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

They all belong to their rightful owner: Craig Bartlett.

Title: "Blackmail toy"

In the last chapter of "Blackmail toy": During the game between the seniors and the juniors, it was obvious to Helga and the gang that Jake from the seniors was willing to go to large extends to win. They had no clue it'd mean he'd be angry enough when he lost to throw a baseball at Helga. Arnold had been quick enough to save her, but was hit by the baseball himself in the process, sending him falling into the home plate and start to bleed.

In pure fury, Helga almost went to kill Jake, but was stopped by Gerald and Phoebe. They had to focus on helping Arnold, and who would want to risk her getting expelled for trying to kill a student, who was likely to get expelled himself?

When the ambulance came to get Arnold, Gerald and Aaron silently agreed to let Helga come with Arnold into the ambulance. The rest of the gang went to their bikes and cars, ready to follow them to the Hillwood Hospital, while Aaron went home to tell his uncle, aunt and grandparents what had happened.

Author's 1st note: I don't even know how many chapters there will be… I know exactly what's gonna happen from here on afterwards, you know, but how many words it'll take in all, is sorta the reason why I can't say how many chapters there'll be xD But I'm pretty sure I'll at least reach 40! Yeah, definitely at least 40 ;)

Chapter 37: "We have all the time in the world"

"What the hell do you mean I can't see him right now?!" Helga asked a nurse who was trying to calm her down. "Please calm down." The poor woman begged yet again, as she held her hands up, ready to stop the angry blonde in front of her, if she tried to run past her into the room behind her. Again.

"I will not calm down! Arnold got a baseball knocked into his head at full force, then he was knocked into a fucking home plate, which made him bleed and you tell me, that you can't tell me anything?! Are you fucking kidding me?!" Helga yelled loudly, having already attracted plenty of attention.

"Would you be quiet already?!" a man sitting nearby suddenly chimed in. "What do you want?!" Helga asked angrily, not caring how impolite she was; not that she was usually all that polite. "Listen, young lady, we all understand that you're worried about this Arnold, but the longer you force this poor nurse to try and calm you down, the longer it will be before she can help him, so sit down and be quiet!"

Helga's eyes went a little wide. For a moment, it seemed like she would continue her rant, but then she plumped down on a nearby chair, almost in a childish manner, as if she had been denied something; which she had after all.

The man, who had been glaring a second ago, now sighed a bit at the woman who was sitting next to him. As annoying this blonde girl's continuous rant had been, it had also been obvious how scared she was on her friend's behalf. They felt bad for her.

The nurse glanced towards the man. When they got eye contact, she mumbled a small thank you, which he simply nodded to in reply. She turned to look at Helga again and crouched down in front of her. "Now that you are calm, will you listen to me?" she inquired gently, hoping for a simple nod this time. She got it, but also noticed how the teen in front of her was biting her lower lip in frustration.

"Your friend isn't in any critical situation. As far as we know, the bleeding wasn't internal. That is truly all I can tell you right now. He won't die, that I promise you." the nurse said soothingly with a small smile in amusement appearing on her lips. The blonde girl had been ranting about death and funerals during her outburst earlier, and even if the nurse found it amusing to be this worried about a ball to the head, then she could understand the panic.

"I know that!" Helga answered with a frown, in a moment forgetting herself having believed for a second that Arnold would die, when she saw him with an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. It had been a terrifying sight to see him being pulled into that room. "But… there are worse things than death."

The nurse didn't know what to say to that; especially since she still didn't know of Arnold's condition. "He is going to be fine." She simply said soothingly and laid a gentle hand on Helga's shoulder. "I'll keep you updated."

Helga's head whipped up at that. "Yeah, you'd better!" she answered, causing the nurse to giggle. "I swear I will." She answered, stood up and went towards the room where Arnold was. Helga sighed heavily and started rocking in her chair. She knew she looked insane doing so, but she couldn't just sit still.

After starting to even feel dizzy from rocking around like that, Helga switched to jumping a little in the chair, using the soles of her feet to do so. Please, please, please… Oh, God, this is all my fault… If only I had figured out Jake would try to bean me, then I could've beaned him first or something! I swear, if I ever see him again, I won't care about the consequences; I'll cut the hands he used to knock out my poor beloved!

