Here it is, the final chapter, posted on time as promised! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited this story and made feel so welcome within the Hey Arnold fandom. I loved writing this story and I'm glad it was so well received!

Also, please note in this chapter that while I previously used the Australian spelling of mom which was 'mum', I have now gone and changed it to the proper American spelling. I finally clicked that the reason no one in my previous stories in the httyd fandom were bothered by the spelling was because in httyd, the characters are Vikings, so it didn't matter, while Arnold and the others live in modern America. I apologise for the spelling confusion.

Hope you enjoy the final chapter!

Chapter 5 – Christmas

"Hey, Olga, when's breakfast going to be ready?!"

"Any time, daddy, don't worry!"

"Bob, have you seen my new present?!"

"How am I supposed to know? You're the one that moved it!"

"Urgh!" Helga shoved a couple of pillows over her ears in response to the noise. "Will it ever end? At this rate, I'm never going to get to Arnold's!"

It was Christmas Day. While Helga and the rest of her family had exchanged presents earlier in the morning, the eleven-year-old found herself unable to escape her overbearing family, despite a promise for Helga to go over to the Boarding House for the remainder of the day. Already past ten, the family had yet to have breakfast and the entire household was already in chaos with Miriam having had one coffee too many, Bob becoming ornery at the lack of food and Olga being more cheerful than was physically possible. The whole atmosphere was enough to drive the youngest Pataki nuts, and what was worse, neither of her parents would let her leave, with both of them giving their daughter the same answer every time she asked.

"It's Christmas, Helga," her mother had said cheerfully, pumped up on coffee instead of smoothies for once. "Just have breakfast with us first and then you can go over to your little friend's."

That had been half an hour ago.

"Why the long face, baby sister?" Olga asked cheerfully as she placed plates around the small table Helga was sitting at. "It's Christmas!"

"Gee, I don't know," Helga replied acerbically. "I wonder if it has to do with the fact that mom and dad are playing the family card and won't let me go over to Arnold's, where I promised to be."

"Oh, Helga, mommy and daddy are just excited," Olga said softly, sitting down beside her sister. "I mean, they did just get that deal from San Lorenzo thanks to Arnold's parents. They probably just want to celebrate as a family."

"Why?" Helga scoffed, glancing up at her sister in annoyance. "They don't any other time, so why can't I go? I promised Arnold I'd be there by now."

"Why don't you just go, then?"

Helga raised her monobrow sceptically. "You really think mom and dad are going to just let me go? They seem pretty keen in keeping me here."

"I'll deal with mommy and daddy," Olga smiled. "You just go. I know how much you like that nice boy."

Helga's eyes widened in surprise. "Gee… thanks, Olga," she said, throwing her sister a grateful smile. "Heck, maybe you're not so bad after all."

"And neither are you, little sister," Olga said warmly, reaching over to place a hand over her sister's. "Now, off you go," she said, shooing her sister out of the room. "You don't want to keep that little boyfriend of yours waiting."

Helga frowned. "How much do you know?"

Olga giggled. "Silly, Helga, I know how much you like that boy! And it's obvious he likes you too. You're very lucky."

Despite her irritation, Helga found herself flushing brightly under her sister's cheerful gaze.

"Um… yeah… I guess so."

Oh, you have no idea.

"I know so," Olga replied. "Now, off you go, and make sure you're home by six, okay? Have a nice time!"

"Will do," Helga assured her, picking up her backpack from the floor, which held her presents for Arnold and his family, before making her way towards the back exit of the store. "Thanks Olga."

"Wait!" Olga exclaimed nervously as Helga opened the door to moderate flurry of snow. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive you? It's snowing a fair bit outside."

"I've walked in worse," Helga said with a nonchalant shrug. "And Arnold's house isn't that far."

"Well… alright," Olga said hesitantly, looking up the sky through the gap in the door. "But if you need a ride home, just call alright?"

"If it's bad later, Miles or Stella will give me a lift, don't worry," Helga assured her sister. "See you later." And before Olga could say another word, she had swift shut the door and began making her way to the Boarding House through a thin layer of snow.

