Samantha Puckett strolled down a street in Seattle, making her way to the apartment she shared with her best friend Carly Shay. The blonde had moved back to Seattle five years ago, after living in LA with Cat for three years. She had gone to College and had gotten her teacher certification which surprised everyone except Cat. Sam now worked at the high school that she and her friends had attended.
Cat had moved in with Robbie, who had been her boyfriend of three years at the time, after Sam left and the couple still lived in LA. The two were now engaged and Cat was an aspiring singer while Robbie finally put Rex away. Cat had dyed her hair brown deciding it was time for a change.
Sam moved to Seattle because her mum was sick and Melanie couldn't look after her. She and Pam had finally made up after so many years of bickering. Pam had passed away about three years ago. Carly came back for the funeral and eventually decided to move back to America for good. She moved back in with Spencer for a short while before she and Sam bought the Benson's old apartment and started living together. She now taught acting lessons for people of all ages at the Community Center.
By the time Sam returned to Seattle the Benson's had moved out of their apartment across the hall. Spencer had been given their address and new phone number by Freddie but he'd lost it and Freddie made no attempt to contact them. Freddie had apparently gotten a new phone since then as Sam had tried to call her friend on numerous occasions and it said the number had been disconnected.
Sam's mind wandered to what Freddie could be doing now and she didn't notice the tall man she was about to bump into until it was too late and she fell onto her butt.
"Dude, watch where you're going!" she groaned and he leaned down to help her up.
"Sorry," he said in a voice that she instantly recognised.
"Freddork?" she asked as she looked up at him. His eyes widened.
"Princess Puckett?" he asked in a similar state of disbelief. She stared at him shocked and then quickly lifted her arm and slapped him across the face.
"Eight years!" she yelled at him, "It's been eight years since any of us last saw you! The last time I saw you was when we went on a date and then I never heard from you again."
"Listen Sam, I'm so so sorry. I-I went to College, and me and my mum moved to Michigan, and my phone broke and I lost your number," he began to ramble clutching his cheek but she cut him off with a tight hug.
"I really missed you Fredbag," she mumbled and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"I missed you too Sammy."
She pulled away to glare up at him, "Don't call me that," she growled and he put up his hands in a sign of surrender.
"Sorry," he said. She smiled slightly and then came up with a brilliant idea.
"Hey, wanna see who lives in your old apartment now?"
"Is it someone I know?" he asked and briefly noticed that he and Sam were acting as if eight years hadn't passed and he was grateful.
"Mhm, you could say that, c'mon I'll show you," she said and took his hand, dragging him down the street. She purposely took his left hand so that she could inconspicuously check for a ring and she found herself oddly happy to not find one though she couldn't explain why.
On the way to the apartment building they chatted about what they'd been doing with their lives, Freddie said he felt extremely sorry for Sam's Home Ec class and she hit him upside the head.
Finally they reached their location and hopped into the elevator which would take them into Spencer's apartment. The moment Spencer spotted them he grinned widely and rushed forward to hug them tightly.
"Freddie! I'm so sorry I lost the pieces (A/N: yes plural) of paper you put your new address and phone number on."
"It's fine," Freddie said and patted the older man's back.
Spencer nodded quickly and pulled away. Carly stood about a metre behind him as she had been over for lunch. A look of shock graced her features. She stepped forward and stared up at him silently.
"Eight years," she mumbled quietly, the opposite of Sam's screaming at him on the street, "It's been eight years since any of us last saw you," she said brushing her bangs out of her face.
"I know Carls, I'm sor-" she cut him off by putting her hand up to silence .
"Don't apologise," she mumbled and hugged him tightly, "We all missed you so so much."
"Okay, sappy hug time over," Sam said and pulled the two apart, Freddie thought about the fact that just five minutes ago it had been Sam who hugged him like that, "We're going over to meet the people who live in the Benson's old apartment," Sam took Freddie's arm with a grin and Carly shot her a confused look but went along with it none the less.
"Oh yeah, they're really cool," she smiled and took his other arm. The two girls led him across the hall and Sam pulled out her key, which confused Freddie.
"Why exactly do you have a key?" he asked.
"You'll figure it out," she said letting him in.
He stepped inside and looked around the apartment, "It's so much less clean then when I lived here, which really isn't saying much," he laughed.
"You make it sound like we're both complete slobs, I mean, Sam is but I'm not!" Carly protested. It took Freddie a moment to realise what she was insinuating.
"You guys live here?" he asked spinning round to look at them.
"We needed a place to live and we couldn't bear to see someone else living here," Sam shrugged and Freddie smiled, "C'mon we'll show you around."
Freddie was amazed by all the changes that had been made to the apartment, no more tick baths. Finally, they reached Freddie's old room, which was now Sam's. They stepped inside and they were greeted by a room with walls not visible due to so many posters, photographs and other things being stuck up on the walls. The floor was littered with a few clothes, shoes and fat cake packets.
"Welcome to the Samcave," she smiled throwing up her hands and twirling in the centre of it, "Formerly known as the Chamber of Dorks when Fredikins lived here."
Freddie rolled his eyes, "And we're straight back to insulting me," he mumbled.
"Hey, I have eight years to make up for!"
Freddie shoved her jokingly and walked over to the wall, Sam following him. He skimmed over all the stuff stuck up until his eyes landed on a photo. It was a photo from when he went to LA to find Sam. In it they had fallen asleep on the couch and Cat must have taken it. Sam was hugging him around the middle with her head on his shoulder and her legs draped over his lap while his head rested on top of her blonde curls and he had one arm wrapped around her shoulders.
"Cat gave that photo to me when I moved out," Sam smiled, coming to stand next to him. He nodded and looked at some of the other photos, there was one of the three of them before the first ever iCarly. "We were so young." And one of Carly and Sam hugging each other tightly which was much more recent. And another of Sam and Freddie smiling at each other at the mental hospital so many years ago. They were both so absorbed in looking at the pictures they didn't notice Carly slip out of the room.
"C'mon, there's one more place we have to go," Sam said, taking his hand and stepping over a pile of students assessments. She led him out of her room and down the hall. He glanced at her as she pulled him out onto the fire escape.
He blushed at the memories that came rushing back at the thought of this place. She sat down on the stairs and he sat down on the ledge (where Sam sat in iKiss, I can't explain it). She stared out at Seattle and he noticed she hadn't let go of his hand.
"Sam, why are we out here?" he whispered.
"Last time I spoke to you, it was when you came to LA, after the tuna incident," she said, turning to look at him.
"When we went on a date," he finished for her.
"Yeah," she nodded, "Do you remember when the last time we were here was?"
"Our first kisses."
"Yeah," she nodded again. She chewed her lip and then looked him in the eyes, "C-can I kiss you?" she asked awkwardly, he nodded.
After she'd sat staring at him scared to move for a minute he whispered, "Well, lean."
And she did.