Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! Or anything else that probably sounds like you could make some money off of it.

Summary: Arnold can't decide which is harder: Raising a baby or figuring out his feelings for Helga.

Companion Piece to this story is called From the Dugout.

Previous Chapter's Soundtrack: Somewhere Only We Know by Keane

Current Chapter's Soundtrack:

Dance Song: Terrified by Katharine McPhee feat. Zachary Levi

Love Song: Love is a Verb by John Mayer

Morning After Song: Just Like Heaven by Katie Melua

LINK TO HELGA'S PROM LOOK: type into Google Images Dianna Agron Carolina Herrera dress and it's the second image. The pink, strapless one :)

Chapter Ten

"Of Prom Night and Bed Sheets"

Arnold had returned after dropping their stuff off at the hotel, and had passed the afternoon by playing with Henry until Helga had gotten back. After handing his son off to Stella, Arnold went about getting ready in the basement. His mom had urged him to do so, stating that he shouldn't see Helga until she had finished getting ready. It made no difference really to Arnold, and if Helga's grumbling about the dress was any indication, he wasn't sure he was prepared to face whatever high fashion gown Rhonda had forced onto Helga anyway.

But since he'd never really seen Helga so dressed up, he was sure either way she was going to look beautiful.

Since he, you know, loved her and already found her beautiful as it is.

As he shrugged into his suit jacket, he let out a slow breath to try and calm his jittery nerves.

The day had felt surreal after his confession to Helga, but he didn't regret it. In that moment, it had felt right and he couldn't have held it in if he'd tried. Right now though, he was mostly nervous about what her reaction will be.

He finished knotting his tie and sighed before heading upstairs. His mom informed him that Helga was upstairs changing Henry and making sure everything was all set for tonight before they left.

He made his way up to their room, so nervous about what she was going to say or do that he had no chance to prepare himself for what was waiting for him on the other side of that door. He entered the room and saw Helga at the desk, throwing together the diaper bag and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Wow," was what he managed as the air whooshed out of him, "Helga you're...you look beautiful."

Caught off guard, Helga stammered, "Oh, um...thank you Arnold. You managed to clean up alright, yourself."

Moving towards her, he smirked a little, "You made it sound like this was going to look far more absurd than it really is."

Helga snorted as she crossed her arms, "It feels absurd to me."

She had thought the black, strapless dress with the pink lace overlay and tiered skirt had looked like a saloon nightmare. However, as Arnold looked over her in what was obviously awe and adoration, she supposed that perhaps she did owe the Princess a thank you. At that moment, knowing he was completely wonderstruck over her in this dress, she shivered at how he'll look at her once he sees what's underneath. Pushing that thought to the side, she noted that she'd be needing to extend thanks to her sister as well.

"You look wonderful, Helga," was Arnold's genuine reply.

The way he was looking at her now was making Helga nervous and panicky, so when Stella called up and said the limo had arrived, Helga let out a sigh of relief when she turned to grab the bag. She heard Arnold enter the nursery to collect Henry and they headed downstairs together.

The night had progressed smoothly, and the gang was having an amazing time which reminded Arnold of all the memories they shared together from their childhood.

But even as the night was turning out to be a success, Arnold had come to the conclusion that Helga was pulling well...a Helga.

It had become apparent to Arnold that Helga wasn't ready to tell him how she felt yet. Which he was okay with. The way he figured it, he didn't need her to tell him how she felt; she has shown him as much in her own way over the years they'd known each other. Having accepted how he felt about her, he was finally able to put those last remaining pieces together and he knew that Helga would tell him when she was ready. That could be tonight, tomorrow, a year from now, maybe even ten years from now and it would be alright.

Okay, scratch that last part. If it took that much longer, he'd say there was a problem.

Regardless, he didn't necessarily need to hear those words from her at this point to know how she felt. It certainly would be nice to hear them, but words aren't what make love real. Yet, for Helga to say them at all would be her letting go of any fears she has held onto for so long that has kept her from ever confessing to him again in the first place. So, perhaps that's why Arnold does really want to hear it from her at least once; so that he can know she's finally all in. He'll just be patient, and wait for her to be ready.

He walked over to the table she was sitting at, and handed her the punch, "Careful, Pataki. You're looking a little tired."

