Hello my dear readers. I have a two-part short story for you to help get my Muse going to get back on track with 'iGuess We're Roomies' as this last week has been tough on me in my personal life and not conducive to writing.

This may or may not take place in the same universe of 'iGuess We're Roomies', I'll leave that up to you. It definitely takes place after the conclusion of the Sam & Cat, well an alternate one that would be compliant to the conclusion of iCarly and Victorious where they're out of high school and of age.

Double Proposals
By OneHorseShay
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. For God sakes, don't sue.
Rating: T
Pairings: Established Tori/Freddie (Teddie), Jade/Beck (Bade), Jade/Freddie (Jedi) and Tori/Beck (Bori) Friendship.
Summary: Two couples. The same question for each girl, but both guys have reservations in asking due to their respective fear their girl will tell them no. The solution? The other girl giving him a kick to ask without knowing the other is doing the same thing.

Jade West Residence
Los Angeles, CA
Sometime in mid-2015

Jade slowly let a breath out through her nose as she watched Freddie pace back and forth in the living room from her stool on the kitchen side of the counter. She had watched the handsome computer engineer student pace for the last ten minutes or so after he dropped a bombshell—or at least to him—on her. He was quite fidgety when he arrived and getting the news off his chest apparently didn't help as he hoped and expected. His physical appearance matched with a light five o'clock shadow around his mouth, chin and jaw line from not shaving for the last day and slightly messy short hair, something that actually made him more ruggedly handsome to his female classmates over the last day and a half (including her as she may have been attached, but she wasn't blind).

The famous actress and musician rested her folded arms on the countertop and stated in a curt tone, "Would you please stop before you wear a hole in my carpet? I just had it put down."

Freddie stop from his pacing and turned to the pale skin and dark haired actress. He blew out a breath and gave her an apologetic expression. "Sorry."

She slightly shook her head and looked to him with a mildly dumbfounded expression. "Dude, why are you acting so… fidgety?"

The former tech-producer threw his hands up and shouted, "I'm not fidgety; I'm freaking out."

Jade closed her eyes and slightly shook her head back and forth. She opened her eyes and calmly asked with far more patience than she would have with practically anyone else, "Okay why are you 'freaking out' then?"

Freddie threw his hands out to the side and shouted, "I told you why I'm freaking out."

The dark haired twenty year old rolled her eyes then questioned, "You're afraid of Tori… but you've never been afraid of me?" She knotted her brow and frowned almost with a pouting expression. She remarked with a near sour tone, "I think I should be insulted."

He grinned despite himself and softly apologized, "I'm sorry Jade, I just never found you all that scary—except on Halloween, but that kind of skews on the sexy side with your outfits and that inspires another emotion other than fear."

The dark haired actress cocked her pierced eyebrow and softly mocked in a tone that would frighten more guys than entice them, "Oh? You think I'm sexy on Halloween?"

Freddie walked over to have a seat on the opposite side of the counter to her. He rested his arms on the counter and cupped one hand over the other. He teasingly smiled and answered as casually as if the were discussing the weather, "I'm attached Jade, I'm not blind."

Jade closed her eyes and a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "Charming Freddie, always charming… So explain to me why you're afraid of asking Tori?"

"I have to explain it to you? It's not obvious?"

The actress/singer grinned, enjoying the rare moment where she could toy with the handsome college student. She smoothly asked with a twinkle of mischievous in her eyes, "No it's not. I'm at a total lost."

He bowed his head and looked down on the counter top then bashfully back up to meet her eyes. He cautiously asked, "What if she says no?"

She cocked her head slightly to the side and snorted out, "Freddie… you are a good guy and frankly, if Tori told you no then she's not only a gank, but a stupid one at that."

He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Thanks… I think."

She slightly pursed her lips then teased, "You wouldn't have come to talk to me if you didn't want an honest answer."

The brown eye young man sighed loudly, "I know."

"Okay, why would you think she would say no?"

