Hello and welcome to part two. X3 :D This last part will be shorter, but it will also move things up in the "main" story.

You know the disclaimer, y'all.

XXX

Something strange was going on.

It especially was made clear, when he found himself sitting in class, without much memory as to how he had gotten there. Sure, he knew he was there and why he was there, but when did he get here? And why was it empty? Had he come early, or too late?

Arnold scratched his head, and looked down at the papers on his desk. But why were they all childish scribbles in crayon? He couldn't even make out what the writing...or drawings were supposed to be. He looked at the blackboard, and saw all kinds of strange chalk doodles. He made out some of them, hearts, broken hearts, baby bottles, rocks...at least he thought they were rocks. What was going on?

"Hey, Arnold."

That voice... He knew that voice anywhere.

In the doorway, stood none other than...

"H-Helga?"

She stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorjam, sultrily, and wore a very provocative pink and white schoolgirl outfit, showing more skin than it was covering it. It rode high up, exposing her midriff, cut and buttoned low to show her cleavage, and the skirt hung low on her hips, it was hard to tell if she had underwear on or not. Her hair was down, with a pink bow tied on her head.

His breath caught in his throat, and his insides jolted at the sight of her. What was going on? Why was she doing this?

"That's right, love..." Helga sauntered over to him, her hips swaying suggestively, and smirked at him, her voice seductive. "I've been a bad girl, and I need you to teach me a lesson."

"H-Helga, what are you doing?" Arnold cried, jumping up from his chair. "We...we're married!"

"Not to each other, we're not..." Helga purred, now standing in front of his desk, placing her hands on the surface and leaning over toward him. "But don't you see? We're perfect for each other... You know you want me, Arnold...I could see it in your eyes."

"No, no! It's not like that at all!" Arnold tried to back away, but Helga grabbed onto his tie, pulling him toward her.

"Don't lie to me, Arnold my love... After all, I want you just as badly as you want me. You're just a little confused."

The blood that had rushed to his face was now heading down south, making it even harder to deny. But he couldn't do this, not like this, not now, not...he just couldn't! It was wrong.

"I'd been so blind, so confused..." Helga murmured, now climbing onto his desk. "So...unaware, but...no longer am I lost. Arnold...I love you. I've always loved you, I just never knew it, could never see it, could never come upon it, but now I know! Oh my love, I can't wait any longer, I must have you! You fill the empty void in my heart, my darling..."

Her words struck him like lightning, and despite the situation, it was as if he had an epiphany. How had he been blind? So lost and confused? How could he have contributed these feelings as anything but? It all made sense now. The enigma was gone, the mystery was solved, it was all out on the table now. No reason to hide, no reason to deny, it was true.

What am I doing, I can't do this...and yet...I can't hide from the truth. ...Can I even handle the truth?

"Say you love me, darling...please, I need to hear this. Tell me, tell me you love me." Helga urged him, looking at him desperately.

Finding his voice, Arnold closed his eyes, letting the truth wash over him. "I love you Helga, I do love you, I've loved you all along. I've just been so blind and confused because I was never truly in love. It wasn't until you came along back in my life that I realized what love really is. Now I'm not confused anymore, I know more than ever that I love you."

"Then kiss me, please..." Her pleading voice reached his ears.

All logic and thought were pushed from his mind as no further words were needed by that moment, the moment their lips met, hungrily, full of longing and need. Her lips were soft, supple, moist and tasted like raspberries, probably from her shiny lip gloss he'd noticed her wearing. Their arms came around each other, falling back onto his desk with her beneath him, kissing like crazy. All sorts of wonderful feelings filled up inside, something he hadn't felt in such a long time, he felt as if his body were on fire! Her lips melded perfectly against his, her body fit so naturally against his own, and she smelled so nice, like raspberries, vanilla, and something...

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

The insistent, digital beeping of his alarm clock immediately roused Arnold from slumber, and his eyes shot open, sitting up in bed and panting heavily, drenched in cold sweat. For a moment he had no idea what was going on, where he was, or what had happened. Wiping his forehead with his pyjama sleeve, Arnold looked around to see that he was in his and Ruth's bedroom in their home. Ruth was asleep next to him, breathing evenly, sleeping on her side, her back facing him.

A dream. It had all been a dream. But why did it seem so real? And what did it mean? It wasn't the first time he'd dreamed about Helga in such a way. He had a feeling it wouldn't be the last, either. Arnold didn't understand it. Why did he think of her like this? Why? Why did she enter his dreams so much? How did such a woman get under his skin?