"What can I say, it's almost my bedtime," Helga quipped as she accepted the drink, "I've had to resist the urge to call your mom again to make sure everything's going alright with Henry."

Arnold laughed a little, "I guess I've checked my phone a little more than usual myself."

"God, we're so lame."

They chatted a little as the current song played, and when the next track started up a slower tune, Arnold stood up, "May I have this dance?"

Helga raised a brow as she looked up at him, "That all depends, am I going to get twirled into another indoor swimming pool?"

Arnold shot her a half-lidded look and a smirk as he held his hand out, "You're not too scared to find out, are you Helga?"

With that, Helga shot out of her seat and stepped to him, "You'd like to think so, wouldn't you Football Head? C'mon!"

She took his hand and led him out on the dance floor, but that's as far as he let her do any leading. With her hand in his, he led them in a simple dance of back and forth movements as the song played on.

Helga felt nervous and anxious and flustered, and she really wasn't sure why. Arnold, merely hours ago, had just confessed that he loved her. She should be ecstatic! Which...she was.

She just wasn't able to get her own confession past her stupid lips!

She knew Arnold felt the same way, so you'd think it'd be a no brainer. Yet, there was still that part of her that felt it was all too good to be true. That she would be so lucky as to have the love of a man like Arnold, and that they'll live happily ever after together.

Helga slightly frowned against Arnold's shoulder. Wait, why shouldn't she get to have those things? While she's not perfect, she never had things easy. She deserved to be happy.

And Arnold deserved to hear how she felt.

"Arnold, I..." but as she pulled her head up to look at him, the words got caught in her throat and she once again chickened out. She cleared her throat before saying, "I'd like to leave now."

His eyebrows raised in surprise, but he nodded and they both made their way off the dance floor. As Helga went to collect her purse, Arnold went over to inform Gerald of his leaving.

Gerald wiggled his eyebrows, "You going to go get lucky, Arnold?"

As they did their secret handshake, Arnold replied, "Considering it's Prom Night, I'd certainly hope so."

The two made their way to their room in silence, and using the key, Arnold opened the door to let Helga in before following her and closing the door behind him. But not before slipping the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the handle.

Helga went over to where the bag was on the chair and shifted through it as Arnold pulled his shoes and socks off with a sigh of relief.

After a moment, Helga turned around and raised a brow, "You packed me pajamas?"

Arnold turned his palms out and shrugged, "I didn't want to just assume anything. Sleeping without any chance of a baby crying in the middle of the night could very well be what you'd like to do."

Helga walked up to him with a small smirk, "So, what would you say then if that's what I wanted to do?"

"I'd say that's a pretty good idea."

"...And what if I said I wanted to do something else?" she asked slowly.

"I'd say that's an even better idea," was Arnold's low reply.

With his eyes on her, he slid his hands to her hips and tugged her against him. When his hands slid up to the zipper of her dress, Helga spoke, "Just a fair warning, but my sister took me shopping," when Arnold raised a brow in response, she continued with a slight smirk on her lips, "She said a dress like this needs a specific kind of support."

Saying nothing, Arnold pulled the zipper down and Helga let the dress pool down to her still shoed feet. Arnold lost his breath at seeing Helga in the black bustier, his eyes dancing over her form, "Remind me to send Olga a 'Thank You' card."

He wrapped his arms around her and brought his mouth to hers, feeling as though it had been years since he'd last kissed her. She wound her arms around his neck and pressed tightly to him, and he felt her urge him backwards to where the bed was. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and dropped his hands to her waist as she straddled him.

Breaking the kiss, Helga held his eyes as she pulled his tie undone and off of him, followed by his suit jacket. As she worked on the buttons of his white button down, Arnold's lips worked against her neck with agonizing softness. In her hurry to finish unbuttoning, her fingers tripped and trembled as his mouth tortured her skin. Finally she managed to drag the shirt off, along with the undershirt and she pulled his mouth back to hers. She tried to urge the dance forward, but Arnold managed to keep the pace slow just by how he was kissing her, compelling her to savor every touch and motion.

