Another one of the challenges from the 100 word list challange.

CarlyXFreddie.

Again, I own nothing. iCarly belongs to Nickelodeon and Dan Schneider.

Enjoy!

36. Precious Treasure

It was three-thirty in the morning when Freddie decided to get a glass of water. And as he shuffled his way back to bed, he heard a frantic and continuous knock at the front door. At first, he was a little hesitant to answer it, considering what time it was. But eventually something just told him to answer it. And when he did, he was surprised and a little worried to see Carly standing there before him. He was worried because Carly looked like hell. Her hair was stringy and messed up, and it looked like she'd been crying for a long time. Her eyes were blood shot and swollen and she had makeup stains down her cheek. And without saying one word to Freddie, Carly just sank into Freddie's bare chest. Concerned Freddie held her in his arms, but there was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to know what happened.

"Alright…what happened." Freddie demanded to know as he stepped out into the hallway of their apartment building.

"I don't wanna talk out here." Carly snapped.

"Alright, let's go across the hall then…"

"No! I can't wake up Spencer, not with this." Carly replied.

And it was then that he knew something happened with Griffin. Their new 'bad boy,' neighbor that Carly had a thing for even though everyone warned her not to go out with him. And Freddie just knew something had happen and he couldn't bare to think of what could have happened. But if he found out that what happened was more horrible that he could ever imagine, Freddie knew he would kill him for harming his best friend and girl of his dreams.

"Well we can't exactly talk at my place. You know my mom, she won't give us any privacy what so ever. Come on, follow me." Freddie replied as he grabbed her wrist and walked her towards the elevator.

Without asking as to where they were going, Carly just followed Freddie willingly because she just wanted to be with him more than ever because she wanted to be with someone who wouldn't harm her in anyway. In fact, she knew he would treat her in the exact opposite and being treated like a total princess sounded pretty good right about now after what happened earlier. And Carly wanted nothing more than to be with her best friend right now. But she was a little confused when they walked onto the fire escape.

"The fire escape?" Was all Carly asked.

"Yeah, it's just a place where I like to come to if I wanna be alone or something. Now, what happened?" Freddie asked again as he folded his arms across his chest while he leaned against the side of the building as he waited for Carly to talk. Instead, Carly just looked up at Freddie with an ashamed look in her eyes and she just began to cry as she snuggled in Freddie's arms again. Freddie wanted to say something, but the only thing he could have done was just hold Carly in his arms until she was ready enough to explain what happened.

"You were right…All of you were right…"

"About Griffin?" Freddie replied as he pushed back some hair away from her face. She looked up at him through tear filled eyes and noticed the, 'I told you look,' plastered all over his face.

"I know, I know alright." Carly replied as she broke away from Freddie and walked over to the ledge as she leaned against it while she looked down at the street below her.

Freddie started to walk towards her to comfort her in his arms again, but Carly pushed herself off of the ledge and began to walk away from Freddie.

"I don't get it. I just don't get it! Why can't I be with a normal guy? Someone that won't try to kiss me, or put the moves on me at every chance they get…"

"Woah, woah, woah…did he try too…" Freddie started to say but couldn't exactly get the rest out of his mouth because the thought of Griffin trying to get Carly to sleep with him was just too unbearable for Freddie to think about.

"He would have if I didn't kick my foot into his crotch and took off before he could catch me. I just don't get it Freddie! Is that all you guys see me as, as just a play thing or someone you can screw with?" Carly questioned as Freddie just looked at her with a blank look on his face because after having a crush on Carly all these years, he has dreamed about being with her. But not in such a way that would hurt her, not like what Griffin tried to do to her. He would never hurt Carly in that way.

"I don't…you know I don't. You know I would do anything to protect you. I would never think about hurting you." Freddie replied as he was now standing in front of her.