Worse came to worse when Arnold threw the covers off himself, he was horrified to find a very obvious bulge in his PJ bottoms. That hadn't happened in a long time. With an agonized groan, he got up went and got his clothes for the day, heading to the bathroom to take care of this problem and get washed up.

It was going to be a long, long day.

XXX

Before deciding going to see Dr. Bartlett about where they would move forward in their lives, it was time that Arnold and Ruth had a good discussion about everything. They wanted to talk about it, get everything out on the table, before they would attend their next appointment.

Right now, they sat at their kitchen table, facing each other, looking a little nervous, but determined. It was now or never.

"Ruth, I..." Arnold began.

"It's okay, Arnold, I'll go first." Ruth assured, and looked down at the table for a moment. "...I think we...should get a divorce."

The words struck him in his heart and in his gut, and although he knew it was inevitable, it still did hurt. No divorce was easy, nor was it pleasant. This would be no different. Of course, not to say that they hated one another and couldn't wait to be apart. It wasn't like that at all. But Arnold was now coming to an understanding. He did love Ruth, and he cared about her very much, he always would. Their relationship wasn't perfect, but it wasn't horrible, either. There were really good times they shared, and they would always be bound together by their stillborn daughter Francesca, and he knew that they would always remain friends, and always be there when the other needed it. They just weren't meant to be together.

It all came clear in that moment, Arnold knew what he knew all along, but never truly knew. The truth hurt, it was sad that this had to end, but he knew she was right. They had to stop this now, before it would get worse. Their marriage had been very rocky lately, and the tragic death of their daughter was definitely a true sign of them going downhill.

"You're...you're right." Arnold said finally, taking her hand. "I've never really seen it until now, but I know that we should."

Ruth nodded sadly. "I don't hate you, Arnold. I just want you to know that. I care about you. I just...I'm not in love with you."

"That's how I feel, too." It hurt to hear that, but Arnold knew they both needed to hear the truth. "I care about you, Ruth, I always have and I always will. And we'll always have Francesca, and we'll always have the good times we've shared. We're...just not meant to be. I'm so sorry, Ruth."

"No, Arnold. I'm sorry." She said, her brown eyes looking into his with guilt. "It was really because of me that we were in this mess. I pushed us too fast into getting married, I made you give up your dreams, I even made you lose your first child."

"Ruth, Francesca's death was not your fault, don't ever say that. It wasn't anyone's fault. It was just the unfortunate results of a complicated birth." Arnold told her kindly but sternly. "We both messed up, we both got into this mess. It was all just a sign that we weren't meant to be and we ignored it. So...I'm sorry too."

"I know you are. But...I still feel like I messed up, because I didn't want to be pregnant, I didn't want the responsibility. It wasn't until I lost her, that I realized just how much I truly loved her, and wanted to be her mother... It was like a sign or something. Telling us the truth we needed to know." Ruth murmured. "We...we were never truly in love, were we? It was all lust, the stability, the fact we were sure we would never find someone else if we gave each other up, isn't it?"

"I think it was. I do love you, Ruth, I guess I'm just not...in love with you. To be honest I think I don't even know what it means to be in love."

"Me neither. We need to do this Arnold. I'm twenty-nine and I'm not getting any younger, I need to move on. And so do you."

Arnold nodded, knowing once again that she was right. They both needed to move on. Ruth needed to truly excel in her hairdressing and esthetics career, and being married and a mother at the moment just wasn't for her. Maybe one day she would find another man and fall in love with him, maybe marry him, and maybe even be ready to have a child of her own. Maybe she wouldn't. Whatever happened, he hoped her the very best, and would support her no matter what.

He knew what he needed to do, too. He needed to go back to University and finish his final semester, he needed to take time to himself and travel around, to finally achieve his life goals, one step at a time. For now, Arnold would not think about love, and just live his life. Maybe one day, he too would find someone else, and truly move on.

Whatever happened to both of them, wasn't quite the matter at hand, the first thing to do was truly take the first step to move on. As the old saying went, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step"

They needed to get the proper closure, the proper steps, the proper direction to take. It wasn't going to be easy, not in the least. Being married for a few years, albeit far less than a decade, and then an accidental pregnancy, then resulting in the birth of a stillborn, it was a whole lot of baggage. But of course, they were well assured that it was not out of hatred or resentment of each other, but more out of an understanding of what was needed to be done. That factor did help, and it would make the process and the aftermath easier. Not by a huge lot, but definitely a step up.

