Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.

They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.

Title: "Leave the lights on"

In the last chapter: After Helga's original way of comforting Arnold, he had a good night's sleep and an even better morning when he was sent to wake Helga up and got to kiss her several times. Later that morning, Miles and Miriam left to further prepare the wedding plans, while their blonde children jammed. Helga told Arnold she refused to fall in love and had little to no faith in at all, something that both shocked and saddened Arnold to no end.

Bob decided to make a surprise visit and told Helga he wanted her to come home. She called his bluff though, knowing he only wanted to sadden Miriam by doing so. Bob almost hit Helga, but Arnold sent him out of the house before he could do so. What had started as a comforting hug soon turned into a comforting kiss, which only stopped when Miriam interrupted by calling Helga.

Author's 1st note: I don't know what to say; enjoy! x3

[Please notify me if you notice any grammar mistakes. This isn't my first language, so there's bound to be mistakes.]

Chapter 9: "Knowing when to shut up"

It was as if Bob's visit had never happened. Once Arnold had picked up his phone in his room, barely listening to whatever it was his dad had asked him about, he had gone back to the hallway and noticed Helga was gone. Well, she hadn't disappeared into thin air, but she had gone into her room. He had knocked on her door and she said she was still on the phone, though she was now talking to Phoebe. He didn't see her again that day until Miriam and Miles came home for dinner.

Arnold didn't question that Helga hadn't come out of her room since Bob's visit; he figured she needed time to cool off and frankly, so did he. He was still so angry with this strange man, he hadn't even met before. The way he talked to his daughter about her mom was just pure cruelty; a kind of malevolence the modest boy hadn't known existed. He had expected Helga to tell Miriam about it so he waited patiently for her to do so at dinner, but she didn't say a word unless Miriam asked her something.

"This morning it was you, now it's your stepsister. What is going on with you two?" Miles asked worriedly. Arnold shrugged as he looked at Helga who still stared lifelessly at her plate. Arnold tried bumping his elbow against her and she finally looked at him. He tried giving her a look, he hoped showed what he wanted her to do, but she either ignored him or didn't understand.

"Honey, I'm worried. Isn't there something you want to talk about?" Miriam asked in concern.

When Helga still didn't' answer, Arnold decided he had to be the one to do it. "Miriam… earlier today, while you and dad were out - - Ow!" he exclaimed when he felt a heavy pressure on his foot. He pulled his foot away and looked at Helga in disbelief who was shooting him a warning look.

"What?" Miriam probed.

Helga smiled, but it didn't look sincere. "It's nothing big, Miriam. I'm sorry for worrying you." She said and went back to eating, the artificial smile still plastered on her face. Miriam made a low sigh and shrugged in Miles' direction as if saying there was nothing they could do. Helga was a persistent girl after all and once her mind was made up, it was impossible, if not close to change her mind.

By the end of dinner, Helga still hadn't said anything. She took her plate and put it dutifully out to the kitchen and in the dishwasher, but then left without a word.

"Arnold." Miles said and his son looked at him. "I don't want to pry in Helga's privacy nor yours, but you seem to know what's going on. Can you at least tell me if it's serious?"

Arnold opened his mouth to answer, but decided to think about his answer over first. Serious? Is it? Helga seems to be bothered by it, so maybe she thinks Bob might actually try and take her away from us… but if she doesn't want them to know… He decided to smile at his dad. "It's not serious. Helga's just being, you know, independent." He insisted and took his own plate.

Miles nodded and smiled at Miriam who seemed relieved. They knew Arnold wouldn't lie to them so the felt better after talking to him. Arnold felt rotten though; he had indirectly lied to them. That being said, he wasn't in fact sure if it really was serious or not. Helga had said it herself; Bob wouldn't win custody over her. Maybe that was the truth and that was why she didn't bother telling them in order not to overtax them. Even so…

Arnold was worried so he went to knock on Helga's door. When she didn't answer, he assumed she didn't want to talk to him so he went to his own room. He had barely closed his door before he heard a female voice to his right.

"You were talking about me, weren't you?" Helga asked and Arnold jolted in surprise.

"Helga!" he said and sighed. "W-What are you doing here?"

