Hello everyone! What? another chapter so soon? YES! And this one is the longest yet! I hope you like it! This chapter gets a little crazy, so I hope you can follow it alright. And now for some announcements: I'm a beta reader now! So if anyone wants my help, don't be afraid to ask :) Also, I know I've said this before, but I have a poll on my profile about a contest I was thinking of running. Only one person has taken it so far (thank you!), but I can't really run a contest with only one entry. So please, if you could just take a minute or two to check it out I'd really appreciate it! Alright, that's all for now. Enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: Hey Arnold is not mine :(
Chapter 19
The next morning when Arnold woke up he had a wonderful idea, and he couldn't wait to ask Helga about it. But he didn't want to call too early, so he decided to get some breakfast in the meantime.
"'Morning Grandpa, 'morning Grandma," he said, sliding into a chair at the kitchen table.
"Good morning, Arnold," Phil smiled.
"Good morning, Kimba. Did you sleep well?" Gertie asked, never taking her eyes from the fly on the wall.
"Yeah, I slept alright."
"Whatcha got there, Short Man?" Phil indicated Arnold's hand that was resting on the table. Arnold looked down and found that he was holding Helga's ribbon. 'I fell asleep holding it...did I really hold it all night? I must have carried it down with me unconsciously' Arnold blushed at this realization.
"Um, it's...it's just..."
"Come to think of it, where's your hat, Arnold? I don't think I've ever seen you without it, except for the time you lost it. You didn't lose it again, did you?" Phil asked in concern.
"No, I didn't lose it...I...I gave it to Helga to keep for the night, and she gave me her hair ribbon," Arnold blushed darker, but he smiled; it was kind of cute how they had swapped important mementos, if you thought about it.
"Oh well isn't that sweet! Pookie, do you remember when you and I did that?" Phil chuckled.
"How could I forget?" Gertie smiled, "I thought you'd lost your mind if you really trusted me with your lucky marble! But when you said you were serious I was practically over the moon!"
"Well it was no different for me. I couldn't believe you wanted me to hold on to your hairbows, even just for a minute, let alone a day!"
Arnold loved hearing stories of when his grandparents were his age, but he wanted to call Helga as soon as possible. He asked to be excused, then went up stairs to the phone in the hallway. Just as he started dialing Helga's phone number Phil came up the stairs.
"Oh Short Man! Hold up a second." Arnold stopped and hung up the phone,
"Yes, Grandpa? Do you need my help with something?"
"Oh no, I just wanted to give you this," Phil handed him a phone, "Why don't you go plug this in up in your room. Then you can have some privacy while you talk to your girlfriend!"
"Really? Thanks Grandpa!" Arnold ran up to his room and connected the phone next to the couch so he could sit on it while he talked to Helga.
Once it was connected he dialed Helga's number.
"Hello?" Helga answered.
"Good morning, Helga. How are you?"
"A-Arnold? You...and I...and...um, I'm good, you?"
"I'm pretty good. I was wondering if...if you had any plans today?"
"No, not really. Why?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies with me. The new Evil Twin movie just came out, but there's other stuff we could see, too."
"A movie? Really? That sounds great! That sounds wonderful!"
"Really? Great! So, I'll pick you up around 2:30, so we can make the 3:00 movie?"
"That sounds perfect, Arnold. Completely perfect." Helga seemed to be getting more and more dreamy as the conversation went on, so after a little more talking Arnold let her go monologue or whatever she needed to do.
Waiting for 2:25 to come around was almost impossible for both kids, but finally Arnold made the five-minute walk to Helga's house.
As he approached her house he realized she was sitting on the front steps. She looked up and saw him coming, and jumped off the steps and ran to him, crushing him in a hug.
"Helga? Is everything okay?"
"Oh Arnold, everything is perfect!" she released her hold on him, though their hands found each other quickly.
"Sorry if I kinda crushed you there, Football Head. I was just so excited that when I finally saw you I couldn't wait one more second."
"That's okay, Helga. You never have to apologize for hugging me. Oh, and by the way, I like your new choice of headwear." Indeed, Helga had Arnold's hat settled right between her pigtails when her bow usually was.
"Yeah, I like it a lot. But I think it looks better on you," she removed it from her head and placed it on Arnold's, "Perfect," she remarked.
