Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold or any of the characters. Hey Arnold is the property of Nickelodeon and Craig Bartlett.

The Perfect Christmas

Chapter 3: To My Christmas Angel

Two days later

Christmas Morning

It was an early Christmas morning in the boarding house and everyone was in a merry mood, especially with the two latest editions who were currently on their way to their son's room.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS…"Miles and Stella shouted, waking their son up in the process.

"Mom…Dad…'A now awake Arnold said rubbing his eyes.

"Merry Christmas son..."Miles, wearing a Santa hat and a red sweater said cheerfully.

"Merry Christmas dad...Merry Christmas mom...'Arnold said as he hugged his parents and they hugged him back.

"Merry Christmas sweetie...'Stella said as she kissed her son on the cheek.

"What time is it?..."Arnold asked.

"Not sure, we woke just a bit and couldn't wait to start Christmas with you..."Stella said like it was nothing.

"Come on, let's go see if Santa brought any presents...'Miles said with an excited grin on his face.

"Yeah, let's go see..."Stella said in the same tone as she and her husband guided their son downstairs.

All the while, Arnold could only smile, not needing the presents because he was already feeling so happy just because they were here to spend Christmas with him. His parents were here, that was what had been what he has always wanted. For every birthday wish, letter to Santa or prayer to God, they all had been about one thing: To bring his parents back to him and that they would never leave again. Just waking up to them smiling at him was all that he needed to know that he was going to have a very merry Christmas this year.

And that his merriness was only just starting.

Downstairs

Once there, the Shortman mother, father and son had entered the living room to see Grandma and Grandpa already there surrounding the Christmas tree. To Arnold's surprise, grandma was wearing the Christmas elf costume she usually wears for April fools day. That was odd, since she usually thinks it's New Years on this day and she thinks the actual New Years is Arbor day. Before Arnold could question, his grandpa greeted them.

"Merry Chirstmas short-man, Miles and Stella...'Grandpa said happily.

"Happy holidays!...'Grandma said happily, seeming quite sane for the time being. .

"Merry Christmas mom...dad..."Miles said before looking around... "Where's the rest of the boarders?...'He asked, not seeing any of them.

"Seeing that it's still 6:30 AM, they're likely still sleeping, and besides, the secret Santa exchange doesn't happen until later and they're not allowed near the gifts till then..."Phil pointed out.

"Why?..."Stella asked, not remembering this from back in the day.

"Because each year that lousy bum Kokashka tries sneaking a peak at the gifts, I told him that if he tries that again, he's banned from Christmas dinner tonight...I tells ya he's worse than a kid..."Phil said with an eye roll.

"What are we all standing around here, time to open presents..."Grandma said eagerly before picking up a present.

When no one was looking, grandpa leaned down to whisper to Arnold..." Just so you know, the reason your grandma is like this is because I personally asked her to do this since it's the first time with your folks back and by some miracle, she seems to understand..."He said to the boy who now understood.

The family of five were now sitting near the tree, opening presents and feeling so very happy.

"Open this one Arnold, it's from your mom and me..."Miles said as he presented the present to his son, obviously excited to see his child's reaction.

Arnold unwrapped it and was surprised to see a brand new tablet computer from Banana Inc that has just come out. Arnold also saw that it was the new deluxe model he had only seen on TV.

"Wow, mom and dad, you guys got me a tablet! This must have cost a fortune..."Arnold said in amazement of the fancy gadget.

"We're glad you love it son and don't worry about the price, nothings too good for you. .."Miles said smiling, obviously thrilled to see how impressed his son was with his gift.

"He's right and that's not the only one..."Stella said as she pulled out several more boxes much to Arnold's amazement. There looked to be almost 10 boxes there, all with his name on it.

"You guys didn't have to go through so much trouble..." Arnold said.

"We didn't, it was Santa Claus and he just wanted to award you for being such a good boy..."Stella said happily while Miles grinned as he presented the gifts to their son.

