Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold! or its characters. The belong to the beautiful Craig Bartlett

It was quiet between the two young blondes as Arnold roughly pulled Helga further into the jungle and away from the rejoicing crowd of ten year olds. Helga's hands were slightly clammy from the humid, South American air, but Arnold's grip remained firm as he expertly maneuvered his way through the trees and mossy rocks dispute not having the slightest clue where he was taking her.

Arnold hadn't given any outward signs what he wanted Helga for but she could feel the desperation as he wordlessly snatched her away from their classmates. She noted the tense atmosphere and decided to hold in any remarks she may have sarcastically spat as she usually would during any other circumstance as this.

Helga watched Arnold's drag her through the thickets of trees. His red plaid shirt was rolled half way up his arms and lazily hung over his teal t-shirt. There were splotches of dirt and mud coating his skin and jeans. The ends of the fabric were worn and tearing in places from getting caught on the occasional branch or thorn. Her eyes then fell upon a pink ribbon, her pink ribbon, tided around his thin arm. No doubt absorbing the blood from the small wound he had obtained earlier that day...or was it yesterday? They'd been out in the jungle for so long and so much had happened it was getting hard to remember when everything broke loose and finally calmed down.

When Arnold believed he was far enough away, he made a brief halt causing the girl, who's hand he was still grasping, to crash into him. Arnold, to Helga's surprise, had kept his balance during their short collision.
Criminy, he must really be focused. He always fell when we ran into each other before due to his clumsiness.
He had gotten his clumsiness from his father, now that she thought about it.

After a long silence of Helga waiting for Arnold to speak or do anything, she was getting slightly frustrated with the Football headed boy. He had just dragged her all the way out here just to look in the complete opposite direction in silence. Almost as if she wasn't even there. What the hell!

"Criminy, Football head! What? You didn't drag me all the way out here just to hold my hand!" She asked with sarcasm dripping from her voice. "I mean, I know I'm hot stuff and all but I didn't think you liked me that much! So start talking or I'll-"

Helga was cut off by Arnold's slow mutter to himself. She should have been glad for some type of reaction from the blonde haired boy, but her patience was wearing thin.

"Hello? Arnoldo?" She called. "Do really expect for me to hear you mumbling in this god forsaken jungle? Spit it o-"

"What were you thinking, Helga?!" Arnold turned to look at her for the first time since he grabbed her hand. His eyes stared at her accusingly over his shoulder.

Helga jumped in shock at his random outburst.
What was I...huh?
Shock quickly morphed into confusion on her face.
She stared at him, motioning for him to continue.

"Helga! You are crazy?" Arnold continued, causing a look of anger to pass over Helga's features at the 'crazy' comment. "You traveled out here, followed me away from the group, were pain in the neck for days!" He panted, looking at her desperately."You ran away into an uncharted jungle with who knows what prowling inside! You found my parents and basically got shot in the process! You are the reason any of this even happened! What you did was wreck less and just stupid-"

Helga cringed after every bullet Arnold threw at her. Slowly falling more and more after each accusation. Arnold noted her guilty expression, but didn't stop in his accusations.

"You sacrificed your life trying to help me. Me! The stupid football headed weirdo, whom you hate!" He finally took a breath, allowing his voice to calm into a must softer tone. His eyes found her blue ones again. "AND...Without you...I'd probably be dead and I would have never found my parents."

Huh? Helga's eyes popped open at that last part. Her heart was thundering against her rib-cage. She looked up at him, ceasing her gaze upon his bright green eyes. His eyes held her gaze, burning with anger, determination, and admiration. His face was practically begging for an explanation.

"So!" Helga replied. "I don't get where you're going with this. Besides your exaggerating!" she continued. "I barely DID anything! I-"

"That's another thing!" Arnold interrupted one again this evening. "You act as if everything you did was no big deal! Not everyone would do what you did, Helga!" Arnold paused with a thoughtful expression on his face. "No, actually, no one would do what you did. Not even me! So why did you?"

"Criminy! I am not having this conversation with you Arnold!"

Helga averted her eyes and pulled herself from his grasp. She was only able to walk two steps before Arnold ran ahead of her, taking both her wrists into his hands, and pinning her against a tree. Helga struggled against him believing she could easily get out of his grip but his hold never gave.

Was he always this strong? Why the heck hasn't he stood up to me before? Helga was bewildered, to say the least, at this new discovery. She may have also found this to be oddly attractive. It was a similar feeling from a past April fool's day dance.