"And I believe this would look best on you," Arnold stood on his toes, and Helga bent down just a little, and Arnold tied the ribbon in her hair, "Perfect."
They continued their walk, but Helga sensed a change in Arnold; something was on his mind.
"A penny for your thoughts, Hair Boy."
"Oh, it's nothing, Helga. Don't worry about it."
"Arnold, if something's on your mind then it's not nothing."
"Alright," he paused, then took a deep breath, "I was just thinking...how much I don't like being short. I'm one of the shortest people in our class, and...and I can't even tie your bow in your hair or kiss you without you having to bend down."
"Arnold," Helga squeezed his hand comfortingly, "I don't care how tall you are. It doesn't matter to me. You could only be as tall as my knees and I wouldn't care. I care about you, Arnold, not how you look. You're kind, and trustworthy, and a good listener, and you're honest. That's why I like you."
"Thanks, Helga. I know that, but it still bothers me sometimes."
"Arnold...I don't really know how to make you feel better. That's your specialty. But I can tell you that no matter what I love you. And don't worry; one day I'm sure you'll be taller than me. And until then, I like you just the way you are."
"Thanks, Helga. I guess you're right; I won't be short forever, and even if I do end up always being shorter than you it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."
They arrived at the movie theater and looked at the list of movies. After deciding on Evil Twin, they stopped but the concession stand for popcorn.
"What can I get you?" the worker asked.
"We'll take one medium popcorn, one Yahoo soda, and...what would you like to drink, Helga?"
"I'll have a Yahoo soda, too."
"Okay, two Yahoo's, please," Arnold finished the order.
"Coming right up...oh, um, I have to apologize, but there's only one cup left. If you don't mind waiting it will take about five minutes to get more cups."
"What do you think, Helga?"
"Well, I don't want to miss the beginning of the movie. If...if you're okay with it, I'd be okay with...y'know, sharing a cup," Helga finished, blushing.
"Um, yeah, that's fine. Um, we'll just take the one soda, but, um, with two...two straws. Please," Arnold was blushing as well; he couldn't believe he had actually just asked for one cup and two straws!
"Okay, here's your order. Enjoy the movie!" Arnold paid for their snacks and they entered the screening room.
"Where do you want to sit, Helga?" Arnold asked.
"Wherever's fine." They found seats towards the back, in a relatively unoccupied section. The beginning commercials began to play, and Arnold and Helga settled in with their popcorn.
Everything was fine for the first few minutes, until Helga's hand landed on Arnold's as they both reached for popcorn. Helga blushed, but Arnold just smiled and intertwined his fingers with Helga's, making her forget how to breathe.
The movie was about half done, and the popcorn was long gone. Arnold and Helga sat, watching the movie and holding hands. Suddenly, much to Helga's surprise, Arnold released her hand. She tried not to look too upset, but in truth she was very confused and a little hurt. Had she done something wrong? Then she felt something she had barely dared to dream about, and certainly hadn't expected until high school. Arnold tentatively put his arm around Helga's shoulders and gave her left shoulder a little squeeze. Helga froze and sat stock still, then slowly looked at Arnold. He blushed and started to move his arm, but Helga put her hand on his to stop him.
"Helga? Um, are you okay? I'm sorry, I was too forward, wasn't I?" Arnold whispered.
"Arnold...never ever apologize for putting your arm around me. Ever. Okay?"
"O-okay."
Helga managed to unfreeze enough to lean her head on Arnold's shoulder, and after a while it started to feel...normal. Natural. Perfect.
When the movie was over, Arnold and Helga went for a walk down by the dock. They didn't say much, just enjoyed being together. But as time went on they decided they had better part ways and go to their respective homes for dinner.
Helga smiled all the way home, and she continued to smile until Arnold was out of sight. Now alone, she turned to open the door, however Helga made a discovery she never thought she'd make: the door was locked. 'My parents never lock the door. What's going on?' she thought, beginning to panic just a little. She tried all of the windows and then back door, but nothing worked; she was locked out. 'Great. Guess there's only one thing I can do. Criminy, this is going to be humiliating!'
Helga shuffled her feet to the only place she could think of: Arnold's house. Face red as a rose, she rang the doorbell. Moments later Phil opened the door.
