"God, I'm starving; it's my imagination, or all airlines make their lunches with school cafeteria's leftovers?" Angelica said to Chuckie as he helped with her luggage; more like, the boy was carrying everything while everyone else was helping moving the rest of the stuff inside the Pickles' house.
"It couldn't be that bad, Angelica."
"Finster, the plastic fork was more edible than the food." Angelica rolled her eyes, and then gave a look at her old house before opening Fluffy's box, the feline yawning and stretching when getting out. "This place looks quite clean for a house that had been empty for so long."
"You can thank that to Chuckie." Tommy replied as he and Phil left some boxes at the living room. "At first, we all took turns to clean the place once a week, but he eventually ended doing it by his own every time."
"Well… everything but the garden; Harold was in charge of that. I don't trust myself using a lawn mower." Chuckie blushed while rubbing the back of his head, his friends chuckling and Angelica shaking her head.
"Finster, you're hopeless; but I must admit, you did a good work." Angelica smiled at him as they started walking upstairs, the cat already ahead of them. "Come on, let's take my luggage to my room; I'll later accommodate the clothing myself."
"She doesn't lose any time to start bossing us again, uh?" Phil whispered at Tommy, both boys laughing softly at the comment while Chuckie followed Angelica carrying two suitcases.
"By the way, I cleaned your room too and made a few changes; hope you don't mind." Chuckie said to her, the girl not noticing the boy getting a rarely seen sly grin.
"As long as you didn't paste red planes or pink teddy bears wallpaper, I think can forgive almost anything." Angelica replied as opening her door, "Room, sweet room."
The girl gasped and froze on her place after walking two steps inside her room; then, she slowly approached her bed, a smile forming on her lips at the view of several flowers on her sheets and the classic heart-shaped chocolate box on the pillow.
"I was afraid to, well, you know… say it, so thought this would be the best way." The girl heard Chuckie's soft voice and turned to see him blushing and giving her a cute shy smile.
"I'll give you an A for the effort and the very early Christmas gift." Angelica smiled at him, "And if those chocolates have mocha or syrup filling, it will be an A plus."
The blonde walked in front of the geek, the teens staring at each other.
"I'll tell you what; if you are brave enough to say it, right here and now, my answer most surely will be 'Yes'." Angelica folded her arms.
"It's never easy with you, right?"
"It comes with the package; beauty, brains and guts aren't free, Finster."
Chuckie sighed and took a deep breath, summoning all confidence and courage he could have, while Angelica hoped it would be enough; then again, the boy had never disappointed her.
"Angelica, while you were gone… I missed you more than I told you through the e-mails or at the phone; a lot more. To me, you are more than a beautiful face or an old friend that likes teasing me; you're smart, strong, feisty, resourceful… you are also tricky, egotistical, loud and bossy, but that's part of your charm, and I missed that too. I realized something, and I must say it now while I feel brave enough… I love you, Angie, I had for a long time now… I know I'm not that much, but I'll do anything to be the best boyfriend ever if you accept me."
"Well, I deserve more," Angelica got her proud tone but changed it immediately for an incredibly warm one as giving him a fond look, "but my most favorite person in the world and the sweetest and kindest boy I've ever known is more than enough… and I wouldn't accept anyone but my beloved Chuckie Finster."
Angelica and Chuckie placed their hands at each other's hips and, after a few seconds of hesitation, kissed softly on the lips, deepening it when feeling more confident and enjoying the contact, the kiss soon turning into a minor making out session, while Fluffy, their only witness, yawned and made herself comfortable at one chair, her usual resting place at Angelica's room. When breaking the kiss, Chuckie got his happiest expression, and then pointed at the ceiling; Angelica, with a similar face, looked up and got a half-surprised, half-impressed look when finding mistletoe hanging from a short string.
"My emergency resort in case you said 'No'," Chuckie explained.