Walking down the snow-covered sidewalk, Helga found herself glancing into the brightly coloured windows of the houses and terraces lining the streets with a slight pang of excitement. Sure, her family may drive her nuts, but Christmas always seemed to be the one day of the year where they were just like other family. And despite their lack of finances that year, at present anyway, neither Helga nor Olga had been lacking in the gift department, with their parents having saved every penny they could manage during the year. And it wasn't just Christmas with her family that made Helga content, but also the fact that so much had changed that year, particularly in the past few months alone. Not only did Helga have Arnold's love in return, but she also had a surrogate family in the form of Miles and Stella, who had done more for the eleven-year-old than she could ever have asked for. Her flu, which had thankfully vanished just over a week before, wouldn't have been gone half as long if it wasn't for the pair's love and care, and at this point in time, all that remained was a lingering cough which only reared its ugly head in the cold weather. Which was mostly when she was outside in the icy wind. Like now.

A gust of wind whipped up around the young girl as she came into sight of the Boarding House, whose bright lights could only just be seen in the flurry of snow surrounding her. With the tickle in her throat irritated, Helga reached up a hand to cover her mouth as a small cough made itself known.

"Stupid wind," she muttered, bringing her thick wool jacket, a present courtesy of her sister, closer to her chin in an effort to keep the biting wind at bay, just as she made her way up the Boarding House steps. Dancing on the spot to keep herself warm, she reached up to ring the bell, only for the door to swing open before her hand even touched the device.

"Helga!" Stella exclaimed cheerfully. "I'm glad you made it. Come in, it's freezing out there!"

"Thanks," Helga said gratefully, making her way into the house which was a great deal warmer than it was outside. "Sorry I'm late. If it wasn't for my sister covering for me, I would never have gotten here."

"Well, you're here now and that's all that matters," Stella assured her, leading the girl into the living room with a smile. "I was actually wondering where you were, which is why I was at the windows watching out for you."

Helga chuckled. "I'm glad you were," she admitted. "It's freezing out there." She gestured to the snowfall outside.

"You should have called for us to pick you up, hon," Stella said sternly. "You shouldn't have been walking in that so soon after having the flu."

"Oh, Olga offered to give me a lift," Helga admitted, glancing up at the woman sheepishly. "But… urgh… I didn't think it would be that bad."

Stella sighed. "Well, you're not walking home in this, this afternoon. We will be taking home. Understood?" She threw the girl a firm glance.

"Fine with me," Helga chuckled just as she walked into the living room, where she found all the other boarders either sitting around the fire or the Christmas tree, which was brightly lit in the centre of the room. As soon as they noticed her and Stella entered the room, everyone turned to her with a joyful wave.

"Merry Christmas!"

"You too," Helga replied, throwing the rest of the boarders a small smile just bas she engulfed with a mop of blonde hair, curtesy of a certain football headed kid as he flung her arms around her in a tight hug.

"Merry Christmas, Helga," Arnold said cheerfully as he pulled away from her. "I'm glad you made it."

"Yeah, well, blame my parents for that one," Helga said irritably. "They wouldn't let me leave. It was Olga that got me over here."

"See, I always told you your sister was nice," Arnold smiled. "How is she?"

"Sickeningly cheerful as always," Helga replied dryly, taking off her backpack and dropping it beside her. "And she's even worse now that dad's taken the deal."

"I still can't believe he took it," Arnold admitted as he and Helga sat on a rug beside the fireplace. "For a while there, I really didn't think he was going to do it."

"Neither did I," Helga remarked, taking off her gloves, before holding out hands towards the fire. "But now that he has, he's practically insufferable. He's acting like he's the one that planned it all." She heaved a sigh. "I don't think he's going to thank your dad anytime soon."

"It doesn't matter," Arnold assured her. "As long as it helps, that's all we want. Is he going to put the money towards a cell phone business?" he asked.

"Apparently," Helga said, heaving an uncertain shrug. "He's going to try anyway. I mean, I know it won't happen overnight, but it's a start at least."

"And the rest?"

"Going towards a rented place for now," Helga said. "I mean, it won't be much, but it's better than being in that stupid store."

"Yeah," Arnold agreed, throwing the girl a warm smile. "I'm happy for you, Helga."