"What? Now I can't be in your room?" Helga asked, almost coarsely, but there was a hint of playfulness in her voice.

"N-No, that's not what I meant." Arnold insisted and sighed as he started walking towards her. He wanted to ask her about dinner, but heard himself asking her something completely different. "Now that you're here, what do you want to do?" he asked just before he felt his foot slip on the circular carpet, which was next to the bed. With a gasp, he fell over Helga who grabbed him by instinct. He landed on top of her, shocked, but safe. He stared at her for a bit and she did the same, both of them calming down from the shock.

Then Helga smirked playfully at him before she wrapped her legs around his hips. "Seems pretty obvious what you want to do." She teased and started grinding him against her. He gasped and groaned at the sudden pleasure his crotch was met with, but he struggled against her.

"H-Helga, please…" he begged; he needed to ask her about her dad, about why she hadn't told her mom about him and just everything, but lust was already clouding his mind. The haze from the cloud disappeared though when the blonde girl stopped her movement. He looked at her, eyes half-lidded and almost surprised.

She smiled innocently at him. "Did I misunderstand what you were pleading for?" she asked. Arnold scowled at her before pulling away and sitting down next to her feet. She sat up, grinning from ear to ear.

"You're nuts, you know that?" Arnold asked defensively, urging his blush to disappear.

"Of course I do, but I also know I'll never end up in a nuthouse. The doctors would be scared I had a bad influence on the other patients." She joked. Arnold wasn't in the mood for jokes though; he really needed to know why she was keeping quiet about her dad's visit. She could clearly see what he was thinking about due to his intense stare and she sighed. "Go ahead and ask; I know you want to."

"… Why didn't you tell Miriam about Bob?"

Helga sighed and plumbed back down on the bed. "Miriam's getting married soon; she's stressed as it is."

Arnold blinked in surprise. "She seems fine though?"

"In front of you guys, sure, but I know my mom. She's stressed about everything and she's scared even if she is happy. I don't want to add to her stress, especially not since Bob is full of empty words. Don't worry, Arnold. He seems scary and he's got connections, but he isn't that powerful. His threat is empty; he's got nothing on Miriam." Helga explained with a comforting smile.

Arnold believed her; or at least he wanted to. Her explanation reminded him of something else though and he bit on his lip before he asked her about it. "What was that… about Miriam's drinking?"

Helga sighed again. "I thought you'd forgotten…" she admitted and sat up again. "Well… Miriam's been a heavy drinker ever since… well, since I was born, I think."

Arnold's eyes widened. "You're kidding… I haven't seen her… I haven't seen her with anything questionable in her hands." He said.

"No one ever does because she hides her alcohol in a smoothie. That's why I refused to let her buy that blender when we were all out shopping last week."

Arnold didn't have to think too hard before he remembered what Helga was talking about. He had noticed Helga acting odd around Miriam that day and especially when she had talked about buying a blender. Helga had refused, basically, and Arnold had even considered telling her it should be fine; it was just a blender after all, right? But he had thought against it when she finally talked Miriam out of it. He had forgotten about it later that day so he never got around to ask her.

"Anyways…" Helga continued. "Miriam told me before we all moved in together that she haven't had a smoothie since Miles proposed…"

"And you don't believe her?"

Helga shrugged. "Who the hell knows? Miriam has never been good at hiding her drinking, at least not in front of me, but I haven't found any alcohol in the house and I've looked three times by now." She confessed and relaxed her chin on her knees.

Arnold smiled. "You're worried about her, aren't you?"

"I'm worried about her fucking her own life up again, yeah. I mean, I don't blame her for starting to drink when she got married to Bob. With the way he treated her, it was either that or…" Helga said and gestured as if she had a gun and pulled the trigger in her mouth.

It caused Arnold to flinch. What a horrible image. He thought.

"But Miles is nothing like Bob so she doesn't have an excuse this time. I just hope she can avoid the temptation."

Arnold smiled. "So you do want her to get married to my dad after all?" he asked smugly.

Helga moved until she had her legs behind him and her face was right next to his. "Who says I don't just want to stay here?" she asked with a smirk.

