Have Your Cake, Helga! 🎂 | a Hey Arnold! Fanfic

Chapter 7 - Epilogue

For the first time in a long while, Helga was in her bliss. She was with Arnold and Jicu on the front steps of Sunset Arms, just shooting the breeze. Arnold's Grandpa and Grandma were adjacent to the stoop in weather-worn, yellow lawn chairs, and Stella and Miles had just came through the front door with lemonade and snacks.

She felt calm, and at peace. Which is why it was such a bitter dose of cold-water reality to have a car peel down the street and stop with an ear-splitting screech right in front of the boarding house.

Helga stood up from her spot on the steps. "Dad?"

Big Bob exited the vehicle, looking somewhat frazzled. "Olga? Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you! Come on – we've got to go."

He grabbed Helga's arm and started dragging her towards the car.

"But I'm not ready to go! What are you doing? You're embarrassing me!"

"YOU'RE EMBARRASSED?" Big Bob scoffed. "I'm looking at a solid 10 to 12 in a correctional facility for letting Nick Vermicelli talk me into his cockamamie insurance scheme! Anyway, I'll explain it all at the airport."

"Airport?! What are you talking about?!"

"Good news, baby sister!" Only now did Helga notice her sister Olga in the backseat of the vehicle. "I pulled a few strings at my new teaching job and, long story short, we're moving to Fiji!"

"Fiji?!" Helga wrestled her arm out of Big Bob's grip. "You've got to be joking! I can't move to Fiji! I've got a life here!"

"Yeah, and now you'll start a life in one of the world's most sparsely populated Commonwealths. Look we don't got a lot of time, we've got to get to the airport before the cops beat us there, so get a move on!"

"No...NO! I'm not going with you!" Helga cried. "This is insane! I want to stay here in America!"

"Well, I'm sorry, Olga, but you can't! Who's gonna take the time to look after you if we're ditching the country?"

"Me, because Helga is a beautiful, brilliant passionate girl andI love her like a daughter."

All eyes turned to Stella, who was now standing and fully lucid, ready to plead Helga's case.

"Me too," said Miles, standing behind his wife in solidarity.

"That's right," chimed in Arnold. "If you want to take Helga, you'd better be prepared to fight for her."

"Is it 1996?" Grandma asked absentmindedly.

"Oh yeah?" Big Bob said defiantly. "You and what army?"

"Oh, no army will be necessary," countered Stella. "But I can summon an airtight litigation team courtesy of a one Reba Heyerdahl that will convince any court in the country that you are not only unfit to raise Helga, but will gladly hand over parental rights to a more deserving household."

"Yeah!" added Miles. "And we'll sue too!"

Big Bob groaned and held his face in his palm. "I don't have time for this..."

"Look, Mr. Pataki," said Arnold. "You're obviously unhappy with your current situation. Helga has been, too...for nearly a decade. If you really want a scenario that would make both sides happy, then maybe it's time that you let her go."

Flustered, Big Bob looked downright indignant at first, but then looked at his daughter earnestly. "Is it true, Helga? Were you really unhappy?"

Helga nodded.

"And...is this what you truly want?"

"Yes," Helga said succinctly. "More than anything else in the world."

"Oh, B, she's made her decision," whined Miriam, who was riding shotgun. "Let's just get going already!"

"Shut up, Miriam!" barked Big Bob. "I'm trying to think, I..." at that point he paused and held his eyes with his hand, willing his eyes to stay dry. "You really wanna stay with these people?"

"Yes," repeated Helga.

Big Bob exhaled. "Okay, fine....um...wish granted. Will you at least come see us in Fiji?"

Helga frowned.

"No no, you're right – we'll try to make the time around the holidays. So...I guess this is it."

"I guess so," said Helga.

Helga and Big Bob moved in close for a somewhat awkward hug. At that moment, Miriam and Olga left the car too and embraced Helga for one last time.

"Goodbye, sweetie," said Miriam. "Be sure to write."

"Oooooh, baby sister...!" Olga began to cry, messing up her mascara as usual.

They let go of their daughter. Big Bob was the last to let go of his daughter, and when she looked in his eyes, she swore he looked downright emotional.

"Uh...you gonna be okay?"

"I'm fine," barked Big Bob, furtively wiping his eyes. "You just...uh...you take care of yourself here, Helga. We'll miss you."

The rest of the Patakis filed back in the car and peeled down the street. The others watched until the vehicle was out of sight in the horizon.

Helga turned to look at Helga's parents. "Is it true, what you just said? Do you really...love me?"

Stella rubbed Helga's blonde hair affectionately. "Helga...you are the daughter we never had. We love having you around."

"And we love how happy Arnold is when he's around you," Miles chimed in.

"To us it doesn't matter if you're blood. As far as we're concerned, we're a team, and we'd be more than honoured if you'd join us.

"But what about—" Helga began.

"It was Arnold that suggested we initially take you in," explained Miles. "We were going to propose it regardless, but given recent circumstances, it seemed as good as time as any to let the cat out of the bag."

"Surprise!" said Arnold.

Helga became very sober. "Arnold..."

"I meant every word," said Arnold. "From now on, there's no need to hide from me...from us. You're apart of the family, Helga. A part of us. We love you. I..."

"Love me?" Helga asked, hopefully.

Arnold patted her hand affectionately. "Let's just say, I can't imagine spending another day without you. You've saved us all. Now it's our turn to save you."

He kissed her lightly on the cheek. Helga wiped her eyes and looked from Arnold, to Stella and Miles, to Jicu, to Arnold's grandparents.

"You guys, I...THANK YOU. Thank you, so very, very much," Helga said earnestly.

Jicu said a few words in her own language before shouting "GROUP HUG!"

She went in for the embrace, followed by Arnold's Grandma and Grandpa, Stella and Miles, and finally Arnold himself.

Wrapped in the cocoon of many bodies, Helga finally felt the hole in her heart fill with immense love.

She finally had her cake. And it wasn't just Arnold's affection. It was something she yearned for from the moment she laid eyes on the compassionate five-year-old Arnold back in kindergarten and could now finally call her own.

Helga had a family.

THE END