Learning to be Helga

by Azure129

What could be more amusing than taking two hundred thousand words to make Arnold realize he loves Helga? Taking EIGHT hundred thousand words to explore in detail how this newfound relationship is working out! Sequel to Tutoring Arnold! Let's do this! FINISHED!

14. The Courtship: Part 1 of 6

A/N:

Well, here it is: the first chapter about Arnold and Helga's courtship before a major event (or two ;) ) happens to bring this story to its final end :) Sorry it's taken so long guys—crazy busy life stuff going on, lol! Anyway, after much debating and reorganizing, here's how this is going to play out…

So, basically the next five chapters all contain mini stories about Arnold and Helga's courtship. This chapter and the three after it will each have four such stories, and the fifth chapter has one particularly lengthy story and then one very short one to wrap it up. Some fun stuff's going to happen guys and I hope you all like it :) And it's going to range all over a little bit—some AXH fluff, some friendship bonding between other characters, some more stuff with Helga and her parents…some stuff with the other kids. You'll see ;)

In this chapter the four stories we have are: "The Confession to Begin All Confessions", "Just Close Your Eyes for Me, Okay?", "Love OR Cheese" (has absolutely NOTHING to do with the cheese festival XD), and finally "Laundry Day".

The idea for a certain activity that happens between Arnold and Helga towards the end of "Love OR Cheese" was inspired by an rpg I've been writing with NintendoGal :) I'll be more specific in my closing A/N so that I don't give anything away ;)

Also, special thanks to the readers for the first story. Remember how I kept bringing up that date Arnold and Helga were going to have where Phil and Gertie were going to tell them stories about their childhood? Well, initially I had no intention of writing that out—it was just going to be something that had happen 'off screen.' But I got so many reviews where people were excited about reading it that I decided to try my hand at it and, well…I'm really, really happy with how it came out, and I hope you guys will be too ;)

*In regards to the first story: Mata Hari was a supposed female spy from the early twentieth century. The Great War was what people called World War I before World War II happened.

Enjoy! (All 32,000 words of it XD)

LEARNING TO BE HELGA

CHAPTER 14:

The Courtship: Part 1/6

---

THE CONFESSION TO BEGIN ALL CONFESSIONS

~*CIRCA 1928*~

"Well…I guess this is it then, isn't it…?"

A distraught ten-year-old boy in brown overalls and a long sleeve white shirt let out a deep sigh following these words of defeat, and walked out of the front door of his home to sit upon his Vine Street stoop to at least take some comfort in enjoying the sunset of this late spring evening (possibly the last one he'd ever get to experience on this stoop and living in this house that had been in his family for three generations so far...).

A slightly bitter look quickly came to the young man's face, resting sullenly in his hands, and he kicked a small rock down the cement steps he was sitting upon and onto the sidewalk. He let out a VERY frustrated sigh. "Oh…oh who the heck was I kidding anyway? Time to face facts—this place might be old as the hills but there's nothing about it special enough to keep my Pop from selling it 'cause we need the dough, or to keep that bad news builder du Von Sheck from paving over it and turning it into another old aluminum processing factory! I've tried talking to the mayor, getting a petition signed…even raising money so that Pop can keep this place afloat! Heck, I even took the trolley down to that new city records office they're building, but…nothing! " He crossed his arms over his chest and shut his eyes defiantly. "Well that's it, then, I give u—OW!"

And now the young boy was rubbing his temple and had opened his eyes because an old tin can had just (once again this week) conked him on the head… He let out a jaded sigh and glanced down at the object. Before picking up the can though (which, as usual, had a note tied to it), he had to just stop and roll his eyes. "Well I guess I should have seen that coming!" He stood up and glanced up and down the street, but whoever it was who had thrown it, they must have run up when his eyes had been closed and then bolted when he'd been rubbing his head… "You know, whoever you are I'll say this for you…" he hollered, "You could probably win a game of hide-and-seek against just about anyone!" He looked up and down the street suspiciously again but still there was nothing…

Finally, with an eye roll, the young boy just sat down once more and picked up the tin can. He untied the note, opened it up, and read.

Dear Phil:

You can't give up! Look, the only way out of that contract your Dad signed is proving this place has history—that part of it really WAS built during the Revolutionary War! This city won't let some stupid builder come in and turn it into another factory-not something that historic and patriotic—especially with the ten-year anniversary of the Great War coming up this year. It would just be un-American! Plus the city could make money if people wanted to come and see it. Maybe it could even get involved in that annual Pig War Reenactment or something! And if you can find the evidence and make the city want to preserve the boarding house, you'll also get funding to keep it afloat, so all your money problems will be solved in a blink!

Go inside and come back out here in two hours. There'll be another note for you…and instructions.

Sincerely,

Mata Hillwood.

Phil just sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh brother! Here we go again…" He stood up now and put his hands on his hips, really looking around the sidewalk, his eyes narrowed in scrutiny. "Can't you just fill me in on whatever the heck nutty scheme you're trying to pull off, Mister?" he called out once more to whoever might be there. "I mean, you've been tossing stuff with notes at me randomly for three days now! Come on—I can't just go inside and do nothing for two hours while they're already making plans to gut my house at sunup! Please!" And then just a touch of confusion and sadness came to his eyes as he finished in a bit of a quieter voice, "I'm…I'm desperate…"

Still though there was just silence in the streets. Nothing…

The young boy just let out a sigh finally and rested his head on his arms on the rail of his stoop, leaning over one side. "Yeah…like he was gonna come out now just because you're 'desperate'…Face it, Phil, it's just some kind of gag. He's pulling your leg… No way there's a way to fix this…Not one in the whole world…"

For a moment the poor boy just remained there, leaning on the rail in silence, his eyes closed…just savoring the quiet of this near-summer night on the street he'd grown up on…remembering once again that it was possibly the last such night he would ever get to savor…the scent of the heat thermals coming up from the cooling ground…warm wind blowing around the buildings and…

SQUEAK

The small, sudden sound made Phil's eyes open…

SQUEAK

A second time, and his eyes fell to where it came from…

The little window leading to the basement by the base of the building was open and squeaking in the light wind.

And that was rather strange.

After all, he recalled, hadn't he latched those windows firmly last night, and from the inside? Indeed, his father had wanted to make sure all the windows were secured and all of the doors were shut up and locked and even that the attic was locked up tight. Not that it mattered much since the place was gonna get gutted but…it was just a nice formality…a final close up of their home, so to speak.

What also caught Phil's eye was the fact that, along with the window being unusually open…the light in the supposedly already emptied out basement was strangely on, and it looked like…he looked closer…was that a…had someone tied a jump rope to the hinge of the window…A jump rope that was leading down into the basement…as though someone had used it to lower themselves inside?

Phil's eyes fell back to the tin can…and his mind processed how no one could have really disappeared down the street that quickly after throwing it…

…But someone certainly could have slipped their arm back away into the basement after giving the little can a quick toss onto the stoop…

Quietly, craftily, Phil hopped over the rail and edged his way to the window. He gave it a gentle push closed (so gentle that it thankfully didn't squeak) and then glanced around and finally settled on grabbing a trashcan on the corner and setting it in front of the area to block this makeshift 'exit' from his home.

Then he went inside and prepared to enter the basement…and to figure out who this 'Mata Hillwood' person was once and for all…

---

Phil slowly headed down the basement steps, doing his best not to let any of them creak…And with a nervous swallow he heard something…or rather someone…rustling around.

"Oh come on—where in creation is it? Jeepers, EVERY building has one… If it's not around the outside of the building or in the backyard or in his room…" the speaker recalled to herself with a slight blush that Phil's room upstairs probably hadn't had a huge likelihood of containing the revolutionary war-dated foundation stone she'd been searching for for days…but it conveniently HAD been the perfect place to spin in a circle and giggle and imagine redecorating it a little when it was 'their' room instead of 'his' one day when they were married… She shook her head and tried to focus despite the giggly smile threatening to break upon her features. "A-Anyway, sheesh, if it's not in any of those places, then it's gotta be down here somewh… A-HA! I—"

"Mata Hillwood!"

"AHHHH!"

"Ow!" Phil had to yell, putting his hands to his ears. "Yikes…that hurt!"

"Uh…Uh…" The figure he'd just surprised from behind instantly dove around and behind the furnace for cover before Phil could see her (he knew it had to be a 'her' after that scream). 'Oh…my…'

Phil shook his head to clear the ringing from his ears, and then just stomped forward toward the furnace with a determined scowl on his face. "Oh no…I'm done playing hide-and-seek 'Mata Hillwood'!" he announced firmly! "Now, if you wanna help me out, whoever you are, that's fine! I don't know why you've been helping me in the first place, of course, and it's not that I don't appreciate it, but…" His voice had softened a little in gratitude but now became firm again. "But…well, darn it, I'm tired of messing around! So now we're gonna work together—okay?"

"No, don't, um…" the mysterious girl cleared her throat and tried to make her voice sound deeper as she continued, "D-Don't come any closer, I…I'm just a…a hobo! Yeah that's it—looking for a free meal, came in from the cold! You know…heh, heh…"

"It's practically summer and you're a little girl!" Phil just crossed his arms over his chest. 'What the heck is up with her? Craziest dame I've ever met since…' He blinked. 'Well, actually, since Gert—'

"Um…I…" her voice, now sounding shy and light again, made Phil blink and come out of his thought for a moment… He began to walk around the furnace, trying to crane his head to get sight of her, but she just slipped even more behind the large fixture. "Well, I…" she went on again, her tone still trembling a little in obvious distress, "…that is to say…I—WHOA!" And suddenly a pipe had gotten in the way of the girl's backtracking and she'd just fallen backward over it right into a pile of coal!

Phil heard the crash and saw his opportunity—he instantly hopped fully behind the furnace, excited by the knowledge that he finally had her, once and for al—

Silence.

There was no 'mystery girl' laying there, propped up on that pile of coal…There was just…There was just…

"G-Gertie?" His jaw dropped. 'What?' "Y-you're…Mata Hillwood?" came the high-pitched question.

"Heh, uh…" the young, pale-blonde haired girl (in her light pink dress full of coal smudges and her pigtails covered in dust) just blushed a little by the dim overhead light of the basement and gave a half smile, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well…this is sure a plot twist, isn't it, Philly Boy?" She let out a sigh and glanced to the side in frustration, and seemed to speak to herself for a second. "I KNEW I should have waited until he went to bed to look for it! Or at least brought a disguise! I'm such a maroon!"

Meanwhile, Phil, who had been in definite shock for a moment or two, just blinked at this little aside of hers and then looked at her in a mixture of utter confusion and utter frustration. "But…but I don't get it! Gertie what the heck are you doing here?" he suddenly exclaimed, utterly flabbergasted! "I haven't seen you since two days ago when I told everyone that tomorrow's the day I was moving, and you yelled "Smell ya later, Popsicle Chin!" and dumped your ice cream cone on my head!" His thoughts continued to race with reasons for why this could NOT be happening! "Besides, I thought you were happy about that aluminum company coming in—your dad's in the tin business…" something about the fact that it had always been 'tin' cans hitting him in the head for the past week quickly flitted through his mind, though he was a little too distracted at the moment to find irony or humor in that little 'not such a' coincidence, to say the least… "I thought they were gonna partner up and make you and your family a bundle!"

"Hey!" she started in reply, putting a bit more confidence behind her voice now as she spoke, "I've got a dress on my back, a roof over my head, a perfectly fine stickball bat at home, and change for ice cream in my pocket!" She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away defiantly. "Any more money would just…just get in the way!"

Phil blinked, raising an eyebrow at this (obviously 'perfectly reasonable', in her opinion) explanation of her actions.

She'd specifically tortured him mercilessly for almost seven years now though… on top of which he hadn't exactly been 'born yesterday.'

He wasn't buying it.

Phil just scowled at her and shook his head firmly. "Oh come off it, Gertie! Quit messing around and just tell me—why'd you do it?" He held out his arms and shrugged in genuine curiosity. "What's in it for you?" And then his hands returned to his hips and he gave her a rather angry look as another thought occurred to him. "Or is this just some kind of stupid prank to get my hopes up about staying? Well is it?" At the back of his mind, Phil couldn't help but feel bad about yelling at her…At the same time though…well…it was hard for him to understand why but she was lying to him right now and it…also, the fact that she wasn't trusting him with the truth…somehow it was making him feel kind of…hurt…of all things! He'd sort it out later though…Right now he just wanted an ANSWER!

A second or two of silence passed between the two children.

And then…this look came to Gertie's face as that last accusation of his had sunk in for her…And Phil almost felt…well, it was hard to explain…it almost felt like his heart broke a little at that look on her face. Her arms had uncrossed from in front of her body and her hazel eyes had gone wide…and her lower lip had fallen and almost trembled a little in sadness…like he'd really hurt her or something.

He swallowed and then glanced down from the sight. "S-Sorry…" he mumbled, putting his arms sheepishly behind his back. She might have been the one always bugging him for no good reason…but still he just felt like he needed to say that small apology right now nonetheless. "It's just…well…" he spoke in a calmer, quieter voice now, not wanting to startle or upset her anymore or anything… "It's just that I'm a little…confused here, Gertie." His genuinely curious eyes returned to her still wide ones. "Why are you helping me out?"

At this nicer, gentler method of address the girl before him blinked once and almost automatically started to open her mouth, but then quickly closed it like she'd just caught herself about to say something she shouldn't. She swallowed and crossed her arms over her chest once more (this time a bit more defensively than defiantly though…). "I…well…it's…it's not important, okay…" she looked down nervously.

And now a touch of Phil's anger was back. "Gertie!" he gave her a look and put a hand on his hip.

"Uh…" She brushed off some of the coal dust from herself and seemed to consider, and then her eyes lit up and she just barely brought them up to meet his. "It…it was my good deed for the year… You know, so I can get something besides coal from Santa this Christmas, heh, heh…" She put her arms shyly behind her back and glanced around as though trying to find an exit to this place besides the one Phil was blocking her from…but there was a wall to her left, a furnace to her right, a pile of coal behind her and a building overhead….and of course Phil right in front and center. No way out.

And speaking of Phil, he was getting at the end of his rope again, as his strengthening scowl and the slight raise in the volume of his voice both attested to. "Gertie, for once can you quit acting like some crazy dame and just tell me what's up! Because either I find out RIGHT NOW why you've been helping me of all people, or I'm gonna assume this is a trick and tell my Pops that we might as well just forget spending out last night in this city and just get moving to our new town before sundown!" Phil had absolutely no idea why he used this threat of 'leaving' as a way to hopefully get her to talk…but maybe at the back of his mind the fact that she'd been helping him out so that he could stay, along with her almost devastated reaction just now to the idea he'd suggested that she would try and trick and hurt him about something as big as leaving forever…maybe those two things had started to make him realize something…though he was far to busy at just this particular moment to sort out exactly what it was…at least on any conscious level…

And indeed his conscious, aware, (yet, shall we also say, sometimes rather dense) mind was surprised to see a touch of real fear actually come to Gertie's eyes at this threat that, in no logical sense, as far as he knew, should have been a real threat to her at all. 'Sheesh, why…why does she keep looking all sad and scared like that…I just want to know the truth about this Mata Hillwood business! I mean, she hates me…you can't blame me for wanting to know why she'd help me!'

"Uh…" Gertie's nervous voice interrupted Phil's thoughts again and brought him away from his very good question about her motivations. "Well, I just, uh, you know…" she dug a foot into the dusty basement floor and looked up at him unsurely again, "I...just…felt like playing a spy game this week!" Her eyes lit up in hope again. "Yeah, that's it!" she crossed her arms over her chest casually. "I mean, last week was the safari stuff and the week before that I was playing the old west…You know me and pretending things, Philly Boy, heh, heh…And, well, this is just a…a new game for me! And I figured, if I could help you out in the process and if it would be a fun challenge then…hey, why not, right?" She smiled up at him sheepishly, PRAYING he would buy it! "Uh…gosh, you can even ask Mitzi if you want! She, uh…sh-she'll vouch for me, heh…" 'Oh my…He caught me…!' It was finally starting to process with the poor girl and she was coming enough out of panic to start having coherent thoughts again … 'And…and he keeps asking for the truth! But I can't…I…Wow does he look cute when he's all angry like that! I-I mean…FOCUS here, Gertrude! Oh boy…okay, well, here's hoping he buys that one about this just being a fun game for me…And Mitzi's helped me out a few jams before—she'll back me up!' Gertie had to breathe an internal sigh of relief about the fact that she indeed had someone nearby to help her out of this if it came to that thanks to the fact that Gertie and her lover-boy's sister had been practically best friends forever (something about bugging poor Phil bringing them right together right from the start…even though Mitzi had later revealed to her that she'd kind of always suspected that Gertie had some 'other' feelings toward Phil besides total hatred).

Anyway, at this excuse (which was still so OBVIOUSLY a lie—the girl was practically sweating she was so nervous and guilt-ridden looking) Phil just let out a deep sigh, let his arms drop to his sides…and now looked at her with a touch of disappointment. "Gertie, I really can't believe you won't just tell me the truth…" And that fact really was still upsetting him quite a bit…making something feel funny in the pit of his stomach…or maybe even his…heart… He shook his head for a second at that strange idea and took a step towards her, still with sadness in his eyes. "I mean, come on, there's playing one of those games of yours and then there's breaking into the boarding house! AND stalking me for days! Now please…." He took one more step toward her and then finished very softly (still having this fear in him now of almost hurting her feelings…) "…Please just tell me, Gertie…I've had a…a long week…" He sighed…in truth, he really hadn't been doing too well with the idea of moving…leaving behind Jimmy Kafka, all the boarders…heck, even their old teach Mrs. Crenshaw! Even…even Gertie a…a little! Stupid Gertie with all of her pranks and picking on him in particular...like he'd ever find someone that crazy anywhere else in the world! 'I-I mean, she's not SO bad… She's helping me with this, right?' But then his slowly softening heart hardened a little again. 'But…but WHY for Pete's sake?' "Gertie…just—"

"LOOK, MAYBE I JUST FELT BAD FOR YOU AND YOUR SILLY OLD FAMILY, OKAY!"

Her sudden shout of this confession made him blink and look to her in surprise, his eyes wide with confusion and uncertainty about whether or not he had heard her right. 'Huh?' "Felt…bad?" he repeated slowly. "Huh?" Since when did Gertie feel ANYTHING but like being a first class pain! "But…W-why?" he had to ask, an eyebrow raised.

And then she blushed.

And it made him blush…because Gertie NEVER blushed! (And also maybe because she…looked a little…nicer, blushing like that.) He shook his head at this VERY STRANGE thought while she continued speaking...in kind of a shy voice, actually…which also sounded kind of nice (he blushed even more at the very idea and tried to focus on the situation at hand…What was up with him today and all these strange feelings and thoughts about her?). "Because, well…" she took a breath and looked at him hesitantly (she noticed the redness in his cheeks but figured his face was still just a little flushed with anger), "Because maybe…maybe I don't think you're a complete 'pathetic little crybaby Popsicle Chin' like I always say, okay? Maybe I…maybe I even like you a little…" she looked around nervously…and that blushing was only growing stronger… "Maybe I even think you're kind of…swell…" 'I can't believe I'm actually…Oh but I never could control what I'm saying when he's so close…Gosh, that messy brown hair of his is handsome! The color of warm chocolate…. And those green eyes…They're the color of the ocean! The high seas where we could have an adventure together! Just the two of us on a ship, fighting off pirates, seeing the world…cuddling in the crows nest…'

Phil was giving her a funny look…and then Gertie realized she must have gotten that 'gaga in love' look she tended to get when she thought about him or was staring at him and he wasn't looking…Except he WAS looking now. She swallowed and her eyes went wide and she felt the heat completely flood her face. She didn't speak, waiting to see what his reaction would be to her small admission…that she thought he was swell…really, REALLY swell…

"Wait…" came Phil's voice slowly, quietly, "Hold your horses…stop the presses…" He paused once more and then went on much more firmly as the realization had now processed. "You…GERTIE…went through all this spying and sneaking around and digging up information…just to help out…me?" He just couldn't believe it. Sincerely. Could not. Believe it.