Arnold could only smile and humor them. As a kid, obviously he was happy by the large pile of gifts. Who wouldn't be? But he could tell they were just trying to make up for nearly a decade of missed Christmases today with the large stack of presents they gave him. Arnold could only hope that they would learn they didn't need to overindulge him, that just having them here was enough to make him happy. Arnold opened his presents, each one flashy and pretty state of the art that he knew must have cost a pretty penny. He could only hope his present to his parents would be enough. Coincidentally, grandma pulled it out.

"Here's one for you two and it looks like it's from dear Kimba..."Grandma said as she pulled it out.

"It's Arnold, grandma..."He said out of habit more than anything.

Arnold couldn't help but start to feel a bit nervous right now. He wanted this Christmas to be absolutely perfect and he had spent days working on his present for his parents. It was a hand made present, he did that because he never got the chance to before and had been tight lipped about it because he wanted to surprise them but after all the fancy presents they had just given them, he was worried that what if...what if...

What if they didn't like his present?

His parents quickly unwrapped it and saw what it was and Arnold was getting pretty anxious right there. He had made a picture frame for his favorite picture, the one when he, his parents, the rest of the family, friends and even Helga had taken after coming home from San Lorenzo. It had been his absolute most precious family picture and he made the frame so that it would have a nice place on display. He made it from mahogany wood. It was a medium size, rectangular picture frame with the photo already in it and the words "Our" and 'Family" carefully carved into the top and bottom of the frame.

He waited for their reactions. They were silent for a moment, before large smiles sprung on their faces as they turned to their only son.

"Arnold, did you make this?..."Stella asked in wonder while her son nodded.

"Yeah I...A few weeks ago I was looking at the picture we all took and wanted to make a frame for it, so that wouldn't risk getting bent or something..."Arnold explained as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Man, this looks like quality work son, you must have spent days on it.."Miles said as he admired the gift his son got him.

"It's wonderful Arnold..."Stella said as she kissed her son on the cheek.

"You mean it?..."Arnold asked wanting to be certain.

"Of course son, it's beautiful.."Miles said as he playfully ruffled his son's hair earning a laugh from him.

"They like it..." Arnold thought, feeling so elated right now.

His parents loved the very first Christmas present he had given him. There was no price to how much that meant to him.

"Come on everybody, we still got a lot more presents here..."Grandma pointed out.

A happy Arnold and his family continued to exchange gifts before starting Christmas breakfast with the boarders and later prepare for the Christmas dinner. All the while, Arnold was eager about visiting a very special someone later today.

Let's just say his parents weren't the only ones getting a gift from him this year

Later

At the Pataki residence

Helga had just woken up but immediately clung to her sheets for warmth. It was Christmas morning and most young kids would immediately be bursting with excitement as they ran to the tree to get first dibs on their presents and later have a wonderful time with their friends and family on this most wonderful time of the year.

Helga was not one of them.

She was not feeling very merry on this Christmas morning because she knew her family, with the exception of Olga, weren't very merry people.

At the very least they weren't living in the beeper store anymore, but that was only because Ol-ga, who made one of her infamous surprise visits, had discovered their living arrangements and that the store was about to go out of business, so she had managed to convince their very stubborn father to finally switch to cellphones, though he still tried to cell his beeper here and there.

That made Helga very angry.

She had spent countless times yelling at her moronic father to get with the times, ever since they lost their house almost a year ago and every stinking time he ignored her and clung to his obsolete technology like it was a lifeline. However it had only taken a crying Ol-ga ten minutes to get her father to finally concede because he just can't stand the sight of his precious Ol-ga crying, while at the same time, barely seemed to care about that fact that his other daughter was basically homeless for a good chunk of fifth grade.

The favorism in the Pataki family was so blatant that it wasn't even funny.

That aside, Helga was at least thankful she didn't have to sleep in that stupid store anymore but that didn't mean they were living in a palace now. Her dad, still barely being able to dig himself out of the hole he placed the family in, could only afford a crummy apartment on the lame side of town. It was small, cramped and with a lousy heater.

