Hey Arnold is owned by Craig Bartlett. Some of you who have read my story
'Discovery', will notice that this story isn't quite as
serious, with more humor and fun bits. Happy reading!-----Dreamsinger

IN HARMONY

Part Two

To her surprise, Arnold stopped short and said, "You really think so?" in a
hopeful tone, a shy little smile on his face.

Somehow his reaction made Helga feel better. So even Arnold got bashful at
times! Most of the time he seemed so sure of himself--it wasn't often that she could
look at him and know exactly how he was feeling.

A little confidence can be a wonderful thing.

For the first time in her life it gave her the courage to smile lovingly at him as she
said softly, "Of course I do, Arnold."

Finally at peace, Helga was content to simply stand there and gaze at her
beloved.

Arnold was looking at her with those big, questioning eyes, as if trying to
understand her...

As they stood staring at each other, she smiling affectionately at him, he a little
stunned, but beginning to respond to her smile with one of his own, they both heard
"...On the twelfth day of Christmas..."

"Oh my gosh, we're gonna be late!" Helga cried, deliberately grabbing Arnold's
hand and pulling him down the hallway. "Come on!"

As they raced down the last hallway, they kept looking at each other and
grinning. Arnold started to laugh. Helga joined him, both of them laughing like
fools as they careened down the hall, bumping into each other, and skidding to a
stop in front of the door to the room being used as a concert hall.

Mr. Simmons threw open the door. "Oh, thank goodness you're here! Quickly,
take your places while I introduce you." He hurried off.

Arnold and Helga joined Gerald and Phoebe, who were standing in the dimness
behind the makeshift curtain.

"It took you long enough. I thought Phoebe and I were gonna have to sing duo."
Gerald whispered grumpily.

Helga was about to respond angrily when two quiet words from Arnold stopped
her. "Sorry, Gerald."

Hmph. Another apology. But it worked. Helga noted as Gerald subsided,
looking mollified.

They'd been instructed to line up according to height (hair counted), so Gerald
stood at one end, with Helga, Arnold, and Phoebe completing the row. (Helga had
been happy to learn she would be able to stand next to her beloved.)

As they waited behind the curtain in the near-darkness, Arnold looked at Helga,
who was shifting her weight from one foot to the other, and realized, She's really
nervous. Wanting to reassure her, Arnold reached out and found her hand. He
gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.

He's holding my hand! Helga was so stunned she couldn't move. Then,
accepting the offer of comfort, she closed her hand around his.

Arnold couldn't see the expression on Helga's face when she turned to look at
him in the dimness, but he could feel her fingers stiffen, then relax and hold on
firmly until the curtain started to part.

As their music began, so did Phoebe, singing the first two lines of 'Have Yourself
A Merry Little Christmas' in her high, sweet soprano.

Then Arnold and Helga joined in. The trio sang together until the next stanza,
which Gerald began in his velvety bass. "Through the years..."

As Helga joined voices with Arnold and Gerald on the third line, she felt an
electrical tingle of excitement and pleasure as their voices blended together into a
beautiful whole, everyone perfectly on key.

The next stanza was just for Arnold and Helga. "In the old days..."

When they got to the "faithful friends who are dear to us...", each of them looked
at the other and smiled as they sang, feeling closer than they ever had before.

On the last stanza, Phoebe took the first line, Gerald the next, and then all four of
them combined voices to successfully complete the difficult task of harmonizing on
the last line: "And have yourself a merry little Chriiiistmaaas ...noowww...."

The entire room burst into applause. Mr. Simmons wasn't the only one in the
room with tears in his eyes.

The four kids held hands and bowed once, as they'd been told. Then, sneaking
glances at each other and grinning, they all bowed a second time.

Mr. Simmons closed the curtains, and reopened them with all the kids in the class
standing in a row holding hands. They all bowed to the audience, receiving not only
clapping, but a few whistles, too. Helga could not remember ever being so happy.

Their performance roles complete, most of the kids headed over to the
refreshment table. A large group of parents intercepted them with congratulations
and hugs. Helga and Arnold stayed where they were, no longer holding hands, but
watching the crowd together.

Helga's parents hurried up to her.

"You were so wonderful, Helga, but-" her mother began, but her father
interrupted.

"What happened to your clothes?" he demanded.

Just then Arnold's grandparents arrived. "That was some mighty fine singin'
there, Short Man." said Grandpa.

"I haven't heard singing like that since the time I..." Grandma began.

