An Important Note from the Author:

This is going to be a long story that follows Arnold and Helga throughout their lives from TJM to Adulthood. I think of this story as a 'coming of age' tale a la 'Boy Meets World' with a dash of 'Degrassi' and other shows of that nature.

There is plenty of drama, however, PLEASE KNOW that Arnold and Helga WILL be together. This may seem like a spoiler, but I do not want readers to become discouraged.

I intend to keep this story very realistic to the growing-up experience. This story is rated T, however, I want you think of it as PG-13. As they grow older, there will be occasional swearing, older characters will die as the natural life cycle ends (because people can't live forever), and while nothing will be explicitly described, sex will be insinuated (and it will ONLY happen after they are consenting adults).

I decided to add this to the beginning of the story, so you know what you're getting into. For those who want to embark on this story but do not want to deal with the length or many dramatic plotlines, once this story has finished, I intend to release an abridged version of about the top 15 chapters.

Thank you for your interest and love for this story. I hope you enjoy the ride! Please drop a review for each chapter as I really thrive off of your reactions and they mean a lot to me.

Enjoy!

Polkahotness


It was a tearful goodbye to say to the Green Eyes who had been so much help in saving the lives of the blonde boy's parents. They were more than grateful, but their goodbye held no comparison to the tearful hello they held for the son they'd missed for almost a decade. The sleeping sickness had taken away that, but it hadn't taken away their future with him. Both Stella and Miles knew that this was the beginning of what they'd been looking forward to all their lives- a life of being a family with their son.

"Arnold, we've missed so much," Stella said tearfully while stroking her son's head, and he smiled up at her and wiped away a tear from his eye.

"I know, but there is so much more to come," he said back to her with a grin. "You haven't missed out on everything. It's all just beginning."

"You're right, son," Miles said while patting Arnold's back lightly. "We haven't missed everything."

Helga stood awkwardly from where she shared her most precious kiss with Arnold just moments ago and reached up to rub the back of her neck as Gerald approached her.

"So..." he said with a sly smile and a raise of his brow. "You and Arnold, huh?"

Blush rose to her cheeks and she quickly shook her head as if the rosy pigment would disappear from the motion. She stuttered out, "I uh... we... uh..." her tone quickly changed as she shot him a glare and dug her feet into the ground. "Look Tall Hair Boy, I don't know what you think you saw, but it was nothing, okay? So just... just... back off, or you'll have to talk to-"

"Betsy and the five avengers," he finished for her while shaking his head. "Mm mm MM, Helga, I knew there was a reason you had all those videos of Arnold... you have it bad for him, don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she insisted but Gerald knew better and was onto Helga G. Pataki's cover.

"Sure, Helga. You have no idea what I'm talking about." he repeated with another shake of his head while turning away from her to watch as Arnold gave his parents another hug.

The football-headed boy pulled away from Miles and Stella as a thought pierced his memory and he looked at them in shock. "My friends... they're all still trapped back at the camp..." he murmured and his parents shared a look before returning back to their son.

"The camp? What camp?" Miles asked, and Arnold looked back at Helga and Gerald before looking to his parents once more.

"La Sombra's camp. He took us all prisoner. If it wasn't for Helga and Gerald, we never would have escaped." He explained and Gerald chimed in from behind him.

"And Phoebe. Most of it was her idea. And Helga." He turned to look at her and she blushed once more while trying to hide it with little success.

"Well don't just stare at me," She said as everyone continued to look her way. "We have to get back to the camp and get them out. I'm sure they're going crazy in there. Imagine Simmons. Granola boy has probably lost it by now."

Arnold shuttered at the idea of Mr. Simmons being locked up without any control of the situation and nodded his head in agreement to Helga's statement. "That's true. We have to get back to the camp and get everybody out. But I hardly remember how we got here, more or less how to get back..." his voice trailed off as he pulled out the worn journal he'd used to help them get there in the first place. At the sight of his old journal that he'd completely forgotten about, Miles' face lit up; a smile spreading across his lips.

"My journal?" he asked softly as Arnold turned to the map in the back and he smiled up at his father and nodded.

"It's how we found you. It led us right to you." He said and Miles reached out to take it from his son's hands and traced the pages with his fingertips lightly.

"I can't believe you have it... after all this time..." he murmured and Arnold nodded his head while Stella set a hand on Miles' lower back with a smile.

