Since it's spring formal season, I thought it was time to work on something iCarly related about Seddie and the prom.

Just a little setup: this is set post iGoodbye, but before TKTJ in Sam & Cat, which will be obvious in reading the dialogue. We're going to dig into some feelings about the events of the last episode, too. Maybe not canon, but it makes me feel better about the whole thing.

Freddie had been putting off this call all week. As bad as he wanted to talk to her, he was just too nervous to call Sam up and talk. It was now early April. He was a senior and prom season was just around the corner. He found out a couple of months ago that the only girl who he ever wanted to take is living in Los Angeles. Apparently, she's doing online school for senior year and babysitting.

At least that's what she told him when she called and asked for his help in tracking some fictional bad reviews of her business.

It was now Friday evening. He was trying to talk himself out of calling, rationalizing that Sam was probably out on a date or possibly busy with work. Twice he had pulled her number up on his ridiculously gigantic pear phone and been unable to work up the courage to press the call button.

He sighed, laying back on his bed, staring at the ceiling, with the phone lying on his chest. "Why does this have to be so freakin' hard? And I really need to get a normal sized smart phone."

One last time, he scrolled to her name and before he could talk himself out of it, he pressed the green button on the screen. One ring, two rings, maybe the fates would be kind and he would only get her voice mail. 3 rings, 4 rings, so far so good.

"Yo, Freducchini." Sam answered. "It's been a while."

"Um, hey, Sam." He stammered. "What's up?"

"Not much. Just watching a couple of kids." Sam sat on the sofa as three little kids chased Cat around the apartment. "Cat! Can you guys keep it down? I'm on the phone."

"But, Sam!" Cat replied, as one of the kids sprayed her with water from a super soaker. "Help. Oh, God! Mascara, eyes, it burns!"

"Hey, I'm going to step outside to talk. You OK here?"

"No, Sam, don't. I can't see! Help me!" Cat tried to beg for help as Sam stepped out their front door and took a seat on the nearest planter.

"So what are you up to?" She asked. "I hear you and Gibby both got into U-Dub."

"Yep, and Caltech. I'm coming down to tour the campus as soon as school's out, how about we try to get together?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Sam reluctantly agreed. Not that she didn't want to see him. She did, but she was still full of confused feelings. On one hand, she missed him like crazy, but one the other, she just wasn't ready to open herself up and be alone with him and risk being hurt.

"So, I'm guessing you talked to Gibby." He hoped his buddy had told Sam how much he missed her and talked about her constantly.

"Yeah, he calls once in a while, the gigantic nub. Did you know him and Nevel have actually become friends?"

"Yeah. Nevel's still, well he's still a pain in the butt, but, um that's not really why I called."

"So what's on your mind, nubbo?" She teased.

"I, uh, well you know, prom is coming up and I was just thinking. I was kind of wondering if you'd . . ."

"No!"

"I didn't even ask you yet. How did you even know what I was going to say?"

"You were going to invite me to be your date to some chizzy dance. And I said no." Sam said flatly.

"But why?"

"Well, for starters, I live two states and a four hundred and eighty nine dollar flight away. Isn't there some girl in our class that you can ask? I hear Wendy's single and Jaqueline and that new girl Cami, but Wendy says she's a little weird. Sounds like your type. Surely one of them is desperate enough for a date to go with you." She tried to taunt him.

"Very funny, Puckett. See, thing is, Wendy kind of hinted but I don't want to go with any of them, Sam. I want to go with you. I - I miss you, and It'd really mean a lot to me to be able to take you to our prom."

She sighed. "Sorry, but I'm not coming back to Seattle any time soon."

"I'd come to L.A. for you. If you got run over by a sports utility vehicle or something, I'd be there in a heartbeat. I mean, I would drop everything and hop the first plane south."

