iSay It's Not Over Until Carly Sings

Summary: Carly, Sam, Freddie, and Spencer parody an American Idol-type TV series, National Pop Star, on their web show.

A/N: I admit it, I'm twenty-years-old and a (minor) fan of iCarly. Compared to what Disney spews out, this is actually a pretty decent show with actors who can act. Yeah, it's weird, but I have an excuse – I do have an eight-year-old sister who is either watching Nickelodeon or Disney every time I baby-sit.

I'd like to take this moment to apologize for any inconsistencies with characterization or plot. Since I don't watch the show on my own, I haven't seen every episode.

Prologue

Turning up the music on the radio, Carly danced around the kitchen while she prepared dinner for her and Spencer. Her older brother was in the living room, working on a sculpture made entirely of cheese and bacon.

Carly hadn't felt the need to ask for an explanation.

"Spencer, did you use all the cheese?" Carly yelled, opening up the fridge. She yelled not because she was angry, but because the music was blasting. "I told you to leave a little bit for the tops of the tacos!"

Before, there had been the sounds of Spencer humming along to the pop song on the radio and the occasional squish of dairy product. Now there was silence. Then…

"Sorry! Want me to go and get more?" Spencer offered. "I'm almost out of Munster anyway!"

Smiling to herself, Carly replied, "No, it's okay! We've still got the canned refried beans."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure!" Carly closed the fridge but found she was still freezing. Rubbing her arms, she asked, "Did you turn on the air conditioning? It's freezing in here!"

"I had to!" Spencer argued. "Otherwise the cheese will start to smell. And you know how cheese is. I mean, I've got Gorgonzola in here!"

"No, no, it's okay. I'll just go put on a sweater," Carly said, her nose wrinkling at the thought of the stink filling the apartment. She went up to her room to get one, then as she was coming down the stairs heard…

"Cool! Bacon!"

"No, Sam! I worked on that part for an hour!"

Letting out a deep sigh, Carly came into the main living area to find that Sam had arrived with Freddie in tow. Sam was standing by Spencer's artwork, a gleam in her eye as she deliberated which piece to take next. Already, she had a piece in her hand that was bitten in half.

As if nothing was happening, Freddie sat himself down on the couch and grinned at Carly. "Hey, Carly! That sweater looks really nice on you."

"Thanks, Freddie…" Carly said, her tone distant as she kept an eye on her brother and best friend. Sam was ignoring Spencer's pleading look, still deciding which piece of bacon would enter her mouth next.

Gathering his courage, Spencer ordered, "Sam, stop it! This is not a breakfast buffet! Go circle around the fridge if you're hungry!"

"Tough noogies. It's bacon. Covered in cheese," Sam said as if the suggestion was ridiculous.

Then she glared at him.

Holding up his hands in surrender, Spencer turned away as he muttered, "I knew I should've used fruit jerky!"

"Hey, Sam?" Carly began, inching closer to her friend…who kept her eyes on the statue. "I made tacos, if you want. Spencer said he was about to go to the store…I can ask him to buy you more bacon."

Sam eased up on her intense stare while she considered the offer. After a second or two, she shrugged. "Fine. But you have to make the bacon."

"Deal," Carly replied, relieved that the dismantling of Spencer's artwork had been avoided. After saying he'd be right back, Spencer left to go to the store.

When the girls headed into the kitchen, Freddie got up and asked, "Hey, can I have one too? My mom's been on this fish and tofu kick. She says it's good for my digestion…or whatever. Something like that."

Carly gave him a sympathetic frown. "Sure, I made extra." She'd been planning to save it for when she didn't have time to one night. Well, looks like I'll be making Mac & Cheese two nights this week, she thought. As they all settled down on the couch to eat, Carly placed the spread on the coffee table and asked, "So, not that I'm not thrilled to have you here eating my food, but…why are you here? Shouldn't you both be studying for Ms. Briggs' test tomorrow?"

"I haven't used the textbook yet, and I don't want to break my streak," Sam replied around a mouthful of taco. "My goal is to return it in mint condition. Someone has to look out for the poor soul who gets my textbook next year."

"You're so selfless," Freddie sneered.

In response, Sam reached over and wiped her taco-sauce covered hands on Freddie's shirt sleeve.

Stifling a laugh, Carly reasoned, "Now come on, Freddie, you should've expected that."