"It's all I had of you," Arnold explained sheepishly while reaching up to rub at the back of his neck. "I-I couldn't part with it. I'd read it most nights after we found it and it made me... it made me feel close to you. All your stories..." he shrugged his shoulders. "it gave me hope that I'd find you one day so I could return it to you."

"Oh Arnold," Miles said with tears welling in his eyes. "Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me."

Arnold grinned and looked down to his feet. "I've waited all this time," he said softly, "I'm just glad I was able to return it to you," he finished while looking up through his eyelashes at his father who returned his look graciously while holding the book in his hands.

"Well," Miles said before turning to glance at Stella, "With the help of this map, I'm sure we'll be able to find La Sombra's camp. It shouldn't take too long with the help of the Green Eyes. They're masters at navigating the jungle."

"And you can speak to them, right?" Helga asked while setting her hands on her hips and Stella chuckled.

"We may have been asleep for 9 years," She said, "But we haven't forgotten everything we know."

"C'mon," Miles said while gesturing for everyone to follow, "Let's ask around and see if we can't figure out where to begin so we can find your friends."

The walk to La Sombra's camp was long , longer than Gerald and Helga remembered, but for Arnold, there was so much to catch his parents up on that the journey seemed to go by quickly. He tried to remember everything of his past that would be important for his parents to know. His friends, the boarders, school, every last detail of his life that they had missed poured out of his mouth like a fountain. Though he tried not to sound too excited, he just couldn't help himself let everything out like word vomit that couldn't be contained any longer.

Gerald and Helga walked behind the three as they talked and while Gerald tried to make conversation, Helga wasn't having it.

"Pretty neat to see Arnold with his parents again, huh?" Gerald asked and Helga nodded her head.

"Yeah, great for Arnoldo," she muttered while kicking a rock incessantly and Gerald stared at her as she did so.

"I don't get it, Pataki," he said as they walked, "If you like Arnold so much, why aren't you happy for him?"

She turned to glare at Gerald. "I am happy for him, ya dope." She responded and he held his hands up in surrender as they continued on the trail.

"Hey, hey, hey, it was just a question," he defended himself as Helga turned to focus her attention back on the rock she was kicking. "You just don't seem very happy."

"Well then you don't know me very well, now do you, Geraldo?" She countered and he sighed while nodding his head.

"Guess I don't," he said as they continued their trek and he frowned to himself. "Helga, can I ask you something?"

Helga rolled her eyes. "I'd rather you not but I'm sure you're gonna ask anyway, so why not?" She said and he asked away.

"What do you think things will be like when we get back? Back to Hillwood, that is?" Gerald asked and Helga stopped walking for a moment to absorb his question.

She hadn't thought of this before now and the question took her off guard. "I-I..." she struggled with an answer as she stood in place, Gerald now stopping to watch her in confusion as to why she had stopped. "I don't know..." her voice trailed off and Miles turned around to see that the two were behind and he walked towards the two to try and encourage them to keep up.

"You guys getting tired?" He asked and Gerald looked at Helga for a moment before nodding his head, deciding to cover for her after his thought-provoking question.

"Yeah, just a bit," he said before jogging to catch up to Stella and Arnold. "We'll be fine though!" He called out to Miles as he approached Helga, leaving the two alone behind the small group.

"Helga... right?" Miles asked while looking at the girl who was still in minor shock from the question Gerald had posed to her just moments ago.

She shook her head to release Gerald's question before switching to briefly nod her head in response to Miles. "Ur... yeah. Helga G. Pataki." She introduced herself and Miles chuckled.

"Miles Shortman," he said, "Mind if I walk with you?" He asked and Helga looked around at her surroundings before shrugging her shoulders and picking up her pace to begin walking once more.

"Whatever floats your boat, Miles."

"Arnold was telling me about you and all of his friends back home," Miles said as they walked and this peeked her interest.

"Oh yeah?" She replied with each stomp she made on the ground beside him. "And what horrible stories did he have to tell about me?" She asked and Miles merely smiled and shook his head.

"None, actually. He just told us how brave you were to risk everything in helping him find us these passed few days." Miles explained and Helga's eyes widened.

"R-really? Like... nothing bad? Nothing about how I throw spitwads at him all day in class or how I call him football-head every day of his natural born life or how I prank him every chance I get?" She spit out without thinking and Miles raised a brow as he looked at her.