"So, no matter what, you could kiss me… you became tricky while I was away?" Angelica chuckled. "Not bad, but remember, the trickster, bossy, and vain one is yours truly; you keep being the shy, quiet, cute one."
"Good idea; being tricky is more your department anyway." The boy laughed, Angelica joining him.
"And don't forget it. Come on, Chuckie, we still have more luggage down there," Angelica said as they walked out of the room, linking arms.
"Why, you're helping us?" The boy smirked playfully at her.
"Don't press your luck, Finster." Angelica replied the same way. "Behave, and maybe we'll later eat those chocolates together."
"A beautiful girl and chocolates; I can't ask for more."
"Oh, believe me, there will be a lot more for the both of us." Angelica poked his nose playfully as they walked downstairs, both teens feeling happier than ever, and her cousin and Phil getting surprised looks when looking at them that soon changed to a happy one in Tommy's case and a half-upset one in Phil's.
"Guess you were right; I owe you ten dollars, Tommy."
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"He put flowers on your bed?" Helga chuckled while talking at the phone.
"Yes; the flowers weren't natural, of course; at this time of the year, those are pretty expensive." Angelica, the other side of the line, replied while holding one of the flowers she received the previous day. "But the detail was quite nice, and even if I don't usually like corny stuff…"
"I know the feeling; guess we can allow ourselves being a little silly with the right guy." Helga shrugged. "Arnold can be a great softie as well."
"Look who's talking; I'm surprised ants hadn't eaten your poems with all that sugar on them."
"Well, I'm surprised vultures and hyenas don't follow you everywhere, considering how much they love rotten meat."
"I'm not that rotten… in my good days."
"You have good days?"
"Yeah, whenever you aren't around to ruin them."
"You know, someday we'll both get tired of these exchanges." Helga said thoughtfully, she and Angelica getting silent for a few seconds before chorusing.
"NAH!" Both blondes laughed and kept doing it until Angelica talked again. "Have to go; my geeky prince is about to arrive."
Helga looked through the window, smiling when looking at Arnold approaching her house, a present box under his arm.
"And my daily corniness dose is coming as we talk. Have a nice Christmas, Naughty Claws."
"You too, Paturkey; hope you enjoy the holidays before getting caught by a reindeer stampede."
"What?"
"Hey, that's my Christmas wish; a girl can dream."
Helga rolled her eyes and hung off the phone before walking out of the room, just stopping for a moment to check her formal Christmas present for Arnold, a medium-sized gift box, and a little pre-Christmas surprise for him, namely, mistletoe hanging from the door's frame.
"If I didn't know it's impossible, I would swear that Chuckie boy and I planned this together." Helga thought while shaking her head. A few moments later she opened the door and received Arnold with a tight embrace, the couple kissing immediately.
"So, you saw me coming?" Arnold smiled at her when breaking contact, the boy realizing he didn't need to ring the doorbell. Besides enjoying the greeting, this also helped the couple to avoid getting the attention of the other Patakis; Bob was at the living room checking some contracts, and Olga and Miriam were at the kitchen preparing lunch.
"Yes, I did," Helga smiled back as grabbing the present box with the classic 'Not open before Xmas' tag on it. "Thanks, Football Head; let's go to my room so I can give you my present."
"So, what were you doing before I arrived?" Arnold asked the girl as they walked upstairs, holding hands. Helga shrugged and gave him a mischievous look.
"Oh, just having a little phone conversation; guess I'll not scalp anyone this year."
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- Twelve years later.
Twenty-five years old Helga and Phoebe arrived at a café, sitting at a table near the door; Helga wearing a dark pink jacket and a knee-length red skirt, her hair falling gracefully over her shoulders, and Phoebe wearing a stylish yet modest blue outfit, jacket and skirt combination as well. They both had turned into quite gorgeous young women, and two things were especially noticeable; the rings on each one's left hand (Helga had an emerald and Phoebe a diamond), and the black-haired woman's slightly larger than normal abdomen.