Arnold blushed at her comment and looked away, hoping he wasn't smiling as broadly as he wanted to. He could hear her snicker next to his ear and it sent a shiver down his spine. Her hand traveled up his back and fingers curled in his hair. He closed his eyes, fully enjoying the sensation that was her hands gently massaging his scalp.

"Hmm, you like that?" Helga asked in awe. He simply hummed in response. "Are you going to purr or something?" she joked. He considered shaking his head, but ended up answering her verbally so he wouldn't have to disturb her touches. He knew if he was in fact a cat though, he probably would be purring right about now.

Helga's ghostly touch traveled to his shoulder and he felt a perfectly aimed blow of breath on his neck. Compared to their small kisses and the passionate ones they had shared before, this was intimate on a different level. All he could feel was her touch, her breath, her lips, which were now upon his jaw, nibbling on the taut skin there.

A tongue, which Arnold could recognize by its feel and the way it languidly moved on his skin, licked him behind his ear. Teeth bit on his lope, a tongue whisked the sting away, lips caressed his temple and cheek and the corner of his mouth. All he wanted to do as turn his head to meet her mouth, but it left his skin before he could.

"Boy, I have you wrapped around my little finger, don't I…?" the blonde girl questioned in a low voice.

Arnold opened his eyes and looked at her; she had an almost monotonous look on her face, but there was a hint of fear in her eyes; she almost seemed afraid of what she had just said, of how much power she truly wielded over him. Her hand went to his cheek, her eyes continuously traveling between his eyes and his lips. She kissed him for a second, almost experimentally.

Then she huffed. "Crap." She cursed in a low voice and her eyes finally settled on his. "This is really bad." She announced before kissing him full-heartedly.

He wanted to ask her what was bad, but he knew what he thought was bad; this whole thing. His feelings, her lack thereof, their soon-to-come siblinghood and their total disregard of that by engaging a physical relationship. This whole thing was wrong and bad, but Arnold couldn't resist holding her in his arms and pretending, if just for a moment, that she was his.

Arnold wasn't sure if it was him who had pushed Helga down or if she had pulled him, but they landed on his bed with him on top of her. Her hands roamed on his waist, her fingers tickling his skin whenever they went under his t-shirt. One of his arms went under her lower back, hoisting her up against him while both of his hands caressed the side on his stomach, which was almost bare due to her blouse crawling up. He felt one of her legs wrapping around his hips and she pulled him against her, the same way she had done earlier, while she bucked against him. He was starting to shake at this point; he'd never thought he could feel something this intense.

But just like that, the intensity disappeared in a flash when a voice, coming from what felt like the outside world, spoke and pulled Arnold out of his clouded state. "Arnold, is Helga with you? She's not answering from her room." Miriam's voice asked.

Arnold pulled away from Helga and the girl sighed. "Yeah, I'm here, Miriam. What's wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, I just wanted to talk with you, honey, but if you and Arnold are having fun, I don't want to disturb you."

"Too late." Helga muttered under her breath, shooting Arnold a teasing glance as she did so. "Ok then, Miriam. I'll talk to you later, ok?"

"Sure. Have fun." Miriam answered and footsteps echoed outside the door.

"Oh, I intend to." Helga said in a smirk as she pulled Arnold down for another kiss.

Once she had though, he pulled away with a sigh and lied down next to her. "Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something…" he muttered with a bit of a pout. He hated to admit it, but he knew they shouldn't do any more than kissing; they shouldn't even be kissing to begin with… but for now they hadn't reached the point of no return; he could still do the right thing and stop this before they went too far.

"Lucky for you," Helga said before sitting up and straddling Arnold on his lap, which caused him to groan at the pleasurable pressure she triggered. "I don't care what the universe has to say." She concluded before leaning down and kissing him again. He moaned into her mouth and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. Who was he kidding? He couldn't stop this even if the goody-two-shoes inside of him was screaming that he should.

Something else stopped them though and Helga shot a hateful glare at her phone, which she had placed on Arnold's nightstand. "0-1 to the universe." She said and reached for her phone. Arnold groaned as he watched her put her phone to her ear, still sitting on his lap as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Hello? Who's there?"

Helga smirked at Arnold when she noticed his somehow disbelieving stare before she grinded against him, eliciting a moan from him. He put his hands to his mouth to keep the voice down, the scenario of the person on the other side of the phone hearing him running through his mind and it wasn't a scenario he wished to make real.

