it every time she came over to help make desserts!" Stella giggled.

Helga grumbled multiple profanities under her breath as she felt her cheeks redden. Her daughter instantly took notice.

"Aww Mommy! You're bwushing! AND you're saying wots of bad words weally weally quietly again! Aww what's the matter? It sounds like this Mr. Arnold guy weally liked you. Like, like-liked you! Did you liiike-liiike him too? Hmm?" Halenie teased.

Stella's once light-hearted chuckle quickly turned into one of disbelief as her face dropped and turned towards the little girl. "Mr. Arnold guy? Honey, you know who I'm talking about, don't you?"

Helga immediately paled and she thought, "Oh sh**."

Halenie shrugged at her grandmother. "Uhm…Not weally…But it sounds wike Mommy had a big cwush on him! A likey-like cwush!" She giggled.

"Oh fu**" Helga thought as her face paled even worse.

"Sweetie, you seriously don't remember?" Stella asked with concern in her tone.

"Doesn't wing a bell." Halenie shrugged innocently yet nonchalantly.

Helga was now sweating bullets as she tapped her fingers against her countertop at a rapid pace. "Ix nay! Ix nay! IX NAY!"

"Haaleenie…" Stella started in a semi-serious warning voice. "You need to stop kidding around right now, young lady. Of course you know who Arnold is. It was yours and Philie's daddy's name. Arnold Philip Shortman. Don't…you and Philie remember us telling you about him?" Stella's face prompted her almost eagerly as worry and disbelief filled her eyes. It was no surprise that she kept sneaking glances at a very pale and now sweating Helga as she stood off in the corner avoiding absolute eye contact and fiddled with the tiny white bows on her apron.

"Oh Criminy…I can't believe I'm saying this, but for the love of all that's holy, please remember your Daddy, Halie, please remember Daddy! PLEASE REMEMBER DADDY!"

"OH! ARNOLD! I wemember now! That WAS Daddy's name!" Halenie snapped her fingers with elation.

Helga couldn't help but release a huge sigh of relief...

"…He was the magical super hero Daddy guy Gweat Gwandpa used to tell Philie and me about in his cwazy stories all the time!" Halenie finished with a cheerful giggle, proud that she answered correctly.

Helga's sigh of relief now was caught in her throat in a coughing fit as she suddenly choked.

Stella raised an eyebrow, unamused, while Halenie gasped and ran to slap her mother's back in an attempt to soothe and save her mother from choking.

"Mommy! Mommy! Are you okay?!" Halenie cried with concern as she continued to slap her mother's back. Hard.

Helga eventually recovering, started to feel the harshness of her daughter's blow and reacted. "OW! ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!" Helga started to yell, before she saw her daughter shrink away, and immediately softened her voice, though it held restrained irritation. "Will you PLEASE not slap Mommy's back like that anymore, Halie? It hurt Mommy a lot. Okaay?"

"Oh! I'm so sowwy, Mom! I didn't mean to hurt you. Philie said that whenever someone's choking to hit them on the back as hard as you can to make it all better and not stop even if they say ouch a wot." Halenie explained before mumbling, "at weast, that's what he does to me when I cough a wot…"

"This girl's cluelessness will surely be the death of me…" Helga pinched the bridge of her nose before replying. "Your brother was messing around again, Hal. You don't just BEAT someone senseless on their back because they're choking. There are certain ways to help, but that's not one of them; much less CONTINUOUSLY hitting them doesn't help them either. I'll deal with Philie about that later."

Halenie blinked. "Oh. Okay….Sowwy Mommy."

Helga felt her irritation melt away at her daughter's sincerity and ruffled her bangs with a wink to ensure she wasn't mad. "Aw hey, buck up Kiddo! No harm done to me here, see?"

Halenie brightened, making her mother almost return her bright smile until she heard the curt sound of Stella's throat clearing. She didn't have to turn to face her former mother-in-law to see that she was upset.

Helga went pale once more. "At least not yet…Welp, it's official…My a** is kicked."

Helga wanted to chuckle nervously, but the hard look on Stella's face kept her from doing so. She gulped before sputtering. "L-look, I know what you're probably thinking, but I swear! I can explain! I-"

Stella's phone suddenly started ringing. She was going to hit ignore and continue her death glare at her former daughter-in-law, but seeing as it was her husband calling after sending multiple texts marked "urgent", she sighed and answered the call.

"Yes Miles? What is it? I was kind of in the middle of something here." She shot Helga another glare from the corner of her eye."

"HI GWANDPA!" Halenie shouted loudly with excitement as she played with the little bag of chocolate chips on the counter.

"Yes, hold on Miles…" Stella put her hand over the phone to smile at her granddaughter for a moment. "Grandpa says hi, Sweetie!" She then put her serious face back on and returned to the call. "Yes, I'm with Halenie right now at Helga's house." The older woman rolled her eyes. "Miles, it was just a little rain. I've suffered worse, you know that!" Stella sighed before shaking her head with a smile. " I'm fine Honey…And that was YOU who got injured last time in the rain puddle, not me…Uh huh…Now just what is the emergency?! I was getting ready to take care of some serious business for goodness sakes!"

Helga gulped as she watched one of Stella's fists clench and unclench during the call.