The young blonde girl just blinked a couple of times at the question…and then got a bit of an indignant look on her face. 'What—does he think I'm heartless or something? Crimeny, Phil! I know finding me like this is kind of a surprise but I AM human, ya know!' She crossed her arms over her chest and replied to him in a matter-of-fact voice, starting to get a little more on the offensive again, "Yeah, that's right, Popsicle Chin! What's it to ya? You're the one of us that's suppose to be all popular and nice and helpful to people…Ain't you ever done something special for someone you love?"

That…that last word was always on the tip of her tongue when she was around him… It was a bit of a surprise to her when this time of all times it actually came out!

It was even more surprising to Phil of course, though, when it got through.

'Well, I guess that's a point…' he couldn't help but initially think to himself in response to what she'd just said, putting a hand to his chin. 'I mean, she is human. And anyway a person's got a right to do something special for someone they lo—'

Phil was pretty sure some small piece of his brain had just exploded. "L…Love…?" He whispered it like it was a foreign word, his hands just dropped to his sides as he stood there, totally dumbstruck.

He watched Gertie blush DARKLY this time, and then glance to the side with a scowl almost like she was trying to play it off as no big deal…No big deal that she LOVED him! "What, you got wax in your ears or something, Philly Boy? Ya heard me—I said I love you! You wanna make something of it?" And then he had to take a step back and put his hands up as she stepped forward defiantly, fists clenched at her sides and her anger and defensiveness starting to build! Although, something in her eyes…something in them wasn't angry…it was almost like something in them was on fire actually! "I mean, for pity's sake, Phil, who else do you think follows you around all the time, has a stuffed bear named after you that she cuddles with every night, sketches and paints your picture in secret every chance she gets!" 'I'll show him who's got no heart! Stupid little…And how the heck has he STILL never figured it out anyway! All those times he almost caught me…Grr…he makes me so mad sometimes I could just…just…' She felt her lips tremble a little…She knew exactly what it was he could just make her want to do to get all of her feelings out of her. She tried not to think about it…

And so she was coming at him and Phil was backing up, confused, scared…curious… 'She…love…follows me…bear…CUDDLES…paints and sketches…' "Wh-Huh?" This was all a dream—it HAD to be! Moving away, Mata Hillwood, Gertie…love…all some crazy dream brought on by too many footlongs at the last baseball game he'd gone to or something! That HAD to be it!

"Oh I love you, Phil!" the impassioned girl before him instantly announced, ripping him from his doubts and back to the present moment...those eyes of hers now blazing with warmth and passion and light…and she was smiling now too! "I've loved you ever since I first laid eyes on you and that stupid popsicle chin of yours in that little schoolhouse! I'm smitten, hooked, over the moon!" She spun in a brief circle, hands clenched together near her heart, before continuing her approach. "I wanna be your girl and I want you to be my guy!" She had pointed from herself to him as she had spoken. "Oh, I've…I've always dreamed of the day I could tell you my secret feelings and could hug you and smooch you and…" Phil slammed into the wall behind him… Her burning eyes were half lidded now…the smile remained on her lips… "…And oh gosh would you stop looking at me all scared and wide eyed like that! It just makes you look even cuter, you big lug! And as long as I'm going all out with this I might as well go all the way!" And suddenly, before he could process half this new stuff she was saying (which included that thing between wanting to hug him and the fact that she found his fearful look cute) the girl had him pinned against a wall, her hands on either side of his head, and she was SMOOCHING him!

Phil instantly froze, eyes darting around! This crazy dame was…sh-she was….kissing him…

And his heart was pounding like crazy from it! And she had just been blushing and talking all funny…and… 'NO! This isn't right! I've gotta get out of this! I've gotta make her stop so we can talk about this! I…I…W-W-Wowzers, she can kiss! It's just like in the picture shows or something…' He felt his eyes starting to close…He almost wanted to sigh or something…

And then suddenly with a lip-smacking sound her kiss was gone. His eyes shot open and then blinked a few times…and were met with her face right in front of his own, just breathing heavily and flushed that nice rosy color all over! And he'd never noticed before but…now that they were so close…her eyes, they weren't just hazel…They were like pale green flecked with light gold and maybe a few bits of cool grey…What a pretty effect… 'Wh…what am I THINKING?' Panic shot through him. 'She just told me she's in LOVE with me! Focus, Phil old boy!' "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!" he exclaimed in a cracking and near hysterical voice, unsure of anything else to respond to all of that with.

"Ugh! Phil!" Gertie rolled her eyes dramatically! What did she have to do—sing it for him? Using her hands still in his hair she gave a slight jerk to his head. "Don't tell me you actually DO have wax in those adorable ears of yours!"

The moment was suddenly interrupted by a quick knock on the basement door and the sound of it being pushed open. "Hey Philly!" A young girl's voice rang out. "I don't know what you're doing down there but Pop's gonna holler at you but good if you mess anything up or get yourself all dirty! Anyway, get your scrawny butt up here—Jimmy just phoned and he's heading over here to see you and say goodbye!"

"Mitz?" responded Gertie over her shoulder in a playful tone, not even giving Phil a chance, "Please just tell Jim-Jam when he shows up that Philly's currently 'occupied' at the moment!" She shot a coy smile at her beloved lover-boy. "He'll play with him later!" And then she ended with a touch of her index finger lightly to his nose…and a GIGGLE of all things!

Phil's jaw dropped in utter….Oh there weren't even words! "GERTIE!"

"Oh!" came Mitzi's voice from the top of the stairs followed by quite a few barely suppressed all-knowing chuckles. "Alright Gert, I'll tell Jimmy he's 'occupied' at the moment! Phil-and-his-little-girlfriend!" she finished in a singsong voice.

Phil's jaw dropped even more and his eyes shot to the stairs. "MITZI!"

The cellar door just shut again though, and only the faint fading away sound of his sister's laughter met Phil's ears in reply.

"Oh Phil, just let me hold you!" Gertie suddenly squealed with a smile, causing his eyes to snap back to her face still right in front of his own. He didn't get to observe it for too long though as she then she tossed herself against him, clinging to him like crazy! 'Oh I hope Mitzi really doesn't say too much to Jimmy if he gets here before this is all over! She's my best friend but sometimes I think I regret that I had to completely let the cat out of the bag to her about everything last year…just so she'd help me get that part in the Christmas pageant just so I could stand near Phil…' Thinking his name brought her out of her worries back to the moment at hand though, and she squealed inside in delight as she recalled that she was currently pressed against his warm, lovely body! 'Oh well, who cares! I'm HOLDING him! Oh just let me die now!'

"Uh…uh…I…uh…" It was all Phil could muster…She was HOLDING HIM! And all of a sudden his heart was beating like crazy again and now his insides were warm and kind of twisting and fluttering too! And now he felt himself blushing even worse than she'd been doing, he was sure! "G-G-Gertie, I—you're…I mean—"

He needed to regain control of things. He took a deep breath in, managed to reach up his arms and firmly grab her by the shoulders, and then he unwrenched her from her practically iron grip against his shirt. She was given a tender push forward and to the right, and then Phil (who had been unblinking and refusing to make eye contact with her this whole time) quickly sidestepped away with his mind racing (along, still, with his heart!).

The poor boy now just put a hand to his forehead and began to speak to himself in his shocked daze. "I…need to get the heck out of here and into some fresh air and think…and get a sarsaparilla…A BIG one…"

"Oooo!" And suddenly Gertie was right up alongside him again, "Let's get one with two straws!" she instantly supplied with another giggle.

He jumped and turned at the sound of her voice, and actually fell sitting on the floor and facing her! "I…I…forget the sarsaparilla!" he shouted desperately, using his arms and hands to back away a little bit more from her. "I…I just need to lay down somewhere for a minute! Yeah, that's it!"

At his new plan, Gertie just clasped her hands together under her chin, and gazed…LOVINGLY…at him! It was almost more than he could take, this sudden change in her personality. 'I'd give just about anything for one of pranks right now…Wouldn't care how much it hurt or how much trouble I got in…At least it would make SENSE!'

"Well," she started sweetly in response to this second plan of his, "Why don't I just kick my old stuffed bear named Phil out of my bed and you can come lie down with me at my house, hmm?" She batted her eyelashes at him… ('BATTED her EYELASHES'! Has the whole world gone screwy or something?' Phil couldn't help but think!)

He'd been crawling backwards from her more and more as she was speaking, and now he slammed into the far wall just as she made this shocking request. "I-I…" His voice broke and he barely managed enough coherency to press against the wall and scramble himself to a standing position again. "I…" He felt himself blush as an image of laying down cuddled next to Gertie on her bed suddenly entered his mind…the two of them smiling…holding each other…maybe she'd blush and kiss him again like she'd just— "NO!" he quickly yelled out…partly at her and partly at himself! "I-I mean…um…" he looked around in utter embarrassment and panic, trying to think of anything to distract both her and himself from this whole awkward thing! "Uh…j-jeepers, Gertie!" Remembering they were in the basement for a reason, he managed a sheepish half smile at her pleasantly smiling face and did his best to latch onto her reason for coming down here in the first place…. "D-Don't you remember I'm moving tomorrow!" He spoke quickly, shakily, "If…if we don't find…whatever the heck it is you're looking for down here to stop that, and FAST, then…" He closed his eyes and just yelled out as firmly as he could, sick of how nervous all his stuttering was making him sound, "Look! There's just no time for any of this l-l-love stuff now! We have to save the boarding house first! The boarding house, Gertie! Now are you gonna help me for real or not?" His eyes flew open and on instinct he grabbed onto Gertie's shoulders in his excitement and panic and desperation…and then instantly realized what he had done and blushed like crazy and brought his arms away from her and stepped back against the wall nervously.

Gertie, who really had just been smiling like crazy and coyly stepping more and more toward her 'Philly-Willy Popsicle Chin' as he was speaking and scrambling away, took a second to absorb his reminder and then blinked a few times, obviously coming a bit out of her stupor…then seemed to consider for a second or two…then blushed furiously (coming back to reality had made her aware, once again, that this was all indeed happening in reality)… But then the young girl blinked once more and just rolled her eyes, a bit of her grin returning. "Oh THAT!" She waved him off. "Oh don't worry about that, Philly dear—I was just trying to find the foundation stone for this old place to prove that it was built during the Revolutionary War, and I'd actually just found the darned thing near the corner behind that furnace over there when you came in so…" She slid close to him, that enamored gaze and smile resuming their former places upon her face… "…Looks like there's actually plenty of time for all of this 'l-l-love stuff'…" She giggled while imitating his little stutter from before, and walked a finger or two lightly up his chest with each attempted 'L' sound.

Phil sucked a sharp breath into his lungs at this response from her, and felt points of heat burn on him in the places she'd just touched! 'WHAT is GOING ON with me? I…I…I…'

For now, though, Phil was interrupted from trying to answer that very good question as (and to his GREAT relief) the cellar door opened once again. "Phil, son!" a man's voice called from the top of the steps, "You need to send your little friend home now and get out of that basement! We have to get the last of the boxes moved into the Packard to drive out tomorrow morning! Let's go!"

It took Phil a second, but then his father's request processed…as did the piece of information Gertie had just given him regarding a certain foundation stone that might very well be he and his family's and this entire boarding house's salvation! He had to get up there and tell his father right now! Before it was too late! "Pops! Wait!" he called out toward the stairs! He was about to move forward, but then his eyes fell on Gertie, who was looking toward the stairs as well at the sound of her love's father's voice interrupting them (a person probably a little more embarrassing for her to be caught by than just his sister, he suddenly realized with a blink).

Phil reacted on pure emotion and instinct. He placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump a little and look at him with wide, unsure eyes. He spoke in a low voice with a smile. "Just wait here. I'll say you came over to play with Mitz or something and that we found it while we were playing…hide-and-seek." The young man removed his hand from her shoulder, but before he went to his father he paused for one more moment before her. "And…thanks!" he whispered gratefully and then gave her a quick hug.

A few seconds later Phil quickly shot forward and was soon racing up the stairs with a smile on his face, calling out at the top of his lungs! "No, wait, Pops, listen! There's something down here you need to see!"

Gertie, left standing near the far end of the basement as Phil left her to get his father and his family and whoever else would be necessary to make all of this official and make him stay living near her forever, just remained immobile for two or three seconds…and then instantly swooned in response to his hug and let herself collapse into giggles until she heard the sounds of her lover-boy and others heading down the basement steps… 'Wow…what a fella!' she marveled to herself. 'And he HUGGED me! I feel like I could fly straight to the moon!'

---

By the next morning, of course, the mayor and police and that creepy du Von Sheck guy had found out about the foundation stone, a big to-do had been made over the boarding house and its historical and patriotic significance to the country, financing had been provided by the town for its upkeep, Phil and his family could stay forever… Yes, everything was back to normal and perfectly dandy…

Almost.

After having spent the better part of the night calling up officials and unpacking the car and getting things authenticated and all straightened out, it was indeed already morning somehow and Phil was exhausted…and so was Gertie (whom, he'd noticed, rather than just skedaddling home after the story explaining her presence had been established, had instead stuck around the boarding house in the background the whole time…almost like she needed to officially see it confirmed for herself that the boarding house was indeed safe and that her plan had indeed worked (Mitzi would explain to him later that Gertie had had her call up her parents to say she was staying the night for a 'sleepover'… Mitzi would also later explain that the next call she'd made had been to Jimmy telling him about the move being off…and that he should maybe come by tomorrow morning instead of that night, considering all the commotion…).

Anyway, though, now it was morning and the two fourth graders of the hour, Gertie and Phil, had been sitting out on the boarding house stoop with plates of breakfast that Phil's Mom had made for them, and they were currently watching the Mayor's car finally pull away down the street, soon turning off the block entirely.

That event being over…the two then just sat in silence for a little while.

Finally, knowing he had to say something (after all that she'd gone through for him, something was certainly in order, after all), Phil took a breath and placed his now empty plate aside. And spoke. Quietly, carefully…only barely glancing at her. "So…that was a…a pretty nutty night we had, I guess, Gertie…You know, with all that stuff down there..." He blushed a little. "I-I mean the mayor and all those officials coming down there to check things out, and, um…stuff…"

He observed as the girl beside him promptly put down her own empty plate as well now that he had broken their silence…and then she delicately folded her hands in her lap before responding to him shyly (both actions which were VERY unusual for Gertie), "Um…yeah…pretty, um…big night…Did a lot of stuff…said some things…" 'Did I go BONKERS last night?' Gertie felt like she was practically shaking with fear as the fact that PHIL now KNEW continued to smack her in the face. 'It's just that we were alone and in his basement and he was so close and gosh those eyes and that hair and that chin are all so dreamy and he was so assertive for once with asking me, and…FOCUS, GERTIE! CRIMENY!' She shook her head and went back to talking to Phil (trying to sound as calm as she could as she did so). "A-Anyway…um…look about…the…you know, the basement stuff…um…It…I…I was just backed into a corner and desperate and I…"

"Uh…y-yeah, okay…" Phil swallowed, glancing away with a blush and quickly cutting her off, feeling pretty nervous himself. "I get it…" he went on, doing his best to just get them through this awkward little 'morning after'. "You…in all the craziness you just got caught up in…in trying to help me and just…got a little…a little…"

"A-a little carried away with…all those things?" she finished for him, smiling a tiny bit and shrugging nervously in his direction.

A half grin came to Phil's face and he swallowed hard, looking at her fully now. "Yeah…" He cleared his throat. "Um…G-Gertie…I…well…" He…he wanted to ask her about this… He was scared of course but he wanted to just the same…And so he turned to her…ready to lay things out on the table…

But then he saw that look in her eyes.

It was…he'd never seen her look like that before. She was always so strong and confident and fiery. But now she seemed nervous, jittery, almost petrified! After all, thinking about it now, he had her but good, didn't he? Any insult she could ever throw at him, any prank she might play, any little thing she might do to bug him from now on in their lives…all he'd have to do was smile and throw out the 'L' word and she'd clam up in an instant! Who could ask for any greater power over a bully than that? The ability to make her go away by saying a single word…

And yet, despite now having this power…it didn't make Phil happy. At all.

In fact, he just wished she'd quit looking so scared….It made him feel bad inside a little…and sad too, seeing her like that. He swallowed…and then went with a different plan, despite his curiosities. "Look, uh, Gertie…listen…like I said, I…I get it." He smiled at her, his tone turning distinctly casual. "You were all caught up in things…you were bored and wanted a new spying game to have fun with…and of course you needed some kind of joke to play on me, like usual…And uh well, you sure got me good that time! Heh, heh…" He swung his fist and laughed a little nervously, and now noticed just confusion in her eyes. "W-What I mean is…" he went on, trying to make her see what he was trying to say and do here, "You don't really…love me…right?" He gave her a look, doing his best to communicate something without words. "Like…you still think I'm a shrimp and a loser and everything…just like you've always liked saying I am…just like you've always been happy enough to treat me like…right?"

Young Gertie just remained puzzled-looking for another moment…but then a touch of understanding finally came to her eyes. 'He's…is he really that…or is he actually…Oh, WHO CARES! I'll think about it later! Point is I'm getting off the hook for it right NOW! YES! Nothing bad's going to happen—or at least, not yet!' Her gaze became a bit firmer and her voice became a bit less shaky. "Oh! Um…yeah…Of…of course! Sure, Phil…Just…always been easier to treat you like a little nancy boy since…since that's what you are, of course….heh…"

"Yeah…" she was getting it… "You were just caught up in things and messing with me, just like you said, right?" Phil smiled a little more at her, very incredibly happy they were on the same page (and also that she was smiling again, he couldn't deny…though feeling good about little things like that about her…like seeing her happy…was already starting to bug him just a little than it had last night...)

"Right!" Her eyes brightened and now she stood up, crossing her arms over her chest. "For once you're starting to figure me out, Popsicle Chin!" She winked.

Phil now stood too, and he couldn't help grinning at her completely. "You hate me…I knew it!" He snapped his fingers.

"And don't you forget it, buster!" She wagged a finger at him, and then gave a small laugh and hopped down from his stoop. "Anyway, I gotta get home…" she put a hand on her hip and rolled her eyes, "Much better things to do with my time than babysitting you in that creepy old boarding house, you know!"

Phil laughed a little himself. "Okay!" he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

Gertie just let out a sigh and glanced down the street and then back to him. "Well…see ya in the funnies, Philly Boy!" And with that she gave him a quick wave and proceeded to trot off down the block in the direction of her own house.

Phil just leaned against the rail of his stoop, giving a little wave back to her in her direction.

