Beaned 2-Part 1

A baseball game was going on in the middle of Gerald Field that afternoon after school was out. As per usual, it was a good portion of the Fourth grade class from P.S. 118 against Wolfgang and his army of thugs.

"Throw it already, if you dare!" Helga declared, gripping the bat tightly in her hands.

"Oh, you'll get it, blondie!" Wolfgang said devilishly, and threw his arm back, tossing the ball to her.

The baseball came flying at her like a jet rocket, almost in a blur of white with a tail, Helga tensed for a few moments, and swung the bat-

"Strike one!" Said the catcher, throwing the ball back to Wolfgang.

"Criminy..." Helga sighed.

"You can do it, Helga! Keep your eye on the ball!" Arnold called to her in vast encouragement.

For a moment, Helga swooned and nearly dropped the bat. Her face must have been betraying her because she slapped herself in order to get over it.

"Criminy, I know what to do, football head!" Helga shouted back. "Pay attention and keep your place!"

"Here it comes, blondie! You can flirt with your boyfriend later!"

At that, she saw Arnold's cheeks turn a brilliant shade of pink, and as much as she wished that were true, she did NOT want that said in front of others!

"What did you just say?!" Helga yelled to Wolfgang, not even paying attention to the ball coming at her. "If you're gonna say something as preposterous as that, then why don't you come over here and say it to the fat end of this baseball bat and put your money where your-NOO!"

Amidst her rant, Helga had unwittingly swung the bat in the wrong direction, very hard, and knocked the ball, sending it flying...flying...

Straight to where it bonked Arnold on the head, causing him to stumble a little and then fall down to the ground.

"Arnold! Arnold!" Gerald cried, rushing over to him, as did the other fourth graders.

"Ugghh...." Arnold groaned, stirring a little.

"Outta my way! Move it, geek-bait! Outta my way, move it!" Helga pushed through the crowd. "Arnold, you stupid football head! You shouldn't have been standing there!" She knelt down beside him, pushing aside Eugene, who fell over on his face. "...Arnold?" Her voice had softened then, lacing with worry.

"Uhhnnn....Arnold? Who's Arnold...?" Arnold managed to say, opening his eyes. He then looked up to see Helga's concerned blue eyes looking down at him, her face actually showing worry. No one else was looking at her, so they couldn't see. A strange rush came over him, and he smiled up at her. "Hi...who are you?"

"H-Huh?" Helga managed in surprise, not just from his apparent confusion but also the way he was smiling at her, that tone in his voice... She would've swooned like crazy if not for the seriousness of the situation.

"Arnold! Arnold!" Gerald said, shaking his shoulders. "Are you all right, man?"

"Arnold? Is that my name?" Arnold sat up, rubbing his head. "I like it...it's pretty nice." He looked back at Helga again and smiled more. "But I'd love to know your name, pretty girl."

"AH!?" Helga yelped, falling onto her back from loss of balance.

"Pretty? Helga? Oh come on!" Rhonda muttered. "If anyone's pretty here, that would be me."

"Couldn't agree with you more, lovely!" Curly crooned, snaking his arms around Rhonda's waist.

"Gah! Get OFF of me, Thaddeus!"

"That's my name, and don't wear it out!" Curly winked.

"Oh no...I think he has amnesia!" Phoebe realized. "Arnold...are you all right?"

"Arnold? Well okay, I guess I'll be Arnold then. I'm okay..." He looked at Helga again. "Now that I've seen you."

He has amnesia! I don't believe it! Helga thought, shocked. And...it's all my fault! If I hadn't been yelling at Wolfgang or hitting the bat like that, none of this would have ever happened! ...He did the same thing to me a few months ago, but oh, that was an accident! I can't believe I gave him amnesia! Still he's...he's looking at me with those eyes! Ohhhh Arnold my love!!!

"Oh man, this isn't good! Who's going to take care of Arnold?" Sid said, taking off his hat and scratching his head before putting it back on.