"Well hello there!" he exclaimed, "Let me get Arnold for you. Arnold," he called into the house, "Your girlfriend's here! Don't keep her waiting, Short Man!"
"Hi, Helga," Arnold said as he emerged from the kitchen, "Is something wrong?"
"Arnold, I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm locked out of my house. I have no idea where my parents are, and to tell you the truth...I'm a little scared; they've never just left before, and they never lock the house. Ever. I wasn't sure what to do, and Phoebe's at a family reunion tonight, and I was just wondering..."
"Helga, it's okay. Of course you can stay for dinner; I'll go set another place."
"Oh, well, I actually was just going to ask if I could hang out in your living room or something until my parents got back. I don't want to intrude on your family dinner or anything."
"Helga, I'm not going to let you go hungry! Besides, first of all, you're always welcome here, and second, as far as I or my grandparents are concerned, you're already like family," Arnold assured her.
"Arnold..." Helga was touched. He thought of her like family?
"Come on, you can sit next to me," Arnold winked at her before taking her hand and leading her to the dining room.
Helga was a little embarrassed about walking into the dining room unannounced and holding Arnold's hand (plus that wink. Holy cow!), but she did her best to relax.
"Hey, everyone! Look who decided to join us!" Arnold said happily as he and Helga joined the borders and Arnold's grandparents.
"Why Helga, it's so nice to see you again!," Suzi exclaimed, "How have you been?"
"Oh, I've been alright," Helga smiled, sitting down in the chair between Suzi and Arnold. As the meal progressed, Helga realized something. She hadn't been to the boarding house in a while, but everyone still talked and laughed with her as if she had just been there yesterday. For the first time that she could remember, Helga felt like she was having dinner with family. 'Okay, so they're not my real family' she thought, listening to Mr. Potts tell a story of one time he demolished a skyscraper 'They still treat me like family. They care about me, and I care about them. And who knows? If Arnold and I get married, Phil and Gertie really will be my family! But even if we don't, I have this funny feeling that I can always come here. Like...I'll always be accepted here, no matter what.'
The only thing that broke Helga from her thoughts was the feeling of Arnold taking her hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze. He was just as happy as Helga was that they could all be together as a...well, as a family. Sure, maybe he didn't have a "normal" family, and of course he still missed his parents, but right here, in this moment, he felt like the luckiest person on earth. He had a loving family, good friends, and right here beside him was the most amazing and interesting girl he had ever met, who had loved him since they were three, and was now his girlfriend. Life couldn't get much better.
After dinner Arnold and Helga helped clean up, and Phil went to go call Helga's family. A moment later he returned to the kitchen to find Arnold and Helga, who had been doing dishes, both covered in bubbles and giggling like crazy.
"Oh, you kids! Can't leave you alone for a minute!" he joked, "Helga, I called your house, but no one answered, so I guess you'll be staying here for the night. Hope you don't mind too much!"
Mind? Helga dropped the fork she had been holding back into the soapy water and stared blankly into space for a moment. 'I'm going...spend the night...at...at Arnold's...' she felt like her whole universe must have tilted on end, because there was no way that fate would be so kind as to drop this opportunity in her lap. But it had, and Helga could barely form a coherent thought.
"Hehe, well I'll take that as an okay. Short Man, I'll finish the dishes, you help Helga get a room set up. Any room is fine, so take your pick, okay Helga?"
"Uh...uh huh...s-sure..." Helga mumbled dreamily as Arnold led her upstairs.
"Okay, here are some blankets," said Arnold, pulling a neatly folded set from a closet, "Do you have a particular room you'd like, Helga?" Helga turned to the room closest to Arnold's room.
"Um, that one's fine"
"Okay. Funny, I had a feeling you'd pick that one," Arnold chuckled.
"Oh? And what's that supposed to mean, Hair Boy?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing at all, Helga," he chuckled some more.
"Arnold, are you implying that I chose this room specifically because of it's proximity to your door?"
"Helga..." he gave her a knowing look.
"Oh, alright, you got me. Good grief, Football Head, how do you know me so well?"
"Because I love you," Arnold grinned. He turned and climbed the steps to his room, then returned with a pillow and some very familiar looking plaid fabric.
"I'm afraid I couldn't find any pillows, but you can use one of mine, and I brought you one of...one of my plaid shirts, and...and some shorts. I think they should fit," Arnold faltered at the last bit. Not that he would admit it to anyone, but the idea of Helga dressed in one of his plaid shirts sounded very cute to Arnold.
