A/N - Today I was reading through some of my old fics when I came across some of my really old iCarly fics, a few I never even posted. Well, now I have remastered the beginning of a fic I never finished and here you are. Enjoy. Mult-chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly.


"I wish you'd be nicer to Freddie, Sam. He never did anything to deserve this constant mistreatment." Carly told Sam as they lounged on the couch watching Girly Cow. It was the first episode of the second season and so Sam shushed Carly and turned her gaze back to the television. Sighing dramatically, Carly turned off the T.V. When Sam whirled on her, Carly said, "Come on…I want to talk about this."

"You want to know what he did? He existed." Sam snarled, reaching for the remote. Carly held it just out of her grasp.

"Sam…" Carly said sternly.

"He just irks me okay? Tell him to stop being such a nub and I'll be nice."

Carly huffed. "How about if I give you ten bucks?"

"You're bribing me?" Sam asked, raising her eyebrows. Carly nodded. "Make it twenty dollars and I'll consider it."

Carly rolled her eyes and pushed off the couch, taking the remote with her. Sam looked after her with sad eyes, but Carly didn't see it as she pulled a Pepi Cola from the fridge. Standing idly at the island in the kitchen, she took a long, thoughtful sip, contemplating the strain her best friends' relationship was putting on everyone around them.

Just the week before Gibby burst into tears after being caught in a shouting match between Sam and Freddie. And the Tuesday before that Carly almost failed anatomy because Sam and Freddie knocked into her diorama of the human body while fighting. Luckily Mr. Finley was understanding and allowed her another day to re-glue all the pieces.

And that didn't include why Carly was upset with them at the moment.

Today the three of them had been at the Groovy Smoothie when Sam stole Freddie's smoothie because he insulted her. He let her goad him, and he lunged at her, knocking over the table. They wrestled on the ground until T-bo kicked them out. They weren't allowed to come back until they could actually behave—and that included Carly.

Tossing the remote to Sam, she stormed into the hallway and knocked on the door across the hall. After a few moments, Freddie opened the door.

"This has to stop." Carly said, charging past him and into the living room.

"What? People inviting themselves into my apartment?"

"Be nice, Fredward!" Ms. Benson called from the kitchen and Carly had to hide a smirk.

"No, this fighting with Sam." Carly replied. "I'm tired of being banned from places—the Pear Store, Build-a-bra, the movie theatre! This is getting ridiculous!"

"Well, tell that to Sam. She is the one who starts it all the time."

"Don't even, Freddie." Carly snapped, waving a finger at him. "You are as much at fault as she is. That excuse might have worked a few years ago but not anymore. You know she is like, Freddie, and yet you continue to tease her and fight back. She'll probably leave you alone if you don't put up a fight."

"And let her walk all over me?"

"God, when did you two get so alike? Put down your pride, Freddie, and be the bigger person." Carly told him sternly, jabbing him in the chest, before storming out of the apartment. The door slammed behind her.

As she stood there, wondering if she should return to her own apartment, an evil idea fell into her head. The more she thought about it, the better the idea seemed. Smirking, she returned to her apartment to make the preparations.


Freddie sat on his couch watching Celebrities Underwater when someone knocked at the door. He groaned and opened it to Carly. "Come to yell at me some more?" He asked.

"No, in fact, I came to apologize." Carly said.

"Oh…it's okay." Freddie said, smiling. "But you're right. It is my fault. I…enable Sam. I'll try not to piss her off in the future."

"That's great." Carly said, hugging him.

"Yeah." He said, not responding to the hug at all. It used to be that even a touch from Carly was enough to make Freddie melt. Now he didn't even seem to care. He patted her back hesitantly and stepped away quickly. This was going to be better than she imagined.

"I want to make it up to you." She said, smirking.

He looked nervous. "That's fine…don't worry about it."

"You see, I have this friend and well…she likes you." Carly said in a rush. "If you're interested, I can see about setting up a date."

"No thanks." Freddie said quickly.

"Why?" Carly said quickly. "Is there someone else?"

"What? No!" He said quickly, nervously. He shook his head and looked around frantically. He was definitely hiding something.

"What's her name? Do I know her?" Carly asked, backing him into a corner.

"You know, on the second thought, I'll go on this blind date."

Carly clapped her hands with glee. "Great. Be at Marceline's at six. Table 35."

Freddie stared after Carly as she left the apartment, feeling that this was a bad idea. Yet, he already agreed and he refused to back out on some poor girl he didn't even know. It wouldn't be fair to her. So he frowned and went into his room to pick out an outfit.