Helga smiled. "Well, it wouldn't have happened without your dad, Football Head." She glanced around with a frown. "Where is he anyway?"

Arnold chuckled. "Tending to Oscar. He… urgh… has the flu," he explained, biting back a grin.

Helga laughed. "Well, he can't blame me!" she exclaimed, holding her hands up defensively. "I haven't been anywhere near him!"

"Well… he claims it's the flu anyway," Arnold corrected, with an exasperated shake of his head. "From what I gather he's lucky to have a small cold. Susie says he's putting it on enough."

Helga snorted. "That doesn't surprise me."

"Believe me, he's putting it on alright," Phil said, overhearing the kid's conversation as he and Miles came into the room. "His temperature is barely above normal, yet you'd think he was dying the way he's putting it on!"

Helga laughed. "Merry Christmas, Mr Shortman."

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart," Phil said warmly, reaching down to place a hand upon the girl's shoulder. "How are things at your place?"

"Getting better," Helga admitted, turning to Miles with an appreciative smile. "Thanks for everything, Miles. I don't know what you said in the end, but it worked."

"From what I gathered, it was all you, Helga," Miles countered. "But I'm glad I could help."

Helga smiled. "Um… by the way," the girl piped up nervously, reaching a hand into her bag, before emerging with a loosely wrapped present. "I got you and Stella a present. It isn't much as I haven't been getting a lot of pocket money, but-"

"Honey, it's the thought that counts, don't worry," Stella said, emerging at her husband's side just as Miles unwrapped the paper surrounding the gift to reveal a small box of chocolates.

"Hey, these are just fine, Helga," Miles chuckled. "These will be gone by the end of the week, believe me."

"Especially if you have anything to say about it," Stella quipped. "You'd live on chocolate if you had the chance."

"I would not!"

Stella laughed, before turning to Helga with a grateful smile. "Thank you, honey. They're perfect."

Helga shrugged. "They're just chocolates," she said. "And to be honest, I'm not the best gift giver at the best of times anyway."

"Why don't you tell Mr Hyuhn that," Arnold said, throwing her a tender smile. "I'm pretty sure he'd disagree."

Oh, come on Football Head, stop making me blush in front of everyone! Helga thought irritably as a faint blush rose in her cheeks.

"You just had to bring that up, didn't you, Football Head?" Helga enquired, turning away in an effort to hide her rising blush. "And like I told you before, it was nothing. I was just trying to help out."

"That was more than just helping out, Helga," Arnold said gently, reaching out to place a hand on top of hers. "What you did that year was amazing and you know it."

"I just did what I thought was right," Helga insisted, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear in embarrassment. "And besides-" she continued, her irritation rising at the hard look within Arnold's eyes, "-can we just drop it?!"

Arnold sighed. "Alright, alright," he said, holding his hands up to placate her. "But it might be harder to hold Mr Hyuhn off," he admitted, with a jerk of his head towards the Vietnamese man over by the window talking to his daughter.

"I'm sure I can manage," Helga said. She glanced at Arnold nervously. "Look, Football Head-"

"You don't have to apologise, Helga," Arnold interrupted, giving her a small smile. "I'm the one who shouldn't have pushed you to talk about it. Don't worry about it."

Helga grinned. "You're starting to know me a little too well, Football Head."

"Speaking of getting to know each other more," Stella suddenly interjected, having waited for the right time to cut into the conversation. "Helga, Miles and I have a present for you as well." Reaching around to the table behind her, Stella emerged with a neatly wrapped box which she then presented to Helga. "I hope you like it."

"You didn't have to get me a present," Helga said as she took the present off the woman. "I mean, I'm not family."

"You might as well be, honey," Stella assured her gently, watching as Helga tore into the wrapping paper. "Which is why we thought this-" she gestured to the half open present, "-might come in handy."

Tearing open the final bits of the wrapping paper, Helga's eyes widened in shock as a cell phone box came into her line of sight. Out of all things in the world Miles and Stella could have gotten her, they had gotten Helga one of the most expensive things that they could have possibly got her without going overboard. Sure, it wasn't the best device on the market, but it was still something that only a handful of kids in their class had, let alone the whole school had in their possession. And it was certainly something her parents wouldn't have bought for her in a hurry. To her, this gift was amazing.

