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Not exactly the ugly duckling	By : DancingBear Category: +G through L > Hey, Arnold! Views: 5459 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold, nor any of the characters. I do not, and will not make any money from this story. (Original creator: Craig Bartlett)

Chapter List
- 1-Not exactly the ugly duckling
- 2-2
- 3-3
- 4-4
- 5-5
- 6-6
- 7-7
- 8-8
- 9-9
- 10-10
- 11-11
- 12-12
- 13-13
- 14-14
- 15-15
- 16-16
- 17-17
- 18-18
- 19-19
- 20-20
- 21-21
- 22-22
- 23-23
- 24-24
- 25-25
- 26-26
- 27-27
- 28-28
- 29-29
- 30-30
- 31-31
- 32-32
- 33-Epilouge
- 7
- 8
- 9
Helga awoke to her phone ringing, a tinny recording of an old-fashioned telephone piercings her eardrums from where it lay next to her pillow.
Without opening her eyes, she slid her around the sheets until she grabbed it, flicked it open, and held it to her ear.
"Hello?" Her voice came out as a low groan.
She heard that low chuckle, and her eyes snapped open. "Good morning Helga, sorry, did I wake you?" Tingles ran through her hands as she drew her legs closer into her chest and tried to take a breath.
Butterflies gathered into her stomach again as she grinned despite herself. "Yeah, but it's cool. What time is it?"
"Just after ten. I was just wondering… uh, could I take you to lunch? I mean… I know you're coming to the airport later, but…" Helga bit her bottom lip as Arnold dropped his voice "… I want to see you..." he laughed softly "… again."
Helga turned her head and groaned into her pillow. She had been living in a state of constant agitation for the past two weeks. At times she was so turned on she saw stars. Arnold had seen her as often as he could. At first they had gone on heaps of double dates with Phoebe and Gerald, but since Tuesday, when Phoebe had gone back to College, he had taken her out three times, just the two of them.
She had lost count of the number of times she had seriously considered cutting a date short, taking him home, and locking them in her bedroom. At those times, she wouldn't have resisted if he had tried to kiss her, but he never did. He never tried to hold her hand or make up lame excuses to touch her. But the way he looked her, how he smiled at her, the way his voice got low when she knew they were thinking along the same lines…
"Helga? You okay?" Arnold's voice was full of concern. She sighed and rolled onto her back. She didn't want this day to come.
"Yeah, I'm fine… I can be ready by 11, if that isn't too soon?"
…
But that had been hours before, and as they walked through the airport, trying to find the gate for Arnold's flight, Helga tried to figure out where the entire day had gone.
He had turned up at her place at 11, and before he would take her to lunch, he insisted on setting her up a Facebook page and getting her a Skype account. Once that palaver was finished with, they walked down to a little café, where they had coffee and a late breakfast. After that they had just wandered for a while, window shopping and talking, then headed back to Arnold's to finish watching a sci-fi series they had started, before Gerald came to take them to the airport.
After check in, getting some dinner, and poking through the stores, laughing at all the crappy souvenirs, it was time to get Arnold to the boarding gate.
"Sweet, there it is." Arnold pointed down yet another corridor. "Gate 23." They all started heading through the large double doors.
"I'm gonna go get a Yoohoo, I'll meet ya down there." Gerald turned on his heel. "You guys want anything?"
"No thanks." Helga and Arnold smiled in unison. Arnold laughed and turned to her to say something, but seemed to think better of it, and just kept walking, his face suddenly pensive.
They walked down the long corridor in silence. The anxiety that Helga had been fighting off for the past few hours started to buzz in her head. Arnold walked close to her, leading her around the clumps of people that were starting to form, waiting to board.
She was a million miles away when he gently touched her wrist. "There." He murmured, and led her to a kind of alcove, formed by an advertising poster and a column, away from the stream of foot traffic. He sighed and dropped his bag on the floor. They both leaned against the wall and watched people pass by.
After a long moment, he turned to her, his shoulder and head against the wall, the look on his face almost pained. Helga could feel him watching her, but had no idea what to do, she felt like crying, like grabbing him around the waist and begging him not to leave.
"I don't want to leave." He stated. He reached out to touch her wrist, just two fingers rested on the back of her hand.
She stood stock still, what should she say? She couldn't ask him to stay for her.
"Hey, Helga…" he whispered, and she finally turned to him, trying to steady herself with a long, unsteady breath.
His hands rose to the inside of her wrists, brushing her skin with the backs of his fingers. Her stomach lurched, her abdomen cramped. She felt her skin flush. She couldn't look him in the face, but kept her eyes at the base of his throat, watching the skin jump with his pulse. She could see his chest rising and falling as he breathed. His fingers brushed gently up and down the insides of her wrists, sending tingles through her body, making her knees feel weak.
