So umm...some of you said you wanted to see Freddie's view on things as kind of a follow up to my other story 'Second Best.' Not sure I like this one as much, but oh well! Hope you kinda enjoy :)

Carly (you know who you are) ;) this is for youuuu! :D

The Inner Workings Of Fredward Benson's Mind

'Do you have a new little crush on her or something?'

You see, that was the question. Did he? Was it something that had never gone away or was it something that had come back? And was it even there? Yes, these were the questions floating around in Fredward Benson's head. He was trying to sleep, but his brain wouldn't let him because it wouldn't switch off and stop thinking and analysing every little detail, like it always did.

He hated himself for that sometimes.

He didn't really think he was showing this 'crush' he supposedly had on her, except for asking if it was too late for her to love him (bad Freddie, that was stupid.) So how had Sam noticed it when he hadn't?

BECAUSE SHE LOVES YOU! That was a voice in his head that sounded a lot like Carly Shay. That was a scary voice.

He just didn't understand it! And if there was one thing Freddie hated more than tick baths, it was things that didn't make sense. Everything should make sense. There should be logic behind everything. This is why he liked computers and technology so much. There was always a way to figure out what the problem is and fix it. Real life? Not so easy.

You're a dork though; you should be able to figure everything out…okay, that voice sounded a lot like Sam's. How many voices were in his head?

He sat up straight, rubbing his eyes and putting his head in his hands.

"I'm going insane."

'Do you have a new little crush on her or something?'

Freddie looked across at his best friend; the lovely Carly Shay and thought about that dreaded question that Sam had asked him a few weeks ago. She was pretty. No, scratch that, she was gorgeous. She was every guy's perfect girl. Anyone would be lucky to have her. But did Freddie want perfect? He always thought he did and he always thought he wanted Carly. Now though, he didn't know what he wanted.

He switched his gaze from Carly over to her blonde headed best friend. Also his best friend, his frenemy, his blonde headed demon and ex girlfriend…his Princess Puckett. Samantha Puckett wasn't conventionally perfect. But gosh, she was imperfectly perfect in her own way. You really had to piece her together to get the full picture- to find out she wasn't just that girl who could knock out a truck driver with just a carton of milk, and that she actually had a soft side and a kind of girly side and a side that loved to cuddle and…

It hurt Freddie to even think about that. Because ever since that night in the elevator, he didn't get to see those sides to Sam any more. He didn't get to see the girl who worried about how she looked but he'd tell her she looked amazing no matter what. He didn't get to see the soft side that just melted every time she saw a kitten. And he most certainly didn't get to see the side of her that would send him texts at 1am just to say she missed him. Instead he got to see the façade that she'd built up over the years. The one that just for a while, Freddie was able to see through.

And he wished he still had that ability.

'Do you have a new little crush on her or something?'

Freddie was wandering down the halls at school later that day, waiting for the bell to ring so he could go to class. Yes, he was waiting for the bell to ring. It was computer class and he loved computers, what could you expect? He'd just put his phone back in his pocket after checking it, just for something to do, when he saw a flash of familiar blonde hair go past.

He walked away from the door to his classroom and followed the blonde headed girl all the way to her locker; that was where he was finally able to catch up with her.

He tapped her shoulder and she jumped slightly, turning around.

"Hey Sam," he said with a smile.

"Oh, um, hey," Sam replied, looking around awkwardly and not catching his eyes. She couldn't look into his eyes without wanting to melt into a little puddle on the floor. "What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for class and saw you walk by."

"Oh."

The two of them lapsed back into silence, the only noise being from the people around them, rushing around or taking their time to get to wherever they needed to be.

"Was there something you wanted?" Sam asked, trying to move the conversation along.

Freddie paused for a second then remembered there actually was. "Oh yeah! I saw the trailer for the new Spiderman movie yesterday! It looked really good. Wanna go see it with me tonight? I know how much you love Andrew Garfield…" He added that part with a grin.

"Uh, I can't." Sam replied.

He frowned. "Why not?"

"I just can't. I umm…I've got to go with my mom to her, umm…the doctor. Yeah."

"Oh."

Well, there was that awkward silence again.

Sam turned around and shut her locker that had been open for the duration of their conversation.

"Look, I better get to class." She said. "See ya Freddie."

And with that, she walked away, leaving him alone and confused. He didn't know what to be more confused about though; the fact that she'd just said no to going to watch a movie, that he would obviously pay for, as well as a ridiculous amount of snacks from the movie theatre…or that she called him Freddie.

He believed that she did have to go to the doctor's with her mom, that was kind of a regular thing for Mrs Puckett. But the real reason she couldn't go with him couldn't be further from that. The reason was that on one of their first dates, Sam and Freddie had stayed up all night watching the Spiderman movies and ever since they broke up, Sam couldn't even look at them…

'Do you have a new little crush on her or something?'