"I hope it's alright," Stella said nervously, before Helga could speak. "Miles and I don't really know much about phones, but Arnold and Phoebe assured us that this would be the best one for you."

"It's… it's perfect," Helga assured her, her expression giving away her shock. "But why would you buy me something so expensive?" she enquired. "I mean, these things aren't exactly cheap."

Stella smiled. "Miles and I thought that it might be best for you to have one, considering how much time you and Arnold spend on the phone. And besides, it wasn't just us," the woman assured her. "This is from me, Miles, Phil and Gertie -" she gestured to the four of them scattered around the room, "-pooling our money together to get you a present from all of us."

"Well… thanks," Helga said appreciatively, throwing the four of them a wide smile. "I love it. I mean, I've always wanted one of these, but my dad would never let me have one. For obvious reasons," she muttered. "Heck, he's probably not going to be happy now."

"That might be true, Helga-" Miles admitted, throwing the girl a knowing grin, "-if we hadn't asked your parents' permission before we went out and bought it."

Helga's eyes widened in surprise. "My parents actually agreed to let me have a cell phone?" she asked. She snorted. "Man, do wonders never cease."

"Well, they agreed, but I don't think they were entirely happy about it," Stella admitted. "Well your father wasn't anyway. But I don't think he could have been bothered arguing about it after we said it would stop you holding up their line."

"And when we offered to pay the bill for the first few months," Miles put in with a shake of his head. "Your dad really knows how to work things, doesn't he?"

Helga snorted. "You have no idea," she said. "But are you sure you can afford this?" she asked, guilt bubbling up in her stomach at how much they had done for her. "I mean, you don't have full time jobs here yet."

"We will in the new year," Stella announced proudly, wrapping an arm around her husband. "I've taken a part time position at the hospital and Miles has accepted a job in in the Archaeology department at the university."

"Hey, that's awesome," Helga said cheerfully. "Congrats." She turned to Arnold with a grin. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

Arnold shrugged with a smile. "Must have forgotten."

"You didn't forget," Helga stated playfully. "You just wanted your parents to tell me."

"Maybe?"

"You're hopeless, Football Head."

"If that's what you think, Helga."

"Hey, keep that up and you're not getting your present," Helga grinned, holding up another badly wrapped present in front of the boy. "I mean, I can always keep it."

"Well, that's mean," Arnold said, throwing a teasing smile in the girl's direction. "And here I thought you actually liked me."

"Ha ha," Helga remarked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She threw the present into Arnold's waiting hands. "Here. Take it," she said, heaving a dejected sigh. "It isn't much, though. Not what you deserve anyway. I couldn't do much with the money I had."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Helga, don't worry," Arnold assured her as he unwrapped the gift, only to burst into a fit of laughter as the object came into sight.

It was a scarf. And not just any scarf, but one covered in tiny images of footballs that covered every inch of the material that it could physically cover. Dark green in appearance, mixed with dots of yellow/brown all over the piece of clothing, it would certainly tie in very well with the boy's usual ensemble.

"Is there something you're trying to tell me, Helga?" Arnold chuckled, holding up the scarf for the girl to see.

"Hey, you don't need me telling you you're a Football Head," Helga remarked, throwing the boy a tongue-in-cheek smile. "I just got a kick out of it, that's all!"

"Well, I like it," Arnold said, reaching up to wrap the scarf around his neck proudly. "I mean, it does match my head, doesn't it?" he added playfully, with a glance down at the item.

"Tell me about it," Helga chuckled. "I can't tell where the scarf ends and your head begins!"

"Gee, thanks," Arnold commented, with a deadpan glance.

"Oh, come on, I'm just kidding!" Helga exclaimed, with a roll of her eyes. "Don't you have a sense of humour?"

"Yes, but I think yours needs some work," Arnold said, with a shake of his head. "It's always hard to tell with you."

"Sorry," Helga drawled.

Sheesh, I was just kidding! Can't I ever catch a break around here?! I mean, that was so obviously a joke. Well, I thought it was anyway.

"Helga, don't worry about it, I know it was a joke," Arnold assured her, reaching out to place a tender hand upon her shoulder. "Now anyway. I'm still getting used to your style that's all."

