I don't own Hey Arnold.

….

….

Monday:

"Are you absolutely sure about this, darling?" her mother asked her, cupping her cheek with one hand.

Phoebe waved her off.

"Of course, mother. I'll be fine," she assured her.

Her mother still looked worried though.

"We can trust her, Reba," Mr. Heyerdahl said to his wife, gently. "She has never let us down when we've left home alone before."

"Okay, no parties, no boys," Reba said. And although Phoebe's dad had been positive, his look held warning. "Maybe ask Helga to come stay."

Phoebe had planned to. Helga was having a hard time at home at the moment, so Phoebe had offered her to stay with her and keep her company while her parents were away for two weeks on a "couples retreat", something they had started when Phoebe turned twelve, and they had encountered a crisis in their marriage. Deciding that they weren't spending enough time alone as a couple, they decided to take a vacation together alone. Reluctantly, since, Phoebe had stayed with the Pataki's, but this year, at seventeen, they decided to leave her home alone.

Phoebe wasn't sure who was more excited at the prospect. Her or Helga.

"We love you, and you know where we've left you money. Theres also money in your credit card, for emergencies only," her father told her picking up their suitcases. "And I don't mean fashion emergencies. I mean cash stolen or worse emergencies."

Phoebe nodded. She was so excited, but nervous and a little worried. But Helga had been looking after herself for years, so Phoebe knew she was in good hands.

Plus Helga was a surprisingly awesome cook!

"I love you, mom, I love you dad," she said, hugging and kissing each just as their cab parked. Standing on the stoop she watched as her parents loaded their stuff in the car. Just as they finished Helga came walking up.

"Have a nice trip, Mr. and Mrs. Heyerdahl," she said sincerely. Reba turned around and hugged the girl.

"You look after my girl, okay?" she said.

Helga smiled. "With my life."

Both girls waved good-bye to her parents as the taxi drove away. Then Helga turned to Phoebe.

"Ready for school?"

…..

…..

"No way!" Gerald cried out. People looked towards him and Phoebe. Helga rolled her eyes, and Arnold just stood looking stunned.

"Nope. Just me and Helga, living together for two weeks, no adults," she told him.

"Think we could sneak in a sleepover?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Phoebe giggled.

"Geez, hair boy, could you sound any more sleazier?" Helga asked. Gerald glared her way.

Arnold took Helga's arm and lead her away, leaving Phoebe and Gerald alone. Phoebe watched them go, seeing them whisper animatedly with each other.

"My parents said no boys," she told Gerald. "Plus what would you tell your parents?"

"They're away this weekend, and part of next week," Gerald told her. "Jamie O is in charge, but to hell with that!"

Phoebe wanted desperately to say yes. She knew that Helga and Arnold had slept together over summer, and she noticed something different between them. Something more intimate in their looks, words and touches.

She wanted that with Gerald. She really did.

"I'll think about it," she said.

….

….

"What!?" Helga screamed.

"Keep it down!" Phoebe said, "I just said I'd think about it. Besides, it's not like you wont be sneaking Arnold over, or sneaking off to his place."

Helga turned a little pink. Phoebe noted that she didn't say anything.

"I need you on board with this," Phoebe pleaded.

She could see Helga thinking it over.

"We could both have our boyfriends there, Helga. No supervision," Phoebe added.

Helga sighed.

"Fine," she said. "When does he move in?"

…...

…..

Friday:

"Can you believe it, man?" Gerald said excitedly. "Living with our girlfriends for a week! It'll be like being married or something."

Arnold nodded, but said nothing. Him and Helga had tried this experiment last year when they were given a "family" project to work on. They'd nearly broken up because of it! It's why, even though Arnold could stay as long as he liked, both he and Helga had decided to keep it to stay overs only on the weekends. They still saw each other every day, but that was just it.

"I know it sounds all exciting, Gerald," Arnold said. Gerald tensed. He knew that tone in his best friends voice. He was about to pop his happy bubble. "But it's not easy living with someone. You never really know someone til you've lived with them. Trust me."

"Yeah, but you lived with Helga Pataki. Man, I'd break up with her without living with her," Gerald said. Though he tolerated Helga, for Phoebe and Arnold's sake, he still didn't like the girl. And the feeling was mutual.

"Gerald, I'm serious," Arnold said. "Your gonna learn things about Phoebe you may not want to know."

"Like what?" Gerald challenged.

"I don't know, but there'll be something she does, or even that you do, that will annoy the heck out of the other," Arnold said. "Trust me on this."

"I doubt anything Phoebe could do would put me off!" he said, confidently.

"We'll see."

…..

….

"It's no field of daisies, Phoebe, trust me," Helga said, finishing a retelling of her and Arnold's time as a "married" couple last year for a school project. "He annoyed the heck out of me with these little quirks and nuances that I never knew he had. You really get to know someone a little better when you live with them, and it's not always a good thing."

Phoebe nodded, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Okay, Helga," she said.

"I'm serious, Pheebs!" Helga insisted.

"Gerald and I get along very well, and we aren't as . . . flammable, as you and Arnold," Phoebe told her best friend.

"Huh? Flammable? What? That doesn't even make sense. Are you sure that is the word you meant to use?" Helga asked.

Phoebe sighed. "I'm mearly stating that you and Arnold a polar opposites, and as such you tend to have more conflict in your relationship," she told her.