This little exchange with his 'arch nemesis' now over, the young man now quickly found himself smiling to himself a little…and glancing down in thought…And then, slowly, hesitantly, and secretly he did something he'd been feeling the compulsion to do for many hours now… and brought his fingers up to touch his lips… the lips Gertie had given their first real kiss. 'Hmm…Gertie…' He almost chuckled. The idea was so inconceivable that it was almost—

"Er…um…Phil?"

Phil's eyes instantly snapped up and he practically jumped in the air, turning at that delicate, hesitant voice that had just interrupted his thoughts about its owner…And indeed there by the stoop stood Gertie once again, glancing down and looking shy.

'She must have come back up the block…' "OH! Um…sorry, Gertie." He rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "J-Just…just thinking about, um…something…" He blushed a little and cleared his throat, doing his best to move on. "Um…did ya need something else?"

The blonde girl just swallowed and dug her foot into the sidewalk…summing up her courage. "I just…wanted to say…well…thanks!" And she instantly came forward and caught him in a quick, tight hug that practically lifted him off the ground! His eyes went wide! His heart was beating all fast again! What the heck was going on?

And then, just as quickly as she'd caught him up, she let him go. "You know…" she quickly explained in her shyness, "…just for, um…taking the 'joke' so okay." And then she blushed even more. "Well, bye now Popsic—uh…Phil." And then she dashed away down the street again and (this time) out of sight.

A few seconds passed…one into the other…and the young boy was just staring off in the direction the young girl had gone…and he was pretty sure he was smiling, even though that didn't make any sense, just like half the other stuff with her from today didn't make any sense…

Still…he…and she…

(And were you supposed to be able to feel the warmth of someone's hug this long after they'd stopped hugging you…along with maybe feeling a bunch of other stuff too…)

"PHIL!"

Phil blinked and whipped around and practically tripped over onto the sidewalk as his eyes met whom he knew that voice belonged to. "JIMMY!"

Phil's best friend just stood there, having come up from the other end of the street…his jaw was DROPPED though…and that fact made Phil swallow. Hard. "Did I just see…" Jimmy Kafka barely managed in a shaky voice, "DID…was…DID GERTIE JUST HUG YOU?" he finally blurted out in total shock!

Phil instantly blushed as bright as a tomato. "Uh…Jimmy, I almost forgot about y—uh, I mean, heh, heh…" he put his arms innocently behind his back, "I…Uh…hey, why don't we…why don't get some sarsaparillas and I'll tell you all about how the boarding house got saved, okay, Jimmy?" ( 'Or at least a version of the story…for now...') He looked at his best friend eagerly, HOPING he would NOT press the Gertie thing too much.

Jimmy just blinked at Phil's request...looking at him more than a little curiously… but then he just closed his eyes for a second and shook his head as though to clear it. "Uh…" he opened his eyes again and put a hand to his head. "Yeah…sarsaparillas…okay…" He blinked again, a thought occurring to him, and he smiled a little. "Oh, and, yeah, Mitzi told me you guys ain't moving…Uh, congrats!" Phil let out a relieved sigh at the topic change…though his slightly fearful look instantly returned as Jimmy added in finish…and just a little smilingly, "But, uh, over those drinks, along with how the heck you managed to keep the boarding house in once piece, mind telling me what the heck's going on with you and Gertie too?" He raised an eyebrow at his best friend and gave Phil a strange half smile, "Your sister also mentioned that Gertie was here for a decent part of whatever happened last night…Something you need to share, Phil?"

'No, but I need to kill my sister.' Phil just swallowed and did his best to keep smiling as he shook his head and waved him off. "No, no…it…it was nothing, Jim! She just…I don't know why she was here—probably crossing her fingers that everything would fall through and she really would be rid of me once and for all, you know? Plus she and Mitzi are practically like sisters—you know that!"

"And…" Jimmy's smile grew just a tiny bit, "…the hug?"

Phil swallowed, and something in his stomach twisted. His eyes went wide. "W-Well, she's…she's crazy, Jimmy—what do you want? Heh, heh…" 'She…would probably KILL me if I spilled the beans…especially to JIMMY. And besides I don't want to push her on things… She'll tell people and talk to me about it more soon…when she's ready.' A small smile couldn't help coming to his face.

Jimmy, meanwhile, just continue to eye him…And now on top of everything else Phil was…smiling? What the heck? "Sure buddy, whatever you say!" He just rolled his eyes and gave Phil an 'I don't even want to know' look. "Come on—let's just get those sarsaparillas…Hey, we can even get them with floats of ice cream on top! That new ice cream parlour down the street just opened up. You know—Slausens!"

"Uh, sounds good, Jimmy!" Phil gave him a thumbs-up. "Let's go!" And with that he started to head up the street, and, with a shrug and then a smile and a dismissive shake of his head, Jimmy followed.

---

"Oh, I got out of it! I got out of it! I GOT OUT OF IT! And he LET me get out of it! He must have!" Gertie had gone over the incident in her head a couple of times more as she'd been walking, and now was sure that he was…oh, he was OKAY with her loving him!

Gertie just twirled in a happy circle on the sidewalk (now a block or two away from the Sunset Arms on her way home), clutching at her dress over her heart! "And I k-k-kissed him…and he HUGGED me!" She practically squealed in utter delight! "Oh Philly my dear!" She instantly ducked into an alley before her euphoria could catch the eye of any early morning walkers… and removed a popsicle wrapper from one of her pockets (being that her favorite 'insult' for him was 'Popsicle Chin', Gertie had always enjoyed seeing Phil actually eat popsicles…and enjoyed even more snagging the wrappers he always threw away.) This one was from two days ago. Raspberry. Her heart fluttered at the very sight "Oh Phil…" she cooed once more, "So understanding, so forgiving, so kind, so clever figuring out it was me helping you…and of course what a looker?" She practically swooned, and then pressed her lips together, and sighed. "Oh Phillip—I'll never wash these lips aga—"

The sound of someone having a small coughing fit behind her.

Gertie stopped swooning on a dime and just rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Oh brother!" And with this announcement she quickly turned and gave a firm push to a very familiar young man, sending him toppling right into a trashcan. "Beau! For the last time, one: get some cough drops, and two: quit stalking me all the time! In case it isn't obvious, you're a sweet kid but I'm not exactly THROWING myself at you! Hmph!" And with that she shoved her precious Raspberry popsicle wrapper into her dress pocket, stepped out of the alley, and walked briskly and proudly up the street (still thrilling inside from her confession to Phil, and how well he'd taken the whole thing!)

---

~*PRESENT DAY*~

"Well…" an eighty-one-year-old Phil, sitting in his rocker, his wife in a recliner chair by his side (and holding hands with him), smiled down at his ten-year-old grandson and his ten-year-old grandson's girlfriend on the floor (the boy was just smiling back up at him but also blushing like crazy, and the girl had a dazed grin on her face and her head resting on her hands propped up on her elbows, looking forward with dreamy eyes, like she'd just heard a fairytale or something.) "Well, I think, between the two of us, Pookie, we did a decent job getting the truth across…" he squeezed her hand a little and glanced at her…and had to raise an eyebrow and give her a slight smirk as he added, "Though I still don't recall 'cowering in terror' that much during that confession …"

Gertie just smiled back at him, a small laugh escaping her. "Well I don't remember being that 'insanely assertive' but…I guess we gave them a pretty clear picture."

Phil let out a sigh and smiled warmly at her for a moment longer before then turning back to the kids on the floor. "So, how'd it compare to what you two went through?"

Arnold chuckled at the question and Helga giggled, and then they looked to each other. "Mmm…the same…but also different…Right, Helga?" Arnold just gazed at her lovingly.

She nodded, her gaze equally adoring. "Yeah, the same but different, Football Head." She shifted just a little closer to him. "Thanks for letting me off the hook that day, by the way, Arnoldo." She gave him a light nudge in the shoulder. "I appreciate that you did that, you know…A lot."

He let out a sigh, reaching up with his other hand to rub the place she'd just lightly tapped. "You're welcome, Helga…" He then reached over and rested one of his hands atop one of hers on the carpet. "I just…figured you might want some time with everything…And, well…I needed a little time too, but…It all worked out…eventually."

She just nodded in reply. "Mmm hmm…definitely, my love."

Arnold blushed a lot considering that they were in front of his grandparents. She'd never said one of those little names for him in front of other people before…but especially not his family. Just Football Head among other 'insults' (so far…) "Y-Yeah…" he just agreed a little shakily with his own small nod, "…definitely."

They were just lost in each other's eyes…

"Heh, heh, heh…!" Phil's laughter broke them from their small trance and caused both kids to blink and blush brightly and glance to either side with small, shy smiles, and wide, innocence-feigning eyes. "Boy you two have got it bad, dontchya?" the old man asked teasingly.

"Oh Phil, leave them alone…" Gertie piped up, squeezing his hand and smirking at him a little. "They're young and in love… And besides, I think Kimba deserves a break…or at least a little credit. After all…" she rolled her eyes a bit dramatically, "He's sitting here with the girl less than two months later…If I remember correctly it took you almost that entire summer after I confessed to come around completely…" She did her best no to laugh at the memory of his lagging in admitting his own feelings. "I was about ready to explode and confess a second time by the time you finally sat me down and told me how you were feeling!"

A slight blush actually came to Phil's features but he managed to still give his wife a bit of a look. "Ah yes but let's not forget—young Arnold needed to get tossed together with Helga thanks to that poetry tutoring thing… I actually came to you outright, initiated the whole thing myself! Invited you over here and—"

"…Asked me to stop by with some kind of story about hearing that I was pretty good at 'art and stuff' and needing me to help you make a present for Mitzi for her birthday… Then opened the door wearing a bowtie and with your hair combed, and acted like a nervous wreck for the first twenty minutes…and then I asked you if you were okay and you just turned the color of a tomato and yelled, "I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU! WILL YOU GO ON A DATE TO SLAUSEN'S WITH ME? AND CAN I PLEASE KISS YOU ONE MORE TIME?" HAHAHAHA!" She burst into that maniacal laughter of hers, and Arnold and Helga likewise couldn't help a few snorts and giggles escaping themselves at the tale.

Phil blushed just a little bit more…but was smirking a ton himself too at the memory. He opened his mouth as though to deliver some kind of witty comeback…but then paused…and just narrowed his eyes a little and grinned just a bit more at his wife of over sixty years. "You know…" he began innocently yet smugly, "…that's an 'awful lot' of details for a crazy old bird like you to remember, Pookie…and from so long ago…It's almost like that mind of yours is really just as sharp as ever…" He let the observation hang.

The observation processed with Gertie…Her laughter ended and now her own smile picked up a little…and her own eyes narrowed. She leaned a bit closer to him and replied simply…carefully…and deliberately, "Well…it was such a ridiculous and hysterical thing for a guy to do that I guess…even in midst of senility I can't forget it." She winked.

There was more silence. Arnold and Helga just watched with interest…especially Arnold…and he couldn't help but wonder if maybe, on some deeper level, they were both more than well aware of the truth about their—

The silence (and Arnold's thoughts) were broken by the sound of Phil suddenly just bursting into laughter. "Heh, heh, heh! Well, you've got me there I suppose, Pookie! Heh, heh…" He let out a breath and just shook his head at her with a smile. He seemed to reminisce for a few seconds…and then his eyes fell back to the kids. "Anywho, you two…oh, let's see… so, we went over a bunch of those things your Grandma did to me when we were kids…and then of course her confession just now… You kids wanna hear a few more stories before dinner or did you have plans?" A small twinkle was in his eye, and he and Gertie squeezed each other's hands just a little bit more at the sight once again of the two children so happy near each other on the floor.

Meanwhile, on the floor, at the sound of he old man's question Helga and Arnold just smiled a bit more to themselves. Then Helga glanced at her beloved again. "Well, I don't know… You, uh, got any plans for what you want to do with little old me before dinner, Arnold?"

Arnold swallowed, barely glancing at her, and tried to keep his pounding heart from pumping ALL the blood in his body to his face. "Well…" he started, "we could, um…go up to my room for a little while…listen to some music…" he swallowed again, "…talk…"

A small chuckle escaped the girl beside him. "Yeah, sure… 'talk'…" She stood and then clasped one of his hands in hers and quickly pulled a now grinning Arnold up to his feet.

"Uh…whatever you say, Helga…" he just replied in an excited daze at her 'eager' response to the idea of 'talking.'

Helga just shook her head in amusement at him and all his cuteness and silliness and then looked back to Phil and Gertie. "Thanks for all the stories, you guys… And I really do want to hear more of them sometime soon, but…I think old Football Head here wants some one-on-one time with me again." Her grin picked up a little more on one side and she glanced down shyly. "We're still keeping stuff a secret in school so when that's done each day we just…kind of want to get right to being ourselves together, you know?" She shrugged.

"Oh, by all means!" Gertie announced with a smile. "You two spend some time alone while Phil and I get dinner ready—right, Phil?" She looked to her husband.

He nodded affirmatively to his wife. "Sure thing, Pookie!" Phil and Gertie turned back to the kids. "You kids go have fun and dinner should be on the table in, oh…about an hour."

"Thanks Grandpa, Grandma!" Arnold replied appreciatively, and then he squeezed his girlfriend's hand a little, looking to her once again. "Shall we go then, Helga?" he asked politely.

She giggled and gave him a small, polite nod in return. "Yes, Arnold dear. Let's go!"

And with that the two of them began to head toward the stairs, still holding hands.

"OH and Arnold…?"

Arnold stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of Phil's voice, Helga stopping beside him. He took a nervous (almost fearful, really) breath, and then turned back to his grandfather, prepared for the worst (he knew how the old man liked his jokes, after all…). "Yes…Grandpa?" he asked hesitantly.

Phil just smiled a little slyly at his grandson. "Your Grandma's making gelatin for dessert tonight…and dinner's just mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese…Just thought I'd let you know that overall it's a meal that's more than capable of being eaten with a mouth that's a little 'tired out' shall we say…? Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

Arnold turned bright scarlet and his eyes went wide as could be. His heart thundered in his chest.

Helga, however, having a much better capacity to handle awkward romantic moments after all these years, just clasped her love's hand a little more firmly and smiled back at Phil, only a slight rosiness present in her face. "Thanks for the tip off, Arnold's Grandpa." She winked. "I'll make sure to tell Arnold when he comes out of shock…and I'll make sure he puts it to good use!" She finished with a small chuckle and then went on her way finishing pulling her stunned, blushing beloved over to the steps that would lead to the second floor of the boarding house and then his room. "Come on, my little future husband…let's go 'talk'." She giggled once more at him.

"Wh-wh-whatever you s-say, Helga…" was the last thing Phil and Gertie heard their grandson stutter out (in a very obvious bit of fluster and yet anticipation) before the two kids disappeared upstairs.

"Heh, heh!" Phil finished laughing to himself, "Just like you and me, Pookie…head over heels forever!" He turned his head and smiled at his wife lovingly once more.

Gertie just smiled back. "Mmm hmm…Forever." She released his hand and now laid hers on his shoulder. "But quit teasing him so much, Popsicle Chin!" Her grin picked up on one side a little. "She's doing alright with it but he looked like he was about to faint!"

Phil just shrugged, his grin still present. "Eh, just keeping the boy on his toes, letting him know it's pretty obvious how much he's growing up!" He let out a sigh…a few memories of the jokes his father and grandfather had used to make about himself and Gertie flashing through his mind…The most embarrassing ones of which he'd held back on a little for now…Let the boy think his own life was particularly embarrassing for a little while longer… It'd make all the new experiences he was going to have even more memorable and fun when he looked back on them later on.

Gertie, meanwhile, just patted her husband on the shoulder twice and then removed her hand from him completely, rolling her eyes once more. "Well, I guess I always did love that sense of humor of yours, Philly Willy…or at least I was one of the only girls who could put up with it!" She smirked.

Now Phil just rolled his eyes right back at her. "Oh you know all the ladies thought I was a stitch…" He noticed a bit of a look come to her smiling eyes and her mouth smirk to the side a little. "Oh but none of them had that spunk and spirit that you've always had Pookie!" he quickly assured with a wink. "Not even close."

She blushed a little at that and a chuckle escaped her. "Thanks, Popsicle Chin…" She let out a happy sigh. "Even after all these years you still think I've got spunk and spirit, huh?"

His smile grew even warmer. "Yup…You've still got it, Pookie. You'll always have it."

"Yeah…that Beau kid used to think so…" She did her best not to break into laughter.

Phil blinked and then just scoffed. "Oh puh-lease, Pookie! Like he could have fully appreciated your…your one-of-a-kind charm…" He rested his head on his hand, leaning his elbow on the arm of the rocking chair, and gazed at her… "…or the fact that you were the most beautiful girl in the whole school house… Nope, I can't blame him for trying but…you were just too insanely wonderful for me to pass up, Gertie…"

That did it. She finally couldn't hold it in anymore and gave a small giggle, which she really hadn't done in quite a few years. "Oh…oh stop flirting, you great big sap!" And then she gave him a playful jab in the shoulder before standing up. "Now come on, General—you've gotta help me with dinner! The mashed potatoes and macaroni aren't gonna cook themselves, you know! Plus I need to get the gelatin ready…Mmmm, it's gonna be raspberry flavored!" She winked at him as she exited to the kitchen.

Phil felt his stomach grumble right on cue. "Oooo…Pookie!" He stood up and followed after her…with a smile despite his desperate words. "Not raspberry!"

"Yup!" she countered, not even turning around. "To the kitchens, mon capitan!"

Gertie finished by just giving one of her warm, crazed laughs as she entered the kitchen…

…And even though it might have seemed a little weird, that sound still couldn't help but make Phil's heart skip a beat as he followed after her.

---

Twenty minutes later, Arnold and Helga were still up in Arnold's room…taking a small break from the 'talking'.

Helga, catching her breath a little as their lips finally fully separated for the first time in a while, just removed her arms from around Arnold and collapsed backwards onto his couch so that she was staring up at the evening sky through his skylight, her legs still over his lap (this unique position of hers was due to the fact that she'd been sitting in his lap as they'd kissed this time around, being held by him and holding him…It had taken a lot to convince him to let her try being that close to him while kissing but…he'd 'warmed up' to the idea eventually…Besides, she really liked them holding each other…had been warming up to it ever since that incident in the alley near school as a matter of fact when he'd almost carried her off in his arms)…

As she lay there now, one of her jumper straps was obviously pulling to the side and her pigtails were noticeably more slack than usual, and she was breathing a bit heavily and her face was all flushed. Had she mentioned yet that she LOVED KISSING ARNOLD! "Arnold…" with a swallow she finally managed to speak, a thought she'd been meaning to mention once they'd gotten up here…but that she'd been 'prevented' from voicing considering her beloved's eagerness today after all the romantic stories coupled with just coming off a full day of the usual act in school—heck, she had barely shut the door behind them before he'd hugged her and pressed his lips to hers for the first time that afternoon… Anyway, now that they were taking a small breather this thought of hers that she'd wanted to mention was coming back to mind… "…Before I forget to say it…which is pretty possible all things considered…" She finally just let out a breath and let herself gush! "Gosh, you are so cute getting all blushy when your Grandpa says little embarrassing things like that about us, Arnold!" She giggled a bunch, her own blushing right now already crazy and growing even more so at how wide-eyed and stuttery and rosy-face he'd gotten (especially when she'd called him her 'little future husband' before pulling him up the stairs.

