Lonely Eyes

Rating: T

Notes: I've been sick for over a week, felt horrible. I'm finally getting over it, last night this just randomly came into my head after reading a few forum posts on the Creddie forum. I finished it on that same night, and edited it today.

I would warn it takes a bit more of a realistic view of the situation the show currently is in, as well as these two characters. It's not a destruction though. No matter what you ship you should be pleased enough with it.

Lastly, I want to give a shout-out to Snapplelinz, who has been helping to keep my spirits up throughout my illness. Thank you.

Summary: Sensing Carly might be lonely whilst Sam and Freddie are figuring out their relationship, Gibby makes a move on her. Involves Seddie, Cibby, Creddie in various ways. One Shot.

Gibby watched Carly studying, sitting in a beanbag surrounded by books, study guides and other school related items. As Carly gracefully tapped a pen in her hands against the large book, a sliver of hair fell down her face. Carly softly brushed the hair back behind her ear and continued to work.

Gibby stood by the door gathering up his courage.

This was his chance. It didn't take a genius to figure out Carly was feeling lonely. The studying was a distraction right now, but he saw whenever Sam and Freddie left that it was hitting her hard. Even as he watched, he could tell she was downcast. Downhearted. The frown that appeared on her face every few seconds gave it away.

On the outside she was happy towards Sam and Freddie's... entanglement. Perhaps she even was a little happy. To anyone watching she looked like was studying. Carly was thinking, but not about the ancient history textbook in front of her.

Carly was nursing a variety of not so happy emotions. One of the most prominent was betrayal. Sam hadn't bothered to confide her feelings, that Freddie hadn't bothered to tell her about the kiss until Sam went missing and she forced the issue. They had both called her their best friend at one point in their lives.

What changed?

Was it her?

Carly couldn't figure out why Sam didn't tell her though. Did she not trust her? They were like sisters, and Sam had repeatedly said she wished Carly was her real sister and not Melanie. Sam was always half-joking but the fact that it was only half a joke meant it had a grain of truth behind it. Had Freddie taken over her role in Sam's life? Was her liking, or crushing, or love or hate or love hate or whatever it was that caused Sam to run away too close to Carly's history with Freddie for it to be comfortable? Just like Sam not telling Carly about her crush on Spencer? Was that all it was?

On reflection she figured it was her fault with Freddie. Carly had hit him, whacking him with oranges for checking out Tori when there was nothing wrong with Freddie doing that. Carly supposed that was just another moment that had caused Freddie to stop trusting her with his own feelings, to stop openly talking about them with her. If Carly would punish him for simply checking out other girls like any single guy was free to do, what would happen if he confided in her about feelings for one of them?

That lack of trust was worrying and shamed Carly into self analysis, and Carly had come up short thinking about her actions. It wasn't as if she'd been open to Sam and Freddie either, not when it came to parts of her relationship with Steven. Freddie or Sam didn't know how far her and Steven had gone. It was still a closely kept secret. Steven never told anyone. Carly had that to thank him for at least. If he told anyone now they would just say he was looking for revenge. No-one would believe him. The only person who knew was Tori. They'd both been taken in all the way by his lies and discussed it when they were alone before they headed back to Seattle. At least Tori had Andre, who was her best friend to confide in. If Tori needed it, she also had her sister Trina, and Cat, Beck, Robbie, even Jade.

And most of all, she had both her parents.

Those weren't the only emotions Carly had been hiding. Trying to talk to Spencer about her feelings was a waste of time, he was out of his depth and ran out the door after trying his best but failing.

Sam and Freddie were out obviously. Last thing she needed was getting involved even further than she already had. She wouldn't stoop to Sam's by taking Freddie's ear and inventing her version of the bacon theory. It wasn't her place to interfere with a relationship. One day Carly thought she would need to square that up with Sam. To figure out exactly why she did it. In the light of her emergent feelings for Freddie it made Sam's actions look to Carly like sabotage. She couldn't even talk to Melanie because it'd probably get back to Sam now that Sam had seemingly given up on her as a confidant.

Wendy would tell the whole school in five seconds flat.

Tori herself had just left on a trip to perform in a country Carly had never heard of before, according to her SplashFace page.