Starting to feel her legs going numb from the bouncing, Helga instead leaned forward as she covered her face with her hands. She groaned in frustration and started rocking her upper body again. "Why is it taking so long…? A baseball to the head shouldn't be that big a deal, right? But it was a hardball… Oh, God." She muttered and swung her body around until she felt the wall bang against her head. "… Ow…"

"Helga Pataki?"

Helga's head whipped right up at the mentioning of her name. She opened her eyes and noticed her odd position. She was sitting sideways on a chair, having her knees bend over the armrest of her own and the next chair. Luckily, no one was using the chair next to her. No one dared getting close to her with the way she thrashed around like if it was 4am in the morning and she still couldn't sleep.

"Miss Pataki?" the nurse asked again, though she knew which one in the room it was. It was a different nurse from before, but the former nurse had described Helga. Even if she hadn't, then it was obvious which one was the blonde, teen who was almost going insane with worry.

Helga looked at the nurse and quickly went to sit properly. "Ow!" she exclaimed, as her hand went straight to her back. The pain from having it leaned against armrest was awful, but she forced herself up anyway. "A-Any news? Is he gonna be all right?"

The nurse smiled, which Helga's eyes widened at. Does that mean… she started to think, but then the nurse started to speak. "He is going to be just fine. He has a small concussion, and he's a little disorientated, but he's just fine."

"… A concussion?" Helga repeated. The nurse nodded. "A small one even. We'll make him stay for a couple of hours just to make sure, but we're almost certain it's closer to a bad headache." She answered with a small giggle.

Helga felt her eyes roll back in her head, as she fell backwards onto her chair. "Miss Pataki?" the nurse asked worriedly, but then the blonde smiled. "Oh, thank God… A concussion… Barely a concussion…" then her eyes showed death. "I'm gonna kill him for making me so worried for nothing!" she declared with a frown.

The people in the room started laughing, which hadn't even been the intention of Helga, but she smiled nevertheless. She figured they already knew what kind of character she was at this point. "Can I see him?" she asked with hopeful eyes.

"Your boyfriend's actually been asking for you." the nurse answered with a small wink. Helga felt her entire body tense at that word. "M… M-My… Ah, no! W-We-We're not d-dating!" she answered as she waved her hands in slight panic.

"What?!" the whole room exclaimed in shock, causing Helga to glance at them. After all the ranting, she had done at the former nurse, after seeing her thrash around like a lion in a cage and even hearing her mutter his name half-asleep, they had not doubted for a second she was dating him.

"Well, I am so sorry to have disappointed you!" Helga answered with a small frown, still feeling her heart beat at her ribcage. "Oh, it was just…" a man muttered. "You were this worried, so…" a woman muttered. They all felt embarrassed about having shown their thoughts so easily, and having admitted to listening in on everything happening around the blonde girl also.

"A-Anyways… No, he's not my boyfriend… not really." Helga answered, almost feeling her cheeks burning at this point. "Not really?" a woman repeated to the girl next to her. "Oh, would you all just… give it a rest!" Helga said to them, feeling embarrassed to boot. "Can I see him?"

"Yes, of course." The nurse answered. She was about to say something else, but didn't manage to do so before Helga already stood up and started running. "No running in a hospital!" she yelled gently at her. They all watched in amusement, as Helga's pace went down to an impatient jogging.

With a pair of long steps, excessively slow for her taste, Helga reached the door and opened it. She peeked inside and looked around. It was empty, or so it seemed at least. She went all the way in, frowning a bit in confusion. "Where in the world is that football head?" she wondered aloud, almost as if she was playing hide and seek with a small child.

"Over here." A slightly weak, male voice answered. Helga's head whipped towards the sound and that was when she saw Arnold. He was using his arms to sit up rather than lying down, and he was looking at her with big eyes, as if he was surprised to see her.

"W… What the hell…" Helga muttered after a couple of seconds in tense silence. Arnold didn't even look surprised at her words. He just kept looking at her, as her eyebrows started twitching. "You're just fine… You made us all worry for nothing… you… stupid…"

Then Helga's voice went quiet, when she noticed Arnold moving a bit. He was lifting his arms with a doll like motion due to the heavy drugs still roaming in his body. He had a faint smile on his lips as his arms lifted all the way up, begging her to hug him.