"Get his girlfriend to care for that dumb shrimp so we can get back to the game! It was her fault, anyway!" Wolfgang cackled. "Now get back here, wimps!"

"Hey man, our friend just got beaned! Do you mind?!" Gerald yelled at him. "I'll take Arnold back to-"

"Stop it RIGHT there, Geraldo!" Helga said. "You guys get back to the game and keep Wolfgang and his gang at bay! And I'll..."

Wait, this is it! This is my chance! Arnold doesn't remember me, so he won't know of my...confession...or anything else! And since he's hurt, no one will be any the wiser if I take care of him! Yes, this is perfect! Helga mused, getting an idea. This is my chance to show Arnold who I really am! And when he recovers, he won't even remember! It's PERFECT!

"I'll take you home, Arnold." Helga said sweetly.

"Home? What is home?" Arnold asked innocently.

"Um...sure, whatever. C'mon guys." Gerald said, and led everyone back to their places along the field.

Everyone gave Helga odd looks, to which they didn't understand, but no one laughed at her or anything. Just as she'd hoped. Perfect! With a fallen friend who would not remember any of this, an excuse to be nice...it was perfect.

----------------

"Your thingy is...really nice." Arnold said, reaching up to touch her bow. "It looks like the same colour as your dress."

Normally, Helga would have batted his hand away and yell that he never touch her again, while inwardly swooning. She was about to, out of habit, but then realized her mission: let forgotten amnesia Arnold see her real side.

"It's called a bow." Helga said as nicely as she could. Hey, that wasn't too bad. Keep it up!

"Bow...I like it." Arnold smiled. "You have beautiful eyes, too, pretty girl."

Oh my goodness, he called me pretty again! He thinks my eyes are beautiful! Oh gosh, be still, my heart!

"I...um...thank you, Arnold." Helga blushed considerably. "I uh...my name's Helga, by the way. Helga G. Pataki."

"Helga G. Pataki." Arnold repeated. "That's a pretty name. Helga...I like it. A pretty name for a lovely girl. Helga, what is home?"

"Um...er...well I uh..." Helga stammered, blushing more. "It's where you live, and sleep, and spend time with your family or anyone else who lives there. You live in a boarding house with your grandparents and a few tenants."

"Grandparents? What are they?" Arnold asked innocently, smiling up at her like a little curious toddler.

"The parents of your parents. You know, you have a mom and a dad. And their parents are your grandparents, grandma and grandpa."

"Oooh...cool..." Arnold said absently, looking up at the sky as he was now crossing the street without looking.

"ARNOLD LOOK OUT!" Helga screeched, running into the street and pulling him back onto the sidewalk, narrowly avoiding getting hit by a truck. "Arnold you can't cross the street without looking, football head! Were you trying to get yourself killed?!" Though her tone was aggressive, it was said with more worry than anger. Again, out of habit, but toned down some.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Helga." Arnold looked up at her sadly, feeling bad that he had upset the pretty girl called Helga.

With her mission at hand, instead of yelling at him more or just plain admonishing him, she instead softened and took his hand, leading him across the street. "It's okay, Arnold. I guess your amnesia makes it a bit harder to function properly and remember other things besides your own life."

Oops.

"Life? But I don't even know who I am, or where I live or what my life is..." Arnold said sadly. He then gave her a hug. "But I'm glad I found you, Helga! You're so sweet and pretty, I like you."

Blushing hard, Helga managed to keep her footing, since her knees were close to buckling.

It's working! It's working! Ohh...but why can't I show the REAL Arnold my true feelings? Why? Stupid me. ...Well, at least I can treat him right for a change. He won't remember it, after all.

"...That's nice of you to say, Arnold. Thank you." Helga smiled at him sincerely, and he beamed, obviously glad that she smiled.