Griffin would just use it to try and get into her pants. That's what growing up was pretty much about as far as she could tell. Older boys stopped asking you for ice cream and a movie, and young men started asking you to stay the night. Pretty much every other guy she knew would do the exact same thing. Except Freddie of course. Carly thought about how she'd ruined that by giving up on him, and giving everything to a jerk cheater because after a month and a half together he told Carly he loved her and she lapped it up and he was leaving the city again and wanted her to stay the night. Being emotionally manipulated like that was a situation she vowed to never let herself get into ever again.

Watching Freddie taking on Sam in their sickeningly sweet 'win for a kiss' arm wrestling contests made her realize she should have let Freddie pound Steven into the ground. A tiny voice that had been calling out since her accident was now repeatedly telling her that 'It should have been Freddie not Steven, It should have been Freddie, it should have been Freddie not Steven,' as well. But it was too late for that now. It wasn't like she had access to a time machine. All Carly could do was focus on herself as time went forward.

Mrs. Benson didn't even know about Sam and Freddie yet. Freddie had made it clear he didn't want her to find out. Carly pondered if she'd be in the dark like Mrs. Benson if it wasn't for watching Sam kiss him back at the lock down. Telling her was out of the question. If they didn't trust her at the moment, telling Mrs. Benson would be like that horrible moment she ruined Freddie's fencing times a thousand.

Her father was in the middle of another secret deployment that would leave him out of contact for at least another three months.

At least now she knew a possible reasoning behind Sam's actions after Freddie saved her life. It was barely more than a few days since they got together and Carly was already feeling excluded.

She sighed without realizing. This is what a third wheel is like. This is what being alone feels like. She thought to herself that at least the last few months and weeks had proven to her that she did need to treat her own body and feelings and relationships with more respect and more thought.

Gibby watched on having finally drummed up the guts to talk to her.

She was beautiful and feeling down. He was a stud. His only competition had just gone and found his own insanely hot babe and was currently reaping the rewards. Make out sessions in the back of her mom's car that usually ended with rounding second, and Freddie had even said he would've got to third if it wasn't for Mrs. Benson coming home from work an hour early a couple days ago.

Sam was a psychopath though when it came to relationships, so Gibby expected the whole thing to flame out and die in a couple months. Wherever they were now they were together and it left him staring at the brunette beauty in the studio through the glass paneled door. It also gave him a window of opportunity. This could work. This could happen. Carly just needed a nudge in the right direction. He just needed to be smooth.

He entered the room and shut the studio door behind him with a click.

Carly noticed him enter but didn't look up from her books, "You're here early."

"Well, you know me, always be prepared." A few props were strewn across the room, but not even the tech cart was setup yet.

"The show's not for four hours."

Gibby brushed that off and took a seat in the folding chair.

"So Carly.."

"Yuhuh."

"I was thinking.." He trailed off as Carly continued to ignore him for her books.

"You know this thing with Sam and Freddie." That got her attention. Carly closed the book with a hard snap and dropped her pen.

"What about it?" Carly narrowed her eyes, guarded as she turned to face Gibby.

Carly gave Gibby back her attention and he laughed nervously, "About Sam and Freddie." He stammered.

"Yeah Gibby?" Carly wondered exactly what he was going to talk to her about. They weren't exactly close. Gibby working on the show and a few school projects with Carly had pushed him to a level under Sam and Freddie, but he wasn't a particularly close friend. A morose thought entered Carly's mind that maybe she didn't have any particularly close friends any more.

He smiled at her widely as he spoke,"I thought that since Sam and Freddie are otherwise occupied now, maybe you'd like to go to dinner some time."

Carly looked him up and down, her eyebrow raised, "You mean like a date?"

"Exactly. You can pick the place, I'll pick you up and everything. Whaddya say hon?"

'Hon'? Carly pondered it over for a moment and a handful of incidents she'd seen or had relayed to her by Freddie and Sam came back into her mind. The answer was clear, but she'd need to word it diplomatically, "Look.. Gibby, you're a good friend, but after Steven, I'm not looking to get into a relationship."