His grandparents herded him away, toward the tables piled high with goodies.
(His grandpa had a strong sweet tooth.) Arnold looked back, but the crowd had
closed in behind him. I'll just have to congratulate her later.

Helga finally managed to escape from her parents, saying she had to go 'mingle'.
There's no way I'm gonna hang around THEM all night, listening to Miriam's
pathetic excuse for small talk, and watching Bob try to sell beepers to everyone who
walks by.

She almost didn't catch the stunning comments from her parents:
Miriam-"Look at her, B. She's growing up so faaast..."

Bob-"I know. I'm a lucky man, to've been blessed with two terrific
daughters..."

Helga almost turned back, but just them Mrs. Cape stepped in front of her.
"You were just mahvelous, Helga!" she said, giving her a wonderfully warm hug.
"I'm SO proud of ya."

"Thanks, Mrs. Cape," Helga said, smiling in pleasure. She didn't even mind
being hugged in public. "Oh! Do you want your locket back now?"

Mrs. Cape put a gentle hand under Helga's chin and tilted her head up a little.
"You keep it, darlin'. Call it a Christmas present. Maybe it'll bring you luck in the
New Yeah."

"Oh, thank you!" Helga spontaneously hugged Mrs. Cape, not caring who might
see her.

Just as she let go, she caught a glimpse of Arnold out of the corner of her eye, and
couldn't stop herself from glancing over at him. Mrs. Cape seemed to understand.

"Listen, darlin', Ah'm shore you've got bettah things ta do than chat with an old
lady. Run along now."

Helga gave her a brilliant, grateful smile, then turned to wade through the crowd
after Arnold. She didn't get very far.

"Oh, Helga!" Lila approached her. "I just wanted to congratulate you. I think
your group sang just so-so beautifully." With an honest, sincere look on her face,
she added, "I really think you and Arnold make just such an oh-so-perfect team."
Then she winked, and smiled.

For a second there I thought she was going to say a 'couple'. Helga thought.

"Tell Arnold I said so, would you?" Lila asked.

Helga decided Lila was trying to help her get Arnold's attention. Or maybe just
distract him from the unwelcome crush he had on Lila.

"Yeah, sure." Helga said.

Lila walked away.

Mr. Simmons was suddenly in front of her. "Helga, I want you to know that in
all my years of teaching music that was the most...beautiful performance...it has
ever been my privilege to hear." he said, placing a hand on his chest.

"Uh, thanks."

Phoebe stopped her next, to enthusiastically compliment her on both her singing
and her appearance.

And then-

"Hey, Helga," Stinky called from ten feet away-with his height he could see her
over the crowd-"Considerin' how much arguin' you was doin' all month, yer song
actually didn't bite!"

Helga wasn't sure whether to feel ticked off or complimented at this comment.
However, just then she spotted someone she recognized.

"Patti? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"Hello, Helga." Patti answered in that serious way of hers. "Hey, you sing pretty
good. I came to watch Harold, of course. Sometimes you wanna do nice things for
the guy you like."

Patti gave her a knowing look, not quite a wink. Helga glanced around to see if
anyone had overheard, but no one seemed to be paying attention, fortunately. So
she gave Patti a smile.

Patti smiled back. "He's over there." she said, moving her head to indicate a
direction.

She's all right.

"Thanks, Patti."

"Don't mention it."

Helga set off in the new direction, but was soon stopped by yet another person,
and another. It was an unusual situation for her-total strangers wanting to speak
to her, to compliment her. It was nice, actually, but after a while she really needed a
break from all the noise and confusion.

Looking around the huge Common room, she spotted a likely place-where an
old-fashioned, uncomfortable-looking loveseat had been pushed to the back corner
of the room to make space.

Helga made her way over to it as casually as she could, feeling terribly
conspicuous, and then ducked out of sight after giving the room a quick scan to see
if anyone was watching. With a sigh, she sank down on the thick carpet with her
back against the loveseat.

I might as well give up on trying to find Arnold-and what could I say to him in
the middle of all this, anyway?

Mostly from force of habit she reached for her locket, only to remember she'd
had to leave it at home because there weren't any pockets in the pink dress. That
had been an unexpected blessing, the way things had turned out!

Maybe I should start wearing Mrs. Cape's locket...nah, too obvious. Besides,
it's special. I wouldn't want anything to happen to it...I should only wear it on
special occasions.

She sighed. Oh, well. I guess the next time I see Arnold I'll be back in my old
clothes...

"Helga?"

"Arnold?!"

"I thought I saw you duck behind here. What are you doing?"