And for some reason she could see it in Freddie's eyes that he was telling the truth. And even though she hated guys right about now, Freddie was the only one she didn't hate. Mainly because she knew that Freddie would never lie to her and that truthfully, she just wanted to be with him. She couldn't explain it, but there was just something comforting about Freddie at this particular moment. He was kind, sincere and he cared about her more than anyone else did and that meant a lot to Carly knowing that there was one guy out there that was just a true gentleman.

"God I'm stupid!" Carly blurted out.

"What?" Was all Freddie questioned.

"I'm stupid for ignoring you. For always rejecting you. For just now seeing you standing right in front me. I've been such an idiot that the guy that I've been searching for has been right in front of me all my life. I've just been too stupid to see it." Carly replied as she just looked at Freddie.

Freddie just stood there, shocked as all hell. He felt like he was hit with a two by four as he just heard what Carly just said. The girl that he's wanted to be with all these years just said that she wanted to be with him too? Clearly she was just talking out of her butt over what had happened tonight…or so Freddie thought for a split second. But then realized that she wasn't just talking to talk. Instead, Freddie could tell that she meant every word that just came out of her mouth by the look in her eyes.

And he couldn't have been happier. Sure he wished that this would have happened a whole lot better, but under the circumstances he was just ecstatic and wanted nothing more than to take Carly into his arms and take care of her the way she should be taken care of.

And he did. He walked over to her, placed his hands under her arms, picked her up and twirled her around before he took her in his arms.

And just now realizing that Freddie was shirtless and that he was able to pick Carly up like that, she looked at him rather oddly.

"What?" He giggled as he noticed the confused expression on her face.

"When did you get so strong?" She questioned while she ran her hand down Freddie's arm as she could feel every single muscle that wasn't there before, well that she could remember anyway.

"The same time the voice got deeper." He softly replied as he leaned his forehead against Carly's.

"You've just never paid attention." He added as he also added a tiny bit of guilt to Carly's emotions.

"I know, stop trying to make me feel bad…"

"I wasn't trying to. I was trying to joke with you…"

"Oh, sorry. I'm exhausted…I wanna go to bed now…"

"K." Was all Freddie said as they ventured back down to the eighth floor,

"I'm gonna go wash up and change into my pajamas…"

"You just sounded like my grandmother before she gets ready for bed." Freddie joked.

Carly just stuck her tongue out and disappeared into her apartment. But before Freddie knew it, she walked through the front door of his apartment.

"Now there's the Carly I know." Freddie replied referring to the fact that her hair had been washed, her face was clean and she just looked like Carly Shay again and not like she had been hit with a truck.

She just smiled and sat down next to Freddie on the couch. He wrapped his arms around her and gently laid her down on the couch because he knew she was exhausted and wanted to go to sleep.

Freddie moved his arm and as Carly moved herself to where she was comfortable, she rested her head on Freddie's arm. Her jet-black hair had fanned out across Freddie's arm as she looked up at him with a smile on her face. He brushed his hand against her face while he couldn't help but to smile either as he bent down to kiss her.

His heart was pounding and Carly could feel it pound against her chest. And she just had to say something.
"Nervous much?" She joked.

"I'm sorry. I've just always dreamed about kissing you, and now that I am…I can't help it. I just want it to be perfect." Freddie replied as he still cupped her face with the palm of his hand.

"It will be…"

Was all she said as she grabbed Freddie and brought him down to her where their lips finally touched. And to Freddie, it was like he had gotten shocked with an electric shock or something because he could feel it on the skin of his lips as they touched Carly's. He never wanted to pull away from Carly, but he knew that she was exhausted and that she wanted to go to bed. And not that he wanted to, he slowly pulled away but tried to keep his lips in contact with Carly's for as long as he could before they actually pulled apart.

"You need to go to bed."

"Yeah. Good night Freddie." She said as she gave him a quick kiss before she laid down on his arm again.

"Night Carly." He happily said as he laid down next to her.

He had tightened his grip around Carly and just laid there with a huge smile plastered across his. It was just that he was so perfectly content as he had his arms wrapped around his precious treasure.