"O-Oh…" Arnold was just sitting shyly on the other end of his couch, still feeling a little dazed and distracted at the moment…her legs still over his lap….his own face flushed a little and trying to catch his own breath…his own hair a little mussed…sweater a little twisted around his body…hat practically hanging off his head…did he mention that her warm, soft, creamy legs were still over his lap…He would have touched them just like those couple of times he'd touched her knees, but the very idea made him practically meltdown inside… And he still couldn't believe he'd had the courage to hold her in his arms again like on Monday…and at the same time he also couldn't believe his good fortune that she'd wanted to sit in his lap and kiss more than anything in the world today. "Oh, um…it's just…well…" he tried going on again. And then he blinked and looked at her with an eager smile as her comment really processed, "You really thought I looked cute like that?"

She just giggled once more at his enthusiasm and then leaned her head up a little, giving him a nod or two. "Yeah, Mr. Modest…just adorable…" She sat up then, removing her legs from his body, and now leaned her head on her arm against the back of his couch and just looked at him with all the love in the world.

Modest little Arnold's smile got a bit goofier. He rested his hands in his lap. "Oh, well…thanks, Helga…" He shifted a little bit closer to her, "And um, well I…I just couldn't help it, I guess, blushing like that…. Like you said…Mr. Modest here, heh, heh…"

"Hmm…" She scooched closer too…and lowered her voice a little, "Maybe you're Mr. Modest in public, Arnoldo…but you're Mr. Daredevil when it's just us…" She brushed her fingers through his hair and twirled a piece for a moment, and then readjusted his hat a little on his head. "Gosh you kiss great, Arnold!" she finally just had to let out. "And I can't think of a more enjoyable person for any girl to wrap her arms around…a more enjoyable lap to sit in…"

Arnold's heartbeat picked up and he barely managed to look to her. "Th-Thanks, Helga…" He swallowed. "A-And as for the modesty thing well…" his smile trembled a little at the topic, "…It…It's different when we're alone…when it's just you and me…because…we know and…experience things about each other that no one else does… We're special…You're special, Helga…" He picked up her free hand and gave it a small kiss.

She giggled almost uncontrollably for a few seconds at his kind words. "Really, Arnold?" she asked in a light voice.

He just smiled a bit more at her and winked. "Yup…and you always will be!"

Another giggle escaped Helga and she felt everything inside of her practically flutter and oscillate. When she was done she just let out a sigh and glanced at him with a small half smile. "So…Arnold…we've got another twenty minutes 'til dinner…" She brought the fingertips of her free hand under his little chin and lifted it slightly as she finally asked, "More working out our mouths or did you wanna take the time we have left to do something that normal ten-year-olds would do?" Her grinning mouth quirked to the side a little. "I'd still like to hear about that new dream of yours about us being married, to be honest…But I can wait until after dinner, if you'd like." And then she pouted just slightly, though a smile still shone in her eyes, as she added, "Though I really would prefer the dreams as soon as possible if it's okay, my Football Head…"

Arnold took in a deep breath…savoring that feeling of her fingertips gently tilting up his head like that. He looked at her lovingly for a moment more…that little pout…so cute…and then he released her hand that he was still holding, and finally moved forward and just hugged with a smile, snuggling in next to her on the couch. He let out his breath. "Can…can we just sit together like this, Helga?...We can put on a little music and dim the lights and just hold each other like this…" he let out a happy sigh. "And we can talk about our dreams…" he added in a whisper.

Helga felt everything inside of her melt completely! "S-S-Sure…A-A-Arnold…" she barely managed to get out before limply reaching over, pressing a button on his remote on the end table next to the couch, and then snuggling right in next to him with a smile… 'He is so…Oh Arnold…' she cooed inside of herself.

The music lightly played for a few moments in the dim, private room…and the kids just rested happily against each other.

Eventually, Helga let out a small sigh and spoke quietly to her love who continued to just hug against her, his arms around her from the side. "Y-You wanna go first, Arnold…or me?" she asked tenderly… "About sharing the dreams, I mean, my beloved…"

Arnold cuddled against her just a little more at the sound of her voice. "Whatever you want, Helga…" he just replied shyly…trying to be polite but also…feeling a little nervous about talking to her about all of THAT (it had been a pretty intense dream he'd had, after all…), even despite all they'd been through.

"Well..." Helga started lightly, finally letting herself go limp in his tender, gentle (and yet pleasantly strong) arms. She leaned back and placed a light kiss or two on his forehead before continuing. "…That dream of mine from when I passed out…it's pretty much all my standard fantasy stuff… Nothing you haven't been piecing together over the weeks, my love…I'll fill you in, of course, though, but…for now… I AM curious…Would you tell me your dream first, my dearest…? How it was 'good' being married to me..." her heart trembled a little as she then added, in a very shy whisper and feeling blood pump into her face, "…having children together…" That concept had been a new factor in her own fantasies over the last few months actually, and especially over the last few nights of her dreams now that Arnold had brought it up too… She guessed she'd just been maturing a little from that 'origami marriage predictor' dream where it was just her and Arnold and nothing and no one else.

Arnold, meanwhile, was having his own trouble dealing with heat flooding into his own features. A small goofy smile was on face too… Finally, in an effort to push past his embarrassment he just let out a sigh and held himself against Helga a little more closely for support. "Okay, Helga…" he finally began quietly, "We'll talk all about how it was good being married to you…having children…" He swallowed and took one of her hands in his own from behind, gently caressing it as he spoke. "Well…it started with us at Gerald and Phoebe's wedding actually…" he began.

A chuckle escaped Helga (and she nearly swooned at him playing with her hand like that). "Just for future reference, don't ever bring that up to Gerald or Phoebe, Arnoldo—His voice'll crack and he'll pass out on the ground, and she'll blush all over and run and hide away forever!"

Arnold chuckled right along with her. "I know…So shy, the two of them…" he brought her hand up to tenderly kiss the back of it…lingering a little before removing his mouth from her skin… "…When it's so much more fun to…not be."

She giggled in his arms. "Arnold, you're such a charmer." She smirked and glanced back at him out of the corner of her eye. "But come on, enough stalling…flirting will only distract even me for so long…Please tell me about the rest of your dream, my little love god…We were at Gerald and Phoebe's wedding…"

"Sure thing, Helga…" Arnold rested his head against her shoulder and closed his eyes as he continued speaking. "Well…like I said, we were at their wedding….It had just ended and we were sitting on the chapel steps watching them leave in a limo…And I looked at you and you looked so happy just watching them be together like that, that I…I guess the thought just came to me that the only way you'd look any happier would be if…if you were the one in the dress running down the steps heading toward the limo…but, you know, with…me. S-So I took out…" he'd been rambling dreamily a little but now stopped for a moment and considered before going on… "Well, actually, if it's okay, Helga, I'd like to keep one or two things to myself for now because they...well, I'd just like some things to stay a surprise for a little while…" He cleared his throat. "Is that okay, Helga?"

Helga had to raise part of her brow at his strange sudden little secrecy…but she had a feeling by how he was talking and the smile on his face that him wanting to keep something small to himself right now…wasn't a bad thing. That he'd probably just gotten some loopy sentimental idea about something…and really, what else was new when it came to him? And so Helga just shrugged and gave a small nod and replied supportively and understandingly to his request, "If you insist, Football head." She leaned back and placed another small kiss on his forehead. "Anyway, continue please…This is starting out MUCH better than your first 'married to me' dream…" Her smile grew as nestled back in alongside him and closed her eyes to hear more of the story.

"Yeah, I know…" Arnold just smiled to himself a little more, happy she understood...because that next little bit of his dream really had been a cute idea…And if things did work out in the future, he…he wouldn't have been against surprising her with something like that… "Well…anyway…" he went on and let out a sigh, "…in the dream…next I asked you …if you wanted to get…well…you know…" He blushed hotly, not having it in him at all to ask that question, even if it was just part of relaying something from one of his dreams… "A-And 'surprisingly enough', you did!" He finished, laughing to himself a little (and of course she joined in…) "And then there was our wedding…" a dreamy smile and half lidded gaze completely took over his features, "You looked really pretty, Helga… Pink flowers were in your hair, I think. And I was really nervous even about just waiting for you at the altar…but not like in the first dream. I mean…you looked so pretty and you were smiling and I…think I thought that the second I moved to take your hand or give you the ring I was going to trip or something and mess the whole perfect thing up…"

"I would have caught you, my Arnold…" he suddenly heard Helga coo near his ear. "And I wouldn't have even laughed. You get a free pass on our wedding day." She turned herself more and snuggled against his head and hair a little, taking a deep inhale of his lovely scent.

Arnold laughed a little again…and savored her affectionate little cuddling. "Thanks, Helga…" He let out a happy sigh and gently played with the end of one of her pigtails. "Anyway, we were really happy together…I was a fourth grade teacher at P.S. 118 actually…and also a doctor…and I ran the boarding house too, I think, and you were…" he laughed a little again, "You were just…amazing… You were a sculptor and a writer and—"

"President?" she quipped quickly.

Arnold smiled and shook his head. "Sorry, Helga…I guess my dreams are a little smaller than yours in some ways. Not that the White House wouldn't be nice but I had us living in the boarding house. Not exactly close to Washington D.C…"

"Well…" she left his hair alone and turned back forward to just let herself lean happily against him again… "I guess being your wife and living here with you, and all that other stuff you said makes up for it a lot…" He heard a slightly disappointed sigh come from her. "Still, though…I always did want to be some kind of leader of someth—"

She was silent at a quick kiss from Arnold to her cheek. "I was going to say that you were the Mayor too actually…if that's an okay consolation prize, Helga."

Helga's grin picked up a lot at his news and his kiss! "O-Oh! Alright! I can live with that…Running this city. Mayor Dixie, look out! Heh…" She nuzzled her head just under his chin…letting her soft cheek press against the soft fabric of his sweater...

Arnold grinned, happy she was happy…really truly happy with everything his head had come up with and wanted her to do. And really who could imagine a grown up Helga NOT in charge of something? And something BIG! "Mmm hmm… Mayor Helga… Perfect." He reached around her back just a little more and stroked the back of her head a little… "And we actually lived right here in the boarding house so that I could take care of it, like I said, and we were very happy…We listened to music together and watched monster movies, you wrote books of poems…some poems about me, and some about any other inspirational things you managed to come across in the world…"

"…Nothing's more inspirational than you, Arnold…" she whispered, in pure peace with him like this.

He took a breath.

"…N-Not even…our, um…a d-d-daughter?" she heard his quiet voice ask.

She was silent.

He waited.

"Y-Yeah…" Helga barely managed to squeak out eventually, "I g-g-guess our, um, d-d-daughter would be pretty inspir—inspi…" She just couldn't take it—she swooned and shuddered, and just collapsed against her beloved entirely, her heart pounding like mad and a glorious tingling going throughout her entire body. She had turned herself to hold against his shoulders for support. "Uh, keep talking please, Arnold…" she managed to get out in a breath, "Sorry, I'm…just going to need a minute with this one."

"Oh. Okay…" he said very quietly, feeling very VERY shy about this part of everything…and it didn't help how pressed against him she was now. He held her tight again for support. "Well, she had your hair and my eyes…and I joked with you about naming her Lila or Ruth or Summer again…But in the end we…" he chuckled to himself a little once more that afternoon and let out a breath, "In the end we settled on Eleanor…like my Grandma calls you sometimes." He rested his chin over her shoulder and closed his eyes again. "Do you like it, Helga…the name, I mean? Sorry, I've been…I know it's silly since it was just a dream but I guess I've just been curious what you'd think of it."

He felt her gulp against him. "W-Well…" she whispered near his ear… "I…I think…the name you picked out is…beautiful. Eleanor's a beautiful name…Arnold." She turned back a little bit so that she was sitting with her side against him, his arms holding her against him from behind…She laid one of her arms over one of his around her, securing his hug even more…the side of her head was against rising and falling chest once again.

"Was, um…was I a good mom, Arnold?" the young boy heard her ask of him quietly all of a sudden.

Arnold blinked at the question, not really understanding what it was about (not just yet in his life, anyway…), and then thought back to his dream…and just spoke what he remembered. "Well…I only got pieces of us being married since it was a dream but…" his smile and half lidded gaze returned, "…She, Eleanor, was smiling and happy and laughing in your arms when the stork brought her. And I remember times when you were walking with her places or hugging her or when all of us were hugging each other and…She was really happy all those times." He sighed at that image…of a whole family with parents and their kid… Part of him wanted to mention to her that that picture made him…a lot happier and (more interestingly) a lot less sad and…left out… than he would have thought it would make him… 'But…maybe not…not right now…when we're like this…happy and peaceful together. But one day…later.' "You were a good Mom, Helga," Arnold finally finished, holding her a little more closely, savoring the warmth between them.

Arnold just barely managed to see Helga's smile pick up from the view he had of the side of her face, considering how she was sitting. He then heard and felt her let out a deep…almost relieved breath.

"I'm glad, Arnold…" Helga finally managed in reply to him, "That makes me…really happy, hearing that. Thanks. And thanks for telling me about your dream…it was beautiful." 'Heh…almost worried I'd end up like…' she swallowed and didn't let the thought continue, 'But…she's better now so…And Arnold said I was a good Mom… But still, maybe I…' Helga considered asking for more details…but then recalled that she'd already been pretty lucky with him not questioning that very random question of hers…and besides it really had just been a dream and not something real…and also she…she really she didn't want to dwell on potential negative things now…Not when she was here and happy and in his arms on a date together. She settled for smiling a bit more and adding to her 'thank you', "And…I…I bet you were the best Dad ever, Football Head."

Arnold instantly blushed brightly at that sudden compliment from his girlfriend, and glanced down. "Oh…" he swallowed.. "Th-Thanks, Helga…I hope so. I mean, we all seemed really happy together. Like a really happy f-family."

He was happy when she didn't notice his very slight stutter on that last word.

"Mmm hmm…" she merely replied in contentment and probably lost in a daydream or two of her own at the moment and then she leaned up a little and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "So…" she went on in that light and lovely voice of hers that she only spoke in when they were in private, and asked with genuine curiosity "…Anything else fun happen in your dream, Football Head...?"

Arnold just shrugged a little, still smiling (of course). "Just bits and pieces of our life, like I said. It was a dream so it was a little hazy of course…But…like I said on Monday in the alley before school, it was really really…good." He swallowed and added in nearly a whisper. "I think I'd be happy if I ended up getting married to you, Helga. Like I said, you're…special."

Her heart just…She was really about to cry at this point and knew she needed to move things along before that happened. "Y-Yeah, so you keep telling me, Arnoldo…" she joked, even managing a small laugh, and then let out a breath and plowed on, facing forward a little bit again so that he wouldn't be able to catch the glint of a tear or two already at the corners of her eyes. "So…in that case…wanna here the bits and pieces of MY dream now, Football Head…? You know—the one you brought on by tossing me back like some kind of romancing Don Juan…Mr. Daredevil?" The tears feeling at bay, she turned her head and torso a bit once more and smirked at him right near his face.

Arnold just let out a chuckle…and then almost shivered at the feeling of her then suddenly taking the liberty of gently stroking a finger up and down his sweater over his chest. "S-Sure…H-Helga…I wouldn't mind you making me blush a little more…" His eyes opened in utter pleasure, meeting hers.

"Mmm…" She smiled even more. "Good." She stopped with the finger and just played with his hair near his collar a tiny bit as she spoke. "Okay, well, it picked up right after that kiss of yours on our date! You grabbed me and told me we shouldn't wait—that we should start on our fabulous life together right away! A plane arrived to take us to Paris (that's my official dream destination for us by the way, Arnoldo)…and then there were dinners and dancing and balloon rides and daring escapades…we had a perfume named after us (don't recall if I mentioned that desire of mine but just putting it out there, my angel)…And then those kids you tried to name after your ex-girlfriends and after my ex-stalker came along…"

Arnold laughed warmly at the memory of his naming joke…as well as it that piece of perfume information that was certainly news to him. "Yeah?" he raised an eyebrow. "And what else Helga…?" he asked with interest, always loving that imagination of hers. He continued to hold her happily around the waist and back, waiting to hear what she'd share with him next…

Cool sounds of jazz continued to fill the room as the two kids just sat, talking about their dreams and stuff like this, holding each other in love.

---

JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES FOR ME, OKAY?

"Hey…Football Head?"

Arnold looked up from the math notebook he was writing in at the moment, and smiled at the girl seated beside him on the edge of the pink bed with his half lidded gaze. "Yes, Helga?" he asked sincerely. As he observed her face he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the slight blush upon her features and the slightly shy look in her eyes.

She seemed to pick up on his confusion and concern and in response adjusted her own features a little, just smiling calmly and rolling her eyes to the side…and then asking him (or rather tried asking of him) casually, "You, uh…you wouldn't be willing to take a break from the math for a minute to help me with something, would you?"

Arnold smiled at her again, almost laughing at the playfully asked curious little question, and then placed his notebook and textbook beside him upon her bed. "Of course, Helga. What is it?"

Arnold noticed a somewhat sly smile come to her face at this affirmative response from him, and she now turned her coy eyes to his again. "Oh…just a little something. Just close your eyes for me, okay?"

Arnold blinked at the strange request. 'Close my…' "Uh, okay, Helga, but…why?"

Helga let out a slightly exasperated sigh, though she was still smiling like crazy to herself. "Oh come on, Arnoldo—humor me a little! I just want to see about something but I don't think I can get an unbiased opinion from you unless your eyes are closed…" 'Stubborn little thing…Needs to get dragged by the hand through everything sometimes! Still…he's my stubborn little thing…and that's really all that matters.'

Arnold watched her with a blank and curious expression on his face for another second…but then his trusting, warm smile began to return. "Well…okay, Helga…But do I at least get to know first what I'm supposed to be giving my unbiased opinion about?" 'This is going it be a good one, isn't it?' he couldn't help but think in amusement to himself… 'Another little scheme from her…'

Helga just chuckled and shook her head at him playfully in response. "No, no…I need the element of surprise too if I'm going to get an accurate reading, Football Head."

Arnold just sighed, his smile growing a bit more as was his curiosity. "Of course. Whatever you say, Helga…" And with that he adjusted himself a bit on the edge of her bed and then closed his eyes, the content and happy smile still on his face.

Arnold then heard what sounded like Helga moving around her room a bit as he waited for whatever it was she needed his opinion on… 'Maybe she's got some more pink books for me…or some new way of doing her hair…Or maybe she's going to punch me in the shoulder and take my hat and tell me that I need to quit going along with being such an easy target.' He sighed to himself again and almost shook his head. 'Well, at least there's never a dull moment when I'm spending time with Helga…'

"Okay. Ready, Football Head?"

The sound of her excited and almost giggly voice brought Arnold out of his thoughts. "Oh, uh, ready, Helga. Should I open my eyes now or—"

"Uh-bup-bup!" She quickly cut him off. "You just keep them shut tight until I say so, so that I can get an unbiased opinion like I said, okay?"

Arnold chuckled to himself at the instruction. "Okay, Helga. I won't peek, I pro—MMM!"

Arnold instantly felt his heart start pounding at the feeling of Helga Pataki's lips suddenly firmly upon his own…but then with some new experience too…almost like a…a flavor? His mind couldn't help going back to that joke she'd made right here at her bedroom window during their one week anniversary not too long ago…about whether or not he wanted her to 'get any particular flavor' for him…flavor of…

He felt her pull back mere seconds into the kiss and took a few deep breaths as he tried to calm his fluttering heart down. "Helga, wha—" he automatically started to open his eyes in his confusion and curiosity.