"Um... no. He didn't mention any of that. Wait... is all of that true?" He asked and she looked away in embarrassment while continuing to walk.

"Uh..." she struggled before sighing and giving up entirely. "Yeah... it's true. But I have my reasons." She finalized and Miles nodded his head.

"Does he know that?" He asked and she shrugged her shoulders.

"I think he does. At least now anyway." She said and he smiled.

"I think he does too. It looked that way to me, at least." He said with a grin and Helga blushed remembering her onlookers at their very first mutual kiss. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't keep away the smile that rushed to her lips at the memory.

"Yeah well what do you know, anyway," she scowled back at him in defense mode while trying to harbor some of her pride. "you've been asleep for 9 years. You don't even know me, bucko."

Miles nodded his head as they approached the camp at last. "You're right, I don't," he said. "But I hope I'll get the chance to, Helga. Arnold speaks highly of you, and anyone in his life as important as you is someone I'd like to know."

This statement once again threw Helga off her guard as they made their way into the camp. Nobody in her life seemed to want to get to know her, not truly. So who was Miles to want to get to know her, anyway?

And speaking of people not wanting to get to know her...

"Helga!" Olga yelled as she rushed to her sister's side and enveloped her in a very one-sided hug. "Oh baby sister, I thought I'd never see you again!" She sobbed into her shoulder and Helga tried to breathe though Olga's grip on her was surprisingly tight.

"Ol-Olga...Can't...breathe..." she managed and her sister let her. Once she had caught her breath, Helga looked up to see none other than her parents standing at her with unimpressed expressions.

"Where have you been, girl?" her father asked her with his hands on his hips. "We came all this way looking for you from that message you sent us."

She rolled her eyes and set her own hands on her hips. "Nice try dad, but you aren't fooling me. I know you came here for Olga."

"So what if we did, huh?" He said rather bluntly. "You were missing and you had us... I don't know..."

"Worried," Miriam finished for her husband. "You had us worried."

"What were you even doing out there, anyway?" Bob asked and Helga shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"Oh I don't know, just saving lives and all. The usual." She said and her parents exchanged a look before returning their eyes on their youngest daughter.

"Don't tell me. You were helping that little orphan boy friend of yours," Bob said and Helga glared in his direction before narrowing her eyes in irritation.

"Not an orphan boy, dad. We found his parents. They're right over there," she explained while pointing to where Miles and Stella stood beside Arnold's grandparents; the two elderly adults staring in shock at the two figures before them.

The older couple watched Miles and Stella incredulously, both Gertie and Phil reaching out to their long-lost son who had finally returned to them. "Miles, is... is that you?" Phil asked and Miles nodded his head slowly, tears suddenly filling his eyes.

"Yeah, pop, it's me." he said while laughing through his tears and embracing his parents for the first time in years. They definitely had aged from the last time he'd seen them, but their embrace felt the same as it had all his life- warm and inviting. Loving.

They pulled away from each other, both Gertie and Phil's eyes gravitating towards Stella who stood silently beside Arnold with a smile on her face. "And Stella," Gertie said while shaking her head. "Why, I can't believe I'm seeing you. With my own three eyes!"

"Pookie, you have two eyes," Phil corrected her, but she ignored him and outstretched her arms.

"C'mmere and give me some sugar, sugar," she said and Stella welcomed the hug with open arms as Phil too leaned in to give her a hug that he'd been waiting to give her since they'd first disappeared.

Once they'd all exchanged hugs, Phil leaned down shakily to one knee and looked into his grandson's eyes while setting a hand gently on his shoulder. "Well Shortman, you did it," he said with a smile. "You found your parents. I can't believe you did it. After all this time, we'd thought we'd lost them, but you, Arnold, you never gave up, and we're so proud of you."

"Thanks Grandpa," Arnold said with a smile, before walking over to Helga and grabbing her from her parents who were talking to Olga. With one swift yank, he pulled her with ease to join his group. "But I couldn't have done any of this without Helga's help."

"Eleanor?" Gertie said with a raised brow. "You did all of this?"

Helga shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, I helped and all, but Arnold was the brains behind it."

"Don't let me steal all the credit, Helga," He said while taking her hand in his. "You know that without you, none of this would have been possible."

