A beginning of a wonderful year...

Freddie was sitting in front of an old rusticated long bar. He was staring at the clock as his hands twirled the half empty bottle of beer, when someone from behind approached him.

"Hi" a woman in her late 20's sat right next to him and asked "Want me to buy you a drink?"

Freddie quickly looked at the woman and was about to speak when suddenly she said "I guess not"

Freddie followed her eyes and saw that she was staring at the silver circular metal that was wrapped around his right ring finger. He quickly apologized and said "You know there are still a lot of guys out there"

The woman ordered a glass of whiskey and said "I know, just trying my luck"

Freddie nodded and decided to introduced himself "I'm Freddie"

She drank the whole glass before reaching out her hand for a shake and said "Marley"

Freddie shook her hand but before he could speak someone from behind grab him and said "Hey man!"

Freddie quickly jumped to his sit and gasped "Shane?!"

Shane was propping his head as he speaks "I'm sorry, I didn't know you had-"

"We're just friends" Freddie quickly said

Marley was smiling as both of the guys looked at her and she said "We're just friends, don't worry I know his married"

Shane quickly looked at Freddie as he offered his hands he said "I'm Shane"

Marley stood up from her sit and said "Marley" and she gave the bartender her payment and continued "I better go. Looking for luck" and with that she waved goodbye to the two guys and purposely winked at Freddie before disappearing into the crowd.

Shane laughed and his face full of awe as he caught a glimpse of that secret wink towards his friend he said "32 and you still got it!"

Freddie gave a side look at him and said "I'm married and have two wonderful kids"

"Well. You're in bar, drinking a beer, alone. Dude that doesn't look married to me, issues?" Shane's last word was full of concern

Freddie shook his head and said "None, to be honest. Everything is going great with my family; I'm actually leaving for Florida tomorrow and we will be spending New Year's in my Wife's hometown"

"You don't seem so excited about it" Shane wondered

"There is just something really specific about today, something really personal" and with that Freddie looked at Shane with a smile and he asked "Anyway, enough with your interrogations. What are you doing here? Fishing for love?"

Shane smiled and said "I was" he raised his brows and continued "But, I saw someone you might want to see"

Freddie quickly quirked his eyebrows and asked "Your single, I'm not. Get the point?"

"No! Not that kind of thing" and he tap Freddie's shoulder and said "Come, follow me"

Freddie hesitated but went along with Shane. They moved across the crowded dance floor and Freddie even saw a glimpse of Marley dancing with a guy when someone from his right grab him.

Freddie quickly looked up and he saw Shane grabbing someone from another group of people.

"Hey, I think you might want to see each other, again"

Freddie stared at the girl in front of her. Brown eyes, brown hair, red lips, and that sweet smile she always wears, he muttered "Carly"

She had the same look that he has on her face the moment their eyes met she spoke "Freddie"

Shane was standing in the middle looking at the two bewildered as he said "Has it been that long, because you guys seem to look like you just met"

Freddie blinked away from what was in front of him and he looked at Shane and back at Carly as he said "I didn't know you were in town"

Carly too broke of the staring game and answered quite surprise "I have work here"

"I see" Freddie responded

He was till in awe and shock when Shane said "Well, I'll leave you too alone" and he bid his farewell and whispered to Freddie "Good luck buddy"

Carly and Freddie both looked tense as they were left alone by their friend.

Freddie was playing with the keys inside his pocket, while Carly was clutching her hand bag. The music was getting louder and louder by the second but the silence between the two is ear shattering.

"You live in New York now?" Carly shouted through the booming noise.

Freddie nodded quite enthusiastically as he replied "Yeah, I'm actually based here"

"Great, that's wonderful" Carly exclaimed

"How about you, are you staying here as well?" Freddie asked

Carly shook her head and was about to answer when a guy and two girls walked between them and Carly exclaimed "Oh!"

"I think this isn't the best place to have a conversation like this!" Freddie shouted

"I know!" Carly smiled

"You want to go out?" Freddie asked through the loud electronic music in the background

Carly politely nodded and both of them made their way out of the dance floor and into the street of New York.

It was freezing cold and both held closely to their jackets as Carly remarked "It's a jungle in there"

Freddie laughed and said "I know"

Both stared at each other and laughed uncontrollably for at least 2 minutes when Freddie asked in between breaths "You're alone in a bar?"