Stella's irritation all but dissipated immediately as concern filled her voice. "Oh…Oh…I see…Yes. Tell Roberto and Maria I'll be home as soon as I can…Yes, I'm on my way now. Love you too." Once she ended the call, she removed her cooking apron and immediately grabbed her purse to don on her shoulder before walking out the kitchen. Helga's eyebrow rose as she watched her daughter run off towards her grandmother as she was putting on her rain coat.

"Aw, does this mean you're not gonna stay for the tea party Gwandma?" Halenie asked with a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

Stella bent down to the little girl's level to put her hands on her shoulders comfortingly. "I'm so sorry Sweetie, something urgent came up with my work and our friends, Roberto and his wife Maria. Grandpa and I need to know what's going on."

"Oh…" Halenie nodded dejectedly.

Stella offered a smile while playfully flipping one of her pigtails in her hand. "But, hey I promise that Grandpa and I and the others will be there to pick you up from your first day of Kindergarten tomorrow, then you and Philie can tell us all about how wonderful it was! I just know you both will have a great time."

"Okay! That sounds gweat! Especially cause evewyone will be there! And Mommy's gonna be the one to take me to school this time! WIGHT MOMMY?!" Halenie grinned with her spirit perked up again as she ran back over to tightly hug her mother's legs, who was now standing nearby to listen on their conversation.

"OOF! Okay, okay! Yes! Whatever ya want, just ease on the grip girly! Geez!" Helga conceded as she tried not to trip over the weight that was locked onto her legs as her daughter giggled and hugged her tighter.

Stella couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Right…so you enjoy your tea time with your Mommy and have a fun time together until then okay? I left the recipe for the cookies on the counter for you both to follow. It's pretty easy and your mom should know it since she made it all the time with your dad when they were younger."

She explained while turning her stern eyes to lock towards Helga's. "Maybe she'll tell you all about it…along with other stories of your daddy, I'm sure, since you and Philie always wanted to hear them?"

Helga could tell the older woman's tender prompt was masking a blunt and direct order.

She gulped once more.

Halenie nodded eagerly. "Oh boy would I! Philie and me always twied to get Mommy to tell us about our daddy but she just gets all gwumpy and tells us to shut up and weave her awone about it, and that all we needed to know is that we were all a bunch of football heads since we had the same shaped head as him and that there was nothing else impor-"

Helga promptly slapped her hands over her daughter's mouth before she could continue.

"Heh heh, oh Halie bean, you're such a kidder! I know I said all that stuff but you're OBSVIOUSLY forgetting about all the other wonderful things I said about your daddy! Why only mention the parts where I was CLEARLY joking around huh? Oh you. You silly, special little girl! Well, I guess I'll have to make time to tell ya all about the rest later on, but for now, l-let's go see your grandma out the door so we can continue our ever so lovely evening together shall we? Go grab her umbrella please! It's still raining cats and dogs out there! We don't want dear ol' Granny to get sick now do we?" Helga rushed in overly enthusiastic yet grit tooth frenzy as she nuzzled her cheek against her daughter's in attempt to smother her protests and sentences.

Halenie gasped as she thought about her mother's last sentence. "Oh my gosh, No! Gwandma can't get sick in the wain! She-she won't be able to see me and Philie at our first day of Kindgeraten if that happens!"

"For once…this girl's cluelessness is beneficial for me…" Helga thought before stating dramatically in a drill sergeant tone of voice. "That's right Cadet! So let's make sure she's snug as a bug in a rug before going out in the rain."

"Sir, yes sir! I mean, Ma'am yes ma'am!" Halenie saluted before running off to grab her Grandmother's umbrella to hand it to her with another playful salute.

Stella accepted the umbrella while giving Helga a very dry glare.

Helga threw a thumbs up to her daughter before shrugging and giving an uneasy smile. "That Halie is something else huh? Such a good kid. 'Got a big heart and everything."

"Mm…It's wonder where she got that from. Isn't it?" Stella replied simply, hugging her granddaughter goodbye, while still shooting Helga a glare. Once Halenie exchanged goodbyes and more hugs with her grandmother, she excitedly ran back into the kitchen.

Helga sighed. "Listen…Stella, like I said, I know what it looks like, but I promise I can expl -"

Stella put her hand up, abruptly cutting Helga off mid-sentence. "-I think your explanation is better suited for your children, than to me at this point Helga." She shook her head in disappointment. "I may not know the fullness of what's going on, but I do know you better do the right thing before it's too late."

"Too late for what?" Helga raised an eyebrow. "And what's up with the Green eyed lovebirds and why do they have you so spooked all of a sudden? Is…everything okay?"

She recognized the obvious subject change, but decided not to speak against it as she shook her head. "I don't know…They're still taking everything as hard as we are…but it probably has something to do with the sacred La Corazon…again." Stella explained thoughtfully.

"Again?" Helga questioned.

"That's right. You don't know. Well, while you've been…out of touch…so has the Green Eye's sacred treasure. After Arnold passed, it somehow lost its luster to say the least. As you know, the Green Eyes always valued the heart of gold treasure but when Arnold came into contact with it, it just made it seem like there was a more valuable effect that everyone noticed; something special. Once he passed…it wasn't the same anymore. At least...not until recently. Maria and Roberto said that for some reason, lately it's been acting up again as if it was activated somehow. They don't know how that's possible, but they're keeping us informed nonetheless." Stella explained.