Instantly, Arnold felt a warmth and a darkness descend over them though, and he realized that Helga must have covered his eyes with her hand. "Hey, I thought you said you wouldn't peek, paste for brains! Sheesh!" she scolded from right near him. "Now, just keep them shut like I said because I'm not done yet…Hmm…" Her hand was removed and he obediently kept his eyes closed as she had reminded him. Arnold just listened as she then continued speaking, though it no longer sounded like she was addressing him. "Guess the blueberry one's a dud…Ah, let's try this one!"

'Blueberry…?' As the words she'd just said processed, the ten-year-old boy found himself pressing his lips together and indeed tasting…blueberries? "Helga, I mean it—what are you…" He still hadn't quite put two and two together…and didn't have time to do it now before… "MMM!"

Arnold felt his heart start racing yet again as Helga Pataki's lips surprisingly met his own once more and again with a flavor…though this one was kind of sweet and sugary and it made him turn up his nose for second. 'Too sweet! Ugh, what is that?' He was starting to miss just the nice, simple taste of her own plain, regular lips… Not that he'd been actively tasting them when they kissed of course (he blushed at the very idea of that…of being that…forward and ungentlemanly about the whole thing…) but still…they always left some kind of nice… 'presence'…upon his own lips…and he liked that just fine…or at least more than any of these blueberries or sweet stuff…

As his thoughts finished, Arnold, meanwhile, felt Helga pull away at the physical reaction on his part to her latest attempt with this thing she 'needed his help with'. "You don't like the Mocha one either?" he heard her ask. "Good. I hate that sugary tasting stuff—yuck!" A second of silence passed and it sounded to him like she was…almost rummaging through something. "And you didn't seem to be the biggest fan of the blueberry, Football Head—kind of middle of the road, at least…Let's see…"

Arnold felt his breathing and heart rate just barely starting to come under control again, and as it happened his brain really started to process some of the stuff he was hearing Helga saying…and that memory about kissing and 'flavors'…and the fact that it kept feeling like an almost slick substance had been left behind on his mouth both times she'd just kissed him…and how his thoughts had just been turning in the direction of analyzing the flavor or her own plain, perfect lips.

And then it finally clicked!

'She's…' "Helga, are you…trying out different lip glosses on me?" He almost couldn't believe he was asking the question…but it was what indeed seemed to be happening right now.

He just heard her scoff nonchalantly at his startled inquiry. "Well, I guess I could have just been subtle and tried a different one out on you for our next four or five or six dates and slowly gauged your reactions…but this way seemed much more direct and like much more fun if you ask me, Head Boy!" He heard her laugh to herself.

Her reply processed with him…and then Arnold considered getting very embarrassed…but then he just let out a happy, almost relieved sigh and smiled…and let the warmth and blushing come to his face without worry or resistance. "Helga…" he began, once again truly amazed at her random and yet always creative ways of dealing with situations…and how fun it all was when you truly got to know and be part of it all. "…You know, you could have just told me that you wanted to do this…I…wouldn't exactly have said no…" More blushing. "And…why do I have to have my eyes closed?" This last part of this whole thing was truly still a mystery to him…and he was curious as to what creative explanation she would give for it.

Arnold heard Helga sigh in response to the question and explain simply, "Well, as for just telling you about this, believe me, just doing it was a lot more fun and more my style…And as for your eyes needing to be closed…well…"

"MMM! …Mmm…" Arnold felt his heart skip a beat in surprise as her lips came firmly to his own again…though this time, being a bit more prepared for it, he managed to really savor this kiss for at least just a moment before Helga pulled away.

"…If you can see which flavor I'm putting on before I kiss you," she continued, "…how in the world am I going to get your honest reaction about how they taste?" She giggled to herself.

Trying not to laugh at her cute (and rather convenient for her) logic and to focus on his own task in this 'epic quest' for a good flavor, Arnold pressed his lips together again, another flavor of gloss clinging to them, and could detect just a trace of peach flavor… The taste was good but the smell that suddenly hit his nose was a bit strong and involuntarily he reached up and wiped it from it mouth. 'Whatever she picks shouldn't overpower how she…tastes…It should just…make it more…more fun I guess…every once in a while…'

He heard Helga sigh in frustration at this latest failure. "Hmm…no, not the peach one either…" It sounded like she was rummaging again. She scoffed to herself. "Last thing I need is you wiping off my kisses, Arnold…" she added humorously.

Arnold had to laugh at the statement, allowing his hands that had been resting against the edge of her bed to brace himself when he still hadn't been entirely sure what was coming to now just rest comfortably in his lap. "Sorry, Helga…I'm sure you'll get the right one eventually, though…" He let out a sigh of feigned exasperation, and found the courage in himself to add playfully… "…Even if we have to do this all afternoon…"

That comment actually made Helga laugh a bit now as well…He imagined she might be blushing too. He liked when she blushed. "I really did create a monster by getting you past that modesty roadblock during our one week anniversary, didn't I, Football Head?" she just asked of him in amusement as her hunt for another flavor for them to try out continued.

And now Arnold blushed slightly himself. It wasn't that he hadn't gotten more than used to liking the kissing, it was just…something about her bringing it up directly like that just made his cheeks automatically tingle with warm blood. He was about to try and reply to Helga in some small, shy, playful way, when he heard her start talking to herself again and decided to just sit and listen a bit once more…It was fun listening to her talk to herself sometimes anyway… It was like she and her creativity could just carry on full conversations together if she had enough on her mind and especially if she thought she was alone (like if he went to get something and came back to the room he'd left her by herself in, or if he stumbled upon her hiding near some lockers or behind some trashcans or something in school…and sometimes if they were really relaxed and quiet together she'd do it a little…kind of like now…) It was cute. Just like her.

"Let's see…" Helga continued speaking now as she rummaged and Arnold did his best to bring his thoughts back to the present moment…and back to the chance to hear her think out loud a little bit more. "Okay this one? Mmm…no… Or maybe… No…" A disappointed sigh. Then there were just the sounds of her rummaging for a few seconds more…

…And then Arnold heard her suddenly announce in a very satisfied tone. "Ah-ha! Let's give this one a shot!"

A second passed during which Arnold puckered his lips in preparation…

Rather than feeling his girlfriend's flavored kiss though, instead another second later Arnold just heard Helga giggle right near his face, almost like she had stopped in the middle of swooping in for the next 'test'. "Ah, used to me now, are we, Football Head?" she just asked a bit smugly.

Arnold chuckled and unpuckered for a second. "Just trying to be prepared, Hel—Mmm…" Her lips met his, and his heartbeat picked up speed and…and then suddenly an incredibly sour taste met his mouth. "Mmm!" Arnold had to exclaim and actually pull away, and he felt his face cringe up. "Not that one, Helga! Please!" Of course he'd still kiss her no matter what she chose to try and make her lips taste like but…he really REALLY hoped she didn't pick that one.

"Yeah, too sour…" he (thankfully) heard her reply, "So much for Green Apple…" More rummaging sounds then met his ears. "Hmm…something fruity but not too sweet…that smells nice…that isn't too sour…"

She continued her search as Arnold wiped the last of the sour lip-gloss from his mouth, giving him a fresh palette.

"Hmm…okay, let's give this a shot then and if it doesn't work maybe we can take a break and try again later or on Friday…Don't want to overwhelm that mouth of yours too much, Arnoldo…Last thing I need are your lips out of commission or something for a day or two recover from the 'flavor shock', heh, heh…"

Arnold felt laughter inside of him but took a deep breath and was about to pucker so that they could get on to their last test for the day, when Helga (once again) beat him to it. "Mmm! Mmm…Mmm..." It took a second for the taste to process with Arnold, considering the number of different ones he'd just been exposed to…but when it did, before he knew what he was doing, he'd reached up and put his hands on either side of Helga's head, pulling her in to continue the kiss much longer past the standard few seconds she'd been doing to test these different flavors.

She didn't resist…

The two of them continued to remain kissing like this for quite a while until eventually they both recalled that while kissing each other was always wonderful, there was just something about oxygen that was also quite nice (and, unfortunately, necessary) as well…

Arnold loosened his grip on Helga's head and hair a bit and he felt Helga's lips separate from his own…though that taste still lingered…mixed with her own…It was delicious, the whole thing…the whole mixed up crazy thing… 'Delicious…'

"Bingo…that one…" was all he heard her say, with a giggle.

Arnold blinked a couple of times at the sound of her voice and then finally opened his eyes with a dreamy smile. "Huh?" 'Hmm…Where am I, again?'

His eyes came to focus on Helga, who just giggled again with delight at how dazed he seemed. She straightened up from leaning over him and then grabbed a small plastic tube off of her bed, next to a small bag that seemed to hold a lot of other small tubes. "I said, that one's our winner, Football Head. The one that didn't make you cringe or wipe it off or just kiss me indifferently…the one that made you make out with me a little…" Blushing now, she zipped up the small bag and then sat down next to him on the bed and smiled, gesturing to the tube still in her hand. "Raspberry Lemonade…sweet and sour and not too strong but definitely still packs a wallop…" An interesting thought occurred to her, "Kind of like you and me...especially when we're together. Excellent choice, Football Head…You're just a regular connoisseur, aren't you…?" She placed the tube on her nightstand and then tossed the make-up bag with the other options inside of it over onto her desk. She sighed and crossed her legs, and leaned back a little on her arms, still smiling to herself. "Yeah, Olga told me the other day that she had a whole collection of those things in her room, and 'casually' kind of hinted that if I wanted to try some of them out I'd be more than welcome…" She looked at Arnold and shrugged, and her grin picked up a little one side. "And, well, you know me, Arnold—I just love sharing! So I figured I might as well see which of those glosses you were into and then which of them I was into, and then maybe we could find one we both like… and I like the one that you just picked too so it looks like another mission accomplished for us, Football Head!" She gave him a playful nudge in the shoulder and then laughed to herself again, just gazing at him happily.

And Arnold, now that her explanation was complete, just sighed to himself…finding himself likewise lost in his love's eyes with a smile on his face. "Oh…good…" he answered, still in a bit of a daze…And then a thought occurred to him in the midst of all of this romanticness and kissing, and he swallowed and instantly felt a slight blush start to creep up into his cheeks again…but he honestly didn't care at the moment. "But, uh…" he went on, glancing upward innocently and trying to keep the smile on his face under control, "Maybe…just to be safe, of course…we should double check about the Raspberry Lemonade one…j-just to make sure…" He darted his eyes over and now glanced at her unsurely out of the corner of his eye.

He watched as Helga blinked for a second, a touch of doubt coming to her face…almost as though she seriously did think that he was having some kind of a problem with the choice she'd just come to…

…But then her brain processed the exact way he'd said what he'd said…and how he was blushing so much…and smiling at her as he glanced at her shyly…so adorably shyly…

…And a smile grew on her face…first one of elation and then (naturally) a more mischievous one. She leaned in closer to Arnold. "Hmm…well, I guess you do have a point there, Football Head. And, you know, DOUBLE checking is all fine and good but let's not live TOO on the edge here—triple and quadruple checking probably wouldn't hurt either, and it's not like we've got anywhere to go today or anything, so…" Not taking her eyes off of Arnold, she reached over to her nightstand, grabbed the lip gloss tube, instantly applied a bit more to her mouth, and then leaned in even closer to her romantic little love god again…and shut her eyes…

"But hey," she announced with a smirk, eyes still shut tight, "You already got to have all of the fun with having those kisses be surprises… So you get your eyes open, Head Boy, because now it's my tur—MMM! Mmm…." She savored Arnold's sudden kiss for many many seconds…

Eventually the football headed boy pulled away slightly and with a chuckle leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Whatever you say, Helga…"

Helga took a second to process the kiss and what he'd just said, and then felt a lovesick giggle escape her, her eyes still closed. "Okay, well, then carry on with the extra tests, my Arnold…"

She heard Arnold chuckle once more and then felt the warmth of his face come towards her own once again…

---

LOVE OR CHEESE

"Oh Arnold…do I have a date activity in store for you for today or do I have a date activity in store for you today…" Helga, arms behind her back, leaned over and smirked at her beloved sitting upon the edge of her bed.

Arnold, who had only just arrived at the Pataki residence on this afternoon following his usual day of pretending to be hated by Helga at school and who really hadn't been expected this sudden (and slightly suggestive) statement from his girlfriend so immediately upon finding himself in her room, just blinked, confusion entering his eyes. "Uh…" He swallowed nervously…leaning back from her a little… "Heh…uh…so…w-what did you have in mind…exactly…Helga?" Anticipation competed with nervousness and uncertainty…and just a touch of excitement. This was Helga G. Pataki after all…and she…was 'no ordinary girl', to put it mildly…not at all.

'Cute.' Helga just giggled at his little stutterings and then proceeded to walk two of her fingers slowly up his chest as she spoke (in a low voice). "Oh don't get all worked up about it, Arnold—I'll do all the work. You just sit there, okay?" She finished by tapping his nose with her index and then straightening up again…and admiring the bright blush she'd managed to make flower in his face.

The ten-year-old boy just nodded shyly in response to her question, not really sure of what else to do at the moment…especially considering his potential situation…He felt his heart racing a million miles an hour. He had NO idea where she was going with all of this.

Helga let out a breath and then turned on her heel. "Okay, so, you just sit there and I'll get something, and then we can start. And thanks for being such a sport, my love." And with that and a wink she walked over to her closet, opened the door, stepped inside and proceeded to rummage around a bit.

Arnold, meanwhile, just continued to wait patiently on the edge of her bed…although now he was glancing down at his sweater with wide eyes…feeling warmth in those places her fingertips had touched going along his stomach and up his chest. 'Girls are, um… I mean, how did she know something like that would make me feel…' He blushed more and tried to take a deep breath and focus a little bit. 'Okay, I've just got to calm down and be myself…If she wants to kiss or something, then, well…I mean, I pretty much always want to kiss her…' Arnold had already completely given up on denying this fact to himself anymore, '…and we've done it a lot before…even if it does seem like she might want something a little more…intense…this time around.' He gulped, doing his best to reassure himself. 'But it's okay—whatever it is she wants to do, I'll just be calm and put my arm around her and take it slow, and it'll work out perfectly like always…Yeah…I'll be fine. We'll be fine.' A small smile even came to his face then. 'Maybe, whatever it is, she'll use the lip gloss again…' Helga and Arnold had come to a basic agreement after that day deciding on the Raspberry Lemonade flavor of gloss that it would be something only used every once in a while or on special occasions…just to keep it a special thing. Besides, despite how nice it was to have a little something extra to taste, Arnold really didn't have any problem with just that plain, perfect, natural flavor of her soft mou—

"Alright, let's get to it, Arnoldo!"

Arnold blinked and came out of his thoughts and looked up…

…And had to raise an eyebrow at the sight of Helga standing there with a smile and…a camera? "Um…" Okay, now he was officially stumped. Indeed, he had genuinely no idea where she was going with whatever she had planned for today but it certainly seemed different from what he'd imagined.

Helga just giggled and rolled her eyes at his blank stare. "It's a camera, Sherlock." She held it up a little, and pushed her closet door shut with her hip. "What, did you think I was going to ask you up to the shrine for a little 'alone time' or something?" She laughed fully to herself at the image of her and him necking in front of her shrine of all things. Eventually she managed to get the chuckles under control, and cleared her throat and addressed him again. "Seriously though, I…well…" she blushed a little and took a few steps toward him, "I…well it's close to the time of year when I'd try and get a new 'Arnold photo' for my locket…you're still nine in the one in here, after all…. So…" she looked up at him and finally just asked it, "Can I take your picture, Arnold?"

Arnold continued to look utterly confused for another second.

But then he blushed a little more…and half smiled…and really almost laughed, his former nervousness leaving him entirely. "Uh…sure, Helga…" he replied shyly in amusement. "I just wish you'd told me before I came over though—I would have dressed up or something." He blushed a little at the idea of getting his picture taken…and all for her lovely locket…so she could carry it around right by her beating heart. Who even did stuff as romantic and sentimental and sweet as that anymore anyway? She really was just so special…

While Arnold was distracted with marveling at her, Helga was just laughing warmly at her beloved's precious little touch of concern about his appearance. She proceeded to play with the camera a little as she spoke. "Nah—I want a picture of you looking just like you always do, Arnold...just like I've always had. My perfect Arnold, just smiling at me like I always used to want him to…and now like he does everyday..." She'd been focused on adjusting a few things with the camera…which explained why her eyes suddenly went open wide at the feeling of a small surprise kiss being placed upon her cheek by her beloved who had apparently gotten up to give it to her while she had been talking. She looked to him curiously, unable to help feeling a bit flustered at being so unexpectedly taken by romantic surprise like that.

Arnold, blushing quite a bit from his spontaneous action, just smiled and glanced down shyly with a blush, his hands behind his back. "Sorry…your poetry always gets to me, Helga…and what was just said was pretty, well…poetic…" He let his eyes meet hers again. 'She just puts everything in the most beautiful way imaginable… When she cares about something it's just…it's just lovely watching her love it…' He wanted to kiss her…kiss her kiss her…very badly all of a sudden… Doing the greatest thing in the world with the greatest girl in the world… He'd never just suddenly wanted to like this ever before…not even during that first week together when he'd denied himself almost every opportunity for it because he'd been scared of it… And the desire for it felt…wonderful.

Helga smiled warmly at him and snapped him out of his near daydreams…and near compulsion to actually go for that 'kiss her kiss her' thing…with a chuckle and a quick, "Aw, thanks, Arnoldo." She then caught him in a quick hug and pulled back a few seconds later to happily observe the goofy smile that had come to his face from her sudden embrace. She let out a sigh, putting her free hand not still holding the camera on her hip. "Okay, okay, enough mush, Football Head—plant yourself somewhere so I can snag the photo of you, and then we can get on to cuddling on my bed while we do our homework or watching a movie with some snacks downstairs or something!"

Arnold blinked several times and then cleared his throat and straightened his sweater just a little from her hug. "Oh, uh…right. Sorry, Helga." 'She's right. Other…stuff…can happen later… For now though she wants a picture and…well, what kind of gentleman would I be if I denied a lady something as simple as that?'

"Less apologizing, more smiling and posing, paste for brains!" Helga joked with a smirk and then gave him a gentle nudge forward. Arnold just sighed with a smile, rolled his eyes and shook his head, and then headed back over to her bed and sat on the edge once more.

Helga pressed a button or two more on the camera to set things up. 'So adorable when he's all dazed all because of little old me…'

"Hey, Helga?"

She glanced up to see a (very surprisingly) very perplexed looking Arnold. "Uh, yes, light of my life?" she asked with a half grin and part of her brow raised.

Arnold did his best not to laugh at the address, and then he asked a very good question that had suddenly come to mind considering the situation. "Helga…you've been carrying around a picture of me with you ever since you met me, right?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, still holding the camera, and nodded. "You got it, Football Head—always loved having your gorgeous smile right near my heart."

He tried not to blush too much at her way of putting it and to just finish his inquiry. "Okay, so…" he raised an eyebrow, looking positively stumped all of a sudden, "…So, how did you get the pictures without me knowing for all of these years?"