"Then...we'll do what we can to make this process smoother." Arnold then said.

Ruth nodded in agreement. "Okay, Arnold. I can go stay with my sister for a little while, if you'd prefer that. You can stay here, the commute to school is closer here, and I can walk right to the haidresser's from my sister's house."

"Are you sure? You really don't have to, Ruth."

"It's okay, Anastasia will understand, and it'll only be for a little while, until I can get myself an apartment that's close to work. We should have some time apart, and we'll get together with Dr. Bartlett and a divorce lawyer about the whole process, okay?"

Arnold thought it long and hard, seeing now that they did indeed need some time apart to get through the divorce settlement. At the same time he felt concerned about Ruth and hoped she would make it through okay.

"...All right, I think it would be a good idea if we had a separation to get this through." He said finally. "But um, if at all you ever need anything, I'll be here, okay?"

Ruth smiled. "I know. And you too. I'll always be there for you, Arnold."

"So will I." Arnold promised. "So...would you like me to help you pack?"

"Yes, thank you. I could use a little help."

With a warm smile, he got up and so did she, heading down to the basement to get some boxes, ready to move this forward. It was going to be hard, and he knew he would have to admit that this whole thing was all coming to terms with the honest truth, that he had been afraid to let go of the one thing he had that was having someone and not being alone. But of course, reality was setting in and he knew he had to. It was for the best. They both had to move on. To finally move forward and come to an understanding about what was to come next.

They would always care about each other, and always be friends, and always have the tying bond of their stillborn daughter. Always. It would take time to adjust to the new roads their lives were setting for them, but with the right pacing and the right ways to go, they would be fine.

Arnold knew it, and he knew Ruth knew it too. He only hoped that they would make it through just fine.

XXX

Another morning, two days later, Arnold was on the phone with Gerald, who was calling in from Seattle to get a little update on things, since they hadn't spoken in two months.

"No WAY man. You guys are...?"

"Yes, Gerald." Arnold murmured into the phone. "I won't go into further details but we are getting a divorce."

"Wow. ...First a stillborn baby and now a divorce? Are you sure you're going to be okay, man? I'm surprised you haven't turned to antidepressants."

"Gerald, I'm not depressed and I'm not suffering from depression. Yes, it's going to be hard to get through this and maybe yes I am sad about how things turned out, but...I know everything will be fine. Ruth and I don't hate each other and she's not out to get all my money or anything. We just have an understanding, that we're not meant to be, that's all."

"Whoo, glad to hear THAT, Arnold." Gerald sighed with relief.

"I know, and that's good. Still though, I have no idea how to go about this to be honest. I mean, I know we have to see our psychologist, but the whole divorce process thing is complicated from what I hear."

"You'll get through it, man, trust me. You just gotta talk to some people and try to get a good divorce attorney. I'm no expert myself, but you can probably find the information you need, or even ask an attorney for some advice!"

An idea struck Arnold then.

"Thanks, Gerald. I'll do that. Anyway, how are you and Phoebe?"

He could swear Gerald was grinning on the other line. "Things are going great! We're gonna probably move back to Hillwood next year, when Phoebe's pretty much already done and set with her job. She's taking a nap now, the poor girl is all tuckered out."

"That's great, Gerald, it'll be nice for you guys to be back again." Arnold smiled. "Tell Phoebe I said hi when she wakes up, will you?"

"Sure thing! So hey, Phoebe heard from Helga that you and her are really hitting it off, wow, I never thought you guys would come into contact!"

"I know, it's strange, isn't it? But yeah, we've met up a few times and she and Brian had dinner with Ruth, me and my parents, and we've just really hit it off every time. She's also taking the case that the school board is trying to present to the board of administration and government in order to provide better funding for our schools, and she was phenomenal, Gerald. I won't go into too much detail since we're not quite allowed to discuss the case, but for the most part she was really well prepared for it and we all felt perfectly at ease. She's a great lawyer, she really is."

"Ah yeah, you're right about that! She's real argumentative, not afraid to speak her mind, opinionated, and always analyzes the situation from all angles, she really proved herself." Gerald laughed.

Arnold grinned and chuckled. "You're right, she really is. I think we have a chance at this."

"With her on your side, definitely. You're in good hands!" There was a thoughtful pause. "So hey, Phoebe and I will be in town sometime next week, so maybe the four of us can get together, maybe go for lunch or something. You, me, Phoebe and Helga there, two sets of best friends!"