Helga then let the tears that had been waiting to come out, finally slide down her cheeks. Without a word, she ran towards the bed. With a slight chuckle, Arnold pulled her into his arms, loving the way she held him so tightly. It was as if she was afraid he'd disappear into thin air if she didn't hold onto him.

"I was so worried!" Helga said loudly as she sobbed on Arnold's shoulder. "I'm sorry…" he whispered. "And here you are; just fine!" she complained with a wheeze because of her sniveling. "I'm sorry." He repeated and started caressing her back.

"Idiot!" Helga said, as her grip around Arnold got tighter. "I'm not gonna apologize again." he said, followed by a small chuckle as he started to slowly rock them from side to side. "Shut up…" she ordered, letting her nose rest in the crook of his neck. "Yes, ma'am…" he whispered with a smile.

Helga was in no mood to giggle at that comment though. "… Why did you have to go and do that?" she asked. "What?" Arnold asked. "Save me… You should have let him hit me." She explained. "Helga…" he said in a slightly chastising way.

"No, you should have let him hit me; it was me he was after! Or you could have at least saved the both of us. You're an idiot; always looking out for everyone else but yourself, and see where it put you… and because of me. I'm not worth saving if it means I have to worry about you like this…"

"… 'Not worth saving'? I don't want anyone, not even you, to talk about the girl I'm in love with like that." Arnold said as he kept smiling in content. Helga's eyes went wide at his words and she leaned back to stare at him. "What… did you say?"

Arnold moved his hand from Helga's waist and laid it gently on her cheek. "Remember that I wanted to tell you something after the game?" he asked warmly. She didn't answer, didn't even nod, but just kept looking at him with deer like eyes. "Well… what I wanted to tell you…" he said and she could see the words already leaving his lips. "… is that I - - "

"No!" Helga interrupted, making Arnold's blink in surprise. "Huh?" he muttered. "No, I said! I promised Phoebe and myself that I'd be the first one to say it!" she said with a small frown. He blinked at her a couple of times, before he started frowning himself. "You gotta be kidding me… I knew you'd try and beat me to it at this too. I promised Gerald I'd be the first one to say it too!"

"Oh, too bad, football head! I have the right to say it first!"

"How so?"

"Because I've been waiting way longer than you to say it!"

"No, you haven't!"

"Yes, I have! Since I was freaking three years old!"

"Well, me too!" Arnold answered in annoyance. Helga had been about to say something, but then her mouth closed as her eyes went big. "… Excuse me?" she muttered. "W-What do you mean 'me too'?"

"If you'll let me be the first one to say it, then I'll tell you." Arnold answered with a smug smile. Helga blinked a couple of times, but then shook her head. "No way! Not after what I just went through! Have you got any idea what it feels like to see something like that?! Your eyes rolling back in your head, you falling down to the ground, you bleeding like that until my pink ribbon turned red?! Uh-uh! I think I deserve to say it first."

Arnold's eyes went a little wide at that description of what had happened. The last thing he remembered was to swing Helga around after all, so to be told about those things was a little scary. He didn't waver though. "Well, all those things happened to me, and don't forget that I saved you! Doesn't that mean that I deserve to say it first?"

Helga was about to open her mouth to say something, but then she felt a snort at the back of her throat. In slight surprise, she leaned back away from Arnold, who had snickered at the same time. As they looked at each other, the snickering turned into heartfelt laughter.

"What are we doing?" Helga asked as she kept laughing. "W-What we do best… fighting." Arnold answered, also chuckling too much to say much more. "Then… how about something new? We compromise." She suggested with a smile, forcing her laughter away. He looked up at her in slight confusion. "So… we say it… together?"

Helga thought for a second, but then nodded. "Yeah… together." She announced. "Ok… one." Arnold said with a smile, feeling slightly silly about this, but in a way… it seemed like the perfect way to do it. "Two…" she said with a big smile. They both opened their mouths. "Three!"

"Arnold!"