Carly shooed Sam out of the house around five-thirty. She even forced Sam into a pretty red dress. Carly said that if Sam didn't wear the dress, she wouldn't pay for dinner. Sam had rolled her eyes and caved.

"Everyone is looking at me." Sam hissed as they entered the restaurant.

"You look good." Carly said and Sam snarled at a busboy who hurried away and out of sight. Carly almost laughed.

They were seated near the back of the restaurant and almost immediately Sam tried to order food. Carly stopped her though, ordering two sodas and telling Sam to be patient. Then Carly launched into a story about the last time she had been at that restaurant. It was with a boy named Casey who had played footsie all night and then groped her when they were leaving. Needless to say she never saw him again.

Sam wasn't listening though. She seemed despondent and when prompted just asked if she could order yet.

"Hey, I'll be right back. Gotta use the restroom." Carly said, slipping out of the booth. "Don't order until I get back. If you do order, I won't pay."

Sam sneered and hunkered down in the booth to wait. Why was Carly forcing her to starve? And why did she take her to a place that didn't even give out bread as a pre-meal snack? Her stomach growled in protest.

She glanced at her phone. It was six o'clock—almost three hours since she last ate. The only thing she could do then was wait.


Freddie entered Marceline's at exactly six, his mother having delayed him several minutes asking why he was going to a restaurant dressed nicely. He couldn't tell her that he had a date and instead lied, saying that the iCarly team had been sent a coupon from a fan and thus were going to treat themselves. She bought the lie and dropped him off.

As he entered the restaurant, he found himself nervous.

The only other date that he had been on was the one where Sam and Carly had been watching from upstairs in the iCarly studio—Carly later admitted to their snooping—and it was with someone he at least knew.

"Table 32." He told the woman behind the podium and she simply pointed him to a table.

Walking towards the booth, he held his breath. The girl was tall with long, curly blond hair. She appeared to be wearing red which contrasted nicely with her hair. Holding his breath he stepped into the girl's line of sight and said, "Hi, I'm Freddie."

The girl looked up at him, smiling. She reached up, adjusted her black-rimmed glasses and said, "Hello. I'm sorry but I'm waiting for someone…my date."

"Do you know someone named Carly?" He asked.

"I'm afraid not, honey." She said with a shrug and weak smile

"Sorry for bothering you." Freddie said, walking away from the table, feeling confused. Where was his date then? He looked around for a few minutes, lost, and just as he was about to admit defeat and leave, he got a text.

Good luck on your date, Freddie. And don't forget…table 35!

He practically laughed aloud as he checked the tables and started in the right direction. He saw another girl, somewhat shorter but with long blond hair. It was wavy and fell over a modest red dress. "Uh…hello?"

When the girl turned around, Freddie thought he was about to be murdered.

It was none other than Samantha Puckett.

"What are you doing here, Freddie?"

"I have…a date…" He trailed off nervously.

"Awww…is little Freddie here to meet with his boyfriend?" Sam cooed, her eyes mischievous. "How cute."

"Funny though…" He laughed nervously. "Carly told me my date was at table 35."

Sam's eyes narrowed and she glanced at the number etched into the wood of the table. Then she shook her head as Freddie slid into the booth. "No…I am not on a date with you, Fredloser. Get up and run along."

"I think Carly is watching us." He said, looking around. "Do you know what she would do to us if we didn't play along?"

Sam nodded slowly. If she left now or made Freddie leave, she'd never hear the end of it. Annoying the absolute hell out of her would act as Carly's revenge and Sam would rather sit through a meal with Freddie than deal with Carly.

"You're paying."

Freddie smirked and picked up a menu.

"How are we going to get her back?" Sam asked as she scanned the menu. She didn't look up and from a distance, one would think she simply said that she was getting the steak.

"What do you mean?"

"We can't let her get away with this. She needs to learn that she can't meddle." Sam said sternly. "So what are we going to do?"

"We could…" Freddie trailed off.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's stupid." Freddie shook his head.

"What is it?" Sam snapped, her eyes dark.

"What if we…"

"Dated?" She asked. They talked through the details for the rest of their 'romantic evening' and then shook over desert. "You have yourself a deal, Benson. Let's make Carly learn that meddling isn't okay."


A/N - CARLY WILL PAY! MUAHAHA! Reviews = love! Next chapter will go up within the next two days. :P Thanks.