"Are you suggesting we double date?" Arnold quipped, snickering.

"Whoa man, don't want to get a married woman on the rebound!" Gerald laughed, playing along.

"Real funny, Gerald. But that sounds like a nice idea, it'd be great to see you and Phoebe again. Call me when you're in town and we'll see what we can pull off."

"Will do, Arnold! I'd better get going, I got some errands I need to run, so I'll call you in the next few days or so. You going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine, don't worry. I'll see you soon."

"All right man, hang in there!" Gerald encouraged, and hung up.

I'll do my best. Arnold thought, hanging the phone up and placing the hand held on its cradle. Hanging in there, what a concept. But before he could absorb the call, the phone rang yet again. Looking at the caller I.D., he was surprised to find that it was Eileen. She rarely called him at home, aside from the few times she had done so back when he and Ruth had been facing the loss of their daughter. It must've been important. So he hit the "Talk" button and answered it. "Eileen?"

"Arnold! Good, I'm so glad I caught you. I'm sorry for calling you at home, but it's important. Are you busy?"

"No no, not at all. I was helping Ruth pack her things, but she was needed at the last minute over at the salon, she'll be there until late, so I'm taking a little break. What's up?"

"The court sent a summons to Carmen, and she called me, and I decided to call you about it. She's already contacted Helga. They...they want us in court tomorrow afternoon at two-thirty, at the courthouse downtown. They want us to present our case! Carmen requested that you and I be there." Eileen paused a moment. "Would you be okay to show for it tomorrow? I mean, we'll have to get substitute teachers for our classes and everything."

"No, I'll be there. In fact, I was going to call Helga anyway to...well, ask her some things, so I'll be able to run it along with her too. But wow, really. This soon?"

"Apparently they're ready for us to present our case. I just hope it goes well, Arnold."

"With Helga on our side, we're going to be fine. I have a good feeling about it."

Eileen giggled. "Yes, I think you're right. Helga certainly is going to be of a big help in this." A soft, quiet voice was heard near her on the other line, and it sounded as if she were turning away from the phone a moment. "-right there! Sorry Arnold, Henry was just letting me know something and I have to get going. I'll call you tonight, okay? Do you need a ride to the court house? Henry will be on location for a commission and it's walking distance from our apartment, so I'll have the car."

"That'd be great, Eileen, thanks! Ruth wants to bring some of her things to her sister's place, and she'll have to run back and forth between here, her sister's house and the salon all day, so I said she could use the car." Arnold nodded, even though his colleague couldn't see it.

"Great! I'll call you tonight with the details, okay?"

"Sure, sounds good. I'll be home all night, I just have to grade some papers and make the week's lesson plan."

"All right, well I'll be home around seven, so I'll probably give you a call around then. See you, Arnold, and thank you."

"You're welcome, Eileen. I'll see you later."

Click.

No sooner had he hung up, that he dialed a number that was growing to be familiar. Very familiar. He wondered briefly if Brainy was going to answer the phone. Although he had no problem conversing with him, he'd been feeling odd ever since these feelings, and the dreams, have been coming up. He wasn't sure what to feel if he had to converse with the husband of the woman he'd been having unwitting fantasies about, and wondering just what the heck they meant.

The phone was answered on the second ring.

"Hello, this is Helga." Came the casual answer.

Arnold felt himself smile and his heart jump at the sound of her voice. "Hey Helga, it's Arnold. How are you?"

"Arnold!" Helga exclaimed in a tone of happy surprise. "Well hey you! I'm doin' all right, ya know, can't complain! How about you, Football Head? What brings you to call little ol' me on a day like today?"

A chuckle escaped him at the silly, endearing nickname. "Not much really. Eileen actually just called me a minute ago, she told me about what happened when Carmen received a court summons, to present the case tomorrow afternoon. She called you about that, didn't she?"

"You bet she did. I was pretty surprised, but well, it's time we got the gears going. You nervous?"

"Very. But, I'm also reassured since we have you to represent us."

"Oh, you. Well I'm Helga G. Pataki, and I refuse to be anything less than the best!" Helga declared.

"I certainly got that impression." Arnold grinned. "Will you be able to get to the courthouse okay?"

"Well I-...ooh, no! Brian will need the car tomorrow. I could take public transit, but I have an appointment with a client in the morning, then I have to get to my office and get some files I keep there and of course run it by my supervisor, and then have to take yet ANOTHER bus to get downtown and that will take quite a while. I'll be fine in the morning, but I'll need someone to give me a ride to and from the courthouse."