Helga stopped her moving though and her blue eyes seemed to drop a shade. "How did you get my number?" she asked in a voice close to harsh tone, but not just yet. Arnold stared at her, but she wasn't looking back at all. He saw how she started to breathe slower, but also harder. "I can't believe this. Are you stalking me or something now?" she asked and growled. "You're so fucking pathetic! Why do you care so fucking much now anyway?! You sure as hell didn't care before!"

Arnold flinched at Helga's words and the way her eyes seemed to be burning inside the sockets. She was seething, that much was obvious to anyone, but what for? He sat up, holding onto her hip so she didn't move away. She wasn't going to; on the contrary she put her hand on his shoulder as if she needed some support from him, something to keep her from going overboard. He moved towards the phone and when she didn't move away, he took it as a signal that it was ok to listen. He didn't recognize the voice so it wasn't Bob as he had first assumed. The young man told Helga he was going to pick her up from school tomorrow, but that was all Arnold heard.

"Don't you fucking dare!" Helga shouted before the unmistakable beep of the call stopping echoed in her phone a couple of times. He had just hung up on her and she looked at the phone in disbelief. "Asshole." She hissed before banging the phone down on the bed and looking away as she nibbled on her lower lip in deep thought.

"Who… was that?" Arnold questioned gently. When she didn't seem to react, he put his hand on her cheek and she finally looked at him.

She sighed. "My ex… or something like that. No, ex suggests we dated and we didn't so not my ex."

"If you didn't date, what did you do?" Arnold asked. Helga shot him a bit of a look and he inhaled sharply. "Oh…"

"No, you're misunderstanding my glare." Helga said and sighed once more. "Look, Arnold… through this summer vacation, you could say I took a toll for the worse. I hated my class, the whole fucking school actually and I had reached the point where I just didn't care anymore. This guy saw that and decided to take advantage of my devil-may-care attitude. He took me to a couple of parties and laid the groundwork so to speak. I got really smashed at one of the parties and he got a little handsy. When he didn't stop even when I told him to, I punched him in front of everyone at the party, which included some from our school. This guy is the star football player and all that and I was just the rebel with a rotten attitude. After the incident, the story spread like wildfire and I was deemed the crazy bitch who couldn't appreciate and be grateful that a real man wanted me."

Arnold was in shock and his face was contorted in anger. "I can't believe him! What a - - "

"Pig?"

"Yeah!"

"Bastard?"

"Yeah!"

"The pinnacle of chauvinistic perverts?"

"I… would never have thought of that one, but yeah!" Arnold confirmed with a livid face.

Helga couldn't help but chuckle at his sour expression though and kissed him gently. "I like that you're so mad on my behalf." She said with a smile and leaned back again.

Arnold smiled, but it disappeared quickly. "Didn't he… say that he was going to pick you up tomorrow?"

"He did."

"I don't get it… If you punched him, wouldn't that be a clear signal you're not interested?"

"Well, you know how men are. They think no means yes and get lost means: Take me, I'm yours." Helga explained before nuzzling her nose against Arnold's. He blushed a bit and chuckled at the ticklish feeling. "Don't worry. I'll punch him again if I have to." She said before crawling off him and stood up on the floor. "I think I'll head to bed. I'm beyond tired. Wanna join me in the bathroom while I brush my teeth?"

Arnold didn't answer, but simply followed her. This day had been rather eventful, all things considered, so he was quite tired as well.

Once they were in the bathroom, they each grabbed their own toothbrush; Helga eyed Arnold's though. "Tell me, why do you have that kind of toothbrush anyway?" she asked, pointing at the old-fashioned plastic he had in his hand.

He looked it over and shrugged. "What's wrong with it?"

"It belongs at a museum. Why don't you have an electric one?" Helga asked, waving her own toothbrush for effect.

He frowned. "I don't really like the sound. It sounds like a drill inside your mouth… but I know that I should since they remove more bacteria… Aren't they a little expensive though?" he asked.