"Well… every other relationship I've been in has failed miserably, so why not this one?" He took a deep breath and continued, "I've messed up a lot of things in my life. I messed up with Carly in pinning over her for years then realizing that wasn't who I thought, I messed up with Sam—just getting with her in the first place, heck, I messed up my life before I got to L.A. and now that everything is good…"

Jade held up a finger and cut him off, "You didn't mess up. This is me you're talking to Freddie. You can bullchizz yourself, but you can't bullchizz me."

Freddie raised one eyebrow and the opposite corner of his mouth.

The lovely multitalented actress continued, "You never deserved what happened to you in Seattle. Everyone up there is a bunch of janking losers. You fell in love with your first love and you got scars for that girl and pins and a metal plate in your leg—Hell, you literally were her shining knight. That's not messing up simply because she decided she wanted loser after loser instead of you. Sam… I don't even have to go there for that piece of chizz."

Freddie rolled his eyes, trying to accept where she was going with her point and not phased by her opinion for the former juvenile delinquent other than censoring herself with her language.

Jade continued unabated, "Tori isn't either of them. As much chizz as I've given her over the years and much as her goodie-goodie girl nature got under my skin, she's the one for you. You two fit one another. She's the one that you're meant to be with. I don't see how you have anything to worry about."

Freddie gave her a somber and thankful smile.

Jade's smile faded and she stuck her tongue out and ran over the front of her top teeth before her voice dropped. "If anyone has to worry about not being happy with the one they love, it's me."

The former Seattleite furled his brow and questioned, "I don't understand."

The lovely actress glanced to the countertop to avoid his gaze and attempted to brush him off, "Nothing…"

Freddie's brow tightened further, but this time in anger and concern. He stated firmly in a tone that had any other man would have spoken to her had would have caused him to wet himself in realizing his mistake, "Jade?"

Jade hesitantly looked up and admitted, "I know how much of a gank I've been over the years. I've been quick to anger, insecure and jealousy and I've never been the easiest to get along with… it cost me months with Beck during our senior year."

Freddie slightly leaned back and softly chuckled, "You may not have been the 'perfect girlfriend'—however in the world you want to define that, but you were not this horrible girlfriend as you might think you were or the others were willing to accept by taking Beck's side. I've been able to hear between the lines over the years when the stories come up about high school and know he could be a real ass in your relationship during that time. He got away with trying to play the innocent victim to the 'mean girlfriend' because the others overlooked what he did and sided with him way too often for whatever reasons they had: André out of loyalty to his best friend, Trina wanting to date him, Robbie because he's just terrified of you and on and on. There were a lot of things that he had to finally own up to the last time around you two…"

He trailed off when he saw in her eyes that his words instead of reassuring her was dragging up painful memories that she preferred to remained buried.

Freddie reached over and rested his hand on top of one of hers. "Jade, I'm just trying to say that you shouldn't beat yourself up for your past and take all the responsibility for failure in it the first time around and getting you think can't be allowed to be happy."

Jade directed an unsure gaze at her friend and quietly replied, "This June will be our seventh anniversary being together and… he hasn't even hinted about wanting to marry me and you've only been with Tori for three and you're ready to ask her. Maybe he's finally decided that he really doesn't want to be with me, but he just hasn't worked up the courage to dump me? His career is taking off and he has a lot of options… I can intimidate him."

The young man originally from Seattle shook his head. "I can't believe that. I can't believe he would give up someone like you for a second time. You are smart, beautiful—inside and out—and a wicked sense of humor. You are a very caring and sweet girl underneath all that scary façade. You're hesitant to show it, but I know it's there and any guy would be beyond lucky to have you."

She cracked a soft smile and teasingly replied, "You're planning to ask Tori to marry you, not me. You can save your flattery."

The onetime technical producer flashed her nearly his trademark boyish grin that could rival any Beck could toss her way. "I was flattering you?"

She snorted out a laugh.

He brushed his thumb over the top of her hand and stated with unequivocal conviction, "I'm sure he's just waiting for the right time to pop the question. Both of you've been busy these last few years with college, your music and tours and location filming for Animal, Killing Daddy and Rock N' Roll and him the same with Twisted, his King Tut miniseries and movie filming. If you two have gotten married sooner—just in the last year, you just would have spent most of the time apart as a married couple. You really couldn't have enjoyed being newlyweds."

