A/N: So Yeah, This Is My First iCarly Fic, Enjoy! And The Title of This Story Is Based Off of The Song By Cat Power "I Found a Reason" I Recommend to All! Alson Cat Power's "The Greatest" Was a Great Inspiration Too! Ok, Enough of My Rambling, On With The Show!
Disclaimer: I Own Nothing. It All Belongs To Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon!
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Age 16
Growing up, Samantha Puckett had never understood the point. What was the reason? What did you get out of it? Reasons, all she wanted was one reason.
Growing up, Samantha Puckett had never been told on a regular basis just how beautiful she really was. So never being told such an obvious fact, Samantha Puckett never felt as such. So all it took was for her to be a naive 16 year old and that one boy to tell her how beautiful he thought she was, and the next thing she knew, she was being called a "Good Time" and thrown out of the boys car while making it perfectly clear it was not necessary to ever speak to each other again.
Sam stared up at the big familiar building before her, the building she has practically lived in since she was 8 years old. She ran through the cold breeze that pushed throughout Seattle and into the Bushwell apartment building allowing the hard gust of wind to dry her wet streaked face.
Once she reached her destination on her best friend Carly Shay's apartment, she froze, her hand stilled in mid air unsure on how to explain her disgruntled appearance, but before she had anytime to think a sleepy voice sounded from behind her.
"Carly's not home, she's on a date with that Connor tool." The boy bitterly informed her.
"Oh yeah, that was tonight?" Sam asked with a dazed expression.
"Pst, how can you not remember that her date was tonight? She's been yapping about it ALL week." He reminded her with a scrunched up nose.
"Yeah, yeah. I just forgot dorkface." Sam insulted.
Freddie glared at her and shut his apartment door behind him.
"Speaking of yapping all week about dates, didn't you have one tonight? You look like hell, so I'm assuming he didn't react to well to your aggressiveness." Freddie observed while leading her to the nearest fire escape.
Same slowed her pace, trying her hardest to shake the memories of the last hour.
"Yeah, something like that." Sam replied without any argument.
"OK what happened on that date? You're acting very…..Un-Samish." Freddie waved while trying to find a proper Sam term.
"Nothing worth repeating, I think it's gonna snow this week." She averted her attention to the dark clouded night sky above.
When Sam finally tore her eyes from the black sky, she caught Freddie staring at her, with his head tilted to the side, eyes squinted, and forehead creased in thought.
"Sam, I know I'm not Carly, I know we fight, I know our friendship isn't all that stable…."
"Pst that is the biggest understatement……."
"But!" He snarled roughly, which caught her attention. "I hope you know that you can talk to me…..about anything." He offered with a stern and hopeful look.
"I'm talking to you now, aren't I?" Sam retorted with a shrug.
"Sam, I'm serious." Freddie grabbed her hand for emphasis.
Sam looked down at his hand on hers, then back up at dark Seattle sky.
"I know." She whispered.
Age 18
18 years old was nothing like what Samantha Puckett was told it would be. It was filled with disappointments, and even bigger disappointments.
"So, graduation is in a week." Sam spoke from her bean bag, and to know one in particular.
"I know, its weird isn't it?" Carly asked from across the room.
"It's too weird." She answered, while plopping on the floor next to her.
"So Sam, have you decided about which community college your gonna enroll in?" Carly asked while scrolling down on her laptop.
Sam squirmed a little in her seat and looked down at the empty beanbag chair, which Freddie usually occupied.
"Um, yeah about that. I have to tell you something."
"What? Please tell me you registered on time! Sam, I told you that this is nothing to lag on!" Carly reprimanded while slamming her laptop shut.
"Will you just listen please?!"
"Sam, I sent you everything you needed to fill out, there's no excuse for you not to enroll." Carly continued to rant.
"I know! But, ok, you also sent me some other stuff. Brochures, to be more specific." Sam began.
"Yeah, So……" Carly shook her head.
"There was this one brochure for Los Angeles Community College. I applied there, and I got accepted." She turned her head so that she was staring at her feet.
"What the hell made you do that?!" Carly screeched
"Last week, we we're all talking about change. I feel like I can't change while being here in Seattle. I need to get away from everything an-"
"Everything or everyone?" Carly asked with a massive amount of hurt in her tone.
"Carly, just lis-"
"Sam, is this because you and Freddie broke up last month? Be-"
"Shut up, this had nothing to do with Freddie! My life does not revolve around him, ok? So shut up, sit down and listen to me, I love you, you are my best friend and you should understand why I need to do this better than anyone." Sam pleaded while repeated thoughts of her ex boyfriend/lover raced through her mind.
"Does your cousin Jessie still live out there?" Carly asked out of the blue.
"Yeah, he has a 4 bedroom condo in Venice Beach; he said I can live with him and his best friend Logan, if that's what I wanted. He's being really cool about my decision, which is very unlike him." Sam said with disbelief.
"I want to come." Carly stated in a rush.
Sam stared her straight in the face with a look of confusion.
"Um…..what?" She asked with incomprehension.
"I know its wrong of me to want to force myself on you when all you want is to be alone, but, you need me…..and I need you. Either you stay here in Seattle, or I go with you to Los Angeles." Carly insisted with no signs of backing down.
"Spencer won't let you." Sam said with a huff of laughter.