Carly watched his face fall for a moment, before he regained his composure. He held his hands up above his head, palms open towards Carly, "I hear that, but maybe I'm the guy to turn things around you know?"

He was good, Carly thought. Most guys would have quit on the spot if she'd rejected them like she just had.

Carly stood up and started packing her books, she'd need to wait this out in her room, "Sorry.. I'm just not interested," She said as she started walking out of the room.

Gibby jumped from the chair and strode in front, blocking her way. Not in a threatening manner but still in her way.

"Come on Carls, the ladies love Gibby, gimme a chance you'll see I treat you right."

"Gibby, I said no. Now drop it." Her short terse words caused a tinge of anger to rise up in Gibby's mind.

Carly tried stepping to the side, but Gibby matched her movement. A combination of desperation and annoyance at being rejected and possible reasons for the rejection caused him to verbally lash out at her.

"What's the deal? I ask all nicely and I get rejected? Is it because I'm not good enough for you?"

"Not good enough?" Her patience was broken, all she wanted to do was get out of the situation. Carly herself figured that she probably deserved the reputation she'd heard whispered behind her back and now apparently confirmed by Gibby of all people.

The talk was she was easy and shallow. Exactly how she was differed depending on who you spoke to.

But no longer. Carly wasn't going to be easy at all. Not to get a date with, not to get her attention, not to be distracted by random hotness or being hit on by a suave ladies man and never again easy in the biblical sense of the word. Not after Steven.

Gibby stood firm.

Carly gritted her teeth, "Alright. Fine. You asked for it. I wouldn't go out with you if you were one of the last people on earth, people like Steven, Nevel, Jonah, Griffin and Adam to name a few would be about the few people I'd put behind you right about now."

Gibby was insulted, "How am I like any of those jerks?"

Carly cried out, attitude dripping from her words, "Because you are Gibby! Maybe old Carly would have ignored how you've treated people, but not any more. First up, you get insanely jealous, and the last thing I want is a jealous boyfriend. You wanted to kill Freddie when he and Tasha tripped over, and you didn't believe him! Then you cheated on Tasha, and don't give me that not exclusive crap!"

"You don't know anything about my relationship with Tasha." Gibby replied defensively.

"I know more than you think. Freddie told me about what happened at the Groovy Smoothie." Carly replied filling her voice with the legendary sass that Spencer told her she'd inherited from her mom.

"He did?"

"Yeah. He is my best friend if you don't remember,"Carly spoke the words confidently even if she was having trouble believing in them, but they worked.

"That exclusive thing was a blatant lie. You just wanted to take advantage when Tasha was away in Europe with her family. You wanted to keep your options open for when she got back and still wanted to play the field. That's a load of chizz and you know it, two-timing a girl who cares about you!"

Gibby's mouth opened and closed again, unable to form a reply.

"You stole Patrice from him, after he was already interested in her and they were pretty much already dating. That's not very nice Gibby. In fact, it's jank! Maybe if Freddie had been with Patrice he wouldn't be with Sam now!" Carly jabbed Gibby in the chest. The little explosion of her famous 'sass' made her smile inside, it was the first real emotion she'd let out in weeks. Not the mask that dropped as soon as no-one was around to see her.

Gibby stood dumbstruck. Once the endorphins from the sass wore off Carly looked up at Gibby again.

Carly sighed again, prepared her mind for the final words she was going to deliver on the matter, "I'm going downstairs to my room. Don't follow me. Gibby, you're still a friend to me and Sam and maybe Freddie if he's forgiven you for ruining his chances with Patrice. But I'm not going to go out with you. I need to change my behavior. Even though I'm sure we could have had a good time, I'm not comfortable with selling myself short any longer. So yes Gibby. You aren't good enough for me. But not in the way you though. I don't mean it like the only guys who are good enough have to look like male models, or be rock stars, or star football players. Not any longer. What I need is guys who will treat me right like Freddie did. What you do in relationships isn't my business, but what I know means I will never go out with you. Please accept that. You can take the elevator down to watch TV or go wait at the Groovy Smoothie. Up to you."

Carly pushed the button to call the elevator up from the ground floor as she turned to leave the look on Gibby's face stopped her in her tracks. His lips were quivering, his eyebrows dropping low. His eye's were on the verge of spilling over into tears.