Helga blushed as she accepted the items from Arnold.
"Um, t-thanks, Arnold." The idea of sleeping in, heck touching one of Arnold's plaid shirts made Helga giddy. 'I'm actually going to sleep in one of Arnold's shirts! And I get to sleep on his pillow! I get to spend all night smelling that amazing shampoo that he uses. What is that stuff, anyway? It's fabulous!'
Arnold went up to his own room to get himself ready for bed, but Helga remained standing in the center of the room looking at the shirt and shorts that she had Arnold's explicit permission to sleep in. Slowly, as if handling a sacred artifact, Helga slid her arms into the soft sleeves of the shirt and buttoned it. After putting on the shorts she walked over to the mirror on the back of the door and examined her reflection.
What she saw made her tremble with joy; she, Helga G. Pataki, was wearing one of Arnold's plaid shirts. Not only that, she got to sleep in it! Helga twirled around the room, and probably would have broken into a monologue if it weren't for the knock at the door. She opened it to find Arnold standing there, now in his own pajamas.
"Hi, Helga. I just wanted..." the sight of Helga in his plaid shirt rendered him completely speechless for a moment.
"Um, Arnold? I-is everything okay?" Helga was feeling a little self conscious at Arnold's reaction.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry, Helga, I just...well to be perfectly honest...you look really cute in that plaid shirt." Helga blushed and looked down at the corner of the door frame, pretending it was incredibly interesting.
"Oh, well uh, t-thanks Arnold. You, um, you look really cute, too. All the time..." she hadn't meant to say that last part.
"Oh, um, thanks, Helga," now it was Arnold's turn to blush, "So, um, I just came down to see if you needed anything before I went to bed."
"I'm alright. Thanks for checking on me, though."
"Of course, Helga." Arnold pulled Helga into a goodnight hug, then kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear,
"Sweet dreams my Helga. I love you."
Helga melted inside,
"Wow, Arnold, getting bold, aren't we?" she teased lightly.
"Oh, well I...um...I..." Arnold stuttered.
"Oh don't worry about it, Arnold, I was just teasing. Besides, I like it when you go a little outside your comfort zone and get a bit bold. It's cute." Helga winked at him.
"O-oh, um, o-okay. Thanks, Helga. Well, goodnight. I'll see you in the morning," he turned to go, then added, "If you need anything, don't hesitate to knock on my door, okay, Helga? Really, I won't mind."
"Okay, whatever you say, Arnold."
*BANG BANG BANG*
Helga awoke with a start; the clock on the side table read 11:00. After a second she remembered where she was, but she still didn't know what it was that had woken her. Then, coming from downstairs, she heard something that made her blood run cold: her father.
"Hello?" Phil answered the door.
"WHERE IS SHE? WHERE'S OLGA?"
"Woah there, Mr. Pataki, hold your horses! Helga's fine, she's sleeping."
As her father began yelling about how he and Miriam had come back from picking Olga up at the airport, only to find Helga not there, Helga crept to the edge of the staircase. She was out of sight to the people downstairs, but she could hear everything better. Not that it was hard to hear Bob.
The more he yelled the more Helga just wished she could crawl into a hole. A few minutes later Arnold came down from his room to find Helga pressed against the wall with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head in her hands. Arnold sat down next to her a put a hand on her shoulder. They sat there, listening to Phil and Gertie try to calm Bob down, but when Helga started shaking Arnold took her hand and led her up to his room.
As soon as they were in his room, Arnold shut the door and sat with Helga on his bed. Seeing the tears streaming down her face, he pulled her into a hug.
"It's okay, Helga. It's going to be okay. Please don't cry. Everything will be alright."
"No, Arnold, everything won't be alright! My father just ruined the best night of my life, and now he's down stairs yelling at your grandparents when all they did was help me when I needed it! This whole night is a disaster!"
"Helga, look at me," Helga looked into Arnold deep green eyes, "My grandparents will take care of everything. They'll sort things out with your father. Don't worry about it; just sit here with me and let's just enjoy being together." Arnold leaned forward and kissed away the tears that still lingered on Helga's cheek.
