Hey! These scenes are just something I've had in my head for a while and I thought it would be fun to write it down! Hey Arnold! belongs to Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon studios. Enjoy! :)

The distant shouts were growing in pitch every few feet when their shoes pounded into the jungle floor simultaneously, harsh panting escaping through their lips from both exhaustion and fear. Helga didn't dare look back over her shoulder for the loud noises coming from behind were enough to let her know that the murderous mob weren't far behind the two of them. Her arms pumped faster so as to catch up with Arnold.

They weaved their way around bushes, trees, and vines obscuring the path before them. Helga grunted with the strain of so many obstacles to move around, but she managed to keep up with her beloved. It was difficult for Arnold to keep an eye on Helga as they ran but couldn't risk her falling behind; he wouldn't dare let anything happen to her.

Both of their legs were screaming in protest for a break, but the adrenaline in their systems refused to comply. The jungle was a relentless atmosphere for such a run and both were starting to think of other ways of escaping; they couldn't just run forever. The blonde haired girl noticed that Arnold was a few good feet in front of her and she cursed herself for her sluggishness. Helga pushed herself more in order to be within his line of vision.

She was so preoccupied with the challenge that she hardly noticed the feel of something breaking underneath her foot with a resounding snap!

She nearly stumbled and fell when a rather large purple flower sprang up from out of a nearby tree directly in front of her. She screeched to a halt and at the same time felt a sharp sting enter her neck.

"Augh!" She cried out, immediately grasping whatever was in her neck and pulling it loose from her skin. Her heart beating rapidly in her chest, she looked down into her open palm and saw a funny looking vegetable. The appearance was that one would find out of the center of an exotic flower… and there were needles jutting out from the end of it.

Arnold had just passed by another moss covered tree when he heard Helga's shout. Instantly flying back on his heels, Arnold whipped around in a panic to see Helga ten feet behind him grasping her neck. Heart thudding in his ears, he ran back to her as fast as he could.

"Helga!"

Stopping by her side, he lay his hands on her arms to look into her pained blue eyes. Unbeknownst to them, the exotic purple flower had retracted back into its hiding place, shriveling up into a pathetic ball before dying.

"Helga, are you alright? What's wrong?" He rushed out worriedly, trying to see the wound on her neck.

Trying to ignore the pain, Helga looked back into Arnold's concerned green orbs and tried not to inwardly swoon at his caring nature towards her.

"I…I'm fine," she breathed out, trying her best to smile reassuringly at him. His eyes told her he was far from convinced, but before he could protest, they both heard the dreaded sound of screaming maniacs sounding louder than ever before.

Helga dropped the flower dart and grasped onto Arnold's hand, her eyes frantically searching for a place to run or hide. Arnold's vision caught the dropped item and he quickly scooped it up before Helga could drag him away.

"Arnold, c'mon! We gotta find a place to hide and quick!"

She tugged him off the path in hopes of locating a place to hide. Arnold scanned the area and was just about to suggest they hide behind a large bush when his eye landed on a burrow hidden on the side of a dirt ridge layered with vines. Arnold knew it was crazy but it was the only escape they would have to take.

"Over there!" He pointed and led the way as fast as he could on account that the voices sounded as though they were right next to them. Ducking under low branches, Arnold ushered her inside before crawling in the small space himself. They pushed themselves up again the inner wall of the tavern and held their breath as the noises approached.

Helga was highly skeptical about hiding in the burrow and was frightened something even more dangerous was lurking inside it, but if she were to die on this crazy adventure, she'd rather it were with the boy of her dreams. It also wasn't helping that her head was becoming lighter and her limbs were starting to lose feeling. She felt feverish and nauseous, but she did her best to ignore it.

Her legs were pulled up to her chest and she could feel Arnold's body press right up next to her due to the little to no room. Though she felt panicked, his warm body had a rather calming effect to this chaos. Meanwhile, Arnold was trying to slow his breathing down as he listened to their pursuers running past their hiding spot, shouting threatening words.

When they finally heard the voices begin to fade, Arnold slowly let out a shaky breath and turned his head slightly towards Helga, blushing at their close proximity.

"Helga, are you okay?"

His question sounded so distant to her, almost like it was underwater. Her vision blurred for a moment and she wildly shook her head to try to clear both her audio and visual senses.

"I—uh—y-yeah," she answered back a bit dazed

Arnold cocked his head to the side. "Are you sure?"

She opened her mouth to snap back at him, but bit her tongue. No use getting angry over his concern. Instead, she nodded back stiffly.

Arnold felt like pressing more, but held back. He didn't want to upset her more. He accepted her answer before frowning in confusion.

"Helga… do you feel that?"

Helga froze. She wasn't sure what she was feeling for. Did he mean it in a physical way or emotionally? Oh man, was she ready for either? She received her answer when he shifted and looked underneath him. His hands sprawled out in that area and he gave a thoughtful hum.