"What the HELL! Let me go!"

"Why? So we can go back the way things were?" Arnold shot back with an almost undetectable hurt within his words. "Always arguing, yelling and cringing at the very thought of each other?" Helga avoided his accusing stare. "Or how about the more recent?" Arnold continued, bringing his head around to catch her azure eyes once more. "Avoiding and simply ignoring each other all together? Always hiding, running away, lying to ourselves and our friends!"

"We've done it for six freakin' years! Why does that suddenly matter to you now?" Helga retorted with just as much fire in her voice as Arnold. This time her gaze was cold and unforgiving. She knew that it wasn't really his fault for the distance in their relationship but she just couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed at remembering all the times he would blow her off as soon as she wanted to try and be closer to him. The though made her mind fog with anger and frustration.

Suddenly, Helga saw Arnold's confidence falter and a slight blush tinge his cheeks. Oh she knew that look! She had the upper hand now. All her secrets had already been revealed. She had nothing to lose. But Arnold? He hadn't revealed a single thing.

He quickly put his confident facade back up. He quickly thought up a comeback, albeit weak, to satisfy her lust for an answer."Because I'm sick of it! I hate having to act like this all the time! I-"

Helga pushed against him, stopping him from finishing his poor excuse for an answer.

"Why! If you hate the way I act so much then you should be glad that I avoid you! I've already started leaving you alone like you asked me to do. You were the one that said, and I quote, 'I don't want anything to do with you! Just get lost!', you said! Well guess what! I did exactly that." She finished.

Arnold was taken aback. Guilt spread through his entire being.

" I-I d-did say that…b-but that was befo-"

"What? Before I started saving your butt every time your optimistic plans began crumbling down around you? News flash, Arnold! I've been doing that for years"! Arnold's hands slacked around her wrist and she finally whipped herself away from him and started stomping in the direction of the class. The plane to take them back to Hillwood was leaving soon and she was done. Her blood was boiling through her veins. He was blaming her for this? He was the one that ignored her for six years! He was the reason she'd been avoiding him! And He was the reason she got lost in the first place! If anyone was being reckless, it certainly wasn't her. All she'd been doing was trying to make the little twerp happy!

"You're right…". He croaked. It was quiet but she still heard it just as well if he had yelled it.

I'm right? Helga stopped dead in her tracks. She had never heard those words directed at her before. She didn't know how to respond to that so she stayed silent, allowing Arnold to continue.

"You did everything I told you and more. You've knocked some sense into me when I was being an idiot. You've told me the truth when no else would. All these things and I'm still asking for more. And what have I ever done for you"? Helga was frozen in her spot, facing the opposite direction. Her heart was clenching at his tone. He sounded so broken, so guilty. She couldn't take this.

Without warning, Helga spun around and pointed her index finger in his direction. The scowl on her face now holding a different insight. "Oh no you don't! Don't start being all Mr. Modest with the low self esteem! You've done more for others then all the fudgy bars pink boy has eaten in his entire life! Sure you've made a few mistakes, but criminy! You're just a kid, Arnold! You can't be Mr. Perfect all the time. I mean-" Helga stopped midsentence when she noticed Arnold growing a very large grin across his face. She wasn't quite sure why, but the look he was wearing was really bothering her. "Why are you giving me that dopey smile?"She asked.

Arnold's happy grin turned cocky within a second. His eyes were half lidded and the look on his face told Helga, whatever he was about to say, she wasn't going to like it. "…You're nice, Helga."

Helga's almost tripped at his sudden declaration. Where in the heck did that come from? One moment he's all broken and hysterical and the next he's being all bold!

"What?! I don't know what you are talking about." Helga argued. Arnold eyed her challengingly.

"You couldn't stand the thought of me hating myself more than you, so you just had to cheer me up." He quipped back. "Admit it! You're nice."

Helga chuckled lowly in the back of her throat, shaking her head with amusement. "Arnold, Arnold, Arnold. I've told you this before and I'll tell ya' again. I'm mean, nasty, and insensitive. It's who I am and there is nothing you can do about that".

"Mmhm. Sure Helga." Arnold agreed with an obvious disbelieving tone to his voice. He looked down at his finger nails acting as if he wasn't really listening.

"It's true!" Helga insisted.

"Oh, I believe you." Arnold looked up from his hands and looked at her with half-lidded eyes. "Whatever you say, right Helga?"

She gave him a suspicious look. "Right" she said slowly. There was a short silence."Why are you still smiling like a fool? It's creeping me out."