Helga tried to hide her interest by giving a dry look. "So…the shiny rock started glowing again. And that's got you freaked out why?"

Stella continued pointedly. "Roberto didn't mention this, but before Elder died, the la Corazon was acting funny kind of like how it is now. Elder thought it meant something important at the time since it was so frantic, like some frantic event was going to happen. Good or bad, he wasn't sure, but his grandson didn't get his memo since he passed away shortly after. But before they could all investigate the cause, another reason why they wanted us and Arnold to attend the funeral, well…the ambush happened…Nothing was foretold in any of the Green Eyed prophecies as they say about Arnold's death or anything. It took us all by surprise. The only clue they had to go on was the frenzy behavior of the treasure. Ever since then, they make sure to watch it closely and alert us if anything goes on with it. Something must be going on, I just hope it's not dangerous…" She finished sadly.

"Well…'guess I can understand why you're spooked." Helga hesitantly put a hand on the older woman's shoulder. "But…hey…try to stray positive and all that good stuff…I'm not really sure what's going on or what'll happen…but just…don't let it drive you crazy, okay? The kids need you and everyone to be strong right now.

"I need you to be strong…" Helga thought silently.

"You're right…Well, same to you Helga. Just…take care of the kids…and yourself, okay?" Stella smiled weakly.

Helga nodded sincerely before seeing her out the door.

"Bye you two! Grandma loves you lots!" Stella called out.

"LOVE YOU LOTS TOO GWANDMA!" Halenie's voice called out from the kitchen.

"Uh…Philie's not here…" Helga raised an eyebrow in confusion to Stella's plural declaration.

"I was talking to you both…as in you and Hal included." Stella smirked with a wink. "Take care now, Helga."

"Y-yeah…you too, Stel." Helga waved, clearly touched as she was caught off guard. She couldn't help but step outside on the wet porch to get a better view of the Packard leaving the driveway as she whispered, "…Love you lots too…Mom…"

"MOMMY! COME ON! WE GOTS TO FINISH THE COOKIES!" Halenie's voice whined impatiently from the kitchen.

"I'LL BE THERE IN A MINUTE! CRIMINY! CAN YOU JUST STAY PEACEFUL FOR MOMMY AND KEEP YOUR TRAP SHUT FOR ONE FREAKING SECOND! GEEZ!" Helga scowled before she started her way back into the kitchen but paused in the living room as she saw the pink apron on the couch. She looked at it intently as if contemplating its tacky and girly significance before she got caught in a daze.

---

Flashback to 18 years ago…

Usually it was his infamous half-lidded gaze that set her heart aflame at any given moment, but at this particular moment as she was trying to focus on the task of washing dishes the old fashioned way without a dishwasher to properly scour the residue caked covered bowls and spoons, while also ignoring the pangs of a bad stomach ache, and all the while wearing a rather frilly yet ridiculous pink and white polka dot piece of fabric, it was safe to say that being under Arnold's sultry vision right now was giving Helga the very opposite effect of what his charm was supposed to inflict on her.

In short, she wanted to punch him…

"I hope you're appreciating my restraint right now, Football Head. Ol' Betsey here is really wanting to get intimate with your face right about now." Helga grumbled, not taking her eyes off of the stubborn batter that was glued onto a spatula as she scrubbed the dish even harder while making a fist for emphasis.

Her 12 year old boyfriend just smiled. "I just can't help but be enamored by you, Helga…You know you really do look cute in that apron."

His compliment was said with pure sincerity and a splash of playfulness, which meant that he was clearly taking some enjoyment in her plight…

All the more reason to punch him.

But she restrained.

"Again, I'm really about to let loose on you, Arnoldo. No regrets guaranteed." She growled after letting out a huff of frustration.

His flirty smile turned into a cheeky one instantly. "Aw, don't be like that…I promise it's not even that bad. If anything I'd say you look rather…sophisticated." He winked.

She abruptly dropped the plate in the soapy water and groaned loudly putting a hand up. "-Oh criminy, you gotta be-do NOT go there with me right now! DO NOT!"

"What? It's true." Arnold stated while trying to stifle his chuckles at his girlfriend getting riled up. "You can't say that what you look like right now doesn't take you back to that time."

Messing with her was too much fun…a guilty pleasure he indulged in no doubt.

Helga whipped her head to scowl at him. "You're a delusional sap you know that? But no, what's to expect from a goody two-shoes like you? I mean after all the BULL crap fancy shmancy acts I pulled to DAZZLE you that night to get your STUPID puny brain off of Little Miss Perfect, and it takes ME being in a FEAKING lunch lady hair net, scrubbing disgusting crud off of a crap load of plates after admitting that we were flat out BROKE to the manager to get you to BARELY even see me in a SOPHISTICATED light…? Yeah, no SHUT UP!"

She poked a wooden spoon at his chest threateningly before grumbling under her breath. "Forget that I was actually behaving in a pathetic attempt to impress you, forget about the stupid floor lengthy ankle breaking DRESS I was wearing, NO! What gets Football head off? Honesty, ladies and gents! Telling the truth and doing the right thing just gets the boy all smitten."