The dark haired young woman quickly saw his point, but raised an eyebrow and commented, "I never thought I'd be hearing you defend Beck."

Freddie snorted out a laugh and cocked his head to the side. He licked his lips then grinned. "I thought it'd be better than just calling him a dummy for not putting a ring on your finger already and… it does make sense, but I am sure that he'll be asking you to marry him in no time…"

Chew Restaurant
Beverly Hills, CA
Same Time

"I'm going to ask Jade to marry me," Beck finally spat out after half an hour sitting across from Tori and downing his third drink to try and calm his nerves.

Tori looked stunned for a moment, unsure if she had heard him correctly then broke into a wide grin. She laughed, "It's about time." She reached over and snagged the glass from his grip and firmly stated, "And I'm cutting you off."

He directed a bit of a pout to her, but relented when she directed a gaze that told him that she wasn't going to argue with him. He reluctantly answered, "Sorry."

The pair was grabbing lunch after their meeting at the studio about their shared upcoming appearances. The friends had filmed a movie together titled The Outskirts last summer in New York and now it was time for them to start promoting it together before its release.

Beck slightly leaned back in his seat then defensively asked, "What do you mean 'about time'?"

The brunette shook her head and joked, "Oh come on; you two have been together forever. I'm just surprised you haven't asked her earlier."

He quickly defended himself, "Hey, I had my reasons."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Beck quickly nodded and pointed out, "Yeah, we've been busy this last two years with our careers between her touring and filming schedules. We've been apart for six months out of the last year. That's not conducive in being newlyweds."

Tori nodded her head to the side. "You got a point. I know that hasn't been easy being apart that long. I don't think I could have handled the spring filming in New York if Freddie hadn't been able to come with me and be able to study at NYU for a quarter."

Beck snorted out a laugh, "Yeah, that certainly worked out for the three of you."

The brunette looked mockingly outraged at the statement and joked, "Who would have thought Jade and I would have both gotten shows that primarily film in New York? It's not our fault your filming was in L.A. and Canada."

Beck rolled his eyes at odd happenstance that happened near the end of last year: They lived in Hollywood yet Tori and Jade got acting jobs in New York City just after the news that Twisted wouldn't be returning for a second season so he wouldn't be filming in New York and his two following movie roles were filmed outside of California to avoid confiscatory taxes. While Tori filmed Eye Candy and Jade filmed Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll, the pair was roommates—actually it was a Three's Company situation where Freddie roomed with them while going to NYU.

"I know, I know… As I said, we would have spent a good chuck of our first year or more away from each other if I had asked just within the last year, but…" He pointed out with a sour tone, "…there was our… fighting before her first summer tour at the end of our freshmen year…"

The brunette reassuringly smiled at him. "That was two years ago and you two finally settled everything—all the things that irked each of you in your relationship. Done."

The nervousness that had accompanied him finally admitting that he was going to pop the question to his girlfriend returned and it revealed to Tori why he was so nervous about the question, "I know, but… that was a really close call. I really thought I was going to lose her for good that time. I've screwed up a lot in my relationship with Jade. I really have—"

Tori reluctantly agreed, "Yes, you have."

Beck slightly frowned and remarked, "Thanks for the round of support."

"Hey, I've tried to avoid being your love doctor several times… I think to the detriment of both of you since I didn't want to look like I was taking sides because both of you are my friends, but that didn't mean I didn't have an opinion on the matter. You've always kept your feelings so close and you really could be insensitiv—"

The actor rolled his eyes and muttered in mild disgust a label Freddie once gave him during his last major rift with Jade, "I know, Beck the robot…"

"I wouldn't go that far—"

"So there is something you and Freddie disagree on?"

Tori cracked a smile. "There are a number of things Freddie and I don't agree on, but that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about you and Jade and your irrational fear in not thinking she wouldn't say yes to you."

Beck wasn't going to let it go that easily as Tori and Freddie's relationship had been the only 'normal' one that had been in proximity to the high school sweetheart's relationship and invited comparisons (Cat and Robbie's relationship being too odd to give any real consideration). "Wait a second, you and Freddie are doing fantastic—you've always been fantastic together. I have never seen you fight."