What's it look like, you...she almost blurted out, but seeing him in his suit
reminded her. She only stared at him, tongue-tied.

"Taking a break from it all, huh?" Arnold guessed. "Mind if I join you?" he
asked, sitting beside her.

Helga was uncharacteristically silent. When she didn't say anything after a few
seconds, Arnold volunteered, "I guess we did all right tonight, huh? I've been
getting a lot of compliments on our singing."

Say something! Agree with him about the singing. Tell him how you feel about
him. Anything!

"Uh, huh. Me, too." she managed.

"Of course, Gerald and Phoebe deserve a lot of the credit." Arnold added.

"Yeah, right."

You're alone with him. Now's your chance!

"Helga, is something wrong?" Arnold asked suddenly, looking at her with his
full attention. It flustered her.

"Huh?"

"You're not acting like yourself. You should be happy. Instead you
seem...distracted. Are you feeling all right?" His concern for her was so touching!

"I...I..."

Think! Maybe she could manage a half-truth.

"I guess I just realized I'm going to miss spending so much time with you." She
couldn't meet his eyes, staring at the carpet instead, her hair a blonde curtain
around her face.

Arnold blinked. Whatever he'd expected her to say, it wasn't this!

"What do you mean, Helga? We can still spend time together." he said, realizing
with some surprise that he meant it.

She sighed. "It's not the same."

Arnold was puzzled. "What's not?"

She seemed to be struggling to speak. He'd never seen her like this...Helga, the
glib comedian, always ready with a sarcastic comment.

Finally she mumbled, "When there are other people around."

It dawned on him then that the new, friendlier Helga hadn't emerged until after
they'd spent time alone together, away from other people. I guess Helga needs
privacy to relax...to let her guard down and be herself.

"We can still go up to my room and talk, Helga." he offered impulsively.

Finally, Helga looked up at him. "Really?"

She looked so relieved, happy and grateful that he couldn't help smiling back
warmly. "Sure."

Then she frowned. "But what'll everybody think?"

He understood immediately, picturing how some of their classmates would react.
"Well, we can always tell them we're doing our homework together. I could say
you're helping me in writing-that Mr. Simmons asked you to."

She thought this plan over for a few seconds. Then the businesslike Helga he
knew was back. "Okay. It'll do for a working hypothesis. We can always say we're
studying for the next spelling bee, or something."

Her expression turned sly. "Lila said we make a good team."

"She did?" asked Arnold, not sure what to make of this statement.

Suddenly Helga turned playful. "Yup. Her exact words were 'I really think you
and Arnold make just such an oh-so-perfect team.'" Helga imitated Lila's voice
with her usual skillful mimicry, clasping her hands and looking upward angelically.

"Well...that was nice of her." For a second there I thought she was going to say
a 'couple'.

Arnold blinked as an entirely new thought crossed his mind. Looking at Helga,
wearing pretty clothes and a heart-shaped locket, her hair down, smiling and
posing, it suddenly occurred to him: She actually looks kind of...cute.

What am I doing? Helga suddenly realized. Now I'm just hiding from him
in a different way. I might never have a chance like this again! The thought sent
such a pang of fear through her that she steeled herself, and looked directly into
Arnold's eyes, trying to find her voice.

Cute? Where did THAT thought come from? Arnold was a little
embarrassed.

Just then Helga's eyes met his. And somehow Arnold found it impossible to look
away. Her blue eyes were serious, more open than he could ever remember. They
were full of conflicting emotions...old pains and fears...almost pleading...with an
undercurrent of some deep, powerful emotion running in and around and through,
binding it all together...

Oh, Arnold, how I love you... Helga couldn't stop staring at him. He was
watching her with those wide green eyes, eyes that seemed to see right into her,
absorbing and thoughtful and wondering...

In those few moments a bond was formed between them, although it would take
Arnold quite some time to realize it.

It was he who turned away first, blushing deeply as he realized he'd been staring,
overwhelmed by the experience. He heard Helga clear her throat. Glancing at her,
still blushing a little, he watched as she clasped her arms around her knees and took
a deep breath.

"Anyway, Arnold, I just wanted to say...I mean, I-I just..."

"You just what?" he asked quietly, his embarrassment fading as he concentrated
on her problem.

Helga was fighting to speak. Oh, my gosh, he looked at me. He REALLY
looked, and saw ME, not just Helga the bully. Not just a classmate or neighbor.
Now's my chance!

Unfortunately, having his full attention made her mind go completely blank.
Where was her poetry when she needed it? Wait...there WAS something important
she needed to tell him, wasn't there?