Arnold rolled his eyes at her dramatics before cracking another smile. "Like just now when you actually admitted that YOU were the one that practically ate all of my mom's cookies after you tried to blame all the others and even ME for doing it only to do the right thing in the end. I knew you would…it's one of the reasons why I like you so much." He flirted.

"I'm flattered. Really." Helga retorted dryly.

"Besides, look on the bright side, at least my mom went easy on you! There's not even that many dishes left for us to wash. But I'm sorry about your stomach ache…Though, I really wish you didn't devour three batches of her cookies in one sitting…" Arnold frowned sympathetically, shaking his head at her as he helped dry another plate.

Helga moaned painfully at the mention of cookies as she gripped her stomach and then narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend. "Yeah, well, it's not MY fault that the stupid Beeper emporium's crap break room that is currently deemed as our master kitchen suite was due for a grocery shopping run that NEVER happened and I was stupidly starving as a result. Nor is it MY fault that your mom just so happens to be one of the BEST bakers in Hillwood with those addicting cookies that should have a warning label on them!" She retorted defiantly before softening her tone. "And come to think of it, NONE of this is your fault or responsibility anyways, so WHY the heck are you even helping me right now?"

Arnold just gave her a raised eyebrow and an amused smile. "Do I really need to say it?"

Helga put her hand up to stop him once more. "No, no, no. Silly me. But of course, it's because you know you don't HAVE to, but simply because you WANT to…like I said, you're a delusional sap."

"You're welcome…" Arnold droned before smirking mischievously. "But if I had to be honest, on top of that reason…it's also because I get to see you looking cute in that apron for a bit longer than you would like." He chuckled.

"Y-YOU LITTLE-! " Helga nearly squealed as her face flushed a bright red that she shouldn't hide much to Arnold's delight as his laughter increased.

She didn't know whether to let out a big swoon and kiss him to oblivion or scream as she punched him to an oblivion…

Scratch that, she really felt like punching him.

She looked around stealthily only to hear voices from a nearby room.

Too many witnesses to hear his suffering, so hitting him was out.

But retaliation was definitely in order here.

Her blue eyes suddenly brightened and sparkled dangerously as she put her payback plan into action.

She let out an innocent and thoughtful hum. "Hmm, ya know Football head…come to think of it, I might actually have to WATCH myself around you…I mean, if being all goody, goody is what turns you on, I better not decide to one day become a Mother Theresa or you'll JUMP me for sure!"

His laughter stopped abruptly to give her an exasperated look. "Helga."

"-And I mean, you might completely MAUL me!" Helga's eyes went wider in amusement. "And I don't mean like how I did to you on that stupid FTI building, I mean like you might actually put those lectures we had in Sex Ed class to work!"

"HELGA-!" Arnold's eyes widened as he protested in complete disbelief at her outlandish statement, trying to ignore the burning sensation he felt in his face.

"Checkmate!" Helga smirked inwardly. "-Just remember, anything that is done without my willing, active consent is construed as rape." She winked sweetly as she wagged her finger at him teasingly.

"WHAT THE-?! HELGA! I-STOP! YOU-You know I would NEVER do anything like that!" He protested vehemently with a glare.

Her eyes went wide for a moment, caught off guard by his tone.

"Ookaay, he's clearly offended. Huh, maybe I went too far. I should stop…" She thought before smirking. "Nah, this is too much fun!"

"But, do I though?" She gasped dramatically and gave him innocent puppy eyes. "After all…it was YOUR idea to sneak away to the rooftop when your parents wouldn't have us locking your room door for privacy while simply just doing our homework together the other night..."

She heard her boyfriend groan in irritation as he blushed deeper and kept his narrowed eyes on her.

"Time to put the nail in the coffin…" She thought deviously as she cut off his protests once more.

"I do wonder…Did your parents ever figure out the French lessons we were studying in particular that night? Or did you actually manage to keep your out of breath, heavily breathing like Brainy condition under the radar after all when we were done?" She smirked as she twirled one of the long white ribbons on her apron suggestively.

She knew by the way his pupils dilated in shock at her sentence along with his flustered appearance that she had won.

"Helga..." Arnold muttered her name calmly albeit through grit teeth as he tried to regain his composure.

"Yes, my love?" She batted her eyelashes at him, appreciating how the aspect of her girly apron softened her features in her attempt to look innocent.

She added insult to injury by offering him the sweetest smile she could muster.

Arnold kept his annoyed glare at her until he suddenly smiled deviously and briefly sprayed her with the sink hose attachment, winking at her now clearly wet and shocked face as he handed her the hose attachment.

"Shut up and rinse." He finished with a smirk.

Helga blinked at his boldness for a moment, before deciding that despite his attempt for reclaiming victory, his reaction and fervent blush proved that she was still the winner of that round. "Okay…That was clever and deserved so I'll give him that one, but I still win, so, Ha! Game, set, match, Football Head!"

Helga just smiled and shrugged. "Whatever you say, Football head. Whatever you say."

They shared a chuckle at their silliness while sharing a loving look as they continued the dishes.

"Huh…I might just have to keep this bad boy after all…" Helga mused to herself as she smiled at the pink and white polka-dot apron she was wearing in approval.

End Flashback.

---

"MOMMY?! MO-OMMY!"