"It almost feels metallic under all this dirt," he muttered before looking up at Helga.

"Let's move out of here so we can take a closer look." Helga blushed at their closeness but silently agreed as they both crawled out of the burrow. Arnold turned back to the hole and began wiping the jungle floor off of whatever was underneath there. Helga couldn't believe her eyes when he uncovered a large metal plate embedded in the Earth.

They glanced at each other questioningly before examining the plate more. It looked so unnatural in the ground, but they both knew better that San Lorenzo was chalk full of secrets. Helga spotted a handle near the back of the cavern.

"Look," she whispered and pointed at the hidden metal handle. "It's some sort of trap door…"

"Yeah," Arnold said. "But why?" He looked over at her and finally noticed how pale she suddenly looked. He made a mental note to keep an eye on her.

Helga shrugged. "Looks like we're gunna find out soon enough now won't we, football head?"

Arnold rolled his eyes with a smirk and replied, "Looks like it."

With bated breath, Arnold reached over and grabbed the handle tightly in his hands. Taking a low breath, he yanked up. With a surprising metallic creak, the door lifted. He peered down only to take in darkness. Pure darkness.

"Well, what do ya see?" Helga's voice pierced the silent air.

"It's too dark to see anything." He wasn't sure how deep it was either. Either way, they couldn't go down there without any kind of light. There was a slight poke in his side and he turned to see a bright green glow stick jabbing into his side. He looked up to see Helga grinning as she held several up.

"I knew these things would come in handy."

Arnold chuckled. Before he could grab them, however, Helga felt her hand spasm before all of them slipped out of her grip to spill onto the dirt floor. Helga immediately snagged her hand back.

"Heh, clumsy me," she nervously laughed out, shaking her hand to get rid of the numbness that overtook it. Arnold's brow rose but he didn't question it any further.

He took them and strung them together. Lowering the sticks, the first thing he noticed was a ladder that was attached to the side of the hole for them to climb down. Judging on how big the ladder was, it was quite a long ways down. Arnold sighed before turning back to his bully.

"Helga, I need you to stay here and keep an eye out for anyone we know—"

"WHAT?" She nearly shouted in disbelief, her jaw hanging open.

Sensing her distress, Arnold lay a comforting hand on her shoulder and said in a firm voice, "Yes. It's much safer up here and a less of a chance of you getting hurt. I have no idea what's down there so things could get dangerous and… I really don't want to see you risking your life like that."

All throughout his explanation, Helga's eyebrow deepened as did her frown. Yes, she was overwhelmed that he wanted to protect her at all costs, but what was he, blind? She wasn't gunna stay up here where those jungle freaks were still hunting them!

Helga grabbed his hand from her shoulder and gripped it tightly between her hands, a stubborn look crossing her features. Arnold was caught off guard by such an intense stare and could only blink in surprise.

"Arnold," she stated seriously, "There is no way that I'm letting you go down there in that deep, dark hole all BY YOURSELF. I would rather be eaten by a python than abandon you in there. If I'm going to risk my neck for anyone on this planet, I would rather it be with my favorite football head. So don't try and convince me any more to stay up here because we're doing this together no matter what, got that?"

By the end of her speech, she held Ole Betsy up to his face and shook it so as to prove her point. Arnold couldn't help but admire her strength and independence towards the situation. Now that he thought about it, it was probably best if they stuck together.

He squeezed her hand and gave her his famous half lidded eyed smile.

"Whatever you say, Helga."

"I'm so glad I found you guys," Arnold chocked out with tears building in his eyes.

The three of them embraced one another lovingly and desperately so as to never part again. Helga smiled fondly at the scene before her from where she leaned against the wall many feet away, shrouded in the darkness a bit. Tears gathered in her own crystal blue eyes and threatened to fall. She had never seen Arnold look so happy before in his life. I mean, the guy did just find his missing parents after all!

Helga, struggling to breathe and gather control of her legs, tried in vain to make her way over to them. However, her head let out a painful throb in which she gritted her teeth against. Her limbs felt like jelly and began to shake almost uncontrollably. Her chest lurched and her bones creaked. Her veins felt as if they were on fire and the room began to spin. Her stubbornness refused to give in to unconsciousness as she fought to stay up.

It was too much. She let out a pitiful moan before dropping to her knees and falling on all fours, taking shaky breaths. Breaking out in sweat, she flopped down onto her side. The sudden thought of sleep sounded so good to her, but she was afraid what might happen if she gave in so she remained conscious and tried to choke out a cry for help. Nothing came out but a gurgle.

Stella and Miles unwound their arms from around their son and smiled warmly at how big their little boy had grown. They were so proud of him for finding them. As soon as Stella grasped the situation, she frowned.

"Arnold, honey, did you come here alone? How did you get down here?"

Arnold's face instantly lit up even more (if that was possible at this point) and excitedly spun around as if searching for something or someone.