"I just wanted to...APOLOGIZE for the way I've treated you all these years,
Arnold..." she said sincerely. "...and to thank you for being so patient with me. I
don't know if you'll ever be able to forgive me..."

Whew! That's a start. Not quite what I wanted to say, though...

Wow. That was really hard for her. A vague thought about Christmas spirit,
and making peace with others passed through his mind. Believing he knew what
had caused the inner conflict he had seen, and being as kind-hearted as he was,
Arnold willingly forgave her.

Impulsively he put a gentle hand on her shoulder, feeling the softness of her hair.
"It's all right, Helga. I forgive you." he said sincerely, smiling at her with half-
closed eyes, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly.

She had looked up the moment he touched her, and was staring at him now with
a look of wonder.

"You-you forgive me?" she whispered.

He nodded.

"Oh, thank you, Arnold!" she cried, clasping her hands together and looking so joyful that Arnold was astonished.

Oh, my beloved, what a generous soul you have, ever kind and
magnanimous...The gift of your friendship is equal to-nay, greater than-the most
coveted of treasures...

Helga suddenly realized that Arnold was staring at her a little uncertainly, and
tried to calm down. She didn't want him to become uncomfortable around her.

Well, I haven't confessed yet, but...that can wait. I've taken the first step.

She didn't want to freak him out. And besides...Helga sighed in contentment,
thinking about her next visit to Arnold's room.

The two of them settled into a comfortable silence, just relaxing, winding down
from the busy evening.

Helga yawned. She'd had a hard time sleeping the last few nights, dreaming
about all kinds of things going wrong with the performance.

Arnold was pretty tired, too. It had been a long night, and it was almost his
bedtime. He watched Helga yawn, and tried to stifle one of his own. Then, giving
in, he tilted his head back to yawn.

And stopped in mid-yawn, his mouth hanging open. Above them, in the corner
of the ceiling, was a little sprig of mistletoe.

Helga noticed his reaction. What's he looking at? she thought, following his
line-of-sight upward.

The two of them had almost identical, wide-eyed, solemn expressions as they
stared up at the bit of greenery.

Each of them glanced at the other without moving anything except their eyes.
Each saw the other one looking and quickly looked away from each other.

Mistletoe! I can't believe it! This is the PERFECT chance to kiss him without
being forced to in front of an audience......What am I thinking?! He'd probably
rather kiss a rabid RAT than kiss me! Helga's underlying self-dislike was again
trying to thwart her happiness.

Who'd put mistletoe way back here in this...well, maybe it IS a good place to
put it...What now? I really don't think Helga'd want to kiss me any more than I
want to kiss her. Arnold thought in distaste.

Then, catching another glimpse of her new appearance from the corner of his
eye, he softened. He remembered how happy and excited she'd been tonight, how
she'd complimented him in his suit, how she'd sung with him. His friend.

Maybe I wouldn't mind kissing her...it probably wouldn't be too bad...but
she'd pound me flat if I even tried... his thoughts broke off as she turned to him.

Helga had looked down at her lap and noticed the locket Mrs. Cape had given
her. 'Luck', she said...but is it good luck or bad?

It was the kind of locket a guy gave to a girl he was in love with. Love...
Abruptly an image of a dutiful Arnold forcing himself to kiss her popped into her
head. NO-it wouldn't really be like that...would it?

But the nagging image wouldn't go away.

And suddenly Helga suffered another mental growth-spurt-the same kind that
had caused her to give up her Nancy Spumoni snowboots, knowing she'd receive no
reward other than Arnold's happiness.

Selflessness. Putting another person's happiness ahead of her own.

Arnold likes me enough to invite me to his house of his own free will. He didn't
have to forgive me, but he did. Maybe it's time I stopped trying to manipulate him
for my own selfish reasons.

Helga got ready to do the bravest thing she'd ever done. She cleared her throat,
smiling a little...

"It-it's okay, Arnold. You don't have to kiss me. It's just a-stupid old
tradition, anyway..." she said quietly. She looked down and to the side, unaware
that her expression showed her crushing disappointment.

Helga sighed. Maybe by NEXT Christmas he'll be ready to kiss me...

Arnold was relieved to be off the hook. He was just about to ask her if she
wanted to go get something from the refreshment table with him when he noticed
her face, and how quiet she'd suddenly become.

What's up with her? he thought, dense as ever. It took him a few seconds to
realize her expression was not one of relief, but of quiet unhappiness. Wait a
minute...does she WANT me to kiss her?