A booming, male shout could be heard from outside the room. Arnold and Helga turned to look at the door, as it swung open and Gerald walked in, followed by Phoebe and the rest of the gang. "Oh, man, you're alive! Thank God."

Helga and Arnold just kept staring at the gang in disbelief, as they started bantering about how worried they had been. The two blondes started frowning as they felt a really unwelcome sense of deja-vu run through them.

It was only Gerald, who suddenly noticed the obviously unamused looks on Helga and Arnold's faces. "Did we… interrupt something?" he asked, earning the others' attention too. "If you interrupted something?!" Helga and Arnold repeated in a mix of anger and disbelief. "Are you kidding me!"

The people in front of them stepped back a little bit, not used to having both Arnold and Helga mad at them at the same time. "You know what? Forget it!" Arnold said and rolled his whole head around in relinquishment. "Yeah! Screw it if you guys are here to hear it!" Helga said, though she hadn't noticed Arnold even saying anything, nor had he noticed her words either.

"Uh, guys?" Gerald asked gently, feeling something huge on its way. "I'll just say it anyway!" both Arnold and Helga said, still not noticing they were talking over each other. The gang continued to stare at them, as they kept talking like that. They weren't even looking at each other; they both had their eyes closed, as they just tried to focus on saying those goddamn words already!

"The truth is, Arnold - - "

"The truth is, Helga - - "

"Ever since we were kids - - "

"Ever since preschool - - "

"I have been hopelessly - - "

"Helplessly - - "

"Completely head over heels - - "

"In love with you!" the two blondes shouted at each other in unison. They opened their eyes wide and started at each other, having only now noticed the other one had been talking all the way through it.

The silence in the room was thick with awkwardness; at least to the peers. "… Ok! Show's over!" Gerald and Phoebe declared together, turned around and started to shoo at the others. Arnold and Helga turned their heads around to look at the gang, as they started to banter in over each other.

"B-But what's going on?!" Sid asked curiously, as he was pushed out of the door. "Did they just say what I think they said?!" Nadine asked, also walking out of the door. "And yelling it like that?! Disgracious!" Rhonda added as she was shooed at too.

When the gang was finally outside, Phoebe walked out too, leaving Gerald to close the door. "Good luck, you two! Glad to see you're all right, Arnold." He quickly said, feeling the need to at least say that, before he closed the door and left them alone.

Arnold and Helga were quiet for a couple of seconds, both of them trying to comprehend what had just happened during the last few minutes. Helga was the one to pull Arnold out of his thoughts, when he noticed she was about to say something. "Arnold!" she said, whipping her head around, before he lifted his hands and covered her mouth with the both of them.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Arnold interrupted; making sure that Helga was silent. "You listen to me… you've already had your big, heartfelt confession, remember? When we were 9 years old, during FTI and up on that rooftop? Well, it's my turn now… ok?"

Helga didn't answer Arnold, nor did she nod or shake her head; she simply stayed put where she was, waiting for him to continue. When he was sure, she wouldn't speak any further, he took a deep breath. "Uh… I, uh… Huh. How did you do this so easily?" he asked. "The words just came running out of your mouth, and I have no clue what to say."

Helga lifted her hand slowly and removed Arnold's hands from her mouth, but only down to her chin. "Uh, I didn't really think about what to say or what to do… I just went for it." She answered. After a couple of seconds, she moved his hands up to her mouth again.

Arnold chuckled at the obvious attempt at trying to calm him down, as he removed his hands from the now smiling Helga. "Seriously, Arnold…" she started and shifted a little on the bed to get closer to him. "I've been dreaming about hearing these words for so long that… no matter what you say, it'll be wonderful. So just say whatever you want… ok?"

Arnold blinked a couple of times, before his eyes went half-lidded. "You're amazing, Helga." He said, which caused her to giggle in that wonderful way he had only heard a handful of times. "Well, I'm a pretty amazing person, football head."

Arnold simply smiled at that, doing his best not to get caught up on his need to laugh. He'd been wanting to say this for so long, and now he didn't even know how to say it. If my words fail… she'll know what I mean. She understand me better than anyone else does. If my words doesn't make any sense, she'll understand… Helga will understand. He thought soothingly to calm himself.