Carly's cheeks were really red because of laughing too hard and the cold weather of New York City as she answers "I'm actually with some of my friends"

"Aren't they going to look for you?" Freddie questioned

Carly looked at the door they passed through 5 minutes ago and said "They know that I wondered off, I'm just going to text them"

Freddie nodded and asked "Shall we start walking and find a place less freezing than here?"

"Sure" Carly agreed

The two walked in silence for about 10 minutes when Freddie asked "So coffee or tea?"

"Coffee" Carly answered

"Cool, I think Starbucks is what were looking for" Freddie pointed upwards to the Starbucks sign

Carly smiled and Freddie opened the door and the shop was full of people and the line was really long so Freddie said "What do you want?"

Carly looked at him surprise and said "Are you sure?"

Freddie laughed "Yeah"

"Okay" Carly said cheekily

Freddie waited in line for about 20 minutes and as soon as they got their coffees, they stared around the shop to see if they could get a table but the place was thick with people so the two decided to go out.

They were back in the street of New York, sipping coffees and exchanging stories when Carly suddenly asked "So how's everything?"

Freddie felt a cold touch in his right ring finger and he said "Okay, great"

Carly nodded and a small paused happened when she asked again "How about your wife and kids how are they?"

Freddie looked straight ahead and he said "They are actually in Florida right now; the whole Family is spending New Years Eve at my in-law's house"

"That's really great" she choked a little

Freddie looked at her and asked "How about you and your fiancé?"

Carly smiled and said "His in Norway right now doing a photo shoot for Elle"

"I see, so you're not going to see each other these holidays?"

Carly shrugged and said "I think not, because after Norway his going to Japan for another shoot and I'll be with my dad back in Florence to spend the holidays"

Freddie nodded as he looked down at his shoes he remarked "He seems to be really passionate about his work. I have heard of him a lot of times. He has mad skills in Photography."

Carly smiled at his remark and said "Thank you"

They walked for another two minutes in silence when Carly spoke "You know back in the days, when iCarly ended and I went to Florence. I thought you were going to look for me or visit me there, but you didn't"

Freddie stops himself from walking and looked at Carly who was already three steps ahead of him as he answered "I was supposed to"

"But you didn't and it was really sad" She exclaimed

Freddie was about to answer when Carly spoke "I'm sorry, that wasn't supposed to be said. That tequila I had in that bar must be settling down on me already"

Freddie shook his head and said "I'm sorry"

Carly turned around, she was already six steps away from him as she propped a smile "It's okay"

Freddie knew it wasn't okay so he moved towards her and said "I need to explain myself, right?"

Carly looked at him, her eyes brown as ever as she sat on one of the benches just outside a flower shop and Freddie followed her.

They sat in silence when Freddie broke it off "It was really confusing, back in the days"

"From the kiss before you left up until the point where I met my wife and even up to now it still confuses me" Freddie said

Carly didn't answer so Freddie continued with a deep breath "I love my wife and kids so much that I would take anything for them, a bullet, bombs, monsters inside their closets and even the mean dog across our street. I would take a bite if I have to. That's how they are important to me but everything that has happened between you and me in the past still haunts me"

Freddie was waiting for a respond but Carly was looking down so he continued "I just finished college, I had internship on apple way before I graduated so I was sure that I already have a job and money to buy a plain ticket to Florence"

A wind blew on their side as Freddie spoke "it was 3 months before I left to see you; I was in a bar with some of my college friends when I first met Allison. She worked their and my friends were teasing me for not dating her and so they made up this blind date for me and Allison. At first it was just good old friends hanging out but then everything took a whirl wind when her father started hurting her"

Carly looked at Freddie her eyes full of concern as she asked "Her dad did that to her?"

Freddie nodded and Carly could see the pain in his eyes as he continued "He even tried touching her and I couldn't bare myself to see her go through with it, so I helped her move out of their house and we both looked for an apartment for her to stay. I was with her all the way and I wasn't sure when I first felt it but I had that strange feeling of being by her side all the time and just seeing her happy was my one main goal"

"And then the night of my flight for Florence came, I had arranged it two months prior of my departure since work and helping Allison was taking up all my time. I was ready. I was ready to see you even if that growing feeling for Allison was creeping inside of me. I was still determine of seeing you and making things clear"

Freddie then held his jacket close to him while Carly cupped her hands together as she asked "What happened" sadness was in her tone