"Oh sorry Helga." He stopped, but suddenly, a devious idea came into his head. "Does it bother you?" Arnold asked innocently, replacing that creepy, giddy smile he was baring.

"Yeah...yeah it really does actually."

"Well I could stop if it makes you uncomfortable…that is, if you admit that you're nice". Arnold's smile was getting cockier by the second. It made Helga want it off his face that much more.

"Ugh…Fine!" Arnold walked closer to her expectantly. " Imnnss." She mumbled.

"I'm sorry Helga but I couldn't hear-"

"Immmnnss!" she mumbled slightly louder. Arnold pointed to his ears signaling that he again couldn't hear her, when they both knew he heard her loud and clear. He just loved teasing her for many reasons but mostly because it was almost satisfying being able to make your bully so flustered. Not to mention, it was undeniably cute.

"Criminy! I'm nice! Pleasant as flower! I'm sweeter than candy! I'm NI-"

Helga's eyes went wide, almost popping out of her skull. This couldn't be happening. She was dreaming right now. She would have to be! Why else would Arnold, the love of her life, the center of her world, and the bane of her existence, have his gentle lips moving against hers in the most pleasant way.

He pulled her closer by the collar of her shirt, desperately trying to get her to respond to his kiss, but she was just too shocked to react. Helga kept her blue eyes open, staring blankly at Arnold's closed green ones. She blinked, finally starting to process what was happening. Helga tried pushing Arnold slightly, hoping that her mind could stop spinning once Arnold wasn't so close. However, Arnold just pulled her closer to him and began backing her up against the nearest tree.

Not long after, there was a brisling sound coming closer to them, going completely unnoticed ny the two highly invested blondes. A shocked but reasoning voice was tearing though the barier into Arnolds head little by little, until finally, it processed. "Ar…ld…Arn…Arnold!" Arnold jumped being roughly pulled away from the state of euphoria he had been in and ultimately Helga, by his tall haired best friend, Gerald.

"Arnold! What in the world are you thinking? You're gonna give the poor girl a heart attack…never thought I'd say that, especially about Helga G. Pataki!" Gerald gave a short look of distaste before addressing his best friend again. Arnold looked panicked, disheveled, and embarrassed. His face was bright red, his eyes looking directly at Helga's still wide and confused ones. He looked as if he had just the worst mistake of his life that would surly lead to his tragic demise.

"H-Helga I…I don't know…what I mean is…I'm SORRY!" Arnold shut his eyes tight with guilt threaded in the lines of his face. No one knew what to say. The silence was too dense to bare.

What just happened? The two blondes thought.

Gerald stare back and forth between the two blondes. He had always been a smooth talker, but not even he knew what to say to lighten the tense atmosphere surrounding them. Finally, Gerald attempted to break the silence. Though, it was all in vein because as soon as Gerald had opened him mouth, Arnold bolted in the direction of the group, not daring even a glance back.

I'm so stupid! How could I have done that? She didn't kiss back! Oh God! What have I done?

Arnold ran through the trees, trying to get as far away from the situation as he could. He came into the clearing residing his classmates, only to find them boarding the plane with his parent outside waiting for him. He sprinted up to them, grabbed both their arms and pulled them one the plane without a word. Once on the plane, he dragged his parents to a row in the right aisle. He sat in the middle between his two parents.

"Arnold what wrong? Why are you in such a rush?" Arnold's mother asked worriedly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Arnold sighed, relaxing a bit, and smiled reassuringly, "Nothing's wrong, Mom." Arnold grinned warmly as he was reminded that he could finally say that. He finally had the only two people in the world he would ever be able to be entitled as his parents. "I'm just anxious to get back home to grandpa and grandma, so we can finally be together". Miles and Stella turned their gazes to each other. Arnold watched both their faces contort oddly for a few seconds before they simultaneously broke into tears and hugged their boy.

For this brief moment, they were happier than anyone could ever claim to be. For this brief moment, Arnold had everything. And for this overwhelmingly brief moment, Arnold was able to get that horrible mistake out of his mind.

Gerald and Helga stared at where Arnold once was. Both unsure of the events they had just experienced.

"So…Helga. About my man Arnold. You aren't going to pound him or anything after this, are you?" Gerald asked, slightly uncomfortable and a little worried for the fate of his best friend.

If I pound anyone, it's going to be you. Helga thought sourly, but quickly pushed it away.

"N-no…I'm just a little confused…" She let out, starting to regain her ability to speak.

