I got the idea for this after watching iOwn a Resturant and decided to go ahead and write it out. I know it is kind of drabble-y...but I hope it helps explain why Freddie was trying to figure out if Carly could still love him or not. Have fun reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

iPull Petals

For the second time in his life, Freddie Benson walked into the flower shop.

He could remember his first time entering the store. The other shoppers, all of whom happened to be female, stared at him in awe as though they'd never seen a boy shopping for flowers before. While Freddie had stood there, nervously shuffling his feet and waiting for the staring to stop, the ladies grinned and started shooting questions at him.

"Can I help you find anything, son?"

"I bet you're looking for something special, aren't you?"

"You're from iCarly, right? Are you buying flowers for Sam?"

Freddie had explained that he and Sam were going on their first date and he didn't want to show up at her front door empty-handed. Before he could ask if anyone would be willing to help him, everyone rushed forward, creating a circle around the teenage boy. He had no choice but to follow the ladies as they led him through the shop, throwing flowers into his arms all the while. By the time Freddie finally made it to the cash register, he had flowers of every color and a wallet with 103.54 less dollars in it.

Sam barely had time to acknowledge the flower assortment in Freddie's arms when he arrived to pick her up for their date; Frothy, who had hated Freddie since the first time he ever came to Sam's house, decided to strike while his owner was distracted. He bit Freddie's foot - Freddie threw the flowers into the air - and the next thing he knew, Freddie watched helplessly as Frothy rolled in the broken petals.

Thankfully, Sam didn't mind her flowers getting destroyed. Actually, she later told Freddie that she was happy about her cat's actions. Frothy kept her from rushing inside to find a vase and needing to thank Freddie over and over again while telling him how beautiful the flowers were and how happy she was to receive them, all of which would have been a lie.

"So…You hated the flowers anyway?" Freddie had asked after Sam told him her feelings about his first gift to her as a boyfriend.

"I'm not going to lie to you…Flowers really aren't my thing," Sam replied. Then, either because she noticed the frown on Freddie's face or because she remembered she was on a date and she was supposed to be nice, she leaned in so she could whisper in Freddie's ear. "If you really want to make mama happy, buy her fat cakes next time."

After their first date, Freddie never bought flowers for Samantha Puckett again. He should have known from the beginning that even though all those stupid romantic movies said girls loved receiving flowers as a token of endearment, Sam wouldn't feel the same. As he found himself muttering many, many times: Sam was not like other girls.

"Well, hello there!" a plump women greeted, bringing Freddie away from his thoughts and back to his current surroundings. "Why, if it isn't little Fredward Benson! Are you here to pick up some apology flowers for that girlfriend of yours?" When Freddie gave her a dumbfounded expression, the salesperson lowered her voice. "I heard you and Sam broke up. Is there anything I can do to help? I always thought the two of you were perfect for each other!"

If there was one thing Freddie hated about being the technical producer of iCarly, it was the fact that no matter where he went, complete strangers thought they knew everything about his personal life. Sure, he brought some of it on himself when he chose to make his relationship with Sam public by kissing her on a live web cast, but that was no excuse for fans to write him and tell him either A. how cute he and Sam were or B. he better dump her right away because it wasn't healthy to have a girlfriend who spent years abusing him. He was old enough to look after himself. He didn't need the entire population of Seattle offering their advice.

"I have just what you need!" the plump woman declared happily. "I have some yellow roses that will let Sam know exactly how you feel and-,"

"Actually, Sarah," Freddie interrupted, leaning forward to read the employee's nametag, "I didn't come here to buy anything for Sam."

Sarah's smile fell but only for a moment.

"You're looking for Carly then? Aw, that girl seems like such a sweetheart! I have the perfect bouquet for her right over-,"

"I'm not shopping for Carly, either."

"But if you're not shopping for Carly or Sam, then…"

Freddie could have answered Sarah's unasked question, but quite frankly, he didn't feel it was any of her business why he wanted flowers or who he wanted to buy them for. Instead, he nodded toward the purple roses.

"I'll take one of those, please," he stated firmly.

"Only one?" Sarah asked. "We're having a sale for today only. Buy seven roses, get five at-,"

"One is all I need."

Five minutes later, Freddie Benson left the flower shop, holding a single purple rose to his chest. It was finally time to get some answers.

He first learned about the myth in seventh grade when his English class studied about the olden days, back when there were kings and queens and castles and fire breathing dragons. For some reason, he found the unit practically interesting and did his best to pay attention (which was difficult sometimes thanks to Sam, who sat two rows behind him and spent most of her time throwing wads of paper at the back of his head). Sam just so happened to be sick on the day one of Freddie's classmates asked what a young maiden should do if she had two suitors and couldn't decide between them.

"That's a very good question, Elizabeth," the teacher replied. "Now, if a maiden had more than one lover, it was believed in one mythology that she should find a rose, write the names of the two men on the leaves, and then proceed to throw the leaves into the air. Whatever name was written on the last leaf to touch the ground was the name of the man the maiden would marry."

'That's so stupid,' Freddie thought, rolling his eyes. 'Why would someone decide who they're going to marry just because they wrote a couple names down on leaves? I'll decide who I want to marry based on how much I love her.'

Life was easy in seventh grade. Freddie was in love with Carly and knew that she would one day feel the same. Sam was nothing more than an annoying blonde-headed demon. He didn't need some dumb flower telling him who he should or shouldn't date.

Things were different now. Freddie had his chance with Carly back when he saved her life from the taco truck. They dated, albeit for a very short time, and in the end, it wasn't Carly who made the decision to break up. Freddie was the one who suggested it. They left things open and promised they could try dating again in the future if Carly ever wanted to.