She froze for a moment, the warmth of Arnold's hand in hers filling her growing body with electricity like she'd never felt before—other than when they'd kissed that is. It filled her up, from head to toe, and she took a moment to enjoy the feeling before snatching her hand back and crossing her arms. "Yeah, well, don't say I never did anything for ya, Hair Boy," she said and Arnold smirked while looking up at her.

"I won't. I'm so grateful for what you've done, Helga."

"We're so grateful," Miles added while taking hold of his wife's hand before looking around at the camp that was now destroyed entirely. Although it was filled with life from Mr. Simmons class who paraded around joyously to celebrate Arnold fulfilling his dreams of finding his long-lost parents. "Not only to you, but to everyone who helped our Arnold out."

"Well," Helga said awkwardly after a moment of silence. "What do you say we blow this camp and head home? I can't stand being in this jungle any longer."

Stella and Miles shared a look before saying in unison, "Neither can we."


"Are you sure we can't stop for food?" Harold whined and Mr. Simmons frowned while pointing to his book and shaking his head.

"I'm sure, Harold. We really have to stick to the agenda this time around." He shuttered for a moment. "I'd hate to think of what else could happen if we break it again..."

"Mr. Simmons?" Eugene asked from where he waddled up to him, now slightly less blown-up from his allergic reaction. "Can we stop at the hospital once we get home? My parents can pick me up there. They'll be so excited to see me!"

"Sure, Eugene... you probably should seek some medical attention after that allergic reaction..." Mr. Simmons took a breath before muttering to himself, "I hope you'll fit in the seat..."

"Are you sure you don't want to ride with us in the plane, baby sister?" Olga asked Helga from where she stood in the airport with her hands clasped in front of her chest. "It'll be fun to be with the whole family soaring through the sky together."

Helga crossed her arms over her chest while glancing over to Arnold who was talking with his parents. "I'm sure."

"Alright class," Mr. Simmons addressed the group before clearing his throat, "And parents," he added quickly as Miles, Stella, Gertie and Phil smiled in his direction, "While this has been... a very... special experience for everyone... it's time to say goodbye to San Lorenzo and board the plane so we can all go home. As for your luggage... I'm sorry to say that most of it is probably, definitely lost-"

"And our cellphones," Rhonda muttered, though Mr. Simmons continued.

"-I'm just thankful that we're all together again and can have a safe trip home. So, let's all get on board and-" But before he could finish, the kids rushed to the gate and began boarding the plane; eager to get home to Hillwood, though Arnold and his parents remained behind the group; Helga staying with them.

"Aren't you coming?" She asked Arnold and he nodded his head.

"Of course, Helga. Where else would we go?" He asked with a smile and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Well I don't know," she said while looking down at her feet. "I guess... I guess I was just worried you'd stay... here or something. With your parents."

Arnold reached out to set a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "I'm coming back with you. With all of you," he said reassuringly and she looked up to meet his eyes. "Don't worry."

"Worry?" She repeated before pushing herself away from him as he dropped his hand from her shoulder. "Pssh, I'm not worried. Criminy, why would I be worried about you football-head?"

Arnold shrugged his shoulders. "I kind of figured-"

"Well you figured-"

"Helga, stop," he interrupted her. "I know you don't mean what you're about to say, okay? So just... just stop, okay? Let's board the plane and go home." He said before walking passed her with his parents leaving Helga behind to think about his words.

She thought about them all the way from the gate to the plane and in her seat as the takeoff ensued. But it was on the ride back to Hillwood that another thought entered her mind—the thought of the question that Gerald had asked her back on the trek to La Sombra's camp.

What do you think things will be like when we get back? Back to Hillwood, that is? He had asked, and the answer haunted her. Would things be different? Would Arnold treat her differently now that he knew her secret? And even more, would she be different now that her secret was out in the open for all the world to see? After all, it wasn't just Arnold who knew anymore... his parents, even Gerald knew, and that meant that soon the whole class would know.

Would they be an item?

Would they become what Helga had always dreamed they would be?

The thoughts haunted her during the entire trip back to Hillwood, even as they left the plane and took the bus back to school. They followed her for the whole bus trip back to the beeper store and they remained as she made her way to her little corner of the once bustling beeper empire that was now their home.

What would happen between Arnold and Helga?

The young blonde supposed that only time would tell.