Helga blinked at the excellent question…and then a very amused grin came to her face and for a moment she seemed lost in some memories. "Uh, well…" she finally started in explanation after a second or two, "I'd just, you know…wait until picture day at school and then make sure I got mine done right away so I'd be free, and then when yours happened I'd have Phoebe pull some kind of diversion or set one up myself to distract the other kids, and then I'd snap a quick photo of you just as the photographer did. You know, so the flashes would match up and no one would know notice….Think of it as a standard, annual scheme." She just shrugged at him. "Oh…and as for the first picture I ever got of you…from way back when we were in preschool… Well…let's just say I was very lucky that the teacher wanted to take pictures of us to celebrate our first day…and that it wasn't a coincidence that you had to get your picture taken twice since the first one 'mysteriously disappeared.'" She made air quotes around the last phrase (as best she could while still holding the camera) and winked at him when she was done.

"Hmm…" Arnold looked impressed at this new revelation. "Not bad." He couldn't help but smirk a little and add though, "I'm just surprised you didn't take the opportunity to get them by sneaking into my room to spy on me some more or something." And in truth if that had indeed turned out to have been her method of getting his photo for those six years, he wouldn't have been surprised considering half of her other exploits involving him over the course of their lives that she'd filled him in on so far.

Helga let out a sigh and shook her head in a bit of amusement…glancing down in thought and memories… "Well, believe me, not that I would have passed up any excuse for breaking into you room to be near you, Football Head, but the school picture thing was the only way to get a perfect, straight on head shot every time. I tried just doing it on my own a few times but you were always turning in a funny way or had your eyes closed or were looking at me kind of annoyed or gawking at some silly bimbo who—" Helga had started to scowl a little bit at this last point that had automatically come into her head and out of her mouth.

Luckily, Arnold had noticed…and had made the quick decision to promptly come to the rescue.

Indeed, Helga blinked and practically almost dropped her camera at the feeling of Arnold, who had approached her once more, suddenly wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close and bringing his soft green eyes right to her fiery blue ones. She just stood there, frozen and wide-eyed and unable to speak, arms stiff at her sides…

And then Arnold finally sighed…and addressed her in a quiet…low voice. "You know…" he began softly, trying to take in all of that perfect blue in her gaze, "…over the last few months I've really started to understand why you act the way you do around me, Helga G. Pataki… But to be honest I don't think I'll ever understand how you can be jealous of other girls…other girls who don't have the ability or the passion to stalk someone they care about night and day, who don't have the creativity or skill to build shrines to certain people in closets, who don't have the talent or the love inside of them to write volumes of poetry… Really—no matter how many years go by I don't think it'll ever make any sense to me…"

He gave his words a moment to absorb.

And then the football headed fourth grader closed his eyes and gave Helga's perfect-just-as-they-were lips a soft, gentle, lingering kiss…(similar to that first real kiss from him he'd given her on the night of their first date just before his confession…but quite a bit longer, of course)…

Eventually, he allowed their mouths to separate with a small sound, and opened his eyes again. 'I guess I could have waited but…Doing it now wasn't just for me…it was for her too…So…I think that makes it alright.' He watched her eyes flutter open too…a deep rosiness instantly flowered in her face…and then she just let out a small girlish sigh in response his action. 'Yeah. Definitely alright…'

Arnold just let out his own satisfied sigh, smiled just a bit more at her, and then finally gently released the dazed, wide eyed girl from his arms and returned himself to the edge of her bed. Sitting down there once more that afternoon, he scooched back a little and pulled up his legs this time, sitting cross-legged now. "So, are we going to do this picture, Helga…or would it be easier for you if I just walked around twenty four hours a day looking at you like I'm looking at you right now?" And indeed, he'd become much more aware of just what look it was that she loved so much, and was now doing his best (and succeeding at) giving it to her…which wasn't hard considering their kiss and how he felt about her in general. "I'm honestly okay with either choice, Helga…" he finished sincerely and still with that smile that she apparently found so attractive.

He watched as Helga blinked a few times more, continued to blush quite a bit, and then just smiled sheepishly in his direction and finally seemed to pull herself out of her enamored euphoria. "Oh! Uh…yeah, the picture…" She swallowed and looked at him a little apologetically for a moment. "Sorry for going a little 'jealous Helga' for a second on you there, Arnold. Old habits…" She shrugged and then cleared her throat, and her former happy smile returned. And finally she brought up the camera to her eye. "Say cheese, Football Head…or 'I love you, Helga.' I'm good with both…"

Arnold laughed warmly once more, happy she was okay again and just…just happy to be doing this random, slightly strange…and yet undeniably fun and interesting thing with her right now. "Love or cheese, huh?" he joked a little. "Well, since I've been saying it a lot less longer than you have considering we're only on week two of our relationship… I love you, Helga."

FLASH

'I know, Arnold…I know…' she thought happily to herself as she lowered the camera to look directly at her beloved once more…

…But then she quickly brought it back up to her eye and took a few steps closer to him. "And now just a few more…Strictly for posterity, of course!" She moved her face up and winked and then brought her eye back down to the viewer and started snapping a few more shots, flashes going off like crazy! 'Eh…might as well get some while the getting's good!'

"Helga!" Arnold laughed and laughed, closing his eyes and holding an arm in front of himself at the sight of all the flashes.

She just moved even closer, circling around him on her bed a little, angling the camera in different ways. "Oh you're a natural, Football Head—very photogenic! Maybe you should have been the one to get that modeling contract I had instead of me—WHOA!" She laughed and fell forward as Arnold had just reached out and grabbed one of her arms, playfully pulling down onto the bed with him. And now, she realized, in her surprise, he'd managed to get the camera!

"No, I…think of the two of us you make the better 'It Girl', Helga." He smirked a her and then flashed a photo or two of his own, laughing to himself. "Yup, there we go—that natural talent is just shining through! Come on, Helga, scowl for the camera—or smile if you want to." He lifted his head away from the viewer for a second. "Even if people like you better the first way I'll love you no matter what you choose or how you act." He smirked a little more. "Although I 'just don't understand why you can't act nice like that all the time'?" He playfully mocked his words from that whole 'It Girl' fiasco, and then just shook his head at her and the whole memory in amusement. "Mean and nasty and insensitive…yeah, only to people who you don't want to know that you secretly love them!" He winked and burst into warm laughter again as he went and snapped another photo.

With a laugh and her own playful smirk Helga suddenly rolled over onto him and pinned a smiling Arnold down on her bed by his shoulders. "Hey, first of all, you're the one who admitted back then that you liked when I acted nice but yet you still couldn't figure out that you maybe sort of like-liked me, you dense little Football Head!" She leaned in just a bit closer to him, her eyes half lidded. "And second of all, no more modeling for me ever! Now give me back my camera before the 'mean, nasty and insensitive' Helga G. Pataki pounds that Football Head of yours flat!"

"With punches or with kisses?" he asked, not missing a bit…and then managed to lift up one of his arms enough to get a grip on one of her arms and shift her to the side off of him.

Helga collapsed onto her side on her comforter, and then just let herself rest on her back for a moment next to him. She took a second or two catch her breath and then turned her head and lifted it up a little, allowing her smiling, flushed face to hover right over his as she announced plainly, simply, and with a ton of fun in her tone, "Guess!"

Before Arnold could respond though, Helga had reached up and over him to try and steal her camera once more…though she failed as he was now holding as far away from her as possible, having more than anticipated her fresh attack. "Nice try, Helga…but I knew you were going to try for it again…I could just feel it…" he smirked a little bit at her, "I really have just been…how did you put it, Helga… 'figuring you out all over the place' ?" he joked with a grin.

Helga let out a breath and just looked down over him right into those jellybean green eyes of his. "Oh yeah…" a touch of scarlet tinged her features…as she got an idea, "Did you 'figure out' I was going to do this, Football Head?"

And before Arnold could question her about this cryptic sentence, she brought her hands to his sides and began to tickle him like crazy!

"H-H-Helga!" he managed to get out between laughs, being forced to let the camera drop to her bed as he brought his formerly extended arm down to try and stop her. "H-H-Helga! Okay, okay, I…" he laughed a ton more, "I give up! You win! I'm the better 'It Girl' and you can take my picture all you want, alright?" his smiling mouth finally admitted in the throws of chuckles and convulsions.

"Hmm—knew you'd see it my way Arno—" Helga paused. She, with a very amused smirk, had just been reaching over her beloved to finally grab back the camera once and for all…

However, one of Arnold's hands had instantly shot up at her movement, and now it was grabbing her lightly by the wrist. She blinked, and looked down at him again.

He was just smiling…in that 'half lidded gaze' way like in her locket picture.

"Helga, Helga, Helga…" he began, "Now I think you of all people should be able to tell the difference between when someone admits to something sincerely and when they admit to it...in the heat of the moment…"

"What the heck are you talki—" She sucked her breath in sharply at suddenly feeling her beloved's other arm instantly come up around her waist and back, pulling her body against his on the bed! The arm of the wrist he'd grabbed pressed against the full length of his arm as well, the two limbs still reaching overhead. "A-Arnold, wha—" She was confused and a little worried and quite nervous…especially because his face right below hers was still just smiling ever so nicely.

Arnold just shook his wide head at her a little in amusement. "Tickling, Helga? Really? Is that what our relationship has come to…?" He let out a sigh and shrugged. "Well, alright. If that's fair game now for getting to each other then count me in, I guess." He winked. And even though he was a little scared himself…he was also finding this all quite fun! And he hadn't gotten in a tickle fight with someone in ages…not since he was a little kid…

Helga felt her heart pounding like mad. Her jaw dropped a little and her lower lip trembled… He wasn't…he didn't mean… 'Not Arnold…' "You…" a smile almost came to her face at how absurdly obvious it was that he was bluffing… "You wouldn't dare…"

Arnold just shook his head again. "No, Helga, this isn't like that time on our anniversary when you said you were going to give Mr. Simmons the 'name poem' you wrote about me and have him read it out loud, but you really didn't mean it, or something. Yes, I would dare to do this, Helga…Actually, I'm kind of looking forward to it, to be honest…" He blushed a little but his half lidded gaze didn't falter. He held her a little more firmly around the waist.

Helga felt even more heat pound into her cheeks. She swallowed and felt a small squirm go through her body. She tried to maintain though, having forgotten all about the camera for a moment. "No…you would not 'dare'. I know you, Arnold…you're too much of a gentleman…" she smirked a little, feeling a bit more of her confidence return. She took her hand that he wasn't holding above their heads and used it to prop herself up a bit more and really just stare him and his bluffing little self down a bit. "You would not have it in you to tickle a girl, Arnold. Never." She squeezed his hand that she was holding a bit. "Except for TWO knee squeezes under very special circumstances, those hands of yours NEVER make it below my shoulders…EVER! Even when you're hugging me, they always end up resting as high on my back as you can get them…" She narrowed her eyes a bit and pushed her face forward so that now their noses were just gently pressing against each other… "Face it, Football Head…Your dark side…just isn't that dark." 'Don't ever try and bluff with me, Arnoldo…You'll lose every time…' She waited for him to cave.

Instead, the loving smile and the slightly narrowed eyes just remained.

"Did you know that my dark side…finds you…incredibly attractive, Helga Pataki?"

The next thing Helga became aware of was Arnold pulling her in and crushing her lips to his for several seconds, and the thing after that was suddenly being flipped onto her back and then convulsions and sparks and spirals and tingles and touches going all along her stomach and sides, and laughter and chuckles and giggles just pouring out of her mouth! "A-A-Arnold, s-s-stop!" she barely managed to get out in a fit smiles and laughs as he continued to lean over her, tickling her like crazy! 'He's…he's…oh…my…And WOW his fingers are strong…and his hands are so warm and he's…well, he's definitely touching me below my shoulders…' Amidst the tickles she couldn't help but writhe in just a teeny bit of pleasure. He'd never actively touched her this much before EVER! And then starting it out with that passionate kiss… And what was that thing he'd said before that? Something about finding her 'incredibly attractive'. She would have swooned if she hadn't been nearly doubled over in hysterics.

Arnold just laughed right along with her. Indeed he had himself positioned just over her body and was tickling all up and down it like crazy, not caring that a part of him felt a little awkward for doing this to her and a little guilty about that kiss…and a little incredibly embarrassed about outright admitting that 'incredibly attracted to her' thing… "Hmm…" he chuckled, thoroughly letting himself enjoy himself, "No, I really don't think I can stop, Helga. I didn't realize it would make you giggle…and you know how much I like that sound…" He moved his fingers just under her ribs on her sides (she seemed most ticklish there) and heard a bunch more of those giggles pour out of her.

"S-S-Seriously, it…A-Arnold!" Her eyes were shut tight and the smile on her face was a mile wide. "I can't…I-I'm going to kill you when this is over, you…A-A-Arnold!" She twisted to this side and that side but there was no escape. And part of her wasn't even sure that she wanted an escape.

Arnold laughed and laughed more as well, continuing to bombard her body with tickles. "Okay, Helga, I'll stop under one condition…"

"N-Name it! Please! A-A-Anything!" she barely managed.

And then suddenly the tickling had ceased (though the tingles and the joy and the warmth still remained all throughout Helga's body), and she blinked a couple of times and noticed Arnold had moved past her on the bed, reaching for something. As her awareness more fully returned she then saw him now sitting up next to her on her bed, his face flushed, breathing heavily, still smiling…he had the camera in his hands. She swallowed and sat up a little on her arms, figuring she looked about the same as him after all of that.

Finally Arnold took in a deep breath, let out a deep breath…and his half lidded gaze fell to her eyes. He stated his 'condition'. "I…get to take one, perfect, non-accidental, completely planned photo of you happy and smiling, Helga G. Pataki…or I'll go right back to tickling you…because that was the most fun I think I've ever had." He awaited her approval, already adjusting some things on the camera. "Might even top the kissing…Well, okay, nothing could top the really big ones between us...but it sure comes close…" His smile picked up a little more on one side.

Helga just blinked several times at his unexpected request, and then sat up fully and instantly turned scarlet and glanced down and to the side shyly, nervously, with wide eyes. "A-A-Arnold…" she smiled a little, "That's, uh…that's cute but come on…no one in their right mind would want a picture of me…I mean, that's just…silly, and I—"

"It is no sillier than you wanting a picture of me, Helga…" Arnold simply stated, finishing up with the camera and turning his eyes back to her. "Besides, I…well…I like you smiling…R-Remember…? I find you incredibly, um…a-attractive, Helga…" Blood pounded into his face and he felt a little shiver pass through him… In fact, that whole 'attraction' thing really had been getting worse now that he was no longer afraid to admit it to himself. He kept feeling all bubbly inside every time they were together at this point…But she really was just so very…

"R-Really, Arnold?"

This hesitant, little, squeaked question broke him out of his musings. He just smiled a little more. She was sitting there, blushing, wide eyed, looking about as shy as he'd ever seen her before. And very very unsure.

He just let out a sigh. "Smile and say cheese, Helga…or 'I'm madly in love with Arnold.' Either one…" He brought the camera to his eye.

He heard a small giggle escape her, and watched through the camera lens as she crossed her legs and placed her hands on either side of herself, and then just turned toward him, her face all rosy and smiling…her blue eyes so warm. "Yes, I'm madly in love with you, Arnold. Guilty as charged. And if you don't quit being such a flirt, I'm gonna start suspecting that you have a few feelings for me up your sleeve too."

FLASH

"I don't know what you're talking about, Helga…" Arnold brought the camera away from his eye and shrugged innocently. "Me with feelings for you…? Modest, mild-mannered Arnold suddenly completely, hopelessly and undeniably in love with you, huh? Captivated by your every move…Hanging on your every word…Dating you night and day…Hmm…that's a stretch, Helga…" She was just giggling again and again as he kept this up, only making Arnold want to milk things further. "But to help prove it, I guess we could take some more 'photographic evidence'…" He gave her a sly smile…

And suddenly the camera viewer was up by his eye again and he was snapping shot after shot once more. "Yes, I can see it now—we can make it a headline in the school paper. Helga G. Pataki Wins Heart of Football Headed Little Love God! Come on, Helga, smile for you boyfriend. And for the front page! Please!" He let the camera drop from his face for a moment and just gave into some serious laughter. "Hey!" Distracted by his happiness and laughter, he suddenly felt the camera snagged from his hands.

His eyes met those of a smiling Helga, who had it once again now, and who was just sitting across from him like before.

"First of all that headline should read something more like Do-Gooder Turned Into Romantic Daredevil by Queen of Kisses, Helga G. Pataki." She laughed to herself and shook her head at him and his jokes. "And second of all, there is NO way I'm letting you go through the rest of our lives thinking you finally beat me at something with this camera thing, Arnoldo!" She narrowed her eyes a little bit. "We've used a nice amount of the role…but here're twelve pictures left. Whoever snaps the last one is champion! And the loser buys the winner an ice cream cone later. Deal?"

Arnold just let out a sigh through his nose and narrowed his eyes as well. "Deal!"

"Great!" She brought the camera up to her eye. "I like banana chocolate chunk, Football Head. Just so you know."

"Hmm…I'll keep that in mind while I'm eating my cone of pistachio. Maybe I'll take pity on you and buy you a cone anyway though, Helga…" He tensed up a little, ready for the epic little struggle getting ready to resume between them.

FLASH

She scoffed as the shot was snapped "Confident, are we? And 'pistachio'? You are so abnormal sometimes, Arnoldo. What kid in their right mind picks that as their favorite flavor?" Moving the camera down from her face again, she tensed up as well, sensing what was about to come the second this witty banter ran out.

"Well…I was going to pick 'Raspberry Lemonade'…but I don't think they make that in an ice cream flavor, Helga…" He winked, and leaned closer.

She instantly swallowed and blushed, glancing away…her lips in a small smile. "Romantic deviant!" she managed with a gulp.

"Hey, you're the one who started this whole 'flavored lips' thing—not me…" he shot back playfully. "I'm just…going along for the ride…"

FLASH

"Speaking of just going along with things that I start…I'm never gonna let you forget the fact that you tickled me, Arnold. Never ever." She'd gotten in another shot and now adjusted the camera once again for the next picture. "Tell your dark side I'm impressed." She looked back up at him and winked.

"You're stalling right now, aren't you Helga?" Arnold merely asked with a smirk…though a blush had crept up into his cheeks…She had been right—prior to today his hands had gone no lower than her shoulders and upper back…And he knew he wouldn't have it in him to tickle her like that again anytime soon no matter what he'd said before about starting it up again if she'd refused him his photo of her… 'I cannot believe that I…' And yet, who was he kidding—with half the stuff with her he'd found himself involved with over the last few weeks…doing something like this was more than believable for him at this point. 'She's right…I'm a romantic deviant…' His smirk picked up considerably on one side. 'Hmm…it's not so bad, actually…Besides I'm sure I'll be back to normal by our next date…But for now…well, she's happy and I'm happy…does anything else really matter?'

"Oh maybe…" Helga's response to his question about the stalling broke through Arnold's thoughts. His eyes focused on her again, and he watched as she finished with the camera and then allowed it to rest in her lap for a moment. She glanced up at him. "What are you gonna do about it?"

He paused now…eyes narrowed once again. 'When you snatch the fly out of my hand…your training will be complete…' His grandmother's words echoed in his mind. "Well…I'm going to do this, Helga."

"What the heck are you tal—"

Her eyes went wide and she did a double take! Arnold now had the camera!

And he was instantly flashing away!