"They are delayed; no surprise here considering those two." Helga said as rolling her eyes.
"Well, Helga, if we consider one arrived to town just this morning and who married the other one…"
"Yeah, guess you're right. Wonder if Dorkelica still remembers how to move around here."
"Hey, I visited less than three months ago, and even if hadn't, I don't need to know the city; I can always sense your diabolical presence, Helgag."
Helga got a little frown but changed immediately to a genuine smile, just like Phoebe's; Angelica, in a black and purple business outfit, was now behind them. The blonde, not surprisingly, had become extremely attractive but, just like Helga, could keep men at bay with ease, especially since getting her own ring.
"Thought you wouldn't arrive, Pickles… I mean, Finster." Helga chuckled as Angelica gave both her and Phoebe a short hug before sitting down.
"Sometimes I don't mind spending some time with you girls, even you, Pataki… I mean… God, all these years and I still forget Arnold's surname."
"Ah, don't worry; I'll always be a Pataki, no matter how much I try the contrary." Helga shrugged.
"So, how are Chuck and the kids?" Phoebe asked her other blonde friend.
"Pretty well, thanks for asking; Cynthia already walked her first steps and Charlie keeps trying to mimic me and my husband when we're training."
"Can't believe you actually could teach karate to your geek," Helga rolled her eyes.
"Well, he wanted to learn, I mean, he knows I can protect myself, but wants to be sure he'll be ready to help and support me on any aspect or situation; so far, he had excelled in all areas." Angelica got a half-dreamy, half-mischievous face; after all these years, she had achieved the impossible… loving Chuckie (or Chuck, as most people addressed him now) even more as when she was a teen. Phoebe and Helga chuckled slightly at her look even if knowing the same thing could apply to them and their respective husbands.
"Guess it is right what people say, Pheebs; it's always the quiet one." Helga joked.
"I was about to say the same about Phoebe." Angelica replied, turning at the glasses-wearing woman, "How many months, Johansen?"
"Five; the doctors say it will be a girl. We are naming her Amy." Phoebe grinned happily.
"Three kids in less than four years… girl, do you and Gerald ever sleep?" Angelica chuckled, Phoebe shaking her head while Helga grinned.
"Look who's talking; you two never lose any chance to gloat about your high-quality love lives and how much you enjoy both the sentimental and the physical interaction." Phoebe replied with a confident smirk.
"You got us there, Pheebs; I'm just glad that little incident we all remember had no major consequences on the 'interactions' or we wouldn't have the result." Helga chuckled.
"On the other hand, I could have saved you several close encounters with dirty diapers," Angelica pointed.
"Yes, I almost threw a party when she learned to go to the bathroom." Helga shook her head, keeping a little warm smile, "But at the end even the diapers and the insomnia nights are a minor price to pay; I never thought I would be even happier with Arnold until we had Stella."
"And I never thought you would survive that pregnancy." Angelica rolled her eyes. "Good thing your daughter didn't inherit her dad and grandmother's head, or you would need a steel pelvis."
"Watch that mouth, Dogelica, or you'll need to explain your kids why their mother returned home with raccoon-like eyes." Helga shoved a fist in front of Angelica.
"I would like to see you trying, Smellga," Angelica gave Helga a challenging face. "I just got my fifth-grade black belt."
"Girl, the only thing a belt is good for is to hold your pants. Anyway, guess that means maybe now you'll be able to give me a decent spar."
"Just a decent spar, you said? Come on, Helga, you know as well as I do that we had never been able to beat each other; whenever we fight, either with insults, karate, wrestling or snowballs, we end in a tie."
"True, but that doesn't mean we'll stop trying; unless you suddenly became a chicken." Helga gave Angelica a mocking grin.
"Well, chickens like me eat worms like you, remember?" Angelica grinned evilly at her.
"You had never defeated this worm, girl, and only reason I hadn't defeated you is because SOMEONE always cheats."
"I don't always cheat; only when I'm losing."