Halenie's voice boomed once more, breaking her mother out of memory lane. Once the woman came to her senses of what she was thinking about as she found that the apron somehow ended up in her hands, she dropped it as if it was on fire and scoffed at it before finally joining her daughter in the kitchen, trying to ignore the painful throbbing in her chest at the light memories that only brought her sorrow.

---

And so, the rest of our fantastic, glorious night continued as we strove together in the kitchen to make the most divine tasting cookies for the little bootless errand tea party event of the evening. And even though by the time we finished said divine cookies the kitchen looked as horrendous as the rest of my house, admittedly, I gotta say, it was…actually kind of fun.

We had our moments as always, but then those little moments turned into a delightful flour fight, along with the cabinets being decorated with dough due to speeding up the mixing process by setting the mixer on the highest setting possible…

Not a good idea, mind you…

But after discovering the importance of non-stick baking spray and taking dutiful licks at the mixing bowl spoons despite protests of course, hers not mine. I was the taster. She was the pansy that wanted to wait for the finished product. I mean, what kid DOES THAT SH**?! It's Cookie dough! EVERY kid loves to lick the spoon after mixing a desert! It's like an embedded, unspoken rule of adolescence! Needless to say, I scolded her on her carefulness accordingly until she finally saw AND experienced the value in taste testing for herself.

She ended up being worse than me! Who knew?

All in all, with the pizza hot and crispy mixing with the sweet aroma of fresh baked cookies…and some fizzy soda pop to fill that annoyingly small pink tea kettle, the once horrid activity that was going to bore me to tears now turned into one BOSS of a clambake that I was actually LOOKING FORWARD to as I found myself donning the magenta colored pantsuit and checking my reflection in the mirror before heading downstairs to the "party".

"I can't believe I'm doing this…" Helga muttered with slight amusement rather than the usual bitterness in her tone as she shook her head. She examined her once messy blonde hair that was now somewhat neatly tamed as she ran a comb through the tangles for what seemed like the third time.

The free feel of her hair being loosened from her pigtails was familiar, yet uncomfortable as she felt a part of herself bared that she hadn't let happen in a while…

---

Flashback to 20 years ago…

"What? WHAT?!" Helga snapped frantically as she noticed that the 10 year old boy of her affections was frozen, wide eyed on her doorstep, just gaping at her.

Arnold finally snapped out of his trance, a blushing nervous wreck. "N-nothing…It's sill-I mean, it's nothing…"

Helga wasn't having it.

"Tell me what's on your enormous sized noggin Football Head or I'll pound you into next week, I swear!" She growled.

"So…you're going to pound me for contemplating on how to compliment you?" Arnold couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her.

Caught off guard, Helga blinked for a moment before sputtering, her cheeks matching the color of her pink attire heavily. "C-compliment? Wh-what do you mean? Wh-what were you going to say?! What's there to compliment?!"

"Your hair…" Arnold shyly pointed out.

"WHAT ABOUT MY HAIR?! IS SOMETHING IN IT?! DOES IT LOOK BAD?! I KNEW IT! I'LL KILL OLGA FOR-"Helga shouted in reply as she grabbed at her lengthy and wavy blonde strands in a frenzy.

"-IT'S PRETTY!" Arnold blurted. His tone was almost as frantic as hers as he tried to reveal what he wanted to say in a calmer manner but failed due to her current behavior. Once the cat was out of the bag, he blushed deeper but smiled sheepishly at her. "You-you look really pretty with your hair down. I like it…a lot. And it's kind of…well…"

He began to stutter once more, his blush deepening even further as he peeked at her face. He could tell that she was just as flustered as he was, but the impatient scowl on her features meant that she was about to yell once more in his face to "get on with it".

He beat her to the punch before she could scream.

"It's beautiful okay?! There, I said it! …You look beautiful with your hair down." Arnold looked down, refusing to meet her now stunned blue gaze.

"Oh…I-I mean…well I-"Helga sputtered, speechless until she couldn't help herself…

She swooned lovingly at him. "Oh Arnold!"

He just gave her a pointed look.

Her dreamy eyes then went serious with regret almost immediately as she sucked in a breath through her teeth. "…I did it again, didn't I?" Helga hesitated, but knew the answer.

"Yeah…you kind of did…" Arnold looked away from her for a moment not wanting to show his disappointment.

She face palmed with a long sigh. "Oh Criminy! I'm sorry, Arnold. It's just…It's not like I MEAN to tear your head off and eat it every time you act all nice to me, it's just that…Well, sheesh! I don't have to-!" She wanted to snap at him like normal to regain control of her emotions, but once she saw the patient, waiting look in his trusting green eyes, she knew she had to come clean.

She sighed, relenting before continuing. "Look, I'm still kind of getting used to…this…whole…having my wildest dream and desire come true since I didn't exactly plan on it actually HAPPENING…or WHAT would happen afterwards if it was ever a possibility…"

"Well I mean besides kissing him to the moon and back for all eternity until we get married, have coffee and roses in Paris, exotic adventures, our own fragrance line, and his inauguration as first man after I'M nominated as President of the United States and later supreme leader of the world, but I digress. 'Gotta start small." Helga thought to herself as she looked to the ground uncomfortably.