"Oh yeah! How could I forget about Helga! I came down with her! Mom, Dad, you have to meet her! She's so—!"

Arnold instantly cut off when he caught sight of a silhouetted figure lying just out of reach of the light. In a panic, Arnold snatched the torch and ran towards the figure. When he caught sight of Helga, he gasped and dropped the torch.

"HELGA!"

Sprinting like a mad man, he reached Helga's sprawled out form, her back facing them. Her wild blonde pigtails lay on the cold concrete and she was still. Too still. Arnold's heart raced at this as he kneeled down beside her and turned her over so she was on her back.

"Oh my—" Stella gasped out as she ran forward, her husband picking up the torch and following in a hurry.

Arnold looked horrified at the condition Helga was in. She was so pale; so pale she put Boo Radley to shame. Her face was layered with a cold sweat and her shuddering labored breaths made his blood run cold. Her eyes were lightly shut. Not good. Arnold grasped her hand and nearly dropped it in surprise by how icy it felt.

"Helga! Helga, can you hear me? Say something!" He shouted in panic.

A pause. Then he saw her eyes begin to flutter open as if a mental crowbar were forcing them open. Arnold squeezed her hand in his tightly. At last, her eyes managed to creak open until they were heavily lidded. With a terrifying thought, the boy knew that Helga was battling with unconsciousness.

Stella and Miles knelt down before her and examined her, looking for any symptoms that might tell them what they were dealing with. But time was against them unfortunately.

Blue eyes locked onto green. Helga's mouth opened slightly.

"A…Arnold," she rasped out in barely a whisper.

"Shh. Helga, save your strength. We're gunna get you outta he—"

"Stella." His dad's voice cut through Arnold's urgently. Arnold watched as his father gently turned Helga's head to the side to reveal the puncture wounds on her neck. Stella gasped and Arnold paled.

"Something impaled her here and it has to be the cause of the problem," Miles murmured.

Realization dawned on Arnold then. The way she was clutching her neck and telling him that she was fine had made him suspicious, but they couldn't dwell on it for too long because of the chase. He had forgotten about it afterwards. Still, hadn't he…?

With shaking hands, Arnold took the flower dart out of his pocket and held it out for his parents to inspect.

"I-I… S-She told me she was f-fine…" Fear made his voice tremble.

His dad immediately took it from Arnold's hand so he and his wife could look it over. Together they studied the dart until identical grim looks crossed their faces. This caused Arnold's stomach to churn uncomfortably and chest to seize up in fear. Miles turned towards his wife and gave her a curt nod, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Arnold snapped.

"What? What is it?" He pleaded impatiently, trying to cool down.

Ignoring their son for a moment, Miles took control of the situation.

"Stella, keep her awake. Don't let her fall asleep no matter what," he commanded. His wife nodded in determination and tended to Helga, trying to make conversation as Helga moaned.

Miles turned towards Arnold with a serious expression. He firmly grabbed onto his son's shoulders and looked him straight in the eye.

"Arnold, I need you to answer some very important questions for me…"

Arnold, stunned by the severity of his words, only nodded sincerely.

"Your friend has been hit by a very poisonous flower. I need to know when she was struck by it. Do you remember?" His forward tone caused a shiver to run through Arnold.

"Y-yes. It was about an hour ago when we were running from La Sombra's goons," Arnold answered truthfully, remembering it vividly.

"An hour ago?" His father repeated. Arnold could see the cogs working in his head rapidly.

"Stella, an hour ago," he told his wife. "How much time?"

Stella took a moment to think before gasping. "Not even a half hour. I calculate that's how much time we have before the poison spreads to her heart," she choked out. Arnold looked at Helga in horror.

Miles' face was set in stone. "Stella," he called out, "we need to leave right now."

With gentle ease, Miles scooped Helga into his arms, who whimpered at the effort. Arnold gazed up at her with worry. Miles looked down at him.

"Arnold, you have to help her stay awake when we get up there, okay? We're going to need the help of the Green-Eyed People. We need to hurry."

The three of them quickly made their way down the corridor until they reached the ladder that led up to the surface. Miles told Arnold to grab the torch and lead the way up while he and Stella helped Helga up the ladder. She was draped over Miles' shoulder and Stella stayed back in order to keep the balance with Helga and her husband.

Arnold climbed out and aided with the others out of there. They shut the trap door behind them and clambered out of the small tavern. Miles carried her bridal style once more and Arnold would continue to murmur in Helga's direction so as to keep her awake. Into the jungle they ran, desperately trying to get to the Green-Eyed People in time.

There's a Jumanji reference in that first scene with the purple flower. Again, this is my adaptation of the story. None of this is cannon.

Arnold: I just can't see Helga in a fancy restaurant. I mean, she's just never seemed that sophisticated. Now Lila is REALLY sophisticated.

*Hiding in trashcan* Helga: Oh, yeah? I'll show you sophisticated, bucko!

*Falls out of the trashcan with a shout*