"Helga… do you remember when we first met?" Arnold then asked, trying to simply start from the beginning, so to speak. Helga cocked her head to the side, as she continued to smile. "Yeah… pretty clearly actually." She answered.

"Do you remember what my first words to you were?" Arnold asked. Helga looked mockingly pensive for a second, before she giggled. "You said, and I quote: 'Hi, nice bow. I like your bow, because it's pink like your pants.'" She answered as she snuck her hand into her pocket. She pulled the ribbon out of it and showed it to him.

"Oh, God, I did that?" Arnold asked with big eyes. Helga nodded. "You see why I was freaking out?" she asked, which he nodded to in reply. "I'm sorry…" he muttered with a slight frown. "Naw, don't sweat it. Having worn the same bow for 13 years, I know how to get rid of a little blood…" she answered and pushed it into her pocket again. "… but don't you dare bleed ever again."

"I can't believe you remember that." Arnold said in wonder with a dreamy smile. "Oh, please… it was my first compliment ever; of course I remember. I can't believe you remember." Helga answered and started leaning against one of the two pillows on the bed.

"Of course I do. Since… Since my heart broke a little when I saw you that day."

"… What do you mean?"

"You were all muddy and looked really sad… I covered you with my umbrella, right?"

"Yeah… what was up with that anyway, Arnoldo? I was already muddy from head to toe. If anything, then the rain may have washed it off."

"I was three years old; how was I supposed to think of such logic?" Arnold asked with an amused smirk. Helga just shrugged. "I guess not. It was still really cute though… and so very typical you. Always saving everyone… You sure saved me that day."

"Helga, it's starting to sound like this is your confession." Arnold pointed out with an amused smirk. "Sorry… Please continue." Helga answered with a loving smile. He chuckled a bit at her. "You remember what else happened that day?"

"… You mean you giving me the crackers?"

"Yeah… but mostly… what happened after that?" Arnold asked, knowing that Helga would know what he talked about. She turned her head away from him, looking through the room rather than him now. "Uh… yeah, I do remember that too. What about it?"

"… Did I… without meaning to… start this whole… bully thing?" Arnold asked gently. Helga's eyes went wide open and she turned to look at him in confusion. "Huh? Why would you think that, football head?"

"… It's just…" Arnold turned to look towards his lap, feeling a little nervous about this new turn the conversation had taken. "I've always wondered… if I had just, you know, not given you those crackers… then maybe Harold wouldn't have laughed at you, and then you wouldn't have hit him and… everything after that?"

"… Arnold… Harold was already laughing at me and making fun of me… He stole my crackers, for heaven's sake. At that age, stealing crackers is like stealing a cell phone at our current age. I already believed back then that everyone was against me. If anything, then you… you showed me that at least one person wasn't."

Arnold almost blushed at that small confession from Helga. He started smiling. "You really believe that?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and pushed her elbow gently at his upper arm. "I really do… and so will you from now on, got it?" she ordered, which made him nod.

"Well… I think that ever since that day, then I seriously believed your bullying was somehow my fault… Maybe that's one of the reasons I always put up with whatever you did back then."

"One of the reasons?" Helga repeated and started bashing her eyelashes at Arnold with an eager smile. He smiled right back at her in amusement. "I'll get there. Be patient." He begged, which made her pout a bit. "I have been patient. Thirteen years, bucko, and you know patience isn't one of my traits!"

"I know, I know, but… I just want to get a few things off my shoulders… ok?" Arnold requested. "Oh… all right." Helga answered with a smile in impatience. Cute impatience, if you asked Arnold. "Thank you. Besides, you got to admit a few things as well in your confession, right?"

Helga's eyes went a little wide. Words like 'stalking', 'shrines' and 'poems' went through her mind, as she slowly turned to face Arnold. "I thought this was about your confession?" she asked. He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I have to know, Helga, I've been smothered in curiosity ever since you told me that."

"That's seven years ago, Arnoldo, you can wait another fifty years." Helga answered and crossed her arms in dismissal. Arnold's eyes went a little wide. "Fifty… years, Helga?" he asked and started to smile broadly. She turned to look at him in confusion, until she figured what he was talking about. "What? A… A girl can dream, right?" she asked with a slight frown.