"Oh, for crying out loud." Helga said before opening the mirror cabinet and grabbed what looked like a toothbrush head and showed it to him. "See. This one is blue." She told him before switching the heads on her toothbrush around so that it now had the blue on rather than the pink one on. "Now you can use this one too; all free."

Arnold stared at the electric, now blue, toothbrush as he took it. "Thank you…" he said in surprise. "Why do you care so much though?"

Helga leaned closer to him and he almost leaned back instinctively. "Let's just say I've got a good reason to care about your mouth hygiene." She teased and kissed his mouth for effect.

To say that Arnold was a little nervous when it became Monday would be a gross understatement. It wasn't like that day had been a walk on roses. After Rhonda's party, the rumors about Lila and Arnold had spread through the class and eventually the entire school, even though he didn't understand why anyone else would care. He could now relate to Helga since he was now the bad guy in the scenario with Lila. He wasn't sure if she had said anything or not, but people clearly took her side.

It wasn't until lunch period though that Arnold had been asked about the slap Helga had given Lila. He had never heard of that and when he asked Helga about, she simply shrugged. He was shocked; how could he not have seen that she had slapped Lila? He was happy she was so angry for him, but couldn't help but wonder if she hadn't made things worse in the long run. Needless say, Arnold and Helga weren't very popular people by the end of the day.

"Dude, this whole thing is messed up!" Gerald said when the bell rang and it was time to go home. "Why don't you tell people what is going on; that Lila forced herself on you?"

"Who'd believe me, Gerald?" Arnold questioned and looked towards Helga who was packing her stuff slowly. She wasn't in any hurry at all, which was unusual. "Besides, stories like these lose people's interest quickly."

"Yeah, other people, but our classmates who have known you and Lila since we were kids aren't going to forget so easily." Gerald said and looked at Helga. "Also, aren't you unpopular enough?"

"I'd panic if I wasn't unpopular with my peers." The abrasive blonde retorted and swung her bag over her shoulder. "I'm more worried about Arnold; he's not used to this kind of treatment. How are you holding up?"

Arnold smiled at her concern. "I'm fine. This whole thing will die down soon enough." He insisted and swung his own bag over his shoulder. "You ready to go?"

Helga snorted. "As ready as I'll ever be." She answered and walked with him out of the classroom. As both blondes had figured, people were shooting glances their way and some were even whispering to each other. Helga turned and directed a deathly glare in two girls' way who quickly scurried off.

"I think you're making it worse." Arnold observed.

"I thought you said it would all die down soon?"

"Not if you keep fueling the fire."

Helga smiled at Arnold's comment and opened the door for him. They walked out to the school yard and Helga halted when she saw a group of girls all circled around something.

"Oh, brother. Spare me…" she muttered and bopped her head towards the girls.

Arnold looked in the same direction and scrunched his face as if that would make his vision clearer. "Is that…?"

"Yup, that's the pinnacle of chauvinistic perverts." She answered and tightened her hold on her bag. "Maybe he'll be so busy with the girls we can sneak by him."

Arnold followed Helga as she walked swiftly, but silently. He kept looking in the boy's direction and finally saw what he looked like. The guy was tall, taller than Helga even, and had blonde hair, which was cut in a high fade fashion. His right eyebrow was pierced and he was wearing what looked like something taken out of the Grease movie; white t-shirt and leather jacket and pants. He was also wearing shades as he sat on a huge motorcycle whose engine was roaring since he was showing it off to the girls.

Just as Helga and Arnold reached the group of girls, a male voice yelled. "Helga, baby!" he said before he started his motorcycle and drove in front of them, stopping them from walking any further.

Helga groaned. "I thought I told you not to come here, Wolfgang." She said as he stopped the engine.

They heard the girls shriek behind them. "No way! Helga's the girl you were waiting for?" Rhonda's unmistakable voice asked. "What would you want with her?"

Helga rolled her eyes as she watched Wolfgang getting off his motorcycle and approaching her. "Oh, there's many things I'd love to do to her." he said before using his index finger and thumb to lift her chin so she was looking at him. "Missed me?"

"Like a hole in the head." Helga retorted and slapped Wolfgang's hand away. "I told you not to come here."

"Babe, I know you didn't mean that. You were just shocked I got ahold of your number."