He rolled them over and had a moment to take in the sight of Helga. The black material she wore was perfect against the milky white skin, and her hair was still in the updo and slightly tousled which Arnold was discovering he liked a lot. He also noticed she still had her shoes on, and felt his arousal grow harder at how sexy she looked. How many guys were this lucky?

If asked at that moment, Arnold would've said that no one was more lucky than him right now. Because for the first time, he was going to be with her as a man in love.

And he was going to make sure she felt the difference as much as he did.

He pulled her shoes off and slowly kissed his way up her leg, from her ankles to just about where her legs met. He trailed his hand lightly over the sensitive spots as his lips teased, feeling her writhe and moan above him. As he reached the point where she was nearly begging him to touch, he began at the top of her left thigh and worked his way down until she was almost insane with want.

Pulling her back across his lap, he kissed the skin above the bustier and worked up to her neck as she moved against him and dug her nails into his skin. Cupping her face with his hands, he brought her to his mouth for a deep kiss, and he felt her sigh with pleasure. He dragged his hands through her hair, setting pins free and her hair loose.

Suddenly everything began to feel more urgent, and Arnold attempted to undo the bustier, but when he didn't have much luck Helga pulled back and took care of it herself. With that layer gone, the two wound themselves against each other as Arnold rolled them back over. Helga wrapped her legs around him and moaned into his mouth as he chest pressed and brushed against hers. Arnold dropped his mouth to one of her hardened nipples and teased it with teeth and tongue as his hand attended to the other one. Helga tangled her hands through his hair as her head rolled back with pleasure. Arnold moved his mouth to the other nipple, while his other hand went to slip beneath her panties and into her hot, wet folds.

Helga's surprised cry cut through the room, and her hands gripped the sheets until her knuckles were white as Arnold's mouth continued to tease her nipple and his fingers circled that sensitive nub.

When her climax hit, Arnold dragged her mouth to his and felt her move avidly against him. Feeling the passion roll through her, Helga flipped them over and pulled at his pants and boxers. She rolled herself against his erection, and Arnold shot up to claim her mouth hungrily. His hips jerked as Helga pressed her body to his and he rolled her onto her back so he could peel that last bit of material off of her before he spread her legs and brought his mouth to her.

Her body jumped, still coming down from the last peak as his tongue drove her mad. She felt that coil start to wind back up so tightly she thought she might split apart into a thousand pieces.

"Oh, oh Arnold. Oh yes, Arnold...I, oh I'm almost-

Suddenly, his mouth was gone and he was filling her completely. She cried out at the sensation, and tried to meet the rhythm Arnold had started.

"Arnold, Arnold yes!" Helga moaned loudly as he pushed her legs higher.

"Helga...God, Helga you feel so good," Arnold groaned as he slid against the slick heat, feeling that peak draw ever closer.

"I'm almost, oh God just a little...Arnold!" Helga's orgasm wracked her body and she kept moving her hips jerkily against Arnold's as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through her.

Arnold watched as Helga rode her climax out and as she tightened against him so perfectly, he let himself go.

Helga laid against Arnold's chest as the first rays of dawn began to peek through the closed curtains. She had been awake for a while, though hadn't said anything for fear of disturbing Arnold's slumber. She figured he was beginning to wake up, or was no longer deeply sleeping anyway, since his thumb was lightly brushing against her arm.

Helga was...content. Of all the mornings they had woken up together, it had never been like this. It had never been so...intimate.

He had never been so intimate.

She had experienced the many ways Arnold was in bed, but last night had been different.

Better.

And she knew why.

Up until last night, it had only ever been sex between them. For the first time, they'd actually made love.

She had had no idea things could be like this. And before last night, Helga had never really been sure things could be so perfect.

Because they would fight. They would have disagreements. They would have hard times. Those were simple facts.

But they would also laugh. And create memories. And love.

And those things made it all more than worth the risk.

She felt Arnold stir a bit, and heard his heartbeat pick up a little as he began to fully wake.

After letting out a breath, Helga spoke softly, "I love you, Arnold."

Arnold's thumb stilled for a moment as his eyes blinked open. Then he smiled warmly, "...I know."

The epilogue should be up tomorrow afternoon, guys!

Also, before anyone asks, YES they used protection. I just pulled a romance novel and omitted it. It would've thrown the mood off for me writing it, haha.

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!

LTWF247