Tori slightly bowed her head and cracked a smile. "We're very compatible, but that doesn't we don't fight or disagree on things or thing aren't hard for us at times." The brunette actress shook her head and pointed out while she looked up to meet his eyes, "We keep that in private and we talk things out. We made a promise to each other that even if we are disagreeing on something, we don't go to bed mad at one another, so any disagreement we have with one another, the anger over it is usually over in a day. We just try to work out things out…" She let out a soft laugh, "We can be pretty stubborn with each other… like two other people I love. You two do the same now."

Beck blew out a tired breath and remarked, "Now you're making it sound easy."

Tori raised an eyebrow and teased, "You're the one that said easy was boring."

The idol to millions of teenage girls licked his lips, not appreciating her bring up his statement of what he wanted from a girl after 'learning something about himself' with his short-lived date with Meredith during their senior year Full Moon Jam. It sounded even more like a bullchizz statement now than it did three years ago before reuniting with Jade that very night. It was more like he missed the familiarity of being with Jade after striking out twice with Tori and several times with other girls before he pulled his head out of his ass and realized how fortunate he was to be with Jade and she really was the one for him.

The lovely young woman continued with a supportive tone, "Beck, Jade loves you. You set everything else aside and remember that: Jade loves you and you love her. She's going to say yes if you ask her."

Beck seemed to slouch a little more in his seat then glance away for a second before questioning, "You're saying all we need is love?"

Tori grinned and replied, "As wise as John Lennon was, that's not exactly what I meant. What I meant was that despite everything you two have been through, it's not those things that define you, but your love for one another. It's actually that love that has gotten you through all the chizz to be where you are now."

The heartthrob actor blew out another breath, still unconvinced that it would be that simple. He had no doubt that he wanted to ask Jade, but fear of rejection, however irrational as Tori thought, felt like a weight hanging over his head ready to drop and crush him. If he didn't feel worst, he had a sudden flashback to when he was on BrainSqueeze with the others and his offhand remark caused a car battery to drop on Jade's head. Miraculously, the blow didn't cripple her or outright kill her with a crushed skull or snapped neck. The thought haunted him at night for several weeks after the incident.

Tori's soft voice pulled him back to the present, "Have you thought about how you're going to ask her?"

Beck paused then knotted his brow as he answered, "Ah, no, I… I just worked up the nerve to ask, buy a ring and I needed to tell someone."

The long haired brunette cocked a teasing eyebrow and asked, "Am I the first person you've told?"

Beck sighed and rolled his eyes to his right then reluctantly admitted, "Yeah, you are."

Tori let out a soft laugh, "I'm honored."

The handsome actor smoothly replied, "You're welcome."

"So… you need a way to ask Jade?"

"Yeah and hopefully in a way she knows I'm serious, that I am absolutely committed to her and will say yes."

She took a quick sip from her drink to think on it for a moment then suggested, "Why don't we all go out for dinner? We could go to Maestro's and get a private little area. It would be someplace safe to ask her and you'd have our support or Freddie and I could leave early so you can have that moment private to yourselves."

Beck knotted his brow, clearly thinking on the idea. It offered him the advantage of having moral support while at the same time if he chickened out at the last minute, Jade wouldn't be the wiser in think something more than friends just have dinner together. The more he thought on the idea, the more he liked it. He nodded and answered, "That's a good idea. She loves the restaurant and it's a perfect romantic setting."

Tori beamed, "Great. I'll just give Freddie a call."

Beck raised a hand as she reached into her pocket and stated, "Just don't tell him what I'm planning. I don't want it to accidentally slip. The fewer people know the better and I don't want her to be suspicious. I know she'd pick something up in a second that she was out of the loop out of the four of us."

"Okay," she answered while she pulled out her phone PearPhone, a new model that went back to earlier versions of being rectangular but transparent like some of the older monitors used by the Slap years ago with the circuitry built around the rectangular screen with a blue back covering that matched her old phone, then quickly hit her speed dial to call Freddie.