"I could ask Eileen if she can give you a ride too. She offered to give me one, and I do need it since Ruth needs the car tomorrow too. I don't think she'll mind, she and Henry have a Chevrolet Cobalt, so there should be plenty of room."

"Ah, I'd hate to intrude, but if she's okay with that, I could sure use a ride."

"Like I said, I don't think she'll mind. She's going to call me tonight, probably around seven, so I'll be able to run it by her and plan it out."

"Okey-doke. Then could you call me after you talk to her? So I'll be able to plan and organize my time for everything? We'd have to get there at least by quarter to two, of course. I'll be home all evening, anyway."

"All right, I'll call you after I've settled the plans with Eileen, no problem." A few moments passed, and he dared to ask. "Helga, could I ask you for a little favour?"

"Doi! Sure you can, you little dolt. Nah, I'm just poking at you. What'cha need?"

"I was wondering if...since you're an attorney yourself and you work with many kinds of lawyers, if maybe you knew any...or could help me find a good divorce attorney."

"...Oh, are you and Ruth-?"

"Yes. We're getting a divorce."

"Wow, I...I'm sorry to hear that, Arnold. That's such a shame."

"It's okay, don't worry about it. We're still on good terms, we just know that we're not meant to be together, that's all. We've come to that understanding. Anyway, so as I said, I was wondering if you could help me a little with that, since I really have no idea what I'm doing and-"

"Oh yeah, I was just going to say that! No problem, a lot of people are new at this kind of thing and have no clue what they're doing or even where to look to get the info! Okay, so what I'll do is that I'll talk to a few of the guys at the office to day, in fact I'll recommend you to either Ken Phillips, or even Darren Smith, those guys are absolute professionals and some of the best in our firm. I'll talk to them and have them call you by the end of the day or so." Helga said, and exhaled as she waited for his response on the other line.

"Really? Well, thanks Helga, that'd be really helpful." Arnold exhaled in relief. "You have no idea how much of a weight is lifted off my shoulders for this, thanks so much."

"Hey, you're welcome, I'll do that no problem. Well, you take care of yourself, okay? And call me if you need anything else, I mean, if you need to, of course. I'm always glad to help. And again, I'm really sorry to hear that."

"Thanks, but like I said, it's nothing to worry about. It's just how things turned out. You take care of yourself too, okay? And um, I was wondering if maybe, on Thursday...there's an activity day at school and so I don't have classes in the afternoon, and I'm not expected back in until two to be able to help out with one of the events, and Eileen invited me to go to lunch with her and Henry, and she wanted to know if I'd bring anyone along. Well, we're friends, right? And we all kind of know one another, so if you want would you like to come along?"

"Okay then I'll-huh?" She sounded a little surprised.

"If you want, of course. Are you free for lunch on Thursday?" He rubbed the back of his neck, out of habit.

"Well, sure! I don't see why not. Sure, sure, I'm free for lunch on Thursday. All right, you win! I'll meet you guys there at quarter past, since I get off at noon exactly, for lunch.

"Okay, we're going to Bigal's Cafe and we'll be there around twelve or twelve-fifteen at the latest." He felt himself smile at the prospect of spending a little time with her, even in the company of others as well. "Anyway, I'll let you go for now, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"All right, cool, I'll see you tomorrow."

They hung up, and Arnold got up, deciding to pack some more of Ruth's things so that she wouldn't have to worry about it so much when she would get back later. He was looking forward to tomorrow, and to Thursday, and hoped with all he had that things would go smoothly. For both rendez-vous events, so to speak.

I can do this. Helga may inflict strange feelings on me...but there's no reason I can't spend time with her as a friend. I can control myself, I can move along with this without acting on strange fantasies that just don't make sense.

Once more, he wondered what was going on with all of that, why he even felt this way in the first place. It was still all so confusing to him, and he wanted to know why it was happening. To finally come to an understanding with it all.

Well, it didn't matter now. He had more important things to worry about. The answers would come when he'd find them, and when he would, he would think it further and then proceed from there.

Even if the answers turned out to be completely unexpected.

XXX

The End! X3 For now, anyway. I hope you guys enjoyed your little treat of seeing some "Love So True" in Arnold's perspective!

The next chapter of the said story will be out soon, and the beginning will tie-in a bit with the end of this. XD Haha!

Also...I'm sure now you're all asking "Are you going to make one of Helga's perspective?" And the answer is...maybe, I'm not sure. I might do it. And if the demand is high enough, maybe?