"In other words, you cheat all the time."
"If I remember right, I didn't need any cheat to almost send you to the emergency room last time."
"And I don't need cheating at all to make you cry for mercy."
"The only Mercy I will cry for is a very good nurse I know, and just because you'll need her after I'm done with you."
"I wonder how you'll call anyone after I rip off your tongue."
"Oh, come on, you're not going to fight here, right?" Phoebe rolled her eyes yet kept her smile. "I wonder if you two will ever have a civil, non-insulting, threatening or yelling conversation."
"And ruin this beautiful friendship?" Helga replied in a half-joking way.
"So, now we are friends?" Angelica got a sly grin. "Are you drinking arsenic or cyanide, pal?"
"Whatever you invite me, buddy, as long as you drink it first." Helga replied the same way.
"I can't believe it; you two finally called each other a friend and I didn't tape it." Phoebe laughed. "Rhonda will throw a tantrum when knowing what she missed."
"Talking about her, where is she?" Angelica asked, and, in a perfect cue, a gorgeous brunette in a stylish black outfit entered the café, waving hello to the group but stopped when her cell phone rang. The three ladies at the table glanced at each other and shrugged.
"I'm surprised he lets her go to the bathroom alone." Helga rolled her eyes
"Excuse me, ladies; this will take a moment." Rhonda rolled her eyes and answered. "Yes, Curly, I arrived just fine; no, I'm okay; yes, I know, but I just left home ten minutes ago… of course I love you too, Wacko. Oh, Curly, you know I can't stay angry with you…"
"We'll better order now; I have the feeling Mrs. Dementia here will need more than a moment." Angelica commented, Helga and Phoebe chuckling until the cell phones of the three of them started ringing as well.
"Let's face it, girls; they can't live without us." Helga shook her head.
"And we wouldn't like it any other way." Angelica added.
And, as it happened at times, Helga had to admit she agreed with her best enemy's statement.
THE END.
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And that was it! (I think it's now a proper time for the second disclaimer.) Go ahead, Phoebe.
(Okay, as all you readers could notice, besides the characters from Hey, Arnold and Rugrats/All Grown Up, we had several references and mentions of characters from other series, the same applying to some ones from movies, books and popular domain, as well as musical segments from famous songs; Ramiro claims no owning of any of them.)
Thanks, Phoebe. Also, in the last scenes, there were some minor references to the actresses dubbing both Phoebe and Angelica here in Mexico. (In deed; I'm honored to know my dubbing actress, Rosy Aguirre, also gave Amy/Sailor Mercury her voice in the Sailor Moon anime series, referred here as the name of my future daughter. –blushes- Mrs. Aguirre also voiced Buttercup, from Powerpuff Girls, Akane Tendo in Ranma ½ series, young Todd in The Fox and The Hound, Cherry in Saber Marionette, and many other characters.) That's right, and calling Angelica's daughter Cynthia had another reason besides this being her doll's name. (And that reason is Patricia Acevedo, who also voices Sasha Vortex, mother of Cynthia 'Cindy' Vortex in Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius. Other relevant characters dubbed by Mrs. Acevedo are Sailor Moon, leading female from the namesake anime; Lizzie, from Kids Next Door; Lisa from The Simpson, Margaret and Mrs. Mitchell in Dennis The Menace original cartoon, Chi-Chi in the three Dragon Ball series, and Sarah Connor in the Terminator movies, to name just a few.)
Guess that's all. Thanks to everyone reviewing this story. (We're certainly grateful and appreciate the fact you had read this work of fiction. We just hope you all had enjoyed it.) I also want to thank Hellerick Ferlibay again, both for suggesting the main plot and making several good comments, suggestions and critics for this story. Thanks to you too, Phoebe. (You're welcome, Ramiro, and arigato to you as well for choosing me as your assistant.) It was my pleasure; now, please, say the good-bye phrase.
(Saying it; so long, everybody, and keep the good writing.)