So far, the prissy brunette hadn't said a word about getting back together.

Sam shocked everyone, even herself, the night she kissed Freddie at the lock-in. He wasn't sure how he felt about her - how could he be expected to know after just realizing her abuse was her way of flirting? - but he remembered their first kiss on the fire escape. There were definitely sparks between them, sparks strong enough to help Freddie decide that he was willing to give Sam a shot. They started dating and managed to stay together ten times longer than Freddie's relationship with Carly had lasted.

Even when she was his girlfriend, Sam still had her quirks. She fought with Freddie almost as often - if not more often - than she had before they were a couple. The two of them rarely agreed on anything. They went entire weekends without seeing each other because they couldn't find even one activity they both enjoyed. Every time something went wrong, it was Freddie's fault. There were some days when Freddie wondered if having Sam as his girlfriend was worth the effort.

Then, on those days when the relationship seemed to be balancing on very thin strings, Freddie would think back to all the good times. The way Sam's eyes sparkled when she tried to get him to join her in breaking the law. How she smiled whenever he bought her ham. Staying up until three or four o'clock in the morning just so they could video-chat. There was one time when Sam somehow broke into the school's office, called Freddie over the intercom, then pulled him into a dark closet in the deserted hallway, leading them to miss their next two classes. Being with Sam was dangerous and unpredictable.

Too bad Freddie didn't realize just how much he liked Sam until it was too late.

Standing in the elevator with his girlfriend on the night they broke up was the hardest thing Freddie could ever remember doing. Breaking up with Carly was easy; he knew she only thought she was in love with him because he saved her life. They both knew their relationship was based on feelings that wouldn't last forever. He and Sam had based their relationship on true feelings. If he wasn't mistaken, there were tears in her eyes as Sam agreed it was time to call it quits. Puckett's were never supposed to cry.

It wasn't until Sam was walking away that Freddie realized he had to do something. He couldn't let her walk out of his life like she meant nothing to him. Sure, they were broken up, but she had to know how he really felt about her.

"I love you."

Three words. Three words Freddie thought he would never say to anyone besides Carly. Now, the sentiment belonged to Sam.

Since the break-up, things were different. It was almost as though nothing had happened. Neither Freddie or Sam spoke about it. She went back to picking on him and flirting with other guys. It felt as though his proclamation (and the hour and a half they spent making-out afterwards) meant nothing.

What was Freddie supposed to do? Sit around and wait for Sam to make the changes that needed to take place if they were ever going to get back together? Make the changes himself and let Sam stay the same? Was he supposed to sit around and allow his heart to break every time Sam crushed on somebody new?

What about Carly? Maybe she was the one Freddie was really supposed to be with. Sam had obviously moved on; Carly was still waiting for that perfect guy to come along. What if her knight in shining armor was meant to be Freddie? What if his childhood instincts were right and he was supposed to end up with his neighbor, not Samantha Puckett?

Freddie's confusion was exactly why he needed the purple rose. As stupid as the myth sounded back in seventh grade, it wasn't a bad idea. He thought he was in love with Sam, but on the other hand, he thought he was in love with Carly for years, too. Which girl was the right one for him? Which should he chase and which one should he give up on?

Only the roses' leaves could answer him.

"Need to fink a marker," Freddie mumbled, digging through his backpack. "Need to find a marker…Aha!"

His rose only held three leaves. Freddie gently ripped one from the stem, being careful not to rip the plant. He took his time writing Sam's name, making his letters as big as the tiny leave allowed. Then, he did the same for Carly. He considered leaving the third leaf alone, but instead took it in his hands. This time, he wrote one simple word:

Neither.

Thankfully, Freddie was the only person in the park. He could only imagine the looks people would give him if they saw him carrying a rose around. He glanced around anyway, wanting to make sure he was totally alone.

With all three leaves in his palm, Freddie held his fist in the air. A new breeze would blow through in 5...4...3...2...

The leaves flew faster than Freddie thought they would. He climbed to his feet and chased after them. Which name would land first? Which would touch the ground last? Would Carly or Sam be his future girlfriend?

"Oh, no," Freddie groaned, noticing exactly where the leaves were heading. "No, no, no, no, no!"

He reached out, trying to grab the leaves before they could land. He would try the experiment again, only this time, he'd make sure there were no obstacles around to get in the way. If he could just grab the stupid leaves before it was too late-

No such luck. The three leaves hit the pond's surface and rested upon it, each of them face-down. Freddie had no idea which one was which.

"I guess I'll never know who I'm supposed to be with," he sighed.

Feeling hopeless, Freddie collapsed beside the pond. What was the point in going home? His mom would start asking questions about where he'd been all afternoon and he really didn't feel like explaining his rose idea to her. He could go to Carly's, but that didn't sound like fun either. He could head to the Groovy Smoothie…but to be honest, all Freddie really wanted was to be alone.

"There has to be another way to decide," he told himself. "I can't go on the rest of my life wondering which girl is best for me. Maybe…maybe the next girl I see is the one I go after! Yeah, that's it! I'll just let fate decide. If I see Carly first, then I know I'm supposed to be with her. If I see Sam before Carly, then I know she and I are meant to be! All I have to do is wait until I see one of them and then-,"

The rest of his sentence was lost when Freddie felt a pair of hands on his back, forcing him forward. There wasn't time to stop or find anything to grab - not that there was anything to grab anyway. He had nothing to use to keep his body from rolling into the dirty pond water.

"You should've seen your face. It was priceless!"

While Freddie fumbled in the water, trying to resurface his head so he could get air in his lungs, there was a split second when he saw a figure standing on the water's edge. He couldn't make out who she was before the water forced him under again-

-But there was no way he could miss the mass of blonde hair.

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