"I'm 18; Spencer has no say in my life anymore. I love him, he's my brother, he'll understand. Plus, I'm sure Spencer and Kerry are gonna want the place to themselves for a while. I mean they just got married for pudding's sake!" Carly reasoned with an exaggerated raise of her arms.
"Are you sure you just don't want to go because you think my cousin will fall madly in love with you or something?" Sam asked suspiciously with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh no, I'm sure that will happen regardless of where I live. This just makes things less complicated. But on a serious not, I'm doing this because change sounds good. I hate knowing that I live in the same city as Connor, I mean I know that you and I aren't running away from the boys we lo-"
"Running? I'm not running away from anything. I'm just….walking really fast." Sam explained defensively.
"Whatever the case maybe" She continued cautiously. "I feel you and I are entitled to a fresh start. What better place to start out our adult lives than in the city of angels?" Carly asked with a dreamy smile.
"Ok, now that you've forced yourself into my future" Sam began and caught a glare from her best friend. "Who's gonna tell Freddie?"
Age 21
21 was not as exciting as it is cracked up to be. Sure, Samantha Puckett was finally able to drink legally and responsibly now. But it was no fun when everyone around you was too busy or too tired to ever share that experience with you.
Carly and Jessie are ALWAYS at school. And when they do have some down time, they like to spend it together, because apparently that's what engaged couples like to do. Ya know good marriage practice and all.
It sucks even more when your own boyfriend has no time for you. Yeah her boyfriend of 2 ½ years, Logan, doesn't even have time for her, on her OWN birthday. She can't blame him though. He goes to med school, and that's his home away from home.
Whenever Sam gets sulky or whiney about never being able to see him, he just kisses her on her forehead and tells her it will all be worth it someday. The day that they are married and have a nice home for their kids to live in. Yeah, it'll be worth it, she tells herself sarcastically every night when she goes to bed alone.
Sam sits on the beach sore, a glass of red wine in hand, staring off into the blackened sea. She closes her eyes as the cold California beach breeze blows against her face and skin. Her peace is shattered when the sound of her cell phone goes off. She looks down to the caller ID and when the all too familiar name and number appear, she drops her glass and hurries to flip her phone open.
"Hello?" She answers with excitement.
"Happy 21st Puckett." The soft voice on the other end greets her.
"Well thank you so much Benson. I appreciate the birthday wish." She replies with a wide smile.
"So how was your big day?" Freddie asks kindly.
"It wasn't the same without you Benson." Sam answers softly.
"I highly doubt that one, Blondie." Freddie chuckles.
"Well undoubt it. I really miss you, ya know?" She tells him with a sigh.
She shifts her eyes upwards when she hears noise on the other end, noise that sounds like wind.
"Where are you? It sounds windy." Sam asks
"I, Miss Puckett, am right behind you." He replies
"Wha- Freddie!" Sam squeals and jumps up into him.
He squeezes her tightly until they are both out of breath.
"What are you doing here?" Sam asks excitedly.
"You didn't think I'd miss my favorite ex girlfriends 21st birthday did you?" He asks with a raised eyebrow.
"I missed yours." She says pulling away from him and staring down at the sand.
"That was different. You were…preoccupied. I understood." He reasoned and pulled her down to sit with him in the sand.
"I really have missed you. Like a lot more than usual." Sam confessed and placed her head on his shoulder.
Freddie wrapped his arm around her bare shoulder and placed his chin on the top of her head.
"You know what's weird? I have too. I just had this sudden urge to jump on a plane and come out here to see you, even if it was just for a couple hours." He replied with the same honesty as her.
Her head shot up at his words.
"Couple of hours?" She asked with a frown.
"Well yeah, I have school tomorrow, and work. I have to get back home." He told her with a smile.
She still frowned and placed her back on to his shoulder.
"I sometimes forget that we have responsibilities." Sam replied with a deep sigh.
"I find it hard enough to believe that Samantha Puckett has responsibilities." Freddie chuckled.
She lifted her head off of his shoulders once more and matched his eyes with hers. She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him with as much passion as she could muster.
After a moment or two, she pulled back to meet his eyes again.
"I really have missed you Fredward Benson."
Freddie Benson pulled Samantha Puckett down into the sand with him and showed her just how much he missed her.
Age 40
Middle age life was everything it was supposed to be, and more.
Sam Puckett had a beautiful 15 year old son and a beautiful 13 year old daughter. She also had a beautiful husband who gave her all she had and more.
She couldn't ever remember a time being unhappy since being with that man. So much good has come from of it. Life was perfect at 40. She had 3 reasons as to why growing up was so necessary. And their names were Freddie Benson, Milo Spencer Benson and Emma Carly Benson.
Yes, life was perfect at 40.
Age 82
Life was devastating at 82! So much has gone wrong. Her kids have flown the coop, and now have their own families, and the love her life died the day after her 82nd birthday.
Life was miserable and lonely. Sure, she still had her kids, and she had her grandchildren, but she didn't have Freddie.
Now she only has one reason to live her life and continue to grow up.
The day she's with Freddie again, is the day everything will be perfect again.
Her reason to live and grow will always be for Freddie Benson.
Yes, life will be good again, the day Samantha Puckett can see Freddie Benson smile again.
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A/N: The end! This was my first iCarly fic! So of course it had to be Seddie, all the way! I hope you all liked it. Please, Please Review!