"Yeah… I guess I keep forgetting that," Helga chuckled. "I mean, Phoebe's used to it, but she's been my friend a lot longer than you have."

"It's alright, I'll get used to it," Arnold smiled. "But if you keep beating yourself up over it, I'm not giving you your present. And something tells me you'll like it," he smiled, standing up, before leading them over to the Christmas tree, where one sole intricately wrapped package remained beneath the brightly lit ornament. Stooping down to pick the package up, Arnold then presented the gift to Helga, who had been eyeing off the package with wide eyed interest.

"Sheesh, what did you do, Football Head, go all out?" she asked, noting the elaborate wrapping. "Who knew you could wrap so well?"

"Actually, I didn't wrap it," Arnold admitted, throwing her a sheepish smile as he held the package out towards her. "The place where I bought it from did. I just thought it might look nice if they did it since my wrapping skills are pretty bad."

"Hey, did you see mine?" Helga stated, with a nod towards the ripped paper beside them. "I'm not actually the queen of wrapping. Now-" she continued, turning the box over in her hands, "- where the heck am I supposed to start with this thing?"

Locating a ribbon on the opposite side of the box, Helga decided to start from there. Undoing the ribbon carefully, she then located the crease in the wrapping paper before carefully slitting it open with her nail and unwrapping it bit by bit to finally reveal a small velvet jewellery case.

"Wow, already buying me jewellery are we, Football Head?" Helga grinned, upon seeing the item. "Bit early, isn't it?"

Arnold smiled nervously. "Just open it, Helga."

"Alright, alright." And before anyone could say another word, Helga had swiftly opened the case to find a brand new shiny gold heart locket almost identical to her current one, complete with gold chain. Etched onto the edges of the gold frame were 'Arnold Shortman' and 'Helga Pataki' and in the centre, was a picture of the two of them, taken not long after their return from San Lorenzo, all smiles and happy to be home, with Arnold's arm draped nervously around Helga's shoulders.

"I remember you mentioning that your old one had a few dents in it after you threw it in the river," Arnold said nervously, causing Helga to glance up to her boyfriend in response. "And that you hadn't replaced the picture since you came home, so I thought that maybe you'd like a new one." Twiddling his thumbs nervously, he threw the girl a bashful smile. "I mean, I know it's a bit different from your old one, but… woah!"

Arnold was stunned into silence as Helga suddenly flung her arms around Arnold's neck and pulled him tightly towards her, all the while her heart beat wildly within her chest. Although slightly embarrassed, this present was one of the nicest things she could have received, having been unable to replace her old one since her return from South America.

"Thanks Arnold," she said quietly, pulling away with a large smile. "I love it."

Arnold's face lit up. "Really?" he asked, his tone relieved. "I was worried you weren't going to like it."

"Believe me, it's perfect," Helga admitted, heaving a heavy sigh. "And yet all I gave you was… that." She gestured to the scarf wrapped tightly around the boy's neck.

"Helga, this isn't a competition," Arnold chastised, throwing the girl a firm glance. "What you gave me was perfect. And I gave you that because I wanted you to have a new one that you could be proud of. That's all."

"Well, I am proud of it," Helga admitted, glancing down at the locket in awe. "And hey-" she continued cheerfully, "-at least now the picture is of both of us so I no longer look like a stalker!"

Arnold laughed. "You weren't a stalker, Helga," he assured her. "But I'm glad you like it."

"I love it," Helga corrected with a smile. "Well," she went on, reaching down her jacket to pull out the old locket, "I guess I don't need this one anymore." Pulling the chain up over her head, she swiftly placed the old one inside her bag before allowing Arnold to place the new one over her neck, which hung a lot shorter than the previous chain, causing it to be situated over her chest instead of her stomach, making a lot easier to carry around inconspicuously.

"I think it looks nice," Arnold noted, examining the locket with interest. "But then again, I'm not the one wearing it."

Helga rolled her eyes. "It's fine, Football Head," she said, just as Phil came ambling past.

"Oh ho!" he chuckled, with a quick glance up at the roof. "Look who's stumbled under the mistletoe! Cheeky kids!"