"Yay! I'm glad you're happy, Helga. You're so pretty when you're happy." He held her hand again, and wondered why her cheeks were so pink. "...Are you okay? Your cheeks are almost the same colour as your bow."

"Huh? Oh...uh...I'm fine, don't worry." Helga said, rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand. Even with amnesia, he was still the sweet and concerned boy she knew and loved.

"Okay." He smiled more and then hugged her arm, closing his eyes in contentment and warmth, clearly showing he liked being near her.

Oh my gosh...he's never touched me like this before! And now he's hugging my arm! Like we were a couple! Oh Arnold my sweet little love...you can hold me all you want! ...I wish he didn't have to have amnesia to do it!

Often they didn't get this close, though he did hug her quite a few times, held her hand, linked his arm through hers, the times he held her when she'd jump into his arms in fear, and when she was holding him close back on the FTI rooftop...

Helga sighed, her heart sinking with dejection. It was times like this she hated herself for letting the secret of her secret mean more than her love for him.

Well, not today. Today I'm going to show him that I love him! If my beloved wants the real me, then he gets it! He won't remember it...at least not until I want him to. Oh my love, soon I'll let you know that I wasn't lying back then on the FTI roof!

Still, despite everything, she smiled dreamily, happy to be so close to the one she loved, initiated by HIM! It was just too bad he was under amnesia. She would have been able to REALLY appreciate it, then.

On the way to the Sunset Arms, Helga actually found herself having a bit of an interesting time with Arnold pointing out to things and asking about them, which in turn made it like he had a younger child innocence that Helga couldn't help but think of as adorable. They passed Ms. Vitello's flower shop, and he had plucked a daisy, despite Helga telling him that was stealing. But Ms. Vitello didn't mind, she only smiled at the two of them as they went along.

"What's this, Helga? It's like a pretty little sun." Arnold said, studying the daisy.

"Oh, it's a flower. They're pretty little plants that come in a variety of sizes, colours and types, most of which offering pollen to pollinating species of insects, which in turn helps out agriculture of all kinds." Helga said with a shrug.

"Really? Wow...the world is so fascinating, Helga! And this flower is so pretty, just like you. Here, take it." Arnold smiled and handed the daisy to her.

Ohhh Arnold.... Helga swooned, taking the flower. It reminded her of the time she'd pretended to have amnesia the day after she'd been beaned and he had given her a daisy.

"Thanks, Arnold." She murmured, and placed it behind her right ear. Then an idea came to her. "Hey, Arnold?"

"Yes?" He looked at her and grinned again.

Gosh, he really likes me, doesn't he.... Helga mused, unsure of whether to be really happy or just sad. On one hand, it was a dream come true seeing the boy she loved so much showing so much affection to her in a lovey-dovey kind of way, which was to be expected since he was very romantic and a charmer. But on the other hand, he wouldn't even remember it come the time he recovers from his amnesia. As comforting as that was, for now, it was still heart-wrenching. It only reminded her how much she craved, no, needed his love.

I may as well enjoy it while it lasts...it may be my only chance to love him...and be loved in return.

"Here, take this as a proper thanks."

She leaned down, still amused at the fact that he was shorter than she was, and kissed him on the cheek. Helga swooned, and then stood back to see his reaction. As she somewhat expected, or rather, to her surprise, the shorter blonde boy was now adorning a soft blush on his cheeks and a half-lidded, lovesick smile. The same look he always seemed to get when he liked a girl. He raised a hand to his cheek where she had kissed him.

"What was that, Helga? I don't know what you just did, but for some reason, I really like it." Arnold asked, looking at her then.

"It's called a kiss, silly." Helga smiled, her heart beating fast with joy. Now she could kiss him! And he wouldn't even know it! "You pucker your mouth and lay it where you want to kiss. It's a way of showing people affection. B-But you don't just go kissing anyone! You kiss people like your family! And also..." She blushed as she said this, looking him in the eye. "...You kiss someone you're in love with."

