Disclaimer: I own iCarly or any part of it in no way whatsoever.

Closing Doors

Heavy footsteps echoed throughout Sam's apartment as her 22-year old best friend walked back and forth in front of her.

"Will you stop pacing already? You're making me nervous and I rarely ever get nervous. Not to mention the fact that you're blocking my awesome view of Marty McFly," Sam said irritably.

"I can't help it Sam! You know I've been waiting for this my whole life—"

"No duh! I've seen you wait for it your whole life dork. Why are you nervous anyway? You and Carly have been together since senior high, she's not gonna ditch you now. Just chill, get your jumpy butt on the couch, and let me watch my movie in peace."

Freddie sighed before finally taking Sam's advice. She was right of course; there was no need for him to worry. His relationship with Carly has only been going stronger as years went by. Even as they went to different colleges, in different states at that, they remained true to each other. Now that both of them have finally graduated, he decided, with Sam's approval, that he was ready to propose to Carly.

A huge smile crept into Freddie's face when he turned to look at Sam who was currently gnawing on left-over ribs and staring intently at the television. Sam had been extremely supportive of his relationship with Carly, at least for the past three years when she finally came to accept that he and Carly were in it for the long haul. He never would have thought that Sam, of all people, would be the one to help him through all the preparations he needed for this proposal: physical, financial, and emotional. Then again, he never imagined that he and Sam would have the relationship that they have now. Though teasing and playful banter still play an important role in their relationship, their bond progressed from being two people who are forced by the circumstances to tolerate each other, to the closest of friends. Heck, he knows that she's even closer to him now than to Carly!

"Why on Earth are you staring at me with that creepy smile plastered on your face?" Sam said after turning toward him to thump him on the forehead.

"Eh, I was just thinking about how our friendship has grown throughout the years you know? Thanks for everything you've done for me Sam, you really are—"

Unfortunately, Sam cut his speech for the second time that night.

"Ugh, save your sappy chizz for the proposal Benson!"

Freddie just smiled and shook his head and watched as Sam looked at the living room clock.

"What are you still doing here anyway? You should go get ready for the biggest night of your nubby life! You know Carly never arrives late for anything."

Freddie jumped off the couch, grabbed his jacket and gave Sam a huge hug.

"Wish me luck, Puckett!" Freddie shouted before sprinting towards the door to the most romantic, elaborate proposal in the world.

Sam smiled as she continued to watch the door long after Freddie has gone. She's very happy for both her best friends, but she is especially happy for her little nub. She knows that Freddie has been dreaming about being Carly's husband ever since he met her. It's an added bonus to Freddie that he will soon become Carly's first husband, instead of her second as he'd previously foreseen. Both Carly and Freddie have been the most amazing friends to her and she's happy that they are going to end up with people who deserve them the most—each other. Despite this however, she has to admit that there is a little bit of jealousy mixed in there. Even though she knows that both of them would never intentionally make her feel left out, she also knows that things will be entirely different now, and whether anybody likes it or not, she will be left out.

Sam already experienced the pain of losing the person she loved the most when Carly moved to California. Even though she did keep in touch with her, it wasn't exactly the same as seeing her every day. This is when her friendship with Freddie grew stronger than she could ever have conceived possible. Freddie stayed in Seattle, still in his old apartment after his mom left for a quieter life in the countryside. Sam, on the other hand stayed with Spencer who graciously took her in the moment she turned 18. Two years later, Spencer had gotten married and left her the apartment without even asking for a single penny, because she's "almost like his sister". While she continued to live right next door to Freddie, she learned to actually treat him as an actual friend, and through the years, she found herself much closer to Freddie than she ever was to Carly, than she ever was to anyone.

Now, as she pondered about what is currently happening to her best friends, she can't help but feel anxious of finally being left alone. On the one hand, maybe now she can focus on herself for once. She'd always been everybody's shield and guidance. It's ironic to think that the most unruly, unorganized person would be the one to take care of all the people she loved, but it had been the reality from the start. She took care of her mom and Melanie when her dad died, took care of Carly starting from when they were kids to high school, and even took care of Freddie during his college years until now.

Sam turned the television off and was just about to go to bed when her front door opened revealing a soaking wet Freddie. Didn't he always have an umbrella in his car? And why is he here without Carly? Sam tried to speak, but before anything came out of her mouth, Freddie spoke:

"She said no."

A/N: So, this is my first try at actually writing a story and I'm not sure if people actually read these notes but... I've never been much of a storyteller myself, I focus on facts as a journalist, but I've been lurking at this site for so long, I figured that I might as well dabble with the writing process myself. Please review and tell me if I actually have something going here as a fiction writer, or you can also review and tell me to "just stick with your factual memos, you hob-knocker!"