Jade West Residence
Los Angeles, CA

Freddie's PearPhone rang with a personal ringtone assigned to one person and he quickly retrieved it from his pocket. He looked up to Jade like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights before he pressed the accept call button on his identical model phone to Tori's with matching blue case before bringing his phone to his ear. He tried to speak for several seconds before he could manage to answer, "Oh, hey… yeah, it's alright, you caught me after class. Oh, I'm ah… I'm just going to grab some lunch before my last class of the day."

Jade raised her pierced eyebrow, quite curious as to why he wasn't being truthful as to his real location.

He started nodding along several times over the next half minute as if Tori could see his non-verbal response then answered, "Sure, that sounds perfect. Go ahead and make reservations then let me know when to pick you up." He grinned and finished, "I love you too. I'll see you this evening, bye."

He pressed the end call button and Jade raised her pierced eyebrow. "What was that about?"

Freddie looked to the pale actress while slipping his phone back into his jeans pocket and answered, "She wants us—her, me, you and Beck—to go out to dinner tonight to Maestro's so we can have one more date before they go out on their promotional tour for The Outskirts."

Jade nodded at the explanation then a thought occurred to her. She snapped her fingers and pointed to him. "That's perfect. You could ask her then. It's a nice quiet and romantic setting. I could always get Beck to ditch out early to give you some privacy." A grin formed on her face as another idea came to mind and she muttered, "We could always go get some tacos…"

Freddie raised an eyebrow, understanding that was some allusion between the older established couple in which he didn't want to think on too much, and directed his thoughts on the suggestion for a moment before answering, "That's not a bad idea. It's a nice, quite comfortable setting at one of her favorite restaurants. It's perfect place to ask her."

"So you've worked up the courage to ask her?"

Freddie rolled his eyes. "If I'm going to ask her, this is the perfect time. I guess I just needed a little kick to the rear."

Jade directed a coy look to him and teased, "If you wanted that, I could have just gotten my steel toed boots and kicked you. It would have saved me some time."

The one time technical-producer smirked and boyishly mocked, "Maybe, but then you might have damaged them kicking me. I'm built like a tank, remember?"

Jade cocked her head to the side to think about it for a moment then replied, "Yeah, yeah."

Freddie chuckled for a moment then continued with a big grin, "Okay, so we got a plan for tonight, but… I didn't tell you. Beck has to tell you since… I'm not here."

"Fine, I'll act all surprise when he calls me, but why didn't you tell her you were over here?"

"Because she'd want to know why I would make a special trip here in the middle of the day and I couldn't exactly tell her the truth."

Jade mockingly smiled. "Just tell her that you were over here for a booty call. I know that would throw off any suspicions she would have why you're over here as it would fry her fragile little mind."

Freddie slightly knotted his brow and pursed his lips.

Jade let out a laugh, "It's almost as fun messing with you as it is with Tori."

The muscular teenager rolled his eyes and sighed loudly, "I can't use that explanation because after the initial shock of saying such a thing she would do her best to figure out the real reason why I was over here because I told her something so ridiculous. You know how determined she is. Remember a few years back when you were captain of your 'ping-pong team' and you turned her down? She had Sinjin make a drink machine to hide inside to figure out what you guys were really doing during your 'ping-pong practices'."

It was Jade's turn to roll her eyes because she knew from experience how much that was an understatement. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You weren't here, but you so owe me."

The former tech-producer grinned and questioned with a jovial voice, "Oh? I owe you? If we were doing a running tally, I think you still owe me a few…"

Jade overdramatically sighed since as much as she could enjoy messing with him as Tori, he however could turn it around on her. He wasn't mean back, in fact was just as kind as Tori, he wasn't a pushover and those days where he was one in Seattle had long past.

Freddie innocently smiled. "So avoiding having just lied to Tori, can I grab something to eat to count as lunch?"

Jade snorted out and glanced to the ceiling, "Fine, I think I could scurry you up something." She got up from her seat and turned to head for the refrigerator.

Freddie mocked with a big grin though she understood the sincerity of his words, "I love you Jade…"

She waved a hand back over her shoulder and answered nearly flippantly and with an unseen smile, "Yeah, yeah…"

Author's Note: I hope I caught your attention read the second half that I hope to have up by late tomorrow or Monday.