"Love? I like that word, it sounds so beautiful. What is love, Helga?"

By now, they had reached the Sunset Arms, and Helga stopped in her tracks as he asked what love was. It was an innocent question, and yet it had such a huge impact.

As well as that, as in love with him as she was, she suddenly found herself unable to explain it. In fact, she could never explain why she loved him. She just did, and listed off reasons WHY she loved him, and how it made her feel. But to define love? That was next to impossible.

Oh well, she may as well give it a try.

"Um....well...actually, it's kind of hard to explain! Th-There's a lot of kinds of love! Like, uh...love for your family! Love for your friends! Your pets! Your...uh... favourite toy! Your favourite type of environment setting! And...um...there's also romantic love. Love is....er.... oh criminy, how do I explain this?" Helga rattled on, and then paused to consider how she could explain it to the curious, memory-loss boy.

She looked at Arnold, seeing that he was looking up at her with a sweet smile, waiting for her to answer.

"Love...it's something you really can't explain in words. It's just something that you feel. When you feel love, you just know it. It's...well, I guess you can say it's a warm, happy feeling. In fact, it's the greatest feeling in the world. Love is truly beautiful, and while you can't explain it, you feel it clear as day. Love is about... sharing it with someone you care about. When you're in love with someone, it's the best feeling you could ever ask for. It makes you do a lot of things. Great things, and even crazy things. Love is...well, love. It's something you feel. It's something you just know. When you feel it, you'll know."

Arnold looked at her with surprise, fascinated by what she was telling him. She noticed at the corner of her eye, and tugged her collar a little, suddenly feeling a bit weird. Had she scared him? Why was he so quiet?

"Love..." Arnold murmured, staring straight ahead, lost in thought, or what he was trying to think. "Helga, what do you usually do when you love someone?"

Helga's brow raised considerably, unsure of what to say to that. And yet, the answer was obvious.

Oh, who cares. He knows I love him...well, at least without the amnesia. And he won't remember any of this.

Wait a minute.

That was it!

Of course! I don't have to just be nice to him...I'll love him, too. He's new to love, well, under these circumstances. I'll kiss him! I'll tell him I love him! Heck, I'll even talk about how I told him I loved him on the FTI roof...and he won't remember any of it! If he likes me too, like this, it's perfect! I can have my beloved for at least a day!

"Let's go inside, Arnold." Helga said. "I'll...uh...tell you about it later."

"Okay. ...Is this my home?" Arnold pointed to the boarding house in front of them.

"Yeah, home sweet home..." Helga took his hand and marched up the steps, opening the door, which was thankfully unlocked, and came inside. "Hello! Anyone home? Hello?"

No answer, just silence.

"Hello? Arnold's grandpa?" Helga called again. "Hello? Anyone home? Hello?!"

She went into the kitchen, while Arnold wandered around, curious of the place, and then noticing her going in there, he went after her. Helga was at the fridge, seeing now that there was a note on it.

Hey, short man! Pookie and I went out a bit, everyone else is out doing their own thing. Make yourself some dinner from the fridge!

And don't eat raspberries!

~Grandpa

Helga scoffed, and turned back to see Arnold now sitting at the table, his hands clasped on the tabletop, looking at her like an eager schoolboy. He was too cute, she couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Hey, I'll make you a snack. You must be hungry." That's it Helga, keep it up!

"Gosh Helga...thanks, that's nice of you." He smiled.

She blushed a bit, and then raided around the cupboards, and looking into the fridge. She found a Tupperware container that contained some minestrone soup. Perfect idea. Helga took it out and poured it into a bowl, then placed it in the microwave and timed it, waiting patiently. Once it was done, she got out a spoon from one of the drawers and placed the soup before him.

"Here you go, eat up." She handed the spoon to him.

Arnold looked at the spoon with fascination, and giggled, placing it on his nose. Helga was baffled, but laughed a little as he did that. He was too cute!