"Allison's dad found out where she was staying and he forced himself inside and I was just at the doorstep to say goodbye when I heard loud noises and Allison screaming. I kicked the broken door and saw Allison sitting on the floor; her hair messed up, her clothes almost off her body and her eyes were full of fear. I was scared, for his dad had a gun, but I jumped on his back and tried to pull them off of his hands but he shoved me to the wall and he pointed it at me"

Carly was shocked about the revelation she just heard when Freddie looked at her as he said in a very low tone "She moved her limping body towards me and she hugged me tightly as her dad fired two gun shots and then everything went black"

Carly was shaking her head when Freddie smiled "I woke up the next day, my mom was sitting next to me and I asked her if Allison was okay and she said she was fine, although the bullets will scar her forever, she was alive and that was the most important thing in my whole life at that very moment"

Carly didn't speak. She closed her eyes for a minute and then she spoke "I'm sorry"

Freddie smiled at her and she could feel the warmth and security in his eyes as he says "It's nothing to be sorry about. If that didn't happen, then I wouldn't have realized my feeling for her. I know it was a very rough thing to go through but it proved to both of us that we need each other and like what I said, I would give my life to them, no matter what it takes"

Carly could see through his eyes the love and passion he has for his family. She went silent again when Freddie suddenly inhaled deeply and he spoke "But in all honesty. I still wonder, what would have happened if all those things never went that way and I came to Florence to find you"

"When you realized that I never tried looking for you. Did you ever regret kissing me that night before you left for Florence?" Freddie finished his sentence with a lump in his throat

Carly inhaled her eyes were steaming red as she answered "Yes" and then a tear escaped her eyes Freddie saw it drop onto her jeans but he waited for her to continue

"At first, I did. I regretted kissing you that night. I thought you've moved on, I expected too much and got nothing, and it really did hurt. Then I found out you were getting married, Sam called and asked if I would like to go but I lied to her, I told her I was busy with something when in fact I was just at home doing nothing and I know that Sam knew I was lying, yet she let it slip away"

Freddie then moved closer to Carly and he slowly crouched himself down just enough for him to move his hand to her face and wiped the tears that were streaming uncontrollably out of her eyes.

"And then I found out what really did happen and the reason why you didn't show up. I can't find a single way to be mad at you about anything right now"

Freddie looked at her as he held her hand and said "You have all the right to be mad at me, but you chose not to, because now you see how thing did unfold for both of us"

Carly felt his warm touch and she took it all in as she asked "Did you ever regret not seeing me that day"

Freddie didn't smile but he let out a chuckle and said "Did you know that this very day was the same day I was supposed to fly to Florence to see you"

Carly looked at him, surprise were in her eyes as she said "I don't understand"

"When I said to you that I found out Allison was okay and that it was the most important thing in my life at that moment, I wasn't lying yet after that night when I first woke up. You were literally the only person that entered my mind the next couple of days"

"But I thought you said-"Carly was cut off when Freddie looked straight to her eyes and said "You can never really forget you first love. Never"

Carly smiled simultaneously with Freddie and she rested her forehead to his and said "Allison is really lucky to have you and I'm sure your kids are really proud of their daddy"

Freddie smirked and said "And Andy would be the happiest groom alive for having such a sweet and sexy bride and soon to be wife"

Carly smiled at him and both looked at each other when suddenly snow started falling and the two sat their staring at the snowflakes as they slowly descends from above.

"Happy New Year, Carly"

"Happy New Year too, Freddie"

A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D Wow, 2012 is done and here comes the blazing hot 2013. I hope you guys had an amazing time with your families and loved ones this holidays!

Anyway, I have tried to put up a story before the year ended but failed on posting it yesterday because of the New years preparation and I just finished the book "Aleph" by Paulo Coelho and yes, I recommend you read it!

but back to the story, this isn't how it was supposed to end. Freddie was suppose to see Carly get engaged in that bar and Carly felt bad about it and thus opening it to new Chapters/Conflicts, so this is supposed to be a multi-chapter story. But it wasn't! and I feel really okay about it since I realized the looming school work I have to deal with when I get back to that jungle and I also have to give props to the Victoria Secret Fashion Show, I just saw it a couple of weeks back and I was totally astound by Miranda Kerr's beauty and her relationship with Orlando Bloom, How did that inspire me to write this? I DON'T KNOW! They really look cute together and maybe that is why I wrote Freddie that way (I think), The loving and caring husband who would do anything for his family.

Okay! so I have actually said a lot on this Author's Note and only half of it will be read. it's OKAY! as long as you read the story and give reviews. positive or not. I will love you!

Again! Happy New Year and Thank you!