"Oh Gibby." Carly turned to Gibby and took the edge of his collar to wipe his eyes. Even though Gibby had tagged along when Freddie had gone to the gym in the last couple months and lost the puppy fat, Gibby was still a big teddy bear on the inside and she had hurt him.

"I'm okay. Got something in my eye. It's okay Carly. Really. I understand. I'll go wait downstairs until the show starts if that's okay."

"Yeah. That's okay."

Gibby remained silent.

Carly took a couple steps towards the door when he spoke up again, "Do I really look that bad to you?"

Carly softened her features and her voice hardened into a more motivational tone, "I know more than most people do. A random girl on the street won't. She also won't know your good points. How loyal you can be. How funny you are. Your fearlessness. How you are willing to risk yourself to help people. How you don't care if anyone watches you dance. That girl would have to learn all the things about you before she could form an opinion. I won't tell Sam or Freddie about this. If you ever want to talk about things, I'll be here for you. What you said about them spending time together. That's still true. I could use a friend right now, not a relationship. I just need to know I can trust you and that it's clear nothing more than friendship will happen between us and I think I'd like if that friend was you."

The wheels in his mind turned. What she said about Sam. Was Carly jealous? Was that the major cause of her disenchanted mood? If that was true she really did need a friend. "Thanks. And yes, you can trust me. I won't tell anyone. If you did I know you'd tell everyone I got rejected and it'd ruin my rep. But even without that you still can. I promise I won't think anything more could happen. I'd like to be that friend for you."

"Good good Gibson. So it's settled. Just be ready for the show. You're still an important part of it."

Gibby smiled at her compliment, "Sure thing Shay."

They shared a quick laugh.

The elevator dinged and the door opened with a slight screech of metal, "How about we share it. Save one of us taking the stairs. Gibby nodded and pointed his arm to indicate for Carly to step inside first in a gentleman like manner. He followed behind. Carly set the buttons, for her floor and then for the bottom floor of their apartment.

When it finished the short trip to her floor it dinged and opened again. Before Carly stepped out, Carly stood on her tip-toes and kissed him on his cheek.

She turned as the door started to close and waved goodbye, "See you later Gibby."

"Bye Carly."

Carly felt proud as she walked into her room to continue studying. Glad that she'd stood up for herself, and that she'd explained her actions and thought them through without impulsively acting in a way that would come back to hurt her. She figured that she would take Gibby up on his offer to talk and discuss things with him, and that it'd be a weight off her shoulders to get a new opinion and a neutral one at that.

Gibby had a rueful smile. He knew that despite the rejection, he still tried. Gibby thought to himself that he'd be taking Carly up on her offer. He knew that with her help, maybe instead of another girl, another temporary one who would leave him, like when he cheated on Tasha, or another Patrice, who he'd broken Bro Code to get involved with. He could find his own smart, funny, beautiful and considerate version of Carly. And keep her and treat her right.

Gibby thought that the two of them had just started a closer friendship. With a closer friendship between them, Gibby hoped that Carly's eyes wouldn't have to look so lonely for much longer.

END

AN: Carly isn't quite the cheerleader she's become in the first couple episodes of the new season. But she's not a mean jealous harpy looking to break them up either. I think I came close enough to a a realistic view about how Carly might feel watching Sam and Freddie hook up. Knowing that she had been with Freddie before, and that Sam was the reason they broke up.

I took the opportunity to reflect on a few parts of recent episodes I wasn't quite happy with and Carly and Gibby's character, and the flaws I see in Cibby without destroying it completely.

As for Steven, I think it's possible Carly gave it up to him. Considering how into him she was I think it's possible he could have convinced her to sleep with him. In this case, the 100 day kiss was a public display of affection that was more about the 100 day landmark than the actual kiss itself signifying a certain level of closeness. Any sexual activity would be private. A couple can celebrate yearly anniversaries of their relationship and still not have slept together, and this is the opposite, just because it's a 100 day kiss doesn't mean they haven't done anything except kiss. Same with Tori. Of course, that would never be brought up on the show, but I felt it added a more mature touch to the story.

Hope you liked it.