Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold!

The Day You Will

By Moonlight

I Won't Say I Need You

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when Helga got up from her sleepless rest on Arnold's couch. The couch itself was very soft and comfortable. Its plush cushion felt as if it were molding to her desired position, in fact. However, it was her erratic thoughts that kept her up for most of the night. She kept thinking about how she would deal with her family again. If she could ever face them again...

Glancing across the room to Arnold's sleeping form, she let out a long sigh. Even if it was just a night, he had done so much for her and eased her still breaking heart if just for a moment. She took a step towards him, to check if he was really asleep, before slipping out of his shirt and back into her, now dry clothes. Folding the shirt and blanket, she set them neatly on the couch before quietly sneaking out the door. A whispered "Thank you" escaped her lips as she closed it behind her and headed down the stairs.

Once on the final step of the staircase, she turned to face the door and was about to reach for the handle before a voice stopped her.

"Oh!"

The sound caused her to trip over her own feet and turn to face a lovely brunette woman wearing a pink apron, "You're Helga, right?"

"Yeah." she responded slowly as she recognized her to be Stella, Arnold's mother.

Stella's lips curled into a smile as she wiped her hands off on her apron and held one out for Helga to take, "I'm Stella. Do you remember me?"

"Of course I do. I pretty much SAVED you and your husband this past summer." Helga reminded the woman, a hand on her hips.

The woman laughed at Helga's comment. Her little chuckle seemed to fill Helga's heart with warmth. "Arnold told me you were staying with us for a while. Has something happened at home?" she asked with concern.

Criminy! She was JUST like her son! "Actually, about that… I was wondering if you had any rooms available?" she asked, shoving her hands into her pockets, "I have no money, but I could...do some housework. And besides, it'll probably be better if Arnold has his room to himself."

Stella's eyes softened, though she did notice that Helga had dodged her other question. "Unfortunately, we have a full house since Miles and I moved back in." she watched as Helga's expression began to fade, "Though… I don't mind if you keep staying with Arnold."

"But-"

"I don't think he minds either." Stella continued, as she glanced up the stairs, "In fact, I think he'd enjoy your company, Helga. He seemed very at peace when he told us you were here. I haven't seen him that calm since we got here…"

Helga rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly before thanking her and excusing herself to head towards the school.

Arnold awoke to the routine sound of his alarm clock. He rubbed at his eyes before silencing the noise and lifting himself to a sitting position in bed. The sun beamed strongly through the skylight, as he looked around the room. His eyes were still adjusting to the light, thought he could see that his guest was no longer in the room with him.

"Helga?" he asked at nothing. His voice sounding a bit hurt and confused.

Noticing the folded items on the couch, he shot up to his feet and hurried to change into his clothes.

"She must have left for school already…" he said to himself as he grabbed his bag and raced out the door, only to run into his mother.

"Mom!"

Stella smiled at her son before embracing him tightly, "Good morning. How did it go? Was she able to talk to you about what happened?"

Arnold shook his head sadly, before spotting the paper bag in her hand. Helga's name written on it in Stella's neat handwriting. "What's this?" he asked curiously.

Holding out the bag for him to take, Stella's eyes dawned a solemn look, though her smile still remained. "I made her a lunch. She mentioned she didn't have any money and I thought… that I should make sure she eats."

He took the bag and smiled up at his mother. "Thank you." he said happily, before hugging her once more and running down the hallway.

Helga slowly walked up the steps of the school. Her eyes focused on the pavement, watching her muddied, white shoes as she thought to herself. The surrounding area was pretty empty. It had been early enough that no one, except maybe the overachieving teachers, seemed to have made it to the building besides her. Dusting herself off, she realized something crucial.

If she was going to be staying at the boarding house, she needed more than just the clothes she was wearing. And her backpack! She'd left everything behind…

"Criminy! Now I have to go BACK to that godforsaken place to get CLOTHES and my BAG! AUGH!" she groaned to herself, "But if I go BACK there, BIG BOB is going to take us to GOD KNOWS WHERE, and what if I never see Arnold-"

A hand suddenly rested on her shoulder, making Helga jump and stumble over herself, nearly falling onto the concrete.

"Woah!" an arm quickly wrapped around her waist and caught her.

Looking up, she took in a deep breath of relief, "Mr. Leonel!" she finally exhaled as she got back onto her feet. "GEEZE! You nearly gave me a heart attack! Could you BE any creepier?!" she spat and watched as he unlocked the door with his pass.

The man shook his head with a chuckle and opened the door for her to walk inside. Once the door closed behind them, he turned to face her. A concerned look on his face. "Helga, did something happen at home last night?"

Turning away from him and walking down the hallway, she muttered loudly, "If something DID, why would I tell YOU?"

Following after her, Leonel pulled out the key to his classroom, "Because you need someone to tell your frustrations to? Because we agreed that you shouldn't internalize your aggression?" he said matter of factly, before sliding the key into the door and turning.