"Football head..." She said his silly insult out of habit, but this time with affection instead of contempt. "That's not how you use a spoon!"

"It's not?" He looked at her innocently, the spoon still hanging on his nose.

Helga just smiled and took it from him, placing it in the soup, and demonstrated how to eat it. He tried, but got it all over his face. So she took the spoon back again and spoon-fed her beloved, once again a bit of a reverse deja-vu from the time she'd been pretending to still have amnesia and he had spoon-fed chocolate pudding to her.

Once done and the dishes were put away, she led him upstairs to his room. Oh yes, his bedroom. It was her first time in here with permission. Not a thing had changed at all, it was just as she'd remembered it.

"This is your bedroom. You sleep in here...and do other stuff. Look! You have an awesome sound system here," She took his remote sitting on the couch. "And your couch can flip in and out of the wall...you can control everything in this room with this remote. And look, you have a row of skylights above your bed! Look, the wall even has ladder grooves where you can climb out onto the roof!"

"Wow!" Arnold uttered in amazement. "This is really my room? It's so...so...cool!"

"Yeah...it is..." Helga said absently, feeling a slight pang of guilt for all those times she had broken into his house, or room for that matter, just to recover something that would give away his secret. "Uh, so! Let's do your homework."

"Home work? Okay, what do I have to do?"

This was going to be a long afternoon.

--

Normally if dealing with an amnesiac, Helga would have gotten a bit impatient. But this was Arnold, she attributed his loss of memory and curiosity of the world around him as adorable. He was almost like Stinky, or the lovable idiot Harry from 3rd Rock From The Sun. Except he didn't have the southern accent and he wasn't an alien in disguise as a human.

Although he did get the squinting part down since his eyes were often half-lidded.

They'd spent the past hour and a half with her helping with his homework, and she even recounted old stories about his life when he had asked about what his life was like. She left out the fact she bullied him, not wanting to tarnish her image to him AGAIN. No, that was for the real Arnold. This Arnold would only see her good side.

That is until everything between them would be sorted out. Hopefully.

It's too bad he doesn't and will not remember all this... Helga thought sadly. Still, it was pretty nice to spend time with him and be herself for a change.

As for Arnold, he was getting more and more smitten by her by the minute. In fact, dare anyone say it, he was falling in love. Though he couldn't quite pinpoint it. He just knew he felt really good.

Helga then looked at the time, it was getting late. She figured to get back home. Not that Bob or Miriam would notice she wasn't home, of course. But no one had gotten home yet, she knew she'd have to wait first.

But still, it was all getting to be too much. She had to get out of here, NOW! Before she would do something she'd regret.

"Well, I'd better go." Helga said. "You should lie down for a while and rest your head. I'll wait for your grandparents or one of the borders to come home."

"What? Already?" Arnold looked a bit sad, and got down from his couch, going over to her and taking her hand. "But I don't want you to leave, Helga. Why do you have to leave?"

"I have to go home." Helga said, and wanted to take her hand away, but her heart wasn't letting her. "Your grandparents should be back soon...I'll leave when they get here. You lie down, I'll go downstairs." She turned to try to go again.

"Helga, wait." Arnold gently tugged her back. "I'm confused about something."

"...What?" She asked, looking at the door.

"There are these strange feelings I feel when I'm around you." He said, and looked at her hand. "I want to do things with you, and I feel really good. I mean, I feel better than good. But I can't explain it. I want to...well, be close to you. I want to give you a....that thing you do with your mouth."

"Th-That's just...friendliness." Helga said sheepishly, blushing hard.

Oh no, I think he's falling in love with me! ...Wait, what's the matter with that? It's Arnold! I've wanted him to love me since I was three! This should be a dream come true! He won't even remember it, anyway! So why am I so hesitant all of a sudden?

"I don't know, Helga. I think it's...what was that word you used earlier? Dove? Uh....Glove?"