Helga kept frowning, until she noticed the very, very happy smile on Arnold's face. She felt her cheeks blush a little bit, as she started to wonder what that smile meant. "A boy can dream too." He said simply, as a slight blush appeared on his cheeks, though his facial expressions didn't look embarrassed at all.

Helga felt her heart pump at her ribcage, but she didn't care about such a thing anymore. Oh, let it beat like that if it wants to… Who cares if he notices? She thought before she laid her head on Arnold's shoulder, almost subconsciously leaning her heart against his arm.

Arnold could feel Helga's heart pumping against his arm, which him turn around a little too. He took her hand in his, lifted it up to his chest and laid it against his heart. Her heartbeat quickened at that small, tender action. His heart was beating as rapidly as hers was, and she could've sworn they were in sync.

"I wonder if hearts starts to beat together, if they find love in another…" Helga whispered near Arnold's ear. His eyes went a little wide and she could feel his heart beat faster after her small rhyme. "Th-That's my answer to your question, Arnold… I just made that up, but… yes… I have been writing poetry about you through the years…"

"Whoa… so… those little pink books you usually write in, are those…"

"Y-Yeah…"

"All of them?"

"Every single one of them."

Arnold wondered if he should ask his next question, but Helga seemed willing to talk, so he decided to test his luck. "I… once found a small, pink book with poems in it actually…" he pointed out, letting only his eyes look at her. He could see her eyes going big and so did her blush. "Uh… Uh-huh? Well, that's…" she started, but then she sighed. "Mine." She admitted with slight annoyance.

Arnold couldn't help but smile, as he started to remember the poems he had read countless times ever since having found that book. "I… still have it, you know." He said. Helga removed her head from his shoulder to stare at him. "You're kidding… Why?"

"I… like them." Arnold answered with a slight shrug. Helga blinked a couple of times, before she simply let her head fall onto his shoulder again. "Th-That's just because they give you an ego boost. They are all declared to you after all."

"You could've been writing about World War Two, and I'd still like them." Arnold announced seriously. Helga turned her head around a little as she quirked an eyebrow at that statement. "I don't like hearing about wars." He admitted.

"I know that." Helga answered with a smile and laid her head against Arnold's shoulder again. "I guess you do… You know a lot about me. Almost everything really." He pointed out and started to poke his fingertips at the palm of her hand. With a small giggle, she spread her fingers and intertwined them with his.

"I'd like to think so." Helga answered with a dreamy smile on her lips. "Yeah… I mean, if you really did stalk me back then, I guess you're bound to know a lot of things, right?" Arnold asked in an innocent voice and turned his head again to look at her reaction. "How serious were you about that anyway?"

Rather than panicking yet again, Helga simply snuggled closer to Arnold. "We'll talk about that in ten years, bucko…" she answered. "Hey, what happened to the fifty years?" he asked with a chuckle. "With the way you're questioning me, you'll only make it ten years." She answered teasingly, followed by a small yawn. She didn't even know what time it was, but it had felt like forever since the baseball game had ended.

"I got it. I'll shut up." Arnold answered and caressed his head against Helga's. She lifted her hand and started to pat his head. "Good football head." She said teasingly, followed by another yawn and laid her hand back on his chest.

Arnold closed his eyes like Helga had also done, and just enjoyed the peaceful silence between them. He didn't know how long they were like that, probably only a few minutes, until he remembered his task at hand.

"Helga…? I was supposed to tell you something, right?" Arnold reminded her. He had expected an answer – of course – but all he could hear was Helga's soft breathing. "Helga?" he asked in a whisper and twisted his head a little to look at her.

Arnold couldn't help but chuckle. "Falling asleep before I even get to tell you… I guess you really tired yourself out from worrying so much?" he wondered aloud and lifted his hand to remove a lock of hair from her face. She smiled in her sleep and snuggled even closer to him.

"It doesn't matter…" Arnold muttered and lifted the blanket over the both of them, as he laid down on the bed, pulling her gently down with him. "You said it yourself, Helga… We have all the time in the world…"

Author's 2nd note: Don't worry! I have more planned! Stay tuned for the next chapter! :P