She heard him, watched his chest fall, as he let out a deep breath. She felt his forehead against hers as he lowered his head. "Helga." He breathed. The tingles had turned into a shivering heat. She raised her eyes, pulled her head back a little so she could see his eyes, moving their mouths so close together that she could feel his breath on her lips.
She watched as his gaze flicked down to her mouth, then back up to her eyes. His eyes flicked down again as she bit her bottom lip, and a pained, strangled moan rumbled in his throat.
"Can I kiss you? Please?" his voice was low, shaking. Her stomach wrapped itself into knots. She stared, nodded imperceptibly, her mouth opened slightly, her bottom lip slipped from between her teeth.
"Yeah?" He asked, his hands shook slightly against her wrists, running down to tangle his fingers in hers.
"Yeah." She whispered, her fingers closing around his.
His mouth twitched into a small smile before he closed the distance between them.
There was a second of shock, a disbelief that it was happening, before Helga registered Arnold's lips on hers. Instantly, her breath caught, then pumped in and out of her lungs as adrenaline pumped through her veins. Her fingers closed tighter around his. She felt like melting when he let out a small, deep moan. His lips moved against hers, softer than she had imagined. He shifted his weight, pressing his chest up to hers.
He gently pulled away, letting out a long, whistling breath through his pursed lips. Dropping his forehead back to hers, he slid his fingers from hers and slipped them around her back, holding her close against him. Her hands came up to hold his arms, just above his elbows.
He laughed softly "Oh god, Helga… now I really don't want to go." She felt his fingers moving restlessly against her back. He shifted to kiss the tip of her nose, pulled back to look at her, and tightened his arms around her middle.
Helga couldn't speak, her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth. Arnold just smiled at her. "You okay?" he asked, grinning wider when she nodded. "You're so gorgeous." He breathed. One of his hands came up to brush her cheek, his thumb grazed the corner of her mouth. He groaned again when she caught her bottom lip between her teeth. "Especially when you do that." His thumb moved to trace her bottom lip, his eyes watching her intently.
"Whoooo-eee! And to think, I figured it would never happen!" Helga's face turned bright red as Gerald threw his arms around their shoulders, his grin wide. "Phebes will blow a gasket when I tell her!"
Somehow Arnold managed to move them all slightly so that he had Gerald on one side and Helga on the other. Helga didn't pay much attention, her face was burning with embarrassment, her stomach heavy with nerves.
"Hate to ruin the moment guys, but you're flight is boarding, Arnold my man." Gerald slapped Arnold on the back and moved to watch the people filing towards the gate.
Arnold's fingers slid up Helga's ribs, then down the back of her arm, his eyes on her face. She held her arms stiffly at her sides, her eyes cast down at the carpet.
He sighed and took his arm away from her, bent to pick up his bag. He turned to face her, put his fingers against her wrist again. "We okay?" he asked.
Helga tried to force a smile, but her head was reeling. He was leaving, he kissed her and he was leaving. She just wanted him to stay, she knew she couldn't say that, but she couldn't think past that to say anything else of consequence. "Yeah… yeah… I'm just… I'll just miss you." She ended on a whisper.
He smiled. "You have no idea." He sighed. "C'mon, I gotta go."
The three of them moved to stand in line. Helga was silent, but Gerald and Arnold chatted away. Arnold's fingers found hers, brushed her palm, ran up the inside of her wrist as they stood waiting in line.
"well, this is me." He said, his voice overly chipper. He pulled his ticket from where it stuck out of his jacket pocket. "See ya man." He turned to Gerald and grabbed him in a hug, clapping him on the back.
"Sure thing brother." Gerald winked at Helga over Arnold's shoulder.
Then Arnold turned to her. He paused for a second, then stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Keep in touch. Okay?" he whispered. "I want to hear from you."
Helga's arms found their way to his back, clutched at the back of his jacket. "Okay." She whispered.
Arnold pulled away, smiled ruefully, and tugged his bag up onto his shoulder. He moved to turn away, paused, turned back to her, and in the blink of an eye, stepped forward, wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, and pressed his mouth to hers in a quick, firm kiss.
He stepped back. "You better." He smiled, then turned to walk forward and move through the gate, waving goodbye as he turned a corner and disappeared from sight.
Helga let out a breath, her shoulders sagging. She felt her eyes fill up with tears, but she blinked them away. Gerald threw an arm around her shoulder.
"Come on Sweetheart… let's go get a drink."
- 7
- 8
- 9
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Not exactly the ugly duckling