His silence was killing her until his murmur broke it. "I understand…"

She dared to glance at his face to see that patient but slightly hesitant smile directed at her as he came closer to put his hand on top of hers gently. She couldn't help but soften her hard gaze at him as his attempt to reassure her was a success. As a result, she knew she had to repay him somehow.

She lightly intertwined their fingers together. "Hey…I really am sorry though. Okay? And…I'm…happy… that you think my hair looks nice. That's really sweet of you to say…?" She offered him a reluctant yet sincere smile, hoping it was enough for now.

Her hopes were not disappointed as he lightly squeezed her hand, his eyes practically smiling brightly at her. "Well…I meant it. I just don't get why it's so hard for you to take a compliment."

She couldn't help but scoff as she rolled her eyes. "Maybe because I don't GET that stupid mushy stuff said about me all the time, and any time I do there's an ANGLE involved."

She sighed almost sadly as she thought, "Not EVERYONE has a beautiful soul like yours, Darling…"

She watched in confusion at his eyes suddenly growing wider and blush brightening.

It then hit her that she verbally muttered her last thought process within his ear distance.

She cursed inwardly, searching for a way to retract her last statement or feign stupidity, but to no avail.

It was clear he heard her as he slowly started smiling wider.

Before she could snap at Arnold, she felt herself grabbed into his firm embrace until he released her only at an arm's distance before shrugging lightly. "Well, I guess you'll just have to start getting used to that stupid mushy stuff then."

"Yeah, well…Psh…whatever. I mean, criminy it's no big deal…it's just my hair." She grumbled, waving him off. Her blush was not at all lost on him.

"I wasn't just talking about your hair." He rolled his eyes playfully. "I mean this…us…I get it. I'm new to this too. But you don't have to worry…I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to."

She recoiled, pushing him away. "Psh oh please! Who said I was worried about anything, you crazy Yutz." She scoffed naturally in reply, ready to escape the deepness of their conversation. She then berated herself for losing control again and turned away so he couldn't see her frustration, but to her surprise, she felt his comforting hand on her shoulder and turned around only to see him smirk lightly as a response.

"Like I said…you don't have to worry." He stated patiently.

Silence was her answer before she sighed, frustrated with herself. "…Yeah? Why's that?" She finally asked quietly, feeling like a lost cause because of her behavior.

"Because we've got time. And we can take our time to get used to…all of this, wherever this goes…" He gave her a warm half-lidded smile as he boldly moved a strand of loose hair behind her ear, caught up in the moment.

She couldn't help but nod and smile shyly at his gesture.

Her soft grin mesmerized him as he took her hands in his and softly continued. "And honestly, after everything…I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon."

End Flashback.

---

Helga felt her heart warming and breaking at the same time as she recalled the first time she willingly chose to wear her hair down for her beloved when they first started dating. She then glanced at the discarded, red plaid flannel shirt on her vanity dresser.

She felt practically naked without it…

Then again, she was NEVER without it.

If she wasn't wearing it, then it was always within her reach; whether it was in her purse, tied around her waist, or in her hands, it was somewhere within her grasp. Even in the most intimate of places, she made sure that it was in her sights.

Unlike the person it once belonged to…

Call it an absurd obsession…or a coping mechanism. Of course it didn't dull reality's pain, but it managed to sooth her somehow, even more than her locket used to…

But once she had to take it off to get ready for the tea party, she honestly wanted to throw it back on immediately, not caring if she looked stupid wearing it on top of her pantsuit.

But she knew she had to try to be without it, just like she was now without him…

It was a symbol to represent her feeble attempt of letting go…

She knew she had to try.

And she would no doubt succeed…as long as there were no more reminders.

It was time to sturdy her walls again.

She had to try…

---

She let out a rather shaky breath, trying to grasp at the reality she always snarled at vigorously as she finally walked out of the room, fighting to not look back at that cursed plaid shirt. Her daughter waited for her outside the bedroom door, bouncing on her heels excitedly as she smiled at her mother, not taking in the exhausted and bored expression that was on her face.

The five year old clapped with delight. "Yay mommy's here! Ooh! Ooh! What do you think of my dwess Mommy? Do I look pwetty?! Do I wook divine?!" She eagerly spun around in circles and curtseyed politely making Helga cringe.

"Okay, where the fu** did she learn that garbage from?! If Little Miss Perfect and Princess did this to her I swear-!" Helga glowered.

Oh, how she rued the day she was not there to intervene in the times those prissy ninnies had their share in raising her daughter…

"MOMMY!" Halenie shouted impatiently.

"WHAT?!" Helga scowled, not appreciating the way her daughter practically busted her ear drums.

"D-don't I look pwetty?" Halenie whimpered lightly in response to her mother's sharp response.

Helga's face softened in remorse as she apologized. "Oh…S-sorry Hal Pal…You caught me off guard with the way you nearly broke my ears off of my head…"

Halenie's giggle broke through her pout as her mother smirked. "Sowwy. So, do I look pweety?" She asked again.

Helga took a moment to observe the five year old's appearance and had to hold back both a swoon and a monologue of how precious her daughter looked. The dress was a soft light pink and flowed above her ankles with just the right amount of poof, just like the one she used to wear. It was an exact replica….Just like hers…the one her husband used to love…

"Yes…you look very pretty Halenie…" Helga smiled warmly at her.