Arnold gave her one of those thoughtful, questioning looks he was known for
when trying to see to the heart of the matter.

What he saw...was Helga. The real person under the sarcastic bully. The one
whose existence he'd always suspected, but never had more than fleeting glimpses
of, under the bluster, the sarcasm, the violence...Someone whose feelings could be
hurt, just like everybody else.

Someone who, even now, was trying to hide what she really felt, to protect
herself...and, he realized with some surprise, to give him a way out.

Arnold smiled, genuinely touched by her thoughtfulness.

"Helga?"

She looked up at him, her face carefully blank now.

"Would it be okay...if I kissed you?" he asked quietly, watching her face
carefully.

To Arnold, it was a gesture of friendship more than anything else. Being the
kind of boy he was, if giving Helga a kiss made her happy, then he wouldn't mind
doing it.

He was rewarded by the look of shy hope that slowly grew on her face.

"Really?" she asked softly.

He nodded, and smiled shyly. "If you don't mind."

She stared at him for a long moment, then said abruptly, "Um, yeah, I guess it's
okay by me."

I can't believe it-he WANTS to kiss me!

They stared at each other for several seconds. And suddenly, Arnold realized
that he was nervous.

Kissing Helga ought to have been easy-he'd done it twice before, after all. But
both of those times SHE had been the one to kiss him-once for the school play, and
once when they were filming that TV show.

Now that he was doing it for real, he wasn't sure what to do. Should they hold
hands?...

Then Helga, who'd been watching him closely, came to his rescue.

Smiling affectionately, she took his face in her hands and leaned toward him.
Their lips touched.

It was hard to describe what Arnold felt-physically, he could feel her soft lips,
and her warm hands on his cheeks, but emotionally...he felt a strong surge
of...something. Something...strange, and ...very special. And he wasn't sure if it
was coming from her...

When she released him and sat back, Arnold could only stare at her wordlessly.
Something important had just happened between them, but he wasn't sure what yet.
He needed time alone to sort this out...

Helga, on the other hand, looked content, more serene than he had ever seen her.
"Thank you, Arnold." she said softly.

She seemed to sense his confusion. Standing up, she said gently, "Well...I'd
better get back. My parents'll be looking for me soon."

"Sure..." he managed to say. "See you tomorrow."

Helga smiled at him, then turned and walked around the edge of the sofa, leaving
him with an odd sense of loss.

He had a lot of thinking to do...

* * *

Soon.

Helga smiled. It was no longer the thought of a lonely, desperate girl. It came
instead from the deep sense of security that had washed over her when Arnold
kissed her.

No--when he ASKED if he could kiss her.

At first I thought he was only doing it to be nice, but then...during the kiss...I
FELT something. So did he...

I don't know how I know that, but I do.

And the way he looked afterward...like someone who's finally starting to see
what's been right under his nose all along...

Helga's thoughts wandered back over all the other wonderful things that had
happened over the last few weeks.

The long afternoons spent practicing alone with Arnold, discovering the joys of
singing in harmony...

Making a special new friend-Mrs. Cape, who gave her the locket, the luck, and
the kindness and understanding she (unconsciously) needed so badly...

Learning that her parents were actually PROUD of her...

The unexpected pleasure of receiving compliments on a job well done, as well as
being proud of herself, because she'd worked hard and really earned that praise...

And, at long last, finally managing to shine a light through the dense clouds of
Arnold's composure...

A lighthearted Helga returned to the party, for once at peace with the world.

************************************************************************

Author's Notes:

*No, Arnold and Helga didn't hold hands while they were singing. (Although
Helga would've liked to...)

*I don't have Helga confess outright because I thought it would be better for
their relationship if Arnold came to know her (and care about her) on his own. So
instead I set up ways for Helga to give him that chance.

*The song they sang for the concert, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, is
my favorite Christmas carol. But here's a funny thing-I absolutely HATE it when
it's sung by adults. Maybe because nearly all of them insist on jazzing it up, or
drawling it so slowly it makes me want to put them out of their misery. My favorite
version is sung on the Christmas special 'The Muppets' Family Christmas' by
Kermit and Miss Piggy. Very sweet, and simple, no exaggerations. (Actually I love
the whole medley, all the little bits of different Christmas carols in one song. I
especially love anything sung by Robin.) So I thought it would be cool to imagine
the Hey Arnold! gang singing my favorite carol.

*I hope you enjoyed this trip into the Arnoldverse. If you'd like to email me with
Comments, Constructive Criticism, or Idle Banter, you can reach me (Dreamsinger)
at .