"Yeah, I can see that" Gerald answered with a snicker. "Just don't break my boys heart, okay? I don't know why, but for some reason, Arnold likes you."

"Likes me?" Helga squeaked, still a little woozy from the past events.

"Mmhm. You know. He thinks you're the bomb; you give him that nauseous fluttering in his stomach that gives him the feeling that he might throw up." Gerald spoke listlessly.

"Huh?" Helga responded, not understanding what he was saying.

Gerald sighed wondering how bluntly he'd have to put this to make this brash girl understand."He's head over heels for you!" Now that one she understood.

"WHAT!" She yelled.

"I said-"

"I heard what you said! But it's not true. The football headed little dweeb does NOT like me!" Helga responded with confidence.

"Mmhm. Okay, then what was he doing smothering your lips with his, hmm?"

"Ah…he was just… thanking me! Yeah that's it! He was thanking me for helping him find his parents."

Gerald gave her a look a disbelief. "Whatever you say, Helga… but, I've never seen him so excited to thank someone in my entire life. Mm mm mmh, he is a bold kid!" Gerald began walking back towards the group before noticing a certain pig-tailed blonde wasn't following him. He turned around and saw her with a blank look on her face. he chuckled under his breath. "You coming?" He asked.

Helga barely acknowledged him as she answered, "Yeah, just…give me a few minutes."

"Sure." He said with a warm smile of understanding before heading back.

When Gerald stepped into the plane, he was taken aback by all the chaos. He quickly noticed a seat next to Phoebe. It wasn't long before they became instantly distracted by each other's company.

Arnold was seated between his parents trying to get the incident out of his mind by listening to his parents' animated stories about their adventures.

After about five minutes. The passengers were told to buckle their seat belts for takeoff. Arnold released a breath of relief. He was finally going home. He had enough adventure for one year and was glad to be heading back to his homey boarding house, where his eccentric grandparents were waiting for him. But this time he would have his parents by his side the entire time.

The plane started moving and was soon flying through the air, leaving the jungle and all its mysteries behind.

Suddenly, the announcement came on, signaling that passengers could now freely walk about the plane if needed. Arnold felt a twinge on something shoot threw him, like he was missing something. He finally had everything he ever wanted. What could he possibly be-

That thought got caught in his throat as he felt all the color drain from his face. He had forgotten something. How could he have forgotten that one important detail of his life? Arnold felt cold. His hands were trembling but he tried to keep it at bay just in case he was over reacting. He took a slow, deep breath before he bolted up from his seat, turning his head in every direction in search for a familiar color.

No…no, no, no, NO!

Arnold jumped into the aisle, ignoring the odd looks from his parents who had decided not to question his sudden outbreak before they learned their boundaries with their son they had practically just met.

Arnold walked over to where his best friend was sitting. "Gerald!" Arnold called, interrupting the animated and obviously flirtatious conversation from the couple.

Gerald broke from his conversation with Phoebe and dryly turned his attention toward his blonde hair friend, not being too thrilled about the mood being broken at this particular moment. "What's up man?" Gerald asked coolly, despite his mild irritation.

"Where's Helga?" Arnold blurted out.

"Hmm?

"Where is Helga?!" Gerald blinked for a moment, trying to process Arnold's question. He turned behind him.

"Calm down, man. She's right over he- she's right-" Gerald's head turn frantically all over the place trying to locate the scowling blonde. "Oh god."Gerald murmured to himself in silent shock of the heavy situation.

"Where is she Gerald!?" Arnold persisted, loud enough to catch the attention from the entire plane.

"S-she stayed behind. S-she wanted to think for a m-moment. She's couldn't still be in the jungle? Right? Right!"

It was silent. You could hear a pin drop. Not even the engines seemed to give of a noise.

Arnold had no doubt in his mind where Helga was now. He didn't want to believe it. He couldn't have really done that!

"Arnold?" phoebe questioned gently in that squeaky yet comforting voice, not fully knowing the weight of the situation. "What's going on?"

Arnold brought his head up slowly to look at her but regretted it as soon as he did. He couldn't bare the innocent confused look on the face of the very best friend of the forgotten girl. Suddenly, all of Arnold's emotions came dropping down on him, overwhelming his entire body with the distress and utter guilt that he felt inside. It built up within himself until he had to let out with every aspect of his energy…

"TURN THE PLANE AROUND!"

A/N: My very first chapter to my very first fanfic! Tell me what you think and if I should continue with this idea!