…If he could only see their daughter now…

Shaking her head out of her trance and squashing the chance for the sentiment to hit her, Helga quickly turned her attention to the ridiculous, oversized floral sun hat that covered almost half of the little girl's large face and barked out a scoffing laugh.

"I mean, psh! Ha! Yeah sure, besides the REDICULOUS getup you call a hat that is actually covering your gigantic sized head?! What in the world?!" Helga raised an eyebrow with a chuckle, raising the tips of the hat to peer into her daughter's blue eyes.

"Aww! Auntie Rhonda and Auntie Lila said it made me wook fabuwous!" Halenie pouted with folded arms.

"So it WAS them! 'Called it." Helga thought bitterly.

She mentally noted to make them suffer her wrath later…

"Oh well, weady for the tea party, Mommy?!" Halenie asked with excitement as she held out her hand for her mom to take.

Helga just shrugged listlessly. "Ready as I'll ever be…" She took her daughters' hand in hers as they made it downstairs.

Okay, I know what you lamos are thinking…

Everything seemed to be going pretty swell, so what possibly went wrong?

Cue the moment we got to the table…

---

Helga filled the tiny pink plate with about 4 slices of pizza after helping her daughter pour the cold soda into the small sized toy tea kettle.

"Oh yeah, now THIS is a tea party I can actually tolerate." Helga smirked as she bit into her cheesy slice.

"You said it!" Halenie nodded in agreement as she finished serving the other stuffed animal "guests" at the small sized table. She then watched her mom ruthlessly devour her food and frowned catching her mom's attention.

"What?" Helga asked with her mouth full and a raised eyebrow.

"Mo-om! You're not holding up your pinky!" Halenie scolded. "That's not being powite! You have to hold up your finger when you eat, and dwink your tea! See?" Halenie demonstrated by taking a bite of her pizza and a dainty sip of her soda with her pinky raised the whole time.

"Okay, one, this is soda, not tea! Sheesh! And two, oh-ho don't tempt me…Trust me, I'll hold up a finger alright, but you don't want to know which one…It's not child appropriate…" Helga thought as she rolled her eyes. "Eh, clam up girly and eat your food."

Halenie complied but then took the time to stare intently at her mother once more with her head propped up on her elbows, clearly deep in thought.

"What?!" Helga muttered with annoyance.

"…You look weally pwetty, Mommy." Halenie complimented with a soft smile.

"Oh…Uh…th-thanks?" Helga blinked, not knowing how to respond to the kind comment.

"There's just one wiiiittle thing missing…" Halenie started, contemplating her mother's look.

Before Helga could say anything, she watched her daughter remove her oversized sun hat and untie the pink ribbon in her hair only to rush over to yank her mother's head down to her level and tie it into her own golden locks instead.

"H-hey! Take it easy!" Helga protested.

"There! Now it's perfect!" Halenie cheered.

Her mother just grumbled under her breath and attempted to undo the sloppily tied ribbon in her hair as her daughter giggled.

"Nice bow!" Halenie smiled.

Helga froze on the spot instantly, wide eyed as if she saw a ghost. She shakenly turned towards her still smiling daughter.

"H-huh?" She stuttered off key.

"I said, I like your bow!...It's pink like your pants!" Halenie's smile widened further as she pointed to her mother's matching resemblance. "See?"

Helga couldn't move…

It was as if she was suddenly stunned by acute paralysis all over…

Those words…

"It-it's n-not possible…No. No, no, no, no, no...NO! NO! DA** IT NO!" She panicked inwardly. Her mind was rampaging, but she couldn't speak a word.

Those words…

"Hi, nice bow!"

"Huh?"

"I like your bow, because it's pink like your pants."

Those simple stupid words…

It was the start of everything…until it all came to an unfortunate end.

It was then when the memories of Arnold Shortman thrashed Helga's mind like severe lashes from a sharp whip.

She remembered every moment they had; every sentence spoken, every touch, every picture perfect recollection from his green colored umbrella to her saliva filled spitballs, to their fights, their collisions, to their hugs and confessions…their cuddles…their kisses, every second replayed in her brain with images vivid and lively in full color with surround sound.

It was a movie she was forced to watch until its treacherous end where the last image she remembered was his coffin being lowered into the cold, hard ground…

And her alone…

Vulnerable…

Weak…

Helpless…

Just like that fateful moment in preschool all over again…until she snapped.

Yep, you guessed it ladies and germs...THAT was offically STRIKE 3!

Game over.

And it was at THAT exact moment when things finally went all kinds of wrong…

---

Helga felt herself shaking.

She couldn't stop.

Her eyes were burning, filling with some kind of liquid substance…it was threatening to boil over. The feeling she tried suppressing all that time was now bursting at the seams full force without her say so, ready to blast to the surface.

It was then when she became aware of how broken she actually was inside…

But she had to gain control somehow.

She had to!

The walls she built were crumbling like an impaled dam with rushing waters unstoppable.

She had to get back in control. Fast.

But first, she had to get away.

It was time to get the he** out of dodge.

Without speaking a single word, Helga immediately jumped up, still shaken down to her core and nearly stumbled over to the couch. But before she could get the energy to hightail it upstairs, her daughter instantly blocked her with a look of confusion spread across her face.

"Mommy? What are you doing?" she asked innocently.