"Oh Arnold!" she buried her face in his shoulder and just tried to enjoy the feeling of his arms around her. He stroked her hair and held her close until she stopped shaking.
"Arnold," she began, lifting her face to look at him again, "Thank you so much. I'm sorry my father had to come and ruin everything; until he showed up...well to tell you the truth I never thought I'd ever get to sleep over at your house, so tonight was a dream come true. Arnold...do you mind if I tell you something that's probably going to make me sound like a crazy obsessive stalker?"
"Helga, you can tell me anything."
"Okay. When you handed me this shirt to wear...I really thought I'd died and gone to Heaven. Arnold, do you know how much I've wanted to even touch one of your shirts?"
"Well, Helga, if you love it so much...you...you could...k-keep it, if you want." Helga stared at him open-mouthed. Keep one of his shirts? Was she worthy?
"Arnold...I...I can't..."
"You can, if you want too."
"Arnold..." Helga maintained her composure for a second more, then started to grin like the Cheshire cat.
"Arnold...thank you so much! I never thought this would happen! I planned on asking you one day where you bought them so I could buy one myself, but to actually have one of your actual shirts...oh Arnold!" Helga had been trying over the past few weeks to keep the kissing to a minimum, for Arnold's sake. He still wasn't quite used to having a girlfriend, and sometime he got a little overwhelmed if Helga got too...enthusiastic. But at that moment Helga threw all thought to the wind, and herself at Arnold, kissing him like she had never kissed him before!
Arnold hadn't been expecting Helga to jump him like that, but he couldn't say he was complaining. However, after Helga broke the kiss, for sheer lack of air, a thought crossed his mind not for the first time.
"Helga...can we talk about something important?"
"Sure, Arnold. Um, it's not anything bad, is it? Because if I did something wrong I am so sorry! It was that kiss, wasn't it? I shouldn't have jumped on you like that, especially when I know you're still getting used to this whole dating thing, and I was just so happy that-"
"Helga," Arnold broke in, "Why do you always jump to the conclusion that something's wrong? Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I just wanted to talk about something, okay?"
"Oh, okay. Yeah, sure."
"So, um, it's about...it's about our, um...our kissing. Before you jump to conclusions again, I'm not saying I don't like it, but, well...Helga, we're only nine. Do you think maybe...maybe we're too young for this? I mean, I didn't think I'd have a real girlfriend until high school. Maybe we're taking things too fast?"
"Arnold...I don't think there's really a right answer to this. I mean, yeah, we're nine, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're too young. Do you think we should, y'know, tone it down a little until we're older?"
"I don't know. On the one hand, I feel like we should wait until we're older, but at the same time...there's this part of me that says...waiting that long for another one of your kisses would be torture."
"Arnold, it's okay if you want us to wait, but it's also okay if you don't. Whichever you're more comfortable with, I'll understand."
"Really, Helga? After all these years of waiting for me, you'd still wait more?"
"Of course, Arnold. You've been so patient and understanding about everything with me, how can I not do the same for you?"
"Thank you, Helga. And...I think I know what I want to do."
"Let me guess, you think we should wait?"
"Actually, no." Helga looked at him in surprise. Mr. Do the right thing wanted to do something that they could be considered too young for?
"Wow, Arnold, I'm impressed. Not so much of a goody two shoes anymore, are you?"
"Well, I...I, um, I guess not," he blushed.
"Aw, don't worry about it Arnoldo, I'm just teasing you again." They noticed the sounds from downstairs had finally gotten much quieter.
"Looks like Bob finally calmed down a bit. Thanks again for making me feel better, Arnold."
"Any time, Helga. Maybe we ought to go see if your dad wants you to go home with him, so you can get you stuff together."
"Oh Arnold, do I have to? I'd much rather just stay here with you!" Helga jokingly pulled Arnold's sleeve as if to pull him down to lay on the bed with her. Or at least, it was supposed to be a joke. But Helga pulled a little harder than she had planned, and Arnold lost his balance, and at the end of the episode Arnold and Helga lay side by side, face to face on the bed.
"Oops, sorry Arnold. I didn't mean to pull you over like that, really."
"That's okay, Helga. I know it was an accident." Neither made a move to get up, however.
"You know, Football Head, we could just stay here for the rest of the night. It's pretty late, and I'm tired, and I wouldn't mind cuddling up with you all night." she winked at him, then giggled.