"Ten…Nine…Eight…I can taste the ice cream already, Helga!" he called out to her from behind the device, standing up and moving away from the bed to get a different angle on her.

Helga, finally coming out of shock at his incredibly quick steal of the camera, just resumed her former grin and held up an arm to defend herself from the bombardment of lights! "Oh that is it—You are dead Football Head!" And with that she was instantly up and chasing after him, missing him as he went across her room, but just managing to tackle him back onto the bed again when he doubled back. In all of his laughter at being stopped by her, she snagged the device for a minute and flashed a shot or two but then he clung to her all of a sudden and somehow managed to pop it out of her hands and into his own, and then somehow after another shot or two she got it back and then she got it again…the whole time the two of them taking picture after picture of each other and a shot or two accidentally going off over their heads the time or two that one of them reached up with the camera and the other one reached up for it.

And so Arnold and Helga spent the better part of the rest of their afternoon together in this fashion, just messing around, stealing the camera from each other, taking pictures, making little jokes and sharing little tickles…and maybe (of course) throwing in a little kiss or two along the way…

In the end they really didn't care who had ended up snapping the last photo. All they knew was that eventually the camera had run out of film. And so, with mutual shrugs and smiles they settled on making their own ice cream sundaes for each other downstairs to finish their afternoon together.

---

LAUNDRY DAY

"Hi Grandpa!" Arnold greeted happily as he entered the Boarding House, his eyes falling upon the familiar old man standing in the foyer. He closed the front door of the boarding house behind himself with a smile.

The elderly man, who had just been walking down the hall, stopped and smiled at the sudden arrival home of his Grandson this afternoon. "Oh hey, Shortman—there you are!" He reached into his suspenders and gave a quick glance to his pocket watch. "I thought you said you and Gerald would be done by five today. Game run a little long?" he looked back to Arnold, still smiling.

Arnold approached his grandfather and stretched up for a moment in just a bit of exhaustion, the end result of the long yet fun afternoon he'd just had. "Yeah—two extra innings. It was really fun to get to spend some extra time with Gerald though." And indeed, Arnold and Gerald hadn't exactly had a lot of quality time together lately for obvious reasons…and Arnold had thought that Helga and Phoebe were probably missing each other a bit as well…and so our favorite couple had decided that an afternoon or two off from their courtship wouldn't be the 'worst' thing in the world for them to endure.

Arnold came out of these brief recollections as it now fully washed over him that he was, indeed, quite a bit later than he'd expected to be. Almost an hour at this point. He looked up at his Grandfather and added sincerely, "Sorry I wasn't back in time to help start dinner, Grandpa."

Phil just waved him off with a grin. "Oh don't worry about that, Shortman. It's good to see you getting out a bit, anyway." His smile became just a bit slyer as he added with a dramatic eye roll, "I mean, not that it isn't great that you finally got things worked out with Helga, but all that time you're together you two usually spend up in your room or over at her house in her room doing 'who knows what.' Heh heh!" Naturally, Phil just couldn't resist.

Arnold felt a quick blush come to his cheeks and he instantly glanced down in embarrassment. "Grandpa…" Still, despite how annoyed he was trying to sound, a smile could obviously be seen pulling at the corners of his mouth…and, unbeknownst to Phil, the young boy's heart was also pleasantly fluttering as brief memories of all of his 'alone time' lately with Helga flitted through his wide mind.

"Heh, heh…" Phil just continued laughing to himself and then finally just smiled down at his Grandson once more. "Sorry, Arnold—couldn't resist!" He winked.

Arnold just sighed and rolled his eyes, his smile becoming more and more apparent despite the teasing. "Anyway, speaking of Helga…has she gotten here yet for dinner, Grandpa?" A new worry had just occurred to Arnold besides the fact that he hadn't been here to help start dinner—he also potentially hadn't been here to greet Helga! And that possible situation likewise couldn't help but make a tiny flutter of guilt go off inside of him.

Phil just grinned once more at Arnold and now gestured with his head to the boarding house staircase. "Oh, yes, she got here—about fifteen or twenty minutes ago, I think." He scratched the back of his head and put his other hand on one of his hips, looking back to his Grandson. "I haven't seen her yet, of course—been spending a little personal time in my private office thanks to those raspberry turnovers your Grandma made for breakfast. But I definitely heard a knock at the door before and the last I saw Pookie she was heading up the stairs with a smile saying something about how I shouldn't interrupt her because it seems 'Eleanor Roosevelt' just paid a visit and they haven't gotten a chance to really chat since their adventure with the mystery of the great plague of sleeping illness on the subcontinent or something." Phil rolled his eyes, mumbling under his breath with a half grin to himself, "Crazy old bird…"

Arnold had to chuckle at the description of the incident and of what his grandmother had said: translating that she and Helga hadn't really gotten to talk since that time Helga had sleepwalked over here into something about an incurable disease none could wake up from in Africa? 'Yeah, that sounds like the way Grandma would put the fact that Helga was here and they were going to spend some time together…' He smiled at his grandfather. "Okay, Grandpa. I'll just head upstairs and see if they're done talking yet. Do you want me to come back down afterwards and help set the table or—"

Phil sighed in a bit of exasperation and suddenly pushed a slightly confused but very amused Arnold toward the staircase. "Arnold, don't you know anything about dating? Sheesh, the girl's been up there for almost a half an hour and you just want to check in and then come down here and do chores after you haven't seen her in practically two days since you two have been trying to catch up with your friends? Cheese and crackers, get up there and give the poor girl a little attention!" he scolded in finish.

Arnold just laughed to himself at the advice and at his grandfather's gentle push of him in Helga's direction that had accompanied it. "Okay, maybe you're right, Grandpa…" he admitted with a small and a somewhat half lidded gaze as his eyes fell to the steps that would lead him to her.

" 'Course I'm right!" Phil announced with his both of his hands on his hips as a still smiling Arnold began to ascend the stairs. "Rule number one of dating, Shortman—a lady'll always keep you waiting but NEVER keep her waiting! Especially one who could take you in a fight!" He rolled his eyes and called out to his Grandson's disappearing form as some memories of his youth flashed through his mind. "Believe me—I have the scars to prove it! Literally!"

Watching Arnold go, Phil's warm smile slowly returned and he just shook his head at the departing fourth grader. 'Heh…Boy still has a lot to learn…Oh well, at least he was lucky enough to find a good one to teach him, just like I was…' He sighed in blissful reminiscing and then walked off to the kitchen, a smile on his face, to finish preparing things for dinner.

---

Arnold, meanwhile, was just laughing to himself a bit more at his grandfather's words as he finally made it to the second landing of the boarding house. He took a breath to get his chuckles under control and then glanced around the hallway in search of Helga or his grandmother.

"Grandma!" He raised a hand to his mouth and called out with a touch of curiosity, seeing no one right away. "Helga?" He walked down the hallway, glancing from side to side at all the doors…They could be anywhere, really…visiting someone or in his grandparent's room. 'Hmm…or maybe they went back downstairs to the den or the basement or something and Grandpa just didn't see them—'

"Oh, Kimba! There you are!"

Arnold stopped walking and a smile came to his face at the sight of the head and shoulders of his grandmother (who was currently dressed in her usual clothing, though she had a scarf around her hair as though she was in the middle of doing some chores…) suddenly popping out from behind the now ajar door of her and his grandfather's room. "Hi, Grandma!" The young boy greeted her with a smile, approaching the entrance to the room in question.

Stepping out into the hallway entirely now, the old woman just gave the young boy a bit of a scolding smile and wagged a finger at him. "Are you just getting back from your trip to the Sahara, Kimba? And knowing full well that you had a very important date to keep today!" She crossed her arms over her chest and her smile picked up a little on one side.

Arnold just sighed and nearly chuckled at the question. He took a step or two toward her. "Grandma…I mean, Bwana…" he lowered his voice a little and glanced over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't been followed upstairs, "You know…Grandpa's not here right now so you can just ask me if I just got back from 'seeing the game with Gerald', if you want to…"

It was then that young Arnold heard a very familiar sigh come from within the room his Grandma had just exited. "Yeah, but, seriously, Football Head—where would the fun in that be? Right, Bwana?" And then a grinning Helga Pataki, her arms crossed over her chest, emerged into the hallway as well. She shot Arnold a quick wink and then gave Gertie a knowing smile.

Gertie just chuckled to herself, glancing back at the young girl. "You got it, Eleanor!" She put her hands on her hips. "One thing you should get used to if you're going to stick around here, Eleanor—the men in this family can all be real sticks in the mud if they don't have someone around to constantly whip them into shape."

Helga laughed and rolled her eyes, gesturing with her head in Arnold's direction. "Oh, tell me about it! Seriously, the most daring thing Arnoldo did on a daily basis BEFORE I came along was occasionally not having exact change for the bus. Now, though, whoo boy, if I told you half the stuff I've gotten him to—"

"Um, Helga!" She was cut off by Arnold instantly coming forward with a bright blush on his face and his eyes wide, and gently putting a hand over her mouth. Though the lower part of her face was covered, the look in Helga's eyes bespoke a sly smile. He cleared his throat and glanced away. "Uh…" he swallowed and tried to think of any kind of decent segway away from Helga suddenly recounting some of his more 'daring' moments when it came to her over the last few weeks (and there had been MANY of them). "Maybe…maybe we could save the stories for another time, Helga…" He settled on, before removing his hand from her mouth and putting it and its mate behind his back, looking a bit sheepish. He took a step back. "Anyway, uh…have…have you and Grandma been having fun?" He from his grandmother to his girlfriend and then recalled his tardiness and spoke more sincerely, the nervousness starting to leave his voice. "S-Sorry I'm late, by the way—the game ran for a few extra innings…"

At all of this adorable little bashfulness, Helga just sighed and smiled at her beloved and did her best not to chuckle. She waved him off and spoke in an understanding tone. "No problem, Football Head. Gave me the chance to spend some time with your zany yet loveable family, right Bwana?" She glanced to Arnold's Grandma again.

Gertie smiled down at her and swung a fist through the air in a triumphant gesture. "That's the spirit!" She gave a contented sighed and shook her head. "Oh, Eleanor, I've missed you—I'm so happy you're stopping by so regularly now and that you and Kimba have hit it off so well."

Helga laughed slightly to herself and glanced down happily. "Yeah, I'm pretty happy about that myself. And of course it's always nice to see you again, Gert—uh, Bwana." She looked back up at her…just a touch of gratefulness in her eyes. "I'm just happy I finally got the chance to thank you for all of your help with the 'sleeping sickness thing'."

Gertie just chuckled to herself and gave Helga a wink. "Of course, dear." The two ladies shared a laugh.

Arnold chuckled as well at the memory of the sleepwalking incident, and now stepped forward a little again. "Well, I'm really happy you two got the chance to talk again." His eyes turned to Helga. "I was going to say that we could go up to my room until dinner since my Grandpa says he doesn't need any help setting things up, but if you want to stay down here with my Grandma we can do that too, Helga."

Helga's smile brightened a little, and she glanced first behind her in the direction of Arnold's room and then back up at the amusing woman beside her…and then her eyes fell once more to her beloved. "Well, you know, normally I would take you up on an offer for a little one-on-one time in your room in a heartbeat, Football Head. Especially since we haven't gotten a chance for any private time for the last two days since our best friends were feeling neglected…" She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him an approving smile as she quickly interjected, "By the way, good suggestion that I make plans with Phoebe while you were off doing the baseball game today and the arcade yesterday with Geraldo. Me and her got some ice cream and caught a movie and gossiped about you and tall hair boy a bit and it really seemed to make her happy…and then I got to gush about you quite a bit, and overall the whole thing felt kind of good for both of us actually." Helga cleared her throat and recalled the initial point of her reply to her beloved. "But, anyway, like I said, normally I'd jump at the chance to be alone with you in your room, but I'm actually in the middle of helping Bwana with a mission of sorts so I think just this once I'll have to take a rain check."

Arnold just took another step toward her, still smiling…a sort of half lidded look still on his face. Barely realizing it, he took one of her hands in one of his own. The idea of her 'gushing about him'… "Sure, Helga. No problem."

Helga felt her heart flutter at his touch though she did her best not to show it… Though she couldn't help getting a dreamy grin on her face at that half lidded gaze he was giving her. 'It's like he doesn't even realize he's pouring on the charm half the time…What a little closet romantic…' She wanted to giggle.

Arnold, meanwhile, with a small sigh at how pretty she looked smiling before him…and at how much he suddenly realized he'd been missing that sight over the past couple of days…just smiled just a bit more and gently slipped his hand from Helga's as he continued speaking, looking from the girl before him to his grandmother. "Can I help with the 'mission' at all, you guys?" After all, he wasn't about to leave her alone now that they were both here together…and if his grandmother needed something, well certainly it was the right thing to do to help her out.

Arnold, who had expected an immediate 'yes' to his request, instead watched with curiosity as Helga's response to this simple, innocent question of his was to blink and then blush slightly. She then gave an almost…unsure glance to Gertie.

'Mmm…he wouldn't be…that mad at me…right?' Helga couldn't help but think to herself with a swallow…still looking to Gertie…still thinking about what 'fun mission' she'd been lucky to find herself in upon arriving at the boarding house…and how it really was just a little arguably stalkerish.

Picking up on the young girl's slight hesitation, Gertie just smiled down at her reassuringly, giving her a very deliberate look. "Now, Eleanor, you know if you want to just head upstairs and spend time with Kimba instead, you two can go on… I can finish things up alright by myself…and we can just keep the mission between you and me…" She winked supportively.

Helga seemed to consider for a moment (all of this was a little confusing…though a bit amusing nonetheless…to Arnold, by the way)…but then the ten-year-old blonde just let out a breath shrugged, and smiled sincerely at the old woman. 'Well…I am trying to be completely honest with Arnold. I mean, it's worked great so far…Heck, who knows—maybe he'll even get a kick out of it.' "Eh—that's okay, Bwana. I really do want to finish what we started…" Her smile became a little smirkish as she then added, crossing her arms over her chest and gesturing with her head to her boyfriend, "And I guess we could let old Football Head help…'

Gertie chuckled just slightly to herself and then looked to her grandson. "If you want to, Kimba, then the more the merrier!" And with that and a shrug she headed back into the room.

Helga just laughed and then took Arnold's hand, and proceeded to pull him along with her to follow behind the older woman. "Okay, Football Head, you can give us a hand. I warn you, though, this is a pretty minor 'mission'—no air vents, elaborate ruses, or near social death experiences involved." She glanced back at him and winked.

Arnold, enjoying that she was holding his hand again, just laughed a little and followed Helga within, matching pace with her quickly enough. "Aw, darn it," he joked in a low voice, "And just when I was looking forward to being trapped in a closet or something with you again."

He noticed Helga freeze up for a second and he now stopped moving forward as well. Arnold then had to seriously try to fight back some laughter as she turned to look at him, a blush apparent on her face, and spoke back to him in a low voice. "Oh just…" she was trying very much in vain to keep the dreamy smile off of her face, "Just shut up, you big jerk…"

Arnold rolled his eyes and moved closer beside her. "Don't you mean 'big lug'?" He did his best not to laugh even more at that memor— "Ow!" he flinched just slightly at the playful though firm punch Helga had just given his shoulder.

She rolled her eyes and let his hand go, putting both of hers on her hips with a smirk, her blush already starting to dissipate. "Crimeny, you are such a flirt, Head Boy! Sheesh, rope it in, already, Romeo!"

"Okay you two…" Grandma called from the other side of the coffee table in the middle of the room, around which she'd walked while her grandson and his girlfriend had been having this little exchange. The kids (currently still near the doorway just inside the room), blinked and turned to her at this address, recalling their purpose here. "Enough whispering sweet nothings to each other…" Gertie went on with a smile. "We have a mission to complete!" Instantly she bent over and appeared to grab something that was on the floor (though from the position of the table Arnold couldn't really see what it was) and then stood…revealing it to be a full laundry basket, which she then plopped onto the tabletop.

"Laundry?" Arnold instantly asked with a touch of surprise, raising an eyebrow, having really not expected that at all.

"Doi, Football Head!" Helga announced, heading over to join Gertie. "Yeah, I got here and you weren't back yet, and your Grandma was coming up from the basement with a few of these baskets and she looked like she might need some help—and I can't be self centered ALL the time, so…I offered to give her a hand." She raised part of her brow at him, still smiling slightly dreamily. "Aren't you glad you put me in touch with my sweet side, Football Head?" She almost giggled.

Arnold felt a warmth come over his heart at what she'd just told him she'd done…and then smiled a bit more in response to her question and walked over to the table to join the two ladies in their chore. "Thanks, Helga…that really was, well…sweet of you." He blushed a bit and glanced down…

…Which caused Helga to blush a bit and glance down as well. "Sure thing, Arnold…"

There was a moment of precious silence between the two ten-year-olds (which Gertie was more than content to let happen)

After a couple of seconds, though, recalling that they weren't alone and WERE in the middle of something, Helga cleared her throat and did her best to move the situation along. "Anyway…" Arnold, glancing up, couldn't help but notice that her grin became just a bit slyer…and her blush grew just a little stronger… Once again he felt a little confused (and once again something about her smiling and blushing was so very distracting to him that he didn't harp on the confusion thing too much…for now.) "Well, anyway, Arnold…" she went on after clearing her throat, "I was just helping her fold some of the clean stuff to put away. No big deal…"

She was looking down and gently digging her foot into the carpet. She was so cute looking all sweet and shy like that, that Arnold really didn't think twice about what she might be feeling 'shy' about… 'She's the prettiest girl in the whole—'

"Oh, no, a VERY big deal…" Gertie suddenly interjected with a smile, interrupting his pleasant thoughts and causing Arnold to blink and quickly come back to reality, happy he hadn't gotten lost in a daydream or anything else embarrassing. "I almost didn't think I could make it up here with those three baskets all by myself and since the general was busy," she looked to Helga as she continued on, "…but you made it happen. Thank you, dear!"

Helga smiled up at her modestly. "Oh you're…you're welcome, Arnold's Grandma…"

Gertie instantly waved her off. "Oh, just call me Gertie, Helga…" she assured her firmly…and then Arnold noticed a gleam come into her eye for a second before she added, "Oh and call Arnold's Grandpa 'Phil'…he loves that!"

Arnold did his best not to laugh at the advice, while Helga just smiled a bit more at the old woman and with a wink replied, "You got it, Gertie!"

Gertie chuckled at the enthusiastic response, and then brought another two baskets up from the floor to rest on the table. "Well, I guess we'd better get to it then before dinnertime…" She looked at the laundry for a moment and then, with a disbelieving smile, just had to let out a sigh and shake her head in a bit of dismay. "Honestly, though, for a family of three I don't know how we make this much laundry in two weeks…"

Arnold, still smiling (and still just happy to be near Helga), was about to agree with his Grandmother's statement and then pull a basket over to himself to start folding…

…when Gertie finished her sentence…

"…And your Grandpa's and my stuff is still going through the washer…This is all just from you, Arnold!"

Arnold paused all movement for a second.

And then his eyes suddenly went very wide…

…And he was fairly certain his heart had just stopped. 'Did she just say…?'

He opened his mouth and tried (and failed) to sound casual as he asked of his grandmother in a noticeably high pitched voice, "Did you just say…that this is all my stuff…that Helga's been folding?"