The dreaded but blessed L word...

"...Love, Arnold." Helga caved. "You're in love."

"Love." Arnold repeated again, the word rolling off his tongue. Despite his amnesia, it dawned on him. He looked up at her, and gently turned her around. "Helga...I know now! I know!"

"Kn-Know what?" Helga uttered, fearing what he was about to say next.

"I'm in love with you."

Time itself then seemed to freeze. Neither of them moved. Not a sound was heard. Not even the sound of the rain now pattering on his skylight registered to them. Nothing. No one said a thing. Their eyes were locked, blue met green. Their hands were still within each other's grasp.

I'm in love with you.

I'm in love with you.

I'm in love with you.

Those were the words, along with others that meant the same thing, were what she had been waiting to hear for so long. Those were the words she'd longed to hear from the mouth of her beloved. Helga could not contain herself then.

She was overcome with so much emotion, that she didn't even register the fact that he had amnesia, was reacting to her actual niceness, and that he wasn't the Arnold she remembered. He was still Arnold, of course. Looked like him, sounded like him, acted like him...just lacking the memories. It was still Arnold. It was still Arnold telling her that he loved her.

In this crazy circumstance, her feelings were reciprocated.

Nothing registered. The only thing she knew now, was that Arnold, the boy she had loved since she was three, had just told her that he was in love with her.

Her heart swelled with love, and practically exploded upon the endorphins she could feel racing through her system. Tears pooled in her widened blue eyes, her grip on his hand tightened, she began to tremble. Nothing mattered. Because now finally, her love was returned.

"Oh...Oh Arnold!!! Come here, football head!"

Before she could stop herself, Helga grabbed her to him, her arms around him in a possessive, vice-grip, and leaned down, kissing him passionately on the mouth. It possessed most, if not more, of the same passion and desperation as her kiss back on the FTI rooftop, and she poured everything into it. She kissed him, kissed him, and kissed him. His lips were soft, just as she remembered them, and still just as addicting. She could never get enough of them, not on her life.

Her tongue traced his lips, desperately, just as she'd done the first time to try to get a response out of him. This time his mouth went wide with surprise, and she seized the opportunity to French kiss him.

But that wasn't the only thing driving her wild then.

As obviously inexperienced as he was, even more so thanks to his amnesia, but he made an effort to kiss her back. Her tongue met his, and she explored his hot wet mouth hungrily, still tasting the soup he had eaten.

Oh CRIMINY.... Helga thought, bringing him closer to her, delighted that he was kissing her back as best as he could.

She was enjoying this WAY too much, and the lack of oxygen was getting to her, but she didn't care. She had not had her fill yet. Simply put, she was addicted to him. Probably more so than before.

But then it dawned on her.

This wasn't the real Arnold.

It was still him, but he wasn't Arnold. He wasn't the Arnold she remembered. He was Arnold reborn. A new Arnold. An Arnold without his memories. An Arnold who although was still kind and caring, didn't seem to possess the same kind of personality he had. No wonder, he had no memories of it.

This wasn't him. This wasn't her beloved.

Although reluctant, she knew she couldn't do this to herself. It was far too painful.

Helga pulled away, and let go of him, fighting back tears. Her heart was crushed, even more so than if he had said he didn't love her.

Arnold on the other hand, was in heaven. He swooned, a lovesick gaze on his face, before he fainted and fell to the floor.

"....Oh, Arnold...." Helga sighed, and went to help him up onto his bed. Despite it all, it was still her beloved, and he needed to regain his memory. And she was still going to care for him, no matter what.

She placed him onto his bed, pulled off his shoes and socks, and then brought the covers over him. Once he was tucked in, she turned out the lights, then let out a sigh and kissed him on the forehead.

"I love you, Arnold...please come back soon." She murmured, caressing his cheek.

Then she took her backpack, went to his door, sent him one last longing gaze, and then left the room, closing the door behind her.