"Helga, you know we can't do that."
"Why not? What happened to bold Arnold?"
"Helga, you know why. My grandparents would never let us sleep in the same room, let alone the same bed." Arnold blushed at the word bed.
"Who says they'd need to know?"
"Helga!"
"Oh, okay, you're right. But before we go see what's going on downstairs, can we just lay here for one more minute? Please? I really don't want to get up."
"I suppose we don't have to get up quite yet." They lay there in silence for a minute, just enjoying being near each other. Helga reached over and moved Arnold's arm so that it was across the small of her back.
"Helga..." Arnold began.
"Arnold, please? Don't think so much. Just let it happen, then see how you feel about it, okay?"
"Okay, Helga." and the longer he lay there with his arm around Helga, the more he realized that he liked it.
Just as Arnold was trying to figure out if there was any way they could stay like that forever, there was a knock at the door. Instantly Helga was across the room on the couch and Arnold was sitting up on his bed trying to clear his head. He got up and opened the door to find Phil standing there.
"Hey, Short Man. Is your girlfriend in there with you?"
"Um, yeah, Helga's in here. I'm sorry, Grandpa, but she was upset, and so I-"
"Oh don't worry about it, Short Man. I trust you! I just wanted to let Helga know that her father said she can either stay here or go home; her call."
Arnold turned to Helga, who was still sitting on the couch, blushing a bit at almost being caught with Arnold during such a private moment.
"What do you think, Helga? Do you want to stay?" Arnold asked. He didn't want to influence her decision, but more than anything he wanted Helga to stay.
"Well, if it's okay, I'd really like to stay," Helga said softly.
"Well of course it's okay!" Phil chuckled, "I'll go let your father know. Don't stay up too late, okay you two?"
"Um, of course not, Grandpa." Arnold said. He closed the door and walked over to the couch with Helga.
"I'm really glad you decided to stay, Helga."
"I'm glad I get to stay. I guess tonight didn't turn out too horrible. After all, I wouldn't be sitting here with you right now if my dad hadn't flipped his lid. I'd be wasting my time sleeping!"
"Yeah."
A while later Arnold found himself in a bit of a predicament. He and Helga had been sharing stories, and in the middle of one of his she had fallen asleep. Now Arnold sat on his couch with Helga all but asleep on his lap! Her head was on his shoulder and her arms were wrapped around him.
Slowly, so as not to wake her, Arnold attempted to detach himself from Helga. However, in moving she had become more or less awake.
"Huh? Where am I? What's going on? Arnold?"
"Sorry to wake you, Helga. I was trying to unwrap your arms from me without waking you, but I guess it didn't work."
"Eh, that's okay. I should go back to my own room anyway, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Arnold replied regretfully.
"Arnold," she feigned shock, "are you saying you'd like me to...stay?"
"Well, um, I don't want you to leave, but we can't sleep in the same room."
"That's my Arnold, always doing the right thing! Although y'know, Football Head, it wouldn't kill you to bend the rules a little sometimes."
"Okay, Helga, I'll keep that in mind."
"Alright," she smiled sweetly, "Well, goodnight, Arnold," she kissed him gently before heading down to her own bed.
Arnold waved down the hall until her door closed, then returned to his bed. But rather than go to sleep, he lay awake, thinking. 'Tonight was really crazy, wasn't it? But...maybe it was a good kind of crazy. And maybe Helga's right; maybe I worry too much about doing the right thing. But it's just because I've done some things in the past that I shouldn't have, mostly when I was following the rest of the guys or when I was trying to impress a girl, like that time I used Gerald's sister to try and help me with Lila. And doing stuff like that either gets me in trouble or leaves me feeling guilty, and I don't want to mess things up with Helga. She still doesn't fully believe me when I tell her that I love her, and I guess I understand why. I mean, she's been waiting seven years for me, and I didn't even know. Not to mention she spent every day worrying someone would find out her secret. And now that we're finally together, she must be having just as many emotions about it as I am. Wow. Hey, I just thought of something...' Arnold rolled over and looked at his calendar. In exactly one week, it would be his and Helga's one month anniversary. 'I should do something extra special to celebrate. But what?' he turned ideas over in his head for a while, and just as he was drifting off to sleep, he thought of the perfect plan.