"Yeah, I'm still considering calling the cops on your ass for that one. But what the hell do you mean I didn't mean that? Was the punch I gave you back then too subtle?" she asked and poked his chin. "I think I can still see the bruise."

Wolfgang snarled, but then smirked and grabbed Helga's hand. "I'll let you hit me as much as you want if you let me do what I want with you." He said and licked the tip of her index finger. She whipped her hand away, but he grabbed it again and started to drag her towards the motorcycle.

Arnold was about to interfere, but watched as Helga stood strong on one foot while the other went to kick Wolfgang at the back of his knee. With a gasp, he was sent flying towards his motorcycle, which saved him from falling any further.

"Let's go." Helga told Arnold and he followed her obediently. The blondes heard Rhonda scream behind them about how Helga really was a violent cow, but they ignored her. The blondes were practically jogging, but the sound of a motorcycle still caught their ears and soon, Wolfgang had stopped in front of Helga. "Do I have to punch you into a pulp before you get the message?!"

"I just want to offer you a ride home, Helga." Wolfgang said almost harmlessly, but Helga clearly wasn't falling for it.

"Forget it, creep. I'm walking home with Arnold."

Wolfgang looked at Arnold, showing he clearly hadn't noticed him until now. He laughed. "This pipsqueak? What do you want with him?"

"He's my stepbrother, and don't you call him - - "

"Oh, so he's not exactly a rival, is he? Not that he could compete with me anyway." Wolfgang said with a sneer. "He can't protect you if someone bad tries to hurt you."

Arnold frowned at the comment; it hurt because he knew it was true. As Helga's stepbrother, he first of all didn't have a fair chance. Secondly… he was right in the part about protecting her. Scoundrels would just have to take one look at Wolfgang and they'd run away as if their lives depended on it; he looked scary.

Helga snorted though. "Someone bad; you sure you're not talking about yourself?" she asked, earning a sneer from Wolfgang. "Besides, shouldn't you of all people know I can take care of myself? That bruise should be a visual reminder."

Wolfgang leaned over his motorcycle, smirking at Helga. "It also reminds me you're the only girl who's ever hit me. I liked that you're feisty." He said and leaned back. "Come on, give me another chance, babe. I'll treat you right this time."

Helga snorted again, this time in pure disbelief. "Please, you don't even know what to treat someone right means."

"Then teach me." Wolfgang said smugly. Helga looked at him for a bit before she walked past him. "Oh, come on, baby!"

"What is it with men and not accepting the word 'no'? No means no!" Helga said and gestured for Arnold to follow her, which he did.

"It's a good thing you've got a lapdog who follows your every word then." Wolfgang stated viciously.

Helga halted, turned to look at Wolfgang and put her hand atop of Arnold's head. "This is treating someone right."

"What? Following your every order?"

"No, knowing when to shut up and do what your partner wants from you." Helga said and let her hand fall from Arnold's head. She turned around and started walking again, knowing full well Arnold was still behind her, keeping quiet like he knew he should.

"So you'd rather choose your wimpy stepbrother over me?" Wolfgang asked.

Helga didn't stop this time, but looked at him over her shoulder. "Let me put it this way; he's closer to getting in my pants than you ever will be!"

"Crazy bitch; that's incest!" Wolfgang shouted in disgust. Helga just rolled her eyes and thanked the heavens that Wolfgang had stopped following them now. She had a feeling he had given up, but she wasn't quite sure yet.

She looked at Arnold whom she noticed was looking back at her. "What are you thinking exactly?" she asked. Arnold looked down, considering his answer; he wasn't at all sure. In a strange way, he was happy about the things Helga had said. He knew he appreciated him, the same way he appreciated her, but he had never thought she would say any of those things. He was still worried about Wolfgang though and what Helga's last comment might have meant and if that would come back to bite them both.

For now though, he was just happy. "I hope this is the last we see of him." He said. "Well, him and Bob."

Helga smirked and put her arm over his shoulders. "Me too, Football Head."

Author's 2nd note: Yes! I quoted Megara from "Hercules" in this chapter xD I've made a scene with Arnold and Helga while using that particular audio on my YouTube channel and someone suggested using it in a fanfiction at some point and I said I might shove it in here so now I did! Cx