"What?!"

Craning their necks to glance at the roof above, the two kids flushed brightly as they noticed the string of mistletoe hanging slyly above their heads, just off from the Christmas tree. Neither of them had even noticed it was there until now.

"Oh dear, looks like someone didn't notice where they were standing!" Phil grinned. "Well, you know what that means! I'll just leave you two lovebirds alone, shall I?" he chuckled, giving the kids a mischievous wink, before scampering off without another word.

"Grandpa! You did that on purpose!"

"You're a sneak, Mr Shortman!"

"Why is there a piece of mistletoe on Thanksgiving?"

"Pookie, not now!"

"If only it was Thanksgiving," Helga mumbled. Glancing up at Arnold, whose face had turned bright crimson, she chuckled nervously.

"Well… urgh…"

Before Helga could go any further, though, the girl suddenly found herself stiffening in surprise as Arnold's lips met hers in a feather light kiss causing her heart to stutter in response. Sure, they were classed as a couple now, but the pair had yet to share a kiss like the one in San Lorenzo since their return, and this move surprised Helga considerably. Not caring in the least, though, Helga wasted no time in responding, closing her eyes contentedly, before bringing her arms up to rest on the boy's shoulders as the kiss continued for several more moments, before both of them pulled away, their faces as bright as each other's, only for Helga to find a slightly dazed look crossing Arnold's face. She giggled.

I can't believe Arnold just kissed me! And even better, he looks like he enjoyed it! He looks so cute when he's dazed!

"Hey, earth to Arnold!" Helga exclaimed, waving a hand in front of the boy's face. "You still in there?!"

"Huh?" Arnold shook his head to clear his thoughts, and seeing Helga's amused face glancing back at him, he grinned sheepishly. "Oh, sorry, Helga. What were you saying?"

"I wasn't saying anything!" Helga laughed. "You looked like you'd been hit over the head with a mallet!"

"I did?" Arnold asked, his blush becoming more prominent.

"Yes, you do," Helga said, throwing him a playful smile. "Man, are you sure you're the same guy who kissed me in San Lorenzo? Because I'm pretty sure he wasn't that bold."

Arnold shrugged. "I like you," he said bashfully, looking up at Helga with a shy smile.

Helga blushed. "I… I like you, too," she replied quietly. "But sheesh, do we really have to get this mushy?!" she exclaimed, swiftly changing the topic. "I feel like I've been dropped in the middle of a romance novel! Yuck!"

Arnold smiled.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Helga."

"Merry Christmas, Arnold."

So, there you have it, that's Number One Priority finished! Once again, I'd like to give a big thank you to everyone who read it and who made me feel welcome within the fandom. You guys are amazing!

So, as you can see, Bob ended up taking the deal from Miles and hopefully before long, Helga's living situation might improve. It won't happen overnight, but it will eventually get better which is what I hope would happen in a season 6 was ever produced. Helga is also starting to get into the point of the relationship with Arnold where she's beginning to feel more comfortable. But she'll always have that Helga rudeness no matter what! I also enjoyed writing the dynamic between Helga and Arnold's parents who I really hope would have a relationship like this. Also, to the few reviewers who wished to see Helga and Arnold have their snowball fight, I apologise that it wasn't in this chapter. Not only did it just not flow, but considering the decent snowfall and that Helga was still coughing from time to time I doubt Stella would have allowed it anyway! Rest assured, they would have had it eventually, though.

Also, you could see in here that Miles and Stella gave Helga a cell phone for Christmas. Now considering the possible time period it's set in, it would only be a very early flip phone most likely. Rhonda's phone was the only one seen in the movie, but considering she's rich, hers would probably be the only one with a more advanced model. I'm quite sure Arnold had a phone too in the movie, but I can't recall. Either way, I believe he would, though, because let's face it, he always had the best technology!

So, before you go, once again, DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! Just remember again, though, that NO FLAMES WILL BE TOLERATED AND WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE DELETED, but kind constructive criticism is accepted. Let me know if you enjoyed the story!

Thanks for reading!

A/N: For any of my Living with the Haddocks readers, rest assured, after I'm finished with this latest and last season of RTTE, I will return to the story and update as soon as I can!