"Yeah, I know," Freddie sighed. He took a napkin from the table and began cleaning his sleeve. "Got any club soda?"

"In the fridge," Carly answered. As Freddie got up to get it, Carly asked Sam, "Now, come on, why are you here? You knew I'd be studying."

Staring at her wide-eyed, Sam asked, "Don't you know what tonight is?" When Carly shook her head in the negative, Sam exclaimed, "It's the season finale of National Pop Star! I've been waitin' all year to see if Bryan Oceantrough gets smacked by Steven Collins. Bryan so deserves it – the little bugger annoys the heck out of me."

"Who and who?" Carly asked.

"It's an American Idol-like show," Freddie explained. He paused as he looked up from where he'd been scrubbing his shirt with a paper towel. "Actually, it's exactly like American Idol. Talk about network competition."

"Yeah. It's kind of like how The Naked Brothers' Band is Nickelodeon's answer to Hannah Montana or The Jonas Brothers," Sam said. When her friends gave her blank stares, she continued, "You know, 'cause they're all young singers…no? Okay then."

Shaking his head, Freddie said, "You know, I didn't figure that you would be into that type of show, Sam. It's so…peppy."

"Are you kidding?" Sam exclaimed. "There's fighting among the contestants, stupidity to mock, and the judges insult everyone all the time! Steven Christopher is my hero!"

"Who?" Carly asked. Not even that big of an American Idol fan, she'd never even heard of the show her friends were talking about.

"The nasty judge. Every American Idol rip-off has one," Sam answered. "The nice judge is Pattie Anderson, and the just-because-there-has-to-be-a-third judge is Ricky Jameson."

Recognizing that the names were so similar to the original show cast, Carly remarked, "That's uncanny."

"Isn't it?" Freddie remarked. Realizing his shirt wasn't going to get any cleaner, he began to walk back into the living room. "Turn it on – it's going to start soon…"

"Hey, butt-munch, go make us some popcorn," Sam ordered, finishing off her second taco.

Freddie glared at her. "Make it yourself, booger."

"Please, Freddie?" Carly interrupted, staring at him with wide, pleading eyes.

In his defense, Freddie tried to resist for about point-two seconds. Then his resolve melted like the butter he would soon pour over the popcorn he was going to make. "Sure, Carly. Extra salt?"

"Yes, please," Carly replied with a smile.

A half-hour into the show, Carly was reading her textbook for the test. Sam was still engrossed in the program, one arm around the popcorn bowl while the other reached in and grabbed a handful of the snack every now and then. Stuck in the middle, Freddie alternated between watching the show and attempting to steal a measly piece of popcorn when Sam's hold happened to loosen.

Spencer's re-entry into the apartment, arms loaded with a grocery bag filled to the top with cheese, seemed to break the trance his sister and her friends were in. "Man, did somebody turn on a zombie switch in here?" he asked, staring at the mesmerized thirteen-year-olds.

Carly's head snapped up and her book fell out of her lap onto the couch. "I-is the show over? Yet?"

"What are you guys watching?" Spencer asked, dropping the bag on the kitchen counter. On a side note, he took out a vacuum-sealed package. "Got your bacon, Sam."

At that, Sam glanced at Carly, who remembered her promise to be chef and got up from the couch. "I'm on it."

"We're watching the finale show of National Pop Star," Freddie explained. "It's between the excitable blonde who cries all the time – Trisha – and Alfonzo, the rocker-dude."

Looking at the television, Spencer said, "Oh, I saw this show when my friend had it on. It's so bogus. I mean, you three could do a better job at judging amateur singers than those three can."

Light bulbs and fireworks went off in Carly's head. Bacon grease splattered as she threw up her hands in excitement. A quick glance at her friends' wide eyes proved that the exact same thoughts were running through their minds. "Spencer, you're a genius!"

"Really?" Spencer asked, then frowned. "Why are you all staring at me like that?"

"To the iCarly set!" Carly exclaimed. The three friends rushed out of the room and up the stairs. Then Sam came back down and got her popcorn and a leftover taco, out of breath as she ran up the stairs again.

A/N: This came out a little longer than expected. I couldn't help myself, though – these characters are so much fun to write! I think that's why I love writing stories for kids' shows – it's fun, innocent humor and not so much serious drama.