"Yeah," Helga said tapping her chin with her finger. Then she smirked. "But the make up sex is awesome!"

"Helga!" Phoebe cried. Helga just cackled.

"I'm sorry, Pheebs," she said. "But seriously. Your gonna find out things about Gerald you may not like. Much or at all!"

Phoebe just smiled confidently. "I'm sure we can work it out."

"We'll see," was all Helga said, sighing.

…

…

Friday Night - 6PM

Phoebe answered the door, and Arnold and Gerald came in, carrying their overnight bags. Gerald looked excited, and was almost jumping around.

"Helga's in the kitchen finishing dinner," Phoebe told Arnold. Arnold put his things down and went to find his girlfriend.

Suddenly it felt awkward for her. Both her and Gerald just kind of stood there for a moment.

"So, uh, Helga's cooking, eh?" he asked.

Phoebe nodded. It was silent for a few seconds, til Helga came along.

"Grub's up, and don't worry hair boy, I didn't put rat poison in your food," Helga said, making a joke. He hoped. "They were all out. So I substituted with dishwashing liquid!"

"Helga!" Phoebe cried. Helga walked off laughing.

"I'm joking! Seriously! But dinners served!"

…

…

Phoebe watched the playful banter between Helga and Arnold. Sometimes they would say what phoebe thought were down right mean, but it didn't phase them. They just retorted with something else. But then she would see the love in their eyes, and again intimate moments. She looked over at Gerald who was wolfing down his food.

"Man, Pataki, you know how to cook!" he said. The whole table went silent, no one looking more shocked than Helga and Gerald themselves. "Uh, I mean, you make an okay feed."

"Just yours," she said in a sing-song voice. "I added a little extra."

Gerald stopped eating for a second.

"Will it kill me?" he asked.

"No. That would make Phoebe cry. I love Phoebe, I don't want her to cry," Helga said.

Gerald shrugged and went back to eating.

"What a pig," Helga muttered. Gerald glared, Helga smirked, and Arnold rolled his eyes. How did Helga do that? How did she get so comfortable with someone that she could insult them so easily? And how come the insulted always forgave her?

"So Gerald, I set up the guest room for you," she said.

"The guest room?" he asked, surprised.

"Hey, be thankful it's not the doghouse," Helga said, smiling. Gerald ignored her.

"Oh, I thought maybe we'd, you know," he said.

Phoebe looked to Helga, who looked at Arnold, who avoided contact with Phoebe altogether.

"Wanna help me make pavlova?" Helga asked him.

"Sure thing," Arnold said, jumping up and practically teleporting into the kitchen. Helga gave Phoebe an encouraging grin, then disappeared into the kitchen as well.

"Oh, well, um," Phoebe stuttered, blushing. "I-I sup-suppose we could, um, sleep in the same room."

"I just figured, since we have the opportunity, why not?" Gerald said.

"This will be great, Pheebs," he said, reaching out and taking her hand in his. "It'll get us prepared for when we finally move in together next year."

Phoebe nodded, wondering what he was talking about.

…

…

"Alright, you she-devil," Gerald said. "Even I know when to give the devil his due. You, woman, are a fantastic cook."

"Thankyou," Helga said, not really paying attention to him. She was smiling and playing with the kiwifruit on her plate. Phoebe dropped her spoon and leaned down to pick it up, not even thinking, and just happened to see why Helga seemed so distant. Arnold had his hand in her panties. She whipped up real fast, blushing. Helga and Arnold both went red, and Phoebe thought her face was on fire.

"So, uh, we'll leave you guys to it then?" Arnold said. Phoebe nodded as he and Helga got up and left.

"Do you think she saw?" she heard Arnold ask Helga as they disappeared into the hallway.

"Saw what?" Gerald asked, leaning forward.

Phoebe shook her head, going an even deeper red, to the point it was hurting!

"Were they playing footsie or something?" Gerald asked.

"Please, Gerald. Its between them," she said, covering her hot cheeks with her cool palms.

"Oh," Gerald said, finally getting it. "Yeah, I've caught them getting frisky with each other on accident a few times as well."

Phoebe just shook her head. She felt like crying or laughing, she wasn't sure which.

…

…

Phoebe had just finished rinsing the glasses, and was about to start on the plates when Gerald walked in, picked up a tea towel and went to dry the dishes.

"Oh, no, Gerald," Phoebe said, taking it from him. "I prefer to let them air dry."

"Air dry?" Gerald asked, making a face. "But then how are you going to put them away if they're still wet?"

"Oh, well, I find that the plates dry real fast because-"

"Then why did you wash the glasses first?" he asked.

"Because," she said, as if trying to talk to a child. "After the plates go in, there will be bits of food floating around, and maybe grease, and I don't want it getting on the glasses."

"Which wouldn't be a problem if you used the tea towel because you could just wipe it off," Gerald pointed out.

Phoebe frowned.

"I do it this way," she snapped.

Gerald raised both hands and backed away.

"What ever you say, babe," he said. "I'll be in the lounge. Arnold brought his box over, so we're gonna play a game."

"Okay," she said, relaxing.

"By the way, Pheebs?"

"Yeah?"

"Think you could bring some snacks in when your finished?"

…

…

Well that's the end of this chapter. R&R and give these two some LOVE!