"Look, Fredbag, I just need some space. I'm not saying I never want to see your face again, I'll even hang out with you for a bit when you come to Caltech." She drew a deep breath before telling him the truth. "Thing is, you're the reason I left Seattle to start with. I'm sure as heck not coming back just to go out with you. Especially to something as dumb as prom."

Freddie was confused. "Wait, what do you mean, I'm the reason you left?"

"Because you're still hung up on her, Freddie. And I don't know if you'll ever not be. Because I'm tired of being your participation prize and I'm not going out with someone who doesn't really want me as bad as . . . "

"Sam, no!" He begged. "I swear I'm not hung up."

Sam had herself convinced that this was a fact and thought he was lying to her. "Then tell me why, just hours after you asked me to get back together, you were in the studio swapping spit with Carly." She snapped at him. "Don't try to deny it. I saw you guys. Just like I saw you dancing at the Groovy Smoothie that time after the speed dating mess. Face it Freddie, the only time Sam's good enough is if Carly's not around."

Her statement broke his heart. "Aw, Sam, that's not true."

"I've been right in front of you for years, Freddie and you were so hung up on Carly, I might was well have been invisible. I know I'm some disgusting piece of white trash. I'm so nasty, I couldn't even get a date with Gibby for chiz sake. But the point is, as long as you still have feelings for someone else, I don't want to go out with you. Not as any thing more than just hanging out with a friend. And I'm sure as h, e, double el, not blowing all my savings flying back to Seattle just to go to some goofy dance with you."

"Sam, please."

"Look, Fredward. I said no and I mean it. Prom is a big deal to nubs like you. You've been talking about it for years. You should go with someone who's as caught up with the whole dumb high school experience as you. Not someone like me who could give a rat's butt about any of it. This is something you want to look back on ten years from now and be happy with."

"I'd be happiest with you." He said quietly.

Sam continued to get more upset at his insistence. "You'll get over it. Ask someone else. Who knows, if you ask the right girl you might even get some boob before the night's over. But I'm not going to be your date just by default. Now, if you want to hang out and do something as friends when you come to L.A., give me a call and we can try to get together. Deal?"

"OK, Sam." He agreed, sensing her getting more hostile. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. For everything. I never would have done anything to hurt you. I never will." Sam could hear a crack in his voice as he spoke and it broke her heart, thinking she hurt him.

"Uh, I gotta go. Just call me when you're in town, Fredweirdo. We'll hang, alright?" Sam quickly ended the call and wiped a tear away from her eye. This was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do. At least when she left Seattle, she didn't have to confront anyone. All she did was leave a note and a make a few texts and head out on her motorcycle.

She returned to the apartment to find the kids finally settled down, eating ice cream at the table as Cat looked frazzled, makeup running down her face and hair going wild.

"What's wrong, Sam?" The red head asked.

Sam flopped on the sofa. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"It's not nothing. You look like you've been crying." Cat fussed, coming over and sitting down beside her.

"It was just one tear and it's no big deal. You're the one who looks like a rabid raccoon. I was just asked to prom and I said no."

"But why?" Cat gasped. "I'd give anything to go to prom. Wait, who asked you? OMG, it wasn't Robbie was it. I swear, I'll give that boy a piece of my mind."

Sam sighed. "No, it wasn't Robbie. Guh-ross! And you can't afford to give away what little you have."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're a sophomore, Cat. You'll go next year." Sam reasoned. "I can't go running back home just for some dumb ol' dance. And I'm sure as heck not going back to go with Freddie."

"Freddie? You mean Freddie as in Benson? Adorable, cute, smart, Freddie Benson from the show? But I thought you still had feelings for him. You don't talk about him much but when you do, you get this glow. I can tell Sam, he's someone special to you."

"You're nuts!" Sam huffed and flipped on the TV. "And can we please quit talking about this."

"Hey, I might be a lot of things and I know I'm not the sharpest girl in the drawer, but I can tell when someone likes someone and you like Freddie!"

"I'm going to bed!" Sam got up and left the room.