But it sure as heck beat living in the store, that's what Helga tried to convince herself.

"Oh Merry Christmas alright...'Helga muttered as she got out of her futon.

She went to the living room, which wasn't hard since it was really small and the kitchen was right next to it. This place was a dump and not even the lame Christmas decorations Olga had brought in her mad quest to "save their family Christmas" was doing anything really.

"Merry Christmas baby sister~...'The annoying voice of Olga shouted as she pulled Helga into a tight hug.

"Criminy Olga! I need to breath...'Helga complained as she managed to break free. As always, Olga failed to register her annoyance and just kept smiling ever so perfectly.

"Come on everyone! Let's go see what Santa brought us!...'Olga shouted and as always, their parents had come to her the second she spoke.

No one ignores Olga, after all.

"Criminy, just shoot me..."Helga thought as she and her family continued with this farce.

Olga was acting like it was any other Christmas and even planned on cooking a big feast later despite the fact that they could barely afford it, but Big Bob, who never disappoints his precious Olga, pulled out of the savings just to please her on this Christmas.

Money that could have been used for say...I dunno, lunch money for their other kid or something!

Anyway, they exchanged their cheap gifts and Olga always reacted like it was something special and nice like she always did. Helga barely gave a response when they made her open her presents, which was just a bunch of cheap bargain bin clothes or toys you could pick up at any supermarket.

"Oh, wow...You guys shouldn't have..."She said, her voice heavy with sarcasm but her sister and parents didn't realize that.

They just continued to go on with their fake little Christmas.

"I bet Arnold is having a nicer time...'Helga thought to herself as she pictured her boyfriend's first Christmas with his parents.

She certainly hoped that it was everything he had ever dreamed of. Her beloved Arnold deserved to have as many of happy moments with his family as possible. She was immediately thinking of ways to escape from this dump and go visit him, she had to deliver her present for him anyway. Due to her family's new lifestyle, she couldn't afford something too flashy but she would be darned if she didn't get her beloved boyfriend something nice for their very first Christmas together.

As Helga tried to think of an escape, the doorbell suddenly rang.

"Get the door, girl..."Bog Bob said as he was in the middle of opening a present Olga gave him.

Rolling her eyes, Helga got up and went to the door but upon opening it, there was no one.

"A ding-dong ditch on Christmas...'Helga muttered in annoyance but glanced down to see a present on the ground.

"Huh?...'She said as she picked it up. There was no card on it. Curiosity getting the better of her. She unwrapped it and upon seeing what was inside, she nearly dropped it from the shock.

It couldn't be! There was just no way!

"These...These are the latest pair of Nancy Spumoni snow boots...'Helga finally managed to let out, still reeling from the surprise.

What was going on? She considered that maybe someone had delivered this to the wrong address but then saw something in the box. It was a card with a Christmas Angel on it.

"To my Christmas Angel, if only I could give you a miracle as you did to me...'She read out, her face still expressing shock.

There was just no way!

She knew who must have done this but she couldn't believe it! She didn't want to believe it. She continued to read it and saw that there was more to the message.

"P.S: Look outside..."She read and against her better judgement, she went to see what the heck was going on. Since she lived on the second floor of the apartment building, there was a small balcony that lead to the stairs.

Once there, she had nearly toppled over in disbelief at what she saw on the ground outside.

It was snow angels!

Dozen of beautiful snow angels all surrounding the words "Merry Christmas" on the snowy earth and Helga saw a single person standing in the middle of it, the very person she suspected of doing this act.

Arnold.

"Football head..."Helga finally muttered before she ran inside to get her snow suit and gloves.

She had to talk to him now.

Arnold was grinning widely as he saw her coming out of the apartment building. Eager to see his love and her reaction to his gift to her.

"Merry Christmas Helga...'He said once she finally emerged, with the snow boots in her hands.

"Merry Christmas Arnold, but...what is this?...'Helga asked, in a total lost.

"It's my Christmas present for you..."Arnold said with that knowing smile on his face, one that always made Helga nervous.

"I...I am touched but what's with the angel motif Football-head?...'Helga asked, wishing that this wasn't what she thought.

"I don't see the problem, since your my angel after all...'Arnold said with a flirty smile that usually would have had Helga weak at the knees but right now she was frozen stiff, and not from the cold either.

"Oh no, he knows..."Helga thought in dismay but tried to keep it cool.

Maybe she could deflect this somehow.

"While that's sweet of you Arnold, I'm hardly any angel..."Helga said weakly, trying to think of someway to fix this.

Arnold, being more observant of her behavior since they became an item, knew that she was probably, for whatever reason that she had, trying to find someway to down play this and get out of having to confess to him what she had done wonderful Christmas from so long ago.

Well, he wasn't going to let her...Not this time...

'Yes you are Helga...After all, angels do help you in your time of need...'Arnold said in a warm way.

"I don't have the slightest idea what your going on about...'She said weakly.

"I know what you did for me in fourth grade Helga, I know you were the one who helped Mr. Bailey track Mai Hyunh down..."Arnold said, knowing what she had been trying to do.

"How?! Did that creep Bailey blab, even after I specifically told him to keep quiet! OH ! I am so going to-...'Helga's rant was cut short when Arnold placed his hands on her shoulder and pulled her down to eye level.

"Calm down Helga, he didn't say anything...'Arnold said calmly to his girlfriend who still looked frazzled to say the least.

"B-But h-h-how?...'She was stuttering now.

"I...The other day, when you went to visit him, I...I...uh...overheard your conversation...'Arnold said looking down. A part of him felt guilty for violating her privacy like that but he had been just so happy upon learning that special truth about her. Granted, what he did could count as stalking but he-

Arnold was brought out of his thoughts when Helga, now out of her shock, only gave him an angry expression on her face.

"You eavesdropped on me?!..."Helga yelled, unable to believe this.

'Technically yes, I'm sorry Helga, I didn't mean to but I started hearing about what you did and I-...'He was stopped when Helga lost her angry look in favor of a sad one.

That made him blink, what was wrong?

He knew maybe she might not have liked him eavesdropping, he expected some yelling but he didn't expect her looking sad over it...

"Oh criminy, of all the times my stupid paranoia had to act up, it had to be for that..."Helga said as she smacked her face before sinking to the ground, still looking miserable.

"What's wrong, Helga?...'Arnold asked, wondering what she was going through.

"What's wrong?! WHAT'S WRONG?! You know! That's what's wrong!..."Helga said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Arnold raised an eyebrow at her reaction, while he did know she wanted to keep this a secret, he thought that she was being overdramatic here.

"What's wrong with me knowing? Helga, you gave up your snow boots and helped me when I needed it, that's one of the wonderful things you or anyone else has ever-..."He was silenced when Helga gave him a harsh glare.

"Don't do that! Please don't do that!...'Helga said in a miserable tone.

"Do what?...'Arnold asked, really confused right now.

"Don't act all grateful and happy, please! You weren't suppose to know! What happened that year...you weren't suppose to know that it was me that helped you...You were suppose to think it was a miracle...It was suppose to be a selfless act with no gain in it for me since that was the only way it would have been meaningful but now you know about what I did and you even got me the snow boots back... it's all ruined now..."Helga muttered in sadness.

"No it's not, Helga...You did a selfless thing that day and me knowing about doesn't change that it was a wonderful, thoughtful and meaningful gift..."Arnold pointed out.

"You weren't suppose to know..."Helga grumbled and merely looked away with a stubborn frown on her face.

Arnold was determined to wipe it away.

"Helga, you love me don't you?...'Arnold asked her, causing her to blink.

"Doi..."Helga muttered but still looked away.

"Helga, what you did that Christmas...It was everything that Christmas is suppose to be about...You gave me a miracle that day and I will always be grateful, not just because you helped Mr. Hyuhn reunite with his daughter but...but because you gave me hope that day...'Arnold said looking down, finally getting her gaze back on him.

"Hope?...'Helga asked in confusion.

"I was so miserable that morning, feeling that I failed getting Mr. Hyunh his daughter back...I was sad because...I knew how much he missed her...I knew because...it was the same way I missed my parents..."He said, not daring to look into her eyes.

"When I saw the way he looked at Mai's baby picture...It reminded me of how I looked when I used to look at pictures of my mom and dad, wondering where they were and...wishing that they would come back to me...That was part of the reason I was so obsessed with bringing them together..."He continued, feeling the emotions he repressed at the time building up in him.

"Arnold..."Helga said softly, sensing the turmoil he was in.

"The moment Mai came to the house and Mr. Hyuhn started hugging and kissing her...even after all that trouble and even though me and Gerald failed to get the snow boots...Mai still came back to her father in the end...I was happy for them and...I never told anyone this, even Gerald but...when I saw them be reunited, it made me hopeful of someday reuniting with my own parents..."He finished.

"I didn't know that..."Helga said looking down.

"Now you do, Helga...I know you didn't want to tell me but...I'm happy that I found out it was you who gave me that miracle..."Arnold said.

"It wasn't a real miracle Arnold...It was just me deciding not to be selfish for the first time in my life...'She said looking away from him.

"I was a miracle Helga...an act of unselfish love...I wanted to repay that love back today...Sure the snow boots and snow angels can't compare but then again, what can?..."He chuckled a bit, and saw a small smile on Helga's face.

"I know I shouldn't have eavesdropped on you but I'm glad I did it, to know that I always had a Christmas angel watching over me...one that was always so near..."He said as he looked at her with love.

"I told you I'm hardly any angel Football head..."Helga said a little more playfully.

"Yes you are, my angel..."He said with a teasing smile as he looked into her eyes.

A pair of pretty blue eyes that were filled with nothing but love, all for him and no one else. The two shared a kiss, feeling the warmth and softness embrace them so thoroughly. After a while, they finally separated, both gazing at the other with loving smiles.

"Don't think your out of the dog house yet football head! I'm still peeved you eavesdropped on me in the first place...'Helga said, though her tone showed she didn't mean anything by it.

"I kinda figured, so to make it up to you, I wanted to ask if you wanted to join me and family for Christmas dinner tonight, along with some caroling and cocoa..."Arnold said to her.

"I'd love too...'Helga said without a moments hesitation.

"Well come on, my parents will be happy to see you..."Arnold said as he took her hand, eager to take her home to spend more of their perfect Christmas together.

"Wait, just a second...'Helga said as she ran back into the apartment building.

A few minutes later Helga, now wearing the Nancy Spumoni snow boots, came out with a wrapped Christmas present in her hands.

"For you Arnold..."Helga presented the gift to him.

"You didn't have to get me anything Helga, I'm just happy being able to spend Christmas with you..."Arnold said sweetly to her.

"Don't give me that, if you had to go all out to give me an elaborate gift like this, then I get to give you one too, that's how it works..."Helga said a matter of factly.

Arnold merely smiled at that and took the wrapped present in his hands. It was pretty light and he wasted no time unwrapping it. Once done, he saw that it was a knitted red scarf, which resembled the blue one he usually wore.

"A scarf?...'Arnold asked pleasantly surprised.

'I made it...Due to my dad being...well, you know...I couldn't afford much and I know it's not all that-..."She was silence by a pair of lips covering her own.

Arnold kissed her again, which she quickly reciprocated. This kiss ended up being longer than the first and it the blonde girl just as breathless as the previous one did. Once she was out of her slight daze, she saw her beloved gazing at her with adoration.

"I love it..."Arnold said as he put the red scarf on, never taking his eyes off his love.