Gertie just smiled at him (and really did her best not to smirk too much…and to not just yet bring attention to Helga, just standing off to the side still, who's blush and smirk had grown quite a bit stronger). "Why yes, Arnold…" she shrugged like it was no big deal, "Like I said, this is all that's dry, the rest of our stuff is still getting washed." She shook her head at her Grandson's reaction and then finally turned her attention back to Helga. "So, Helga, ready to move on to the next basket?"

Arnold blinked and he instantly turned to Helga, who he watched just grin a bit more at his grandmother's address, her face all rosy. "Bring it on!" she managed, as casually as could be. 'It's okay, it's okay…Actually, I haven't' really gotten a chance to make him really sweat about something in a little while so this might be kind of fun…I'll just have to keep myself from taking it too far… But other than that…might as well milk it while I have the chance! Oh Arnold…you should always know better than to leave me unsupervised in your house…' "Oh and by the way, Football Head…" Set on this course of action, Helga then turned to a still shocked looking and at this point very pale Arnold, "This probably goes without saying but if you ever tell anyone I was involved in doing your laundry I guarantee you will randomly find itching powder in everything you wear whenever the mood strikes me from now until the end of time." She shrugged and turned her attentions back to the baskets before her. "And don't think for even a second that I'm going all 'domestic' on you—I just happen to like spending time with your family and I just happen to like spending time with your clothes (you know, when I'm NOT trapped in a closet with them because I'm trying to sneak out of your room but you won't freaking leave for long enough to let me make a break for the window)." She chuckled at the memory of the pink book incident, among other things, (and also used the small chance for a laugh as a way to release some personal stress she was feeling at the moment) and then looked back up at Gertie. "So, we already did his sweaters and the plaid shirts…way to have a MILLION of those, by the way, Football Head!" She rolled her eyes. "What's next, Gertie?"

Gertie smiled and then gestured from one basket to the other as she described their respective contents. "Well, like you said we already folded the sweaters and shirts and put them in this one…" she moved one of the basket filled with dark red and green colors to the side and gestured to the other two remaining, "So all we have left to do are the pajamas…"

Helga's eyes lit up for a second as she glanced down and her eye caught on something at the top of the basket…Something blue and with a pattern…"Ah, yes, of course—the teddy bear pajamas old Football Head randomly ran out in public in when he had that nightmare that turned out to just be his subconscious screaming 'Lila bad, Helga good'…" 'I do love the memory of that…' She sighed to herself in a bit of personal satisfaction.

(As for Arnold, meanwhile, the poor, flustered boy was continuing to just…to just really try and convince himself that he was not hearing and seeing and being a part of what he was hearing and seeing and being a part of.)

Gertie's smile just grew a bit in response to Helga's comment, and the old woman now gestured to the final basket on the bed…smirking just a little more as she casually stated, "And then we've got the whites."

'Okay, forget trying to keep myself from taking it too far! Once in a lifetime opportunities only come along once in a lifetime!' Helga's eyes lit up and a rush of heat came to her face and she quickly announced, reaching over for the basket, "Bingo! Let's go with thos—" She had her hand half on an item from inside the basket when she instantly felt her body being pulled around the coffee table and in an entirely opposite direction courtesy of something that had a very firm hold of her hand.

"Okay, Helga, I think that's enough 'helping' for today—come on, let's watch some TV or something, or double check that my Grandpa doesn't need any help with dinner. Thanks for keeping her company, Grandma—bye!" These nervously and hastily (and high-pitched sounding, almost cracking) words came out of Arnold's mortified mouth as he suddenly proceeded to pull Helga away from the opportunity to touch his pajamas…among other things... 'If I'd gotten back here any later, then she'd have…'

He felt even more heat instantly rush to his face and did his best to clear his head of this line of thought as he, with Helga still in tow, entered the hallway and he shut his Grandparent's door behind them.

Breathing heavily, Arnold just leaned against the wall by the door, his eyes wide. He really just needed a minute…

The sound of Helga's voice ripped him out of his state of shock rather quickly though. "Hey, Football Head, what gives?" She smiled slyly at him and leaned on her shoulder beside him against the wall, and added innocently (though she was still blushing a little, of course), "I was just trying to help your Grandma with a little laundry…no need to have a conniption." She let out a breath and moved away from the wall, and before he could respond just yet to her, suddenly went on, "But if it's such a big deal to you then you just stay out here and I'll go back in and 'do the right thing' by finishing helping her fold a few of your nightshirts, ball a pair of socks or two…make sure the creases come out right in your—"

Arnold's eyes instantly practically dilated, and before he knew what he was doing he'd moved forward and grabbed her shoulders and now had Helga pinned against the wall. He opened his mouth as though about to speak, though his system was so utterly overloaded with pure shock and embarrassment and shyness at this point that for a moment he just stood there, looking into her amused eyes in panic, and slowly letting his breathing slow… 'She…She…I…'

Helga just did her best not to smirk at him…actually kind of enjoying the fact a little that his hands were on her and he was so close…even if his sudden action had nothing to do with romance at the moment… "Something on your mind, Football Head?" she asked innocently enough. 'I'm pushing it…I know I'm pushing it…but this is just too funny…'

Ignoring the question, Arnold eventually he took one final breath in and let it out slowly, closing his eyes. He then gently released the girl before him and took a step back from her, and then opened his eyes once more. He did his best to speak calmly. "Helga…" he paused and then paced to the side a little, "You…" He paused again, shook his head, and paced a little back to the other side. "I…" he raised a finger, as though really about to speak this time…but hesitated once more…the words for it all just not coming to him.

Helga, meanwhile, finally taking pity on his humiliation and dilemma, just sighed and came forward, putting a hand on her beloved's shoulder and saving him the trouble. "Alright, alright…look, Arnold, I'm sorry and I admit it—I…might have pushed things a little too far just now, but I haven't seen you in a couple of days and I haven't had a good, crazy scheme in what feels like forever, and it actually was really fun to catch up with your Grandma, and if you recall it wasn't too long ago that you came out of my closet having just had an examination of my clothes, and on top of all that, well…" She let out a sigh and looked at Arnold with a mix of sheepishness and sincerity, removing her hand from his shoulder and putting it and its mate behind her back. "…Well, once again, Arnold…even though I think it's been becoming pretty obvious to you for the last few weeks no matter how much I try and hide it…I'm just a little off sometimes, Football Head, and I—"

She stopped suddenly and had to raise part of her brow in confusion as Arnold…with a small smile on his face (?)…suddenly walked calmly past her, opened the door of the room they'd just left, and entered, closing it behind him.

Helga just remained standing there in confusion alone for a few seconds…and then the door opened again and Arnold exited the room once more, closing it behind him again, though not before calling out "Thanks, Grandma!" over his shoulder.

Helga just continued to stare in perplexity at him…and at the laundry basket he now had with him, full of his green sweaters and red and yellow plaid shirts.

"Uh…Football Head?" she asked very VERY cautiously. 'What's he up to…and whatever happened to the rest of whatever he was about to say to me…? I mean, does he forgive me, or…' She gulped at the frightening possibility of him actually not forgiving her for something. Not that she doubted for even a moment his capacity to be the most forgiving and understanding and supportive boy in the world, but still…Even that very notion of him not (at least eventually) being okay with what she'd done seemed like…well, like just about the saddest thing in the world to her.

She watched as Arnold placed the basket upon the floor at her question, sighed, and then smiled a little more and finally looked to her again. "Oh…sorry I keep leaving you alone even though we're supposed to be on a date, Helga, but I just figured that you were right about my Grandma having a lot to do…and as long as you said this basket was done being folded…" He swallowed and shrugged before finishing, "…I figured I might as well bring it up to my room to put away…"

Helga just blinked at the explanation. "Oh…Uh, okay…" she responded with a lot of confusion. "So, uh…" she swallowed nervously and put her hands behind her back, trying to seem casual as she inquired, "So...we're good, then…you and me?" She held her breath a little.

In response to this (obviously important to her) question, Arnold just picked up the laundry basket and sighed to himself, smiling over his shoulder at Helga as he began to make his way down the hall. "Come on, Helga…I want to get these put away before dinner and I could use some help…" 'She…' He sighed to himself and shook his head with a smile once more, continuing onward toward his room.

"Uh…" 'Okay, is this some instant form of denial or…?' "Right behind you, Football Head…" was the only thing Helga could think to say as she instantly raced after him.

---

"Uh…Football Head?" Helga asked cautiously, handing him another shirt to put away (they'd already gotten the sweaters folded up and tucked neatly into his dresser drawers and now the last of the shirts was all that remained).

Arnold took the folded item and placed it on a hanger, and then hung it up in his closet, which the two of them were currently standing in the open doorway of. "Yes, Helga?" he asked, still with a slight smile on his face (the same slight smile he'd had this whole time…the one that was starting to creep her out a bit).

"Uh…well…" she went on, rubbing the back of her neck, a worried look still in her eyes, "A-Are you SURE we're okay from before…? I mean, from that small situation I tried to take advantage of just to get under your skin… It's just…" she blushed a bit and handed him another shirt from the basket, "You seemed a little upset at first but now you're acting like nothing happened and I just want to make sure you're not mad at me or anything, heh, heh…heh…" She grabbed the final shirt to be put away and held it out to him…and held her breath again, waiting for his reply…

Arnold, however, still did not give her the direct answer she obviously desired.

Instead, he just let out a sigh and finished putting the shirt she'd just handed him away. He then turned to her to get the next item of clothing she was holding out to him. Helga just continued to watch unsurely as he gently grabbed the item and was about to turn around and put it in a hanger…. But then he paused and his eyes (which had been glancing at it every now and again as he and she had been putting things from it away) fell upon the laundry basket on the floor once more…and he saw that it was now empty…and then his smile grew a little. "Helga, is that the last shirt?"

Helga blinked at the unexpected question and then glanced into the now empty basket and then back up at her beloved, who was indeed holding his final plaid shirt. "Uh, yeah…" she shrugged, "Looks like it…" 'Why won't he answer me?' She was really worried at this point. Really, really worried…

"Oh, good…" Arnold smiled at her just a bit more, and then glanced down at the shirt in his hands and almost…chuckled about something?

Helga swallowed and gathered her courage to try one more time. "Football Head? Seriously! About the laundry thing from before…even if you don't want to talk about it can you at least just give me some kind of sign that we're okay?" Honestly, she didn't think that at least THAT was too much to ask. Just a 'high sign' or a wink or something to let her know that he didn't secretly hate her guts now or whatever.

She noticed that the request only made Arnold's grin pick up just a bit more on one side. Then suddenly he took a step toward her. "Come on, Helga…" And then to her COMPLETE surprise and confusion he tossed the plaid shirt he'd been holding into her hands! "I think dinner's probably ready now and everything's all put away, and I don't know about you but I'm starving…" And then be began to walk to the door…

Helga just blinked and then looked down at the shirt in her hands and then back toward her beloved. "Arnold…what are you talking about?" And now she felt herself seriously starting to scowl, and her patience growing thin at how strange he was acting! And at how he was obviously blowing her off! "Seriously, Football head, if you're angry just say so and if you're okay just say so, but quit ignoring me every time I ask you which one you are right now!" She held up the shirt, "And what the heck does this mean, anyway? Some subtle hint for me to put it away myself? Is that your big passive aggressive revenge, Arnoldo, because if it is then you're even more of a stick in the mud than I thought you wer—"

"It means that it's yours."

The response made Helga stop mid word. She froze and her eyes went wide. She almost dropped the shirt. "Huh?"

Arnold did his best not to laugh (or blush too much). He turned back to Helga and to explain. "I tossed it to you, Helga, because it's the last one in the basket…and I said that everything was put away already because that one's not mine to put away anymore. It's yours…to keep. If you want it, I mean, of course, Helga…" He swallowed hard and felt a slight embarrassed twist go through his stomach, and couldn't help shyly glancing down just a bit as he went on. "But I just figured…considering how you feel about me and what you just tried to do with my clothes with my Grandma…and all those times you spent in my closet over the years, like you were saying… Well, I just figured that you might like something of mine that you could hang onto permanently…and with my permission." He chuckled a bit to himself at the idea of her really caring THAT much, not just about him but also about everything and anything to do with him, and then looked back up at the girl before him. "Is that okay, Helga? Otherwise, I can take it back…"

She just remained standing there, frozen, her eyes wide, still in that former position of mid speech with the shirt raised high in the air, the same as when she had been yelling at him just now. 'He's…he's giving me…his…his…'

Helga managed to shift her eyes up and to lower the soft, warm looking plaid shirt down a little…a shirt Arnold had worn…that smelled like him and that was a part of him and that was a personal item of his…that he was giving to her… Yes, over the years she'd been fortunate enough to swipe used gum, an occasional sock, heck even his hat for a little while, but his…his shirt… She hadn't even ever dared to dream of such a prize. And to have it PERMANENTLY. And yet here it was. She felt heat come to her face. Her heart sparked and fluttered like mad .Her lips trembled. "I…You…I…"

Arnold raised an eyebrow at this response to his simple gift, trying his best not to laugh again. "Helga?"

"Ahhh…" And suddenly with a girlish swoon she collapsed upon his floor, the biggest smile ever on her face and her eyes all but shut in perfect bliss! She still held the shirt tightly in her hand.

Arnold blinked and instantly went over to her, kneeling down to the floor and trying to prop her up a bit in his arms. "Helga, are you okay?" he asked with a touch of worry. 'I didn't mean to make her pass out again! I hope she didn't hurt herself…'

Helga just blinked a couple of times, the dreamy look still there on her face, and her eyes just fluttered a bunch of time. "Fine as long as I'm in your arms, my darling…" she replied in that light, airy FTi voice.

Luckily, by this point, Arnold was a bit more used to these sudden slips into her monologuing state. And so rather than jumping back in panic he just sighed and gazed down at her lovingly. "Of course…and I'm happy to have you there…" He began to try and sit her and then stand her up… "But right now it's dinner time and if we don't get downstairs soon my Grandpa'll probably send up one of the boarders to get us, and I don't think you want anyone else seeing you like this so…maybe we could save the worshipping until after dinner?" He had managed to get Helga on her feet and now just sighed and smiled as he watched her blink a couple of times and then shake her head as she came back to reality (still clinging with a vice grip to his shirt, he couldn't help but notice with amusement).

"Oh, uh, right, right…" she finally managed to stutter out, "…P-Plenty of time for me to act like a complete fool later, right, Football Head?" She glanced around and then raced across the room and quickly placed her prize on Arnold's bed, where it would be safe during the meal and where she could get it before she left for home. She was trying to seem cool as she did this task and then walked back over to her boyfriend, but despite the fact that she had managed to get her words and actions a bit under control, Helga couldn't help the residual dreamy smile still upon her face. 'Arnold gave me his shirt…Ahhh!'

Arnold just laughed at her small joke (and at that dazed little grin of hers that didn't seem to want to go away) and took her hand in his when she reached him, and began to walk with her toward his door. "I don't know, Helga—personally I think it's kind of 'cute' when you faint and get all romantic like that..." He shrugged. "I mean, anyone else might have just said 'Thank you', but not you…and I…I like that about you Helga. I like it when you do things that I don't expect or that are a little extreme, even if they embarrass me a little…I'm not sure why but I just do….I guess it's because…you wouldn't really be you if you didn't do things like that…if that makes any sen—"

He stopped and blinked and felt his heart skip at beat at the feeling of Helga's lips suddenly and sweetly kissing the side of his cheek.

She pulled away after a few seconds and giggled near his ear, glancing away shyly. "Just maintaining your image of me as spontaneously random, Football Head…" she whispered near him.

Arnold just blinked a couple of times and then felt a huge dreamy smile come to his own face. He turned to Helga. "Well, not that I don't appreciate them, Helga, but…for you, at least…a kiss on the cheek isn't that unexpected or random…at least…not anymore."

She rolled her eyes to the side at the valid point. "True, I guess… But, like you said, Arnold, dinner's probably ready and if we don't get down there soon then they'll come up and get us, and we'd never hear the end of it if they caught us in the middle of anything…" With a small grin and another small giggle, Helga continued the rest of the way forward across her beloved's room and brought Arnold with her.

The two of them were now in front of Arnold's bedroom door, which Helga quickly opened with her free hand. She then separated from her beloved and turned around to descend his ladder to the second floor landing below. Before making it down more than a step or two though, the ten-year-old blonde paused and looked up at Arnold, still smiling at him lovingly. "Besides…even if we have to go downstairs for dinner now…" she beckoned him closer with a gesture…and then, when he complied in interest and affection, she instantly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in very close. She finished her sentence in a whisper, "Well…we could always come back up here for 'dessert'…" And then she winked and released her now wide-eyed beloved…whose cheeks were slowly and deeply warming…and whose heart was pounding like crazy…

Helga shyly but obviously giddily descended to the floor below.

Arnold just remained standing near his open bedroom door with a surprised look on his face for several more seconds until a generic sarcastic comment from Helga down in the hallway beckoning him to hurry up caused him to blink and instantly begin descending the ladder as well…a very happy smile on his face. 'Well, all I can say is if she got that excited over a shirt…what'll happen if I give her a sweater one day?'

He chuckled to himself at the idea and then, reaching the hallway below, did his best to catch up with Helga.

"By the way Football Head…" she suddenly started as he came alongside her and the two of them began to head down the hallway together, "I love the way your Grandma works your Grandpa…it's kind of impressive…all those names and the elaborate ruses. We were talking about it a little while we were working on the laundry…Very good job of driving her guy nuts!" She laughed to herself a little. "I might have to start taking lessons from her."

Arnold just smiled and glanced to the side a little. "Don't worry, Helga—she may be really good at all that stuff you'll always be the best at things like that to me."

She scoffed in amusement and gave him a nudge. "I'd better always be the best to you, Arnoldo!"

He just rolled his eyes and sighed. "Whatever you say, Helga…"

They had reached the end of the landing and now Arnold politely gestured forward for her to go first. After an eye roll and another standard comment on his corny sense of chivalry, Helga complied with a thank you and a nod.

And so the two of them finally descended the stairs for dinner…

…And Helga's shirt of Arnold's remained upstairs in his room…where the two kids would later return to for 'dessert.'

---

A/N:

Well, that's all for now, everyone ^_^ I hope you like the other 14 mini stories to come, lol!

Now as for the next update, I'm knee deep in grad school apps for the next six weeks so…I'll try working on stuff in bits and pieces but it's going to be another bit of a long stretch :( Thank you all for your patience though! I really appreciate it!

In the meantime though, I'll be trying to work on "April 2nd" and I've also written a one-shot based on KASUKapl's comic "Trapped In a Locker" on DeviantArt that should hopefully be up soon :) The link for the comic is here (just take out the spaces):

http : / / kasukapl . deviantart . com / art / Trapped-on-a-locker-182302107?q = &qo =

Oh and the thing inspired by the rpg me and NintendoGal are doing was Arnold and Helga's tickle fight ;)

Lol, anyway, since the next update might take a little while again, here're the titles of the four stories it will feature as kind of a preview ;)

"I Need To Lie Down" (my personal fav of all 18 mini stories XD Idk why—it's just all zany and awkward, lol.)

"Names and Naming Names"

"Best Friends"

"Tuesdays and Thursdays After School"

Love you, guys! And super shoutouts to all my fun fandom friends—BrokenRose, NintendoGal, Edward Crane, Pyrex Shards, GrimmXLullaby and of course my 'lil sis' SuprSingr ;)

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna