Disclaimer: I do not, repeat do not own iCarly or any of its characters. They and other things are owned by someone far richer than me.
This story takes place a week after my other fic 'Calm Before the Storm/A Fathers Love'
# denotes a skip in time, but still the same day, while a border signifies a time skip of a day or more.
Chapter 1: Puberty 2.0
11 a.m. Saturday morning
BEEP…..BEEP…..BEEP…BEE*WHAM*. "Stupid clock, let me sleep." the tired and groggy voice of Fredward 'Freddie' Benson demanded as he rolled back over and buried his head in his pillow. It was Summer Vacation, his mother was away at another Aggressive Parenting Convention, for a Month (YES!), it was the weekend and by god he was going to enjoy his sleep. 'Wait…moms not here, and I didn't set the alarm so who…'
/I'm in love with the girl I hate
She enjoys pointing out every bad thing about me
I'm in love with a critic and a skeptic, a traitor
I'd trade her in a second/
"Uhg." Grunting he blindly slapped his hand over the surface of his night table until he found his phone and put it to his ear. "What do you want Sam?" his face still half in his pillow.
"Hey Fredalupe, we need your help with some techy stuff so get over here. You've got 15 minutes then I'm coming to get you." *click*. He stared at his phone for a second before turning it off and slamming his head back into the pillow. Groaning once more at his lost chance for sleep he got up and headed for his bathroom, not noticing that his alarm clock now sported an imprint of his palm.
25 minutes later he strode into Carly's apartment wearing a pair of black jean shorts that went past his knees and a navy blue t-shirt sporting the phrase 'Tech Monkey' and a picture of a monkey smashing a computer with a wrench. "Hola Chicas," he greeted, closing the door "What seems to be the problem."
"*snicker* nice family resemblance nub." Sam said looking between Freddie and his shirt.
Carly brushed past her and grabbed Freddie's hand "Ignore her," dragging him over to her computer "I was trying to update my blog and now it won't open. Whenever I click on the link I end up on a blank page."
Giving a quick and ineffectual glare at Sam's head he brought up the code for the iCarly website and started to work.
#
"Done!" Standing and cracking his back he admired his coding, while not the best in the world or even the country it was damn good for a 16 year old. Now that his attention wasn't completely focused on his work he could make out a light snoring sound, cute really, turning around he saw Sam sleeping on the couch, Carly was nowhere to be seen.
Checking the time on the cable box he saw it was a little past 3 p.m., walking over to the couch he looked down at her. She looked so different like this, none of the anger that regularly adorned her face, just a peaceful calm look. Of course he did like the fire in her eyes when they argued and the smirk that graced her cupid bow lips when she put something over on him, and the way they could have a whole conversation without ever actually saying a word. If he was truthful with himself he was "Sam, wake up its almost time for the Girly Cow marathon!"
Faster than should have been possible, not that he noticed with the adrenaline pumping in his veins, he was across the room and in the kitchen as Carly came into view and down the stairs. As she reached the last step Sam was sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes "I'm up, I'm up."
Going around the couch to sit down Carly saw him standing in the kitchen. "You're finished?" hope colored her voice.
"Um y-ye-yeah, *clears throat*, just a little glitch in a line of code." He said, turning and opening the fridge to hide his discomfort at almost being caught. "It should work fine now."
"Grab me something to drink while you're in there Fredumb…and some ham." Sam ordered as she readjusted her position on the couch.
"Fredumb? You're slipping Puckett." Freddie said as he walked to the couch, brining Sam's food.
"I'm still tired; just wait till momma gets her engine going." Her reply brought him to a standstill as his hormones (something he both thanked and cursed) warped the meaning and threw him into a fantasy of semi-naked moaning Sam's. He was rudely and reluctantly pulled from his fantasy when Sam grabbed her food from his hands.
"What's going on inside that head of yours nub?" she asked before inhaling a slice of ham.
"Nothing, nothing's wrong….nothing at all," averting his eyes from Sam's face he quickly sat down, in-between her and Carly "hey, TV lets watch that."
Casting an amused glance at Freddie, in contrast to Carly's concerned one; she said "You get weirder every time I see you Benson."
#
'*pleasurable groan* that smells nice. Like strawberries and the air after a rainstorm.' Rearranging his grip, he snuggles closer to the source of the smell. This apparently is funny because it elicits child-like snickering from nearby. Opening his eyes he saw Spencer standing in front of the TV with a camera.
A quick survey of his situation gave him an indication for the camera and the gleam of excitement in Spencer's eyes. He was on the couch in between a sleeping a Sam and Carly, while this wasn't a rare occurrence the fact that he was currently holding and cuddling with Sam Puckett also known as 'I don't do nice' Puckett.
*Click* with the picture taken Spencer dashed off into his room and locked the door.
Well that was it; once Sam saw that picture she'd kill him. After she broke every bone in his body of course, and ripped out his fingernails, beat him until he was one giant bruise and….he really didn't want to think about what she'd do to him anymore, safe to say she would end him.
Deciding not to push his luck he disentangled his and Sam's limbs and headed for his apartment.
Wednesday, iCarly studio
"Come on Sam, there's gonna be a band, food and a pool."
"No chizz….wouldn't be much of a pool party without a pool." Sam butted in as she sat on a beanbag chair.
Carly continued as if she hadn't spoken "You have to come it's the first party of the summer and I can't show up by myself." Pulling out all the stops she turned the puppy dog eyes an quivering lip on her "Please?"
At that moment a shiver ran down Freddie's spine, the same shiver all men get when their subconscious mind senses danger (usually from the female persuasion) and tries to warn them. However his youth and lack of experience would soon lead to his downfall.
"Ask the nub, he'd probably love to go with you."
"But if I show up with a guy they'll get the wrong idea." Carly whined. Finally sensing danger Freddie slowly started backing up to the studio door.
"You want to nab one of those pretty boys right," at Carly's nod she continues "well most of them are like 70% ego. So if they see you walking in with Fredimodo over there, their going to try to steal you away, get it?"
Understanding dawning in Carly's eyes, Sam whipped a book at the door forcing Freddie to step back or have it hit him in his face. "Where do you think you're going?"
'So close.'
#
"How did I let her talk me into this?" Freddie asked the world at large as he leaned against the wall of Tyler Erick's parent's small mansion that posed as a house.
"Because you're a nub and have a smallish brain." was Sam's unsolicited reply as she lay back on a pool chair.
"You're here too so what does that make you?" he said distractedly as tried to salvage his day any red blooded male would in his situation…..he looked at the all bikinied bodies on display. Almost all of them, he was resolutely avoiding looking at the baby blue two piece that was currently hugging Sam's figure.
"I'm here to support Carly," she said sitting up and looking at him and seeing him still in his shorts and t-shirt. "Oh come on Benson don't tell me you're afraid of someone seeing that scrawny physique of yours, cause I know for a fact that Gibson is running around here somewhere shirtless and no one's made fun of him…except me of course."
"First when is Gibby not shirtless? And second I am not scrawny." He knew for a fact that he wasn't, he was 5'7'' with a swimmers build and recently he had gained some definition and sleeker muscles, he was quite proud of them. Noticing that she was ignoring him again he decided to get something to drink and walked into the house.
Squeezing by classmates and kids he'd never seen much less met he finally made it into the kitchen. Grabbing a peppy cola from an ice chest he headed to the living room, passing through the long hallway he waved at Carly who was chatting up Griffin, 'Again?' reaching the living room he saw a group of guys having a game tournament so he grabbed a seat and prepared to veg.
Five minutes into a good veg session he realized that he could hear something, not the sounds of the teens and the game they played or of the others passing through the room but something else. Trying to concentrate on the sound he loses it, giving up and letting his concentration drift the sound returns. Deciding not to force it he sinks deeper into his relaxed state and let instinct take over, this seems to work because seconds later the sounds become clearer.
"No Tom….I…"
"…..babe…..you know….fighting."
"Stop…...gonna scream." *SLAP*
Coming back to himself, Freddie realizes that he's up and moving towards the voices, he doesn't know how he knows where they came from but his body does so he lets it guide him. In moments he found himself in front of a room on the second floor, once he opened the door he saw red, even as his eyes briefly flashed green. There on the bed was a large teenage guy with his left hand covering a struggling girl's, no Wendy's, mouth and his right up her shirt.
In the blink of an eye Freddie had the guy off the bed and slammed up against the wall, anger blazing in his eyes and a growl barely audible in his throat. Had he been in possession of his full faculties Freddie would have recognized that he was currently lifting a guy who had 3 inches and at least 40 pounds on him and wasn't feeling a strain on his muscles.
"NO means NO, understand." Ignoring the guy's wild nodding Freddie looked back at Wendy to see how she was doing; the sight of her hugging herself and holding her bruised face brought his earlier anger surging back. He had been raised by his mother to respect women and his best friends were girls, so the sight of an abused one did not sit easy with him.
Facing back to the guy who had done it he was just in time to take a punch across his jaw. In more surprise than pain he dropped the guy 'Tom, his name is Tom' and backed away. Freddie's astonishment at small amount of pain allowed Tom to get in a punch that dropped Freddie to his knees, the follow up kick however, he caught.
The first two attacks had taken him by surprise but now that he was ready they looked slow and sloppy. Batting away a punch Freddie pulled on the leg in his hand, dropping Tom to the ground. Quickly placing himself on top of Tom Freddie pulled back his tightly clenched fist "Didn't anyone ever tell you," his other hand grabbing Tom's collar securing his position "You" *Wham* "Don't" *WHam* "Hit" *WHAm* "Girl's!" *WHAM*. By the last punch Tom was out cold and Freddie was panting with effort, trying to keep himself from continuing to pound on the piece of trash.
Getting himself back under control Freddie went over Wendy. "Are you okay?" comfort and concern were heavy in his voice. Wendy latched onto him crying into his chest and trying to explain what happened. "Shh it's okay, you're fine now, he can't hurt you." His arms were around her, rubbing her back trying to offer her comfort as he slowly and carefully moved them into the hallway.
When he had finally gotten her to calm down he pulled back, keeping his hand on her shoulders to give her support both physically and emotionally. "Wendy, what do you want to do about this, about him?"
"I…I just want to go home." Wendy said in a weak voice. Nodding his head Freddie pulled her back under his arm and started to lead her downstairs and out the house.
The End
Technically this is the sequel to my other story 'A Fathers Love/Calm Before The Storm' but in actuality that was written as a standalone from Xanders viewpoint and as a sort of teaser for this story.
P.S. I'm usually working on 2 or 3 stories at a time so please bear with me when I'm slow to update. Thank you and please review.