"G-Glad to hear it A-Arnold...Helga stuttered, her lips still trembling a bit from that kiss. She quickly recovered and now gave him a calmer look.

"Let's am-scray before Bob and Miriam try to drag me back in for more fake Christmas just to please Olga..."Helga said as she gestured to the apartment.

"It's still that bad?..."Arnold asked, feeling sorry for his girlfriend.

"Eh...it's not great but I'll live...but for now I'd like to enjoy at least part of a real Christmas with someone who actually notices me..."Helga explained.

"Anything for my angel..."Arnold said as he took her hand and gave it a quick kiss, earning a swoon from her.

"You were my angel first...from the moment you shared that umbrella with me..."Helga said in that lovesick voice he had gotten the chance to hear a few times.

A voice Arnold had come to like...very, VERY much to be honest.

"Um...let's. ..let's go..."Helga, having recovered from that lovesick moment, said as she pulled Arnold to the way to the boarding house.

"As you wish my angel. .."Arnold said, a smile a mile wide on his face.

"By the way, how exactly did you manage to get these boots football head? and near Christmas?...'Helga asked, really curious about it.

Nancy Spumoni was a high end designer and she knew that jut like last year and the year before that, these boots were cleaned out.

"You forget that I know Dino Spumoni personally, remember that he's Nancy's uncle and it wasn't hard getting him to hook me up with a pair, even at this time of the year...'Arnold explained like it was nothing.

"You really are a wonder boy, aren't you football-head..."Helga said chuckling... "And the snow angels, what are they about?..."She asked.

"As i said, you're my angel and it just seemed appropriate..."Arnold said as he kept giving her that smile.

"Flirt..."Helga said coyly as she continued to walk hand-in-hand with him, all the way to the boarding house.

Once there, his parents greeted Helga with a hug and even gave her a present for her as well, much to the pleasant surprise of the preteen couple. It was a brand new pink jacket that suited her very well, Helga was overjoyed with the gift but felt bad that she didn't have anything for them since she had been so focused on making the scarf for Arnold. However Miles and Stella told her it was nothing and they didn't mind giving her a gift since she was already family as far as they were concerned.

The rest of the day consisted of snowball fights, drinking hot cocoa, visiting Gerald and their other friends to drop off presents and Helga catching Arnold under the mistletoe many, MANY times. It continued until the secret Santa exchange and later the boarding house Christmas dinner until Helga's parents called, demanding her presence back home for the dinner Olga made them.

A reluctant Helga left but not before bidding a merry Christmas to everyone and giving Arnold one more kiss before he escorted her back home.

Despite some quirks here and there, it ended up being the perfect Christmas Arnold had so desperately wanted and it had nothing to do with the gifts or the decorations. His happiness came from the fact that he was able to spend this glorious day with the people he loved most in the world, his parents, his grandparents, his friends and Helga as well. That was what Christmas was all about: Spending time with the people you love and who loved you.

Sure presents were nice but all you needed was love to have the perfect Christmas.

Love.

And he had plenty of that now, all thanks to his Christmas angel, Helga.

The End

And done.

Just a nice little Holiday fic if I do say so myself. This is my gift to you all in honor of this most wonderful time of the year. Also, I would like to give a shout out to all those who were merry enough to give me a review for my sweet little Christmas fic.

Let's give some love to: Anonymous, Guest, Invader Johnny, Lina Lumi, pottersparky, Relaxing Pikachu, Sweetbaby162016 and The J.A.M. a.k.a. Numbuh i.

:) Merry Christmas you guys, you're the best! :)

Also, for old time's save, here and some REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewers:

Invader Johnny: Looks like they are finally having a memorable first Christmas together.

Relaxing Pikachu: Looks like Arnold did a little bit of both :)

Sweetbaby162016: Thanks and happy holidays.

Lina Lumi: I hope that this will do...

potterpsarky: Thanks, you too...

:) Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night :)