"I-I-I have to go." She replied shortly, finally finding her voice but hating its heaviness as she tried to conceal it in a gruff tone.

"G-go?" Halenie asked sadly. Her many questions of "why?" quickly turned into frantic protests as she realized that her mother was getting ready to do what she always did when she was around: find excuses to avoid her. "B-but but you can't just leave! W-we're still having the not normal tea party!"

"Yeah, well tough luck Bucko. Party's over. I got better things to do." Helga grumbled in a rush hoping that the little girl would just back off and that her pleading and whimpering wouldn't pierce through her current defenses that she was trying hard to salvage. She already had enough eating away at her and she didn't need to reflect on the guilt trip that was now added on top of the menu.

She refused to face her daughter and just sighed, attempting to reason with her. "Look…something came up and unfortunately Mommy can't stay…but hey, it's been a real slice. Maybe…we can do this again some other ti-"

"-No." was the stern reply that cut Helga'a sentence off. She instantly whipped her head around and nearly froze at the angry, defiant, and most of all betrayed look in her daughter's tearful eyes.

But her pride wouldn't hear of her rare attitude.

She glared at her in response. "What...Did...you just SAY to me, young lady?!"

For the first time ever, Halenie did not cower or whimper but instead glared back with a vicious defiance. "I said, no! No mommy! It's not fair! You can't just leave the tea party when you pwomised to spend time with me! You said no matter what, we were gonna play and spend time together cause you never did before, and-and you said you were gonna make it up to me! If you leave, that's bweaking your pwomise!"

Helga's face started to soften with guilt until she was reminded of the person who used to reason with others just like Halenie was doing to her.

The fire within her was kindled once more… "Yeah, well life is full of disappointments and broken promises little Bucko, so I guess ya better start getting used to it." She retorted bitterly yet quietly.

"But-but not by the people who love you! Like family! They're the one who HAVE to keep pwomises no matter what cause it shows love! Gwandma said so! Bweaking pwomises is the same like telling a bad fib and that hurts people! Love isn't supposed to hurt! And you love me so, so you can't! Wight? D-don't you love me Mommy? You said you did!" Halenie sputtered and whined her argument.

Helga's reply was surprisingly automatic. "I do! But-"

"- Yeah?! But what?! You love Phillie more, don't you?! That's why I'm always left out while you play with him!" Halenie snapped in a tantrum.

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Helga snapped in defense.

"THEN WHY ARE YOU BWEAKING YOUR PWOMISE NOW?! HUH?! WHY MOM?! WHY?!" Halenie demanded angrily.

"BECAUSE IT'S HARD TO BE AROUND YOU WHEN YOU MAKE ME THINK OF-" Helga paused, clenching her fists, holding her tears back as they threatened to appear in her eyes.

"W-well what? What is it? W-What's wrong with me, Mommy?" Halenie whimpered in a broken curiosity.

Guilt practically gorged at the mother's heart. She had to put a stop to this before she caused more damage.

But the saying was true: hurting people hurt people…

Helga exhaled unevenly as she said in a steely calm voice, "It's nothing. Look, bottom line is unfortunately, I have to go now. I guess we can do this some other time or whatever, so just please move out of my way…"

"B-but Mommy I-" Halenie tried to block her way again.

"-WHAT ARE YOU DEAF?! I SAID, MOVE IT FOOTBALL HEAD!" Helga practically roared as she stomped around her daughter and started her way up the stairs, but the sound of consistent gasping and sniffling stopped her dead in her tracks and instantly broke the woman out of her rage as horror then struck the mother of what she had just said to her own flesh and blood.

She tried back-peddling almost immediately afterwards. "H-Halenie…Oh no, oh Honey I-I didn't mean-"

"-The others were wight…" The little girl sniffed in a broken whisper.

"What do you mea-" Helga hesitated.

"-I didn't want them to be wight…They said all this mean stuff about how terrible you were…how mean and loud and-and how you liked to hurt other people's feelings…I didn't want them to be wight…I kept saying they were all wrong about you…that you were a good mommy, just diffwent. But I-I guess I was wrong all awong." Halenie's tears fell from her eyes and got heavier as they streamed down her face.

"Y-You're nothing but a bully…aren't you?" Halenie rubbed at her eyes in an attempt to stop her tears.

Helga wanted to protest but the question hung and stung her soul where she was rendered speechless. "Halenie…listen, please I'm-"

"W-Well…FINE! Y-YOU WANT ME TO STAY OUT OF YOUR WAY?! THEN I'M GONNA DO IT! IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT, THEN... FINE! YOU'RE MEAN AND I DON'T WANNA PLAY WITH YOU ANYMORE!" Halenie screamed tearfully before running upstairs into her room and slamming the door before her mother could stop her.

"H-Halenie no! Please! Wait!" Helga pleaded chasing after her. Once she saw that the door was locked and she was shut out, Helga knew the damage was done. She just slumped to the floor against her daughter's door as regret consumed her with each sound of the little girl's sobbing.

It was more painful than she realized as she felt the tears she held back finally escape from her eyes and run down her cheeks.

She didn't bother to stop them. She let them fall for a moment, only to close her eyes in determination as a protective burning instinct scorched the mother's heart.

This was all too much.

Helga knew she had to fix this.

The only question was…how?

To Be Continued.