Carly had noticed something had been off with her best friends for a while now. She knew things would be awkward between them ever since they broke up, but she didn't expect to have Freddie acting like he was 13 and crazy about her again and she certainly didn't expect Sam to be the one sitting at home in the dark and crying.

And Carly felt that because of her role as best friend/mommy of the group and general peace keeper, that after confronting Sam about things already, she needed to find out what was going on with Freddie.

"Hey Freddie, can I talk to you for a second?" She asked him, catching him after he came back from the bathroom.

He gave her a confused glance, but nevertheless nodded and allowed her to drag him into the living room.

"What's up?" He asked.

"I think it's me who should be asking you that." Carly replied. "Umm, have you…has there…how are you?"

That confused him.

"I'm okay…" He said, tentatively, scared that for some reason, he shouldn't be okay.

Carly nodded. "Okay. And have you, umm…have you noticed anything weird about Sam lately?"

Freddie shrugged. "Umm, not really. I don't think so anyway."

And suddenly, all of the calm that dwelled within Carly Shay was gone.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

There was silence for a few seconds, neither of them knowing what to say next. Carly didn't because her sudden outburst had scared her and Freddie…for the same reason.

"What do you mean?" He questioned.

"Have you not seen how sad Sam looks lately?" She doesn't even smile any more, Freddie! She's just this empty shell of a girl and she's not the same Sam."

"And that's my fault?"

Carly growled, a noise that she was not used to hearing come from her, and grabbed a pillow from the couch, hitting Freddie repeatedly with it.

"Umm…ouch?" He said, not hurt at all by her little 'attack.'

"Stop being so clueless!"

"How am I being clueless?"

By not seeing that Sam is heartbroken!"

That shut him up.

"She's…she's…heartbroken?" Freddie asked slowly.

"Yes, Freddie." Carly answered. "She's hurt because the only guy she's ever loved doesn't love her anymore."

"Who said I didn't love her?" Freddie asked a little too quickly.

"Who said I was even talking about you?" Carly asked smartly.

Whoops.

"And no one, but you kind of haven't shown that you do either lately." Carly continued. "What was with the whole 'is it too late for you to love me' thing? And the fact you've been spending so much time with me lately and basically avoiding Sam."

Freddie sat down on the couch and sighed deeply. Girls really did hurt his head. He wondered how he ever ended up being best friends with two of them. Especially two girls that at one point or another, he'd had romantic feelings for.

"I don't know." He admitted honestly. "I don't actually know why I said that. It just came out because I'm just so confused about anything. I've been getting hardly any sleep lately, worrying over everything, thinking things through and coming up with no conclusion, which really annoys me. I just…I just think things were a lot easier when I was that little 13 year old dork with a camera, crushing on a girl he'd never get."

Carly sat down next to him quietly. "Let me ask you something. Freddie, look at me. Look at me right now, and tell me if you have any feelings for me."

Freddie looked up and did what he was told. Honestly, of course he did. Carly had always been gorgeous to him. And after liking her for so many years, it was obvious he was always going to have some sort of feelings for her. But did that mean he liked her?

"Now think about Sam." Carly said, bringing him out of his thoughts. "Think about Sam and then think about me and think who you have feelings for."

And when he thought about it, and I mean really thought about it, it was obvious. It had been there all along, he just needed to stop worrying about every other little detail and focus on her and realise that he wanted to be with her. He didn't want to break her heart any more and he didn't want her to think he loved her best friend and not her. And he most certainly didn't want her to cry over him.

"I think by the look that came on your face as soon as I mentioned Sam, you've got your answer." Carly said with a small smile after he hadn't spoken for a few minutes.

Freddie looked up at her and smiled. Carly Shay was his past. She was always the girl he thought he'd end up with. He was sure that he'd someday be her second husband and that everything would be perfect with them.

But then that beautiful mess that was Sam Puckett came around and everything changed. She hurt his heart, his head and…his body as lets face it, that girl could punch hard.

He knew there'd always be a part of him that wondered what would have happened if he wasn't just 'bacon' to Carly. Or what would have happened if she'd actually fallen for him. Would he have still loved her? Would he have wanted her back? Would Sam have still fallen for him and would he have ever dated her? There were so many questions that he could ask himself, so many 'what ifs' but the only important one right now was 'what if it's too late?'

Freddie was in love with her. He knew he was. And he just hoped she was still in love with him too. He hadn't had that much experience with girls, but he knew what love was and that's what he felt every time he looked at Sam Puckett.

So he got his phone out of his pocket and found that familiar number, writing out a text to her, taking a leap and finding out what the future would hold for them.

To: Sam

From: Freddie

Hey, can you meet me on the fire escape? We need to talk.

Carly Shay was gorgeous. She was sweet, kind, loving and a great friend. But she was no Sam Puckett. And Freddie Benson wanted Sam Puckett.

And he was definitely going to make sure she didn't feel second best anymore.

'I love you.' 'I love you too.'