Helga groaned loudly and stepped into the room, turning the lights on as she did so. He was right. It did feel a lot better to express how she felt. Like a large weight being lifted off of her shoulders. And it was nice to have someone who could hear her out. Someone she didn't have to feel horrible about worrying, and hopefully, someone who wouldn't butt into her situation and potentially make it worse.

"Helga?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at him. "Actually, I…" she started before taking a seat in front of him, "I left home last night."

Leonel nodded slowly at the girl, showing he was listening and silently asking her to continue.

"Bob, he… he finally blew it, big time." he hands reached up to tug on her pigtails.

"What did he do?" the man asked cautiously.

Helga folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair, "Remember when I said he refused to sell cellphones in the emporium? Well… it came back to BITE him." she took a deep breath, "To bite ALL of us. He didn't make enough beeper sales to keep paying for the building."

Leonel leaned over to grab a box of tissues and place them on the desk in front of the girl who appeared as if she were about to break. "You lost your store?"

Shoving the tissues away from her, Helga nodded, "It was BOUND to happen at some point, what with BOB making all of the decisions. 'It's MY business. I know what's BEST for this family.'" she said, mocking her father. "Of COURSE we lost it. The LAST THING WE HAD." she finished and sunk back down into the chair.

The man put the tissues away, "So this caused you to run away from home?"

Helga nodded, "Not before giving them a PIECE of my MIND! But then I left, and all I have with me are these clothes." she motioned the jacket and dress she was wearing, "I'll have to go back there for my books and rest of my clothes, but I don't want to SEE them anymore!"

Resting his hands on the desk, Leonel dawned the look of a hurt parent, "Helga, where… where did you end up going last night?"

Flustered, a small blush began to spread on her cheeks, "a...a-a friend's house…"

"Phoebe's?"

Standing up, Helga slammed her hands on the desk, "Why does it matter?!"

"She's staying with me." a familiar voice spoke from the doorway, and they both turned to see Arnold, out of breath and exhausted from running, "She's stay at the boarding house I live in."

"Good morning, Arnold." Leonel said with a smile before turning back to Helga, "Do your parents know where you went?"

She stayed silent.

"Do you feel safe there, Helga?"

Feeling as if someone were crushing her chest, Helga managed a nod. She hoped Arnold hadn't heard her incessant rambling about her family issues.

"Arnold, is it alright with your family for Helga to be there?"

"Yes." he answer simply and stepped into the room. "She's welcome to stay as long as she wants."

"Wonderful. I'll inform the school and they will call you parents to let them know, Helga."

The man stood up and took a step towards the door before Helga grabbed a hold of his sleeve, "NO!"

He turned to face her once more.

"Don't tell them… please."

Leonel sighed and took hold of her hands, "Helga. Do you feel safe with them? With your family?"

She stood there, silently staring into his eyes, unable to say anything else.

"I'll go tell them where you'll be staying." he said once more before exiting the room, leaving her alone with a very confused and concerned Arnold.

Arnold watched her silently as she sat back down in her chair and rested her head on the desk before her. Taking a few steps towards her, he sat the paper bag in front of her. "My mom," he started, "she made you this."

Slowly raising her head, she read her name on the bag followed by a small heart. Her heart became caught in her throat as she took it to peek inside. A sandwich, a ziplock bag of strawberries, and a juicebox sat inside, along with a note that read:

"Helga,

Remember to eat! I hope you like PBJs!

Stella"

A simple little note, but strong enough to send a tear running down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly and placed the note back inside the bag. "Thank you." she said, turning to Arnold. "Did you… did you by chance hear… any of that? W-what I was telling Mr. Leonel, I mean?"

His face contorted into a mix between upset and embarrassed before he responded, "To be completely honest… your voice was kind of loud enough for me to hear down the hallway."

She covered her face with her hands, and groaned loudly.

"B-but no one else was around when I came in!" he tried to reassure her, "...If that means anything."

She said nothing, but returned her head to rest on the desk.

He cleared his throat and hesitated before asking, "Was all that true? Did you… really lose your home, Helga?"

The faint sound of sniffling came from her and Arnold placed a hand on her shoulder for a split second before she shook him off. "Did I SAY you could touch me?!"

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright…" he said in defense.

Her expression softened and he forced a soft laugh, "It's just that…" she sat quietly for a minute, sniffling, "...I'm allergic to strawberries."

Arnold gave her a faint smile and pulled up a chair next to her. His hand found its way to hers and he wordlessly coaxed her into lacing their fingers. There wasn't much he could do for her, and he knew it. So he hoped what little he could do would suffice.

And it did. To Helga, his small acts of comfort made a world of difference.

Moonlight: I had a lot more in mind for this chapter, but this felt like a good place to stop. Thank you for the reviews and follows! Please let me know your thoughts!